Wednesday, April 30, 2008

The Real Story of Stone Soup by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch


This is a different - but not too different - version of the invention of stone soup. Narrated by the pompous and lazy fisherman, children will soon be giggling as they watch three clever boys outwit him and create the marvelous stone soup.

The expressions of the three clever boys and the unsuspecting and clueless fisherman perfectly fit the light-hearted story and the swirling backgrounds evoke the river and surrounding country.

The author includes an author's note explaining the origin of the story, and a recipe for " Chang Brothers Egg Drop Stone Soup."

Verdict: The text is lengthy and the the humor must be picked up between the text and illustrations, so this is more suitable for elementary-aged readers and listeners.


ISBN: 978-0525474937; Published January 1007 by Dutton; Borrowed from the library

Monday, April 28, 2008

Zorro and Quwi: Tales of a trickster guinea pig by Rebecca Hickox, illustrated by Kim Howard


A tricky fox lives in the mountains of Peru. A tricky, hungry fox!

Unfortunately for Zorro, Quwi, the plump guinea pig he chases every night, is hungry too - and even trickier! In a series of nightly encounters, Quwi outsmarts the hungry Zorro, who finally gives up.

Folktale enthusiasts will notice at least one classic trickster story; trading places in a trap after raiding a garden (at least that's the one I know). The other stories may or may not be familiar.

The author's note says these tales are based on a folktale collection from the 70s, with the guinea pig trickster as a mouse. However, the guinea pig as trickster is apparently a familiar figure in Peruvian folklore and his substitution for the original mouse gives the stories an interesting twist.

The writing is brisk and segues easily between the different episodes. Hickox has kept the folktale flavor without dating the stories or making them too contemporary. Kim Howard's illustrations are bright and chunky, using big splashes of color and broad outlines.

Verdict: This picturebook is a little long for reading aloud to the preschool crowd, although older children might enjoy it. The book is episodic enough to make it easy to adapt individual stories for telling aloud. Plus, it's got a guinea pig!

ISBN: 978-0385321228; Published February 1997 by Doubleday (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist

Monday, April 21, 2008

Down the back of the chair by Margaret Mahy, illustrated by Polly Dunbar

A family's encroaching money problems are solved by delving into the back of a magical chair. This unrealistic plot quickly explodes into delightful silliness as an unending stream of increasingly strange creatures and items are produced from the chair. Margaret Mahy's rollicking rhymes are complemented by Polly Dunbar's drawings of a pop-eyed father, exuberant little girl, and a stream of collaged items from the wonderful chair.

Verdict: This one would make an excellent read-aloud for storytime kids who like nonsense and addictive rhymes. It would also be a fun start for a storytelling exercise.

ISBN: 978-0618693955; Published June 2006 by Clarion; Borrowed from the library

Friday, April 18, 2008

Will goes to the post office & Will gets a haircut by Lena and Olof Landstrom


These two Swedish tales are classic Lena and Olof Landstrom. The deceptively simple illustrations, plot, and characters, are deeply satisfying and reassuring.

 In each of these two stories, Will has a job to do - get a haircut, and pick up a package from the post office. He doesn't really want to get a haircut, and his package turns out to be ENORMOUS, but he manages on his own and the story comes to a successful conclusion.

Will's stories celebrate the simple joys and troubles of childhood, when even small things can loom large, but with a little ingenuity, Will solves his problems!

Verdict: I really like these Swedish picture books, but sadly they are out of print. VERY out of print.


Will goes to the post office
ISBN: 978-9129629507; Published September 1994 by R & S (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist


Will gets a haircut
ISBN: 978-9129620757; Published September 1993 by R & S (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist

Monday, April 14, 2008

Tallulah in the kitchen by Nancy Wolff

Tallulah loves to cook and in this crazy-quilt-color story, she and her friends make delicious pancakes. The instructions are given step by step, with plenty of warnings about safety and cooking tips. There's not really a plot, as the point of the story is walking a child through the pancake cooking process, but the colors are bright and attractive and there are plenty of little accidents to provide humor along the way. I found the actual recipe difficult to read since it was cluttered in with the colorful art, but I see this is a popular picture book so probably that's just my poor eyesight.

Verdict: This book is best suited for caregiver-child interaction, unless you happen to have a stove in your storyroom!

ISBN: 0805074635; Published May 2005 by Henry Holt; Borrowed from the library

Friday, April 11, 2008

Widget and Widget and the Puppy by Lyn McFarland, illustrated by Jim McFarlan


In Widget's first story, he's a small, lonely dog with no home. When Widget finds a home, it's not the human he has to convince to let him stay - it's the Girls. Six formidable pussies, who are NOT enthusiastic about letting a dog into their home. But wait! He's not really a dog...or is he?
In Widget's second story, the Girls look on disapprovingly as Widget "watches" a puppy. But in the end, Widget, and the Girls, discover how much fun the puppy can be!
These simple doggy stories have exquisitely humorous illustrations that won't pass over children's heads. Widget's expressions are priceless and each story has a surprising ending!

Verdict: These are great storytime staples for dog and cat themed storytimes and fun for casual reading at any time.


Widget
ISBN: 978-1439551684; Published 2001 by Farrar Straus Giroux (later editions still in print); Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library (not by me - I wasn't here then!); Added to my personal wishlist


Widget and the puppy
ISBN: 978-0374384296; Published August 2004 by Farrar Strauss & Giroux (out of print); Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Melisande by E. Nesbit, illustrated by P. J. Lynch

This is one of my favorites of E. Nesbit's short fairy tales.

Melisande's parents, being modern monarchs, decide to avoid all that christening unpleasantness and christen the baby themselves.....but do-it-yourselfers often run into trouble and kings and queens are no exception! They find themselves faced with an angry mob of fairies and only the king's logical reasoning gets them out of a nasty situation.

Unfortunately, when it's all over, little Princess Melisande, although sweet and good and lovely, also turns out....bald. Not to worry, the king has a useful wish stored away; but it doesn't work quite as expected. It takes a handsome prince, several tries, and a lot of mathematics before Melisande can settle down to her happily ever after.

P. J. Lynch's gorgeous illustrations are the perfect complement for this logical, nonsensical, and fantastical fairy tale.

Verdict: This picture book is too long for the average storytime read-aloud, but older children who like fairy tales might enjoy listening to it.


ISBN: 978-0152531645; Published October 1989 by Harcourt; Borrowed from the library; Added to my personal wishlist

Friday, April 4, 2008

Super Guinea Pig to the Rescue by Udo Weigelt, illustrated by Nina Spranger

The story's not too bad, a little didactic, but ok. A guinea pig learns that his fellow pets, a dog, goldfish, and canary, are his best friends, not an imaginary character on tv.

But the pictures are just...wrong.

All the animals look like they are in an advanced state of mold, except the goldfish, which looks like it has a serious case of mumps.

Now the dog is believable, I've seen dogs with that coloring, although I didn't think they were particularly attractive, but that's besides the point.

But the canary looks like someone splashed it with paint and then stored it in a cellar to dry and something went....wrong.

And the shape of the goldfish makes one wonder if it's really alive, or actually dead and stuffed...badly.
The guinea pig is the WORST. It looks more like a sloth (mold in the fur, you know?) or maybe really, really dirty. It's a weird shape - guinea pigs don't take well to standing up and waving a sword around - and its eyes are all wrong, as you can see in the picture. Guinea pigs have black, shoebutton eyes.

Let us refresh ourselves with a REAL super guinea pig from the Texas Rustlers Guinea Pig Rescue.



Verdict: The illustrations were so painful. I don't recommend even looking at this book if you can avoid it.


ISBN: 978-0802797056; Published September 2007 by Walker; Borrowed from the library

Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Scarecrow of Oz by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by John R. Neill

The Scarecrow of Oz, while not the best of Baum's Oz books, nevertheless contains some unforgettable characters. Of course, Trot, Cap'n Bill, Button-Bright, and the great Scarecrow himself are favorites. But this particular volume introduces such unforgettable personages as the featherless Ork, with his propeller tail, the Bumpy Man who lives in the Land of Mo, and the romantic Gloria and Pon. While these characters are memorable, the story is weak in the classic plot of strange characters and countries encountered while traveling. The only traveling in Oz, after the problems of Gloria and Pon have been solved, is made quite fantastically luxurious by the Wizard and the Scarecrow's little mishap seems to be an afterthought.

Verdict: It's worth reading for the dedicated Oz fan, and those not in love with all things Ozzy will find it worthwhile to read about the strange Ork and the magical Land of Mo. If your library collections Oz books, go ahead and add it, but otherwise it's not one you need - stick to the first three Oz titles for your basic collection.


ISBN: Various; Published by many different publishers at different times, there are several reprints currently available; Purchased for my collection (cheap paperback edition, I'm still looking for one of the older editions)