Giraffe Problems - a review

Giraffe Problems

by Jory John
Illustrated by Lane Smith
Random House, 2018



Below is my review of Giraffe Problems as it appeared in School Library Journal. Oct 2018, Vol. 64 Issue 10, p55, 2 p.


PreS-Gr 2-In a follow-up to Penguin Problems, John and Smith team up again and bring their zany brand of comedy. Edward the giraffe has a problem with his neck—it's just too necky. Who wants such a long neck? "Everybody stares at it. This guy. That guy. Him. Her. Them. Whatever that is. Her again." Edward envies his fellow African animals, who generally respond unfavorably. When Edward admires the zebra's classic stripes, the zebra snaps, "Quit staring at me," but it takes a self-effacing turtle named Cyrus to convince him that his neck is just perfect. A foldout page reveals Edward using his neck for its intended purpose. In a beautiful introduction to the uniqueness of a giraffe's spots, Smith has created large, block-printed spots in natural colors to adorn the end pages. The textured print continues throughout, visible in the hides of animals, the bark of trees, and the textured ground of the African plain. Of course, there is the theme of self-acceptance and a bit of sublime silliness as well, especially in Edwards's fruitless attempts at camouflage and in the expressively simple eyes of Cyrus the turtle. VERDICT This book will appeal to older preschoolers as well as elementary school kids, and would lend itself perfectly to dramatic interpretation or an art lesson in sponge or block printing.

Copyright © 2018 School Library Journal, the property of Media Source, Inc.  Reprinted here with permission.

Peek inside Giraffe Problems.


My copy of Giraffe Problems was provided by SLJ.
 

The Ugly Five - a review

The Ugly Five
By Julia Donaldson
Illustrated by Axel Scheffler
Scholastic, 2018

Below is my review of The Ugly Five as it appeared in School Library Journal. Enjoy!

DONALDSON, Julia. The Ugly Five. illus. by Axel Scheffler. 32p. Scholastic. Jul. 2018. Tr $17.99. ISBN 9781338249538. PreS-Gr 2—This rhyming book takes place on the African plain and introduces a collection of animals not known for attractiveness, but beloved by their children nonetheless. It begins with an introduction to the wildebeest, and she soon sings a song that is repeated with variations throughout the book, “I’m the ugly one, I’m the ugly one. I’m the ugliest animal under the sun. My ungainly appearance is second to none. I’m the ugly one, I’m the ugly one.” Wildebeest meets up with spotted hyena, lappet-faced vulture, warthog, and marabou stork, and the song reflects each addition. Scheffler is a frequent artist for Donaldson and has the perfect approach for her lighthearted prose. The “ugly” beasts are not ugly at all, but endearing, with wide-eyed faces expressing playfulness while picking through garbage, crunching bones, shredding carrion, and wallowing in mud. Comical illustrations in bright, but natural colors, are unadorned by text or borders. Each features a natural habitat with plenty of creatures and small details for observant eyes to seek. The satisfying and happy ending for the actually “lovely five” is depicted in a richly hued spread. Safari notes follow the story, which is prefaced by an author’s note. VERDICT Playful and positive, this book is an introduction to creatures of the African plain and a reminder that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. 

School Library Journal. Jul2018 Copyright © 2018 School Library Journal, the property of Media Source, Inc.  Reprinted here with permission.

My copy of The Ugly Five was provided by School Library Journal.

Alpha: Abidjan to Paris - a review

As you if you read my blog often, you know that I occasionally post adult books in addition to children's literature.  This is a powerful graphic novel that is also suitable for young adults, and I think it deserves attention. 


Alpha: Abidjan to Paris
By Bessora
Illustrated by Barroux
Translated by Sarah Ardizzone
Bellevue Literary Press, 2018

Alpha: Abidjan to Paris is a tragic, graphic novel account of one man's attempt to flee a life of misery in Côte d'Ivoire and follow his wife and child to Paris. After numerous attempts to depart legally, Alpha discovers that the process to obtain a visa is corrupt and impossible for an impoverished man. He researches his options carefully and strikes out with a group of other would-be emigrants. Although he knows the trip will be dangerous, he is nevertheless hopeful that he will be reunited with his family and his relatives in France. He fancies himself an "adventurer." His first-person account of his "adventures" devolves into a living nightmare as the journey drags on with a constantly changing group of companions. The prose is simple, and the story is told without embellishment—there is no need for embellishment; the facts are gruesome enough,

"Very quickly, I learn to avoid the barricades. We stop a lot. Abebi is vomiting froth. She has no bile left. She's spitting bubbles of saliva. We've been on the road for nine hours, and we still haven't covered a hundred miles. Darkness falls. Perhaps Abebi will feel better tomorrow. Augustine sucks his fingers in silence. It's a cold night. We sleep huddled together, forming a sort of human radiator. We can't even make a fire—the smoke would betray us."

The illustrations—one or two panels per page, are also spare—mostly shades of black and greys with an occasional splash of color—Alpha's red shirt, the striped soccer jersey of an emigrant hoping to land in Spain and play for Barcelona, a flowered dress. The illustrations set a mood of haste and simplicity, appearing to be marker sketches - almost as if they could have been made on the journey.

An epilogue provides the outcome of the trip from Abidjan to Paris. It will be difficult to look upon the plight of any refugees without reflecting on Alpha's journey. This is a short and powerful, award-winning graphic novel.

Alpha: Abidjan to Paris resources:

• Read a sample of Alpha
• View and download the Alpha Teachers' Notes
• Access the Alpha Book Club Guides 

 My copy of Alpha was provided by LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

Rise of the Jumbies - a review

Rise of the Jumbies
by Tracey Baptiste
Algonquin Young Readers, 2017

Rise of the Jumbies is the second book in a new fantasy series,uniquely set within the culture of the Caribbean islands. It introduces the reader to the rich and sometimes frightening folk tales of the Caribbean islands and Africa.

      "There are more children missing," Mrs. Ramdeen said.  "Three of them, all of them lost by water.  The sea, the river, and now the well."  Her voice carried over the sounds of the market.  People dropped the produce they were buying to watch and listen.  Mrs. Chow tried unsuccessfully to hold back a sob.
     "Children fall into danger all the time," the witch said.  "Especially by the water."
     "But three in less than a day?" Mrs. Ramdeen asked.
     "Coincidence," the witch said, shrugging.  She looked pointedly at Corinne and pursed her lips as if she was waiting for something.
     Corinne swallowed.  "Could it be a jumbie?"

Through the adventures of  Corinne, the series' spunky protagonist who is half jumbie herself, the reader will meet the wily head of the mermaids, Mama D'Leau, and many more magical beings.  Some may be helpful if one is careful, like the land-loving, Papa Bois and the local white witch. Some will cause only evil.

Corinne and her friends travel with mermaids to Africa to unravel mysteries that may free the children of her village who have been trapped under the sea. They will meet danger and deception at every turn.


I suggest starting with the first book in the series, The Jumbies, to better familiarize yourself with the culture and the large cast of characters.

Can't get enough of jumbies?  Learn more.

• "Meet the Cast" of The Jumbies here. 

Not having read the first book in the series, I wish I would have seen this first.  It, and the field guide below, would have been helpful.

• "Jumbies: A Field Guide" may be found here. 

• Read an excerpt from Rise of the Jumbies here.  

Watch the trailer for the first book in the series, The Jumbies.




 My copy of Rise of the Jumbies was provided by the publisher at my request.

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition

The story of William Kamkwamba is so inspiring that three books have been written to tell it. I listened to the audio book version of the 305-page, young reader's edition. 

My review of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition, 
written for AudioFile Magazine, is linked here. 

I cannot recommend this one enough.  I hope you have time to read at least one version of this inspiring true story of a teenager who created electricity for his impoverished, starving village in Malawi with nothing more than garbage, an elementary education, an old borrowed Physics book (in a language that he did not speak or read!), and a will to make things better!

1. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (William Morrow, 2009)
2. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Picture Book Edition by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (Dial, 2012)
3. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (Penguin, 2015)

Here are William Kamkwamba's two TED Talks.  They're short and well worth a listen.

[http://www.ted.com/talks/william_kamkwamba_on_building_a_windmill?language=en]

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QkNxt7MpWM]

A Long Walk to Water - an audiobook review

I first reviewed Linda Sue Park's, A Long Walk to Water in 2010.  At the time, I wrote:

In an interview, author Linda Sue Park says that this was an easy book to write because she let Salva's story speak for itself.  Linda Sue Park gave Salva's powerful story a voice. Brief and straightforward, A Long Walk to Water is inspiring for its truth and simplicity.  Park eschews sentimentalism and allows Salva's understated dignity, perseverance and virtue to awe the reader.  No embellishment is necessary. This is a compelling story.  Highly recommended.

Recently, I was offered the opportunity to review the new audiobook version of A Long Walk to Water.  It was my pleasure. Following is my starred review of the audiobook as it appeared in the January, 2014, edition of School Library Journal.


A Long Walk to Water. By Linda Sue Park. 3 CDs. 2:45 hrs. Full Cast Audio. 2013. ISBN 9781936223121. $34.

Gr 5–9 -- Differentiated, African-inspired chapter introduction music assists in delivering this parallel story of two very different, but equally difficult, lives in Sudan. The story alternates between Nya, a composite character based on the lives of real girls, in 2008, and Salva, a young boy in the war-torn Sudan of 1985. Nya's life consists of the grueling and monotonous task of hauling water. All day, every day, her task is finding, acquiring, and transporting brown, dirty water to meet her family's needs. Salva's story unfolds in the midst of a horrific civil war. Separated from everything and everyone he knows, he spends more than 15 years walking across Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya, living in refugee camps, and struggling to survive. His is a true story based on the experiences of one of the "lost boys of Sudan." An echo effect is used to highlight the nagging questions that are always in the forefront of Salva's mind, "When will I see my family again?" and "What will become of me?" Readers David Baker and Cynthia Bishop worked with a dialect coach to ensure authenticity in pronunciation and accents. An update on Salva's ongoing project follows the story. Listeners will not ever leave the tap water running without thinking of this powerful story.

##

Copyright © 2013 Library Journals, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.

 Reprinted with permission.

Note:
Amazon.com offers a free audio excerpt on the book's product page: http://www.amazon.com/A-Long-Walk-to-Water/dp/B00GJ6LE6S

It is heartbreaking to think that the tribal violence between the Dinka and Nuer that precipitated Salva's tortuous years of exile back in 1983, has erupted again in South Sudan, the world's newest country.

A Long Walk to Water

Park, Linda Sue. 2010. A Long Walk to Water. New York: Clarion.

A Long Walk to Water begins as the parallel stories of Salva, a young boy in the Southern Sudan of 1985 and Nya, a young Sudanese girl in the year 2008. 

Salva once had the life of a well-to-do villager's son.  His father owned many cows.  He attended school. He herded the cows.  But when the rebels arrived, shooting at everyone in the village, his life changed in an instant.  Now he is alone.  Get to the next hill, the next watering hole, the next day.  This is the mantra that keeps him going, one painful step at a time, searching for years for a safe haven - across deserts, war zones and countries.

Nya's life consists of providing water for her family.  When the brackish pond is full, she walks hours each day - first to the pond to collect water, then  home, carrying a full container upon her head.  After a quick meal of thin gruel, she has enough time for a second trip.  During the months when the pond is dry, her family relocates to a temporary shelter near a dry lake bed.  The work is easier there.  Nya spends all day digging in the mud, waiting for subterranean water to fill the hole she has dug with her bare hands.  She scoops out the water, one gourd full at a time and waits for the hole to refill.  It is tedious work and takes all day, but at least she does not have to walk for miles in the heat with the heavy water atop her head.

Park's minimal use of dialogue fits the stark landscape and mood of the story,

The nurse, a white woman, was talking to Nya's mother. "Her sickness came from the water," the nurse explained.  "She should drink only good clean water.  If the water is dirty, you should boil it for a count of two hundred before she drinks it."

Nya's mother nodded that she understood, but Nya could see the worry in her eyes.

The water from the holes in the lakebed could be collected only in tiny amounts.  If her mother tried to boil such a small amount, the pot would be dry long before they could count to two hundred.

Nothing else needs to be said.  How can a mother choose between dehydration and cholera for her children? 

As Salva's arduous journey continues, the years add on until Park has woven his story from the Sudanese Civil War years into the modern day Sudan of Nyla's time, of our time.  Sudan is Africa's largest country, full of wildlife and riches and oil and beauty and war and poverty and genocide and starvation. The reader can sense that the two stories will intertwine, but is at first, unsure how. When it becomes apparent how the lives of Salva and Nyla will intersect, it almost unbelievable, considering the circumstances.  And yet, their stories are true. Despite the overwhelming odds against Salva's survival, and Nyla's fragile subsistence existence, they do survive.

Salva, after more than ten years of wandering becomes one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, miraculously chosen from the untold tens of thousands of people in Kenyan refugee camps- chosen to start a new life in the United States.  And with his new life, he returns to repair his old one.

In an interview, author Linda Sue Park says that this was an easy book to write because she let Salva's story speak for itself.  Linda Sue Park gave Salva's powerful story a voice. Brief and straightforward, A Long Walk to Water is inspiring for its truth and simplicity.  Park eschews sentimentalism and allows Salva's understated dignity, perseverance and virtue to awe the reader.  No embellishment is necessary. This is a compelling story.  Highly recommended.

Review copy provided by NetGalley. Due on shelves, November 15, 2010.

 Linda Sue Park talks about A Long Walk to Water.


Watch Salva and see the work of his creation, the non-profit, Water for Sudan.


The November 2010 edition of National Geographic Magazine offers two feature articles on Sudan, "Sudan's Shaky Peace" and "The Lost Herds are Found."  Both are well worth reading.
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The Viper's Nest

Lerangis, Peter. 2010. The Viper's Nest. Read by David Pittu. Scholastic Audiobooks.

About 5 hrs on CD or Playaway.

Still plugging along through the 39 Clues series, trying to catch up.  The Viper's Nest (Book 7) was not available from my library for digital download, so I checked out the Playaway version.

(If you’re not familiar with Playaway audio books, they are single-purpose, multi-use, mp3 players. It’s a very simple mp3 player loaded with one book and lacking recording capabilities. It has basic command buttons – on/off, play/pause, fast forward, reverse, volume. It begins each time at the farthest listening point. That’s it! Easy as pie. Larger than a typical mp3, but smaller than an iTouch, they’re durable, portable and convenient. Your public library probably offers them.)

As usual with the other audiobooks in the series, David Pittu does a fine job in narrating the story.  This time, he must add South African accents to his ever-expanding repertoire as Dan, Amy and Nellie continue their hunt for the clues - this time following the trail of Zulu warrior, Shaka Zulu and his curious connection to British PM, Winston Churchill.  In this installment, Dan and Amy discover a clue and a shocking revelation about their family. The books, in general, are fairly formulaic in nature and read seamlessly regardless of the author, however, Peter Lerangis' sense of humor is evident in The Viper's Nest.  Nellie has some great one-liners.

Once again, the audio version offers bonus materials - this time in the form of a recorded deposition from Mrs. Thembeka regarding the theft of the Churchill letter.

On to Book 8 and I've got to hurry. The tenth and final book, Into the Gauntlet by Margaret Peterson Haddix will be released on August 31, 2010.  There will be a live webcast with all of the authors.

14 Cows for America

Deedy, Carmen Agra. 2009. 14 Cows for America. Illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez. Atlanta: Peachtree. (In collaboration with Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah)

On September 11, 2001, Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, a college student from the Massai tribe in Kenya, was in New York City, studying to become a doctor. The following spring, he returned to his small village,

“He has brought with him one story. It has burned a hole in his heart,”

This is his story. It is not a story of the terroristic attacks upon the United States, but rather, a story of the compassion of the Massai people for the victims. The Massai, former warriors, now proud and peaceful cattle herders, believe that “the cow is life.” “Without the herd, the tribe might starve.”

After the tribal members and elders contemplate fires that can melt iron, buildings that can touch the sky, and three thousand lost souls, they respond with a gift for the U.S. Ambassador - the gift of life, fourteen cows for America.

The endpapers list Thomas Gonzalez’s medium as “pastel, colored pencil, and airbrush on 100% rag archival paper.” Its effect is stunning. The majesty of Kenya and the pride of the Massai people are evident in the rich, colorful illustrations.

A “Note from Kimeli Nayiyomah” follows, offering the story in greater detail for older readers. He notes that, in the gift of the Massai to America, “a connection between the two cultures had been made. We felt we had taken some of America’s pain into our Massai hearts.”

14 Cows for America is a touching story of compassion. The combination of Carmen Agra Deedy’s simple yet powerful words, the vibrant illustrations of Thomas Gonzalez, and the moving story of Wilson Kimeli Naiyomah, is a book that defies superlatives.