Picture Book Roundup - August 2016

I haven't done a picture book roundup in a while. Here are a few favorites that passed my desk in August.  They're presented in the Riffle slideshow below.

Note:
Some of my reviews would not fit in their entirety in the slideshow.  You can find the full reviews on my LibraryThing or Riffle accounts.

Picture Book Roundup - May edition

So many great picture books have passed my desk lately.  Here are a few:

• Joose, Barbara. 2012. Old Robert and the Sea-Silly Cats. Ill. by Jan Jutte. New York: Philomel.

Each night, Old Robert counts "his regular things in their regular place"

Clean socks
a clock
my ship in the slip at the dock.
One dish
one spoon
a slice of the silver moon.

Things are always the same until the night a cat asks to come in.  There was no room for a cat on Old Robert's boat,

And yet ...
        and yet ...
               Old Robert said yes ...
... and the cat came in.

This is a delightfully, quirky story about Old Robert, his boat, and how one small decision can change a life (or two, or three, or ...).  Illustrations by the Netherlands' Jan Jutte, give Old Robert and the Sea-Silly Cats a salty and silly air reminiscent of old comics (think Popeye or original Tin Tin) touched with whimsy.  Comforting, repetitive refrains make this a great read aloud. 

There is just something irresistible about Old Robert and the Sea-Silly Cats.

And there's apparently a song available, too,  "Old Roberts Jig" by the Happy Racers.

• Elya, Susan Middleton. 2012. Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos. Ill. by Dan Santat. New York: Bloomsbury.

My husband has had a long and wonderful career in the fire department, so I'll admit some partiality to firefighter books, even ones that feature firefighters rescuing cats from trees.  For the record, professional firefighters don't rescue cats from trees. They will, however, rescue animals from fires, and in Fire! ¡Fuego! Brave Bomberos, a house fire traps a poor kitty on an upper floor,

Climbing up la escalera,
KITTY, KITTY,
COME AFUERA.
Coaxed by food in small pedazos,
kitten jumps to outstretched brazos.

See how easy that was?  You're speaking Spanish. Even without the brightly colored double spread illustration of a firefighter on a ladder, hand extended with cat treats, you knew what it meant, and kids will too!  The story rhymes, the meter's fine, and if you need help with pronunciation, it's all in the Glossary.  All bias aside, I like it!

• Kohuth, Jane. 2012. Duck Sock Hop. Ill. by Jane Porter. New York: Penguin. 

I've been waiting to see this one, ever since I saw it on Fuse #8's Librarian Preview.  As usual, Betsy Bird knows her stuff. 

Warm up, wiggle,
stretch your beak.
Duck Sock Hop
comes once a week.

Short, fun, and simple with colorful illustrations surrounded by white space with minimal text on each page.  Perfect for storytime, for toddlers, for reading aloud.

And another song!  This one comes with the free "Duck Sock Hop Bop," composed by Jeremy Stepansky, the author's cousin.  I'm always game for singing, so I'll give it a try.  Thankfully, children are such kind audiences.

And last but not least, a little beauty of a book,

• Isadora, Rachel. 2012. Bea at Ballet. New York: Penguin.

Rachel Isadora's simple words are accompanied by pen and pencil sketches of an adorable mix of multicultural children.  All are highlighted by colorful clothing painted in oils. Another perfect book for very young listeners.

If you have or know a tiny ballerina, this book is a must!

Jazz Fly 2: The Jungle Pachanga

Gollub, Matthew. 2010. Jazz Fly 2: The Jungle Pachanga: Wherein los Jazz Bugs Meet la banda de las Termitas. Santa Rosa, CA: Tortuga.

“Choo-ka Choo-ka ting,” the Jazz Fly’s back!
He’s in the rainforest, selva, so it’s time to pack.

But ¡Ay, caramba! - the Bug Band’s swing
just doesn't make las termitas sing.

So add Spanish words, a Latino beat.
Then those bugs start groovin’ in the southern heat,

proving jazz and Latin are a hoppin’ mix.
(Made all the better with Karen Hanke’s pix)

Let Matthew Gollub do the reading with the book’s CD.
Kids will love it. Es bueno. Check it out. You’ll see.



Listen to and see a preview of Jazz Fly 2 at Matthew Golub's site.
(The original Jazz Fly, is fly, too!)

Share |

Another picture book roundup - read on!

Once again my bags of books are overflowing! Here are a few new titles worthy of mention:

Jacobs, Paul DuBois and Jennifer Swender. 2010. Fire Drill. Ill. by JuyVoun Lee. New York: Holt.

A picture perfect, non-threatening, multicultural, rhyming book about fire drills.  What more can one ask for? A must-have for every Kindergarten teacher.

Elya, Susan Middleton. No More, Por Favor. 2010. Ill. by David Walker. New York: Putnam.

Know a picky eater? Well, he's in good company.  There are plenty of picky eaters in the rain forest too! 

Deep in the rain forest - selva, so green,

lives Papagayo, an eating machine.
"Here, Bebe Parrot, papaya is yummy."
"No!" says the baby. "No more in my tummy!
Papaya for breakfast, for lunch and la cena.
Too many times in a row no es buena!"

With cute, double-spread acrylic on paper illustrations, a glossary and pronunciation guide for the many Spanish words, and a very funny story about eight picky rain forest inhabitants, No More, Por Favor is great fun! ¡qué divertido!

Roberton, Fiona. 2010. Wanted: The Perfect Pet. New York: Putnam. (first published in Australia)

Simple ink sketches, highlighted with minimal coloration tell the simple story of Henry, who, "more than anything else in the whole wide world," wanted a dog.  It is also the story of a duck, to whom

Nobody ever wrote. Nobody ever called. Nobody ever e-mailed,

that is, until he created "The Perfect Disguise."  Funny, touching, and hilariously illustrated!
                                                                         

London, Jonathan. 2010. I'm a Truck Driver. Ill. by David Parkins. New York: Holt.

This rhyming picture book has large sturdy pages featuring trucks of all kinds - cement mixers, fire engines, power shovels, and more.  Each truck has a 2-page spread with a short rhyme.  Some of the rhymes are a little forced,

I'm a big crane operator.  I lift steel beams high and build tall buildings that scrape the blue sky,

and in others, London rhymes words with themselves, but overall this is a winning book for two reasons - kids love trucks and these personified trucks are cute! 

Pinkwater, Daniel. 2010. Beautiful Yetta: The Yiddish Chicken. New York: Feiwel and Friends.

A trilingual book - English, Spanish, and Yiddish?  Yes, Yiddish - the language of Yetta, a runaway from Mr. Flegleman's organic chicken ranch!  Daniel Pinkwater has a unique sense of humor and he's obviously fond of chickens (The Hoboken Chicken Emergency comes to mind). Both of these are evident in Beautiful Yetta, in which the heroine escapes the chicken truck and finds herself in Brooklyn, where she promptly saves a small green bird, a parrot belonging to one of the local colonies,

Parrots?  ?פּאָפּוגײַ  popuGEYehn?

The chicken saved me. And look! Isn't she beautiful?
¡La gallina me salvó! ¡Y miren! ¿No es ella hermosa?
la gahYEEna me sahlVO! ee MEErehn, no ess EHya ehrMOsa?

And so begins the odd friendship and pairing of chicken and parrot, Yiddish and Spanish, on the streets of Brooklyn. The in-text pronunciation guides make it possible to share this story with only a passing ability in Spanish or Yiddish. A short explanation and chart of the Hebrew/Yiddish alphabet follows the story. A Spanish alphabet chart would have been welcome as well.

Grandma's Pear Tree

Santillan, Suzanne. 2010. Grandma's Pear Tree/El Peral de Abuela. Illustrated by Atilio Pernisco. McHenry, IL: Raventree.

Jessie has promised to stay away from Abuela's pear tree. When his ball gets stuck in the tree, he consults Abuelo, who advises him to throw his shoe at it. When "el zapato" becomes stuck, Tío suggests a broom ... a humorous and cumulative tale that contextually introduces Spanish words for family members and common items. Painted illustrations help readers and listeners make the English/Spanish connection without unnecessary explanation.  A surprise ending will keep listeners laughing. I took this book on an outreach visit to a preschool. Any book that has a room full of preschoolers yelling out the refrain, "¡Ay, caramba!" is a winner in my book! ¡Qué divertido! (What fun!)
 
A Spanish/English glossary is included, but curiously, does not contain the word peral, part of the title. I did not find it in the glossary, but verified later that peral is Spanish for pear tree.  (Being most accustomed to English, I did not realize that in Spanish there is a word that encompasses both the tree and its fruit.  How handy!)

Activity sheets are available from the publisher.


Share |

Non-Fiction Monday: Sonia Sotomayor

Alas, it's been a busy weekend, and I don't have anything prepared for Non-Fiction Monday, but I encourage everyone to check out this week's host site, Books Together. 

Although I don't have a review prepared, I did check out Atheneum's, bilingual Sonia Sotomayor: A judge grows in the Bronx, written by Jonah Winter and illustrated by Edel Rodriguez (2009).

According to the book jacket, Sonia Sotomayor is a Children's Book-of-the-Month Featured Selection, and and also an Alternate Selection of Mosaico.  Despite these honors and the book's illustrious subject, I found the writing slightly disappointing. Jonah Winter's "familiar" style and does not fit with the lofty story of this hard-working justice from the Bronx.

She was also known for having no patience for lawyers who weren't prepared - you better not mess with Judge Sonia!  Yet she was known for much more than this.

I can't speak as to how the book flows in its Spanish translation.

I did however, enjoy the overall comaprison of Sonia Sotomayor with a tenacious vine that thrives and blooms with care and hard work. The artwork is soft and simple, and accurately portrays Sotomayor's Latina heritage. This is a perfect choice for Women's History Month.

OK, so I guess I did have something for Non-Fiction Monday.  It's amazing what one can accomplish in a lunch hour.

I will be hosting Non-Fiction Monday on April 12th.

Share

Gracias Thanks

Mora, Pat. 2009. Gracias / Thanks (English and Spanish Edition). New York: Lee & Low.


A small boy is thankful for the many small things that we often take for granted,

For the ladybug that landed on my finger, a little red flying surprise, thanks. ... For my little brother, who threw mashed peas at my sister and made me laugh so hard I fell off my chair, thanks.

Each sentence is presented on a double-spread page, with Spanish appearing on one page and English on the next. The illustrations are done in a warm and weathered style, reminiscent of a well-worn, favorite desk or chair. The narrator is of Hispanic descent, his mother appears to be white, friends and schoolchildren are of varying races. All are portrayed with slightly oversized heads, highlighting soft and friendly features. Hispanic influence is prominent throughout the book - Spanish language books on the shelves, a brightly colored tile floor, palm trees, a red-tiled roof. His American side is apparent in the US dollar received from Abuelita, his baseball gear and posters, his English language homework, and sadly (humorously?) the garden gnome in the yard.

A cheery and light-hearted book of gratitude. Perfect for storytime and as a gentle reminder that we all have much to be thankful for; sometimes the little things are the most precious.