Cybils Fiction Picture Books: Worthy Contenders

We're making progress on the stacks and stacks of fiction picture books nominated for this year's CYBILS Awards. As I mentioned in this post, the reviews and opinions I share here are my own and don't reflect any deliberations by our panel. Those haven't even begun yet. 

As of January 1, our finalists have been announced and can be viewed here.

What I'm excited to do here is to shine a light on two books that surprised me, in the best possible ways. I love books, especially picture books, and I read tons of them. Along with books I read myself, I follow blogs and reviews by some of the most engaged folks in the kid-lit world, including teachers, librarians, parents, kids, authors, illustrators, and editors. I read every edition of Horn Book from cover to cover, scour bookstores, and follow social media. 

Surprising me about picture books is hard to do. 

And yet these titles did just that. In a few cases I hadn't heard about them, or had less than stellar expectations, or had the highest hopes for them and they blew right past those and into the upper atmosphere. My reviews from Goodreads are used here for a couple of the best, in my opinion, with more to come in the days ahead.

Abrams Appleseed, 2015

Let's start with TICKLE MONSTER, written by Aedouard Manceau, illustrated by Edouard Manceau. This is one of those that slipped under my radar, so much so that I first read a different book with the same title. I refer to it at the end of this review, in part to caution you that THIS is the Tickle Monster I recommend, for these reasons:

"I love everything about this "tickle book": vibrant colors leaping off a black background, empowering young readers to control things they fear, emphasizing creativity and imagination, using if/then language patterns, kid-friendly simple text in a little-hands-friendly trim size, predictable patterns that allow kids to name and read body parts, and a reassuringly "safe" tone at bedtime despite the imposing cover image. 

Compare these features to my thoughts on this other picture book with the same title, reviewed here."

NorthSouth, January, 2015

I'm a huge fan of squirrels, so I should have expected Mr. Squirrel and the Moon, written and illustrated by Sebastian Merschenmoser, to be a treat. And yet... this is what I had to say after reading:

"Oh, my. I can't exactly say why, but I wasn't expecting to enjoy this from the title alone. It won me over from the cover and endpapers and wrapped itself around my heart with each page turn. The stark contrasts throughout seemed like a perfect parable of life- conflict, worry, determination, surprises, apparent success leading to more challenges and absurdity, balanced with an earnest belief in ourselves. 

Mr. Squirrel's reality (in contrast with his somber black and white imaginings) basks in the brilliant glow of the "moon". The illustrations themselves and the color palette elevate this to brilliant, in my opinion.

This is "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" flipped on its head and given a moral spine without a hint of preaching. In fact, it's overflowing with cheeky, wry humor.
The somber "punishment" scenes are utterly hilarious, and the eventual final scene mirrors the hunched silhouette from those somber scenes.
In my many teaching years I often witnessed innocent, earnest kids imagining that some unexpected development in their lives could result in disproportionately negative consequences. I wish I had this book to share with them at the time."

Hope you'll take a closer look at these titles, too. For more of my reviews on the many books I'm reading and evaluating, check out other Goodreads reviews here, and I'll be back with more in a day or two.

November is PICTURE BOOK MONTH! 3...2....1... GO!

I mentioned in a recent post how honored I am to be serving on the Round One Panel for the annual Cybils Awards in the category of fiction picture books.
It's a responsibility that takes my commitment to promoting quality children's literature to a different level. Rather than just selectively shining my limited light on those titles that I find particularly valuable for various purposes and reasons, I've been carefully examining every single nominated title in this category. 

I fully expected to enjoy this process. 

Wow, "enjoy" is one heck of an understatement! I'm loving it!

I also expected to find myself drawn to some titles more than others, for a variety of reasons. 

Right again. I've found something to appreciate in each and every one of the 150+ books I've read and examined (so far). The count of books I read and considered carefully eventually rose to 250. Even so, some clearly rise above the rest in the quality of their stories, illustrations, book design, and overall appeal. 

November is Picture Book Month, so all month long I'll be posting notes and links about some of the books that particularly caught my eye. I've also been posting about them on my GOODREADS book lists, usually with a short review. Before reading my reviews here or there, or those of anyone else, please read the excellent thoughts of fellow panelist Carrie Charley Brown on the Writers' Rumpus Blog, here.

 It's important to note that my comments, ratings, and reviews reflect personal opinions and do not reflect the opinions or discussions of our panel.

Candlewick Press, 2015

So, ta-da! The first title I'll feature here is an irresistible story that is based on actual characters and events, and they are extraordinary. Almost unbelievable! 

Except they're true.

Ketzel, the Cat Who Composed, is written by Leslea Newman and illustrated (brilliantly!) by Amy June Bates. Here's what I had to say about Ketzel's story on Goodreads:

"This story is difficult to "cat"-egorize as fiction since it is based on actual events, an actual cat, an actual composer and an actual contest. The evocative and moody illustrations capture the urban streets, the comforting apartment interiors, and, most of all, the warm and loving personalities of the composer and the cat. It's a story with as many rich layers as a symphony, told with a lighthearted and loving touch. It also weaves insights about creativity and the universality of music across cultures (and species) throughout the story."

So, this is a great place to start following along on the process and discover incredible books to read, share, and recommend for yourselves. Even if you don't read the hundreds of titles we'll be reading, you won't want to miss this one.

Summertime, and the READING Is EASY! Book Recommendations from the BEST!

The blogosphere is alive and well with summer reading suggestions for all ages. That relieves some of my guilt about not posting recently and allows me to indulge in the summer pleasure of exploring new titles myself.

I've been writing intensely for several weeks, but that doesn't mean I'm not reading. I keep notes on those titles on Goodreads, where I'm accumulating a pool of favorites to feature here once my head gets above water on the writing front. If anyone is curious about my recent reads, follow me on my GOODREADS account, here. 

If you're looking for summer suggestions (and you should be!), I'm more than happy to direct you to a variety of outstanding blog posts.
Tops on my list would be Mary Ann Scheuer's GREAT KID BOOKS posts promoting #FAMILIESREAD. She features appealing titles for all ages, quick "booster" tips to make shared family reading a treasured habit, and sidebar links to organize the VAST array of previous reviews for every age and taste.
This blog has been one of my favorite reliable sources for quality recommendations for several years. Do yourself a favor and read this and other recent posts, then subscribe for yourselves.

I feel just as enthusiastic about Alyson Beecher's KID LIT FRENZY blog. This link is to a recent nonfiction Wednesday post, but you can't go wrong checking what she has to say any day of the week. The titles she features include ones getting lots of "buzz" as well as those slipping under the radar but well worth reading. Her recommendations make me feel I'm not missing out on the best of the best. 

Speaking of the best of the best, one final resource you won't want to miss, especially for summer choice reading: iNKThinkTank. Created by premier, award-winning, INTERESTING NONFICTION picture book AUTHORS, the site includes links to nonfiction minutes, a nonfiction database, and the authors themselves.
Summer is the ideal time for family reading of titles that both answer and stimulate questions, books that invite further reading and real-world exploration. Books that are just plain COOL.

So what are you waiting for? 
Click the inks to these amazing sites and get your summer reading underway!

A Moment with the Meerkats

I'm taking a shortcut for a few weeks to  keep this blog active without draining my time from things I really need to do. I've spread myself too thin in the past few weeks, resulting in some oversights and errors that leave me embarrassed about my rudeness to others.

I have continued reading, reading, reading, and have added notes about those titles to my Goodreads ratings and reviews. For several weeks now I'll dip back into those files and share them here, especially if they are books with impressive power!

Simon and Schuster, BYR, 2007

For this post, I'll feature a title that impressed me as particularly versatile and powerful, a book that may not have caught your attention before this.  
I'm excited to introduce you to 
MEERKAT MAIL, by Emily Gravett. This author/illustrator has twice won the coveted Kate Greenaway Award, the Birtish equivalent of our Caldecott Award. 


Anyone who has known me is already chuckling, and here you'll see why:

Here's what I had to say on GOODREADS:


Disclaimer: I was a meerkat fanatic long before these remarkable little critters hit popular culture- when everyone thought they were some breed of cats! I'm also mildly furious that I didn't write this myself. 

LB Kids, 2001

Just as well, since I couldn't have done it this well, including the remarkably science-filled comical illustrations. The use of postcard inserts reminded me of the Jolly Postman books, and the subtle wording in them reflects equally sly humor. The degree of science incorporated in both the story and the illustrations is astonishing, and the layers of humor/information on each and every page make it ideal for rereading.
Older readers could use this as mentor text for creative ways to write fiction/non-fiction blended text.
Underlying all those plusses are two powerful messages- 
1) Be careful what you wish for (there's no place like home- click-click your red shoes) 
2) Lessons learned from family are often the most important ones (stay together/watch out for that jackal!).

I hope you'll take a look at MEERKAT MAIL, and explore the power it has in store for you. When it comes to categorizing this one, it offers connections for all these explorations:

adventure, circle-story, communities, concepts, curiosity, differences, expressions and emotions, family, fiction, geography, humor, innovative-format, interactive-flap, mentor-writing, middle grade, multi-age, nature, elements of both fiction and non-fiction, picture-book, science, vocabulary-development, and young-elementary readers.

Enjoy!

A Shortcut to Sharing Titles

Depite my best laid plans to allow this blog to take a short moratorium, I have not neglected my picture book reading. I do record titles read and review them on my Goodreads account, which you're welcome to follow.

I suddenly realized that I could share some of those short reviews here occasionally without investing as much time as a post usually requires. So, here's a start on that plan. If you already read my reviews on Goodreads, just ignore these. I won't be exploring them with further thoughts here, but perhaps I'll introduce you to some worthy titles you've otherwise missed. In each case a short Google search will take you to the author and illustrator websites, reviews, blog posts, etc. I often provide in links. All are perfect examples of the power of picture books to reach readers of every age and for every purpose. And they're gorgeous in word and image to boot!

First up, a book that's had lots of spotlight lately, with good reason: 

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker (Hardcover) 
by Patricia Hruby Powell
Gorgeous illustrations and design, embedded quotations, and fascinating details bring Josephine Baker's life story to readers with vibrancy and excitement. It will (or should) enrage reads with the injustices she suffered and inspire admiration for the dignity and creativity with which she confronted these assaults.

Parrots Over Puerto Rico (Hardcover) 
by Susan L. Roth 
The most immediate and compelling aspect of this picture book is the vertical format and multi-media art/illustration/collage. It allows the brief but thorough text to soar in its scope and impact, tracing millennia of Puerto Rican history, both social and environmental, through the perspective of the parrots. The extent to which the survival  of the species is affected by encroachments of civilization and natural forces is as frightening but the steps taken by scientists to address those is astonishing. Their success makes me want to cheer.
Photos and other resources in back matter make this ideal for deep reading of narrative and expository non-fiction text. 

Deep in the Sahara (Hardcover) 
by Kelly Cunnane 
As the author's note indicates, this brief and simple story is placed authentically in Mauritania, West Africa in modern times. It's important to note that and share the information with young readers/listeners because its timeless imagery and poetic phrasing make it appear to be, as the say, "in a place and time long ago". 
The rhythm and evocative language of the spare text rolls off the page with the lumbering poetic pace of a camel crossing the desert. It's accessible to the youngest but can also serve as mentor text and an informative resource for older readers (including the vocabulary/glossary in the back matter). 

That's going to do it for now. Hope these brief reviews are helpful.
Back soon to share more. 
Gotta run now!