Dancing the Ring Shot By Siegelson, Kim L

Title: Dancing the Ring Shot

Author: Siegelson, Kim L

Illustration: Lisa Cohen

Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children

Comments Thank God for books with author notes. This book was a good story in and of itself, but the author’s note tells us the story behind the story. The history of some this fun activity. A young boy is able to go to his first ring shout. He finds out that he must bring something to play with the singing. His grandpa tells him that I should bring something that speaks from Toby’s heart. Toby searches for something, but he can’t find anything. Finally he tells his grandpa that he won’t be going to the ring shout because he couldn’t find anything to play. His grandpa tells Toby will go and he will find something there that will fill his heart. The bold illustrations bring the story so close you can hear the music. This would be an interesting way to teach a little known part of history.

Tree of Cranes By Say, Allen

Title: Tree of Cranes

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

CIP info A Japanese boy learns of Christmas when his mother decorates a pine tree with paper cranes. A young boy in Japan is confused by his mother’s strange behavior. He comes in to find her making paper cranes. She barely noticed him. because he was out in the cold and got wet his mother makes him take a hot bath and then spend the afternoon in bed. Later that afternoon, he sees her out in the garden digging up a pine tree his parents planted when he was born. That evening she tells her son about being born and living in California. She explains Christmas and together they decorate the tree with candles and the paper cranes. He goes to bed and when he wakes up finds his first Christmas gift, a kite. Then he goes out and finds snow. I liked this book. It is very touching. It explores that concept of how people who are part of two cultures, share that with their family.

Shanghai Messenger By Cheng, Andrea

Title: Shanghai Messenger

Author: Cheng, Andrea

Illustration: Ed Young

Publisher: Lee and Low Books

Comments

CIP info A free-verse novel about 11 year old Xiao Mei’s vist with her extended family in China, where the Chinese-American girl finds many differences but also the similarities that bind a family together.

I am not sure why but it took me ages to get around to reading this book. Once a reader gets over the layout, the text is great. This is a great message of connection of families. May goes by herself to visit family in China. At first she doesn’t go, but her grandmother asks her to go and be her messenger. She enjoys her trip, and finds it hard to return to America. She becomes the messenger between the family. The reader is drawn into this story and makes the trip with May. This is a great story to share, and a fine example of how poetry doesn’t have to rhyme

The Lorax By Seuss, Dr. (Theodor Seuss Geisel)

Title: The Lorax

Author: Seuss, Dr. (Theodor Seuss Geisel)

Illustration: Seuss, Dr.

Publisher: Random House

Comments

I finally got around to reading the Lorax. I am not sure why this had taken me so long, but I took the time. This is where Dr. Seuss showed his feelings and views of pollution, the environment and what we were doing to it all. Dr. Seuss is also credited with coining the word smog and its definition. This is a must read for everyone. While it is clearly one of his more political books, as well as one of the more challenged books, it must be shared. Because even though it shows the negative effects of the human population, it ends hopefully, and shows promise with the future.

Three Questions: Based on a Story by Leo Tolstoy By Muth, Jon J

Title: Three Questions: Based on a Story by Leo Tolstoy

Author: Muth, Jon J

Illustration: Jon J Muth

Publisher: Scholastic

Comments

CIP info Nikolai asks his animal friends to help him answer three important questions: When is the best time to do things? who is the important one? and What is the right thing to do?

This is a must own. This clearly isn’t your average or traditional children’s picture book. This book is based on Tolstoy’s short story, Three Questions. The author wanted to share this story with a younger audience. He does it well. I haven’t read Tolstoy’s version, but it is now on my famous to read list. The watercolors add a extra warmth to this story. It is the highest book on my “must own” list. This is a fabulous story explaining our connectivity to all things. I want to share this with everyone. I love this book.

Sheep in a Jeep By Nancy Shaw

Title: Sheep in a Jeep

Author: Shaw, Nancy

Illustration: Margot Apple

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Comments

BEEP! BEEP! Sheep in a jeep on a hill that is steep. Uh oh! I love this book it is so funny and easy to read, memorize and repeat over and over and over again. The illustrations are in colored pencils. They are so soft and whimsical. It is so funny. I just laugh and laugh. It never gets old. I read it six times today. And I now have it memorized. Ask me and I will most likely recite it on the spot.

Crime Brulee By Nancy Fairbanks

Title: Crime Brulee

Author: Fairbanks, Nancy

Publisher: Penguin Group

Comments I am not sure why I liked this book so much. I mean it wasn’t great. I didn’t even have a confirmed murder until nearly the last page. I the narrative was slow and cumbersome at times. The plot seemed to drag on for ages. And yet I really enjoyed it. It kept me reading. The best thing about this title is that it had 12 recipies. All true New Orleans food. Lots of history of how and why stuff was made. I need to make sure I never go to New Orleans, I will gain 50 pounds. The food sounds so good. I mean I have had crawdads and hushpuppies, but this is so much more. And A if you are reading this, the character in the book said don’t judge New Orleans bread pudding like other bread puddings. It changed Caro’s feelings for it all together. She still won’t eat it anywhere else, but in New Orleans, it is different.

Don't make me think By Steve Krug

Title: Don’t make me think

Author: Krug, Steve

Publisher: New Riders

Comments Ah, my dearest dearest Krug. If he only knew how he has made my life so much easier just by writing this book. If you work with web sites, have to design web sites, if you have to evaluate them in anyway, READ THIS BOOK!!!!! It will make your life so much easier. You just have no idea. Even if you just use the web, this book will help you. This book will explain why stuff is the way it is. It changed the way I looked at sites, how I evaluated them and to some extent how I use them.

This book is very readable, and it is a quick read. Easily you can read it in a day or so. This book has allowed me to challenge thoughts, actions and the way people develop web sites. Thank God for this book.

Snow Princess by Susan Paradis

Title: Snow Princess

Author: Paradis, Susan

Illustration: Susan Paradis

Publisher: Front Street

Comments

CIP Info A little girl waits for her daddy to come home on a snowy day.

The illustrations are breathtaking. On the surface they appear very simple, but it you take time and really look at each illustration there is so much detail. The whole story is told with 63 words, but the words just aid these great illustrations. It is a book for parents to share one-on-one situations. This would be a horrible group book. This would also be an interesting twist on the usual winter books.

Fairytale Cake by Mark Sperring

Title: Fairytale Cake

Author: Sperring, Mark

Illustration: Jonathan Langley

Publisher: ChickenHouse

Comments

Horrible Horrible Horrible. I expected too much from this book from the beginning. I saw the title, I saw the cover, and I thought this could be fun. I planned on something fun and similar to And the Dish Ran Away With the Spoon or a story about how all the characters came together to make one cake for a special person or character. Oh I was let down. The plot, which is weak at best, it too short and not developed. The illustrations are below average. They aren’t fitting to the fun of this story could be.

Found Alphabet by Ramon Shindler and Wojciech Graniczewski

Title: Found Alphabet

Author: Shindler, Ramon ; Wojciech Graniczewski

Illustration: Anita Andrzejewska and Andrzej Pilichowski-Ragno

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

I am not sure how I feel about this book. The illustrations are made of items found laying around. This are great fun to look at and see what the pieces really are. It encourages the reader to evaluate each illustration. Each letter also has a poem just for it. Some letter’s have better poems than others. It might be a good book for Kindergarten or First graders, especially if you plan on breaking down each letter and getting to know it. It could also be used in older grades for reinforcement or just for fun. But the true gem of this book is clearly the found items.

The King's Stilts By Dr. Seuss

Title: The King’s Stilts

Author: Seuss, Dr.

Illustration: Dr. Seuss

Publisher: Random House

Comments The king wears his stilts every day after work until they are stolen by a wicked man. The Nizzards invade the country until Eric, a page boy, recovers the stilts and the country is saved.

This is a good story that shows that everyone needs to play at sometime. After Lord Droon steals the King’s stilts, the king becomes depressed and the country is nearly lost. It was an ok book, but not great. He has better stuff out there.

The First Day of Winter By Denise Fleming

Title: The First Day of Winter

Author: Fleming, Denise

Illustration: Denise Fleming

Publisher: Henry Holt

Comments The illustrations leave a bit to be desired, but it is a nice spin on a counting book. A young boy builds a snowman and then each day adds a bit more accessories. It would be a fun read for the winter seasons to a class. The repetition will encourage participation. This should be checked out, not to be added into a personal question.

My Nana and Me By Irene Smalls

Title: My Nana and Me

Author: Smalls, Irene

Illustration: Cathy Ann Johnson

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Comments The illustrations are soft and comforting. The color selection encourages a warm and safe feeling. This is a great book for bedtime. While the characters are African-American, it is really a great book about grandmothers and granddaughters. This is a must have for any collection. The story shows love between a grandmother and her granddaughter.

The artist used water-based paints on Crestent Strethmore watercolor board.

Hulla Lullaby By Erin Eitter Kono

Title: Hulla Lullaby

Author: Kono, Erin Eitter

Illustration: Erin Eitter Kono

Publisher: Little Brown and Company

Comments

CIP info Against the backdrop of a beautiful Hawaiian landscape, a young girl cuddles and sleeps in her mother’s lap.

I was let down by this book. I hoped for a fun cultural trip through this book to a night ritual to a Hawaiian house. The story rambled and the illustrations were less than enjoyable. I fought to finish the 32 paged book. The artist used acrylic and pencil on Arches Aquarell Cold Press paper.

Black and White by David MacCaulay

Title: Black and White

Author: MacCaulay, David

Illustration: David MacCaulay

Publisher: Walter Lorraine Books

Comments

CIP info Four brief stories about parents, trains, and cows or is it really one story? The author recommends careful inspection of words and pictures to both minimize and enhance confusion.

I read this book because it is a Caldecott winner. I have read it about four times. I still don’t get it. I swear this book only exists to confuse the hell out of me. There is only once that I read it at it kind of made sense to me. Every other time, it just serves to drive me nuts.

Smokey Night by Eve Bunting

Title: Smokey Night

Author: Bunting, Eve

Illustration: David Diaz

Publisher: Harcourt Brace and Company

Comments

This is the 1995 Caldecott Award Winner. These are by far some of the most interesting illustrations I have seen. Text is only on the left hand side, thus the right hand side is free for strong illustration done in oils, I think. The other interesting thing about the illustrations in this book is the background of the text box on the left hand side. The background is taken from the text of that page. For example, if the text says that the rioters were throwing cereal from Mrs. Kim’s store, the cereal is in the background of the text page.

Baby on the way by Karen English

Title: The Baby on the Way

Author: English, Karen

Illustration: Sean Qualls

Publisher: Farrar Straus Giraux

Comments

CIP info A young boy asks his grandmother if she was ever a baby; she tells him the story of how she was born..

This is a great book to get families started on talking about when people were born. This shows that people need to know and can get a program about collecting family history started. The illustrations are average, but the story is really the star here. The grandmother tells her grandson about the day she was born and all the people that came and some of the rituals her family had. The book ends with the boy wondering if anyone will ever ask him if he was a baby once. She assured him that yes someday they would. The book ends with the grandmother asking if he wants to hear the story of the day he was born. Lots of potential in this book. It could be shared within a family, in a storytime, or at the beginning an oral history project.

Tea with Milk By Allen Say

Title: Tea with Milk

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

CIP info After growing up in San Francisco, a young Japanese woman returns with her parents to their native Japan, but she feels foreign and out of place.

It was ok. Say again shows how difficult going between two countries and cultures. May struggles to fit into a country she wasn’t born in. At the age of 17 runs away from home to work in the city. She runs to escape a life her mother had planned for her, and a match with a husband she didn’t think she would like. In the end, she meets a man that understands her need for American things. Together the mesh the two cultures together. It is a good story with fabulous illustrations.

I am NOT going to get up today! By Dr. Seuss

Title: I am NOT going to get up today!

Author: Seuss, Dr.

Illustration: James Stevenson

Publisher: Beginner Books

Comments

CIP info A boy is so sleepy that he vows nothing will get him out of his morning bed, neither for peas nor beans nor the United States Marines.

This is my new favorite Seuss book. Everyone should have it, memorize it, and recited it whenever people want you to do things you don’t want to. It must be read aloud. Each reading gets better and better. I haven’t had this much fun with a read aloud in years.

The Sign Painter By Allen Say

Title: The Sign Painter

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

Sometimes Say is so great that I can hardly stand it. Other times I totally miss the point of the story. This is one of those I so didn’t get. The CIP information says something about how the series of billboards change a young painter’s life. Yep totally missed that. Maybe be A can read this and shed some light on it for me. The illustrations are very good; I just didn’t get the story. Sometimes that happens.

The Squiggle by Schaefer, Carole Lexa

Title: The Squiggle

Author: Schaefer, Carole Lexa

Illustration: Pierr Morgan

Publisher: Crown Publishers, Inc

Comments

I know I know, I will say this a lot, so get use to it. This is the best book of the year. The illustrations and the text bring the simplicity of childhood back. This is a must own for everyone. This is perfect for a class of young children ready for a trip, a rainy day with the family at home, or for an adult longing for simpler times. As a young girl walks with her class to the park, she notices a piece of string. Everyone else had overlooked it, but she uses that string and her imagination and turns it into a dragon’s tail, an acrobat, fireworks, and more. Oh how I would love to have those days back.

Another one for you A. The artwork was done with Berol Prismacolor markers and Winsor and Newton gouache on 80-lb. 100%-recycled “Oatmeal” Speckle-tone paper from France.

New York Is English, Chattanooga Is Creek by Raschka, Chris

Title: New York Is English, Chattanooga Is Creek

Author: Raschka, Chris

Illustration: Chris Raschka

Publisher: Richard Jackson

Comments

An interesting book. This book takes some of the unusual city names and then creates them into characters for this book. The characters are based on the origin of the city names and the heritage associated with the country or tribe. It is fun. The illustrations are unique. I cannot explain them without destroying your impressions, so I will pass on that. It is worth adding to any collection. It is a good starting point about how places get their name, and the illustrations are just fun to look at. An all around enjoyable book.

The Nothing King by Lieshout, Elle Van and Erik van Os

Title: The Nothing King

Author: Lieshout, Elle Van and Erik van Os

Illustration: Paula Gerritsen

Publisher:Front Street Lemniscaat

Comments

CIP> King Bear leaves his palace to live with his pet rabbit and care for his peony in a simple apartment on the outskirts of town.

The illustrations are ok, but fit the story really well. The king gives up the items that make his life complex, while many mock his idea, but he loves it. Eventually he gives or sells all of his kingly items and then finds happiness.

Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail by Salley, Coleen

Title: Why Epossumondas Has No Hair on His Tail

Author: Salley, Coleen

Illustration: Janet Stevens

Publisher: Harcourt, Inc

Comments

The story of how the possum lost the hair from his tale. TOO LONG. It lacks the humor of other books that Stevens has worked with. It was so boring it is hard to remember the particulars. And sadly enough I didn’t feel it was worth the time or effort of the standard three readings. I hope the author tries again. The concept is good, she just isn’t there yet.

My Red Balloon by Bunting, Eve

Title: My Red Balloon

Author: Bunting, Eve

Illustration: Kay Life

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press

Comments

A fine example of “I want the last hour back.” The illustrations are average and that is the highlight of this book. The story is overly predictable. While the author may have good intentions, she took may have been a touching story and made it slightly hokey. Too sappy, it seems like a rah, rah for the war. If you need a book to help a child deal with a parent returning from the war, there are other books that may help.

Diary of a Spider by Cornin, Doreen

Title: Diary of a Spider

Author: Cornin, Doreen

Illustration: Harry Bliss

Publisher: Joanna Cotler Books

Comments

CIP A young spider discovers, day by day, that there is a lot to learn about being a spider including how to spin webs and avoid vacuum cleaners.

The book is ok, but it fails to live up to the humor of Diary of a Worm. This was a waste of effort of reading. The text is choppy and not well developed. The illustrations are all over the place and while they fit the story, they aren’t as funny as her previous works.

Stranger in the Mirror by Say, Allen

Title: Stranger in the Mirror

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

Not one of Say’s better books. It seems unrealistic. A young boy who skateboards a lot, one day wakes up with the face of an old man. He spends the next few days trying to convince people who he is. Then one morning as he is getting ready to run away, he looks in the mirror and he finds he has grown young again. The illustrations are average, and the text is hard to follow. He has better work to read and share. I just didn’t get this one. Thirty-two pages and I couldn’t follow it.

Lost Lake by Say, Allen

Title: Lost Lake

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

Clearly this is one of Say’s earlier books. The illustrations are not as defined as in his later works. However the illustrations support the text perfectly. A young boy spends the summer with his father. After just a month he read all the books he brought and TV was boring. His father is working a lot, and when he works he doesn’t talk. One morning the boy’s father gets him up real early and they go camping. The father takes the boy to “lost lake.” This lake was special to the father because his father took him to the lake when he was young. This was a place that only the father knew about. When they get to the “lost lake” they realize that it is no longer lost. The father and son are determined to find a new lost lake. They spend a few days hiking further up the mountain. Through the hiking they become closer and in the end find a beautiful lake all to themselves.

The illustrations fit the story, but this is a rare book where Say’s writing ability really shines. This is a story that needs to be shared with loved ones, regardless of age.

Music for Alice by Say, Allen

Title: Music for Alice

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

CIP info A Japanese American farmer recounts her agricultural successes and set backs and her enduring love of dance. Based on the true life story of Alice Sumida, who with her husband Mark established the largest gladiola bulb farm in the country during the last half of the 20^th Century.

A touching story follows Alice from the possibility of an internment camp to her successful gladiola farm and her return to that farm after her husband Mark passes away. Her love of dance gets her through the tough times. She doesn’t actually get to dance, it is just the thought of it that keeps her going. The illustrations are fabulous. I love them. The reader gets to see the most beautiful aerial shot of the gladiola farm. You can almost smell them they look so pretty. As always Say can work wonders with watercolors. He can tell a story with illustrations alone. Here his traditional format of having text at the bottom serves him well. Text is easy to read, but you can also just enjoy some great artwork.

Home of the Brave by Say, Allen

Title: Home of the Brave

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Comments

Of all of Say’s books this is my least favorite. I don’t hate it. It is just hard to follow. After a kayaking accident a young man experiences the feelings of children in an interment camp and children on and Indian Reservation. The storyline is impossible to follow. The plot line is made only slightly easier after reading the postscript and the dust cover. Once the reader understands the story, it becomes quite beautiful. The reader is able to move past numbers and statistics. The feelings of the children in the story become the focus. The story is haunting and tugs at your heart. I doubt that many readers will put as much effort into understanding this book, but if you do it, you won’t be disappointed.

Grandfather’s Journey by Say, Allen

Title: Grandfather’s Journey

Author: Say, Allen

Illustration: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Comments

A Japanese American man reflects on his grandfather’s trip to America which he also takes. The young man understands his grandfather’s feelings of being torn between two countries he loves. The text is simple and eloquent. This allows the reader to feel the story without being overpowered. It is a good book and the illustrations are some of Say’s best work as the 1994 Caldecott Medal proves, however, it is not my favorite of his books.

Twenty-one Elephants and Still Standing: A Story of P.T. Barnum and the Brooklyn Bridge by Prince, April Jones

Title: Twenty-one Elephants and Still Standing: A Story of P.T. Barnum and the Brooklyn Bridge

Author: Prince, April Jones

Illustration: Fancois Roca

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company

Comments

For fourteen years the citizens of New York and Brooklyn watched as a massive bridge grew out of the river. Soon people could walk from one city to the other, they wouldn’t have to rely on a ferry. Once it was done, everyone wondered if it would hold or would it all just fall back into the river. P.T. Barnum was genius. He would prove the bridge was safe and plug his show. One night in May 1884 he led 21 elephants across the bridge. The illustrations are exquisite. I don’t recall the last time I have seen such life like illustrations. The text helps explain the story, but I feel the illustrations could tell it pretty well by themselves. The illustrations show the size of the bridge and how frightening it might have been for those people. This is a great book for a little known story. The book also includes an author’s note explaining how she came about the story and thanking those that helped her, and my favorite part a reference list. A well balanced book that aches to be shared and told in classes. This is what history is about.

Earth Mother by Jackson, Ellen

Title: Earth Mother

Author: Jackson, Ellen

Illustration: Leo and Diane Dillon

Publisher: Walker and Company

Comments

CIP Portrays a day in the life of Earth Mother, who as she tends to plants and animals around the world, meet of her creations with advice on how to maker the world more perfect.

I can’t explain what I love about this book. The text is great. It is evenly spaced at the bottom so it isn’t overly intrusive to the illustration. The illustrations have such detail that each time you look at them you see something new. The illustrations could tell the story by themselves. The Earth Mother watches over everything and as night falls she can sleep knowing that all creation is perfect.

A this is for you. Artist used water color and colored pencils on watercolor paper to create the illustrations for this book. And yes this is a direct quote from the verso page.

Little Pea by Rosenthal, Amy Krouse

Title: Little Pea

Author: Rosenthal, Amy Krouse

Illustrator: Jen Corace

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Year 2005

Comments

Fear not parents, you have a new aid in the war on vegetables. This book provides an interesting look at how a baby pea has to eat all of his candy before he can have his dessert. Finally an alternative to that lame “airplane trick.” Like every child’s dream Little Pea makes a deal with his parents to eat five pieces of candy before he can get dessert. Dessert turns out to spinach. By far one of the cutest books I have seen in a long time. The illustrations are clear realistic colors on a plain white paper. A must have for any family.

Michael Rosen’s Sad Book by Rosen, Michael

Title: Michael Rosen’s Sad Book

Author: Rosen, Michael

Illustrator: Quinten Blake

Publisher: Candlewick Press

Year 2004

Comments

A man tells about the emotions he faces after the death of his son. This book was recommended on one of my many many listservs. That was the only reason I picked it up, and I am glad that I did. Blake and Rosen combine to provide a great book for anyone who has lost someone close to them. Everyone should have this book. It clearly states that we don’t have to be happy all the time. Sometimes things aren’t perfect, and this book helps the more stubborn of people see that it is ok to feel sad.

Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart

Title: Dona Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart

Author: Mora, Pat

Illustrator: Raul Colón

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Year 2005

Comments

This is the 2006 Pura Burpre winner for Illustration and received an honor for the narration. This book deserved those awards. The text is great and matches the story of the illustrations perfectly. Dona Flor is a giant woman with a kind heart. She does everything possible to help her neighbors in their times of need. One day there is the loudest roar. The villagers are frightened and positive that it was a giant puma. Dona Flor solves their issue and everyone lives happily ever after. I know it sounds hokey but you really need to read and experience it yourself. The mystery of the puma is for you to figure out.

A Splendid Friend Indeed by Bloom, Suzanne

Title: A Splendid Friend Indeed

Author: Bloom, Suzanne

Illustrator: Suzanne Bloom

Publisher: Boyds Mills Press

Year 2005

Comments

This was one of the Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) awards for a notable book for young readers. I think it was robbed. It should have been in the running for the Caldecott. The illustrations are done in pastels. I can’t imagine these illustrations in any other medium. The fur on the bear looks soft enough to touch. This is such a great book. It begs to be read aloud. The font is large enough so that beginning readers can read it. There is very little text, and text is limited to one page of the two page spread. A very precocious and slightly annoying goose tries to help bear read, write, and make him a snack. Then Goose goes off to make him a snack and write him a note about bear being a splendid friend. Spread the friendship with this splendid book.

Emma’s Rug by Say, Allen

Title: Emma’s Rug

Author: Say, Allen

Illustrator: Allen Say

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin

Year 1996

Comments

I decided that I wanted to read as many of Allen Say’s books as possible. He is very prolific, so I started another blog. I didn’t want to fill this one more than I had, too. Anyway, out of the 6 or so books I read of Allen Say’s books in the past week, I wanted to talk about this one the most. This is an artist’s book. If you ever wanted to take a peek inside someone’s head, this is the book. I wish this book was around when I was growing up. It would have helped me understand where some of my stories came from. Emma gets a rug as a baby gift. She never sat on this rug but it was her source of inspiration for all of her art. She wins all sorts of awards for her painting and drawing. She even is invited by the mayor to a special art show. One day her mother washes her rug. Emma is crushed. She spends days without drawing. Eventually she throws everything away. Over time she finds that her creativity didn’t come from her rug, it came from her. Say’s beautiful watercolors tell this story; the narration just aids the illustrations.

The Letter Home by Decker, Timothy

Title: The Letter Home

Author: Decker, Timothy

Illustrator: Timothy Decker

Publisher: Front Street

Year 2005

Comments

This book is not going to win any awards. It isn’t going to change the world. I wanted to make sure it wasn’t passed over. The narration isn’t great. It is short, choppy, and not well developed... The text only slightly aids the illustrations.

So why did I take up precious space on this blog for a book with so many negatives? All of its positives. The illustrations are simple yet leave an impression on the reader. But mostly I wanted to put my little plug out there and because I wanted to put my little thanks to the author. Decker tackles a war that is nearly forgotten. Once known as the Great War or the War to End All Wars, it is hardly more than a paragraph in high school textbooks.

It is a father writing home to his son saying that he will be home soon. The simple illustrations tug at your heart. It is a short walk in time. To a war that is just as mean as any other war. People died, and people went away. But in the end, this little boy gets his daddy back.

I was just rereading my evaluation of the text and such. I feel like I have unfairly harsh on the text and narration. The shortcomings in the narration are not as bad my first few reviews. The sparseness on some of these pages shows the hard times that our soldiers faced back then.

This is a book for historians, for artists, and for those who wondered what it might have been like for people back then.

Death At Wentwater Court: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery

Title: Death At Wentwater Court: A Daisy Dalrymple Mystery

Author: Dunn, Carola

Illustrator: NA

Publisher: Kensington Books

Year 1994

Comments

Proof that I read something other than picture books. For all of you folks that love mysteries, this is a good place to start. It is Britain’s upper-class in the 1920s. A great novel. Sure it is slow in the center, but the last 5 or 6 chapters. This is the first book in the series. Daisy is from the upper-class, but works for the fun of it. She doesn’t have the typical snob of the Brits. She is an author for a magazine, and takes photos. She helps the detective solve an accident turned murder. Then she helps the murderer get away.

Highly recommend it for anyone looking for a fun trip back in history. But I will warn ya, you need to know your British slang.