Children's Books discussion
The Picture-Book Club
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April 2020 (and beyond): What Picture Books Are You Reading During Shelter-in-Place?
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Oh, how we love Chirri & Chirra. I was fortunate enough to check out three more of their adventures before the libraries closed and my children both voted this one as their favorite. (It is mine, too.) It is so charming! It perfectly encapsulates the imagination and joys of childhood, particularly the delights that can be found in nature. There's a bit of a "Secret World of Arrietty" feel here, with Chirri and Chirra shrinking down as they travel through the tall grasses and visiting bees and beetles and fireflies and lizards in their (oh so adorable) homes and enjoying a variety of sweet treats. (I did have to smile at my four-year-old correcting as I read that the bee harvested honey from the flowers (this is what the text says), "You mean nectar," he said sweetly ;-> ) It is enchanting and sweet and full of the wonder and joy to be found in nature and in childhood. Highly recommend
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Great!
None. They're all at the other house and I don't like reading children's books on the computer.
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Ah, bummer. (I agree, I have thus far held out not reading any children's books on a screen. Depending on how long the libraries are closed, I may have to resort to that eventually. We have a nice home library but it does not always keep up well with my boys' latest interests.)
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Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited Apr 01, 2020 04:26PM)
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Personally, I think this chance to catch up on books w/out going to the library and getting distracted by all the 'shiny' is a silver lining. I read on my 10" android tablet, and it's not ideal but I've gotten used to it and it certainly is convenient!
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I agree. Though, it is a little more challenging with young children as trying to keep up with their ever evolving interests and my home library is not always well equipped for the sometimes sudden changes ;-) That said, a good book is a good book, and reading is reading. We are grateful that we have many as yet unread older gems to go through here at home.
Would be great to see what you find for the 1910s and earlier using exclusively online sources. It will help me know if we can find enough for doing the 1920s next month if libraries remain closed (I'm thinking we can!)
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Well first and foremost, I guess I have to admit that I do find it rather disconcerting and definitely a trifle problematic that author/illustrator Greg Pizzoli has his owl going to sleep at night instead of being up and about (since owls of course are nocturnal and therefore tend to sleep during the day). However, I was still willing to swallow and subdue my sense of disbelief, as indeed, Good Night Owl does start out engagingly and humorously enough, with Owl continuously getting out of bed to look for the source of the squeak that is preventing him from settling down (and which readers right from the onset know is a mouse) definitely making me smile, that is UNTIL Owl ends up in a fit of supreme and raw temper basically demolishing his entire house to try to get rid of his noise issue. For sorry, but I honestly do not really consider Owl's destructiveness with regard to his roof and walls as presenting a good and positive attitude (and also giving a rather problematic potential message), since in my opinion, Good Night Owl could in a worst case scenario make young children believe that one could and perhaps even should deal with encountered problems (such as Owl's squeaky noise scenario) with anger and by being willfully and openly hostile (and yes, as other reviewers have pointed out, owls generally eat mice, so it is also more than a bit strange that Owl has no issues totally tearing down his house but then seemingly makes friends with the mouse that is the cause of all of this mayhem).
Combined with the fact that I have also not found the accompanying illustrations all that aesthetically pleasant, as I do seem to find Greg Pizzoli's pink and pastelly colour scheme not at all to my visual tastes, while I have in no way actively despised Good Night Owl, I also have not found either Pizzoli's text or his artwork personally appealing enough for more than a two star rating.
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Albeit that I do indeed consider David Wiesner’s Caldecott Medal winning Flotsam visually spectacular and stunning (and especially so much aesthetically appreciate the minutely descriptive underwater detail, the diversely colourful fishes), I nevertheless also and equally do feel somewhat if not majorly conflicted regarding Flotsam as a wordless picture book telling an actual and solid story. For as a very text and written word oriented reader (who is very visual but whose vision is in fact primarily verbal and not so much pictorial), yes, I have actually found the completely lacking in any printed words plot of Flotsam rather difficult and confusing (and indeed, I most definitely would have enjoyed Flotsam considerably more if there had been even a few words of accompanying text, as I do admit getting rather lost and not really managing to follow the completely without a text tale of the little boy and the camera he finds in the ocean all that easily if actually at all, as I still and post reading do not think that I have managed to truly grasp the gist and the main themes of Flotsam all that successfully).
And thus, while I certainly understand why and how many of my Goodreads friends obviously totally adore Flotsam (and that I definitely do consider David Wiesner’s artwork simply amazing), the fact of the matter that I have found Flotsam annoyingly difficult to follow because of it being completely sans words to direct me and my attention, this has certainly negatively affected my general “reading” pleasure and to make me consider Flotsam with but three and not with four or five stars (for in order for the latter to occur, I would of course need to be able to easily follow the plot without added text, and this has certainly not been the case for me with Flotsam by any stretch of my imagination).
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Although Don Brown certainly does manage to show in his A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw how Anna Howard Shaw preserved (through struggle and multiple setbacks) with her determination in 19th century America (to where she and her family had immigrated in 1852 from England) to not only achieve a suitable education (becoming a teacher in the backwoods of Michigan, attending college even though she was generally self taught, obtaining both a divinity and a medical degree) but also to relentlessly fight with lectures and a letter writing campaign for women to obtain the right to vote (which happened in 1920, one year after Anna Howard Shaw’s death), I also do have to admit that Don Brown’s presented text has often, has generally felt rather too lacking in depth and nuance for me to really get to know Anna Howard Shaw on both an intimate and a factual level.
For yes, I do indeed find that for one A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw really only in my opinion scratches the proverbial surface so to speak with regard to Anna Howard Shaw’s life and her achievements and that for two Shaw’s suffrage work almost seems to be rather tacked on as an afterthought, with Don Brown in my opinion kind of rushing this important aspect of Anna Howard Shaw’s life through right at the end of A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw instead of being a bit more expansive and detailed.
Combined with the fact that on the Kindle, the accompanying artwork (equally by Don Brown who acts as both author and illustrator) has been rendered rather wishy-washy and blurry (and therefore majorly lacking in necessary visual detail) and that there is also no separate bibliography with suggestions for further reading and study included (for just having one secondary book title inserted into the text of the author’s note is not really all that user friendly and also rather easily missed and overlooked) I have certainly found A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw more than a bit disappointing with regard to my reading (and viewing) pleasure, a decent enough general introduction to Anna Howard Shaw, but not anything really all that special either, and in my opinion not really with all that much appeal for retaining and keeping especially a child reader or listener’s interest (and indeed even I as an older adult reader have not really found A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw all that textually engaging).
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Looking forward to hearing about the picture books you're enjoying most these days..."
(Reposting the main takeaways from your opening message to help me remember what to focus on (besides the earliest pre-1919.)
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I don't remember much about this, but I see that I did not rate it highly, and your review brought back the reasons why.
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Albeit that I do indeed consider David Wiesner’s Caldecott Medal winning Flotsam visually spectacular and stunning (and especially so much aesthetically appreciate the minute..."
This was one of the Wiesner books I enjoyed most (for me personally it made more sense than some of his others) but I do agree with you that the lack of narrative is at times a little frustrating. Perhaps we are meant to create our own "storyline" with each reader bringing his or her own perspective to the illustrations without the author narrative guiding us particularly? But, I do find it a bit hard to follow in certain books, though I do admire his creativity and talent.
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Dad came home from the other house with books! He chose some good ones.Strega Nona
Big Anthony and the Magic Ring
One Morning in Maine
Angus and the Ducks
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg (He grew up in Fitchburg.)
and some others I don't remember ever reading! He wants to FaceTime and read a bedtime story to the grandkids tonight. My parents miss their grandkids.
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He wants to FaceTime and read a bedtime story to the grandkids tonight. My parents miss their grandkids. ."
Ah, I love that idea! It is SO hard having to distance from grandparents/grandkids. My folks are missing the grandkids like crazy, too. I'm so grateful for FaceTime!
My 9 year old niece calls in on her tablet a lot. She has a kids messenger app like FaceTime. My mom is always happy to hear from her. I'll report back on how storytime goes tonight.
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I still have this one out from the library since all the book drops are closed, so I can't return anything yet.
Never have I seen exponential numbers so cleverly depicted as in these stylized illustrations. I loved the fold-out pages at the end, which were necessary to show 524,288 and 1,048,576 dots. One dot is a large green circle, representing the top of a tree. 256 is represented by freckles on a face. A train engine with smoke and a couple of train cars are made up of 524,288 miniscule dots. A cityscape of skyscrapers is made up of 1,048,576 even more miniscule dots. Wonderful math book!
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There is a reason why you found the book forgettable!
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Albeit that I do indeed consider David Wiesner’s Caldecott Medal winning Flotsam visually spectacular and stunning (and especially so much aesthetically app..."
He is definitely talented.
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Not only do I totally and emotionally understand just why Sophie gets really, really angry, I also rather majorly consider the way that the mother has handled the entire scenario presented in Molly Bang's When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry as a totally and epic PARENTING FAILURE. For honestly, considering that Sophie's sister just violently seems to grab the plush gorilla toy from Sophie while the latter is happily playing, it is not really if actually at all acceptable parenting wise for the mother to (at least in my humble opinion) basically and very strongly not only enable but to also actively condone this kind of bullying and sense of entitlement by not with even one word being critical of the behaviour of Sophie's sister and simply stating that it is the sister's turn and that therefore, her yanking the toy away from Sophie is seemingly even rather justified (because even if it might well be the sister's turn to play with the stuffed gorilla, there to and for me is just no justification whatsoever for the mother to consider the sister's behaviour as in any way appropriate and by not being even remotely critical of her and in my opinion by this omission also rather casting considerable blame at Sophie, with indeed, the mother in When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry at best showing poor parenting skills and at worst demonstrating an obvious and noticeable emotional preference towards Sophie's sister).
And yes, while some readers say that they are uncomfortable with the fact that in When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry, it is shown by Molly Bang as being a positive for Sophie after her temper tantrum to run out of the door of her house and to remove herself from the scenario that originally made her so angry (until she has calmed down and is both willing and able to return home), my own issues with When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry are ONLY with regard to the in my opinion really unfortunate parenting that is being depicted and that yes, I do believe that the mother does seem to rather prefer Sophie's sister, as why else would she not have at least taken the sister to task for simply pulling (and in a rather heavy handed manner) the gorilla toy away from Sophie (without any explanation except yelling that it is now her turn).
Now with regard to Molly Bang's accompanying artwork (for in When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry, Molly Bang acts as both author and illustrator), albeit that I do appreciate how Molly Bang's use of colour mirrors Sophie's changing emotions (from seething fire like anger to finally calming down and being no longer enraged), I have also not found the actual pictures themselves as being all that much to my visual tastes (and with in particular the way in which Molly bang has rendered her human arms feeling visually more than a bit off with regard to physical dimensions), and yes, I do therefore also and coming from my own aesthetics wonder why and how When Sophie Gets Angry -- Really, Really Angry ended up being awarded a Caldecott Honour designation, as I personally have just not found the illustrations all that special, all that remarkable.
All of these were overdrive ebooks from the library that I read in my browser then returned.five stars:
Sulwe
The Princess in Black
Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race
Four stars:
Hair Love
The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party
Interstellar Cinderella
The Paper Bag Princess
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So according to Wanda Gág's author's note for her 1933 picture book Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework, this story is based on an old Bohemian peasant tale, but indeed and annoyingly, no further folkloric information and details are presented except that Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework is very much traditional and ancient in scope and that Wanda Gág is in fact also retelling the story in the exact same manner that she had Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework told to her by her grandmother when she was a little girl. And while I guess that this is probably more than adequate enough for a general author's note, I for one do feel more than a trifle put off by the fact that Wanda Gág has not provided the original and likely German language title of Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework (as that bit of supplemental knowledge would certainly make trying to find out more on and about the original story online all that much easier and less potentially frustrating).
And unlike folkloric tales involving magic, fairies and supernatural entities, Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework is simply (but delightfully) a typical and hilariously funny little tale of a husband who thinks that his on the field outside chores (such as ploughing, sowing, hoeing, baling etc.) are oh so very much more difficult and strenuous than his wife's "easy and relaxing" housework (and who learns an important and essential lesson that this is certainly not at all the case when he agrees to switch roles with his wife and with EVERYTHING going wrong for him, with the husband not being able to successfully complete even one of his wife's daily home-based tasks).
Truly a lovely story with an important and yes for the 1930s very modern message is Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework (and indeed accompanied by author and illustrator Wanda Gág's signature and descriptive black and white artwork), I have really enjoyed reading Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework and have very much appreciated how the message of gender respect is presented so naturally and with such sweet humour (and yes, Gone is Gone: Or the Story of a Man Who Wanted to do Housework is also to be highly and warmly recommended, my personal wishes that the author's note provided more details on the original story quite notwithstanding and insignificant).
Henry Hikes to Fitchburg A cute story about the importance of stopping to enjoy nature or the little things in life. Henry's friend doesn't get to enjoy the country taking the train and that was the whole point of the trip. It seems funny to think of FITCHBURG as country and Concord as town. Today Concord is a bedroom community of Boston. Cute, quaint New England town- very wealthy. Fitchburg became an industrial giant, a mill city. My great-grandfather was a tile mason for one of the paper mills there. Sadly the mills closed and Fitchburg is now a dilapidated, forgotten city. My dad grew up there so we got this book for him and a copy for my little cousins. A Mascot for Maine by by Julia F. Spencer Ph.D. (Author), Melanie B. Moutran, illustrated by Matt Atkins
This book is not in GoodReads. My parents must have picked it up on a trip to Maine. It was published in 2011 and tells the story of how the school children of Maine researched the local animals and voted on a mascot. The story is simply told through rhyming text but the illustrations reveal facts about some of the animals. The choices are lobster, moose, Maine Coon cat, Puffin, whale, loon and bear. It's cute. My parents had it autographed and the simple, informative text was probably just right for the then 5-year-old. I think 5-7 year olds would like this book.
The illustrations may have been done by a kid. The colored pencil drawings are very carefully drawn and colored and look like something my niece could do. The illustrator's dedication is to Dad for yelling at him to finish the book and for loving him.
Down To The BeachI have NO memory of this book being read to me as a child, yet in the spot where it says "This book belongs to___" it says my name and in my grandmother's handwriting "who spent summer of 1980 at Cape Cod."
This story features simple rhyming text about a day at the beach and all the things you will experience. Some of them are similar to what I remember seeing and doing on Cape Cod and others are different. (The only birds I ever remember seeing were Sea Gulls). The soft, pale illustrations by Barbara Cooney are not her best. She captures the color palette of the beach but the people are also bland and wearing neutral colored swimsuits. One child is wearing almost a flesh colored suit. I can see why I don't remember this story. It probably didn't appeal to me.
Someone must have loved it because the cover is very worn. My mom wrote our family name on the inside cover so it must have been loaned to someone or taken to school.
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I still have this one out from the library since all the book drops are closed, so I can't retur..."
It sounds great and very educational. Probably by the time I can get back to the library my anxiety about exponential numbers will be a bit less...
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five stars:
Sulwe
The Princess in Black
[book:Hidden Figures: The True ..."
Thanks! I haven't read most of those yet.
Mod
Not only do I totally and emotionally understand just why Sophie gets really, really angry, I also rather majorly consider the way that..."
Wow, that does sound quite troublesome. Even if the siblings are supposed to be sharing, there is a polite and respectful way to do so, and grabbing a toy from the other sibling is not one of them! Is Molly the oldest sibling? I find it often kind of unfortunately common in parenting (books and real life) that many times the parents make concessions for the youngest child and the oldest child is left having to bear the brunt. "Well, you're older so you know better..." that sort of thing. Which, in some respects is true. But, also, I think it's not particularly fair to the oldest child and not modeling good lessons for the younger child, either. Anyway, it's too bad that the younger sister's behavior was not addressed because it sounds like perhaps the rest of the book was good in showing that Molly could handle her feelings without being destructive. As to the illustrations, the cover art does nothing for me.
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That sounds really cute!
As for the Henry books, I have enjoyed those, too.
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Not only do I totally and emotionally understand just why Sophie gets really, really angry, I also rather majorly con..."
I have to admit that the bad parenting really bothered me. It never feels all that clear who the older sibling is, but I do think the sister is older and definitely should have not been able to just grab the gorilla from Sophie without there being criticism, even if it was her turn.
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I still have this one out from the library since all the book drops are closed, so I can't retur..."
This sounds right up my alley, thank you!
Angus Lost Angus the Scottish Terrier with his brave terrier heart escapes through the open gate and off on an adventure in the great wide world. The author really got the terrier personality but why oh why was the gate open and why didn't his people come looking for him? I think because it was the 30s and dogs roamed free back then. Dear Mischief used to go off on adventures like Angus but some kind neighbor either brought her home or we chased after her to get her back. *Never ever ever ever ever leave a gate open around a terrier, have an invisible fence, gaps under the fence or let them off leash. Anyway, the story was cute and just enough words for a small child wondering what's beyond their yard. The illustrations are an odd color combination of blues and yellows. I doubt they appeal to modern kids. The illustrator really captured the New England landscape with stone walls and colonial farmhouses. She also got the Scottie silhouette perfect, complete with fur.
This is a cute adventure. I'm not surprised it was in the keeper box. We did love our little Houdini very very much.
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Terriers are not the only breed that take advantage of an open gate. Our boxer/mastiff mix has taken off at least 3 times. One time it took us about a week to get him back. And it was not his owners/family (my husband and myself) who left the gate open, either; it was other people who, unbeknownst to us, left the gate open.
Anyway, I have enjoyed all of the Angus books. I think the very few illustration colors were pretty standard in the 1930s.
Strega Nona ahh my old friend! We had a couple copies of this book growing up. We just love the story of the wise and helpful grandma witch. She reminds us of our Nonnie. I adore the concept of the magic pasta pot! It seemed like my Nonnie had a magical pasta pot bubbling away on the stove too. I always wanted one. Having a town drowning in pasta is a dream come true! Big Anthony is foolish but he always learns his lesson. The illustrations show a medieval village in Calabria and the colors looks natural and earthy to reflect the time and place. We always liked the drawings of Strega Nona herself because she was very old, wrinkled and bent over like Nonnie. She has a nice face and looks comfortable, just a Nona should.
The folk tale of Strega Nona was made up but has become embedded in Italian-American culture as a real true folktale about our Nonnas' ancestors.
I can still hear the voice of the book on tape female narrator from my childhood. We had to travel to get to my grandparents' houses and books on tape kept us from killing each other, briefly.
Next up Big Anthony and the Magic Ring
Finished reading The King with Six Friends a lovely little find that I’m only getting around to reading.
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Ah, I remember Angus with much fondness. I'm not sure I remember this particular book (maybe my mom didn't bring it home from the library if it was about a lost dog, I might have been too distressed!) but I remember Angus and the Cat and was pleasantly surprised to reread it as an adult and enjoy it as much as ever.
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The Easter Egg -- Read this about a decade ago. Read it to my kids this year. They seemed to enjoy it but didn't ask for any rereads. As with most of Brett's work, the artwork is beautiful but the story was a little lacking, IMO. Be sure to read the back flap where Jan Brett mentions the different breeds of rabbits she features in the story. I do wish she would have also mentioned a bit about the history behind the different types of Easter eggs featured, too.
The Golden Egg -- I enjoy Maggie Kneen's illustrations and this is quite lovely visually, especially the little fold-out pages that reveal the hidden eggs. The story is meh but it's worth a look for the illustrations and is definitely a nice break from the typical "kiddie" type lift-the-flap books.
Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs -- Cute and funny. Good choice for those who love chickens.
Easter Parade This is Irving Berlin's "Easter Parade" song set to illustrations by Lisa McCue. It is perhaps nothing remarkable but I am already a fan of the song and of McCue's adorable animals illustrations so I was the perfect audience for this sweet little PB. The assortment of animals dressed up in their Easter best, the cute setting (the town is mostly made in tree trunks of the forest) and the sweet father-daughter connection (it's from the daddy rabbit's perspective ) made me smile and warmed my heart.
The Easter Surprise -- This is another new-to-me Easter PB. Apparently, it is part of a big series which I've never heard of before. It was a bit difficult having this as the first introduction because there are SO many farm animals and trying to keep track of all their names as if we are old friends was challenging. Perhaps this is not the fault of the book but it definitely makes it a bit hard to recommend as a stand-alone. The story itself is rather clunky and long-winded and lacking in any literary charm, but the photographic illustrations are really kind of oddly mesmerizing and the animals are adorable. My four-year-old son loves this and has asked for many re-reads so I guess it's a hit with the target audience. We will probably look for others in the series once the libraries reopen.
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I have if truth be told not found this here Kindle edition of Steve Jenkins' Prehistoric Actual Size even remotely aesthetically pleasing to and for me and for that matter not even all that reader and user (reader) friendly either. And while indeed I do believe that the paper, that the dead tree editions of Prehistoric Actual Size, I likely would have much appreciated and perhaps even rather loved, with the Kindle rendering of Prehistoric Actual Size, showing the genuine, the true dimensions of the animal species featured and presented, this just does not really work well at ALL, and it certainly has been and proven more frustrating and visually aggravating than in any manner even remotely stimulating and awe-inspiring (or eye-catching) and thus with certainly not much of a sense of magic and wonder, with mainly and generally just majorly huge visual annoyances at the choppy and sometimes even a bit washed out and blurry nature of the Kindle rendered illustrations (which is indeed truly sad, considering how talented an artist Steve Jenkins is).
And honestly, the only reason why I was still considering a two star ranking for the Kindle edition of Prehistoric Actual Size (that is, for a short while, at least) is because Steve Jenkins' supplemental notes and details on each of the eighteen analysed and depicted animal species (and located at the back of the book), well these are most definitely both interesting and enlightening, educational, albeit the lack of a bibliography with suggestions for further reading is also more than a trifle frustrating and annoying at best and indeed a total intellectual and academic faux pas in my opinion (but considering that so much of the power and the aesthetic presence of Prehistoric Actual Size are supposed to rest with Steve Jenkins' animal illustrations, and that the featured species of critters are supposedly shown and illustrated as they truly are size wise, sorry, but the Kindle edition is just not at all successful with regard to this, and is in fact, at least for and to me, to and for my eyes, woefully substandard and even sadly painful, feeling visually, aesthetically disjointed and fragmented and yes, therefore totally frustrating).
Thus, while I do in fact tend to recommend Steve Jenkins' Prehistoric Actual Size as a book in and of itself (but indeed with the caveat that there is no included bibliographic material), I absolutely DO NOT IN ANY WAY even remotely suggest reading or considering the Kindle edition, as especially that which makes (or which should make) Prehistoric Actual Size so interesting and seemingly wonderful, namely the depictions of eighteen prehistoric animal species in their actual, in their genuinely authentic dimensions just does not really function even a tiny bit adequately as an e-book, as a Kindle download (is in other words truly and frustratingly a total epic failure digitally speaking). And this is also why upon a bit of personal reflection, my two star ranking of last night for Prehistoric Actual Size has now been downgraded to but one star (as I for one am also getting more than a bit sick and tired of substandard picture book renditions for the Kindle, and frankly, these do in my humble opinion rather massively abound, and it does at least to and for me often seem as though while there indeed are more and more picture books available on the Kindle, their formats, the way that illustrations are transferred, the size of the printed words often leave very much and sometimes even absolutely everything to be desired).
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Fun, informative (and thankfully, unlike with some of Steve Jenkins' picture books, a decently enough rendered Kindle format, although indeed, the accompanying illustrations are aesthetically a bit too small for my ageing eyes, are not really large enough and detailed enough as an e-book), Living Colour has been a generally pleasant and even for myself quite educational and enlightening reading experience (and yes, I do find the separated into colours animal species visually delightful and the information provided by author and illustrator Steve Jenkins not only educational but also penned in an approachable and engaging manner, in other words, never monotonous, never tedious and in my humble opinion also sure to retain the interest and not to tax the attention span of the intended age group of older children from about the age of seven or so onwards, and of course, Living Colour is also not just for children either, but also for interested teenagers and adults).
And yes, if I were just to be rating Living Colour for what Steve Jenkins has penned concerning the animal species featured (both within the text proper and in the supplemental information and details section), I would most likely be ranking Living Colour (and sorry, but I am going to and without contrition be spelling colour the Canadian/British way) with five stars (as the combination of Jenkins' informative narrative and his bright and descriptive collage like accompanying artwork is truly and utterly spectacular). However, I do very much wish that the included bibliography with suggestions for further reading were a bit more visually prominent, as when I first read Living Colour I totally missed it and actually assumed that Steve Jenkins had in fact not included a bibliography (and indeed, I was in fact almost going to be granting only three stars for Living Colour until I realised that there in fact is a bibliography included but that it is just not all that easily visible).
Mod
Yes, I do generally very much enjoy Steve Jenkins' picture books. And most definitely, Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember does very much present and feature Jenkins' signature (and indeed engagingly delightful) combination of informative text (which is educational but also never too difficult for the intended age group, for children from about the age of seven or so onwards) and his expressive and visually stunning collage like accompanying artwork (both realistic and imaginative and always always a visual treat), with the added bonus that Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember also contains a short bibliography with five suggestions for further reading in the supplemental details and information section of Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember (something that I certainly do very much appreciate, as not every Steve Jenkins picture book I have encountered includes bibliographical lists).
However, even though I have for the most part found Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember enlightening and interesting, I have also found this book rather lacking in one main and necessary point of reality. For in my humble opinion, while it is of course essential to make children (to make anyone for that matter) aware of the possible dangers that animals can and do pose (such as the eighteen species presented in Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember), I do wish that Steve Jenkins had not focussed his attention so much on the possible threats to human life, but had instead provided a more delicately and deliberately balanced narrative (as it certainly has felt to and for me as though Jenkins is trying to actively make the animals encountered in Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember appear a trifle like monsters to be feared, which I do feel is rather sad, as MOST of the encountered animals will actually not be all that much of a threat to humans if they are left alone and in fact, the vast majority of the eighteen creatures would likely and on the whole encounter far more dangers and threats from us humans than vice versa). Still highly recommended but indeed with the necessary caveat that I for one do strongly believe that Never Smile at a Monkey: And 17 Other Important Things to Remember might very well require discussion and clarification, for the eighteen presented animal species are actually NOT animals to be either feared or despised but simply to be approached with care and prudence.
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Otoh, one would assume that Lift the Flap books wouldn't work, but I can see that the simple ones would... and then wouldn't be so fragile either! The child simply taps on the flap instead of lifting it.
On a related note, I'm reminded, this Easter season, of 'Easter Eggs' in video games... I wonder if digital books have embraced digital technology and added bonus features not avl. to print readers....
Question for those who do read digital picture-books - do you think Press Here, one of my favorite meta/ interactive books, would work on a tablet?
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I agree that both of Jenkins’ Actual Size books should never have been rendered into a digital format.
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Good question! I'm not sure... That could be cool.
For me, just from a personal perspective, I think there is so much screen time already that I have no plans to introduce digital books to my kids (unless the libraries stay closed for many months and I get desperate). That said, if there was some really great extra content then perhaps I might be tempted to make a few exceptions if it was of educational value.
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You also really need to check how picture books are presented in an e-book format. Far too many of the ones I have tried (and usually mostly because the titles were unavailable at my library) have not been all that user friendly and are often rendered with blurry illustrations and tiny font sizes for the printed texts.
Mod
So what in my humble opinion is so very positive and delightfully refreshing about Max, about this simple but heartwarmingly sweet little story about how big brother Max becomes interested in ballet is that author and illustrator Rachel Isadora does not ever become preachy and that she also and appreciatively never once attempts to in any manner attempt to force the issue, that she basically allows the concept of boys being interested in and able to do ballet to develop totally organically and naturally (and indeed, that at the end of the story, Max is still a baseball fanatic and a typical "boy" even though he has become interested in and appreciative of ballet and thinks that his sister's ballet lessons are fun and no longer something to be denigrated as girly and silly). And yes, the accompanying illustrations (although they do not especially wow me aesthetically and are visually a bit bland colour wise for my personal tastes), they certainly are full of movement and rhythm and thus of course perfectly do suit the tone and cadence of the presented narrative (as well as the thematics of dancing), both complementing and actually even often expanding on the text. Highly recommended and not just for children either, as I do think that with Max, Rachel Isadora both textually and visually (but without force) tells everyone who might care to listen that learning ballet, that learning how to dance is fun and worthwhile.
Mod
A delightful and informative abecedarian on the Acadians (but indeed and actually, not really in any way a book for children learning their letters but rather a general lesson on Acadian history and culture in the guise of an alphabet book) Mary Alice Downie's ABC Acadie: An Acadian Alphabet presents L'Acadie as it was (how the settlers cleared the land, their farming practices, especially their use of dikes, their close-knit communities, their usually friendly associations with the M'ikmaq). But of course ABC Acadie: An Acadian Alphabet also (and yes very much necessarily) shows the 18th century forced removal of the Acadians from what is now the Canadian Maritimes, their expulsion en masse by the British (to places like Louisiana and where the main storyline of ABC Acadie: An Acadian Alphabet actually takes place, as it is basically conceptualised as a remembrance by the displaced Acadians of their lost homeland, of their culture and of their lives prior to Le Grand Dérangement).
Readable, educational and with much (appreciated) supplemental information at the back, ABC Acadie: An Acadian Alphabet is in my opinion a very good and useful general introduction to the Acadians for young readers (with Ann LeBlanc's colourful fabric like accompanying illustrations providing an expressive mirror to and for Mary Alice Downie's informative text), although personally, I do very much wish that ABC Acadie: An Acadian Alphabet also featured considerably more details on the Acadian Expulsion and that Mary Alice Downie were also more critical and condemning towards the British, and especially towards governor Charles Lawrence (the intolerant bigot who ordered the expulsion and whose name and shame should in my opinion at least have been mentioned in ABC Acadie: An Acadian Alphabet in no uncertain terms).
Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Brad Meltzer (other topics)Brad Meltzer (other topics)
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Irene Latham (other topics)
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I wanted to find a way to keep the PB Club going this month despite all the library closures and difficulties that abound. I know we have so many distractions right now, but I also know that we are all book lovers and that, for many of us, reading good books is part of what is helping to keep us get through these times. Hoping we can keep in touch and share some of the picture books we are reading these days.
We got a big stack before the libraries closed so we are working through some of those as well as some of our home library books. I also might finally venture onto OpenLibrary to see what we can get there.
I'm also keeping tabs on the celebrities-reading-books videos... we haven't watched any yet, but I'm keeping my eye on it to see if any new books I can't get my hands on (without paying for them!) are going to pop up that we might enjoy:
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment...
Some authors are reading their books online. Here is a helpful list:
https://www.weareteachers.com/virtual...
(I also heard Jonathan Van Ness just released a children's book and read it online.)
If any of you would have interest in watching some of these video read-alouds as a group and discussing them together, let me know. Might be a way that we can still share a reading experience together.
Looking forward to hearing about the picture books you're enjoying most these days.