Bonnie Ferrante's Blog, page 93
August 4, 2014
Mayhew, James. Who Wants a Dragon? Illustrated by Lindsey Gardiner. Book Review.
This is a rhyming toddler book. The question, “Who wants a Dragon?” Is repeated several times in the book. The rhyming scheme holds throughout and it reads well aloud.
The witch doesn’t want him. Neither does the knight, Princess, King or Queen, or fairy. The sad, rejected Dragon is finally loved by his mommy.
The illustrations are bright, cute, and expressive. However, the Dragon was a red, roly-poly, polkadotted little charmer with a big grin. It made no sense for everyone to be afraid of him. I’m also not sure if giving the child/Dragon the message that the only person who will “love him just right” is his mother. No matter how friendly or sweet or gentle the Dragon is, no one else wants him. This is not a concept I would want to teach a child.
Not recommended.
July 31, 2014
Wish Me Luck
The Amida Tree has made the first cut for the prestigious Blue Spruce Award 2015 given by the Ontario Library Association. You can watch a trailer for the book here. http://bit.ly/1nTN2BS
If you aren’t familiar with the Blue Spruce Award, books are submitted for consideration. The books go through several eliminations, the goal being to become a final nomination. Students across Ontario in schools and libraries pick the final winner from the nominations. The awards are given out at the Festival of Trees.
“The OLA’s Forest of Reading® and the Festival of Trees™ occupy major places of prominence in Canada’s literary landscape. The Festival of Trees™ culminates in a 2-day awards celebration for the school-aged programs. The Festival is Canada’s largest literary event for young readers and is continuing to grow. More than 9,000 people attend this event,which is co-presented by IFOA, at Harbourfront Centre. In addition to the award presentations featuring the nominated authors/illustrators, the days are packed with fun and engaging activities, including workshops put on by the authors/illustrators themselves. In 2012, the OLA began its Festival expansion and now each year satellite locations are put on in additional towns/cities and those are announced each Fall.” from https://www.accessola.org/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Festival_of_Trees/OLAWEB/Forest_of_Reading/Festival_of_Trees.aspx
Keep your fingers crossed for me. Whatever happens, it was a thrill to have my first book picked from the hundreds of submissions to go to committee.
July 30, 2014
McBratney, Sam. Once There was a Hoodie. Illustrated by Paul Hess. Book Review.
Once There was a Hoodie is an odd little book much like the Hoodie itself. The Hoodie tries to make friends with the sheep, the cows, and the children, but they all run away. Finally he meets another Hoodie and they live happily ever after. The Hoodie looks like a combination of a rutabaga and a carrot. The story ends with the Hoodies sleeping under their hill for one hundred years.
There really isn’t much to the story. It’s basically a lonely Hoodie looking for friend. It could stimulate some discussion on how we judge others by their appearances. Mostly, though, it’s just a bit of silliness. The narration has a rhythmic chatty tone that would be fun to read aloud.
The illustrations by Paul Pass have an other world quality to them. The bug-eyed cows running from the Hoodie are funny and the Hoodie himself is a combination of bizarre and humorous.
Well recommended.
July 28, 2014
James, Betsy. Flashlight. Illustrated by Stacey Schuett. Book review.
Marie is sleeping with her sister on the couch in her grandparents home. Mom and Dad are far away, down the hall. Everything seems dark and unfamiliar. When she makes an anxious sound, her grandpa brings her a flashlight. She investigates the darkness bit by bit, dispelling all the fears aroused by the mysterious shapes. When she calls, her grandfather comes again to reassure. The light empowers her and Marie finally turns off the flashlight and whispers a comforting word to her little sister.
The story line made a lot more sense to me than The Dark by Lemony Snicket. The sense of love and acceptance from the grandfather was lovely.
The illustrations are beautiful. The flashlight makes things glow. And especially wonderful illustration is on the page where the girl says, “I can cover with one hand. Watch! The flashlights warm. Fire close right through my bones. I can go into dark places, shining.”
Highly recommended.
July 26, 2014
Contest ends soon
Only four days left to win a print copy of Desiccate, my new YA fantasy.
https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/98064-desiccate
July 25, 2014
MacDonald, Phamie. The Planets: Sam Sun. Book Review.
This is an odd book. First page features an illustration of our solar system and asks if we’ve ever wondered what the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets get up to when were not looking.
Then begins a story about Sam Sun whose pants keep setting on fire. Because of this, his friends think he is a liar. Sam Tells Uncle Hally, “I’ve just got the most terrible solar wind and it keeps saying my pants on fire.” The problem is solved. Sam isn’t taught how to cope with the situation. It ends with a note to the reader that when sky turned several shades of color it might be Sam Sun embarrassed about something.
At the end of the book is information about the actual solar system.
I just don’t get it. Was this meant to be a book of humor. There really isn’t enough to it for me to recommend purchasing it for a child.
Not recommended.*
July 23, 2014
Creighton, Sarah. Clover’s Great Escape. Illustrated by Gene I. Hamilton. Book Review.
This is the story of a sweet cow living in a harsh environment. One day she and her friends are herded onto a truck and headed to parts unknown. Clover feels, deep in her gut, that something terrible is going to happen to all of them. She escapes and lives the rest of her life in a farm sanctuary.
The author does not condemn meat eaters but raises questions that should be discussed about the treatment of animals and our methods for producing meat. She never uses the word slaughterhouse but it is apparent where the cows are headed.
The pictures are delightful, evocative, and humorous.
My biggest problem with this book is the vocabulary. I assume because of the style of the story and the pictures that it is targeted toward young children, however the author uses phrases such as, “the setting was far from ideal” and “lucky enough to incur the same fate”.
I also don’t think it was necessary to anthropomorphize the cow. The story could have been told from her point of view, without making her talk like a human, and still have impact.
The story is based on several true events of cows escaping the slaughterhouse. I would have liked to see some links to farm sanctuaries and other information on the subject.
Creighton handled an extremely difficult topic with tact and gentleness.
Recommended.****
July 21, 2014
Hayes, Prudence. HAZEL SPELLINWITCH and the Day She Saved Wickedville. Book Review.
This was the story of a little witch who rescued her town from darkness and sadness. She caught the responsible witch and forced her to remove the spell. Catching the girl responsible was easy and quick. There was almost no conflict or suspense. The story was told as a story within a story. Hazel spoke directly to the reader about how brave and wonderful she was saving the town but it didn’t seem as though there was any risk involved.
The problem that needed to be solved did not carry the story line very well. The most interesting part was the character named Fred who liked to pretend he was a statue. There is an incongruity between the plot of the story and the writing style. The vocabulary and structure of this picture book seems suited for an older child but the story itself suits preschoolers. The build up Hazel created was not met by the overly simplistic sequence of events. I would give the narration a two out of five.
The pictures, however, are well done and Hazel is an endearing character. I would give the illustrations a four out of five.
The author needs to either change the vocabulary to match the simplicity of the plot or develop the story to the level of the vocabulary.
An ebook copy of this picture book was given to me in exchange for an honest review.
July 18, 2014
Melchers, Michael. Grace’s Garden. Illustrated by Anne Zimanski. Book Review.
This book is more of a lesson than a story. It is the kind of text parent would pick to teach a child something. I don’t think many children would want to hear it more than once. The plot is a variation of Aesop’s The Grasshopper and the Ants.
Grace works hard in her garden throughout spring and summer and reaps the rewards in winter. Her friends, Chips and Lolly, play too much and are hungry coming winter. Grace shares her food with them.
The lesson is probably that hard work produces good results, but the author inadvertently may be telling children that they can depend on others to rescue them should they decide to waste their time and play instead of finishing their work.
The writing is overblown at times, for example it begins: “One precious morning, a small white rabbit named Grace woke to find a beautiful sunrise blanketing the hills.” Most of this is shown in the illustration and is unnecessary.
The illustrations in this book are absolutely delightful. They have a warm glow and the rabbits seem soft enough to pet.
Recommended with reservations.**
July 14, 2014
Giddens, Sherrie. Melody Wants A Cat. Book Review
The cover of this book appears to have been made by a child but inside it states that it was made by the author. It features a lion with his tongue sticking out made from cut paper and glued on googly eyes. As well, the word A should not have been capitalized in the title.
Melody is a little girl who asks her mother for a pet lion, tiger, cheetah, and then a cat. The story has a natural rhythm and would be fun to read aloud. Each time Melody asks for creature, Momma replies, “No lions in the apple tree! No tigers in the playhouse! Or no cheetahs in the backyard.” When Melody pretends to be a black and white cat, Momma agrees that this kind of pet would be nice.
This book had so much great potential. The idea for the pictures was cute but the product seemed rushed and showed minimal effort. There were only eight illustrations and none of the little girl or her mother. The story needed to be broken up into smaller chunks with fewer words on the page. I think it would also be nice to end with a picture of Melody and her new cat.
Not recommended. **
