Please Don't Read This Book

The Gift of Nothing

The Gift of Nothing – Patrick McDonell

 Julie:  I have committed a cardinal sin for a children's book writer.  I have, in my lifetime, read picture books like THE GIFT OF NOTHING and thought, So simple!  So few words!  How hard can it be?  Several years and one master's degree later, let me tell you:  To write a truly good picture book?  Very, very hard.  But Patrick McDonnell has done it.  THE GIFT OF NOTHING is playful, timeless, meaningful, linguistically interesting, and full of heart.  I wish I’d written it.  Mia, did you like it as much as I did?

M: Julie, THE GIFT OF NOTHING caught me by surprise.  I was reading along, thinking, OK, this is cute.  The humor reminds me a bit of I’M BORED in the way it handles the tediousness of everyday life (for instance, pointing out that there's nothing to watch on 200 channels of TV).  But then I got to the end and was tearing up. THE GIFT OF NOTHING is sweet and simple, accomplishing so much with so little.  The same could be said for the art, with its attention to the white space on the page.  The words deepen what we see on the page.  Julie?  

J:  Yes, the style of the art perfectly suits the style of the text. And I love that there's humor and depth. I splurged for the special gift edition, which comes complete with lovely packaging.  Perfect for those upcoming holidays.  I might need to get another, because I have twin nephews. 

M: Woohoo for getting some holiday shopping off your plate, Julie. And off we go to find more books to recommend!

I'm bored

I'm bored.

 Written by Michael Ian Black and Illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Marirosa Mia: Yay, picture book time! I love it when Julie and I find a picture book we both enjoy. This time around we have I'M BORED, written by comedian Michael Ian Black and illustrated by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. Our story starts with a little girl - a very bored little girl.  There's simply nothing for her to do except lament how boring everything is. I dread the day my niece enters this age. Soon the little girl meets a talking potato who is equally bored. (I really want to make some sort of potato pun here but I can't think of any yet! It will come to me.) One would think the two would become fast friends, bonded by their lack of entertainment. But NO, not so at all. Not only is the potato still bored, but he also thinks children are soooo boring, unlike flamingos, who are super-exciting. (FACT: Flamingos are actually awesome.) Unwilling to stand for this, the little girl sets off to prove that children aren't boring at all by showing the potato all the amazing, imagination-filled things they can do! But is it enough to entertain one very bored potato?  I'm not going to say, but - spoiler alert - a flamingo does make an appearance. 

J:  This book cries out, "Read me to a bunch of kids!  I'm perfect for it, you'll see!"  It's fun and funny and fast and clever.  I'm terrible at creating different voices when I read aloud, but even I feel inspired to give a very dramatic reading.  How often does one get to give voice to a potato?  I love the art, too.  It's bold but also spare, and colorful, and full of life and movement.  What do you think about the art, Mia?  And do you have any quibbles with the book?   

M: I want a Part Two! With the flamingo and the potato. Does that count as a quibble? I thought the art worked perfectly with the text of the book. It was simple yet kinetic - if that makes sense. There was always a sense of movement to the art, even from the beginning. I can't wait to read it to my niece, who's already in love with CREEPY CARROTS. 

J:  Um, that's not exactly what I had in mind as a quibble.  But it's a great idea!  As for a quibble of my own, I think a few variations on the potato's "boring" refrain might have been fun.  A "yawn" or a "snooze," perhaps; a "been there, done that."  Having a zillion "boring"s became a little (can you guess?) (you got it!) boring.  But it's such a trivial complaint.  I still love the book.  I'm tempted to gather my far-too-old children around me now and try a little story time.  Because we've all been cooped up in this apartment for the past 48 hours.  We could certainly use a potato and a flamingo. 

 

Creepy Carrots

Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Peter Brown

Marirosa Mia: Jasper Rabbit LOVES carrots. He loves them like I love Nutella, which is a lot, people. He plucks them from Crackenhopper Field on the way to school, a game, or back home. Then one day Jasper is sure that his favorite treat is following him. He sees creepy carrots in his bedroom! Creepy carrots following him to school! It's driving him mad. Is Jasper's favorite snack actually following him around, or has he had one (something or other) too many? Written by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by the talented Peter Brown (author and illustrator of THE CURIOUS GARDEN), CREEPY CARROTS is a fun tale of paranoia and a possible Vitamin A overdose resulting in visual hallucinations. Kidding! I found CREEPY CARROTS to be a zany trip to the twilight zone, cleverly illustrated with a funny (and slightly morbid) twist ending. Julie?

Julie:  I love the combination of humor and horror in this book. The art is simultaneously ominous--almost exclusively black and white with splashes of orange (primarily the carrots); plenty of shadows; a Hitchcock-ian shower scene; sinister sightings in the tool shed--and hilarious. We're talking, after all, about carrots! With crossed eyes and occasionally severed heads (why severed?  I don't know!) and gaps in their teeth. The overall effect is both unusual and riveting. I predict kids will love it. Do you agree, Mia?

M: Yes! Huge fan of the art. I think this was a great pairing of minds, and the nod to Hitchcock and that era is spot on. I can't wait to read it to my niece, who loves carrots (by which I mean she eats them without complaint). Our readers should also check out this lovely video of Peter Brown talking about why he chose this particular style for CREEPY CARROTS.

J:  Is there something you didn't love about the book? I have to confess that although I credit the cleverness of the ending, I don't love it. I don't want to give anything away--I'll just say that it felt very concrete and confining to me, in a way that seems at odds with the free-wheeling imagination of the story. Does that make any sense at all?

M: Do you mean you saw the ending coming? I'm not sure I understand.

J:  No, that's not what I mean.  I've been trying fruitlessly to think of a way to explain that doesn't ruin the ending. So, SPOILER ALERT!!! Do Not Read Further If You Want to Keep the Ending a Surprise! Last chance to look away. Okay, here goes: I guess I love the notion that these wacky carrots are roaming around out there, popping up in surprising places, making funny faces. Having them all hemmed in at the end--even though they're happy in their confinement--brought an abrupt halt to my carrots-on-the-loose imaginings. I frankly felt a little irritated!  

M: Ah, I see. You weren't fond of the gated community and you like your carrots free-range.

J:  Exactly!  Is that so wrong?

M: Not at all, Julie, not at all.

SLJ's TOP 100!

Top 100 Picture Books and Novels for Kids

Children's literature blogger extraordinaire Betsy Bird asked readers of the School Library Journal to vote for the 10 best picture books and 10 best novels for kids of all time. Points were assigned and tallied, and these 2 lists of the top 100 picture books and novels resulted. The School Library Journal did a beautiful job producing the lists, complete with useful information about each book. Whether you agree with the rankings or not, they're a helpful starting point for finding your next great read. Enjoy! (Just follow the links below to the printable pdfs.)

http://www.slj.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SLJ_Fuse8_Top100_Picture.pdf

http://www.slj.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/SLJ_Fuse8_Top100_Novels.pdf

Llama Llama Wakey-Wake & Nighty-Night

  
Llama Llama Wakey-Wake – Llama Llama Nighty-Night by Anna Dewdney

Marirosa Mia:  Inspired by Julie’s post about a child’s favorite stories versus a parent’s, I decided to write a small post about my niece and her love for Llama Llama.

First off, let me say, I’m a Llama Llama fan. I love the art; the rhymes make me laugh; and I can’t get enough of his adventures. I’m all for Miss Dewdney and her llama friend. When my niece was born I got the picture books for her, then hid them until she slowly but surely grew out of her eating-books phase.

Now that she’s out of the paper-is-yummy stage of life (she’s turning two), her books have a longer shelf life; but they still need to be sturdy. So when I found out Dewdney was coming out with Llama Llama board books, I cheered! FINALLY.  A Llama Llama book that wouldn’t easily be torn to shreds by her energetic fingers. (It’s not her fault--she really loves books, you guys).

So I immediately got my niece LLAMA LLAMA WAKEY-WAKE and LLAMA LLAMA NIGHTY-NIGHT - a charming duology about this particular camelid’s daily routines. My niece wasted no time making them a part of her own nighttime ritual: WAKEY-WAKE and NIGHTY-NIGHT had to be read to her before she went to sleep. Not just one of them, but BOTH; one did not exist with out the other. As soon as I would finish NIGHTY-NIGHT, my niece would reach across to WAKEY-WAKE and say “LLAMA WAKEY-WAKE, Titi. Read, Titi.”  By the end of the night I would read each book at least twice before she was satisfied.

But I didn’t mind at all! The LLAMA books are adorable and this duo is short and cute. My niece even memorized her favorite lines and repeated them after me, like I’d just told the funniest joke or said words of wisdom. So if you’re looking for some nighttime reading for the young’uns and have already breezed through GOODNIGHT MOON and others, I recommend a certain llama for you to try!

Mrs. Biddlebox

Mrs. Biddlebox by Linda Smith, with illustrations by Marla Frazee

Marirosa Mia: Mrs Biddlebox is having a bad day. A really bad day. (Alexander of the no good, very bad day would sympathize.) But then she comes up with the most ingenious idea! She'll bake the day into a delicious treat.  So goes Linda Smith's MRS. BIDDLEBOX.  My hair twin, Mrs. Biddlebox is quite the assertive lady. Nothing will stop her from enjoying the day. Not the thick fog - wonderfully drawn by Marla Frazee - that curtains the hill she lives on, or the incessantly creaking chair she sits on! Julie what did you enjoy about this picture book?

Julie:  I love that the pictures are both very funny and, for much of the book, gloomily atmospheric.  I love that the day is dark and the night (when Mrs. Biddlebox is in better spirits) lets in the light.  I love Mrs. Biddlebox's facial expressions.  I love that her sidekick is a goose.  And the language is so fun!  Her "belly [was] full of grumbles"; an idea "whizzled from her lips"; she "stomped ... with witchety delight."  That list could go on and on.  The entire text is marvelous.  And it rhymes!  I'm often a big grump when it comes to rhyming picture books.  I don't like authors' hemming themselves in with rhyme, prioritizing it over story.  But I didn't mind the rhyme in MRS. BIDDLEBOX.  I'm debating whether it even enhanced the book.  What do you think, Mia?  

M: I'm actually quite a fan of rhyming, but only when it's done right.  Because then it can be so very magical, as it was with MRS.BIDDLEBOX. I think the rhyming added a bit of witchy delight to the tale, and I very much enjoyed the spirit and fun in this book and its main character and her companion. I was also quite taken with the whimsy and atmosphere of the illustrations--so much so that I started thinking of possible adaptations of the story! I think it would work great as a stop motion picture (hint hint to filmmakers out there).  

J:  Yes, there's magic in the illustrations and the rhyme.  I'm going to quote from the start of the book now, to let our readers judge for themselves:

On a grubby little hill,

in a dreary little funk,

Mrs. Biddlebox rolled over

on the wrong side of her bunk.

The birds gave her a headache.

There were creakies in her chair.

A breeze blew dank and dreary

and mussied up her hair.

So she slammed the door on morning!

And sat thinking what to do.

Her tea was dark and bitter,

her crumpets hard to chew.

The illustration that accompanies that last paragraph is so funny!  Mrs. Biddlebox does NOT look like a tea-and-crumpets woman!  For a terrific and illuminating interview with illustrator Marla Frazee about the creation of the book's art, follow this link:  cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2007/09/illustrator-interview-marla-frazee-on.html. There's a particularly touching description of how she decided on the final scenes for the book.  She concludes,  "When strong emotions fuel the creative process, it is always, always, always a good thing for the book."  So true!  

I Want My Hat Back

I Want My Hat Back by John Klassen 

Marirosa Mia:  In life there are many great unanswered questions: What is the meaning of life? The chicken or the egg? And...have you see my hat? I WANT MY HAT BACK by John Klassen is a picture book that sets out to answer just that question (the last one, that is). A brief summary for you: Bear has lost his hat and goes around asking his fellow woodland creatures if anyone has seen it. *Spoiler alert*:  Someone has, but lies to Bear while actually wearing the hat he's been looking for!  Gah!  Poor Bear is too distraught from the loss of the missing hat to notice, and continues on his way.  But not for long! I love Klassen's humor and the sly wink at the end that leaves you giggling. How about you, Julie?

Julie:  I love the subtle humor in this book.  First, its very premise:  An enormous bear loves his red, pointy hat; he's intent on finding it; he misses it "so much." That amuses me!  Second, the enormous bear is so very gracious, so unfailingly polite.  "Thank you anyway," he says time and time again.  This alone is funny, and particularly so when compared to his most uncivilized behavior at the book's end.  The art ads humor, too.  I love, for example, the scene with the reindeer gazing down at the bear lying prostrate with grief over his poor missing hat. And the use of the color red, particularly on one pivotal page about two-thirds of the way through?  Genius!  What do you think of the art, Mia? 

M: I loved the warm tones used in the illustration and the subtle and not so subtle (the use of red in the revelation scene) color that he uses to pop out his characters or their dialogue. The drawings and even the texture of the book fit perfectly together, giving the story a bit of a laid back/earthy feel to it. It's clear that as an illustrator he was very conscious of how he was using color in each page and how it could help him tell the story.  

J:  I wholeheartedly agree.  And now the million-dollar question:  Any concern that kids will be disturbed by the book's final, fatal turn?  I showed it to my younger daughter, curious about how she'd react.  She laughed and laughed.  Granted, at nine she's no longer among the target picture book audience.  But I suspect more of those kids will be amused than upset.  Partly because the drawings have a cartoon quality (in a sophisticated way), and partly because of the clever repetition of language.  What do you think? 

M: I think kids will find the humor in it more than anything - particularly if they are old enough to understand what happened without having their parents explain it. Before we wrap up, Julie, I wanted to share this "spoof" I found on Tumblr! It's so funny: http://mootiness.tumblr.com/post/12877719858

J:  Oh, how I dream of someday writing a book worthy of a Severus Snape spoof.  

M: We all do, Julie; we all do.

 

Not Now, Bernard

Not Now, Bernard – David McKee

M: If you've read this blog before, you know that Julie and I have a tough time picking picture books. Julie is allergic to anything cutesy and fluffy. And I can't stand picture books with beautiful illustrations that are lax in the writing department. So you can imagine that we're often disappointed. And when we find something we both actually like, well, there should probably be a parade. When I suggested that we give NOT NOW, BERNARD a try, I was nervous. I only vaguely remembered reading it a few years ago for a Children's Lit class, and I was only pretty sure that I’d liked it.  All my worries were for naught!  I love NOT NOW, BERNARD. There is so much hidden in its deceptively simple story and language! 

A short summary first. When the story begins, Bernard has something very important to tell his parents. Namely, there's a monster in the backyard and it's going to eat him. Simple as that. First he approaches his father, who promptly says: "Not now, Bernard." Next his mother, who also says: "Not now, Bernard." What's a boy to do but face the monster himself? And...well, I guess revealing what happens next would be a spoiler, so I'll keep it to myself. Julie what did you like about this little gem?  

J:  I'm a sucker for picture books, like this one, that manage to pack a wallop using very few words.  I love that NOT NOW BERNARD can be read in two ways.  (Warning!  Saying something about the very spare plot now!)  Either the monster literally eats Bernard, or Bernard figuratively becomes a monster in response to his parents' behavior.  In fewer than 200 words, this book tells two stories and paints a thought-provoking psychological picture.  That is impressive!  I do have one concern, though.  I worry that the book might appeal more to adults than kids.  What do you think, Mia?

M: I actually think it's perfect for kids. Think about it! If your parents are ignoring you or not paying enough attention, you have literary backup regarding what can happen if they don't start.  Genius.  I can see it now:  "Mom, you have to listen to me because if not a monster will eat me. It's happened before. Here's a book to prove it."
Case closed.

J:  What do you think about the art?  I love the colors, and I think the facial expressions are fantastic. 

M: I love the art. It has such a cool feel to it. It's very much of its time but isn't held back because of that. Does that make sense?

J:  I agree!  I particularly love the TV dinner tray.

M: :)  That's all I have to say.

Voices in the Park

Voices in the Park – Anthony Browne

M: What I love most about VOICES IN THE PARK (what a great title, right?) by Anthony Browne is that each time I read it, I find something new. Whether it's a new detail within the illustrations or a new way of reading a sentence, there's always something to discover. VOICES IN THE PARK follows four people: A high-society mom, her son, an out-of-work father, and his daughter. The simple story is retold from each of the character's perspective, with Browne's artwork changing to suit each character's emotions and disposition. And right there is where the magic happens. Don't flip the pages too fast or you'll miss the subtle changes in the illustrations; from the color palette to the shape of the trees, each page is a new tale. What did you think, Julie?

Julie:  The truth is, I would have recommended VOICES IN THE PARK even without the astonishing, delightful, seemingly never-ending surprises.  I love the premise alone.  What a great starting point the book offers for an early discussion of the facets of truth.  In telling its simplest of stories, VOICES illuminates a complex and important idea.   That's not nearly as easy as Browne makes it look.  (Believe me, I've tried!)  And then there's the phenomenal art!  I love the statements made by the changes in visual style for each character.  And did you notice Mary Poppins?  King Kong?  All of those hats?  Everywhere, hats!  The book is a feast. I wish I’d had it when my kids were younger.

M: I didn't see all the little hidden gems at first, but when I went through it again they just started popping out! Like the singing trees and the sad Mona Lisa painting that later reappears as a real woman dancing. Or the tree trunk that's actually an elephant's foot! And the lamp that's a flower. So much to discover. Makes me want to pore over the pages with a comb so I won't miss anything, which would be a great game to play with kids!

J:  I'd respond at length, but I can't. I have to go find a tree trunk that's actually an elephant's foot. Anything you didn't love about VOICES?

M: Not a thing. Good luck finding it. I'm sure you'll stumble on a few other gems along the way.

Jimmy Liao

3 Picture Books from Jimmy Liao

M: Be warned. You might think you're just buying another set of picture books when purchasing Jimmy Liao's WHEN THE MOON FORGOT, THE BLUE STONE, and THE SOUND OF COLORS, but you're not. You're getting so much more. In addition to the gorgeous illustrations, Liao's books deal with such subjects as longing, sadness, and blindness, along with friendship and the power of the imagination. In WHEN THE MOON FORGOT a little boy finds the fallen moon in a field. Soon they become friends, and the boy helps the moon remember its place in the world. In THE BLUE STONE we travel around the world with half of a rare blue stone that would like nothing more than to return to its other half. In THE SOUND OF COLORS we journey with a young blind girl as she travels daily on the subway and lets her imagination carry her away. 

What did you think of these three stories, Julie?

J: I don't think I can begin to do them justice--particularly THE SOUND OF COLORS.  As a result, I'm having all kinds of trouble writing my portion of this review.  But awe for a book is hardly a justification for keeping silent about it, so here I go.

Let me start with Liao's art.  In my view it's near-about perfect for picture books.  I flip through these three books and find myself admiring page after page, each covered with breathtaking, child-friendly images that capture mood and character and world.  The colors are spectacularly vivid.  There's plenty of humor and whimsy:  a cat with a startled expression, a penguin holding an umbrella, a boy wheeling the moon in a stroller.  So much care has been taken with each image--the longer I look at any given one, the more I notice.  What better gift can you give a child too young to read, than a book filled with this art?

As for the stories, they are all unusual and interesting and poetic.  Unsurprisingly, some are more successful than others.  As I said above, I'm especially fond of THE SOUND OF COLORS, though I hesitated when I read its opening sentence. It provides a good example of how far Liao strays from typical picture book fare:  

"A year ago
I began to notice
that my sight was slipping away."

Too scary! I thought, when I first read that sentence.  But I quickly changed my mind.  For one thing, what kid hasn't closed his or her eyes and imagined what it would be like to be blind?  I used to walk around my room with my eyes closed and my hands out, wondering.  Why shouldn't THE SOUND OF COLORS address that fear head-on?  Particularly given how beautifully it conveys the spectacular flights of imagination this girl has as a result of her blindness, and the courage, and the optimism.

A typical picture book would limit itself to that hopeful message.  But Liao adds an element of longing:  The girl follows a butterfly, "straining to hear the delicate sound of her flight through the clamor of the city," hoping that the butterfly will, among other things, "take me to the friend I need to find."  

I wondered, would only adults find that beautiful and interesting?  Is the book too sad for kids, or too boring?  I asked my older daughter, who is ten, to read it.  She loved it without reservation.  She thought younger kids would enjoy the art and the idea of a blind girl's adventures without really understanding the sadder elements of the story.  I agree with her.

I also gave her WHEN THE MOON FORGOT, and she liked it less.  I too think it doesn't measure up to THE SOUND OF COLORS.  But the more I read it, the more I like it as a tale of an unusual friendship.

As for THE BLUE STONE, I find the story a little boring.  But, in my view, it's worth owning for the cover and much of the art.  Mia, which of the books is your favorite? 

M: I'm going to stick up for THE BLUE STONE here, Julie! I loved it and found the tale of loss and longing heart-wrenching.

I liked WHEN THE MOON FORGOT mostly for its quirky, unusual idea (I also liked its momentary homage to WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE). And I found THE SOUND OF COLORS to be a gorgeous tale with illustrations that often overshadowed the words on the page. I wondered if this was a just a first impression, but upon reading it again I was still mesmerized by the illustrations and continued to find the language lacking just a bit. When I 'read' it a third time I approached it as a wordless picture book and that was when I really fell for it.

Which is why I'm going to pick THE BLUE STONE. There was just simply something about the quiet repetition of the final phrase ("Its heart breaks a little.  It wants to go home.") that tugged at my heart every time. That repetition paired with the breaking of the stone over and over again until it was just a small speck was really haunting. It really (for me anyway) touched on the concept of loss and death how much of our true selves we lose over time.

 J:  “Haunting” is the perfect word for the underlying message about death and losing oneself in THE BLUE STONE.  I just think that from the perspective of story, the book less successful than the others.  But each and every one of them is worth owning and poring over.  Just holding them makes me happy.  I'm weird that way.

M: [awkward silence] uh...ok, Julie. Just kidding. Did you notice the guest cameos in each book?

J:  Love them!