Tuesday

Review of Tuesday by David Wiesner From Publishers Weekly

In this nearly wordless picture book, Wiesner ( Hurricane ; Free Fall ) again takes readers on an imaginative voyage, using everyday reality merely as a touchstone. Here, a squadron of frogs soars through the night air one Tuesday, squatting upon lily pads that they use as flying carpets. Apparently intending no harm, these mysterious visitors to a suburban development leave a minimum of disruption as evidence of their eerie flight: a few startled eyewitnesses, some scattered lily pads and a spooked dog. Wiesner's visuals are stunning: slightly surrealistic, imbued with mood and mystery, and executed with a seemingly flawless command of palette and perspective. But, perhaps because this fantasy never coalesces around a human figure, it is less accessible and less resonant than his tales that center on a child protagonist.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

I think my 4 year old's summary is right on, "That's silly mommy". I started with the back cover which claims, "The events recorded here are verified by undisclosed source to have happened somewhere, USA, on Tuesday." I had no idea what the book was supposed to be about, but upon seeing the first illustration before the title page, began to laugh. The frog's lily pad was flying and the look on the frog's face was priceless! My daughters felt the same and enjoyed the frog adventure "Tuesday" evening into Wednesday morning. This imaginative story would be a well loved book by all in the elementary library!

Mirette on the High Wire

Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully From Publishers Weekly

In this picture book set in 19th-century Paris, a child helps a daredevil who has lost his edge to regain his confidence. Many traveling performers stay at Madame Gateaux's boarding house, but Mme.'s daughter Mirette is particularly taken with one guest--the quiet gentleman who can walk along the clothesline without falling off. Mirette implores the boarder to teach her his craft, not knowing that her instructor is the "Great Bellini" of high wire fame. After much practice the girl joins Bellini on the wire as he conquers his fear and demonstrates to all of Paris that he is still the best. McCully's story has an exciting premise and starting point, but unfortunately ends up as a missed opportunity. Bellini's anxiety may be a bit sophisticated for the intended audience and, surprisingly, the scenes featuring Mirette and Bellini on the high wire lack drama and intensity. McCully's rich palette and skillful renderings of shadow and light sources make this an inviting postcard from the Old World.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

I was surprisingly involved in this book. By the end when Mirette "saves" Bellini during his high wire attempt I had tears in my eyes. I'm not sure what drew me in, but I did get drawn in as did my girls. You couldn't help but be excited for Mirette when she performed for the first time and saved the day. For days to come we had "high wire practice" with 3 little Mirette wannabe's!

Smoky Night

Review of Smoky Night , illustrated by David Diaz; text: Eve Bunting From Publishers Weekly

Bunting addresses urban violence in this thought-provoking and visually exciting picture book inspired by the Los Angeles riots. Although they're neighbors, Daniel's cat and Mrs. Kim's cat don't get along. Nor do Daniel and his mother shop at Mrs. Kim's market. "It's better if we buy from our own people," Daniel's mother says. But when Daniel's apartment building goes up in flames, all of the neighbors (including the cats) learn the value of bridging differences. Bunting does not explicitly connect her message about racism with the riots in her story's background, but her work is thoroughly believable and taut, steering clear of the maudlin or didactic. Diaz's dazzling mixed-media collages superimpose bold acrylic illustrations on photographs of carefully arranged backgrounds that feature a wide array of symbolic materials--from scraps of paper and shards of broken glass to spilled rice and plastic dry-cleaner bags. Interestingly, Diaz doesn't strongly differentiate the presumably Asian American Mrs. Kim from the African American characters--even the artwork here cautions the reader against assumptions about race. Ages 5-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This is another book that I would use with caution in the younger grades. The multimedia illustrations almost seem to make noise on the page. They are busy and the different mediums clash against each other, creating in sorts, a feeling you would have had if you would have been there during the L.A. riots. The pictures themselves are appropriate for younger kids, but the larger story is hard for them to grasp. My 3 and 4 year old focused more on the immediate story with the cats, fire, and people. My 7 year old was very disturbed by the idea of riots and her questions seemed only to form more questions and uncertainty. I think if she were a bit older she may have been better able to understand what was happening. Still it would be a good book for elementary or middle school library. I would maybe even include it for high school lessons to help introduce the subject.

Officer Buckle and Gloria

Review of Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann From Publishers Weekly

Rathmann (Good Night, Gorilla) brings a lighter-than-air comic touch to this outstanding, solid-as-a-brick picture book. Officer Buckle, a mustachioed policeman who wears a crossed-out-banana-peel patch on his sleeve, has a passion for teaching students about safety, but his audiences tend to doze off during his lectures. They awaken, however, when police dog Gloria joins Buckle onstage. As Buckle speaks, Gloria-behind Buckle's back-mimes each safety lesson (e.g., leaping sky-high for "Never leave a thumbtack where you might sit on it!" and making her fur stand on end to illustrate "Do not go swimming during electrical storms!"). School safety increases tenfold and Buckle and Gloria find themselves in great demand. But when he finally learns of his sidekick's secret sideshow, Buckle's feelings are terribly hurt. Rathmann's high-voltage cartoons, outlined in black ink for punchy contrast, capture her characters' every feeling, from Gloria's hammy glee and Buckle's surprised satisfaction to Gloria's shame at having tricked her partner. In a sound and sensitive conclusion, Gloria's disastrous attempt to go solo inspires Buckle's "best safety tip yet": "Always stick with your buddy!" As a bonus, equally sage sayings decorate the volume's endpapers.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This was a cute book and it ad a dog which is always a plus with young kids :). Good 'ole Gloria becomes the hero for this book. When she and Officer Buckle are mad at each other, you know her heart aches with loyalty for her human. They are such a good team you almost wish they were real so they could come to your school for an assembly. This book gets two thumbs up from my 3 book worms and will be checked out again and again!

Golem

Review of Golem by David Wisniewski From Publishers Weekly

Elaborately composed cut-paper spreads give a 3D, puppet-show-like quality to a retelling of a Jewish legend. Rabbi Loew has a prophetic vision in 1580 when the Jews of Prague are accused of mixing the blood of Christian children into matzoh: he must create a Golem, "a giant of living clay, animated by Cabala, mystical teachings of unknown power." Brought to life with apocalyptic explosions of steam and rain, the Golem seeks out the perpetrators of the Blood Lie and turns them over to the authorities. Thwarted, the enraged enemies of the Jews storm the gates of the ghetto, but the Golem grows to enormous height and violently defeats them with their own battering ram. Once his work is done, he pitifully (and futilely) begs the Rabbi: "Please let me live! I did all that you asked of me! Life is so... precious... to me!" Wisniewski (The Wave of the Sea Wolf) emphasizes the Golem's humanity and the problems with his existence; instead of reducing the legend to a tale of a magical rescuer, the author allows for its historical and emotional complexity. The fiery, crisply layered paper illustrations, portraying with equal drama and precision the ornamental architecture of Prague and the unearthly career of the Golem, match the specificity and splendor of the storytelling. An end note about the history and influence of the legend is particularly comprehensive.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

I honestly found this book a bit too dark for kids. I read it on my own and decided I would only present it to my oldest. By pages 8-10 she was finished with the story. She was scared and didn't like the illustrations. I would use this book with great caution with lower elementary and still with some caution with upper elementary. I would also suggest background knowledge before using this book. It does have amazing paper cut illustrations, but it seems this book won a Caldecott more for adult benefit than for a children's book.

Rapunzel

Review of Rapunzel by Paul O. Zelinsky from Amazon.com

In older versions of the classic tale Rapunzel, it always seemed improbable that a grown man could scale a tower using only his beloved's hair. Not so in Paul O. Zelinsky's Caldecott Medal-winning version of Rapunzel. Here, Rapunzel's reddish-blonde mane is thick with waves and braids, and cascades like a waterfall down the walls of her isolation tower. In Zelinsky's able hands it's easy to believe that a prince would harbor no hesitations about scrambling up our fair heroine's hair.

Of course, this is not the work of an amateur--Zelinsky's lush versions of Hansel and Gretel, Rumpelstiltskin, and Swamp Angel all earned him Caldecott Honors. His gorgeous, Italian Renaissance-styled illustrations are characterized by warm golden tones and the mesmerizing sensation of trompe l'oeuil. Not only does he have the touch of a world-class illustrator, Zelinsky has also proven himself a master storyteller. We are frightened when the sorceress demands to take the baby Rapunzel, we are alarmed when the flowing locks are cruelly shorn, and we rejoice when the prince and his now modest-haired love are reunited. The notes at the back of Rapunzel reveal his careful scholarship regarding the long history of the story (tracing its origins and transformations from Italy to France and finally to Germany and the Grimm brothers)--work that no doubt contributed to his clean, compelling version of the age-old tale. Children will be captivated by the magical story and evocative pictures and adults will delight in the fresh feel of a well-loved legend.

This is not your Disney version of Rapunzel! The details in the oil painting illustrations are nothing short of astounding. The tower itself is a work of art which makes me feel as if I am back in Europe with it's bold color, patterns, arched, columns, and lines. The facial expressions on the characters are realistic and fit so well with the storyline. I can see why Paul Zelinsky has won a Caldecott for this book!

Snowflake Bentley

Review of Snowflake Bentley, Ill. by Mary Azarian; by Jacqueline Briggs Martin From Publishers Weekly

Azarian's (A Farmer's Alphabet) handsome woodcuts provide a homespun backdrop to Martin's (Grandmother Bryant's Pocket) brief biography of a farmboy born in 1865 on the Vermont snowbelt who never lost his fascination with snowflakes. Wilson A. Bentley spent 50 years pioneering the scientific study of ice crystals, and developed a technique of microphotography that allowed him to capture the hexagonal shapes and prove that no two snowflakes are alike. Martin conveys Bentley's passion in lyrical language ("snow was as beautiful as butterflies, or apple blossoms"), and punctuates her text with frequent sidebars packed with intriguing tidbits of information (though readers may be confused by the two that explain Bentley's solution of how to photograph the snowflakes). Hand-tinted with watercolors and firmly anchored in the rural 19th century, Azarian's woodcuts evoke an era of sleighs and woodstoves, front porches and barn doors, and their bold black lines provide visual contrast to the delicate snowflakes that float airily in the sidebars. A trio of Bentley's ground-breaking black-and-white photographs of snowflakes, along with a picture and quote from him about his love for his work, is the icing that tops off this attractive volume. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

I love the wood cut illustrations; they bring a feeling of jumping back in time. There was something refreshing also to see how difficult it was to capture images so long ago. With cell phones and digital cameras, I think we take for granted how much of life can be documented. This book reminds us of a simpler time. The story of Wilson Bentley was told in storybook way that keeps even younger readers fascinated. The added facts in the side bars help older readers to build questions and become more inquisitive. This is a fantastic book that must be a part of the library.