Flotsam

Flotsam
illustrated by David Wiesner
Clarion, 2006. 40 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 4-8
Hardcover: $17.00

Annotation: When a camera washes up on the beach, the mysteries of the ocean are revealed in a most surprising way.

Summary: At the beach, a young boy is examining the bugs, crabs and other sand creatures when a huge wave deposits an old camera on the shore. The yellow-haired boy tries to find the owner to this mysterious underwater camera, but to no avail and so he takes the film to be developed. When the pictures are finally ready he discovers a world he never knew existed. The photos reveal all the magic that happens underneath the ocean's surface. He sees pictures of mechanical fish, octupuses sitting in living rooms reading books, turtles with whole towns made of shells on their backs and even little green men riding fish and meeting seahorses. But then he makes the most amazing discovery of all. He finds a picture of an Asian girl holding a picture of another boy, holding a picture of a girl who is holding the picture of yet another child! As he uses his magnifying glass he discovers the pictures date back far back in the past. Children from all over the world have been using this camera to take pictures of themselves and then sending the camera back to the sea for another child to uncover and discover the wonders of the ocean. The yellow-haired boy holds up the picture of the girl, snaps a picture of himself and then throws the camera back into the ocean, where it is found by a stingray and carried by seahorses to be discovered by another lucky child in the future.

Evaluation: Told strictly through illustration, Flotsam takes the reader on a magical journey through the wonders and mysteries of oceanlife. Weisner's imagination is deliciously fantastical as he creates a world where merpeople have fish named Spot (due to their spots of course) and ride on stingrays through the lampost lit jungle of the ocean floor. There is a combination of the real and the imaginary that delights the senses and turns the sometimes scary ocean into a place of thrilling discovery. The story is ever so clever and the images are bright and playful. The illustrations mirror the book's theme, being set in black-rimmed squares and rectangles, just like a photograph. Weisner's mode of storytelling, wherein children discover the camera and photograph themselves holding photos of other children, is ingenious and the book is simply irresistable.  I am in complete and utter love with this book and proclaim it absolutely and undeniably worthy of being a Caldecott winner. Weisner is no newcomer to the Caldecott and he has several winners and honors to his name and his books have been translated in over a dozen languages. However, he excels in wordless storytelling, where translation is unnecessary and Flotsam is a book that any child, anywhere can appreciate.

Significance: This title introduces readers to the mystery and magic of what lies beneath the ocean's waves. The ocean can be a scary place when you're unable to see what's happening, but Weisner offers an explanation of underwater life that wipes away the fear and creates a safe, playful interpretation instead. Whether it's absolutely true or not is just part of what makes the ocean so fascinating. With a little imagination, anything can be true.

Personal Choice: I was utterly enchanted by the deep red background cover, schools of tiny fish swimming by and the ever so mysterious porthole eye right in the center. As always, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but if it's a picture book, than you have to, right?

Awards: Caldecott Award Winner, 2007 / ABA - Book Sense Book of the Year: Illustration Honor, 2007

Strega Nona

Strega Nona
written and illustrated by Tomie de Paola
Simon & Schuster, 1975. 32 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 4-8
Hardcover: $18.99

Annotation: When Big Anthony uses Strega Nona's magical pasta pot the whole town becomes endangered.

Summary: In the tiny Italian village of Calabria, Strega Nona (Grandma Witch) performed all sorts of magical potions for the villagers, but Strega Nona was getting old in need of someone to help her with her house and garden. Big Anthony applied for the job and did fine work, but Strega Nona warned him never to touch her big pot. One day Big Anthony spied Strega Nona making pasta in her pot from the window. Strega Nona sang a song and the pot began making pasta all be itself, then she sang another song and the pot stopped, providing just enough past for Strega Nona. It was magic! Big Anthony was delighted. One day Strega Nona had to travel to a neighboring village and as she departed, she warned Big Anthony not to touch her big pot. But Big Anthony did not obey and as soon as she left he sang the song and sure enough, the pasta started growing like magic. When he had enough, he sang the song to make the pot stop cooking, but he had not seen Strega Nona blow three kisses that day he spied on her through the window. The pasta kept growing, and growing and growing and growing until the entire village was overrun with the thick strands of pasta. Horrified, Big Anthony kept singing the song to make the pasta pot stop, but to his frustration it would not work without the three kisses he had never seen Strega Nona deliver. As the village was about to be destroyed, Strega Nona appeared and realized what Big Anthony had done. She immediately sang the magic song, blew three kisses and the village was saved. But, Big Anthony got in very big trouble and Strega Nona made sure his punishment fit the crime.

Evaluation: De Paolo does a fantastic job turning this Italian folktale into a charming story that readers in the present day continue to enjoy. His illustration style relies heavily on folkart and thus the tale and the illustrations complement each other perfectly. The images are subdued, a bit simple, but so engaging. I love how the strands of pasta curve and wind thickly around the villagers homes and belongings. De Paolo is spare in the illustration details, but if you look closely, the expression on Strega Nona's face as she returns to her village overrun with pasta is priceless.  As one reader relay's, "it is a fun blend of magic, fantasy and adolescent mischief". I have to agree. This title is a classic tale, ever popular and undenyingly relevant, despite it's having been published in the 70's. With a strong moral and excellent drawings, this title should remain a hit for years to come.

Significance: Big Anthony learns there is often a very good reason you are told not to do something and when he chooses to defy the rules he is forced to pay a high price for his disobedience.

Personal Choice: I learned this was one of de Paolo's most beloved books when I was reading about the Wilder award and I had to see what all the fuss was about. I found out it was published the year I was born! Shhh, don't tell--now it has a very special place in my heart.

Awards: Wilder Winner, 2011 / Caldecott Honor Award, 1976 / ALA Notable Children's Book / Kirkus Choice / Horn Book Honor List / Nakamori Prize / Brooklyn Museum & Public Library Art Books for Children Citation (N.Y.)

Kitten's First Full Moon

Kitten's First Full Moon
written and illustrated by Kenvin Henkes
Greenwillow Books, 2005. 40 pgs.
Reading Level: Baby - Preschool
Hardcover: $17.99

Annotation: Kitten desperately tries to reach the bowl of milk she sees in the sky, not realizing that she's chasing after the moon.

Summary: When Kitten spies the full moon in the sky she immediately thinks it must be a bowl of milk and so she tries to lick it, capturing a bug instead. And thus begins a rollicking adventure that takes her across fields and fences and even near a pond where the moon is reflected in the water, causing kitten to see another giant bowl of milk that she is again unable to sip. Finally she returns back home, hungry, tired and wet only to find an actual bowl of milk has been placed outside for her to drink.

Evaluation: The illustrations are all in black and white and the story is really darling. However, I must admit that I was a bit shocked to see that Henkes actually won the Caldecott for the illustrations. They don't communicate anything special and the only one that actually appeals to me is the cover illustration. I'd really like to have been on the Caldecott committee that year in order to hear the committee deliberations and to see what other options they had to work with. Final note, it's okay, but not stupendous and I'm still shaking my head over this award winner.

Significance: For the most part, children are fascinated with animals, especially baby ones and this story places a treasured creature at the heart of the plot. We also see kitten learning a lesson that everything is not always what it seems to be and that is something we all must learn sooner or later.

Personal Choice: I wanted to read this book because a friend and artist neighbor of mine is working with Kevin Henkes on a project and I thought it would be interesting to learn more about his style.

Awards: Caldecott Winnter, 2005 / ABA - Book Sense Book of the Year: Illustration Honor, 2005

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave

Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave
by Lavan Carrick Hill
Illustrated by Bryan Collier
Little, Brown & Company, 2010. 48 pgs
Reading Level: ages 4-8
Hardcover: $16.99

Annotation: Even though he was a slave, Dave the Potter made beautiful pots inscribed with his own special poetry.

Summary: Dave the Potter was an extraordinary slave artist living in South Carolina in the 1800's. This exquisite picture book tells the story of his art, how he took earth and clay, combined them with water and then threw pots large enough to hold more than 20 gallons. Afterwhich, he inscribed them with his short, fascinating haiku-like snatches of poetry. Sometimes he only signed his name but other times he wrote lines such as "I wonder where is all my relation friendhsip to all-and, every nation". At the end of the story proper, the full story of Dave and the making of the tale add a more definitive look into the life of the artist and complement the book's main body.

Evaluation: The book is a must read for anyone interested in the history of African American art. The illustrations are subdued, using darker, muted colors for the most part and exhibiting a layered effect that is visually interesting as well as gorgeously rendered. Dave's face and his hands are life catching glimpses into this man's soul and I loved the fold out pages that let you see the steps a potter follows when creating a pot. It's an important work in that it documents a unique man in history and his extraordinary talent and the illustrations are a triumphant celebration of Dave's life.

Significance: Slaves were normally forced to remain unskilled and illiterate, the fact that Dave was both shows special privilege and  remarkable talent.

Personal Choice: I have a degree in art history and was curious to see Dave's creations and how this author and illustrator team portrayed this remarkable man.

Awards: Coretta Scott King: Illustrator Award, 2011 / Caldecott Honor, 2011 / Children's Notable for Middle Readers, 2011

A Sick Day for Amos McGee

A Sick Day for Amos McGee
by Philip Christian Stead
illustrated by Erin Stead
Roaring Book Press, 2010. 32 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 3-8
Hardcover: $16.99

Annotation: The animals at the zoo look forward to Amos McGee's visit every day, but what will happen when he falls sick and can't come to see them?

Summary: Every morning Amos McGee wakes up in his yellow and white striped room and puts on his uniform. He makes tea and oatmeal, leaves his little blue house and walks to the city bus stop. Amos McGee is a zookeeper. Each morning he visits his animal friends, playing chess with the elephant, racing the tortoise, sitting quietly with penguin and reading to the owl. But, one day Amos gets the sniffles and can't go to work. His animal friends miss him so much that they take the city bus to visit Amos! Amos is delighted to see his friends and he and the elephant play chess on his bed; the tortoise and he play hide-and-seek, the penguin keeps his feet warm during his nap; and the rhinocerous is handing with a tissue when Amos sneezes. Amos starts to feel better and shares a pot of tea with his friends as they all sit around his kitchen table. Everyone retires to bed early so as to get up for the morning bus and they all sleep peacefully that night in Amos's yellow and white striped room.

Evaluation: The story is outright lovable. The words are spare, but the illustrations are so intimately rendered, they speak for themselves. The artwork is phenomenal and Amos McGee and the animals simply exude charm. Erin Stead used wood-block prints and pencil drawings and the background items in each page are done in black and white while Amos' uniform, the animals and the wardrob, etc. are bright spots of color on each page.  Stead uses white space well and the balance between color and space is perfect. I loved Amos McGee's yellow and white striped bedroom, with the colors reaching to the tops and bottoms of the pages,implying there's more to his room than we can see. The stripes add a lot of fun color to the book and connect the story. The expressions on Amos's face and the zoo animals are extremely detailed and the artist has a fine sense of humor. The story itself is whimsical, feeds the reader's imagination and you'll fall in love with Amos McGee and his zoo friends just as surely as I did.

Significance: Everyone has good days and bad days. If you spend time with your friends and treat them well, when you have a bad day they will be willing to help and comfort you when you need it.

Personal Choice: I'm not really an animal lover, but the cover art was so enchanting I couldn't resist. Amos McGee, along with the elephant and the penguin look so cozy sitting together on their blue blanket, playing cards with the bright yellow and white stripes in the background that I succumbed to the temptation and loved, loved, loved every minute.

Awards: Caldecott Winner, 2011 / Charlotte Zolotow Honor Award, 2011

The Lion and The Mouse

The Lion and the Mouse
Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Little Brown & Company, 2009. 40 pgs.
Reading Level: ages 4-8
Hardcover: $16.99

Annotation: Can the king of the jungle and the smallest of mice ever truly be friends?

Summary: As an owl hoots and screeches over a nighttime jungle scene, a tiny mouse scampers and scurries through the brush until he is caught by a mighty lion. As the fable goes, the mouse convinces the lion to let him go, promising the lion he will sometime return the favor. Not seeing how this could ever be possible, the lion lets him go and walks off, only to be caught in a hunter's lair later that day. As the lion hangs from the rope trap, manifesting his displeasure with long and mighty roars, the mouse hears the cries and rushes to repay the lion by saving his life. Chewing through each piece of rope the tiny mouse is eventually able to free the large beast and the two part as unlikely, but faithful friends.

Evaluation: Pinkey tells Aesop's story through his stunning watercolors, with nary a word to move the story along save the sounds the animals make. A mere screech from an owl, a squeak from the mouse and a roar from the lion are the only letters on the page, yet Pinkney's gift is to convey the plot beautifully through image alone. The expression in the lion's eyes, particulary on the cover illustration is exquisitely rendered and Pinkney does a beautiful job, making good use of white space (a technique he wasn't necessarily good at in the past) and creating a lovely addition to Aesop's library.

Significance: The Lion and the Mouse is a favorite for many, children and adults alike. While Pinkney had won numerous Caldecott Honor Awards, this is his favorite of Aesop's and perhaps it was what gave him the impetous to show his best work yet. As for the fable itself, the ability to find friends in unlikely places is a wonderful lesson and Pinkey does an admirable job making it come to life.

Personal Choice: I was fortunate to be part of a mock Caldecott committee at my local library and our committee chose this title before the winner was acutally announced. What geniuses we were. :)

Awards: Caldecott Award Winner, 2010 / ABA - Indies Choice for New Picture Book, 2010