Maw Books » children’s literature book club selection

The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria

Natasha Maw — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:24:45 +0000

What is it like to experience colors if you are blind? This is the question that The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria asks and attempts to answer. This book of colors is lacking in the color department and that’s a good thing. Instead, it is completely black with white text and raised black line drawing which are meant to be deciphered by touch. The text is also translated into braille, so that the sighted reader can begin to imagine what it is like to read by touch.

From the criticisms that I’ve read of the book and a discussion that we had at book club is the fact that the braille text is virtually unreadable as braille. The raised dots simply are not raised high enough off of the paper. I’d be curious to know if a blind individual could actually read the book.

But the book isn’t intended for the blind but rather those with sight and it’s very cool. I enjoyed feeling the raised line art. I knew what I was feeling for as I could see the image that the line art created but I would often close my eyes to see if I could figure out what I was feeling.

Thomas thinks that without the sun, water, doesn’t amount to much.
It has no color, no taste, no smell.
He says that green tastes like lemon ice cream and smells like grass that’s just been cut.
But black is the king of all the colors. It is as soft as silk when his mother hugs him and her hair falls in his face.

How does one describe a color? A very creative book that would be a welcome addition and a different type of reading experience for any children’s library.

Links of interest: More book blogger reviews.
Genre: Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Groundwood Books. June 28, 2008.
Hardcover, 24 pages. ISBN 0888998732
The Black Book of Colors is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex

Natasha Maw — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:44:49 +0000

Goodnight Goon, A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex is a parody off of Goodnight Moon which I must admit we don’t have in this household nor is it a book that my kids are familiar with. In fact, I think I’ve looked at Goodnight Moon only once. Really no reason to the indifference just not a book that we’ve gotten into yet.

Anyways, in Goodnight Goon a little werewolf is having a hard time going to sleep. He names the things in his room which includes pictures of martians taking over the moon, three little mummies rubbing their tummies, moans and groans, a skull, and a pot full of goo. After he names them he says goodnight one by one to each of them. He puts the monsters under the bed (so clever) and ends by saying goodnight monsters everywhere.

This has potential to be a really, really cute book but the illustrations were just not doing it for me. My kids weren’t crazy about it either but I only tried it once on them. And well, sometimes, especially my kids, need to be exposed to a book more than once. So, it doesn’t seem fair that I’m sharing their reaction after only one reading but to tell you the truth, they never picked it out of the pile on their own either. It just couldn’t compete with Where’s My Mummy or Leonardo the Terrible Monster this week.

But overall, I think it’s worth taking a look at this Halloween picture book to discover if it will be a new classic in your home. Because your kids just might love it.

Links of interest: Michael Rex website, more book blogger reviews.
Genre: Picture Book, approx ages 4-8.
Publisher: Putnam Juvenile. August 14, 2008.
Hardcover, 32 pages. ISBN 0399245340
Goodnight Goon is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Chess Rumble by G. Neri, Illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson

Natasha Maw — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:07:51 +0000

Chess Rumble by G. Neri and illustrated by Jesse Joshua Watson is one of those books that I hope people don’t judge based on the cover. I don’t think it’s the best representation of the book. It’s a book that I would have walked by without a second glance. But then of course, I’m a thirty-year-old middle class white mother of two living in the suburbs of Salt Lake City. Obviously, this cover is trying to catch the attention of inner-city young and teen boys. Do you think it works? Doesn’t work? Would love to know what you think.

Marcus is having a hard time both at home and in school. Since the death of his sister, his father has moved out of the house and his mother is having a hard time just keeping it together. Marcus has begun to fight at school and is headed down a road that will get him kicked out of school and his house and one that will be difficult to travel back from.

While at the park, he is challenged to a game of chess from C.M., a nickname that stands for Chess Man, Check Mate and Chess Master. It is through their games together that Marcus begins to learn how to keep his own emotions in check and to always be looking at least three moves ahead – both on the chess board and in real life.

The dust jacket says, “Inspired by inner-city school chess enrichment programs, Chess Rumble explores the ways this strategic game empowers young people with the skills they need to anticipate and calculate their moves through life.” This is a statement that I would completley agree with. I do also agree with Ms. Yingling’s statement that the size and format (including page stock) of the book borders too closely of a picture book. I just can’t see a teenage boy feeling cool touting this book around, if you know what I mean.

Chess Rumble is also told in verse, a format which I always enjoy. Overall, I liked Chess Rumble and found it well worth the read. I just wonder if the same could be said of its intended audience.

Book trailer:

Links of interest: G. Neri website, follow on Twitter, more book blogger reviews,
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, approx age 9-12.
Publisher: Lee and Low Books. November 8, 2007
Hardcover, 64 pages. ISBN 1584302798
Chess Rumble is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley, Illustrated by R.W. Alley

Natasha Maw — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:19:50 +0000

There’s a Wolf at the Door: Five Classic Tales Retold by Zoe B. Alley and illustrated by R.W. Alley is the cutest little graphic novel. Okay, I lie. The book is something like 12×18 inches. Huge. I call it little because it’s for little people, around ages four to eight. There’s a Wolf at the Door is the retelling of five classic tales: The Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing and The Wolf and the Seven Little Goslings. As you probably noticed, the recurring theme in all of these tales is the wolf.

Each story is connected and flows together as the wolf is trying to desperately come up with his next meal. This impeccably dressed wolf, just can’t seem to catch a break when he’s outwitted by the pigs, attacked by the sheep, and declothed by little red riding hood (who’s better known as Rhonda). Kids who are familiar with the original stories will love the new story twists and those who aren’t will fall in love with the illustrations. In the chapter about the boy who cried wolf, I got a kick out of one of the townsfolk who came running each time the boy cried wolf in various states of getting dressed for the day. In a towel straight out of the shower and next with a blow dryer.

There’s a Wolf at the Door is a great book to introduce young readers to the graphic novel format, fables, and the classic stories that we grew up with. I haven’t tried reading it to my three year-old. It is quite long with a decent amount of text. I wouldn’t want to read the whole thing in one sitting as a bedtime story. You’ll probably be there for awhile. But the chapters make for good stopping points as long as you don’t wait to long to pick it back up again, or else children might not see how the stories are connected. Overall, I enjoyed this new take on these classic tales.

R.W Alley website.

Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki, Illustrated by Steve Rolston

Natasha Maw — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 21:00:17 +0000

Emiko Superstar by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Rolston is this years Young Adult Graphic Novel Cybils winner. I’ll readily admit that I’m not well read in the graphic novel genre but I thought this book was really cute. I don’t think cute is exactly what Tamaki and Rolston were going after but I loved Emi’s character. She’s just so dang cute.

Emiko Superstar is all about coming of age and self-discovery. Emi just isn’t happy with herself. After being fired from her summer job working at a coffee shop, she’s now babysitting and in her words “What was about to be the crappiest summer – was flashing before my eyes.” So even though her summer was “sucking the big one right now” it was really hard to complain because she got paid a lot and the baby was pretty cute.

Everything changes when she discovers an underground scene of performance artists known as The Freak Show. She’s really hesitant to go and is so scared the first time she shows up that she literally runs away before she even reaches the door. Everybody, is well, so strange. So confident. Not afraid to be themselves. Total opposite of Emi. Can Emi break through her hesitations and transform herself into somebody else? And can she do it honestly and without hurting others along the way? And in the end will it be worth it?

So the last lines of the book (yes! I’m giving you the very last lines) says:

It’s, you know, your kind of atypical summer adventure story. It’s got a freak show, freaks performance art, a little larceny, a little family drama. I guess it’s a story about love, although it’s difficult to say what love is in this story. I guess it’s a story about how love isn’t always what it makes itself out to be, if that makes sense. It’s a story about how true love is hard to find. Mostly, it’s a story about me and how I became a Superstar, for a little while. About meeting other Superstars. Finding inspiration. When I finish the story, this is where I’ll tell you to press “play” on your favorite song. The song that makes you feel amazing and famous . . . even if you’re not.

If there is going to be more of Emi in any future books, I’ll definitely would love to hear the rest of her story. I thought the story was really great, characters were all really interesting, and the illustrations were just how I like them in a graphic novel. I’m surprised at how much I did enjoy this one. For some reason, I didn’t think I would. When I finished it, I don’t even think I would have said that. But the more I look back on it, the more I like it. And I say that probably because more than a month later, I can still remember most of Emiko Superstar pretty vividly.

Mariko Tamaki website and Steve Rolston website.

Jellaby by Kean Soo

Natasha Maw — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:02:57 +0000

I read Jellaby, written and illustrated by Kean Soo, for my Children’s Literature Book Club in which we were reading titles for this past year’s Cybils; Jellaby was shortlisted in the elementary/middle grade fiction graphic novel category.

My three year old picked up this book a lot while I had it sitting around. He liked the purple dinosaur and I think he may have even called him Barney. But he’s not Barney, he’s Jellaby, a purple creature whom Portia has found out in the woods. He’s lost and Portia takes him in. It reminds me of Mary Had a Little Lamb because Jellaby follows Portia to school. And she has a friend Jason who always wears orange (the only other color besides purple in the book).

So yeah. It’s been at least a month since I read the book and to tell you the truth that’s about all I remember, so I’m not sure what that says. I think young readers will probably like it. My three year-old liked looking at the photos.

Chiggers by Hope Larson

Natasha Maw — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 06:01:09 +0000

Chiggers by Hope Larson is a graphic novel geared for the young adult crowd and in all actuality, I don’t have much to say about it, so this will be a pretty short review.

Chiggers is about a group of girls who go to summer camp. It’s the same camp that Abby goes to every summer and she’s excited. But her excitement ends when her friend Rose is to busy being a cabin assistant to hang out with her, her friends talk behind her back and everybody thinks that the cabinmate she gets along best with is annoying. Throw in some lightening strikes, romantic love interest, and elfish daydreams and there you go.

Honestly, this graphic novel was confusing. I could not keep the characters straight and by the end of the book I still didn’t know who was talking (my children’s lit book club members all said the same thing). I really didn’t care for the illustrations. They would have been fine if only there wasn’t really ugly lines under all the characters eyes. Case in point: page 81 rhrough 85. Yeah, I know they are supposed to be tired but still these panels ruined whatever redeeming qualities the other panels had.

I honestly don’t know what the appeal of Chiggers is to the actual intended audience, young adult girls, but this mama just didn’t get it. And I even went to girl’s camp four years in a row as a teen. What can I say, I just can’t like everything I read.

Hope Larson website.

Frogs by Nic Bishop

Natasha Maw — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 18:01:03 +0000

I haven’t reviewed a book like Frogs by Nic Bishop on my blog before and didn’t think I would when I checked it out from the library. But after reading it, I was really excited to share it with you. Frogs is geared for about first to third graders, but even my three year old enjoyed looking at it. And I learned a lot!

I had no idea that there were frogs (Ha! I just wrote blogs and had to go back and change it) called glass frogs that have skin that you can see through. You can see all of their insides. Or that there are frogs who dig themselves up to two feet in the dirt and can stay there for weeks until it rains. There are also frogs that go through winter by actually becoming partially frozen and then they thaw out. Other frogs can jump from tree and tree and actually glide for up to fifty feet.

Lots of fun facts and lots of amazing photos. They are huge, they are bright, and I couldn’t believe some of the frogs that Nic Bishop was able to catch on camera. What a fun, informative book. If you have somebody in the family fascinated with frogs, this would be the perfect book for them.

Nic Bishop website.

Amazon.com Widgets

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Natasha Maw — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 07:05:32 +0000

I can now officially say that I have now read a Neil Gaiman book. And for the record I had The Graveyard Book checked out from the library before it won this years Newbery Medal. I would have read it one way or another.

If you don’t know the premise by now, The Graveyard Book opens on a sinister note as we witness the murder of an entire family. All but one. A toddler avoids his own death by simply leaving his bedroom and walking out the door. He ends up at a graveyard where he is adopted by ghosts and taken into protection by Silas, an individual who isn’t quite dead but not living either. Nobody Owens, or Bod, as they call him grows up learning every nook and cranny of the graveyard and getting an ear full of history as his closest friends are the ghostly inhabitants of the graveyard.

The story is told in short episodes that could almost each stand on their own. The story progresses as Bod copes with wanting to join the outside wold but remaining secure in the graveyard as his killer is still trying to finish what he started.

Did I like it? Well, yes and no. To be honest, I just don’t think this genre is the type of book that I enjoy in the first place. The story just didn’t grab me. I would often set the book down and leave it. In fact, it took about a week to read which is unusual for me. I also didn’t care for the illustrations by Dave McKean. But all that said, I can totally see why The Graveyard Book is so popular. It’s story premise is unusual and Gaiman is a natural born storyteller. I enjoyed Bod’s adventures and the graveyard inhabitants. Overall, I’m happy that I read it. I’m always up for trying something new. But, I just don’t think I’ll be runnning out to read his other books right away. Maybe eventually, but not at the moment.

The Graveyard Book book trailer:

Neil Gaiman website and blog. What’s your favorite Neil Gaiman book?

The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan

Natasha Maw — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:45:20 +0000

I read The Lightning Thief, Book One of Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan as part of my reading for my Children’s Literature Book Club this past month. This young adult book is normally not the type of book that I would pick up on my own, but I found it to be fun and engaging. I can see why it’s all the rage, especially amongst boys. Who wouldn’t want want to read about Percy Jackson’s adventures amongst the gods of Mount Olympus? When I began reading, I hadn’t read any reviews nor did I know that it had anything to do with Greek mythology or gods and found that it was a pleasant surprise when I found out. And of course, here I am ruining it for you by telling you that. But let’s be honest, I was probably the last one to know that about this book.

From the publisher:

Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can’t seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse — Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy’s mom finds out, she knows it’s time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he’ll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, God of the Sea. Soon, a mystery unfolds and together with his friends — one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena — Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.

Fun book. And a very creative way to teach Greek mythology. If I had tried to learn how all the gods were related to each other by reading this book, rather than studying charts I probably would have had a lot more interest in the Greek mythology unit in school. The story was very fast moving. There was never a lack of adventure, nor humor in The Lightning Thief. A great series for all ages.

I’m sure I’ll pick up the other books in the series at some point, although I admit that I need a little break from Greek gods for just a moment. I’m looking forward to the movie that is coming out early 2010 directed by Chris Columbus.

Listen to the first chapter of The Lightening Thief as read by Rick Riordan. Visit Rick Riordan’s website and blog. The other books in the series are The Sea of Monsters, The Titan’s Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, and book five coming out in May of this year is The Last Olympian.