Duck! Rabbit! is the perfect read-a-loud book with its two narrators.  In fact, it was read very energetically by two librarians and it was well received by the kids.  When I got my hands on my own library copy, my husband and I both read it out loud together to the kids.  A fun book to read either on its own or in a group.

In Duck! Rabbit! the off page narrators debate whether or not the animal in question is a duck or a rabbit.  Where one sees ears, another sees a bill.  Where one hears rabbit sounds another hears duck sounds.  The illustrations vary little which I think is fantastic.

But really, no need for me to ramble on about it.   The video says it all:

A great book for kids to think about shapes in new ways.

Links of interest:  Amy Krouse Rosenthal website, Tom Lichtenheld website, more book blogger reviews.  Duck! Rabbit! is a  fiction picture book Cybil’s nominee for which I’m a panelist.
Genre: Fiction Picture Book, approx age 4-8.
Publisher:  Chronicle Books.  March 11, 2009.
Hardcover, 40 pages. ISBN 0811868656
Duck! Rabbit! is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Benny is a young Behemoth.  But he has a major problem.  In fact, it’s a very colorful problem.  In a black and white world, Benny is full of color and he doesn’t like to feel different.  For each emotion that Benny feels he turns a different color.  For example, “On Monday at the carnival, Benny’s friends didn’t share any cotton candy with him.  Benny turned bright red with anger and breathed furious fire from his mouth.”  A different emotion is conveyed for each day of the week and each night Benny goes to bed and wonders “Why was I created so colorfully?”

While at Sunday School, a wise old behemoth notices Benny’s sadness and reminds Benny that “Your King Creator made you to be a member of His family and to reflect His glory!  Every one of those colors will serve a purpose in your life.  You are a royal prince and never forget it.”  It was then that Benny’s heart glowed a bright and beautiful royal purple and the book ends with the scripture 2 Corinthians 3:15-18.

The illustrations by Trish McKinney are a combination of sketches and watercolor and matched the feeling of the book.  There were however two instances where the text flowed across the spread of two pages and I found it difficult to read without holding the book completely flat, which was difficult to do as I had one child in my lap and trying to show another one sitting on the floor.   At the back of the book is a page that encourages interaction and dialogue about how emotions are often paired with colors, how is the reader like or not like Benny and further study about the King Creator,  as well as background about the word Behemoth.

A portion of the profits from Benny the Baffled Behemoth goes to Heart for Africa, a faith-based humanitarian organization focused on bringing HOPE to Africans by targeting the areas of Hunger, Orphans, Poverty and Education.  If you would like to serve in Africa or get more information visit www.heartforafrica.org.

This is the second title of Melissa’s that I’ve reviewed, the first being The Sudan Project. Melissa is an author that is inspiring in that she her writing to make a difference. I’m THRILLED to have Melissa guest post for us today about writing with multiple purposes and you will find that post next!

(Remember that African Bookworms Carnival?  If all goes well, I should have it posted tomorrow.)

Links of interest:  Heart for Africa, also reviewed on the Maw Books Blog by The Sudan Project: Rebuilding with the People of Darfur, A Young Person’s Guide and an interview with Melissa Leembruggen.  Melissa serves as the president of Clay Bridges Communications and can also be found on Twitter @ClayBridges.
Genre:  Christian Picture Book, approx ages 9-12
Published:  Claybridge Communications, February 16, 2009
Paperback, 40 pages.  ISBN:  0615232043
Benny the Baffled Behemoth by Melissa Leembruggen is available from Powell’s and Amazon.

Naturally, I couldn’t wait for it’s sequel Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look.  I put the book on hold at the library and then drove myself crazy because it took forever for it to be processed after it’s release (book came out in June – I picked it up end of July).  Don’t these librarians know that I need books like this immediately?  I think I gave a little squeal when it was time to go pick it up.

And in hindsight, I’m not really sure why I bothered with the library in the first place.  I HAVE to own this series.  Once my boys get old enough they are going to be one of the first books that I share with them.  As some of you may remember, I recently went camping with my two little boys.  It seemed only appropriate to take this book with me and I must say that it was really fun to read by flashlight in the tent.

This sequel does not disappoint.  Instead of a little hug, I wanted to give it a huge bear hug.  Hmm . . . bears.  That just made me think of camping.  This book had me giddy from the opening page,

You will know some things about me if you have read a book called Alvin Ho:  Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things. But you won’t know all about me, so that is why there is now this second book.

In case you missed it, my name is Alvin Ho.  I was born scared and I am still scared . . .

Alvin among other things has claustrophobia.  I thought it was a riot in one of the beginning chapters Alvin and his little sister Anibelly (who in her own right could also easily steal the show because of her mega-cuteness)  decided to tie Alvin up in a straitjacket, topped him off with rope, rolled him into a time machine (aka – dishwasher box) and taped it shut.  The doorbell rings and Anibelly runs off.  It’s grandma and not knowing that Alvin is home takes Anibelly out for a whole afternoon together.  Alvin is left alone until scared in the dark until his mother comes home.  Seriously, such a pure joy to read of this little boy’s incredibly scary experience.

And that’s only the beginning!  Alvin’s Dad decides that it would be fun to take Alvin on a camping trip.  Nothing – nothing – could be worse than camping. Alvin writes out his last will and testament in anticipation of his eminent death and uses his Dad’s credit card to purchase (by next day delivery) a super-duper Triple Action Monster Eye Wide Beam Flashlight, a portable diesel generator, a GPS, N95 respirator dust masks, water-purification tablets, energy bars and night-vision goggles.  Hmm . . . I can imagine what that will be like when the bill comes.

Alvin and his Dad with tag-along Anibelly brave the wild outdoors for a trip that they, nor the reader, will soon forget.  From the setting up of the tent,  to Dad collapsing  in a state of exhaustion to the point they can’t wake him up and homemade snares, hilarity ensues.

And as a side note – I love that Alvin is Chinese and that his favorite meal is vegetable wontons and noodles.  Smart kid.  Mmmmm . .. . yummy.

No wonder I am loving middle grade fiction so much.  These characters are simply fantastic!  I love them.  I love them all.   Alvin Ho will readily appeal to both genders of young readers.  If your kid doesn’t like this book, well, I just don’t know what to say . . . Yes.  I do.  Pass them on to this mama.  Because I’ll be reading them all.  .

(And in a moment of hilarity, while writing this review, received an email from my brother wanting to know if we were up for camping this weekend.  Bring it on!  Do you camp?)

Links of interest:  Maw Books review of Alvin Ho:  Allergic to School, Girls, and Other Scary Things.
Genre:  Middle Grade Fiction, approx ages 9-12
Publisher:  Schwartz and Wade.  June 23, 2009.
Hardcover, 176 pages.  ISBN:  0375857052
Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking and Other Natural Disasters is available from your favorite independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

After the revolutionary war and America’s declaration of independence from England, thirteen states each governed themselves independently, similar to small countries.  Did you know that each state used it’s own currency?  Not I.  But I do now.  Soon realizing that a strong national government was needed the Constitutional Convention was called and for four hot months an in upmost secrecy, delegates from the thirteen states hammered out the foundation for the current model of government in the United States and on September 17th, 1787 the United States Constitution was signed.

The text from Unite or Die is concise and informative.  Jules explains the background of the United States, why a national government was needed, how and which issues the delegates debated and how the constitution was created as a living document, intended to be fluid and changing for a nation that was still growing with issues not yet discovered.

The rest of the story is told in the form of a school play, which stems from Jules own experience as a elementary school librarian who wrote such a skit for her own students to celebrate Constitution Day.  Thirteen child cast members each represent a state and they literally fight it out on stage in their homemade costumes in front of their adoring parents.  There is a lot of amusing and informative bubble text which fills in gaps from the text.  Jef Czekaj is a popular Nickelodeon illustrator and although as a parent, it’s not a style I particularly like, kids will enjoy the familiar style.

Jules also includes an afterword and notes about particular statements made throughout the book.  A bibliography is also included for further study on the Constitution.

So what fun facts did I come away with?  Benjamin Franklin traveled to Independence Hall in a sedan chair carried on poles by four men because at 81 he was to old to ride in a carriage.  The meeting was held in secrecy so the delegates could discuss issues freely without worrying about the press or public reactions.  It was Roger Sherman who saved the day and turned the meeting around when he presented the Great Compromise:  every state, regardless of size, would have two representatives in the Senate, and representation based on population in the House of Representatives.  And originally, the vice president would be the runner up in the election.  Can you imagine?

Unite or Die is the type of book that kids won’t even realize that they are learning.  I love sneaky books.

Happy Independence Day!

Links of interest:  Jacqueline Jules website, Jef Czekaj’s website, Unite or Die book trailer, read the constitution for yourself.
Genre:  Non-Fiction Picture Book, ages 9-12
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing.  February 1, 2009.
Paperback, 48 pages.  ISBN:  158089190X
Unite or Die, How Thirteen States Became a Nation is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, and Amazon.

Michelle and Anne are looking forward to laying out in the sun, snorkeling,and  hanging out with some cute guys. They’ve even promised to check out the ancient Mayan ruins which are surrounded by myths and legends of virginal sacrifices upon the temple alters.

While Michelle is becoming more enthralled with Ander, the tour guide they picked up at their hotel, Anne is becoming more leery and distrustful and turns to a few familiar high school boys for help.  The girls are swept up into a mess that is literally life or death.

I had no idea where the story of Feathered was going to take me.  It was slightly slow to get there but once it hit the crisis, the momentum was huge.  I think at one point my mouth was hanging open from disbelief of the crisis and it’s aftermath.

Feathered is told in two different viewpoints.  One is that of Michelle which is third person present and the other is Anne’s which is first person past tense.  It took a little bit at the beginning of the book to get used to the back and forth but I found myself  liking this set up because it worked well for where the story was ultimately going.

The Mayan flair added a lot of depth to the story and is what made it so beautiful.  I felt as though Cancun itself was a third character, with it’s gorgeous blue water and Mayan ruins.  A third character that the book could have done without was that of Terri, a third friend of the group.  I honestly haven’t the faintest idea of what she added to the story.

Albeit, slightly heavy handed with the metaphors, Feathered, is a great mystery with a mix of magic realism.  I was on my toes the entire book anticipating what I thought was the inevitable, but yet,  I had no idea what would happen.  Feathered will make you sit back when you’re done and think to yourself, “Hmmm . . . “    Because to tell you the truth, I’m still thinking about the drama of the story.  Recommended.  I liked it.

And speaking of spring breaks.  Am I the only one who graduated from a high school where nobody went anywhere cool on spring break?

Genre:  Young Adult Fiction
Publisher: Harper Teen. April 8, 2008
Hardcover, 272 pages. ISBN:  0060813172
Feathered available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s and Amazon.
Feathered is competing in the Nerds Heart YA book tournament and is paired up against I Know It’s Over in which I’m the judge.  I’ll be posting my decision today.

Batuk is just nine years old when her parents throw her a goodbye party.  Can you imagine the parents who love their child enough to give a goodbye party but yet it’s because they will be selling her?  Makes me do a double take and say, “Huh?”   Obviously, it wasn’t a fun party, everybody was uneasy and cried.  Unaware of the occasion, Batuk honestly thought that she was going to die.  But perhaps death was preferable as the next morning her father took her to the city of Mumbai and sold her.  Scared and alone and very confused, Batuk’s virginity is sold to the highest bidder and then she is sent to Common street where we meet her at the age of fifteen working as a very precocious fifteen-year-old who works hard to remain in Madam Mamaki Briila’s favor.

Batuk’s world changes when she is ill and while in the hospital is taught to read and write.  She manages to tuck away a pencil and writes her story in a diary.  Her story is simply haunting and does not spare details.  She shares her memories of home with her parents, and then losing her virginity at age nine to the highest bidder, being raped, beaten, and yet, flirting with the men on the streets so she can bring in more customers.

Although the subject matter is ugly and brutal, the writing certainly is not.  At times it is simple and forward, giving light and explanation to many dark and ugly prostitution practices and at other times it’s very lyrical.  Batuk’s diary writing doesn’t dive deep into the emotional hardships of her occupation but is rather factual, a technique that I  believe Levine uses to illustrate how dead in spirit she has become.  Writing, however does bring out Batuk’s creative side, she is smart and intelligent and given a different environment would thrive.

The Blue Notebook will make you frustrated simply for the reason that we want so much more for Batuk.  She didn’t ask for this life and as the reader we are powerless to pull ourselves into the story and pull her out.  Levine gives a voice to all the powerless girls who have been trapped into the ugly world of sexual slavery.

And after reading this book, you’ll discover that ugly doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Links of interest:  All of the U.S proceeds from The Blue Notebook will be donated to the International and National Centers for Missing and Exploited Children.  More blogger reviews.
Genre:  Literary Fiction.
Published by Spiegel & Grau.  July 7, 2009.
Hardcover, 224 pages. ISBN: 038552871X
The Blue Notebook is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s and Amazon.

Our main character, Jill Parker is an American artist who has moved to Japan as a means to escape a broken heart, a place where she will not be reminded at every street corner of her ex-boyfriend.  Jill fully intends to immerse herself in the entire culture and Toyko is to big, to busy, and has to many foreigners.  She finds a smaller seaside town and settles in.  She mets an American man who introduces her to many friends, gets a job as a hostess in a bar and even finds herself beginning to paint again.  Yusuke, an art gallery owner likes her paintings and puts together a show for her.  Jill and Yusuke discover that their shared interest isn’t just in the paintings but rather for each other.

Jill and Yusuke marry and it’s not long before Jill begins to realize exactly what the role of a wife should be in Japan.  Living with Yusuke’s mother isn’t easy as she is harsh, cold, and tradition bound in the sense where they serve the men in the house with no thought for themselves.  Jill is expected to conceive an heir to the house, a boy named Kei, and when she does she still feels small and insignificant.  She decides divorce is the only way out but she soon discovers that doing so means that she must give up custody of her son Kei.  In Japan, foreigners have no rights to their children, she is expected to go back home and leave her little boy with her ex-husband’s family.

Jill won’t give up easily and doesn’t go home.  Instead, she sneaks around trying to catch glimpses of him from time and time, stalks her mother in-law’s house and convinces the babysitter to meet them at the playground.  Jill has only one option left and that’s to kidnap her own son and try to take him back to America with her.  But trying to do so means risking everything, even Kei himself.

Losing Kei is about love lost, love discovered, cultural expectations and misunderstanding and how far one will go to gain back that which they’ve lost.  I was fascinated with the Japanese custody laws and truly felt sorry for all those who have made families in Japan only to have them ripped apart by laws that make no sense.

This particular passage tells the story of what Jill is fighting against really well:

I called my mother a couple of days after the divorce.

“What do you mean you lost Kei?”  She demanded.  “What on earth did you do?”

“Nothing.”

[. . . ]

“You must have done something.  Did you have an affair?”

I hadn’t heard that tone in at least ten years, not since she’d found a joint in my windbreaker pocket.  What did I have to do earn her sympathy?

“I did not have an affair,” I said, getting a little bit testy.  “If I did anything wrong, it was being born in another country.  They won’t let me have him because they’re afraid that I would take him out of Japan.  He’s the heir of the house of Yamashiro.  The only one.”

My lack of income and lodging, my desertion – all of those were nothing compared to this fact of heredity.  On top of that,the Yamashiro family had connections.  I did not.  For all I knew, they were paying off the judge.

I could hear my mother’s intake of breathe, could envision her adjusting the cardigan at her shoulders.  “You’ll see him on weekends, won’t you?” Her reasonable voice.  ” And during the holidays.”

“That will be up to Yusuke and his mother,” I said.  “There is no such thing as joint custody in this country.”

The silence that followed lasted so long that I thought she’d hung up.

“Mom?  Are you there?”

I thought I heard a sniffle.

“Are you telling me, Jill, that I might not be able to see my grandson again?”

Losing Kei is told in alternating time lines from when Suzanne is fighting for her child in 1997 and when she first arrived in 1989, a technique which I think works well for this type of story.  Suzanne writes in a beautiful straightforward manner and it’s a book which I would recommend.

Like I mentioned earlier, Losing Kei felt very believable to me probably because Suzanne Kamata has lived in Japan with her native husband and their two children for the past twenty-one years!  Suzanne was gracious enough to participate in an author interview and share with us some great insight into Japanese custody laws, what it’s like to live in a foreign country and raise multi-cultural children.  I especially enjoyed the insight into differences in literacy between Japan and the United States.  I will have that interview up for you tomorrow so make sure you don’t miss it!

So what would you do if you found yourself in a foreign land unable to gain custody of your child?  Would you go back home empty handed, stay and try to fight, or like Jill, risk it all and try to kidnap your own child?  Tough questions.  What would you do?

Links of interest:  Suzanne Kamata website.
Genre:  Fiction
Publisher: Leapfrog Press.  January 1, 2008
Paperback, 216 pages.  ISBN: 0972898492
Losing Kei is available from your local independent bookstore, Powell’s, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon.

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.

In this third installment, Gregory is his normal self-centered who’s New Year resolution is to try to help other people improve because, after all, he doesn’t need to improve, he’s pretty much one of the best people he knows.  I loved the book right away when Greg laid down right on top of the heater vent and said the experience was even better than being in bed.  I loved it!  One of the nicest things that I remember doing when I was a kid in winter was taking my blanket and sitting on top of the heater vent.  Okay, I should tell the truth, I may have done this just last week.

A lot of different funny episodes that are perfect for reluctant readers including Greg’s father’s attempt to put him on a soccer team, burying a time capsule to dig back up when time travel is possible, trying to catch a snack culprit, sleeping over with a bunch of first graders and attending the junior high valentines dance.  Truly entertaining stuff.

Loved it.  Loved it all.  I hope there is a fourth, a fifth, a sixth and even a twentieth.  I’d eagerly read them all.  This is a series that I’ll be buying the whole set when my boys get older.  If I get them any sooner, there is a good chance they’ll get destroyed which would be a shame.  I can’t wait to share what are quickly becoming classics with my boys, in the meantime I need to get my husband to read these books just so we could laugh together.  I really think he’d like them.

Jeff Kinney’s website.  Don’t forget to check out my book reviews of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

So am I only one who reads on top of heater vents?!  Tell me that’s not so weird.

Like the title says, this book is based on the true story of Henry.  Beginning when he’s just a boy, Henry doesn’t know how old he is.  Slaves aren’t supposed to have birthdays.  When his master falls ill he hopes that he will be set free, like some other slaves.  But he’s instead given to the master’s son and torn from his family.  Henry grows older, meets Nancy, and they marry and have three beautiful children.  While Henry is working at the factory, a friend comes to tell him that his wife and children were just sold at the slave market.  He arrives just in time to see them being carted away.

Knowing that he will never see his family again, he decides to take desperate measures to secure his freedom.  He literally nails himself into a crate and mails himself to Philadelphia.  For 27 hours, he is crammed into this little box as he is thrown around, put upside down, and travels more then 350 miles.  And amazingly, it worked!  As the author’s note states, “Henry ‘Box’ Brown became one of the most famous runaway slaves on the Underground Railroad – the man who mailed himself to freedom.”

Kadir Nelson’s illustrations are simply stunning.  What more is there to say than to know that you’ve got your hands on something special?  Henry’s Freedom Box is a 2008 Caldecott Honor Book.  Amazing story.  Amazing book.

Kadir Nelson’s website.

Henry’s Freedom Box:  A True Story from the Underground Railroad is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month.  Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans.  Also reviewed this month Moses:  When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights by Russel Freedman, Letters from a Slave Girl, The Story of Harriet Jacobs by Mary E. Lyons, The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox,  Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope by Nikki Grime, The Well by Mildred D. Taylor,  Freedom Walkers, The Story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott by Russell Freedman, Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges and  Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson.  Other reviews of interest:  A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman.