Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade: a Thanksgiving story by Trinka Hakes Noble. Illustrated by David C. Gardner. Tales of Young Americans series. unpgd. Sleeping Bear Press, September, 2017. 9781585369607. (Own.)
I was going to skip #tbt today. Take a break for the Thanksgiving holiday. But then this book popped into my head and even though it's only a year old (#tbt usually features books older than 10 years), I decided to review it.
The year is 1918 and a flu epidemic is sweeping the country, especially the tightly packed immigrant communities in New York's Lower East Side. Rettie is doing her best to care for her stricken mother and four younger siblings. She's only nine and her father is off fighting in the war. She scrambles to do odd jobs to earn money and hopes to participate in the ragamuffin parade so she can collect coins. She hopes the epidemic will not cancel the parade because she wants to feed her family on Thanksgiving.
Poignantly told and sumptuously illustrated, this tale tugs at the heartstrings. This picture book for older readers is a wonderful Thanksgiving read aloud to encourage gratitude and reflection. An author's note at the end provides historical context. Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade is a wonderful addition to any school, public or classroom library!
Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by David Ezra Stein. unpgd. Candlewick Press, September, 2018. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Our irrepressible interrupting chicken is back and her patient papa continues to stoically submit to his little chick's insistence that the literary term is not the element of surprise, but the elephant of surprise. Papa tries to prove her wrong by whipping out a book of fairy tales and dang, if that pesky elephant doesn't show up every time! Even when he resorts to making up his own story, interrupting chicken illustrates and gets that elephant of surprise to show up!
Fans of the first book, Interrupting Chicken, which won a Caldecott Honor, will be tickled to revisit chicken and her papa. Fans who find this one will demand the first. And deservedly so. In fact, I needed to run over to the library to borrow Interrupting Chicken!
Again, the mixed media art shines here. The colors are warm and there's plenty of detail to catch the eye, such as the school bus viewed through the window of the living room. The textures are inviting as well. One can see crayon markings as well as colored pencil strokes. Papa, as caregiver continues to dote and seems to have an after-school routine. He leaves his computer to devote his entire attention to chicken. Alas, his attempts at gentle correction fall on deaf ears and he attempts to prove it with a story.
The art for the "storybook" parts is different, seeming to be pen and ink, but the background contains interesting details for young eagle eyed readers/ listeners.
Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise is a #nevertoooldforpicturebooks picture book. It can be shared with older students as a playful introduction to the literary device and younger students will hoot with glee over chicken's exuberant free spirit. She's definitely an outside-the-box thinker. Highly recommended for everyone young and old.
Here's a link to an adorable trailer.
Storm by Sam Usher. unpgd. Templar Books/ Candlewick Press, August, 2018.9781536202823. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Our favorite little redheaded boy and his doting granddad are back in another lovely flight of fancy. This time, the boy awakens to wind rattling the windows and he just cannot wait to get outside. When he suggests all the things the two could do in the wind, granddad suggests that "It's the perfect day to fly a kite! But we'll have to find it first." While the wind blows mightily, the two search high and low for the kite and stop to reminisce about everything they do find, like a cricket bat. When the kite is finally found, they bundle up and head out to the park where the wind gathers all the kite fliers and whisks them into the sky for a swirling, twirling adventure.
The ink and watercolor art is glorious from cover to cover. Funny little details are embedded on most pages and invite lingering. Every child needs imaginary play and a granddad like this. Share this one and all the "Granddad" books, Snow, Sun, and Rain widely.
A Truck Full of Ducks by Ross Burach. unpgd. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., March, 2018. 9781338129366. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
For the first ten years of my school library gig, I worked in a k - 8 school. While it definitely had its trials, one of the joys of my job was sharing absolutely rollicking silly books with my K - 2 students. Sometimes, I even shared them K - 8. (I'm looking at you, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!) This is one I would look forward to reading.
The story starts on the end-pages; so don't skip them. We've got a lot of ducks hanging around an office where the phone is ringing. Bernie, the dog answers and assures the caller that he can, indeed, supply a truck full of ducks. Unfortunately, one extra-hungry duck eats the dog's directions. Not to worry, our intrepid hound will ask random passers-by if they ordered a truck full of ducks. These include a little girl wanting to mail her brother "very far away;" a construction worker waiting for a dump truck; some dudes waiting for an ice cream truck; a pirate waiting for a cracker truck; and a pirate waiting for a cracker truck. Eventually, the ducks need a (hilarious) pit stop, and after one more mismatch, they end up in a dark and scary forest, where the ducks are meant to be delivered to H. Ungry Fox. Yikes!
This exuberantly illustrated picture book contains plenty of visual humor so let your young readers linger. This is a terrific book for reading aloud.
Sleep, My Bunny by Rosemary Wells. unpgd. Candlewick Press, November 13, 2018. 9780763692629. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Bedtime rituals for children are so important. They should be started really early and should always, always include reading. So it should come as no surprise that there are tons of "good night" books to choose from in any library or bookstore. A number feature bunnies. Not surprising, really. Bunnies are quintessentially cuddly.
I discovered Rosemary Wells thirty-two and a half years ago when my own Max was born and we received a set of Max the Bunny board books along with a Max stuffy. The board books and Max doll are packed away but they are remembered fondly. Several of them have some toddler teeth marks on the corners. We also bought other Max and Ruby picture books over the years and Shy Charles was beloved as well. Others were borrowed from the public library. Wells has written over 120 books for children. There really is something for everyone in her impressive body of work.
Somehow, we missed Sleep, My Bunny, which was originally published in 1979 as "Good Night, Sweet Prince" in Don't Spill It Again, James. Candlewick Press is releasing Sleep, My Bunny as its own picture book on November 13.
The art, while still cartoonish, is softer and, opens with an impressionistic painting of a tree and a snug little house at sunset. The scene is evocative of Van Gogh with its rich points of colors. The text is framed by solid green and surrounded by a variety of stippled colorful backgrounds that are mirrored in the window of each illustration.
Each illustration features a moment in a small bunny family starting at dinner with mother pouring some milk. Father helps baby bunny clean up the toys. Mother gets him ready for a bath. Father sits at the side of the tub and talks. Mother reads and Father plays his violin. It's delightful that both parents participate. The text is spare and soothing and invites snuggling and snoozing. Sleep, My Bunny would be a perfect gift for new and expectant parents. It is also a perfect way to continue celebrating Picture Book Month!
Candlewick Press generously provided me with an extra copy and a signed poster to offer in a giveaway! To enter, please leave a comment and include your email address. I will be tweeting the review as well. If you're on Twitter, retweet and I will add your name again. I'm @kahnbrenda. (Yeah, I know. I had proseandkahn when Twitter first started but deactivated the account. Now, it's taken.)
I will choose a winner on its book birthday, November 13.
Yikes! It's Picture Book Month! I collected a stack of picture books and started reading on November 1, intending on posting a picture book review a day. Gah!
In a rather funny coincidence, I happened to read three featuring rabbits as the main character.
Rabbit Moon by Jean Kim. unpgd. Arthur A. Levine Books/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2018. 9781338036398. (Review from finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
The illustrations in this are just perfectly gorgeous! They are so soft and moonlit. Don't skip the author's note and the spot art. Apparently, you might see the shape of a rabbit and a pestle in the full moon in Korea. If you do, you should send up a wish. I never knew this little custom. I love it. Rabbit loves his job but he's lonely so he travels down to Earth where he makes friends. Rabbit Moon is a lovely story to share with one or many children. The text is soothing though the rhyme scheme falters a bit. This is Jean Kim's first solo picture book.
Bunny's Staycation Mama's Business Trip by Lori Richmond. unpgd. Scholastic Press/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2018. 9780545925891. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
Bunny's mama is readying for a business trip and he's not at all happy. Papa's working on his "Carrot" laptop but ready to step up to make Bunny's separation anxiety better. There's plenty of visual humor and lots of popping color in this humorous relatable story.
Good Night, Bunny by Lauren Thompson. unpgd. Orchard Books/ Scholastic Inc., January, 2018. 9780545603355. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)
This one is being compared to Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Personally, while I liked the book well enough, I was always put off by the colors in the illustrations. The text is soothing but the illustrations aren't. The illustrations here are as lulling as the sweet, rhythmic text.
Happy picture book month reading. Remember, you're never too old for picture books!
