October’s Monster Mash!

The weather is getting cooler and the leaves are changing colors and pretty much everything is now available in pumpkin flavor, so that must mean it’s almost October.  Sounds like a good excuse for a theme month!

Rather than focus on books about Halloween, I’m going to devote the month to all the traditional monsters, villains & generally troublesome folks that show up this time of year, in books, movies and costumes.  So get ready for ghosts, vampires, werewolves, zombies, goblins and ghouls of all kinds.  Lots of excellent picture books have been written about these characters, often shedding new (and sometimes humorous) light on them, and I’m looking forward to sharing them with you!

(No villagers with torches allowed.)

As a special treat, we’ll be changing up our banner to match the theme!   Look for the Possum to go a little monstrous starting tomorrow!

Once Upon A Time, The End

Written by Geoffrey Kloske, Illustrated by Barry Blitt

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2005

The plot in a nutshell:  A father takes shortcuts while reading several stories to his child, in hopes of getting the child to sleep faster

You can condense Goldilocks and the Three Bears into just a few sentences.

Here’s one of those books that may be even funnier for parents than it is for kids.  The dad in this story, in an attempt to lull his child to sleep, reads eight stories, five nursery rhymes and even two riddles to his child.  He edits them as he goes, trimming them down to their bare essence and making them, as the book progresses, more and more themed around going to sleep.  At the end of the book, the father has fallen asleep in the bed beside the child.

Reading stories to my kids was always one of my favorite things about parenting, but even so, there were nights when I hoped they picked out short books, mostly because I was tired or had other things I needed to take care of.  Of course, those always seemed to be the nights they picked the long books.  And yes, there were probably a few times when I tried to skim over some lines to abbreviate the story.  It wasn’t often, though, because kids are always smarter than we give them credit for and mine would call me out on it.  So mostly, we stuck to the story as written.

This is the first book from author Geoffrey Kloske, who already has an impressive resume as an editor, working with such authors as David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell, Nick Hornby and Bob Dylan.  Mr. Kloske captures the essence of increasing desperation as the narrator father tries to get his child to sleep, but manages to keep it light and very comical.  The illustrations, by cartoonist Barry Blitt, also work to condense the abbreviated stories into one or two pictures, while also cutting back to the dad reading by the bedside.  A fun book, especially for parents of kids who steadfastly defy the sandman.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that while shortcuts may sometimes make the trip shorter, they’re best avoided when the trip is worth savoring.

Mr. Prickles (A Quill Fated Love Story)

Written by Kara LaReau, Illustrated by Scott Magoon

Roaring Brook Press, 2012

Mr. Prickles was not a particularly friendly fellow.

The plot in a nutshell:  A porcupine attempts to make friends with other animals, but they don’t like him because he’s so different.

Mr. Prickles is a porcupine and the other forest animals shun him, because they believe that being prickly on the outside means he cannot be cute and cuddly, like they are.  He tries again and again, but is always rebuffed, so he stays on the sidelines, watching them play and growing angrier and angrier.  One day, he notices a female porcupine watching him.  Her name is Miss Pointypants and she joins him in watching the other animals, until one day she points out that just watching them is boring.  From that point on (pun intended), the two porcupines have fun together.

Porcupines hold hands very very carefully.

This is a cute story that covers a few different themes, but is mostly centered around the concept of friendship and what it means.  Author Kara LaReau keeps the story lively and fun by throwing in a lot of puns, but Mr. Prickles is a complex character.  I guess most of us have some experience with being on the outside of a group that we’d like to be part of, and she captures not only that feeling, but the associated emotions that go with it.  Mr. Prickles becomes obsessed with these guys and it takes his friendship with Miss Pointypants to shake him out of it.  There’s a great moment when the two of them bump into the group and they start up their usual insults and Mr. Prickles realizes that they weren’t as cool as he thought they were.

A lot of the action of the story takes place at night (since these are nocturnal animals) so many of the pictures are dark, but illustrator Scott Magoon keeps them from being overbearing.  The bullying animals are drawn in such a way that you can see what makes them cute, but their uglier nature comes through as more obvious.  The colors seem to lighten up when Miss Pointypants enters the story and all the artwork has a fun cartoonish quality to it that makes the story enjoyable.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that those who reject your offer of friendship are not worth wasting your valuable friendship on.

New Socks

Written and Illustrated by Bob Shea

Little Brown and Company, 2007

Notice anything different about me?  Nope, it’s not my glasses.  I got New Socks!

The plot in a nutshell:  Leon is seriously thrilled about his new socks

Yep, that’s pretty much the entire plot of this book.  The main character is a little chicken named Leon, who resembles a sort of yellow kidney bean.  He is super excited about his new orange socks, which seem to be bigger than his whole body and he delights in showing off all the ways they are improving his life.  He introduces them to the wood floor, discovers that he now has the courage to go down the big kid slide and even makes plans to meet the president in his new socks.  He ends the book getting very excited to get new pants.

On the rare occasion where I think really hard, I probably look very similar.

Children often seem to take a tremendous amount of joy and enthusiasm from the smallest things.  Author/illustrator Bob Shea has captured this perfectly in this very short and silly book.  Leon’s love for his new socks knows no bounds and Mr. Shea seems to be having a lot of fun, letting Leon express his happiness in so many different ways.  I will definitely own up to acting this way about new things, even as an adult, and it’s fun to see that so well-represented here.  The story is a quick read and the illustrations are very minimalist, using only yellow (for Leon), orange (for his socks) and blue, to help define the thoughts going on in his imagination. 

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that it keeps life fun and interesting when you can take joy out of the little things in life.

Song and Dance Man

Written by Karen Ackerman, Illustrated by Stephen Gammell

Alfred A. Knopf, 1988

Awards:  Caldecott Medal (1989)

Grandpa was a song and dance man who once danced on the vaudeville stage.

The plot in a nutshell:  A grandfather puts on a show for his three grandkids, showing them the songs, dances and jokes he used to perform when he was younger.

Grandpa has mysterious power over bowler hats.

I will admit this right up front – I got choked up reading this book.  Admittedly, this is mostly because I am a sap, but also because it’s a remarkably sweet story about a former vaudevillian performing his old show numbers for his grandchildren.  I loved the enthusiasm of the kids in this book.  There was no heavy handed morality, showing the grandfather having to pull the kids away from the TV.  When Grandpa unpacks his old costumes up in the attic, they each pull out a hat to wear and then sit down eagerly to watch him.

He goes through a whole routine for the kids, including a song, a dance, a joke and even a magic trick.  At the end, they give him a standing ovation and ask for more.  On their way back downstairs, there’s a line that says, ‘Grandpa holds on to the rail as we go down the steps.’  I get the idea that, with that line, author Karen Ackerman is telling us that Grandpa was young again up in the attic and now, coming back downstairs, is feeling his age once more.  And he pauses to tell his grandchildren that the days he spends with them are better than all of his days in vaudeville.  Someone get me a grandpa to hug right now!

Illustrator Stephen Gammell fills his artwork with emotion and gives us pictures that echo the love and joy we read on the page between these kids and their grandfather.  The whole book is told from the point of view of the children and the pictures have a childlike quality to them that works perfectly with the story.  My maternal grandmother lived with my family while I was growing up and my paternal grandfather moved in when I was a teenager.  I always enjoyed asking them questions about their lives and interests, and listening to their stories.  This book made me miss them both.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that you never forget anything you truly enjoy, but you can make it even better by sharing it with those you truly love.

Cats’ Night Out

Written by Caroline Stutson, Illustrated by Jon Klassen

Simon & Schuster, 2010

From the alley, music drifts.

Shadows sway to a trumpet riff…

The plot in a nutshell:  Pairs of cats come out at night to dance to different types of music

This is a counting book that sets the stage with a view of the city at night, in an alley near a jazz club.  Two cats appear, dressed in white and dancing the samba.   The next page shows four cats, dressed in poodle skirts and saddle shoes, rocking out.  The book continues counting up by twos, in rhyming couplets, with each group of cats doing a different dance and dressed in suitable attire for each type of dance.  Finally, the neighbors have had enough and they shout, chasing the cats away.  But at the end of the book, we find ourselves in the same alley with a whole new pair of cats, as the dance begins all over again.

Do you supposed cats feel conflicted wearing skirts with dogs on them?

Author Caroline Stutson covers a lot of ground, touching on eleven different types of dances, with rhymes that are jazzy and fun to read.  Illustrator Jon Klassen is always a treat, and his digital illustrations here do not disappoint.  These cats take their dancing very seriously (which you can tell from their facial expressions) but he manages to convey they joy they take from dancing.  The artwork is cute, but never gets cutesy, particularly set against the darkness of the city background.

This is a book to read over and over again with your child, focusing on a different aspect each time.  You can read it through once and just focus on the different dance styles.  Then go back and look at the outfits the cats wear for each dance.  Next, because the cats are dancing all over the city, look at all the different places they visit and what makes each of them unique.  Finally, you can search for the numbers of cats, which are hidden on each page.  Mostly, though, you can just enjoy a really fun book.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that in the big city, anything can happen.

Solomon Crocodile

Written and Illustrated by Catherine Rayner

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011

All is peaceful on the banks of the river.  Everyone is relaxing in the morning sun, until…here comes trouble!

The plot in a nutshell:  A crocodile enjoys pestering everyone in the river

Solomon has a grand old time annoying everyone who shares the river where he lives.  He splashes in the mud to make the frogs jump, shakes the bulrushes to bother the dragonflies and stalks the storks.  Every time, he’s told to go away.  He even charges at the biggest hippo in the river, who roars at him.  Just when he’s feeling sorry for himself because no one wants to play, he hears the sound of someone else annoying the frogs, dragonflies and storks.  It turns out to be another crocodile and the book ends as the two of them together charge into the river, much to the dismay of all the other animals.

I’m not exactly sure what author/illustrator Catherine Rayner wants us to feel for Solomon in this story.  She refers to him as ‘poor Solomon’ when no one wants to play with him, but since his idea of playing seems to be just bothering and scaring everyone, I’m not sure that many readers are going to feel much sympathy for him.  I wanted someone to pull him aside and tell him that he plays too rough.  (Haven’t we all known those kids who, for whatever reason, are always playing at full throttle?)  But instead of good advice, Solomon gets a partner in crime.  I’m not saying every story needs to carry a heavy lesson or model perfect behavior, but I have little patience for people who enjoy making others miserable and I didn’t find myself rooting for Solomon for that reason.

Don’t get this hippo angry. You wouldn’t like him when he’s angry.

But while I’m a little skeptical on the plot, I love the artwork.  On the cover, Solomon’s covered with flecks of shining gold that catch the light.  Inside the book, he’s speckled with multiple colors and patterns that change from picture to picture and resemble a Jackson Pollock painting.  The backgrounds and details of the other animals are delicately drawn, which creates a lovely contrast with Solomon’s rambunctious nature and splotchy artistic representation.  I enjoyed the artwork, but wish the story had substance to match it.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that whatever you enjoy doing, it’s always more fun with a friend.

Veronica on Petunia’s Farm

Written and Illustrated by Roger Duvoisin

Alfred A. Knopf, 1962

It was on a sunny morning that Veronica arrived at Mr. Pumpkin’s farm.  At once she saw it was a lovely place.  Just right for a hippopotamus.

The plot in a nutshell:  Veronica the hippo tries to make a home for herself at the farm, but the other animals are not very welcoming.

Veronica is a happy hippo when she arrives at the farm.  She is excited to see the other animals and the pond and the meadow.  But the other animals are suspicious of this strange creature and they won’t even acknowledge her.  Veronica’s positive attitude starts to dwindle and she gets sick, confining herself to the barn.  The other animals start checking on her out of curiosity, which turns to concern as they begin to care about her.  They each admit to doing something to help her get better and when she reappears, healthy and happy again, they welcome her to their family.

Sometimes I take people to the library with me and ask them to pick some books out for me.  This one was selected by my daughter, Jenny, who likes hippos.  Fans of author/illustrator Roger Duvoisin recognize this lovely hippo from his 1961 book, Veronica.  One of the farm animals is Petunia the goose, who was the main character in his first book, Petunia, in 1950.  He wrote several books about these characters and collaborated with his wife, Louise Fatio, on the Happy Lion series as well.

It looks like the delivery driver is expecting Veronica to walk down the ramp and right into the house.

I really loved this book.  Like many books of that era, the illustrations alternate between full color and monochromatic.  But they all share a wonderful sense of emotion, especially in Veronica’s facial expressions.  We get to see most of the story unfold through the conversation and actions of the farm animals and it’s really cool to see the change in them as the book progresses.  The donkey, for example, who calls her a foreigner in the beginning, rolls giddily on the ground when Veronica’s health improves enough for her to speak to him.  There are a lot of parallels, in which the things the other animals disliked most about Veronica become things they admire once they get to know her.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that when you can find it in your heart to care, even a little bit, about someone different from the norm, you open yourself up to new and amazing friends.

The Gentleman Bug

Written and Illustrated by Julian Hector

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2010

Once there was a garden full of bugs.  One of them was the Gentleman Bug.  He taught a class and he loved to read.

The plot in a nutshell:  A bookish bug sets his sights on a ladybug who is new to his garden.

Now I wish I could be a bug so that I could wear awesome hats all the time.

This is a very simple and charming story.  The Gentleman Bug is a male ladybug (naturally) and he inhabits an anthropomorphic world where bugs dress in clothes and live in houses.  He is a teacher and a booklover (I was going to say bookworm, but that’s an entirely different kind of bug) and that makes him the butt of jokes from the other local bugs.  When a pretty ladybug shows up in town, he wants to make himself more dapper so that she will notice him.  His students help him dress more stylishly for an evening out, but it doesn’t go as planned and he hurries home.  He gets invited to the opening of the new library and learns that she is the new librarian.  The book ends with them reading together.

I enjoyed this story, particularly the artwork.  Author/illustrator Julian Hector uses watercolors and pencils to bring these adorable characters to life.  In addition to our main characters, the pages are filled with grasshoppers, butterflies, moths, ticks, ants and just about every other kind of bug that I generally keep a good distance away from in real life.   The colors help evoke a warm and playful mood, while the fashion and surroundings all seem very Dickensian.  Bugs who wear cute little red caps and travel by coach or carry little parasols with them are welcome in my yard anytime.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that you should never change who you are to impress someone, because it might turn out that they’d like you better as you already are.

How Rocket Learned to Read

Written and Illustrated by Tad Hills

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2010

Rocket loved to play.  He loved to chase leaves and chew sticks.  He loved to listen to the birds sing.

The plot in a nutshell:  Rocket meets a bird who loves to teach and, although he is resistant at first, he learns how to read

This is another book that I picked up for dog month, before I realized I had already reviewed enough books to round out the month.  But this is a good book for kids going back to school, so it’s a good time to post it now.

Does anyone else imagine the bird reading with Tweety Bird’s voice?

Rocket is settling down for a nap when a little yellow bird mistakes him for a pupil at her newly established school.  He tries to keep his distance, but she starts reading a story and he is interested, in spite of himself.  He comes back the next day and she starts teaching him the alphabet.  He keeps learning and when she flies away for the winter, he uses that time to practice and learn more.  When she comes back, he is eager to learn and they settle down to read books together.

I loved helping my kids learn to read.  It’s teaching a skill, but it’s so much more than that.  Once you unlock that door, it’s like an open invitation to every book you ever loved. Author/illustrator Tad Hills gives me the impression that the yellow bird in this book feels the same way.  When Rocket is initially uninterested in learning, the bird doesn’t beg or force the issue, she just starts reading a book that piques Rocket’s interest and he’s hooked.  It’s a great story that I think kids, especially those learning to read, will relate to.

The artwork, done in oil paint and colored pencil, is equally wonderful.  We get to see Rocket and the bird through a few seasons and the colors in the background are beautiful.  Mr. Hills conveys so much through Rocket’s facial expression, which is surprising when you look at how simple his face is.  Rocket is a lovable character and I was glad to discover that he’s gone on to feature in three more books, in which he increases his vocabulary and even writes a story of his own.  For the tech savvy, How Rocket Learned to Read has an interactive iPad app.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that it’s almost impossible not to learn from an enthusiastic teacher who involves you in the lesson.