December Theme Schedule!

December starts tomorrow and, as you may have guessed, December is going to be a Theme Month here at the Possum’s Bookshelf.

However, instead of just having a general Christmas theme, I’ve taken my daughter’s excellent suggestion and given each week in December its own special Christmas mini-theme.  Here’s the schedule:

December 1-7:  First, You Get a Tree (featuring books about Christmas trees)

December 8-14:  And There are Always Animals (featuring books about animals at Christmastime)

December 15-21:  Hooray!  Christmas is Saved!  (featuring books about someone saving Christmas)

December 22-28:  Merry Christmas! (featuring a miscellaneous collection of special holiday books)

December 29-31:  And Happy New Year! (featuring books about the new year celebration)

There are a ton of Christmas books out there and I’ve got some great ones lined up for review.  It all starts tomorrow so grab a cup of hot chocolate and your extra soft blanket and join us on the sofa for a holiday story!

Cranberry Thanksgiving

Written and Illustrated by Wende and Harry Devlin

Parents Magazine Press, 1971

Maggie darted about like a black-stockinged bird, in search of wood for the fireplace.  She and her grandmother lived at the edge of a lonely cranberry bog in New England, and the winds were cold at the edge of the sea.

The plot in a nutshell:  Grandmother and Maggie invite friends to Thanksgiving dinner, but Grandmother fears one of them is after the secret recipe to her famous cranberry bread.

Grandmother doesn’t trust Maggie’s friend, Mr. Whiskers, a former sea captain with a bushy beard and a gruff appearance and is appalled when she hears that Maggie has invited him to Thanksgiving dinner.  Grandmother’s guest is Mr. Horace, who dresses well, carries a gold cane and smells of lavender.  During dinner, conversation turns to Grandmother’s famous cranberry bread and the recipe that she tells Mr. Whiskers that he will never find.  After dinner, however, while Maggie and Grandmother are in the kitchen, a scuffle breaks out in the dining room and both men go running out into the cranberry bog.  It turns out that Mr. Horace owns a bakery and came to dinner to steal the recipe, while Mr. Whiskers is there to keep an eye on him.  Grandmother throws Mr. Horace out and goes back in to serve the pumpkin pie.    (For those interested, the recipe for Grandmother’s cranberry bread is on the book’s back cover. )

You just know this is the centerpiece of an amazing meal.

I grew up with this book and faithfully read it every year on Thanksgiving Day.  Author/illustrator (and husband and wife) team Wende and Harry Devlin wrote a whole series of books about these characters, but this was the only one I ever read.  Some years ago, Cranberry Christmas was made into an animated television special and I have to own up to getting that perfect combination of giddy and teary-eyed when I watched it, seeing these characters I had known for more than 40 years brought to life.  (Sadly, I can’t really recommend the special, particularly with the addition of songs by Barry Manilow.)

Of course, this book primarily presents a lesson on the dangers of judging a book by its cover, but I always felt there was more to it than that.  I loved that Maggie and her grandmother each got to invite someone, preferably someone without a family, to share their Thanksgiving dinner.  We never know the story on Maggie’s parents, but she has such a contented life with Grandmother that it doesn’t occur to you to wonder about them.  Mostly I loved the artwork, particularly the beautiful black and white silhouette picture of the characters sharing pumpkin pie in front of the fire.  It just looks like the essence of Thanksgiving.  Wishing you and yours a very happy Thanksgiving Day!

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that it’s a really bad idea to judge anyone based on their appearance.

Slugs in Love

Written by Susan Pearson, Illustrated by Kevin O’Malley

Marshall Cavendish, 2006

Marylou loved everything about Herbie – how his slime trail glistened in the dark, how he could stretch himself thin to squeeze inside the cellar window, how he always found the juiciest tomato.

The plot in a nutshell:  A smitten slug turns to poetry to express her emotions and the object of her affection uses the same medium to find her.

Marylou starts by writing a love poem for Herbie on the side of a watering can, just because she can’t stop thinking about him.  He sees it, but doesn’t know which of the many garden slugs is Marylou, so he writes a poem back to her, but the gardener moves it before she has a chance to see it.  She continues writing poetry, which he always sees and he continues writing responses, which she always misses.  Finally, she spies one of his poems and answers with directions on how to find her.  They meet in person (or in slug, as the case may be) and live happily ever after.

It certainly costs less than putting a classified ad in the newspaper.

Author Susan Pearson does a good job keeping the romance light and funny, with neither party ever getting depressed or angsty about their missed connections.  Illustrator Kevin O’Malley meets the challenge of drawing slugs as appealing characters.  Marylou and Herbie are distinctive and cute and their garden environment is rich with color.  We get to see the garden from their point of view and there are a lot of nice perspective drawings.  The pictures are also populated with lots of other insect varieties, which opens the door for lots of discussion, particularly if your little ones like bugs!

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that persistence can often pay very high rewards.

How I Became a Pirate

Written by Melinda Long, Illustrated by David Shannon

Harcourt Books, 2003

Pirates have green teeth – when they have any teeth at all.  I know about pirates, because one day, when I was at the beach building a sand castle and minding my own business, a pirate ship sailed into view.

The plot in a nutshell:  A boy spends a day aboard a pirate ship and discovers there’s good and bad sides to piracy

Jeremy Jacob is playing on the beach when the pirate ship comes ashore, having taken a wrong turn at Bora Bora.  The pirates see that he’s a good digger and bring him back onto the ship with them.  Captain Braid Beard shows him the chest of gold and jewels and explains that they are looking for a good place to bury it.  At first, Jeremy Jacob enjoys it, especially since he doesn’t need to eat vegetables, use table manners or brush his teeth.  But when he gets ready for bed and finds out that no one will tuck him in, read him a story or comfort him when a terrible storm whips up, he decides that piracy is not for him.  So he directs the pirates to a perfect spot to bury the treasure – his backyard.   With the treasure buried, the pirates thank him and sail away.

Captain Braid Beard is brave indeed, to put all his weight on the peg leg.

The basic plot, of a kid getting to live out a fantasy and finding out that it’s not all it was cracked up to be, is a classic and familiar one.  Author Melinda Long puts the pirate spin on it, which is a perfect fit, since pirates are such a familiar and complex archetype.  From a child’s point of view, the concept of living a life without all the nuisances your parents force on you seems pretty idyllic, but there’s always a price to pay in these stories and Ms. Long smartly hits it home by making it something that everyone can relate to – that wonderful childhood comfort of having someone to tuck you in and read you a story.

Illustrator David Shannon says that he’s always had a fascination with villains and that shows in the fun he has in painting this collection of pirates.  He draws them with colorful clothes and whimsical (sometimes dull-witted) expressions that never give you the idea that Jeremy Jacob is ever in any danger from these guys.   A musical version of this story has been written for the stage and Captain Braid Beard and his cohorts appear in a sequel and an activity book, which might interest any aspiring pirates in your house.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that getting the chance to live the life of your dreams often makes you realize how good your life is already.

 

What Do You Say, Dear?

Written by Sesyle Joslin, Illustrated by Maurice Sendak

HarperCollins, 1958

Awards:  Caldecott Honor

You are downtown and there is a gentleman giving baby elephants to people.  You want to take one home because you have always wanted a baby elephant, but first the gentleman introduces you to each other.  What do you say, dear?

The plot in a nutshell:  A number of whimsical scenarios are presented as examples of good manners in social situations

In my high school Biology class, we had to do a project about genetics, where we had to create a Punnett Square illustrating the possible inherited traits for some type of animal.  Our teacher said we could pick whatever we wanted to use for the subject, as long as the science behind the project worked.  So I used dragons, creating a square that showed the hereditary traits of pointed versus round wing tips.  Maybe I was remembering this book’s unconventional approach to teaching manners.

There are any number of books out there that can tell you to thank someone who holds the door for you or to apologize if you’ve hurt someone’s feelings.  It’s an important subject, but author Sesyle Joslin brings an original take on it by placing her characters in absurd situations, since manners are appropriate all the time.  Add in the outstanding artwork of Maurice Sendak and this book is sure to be a favorite of anyone who likes their lessons on the fun side.  Sure, you can tell someone that it’s important to say “No, thank you” when offered something they don’t want.  But isn’t it more fun to show them that it’s also the proper thing to say if Bad-Nosed Bill shows up and offers to blow a hole through their head?

Ah, the good old days, when people carried baby elephants around with them.

Yeah, and on that subject…a quick Google search showed me plenty of criticism of the violence and sexism in this book.  I’ll spare you the soapbox and simply say that this book is from 1958 and things that are controversial now were not such a big deal.   Personally, if I was in danger of being eaten by a dragon and a knight showed up to lop his head off, I would not accuse him of male chauvinism.  I’d simply thank him.  But maybe that’s because I read this book and have good manners.

And, incidentally, the proper response to the question posed in the opening quote above is, “How do you do?”

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that no matter how ridiculous a scenario you find yourself in, there’s always time to be polite.

The Lonely Moose

Written and Illustrated by John Segal

Hyperion Books for Children, 2007

Deep in the woods, at the foot of a mountain, lived a moose.  He had no family, few friends, and rarely entertained visitors.

The plot in a nutshell:  A moose rescues a bird and they become friends

Moose is happy living his solitary life.  But then one day, while he is out in the pond, he finds a bird, clinging to a lily pad.  Moose helps him out of the water, but the bird is unable to fly away.  At first, Moose is annoyed by Bird, but as time goes by, they become friends and pass their days together.  A forest fire separates them and when he goes back to his solitary lifestyle, he finds that he’s missing Bird.  But then Bird shows up, with lots of other birds along, stating that you can never have too many friends.

It looks like they’re whispering to each other. They must be keeping secrets from the moon.

This story of friendship is simple and endearing, with a wonderful message about the importance of friendship.  I felt that author/illustrator John Segal made a good decision to keep the text on the sparse side and let color do some of his storytelling here.  Moose’s original landscape is all greens and browns and blues, until Bird, who is red and orange, enters it.  When Bird sings, the whole page takes on Bird’s color palette.  When Bird is gone, Moose’s environment is back to its original color and it makes you feel the impact of the loss of his friend.  When Bird shows back up with friends, they are every color of the rainbow and in the final picture, they are perched on Moose’s antlers, lifting him up into the sky.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that everyone who comes into your life changes it in some way.

The Duchess of Whimsy

Written by Randall de Sève and Illustrated by Peter de Sève

Philomel Books, 2009

The Duchess of Whimsy was known throughout the land for her extravagant soirees, her elaborate attire, her uncommon conversation and her most peculiar pets and acquaintances.

The plot in a nutshell:  The Earl of Norm loves the Duchess of Whimsy, but she finds him too ordinary, until a kitchen emergency helps them find common ground.

Here’s a book for fans of love stories or fairy tales or whimsy or even grilled cheese sandwiches.  The Duchess of Whimsy is an eccentric character who surrounds herself with the outrageous and has no time for anything ordinary.  She is loved by everyone, but especially the Earl of Norm, who is a fairly ordinary person himself.  The King wants the two of them to get along, for the betterment of their two kingdoms, but the Duchess remains unimpressed.

See the two fairies looking at them from the flowers? Adorable.

Then one night, before a big party, she finds herself without a cook and everyone jumps in to try their hand at preparing unusual dishes for the event.  The Earl offers the Duchess a taste of his grilled cheese and milk and she finds it delightful.  Further conversation with him shows him to be more interesting than she had thought and shows her to have a quieter side as well.  All that’s left now, of course, is the happily ever after.

Author Randall de Sève makes these characters very real and invests us in them from the beginning.  And the artwork, by her husband, Peter de Sève, is absolutely gorgeous.  I think it was a wonderful choice to place some of these intricate drawings against a plain white background, so that your brain isn’t overwhelmed by wondering where to look first.  I recommend taking your time with the illustrations, as there are lots of things to discover.  (I personally love that the king drinks from a twisty fun straw.)

Yes, I admit that I’m a sucker for husband & wife author/illustrator teams.  And this book cranks up my sentimentality meter even higher, as it’s dedicated to “the original Duchess of Whimsy and Earl of Norm,” who apparently are Ms. de Sève’s parents.  And I suspect that the two small fairies found throughout the book are caricatures of the couple’s two daughters.  Awww.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that sometimes there is nothing as exciting and wonderful as normal, especially when you are sharing it with the right person.

Duck on a Bike

Written and Illustrated by David Shannon

The Blue Sky Press, 2002

One day down on the farm, Duck got a wild idea.  “I bet I could ride a bike!” he thought.

The plot in a nutshell:  Duck rides a bike past all the barnyard animals, who have differing opinions on his escapades

Duck gets the idea to ride a bike, climbs on and starts pedaling.  As he rides around the farmyard, he says hello to all the other animals and they respond back with their particular animal sound, but the narrative tells us what they are actually thinking.  Some think he is silly and others envy him.  Some are impressed and others worry about his safety.  A bunch of kids ride up on bikes, in so much of a hurry that they don’t see Duck.  They go into the farmhouse and leave their bikes outside.  The farm animals eye the bikes for a moment and then they all grab bikes and ride around the farm.

Of course, Dog is going to run happily along beside the bike.

This is a book for kids who love silly ideas, since there are few ideas sillier than farm animals riding around on bikes.  But it’s also a book for dreamers, since Duck doesn’t let the silliness of the situation or the opinions of others stop him from doing what he enjoys.  Author/illustrator David Shannon tells the story through brightly colored full page illustrations that show us each animal’s reaction.  The cat, for example, looks uninterested and the chicken looks panicked.  I like that each animal’s reaction seems to fit the personality type commonly associated with that animal.  Duck and his friends show up again in Mr. Shannon’s follow-up book, Duck and the Book.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that those around you may all have different opinions on what you’re doing, but the most important opinion is your own.

Mooshka: A Quilt Story

Written and Illustrated by Julie Paschkis

Peachtree Publishers, 2012

Karla had an unusual quilt.  She called it Mooshka.

The Plot in a Nutshell:  Squares on a little girl’s quilt tell her the stories of their lives.

Grandpa Will wore this piece as a kerchief when he proposed to Grandma. Adorable, right?

Karla’s quilt, Mooshka, keeps her warm and makes her feel snug and secure, like most quilts do.  But Mooshka is special because it talks to her.  Karla’s grandmother made the quilt herself, sharing stories with Karla as she sewed.  Drifting off to sleep, Karla would put her hand on a square of fabric and it would tell the story of its experiences from the time it was a tablecloth or a handkerchief.  When her newborn baby sister moves in to Karla’s room, Mooshka stops talking to her.  One night, when baby Hannah is crying, Karla covers her with Mooshka, who says, “Sister,” which makes Hannah stop crying.  Karla starts telling Hannah a story about one of the fabric pieces from her own history.

I loved this wonderful story, with its rich sense of family history and the notion of Karla being connected to everyone in that history through the different pieces of the quilt.  Author/illustrator Julie Paschkis gives this lovely and original story so much depth and emotion by choosing the colors and fabric patterns that are ideally suited to each picture.  Her art medium is India ink and gouache on watercolor paper, which makes the colors vibrant, but still gives them a sense of warm nostalgia.

I was initially drawn to this book by the colors on the cover, as the autumn weather was getting colder and the quilt looked warm and wistful.  One of my favorite things about the book’s design is that the quilt continues throughout the story, bordering every page (except the pages in which Mooshka is silent) with different types of fabric patterns.  It helps bring home the message of continuity and the fact that diverse pieces can combine to form a unique and beautiful picture.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that everyone in a family has stories that combine to make the fabric of their shared history.

Charlie Hits it Big!

Written by Deborah Blumenthal, Illustrated by Denise Brunkus

HarperCollins, 2007

When Sophie woke up and went to feed her guinea pig, she was in for a surprise.  Charlie wasn’t there.

The plot in a nutshell:  A guinea pig leaves home to become a movie star and finds that fame isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Charlie’s family looks all over when they find him missing and all they find is a note letting them know that he’s gone to the coast and a newspaper article about pigs being big in Hollywood.  We see Charlie on a plane, enjoying a vegetarian lunch and heading for Los Angeles.  He takes a studio tour and then sneaks away to go to the casting office.  He is given lines and asked to act like a man with a broken heart.  After being asked to dye his fur, he gets the part and the director throws a party in his honor.  At the party, everyone makes a big fuss over him, but he can’t help thinking about the things he misses from home, so he gets his belongings and hops the next flight back.  He and Sophie are happy to be reunited.

Charlie has clearly perfected his sneaking posture.

Author Deborah Blumenthal was prompted to write this book when her daughter, Sophie, asked her to write a book about their guinea pig, Charlie.  I imagine that the real Sophie really loved reading this story about her pet, but I found the plot disjointed and unsatisfying.  At the party, for example, he is looking all over for Fruity-Nut Buffet, which is very important to him, and which he assumed would be there, even though it hasn’t been mentioned at all up to this point in the book.  When I got to that part, I went back and re-read, looking to see what I had missed about the significance of Fruity-Nut Buffet and was surprised to find nothing there.  It just felt odd.

Illustrator Denise Brunkus is best known for the Junie B. Jones book series and her artwork here shares the same humor and cartoonish nature.  The artwork is light and fun, and does a good job of showing us the superficiality of Hollywood and the reasons that Charlie gets so fed up with it.  I like the little detail of dyed-black Charlie imagining himself back home with Sophie in his tan fur, as though it’s another version of himself.   The artwork was cute, but overall this book didn’t make much of an impression on me.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that success takes hard work and sacrifice.  If what you’re getting isn’t worth what you’re giving up, it’s time to rethink your definition of success.