Tough Cookie

Written by Kate Louise, Illustrated by Grace Sandford

Sky Pony Press, 2015

This is no ordinary gingerbread man.

The plot in a nutshell:  A cookie overcomes his own perceived limitation.

The gingerbread man is accidentally made without ginger, so he doesn’t feel like a real gingerbread man. He stays in the back of the baker’s shop and makes lots of trouble, eating candy and making a mess with sprinkles and frosting. The baker gets frustrated and tells the gingerbread man to leave. The gingerbread man tells him that he wants to stay, so the baker shows him that he can still be kind and thoughtful to others, even if he feels incomplete himself. The gingerbread man starts helping the baker make and decorate his creations and he always remembers to add the ginger.

Author Kate Louise is also a writer of young adult novels (as Kate Ormond) and I have a real admiration for authors who can be successful at writing for different age groups simultaneously. The premise of this book is really interesting and the message is superbly conveyed. The idea that, regardless of your physical restrictions or emotional baggage, you have some choice in how you behave and treat others is an important statement for people of all ages to keep in mind. And we see that being kind to others fulfills the part of the gingerbread man that was missing and makes him happier, as kindness to others usually does.

Creating and embellishing is always better than destroying.

The artwork, from Grace Sandford, presents this story at the gingerbread man’s eye level, so we never see the baker’s face, which is somehow just perfect. Of course there are lots of colorful candies and blobs of frosting to give this story a real sense of whimsy, but the gingerbread cookie’s faces are full of emotions and it’s rewarding to see the main character’s expressions change from angry to remorseful to genuinely happy and loved. I really enjoyed this story.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that the things that shaped you don’t have to define you for life. You always have the choice to be kind and helpful.

Queen on Wednesday

Written and Illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2014

On Wednesday, Thelma was bored.

The plot in a nutshell:  A girl invents her new life as a queen.

Because Thelma is bored, she decides to become a queen. She announces her new position, chooses royal pets and sits for a portrait. She hires assistants and a carriage, and then searches for a castle. She looks for a qualified maid and animal trainer. When she starts to feel faint, she remembers that she doesn’t have a royal cook. She keeps acquiring specialists until she realizes that she doesn’t have enough beds for all them and she gives up her crown. But the following Wednesday, she is bored again.

She should choose a llama.

Author/illustrator Gabi Swiatkowska has illustrated several picture books for other authors, but this is her first published book as an author. The story is pretty comical and should resonate pretty easily with imaginative kids. Thelma is creative and comprehensive during her stint at being queen, drawing from her available resources and clearly improvising when she needs to. The artwork has a vintage appearance, but also seems kind of dreamlike, so it’s up to the reader to determine how much of the book is entirely in Thelma’s imagination. My initial response to this book was that it was perhaps a little too quirky for me, but I warmed up to it quickly on subsequent readings.  And I really love that the book ends exactly where we started, prompting the reader to wonder what next great adventure Thelma has planned for the following week.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that every life, even the one you think is perfect, has its moments of boredom.

Armadillo Rodeo

Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett

J.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1995

“Armadillos, one, two, three – Bo! Let’s go,” Ma Armadillo called to her boys as they headed out to dig, deep in the heart of Texas hill country.

Plot in a Nutshell: An armadillo has a western adventure.

Bo Armadillo wanders away from his mama to follow a lizard and he comes across Harmony Jean on her way to the rodeo in her new red cowboy boots. She splashes in the mud to help her boots look more broken-in and Bo mistakes one of them for a red armadillo. Harmony Jean heads on her way and Bo follows, calling for his new friend to wait up. Bo follows Harmony Jean onto the back of her bronco, which bucks and tosses him into the air. He spies his shiny new armadillo friend hearing for the Bar-B-Q and gets to eat a jalapeno pepper. He follows her into the barn where the music is being played and gets kicked up by a dancing foot. Later, by the campfire, Harmony Jean removes her boots and Bo tries to introduce himself, but discovers that it’s not an armadillo at all. He wails and his mother hears his voice and comes to bring him home.

Sometimes I go to look up information on a book or an author and it’s hard to find anything at all. With author/illustrator Jan Brett, I know this will never be the case. Ms. Brett’s website is a treasure trove of background information and behind the scenes details that always give me the sense that she loves everything about the process of creating picture books. The pages for this book on her site tell the story of her first visit to Texas and her encounter with a nine-banded armadillo that inspired this story. She tells her visitors all about these funny animals and the Western landscape that she used as the setting for her story.

I think Bo believes the other armadillo might be wearing too much makeup.

As always, the main story illustrations are framed by themed borders featuring inset illustrations that tell us more about what’s going on outside of what we’re seeing. In this case, we see Bo’s mother and brothers searching for him and encountering all sorts of local wildlife in the process. The framework has the appearance of being hand-stitched leather and it perfectly suits the story’s atmosphere. Ms. Brett based the ranch, the horses and even the character of Harmony Jean on real places and people and she includes information about them on her website. As a fan of armadillos, I really enjoyed this book and would highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in all things western.

And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that it’s a good idea to look very closely at someone (or something) before following them too far.

Who Needs Donuts?

Written and Illustrated by Mark Alan Stamaty

Alfred A. Knopf, 1973

Sam lived with his family in a nice house.

The plot in a nutshell: A boy discovers what he really needs.

Sam wants lots and lots of donuts, so he rides his tricycle to New York City to look for them. He meets Mr. Bikferd, who collects donuts, and he asks Sam to help him. An old woman sees them with their wagon full of donuts and asks them, “Who needs donuts when you’ve got love?” They keep collecting donuts until their wagon breaks and then they go in search of a repairman. When they find a repairman, Sam helps him fix the wagon and Mr. Bikferd falls in love with the woman in front of the repair shop. They run away together, leaving all the donuts to Sam. The same old woman sees them and repeats her question, then goes home to her basement apartment to sleep. But the coffee factory next door has an accident, flooding her apartment. Sam hears her cries for help and dumps all the donuts through her window. They soak up the coffee, saving her life. She offers him money to buy more donuts, but Sam tells her he doesn’t need donuts because he has love and he goes back home to his family.

If you want to read a book that feels like the 1970’s in a nutshell, this one might be a good choice. It’s simultaneously all over the place and yet completely focused. The story is odd, but very compelling and people who started looking at ALL the details in the artwork when it was published in 1973 are only finishing right about now. Author/illustrator Mark Alan Stamaty is a cartoonist whose political cartoons have graced the covers and pages of many magazines and websites. This was his first picture book for children and it was followed by several others. I had never seen or read the book before, but it was clear from only a bit of online research that it has an almost cult following and it isn’t too hard to see why.

That’s Sam on the tricycle close to the bottom left hand side.

The absurd elements of the story are outstripped by the bizarreness in the artwork, but it’s the kind of bizarreness that you find fascinating and can’t stop exploring. Hidden in the amazingly busy cityscapes are signs (‘The Lone Hot Dog Snack Bar – cooking the same dried-up hot dog since 1932”) and ads and flyers and people and animals. Sam and the people he meets are just a small part of it. Yet the simple repeated refrain of ‘who needs donuts when you’ve got love?’ keeps the story’s focus exactly where it needs to be. Block off some time to really delve into this one. A lot of time.

And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that when you have love, you have almost everything you truly need.

Madam President

Written and Illustrated by Lane Smith

Hyperion Books for Children, 2008

A president has many duties.

The plot in a nutshell:  A young girl copes with presidential duties.

The main character, Katy, runs through a list of responsibilities she has as President. They include giving executive orders (i.e., asking for more waffles), approving lunch, kissing babies, negotiating treaties (between a fighting cat and dog) and attending state funerals (of a friend’s pet frog). She chooses her cabinet and stays protected at all times, with a Secret Service cat always on the job. She’s a diplomat, but also has privileges such as the ability to veto tuna casserole in the cafeteria. She handles press conferences, keeps the peace and will even clean her room, if necessary, to lead by example. And at the end of the day, if a visiting dignitary stops by when she’s exhausted, she may just have the Vice President handle it.

Bookshelf favorite Lane Smith gives us a great character with big dreams in this delightfully funny story. Katy seems to be somewhat obsessed with presidents and great political figures from history (and considering that he’s written at least two other books about founding fathers and past presidents, I’m assuming Mr. Smith shares that obsession). For Parks & Recreation fans, this book felt like a glimpse of Leslie Knope as a child.

Nice pantsuit, Katy.  🙂

The illustrations provide most of the humor, showing us Katy’s interpretations of her responsibilities. For example, when she chooses her cabinet, we see that it consists mostly of toys, including a piggy bank as Secretary of the Treasury, Mr. Potato Head as Secretary of Agriculture and a sock monkey as Secretary of Naps (is this a job I can apply for?). We also get to see the reactions of those around her who clearly don’t quite get why she is doing all of these things. And if you look closely, you’ll find lots of little nods to former presidents and other people (such as former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt) that Katy admires.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that no matter who does the job, being president is a lot of work.

Note:  I wrote this review in preparation for posting in early November, to celebrate what I thought (and hoped) would be the historic election of our first woman president.  Seems appropriate to post it today, when women are on the forefront of the resistance.

Blue on Blue

Written by Dianne White, Illustrated by Beth Krommes

Beach Lane Books, 2014

Cotton clouds. Morning Light.

The plot in a nutshell: Nature and storms have lots of colors.

In the morning, there are lots of fluffy clouds in the sky and it’s a great day to play outside at the farm. But the weather changes and the sky gets darker. A storm brings lightning, thunder and lots of rain. Slowly, the rain stops, leaving muddy ground all around. When the sun goes down, the moon comes up, bringing new colors into the sky.

This book was set up in a shelf top display at my library and the gorgeous cover caught my attention right away. As you can tell from the summary above, there’s not a lot to the story here, but that certainly doesn’t mean there’s not a lot to this book. In her first book, author Dianne White chooses just the right words to put us in the middle of the farm with this family and experience this rainstorm with them. It goes beyond just telling us what happens, too. We feel all the emotions that come along with a day like this, including the fear of loud thunder crashes and the gloominess of dark skies and dripping rain. The evocative text rhymes beautifully and creates gorgeous mental imagery, all the way from the cotton clouds of morning to the silver night.

I can practically smell that ‘after the rain’ smell.

Of course, it was Beth Krommes’ cover art that drew me to the book in the first place and they are even more beautiful on the inside. The illustrations are done in scratchboard and watercolor and the combination gives the whole book a wonderful folk art feel that is perfect for its farm setting. There are lots of animals in the artwork, including the farm animals and the family pets, and they provide a nice complement to the family. The final image, of a whale leaping from the ocean with the dark night sky above, is just breathtaking. It rained the day I read this book and made me wish I was living on a farm.

And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that, whether you enjoy them or not, there are lots of facets to a rainstorm.

Yeti and the Bird

Written and Illustrated by Nadia Shireen

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2013

Deep in the forest there lived a yeti.

The plot in a nutshell: A misunderstood yeti makes a new friend.

Because Yeti is big and hairy, the other animals are afraid of him and they stay away from him, which makes him feel lonely. One day, a little red bird falls on him. Yeti roars at her, but she just laughs and tells him that she’s on her way to a tropical island to spend the winter. Yeti realizes the bird is lost and takes her home. They play together, laugh together and sing together, but Yeti knows the bird needs to go south because his home is too cold. He helps her plan her trip and says goodbye and is feeling lonely again, and then all the forest animals show up to play with him. Now he is surrounded by new friends and the little bird drops in on her travels from time to time, too.

Author/illustrator Nadia Shireen tells a wonderful story about friendship and acceptance, with the added bonus of an adorably drawn yeti. There’s a fantastic picture at the beginning of the story that says so much about the character of this yeti and his life. The page’s text says that he is the ‘biggest, hairiest, scariest beast anyone had ever seen.’ But the picture shows him walking away from the other forest animals and not threatening them (or even paying attention to them) in any way, which shows us that this threat is entirely in the perception of the animals. When this funny little bird accepts him as he is, the other animals see who he really is. Gosh, that is relevant to so many groups of people in our society.

Isn’t that a beautiful sky?

The mixed media illustrations show us much more than just what we read in the book’s text. As we see Yeti and the bird playing together and coming to the sad realization that they will have to say goodbye, we can see the other forest animals watching, as well. We first see the whole group of them coming to play with Yeti while it’s winter and the snow is covering the ground. Then on the next page, it’s spring and we see them all having a wonderful time together and the beautiful spring colors symbolize the new beginning for all of them. It’s just lovely.

And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that sometimes an offer of friendship can change everything for someone.

Louise, the Adventures of a Chicken

Written by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrated by Harry Bliss

Joanna Cotler Books, 2008

Louise longed for adventure.

The plot in a nutshell:  A chicken travels and has adventures.

Louise leaves her henhouse and goes off to sea on a ship, which is attacked by pirates. The pirates capture her and are arguing about the best way to cook chicken when a storm splits the ship in two. Louise clings to a piece of driftwood and paddles to shore, where she returns home for some rest. On her next adventure, she joins the circus and becomes a high wire walker and nearly has a deadly encounter with a lion. She returns home, gets some rest and sets out for a faraway land, where she is taken prisoner and caged with other chickens. She frees herself and the other chickens and then returns home, where she shares her adventures with her friends.

Author Kate DiCamillo has mostly written for older kids and is likely best known for her Mercy Watson series (about a very special pig) or Because of Winn-Dixie, which won a Newbery Honor. This story is told in four chapters. The first three tell the stories of her three adventures and the fourth is about Louise sharing her adventures with the other hens. The final sentence shows that all of the chickens are now feeling like great adventurers, having listened to her stories. It’s a really nice touch and it emphasizes the impact that a good story can have on you.

Flying up this high must be pretty thrilling for a chicken.

The illustrations, from Harry Bliss, have a very comical tone, but are also detailed and full of action. Mr. Bliss is a cartoonist, which I would have guessed from his artistic style and his ability to convey a lot in just a few images. Louise is shown as taking most of the dangerous elements of her adventures in stride, which the author said is a sign of her being somewhat clueless about the risks of her actions. I enjoyed this book and now, after having also read Peggy – A Brave Chicken on an Adventure, I think there are a lot of chickens out there who are looking for more excitement in their lives.

And what did we learn?  What I take away from this book is that adventures are wonderful and exciting, but a safe and happy life is pretty nifty, too.

Please Open This Book

Written by Adam Lehrhaupt, Illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015

Hello?

The plot in a nutshell: Book characters don’t want the book to close.

A group of animals, mostly monkeys, are waiting in the dark on the first few pages of the book, happy that a reader has opened it up again. They tell us that someone slammed it shut with all of them inside and that some of them got hurt in the process. They ask us to please not close the book again and show us that they’re still fixing damage done to some of the pages. They offer to write a better story and even offer us the last half of their banana. But we keep turning pages toward the end and eventually, we close the book.

This book is a sequel to author Adam Lehrhaupt’s first book, Warning: Do Not Open This Book and as you can tell from the title alone, it’s a very different story. In that book, the same group of monkeys tried to stop someone from reading their story and in this one, they are trying to encourage them to do just the opposite. I am normally a fan of books that cleverly break the fourth wall to talk to the reader, but this one came up a little short for me. It may have been the fact that the characters are basically telling us that we’re causing them harm by continuing to read the book and it’s missing the comic appeal to take the edge off that.

These monkeys could use a good building contractor.

Matthew Forsythe’s digital illustrations are colorfully set against fully black pages of darkness and I love the contrast. There are several different species of primates depicted here, including mandrills, lemurs and orangutans and they are cute and playful. I like the way that these animals interact with each other, the reader and the book itself in places. But I’ve read picture books that did this more creatively and made it more cooperative instead of antagonistic.

And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that story characters can seem very real whenever we are really engrossed in a book.

Cloud Country

Written by Bonny Becker, Illustrated by Noah Klocek

Disney Hyperion, 2015

Gale floated on a warm breeze, watching the Land Below.

The plot in a nutshell: A young cloud makes whimsical formations.

Gale loves looking at the Land Below instead of practicing cloud shapes for the final test at Formation School. She does some last minute attempts, trying to create a perfect cumulonimbus cloud, but she makes an elephant and a lamb instead. At the graduation ceremony, the other students make wispy clouds and swirly funnel clouds, but when it’s Gale’s turn, she makes clouds shaped like a tugboat and a dog. Frustrated, she begins to cry and tells the Guardians that all her shapes turn out to look like things from the Land Below. The oldest Guardian tells her that she’s a Daydream Cloud and that she will make shapes for people to daydream on in the Land Below. Gale is overjoyed.

This book was the second release in the Pixar Animation Studios Artist Showcase series, which features original stories and artwork from Pixar artists and animators. Artist Noah Klocek came up with the story and collaborated with writer Bonny Becker to write the book’s actual text. The story here is wonderful and inspiring, with a really beautiful ending that may have your little ones spending more time gazing at the clouds (and that’s never a bad thing).

The oldest cloud looks like Santa Claus.

But this is an artist’s showcase book for a reason and the artwork here really is something special. Mr. Klocek posted some videos on his blog about the creation of this book and it was really interesting to learn about his process, particularly in the way he used his sketchbooks to help him create and set up the story. His color palette is gorgeous, using the shadows and natural light that you’d find in a cloud world to reflect the moods of his characters. The characters are drawn so perfectly that you have a real sense of their substance and how they would move and feel, which is saying something, considering that they’re all clouds. I loved it.

And what did we learn? What I take away from this book is that the world needs people to do the big crucial things, but it also needs artist and dreamers to make it wonderful.