Wake up, House!: Rooms Full of Poems
By Dee Lillegard. Illustrated by Don Carter. Alfred A. Knopf.
Bright, cheerful short verses for the younger reader describe
common household objects and the house itself as the day progresses
from morning to night. Eye-catching, three-dimensional papier-mache-style
artwork in bold, primary colors. (Ages 2-6)
Water
Written and illustrated by Frank Asch. Gulliver Green/Harcourt
Brace. Simple examples and multihued watercolors of the different
forms water takes--clouds, a tiny brook, what fish breathe--for
the younger reader by a popular children's writer/illustrator.
(Ages 2-6)
Blackberry Booties
By Tricia Gardella. Illustrated by Glo Coalson. Orchard Books.
Mikki Jo is an enterprising, resourceful little girl who barters
buckets of blackberries she's picked with several neighbors;
the end result is a pair of knit booties for her baby cousin.
Soft, expressive watercolor paintings. (Ages 4-7)
Flower Garden
By Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Kathryn Hewitt. Harcourt Brace.
A little girl and her father go shopping and bring the materials
for a windowbox garden home on the bus as a present for mother
in a story told in good-natured rhyming couplets. Sumptuous oil
paintings in mellow earth tones depict blooming flowers as well
as lively urban street scenes of brownstone stoops, rows of shops,
and pigeons on windowsills. (Ages 4-7)
Momma, Where Are You From?
By Marie Bradby. Illustrated by Chris
K. Soentpiet. Orchard Books. Momma reminisces about her childhood
and extended family in lilting, poetic cadences (although the
scenes depicted would seem to reflect Grandma's era more than
Momma's). Chris K. Soentpiet's outstanding, warmly lit paintings
of scenes like a horse-drawn vendor's cart and a rope swing hanging
from a huge shade tree deserve to be singled out for special
mention. (Ages 4-7)
One Lighthouse, One Moon
Written and illustrated by Anita Lobel. Greenwillow Books. This
counting-book story covers days of the week, months of the year,
the four seasons, colors, and cats, painted in densely colored
watermedia and gouache by a veteran author/artist with many awards
to her name. From one cat gazing out a window at a lighthouse
to ten trees bent in the wind, the overall production quality
of this book is very high, with special attention paid to typography
and page layout. (Ages 4-adult)
Spring Thaw
By Steven Schnur. Illustrated by Stacey Schuett. Viking. Story
describes in measured paces the approach of spring to a sprawling
rural farmscape. Thickly layered paintings mirror the thick layers
of melting ice and snow and the interplay of daylight and shadow
on their surfaces. Great care was taken in the making of this
book, and overall print production quality is excellent. A good
gift. (Ages 4-7)
Grandpa's Corner Store
Written and illustrated by DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan. HarperCollins.
Lucy helps her grandpa in his corner grocery store every Saturday,
but after construction begins on a big new supermarket nearby,
Grandpa posts a For Sale sign in his store window. Lucy comes
up with a plan to organize the community to help Grandpa keep
his store. Friends, neighbors, and customers turn out even in
a snowstorm to help. DyAnne DiSalvo-Ryan's heartfelt attitude
toward older urban neighborhoods, close-knit communities, and
extended families is evident throughout the warm narrative of
the book--she even provides a street map of Lucy's town. (Ages
5-8)
Faraway Summer
By Johanna Hurwitz. Morrow Junior Books. In July 1910, twelve-year-old
Dossi Rabinowitz's older sister Ruthi sends Dossi on a Fresh
Air Fund two-week vacation in rural Vermont. Dossi lives in a
tenement on New York City's Lower East Side and has never met
a farm family like that of her hosts, the Meades. Dossi and the
Meade family both benefit from the exposure to a wider world
during their time together. This historical novel, by a veteran
children's writer, is told in the form of Dossi's journal entries
and letters to Ruthi. A subtle, very well-written, and finely
detailed story that employs the decorous language of the period
in which it is set. Recommended. (Ages 8-12)
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt
By C. Coco De Young. Dell Yearling. Eleven-year-old Margo Bandini
lives in a close-knit Italian-American family in Depression-era
Johnstown, Pennsylvania. When the family's house is threatened
with foreclosure, Margo puts her writing skills, resourcefulness,
and courage to work, enlisting the help of "Eleanor Everywhere,"
First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. C. Coco De Young includes a surprising
plot twist involving a female journalist in this warmly written,
slightly idealized historical novel. (Ages 8-12)
Stone Bench in an Empty Park
Selected by Paul B. Janeczko. Photos by Henri Silberman. Orchard
Books. Stylishly designed collection of haiku with a decidedly
urban feel. Haiku from assorted (adult) poets are accompanied
by moody, black-and-white photos of Manhattan and Brooklyn street
scenes-- skyscrapers new and old appear in a burst of open space,
the wind ruffles piles of newspapers at a busy avenue newsstand,
a cobblestone pavement glistens in the rain. (Ages 8-adult)
The Turnabout Shop
By Colby Rodowsky. HarperCollins. When fifth-grader Livvy Lyons's
unconventional mother dies, Livvy moves from New York City to
Baltimore to live with plain, sensible Jessie Barnes, her new
guardian. Although Livvy has many adjustments to make, Jessie
Barnes does have an antique shop; a large extended family; and
an apartment on a block filled with colorful neighbors. As Livvy
becomes absorbed in helping Jessie in the shop, she grows more
accepting of the changes that have occurred in her life. Thoughtful
yet lively and contemporary in tone. (Ages 8-12)
The Hollow Tree
By Janet Lunn. Viking. Historical novel of Revolutionary War
era by veteran Canadian writer chronicles fifteen-year-old Phoebe
Olcott's risky journey on foot from isolated New Hampshire village
to British-controlled Canada to deliver an encoded message to
a commanding officer. Solidly written; meticulously researched,
believable, empathetic characters. (Ages 10-14)
Movin': Teen Poets Take Voice
Edited by Dave Johnson. Illustrated by Chris Raschka. Orchard
Books. Every teenager included in this collection, the result
of a collaboration between the New York Public Library and a
poetry group, is talented and has something original to say;
there are no bad poems in this book. I particularly enjoyed the
contributions by Anny Vanegas, Nadeema Arshad, and Shari Gottleib,
whose sense of rhythm rivals any adult writer's. Teenagers don't
have to live in the NYC area to contribute poetry online to this
ongoing project; see www.nypl.org/branch/teen. (Ages 12-adult)
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