Fall in-Toon Books

Check out these brilliant new early reader releases from Toon Books

Written and Drawn by Henrietta. A Toon Book by Liniers. Toon Books, New York, 2015. Level 3. Highly recommended for ages 5-8.

"A book is like a world you can carry around with you." (frontpiece).

A gift of a box of colored pencils inspires young Henrietta to create her own book: The Monster with Three Heads and Two Hats. As Henrietta writes the story of Emmy, a girl afraid of the dark and eerie night noises, she herself grows frightened. However, both the author and her heroine confront their nighttime fears in this "monstrously" touching and funny story.

Liniers cleverly captures a story within a story while illustrating the writing process and demonstrating how authors struggle with word choice and writer's block. Small comic-style frames, complete with speech bubbles, are inserted into Henrietta's story. In these, young readers can see Henrietta, the author, at work as her story unfolds on larger, often two-page spreads. Henrietta tells the story of Emma's encounter with the monster in simple sentences and with brightly colored, child-like drawings..

Humorous techniques abound: the story and characters freeze as Henrietta struggles with "writer's block" (pp. 20-21), while Fellini, her cat, adds his gently sarcastic comments: "the messy closet-that's based on real life ...right?" (p. 23)

And don't forget to visit Liniers website, Por Liniers.

Flop to the Top. A Toon Book by Eleanor Davis and Drew Weing. Toon Books, New York, 2105. Level 3. Highly recommended for ages 5-8. 

One self-centered girl learns a lesson about the value of putting family ahead of self and fame.

Wanda the "wanda-ful" thinks she's a superstar. She posts a multitude of selfies (some with her fans who are really her objecting brother and sister), dresses up,  practices walking down a red carpet in her home, and watches celebrity news. She's way too busy imagining the flash of cameras and the roar of the crowds to play with her younger brother and sister.

Her selfie with Wilbur the dog goes viral when posted. But, she’s shocked to discover that the media attention is not for her:

“We want  FLOPPY DOG” roars the picture-snapping crowd outside her home

Wilbur’s fame and celebrity takes off as Wanda struggles to draw attention to herself. He’s even chosen to appear on Wanda’s favorite celebrity show The Star Show. After following Wilbur around on his night on the town, Wanda admits she’s his “number one fan” before beefy security guards drag her away. The passive Wilbur watches as she dragged away by two beefy security guards. Then bounds after her (after chomping up the contract).

The next day, when she settles in to her usual routine and brushes off her siblings request to play, the usually silent Wilbur, "wurfs" a gentle reminder. She switches off the TV to join her “new superstars” in play. The pictures she now takes are of her brother and sister. An lesson about the importance of family gently and humorously told.

The illustrators brilliantly use the inside front cover to display  “The Many Faces of Floppy Dog” giving the reader hilarious insight into Wilbur’s personality. Regardless of whether he's confused sleepy, happy or nervous, his expression is the same: a somber droopy eyed dog. The brightly colored illustrations capture the energy of the story's ebullient characters.

Eleanor Davis is the author of another Toon book, Stinky,  and co-author, with her husband Drew Weing, of the graphic novel, The Secret Alliance and the Copy Cat Crook. Visit her website to learn more about work.  Visit Drew and read online The Creepy Casefiles of Margo Maloo

Back matter in both books includes author information and a valuable essay on tips for parents and teachers on "How to Read Comics with Kids." Visit the Toon Books website for a wealth of free materials to accompany all their books: cartoon makers, lesson plans, and more.

Thanks to Toon Books for giving me the privilege of reviewing their Fall 2015 lineup.

Cold War on Maplewood Street

Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2015. Highly recommended for ages 8-12.

War was something that happened in other countries, not here in the United States. Not in Chicago on Maplewood Street (p. 21).

On October 22, 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered a televised address to  the American people about the discovery of Soviet nuclear tipped missiles in Cuba and his response to that threat: a naval blockade of the island. In the tense days that followed, U.S. and Soviet warships sped to the island and the two Cold War superpowers stood “eyeball to eyeball”. The world hovered at the edge of a nuclear precipice.

As the story in Cold War on Maplewood Street unfolds, we meet sixth grader Joanna who loves her dog, Dixie, horses, and mystery books. She lives with her single mom in a basement apartment. Her beloved older brother, Sam, is in the Navy and her best friend, Pam, lives upstairs.  She is attracted to the new student in her class, Theo, but too embarrassed to talk to him. However, Joanna has a lot to worry about. A latchkey child, she’s home alone frequently after school and fears that robbers may break into her basement apartment. She wonders about the strange lady in the upstairs apartment who always seems to be watching Joanna from her window ...  could the old lady be a spy? She misses Sam, but won’t write to him or read his letters, because he broke his promise to her that he would never leave like her father did. One of the popular girls in school is having a boy-girl party that Joanna’s mom feels she’s too young to attend.

President Kennedy’s televised speech triggers unpleasant memories of her father and the disastrous last visit she had with Sam. As tensions mount between the two superpowers, fears at home grow. People begin to stockpile supplies and students practice air raid drills at school. Joanna worries about her brother’s safety and she finally begins writing to him. But he does not reply? Has he given up on her? Or is his ship involved in the  blockade?

Want to know more? Please see my full review at Good Reads with Ronna. Thanks to Ronna Mandel for letting me keep the review copy for my library.

Move over Moose, Lizzie's got something to say

Chasing Secrets by Gennifer Choldenko. Penguin/Random House. 2015. Recommended for ages 8-12.

Lizzie Kennedy,13, lives in a house on her aunt and uncle’s fashionable Nob Hill estate with her widowed father and her brother, Billy, 16, once her best friend, but now surly and secretive. Their beloved servants, Jing and Maggy, also reside with them.

A brief prologue gives the readers some insight into Lizzie’s world at the dawn of the 20th century and the ominous developments to come:

“In the Palace Hotel, electric lights blaze as ladies in shimmering gowns and gentlemen in black waistcoats waltz in a ballroom gilded with gold.

In the bay, a steamer from Honolulu is fumigated, scrubbed, and smoked … and given entry to the port of San Francisco.

At the dock … rats slip off the ship. They scurry onto the wharf and climb the sewers to Chinatown …”

Thanks to her aunt and uncle’s wealth, Lizzie is able to live a fairly privileged life. However, her strict and proper Aunt Hortense insists that she attend finishing school. Lizzie is not interested in becoming a society lady. She’d prefers science to etiquette, and, much to Aunt Hortense’s chagrin, enjoys assisting her doctor father with his house calls

Stories begin to surface about the large numbers of dead rats found in Chinatown, and soon that community is quarantined. Despite her father’s and her uncle’s insistence that there is no plague and the quarantine is unjustified, Lizzie has her doubts. One day she discovers that Jing has smuggled his son Noah out of Chinatown and has secretly hidden him in the servants quarters. However Jing is now missing. Did he get caught up in the quarantine … or something worse? Stunned by the discovery that Jing has a secret life, she promises the frightened boy that she’ll help keep his secret and try to find out what has happened to his father.

As dead rats and plague rumors mount, Lizzie boldly attempts to determine the veracity of the plague rumors and secretly undertakes some dangerous trips to Chinatown to find Jing.  Her friendship with Noah and her trips to Chinatown, help her realize the gender, racial, and class inequalities which exist in her society.  When Lizzie realizes she can’t find Jing on her own and illness strikes close to home, help comes from some surprising quarters ...

Please read my full review at Good Reads with Ronna. Thanks To Ronna Mandel for allowing me to review the book and keep the copy for my library.

Why We Love Hedwig and Pigwidgeon

Owls; our most charming bird. Written and illustrated by Matt Sewell. Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House. Release date: September 22, 2015.

British author, street artist and "birder," Matt Sewell shares his love and passion for owls by presenting brief narratives of fifty owls from all over the world. In a forward to the book, Martin Noble notes the world's fascination with these creature spans history and cultures.

However, this is less a field guide or informational book but rather this artist's celebration of one of his favorite birds. Short entries on each owl discuss folklore, cultural beliefs, or symbolism attributed by humans to this owl. The Woodland Barnyard owl is associated with misfortune. Conversely, the Little Owl is associated with Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom, and symbolizes wisdom and good fortune. The book is organized by habitat (Woodland, Tropical, Wilderness, etc.). Each narrative includes the owl's scientific name, a short description focusing on a prominent feature or features of that owl (the huge and distinctive eyebrows of the Crested owl) and approximate size and general location. Most of the entries are accompanied by Sewell's distinctive, stylized watercolors,  familiar to readers of his earlier books and to those who have seen his graphic designs on products and large street murals. The author's charming and quirky characterizations of each owl will certainly delight readers of all ages: he humorously comments on and depicts the scruffy appearance of the Tawny owl and the scowling face of a Long eared owl. 

Sewell concludes the book with a note on "Spotting and Jotting" (how to look for and keep track of owls) and a lovely thumbnail watercolor of each of the owls in the book. 

Sewell's love for and fascination with birds comes through on each page and his humorous observations and delightful watercolors make this a charming gift for birders of all ages. Also highly recommended for libraries with visual art collections and where interest in birding is high. 

Visit  Sewell's website to see more of his work. Check out a few videos on YouTube: the book trailer for Our Garden Birds (Ebury Press) and a 2014 interview. Be sure to visit Ten Speed Press (Penguin Random House) to learn more about this book and other titles published by this press.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ten Speed Press for giving me access to the e-galley.

A Block(buster) of a Book

DINOBLOCK by Christopher Franceschelli with artwork by Peskimo. Abrams Appleseed, 2015. $16.95.

If you have a budding young paleontologist (and even even if you don't),  this book's inventive and colorful graphic design will delight and engage both children and adults. 

Two children  stop by the museum to "meet the dinosaurs" as the banner outside proclaims. Wait .... don't be quick to turn the page: the first two pages fold out to form a four-page spread of the diorama-style exhibit. 

But the children want to know:

WHO ARE THE DINOSAURS? 

and 

WHERE ARE THE DINOSAURS?

And the dinosaurs, peeking out from the jungle brush, call out:

HERE WE ARE

Pairs of two-page spreads combine to create clues and answers, comparing the characteristics of contemporary objects with dinosaur features. The design of the "clue" spread interacts with the "answer" spread and links the present to past. 

A tall building is compared to the Sauroposeidon, a dinosaur which reached heights of 18 meters (almost 60 feet).   

I AM TALL LIKE A SIX-STORY BUILDING ...

The straight-edged tab on the shared page of the clue and the answer emphasizes both the building's height and the long neck of the Sauroposeidon and gives children a peek into the prehistoric environment ...

Visit  Good Reads with Ronna to see the full review and find links to resources about the author and the illustrators.