Book Reviews
Ringing In the New Year With Books

by Mary Quattlebaum

Blustery weather makes this the perfect month to curl up with a good book or embark on creative projects inspired by the following titles.

Writers of all ages will empathize with the narrator of A Story With Pictures (Holiday House, 2007, ages 6 and up, $16.95). Local author Barbara Kanninen debuts with a laugh-out-loud tale of a writer rapidly losing control of her text. First come pictures of a completely irrelevant duck and dragon, and then the writer herself becomes a character. Eventually, the writer concludes that she likes this turn of events and decides to revise accordingly, creating "a new story about an author who has no idea what's supposed to happen in her book." The pages crackle with energy, thanks to bold acrylics by Lynn Rowe Reed. Kids will love the wacky premise, circular plot and quirky illustrations.

In Little Rat Makes Music (Harcourt, 2007, ages 4 to 7, $15), the title character wrestles with a common problem: She wants to play beautiful songs but doesn't want to practice. In fact, "getting herself to do it was like wrestling a goat." Author Monika Bang-Campbell evokes well the many mixed feelings around this issue. Over time, Little Rat manages to delay immediate gratification (painting her toenails, talking with friends) for the eventual pleasure of playing a concert duet with an advanced student. Molly Bang's illustrations, rendered in pencil, gouache and watercolor, convey Little Rat's emotions with humor and insight, from her embarrassment at her mom's singing in public, to her grouchiness when practicing to her eventual pride in creating something beautiful.

Like many kids, Gabe Livingston is in a hurry to grow up, to be somebody. Should he be the next Jacques Cousteau or the next Steven Spielberg? With humor and compassion, Maryland author Debbie Levy explores the sixth grader's changing feelings about family, friends and self in Underwater (Darby Creek, 2007, ages 9 to 12, $16.95). In setting up his own aquarium, making a video with a friend and helping out at the Tanks for You fish store, Gabe begins to master skills important to him. When he gets teased for his interests and messes up at a swim meet, Gabe learns about setbacks and perseverance. Young readers will relate to Gabe's ups and downs and cheer his self-aware ambition at the novel's end to "just be the next Gabe Livingston."

Two intrepid newspaper editors take on tough middle-school issues in Adam Canfield: Watch Your Back (Candlewick, 2007, ages 8 to 12, $15.95). In this funny, action-packed novel, Adam and Jennifer report on school bullies, a corrupt science fair and the racial and class issues spurring gentrification of a nearby neighborhood. Author Michael Winerip credits his young characters (and readers) with the desire to address complex matters that affect both their school and the larger society. In the end, the student newspaper is shut down because of a controversial story. A Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter himself, Winerip provides no easy answers. Instead, his situations - fraught with missteps and ethical nuance - will keep young readers wondering not just what happens next but what they might have done differently.

In One Thousand Tracings: Healing the Wounds of World War II (Hyperion, 2007, ages 6 and up, $15.99), author/illustrator Lita Judge shows how one American family's acts of kindness ripple across an entire community. This story-in-poems, drawn from Judge's family history, opens in winter 1946. The war is over and Mama reflects on the vanquished Germans. Knowing they are starving and cold, she mails cans of meat, sugar, tea, "wool socks, sweaters, and her own winter coat." A German family sends thanks and a plea to help others, along with one hundred foot tracings. "How would we find shoes for everyone?" the young narrator wonders. The little girl and her mother enlist the help of American friends, and soon they, too, are knitting socks and gathering hand-me-down clothing and shoes to send overseas. Judge illustrates her free-verse poems with watercolors that evoke that era of hardship and hope and with collages that use vintage photographs and the actual tracings. This powerful book will speak to readers across generations.

Adult lovers of children's books will relish the trip down memory lane offered by Golden Legacy (Random House, 2007, adult, $40). Acclaimed scholar Leonard Marcus explores the history and cultural value of Little Golden Books, the inexpensive picture books that delighted young baby boomers. Initially priced in 1942 at 25 cents and readily available in grocery, department and drug stores, such titles as The Poky Little Puppy, Mister Dog and The Tawny Scrawny Lion entered American homes by the millions. For the first time, parents of even modest means could afford visually appealing books for their youngsters. Moreover, Golden Books drew from, and even launched, some of the finest talent of the time, including Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, Leonard Wiesgard, Garth Williams, Eloise Wilkin and Gustaf Tenggren. Though floundering under poor management in the 1980s and ‘90s, the company is now poised as a Random House imprint to reach a new generation. Beautifully illustrated throughout with color artwork, book covers and period photos.

Intriguing facts abound in Smart-opedia: The Amazing Book About Everything (Maple Tree Press, 2007, ages 8 to 12, $22.95). Colorful cartoons, captions, fact boxes and timelines come together in double-page spreads devoted to particular topics, including animal communication, the human body, human rights and the continents (to name a few). Those searching for specific information can refer to the table of contents and index, but the visually stimulating layout makes this a delightful book to dip into as well.

Mary Quattlebaum is a mother and the author most recently of Sparks Fly High, a Colonial American folktale, and Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose, a chapter book. You can contact Mary at www.maryquattlebaum.com, which has information on her 15 award-winning children's books and presentations at schools and conferences.