November 2009
Book Reviews
Books for Giving Thanks
Family, feasts, friends and frolic.
By Mary Quattlebaum
babies/toddlers
Richard Scarry’s This Is Me
by Richard Scarry. Sterling, 2008, $6.95
A big “thank you” to Sterling, a publishing company planning to bring back a bevy of long out-of-print Richard Scarry titles. Now a whole new generation can enjoy Scarry’s winsome critters and playful texts, which once figured in more than 300 books and sold more than 200 million copies. In this sturdy board book, the friendly piglet in each double-page spread introduces little ones to the many things he (and they) can do and wear, including underpants rather than diapers. “I can listen,” he says. “I can eat. I can brush my teeth.” The book gently encourages tots, through example, to take that next step, to show “I’m no longer a baby” (to quote one of the page titles) and helps them learn new words in context.
ages 3 - 7
Aunt Matilda’s Almost-Boring Party
by Jane Morris Udovic, illustrated by David Udovic. Front Street, 2009, $16.95
Local author Jane Morris Udovic serves up some delicious fun in this rhyming picture book. Crammed into a suit and tie, the young narrator complains about having to attend an “oh-so-perfect” party hosted by Great-Aunt Matilda. The lady herself, complete with pearls and Roman nose, seems the height of boring respectability--but there’s a twinkle in those bespectacled eyes, beguilingly painted by illustrator David Udovic (the author’s brother-in-law). As the party progresses, the little boy drifts off to sleep, dreaming of a custard pie that sails above the dancing adults and “lands … kerplop! … in Auntie’s eye.” Rather than scolding, she promptly picks up another pie and aims--and thus begins a new playful aunt-nephew relationship. Kids will love picking out the many humorous details in the pictures, including a frisky lapdog and pie-holding stone lions.
Duck for Turkey Day
by Jacqueline Jules, illustrated by Kathryn Mitter. Albert Whitman, 2009, $16.99
Tuyet is worried: Her family celebrates Thanksgiving not with turkey but with duck and spicy sauce, a Vietnamese dish that reflects her background. What will the teacher think? Even her turkey-shaped, pinecone centerpiece doesn’t ease Tuyet’s disappointment--until she discovers that her multicultural classmates dine on enchiladas, lamb, roast beef, even tofu. Says the teacher: “It doesn’t matter what you eat on Thanksgiving, as long as you have a good time with family and friends.” Local author Jacqueline Jules pens a tale of tolerance and diversity that will resonate with young students and families no matter their heritage. Illustrator Kathryn Mitter limns a many-hued classroom that adheres not to the melting pot but to the woks, frying pans and vegan casserole dishes of contemporary America.
ages 8 - 12
Pumpkin Butterfly
by Heidi Mordhorst, illustrated by Jenny Reynish. Wordsong/Boyds Mills, 2009, $16.95
Maryland poet Heidi Mordhorst begins her tribute to the seasons with poems rife with autumnal motifs: Pumpkins, the “rusted heat” of fallen leaves and, of course, “frisky whisky” squirrels. Mordhorst’s deft wordplay and carefully honed images cause us to look anew at the stuff of life, including a black cat that is a “howl-yowl queen of prowl,” a wintry sore throat called a “red dragon-horse” and the “pin-thin and brittle” shell of a spring egg. Jenny Reynish’s delicate watercolors capture the look and different moods of each of these 23 free-verse poems. This lyrical treat can be savored year-round, whether you’re curled up by a crackly fire or lounging beneath a summer tree.
Who Stole Grandma’s Million-Dollar Pumpkin Pie?
by Martha Freeman. Holiday House, 2009, $16.95
Best buddies Alex and Yasmeen are back in this Thanksgiving caper, the fourth in the Chickadee Court Mystery series. An old family recipe has been stolen. Without it, how can Alex’s dad be the guest chef on a local TV show? There are actually two mysteries afloat: Who’s the culprit? And what is the secret, code-written ingredient? This lighthearted whodunit mixes nefarious relatives, a too-busy mom, absent-minded dad, curious cat, swapped lunch bags, pumpkin and peanut butter into a lively confection. And it ends with a pass worthy of a Football Hall of Famer that saves the day and the cooking show. To add to the culinary fun, author Martha Freeman includes the recipe, complete with secret ingredient. Mystery pie, anyone?
All the Broken Pieces
by Ann Burg. Scholastic, 2009, $16.99
Matt Pin is thankful for his kind adoptive parents and safe American home. But he worries about his birth mother and younger brother, whom he had to leave behind in Saigon and tries to deal with the racist slurs and mean pranks of a baseball teammate. Complex and haunting, this novel in verse explores Matt’s feelings as he befriends a young wheelchair-bound veteran, makes peace with the angry teammate (whose older brother was killed in Vietnam) and flashes back to the flames, screams and guns of his earlier boyhood. Though Vietnam feels like a “pocketful of broken pieces I carry inside me,” by the end of the book, Matt hopes to return one day to find his lost family. Through vivid details and spare language, author Ann Burg invites young readers into Matt’s world and reveals the struggle to belong in the aftermath of war.
adults
NurtureShock
by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman. Twelve, 2009, $24.99
Award-winning journalists Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman train their sights on our cherished myths of child-rearing and debunk them, one by one. In lively, lucid prose, they carefully weigh and discuss scientific studies related to sleep patterns, gifted programs, the self-esteem movement, teen rebellion and six other areas. Interviews with, and anecdotes supplied by, scientific experts, child psychologists and teachers enliven the findings and provide insight from a variety of perspectives. This is an important, thought-provoking book. The chapter on chronic sleep deprivation alone is worth the price. In comparison to 30 years ago, kids from kindergarten through high school are getting an hour less snooze time, which is negatively impacting IQ, knowledge retention, emotional well-being, attentiveness and weight. The practical implications of such research are obvious--and my own family recently made an important household change: earlier bedtimes for all, regardless of age.
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 humorous chapter book. You can contact her at maryquattlebaum.com, which has information on her 15 award-winning children’s books, school presentations and writing workshops.