August 2010
Book Reviews
Travels With Books
Learn About Other Countries and Cultures
By Mary Quattlebaum
babies/toddlers
Hugs and Kisses
by Christophe Loupy, illustrated by Eve Tharlet.
NorthSouth, 2005 board book, $6.95
French author-and-illustrator team Christophe Loupy and Eve Tharlet have created a board book perfect for tots. A friendly pup named Hugs sets out to acquire some firsthand information about kisses. Going by turns to a duck, pig, horse and butterfly, he discovers that each bestows a very different kiss. For example, the duck's kiss is a "bit hard, but quite refreshing," whereas the butterfly gives one that "tickles." The expressive animal featured on each double-page spread includes a bit of touch-and-feel material to correspond to its kiss, including the soft fuzz in the ear of the mother dog whose kisses, according to Hugs, are the best. Playful and sweet, this one will engage a tot's fingers and heart.
ages 3 - 6
Namaste!
by Diana Cohn, illustrated by Amy Cordova.
SteinerBooks, 2009, $17.95
This lovely picture book invites readers into Nima Sherpa's village "at the top of the world, where the tallest mountain on earth, Chololongma, towers above the clouds." Nima's father is a guide to that very mountain (also known as Everest), and the girl sees him off for a trek after lighting incense, offering blessings and breakfasting on porridge and yak butter tea. On her way to and from school, Nima greets porters, domestic yaks, Buddhist monks and an elderly friend with a slight bow and the word "Namaste," which means, "The light in me meets the light in you." As she does, Nima remembers her mother's morning advice: "Try to see the special spark of light that shines within every person's heart." Rich in color and detail, Amy Cordova's acrylic paintings depict the goats, prayer flags, clothing and butterflies of the mountain village and complement Diana Cohn's lyrical, warm-toned prose. An afterword by Ang Rita Sherpa provides additional information on the country of Nepal, the Himalayas and the Sherpa people.
The Beckoning Cat
by Koko Nishizuka, illustrated by Rosanne Litzinger. Holiday House, 2009, $16.95
Have you ever noticed the white "beckoning" cats in Asian restaurants? We even have one in our home, courtesy of a neighborhood shop that sells gifts from around the world. In The Beckoning Cat, author Koko Nishizuka shares the Japanese folktale behind these whimsical figures. Opening the door one rainy night, Yohei, a young fishmonger, discovers a hungry white cat with whom he shares his meager bowl of rice. The grateful cat finds a way to repay this kindness. When Yohei's father becomes ill and the boy must stay home to nurse him, the cat scampers into the village. There she raises one paw, beckoning neighbors to come to Yohei's house and buy the fish he can no longer bring to the market. Rosanne Litzinger's soft-toned watercolors beautifully convey the look of an old Japanese village and capture the gentle sensibility of this charmingly told tale of generosity and gratitude.
ages 7 - 11
Amazing Faces
by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Chris Soentpiet. Lee and Low, 2010, $18.95
Vibrant watercolors by Chris Soentpiet celebrate the many cultures and ethnicities that comprise the American experience in this extraordinary anthology edited by Lee Bennett Hopkins. Intriguingly organized, the 16 poems explore a variety of emotions and range over the human lifespan, from the Chinese-American infant featured in "Amazing Face" to the Hispanic grandmother of "Abuela." Jane Medina writes of being bilingual in "Me x 2/Yo x 2," Nikki Grimes describes recess loneliness in "Miss Stone" and Prince Redcloud offers a glimpse of a young soldier's homecoming. The poems speak of unique neighborhoods and landscapes, including Janet Wong's Chinatown where "every other thing is Lucky and every other thing is for tourists" and Pat Mora's desert where las estrellas "wink, wink." Sure to prompt reflection and writing about one's own family and experiences.
The King Who Barked
by Charlotte Foltz Jones, illustrated by Yayo. Holiday House, 2009, $16.95
This fun, fact-filled book puts a new spin on tales of the animal kingdom by taking a look at 15 animals who, literally, had their own kingdoms. That's right, these critters actually ruled. Two thousand years ago, Ethiopia's dog king governed by barking, seen as a gesture of anger, and tail wagging, interpreted as "pleasure." In 1854, a white elephant became a prince of Siam (now Thailand) and received a gold crown and tusk rings. And in 1986, a goat named Henry Clay was elected mayor of Lajitas, Texas, and served until his death six years later. Charlotte Foltz Jones's lively prose is well matched by Yayo's exuberant acrylic artwork. One colorful illustration shows a pooch recumbent in a doghouse with crown and scepter nearby, another depicts a goat leading a victory band of cowboy-booted lizards.
ages 12 and up
Paper Daughter
by Jeanette Ingold. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010, $17
Author Jeanette Ingold brings together past and present in this fascinating mystery set in Seattle. Mourning the recent death of her reporter dad, Maggie Chen, 16, throws herself into an internship at the newspaper where he worked. As she investigates one story, Maggie begins to uncover facts about her father that don't mesh with the family history she knows. Was Dad involved in a crime? Was his death an accident, as she had first thought, or was he killed to hush him up? Interwoven with Maggie's story is the 1930s tale of a man who, with his twin sister, discovers a secret way to circumvent the era's harsh exclusionary laws and emigrate from China to America. The two stories converge dramatically as Maggie gets ever closer to the truth of her father's (and her own) actual identity.
Secret Keeper
by Mitali Perkins. Delacorte, 2009, $8.99 pbk.
Spunky Asha, 16, promised her father that she would look after her mother and beautiful older sister, Reet, when a job loss forces him to leave their home in India for work in New York City. But the move from Delhi to the more gender-stratified household of her uncle in Calcutta proves taxing. To escape the constraints and family tension, Asha often slips away to the rooftop to share her frustrations and dreams--of studying psychology and playing tennis--with her diary, the Secret Keeper. There she befriends the neighbor boy, Jay, a quirky, talented painter. But though things are changing for women in 1970s America, Asha knows tradition-bound India will keep her from her dreams and Jay. Smart, spirited Asha proves as engaging as iconic literary heroes Jo March and Anne Shirley in her determination to create a life that cuts against societal norms.
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. Contact Mary through maryquattlebaum.com, which has information on her 15 award-winning children's books, school presentations and writing workshops.