Short reviews of new children's books for ages 4-8, 4 & up
Steve Brock
Here are several short reviews of new children's books. All are
written by Steve Brock:
For ages 4-8:
THE PRECIOUS GIFT: A NAVAJO CREATION MYTH by Ellen Jackson,
illustrated by Woodleigh Marx Hubbard. Simon and Schuster, 1230
Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10020, (800) 223-2336, FAX: (212)
698-7007. Illustrated, author's note. 32 pp., $16.00 cloth. 0-
689-80480-6
In this picture-perfect Navajo creation myth, the first people come
up from the underworld through a reed in the ocean. The land they
find, however, is dry as a bone. First Man sends several types of
animals back for the precious one drop of fresh water that will
fill the streams and lakes, but only the shell-less snail is
successful, and he is rewarded with his own water flask to wear on
his back. This illustration of the importance of fresh water to
man is accentuated by Hubbard's spirited goache illustrations which
fill the pages with a whorled sky over a land filled with fresh
forms. Grade: A.
ALMOST FAMOUS DAISY, written and illustrated by Richard Kidd.
Simon and Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY 10020,
(800) 223-2336, FAX: (212) 698-7007. Illustrated, afterword. 32
pp., $16.00 cloth. 0-689-80390-7
A travelogue and art history under one cover, Daisy (along with her
dog Duggie) searches the world to paint her favorite things and
enter the famous painting competition. From each place she visits,
she sends her parents a postcard with a famous painting on the
front: Chagal from Belarus, Gaugin from Tahiti, etc, and in true
Wizard of Oz fashion, guess where she finds her favorite things?
A painterly delight that is almost a masterpiece. Grade: A.
A FRIEND FOR TIGER by Laurence Bourguignon, pictures by Laurence
Henno. Bridgewater Books, 100 Corporate Dr., Mahwah, NJ 07430,
(800) 526-5289, FAX: (201) 529-9347. Illustrated. 32 pp., $14.95
cloth. 0-8167-3907-2
William, a rabbit, is excited at the prospect of going to the
circus and seeing Sultan, the fierce rabbit-eating tiger. From his
front-row seat, though, he sees a lonely, mistreated tiger. When
the act is over, people throw flowers to the ringmaster, but
William throws his favorite toy - a stuffed tiger - to Sultan.
Later that night, William sneaks back to the circus and finds
Sultan curled up with the toy. The warm, compassionate story is
highlighted by Henno's muted and atmospheric illustrations, with
the foreground action lit up as if by floodlights. This is an
impressive debut by both author and illustrator. Grade: A.
ART ACTIVITY PACKS: MATISSE, CEZANNE, MONET, VAN GOGH by Mila
Boutan. Chronicle Books, 275 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA
94103, (800) 722-6657, (800) 445-7577 in CA, (415) 777-8887 FAX.
Illustrated book, stencils, posters. $9.95 each. Matisse is 0-
8118-1310-X, Cezanne is 0-8118-1333-9, Monet is 0-8118-1335-5, Van
Gogh is 0-8118-1312-6.
Created in conjunction with the Musee d'Orsay in Paris, these four
activity packs show children how to think like each artist and to
use the techniques or each to create their own works. The Cezanne,
Monet, and Van Gogh art packs contain a poster to color in. All
four will create quite an impression. Grade: B+.
DOMINO ADDITION by Lynette Long. Charlesbridge Publishing, 85 Main
Street, Watertown, MA 02172, (617) 926-0329, (617) 926-5720 FAX.
Illustrated. 32 pp., $14.95 cloth (0-88106-878-0), $6.95 paper (0-
88106-877-2).
A straightforward demonstration of adding together the spots on a
domino (from zero to twelve) and identifying numbered tiles, with
each answer on the next page. Recommended for both homes and
classrooms, but the book would be much more fun if it came with a
real set of dominoes. Grade: B.
DESERT TRIP by Barbara A. Steiner, illustrated by Ronald Himler.
Sierra Club Books for Children, 100 Bush Street, 13th Floor, San
Francisco, CA 94104, (415) 291-1600, (415) 291-1602 FAX. Illus-
trated. 32 pp., $16.95 cloth. 0-87156-581-1
Inspired by the author's trip to Canyonlands National Park in Utah,
this is a young girl's story of an overnight trip to the desert
("the quietest place I've ever been") with her mother. As they
walk along the trail, the girl learns that a desert isn't just
sand, but is abundant in plant and animal life. Though the campers
should have boiled the water they drank from a pool, readers will
be glad they were able to tag along with this inspiring duo.
Himler's watercolors make the towering canyon walls shimmer in red,
yellow, and orange. Grade: A.
INTO MY HEART: A TREASURY OF SONGS AND RHYMES, compiled and written
by Mary Hollingsworth, illustrated by Angela Jarecki. Gold 'n'
Honey/Questar Books, P.O. Box 1720, Sisters, OR 97759, (800) 929-
0910. Illustrated. 74 pp., $14.99 cloth. 0-88070-910-3
This treasury of sixty-four Christian poems and songs features
traditional favorites ("He's Got the World," "The Wise Man Built
His House Upon a Rock"), and adaptations of popular songs ("Ten
Little Christians" sung to "Ten Little Indians" and "Here We Go to
Sunday School" sung to "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush"), many
with hand gestures. Since the music isn't included, however,
children won't be able to sing many of the songs that aren't easily
identifiable. Grade: B-.
A BIRTHDAY PRESENT FOR DANIEL: A CHILD'S STORY OF LOSS by Juliet
Rothman, illustrated by Louise Gish. Prometheus Books, 59 John
Glenn Drive, Amherst, NY 14228, (800) 421-0351. Illustrated. 42
pp., 14.95 cloth. 1-57392-054-1
Rothman's remembrance of a departed child, with family members
throwing a party on its birthday and releasing balloons with
messages, is heartfelt and profound, with universal appeal. Grade:
B+.
OUTRAGEOUS, BODACIOUS BOLIVER BOGGS! by Jo Harper, pictures by
JoAnn Adinolfi. Simon and Schuster, 1230 Avenue of the Americas,
N.Y., NY 10020, (800) 223-2336, FAX: (212) 698-7007. Illustrated.
32 pp., $15.00 cloth. 0-689-80504-7
Boliver Boggs is constantly late for school, but he always has an
excuse. He had to fight off two rattlesnakes. He got caught in
the hug of a huge bear. And wildest of all: he was accosted by a
purple monster with a green prickly tail. And just when Boliver's
teacher is ready to mete out some pure-d punishment, guess what
appears at the window? Though the story ends abruptly and the one-
dimensional goache, watercolor and pastel illustrations don't
support the spirited text, children will love yelling "on with the
story Boliver Boggs!" Grade: B-.
For ages 4 and up:
WHEN WE MARRIED GARY, written and illustrated by Anna Grossnickle
Hines. Greenwillow Books, 1350 Avenue of the Americas, N.Y., NY
10019, (800) 843-9389, FAX: (201) 227-6849. Illustrated. 24 pp.,
$15.00 cloth. 0-688-14276-1
A mother's second marriage is documented through the eyes of her
five-year-old daughter, as "we got Gary," a forest-ranger who
complements the family of three better than the father of the two
girls. Mommy says Daddy "had problems and wasn't ready for a
family" and he "went away." The story is related without much
feeling, like the rigid figures in the snapshots that decorate the
endpapers, and a house that doesn't look lived-in. Grade: B-.
OLD MESHIKEE AND THE LITTLE CRABS: AN OJIBWE STORY, retold by
Michael Spooner and Lolita Taylor, illustrated by John Hart. Henry
Holt and Company, Inc., 115 W. 18th St., N.Y., NY 10011, (800)
488-5233, FAX: (212) 633-0748. Illustrated, source note. 32 pp.,
$15.95 cloth. 0-8050-3487-0
As the sun goes down each evening on a little lake, Old Meshikee
the turtle begins to play his large drum. At the same time, a
colony of sand crabs also begins to beat on their small drums, but
Old Meshikee's drumming drowns them out. One day the sand crabs
capture him and try to silence him, but just as they begin to drum
in celebration of his demise, his the wise turtle's drum again
drowns them out. With its appealing combination of watercolor and
block printing illustrations and drumming cadence, this traditional
Ojibwe folktale will be much in demand as a read-aloud. Grade: A.
APPLES, BUBBLES, AND CRYSTALS: YOUR SCIENCE ABCS by Andrea T.
Bennett and James H. Kessler, illustrated by Melody Sarecky.
Learning Triangle Press, 11 W. 19th St., N.Y., NY 10011-4285, (212)
337-6000, FAX: (212) 337-4092. Illustrated, appendix. 64 pp.,
$14.95 paper. 0-07-005827-X
A group of colorful animals poetically demonstrate science concepts
and experiments in an ABC format. Children can make a Kazoo, a
Tornado in a bottle, or create an ice skater with a Magnet and
paper clips. An appendix explains the science behind each
activity. Hours of fun using household materials. Grade: B+.