Elsie's Bird

Elsie's Bird by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by David Small
Published by Philomel Books
2010

     Elsie is a city girl. She loves the sounds of the Boston Harbor, the songs of the birds and children, the sound of the horses' hooves on the stone cobbled streets. But when her mother dies, her father needed a fresh start and decided to go somewhere "far away from Boston and the sadness in his heart," to Nebraska.  Elsie brought along her birdcage with her new canary, Timmy Tune, and during the long train ride, bird and girl sang to one another.
     When they get to Nebraska, Elsie's unhappy. Her house was made of sod and there were no other houses around hers. "Here there is only grass and sky and silence." "The only sound at night was her own crying in her little bed, but she didn't let Papa know." Elsie spends her days within the walls of her new home, never hearing the sounds of the grasslands, the crickets and grasshoppers singing at night, the rain pounding the roof. She just dreamed of the sound of her Boston cobbled streets. She was afraid that if she left her house, she would "lose herself in the silence of the prairie."  But one day, her canary flies away and Elsie heads out to run along the tall grass looking for Timmy Tune.  It's during this journey to find the bird, that Elsie's heart and ears finally open to the beauty of the plains.
     Elsie's Bird brought me back to my childhood reading and watching The Little House on the Prairie.  The language is so beautiful, I found myself rereading whole passages.  And the illustrations by David Small in brush and ink with watercolor and pastel are captivating.  I loved Elsie. This is the rare kind of picture book that manages in a short time to make you care about the characters as much as a chapter book. Such a great find! 

Sea of Dreams

Sea of Dreams  by Dennis Nolan
Illustrated by Dennis Nolan
Published by Roaring Brook Press
2011

     A young girl builds a sand castle under the watchful eye of a seagull.  As the sun sets she walks away leaving the castle behind. Night sets, the waves start to crash against the sandy walls and a light goes on inside the castle.  As the building is overtaken by the water, the tiny inhabitants sail away towards a small island in the background.  They're caught in a storm and one of the passengers of the boat gets thrown overboard and he's saved by mermaids. They reach the island where there already are others just like them living there.  Next morning, the girl is back on the beach building a new sand castle...and the light goes on.  
     I'm in love with Sea of Dreams.  Dennis Nolan has created an amazing wordless book that will have readers savoring each one of its stunning pages.  Each time I read it, I noticed something new: like the seagull being the link between the two worlds or how the girl's bathing suit looks like the globe.  This is a "can't miss it" sort of book.  But don't take my word, just check it out and let me know what you think.

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy by Jacky Davis
Illustrated by David Soman
Published by Dial Books for Young Readers
2011

     Sam, aka Bumblebee Boy, is  ready for all sorts of adventures at home. He has pirates to defeat, fire dragons to capture, and Giganto the Giant Saber-Toothed Lion to tame.  And he wants to do it all alone because "Bumblebee Boy wants to fly alone!" The problem is that his little bother Owen wants to be just like Sam, he wants to be a "soup hero too."  Will Bumblebee Boy let Owen join in and become his sidekick?
     Bumblebee Boy, a character introduced in the popular series Ladybug Girl, stars in his own adventure.  The funny thing is that for me, the star of the book is Owen, the little brother.  His persistence throughout the story, adding layers to his costume to become a "soup hero" like his older brother, is endearing and will bring a smile to the face of every reader.  I especially enjoyed the details of his cape being made from the classic blanket newborns get at the hospital.  The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy turns out to be a delightful story of the power of imagination and sibling relationships. Great read aloud.     

Pigaroons

Pigaroons by Arthur Geisert
Illustrated by Arthur Geisert
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company
2004

     The Pigaroons are the descendants of Spanish pirates, and like their forefathers they love to steal things.  On the other side of the river, lived the River Patrollers, honest, hardworking, and champions of the yearly ice sculpture contest.  Every year, the River Patrollers would cut out a large block of crystal clear ice from their pond to carve the sculpture for the festival.  But this year, their ice block was stolen overnight by, who else, but the Pigaroons!
     The Pigaroons are good ice sculptures themselves and they create a magnificent carving of Hernando de Soto, the famous Spanish explorer. They are sure they will win the first prize this time.  But on the other side of the river, the River Patrollers are coming up with a very ingenious plan to make sure the Pigaroons don't get away with their crime.
     Arthur Geisert brilliant etchings will captivate readers of all ages who will savour the details that complement the text so perfectly.  Like all his books, Pigaroons is a celebration of ingenuity and creativity. If you haven't seen any of his books, you are seriously missing out!  He's a genius!

Jeremy Draws a Monster

Jeremy Draws a Monster by Peter McCarty
Illustrated by Peter McCarty
Published by Henry Holt and Company
2009

     Jeremy lived on the top floor of an apartment building. From his window he could see kids playing outside, but Jeremy never joined them. He never left his apartment and never went outside. One day Jeremy took "his fancy pen" and drew a large blue monster. Immediately the monster starting making all kinds of demands: "draw me sandwich", "a toaster", "a checkerboard," "a comfortable chair." He never asked nicely, he never said thank you.  Jeremy got tired of the monster so he finally drew him a one way bus ticket and a suitcase, and to make sure he didn't miss the bus (and never come back), Jeremy walked him outside all the way to the bus stop.  While he was outside, the other kids saw him and asked him to join them and play. And he did.
     Jeremy Draws a Monster is beautifully illustrated by Peter McCarty with ink and watercolors.  Each page has a large white background which allows the characters to really pop, especially the large blue monster.  The story is humorous and entertaining and at its core it shows the power of imagination triumphant over the monster: Jeremy's imagination brought out the monster, and while it ended up causing him trouble, Jeremy held onto the power with his wit and creativity (loved the "one way ticket" solutions).  Delightful read aloud!

How to Catch a Star

How to Catch a Star by Oliver Jeffers
Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
Published by Philomel Books
2004

     "Once there was a boy and the boy loved stars very much." He watched outside his window and wished of having a star of his own. He would imagine all the things they would do together, like play hide-and-seek and take long walks along the beach. So he decided he would catch a star. He figured if he tried early in the morning it would be best "because then the star would be tired from being up in the sky all night." But he couldn't find one. He waited and waited and when a stars finally came out, he couldn't reach it, no matter how hard he tried. He saw one floating in the ocean, "the prettiest star he had ever seen!" but every time he tried to touch it, "it just rippled through his fingers."  Walking sadly along the beach he knew he wouldn't give up and then "he saw it...washed up on the bright golden sand." "A star of his very own."
     How to Catch a Star was Oliver Jeffers first picture book.  It already has that illustration style that has become so recognizable.  The illustrations are beautiful, filled with night blues and sunrise/sunset oranges and yellows.  And the story is tender and memorable.  I love the back page where we see the boy sitting on an armchair with the star by his side reading How to Catch a Star (what a cool detail!).  This one fights for my #1 Jeffers picture book along with Lost and Found. Hey, now that I think about it the boys in both books are wearing the same striped t-shirt...our star hunter might be our penguin lover as well. 

Wee Gillis

Wee Gillis by Munro Leaf
Illustrated by Robert Lawson
Published by The New York Review Children's Collection
(1938) 2006 Edition

     Wee Gillis lived in Scotland. "His real name was Alastair Roderic Craigellachie Dalhousie Gowan Donny bristle MacMac, but that took too long to say, so everybody just called him Wee Gillis." All his relatives on his mother's side lived in the valley raising long-haired cows. They were Lowlanders.  All his relatives on his father's side lived in the hills and stalked stags. They were Highlanders.  The Lowlanders and the Highlanders made fun of each other, thinking the other's livelihood to be a joke.  And Wee Gillis didn't know which side he wanted to be on. So he spend half his time in the valley and half his time in the hills. In the valley he learned to shout loud enough for the cows to hear him, and in the hills he learn to hold his breath so no stag would hear him. This made his lungs incredible strong. When the time to decide whether to become a Highlander or Lowlander arrives, a surprising encounter with a bag piper gives Wee Gillis a new option to use his amazing lung strength.
     Wee Gillis was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1938.  Leaf and Lawson, the same team that created one of my favorite books, The Story of Ferdinand, gave us with Wee Gillis a book that transports us to Scotland with a sense of humor and beauty.  The illustrations by Lawson are wonderful, especially the facial expressions of Wee Gillis. And the story is captivating, with cadence and a great narrative.