Book Buds Kidlit Reviews

The da Vinci Ode

The Squishiness of Things

by Marc Kompaneyets

Forget the “da Vinci Code.” How about the da Vinci satire? There’s plenty to decode in this playful ode to Leonardo and other quirky geniuses.

The squishiness of bugs, the bounciness of sausage – the world is full of things in need of measuring, and Hieronymus’ passion is for knowing it all. Until one day he finds a white hair that fails to match the other 36 million in his collection, setting him on a quest for its origins.

He meets the noisy Bobnatobs, the credulous Pabnayabish and the fearful Yabodabos. But it’s finally his sleepy assistant, Pieter, himself the master of 234 napping techniques, who notes the hair matches those on his master’s head.

“Know thyself” may date from Shakespeare, but that’s just one of the sly literary and artistic references to keep literate readers awake. End Hieronymus with “Bosch” and Pieter with “Bruegel” for the source of his devilishly misanthropic depictions. Add a dose of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver (Bobnatob or Brobdignag? You decide) for some added smirks.

He borrows Leonardo’s signature chiaroscuro, a method of using dark tones to add depth, not to mention his yen for peculiar bits of research. Sepia paper adds to the ancient feel, along with a landscape ripped from the Mona Lisa’s background, and a crammed laboratory worthy of an alchemist.

There’s almost too much going on, but smug, overeducated types like myself finally have the perfect book for showing off all our expensive smarts.

Rating: *\*\*\*\

Life socks

Lizette's Green Sock

by Catharina Valckx

“Socks, like friends, are always best in pairs.” – flap copy

In this charming story translated from French, a little duck finds a pretty, green sock while out for a walk. She’s teased by two mean cats, and her mouse friend thinks it’s a cap. A fish decides the companion sock makes a fine sleeping bag.

It’s a lot of fuss over footwear, but the story never loses its focus on friendship and good humor, even if the local bullies threaten to ruin everything. And then there’s Mama and her knitting needles to the rescue – to create what becomes a second cap.

See, it’s not what you stumble across in life, but what you make of it that counts.

Rating: *\*\

Lotsa de Nothing

Lotsa de Casha

by Madonna; illustrated by Rui Paes

Once again, Madonna inflicts her addled notions of morality on us, disguised as a fable so poorly constructed that it’s hard to sit through even without having to tease out what the hell she really means.

Lotsa de Casha is a wealthy man (portrayed as a greyhound, for no obvious reason) in what’s presumably Italy, sporting a Renaissance-era wardrobe but a grating Italian accent. No other character is made to sound like a bad Godfather spoof. But then, much of the story makes no sense.

After journeying to learn the secret to happiness, Lotsa gets mugged. Rather than return to his carriage and go home, he hooks up with a cart driver (portrayed as a bull, Lord knows why) who gives stuff away. Lotsa learns that giving stuff away makes you happy.

But note he’s giving someone else’s stuff away.

And he’s always rewarded.

He gets fancy clothes and hot meals and places to sleep in exchange for doing another man’s good deeds.

Whaaaaaat?

Whatever happened to virtue is its own reward? Or that whole joy of giving thing?

Of course, Madonna has her own lessons she’d like us to learn, positing them as “facts” such as “Unhappy people like it when everyone else is unhappy.” Oh really? These read more as non-sequitors having nothing to do with whatever scene is painfully unfolding on the exquisitely over-embellished pages.

Parables, fables and morality tales abound of wealthy men foregoing their worldly goods to attain something loftier. Lotsa gets losta, but then is founda. It’d be an easy tale to retell if she’d done it right.

But then, Lotsa sums up my whole attitude about this book:

“When I wanta your opinion, I'lla buy it from you.”

Rating: *\

De-bugging a bunny

Doorknob the Rabbit and the Carnival of Bugs

by SerWacki

Sometimes a story sits in the author’s head too long. By the time it’s on paper, the characters are part of his family, complete with inside jokes, pet peeves and quirks that no one else gets.

So it is for Doorknob, who existed in SerWacki’s head for a decade, according to the flap copy. No reason’s given for the character’s name, and the book reads more as a bizarre, if amusing, series of non-sequitors and visual puns than a coherent story.

Doorknob’s just returned from a duck festival, though we’re given no explanation for his obsession with waterfowl. He looks forward to a celebratory snooze with his favorite flower when he’s awakened by a Carnival of Bugs. The critters trash his home, assault his flower and wreak a hundred kinds of havoc.

Okay, much of that I get. It’s a bit weird for a kids’ story, but I’m at least with him so far. What baffled me was asking the readers to bail out poor Doorknob by slamming the book shut, squishing the bugs. That shouts “cop out” and marks lazy storytelling.

The acrylic gouache drawings in vivid blues and yellows are amusing enough, and visual puns such as spelling bees and the “Beetles” rock group bring unexpected chuckles.

Rating: *\*\

Long on lessons

Zen Shorts

by Jon J. Muth

Okay, all you wannabe philosophers, moralizers and purveyors of “message” books, here’s how you do it:

You leave it to Muth.

The author of this New York Times’ bestseller dispenses Zen wisdom wrapped in an engaging story of three siblings who befriend a giant panda named Stillwater. Not as in “… runs deep.” Imagine water placid enough to reflect the moon. Now that’s deep.

Each child seeks out their new neighbor, who opens their minds like so many lotus blossoms with fables culled from Buddhist legends. A poor man gives to a robber, a farmer muses on the fickleness of luck, and a monk unburdens his anger in stories deceptively simple for their quiet subversion.

Muth varies between muted, elegant watercolors to depict the modern-day children and brushed ink – reminiscent of Chinese calligraphy – for the stories-within-a-story. All the art has a distinctly Eastern feel, of course, and is as soothing to the eye as the stories are to the soul.

Reviewed by Anne Levy

Rating: *\*\*\*\

Square-jawed satire

Traction Man is Here!

by Mini Grey

This spoof of superhero comics and their ubiquitous action figures is so damn funny it’s impossible to get through a first reading without pausing to hold your ribs. But it has a Shrek problem: its best lines zoom straight over kids’ heads and target Mom and Dad.

This is welcome news if you’re weary of countless nights re-reading Pooh or Seuss ad nauseum. But it’s tough to explain to a toddler why the sight of a foot-tall plastic toy diving in a sink for the Lost Wreck of the Sieve provokes such snorts and guffaws.

Traction Man’s a Christmas gift to an unnamed boy, whose imagination turns him loose on unsuspecting household objects. But both meet their match with Granny, who knits the doll a puke-green coverall that fairly screams “dork.” Picture the matching bonnet and it’s easy to summon similar mortifying moments from your own childhood.

Reviewed by Anne Levy

Rating: *\*\*\*\