Book Buds Kidlit Reviews

Ho, ho, ho and away we go!

I head out to Connecticut tomorrow for that important Jewish holiday on December 25: Chinese Food Night! I hope Santa brings me some Chow Fun noodles.

Okay, seriously, a very Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope my reviews have helped you decide which kids' books to put under the tree, and I'm completely awed that some of you even chose to buy those books via Amazon by clicking through my site. Thank you, all of you.

I hope your Christmas is everything you want it to be--both for yourself and your children. I hope it's happy and warm and bright, and brings with it the joy and peace we all could use.

I won't be posting until after I ring in the New Year with my relatives, but be sure to check out Cybils on January 1, when the short lists are posted. See you then!

Cheers,
Anne

Comics for kids, can you believe it?

Big Fat Little Lit

The  gray envelope announced THE NEW YORKER in its signature font, all oversized and all caps and importantly stylish. What did THE NEW YORKER want with me? Had I ever had the chutzpah to send THE NEW YORKER any of my execrable short stories? Hmmm ... no. Had someone ordered me a gift subscription? Nope. Maybe they meant some other Anne Levy?

Inside was a graphic novel, or rather, an anthology of graphic short stories. I still thought they had the wrong person. Graphic novels are for grown-ups, right?

See, graphic novelists are victims of their own PR. Having kvetched for decades that comics aren't for kids, they send me a collection aimed straight at the cartoon underpants crowd. The connection to The New Yorker: It's edited by husband-wife duo Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly, she being that magazine's art editor.

The collection--culled from three previous Little Lit anthologies--is, of course, literary and brilliant and oh-so-eclectic, and if you know nothing about the genre, it's an easy intro. Fairy tales nestle comfortably next to horror stories and folklore, and my four-year-old easily adapted to the diverse narrative styles and voices: after all, he could see the differences.

The comic world's Big Names are well represented, including Kaz, Jules Feiffer, Patrick McDonnell and my personal fave, Barbara McClintock, looking as classy and lushly detailed as ever. Joining them are such kidlit luminaries as Neil Gaiman and Lemony Snicket, though I'm rarely as thrilled with author/artist collaborations as when it's a singular vision by one person doing both.

The LA Times has also reviewed Big Fat Little Lit (hat tip: Kelly) so I won't repeat details of individual stories. Looking at the big picture, pardon the pun, I was struck by how many were told with forceful moral underpinnings. More than a few protagonists must face the gloomy consequences of their misdeeds and I didn't spot a single story where evil prevailed. Naughtiness, maybe, but not genuine eat-your-family badness.

That's not to say it's all goody-two-shoes fluff. Like the original Grimm's Fairy Tales, many stories venture into nightmare territory, where mothers-in-law try to devour grandchildren, stuffy noses explode with dopplegangers and cute kitties come from alternate worlds, and little that seems comfortable and safe turns out to be so.

I get the distinct impression these are stories written by actual parents who have braved the wild terrain of a child's imagination to chart both its twisted roads and startling flora.

Rating: *\*\*\*\

Chit chat in the Forest

My favorite online literary journal has a new edition up today. And I have a feature story this month! Woo-hoo. Don't I feel all important. It's about what makes for strong dialog, and I picked snippets from some of my favorite recent picture books.

Actually, I'm all over this month's edition, perhaps making up for my absence over the summer and for much of this fall. There are two book reviews and a five-minute segment from an interview Kelly and I did about the Cybils with Mark from Just One More Book.

There's tons of cool stuff, as usual, with contributions from some of the finest folks in the kidlitosphere. Go read.

Announcing ... me!

A few weeks ago, I cried on the phone to my husband about my stalled career and all the what-ifs I'd never pursued. The very next day, I got an offer for regular freelancing out of the blue. Within a week, it had tripled. I accepted all three offers, because sleeping is overrated and who needs time with the kids?

So I guess I'm famous after all, at least in my tiny but happy niche.

The last offer to come in is, in many ways, the best because it's second-closest to my heart--after Cybils--and like Cybils, also doesn't pay. Sigh. I've begun writing for Reading Moms, which you can read about in an earlier post. My very first post is already up right here. It should help me finally get over the death of my Mommy blog and explore some new themes in kidlit too.

Julie Moos is a fabulous editor, and I'm thrilled to be working with her on this latest venture from the Poynter Institute, kind of a think-tank for journalists. We've decided our careers have traced somewhat similar paths as we criss-crossed the country, but she settled in my beloved Florida and I'm reviving my spirits in the brisk, Chicago air.  UPDATE: Whoops! Julie informs me that Reading Moms is solely her baby, and no relation to the Poynter. My bad.

The other two gigs I'll reveal when they come to fruition this spring. I don't know how much I can really say about either until I see whether they truly materialize, or disappear like so many other good intentions into the Internet ether.

Golden not-so oldies

Chappy Chanukah! I hope all my Jewish readers and their families and friends have a wonderful start to their holiday tonight.

As for Chez Levy, Seth's been practicing with his dreidel but has forgotten that he's already received his big gift for the season. He wants more! More! Never mind the shelves lined with brand-new books. Sigh.

Hits are down as people turn their attention elsewhere (and rightly so). I've decided to take it easy, but I'll be reposting reviews of some favorite books next week. This gives us a look back at 2006 and maybe another chance to browse for some gift ideas.

I'd like to thank everyone who's made Amazon purchases by clicking through this site. Every little bit helps.

Cheers,
Anne

Size matters

Hop! Plop!
by Corey Rose Schwartz and Tali Klein; illustrated by Olivier Dunrea

For some reason, I don't recieve many titles for very, very young 'uns.  Or maybe I get them but I shy away from reviewing them, so they vanish under the debris (note to self: check under debris later). How do you write something meaningful when, by the second sentence, you've spilled more ink than in the entire book?

Such challenges. And you think my job is easy!

So what a relief, I like this book. An elephant and a mouse try to figure out how to have fun on a playground despite their different sizes. Picture them on the seesaw or elephant pushing mouse on the swing. Elephant finally has mouse slide down his trunk. Count the lessons here: problem solving (always good to show the tantrum-thrower in your household), the meaning of friendship, responsible playing, etc. Fill in your own lesson here.

Okay, so elephant and mouse stories have been done before. Does your toddler know that? No. But your toddler knows his or her way around a playground (I hope) and certainly has a few things to say about being small.

This is the same Dunrea of Gossie & Friends fame, and these illustrations bear his signature white space and spare, clean ink lines filled in with translucent washes of watercolor. The uncluttered layouts keep little peepers focused on the story, which moves briskly to its resolution, with no fidgeting allowed.

Rating: *\*\*\

This story stinks! (In a good way)

Please Don't Upset P.U. Zorilla
by Lynne Rowe Reed

Okay, what's funnier than stinky spray coming out of your butt? I mean, to a kid. If you're an adult on the 147 bus, please don't sit near me. But to a pre-schooler, the whole idea of a nervous skunk with a short trigger, so to speak, is about as hilarious as it gets.

P.U. Zorilla writes to Mayor Tootlebee saying his home was replaced by a shopping mall and he needs a new home. Tootlebee tries to find him the right job; driving a school bus, working a pet store, selling popcorn at the ball park.

You probably know P.U.'s problem. Hint: pee-yooo! Yep, the littlest thing sets him off, poor fella. How will he ever redeem himself?

  Talk about instant indentification. Self-control's an iffy thing for a pre-schooler even on a good day. So this is a natural match that should keep your Li'l Stinky Bottom giggling.

Rowe Reed creates the most basic figures in what looks like kid's tempra paints in retina-scorching color combinations, with some fabric swatches and doodads adding to the mayhem.

Rating: *\*\*\

Nature never felt so good

Elusive Moose
by Joan Gannij;  illustrated by Clare Beaton

I consider myself competent with a crochet hook, and no stranger to needlepoint. But I resign any pretense I had at greatness in marveling at Beaton's needlework creations. To call them illustrations is like calling Emeril a good cook; technically correct but way wide of the mark.

Beaton took simple rhyming text about northern forest animals and crafted whole woodland vistas from felt, fabric and an assortment of beads, sequins and other doodads. Pond waves glimmer in the sun--that'd be the sequins--and moose eyes glint with humor--beads for those.

And the stitching! Her needlework is so fine, yo'd be excused for missing it without your glasses on.

The eponymous moose is hiding in each frame, more obviously in some than others, giving kids a fun activity while introducing them to forest fauna:

I've spotted fish eagles
And cranes in the sky.
I've even seen grouse;
I've seen squirrels that fly!

The anonymous narrator never finds the moose, but kids will. The last few pages include guides to all the featured animals and their tracks, also done in stellar stitchwork. Isn't it a pity it has to be reproduced on mere paper? I'd hang the felt creations on my wall otherwise and never let the kids near it.

Rating: *\*\*\

The Shlockiest Time of the Year

Are You Grumpy, Santa?
by Gregg and Evan Spiridellis

Reviewed by Deb Clark

The 1978 made-for-TV Star Wars Holiday Special with guest appearances by Art Carney and Bea Arthur. A CD of traditional Christmas songs by '80s hair band Twisted Sister released this year. Movies like Santa Claus Conquers the Martians or Christmas with the Kranks.

Happy birthday, Jesus. Hope you like schlock. Christianity’s holiest day of the year is a major inspiration for commercial fluff.

Add to the list Are You Grumpy, Santa? by the Spiridellis brothers, founders of JibJab Media. The pair are best known for their wildly popular 2004 animated spoof featuring caricatures of presidential candidates George W. Bush and John Kerry singing a parody of This Land Is Your Land.

This Christmas book was published in 2003, with a release in paperback this year. The story, in sometimes stilted rhyming verse, tells of a series of setbacks Santa faced one Christmas. He didn’t sleep well, he got stuck in a chimney, he was chased by a poodle, and on and on. But his bad mood suddenly lifts when, at the very last house on his list, he discovers the plate of cookies someone left him.

So remember, make them chocolate,
Silky smooth, or extra lumpy…
Just be sure to leave some cookies,
In case Santa’s feeling grumpy.

Yeah, it’s not Dickens. But my kids love it. They enjoy the cartoonishly simple computer-generated illustrations. They laugh at Santa’s travails. They ponder over just who might have set out that plate of cookies. Must have been a kid, they deduce. A grown-up would never be so kind and thoughtful.

Just more proof that the value of an artistic endeavor is not universally dependent on its possession of redeeming qualities. Sometimes it’s a lack of quality that makes it fun. Which is why I’d love to get my hands on a copy of that Star Wars special.

Rating: *\

Lost in literature land

Oy. It's 5: 30 a.m. and I'm up after being kicked in the head all night. Who's idea was it to have the baby sleep with us? Oh, mine. Never mind.

So I'm awake (rubs eyes). And freezing. Brrr. I'm not feeling especially coherent, so it's a perfect time for a post, dontcha think?

First off, Mazel Tov to Erica Perl, whose new picture book was tapped as one of Slate's Best Books of 2006. That's pretty huge, and I'm thrilled for her. I liked it too, but I'm not so smaht as Emily Brazelon, Slate's senior editor:

Since I started writing the "Family" column for Slate, I've tried to read more new children's literature. It's a struggle because there are so many titles from my childhood that I can't wait to read again with my kids. But one book this year broke down my resistance with its infectious rhymes and carsick gerbil—Ninety-Three in My Family, by my friend Erica Perl. It makes my sons chortle and by accident (the only way) learn a number or two.

Now here's the thing. I'm not dissing Brazelon, and I'm thrilled for Perl, as I would be for any kidlitter to make the grade. But she's the only one. That's it.