Crystal Mangahas

So much llama drama

2010-11-29T16:50:00.000-08:00

I'm heartbroken because I will be out of town and one of my favorite authors is speaking locally. If you have a kid in your house under 10, then you are probably familiar with Llama Llama Misses Mama, LLama Llama Red Pajama and my personal favorite, LLama Llama Mad at Mama. Anna Dewdney will be at Copperfield's in Petaluma this Wednesday.

Decision Points

2010-11-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

There was a fun article in the Sunday newspaper's Parade magazine about the teenage brain. Why is there so much drama in the adolescent life? The article went on to explain that many parts of the brain are still developing, particularly the ability to organize and understand or project future consequences of one's actions. There was a picture of a terrified woman accompanying the article: apparently 100% of adults knew right away that the emotion the woman was portraying was fear, but only 50% of teens got it right.

So, teens are still learning their emotions. No shock to anyone who has been a teen or lives with teens.

In working on one of my stories today, the heroine is moody. Is it because she was recently dumped her boyfriend, or because she is a teen? She's a drama queen, this character named Meg, so she's very upset about her loss and on some level is enjoying wallowing in her misery.

With each character, with each event, there is a challenge to make each character a type - logically extend their personality types to every situation. Later, will Meg react dramatically to a failing grade, or if she doesn't get into the school of her dreams? Will she be hysterical if she doesn't get the editor job of the school newspaper? Meg, in order to be real for me, has to at some point not act according to her script, and let her mask down.

YouTube: The Five Tibetan Rites from Yoga Today

2010-11-23T10:18:00.000-08:00

Five Tibetan Rites

2010-11-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

The hero of one of my novels - a young adult realistic adventure - practices the Five Tibetan Rites every morning as a means of keeping fit. While the claim that these yoga-like postures are actually Tibetan has been widely and soundly disputed, I wanted B. to have a form of discipline and exercise that matches his elusive and somewhat sketchy background.

The tough part about writing a YA hero is that he's got to have a loveable fault. It reminds me of a job interview. Occasionally, one may be asked, "What is one of your weaknesses?" Of course, the only correct answer is "devotion to accomplishing my work efficiently, on-time and with laudable results." In other words, my only weakness is working so hard that you, my new boss, will look great and love me for it.

YA heroes are often of the same mold. They are so good that there is a bad outcome (think Edward Cullen leaving Bella to save her) only for those same qualities to end up being redemptive. We love these types of heroes.

I'm struggling to give this guy a not entirely likable personality. He's in it for himself - and the Five Tibetan Rites are the beginning of his journey. He wakes up, devotes himself to his physical health, and then renews his quest every day. Can these qualities be redemptive? That is the question I'm exploring.

Focus (My new focus)

2010-11-21T16:13:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I overheard one of the parents dropped off his daughter for her ballet class with this word, "Focus!"

I had to laugh because it's a ballet class for 3-4 year old girls. The beauty of this age is that when kids see something they are interested in, like - oh I don't know a Disney mermaid costume - they can become very singleminded. Intense. Obsessive.

Still, it was a good reminder to me that when you want to be good at something, you've got to focus on it. You've got to practice. You've to be present for it.

So it goes with writing. When I have blogged in the past, I've used the posts as a sort of warm-up for my daily writing on my novel. Going forward, I'll be experimenting with posts about or from or related to the current writing that I'm doing.

Currently, I have three projects: two young adult novels and one picture book, so I'll be sure to make it clear which is which as I'm writing.

Sarah Plain and Tall

2010-10-21T16:16:00.000-07:00

Talk about coming late to the game ... I've just finished Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan (1986), a Newberry award-winning middle-grade novel that has also been made into a movie starring Glenn Close. I haven't seen the movie yet, but the book has made it to the top of my MG books list. So simple, so perfect.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, set in the early 20th century, tells the story of a widower and his two kids as they invite a potential new mother into their Midwestern home. Sarah arrives homesick for her coastal home in Maine but the children and their father do their upmost to welcome her and help her transition to life on the Plains. The kids thrill at Sarah's every mention of "we" and "us" and hint of a future with them, and despair any slight sign of Sarah's sadness. Will Sarah stay?

The book is slight of hand but the story is leaden with emotional weight. MacLachlan cleverly uses the eldest child, the girl, to the story straightforwardly. There are no saccharine moments of unwarranted affection but rather a true deep inhale of suspense as we follow Sarah's journey and her transformation.

Written for kids 9-12, this book would delight any reader. The story may upset very young children with the idea of a lost mother but this heartwarming story will transcend any temporary misgivings.

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat

2010-10-20T20:51:00.000-07:00

Gotta be honest, my 3 1/2 year old did not like Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback, a Caldecott Medal winner. It's a brief story about resourceful Joseph who continues to recycle his old and worn overcoat down to its very last thread. The message is clear, and timely, and the illustrations lush.

My gut is telling me that the colors were a little too dark for my pink-adoring kid. In fact, I somewhat wryly suggested that if had been about a ballerina who had kept recycling her tutu and leotard she would have liked it better. She did concede that I was probably right.

Like broccoli, if I keep plying her with this book, she'll come to know it and appreciate it as I do.

"If I Stay" Gets NPR Coverage

2010-09-30T11:46:00.000-07:00

I don't usually post when I a book I like gets coverage elsewhere, but because If I Stay by Gayle Forman is so brilliant, I was thrilled to read a glowing review this morning on NPR's book site. The reviewer points out what makes this book so special: "Tension isn't necessarily created by murderers with pitchforks. It can exist by confronting the protagonist with an impossible decision and seeing what happens."

You can read my review of If I Stay here.

When Dinosaurs Came With Everything

2010-09-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Although When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach can leave younger kids scratching their heads over the ending, this is still an excellent read aloud, use your best funny voices book. It's the story of a young boy and his mom who find that every place they visit on their typical errand day is giving out free dinosaurs. Real ones. Big ones. Naturally, mom is a little concerned about how to feed these mammoth animals (pun intended) and where to keep them. Her son is just eager to keep growing his collection. Only when she is seen carrying more donuts do we realize that mom is going back for more 'free' dinosaurs and has accepted them into the family.

We came across this book at the library in the new section and it has rapidly become a stable at bedtime. My daughter enjoys identifying the different dinosaurs (also check out books by Bernard Most and Jane Yolen for more picture books on dinosaurs, and see my Bernard Most review here) and running her fingers along the illustrations. These pictures, by the way, are not your average black and white outlines of dinosaurs. Nor are they drawn to give you the warm fuzzies (yet the pictures are not exactly frightening, either). Instead, you see the stegosauraus, the triceratops, and yes, the menacing tyrannosaurus rex, in rough skin detail outside the donut shop, the movie theater and the diner.

My favorite parts are the mom's reactions every time they are given a new dinosaur. At one point she is marooned on the floor, mouth hanging open, in fright and disbelief. A very fun read!

Bunny Party and Bunny Cakes

2010-09-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

A couple of friends have recommended the Rosemary Wells Max and Ruby books, and one fellow writer went so far as to put Bunny Party and Bunny Cakes in my hands the other day, saying "Read these!"

In case you've not had a chance to explore this series, they are a subtle exploration of sibling rivalry for young kids. My first take on the books was that they were a little too plain vanilla for my taste. They lack the contemporary irony and wink-at-the-parents prose found in popular picture book series like Olivia.

Having a had chance to re-read them, I think that they are a more gentle and delightful take on brothers and sisters learning to share, learning to play together, and yes even care about one another. What's more astonishing from an author's point-of-view is how clever the stories and dialogue are. Writing picture books is an exercise in deliberation and rejection. The author is restricted to words appropriate to 3 - 7 year old kids, and often must keep word count down under the 1,000 mark. From that perspective, Rosemary Wells is a genius at saying so much with so little.

Even more remarkable, and putting aside an adult's take on the books, is that kids really respond to the stories. The books and their characters are very relatable and the illustrations are beautiful. My daughter immediately requested to hear the books again.

One final note, if you're looking for a good book on numbers for kids, Bunny Party is excellent. You'll find yourself counting guests at the party, and the numbers are repeated often, and it'll feel fun instead of a chore. The book encourages kids to chime in and say the numbers or count on their own.

Confessions of a Shopaholic

2010-09-04T10:56:00.000-07:00

Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella has been around for awhile but I picked it up recently on the suggestion of a few friends. I have to confess that I ripped through it, enjoying the plot line which kept me guessing at first, and is charmingly written in the first person, taking us directly into the perspective of a 20-something British financial journalist Rebecca Bloomwood who can't say no to a good sale.

What most struck me about this book is how it predated all of the suspense-driven plot that Stephanie Meyer has made famous in Twilight (but had already been done long ago with Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding). From the beginning of COAS, it's pretty clear that Luke Brandon is going to be the love interest and a good portion of the book my mind was churning over how the author was going the two main characters together. It was well done, reminiscent of a classic romance stories (such as my all time fave Pride and Prejudice), but with a fresh take on the modern girl.

The truth is, though, that Becky Bloomwood is initially a disappointing modern girl and I guess that's what kept me away from the book so long. I keep hoping that I'll come across a heroine with more depth than this - and at least in the case, Becky does develop or reveal a conscience - still haven't made up my mind about that.

I did appreciate the discussion about debt and it's a subject that could have been completely mishandled. Instead, here, Becky becomes sympathetic through her travails and the reader really does feel that she is struggling her way out of her financial woes. Naturally, nabbing a wealthy boyfriend helps, but by then it's clear that Becky will be able to manage on her own and Luke almost seems like some kind of cosmic reward for figuring out how to handle her finances.

All in all, a fun book, that works on several levels. It would be easy to dismiss COAS based on the title, but there is a depth here that makes it a great contemporary read and discussion book.

He Came with the Couch

2010-09-04T10:39:00.000-07:00

He Came with the Couch written and illustrated by David Slonim is a funny, funny book.

When a family searches garage sales and junkyards to replace their old couch, they find the perfect fit but it comes with a permanent guest. The family goes to great lengths to remove the couch resident, including bagpipes and trips to cure his "upholsterosis". Begrudgingly the parents accept him, and he proves his worth in the end.

The prose is sparse, but the words are told with a twinkle in the eye. And the pictures both perfectly captivate the eye as well as delight with details such as a rummage scene brimming with goofy objects.

26 Letters and 99 Cents

2010-08-11T17:09:00.000-07:00

As is sometimes the case, my daughter requests a book over and over again much to my surprise. 26 Letters and 99 Cents by Tana Hoban is such a book, something we stumbled across in the library.

The book is two-in-one. One side of the book contains the letters of the alphabet - both upper case and lower case, along side a picture of a toy or a piece of fruit or some other kind of object that illustrates the letter. The version we checked out was dated - the pictures look like something from the '80s - but each image is colorful and my daughter liked talking about the connection between the letter and the object.

Flip the book over and each page is devoted to numbers. For example, the number 4 is accompanied by 4 pennies while the number 5 is shown next to a nickel. My daughter doesn't grasp money yet so pointing to the coins has proven fruitless. But she likes to recite the numbers out loud with me. At some point, the book begins to count by 5 which is way beyond what my 3 year-old is managing with numbers.

Still, it's fun to flip the book, and she likes the colorful pictures. It also is fun for her to shout out something that she has been learning. So this isn't necessarily a good night book but it's can be a fun take on counting on reciting the alphabet during a slow afternoon.

Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure

2010-08-11T16:49:00.000-07:00

Kipper's A to Z: An Alphabet Adventure is a charming romp through the alphabet for toddlers working their way from A to Z. The book tells the story of Kipper and his little pig friend Arnold collecting various insects in a simple box. There is also an overly-eager Zebra, excited to make an appearance.

Both the images and the text are light and uncluttered, allowing the reader to focus on the letter in question. The story is also sweet, completely in keeping with the television series. For Kipper fans, this book is a must.

Before I Fall

2010-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver is ostensibly Mean Girls meets Groundhog Day. More than that, it feels like Emma (yet another mean girl book in the YA genre, and yet another Emma spin wherein the heroine at first seems unlikable) brought forward two hundred years mashed up with Before I Die, or even the very excellent If I Stay (reviewed here - another story about a high school girl forced to examine her life as she lies on her deathbed).

To judge it on its own merit, Before I Fall is a well-written page turner about a popular-by-affiliation mean girl and her last day, which she must relive until she gets it right. It takes her a couple of days of reliving her last day before she realizes the impact of her subtle interactions with her snubbed classmates and family. Then there's another day of anger. Another day of sadness. Another day of woe. And finally, two days of trying to right her past wrongs while simultaneously learning to appreciate the average moment as well as the the people in her life, even with all of their own faults.

Some readers will note the parallels as explored in Thornton Wilder's famous play, Our Town, a perennial high school literature subject. But the appeal here is that Sam Kingston is not an every day, average girl and thus I think the modern appeal. What wild outlandish prank that Sam and her clique of girlfriends inflicted on their classmates will we read about next? How mean can they be? Instead of watching reality TV, it's as if we're reading about it in Before I Fall.

Sam's transformation into a more caring person is believable, although I think I'm one of the few people (at least compared to Amazon reviews) who did not ultimately like her. I also found that the book dragged. Sam seems abnormally slow at figuring out how far her influence extends, and how she alone is able to affect the outcome of the fateful day that landed her in her situation. One other minor complaint - occasionally, Sam talks to the reader (text is in italics) and it never added one degree of complexity or originality and nor did it make the book more enjoyable. Instead of trusting the reader that we get it - did Sam deserve to be in that car accident? - the author has Sam ask, did I deserve to die? After all, we've got 480 pages to think about that question.

The dialogue is well-done, and I found the scenes with Sam and her family touching. I'm glad that I read it, and I would recommend Before I Fall because of the caliber of the writing, but only after insisting that you check out If I Stay.

One More Sheep

2010-07-29T07:47:00.000-07:00

My daughter is scared of the coyote in this book.
Only there is no coyote. There is only a wolf.
Funny what kids dream up and latch on to.

So, while she's hiding when I get to the pages with a coyote - oops, I mean a wolf - in sheep's clothing, I'm relishing the delightful rhyme that tells the story of a silly shepherd who can't stay awake to count his sheep.

In One More Sheep by Mij Kelly and illustrated by Russell Ayto, the sheep think that the shepherd is a bit of a dolt because he falls asleep whenever he begins to count them at nighttime. He protests that counting sheep just naturally leads one to snoozeland. The sheep considers this an affront: are they boring? How rude!

An excerpt:
Out on the moor,
the wind whistled and wuthered,
while the sheep safe indoors
snuggled under the covers,
drifting through dreams ...

It's a very fun and funny story and I adore the little nightcaps that adorn each sheep's head. The writing is clever enough for adults, but not over the heads of children, and conjures up wonderful images. The illustrations are modern - I want to like them, but I find the outsized bodies of the sheep distracting - but my 3 year-old takes them in stride. Perfect for bedtime, One More Sheep will have you and your counting your way down to ZZZs.

If I Stay

2010-07-28T10:41:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a book that I'd heard a lot about. It had something to do with a girl dying and then covered her decision whether to stay alive. Come to find out, the book that was being recommended was called Before I Fall. In a happy accident, instead I picked up If I Stay by Gayle Forman. (You can understand how I ended up with the wrong book based on the titles.)

If I Stay is the marvelous story of a teenage cello prodigy and her last memories before she must choose whether to stay among the living. In a break from traditional young adult novels, Mia is not a disturbed, or unloved, or unliked girl. Instead, her father is a recovering punk musician who has turned to teaching, her mother is a fiesty ex-hippie type now working in an office, and Mia also has an accidental brother several years her junior. She both loves and likes her family and the car accident that affects them all forces her to heart-wrenchingly recollect all of their good points.

Mia happens to also have a devoted boyfriend, a year older than her, who is a rock musician - the lead singer in a band that is on the rise. She has a best friend, named Kim; together they share the same dark sense of humor. She has her grandparents, no-nonsense, reserved types. And her parent's friends - musicians, a nurse, friends of friends .... The tragedy has her considering the definition of family.

The story is told using a timeline format and over the course of the night, each chapter is a memory about her life, her family, and her extended family. Each chapter could be a short story: so precise and complete, with prose that is both strong and and taut like the fabric on a trampoline. Here's an excerpt:

"That was thirty years ago," Adam said. "And even if I wanted to move to New York, there's no way the rest of the band would." He stared mournfully at his shoes and I recognized that the joking part of the conversation had ended. My stomach lurched, an appetizer before the full portion of heartache I had a feeling was going to be served at some point soon.

Will Mia stay? I don't want to give anything away because the suspense that lasts until the very end of the book is deliciously on-edge, and exquisitely written.

Interview with Ted Michael, Author of Crash Test Love and The Diamonds

2010-07-27T11:29:00.000-07:00

Crash Test Love, just released in June, is Ted Michael's follow-up to his wickedly enjoyable and popular young adult novel, The Diamonds, (see my book review here).

Through the graces and goodwill of Nancy Sondel, Founding Director of the Pacific Coast Children's Writers Workshop (Ted will be presenting and I will be attending this year's workshop in August), I was able to secure an e-mail interview with him. Below Ted shares his thoughts on crafting realistic dialogue, sifting through ideas and the writing process.

Fans rave about the realistic characters you create in both The Diamonds and Crash Test Love. In particular, the dialogue seems as if it was lifted straight from the hallways of High School, USA. How do you research your characters and especially capture teen lingo so deftly?

Thank you—what a great compliment! Having dialogue that rings true is very important to me. This kind of stuff is hard to research; a lot of it is culled from what I remember of being in high school myself, or moves and television shows. Interestingly, a large portion of both these novels were written in a Panera Bread on Long Island that was highly populated with teens. Sometimes, I would just listen to all of their conversations and try to absorb as much as possible. I also have a younger sister who helps keep me “hip.”

In your recent interview on the Teenreads.com blog, you talk about where you find inspiration for your books. What is your process for transforming those ideas into books, and what has been the time frame for each of the two books you've written? You're an agent, too--when do you find the time to write?

I tend to have more ideas than I know what to do with. The hardest part is siphoning through them and determining which would actually make good novels. I have started a lot of books and then decided that, really, there was not enough “meat” to the plot to justify an entire novel.

With both The Diamonds and Crash Test Love, once I had the initial ideas, I spent some time plotting out the core of each novel. The Diamonds took me nearly a year to write, and another year to revise with my editor (which involved cutting nearly half the novel and rewriting a ton of new material). Crash Test Lovewas a much swifter process—it took me about three months to complete the draft, and another month or two to revise.

I write in my spare time (of which there is admittedly very little). Luckily, working in children’s book publishing is closely related to my writing, so both of these jobs inform each other.

What has been the biggest surprise about having your books published?

The biggest surprise has been that people actually read the book! Writing is so solitary that it can be easy to forget that eventually, your words will be read by other people. Hearing from people who have read my work is, I think, one of the great thrills of having a book published.

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Ted Michael is the author of Crash Test Love (2010) and The Diamonds (2009), both by Delacorte Press, and he is also the agent Ted Malawer with Upstart Crow Literary.

A is for Art

2010-07-26T13:43:00.000-07:00

I did not want to get this book. My daughter picked out A is for Art by Stephen T. Johnson at the library, and I tried to dissuade her. "See? There are no animals in here." But she persisted, and all I could think was: what am I going to make up to say about this one?

And the book has sat toward the bottom of the pile, with me subtly directing her to other options at reading time. Last night she used my own words on me: "Let's just read it once, and if we don't like it, we never have to read it again." How could I refuse?

A is for Art is a delightful book, it turns out. Each letter is accompanied by a painting, or a picture of a sculpture, and then is artfully described using almost exclusively words that start with the letter in question. For example:

"Cc Camouflage
Countless colorful candies consciously collected, crammed, crushed, and confined crowd a clear circular container filled to capacity."

The words are beyond my 3 year old, but she enjoys hearing them and searching the text for the letter that is being highlighted. The art accompanying the text is also a 'find the hidden object' game wherein a child can look for the letter and other items mentioned in the description of the art.

The art featured in the book is, naturally, age appropriate and beautifully photographed.

Not only is this a great book for reinforcing the letters of the alphabet, but it is a fun book for talking about art and would make a fantastic primer before a trip to a museum or sculpture garden.

Classic Goodnight Book: Big Red Barn

2010-07-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

My writing group was talking about classic children's books the other night, and Lisa (you can find her blog here) began to recite from the Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown.

Now, we know all about Margaret Wise Brown at our house - or thought we did - because I can recite Goodnight, Moon and the Runaway Bunny by heart. But it's been over a year since we had read either. How had we missed Big Red Barn? So we picked it up at the library, but it was a board book, and my 3 year-old immediately snubbed it. I checked it out anyway (I always feel guilty requesting something that has to be transferred from another branch and then not at least taking it home for a couple of days.)

Last night I insisted we give it a try. What a delight! The rhythm is pitch-perfect and each line delightfully illustrates the character of one of the farm animals pictured. The book begins with the dawning of the day - the rooster calling - and then the other farm animals are introduced and begin to play (the kids are away). Then the day fades and we witness the most of the animals slowly retiring to the barn as the bats fly off for their nightly escapades.

Without even realizing it, my voice turned down a notch and my reading slowed, and both my daughter and I were captivated by the simplicity of the words. As she folded the last page over, she said, "Can we read that again in the morning?"

And we did.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

2010-07-23T16:54:00.000-07:00

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak is a phenomenal book. It's the kind of book that you can't put down. One friend told me today that she was brushing her teeth and reading it. Another that she was making dinner and reading it. A third said she devoured it and will need to re-read it. All were surprised when they were directed to the children's section of the local bookstore to pick up a copy. Luckily, they were not deterred.

The synopsis on the dust jacket does a fine job of hitting the highlights and setting up the plot: Death is narrating the story of a sweet and brave girl named Liesel, living with a foster family, in Molching, Germay during the rise of Hitler. The story is so much more sweet and brave, and complex, than those details, though. And that outline can not prepare you for the wonder of Zusak's writing.

The author's style is uniquely colorful. He deftly manages to pinpoint a color, a moment, a crack in a wall with language that is both surprising and wonderful. Countless times I took up my highlighter, only to set it back down again, in awe of the precision and beauty of the lines.

And all the while, being reeled in by the magic of the horrible story of Liesel's situation. This is a fantastic story for book groups for teens and older.

P.S. Note - you can see how I've changed my tune in comparison to my first mention of The Book Thief by clicking here.

If You're Happy and You Know It

2010-07-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

If you haven't met Jane Cabrera and her books for toddlers yet, you're missing out. Hands down, she is one of the most talented picture book illustrators (and writers) out there. Often, she paints scenes that accompany traditional children's songs or poems, and those paintings are gorgeous, lush, bright, bold masterpieces. I've often thought that I'd like to own a poster-sized painting from one of her books for a nursery wall.

But barring that expense, I'm grateful for the good fortune that allows all of us to share in her work through her books. It's hard to choose a favorite, but if pressed I'd go with If You're Happy and You Know It because it really gets my child up and moving about. It's fun, engaging and lovingly created with colors deep enough that you could go swimming in them.

Other favorites include Mommy Carry Me Please, Ten in the Bed (a good book about counting) and Over in the Meadow; the latter two are helpful when practicing numbers. This is just a small sampling of Cabrera's work.

One note: I have found one (and only one) of Cabrera's stories a bit awkward, although still beautifully illustrated. The Lonesome Polar Bear is magical to view, and the premise works - a polar bear cub looking for a friend - but the ending in which the cloud friend brings a snow bear to life isn't executed very well. As in most cases, when I find a book in which I don't love the text (e.g. Hey, Get Off of Our Train), I just make up words to go along with the pictures.

Curious George: Up, Up, and Away!

2010-07-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

We love the Curious George series on PBS and now we've stumbled on the complementary books.

They are most definitely a departure for the Curious George books of old. The new soft cover books are extremely colorful - very bold and bright primary colors - with images directly from an episode. The writing is stronger, more action verbs and less repetitiveness about George's curiosity. The books don't open with the standard lines: "This is George. He lived with his friend, the man with the yellow hat. He was a good little monkey ...." Instead , they move right into the plot.

Today, we read Curious George Up, Up, and Away and I was immediately drawn in by the writing which was clear and moved the action along at a pleasing pace. The pictures from the show were well chosen; they accompanied the text perfectly. I loved the bold hues of the images, and how the text was separated at the bottom of the page. I also appreciated the activities at the back of the book.

My daughter was less enthused, however.

She much prefers some of the Curious George books from over the last couple of decades (not the original books). She likes the standard opening, and will request Curious George's Dinosaur Discovery or Curious George and the Firefighters. She loves to hear about George's antics, and she's not interested in the abbreviated new books where the action is constant. She'd rather linger at the dinosaur dig or at the firehouse.

Just by looking at these two images, you can tell how different the contents are.

Reading these books is a good reminder that as adults we bring something, perhaps just opinions, but a different perspective to children's picture books. That's why I suspect that some of today's best sellers are a little too sarcastic, a little too sophisticated for kids. But it's the parents doing the buying. In the end, I'm going to go with the books that she constantly requests. And as much as I like the new Curious George books, the preponderance of our Curious George book purchases will be the older books. (I'd like to devote another post later as to the quality of the older set which I find to be of uneven quality.)

Review: Martha Doesn't Say Sorry

2010-07-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Parents pick up this book!

I love it. My daughter is fascinated by it. The message is clear, and the characters are darling.

As the title suggests, Martha the girl otter does not say sorry, even after wakes up her baby brother, paints her dad or dumps batter on her mom. She's got a lot of redeeming qualities, though, and after some reflection - and after being rebuffed by said family members - Martha apologizes and reaps the rewards.

Cleverly written by Samantha Berger and delightfully illustrated by Bruce Whatley, Martha Doesn't Say Sorry! is a great story for toddlers and young children.

Overrated Children's Books

2010-07-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

Here it goes: the words that will probably get me slammed over and over again.

I don't like Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I read it once and both my daughter and I were sort of underwhelmed. She never requested it again and I never brought it up. Let the lambasting begin.

I would like to say that I find the illustrations quite engaging, but the story does nothing for me. Dare I say I don't quite get it? What is all the hoopla about?

And since I'm getting started on the subject, I find the Olivia books a little too tongue-in-cheek for my tastes. Should the parents really be quite so put upon by their kid? Ah, the poor suffering parents.

Surely, you have books, children's or adult, that you'd throw in the "what's the big deal" category. Feel free to let me know what books you think are overrated.