A Picture Book for Art Lovers: The Lonesome Puppy by Yoshimoto Nara

The Lonesome Puppy by Yoshimoto Nara
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811856402
ISBN-13: 978-0811856409
Source of book: Review copy from publisher




"I was all alone
and lonesome.

I was always hoping
for someone, somewhere,
to be my friend.

It's true. I was all alone,
and this is why..."

For those of you who love picture books that encourage the imagination and that are a little "out there," The Lonesome Puppy by Yoshimoto Nara might be a good choice for you. You see, the puppy is so lonesome because he's HUGE. So huge that no one notices him. Until one day when a little girl DOES notice him. She scales one of his giant legs, climbs up his back, and finally up to his head. The two become fast friends, and the puppy is not lonesome anymore.


I'm a little mixed about this book. I've been familiar with Yoshimoto Nara's art for a while and was very interested in seeing how his sometimes devious, even evil-looking child subjects would translate into his first children's picture book. Well, in some of the illustrations, the little girl in the book definitely has the devious eyes that scream "Yoshimoto Nara." However, she's not scary, and her eyes and expressions change throughout the book. The puppy is completely adorable, and any animal-loving child will love the pictures in the book. I also love the way it inspires imagination and think kids will definitely laugh at the idea of a puppy being so big that no one notices it.

Here's where I get a little iffy though. I'm not into books that are too "messagy," and the story ends with, "No matter how alone you are, there is always someone, somewhere, waiting to meet you. Just look and you will find them." It's just a little too much for me. Sometimes kids just want a story, and this ending just seemed out of place.


The other weird thing is that when the story ends, there are a few more spreads, like the one below that show the little girl playing with the dog.




While I think they are great images, I was put off at the way they were just stuck at the end. Is this a children's book or is it a showcase of Nara's work? I was a bit put off by it.

So, my final assessment is that the story is weak, but the illustrations are great. If you love Nara's art or his style, pick up this book. It's worth it for the art.

But that leads me to this question. Do great picture books need both a great story AND great illustrations? I've always thought yes, but do kids always want this? Maybe they just want to look at pretty pictures, and maybe sometimes the story is so good that they don't really even care about or look at the illustrations.

I don't have much experience here. My daughter is too young to understand stories, but she loves to look at the pictures. For us, if the pictures aren't compelling, the book will not stay open for more than 2 minutes. She LOVES The Lonesome Puppy and calls the puppy, "Chip," the name of our white dog, so for us, pictures are key.

What do you think?

Grace Lin: My Daughter's Favorite Illustrator

Over the past week or so, my daughter has gravitated toward the two Grace Lin books we have in our house.

First, Chronicle Books sent us the paperback version of Red is a Dragon: A Book of Colors, written by Roseanne Thong and illustrated by Grace Lin. It's a concept book written in rhyme that features gorgeous spreads of Chinese characters in both Asian-themed and familiar settings with objects in the color featured on the spread.



For example, here's the opening of the book:

The text is "Red is a dragon/ Red is a drum/ Red are the firecrackers--here they come!" The book continues with many more colors: yellow raincoats, flowers, and a taxi; green toads, bottle gourds, and jade; a blue pool, dragonfly, and pair of sneakers; pink peonies, white dumplings, and more. A glossary in the back explains more about some of the items in the book that some kids may not be familiar with, such as lychee fruit, chopsticks, silk fans, and more. This is a wonderful way to not only teach colors but to also introduce children to another culture.


And speaking of teaching kids about different cultures, take a look at Lin's book, Bringing in the New Year (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008). Both written and illustrated by Lin, this book follows a Chinese family as they prepare for and then celebrate the Lunar New Year.

The entire family participates in the preparations: "Ba-Ba hangs the spring happiness poems. Ma-Ma makes the get-rich dumplings. Mei-Mei gets a fresh haircut."

The preparations lead up to an exciting celebration with firecrackers, the arrival of "lions" to scare away last year's bad luck, and an exciting pull-out three-page spread of the arrival of the dragon. Here's just one page of this impressive and vibrantly-colored spread:

At the end of the book is a two-page summary of the Lunar New Year, which includes information about the customs and traditions of this special holiday. And if anyone doubts the importance of having fun, colorful end papers, check out my little one who is fascinated with the end papers in this book. This one was taken earlier this week during our post-bath time reading session.

Yes, she loves Grace Lin, and we're definitely going to add to our collection. Check out Grace Lin's Website for more information about all of her books.

Nonfiction Book Review: Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau

Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne, illustrated by Eric Puybaret
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 23, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0811860639
ISBN-13: 978-0811860635
Source of book: Review copy from publisher

"Bubbles rising
through the silence of the sea.
Silvery beads of breath
from a man
deep, deep down
in a strange and shimmering ocean land
of swaying plants and fantastic creatures.
A manfish
swimming, diving
into the unknown.
Exploring underwater worlds
No one had ever seen
and no one could ever have imagined."

This is how Jennifer Berne's story of Jacques Cousteau begins. The words, black and curving on a palette of dark blue/green start out large at the top of the page and get smaller and smaller as they go down the page, underneath the sea, and like fish, curve and swim toward the manfish on the next page in scuba gear at the bottom of the ocean. A sea of fish and seaweed swim around him as bubbles rise to the top of the page.

On the next page, the story begins with a young Jacques fascinated with the water and dreaming that someday he would be able to breathe under water. It tells of his fascination with machines and movies, the childhood movies he made, and how this fascination continued as he grew. Then one day a friend gave him a pair of goggles, and for the first time, he could see the magical world that was beneath the sea. The story continues by chronicling Jacques' quest to breathe underwater, his invention of the aqualung, and ultimately achieving his dream. Not only did he achieve his dream, but through his underwater films, he introduced the world to the beautiful and mysterious underwater world and helped inspire others to save the ocean's wildlife from pollution.

Through this biography, children are inspired to dream big. The author's note at the end of the book says that Jacques always said, "Il faut aller voir," roughly translated to mean, "We must go and see for ourselves," which she says is "a wonderful way to start just about anything." The book also helps children develop a respect for the earth and its creatures.

But what do I love most about this book? Eric Puybaret's magnificent, breathtaking illustrations. Rendered in acrylic paint on linen, the dark blues and greens make you feel like you're swimming in the ocean with Jacques. As he goes lower and lower into the ocean, the colors get darker and darker, a blue/black at the deepest points. My only criticism is that when the palette is dark, the black words may be a little difficult to read.

The curvy lines of Jaques body models the same curviness of the fish, making him truly look like a manfish. I could almost hear the deafening silence of the ocean, Jacques' breathing, and the bubbling sounds created from the aqualung as I read through the book.

But perhaps the most wonderful illustration is the one here, which, depicted on the screen here, actually does not do the book justice. You have to turn the book around so that it's vertical and open up a centerfold to reveal Jaques and his friends starting out at the top of the ocean and swimming down to the bottom, revealing new fish and other sea creatures along the way.

"On the bottom, they found pink ghost crabs, with eyes
on long stalks, buried so deep in the
sand they looked like a garden of
eyes. And flute fish--with heads like horses
and bodies the shape of tubes--
sticking out of rocky openings,
like pencils in a cup. "

This is nonfiction at its finest. Give it to your science lovers, your ocean lovers, your nonfiction lovers, your picture book lovers. I give it my highest recommendation.

*All images used with permission of Chronicle Books.

For more great nonfiction recommendations, visit the Nonfiction Monday Roundup at Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day.

Grandma Calls Me Beautiful by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee

Grandma Calls Me Beautiful by Barbara Joosse, illustrated by Barbara Lavallee
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 36 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 26, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0811858154
ISBN-13: 978-0811858151
Source of book: Review copy from publisher

The Joosse/Lavallee team are back with their latest installment of what Barbara Joosse calls her "Great Big Family," series. I became a huge fan of this series right after my daughter was born when I saw Mama, Do You Love Me? and Papa, Do You Love Me? in our local bookstore. I scarfed up a copy of each, and they've become a staple in our story time routine since.

Mama, Do You Love Me? explores the undying and unconditional love an Inuit mother has for her child, and Papa, Do You Love Me? examines the same type of unconditional love a Maasai father has for his son. While the books depict parents and children of different cultures, they hold the common theme of loving your child no matter what--a theme that I suspect most parents identify with, and most children take great comfort in hearing.

Grandma Calls Me Beautiful also explores this theme, this time focusing on the love a Hawaiian grandmother, Tutu, feels for her granddaughter whom she calls Beautiful. The story begins with Tutu telling Beautiful a talk-story about Beautiful's birth. As explained in the book's glossary, a talk-story is an informal conversation, sometimes illustrated with a song, a hei (or string design), or a dance. In this case, Tutu uses a hei, a piece of string which she twists into a design to tell her story. The back of the book also contains instructions on how to make a honu (turtle) hei.

Through Tutu's story of Beautiful's birth, readers learn about Hawaiian traditions, including the custom of "sharing breath," the pressing of foreheads together and touching noses to signify love and affection. When Tutu finishes her story, Beautiful questions her beauty and elicits affirmation from her grandmother that she still is beautiful, similar to the style of questions and and answers the children ask their parents in Mama, Do You Love Me? and Papa, Do You Love Me?

Beautiful: "Sometimes I scare Rooster, just to hear his big noise."
Tutu: "Then you're a little bit naughty, but still, you're beautiful."


Tutu later says, "You are you are--bright as a kukui torch, sweet as breadfruit pudding, soft as kapa cloth."

Barbara Lavallee's vivid watercolor illustrations in tropical tones depict the tender moments between Tutu and Beautiful and exude the warmth between them.

Image used with permission by Chronicle Books

Not only does the book depict the undying love between a grandmother and her grandchild, but it teaches children about different cultures. More importantly, it also serves as a way to boost a child's self-esteem. To know that you're loved no matter what you do, or what you look like, even if you're a bit naughty at times is a wonderful and empowering feeling to have.

Any grandmother would be delighted to receive this book and read it to her own granddaughter, and any granddaughter would be delighted to sit on her grandmother's lap and listen to her read the book.

The entire collection would also make a beautiful gift for new and expectant parents, and I hope there will be a "grandpa" book in the future.

Wave by Suzy Lee

Wave by Suzy Lee
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Chronicle Books (April 16, 2008)
ISBN-10: 081185924X
ISBN-13: 978-0811859240
Source of book: Review copy from publisher

This gorgeous and wordless picture book tells the story of a little girl's day at the beach. When she first arrives at the ocean, she's a little shy and uncertain as she looks at the daunting wave before her. As she grows more comfortable, she roars at the wave as it recedes into the ocean, and she finally musters up the courage to jump in and splash around. The wave, however, gets the last laugh and drenches her, but she soon forgets as she sees the treasure that washes ashore.

I have to tell you that this wordless book nearly rendered me speechless the first time I flipped through it. It's a universal story that every person who has been to the ocean will be familiar with. You don't NEED words to tell this story. The stunning images open up the senses and evoke emotion. I could smell the ocean, feel the spray on my face, hear the little girl's laughter, and feel her awe and reverence toward this powerful force of nature along with her delight.

Photo courtesy of Chronicle Books

It's the simplicity of the book that makes it truly powerful. The black and white panoramic drawings of the girl, her mother, and the seagulls are accented with splashes of the ocean's brilliant blue. When the wave finally engulfs the little girl at the end and recedes back into the ocean, the pages also become engulfed in blue--the sky, the girl's dress, the sea shells, etc.

This book makes me want to go to the beach. It conjures up my own memories of my childhood, and makes me reminisce about the innocence of childhood and the magic of the ocean. Accessible to children and parents of many cultures and languages and accessible to children who can't yet read or who are struggling with reading, I give Wave my highest recommendation.

Visit Suzy Lee's website to see more illustrations from Wave.


What other bloggers are saying:

Mindy's Book Journal: "A day at the beach has never been as lovely as it is in this book. Pair it with Flotsam or savor Wave on its own for its beautiful simplicity, but don’t pass this by. Perhaps a favorite of the year for me."


Do you have a review of Wave? If so, leave your link in the comments, and I'll include it here.

Bilingual Fairy Tales

There's something about fairy tales that bring me back to a special place. I loved the magic, the characters, and the new worlds they introduced to me. We had this gigantic yellow book full of Grimm's Fairy Tales, and I remember reading it over and over again. My favorite story was that of Snow White and Rose Red, two sisters who befriend a bear who ends up being a bewitched prince. Then one day, the book was gone. I believe it was lost in a move, and I searched and searched for that book to no avail. I had other fairy tale books after that, but still after many years, I remember that book and how much it meant to me.

The place where I now live is so much more diverse than the town where I grew up, and I often lament over the fact that there are so many parents who can't speak English and who can't read to their kids because there are very few children's books readily available in other languages. Needless to say, I'm always delighted when I see bilingual children's books and children's books written in other languages, and I was super delighted when I discovered Chronicle Books' bilingual fairy tale series. Written in English and Spanish, the books retell classic tales that children from many countries know and love.

Chronicle Books sent me a copy of the two newest books in the series: El The Pied Piper: El Flautista de Hamelin by Jaume Cela, illustrations by Cristina Losantos and Snow White: Blancanieves by Miquel Desclot, illustrations by Ignasi Blanch.

I think they are wonderful for a number of reasons.

First, paragraphs of English and Spanish are both on the same page, with an accompanying illustration on the opposite page. Parents and children can choose to read in one language or in both languages. They can even compare the two if they want.

Second, whenever I see a fairy tale book, especially a very popular one like Snow White, I get a little irritated when they're based on the animated version of the tale. I'm a traditionalist in the sense that I love the language in fairy tales and often feel that the language gets lost in movies and plays second fiddle to the visuals, the voices, and the music. You can only imagine how happy I was to see that Snow White: Blancanieves is an adaptation of the original fairy tale and not based on the movie. The language is plainly written and easy enough for a beginning reader or language learner while still managing to engage the reader and retell the story that generations of children have loved. The same goes with El The Pied Piper: El Flautista de Hamelin .

Third, the illustrations are colorful and engaging, but they don't distract from the story itself.
In Snow White: Blancanieves, the soft sketches give the book a dreamy feel and take you back to a place lost in time. In El The Pied Piper: El Flautista de Hamelin , the illustrations effectively depict a Germany of long-ago with the clothing of the townspeople and the buildings. They may also induce giggles with the funny facial expressions of the children and rats and the funny costume the Pied Piper wears. They do add a lighthearted tone to the story though while I always remembered it as kind of creepy and sad.

But the best thing about these books is that Chronicle Books has made these tales accessible to a wider audience and has given Spanish-speaking parents the opportunity to share these magical tales with their children in their native language. Not only that, but parents can help instill the joy of reading with their child and create lasting memories. In addition, parents of children who are growing up bilingual can help their children practice reading and speaking both English and Spanish.

I highly recommend these and hope to build my daughter's library with other books in the series:

• Beauty and the Beast: La Bella y la Bestia
• Rapunzel/Rapunzel
• The Hare and the Tortoise/La Liebre Y la Tortuga
• The Musicians of Bremen/Los Musicos de Bremen
• Hansel and Gretel/Hansel y Gretel
• Aladdin and the Magic Lamp/Aladino y la Lámpara Maravillosa
• Rumpelstiltskin
• Puss in Boots/El Gato con botas
• Princess and the Pea/La princesa y el guisante
• The Little Mermaid/La Sirenita
• Thumbelina/Pulgarcita
• Cinderella/Cenicienta
• The Sleeping Beauty/La bella durmiente: A Bilingual Book
• Juan y los frijoles mágicos / Jack and the Beanstalk
• The Ugly Duckling/El patito feo
• The Three Little Pigs/Los Tres Cerditos
• Goldilocks and the Three Bears/ Ricitos de oro y los tres osos
• Little Red Riding Hood/Caperucita Roja: Bilingual edition
  

Two Contests at Chronicle Books

I wanted to pass along information about two contests going on over at Chronicle Books.

The first one is for artists of all ages in celebration of Taro Gomi's two new books, Squiggles and Doodle All Year:

Taro Gomi Squiggles & Doodles Creativity Contest
Visit the link above, print out one of the pages on the site, and create your best artwork using the prompt located in the upper righthand corner of the page.
Five grand prize winners will receive:

• ADeluxe set of art materials
  
• A limited edition print autographed by Taro Gomi
  
• The Taro Gomi creativity collection of books from Chronicle Books, including Squiggles, Doodle All Year, and Doodles and Scribbles
  

If your child is under 13, you need to submit their entry for them. The deadline for entries is May 15.




The second contest is for elementary school teachers and their classrooms: the Ivy & Bean Friendship Contest.

Teachers, read at least one of the Ivy & Bean books with your classroom and then have your students write about a special friend of their own (visit the link above for more specifics. Submit the essays to Chronicle Books by February 15, and your class could win a visit from author Annie Barrows! Just for entering, you'll also receive 40 magnetic bookmarks (while supplies last), and the runner up will receive a classroom set of autographed books!

Good luck!