MORE 'REVIEWS' POSTS
The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain by Peter Sis. Frances Foster Books (an imprint of Farrar, Straus and Giroux). $18.00. Totalitarian regimes make for good children’s books. They just do. What could be more inherently exciting plot-wise than a world in which you never know who to trust? Where children report parents to […]
(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE) The comic book bloggers have been calling this book a picture book graphic novel, and have claimed “The Wall” as their own. It’s a very interesting take. At first glance I just assumed that this story was similar in its layout and structure to the Galileo and Darwin books Sis has […]
(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE) Illustrators often end up with the short end of the stick when it comes to critiquing the books they work upon. Because I had read (and greatly enjoyed) the Stephen Mitchell book of poetry for children, “The Wishing Bone”, I had seen Mr. Tom Pohrt’s work before. His images aren’t flashy […]
Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings by Stephen Mitchell. Illustrated by Tom Pohrt. Walker Books for Young Readers. $16.95. Give Stephen Mitchell a looksee. Stare long and hard at him for a while. Really take him in. Why? Because, my friend, you are in the presence of a very smart man. A man who realized something […]
The Owl and the Pussycat By Edward Lear Illustrations by Stephane Jorisch Part of the Visions in Poetry Series. KCP Press (an imprint of Kids Can Press) I’ve no beef with Edward Lear, but I’ve no particular love of him either. Best known for his sweet nonsense poems, Lear often comes off as a slightly […]
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. Bloomsbury (British edition). $34.99. Big honking multi-pronged spoiler alert. But you knew that anyway, did you not? I’ve known Harry Potter for eight years now. Eight years is a long time to know anyone, fictional or not. Since I first met him, Mr. Potter has remained […]
(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE) Rowling has suggested that someday she may return to the world o’ Potteria. She certainly leaves that door open with this book, and I’m okay with that. If it means following the adventures of Albus Severus Potter (are the initials "ASP" a parseltongue coincidence?) then I’m happy to do so. I […]
No Talking By Andrew Clements. Simon and Schuster. $15.99. For ages 9-12. Not all Andrew Clements novels are created equal, and that’s a fact. I mean, don’t get me wrong. This is true of most children’s authors. But sometimes I feel that with Clements, he’s always readable. Even if you feel that one book of […]
(CONTINUED FROM PART ONE) Notes on the Cover: It’s interesting to me that even as Simon & Schuster has started to change their paperback covers of books like Frindle from the Selznick image to a new one, newer Clements books like “No Talking” are looking mighty similar to Clements’ earlier Selznickian works. This one plays […]
Mouse Guard: Vol. 1 – Fall 1152 by David Petersen. ASP Comics. $24.95. The quest to locate child-friendly graphic novels is amusingly difficult. You wouldn’t think finding quality comics would be so hard. The public perception is that comics are just made for kids anyway, so shouldn’t this lead to an abundance of riches? Hardly. […]