book reviews (all genres)

[beary fun review] Grand Old Oak and the Birthday Ball by Rachel Piercey and Freya Hartas

~ jama ~ 21 Comments

Basil, Cornelius and the other resident bears were positively ecstatic when they heard about Rachel Piercey and Freya Hartas’s new poetry picture book, Grand Old Oak and the Birthday Ball (Magic Cat, 2023).

In this charming interactive follow-up to If You Go Down to the Woods Today (Magic Cat, 2021), readers are invited to join the inimitable Bear and his woodland friends as they plan a spectacular surprise party to celebrate Old Oak’s 500th birthday. Preparations will take most of the year with each season marked by fun activities.

As the story opens, Bear tells us that it all began in early spring:

HOW OLD IS OAK?

It started when I wondered,
as I never had before:
How long has Oak been growing here?
A hundred years, or more?

It must, I thought, take many years
of water, air, and light
to spread to such a wondrous width
and such a mighty height.

As Oak wakes up with his leaves unfurling, Bear asks him his age and learns (much to his astonishment) that his friend had sprung up on that very spot 500 years ago. As Bear starts thinking about all that Oak had seen in his long life, he begins daydreaming . . .

That summer, Bear comes up with an idea. What about a secret birthday ball for Oak? His friends roar and cheer in agreement. In no time at all, they create “piles and piles” of homemade invitations that are dutifully sent to everyone in Brown Bear Wood by lots of volunteers.

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[review] Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong

~ jama ~ 42 Comments

Well, well, well . . . ready for some fun?

Just when you think children’s poetry anthologies can sometimes be a tad predictable, up pops a new one that almost defies description. Is it a junk journal? a graphic novel? a writer’s notebook? a playground for list makers and doodlers? It’s actually all of the above, in addition to being an engaging collection of 150+ lighthearted poems by 100+ uber cool contemporary poets!

In Clara’s Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong, illustrated by Frank Ramspott (Pomelo Books, 2024), readers ages 8-14 are invited to spend a week with spunky Clara, a fourth grader who’s making a compendium for Mrs. Booker’s class.

The assignment is to copy or cut-and-tape poems, collect facts and trivia connected to the poems (thimblethoughts), jot down questions (wonderfuzz), add drawings or illustrations, and simply record whatever one deems noteworthy. There are no limits to this creative exercise, with Mrs. Booker emphasizing, “Put in ANYTHING you want.”

THIMBLETHOUGHT: Scientists say that people who doodle can remember 29% more than people who don’t doodle.

So we meet Clara (animal lover, cookie baker, popsicle eater and skateboard, soccer, pickleball, basketball and video games enthusiast), as well as her family, friends, neighbors, and classmates at school and at play.

Poems and all their related tidbits are largely framed throughout the book by a series of writing exercises Mrs. Booker has assigned the class — everything from describing friends and pets, to considering math, science, language arts, and social studies takeaways, to pondering dream jobs.

Kids will be happy to see many pages devoted to wild animals, both weird and wonderful, and the visually appealing scrapbook-like format will inspire them to imagine, explore, rethink, reflect, dig deeper, and have a ball writing their own poems.

WONDERFUZZ: When we write, do our words become brain tattoos?

Clara’s enthusiasm is infectious as she shares all the funny, sometimes silly, irresistibly wacky poems (a chewy smorgasbord of delightful poetic forms and devices). Robots? Pirates? Chickens? Artists? Slumber Parties? Check! Clara herself writes many poems, and even her toes get in on the action. Why not? Anything goes!

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[rising review] Still There Was Bread by Lisl H. Detlefsen and David Soman

~ jama ~ 7 Comments

Imagine the heavenly aroma of homemade bread baking in the oven as you anticipate biting into a soft, warm slice slathered with butter and honey. Nothing else says love and comfort in quite the same way.

In Still There Was Bread (HarperCollins, 2024), Lisl H. Detlefsen and David Soman celebrate intergenerational connections and the joy of sharing a treasured recipe that can sustain a family through good times and bad.

As this heartwarming story opens, Little Pickle excitedly greets his nana, who’s come to teach him how to make their special family bread. It’s the same recipe for “Nana rolls” his mother learned from her grandmother when she was his age.

As they move through each step, Nana compares their process to how her nana made the rolls a long time ago. First, Nana and Little Pickle gather all the ingredients (eggs, milk, flour, oil, sugar, salt, yeast, water). While theirs came from the grocery store, Nana’s nana “had to collect eggs from the chicken coop and milk a cow to get what she wanted.”

Next, Nana shows Little Pickle how to preheat the electric oven, explaining that her nana baked in a woodburning stove, using the “By guess and by gosh” method. While they can easily combine all their ingredients in a stand mixer, Nana’s nana mixed the dough with a wooden spoon. But there are a couple of things they do the same way: knead the dough by hand, then place it in a big bowl before covering it with a damp towel.

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[spooky review] Paddington’s Trick or Treat by Michael Bond and R.W. Alley

~ jama ~ 10 Comments

It’s almost Halloween, that special night when wee ghosts, goblins and witches roam the streets collecting sweets. What’s your favorite? Snickers, Twix, Kit-Kats? Well, much as we love chocolate, the furry Alphabet Soup kitchen helpers and I agree there’s no finer treat than a brand new Paddington picture book. 🙂

In Paddington’s Trick or Treat by Michael Bond and R.W. Alley (HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2024), our beloved bear from darkest Peru is super excited about his very first Halloween party. There’s just one problem: an uninvited guest is spoiling all the fun. Can Paddington trick him into leaving?

It all started Halloween morning, when Paddington came downstairs to breakfast carrying Mrs Bird’s best broom and wearing a trash bag draped over his duffle coat. He was working on his costume, since Jonathan and Judy had promised to take him trick-or-treating. Judy suggested they have a party afterwards, to which Paddington heartily agreed, as he’d never been to a Halloween party before.

After some convincing, Mr Brown okayed a small family-only celebration. So Paddington popped off to the market for pumpkins and baking supplies, while Jonathan and Judy worked on their costumes and party decorations.

When he got back, Paddington helped Mrs Bird bake “squashed-fly” (Garibaldi) biscuits, since he couldn’t find any at the market, while Mrs Brown hollowed out pumpkins for lanterns.

Later that afternoon, Paddington passed the time writing Halloween poems until it got dark. Finally, it was time to go trick-or-treating! In his cape, pointed hat, and frayed-rope wig, Paddington made a very convincing witch. The finishing touch was a set of fangs Judy had fashioned from an orange peel turned inside out. Spooky!

They had great fun trick-or-treating; Paddington got so many treats he could hardly carry them. Best head home — but before doing so, Paddington wanted to call on their grumpy neighbor Mr Curry despite Jonathan and Judy’s objections. Paddington disguised his voice while reading his poem, but Mr Curry recognized him. That’s when our well-meaning bear accidentally let slip that they were having a party.

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[review + recipe] Granny Smith Was Not An Apple by Sarah Glenn Fortson and Kris Aro McLeod

~ jama ~ 20 Comments

Happy National Apple Month!

Time to wrap your lips around apple pie, crumble, crisp, pandowdy, buckle, slump, cobbler and dumpling. Inhale the heavenly fragrance of cinnamon and nutmeg. Sip some warm cider. When it comes to apples, they can’t be beat for variety and versatility.

What’s your favorite type of apple? I’m partial to Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, and Granny Smith because they’re pretty much available year round. Have you ever wondered whether Granny Smith was a real person?

I recently found out in this crunchy picture book biography, Granny Smith Was Not An Apple: The Story of Orchardist Maria Ann Smith by Sarah Glenn Fortson and Kris Aro McLeod (Peter Pauper Press, 2023).

Back in the 1800’s, Maria Ann Smith, an English “tough to the core” itinerant worker and orchardist, struggled to find work when manual laborers were being replaced with faster, more efficient farm equipment.

Since she and her husband could barely support their family, Maria Ann helped deliver babies in her village (historically, midwives were called ‘Granny’). She received payment in the form of food and clothing, then eventually worked in an apple orchard, where she learned about grafting and harvesting.

One day, two foreign agents arrived at the orchard looking for experienced laborers to work in Australia with a free voyage. Ignoring her neighbors’ warnings not to go, Maria and her family boarded the ship to Australia, enduring the arduous 4-month journey during which her five children fell ill. Maria kept her spirits up by thinking about a better life.

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