In the Town All Year 'Round, by Rotraut Susanne Berner

A German "Richard Scarry"

TITLE: In the Town All Year Round
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Rotrant Susanne Berner
PUBLISHED BY: Chronicle Books, 2008
ISBN: 9780811864749

You all know Richard Scarry, I presume.  (If you don't, shame on you!) He created hugely detailed worlds filled with animals going about their daily business. You follow the animals through the towns, farms, beaches, villages, cities, as they work, play, eat, laugh, get into accidents, and generally have a good time.

Well, In the Town All Year 'Round operates on a similar principle, only in this book we follow people (not animals), through their lives in a small German city. At the begining of each season we meet several of the characters, and are given their story line: "Ella and Andrew go to the dentist, byt first they have to catch their parrot!" or "Olivia is so busy reading she doesn't notice anything else." or "Who has lost this wallet and keys?"

We then follow them through the town, seeing their original apartment building, some farm land, a train station, three downtown spreads, and finally a park. These same locations are repeated in subsequent seasons (though I am sticking to winter since, indeed, it is winter now).

The illustrations are wonderfully detailed, and a little cartoonish in style. The town is obviously a German one, though still completely accessible to any child. I know if I had been given this book as a child, I would have spent hours following the stories, not only of our main characters, but of all the extra people we see in each frame. No detail would escape my notice.

Therein lies my one complaint with the book, and I want to give it fair warning to all of you parents. There are two instances of nudity in this book. Nudity is not that uncommon in picture books in Europe--I remeber a wonderful illustrated version of the story of the Garden of Eden from Austria that had no gracefully placed trees and shrubs. The first nude in this book is a painting in an art museum. I don't really have a problem with that in concept, though this drawing is a full frontal female nude that leaves little to the imagination, even if it is less than an inch. The second is more problematic--it is a pornographic magazine in a train station newsstand. While a nude in a museum in a picture book provides an opportunity to talk about art, a pornographic magazine is not at all acceptable for a children's book. That's just too much verisimilitude for my tastes.

All the same, I'd still buy this book, and simply draw over the magazine. If you're an artist, you can make it work. I was so disappointed by these discoveries because I was simply enchanted by the book, and wanted to buy it for everyone I knew.

Look who found their keys! from In the Town All Year 'Round
NB: My big blog layout update has been delayed...because I am just too much of a luddite to do things properly and in a timely fashion.  I've added the widget above that links to all the books I've recently reviewed, to make shopping easier.  And scroll down on the left to find the "tags" columns, where you can find lots more books about a particular subject or genre or age group. 

Sales + Announcements

Hello All! I hope you had a wonderful (and filling) Thanksgiving. I wanted to let you know that on Cyber Monday (that is, November 30th, next Monday), Little Lamb Books will look a little different, and have some new design features that should make browsing easier, and more fun. The new heading is a little sneak peak! So check back on Monday for the new LLB! Have a grand weekend! --MEP


Chronicle Books Friends & Family Holiday Sale! 35% off + Free Shipping with promo code FRIENDS. (Ends 12.4.09)

Here are some great titles for your gift list:

+ Eric Carle's Pop-up Advent Calendar

+ Doodle All Year with Taro Gomi

+ The gorgeous, luminous A Seed is Sleepy, and An Egg is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long

+ Peek-a-Boo-Who combines my favorite game with my favorite animal--a sheep!

+ I Know A Lot of Things by Paul and Ann Rand

Also, the Canadian 2009 Publisher of the Year, Groundwood Books has lots of great titles, and is having a 30% off sale. And the shipping isn't too bad.

And don't forget to check out the Little Lamb Bookshop, for the best selection of Christmas gifts! (and take advantage of Amazon's Black Friday deals + steals by clicking here!)

Strega Nona's Harvest, by Tomie De Paola

TITLE: Strega Nona's Harvest
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Tomie De Paola
PUBLISHED BY: Putnam, 2009
ISBN: 978-0399223273

There's not much to say about Strega Nona's Harvest other than, it is charming and wonderful, and an excellent book in honor of Thanksgiving.

In this installment of the popular Strega Nona series, Big Anthony gets into a bit of trouble when he decides to plant a garden secretly (but doesn't do all the necessary plowing, weeding, pruning. His garden is a mess, but it produces so much he doesn't know what to do with it. He sneaks out every night and puts the vegetables outside Strega Nona's door.

This silly and funny adventure with Strega Nona, and all her friends and family is perfect for a family read aloud. Also check out the video below, commemorating Tomie's 75th birthday (earlier this year).

Happy Thanksgiving, all!

Yummy, by Lucy Cousins

Bold colors and strong strokes illuminate Cousin's retold fairy tales

TITLE: Yummy: Eight Favorite Nursery Stories
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Lucy Cousins
PUBLISHED BY: Candlewick, 2009
ISBN: 9780763644741

Yummy by Lucy Cousins is the last of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2009 that I'll be reviewing this year. A retelling of eight classic fairy tales, this book is surprisingly fresh and charming.

Cousins is the creator of Maisy, the popular board book mouse. Here she turns her attention to eight well known fairy tales, like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," "Henny Penny," and "The Three Billy Goats Gruff." What unites all these disparate stories is (as the title hints), eating. All eight stories involve our heroes eating the villains, or being saved from being eaten ("Little Red Riding Hood") or eating something after lots of hard work ("The Enormous Turnip" and "The Little Red Hen").

Cousins uses the simplest language--without embellishment. Her stories are straightforward, and uncompromising (the way fairy tales ought to be). Take the climax of "Little Red Riding Hood," for example:

A hunter was passing by and heard the noise. He came in and saw the wicked wolf. He chopped the wolf open, and out stepped Grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood. "HOORAY" they cried.

How much more simple can you get?

Contrasting with the plain prose are bold and vibrant pictures. I won't say they are beautiful--but somehow they match the horror of the nursery tales perfectly. This isn't Arthur Rackham, and our children will not be enchanted by this fairy world. That's okay--these stories are captivating in their content not their imagery. The illustrations (slightly cartoonish, in primary colors with big strokes) are so approachable and funny.

All that being said, I really don't know why this was picked as a "best illustrated book of the year"--it's a lot of fun, and I do love these eight stories in particular (and love the theme of eating carried throughout), but I don't know that it deserves the prize over, say, De Paola's Matisse-esque cutouts or Prosek's stunning watercolors. All the same, the book is great, and I do highly recommend it. It's a perfect introduction to fairy tales (and the sooner we introduce fairy tales, the better!)

If you cannot find this title in your local bookstore, you can always get it, and many more, at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

A Penguin Story, by Antoinette Portis

A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis
TITLE: A Penguin Story
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Antoinette Portis
PUBLISHED BY: Harper Collins, 2009
ISBN: 978-0061456886

Antoinette Portis, author of the bestselling and award winning Not a Boxand its less inspired sequel Not a Stick,has garnered more critical acclaim for her third picture book, the simple and silly, A Penguin Story. With her signature spare line drawings, she tells the story of Edna, the penguin, who's curiosity drives her towards happy discoveries.

The world, as far as Edna can tell, is white as ice, black as night, blue as the sea. "But there must be something else." she determines. While her fellow penguins merrily play and hunt, she sits on a cliff wondering what else there is. Finally, she decides to take a journey to find that "something that's not white, not black, not blue."

When she stumbles into a scientist's camp, she is dazzled (see below) by the orange of their tents. She rushes back to the other penguins and brings them to see, and they too are awed. But somehow (isn't this always the way), she isn't satisfied by this discovery. As she sits with an orange glove the scientists left behind she wonders "What else could there be?"

Portis has an effortless style both in her prose and her illustrations. Children will delight in these illustrations. Sometimes they have little jokes (Edna walks up the mountain with a whole fish, and walks down it with a fish skeleton), and even though the book has only a few colors, the illustrations are cheerful and engaging. When many illustrators seems to enjoy placing their characters in an all white field, Portis's blue skies, black nights, and white snows are a welcome relief.

Most successful of all is the way Portis creates a narrative for that natural curiosity that all children have (and that we adults often forget about). Edna has nothing she does not need, but she still wonders what else there is to discover, and won't rest till she finds it. Children are like this naturally (even at a very young age), and this book speaks to them and encourages them.

This book has also bee named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the year, and received a starred review from the School Library Journal


WOW! says Edna when she discovers the orange tent.
If you cannot find this title in your local bookstore, you can always get it, and many more, at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

Moonshot, by Brian Floca

The countdown, from Brian Floca's Moonshot
TITLE: Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Brian Floca
PUBLISHED BY: Atheneum
ISBN: 978-1416950462

I ended last week discussing two books published during the space race, when reaching the Moon captured the imagination of millions. Today, I want to draw your attention to one of the New York Times Best Illustrated Books of 2009, Moonshot, by Caldecott Honor Medalist Brian Floca. It describes the flight of Apollo 11--with vibrant and detailed watercolors.

Floca has done tremendous research, but this isn’t a dull non-fiction book. He manages to capture the tense thrill of the flight crew, the excitement of the six hundred million viewers, and, most moving of all, the sheer wonder of the astronauts themselves.

The “liftoff” (pictured below) is thrilling. The detail of the control room, and inside the Columbia, is fascinating. Best of all (it gives me goose-bumps every time) is the look on Armstrong’s face as he gazes back at the Earth from the surface of the moon.

The book has one weak-point: the text is really only ok. A sort of loose verse, it often lacks good rhythm, and stretches awkwardly trying to be poetic. It’s not terrible, but it doesn’t match the brilliance of the watercolors. All the same, this certainly is one of the best illustrated books of the year, and would be an excellent gift for anyone interested in the moon race, astronauts, the wonder of the stars.


Lift off! From Brian Floca's Moonshot

Cheering for the safe return of Apollo 11, from Brian Floca's Moonshot

If you cannot find this title in your local bookstore, you can always get this title, and many more, at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

This is the Way to the Moon, by M. Sasek

"Birdwatchers" on the Cape, watching the launch of Atlas
TITLE: This is the Way to the Moon
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: M. Sasek
PUBLISHED BY: Universe, 2009
ISBN: 978-0789318428

Yesterday we talked about the man in the moon coming to Earth, today we’ll talk about the men of Earth going to the moon. M. Sasek (who’s work I’ve reviewed before) wrote a series of engaging picture books about different cities and countries around the world. (My favorite is, of course, This is San Francisco.) Universe (another art and architecture publishing house, like Phaidon) has been reprinting these wonderful books for many years, and the most recent in the seriesis This is the Way to the Moon, about Cape Canaveral and the moon race.

Originally published in 1963, the book covers everything from the funny space-age marquees outside hotels and drive-ins, to detailed drawings of different space missiles. It focuses on the successful launch and orbit of Atlas, but was updated to include the 1969 lunar landing. This edition has both the Atlas and Lunar missions in it, plus a facts page in the back that talk about the space mission today.

This book, more than the others by Sasek, is a time capsule. The space race has no longer captured the attention (and imagination) of millions of people every day. But Sasek's guidebooks are always engaging and funny. He always includes some of the odd (and charming) characteristics of each City. In Cape Canaveral, for example, he shows two bakers making a huge chocolate cake shaped like the Mercury Atlas spacecraft. He also has really wonderful illustrations of the Control Center, of the previous missile attempts, of the launch site, and of Mercury itself.

I'll bet the biggest audience for this book is actually the adults who were kids during the moon race. My Dad tells me "nostalgia is a dangerous thing," but I'll beg to differ in this case. With Sasek as our guide, nostalgia is a delight. Can you think of a better way to commemorate the 40th anniversary of man's first walk on the moon?


The Parade in Cocoa Beach

This is another of the 5 titles I listed at the end of my First Things piece of which I was unable to write a full review. I found this title, of all places, at Anthropologie. If you cannot find it in your local bookstore, you can always get this title, and many more, at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

Moon Man, by Tomi Ungerer

TITLE: Moon Man
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Tomi Ungerer
PUBLISHED BY: Phaidon, 2009
ISBN: 978-0714855981


The highly stylized picture books of the late sixties and early seventies have seen quite a renaissance. For the past few years publishing houses better known for design and architecture titles have republished children’s books that fit their mid-century design aesthetic. Phaidon has developed a very fine children’s imprint, which has republished most notably A Balloon for a Blunderbuss by Alastair Reid and Bob Gill, and the Nicholas books by Jean Jacques Sempé and Rene Goscinny.

This year they have turned their attention to Tomi Ungrer. Ungrer, a Hans Christen Andersen Award winner (1998) is most known in the US for his famous Dr. Strangelovemovie poster. He was also a prolific picture book author. His 1966 picture book Moon Man is a silly and imaginative story about the Moon Man’s one visit to earth.

Our Moon Man is terribly curious about all the fun we have here on earth, so he grabs the tail of a comet, and comes down for a visit. He plays in a forest, attends a costume party, and befriends a scientist, Doktor Bunsen van der Dunkel (a name sure to cause giggles in your audience, should you pronounce it with the right flourish).

My favorite visual trick in the book has to do with the phases of the moon. The Moon Man, when he first lands on Earth, is arrested and put in jail, so the government can figure out what he is and what to do with him. He’s miserable, but as the moon wanes, so does he, till he is small enough to slip through the bars of the jail cell window.

The story is silly, the artwork very stylized and of its time. Yet there is something enduring in this story, and I’m glad Phaidon has chosen to bring it back in print. (They have also republished Urgrer’s most famous book The Three Robberswhich is a little too queer for my taste. But some people love it. To each his own.)


Moon Man, lonely in his cell.

This is the fourth of the 5 titles I listed at the end of my First Things piece for which I was unable to write full reviews. While you might find Moon Man in a local bookstore, you are more likely to find it in a museum gift shop, or contemporary art gift store. Phaidon just sort of rolls that way. You can also get this title at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

Harry & Horsie, by Katie Van Camp and Lincoln Agnew

TITLE: Harry and Horsie
AUTHOR: Katie Van Camp
ILLUSTRATOR: Lincoln Agnew
PUBLISHED BY: Balzer & Bray (at HarperCollins), 2009
ISBN: 978006175598-9

Harry and Horsie is perhaps the perfect bedtime story for an adventurous little boy. Harry is a charming blond boy of about four. His best friend is a stuffed animal horse, named, aptly, Horsie. (Why are those most beloved first toys always nameless? My friend’s son recently lost his beloved “doggy,” the Velveteen Rabbit is also nameless. And my baby doll when I was young was just called “baba” for “baby.”)

Anyway, one night Harry can’t get to sleep, so he and Horsie start playing with Harry’s spiffy bubble gun, the Super Duper Bubble Blooper. Shooting bubbles everywhere, they giggle and laugh as the bubble start picking up Harry’s toys: “BLOOP went his books and BLOOP went his whirligigs.”

But then—oh no!—a bubble bloops Horsie, and takes him out the window and into the night! Harry looses no time in grabbing his rocket, and flying out into the night to save Horsie. He passes his toy cars racing on Saturn’s rings, and his Kitty lapping up the Milky Way. Finally, he sees Horsie hanging from the crescent moon. When they get home, tired out from the rescue, Harry tells Horsie that next time they’ll take an adventure together.

The story is inspired by author Katie Van Camp’s work as a nanny to a little boy named Harry, and his best friend Horsie. As you can see, Lincoln Agnew’s imaginative retro-comic illustrations are bursting with energy and life. This book is the perfect gift for any little boy, ages 3-6. And parents will love it too, because it’s awfully fun to read aloud!


There was no time to lose!
Harry put on his helmet and grabbed his goggles.

This is another of the 5 titles I listed at the end of my First Things piece of which I was unable to write full reviews. You are likely to find Harry and Horsie in any major bookstore. If you cannot find it in your local bookstore, you can always get them at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

Re-Post: Erika San by Allen Say

Today I am re-posting my review of Allen Say's Erika-San, which I mentioned in my First Things piece last week.

Title: Erika-San
Author & Illustrator: Allen Say
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin, 2009
ISBN: 978-0618889334


To my mind, Erika-San, by Allen Say, is a early contender for one of the Best Illustrated Books of the Year. A little girl sees a beautiful painting of a Japanese Tea House, and decides that she wants to live there. Fast forward several years, and the little girl, Erika, is now a young woman, off to teach English in a Japanese school. Tokyo is too modern for her tastes, so she goes to a tiny village on a small island in Northern Japan. There she immerses herself in the local culture, becomes friends with a fellow teacher, and finds a real home.

The story is lovely--and teaches the joy of dreams fulfilled through curiosity and hard work. Say's characteristic Japanese influenced drawings enhance the story; anyone can understand why Erika wants to go there, and why she finds peace there.

I wish I had better images for you of the book--they really are beautiful. As in his previous books, Say manages to capture both the older and more peaceful Japan, and the rush of modern Tokyo, as well as the tension and displacement felt by a young woman of the West in a very foreign country.

It is an excellent book for girls ages 4-9, but I dare say some boys will enjoy it too!

All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant and Nikki McClure

TITLE: All in a Day
AUTHOR: Cynthia Rylant
ILLUSTRATOR: Nikki McClure
PUBLISHED BY: Abrhams, 2009
ISBN: 978-0810983212

If you loved last year's Caldecott medallist, The House in the Night, you are likely to love Cynthia Rylant and Nikki McClure's 2009 release All in a Day.

The book reminds me of one of my favorite Chesterton quotes, "An adventure is an inconvenience rightly understood." In a series of vignettes, we see all the promise and adventure a day brings. We see that life is full, gracious, and worth living well.

Though I love Cynthia Rylant, the text is not up to her usual standards this time. Not that there's anything really wrong with it--it simply lacks a little extra No matter, the papercuts by Nikki McClure are enchanting--showing the lovely simple actions of a good life.

This book would be an excellent present for a new parent--it is lovely read aloud, and would surely become a beloved treasure of family storytime. One of my favorites of the year.


Rain could show up at your door and teach you how to dance


This day will soon be over...

This week, I am reviewing the 5 titles I listed at the end of my First Things piece of which I was unable to write full reviews. You are likely to find All in a Day in any major bookstore (though i couldn't find it at B&N this weekend). If you cannot find it in your local bookstore, you can always get them at the Little Lamb Bookshop under the heading Best of 2009.

Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum, by Robert A. Parker

TITLE: Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR:
PUBLISHED BY: Schwartz&Wade, 2008
ISBN: 0375839658

Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum takes its name from a set of recordings by one of the greatest Jazz Pianists, Art Tatum. It is one of those rare gems: a picture book biography that really captures the spirit of the life it illumines. Tatum (born in 1910--some next year is his centenary) is to jazz piano what Louis Armstrong was to the trumpet: innovative, masterful, and enchanting. Robert A. Parker, a jazz musician himself, combines excellent research with his own imagination to fill in the gaps of Tatum's young life.

Parker has written and illustrated the book; his watercolors are the real stars. In one sublime spread, we see the world in summer twilight. Children are catching fireflies in the dusk, and Tatum's parents sit on the porch, while Tatum, a natural entertainer, plays the piano inside. Tatum had very bad eyesight, so in this scene of gentle shadows we see the world as he did.

Later, as Tatum grows up a bit, Parker shows him alone at the piano. Behind him is a abstract swirl of colors--balanced in tone, but never taking a familiar shape. With this painting, Parker gives artistic form to Tatum's own music.

All in all, this books is a joy. I grew up listening to jazz, but I didn't learn to appreciate its structure and composition till I was an adult. This book helps us enter into jazz music, because it presents us with the life of one of the jazz greats.

NB: Just call me the sale queen. Like yesterday's pick, this title is also Amazon's bargain rack. It's on sale for $6.72!


One day I can reach the keyboard on tiptoe.

Tiny's Big Adventure, by Martin Waddell and John Lawrence

TITLE: Tiny's Big Adventure
AUTHOR: Martin Waddell
ILLUSTRATOR: John Lawrence
PUBLISHED BY: Candlewick, 2008
ISBN: 978-0763638191

Martin Waddell, the Hans Christian Andersen Award Winner (2004), is one of the best and most versatile children’s authors writing now. His 2009 release, The Super Hungry Dinosaur, is one of the silliest books of the year, and by silly, I mean: perfect.

I first discovered Waddell when a friend was expecting her second child. I wanted to find a book with siblings (actually...this is no easy task these days). Well, Tiny’s Big Adventure was just the thing! Tiny and his sister Katy go out and have a big adventure in the wheat fields. This is the first time he goes to the fields—and he is captivated by everything. His sister (as good older sisters do) opens the world to him. They play on the tractor, and hide in the fields (and Tiny gets scared by a few unfamiliar objects).

All the while, we are captivated by John Lawrence’s detailed woodcuts. He uses a limited palate, which only enhances the stylized natural settings. His woodcuts are an education (and adventure) to match Tiny’s. (I would paper a wall with the wheat silhouettes on the end papers--so beautiful!)

Though Tiny is definitely the younger of the two, and Katy eases Tiny’s fears, I like that Waddell doesn’t make this a simple “big sibling teaches little sibling” story. Ultimately they are on an adventure together--and are glad to do it again.

(N.B.: It is on sale for $3.17 on Amazonso really, you have no excuse not to get it. Your kids will love it!)


And into the wheat fields...

Bird, Butterfly, Eel by James Prosek

The brilliantly luminous watercolors deliver so creatures so realistic they appear ready to slither and fly right off the page." --The Kirkus Review
TITLE: Bird, Butterfly, Eel
AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: James Prosek
PUBLISHED BY: Simon + Schuster, May 2009
ISBN: 0689868294

I must admit, I’m not much of an authority on non-fiction and science books for kids. I’m more naturally drawn to a good story, so I usually forget to look at the non-fiction sections. But James Prosek’s Bird, Butterfly, Eel is such a beautifully painted picture book, I really cannot resist it. Bold watercolors rich with biological details paint the life cycle and migration of a monarch butterfly, a fresh water eel, and a barn swallow. In one early page, we see in one beautiful spread the transformation of the caterpillar into a butterfly. On another, a map of the Atlantic coast of America shows the migration of our three animals.

Best of all, on 3 separate occasions, Prosek splits his page three ways lengthwise, and in each wide stripe we see the corresponding development or movement of each of our animals. (See below.)

Meanwhile, Prosek dots his text with interesting facts about the animals themselves (did you know that fresh water American eels lay their eggs in the middle of the Atlantic?). The prose is sparse—for Prosek, pictures really do speak 1000 words. In the back of the book, Prosek has composed longer informational text about each of the animals—for those who’s curiosity is piqued.

I am surprised, honestly, that Bird, Butterfly, Eel has not gotten more recognition this year as awards are being chosen. It seems to me to be a distinctly American book: not only are the animals native to the Americas, but his landscapes are familiar and his color palate reminds me of Winslow Homer, America's greatest watercolorist. He manages to convey the wonder of life (and its cyclical nature: maturity, migration, eggs, migration, maturity, etc.) without being pedantic or preachy. If this is our world, lets learn more about it and preserve it—not because the book says so, but because it is beautiful, and worth loving.

It is warm and beautiful where Bird, Butterfly and Eel go.

NB: According to Amazon, this book is no longer in print--though it only came out in May. I assume this might be because it was a small release, that became unexpectantly popular, but I am not certain. Anyway, I found it at both my local library and my local bookstore, but you can purchase used copies via the amazon link above.