Review: Heartbeat

Review:

Heartbeat

Author: Evan Turk

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018

Source: Personal Purchase

It is not often that I cry over a picture book. Heartbeat is an exception. It is powerfully emotional. It’s moving and intense and although it is the story of many, it feels personal.

The story involves a young whale and her mother. They swim in the ocean’s depths together. Two hearts together singing a song of love. Then whalers kill the mother whale and the young whale is left to swim alone. One heart, one song – all to fuel the ever-growing needs of a human population.

The initial illustrations are in deeply intense, moody colors. Brighter colors blossom across the pages as the two whales swim together. Then harsh white spears break through blackness, as harpoons attack.

Though this story may sound depressing, it is actually a story of hope. After the darkness of the lonely pages, a change occurs. A young girl on a cruise ship hears a message. Two hearts, which may be different, can still sing one song and this song can happen for all of us. “One world, one song, one heartbeat.” The illustrations are once again brighter, more exuberant, giving the feeling that we have come full circle.

Be sure to wipe away the tears in order to read Turk’s Author’s Note at the end of the book. It tells of his personal inspiration for this story, gives a bit of the history behind it, and once again brings us full circle to a more hopeful outlook.

Review: With All My Heart

Source: https://www.amazon.com/All-My-Heart-Stephanie-Stansbie/dp/1684129109

Review:

With All My Heart

Author: Stephanie Stansbie

Illustrator: Richard Smythe

Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books, 2019

Welcome to the first post of 2020!

Looking for a sweet and loving bedtime story? With All My Heart will exactly fit the need. It is reminiscent of books like Guess How Much I Love You and The Kissing Hand.

Mama Bear and her baby bear are sharing some loving memories as day fades to night. The text, which is soothing and reassuring, taking the readers forward, from day to night, from season to season, and year to year. And though things may change, Mama’s love is constant.

The illustrations are both vibrant and gentle. Readers can enjoy the sweeping visuals while at the same time exploring the smaller spaces provided by peek-through cut-outs. The cut-outs provide clues as to what will be happening on the next page. They also draw the story forward, using the repetition of the words that appear within the shapes to build the text on the following page.

Text and illustrations work together beautifully. I felt as though the book was providing a visual lullaby.

 

*Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Winnie’s Great War

Review: 

Winnie’s Great War

Authors: Lindsay Mattick & Josh Greenhut

Illustrator: Sophie Blackall

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company,

Source: Personal Purchase

Winnie’s Great War is another version of the true story of Winnie the Pooh. It’s told as a bedtime story for a young boy who thinks he knows the whole story about a bear named Winnie, but learns that the story is deeper that he has suspected.

I should have loved this story. I’m sad to say I didn’t. There were several reasons for this. First, and probably the one that turned me off the most, was that it reminded far too much of the story of Bambi. Yes, I was turned off when Winnie’s mama bear is killed by a trapper. Sorry, that’s no good for me.  Too dark – and since it comes right at the start of the book, it sort of colored everything that came after that.

Secondly, I just didn’t care for the point of view. Winnie is referred to as “your bear.” I found that irritating. Maybe I should have been able to let it go, but there you have it. I suppose the authors thought that would make the story more personal. Here’s a sampling of what was continually running through my mind: “Go ask YOUR mother.” “It is YOUR job to take out the trash.” ‘That’s YOUR problem.”

I did like the illustrations. Done in sepia tones, they have a nice, old-timey feel to them like Little House on the Prairie. I also liked the Colebourn Family Archive at the end of the book.

I love when I can give books rave reviews, but honestly this book was a miss for me.

 

Review: Spencer’s New Pet

Review:

Spencer’s New Pet

Jessie Sima

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2019

Source: Personal Purchase

This new wordless picture book by Jessie Sima is quite unique. The jacket reads: This is the classic tale of a boy and a dog. One of them just happens to be a balloon.

On the jacket we see the boy looking at a little balloon animal dog.

The story which follows is much like an old silent movie. It’s mostly black-and-white, with the little red balloon dog as the only color. It certainly brings the dog to the reader’s attention.

The story is told in three parts: The Pet, The Park, and The Party. The boy and the dog have all the usual experiences. They go for walks. They play together. They have to make a visit to the vet’s office. At the park there are other dogs to play with and some are not so friendly. There are kites to fly – and little dogs who fly away with them, though they are, fortunately, found again. And then there is the party. As you might imagine, when a game of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey is going to be played around a balloon, there could be some trouble. And there is! But don’t be too sure you know what is happening, for Sima gives the story an unexpected twist.

I think all readers will anticipate the balloon popping. The more you engage in the story, the faster you seem to go, as though you know the inevitable is coming and you simply must get to it quickly to see what happens. The tension in the story as the hand draws nearer and nearer with the deadly pin is palpable.  But then Sima does something (no spoilers, here – you have to read it for yourself!) that makes the reader have an entirely different experience. It completely changes the reader’s perspective and compels them to go back to the beginning and immediately read the story over again.

I love stories which give you such a surprise at the end that you simply can’t forget them. This may be a picture book – and a wordless one, at that – but it is that kind of story.

Review: Beverly, Right Here

Review:

Beverly, Right Here

Author: Kate DiCamillo

Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2019

Source: Personal Purchase

This new book of DiCamillo’s is the third in her series about three friends. The first was Raymie Nightingale. The next was Louisiana’s Way Home. Now we are taken deeper into the life of Beverly Tapinski.

Beverly doesn’t think she is running away. She has done that plenty of times before. No, this time she is leaving. For good. She hasn’t got much left to stay for. Her mother is too drunk to care where Beverly is. Her father had left many years earlier. And now, with the death of her dog Buddy, Beverly knows it is time for her move on, too.

Almost as soon as she puts her feet on ground, she finds a job and a place to stay. One by one a cast of characters, all unexpected, all just a bit heart-warming in spite of their many eccentricities, move onto the stage of DiCamillo’s story. As she introduces these unusual people, we learn more about Beverly – her strength, her vulnerability, her ability to reach out and touch others. And as we learn about her, we learn more about ourselves.

I recently had the great pleasure of hearing DiCamillo speak. She spoke of her three main characters this way:

“Raymie was the girl I was – shy, uncertain, terrified. Louisiana was the girl I might have been if circumstances had been different. Beverly was the girl I wanted to be – tough, uncompromising, tender.”

As DiCamillo continued with her speech, she pointed out that we can choose who we want to be. Stories teach us this truth, that we are in charge of who we really are. There are many, many wonderful stories out there that impart this message to young readers and DiCamillo mentioned both Bridge to Terabithia and Charlotte’s Web as two prime examples. I’d like to add her three stories to this list.  And although she has no current plans to continue writing about the girls, one only can hope. As DiCamillo herself admits, “all doors remain open even when they seem closed.”

 

 

Review: Explorer Academy: The Double Helix

Review:

Explorer Academy: The Double Helix

Author: Trudi Truett

Publisher: National Geographic, 2019

This is the third book in the Explorer Academy series. Cruz Coronado continues his search for the missing pieces of his mom’s cipher. His dad is also missing. While Cruz continues with his Explorer Academy studies – and his secret quest – on the Orion, his Aunt Marisol has returned to Hawaii to work with police in finding his father.  Meanwhile, his friend Lani, who is still in Hawaii, is doing some unofficial (and highly dangerous!) sleuth work of her own.

Here is this installment’s clue:

“To find the third cipher, travel to the ancient rose city of stone. Walk on confetti until you find the animal that is at home both in the clouds and under the sea. It may seem like a strange mythical creature, but at the end of the day, if you’re willing to reach out, you’ll have your reward” (119).

It might seem baffling, but readers will love the way the mystery deepens with every turn, leaving Cruz uncertain as to who he can trust.

I love the way that science is blended right in with the story. The Truth Behind the Fiction portion of each novel is my personal favorite part. Some of the information in the story seems like pure science fiction, and although some is based on futuristic technology, much is based on actual research going on right now. It’s both fascinating and inspirational.

Here’s another fun fact about this book: the ending is a real cliff-hanger. Readers will be anxious for installment 4.

 

*Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

Review: The Adventures of Moose & Mr. Brown

Review:

The Adventures of Moose & Mr. Brown

Author: Paul Smith

Illustrated by: Sam Usher

Publisher: Pavilion, 2019

Moose and Monty are twins. While they may look very much alike, they are quite different. Moose is very tidy and organized. Monty? Not so much. It really shouldn’t surprise readers when the two become separated. Moose gets on the correct plane to Alaska and Monty, well, let’s just say he takes a different route.

Moose misses Monty very much, but he meets Mr. Brown, a kindly and wildly creative fashion designer. This chance meeting leads to many adventures for Moose. He is introduced to Mr. Brown’s stimulating, creative studio. He begins creating for Mr. Brown. He travels with Mr. Brown. His life seems very rich, rewarding, and fulfilling. There’s just that one piece missing. He wants his brother back. Everywhere that Moose travels, he looks for Monty. With such determination and perseverance, surely Moose will be successful in his search, even with a brother who is a bit directionally challenged.

This delightfully whimsical story really gets to the heart of things that matter – family, good friends, satisfying work. The illustrations fit the story, too. They are a bit whimsical, with a nice dash of silliness. The overall effect is one that is a mixture of heart-warming and fun.

 

*Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Review: All Around Bustletown Winter

Review:

All Around Bustletown Winter

Author/Illustrator: Rotraut Susanne Berner

Publisher: Prestel, 2019

All Around Bustletown Winter is an oversized board book. I like the sturdy construction, for this is a book that will provide hours of entertainment and will be able to stand up to the pressures of lots of use from little hands.

There is plenty going on in Bustletown this winter. The illustrations are filled with  things to observe and things to talk about. Who is waiting at the bus stop and where might they be going? The bus passes a farmer’s market. What are some of the things the farmer is selling? What is happening at the garage? What are some of the other buildings and what are the people doing?  Even though there are no words in this book, just talking with children helps them develop language. This book gives us many subjects to talk about. It would also be great if used to help write stories. So much is happening on each page that even young writers would be able to find a story to tell.

Additionally, it can be used like an I Spy type of book.  On the back cover are some characters to find. Look to see where Bonnie the cat is hiding. Find the lost wallet and key. Search for Niko the parrot and discover what plans he has. This book would be ideal to purchase if you have travel in your plans for the upcoming months and need to provide entertainment during long travel times.

The illustrations are detailed, colorful, and a bit whimsical. However, the pictures are not so complex or involved that only older readers will be able to enjoy them. The pictures are a bit more laid-back that those in a book like Where’s Waldo, which is why I like this book so much. It’s a little easier to use to begin a conversation or as a story starter.

 

*Note: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 

Review: The Girl in the Locked Room

Review:

The Girl in the Locked Room

Author: Mary Downing Hahn

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2018

Source: Personal Purchase

Sorry, readers. I meant to have this post up before Halloween, but new work assignments are challenging and keeping me exceptionally busy of late. Even though I have missed my anticipated date, it is still too good of a story to simply pass. Since scary stories are perennially popular and those dark and dreary winter nights are also perfect for snuggling under the covers with a good ghost story, I am going ahead with my review.

I particularly wanted to select a ghost story and when thinking about authors, Mary Downing Hahn immediately sprang to mind. This new book gets it just right. Of course, there is a ghost. She was a young girl involved in a tragic historical incident. There is also a present-day girl, who has abilities to connect with the paranormal.  Jules’ father restores historic houses, which is what brings her to be living right alongside the haunted house. Past and present collide and Jules and her friend Maisie may be just the ones to help a long-imprisoned girl who holds the key to mysteries of the past.

Review: Small Spaces

Review:

Small Spaces

Author: Katherine Alden

Publisher: G.P. Putman’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, 2018

Source: Personal Purchase

Ollie Adler has a major attitude, one that causes her plenty of issues. It’s this attitude which results in her taking actions that send her heading away from school toward the river. Here she encounters a weeping woman who is threatening to throw a book into the water. Ollie grabs the book away and after a mysterious speech about a smiling man, the woman gives Ollie one bit of advice. Avoid large places at night. Keep to small.

What follows is a deliciously creepy story. It’s got it all: an unsolved mystery from the past, a haunted house, ghosts and other evil creatures, a corn maze that is far more than a maze, and especially very, very scary scarecrows. It doesn’t take long to realize that these scarecrows are the ones that Ollie must stay away from and to do so, she must hide in small spaces. Only if she is not caught will she be able to solve the riddle of the corn maze and free others from the workings of the smiling man.

Ollie has the help from a couple of friends. Coco, the seemingly small and sweet, and the ever-resourceful Brian the Boy Scout help her battle forces of evil that none of them even actually understand. There are also messages that pop up on Ollie’s watch, messages Ollie is certain come from her recently deceased mother who is trying to protect Ollie. And through it all, Ollie is bold, brash, sassy – and wonderfully brave.

This book is a great read during the Halloween season!