Book Review - Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving

Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Illustrator: Matt Faulkner
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 27, 2005)
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 10 years
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:

 

We the people of the United States...

 

Almost Lost Thanksgiving

 

Yes. That's right!

Way back when "skirts were long and hats were tall" Americans were forgetting Thanksgiving, and nobody seemed to care!

Thankfully, Sarah Hale appeared. More steadfast than Plymouth Rock, this lady editor knew the holiday needed saving. But would her recipe for rescue ever convince Congress and the presidents?

Join acclaimed author Laurie Halse Anderson on a journey of a woman and a pen that spanned four decades, the Civil War, and five presidents, all so you could have your turkey and eat it too!

 Thanks to @mrschureads on Twitter I have a new favorite Thanksgiving Picture Book - THANK YOU, SARAH: THE WOMAN WHO SAVED THANKSGIVING.  This non-fiction picture book tells the story of Sarah Hale.  A woman who was well ahead of her times.  Hale, a mother of five, had a well established career as an advocate, writer, and editor.  She even wrote "Mary Had A Little Lamb".  However, when she discovered that people were not observing Thanksgiving regularly and it was potentially going to be lost as a holiday, Hale began a 38 year letter writing campaign to convince the President to declare it a National Holiday on a set date.  It wasn't until 1863 and Abraham Lincoln that Hale finally met with success. 

Laurie Halse Anderson, though more well-known for her Middle Grade and Young Adult books (SPEAK, CHAINS, FEVER, FORGE, and more), tackles the re-telling of Hale's journey to rescue Thanksgiving in a delightful and humorous manner.  With a bit of irreverency in both text and illustrations, Halse Anderson brings alive Hale's perseverance and tenacity while Faulkner does an excellent job making the text pop with caricature style drawings.  At the end of the story, Halse Anderson challenges readers to "Pick up your pen. Change the world." And Hale certainly did that with her pen.

When I recently read the book aloud to a group of third graders, they were fascinated with the story.  Children wanted to spend time looking at the illustrations which definitely match the tone and intent of Halse Anderson's writing.  This is one book that I am going to need to keep several copies of so that I will always have one to loan out.

So what is your favorite Thanksgiving picture book or chapter book?

Book Reviews - Halloween Came Belatedly

I am adding a disclaimer to the review of these two books.  I was asked to review them and I had hoped that they would arrive prior to Halloween but unfortunately they did not.  Fortunately, they can still be read and enjoyed after the holiday.

Author: Jason Mayo
Illustrator: Justin Wolfson
Publisher: Author House (August 23, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8
Source: Copy for Review
Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:
"Do Witches Make Fishes?" is the moral tale of a young boy who favors candy over his mother's outlandish but healthy dishes. When faced with an ultimatum from his mother, the boy has to make a difficult choice. What ensues is a series of extraordinary and fantastical events that will take the reader on a magical journey through the imagination of a child. In the end, you will find yourself asking, Do Witches Make Fishes?

Jason Mayo's self-published first picture book, Do Witches Make Fishes?, reminds me a little of Allard's Miss Nelson Is Missing.   A young boy would much prefer to eat candy than things like carrots or fish.  So what is a mother to do?  While mother gives him the "mothers know best" stare, the child closes his eyes and makes a wish.  He wished her gone and in her place was a witch (this is where I make the Allard connection - the sub was Miss Nelson in disguise.  Is the mom the witch in disguise?).  A witch who tells him he better eat healthy foods or she will cast a spell on him.  With a sticky, sweet mess, the boy combats the witch and wishes for his mother again.  Maybe those carrots and fish aren't so bad after all.

Mayo's story is told in rhyming poetry.  It is silly and has a strong feeling of a parent making up a tale to get their own child to eat his/her veggies.  Justin Wolfson's illustration are colorful and silly.  Children will get a kick out of the book.  And proceeds are being donated to charity.

Author: Laura Marchesani
Illustrator: Tommy Hunt
Publisher: Grossett & Dunlap ( August 26, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8
Source: Copy for Review
Rating: Undecided

Description from GoodReads:
When innocent Dick and Jane meet a creepy, cape-wearing vampire, the unexpected happens: he becomes their friend! Dick and Jane and Vampires borrows from the classic stories and art we all know and love, but adds an of-the-moment twist: a vampire, illustrated in the classic Dick and Jane style. 


Marchesani's Dick and Jane and Vampires is written and illustrated in classic Dick & Jane style.  Short chapters, controlled vocabulary and repetitive language that increases by one word per line are used to tell this strange twist on the well known basal reader.  

At first, a bat begins to show fleetingly on the pages, and then the children begin to see things that or do they? At first there is the glimpse of a head in the bushes, and a shoe under the bed.  Eventually, the vampire begins to be bolder and show up more consistently until he is practically a regular at the household.  So much so that the milkman delivers a bottle of "blood" along with the milk.  The children play hide and seek and dress up with their new friend.  And eventually, they introduce their vampire friend to a goth looking female.  


Adults who are familiar with the original Dick & Jane readers will get a kick out of this book.  Beginning readers will quickly find success with the controlled language of the book.  However, in some ways this is really for an older audience who will get the humor of the story.  


I feel like I have been saying this a lot lately in reviews but I have some mixed feelings.  I couldn't help being a little creeped out by the stalker feeling of this book where an adult male vampire is hiding/hanging around 3 small children.  I don't think that was the intent of the author but it crossed my mind more than once when I was reading this book so I felt I needed to add it to my review.


Who would I recommend it to: Primarily a teen or an adult audience who enjoys twists on a classic and will fully get the humor of the story. 

Book Review - Absolutely Beastly Children

Author/Illustrator: Dan Krall
Publisher: Tricycle Press (September 28, 2010)
Reading Level: Ages 4 to 8 years
Source: Copy for Review
Rating: Undecided

Description from GoodReads:
In this book you’ll find 26 children who are almost certainly nothing like you. You always eat your peas and say please. You, unlike Oscar, would never tell lies. And in your wildest dreams you wouldn’t play with your food the way Nancy does. But even the sweetest child can be tempt-ed to behave badly. Thankfully, Dan Krall has put together this collection to remind us just how unpleasant beastly behavior can be.

When I first read this book, I wasn't sure if I was completely grossed out by the ick factor of this book, or just morbidly fascinated by the illustrations and supporting text.  I shared it with someone at my school because I think I was really puzzled and was curious about what her reaction would be.  Things got busy and I don't think I ever got her reaction, but I put the book aside. I needed to think about this one.  


My initial reaction as an educator was "Uh-no, this is not going into my preschool or kinder classes. I do not need to encourage inappropriate behavior or have parents questioning my judgment."  But something kept nagging at me as I would come across the book at various times.  At first, I couldn't put my finger on it, but then I realized what it was.  Topps Wacky Packages.  I remember back in elementary school going to the corner store and picking up Wacky Packages - there was a stick of bubble gum in the pack and several trading card/stickers in them.  Wacky Packages were designed to be a play on name brand products such as coffee, and soda but with a really gross twist.  As kids, we loved them.  Fortunately, this moment of nostalgia made me take another look at the book.


In re-looking at the book, I realized that Krall's illustrations (think Tim Burton meets Jay Lynch) are extremely creative in a morbid & somewhat macabre manner.  Several of the supporting lines of text are fairly benign (such as "F is for Florence the Queen of Demands" or "G is for Gertrude who stays up too late").  Some are just plain silly (such as "J is for Jeffrey He knows how to whine").  But there were a few that have me debating (such as "S is for Sigmund who still wets the bed").  


As a result, I am still undecided about this one.  I probably won't be placing this in my kindergarten classrooms, but I know some 8 & 9 year olds who would find this simply hysterical.  I know my 8 year old self would have cracked up over this.  But my adult-self has decided to share this carefully.

Book Review - When Wishes Come True

Author/Illustrator: Per-Henrik Gurth
Publisher: Lobster Press (October 1, 2009)
Age Level: 3 to 6 years
Source: Copy for Review
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:

The touching story of Little Bear will show children that wishes really do come true. Little Bear closes his eyes and wishes and wishes and wishes to become an astronaut in outer space … a pirate on a ship … a king in a magical castle! But when he opens his eyes, his wishes haven't come true. He is still Little Bear living in the Arctic tundra. Mother Bear helps him see that many of his wishes do come true, from swimming with playful belugas to watching the dazzling northern lights. And much to his surprise and delight, Little Bear discovers that he was Mother Bear's own wish come true! Children and adults alike will be touched by this reassuring tale of love and hope by celebrated children's book author and illustrator, Per-Henrik Gürth. 

 Some books are simply "awwwww" books.  You read them and you say "awww".  Per-Henrick Gurth's When Wishes Come True has that effect on the reader.  As I read through the book, I found that I really enjoyed the easy back and forth between the mother polar bear and the baby bear.  Little Bear like any young child has wishes of becoming an astronaut, or a pirate, or a king.  And as I read the pages, I could almost hear the voice of a small child speaking those exact words.  The beautiful illustration lend both a sense of realism and magic to the book and compliment the text. 

Mother Bear's response to Little Bear is gentle and at first practical.  Her reminders of small wishes that he experiences on a regular basis help Little Bear to see that all is not lost.  However, it is in the ending when Mother Bear lets Little Bear know that he was her big wish come true, that the "awww" factor increased for me.  

When I thought further about the book, I realized that Gurth's story is a solid contender in this category of books that speak to the bond of mother and children geared for our youngest readers but does not pull ahead of other books.  Unfortunately, I can easily list about a dozen picture books that have been just as solid. This led me to give the book 4 stars instead of 5. With that said, it is a beautiful book and would be a welcome addition to any collection of books.

Book Review - Zen Ghosts

Author/Illustrator: Jon J. Muth
Publisher: Scholastic Press (September 1, 2010)
Age Level: 4 to 8 years
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:

On Halloween, Stillwater the panda, who dons a spooky costume and mask, promises his friends Addy, Michael, and Karl a spine-tingling ghost story to be told by a mysterious storyteller.
The storyteller--who looks remarkably like Stillwater--tells the children an unforgettable ancient Zen story about a girl named Senjo who hopes to marry Ochu, the boy next door.
But Senjo's parents have different plans for her future. They want her to marry a more prosperous man than Ochu--someone who will care for the family and her ailing father.
Heartbroken by the prospect of being separated, the two run off to a far away village and marry.
As the years pass, Senjo's regret for having left her family slowly eats away at her happiness, and she and Ocho return home to make amends.
But a surprise ending is in store. For Senjo's father swears his daughter has been sick and living at home with him the entire time. Yet Ocho knows differently, for he has been living with Senjo for many years. What is the truth? Who is the real Senjo?
The story of Senjo was originally written down by a Chinese Buddhist Monk Master named Wu-men Hui-hai in the early 13th Century. This type of story, called a Koan, is used by students of Zen to attain enlightenment. It provokes thought and conversation--yet has no concrete answers.
With Zen Ghosts, Muth has once again presented an original, beautifully crafted story, perfect for Halloween--or any time. 

This is the third book in Jon Muth's "Zen" series.  In Zen Shorts, the reader is introduced to Stillwater, the Giant Panda, who tells tales to three siblings (Addy, Michael, and Karl).  The tales each are intended to assist the children in looking at things from a different perspective.  In a similar vein, Stillwater has returned to provide new insight to his three young neighbors.  In a nod to Halloween, the children are each dressed up and go out into the neighborhood trick-or-treating.  They are joined by Stillwater, who is dressed as a ghost (of sorts).  


Muth's watercolors are breathtaking, and the two page inner spread captures the magic of a neighborhood in full Trick-or-Treat mode, with children dressed up in costume, and trick-or-treat bags.  I was mesmerized by the beauty of the paintings and the richness that they contribute to the story. 


In this installment, Stillwater shares with the children a surprise - their own special ghost story in the form of a Koan based on an original Zen story by the Chinese Buddhist Monk Master Wu-men Hui-hai.  The story presents to the children a mystery - how can one girl both be the wife of a man but also lay ill in her parents' home?  As with any koan, the intention is to provide the listener with a puzzle to contemplate.  


For younger children, the dichotomy presented in Stillwater's story may be confusing.  For older children, this same dilemma can provide for valuable conversation to develop critical thinking skills. This is a beautiful book and an excellent addition to any personal collection or school library collection.