Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Here is Wednesday’s Radar-Books schedule. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Just getting caught up? Read here for an explanation.

• Big A, little a: The Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore
• Bildungsroman: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion, Part 1
• Bookshelves of Doom: Harry Sue by Sue Stauffacher
• A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy: The President’s Daughter series by Ellen Emerson White
• Chasing Ray: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion, Part 2
• Chicken Spaghetti: Pooja Makhijani guest blogs with Romina’s Rangoli by Malathi Michelle Iyengar
• Finding Wonderland: The House on Hound Hill by Maggie Prince
• Interactive Reader: Shake Down the Stars by Frances Donnelly
• Jen Robinson’s Book Page: The Zilpha Keatley Snyder Green Sky trilogy
• lectitans: Innocence by Jane Mendelsohn: A Discussion, Part 3
• Miss Erin: The Reb & Redcoats and Enemy Brothers, both by Constance Savery
• Shaken & Stirred: Elizabeth Knox and the Dreamhunter Duet
• Writing & Ruminating: Dear Mr. Rosenwald by Carole Weatherford

And remember that next week will be Picture Book Week here at 7-Imp. Here is another great, new picture book in order to help get you geared up for 7-Imp’s Seven Impossible Posts About Picture Books next week.

This type of rumination might be a) irritating or b) the perfect way to rile up some readers, but I want to boldly say that, of the author/illustrators working today who most reflect the spirit of the Great and Almighty Sendak (whom I worship), Polly Dunbar is right up there at the top of that list. And I say “irritating,” since it could well be argued that we don’t need to be looking for Sendak imitators, but that’s not what I’m getting at — Dunbar also manages to have a style all her own. But not only do her line drawings have the loose, relaxed, uncluttered child-centered appeal of Sendak’s early work (think the Ruth Krauss titles he illustrated), but with this new title of hers, in particular (Penguin, released by Candlewick this past June; my source: review copy), she doesn’t tiptoe around the fears of children (Sendak’s greatest strength of all his many superpowers) with her child-chompin’ blue lion. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me explain a bit more about the book . . . Read the rest of this entry �

Here is Tuesday’s Radar-Books schedule. Don’t know what we’re talking about? Just getting caught up? Read here for an explanation.

• Big A, little a: Ingo by Helen Dunmore;
• Bildungsroman: The Girl in the Box by Ouida Sebestyen;
• Bookshelves of Doom: The Olivia Kidney series by Ellen Potter;
• A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy: A discussion of author Ellen Emerson White and why she is “under the radar”;
• Chicken Spaghetti: The Natural History of Uncas Metcalfe by Betsey Osborne;
• Finding Wonderland: A Door Near Here by Heather Quarles;
• A Fuse #8 Production: The Winged Girl of Knossos by Erick Berry;
• Jen Robinson’s Book Page: The Changeling and The Velvet Room, both by Zilpha Keatley Snyder;
• Miss Erin: Girl With a Pen and Princess of Orange, both by Elisabeth Kyle;
• Writing and Ruminating: Jazz ABC by Wynton Marsalis;
• The YA YA YAs: Massive by Julia Bell.

And remember how we announced yesterday that next week will be Picture Book Week here at 7-Imp? Well, I (Jules here) figured that each day this week, leading up to next week, I could highlight one new and noteworthy-for-one-reason-or-another picture book in order to get you geared up for 7-Imp’s Seven Impossible Posts About Picture Books (next week). So, Reason #1 to Love Picture Books Right Now is . . .

Mary and the Mouse, The Mouse and Mary by Beverly Donofrio and illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Schwartz & Wade Books; September ’07; review copy). This book is irresistible in so many ways, the kind of picture book you want to pick right back up and re-read a few times — and any young child anywhere in your vicinity with whom you share this book will be pretty much riveted, too. Read the rest of this entry �

Don’t forget that the multi-blog “Recommendations from Under the Radar” event — explained here at this post of ours from Saturday — starts today. Each day this week, we will be posting the Radar-Books schedule for you so that you can easily find others’ posts, and we’ll be contributing our own Radar posts this Thursday and Friday.

We know that’s not a radar image. It’s a hypno-spiral, urging you to be sure not to miss this week’s wonderful posts at over fifteen different blogs.

And, in the name of coming attractions and looking ahead, guess what next week is? 7-Imp has declared its own unofficial . . .

Picture Book Week (woo hoo!)
(Maybe later we’ll come up with an altogether more creative name for that) . . . We will be bringing you little picture book treats left, right, and center for an entire week — reviews and interviews, including cyber-visits from Mo Willems and Adam Rex, and more. So, if you love picture books, it’ll be the week for you. If you aren’t sure, get in line behind TadMack and let us convert you. Just say yes to picture books. Come on, all the cool kids are doin’ it.

{Sorry for the annoying marquee announcement there, but we couldn’t resist. Okay, uh, now this entire post — between that and the hypno-spiral — is giving us a headache} . . .

On to today’s Radar schedule then. Go, read, and enjoy!

Monday, August 26, 2007:

• Bildungsroman: Christopher Golden’s Body of Evidence series;
• Bookshelves of Doom: The God Beneath the Sea, Black Jack, and Jack Holborn — all by Leon Garfield;
• Chasing Ray: Dorothy of Oz from Illusive Arts Entertainment;
• Chicken Spaghetti: The Illustrator’s Notebook by Mohieddin Ellabbad;
• Finding Wonderland: The Curved Saber: The Adventure of Khlit the Cossack by Harold Lamb;
• interactive reader: Christopher Golden’s Body of Evidence series as well;
• lectitans: The Angel of the Opera: Sherlock Meets the Phantom of the Opera by Sam Siciliano;
• Not Your Mother’s Bookclub: An interview with Robert Sharenow, author of My Mother the Cheerleader;
• Writing and Ruminating: An interview with Tony Mitton and a review of his book, Plum;
• The YA YA YAs: I Rode a Horse of Milk White Jade by Diane Lee Wilson

Three new picture books. Three owls: One nestling into a home, one throwing a tantrum, the other rather grumpy-looking and just trying to get some sleep already. Let’s get right to it then . . .

White Owl, Barn Owl
by Nicola Davies
and illustrated by Michael Foreman
Candlewick
April 2007
(library copy)

It always makes me happy to see a new title illustrated by the mighty prolific Michael Foreman. And his illustrations in this one are simply enthralling (look at that cover). In this book by zoologist and author Nicola Davies, a young girl sets out with her grandpa on a frosty winter day to make an owl nest box. Carrying the box for the nest across “the tussocky field,” they place it high in an old oak tree. As they wait and wait to see their owl, the girl learns a bit about owls (what barn owl pellets are, the probability that the owl will come to the nest tonight, etc.) . . . And in what looks like hand-written text on many of the illustrations, we are treated to some more fun facts (“Barn owls have favorite perches that they come back to again and again” and “In winter, barn owls have to fly miles every night to hunt enough food, so it’s hard to find them then”). Finally, one spring night, they spot a pale face in the box (in a lovely illustration by Foreman, which he has agreed to share with our readers this Sunday, ’cause I love this book so much I just had to ask). Eventually, the girl gets a close-up look at the beautiful, pale owl:

I could see the tiny ruff of feathers around its face, like stiff lace. I could see the speckled browns on its back. I could see the shine of its big dark eyes. I could have reached out to touch its velvety softness.

And then “it raised its wings like an angel and took off” (another eye-popping illustration that you just have to see for yourself), as we learn from that small, handwritten-esque font that owls’ wing feathers are especially soft so that they can move through the air silently and fly up to their prey without being heard. Read the rest of this entry �

At Night
by Jonathan Bean
Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books
for Young Readers
July 2007
(review copy)

Jonathan Bean is having one impressive year. And I’m basing that solely on this picture book and his illustrations for Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell (co-reviewed here) and Mokie & Bik by Wendy Orr (co-review to come). I still have yet to see what is, by all accounts, the luscious The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson (but will get my hands on it as soon as I can, my friends).

So, what do you do when you can’t sleep at night? For the young girl in Jonathan Bean’s latest picture book (which he both wrote and illustrated), who can’t seem to doze off in her snug bedroom as she listens to her mother and father and sister and brother and their “quiet breathing,” it’s easy: Get inspired by the breeze blowing through the window and follow it up through the door and up the stairs — with pillows, a sheet, and blanket in hand — to the roof, “where the small breeze joined the cool night air.” There she sits on the roof of her house in the city, gazing at the sky and pondering “the wide world all around her,” smiling. Finally, she can sleep. And, on the final page, we see her mother has joined her with her cup of coffee in hand.

Now, let me tell you about the wonder of this book: It is about the quiet, hushed, magical wonder of night itself. Read the rest of this entry �

Art copyright © 2007 by Mo Willems from Knuffle Bunny Too.

Welcome to our weekly 7 Kicks list, the meeting ground for listing Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week (whether book-related or not) that happened to you. (If you’re new, please know that everyone is welcome to leave their lists).

This week we have Mo Willems to thank for our illustration: It’s Trixie and her daddy! They’re back in Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, which we co-reviewed here at 7-Imp this week. If you didn’t read that review or don’t have time now, here’s our official analysis: It completely delivers in every way, and we pretty much thought it was flawless. I believe it has a September release date (Hyperion), so people won’t have much longer to wait to find out what the pre-school-aged Trixie and her beloved bunny are up to this time.

In this image, Trixie and her daddy — who was initially reluctant to head out and retrieve Trixie’s rightful bunny (“Trixie’s daddy tried to explain what ‘2:30 a.m.’ means”) — are on a mission to right a wrong. Our review has much more info if you’re interested in hearing more about this great book. We thank Mo Willems most kindly for sharing an ilustration with us and our readers this week.

* * * * * * * eisha’s list * * * * * * *

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Knuffle Bunny Too:
A Case of Mistaken Identity
by Mo Willems
Hyperion
Release date: September 2007
(Advance readers’ copies)

Jules: Trixie’s back, and this time she knows plenty of words. She also has another dramatic epiphany: Last time it was realizing she left her beloved Knuffle Bunny in the washing machine at the laundromat. This time, hand-in-hand with her Daddy on her way to preschool, she comes to the harsh realization that her favorite plush doll is not as one-of-a-kind as she thought it was. Another girl in her classroom, Sonja, has a Knuffle Bunny as well. After lots of glaring and fighting over their dolls, including the correct pronunciation of its name (in what I suppose is a nod — and a very funny one at that — to the number of times Willems has probably been asked if it’s pronounced “Kuh-nuffle” or “Nuffle”), the teacher removes the dolls from their clutches and then — egads! — mixes them up when she returns them. And this time the “Trixie realized something” moment comes at approximately 2:30 a.m., making it an interesting night, indeed, for Trixie’s daddy, as they both attempt to return the right dolls to their rightful owners.

Eisha, what did you think? Is this not a completely winning sequel in every way? And I was worried, too, since sequels can be tricky things, but it totally delivers. And I’d like to quickly add that my three-year-old, when we first read it, immediately said “that’s not Trixie’s bunny” when the teacher returned them all mixed-up. I hadn’t even noticed this yet. Leave it to a child with their superpower-sharp observation skills.

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Let’s just get right to it in my efforts to get through my stack of Noteworthy — For One Reason or Another — 2007 Picture Books . . .

Heat Wave
by Eileen Spinelli
and illustrated by Betsy Lewin
Harcourt Children’s Books
July 2007
(library copy)

I don’t know how it is where you live, but here in the South, it’s hotter than two rats (maybe three or four) . . . ahem, getting to know each other in a wool sock. Or worse. Just angry, angry heat. Over one hundred degrees here in middle Tennessee. Eileen Spinelli’s new picture book, Heat Wave, is particularly fitting right now, taking us back to a time “long before stores, businesses, or homes had air conditioners.” There’s a hot spell, to say the least, in Lumberville: the sun’s sizzling and hair is frizzling, and the townspeople of Lumberville try their best to endure the heat in a variety of creative ways: “Pastor Denkins shortened his sermon. The Green Door Restaurant served fruit plates with orange sherbert. Abigail Blue and her little brother, Ralphie, opened a lemonade stand — three cents a glass . . .” Spinelli takes us through each day of the week with the heat managing to climb each time until “Saturday was the hottest day yet.” Read the rest of this entry �

Fred Stays With Me!
by Nancy Coffelt
and illustrated by Tricia Tusa
Little, Brown Young Readers
June 2007
(library copy)

“Sometimes I live with my mom. Sometimes I live with my dad. My dog, Fred, stays with me.” A young girl — who, in the opening spread, is being pulled in one direction by her mother and then the other by her father on two different days, though we only get brief parental glimpses of an arm here or a leg there — pulls her beloved dog along behind her on his leash. In fact, he’s her constant companion (“We walk together. We talk together. When I’m happy, Fred is, too. And when I’m sad, Fred is there”), even though she divides her time between parents. She shows us a bit of this life: that she has the same friends at the same school, but in one house she has a bunk bed, and in the other, she has a regular bed (“Fred sleeps on the floor”); at her mom’s, Fred barks at the poodle who lives next door, and at her dad’s, he steals her dad’s socks (“But Fred always has time to play”); and so on. Read the rest of this entry �

Let it Shine:
Three Favorite Spirituals
by Ashley Bryan
Atheneum
January 2007
(library copy)

I have two things to say right off the bat about this exuberant and breathtaking picture book: 1). I want you to just try to read it without humming along, and 2). ART TEACHERS, TAKE NOTE. Ashley Bryan has created spreads in this book that are truly brilliant in all their color and wonder — and all with construction paper and scissors (the latter depicted on the book’s end pages). I swear, I could pore over the illustrations in this book for hours (and, elementary art teachers, how empowering is it for children to see art work like this? No fancy-schmancy oil paints or expensive art equipment needed, thanks very much. Just paper and a pair of scissors. Not that it’d be easy, mind you, to create art quite like Ashley Bryan does, but it’s still empowering to introduce to children such an accessible medium).

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