Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

I didn’t set out to do a princess-y picture book round-up here, but as fate would have it, I came across two new ones at once, one published by a giant publishing company (Scholastic) and the other published by the lesser-known yet stout-hearted Charlesbridge Publishing. And, fear not: these are not your run-of-the-mill princesses. They have quite a bit of spunk and sauciness — one of them to a fault, to say the least. Let’s get right to it . . .

I love a well-crafted, contemporary, tongue-in-cheek cautionary tale, and just check out that cover. Princess Justina Albertina’s nanny is holding a sign with that very sub-title, “A Cautionary Tale.” Pretty funny, since the princess is back there raising hell at the drawbridge. And flip the book over, and you’ll see Princess Justina’s crest with the words “Sic Semper Tyrannis,” a Latin phrase meaning “Thus ever it be with tyrants” (the phrase is attributed to Brutus at the assassination of Julius Caesar). Hmmm . . . you get the idea immediately that you’re in for one presumptuous, pushy protagonist. Indeed, the Princess is loud-mouthed, haughty, and just flat-out spoiled to death (and Chesworth accentuates that with his rather porcine rendition of her). There’s much humor here as her nanny suffers her fits (“She caused a ruckus and a rumpus and a horrible hubbub,” we’re told more than once, giving her nanny repeated headaches). She goes so far as to cover the earth trying to find her the perfect pet; this, the princess whines, is her current demand. She heads to a lagoon for a polka-dotted puffer fish, buys her a two-headed dog, takes a raft to Brazil and finds a talking toucan librarian, finds a purple-crested duchess monkey in the jungles of Africa, and more. The ill-mannered Princess Justina manages to scare or blatantly piss off each potential pet (the fish is “no fun” and she wants a pet who notices her; she tries to ride the dog, practically killing him in the process; she declares that the clever toucan is too “stupid” to say her name; and, she frightens the bejeesus out of the African monkey with her meanest possible face). Read the rest of this entry �

Here are some brand-spankin’-new picture book titles as well as a couple from last year that I’m just getting to . . . If anyone is wondering, by the way, yes, we’ll have a blogger interview this week. Look for it on Thursday.

Onwards, then, to some winning picture book titles . . .

Here’s a lively addition to the list of international books to look for this year, this time a Dutch import. Little Donkey’s back (having been introduced to us in 2006’s Little Donkey and the Baby-Sitter, which I’ve never actually read but really want to now) . . . His friend, Jackie, is having a birthday party, so off Little Donkey and Mama Donkey go to purchase a gift for him. But Little Donkey’s great turmoil is that he wants to keep the present he’s picked out for Jackie: a kite with a long, long tail. He decides it’ll just stay in his possession, offering up alternate toys for Jackie’s gift, but Mama Donkey kindly — but resolutely — says no. Read the rest of this entry �

This is a sly little take on the Aesop fable about the boy who cried “wolf!” But Rocco turns the tables here, making the wolf — not the boy — center stage. And he places the characters in a pastoral Chinese setting (“Under a canopy of wind-swept trees and cherry blossoms, the wolf sports a Chinese silk jacket of the type seen in old Fu Manchu movies, the boy wears a topknot, and the neighbors who complain about the boy’s false cries sport queues and silk caps,” Publishers Weekly’s review points out).

Rocco’s striking wolf is old, arthritic. He’s too worn out and slow to chase animals and catch and consume birds (his jacket is adorned with the traditional Chinese symbol for longevity), so he attempts to grow his own food in a garden. Alas and alack, this doesn’t go too well (too many weeds). Fumbling with his hysterically primitive hearing aid one day, he hears the titular character of the classic Aesop story crying “WOLF! WOLF!” He creaks his way up the mountain in all his confusion (“the old wolf didn’t have any friends on any mountain,” so he’s not quite sure who’s calling for him). A LOVELY double page spread, wordless, of the wolf crossing a footbridge in a gorgeous spot of the wood, rife with cherry blossoms, follows. Loveliness, loveliness, I tell ya. I know I use that word entirely too much, but Rocco smacks us upside the head with The Lovely. It’s a smorgasbord for the eyes. Sit down and take a bite. It’s almost breathtaking in spots. Read the rest of this entry �

I promise that I actually do have a stack of American picture books by American authors and illustrators here to review. Go, USA! and all that. But, with my growing interest in international authors and illustrators, I have to share just one more — this one by a French author and illustrator duo. Oh là là, indeed.

“Droll” seems to be an adjective appearing in a lot of my picture book reviews these days. So, yes, let’s just lay it all out on the table: I like droll. I do. This book is très droll. Very funny. Makes me laugh out loud. And here’s why: As Emilie Coulter put it so well, “French author-illustrator team Sylviane Donnio and Dorothée de Monfreid have perfectly captured the hubris of childhood” in this picture book, entitled I’d Really Like to Eat a Child (first American edition, 2007; Random House; translated by Leslie Martin). I love it. That’s right up there with Allard’s and Marshall’s (may he rest in peace) The Stupids Die in the name of great children’s book titles that draw the wee ones’ attention and that make overly nervous parents squirm. Read the rest of this entry �

Just why oh why have I not heard of Ayano Imai ’til now? What beautiful illustrations in this little charmer called The 108th Sheep, which I could tack on to my recent short, little post about international books, since this was originally published in Great Britain in ’06 but is just now showing up here in the U.S. (published by Tiger Tales, an imprint of ME Media, March 2007). Imai, according to this wonderful link about her at the Tokyo Chapter of the SCBWI site, was born in England, later spent some time living in the U.S., and then resettled in Japan to study Japanese painting. This is her first picture book (which I suppose is the answer to my first question). And oh my it’s pretty. Read the rest of this entry �

I’ve been more and more interested lately in international picture book authors and illustrators. There’s always the tried-and-true IBBY, International Board on Books for Young People, for some reliable info, but — as for publishers — who do we have? Well, we all know that Kane/Miller is a good source for imports, but I also just stumbled upon North-South Books (their site is here, though I believe a new one — or at least updated one — is to come). North-South is a “small, fiercely independent publisher of children’s books. Our roots are in Europe, where our parent company, NordSüd Verlag, was founded over forty years ago. The aim of the founders was to build bridges — bridges between authors and artists from different countries and between readers of all ages around the world.” Their books are distributed by Chronicle Books. Who knew? Turns out they’re a good source for some exciting and talented authors and illustrators from places other than the U.S. (though, apparently, they also highlight American authors/illustrators as well).

So, here’s a spotlight — though a small one — on four fairly recent titles upon which I stumbled or that fortuitously fell into my lap:

What Elephant? (September 2006) written and illustrated by Geneviève Côté — So, Côté is from neighboring Canada; she’s not exactly new to us, as her editorial art has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Wall Street Journal; and this particular title is from Kids Can Press, who — though Canada’s leading publisher of children’s books and another publishing company with an international reputation — is well known here in the U.S. (which doesn’t exactly make this one an “import”). But this is the first time I’ve seen her work, and I’m impressed. Read the rest of this entry �

{Note: This week’s Poetry Friday round-up is here at Chicken Spaghetti} . . .

Yes, why o why, you wonder, would I want to be insufferably overachieving by including five poetry-related items in my Poetry Friday post today? Because, frankly, we’ve been working so hard on interviews here at 7-Imp (which we love, don’t get me wrong) that, as a result, I feel like I’m behind on reviewing books and poetry. So, I’m going to catch up a bit in this post — but try my best to keep it as short as possible. Here goes:

1. Comics and Poetry Sittin’ in a Tree . . .

   I’ve always enjoyed The Poetry Foundation’s site, but a blogger friend recently steered me towards it again as we were discussing the children’s section of the site. And, while exploring, I found the new Poem as Comic Strip series. Check out this excerpt from the series:

   Heightened language—one possible or partial definition of poetry—isn’t the first thing one associates with comics. Yet comic book artists take into account the way words appear on the page to a degree poets will find familiar. How many lines should accompany each image? How high should the dialogue balloon float? The ratio of printed words to blank space plays a role in whether a poem or strip succeeds.

   Read the rest of this entry �

This is an import from a husband-and-wife team from the Netherlands, and Gerritsen — the illustrator — is from the Netherlands as well. This is a fetching little treat whose illustrations smack just a bit of Lisbeth Zwerger’s; it’s like Zwerger on a heavy dose of whimsy.

“Far away from the rest of the world lived a woman named Lila. She had a small house on a cliff, overlooking the sea. Year after year she plowed the fields and planted seeds.” And on this opening spread, we have an eye-catching, off-center view of Lila heading up the steep, rocky hill on which she lives, carrying a huge bundle of healthy sunflowers. Lila and her flowers and her home are heaped to our left, and the valley dips in the spread’s center — with a view of the ocean by which Lila lives. It’s a delightful perspective. Read the rest of this entry �

{Note: The Poetry Friday round-up is here at A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy} . . .

Penguins, penguins everywhere . . . Ain’t it the truth? They’ve made their way down the red carpet recently, so to speak — and more than once, too. (Mind you, I haven’t even seen these movies yet, but even those living under rocks know that penguins are all the rage) . . . When it comes to children’s lit, the penguin craze holds true as well: Last year we had Sebastian Meschenmoser’s Learning to Fly and Jean-Luc Fromental’s and Joelle Jolivet’s 365 Penguins, to name just a couple — not to mention 2005’s And Tango Makes Three (by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson with illustrations by Henry Cole), which still gets attention for all the wrong reasons.

So, along has come Bob Barner (probably best known for 1996’s Dem Bones) to bring us (via Chronicle Books; February 2007; my source: review copy) Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere! And, though penguins seem to be The Hip Animal of the Moment, one gets the sense that Barner is not just jumping on the pop-culture bandwagon here; after all, he’s highlighted other creatures in our crowded world at other times in his long career (he’s written and illustrated over twenty-five titles), such as 1999’s Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! Read the rest of this entry �

Best Buds (Alfred A. Knopf; January 2007; my source: review copy) is the first book in a series entitled The Adventures of Max and Pinky by Vermonter Maxwell Eaton III (what is it about Vermont that makes it churn out — or at least draw to it — talented children’s book authors?), this story inspired by a book Eaton created for an elementary school Spanish class.

Bald-headed Max loves to hang out with his best bud, Pinky, a piglet who lives for marshmallows. Eaton establishes right off the bat that they’re best friends, always have been, and always will be, giving us a quick glimpse of Max and Pinky in their younger days and a peek into their future. They love adventure, and every Saturday, in fact, is Adventure Day.

Read the rest of this entry �