One of my favorite ways to learn about books is by reading about the titles other bloggers read and recommend. We don't always agree, but quite often they have read books I have never heard about. I've also never met a list of books that I didn't immediately want to check titles off!! So I was in seventh heaven when Janssen published her summer reading list "100 picture books to read this summer". I "met" Janssen when we served on a Cybils panel a few years ago (Side note: I am so excited to be a judge for Round One of the Easy Readers/Early Chapter Books judging this year!!), and I know that she has amazing taste in books. So I printed out her list of recommendations and got to work. Because these weren't the only books we read this summer, it took us all summer to get through the list. But we loved it - reading old favorites and new titles. And one of the new-to-us books that I loved enough to write about was The Woods.
It begins with a little boy going through his bedtime routine. He's in bed, under his covers, finished with his story, when he realizes his bunny rabbit is missing. The boy knows there is only one place his stuffed rabbit could be. He gathers some supplies, including a sword, and heads off into the woods. He announces that he isn't afraid at all. Until...he runs into a BIG, SCARY BROWN BEAR! Luckily, the little boy is brave enough to determine that the bear is afraid of the dark. And the little boy can also solve the bear's problem by providing a night-light. Because he has been kind to the bear, the bear wants to join in and help the little boy find his rabbit.
So with the bear tagging along behind, the boy proceeds through the woods. They continue their search through the murky, dark woods, finding two scary giants and a three-headed, fire-breathing dragon. Each time the little boy confronts something new, he doesn't get scared, but makes the effort to find out what they need (that frightening dragon is actually bawling because he has a stomachache!). When he helps them out, they all agree to help him to find his rabbit in return. But when the group approaches a dark cave, it tests all of their combined bravery. The solution is to hold hands and work together as they venture in.
What is inside that dark, spooky cave? Well, it's one last surprise to close out the little boy's adventure. But suffice to say everything turns out okay in the end. When that little boy finally climbs back into bed, he has a whole host of new friends to snuggle with.
There are several pieces of this title that I think work together to make this a successful picture book. Some of these are textual, and some are contained within the illustrations. It doesn't have complex text with lots of words on each page, but those words are full of imagination and adventure. Readers are drawn into the story immediately through the little boy's bedtime routine. I have yet to meet a child who doesn't sleep with at least one stuffed animal. They can all relate to the process of getting into bed, tucked in and slightly sleepy, and missing that one special animal who has disappeared. When the story changes from a bedtime story into an adventure, children are ready to commit to searching along with the little boy. Part of this is due to the earnest first person tone in those introductory sentences.
And another textual success is the repetitive structure of the story. The sentences are fairly short to keep the plot moving along. And after each time the boy meets someone (or something) new, and the group sets off together, the text claims "And we weren't afraid at all. Until..." It's a great device for building momentum - readers can't wait to see what is around the corner. They will listen intently for the next cue and be prepared when the page turns. That piece of repetitive text also ties off the previous incident.
One of the things I love about this story is that it takes teamwork to accomplish the little boy's mission. When they reach the cave, they aren't individuals - they are a team. It takes all of their effort to face off against that last creature. The little boy has been clever in solving every character's problems with compassion and generosity. But even the bravest little boy might cower before that creature, and it is the support of his new-found friends that helps him get through the confrontation.
I thought the illustrations helped make the story so captivating. They remind me of illustrations readers would experience in a graphic novel. There is rich color, with an incredible range of browns in the woods and the little boy's bedroom. And there are fun details in the pictures too - that scary brown bear who the boy meets first has a gold HONEY necklace. It looks incredibly out of place on a bear in the woods, but makes that bear seem more hip than scary. When the little boy gives him the night-light, he strings the lightbulb around his neck instead. The looks on the faces of every character as they discover each other are priceless. They are often reacting in shock and fear, but they also look hilarious. These details add to the fun of reading this book aloud.
Speaking of reading aloud, this story is dramatic and a perfect addition to storytimes or just a family reading time. It is especially perfect with the multiple surprises on almost every page. And of course, the combination of bedtime and adventure will help keep it in regular rotation everywhere. Thank you, Janssen, for the recommendation!
The Woods. Paul Hoppe. Chronicle Books, 2011.
borrowed through interlibrary loan.
So if you are a regular reader of my blog (or even an occasional reader!), you know that I have two young girls - Frances, who just turned 7, and Gloria, who is 5 1/2. I've talked before about their names here and how those aren't the names my girls were born with, just the names that I use on the blog so as not to identify them. There are a lot of similarities between the Frances and Gloria Russell Hoban created and my girls. They have similar personalities - my Frances can be way too trusting, like in A Bargain for Frances; my Gloria likes to play with her sister, but on her own terms, like Gloria in Best Friends for Frances. But lately I've seen a tendency towards sibling behavior like that of Benny and Penny in Benny and Penny in Lights Out!
This is the fourth book in the Benny and Penny series of easy-to-read comics from TOON Books. From the very first panel, it is clearly bedtime. Benny is peering at the moon outside the window. Penny is trying to keep them on track with their bedtime routine. Benny continues with his antics - "haunting" Penny with a flashlight, burping, basically acting up in that way that only children who should really be asleep do. Then Benny realizes that he left his pirate hat...gulp! outside. In the dark playhouse. It is only his sister's bravery and their teamwork that rescues the needed pirate hat.
One of the parts of the Benny and Penny series that appeals most to me is the sibling relationship. Benny and Penny aren't perfect and they don't always get along. There is tons of sibling squabbling. Penny announces imperiously "It's time to brush our teeth." (p. 6) And Benny promptly ignores her mandate, like most siblings would. He tells her he is busy. Then Benny cooks up a plan to scare Penny when she's brushing her teeth. He turns off the light and uses a flashlight to try and scare Penny with threats of the Boogey Mouse. It's all very familiar to those of us with more than one child - our constant refereeing of fights over a blanket, an inch of floor space, a perceived fight. And the also constant picking at each other - just like Benny does in this book. He's really only teasing Penny with his prank about the Boogey Mouse. But siblings can get under each other's skin unlike anyone I've ever seen.
But there is something equally redeeming about siblings and the way they can put aside their fighting when needed. Benny realizes that the pirate hat he can't fall asleep without is still in the playhouse out in the backyard. He sneaks out the window, and when it takes longer than Penny thinks it should, she is out the window after him. She's scared, though Penny keeps reminding herself that "The Boogey Mouse is not really real. It's just a story!" (p. 17) Ultimately, even though he drives her crazy, Penny is there to support and lend a hand. When she finally makes it to the playhouse, Benny is too scared to go in. It takes both of them together to rescue the pirate hat.
Another thing I enjoy about this story is the "just-right" sized adventure. There isn't anything really fancy about this adventure. To a parent's eye, there isn't even anything dangerous about their trip out to the dark backyard. But seen through the eyes of the two young mice, the story becomes perilous indeed. The two mice are on their own - no parents in sight as the story progresses. They feel real responsibility for what they must do to rescue Benny's hat. They are at that age where they want to solve the problem themselves, without parental involvement. And Benny and Penny take satisfaction from having saved the hat on their own. It's only after Benny has fallen asleep that Penny asks their mother for her help, but only with reading a story.
And that brings me to one of the best themes of this story - reading and storytelling. It combines the best of Penny and Benny. Both children like to read and tell stories, but of course their stories are very different. Penny loves fairy tales - they combine princesses with a sense of storytelling structure that appeals to Penny, with her love of routine. Benny, on the other hand, retells stories with drama, action and adventure. Those stories appeal to his daydreaming, adventurous side. He throws in some whimsy when he tells a story about a dinosaur that lives at the circus. The two children have a shared love of reading and story. They fight about story too. Penny primly gets under the covers and informs Benny that she is trying to read. He chimes in "You can't read." She says "Yes, I can." (p. 10) You can hear this fight going on for an eternity, but thankfully Benny burps loudly and breaks it up. Both mice can "read", but the stories they are "reading" really comes out of their imagination. Hayes very naturally shows the connection between adventures, imagination and literacy. Everyone loves the idea of a good story, and through reading, Benny and Penny have created their own adventure story.
As you know, TOON Books is one of my favorite publishers because of their innovative approach to literacy through comics. On their website they have an online CarTOON maker which Gloria loved using. It's a lot of creative fun. Benny and Penny in Lights Out! is a Level Two comic, designed for readers in grades 1-2. One of the descriptions of Level Two books in the back of this particular book says that Level Two books include "a story arc with few characters in a small world". This is a perfect description of Benny and Penny. It's intimate: Benny and Penny never go more than a few steps from their window, yet it seems a long, long way away.
Benny and Penny in Lights Out! Geoffrey Hayes. TOON Books, 2012.
sent by the publisher for review
Bedtime is always a difficult time, and my house is no exception. There are days when I've done my job well, the girls tumble into bed on time, and I don't hear another word from them until morning. On the nights that bedtime doesn't work successfully for us, their bedroom seems to have a revolving door. First it's Frances saying she needs to go to the bathroom, then it's Gloria saying she's thirsty, then Frances is back again to tell me Gloria is reading too loud and keeping her awake. Finally, Gloria comes slithering back down the hall, silently, wanting to tell me "one more thing". On the worst nights, they both cry before they fall asleep. I've mentioned before how one of my favorite programs to do at the library was always bedtime storytime. I love the cadence of a good bedtime story; how it winds a child down into relaxation and quiet. It has the capability to turn a bad night around and guide a child into slumber.
I only heard about Sleep Like a Tiger after it won a Caldecott Honor in January. Once I got it, I was sorry I hadn't been shouting its praises since it had been published. This book is a terrific bedtime story. It combines a wise, elegant bedtime story with magical illustrations - a combination dreams are made of.
The story starts with a little girl who doesn't want to go to sleep. Arms folded, stuffed animals scattered around her, she tells her mother "I'm not tired.". She tells her father the same thing. In a united stance, her mother and father nod their heads and tell her while she doesn't have to sleep, she has to put on her pajamas. And so the little girl does, putting on pajamas "that matched the night sky". The little girl, still insisting she isn't tired, then washes her face and brushes her teeth and climbs into bed. She then, like all procrastinating children, starts up a conversation about the animals of the world and their sleep patterns. Her parents calmly discuss their dog, their cat, bats, whales, snails, bears and last of all, the mighty tiger. The little girl informs her parents that the tiger sleeps as much as possible so "that way he stays strong". They turn out the lights, and the little girl, all tucked in, tells them again that she isn't sleepy. They say good night, and she relaxes into her bed "a cocoon of sheets, a nest of blankets". Soon enough, she mimics the way all of those animals fall asleep, and you guessed it - falls asleep.
As a parent, I was struck by a couple of things about this story. Bedtime is one of the most chaotic times, especially in a working household. The hours between when we get home and bedtime are filled with "must-dos" - dinner, clean up, baths, stories, bed. The nights churn by quickly - some nights I look up and realize it's 7:30 and we need to hurry into pajamas and stories. This story is calm and soothing from the first page. There is no arguing about bedtime as there is in so many homes. The parents, who go through the whole routine together, united, simply accept what the little girl says and proceed calmly on. Because the little girl seems to have control of her bedtime, she goes to sleep more quickly. She doesn't have to protest very loudly or throw any fits to get her point across. She is heard and can then acknowledge how comfortable her bed really is. Her parents, once they get her in bed and turn off the light, tell her "You can stay awake all night long" and leave the room. They give the little girl space to be herself and enter sleep on her own terms. In a dark room, surrounded by stuffed animals, and quiet, it doesn't take her long to doze off. Genius!
This is Logue's first picture book. Her jacket biography describes her as a poet, and this text is poetic indeed. While I've already cited several worthy snippets of text, my favorite part is when the little girl gets into bed. "She did, stretching her toes down under the crisp sheets, lying as still as an otter floating in a stream." Simple enough for children to understand and related to, but gorgeously described. After all, I feel that very same way when I get under my own sheets. Logue has created a story that children can relate to, parents will understand and the words will resonate for all long after the book is closed.
And I haven't even talked about the illustrations yet! As you know, the Caldecott medal is given each year for illustrations. So Zagarenski won a Caldecott honor for this book's illustrations. I loved her other Caldecott honor winning book, Red Sings from Treetops, and was excited that she had won again. Her style combines computer illustration with mixed media paintings on wood. It is a magical, whimsical combination, and one that begs to be looked at over and over again. There are things I've noticed in my repeated readings of this book, and I know there are still more details to be seen.
The colors are soothing - mostly icy blues, golds and browns, with pops of red throughout. The other pop of color on each page comes from the little girl's clothing - her dress on the first pages is a chalky red which stands out, making the girl easily findable in the busy paintings. When she changes into her pajamas, which "match the night sky", they are a rich, unusual blue. There is a white diamond pattern all over the girl's pajamas to mimic the stars, and at points the stars seem to twinkle. Again, Zagarenski's choice of clothing makes the little girl the focus on every page.
There is so much texture and pattern in Zagarenski's paintings, and the overall effect is one of layered coziness. This is one of those instances where author and illustrator complement each other perfectly. These paintings supplement Logue's text and extend it. One of the little details that add to the text is the fact that that the mother, father, and little girl all wear similar crowns. Are they a royal family? Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't really matter, but it is one of those things that adds to your enjoyment of the story. The little girl carries stuffed animals with her throughout the book, and they mostly include the animals she asks about - the bear, the whale, the dog, and of course, the tiger. There are details layered upon details in this book. One of the things I wonder about is Zagarenski's inclusion of wheels on almost every page - sometimes animals ride on wheels, sometimes the wheels serve as decoration. One of my favorite, whimsical uses of the wheels are under the father's feet in a particular painting.
This book is rich in text and illustration. The story is immediately recognizable by parent and child alike. The book is whimsical and realistic at the same time. All in all, I can't resist saying that this book is dreamy.
Sleep Like a Tiger. Mary Logue; illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Houghton Mifflin, 2012.
borrowed from Lewis & Clark Library
As you know by now, I have two little girls. Like any mom, I hoped when I was pregnant with Frances that she would like cars as much as princesses, and that I would make an effort to introduce both girls to as many different kinds of toys as possible - blocks, stuffed animals, cars and princesses. And as you could predict, Frances ended up loving primarily princesses and all of the tiaras, wands, and high heels. Then Gloria was born, and she could not have been more different. She is a Disney Cars fan. We have lots of trucks, race cars, and of course, Lightning McQueens galore (I think I counted ten the other day!). So a book about construction sites is right up Gloria's alley. And while Frances does still love princesses, she has learned to appreciate cars and trucks too.
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is a book that takes two popular subjects - bedtime and construction - and combines them. Even better, it does it in a way that works very successfully. Rinker and Lichtenheld start by looking at the whole construction site during the day. All of the trucks and equipment are busily working away at their day job. As the daylight fades, though, each truck begins to complete their tasks and shut down.
The very first piece of equipment is a crane truck. Rinker takes two pages for each construction vehicle. Crane Truck is a perfect example of how this book is set up. Before bedtime, Crane Truck has to raise one last beam up to the high rise. Rinker demonstrates in rhyming text how a Crane Truck operates and what his specific task is. As the sun goes down, Crane Truck finishes work on the building, and begins tuck his boom away to prepare for bed. Sleepy, Crane Truck holds his teddy bear in his claws and hangs a softly glowing star nightlight from his boom. The last line of every section reads "Shhh...goodnight, Crane Truck, goodnight" or cement mixer or dump truck or bulldozer or last but not least, the excavator.
I really like the way Rinker has treated her subject here. This book is equally about construction and bedtime. So for those readers and listeners who want to know about how construction equipment operates, they'll be able to learn about that. And the rhyming text and soothing goodnight routines help set the tone for bedtime. However, the one thing I did notice after repeated readings is that all of the vehicles shown are male. I wish she could have worked in at least one female vehicle, as I think that would make the book more attractive to girls.
The illustrations add to the comfort and interest of the book. Lichtenheld starts on the construction site is in full action, pouring cement, hauling heavy beams and transporting dirt. The pictures of the vehicles are all accurate, with plenty of detail to appease a construction lover. Yet they also all have expressive eyes and features to give them added personality. As the light dims and the site shuts down, listeners will enjoy all the other things they will spot on the pages. The moon glows softly as the construction site grows silent. The cement mixer cuddles up with a security blanket and I've already mentioned Crane Truck's teddy bear. My favorite, though, is the Dump Truck. He snores contentedly as a man throws open a window in a building across the alley. The man hollers "Hey! Pipe Down!" as the snoring extends through the girders of the construction site. The illustrations are personable and reward a careful viewer.
At the end of the book, the whole construction site is sleeping peacefully. This is a book I wish I had had at my old library, where I did a monthly pajama storytime. It would have been a soothing mix of big construction noises and quiet, peaceful sleep. Goodnight, goodnight.
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichtenheld. Scholastic, 2011.
Reviewed from my personal collection.
