Heat Wave
by Eileen Spinelli
Published 2007 by Harcourt Children's Books

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780152167790

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Jacket Notes:

The mercury is climbing in Lumberville, and the folks are doing everything they can to keep cool. When the temperature refuses to relent, the entire community seeks solace by the river--where everyone dreams of cool relief. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 07/09/2007

From the opening lines ("Sun sizzled. Hair frizzled"), Spinelli (Summerhouse Time ) jauntily establishes the theme for this tale of one sweltering week in the town of Lumberville, long before the advent of air conditioners. Beginning on a blistering Monday, the day-by-day chronicle reveals how residents cope. Abigail Blue and her brother Ralphie open a lemonade stand, but two days later "forgot about the lemonade and just sold ice." Lottie Mims takes four cold showers one day and on the next "wore her bathing suit to clean house." Caldecott Honor artist Lewin's (Click, Clack, Moo ) amusing assemblage of brush, ink and watercolor images portray the resourceful ways the townsfolk try to beat the heat. On Saturday night, "everyone-whether in a bed or on a rooftop or on a fire escape or in a tent or near the river-everyone... had the exact same dream." A spread depicting that dream rounds up playful portraits of the smiling citizens frolicking in the rain. A power outage may be the closest modern readers come to a similar experience, but they (and nostalgic parents) should nonetheless appreciate this good-natured tribute to summer at its hottest. Ages 3-7.(July)

06/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 3- Before stores, businesses, and homes had air conditioners, the residents of Lumberville had to get creative during a heat wave. The "sun sizzled. Hair frizzled" as sweltering day after day began. Townspeople, kids, and dogs try a variety of ways to cool down and finally all camp out on the riverbank dreaming of a break in the weather. Stark white pages provide the perfect backdrop for fresh, vivid watercolor cartoons, with the final page displaying splashes of refreshing blue raindrops. While the story is simple and straightforward, the sun-drenched illustrations provide a spirited and evocative look back in time.-Judy Chichinski, Skyline Elementary School, Tacoma, WA

Punk Farm on Tour
by Jarrett J. Krosoczka
Published 2007 by Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780375833434

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Jacket Notes:

The beloved animals from "Punk Farm" are getting ready to rock across America, as they set out on a Punk Farm tour. Only, their beat-up old tour van is threatening to ruin their plans. Can the wheels on the van go round and round all the way from Maine to Colorado? Full color.

10/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-In this sequel to Punk Farm (Knopf, 2005), the animals take their rock band on tour while Farmer Joe is away at a tractor conference. Sheep, Pig, Goat, Chicken, and Cow fix up an old van and hit the road, singing in barns and fields across the country. Their new hit, inspired by their journey, takes the country by storm: "The wheels on the van go round and round...all through the town." And when the van pops a tire or the engine breaks down, they just add another verse to their song. They play their final concert and rush home just ahead of Farmer Joe. The text is slight, really just an embellished version of the children's song, but the peppy acrylic illustrations triple the fun. The performers sport cool shades and funky stage accessories: Sheep wears a headband; Cow has a big chain (with cowbell) around her neck; Pig has spiked wristbands; and Goat wears (what else?) a goatee. Children will enjoy seeing this familiar song brought to life and can sing along with the verses. Pair this book with Paul O. Zelinsky's The Wheels on the Bus (Dutton, 1990) for a rock-and-rolling storytime.-Mary Hazelton, Elementary Schools in Warren & Waldoboro, ME

Around the World!
by Suzanne D. Nimm
Published 2006 by Simon & Schuster

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9781416924784

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Jacket Notes:

Based on a special episode airing on Nick Jr. November 2006, this level 1, Ready-to-Read book features rebus icons to help children develop their reading skills. Full color.

Spider-Man 3: Meet the Heroes and Villains
by Harry Lime
Published 2007 by HarperTrophy

Paperback, English. ISBN: 9780060837211

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Jacket Notes:

With easy-to-read text and full-color illustrations, these I Can Reads are ideal choices for the youngest of Spider-Man fans eagerly awaiting the third film from Columbia Pictures, scheduled to be released in theaters on May 4th. Full color.

Goodnight, Me
by Andrew Daddo
Published 2007 by Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781599901534

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Jacket Notes:

Echoing the loving goodnight rituals that will be familiar to many a parent and child, this endearing tale about a sleepy baby orangutan who must say goodnight to every part of himself is sure to be just the thing for coaxing an active toddler to sleep. Full color.

12/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-This delightful book has a quiet cadence similar to Margaret Wise Brown's Goodnight Moon (HarperCollins, 1947) as a child winds down from a busy day. After being tucked in by a loving parent, a young orangutan lies in bed and bids a loving goodnight to each body part: "Goodnight, feet. Thanks for running me around today" and "Legs, get some rest. We've got a lot of jumping to do tomorrow." After a kiss on the forehead from the parent, the youngster heads off to sleep: "Goodnight, me. See you in the morning." Using a mix of pencil, acrylic paints, and watercolors, Quay has created uncluttered spreads that focus on the highlighted body parts. The colors are as soothing as the gentle text: soft purple backgrounds, muted white bedding, and a warm shade of orange for the orangutan. The protagonist's face is expressive and childlike. Sure to ease tired readers toward sleep, this offering is perfect for bedtime or pajama storytimes.-Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NH

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella
by Paul Fleischman
Published 2007 by Henry Holt & Company

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780805079531

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Jacket Notes:

Newbery Medalist Fleischman and artist Paschkis craft the many versions of the story of Cinderella from around the world--from Ireland to Zimbabwe--into one hymn to the rich variety and the enduring constants of our diverse cultures. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 09/03/2007

Beneath its handsome William Morris-like cover art, this inspired retelling blends many versions of Cinderella into a single, extraordinary tale. As Newbery Medalist Fleischman's (Joyful Noise ) strong storytelling voice incorporates sometimes small details from different traditions, text and illustrations nimbly morph from one Cinderella story to the next, creating this brand-new version. Paschkis (Yellow Elephant ) makes use of folk art and textile patterns throughout the world in the clever background paintings behind each of her vibrant panel illustrations, and she helpfully and unobtrusively labels the country from which relevant borrowings originate. Generally, each page focuses on a single country's contributions, but even when details from several countries share a spread, visual harmony prevails and characters remain recognizable despite their costume changes. When Cinderella has nothing to wear, for example, "a crocodile swam up to the surface-and in its mouth was a sarong made of gold [Indonesia]... a cloak sewn of kingfisher feathers [China]... a kimono red as sunset [Japan]." Even the last line of text is patched from several sources: "Such a wedding it was, and such an adoring couple [Iraq]... and such a wondrous turn of events [Korea]... that people today are still telling the story." Paschkis emphasizes the storyteller's voice by beginning and ending the narrative with illustrations of a mother reading to her daughter-a daughter who, appropriately, looks much like Cinderella herself.Ages 5-up.(Sept.)

09/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal

K-Gr 4- Capitalizing on the frequently made assertion that Cinderella is the most widely told folktale on earth, Fleischman and Paschkis have created a pan-cultural, universally pleasing interweaving of variants from 17 distinct cultures. This clever books reads nearly seamlessly and somehow manages to convey simultaneously the essential sameness of the story and the particularities of the different versions. Dressing for the royal shindig, our heroine, "...looked in her mother's sewing basket (Laos). Then she reached into the hole in the birch tree (Russia). Then a crocodile swam up to the surface-and in its mouth was a sarong made of gold (Indonesia)...a cloak sewn of kingfisher feathers (China)...a kimono red as sunset (Japan)." Paschkis's backgrounds to the text and gouache illustrations alert readers to the shifts in locale by the use of color-coding and of folk-art design motifs drawn from each culture until the final scene where costumes, dances, music, and cuisines from across the globe convene at a wedding so wondrous "that people today are still telling the story." Endings don't get any happier than in this global tour de force.-Miriam Lang Budin, Chappaqua Public Library, NY

First the Egg
by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Published 2007 by Roaring Brook Press

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9781596432727

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Jacket Notes:

The acclaimed author of "Black? White? Day? Night?" gives an entirely fresh presentation of the concepts of transformation and creativity in this book with simple die-cuts that magically present change from seed to flower, tadpole to frog, and caterpillar to butterfly. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 08/20/2007

In another nimble page-turner, Seeger (Black? White! Day? Night!) toys with die-cuts and strategically paired words. She introduces a chicken-or-egg dilemma on her book's cover, picturing a plump white egg in a golden-brown nest. Remove the die-cut dust jacket, and a hen appears on the glossy inner cover. The eggshell, thickly brushed in bluish-white and cream, also serves as the chicken's feathers. This "first/then" pattern is repeated ("First the egg/ then the chicken./ First the tadpole/ then the frog"), with a die-cut on every other page. By flipping a page, readers see the cutout in two contexts. For instance, when an ovoid shape is superimposed on a white ground, it's an egg; on a yolk-yellow ground, it's the body of a baby chick. Seeger lines up the recto and verso of every sheet, maintaining a casual mood with generous swabs of grassy greens, sky blues and oxide yellows on canvas. Given the exuberant imagery, the occasional cutout (like the fingernail-size seed of a blowsy peony-pink flower) looks none too impressive. But if minuscule die-cuts seem barely worth the trouble, they do imply the potential in humble sources. Seeger's clever conclusion brings all the elements together in an outdoor scene that returns readers to the opening: "First the paint/ then the picture... / First the chicken/ then the egg!" Ages 2-6.(Sept.)

11/01/2007 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 2-With brief text and vibrant artwork, Seeger describes familiar transformations in nature. The opening spread reads, "First the EGG." Textured backdrops painted in mustard yellow and rusty orange fill the eye and focus attention on a white egg that peeks through an oval-shaped die-cut from the next page. The following spread completes the thought, "then the CHICKEN," revealing a just-hatched chick and a fluffy white hen. Other similarly conveyed cycles include tadpole to frog, seed to flower, and caterpillar to butterfly. Finally, Seeger extends the concept to a broader sphere, with "First the WORD...then the STORY" and "First the PAINT...then the PICTURE," bringing the book full circle with an illustration that incorporates all of the highlighted entities, including the chicken-which then lays an egg. Throughout, the paintings focus closely on the items being described, and vivid color combinations and see-through die-cuts keep the art fresh and inviting. With its even rhythm, clearly expressed concept, and strong visuals, this book would make a great read-aloud for preschoolers; it could also serve as a beginning reader, a simple introduction to developmental biology, an example of logical sequencing, and a launchpad for creative writing.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal

Maybe a Bear Ate It!
by Robie H. Harris
Published 2008 by Orchard Books (NY)

Hardcover, English. ISBN: 9780439929615

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Jacket Notes:

Bestselling duo Harris and Emberley climb into the mind of a young child and create a hilarious picture book romp. As the frantic search for a beloved book takes off, all sorts of horrifying thoughts come to mind and the imagination goes wild. A Reach Out and Read feature title for spring 2008. Full color.

REVIEW: Publisher's Weekly 11/12/2007

A wide-eyed critter of indeterminate species, surrounded by an elaborate bedtime ensemble of stuffed animals, is cuddled up with his favorite book. But in the middle of a big yawn, he inadvertently and unknowingly kicks the book under his bed. Readers will easily spot it (the bright red volume juts out from one of the bed's front legs), but the critter would much rather give in to wild speculation than actually hunt for it. "Maybe a BEAR ate it!" he shrieks, and Emberley (paired with Harris for It's So Amazing!) imagines a scowling hulking ursine beast attacking the volume with a fork. Or maybe a shark consumed it; but at least all the sea creatures in its stomach can enjoy circle time. This is really more of a skit than a story, but it has a sound and effective unspoken message about not jumping to conclusions and taking responsibility for one's belongings. Besides, Harris and Emberley are clearly having so much fun that their enjoyment is infectious. Ages 3-5. (Jan.)

01/01/2008 REVIEW: School Library Journal

PreS-A small creature (cat?) in pajamas (with a nightcap over each pointed ear) cozies down in bed with his stuffed animals-a bear, rhino, elephant, shark, and-most important of all-his favorite book. When he snoozes a little, he wakes to find it has disappeared. After imagining different horrifying scenarios, which involve his plush animals turned real ("Maybe a BEAR ate it!"; "Maybe a STEGOSAURUS stomped on it!"), he starts to search and finally finds the book under his bed. "You know what? I LOVE my book!" he says, snuggling down among his toys to read. The minimal text is perfectly matched with wonderfully expressive cartoon illustrations that mirror the youngster's emotions as he conjures up each possible disaster. Exactly right for preschool storytime or toddler bedtime, this story will tickle the funny bones of both readers and their audiences.-Judith Constantinides, formerly at East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library, LA