tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87091344782182348442012-05-29T09:44:59.150-07:00I believe that reading the right book can be a transformative experience. As a mother, bookseller and ardent reader of children's literature, I want to help kids start their reading journey on the right path. Insightful reviews and excellent suggestions of similar titles will ensure that readers are never without a good book in hand. Appropriate chapter books for readers of all abilities and picture books are my specialities.Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.comBlogger787125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-78261552079779250072012-05-29T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-29T00:30:02.465-07:00

Before I write anything about these two wonderful books, I have to mention Sophie Blackall (The Crows of Pearlblossom by Aldous Huxley, Mr and Mrs Bunny - Detectives Extraordinaire! by Polly Horvath) a favorite illustrator of mine an now book reviewer! While I had More in my pile of books to review, it was Blackall's review of Springman's book in the NY Times on May 11, 2012 that introduced me

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-84388407705439029372012-05-28T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-28T00:30:01.356-07:00

Having been a children's bookseller for almost seventeen years now and a parent for a couple of years longer, I have seen many children, including my own, express a fascination with the story of the Titanic. Like other seemingly frightening and/or dangerous things that small children are fascinated with (sharks, dinosaurs, bugs) they grasp the literal enormity of the thing but don't yet

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-62326202970813755082012-05-25T09:30:00.000-07:002012-05-25T09:59:02.936-07:00

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy is a book that has caused me to do some serious thinking about what makes a book worth reading, the (sometimes unfortunate and unhelpful) perspective an adult reader can bring to children's literature and the value of doing something new that might feel old. I'll admit it - I was skeptical about this book at first. The title, the

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-77340553715684540652012-05-25T09:00:00.000-07:002012-05-25T12:19:51.746-07:00

HEY EVERYBODY!!!! My Letter to the Editor in the Sunday, May 27th edition of the New York Times Book Review went live online today. Just in case the link doesn't work for you, I have printed it (the edited version) below. Also, my review of The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy posted today as well. While I wrote my letter to the editor in the heat of the moment, outraged

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-90585526182510247022012-05-25T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-25T00:30:02.759-07:00

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms (known as Small Change for Stuart in the UK, where it was first released) by Lissa Evans is fantastic! This mystery with a missing magician, a trail of clues and a hidden trove of amazing mechanisms reminded me very much of a childhood favorite of mine, John Bellairs, (The House with the Clock in Its Walls, The Letter, the Witch and the Ring, The Treasure of

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-22414351250683039272012-05-24T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-24T00:30:03.366-07:00

Just in time for summer- NERD CAMP is in paperback! Nerd Camp is the third novel from Elissa Brent Weissman, author of  Standing For Socks and The Trouble With Mark Harper, both of which I loved. In all three of her books, Weissman creates rich, detailed characters with dilemmas that are both real and unique, giving the stories nice twists and turns. While I often profess to favor fantasy, a

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-82408303687393485002012-05-23T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-23T07:13:24.373-07:00

While Mini Grey's  Traction Man Meets Turbo Dog made my Best Picture Books of 2008 list, this is my first review devoted to her wonderful books. Traction Man and the Beach Odyssey couldn't have come at a better time. I recently wrote an article on Gender Equality in Picture Books and came to the conclusion that, rather than more books with girl protagonists or more books with boy

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-90424860102238648052012-05-22T00:30:00.001-07:002012-05-22T08:29:52.216-07:00

If you don't know the work of Arthur Geisert, please click on his name for my reviews of his books. He is truly an amazing author and artist with an incredible imagination. His picture books will be on the shelves decades from now, maybe next to those of Richard Scary and Maurice Sendak, providing they aren't shelved alphabetically. If you do know Geistert's work, then you have been waiting

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-89477009968984473852012-05-21T01:00:00.000-07:002012-05-21T01:00:03.667-07:00

Duck for a Day is the fantastic new book written by Meg McKinlay with wonderful illustrations by Leila Rudge, the team who brought us the picture book, No Bears. I am a broken record (can I still use that idiom relevantly?) when it comes to ranting about the lack of diverse, well written chapter books and I get very excited whenever one comes my way. Duck for a Day is all these things - a

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-67212379430962777362012-05-21T00:30:00.001-07:002012-05-21T06:44:31.219-07:00

No Bears, by Meg McKinlay and Leila Rudge, the team who brought us http://www.books4yourkids.com/2012/05/duck-for-day-written-by-meg-mckinlay.html"target="_blank">Duck for a Day, is the best! I just love a picture book where the words tell one story and the pictures another, and No Bears is exactly that. Meg McKinlay's main character and narrator, Ella and her bear-less story is perfectly

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-22697804438783813432012-05-18T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-18T00:30:00.111-07:00

Jake and Lily is the newest book from Newbery Winner (Maniac McGee) and Newbery Honor Winner (Wringer) Jerry Spinelli, author of one of my favorite books for teens, Stargirl, which I really need to review here. With Jake and Lily, Spinelli brings us the story of the titular twins and the summer of their twelfth birthday when they go through changes deeper and more meaningful than puberty.

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-50859588800682595292012-05-16T17:07:00.000-07:002012-05-20T08:50:11.648-07:00

Some good news and some sad news,  some great news and some fantastic news:  Sad News: The winners of the goodreads IBBA contest were announced today (FINALLY - more than a week after the advertised date) and I did not win. You can click HERE to find out the winners in all four categories. Congratulations to The Nerdy Book Club, which was started in December of last year and is authored by

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-84682598483591944252012-05-16T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-16T19:37:22.745-07:00

Recently, I had occasion to give serious thought to gender representation in picture books, which I discuss in detail in my article Him, Her, Hen? Gender Equality in Picture Books. I found myself not too surprised by an academic study of picture books published from 1900 to 2000 that showed a huge imbalance in the representation of males versus female as protagonists of the story. However, I was

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-43095787938456954322012-05-15T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-29T07:35:05.993-07:00

Image by Elias Ericson The other night I was listening to Q with Jian Ghomeshi during which guests discussed the topic Does English Need a Gender Neutral Pronoun? Sweden has recently included the word "hen," a middle ground between the Swedish words "han" and "hon" ("he" and "she" in English) in its National Encyclopedia as an alternative to the gender specific pronouns. I went to a small

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-24934783671980406732012-05-14T00:30:00.002-07:002012-05-14T00:30:01.332-07:00

I think I finally have to admit to myself that I love, love, love graphic novels. Despite my early skepticism and wariness over this new genre in the kid's book section a few years back, I am now an avid consumer. I know this because I find myself drawn to and reveling in stories that I am sure I would not gravitate to had they been published the in traditional novel format. Michael Rex's

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-58082877071586067762012-05-13T00:30:00.002-07:002012-05-13T00:30:02.848-07:00

Kenny and the Dragon is now in paperback! Tony DiTerlizzi's Kenny and the Dragon, his first solo chapter book, is an homage to Kenneth Grahame's The Reluctant Dragon as well as a literary name dropper. I'm not sure what copyright laws allow Gregory Maguire to mess with the characters of L Frank Baum's Oz books, or countless authors to toy with the characters Jane Austen brought into this

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-58282371172437196252012-05-13T00:30:00.001-07:002012-05-13T00:30:01.511-07:00

The Search for WondLa is now in paperback and Book 2, A Hero for WondLa just hit the shelves! I'm going to begin my review the same way Tony DiTerlizzi begins The Search for WondLa - with a pinpoint focus close-up of the main character and hero of the story, Eva Nine (pronounced "Eh-va" and not "Ee-va," as I learned when I watched a clip of the author speaking about the book.  I always

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-75770036932671439402012-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:002012-05-13T00:00:03.903-07:00

One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street  is now available in paperback! One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street, written by Joanne Rocklin with illustrations by Chris Buzelli is a wonder - one of those books where, when you reach the last page, you find yourself wondering how the author managed to pull all the threads together, and in a way that is so beautifully,

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-31455242819817253332012-05-12T01:30:00.000-07:002012-05-12T08:52:39.717-07:00

Seven Sorcerers is now in paperback! Shadow Spell is due out any day!   Seven Sorcerers by Caro King has to be one of the most satisfying works of fantasy I have read in a very long time, and one of the smartest. In fact, I found myself savoring this book, taking much longer to read it than I could afford, marking wonderous and beautiful passages of writing so often that it looks like

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-16230197974556089532012-05-12T01:00:00.000-07:002012-05-12T08:52:22.573-07:00

Kat, Incorrigible is now in paperback! and Renegade Magic has hit the shelves. (review to come...) Stephanie Burgis' Kat, Incorrigible, or A Most Improper Magick, as it is known in the UK where it was first published, is best described as Jane Austen meets Diana Wynne Jones and is an absolute treat. I have not been this enchanted and entertained by a historical time period and a heroine since

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-11181271718524896122012-05-12T00:30:00.000-07:002012-05-12T08:53:04.423-07:00

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making  is now in paperback!!  The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M Valente with perfectly matched illustrations from Ana Juan caught my attention, both for its title, wonderful cover art and quote from Neil Gaiman, "A glorious balancing act between modernism and the Victorian fairy

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-4073771156996792662012-05-11T00:30:00.002-07:002012-05-11T00:30:00.539-07:00

I was not excited about Summer of the Gypsy Moths, the new book from Sara Pennypacker (with superb cover art from the wonderful Julia Denos) when I read the blurb on the back. If you read my review of Joanne Rocklin's The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook, then you know that I read to escape, which for me has always meant choosing a work of fantasy. I am wary of reading "real-life-family-trouble"

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-10300930380138942582012-05-10T10:31:00.003-07:002012-05-29T07:36:22.887-07:00

Increasingly, I find I am helping parents find good books for sensitive kids. The popularity of Harry Potter and Diary of a Wimpy Kid introduced two different but influential themes of darkness, for lack of a better word, into the realm of children's books. More and more, a work of fantasy will present themes of darkness and suspense with antagonists who are much more malevolent, sometimes

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-86135976349766553232012-05-09T00:30:00.002-07:002012-05-09T00:30:02.198-07:00

Above all else, Robot Zombie Frankenstein! by Annette Simon is fun. Fun to read out loud, fun to look at and especially fun to see the reactions on listeners' faces as you read. Besides having robots, which I love and do not find in picture books as often as I would like, the plot of Robot Zombie Frankenstein! escalates to a fever pitch of competitive frenzy and suspense that kids love in a

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8709134478218234844.post-47478675473852951532012-05-08T07:37:00.000-07:002012-05-08T07:37:03.879-07:00

Thank you for all you gave us, from the memorable and the magical to the weird and worrisome. Your influence on the world of picture books and the realms of childhood will never be forgotten. A scene from the opera Brundibar

Tanyahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02172778520685967018noreply@blogger.com1