Happy Belly, Happy Smile by Rachel Isadora I've been a fan of author/illustrator Isadora since I first discovered her. A good picture book should draw out some emotion from the reader before the book is even opened. Isadora covers always make me smile, Happy Belly, Happy Smile is no exception.
Its Friday, Louie is having dinner with Grandpa Sam at his Chinese restaurant. Louie always looks forward to these Friday nights out with his Grandpa. There are only a few lines of text on all but one page. Louie's face is very expressive. I especially love when Louie's Grandpa ask if he wants to try his fish. Louie's eyes are downcast, as if he feels bad about not wanting to try the fish. On the next page crabs are brought to the table.
Louie says "I don't think so" his eyes have a priceless eww people eat this look. Many kids will be able to relate to Louie's avoidance of food from the sea. Isadora brings life to this story with color. Happy Belly, Happy Smile is a visual joy, though I may be a little biased since collage is one of my favorite styles. Happy Belly, Happy Smile is a wonderful picture book. Ages 4up
Bad Apple by Laura Ruby 16yr old Tola Riley is an artist and is in the middle of a scandal. Tola's, art teacher Mr. Mymer is accused of having taking advantage of her. An accidental run in was captured on video and the art teacher is suspended. Tola must continue to go to school and face the gossip. She does her best to tell people nothing happened. Though everyone is so busy trying to protect her no one will listen. Bad Apple is a pretty straightforward story, with no unexpected turns. I think that's part of its strength, the author doesn't try to keep the readers interest with unnecessary surprises. Tola carries the book fine on her own. I loved her voice its honest, venerable, funny and realistic. Bad Apple has a quiet goodness and is very good. Bad Apple is one of those books I don't truly appreciate how well all the elements fit together until a few days after I've finished it. Ages 13up An excerpt
Ruined by Paula Morris Rebecca Brown and her dad have always lived in NYC. Mr. Brown, travels on occasion for work. This time he will be gone too long for a neighbor to watch Rebecca. Rebecca is headed to New Orleans to live with a woman she has only meet once, Claudia and her twelve year old daughter, Aurelia. In order to get into the exclusive academy for her sophomore year, Rebecca must pretend she is Claudia's niece. Rebecca gets along very well with Aunt Claudia and Aurelia. Which is good since they live in a shotgun house and there isn't much room.
Rebecca doesn't care much for New Orleans. Everyone seems concerned with money, family ties, status and who knows who. At Rebecca's new school, the students from the most connected families are known simply as Them. The Gray's, Bowman's and Sutton's are the core families.
Helena Bowman and Marianne Sutton are the It girls at Mead Academy. Rebecca doesn't like or trust either. There's only one living person Rebecca enjoys spending time with Anton Gray. Both know their relationship would not be accepted so they do their best to keep it a secret. The only other friend Rebecca has is Lisette, a ghost. Lisette is around Rebecca's age, she died in 1853 under suspicious circumstances. Lisette has been haunting the cemetery, across from Aunt Claudia's house since her death. She can't go in peace until the truth comes out. When Lisette was alive she was a free person of color. She and her mother lived in Faubourg Treme. Rebecca spends much of her time in the cemetery talking to Lisette.
The author does a wonderful job of incorporating a lot of New Orleans rich history.
"Rebecca decided to smuggle her homemade sandwich in to the library. She liked looking at the maps of Louisiana and the Caribbean, back when France and Spain and Britain were fighting over territory and power. It made her think of pirates and buccaneers, of plantation ladies and dashing explorers though, she knew, this was a naive and romantic view. Back in the days when Haiti was called Saint-Dominique, it was known as the Pearl of the Antilles, a place of incredible riches where the French produced sugar and coffer and rum for their entire empire. But this was only possible because of hundreds of thousands of slaves. And the brutal treatment of these people led to the slave rebellion and Haitian revolution, which was incredibly bloody and terrible. Rebecca's class had been story it in history. Anyone with the means to escape Haiti fled the fighting and thousands of these refugees came to New Orleans like Lisette's grandparents. With them they'd brought their music and their food and their religion, voodoo. According to her teacher they changed the the culture of New Orleans forever. And now, since the hurricane, people had moved to the city from Mexico and Central America, to work on rebuilding houses; the city would change again. "
After I read the passage, I knew it was the one I would share, though I had many to choose from. I especially loved when Lisette gives Rebecca a tour of New Orleans. The two hold hands so Rebecca can see the many ghosts of the city. The ghosts speak many languages and are of many ethnic backgrounds. This was one of my favorite scenes in the book. It was a pleasure to visualize the two walking down the streets of New Orleans invisible to the living.
Sometimes, with a novel when one part of the story thrives with life the other part suffers. This didn't happen with Ruined. The author has written a beautiful story all around. I loved it.
I must thank Casey at Bookworm 4life for bringing this book to my attention. I have a thing for novels with ghost especially with a hint of a mystery. So Ruined was on my radar. Though when I found out Lisette was Haitian I bumped it up on my reading queue. I am very happy I did. Every time a customer mentions New Orleans I am quick to put Ruined in their hands. Ages 14up
Get a little taste of Rebecca and Lisette, walking through New Orleans
Michelle by Deborah Hopkinson illus. by AG Ford This is a wonderful biography about the First Lady, Michelle Obama. It begins on January 20,2009 with the unforgettable moment when the President and Michelle Obama walked and waved to the crowd. On the first three pages are on President Obama's inauguration . The reader then meets a young Michelle Robinson, who will grow up to be the first African American First Lady. Beginning in the small apartment in the South Side of Chicago the author gives the reader a good sense of the type of person Michelle was, determined and focused. Always at the top of her class and accepted at Princeton. The author points out the importance of family in all of this success.
President Barack Obama makes his first appearance in Michelle Robinson's life at a Chicago law firm. President Obama is now a part of the story though Hopkinson's keeps the focus on the First Lady. Her commitment to community service is mentioned in the biography and expanded on in the great afterword.
The illustrations for this biography are beautiful. I love the color contrast throughout the book. If you look at the opening spread you can see for yourself. AG Ford is quickly becoming one of my favorite new illustrators. Click here and here to see why. At times like this I wish I had what it takes to breakdown illustrators and get across how great the artwork is. I can only hope that the ladies at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast will have AG Ford stop by for a chant in the future. ( Yes that is a slightly shameless request and I hope it works)
Hopkinson's information filled text and Ford's gorgeous illustrations make this biography on Michelle Obama a must have. 7up
Our Enduring Spiritillustrated by Greg Ruth, words by President Barack Obama I remember hearing about this book earlier in the year, I couldn't wait for it to be released. Its out now and its gorgeous. The more I look at it the more I appreciate it. Ruth has illustrated President Obama's first words to America. He used Sumi and Ink to capture this historic moment in American history. The first African American to be elected will always stand out, regardless of any one's opinions of Barack Obama. When President Obama took the oath of office on January 20, 2009, we lived history.
President Obama's speech is a journey through American history, that will touch, educate and lead to discussions. With a brush, Ruth has taken an essential part of that day, and made it a pleasure for young readers. Our Enduring Spirit reminds us that history is for the old and young. The entire inaugural speech is included at the back of the book. This is a must for any library, school or home. Ages 7up
Happy Belly, Happy Smile by Rachel Isadora I've been a fan of author/illustrator Isadora since I first discovered her. A good picture book should draw out some emotion from the reader before the book is even opened. Isadora covers always make me smile, Happy Belly, Happy Smile is no exception.
