Picture Book Pick: No Boring Stories

No Boring Stories!
by Julie Falatko
Illustrated by Charles Santoso
Viking; Penguin Young Readers
2018
48 pages
ISBN: 9780451476821
Available November 6, 2018

A mole invites his friends: a crab, a weevil and a warthog to write an exciting story featuring princesses, a giant robot suit, grapes, and lasers. A cute bunny who just won't go away keeps trying to tell his story and FIX theirs. The others don't want a story about cute, furry animals, birthdays and mommies.

Eventually they all work together to develop a story with a beginning, a middle and an end that they are all happy with and they celebrate as friends.

Funny, new words that young readers will want to include in their developing vocabulary are: mandibles, steed, humiliate, evidence, and discarded.



Recommended age 3-up.

Picture Book Pick: The Wall in the Middle of the Book

The Wall in the Middle of the Book
by Jon Agee
Illustrations by the author
Dial Books for Young Readers
2018
48 pages
ISBN: 9780525555452

Available October 2, 2018

A story that could only come from the imaginative mind of Jon Agee, The Wall in the Middle of the Book will entertain and captivate young readers. As a read aloud or bedtime story, parents and readers will want to encourage youngsters to see EVERYTHING happening on both sides of the wall at the same time. Children will point out what they see on both sides. The poor knight, however, cannot see over the wall and assumes the worst. 

The tiny knight is safe on his side of the wall; the left side of the book is safe he explains. The wall protects him from the right side where there is danger lurking. Wild animals: a rhino, a tiger and a gorilla are on the right. When a mouse appears, the larger animals run!

The knight climbs a ladder not at all worried about the rising waters at his feet. Several pages later,  the safe side, the left side, doesn't seem so safe after all. An ogre that eats people is on the right side. The knight is torn. What should he do?

Careful readers will spot clues on each page that tell more of the story. Children are apt to tell YOU the story of the knight and what he will do.

A MUST HAVE for every young reader. Buy this for your favorite toddler and toddler parents.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

Early Peek: The Marvels by Brian Selznick

The Marvels
by Brian Selznick
Scholastic Press
2015
640 pages
ISBN: 9780545448680

Available September 15, 2015

From the publisher:

"Caldecott Award winner and bookmaking trailblazer Brian Selznick once again plays with the form he invented and takes readers on an awe-inspiring voyage!

Two seemingly unrelated stories-one in words, the other in pictures-come together with spellbinding synergy! The illustrated story begins in 1766 with Billy Marvel, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, and charts the adventures of his family of actors over five generations. The prose story opens in 1990 and follows Joseph, who has run away from school to an estranged uncle's puzzling house in London, where he, along with the reader, must piece together many mysteries. How the picture and word stories intersect will leave readers marveling over Selznick's storytelling prowess.Filled with mystery, vibrant characters, surprise twists, and heartrending beauty, and featuring Selznick's most arresting art to date, The Marvels is a moving tribute to the power of story. "

My Thoughts:

I got the first peek with a mailing of the "Sneak Peek" in March 2015. A smidgeon of the much larger tome arrived and I was mesmerized by the beauty of the illustrations! Just 18 pages of illustrations and I got the feel of the story. The publisher will send the ARCs out in May and I honestly can't wait until it arrives. It's pretty tricky to send a small taste of something so wonderful, so otherworldly, so broadly beautiful and so anticipated.

"Innovative storytelling" with first Selznick's fantastic art and then the prose story which seems at first not related to the first story. In 1766 a young boy is shipwrecked and later rescued. Billy ends up in London and grows up in a theatre. Many years later, another young outsider arrives at the theater and begins to discover its mysteries.

An animated book trailer is in the works and the publisher will feature a classroom guide and a special "World of Brian Selznick" area on its website.

This book is sure to cause a frenzy in the middle grades market and is likely to win even more fans for Selznick. If your readers loved The Invention of Hugo Cabret, they are bound to love The Marvels.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I did not receive monetary compensation for the review of this first peek.

Early Reader Pick: Jampires

Jampires
text and illustrations by Sarah McIntyre and David O'Commell
David Fickling Books
2015
32 pages
ISBN: 9780545816632

Available June 30, 2015

Sly and funny rhyming text  with brilliantly colorful illustrations will captivate readers.

Sam discovers his jelly filled doughnut is mysteriously dry. Where did all his jam go? There must be a jam robber! He sets a trap with his dry doughnut and an overturned laundry basket and catches two young "jampires." They love jam! They apologize to Sam, but they tell him that they are far from home. He offers to go to their home with them. Sam and his cat Archie grab the jampires' hands and they fly off through the sky to a land far away where they are greeted with sweets and confections galore. The jampires' mothers are so happy to have their kids back, they reward Sam with jam filled doughnuts on a daily basis, delivered straight to his home.

The magic land of the jampires is reminiscent of Charlie and Chocolate Factory and Willa Wonka's fantastical sweet creations. There are "...doughnuts that looked plump as cushions to Sam" and "...castles of sponge cake with gingerbread towers..."

Simply charming, Jampires will have young readers craving more....jam, that is!

Highly, highly recommended for young readers. Parents will love the tale of the magical land of jam.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the F & G from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.

YA Pick: In the Shadows

In the Shadows
Text by Kiersten White
Art and art story by Jim Di Bartolo
original story concept by Jim Di Bartolo
Scholastic Press
2014
384 pages
ISBN:9780545561440

Available April 29, 2014

Transcendent and beguilingly beautiful full color artwork  and gothic (creepy but romantic) story go hand in hand to capture readers and lead them on a mysterious journey. Cora and Minnie are sisters living in their mother's boarding house. Minnie gets excited when she learns new boarders Thomas and Charles will be staying on with them.

Evil lurks up the  road and Minnie  likes to tempt it. What lengths will Minnie  go to in order to have some fun? The closer the four get to answers about an ancient secret, the more danger they are in. What if life never had to end? What if you could live forever? Would you want to?

Readers are in for a treat--the art tells one part of the story and the words tell another part. The YA market just got more exciting! It was exciting for me to hear from the artist and writer at the Texas Library Convention about their new book. In a session of Speed Dating the Authors, Di Bartolo and White sat at our table and discussed In the Shadows and how they came up with the idea and how it came to fruition. The art is sublime and the story masterful.

Highly recommended for every type of reader. Grade 7-up.

FTC Required Disclaimer: I received the arc from the publisher. I did not receive monetary compensation for this review.