Review of POEMS TO DREAM TOGETHER=POEMAS PARA SOÑAR JUNTOS

Alarcón, Francisco X. Paula Barragán. (Ill.) 2005. POEMS TO DREAM TOGETHER=POEMAS PARA SOÑAR JUNTOS. New York: Lee & Low Books Inc. ISBN 1-58430-233-X

This individual poet compilation “celebrates the connections children share with their families, communities, and all living things.” In the book’s preface, Alarcón relates that he grew up in California and Mexico, thus explaining why he wrote the poems in both Spanish and English. The fact that the author himself wrote each piece in both languages, gives lingual authenticity to the poetry. Creating a dual language collection of poetry likely necessitated Alarcón’s use of narrative and free verse styles. These poems range from mildly esoteric to easily accessible. In Waking Dream, Alarcón reflects, “when I dream I’m dreaming I’m about to wake up.” Adobes is a more concrete poem about homes. “Adobe bricks that townsfolk made from mud and straw and spread to dry out in the sun like some really big chocolate bars….” While elements such as rhyme, alliteration, and onomatopoeia are not employed; this collection is teeming with imagery, emotion, personification and eloquent language use. My favorite poem in this collection is In My Dreams. Alarcón tells of his dream of a harmonious Earth wherein “buffaloes roam free,” “there is no word for ‘war’,” and “all living beings come together as one big family.” However, Dreamer of the Fields ~to César Chávez would be enhanced by the inclusion of an author’s note providing background information on the revolutionary activist.

This dual language poetry collection is adorned with bright illustrations using pencil, cut paper, and gouache and is recommended for poetry enthusiasts ages 4-10.

Review of THE SUN IS SO QUIET

Giovanni, Nikki. Ashley Bryan. (Ill.) 1996. THE SUN IS SO QUIET. New York: Henry Holt and Co. ISBN 0-8050-4119-2

This individual poet compilation includes many poems about the seasons and weather. Giovanni uses a variety of strategies to catch her readers’ ear. These strategies include rhyme, assonance and alliteration. In the selection Prickled Pickles Don’t Smile, the reader finds herself concentrating on the words in order to read them correctly—it is almost a tongue twister. “Never tickle a prickled pickle ‘cause prickled pickles don’t smile.” This jaunty poem goes on to include assonance: goad, loaded, toad. While the poems can stand on their own, Ashley’s playful gouache and tempera paint illustrations add to the humor and enhance readers’ understanding. Giovanni reaches readers’ emotions in her poem The Reason I Like Chocolate. In this poem, a child reveals his emotional connection to his favorite things: “I like to cry sometimes ‘cause everybody says, What’s the matter don’t cry” and “I like books … ‘cause they just make me happy and I really like to be happy.” To facilitate browsing, this colorful compilation includes a helpful table of contents.

This collection of poetry, with its multicultural illustrations, is highly recommended for poetry enthusiasts ages 4-10.

Review of ¡YUM! ¡MMMM! ¡QUÉ RICO!: AMERICAS’ SPROUTINGS

Mora, Pat. Rafael López. (Ill.) 2007. YUM! ¡MMMM! ¡QUÉ RICO! : AMERICAS’ SPROUTINGS. New York: Lee and Low Books Inc. ISBN 978-1-58430-271-1

Award-winning author, Pat Mora, gives us a collection of haiku paying homage to native foods of the Americas. From blueberries to chiles to papayas; the color, taste and smell are all explored in these short poems. Each haiku is accompanied by a paragraph discussing the origin, use and other facts about the title fruit. Illustrator Rafael López produced vibrant acrylic on wood panel illustrations which reflect the diversity of the people of the Americas. Pictures of farms, rainforests, deserts, and urban communities further demonstrate López’s recognition of the variety of landscapes of the Americas. Though haiku has its own parameters, Mora also uses assonance—nutty, jelly, gooey, party—and alliteration—squirts, seedy, splatter—to spice up her poetry. Mora provides extras such as a map of the Americas, compass rose, and English translations of Spanish terms used in her poems. She closes her compilation with an author’s note which creates a personal connection between herself and her reader. “I love variety, don’t you?” she asks. To extend this connection, she provides a jump-rope rhyme for children which uses the titles of the haiku.

This animated single-poet compilation, with its bright illustrations, is highly recommended for readers ages 4-10.

Review of LUGALBANDA: THE BOY WHO GOT CAUGHT UP IN A WAR

Henderson, Kathy. Jane Ray (Ill.) 2006. LUGALBANDA: THE BOY WHO GOT CAUGHT UP IN A WAR. Cambridge, MA: Candlewick Press. ISBN 0-763-62782-8

In this 2007 Aesop award winning book, Kathy Henderson brings to light a piece of history from a part of the world about which Americans are so much in the dark. The story of Lugalbanda is an “epic tale from ancient Iraq.” Each of the characters is imbued with qualities which makes him believable. Henderson ensures that readers will be sympathetic to Lugalbanda, his brothers and the king by showing their human sides. Lugalbanda’s brothers, each a commander in the army, “bowed down with grief” as they were forced to leave their young brother behind. Lugalbanda showed his humility and intelligence as he won over the ferocious Anzu bird by caring for its chick. Even the king, through Henderson’s careful word choice, proved to be compassionate by ultimately putting the safe return of his army above the possible spoils of war. Ray’s illustrations add as much to the story as the text. When Lugalbanda was ill, his eyes were colorless and all seven brothers’ cried by his side. The Lullubu Mountains were as barren as the text describes. Both author and illustrator attempt to authentically represent the culture in which this story takes place. Geographic locations, maps, skin tone, hair color, eye shape—all are indicative of the area now known as Iraq. (Although the seven brothers appear to be septuplets!) The text includes an informative prologue and end notes which give the reader a 5000-year old history lesson. The origin of Lugalbanda is a fascinating story in itself.

LUGALBANDA is appropriate as a multi-sitting read aloud or for individual reading and is highly recommended for readers ages 8 years and older.

Review of NOAH’S ARK

Janisch, Heinz. Lisbeth Zwerger (Ill.) 1997. NOAH’S ARK. New York: North-South Books, Inc. ISBN 0-329-23633-4

Translated from the original Swiss, author Heinz Janisch’s adaptation of this classic biblical story combines an age-old text with modern illustrations. This juxtaposition facilitates the sharing of NOAH’S ARK in a secular setting. While the biblical phraseology is evident in “he was righteous” and “God had commanded” and “washed the earth clean,” the text is no less accessible to a variety readers. However, this juxtaposition also takes away from the story’s meaning. As someone who is familiar with the story, my focus was drawn to Zwerger’s illustrations. The detailed and realistic illustrations of paired animals are presented in the form of Tables and Figures, much like one would see in an academic diagram. However, the people in the pictures are less accurately represented. The 1960s-clad Noah and his family have disproportionate bodies. In addition, each looks more Swiss in appearance than Turkish—which is historically the more likely culture of Noah’s family. Though this projection of one’s own culture onto biblical characters is common, it is ethnocentrism just the same. These cultural and historical inaccuracies may prove confusing for younger audiences.

If you are in the market for a 'Noah story' that will Wow! you, this probably won’t fit the bill. The illustrations make the target audience a bit older than may be expected for a picture book. Recommended for one-on-one or independent reading for children ages 9-12 years.

Review of FABLES FROM AESOP

Lynch, Tom. 2000. FABLES FROM AESOP. New York: Puffin Books. ISBN 0-329-230194-9

In this adaptation, Tom Lynch includes 13 different fables attributed to the sixth century B.C. slave, Aesop. Though some fables are familiar, others may be new to young readers. Each fable is less than a page long and is accompanied by a lively and detailed illustration. This collection fits the mold for fables by including clever animals and an overtly stated moral to the story. The characters in each fable are straightforward and transparent. From the slow-but-steady tortoise to the vain crow to the foolish monkey, all of the characters teach readers a lesson either by positive or negative example. The setting differs from fable to fable, though few textual clues are given. Rather, Lynch uses his hand-sewn patchwork to reveal setting, perspective and other details about the stories. Lynch’s style is clear and succinct. As in most fables, these brief stories make their points quickly and sum up in a final statement which begins, “So remember!...” Though as a reader I felt nearly beaten over the head with the direct statement of the moral, this reiterative ending is traditional for fables. Historical information about Aesop is included in an author’s note.
The fables’ illustrations and brevity lend this collection to read-alouds for young children. However, older children may participate in lively discussions of the messages. “So remember!” Lynch’s FABLES FROM AESOP is recommended for readers ages 4-12.

Review of MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: WORLD FOLKTALES FOR STRONG BOYS

Yolen, Jane. Raul Colón. (Ill.) 2003. MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: WORLD FOLKTALES FOR STRONG BOYS. New York: Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-216391-3

“Hero is about being clever, learning from your mistakes, being kind and compassionate, and finding good friends.” (p. ix) In a preface, Jane Yolen writes an open letter to her sons and grandsons explaining why she has collected and retold these folktales. In this fresh approach to traditional stories, the reader finds him or herself in the midst of heroes who use their brains rather than brawn to triumph. Each vignette is accompanied by a moral and a black and white drawing. In addition, the country of origin is noted. MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD includes folktales such as beast tales and fairy tales. The characters include anthropomorphized animals and the plots are formulaic and full of action. For example in Jake and His Companions, a boy, donkey, dog, cat and rooster seek their fortune. En route, they take on a band of thieves. When Jack and his friends overcome six ruffians, albeit in an unlikely manner, the reader is nonetheless satisfied. This collection also includes fables such as Knee-High Man. After talking with several animals about his petite stature, Knee-High Man learns it is more important to have a big brain than a big body. This story has a moral, talking animals and brevity—all typical ingredients for a fable. Yolen takes care to use culturally specific words in the different stories. In the African-American tale, the term brother is used to mean friend; the Norwegian tale has a character named Ole; and the Angolan story refers to the river Lukala which runs through the capital city Kwanza Norte. Some recognition of cultures may be seen in the illustrations as well. Adding to this collection’s value are the Table of Contents and Notes on the Stories sections.
Providing many opportunities to tout brains over brawn, this collection of folktales is recommended for readers ages 8-12 years.