USA
Special Mention
54
Aronson, Marc
Sir Walter Ralegh and the quest for El Dorado
New York, NY : Clarion Books, 2000. – XVIII, 222pp
ISBN 0-395-84827-x
Raleigh, Walter - Biography - Great Britain - Court and courtiers - El Dorado - New World
- American Dream
This multifaceted biography of Sir Walter Raleigh (or: Ralegh), explorer, writer, court
favourite of Queen Elizabeth I and adventurer, is a publishing landmark, questioning some
of the assumptions about children's nonfiction and setting new standards. This book reads
like a Shakespearean drama: The search for El Dorado is the pursuit of the dream for a
better world that still nurtures the American dream. It sets the stage for a man who was
both a product of his times and a creator of them. Aronson allows the reader to share in
the excitement of discovery and in the pleasures of critical thinking. He doesn't just
present his material but shows how he arrives at it. His careful evaluation of
well-selected written and visual sources (including maps, Raleigh's poetry and
historical reproductions) pays tribute to the complexity of historical issues.
Well-documented end-notes and a time line complete this intelligent work of scholarship.
(12+) <> (Boston Globe Horn Book Nonfiction Award Winner; 2000)
55
Falconer, Ian (text/illus.)
Olivia
New York, NY : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. – [36pp]
(An Anne Schwartz book)
ISBN 0-689-82953-1
Pig - Art -Dancing - Singing - Imagination
Falconer illustrates for the New Yorker and designs sets and costumes for renowned opera
houses. Now he sets the stage for Olivia, the ever-active porcine heroine of his first
book for children. Both his love of drama and keen sense of humour make this a highly
delightful book. Olivia is good at lots of things: the little pig with the big ears is
constantly on the move, hopping, dancing, jetéing across the pages, singing 40 very loud
songs, emulating Jackson Pollock on the bedroom walls, and trying on every single piece
her wardrobe holds. Bright, splashes of red are the only touches of colour, accentuating
Olivia's high energy. The understatement of the brief and funny text highlights the
wonderfully amusing charcoal and gouache pictures. (4+) ¤ (Caldecott Medal [Honor Book];
2001)
56
Fleischman, Paul
Mind's eye
New York, NY : Holt, 1999. – 108pp
ISBN 0-8050-6314-5
Imagination - Physically handicapped - Self-perception
»A person's mind is like a pantry. Every poem or book or painting you know is another jar
on the shelf«, Elvira tells Courtney. Elvira is old and half-blind, Courtney is 16 and
paralysed, but they know of the power of the mind. A Baedeker guidebook from 1910 takes
them on an imaginary journey to Italy. In this outstanding multi-voiced and richly
intertextual novel, entirely written in dialogue, Fleischman uses the open form
of drama to reflect on the healing and destructive powers of imagination. »Mind's eye«
is food for thought that will sustain your mind. (14+)
57
Gantos, Jack
Joey Pigza loses control
New York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2000. – 195pp
ISBN 0-374-39989-1
(Sequel to »Joey Pigza swallowed the key« [1998])
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder - Father - Son - Baseball - Alcoholism
This is a believable, sometimes sad story about a boy with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, who needs medication to maintain emotional equilibrium. Joey is the product of a
broken home. For the summer, he goes to visit his father, who is a larger version of
himself – also hyperactive. His father lives vicariously through him, and wants Joey
to be the success that he is not. He cannot give the boy the kind of leadership he
deserves, because of his alcoholism. At one point, he decides his son is well enough and
takes him off the drugs. That's when the pandemonium breaks loose. Joey, the »wired«
narrator, is a likeable character in a desperate situation. This book is a great read that
will appeal to both boys and girls. (10+) (Newbery Medal [Honor Book]; 2001)
58
Harley, Avis (text/illus.)
Fly with poetry : an ABC of poetry
Honesdale, Pa. : Wordsong, Boyds Mills Press, 2000. – 48pp
ISBN 1-56397-798-2
Alphabet - Poetry - Imagination
This clever and original ABC-book by the Canadian writer Harley invites all readers to
explore the playful ways of poetry, to experiment with its forms and techniques and to
ponder the potential of poetic language. Each letter of the alphabet introduces a poetic
term, gives an accurate definition and exemplifies it with humorous verse:
A demonstrates the abecedarian and the acrostic, B the blank verse, S the sonnet. Readers
can discover and create meanings as they explore the images and ideas of each poem and as
they absorb the various forms, meters, rhymes, and arrangements. Pleasant illustrations
contribute to make this highly inspiring book accessible to children. (10+)
59
Isadora, Rachel (text/illus.)
1 2 3 pop!
New York, NY : Viking, 2000. – [36pp]
ISBN 0-670-88859-1
Counting - Pop-art
Count up to 3 and you will face three monkeys on a bold Lichtenstein-inspired background
of huge yellow dots covering eyes, ears, and mouth respectively. Count from 1 to
1,000,000, and this dynamic book will give you plenty to see (4 medieval gargoyles, 8
supermen and -women), to hear (Pop! Boom! Cock A Doodle Doo!) and to talk about (How many
ants does it take to carry a burger?). From 1 man on the moon to 1,000 jellybeans to
1,000,000 stars, the intriguing images give vibrant visual life to numbers. Following the
success of »ABC pop!«, Isadora continues the homage to pop-art. Not only children will
respond to the graphic energy, surprising colour choices and striking rhythm of this book.
(4+) ¤
60
Konigsburg, Elaine L.
Silent to the bone
New York, NY : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. – 261pp
(A Jean Karl book)
ISBN 0-689-83601-5
Mutism - Emotional problems - Remarriage - Friendship - Shame
SIAS – that's short for »summarise in a sentence«, a game Branwell and Connor used
to play. Used to, because Branwell is struck mute when his infant half-sister falls into
coma. The novel is narrated by Bran's best friend, Connor, who uses a set of handwritten
flash cards to cut through the silence. As the skilfully crafted novel unfolds layer after
layer, the reader has to join Connor in his effort to reconstruct what happened on the day
of the accident and to understand the causes leading up to it. SIAS: This gripping
psychological novel that reads like a mystery »breaks the silence« by intelligently
addressing the problems of shame, jealousy and remarriage. (11+)
61
Marrin, Albert
Sitting Bull and his world : Tatan'ka Iyota'ke
New York, NY : Dutton Children's Books, 2000. – 246pp
ISBN 0-525-45944-8
Sitting Bull - Indians/North America
How does one understand a nation without a recorded history? How does one evaluate the
life of the vanquished when the records come almost entirely from the victors? These two
critical questions guide Marrin's careful and compelling reconstruction of the life and
times of Sitting Bull, great leader of the Plain's Indians and witness of his nation's
ethnocide. Marrin, author of a number of award-winning works of nonfiction, is well aware
of the »danger of judging one society by the ideas of another«. Consequently, he gives a
nuanced portrait of a »uniquely American story« – which is that of the first
Americans as well as that of the later arrivals. Includes notes, suggestions for further
reading, and an index. (12+) (Boston Globe Horn Book Award [Nonfiction Honor Book]; 2000)
62
Rappaport, Doreen (text)
Collier, Bryan (illus.)
Freedom River
New York, NY : Hyperion Books for Children, 2000. – [28pp]
(Jump at the sun)
ISBN 0-7868-0350-9. - 0-7868-1229-x. -
0-7868-2291-0
Slavery - Abolitionists - Parker, John <1827-1900>
Stylised drawings complement the text of this dynamic book chronicling the work of a
conductor on the Underground Railroad. Collier uses vivid collage and watercolour to bring
to life this story of a freed slave who risked his neck many times to go to Kentucky and
transport slaves to freedom in Ohio. The reader feels like he is actually on the scene as
Parker steals a Black baby from the slavemaster's bedroom. We know a lot about Sojourner
Truth and Harriet Tubman: here is a less well known Black figure who became prosperous,
employed Blacks and Whites, and never gave up on his enslaved brothers and sisters,
helping to freedom as many as 900 slaves. A worthwhile book that dishes up a slice of life
for the American Black Man, enslaved or free, during slavery times in the 1800s. (6+)
<> ¤
63
Sís, Peter (text/illus.)
Madlenka <proper name>
New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2000. – [44pp]
(Frances Foster books)
ISBN 0-374-39969-7
New York - Neigbourhood - Multiculturalism
Sís is known to take his readers on visual adventures to explore mysteries of far-away
places. In this book, Madlenka, the little girl-protagonist, just goes around the block of
her Manhattan-neigbourhood. And yet, she can say: »I went around the world«. She shares
the news of her loose tooth with a French baker, an Indian news vendor, German Ms. Grimm
or her Egyptian school friend. Sís evokes this urban microcosm with his distinctive,
multi-layered style and ingenious layout. Die cuts open windows to fascinating worlds
– rich, intriguing tableaus of cultural icons. The meaningful play with perspec-tives
reflects the relations between the individual and the universal, the countries of origin
and multicultural New York. (5+) <> ¤
64
Winter, Jonah (text)
Winter, Jeanette (illus.)
Once upon a time in Chicago : the story of Benny Goodman
New York, NY : Hyperion Books for Children, 2000. – [32 pp]
ISBN 0-7868-0462-9. - 0-7868-2404-2
Goodman, Benny - Music - Jazz - Immigrants
This truly poetic picture book is more than a homage to Benny Goodman. It is an engaging
story about a quiet boy who cannot put his love for his Jewish immigrant parents into
words – until he finds his very own way of expression: music. The clarinet consoles
him and his family when the father suddenly dies, and it can make people all over the
world want to get up and dance. The story of the legendary »King of Swing« has found its
own congenial expression in the well-paced words and naive pictures of the award- winning
mother-and-son team. Even the »swing« of the music is suggested by swinging borders,
whose chromatic scales perfectly capture the emotional rhythm. (8+) ¤