USA
53
Allen, Scott (text)
Pickering, Jimmy (illus.)
Somethin' pumpkin
Los Angeles, CA : Smallfellow Press, 2001. - [36] p
ISBN 1-931290-00-8
Pumpkin - Imagination – Halloween
Do you really think a pumpkin is only for eating? Or would you only use
it for carving a lantern on 31st October? Then it is high time you consulted
this delighting picture book which offers heaps of congenial ideas of how to
put this versatile vegetable to use. From a boat rowed by black cats, to
arachnid apartments, or a witch's cauldron, a pumpkin always comes in handy
the author says, inviting readers to create their own pumpkin-inventions.The
crazy suggestions, put forth in (sometimes slightly jerky) rhymed verse, are
accompanied by equally crazy full- and double-page illustrations in which the
colours black and orange dominate - as is certainly apt for a scene set around
Halloween. This is a highly entertaining book of nonsense! (4+)
Special
Mention
54
An, Na
A step from heaven
Asheville, NC : Front Street, 2001. - 156 p
ISBN 1-886910-58-8
America - Immigration - Alcoholism - Poverty - Coming of age -
Multicultural society
When four-year-old Young Ju's family emigrate from Korea to America, she
firmly believes they are going to heaven. Soon, however, she comes to realize
that life in this foreign country is going to be all but »heavenly«. She is
torn between her desire to assimilate and to obey her father who is determined
to strictly hold on to Korean traditions. The short chapters, written in a
powerful authentic language, give a compelling portrait of the family's
struggle against poverty and disappointments, especially against the father's
growing despair and violent alcoholism. Despite the family's bitter loss when
the father finally leaves them to return to Korea, the engaging novel ends on
a hopeful note with the mother and brother buying their own home and Young Ju
looking forward to studying. An Na's moving narration inevitably draws the
readers into her story and makes them share the protagonist's painful growth
from a shy and fearful little girl into a confident young woman. (12+) <>
(Michael L. Printz Award;
2002)
55
Deans, Sis Boulos
Racing the past
New York, NY : Holt, 2001. - 151 p
ISBN 0-8050-6635-7
Father - Son - Alcoholism - Violence - Death - Bullying – Running
At first, running all the way to school and back each day is simply a way
of avoiding school bully Bugsie's attacks. Yet, one day Ricky realizes that
running also helps him to cope with his own problems. A mixture of present
thoughts and past memories welling up inside the boy provide a deep insight
into the family's extremely painful life. Through his running, Ricky starts
fighting the memories of his dead father's alcoholic rages and regular
beatings which still haunt him and his younger brother Matt. The engaging
emotional narration also reveals that he is fed up with being the town's
scapegoat for anything bad that happens. So when he finally manages to race
the schoolbus, he wins in more than just one way. (10+)
56
Hesse, Karen
Witness
New York : Scholastic Press, 2001. - 161 p
ISBN 0-439-27199-1
Vermont/1924 - Racism - KuKluxKlan - Everyday life
In 1924, when the KuKluxKlan settles down in a small Vermont village,
hatred suddenly spreads among formerly friendly neighbours. The father of
little Esther, a Jewish girl, is shot at, the well belonging to the Sutters,
an Afro-American family, is only just saved from poisoning, and law-abiding
citizens are turned into criminals. Award-winning author Karen Hesse makes
eleven ordinary village people voice their secret feelings in a uniquely
convincing and touching language. Written in free verse, the short texts
illuminate the events from different angles and implicitly comment on each
other. The small black-and-white photographs of the protagonists at the
beginning of the book lend authenticity to the short novel. (10+)
57
Hoose, Phillip M.
We were there, too! : young people in US history
New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2001. - VII, 264 p
(Melanie Kroupa books)
ISBN 0-374-38252-2
America <USA>/1492-2000 - Development - Young people
There is certainly no shortage of books about American heroes who have
contributed to the history of the USA since its discovery more than 500 years
ago. Hardly any of these books, though, mention the role that young people
played in it or honours their amazing achievements. Hoose now comes to their
rescue. In chronologically arranged chapters, each with its own introduction,
this extraordinary book brings to life the boys who sailed with Columbus, the
Cherokee girl who developed a written language for her people, or the »newsies«
(small boys and girls selling newspapers on the streets) whose strike almost
brought down the big publishers. Black-and-white photographs, maps, and
memorabilia accompany the well-written, informative text. (12+)<>
58
Horvath, Polly
Everything on a waffle
New York : Farrar, Straus, Giroux, 2001. - 149 p
ISBN 0-374-32236-8
Orphan - Foster home
Deep in her heart, eleven-year-old Primrose Squarp simply knows that her
parents have not drowned in that terrible typhoon. In a uniquely confident
voice, the orphan herself talks about life with old mothball-scented Miss
Perfidy, who usually leaves the room in the middle of Primrose's sentences,
and about her new home with adventure-loving Uncle Jack. Luckily enough, there
is always Miss Bowzer at her small restaurant, The Girl on the Red Swing,
where everything is served on a waffle. She lends an open ear to all of
Primrose's problems and offers advice as well as a number of delicious
recipes. Canadian author Polly Horvath's lovable heroine, and all the other
eccentric characters, will win over the readers of this magnificent novel in
no time at all. (10+)¤
59
Janeczko, Paul B. (select.)
Raschka, Chris (illus.)
A poke in the i : [a
collection of concrete poems]
Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2001. - 35 p
ISBN 0-7636-0661-8
Poetry
This hilarious anthology presents a selection of concrete poems from the
last four decades ranging from simple to complex ones, from a single word to
longer texts, from nonsensical lines to serious and thought-provoking poetry.
The poems are arranged on a new page each and are perfectly complemented by
Chris Raschka's stunning illustrations. His vivid collages of rich
watercolours, ink, and patterned paper torn into different shapes, lend
freshness to the poems, often adding new meanings to them or giving them an
unexpected twist. Pictures and poems alike will inspire young (as well as
older) readers to play with the language and let their imagination lead them
to new horizons. (8+) ¤
60
Scieszka, Jon (text)
Smith, Lane (illus.)
Baloney (Henry P.) <proper name>
New York, NY [et al.] : Viking, 2001. - [36] p
ISBN 0-670-89248-3
School - Being late - Excuse - Imagination
Although Henry P. Baloney obviously lives on some foreign planet, he is
faced with a very common human problem: He desperately needs a believable
excuse for being late for his class. The cheeky little green lad, however,
quickly comes up with such an absurd and confusing story that his
stern-looking teacher cannot but marvel at his imagination. The numerous
weird-sounding expressions taken from 13 different languages (such as Finnish,
Swahili, or Esperanto) as well as the imaginative mixed-media illustrations,
which depict an alien world in varying formats, further add to the tale's
crazy and funny atmosphere. (6+)
61
Turner, Sandy (illus.)
Silent night
New York, NY [et al.] : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001. - [34] p
ISBN 0-689-84156-6
Christmas - Santa Claus - Invisibility – Dog
As its name suggests, the Silent Night is supposed to be peaceful and
quiet. The small white dog in this picture book without text, however,
furiously tries to make the sleeping family notice a particularly brazen »burglar«.
Unfortunately, the intruder in his bright red cloak is invisible to everyone
but the dog. This barking security guard gets so carried away by its own
agitation that one double-page is completely covered in barks. Sandy Turner's
turbulent sketchy black charcoal drawings on a cream-coloured background
ingeniously depict the dog's desperate attempts to corner the enemy (the dog
is often drawn in various positions within the same cartoon-like picture) and
the family's wordless astonishment at their pet's incomprehensible behaviour.
Simply hilarious! (3+) +
62
Waldman, Neil (text/illus.)
They came from the Bronx
: how the buffalo were saved from extinction
Honesdale, Pa. : Boyds Mills Press, 2001. - [32] p
ISBN 1-56397-891-1
Indians/USA - Buffalo - Extinction - White settlers - Wildlife
conservation
This impressive large-format picture book opens with an elderly Comanche
woman; while sitting on an Oklahoma hilltop with her small grandson in 1907,
she recalls her people's former way of life, the importance of the buffalo,
and the animal's near extinction by the Whites. On every other page, her
narration is interrupted by a second story commemorating the efforts of a
group of Wildlife Conservationists to bring the American bison back from the
brink of extinction. In order to achieve their aims, they ship a herd of
buffalos from the Bronx Zoo to the plains of Oklahoma. The unusual
earth-colour illustrations in the style of old handcoloured photographs
graphically unite both stories while lending historical authenticity to the
informative and engaging text. (4+) * +
63
Wiesner, David (text/illus.)
The three pigs
New York : Clarion Books, 2001. - [40] p
ISBN 0-618-00701-6
Fairytale - Pig - Wolf – Adventure
Everybody knows the story of the three little pigs. In this hilarious new
version of the classic fairy tale, however, when the big bad wolf arrives to
blow down the houses and swallow the poor little chaps, a big surprise awaits
him. The pigs have jumped out of their own story onto the dazzling white pages
of the book. They fold the page with the puzzled wolf into a paper plane, and
embark on new adventures. David Wiesner's ingenious illustrations show the
cartoon-like pigs suddenly turn into »real-life« ones. They grow fur, climb
into different traditional stories, liberate new friends on their way, and
ultimately control their own fate. The discrepancy between the well-known text
and the illustrations, which picture an altogether different story, reveals
the author's humorous play with conventions. (4+)
(Randolph Caldecott Medal; 2002)
64
Wolff, Virginia Euwer
True believer
New York, NY [et al.] : Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2001. - 264 p
ISBN 0-689-82827-6
School - Friendship - Coming of age - Love - Lower social class
In this powerful and riveting sequel to »Make Lemonade«, Verna La Vaughn
ponders over all of life's absurdities and obstacles, wondering why life at
fifteen can't be as easy as it used to be when she was a little girl. Her best
friends, Myrtle and Annie, have recently joined some dubious religious club,
the boy she is in love with turns out to be gay, her mother has to work hard
to save money for LaVaughn's future at college, while she herself isn't quite
sure yet whether going to Grammar-Build-Up classes is really worth slipping
away from her familiar background. In this touching novel Wolff uses the
unusual form of free verse, lending an immediacy to the girl's inner feelings
and doubts which the readers easily understand. (14+)
(Michael L. Printz Award Honour Book; 2002)