Just Imagine

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Suggested age: 4-12

Author: John Thompson & George Schultz

Illustrator:  Wodin

ISBN:  9780974019062

Publisher:  Illumination Arts Publishing Company 2006

Join Thompson and Schultz as they describe their wanderings and imaginative adventures from garden parties to daring exploration through swamps and sea.  Simple, yet elegant, prose will draw young ones in to the book and will inspire imaginative play while it will also give the mature reader moments of reminiscing about their own childhood fantasies.  The hands that are present in Wodin’s illustrations suggest support for the children’s play.  One is left wondering who’s hands are “the hands I trust”, as a parent I see my own role in my daughter’s life supporting and encouraging but a secondary meaning could also lead to more spiritual and broader meaning.

On a lighter note, I must admit that I’m a sucker for amazing illustrations.  I love bold colours that bring out the richness and intricacy of life, whether fantastical or real.  Wodin’s illustrations were really the selling point for this book as the prose throughout seemed to play “second fiddle” to the images which makes me wonder what came first, the story or the paintings?  I’m not saying that Thompson and Schultz’s poetry was lacking by any means but Wodin’s illustrations stole the show and I had to remind myself after turning each page to read the text.  Now, if that was the purpose, great!  If not, I would humbly suggest that the prose interact with the illustrations weaving through the paintings as in Hanson’s book, The Next Place to ensure equal attention. 

Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Suggested age:  3-8

Author: Jeanne Willis

Illustrator:  Tony Ross

ISBN:  9780761351511

Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.  2009

Flabby Cat and Slobby Dog are perplexed at why they are having trouble fitting on their couch one day.  Slobby Dog is sure that the couch has shrunk while Flabby Cat insists that the cushions have grown; however, their solution to this problem is to comfort themselves by eating and sleep more.  When that doesn’t solve their problem and their house becomes too small, they turn to their distant relatives, Cunning Tiger and Wild Wolf, in hopes that they can stay with them.  The two set out on an adventure.  After much adventure and searching, the two find that that they don’t need Wild Wolf and Cunning Tiger to make room for them, they were with them all along.

The saying, “show, not tell”, comes to mind after reading this book.  After reading too many thinly veiled attempts at dealing with obesity, I think that I have finally found a book that I would feel comfortable recommending to my colleagues who are looking for picture books to support their healthy living units. 

This Dark Endeavour

Genre: Adventure/horror

Format: Hardcover

Suggested age: 10+

Author: Kenneth Oppel

ISBN:  9781554683390

Publisher:  Harper Collins 2011

Victor Frankenstein will stop at nothing to save his twin brother, Konrad from the mysterious and deadly blood disease that is threatening his life.  With help from the twin’s beautiful and headstrong cousin, Elizabeth, and their not-so-adventurous friend, Henry, Victor explores the forbidden library and delves into the dark and dangerous world of alchemy.  All his life Victor has been second best to his brother, Konrad until he discovers the seductive art of alchemy.  Will his passion for control and love for Elizabeth help to save Konrad or be the demise of the brothers?

Award winning author of Airborn’s  Kenneth Oppel delivers a twisted tale of adventure and science.  Set in Victorian times, I could easily see this novel turned into a gothic steampunk film for young adults.  Far different from the latest influx of dystopian novels I have been reading, I found This Dark Endeavour a refreshing change.  From the attention to propriety  of the Victorian customs to the formalities of language, Oppel does a fine example of replicating the era and still allowing for the adventure and daring that excites today’s youth. 

The Next Place

The Next Place

 

Genre: Picture Book

Format: Hardcover

Suggested age: 5-adult

Author: Warren Hanson

ISBN:  9780931674327

Publisher:  Waldman House Press  1997

Warren Hanson, author/illustrator of Older Love  and Kiki’s Hats has created an eloquent picture book titled, The Next Place.  Whether he is describing heaven, the great beyond, or nirvana, his text and illustrations describe a peaceful afterlife free from earthly flaws, possessions, pain, and turmoil.

Given that Hanson is the author and illustrator, it stands to reason that the text and the artwork are intricately woven together.  His poetic text swoops, swirls, and cascades throughout each page matching the pictures beautifully.  The reader’s eye is led through the pages, noticing the finer details that Hanson has added to the mosaic tiles framing his pictures.  One is left to wonder if this book is written as a  commemoration as Hanson has incorporated mosaic tiles embedded with names on the last page of the book.  I was particularly touched by this book and noticed that it was first published the year my father passed away.  If only I had known about this book.  It would have perhaps given me more peace……

I'll be Watching

I’ll be Watching

Genre: Fantasy Fiction

Suggested age: 12-adult

Author: Pamela Porter

ISBN: 9781554980963

Publisher:  Groundwood Books

The Loney children, Ran, Nora, Jim, and Addie must learn to survive when their father dies in a drunken stupor and leaves them to the mercy of their cruel and pious step-mother, Effie who flees town with a traveling bible salesman.  Ran, the eldest, joins the army certain that it is his only choice to help support his siblings while Nora quits school to ensure that Jim and Addie can continue their schooling.   Their little family is cast into a tailspin when Ran’s plane crashes and Ran is MIA.  Left with only a few dollars they must overcome crooked postal workers, near-starvation, a bitter prairie winter, and quickly learn how to survive on their own. Set in 1941, against a historical backdrop, this tale seems to be written as a realistic fiction but the fantasy fan will be please to see how Porter infuses this otherwise realistic novel with spirit narrators.

Achingly beautiful prose tells the story of four orphaned children struggling to survive in a rural town in Saskatchewan.  Porter interlaces the voices of the townspeople, children, and their own spirit parents to tell a ghost story like no other with various subplots weaving in and out of the Loney’s tale. This free-verse novel follows her award-winning, The Crazy Man, with its own accomplishment of winning an honourable mention from the BC Book Prize committee.