Bring on Book Week! Thanks for the Wow factor of a Youtube clip CBCA.
Clementine
22 July 2009 by · 2 Comments
We haven’t often reviewed books for the over-8s at We Heart Books, but over the next few months we will be including a few more, and adding some new books for over-8s in our store too. This time we are very lucky to have had Georgia (aged 11) write this review for us of Sara Pennypacker’s Clementine. Georgia was given a copy of by her aunt Lisa who also contributes to this guest post …
Georgia writes:
I had a great time reading this book. As soon as I got home I started reading it, and finished it really quickly. The trouble Clementine got into reminded me of Judy Moody. It says something about her on the back of Clementine. My favourite chapters were 4, 5 and 9, besides the first chapter. My favourite part I can’t say because it will spoil the story for you but some really funny ones I can tell you, like Clementine has a war with a flock of pigeons and she thinks she’s growing a beard like her Dad. When her Mum scrubs her head Clementine says to herself, “No more cartwheels, just in case my brains fall out ‘cause of the big hole she made.”
I really want to read the second book Talented Clementine, it sounds good too.
Aunt Lisa (also mum to Finn and Daisy) writes:
I loved reading this series, and had to send them to my niece Georgia to read.
They’re beautifully realised, humorous tales, in the best tradition of feisty, funny and unique characters like Pippi Longstocking and Judy Moody. There are some important and wonderful messages about being your unique self, but it’s not heavy handed. Clementine’s parents sometimes despair of the results, but always encourage Clementine’s problem solving and creative thinking skills. Marla Frazee’s fabulous illustrations add weight to the reader’s impression of Clementine’s restless energy and quirkiness.
Sara Pennypacker has beautifully captured the voice and motivations of an unusual pre-teen in all three of the Clementine books. I laughed out loud more than once, especially at Clementine’s well-intentioned hairdressing escapades, her vocal duels with a harassed school principal and her creative refusals to use her baby brother’s real name. When was the last time an adult book made you laugh out loud on the tram ‘til people looked at you?
Boys will love how she gets into trouble, girls will admire her ability to get out it! Highly recommended for readers from Year 3 to Year 5.
Interview with Sara Pennypacker
||Also in the series Clementine’s Letter and The Talented Clementine||
The Sea of Tranquility
20 July 2009 by · 1 Comment
Ned loves the moon. When we go out at night he is always looking for the moon and stars and his dad has even taught him to give a little wolf howl when he sees it.
On Friday I saw the beautiful picture book called The Sea of Tranquility and I just had to buy it. Written by The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time author Mark Haddon, it is based on his personal love as a child for space and his memories of the moon landing by Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.
It is a lovely coincidence that today marks the 40th anniversary of that moon landing and the Apollo 11 mission.
The book is not new, it was actually released in 1996 but it has been re jacketed beautifully and has been made much larger than the original A4 size paperback it was then.
Mark’s language in this picture book is beautiful and you can sense it is very personal. He tells of being a little boy fascinated by space and what I really love is when he describes his excitement at staying up all night till dawn watching the grainy pictures on TV of Neil and Buzz landing on the moon. That must have been such an amazing moment as a child in 1969 to witness history in the making.
‘…And there they were,
on the flickery screen,
bouncing slowly through the dust
in the Sea of Tranquility,
like giants in slow motion.’
Illustrations by the Christian Birmingham, who is a big favorite of mine, make this story really special. His reproductions in paint of some of the original photos from the moon landing are absolutely incredible. They really conjur up the feelings of the young boy who is in absolute awe of outer space and the achievement of these men walking on the moon.
Both the story and the illustrations just evoke the time so well and make this a really peaceful and enchanting bedtime story that Ned – and I – will continue to enjoy for years to come. We also showed the book to Ned’s grandpa, or ‘bump-pa’, the other night who could relate to the story and has recently re read newspapers he has kept for 40 years since the landing.
‘And then I think of those two astronauts,
and how the prints they made with their big boots
will still be there tonight,
tomorrow night and every night
for millions of years to come.’
A US bookshop tour…
15 July 2009 by · 3 Comments
My mum has just got back from a month in the USA and Canada – and she took the opportunity to visit some bookshops wherever she went. Lucky us! She wrote this post for We Heart Books towards the end of her time there…
Rivendell Books, Montpelier, Vermont
For those who don’t know me, I should confess that I am a self-confessed ‘collect-a-holic’ so it has been a delight to have something to search for whilst here in North America and it should be no surprise that I have been looking for bookshops – and irresistible children‘s books! But what can I say? … It has not been such an easy quest. The ‘real’ bookshop seems to be a disappearing entity.
Our first stop was New York which provided an excellent serve of cultural enrichment, however, in spite of the recession, alas, no specials in the museum and gallery shops which are magnets that draw me to them before I even look at their collections! Those of MOMA and the Met proved no exception. The fact that we already have large numbers of books which encourage art appreciation in children was no reason not to carefully shift through their shelves for more treasures. I have added three more titles including one for children about the work of Austrian architect, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, whose wonderful museum in Vienna I visited last year.
Outside FAO Schwartz, New York (with Curious George wooden toy in hand)
But, my most pressing quest was to find a Curious George soft toy and game to augment Rowan’s next birthday present, the collector’s edition of Curious George stories by Margaret and HA Rey. I couldn’t believe that neither America’s largest toy store, FAO Swartz in New York nor Borders in Boston could produce a single cuddly Curious George. The kind lady in Borders was somewhat despondent about the level of sales of any children’s books and said special toys like the one I was after were only brought in for Christmas.
However, not all was lost as I found a cloth-bound and cased copy of Dr Seuss’ Oh The Places You’ll Go. This was purchased for daughter Clare – about to graduate from Harvard Masters of Public Health. From the relatively large numbers of this book in stock, I gather it is commonly given as a parental gift at commencement (graduation). A bit corny but … well heck!
The Curious George Store, Harvard
As for Curious George, he did turn up – in Harvard Square of all places, where there is a bookshop named after him. An hour or more later, the cases were well stocked with children’s books and the next book stop, a few days later, at Rivendell Books in Montpelier, Vermont was for a look only. But it had a great feel – I really like bookshops that are peppered with interesting comfortable chairs which encourage lingering.
Interior of Jade W Bookshop, Halifax
Katie was encouraged to send a list of desirable authors/illustrators and this guided my selections at Dustjacket and The Jade W in Halifax and as a result, there are now two large boxes of books on their way back to Melbourne; some are second-hand, others new and most are from US and Canadian publishers, ones I don’t think make the usual bookshop shelves in Australia. I am still not sure which of these are gifts for Katie and Rowan and which will join the library at Nanou’s, but I am sure you’ll be hearing more about at least some of them.
Some titles were too precious to trust to the boxes…
The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey is an adults’ ABC which starts:
A is for AMY who fell down the stairs;
B is for BASIL assaulted by bears;
C is for CLARA who wasted away;
D is for DESMOND thrown out of a sleigh.
Great detailed black and white fine line illustrations.
My Little Hen by Alice and Martin Provensen, which I love for its illustrations alone.
And a couple of books ‘just for’: Henry’s Important Date by Robert Quackenbush and a well-loved 1960 copy of Maurice Sendak’s The Sign on Rosie’s Door.
Renee at Dustjacket and Sydney at The Jade W were both incredibly helpful and both obviously love books. Whether it be the idiosyncratic filing system at Dustjacket or the more orderly library arrangement at The Jade W, both provided wonderful book experiences … and there were so many titles that had to be left behind for someone else to discover and love.
Thanks Mum for this post and all the treasures you brought back – look forward to sharing them in future Borrowed and Thrifted posts…
Borrowed and thrifted: Albert
13 July 2009 by · 4 Comments
Almost can’t bear to take this one back to the library, as my library record shows: I have renewed this one to its limit and am now accruing a fine for overdue return. But must post on it before I take it back…
Albert is a beautiful story about a young man. Albert is a complex character – from his upstairs apartment he listens to the noises of the day – a dog barking, children giggling on their way to school: good noises. But a garbage truck rumbling by: not a good noise. Each day there seems to be a good reason why Albert should not leave his apartment – too cold, too damp, too hot, too breezy. It seems that Albert is recluse… and as an adult you can’t help but wonder if maybe he is depressed.
One day an amazing thing happens: Albert sticks his hand out the window and quite suddenly a twig appears on it – and very quickly more twigs follow. Two cardinals are making a nest on his hand! Not knowing what else to do, Albert stands there – for days on end, watching the birds as they lay their eggs, keep them warm and, eventually care for their new baby birds.
Albert’s situation is described tenderly, as he and the birds learn to support each other, and as he watches the world go by on the street below the nest. A beautiful and touching ending concludes the story… Anyone whose life has been touched by depression – or knows someone who has – will relate strongly to Albert.
In addition to the amazing story that treats some complex and sensitive themes, the illustrations of this book are divine. Jim La Marche’s colour pencil illustrations are soft and convey rich emotion – he manages to incorporate an amazing sense of light and shadow through his illustrations, and shows the stationary position of Albert through changing perspectives as he and the birds grow closer and closer in co-dependency and friendship.
I first came across La Marche’s illustrations when Lou gave me a copy of the also stunning A Story for Little Bear by Dennis Haseley, which I love. He is also the illustrator of one of my favourite Christmas books, The Little Fir Tree by Margaret Wise Brown. A great illustrator to keep an eye out for at the library…
||Albert is available from Amazon||
Magnolia Square Sydney
7 July 2009 by · Leave a Comment
We had so much fun in Sydney – what a special event was put on by Magnolia Square. It was the launch of Magnolia Square to Sydney-ites and judging by the queue waiting outside the door each day, our Sydney friends had heard about the loveliness of this Melbourne institution…
We loved having the opportunity to meet some of our Sydney customers and blog and Twitter followers… and of course the other stall holders are always simply delightful. Significant shopping was done – will post a couple of pics and links shortly…
We ran storytime sessions each day – and met some lovely littlies who listened so nicely to some great books…
Still in recovery mode now – but will be updating the store with lots of lovely new things shortly…
Follow Us!