WITH A WHOOP AND A HOLLER: A Bushel of Lore from Way Down South
Nancy Van Laan, , illus. by Scott Cook. . S&S/ Aladdin, $10 (112pp) ISBN 978-0-689-84474-4
PW's starred review of this collection of Southern folktales said, "Pull up a chair and set a spell—this book's as inviting as a sip of lemonade on a lazy summer afternoon." All ages. (May)
The three rhymed stories in this semi-scary collection vary in their effectiveness, but Chess's quirky illustrations will delight her many fans. Van Laan (When Winter Continue reading »
This tale does for bathtime what these collaborators' previous Tickle Tum!
did for mealtime. The bunny baby has grown rather messy—or, as Van Laan so Continue reading »
This rhyming rap for toddlers at mealtime stars an energetic bunny ("Uppa uppa/ time for suppa!" he proclaims). PW
said, "Parents may be worn down Continue reading »
This beguiling fable tells how the selfless crow lost his brilliant plumage when he interceded with the Great Sky Spirit on behalf of his animal friends--who were being buried in a snowstorm. Ages Continue reading »
Winter's first snowflakes have arrived, and as they dance to earth with the lingering autumn leaves, a bundled-up family and their pet Scottie head outdoors to celebrate the world being transformed. Continue reading »
New Yorker artist Russo's graphic designs boldly illustrate this appealing circular tale of a big fat worm who almost gets eaten by the big fat bird. The bird in turn escapes from a big fat cat, who Continue reading »
Outside, there's a full moon in the sky and a grinning possum in a top hat with mischief on his mind. Inside, Granny's knitting, Pappy's whittling and other members of a slightly eccentric family are Continue reading »
In a Circle Long Ago: A Treasury of Native Lore from North America: Native American; ALA Notable Book
Nancy Van Laan
This attractive volume gathers together 25 songs and stories from Native American tribes all over North America. Taking a spiral path through the continent, Van Laan (Rainbow Crow) begins with the Continue reading »
Van Laan's (People, People Everywhere!) riotous, don't-try-this-at-home tale sends a ceaselessly smiling tot zipping through town in his runaway buggy, which creates merry mayhem as it crashes into a Continue reading »
When an orange and yellow polka-dotted fish gets separated from his mother, his search for her takes him on a tour of underwater flora and fauna. He spies fellow fish of every stripe, a scarlet Continue reading »
Children will find much to relate to in this whimsical tale of a wild bunch of monkeys intent on having fun and easily distracted from more practical considerations. Drawn from a Brazilian folktale, Continue reading »
A companionable band of woodland friends welcomes readers in this endearing early chapter book. The most winning of Van Laan's (Little Fish Lost) three tales may be the last, in which Moose and Continue reading »
Here's a rhythmic rap for toddlers at mealtime. ""Uppa uppa/ time for suppa!"" begins Van Laan (So Say the Little Monkeys), as Pons's (Mouse Cleaning) sunny watercolor and pastel illustration shows a Continue reading »
In bouncy verse, Van Laan ( Rainbow Crow ; Possum Come a-Knockin' ) describes a bustling urban scene, with ``People racing round the town, / Going up! / Going down!'' These city folk dash around the Continue reading »
Over the years, the name El Dorado has come to signify any place of fabulous wealth; the words also have a literal meaning--``the gilded man.'' This story relates the intriguing legend of a king Continue reading »
This jaunty, singsong title, written with an irresistible momentum that calls to mind Margaret Mahy's 17 Kings and 42 Elephants , begs to be read and chanted aloud. Based on a familiar cumulative Continue reading »
Van Laan ( Possum Come a-Knockin ') dips into Scottish folklore and pulls out this plum of a tale featuring a wee lad and the cow who stubbornly resists his efforts to milk her. From sunup to Continue reading »
A satisfying multicultural effort, like Van Laan and Vidal's first collaboration ( The Legend of El Dorado ), this retelling of a complex legend posits a mythical origin for the sacred buffalo dance Continue reading »
One person's trash is another's treasure, as this tale of a resourceful recycler demonstrates. Yet the tart pinks, yellows and greens and the slightly askew rhymes here don't add up to an entirely Continue reading »
With their characteristic swaths of solid color, Russo's bold paintings illustrate a sprightly look at a farm's food chain. Ages 3-5. Continue reading »
Reading made easier is the goal of Hyperion's practical Book Packs, three boxes each containing eight paperback picture books and each graduated in difficulty--texts become longer and more involved, Continue reading »
Reading made easier is the goal of Hyperion's practical Book Packs, three boxes each containing eight paperback picture books and each graduated in difficulty--texts become longer and more involved, Continue reading »
Reading made easier is the goal of Hyperion's practical Book Packs, three boxes each containing eight paperback picture books and each graduated in difficulty-texts become longer and more involved, Continue reading »
In the ""way-back time"" of Ojibwe legend, Shingebiss, a merganser duck, dives for fish in Great Lake Superior. But during December's Spirit Moon, Winter Maker freezes the vast lake ""solid as Continue reading »
As Alzheimer’s slowly robs Grandma of the ability to function, Julia and her parents struggle on both the emotional and practical fronts. Sometimes it seems like their strategies are spot on: after Continue reading »
LAPIN PLAYS POSSUM: Trickster Tales from the Louisiana Bayou
Sharon Arms Doucet
Pranks prevail on the bayou when lollygagging Compère Lapin (aka Brer Rabbit) takes on Compère Bouki (which means "hyena") in these three lively folktales from the Pelican Continue reading »
Fox's first children's book presents a picturesque tall tale based on the real-life character of Louisiana native Jean Laffite, a pirate and hero in the War of 1812. As Fox tells it, the Continue reading »
McKissack, known for Flossie and the Fox and the more recent Mirandy and Brother Wind , joins forces with Cook, who debuted last year with a painterly version of The Gingerbread Boy. Their combined Continue reading »
The ""net to catch time"" of this evocative book's title would be language itself--more specifically, the dialect of the vanishing Gullah culture. A Gullah boy, Cuffy, is fast asleep while his Continue reading »
Forced rhyming couplets relate this overlong story of a farmer who teaches his friends the importance of asking for help in times of need. Ling Cho comes up with a plan to help three of his less Continue reading »
PW noted that, despite a convoluted plot, this story-in which a girl enlists animal aid to find a sewing needle-``shows the power of a little imagination in creating solutions.'' Ages 3-8. Continue reading »
Alberto Salas Plays Paka Paka con la Papa: Join the Quest with Peru’s Famed Scientist and Potato Expert
Sara Andrea Fajardo
“Up and down the crooked spine of the Andes... playing an epic game of paka paka con la papa, potato hide-and-seek,” travels agronomist Alberto Salas (b. 1943), questing for Continue reading »
High school sophomore Kirby Tan is a skilled competitive climber, an activity she picked up from her late thrill-seeking father. When her dynamic move at the Texas Youth Fall Continue reading »
O’Neill (The Moth Keeper) crafts a pastoral fantasy exploring gender identity and what it means to be one’s true self in this tender graphic novel. Young Rowan, who has dark Continue reading »
Jewish sixth grader Mira, portrayed with brown skin, lives with selective mutism, a condition that prevents her from speaking in certain social settings. To cope, Mira channels Continue reading »