HOW MANY, HOW MUCH (Monday Poem)

by Shel Silverstein


How many slams in an old screen door?
     Depends how loud you shut it.
How many slices in a bread?
     Depends how thin you cut it.
How much good inside a day?
     Depends how good you live 'em.
How much love inside a friend?
     Depends how much you give 'em.



from A Light in the Attic poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein, 1981, Harper & Row

A Salute to Super Heroes & Heroines (FAMILY magazine reviews)

If the newest Spiderman movie sparked your imagination, try any or all of these champion picture books for their characteristic intrepid courage, classical ideals, and notable adventures.  While perhaps not all of celebrity status, these daring, determined and spirited individuals demonstrate sturdy personalities and plucky tenacity.  Any or all are worthy role models for young people in need or hope of a suitable hero or heroine.  Touché!

Zero the Hero by Joan Holub 

illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld 

Henry Holt, $16.99, Ages 6-11

            Zero thinks of himself as a superhero, but his friends the other numbers?  Not so much.  Zero is out for the count – he simply isn’t included in counting numbers.  He seems to have value only with other numbers (as in 10, 20, etc).

            He’s especially worthless when it comes to addition, subtraction            or even division.  But he shines when it comes to multiplication -- until he realizes “A real superhero wouldn’t multiply his friends into nothingness.”  And as he considers whether he is in fact a villain instead of a hero, he loses confidence and rolls away.

            Lichtenheld’s clever cartoon characters are differentiated using ink, colored pencils and watercolors to identify and distinguish each personality.  And Holub’s straightforward storytelling text is augmented both by her agile use of language, and witty comments spoken by individual numbers in dialog balloons.

            After Zero leaves, the other numbers note his absence as they play games; adding themselves together, rounding up or down, even comparing themselves to letters.  They don’t realize they are being surrounded by Roman soldiers/numerals until they are forced into a gladiator ring, doubling as a clock.

            When Zero hears his friends calling for help (note the whimsical use of numbers to spell out the word), he hurries to the rescue, outwitting the Roman numerals by demonstrating his skill with multiplication.  This ingenious picture book is a math gem with an inventive resolution.  

           

Ladybug Girl at the Beach 

by David Soman and Jacky Davis  

Dial, $16.99, Ages 4-6

            Husband and wife team Davis and Soman are spot on with this book from their well-known series about a girl who loves her ladybug costume and wears it often!  Lulu (alias Ladybug Girl, the brave) loves the beach -- however, as her older brother points out -- she’s never been before. 

            Initially impatient “to go swimming in the waves,” when Lulu races to the water’s edge and is confronted with huge loud breakers and seemingly endless ocean, she reacts with a young child’s usual response -- choosing to build sand castles, fly a kite, and plead for ice cream.  Later, watching others play in the water at the sea’s edge, Lulu and her dog, Bingo, decide to get their feet wet, and are nearly knocked over, although no one around seems to notice a problem. 

            Pen and ink watercolor illustrations, with subtle, yet artful use of both brights and pastels, convey a crowded sunlit beach on a breezy summer day, even to the rosy sky at day’s end.  Of special note is the double page spread in the early part of the story: the enormity of the pounding sea dwarfs the girl and her basset hound companion, successfully setting the stage, and resulting in Lulu’s need for her Ladybug Girl courage, to rescue her errant purple pail when the tide comes in much later, as she and Bingo are exploring, digging for pirate treasure.

            Knee-deep in the ocean, having conquered her fears (a watchful Mama standing in the background), Ladybug Girl’s splashing play in the water with faithful Bingo completes the day, lending authenticity to the closing comments with her brother, and making for a satisfying final scene.

The Amazing Adventures of Bumblebee Boy 

by Jacky Davis 

illustrated by David Soman  

Dial, $16.99, Ages 3-5

            Sam (Ladybug Girl’s sidekick and friend) makes remarkable use of his sizeable imagination during his adventures as Bumblebee Boy – first with Greenbeard the Pirate, later with Fire Dragon, and again with “Giganto, the Giant Saber-Toothed Lion.”   However, Owen, his younger brother, who wants to play “soup hero, too!” repeatedly interrupts.  Sam knows he’s not supposed to be mean, but Owen “doesn’t get it; Bumblebee Boy wants to fly alone!” 

            Once again, Davis and Soman (Ladybug Girl’s co-creators) combine their considerable talents with the use of repetitive language (Bum Ba Bum BUM!) and signature ink and watercolor illustrations.  Owen’s use of his own imagination to foil the “bank robbers” Bumblebee Boy is chasing, and then Sam’s recognition that he is unable to defeat imagined aliens without help, shapes the dilemma. 

            The polarity between Bumblebee Boy in energetic full color, contrasting double page spreads, and the white space-filled pages of literal reality as Owen brings Sam back to the living room of daily life dramatizes the distinction, fuels Sam’s hope to play separately, and ultimately makes the harmonious finale even more convincing. 

Summer's Here! (FAMILY magazine reviews)

Looking for summer stories and activities for the younger crowd?  Look no further!  Try any or all of these titles to get the little ones moving, or even to settle them down for a nap after swimming or soccer.  Great choices are listed below to keep campers occupied and involved as the summer progresses.  Enjoy!

Camp K-9 

by Mary Ann Rodman

illustrated by Nancy Hayashi

Peachtree, $15.595, Ages 4-8

            On the bus to summer camp, Roxie meets the resident bully, a poodle named Lacy who, Roxie fears, will discover her secret – that she brought her blankie along.  When Lacy shows up in Roxie’s cabin, she takes the bunk bed Roxie has chosen, at dinner Lacy “accidentally” knocks someone’s plate off the table with her pooch pouch, at campfire time she jumps out from behind a tree during a spooky story, scaring the entire group, and then is missing at the dock the next day, for paddle time. 

             Muted watercolor, pen and colored pencil illustrations accompany the dramatic text, showing the anthropomorphized dog characters involved in familiar camp activities, with clever dog identifiers like chow time, Barks & Crafts, a dogtrot.  Additionally, the repetition of the bully’s apology, “’Sorry,’ says Lacy,” followed by Roxie’s’ observation, “but I know she’s not,” gives readers a feel for Roxie’s view of what’s really going on.  Meanwhile Roxie’s refrain, “I want my blankie.  I want it right now!” supplies a sense of how painful it can be to keep something important hidden.

            When Roxie discovers Lacy’s secret, Roxie recognizes the possibilities for friendship that can emerge, when secrets are shared.  

You Are a Lion:  And Other Fun Yoga Poses 

by Taeeun Yoo 

Penguin, $16.99, Ages 3-7

            Want a fun yoga book for young children?  You’ve come to the right place with author-illustrator Yoo’s active non-rhyming picture book in verse for young children.  Pretend you are a lion, a butterfly, especially a dog, even a snake, and you will be off on a journey of imagination to find a mountain of engaging movement for the youngest set.             

            Linoleum block prints and pencil drawings are enhanced with Photoshop, creating bright, colorful illustrations of children from multiple ethnicities, to accompany the rhythmic text.  Beginning with stretching in a morning garden, single pages of brief instructions follow, leading to double page spreads of a child in a yoga position, beside an animal actually looking like the pose.  The children’s clothing hints at the creature they will imitate.  A concluding rest brings the playful yoga session to a close. 

Hop, Hop, Jump! 

by Lauren Thompson

illustrated by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

Simon & Schuster, $14.99, Ages 3-5

            This brief action-packed, camp-based picture book sets readers up for vigorous movement and games.  Not only are the activities named and the multicultural children in the cheerful acrylic illustrations eager participants in the high-spirited romp, but the parts of the body involved in performing the lively amusements are identified as well.

            Short rhythmic verbs, and bold typeface are coupled with smiling campers demonstrating sports and activities from hiking, swimming and tumbling, to dancing, photography and bowling.  From fingers and toes, through elbow, knee and shoulder, to eye, waist and heel, readers are invited to “groove it” and “goose it” with their friends, through a series of rollicking images and a near-exhaustive listing of body parts.

EGGS RATED (Monday Poem)

by Shel Silverstein


These eggs
Are eggscellent.
I'm not eggsaggerating.
You can tell by my eggspression
They're eggceptional--
Eggstra fluffy,
Eggstremely tasty,
Cooked eggsactly right
By an eggspert
With lots of eggsperience.
Now I'll eggsamine the bill . . . .
Ooh--much more eggspensive
Than I eggspected.
I gotta get out of here.
Where's the eggxit?



from Falling Up poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein, 1996, HarperCollins

BLOOD-CURDLING STORY (Monday Poem)

by Shel Silverstein


That story is creepy,
It's waily, it's weepy,
It's screechy and screamy
Right up to the end.
It's spooky, it's crawly,
It's grizzly, it's gory,
It's the awfulest story
(Please tell it again).


from Falling Up poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein, 1996, HarperCollins 

Hugs are NOT Just for Dads (FAMILY magazine reviews)

Let’s get ready for Father’s Day with a few of the new books available to show our love.  What we do with and for our daddys is often a mirror of Dad’s actions with his children.  As we create memories for the future, we want also to honor the best in the past, holding a special place in our hearts for times we treasure with Dad. 

 

When Dads Don’t Grow Up 

by Marjorie Blain Parker

illustrated by R. W. Alley

Dial, $16.99, Ages 4-6

            Kids are lucky who have dads like the ones in this list book -- these dads know how much fun it is to pop bubble wrap and watch cartoons.  And they don’t worry about looking silly -- see the dunk tank picture -- or wearing mismatched clothes.  While not actually a story, the engaging text nevertheless, leads readers into an ode to fathers; especially papas who take every opportunity to be with their offspring in sometimes silly, but always loving, circumstances. 

            Featured in the paintings, several dads reappear throughout the book in an assortment of adventures.  Although the book is charming and does not suffer in quality from the lack, it is disappointing to note that all but one of the dad/kid combinations are light skinned.  The text itself clearly allows for a range of cultural representations, and more cultural variety would have both enriched the reader’s experience, and extended the potential audience.  

            Humorous, energetic language is companioned by laugh-out-loud illustrations, lending a comic quality to the paintings done with pen and ink, watercolor and colored pencil.  And the font makes for easy reading, changing at times from large to smaller, italic and even giant size, for emphasis.  This is a great lap-book and makes a strong bid for repetitive readings without boredom.

           

Big Hugs, Little Hugs 

by Felicia Bond

Philomel, $16.99, Ages 2-4

            Well-loved author/illustrator Bond, best known for her series of books beginning with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, has extended her artistic reach in these appealing illustrations.  Making strategic use of colorful handmade paper enhanced by pen and ink line drawings, Bond shows a range of hugs.

            Beginning with “Everyone hugs all over the world,” Bond samples animals, both known and less familiar – cats, dogs and bears – also dinosaurs, bats and penguins – and moves from naming hugging animals to naming and showing animals in paired opposite settings – upstairs/downstairs, inside/outside, day/night in another successful list book. 

            The conclusion circles back around to repeat the beginning phrase; this time illustrated by an earth, surrounded by groups of hugging animals in a picture book that goes well beyond Father’s Day to include the entire planet in a sphere of loving hugs.  Perfect for bedtime.

  

 The Night Before Father’s Day 

by Natasha Wing

illustrated by Amy Wummer

 Grosset & Dunlap, $3.99, Ages 3-5

            Using the Christmas poem by Clement Moore as her guide, author Wing has written a clever take off for Father’s Day in this newest book from her series based on the Night Before.  While Dad goes for a bike ride, the kids and Mom clean out the garage and wash the car, as part of a gift that includes a homemade card and breakfast in bed the next morning.

            Artist Wummer has chosen cheery primary colors for her animated watercolor wash and colored pencil illustrations.  The active paintings show family members busy at work, making order from chaos and dirt.

            Dad is appropriately pleased and surprised, laughing at the card details, and inviting everyone for a Sunday ride in the newly clean car as a conclusion to a Happy Father’s Day. 

SORRY I SPILLED IT (Monday Poem)

by Shel Silverstein


The ham's on your pillow,
The egg's in your sheet,
The bran muffin's rollin'
Down under your feet,
There's milk in the mattress,
And juice on the spread--
Well, you said that you wanted
Your breakfast in bed.



from Falling Up poems and drawings by Shel Silverstein, 1996, HarperCollins