Month: December 2015

Review: Ellie

~ Sheryl Davis ~ Leave a comment


Ellie
by Mike Wu
Published by Disney-Hyperion (May 12, 2015)
Ages 3-5

My Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
Ellie is a simple story about an impending zoo closure, the zoo animals working to spruce up the place in an attempt to save their home and a young elephant who doesn’t know how she can help. By happenstance, while she is wandering around feeling sad and not knowing what to do, Ellie discovers her true talent – painting. The news spreads that she is an amazing artist, and ultimately it is her talent that saves the zoo.

While the story may be simple, the illustrations and the gentle nature of the baby elephant make it an enjoyable addition to the personal library. This is Mike Wu’s debut picture book, but he’s no novice. He’s a talented illustrator who has worked on several notable Disney and Pixar films. The visual storytelling in Ellie is top-notch.

If you’re like me and you’re always looking for a little meaning in the stories you read, I’d say Ellie offers this: Finding your calling/talent/purpose can be a bit of a meandering journey, but if you’re willing to try new things (like Ellie), you just might find something you’re really good at. That’s not a bad lesson for a little artist.

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Review: Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny (Giveaway!)

~ Sheryl Davis ~ Leave a comment


Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny
by John Himmelman
Published by Henry Holt and Company (October 28, 2014)
Ages 6-8

My Rating: 5 Stars

Review:
A couple of the children in my life are starting to grow into the stage of reading beginning level chapter books, so I was on the lookout for something funny enough to keep a young reader’s attention and smart enough to provide value beyond entertainment. That’s when I saw Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny.

Isabel, the best bunjitsu artist in school, is like a fluffy, long-eared Zen master. She can hit, kick and flip her opponents like no one else, but more often than not she uses her most powerful weapon – her brain – to outsmart pirates, giant waves, enormous rocks and more.

Each chapter is a short, separate tale in the life of Bunjitsu Bunny. The stories each have a particular moral that will be evident to an adult reader, but the lessons are delivered with humor and authenticity. The stories carry the weight of their lessons with ease, so the reader isn’t beaten over the head.

The first tale, after we’re introduced to Isabel, shows her using her smarts instead of her fists. When the students are confronted by a locked door, they try to kick it down and punch it down. They are about to head butt it down when Isabel unlocks the door from the other side. She had climbed through an open window. Most of the stories after this one are a little more complex, but it is a good taste of the types of lessons to come.

Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny is just the first installment of adventures. The follow-up, Bunjitsu Bunny’s Best Move, was released this past October.

Giveaway! [Update: This giveaway has ended. Look for more giveaways in future posts!]
Some books are too good not to be shared, so I’m giving away 2 copies of Tales of Bunjitsu Bunny through an Amazon giveaway. All you have to do for your chance to win is click here and follow me on Twitter. Good luck everyone!

FTC Required Disclosure: This blog features Amazon Associate links, including linked images. Purchases made through these affiliate links will result in a my receiving a small commission. This applies to all products purchased at Amazon through the link, regardless of whether or not I’ve mentioned the product on this blog.

 

Review: The Turnip

~ Sheryl Davis ~ Leave a comment


The Turnip
by Jan Brett
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (November 3, 2015)
Ages 3-5

My Rating: 4 Stars

Review:
A friend and I recently went to see Jan Brett at a signing for her latest book, The Turnip. Jan Brett is probably most famous for The Mitten, first published in 1989, yet she is a prolific author/illustrator with a large catalog of work, including The Umbrella, Hedgie’s Surprise and Mossy.

The Turnip begins with Badger Girl finding an enormous turnip in the garden. When autumn arrives she tries to pull it up, but it won’t budge. Badger Boy offers to help, but it still won’t come loose. Mother Badger, Father Badger and a long line of characters, including Hedgie, pull on the turnip together, but it’s no use. The snow starts to fall. If it freezes, they won’t get the turnip out until next spring, and everyone is hungry for turnip pancakes. Finally, a rooster trying to stay out of the cooking pot comes along and says he’ll give it a go. Just as he’s giving it a tug with his beak, out flies the turnip with the rooster on top. The illustrations on the side of the pages show that all along a mother bear has been preparing her cubs for hibernation. When they find the turnip in their bed, they kick it out so they can get some sleep. The rooster, seen as the hero for pulling up the turnip, is invited to stay with the Badger family as long as he wishes.

As someone with a preference for simple illustration, it took me several readings of this story to really appreciate what is going on. It’s a lot to visually take in at first, but once my brain settled down a bit, I finally saw the magical world created by Jan Brett that is full of character and humor. The ornate details are fitting for a story inspired by a Russian folktale. Jan Brett’s illustrations essentially force you to slow down, have some patience and really look.

If her book tour travels near you, I recommend going. She gives a presentation where she lets you in on some of her illustrating secrets and gives an inspiring talk to the young future illustrators and storytellers in the audience. Hedgie comes along on the tour to take pictures with the kids, and you get to meet another special character from the book.

janbrettwithrooster
The Turnip is a lovely addition to Jan Brett’s body of work.
What’s your favorite Jan Brett book? Let me know in the comments section.

FTC Required Disclosure: This blog features Amazon Associate links, including linked images. Purchases made through these affiliate links will result in a my receiving a small commission. This applies to all products purchased at Amazon through the link, regardless of whether or not I’ve mentioned the product on this blog.