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Cat’s Meow

Banish the dog days of summer with these titles by two British author-illustrators that are just puurr-fect for summer road trips, bedtime, and anytime.

“Matilda’s Cat,” by Emily Gravett; Simon & Schuster, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 3-5. (June 2014)

Matilda’s cat doesn’t like tea parties, ghost stories, climbing trees, or drawing. Find out what the adorable creature does enjoy in this latest offering from our perennially favorite author and illustrator, Emily Gravett. (Previous titles include Again! and The Odd Egg.) Charming illustrations of an exuberant, cherubic little girl and her faithful feline are rendered in Gravett’s trademark pen and watercolor style.  Children will relish in the playful mischief to be discovered on each page. If you’re not sure which books to pack for summer traveling, do include this lighthearted, lovely ode to unrequited love– it’s a snappy read, and will not lose its charm after being in heavy rotation.

“Naughty Kitty,” by Adam Stower; Orchard Books, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 4-6. (May 2014)

Adam Stower follows up his popular Silly Doggy! with a case of mistaken identity. If somehow you miss the cover image of a skulking tiger, be sure to read the newspaper-styled endpapers which relate the critical backstory of a large cat  missing from the local zoo.

Meanwhile, little Lily desperately wants a dog, but receives a cat instead. While the girl adores her wide-eyed kitty, she can’t understand how such a small creature manages to make major messes, some right under her nose. Lily blames the silently suffering kitty, while its larger, striped doppelganger runs amok on the property. Stower portrays all the characters – including the escaped predator – with wide eyes and humorous facial expressions, all done in watercolors.  Tongue in cheek humor and a happy ending will keep the whole family returning to   this book.

Posted on by literaryfeatures

Cat’s Meow

Banish the dog days of summer with these titles by two British author-illustrators that are just puurr-fect for summer road trips, bedtime, and anytime.

“Matilda’s Cat,” by Emily Gravett; Simon & Schuster, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 3-5. (June 2014)

Matilda’s cat doesn’t like tea parties, ghost stories, climbing trees, or drawing. Find out what the adorable creature does enjoy in this latest offering from our perennially favorite author and illustrator, Emily Gravett. (Previous titles include Again! and The Odd Egg.) Charming illustrations of an exuberant, cherubic little girl and her faithful feline are rendered in Gravett’s trademark pen and watercolor style.  Children will relish in the playful mischief to be discovered on each page. If you’re not sure which books to pack for summer traveling, do include this lighthearted, lovely ode to unrequited love– it’s a snappy read, and will not lose its charm after being in heavy rotation.

“Naughty Kitty,” by Adam Stower; Orchard Books, $16.99, 32 pages, ages 4-6. (May 2014)

Adam Stower follows up his popular Silly Doggy! with a case of mistaken identity. If somehow you miss the cover image of a skulking tiger, be sure to read the newspaper-styled endpapers which relate the critical backstory of a large cat  missing from the local zoo.

Meanwhile, little Lily desperately wants a dog, but receives a cat  instead. While the girl adores her wide-eyed kitty, she can’t understand how such a small creature manages to make major messes, some right under her nose. Lily blames the silently suffering kitty, while its larger, striped doppelganger runs amok on the property. Stower portrays all the characters – including the escaped predator – with wide eyes and humorous facial expressions, all done in watercolors.  Tongue in cheek humor and a happy ending will keep the whole family returning to   this book.

 Nicole Basbanes Claire reviews two books that celebrate the great outdoors.

Happy Fourth of July!

Bambi, A Life in the Woods, by Felix Salten, illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson; Atheneum Books for Young Readers, $29.99 192 pages, ages 10 and up.

Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, by David A. Adler; Holiday House, $18.95, 144 pages, ages 10 and up.

Nature Calling! Bambi A Life In the Woods and Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, 6-29-2014.m4v

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Non-Fiction Female Leaders! Miss Emily and Pure Grit, 5-4-2014.m4v

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Image reproduced with permission from Sterling Publishers.  ©2014 Linda Beck.

“Goodnight Songs,” by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by various illustrators, Sterling Children’s books, $17.95, 28 pages, ages 2-5.

For over sixty years, children have drifted to dreamland after reading the quintessential bedtime story Goodnight Moon. Now comes a previously unpublished collection of Margaret Wise Brown’s charming lullabies for a new generation of readers.

Amy Gary, the editor of Brown’s Estate, introduces the collection by describing her discovery of a treasure trove of manuscripts. Tucked away for decades in a trunk in an attic barn on the author’s family farm in Vermont, all but three have never been printed until now.

Also among the hidden treasures were musical scores Brown was composing for a children’s record company. An accompanying disk includes songs based on the poems. Emily Gary and Tom Proutt set the poems to music, and managed to capture the effortless imagery of Brown’s work. 

A different contributor illustrated each poem and the list reads like a who’s-who of award winning artists. Caldecott Honor medalist Melissa Sweet, Coretta Scott King Honor Award winner Sean Qualls, and New York Times Best Illustrated Book winner Carin Berger were among the dozen asked to collaborate on the project.  Brown’s innate understanding of what entertains and comforts children will delight everyone who comes across this gem, now and for years to come.    

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 Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey, by Nick Bertozzi; First Second Books, $16.99, 128 pages, ages 12-18. (Publication date: June 17, 2014)

Amateur and professional explorers worldwide will mark the centennial of Ernest Shackelton’s ill-fated yet miraculous voyage to the Antarctic this year. Entire documentaries and symposiums are devoted to understanding how the entire crew survived in polar conditions after their ship became trapped and ultimately crushed in pack ice. There’s even a cruise called the Shackelton 100 that will recreate the route of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition. 

For adventurers staying close to home, Nick Bertozzi’s graphic novel replicates the voyage through a riveting and wholly original approach to telling this story of survival. Historians have meticulously documented the expedition, but in this account Bertozzi changes the point of view by inviting the reader onto the Endurance alongside the captain and his crew.  Each panel illustrates the minutiae of life aboard a sea vessel – from chronicling Mr. Orde-Lee riding a bicycle across the ice, to a chapter called “Last Dog” which delicately handles the issue of starvation and self-preservation. 

Bertozzi’s black and white illustrations overflow with visual detail while creating a solid and engaging story.  Ships, men and various polar creatures are at once grand and familiar. While the author is quite deft depicting each man in the story, Shackelton stands out from his crew; a tall, dark-haired commander determined to bring  all twenty-eight crewmen home after almost two years lost at sea.

Writing and illustrating stories of great explorers seems second-nature to Bertozzi, whose previous work includes Lewis and Clark, an equally inventive examination of two great explorers. Could Amelia Earhart or Thor Heyerdahl be next?  

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 Lost for Words, by Natalie Russell; Peachtree Publishers, $16.95, 32 pages, ages 4-6.

Most writers with a deadline to meet have at least on occasion been afflicted with a debilitating case of writer’s block. In Natalie Russell’s latest offering we meet Tapir, a creature armed with fresh supplies of pencil and paper but utterly unable find a suitable topic. In search of inspiration he visits Giraffe the poet, Hippo the adventure writer and Flamingo the composer.  All write in different ways, and although Tapir doesn’t realize that right away, he soon discovers just how to express himself best.

Russell’s screen prints are at once gentle and bright. Charming illustrations of jungle creatures are set against a backdrop of saturated colors, creating a sub-Saharan fantasy world of hot pink flowers and tangerine skies.  Russell’s message that creativity is unlimited and cannot be forced will motivate artists and writers of all ages to follow their own creative groove.   


Pub Date: March 1, 2014

Posted on by literaryfeatures

 Lost for Words, by Natalie Russell; Peachtree Publishers, $16.95, 32 pages, ages 4-6.

Most writers with a deadline to meet have at least on occasion been afflicted with a debilitating case of writer’s block. In Natalie Russell’s latest offering we meet Tapir, a creature armed with fresh supplies of pencil and paper but utterly unable find a suitable topic. In search of inspiration he visits Giraffe the poet, Hippo the adventure writer and Flamingo the composer.  All write in different ways, and although Tapir doesn’t realize that right away, he soon discovers just how to express himself best.

Russell’s screen prints are at once gentle and bright. Charming illustrations of jungle creatures are set against a backdrop of saturated colors, creating a sub-Saharan fantasy world of hot pink flowers and tangerine skies.  Russell’s message that creativity is unlimited and cannot be forced will motivate artists and writers of all ages to follow their own creative groove.   


Pub Date: March 1, 2014

The School for Good and Evil Book 1 and The Children of The King, 5-4-2014.m4v