CCBC-Net Archives
More Fvorites
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: John Peters <cf071>
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 21:11:36 -0500 (EST)
Greetings to all and sundry: Having unexpectedly come upon a couple of unbooked (so to speak) hours, I'll take the opportunity to chime in with a list, not necessarily of Bests, but of Hey, Really Goods. Some have already been mentioned in this discussion, some may not be so familiar, but they all have stuck with me for one reason or another.
NONFICTION (according to Dewey number, at least)
James Stevenson. CORNFLAKES, ...and his other poetry too?cause it's all so clear and unaffected.
John Bierhorst. PEOPLE WITH FIVE FINGERS, Illus by Robert Andrew Parker, for the way it makes sense as a story, and also because the modern world and the folkloric are cleverly linked at the end.
Tamara Bower, SHIPWRECKED SAILOR, because, despite the tale's age, there's a human element right along with all the grand, mythopoetic stuff. Plus, the hieroglyphics are fun to play with.
Jennifer Heide Gilliland. STEAMBOAT! THE STORY OF CAPTAIN BLANCHE LEATHERS. Illus. by Holly Meade, is a fresh, spirited true tale about a self confident woman stubbornly training for an "unsuitable" occupation---with generous dollops of information about the Mississippi and the people and vessels that traveled it to boot.
FICTION
Lynea Bowdish, BROOKLYN, BUGSY AND ME, Illus by Nancy Carpenter, for its strong evocation of time and place, and engaging characters-especially Sam's mother, who just about steals the show.
Alan Arkin, CASSIE LOVES BEETHOVEN, for answering the question "Why should I care about music?" without heavy earnestness (just the opposite, in fact).
Gregory Maguire, FOUR STUPID CUPIDS, just for being such a hoot-similarly, Betsy Byars, ME TARZAN, and Richard Jennings' ORWELL'S LUCK. These are out and out romps, unlikely to change anyone's life, but they left me grinning.
Chris Lynch, GOLD DUST, for the way it forces readers to think about the depth and complexity of its social and racial issues.
Megan Whalen Turner, QUEEN OF ATTOLIA. My favorite for Newbery (N.B. My track record as a prognosticator is terrible, so don't place any bets)
Gary Blackwood, SHAKESPEARE'S SCRIBE. Sequel to SHAKESPEARE STEALER, and at least as well done. If you haven't read the first book, you have a distinct treat in store.
Marissa Montes. SOMETHING WICKED'S IN THESE WOODS. Debuts are often overstuffed, but here all the plot and thematic elements fit together comfortably-and the ghosts really left me chilled.
Geraldine McCaughrean. THE STONES ARE HATCHING. I'm a big fan of GM, because of her flair for the dramatic, and though this isn't THE PIRATE'S SON, it's a scary, powerful, richly imagined fantasy.
Terry Trueman. STUCK IN NEUTRAL. Scariest story I read this year, because it's so damn plausible.
Diane Lee Wilson. TO RIDE GOD'S OWN STALLION. My pick for best title of the year. The nicely developed (and unusual) setting, plus a sense that the characters were in real danger, lift this historical novel.
Gerald Hausman. TOM CRINGLE: BATTLE ON THE HIGH SEAS. Rip roaring nautical adventure.
Judy Cox. WIERD STORIES FROM THE LONESOME CAFE. Maybe a sleeper, but the combination of easy reading level and sophisticated (well, sort of) cultural references give it an unusually wide potential audience-a kind of broader cousin to Cynthia Rylant's VAN GOGH CAFE.
PICTUREBOOKS
Diane Redfield Massie. BABY BEEBEE BIRD. Illus by Steven Kellogg. I've always liked the beebee bird's chorus?out as irritating as Pierre's-and here it's accompanied by bright, energetic new illustrations.
Toby Speed. BRAVE POTATOES. Illus by Barry Root. Utterly daffy tale, with all sorts of vegetables charging around and a delicious Bad Guy who gets just desserts. So to speak.
Allan Ahlberg. BRAVEST BEAR EVER. Illus. by Paul Howard. There are lots of fractured fairy tales around, but here the characters take over the story themselves, with unpredictable results.
Sharon Creech. FISHING IN THE AIR. Illus by Chris Raschka. The text and illustrations play off against each other in brilliant, ingenious ways in this multilayered parent/child bonding.
Robert Blake. FLEDGLING. Terrific take on the "first venture away from the nest" theme, with vertiginous over and under views of NYC.
Sam Swope. GOTTA GO! GOTTA GO! Illus by Sue Riddle. This little book has it all: a catchy chorus, an engaging little protagonist, a bit of natural history, an epic journey, suspense, deceptively simple art, a fulfilling ending. My choice for Caldecott (but see QUEEN OF ATTOLIA, above)
M.C. Helldorfer. HOG MUSIC. Illus by S.D. Schindler. Humor, history, a long journey past all sorts of encounters, crisply detailed pictures-I think it's better than ARAMINTA'S PAINTBOX.
Denys Cazet. NEVER POKE A SQUID. Just another day in school, related in a giggle inducing, piecemeal way that every parent, and young children too, will recognize.
Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. PAPERWHITE. Though I'm partial to funny, energetic picturebooks, this intergenerational friendship tale is founded, visually and verbally, in such profound serenity and quiet affection that it won me over.
Jim LaMarche. THE RAFT. A feeling of mystery underlies and enriches this story about the awakening of artistic sensibility in a child-the art is lovely.
HONORABLE MENTION
Cynthia DeFelice. COLD FEET. Illus by Robert Andrew Parker. Wonderfully macabre, and with a double twist too-but I wish an artist with a broader sense of humor had been chosen for it: someone like David Shannon, or maybe Dan Yaccarino.
Steve Zeitlin. FOUR CORNERS OF THE SKY: CREATION MYTHS AND COSMOLOGIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, because by including modern science right alongside other belief systems, he may persuade some readers to view different ways of looking at the universe with a bit more tolerance.
E.L. Konigsburg. SILENT TO THE BONE. As usual, the characters and their relationships are delineated here with a fine wisdom-but I could not get past the weak, simplistic plotting.
Laura Huliska?ith. THE BOOK OF BAD IDEAS. Fabulous premise, just not exploited to its full potential.
Season's Cheer to all,
John Peters Central Children's Room The New York Public Library cf071 at freenet.buffalo.edu
**My esteemed institution asserts its right to hold different views**
Received on Sun 10 Dec 2000 08:11:36 PM CST
Date: Sun, 10 Dec 2000 21:11:36 -0500 (EST)
Greetings to all and sundry: Having unexpectedly come upon a couple of unbooked (so to speak) hours, I'll take the opportunity to chime in with a list, not necessarily of Bests, but of Hey, Really Goods. Some have already been mentioned in this discussion, some may not be so familiar, but they all have stuck with me for one reason or another.
NONFICTION (according to Dewey number, at least)
James Stevenson. CORNFLAKES, ...and his other poetry too?cause it's all so clear and unaffected.
John Bierhorst. PEOPLE WITH FIVE FINGERS, Illus by Robert Andrew Parker, for the way it makes sense as a story, and also because the modern world and the folkloric are cleverly linked at the end.
Tamara Bower, SHIPWRECKED SAILOR, because, despite the tale's age, there's a human element right along with all the grand, mythopoetic stuff. Plus, the hieroglyphics are fun to play with.
Jennifer Heide Gilliland. STEAMBOAT! THE STORY OF CAPTAIN BLANCHE LEATHERS. Illus. by Holly Meade, is a fresh, spirited true tale about a self confident woman stubbornly training for an "unsuitable" occupation---with generous dollops of information about the Mississippi and the people and vessels that traveled it to boot.
FICTION
Lynea Bowdish, BROOKLYN, BUGSY AND ME, Illus by Nancy Carpenter, for its strong evocation of time and place, and engaging characters-especially Sam's mother, who just about steals the show.
Alan Arkin, CASSIE LOVES BEETHOVEN, for answering the question "Why should I care about music?" without heavy earnestness (just the opposite, in fact).
Gregory Maguire, FOUR STUPID CUPIDS, just for being such a hoot-similarly, Betsy Byars, ME TARZAN, and Richard Jennings' ORWELL'S LUCK. These are out and out romps, unlikely to change anyone's life, but they left me grinning.
Chris Lynch, GOLD DUST, for the way it forces readers to think about the depth and complexity of its social and racial issues.
Megan Whalen Turner, QUEEN OF ATTOLIA. My favorite for Newbery (N.B. My track record as a prognosticator is terrible, so don't place any bets)
Gary Blackwood, SHAKESPEARE'S SCRIBE. Sequel to SHAKESPEARE STEALER, and at least as well done. If you haven't read the first book, you have a distinct treat in store.
Marissa Montes. SOMETHING WICKED'S IN THESE WOODS. Debuts are often overstuffed, but here all the plot and thematic elements fit together comfortably-and the ghosts really left me chilled.
Geraldine McCaughrean. THE STONES ARE HATCHING. I'm a big fan of GM, because of her flair for the dramatic, and though this isn't THE PIRATE'S SON, it's a scary, powerful, richly imagined fantasy.
Terry Trueman. STUCK IN NEUTRAL. Scariest story I read this year, because it's so damn plausible.
Diane Lee Wilson. TO RIDE GOD'S OWN STALLION. My pick for best title of the year. The nicely developed (and unusual) setting, plus a sense that the characters were in real danger, lift this historical novel.
Gerald Hausman. TOM CRINGLE: BATTLE ON THE HIGH SEAS. Rip roaring nautical adventure.
Judy Cox. WIERD STORIES FROM THE LONESOME CAFE. Maybe a sleeper, but the combination of easy reading level and sophisticated (well, sort of) cultural references give it an unusually wide potential audience-a kind of broader cousin to Cynthia Rylant's VAN GOGH CAFE.
PICTUREBOOKS
Diane Redfield Massie. BABY BEEBEE BIRD. Illus by Steven Kellogg. I've always liked the beebee bird's chorus?out as irritating as Pierre's-and here it's accompanied by bright, energetic new illustrations.
Toby Speed. BRAVE POTATOES. Illus by Barry Root. Utterly daffy tale, with all sorts of vegetables charging around and a delicious Bad Guy who gets just desserts. So to speak.
Allan Ahlberg. BRAVEST BEAR EVER. Illus. by Paul Howard. There are lots of fractured fairy tales around, but here the characters take over the story themselves, with unpredictable results.
Sharon Creech. FISHING IN THE AIR. Illus by Chris Raschka. The text and illustrations play off against each other in brilliant, ingenious ways in this multilayered parent/child bonding.
Robert Blake. FLEDGLING. Terrific take on the "first venture away from the nest" theme, with vertiginous over and under views of NYC.
Sam Swope. GOTTA GO! GOTTA GO! Illus by Sue Riddle. This little book has it all: a catchy chorus, an engaging little protagonist, a bit of natural history, an epic journey, suspense, deceptively simple art, a fulfilling ending. My choice for Caldecott (but see QUEEN OF ATTOLIA, above)
M.C. Helldorfer. HOG MUSIC. Illus by S.D. Schindler. Humor, history, a long journey past all sorts of encounters, crisply detailed pictures-I think it's better than ARAMINTA'S PAINTBOX.
Denys Cazet. NEVER POKE A SQUID. Just another day in school, related in a giggle inducing, piecemeal way that every parent, and young children too, will recognize.
Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. PAPERWHITE. Though I'm partial to funny, energetic picturebooks, this intergenerational friendship tale is founded, visually and verbally, in such profound serenity and quiet affection that it won me over.
Jim LaMarche. THE RAFT. A feeling of mystery underlies and enriches this story about the awakening of artistic sensibility in a child-the art is lovely.
HONORABLE MENTION
Cynthia DeFelice. COLD FEET. Illus by Robert Andrew Parker. Wonderfully macabre, and with a double twist too-but I wish an artist with a broader sense of humor had been chosen for it: someone like David Shannon, or maybe Dan Yaccarino.
Steve Zeitlin. FOUR CORNERS OF THE SKY: CREATION MYTHS AND COSMOLOGIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD, because by including modern science right alongside other belief systems, he may persuade some readers to view different ways of looking at the universe with a bit more tolerance.
E.L. Konigsburg. SILENT TO THE BONE. As usual, the characters and their relationships are delineated here with a fine wisdom-but I could not get past the weak, simplistic plotting.
Laura Huliska?ith. THE BOOK OF BAD IDEAS. Fabulous premise, just not exploited to its full potential.
Season's Cheer to all,
John Peters Central Children's Room The New York Public Library cf071 at freenet.buffalo.edu
**My esteemed institution asserts its right to hold different views**
Received on Sun 10 Dec 2000 08:11:36 PM CST
