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[CCBC-Net] Favorite books
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From: Angelica Carpenter <angelica>
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:05:54 -0800
Dear all,
BAD KITTY, the picture book written and illustrated by Nick Bruel, is irresistible. I have a copy in my office bookcase; everyone who comes in spots the title, picks the it up, turns the pages, and laughs, even dog people! Kitty goes through four alphabets of food and behavior bad and good), inviting listeners to join in. The edgy comic book- influenced art adds details to the simple story line. BAD KITTY is terrific, all the way to the back cover, but watch out when you see that tiny little fang!
HARRY SUE by Sue Stauffacher is my favorite children's novel for this year. Eleven-year-old Harry (for Harriet)Sue lost her parents to prison at the age of five when her father threw her out of a seventh- story window. Her mother, who was making meth at the time, also got convicted. Now tough-talking Harry Sue lives with her abusive grandmother, who runs a daycare center. She plans to tough up and join Mom in the joint, but first her heart condition needs fixing: it's too soft and she can't stand to see anyone get hurt. As the book opens, with a glossary of prison jargon, Harry Sue is alone in a cruel world except for one friend, a self-centered paraplegic. She makes a new life and finds love for herself and others. I sought this story out because of an Oz connection: Harry Sue's mother, despite her shortcomings, always read to her daughter and Harry Sue's favorite book, a frequent source of inspiration to her, is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This literary connection works wel l, but the novel stands on its own; it is gripping (I read it all in one sitting because I could not put it down), moving, and unusual. At our university, people who work with the children of prison inmates and others who work with the disabled were delighted to hear about this title, but it has a much broader, universal appeal.
Best wishes,
Angelica Carpenter, Curator Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature California State University, Fresno President, International Wizard of Oz Club
Received on Mon 19 Dec 2005 01:05:54 PM CST
Date: Mon, 19 Dec 2005 11:05:54 -0800
Dear all,
BAD KITTY, the picture book written and illustrated by Nick Bruel, is irresistible. I have a copy in my office bookcase; everyone who comes in spots the title, picks the it up, turns the pages, and laughs, even dog people! Kitty goes through four alphabets of food and behavior bad and good), inviting listeners to join in. The edgy comic book- influenced art adds details to the simple story line. BAD KITTY is terrific, all the way to the back cover, but watch out when you see that tiny little fang!
HARRY SUE by Sue Stauffacher is my favorite children's novel for this year. Eleven-year-old Harry (for Harriet)Sue lost her parents to prison at the age of five when her father threw her out of a seventh- story window. Her mother, who was making meth at the time, also got convicted. Now tough-talking Harry Sue lives with her abusive grandmother, who runs a daycare center. She plans to tough up and join Mom in the joint, but first her heart condition needs fixing: it's too soft and she can't stand to see anyone get hurt. As the book opens, with a glossary of prison jargon, Harry Sue is alone in a cruel world except for one friend, a self-centered paraplegic. She makes a new life and finds love for herself and others. I sought this story out because of an Oz connection: Harry Sue's mother, despite her shortcomings, always read to her daughter and Harry Sue's favorite book, a frequent source of inspiration to her, is The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. This literary connection works wel l, but the novel stands on its own; it is gripping (I read it all in one sitting because I could not put it down), moving, and unusual. At our university, people who work with the children of prison inmates and others who work with the disabled were delighted to hear about this title, but it has a much broader, universal appeal.
Best wishes,
Angelica Carpenter, Curator Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children's Literature California State University, Fresno President, International Wizard of Oz Club
Received on Mon 19 Dec 2005 01:05:54 PM CST
