Category: Book Reviews

Picture book The Rainbow Fish, written and illustrated by Marcus Pfister, is the story of a rainbow fish who learns about beauty and friendship as he discovers the joy of sharing with others.  Translated by J. Alison James, this book was originally published in 1992 in Switzerland under the title Der Regenbogenfisch, and was published by North-South Books in the U.S. in the same year.  The blues and purples of Pfister’s watercolors are beautiful, but the underwater world they create is sometimes interrupted by all-white, text-only pages.  The namesake fish glimmers across the pages, his holographic scales all over his body on the book’s beginning endpapers in contrast with the single holographic scale left on the final endpapers.  Therein lies the message of the book: the rainbow fish’s vanity keeps him from having any friends until he learns to share his beautiful scales with the other fish who admire his beauty so much. On the one hand, this is a wonderful lesson for children to learn about not being prideful about one’s appearance and learning to give sacrificially, the latter part of this theme reminiscent of Silverstein’s The Giving Tree.  On the other hand, it can leave the reader wondering: should I have to give away my beauty, or any part of myself, to make others happy?  Despite the controversy that sometimes surrounds the message of this book, as with The Giving Tree, its heart seems to be in the right place as Pfister closes the text: “The Rainbow Fish shared his scales left and right.  And the more he gave away, the more delighted he became. When the water around him filled with glimmering scales, he at last felt at home among the other fish…Finally the Rainbow Fish had only one shining scale left.  His most prized possessions had been given away, yet he was very happy.” The beautiful colors and glimmering scales will enchant readers at storytime, and the lesson of generosity, humility, and selflessness is worth sharing and discussing.  

Picture book Possum Magic, written by Mem Fox and illustrated by Julie Vivas, is the charming tale of an invisible possum and her magical grandmother.  Originally published in 1983 by Omnibus Books of Australia, it was published by Voyager Books in 1991 in the U.S. and has come to beloved by readers of many cultures.  Children ages 4-7 and their caregivers will enjoy reading of the adventures of Hush and Grandma Poss as they travel all over Australia eating all kinds of traditional Australian foods (Fox’s map and glossary at the end of the book help with discovering more about these things) in order to make invisible Hush visible again.  Vivas’ illustrations are clever, depicting Hush initially as only an outline but gradually as a full-color possum as her culinary adventure with her grandmother breaks grandma’s spell and makes Hush visible again. This story would make a delightful storytime read as children as introduced to new animals, places, and foods.

Wordless picture book Journey by Aaron Becker is an exciting tale of adventure for children ages 4-8, but anyone will be entranced by this book’s artwork, pictures which tell the story so well that no words are necessary.  Published in 2013 by Candlewick Press, this 2014 Caldecott Honor Book is reminiscent of Harold and the Purple Crayon but with a story all its own to tell.  The muted pen and ink illustrations at the beginning of the book, brightened only by the color red, depict a lonely girl for whom everyone is too busy.  Picking up a red crayon, she draws a door on her bedroom wall and enters a world of her imagination filled with beautiful watercolors. For each step of her journey, she draws her modes of transportation–a boat, a hot air balloon, a magic flying carpet–but must be set free by a friend that she had freed earlier in the tale: a purple bird.  In an homage to Harold, Becker has subtly placed the color purple throughout the book, even from the first pen and ink spread with a boy on the edge of the page holding a purple crayon.  This story of friendship and adventure will delight readers of all ages.

Wordless picture book Sea of Dreams by Dennis Nolan is a beautiful work of art that draws you in from its cover with a boat on the crest of a wave and doesn’t let you go until the last page’s sandcastle.  Published in 2011 by Roaring Brook Press, this book is aimed at children ages 4-7, but anyone interested in art and its capacity to tell stories will delight in its pages.  The pictures tell the story of a young girl who builds a sandcastle on the beach and the tiny family who must vacate that sandcastle at night when the tide comes in. The seagull present throughout the story, the return of the little girl to build a taller sandcastle, the light on again at the end of the story…all of these elements leave the reader wondering what happens to the little family, and the lack of text enables the reader to come up with her own interpretation.  Both the story’s realistic and imaginative elements, such as mermaids riding seahorses, are rendered in vibrant, richly saturated hues capable of drawing a reader of any age into this imaginative look at what happens after you head home from a day at the beach, the sandcastle that you built still standing.

Picture book A is for Abigail: An Almanac of Amazing American Women, written by Lynne Cheney and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, is an alphabet book presenting noteworthy American women to readers ages 6-12.  Published in 2003 by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, the book’s rich details will draw readers in, as there is so much in both the text and illustrations to explore.  The colors and beautiful designs of the pages are enticing, especially the gatefold for the letter P: a curtain stage that reveals a bevy of American female performers. There is so much information packed onto each page that it is a bit visually overwhelming at times, particularly the B page for “Elizabeth Blackwell and others who wanted to heal” as you have to read around triangular pictures to learn about each woman featured.  That fact aside, this text contains a wealth of knowledge that would make a wonderful support for an elementary or middle school history class. Through this text, children will be introduced in an exciting way to many American women whose lives ought to be remembered and modeled.

Picture book Z is for Moose, written by Kelly Bingham and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, is a zany story of an impatient moose and his friend zebra, who is organizing an ABC presentation.  Published by Greenwillow Books in 2012, this book is one that is aimed at children ages 4-6, but children of all ages (including those just young at heart) will delight in this silly story, maybe even learning some letters of the alphabet along the way.  The book’s delightfully funny illustrations begin on the endpapers, where we see a moose holding up a curtain, standing in a line of animals before a zebra with a clipboard saying, “Okay, everyone. Let’s get ready.” We continue to be ushered into this world through the acknowledgement and title pages until we see an apple climbing a set of stairs to be the first feature in zebra’s alphabet show.  A, B, C…the book is moving along as expected until “D is for Moose,” a page on which a duck is falling off the back of the stage and zebra is scolding moose for being on the wrong page. The hijinks continue from there until zebra finds a way to work his friend into an unexpected place. While this is not necessarily an alphabet book for caretakers hoping for a clear illustration of each letter and a corresponding word with which to teach their children (the spread for O, P, and Q is trampled upon by a frustrated moose), the humor and unexpected nature of the story make it a fun read for storytime as children squeal with delight, “D is not for Moose!!”