Review: Meet Einstein by Mariela Kleiner

Meet Einstein encourages children to explore the world. It validates a child's wonder and intense curiosity by showing how scientists are curious people, too, who ask questions, make observations and investigate things that we may take for granted. I was hoping for more information in the story-line about Einstein. The text could have been about Sir. Isaac Newton or Einstein and no one would know the difference. The story will teach preschoolers about gravity and visible light (colors!). I do think it would have been okay to go even deeper and show how light acts like waves and that there's "light" we can't see. Viviana Garofoli's illustrations in Meet Einstein are super cute and demonstrate the many things scientists do. The pictures are appealing and should make science interesting to youngsters. All in all, a good book to share with kiddos aged 2-5.


Publisher: Meet Books, 2008     Pages: 32
Rating: 3.5 Stars     Source: Free from the publisher. Thanks, MB!

Wordless Books Review: Shadow and Wave by Suzy Lee

Shadow begins as a young girl enters a garage full of tools and junk. Using her imagination, and aided by her shadow, the girl creates a wonderland to play in. The text is laid out so that the pages flip up like a calendar. On the top page is the real world and the bottom page displays a mirror of shadow images which show the reader what the girls sees in her mind. As the story progresses, the real world and shadow world begin to blend showing how the girl becomes immersed in her imagination. I recognized myself in the the text's little girl as I was often happily lost in my own fantasy world at that age. If you notice children playing by themselves, who are completely immersed in their play, and wonder what it is they are seeing, I recommend reading Shadow to find out.

In Wave, a little girl plays in the ocean's surf. It begins with her charging towards to water and timidly testing it with her toes. Soon she is splashing away, scaring off sea gulls and collecting sea shells. It is a cute story in which the girl learns the exciting power of the sea. As she leaves with her mom, the girl looks back over her shoulder and waves goodbye to the ocean.

A book without words can still tell a story. In Shadow (2010) and Wave (2008), Suzy Lee captures childhood in its simplistic glory. The plot of each story is less important than the overall experience conveyed. The stories' brevity remind me of a haiku in that they capture one moment in an exquisite manner. Here is a link to the Suzy Lee's website. These books count toward the POC Reading Challenge!

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2010 and 2008     Pages: 44 and 40
Rating: 4 and 3.5 Stars     Source: Public Library

Picture Book: The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by D. and A. Wood

The Little Mouse was published the year I was born. I'm inclined to think that's why it's such a good book. Well, maybe it has to do with the awesome story and Don Wood's super cute illustrations!

Summary from back cover: "The little mouse will do anything to save his strawberry from the big, hungry bear. The bear holds all the cards, but who is playing the fox's role?"

The narrator speaks to the mouse throughout the story, alerting him to the bear's presence. I loved how the mouse tries desperately to hide the strawberry but is ultimately convinced to share half the berry with the narrator. It's such a cute story, with a little suspense and a lot of humor, that I envision young children really enjoying it. The Little Mouse is definitely a classic!

Publisher: Childs Play Intl Ltd., 1984     Pages: 32
Rating: 4 Stars     Source: Public Library

Review: Lost & Found by Shaun Tan

Tan’s paintings create a surreal reading experience that is fantastic and poignant. The paintings themselves are exquisite but difficult to define. Their concepts are rather abstract in that Tan represents emotions and everyday experiences by slightly altering traditional metaphors. Tan uses the unexpected and foreign to create a different perspective on the familiar. From observing the pictures, it appears Tan uses many different substances including oil, pencil and text clippings that look like they are from  newspapers or books.

Lost & Found is a collection of three previously published stories, The Red Tree (my favorite), The Lost Things, and The Rabbits (written by John Marsden and illustrated by Tan). While the stories can be dark they remain stories about humanity and the human experience. The themes are presented in such a way that anyone should be able to relate.

Categorizing this book, defining its genre and audience, is difficult. On his website, Tan explains that he does not write or paint with children in mind yet, it is children who often pick up on the subtleties in his paintings. It is a testament to his ability that Tan’s books reach a wide audience. If you have not heard of or read anything by Shaun Tan, I highly suggest you give his books a try.

Publisher: Author A. Levine Books, 2011     Pages: 128
Rating: 4 Stars     Source: Public Library

Review: Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey

Ruth and the Green Book shows how racial segregation affected an average African American family. When Ruth's dad buys a car the family decides to drive from Chicago to Alabama to visit her grandma. There were few places the Jim Crow laws didn't reach and the "open road" was no exception. Many hotels, restaurants and service stations refused to serve Ruth's family. After eating and sleeping in the car, Ruth's excitement about her vacation is tainted with worry and fatigue.

A friendly traveler gives Ruth's family a copy of The Negro Motorist Green Book. Published by Victor H. Green from 1936-'64, The Green Book listed gas stations, barber shops and homes of those willing to give African American travelers a place to rest, eat a good meal and fix up their cars between destinations. Ruth enjoys picking out  "Tourist Homes" from the book. Cooper's illustrations capture the scenic countryside and intimate family dynamics as Ruth's family travels to grandma's house.

If you are interested in The Green Book you can view a full 1949 edition in PDF here. It's a lot of fun to look up your state and see the names of people and businesses from a town near you that accommodated traveling families like Ruth's during the Jim Crow era. Ruth and the Green Book is a touching story great for early elementary students. Listen to a podcast with illustrator Floyd Cooper here. This book counts towards the POC Reading Challenge!

Publisher: Carolrhoda Books, 2010     Pages: 32    
Illustrator: Floyd Cooper     Source: Public Library
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Pirate of Kindergarten by George Ella Lyon

The Pirate of Kindergarten is a compelling story about a fun-loving girl with double vision. Through Lynne Avril's illustrations the reader sees as Ginny sees – double – which gives the reader an idea of how difficult the world is for children with vision impairments and reading disabilities. Ginny, unaware that she is different, does her best to keep up with class activities. After a vision screening she is sent to the eye doctor and given a patch to wear. Ginny embraces the patch and incorporates it into her persona as an adventurous pirate.

The book’s focus is not on the disability, not on the patch, but on the person. We see through Ginny’s eyes how it is to be affected and are able to gain an appreciation for her position. The illustrations are bright and cheerful. They show us the fullness of Ginny’s emotions. For instance, when Ginny plunges her scissors into glue we see how overwhelming the situation is for her. A cute and enlightening book for preschool to early elementary readers.

Publisher: Atheneum Books, 2010     Pages: 40
Rating: 4 Stars     Source: Public Library