The Very Fairy Princess

Booklist (April 15, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 16))
Preschool-Kindergarten. A girl who believes she is really a princess isn’t a new premise in children’s literature, so it’s refreshing to find a very real little girl as our protagonist, especially given a title that evokes an expectation of a more traditionally froufrou young royal. Geraldine (Gerry) just knows she is a princess and narrates the events of her day, offering commentary about her many doubters: “My brother, Stewart, says princesses don’t wear sneakers and don’t have scabby knees.” Gerry’s type of princess isn’t too precious; in response to her brother, she asserts, “Fairy princesses are very practical.” A long day passes—breakfast, school, playtime, and dinner—before the one person who never doubts her comes home: Daddy. Freckled, spiky haired, pink clad, and irrepressible, Geraldine is reminiscent of Eloise. She lets kids know it’s not necessary to be prim and proper to be a “real” princess; princesses who just want to have fun will find plenty of that here.

Tell The Truth B.B. Wolf

Horn Book (September/October, 2010)
In this follow-up to Mind Your Manners, B.B. Wolf (rev. 7/07), B.B. Wolf now lives at the Villain Villa senior center with such characters as the troll, the witch, and Rumpelstiltskin. Invited to lead a storytime by librarian Miss Wonderly, he tries to tell his version of "The Three Little Pigs," in which he was blowing on a dandelion puff and "there, in the middle of a messy pile of straw, stood an angry little piggie." Unfortunately for B.B., the three little pigs are in attendance and yell from the audience, "Tell the truth, B.B. Wolf!" The other nursery tale characters, including Humpty Dumpty, aren't buying his story, either, and eventually he apologizes and even builds the pigs a beautiful new triplex. This isn't the first re-spinning of the "Three Pigs" tale, but Seibold's stylish illustrations, with their cartoon energy and zippy details, along with the library setting and multiple puns, make it unique. The cover shows a stack of books that includes not just The 3 Lying Pigs but also Little Red Rotten Hood, and readers will be glad to hear Mr. Wolf's version of that tale someday, too. susan dove lempke

The Lost Hero

Booklist (November 1, 2010 (Online))
Grades 4-8. Readers longing for a return to Camp Half-Blood will get their wish in the first novel of the Heroes of Olympus series, which follows Riordan’s popular Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and includes some of the same characters in minor roles. The new cast features Jason, Piper, and Leo, teen demigods who are just coming to understand and use their unique abilities as they learn how much depends upon their wits, courage, and fast-developing friendship. Setting up the books to come, the backstory of a master plan to unseat the gods is complex but is doled out in manageable bits with a general air of foreboding. Meanwhile, the action scenes come frequently as the three heroic teens fight monstrous enemies in North American locales, including the Grand Canyon, Quebec City, Detroit, Chicago, Omaha, Pikes Peak, and Sonoma Valley. Flashes of humor lighten the mood at times, but a tone of urgency and imminent danger seems as integral to this series as the last. With appealing new characters within a familiar framework, this spin-off will satisfy the demand for more.

Interrupting Chicken

Booklist (September 15, 2010 (Vol. 107, No. 2))
Preschool-Grade 3. At bedtime, Papa prepares to read an old favorite to the little red chicken, but before beginning, he reminds her not to interrupt the story. Reassured, he begins “Hansel and Gretel,” but just as the two children approach the witch’s house, up pops the little red chicken, exclaiming “‘DON’T GO IN! SHE’S A WITCH!’ . . . THE END!” Two more attempted bedtime stories end abruptly with the little red chicken saving Little Red Riding Hood and Chicken Little. The childlike humor of this wonderfully illustrated picture book will bring belly laughs from kids, particularly those who know the original stories. Stein uses page turns dramatically to build tension, which is released each time the chicken interrupts and amends a fairy tale. Differences in medium and style differentiate between scenes taking place in the folktales and in the main story. Created with watercolor, water-soluble crayon, and pen and ink, the illustrations are vivid and dramatic. Great fun for reading aloud.

Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring

Booklist starred (July 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 21))
Grades 2-4. Dance. Music. Set. All of these elements contribute to the experience of Appalachian Spring, an American classic that continues to thrill audiences. But authors Greenberg and Jordan are less concerned with presenting the ballet (although readers do get a strong sense of it) and more interested in how such an extraordinary collaboration came to be. How does an idea go from a jotted note on choreographer Martha Graham’s pad to a fierce triumph? In crisp yet patient sentences, the authors begin with a vision: a story to be told in movement and music, an American pioneer tale. Composer Aaron Copland takes his cues from his knowledge of Graham’s powerful yet simple dance style. A Shaker hymn leads him to the music, which in turn ignites Graham’s choreography. But one more element is needed. Enter artist Isamu Noguchi, whose set design is as spare and strong as the ballet. The collaboration continues as the dance becomes fully formed, opening triumphantly in 1944. In this book, too, disparate elements come together. Matching the mood of Graham’s moves, the writing is pared down but full of possibilities. Floca’s ink-and-watercolor artwork nimbly shifts from the prosaic (Copland reading Graham’s script) to the visionary (a bride and groom on the open prairie) to the several-spread finale of the ballet itself. The book as a whole beautifully captures the process of artistic creation. The extensive back matter that concludes is welcome, but what readers will surely want after putting this down is to see and hear Appalachian Spring for themselves.

Mythlopedia: All in the family

School Library Journal (February 1, 2010)
Gr 4-6-Jam-packed with trivia, brief profiles, god and goddess relationships, stories, "Top 10 Things to Know About Me" facts, and entertaining illustrations, this title explores 20 heroes and mortals of classic Greek mythology. The selections include the well-known Achilles, Heracles, Odysseus, and Pandora and the more obscure Meleager, Orion, Atalanta, and Bellerophon; each one is given lively treatment. A helpful introduction, a glossary, recommended Web sites, and a family tree complete the package and make this a treasure trove of facts for report writers. While somewhat cluttered, the lighthearted style and humorous collage and cartoon illustrations may draw even the most reluctant of readers. However, those with some knowledge of Greek myths will get the most out of it, and laugh at the inside jokes. Useful for collections where mythology is popular and part of the local curriculum.-Angela J. Reynolds, Annapolis Valley Regional Library, Bridgetown, NS, Canada Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil

Kirkus Review (April 1, 2010)
An exuberant and intriguing way to answer Grandma's questions about school. The young girl narrator starts with her teacher, whose voice is "as sweet as candy (except when she is very excited)" and who smells "lovely as flowers." These and other attributes of the teacher are illustrated with found objects: blue flower-shaped buttons, plastic letters, a piece of hard candy in a red wrapper. On the next page, against a bright, fuchsia background, there is a portrait of the teacher: Her face is a chalkboard, her mouth is that piece of candy, her hair is the jumble of letters and so on. The girl's best friend has a sharpened-pencil mouth and a plastic microscope for a nose. Each figure--including the librarian, the art teacher and Sofia, "the wildest girl in my class"--is created on a matte gouache background with body and features made of collaged photographic images of these familiar objects. Great, inventive fun. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)