You're A Grand Old Flag

Cohan, George M. 2008. You're A Grand Old Flag. Featuring the art of Norman Rockwell. Simon & Schuster.

Norman Rockwell art is paired with the patriotic song "You're A Grand Old Flag" in this beautiful, celebratory picture book. Fourteen illustrations capturing the 'spirit' of America have been chosen to appear alongside George M. Cohan's lyrics. These illustrations span seven decades: the earliest being 1918, the latest being 1971.

It's a book that is enjoyable on several different levels. I love looking at the art. Studying all the details. Imagining the stories-behind-the-art. Rockwell art has a way of making me curious. Of making me want to know more.



© Becky Laney of Young Readers

How To Make A Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A.

Priceman, Marjorie. 2008. How To Make A Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. Random House.

Ever wondered how a cherry pie is made? Ever wanted to take the scenic route? Going beyond the basic recipe? Sure you could just go to the Cook Shop and buy everything you need to make a pie. But what if that 'Cook Shop' is closed? How far would you go for a piece of cherry pie? (As for me, not very far. I don't like cherries. Period. But I'm willing to imagine--for the sake of fairness--that I do.) In this imaginative book, the reader is sent to state after state after state in search of natural resources needed to be processed in order to do things the easy way. (Collecting sand so you can make glass. Collecting oil so you can make plastic. Collecting coal so you can make steel. Etc.)

Catch an express bus to New Mexico. If the bus stops at the northwest corner of the state, take the opportunity to be four places at once. That was fun. Now back to work. Your task is to find some clay. A good place to look is down--you're probably standing on it! Dig up enough clay to make a mixing bowl. (Look out for cactus needles!)

It's a silly book--a stretch of a book. But it is playful, conversational, and informative. I remember reading How To Make An Apple Pie and See The World several years ago. (More than several, if I remember correctly.) And I enjoyed that one a good deal more than this. But this one is fun as well. I think it is for older readers.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

God Found Us You

Bergren, Lisa Tawn. 2009. God Found Us You. Illustrated by Laura J. Bryant. HarperCollins.

In God Found Us You a Mama Fox recounts the story to Little Fox of how he came to be hers, of how 'God found us you.' It's one of those sweet-adoption stories. (You probably know the sort.)

Little Fox cuddled up to Mama Fox one night and said sleepily, "Mama, tell me again about the day I came home."

She's happy to oblige. (She probably tells this story over and over again, I've no doubt!) Here's a little snippet,

"I started seeing you everywhere, in the leaves of the giant oak and in the bark of the pine. Even in the stars! Oh, how I longed for the day that you would arrive, when God would find us you."

This becomes the refrain of the book, everything always points back to the phrase, when God would find us you. Which is a nice touch for Christian families who have adopted.

Overall, I liked it. I thought it was a sweet story with a good message, a welcoming and reaffirming message. I enjoyed the illustrations by Laura J. Bryant. I thought they complemented the text well.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

The Zoo I Drew

Doodler (Goldman), Todd H. 2009. The Zoo I Drew. Random House. (July 28(ish) publication)

This one's a keeper. And not just for zoo keepers either. Though this one boasts that it is "zoo-keeper approved." (And who am I to doubt Todd H. Doodler?!) I loved this one. Loved it. It had me at hello. Its bright red cover is fluted; I loved feeling all the ridges--made it so much more appealing. The art is fun and playful. But maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. The Zoo I Drew is an animal (well zooish) alphabet book for youngsters. Each letter has an animal and a rhyme to go along with it.

A is for Alligator...
With a mouth full of teeth
and a body that's covered in scales.
The alligator likes to bask in the sun
and swim with it's powerful tail.

M is for Monkey
Hanging from its tail,
The monkey likes to play around.
It swings from tree to tree
And seldom touches the ground.

As I said, I loved this one. So it shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that I'm highly recommending it to you. It's to be released in late July.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Crazy Hair

Gaiman, Neil. 2009. Crazy Hair. Illustrated by Dave McKean. HarperCollins.

This is Bonnie.
This is me.
We were standing
silently.
She said,
"I don't mean to stare.
Mister, you've got
Crazy hair."

A love of all things Gaiman sure helps when reading Crazy Hair. That and a love of all-things-silly. In Crazy Hair we meet a semi-crazy pair: A little girl and a grown man with some crazy hair.

What's going on in this man's crazy hair? A little bit of everything I'd imagine:

In my hair
Gorillas leap,
Tigers stalk,
And ground sloths sleep.
Prides of lions
Make their lair
Somewhere
in my crazy hair.

See what I mean about silly? But silly works at times. I'm not saying it doesn't. I did like that it was imaginative. I can see a few extension activities working with this one. Page after page, Bonnie hears the warnings about his crazy hair. But what happens when she braves to approach that 'crazy' hair with a comb? Read and see for yourself in Neil Gaiman's Crazy Hair.

Personally, I don't care for the Dave McKean illustrations. He's just not my style. But you might appreciate them more than I did. I see this one as appealing to a wider audience than most picture books.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Natalie & Naughtily

Kirsch, Vincent X. 2008. Natalie and Naughtily. Bloomsbury.

Natalie and Naughtily Nopps lived in a house on top of the greatest department store in the world. Did you notice that it is a department store with their name on it? Well, did you?

From the time they were born, Natalie did things one way and Naughtily did them another.

On rainy days, these two are allowed to play in the store. On sunny days, they wish it would rain. (They'd rather play in the store than on the beautiful roof-top garden.) This story takes place on a rainy day. The girls' parents have asked them not to play in the store. But the girls decide that they should ignore those instructions. They're not going to "play" in the store, they're going to help in the store. But how much can help can two small--and sometimes naughty, but always stubborn--children be? Read and see in Natalie and Naughtily.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Peanut

Lucas, David. 2008. Peanut. Candlwick Press.

In the night,
on a tree,
a flower grew.

As the sun rose,
the flower opened.

Inside was a monkey, a monkey as big as a pea.
In the warm sun, he soon turned golden brown
and grew as big as a nut.

Peanut is the story of a small monkey--named Peanut, as you might have guessed. The world is a little overwhelming for Peanut. He's not sure how the world works exactly. He is less than a day old after all. It's only natural that wind and rain might worry him a bit. Peanut is a timid and curious little monkey that's for sure!

Did I like the story? It was cute enough in a way. But I'm not sure I'd consider it a must-read by any means. It's more than a little silly. It's a lot silly. And it's fun. I'd be curious to see how kids respond to Peanut.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers