Walt Disney's Cinderella

Rylant, Cynthia. 2007. Walt Disney's Cinderella.

2007 saw the publication of many great books for kids and young adults. A few really really really topped my list. Among the best of the best in feel-good, utterly and completely satisfying category is Cynthia Rylant's Walt Disney's Cinderella. This one goes above and beyond any and all expectations. It just doesn't get better than this. It doesn't. Trust me.

A word on the illustrations. They are by Mary Blair. She did the concept art for the Walt Disney film. It is so completely fabulous. They are NOT the final illustrations from the film like so many other Disney versions. But it is the inspiration for those illustrations. These pictures definitely evoke mood and tone.

A word on the text. It is oh-so-magical. This is how it begins, "This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love." We're told that, "Every day Cinderella wished for Love" and that the Prince had not yet fallen in love, "Any young maiden in the kingdom could have been his, for he was brave and kind and destined to be king. But of all the girls he had ever known or seen, not one touched his heart. Not one moved him." The story may be familiar to all, but this telling is so charming, so beautiful that it will make you fall in love all over again. "Who can say by what mystery two people find each other in this great wide world? How does a young man find his maiden? His heart leads him. He finds her in a room. He asks her to dance. And when he touches her, he knows."

This one is definitely a must-read in my opinion. A pure joy from cover to cover. Highly highly highly recommended.

The Phantom Mudder

Odgers, Darrel and Sally. 2006. Jack Russell: Dog Detective: The Phantom Mudder. Kane/Miller.

Originally published in Australia, this fun new series of early readers is published by Kane/Miller. I reviewed the first book of the series, Dog Den Mystery, a few days ago. I loved it. (Read that one here if you missed it.) The Phantom Mudder is the second in the series. (But it's not essential to have read the first one. These books could stand alone or be read in any order.) The book features Jack Russell, a dog, and his human 'landlord' Sarge and Auntie Tidge and her dog, Foxie, also enter into it quite a bit. This book focuses on the local dog show. It's the day of the big competition, but something is wrong! One dog after another after another after another are being "mudded" right before they're due to compete! Who is mudding these dogs? Who is out to sabotage the competition? Can Jack Russell and his dog friends solve the mystery in time?

Here's just one of the "Jack's Facts" featured in The Phantom Mudder:

Jack's Facts

Dogs understand what humans say.
Humans think they understand what dogs say.
Therefore, dogs are smarter than humans.
This is a fact.

Time Spies: Secret in the Tower

Ransom, Candice. 2006. Time Spies: Secret in the Tower.

Mattie, Alex, and Sophie are three siblings about to stumble into a great mysteriously magical adventure. It all starts when the Chapman family moves from Maryland to Virginia. Their parents, Mr. and Mrs. Chapman, are hoping to make a great change in their lives. They bought a huge, three-story stone house--which dates at least in part to Colonial times. Their dream is to open an inn. Their first guest is a Mr. Jones. He is a man who may not be what he seems as the children come to discover. I don't want to say too much more. But if you love the idea of time travel, if you love history, then this is one series you'll want to follow. Secret in the Tower as the first novel sets up the premise and introduces readers to the stars: the three Chapman children, Ellsworth the stuffed elephant, and Winchester the cat.

I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. My only regret? That these books weren't around when I was a kid. I would have so fallen in love with this series. The idea of time travel has always intrigued me to say the least. I loved the TV show Voyagers, though I don't remember too many of the details now.

Baby Shoes

Slater, Dashka. 2008. Baby Shoes. (Board Book) Bloomsbury.

I love this board book. I do. Baby Shoes is the story of one boy and his shoes during the course of a day. (Well, the book doesn't say it's all in one day. But it doesn't say it's not all one day either. But it's not a big deal either way.) White shoes. The baby has white shoes. Any guesses on how long they'll stay all new, white, and pristine looking? Baby Shoes is a fun, rhythmic book. This is how it starts, "Baby's got some brand-new shoes, white as light, stripe of blue. He passed over all the rest, chose the ones he liked best." And here is just one of the examples of how baby's white-shoes end up not quite so white:

Mama and Baby take a walk.
Baby brings some colored chalk.
Uses red to draw a rose
and some red loops on the toes
of those white high-jumping
fast-running
loop-de-looping
shoes!

Baby says "uh-oh!"
Mama says "Oh, no!"
But those shoes just go, go, go.

It's fun. It's playful. It's rhythmic. It's repetitive. It's a good thing.

Take a sneak peek at Little Pea!

Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is one of my FAVORITE picture books.