The Mystery

The Mystery by Maxwell Eaton III. 2008.

This fun picture book is part of a series. The Max and Pinky series. This is the first I've read--but I'm sure they're all equally fun and playful. In The Mystery Max and Pinky are out to solve a mystery. During the day, the two are painting the barn. But each morning, they awake to discover that someone has mischievously done something--anything and everything--to the barn during the night that negates all their hard work. (They paint it red; they wake up to find it pink, etc.) Max does eventually solve this one...but you won't be hearing the ending from me!

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Before John Was a Jazz Giant

Weatherford, Carole Boston. 2008. Before John Was A Jazz Giant. Illustrated by Sean Qualls.

I just loved, loved, loved this one! It just excites me through and through. It just works. So many things to love, so many reasons why. I don't think I can do it justice. But I'll try. I'll try. The book--beautifully illustrated, award-worthy illustrations in my humble opinion--is a poetic tribute to the legendary John Coltrane. Each stanza of the poem begins with the refrain, "Before John was a jazz giant..." Each stanza gives the reader information about John's life--his family, his childhood, his background, his surroundings, etc. Weatherford's writing is just incredible--beautiful, rhythmic, and oh-so-right. The images she creates just resonate. I don't want to quote too much, but I don't want to quote too little either. These are the first two stanzas...

Before John was a jazz giant,
he heard hambones knocking in Grandma's pots,
Daddy strumming the ukulele,
and Mama cranking the phonograph.

Before John was a jazz giant,
he heard steam engines whistling past,
Cousin Mary giggling at jitterbuggers,
and Bojangles tap-dancing in the picture show.

I just loved the ending--adored it. But I'm not going to share that here. You need to pick this one up on your own!

Both the illustrations and the text were outstanding on this one.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

M is for Mischief

M is for Mischief: An A to Z of Naughty Children by Linda Ashman. Illustrated by Nancy Carpenter. 2008.

This one is a fun and playful alphabet book. It's a poetry book as well. Each letter of the alphabet gets a poem--some better than others, but all enjoyable enough. My personal favorite is Untidy Ursula.

Untidy Ursula

As usual, Ursula's room is chaotic,
Piled with junk, mundane and exotic--
A wrecked ukelele; buckets of dirt;
An unused umbrella; a torn undershirt;
An old unicycle, encrusted with rust;
Unearthly cobwebs; unspeakable dust;
Sticky utensils; unraveling rugs--
An untidy universe perfect for bugs.

Father, upset at this unsightly scene,
Says, "It's unkempt! I urge you to clean!"
Ursula, peering from under a heap,
Utters, "I would, but I'm buried too deep."

I do recommend this both as an alphabet and poetry book. (The illustrations are fun as well!) But it's one for older children--school-age children.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Everywhere the Cow Says Moo

Weinstein, Ellen Slusky. 2008. Everywhere the Cow Says "Moo!" Illustrated by Kenneth Andersson.

Ever wondered what animals sound like in another language? Then Everywhere the Cow Says Moo might just be the perfect book for you! (Whether you've ever wondered that or not, it's sure to appeal to youngsters who love animals--particularly barn animals. Who doesn't love saying quack, quack or ribbit, ribbit?) The concept of this one is simple but wonderful. What do dogs, frogs, ducks, and roosters sound like in other languages--English, Spanish, French, and Japanese. This one also has a fun refrain...can you guess it...after we meet and greet (learn the representation of each animal's sound in a foreign language) the animal, we all join in and say, "But everywhere the cow says "Moo!" Isn't that fun? I just loved this one. Definitely recommended.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

A Very Marley Christmas

Grogan, Josh. 2008. A Very Marley Christmas. Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey. HarperCollins.

A nice and playful story about a dog who gets a little too excited about Christmas. In this wholesome story, we've got a loving family--Dad, Mom, brother, sister--with a very loving dog, Marley. The anticipation. The preparing. The joy. Marley is right there, front and center, willing and able to celebrate along with everyone else. But Marley doesn't always get it right. It was a bit too sweet for me--snow for Christmas morning and all--but it was nice. The illustrations are very cute and sweet. They were probably my favorite part of the book.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers