There's No Such Thing As Ghosts!

Eeckhout, Emmanuelle. 2008. There's No Such Thing As Ghosts!

This is a small picture book with big charm. I didn't think I'd like it all that much, but it surprised me in a way. I'll try to explain. It's very simple. And simple can sometimes be a very good thing. In this story, the words say one thing, but the illustrations say something very different. There are two stories going on essentially--one revealed by text, one revealed through art. And for some reason or other, this really worked for me. I can't quite explain why.

"When we moved to our new neighborhood, I had to promise my mother that I wouldn't go near the strange old house on the corner. "People say it's haunted," she whispered. Haunted? There's no such thing as ghosts! But if there is...I'm going to catch one!"

So this little boy goes on a ghost-hunt in this house...room by room by room with no luck. But as the illustrations show, there were ghosts here, there, and everywhere.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Harry the Dog

This past week, I've had the pleasure of reading two of my childhood favorites: Harry the Dirty Dog and No Roses for Harry! Both books are by Gene Zion. Both are illustrated by Margaret Bloy Graham.

In Harry the Dirty Dog, readers meet a lovable black and white dog named Harry. Harry, like some of his readers I'm sure, doesn't like to take baths. Harry much prefers staying nice and dirty to undergoing the ordeal that is bath-taking with a scrub brush. After a particularly dirty-day when Harry looks more like a black dog with white spots than a white dog with black spots, he succombs to the bath so his family will recognize him.

In No Roses for Harry, readers get another adventure. This time Grandma has made a sweater for Harry to wear. But it's a girly sweater with roses on it. Harry hates it. He tries to find ways to discard the sweater...but these attempts appear to be failing until a bird helps Harry out! This is a funny book.

I enjoyed both books and would recommend them.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Josh's Halloween Pumpkin

Lay, Kathryn. 2008. Josh's Halloween Pumpkin.

Josh's Halloween Pumpkin is the story of a brother, Josh, and a sister, Callie, who find a great, big, giant pumpkin in their Grandpa Frank's pumpkin patch. Both love the pumpkin and think it must be magic because it is so big. Josh has plans for this pumpkin. And they don't include selling it along with the others in the patch. But when Callie becomes lost in the woods on Halloween, Josh sacrifices his giant pumpkin in a rescue effort: a jack-o-lantern big enough to light her way back home.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Gift Ideas 2008: Monster Mash

Where The Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
The Monster At The End of This Book by Jon Stone
Go To Bed, Monster by Natasha Wing
Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
Glad Monster, Sad Monster by Anne Miranda and Ed Emberley
Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullyburg by Ed Emberley
There's A Wocket In My Pocket by Dr. Seuss
When A Monster Is Born by Sean Taylor
My Monster Mama Loves Me So by Laura Leuck
There's A Nightmare In My Closet by Mercer Mayer
There Are Monsters Everywhere by Mercer Mayer
There's Something In My Attic by Mercer Mayer
Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems
Jitterbug Jam by Barbara Jean Hicks
Hungry Monsters: A Pop-Up Book of Colors by Matt Mitter
Monster Hug by David Ezra Stein
Little Monsters by Jan Pienkowski
Hungry Monster ABC: An Alphabet Book by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
One Hungry Monster: A Counting Book in Rhyme by Susan Heyboer O'Keefe
Monster Goose by Judy Sierra
Monster Motel by Douglas Florian

For older children:

Monsterology: The Complete Book of Monstrous Beasts by Ernest Dr. Drake
Monster Mad Libs by Roger Price

© Becky Laney of Young Readers

Trick or Treat On Monster Street

Schnitzlein, Danny. 2008. Trick or Treat On Monster Street. Illustrated by Matt Faulkner.

I used to be a scaredy cat
afraid to sleep in my own bed.
Late at night, when things went bump,
I'd conjure monsters in my head.

My brothers knew my weakness well.
Every time they got the chance,
They'd think of ways to make me scream,
and laugh when I would wet my pants.

But now I've changed. I laugh at ghosts.
Monsters fill me with delight.
It happened, as you might have guessed,
one dark and spooky Halloween night.

Thus the book begins. There were several things about the book that I wasn't so crazy about. I thought the rhyming was lacking. It felt unnatural and forced in places. It seemed the story was being directed--in a way--by what rhymed. Not all the time. Not every stanza. Not every spread. But enough that it bugged me. The second thing that I disliked was the lack of rhythm. Lack of rhythm in a picture book is offensive to me. Rhythm, contrary to popular opinion, doesn't necessarily correlate with rhyming. And despite me trying several different times, I couldn't find a rhythm to read this one aloud where it sounded good...like it flowed...like it worked. It was just all over the place.

The story itself--minus the rhythm/rhyming issues--was okay. A boy is scared of monsters until he learns that they are scared of him and new friendships are formed. The illustrations I didn't personally care for, but I think it is just personal taste.

© Becky Laney of Young Readers