Strawberry Hill by Mary Ann Hoberman (Little, Brown and Co. 2009)

Alice, known as Allie, loves living in an apartment in the Greenberg’s house in New Haven because her best friend is Ruthie the landlord’s daughter. It is the Depression and Allie’s father works in Stamford. He can only come home on weekends. Now, however, her father has rented a home in Stanford with the lyrical name of 12 Strawberry Hill., Allie reluctantly moves. On day one a neighbor, Martha comes by. They are both going to be in fourth grade and Allie has found a new best friend. Martha and Allie notice another girl their age on the block, Mimi, but Martha dismisses Mimi by saying she is a crybaby. The ups and downs of fourth graders’ friendships are minutely observed. Allie gets her first whiff of anti-Semitism when Martha’s best friend Cynthia calls her a dirty Jew. She discovers that Mimi, in spite of Martha’s putdown, is an interesting person. Throughout the book Allie constantly reevaluates what it means to be a friend. She also becomes aware of the cruelty and indifference of her friends’ parents. Glimpses of how the Depression affects schoolmates’ lives impact her consciousness.  This is a gentle realistic book of a young girl maturing.

J Fiction, Recommended –  Lillian Hecker (PEL)

Night Wings by Joseph Bruchac (Harper Collins 2009)

Stand back, Sasquatch and Big Foot! Make room for Pmole, a giant creature with a huge wingspan and red burning eyes. He lives in the White Mountains of New Hampshire where the old Abernaki trails and the old ways are not too distant. Thirteen-year-old Paul lives with his almost silent grandfather Peter in a trailer while Paul’s parents are deployed to a war zone in the Middle East. Grampa Pete served in the Vietnam War, one in a long line of Indian military men in the family who enlisted from the Revolutionary War to the present. He is a scout and knows the woods, lakes, and peaks of the White Mountains. It is no surprise when a small group of bad guys making a TV documentary arrive at the trailer and force Pete and Paul to help them find the ancient treasure of Pmole where it is  hidden at the top of Mount Washington. The book covers the familiar pattern of kidnapping, violence, guns, and a chase. The ordinary, however, is leavened with Abernaki folklore, respect for nature, and Paul’s resourcefulness in the face of danger. This is an old-fashioned action book most middle school boys will enjoy.

J Fic , Recommend- Lillian Hecker (Pelham)

RED TED AND THE LOST THINGS written by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Joel Stewart

Red Ted is a teddy bear who finds himself on a high shelf in the Lost and Found of a large train station. He’s desolate that his owner, Stevie, left him behind when getting off the train. The toy Crocodile next to him tries to comfort him with resignation, but Red Ted instead resolves to find Stevie. Together they escape the Lost and Found and on the way meet a street-wise stray cat. The threesome brave the dangerous streets, and with luck and perseverance, get to Stevie’s house. Stevie is a young girl with a big heart, and she knows just what to do to reward Red Ted and his new friends.

Contrasting against blurry but detailed sepia backgrounds that evoke a time-worn city, the characters—rendered in loose line and muted color—move forward with fear of abandonment but smart cunning.

Picture Book, ages 4-6.  Recommended- Amelia L. Carling (Pelham)

MY ELEPHANT written and illustrated by Petr Horáček (Candlewick Press, 2009)

Grandpa and Grandma are too busy, so their little grandson turns to his friend Elephant, who is always eager to play. A trampled flower bed, puddles of water in the bathroom, spilled orange juice, all kinds of mischief—they are all Elephant’s fault, the little boy says, when asked who did it by his grandparents. The little boy feels bad about telling on his imaginary friend the Elephant, but with his grandparents’ help, he finds the comfort and understanding of a loyal friendship. Clear and direct illustrations drive home a message about making and keeping friends.

Picture Book, preschool to age 6.  Recommended- Amelia L. Carling (Pelham)

THE PATTERSON PUPPIES AND THE RAINY DAY written and illustrated by Leslie Patricelli

On a rainy day the four Patterson puppies run out of things to do. That is, until they let their imagination take them to the beach and into the ocean in wildly fun rumpus. After clean up, a bowl of spilled popcorn leads them into a pretend winter landscape, and more fun. Young readers will delight in these imaginary adventures set off by ordinary things. Illustrated with bold black line and color and told with easy words, these puppies’ story is full of camaraderie and charm.

Picture Book, Preschool.  Recommended- Amelia L. Carling (Pelham)

THE PRINCESS’S BLANKETS by Carol Ann Duffy and paintings by Catherine Hyde (Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, 2009)

The princess is always cold. She lies in her bed covered in blankets and the servants warm her room with roaring fires, all to no avail.  A dark stranger appears, promising the king and queen that with his magic he will make their daughter warm, but for this, they must agree to let him take her away to be his wife.  The princess herself is fearful of this stranger with cruel eyes. She resists; she is as cold as the ocean, as cold as the forest, as cold as the mountain, as cold as the earth.  Each blanket that the stranger flings on her takes away the fish from the ocean; the fruit, the wood, and the animals from the forest; the rain and the rivers from the mountain; the food, the flowers and the soil from the earth.  And the people suffer. Still, the princess resists the arrogant stranger.  One day a musician wonders into the gloomy land and upon hearing the story of the princess, approaches the castle and asks to see her.  Her beauty inspires him to play his flute and as they fall in love, his touch makes the stranger’s blankets fall away, restoring all the lost goodness back to the world and the people.  The stranger is never heard from again.

In the tradition of a fairy tale narrative, this story is told with powerful poetic language. The artwork, accentuated with stone-like shimmers of metallic foil, is equally as mysterious and compelling in its evocation of the deepest textures and emotions we harbor about the ocean, the forest, the mountain, and the earth. For a story that is so entrancing to listen to, it is unfortunate that the text is set in a small font size that crowds as many as twenty words on a single line. This may make the book hard to read aloud to a group of children.

Picture Book, ages 4-8.  Recommended- Amelia Carling (Pelham Public Library)

THE KING OF QUIZZICAL ISLAND by Gordon Snell and illustrated by David McKee (Candlewick Press 1978, 2009)

The beloved and inquisitive King of Quizzical Island decides, against all advice, to sail out to the edge of the world “and find… what I shall find.”  In a tumultuous adventure narrated in verse and nonsensical rhyme, the King discovers unimaginable lands and creatures and, sailing from place to place, makes it back to his castle, thus proving that the world is not flat but round.  His people cheer his amazing discovery, but only the Owl casts doubt on it.  Instead of rebuffing Owl’s doubt, the King then decides to seek further proof that the world is round by digging a hole that will come out at the other side of the world, thus setting off another adventure of discovery and questioning.   With humorous and whimsical black line drawings and minimal color, the illustrator captures the spirit of persistent curiosity that drives the King and encourages the reader to do the same.   This story celebrates the child’s natural imagination and inclination to ask questions that can lead to more questions.

Picture Book, ages 4-8.  Recommended- Amelia Carling (Pelham Public Library)

THE EVOLUTION OF CALPURNIA TATE by Jacqueline Kelly

Feisty, 11 year old Calpurnia Virginia (Callie Vee) Tate lives in rural Texas in 1899.  Unlike other girls her age, she has no interest in tackling the womanly pursuits of sewing, cooking, lace-making and knitting. In fact, her efforts inevitably end with disastrous results. Instead, Callie would rather explore the flora and fauna of the family’s 600 acres with her grandfather, an amateur naturalist. Together, they collect specimens and record their observations in a notebook given to Callie by her beloved older brother, Harry.

The theme of each chapter is represented by a quote from Darwin’s The Origin of Species, a book that plays a large role in this story. Callie’s interest in this “controversial” book is noted by her grandfather, who, to her delight, gives her a copy to study. Her grandfather also educates her in the scientific method and tells her about women who have become famous scientists. Boosted by her grandfather’s encouragement, Callie may yet be able to withstand her family’s expectations to enter society, find a suitable beau, marry and have children. Maybe she will have the fortitude to fight for her dream of going to university to study science instead.

Many entertaining episodes leave the reader chuckling:

• Callie’s animal loving younger brother Travis, who gets too attached to the turkeys meant for Thanksgiving dinner
• 3 of Callie’s brothers falling in love with her best friend, Lula
• Callie’s annoyance at Harry’s courtship of a vain, insipid bore

This is a great cross-over novel, especially for those girls who don’t fit into their family’s or society’s expectations.

 J-Fiction Highly Recommended, Marci Dressler- Ossining

DAUGHTERS OF THE SEA: HANNAH by Kathryn Lasky (Scholastic 2009)

There are at least three different plot lines in this fantasy; a chaste love story, a girl who can turn herself into a mermaid, and the social mores of the upper class and the servant class below stairs. Hannah is a teenage orphan who must find employment. She is outspoken and opinionated which is not welcome in a servant. However, she manages to secure a job as a scullery maid in the posh residence of the Hawleys in Boston. She is also deeply drawn to the sea. The Hawleys have a summer house in Mount Desert Island in Maine. There she discovers that when she submerges in the ocean she turns into a mermaid. It is lucky for her to have this means of escape because both Hannah and Lila Hawley fall in love with the same artist. Lasky spends great chunks of time analyzing the cramped lives of the servant class and the spoiled lives of the Brahmins. Unconvincingly, young Hannah has 21^st century ideas of equality while living in the 19^th century. Neither the love story nor the class descriptions make this a compelling book.

J Fantasy, Not Recommended- Lillian Hecker-PELHAM

THE BOOK OF DRAGONS by E. Nesbit and illustrated by H.R. Millar (Random House Children’s Books 2010)

Over 100 years ago Edith Nesbit wrote children’s books in England that include this one about dragons. You may wonder whether 21^st century children will enjoy listening to or reading this old book. In my mind, these eight stories would work best when adults read to children.  English money, nannies, royalty, Guy Fawkes, Parliament and other place and time details can be quickly explained. The fanciful aspects, on the other hand, require no explications. None of the dragons in these tales are overly frightening, but all require careful handling by clever children.  Not only do the children manage to rid the world of insatiable armor-clad creatures, they do so by doing good. The children outwit the adults and win the friendships of helpful creatures by acting compassionately. Negative qualities, such as male gender preference, school routines, officious government leaders, pride, and caning come in for some rough drubbing by Nesbit. Although the world never seems to run out of dragons, every story in this collection has a happy ending.

J Fiction (Fantasy).  Recommended- Lillian Hecker (Pelham)