WITCH CATCHER (FICTION)

PICTURE BOOK
WITCH CATCHER by Mary Downing Hahn (Clarion)

Well, Ms. Hahn scared us cross-eyed with one of the most masterful ghost stories of juvenile literature, WAIT TILL HELEN COMES, so why not let's show her some love with her latest? Jen is thrilled to move into the castle that her father has inherited, and less thrilled with Maura, the woman he chose to marry since her mother passed away. Maura's obsessive passion for antiques is the least of her problems, or so Jen thinks. When Jen accidently breaks a glass globe from Maura's collection, the stepmother becomes increasingly creepy. If only Jen had known what that little orb held...and what she has unleashed!

This book is a combo pack of the contemporary and the classic. Though the stigma of the unwanted stepmother was one stereotype I think we could possibly do without, the strength of the story is in Jen, a problem-solving twelve-year-old who corrals her own power, and a supernatural plot that will engage and enchant many a reading thrill-seeker. And I have to wonder, what would that little glass globe would be appraised for on Antiques Roadshow? (10 and up)

Also of interest:
THE WITCH FAMILY by Eleanor Estes (Harcourt) is about a million times more mild than THE WITCH CATCHER, but since witches are likely on the fly tonight, I thought I'd offer up something more to read! We have the story of two good friends who love to write and draw pictures of a family of witches and making up stories, little knowing that as they do, they are coming to life in a distant, make-believe land. All forces converge on Halloween, when the girls meet the dear little witch, and are whisked away to the glass hill where it as clear that a mermaid, a baby sister witch and a bumblebee named Malachi have overstepped their written and drawn adventures, and where the embittered, banished Old Witch wreaks her mischief. This reissue has a snazzy new cover but smartly maintained the inimitable spot illustrations by Edward Ardizzone. When I found this book in the "discard" pile of my public library when I was about ten years old, I clutched it to my chest with both hands and tears filled my eyes...could I really take it home? It was one of the most magical reads of a childhood, old-fashioned in the very, very best sense of the word, and I am so excited to pass it on to you as a read-aloud treat. See, no need to toilet paper my tree! (7 and up)

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

LOS GATOS BLACK ON HALLOWEEN (PICTURE BOOK)

PICTURE BOOK
LOS GATOS BLACK ON HALLOWEEN by Marisa Montes, illustrated by Yuyi Morales (Holt)

The Halloween hour is nigh...las calabazas glow, las brujas glide on broomsticks, los esqueletos rattle their bones, los muertos rise "And in a slow and strange parade, /The creatures of the night invade/A haunted casa long asleep--/The mansion's secrets buried deep." But who is that rapping at the door? It is the one creature that can scare these spirits back into submission: los ninos! Seasonal Spanish vocabulary is seamlessly interwoven into the spooky verse, and matching illustrations, full of shadow and shiver. This book is no-holds-barred and will offer those transitional older picture book readers the prickly back and pause at bedtime that they have been begging for in time for the holiday, so make sure you share with a group who is really in the spirit of things! Gotta love those unseen fingers playing the piano, and the eerily lovely graveyard, complete with zombies coming on up to party on down. The finale in which children are still in the driver's seats gives this story just the right touch to settle any fretful young hearts. Install Ms. Morales and Ms. Montes as this year's Queens of Halloween...bilingual, no less. Glossary included. (7 and up)

Also of interest:
Halloween season is also the season of Dia de Los Muertos, also a blast to celebrate (and with a fabulous color scheme). This holiday also offers up a chance to read another book by Yuyi Morales, which happens to be my folkloric favorite that she has written: JUST A MINUTE: A TRICKSTER TALE AND COUNTING BOOK (Chronicle). In this clever story, it takes more than a pretty please to separate a grandma from her grandchildren, as this clever abuela proves in a trickster tale in which party preparations take up a little too much time for Senor Calavera, a skeleton patiently waiting to take this busy woman to the other side. When he sees that she is indeed the hostess with the mostess, he rescinds his own creepy invitation…after all, he wants to come to next year's party, doesn't he? Bold Mexican motifs make this a sensible pick for Day of the Dead, but don't be silly like Senor Calavera and wait, use the book right away to help children learn to count from one to ten in Spanish, and to celebrate the special loving ties of a family that can cordially show trouble the door. This not-too-scary book ends with a reassuring wink, and is smiles all through, thanks to writing that belies Morales' storytelling background and an absolutely gorgeous palette that seems inspired by the streamers of a pinata. (7 and up)

Other excellent "Dia de los Muertos" literature (for November 1st):
THE SPIRIT OF TIO FERNANDO: A DAY OF THE DEAD STORY by Janice Levy, illustrated by Morella Fuenmayor (Whitman)(6 and up)
CLATTER BASH! A DAY OF THE DEAD CELEBRATION by Richard Keep (Peachtree)(4 and up)
CALAVERA ABCEDARIO: A DAY OF THE DEAD ALPHABET BOOK by Jeanette Winter (Harcourt) (5 and up)
FELIPA AND THE DAY OF THE DEAD by Birte Muller (North-South Books) (6 and up)
THE FESTIVAL OF BONES/EL FESTIVAL DE LAS CALAVERAS by Luis San Vicente (Cinco Puntos) (7 and up)
DAY OF THE DEAD by Tony Johnston, illustrated by Jeanette Winter (Voyager) (5 and up)
PABLO REMEMBERS by Tony Johnston, illustrated by George Ancona (HarperCollins) (5 and up)

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

LITTLEBAT'S HALLOWEEN STORY (PICTURE BOOK)

PICTURE BOOK
LITTLEBAT'S HALLOWEEN STORY by Diane Mayr, illustrated by Gideon Kendall (Whitman)

A little brown bat in the library's attic overhears an intruiging story about three bears, and another one about a hungry caterpillar. Who can blame him for wanting to get closer, and closer, and closer, so he can see the pictures and hear the story a little bit better? But when the mouselike mammal comes into view of the librarian and listeners, havoc ensues. Littlebat is so dejected; will he ever get to join in the storytime circle? His loving mother warmly reassures him that the right time will come, and as he waits through the seasons, indeed, there is a holiday where he can listen in comfortably and undetected.

When bookloving parent Angela Allyn made this recommendation to me, it was like getting a king-size candy bar in my trick-or-treat bag. Everything this book does, it does right, from the patient passing of time to the endearing mother who always knows what to do and say to make things better. Children will identify powerfully with the longings of our hero, and the conclusion is surprising and satisfying. This is the perfect primary fear-free Halloween read, and a great book about the seasons year-round; the illustrator is tuned in to the rhythm of the library, with lovely details like bulletin boards and the perfect way the reader holds the pictures so everyone can see. It is really a feat how the book is both tender and yet ideal for inclusion in a Halloween storytime; the best thing since Jannell Cannon's STELLALUNA. (4 and up)

Also of interest:
IT GOES EEEEEEEEEE! by Jamie Gilson, illustrated by Diane DeGroat (Clarion) One of the masters of the classroom story pairs two rivals up to give a report on bats that will leave us all the wiser about the animal...and about people, too. (8 and up)
THE BAT POET by Randall Jarrell, illustrated by Maurice Sendak (HarperCollins) In my estimation, this is one of the loveliest children's books ever penned. A little bat poet opens his eyes and tries to share his gifts with the daytime world, but struggles with finding the right audience and appreciation for his art. (Know anyone like that?) Jarrell's awe-striking verse interspersed with his sincere storytelling style will echolocate your heart. (7 and up)

On a personal note:
Off to a bookfair, and then to speak for the Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) (can't wait!). More Book-a-Day on Monday, if not before!

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

HUBERT THE PUDGE (PICTURE BOOK) and PLANETESME POSTER!

Sorry to start this review on a personal note, but WOW! Look at the wonderful gift my husband Jim gave to me! He designed this beautiful linoleum print poster; you'll notice it features my American hero, Johnny "Appleseed" Chapman. Every day he planted a seed, and in that way, he was able to change the landscape of our nation. I always think of reading aloud every day as a seed that we can plant that can also change our nation. Jim really ran with that...he has done limited edition posters for social concerns (and rock bands) for years, and I am really touched that he has commemorated our literacy efforts with his art. Thanks for letting me share my excitement and gratitude here at Book-a-Day...if you are interested, the poster is available for sale at his website.

In Jim's honor, since he is vegetarian, may I recommend to you the following
PICTURE BOOK!
HUBERT THE PUDGE: A VEGETARIAN TALE by Henrick Drescher (Candlewick) By using nondescript pig-like beasts called "pudges," this irreverent author is able to take us unflinchingly into Farmer Jake's Pudge Processing Farm, where the animals are fenced in and stunted. "Every part of the pudge was used. Even the squeal, which was canned and installed in car alarms and foghorns." One ambitious little guy named Hubert takes advantage of his chance to escape, fleeing into a jungle that is at first threatening and then brimming with friends. Free to frolic and feed, he grows to his natural, unhindered size, which happens to be enormous (see the elephants meandering on his back?). Hubert's heart is heavy, though, imagining the fate of other pudges at the processing plant, and he decides that it is time to return...and give old Farmer Jake the surprise of his life. The colorful, sketchy, almost surreal illustration style which some of you may remember from his famous imaginative foray SIMON'S BOOK, in which a boy's artwork comes to life, is back in full play, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, not the least of which is Farmer Jake's transformation into a...well, read it and see! Though the subject is loaded, the story is told with such a sense of fun and justice that defenses melt away and you will be cheering for the animal's sweet victory, whatever side of the herbivore/carnivore argument you fall. (5 and up)

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

SPARKS FLY HIGH (PICTURE BOOK)

PICTURE BOOK
SPARKS FLY HIGH: THE LEGEND OF DANCING POINT retold by Mary Quattlebaum, illustrated by Leonid Gore (Farrar Straus and Giroux)

Should you ever have the pleasure of dancing a minuet with Colonel Lightfoot, you would find him indeed light on his feet but heavy on the hubris. While even the angels in heaven can't resist his talent, they couldn't possibly love him more than he loves himself, and a graceful gait was not the only gift he was given: admiration of his wide expanse of land comes in a close second. But with every gift there is a curse, and that curse is that the devil himself has taken to a plot on the colonel's plantation, turning it into a murky swamp unfit for plowing. The only way he can remedy the situation is with a throw-down show-down with the devil himself, with the angels above and demons below cheering for their favorite side. When the colonel begins to realize that he has met his match not only in skill but in ego, he cleverly uses this character flaw to his own advantage. Be careful, you devil, it takes one to know one!

Based on a legend surrounding a mysterious bare spot of land along the James River in Charles City county near Williamsburg, this retelling certainly does have a storyteller's spark, full of alliterative, well-chosen language that dances off the tongue and casts a spell on the listener. If you like Eric Kimmel's HERSHEL AND THE HANUKKAH GOBLINS (Holiday House) and THE DEVIL AND MOTHER CRUMP by Valerie Scho Carey (HarperCollins, you sillies, when are you going to bring it back in print?), you will enjoy the trickster twist of this title. Fitting with the Colonel's refined tastes, Gore's artwork is nothing short of elegant: rich, textured, with a particularly distinguished technique that melds fine art with illustration, bringing to mind a less ornamental version of Gennady Spirin (who, like Leonid Gore, emigrated from Russia and started being published in the U.S. in the 1990's...perhaps they were similarly inspired by Russian folkloric traditions and classical art). I just would love to know how Gore managed to make those sparks look so hot! The really do look like they are flying off the page! Make sure you have music so that children can dance a jig after the conceited gets some come-uppance. (7 and up)

Also of interest:
THE DEVIL'S STORYBOOK by Natalie Babbitt (Farrar Straus Giroux) Laugh-out-loud folktales fit for rapt read-alouds. Years later, these clever stories wil be burned into the memory. (8 and up)

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

HALLOWEEN POTLUCK (OR CAULDRON-LUCK)?

Trick-or-treat! I mean, I know its not Halloween yet, but it's coming up, so we had better start practicing. After I've dished up a few of my favorites, how about sharing some of your in the comments section? Friends in the children's lit blogosphere, want to add to the caudron-luck?

THE ESSENTIAL WORLDWIDE MONSTER GUIDE by Linda Ashman, illustrated by David Small (Simon and Schuster)
"Guaranteed--some day, some place--/You'll meet a monster face to face./Don't destroy a great vacation--/Arm yourself with information!/With this handy monster guide,/You can take these beasts in stride./Save yourself the stress and strife!/Save your spirit! Save your life!" So begins the voyage via hot air balloon to thirteen countries, each page luckily illustrated by a Caldecott artist in top form and unluckily plagued by lengendary creatures such as the nefarious Russian Domovik, the terrible Japanese Tengu, or the not-so-hot Hotots of Armenia. Anyone who reads this book is likely to learn something new in this international monster who's who, and the frontspiece is an attractive world map to help you locate the monsters (and steer clear of them). Let each child in a classroom make up their own monster description using the format in the book, and bind them together for your own homemade Essential Monster Guide! (7 and up)

THE BEASTS OF CLAWSTONE CASTLE by Eva Ibbotson, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Dutton)
Anyone up for auditioning things-that-go-bump-in-the-night to help haunt a house? That's what Madlyn and Rollo have to do to keep up with the Joneses. After all, they are not going to let their aunt and uncle's castle, and the mysterious white cattle that graze behind it, to play second fiddle to the competing Trembellow Towers, the tourist attraction down the road. It seems, however, that there is more at stake than they might believe...or desire. Ghosts abound in this latest by a beloved and spellbinding author, who always manages to combine just the right measure of humor and fright. If you know a child who enjoys John Bellairs, he or she will love Eva Ibbotson, too. (10 and up)

THE SKELETON IN THE CLOSET
by Alice Schertle, illustrated by Curtis Jobling (HarperCollins)
When I first looked at this book, I thought, "oh, ho-hum, another skeleton-y Halloween book," and I only mention that in order to say, folks, this is not just another ho-hum Halloween book. A little skeleton is thrillingly, chillingly following a harrowed tyke up the stairs (counting stairs adds to the suspense)…in order to…raid his closet! (He's a modest little skeleton, after all). Children will laugh out loud when they see the funky duds this dude picks out! Skeletons may not have tongues, but luckily you do, so you can try on this aboslutely delicious language, oh, goodness ghostness, I hadn't had this much fun with an itty-bit of rhythm and rhyme since Dr. Seuss. A former elementary school teacher, this author knows how to write a story that screams "feltboard!" and kids will enjoy dressing their own homemade skeletons. If you're looking for a shivery story to share with kids that delivers a little trick and a lot of treat, this is one you'll all enjoy right down to your bones. Like the skeleton in the story, you've really got to try it on for size! (4 and up)

THE PERFECT PUMPKIN PIE by Denys Cazet (Atheneum)
I just had a great time reading this aloud to third graders, now it's your turn to have some fun! Slightly rowdy illustrations make this a pick for your slighty older and more fortified group, who will howl and shiver as Mr. Wilkerson rises from the beyond in order to bully a piece of perfect pie from Jack and his fearless grandmother. A balanced combination of put-the-flashlight-under-your-chin-and-speak-slowly prose and join-in-the-refrain verse ("Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkin pie!/ I must have one before I die./ It must be round and brown as toast/ Or I'll haunt this house as a hungry ghost.") will make for perennial pumpkin fun. Just as a perfect pie must have all the right ingredients, so does this book have the right dashes of fright and delight, and as the ending suggests, old Mr. Wilkerson may put in a few more appearances before all is said and done (apple pie, anyone?). Believe me, if you stood in line for a half an hour at the bakery, you could not come up with a more delicious Halloween storytime treat. (7 and up)

Also of interest:
Have you checked out the new Cybils, the 2006 Children's and YA Bloggers Literary Awards? Cool beans!

On a personal note
Hope this reading feast tides you over for a while...check back next week for more book-a-day! Meanwhile, I'll be touring for VIVE LA PARIS throughout Wisconsin. If you're in the area, please come stop by at some of the public events:

Friday, 10/20, WONDERLAND BOOKS, 7:00 p.m.
1625 North Alpine Road, Rockford, IL 61107, (815) 394-1633

Saturday, 10/21, HARRY W. SCHWARTZ BOOKSHOP, 2:00 p.m.,
10976 N. Port Washington Rd., Mequon, WI 53092, (262) 241-6220

Sunday, 10/22, Reading and signing at the WISCONSIN BOOK FESTIVAL, 4:00 p.m.
Madison Public Library-Main Branch, 201 W. Mifflin Street, Madison, WI

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

HEY THERE, STINK BUG! (NONFICTION)

NONFICTION
HEY THERE, STINK BUG! by Leslie Bulion, illustrated by Leslie Evans (Charlesbridge)

The author invites readers to "take a closer look," and children will delight in doing so with this innovative book of insects that combines genres. Fans of JOYFUL NOISE by Paul Fleischman, the Newbery-award winning book that explores the life of bugs in two alternating voices, will appreciate the poetic bend to this new, nifty little tome. Individual types of bugs are each given a lyrical testimony in the form of haiku, concrete poems, tankas and clerihews among others, all forms described deftly in a handy "poetry notes" section at the back of the book. The verse is cunning, with a kid-friendly edge (Bombardier bombardier bombardier beetle,/slow on the wing but thinks fast on its feetle/blasting poor predators into retreatle,/with boiling hot acid it aims from its seatle."), with vocabulary that doesn't dumb anything down, but rather supports its readership with a clear glossary. This buggy book continues to go above and beyond; each bug also gets a descriptive non-fiction treatment, with an interesting factual explanation of the insect following each poem. Great for integrating into science and language arts, this is a book that will make you say, "Wow, this is a book that can make learning fun!" A great choice for classroom collections and it will get a lot of use in a thematic unit. Outside of school, it will make an enthusiast out of any reader...possibly go a little buggy, as they say. (7 and up)

Also of interest:
BUTTERLY EYES AND OTHER SECRETS OF THE MEADOW by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Beth Krommes (Houghton Mifflin) Beautiful naturalistic scratchboard illustrations grace the latest "look at the world" poems by the award-winning author of SONG OF THE WATER BOATMAN.
(7 and up)

TROUBLE IN BUGLAND by WIlliam Kotzwinkle (Godine) Who knew the author of WALTER THE FARTING DOG, much maligned for its poop-talk, could write a book so erudite, so marvelous, so compelling, a golden glowing gem on the shelves of children's literature? It's true. One of my all-time favorite uper-grade read-alouds is this clever collection of "Inspector Mantis Mysteries," beautifully written stories from a bug's eye view, inspired by Sherlock Holmes. (10 and up)

BUNDLE AT BLACKTHORPE HEATH by Mark Copeland (Houghton Mifflin) Step right up to the insect circus! When the grandson of the circus's owner gets a spyglass and uncovers a nefarious conspiracy in the world of insects, he needs all of the buggy friends he can count on. Beautiful, moody line illustrations add a lot to an already marvelous read-aloud. A bit of a sleeper, this very British book deserves a lot more buzz... it's a delightful and imaginative premise. (8 and up)

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.

ADELE AND SIMON (PICTURE BOOK)

PICTURE BOOK
ADELE AND SIMON by Barbara McClintock (Farrar Straus and Giroux)

When I was around eleven years old, I read a comic book digest, "Little Lulu in Paris," and was so taken by Lulu's adventures that I vowed to someday visit all the places that Lulu had been. Here is a book that will inspire travel in children's futures, but for now, they can take a remarkable tour of Paris in a book.

Sacre bleu! When little brother Simon is picked up from school, he has his belongings, but as he traipses the streets of 19th century Paris with his increasingly chagrined big sister Adele, he conveniently loses his items, piece by piece... his knapsack disappears mid-eclair at the Maison Cador Patisserie, the crayons go missing at the Louvre, and his coat is without a trace in front of the Cathedrale de Notre Dame. When friends conspire to retrieve his things, it is clear that all the siblings need is a good night's sleep in order for Adele to find the one thing she almost lost: her patience.

With the easy grace of Maurice Chevalier, McClintock makes a boggling amount of Francophilian research and adoration look so natural, from the 1907 map endpapers that show the location of Simon's lost items, or the inclusion of great artists like Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas joining in the hunt at the Louvre, or compositions inspired by Daumier, all in perfect etching-style, cinematic detail. The pictures are what we hope for, the kind that you can look at over and over, and find something new every time. The end-notes are marvelous and as rich as most books in and of themselves. Though there is a profound and contagious passion for her setting and its history, but most importantly, there is never a page in which McClintock forgets her true audience: the young reader or listener. The friction and frustration of keeping track of a child's things is matched by Adele's realistic ire, and the fact that there is, ultimately, no love lost is dearly reassuring. What a gorgeous, gorgeous book, the kind that will make you cry out in joy and admiration. It's what a book looks like when it is the result of true inspiration, and a matching ability. (6 and up)

Also of interest:
Though Adele and Simon is inspired, for my storytimes, the hands-down favorite by McClintock is THE MAGIC FISHBONE.When Mama is in bed with a bad cold, helpful Molly goes out to buy fish for the family's dinner, and ends up meeting her fairy godmother who advises her to save the bone she finds in her portion and use it for one magic wish of her choice. Her brothers and sisters have many exciting suggestions which are elegantly illustrated on a double-page spread, but Molly yields not to temptation. In the days that follow many occasions arise that warrant a good wish, but Molly prudently solves the problems in other ways. What makes Molly finally use her wish? Read and find out! I assure you that at the end of this book, your listeners will be wishing for "one more time!" The story is loosely based on the Charles Dicken's story "The MagicFishbone," which is cleverly alluded to in the cover illustration depicting Dicken's "Fresh Fish" shop, and this book is definitely fresh! (6 and up)

In DAHLIA, Aunt Edme gives Charlotte the gift of a delicate doll, which Charlotte promptly proceeds to include in tree-climbing, mud-cake making, wagon-races and the favorite game of them all, toss-up-in-the-air-and-land-in-a-heap. The illustrations subtly reflect the expression of the doll's increased delight in being included in the rough-housing. But how will her condition be received by Aunt Edme? A delightful toy-tale made especially funny by the liberated view juxtaposed with the Victorian artwork. (5 and up)

Barbara McClintock deserves more recognition as an illustrator, exercising a cross between the mastery, imagination and elegance of John Tenniel (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) and the sweetness and strong characterization of Ernest Sheppard (Wind in the Willows). She has an inimitable ability of mixing a classic art style and a contemporary mindset. If you were to collect every thing she puts her hand to, you wouldn't be sorry.

Links are provided for informational use. Don't forget to support your local bookseller.