Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ILLI NI S UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO * GRADUATE LIBRARY SCHOOL Volume 21 July-August, 1968 Number 11 New Titles for Children and Young People Bishop, Curtis Kent. Little League Little Brother. Lippincott, 1968. 185p. Trade ed. $3.75; Library ed. $3.59 net. The rule was that brothers must be taken as a pair-if they tried out Ad for Little League ball-or not at all; Jesse had not been good enough, and 5-6 his brother Duane had been ineligible, therefore. Now Duane was pitching for the Atlas Giants, but Jesse (who had become a good football player) decided to try again to join his older brother's team. It took a consider- able amount of effort, but finally the boys made their father's dream come come true: a brother battery. The book has some good baseball sequences but it is rather heavily laden with information (via dialogue) about the way Little League rules work. Bolliger, Max. Sandy at the Children's Zoo; tr. by Elisabeth Gemming; illus. by Klaus Brunner. T. Y. Crowell, 1967. 40p. $4.50. First published in Switzerland in 1966 under the title Knirps im Kin- M derzoo, an oversize picture book with a rambling and often awkward text. 4-6 There is no story line, only a situation: a small boy runs off as he and yrs. his mother enter the zoo; he roams about seeing animal life and playing with some children, occasionally remembering that his mother is look- ing for him. They meet, and mother says, "At last I've found you!" Sandy holds out a feather he has picked up. The book ends, "He takes the feather out of his pocket and holds it out to her. 'It's for you!' he says, and his eyes are shining." Some of the illustrations are vivid with movement and color, and some of the animal pictures imposing. Bonham, Frank. The Ghost Front. Dutton, 1968. 223p. $4.50. A story of the second World War, with no glorification of war but with R a recognition of the accrual of thousands of acts of individual bravery 8- that surmount the bungling and compensate for ineptitude. Tom and Andy Croft are twins who enlist at the age of eighteen, are separated in train- ing camp and sent, separately, to the Ardennes front. Tom had always been the leader, the strong one, but by the time Andy met him again, the first tremendous thrust of the Battle of the Bulge had toughened both of them, and Andy knew that never again would he lean on his brother. The episodes of the book are based on historical events; the writing is ma- ture, realistic, and candid, and the book filled with action. Bramblett, Ella, comp. Shoots of Green; Poems for Young Gardeners; illus. by [169] Ingrid Fetz. T. Y. Crowell, 1968. 117p. $3.75. A charming collection of poems about plants and gardens, the sec- R tions moving from "Spring Is Coming" to "To Pop Into The Pot," "Fires 4-8 In The Fall," and "A Song Of Seasons." The black and white illustrations are gentle and realistic, the calibre of the selections far above the usual mediocre-to-good assortment. The poetry is almost all simple, some hu- morous, much of it written by poets whose forte is writing for children, but some from poets whose work is for all ages. Some of the writers whose work is included: Frost, Dickinson, Blake, Keats, Farjeon, Shake- speare, Behn, Zolotow, Hughes, etc. First line and title indexes are ap- pended. Brannum, Mary. When I was 16; by Mary Brannum and the editors; photographs by Camilla Smith. Platt and Munk, 1967. 318p. $3.95. A collection of reminiscences by eighteen women who have had inter- R esting lives or careers; each describes her life and ideas at sixteen. 7-10 There is variety in style as well as in milieu or profession, and-since the selections range in time from the turn of the century to the 1960s- the book gives a broad picture of the changing role of women in Ameri- can life. Each selection is preceded by a brief biographical sketch and by two photographs-then and now. Burton, Hester. The Flood at Reedsmere; illus. by Robin Jacques. World, 1968. 204p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.86 net. Although Mark and Mary Vaughan are the protagonists of this tense R and exciting story, it is the whole village of Reedsmere that is involved 5-7 in the great flood of 1953. The youngsters were home alone when the water began to seep in under their door, and they staunchly set out to rescue an old couple whose cottage was in a dangerous location. The events that follow bring in other villagers, one by one, as people gather in the one safe residence of Reedsmere; they show both the courage of individuals and the close-knit relationships of a small Norfolk village. The plot is tight-knit, the characterization excellent. Chaber, M. E. The Acid Nightmare. Holt, 1967. 126p. Trade ed. $2.95; Library ed. $2.92 net. "Man, you don't know what it means to be turned on," Ray told Johnny. Ad But Johnny, who had just come to New York, soon found out; Ray got him 9-12 admitted to a party. Suspected of the murder that was committed there, Johnny told a detective about the acid party and was released from jail after it had been arranged that he would help the police try to trap the murderer. There was another party at which the man who had been sell- ing LSD to the others was found to be the criminal. The story is capably written, the plot slightly contrived; the book should be successful for its designed purpose, which is the stimulation of reading in junior and senior high school students who are reluctant readers. Chester, Michael. Let's Go to Stop Air Pollution; illus. by Albert Micale. Putnam, 1968. 48p. Library ed. $1.97 net. M The title fails to indicate that the visit is made ("you are on your way 4-6 to...") to an air pollution control laboratory; the textual emphasis is on [170] causes of air pollution, devices for measuring and checking, and some of the dangers or the ways of alleviating dangers. The book gives little dramatic or anecdotal material to mitigate the dull style of the contin- uous text, and mentions only in passing the dangerous effects on human beings. A glossary is appended. Clithero, Sally, comp. Beginning-to-Read Poetry; selected from original sources; illus. by Erik Blegvad. Follett, 1967. 31p. (Beginning-to-read Books) Trade ed. $1; Library ed. $1.89 net. Twenty-five poems, each illustrated by a small, bright picture, are Ad included in this pleasant introduction to poetry for the beginning indepen- 2-4 dent reader. The selections are brief and simple, some on the pedestrian side but most of the poems being of excellent quality. Cohen, Robert. The Color of Man; illus. by Ken Heyman. Random House, 1968. 114p. Trade ed. $3.95; Library ed. $3.99 net. The jacket adds, "What it's all about. Why we are confused and con- R cerned about it. How it will affect our future." The emphasis is on what 5-9 it's all about: what causes differences in skin color and how those differ- ences probably came about is discussed; the process of natural selection as it affects eye and hair colors is described; the social as well as the physiological aspects are considered. The author discusses the nature of prejudice, and its dangers. A lucid book, the writing straightforward and the material rather loosely organized. The photographs are truly impres- sive, pictures of people from many parts of the world, pictures that am- plify the text's message of brotherhood. Corbett, Scott. Cop's Kid; illus. by Jo Polseno. Atlantic-Little, Brown, 1968. 120p. $3.95. Chip and Benny Brady had gone on an errand for their mother when Ad they saw a man with a gun get off the bus; the driver hadn't been shot 4-6 but seemed in deep pain, and the passenger, masked, pushed his cigar- ette into Benny's check. Later, learning that the driver had had a heart attack and wanting revenge for the burn, Benny and his brother hunted the man, although their father, a policeman, had warned them to stay away from the tough part of town their clues indicated. The boys go to the police in the end, having done some detective work on their own, and the criminal is captured. The sleuthing is within the bounds of credibility if not parental approval; the story seems a bit contrived in spots, but it has action, suspense, and natural-sounding dialogue. Credle, Ellis. Mexico; Land of Hidden Treasure. Nelson, 1967. 223p. illus. Trade ed. $3.50; Library ed. $3.31 net. Ad A book that gives historical background and a considerable amount 6-9 of information about contemporary programs and problems in Mexico; the author, who has lived there many years, also comments perceptive- ly on the fusing of Spanish and Indian customs. The book is poorly or- ganized but well written, save for an infrequent generalization. "They all dream of visiting or studying in the United States." The photographs are of good quality. Covering the same material, but better organized and better written is Hobart's Mexican Mural (Harcourt, 1963); this is designed for a slightly younger audience than the Hobart book.