Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
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ILLI NI S UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN PRODUCTION NOTE University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Large-scale Digitization Project, 2007. University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois Press ULIE'S WOLF TACK By Jean Craighead George Pictures by Wendell Minor "George continues the story of the splendid male pup Julie nursed to life in Julie of the Wolves. This third adventure chronicles six years in the life of Kapu and his pack family [and] readers will feel they too are in the wild, rooting for the pack. Those who have enjoyed Julie's story thus far will want to read this latest encounter." -School LibraryJournal "[Written] with astounding intimacy... the drama succeeds because of George's complete command of the wolves' world:' -(Starred) Publishers Weekly Ages 10 up. $14.95 TR (0-06-027406-9) $14.89 LB (0-06-027407-7) Jean Craighead George's earter JuHe books ESJUUE OJF I MHEWOJLVE Pictures by John Schoenherr Winer, 1973 Nwbery Medal 25th Anniversary Edition Ages 10 up. $15.95 TR (0-06-021943-2) $15.89 LB (0-06-021944-0) $4.95 PB (0-06-440058-1) JUUE Pictures by Wende Minor Ages 10 up. $15.00 TR (0-06-023528-4) $14.89 LB (0-06-023529-2) $4.95 PB (0-06-440573-7) I HarperCollins Cildren 'sBooks 10 East 53rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10022 I THE BUvL LE T IN OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS November 1997 Vol. 51 No. 3 00 o A LOOK INSIDE 79 THE BIG PICTURE Velcome written and illustrated by Kevin O'Malley 80 NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Reviewed titles include: 86 * Bugs written by David T. Greenberg; illus. by Lynn Munsinger 86 * A Ring of Tricksters: Animal Talesfrom America, the West Indies, and Africa adapted by Virginia Hamilton; illus. by Barry Moser 87 * Home on the Range: Cowboy Poetry comp. by Paul Janeczko; illus. by Bernie Fuchs 98 * The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman 101 * The Halloween House written by Erica Silverman; illus. by Jon Agee 102 * Buried Onions by Gary Soto 108 PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS 110 SUBJECT AND USE INDEX EXPLANATION OF CODE SYMBOLS USED WITH REVIEWS * Asterisks denote books of special distinction. R Recommended. Ad Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. M Marginal book that is so slight in content or has so many weaknesses in style or format that it should be given careful consideration before purchase. NR Not recommended. SpC Subject matter or treatment will tend to limit the book to specialized collections. SpR A book that will have appeal for the unusual reader only. Recommended for the special few who will read it. The Bulletin ofthe Centerfor Children's Books (ISSN 0008-9036) is published monthly except August by the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903. STAFF Janice M. Del Negro, Editor (JMD) Deborah Stevenson, Assistant Editor (DS) Betsy Hearne, Consulting Editor and Faculty Liaison (BH) Elizabeth Bush, Reviewer (EB) Pat Mathews, Reviewer (PM)) CENTER STAFF Shirley Chan Jennifer Sherwood DeBaillie Linda Fenster Kate McDowell Reviewers' initials are appended to reviews. SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 year, institutions, $40.00; individuals, $35.00. In countries other than the United States, add $7.00 per subscription for postage. Japanese subscription agent: Kinokuniya Company Ltd. Single copy rate: $4.50. Reprinted volumes 1-35 (1947-1981) available from Kraus Reprint Co., Route 100, Millwood, NY 10546. Volumes available in microfilm from University Microfilms, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Complete volumes available in microfiche from Johnson Associates, P.O. Box 1017, Greenwich, CT 06830. Subscription checks should be made payable to the University of Illinois Press. All notices of change of address should provide both the old and new address. Postmaster: Send address changes to The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903. Subscription Correspondence. Address all inquiries about subscriptions and advertising to University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903. Editorial Correspondence. Review copies and all correspondence about reviews should be sent to Janice Del Negro, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 51 E. Armory Ave., Champaign, IL 61820-6601. E-mail: [email protected] Visit our homepage at http://edfu.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb Periodicals postage paid at Champaign, Illinois © 1997 by The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois Drawings by Debra Bolgla. This publication is printed on acid-free paper. Cover illustration by Kevin O'Malley, from Velcome ©1997 and used by permission of Walker and Company. NOVEMBER 1997 * 79 THE BIG PICTURE Velcome written and illus. by Kevin O'Malley Sometimes even the Bulletin staff regresses to fourth-grade humor, and often it has to do with a book we're reviewing. If you are seeking a crowd-pleaser, a reluctant- reader pleaser, or an easy chuckle accompanied by moans of recognition, welcome to a grownup's nightmare and a grade-schooler's dream come true. Everything old is new again as O'Malley retells a variety of old chestnuts in this campy spoof of urban legends, old horror movies, and really bad jokes. The stories aren't new-in fact, they are cliche-ridden groaners with protagonists that adult readers will easily recognize, including a boy being chased by "The Coffin," which is ultimately stopped by a cough drop; a lone girl terrorized by "The Viper," who has come "to vash and vipe" the windows; and a youngster seeking the source of a strange rapping sound who discovers (are you ready?) a roll of brown wrap- ping paper. Accompanying these refurbished, revamped, and refreshed schoolyard favorites are some truly corny jokes, both written and visual. The host--dressed in a smoking jacket, seated in a red chair in front of a roaring televised fireplace, and looking a bit like a mad, moustachioed Peter Lorre-welcomes readers to a night of his favorite scary stories. He then proceeds to narrate from some oddly titled tomes, intruding willy-nilly on the tales and addressing his comments di- rectly to the reader. O'Malley's text is so terribly cornball it's actually funny, and his visuals support the outrageously over the top, self-aware humor. A disdainful-looking bloodhound holds up signs with such comments as "Listen to me. You should stop reading . now!" and "I guess it's no use telling you not to turn the page, HUH?" as the narrator mugs his way through his comedic commentary and the stories themselves careen to their appropriately ridiculous conclusions. O'Malley's multimedia (colored pencil, oil paint, and watercolor) illustrations are nearly all large enough for group viewing; they combine with his text in a perfect meld of buffoonery and cartooning, with dialogue balloons and a carefully designed type- face that uses upper-case letters and a variety of fonts to emphasize the textual absurdities. The atmospherics are enhanced by the bit players (spiders, mice, a black cat) and all the accoutrements of B-grade horror: sputtering candles, cob- webs, and a nattering skull that would put Yorick to shame. Grade-school readers are going to whoop with laughter while too-sophisticated adults try to stifle their unwilling guffaws when perusing this bound-to-be-a-favorite title. What makes this book such a guilty pleasure for mature readers? Well, for one thing, this title is such a relief. It has no message, it has no morally redeem- 80 * THE BULLETIN ing social value, and it has no mission-except to make the reader laugh, and out loud at that. What this book does have is a sense of humor, kid's humor, some- thing that is often not taken seriously (enough) in mainstream books for youth. There will be a definite difference in how this title is viewed by children and adults: the kids are going to love it because it gives recognizable, hilarious shape and form to the silliness they already use to keep the really scary stuff at bay; the grown-ups, after they get through smacking their foreheads, will start chuckling because O'Malley is light-heartedly and deliberately absurd. The whole package-the text, illustrations, and design-conjures up an image of the author/illustrator crouched over his drawing table chuckling with maniacal glee. (Sort of the way the Bulletin reviewers crouched over this book, emitting little snorts of guilty laughter.) The jokes start and end on the endpapers, so make sure you don't miss them. This is one silly spooky spoof that is sure to become close to every middle- grader's pun-loving little heart. (Imprint information appears on p. 95.) JaniceDel Negro, Editor NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE BALGASSI, HAEMI Tae's Sonata. Clarion, 1997 123p ISBN 0-395-84314-6 $14.00 R Gr. 6-8 Tae loves her parents but wishes sometimes they weren't quite so Korean. She is torn between her desire to fit into her very American school with her very Ameri- can school friends and her fond but fading memories of life in Korea with her extended family. Tae's adjustment is difficult--she's shunned by the popular crowd, stereotyped by well-meaning but apparently ignorant adults, and divided between her affection for her parents and culture and her desire to belong. Balgassi paints Tae's struggle without sensationalizing it, personalizing every incident so that it's not just an example of how to fit in, but part of the universal struggle of all adoles- cents to find their friends, their place, and their connection to the world.