Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

I LLI N 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

K/_6P Books make ereat eifts, but Dick- ing the perfect books for your favorite youngsters can be daunt- ing. Let the expert staff of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books help you navigate the book- store wilderness full of shiny new children's books. SUpdated and expanded from last year's edition, the Guide Book to Gift Books contains annotations for over 225 of the best books for giving (and receiving) and is available as a downloadable PDF file that you can print out and use for every holiday, birthday, or other gift-giving occasion on your calendar this year. Listed books have all been recommended in full Bulletin reviews from the last three years and are verified as currently in print. Entries are divided into age groups and include author, title, publisher, and the current list price. To purchase, go to: www.lis.uiuc.edu/giftbooks/ THE B UL LE T IN

OF THE CENTER FOR CHILDREN'S BOOKS April 2004 Vol. 57 No. 8

4F~

A LOOK INSIDE

311 THE BIG PICTURE I, Jack by Patricia Finney; illus. by Peter Bailey 312 NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE Reviewed titles include: 321 * Magic Thinks Big written and illus. by Elisha Cooper 326 * Nicolaus Copernicus: The EarthIs a Planet by Dennis Brindell Fradin; illus. by Cynthia von Buhler 336 * Ruby Lu, Brave and True by Lenore Look; illus. by Anne Wilsdorf 342 * The Tarantula Scientist by Sy Montgomery; illus. with photographs by Nic Bishop 349 * Music for Alice written and illus. by Allen Say 354 PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS 355 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 of the Center for Children's Books (ISSN 0008-9036) is published monthly except August by the Publications Office of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and distributed by the University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903.

REVIEWING STAFF Deborah Stevenson, Editor (DS) Betsy Hearne, Consulting Editor and Faculty Liaison (BH) Elizabeth Bush, Reviewer (EB) Timnah Card, Reviewer (TC) Karen Coats, Reviewer (KC) Janice M. Del Negro, Reviewer (JMD) Krista Hutley, Reviewer (KH) Hope Morrison, Reviewer (HM)

Reviewers' initials are appended to reviews.

OFFICE STAFF Molly Dolan Krista Hutley Hope Morrison

SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 year, institutions, $75.00; multiple institutional subscriptions, $70 for the first and $50 for each additional; individuals, $50.00; students, $15.00. In countries other than the United States, add $7.00 per subscription for postage. Japanese subscription agent: Kinokuniya Company Ltd. Single copy rate: $7.50. Volumes available in microfilm from ProQuest, 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. All inquiries about subscriptions and advertising should go to University of Illinois Press, 1325 S. Oak, Champaign, IL 61820-6903, 217-333-0950; toll free 866-244-0626. Review copies and all correspondence about reviews should be sent to Deborah Stevenson, The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 501 E. Daniel St., Champaign, IL 61820-6601. Email: [email protected]; phone: 217-244-0324. Visit our homepage at http://www.lis.uiuc.edu/puboff/bccb

Periodicals postage paid at Champaign, Illinois © 2004 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 Sheila Moxley from I, Jack ©2004. Used by permission of HarperCollins Children's Books. APRIL 2004 * 311

THE BIG PICTURE

I, Jack by Patricia Finney; illustrated by Peter Bailey

Stories revealing the inner lives of animals are an old staple in children's literature, and some of its best-known classics have treated the subject. Characters such as Black Beauty or even 101 Dalmatians' Pongo and Missis seem to have a more elevated approach to life, though, than the animals most of us know and love, and one can't help but think that more authentic representation is needed. And now it's here. Jack, author and narrator (the book is, according to CIP information, by jack the dog as told to Patricia Finney), is a yellow Labrador Retriever, and apparently Labs write with all the squirmy, blissful exuberance you'd expect: "Hi! HI THERE! Hello! HI, FRIEND!! I am Jack! Look at me! Here I am. I like you. Do you like me? I am JACK. BIG DOG JACK!! Hi! Can I smell your ... ? Oh. Sorry." Jack excitedly introduces readers to his human pack (mother, father, and the kids Terri, Pete, and Mikey, also known as Packleader, Pack Lady, and the apedog puppies), then goes on to tell the saga of his love for Petra, the beautiful Samoyed next door with the prissy owners, and his struggle to be with her as he wishes (aided and abetted by the kids in Jack's pack, who open the fence so the two can be together) and then to support her in her pregnancy and mother- hood. The humans don't understand what's going on as Jack keeps darting off to be with Petra in the abandoned building where she's holed up, but it's Jack who saves the day-well, blunders around in a way that improves things-when his Packleader injures himself in an accident in that abandoned building, just before its demolition begins. The narrative in this British import is perfectly pitched. There's just enough human understanding to advance the plot and to make Jack's viewpoint understandable (a dog-to-human glossary is included for those who need additional assistance) but Jack's world remains earthily, comically doggy. He's much more focused on human body language than human verbal expressions (the former he reads with keen accuracy, but he braggingly repeats the verbal assessment of his humans that "I am very Thick. I am very very Thick"). His life is arranged according to canine priorities and ruled mainly by his love for his pack, his interest in food, the exciting things he can smell, and the wonders of pee and poop (Jack gets very sad when people shut him out of the bathroom, noting that Packleader "is doing a lovely long Wet Message. Why will he not let me smell it? It must be a very wonderful Message, full of Bigness and Loudness"). Changes in font size convey the emphasis that would ordinarily be expressed in extra canine bounce or shamefaced wilting to the floor; disdainful footnotes from the family cats, who refer to Jack (with some justice) as "the Big Yellow Stupid," run throughout, offer- 312 * THE BULLETIN ing their own sardonically funny view of the multispecies household and cross- cultural confusion. Often books that achieve a truly clever narrative voice find it difficult to give it sufficient plot to justify a novel, but Finney gives Jack adventure enough to be worth talking about as well as even a bit of character development (formerly a dog who throws up in fear at the snarl of a little terrier, Jack bravely joins in the defense of his pack in the face of the marauding "metal monsters" of the demolition crew), without turning Jack into a Lassie-esque superdog ("What is a 'Lassie'? Food, maybe?"). Dynamic little line drawings scattered through the text add to the allure this will have for young readers, but it would also be a hilarious readaloud for those willing to shed their inhibitions and run with-well, not the wolves, but a somewhat dorky and very lovable Lab. (Imprint information appears on p. 325.) Deborah Stevenson, Editor

NEW BOOKS FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE

ADOFF, JAIME Names Will Never Hurt Me. Dutton, 2004 [14 4 p] ISBN 0-525-47175-8 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 7-10 A year after the shooting death of a student, Rockville High is still edgy and troubled, riven by student factions and hampered by incompetent administration. Some students are nonetheless pleased with the status quo: Ryan's football triumphs satisfy his demanding, abusive father, and his status gives him access to pretty much any girl he wants; Mark, self-nicknamed "Floater," relishes his power as school snitch and manipulator of events. Others, however, suffer from the bullying and abuse: biracial Tisha is constantly harassed about her identity, and Kurt is repeatedly derided as "Dirt" and physically bullied. Headings provide time and place orientation for the comments from each of these voices (plus that of a television reporter doing an anniversary-of-the-tragedy piece, the occasional choral comments of various other students, and a few fly-on-the-wall scenes). The mosaic of viewpoints comes together to describe the events of one particular, dramatic day, when Kurt is on the verge of being framed by Floater for planning school violence just as Ryan's father, outraged that his son has been suspended from football for sexually assaulting a girl, takes the principal hostage. The theme of abuse and powerlessness is a compelling one, and Adoff effectively captures the helplessness and perplexity of victims of constant bullying. His poetic skills are often evident in the more fluid stream-of-consciousness moments, and many readers will relish the mix of styles and narrative formats. Unfortunately, the unsympathetic characters aren't believably drawn, and the plot is overall contrived and unwieldy, often losing focus (the anniversary notion never really fits into the day). Nor is it entirely clear what, if any, insight into the problem is being offered: Tisha finally gets the bullies off her back by joining with a friend to threaten them with later APRIL2004 * 313

violence, and Ryan's possession of a gun is part of what breaks the standoff in the principal's office. This therefore isn't up to works such as Brooks' Kissing the Rain (BCCB 2/04) or Gardner's Inventing Elliot (3/04), but it's an approachable read on a topic close to home for many young people. DS

ALLEN, THOMAS B. George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War; illus. by Cheryl Harness. National Geographic, 2004 184 p ISBN 0-7922-5126-1 $16.95 R Gr. 6-10 Although debate continues lively over General Washington's abilities as a battle strategist, Allen focuses his attention more narrowly on the Founder's brilliance in establishing a standing spy ring (the Culper Ring) and running agents (both directly and through others) to gather intelligence. Although stretches of the book are military history with a bit of spying tossed in (or stretches of spying with G. W. presumably implicated, since he covered his tracks pretty well), a few chapters do detail the mysteries of invisible ink, ciphers and codes, devious hiding places for messages, clever disguises, and men and women of considerable daring. Perhaps the bookmaking itself is as intriguing as the story therein, with period-style typeface, deckle-edged paper, wryly formal chapter headings, a gallery of historical illustrations and original woodcut-styled spot art, informative endnotes, and messages that can be decoded by using Revolutionary War Major Tallmadge's code. Coded messages convey items of information that range from teasing ("Have you figured out who the mole is?") to distracting (Allen interrupts a gripping anecdote about the arrest of a Tory spy to query, "Did you know General Washington loved cream of peanut soup?"). Despite the gimmicks, there's some information here that isn't readily available in other Revolutionary War histories or Washington biographies, and military buffs will want to sneak a peek. EB

ANDERSON, WILLIAM PrairieGirl: The Life ofLaura Ingalls Wilder; illus. by Rende Graef. HarperCollins, 2004 74p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-028974-0 $13.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-028973-2 $12.99 R Gr. 2-4 In this straightforward, accessible biography of Laura Ingalls Wilder, historian William Anderson fills in the gaps regarding the causes and chronology of the Ingalls family's various moves across the prairie. Accompanied by pencil drawings reminiscent of but slightly sweeter than Garth Williams' drawings for the novels, the story moves smoothly from Laura's birth in 1867 to her death three days after her ninetieth birthday in 1957. Anderson provides bits and pieces of the Ingalls' daily lives that will be familiar to readers of the Little House books, but he also includes perspectives and events that Wilder withholds from her books, including a family stint as caretakers for a hotel in Iowa. For those readers who already love the Little House books, the biography will provide a reinforcement of their integ- rity and answer the question of what came next, as Anderson offers ari inspiring portrait of the graceful and industrious woman the spirited "half-pint" became. For those unfamiliar with the books, this biography of a strong American woman who learned hard work at her parents' knees, crafted a marriage of genuinely equal partnership, and worked throughout her life to uphold what she believed valuable is worthwhile reading in itself. KC 314 * THE BULLETIN

APPELT, KATHI Bubba and Beau Meet the Relatives; illus. by Arthur Howard. Harcourt, 2004 32p ISBN 0-15-216630-0 $16.00 R* 4-7 yrs When the relatives decide to come to visit, Mama Pearl goes on a "home improve- ment spree," handing out orders to Big Bubba and cooking up a storm: "Yep, Bubbaville was abuzz." Little Bubba and Beau, his pet hound dog, retreat to the safety of the garden and the mud hole, where they indulge in the welcoming squish ("Sister, that mud hole was better than pickled eggs"). Their ecstasy doesn't last: babe and pup are plucked from the ooze and plopped into a sudsy bath, after which they are dressed in scratchy sailor suit and new bandana, respectively. Things go from scratchy to frilly: the relatives arrive, bringing with them little Cousin Arlene and her dog, Bitsy ("Honey, it was froufrou city"). At the first unguarded opportunity, baby Arlene, Bitsy, Bubba, and Beau crawl off to the garden, and, you guessed it, to a joyous mud bath ("Brother, it was paradise found"). Appelt (Bubba and Beau, Best Friends, BCCB 2/02, etc.) brings back her inseparable duo in yet another successful outing. Snappily humorous language brings home the universal tribulations and jubilation of a family visit in succinct phrases that get the message guffawingly across. Howard's cartoon-like, outlined illustrations once again feature the eminently expressive-eyed Bubba, now joined by the equally ex- pressively lashed Arlene. Full-page and spot-art vignettes dash across the pages in freeze-frames of down-home activity. Fans old and new will take Appelt up on her closing offer: "Y'all come back now, ya hear?" JMD

ASHER, SANDY, ed. On Her Way: Stories and Poems about Growing Up Girl. Dutton, 2004 209p ISBN 0-525-47170-7 $17.99 Ad Gr. 4-8 Asher assembles an impressive array of women writers, including familiar names such as Miriam Bat-Ami, Linda Sue Park, and Marion Dane Bauer, to portray various experiences of "growing up girl." The stories range in setting from urban to rural, from contemporary to historical, and from more to less serious, relating tales of enduring indentured servitude, living with the aftereffects of polio, leaving the reservation, coping with death and loss, and experimenting, briefly, with passing as a boy. While the stories cover an impressive variety of experience, their themes travel relatively hackneyed ground: find your inner artist, honor and pass on your grandmother's stories, all the popularity in the world isn't worth losing a chubby friend with a good sense of humor. The subtitle is also disappointingly misleading. With the exception of a couple of the stories and most of the poems, the selections focus more on growing up than on being a girl, and it is left up to the reader to decide how one might complicate the other. Of the stories that do reflect explicitly on being a girl, the focus is on limits, and two are set in the distant past. The poems are more celebratory and also more artistically successful than the stories. Donna Jo Napoli reflects on being a tomboy, Sara Holbrook on the physical communion of girlfriends, and Edwidge Danticat on the experience of coming to the party of writers without the proper credentials of gender, class, and education. The authors' notes help to contextualize the offerings and will open up undemand- ing discussion for start-up girl or mother/daughter reading groups. This is a good choice for that purpose, as readers will be able to pick and choose the selections they find worthwhile to talk about. KC APRIL 2004 * 315

BANG-CAMPBELL, MONIKA Little RatRides; illus. by Molly Bang. Harcourt, 2004 4 8p ISBN 0-15-204667-4 $15.00 R Gr. 2-3 Having conquered sailing, Little Rat (of Little Rat Sets Sail, BCCB 5/02) decides that she wants to learn to ride a horse, the way her father did when he was young. She quails a bit when she meets her prospective mount at riding lessons ("This was not a horse. This was a mountain on four legs"), but soon she warms to big, friendly Pee Wee. While there are setbacks (Little Rat takes a tumble, and she has to deal with the mean barn goat), she and Pee Wee make it to the school show, where she's delighted to win fifth prize. This is a more conventional narrative than the previous title and there's a bit less tension, since Little Rat's less of a scaredy rat, but Bang-Campbell still adds some touches of wry wit to the story of Rat's new pastime ("But Pee Wee was a giant horse," says the book when Little Rat tries to get Pee Wee's foot off of hers, "and Little Rat was a little rat. You do the math"). Little Rat's little ratness adds psychologically valid perspective to the depictions of her encounters with Pee Wee-she's a tiny little rodent perched like a fly on top of a mountain of benevolent horseflesh. The illustrations are more literal than in the previous volume, but the art-line with watercolor and gouache for helpings of saturated color-faithfully depicts the lively stableyard and the big palomino Pee Wee, with his tickly whiskers and tender pink nose. Barn rats of the human kind (who will appreciate the illustrative tip of the hunt cap to some classic equestrian titles in Little Rat's library) will warm to the knowledgeable details, while Little Rat fans who share her unease about new experiences will heave a sigh of relief at her triumph. DS

BAUER, MARION DANE The Double-DigitClub. Holiday House, 2004 [118p] ISBN 0-8234-1805-7 $15.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-5 Most girls in the fourth grade can't wait to turn ten so they'll be asked to join the Double Digit Club, initiated by snobby Valerie Miller on her own tenth birthday. Best friends Sarah and Paige, however, had always agreed "that they wouldn't join Valerie's silly club no matter when they turned ten." Despite months of repeating this promise to one another and practicing their refusals, on the morning of her birthday Paige accepts Valerie's exclusive invite, leaving Sarah standing alone on the lakefront of their Minnesota town. What follows is a tender story of friendships lost and gained, a generous dose of self-revelation, and a clique story that goes beyond the typical parameters and instead explores the difficult issues of trust, personal loss, and coming face to face with one's own weaknesses. After spending a few weeks as a member of the DDC, Paige finds her own voice, both in leaving the club and confronting the frequently bossy Sarah; Sarah, left alone without her closest friend, discovers a bit about her own faults through the gentle guidance of a compassionate neighbor, Miss Berglund, who teaches Sarah the difficult truth that "there's always a bit of hate in every kind of love." Bauer has captured the essence of elementary school relationships, especially in the development of Sarah as a likeable if flawed protagonist, just discovering that growing up is hard work. This friendship tale is certain to win attention from those just reaching the double digits themselves. HM 316 * THE BULLETIN

BEAUMONT, KAREN Duck, Duck, Goose! (A Coyote's on the Loose!); illus. by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. HarperCollins, 2004 32p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-050804-3 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-050802-7 $15.99 R 2-4 yrs Beaumont riffs off the familiar "duck, duck, goose" refrain to set a jaunty rhymescape for her cumulative tale of timid domestic creatures fleeing from what they fear is a coyote. Chanting lines like "Pig, pig, pup ... He is going to eat us up!" and "Pup, pup, cow ... There he is behind the plow," Duck and Goose, in paranoid Henny Penny fashion, collect various denizens of the farmyard on their flight from their mysterious pursuer. They eventually end up in the house, where the rhythm is interrupted and the ending fizzles as the "coyote" turns out to be, predictably enough, a lonely rabbit looking for some playmates. Aruego and Dewey's famil- iarly bumpy critters ooze worry from every posture, their round googly eyes height- ening the effect. Dewey's fanciful colorwork, featuring purple cows and blue goats as well as more realistically colored animals, provides sufficient visual energy to complement the bouncy text, making this a rollicking readaloud for the very young. KC

BIRNEY, BETTY G. The WorldAccording to Humphrey. Putnam, 2004 124p ISBN 0-399-24198-1 $14.99 Ad Gr. 3-5 Humphrey is the pet hamster in Mrs. Brisbane's class at Longfellow School. De- spite the fact that Mrs. Brisbane is not particularly fond of the "rodent," as she calls him, she manages to make sure the hamster is cared for by sending him home with a different student each weekend. In the various houses of his various classmates, Humphrey identifies a problem (the principal's children don't listen to him, Sayeh's mother doesn't speak English, A. J.'s family is constantly competing with the television, etc.) and addresses it as only a canny hamster can. The set-up and arc of this plot are programmatic, and there are few surprises. The action is sometimes cornily sentimental (Mrs. Brisbane's depressed husband is bitter about the auto- mobile accident that's left him dependent on a wheelchair, but he's reinvigorated after chasing an escaped Humphrey around the house), but moments of humor lighten the text. Humphrey's narration is informal and accessible, and his knowl- edge of human behavior would do any counselor proud. The humanitarian hamster's point of view is sure to cause young readers to look at their own furry friends with new eyes. JMD

BLOOR, EDWARD Story Time. Harcourt, 2004 [4 32p] ISBN 0-15-204670-4 $17.00 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-12 Much to his delight, sixth-grader George Melvil has been admitted to the high- powered Whittaker Magnet School; much to her dismay, his niece, eighth-grader Kate Peters, has been admitted as well on genius George's coattails. The surreal world of Whittaker proves to be awash in obsessive nepotism (the Whittaker children win and star in everything) and completely geared to the passing of standardized tests ("If information is not tested in any of the fifty United States, is there any reason for a United States student to learn it?") as well as the center of a county power cabal that rides roughshod over dissent on all local decisions (and has covered up an array of school deaths). Mutinous Kate develops an association with APRIL 2004 * 317 the strange library assistant, Miss Pogorzelski, who speaks rarely and only in nursery rhymes, and who opens Kate's eyes to the fact that the school is also possessed by book-dwelling demons, the cause of the multitude of building fatalities. The supernatural plot isn't always as successful as the school story (the book also seems mistakenly to believe that Perrault's Mother Goose contained nursery rhymes) and a few elements of Bloor's educational sendup may overfly some young readers' heads (though librarians won't want to miss the 4,000-foot mural of Andrew Carnegie burning in hell), but this is still a highly original, laceratingly irreverent satire. Clearly believing more is more, the book en route also skewers county councils, presidential photo-op visits, urban redevelopment, and theme parks in addition to various aspects of the educational process, and then throws in a few other elements just for sheer absurdity (George's parents, a variant on Ma and Pa Kettle, are relentless and enthusiastic clog dancers). The comedy is gleefully dark, with fatalities raining through the pages; some of them, however, are comeuppances richly deserved, and the book neatly allots second chances, solved mysteries, and new horizons to the more benign characters. Adventurous readers with a taste for the offbeat and the satirical will appreciate this mordant lampoon. DS

BOWLER, TIM Firmament. McElderry, 2004 [320p] ISBN 0-689-86161-3 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 Fourteen-year-old Luke Stanton has been bitter and resentful since the death of his father, rebelling by running with a dangerous crowd, who wants Luke to break into the house of a rich old lady, Mrs. Little, and steal her box of treasure; he's already taken several beatings for his failures, so if he continues to duck this assignment, he knows he's asking for serious abuse. He's troubled by his extrasensory hearings of sobbing, however, and of music (like his father a gifted pianist, Luke has always heard things, especially music, that other people have not), and he finally discovers that they emanate from ten-year-old Natalie, a blind, mentally handicapped girl whom Mrs. Little is secretly housing. The old lady threatens to expose Luke's attempted burglary if he doesn't help her with Natalie, and he finds that his piano playing soothes the otherwise inconsolable girl; as he becomes more involved with Natalie, he uncovers the fact that she is in fact a missing child (really named Barley), whose loving parents have been searching for her for two years. Can he manage to restore her to her parents without betraying his own involvement, and will his sociopathic cronies exact their punishment on him for his fail- ure before he can save her? Bowler (author of River Boy, BCCB 7/00) again weaves the supernatural through a story about real-world trials and traumas, thereby adding resonance to his storytelling. Luke's musical ability is poetically and effectively evoked, as is his longing for his father; on the grimmer side, his dilemma with his vicious quondam mates has authentic desperation, and his distance from his worried mother (who has become seriously involved with a local artist) is captured in terms true to teenage tropes of rejection. The Natalie plot is less successful, however, as it largely reduces her to a symbol, and the book's broad-reaching resolution excludes her, never acknowledging the destruction of her and her family's life that her restoration won't simply cure. Still, this is an inviting blend of struggle with the worldly and exploration of the ineffable, just right for readers who like to keep the possibilities of reality open-ended. DS 318 * THE BULLETIN

BRADBY, MARIE Some Friend. Jackson/Atheneum, 2004 245p ISBN 0-689-85615-6 $15.95 R Gr. 4-8 Eleven-year-old Pearl has a comfortable life growing up in an African-American suburb of Washington, D.C. in 1963. Not that she doesn't find things to com- plain about: her mama is too strict, kids tease her about her long, skinny bird-legs, and she's jealous of her high-school sister's social club and fashionable clothes. Mostly, though, she wants a friend, so she's thrilled when Lenore, the most popular girl in the neighborhood, starts paying attention to her. She's also attracted to Artemesia, a new girl, who draws and dances like an angel. Lenore doesn't ap- prove of Artemesia, who is obviously poor; she and her family have been migrant workers, something Pearl just can't wrap her middle-class mind around. In fact, Pearl's sheltered life leaves her believably naive about many things, including Lenore's unsuitability as a friend. One awful night, she learns just how nasty Lenore can be, as she involves the oblivious Pearl in a verbal and physical attack on Artemesia. Before Pearl can apologize, however, Artemesia has left without a trace. This is a solid, appealing offering for preteen readers, honestly portraying an unfortunately typical situation where Pearl has to atone for bad judgment and wrong behavior without recourse to apology or other ways of setting things right for the person wronged. That she finds multiple ways to do so strengthens both the narrative and its implications for the reader. Bradby paints Pearl's grief and atone- ment with the same fine brush she uses throughout to pick out the details of life in the early '60s. Broader connections might be made to the larger social context, brought into the story as the family gathers around the television to listen to a speech that Pearl finds too grown-up and complicated to understand ("Dr. King talks about a lot of things, even his dreams"), but this is clearly a story about what makes for friendship, forgiveness, and right choices. KC

BRUGMAN, ALYSSA Walking Naked. Delacorte, 2004 [192p] Library ed. ISBN 0-385-90141-0 $17.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-385-73115-9 $15.95 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 7-12 Megan Tuw is the brains and therefore power behind the elite social group at her high school, and she's been key in the development of its ritualized protocols for years. She's therefore baffled to find herself drifting into a sort-of-friendship with class outcast Perdita Wiguiggan, a.k.a The Freak, who demonstrates a quick turn of mind and some interesting scope. As Megan becomes increasingly annoyed by the group's drifting from her wishes and at odds with its members, she becomes more enmeshed in Perdita's offbeat and occasionally troubled life-much to the consternation of the group, which demands that Megan publicly repudiate Perdita or leave the fold. Megan's narration in this Australian import is eerily accurate in its disproportionate helping of self-confidence (she repeatedly queries Perdita's behavior towards her, "especially considering who I was"), her prioritization of cool mastery over anything else in peer relationships, and the hard-eyed realism with which she views her eventual downfall ("These people, who claimed to be my friends, could make my life hell, not for a little while, but for years. I knew that because I had taught them how"). The book wisely skips easy explanations for Megan's behavior, giving her an affectionate family whom she loves; while Perdita's fate is a bit programmatic (after Megan publicly abuses her, she kills herself), she's clearly been on the edge for awhile. This is Amy Goldman Koss' The Girls (BCCB APRIL 2004 * 319

6/00) with a steely and unforgiving core, and teens in the middle of this kind of social politicking will recognize it immediately. DS

BRYANT, JEN The Trial; illus. by Leigh Wells. Knopf, 2004 [192p] Library ed. ISBN 0-375-92752-2 $16.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-82752-8 $14.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-9 Katie Leigh Flynn should be the envy of her seventh-grade class. She's been granted six weeks off school to take notes for her uncle Jeff, a reporter for the Hunterdon County Democrat, who has broken his writing arm. And what an assignment he has: covering what would become the "trial of the century," the case of Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who has been accused of kidnapping and killing the baby son of aviator Charles Lindbergh. In the course of the trial, however, Katie peers long and hard into the darker side of her community, the world of celebrity, the ethics of the press, and the course of American justice; what she finds is not a pretty sight. Although a number of minor concerns bubble to the surface of Katie's six-week stint-her concern for a boy who is wrongly accused of vandalism, and for her mother's budding romance with the Democrat editor-the Hauptmann trial necessarily dominates both her life and Bryant's free-verse novel. Opinions, prejudices, and predictions emerge naturally through the viewpoints of Katie, family, and neighbors, and readers who are not familiar with the trial or its outcome will be swept along in suspense, as "reasonable doubt" seems to be the logical outcome, but Hauptmann appears clearly doomed nonetheless. Contemporary readers have doubtless formed an opinion or two about celebrity trials in their own time, and this look at one of the first true American media circuses should load their pates with food for thought. EB

CARR, JAN The Elfof Union Square. Putnam, 2004 16 6 p ISBN 0-399-24180-9 $15.99 M Gr. 4-6 Hiram, a mean-spirited elf living in New York City's Union Square (and longing for the good old days when it was populated with criminals and the homeless) decides that the restoration of the small park must be stopped. To that end Hiram employs his nasty sense of mischief in a series of tricks designed to discourage humans old and young (and their dogs) from using the park. He is aided and abetted by Knut, a young rat deluded by Hiram's dreams of grubby glory and by the notion of the rats' reclamation of the park. Hiram's tricks have the desired effect of setting the humans against one another, and for a time it appears the elfs scheme will succeed. A chance meeting of a New York Times reporter and a young boy named Jack, however, results in a newspaper article that eventually causes people to behave themselves, inspired by Jack's quoting of his mother: "We could use the spirit of Gandhi here." Not even elves in the park are too far-fetched for the city that has everything, so the difficulty here isn't with the premise but with the execution. Hiram is, unfortunately, the most well-developed character, and his mean-spiritedness infuses nearly every page of the novel. Most of the action involves the adults, and the kid's-eye view of events is lacking. Elements of fantasy and reality are not blended effectively, and the concluding change of heart of New York's citizens (not to mention the elf's own change of venue) is more convenient than believable. JMD 320 * THE BULLETIN

CLEARY, BRIAN P. Rainbow Soup: Adventures in Poetry; illus. by Neal Layton. Carolrhoda, 2004 88p ISBN 1-57505-597-X $16.95 R Gr. 3-8 Cleary provides over four score poems, most of them humorous, to provide enjoyment but also to demonstrate some different ways of writing poetry. Not only does he employ a variety of verse forms and techniques, from limericks and concrete poems to villanelles and haiku, he footnotes many of the poems with explanations of the relevant technical term; sometimes footnotes give hints on how to read a poem or elicit readerly thought on matters. That combination will make this book a curricular dream, but the poetry is amusingly worthwhile in its own right. Though it's not quite up to the standards of James Stevenson or Douglas Florian-the scansion is sometimes inexact, which occasionally poses a problem in poems that are serving as examples of poetic terminology (the poem ostensibly demonstrating trochaic meter actually tips out of trochees and into iambs, for instance)-there's plenty of spring in these poetic steps. The variety will help keep the attention of those who usually shift restlessly when faced with poetry, and the playfulness of verses such as "Harry Had a Little Scam" ("Harry had a little scam./ He'd fleece you for your dough . .. ") offer readaloud and recitation pleasures to even the most irreverent youngsters. Layton's chaotic squiggles offer childlike but edgy illustration of the poems' denizens, and the restrained palette (most pages tint the black lines with only a single color, usually scribbled with haphazard gaiety over the figure) helps emphasize the lines of drawing and poetry. Those looking to expand or embark on lively poetry units will find this a useful addition. It would have been helpful to have a glossary of the poetic terms described as well, but there is an index of the definitions, as well as a title index. DS

COHN, RACHEL Pop Princess. Simon, 2004 3 11p ISBN 0-689-85205-3 $15.95 Ad Gr. 7-10 Almost-sixteen-year-old Wonder undergoes a life change when she gets discovered as a singer by a talent manager who plans to package her as the new pop thing. Her mother is thrilled: Wonder's older sister, Lucky, was on the verge of signing a recording contract under the same manager when she was killed, and Wonder will be closely connected with Kayla, one of Lucky's bandmates and now a pop super- star. Wonder's new path pushes her into a world of dance lessons, vocal training, publicity appearances, and, finally, a red-hot single that hits number one on the charts and turns her into the titular pop princess. This is a plot straight out of your basic TV-movie, and Cohn (author of Gingerbread, BCCB 4/02) unfortunately doesn't make much more out of it, never really instilling the saga with the breathy excitement that a Meg Cabot (The Princess Diaries, BCCB 12/00) might have provided, and using the extended page count to spin the drama out rather than to explore any aspect of it with genuine depth. Nor is Wonder much of a character in her own right, but none of that is really what the book is about; as Wonder herself says, "this was about Wonder Blake making dreams come true: glamour, independence, singing her little heart out with the voice she'd never expected would be heard beyond a shower stall." On that front, the book capably delivers, providing all the customary peeks into the fictional star scene-making videos and getting passes into adult clubs, mollifying jealous superstars and gratifying expectant fans, longing for the right boy and being tempted by the wrong one-and the result is a APRIL 2004 * 321 slick and enjoyably glitzy read. Young fans who want more atmosphere but not any more insight than your basic unauthorized biography will consider this, like, awesome. DS

COLLARD, SNEED B., III Animals Asleep; illus. by Anik McGrory. Houghton, 2004 32p ISBN 0-618-27697-1 $15.00 R 4-7 yrs How would you like to sleep in a bag made of mucus? Or in a kelp bed? Or in midair? You might if you were a parrotfish, or otter, or sooty tern, or any other of the twenty animals here demonstrating that the way they live determines where they catch their Zs. Short sentences head each page and brief paragraphs describe the benefits of each animal's behavior within its habitat, making this text a useful resource both for the easy-reader crowd and for the picture-book brigade. Cre- ative storytime leaders can read the introductory tags and ad lib the paragraphed information. Watercolors in limpid blues and greens or flamboyant fuchsias and purples provide authoritative depictions of the various sleeping habits in a liquid style designed to ease drowsy children into bed. You might want to share this early in the day despite the sleepytime theme; listeners may become so intrigued by the workings of the animal world that they find it difficult to drop off at bedtime. TC

COOPER, ELISHA Magic Thinks Big; written and illus. by Elisha Cooper. Greenwillow, 2004 [32 p] Library ed. ISBN 0-06-058165-4 $15.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-058164-6 $14.99 Reviewed from galleys R* 4-7 yrs Magic, a big, very solid cat, leisurely contemplates the possibilities of his day. The first basic question is, as is traditional with cats, in or out (with the additional exciting option of remaining in the doorway itself). In offers the possibility of tidbits and mouse hunts, and the doorway offers a great spot for a nap. Outside, however, offers serious adventure: he could chase the loons, or catch salmon and get a moose-ride over to the bears' island, where he could join them in a salmon and blueberry-pie picnic. Cooper has moved from his usual nonfiction approach (as in Ice Cream, BCCB 6/02, etc.) to tackle a more fanciful subject, but his compact evocations of Magic's musings are wry and effective. The dreamy conflict between feline indolence and ambition provides a pleasing rhythm for the text, as Magic contemplates action and then loftily dismisses it ("Maybe not. Maybe some- body else could chase the loons, and he could watch"); the ingenious result is therefore an amusing and even modestly eventful book about a cat who actually doesn't move a muscle the entire time. Cooper's artwork retains its fluidity in the landscape's sweeps of rich, blurry color, but he also provides an appropriately solid feel to the images with precise framing and recurring horizontals and verticals measuring out the views. Magic himself is magnificently inert-an inspired overhead view reveals his bulk expanding on all sides as he settles firmly in the doorway-and utterly, authentically catlike in his detached mien. This would be a particularly fine book to share on a warm summer day when the audience can really relate to the joys of inactivity, but it'll also be a satisfying winter readaloud to any kid warming his or her toes on a big, solid cat. DS 322 * THE BULLETIN

CORDER, Zizou Lionboy. Dial, 2004 275p ISBN 0-8037-2982-0 $15.99 R Gr. 4-7 Charlie Ashanti can talk to cats, a talent that serves him well when he arrives at his London home one evening to find his scientist parents vanished, and the help of felines domestic and street enables him to escape local thug Rafi Sadler and follow his parents' trail. He stows away on a police boat, which is subsequently shang- haied by a ship called the Circe, home of Thibaudet's Royal Floating Circus and Equestrian Philharmonic Academy. Charlie starts out cleaning the monkey cages, but his affinity with cats becomes clear, and he ends up working with Maccomo, the taciturn lion-tamer. The boy makes friends with the beasts and plans their escape along with his own. Charlie's circus adventure adds a riotous burst of color to his packed pursuit of his parents: while Charlie plots his next move, his parents send him clues to their location via various cats, and the villainous Rafi chases after Charlie. Corder (who is actually a mother-child writing team) sets this adventure in an unspecified but well-conceived future, and the book capably handles its car- nivalesque atmosphere and its event-packed story. Seemingly disconnected plot threads come together just in time for a cliffhanger conclusion that bodes well for the sequel. Fast and suspenseful, this is a lively chase-and-escape futuristic adventure that will hold readers alone, readers aloud, and anyone who happens to be listening. Meow! JMD

CORRIGAN, EIREANN Splintering. Scholastic, 2004 [192p] ISBN 0-439-53597-2 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 9 up In alternating free-verse poems, Jeremy and his sister, Paulie, tell of the distress of their family after a drug addict's terrifying house invasion widened the family fis- sures into gaping chasms. Their oldest sister, Mimi, was already reeling from her crumbling marriage, and their father suffered a debilitating heart attack during the event. Since then Mimi has sat home in near-catatonia, the family has studiously avoided talking about anything at all, high-schooler Jeremy has retreated to the basement (also his maneuver during the attack), while fifteen-year-old Paulie has become fiercer and wilder, even as she's ravaged by nightmares and a fear of the dark. The voices are differentiated more by typeface (Paulie in a bold sans serif, Jeremy in a Roman serif) than by phraseology, and the density and sophistication of the writing will challenge many young readers, but this is still a verse novel well above the current standard. Corrigan displays a welcome technical competence at poetry: the lines in her verse paragraphs have an informal regularity if no formal meter, and she fills her poetry with deftly turned phrases and interwoven sound echoes generously laced with assonance and consonance ("now I know/ the world holds worse people," says Paulie). The story she teases out of her teenage narrators is worthwhile and complex: a family with a strained history before their life-alter- ing event ("It's still the same stir-crazy family, the same oxygen-deprived future./ The only difference is now I'm expected to be grateful for it"), whose kids were startled to find in the attack evidence of parental devotion (to each other as well as to their children) that they had doubted. It also has a daughter slipping out nightly to see her stoner college boyfriend, who at least makes her feel like she exists; her brother, aimed firmly by his father towards college ("it seems like he's counting on trading me in"); and their depressed older sister, whose almost total silence exem- plifies the family's silence about the thing that's haunting their lives. The resolu- APRIL 2004 * 323

tion-Jeremy and Mimi jolt out of their self-imposed roles to rescue a lost Paulie- is fitting and progressive rather than predictable and final, and readers will recognize many of the harder truths of family life amid the poetic craftsmanship. DS

CURTIS, CAROLYN I Took the Moon for a Walk; illus. by Alison Jay. Barefoot, 2004 32 p ISBN 1-84148-611-6 $16.99 R 4 -6 yrs A little boy's willingness to include the moon in his evening walk takes the viewer on a journey in which the recognizable is made new. Image-rich verse focuses first on the strangeness of stepping out with the lunar body, then on the small wonders such a walk can reveal-the moon's call to the night dew, or the boy's discovery of a mirror-moon gazing from the water of a stream. This twilight outing lilts through a landscape of rolling hills on which adults inhabit a faraway, pedestrian plane between trees and buildings (including a planetarium, a cathedral, and a castle) whose elongated lines lift viewers' gazes to the enormous, everpresent moon. Blocky folk-art animals follow the sphere everywhere, fascinated; the moon's cratered face reflects the creamy light of sunset and the beatific smile of the boy who leads it by the hand over grass, path, and stream. Crackling varnish endows the alkyd oil paintings with the authority of medieval religious murals, and the spare beauty of the text opens an imaginary space where viewers can experience an otherworldly encounter of their own. Keep this book for quiet evenings when its graceful be- witchery can be appreciated. A two-page explanation of lunar phases, traditional moon lore, and nocturnal creatures is included. TC

CUYLER, MARGERY Big Friends;illus. by Ezra Tucker. Walker, 2004 [32p] Library ed. ISBN 0-8027-8887-4 $17.85 Trade ed. ISBN 0-8027-8886-6 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R 5-8 yrs Despite the close companionship of his pet lion and elephant, Big Hasuni, a dark- skinned giant, is lonely living atop his African mountain. Accompanied by both lion and elephant, Big Hasuni sets out to discover the source of the smoke he sees rising from a distant island. Once there, he finds a deserted campsite with "a dozen giant lobsters steaming in a nest of seaweed. 'YUM, YUM, YUM,' said Big Hasuni"; in minutes he has devoured the lobster, broken a stool, and fallen asleep in a hammock. When the campsite's owner, a female giant named Big Hanna, returns ("'Jumping tuna!' she yelled when she saw the hammock with a man the size of a giant in it"), she sends Big Hasuni running back to his own campsite, which has been similarly trespassed. Big Hanna follows him, and when the two come face to face, accusations are followed by mutual apologies that are followed by wide smiles, and "soon they were laughing and bellowing, making the mountain shake and the clouds jump in the sky." This story of how the giant above and the giant below came to be friends is an original tale, but it rings with all that is satisfying about good folklore: repetition, rhythmic movement, and mischief. The art unfortunately inclines toward the stiff and literal rather than the imaginative, but the lavish landscape and the expressive faces of the two giants effectively part- ner with the story, and the play with proportions (zebras run at the feet of the giant like tiny mice) adds a touch of whimsy. Young listeners are certain to find this humorous story giant-sized fun. HM 324 * THE BULLETIN

DuQUETTE, KEITH Cock-a-Doodle Moooo!: A Mixed-up Menagerie; written and illus. by Keith DuQuette. Putnam, 2004 32p ISBN 0-399-23889-1 $16.99 Ad 4-6 yrs Rhymed narrative describes what one might term portmanteau beasts of ancient times (such as the griffin and the hippocampus) and then goes on to imagine some contemporary animal conglomerations. Each imagined critter gets a page or a double-page spread that labels the monster ("Snorse"), explains with visual aids the biological math behind it ("Snail + Horse"), and describes its attributes or behavior in brief rhymed verse ("The snorse races/ at molasses paces ... "). The versification is often limp and strained, especially in the overlong introductory segment, and the art has a staid literalness (with occasional touches of awkward drafting) at odds with the imagination of the concept. The actual combinations are cleverly fancy-catching, however, with even the names of the animals an entertaining mouthful (the squoodle, part squid, part poodle, will likely be the audience favorite). Prelutsky's Scranimals (BCCB 10/02) is a far superior treatment of this premise, but it's also for more advanced readers, whereas kids just discovering the possibilities of mismatched zoology might find this an easy introduction. DS

ELY, LESLEY Looking after Louis; illus. by Polly Dunbar. Whitman, 2004 28p ISBN 0-8075-4746-8 $15.95 R 4-7 yrs The little girl narrator looks after the new kid in class, Louis, who is clearly not running with the pack. He keeps to his own world and speaks only to parrot phrases spoken by his teacher and peers, and his pictures are colorful but inscru- table. He also interrupts playground games-at least until a soccer match rivets his interest. Miss Owlie and Mrs. Kumar ("who sits by Louis and helps him") recognize that this is just what Louis needs to bond with the class, and what's more, the students seem to as well; Louis and star player Sam are allowed outside to practice during class, but the narrator is prepared to be understanding: "I think we're allowed to break rules for special people." Although the narrator's persis- tently nonjudgmental tone is somewhat suspect, given the children's primary-grade age, Dunbar's lively mixed-media pictures deliver a healthy dose of wry humor, demonstrating that the "normal" kids in the class have some behavior and control issues themselves. There's a lot of dead-on sulking, raspberry-blowing, pigtail- sucking, and talking out of turn among this spidery-limbed, bubble-eyed crew, and if viewers examine the illustrations with open minds, they may realize that Louis is probably not the teachers' biggest challenge. A closing note by a clinical psychologist, aimed squarely at adult readers, comments on Louis's condition (which readers-aloud and even some audience members may have already recognized as autism) and on the advantages to all students in an inclusive, or "mainstreamed," classroom. EB

EVETTS-SECKER, JOSEPHINE, ad. Little Red Riding Hood; illus. by Nicoletta Ceccoli. Barefoot, 2004 32p ISBN 1-84148-621-3 $16.99 R 5-8 yrs This childhood favorite receives lucent illustration and a traditional adaptation in this new picture book. Little Red Riding Hood sets off to visit her sick grandmother ("It was she who had made the cape, stitch by stitch, for her darling granddaughter's birthday") with a basket of "fresh bread, some new butter and APRIL2004 * 325 some sweet elderberry wine." Ceccoli (illustrator of Batt's The Faerie's Gift, BCCB 4/03) provides gently incandescent acrylic, pencil, and oil pastel illustrations, the clean color and softly dappled light filling the pages. Changing perspectives in the full-page images makes each spread a surprise, and the smaller inserts on the text pages reflect the continuing action with cameo-like precision. The titular inno- cent is a luminous rosy glow in the verdant woods, her cloak and cap seeming to light the path before her. The villain of the piece is an elongated, oversized blue wolf, who curves around Little Red with a wicked crocodilian grin. After rescue by the woodcutter it is Little Red who decides "I'll fill up that big dark belly with rocks," and who, in the end, wonders "whether she would ever meet another wolf in the forest, and if so, what would she do then?" The back cover, indicating that there are more wolves waiting in the green woods, suggests she'll find out. JMD

FEARNLEY, JAN Watch Out!; written and illus. by Jan Fearnley. Candlewick, 2004 [4 0p] ISBN 0-7636-2318-0 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs Wilf is a baby mouse who is a little too active for his own good: "From the moment the sun filled the sky until it dozed against the hillside, Wilf was full of busy." Wilfs mother continually issues warnings when Wilf verges on trouble, but Wilf ignores them until... "CRASH BANG WALLOP!" After a day of this, Wilf decides to apologize by making her supper, but in a surprise ending, his mother learns that sometimes adults forget to listen, too. Fearnley has written an understanding story about a child who crashes and bangs enthusiastically through life and the mother who tries to keep up. The simple text and repetitive action will appeal to children learning to read on their own as well as lend itself to a walloping good readaloud, while adults will emphasize with Wilf's mother. The line-and- watercolor illustrations have the right touch of sweetness without being too cutesy (though they're close), and the scenes where Wilf "crash, bang, wallops" are ex- plosive and funny. The details of the mother's chores (raking acorns) and outfits (a heart-patterned apron) in the illustrations also add some depth to the simpler story. The ending makes the story almost too awwwww-inducing, but children will appreciate Wilf for his cheery nature and his mother for her clear expressions of love. KH

FINNEY, PATRICIA I, Jack; illus. by Peter Bailey. HarperCollins, 2004 185p ISBN 0-06-052207-0 $15.99 R* Gr. 4-7 See this month's Big Picture, p. 311, for review.

FLEMING, CANDACE, ad. Gator Gumbo: A Spicy-Hot Tale; illus. by Sally Anne Lambert. Kroupa/Farrar, 2004 32p ISBN 0-374-38050-3 $16.00 R 5-9 yrs This is the "Little Red Hen," Cajun-style: old Monsieur Gator, tired of being put upon by the younger, faster-moving Mademoiselle Possum, Monsieur Otter, and Madame Skunk, decides to make some gumbo "just like Maman used to make." Monsieur Gator gets out Maman's recipe book and gets himself a big pot. His questions will remind listeners of a more benign cook: "Who's gonna help me put water in the pot?"; "Who's gonna catch crawdads?"; "Who's gonna pick the okra?" 326 * THE BULLETIN

To these and all such questions the teasing animals sniff, "I ain't"-until, of course, that gumbo is ready, whereupon they beg for "one taste and we won't tease you no more." Monsieur Gator agrees, but those three animals are so greedy, they fall headlong into the pot, leaving a round-bellied Monsieur Gator on the last page, grinning and saying, "Now, this is gumbo just like Maman used to make." Fleming has a rhythmic way with words, and her text has a flowing ease that makes it a winning readaloud. Lambert's watercolor animals are all possessed of sly looks and eloquent body language, but it is Monsieur Gator who is the star: with his wicked grin and telling eyes, he brings a whole new trickster to the swampy folktale fore- front. This new twist on an old tale has possibility for a number of entertaining uses, from prompting the comparing of variants to encouraging the cooking up of regional delicacies. JMD

FLOOD, PANSIE HART It's Test Day, Tiger Turcotte; illus. by Amy Wummer. Carolrhoda, 2004 72p Trade ed. ISBN 1-57505-056-0 $15.95 Paper ed. ISBN 1-57505-670-4 $6.95 R Gr. 2-3 Poor Tiger! Not only is it standardized test day, he's lost one of his lucky pencils, he's fallen down in the bathroom ("The pain was way past ouchy"), and he didn't quite manage to unzip his fly in time ("Thank goodness I was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans"). Worse still, multiracial Tiger is stumped by the test's entry for "Race"-"The bubbles said White, Black, Hispanic, Asian, Native American and Other.... None of the answers were right." After the test, he observes his classmates, deciding that they all slot very nicely into categories while he's the only weird one. Fortunately, his father, also multiracial, gives Tiger a different perspective on the matter, and Tiger's teacher repairs both the terminology problem (she provides new information sheets) and Tiger's incorrect judgment of his classmates (it turns out that appearances don't tell the whole story and several other kids are multiracial too). Though never dismissing her protagonist's worries, Flood takes a low-key approach to this common situation, neatly demonstrating that the adults don't always have all the answers either (Tiger's teacher and the parent volunteer argue about the appropriate response) while making the point that people are more important than categories. Tiger himself is an endearing and individual little guy, who's good company in his own right; maybe he'll come roaring back in a sequel. Lavish use of black-and-white illustrations, in dashes of spot art and full-page scenes, mirror the text's gentle humor. DS

FRADIN, DENNIS BRINDELL Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth Is a Planet; illus. by Cynthia von Buhler. Mondo, 2004 [32p] ISBN 1-59336-006-1 $15.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6 It's one thing to recount a scientist's life; it's quite another to explicate the scientific principle that brought him or her to fame. Here Fradin successfully manages both in a succinct biography of the sixteenth-century astronomer who revived Aristarchus's theory of the solar system and an accessible explanation of how Copernicus arrived at his conclusion that the Earth does, indeed, revolve around the sun. Fradin devotes ample attention to connecting Copernicus' childhood observation of how a slower-moving body seems to be moving backward with his adult observation of an apparent backward loop to Mars's orbit, and even science- APRIL 2004 * 327 resistant readers should be able to glean the essence of the argument from textual examples and von Buhler's diagram of terrestrial and Martian orbits. Readers who prefer the human-interest story should appreciate details of Copernicus' career as a physician (who authored a medical treatise pessimistically titled "God Help") and of his reluctance to publish his masterwork on planetary movement, von Buhler contributes artwork worthy of a scientific giant-gold-leaf-bordered oils, richly hued in lavenders, oranges, and blues, and scratched to simulate paint upon wood grain. Formal poses of Copernicus with the instruments of his trade, and symbolic embellishments such as angels supporting an orrery and fat-cheeked cherubs puff- ing the east and west winds recall, but do not stiltedly imitate, Renaissance paint- ing. A concluding note refers to sources consulted for this work. EB

FURLONG, MONICA Colman. Random House, 2004 [288p] Library ed. ISBN 0-375-91514-1 $17.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-81514-7 $15.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-8 In this sequel to Wise Child (BCCB 2/88) and Juniper (3/91), Furlong continues the adventures of wise woman Juniper, her apprentice Wise Child, and Wise Child's cousin, Colman. Rescued from certain death by Wise Child's ship captain father, the three seek asylum in Juniper's old home. Upon arrival they discover that the kingdom has fallen under the power of witch Meroot and her consort, the Gray Knight, and that Juniper's younger brother, Prince Brangwyn, is held hostage to ensure the cooperation of the populace. Juniper reveals herself to those faithful to her brother, and a plan is set in motion to rescue him. The rescue requires inside information, however, and to that end Wise Child and Colman enter service in the castle of Meroot. With the help of Juniper's old teacher, Euny, the two become friends with the captive prince and help plan his escape. There is a lot of end-tying in this concluding episode, and the result is an overly coincidental plot with sometimes preachy prose. Young fantasy readers will find much to like in this title, though, including strong female characters and the tidy resolution of a just cause. The pace is quick, and the conclusion is satisfying if a bit anticlimactic. Readers of the first two books will welcome this final volume, and those who encounter Wise Child and her mentor here for the first time will surely circle back to the beginning of the series. JMD

GAY, MICHEL Zee Is Not Scared; written and illus. by Michel Gay. Clarion, 2004 [2 8 p] ISBN 0-618-43931-5 $15.00 Reviewed from galleys R 3-6 yrs Little Zee, the baby zebra, sulks off to bed when his parents forbid him to watch a scary movie with them; he then decides to drape himself in his bedsheet and give them a ghostly scare. This is deliciously effective, sending his parents stampeding and shrieking out of the living room and then joining in for an enjoyably shivery game, turning off the lights, tiptoeing through the halls, and hiding from their son. When he breaks his laser light, however, the game becomes a little much ("Zee doesn't want to be a ghost anymore. He just wants to be a little zebra in his bed"), so he scuttles back to bed, where his parents uncover him as their little boy; he then escorts them back to their own bed, reassuringly promising to stay with them. The book deftly balances the pleasure of the inverted roles with an under- 328 * THE BULLETIN standing of limits of youthful daring, and there's an agreeable rhythm to the straightforward, declarative sentences of the present-tense narrative and the gentle touches of repetition. The tender and unassuming simplicity of Gay's sturdy lines recalls the work of Crockett Johnson or H. A. Rey, so that perky little Zee, who looks rather adorably like a striped seahorse in pants, has a real editorial quality rather than being merely cute. Washes of taupe render the proceedings suitably nocturnal, with a few subdued colors (including a splash of pink on Zee's little muzzle) sufficient to preclude drabness. This is an enticing bedtime book particularly suitable for reading by flashlight--or perhaps even firelight, whether on a campout or on the living room floor. DS

GRAY, KES Baby on Board; illus. by Sarah Nayler. Simon, 2004 [32p] ISBN 0-689-86572-4 $15.95 Reviewed from galleys R 4-7 yrs While there are plenty of books on babyhood and coping with a new brother or sister, there are fewer that focus solely on prenatal development and on the all-too- evident changes in Mom herself. Graduated page lengths allow readers/listeners to flip directly to the developmental month in question, where they're treated to a left-page description of the coming sibling ("One month: He's a teeny-weeny blob, less than a quarter inch long," diagrammed here as a pea on a dinner plate) and a facing page look at Mom's current travails (month six, "Mom keeps wanting to wee," as she makes an anxious sprint to a public restroom). By the time we reach month nine ("He's still upside down. He looks like a real person, and he's ready for launch), we've also watched Mom buy bigger bras and panties, ingest jars of pickled onions, and "get cranky a lot," while Dad tries out baby-boy names to suit each new stage. Freewheeling line and bubblegum-bright watercolor pictures keep the excitement percolating until the baby makes its "red and blotchy" debut. Of course it's a girl, and all the narrative "he's" are left in the dust. This perceptive little narrator's enthusiastic play-by-play will resonate with fellow pregnancy pun- dits. EB

GUNNING, MONICA A Shelter in Our Car; illus. by Elaine Pedlar. Children's Book Press, 2004 32p ISBN 0-89239-189-8 $16.95 Ad 7-10 yrs After her father died, Zettie and her mother left Jamaica for America, and since then it's been "like having dark, wet days all the time." Since Mama hasn't been able to find a permanent job they're unable to rent an apartment, which means that they store food as best as they can in a little styrofoam cooler and spend most nights in their car, trying to find an overnight parking place that's fairly safe and fairly unlikely to incur police attention. Zettie has some good friends, but a group of boys harasses her at school, adding to her feeling of vulnerability, and she longs for the day when her mother gets a steady job and they can have a home of their own. The text is sufficiently rooted in specifics to make this an accessible story and not just an examination of a social problem, and audiences will understand Zettie's emotions even if they're not entirely clear on the forces behind her dilemma. The book isn't as helpful as it might be in explaining those: Zettie's question of "Why can't Mama do some other kind of work?" may, for instance, have some obvious answers to adults, but kids Zettie's age are going to wonder what the explanation is. The text would therefore benefit from a bit of adult assistance, but it's also APRIL 2004 * 329 rather long for most readaloud audiences, so it might work best in a curricular setting. Pedlar's art draws strongly on expressionism in its palette-vibrant and unexpected partnerships of vermilion, gold, and even aqua in the skin tones-and its dramatic and startling lines, especially the strongly modeled, exaggerated features on her figures. Their oversized eyes occasionally unfortunately suggest cartoon, but they also help provide an emotional connection to images in a visually challenging style; distance viewing also helps unify some of the scenes. This will be particularly useful as a curricular replacement for Bunting's now-outdated Fly Away Home (BCCB 5/91). A closing note briefly describes the homelessness problem and suggests action, but no particular resources are given. DS

HAAS, JESSIE Scamper and the Horse Show; illus. by Margot Apple. Greenwillow, 2004 [32 p] Library ed. ISBN 0-06-001339-7 $15.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-001338-9 $14.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 1-3 With the help of her mother and her little sister, Molly, Anna is getting her pony, Scamper, ready for the local horse show. It's tough to get-and keep-Scamper's white coat clean, but it's especially important to do so for the costume class, since Scamper "is his costume." Come the day of the show, Scamper makes the rounds in several classes, but when a pouring rain means ruin for Scamper's costume-the American flag-Anna and Molly fear they'll be cheated of their one remaining chance for a blue ribbon. Haas (author of Runaway Radish, BCCB 7/01) is the current queen of juvenile equestriana, and she's particularly good here at delineat- ing the various personalities of the different horses at the show with a few words ("Meg is fat and golden and makes mean faces"), allowing readers to bask in the horse-intensive milieu. She deftly blends realistic details ("But Scamper doesn't feel dry to himself. ... Scamper rolls and rolls and rolls. Now parts of him are brown. Parts of him are green") and lessons in sportsmanship ("It's part of horse shows," says Mom. "You smile for the good things, and you smile for the bad") with an understanding of the pony pleasures that keep horsey kids obsessed with their-or anybody's-equines. Apple also has a good sense of horsey individual- ity, making the show participants a credible equine crew (and some of the cos- tumes for the costume class are a serious hoot), but Scamper is the arched-neck, utterly delectable star; she also occasionally adds a touch of personification to Scamper's expressions, showing him as his young owners would view him, which will only make him all the more desirable to his audience. Though streamlined enough for reading alone, this would also make a cozy readaloud for youngsters dreaming of pony pals. An appended section provides further, equally accessible information about horse shows. DS

HADDIX, MARGARET PETERSON Say What?; illus. by James Bernardin. Simon, 2004 91p ISBN 0-689-86255-5 $12.95 R Gr. 2-4 Parents don't often make sense when it comes to doling out discipline, but Sukie's parents have slipped entirely off the beam. When she dumps glitter on the living- room carpet, her dad responds by telling her to stop picking her nose; when she kicks her brother, her mom tells her to "waste not, want not." Her brothers are slower to notice their parents' incongruous responses, having given up listening to 330 * THE BULLETIN them long ago, but Sukie is genuinely worried, especially when she finds herself doing parentspeak to take up their slack. After some stealthy sleuthing, they discover that their parents are trying out a new discipline method they learned from a magazine. The three turn their parents' strategy of talking out of turn back on them until the chaos forces a peace negotiation. Haddix certainly knows her way around the younger set: Sukie's earnestness and fear at this insanity that has upset her world bespeaks a kindergarten sensibility, and as the beleaguered sister of two older brothers, she is appropriately both gullible and wary. While their parents worry about second-grader Reed's attention deficits, the book wittily portrays a cinematic inner world that is simply much worthier of his attention than anything going on around him. Finally, eldest brother Brian sees this as an opportunity to strengthen his power base as "general" of his sibling troops. Black-and-white illustrations suggest the irrepressible energy that prompted the parents' drastic mea- sures in the first place. The silliness of the surface gaffes is undergirded by richer comedy: grownups trying to parent by the book who are being undone by their savvy kids who have read the same book. While suitable for an early readalone chapter book, this is equally worth sharing as a family. KC

HARRIS, ROBIE H. Don't Forgetto Come Back; illus. by Harry Bliss. Candlewick, 2004 [3 6p] ISBN 0-7636-1782-2 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-7 yrs The young narrator of this family drama does not want her parents to go out for the evening. She tries logic ("I am NOT a baby.... So I do NOT need a stupid babysitter!"), threats ("if you go out tonight, the biggest, baddest moose will walk into the kitchen-and eat me all up!"), guilt ("if you really, really love me, you'll take me with you"), and finally, running away (to the closet). Her parents blithely persist in their preparations for the evening and, resigning herself, she tells them the most important thing: "DON'T FORGET TO COME BACK!" Of course, her babysitter turns out to be totally cool, no moose attacks the house, and her parents don't forget to come back after all. Harris strikes just the right note with her bossy and emotionally mercurial narrator as she moves from anger to pleading to enjoying her evening with her babysitter and reuniting with her parents in the morning. Bliss brings his New Yorker sensibility to the illustrations, creating an elegant and stylish interior to go with the elegant and stylish parents (even the babysitter is teenage stylish). The grownups' facial expressions remain neutral and patient through all of the little girl's protests; they've obviously been here before. Bliss grays his watercolors throughout, adding to the sophistication of the setting and foregrounding the narrator's separation anxiety as well as her anger at her lack of power. By playing out the entire script of this all-too-common drama, Harris creates a reassuring text for both children and parents, allaying fears for the former and absolving guilt for the latter. KC

HILL, LABAN CARRICK Harlem Stomp!: A Cultural History of the Harlem Renaissance. Tingley/Little, 2004 151p illus. with photographs ISBN 0-316-81411-3 $18.95 R Gr. 8-12 While historians hold forth on the Great Migration and art critics expound on black artists and writers of the period, Hill moves agilely in both milieus, establishing the political and intellectual context in which W. E. B. Du Bois and his "Talented APRIL 2004 * 331

Tenth" broke fertile ground for the early twentieth-century cultural movement and were themselves ultimately challenged by a younger generation. Hill is as comfortable explaining the realtor wars that converted upscale white apartments into an initially affordable haven for a rising black bourgeoisie as he is describing the differing shows and clienteles of the Savoy and the Cotton Club. He occasionally gets slightly carried away with his own rhetoric ("The march was on! Blacks from all walks of life were strutting, vest buttons bursting, with optimism"), and he frequently generalizes black attitudes, even as he argues for diversity within the community. He never underestimates his audience, though, presenting opposing viewpoints on such thorny issues as Marcus Garvey's crusade to raise race- consciousness and white playwright Carl Van Vechten's controversial Nigger Heaven. His observations are ably supported with a plethora of illustrations and insets, ranging from period photos and documents, to artwork, to unusually generous excerpts from Harlem writers. Color-boxed sidebars and monochrome-tinted photos jazz up the layout, but ample white space and a restrained typeface for the main text keep the substance of Hill's exposition in plain sight. Although no notes are offered, an index and extensive bibliography are appended. EB

HOPKINSON, DEBORAH A Packet of Seeds; illus. by Bethanne Andersen. Greenwillow, 2004 [32p] Library ed. ISBN 0-06-009090-1 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-009089-8 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-8 yrs When Pa says it's time to pack up and head west because "folks around here are getting close as kernels on a cob," Momma, brother Jimmy, and narrator Annie have no real choice but to go. Annie observes the ritual of Momma's leavetaking from her friends, and weeks later they are in the middle of nowhere. "Only Pa seemed as bright and cheerful as ever. 'Mary, all this to the creek is ours!'" The children adjust fairly quickly, but Momma is so distressed by the move that, after giving birth to a second daughter, she refuses to name the baby or to leave her bed. Annie realizes before Pa does that Momma needs a bit of the beauty of home, and when Pa is absorbed with his fields, Annie and Jimmy try to break ground themselves for a vegetable and flower patch. Pa takes the children's hint, and when a garden is finally cleared, Momma pulls herself together to supply the flowers with seeds from friends and family back home, discovers a comforting letter tucked into a seed packet by her sister Janice, and finally names the baby Janice Rose. There is a striking similarity between this tale and Eve Bunting's Dandelions (BCCB 9/95). Hopkinson's narrative is, however, more compact, and Andersen's wispy, pastel- tinged oil and gouache paintings indulge pioneer fantasies of wind-tousled calico gowns, lace-edged aprons and petticoats, and the romantic promise that both settlers and flowers will thrive on the prairie sod. EB

HULME, JOY N. Climbing the Rainbow. HarperCollins, 2004 210p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-054304-3 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-380-81572-9 $15.99 R Gr. 4-8 Leaving Utah for New Mexico in 1912 ushers Dora into a new life in more ways than one. She has had an operation to cure her tongue-tied condition before leaving Utah, and after a year of learning how to talk properly, Dora is more than ready to join her brothers at her new school in New Mexico. When her mother 332 * THE BULLETIN introduces the metaphor of a rainbow to help the family visualize the promise of owning their own farm after the five-year homesteading period, Dora decides to mark time by making quilt squares for each month, thus creating a rainbow of her own. Her squares represent significant events in the life of the family-school pranks, hog butcherings, death, and small victories as she works to catch up with her grade in school. Many of the chapters center on death in some form: Dora's first teacher's parents die, she and brothers play a nearly fatal game of "kill the pig," she loses her beloved doll to her brothers' unfortunate game of "funeral," and she and her brothers win a contest to kill the most flies in the county. Most significantly, Dora's friend Cora Beth dies, leaving Dora lonely and depressed. Despite this emphasis on death, the book is generally upbeat and life-affirming as Dora turns tragedy into motivation to fulfill both Cora Beth's and her own dreams. At times, Dora's voice seems a bit forced, her self-talk a tad didactic and over- blown. However, the strong determination of the heroine and her close, loving relationship to her family are reminiscent of the Little House books, and the casual everydayness of her Mormon faith is gently and realistically drawn as she comes to terms with both loss and hope. The homey details of life in a large farming family will more than satisfy historical fiction and frontier girl buffs; give this to fans of Caddie Woodlawn and Laura Ingalls. KC

KANER, ETTA Animal Groups: How Animals Live Together; illus. by Pat Stephens. Kids Can, 2004 4 0p Library ed. ISBN 1-55337-337-5 $10.95 Paper ed. ISBN 1-55337-338-3 $5.95 R Gr. 3-6 Packed with information about the structure and benefits of animal family groups, with characteristic behaviors realistically rendered in a plethora of color illustrations, this title offers a lively overview of this aspect of animal existence. Examples given from different species bear out each principle described; the resulting text load is broken into manageable reading chunks arranged around two-page picture spreads or between compact perspective sketches. Stephens' watercolor and colored-pencil art eschews the staid literalness that often plagues natural history series, instead featuring imaginative compositions and a sense of rhythm and focus that imbue the scenes with kinetic energy. The text gains additional accessibility from frequent comparison of animal behaviors and human interaction and its invitation to the reader to imagine what it would be like to participate in such a group. Occasional bulleted lists, games, and learning activities further lighten the read. A table of contents, migration map, and index are included. TC

KANTOR, MELISSA Confessions ofa Not It Girl. Hyperion, 2004 [256p] ISBN 0-7868-1837-9 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-12 Jan Miller's senior year isn't quite the climax she'd have hoped: she's worrying about her big butt while her best friend, Rebecca, is named as a New York "It Girl" by Chic magazine; she's struggling through college applications without any real idea of where she wants to go or what she has to offer; her plans to lust after Tom Richmond have been put on hold by the return of old and suddenly adorable acquaintance Josh Gardner. Since Jan babysits for Josh's half-sister, this gives her plenty of chances to encounter Josh in his natural habitat-but also to hear about his girlfriend back in Seattle, to become the object of his weedy cousin's desires, APRIL2004 * 333

and basically to get her nose rubbed in the fact that he's not interested in her. There are slight shadows of more serious matters (largely due to Rebecca and her interest in a young lawyer, who thinks she's in college), but mostly this is a frothy and witty romance in the classic mode, with misunderstandings and uncertainty keeping the couple apart until the final revelation and embrace (here it's at a New Year's Eve party, where Jan is, of course, looking her most beautiful in a surprise find of a vintage dress). Jan's narration is bubbly yet wry, erupting occasionally into sardonic scripted exchanges of how life might have been, and her rueful observations about her disaster-prone love life ("Whoever said honesty is the best policy obviously didn't have much experience with dating") will elicit eye-rolling agree- ment as well as laughter from many readers. Despite the Manhattan sophistication of the setting and the girls, this is actually a pretty warm and sweet book, with a deep sense of security underlying Jan's hyperbolically expressed concerns, a solid and silly family behind her, and a generous helping of hope and excitement about the future. Princess Diariesfans looking for glittery Manhattan romance aimed at slightly older readers will consider this the It Book. DS

KING, STEPHEN MICHAEL Milli, Jack, and the Dancing Cat; written and illus. by Stephen Michael King. Philomel, 2004 [32p] ISBN 0-399-24240-6 $14.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-8 yrs Shy Milli is a shoemaker who is hiding her artistic light under a bushel. No one in her town, where "each new day was the same as the one before," knows that Milli can "take a thing that was a nothing ... and make it... a something!" One day two traveling minstrels, Jack and the Dancing Cat, arrive in Milli's town. They trade Milli some dancing lessons for new boots: "Dancing made Milli feel brave and free." Quicker than you can say two-step, Jack and Cat recognize Milli's genius and give her the self-confidence to reveal her art to her appreciative fellow townsfolk ("And nothing, after that, was ever the same as before"). King's lesson is gently told, with a quiet sincerity that manages to evade the sentimentality it occasionally approaches. The line-and-watercolor illustrations create town- and countryscapes with a folkish non-specificity that suits the fable-like setting; the dot-eyed characters evince a loose-limbed whimsy just right for dancing. This is a story that will give comfort to closet artists yearning to be free and will provide grownups with a storytelling means to help open those artistic doors. JMD

KVASNOSKY, LAURA MCGEE Frank & Izzy Set Sail; written and illus. by Laura McGee Kvasnosky. Candlewick, 2004 [32p] ISBN 0-7636-2146-3 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 5-8 yrs Frank is a quiet kind of bear, perfectly happy to stay in and practice his ukulele, but his overly exuberant rabbit friend Izzy ("Oh no, he thought, it's that rabbit again') somehow convinces the hesitant Frank to join her on an overnight sailing trip to Crescent Island. What follows is an adventure in friendship, where shy, nervous, overly prepared Frank helps Izzy in a moment of need, and talkative, overly confident Izzy helps Frank come out of his shell. Though the lessons are somewhat formulaic (when Izzy hurts her paw, it's Frank's first-aid kit to the rescue; when Izzy subsequently can't sail the boat because of the injury, it's Frank who faces his fear and mans the tiller), the characterizations of the two unlike 334 * THE BULLETIN friends are carefully crafted and whimsically portrayed. Izzy is full of great ideas (upon catching Frank strumming the ukulele, she declares, "I'll sing along .... We can start a band! We'll be famous!") and tall tales ("Do you know I hold the world record for singing the highest note?"). Frank, on the other hand, grows from a private bear, ashamed to play his ukulele in front of his friend, to a croon- ing fireside performer, singing along with Izzy under the stars. Kvasnosky's bold style, as seen previously in Zelda and Ivy (BCCB 4/98), Zelda and Ivy and the Boy Next Door (BCCB 6/99), etc., serves her well in depicting the summertime adventures of this complementary pairing. The gouache illustrations have a crayon-like texture, and the expressionistic landscape scenes prove an effective backdrop for the energetic Frank and Izzy. Figures and scenery alike are outlined in thick black lines and the color scheme, evocative of a seaside setting, juxtaposes a range of blues and greens with the golden sands of the shore. Kids are certain to flock to this seafaring story of two friends who bring out the best in each other. HM

KWASNEY, MICHELLE D. Baby Blue. Holt, 2004 [208p] ISBN 0-8050-7050-8 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 Once Blue lived with her older sister, Star, and both her loving parents; now her father is dead, her mother has married Lyle (known to the sisters as "Jinx"), and Star has left home because of Lyle's violence. Twelve-year-old Blue misses her older sister terribly, feeling utterly on her own as her mother takes beatings from Lyle and then accepts his promises that things will be different. When the adults depart for a weekend, Blue tracks down Star. Mama's unexpected return (having finally walked out on Lyle after one assault too many) results not only in a reunion but a three-way confession of secret guilts about the death of Blue and Star's father, but then Lyle's reappearance turns the family reconciliation into a family's near destruction. Kwasney sets her book, as a note explains, in the late 1970s, when the laws restricted police involvement in domestic abuse, but there's plenty of contemporary relevance in the pain of a girl whose mother has placed her husband's wishes over her children's and her own welfare. Though less hard- edged than Flinn's Nothing to Lose (BCCB 3/04), the book doesn't shirk from the fact that the capacity for uncontrolled rage lies within us all ("I stared at the bruise on her cheek," says Blue, "thinking back on how I'd wanted to shake her myself"). The family's grief over the girls' father's death is overly sudden in its revelation and resolution, and Blue's narration is sometimes a little studied, but readers will nonetheless relate to the compelling account of a girl trying to fight her family's destruction from within. DS

LAWLOR, LAURIE The Schoolat Crooked Creek; illus. by Ronald Himler. Holiday House, 2004 [8 3 p] ISBN 0-8234-1812-X $15.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 2-4 Pap insists that his two children will attend the entire winter term at the schoolhouse, and six-year-old Beansie wants no part of it. The prospect of learning things that have nothing to do with the backwoods Indiana farm life he enjoys is bad enough, but the thought of other children is even worse. The few times he's met with peers, he's been unimpressed with their rowdy ways. Older sister Louisa claims she's excited, but her sudden interest in folk remedies for freckles tells him she's worried about the other kids as well. Dad notches the trees to mark a path to the APRIL 2004 * 335 schoolhouse, and Beansie and Louisa are packed off with their dinner pails. After a trying day in the classroom, though, they face a blizzard that obscures their trail and misdirects them to the cabin of classmate Oliver Sweeny, the boy they fear the most. The slim plot of this slim novel may sound familiar and pat, but Lawlor's keen eye for the specifics of childhood dread bring it vividly to life. Although the bully is not quite as brutish as the siblings had feared, there's enough teasing, cliquishness, and boisterousness to intimidate the sheltered pair, and the hike home through virgin nineteenth-century forest is authentically nerve-wracking. Himler's black-and-white full-page sketches supply rest stops for children acclimating to longer chapter books. Considering Beansie and Louisa's trek, the school bus won't look so bad. EB

LEHMAN-WILZIG, TAMI Keeping the Promise: A Torah'sJourney; illus. by Craig Orback. Kar-Ben, 2004 [32p] Library ed. ISBN 1-58013-117-4 $16.95 Paper ed. ISBN 1-58013-188-2 $6.95 Reviewed from galleys R 6-9 yrs Rabbi Dasberg prizes his tiny Torah scroll, keeping it with him during the Nazi occupation of his Dutch city and even as he is sent to Bergen-Belsen. Despite the tortures and privations of Belsen, the rabbi guards his faith and helps his people; when a young boy in the barracks approaches his thirteenth birthday, the rabbi teaches him from the Torah in preparation for a secret Bar Mitzvah, heartening the other prisoners as well as the boy. Even the boy's mother manages to appear at the clandestine ceremony (she views it through a window in the barracks), and among the gifts the boy receives is the tiny Torah, with the charge that he should tell its story. One of the people with whom the boy-who became a professor of science-shared the story was Israel's first astronaut, Ilan Ramon (himself the son of a concentration-camp survivor), and Ramon took the tiny Torah into space on the Columbia shuttle, where he shared its story with the world before all the shuttle's crew perished in the tragedy upon its return. Ramon is a significant and compelling figure to many, and this emotional fact-based story puts that impact into context as well as giving it a worthwhile narrative; the style is simple but emphatic, keeping the focus tightly on the individuals while offering many larger implications. Though this story was widely promulgated during the shuttle flight, many youngsters won't have heard it, and this is an affecting account even for those familiar with the little Torah's final journey. The art lets the story down somewhat: while the compositions are dramatic, the draftsmanship is stiff and the people rigidly posed. It would be nice to have a bit more information than is provided by the final explanatory note and the acknowledgments on the copyright page, but this is still a moving true account of faith and tradition. DS

LINDENBAUM, PIJA Bridget and the Moose Brothers; written and illus. by Pija Lindenbaum; tr. by Kjersti Board. R&S/Farrar, 2004 32p ISBN 91-29-66046-7 $16.00 R 5-8 yrs Intrepid Bridget (of Bridget andthe Gray Wolves, BCCB 9/01) is tired of her quiet only-child existence, and when she finds a trio of moose hanging about her building, she suggests they become her brothers. Bridget's filled with plans for play with her new siblings, but they've got their own ideas, breaking all the crayons and flinging the toy animals into the air. Come bedtime, the moose are slurping out of the toilet, disrupting Bridget's bed and wardrobe in an attempt to find a sleeping 336 * THE BULLETIN spot, and making silly trouble in the living room, until finally Bridget is fed up with her moose brethren and decides it's time to return to only-childness. Swedish import Bridget retains her customary bracing bossiness while tempering it with a touch of loneliness here, and the moose are troublemakers in the grand tradition of the Cat in the Hat and Pinkwater's absurd marauding mammals. The fact that many of the moosey malfeasances are awfully similar to those of obstreperous siblings won't be lost on young audiences, but they'll also relish the giddy ruminants' expansion into absurdity ("'Are you allowed to stand on your antlers?' 'ARE YOU ALLOWED TO LIE DOWN IN THE BUTTER?' they bellow"). Line-and- watercolor art sets wiry-haired Bridget in an apartment pretty average except for its moosey contents; the shadow of an adult in a doorway suggests that Bridget isn't unsupervised, but the world depicted is all hers. Tilted and overhead views emphasize the unsuitability of Bridget's new brothers for this habitat, and the bul- bous-nosed moose on their pipe-cleaner legs are sometimes anatomically questionable, but they're always humorous oversized company. This will make other "lonely onlies" feel a bit better about their state, while kids with mooselike siblings will enjoy telling their own stories of wild behavior. DS

LISLE, REBECCA Copper. Putnam, 2004 [192p] ISBN 0-399-24211-2 $17.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 3-6 Copper Beech has been raised by her sculptor aunt Ruby for as long as she can remember, and their lives, while full, are essentially uneventful. All that changes when Copper turns ten: Aunt Ruby packs the girl off to Spindle House in the Marble Mountains, where she will be safe from some unspecified danger. Along with her constant stuffed-animal companion, Ralick, Copper arrives at a place "where things were strangely, magically different" and where she meets previously unknown relatives skilled in woodcraft. At Spindle House Copper discovers clues to her most important mystery: the identities and fates of her mother and father. Her need to know leads her into the dangerous hands of Granite, head of the rival family of Rockers, and into a family feud long left unresolved. Lisle's tale is em- bedded with imagery reflecting the two families' expertise with the arts of wood and stone. Primary characterizations are slight yet believable, and there is undeniable allure to the giant tree house that is the Beech family manse. The magic is untethered, however, with little to support it; the fantasy world is not fully real- ized, and the result is whimsy without ballast. Convenience drives the action, and once the revelations begin they come fast and furious. Predictability aside, the novel has some of the winning personality of its redoubtable heroine, and young fantasy readers will probably cheerfully follow the determined Copper. JMD

LOOK, LENORE Ruby Lu, Brave and True; illus. by Anne Wilsdorf. Schwartz/ Atheneum, 2004 105p ISBN 0-689-84907-9 $15.95 R Gr. 2-4 Meet Ruby Lu, an eight-year-old Asian-American girl for whom the adjectives "spunky" or "spirited" seems too tame-she's effervescent, rambunctious, even occasionally precocious, but in a mostly good way. She's also amphibian, or wants to be, in her collection of capes that allow her to become a tree frog when she needs to be one, like on the first day of Chinese school. Ruby's frenetic energy bounces off every page as she moves through her Seattle neighborhood, performing magic APRIL 2004 * 337 acts (until her baby brother starts giving away her secrets), trying new snacks at Chinese School (chicken feet, yum), making new friends (even with the bully who moves into her neighborhood), and driving (yes, driving) herself and her little brother to Chinese school (lesson learned: don't park in the principal's spot). Soon her world is rocked by the news that she will be sharing her room with a cousin who is emigrating from China, but when she sees Flying Duck get off the plane and notices right away that her cousin shares her predilection for reflective tape, she knows they will be fast friends. Ruby Lu's exuberant embrace of all the new experiences her world offers is infectious. Though some of the jokes have their tongues planted firmly in adult cheeks, the humor in Look's introduction to Ruby and her family runs the gamut from slapstick to subtle; readers paying different kinds of attention will find different things alternately laugh-out-loud funny, eyebrow-raising, or merely worth a sage and knowing nod. It will be interesting to see what mischief Ruby and Flying Duck can conjure; as a series for young readers, the crossover appeal of these books, in terms of both age and culture, has the potential to take it places Junie B. Jones just can't follow. A glossary of Chinese words is included. KC

LUCAS, DAVID Halibut Jackson; written and illus. by David Lucas. Knopf, 2004 28p Library ed. ISBN 0-375-92690-9 $18.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-82690-4 $16.95 R 4-7 yrs "Halibut Jackson was shy. Halibut Jackson didn't like to be noticed." Halibut Jackson therefore moves furtively through the book, wearing suits of clothes that camouflage him in the park, in the market, against brick walls, and even at home. Alas, the retiring tailor gets hoisted by the petard of his own genius when he, unable to resist an invitation to a party at the palace, creates an elaborate suit of gold, silver and jewels that he thinks will hide him amidst the opulence of the setting. Unfortunately, it's a garden party, and everyone notices Halibut Jackson. More than noticing, they want him to make suits for them, and so Halibut Jack- son has to put aside his shyness and go into the brisk business of dressing the wealthy and eccentrically shaped. Among the delights offered by this sartorially silly story is the simple one of finding Halibut in his various habitats, another the enjoyment of the outlandish couture throughout the book. Vigorous interplay of line, shape, color, and pattern creates visual comedy in Lucas' cartoons, which, with their Continental styling and folk-art textures, evoke a mythic European setting of fanciful markets, Parisian interiors, and bejeweled castles. Halibut himself calls to mind a skittish beetle scurrying along the edges of the busy illustrations; amusingly enough, he blends in best with his shop full of customers and creations. A thoroughly likable hero, he will undoubtedly hearten the hopelessly shy, the fashionably odd, and the accidentally famous among us. KC

LUND, DEB Tell Me My Story, Mama; illus. by Hiroe Nakata. HarperCollins, 2004 [4 0p] Library ed. ISBN 0-06-028877-9 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-028876-0 $15.99 Reviewed from galleys R 4-6 yrs "Tell me the story about when I was inside you, Mama," begs a little girl, and Mama obliges as her daughter interjects reminders of key parts of the story. The 338 * THE BULLETIN account is universal yet individual, with Mama explaining how "my belly button popped out because you were such a big baby," that "the doctor took pictures of you with a special camera, and Daddy and I saw you sucking your thumb," and that finally, after a drive through a snowstorm and a long labor, the baby was born: "You were so mad! When you came out, you screamed at all the doctors and kicked at them with your strong legs." This story is particularly relevant since Mama is waiting for a new baby, and the big-sister-to-be is happily reassured that this story will always be hers, while "the new baby will have its own story." "The night you came" books aren't particularly rare, but this one has a natural rhythm, a sense of evocative detail, and a quiet reassurance to the child whose "only" status is coming to an end. Nakata's soft-toned watercolors are sweet enough to please dreamy adults, but they've got too much spontaneity to be bland: there's a joy- ously slipshod air to the untidy surroundings, and the plethora of flowers, chirping birds, and various little animals with their own babies weave through the pages not as cutesy motifs but as elements in scenes of happy near-chaos. Whether they're waiting for new siblings or not, youngsters will enjoy hearing this story and then contributing their own. DS

MACKEL, KATHY Alien in a Bottle. HarperCollins, 2004 194p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-129282-2 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-029281-4 $15.99 R Gr. 5-8 Eighth-grader Sean Winger is fired by a passion for glassblowing that was once fanned by his now-deceased artist neighbor. Unfortunately, Sean's practical parents don't share his enthusiasm: not only will they not support what they persist in calling his "hobby," they won't support his dream of going to high school to study art at the Monadnock Museum School. Sean is glumly dumpster-diving for discarded glass when he discovers a strange glass bottle, which proves to be the BargainHunter, spaceship of intergalactic junk man Tagg Orion, recently crashed on Earth due to a run-in with dissatisfied (and vengeful) customer, Dinn Tauro. While Sean's scientist friend Olivia Ricci helps Orion repair his ship, Sean plun- ders space junk for glass to make his (hopefully) scholarship-winning entry in an upcoming art show. In between repairs and artistic inspiration, Orion keeps one step ahead of Tauro, Sean's parents realize his passion for art, and Sean himself develops a not-so-platonic yen for Olivia. Mackel offers a fast and funny piece of science fiction firmly rooted in well-constructed characterizations: Sean is a sweetly yearning yet wryly humorous protagonist; Tagg Orion is a galaxy-roaming rap- scallion with excessive charm and insufficient scruples; and Olivia is a scientific marvel with an adventurer's heart. The down-to-earth prose makes suspension of disbelief an easy matter, and tasty samplings coupled with some lyrical descrip- tions of Sean's glowing art would make a winning booktalk for this entertaining novel. JMD

MANNING, SARRA Guitar Girl. Dutton, 2004 217p ISBN 0-525-47234-7 $15.99 Ad Gr. 7-12 Yearning to be like her idol, rock star Ruby X, and desperate to be noticed, Molly decides to form a band with her two best school friends, Jane and Tara. "The Hormones," as Jane dubs them, then add cocky Dean, a guitarist, and T, his silent drummer friend; get a breakout gig opening for a local sensation at an industry party; and pick up a manager who catapults them into the fast lane of British rock. APRIL2004 * 339

Molly's pleased to have the chance to be a real rocker girl, but the experience is, overall, less pleasurable than frustrating: she's constantly fighting with leader- wannabe Dean, and she's an eighteen-year-old virgin uncomfortable with the sexual predation of her musical colleagues. Beginning a secret relationship with Dean puts an end to her virginity but it doesn't erase her problems, and the more she learns about where she stands, personally and legally, the more she realizes she's been completely out of her depth. This is a much less benign view of the music industry than Cohn's Pop Princess(reviewed above), and the darker picture (Molly's friend Jane seems especially determined to destroy herself via every rock-star cliche) and tendency towards snarky dialogue gives the book an enjoyable edge; cosmopolitan readers will particularly enjoy the details of Britpop chart-climbing and celebrity indicators. Ultimately, though, the dark view itself becomes a fairly hackneyed tale of the cold, hard music industry, and there's not enough explanation in Molly's narrative or resonance in Molly's lyrics to justify the rocket to prominence or the high stakes for which the game turns out to be played (Molly's manager sues her for £1,000,000 when she quits the band). There's still plenty of enjoyable melodrama to be found in the situation, and readers will relish second-guessing Molly's decisions as much as riding with her on the tour bus. DS

MCALLISTER, ANGELA, ad. The Tortoise and the Hare: An Aesop's Fable; illus. by Jonathan Heale. Lincoln, 2004 28p Paper ed. ISBN 1-84507-142-5 $7.95 R 5-8 yrs Aesop's fable of the doggedly persistent tortoise and the boastful bragging hare gets a robust visual treatment in this paperback edition of the old favorite. When Tortoise overhears Hare boast, "I can run so fast, I leave the wind behind," his response is "What nonsense," and the race is on. Fable-wise readers and listeners will follow the familiar race eagerly thanks to McAllister's lively retelling and Heale's elegantly forceful woodcuts. Heavy, semi-glossy pages featuring a generous-sized font for easy reading alternate with full-page, black-framed woodcuts. The compositions are tight and rich, maintaining a stringent clarity while filling the frames and moving the action forward. The color is soft but not delicate, the hues subdued but earthy. Audiences may be somewhat startled by the hare's atypical conclusion ("'I see I am fast, but not very wise,' said Hare. 'I promise not to boast anymore'"), but the more familiar moral is implied throughout. Steady but never slow, this adaptation could make an inviting readalone as well as a classic readaloud of the famous fable. JMD

McEWAN, JAMIE Willy the Scrub; illus. by Victor Kennedy. Darby Creek, 2004 6 3p ISBN 1-58196-010-7 $14.95 Ad Gr. 2-3 Willy and his friends Rufus and Dan are determined to start their new careers as fifth-graders in middle school at the top of the social ladder, and the one sure way to do that is to join the football team. A season of bench-warming and verbal humiliation by athletic demigod Biff nudges them emphatically toward a different sport: wrestling. Willy loses every match, but he sticks out the term because he can actually feel himself getting better. When Biff lands on the injured list (yes, he also wrestles), Willy gets moved into the varsity slot for a final match, but he loses that one too-by a hair. His parents reassure him, "I told you, you don't have to win to be an athlete." Evidently Willy is unconvinced, because he's ready to move 340 * THE BULLETIN

on to kayaking come Spring. The end. Willy's sporting endeavors jolt to a conclusion abrupt enough to cause whiplash, and although readers may not demand that every novel end with athletic triumph, a little emotional debriefing would have been welcome here. The chunky typeface and choppy sentences are closer kin to early chapter books than middle-grade sports stories. Still, newly independent readers will appreciate the cachet of a fifth-grade setting and Kennedy's gray- toned spot art (reminiscent of middle-school Doonesbury), and kids wrestling with their first novels can find some satisfaction in pinning this one. EB

MCGILL, ALICE, ad. Sure as Sunrise: Stories ofBruh Rabbit &eHisWalkin' Talkin' Friends; illus. by Don Tate. Houghton, 2004 [4 8p] ISBN 0-618-21196-9 $17.00 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-6 McGill, a storyteller of note, offers in these five tales the liveliness she recalls from her own early listening, as described in her introduction. The collection includes variants that will be familiar to story listeners as well as story readers: "Please Don't Fling Me in the Briar Patch," "Bruh Possum & the Snake," and "How the Critters Got Groceries" (with the repeated refrain "Is it deep enough?") nestle alongside the lesser-known stories "Bruh Rabbit's Mystery Bag" and "Looking to Get Mar- ried." Each tale opens with a brief note by McGill, either explaining something in the tale or recalling when, where, or from whom she heard the story. The language is immediate and energizing, with a colloquial voice that lends itself smoothly to reading aloud and storytelling. The full- and half-page acrylic paintings lack the rich warmth of McGill's retelling; their shiny slickness jars with the pastoral content of the tales and the tonal similarity of the palette undercuts the impact of the compositions, but readers will still appreciate the slapstick of their broad humor. This isn't quite up to the standard of Julius Lester's landmark collection (starting with Tales of Uncle Remus, BCCB 7/87), but it should be a welcome addition to collections seeking accessible versions of African-American folktales. JMD

McKISSACK, ROBERT Try Your Best; illus. by Joe Cepeda. Harcourt, 2004 24 p (Green Light Readers) ISBN 0-15-205089-2 $11.95 R Gr. 1-2 Whether faced with a soccer game, a rope-climbing contest, or a relay race, all you have to give in order to succeed is your best, according to this beginning reader. Protagonist Ann worries that she won't excel on Sports Day, but friend Jan and teacher Mr. York assure Ann that an honest effort is always enough. The message is predictably didactic, but the execution is lively and compact. Especially welcome are the conversational rhythm of the sentences ("'It's Sports Day,' said Mr. York. 'Oh, good!' said Jan. 'Oh, no,' said Ann. 'I don't think I'm very good at sports'") and the happy omission of artificially introduced phonograms. With the exception of "Ann" and "Jan," sound clusters are so subtly inserted that the connection may not be consciously noted, even while the lesson is retained: "sports," "score," and "York" teach or; "relay" and "play" teach ay; and "fast" and "best" teach st. This admirable pedagogical reserve gives the story the feeling of a "real book" instead of a primer-until the end, where the educational intention becomes obvious with the inclusion of writing/discussion prompts and a craft activity. However, enjoyment is still the goal: two out of five reading comprehension questions focus on the reader's emotional response to the story, and the craft activ- APRIL 2004 * 341 ity allows for creative modification. In the illustrations, Mr. York and his multiracial elementary class, all perky angles, gallop enthusiastically across rolling green hills. Primary colors cut over a deep turquoise wash increase the illustrations' depth and sensory punch. Frame bases indulge in sweeping curves, continuing the freewheeling forward push of the hilly landscape. Aim emergent or reluctant readers at this book-after all, you don't have to be the fastest or the smartest to be a successful reader. You just have to "try your best." TC

MCMULLAN, MARGARET How IFound the Strong:A Civil War Story. Houghton, 2004 [1 44 p] ISBN 0-618-35008-X $16.00 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-8 Frank "Shanks" Russell recounts his Mississippi farming family's experience in the Civil War, when Pa and older brother Henry went off to fight, and Shanks, his grandparents, his mother, and their slave Buck were left to tend the crops. Grandpa, never in favor of the war, gives in to disillusion and heads off to Texas. Grandma dies and Ma gives birth to a baby girl, while Buck and Shanks fight a losing battle to keep the fields alive and stave off encroaching hunger. Buck, who seldom smiled or even spoke, seems to thrive on the relative independence of a household without a master, and even though other slaves in the region take off, Buck stays on. When Pa returns, having lost an arm and his elder son, the family discovers that their new relationships won't allow them to simply pick up where they left off. Buck now knows how to read and has helped keep the family alive; Pa and Shanks have had cause to reconsider Buck's humanity. When anger and defeat impel a local mob to lynch a neighbor's slave, the Russells know it's time to release Buck and let him make his way across the Strong River toward the Mississippi and true freedom. Shanks's narration is crafted with such delicacy and precision that readers may rightly suspect they are listening to McMullan rather than a twenty-year- old farmer. Even funny bits such as Shanks's efforts at courting in oversized homemade shoes are coolly regarded from a distance. Still, McMullan probes some shadowy corners often unexamined in children's Civil War books-violence in the aftermath of war; slaves who appeared to choose stability over freedom- and Shanks' thoughtful debriefing reminds readers that conflict did not necessarily end at Appomattox Court House. EB

MITTON, TONY The Tale of Tales; illus. by Peter Bailey. Fickling, 2004 112p Library ed. ISBN 0-385-75038-2 $17.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-385-75016-1 $15.95 M Gr. 3-5 Monkey overhears a couple of parrots discussing a trip to Volcano Valley to hear the "Tale of Tales": "'Wow!' he chattered to himself. 'I've just got to hear that! The Tale of Tales!' And he set off at once through the jungle." After literally running into Elephant, he convinces the pachyderm to come along; on the road they pick up fellow travelers (Goat, Spider, Bear, etc.), and the companions while away the journey telling each other stories. The tales themselves are rhyming adaptations of traditional stories (including variants of "Filling Up the House," "The Hobyahs," and Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle) set off from the frame story by a title page and italic font. Handsome black-and-white silhouettes and line drawings decorate the pages, giving this volume a clean, sleek look. Unfortu- nately the frame story is slight and anticlimactic, and the adaptations often miss 342 * THE BULLETIN the rhythmic mark. The rhymes are forced ("But here is the catch, as I'm sure you'll agree:/ to do it you'll only have one rupee") and the language lackluster. Mitton is credited as author, not adapter, and there are no notes for any of the traditional tales included, which makes it difficult to cite cultural roots and limits curricular uses. Despite the elegant design of this title, collections will be better off with more solidly rooted works such as San Souci's The Hobyahs (BCCB 7/94) or Sierra's Nursery Tales Around the World (2/96). JMD

MOLLOY, MICHAEL The House on Falling Star Hill. Chicken House, 2004 [3 8 4 p] ISBN 0-439-57740-3 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 4-8 Tim Swift's expectation of an uneventful summer visiting his grandparents in Enton is forgotten when he notices that the picturesque village is odder than it seems. No flowers grow anywhere, since the villagers believe that planting them is bad luck, and the house on the hill has been vacant for a long time, since the villagers believe the land is haunted after a falling star (one of many) landed there and a woman's son went missing. Tim is determined to uncover the facts behind these legends, and thanks to a man named Hunter who buys the house and hires him to plant flowers on the hill, he is in the perfect position to do so. He discovers that Enton is linked to another world, a world named Tallis, accessible only during a full moon by plunging into the passageways left by the falling stars. There Tim becomes involved in a plot to dispose of the power-mad duke who had wrested control of Tallis from the High King; along the way, he solves the secrets of Enton's superstitions. Molloy creates a fascinating world with its own peoples, history, politics, and quirks, and he peppers his story with plenty of unusual creatures, sword fighting, heroism, evil deeds, and magic. The writing isn't up to the plot- ting, however, and the story is hampered by its many plot contrivances: loose ends are tied up with a diary Tim finds, the duke happens to detail out loud all his evil plans while Tim is eavesdropping, and the final fight between Hunter and the Duke takes place in a room of mirrors. These weaknesses might deter readers accustomed to higher-order fantasy, but those looking for nonstop action in a well-developed magical world may find a home on Falling Star Hill. KH

MONTGOMERY, SY The Tarantula Scientist; illus. with photographs by Nic Bishop. Houghton, 2004 [80p] ISBN 0-618-14799-3 $18.00 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 4-8 The pairing that produced The Snake Scientist (BCCB 4/99) has returned with another dramatic title that demonstrates the wonders of hands-on science by fol- lowing a working researcher. This time the featured scientist is arachnologist Sam Marshall, who studies spiders in the jungle of French Guiana as well in his lab back in his Ohio college, and the featured subject is spiders, especially tarantulas. Read- ers will get a fresh view on the possibilities of science even at junior levels of research (Sam's undergraduates are often discoverers of new traits or behaviors in spiders) and also the differences that can exist between field science and classroom science (Sam admits to having been a poor and uninterested science student). They'll also learn a considerable amount about tarantulas, ranging from the perhaps disappointing fact that no human has ever died from a tarantula bite to the fact that APRIL 2004 * 343 tarantulas are quite old-model spiders, without the newfangled evolutionary de- velopments that most arachnids enjoy. Bishop's photographs rise magnificently to the challenge of capturing earth-toned spiders amid earth-toned jungle surroundings, bringing the critters up-close and personal and offering a few of his trade- mark astonishing stop-action shots (silk emerging from a spider's spinnerets and a shower of defensive leg hair being flung by a tarantula are probably the most memo- rable). This would liven up a science curriculum no end, and it might also convince young readers to go beyond the elemental pleasures of "Ew, gross" to the more sophisticated appreciation of "Wow, cool." A generous helping of end matter includes helpful facts, spider-speak glossary, bibliographic and web resources, information on the research of this book, and an index. DS

MORIARTY, JACLYN The Year of Secret Assignments. Levine/Scholastic, 2004 [3 52 p] ISBN 0-439-49881-3 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10 When the students of a posh private school are given the assignment to develop pen-friendships with the students of a school with a rather unsavory reputation ("they do have more tattoos and prison time than we have here," admits their English teacher), they respond with groans and suspicion, but Lydia, Emily, and Cass give it a go. They each get male penfriends, and the plot, related entirely through letters, diary entries, mock legal documents, and bulletin-board announce- ments, follows the varying fortunes of the growing relationships between the girls and their guys, and the girls and one other. Moriarty make clever use of her format to draw out her characters slowly. At first, the epistolary approach is distancing, as each letter is a glib, overly witty performance piece that serves to keep readers entertained and entice their curiosity but fails to make them care much about these girls and their fates. As the preliminary game-playing wears off, characters begin to show glimpses of their fuller selves behind the flip surfaces, and by the end of the book readers have a genuine investment in Cassie's triumph over her jerky penfriend and a strong desire to see the others work through their misunderstandings and just get together already. Moriarty manages an effective blend of the serious and the mundane: Emily's father's notes to his daughter, in the form of legal briefs and depositions, are wildly funny, Cassie's diary entries about her grief over her father's death are poignant, and Lydia is a satisfyingly complex character whose creativity, energy and sensitivity mingle uneasily with her tendencies toward sarcasm and power-brokering. Between the love stories, the criminal activities, and the working-through of pain, there is a bit of something here for everyone. KC

MORRISON, TAYLOR The Coast Mappers; written and illus. by Taylor Morrison. Lorraine/Houghton, 2004 [48p] ISBN 0-618-25408-0 $16.00 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 4-8 The U.S. Coast Survey was established within a few decades of the nation's birth, but attention to the West Coast was decades more in coming. A navigational crisis associated with the arrival (and grounding) of ships during the California Gold Rush made mapping more urgent, and George Davidson and a team of surveyors were dispatched in 1850 to get the job done. Morrison retraces their experiences 344 * THE BULLETIN in a land uncharted by white explorers and settlers, where inclement weather, in- hospitable terrain, suspicious residents, and perpetual underfunding threw obstacle after obstacle in the team's path. The mathematically disinclined won't be able to master triangulation or lunar calculations from Morrison's earnest attempts at explanation, but even without comprehending the surveyors' craft, readers will surely understand the exhausting physical labor involved in the undertaking. Although the text is densely set in places, an abundance of rugged paintings and precise diagrams keep readers in tow. An extensive bibliography and glossary will assist the studious, but kids who muse about the dark time before GPS can simply tag along for the adventure. EB

MORRISON, TONI Who's Got Game? Poppy or the Snake?; written by Toni and Slade Morrison; illus. by Pascal LeMaitre. Scribner, 2004 32p ISBN 0-7432-2249-0 $17.95 R Gr. 3-5 In the lamplight glow of a darkened cabin, Nate confesses to his grandfather, Poppy, that he hasn't been concentrating in school. Poppy puts on his "remembering boots" and launches into a story about the night he parked his car on top of a snake-a snake who insisted he move his truck and then take him home and feed him. Poppy was naturally skeptical, but the snake's guilt trip ("Is you just going to leave me here to die like a dog?"), logic ("If you saving my life, you ain't my enemy, Baby, you my SAVior, see?"), and sweet talk ("Cool. You an all-right dude") win out. Poppy tends and befriends the snake, who then bites him in his sleep ("Hey, man, I'm a snake"). But Poppy had been paying attention to the snake's carefully ambiguous promises, and he got the last laugh, as evidenced by his shiny green snakeskin "remembering" boots. This reworking of a traditional fable picks up its punch from the snappy dialogue and LeMaitre's comic-book- style format, in which Poppy's narration runs in a golden bar across each frame, and the grandfather/grandson interaction is confined to double-page spreads that open and close the tale. Deep green and browns cast an aura of bayou mystery, to which the bright green comical schmoozer of a snake is the perfect counterpoint. Morality tales jes' don' git much more fun than this. EB

MOSES, SHELIA P. The Legend ofBuddy Bush. McElderry, 2004 2 1 6 p ISBN 0-689-85839-6 $15.95 R Gr. 7-10 Goodwin "Buddy" Bush gained international notoriety in 1947 as the man who got away: falsely accused of raping a white woman and kidnapped from his jail cell by seven members of the Ku Klux Klan, Buddy escaped certain death by breaking out of the unlocked trunk of the kidnappers' car and hiding in the swamps around Rich Square, North Carolina. Buddy returned for trial after the authorities were marshaled to seek justice for both him and his kidnappers. Unfortunately, while Buddy was acquitted, so were the Klansmen. Moses tells the real story of Buddy Bush in an author's note at the end of the book, but in her narrative, she prefers and proffers a legend, which features Buddy making a clean getaway to Harlem, never to be seen again. She also creates a space for her own family, natives of Rich Square but unacquainted with Buddy, by making them Buddy's surrogate family and weaving the death of her grandfather into Buddy's story. Adopting the voice of twelve-year-old Pattie Mae, Moses casually mingles fact and fiction to tell an almost archetypal story of the Jim Crow South. Pattie Mae describes her days, her family (especially the "controlling women"), her neighbors and her dreams with APRIL 2004 * 345 the humor, strongly sensual detail, and repetition of an oral storytelling style; through her, readers hear the sorrows, the anger, and the determination of her folk to weather these storms and stand firm in the hopes of better times ahead. Pairing this story with actual newspaper accounts of Bush's story and others like it can generate rich discussion of how the storytelling transformation of a painful history can be used to engender hope and resilience. KC

NATHAN, AMY Count on Us: American Women in the Military. National Geo- graphic, 2004 [90p] illus. with photographs ISBN 0-7922-6330-8 $21.95 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 6-10 In 1997, the Women In Military Service For America Memorial was dedicated to the women who have volunteered to serve with the armed forces. Nathan tells the stories of some of these women, from Deborah Samson, who had to dress as a man to fight in the American Revolution, to Captain Celia FlorCruz, helicopter pilot in the Persian Gulf War, as she traces the development of women's roles in the armed forces. Nathan's writing is simple enough for young audiences without compromising accuracy or leaving out interesting details; the sidebars focusing on particular women and the well-chosen monochromatic photographs and historical reproductions break the text into readable chunks. The book doesn't shirk from explaining how difficult it has been for women who wanted to serve in the military, nor does it ignore racial issues, though the portrayal of both is focused more on the positive; the author does, however, gloss over the notions of sexual harass- ment and abuse and the continued limitations on women's jobs. She also occasionally draws connections too strongly between women's roles in the military and in the non-military world (nursing schools opened after "the excellent job nurses did in wartime made doctors realize how much patients could be helped by good nursing care"; the right to vote was a "direct result of the remarkable contributions made by the 34,000 military women and the thousands of civilian women who helped in this war"). Overall, however, this is a well-researched and well-written account of women fighting for their country against all odds and slowly being recognized for it. A list of resources (book, video, and Internet) and an index are included. KH

NISHIMURA, KAE Dinah!: A Cat Adventure; written and illus. by Kae Nishimura. Clarion, 2004 [32p] ISBN 0-618-33612-5 $14.00 Reviewed from galleys R 5-7 yrs Little Dinah, the beloved pet of the family, grows into big and very round Dinah, but "she didn't even know she was a cat. She was Father's princess, Mother's baby, and Boy's friend." When she finds her way out of the house, however, she's recognized by no one: an old lady calls her a raccoon, a fruit vendor mistakes her for a watermelon, and a shepherd declares her to be a tiger. The confused kitty then encounters a dog, who knows very well what she is and what she's for ("And dogs always attack cats!"); fortunately, her scampering escape leads her back to her loving family. There's less a resolution than merely an end to Dinah's adventures, but there's a sweetness to Dinah's na'vete about the world ("I am not Raccoon," Dinah says to the old lady. "I am Princess Baby Friend") and a quiet humor to her repeated misidentification. Blotchy black line and gentle patterning give a home- 346 * THE BULLETIN spun flavor to the watercolor illustrations, while the contrast between Dinah's small head, with its wide eyes, and her rotund striped body provides a delicate absurdity. Imaginative compositions, with a particularly good line in overhead views, enhance the humor. Audiences who warmed to kitty adventures such as Eileen Spinelli's Moe McTooth (BCCB 6/03) will be ready to follow Dinah's ex- ploits. DS

ORGILL, ROXANE Go-Go Baby!; illus. by Steven Salerno. Cavendish, 2004 32p ISBN 0-7614-5157-9 $14.95 R 2-4 yrs No, it's not an exhortation (how many toddlers need encouragement in that direc- tion?) but a description of the narrator's little sister, who rejects naptime and loves to head out where the noise and action is ("She's Go-Go Baby ready to ramble"). Go-Go Baby practically propels the stroller (here a highly inapt name) as Mom tries to keep her hands on it and big sister dashes to keep up. The noises of city streets and various modes of transportation are the toddler's (and the book's) particular joy: "Cars honk, rumble truck, barking waggy dog. ER-eee goes a siren. Love that noise." The trio then travels by bus, then train, then ferry, until finally Go-Go Baby conks out from travel overload. While more teleologically inclined youngsters may wonder where the family is trying to go (Mom's traveling pretty light for even just the depicted legs of the journey), most will just revel in the speed, mileage, and joyful noise (and will doubtless be gleefully happy to join in). Salerno's gouache illustrations playfully evoke the turn-of-the-'50s graphic style; their dineresque palette leans strongly on sunny yellow punctuated with the Pepto- Bismol pink and leaf green of period kitchen appliances, and the springy lines with slightly offset planes of color are period-true as well as entertainingly high-speed and zingy. Go-Go Baby herself is a topknotted bubblehead, sensibly clad only in a diaper, and leaning forward, ever forward into wherever her wheels will take her. This will rev up the wheels at a toddler storytime or serve as a great sibling readaloud, if you can coax the older one into it, in the back of the car. DS

PARK, LINDA SUE The Firekeeper's Son; illus. by Julie Downing. Clarion, 2004 [4 0p] ISBN 0-618-13337-2 $16.00 Reviewed from galleys R 4-7 yrs Every evening, Sang-hee's father lights the fire on the mountain that will ignite the line of signal fires leading to the palace of Korea's king. This first fire must remain unlit only if their village is invaded by enemies, so the king will know to send soldiers to beat back the invaders. Sang-hee dreams of soldiers, though in this time of peace he is unlikely ever to see one. When the boy's father breaks his ankle and can't climb the mountain, Sang-hee races to the summit with his father's pot of live coals. Kneeling by the ready-made pile of brush, the boy must decide: will he realize his dream of seeing the king's brave soldiers by leaving the brush unlit, or will he do as his family, village, and nation expect and light the signal fire? In the deepening dark of the mountaintop, soldiers march in the golden flames of Sang- hee's imagination, creating a satisfyingly visual resolution to the boy's moral dilemma. His father's recognition of the difficulty of the choice serves to include the boy in the tradition of faithful service that provides protection for all in Korea- just as surely as if Sang-hee and his father were soldiers themselves. The text breaks back and forth between standard paragraphing and an almost free-verse style, punc- APRIL 2004 * 347 tuating the flow of exposition with fragments of thought, perception, and action. Watercolor and pastel paintings in a palette of blue, gold, purple, and green conjure the quiet stability of the pastoral setting, shades intensifying or lightening with the shifting degree of narrative tension. An attractive celebration of unity, peace, and family heritage, Sang-hee's story also emphasizes the beauty, power, and responsibility inherent in the individual's choice to participate in the social contract. An author's note gives the historical basis for the story. TC

PENNAC, DANIEL Dog; tr. by Sarah Adams. Candlewick, 2004 182p ISBN 0-7636-2421-7 $15.99 Ad Gr. 4-8 As a puppy, scruffy, unattractive Dog survived an attempt to drown him, and he was taken under the caring paw of Black Nose, who taught him the art of survival as a stray ("What matters is being able to dodge"), the importance of training one's owner, and general canine philosophy. After Black Nose dies, Dog makes his way to town, where he's snagged by the dogcatcher and put into the pound; though he makes some good friends there, he's released when a spoiled girl insists that he's the dog for her. She's the one who gives him the name "Dog," but when her interest wanes Dog runs away; after his penitent mistress wins him back, her stuffy, snappish parents formulate a plan to lose Dog forever. There's plenty of adventure in Dog's wanderings and even more pathos in his sufferings and rejections; there's also a Bambi-esque flavor in the gradual education of this animal orphan under the tutelage of various dogs on his travels. The narration is often ploddingly overexplanatory, however, especially in the characterization, and Dog's emotional tenderness is played with a heavy hand, making his tendency towards traumatic flashbacks and grief-stricken weeping hysterical rather than heart-tugging. Still, there are plenty of readers with a taste for melodrama as well as animal drama, and they may well warm to this retelling of the age-old story of a dog's at last finding a loving home. DS

PORTNOY, MINDY AVRA Where Do People Go When They Die?; illus. by Shelly O. Haas. Kar-Ben, 2004 24p ISBN 1-58013-081-X $15.95 Ad 4-8 yrs In this gentle introduction to a hard topic, various grownups get asked the titular question and provide various responses: a father says, "They are buried in the ground... and become part of the earth and of nature," a mother says they go to heaven, a grandfather suggests they become our memories, a teacher says "They live on ... in all the people whom they loved and cared about." The narrator then turns his/her own contemplation to the issue ("'Where do people go when they die?' I asked myself") and decides, "They go to God, who is everywhere," in all the places the grownups have given as the answer. This is a thoughtful but helpfully uncoercive approach to a hard question, which wisely allows for the possibility- and rightness--of different responses from different authority figures; Portnoy, a rabbi, offers an explanatory afterword and some very sound and concrete advice to parents on answering this question themselves. The watercolors set the scenes in autumn, and they offer an attractive palette filled with the slanted orange light of fall. Unfortunately, they're a bit stiffly drafted and often conceptually confusing: they depict a different child asking the question each time, which makes the "I" of the final self-questioning a perplexing identity. While the inclusion of a wheelchair-using child is a nice touch, the dramatic view of him staring out at the viewer 348 * THE BULLETIN while the text talks about "going to God" suggests that he's the one making that particular trip. Still, this is a book that offers both food for thought and reassurance on an eternally difficult subject, and Sunday schools, counselors, and families will find it a quietly useful aid to discussion. DS

ROBINSON, SHARON Promises to Keep: How Jackie Robinson Changed America. Scholastic, 2004 6 4p illus. with photographs ISBN 0-439-42592-1 $16.95 R Gr. 4-8 Children who recognize Jackie Robinson as a baseball and civil-rights icon gain a far more personal glimpse of his life as interpreted by his daughter, Sharon. While the viewpoint of a loving daughter is understandably adulatory, she keeps her account grounded in specifics and shares photos and documents more tender and intimate than those generally found in sports bios. After a speedy introduction to the genesis of Jim Crow laws and post-bellum segregation, S. Robinson smoothly weaves her father's life and accomplishments into the broader tapestry of twentieth century American history. Readers meet some equally determined and successful relatives: J. Robinson's single mother, who pulled up family stakes and integrated an all-white block in Pasadena; his uncle Mack, who won a silver medal in track at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games; his wife, who put herself through nursing school while her husband was in the Army. Loads of family photos appear within the cleanly designed pages, interspersed with J. Robinson's letters from the road (in which the simmering-tempered athlete is openly affectionate with wife and children), hate mail, familiar ballpark pictures, magazine poses, and even a four-frame action shot of Robinson getting hit by a pitch. A couple of photo captions go amiss, alluding to persons who have apparently been cropped out, and the closing remarks wax a bit preachy. Nonetheless, this is a warm-hearted introduction to a steel-spined giant. EB

ROSEN, MICHAEL, ad. Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet; illus. by Jane Ray. Candlewick, 2004 73p ISBN 0-7636-2258-3 $17.99 R Gr. 4-9 Rosen turns his particular talent for introducing classic literature to the young in this luminously illustrated condensation of Romeo and uliet. After providing brief contextual information about the dangers and violence of the time period and the new entertainment for the common folk that Shakespeare's plays represented, Rosen begins his presentation of the tragedy, which features the more famous quotations from the play in boldface type joined together by explanatory notes and summaries in regular font. The cuts are thus visually clear and organizationally seamless, with Shakespeare's language flowing naturally out of Rosen's summaries, and Rosen's explanations neither overpowering nor needlessly repeating what is given in the direct quotations. Some of the glosses, which are set in decorative borders that frame the text, seem a bit extraneous (for instance, "redeem: save," "fearful: scared," "exhales: breathes out"), but most offer necessary renderings of arcane usages. Ray's two-dimensional, jewel-toned illustrations sometimes evoke illumi- nated medieval manuscripts and provide further contextual information about setting and dress, and other times drift into dreamy fairyland motifs that effectively set a romantic mood tinged with a beautiful morbidity; it's unfortunate, however, that the layout includes no page numbers, since their absence will impede curricular use. Far from being a watered-down "Shakespeare for Dummies," this book is APRIL 2004 * 349 an elegant, useful seduction into Shakespeare for the very young as well as for the merely reluctant. KC

SAY, ALLEN Musicfor Alice; written and illus. by Allen Say. Lorraine/Hough- ton, 2004 [32p] ISBN 0-618-31118-1 $17.00 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 3-6 A quintessential story of the Japanese-American experience during the World War II era, this is narrated by Alice Sumida, who grew up on a California farm and dreamed of dancing. Instead, she went to college, married a seed salesman, moved to Seattle, and-after the bombing of Pearl Harbor-was herded into a Portland stockyard while the internment camps were being readied. To avoid deportation, Alice and her husband chose to volunteer for fieldwork and eventually, through a combination of backbreaking labor and educated imagination, transformed 200 acres of eastern Oregon desert ("Our first harvest was a harvest of stones") into a successful gladiola bulb farm. Only in her old age does Alice finally find a chance to dance. The quiet narration and adult viewpoint may mean young viewers have to do some stretching to connect with the text. Say's art, however, will consider- ably help in bridging the gap: the full-page, white-framed watercolor paintings facing a verso of spare text feature gently nuanced background hues with composi- tionally focused figures whose direct gaze cannot be avoided. The effect is one of both identification with and confrontation ofviewers. This eerie effect graphically projects Alice's simple question for future generations to consider: "'How can our government do this to us?' I asked Mark. He couldn't explain." Delicately precise brushstrokes convey the passage of time through portraiture, from Alice's open girlhood countenance through her shadowed visage of hardship to her elderly, deep-lined face with its settled perspective. Once again, Say (Caldecott Medalist for Grandfather'sJourney, BCCB 9/93) demonstrates his gift for history that is both eloquently personalized and elegantly visualized. BH

SLEATOR, WILLIAM The Boy Who Couldn't Die. Amulet, 2004 [17 6p] ISBN 0-8109-4824-9 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 6-9 Immortality sounds pretty good to spoiled sixteen-year-old Ken Pritchard, who's just lost his best friend in a plane crash. Like so many teen characters, Ken jump- starts a YA novel by leaping before he looks, visiting occultist Cheri Buttercup, who, for fifty dollars, removes his soul and hides it for safekeeping. A couple of trial set-to's with bullies at school and a shark on vacation convince Ken he is indeed impervious to injury, but Sabine Shearing, his luscious scuba instructor on the Caribbean island St. Calao, convinces him of the enormity of the transaction (Buttercup is a bokor, a voodoo priestess specializing in black magic) and urges him to get his soul back at all costs. Buttercup demands $50,000 to undo the job, a sum even the privileged teen cannot muster. A series of horrifying dreams alerts him to the fact the bokor is already using him to commit crimes, but they also offer clues as to the location of his spirit; Ken and Sabine, equipped with little money, less oxygen, and a couple of winter wet-suits undertake the retrieval from an iced- in Adirondacks lake on their own. The plot may have all the preposterous twists and gaping holes of aB movie, but it has much of the raw charm as well. Horror readers already know they can't take this seriously, so they can simply enjoy the 350 * THE BULLETIN rich kid's bumbling management of his dwindling financial resources and his wry conflation of the mundane and the horrific: "I would remind myself that I was sitting next to Sabine, and it was like cold boots being warmed beside a fire. I hoped I could avoid killing her." Who can resist teen zombies in love? EB

SNYDER, ZILPHA KEATLEY The Unseen. Delacorte, 2004 [208p] Library ed. ISBN 0-385-90106-2 $17.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-385-73084-5 $15.95 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 5-8 Twelve-year-old Xandra Hobson has a secret place in her basement where she takes abandoned infant or wounded animals to nurse. After she rescues an unusually beautiful white bird, it disappears from the basement during the night, leaving behind one feather. Xandra is used to pretending that the world is a magical place, but she's sure that this time she isn't pretending, and that the feather is enchanted, a gift from the bird for saving its life. With the help of Belinda, a school outcast who seems to know more than she's telling, Xandra learns that the feather is a Key, and she learns to use it to open her eyes to the creatures of the Unseen. At first, the Unseen resemble the animal friends that she cared for, but soon, dark and dangerous creatures began to appear. Then Belinda warns Xandra that the Key isn't safe for her to use anymore. What does Belinda know that she isn't telling? Readers will most likely guess before they are told that the problem with the Unseen is actually a problem within Xandra, as Xandra is revealed to be self-centered, jealous, and angry. The mystery of the Key is drawn out too long, and it is never fully solved; the undeveloped concept of the Unseen is disappointing in its vagueness, and it's used more as a vehicle to facilitate Xandra's transformation from nasty to nice rather than a magical element in its own right. However, this transformation is carefully handled, as Snyder manages to make Xandra recognizable (and likable) as a nice girl whose anger at the rest of her family is out of control, and Xandra's positive development as she is unwittingly drawn back into her loving (though busy) family is believable. Both fantasy readers and kids who dream of escaping from their family into another world will enjoy Xandra's story. KH

So, MEILO, ad. Gobble, Gobble, Slip, Slop: A Tale ofa Very Greedy Cat; ad. and illus. by Meilo So. Knopf, 2004 32p Library ed. ISBN 0-375-92504-X $17.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-82504-5 $15.95 R 3-5 yrs A greedy cat eats more than his share in another new version of this popular traditional tale (see Thomson, Drat That Fat Cat!, BCCB 1/04). A parrot and a cat take turns preparing meals for one another, but when the parrot's "five hundred delicious little cakes" fail to fill the cat's tummy, the cat eats the parrot, too ("Gobble, gobble, slip, slop"). Called to task by "a nosy old woman," the cat replies: "'I've eaten five hundred cakes, I've eaten my friend the parrot, and I can eat you too, I can, I can.' So gobble, gobble, slip, slop the cat ate the old woman." The by-now- fat cat is unsatisfied and proceeds down the road, where he fills his tummy with a farmer and his donkey, a sultan and his bride, soldiers and an elephant, and two little crabs. Inside the cat's tummy, things are a bit crowded, but the two crabs know what to do, and, "snip, snip, snip, "they cut a hole in the belly of the fat cat and everyone emerges into the light, "and last of all, out flew the parrot with a little cake in each claw." The cat swears to be good, the parrot sews up the hole in the APRIL 2004 * 351 cat's belly, and everyone lives happily ever after-at least until the next meal. The smooth adaptation (a source note is included) makes this ideal for reading or telling aloud, although the illustrations may be more suited to lap than group viewing. That being said, the ink and watercolor on rice paper images are gloriously rendered, the flowing lines of the animal and human characters highlighted by splashes of gem-like color. The fat cat himself grows progressively rounder, his bulging tummy and curly whiskers indicating supreme satisfaction of a sensual sort. This is another worthy entry in the gallery of enticing fat-kitty variants. JMD

STAHLER, DAVID, JR. Truesight. Eos/HarperCollins, 2004 16 8p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-052286-0 $16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-052285-2 $15.99 R Gr. 5-9 Taught to disdain Seers, who neglect each other and their inner lives in favor of appearances and material things, the people in the remote colony of Harmony have been genetically modified to be born blind for generations. Harmony resi- dent Jacob Manford awaits the day when his specialization-his place in the community-will be chosen by the council, and like the rest of Harmony he embraces his blindness and the reason for it, which makes it all the more devastating when, after a series of headaches, he begins to see. The hypocrisy, corruption, and lies that were once invisible in Harmony are now right before Jacob's eyes, but to expose them would mean admitting to the worst sin in Harmony: sight. Stahler's sightless community is both compelling and believable; its technological gadgets, like pathminders that line the walkways and sounders that chime a unique tone for every person, function well in place of working eyes, and its philosophy is the right mix of idealism, arrogance, and groupthink that are common in deliberately cre- ated societies. Jacob is clearly a product of this community, and his inner turmoil as he finds both delight and shame in his voyeurism is honestly addressed. Stahler introduces the colony and a major source of internal conflict from the perspective of those outside its boundaries, which is effective at both raising questions and tension, and his clever use of Jacob's limited viewpoint afterward adds suspense. Though there is an unavoidable similarity to Lois Lowry's The Giver (BCCB 4/93), the original premise and provocative theme will intrigue fans of dystopic fiction. KH

UPDALE, ELEANOR Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman? Orchard, 2004 [2 4 0p] ISBN 0-439-58035-8 $16.95 Reviewed from galleys R* Gr. 6-10 Here is a young adult novel with no young adult characters therein-and they'll no more be missed from this Victorian crime caper than they would from a Robin Hood or a Sherlock Holmes adventure. Our unnamed antihero would probably have continued in his life of petty theft (or have been hanged) had it not been for a nasty fall that left him horribly battered and in the hands of the police. An ambitious doctor sees an opportunity to make his professional name by saving the thief's life, and while the results of multiple surgeries are put on display at a scientific society (the criminal is temporarily on loan from the jail), our man picks up an idea for malefaction on a grander scale. Once he's sprung, he begins a double life: as Scarper, the daring thief who makes lightning raids on the wealthy and 352 * THE BULLETIN then disappears into London's new sewer system, and as Montmorency, a gentleman of dubious origin but undeniable prosperity. Just as his deception wears him down and his alias begins to crack, Montmorency gets a chance to turn his skills to spying, a genteel crime befitting a now-genteel guy, and he reinvents himself yet again-in time for a coming sequel. Updale adroitly works the tradition of devil- ish schemes and narrow escapes, and the plot moves as nimbly as the master thief himself. Readers who delight in metaphor may, if they choose, make much of the corruption that runs in a foul stream beneath polite London society; but for kids content with a thumping good yarn, sometimes a sewer is just a sewer. EB

VAN DRAANEN, WENDELIN Shredderman: Secret Identity; illus. by Brian Biggs. Knopf,2004 138p Library ed. ISBN 0-375-92351-9 $14.99 Trade ed. ISBN 0-375-82351-4 $12.95 R Gr. 3-5 Fifth-grader Nolan Byrd has been putting up with bully Bubba ("Bubba Bixby was born big and mean, full of teeth and ready to bite") for years, but it isn't until the class assignment to design a newspaper page that Nolan finds a way to fight back. What emerges is shredderman.com, a website devoted to "All-Bubba-All- the-Time," on which Nolan (a.k.a. secret superhero Shredderman) exposes Bubba's bullying deeds to classmates and teachers with the help of a digital camera. A bully's power is only as good as his mystique, and, once revealed to all and sundry, Bubba is effectively neutralized, especially since his teachers now have him high on their radar screens. Novels about bullies defeated abound, but then so do unbe- lievable denouements; here the author avoids that trap with a run-of-mill bully undone by his own actions instead of an unlikely change of heart. That change of heart comes from Nolan instead, who sees more than he bargains for while track- ing Bubba. Nolan's narration has a wistful reality that makes him believable and sympathetic, and his solution to his inability to stand up for himself is credible. Characterizations are solid, if not overly complex, right down to aware parents and concerned teachers. The pace is quick, and the humor is on the mark for the intended audience. Van Draanen (author of Swear to Howdy, BCCB 2/04) has a winner with this promising first entry in her new series. JMD

WASHINGTON, DONNA L., ad. A Pride of African Tales; illus. by James Ransome. Amistad/HarperCollins, 2004 70p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-024932-3 $17.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-024929-3 $16.99 R Gr. 3-6 A half-dozen traditional tales from the African continent grace the pages of this handsome volume. Each tale is introduced with a country-specific subtitle (such as "Anansi's Fishing Expedition: A Trickster Tale from Ghana") and a brief note; appended notes provide some cultural context and specific sources. Washington's storytelling background serves these stories well: the language is lively and the tone comfortingly familiar, the stories themselves ranging from humorous to cautionary to poignant. Although the entries are far from didactic, it's clear these are teaching tales from the characters' actions and fates: from a spoiled prince who wants the moon ("The Boy Who Wanted the Moon," from the Congo) to the rich man who learns, to his sorrow, that respect can only be earned ("The Wedding Basket," from Nigeria) to a man who just does not know when to keep his mouth shut ("The Talking Skull," from Cameroon). Ransome's full-page and full-spread APRIL2004 * 353 paintings have a verdant lushness offset by splashes of sunlit sky; textile-like borders brighten text pages and a map of the African continent, with the stories' countries of origin outlined, opens the collection. This is a welcome, cheerfully accessible addition to older compilations of African folktales that will serve both cross- curricular and storytelling uses. Take Washington's advice from her introduction and "read them, learn them, change them, and, most of all, enjoy them!" JMD

WHITESEL, CHERYL AYLWARD Blue Fingers: A Ninja's Tale. Clarion, 2004 [25 6p] ISBN 0-618-38139-2 $15.00 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 5-8 Having failed as a dyemaker's apprentice and run away in shame from his family, Koji hides out on the mountainside, where he's captured by a clan of ninja. The band's mission is to undermine the power of the Lord Udo and to banish from his realm all European muskets. Koji first resists and then resents his virtual impris- onment, but in time he's drawn to the ninjas' training, their code of honor, their goals, and the very real attraction of a life of risk. Any lingering reticence is dis- pelled when Lord Udo burns out his parents' farming village; Koji will fully coop- erate in any scheme that promises vengeance for the brutal act. The mid-sixteenth century setting allows Whitesel to explore a period when the introduction of Euro- pean firearms threatened to turn ritualized, samurai warfare into inter-class chaos, and closing notes fill readers in on the real-life Japanese regent who rid his country of guns for some three hundred years. A subplot involving Koji's relationship with his twin brother Taro and his parents' guilt over a family secret is somewhat forced, but Whitesel keeps it tucked in the background throughout most of the novel, focusing instead on the far more gripping elements of daring spy missions and a climactic midnight confrontation with Lord Udo. Wit and trickery rather than violence win the day, and action buffs may find themselves mightily entertained even without bloodshed. EB F, 354 * THE BULLETIN

PROFESSIONAL CONNECTIONS: RESOURCES FOR TEACHERS AND LIBRARIANS

Awards and Prizes Online. http://awardsandprizes.cbcbooks.org/ One-year subscription: $150.00; one-day subscription: $9.95 Many readers will doubtless be familiar with the Children's Book Council's Awards and Prizes print volume, one of the broadest compilations available of awards world- wide, and now the CBC has taken it into electronic form. The database includes several hundred children's book awards, with tons of state awards, honors from other Anglophone countries, and various other foreign awards as well as the more traditional ALA and other well-known U.S. awards, both adult- and child-selected (discontinued awards are included but are differentiated by type color). The solid and largely straightforward search interface offers quite a variety of search terms and a pleasing absence of bell-and-whistle bloat; searches were executed quickly and efficiently even on non-optimal browsers. Extra goodies include links on various fields of bibliographic information, so you can view all the listed awards that this title, author, or even publisher has won; there's also a concise page of information for each award, including sponsor and contact information and, where available, links to the sponsor's own page on the award. It currently states that the material is updated to January, 2003, but it promises quarterly updates in future. In addition to the one-year and one-day subscriptions, CBC also offers multiple- user rates and discounts for standing orders. There's a free demo available on the site that allows prospective users to have a taste and get a feel for the structure. DS

Signal: Approaches to Children's Books 34:100 (January, May, September 2003). 256p. £17.50 within the UK, £22.00 surface mail internationally, £26.00 air mail internationally. The British journal Signal, edited by Nancy Chambers and published by Aidan and Nancy Chambers' Thimble Press, is stopping publication after thirty-three fruitful years, finishing up with this 100th issue to encapsulate the three final numbers. The journal has provided a broad range of perceptive articles over the years, drawing material from around the globe and through history and contributors from a variety of relevant fields, and several classic articles such as Aidan Cham- bers' "The Reader in the Book" have appeared first in its pages. This oversized final issue takes the periodical out with a flourish: the strongest theme among the sixteen articles is contemporary children's poetry (which is the subject of four en- gaged discussions), but there are also provocative articles on translation, performance, picture books, and fairy tales; contributing names include such notables as Anne Fine, Peter Hollindale, Jane Doonan, Jan Mark, and Aidan Chambers. This is a grand finale for an important journal in the field. DS APRIL 2004 * 355

SUBJECT AND USE INDEX

Keyed to The Bulletin's alphabetical arrangement by author, this index, which appears in each issue, can be used in three ways. Entries in regular type refer to subjects; entries in bold type refer to curricular or other uses; entries in ALL-CAPS refer to genres and appeals. In the case of subject headings, the subhead "stories" refers to books for the readaloud audience; "fiction," to those books intended for independent reading.

Abuse-fiction: Kwasney Civil War-fiction: McMullan ADVENTURE: Updale; Whitesel Cliques-fiction: Bauer; Brugman Africa-folktales: Washington Clothing-stories: Lucas African Americans: Hill; Robinson Clubs-fiction: Bauer African Americans-fiction: Bradby; Computers-fiction: Van Draanen Moses Cousins-fiction: Look African Americans-stories: Gunning Creativity-stories: King Anger-fiction: Snyder Crime and criminals-fiction: Adoff; Animals: Collard; Kaner Bryant; Corder; Corrigan; Animals-fiction: Birney; Mitton Kwasney; Moses; Sleator; Updale Animals-folklore: McGill Dancers and dancing-stories: King Animals-poetry: DuQuette Dating-fiction: Kantor Animals-stories: Beaumont; Death: Portnoy Fleming; Gay; Kvasnosky Depression-fiction: Corrigan ANTHOLOGIES: Asher Depression, the-stories: Hopkinson Art and artists-fiction: Mackel Disabilities-fiction: Stahler Art and artists-stories: Lisle Dogs-fiction: Finney; Pennac Art history: Hill Dogs-stories: Appelt Asian Americans-fiction: Look EPISTOLARY NOVELS: Moriarty Astronauts-stories: Lehman-Wilzig Ethics and values: Bowler; Bradby; Astronomy: Fradin Brugman; Bryant; Carr; Fleming; Babies-stories: Appelt; Gray; Lund Park; Portnoy; Say; Stahler Babysitters-stories: Harris FABLES: McAllister; Morrison, BEDTIME BOOKS: Collard; Toni Curtis; Gay Faith-fiction: Hulme Behavior-stories: Ely Faith-stories: Lehman-Wilzig BIOGRAPHIES: Allen ; Anderson; Families-fiction: Corrigan Fradin; Robinson FANTASY: Carr; Corder; Furlong; Biology: Collard; Kaner; Montgom- Lisle; Molloy; Snyder ery Fathers and sons-stories: Park Books and reading-fiction: Bloor Fear-fiction: Bang-Campbell; Brothers and sisters-fiction: Lawlor Molloy Bullies-fiction: Adoff; Bowler; FOLKTALES AND FAIRY TALES: Lawlor; Van Draanen Cuyler; Evetts-Secker; Fleming; Careers: Montgomery McGill; Mitton; So; Washington Cats-fiction: Corder Food and eating-stories: So Cats-stories: Cooper; Nishimura; Friends-fiction: Bauer; Bradby; So Brugman; Kantor; Kvasnosky Civil rights: Robinson Giants-stories: Cuyler 356 * THE BULLETIN

Guidance: Portnoy Reading, beginning: Appelt; HISTORICAL FICTION: Bradby; McAllister; McKissack Bryant; Hopkinson; Hulme; Reading, easy: Bang-Campbell; Lawlor; McMullan; Moses; Bauer; Birney; Flood; Haddix; Updale; Whitesel Lawlor; Look; McEwan History, U.S.: Allen; Hill; Morrison, Reading, family: Haddix Taylor; Nathan; Say Reading, reluctant: Cohn; Kaner; Holocaust-stories: Lehman-Wilzig Manning; McKissack; Montgom- Homelessness-stories: Gunning ery; Moriarty; Morrison, Toni HORROR: Sleator Relationships-fiction: Moriarty Horses-fiction: Bang-Campbell; Revolutionary War: Allen Haas Romance-fiction: Kantor HUMOR: Appelt; Bloor; Cooper; School-fiction: Adoff; Birney; Finney; Kantor; Lindenbaum; Bloor; Flood Look; Moriarty; Morrison, Toni School-stories: Ely Identity-fiction: Flood; Lisle Science: Fradin; Montgomery Internet-fiction: Van Draanen SCIENCE FICTION: Mackel; Japan-fiction: Whitesel Stahler Jews-stories: Lehman-Wilzig SHORT STORIES: Asher Kidnapping-fiction: Furlong; Moses Shyness-stories: Lucas Language arts: Cleary Sisters-fiction: Kwasney Literature, American: Hill Slavery-fiction: McMullan Literature, children's: Anderson Sleep: Collard Literature, English: Rosen Snakes-fiction: Morrison, Toni Magic-fiction: Molloy; Sleator; Snow-fiction: Lawlor Snyder South, the-fiction: McMullan; Maps and mapmaking: Morrison, Moses Taylor Space travel-fiction: Mackel Mental handicaps-fiction: Bowler Spiders: Montgomery Mental handicaps-stories: Ely Spies and spying: Allen Mice-stories: Fearnley Spies and spying-fiction: Updale Moon-stories: Curtis Sports: Robinson Mothers-fiction: Kwasney Sports-fiction: McEwan; McKissack Mothers-stories: Fearnley; Gunning; Storytelling: McGill Hopkinson Storytelling-fiction: Mitton Music and musicians-fiction: Storytime: Appelt; Beaumont; Bowler; Cohn; Manning Cooper; Curtis; Cuyler; MYSTERIES: Lisle DuQuette; Fearnley; Fleming; Nature study: Collard; Kaner; Lisle Lucas; McAllister; Orgill; So Parents-fiction: Haddix Suicide-fiction: Brugman Pioneer life-fiction: Hulme SUPERNATURAL STORIES: Pioneer life-stories: Hopkinson Bloor; Bowler; Corder; Sleator PLAYS: Rosen TODDLER BOOKS: Beaumont; POETRY: Cleary; Corrigan; Orgill DuQuette Urban life-fiction: Carr Pregnancy-stories: Gray; Lund Voyages and travel-stories: Curtis; Prejudice-fiction: Bradby Kvasnosky; Nishimura; Orgill Racism: Robinson; Say War: Nathan Rats-fiction: Bang-Campbell Wolves-stories: Evetts-Secker Reading aloud: Cleary; Finney; Women's studies: Asher; Nathan Haas; Look; McGill; Washington -ji"With Holiday's music and Pinkney's art, this package sets expectations high-and doesn't disappoint.... This remarkable

"Pinkney's colors are almost shimmering...and his drafting has reached a depth and fluidity that invite empathy with the subjects." -The Bulletin for the Center of Children'sBooks

'Ain AII. 0-08-028797-7 TPr18.90 (825.9) -90-0-2487-8 LbS17.89(828.89) HENKES

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*- "Henkes's text, reminiscent of Margaret Wise Brown's work...tells a warm, humorous story that's beautifully extended in his shimmering, gray-toned artwork.... He creates a lovable, expressive character in the determined kitten." -Starred Review / ALA Booklist ~ "When Kitten mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk, she ends up tired, wet, and hungry trying to reach it. The coarse but masterfully controlled line with heavy black outlines contains vigor and exuberance, creating a spontaneous feeling.... Simply charming." -Starred Review / Kirkus Reviews Ages: 3 up. Tr 0-06-058828-4 $15.99 ($19.99) Lb 0-06-058829-2 $16.89 ($25.89) P Greenwillow Books * An Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1350 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019 * www.harperchildrens.com Greenwillow Books celebrates Community and Diversity

V "A truly cool version that is not for babies only." -Starred Review / School Library Journal r "Nina Crews's clear, beautiful color photographs and computer manipulations bring children close up to people like them .... Imaginative fun." -Starred Review / ALA Booklist -- "This gathering of common and not-so-common rhymes will be a hit with young readers and pre-readers in any setting, urban or otherwise." -Starred Review / Kirkus Reviews ' "Readers can almost hear hands clapping, babies cooing and children laughing in crisp photo-collages." -Starred Review / Publishers Weekly Ages J up. (0-06-051573 2) Tr $1599 ($23 99) (0-06-0515740) Lb $16.89($2589)

1'- "Riveting...shares the complexities and surprises of living between two cultures.... Whether tender, adventurous, or heart-wrenching, these poems and stories stir readers to experience Africa-its pain and its beauty." -Starred Review / Kirkus Reviews "- "Offering 15 unique perspectives of Americans, Africans, and African-Americans, this collection of vibrant stories and poems celebrates the distinct flavors of the African continent." -Starred Review / Publishers Weekly Ages 10 up. (0-06051050-1) Tr $1599($23.99) (0-06-005151-X) Lb $1689($2589)

* "Leisurely' paced...the illustrations make all of the elements of the story feel magical and almost palpable. A quiet treasure." -Starred Review / Publishers Weekly

" "It'sI not hard to find tales in which children, encircled by a loving family, explore links between their past and present, but this is a particularly moving variation on the theme." -Starred Review / Kirkus Reviews Ages 5 up. (0-688-17821-9) Tr $1599 ($23.99) (0-688-17822-7) Lb $16.89 ($25.89) L

4; AV Greenvýillow Books An Imprint of 1-fai-pei-Colliiis/litilish(,?S I 1_;ta d 135'_ ANenue of the Americas, Ne%%)ork, NN 1:014 "A HEARTBREAKING, HOPEFUL MASTERPIECE." *SaredlKikus Reviews "THIS IS AN AMBITIOUS PICTURE BOOK that succeeds both as a simple children's story, and as a compelling statement against tyranny. * 5tarred/SchooI Libraeyjournal "At whatever level it's absorbed, this publishing event emanates a unique magnetic quality. AN INTENSELY CRAFTED WORK OF ART." The Hoe,, Book "THE STORY IS ULTIMATELY ONE OF HOPE." * Starred/Publishers Wendly MUIAURICE SENDAK TONY KUSHNER BRUNDIBAR

A NEW YORKTIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED CHILDREN'S BOOK 2003

KIRKUS2003 EDITOR'S CHOICE ( THE CHILLING NEW NOVEL FROM THE MICHAEL L. PRINTZ AWARD WINNER VALTER DEAN MYERS SHOOTER

S"Like Myers' Printz Award book, Monster, this story is told from multiple viewpoints....The multiple narratives move the story far beyond case history, the chatty interview format is highly readable, and Cameron's voice is pitch perfect." -Starred Review/ALA Booklist

"Walter Dean Myers does what he does best: keeps us riveted to the story while giving the intricate and subtle details that tell us he absolutely knows his subject. Adults and teenagers alike will read Shooter and come away far the wiser." -CHRIS CRUTCHER Teen Fiction. 0-06-029519-8 Tr $15.99 ($23.99) 0-06-029520-1 Lb $16.89 ($25.89) S0-06-074765-X Au $17.95 ($27.95)

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The creative trio pulls out all the stops.... will be left yearing for another Installment." -Publishers Waeek, starred review

With Its Indellble mingling of wit, action, zation, and art, this [book] stands alone. spedally thrill fans expectant of the original pi" -KIktths RevIews starred review

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