Hooray for Books

Hooray for Books. Brian Won. 2017. HMH. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: "Where is that book? It's my favorite!" Turtle said. He searched his entire house--but no book.

Premise/plot: Turtle cannot find his FAVORITE book. Did he lend it to a friend? He visits his friend one by one to see if his book can be found. Each friend offers him a different book to read instead--one of their favorites. But Turtle wants HIS favorite book. Will Turtle find his book again?

Hooray for Books is the third in a series. Readers can also enjoy Hooray for Hat! and Hooray for Today! If you've read the previous books, chances are you'll enjoy this one all the more.

My thoughts: This book could have had a tragic ending. I can definitely relate to Turtle. There is nothing worse than being caught up in the panic of not knowing where your favorite book is. Until the book is found, how can normality ever be restored. In some cases, it can't. One then must seek out a new copy of a favorite book. (Which leads to the potential of a happy dance if you find the original, "lost" copy). When the search is on--the SEARCH IS ON--nothing can or will stop you. (I can relate to Turtle being completely disinterested in his friend's books. I will commend Turtle for being polite and not getting angry or pushy.) When the book is found, Turtle celebrates by reading it THREE times in a row. (If my favorite book was a picture book, I would so do this.) Will Turtle lend his book again? Here's where Turtle and I part company. Turtle does. He borrows his friends' books, and he lends out his again. (I personally am of the opinion that if you only have one copy of your favorite book, it should not be loaned; that's why you *need* multiple copies of your favorite book.)

The book celebrates stories, books, and friendship.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 8 out of 10

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Dollmaker of Krakow

Dollmaker of Krakow. R.M. Romero. 2017. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: There once was a little doll named Karolina, who lived in a country far from the human world. The Land of the Dolls was a large kingdom that stretched countless miles in any direction one could think of.

Premise/plot: The Dollmaker of Krakow is historical fantasy set during the Second World War. Cyryl Brzezick is a dollmaker living in Krakow; one day he's carving a wooden doll from a memory. Without knowing how or why, he discovers he's called a soul into the body of the doll--that soul is Karolina. She is a living doll. And the two become close friends. Though he worries that not everyone will understand and accept his magic. He urges her to stay quiet when others are about. And even before the Nazi soldiers come storming into Poland, into Krakow, into their lives, not every face is a friendly face.

The dollmaker and Karolina become extremely close with a Jewish man (Jozef Trzmiel) and his daughter (Rena). There will come a time when this friendship is tested and proved. Will Karolina and the Dollmaker find the courage and strength to stand up to EVIL?!

My thoughts: This fantasy novel is compelling. (I read it at the same time I was reading Irena's Children--a nonfiction biography.) Perhaps I found the nonfiction biography even more compelling and engaging than this fantasy novel. But that's not to say there isn't a place for historical fantasy. This book involved two wars: the war in the human world involving the Nazis and the war in the Land of Dolls involving the invading RATS. I would have much rather the focus been on the human world. The rat segments just didn't captivate me. That being said, it's not my place to review what "should have been" or what "could have been." Did I like it--yes or no? I definitely liked it. Was it sad? YES.

Favorite quotes:

"When a human cries out for a doll, there is always a reason. They need you and you may find that they have what you need too."

The depth of the look that passed between the Dollmaker and Karolina could not be conveyed in a single word; it was too full of every story and victory and long night they had shared with each other. It was too full of love. And so the Dollmaker chose not one word but two. "Live well," he told her.

Magic is an odd thing. It never takes the form you'd expect.

You can destroy a person, Karolina, but destroying their story is far more difficult. No one is ever really lost as long as their story still exists.

Dolls were like children; they could not hide their joy.

An entire lifetime spent without believing anything marvelous would be gloomy and dull.

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

A Perfect Day

A Perfect Day. Lane Smith. 2017. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The warmth of the sun...felt good on Cat's back. Cat liked to be in the flower bed where the daffodils grew. It was a perfect day for Cat. The cool of the water was what Dog liked best. When it was hot, Dog sat in the wading pool that his friend Bert filled for him. It was a perfect day for Dog.

Premise/plot: A Perfect Day is a near-perfect look at differing perspectives. Cat. Dog. Chickadee. Squirrel. Readers meet them one by one. Not everyone will have a perfect day....all day. Enter BEAR.

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one very much. It starts off perfectly lovely. Readers meet a cat, a dog, a boy named Bert, a chickadee, and a squirrel. As much as I "hate" to say it, the Bear MAKES the book. There would be no story without the Bear. The Bear makes for some conflict. My favorite illustration of the book is the spread where Bear has the corncob--formerly Squirrel's corncob--in his mouth seemingly grinning. The text reads: It was a perfect day for Squirrel. The WAS appears in a different font and a different size from the rest of the text giving it emphasis. This "was" emphasis continues as readers see what else Bear needs for his perfect day.

The back jacket flap shows a snapshot of a bear eating birdseed out of a bird feeder. My guess is this one is based on a true story.

Text 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Mouse and Hippo

Mouse and Hippo. Mike Twohy. 2017. Simon Schuster. 32 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Whoa! Oops, excuse me, I had an itch. Your itch was me...and HELP...I can't swim!

Premise/plot: The story opens with a mouse painting the ocean. His easel is set up on a rock...or is it?! Turns out that Mouse's "rock" is really HIPPO. After Hippo saves Mouse from drowning, Mouse volunteers to paint him. But how does a mouse get all of Hippo to fit on his small canvas?! Mouse paints what he sees, and he uses his largest brush to do so. Hippo is delighted--absolutely delighted--with his portrait. Hippo then decides to paint a portrait of Mouse. Hippo paints what he sees--as Mouse did--and Mouse is charmed with the results. (Hippo uses a tiny brush to paint Mouse.)

My thoughts: This book is ALL about perspective. Well, that's an exaggeration. It's equally about friendship, art, and perspective. How do YOU see the world around you? How do you represent what you see on the page--or the canvas--in front of you?

The text of the book is all dialogue. Hippo's words are in black. Mouse's words are in brown. It could work as a traditional read aloud--in the home, at school, at the library. Or. It could be a book a parent and child read together. One could read the part of hippo. The other could read the part of Mouse. I think either way it could work well.

Personally, I LOVED, LOVED, LOVED this one. It made me smile again and again. I thought the illustrations were absolutely perfect. I thought the text was great as well.

Gee--you don't really know how big a hippo is until you try to paint one! 

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10


© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Pop-Up Shakespeare

Pop-Up Shakespeare. The Reduced Shakespeare Co. Illustrated by Jennie Maizels. 2017. Candlewick. 64 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Welcome to the world of William Shakespeare! William Shakespeare lived from 1564 to 1616 and is still, centuries later, thought to be the greatest playwright ever.

Premise/plot: This pop-up book was written by the Reduced Shakespeare Company and illustrated by Jennie Maiezels. One spread is dedicated to William Shakespeare himself. One spread focuses on Shakespeare's comedies. One spread focuses on Shakespeare's histories. One spread focuses on Shakespeare's romances. One spread focuses on Shakespeare's tragedies. Something is said about each and every Shakespeare play. The emphasis is sometimes more on what the plays have in common than on what makes each play unique.

My thoughts: I liked it. I like the idea of liking it anyway. Some pop-ups work better than others. The pop-up for the tragedies, for me, proves problematic in closing the book again. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get the pop-ups to lay flat again and fit together. The flaps on the front page--particularly on the bottom corner of the right hand page--absolutely refused to open. The flaps and pop-ups worked well for the most part, but be prepared to turn the book around a lot. Every inch of space in the book has teeny tiny print filled with information.

I would say this is definitely a picture book for older readers. I don't see how actual children could have any interest at all in Shakespeare and his plays. For that matter, the content of Shakespeare's plays wouldn't be suitable for children.

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews