Picture Book Reviews

9780062336996

Tom, the narrator of this cheerful picture book for preschoolers, is the proud owner of a bright green bicycle. After Tom describes all the parts of his bike, he rides the bike to work. He rides along busy roads and bustling streets, past cars and buses and animals and people, until he arrives at the circus, changes into his work clothes, and goes to work. It turns out that Tom is a clown, and his job is to ride a unicycle on a high wire under the big top! A fresh and fun look at riding (on two wheels and one), community, transportation, and professions, with a surprise ending!

Wow - Byron Barton has been illustrating books pretty much since I was born, so getting a new book of his across my desk makes for some serious flashbacks! His signature colors and shapes are largely the same, with the nice clear font we are used to, and which is so appealing to young children. Listeners during a read-aloud might enjoy a Q and A after each page: "did you pass trucks on your way here, too? Buses? ..monkeys???"

9780062359391

With a sweet surprise ending, this story will delight readers young and old, and with photos of the girls from years past, this picture book keepsake is the perfect present for any Lennon and Maisy fan.

We haven't had cable since before Sheridan was born, and I have never heard of these two young ladies, so I guess I get to judge the book on its own merits. Odd concept, I know.

It's supposed to be a sing-along, but you have to go to a web site to hear the song - I don't know if it's one played on their TV show, or what. Since not everyone reads next to a computer, this could be an issue. As a reader, the rhythm is off - my guess is that, in the song, some words are drawn out more so that it works. The pictures, though, drawn by Steve Bjorkman, are cute. Fans of the sisters may enjoy this one, particularly the photographs of the girls in the back, but as a general library book I would give it a pass.

9780062291806

Meet Rappy the Raptor, a velociraptor who speaks in rhymes all of the time, whether it's morning or noon, October or June. Now, how did it happen that he started rappin'? Well, here's Rappy's story in all its glory!

Now, here's an author name I recognize! Rappy's rhythm is a little more fluid, but changes in spots, so I would practice well before reading it out loud. Plenty of Gutman humor (i.e. things involving body parts that my 9yo son will find hysterical), and perfectly matched illustrations from Tim Bowers (yet another familiar name).

All three available in stores and on our shelves now.

Review: The Genius Files, License to Thrill, by Dan Gutman

9780062236326

"When we last left our heroes, twins Coke and Pepsi McDonald were in Roswell, New Mexico, and they had just seen a strange beam of light. Now their cross-country road trip is about to take a detour that's out of this world—literally!

Once the twins get their feet back on the ground, they embark on the final leg of their trip, which will take them from the Hoover Dam all the way to the Golden Gate Bridge. Chased by nefarious villains, the twins will be trapped with a venomous snake, pushed through a deadly turbine, and thrown into a volcano. And craziest of all, their parents might finally believe them!"

This series has been very popular here, so i am not sure why it has taken me until the fifth book to review them. Maybe because as soon as they come in, I hand them off to my favorite very bright, brother-sister (but not twins) pair to read. I might have done the same with this one, had I not been flipping through it and come upon page 81. But, I am getting ahead of myself...

This is a solidly middle grade series. Coke and Pepsi are nearing the end of a family trip that has hit most of the fifty states, taking in all the bizarre tourist attractions across the country (their mother is writing a guidebook of sorts). They also just happen to be genius-level, top secret spies, with assorted unusual bad guys chasing them. Adults will find it a little too over-the-top at times, but they aren't the intended audience. Adults may find the tourist attractions - all real - of enough interest to enjoy the story, and may even feel inclined to follow in some of the McDonald family's footsteps. Until they remember that, as Gutman points out at one point, while the twins have ciphers and mysteries to keep them busy in between attractions, most of our children will not. Bored kids...long car trip...yeah, I'll just read the books.

Which brings me to page 81. I suppose with all the places they have visited, I shouldn't have been surprised to see some familiar sites, but I still had to run around the library showing everyone the picture of McGinn's (ahem - not McGuinn's as it is spelled in the book) giant pistachio.



 While that is not the first thing I would want to show people visiting the area (in fact, I don't think I have ever shown it to anyone), the kids love the Space Hall, which is also mentioned, and Daddy says the Rustic Cafe has the best chicken fried steak around.

Local interest aside, this final volume has the same goofiness (with painless historical and scientific trivia thrown in) that only Dan Gutman seems to get away with. Oh, and the Indiana Jones reference on page 119? Something else for us old people, thanks. Adults will probably see the finale coming, but kids will be tickled by it. None of that is meant to say that the book is dumbed down - just that it reaches its intended audience quite effectively.

And now, G. and K., I have a book for you!