Review: Niko Draws a Feeling by Bob Raczka

9781467798433

"Sometimes he showed his pictures to his friends.

'What is it?' one of them would ask.

'It's the ring-a-ling of the ice cream truck," Niko would answer.

'It doesn't look like the ice cream truck,' someone else would say.

'It's not the ice cream truck,' Niko would explain. 'It's the ring-a-ling.'

'Where's the bell?'

'It's not the bell. It's the ring-a-ling.'

'I don't get it.'

First of all, I love Bob Raczka. Second, his books drive me crazy. For some reason they are not plucked off the shelves, and I often have to hand-sell them. Then they are enjoyed! For some reason, however, art books are not something kids gravitate to and check out on their own (origami and how-to-draw books aside). As a picture book, I think this one will fare much better.

I certainly hope so, because it offers so much - an introduction to abstract art, the joy of finding someone who 'gets' you, a reminder that there are different ways to see things, inspiration to keep up with what inspires you. Shin's illustrations have a sometimes 3-dimensional effect that draws the reader in, making them a perfect match for the text.

Extension activities are obvious and fun: Talk about colors and shapes and ask kids which they might associate with being happy, sad, sleepy, etc. Give them some paper and art materials, put on some music, and tell them to draw what they feel. Go for a walk with a pad and colored pencils, and draw the sounds or feelings along the way, then share them over a picnic in the park. For one week, before bedtime draw how you felt about the day, and post the pictures in a row. Draw the members of your family abstractly. Watch the Disney movie "Fantasia".

And then go check out some of Raczka's nonfiction, please, I promise you will enjoy it!

Review: Joy in Mudville by Bob Raczka

9780761360155

"It had been only twenty-four hours since Mighty Casey struck out, plunging fans of the Mudville team into gloom and despair. But a new game day dawned, and Casey once again proved his might with a homer in the eighth. The Mudville nine took a one-run lead, but in the bottom of the ninth, their hurler walked three straight.

Bases loaded and the starting pitcher spent, the Mudville manager was not bullish about his bullpen. With the game on the line, he called for rookie Joy Armstrong to take the mound. Could she bring joy to Mudville again—and prove that a girl can play ball as well as any boy?"

Not a picture book to be taken seriously. Children will want to know if it really happened (no, it didn't), and those literally minded children will want to check into whether women could play in the major leagues...or if you could really bat a ball like you are playing tennis and get it to the batter's box...and then there's the rather obvious lesson (boys screw up, but girls can fix things effortlessly and make them look even dumber. Oh, wait, that wasn't it?)

On the other hand, it's a cute, light story, with plenty of funny moments. The pictures are lively, with a few oddities to notice (Joy has blue nail polish to match the uniform, and the umpire's outfit changes with each sport she imitates). If your intention is to spark a discussion of stereotyping, this can get you going nicely - and hopefully astute children will realize it is shown both ways here.

Thanks to Carolrhoda Books for the review copy.