3 New Picture Books - Their Worth is in their Illustrations

All three lack good story writing. All three obviously missed good editing. But the three distinctly different styles of illustrations are worth the look. I'm listing them by illustrator.

The Hungry Ghosts pictures by Geraldo Valerio 2009
How the Nobble was Finally Found pictures by Stephen Gammell 2009
Leon and the Place Between pictures by Grahame Baker-Smith

The artwork in each book is well worth your time.
The Hungry Ghosts illustrations are done in acrylic paint on watercolor paper, lots of blues on every page. Nobble illustrator Gammell is the same artist who did Old Black Fly (1991 - Jim Aylesworth). Gammell created the handlettering seen in the text of Nobble. Baker-Smith used digital montage for the pictures in Leon. It has a 3-D effect that draws your vision into the busy setting. Of the three, Leon has a story that at least flows and is not a bad read.

Comments

Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) by Pamela Espeland & Elizabeth Verdick

If there's one book today's kids need to read, it is Dude, That's Rude! (Get Some Manners) . The authors provide a fun format for teaching etiquette to children. They discuss proper behavior at home, at school, at other people's homes and in public places. The information is completely up-to-date with cellphone manners and netiquette included. Fun, cartoony illustrations are on practically every page giving the book great visual appeal. This book is perfect for boys and girls in the fourth grade or older. WARNING: Bodily functions are discussed.

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin

Faces of the Moon by Bob Crelin Illustrated by Leslie Evans Charlesburg; 2009; unpaged Faces of the Moon is a short nonfiction book that describes the different phases of the moon and why the moon appears like it does on certain nights. This book is short and sweet so even the youngest of moon lovers will enjoy it. The layout is simplistic and easy to follow. I don’t know much about the moon so I found it very interesting.

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester 2008

J Fiction 328 pages I almost didn't finish this book. I got to Chapter 4, and was just about ready to quit (a kind of slow story about a girl, name of Piper McCloud, who discovers she can fly, parents freak out, she becomes a social outcast, yadda, yadda) but suddenly, right there in Chapter 4, the story takes a sharp turn and becomes really interesting . Piper finds herself in the company of others like her, but not "fliers", and under the care and authority of Dr. Hellion. I won't even tell you any more. Read this book. Forester does a great job of keeping you wondering who's the good guy and who's the bad? Piper is a likeable, strong, endearing character that girl readers will enjoy. But don't NOT give it to boys! The main male character is an extremely intelligent young man who is one of the ones you wonder about . . . good or bad? This is a good one, well worth your time.

Provo Library Children's Book Blog

Search This Blog