Monday's Troll, with poems by Jack Prelutsky and pictures by Peter Sis (Greenwillow), is a sweet, harmless picture book of weird creatures for young children. Older children might be disappointed if they're looking for a scare but adults might like the book if they collect Sis's colorful art.
Madame La Grande and Her So High to the Sky Uproarious Pompadour by Candace Fleming, illustrated by S.D. Schindler (Alfred A. Knopf), is a charming and funny book about a woman's vanity. Madame of the title, a slave to style, reads that pompadours are the new sensation of Paris; so she simply must have the biggest and most extravagant one. Follow her and her magnificent pompadour on their adventures en route to the Paris Opera.
The Six Servants by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm with pictures by Sergei Goloshapov (North-South Books), tells the story of a nasty enchantress queen who challenges the suitors of her beautiful daughter with hopeless tasks then has them killed. One wily prince, who has picked up six odd servants on his way to win the princess, of course succeeds at all the tasks then humiliates the princess for being haughty before they both go off to live happily ever after. The art is colorful and reminiscent of Breughel and the book is beautifully designed.
Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sis (Farrar Straus, Giroux/ Frances Foster Books) is a wonderful introduction to the great astronomer for older children. The text is straightforward biography plus excerpts, in script, from Galileo's journal of his observations of the night sky, which he calls The Starry Messenger. The art is sly and often very beautiful. The Sis book was published on October 31, 1996, four years to the day after the church pardoned Galileo--360 years after he was found guilty of heresy by the Inquisition.
My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes (Crown) is perfect for young children who respond to the "ick" factor. Little sister, who seems quite the adventuress, continues her eating spree with snakes, bats, ants with their underwear, and other critters, to no apparent ill affect.
William Wegman's Mother Goose by William Wegman (Hyperion) features wiemaraners in dresses and bonnets holding storybooks and bowls with human hands. Wegman's dogs, mixed with human body parts creates an eerier, edgy book than usual. Highly recommended for children and adults with a taste for the bizarre.
Klutz by Henrik Drescher (Hyperion) is another winner by the author of The Boy Who Ate Around. The colorful klutz family is a hopeless bunch of, well klutzes. After a little car accident they find meaning in their lives, join a circus, discover something surprising about themselves, and well--read it. It's fun.
Wayne Anderson's Horrible Book (Dorling Kindersley) is a joy for children. A brave little spider follows a bodiless monster from the grave as it gathers material to recreate itself. A pop-up book, with startled fish and snails possessing very sharp teeth.
Lisbeth Zwerger illustrates L. Frank Baum's The Wizard of Oz (North-South Books) with very untraditional drawings. Scarecrow is rather pear-shaped and sports a dunce cap. The Wicked Witch of the West is all stomach and scarf. A lovely collector's item for children or adults. Green glasses included.
Sleepless Beauty by Frances Minters, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (Viking), a very hip urban variation on the sleeping beauty fairy tale, seems a little sophisticated for the 3-8 year olds it's aimed at. Although I very much like the illustrations, at times I wasn't sure why some were included--a jazz saxaphonist playing his heart out and a couple of gossips (I think) are intermittent images that have nothing to do with the story. Cool, though, for collectors of fairy tale variations and children's book art.
Creepy, Crawly Baby Bugs by Sandra Markle (Walker and Company) is a colorful and charming introduction for children to the world of bugs. Markle nicely describes bugmother love and the growth of the young. Although some of the bugs are cute others aren't, which might give squeamish adults a difficult time. The perfect vehicle for teaching children to overcome a fear of bugs. Useful glossary and index of terms in back.
Ever Heard of an Aardwolf? by Madeline Moser, illustrated by Barry Moser (Harcourt, Brace Children's Books), is a sophisticated collaboration by this father and daughter team that introduces 18 odd, mostly unfamiliar animals to children. Included are color engravings of each animal, a short description, and, in the back of the book, a more detailed description. Some of the animals previously unknown to me are the viscacha, the babirusa, the solenodon, and the bush dog. Perfect for children and also an item for Barry Moser collectors.
The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe by Tony Johnston, with pictures by S.D. Schindler (Dial Books for Young Readers), is notable more for its art than its scares. An old man dies, is buried, and one of his bones is dug up by a dog, disturbing Greebe's rest for a hundred years. Greebe's ghost isn't very frightening and is barely in the story. It's the bone that's more fun to watch. Only for very young children.
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl (Knopf) takes Dahl's first novel for children, published in 1961, and adds quirky illustrations by Lane Smith. The illustrations were used by Disney as the basis for the animation in their movie of the same title. Charming.
Copyright (C) 1997 by Omni Publications International, Ltd. All Rights Reserved.