Magic in the Margins: A Medieval Tale of Bookmaking, by W. Nikola-Lisa

Illustrated by Bonnie Christensen

Rating: Very Good

Houghton Mifflin, 2007, $17.00

ISBN: 978-0618496424

Age/Grade Level: 6-9 years

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A Middle Ages Tale of a young orphan named Simon, whose education fell to Brother William, a monk who worked in the monastery's scriptorium. Simon learned how to make parchment, cure quill pens and grind pigments to paint, but most of all he wanted to draw pictures on his own.

The young apprentice is challenged by Father Anselem to use both skill and vision, and most of all his imagination. "Begin by capturing mice," directs the good Father. These mysterious words send Simon on a mission that leads to his understanding of how great artists are not those who merely copy pictures, but create wonderful images from their imaginations.

The text is framed in decorative illustrations resembling those found in the early illuminated manuscripts. These pages should surely motivate the young artist to try creating his own illuminated story. The afterword provides useful information about this period.

Reviewer: Jane Yarbrough, Library Consultant

Baseball Treasures, by Stephen Wong

Photographs by Susan Einstein
Rating: Very Good
Smithsonian/HarperCollins, 2007, $17.89
ISBN: 978-0061144738
Age/Grade Level: 7-12 years

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If you love baseball, enjoy collecting baseball cards and want to learn some fascinating stories about the sport since its early days, this book is for you. The more than 100 photographs bring to life the champions of the game and fill the pages with memorabilia of caps, balls, bats and players' jerseys. A chapter on the World Series captures the excitement of games gone by.

Stephen Wong, a devoted collector of baseball trearues, share with his readers his early interest in baseball and the culminating results in the Wong Family Archives Collection for everyone to enjoy.
Reviewer: Jane Yarbrough, Library Consultant

Bear's Picture, by Daniel Pinkwater

Rating: Very Good
Houghton Mifflin, 2008, $16.00
ISBN: 978-0618759231
Age/Grade Level: preschool

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This is a simple story about a bear who wants to paint a picture. Along come “two fine, proper gentlemen” who keep telling the bear that his picture doesn’t look like anything. But of course, the bear doesn’t mind because at the end he likes his picture anyway. This is a great choice for storytime as the text is short and sweet. The pictures are colorful and engaging and children will enjoy trying to decipher what the bear is painting as the story moves along. It’s also a good choice for teaching children the importance of being unique and appreciating their own creations. Overall, it’s a good picture book that will undoubtedly find plenty of readers in the children’s collection.

Reviewer: Sarah Stimson, Orange County Public Library/Irvine University Park

The Trouble Begins at 8: A Life of Mark Twain in the Wild, Wild West, by Sid Fleischman

Rating: Marginal

Greenwillow, 2008, $18.99
ISBN: 978-0061344312

Age/Grade Level: ages 9 to 12

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This biography of Mark Twain was written by a Newbery medalist and generally received good reviews. It should be a sure selection. However, the unappealing writing style and seeming contradictions cited throughout the book make it a marginal choice for the library’s collection. Fleischman’s prose is tedious and unduly verbose. There is very little flow and children would find the text very difficult to follow. Although extensively and thoroughly cited, it seems as though the author constructed this entire book around a random selection of quotations that he found in other works. He is extremely subjective in certain parts of the book taking far too much artistic liberty- an act that he later tries to defend. (p.177) But the most glaring problem with the book is that it is full of contradications. For example, Fleischman states that Twain became depressed and gloomy near the end of his life. “His bleak view of life became as frozen and fixed as the north star”. (p.171) But less than a page later he writes that “Twain was never able to abandon his gift for laughter.”

Overall, the book does not capture the essence of Twain’s life or his works. The prolix descriptions will turn away young and old readers alike. The only redeeming qualities to this biography are wonderful illustrations, a very good timeline, and a chapter that includes one of Twain’s stories, “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County”.

Reviewer: Sarah Stimson, Orange County Public Library/Irvine University Park

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great, by Gerald Morris

Rating: Recommended
Houghton Mifflin, 2008, $15.00

ISBN: 978-0618777143
Age/Grade Level: ages 9 and up

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Chivalry is not dead! The defender of Arthurian tales, Sir Lancelot, endures, slashing one heck of an enjoyble read. The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great is a hero's quest, beginning when newly knighted Lancelot leaves home pursuing honor, nobility and the "shiniest armor in all the world." Amusing in its tales, with a hint of Monty Python for children, the Sire doth make a reader contented. Gerald Morris writes with especially good command over dialogue and Aaron Renier's illustrations complete the good show. Recreants aside, purveyors of a good tale will enjoy this tale to the hilt.

Reviewer: Rebecca Porter, Orange County Public Library/Laguna Beach branch

Hate That Cat, by Sharon Creech

Rating: Recommended

Joanna Cotler, 2008, $16.89
ISBN: 978-0061430930

Age/Grade Level: ages 9 and up

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Grief's sting is still palpable in Sharon Creech's Hate That Cat, an appropriate sequel to Love That Dog. The main character, Jack, continues his poetic bildungsroman with room 204's Miss Stretchberry. A critical uncle, a hearing-impaired mother, a nasty cat, and a summons to love another animal provide grist for his self-expressive poetry. What is to "love, love, love" about this gem of a book is its real and raw look at death and the pain that follows loss. Poetry provides a nice vehicle for the call to love again. The question is not whether to read this book, but how much time to allow between reading the two Creech companion books.

Reviewer: Rebecca Porter, Orange County Public Library/Laguna Beach branch

Amandina, by Sergio Ruzzier

Rating: Very Good

Roaring Brook Press, 2008, $16.95
ISBN: 978-1-59643236-9

Age/Grade Level: Ages 2-6

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Amandina was a dog who was shy, so she decided to overcome her shyness and give a performance at a run-down theater. She did a lot of work to get her performance and the theater ready. No one showed up, but she just kept on performing. A little cockroach was in the audience and ran to get his friends, who called all their friends. Amandina kept performing. When the show was over, she got a big surprise. The theater was packed, and her show was a success.

The pictures are cute, although the little dog, Amandina, doesn't look much like a dog. It's a colorful, nice story.

Reviewer: Kim Bell, Orange County Public Library/Cypress Branch

The Cobbler's Holiday, or Why Ants Don't Wear Shoes, by Musharraf Ali Farooqi

Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Rating: Very Good
Roaring Brook Press, 2008, $16.95

ISBN: 978-1-59643234-5
Age/Grade Level: Ages 4-8

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Ants need shoes for every foot. Thirty shoes per ant. One day, the shoe cobbler for the ant shoes took a vacation and never returned. The ants were always walking and dancing and wore out their shoes quickly. A red ant changes their minds about wearing shoes. A cute picture book for ages 4-8.

Reviewer: Kim Bell, Orange County Public Library/Cypress Branch

Sea Queens: Women Pirates Around the World, by Jane Yolen

Rating: Very Good
Illustrated by Christine Joy Pratt
Charlesbridge, 2008, $18.95
ISBN: 97858089131
Age/Grade Level: Ages 9-12

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This is an informative book covering women pirates from every country starting very early in history. Illustrations in a gothic style add to the telling of successful and unsuccessful ventures by women pirates. This book is not necessarily designed to be read in one sitting, but can be put aside and returned to later. I would recommend it for grades 5 and up. Some of the content may not be understood by a 4th grader for the most part.

Reviewer: Katherine Robinson, Richman Elementary School

Hairy Tarantulas

Rating: Very Good

Series: No Backbone! The World of Invertebrates
Bearport, 2009, $21.28

ISBN: 1597167045

Age/Grade Level: Ages 9-12

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A very informative book about tarantulas, their habitat, physical characteristics, and eating habits, with colorful photographs. This would be a great read-aloud for 3rd graders. It is leveld at 4.2 by Renaissance Learning.

Reviewer: Katherine Robinson, Richman Elementary School