Tangerine

 

 By Edward Bloor

I picked this book because I remember it as being one of my favorites as an older child.  Back then I just thought it was a fun story, but now I see it as something more.  Bloor writes wonderfully, and the novel is full of realistic characters - both friendly and not.  Paul Fisher, the story's protagonist, is legally blind.  He must wear thick, nerdy, alien-like glasses, and has almost no peripheral vision.  His poor eyesight is due to a mysterious accident that happened in his childhood, though he cannot remember the exact details.  His older brother, Erik, likes to tease and tell people it's because he stared at the sun for too long, thus gracing Paul with the nickname "Eclipse Boy."

But despite Paul's literal blindness, Paul has the vision to see people in a way that most people can't.  Erik is the star of the football team, and always seems to be the center of attention.  Paul plays goalie on the school soccer team, and does a good job to boot - but nobody seems to notice.  Similarly, nobody notices that Erik is actually a pretty disturbed person, and also a jerk.  But throughout the novel Paul's memory of his mysterious accident becomes clear - and we learn the secret that Erik is actually quite threatening and dangerous.  The only one who can uncover the truth is Paul.  You'll have to read the book to find out what happens next.

This is just a summary in its barest forms.  Along his journey toward truth Erik must face sinkholes, classism, lightning storms, angry neighborhood associations, flash frosts, underground fires, and a slew of other unsuspected things.  Bloor's novel is surprisingly thoughtful and offers multiple meanings for almost everything that happens in the plot.  If you're looking for a children's book that is equally thrilling, mysterious, and thought-provoking, then this is the book for you.

The Gift of Nothing

Written and Illustrated by Patrick McDonnell

Mooch the cat wants to get his friend Earl a present!  The only problem is that Earl already has a bowl, a chew toy, a bed, and everything a dog could ever need.  What do you get for a friend who already has everything?  Nothing!  So, Mooch sets off for his search of Nothing, to give to his friend Earl.  It takes him a while, but eventually he finds it when he stops looking.  He puts it in a big box and takes it to his friend.

"There's nothing here," said Earl.  "Yesh!" said Mooch.  "Nothing... but me and you."  So Mooch and Earl just stayed still and enjoyed nothing... and everything.

This story shows the true merits of a good friendship.  When Mooch gives Earl his gift of Nothing, the two sit together and enjoy each other's company.  Readers  are reminded of the fact that the greatest gift is friendship, not material objects.  I think this is a charming book for all ages.

Crazy Hair

By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Dave McKean

I think I've decided that when I'm a teacher and make a lot of money (ha!), I will probably buy all of Neil Gaiman's books.  They are just so unique, and nothing else really compares to them.

Crazy Hair is a poem about a girl named Bonnie and a man with, you guessed it, crazy hair.  (As an entertaining side note, Gaiman wrote this poem for his daughter, who once told him that his hair was crazy!)

This is Bonnie. This is me.
We were standing silently
She said, "I don't mean to stare.
Mister, you've got crazy hair."

Crazy hair? Oh me, oh my.
Crazy hair? I thought I'd die.
I said "Miss, how do you dare
Talk about my crazy hair?

This hair, you know, is all I own
Since I was two my hair has grown.
Birds fly down from everywhere
Nesting in my crazy hair."

The poem goes on, describing all of the jungle animals, hunters, dancers, hot air balloons, fair rides, and pirates which inhabit the man's crazy hair.  Bonnie, unphased, insists that it is manageable, and demands to comb the his hair.  Surprise!  A long arm reaches out and pulls her inside!  The story has a happy ending though.  It turns out that Bonnie quite enjoys playing with the animals, searching for lost hunters, and digging up buried treasures with the pirates.

The poem itself is surreal and silly, and will probably have most children smiling at the strangeness of it all.  Additionally, the artwork by McKean is so unique that it is impossible to describe with words:

Overall I think the imagination, the cute rhymes, and the unique illustrations of this story make Crazy Hair a very interesting read!

Blueberry Girl

By Neil Gaiman
Illustrated by Charles Vess

I have always been a fan of Neil Gaiman, but until today I had never read any of his children's books.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I'd heard a lot about Blueberry Girl so I was excited to see what the fuss was about.

Blueberry Girl is New Age prayer, based on a poem written by Gaiman.  On the last page he says "I wrote this for Tori, and for Tash, when she was only a bump and a due date."  The poem is a heartfelt and inspiring wish that Tash lives a long, fulfilled, and happy life:

Keep her from spindles and sleeps at sixteen,
Let her stay waking and wise.
Nightmares at three or bad husbands at thirty,
These will not trouble her eyes.
Dull days at forty, false friends at fifteen - 
Let her have brave days and truth,
Let her go places that we've never been,
Trust and delight in her youth.


Vess accompanies the poem with almost mythological images of young girls riding on owls, walking among the trees with an escort of wild animals, swimming with whales, or dancing on clouds in the shining sun.  The imagery is very naturalistic and seems to suggest the entirety of Mother Nature guiding these girls through life. The last page of the poem enforces this idea, with a woman and her baby sitting on an island, with all sorts of land and sea creatures looking over  them.

The story itself quite simple and short, but to me the message seems very powerful.  Gaiman and Vess portray young girls in a portrait of hope, strength, infinite potential, and inner beauty.  Blueberry Girl is full of wishes that every parent has for their daughter, and that every girl has for herself.  And that makes this book a great read for girls of all ages.

Owl Moon

Written by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by John Schoenherr

I'll put it simply: I LOVE THIS BOOK.  Volunteering in an elementary school classroom, I randomly pulled Owl Moon out of a basket and read it to a child.  When the kids rotated stations and I had a new child to read with, I read it again.  And again.

Owl Moon is a charming story of a young girl's first time "owling" with her father.  Long past the girl's bedtime, the two walk into the forest, their way lit only by the brightness of the moon.  As the duo trudges through "snow whiter than milk in a cereal bowl," the girl uses rich metaphors and similes to describe the scenery and emotions of their excursion.  Even though the girl has never searched for owls with her father before, she knows the rules of owling and follows them exactly.  She knows that she must be quiet, and she must be brave despite the cold and darkness.  Her father calls into the dark woods, listening for a response: "Whoo-whoo-who-who-whooooooo."  Anticipation grows, but they hear nothing.  Finally, when the father calls again, they hear an owl call back, far in the distance.  Her father continues to call, following the sound and moving ever closer to the owl.  The owl swoops overhead and lands on a nearby branch, and the girl finds herself staring face-to-face with the magnificent creature.  This particular moment is so intense that the girl is unaware of how long she and the owl silently stare at each other.  Finally, it is time to go home, and the girl and her father walk back to their house, peaceful and content with their adventure.

The illustrations of this book are beautiful and fit the story perfectly.  Schoenherr's watercolors do an outstanding job of creating images that fit well with the fine details of the girl's words.  The scenery is realistic, and a fun detail of the illustrations is that the majority of the pages show various animals (birds, a raccoon, a deer, and others) peeking out from behind the dark trees, giving children something to look for on every page.  Schoenherr's two-page spread of the owl, staring at the girl and her father, is so lifelike that any reader can imagine actually being there.  The sight of the owl is enough to make the trip worthwhile for father and daughter, and the illustration of that moment makes reading the book worthwhile for the reader.

I will close saying that I might be a bit biased about this book, since my own father is an avid bird-watcher and I have spent many cold winter days silently walking and searching for birds.  But, regardless of one's personal experiences, I think that this is a great story for readers of all ages.

And Tango Makes Three

Written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Illustrated by Henry Cole


I thought I would start this blog with a bang.  This book is an American Library Association Notable Children's Book (2006), the 2006 Nick Jr. Family Magazine Book of the Year, the 2006 Bank Street Book of the year, and winner of several awards such as ASPCA's Henry Bergh Award and the Gustavus Myer Outstanding Book Award.  The cover shows a cute, loving, and innocent-looking penguin family.  But don't be fooled!  In many places this book is...

Why is this book banned, you ask?  The inside of the dust cover states, "In the zoo there are all kinds of families.  But Tango's family is not like any of the others."  And this difference is what makes this book so controversial in many elementary schools.  You see, Tango the penguin has two dads.

I know what you're thinking: gay penguins?  Somebody really wrote a children's book about gay penguins?  Yes!  And the best part of it is, it is all based on a true story.  This lovely book tells the story of two penguins, Roy and Silo, who fall in love and decide to become mates.  They swim together, play together, sing together, and even build their own nest together.  But there is one thing that other penguin couples can do that they cannot: they can't lay an egg or make a family.  So, they content themselves with finding a rock that looks like an egg, and taking care of it as if it were their own.

But one day this all changes.  Their keeper, Mr. Gramzay, found an egg that needed to be cared for.  He brings it to Roy and Silo's nest and replaces the rock they had been caring for.    Roy and Silo take turns patiently sitting on their egg.  And what do you know!  A few weeks later, their own baby penguin has hatched!  Mr. Gramzay called her Tango, "because it takes two to make a Tango."

The story concludes telling how people cheer for Tango and her family at the zoo.  Tango's family is very special indeed.  But I think the last sentence of the book is what really draws it all together.  "There they snuggled together and, like all the other penguins in the penguin house, and all the other animals in the zoo, and all the families in the big city around them, they went to sleep."  And it just goes to show that even though Tango has a very unique family, they are just as loving and caring as any other family in the zoo or in the city.  This story sends a clear messages that families can still be happy and strong, even if they are different from the what is considered to be normal.  And in a day and age where families come in all shapes and sizes, I think that the message of understanding and acceptance is important for all children.