Picture Book - Hey Grandude! by Paul McCartney

Illustrated by Kathryn Durst

2019, Random House

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  3.71 - 486 ratings

My rating:  4
Endpapers: Light blue with white 1/2-inch grid lines

1^st line/s:  "Lucy and Tom and Em and Bob were spending a weedend with the grandad."

My comments:  Magic can really happen, especially when it comes to traveling from one place to another!  I love the premise of this book...a magic compass that whisks the family from one interesting place in the world  to another as well as spending quality time with a grandparent.  Shame on you, all you naysayers, for giving negative reviews just because a celebrity wrote it.  Spoilsports!

Goodreads:  From Paul McCartney—an action-packed picture-book adventure celebrating the fun that grandparents and grandkids can get up to.
          See the compass needle spin, let the magic fun begin!
          Meet Grandude—a super-cool grandfather who is an intrepid explorer with some amazing tricks up his sleeve. Grandude is a one-of-a-kind adventurer! With his magic compass, he whisks his four grandkids off on whirlwind adventures, taking them all around the globe. Join them as they ride flying fish, dodge stampedes, and escape avalanches! Brought to life with gloriously colorful illustrations from talented artist Kathryn Durst, it’s the perfect bedtime story for little explorers

PICTURE BOOK - Ojiichan's Gift by Chieri Uegaki

Illustrated by Genevieve Simms

2019, Kids Can Press (HC $16.99)

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:  4.19 171 ratings

My rating:  5
Endpapers:solid pale sage

1^st line/s:    "When Mayumi vanHorton was born, her grandfather built her a garden.  It sat behind a tiny brown house nearly half way around the world, and it was unlike any other garden she knew."

My comments:  Every summer North American Mayumi spent two months with her Ojiichan in Japan.  He'd made a garden for her, a sand garden, with rocks, and shrubs to-be pruned, and a rake to make patterns in the sand.  And then Ojiichan gets too feeble to take care of the garden and Mayumi makes a miniature one for Ojiichan to enjoy.  Great themes, lovely story and illustrations.

Goodreads:  When Mayumi was born, her grandfather created a garden for her. It was unlike any other garden she knew. It had no flowers or vegetables. Instead, Ojiichan made it out of stones: ?big ones, little ones and ones in-between.? Every summer, Mayumi visits her grandfather in Japan, and they tend the garden together. Raking the gravel is her favorite part. Afterward, the two of them sit on a bench and enjoy the results of their efforts in happy silence. But then one summer, everything changes. Ojiichan has grown too old to care for his home and the garden. He has to move. Will Mayumi find a way to keep the memory of the garden alive for both of them? 
          This gentle picture book story will warm children's hearts as it explores a deep intergenerational bond and the passing of knowledge from grandparent to grandchild over time. The lyrical text by Chieri Uegaki and luminous watercolor illustrations by Genevieve Simms beautifully capture the emotional arc of the story, from Mayumi's contentment through her anger and disappointment to, finally, her acceptance. The story focuses on an important connection to nature, particularly as a place for quiet reflection. It contains character education lessons on caring, responsibility, perseverance and initiative. It's also a wonderful way to introduce social studies conversations about family, aging and multiculturalism. Mayumi lives in North America with her Japanese mother and Dutch father, and visits her grandfather in Japan. Some Japanese words are included.

36. Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith

Listened on Audible - in my library
read by Anthony Mark Barrow and Karissa Vacker
Unabridged audio (8:23)
2019 Delacorte Press
271 pgs.
YA CRF
Finished 4/4/2019
Goodreads rating: 4.06 - 882 ratings
My rating:  4
Setting: England & NY State, then cross country from NYC thru Chicago, Denver, to SF.

First line/s:  "Mae wakes, as she does each morning, to the sound of a train."

My comments:  When I read the synopsis for this book I was quite excited because traveling cross-country is my all-time favorite thing to do, or read about, or even think about.  The book was a lot more than that.  It was full of emotion and thoughtfulness, family and love.  Two very different families from two different parts of the world - a girl raised by two dads and her loving Nana in New York; and a boy from Surrey, England, who is the youngest in a group of famous sextuplets who has never - ever - been on his own.  Once I let go of the idea that this would be an adventurous summary of the sights and sounds across the United States, I let myself become absorbed in the thoughtful reverie of these two wonderful young people..  It was a good read, although not at all what I had anticipated.

Goodreads synopsis:  Having just been dumped by his girlfriend, British-born Hugo is still determined to take his last-hurrah-before-college train trip across the United States. One snag: the companion ticket is already booked under the name of his ex, Margaret Campbell. Nontransferable, no exceptions.
            Enter the new Margaret C. (Mae for short), an aspiring filmmaker with big dreams. After finding Hugo's spare ticket offer online, she's convinced it's the perfect opportunity to expand her horizons.
            When the two meet, the attraction is undeniable, and both find more than they bargained for. As Mae pushes Hugo to explore his dreams for his future, he'll encourage her to channel a new, vulnerable side of her art. But when life off the train threatens the bubble they've created for themselves, will they manage to keep their love on track?

PICTURE BOOK - Drawn Together by Minh Le

Illustrated by Dan Santat

2018, Disney/Hyperion

HC $17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating:   4.30 - 2298 ratings

My rating:  5

Endpapers:  Front:  a drawing of grankid's and bak: a drawing of grandpa's.

Front flap:  Sometimes you don't need words to find common ground."

1^st line/s:  Wordless for many pages, then:  "So...what's new, Grandpa?"

My comments:  lmost, but not quite, wordless.  Grandson and Grandad spend time together, but think they have nothing in common and nothing to talk about until..... Grandson pulls out markers and journal and begins to draw himself as a superhero.  Grandfather excitedly retrieves his sketchbook and calligraphy brush to show his line drawings of dragons and slayers!  Common ground...and a new understanding and appreciation of each other.  COOL! Story and drawings are great.

Goodreads:  When a young boy visits his grandfather, their lack of a common language leads to confusion, frustration, and silence. But as they sit down to draw together, something magical happens-with a shared love of art and storytelling, the two form a bond that goes beyond words.
          With spare, direct text by Minh Lê and luminous illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat, this stirring picturebook about reaching across barriers will be cherished for years to come.

PICTURE BOOK - Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

Illustrated by Christian Robinson

2015 G. P. Putnam's Sons

HC $16.99 (Amazon 10.54)

32pgs.

Goodreads rating:4.18

My rating: 4.5

Endpapers Bright yellow with cream drawings of items from the story

2016 Newbery Medal
2016 Caldecott Honor
2016 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor

My comments:  Yes, a wonderful story - full of kindness, positivity, and making a difference in the world.  Lots of good stuff for all - including 4th graders (admittedly my current focus).  However, I'm not happy with it receiving the Newbery Award this year.  Am I old fashioned?  A purist?  I really like that kids' chapter books/novels have such a prestigious award just for them, and awarding it to a picture book (which, I know, has happened before) bother me a bit.  Oh well, it doesn't take away from the wonderfulness of the book, just an itch that bothers me....

Goodreads: Every Sunday after church, CJ and his grandma ride the bus across town. But today, CJ wonders why they don't own a car like his friend Colby. Why doesn’t he have an iPod like the boys on the bus? How come they always have to get off in the dirty part of town? Each question is met with an encouraging answer from grandma, who helps him see the beauty—and fun—in their routine and the world around them.
           This energetic ride through a bustling city highlights the wonderful perspective only grandparent and grandchild can share, and comes to life through Matt de la Pena’s vibrant text and Christian Robinson’s radiant illustrations.

MOVIE - And So It Goes

PG-13 (1:34)

Wide release 7/25/2014

Viewed 8/1/14 at ElCon (Fran and I tried to see this the day BEFORE it opened in Bangor....)

RT Critic: 16  Audience:  44

Cag:  3/liked it - a nice "feel good" movie

Directed by: Rob Reiner

Clarius Entertainment

Michael Douglas, Diane Keaton

My comments:  Okay, so maybe this wasn't the most brilliant or clever movie ever made - but chalk it up as a just-fine "feel good" movie; a pleasant way to spend an afternoon, especially if you're in the over-50 crowd.

RT Summary:  There are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Michael Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter (Sterling Jerins) he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down. Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (Diane Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart - to his family, to Leah, and to life itself - in this uplifting comedy from acclaimed director Rob Reiner

41. The Language Inside - Holly Thompson

2013, Delacorte Press

522 pgs. (but it's in verse, so it's a quick read)

YA CRF with a multicultural twist

Finished 6/26/2014

Goodreads Rating: 3.80

My Rating: 4/Very, very good

Amelia Given Library, Mt. Holly Springs

Setting: a contemporary Lowell, Massachusetts suburb

1^st sentence/s:
       third time it happens
       I'm crossing the bridge
       that slides through town
       on my way to a long-term care center
       to start volunteering

My comments:  This book certainly had many layers, and many, many themes.  One of those books that keeps you thinking.  Imagine having a stroke in your 30s that only allows you to move your eyeballs?  Imagine living in America, being an American, and having half of your thoughts and dreams in another country? And then on top of that, having your mom very ill, prognosis uncertain.  Tsunami devastation in Japan, the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, Japanese and Cambodian dance, volunteering in a rehabilitation center, living in a new culture and missing the old one as well as living with immobilizing migraines...well that's a lot for one book.  But it works.  Beautifully.
          The book was written in verse and included a lot of references to poetry, which was wonderful.  But some of the verses in the book did not flow well, for me, as I read them (of course, some did). Line breaks and page breaks seemed to come in weird places.  Was it the way it was edited or the way it was written?  No matter, the story was extremely well done.

Goodreads Summary:
          Emma Karas was raised in Japan; it's the country she calls home. But when her mother is diagnosed with breast cancer, Emma's family moves to a town outside Lowell, Massachusetts, to stay with Emma's grandmother while her mom undergoes treatment.
          Emma feels out of place in the United States.She begins to have migraines, and longs to be back in Japan. At her grandmother's urging, she volunteers in a long-term care center to help Zena, a patient with locked-in syndrome, write down her poems. There, Emma meets Samnang, another volunteer, who assists elderly Cambodian refugees. Weekly visits to the care center, Zena's poems, dance, and noodle soup bring Emma and Samnang closer, until Emma must make a painful choice: stay in Massachusetts, or return home early to Japan.

Nonna Tell Me a Story - Lidia Bastianich

Lidia's Christmas Kitchen
Illustrated by Laura Logan
RP Kids (Running Press), 2010
$15.95
56 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: Diagonal yellow striped "tablecloth" with small cookies whose recipes are given at the end of the book.

Nonni Lidia gathers her five grandchildren around her and tells the story of finding a juniper tree in the woods and decorating it for Christmas when she was a child in Italy. The family didn't have much, and they decorated the tree with candies and fruits, homemade cookies, strings of bay leaves and dry figs.

When the time comes for the grandkids to help Nonni trim the tree, they feel the store-bought decorations are not sepcial enough. So they all set to work cooking and creating the decorations in the same way Nonni had when she was a young girl.

The last third of the book are cookie recipes - more than a dozen really yummy ones. And the last two pages give hints for decorating the tree with fruits, nuts, Christmas cookies, first aid cotton, and cinnamon sticks.

Apparently Lidia Bastianich is a famous tv chef. Not the type of show I watch - but I bet it's fun. The book's the kind of book I read - it's great.

The Very Best Pumpkin - Mark Kimball Moulton

Illustrated by Karen Hillard Good
A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster, 2010
$12.99 (no dust cover)
32 pages
Rating; 4 (Illustrations are a 5!)

Peter's grandparents grow pumpkins, and people come to pick their own. The grow all over the farm, but one long.....long....................long tendril looping way around behind a rock is growing a tiny pumpkin. Peter lovingly tends it as it grows into a really beautiful speciman.

Next door, Meg has just moved in. She is a reader, quiet and shy, and she watches Peter care for this lovely pumpkin in secret.

It's the pictures I love. They're cute and clever and give a feel-good autumn sense of time and place. There's very, very little white. Lots of greens and browns and oranges. Curlicew black lines. Excellent font. Simple faces. Love it all!

The Water Gift and the Pig of the Pig - Jacqueline Briggs Martin

Illustrated by Linda S. Wingerter
Houghton Mifflin, 2003
32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: light blue

Set in Waldo County, Maine, this is the story of a girl named Isabel who lives with her grandparents. Her grandfather is a water man. He was a sailor until he married and settled down and is a gifted dowser. His divining rod is a Y-shaped stick. He finds more than water, he finds lost animals, too.

When he feels he has lost his touch, and when the family's pet pig goes missing, Isabel discovers that she, too, has the water gift.

Illustrations are framed with a thin black line and a white border. They are really lovely and depict rural Maine and the seacoast perfectly.

Bot the author and illustrator grew up in Maine. They've given this book the right feel.

The Perfect Gift - Mary Newell DePalma

Arthur A. Levine, Scholastic, 2010
$16.99
32 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Yellow

There's something very appealing just about the font and layout of this book. The font is large and whimsical. The illustration covers the page, or is in a box or two sporadically on the page - and sometimes bridges both pages. It has lots of white, which I don't usually like - but this works really beautifully here.

The story is cute, a little scary in one place - so I guess you could call it an adventure. Yup, this works for me.

Lori the parikeet is taking a juicy berry to her grandmother, but drops it into the river where it lands on the bottom. Some animal friends try to help - a chipmunk, a duck, and a frog. When a crocodile greedily grabs them all, Lori throws the berry into the air and that greedy croc goes after it, allowing the three animal friends to escape. No more berry as a gift for grandma. So they put their heads together and come up with a better idea - to turn their harrowing adventure into a book!

And I like the book that was created!

Homegrown House - Janet S. Wong

Illustrated by E. B. Lewis
Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009
$16.99
for Kids
Rating: 3
Endpapers: Alternating squares that look like old-fashioned wallpaper, perhaps.

E. B. Lewis' watercolors are sumptious, as always. He does amazing things with shadows! He captures people perfectly - there's even one page that has its perspective from high up - not quite birds-eye view, but almost (the girls and her grandmother are looking down at the floor).

This is a story of the relationship between a girl and her grandmother. It's also the story of a girl wanting to stay in one house for more than a short amount of time, as her grandmother has. Some of the story is lovely - it's written in freeform verse and flows in a gentle way. The reason I can't give it a higher rating is because I think, although the essence of the story comes through clearly, there are some places that I can't tell whether it's talking about her grandmother's house, her new house, or her hopeful, future new home. It's probably me and the frame of mind I'm in right now, but I've gone back twice and I think it's now clear - it would probably be more clear for a kid withouth the extra-aged brain cells.

The Mitten - Jim Aylesworth

Illustrated by Barbara McClintock
Scholastic, 2009
$16.99 32 pages
Rating: 4
Endpapers: red
A very cute & cuddly winter story.

A "once upon a time" story. The expressions on the animal's faces alone are a good reason to read this book!

A young boy every year receives a warm hat, scarf, and mittens from his grandmother. He plays and plays in the snow...and loses a mitten. Because it's cold they decide to have some hot chocolate and check for the mitten in the morning.

Well. During the night a variety of animals cuddle into the bright red mitten to keep warm - it stretches and it stretches until it's so full of cuddlying animals that it explodes. Cute, very cute.
(And then of course Gram knits a new mitten.)

This is an old folktale from the Ukraine. I'm quite sure Jan Brett has also illustrated this story. Great for comparing versions. Also a great gift for a knitting gram to give her lovin' kiddo...a hat, scarf, mittens, the book, a package of hot chocolate, and a small stuffed squirrel (or bunny or fox or bear or mouse!)

Peeny Butter Fudge - Toni Morrison & Slade Morrison

Illustrated by Joe Cepeda
Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster, 2009
$16.99
32 pages
Rating: 4

First of all, the illustrations are bright, super colorful, and completely cover the page - no white at all.

Secondly, we meet a very cool grandmother; a break-the-rules gram, a let's-try-something-new nan, a Converse-wearing, game-playing, cook-it-up-good granny.

And thirdly, we enjoy some nice rhyme (I lose the rhythm in a couple of spots) in a very warm-fuzzy story.

A just plain fun book about enjoying life with a grandparent.

The Truly Terribly Horrible Sweater...That Grandma Knit - Debbie Macomber & Mary Lous Carney

Illustrated by Vincent Nguyen
Harper, 2009
$16.99
40 pages
For: Kids
Rating: 3
Endpapers: Christmas Green

Cameron loves his grandma, but he hates the striped sweater she knit him for his birthday. It's ugly, had big buttons, and he decides he's NEVER going to wear it. He tries everything to get rid of it, or to make it unwearable, to no avail. When his grandma comes at Christmastime to visit, she tells him the story of knitting it, of the history that went into every color choice. It makes Cameron instantly decide to wear it. The illustrations then show him wearing it at soccer practice. I wish this were believable, but knowing kids, he would never have changed his mind. He might have worn it at home, but never out with his friends. Cute pictures-full page. Cute story, too - only the ending was not believable. Oh well.

Watch an interview with author collaborators Debbie Macomber and Mary Lou Carney about the creation of the book - and about their reading memories here. Interesting.

Grandpappy Snippy Snappies - Lynn Plourde

Illustrated by Christopher Santoro
Harcourt, 2009
$17.99
Ages 3-6t
Rating: 4
Endpapers: Red

I usually adore Lynn Plourde's writing - rhyme, rhythm, clever wordplay and wonderful words. However, I didn't seem to get caught up into these snappin' red suspenders. So I read it a second time, and a third. And I got into the silliness - and the cleverness - and now I can't wait to read it to Ella!

Grandpappy snaps his red suspenders to "fix" things -- and flixes them in crazy ways. Cows stuck in mud end up flying through the sky raining milk. He sends the derailed mail train to Mars. But when all the snippy snappy goes out of the suspenders....and just as he's about to save Grandmammy from a flock of crows --- well --- you'll never guess what happens!

Yes, this is perfect for little 'uns - say 2 1/2 to 5ish...

21. The Most Beautiful Place in the World - Ann Cameron

Illustrator: Thomas B. Allen
1988
RL: 3.7 (age 7-10)
Perfect for beginning of 4th/Latin America
Rating: Good

Juan lives in the mountains in San Pablo, Guatemala. He is very poor and his story makes me so sad - seventeen-year-old mother, father abandons them, they go to live with grandmother and huge extended family in tiny home. Mother remarries and doesn't want him. Strict grandmother teaches him to shine shoes and at 7 years old earns a dollar a day working full time. He longs to go to school but is afraid to bring it up to his grandmother, so with the help of customers, teaches himself to read.

There's a shift in the story here. When he finally talks to his grandmother about school, the reader gets to see her a little differently, a little closer look, and the story becomes one of devotion and love while still working hard to survive.

Easy to read. Lots to think about. Poverty. Culture.

This could be a read aloud, create a picture book or mural or montage--endless possiblilities.

The Tsunami Quilt - Anthony D. Fredericks

Grandfather's Story
Illustrator: Tammy Yee
Published: May, 2007
For: School-age kids (though it says 5-10, I'd go with the older end)
Rating: 4.5
Read 2-24-09 Himmel Lib.
17.95
Endpapers: White

After Kimo's grandfather, who is also his best firend, dies, his father tells him the story of how, on April 1, 1946, his grandfather watched his brother and 23 others be swept away in a tsunami. Kimo has accompanied his grandfather yearly to the memorial overlooking the sea where it happened -- but now he understands. Father and son also take a trip to the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo, where one of the exhibits is a quilt created in honor of the twenty-four who lost thier lives at Laupahoehoe Point (Lah PAH hoy hoy) on that April day in 1946. However, the title's a bit misleading - the book is not about the quilt, just the story behind it.

Full page illustrations with text over the artwork - even the page with the copyright information. Sad story. Cool telling.

Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie - Norton Juster

Illustrator: Chris Raschka
For: Kids
Published: October, 2008
Rating:5 for story/ 1 for illustrations
Read: This weekend
Endpapers: Bright lilac
Sequel to 06 Caldecott: The Hello Goodbye Window

When a little girl visits her Nanna and Poppy, they never know if she'll be sweet and funny or grumpy and impossible - or both at the same time! There's lots of dialogue, lots of loving situations - but the illustrations are just blobs of color with a sparse few black lines showing detail. Maybe it's just the mood I'm in - but.....uck. I know people rave about Chris Raschka's art. I love moder/abstract art myself, Kandinsky and Haring are my very favorite artists...but this cool story was NOT enhanced by these nondescript scribbles. At least, not to enhance this story. Do kids relate to these illustrations?

A Couple of Boys Have the Best Week Ever - Marla Frazee

For: Kids-Not TOO young
Published: 2008
Rating: 5/5
Read: Sept. 13, 2008
Endpapers: Photographs of the two boys at camp all week
2009 Caldecott Honor ! ! !

Friends James and Eamon spend a week of their summer vacation with Eamon's very cool (in my opinion) grandparents, Bill and Pam. Each day Bill drives them to a nature day camp. Throughout the week they play, create, pretend, build, learn, enjoy the grandparents, and listen to Bill's yearning to go to Antarctica. There's a great ending to the story, too. The boys have seemingly been ignorning Bill's hints about Antarctica, but as a surprise for him, on the last night they build a recreation of Antarctica for him to enjoy.

The best illustration in the book - the boys, laying across sleeping bags on huge air mattresses, completely surrounded by stuffed animals and toys. I'd love to have this on my wall. It just makes you grin. But the cover...well...I think it looks too comic-booky and a book IS judged by its cover. I think I wish it were different.

Written in UPPER case text-lettering by the author. All is based on the author's family and a true week - at least that's what I'm led to think.....

Great book.