Clever Katya retold by Mary Hoffman illustrated by Marie Cameron

This tale begins with two brothers. Dimitri is rich while Ivan is poor. Each has a horse. One is a stallion and one is a mare. They graze in the same field and of course in time a new foal is born. This birth is the essence of their dispute. Who owns the foal? The brothers decide to ask the Tsar. 

"The Tsar knew perfectly well that Dimitri had no claim on the foal but he decided to have a bit of fun at the brothers' expense while indulging his fondness for riddles at the same time."

He sets four riddles:

What is the fastest thing in the world; what is the fattest; what is the softest; and what is the most precious. He tells the brothers they have one week to present their answer. 

Dimitri asks his neighbour and her answers are fastest - her husband's horse, fattest is their pig, softest is the quilt she has just made and the most precious is her baby grandson.

Ivan asks his seven-year-old daughter Katya - fastest is the wind, fattest is the earth that gives us food, softest is a child's caress, and the most precious thing is honesty.

The Tsar appreciates the wise answers from Katya but he also knows he has not been especially honest himself. He sets another challenge. He wants to meet this young girl but she cannot come on horseback or on foot, she must not be dressed or naked and she cannot bring a present but she must not be empty handed. Katya solves in this in a very ingenious way using a hare, a fishing net and a partridge. And yes there is that all important 'and they all lived happily ever after' ending. 

The subtitle of this book is "A Fairy Tale of Old Russia". The original title was The Wise Little Girl. This is one of those delicious stories which you might have encountered before where a powerful ruler sets a series of riddles and a very clever young child is able to solve each one and save a life. These stories are always so satisfying. You might find a couple of old junior novels in your local or school library called Smart Girls and Smart Girls forever by Robert Leeson. 

The first thing you will notice when you open up this book is the way every page is framed with a rich pattern rather like a magic carpet. You might also notice each page begins with an illuminated letter which echoes the framing. Sadly, this beautiful book is now very old (1998) and so it is out of print. I picked it up in a library partly because I saw the author name and partly because the cover looked very inviting. 

You do need to know I am a huge fan of Mary Hoffman. I read her book The Colour of Home to groups of Grade Six students in my school library for decades and every time I was moved to tears and the students were silent as the story unfolded.

The Colour of Home

Azizi and the Little Blue Bird by Laila Koubaa illustrated by Mattias De Leeuw translated by David Colmer

"Not that long ago, in a country that still exists today, Azizi was relaxing in an orange tree."

Azizi hears his father hanging portraits in their lounge room. They are huge and portray very ugly people. His father explains he has to hang them - these are the two rulers Tih and Reni. The family have to appear to be loyal and at all times they have to be careful about what they say incase 'the walls have ears'.  Readers will begin to feel the oppression and fear of their lives, and this is only page two!

"Tih and Reni ruled the Land of the Crescent Moon with an iron hand. And they stuffed their stomachs full from early in the morning until late at night. ... (their) courtyard was filled by an enormous white cage that had all of the country's blue bird locked up inside it."

I would stop reading at this point (sorry to interrupt the story), but can you anticipate an act of heroism? Also why are they locking up all the birds? Why would these cruel rulers be afraid of little blue birds? What power might the birds have? (twitter, twitter!)

As Tih and Reni grow in power (and size) the people seem to shrink and almost disappear. Then one day a blue bird lands on the window ledge of Azizi's house. Azizi and his mother have made garlands of jasmine which they attached to twigs tied together with red threads. The little blue bird tells Azizi to gather the jasmine and join all the threads together. It is time to fly to the castle. Azizi is now so small that their sewing needle is almost like a sword. Remember how big Tih and Reni have become - their bodies are like huge balloons. 

"swift as an arrow, Azizi and the little blue bird drilled a hole right through Tih and Reni. Everything the greedy rulers had stolen exploded into the sky like giant fireworks, and the key to the big white cage shone among the vases, carpets, and dishes."

The little blue bird and Azizi set all the birds free.  I love the final sentence:

"And as Azizi and the little blue bird did somersaults in the star-filled sky, the sweet smell of jasmine rained down over the Land of the Crescent Moon."

The blue birds are representative of Twitter, and the widespread censorship of the internet by various governments during the revolutions – when I worked this out, suddenly the story made a whole lot more sense, and became more than just a poetic tale.  Bookseller NZ

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. I wonder who previously purchased it here in Australia. This book was originally published in 2013 in Flemish with the title Azizi en de kleine blauwe vogel by Book Island. There are teachers notes on the publisher page. You could use this book with students aged 10+ as a good discussion starter. The book size is extra large and the illustrations are colourful, appealing and very detailed. 

Bookseller blurb: Azizi lives with Umma and Baba in a country ruled with an iron fist, whose leaders capture all the blue birds and lock them up in a white cage in the courtyard of their palace. While the rulers swell and bulge like hot air balloons, stuffing their stomachs from morning till night, the people shrink and suffer until they are almost invisible. One day, when Azizi is no bigger than a pine nut in a glass of mint tea, a little blue bird escapes from the cage. Determined to live in fear no longer, Azizi and the little blue bird set out on a journey to free the people of their cruel and greedy rulers and bring peace to the land once more. This contemporary fairy tale of freedom against oppression is inspired by the Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia.

This gorgeous story is reminiscent of traditional fairy tales, with a brave hero, evil villains and a plucky sidekick. The descriptive writing is superb, conjuring images of a warm land bathed in sweetly scented air that is slowly turning into a place of hardship and oppression. Book Trust

From The Book Trail: In 2010 the Jasmin revolution in Tunisia inspired Laila Koubaa to write the story of Azizi and the little blue bird. Inspired by the Arab Spring and the blue birds of Twitter… Crescent Moon – The setting of the novel is a despotic place where every household must display their pictures; free speech is stifled, and the people live in abject fear. The rulers decree that all the blue birds in the land must be captured and locked in a big cage in the courtyard of the palace. But one day, a tiny blue bird escapes and flies to Azizi’s house…. Despite his young age Mattias De Leeuw (1989) is one of the most prolific illustrators of his generation. He is a talented artist who can create a character in a few quick lines. Some reviewers call him the Flemish Quentin Blake.

Here is a list of some similes found in this book:

• as small as a pine nut in a glass of mint tea
• poppies glittering like red diamonds
• like a knight on horseback
• swift as an arrow
• like giant fireworks
• danced like palm trees
• curled like calligraphy

I wonder if this might be a book you could compare with this title from our CBCA 2024 short list which also explores the power of social media.

That Bird has Arms

The King with Dirty Feet by Sally Pomme Clayton illustrated by Rhiannon Sanderson

Blurb from the illustrator web page: There once was a king who hated bath time so much that he never washed. He was a very smelly king! The king finally consents to bathe in the river but no matter how clean he is, his feet stay dirty. The people sweep away all the dirt in the land - but the air is choked with dust. The dust gets washed away but now the land is flooded with water. An enormous tapestry is sewn to cover the whole kingdom but now nothing will grow on the land... What is to be done?

This book would be a wonderful read aloud for Grade One or Two in your school library and it is available in paperback for a good price.  After reading The King with Dirty Feet you could explore folktales from around the world. I found this book yesterday in a display for Diwali - the wonderful Teacher-Librarian displayed a big selection of stories from India. 

Here is her list of Indian folktales:

• The Elephant's Friend by Marcia Williams

• The Old Woman and the Red Pumpkin by Betsy Bang

• No Dinner! by Jessica Souhami

• Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

• Monkey by Gerald McDermott

• The Monkey and the Crocodile by Paul Galdone

• Seven Blind Mice by Ed Young

• Under the Great Plum Tree by Sufiya Ahmed

• Once a Mouse... by Marcia Brown

• Pattan's Pumpkin by Chitra Soundar

• The Elephant's Garden by Jane Ray

• Jamil's Clever Cat by Fiona French

• Manu and the Talking Fish by Roberta Arenson

• The Tiger Child by Joanna Troughton

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a number of useful Pinterest collections:

• Pourquoi Stories
• India
• Middle Eastern Picture Books
• Asian Stories and Folktales

Image Source: Rhi Sanderson

Here is the webpage for the illustrator Rhiannon Sanderson. The King with Dirty Feet is listed for the NSW Premier's Reading Challenge K-2. Here is a teacher activity set from the publisher. IBBY UK have penned a review. 

This new version of an old story is brought to life by an acclaimed storyteller so it is easy to hear yourself reading it aloud to a captivated audience while the colourful, detailed illustrations  show a different kind of king and kingdom to challenge the stereotype. The Bottom Shelf

There’s something comforting and timeless about folktales; I love the pure simplicity of the storytelling, while the deeper meanings and lessons within the narrative are always quite profound. Folktales are not only a wonderful way to teach life lessons, but they are fabulously entertaining and a sure-fire way to ignite a love of stories in young children. Reading Time

Companion book - not a folktale and not about shoes but instead this is about not taking a bath!:

This book might also be in your library:

Honk, Honk! Hold tight by Jessica Souhami

"I will share my kingdom with anyone who can make Princess Alice laugh."

Many people try but they all fail. Then along comes young Peter and as you might expect he is poor but also kind and honest. On the way to the palace, he sees an elderly lady who is tired and hungry. He gives her his bread and wine - I told you he was kind. YES of course, this is a fairy tale or should we call it a folktale? To repay this kindness the old woman reveals a golden goose under her cloak.

"Tuck this magic goose under your arm and carry it to the palace, where you will be rewarded."

As he travels along the road a woman reaches out and touches the fine feathers of the goose and immediately she is stuck. Seeing the problem a man on the road takes hold of the woman but - YES - he is now stuck. And so the procession is formed. Honk honk! Hold tight. A chain of people now travel behind young Peter. Can you guess what happens when Princess Alice sees this huge procession of characters? Yes she does laugh and YES they do get married (it is a fairy tale after all) but there is one delicious twist - it is Alice who proposes to Peter and he says YES!

"And they lived merrily ever after."

Notice the goose on the cover - the image above doesn't show this properly but the goose is actually gold foil. The end papers are filled with gold feathers. 

Bookseller blurb: This very funny folktale tells about the princess who will not laugh. Her father says he will give her hand in marriage to the man who can make her laugh â?? and one boy plus a golden goose set off to the palace to try their luck? As they go along, the animals and people they meet all try to steal one of the golden goose's feathers â?? and they stick fast to the goose. "Honk Honk Hold Tight!" says the boy, and the whole parade soon ends up at the palace. What will the princess do? A fabulous read-aloud, laugh-out-loud story that has its origins in Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the UK, with variants discovered in Russia and Egypt.

Check my earlier post about Jessica Souhami. I should not have been surprised to discover the library I visit each week had so many books written and illustrated by Jessica Souhami including this one. 

Here are some other books about Princesses or daughters of wealthy men which include a set of challenges to find a prince and/or to make the princess smile or laugh or in some way be restored.

The Glassmaker's Daughter

The Seeing Stick

The Most Wonderful thing in the World

The Minstrel and the Dragon Pup

With all the people stuck to each other you might also like to revisit this classic story or a variation:

Meet the illustrator Jessica Souhami

 

Image Source: Mirrors, Windows and Doors

Last week I borrowed a folktale from the library - Sausages. The story is fun with a helpful message but it was the illustrations that really struck me. It was published in 2007 but it is still available.

When a poor woodcutter named John rescues an elf in distress, the elf rewards him with three magic wishes. Later, John and his wife Martha sit dreaming of all the lovely things they could ask for. But as the hours pass and John begins to get hungry, a chance remark begets not riches but a string of sizzling, succulent sausages! The argument this causes between the couple leads to a very silly situation, which only their last remaining wish can put right.

I was excited to discover Jessica Souhami contributed a page to this book:

Jessica Souhami studied at the Central School of Art and Design. In 1980 she formed Mme Souhami and Co, a travelling puppet company using colourful shadow puppets with a musical accompaniment and a storyteller. Her illustrations, like her puppets, use brilliant colour and bold shapes and her characters leap and swoop across the spreads. Her books for Frances Lincoln are Sausages!, In the Dark, Dark Wood, Baba Yaga and the Stolen Baby, Leopard's Drum, No Dinner!, Rama and the Demon King, The Famous Adventures of a Bird Brained Hen, The Little, Little House, Mrs McCool and the Giant Cuchulainn and King Pom and the Fox. Jessica lives in North London. Quarto Knows

I am very keen to see more of them. I wish books like In the Dark Dark Wood (Lift the flap) and Old MacDonald (Lift the flap) were still in print. I'd also like to see The Famous Adventures of a Bird-Brained Hen. Here are some review comments from Kirkus about Jessica Souhami's books. 

Foxy - The uncluttered collaged art is set off by wide expanses of white space, allowing the drama of the story to easily unfold. Children who like turning stories into dramatic play will enjoy this easy-to-memorize traditional tale, and teachers will find this an easy tale for young storytellers to memorize.

Gerald the Lion - Souhami’s simple text and lovable protagonist mirror the playful imaginations and mild fears of young children. Her simple but boldly colored illustrations will delight readers and keep the pages turning. The obvious textual irony makes this a good introduction to the art form for readers ready to question the obvious dissonance between words and pictures. (sounds like a book to compare with Drac and the Gremlin by Allan Baillie)

The Sticky Doll Trap - The marvelous illustrations are made with hand-painted watercolor Ingres papers patterned in burnished savannah colors. Grass and thorns, birds and leaves and each individual animal are placed against the sand-colored background. A visually enchanting and aurally engaging retelling of an old, old tale. 

The Leopard's Drum - Kaleidoscopic cut-paper collages of jungle scenes have a white background and black trees; by contrast, the animals are sleek and colorful. Patterns that suggest a stylized kente cloth cloak Nyame and the endpapers. A vibrant work. 

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood story from China by Ed Young

"Once, long ago, there was a woman who lived alone in the country with her three children, Shang, Tao, and Paotze. On the day of their grandmother's birthday, the good mother set off to see her, leaving the three children at home."

So what will the children do when a wolf, disguised as an old woman, knocks on their door. She claims to be their Po Po or grandmother and using very persuasive language and the children open the door and let her in. She immediately blows out the candle. In the darkness the children gradually realise this is all a trick.

"Po Po your foot has a bush on it." - it is hemp strings to weave you a basket.

"Po Po your hand has thorns on it."  it is an awl to make shoes for you.

Luckily these three children are very clever. They tell Po Po about some delicious ginko nuts in a high tree outside. Make sure you also think about the pattern of three in the story.

Lon Po Po won the Caldecott Medal in 1990. This ensures that it stay in print and here in Australia the paperback version is available for a lower price. This week I am talking about books written and illustrated by Ed Young because he sadly died very recently. 

Listen to this Fuse8n'Kate podcast where Betsy Bird and her sister talk in depth about Lon Po Po. 

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything has a huge list of other Red Riding Hood stories. Look for these:

This one is a wordless book that I am very keen to read.

Meet the illustrator Ed Young 1931-2023

My favorite thing about creating books is the pleasure of turning readers on in stories of the past, present and even future, 

The wonder of words and pictures! Ed Young Source

Caldecott Medalist Ed Young was the illustrator of over 100 books for children, many of which he had also written. He was born in Tientsin, China, and grew up in Shanghai and later moved to Hong Kong. As a young man, he came to the United States on a student visa to study architecture. In 1990, his book Lon Po Po was awarded the Caldecott Medal. He also received two Caldecott Honors – for The Emperor and the Kite and Seven Blind Mice – and was twice nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, the highest international recognition given to children’s book authors and illustrators who have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature. He used a variety of media, including pencil, pastel, ink, collage, cut paper, photographs, and found materials. Ed Young passed away at the age of 91 on September 29th, 2023 in his home in New York.

The stories, folktales, fables, and myths Young has illustrated impart simple but sig­nificant truths about people and the world. The age-old technique of using animal stories to teach spiritual lessons has been given new life by this versatile and talented artist. NoCloo

When Young illustrated The Mean Mouse and Other Mean Stories (1962), written by Janice May Udry, he expected it to be his first and last book, but it won an American Institute of Graphic Arts award and launched a career.

The library I visit each week has a huge collection of books illustrated by Ed Young. The only ones I had seen previously were Lon Po Po (winner of the Caldecott Medal 1990); Sadako (the picture book version by Eleanor Coerr); Wabi Sabi; and Seven Blind Mice (Caldecott Honour 1992). Over the coming days I will talk in detail about three of the thirteen books I borrowed from the library - Seven Bling Mice; Lon Po Po; and What about Me?

Here is the Obituary from Publisher's Weekly. In this video Ed Young talks about Wabi Sabi. Here is blog post by Seven Impossible Things. Betsy Bird talks about Seven Blind Mice in her podcast Fuse 8'n Kate. You can find a full list of books written and also books illustrated by Ed Young here. 

Seven Blind Mice (1992), Young’s self-illustrated reinterpretation of an Indian fable, won the 1992 Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in the picture-book category and was selected as a 1993 Caldecott Honor Book by the American Library Association. His other retellings include Donkey Trouble (1995), Pinocchio (1996), What About Me? (2002), The Sons of the Dragon King (2004), and The Cat from Hunger Mountain (2016). Many of his books, such as Voices of the Heart (1997) and Beyond the Great Mountains: A Visual Poem About China (2005), show the influence of his Chinese heritage. Others, such as Up a Tree (1983), include no text and instead let the pictures tell the story. The House Baba Built: An Artist’s Childhood in China (2011; with Libby Koponen) is a memoir.

Images from Ed Young's web page

“I never intended to get into children’s picture books and didn’t intend to stay. But after 50 years, I suppose I can say it’s my profession. Everything I do, including illustrating picture books, is a way of getting to know myself and a way to find challenges. As an adult creating picture books, one of the challenges is to justify the story by appealing to the adults on different levels. Good literature and good movies made for children have different levels that adults can appreciate. I can find those levels even in the simplest story. That’s the fun of it! Doing it over and over is always interesting.” Mackin

Here are some Kirkus review comments:

Smile: How Young Charlie Chaplin taught the world to laugh and cry - Young’s collages harness muddy and murky colors, silhouettes, torn papers, threadbare burlap and floral fabrics, jaundiced newspapers, and ink linework to evoke both Victorian times and the silent-film era.

The Lost Horse - Young’s sensitive illustrations portray both panoramic sweeps of life in ancient China, and the individual characters in the story.

Sadako by Eleanor Coerr - Young's inexhaustible imagination creates images with dual meanings: the jacket closeup of Sadako's eyes is also a crane in flight and, in a series of small images on the first three pages, a mushroom cloud is transformed into a crane.

Seven Blind Mice - Exquisitely crafted: a simple, gracefully honed text, an appealing story, real but unobtrusive values and levels of meaning, and outstanding illustrations and design—all add up to a perfect book.

Monkey King (Star review) - Using a combination of handmade and bought papers, Young has created a dazzling collage adaptation of the traditional Chinese legend of the Monkey King. Brilliant shades of pink, purple, red, orange, gold, and green are offset by wispy whites and stark blacks on warm earth-toned backgrounds. The colors often leap and swirl across the pages, tracing the trajectories of Monkey’s energetic somersaults and mirroring his irrepressible personality.

Should you be a river - Startling collages of torn photos, cut paper and calligraphy seek to describe love’s many forms and feelings through comparisons found in nature.

The Weather's Bet - Young’s atmospheric, textured artwork conjures the natural forces vying to mess with a mortal’s cap in this loose retelling of an old Aesop’s fable. Photographs, fabric, and paper (sometimes torn, sometimes cut) cohere in evocative collages that capture both the expansive powers of Wind, Rain, and Sun as well as the young girl’s brown skin, cheekbones, eyelashes, and strands of ebony hair. 

Here is a selection of Awards given to Ed Young:

Boston Globe Horn Book Honor

• 1992, Seven Blind Mice
• 1989, Lon Po Po
• 1982, Yeh Shen

Hans Christian Andersen Medal – U.S. Nominee, 2000 & 1992
Presented to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made a lasting contribution to children’s literature. The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children’s books.

Randolph Caldecott Medal

• 1992, Seven Blind Mice – Honor Book
• 1989, Lon Po Po
• 1967, The Emperor and the Kite, Honor Book

Boston Globe Horn Book Honor

• 1992, Seven Blind Mice
• 1989, Lon Po Po
• 1982, Yeh Shen

Asian Pacific Award

• 2008, Wabi Sabi

New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Children’s Books

• 2008, Wabi Sabi
• 1988, Cats Are Cats
• 1983, Up a Tree

NY Public Library, 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

• 2004, Sons of the Dragon King
• 2004, I, Doko
• 2000, The Hunter
• 1997, Pinocchio
• 1992, Seven Blind Mice

Parents’ Choice Award

• 2004, Sons of the Dragon King
• 2000, The Hunter, gold award
• 1989, Lon Po Po, silver award

Anne Izard Storyteller’s Choice Award

• 2000, The Hunter, A Chinese Folktale
• 1988, Cats Are Cats
• 1983, Up A Tree

Aesop’s Accolade Award

• 1996, The Turkey Girl: A Zuni Cinderella Story

ALA Notable Book

• 2008, Wabi Sabi
• 2001 ,The Hunter, A Chinese Folktale
• 1992, Seven Blind Mice
• 1989, Lon Po Po
• 1988, Cats Are Cats
• 1982, Yeh Shen
• 1981, High On a Hill
• 1967, The Emperor and the Kite

American Library Association Booklist: Editor’s Choice

• 1989, Lon Popo: A Red Riding Hood Story from China
• 1986, Foolish Rabbit’s Big Mistake
• 1988, Cats Are Cats

The American Institute of Graphics Arts Award: The Fifty Most Beautiful Books of the Year

• 1984, The Other Bone
• 1983, Up A Tree
• 1980, Bo Rabbit Smart For True
• 1980, High On A Hill
• 1979, White Wave
• 1977, Cricket Boy
• 1977, The Red Lion
• 1972, The Girl Who Loved the Wind
• 1967, The Emperor and the Kite
• 1962, The Mean Mouse and Other Mean Stories

Meet the Illustrator David Wisniewski

Publisher blurb: Parents are always spouting these rules. Do they really care about nutrients and mattresses, or are they hiding something? Luckily, one fearless grown-up will risk his neck and his dignity to find out. Disguised as everything from a chocolate milk scuba diver to a giant nose, this counterspy uncovers the disturbing truth. And what he learns will shock you like nothing before. ... Dangerous digit gangs! Powerful sumo cells! Those are just some of the secrets revealed in this book by Caldecott medalist David Wisniewski. But don′t let anyone catch you reading it-especially grown-ups. Who knows what could happen if they knew that you knew?

Until this week I had no idea there was a second book from this series. I loved sharing the first book The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups with teachers and students in my school library. This book is also perfect when classes are talking about persuasive language. Now I have seen David Wisniewski wrote a second book and that makes me smile.

The library I visit each week also has three other very different books illustrated using paper cutting by this US author/illustrator. Even though I had seen the first book above David Wisniewski is a new discovery. His sixth book Golem won the Caldecott Medal in 1997.

His first children's book was The Warrior and the Wise Man written in 1989 which I talk about in detail below. Sadly David Wisniewski died in 2002 aged only 49. He originally worked in a circus and then he and his wife formed a puppet theatre which toured schools. "Shadow puppetry was our speciality, wherein flat, jointed figures move against a screen illuminated with rear-projected scenery. Although I didn't know it at the time, shadow puppetry trained me to do picture books."

The wonderful thing about the library I visit is that clearly the Teacher-Librarian has had the time and the interest/passion to explore amazing illustrators such as David Wisniewski. As I said, my library had a copy of The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups but it never occurred to me to investigate the illustrator. Perhaps this was because back in 1998 I was not "Googling" every new book in the way I can now.

Here is a partial list of books by David Wisniewski:

• Elfwyn's Saga New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1990.
• Golem. New York: Clarion Books, 1996.
• Rain Player New York: Clarion Books, 1991.
• The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1998.
• Sumo Mouse San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2002.
• Sundiata: Lion King of Mali New York: Clarion Books, 1992.
• Tough Cookie New York: Clarion Books, 1999.
• The Warrior and the Wise Man New York: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, 1989.
• The Wave of the Sea Wolf New York: Clarion Books, 1994.

Blurb: Sam Spade, move over! In his years on the force, Tough Cookie Busted the Ginger Snaps and broke up the Macaroons. Now living as a private eye at the bottom of the cookie jar, he learns that Fingers has gotten his old partner, Chips. With his best girl, Pecan Sandy, at his side, Tough Cookie sets out to put Fingers away, for keeps! This hilarious spoof will have readers rolling in the aisles.

From the library I borrowed The Warrior and the Wise man; Rain Player; and Sea Wolf. 

The Warrior and the Wise man is a Japanese folktale-style story. "When I had the idea for a story that would dramatise the contrast between two approaches to solving a problem, one relying on blind force and the other on reasoned action, I chose to set it in ancient Japan, a society that had clearly defined classes of warriors and wise men."

In this book we meet Tozaemon who is brave and fierce while his twin brother Toemon is thoughtful and gentle - the greatest wise man in the land. The emperor sets his sons a challenge to bring him the five eternal elements - fire, water, wind, earth and cloud. Tozaemon is like a bulldozer. He rampages through the land upsetting the demons while Toemon follows behind apologising and repairing. Each time he has to give away each of the elements  and so he arrives home almost empty handed but his brother Tozaemon has angered the demons and so they arrive with a huge army. Luckily the wisdom of Toemon saves the day and the Emperor learns an important lesson:

"Today I have learned a great truth ... Strength, though vital, must always be in the service of wisdom. For that reason, Toemon will become the next emperor of this land."

See inside this book here and also here.

Rain Player is a story from the Mayan civilisation. Fans of games like soccer and even quidditch.

"The favourite game of the Maya was pok-a-tok, a fast moving combination of present-day soccer and basketball, played with a sold rubber ball on a walled court. Opposing teams tried to send the ball through the stone rings above their heads. Hands and feet were not allowed to touch the ball; it had to bounce off padded hips, shoulders and forearms. The winning team was allowed to collect the jewellery and clothing of the spectators, who quickly ran away once the match was won. Losers received nothing, and sometimes lost their heads as well as the game." 

Chac, the Sun God hears Pik boasting and so he challenges him to a game of pok-a-tok. If Pik loses he will be turned into a frog. As a baby, Pik was given some special gifts - a planting stick, a ball, a jaguar tooth, a quetzal feather and water from a sacred cenote or well. Pik needs a team for the game so he visits the animals and places associated with his baby gifts. the story feels like a legend to explain drought and rain because when Pik wins the game he is taken up into the heavens by Chac and given an enormous gourd filled with water which he then pours over a thirsty world. 

This is the illustration of the quetzal. You can see inside this book and others on this Russian blog site.

The Queen of the Birds by Karine Polwart illustrated by Kate Leiper

Who is the best? Who is the biggest? Who is the strongest? Who can fly high and far? Who has the best song? Who has the brightest feathers? Who should be the king or queen of the birds?

Arguments begin. There has been a huge storm and someone needs to sort it all out. The eagle suggests they need a king and that they way to select a king is to hold a flying contest. 

"They flocked in their millions from all over the kingdom. The ruby-throated hummingbird, the curlew and the cuckoo. The white-crested laughing thrush, the heron and the hoopoe. The robin, the flamingo, the gannet and the crane."

Birds gather and the contest begins. Of course some birds don't fly - such as the penguin. Other birds only fly very short distances such as the pheasant and the partridge. Songbirds need energy for singing. Eagle knows he will be crowned the winner. He will be the King of the Birds! But as he flies high in the sky a tiny bird pops up beside him and then she flies even higher. It is the tiny Jenny Wren. 

"A queen for the birds, not a king!"

Now go back to the problem. All of this was not about winning or ruling it was about cleaning up the mess from the storm. Jenny Wren suggests that everyone can work together. Everyone can use their own special talents and very soon the work will be done. 

This story is based on a Celtic folktale. 

The art in this book is glorious:

My only very tiny quibble (I do adore this book) is the search and find page at the back which shows twenty-five birds for readers to identify does not list the puffin which as you may know is my most favourite bird. There is a puffin on the back cover and you will spy one in this illustration.

Publisher blurb: After a terrible storm, the Kingdom of Birds is looking for a leader. Will it be the bird with the loveliest song, or the brightest plumage? The fastest in the air, or underwater? The bird who flies highest, or those who stick together and work as a team? All across the sky, birds are flocking together. Nightingales and robins, barn owls and blackbirds. The eagle, the flamingo, the birds of the moor. Curlews and cuckoos and herons and hoopoes. And Wee Jenny Wren. Let the contest begin!

The Queen of the Birds has an easy to read lyrical text which uses alliteration, rhyme, consonance and different sized fonts to give it a musical quality. The words are woven around Kate Leiper’s vibrant illustrations which include lots of white background space. Story Snug

Companion reads:

Best Test

The Go-Away Bird