The best pet of all by David LaRochelle illustrated by Hanako Wakiyama

 

On Monday I asked my mother if I could have a dog - NO!

On Tuesday I asked my mother if I could have dog - NO!

On Wednesday I asked my mother if I could have a dog - NO!

On Thursday I asked my mother if I could have a dragon - YES!

So the little boy goes hunting for the perfect pet dragon. Are dragons meant to be pets? Are dragons able to put toys away? Or cook without making a mess? And then there is the pesky issue of flames. Life in their home becomes unbearable so the little boy pulls out his trump card. Did his mother know dragons do not like dogs. 

"I put a sign in the window - DOG WANTED."

"Thank goodness we have a dog," said my mother. 'A dog is a good pet."

One of the things I enjoy when I visit a very well stocked school library each week is the joy of discovery - of finding a quirky little odd ball book like The best pet of all published in 2004. I found this book because I had another book by David LaRochelle on my 'to read' list - How to Apologise which was published earlier in May this year.

Companion reads to read with The Best pet of all:

Wanted: the Perfect Pet

Let's get a Pup

Ellie's Dragon

Huda and Me by H Hayek

Mum and Dad have to rush back to Lebanon, to the city of  Beirut leaving their children in the care of a family friend called Aunt Amel. This "aunt" is the babysitter from hell.  On arrival she sets the six children (the seventh child is a tiny baby named Raheed) daily tasks. 

Omar "You will drive me everywhere I need to go."

Kholoud "You have a fine eye for beauty and fashion, I would love to hire you as my personal stylist and beauty expert."

Twins Suha and Layla "You will be my personal tea-and-cookie-makers ... get me whatever I need, whenever I need it, including tea and cookies."

Akeal "You will be the butler of the house."

Huda "You will help Akeal. He'll be the butler of the house and you will be the maid."

The twins have to stay home and cook all day; Omar is worn out with all the driving; Kholoud cannot seem to get anything right but it is Akeal and Huda who have the worst jobs.  Luckily Huda is a very clever girl. The children cannot contact their parents so Huda decides she and Akeal will fly to Lebanon and tell them what is happening. 

I loved the story telling in this book. The chapters alternate between the journey across the world and the events leading up to the children's departure. The hours on the plane felt very real and H. Hayek gives her reader a delicious amount of tension plus a splendid (spoiler alert) happy ending. I also enjoyed the honest, first person storytelling by Akeal. 

Huda and Me has been discussed on a few review sites so I was curious to read this new Australian middle grade novel. I picked it up this morning and finished the whole book in one sitting - yes it is that good! BUT as an adult reader you need to be prepared to suspend disbelief. Adults could 'pick holes' in aspects of the plot especially when the children arrive at the airport in Dubai and also when they catch a taxi across Beirut to the home of their grandparents, but really I suggest you put your critical eye aside and just enjoy the romp.

Hayek’s novel is a cheeky, fun and heartfelt adventure that will have you laughing out loud. It provides a wonderful insight into the lives of a loving Lebanese-Australian family, with all its complex relationships to culture, religion, family and food, as they navigate their adventure both at home and abroad. Readings Melbourne

Funny, quirky and charming Huda and Me is an adventure that is full of cheek, mischief and daring as the two children find their way somehow safely across the world, with a lot of help from friends made on the way simply by Huda, being Huda! Blue Wolf Reviews

Companion reads:

What to do if an Elephant stands on your foot by Michelle Robinson illustrated by Peter H Reynolds

Here are a few text quotes:

"If an elephant stands on your foot, keep calm. Panicking will only startle it."

"If a rhinoceros has heard you, whatever you do - do not be tempted to climb a tree."

The little child in the story does not follow any advice given by the off stage narrator. There is the potential for a tiger attack, snake biting, and crocodile chomping. Just as things get really dangerous the child finally listens and screams for 'help!'.  There is no message, no moral this is just a book to share when you feel like a laugh.

Sharp-eyed readers will see the problems coming even before the reveal of the page turn. The narrator, whose helpful advice appears in the white above the cartoon-like illustrations, is not above saying “told you so” and “don't say I didn’t warn you.” Kirkus 

This book is sadly out of print but I just wanted to share it here because it is funny and it has glorious illustrations by Peter H Reynolds.

The title of this book really caught my eye and it made me think of two very old vintage books which also have terrific illustrations by a master of the craft - Maurice Sendak.  What do you say, dear? was published in 1958 and it won a Caldecott Honour in 1959. What do you do, dear? was first published in 1961. 

Here are some other books by Michelle Robinson:

There's a Lion in my Cornflakes

Melt by Ele Fountain

Firstly if you visit or work in a school library where they use genre labels or genre as a way to shelve their fiction titles then I have no idea where you will find Melt. It is a survival story; it is a thriller; there are themes of global warming; it is also about forming new friendships; and I guess this book could also have a label of crime fiction.

Bea's father is a geologist. He works for various petroleum companies looking for, and reporting on, sites with oil reserves around the world. The problem is some of the places on our planet should not be exploited - they should be left as pristine environments but oil companies are driven by profit and not environmental concerns. So in part this book raises the issues surrounding exploitation of the Arctic circle which is home to the Inuit people. 

Bea and her family have moved to yet another new town because her father's work takes them around the world. This means Bea has to navigate yet another school and sadly in this one there are some vicious bullies. Luckily her father announces he needs to fly north in a small company plane to get an over view of the Arctic landscape and Bea will be allowed to go too. Her father has been teaching her how to fly but the pair are keeping this information a secret from Bea's mother. The first flight goes well but over the following weeks Bea senses something is wrong with her dad. He seems distracted and distant. Finally he announces they can fly north again but this time something goes horribly wrong. When they arrive at the remote and tiny Northern airport, Bea watches in horror as her father is beaten up by two men. She races back to the small plane and flies away.

Meanwhile Yutu lives with his grandmother in a small isolated Arctic village. Yutu longs to test his own independence and head away hunting on his own. He convinces a friend to loan his snowmobile, he tells his grandmother he will stay the night with a friend and then he sets off. On his second day the weather turns nasty, the snowmobile crashes and Yutu's life is hanging in the balance.

The scene is set for Bea and Yutu to meet, to help each other, and to solve the mystery of the kidnapping of Bea's father and importantly to discover the way all of this is connected to oil exploration in the arctic. 

I enjoyed the use of alternating voices in the early chapters of this book. I also enjoyed learning more about customs and food of the Inuit people especially through Yutu's gentle grandmother. 

The environmental message never overwhelms but simply runs through the plot and ensures that the adventure itself has greater impact. It is an exciting read with some perilous moments that will keep young readers gripped. A Library Lady

Here is a review by a reader aged 11 and here is a review with more plot details. Thanks to Beachside Bookshop for my advance reader copy of Melt. Here is the web site for Ele Fountain.

Publisher blurb: A boy lives in a remote, snow-bound village with his elderly grandmother. Their traditional way of life is threatened by the changing snow and ice: it melts faster every year. When the sea-ice collapses while he is out hunting, he only just escapes with his life and is left stranded in the Arctic tundra. Meanwhile a girl is trying to adapt to another new school. Her father promises his new job at an oil company will mean they never have to move again, but not long after he starts, his behaviour becomes odd and secretive. When their fates take a drastic turn the girl’s world collides with the boy’s and they find themselves together in a desperate search for survival, and for the truth.

Companion reads:

The Last Bear

Swimming Against the Storm

Sydney Smith nominated for the Hans Christian Andersen by IBBY Canada

Sixty-two candidates from 33 countries have been nominated for the 2022 Hans Christian Andersen Award.

Here are all the name. You might recognise some:

Argentina: Author María Cristina Ramos; Illustrator Gusti

Australia: Author Margaret Wild; Illustrator Tohby Riddle

Austria: Author Heinz Janisch; Illustrator Linda Wolfsgruber

Belgium: Author Thomas Lavachery; Illustrator Carll Cneut

Brazil: Author Marina Colasanti; Illustrator Nelson Cruz

Canada: Author Angèle Delaunois; Illustrator Sydney Smith

China: Author Jin Bo; Illustrator Xiong Liang

Colombia and Venezuela: Illustrator Ivar Da Coll

Croatia: Illustrator Dubravka Kolanović

Cyprus: Author Anna Kouppanou; Illustrator Dora Oronti

Estonia: Author Andrus Kivirähk; Illustrator Piret Raud

France: Author Marie-Aude Murail; Illustrator Gilles Bachelet

Germany: Author Andreas Steinhöfel; Illustrator Nikolaus Heidelbach

Greece: Author Maria Papayanni; Illustrator Iris Samartzi

Hungary: Author András Dániel; Illustrator László Herbszt

Iran: Author Jamshid Khanian; Illustrator Pejman Rahimizadeh

Italy: Author Roberto Piumini; Illustrator Beatrice Alemagna

Japan: Author Joko Iwase; Illustrator Ryoji Arai

Republic of Korea: Author Yi Hyeon; Illustrator Suzy Lee

Latvia: Illustrator Aleksejs Naumovs

Lebanon: Author Fatima Sharafeddine; Illustrator Sinan Hallak

Lithuania: Illustrator Kestutis Kasparavičius

Netherlands: Author Tonke Dragt; Illustrator Sylvia Weve

Poland: Author Marcin Szczygielski; Illustrator Iwona Chmielewska

Russia: Author Sergey Makhotin; Illustrator Julja Gukova

Slovenia: Author Peter Svetina; Illustrator Damijan Stepančič

Spain: Author Jordi Sierra i Fabra; Illustrator Elena Odriozola

Sweden: Author Annika Thor; Illustrator Anna Bengtsson

Switzerland: Author Franz Hohler; Illustrator Catherine Louis

Turkey: Author Behiç Ak; Illustrator Mustafa Delioğlu

Ukraine: Author Halyna Malyk; Illustrator Kost' Lavro

United Kingdom: Author Marcus Sedgwick; Illustrator David McKee

USA: Author Linda Sue Park; Illustrator Kadir Nelson

In this post I plan to focus on Canadian illustrator Sydney Smith. In a previous post I talked about Footpath or Sidewalk Flowers.

Town is the Sea by Joanne Schwartz illustrated by Sydney Smith (2017) winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal in 2018.

Opening lines: From my house, I can see the sea. It goes like this - house, road, grassy cliff, sea. And town spreads out, this way and that. My father is a miner and he works under the sea, deep down in the coal mines.

Publisher Blurb: Stunning illustrations by Sydney Smith, the award-winning illustrator of Footpath Flowers, show the striking contrast between a sparkling seaside day and the darkness underground where the miners dig. This beautifully understated and haunting story brings a piece of mining history to life. The ever-present ocean and inevitable pattern of life in a mining town will enthral children and move adult readers, as a young boy wakes up to the sound of the sea, visits his grandfather's grave after lunch and comes home to a cosy dinner with his family, but all the while his mind strays to his father digging for coal deep down under the sea.

Reviews:

A quiet book that will stay with readers long after they have closed it. Kirkus Star review 

This is, in short, a magnificent book. The kind that every reader will interpret in a different way. Only the best books can do that. Only the best books are capable. SLJ Elizabeth Bird

The combination of small, private moments and sweeping landscapes complete with shimmering water show off the simple grandeur of the natural environment and the boy’s experiences. Quill and Quire

My thoughts: The art in this book is all about light and dark. I love the way the sunlight shimers on the surface of the sea and the contrast Sydney Smith creates when he shows  us, in four double spreads, the dark beneath the sea where the miners are working. I held my breath through this book. One of my early school libraries was in a coal mining town. It was utterly terrible when a coal mining accident in that town took a father away from two precious children and their beautiful mum. Above ground the light forms shadows, below ground light comes from miner lamps. Above ground the young boy is free to run and play and swing and walk to the shops. Below is danger. When the father arrives home it is a moment of great relief but there is also the thought of tomorrow when his father will work again and the thought of the future when the boy himself will have to enter those deep dark tunnels.

Here are a set of teaching notes from Amnesty International.  Here is an interview where Sydney and Joanne talk about their book.

I Talk like a River by Jordan Scott illustrated by Sydney Smith (2020)

Opening lines: I wake up each morning with the sounds of words all around me.

Publisher blurb: After a day of being unable to speak when asked, and of being stared at, a boy and his father go to the river for some quiet time. "It's just a bad speech day," says Dad. But the boy can't stop thinking about all the eyes watching his lips twisting and twirling. When his father points to the river bubbling, churning, whirling and crashing, the boy finds a way to think about how he speaks. Even the river stutters. Like him. "I talk like a river," he says. An incredibly moving picture book that offers understanding rather than a solution, and which will resonate with all readers, young and old.

Reviews:

Again, Sydney Smith's illustrations do the impossible: They show how the narrator feels about his stutter. NPR

An important and unforgettable offering presented with natural beauty and grace. Horn Book

An astounding articulation of both what it feels like to be different and how to make peace with it. Kirkus Star review

Deft poetic language pairs with the resonant watercolors of Sydney Smith to create a book that is more than a memoir and more than conveying a message. This is pain, turned into art, and written for young children. Incomparable. SLJ Elizabeth Bird

My thoughts: When Elizabeth Bird said teachers and Teacher-Librarians should just read this book to a class with no agenda, no pointing out the message, and especially not mentioning this book is for a particular child - I cheered.  I have such a powerful memory of the day I read The Mouse with the too long Tail to a class. A young boy in the class had been born without fingers on one hand. I didn't connect this book with "Ben" I just read it aloud. At the end, he was sitting right in front of me, this young boy sighed. He had seen so much in this story - a celebration of difference. I hope this book is shared in families and in classes and that the sharing is done slowly. I am certain this book will touch the hearts of many children and adults. 

Listen to this podcast where Sydney and Jordan discuss their book. You can see the art here. Here are a set of teaching notes from the US Publisher.

Sydney Smith is a Canadian children's book illustrator. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia. You can follow Sydney on Instagram @sydneydraws.  Here is an interview with Sydney. In the interview Sydney mentions Felix Hoffman. You can see some illustrations by Felix Hoffman here. Take a look at some art here. 

I suppose I take the text seriously these days. I allow myself to get carried away and invest all my time. I understand more about the dynamics between the images and text, visual literacy, pacing, and the role illustrations have in telling a story. I have learned that there are ways of storytelling that I gravitate toward, and that only comes with the experience of taking on different stories and approaching them all differently.

Help! A story of friendship by Holly Keller

"Mouse whispered ... 'Fox told Skunk and Skunk told me that snakes are very dangerous to mice."

If this a helpful comment? Is this true? Hedgehog knows snake is their friend. What can Hedgehog do?

"That's silly gossip ... You know Snake would never hurt you."

Hedgehog and Mouse set off walking but Mouse keeps looking over his shoulder and so does not notice a hole, a long skinny hole which plunges deep into the ground. Mouse falls down the hole and his leg is hurt.  How can his friends - Hedgehog, Squirrel or Rabbit rescue him? And how will Snake feel when he is told Mouse is now afraid of his old friend? 

Kirkus say this is a predictable story with a clear moral lesson but I disagree.  I think if you read this book to a very young child the ending and solution may be a surprise and your young reading companion is sure to enjoy the vibrant textured illustrations and the warm hug on the final page. Help! was first published in 2007 but it is still available though sadly it is expensive here in Australia.

Farfallina and Marcel also by Holly Keller is one of my favourite picture books. 

A hat for Mr Mountain by Soojin Kwak

Nora is a hat maker. I should at this point reveal my late mother's name was Nora and her sister really was a milliner (hat maker). In this story, Nora makes hats for everyone - dogs, foxes, and even giraffes. One day she receives an interesting letter. Mr Mountain has seen her hats and he wants Nora to make a hat as a protection from the winter snow.

Nora enlists the help of her friends and she makes a hat. It is a giant knitted hat. It fits really well but then it begins to rain. The wool shrinks and soon the hat is way too small. 

"But Nora didn't give up."

For her next attempt at hat making for the mountain she gathers hundreds of beautiful green leaves and she weaves them into a fresh green hat. Unfortunately this creation looks so delicious, greedy animals start to eat it before Nora even gets the chance to deliver this wonderful hat. 

Back to the problem. Wool shrinks and green leaves are eaten by the animals. What about wood? Oh no wood can burn. It's another hat disaster. Sadly this time Nora does give up but her wonderful friends do not. The perfect hat can be made from (spoiler alert) - clouds! Watching all of her forest friends collecting the clouds is a truly special scene.

This will be an excellent book to use with your youngest classes exploring topics and themes such as problem solving, creativity, kindness, team work and generosity. This is also a book to share sitting beside a young reading companion because there are so many tiny details to explore in the illustrations.

Here is a companion read:

Brimsby's Hats

Soojin Kwak won the Silent Book Prize at the Bologna book fair in 2019 for her book Starbuilders (Costruttori di Stelle). This is a silent or wordless book so it does not really need translating from Italian but as far as I can discover this book is not available here in Australia.