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December-January 2012 Reviews
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Twelve Owls by Laura Erickson illus. by Betsy Bowen
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Playful Slider by Barbara Juster Esbensen illus. by Mary Barrett Brown
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The Christmas Tree Ship by Carol Crane illus. by Chris Ellison
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Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans by Chris Monroe
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Big Little Brother by Kevin Kling illus. by Chris Monroe
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My Little Mountain by Alice Palace
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Sooper Yooper by Mark Newman illus. by Mark Heckman
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Amazing Gulls: Acrobats of the sky and sea by Marlin Bree
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Minnesota Loons: A Photographic Journey by Joyce Mrosla
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Minnesota’s Hidden Alphabet photos by Joe Rossi text by David LaRochelle
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My Favorite Sounds by Peggy Snow
Holiday Books for the Kids
Twelve Owls
by Laura Erickson
illus. by Betsy Bowen
University of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 978-0-8166-7758-0
$19.95 Hardcover
It’s the perfect Minnesota northwoods pairing for an owl guide-picture book combination.
Laura Erickson, well-known Duluth birding expert and host of the “For the Birds” segment on public radio, and Grand Marais’ Betsy Bowen, with her distinctive art style, have created a wonderful introduction to owls that’s probably too word dense to be a children’s book.
However, if an adult were doing the reading, perhaps a chapter an evening, this would be a great way to introduce the right child to a lifelong fascination with birds.
The text reads like the secret lives of owls while the images, painted to “actual size,” give a sense of the large and small of these raptors.
Playful Slider
by Barbara Juster Esbensen
illus. by Mary Barrett Brown
University of Minnesota Press
ISBN: 978-0-8166-7765-8
$11.95 Softcover
Otters are the cultural Bohemians of the Northland; it seems like they live for play and this book is a pleasant and informative introduction to these regional residents. Like the owl book above, this nature picture book has text above the beginning reader level, but still within reach for later elementary school children.
The realistic story and images do not “Disney-fy” the otter family – they don’t have cute names, or any names, for that matter – but the book delivers what curious youngsters often want most of all: information. The life of an otter family is seen in many seasons. The book reveals little known facts, too. Did you know that baby otters might fear water or need coaxing by mom otter? I think otters could replace dinosaurs as a top kid critter fascination if children met these fun furry fellows living next door.
The Christmas Tree Ship
by Carol Crane
illus. by Chris Ellison
Sleeping Bear Press
ISBN: 978-1-58536-285-1
U.S. $15.95 Hardcover
This book and story could truly become a Christmas tradition among Great Lakes families.
Echoing to the storytelling of her own Grandfather Alex, Carol Crane retells the tragic and humbling story of Captain Santa and the “Christmas Tree Ship,” as Captain Herman Schuenemann and his schooner, Rouse Simmons, were called at the turn of the 20th century. There were several tree-carrying ships, but this would become the most famous.
Captain Santa got his annual load of trees from the Upper Peninsula to deliver at little or no cost to the poor families of Chicago. In 1912, on what was to be his last Christmas tree run, the captain, his crew and the ship all succumbed to a Lake Michigan storm. The next year, though, the trees arrived again.
This is a true story worth remembering on our Great Lakes shores and the warm illustrations match the holiday season. So move over, “The Night Before Christmas,” around these shores we might have another traditional tale to tell.
Monkey with a Tool Belt and the Seaside Shenanigans
by Chris Monroe
Carolrhoda Books
ISBN: 978-0-7613-5616-5
$16.95 Hardcover
Like the two other books in this series by Duluth author-illustrator Chris Monroe, this newest adventure of Chico Bon Bon, the tool-toting monkey, is wacky fun.
Chris’ story plots provide Chico plenty of opportunity to use those tools in his belt because it seems like everywhere he goes, something is breaking down. (This part is not fiction. It happens to anyone with handyman – or probably handymonkey – skills. My father was a mechanic; he got called in to fix things wherever we went.)
The text can be read by children themselves, but reading it aloud with them would be more of a hoot. And do not neglect reading the list of tools in Chico’s box. They form their own little rhythmic poetry.
The multilayered, bright graphics bring the story alive and also give plenty of opportunities to find new things every time you look at the page. The only drawback might be that your little monkey could want his or her own tool belt. But then again, if they can learn to fix your sink, it’s going to be well worth it.
Big Little Brother
by Kevin Kling
illus. by Chris Monroe
Borealis Books
ISBN: 978-0-87351-844-4
$17.95 Hardcover
Kevin Kling’s mom lives in Washburn, Wisconsin, and artist Chris Monroe (Monkey with a Tool Belt) is from Duluth, so there’s plenty of reason for adding this book to our regional reviews. Even without those ties, though, I’d include it. Kevin is one of my favorite storytellers. This story of living with a baby brother who turns out bigger than his older sibling is a good example of Kevin’s fine work.
The book evokes all of the life-is-not-fair theories children discover in those last years of elementary school. Told by the older brother, the “bigger” baby touches all his things, follows him everywhere and generally annoys him. Typical brothers.
But then, of course, he comes to see the value of family, especially when confronted by a bully.
Kevin has an off-beat, thoroughly Minnesotan way of storytelling that combines every day life, witty observation and a twist of self-deprecation. Chris’ graphics magnify or create their own humor along the way. Really, you don’t need to have your own children as an excuse to get or give this book.
My Little Mountain
by Alice Palace
Bearpaw Books
ISBN: 978-0-9709444-6-7
$17 Hardcover
Alice Palace now has six adventures in her “My Little” series of books that started with “My Little Cabin” based on her own cabin in northern Minnesota. These are warm read-alouds for younger children and combine drawings with cut-in photos of real items. In this book, you’ll spot the Duluth Pack backpack and the K-2 Skis, among other photos woven into the graphics. The little hero imagines a mountain adventure with the family cat and finds a new friend to rescue. The book holds plenty of visual interest, too, and will make a cozy read-together time.
Sooper Yooper
by Mark Newman
illus. by Mark Heckman
The Wedge Foundation & Thunder Bay Press
ISBN: 978-1-933272-26-9
$17.95 Hardcover
Here’s a book whose heart is in the right place and its characters and images will give you a smile.
Author Mark Newman and author-illustrator, the late Mark Heckman of Michigan, fashion clever characters in ex-Navy SEAL, Billy Cooper and his faithful scuba-diving dog, Mighty Mac.
It’s a hoot that his headquarters in the Upper Peninsula transports Minnesota’s Split Rock Lighthouse onto Michigan’s Miners Castle (before one of its tiers toppled).
I would have to tease the creators a little at the inconsistency when the super cool hero laments the loss of water “untainted by human activity,” but doesn’t seem bothered by use of his huge seaplane, convertible water-land ATV or helicopter. The message of preventing invasive species is a good one, though blaming only maritime ballast water misses the chance to teach children how to help stop aquatic hitchhikers by getting adults to clean recreational boats and to not dump live bait.
Despite the nits that might be picked, this concept is fun, the graphics offer grown ups plenty of visual jokes and the theme is headed in the right direction, even on a convertible ATV. Savvy parents and teachers will be able to enhance and broaden what’s started here.
Amazing Gulls: Acrobats of the sky and sea
by Marlin Bree
Marlor Press, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-892147-19-6
$10.95 Softcover
Amazing Gulls is one of two picture books for grown-ups we’ll review. As a longtime sailor, Marlin Bree, whose work has been in Lake Superior Magazine, has spent a lot of hours observing gulls. His small volume mixes facts, observations and stories, punctuated by black-and-white photos of gulls, frequently beside Lake Superior. Gulls get little respect, especially from local residents. Marlin makes a case for admiring the birds for flying skills, endurance and socialness. The design and technical quality of the book is a little uneven, but the stories bring you along and may make you rethink your opinion of our gulls.
Minnesota Loons: A Photographic Journey
by Joyce Mrosla
North Star Press
ISBN: 978-0-87839-445-6
$15 Softcover
While gulls are often reviled, loons weigh in on the other side of our judgment. The beloved divers thrill those who see them or just hear their haunting tremolos. This is a great book for loon lovers, made up mainly of color photos tracking a family from eggs to adulthood, with sparse text that clarifies what’s pictured or notes a fact about the birds. It’s a chance to look closer at a local legend.
Bonus Reviews, Online Only
Minnesota’s Hidden Alphabet
photos by Joe Rossi
text by David LaRochelle
Minnesota Historical Society Press
ISBN: 978-0-87351-808-6
$16.95 Hardcover
This had to be a fun assignment for Joe Rossi and David LaRochelle. The main text seems simple, though I suspect it took some contortions to get the proper letter beginning each phrase. Then there are multiple layers of information with the aspen-leaf-shaped pullouts on each page giving information on the photos. It offers a great way to explore the book over and over again while tackling something new each time.
The book’s showpieces, though, are the photos (which is probably why Joe gets top billing on the cover). Using his well-trained eye, Joe, who has shot for the Star Tribune and other publicaitons, brings out the hidden letters in the tangles, twists and shards of Minnesota’s critters, flowers and stones. Do you see the “V” in the bunny ears or the “Z” in the lichen covered basalt? This book definitely will teach your little ones to look at nature from a different perspective. It will also, no doubt, add to what they want to take home for their hikes in the woods and fields and by the shores. Pretty rocks likely will share space afterward with J-shaped twigs on bedroom shelves. Such is the price of precious awareness for your children. It’s a good price to pay.
My Favorite Sounds
by Peggy Snow
Illus. by Brian Barber
Maren Green Publishing Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-934277-02-7
$15.99 Hardcover
Brian Barber is from Duluth and is a skilled illustrator, as this book shows. While this is another “alphabet book,” it concentrates on sounds, an interesting concept for a book that doesn’t speak.
I have to admit, I don’t think the restriction of the alphabet is necessary here. Just a book celebrating the variety of sounds would work better without molding to the structure of the ABCs. It might have worked easier to follow the sounds of the day, so entries such as O for Omelet Sizzling fits more naturally. And though these are “favorite sounds,” the book never really carries the reason why they are favored.
Still, the colorful graphics and gentle rhymes on each page will make for cozy reading with smaller children. Then, of course, you can use the book to get them to make all of the sounds contained within and get them to think of a few favorites of their own.