New Picture Books: Falling Out of a Story

I'm back! After a wee maternity leave, I'm trying to get right back on schedule. To make up for some lost time, here's two picture book reviews of recent publications that both play on the same theme: characters falling out of their own story and crashing somebody else's. 

We're in the Wrong Book
Written and illustrated by Richard Byrne

My rating: ★★★½

ISBN: 978-1627794510
Publisher: Henry Holt & Co.
Date of publication: September 29, 2015
Age: 4 - 8 years

Themes: books, genres, journey, friendship

When a potato sack race goes awry, Bella and Ben find themselves bumped from their familiar page into uncharted territory. It's a brave new world of lollipops and sphinxes―and Bella and Ben are on one page-turning adventure. How will they find their way back into their very own book?

This book is a companion to Byrne's first book, This Book Just Ate My Dog (which I first talked about in this post). Turns out, I liked that one better. This book is good, but not great. On the one hand, I appreciate that Byrne had his characters travel through all different sorts of books (fictional, nonfiction, puzzle, etc) and clearly delineated between them with different illustrative styles. However, on the other hand, this made the story drag a bit. The ending did have a stab at some humor and the friendship between Bella and Ben is pretty cute. Overall, still recommended, perhaps in conjunction with his first book.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

I Thought This Was a Bear Book
Written by Tara Lazar, illustrated by Benji Davies

My rating: ★★½

ISBN: 978-1442463073
Publisher: Aladdin
Date of publication: August 4, 2015
Age: 4 - 8 years

Themes: fractured fairy tale, aliens, books, family relationships

After an unfortunate bookcase collapse, Alien suddenly finds himself jolted out of his story and into a very strange world, complete with talking bears. Desperate to return to his book, Alien asks the Bear family for help so he can get back to his story and save his beloved Planet Zero from total destruction before it's too late. Mama Bear and Papa Bear try all kinds of zany contraptions (with some help from their nemesis, Goldilocks) without much luck. Baby Bear might have the perfect solution to get the Alien out of the woods and back to his planet...but will anyone listen to the littlest voice in the story?

While the concept behind the story is good, I don't think it was executed all that well. Alien falls into a different book, but Alien has the same illustrative style, so it's lacking clear delineation (this being especially evident to me since it's in direct contrast to We're in the Wrong Book). The text was a little hard for me to follow, as well, because it's mostly random speech bubbles. And it seemed too long of a story. It wouldn't make for a great readaloud. The ending was pretty adorable, though, and I appreciated some spots of humor. So though it is not exceptional, it makes sense to include with a fractured fairy tale collection or as a readalike to something like The Three Pigs, by David Weisner.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

Behold! A Baby

*Here's a not-so-subtle hint for why I've had sporadic posting this last week...and more sporadic postings to come. Hopefully I'll get back on track soon!*

Behold! A Baby
Written by Stephanie Watson, illustrated by Joy Ang

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 978-1619634527
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date of publication: June 2, 2015
Age: 3 - 8 years

Themes: new sibling, baby, showcase, family relationships

Step right up! See one of the most stupendous wonders of the world! A loving father reveals a baby's fantastic feats (smiling, eating a banana, babbling) that cause adults to go insane with joy and wonder. The only audience member who remains unimpressed? His big brother.

Here is a positively adorable book on the ever-so-popular topic of new-sibling-hood. I'm sure many older siblings can relate to the feeling that their parents only ever "Ooo" and "Ahh" over the new baby. While this book exaggerates that feeling quite a bit, it also makes it more fun and humorous for the reader. Both parents and kids will enjoy it.

Do you know what's even more adorable? Ang's illustrations. Granted, the star baby does not have a mustache this time around, but I still love her depictions. She really captures that oh-my-gosh-it's-SO-CUTE feeling that some people get around infants. Overall, an adorable book with a cute ending and I think I'll just say it's cutely adorable one more time. Ha!

Find it at your library or on Amazon

The Odds of Getting Even

The Odds of Getting Even
(Tupelo Landing #3)
Sheila Turnage

My rating: ★★★★

ISBN: 978-0803739611
Publisher: Kathy Dawson Books
Date of publication: October 6, 2015
Age: Grades 5 and up
Genre: Mystery

Themes: judicial system, fugitive, framing, family, friendship

The trial of the century has come to Tupelo Landing, NC. Mo and Dale, aka Desperado Detectives, head to court as star witnesses against Dale's daddy—confessed kidnapper Macon Johnson. Dale's nerves are jangled, but Mo, who doesn't mind getting even with Mr. Macon for hurting her loved ones, looks forward to a slam dunk conviction—if everything goes as expected. Of course nothing goes as expected. In no time flat, Macon's on the run, Tupelo Landing's in lockdown, and Dale's brother's life hangs in the balance. With Harm Crenshaw, newly appointed intern, Desperado Detectives are on the case. But it means they have to take on a tough client—one they'd never want in a million years.

I love these books and these characters. This one might not have reached the level of the earlier books, however. It's still quick-witted and funny, but I'm confused about Macon Johnson's character. Throughout the story, he's admitted to be a no-good drunk of a dad by everyone, but the whole underlying drive behind plot is how protective he is of his kids. Why is he protective now? I'm just not sure Turnage did a good job with him. Also, the suspect was a bit too obvious from the beginning (here comes a stranger to town!) but I still love how the kids go about figuring it out.

I still love these books. They're great mysteries with plenty of light-hearted humor. I'd still recommend the series.

Find it at your library or on Amazon

The Story of Diva and Flea

The Story of Diva and Flea
Written by Mo Willems, illustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 978-1484722848
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Date of publication: October 13, 2015
Age: Grades 1 - 3

Themes: friendship, courage, Paris, dogs & cats

For as long as she could remember, Diva lived at 11 avenue Le Play in Paris, France. For as long as he could remember, Flea also lived in Paris, France-but at no fixed address. When Flea flâneurs passed Diva's courtyard one day, their lives were forever changed. Together, Diva and Flea explore and share their very different worlds, as only true friends can do.

There's some cute aspects, a valuable lesson, and some spots of humor, but this is not my favorite Mo Willems book. In the story, both animals have their own fears to face. They help each other face them with courage and become better friends while doing so. But MAN, it was a tedious and somewhat boring process. I love Mo Willems, especially Elephant and Piggie, but I'm wondering if he should stick to books of that length. This one is longer and it drags. I actually had to take a break from reading it. Yes, a break from a beginning chapter book! Still, I appreciate the French vocabulary (perhaps a pronunciation guide would be helpful, though) and culture lesson, and the note at the end from Mo makes it touching—it's a personal story.

But you know what really makes it? The illustrations are gorgeous. DiTerlizzi does a really great job with the emotions of the characters, the beauty of Paris, and keeps it true to the story. It just adds to the charming, romantic, Parisian feel of the book.

Overall, I might not rush to recommend this book, but it definitely deserves a perusal.

Find it at your library or on Amazon