You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2009.
We’ve got some books to give away here – you interested? If you like one of the books below, send me an email at scopenotes@gmail.com or, in a 2009 twist, let me know via Twitter (click here for my profile). I don’t actually know how that works, but it sounds like it could somehow (so says the founding member of the “I Don’t Understand How Twitter Works” club). Be sure to name the book you are most interested in. Get the word out by the stroke of midnight on Saturday to be included. On to the books:
The Siege of Macindaw (Ranger’s Apprentice: Book 6) By John Flanagan. ARC. I’ve got a couple of these left, so one this month, one next month.
Stonewall Hinkleman and the Battle of Bull Run by Michael Hemphill and Sam Riddleburger (100 Scope Notes Review). ARC
Best of luck!
(Top Image: ‘pages have depth‘
www.flickr.com/photos/82995349@N00/2671318532)
Do you like the amazing Scanimation technology that brings the best-selling children’s books Gallop! (100 Scope Notes Review) and Swing! to life? Have you been looking for a way to fill approximately one minute today? You’re in luck, friend. Click the image below to try Scanimation for yourself:
Author/Illustrator Laurie Keller has been making standout picture books since her debut, The Scrambled States of America, hit shelves a decade ago. With a sequel in stores and new projects in the works, Laurie stopped by to take part in 5 Questions.
Scope Notes: The Scrambled States of America: Talent Show hit shelves last August (100 Scope Notes review). Were you always planning on writing a sequel to the original Scrambled States of America, or did the right idea happen to come along?
Laurie Keller: I never planned to write a sequel but kids have asked me for years if I would write another book about the states. The thought intrigued me so I played around with different scenarios in my head but I didn’t want to do it unless I could come up with a strong enough story to complement the original. Kids have been fascinated with the love story between Nevada and Mississippi so the idea of having a wedding between the 2 lovebirds seemed like a likely sequel. But I decided to keep their courtship going for awhile (I don’t want to have to do a sequel where they end up in divorce court after having gotten married too soon). SO, I started thinking of other scenarios that would work well with a big cast of characters and two ideas topped my list — one of which was a talent show. I figured most kids have been in or been to a talent show and could relate to that.
It was a lot of work pulling it all together but I really enjoyed working with the states again. So much so that I’m planning on one more sequel using the OTHER idea that topped my list — having the states go to summer camp. I’m not going to do it right away but I definitely won’t wait another 10 years!
SN: At one of the schools where I work, we recently added a few Scholastic Video Collection DVDs, including Arnie the Doughnut and Scrambled States.
How has it been to see some of your books adapted to video (and in the case of Scrambled States, puzzles and games)?
LK: I’ve been blown away at how Weston Woods/Scholastic and Ceaco/Gamewright have taken my stories and expanded on them and done such fun things with them. Both companies have been a blast to work with. Weston Woods is in the process now of animating The Scrambled States of America Talent Show and the animator they’re using is HILARIOUS and so talented!
SN: Of the books you have written and illustrated, which was the most difficult to create? Why was that the case?
LK: Most of them have had their “challenges” but I’d have to say that Do Unto Otters was probably the most difficult.
I tried to write a book about manners on and off for years and kept putting it aside because everything sounded too boring or preachy (the last thing I wanted!). After deciding to attempt it one last time, I focused more on The Golden Rule rather than etiquette and I came up with the pun Do Unto Otters. I researched otters and found that they were very social, playful animals and I knew that they’d be perfect for a book on manners and social skills. Things finally started to come together after so many years of trying!
SN: How much attention do you pay to the latest picture books? Or maybe I should say it this way: You enter a bookstore. Which section do you hit first and why?
LK: I always go to the children’s section first! I became a collector of children’s books years ago when I worked as an illustrator at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City, MO. I started looking at children’s books for visual inspiration but I became so hooked on them and knew that’s what I really wanted to do some day. I have a large collection that I love pouring over when I need a bit of inspiration. I still buy them because it’s fun to see what other author/illustrators are creating. It helps push me in new directions and it’s always inspiring.
SN: You are illustrating an upcoming book Me and My Animal Friends. What should readers expect from this release? Any other projects in the works?
LK: Me and My Animal Friends is a song by Ralph Covert of Ralph’s World. I’ve been a big fan of his music for years and was so excited to have gotten the opportunity to illustrate his song. This book is different from any that I’ve worked on before because I created it mostly on the computer by scanning in lots of textures and patterns that I drew and doing a sort of “cut paper” technique in Photoshop.
Also the layouts are a little simpler with very few of my usual “asides” because it’s for a younger audience than the 4-8 year olds my books are typically geared for. It was a good challenge for me and so much fun to work on. Right now I’m finishing the writing for my next book which will be published in Fall of 2010. I don’t have a title yet but it’s about smiling.
Many thanks to Laurie Keller!
Visit Laurie Keller’s website.
Read the outstanding Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast interview w/ Laurie Keller.
First Science Encyclopedia
DK Publishing
ISBN: 9780756642969
$16.99
Grades 2-5
In Stores
Every collection should have the basics. Similar to how every music collection should contain “OK Computer” by Radiohead and “Night Falls Over Kortedala” by Jens Lekman, every elementary reference section should have a science encyclopedia. First Science Encyclopedia fills this role nicely (if a bit unassumingly) with a multitude of clear facts on a wide range of scientific topics.
All the major sciences are present and accounted for here – life, materials, physical, and earth and space. Setting the stage, there are brief descriptions of major scientific advances, how science is used in everyday life, and what it is like to be a scientist. Page layouts will draw readers in – DK has never been image or graphic shy. Both elements work together, complimenting the information. Trivia questions at the bottom of each page and the occasional “Curiosity Quiz” (which encourage readers to identify different images) add interest to the mix. While the cover may not strike readers as jumping off the shelf, the contents should fill their fact-finding needs.
First Science Encyclopedia just does its job well. A solid choice for the elementary reference section.
Check out the Nonfiction Monday roundup at Picture Book of the Day.
Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.
All readers of books (especially those YA-ophiles) take notice. The outstanding Bookends blog (which I posted about back in October) has a new home at Booklist. It was a smart move for Booklist – Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan (both former Printz chairs) have a masterful knowledge of teen literature. They even dip down into the middle grade and picture book territory occasionally with their signature tag-team reviews. Click the image below to head on over:
So after winning the Newbery with The Graveyard Book and scoring a top-five box office hit with Coraline, what happens next for Neil Gaiman? A relaxing nap so the rest of the children’s literary world can catch up? Nope. Both of his books will be topping the New York Times Best Seller list. Graveyard is tops in chapter books, Coraline takes the cake in paperbacks. Mr. Gaiman filled me (and his 28,000 or so other followers) via Twitter. Click the image below to head to his profile and read the news:
Creating children’s book covers has got to be a difficult job. Certainly a difficult job to do well. That split second where a kid eyes a book is so often a make or break moment. In person, those associated with the creation of cover art probably make good first impressions. Other people’s moms likely love them.
While I sometimes feel a particular cover doesn’t help a book, I’m usually at a loss to offer any way to improve the situation. Illustrator M.S. Corley is much more bold. He has taken the Harry Potter covers, given them a retro, “classic Penguin” treatment, and posted the results for all to see. Fun to look at – how do you think they’d fare among young readers?
(Thanks to BuzzFeed for the link. Click the image below to view the article)
When a book this quirky comes along, you can’t help but notice. Check out the quote by Kurt Vonnegut on the front cover, describing author/illustrator Ralph Steadman:
“The most gifted and effective existentialist graphic artist of my time”
On the front of a picture book? That will make you do a double take. It also makes you wonder if this is aimed at Steadman’s adult fans more than kids. But then you read it. Pizza belt buckles, pet woodpeckers wearing overalls, and war with water balloons all mingle to create a tale that is definitely for kids, and thoroughly odd.
The events (and the biscuits) are real. After years fighting battles in South America with an army of Italian exiles, General Giuseppe Garibaldi returned to Italy. There he and his men temporarily fought back the invading French army (aka the Bourbons). The specifics are peculiar. The Bourbons kidnap Garibaldi’s grandparents to cook for them. Undaunted, our hero and his men wage water balloon war on the Bourbons. Garibaldi is victorious, but his sympathetic grandmother decides to make the defeated soldiers something to eat. The titular biscuits are born.
I found myself wondering “what is the truth here?” The mixture of fact and fiction may be difficult for some, who like things a bit more straightforward. An afterword is provided to help clarify matters.
Another hurdle is the fact that most American kids (or adults, for that matter) aren’t familiar with the Garibaldi biscuit. Originally published in the UK, this title may suffer from a cultural divide of cuisine.
Even if you don’t know him by name, you’re likely familiar with Steadman’s art through his association with Hunter S. Thompson. The scribbly ink and watercolor illustrations are indeed striking. Characters are rendered in a warped reality, where gravity and proportion are optional. I quite like these pictures, which remind me most in style and medium of a more maniacal version of Quentin Blake’s work.
Wild rides can be fun, but some are more worth taking than others. This one isn’t for every collection, but fans of the quirky (and the biscuit), be warned.
Learn more about the Garibaldi Biscuit.
Visit Ralph Steadman’s website.
Find this book at your local library with WorldCat.
What you’ve got here on your screen is a children’s literature blog. So if I watch a movie based on a kid’s book, you best believe I’m gonna be comparing the two. Actually, this review (and I use that term very loosely) will likely make even less sense if you haven’t read Neil Gaiman’s book. Times listed below are wildly approximate. I didn’t have a watch on, so I made my best guess about what happened when.
7:10 – Walking into the theater, checking out the Coraline poster. Nice poster. It sets the spooky tone properly. Coraline is looking into the door. The little door. Smaller than in the book, but it’s still working for me.
7:15 – Preview time. Ice Age 2 (or is it 3? It’s 3) and Monsters vs. Aliens. Nothing book-related to see here folks. Both use computer-generated animation, which is nice and all, but I’m getting ready to kick it old school with stop-motion for the next hour and forty.
7:22 – Opening credits. Yeeah boiii! The visuals are on point. The sequence shows the “Other Mother” sewing a Coraline doll. Everything looks good. I’m realizing that this format, due to the hand-made nature, always makes me marvel at how they created the shots. Is this distracting? Not sure, but I’m enjoying it.
7:25 – We see Coraline for the first time. Again, well done (prediction: I’ll be saying variations on this statement often). You can see some similarities to The Nightmare Before Christmas in her skinny limbs. Her voice fits. No complaints.
7:30 – New Character Alert. Wybie appears and helps Coraline find the well. I’m glad I decided to read some reviews earlier today, or else Wybie would have been a complete surprise. I can’t say I’m a fan of added characters, but I’m willing to wait and see how this one fits in.
7:40 – Did I not pay close enough attention while I was reading, or are there a lot of small differences from the book here? Were both parents writers? They are in the film. Coraline’s dad is spot on – John Hodgman (aka the “I’m a PC” guy) does a good “mildly aloof” voice. Coraline’s mother is a little more inattentive than I remember, but it fits with the story. Dad is wearing a Michigan State sweatshirt – I have no qualms with that.
7:50 – Still no formal introduction to Miss Forcible, Miss Spink, or Mr. Bobinsky, but Coraline is making her first trip to the other world. I’m excited here – the story is really starting to get underway.
7:51 – When Coraline opens the little door, a tunnel expands to the other world. It kind of reminds me of a really big, fluffy vacuum hose. There are even some cobwebs and dust in there to complete the look.
7:53 – This is great. The other parents are just how I pictured them. Friendly, but just a little off. The button eyes are creepy – intended effect successful!
8:02 – Alright – Mr. Bobinsky is introduced. He’s more of an acrobat here than in the book, and also more inhuman with blue skin and very exaggerated proportions. But the voice is well done and his appearance fits with his seemingly crazy mental state.
8:10 -Did I mention that the black cat is great? He’s been popping up here and there. A little more friendly than in the book, but still doing his own thing.
8:22 – Wait, did I just see pasties!? (Rubbing eyes, blinking, taking a second look) Yep! Coraline just watched Miss Forcible and Spink’s performance in the other world, and there they were. I did not know the words scantily clad and stop-motion could be used in the same sentence, but used together they are. Don’t worry about the kids though, it’s more funny than anything else. A bit of a jaw-dropper nonetheless.
8:28 – Here’s the big turning point. The other parents just offered to keep Coraline and sew on the buttons. You can feel the change in their tone and the spookiness is stepping up. The music is reflecting that too.
8:35 – The Other Mother just threw Coraline behind the mirror where she finds the ghost children. I’m guessing they used computers to create these characters – they are transparent and look like there’s some kind of “ghost effect” going on. The story kicks into high gear as Coraline gets out and discovers her parents have been stolen.
8:40 – Coraline just made the bet with the Other Mother, and is hunting for the lost children’s eyes. Things are moving quick here.
8:48 – Best shot of the film so far. Check out the wallpaper curling up on the walls as Coraline and the cat go to confront the Other Mother. Amazing. The reason? Coraline just obtained the last eye (with the help of the black cat, who wins the “coolest voice” award), and the other world is falling apart.
8:52 – The sequence where Coraline finishes off the Other Mother is outstanding. Exciting, thrilling stuff. Not much to add here – it’s just like the book.
9:00 – Oh, right. I forgot that the story isn’t over yet. The Other Mother’s hand comes back for the key. Wybie reappears to help end the story. I think I preferred the book, where Coraline doesn’t need saving, but Wybie’s appearance does make for an exciting conclusion.
Overall, the film version of Coraline was very good. When the visuals are this accomplished, it’s hard to find too many faults. The changes that were made from the book helped the film. If you’re looking for a shot for shot adaptation, you’re not going to find it here – but you’ll be pleased nonetheless. Absolutely recommended both for fans and nonfans of the book.
