July 07, 2004

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Palo Alto Online

A sleepless elephant, cake-baking pirate and trolls

by Debbie Duncan

Ah, summer ­ the best time of the year to savor a colorful new picture book or, with no homework due in the morning, to read a chapter book well into the night.

There are plenty of books here for parents to enjoy with their children. No one is too old for a good read-aloud.
"Good Night, Harry" by Kim Lewis; Candlewick Press; $15.99; ages birth ­ 3 years.

Harry, an adorable stuffed elephant, can't get to sleep. While his friends Lulu and Ted snooze away, poor Harry tries everything ­- reading a bedtime story, tidying his room, exercising, changing sleeping positions. And then, like many insomniacs, Harry starts to worry. Uh-oh. When he rolls over and takes all the blankets, Lulu and Ted wake up.

They remind him that they're there for him. The three stuffed animals sit close together on the bed and quietly contemplate the outside world. Harry relaxes. He falls fast asleep. With words as soothing as a lullaby and soft pastel illustrations of characters that make you smile, this is a perfect bedtime book.
"Doors" by Roxie Munro; Chronicle Books; $15.95; ages 2 ­ 6.

Toddlers and preschoolers love lift-the-flap books. This clever addition to the genre also has flaps within the flap doors, and dozens of familiar as well as unusual objects for little ones to look for and learn the names of. Not only that, it's written in rhyme, which makes it an engaging read-aloud.
"Roger, the Jolly Pirate" by Brett Helquist; HarperCollins; $15.99 ages 4 ­ 7.

Ahoy, pirate fans, here's the rollicking tale of Jolly Roger, a "lousy pirate" who "smiled instead of scowling ... grinned instead of growling."

Poor fellow ­- not only do the other pirates call him a degrading name, they send him below deck whenever they indulge in "serious pirating." Then one day they are attacked by the Admiral, who "had vowed to bring every pirate to justice."

No one suspected that Roger would choose this time to mistake a cannon for a pot, and use it to bake a cake to try to get on the good side of the other pirates.

Kablam! Roger is blown up through the deck, covered in flour. The Admiral and his men think they've seen a ghost or a skeleton and quickly abandon ship. Suddenly Jolly Roger is a hero, and all pirates fly a flag in his honor.

Young pirate-lovers are sure to want to hear this book over and over.
"Daffodil" by Emily Jenkins, pictures by Tomek Bogacki; Farrar Straus & Giroux/Frances Foster; $16; ages 4 ­ 8.

Daffodil, Violet, and Rose are identical triplets. Even their mother has trouble telling them apart. So when the girls go to parties, they wear fancy dresses in colors that correspond to their names.

Daffodil thinks her sisters are "lucky ducks" to be able to wear pretty dresses in violet and pink, when hers is yellow: "Sour, fake-cheerful yellow that reminded Daffodil of pee."

One day she refuses to wear the yellow dress. That's not a surprise, for she admits to having a "big mouth." But it turns out Violet and Rose aren't too thrilled with their party dresses either.

Finally, Daffodil, Violet and Rose get to choose new party clothes in "any colors they wanted."

Playful, colorful pictures beautifully illustrate this laugh-out-loud book celebrating individuality.
"Mighty Jackie ­ the Strikeout Queen" by Marissa Moss, illustrated by C.F. Payne; Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman; $16.95; ages 5 ­ 8.

Every summer deserves a good baseball book. John H. Ritter, the best contemporary baseball novelist for young readers, doesn't have a new offering this year (so check out "The Boy Who Saved Baseball," Ritter's 2003 stellar addition to literature, now available in paperback).

Fortunately, Palo Alto-native Marissa Moss has stepped in to write a nifty picture book about the first professional female pitcher in baseball history.

Jackie Mitchell was a 17-year-old southpaw for the Chattanooga Lookouts when the New York Yankees came through town for an exhibition game in the spring of 1931. Jackie, who had dreamed of playing in the World Series, was more than up to the task.

Moss and illustrator C. F. Payne recreate Jackie's pitch sequence to two baseball legends, Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, in riveting detail. Jackie struck them both out. Really.

A beautiful book showing the rewards of grit and determination, "Mighty Jackie" will be especially appealing to girls ­- and women - ­ who were told that all girls obviously "throw like a girl."
"Regarding the Sink" by Kate Klise, illustrated by M. Sarah Klise; Harcourt/Gulliver; $15; ages 9 ­ 12.

Yahoo! At long last, Kate and Sarah Klise have penned a sequel to "Regarding the Fountain," the wildly popular and award-winning book about the clever kids of Geyser Creek Middle School.

"Regarding the Sink" is a fun-filled (and pun-filled) mystery told in letters, newspaper stories, blackboard jottings, sink designs, feng shui instructions, stock quotes and tips, BEAN-MAIL, and even a singing telegram that really spills the beans. This is the stuff kids love to read, and read easily.

The story? When the schoolıs cafeteria sink becomes hopelessly clogged, Sam N's sixth-grade class turns to Florence Waters, their "Fountain Designer and Friend Extraordinaire." Alas, Flo has been missing for months -­ in China. The kids get the money they need for a class trip to Asia, where they follow their noses, go with the flow, and "use their beans" to uncover a nasty scheme orchestrated by none other than their own U.S. senator.

Naturally, they also rescue their friend Florence. (Adults who read this book along with their children may, like me, make a connection between Sen. Ergass' company, AIR-igate, and California's least-favorite energy supplier, Enron.)

This is a fabulously fun book for kids to read and re-read. It also may inspire them to write a nice letter to someone they care about, since "a good letter is priceless."
"The People of Sparks" by Jeanne DuPrau; Random House; $15.95; ages 9 ­12.

Menlo Park author Jeanne DuPrau follows up her highly acclaimed, best-selling debut novel, "The City of Ember," with a wonderfully compelling and morally intriguing sequel.

Thanks to the cleverness of Lina and Doon, the Emberites have found their way out of their dying city of darkness and into a post-apocalyptic world of light.

The leaders of the settlement of Sparks, knowing that jealousy and revenge had led to the disaster and the end of civilization as we in 2004 know it, want to do the right thing and welcome the "cave people."

But supplies are limited, and refugees outnumber townspeople. Soon resentment and suspicion build between the groups. Lina goes looking for the city she dreamed of when she was in Ember, hoping it could be a new home for her people. What she finds (San Francisco 200 years after a nuclear holocaust?) isnıt pretty. Doon, meanwhile, is drawn to an older boy whose main goal is to incite a violent settler rebellion.

The people of Sparks aren't any better -­ they plan to kick the Emberites out into the desert. But in the end, Lina and Doon find a way to inspire both sides into doing the right thing.

"The People of Sparks" will have kids thinking long after they finish the last page.
"The Sea of Trolls" by Nancy Farmer; Atheneum/Richard Jackson; $17.95; ages 10­15.

Menlo Park's Nancy Farmer, already the recipient of a National Book Award and three Newbery Honors, has written her best book yet.

Read this out loud. Read it twice.

It is a sweeping epic novel rich with detail and broad, important themes that somehow manages to be touching without being sentimental. There is enough reality to make the fantasy believable, and enough good in the bad characters to make them likeable.

The year is 783 A.D., a time when Northmen raided the Saxon coast with ruthless abandon. Eleven-year-old Jack, an apprentice bard, and his 5-year-old golden child sister, Lucy, are kidnapped by bloodthirsty Northmen, known as berserkers, and carried off across the sea.

Some of the memorable, colorful characters Jack encounters in his adventure include: Olaf One-Brow, the larger-than-life leader of the berserkers; Thorgil, a 12-year-old shield maiden whose goal in life is to die heroically in battle and go to Valhalla; Bold Heart, a noble crow; Heidi, Olaf's chief wife, a wise woman who hisses when she speaks; Queen Frith, a half-troll shape-shifter who terrorizes her kingdom; Golden Bristles, a troll-boar capable of destruction as well as heroism; and the Mountain Queen and her daughters, nine-foot trolls with bristly orange hair and fangs.

Jack's quest to save Lucy from being sacrificed to the goddess Freya leads him and Thorgil, his unlikely and never-dull companion, through a land of flying dragons and a murderous troll-bear to the home of the Mountain Queen, and ultimately to Mimir's well and the life force itself.

"The Sea of Trolls" is not without violence ­- these are Vikings, after all, who pillaged for a living. Boys will devour it. But so will girls, as the narrative, features strong, complex female characters. It's packed with moments of humor and comes to a surprising, satisfying conclusion.

It is easily the children's book of the year, and just might be the next Harry Potter.
Debbie Duncan has been reviewing childrenıs books for the Weekly since 1997.


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