“Some of the fall's best picture books for kids - Chicago Sun-Times” plus 1 more

Some of the fall's best picture books for kids - Chicago Sun-Times

Posted: 14 Nov 2010 02:02 AM PST

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

November 14, 2010

BY DEBORAH ABBOTT

Picture books, once a mainstay of children's literature, have fallen on hard times. Despite the genre's increasing sophistication, publishers have cut their lists, bookstores their orders and buyers their purchases.

Today parents reportedly want their first-graders to jump right into chapter books, those that depend entirely on text, thinking the leap will make the kids better readers faster.

But one of the best strategies for teaching youngsters to read is to let them enjoy pictures along with words, for the two go hand-in-hand. Pictures teach humor, understanding, nuance and critical thinking.

If you are willing to buck the trend, here are some of the fall's best picture books:

The Odious Ogre (Michael Di Capua/Scholastic, 36 pages, $17.95), by Norton Juster, pictures by Jules Feiffer. The authors, whose last book together was the classic Phantom Tollbooth of 50 years ago, have polished a David vs. Goliath plot in which a tiny girl defeats a huge ogre by simple acts of kindness.

The ogre meets her as she's busy weeding her garden. She offers him tea and a warm muffin, encouraging him to brush his teeth, comb his hair, change his clothes and alter his attitude. Undone by his inability to frighten the girl, the ogre drops dead.

Juster's simple story, rich in humor and vocabulary (the ogre did swallow a dictionary along with a librarian), flows effortlessly from start to finish. The inimitable Feiffer uses pen and ink and earth-tone watercolor washes to paint uproarious contretemps between the two characters.

* * *

Of all the fantasies of childhood, perhaps the most universal is the tooth fairy. Australian Bob Graham's delightfully whimsical story, April and Esme: Tooth Fairies (Candlewick, 36 pages, $16.99), has a 21st century accent.

When April (almost 8) gets an urgent request on her cell phone from Daniel Dangerfield's grandma for tooth fairy services, April's parents — also tooth fairies — are hesitant. They give in, and sister Esme (6) announces she is going, too. Dad reminds April that Daniel must not see her, for tooth fairies are magical — but he does. Common sense, determination, quick thinking and a text message to Mom save the night.

The drama is captured in detailed watercolor and ink illustrations. The fairies' tiny home — the sink is a thimble and the tub a cream pitcher — and the human-sized world of Daniel's house provide a sharp contrast perfect for young imaginations.

* * *

Size seems to be a favorite theme this fall, especially in Dust Devil (Schwartz & Wade/Random, 48 pages, $17.99), by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. This rib-tickling yarn, a sequel to the authors' Caldecott winner Swamp Angel, is packed with folksy hyperbole.

In 1831, Angelica Longrider moves to Montana. This girl, huge in size, temper and determination, tames a massive dust storm, molding a giant horse from it. Once mounted, she takes on desperadoes led by Backward Bart (whose backwards speech adds hilarity), using wit and skill to tame them all.

This rollicking tall tale is a hoot, and Zelinsky's oil paintings on wood veneers, set in Big Sky country, ably capture the perspective of the normal world against Angel's enormous one.

* * *

The animal world is another picture-book favorite. A Pig Parade is a Terrible Idea (Simon & Schuster, 36 pages, $16.99), by Michael Ian Black, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, imagines a fancy event, then lists all the reasons why it could never happen.

In an upbeat and breezy style Black identifies the problems pigs have with marching. They snuffle. They look weird in majorette uniforms. They can't make parade floats, only root beer ones. They can't play snappy marching music or grasp giant balloons with their trotters.

The jaunty pigs, drawn in two parade modes — what they should look like and what they do look like — are illustrated in rich, full-page acrylics with bright splashes of color.

* * *

Three-time Caldecott winner David Wiesner offers a sophisticated leap into the world of lizards in Art & Max (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin, 40 pages, $17.99). This book, unlike the others, has minimal text — it is just a conversation between two friends.

Arthur is an artist and Max wants to paint. Max gets overenthusiastic with his portrait of Art and ends up painting him right out of existence. It is a challenging task to recreate Art from a pile of leftover black lines.

Wiesner's stunning acrylic, pastel, watercolor and India-ink illustrations transform the story into a testament to friendship as well as a statement about creativity.

Deborah Abbott is a long time reviewer of children's books for the Chicago Sun-Times.

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Why Couldn't Kids Escape House Fire? - msnbc.com

Posted: 11 Nov 2010 05:11 AM PST

CITRA, Fla. — Ronald Flood just looks across his yard and is reminded of the tragedy in Citra, where five children were killed in a house fire late Monday night.

All Flood knows is there are many questions left to be answered.

"It seems like you should have been able to get out, but I don't know," he said.

Video: 911 Calls Released In Fatal Fire Images: 5 Children Killed In Fire

The three boys killed in the fire -- 15-year-old Joseph Jordan, 13-year-old Austin Jordan and 8-year-old William Jordan -- were in their bedrooms in the front of the 1,400-square-foot home, and the two girls who died in the fire -- 6-year-old Trenity Jordan and 12-year-old Shyanne Jordan -- were in their bedroom in the back of the house.

Many neighbors are asking: How could they not get out?

The state fire marshal's office and neighbors depicted a diagram of the home. They said the two younger boys' room had two doors leading outside, while the older brother was in his bedroom, which did not have an outside door.

The two girls shared a bedroom in the back of the home, and their aunt, 21-year-old Kyla Cole, was rescued from that room, but was badly burned.

The children's mother, 31-year-old Krista Jordan, and grandmother, 54-year-old Linda Cole, were in adjacent rooms. They both made it out safely.

Fire investigators said Wednesday that the smoke alarms in the house didn't work, so it's unclear if the children were overcome by smoke or flames. Neighbors said they could hear cries for help shortly after the fire started.

"I was hearing the mother screaming, 'Save my babies. Save my babies,'" Flood said. "She was yelling and screaming. We tried to do everything we could to help her save the babies. There was nothing that could be done."

The state fire marshal is still investigating the fire. As for a cause of the fire, investigators said they believe a space heater could be the culprit, but they said there are other things that could have started the blaze.

"One of them is the heater and a basket of clothes that is pretty close to the heater," said Lt. Robbie Stevens, of the state fire marshal's office. "We have some electrical issue."

Stevens said the problem is there is not much left of any of those things to investigate to give them a definite answer on the cause of the fire.

The 80-year-old, wooden house was small, and most of the walls were covered with paneling, which investigators said may have led to the fire moving so quickly and overtaking the house in a matter of minutes.

"Why they could not get out, I can't answer that right now," Stevens said. "Obviously, there are some questions we are still seeking answers to. We did not see anything obstruction-wise. We don't have any reason to believe the windows were screwed shut. We did not see burglar bars, but we don't have a lot left to look at."

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Sunday, November 14, 2010