Night Lights

KJ Dell Antonia — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:18:53 -0400

Night Lights uses pictures, brightly colored and patterend but awash in shadow, to tell the story of a girl and her mother coming home to a welcoming dog and a cozy house. The only words are those that name the source of light on every page: firefly light, headlight, lamplight—and a peaceful bedtime rhythm is created to go with the story.

The Cheesemans Stand Alone

Kara Hadge — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:13:09 -0400

In A Whole Nother Story, Dr. Cuthbert Soup chronicles the exploits of the Cheeseman family, who are on the run. Ethan Cheeseman and his wife, Olivia, were almost done inventing a time machine when they realized that government agents, shady businessmen, and international spies were determined to draft the invention for their own devious uses. After Olivia’s mysterious death, Mr.

Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas

KJ Dell Antonia — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:34:57 -0400

You can’t make a Christmas special for an animated character without invoking either A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life. Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas manages to invoke a little of both. The Man in the Yellow Hat can’t understand George’s Christmas list, and he becomes convinced that a better monkey-parent would give George all the understanding he needs.

The Christmas Genie

KJ Dell Antonia — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:32:40 -0400

Could a genie imprisoned in a meteorite possibly fly through the window of a fifth-grade classroom? Of course not, but it’s fun to imagine, and even more fun in the hands of Dan Gutman. In The Christmas Genie, that fifth-grade class is granted one wish—not one each, but one total. What follows may be an excuse for a lesson in “be careful what you wish for,” but at least it’s an entertaining lesson. All the money in the world? The economy would collapse, and it would do you no good. Cars that run on water? Water is scarce, too. Peace on earth?

A Seaon of Gifts

KJ Dell Antonia — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:17:28 -0400

Booksellers and librarians will line up behind Richard Peck’s A Season of Gifts, but I found it lacking, and I’d be surprised if his target audience of middle graders picks it up in such large numbers.

Wii Fit Plus

Torie Bosch — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:15:04 -0400

With the Wii, Nintendo has truly become the Pixar of video games: the company that appeals to kids, teens, and adults without pandering or talking over anyone’s head. The company’s new update of the Wii Fit, the Wii Fit Plus, fits that bill as well as any video game released this year.

The Duchess of Whimsy

KJ Dell Antonia — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:28:31 -0400

The Duchess of Whimsy is Fancy Nancy as a grown-up princess, hosting fabulous soirees filled with extraordinary guests and glamorous conversations. The easy-living Earl of Normal loves her joie de vivre and longs to impress her, but his attempts—donning fancy dress that doesn’t suit him, bringing a giraffe to her palace—fail.

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas

KJ Dell Antonia — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:30:00 -0400

Fancy Nancy: Splendiferous Christmas may well be the best Fancy Nancy installment yet. The series has stayed strong over the years—even as the brand has expanded to include various other Nancy products (dolls, puzzles, easy readers), the picture books remain the heart of the franchise, and author Jane O’Connor never neglects her most famous creation.

Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth

KJ Dell Antonia — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:33:36 -0400

Plenty of books exist to prepare the toddler for the looming arrival of a sibling, but Sophie Peterman, eponymous heroine of Sophie Peterman Tells the Truth, is here to warn (and amuse) the older child. Babies, she declares, are neither sweet nor precious nor cute. Nope—they’re your worst nightmare.

Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays

KJ Dell Antonia — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:27:08 -0400

Auntie Claus, Home for the Holidays, strives to bring the spirit of Mame to the holiday picture book and doesn’t quite get there.

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Fri, 18 Dec 2009 11:27:08 -0400

A Frog for the Whole Family

KJ Dell Antonia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:00:06 -0400

Let’s forget, for a moment, that Disney was far too late to bestow its princess crown (sort of) on a black girl. Instead, let’s just focus on the fact that in doing it, they’ve also made a really good movie. Of course it is long past time, but I was far more caught up in the story of Tiana, who has to become a frog, not a princess, to make all of her dreams come true than I was in the varying races of her co-stars.

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Get To Know Meno

KJ Dell Antonia — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:54:23 -0400

I do not know what to say about Spiderwick Chronicles author Tony DiTerlizzi’s new picture book, Adventure of Meno: Wet Friend (written with his wife, Angela). A week has gone by. Xxtra Small has frozen in space, book review-less, because I do not know what to say about this book. Men have died and the mice have eaten them, because … OK, that last is an exaggeration, but you get the picture.

Dino Might

KJ Dell Antonia — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:10:33 -0400

If you’ve got a dinosaur lover or a Western fan among your youthful acquaintance, you must add The Dinosaur Tamer to her bookshelf and read it out loud to her as soon as possible. Any kid would love the tale of how Rocky, the best dinosaur tamer who ever did live, broke the famed T. rex to saddle (and, incidentally, created what look to be the Grand Canyon, Devil’s Tower, and the Great Salt Lake).

Enough With the Famous-Kid Shows!

KJ Dell Antonia — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:07:59 -0400

The Monkees and their eponymous sitcom were once funny. The way the props appeared out of nowhere. The way they tossed one another behind doors and sofas and pretended to fight. Then we saw it again, in Jonas. And then the skateboard star version with Zeke and Luther. And now we have Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush, starring four adorable young men of different types (brainy! sporty!

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Babies Having Babies

Torie Bosch — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:39:25 -0400

Earlier this year, MTV took a break from its regularly scheduled programming of drunken hookups to demonstrate the consequences of said behavior. 16 and Pregnant, produced in partnership with the National Campaign To Reduce Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy, shone a harsh light on having a baby when you can’t yet vote. The series followed eight girls (and their partners), one per episode, as they transitioned from pregnancy to parenthood.

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Glenn Beck for Kids

KJ Dell Antonia — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 17:52:46 -0400

Glenn Beck’s picture book adaptation of The Christmas Sweater is schmaltzy, cheesy, corny—and really not that bad.

Fashion Challenge

Torie Bosch — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:51:05 -0400

When video games and fashion collide, the results are often aesthetically and editorially hideous (c.f., World of Warcraft T-shirts; the tweener game The Clique: Diss or Make Up).

Badgers of London

KJ Dell Antonia — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 18:47:24 -0400

There’s an easy charm to Dodsworth in London, which follows a hat- and scarf-wearing badgerlike creature and his companion, a similarly hatted duck, on an adventure in the British capital. Dodsworth wants to the see the sights, but his duck buddy wants to experience them—to throw the dart in the pub (oops!) and splash in the fountain at Pershing Square. The result is a book of quiet humor. After Dodsworth’s friend becomes mixed up with the queen’s own duck, our hero spends the day with her majesty’s bird, while his duck romps at the palace.

The Parent Trap

KJ Dell Antonia — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:30:01 -0400

Metamorphosis: Junior Year is narrated by Ovid, an 11th-grader whose artistic parents are now terrified that he’ll become as rebellious as they once were. There was a time when they wanted to be friends with their kids, but now that Ovid’s sister, Thena, has fled the family (and become a crystal meth addict), they’ve tightened the reins.

All Hail the King

KJ Dell Antonia — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:34:03 -0400

The King of Quizzical Island, whose titular royal is on a quest to sail his ship to the edge of the world, will be a welcome addition to the library of anyone who misses Edward Lear, Ogden Nash, or Shel Silverstein on a nonpensive day.

Presented By:

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:34:03 -0400

The Howl of New Moon

Jessica Lambertson — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:17:00 -0400

New Moon, the second installment of the Twilight franchise, is tween catnip, filled with drool-worthy long shots of young heartthrobs, struggles with popularity and romance, and, of course, a supernatural story line. New Moon attempts to address more complex and difficult issues than Twilight did, but its execution doesn’t match its ambition. The film opens with a dream sequence in which Bella (Kristen Stewart) struggles over her pending aging—something her vampire love Edward (Robert Pattinson) will never experience. Her solution to this problem?

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Dora’s Colorful Adventure

KJ Dell Antonia — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:00:20 -0400

In Dora Saves the Crystal Kingdom, Dora reads Boots a story about a kingdom whose colors come from a magical crystal. When a selfish king steals the crystal, the world begins to fade to black and white. Storybook character Ali will search until she finds the crystal, but she can’t do it alone. Will Dora help her? Well, yes. The result is a double-length episode, which means two things.

Baby Bear ISO Mother

KJ Dell Antonia — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 13:00:40 -0400

Baby Polar won’t come out of the snowstorm—he wants to keep playing. Soon he’s far from Mama Polar, whose cuddly, furry body keeps him warm. Lost and cold, he nestles against a big cave of snow and hears—the beating of Mama Polar’s heart! The cave of snow is Mama Polar, and he is safe. On the plus side, mama and baby reunited. Baby learns benefit of self-reliance.

Dr. Evil, the Early Years

KJ Dell Antonia — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:54:43 -0400

I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want To Be Your Class President has a funny title and premise. Anti-hero Oliver Watson looks like the dumbest, nerdiest kid in class, but it’s all a cover for his true identity: He’s a young genius in the Dr. Evil style, with a lair, henchmen, bodyguards, and all. Give him a wedgie and you’ll pay in ways only a head writer for The Daily Show could imagine.

A Viking Tale

Nina Rastogi — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:48:49 -0400

Odd’s name isn’t odd—it means “the tip of a blade”—but Odd himself is odd. For one thing, the hero of Neil Gaiman’s Odd and the Frost Giants has an unnervingly sunny disposition for a lame Viking boy whose widowed mother has remarried an oaf named Fat Elfred, who comes with seven children of his own. One day, crowded out of his new home, Odd decides to run away to his late father’s woodcutting hut.