Bookami

Fancy Nancy Bonjour, Butterfly by Jane O'Connor with Illustrations by Robin Preiss Glasser

Synopsis: Nancy is bubbling with anticipation over her friend Bree's Butterfly Birthday party, only to discover that she will be unable to attend because she has to make an appearance at her grandparents' fiftieth anniversary celebration.  How will she survive missing what is sure to be the fanciest party ever?

Review: I'm surrounded by boys.  I only have brothers, and I only have sons.  I even have more nephews than nieces.  That is why I'm so glad that Fancy Nancy exists to put me in touch with my inner, glowing, girlie self.  I love that she loves pink and bows and beads and all things frilly and French (one of my majors in college was French).  Nancy has become one of my best friends by her sheer celebration of what it means to be a girl.

Bonjour Butterfly proves that even with her wild hair and her tendency for a little too much bling, Nancy truly is an exceptional lady.  She is devastated when she is told that she won't be able to attend Bree's Butterfly Birthday.  Her grandparents' fiftieth anniversary fete certainly couldn't compare.  Nancy makes it clear to all of her family members that she is unhappy.  "Mad is way too plain for how I feel.  I am furious!"  In typical Nancy fashion, though, she soon lets go of her anger and starts to enjoy herself.  "I'm sorry for the way I behaved.  I am ecstatic to be here."  What a good, lady-like way to present herself.  Nancy has learned that being fancy is not only about how one dresses, but also about how one acts.

With its typical glittering cover and marvelous, exuberant illustrations of Nancy jumping, dancing, primping and preening, Bonjour Butterfly won't disappoint fans.  I have only one possible negative/anal comment.  In the original Fancy Nancy, Nancy teaches her family that yellow is plain.  The border on Bonjour Butterfly is yellow.  I'm pretty sure that Nancy would have chosen gold.

A Kitten Tale by Eric Rohmann

Synopsis: Four wee kittens anticipate snow, three warily and one with excitement.

Review: Caldecott Medal Winner (My Friend Rabbit), Eric Rohmann, has created another charming picture book that shows respect for a child's fear of the unknown, while also illustrating the power of a positive attitude. 

There are four little kittens who have never seen snow.  Three of them spend Spring, Summer and Fall worrying about how cold and wet snow will make everything.  The fourth kitten just keeps saying, "I can't wait." The fourth kitten's attitude is so wonderful.  He never chastises his friends for their hesitation.  When the snow comes, he just runs out to play, making it easy for them to join in the fun. 

And certainly fun and lively is an apt description of Rohmann's bold and cheerful illustrations for this book.  With playful kittens, buzzing bees, swaying leaves and falling snowflakes, the sense of movement in each print is just perfect to capture the attention of even the littlest readers.  I can't decide which illustration is my favorite.  I love the cat hanging off the mailbox, but the one with all four kittens playing in the leaves is just so electric.  I can hear the crunching sound the four of them are making as they roll around.  I also love the stark cover.  The white background is perfect for a Winter tale, but the bee and flower also help indicate the wonders of the other seasons.

I truly can't wait for Rohmann's next picture book. 

Zen Ties by John J. Muth

Synopsis: The panda, Stillwater, his haiku-speaking nephew, Koo, and their friends Michael, Karl and Addy gain great rewards when they help an elderly neighbor in need.

Review: Zen Ties is soothing / like breathing in yoga class / forgetting worries

        Animate readers / with soft, light watercolors / and careful phrases

        Rewards are greatest / when we help one another / teaches Stillwater

        Be kind to planet / remember not to destroy / learns our young wee Koo

        Happier today / for reading this picture book / Many thanks to Muth

I hope my five haiku express my enormous appreciation for what John J. Muth has created in Zen Ties, as well as in his Caldecott Honor book, Zen Shorts.  If only I too could have a panda for a neighbor and teacher.

Duck at the Door & Duck Soup by Jackie Urbanovic

Synopsis: It all begins in Duck at the Door when Maxwell Duck, or Max for short, decides not to go South for the Winter. He quickly realizes that this is a mistake, and he finds shelter with the kind Irene and her brood of various animals.  While Max finds living in a home takes a bit of an adjustment, soon he has settled in a little too well to the annoyance of his housemates.  In Duck Soup, Max is working hard to make the perfect soup and heads off to find that last needed ingredient, but when his animal friends, Brody, Dakota, and Bebe find a feather in the soup, craziness ensues in the search for Max.

Review: I can't claim to have the same knowledge of picture books as I do of intermediate readers or YA novels, but I can tell you that I love Max the duck and all of his furry, winged and human friends. Both of thes e books made me laugh out loud.  In Duck at the Door, I was immediately drawn into the story with the first two-page spread of one lonely duck in the snow bleeding into a warm hearth scene with a crazy amount of four-legged and feathered animals.  While Max is initially intimidated living inside a house, he soon learns to control the remote, cook some bizarre meals, and take up a bit too much space and make a little too much noise, irritating his friends.  Just when things seem to be at a boiling point, Spring arrives, and Max returns to live with his flock.  Of course, Irene and her pets soon learn that sometimes some habits are both annoying and endearing.  Thankfully, Max does return to be with them again in October.  Not only is the story heart-warming, but I love how Urbanovic cleverly uses white space, like on the last page, to clearly express emotion to even the youngest reader while the rest of the illustrations provide a great sense of the cacophony that would come with living with so many pets.

In Duck Soup, the fun continues when it appears that Max may have fallen into the soup that he was preparing.  Brody the dog, Dakota the cat and Bebe the bird quickly grab a strainer in hopes of finding their dear Max.  Of course, they only find potatoes, baby onions, carrot slices, and a slightly annoyed Max when he returns from the garden.  Here again the illustrations are just so soft and gentle, and did you notice Brody's use of an oven-mitt when he goes to pour the soup into the strainer?  Talk about a good, subtle reminder of kitchen safety.  I also love how they're having pizza for dinner at the end of the book.  It's a great catch on Urbanovic's part to recognize that pizza is the fall-back dinner for most families, and the best part is that they're all sitting together.

I think most readers will agree that it would be pretty great to be part of the family that Urbanovic has created in both of these books.  I hope we will see more of Irene and her gang.