Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Unspoken by Henry Cole

Unspoken: A Story From the Underground RailroadUnspoken: A Story From the Underground Railroad by Henry Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Henry Cole's wordless picture book about a young girl who chooses to aid a runaway slave hiding in her barn, is distinguished not only for the depth of emotions captured by his graphite drawings, but also for the range of discussion each panel evokes. In the end notes Cole provides additional context to the historical and geographical setting of his story. A Caldecott Medal contender in my book!

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Hokey Pokey: the dance, the treat, the place

Hokey PokeyHokey Pokey by Jerry Spinelli
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

How often have you thought, "Kids. They live in a world of their own." Jerry Spinelli has captured this world: Hokey Pokey where toddlers turn into kids who are free to play and explore all day long ... until, one day you wake up and things are different.

Spinelli's "hokey pokey" world is inventive, well-crafted, and populated with a neighborhood of kids we can all relate to ... both best pals and bullies. It is in the dream-sequences of 'night' that I lose my way. Then again, maybe I'm trying to make sense of something I "used to" understand!

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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

The Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve SongsThe Gershwins and Me: A Personal History in Twelve Songs by Michael Feinstein
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Feinstein has crafted a fascinating look into the lives and work of George and Ira Gershwin using twelve of their songs as a backdrop. Woven into the narrative are Feinstein's personal insights from his years as an assistant to Ira Gershwin and vast research into American popular song. Although I read this from an advance reader copy, so I did not have a chance to view the illustrations of Gershwin documents and memorbilia that will be included in the final book, this looks to be an important book that music fans and libraries will want to add to their collections.

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Monday, October 15, 2012

Some Halloween fun!