Skip to main content

PW's Starred Reviews

-- Publishers Weekly, 6/29/2009

Picture Books

Rattle and Rap by Susan Steggall. Frances Lincoln (PGW, dist.), $15.95 (32p) ISBN 978-1-84507-703-7

Steggall's (The Life of a Car) virtuoso torn-paper collages follow a boy and his family on a train trip through the British countryside to the coast, where an unnamed (but grandmotherly) relative greets them with open arms. As the title hints, the economical text is strictly impressionistic: “Whoooooosh! Whoooooosh!... rocking and rolling and rushing and racing, skimming the sky, skimming the sky.” The detail-rich, full-spread pictures, however, are stunning in their evocation of the real world. Sleekly handsome, the long red, black and white–striped train cuts quite a figure, its boldly graphic exterior and zigzag shape playing counterpoint to lush hills, rippling waters and workaday towns. Steggall's tour de force appears near the end, when the train crosses a classic masonry arch bridge spanning an estuary. It's an image that's both postcard-perfect and triumphantly dynamic—a tribute to both the joys of trainspotting and the ingenuity of the human race. Ages 2–5. (July)

The Day-Glo Brothers: The True Story of Bob and Joe Switzer's Bright Ideas and Brand-New Colors by Chris Barton, illus. by Tony Persiani. Charlesbridge, $18.95 (44p) ISBN 978-1-57091-673-1

In this debut for both collaborators, Barton takes on the dual persona of popular historian and cool science teacher as he chronicles the Switzer brothers' invention of the first fluorescent paint visible in daylight. The aptly named Day-Glo, he explains, started out as a technological novelty act (Joe, an amateur magician, was looking for ways to make his illusions more exciting), but soon became much more: during WWII, one of its many uses was guiding Allied planes to safe landings on aircraft carriers. The story is one of quintessentially American ingenuity, with its beguiling combination of imaginative heroes (“Bob focused on specific goals, while Joe let his freewheeling mind roam every which way when he tried to solve a problem”), formidable obstacles (including, in Bob's case, a traumatic accident), a dash of serendipity and entrepreneurial zeal. Persiani's exuberantly retro 1960s drawings—splashed with Day-Glo, of course—bring to mind the goofy enthusiasm of vintage educational animation and should have readers eagerly following along as the Switzers turn fluorescence into fame and fortune. Ages 7–10. (July)

Congratulations to these authors!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A Peek Into My New Building/Office

My classroom in the new School of Education I am so lucky! This week, the fall semester started at The College of William & Mary and the first group of students entered a brand new School of Education ! The picture above is of the classroom in which I am teaching. It is so beautiful. There is so much light and space and everything is new. Including the technology. The picture to the right is the podium from which I can choose to use the computer, document camera, VCR, or television, all at the touch of a button. Let me tell you, it is a wondrous thing, especially when I have had access to none of it in the old building (and when you teach on a campus that is over 300 years old , "old" takes on a new meaning:-). My office, however, is still in need of work. I did get pictures hung on the wall though. Does anyone know from which picturebook I took these pictures? And, I did get most of my picturebooks shelved.  But, as I said, I still have a lot of work to do! O

Harry Potter Prize Pack Give Away!

I am a HUGE fan of the Harry Potter series! I have so many wonderful memories around the books over the years. I remember that the talk about the first book really didn't get started until the second book was out. I bought the first book in paperback at the airport and started reading it on the way home from a trip. I was hooked and couldn't wait for the second book. By the time the third book came out, the midnight release parties started at bookstores across the country. The news carried footage of the unexpected long lines of children and adults waitin g in line to buy the book. My family was getting ready to move and there were boxes all over the house. So, I was sitting in the floor as I watched the television and tears started running down my cheeks when I saw the lines. Not in my lifetime had I ever seen anything like it. Children actually waiting in line for hours, dressed up as their favorite character, to buy a book . This is a reading teacher's dream!!! My son w