OK, I'm just going to come right out and say it. I don't like books by Shirley Hughes: I don't like Dogger, I don't like the Alfie books and I'm afraid that I don't like Dixie O'Day either.
I'm aware that makes me something of an outcast amongst the Children's Bookselling movement, but I have to be honest about these things. I find her books very staid and samey. Her illustrations are beautiful, but perhaps they are just too much for me. The credits for this book go to Hughes, who has written the text and to her daughter, Clara Vulliamy who has illustrated it.
Anyhow let us get onto Dixie Day and then my issues with him. Dixie O'Day is a dog. He wears clothes and drives a car. He has a friend called Percy, also a dog who wears clothes and likes bow ties. He has a nasty human neighbour called Lou Ella... She reminds me of Penelope Pittstop, but she's not very nice. There's a bit of banter about cars as Lou Ella gets a new car every year but Dixie has an old car he's had for ages. Then there's a minor accident, reminiscent of the last scene of the Italian Job, and the rest of the story is of an all day car race between Didsworth and Dodsworth. There are japes and stalls and tortoise and the hare style issues before we get to the end of the race and, well, you'll have to guess who wins.
In style this book is very similar to the Claude books I adore so much, which may be why I have issues with this book. Don't get me wrong there are lovely things about this book, I like the fact is has seven chapters, one for each night of the week and I enjoyed parts of the story and the 50's retro style of the book has some appeal.
However, there were a couple of things I really didn't like. There is a part of the race where Dixie and Percy are approaching a level crossing and the barriers are going down, so Dixie steps on the accelerator and they get stuck in the barrier only just getting away before the train comes. I'm going to be an old fuddy-duddy here, but I think that is completely irresponsible given all the issues that are had with level crossings these days. I also found Percy to be a bit of a wet blanket. He really didn't add enough to the plot to warrant being there. The whole thing was just a little bland.
I'll finish by saying that it's an OK book for grandparents to buy, as I suspect they are the target market, but to be honest with you I'd buy a Claude book as it will be more entertaining for children and adults alike.
Wednesday, 31 July 2013
Oksa Pollock - The Last Hope
So far I've only reviewed books that I've really enjoyed. Oddly, I find it harder to review books I've liked as I find it difficult to explain quite why I've enjoyed something. For me it's very much a case of the overall experience of a book which makes it good and enjoyable.
In Oksa Pollock The Last Hope it's far easier for me to say why I didn't enjoy it.
In case you don't know Oksa Pollock is a huge bestselling series across Europe, The authors, Anne Plichota and Cendrine Wolf, are French and the book has been translated into English by Sue Rose. It's very much your typical 9-12/teen standard fantasy book. A young girl discovers she has powers and she is vital to reclaiming her own land. It's set in the modern day and the book was set in London, as the authors thought this was a far more interesting city to set the book in. It's been called the French Harry Potter, which is high praise indeed.
Oksa is the last in line of the Graciouses, the female rulers of Edefia, a hidden magical realm. Her family were forced to flee when her Great Grandmother, Malorane was overthrown and her Grandmother, the current gracious and her followers have been hiding out in Russia and then in France for the past 50 years or so. They've now moved again to London in order to keep Oksa safe. Discovering her powers, which include firing fire balls from her hands and the ability to fly, Oska then has to deal with her new powers and a teacher, who isn't all he seems, in many escapades.
This book isn't really that bad, (it's by no means brilliant) but for me it just doesn't live up to the hype, partly because I think it has been let down by very ordinary translation. It's almost as if the book has been translated word for word, where what it needed was to be translated and then reworked by a children's author. Some of the phrases and terminology just sounds wrong in English; the power of Cameraeye, where the Gracious looks at a wall and projects her memory from her eyes for example, just sounds a little too literal. In J.K. Rowling's magical world this ability would have been latinised just to make it sound a little more magical. I also can't remember the last time i read the word "chums" in a book for this age group; it just doesn't sit with the rest of the story. And there's a whole section on objects called granok shooters, which I'm afraid I failed to fully comprehend, I believe them to be a little like a pea shooter, but they propel magical effects. The "science" or reasoning behind these is explained at very great length, which really just upsets the flow of the book and bored me somewhat. And the whole evil teacher malarkey has rather been done to death now.
There are lovely moments and characters though. My favourites are the goranovs, hypochondriac plants, which are rather funny and the back stories of the characters are interesting in places. Just a couple of notes in case you decide to give this to a child, there is one case of bad language and one example of casual racism, where a boy with Chinese ancestry is called a rude name by another child. It did stand out when I read it, as it seemed to be at odds with the rest of the book.
On the whole it's worth a read, but I'm not sure I'd be interested in reading the whole series, which I fear is rather damning in itself.
In Oksa Pollock The Last Hope it's far easier for me to say why I didn't enjoy it.
In case you don't know Oksa Pollock is a huge bestselling series across Europe, The authors, Anne Plichota and Cendrine Wolf, are French and the book has been translated into English by Sue Rose. It's very much your typical 9-12/teen standard fantasy book. A young girl discovers she has powers and she is vital to reclaiming her own land. It's set in the modern day and the book was set in London, as the authors thought this was a far more interesting city to set the book in. It's been called the French Harry Potter, which is high praise indeed.
Oksa is the last in line of the Graciouses, the female rulers of Edefia, a hidden magical realm. Her family were forced to flee when her Great Grandmother, Malorane was overthrown and her Grandmother, the current gracious and her followers have been hiding out in Russia and then in France for the past 50 years or so. They've now moved again to London in order to keep Oksa safe. Discovering her powers, which include firing fire balls from her hands and the ability to fly, Oska then has to deal with her new powers and a teacher, who isn't all he seems, in many escapades.
This book isn't really that bad, (it's by no means brilliant) but for me it just doesn't live up to the hype, partly because I think it has been let down by very ordinary translation. It's almost as if the book has been translated word for word, where what it needed was to be translated and then reworked by a children's author. Some of the phrases and terminology just sounds wrong in English; the power of Cameraeye, where the Gracious looks at a wall and projects her memory from her eyes for example, just sounds a little too literal. In J.K. Rowling's magical world this ability would have been latinised just to make it sound a little more magical. I also can't remember the last time i read the word "chums" in a book for this age group; it just doesn't sit with the rest of the story. And there's a whole section on objects called granok shooters, which I'm afraid I failed to fully comprehend, I believe them to be a little like a pea shooter, but they propel magical effects. The "science" or reasoning behind these is explained at very great length, which really just upsets the flow of the book and bored me somewhat. And the whole evil teacher malarkey has rather been done to death now.
There are lovely moments and characters though. My favourites are the goranovs, hypochondriac plants, which are rather funny and the back stories of the characters are interesting in places. Just a couple of notes in case you decide to give this to a child, there is one case of bad language and one example of casual racism, where a boy with Chinese ancestry is called a rude name by another child. It did stand out when I read it, as it seemed to be at odds with the rest of the book.
On the whole it's worth a read, but I'm not sure I'd be interested in reading the whole series, which I fear is rather damning in itself.
Wanted: The Perfect Pet
It has come to my attention that so far I have reviewed three books and all of these books are written and illustrated by men. This is no political statement, just a kooky fact. Now as unlikely as it is that this blog will be inundated with feminists demanding that I give equal pegging to female authors, there is the slim chance that it could happen, so let me right the wrong that I have so far committed. Today I am going to review two books; they do follow on from each other and share an author. Her name is Fiona Roberton.
Wanted: The Perfect Pet is a bold red jacketed book with a picture of a boy called Henry on the front of it. Henry looks a little bit like Bod, for those of you of a certain vintage, though without the quirky music or the odd way of walking, as this is a book and not a seventies television programme.
Henry, more than anything wants a pet. A pet dog. However he's not allowed to buy one so, he does what any self respecting child would do and puts an advert in the paper. He only gets one response and it's not from a dog. It's from a duck.
This poor duck is all alone, and it's possibly the saddest thing I have ever read. So in order for Henry to accept him, the duck disguises himself as a dog. It is beautiful. Henry is delighted when the strange dog arrives on his doorstep and they go and play. However the duck slowly loses his disguise and it jeopardises their budding friendship.
This really is a beautiful book, the illustrations are simple and all the more lovely and moving for that. In the same way that a tear on Miffy's face is the epitome of sadness, the you really do feel the despair and the elation that the duck feels through the really moving illustrations. My favourite part of the book though, is the final illustration of Spot (the duck) laying flat out on Henry's bed, it is the ideal image of boy and duck.
In the follow up book Wanted: The Perfect Present, this time with a blue jacket, it is fast approaching Henry's birthday and Henry and Spot are playing a guessing game as to what Spot has bought for his friend, these images are really sweet and show a lovely domestic relationship. On Henry's birthday his grandparents have bought Henry a puppy. This throws Henry and Spot's relationship into turmoil and when Spot is starting to feel ignored, well it launches a chain of events where we discover just what the perfect present really is.
These are two really special books examining friendship and feelings in a gentle way. I really do highly recommend them. The story's are told gently and lovingly and as I've stated already the line drawings have a complexity and depth of emotion that belies their apparent simplicity.
Wanted: The Perfect Pet is a bold red jacketed book with a picture of a boy called Henry on the front of it. Henry looks a little bit like Bod, for those of you of a certain vintage, though without the quirky music or the odd way of walking, as this is a book and not a seventies television programme.
Henry, more than anything wants a pet. A pet dog. However he's not allowed to buy one so, he does what any self respecting child would do and puts an advert in the paper. He only gets one response and it's not from a dog. It's from a duck.
This poor duck is all alone, and it's possibly the saddest thing I have ever read. So in order for Henry to accept him, the duck disguises himself as a dog. It is beautiful. Henry is delighted when the strange dog arrives on his doorstep and they go and play. However the duck slowly loses his disguise and it jeopardises their budding friendship.
This really is a beautiful book, the illustrations are simple and all the more lovely and moving for that. In the same way that a tear on Miffy's face is the epitome of sadness, the you really do feel the despair and the elation that the duck feels through the really moving illustrations. My favourite part of the book though, is the final illustration of Spot (the duck) laying flat out on Henry's bed, it is the ideal image of boy and duck.
In the follow up book Wanted: The Perfect Present, this time with a blue jacket, it is fast approaching Henry's birthday and Henry and Spot are playing a guessing game as to what Spot has bought for his friend, these images are really sweet and show a lovely domestic relationship. On Henry's birthday his grandparents have bought Henry a puppy. This throws Henry and Spot's relationship into turmoil and when Spot is starting to feel ignored, well it launches a chain of events where we discover just what the perfect present really is.
These are two really special books examining friendship and feelings in a gentle way. I really do highly recommend them. The story's are told gently and lovingly and as I've stated already the line drawings have a complexity and depth of emotion that belies their apparent simplicity.
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Annuals...
Just a brief note to remind myself, the first 2014 annuals arrived in yesterday...
I don't think I need to say anymore.
Monday, 29 July 2013
The Terrible Thing That Happened To Barnaby Brocket
I wasn't going to post today as I had some pretty nasty work related news which made me really rather cross and upset. However, knowing what I am like, and I'm afraid this is selfish, as soon as I stop writing, I won't want to carry on, so I decided to write about an old-ish favourite.
I adored The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, despite the fact it was so bleak, it had a innocence which was in its own way charming and which made the ending even more devastating.
So knowing that I picked up The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket with a minor spasm of trepidation, especially as the title tells us that a Terrible Thing is about to happen.
The story is set in Australia, and after a rather nice introduction telling us how Barnaby's *normal* parents met and how after two perfectly *normal* pregnancies his *normal* older siblings are born, it moves on to tell of Mrs Brocket's difficult pregnancy and the abnormally painful birth which resulted in Barnaby being born and him floating straight up to the ceiling of the delivery room. Barnaby, therefore is abnormal and because of this his parents, especially his mother, are embarrassed by him and fearful of what other people will think of them. The book then follows Barnaby's formative years, including his escapades through being sent to school, his parents now controlling his inability to follow the law of gravity by making him wear a weighted backpack which in turn make his ears hurt. At school he meets his first friend, a boy with no hands but who has rather cool hooks instead. Here they help each other get out of a near death experience. One day shortly after, while out walking with his mother, the Terrible Thing happens and Barnaby floats away.
Immediately upon this happening it launches a remarkable set of adventures which are quite magnificent. The first people Barnaby meets after the Terrible Thing are two older ladies who rather handily are flying over in a hot air balloon. Now it's never stated but heavily implied that these ladies are a very happy couple. They live in South America on a farm, and after a few days there, where Barnaby helps to solve a couple of problems he hops on an overnight train from Rio to New York, an oddly believable event in the course of things. As Barnaby travels the world in his quest to get back home, he meets all kinds of people, none of whom would be described as *normal* by his dull and disappointing parents. Oddly, the only unbelievable part of the story comes at the end, when Barnaby floats up into space, its not a bad sub plot, and it really does set up the finale rather well, but it just didn't feel quite right to me, but that's my only minor quibble with this outstanding book.
The book is slightly reminiscent of Matilda, in the sense of a very intelligent child is let down by his parents and the wonderful motto "there is no such thing as normal" rings out loud and true from the pages. It's illustrated by than man again, Oliver Jeffers, who has hand written some splendid postcards that Barnaby has sent to his family back in Australia. It also contains one of the most magnificently named pet dogs in children's fiction, well that I have read anyway.
I've had it described to me as a sad book. In many ways it is, but at the same time the wonderful adventures and the uplifting nature of the book make it a triumph.
I adored The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, despite the fact it was so bleak, it had a innocence which was in its own way charming and which made the ending even more devastating.
So knowing that I picked up The Terrible Thing That Happened to Barnaby Brocket with a minor spasm of trepidation, especially as the title tells us that a Terrible Thing is about to happen.
The story is set in Australia, and after a rather nice introduction telling us how Barnaby's *normal* parents met and how after two perfectly *normal* pregnancies his *normal* older siblings are born, it moves on to tell of Mrs Brocket's difficult pregnancy and the abnormally painful birth which resulted in Barnaby being born and him floating straight up to the ceiling of the delivery room. Barnaby, therefore is abnormal and because of this his parents, especially his mother, are embarrassed by him and fearful of what other people will think of them. The book then follows Barnaby's formative years, including his escapades through being sent to school, his parents now controlling his inability to follow the law of gravity by making him wear a weighted backpack which in turn make his ears hurt. At school he meets his first friend, a boy with no hands but who has rather cool hooks instead. Here they help each other get out of a near death experience. One day shortly after, while out walking with his mother, the Terrible Thing happens and Barnaby floats away.
Immediately upon this happening it launches a remarkable set of adventures which are quite magnificent. The first people Barnaby meets after the Terrible Thing are two older ladies who rather handily are flying over in a hot air balloon. Now it's never stated but heavily implied that these ladies are a very happy couple. They live in South America on a farm, and after a few days there, where Barnaby helps to solve a couple of problems he hops on an overnight train from Rio to New York, an oddly believable event in the course of things. As Barnaby travels the world in his quest to get back home, he meets all kinds of people, none of whom would be described as *normal* by his dull and disappointing parents. Oddly, the only unbelievable part of the story comes at the end, when Barnaby floats up into space, its not a bad sub plot, and it really does set up the finale rather well, but it just didn't feel quite right to me, but that's my only minor quibble with this outstanding book.
The book is slightly reminiscent of Matilda, in the sense of a very intelligent child is let down by his parents and the wonderful motto "there is no such thing as normal" rings out loud and true from the pages. It's illustrated by than man again, Oliver Jeffers, who has hand written some splendid postcards that Barnaby has sent to his family back in Australia. It also contains one of the most magnificently named pet dogs in children's fiction, well that I have read anyway.
I've had it described to me as a sad book. In many ways it is, but at the same time the wonderful adventures and the uplifting nature of the book make it a triumph.
Sunday, 28 July 2013
Claude in the City.
I LOVE CLAUDE AND SIR BOBBLYSOCK!
Now I've got that out of the way, lets talk a little about the complete and utter genius of Alex T. Smith and his timeless creation: Claude.
At the start of the book we meet Claude, a small plump dog, with a fondness for a natty red jumper and a beret. Who can fail to be entranced? If you say me, then I hereby call you a heathen and banish you from my tiny little corner of the blogosphere.
At this point I probably should say that the Claude books are intended for developing and confident readers from the age of around 5 upwards, and are fully and magnificently illustrated on every page in hues of red and grey.
Claude lives with his owners, Mr and Mrs Shinyshoes, who a little like Mammy Two Shoes in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, are only seen from the waist down, and his best friend Sir Bobblysock, who as his name suggests, is a bobbly sock. However to describe Sir Bobblysock as just a bobbly sock is an insult to him. He's a slightly world weary hypochondriac, who has seen and done everything, but he tacks along with his best friend, a young, inquisitive dog, in the hope of a cup of tea or a fruity cocktail (that looks more like something Carmen Miranda might have worn on her head) and some form of pastry. He's a slightly camp character that almost every children's book really would benefit from having.
There are two stories in this first instalment of Claude's extraordinary adventures, both of which are superb. Now, I'm not wanting to give anything away, but almost by accident Claude almost always manages to find himself in the wrong place and yet he has the canny ability to accidentally turn the situation around and turn himself into the hero. The first story is lovely, involving a shopping trip into town and then to the museum where Claude foils a magnificently coiffured thief, yet it's the second where I feel Claude really finds his feet. Sir Bobblysock is feeling a little more listless than usual and so Claude rushes him to the hospital. There a magnificently named doctor takes Sir Bobblysock away for treatment and a wonderful Hattie Jacques inspired nurse mistakes Claude for a doctor. A number of patients including some women wrestlers and a tattooed, bearded biker with a penchant for embroidery, are suddenly taken ill and Claude is their last hope! By careful powers of deduction Claude diagnoses the problem!
There are so many great things about this book it's difficult to know where to begin. It is delightfully modern and yet there's a distinctly old fashioned feel about it which is meant as a compliment! The books is full of puns and japes and there's enough to keep an adult amused which is notable in itself, both with the fun storyline and the jokes which can work on more than one level, the witty illustrations are just sublime and very distinct, which I love.
As a final note, I've made many of my colleagues read this, I do tend to force books on them, but as most of them are reasonably short, they don't seem to mind too much, and all of them now love Claude almost as much as I do. I was paid the very great compliment, that the Claude books are like something I would create. If only I had the talent...
The Day the Crayons Quit
Picture books by their very definition are a mixture of text and illustrations, and there are numerous books which have sparkling text and dull, verging on dire illustrations or books with the most amazing images but the story manages to be as dull as old pants. In my opinion, The Day The Crayons Quit is one of the best examples of the ideal marriage of words and pictures.
The premise is verging on genius. A boy named Duncan, one day has received a pile of letters from his crayons. This series of letters are sometimes complimentary but more often complaining, about just how Duncan uses them; amongst other things being overused or underused, arguing over which colour is the true colour of the sun, and embarrassingly, having the paper removed from them. There are so many highlights in the book it is difficult to choose one, however if pressed, I think I would have to select the poor peach crayon. It's the crayon which has had it's paper removed and is now nude. Imagine the horror. All this makes Duncan think and the final couple of pages give this book a triumphant finale.
With text as brilliant and witty as this by debut author Drew Daywalt, it demands top notch illustrations. Oliver Jeffers is one my favourite illustrators, and I personally find him at his very best when he is illustrating another authors work. In The Day The Crayons Quit, he manages to capture a childlike quality in the illustrations and in the letters which are hand written by Jeffers, the style is truly wonderful and manages to enhance the words, which is a wonder in itself.
My only minor criticism of this book, is that due to the style of it, having hand written all the crayons letters with illustrations on the facing pages it looks like an Oliver Jeffers book and that Drew Daywalt won't get the credit he really does deserve.
Anyhow that's the only thing I can find to fault with this book, so if you've got a 4 year old, or a child a couple of years older, do them a favour, Buy this book and share it with them. They'll thank you for it. Hopefully it will inspire some creative colouring and even possibly help children to take proper care of their crayons.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Hello!
So, I'm going to attempt blogging. It's a slightly scary experience for all kinds of reasons. The main one is that I am quite terrible at writing; I ramble on too much and I have dreadful grammar. I can barely type, which makes it look like I can't spell at all, and I'm not the best at that anyway, and my syntax is rather ordinary. In addition, I'm far too fond of popping a comma into a sentence where it probably really doesn't need one. No, punctuation isn't a strength at all.
Anyhow, enough of my many shortcomings, my intent is to attempt to review some of the books I read as part of my job. I am a children's bookseller and I read a fair few children's books. Sadly probably not as many as I should, but we can all say that.
There are many wonderful things about children's books, and indeed about selling children's books, and if I started listing them I'd be here all evening and then that would probably turn into an unedifying rant into the worse aspects of bookselling, which I don't want to start, just yet. However I must just say that in my opinion, the best thing about my job is the variety of books that I deal with on a daily basis; from babies books to books for young adults, the sheer range of books that are available for children today is both exciting and inspiring.
So why start a blog now? Well it's something I've been thinking about for a little while, but I've lacked the courage to bother, frankly. However yesterday a book arrived into the shop that just needed shouting about, and though I know a new blog won't get any readers and therefore I'll fail in my task of spreading the joy, every little helps and I'll feel better for having done it!
So I'll be reviewing books, hopefully on a regular basis, attempting to be honest about them. Sometimes I'll despair, sometimes I'll gush. I'll overuse words like "brilliant" and "marvellous" as they are two of my favourite words, so I'll have to dig out my thesaurus, and I'll basically give a 36 year old's view of books intended for people younger than half my age. It's a good job I've never really grown up.
I think I may enjoy this.
Anyhow, enough of my many shortcomings, my intent is to attempt to review some of the books I read as part of my job. I am a children's bookseller and I read a fair few children's books. Sadly probably not as many as I should, but we can all say that.
There are many wonderful things about children's books, and indeed about selling children's books, and if I started listing them I'd be here all evening and then that would probably turn into an unedifying rant into the worse aspects of bookselling, which I don't want to start, just yet. However I must just say that in my opinion, the best thing about my job is the variety of books that I deal with on a daily basis; from babies books to books for young adults, the sheer range of books that are available for children today is both exciting and inspiring.
So why start a blog now? Well it's something I've been thinking about for a little while, but I've lacked the courage to bother, frankly. However yesterday a book arrived into the shop that just needed shouting about, and though I know a new blog won't get any readers and therefore I'll fail in my task of spreading the joy, every little helps and I'll feel better for having done it!
So I'll be reviewing books, hopefully on a regular basis, attempting to be honest about them. Sometimes I'll despair, sometimes I'll gush. I'll overuse words like "brilliant" and "marvellous" as they are two of my favourite words, so I'll have to dig out my thesaurus, and I'll basically give a 36 year old's view of books intended for people younger than half my age. It's a good job I've never really grown up.
I think I may enjoy this.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)