The Last Wild - an audiobook review

Torday, Piers. 2014. The Last Wild. Penguin Audio.  Narrated by Oliver Hembrough.

Like Eva Nine, in the WondLa series, Kester Jaynes finds that he can communicate with creatures of the wild - an ability that is particularly intriguing in a dystopian world where all animals are presumed dead - killed by the incurable red-eye virus.  Kester finds himself the leader of his own "wild," the ragtag remnants of the animal world.  Flora and fauna are pitted against commercial efficiency and industrialism in this first book of a planned trilogy.

The plot is occasionally predictable, but slow patches are often brightened by the humorous antics of The General (a likable but militaristic cockroach) and a befuddled white pigeon who speaks nonsense that is also somehow prophetic.

The author and narrator hail from the UK, so the reader or listener should be prepared for numerous British words that are uncommon here in the US (wellies, trainers, boot, windscreen, plaits, etc.).

My review of The Last Wild for Audiofile Magazine appears here.

• Listen to an audio excerpt of The Last Wild here.

What's New? The Zoo! - a review

Krull, Kathleen. 2014. What's New? The Zoo!: A Zippy History of Zoos. New York: Scholastic.  Illustrated by Marcellus Hall.

What's New? The Zoo? is an illustrated overview of zoos that combines history with hard science and social science.  Kathleen Krull outlines the history of zoos, and offers insight into what compels us to keep animals, what we've learned from them, and what has changed in zoos since the founding of the first known zoo,

4,400 Years Ago, The Sumerian City of Ur, in Present-Day Iraq
The king of beasts lunges and roars.  The King of Ur roars right back, feeling like the ruler of all nature.  How delicious to wield his power over dangerous animals!  It's the world's first known zoo, and all we're sure about (from clay tablets in libraries) is that is has lions.

From this beginning, Krull highlights transitional moments in zoos throughout the ages and across the globe.  Just a few examples include:

• Ancient Egypt and Rome where zoos were created to impress
• Ancient China where the zoo was a contemplative and sacred place
• Sweden where the science of zoology was established in 1735
• The U.S. National Zoo where the concept of zoos protecting threatened species was introduced
• South Africa's Kruger National Park where the protection of rhinos was so successful that rhinos were delivered to other zoos
• Germany, 1907, where the "cageless zoo" concept is introduced

(Did you know that Aristotle wrote the first encyclopedia of animals?)

On most pages, humorous, watercolor illustrations nestle around paragraphs of simple font against white space.  Several pages, however (including one depiction of fifteen buffalo waiting for a train at Grand Central Station, 1907), are double-spreads with many amusing details.

The very talented Kathleen Krull never disappoints!  If you like your science accessible and entertaining, this is the book for you.

A SLJ interview with Kathleen Krull on the history of zoos.

Picture Book Roundup - kid pleasers!

Cars, pirates and caterpillars - how can you miss?
 
Stein, Peter. 2011. Cars Galore. Ill. by Bob Staake. Somerville, MA: Candlewick.

With Seussical rhymes,

Black car, green car,
nice car, mean car.
Near car, far car.
Whoa! Bizarre car!

Peter Stein writes about one of children’s favorite topics – cars. In rhyme reminiscent of The Foot Book (which, BTW, I think I might know by heart!) this should be a genuine crowd pleaser. Bob Staake’s digitally-created illustrations are all double-spreads. His often long-necked, pointy nosed, angular humans are humorously squeezed into improbable conveyances that travel along whimsical and scenic blacktop roads set against a backdrop of white space. Kids will love it.

Check out Bob Staake's occasional newsletter on The Sporadic Bob.

 

Wolfe, Myra. 2011. Charlotte Jane Battles Bedtime. Ill. by Maria Monescillo. New York: Harcourt.

"Charlotte Jane the Hearty came howling into the world with the sunrise” … "finer than a ship full of jewels,” and with “formidable oomph.”

Under the loving and watchful eyes of her pirate parents, young Charlotte is a daring little doubloon. At least she was, until she stays up all night and loses her oomph; and then, the search is on! With smart writing that offers more than just Pirate-talk, Wolfe spins a simple, humorous yarn. Monescillo’s digitally retouched and textured watercolor illustrations are crisp, colorful and modern.
 
Martin, Bill Jr. 2011. Ten Little Caterpillars. Ill. by Lois Ehlert. New York: Beach Lane.

Yes, you’ve probably got enough caterpillar to butterfly books (even Ehlert’s own books), but how can you resist the combination of Bill Martin Jr. and Lois Ehlert? A rhyming, counting, nature, butterfly book illustrated in Ehlert’s signature watercolor, cut-paper collage style. Martin avoids triteness by varying the rhyme pattern to offer a final poetic metamorphosis equal to the caterpillar’s natural one.

That's it for tonight.  Enjoy!

A Whiff of Pine, A Hint of Skunk

Ruddell, Deborah. 2009. A whiff of pine, a hint of skunk: A forest of poems. (Ill. by Joan Rankin). New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books.

Some are funny and succinct

as in the case of "Chipmunks, Inc."

Others - evocative and sublime,

"Eau de Forest," comes to mind.

In nature's palette it's illustrated,

funny yet beautiful, Highly Rated.

A delightful collection of mostly humorous, rhyming nature poems. From now on, no Thanksgiving craft session will be complete without a reading of "A Wild Turkey Comments on His Portrait." Priceless!

Another review of this great collection can be found at Bookends, a Booklist blog.

The Busy Tree

Ward, Jennifer. 2009. The Busy Tree. Ill. by Lisa Falkenstern. Tarrytown,NY: Marshall Cavendish.

With oil paintings that are both realistic and beautiful, Busy Tree informs readers of the many uses for a tree. In first -person rhyme, the "tree" tells of its many denizens,
"This is the spider that lives in my bark, spinning a web from dawn until dark." A simple and powerful introduction to trees.

Count Down to Fall

Hawk, Fran. 2009. Count Down to Fall. Illustrated by Sherry Neidigh. Mt. Pleasant, SC: Sylvan Dell.

There is much to like about Countdown to Fall. Ostensibly a counting book, its true value is in its leafy pages. Seasonal leaf identification is as easy as falling off a log with simple rhymes and realistic, double-spread illustrations.

Not all of the rhymes flow perfectly, but each offers a fun way to memorize each leaf type. Beech tree leaves are described "like yellow cat's eyes," and my favorite,

"Six linden leaves
in Valentine shapes
reflect golden sun
in autumn's landscape."

Linking the Linden tree's leaves to a Valentine shape is original and memorable.

The real beauty of this book, however, is in its illustrations. Four corner insets on each spread offer depictions of a leaf in spring, a leafy tree in autumn, a seed pod, and an autumn leaf. The illustrations are bordered by a lifelike depiction of the tree's bark. The featured artwork shows the tree sharing its habitat with the creatures of nature - bears, birds, bugs, and more.

For Creative Minds is an educational section that follows the story and contains simple quizzes (match the spring leaf to the autumn leaf) and questions. Click to see.

This book is a teacher's dream - engaging, entertaining, and educational.
(If you're a librarian, check the publisher's site for crafts to do in conjunction with each of Sylvan Dell's titles- cool!)

Earth

Earth
2009 DisneyNature Rated G

I must confess that I'm not usually a fan of Disney movies, but it would be impossible to find fault with the Earth Day release of DisneyNature's Earth. Narrated by James Earl Jones, Earth is a visually stunning celebration of our planet's most unspoiled places and their inhabitants. From the Arctic to the Antarctic, from the windswept African desert to the lush and exotic tropical rain forest, Earth follows the awe-inspiring migrations and life-cycles of elephants, cranes, humpback whales, buffalo, polar bears and more.

Family-friendly, Earth illustrates the cycle of life primarily through the hunt and chase, rather than the capture of prey (with the exception of the Great White shark, which by its nature, cannot be depicted with restraint). Only the night-vision scenes of confrontations between elephants and lions might frighten the youngest viewers. I was pleased at the number of families attending the early evening showing. There were as many children as adult in the audience, perhaps more.

Three suggestions if you're planning to see Earth (and I hope you are!)

1. See it at a theater with digital projection - the grainy quality of film detracts from the cinematography.

2. Choose a late evening showing unless you are prepared (or heartened) by choruses of "Look, Mommy! A lion!" "Look, Mommy! It's a giraffe!"

3. Stay for the credits.

The Wolves are Back

George, Jean Craighead. 2008. The wolves are back. Ill. by Wendell Minor. New York: Dutton.

Famed author Jean Craighead George, (My Side of the Mountain, Julie of the Wolves, and more) has written the story of the reintroduction of wolves into Yellowstone National Park. The Wolves are Back flows like a storybook,

"The wolf pup with his father ate until his stomach was round and then followed his father back to their den. They walked through gardens of wildflowers. The wolves had scared the mountain sheep that chew the flowers to the ground up into the rocky cliffs."

The story follows the life of a pup and highlights the necessity of wolves to the complex ecosystem of Yellowstone Park. Wild wolves thin the coyote herds, provide meat for the bears, keep elk from destroying the grasslands, etc. Each of these actions benefits the wilderness, 'like pieces of a kaleidoscope...tumbling into place."

"Beavers built ponds. Birds sang. Flowers bloomed. The wilderness is in balance again. The wolves are back."

Paintings by landscape artist, Wendell Minor, showcase the graceful beauty of the the park and its inhabitants. Painted in both the brilliant and the soft colors of nature's flora and fauna, his illustrations impart serenity to the story, depicting the animals naturally, yet gently. Many are double spreads with minimal text.

Jean Craighead George continues her commitment to our wild places with this beautiful picture book.