Happy New Year!

Here's to a Happy 2007, everyone!

Goodbye, 2006--you were a good one and will be remembered fondly.

One of the best events of 2006 was the beginning of The Cybils. A big thanks to Anne Boles Levy of Book Buds for all her hard work in getting The Cybils off the ground and running smoothly. Anne sent along vital information about The Cybils shortlists and when they will appear tomorrow. That's right! They'll be up tomorrow morning--in 2007. Here are some fun facts about The Cybils nominating process:

• Total nominated books: 484
• Smallest category: Poetry (26 nominations)
• Largest category: Fiction picture books (111 nominations)

The posting of the five-book shortlists will occur at the following times:

• 9:15 Poetry
• 9:30 Non-fiction Picture Book
• 9:45 Fiction Picture Book
• 10:00 YA fiction
• 10:15 MG/YA Non-fiction
• 10:30 MG fiction
• 10:45 Graphic Novel
• 11:00 Fantasy/Science Fiction

41 kidlit bloggers took part in reading through these 484 books and we've selected the best of the year. Keep refreshing The Cybils site and watch out for kid-friendly choices and some surprises.

I'll see you on the other side of this evening with two reviews of Middle Grade Fiction shortlisted titles.

Weekend Reviews (II)

Not surprisingly, book coverage is light this final weekend of 2006. Here's what I've found. On with 2007!

A Swift Pure Cry, by Siobhan Dowd, is the Times Children's Book of the Week.

Galileo's Journal: 1609-1610, by Jeanne K. Pettenati, is the Washington Post Book of the Week.

Possibly for children? Andrea Mullaney reviews A Winter Book, by Tove Jansson, for the Scotsman. ("It's a thoughtful edition, elegantly designed and ordered like a life, from stories told from a child's perspective through to ones about ageing and accommodation and, since it's Jansson's own life, the effects of the fame the Moomins brought her.")

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books for the Chicago Tribune. This week she considers:

• Not a Box, by Antoinette Portis
• Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon, and Stars Began, story by Emmett "Shkeme" Garcia, illustrated by Victoria Pringle
• Pirate Treasure Map: A Fairytale Adventure, by Colin and Jacqui Hawkins
• Miracle on 49th Street, by Mike Lupica
• Black Cat Bone, by J. Patrick Lewis, illustrated by Gary Kelley
• The Late Loon, by Dean Bennett

Blog Resolutions

I LOVED Liz B.'s post on New Year's blogging resolutions (inspired by Semicolon), so I thought I'd follow suit. My resolutions may be the same as others', but I still want to take part. Here are my blogging resolutions for 2007:

1. Stop using JacketFlap to read blogs. I think JacketFlap is a great service for others, but not for me. I tend to miss posts and not read as thoroughly by reading blogs on this service. From now on, I plan on clicking from my own roll and then checking the Flap once a week or so for new blogs out there. This for me is the most important resolution.
2. Participate in Semicolon's Saturday Reviews! I always forget, because it's a busy day for me with the kids.
3. Like Liz, I need to track my review copies and be more vigilant about reading in order received. I'm working on a system now.
4. Pay attention to Children's Book Reviews!! It's been more than a month since I've been adding links and I really want this to be a good resource for others.
5. Get a new design. One with better linking and categorizing. I prefer Typepad's formats--will I have to move there? Do it, even if I'm afraid of losing readers.

Weekend Reviews (I)

While we're waiting for The Cybils shortlists to go up on the 1st, I thought I'd return with the early weekend reviews and some book reviews this weekend. I've been on the MG committee and, so, know the results and am really antsy! I can't wait until they're announced.

I hope you're all having a wonderful holidays (or being thankful that they're over this year)!

Elizabeth Ward recognizes books "from 2006 that deserve a salute before the year closes" in the Washington Post. They include:

• When Santa Fell to Earth, by Cornelia Funke, translated by Oliver G. Latsch
• Startled by His Furry Shorts, by Louise Rennison
• The Loud Silence of Francine Green, by Karen Cushman
• Larklight, by Philip Reeve
• Spirits That Walk in Shadow, by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
• Jackson Jones and the Curse of the Outlaw Rose, by Mary Quattlebaum
• Alpha Oops! The Day Z Went First, by Alethea Kontis, illustrated by Bob Kolar
• Singing Shijimi Clams, by Naomi Kojima
• The South Overlook Oaks, by John Reardon, illustrated by Chris Youngbluth
• Ninety-Three in My Family, by Erica S. Perl

My new favorite author, Frank Cottrell Boyce, reviews Mal Peet's Penalty for the Guardian. (Let me just add here, that Framed is one of my favorite children's books EVER. If you haven't read it, you must.)

This review column is from last week, but I just can't let it go. Mary Harris Russell reviewed six new titles for the Chicago Tribune. They are:

• Looking for Bapu, by Anjali Banerjee
• Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow, by James Howe
• An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green
• This Jazz Man, by Karen Ehrhardt, pictures by R.G. Roth
• Bear Dreams, by Elisha Cooper
• When Daddy's Truck Picks Me Up, by Jana Novotny Hunter, illustrated by Carol Thompson

Blogvation!

I'm taking a ten-day break from the ol' blog.

I may still post a review here and there and roundup the weekend reviews, but other than that, I plan to relax and read, read, read.

I wish you all a Happy Holidays and I'll see you in the New Year.

(I'll still be checking the e-mail constantly. The Cybils, you know!)

Poetry Friday

Happy Poetry Friday to one and all! This week I've chosen a very short poem--but one I really love.

Choose
by Carl Sandburg

THE single clenched fist lifted and ready,
Or the open asking hand held out and waiting.
Choose:
For we meet by one or the other.

(via PoetryFoundation.org)
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Liz B., of A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy, is doing this week's roundup. Head on over and leave your links.

The Edge of the Forest, Vol II, Issue 1

Before you all head out for the holidays, I'm sending out a call for submissions. The Edge of the Forest will return January 10 with the first issue of its second volume! I'm looking for the following for next month:

• One feature. Do you have a great idea about children's books? Have you been reading for the Cybils and have noticed an interesting trend? Then, please, send me an e-mail! Or, too busy this month? Then propose a feature for February or March.
• Original reviews in all categories.
• A blogging writer interview.
• Best of the Blogs. Have you noticed some fun or intriguing posts in the kidlitosphere? Of course you have! Please consider writing our Best of the Blogs column.

I'm taking a 10 day Blogvation after Poetry Friday tomorrow, but I'll still be reading e-mail and comments. (In fact, I hope to catch up on reading.)

M.T. Anderson profile

David Mehegan talks to M.T. Anderson for the Boston Globe. Mehegan opens his article with "like his protagonists, he's a character study." Why? Mehegan explains:

• "In his younger days, M.T. Anderson was inclined to be solitary and sometimes made choices that went against the expectations of others -- like dropping out of Harvard. But his feel for that kind of person became the heart of his writing career and has won for him the 2006 National Book Award for young people's literature."

Also, in the Boston Globe, adults like pop-up books.

Cool! New (Old) Roald Dahl

Nick Tanner reports for the Guardian that a 1943 Roald Dahl work will appear in publication (in the U.S.) next year. Titled The Gremlins, Dahl's work is about:

• "two British pilots who discover a group of small, horned creatures on the wings of their aeroplane. Initially hostile, the Gremlins are won over with their favourite food - used postage stamps - and join the Allied forces in the Battle of Britain."

Tanner writes that The Gremlins was "early foray into children's literature, before Dahl turned to the adult stories and screenplays with which he hoped to make his name."

The Gremlins will be published by Dark Horse.

10th Carnival of Children's Literature

Just a heads up, Folks! The 10th Carnival of Children's Literature will be held here on January 20. Submissions deadline will be 1/15. No theme: Just send me your best post from December or the first half of January.

There's some registration issues on the Carnival site at the moment, so if you're burning to submit now, you can send me your submission by e-mail. I'll make another announcement when the Carnival submissions site is working.

Reviews alert

I reviewed three excellent Middle Grade titles this month for The Edge of the Forest. The books I reviewed were so fabulous, I thought I'd mention it here: They are Framed, by Frank Cottrell Boyce (my favorite book of 2006), The Higher Power of Lucky, by Susan Patron, and Trollsbridge: A Rock 'n' Roll Fairy Tale, by Jane Yolen and Adam Stemple.

The Edge of the Forest #10

The December edition of The Edge of the Forest is up!

In short, here's what's in store this month:

• Sounds from the Forest, a podcast column produced by Andrea and Mark of Just One More Book!!, is back. This month find out what the folks at The Cybils are up to.
• An interview with writer Karen English, by Cynthia J. Omololu.
• December is picture book month, with two features focused on books for the younger set.
  Anne Boles Levy considers picture book dialog in Strong Dialog Speaks Volumes and Julie Danielson reviews four recent rhyming titles in Poetic Picture Books.
• Allie compiles a list: The Best of 2006
• Kim Winters contributes two columns this month, speaking to Ruthann Heidgerken, Youth Services Librarian and writer for What's in their Backpacks? and children's writer, Debby Dahl Edwardson, for A Day in the Life.
• Reviews in all categories—from Picture book to Young Adult.
• Kid Picks is Teen Picks this month! Allie talks books with some pretty smart high school
  students (and their younger siblings).
• Don't forget to subscribe to The Edge of the Forest with our Subscribe feature. Just enter your name and e-mail address and you'll receive notification when each new issue is published.

Beginning in 2007, The Edge of the Forest will be published on the 10th of every month.

Gross books

Margaret Webb Pressler recommends gross books (for when "you don't want a book with a plot, a villain and a surprise ending -- you just want a good chuckle") for the Washington Post. These books include:

• The Doggy Dung Disaster & Other True Stories, by Garth Sundem
• The Brainiest, Insaniest Ultimate Puzzle Book, Workman Publishing
• You Gotta Be Kidding! by Randy Horn
• 101 Places You Gotta See Before You're 12! by Joanne O'Sullivan
• Oh, Yikes! History's Grossest, Wackiest Moments, by Joy Masoff

Well, only 3 of 5 books are actually gross, but they all would keep a kid busy on the road.

Review: Barkbelly

Barkbelly is a book I've had on my to-read pile for six months. It's a book I know I'd love, but something always interfered, most recently The Cybils (for which I'm on the Middle Grade [non-fantasy] panel). That's why, when my mother volunteered to review books for this site, Barkbelly was the first book I gave her. Here is her review:

This book was reviewed by Alice Herold

Who can turn into a wooden boy and have many fanciful adventures?
a. Pinocchio
b. The Gingerbread Boy
c. Barkbelly

The correct answer is "C." Barkbelly by Cat Weatherill has the feel of an on-going bedtime story geared for juveniles, ages 8-14. The illustrations were drawn by Peter Brown who captured my mental image of Barkbelly perfectly.

Barkbelly is the name of the wooden boy who hatched from an egg when it was thrown into a fire. He has so many adventures the story takes on a dream-like (or nightmarish) quality. During a game of Bull Run at school, Barkbelly hit Pan Evans, killed him, and was forced to run away. He ran for seven days and nights. He finds work as a Stir Boy in a jam factory (a wooden boy can stir tirelessly), joins a circus (as a Cannonball who can't get hurt when he falls), works on a ship (repairing sails, climbing ropes) and travels to an island (Ashenspeak) to seek his real family.

The story is completely fresh and original. The author uses words such as Pumbleditcher, Log Worthing, Tythingtown, and Freckle Flannagan. Besides made-up words, she uses rich vocabulary (unfathomable, flummoxed, and extraction).

I enjoyed this book and am eager to seek if my 8-14 year old friends will feel the same way.

Weekend Reviews (IV)

I hope you're all having a wonderful weekend! I'm busy putting together the final Forest of 2006, so I'm just going to give you the review roundup straight. Here we go:

David L. Ulin reviews Big Fat Little Lit, edited by Art Spiegelman and Françoise Mouly, for the Los Angeles Times. (" Featuring 36 pieces by artists such as Spiegelman, Jules Feiffer, Maurice Sendak and William Joyce, the collection is delightfully eclectic, a hodgepodge of visual and narrative styles.")

Cornelia Funke's new novel for the younger crowd, When Santa Fell to Earth, is the Washington Post "Book of the Week."

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books this week for the Chicago Tribune. They include:

• Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean (a "a splendid, witty sequel")
• Harlem Hustle, by Janet McDonald
• When Giants Come to Play, by Andrea Beaty, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
• Mr. Ferlinghetti's Poem, story and woodcuts by David Frampton
• The Adventurous Life of Myles Standish, by Cheryl Harness
• Leo's Dream, by Antonie Schneider, illustrated by Helga Bansch, translated from German by Alyson Cole

Weekend Reviews (III)

Reviews are popping up here and there sporadically this weekend. Here's what I've found:

Susan Perren is back with reviews for the Globe and Mail. This week she reviews the following books:

• I Have a Little Dreidel, by Maxie Baum, illustrated by Julie Paschkis ("a simple, rhyming story about the eighth night of the holiday, illustrated in a bold, forthright manner that will appeal to the very young")
• Carl, the Christmas Carp, by Ian Krykorka, illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka (a "sparklingly effervescent" Christmas story)
• Listen, Said the Donkey, by Jean Little, illustrated by Werner Zimmerman ("the essential Christmas story retold, revivified, to some extent reinvented, in Little's as always astringent, yet tender, prose")
• Clever Katarina: A Tale in Six Parts, by Ken Setterington, illustrated by Nelly and Ernst Hofer (a "very pleasing six-chapter book")
• The 25 Pains of Kennedy Baines, by Dede Crane

Weekend Reviews (II)

Reviews are showing up early this weekend. There are a number of reviews of children's books in this weekend's New York Times Book Review section, for example. Here's what's available online now:

• Robert Sullivan reviews Into the West: From Reconstruction to the Final Days of the American Frontier, by James M. McPherson ("Like good newspaper stories, McPherson’s chapters convey big ideas with the details of people’s lives, national trends with local notes")
• Julie Just interviews James M. McPherson
• Karla Kuskin reviews The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven ("This tale needs the fanciful turns the author and artist bring to it.")
• Jessica Bruder considers Once Upon a Banana, by Jennifer Armstrong and illustrated by David Small ("This rambunctious tale...is almost wordless but packed with physical comedy")
• Holiday books for children are the subject of this week's Bookshelf

Weekend Reviews (I)

Here are links to two early reviews from the Guardian.

Diane Samuels reviews Margaret Mahy's Maddigan's Fantasia.

Joanna Carey considers Noel Streatfeild's Circus Shoes, recently reissued in the U.K.

Authors' Picks

Cynthia Leitich Smith has a great post up today, Author Picks of 2006. Cynthia asked popular writers of children's and YA fiction which book was their favorite this year.

Head on over and check out their choices!

Poetry Friday: Alexander Blok

This week's Poetry Friday was inspired by a recent post in the The New York Review of Books Classics' new blog A Different Stripe: Notes from NYRB Classics.

Sara, in writing about an upcoming poetry reading, posted this photo of Alexander Blok's 1912 poem "Night, street, lamp, drugstore" on a building wall in Leiden. Very cool.

Here's the poem in English translation:

Night, street, lamp, drugstore,

A dull and meaningless light.

Go on and live another quarter century -

Nothing will change. There's no way out.

You'll die - start from the beginning anew,

And all will repeat, just like before:

Night, icy ripples on a canal,

Drugstore, street, lamp.

(Translation and photo from Wikipedia.)

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I'm on the roundup this week. Drop me your links in the comments! (Or send me an e-mail to kidslitinfo@gmail.com. Seems blogger comments are not working well today.)

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Let's get this pary started!

Winter is still on Michele's mind at Scholar's Blog. She has posted two children's verses by Robert Louis Stevenson and "The Frost," by Hanna Flagg Gould.

Elaine reviews holiday picture books at Blue Rose Girls.

Adrienne reviews Animal Mischief at What Adrienne Thinks About That.

Susan reviews You Read to Me, I'll Read to You at Chicken Spaghetti.

Jules reviews two rhyming picture books over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Susan Taylor Brown shares an Andrew Lang fairy poem at Susan Writes.

Nancy's in at Journey Woman with a poem and a scene from Little Women.

Wendy reviews a "delightful collection of Hanukkah poems," Hanukkah Lights, at Blog from the Windowsill.

Kelly Fineman contributes Shakespeare's Sonnet # 130 this week.

Too funny! Liz B. shares the lyrics to "Save Ginny Weasely," by Harry and the Potters, at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.

Little Willow is in with "Where the Rainbow Fell," by Jack London, at Slayground.

Mitali contributes Rabindranath Tagore's "Old and New" at Mitali's Fire Escape

Franki shares "A Merry Literary Christmas" at A Year of Reading.

A new kidlit team blog, Wordy Girls, is in! Laura Salas reviews Hotel Deep: Light Verse from Dark Water, by Kurt Cyrus. (Four children's writers are behind Wordy Girls, a blog I will include in my December new blog roundup.)

This just in! Cloudscome has posted a Richard Wright haiku at A Wrung Sponge.

And, Becky at Farm School has two entries this week: A poem for Hanukkah, by A.M. Klein, and a favorite of E.B. White's, "pity the poor spiders," by Don Marquis.

Review: Half Moon Investigations

Eoin Colfer's Half Moon Investigations is, apparently, a deeply divisive book. If you read the Amazon reviews, you'll find readers either loved it or hated it. I'm in the first camp and I'll try to explain why in this review.

Twelve-year-old Fletcher Moon is a detective in Lock, Ireland. Dubbed "Half Moon" by his peers because he's small for his age, Fletcher is generally considered a bit of a nerd. Needless to say, Fletcher is surprised when the most popular ten-year-old girl in his school, April Deveraux, hires him to catch a thief--a thief she's sure is Red Sharkey.

Red Sharkey is one of the Sharkey kids, a family known their red hair, as well as for theft, fraud, and other petty crime. When Fletcher is framed for arson by the novel's villain, he and Red become allies in a race to solve the crime before they themselves are put away.

Along the way, Red and Fletcher (disguised as Watson Sharkey with a fake tan, dyed red hair, an earring, and a tattoo) investigate a group of ten-year-old girls who've banded together as Les Jeunes Etudiantes, the Lock police force, and Red's own family.

I enjoyed Half Moon Investigations primarily for its language. It's written in a classic noir style, with metaphors and similes that outdo Raymond Chandler and are laugh-out-loud funny. Here are a few examples:

• "April and May stared each other down for a long moment, like two Manga girls about to throw lightning bolts."
• "His voice was impossibly deep and smooth. Like someone had mixed the bass guy from a soul band and the guy who does the movie trailers together in a vat of treacle."
• "Emotions flicked across Red's brow, as though his brain was channel hopping. He went through amazement, fury, and sadness among others, eventually settling on a blank expression that reminded me of the one Mel Gibson did in Braveheart, just before he cut some English guy's throat."

That last one is my favorite.

Fletcher and Red are well-drawn characters, reminding the reader to look twice at a person: Fletcher has more guts than his nerdy demeanor suggests and Red is trying desperately to shake his family's reputation. Their unlikely friendship sets Half Moon Investigations apart.

Reviewers who dislike Half Moon Investigations do so because they found the plot and the villain's motives unbelievable. But the book is supposed to be a fun romp, a play on genre. It's more a fantasy, than realistic fiction. Read in this way, Half Moon Investigations delights, entertains, and reminds the reader to avoid lazy stereotypes.

Half Moon Investigations is best suited for readers ages eight to thirteen.

Still looking for a gift?

Then look no further. The always creative, ever smart MotherReader has compiled a wonderful gift list, called "Twenty One Ways to Give a Book."

Inspired by Alan Silberberg's "books make great gifts" web-cartoon, Mother Reader has been on a roll. She also recommends funny books here.

Mortal Ghost, now as podcast

Great news! L. Lee Lowe, author of the serial YA novel Mortal Ghost, has begun providing podcasts of the novel. You can listen to each chapter online or download it to listen on the go. Chapter One is available now.

Nestlé Children's Book Prize

Julia Golding has won the Nestlé Children's Book Prize for The Diamond of Drury Lane.

Here's a quote from the press release: "Ms Golding's atmospheric adventure story captivated the prize's school-age judges and won the gold medal for the best book in the nine to eleven years category. Set in London's theatre-land in the 1790s, The Diamond of Drury Lane tells the story of an orphan who becomes involved in a diamond mystery. "

I really want to read this book, but I don't see a U.S. publication date. Anyone know the publication status for The Diamond of Drury Lane in the States?

Mouse Noses on Toast, by Daren King, illustrated by David Roberts, took the gold for the 6-8 category. That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton, is tops for the under 5s.

More Top Lists

Here's another "best of the books" list, this time from Canada. The great thing about Canadian lists is that you can see the best of all English-language titles, as they publish a variety of books from the U.S., Australia, the U.K., and, of course, Canada.

"Sounds Like Canada" included a story on the best children's books of the year on December 11, this year focusing on Young Adult fiction. "Phyllis Simon, Michele Landsberg, and Ken Setterington join [host] Shelagh to tell her what's great for this year." Here's what they chose:

Phyllis Simon's picks:
Ziggy and the Plugfish, Jonathan Harlen
Alone on a Wide Wide Sea, Michael Morpurgo
The Talent Thief, Alex Williams
Gatty's Tale, Kevin Crossley-Holland
The Story of Salt, Mark Kurlansky

Michele Landsberg's picks
The Book Thief, Markus Zusak
The Thief, The King of Attolia, The Queen of Attolia, Megan Whalen Turner
Kids Cook 1-2-3, Rozanne Gold
Clementine, Sara Pennypacker

Ken Setterington's picks
A Very Fine Line, Julie Johnston
Skinnybones and the Wrinkle Queen, Glen Huser
Hello, Groin, Beth Goobie
The Little Black Book for Girlz, by youth for youth
I Found a Deadbird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death, Jan Thornhill

Here's a link to the program log. Thanks to Kathleen for the link!

Richard and Judy's Picture Book picks

Richard and Judy, Britain's answer to Oprah in terms of booksales, have selected their top five picture books of the season.

The number one book is Calm Down Boris!, by Stella Gurney and illustrated by Sam Lloyd. The shortlist consisted of Calm Down Boris! and the following four titles:

• Augustus and His Smile, by Catherine Rayner


• Incredible Book-Eating Boy, by Oliver Jeffers


• Scaredy Squirrel, by Melanie Watt


• That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, by Cressida Cowell, illustrated by Neal Layton

Seven authors and illustrators must be very happy at the moment. This is the list to be on in terms of book sales.

BBC Production of "The Ruby in the Smoke"

The Scotsman reported over the weekend that the BBC will be producing Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke.

Here's the quote:

• "With a big-budget film version of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy scheduled for next year, the BBC has cleverly dusted down the first of Pullman's earlier quartet of novels for their Christmas adaptation. Current flavour of the month actress Billie Piper takes on the role of Sally Lockhart, a feisty orphan who is as accomplished with a pistol as with accountancy. "

I wonder if this production will make it over to the States...

Review: Rosa Farm

This review was written by Alice Herold

I have three questions for Liz Wu, the author of Rosa Farm.

1. Was your favorite book as a child Charlotte's Web?

2. Are you an animal lover?

3. Did you read How the Rooster Stole the Sun?

I'm convinced the author spent many hours sitting quietly in a farmyard watching and wondering. In another lifetime, she could be a young Beatrix Potter. Eli, the cat, one of the main animal characters, expounds the virtues of being observant. He explains, "I'm in the business of information. All that means is I sit, watch, and listen to whatever goes on around me." He taught Gallileon, the rooster, to find out what happened to the sun after it disappeared for a few moments in the middle of the day. After several mishaps, including the kidnapping of Gallilion's sister, Pepina, one of the geese admits it's an "egg lips." Eli patiently explains an eclipse, a rare event, when the moon gets in the way of the sun.

The black and white illustrations, by Matt Phelan, are lovingly drawn and apaced throughout Rosa Farm. the book is written for an early elementary audience.

Weekend Reviews (I-II)

A busy Saturday resulted in a delay in the Weekend Reviews roundup. Here it all is in one huge post. (Susan, there are tons of top-ten lists in here. Summarize away!)

Philip Ardagh reviews Larklight, by Philip Reeve, for the Guardian. ("Satisfying, enjoyable and engaging. Mr Reeve has done it again.")

Madeline Bryant recommends holiday choices for the Los Angeles Times. Her choices are:

• Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?, written by "fourteen masters of illustration," including Jerry Pinkney and Mo Willems
• Follow the Line, by Laura Ljungkvist
• Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
• Escape! The Story of the Great Houdini, by Sid Fleischman
• Crispin: At the Edge of the World, by Avi
• Fairest, by Gail Carson Levine
• The Legend of Bass Reeves, by Gary Paulsen
• Pick Me Up, by Jeremy Leslie and David Roberts

Dinah Hall selects her favorites of 2006 for the Telegraph. These include:

• Who's In the Loo?, by Jeanne Willis (love the title)
• That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, by Cressida Cowell and illustrated by Neal Layton
• Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen and illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
• Tim the Tiny Horse, by Harry Hill
• Hall includes an anti-recommendation in her picture book roundup: "there's no excuse for the emetic that is Kylie the Showgirl Princess"
• The Story of Everything, by Neal Layton
• Deadly Invaders, by Denise Grady
• Pick Me Up, by Jeremy Leslie and David Roberts
• Whitakers World of Facts
• Young Gardener, by Stefan and Beverley Buczacki
• Look! Seeing the Light in Art, by Gillian Wolfe
• Tiger and its perhaps less easily loveable Rhino, by Joanna Skipworth
• Larklight, by Philip Reeve
• The View from Saturday, by E. L. Konigsburg
• Alone on a Wide Wide Sea, by Michael Morpurgo
• The Silver Donkey, by Sonya Hartnett
• Frozen Fire, by Tim Bowler
• Centre of My World, by Andreas Steinhofel

Elizabeth Ward selects her top ten novels for children and top ten picture books for the Washington Post. First with the novels:

• The Book of Everything, by Guus Kuijer
• Here Lies the Librarian, by Richard Peck
• Kiki Strike: Inside the Shadow City, by Kirsten Miller (I adore Kiki Strike. It's one of those books I wish I'd had when I was 10)
• Lugalbanda: The Boy Who Got Caught Up in a War: An Epic Tale From Ancient Iraq, by Kathy Henderson
• Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean
• Samurai Shortstop, by Alan Gratz
• The Unresolved, by T.K. Welsh (I loved this one too.)
• Victory, by Susan Cooper
• The White Elephant, by Sid Fleischman
• Wintersmith, by Terry Pratchett

Now for the picture books:

• Flotsam, by David Wiesner
• Lost and Found, by Oliver Jeffers
• Mommy?, by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks and Matthew Reinhart
• Probuditi!, by Chris van Allsburg
• The Runaway Dinner, by Allan Ahlberg, illustrated by Bruce Ingman
• Silly Suzy Goose, by Petr Horacek
• The Squeaky Door, by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Mary Newell DePalma
• Stanley Goes Fishing, by Craig Frazier
• The Three Witches, by Zora Neale Hurston, adapted by Joyce Carol Thomas, illustrated by Faith Ringgold
• Wolves, by Emily Gravett

Karen MacPherson selects her top ten non-fiction titles of 2006. They include:

• Quest for the Tree Kangaroo, by Sy Montgomery
• Diving to a Deep-Sea Volcano, by Kenneth Mallory
• John Smith Escapes Again!, by Rosalyn Schanzer
• Everybody's Revolution, by Thomas Fleming
• The American Story: 100 True Tales From American History, by Jennifer Armstrong, illustrated by Roger Roth
• Team Moon: How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon, by Catherine Thimmesh
• Liftoff: A Photobiography of John Glenn, by Don Mitchell
• Andy Warhol: Pop Art Painter, by Susan Goldman Rubin
• Make It Pop! Activities and Adventures in Pop Art, by Joyce Raimondo.
• The Amazing World of Sports, Sports Illustrated

In the midst of all this top-tenning, Jabari Asim reviews picture books for this week's Washington Post. She reviews:

• Black? White! Day? Night!, by Laura Vaccaro Seeger ("a smartly conceived, cleverly designed exploration of opposites and their meanings")
• The Opposite, by Tom MacRae ("an equally fanciful approach to the same concept")
• The Slightly Irregular Fire Engine or The Hithering Thithering Djinn, by Donald Barthelme ("the absurdist story of a young girl named Mathilda who had a brief Alice in Wonderland-type adventure")
• 365 Penguins, by Jean-Luc Fromental and illustrated by Joelle Jolivet ("definitely pleasing")
• New Clothes For New Year's Day, by Hyun-Joo Bae ("delightful illustrations")

Lights, Camera, Amalee, by Dar Williams, is the Washington Post "Book of the Week."

On Angel Wings, by Michael Morpurgo and illustrated by Quentin Blake, is the Times "Children's Book of the Week."

Mary Harris Russell is back with her "For Young Readers" column in the Chicago Tribune. This week she reviews the following six titles:

• Snow Globe Family, by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by S.D. Schindler ("Delightfully working out parallels in winter outings and the real fun of a good night's sleep after a cold day of play, whether the snow is real or not.")
• Ophelia, by Lisa Klein ("Shakespeare loved changing source material around, and Klein continues in his footsteps")
• Beka Cooper: Book 1: Terrier, by Tamora Pierce (has a "strikingly unexpected ending")
• Beauty and the Beast, by Max Eilenberg, illustrated by Angela Barrett
• Night Boat to Freedom, by Margot Theis Raven, pictures by E.B.Lewis ("Color--that first red, her quilts, the dark and the dawn--flows through the story, and the hues of E.B. Lewis' illustrations move us.")
• 365 Penguins, by Jean-Luc Fromental, illustratedby Joelle Jolivet (" it's the fun of the rapidly multiplying penguin horde that carries the book")

Sue Corbett chooses her top books of 2006 for the Miami Herald. With the help of an "in-home focus group," Corbett's choices are the following:

• Happy Birthday, Jamela!, by Niki Daly
• I'm Not a Baby!, by Jill McElmurry
• Lilly's Big Day, by Kevin Henkes
• John, Paul, George & Ben, by Lane Smith
• Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom, by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson
• Tales Our Abuelitas Told: A Hispanic Folktale Collection, by Alma Flor Ada and Isabel Campoy
• Clementine, by Sarah Pennypacker
• Half Moon Investigations, by Eoin Colfer
• A True and Faithful Narrative, by Katherine Sturtevant
• Born to Rock, by Gordon Korman
• Headlock, by Joyce Sweeney

Still reading? Then let me tell you that The Oregonian has instituted a new Young Adult Literature column, written by April Henry. Henry reviews E. Lockhart's The Boy Book and Michael Harmon's Skate this week.

Are you really still reading this roundup? The consider Eleanor A. Bernal's travel book recommendations for children in the San Antonio Express.

And, wait! There's more. Cecelia Goodnow recommends a few new books (including The Green Glass Sea, Toys Go Out, and The American Story) in the Dallas Morning News.

Whew! What a weekend. I think I need a nap...

E.B. White profile

On the near eve of the release of the new Charlotte's Web, Ty Burr profiles E.B. White for the Boston Globe. (I'm trying to remain open-minded about the new movie, how about you?)

Burr reminds the reader that E.B. White wrote for adults as well, and that his essays are well worth reading: "White remains deliciously readable for grown-ups, with a style as clean as country linen. He wrote about the differing sensibilities of Manhattan and Maine in a way that grants wilderness and urbanity to both, and his weathered common sense is a lifeline in troubled times."

Burr also writes of White's relunctant entry into the world of children's literature. It's as if the stories (or, at least, the characters) came into White's mind, whether he wanted them or not. Head on over and read.
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Hey! It's E.B. White's weekend. David L. Ulin considers Charlotte's Web for the Los Angeles Times.

Poetry Friday: Only to read children's books

Happy Poetry Friday, everyone!

This Friday I'm sharing an on-topic poem from one of my favorite Russian poets, Osip Mandelstam.

Only to read childrens’ books
by Osip Mandelstam

Only to read childrens’ books,
only to love childish things,
throwing away adult things,
rising from saddest looks.

I am wearied to death with life.
There’s nothing it has that I want,
but I celebrate my naked earth,
there’s no other world to descant.

A plain swing of wood;
the dark, of the high fir-tree,
in the far-off garden, swinging;
remembered by feverish blood.

Translated by A.S. Kline, who has a wonderful archive of Poetry in Translation. Check his site out when you have a chance--there are some beautiful original poems available as well.

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Updated: Susan at Chicken Spaghetti will be rounding up this week's entries. If you've left me a comment, I'll send it Susan's way. Thanks, Susan!

Inanimate Alice

The Guardian links to the third episode of "Inanimate Alice," the "digital drama" everyone's talking about. You can watch it right on their site.

Also, Michelle Pauli talks to "Alice" creator Kate Pullinger about digital novels, storytelling, and the internet.

Review: Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life

This review was written by Alice Herold

Who knows the meaning of life? Could it be contained inside a box?

Wendy Mass, who wrote Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, was thinking outside the box, when she wrote this quirky, but charming, novel about a 12-year-old boy and his best friend, Lizzy. An example of the author's off-beat sense of humor is all of Jeremy's fish are named after other animals (dog, cat) because his mom won't let him have any real pets. She's been traumatized since her childhood rabbit died.

Jeremy's father died at age 39 and Lizzy's mother ran off with a cattle rancher making Lizzy an instant vegetarian. Both preteens are collectors. Jeremy collects mutant pieces of candy and Lizzy collects discarded playing cards striving to make a full deck. After their losses, is it any wonder the children are collectors?

Jeremy's father requested that a box be given to Jeremy to be opened on his 13th birthday. But, alas, the keys are missing. This is where the whirlwind adventure begins. The pair search for the keys at flea markets, pawn shops, fortune tellers while asking everyone they meet the meaning of life.

The author manages to include a great deal of information into the novel. Several pages are set in the Museum of Natural History where we learn all kinds of facts including how much Jermey weighs on the moon. (18 pounds)

I admit at first it was a stretch for a 62-year-old grandma to experience life through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy. Yet I found the book impossible to put down.

Read this entertaining book but be prepared to ponder the big question: What is the meaning of life?

Weekend Reviews (Early edition)

Last weekend, The Independent posted a great selection of reviews of children's books. And, they're at it again today with a "Children's Book Special." I'm not sure what's up at The Independent, but here's what's in store:

• Sally Williams reviews picture books, including The Jungle Book, by Matthew Reinhart, and Silly Billy, by Anthony Browne
• Boyd Tonkin reviews Murder in Amsterdam, by Ian Buruma ("Europe's agonising tangle over race, religion and respect calls for a cool head and a long view. Buruma supplies both." Sounds interesting!)
• Christina Hardyment considers new fiction for the 8-12 crowd, including Into the Woods, by Lyn Gardner, and Peter Pan in Scarlet, by Geraldine McCaughrean
• Nicholas Tucker appraises new Young Adult fiction, including Hilary McKay's fabulous Caddy Ever After, and Mal Peet's The Penalty
• Christina Hardyment gets it right with her introduction to her review of new audiobooks: "There are good audiobook readers, and there are great ones, especially when matched to a title that suits them perfectly." Sir Ian McKellen narrates Michelle Paver's Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series!?! This series has been on my "to read" list for a long time. I'm heading straight for the audio now.

Review: Water Street

This review was written by Alice Herold.

Water Street by Patricia Reilly Giff is a work of genius geared towards the preteen and teenage reader. The book is exciting, informative, has depth, and full of hope and promise. Do I sound like I liked this book? I loved it and didn't want it to ever end! Maybe I'm a teenager at heart.

The year is 1875, the year the Brooklyn Bridge is being built. The author tells us the reason for the bridge. A man named John Roebling was in a hurry to get from Brooklyn to Manhattan, but the river was packed with ice and the ferry was caught so he decided to build a bridge. The book is about immigrant families from Ireland. Could the bridge (which is viewed from the windows of the apartment building on Water Street) represent the journey between Ireland and America, not only the journey from Brooklyn to Manhattan?

The main characters are Bird, who wants to be a healer like her mother and Thomas, her friend who lives upstairs. He's a writer, who deals with his loneliness and frustration while his father drinks in a pub. Where is his mother? Thomas can only wonder.

The author touts her love of reading and writing. Bird doesn't own a book, but thanks to her teacher (Sister Raymond) has an endless supply of reading material. Her father (Da) has one book (Aesop's Fables), which was given to him by a little girl on the boat from Ireland. Bird thought at first the book was a story about animals but quickly discovered it was really about people and why they did the things they did.

Thomas has a memory of a woman teaching him words, offering him a pen and telling him he can change the world with it. Could the mystery woman be his mother? Thomas wrote stories about all the people and events of Water Street. We, as readers, are reading the words of Thomas disguised as Patricia Reilly Giff.

Imagine my thrill when I discovered the author has written two previous books about Bird's parents, entitled Nory Ryan's Song and Maggie's Door. I'm off to the bookstore now!

Podcasts at Just One More Book

Andrea and Mark at Just One More Book have created a useful 2006 Book List in handy pdf format. (Here's the post about the list.)

Speaking of archives, their site is so expertly indexed, you can find back podcasts by author, illustrator, interview, books reviewed, a million topics, etc. I'm just getting into the podcast idea, so this really helps a newbie like me.

Blog Crushes

I'm a day late here*, but if you haven't mentioned your blog crush over at Mitali's Fire Escape, head on over and do so now. The list is growing and it's fun to read everyone's choices.

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*Sorry, Mitali!

Review: The Green Glass Sea

Ellen Klages's The Green Glass Sea is one part historical novel, one part coming-of-age tale, and one part fish-out-of-water story. As a whole, The Green Glass Sea is an intelligent, thought-provoking novel for kids ages 10 to 15.

Ten-year-old Dewey Kerrigan's grandmother has had a stroke, and Dewey is sent by train to her father. Her father is a scientist, employed in top-secret work during World War II. Dewey thinks she'll be headed to Chicago, her father's last location as far as she knew, and is surprised when she discovers her train is headed to New Mexico. And, soon, Dewey finds herself living in crummy army housing on the top-secret Los Alamos base.

Dewey is instantly happy in Los Alamos. She's the type of girl who likes to build mechanical objects and is thrilled to find a dump with discarded metal pieces of all shapes and sorts. Her school is also good: she's allowed to take high school math, even though she's just 11 years old. She's finally living with her father and enjoys taking care of him after his long days at the lab.

In a parallel story, 11-year-old Suze is having a hard time adjusting to the base. Her father also works on the top-secret project and so does her mother, peripherally, as a "stinker" (chemist). She tries to make friends with the other girls on the base, but it's to no avail. They find Suze not girly enough and too large, calling her "Truck" behind her back.

Suze and Dewey's lives collide when Dewey's father is summoned near the end of the war to Washington D.C. Dewey's father arranges for Dewey to stay with Suze and her parents (the Gordons) while he'll be away. At first the girls dislike each other actively, but Dewey's at least relieved because she likes Mrs. Gordon, as a female scientist, immediately.

I won't give away any more of the plot, but suffice it to say the girls become friends and allies at a time during which all of Los Alamos is worried about a "gadget" and the gadget's success. The Green Glass Sea is a fascinating novel about about World War II, scientists and their families in the years leading up to the bomb, and the universal struggle to find your place in a new, highly unique community.

Dewey and Suze are great characters, both outsiders in their own way. Give The Green Glass Sea to a smart reader today. I'm handing my copy over as soon as the school bus arrives.

The Famous Five are back...

and John Crace asks why in the Guardian's Comment is Free blog.

Disney has seized on the five for a new franchise, Crace reports. Here's the deal: "Disney is going to relaunch the Famous Five in updated cartoon versions for screen and print, with only Timmy the dog surviving unscathed. Out go the tweedy Julian, Anne, Dick and George and in come the archetypal 21st-century Gap kidz--Allie, Cole, Dylan and Jo. " Yuck.

I'll admit it, I had a Blyton weakness as a child, but only for the boarding school books. To me as an American public school child, they were exotica. Latin! Matrons! Midnight feasts! I'm with Crace here. Why bring back an old series? Isn't there anything new out there? Hey, Disney! I know plenty of people with good stories to sell. Send me an e-mail--I'll be waiting to hear from you.

And, as Crace rightly points out, "even middle-class kids recognise that an anodyne world where everything is always safely sorted out in time for tea has no relevance to their lives."

Children's DVDs

Yay! Roger Holland is back with his highly-useful children's DVD review column for PopMatters. This month the topic is Christmas DVDs and features the best title ever: "Won’t Somebody Please Think of the Children?" Here's the set up:

• "As our inner Helen Lovejoy knows full well, Christmas Is For Thee Children. So what on earth can we pick up for our kids from Wal-Mart that'll fit into an SUV laden with goodies from the Pottery Barn and beyond? Well, DVDs. Obv. And why not start with the Christmas Classics?"

The winners include Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (50th Birthday Deluxe Remastered Edition) and The Snowman (which earned a rare 10 from Holland). The losers? Power Rangers Mystic Force-Dark Wish (which earned an equally rare 1), Barney-Let’s Make Music (2), and Baby Einstein-Baby’s First Moves (3).

Patricia Kenet article

Did any of you catch this wonderful article by Patricia Kenet in this month's Bookslut?

In "The Books I Never Missed," she discusses discovering children's literature for the first time as an adult. She explains, that as a child in an Italian-American neighborhood, she was never read to as a child. But, reading children's books now, as an adult, Ms. Kenet has found:

• "What could be viewed as neglect has turned into a blessing--even though it took me 40 years to recognize that. Discovering children's books that I never experienced as a child opened doors of unexpected joy. By experience I mean more than reading the words on a page. Good Night Moon's reassuring verses and the coos of my infant daughter soothed my jangled post-partum nerves. My fingers moved across Pat the Puppy's fleecy fur and Daddy's scratchy beard -- as if I were reading Braille. I grooved to the irresistible rhythm of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish with my two-year old son. I learned that a good children's book is like a poem -- concise, unsentimental, affecting. That children's books fail when they underestimate a child's lightning quick judgment for boring or a stupid ending, something that even discriminating adult readers often take longer to recognize. "

Also in this month's Bookslut, another great review column from Colleen Mondor. This month she discusses new takes on the classics.

Capsule Review: The Journey Home from Grandpa's

This review was written by Alice Herold

We've all endured interminable car trips with preschoolers!

The Journey Home from Grandpa's, by Jemima Lumley and illustrated by Sophie Fatus, is guaranteed to entertain a preschooler in the car. It's written in a predictable style so toddlers quickly can memorize the song found on the CD at the end of the book. The author teaches colors and names of vehicles which are beautifully and colorfully illustrated by Sophie Fatus. Included on the last page is a map which could transform into a game for a small child. (They could point to locations and objects while the CD is playing.) An older child could extend the book by looking for the same vehicles (silver bicycles, green diggers) from the car window.

A happy preschooler equals grateful parents!

Call for Submissions

I'm currently seeking submissions for the December and January editions of The Edge of the Forest. Here's what I'm looking for:

• original reviews in the picture book, non-fiction, graphic novel, middle grade, and young adult categories. (While I'd like your original reviews--Cybils panelists, please consider--you can link or cross-post your review when the issue is up.)
• Kid Picks or Teen Picks
• Best of the Blogs
• Blogging writer interviews. Do you know a great writer who blogs? Then consider interviewing him or her for the Forest.
• If you have a feature idea, please drop me a line.

Oh, hey! It's another celebrity picture book!

I know you are all as excited as I am! (Note exclamation points!)

Muhammad Ali has penned a series of new picture books. Actually, others have penned the books but Ali's "core values" are in place. Here's the scoop:

• "Scholastic Corp.'s 'Muhammad Ali Presents Go the Distance' features books that represent Ali's 'core values' and is aimed at socially disadvantaged students in grades 3-8 who believe neither reading nor education is relevant to their lives, says Lonnie Ali, the boxing legend's wife."

James Prichard reports for the Lansing State Journal.

Weekend Reviews (II)

Wow! It's a really busy Sunday out there, with fat Sunday book pages filled with lists and year-end recommendations. Here we go....

Jan Gardner talks to Anita Silvey about her new book, 500 Great Books for Teens, for the Boston Globe. Silvey is a fan of Kenneth Oppel.

Sheryl Connelly recommends "Jolly Good Children's Books" for the New York Daily News. (Book aren't Christmas books, but rather some of the year's best.)

Kirby Larson's Hattie Big Sky, the book that is on the very top of my post-Cybils list, is the Washington Post "Book of the Week."

Nicolette Jones adds to the Christmas lists at the Times. This week she "chooses books to cheer the very young and stories that pack an emotional punch for older readers." She also identifies her top five. They are:

• Gideon the Cutpurse, by Linda Buckley-Archer
• Larklight, by Philip Reeve
• Meerkat Mail, by Emily Gravett
• Clarice Bean, Don't Look Now, by Lauren Child
• The Year the Gypsies Came, by Linzi Glass

The Independent has many a review of children's books this week. These include:

• Nicola Smyth reviews picture books
• Felix Taylor (age 14) reviews books with ghosts for older children, including Darren Shan's latest, Bec, and E.E. Richardson's The Intruders
• Amanda Craig reviews children's audio books, including a new recording of Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea
• How can you resist reading a review column with this title: "What every girl needs: ballet and a good punch-up"? Brandon Robshaw reviews books for girls including Clair-de-Lune and the latest Clarice Bean.
• Benjy Taylor (age 10--hey, are they paying these guys?) reviews FANTASY.
• Tom Rosenthal reviews The New English, by Kenneth McConkey

The Scotsman reviews Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler's The Gruffalo's Child Jigsaw Book.

Also in The Scotsman:

• Michael Thorn reviews books for teens, including Mal Peet's The Penalty
• Holiday (mostly Christmas) books for children of all ages

You've got to give the Chicago Tribune props for their weekly column "For Young Readers." This week Mary Harris Russell reviews six more titles, including Toys Go Out, The Story of Salt, Incantation, and Yoon and the Christmas Mitten.

Weekend Reviews (I)

Weekend reviews are heavy on the lists as we move into December.

First up, a list of recommended Christmas and Santa titles for the Scotsman.

Susan Perren has "ten titles to tickle the tots" for the Globe and Mail.

Bob Minzesheimer presents a children's "Book gift guide" for USAToday.

There's much in the New York Times this weekend, including:

• A review of Helen Recorvits's Yoon and the Christmas Mitten (ill. Gabi Swiatkowska) by Gregory Cowles
• There's a list of "notable children's books of 2006" available... Like the top ten books of 2006 list, I agree without half the titles, which isn't too bad this year (Go, Absurdistan!)
• Elizabeth Spires reviews A Drowned Maiden's Hair: A Melodrama, by Laura Amy Schlitz
• And Mark Bitman reviews cookbooks for children, including Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook

Arthur Ransome papers

This week, Arthur Ransome's papers are on sale in the U.K. And, it turns out, Ransome's life was even more an adventure than those of his heroes in the Swallows and Amazons series.

Christina Hardyment previews Ransome's papers and reports for the Times. Amongst the treasures in the archive are:

• A memoir by his daughter, Tabitha
• A "book-length fantasy" called Le Livre de Tabithe

Catherine Philp talks to Christopher Paolini for the Times. It's a fascinating article, even if you're not a fan of Eragon and Eldest. Here's a quote:

• "It has been a long time since Paolini picked up the book. 'Reading Eragon is torture for me. It’s not because I think it’s a bad book, but if I were to sit down now and pick a story to write, I wouldn’t pick Eragon’s story any more. At that age, that was the story I wanted to tell, the coming-of-age story. It was what I was living. Now I’m in a different place in my life.'”

Review: Caddy Ever After

The newest installment of the Casson family series, Caddy Ever After, is a novel narrated by all child members of the Casson family--Rose, Saffron, Indigo, and Caddy. Each child's point of view on the days leading up to Caddy's wedding is presented in journal form, with most entries coming from Rose and Saffron. A series of seemingly unrelated events (a school dance, Rose's accident at school, a broken-down car, a lightning storm, Sarah's illness) all culminate in the big event.

Many people have complained about the book's title and the fact that it doesn't have much to do with the story. Indeed, Caddy "speaks" very little in the book. But, the intertwined story lines all lead to Caddy's wedding brilliantly.

Hilary McKay's eccentric family is as wonderfully unique as usual, and I really enjoyed the multiple first-person views on a few weeks in the life of the family. Indigo is as taciturn and intelligent as usual, Saffron is suffering from some teenaged angst, and Rose is heartbroken at Caddy's new love-at-first-sight and perplexed by events at school. Rose's school days are particularly poignant. Her best friend Kiran is a hilarious storyteller and her teacher downright funny. When Rose's teacher, for example, hears of Caddy's approaching wedding during "Hot Gossip" time, she responds:

• "'Five team points for being a bridesmaid, then, Rose....And for goodness' sake, stop moping. Thousands of people make unsuitable marriages every day and if you feel that strongly you can always voice your objections at the appropriate point in the service. That is why it is there."

Well, you can guess what happens. When Caddy, who is marrying the brother of one of Saffy's shortlived boyfriends (met through Indigo), doesn't marry Rose's favorite "darling Michael," she does indeed object. Quite comically, in fact.

Caddy Ever After is a touching, smart novel for children ages nine and up. It's funny, intelligent, and so very true. Caddy Ever After is highly recommended and a welcome addition to the Casson family saga.

Poetry Friday Review: Betty Lou Blue

Have you ever been teased at school? Do you know someone who has been teased at school? Well, who hasn't! That's the beauty and universality of Betty Lou Blue, by Nancy Crocker (illustrated by Boris Kulikov).

Usually kids are teased at school because they have red hair, or they wear glasses, or they're slightly weird, or, let's face it, for any old reason. Betty Lou's reason is unusually unusual--she has especially large feet. Here's the story:

Betty Lou Blue had the world's biggest feet.
Whackety, thwackety, flappety feet.
The other kids laughed
when she whappeted by.
'If those feet were wings,' they would yell,
'you could fly!'
'If those shoes were boats,
you could float for a year!'
But whackety-flap, she'd pretend not to hear.

Despite the fact Betty Lou is suffering, Crocker's verse is snappy, "whackety" fun to read aloud.

Betty Lou's mother tries to reassure her daughter, telling her everyone's perfect, "yes, even you!" But, Betty Lou is too wise for maternal affirmations--she knows better.

One day, however, Betty Lou's lot changes. It snows in the city and all the children head out to sleigh in the park. Unfortunately, a number of them are buried in the snow. Who can help? Why a little girl with feet as large as snowshoes.

She knew what to do.
It was really a cinch--
On top of the snow,
without sinking an inch,
She stood each kid up
on the world's biggest feet
And walked each one out
to the newly plowed street.

Betty Lou Blue is an "everyone has a place in the world" tale, expertly told. Boris Kulikov's illustrations are gorgeously unique, combining Russian and urban influences (the city looks to be a combination of Brooklyn and Moscow) and a warm color scheme. His children look like animated wooden dolls, with large eyes and startled expressions.

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The roundup:

Susan Taylor Brown is back this week with Mary Oliver's "The Journey."

Elaine has a wonderful review of four books of "poetry for the seasons" at Blue Rose Girls.

Nancy at Journey Woman features her own translation of Lorca's "Sonnet of the Sweet Complaint." Go, Nancy!

Susan has written a hilarious non-sensical search fib at Chicken Spaghetti. It goes downhill from "Whitbread," believe me!

Adrienne sets up a Christmas Eve Cage Match at What Adrienne Thinks About That. Head on over and participate. Go, Tasha Tudor!

Michele marks the onset of winter with some winter poetry at Scholar's Blog. Brrr is right! (Also, Michele links to the Guardian article on the National Poetry Archive, complete with audio files.)

Wendy reviews George Shannon's Busy in the Garden at Blog from the Windowsill.

Liz at A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy takes a look at the poetry books nominated for the Cybils and finds she has some reading to do!

Jules reviews another Kulikov-illustrated title (looks like the eyes are it, Jules!), Max's Words, at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

MotherReader is in with THE BEST POETRY BOOK EVER.

Kelly Fineman is in with "the small flash that is poetry" (with a little help from Plath and Sandburg. ) Speaking of Sandburg, Little Willow contributes Sandburg's "Under a Hat Rim" at Bildungsroman/Slayground.

Anne reviews Nancy Tillman's On the Night You Were Born at Book Buds.

Cloudscome has cited a very interesting poem, "It aint No," by Bob O'Meally, at A Wrung Sponge.

And, Gregory K. contributes what may be his best Oddaptation yet at GottaBook.

Keep those comments coming...