arrow to alaska

Have you ever read a book, absolutely loved it and wanted to literally jump into the story and spend time in it, even just for a little while?  (Kind of like the carnival chalk scene in Mary Poppins.)  That’s how I felt when I first read Arrow to Alaska.  The setting is the Pacific Northwest and is illustrated like a dream in dramatic and otherworldly papercut images by artist/author Hannah Viano.  First of all, I have to confess that I’ve always wanted to live in the Pacific Northwest ever since I was a teenager (even for just a few months) but I’ve never gotten around to it, save for one afternoon spent in Ashland, Oregon.  This book serves as a stunning reminder that I need to return one day (now with my family in tow)!

Arrow, a six-year-old boy, spends his evenings listening to the boats sound off near his coastal abode in Seattle.  One day his grandfather proposes that he come to visit him on his houseboat in Alaska.  Arrow jumps at the chance to take what will be *the adventure* of his six-year-old lifetime and hitches a ride with his Aunt Kelly on her salmon tender boat, with “the giant diesel stove” in the galley churning out “towering stacks of hotcakes, cast-iron skillets full of brownies, and endless pots of hot chocolate and coffee.”  And that’s just how Arrow’s voyage starts—can you imagine how it ends?!  It’s hard to stop thinking about this exquisite tale.  If the PNW life resonates with you at all, you’ll love and get caught up in the magic of Hannah Viano’s work.

specs for rex

Specs by Rex is by Irish-born, Bristol-based author/illustrator/animator Yasmeen Ismail, a recent discovery and new favorite of ours.  You might remember her work from One Word from Sophia.  I love the boundless energy and charisma of Ismail's watercolors.  Rex, a little lion, is so upset about his new red spectacles and tries everything he can think of to hide them at school.  In the end, he realizes why they're so important and comes to embrace them.  This is a perfect book for the little ones in your life who are not so keen on donning their glasses! 

homer price

Reading Homer Price this week, a collection of six stories written and illustrated by the venerable Robert McCloskey about a boy named Homer who lives two miles outside of midwestern Centerburg "where Route 56 meets 56A."   I started reading the first story entitled "The Case of the Scentsational Scent," so I could preview the book before reading it to Avery.  The tale starts off with Homer acquiring a new pet skunk which he names "Aroma," and honestly, it was hard to put down!  McCloskey's vivid characters and insight into small-town life make Homer Price an engaging read.  It always amazes me how one person could be both a deft writer and illustrator, but there you have Robert McCloskey.  What is everyone's favorite work by him?

the sandwich thief

The Sandwich Thief is a comical and modern mystery written by André Marois and illustrated by director/animator/illustrator Patrick Doyon.  Originally from Canada, it was the winner of the Governor General’s Literary Award for Illustrated Children’s Literature, French Language.  It made its way to the U.S. and was recently published by Chronicle Books.

Marin's food-loving parents pack him a dreamy lunch every day with special ingredients like bread baked with special flour from “a secret bakery run by kung fu monks” and his mother’s homemade mayonnaise beaten with eggs, mustard and oil.  Eventually jealousy strikes at school and someone pilfers one of his favorite sandwiches--Monday's ham, cheddar and kale.  Distraught (and hungry), Marin comes up with a list of suspects and with the help of his quick-thinking parents, formulates a plan to catch the hapless thief.  Just a note: there are a few stereotyped characters in the story—Elizabeth Bird gives a good run-down of them in her review for School Library Journal.