Perfect Picture Book Friday*
Mother Bruce (Disney Hyperion, 2015) by Ryan T. Higgins expresses humor from the get go with the title (Goose crossed out and Bruce written above it).
On the first page we discover, “Bruce was a bear who lived all by himself. He was a grump.” And his expression shows that. That are a lot of things he doesn’t like. But he does like cooking eggs into “fancy recipes that he found on the internet.” When he finds a recipe for “hard-boiled goose eggs drizzles with honey-salmon sauce,” Bruce gets the ingredients, and starts to cook, Bruce becomes “the victim of mistaken identity.”
I love the humor in this book with Bruce as the unlikely mother of this group of goslings. Whom he can’t get rid of!
Mother Bruce has won these awards: 2016 E.B. White Read Aloud Award, 2016 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor, and a 2016 Kirkus Best Book.
A new Bruce book came out last October called Hotel Bruce. This is the third book by Ryan and sounds fun too. Read about it here.
You can see Ryan’s sense of humor on his about page where he says:
“Ryan T. Higgins is an author/illustrator residing in Southern Maine. He lives with his three dogs, three cats, two geckos, one tortoise, one son, one daughter, and one wife. As a child, he lived on a diet of cartoons, cheese sandwiches, and climbing trees. At the age of four he decided to become a cartoonist and he’s been making his own cartoons ever since.”
*I’ve joined with Susannah Leonard Hill on celebrating picture books on Fridays.
Category: Award Winners
One for the Murphys
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
If you like me missed One for the Murphys (Nancy Paulsen Books, 2012) by Lynda Mullaly Hunt, run get the book. It is so good.
It’s pretty scary for twelve-year-old Carley Connors to be placed in a foster home with the Murphy family–total strangers. It’s always been her and her mom until just over a year ago when Mom married Dennis. And now because of physical abuse by her step-father, she’s here and her mother is in the hospital. Her mom has taught her not to cry, not to be afraid, but she can’t help shaking.
Living with the Murphys, Carley finds out that her old life had a lot wrong in it. Of course, she misses her mother and is sure she won’t be staying long. But life is full of surprises for Carley and she grows to like her foster family. So what will happen when it’s time to leave?
Author Lynda Mullaly Hunt has created such a believable sympathetic character–she had me aching for Carley and her situation. The book has won awards and been put on many lists. Go here to see all.
Because foster kids often don’t have any books, Lynda has started Book Train to get books into their hands.
I’ve already recommend Lynda’s book Fish in a Tree here.
The Girl Who Drank the Moon
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
The Girl Who Drank the Moon (Algonquin Young Readers, 2016) by Kelly Barnhilll is unusual. It’s not told all in the viewpoint of a child main character–in fact we’re in the viewpoint of two adults, a swamp monster, and even a tiny dragon. The girl’s viewpoint comes later in the book.
The people in the village sacrifice the youngest born child each year to keep themselves safe from a witch. What they don’t know is that the witch is actually kind and she’s been rescuing these children and giving them to good homes on the other side of the forest. This time Xan keeps a baby girl, whom she names Luna. She raises her with the help of Glerk, a swamp monster, and Fyrian, a perfectly tiny dragon. To keep everyone safe from Luna’s magic, Xan locks it inside her until she’s thirteen. Meanwhile, a young man from the village plans to kill the witch.
I loved this epic story and had a hard time putting it down. And isn’t that a beautiful cover? The book has been put on a number of Best Book lists and is a New York Times bestseller.
The author describes herself on her website as: “Author. Teacher. Insufferable Blabbermouth. I also make pie.” Read more about her here. I haven’t read all of her books, yet, but besides this one, I’ve already recommended The Mostly True Story of Jack here.
Echo
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
Echo (Scholastic Press, 2015) by Pam Muñoz Ryan is a 2016 Newbery Honor book–my vote is for the top award as it is so amazing.
Four stories, four different time periods, different cultures, and a prophecy, a promise and a harmonica are all woven together in an unexpected way. Otto’s story is very short, but it kicks off with mystery when he gets lost in the forest. He must pass the harmonica on at the right time. Over sixty years later we meet Friedrich struggling with hiding his birthmark in a country gone crazy labeling someone like him a defective–welcome to Nazi Germany. He finds and passes on the harmonica. Next we jump two years later to an orphanage for destitute children in Pennsylvania to be with Mike who is trying to make sure he and his little brother stay together . . . somehow. Again, the harmonica plays an important part. Seven years later we meet Ivy in California dealing with prejudice for her Hispanic background and another family’s Japanese heritage. The harmonica comes to her, too.
Each of the three main stories were heart-jerking and so important for kids (and adults) today to hear. I love how the book is resolved. This really is a must read! (It’s also a New York Times bestseller.)
The author is an eclectic writer with books in the following categories: novels, picture books, early readers, and short stories in anthologies. Learn more about her here.
All Four Stars
Marvelous Middle Grade Monday
All Four Stars (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2014) by Tara Dairman is deliciously funny and definitely appropriate for any foodie.
Eleven-year-old Gladys Gatsby secretly cooks gourmet food when her parents aren’t at home, since they think cooking is nuking something in the microwave. They also don’t know Gladys’ dream of being a restaurant critic. But she gets a lot of practice after she catches the kitchen on fire–practice in writing up food disasters, that is. With a ban on cooking and orders to go out and make friends, the school essay contest sounds like a solution to her problems.
This book has an engaging main character and a satisfying ending. I’m not the only one to think so, because the book has received awards, including a 2015 Crystal Kite, and been put on state lists.
According to the author’s website, parts of the book “were written in a mall in Brazil, a guesthouse in Morocco, and coffeehouses in Argentina, Cameroon, Gabon, and Tanzania.” Recipes from the book are on the website here. Tara Dairman also includes recipes in her blog from time to time.
Two more books have followed the first: The Stars of Summer is second in the trilogy, and the third is Stars So Sweet.