Extra Yarn is an interesting, imaginative tale about how a small town with a lot of soot is transformed when a girl named Annabelle finds a box of extra yarn, which she uses to knit sweaters for everyone and everything she can. The story appears to be set simultaneously in the 1950s (there's a pickup truck) and 1500s (there's an evil archduke and a castle), but I guess that's part of its charm.

I love the illustrations and the way the drab monochromatic tones are gradually lightened up as the colors of the yarn spread. If you've read I Want My Hat Back, the bear shown briefly in this story will probably look familiar, as this is the same artist.

Sometimes I don't like it when stories don't "explain everything" at the end, but I think it's fitting here -- is it a story about magic? or not? I guess you'll have to read it and decide for yourself.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Hardcover
Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

More Reviews at Amazon

"Revised" fairy/nursery tales are all over the place these days. We grew up hearing these stories told over and over again, and now we've apparently decided we need to either modernize substantially, and/or pull a role reversal to freshen things up a bit.

The results can be hit or miss, but one such tale I've enjoyed lately is The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, which was originally published in 1993 (even before Ella Enchanted!). Of course, the title is funnier if a child has read the original Three Little Pigs first.

This story begins as expected, with three wolf siblings going off into the world to seek their fortunes, and being warned to beware of the big bad pig. The building materials get a bit of an update though: brick is only the beginning. We also see concrete, armor plates, and even a video entrance phone. This big bad pig seems to have shallower lungs than the wolf of lore, for he has to resort to other efforts to fullly knock down houses, such as a sledgehammer and even dynamite. 

Despite the raised stakes in the building battle, these illustrations are gentle and not at all over-the-top. Helen Oxenbury illustrated a series of board books for babies that I grew up with, so it's nice to see her work again. 

I won't spoil the ending, but in keeping with the rest of this retelling, it's quite opposite from the original, which I think in this case is a satisfying thing.

Scrounged From: My husband's book stash

Format: Hardcover
Author: Eugene Trivizas
Illustrator: Helen Oxenbury
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

More Reviews at Amazon

Mr. Mergler, Beethoven, and Me is a sweet story about a girl and her father who have a chance meeting with Daniel Mergler, a respected piano teacher, near the end of his life. It's written in first person from the perspective of the girl (who is not named in the book), and she describes how she came to have piano lessons from Mr. Mergler. 

Mr. Mergler has a bust of Beethoven on his piano, which has been there for decades. The girl thinks he looks angry, but over time, as she learns more and more about the technique and magic of music, she sees him in a more friendly light. 

The illustrations are lovely, using gentle, subdued tones, and portraying the teaching of music as growth of plants.

After reading this story, I immediately wondered whether or not it was true. The end notes give a brief biography of Beethoven and Daniel Mergler, but told nothing about the girl or her parents -- but the story seems oddly specific to be fictional. This led me to Mr. Mergler's Gift, a short documentary film made in Canada, which identifies the girl in the story as Xin Ben, the daughter of Chinese immigrants. This book appears to be based on the documentary, and since it's a documentary, that answers my question as to whether this book is based on a true story.

I really enjoyed this wonderful picture of the power of music, and the tribute to the love and guidance that music teachers show to their students.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: David Gutnick
Illustrator: Mathilde Cinq-Mars
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: Mr. Mergler has passed away by the end of the story, though the details of death are not given.

More Reviews at Amazon

The Circus Ship was my five-year-old son's "graduation" book from Maine's Raising Readers program. I can see why it made a good choice -- not only is author/illustrator Chris Van Dusen a Mainer, but Maine gets a mention in the book as well.

The story itself is loosely inspired by an actual event, described in the end notes of the book, in which a ship containing a few exotic animals (and a lot of people) sunk off the coast of Maine in 1836. That tragedy is given a more optimistic and heart-warming twist here, in which the "receiving town" learns to accommodate the fifteen animals that show up on their beach after the ship sinks, and even help to hide them when their cartoonish-villain owner wants them back.

Even though the illustrations here often have a cartoonish feel, I didn't find them cheesy -- there is still a lot of attention to detail and color nuances that flesh them out. The story is written in verse as well, which adds a degree of fun to an already fun story. 

Both my kids and I enjoyed this one, especially near the end when we have to try and find all of the animals hiding in one picture.

Scrounged From: My son's doctor's office

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Chris Van Dusen
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

More Reviews at Amazon

If you're not already familiar with violinist Joshua Bell, but think his name sounds familiar, it might be because of an interesting experiment he participated in about ten years ago, which involved playing his $3.5 million violin in a crowded subway station to see how many people would stop and listen. The Washington Post has more about that here.

But that's not what this book is about -- The Dance of the Violin is about Joshua as a young boy, and the story focuses on his decision to play a very difficult piece of music in a competition when he was twelve years old.

What I really like about this story is that it involves him making a mistake, but then stopping and asking to start again. It doesn't focus on "who wins" or on doing everything perfectly (though additional information about the context of this event is given at the end of the book). 

I was really inspired as I read about Joshua deciding to try again after his mistake. As a perfectionist, I know how easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking I'm better off not doing something than risking a failure (even a small one). Joshua's attitude is commendable and a great example of taking pride and joy in one's efforts (and delighting in music itself) rather than aiming solely for a win -- and that one flub obviously hasn't stopped him from having a wonderful career since then! 

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)

Scrounged From: NetGalley

Format: Kindle
Author: Kathy Stinson
Illustrator: Dušan Petričić 
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

More Reviews at Amazon