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Book Reviews:
School-Age Kids

By Christopher Healy

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A Taste of Colored Water: Matt Faulkner,
Simon & Schuster, $12

Two white children in the '60s South are determined to taste the magical beverage they assume must spout from the "colored" water fountain, and end up facing the harsh reality of Jim Crow. The thought-provoking tale is an excellent way to get kids asking questions. —Ages 6 and up

Bashful Bob and Doleful Dorinda: by Margaret Atwood, illustrated by Dušan Petričić; Bloomsbury, $18

When the author of The Handmaid's Tale and The Blind Assassin writes a picture book, expect something out of the ordinary. First off, the entire 32-page story is a tongue-twister; in an amazing feat of linguistic acrobatics, nearly every word of text begins with a b or a d (just as in the title). Then there's the tale itself: Bob, a boy whose parents forget his existence, is raised by a pack of stray dogs. Eventually, he's befriended by Dorinda, a Cinderella-like lass who runs away from her wicked foster family. Together, they save the town from a rampaging buffalo that is delivered to the botanical gardens after being mistakenly labeled a begonia. This might be a kid's book, but it's also very Atwood—except, thankfully, for its ultrahappy ending, which even includes the return of Dorinda's long-missing parents.—Ages 5 to 10

Big Black Horse: A Storybook Version of The Black Stallion: by Walter Farley, illustrated by James Schucker; Random House, $15

Written in 1941, at a time when every kids' book seemed to be about the special relationship between a child and a horse, The Black Stallion stood out for its mix of breathless action and heartwarming tenderness. The story—of a shipwrecked boy and wild horse who must help each other survive—became a feature film in the '70s, but somehow this picture-book version (adapted from only the first half of the novel) remained out of print for 50 years. James Schucker's original 1957 paintings couldn't suit the adventure any better: Pure pulp, they're reminiscent of the art found on the covers of early Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys books.—Ages 3 to 9

Danny Diamondback: by Barry E. Jackson; HarperCollins, $17

It's not easy for a lonely rattlesnake to make friends in the desert—you know, that whole "eater of small mammals" reputation and all. Luckily for Danny, the young serpentine peacenik at the heart of this tale, a nearsighted prairie dog mistakes him for a harmless lizard, offers him a spot as the maraca player in his band, and gives him the chance to change the way others look at him. An unexpected twist makes this sweet tale all the more endearing, and the gorgeous paintings look like stills out of a CGI animated film (no surprise, since author-illustrator Jackson was a production designer on Shrek).—Ages 4 to 8

The End: By David LaRochelle, illustrated by Richard Egielski; Scholastic, $17

And they all lived happily ever after." That's the first line of The End, a wonderfully original picture book that, like the cult-favorite film Memento, tells its story in reverse. It begins with the wedding of a white-gowned princess and a dashing knight, the ceremony attended by such intriguing guests as a pair of giants, a dragon, an enormous tomato, a flying blue pig, and hordes of rabbits. What brought these interesting characters together? Well, you soon learn that the knight fell in love with the princess after she poured a bowl of lemonade on his head. Not your typical courtship, but if you step back one more scene, you'll see that the princess was dousing the knight's flaming beard. Why was his facial hair ablaze? That's where the dragon comes in ... and the bunnies ... and that big tomato. We won't spoil it here, but each page holds a new surprise; the story never goes (comes from?) where you'd expect. The End is made even more charming by the fact that many plot elements are not spelled out in the text—only hinted at in the retro-styled illustrations. You and your children will be sad to reach the beginning.—Ages 3 to 9

The Flying Bed: by Nancy Willard, paintings by John Thompson; Blue Sky Press, $18

Guido the baker and his wife have fallen on hard times when they find an enchanted bed. It takes them to a remote land where they acquire magic yeast—and soon Guido is the most popular baker in Italy. But with success comes greed.... The folktale-like story is paired with ultrarealistic paintings that blend old-time Florence with modern-looking people. This book may be text-heavy for young kids, but its mystical atmosphere will enchant older ones.—Ages 5 to 8

The Girl's Like Spaghetti: by Lynne Truss, illustrated by Bonnie Timmon; Putnam, $12

Grammarian extraordinaire Lynne Truss (Eats, Shoots & Leaves) has shifted the object of her punctuation policing from incorrigible adults to still-malleable kids. Her second picture book spotlights the apostrophe. When you see an illustration of children playing in a vast, sprawling park ("The giant kids' playground") and then compare it to the drawing of a humongous child on a swing ("The giant kid's playground"), the importance of that little symbol becomes clear. The drawings get laughs, and the lessons sink in.—Ages 7 and up

Jazz on a Saturday Night: by Leo and Diane Dillon; Blue Sky Press/Scholastic, $17

This richly painted picture book and accompanying CD are a paean to one of the authors' most beloved art forms—"America's classical music." Set in the golden age of jazz, somewhere near its epicenter (New Orleans, maybe, or Kansas City), the book depicts a fantasy concert performed by a dream team of musicians. Miles Davis blows on trumpet, Thelonious Monk taps away on piano, Charlie Parker and John Coltrane duel on sax, Stanley Clarke plucks at his bass, and Max Roach keeps the beat on drums, all while Ella Fitzgerald scats. Each instrument is described and demonstrated on the CD, which also features an original song—the ideal complement to the rich tones of the book's paintings, which are as beautiful and unexpected as jazz itself.—Ages 3 and up

Merry Un-Christmas: By Mike Reiss, illustrated by David Catrow; HarperCollins, $16

As the former head writer of The Simpsons, author Reiss is no stranger to satire. In this delightfully clever book, he introduces readers to Christmas City, in the state of Texmas, where it's Christmas 364 days a year. The children of Christmas City, including our doe-eyed protagonist, Noelle, are so horribly tired of having to unwrap presents every single morning, so bored with the same huge turkey dinner every night. But they eagerly await August 16th, the one day a year on which they get to take down the lights, undecorate the tree, and stop watching holiday specials. They even get to go to school! Under the farcical surface, the true heart of this tale shines bright, making it the perfect antidote to traditional holiday saccharine.—Ages 4 to 8

Necks Out for Adventure: by Timothy Basil Ering; Candlewick, $17

The highest aspiration for most clams (or wiggleskins, as they apparently call themselves) is a quiet, uneventful life tucked inside their shells. But one day, young Edwin Wiggleskin realizes that his kind's beloved protective casings can be liabilities when every member of his shellfish clan is easily plucked out of the sand, tossed into a bucket, and marked for a short future as a chowder ingredient. Only Edwin is left behind, and the daring young blob decides to wriggle out of his shell and squirm onto dry land to rescue his family. Crackling with originality, this is a perfect tale for any child afraid to step out of his comfort zone.—Ages 4 to 8

Pierre in Love: By Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Petra Mathers; Scholastic Books, $17

Pierre is a fisherman rat who swoons over Catherine, the ballet-teacher bunny he watches from his boat while he works. But poor Pierre can't work up the courage to speak to the object of his affection, so he tries to win her over with gifts he pulls up from the ocean floor and leaves outside her door. Little does he know that Catherine is already in love with that handsome fisherman she watches every day from her classroom window. The entire tale is told in the melodramatic tones of foreign cinema, and the text practically begs to be read in an over-the-top French accent: "He could not eat; his favorite chowder tasted like paste, and cheeses he once loved lay in his mouth like stones." Pierre in Love is fun, strange (in the best sense), and even genuinely romantic.—Ages 5 to 10

Pirateology Guidebook and Model Set: Candlewick, $12

There is usually a combination of disbelief and fascination when a child discovers that, unlike other story-book figures—wizards, dragons, talkative steam shovels—pirates actually existed. Trying to imagine those suave villains (or roguish heroes) in a real-world context triggers a serious round of questions: What did pirates eat? How did they hide their treasure? Where did they go to the bathroom? Answers to these queries and many more are found inside the beautifully illustrated Guide to Life on Board a Pirate Ship, written by the fictitious Captain William Lubber. Designed to look like ye olde aged parchment, the pages are filled with descriptions of various types of vessels, inventories of buccaneers' possessions, bios of famous privateers (including some notorious female ones), and a coded treasure map for the reader to decipher. And along with the book comes some truly proud booty: a grand 19-piece model pirate ship. (No glue is involved—the pieces slot together like a puzzle—but parents will likely need to help younger kids with the construction.) It's worthy plunder to sit upon the shelf of any pirate lover.—Ages 5 and up

The Real Story of Stone Soup: By Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch; Dutton, $17

You're probably familiar with the classic folk tale of the three crafty traveling soldiers who trick a stingy villager into feeding them by asking for all the "extra ingredients" to make their famous stone soup (the travelers only provide the stone). Here, Compestine resets the story in her native China, having a trio of overworked, underappreciated brothers pull a similar scam on the greedy, lazy fisherman who employs them. In another twist, the book is narrated from the point of view of the villainous but oblivious fisherman. By paying close attention to the illustrations, kids can spot exactly how he's being duped, then giggle even more when he gets served his comeuppance.—Ages 4 to 8

Sea Stories: A Classic Illustrated Edition: Compiled by Cooper Edens; Chronicle, $20

The ocean's depths hold a mystique for many kids, but you can only watch Finding Nemo so many times. This compendium of nautical tales gives the briny a thorough treatment in child-size chunks, including excerpts from Robinson Crusoe, Treasure Island, and The Old Man and the Sea, as well as sea-related sections of stories like Pinocchio. Also here are marine songs (from sea chanteys to "Popeye the Sailor Man"), fairy tales, and myths. All is accompanied by a museum's worth of equally classic paintings by the likes of Maxfield Parrish and Winslow Homer. When she's done, perhaps your little reader will request Moby-Dick?—Ages 5 to 10

Smitten: by David Gordon; Atheneum, $17

Star Wars: A Pop-up Guide to the Galaxy: by Matthew Reinhart; Scholastic, $22

If there's an image as likely to thrill a 40-year-old as a 4-year-old, it's Darth Vader's black-helmeted head rising from the pages of a pop-up book. Or Han Solo's battle-scarred Millennium Falcon lifting off in three dimensions. For this encyclopedia of Star Wars people, places, and things, expert paper-sculptor Reinhart has put all the dedication of a lifelong aficionado into the 35-plus pop-ups. You'll want to sit down and watch the films all over again with your kids.

The World Record Paper Airplane Book: by Ken Blackburn and Jeff Lammers; Workman, $11

Aeronautical engineer Ken Blackburn holds the world record for the longest paper-airplane flight. And this revision of the famous paper-plane book is his gift to pretend pilots every-where—in it, he lays out the science in detail, down to proper throwing technique. To give kids a leg up on creating their own fleet, it has 112 full-color sheets, complete with folding instructions. Whether kids want to stage a stunt show or race for time and distance, they'll find what they're after in these pages.—Ages 6 and up

The People Could Fly: Virginia Hamilton,
Illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillon,
Knopf, $12

In this folktale (with CD narration by the author and James Earl Jones), a once-winged people, enslaved in America, have forgotten how to fly—until an old man reminds them. The fantasy tones down the situation's ugliness without diminishing its impact. —Ages 8 and up

We Are the Ship: Kadir Nelson,
Jump at the Sun, $13

Through lifelike oil paintings and voice-of-experience narration, this book re-creates the era of Negro League baseball in stunning detail, as an unknown player recounts his days of brushing shoulders with legends like Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson. —Ages 10 and up

A Child's Book of Poems: illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa,
(Sterling, $10)

In addition to a slew of anonymous classics, this hefty anthology offers up verses by Dickinson, Tennyson, Wordsworth, Keats, and other literary luminaries. Fujikawa's round, smiley-faced figures add massive amounts of retro appeal.—Ages 2 to 9