The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce (E JOYCE)

Everyone has a story. Because he loved books, Morris Lessmore wrote his story in his book every day. He was very content doing just this, but then a storm destroyed his home and scattered his library. Even the words from his book flew off in the wind. It was a blessing in disguise. In The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce, Morris then sees the lady with the flying books. She loans him one that leads him to a home for flying books.

As you may guess, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore is a book that children, parents, and librarians love. Illustrated by Joyce with Joe Bluhm, it is beautiful, sweet, and right in line with everything that I believe as a librarian. I hope that I can live my life so gracefully as Morris, i.e., be a little more understanding when all the books get out of order.

Read the author bio on the jacket to learn more about the origin and meaning of this fantastic book.

Review submitted by Rick

Also see Kerri’s review of this book, too!

Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird by Stephanie Spinner (J 636.6 SPI)

If you’ve ever had a pet, you might have wished it could talk to you using words. Since the time Irene Pepperberg was 4, she’d raised parakeets and taught them to talk. It was no surprise, then, when in the 1970s she decided to study how animals communicate. Many scientists thought that bigger animals had bigger brains, so animals like dolphins and apes were often studied. Irene wanted to prove that birds—particularly African grey parrots—were not “birdbrains.”

Alex the Parrot: No Ordinary Bird tells the story of how Irene went into a pet store one day and randomly chose an African grey to buy for study. She named him Alex. Irene slowly and patiently worked with Alex, teaching him words and showing him objects so that he might understand what the words meant. She tested Alex thousands of times. When he got tired, Alex would say “Wanna go back,” which meant he wanted a break from learning. Alex learned how to count, add, and subtract. He knew words like banana, key, and paper. He could tell what was same and different, and he grasped the concept of zero—all things no chimp or gorilla could do. The more he learned, the more attitude he seemed to develop. If he asked for a grape and got a banana, he would spit it back out. When another African grey parrot was introduced, Alex growled at him and tried to trick him into giving the wrong answers to questions.

Eventually, Irene began to earn the respect of other scientists for the hard work she was doing with Alex. He also became a bit of a celebrity and performed on TV shows. Unfortunately in 2007, Alex died suddenly at the age of 31 from heart failure. This was especially sad because African greys often live to be over 60 years old. The last thing Alex said to Irene before she left the lab: “You be good. I love you.”

Irene received many letters from Alex’s fans after his death. Together Alex and Irene changed how people thought about birds. They weren’t simply “birdbrains.” Alex was as smart as a 5-year-old child! They needed to be around people and shouldn’t be left alone for too long. Parrots like to play and learn, just like children. Thanks to Alex and Irene for showing us this, and to author Stephanie Spinner and illustrator Meilo So for creating this lovely book. Share it with all the animal lovers—and skeptics—in your family.

Review submitted by Dana

The Amazing Harry Kellar: Great American Magician by Gail Jarrow (J B KELLAR)

Can you imagine a time long before movies, radio, television, and the Internet? Public entertainment was found in gas-lit lecture halls and opera houses. Colorful posters glued to buildings and fences announced the shows. Young and old thrilled to learn a magician was coming to town. That was the world of Harry Kellar (1849-1922), once America’s most famous magician. His story is told in the well-illustrated biography The Amazing Harry Kellar: Great American Magician by Gail Jarrow.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many of the most famous magicians touring the United States came from Europe. Kellar (born Heinrich Keller) was an exception. Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, he had to tour other continents with his magic show for over a decade before he could compete in his native land. During that time he honed his skills, learning amazing tricks and illusions, including how to levitate Princess Karnac. Eventually he became the leading American magician.

Aimed at upper elementary or middle school readers, The Amazing Harry Kellar is an attractive book filled with reproductions of original Kellar lithographic posters and photographs of the time. Its quick-reading text describes the career of a now-forgotten entertainer who paved the way for later magicians, including Harry Houdini. Good for biography reports or pleasure reading.

Review submitted by Rick

Henry in Love by Peter McCarty (E McCARTY)

Henry in Love tells the story of a shy cat named Henry who falls for a spirited rabbit in his class named Chloe. Chloe is charming and dynamic. She knows how to do a spectacular cartwheel. Henry is quiet and keeps to himself, until the day he decides to approach Chloe by doing his very best forward roll. After finishing his lunch and saving his very special blueberry muffin for an afternoon snack, Henry befriends Chloe by offering her this very special muffin. The simple storyline and innocent humor is written in a clever style with beautiful, lucid illustrations that add personality to each of the characters in a unique way. It is a sweet story about friendship filled with simple gestures and a very special sacrifice.

Review submitted by Margaret

The Mighty Miss Malone by Christopher Paul Curtis (J CURTIS)

“My most endearing trait, and being as modest as I am I had to ask my brother Jimmie for this, is that I have the heart of a champion, am steady as a rock and can be counted on to do what is required. Jimmie also said I am the smartest kid he has ever met, but my all-encompassing humility prevents me from putting that on this list.” –Deza Malone, from The Mighty Miss Malone

Twelve-year-old Deza Malone is growing up during the Great Depression in Gary, Indiana. She lives a pretty typical life: She loves school and her teacher, her family is close knit and brings her a lot of laughter, and she has a great best friend in Gary. After her father gets injured in an accident, he leaves the family to find work in Michigan. When they don’t hear anything from him, Deza, her mom, and Deza’s older brother Jimmie set out to track him down. First they land in a camp outside Flint, Michigan. Jimmie, who can sing like an angel, goes out on the road to try to make a living as a musician. Suddenly, letters and even money start arriving in the mail from Deza’s father! He tells the family he’s found work as a traveling carpenter, and he’s saving money for a new home so they can be together again. But one thing that Deza is growing to learn, however, is that things are not always as they seem.

Deza is a studious, determined girl who loves learning new words, writing, and reading books from the library. Her words (and misuse of them–sometimes she’s “mortifried”) will make you chuckle, as will her lovable family. Their love for each other lasts through thick and thin in this inspiring story. Deza also is a character in Christopher Paul Curtis’ novel Bud, Not Buddy (a 2000 Newbery Medal winner) just in case you can’t get enough of her. Hopefully we’ll see more of Deza Malone in the future, too.

Review submitted by Dana

If All the Animals Came Inside by Eric Pinder (E PINDER)

If All the Animals Came Inside just might become a favorite book of children, parents, teachers, and librarians alike! Marc Brown, of the beloved Arthur series we all know and love, is the illustrator of this fun, creative, and rhythmic collaboration with author Eric Pinder.

As is often the case in a picture book, the title page is actually where this uproarious story begins. We see animals peeking around a tree at a house. A boy lives there with his baby brother, toddler sister, mother, and father. There is even a pet dog and cat. You might say that this house is already full! Pinder’s rhyming text begins with the blue-eyed boy predicting what would happen if all of the animals came inside. The only person excited about this adventure is the boy, whose family members all react with alarm as each group of animals invade the house to explore and make themselves at home. The boy rides the elephant, which crashes about, plays hide and seek with monkeys and bears, and eats snacks with pandas, skunks, and yaks. The animals wreak havoc wherever they go in the house, making Mommy, Daddy, and Sister angry and annoyed. Eventually, even the boy gets tired of the mess and disruption, because the animals end up taking all of his toys, coloring on the walls, taking up all of the space on the sofa (where they happily watch an episode of “Arthur” on TV), and even taking over his bed. In the end he realizes that the dog and cat provide more than enough animal entertainment for him and his family.

This book’s text has a wonderful cadence to it, and begs to be read aloud. The actions and chaos of the animals is conveyed with rhyming text and great phrases like “Lunch munch. Burp crunch” and “Wibble scribble. Wipe swipe.” Pinder and Brown give us a great parade of animals, too: elephants, bears, monkeys, hippos, giraffes, kangaroos, cows, lions, pandas, yaks, skunks, lemurs, porcupines, gibbons, hyenas, ostriches, octopuses, zebras, squirrels, chipmunks, bats, rhinos, owls, and wolves. Brown’s illustrations are a whimsical collage of striated cut papers, paper enhanced with Brown’s sketching to create hair, animal fur, and household furnishings, and actual photos of objects (like cans of peas, rubber ducks, shoes, and luggage). One can see, in the eyes of some of his animals, clever echoes of his earlier Arthur characters. Children will learn descriptive language and vocabulary.

It would be wonderful to see more from this author/illustrator team. If All the Animals Came Inside is a winning combination of story and art that is sure to entertain and stimulate the minds of young children. Teachers and librarians looking for books to use for story time, art projects, and language arts studies will be delighted, too!

Review submitted by Laura

Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat by Susanna Reich (E REICH)

“Like any self-respecting French cat, Minette wouldn’t dream of eating food out of a can.”

Luckily for Minette, she had Julia Child to cook for her. Even so, Child had to practice and improve her cooking to satisfy the discriminating taste buds of Minette. Lessons with Chef Bugnard at Le Cordon Bleu were essential. After months of study and testing, Child finally cooked a dish that was perfect for le poussiequette. “Ooh-la-la! Magnifique!”

With lovely illustrations by Amy Bates, Susanna Reich tells the story of a French cat and an American woman who wanted to be a French chef in Minette’s Feast: The Delicious Story of Julia Child and Her Cat. Of course, most children will not realize that Child was a famous author and television celebrity, but I imagine a few will be delighted years from now when they make the link. In the meantime, the young readers can enjoy a sweet story about a demanding cat served by a faithful human.

Review submitted by Rick