Book Review Contest Winners' Round-Up

So a whole bunch of last month's book review contest winners have obliged my request for reviews of the books they received from Kane/Miller Book Publishers. Below I'm posting links to reviews posted on winners' own blogs, and below that I'm putting up reviews sent directly to us. I hope that these reviews inspire you to check out their globe-spanning catalog of American, English-language editions of children's books originally published in other countries and add them to your children's collection.

Superha's review of Kali and the Rat Snake by Zai Whitaker (India)

Rachel's review of Who's Hiding? by Saturo Onishi (Japan)

Eliaday's review of The Zoo by Suzy Lee (South Korea)

Kim's review of The Story of Cherry the Pig by Utako Yamada (Japan)

Honglien123's review of The Mats by Francisco Arcellana (Philippines)

Kerri Aldrich's review of New Clothes for New Year's Day by Hyun-Joo Bae (South Korea)

Naomi on Naomi Kojima's Singing Shimiji Clams (Japan):
I was afraid this book might be too long to hold my three year old's attention, but it cracked her up. It's the story of a witch who buys some clams for her miso soup but has misgivings about cooking them and ends up having them sing for their supper, so to speak. She has a cranky cat who eventually learns to love the clams, too, and they take them back to the sea where everyone is happier. As someone who has a problem with choosing lobsters at restaurants, the theme was very familiar. We heartily enjoyed the story. Thanks, Rice Daddies and Kane Miller!

Christina on Yoon-duck Kwan's My Cat Copies Me (South Korea):
Hey, thanks to Kane/Miller Books for making us all winners. I received the book "My Cat Copies Me" by Yoon-duck Kwan, also the illustrator. It is a story about a little girl (though it could have been about a little boy since it was written in such an open, generic manner) and her kitty cat. It is a sweet story about the connection and bond between the child and her pet, they are friends and do everything together, they play, explore, hang out, and support each other. The illustrations are beautiful with a delicate, soft look to it. They are colorful and bright but not garishly so. I look forward to sharing this with my daughter when she is old enough to handle soft pages in a book.

Mommy de Gallo on Ho-Baek Lee's While We Were Out (South Korea):
We received our copy of "While We Were Out" by Ho Baek Lee. It came at a very nice time in our lives, as my daughter is starting to develop relationships with our own two pets. This simple story is about a pet (?) rabbit that explores the house while it's owners are out. Funny enough, all of the things the rabbit does in the home are things that my daughter also enjoys. The simple story, and lovely illustrations are just right to capture the imagination. This story has opened up my child's mind as to what exactly our cat and dog are up to when we leave the house? I know that they just lie around and sleep, but she is using her imagination to create stories about the games they are playing, and blaming them when her toys are misplaced. Thank you Rice Dadies for a great book!

More Book Review Contest: Green Eggs and Ham

I know, I know, I said the contest was over (except for, of course, the most excellent reviews by the winners of their prizes that, I am sure, are wending their way to me via email even as we speak). But after I called out all the daddies for not stepping up, I got this email from reader (and dad) rockcreek. Seems he sent me his review on February 17, but left out the "a" in my handle/email address and so I never got it. Sucks, dude! But to give props to the only other dad to (try to) enter the contest [or should I say, "props to pop"?], and because Friday was the venerable Dr. Seuss' birthday, here's one more review.

Title: Green Eggs and Ham
Author/Illustrator: Dr. Seuss
Reviewer: rockcreek

EVERYBODY loves Dr. Seuss books. Now that I'm re-reading them 35 years later (give or take), I've only just realized how brilliantly written and illustrated they are. As a kid, you're always taken by pictures, and the trippy Roald Dahl vibe mixed with the Rube Goldberg-esque contraptions wouldn't really register. You'd just see two furry dudes, one looking somewhat pissy, the other holding a vaguely unappetizing plate of green food, having a talk in a car with a goat, fox, and a mouse, on top of a train car which just jumped some impossibly rickety tracks and is headed for the smokestack of a ship. "Cool!"

Then the writing. These are great to read with my eldest son, who is mildly speech delayed. The rhyme scheme helps him process, so when I read, "You may like them / You will see. / You may like them / in a... ", he jumps right in with " ... TREE!" His books are a speech therapist's dream, and their publishing seems to predate the development of many commonly used practices for childhood language acquisition (e.g. using simplified vocabulary, repeating phrases, etc.) And the rhyme and the meter never seem forced or clumsy. ("Green Eggs" is 60 pages; I doubt I could communicate "wash your hands" in a rhyming meter.)

On top of that, the Doc manages to fit in overarching lessons of socialization about the value of persistence and taking risks. That he managed to get all of this in between the cover of a single book makes this one my favorite.

Blogaversary Book Review Contest Wrap-Up

Taking a quick break from our usual fare of AsAm dad sports injuries, I thought I'd wrap up our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest by announcing our winners and prizes.

First, thanks to our reviewers: Honglien123, Naomi Shapiro, Kim, Mommy de Gallo, Rachel, Stephanie, Christina Williams, Superha, Kerri Aldrich, Carol, eliaday, and peachboy. It was great to read about your childhood favorites and why you want to share them with your kids, to discover some new finds and be reminded of old favorites.

So, who won? Thanks to the generosity of Kane/Miller Book Publishers—everybody! Each of our reviewers will receive a different book (selected at random) from the following list of twelve titles from Kane/Miller's catalog of children's books originally published in Asian countries:

My Cat Copies Me (S. Korea)
New Clothes for New Year's Day (S. Korea)
The Zoo (S. Korea)
While We Were Out (S. Korea)
Yellow Umbrella (S. Korea)
The Story of Cherry the Pig (Japan)
Who's Hiding? (Japan)
Happy Birthday Coco (Japan)
Singing Shijimi Clams (Japan)
Guji Guji (Taiwan)
The Mats (Philippines)
Kali and the Rat Snake (India)

See? Everybody got something! Don't you wish you had entered? And another thing—you know we love our mommy readers, but yo, where my daddies at? Props to Peachboy for stepping up—what, the rest of y'all don't read to your kids? Heh. Show me up next time, okay?

Anyway, all our winners are invited to send us a review of the book they won for posting here on Rice Daddies. We hope you and your kids enjoy your books. And of course, i can't end this without giving an extra-special shout-out to Sondra LaBrie, Kane/Miller's marketing manager, without whom this wouldn't have happened. Or, it could've happened, you just wouldn't have actually won anything. Heh. Thanks, Sondra!

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming....

Book Review Contest: Momotaro

Title: Momotaro
Illustrator: George Suyeoka
Reviewer: peachboy

I wish that I could list a whole bunch of multicultural books from my childhood. Alas, nothing by bell hooks in 70's. Amidst the Dr. Seuss, Beverly Cleary, and Frank Baum, is this one: Momotaro (peach boy). If you ain't hip to this, it's the Japanese fable of a boy that emerges from a peach, grows up, and kicks much ass fighting ogres and saving villages.

I dug this book for several reasons, maybe then articulated as "The drawings are cool and the people look like us." Today, I still enjoy the graphic quality of the illustrations -- color-saturated, with bites of Hiroshige. My grandfather's name was Momotaro. His fifth and youngest daughter, my mother, is Momoko. Her husband, my father, is a now retired peach farmer. How could we not see our family in this book? It is a must-read for our babygirl in the coming years.

The Rice Daddies Blogaversary Children's Book Review contest is ovah! Thanks to all who submitted reviews. Stay tuned for an announcement about winners and prizes (from Kane Miller Book Publishers) coming soon!

Book Review Contest: The Snowy Day

Title: The Snowy Day
Author/Illustrator: Ezra Jack Keats
Reviewer: eliaday

When we were living in southern California, I just couldn't get used to having Christmas with no snow. For my daughter's first Christmas, I gave her a copy of Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day. I have always loved this book - because I always wished that one morning *I* would wake up and find heaping mountains of snow to climb up and down and explore.

I forget that to my daughter - the piles of snow outside now in Massachusetts do probably look like giant mountains. The Snowy Day reminds me of the beauty of the simple things in life - a day spent outside with your best friend in the snow, telling your mom about your adventures, and having them start all over again the next morning when you wake up.

We could all use a few snowy days in our lives.

(I can't help but add that issues of race and class could be addressed through this book. I never really noticed race in this book when I was little. What I did notice was that Peter only had to go across the hall to get his friend. I thought that that was just about the coolest thing - to live in an apartment building.)

Your chance to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest and win some great new books from Kane/Miller Book Publishers ends tonight. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: The ValueTale Series

Title: The ValueTale Series
Authors: Spencer and Anne Donegan Johnson
Illustrator: Steve Pileggi
Reviewer: Carol

One of my favorites was the ValueTale series. They are out of print now, but when I was a kid, we had the entire set. There were about 40 or so books and I read each and every one of them. Each book was a biography of a historical figure who embodied a particular value, such as courage, kindness, determination. Some that I remember the best are: The Value of Believing in Yourself: The Story of Louis Pasteur, The Value of Determination: The Story of Helen Keller, The Value of Giving: The Story of Beethoven, and The Value of Caring: The Story of Eleanor Roosevelt. I read these over, over and over again.

I think what appealed to me (besides the illustrations and the not very historically accurate anthropomorphic sidekicks) was that I could as a child relate to these individuals as people, not just get rote awareness of their historical accomplishments. And I still enjoy biographies (although these days, it's more television-based) as a way of learning and understanding history. To this day, I credit the series for my first exposure to a number of scientists, philosophers, artists, athletes, activists, humanitarians, politicians and many other backgrounds. Some of these were people of color, or from different countries/cultures, some were women - so it was also an early introduction to recognizing that everyone can contribute, do great things, overcome obstacles, help others, be good people.

Your chance to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest and win some great new books from Kane/Miller Book Publishers ends tonight. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: Morris Has a Cold

Title: Morris Has a Cold
Author/Illustrator: Bernard Wiseman
Reviewer: Kerri Aldrich

I used to love Morris the Moose books as a kid, though as an adult I
couldn't remember why. Then I started reading them again with my
daughter, and it hit me. Morris is a 5-6 year old child! He is so
very literal, and in his mind words should mean exactly what they say.

In Morris Has a Cold, Wiseman accurately portrays a day in the life of
a parent (or caregiver) and a sick child, minus the woods and antlers
and such. :) When asked by Boris the Bear how his throat feels, Morris
touches it and replies, "hairy." When told to eat his soup by putting
his spoon in his mouth, Morris obeys....and puts the entire spoon in
his mouth. The illustration on that one is priceless and makes me
smile. After spending many weeks of this very new year already tending
to the needs of one sick child after another, I can completely relate
to Boris's declaration at the end of the story, once he's nursed Morris
back to health, of "DON'T EVER GET SICK AGAIN!"

I think I'm also attracted to these stories because Bernard Wiseman
both authors and illustrates the book, and does both very well. The
words and the pictures compliment each other superbly, but also each
tell the complete story on their own. Makes for a fun reading
experience all around.

You have until tomorrow night, February 23, to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books from Kane/Miller Book Publishers. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: Little Miss Shy

Title: Little Miss Shy
Author/Illustrator: Roger Hargreaves
Reviewer: Superha

I was never much of a reader growing up. Just ask my sister. She’ll tell you that I spent more time outdoors than in. In fact, I ne’er did see a basketball, tree, or bike that I didn’t like. I used to tease my older sis about her bookworm tendencies. I was a true tomboy… a terror on two legs, really. I’ve mellowed out since then. But I do remember that one of the only series of books that I really enjoyed were the “Little Miss” and “Mr. Men” books by Roger Hargreaves. Almost everyone can find a part of themselves in at least one of the characters. He’s got a ton of them (meet them all on the Mr. Men.com website) [and see Superha's blog for a full hyperlinked character list--somebody was busy last night!--ed.].

“Mr. Tickle” made me laugh (it’s also the most popular “Mr. Men” book), “Little Miss Chatterbox” was cool because my Mom actually got “Little Miss Chatterbox” matching t-shirts for me and my sis, and “Little Miss Shy” is just so darned cute. Seriously, how could anyone not love her bashful little face? And those teeny tiny bangs?

I think I loved the intricate weaving of the storylines, the profound lessons, and the complexity of the syntax in Hargreaves’ books. Alright, in all honesty, I loved the simplicity of the tales, the exaggeration of all the protagonists’ characteristics, and the way everything comes together at the end. Each book is only about 30 pages long and half of it is illustrations (the drawings are fun and easy for kids to understand). It wasn’t a big time commitment on my part. I could read one of these and still hit the sidewalk with my skateboard before the sun went down.

I bought a bunch of these books for my daughter Ashley just before her first birthday. I would read them to her and act out all the characters. It felt so amazing to read something to your child while at the same time remembering what it was like to be one yourself. Since Ash is one rambunctious little girl, the theme for her first birthday party was actually “Little Miss Trouble” (we handed out copies of the various characters as party favors). But I do hope that Ashley takes to books a bit sooner than I did. I wish I had started reading earlier on in life. I eventually went on to take advanced english literature and journalism classes in high school, major in english and communication in college, and become a TV news reporter so I guess I ain’t half bad (I know, I know… ain’t ain’t a word).

Anyway, “Little Miss Shy” is a wonderful book about a super introverted little girl (she’s blue but I’m guessing she’s a girl or perhaps an uncredited Smurf?) who’s so shy, she won’t even leave her house called Thimble Cottage. She grew her own food so she wouldn’t have to go shopping. Then, one day, she received a big knock on her door from the postman delivering an invitation from Mr. Funny to attend a party full of … people! Oh, no. Not people (Soylent green is PEOPLE, but that’s a different story altogether)! Poor, Little Miss Shy. She’s up day and night worrying about the party. She even cries because she wishes she weren’t so shy. I like that many of Hargreaves’ stories have something that most kids identify with. Stories like this have helped so many children over the years. I enjoyed “Mr. Tall” because I was always one of the tallest girls in class growing up. I think I’ve been about 5′9″ since the 5th grade. I also have a “Mr. Tall” t-shirt that I wear occasionally. But enough about me. Back to the book. Does Little Miss Shy overcome her fear and go to the party anyway? And is there someone out there even more shy than Little Miss Shy? In perfect O. Henry fashion, there’s a great twist at the end of most of these books. I won’t give it away here, but you and your own “Little Miss Fun” or “Mr. Mischief” will definitely enjoy it.

You have until this Friday, February 23, to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books from Kane/Miller Book Publishers. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: Goodnight Moon

Title: Goodnight Moon
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
Illustrator: Clement Hurd
Reviewer: Christina Williams

As a child I loved the book "Good Night Moon" by Margaret Wise Brown. When my mom read it to me we would always try to look for the mouse in each double page spread. Now I read this book to my two year old daughter and we look for the mouse again. By the time we get to the end of the book I am whispering the last sentence as if it's about to disappear into the air and be a part of her dreams. This book is about a little bunny who, like most kiddies, tries to put off sleep for as long as possible. As the evening wears on the little bunny says good night to all the things in its room until it is sleepy and ready for bed. The simple illustrations by Clement Hurd, in a basic four color scheme of red, blue, green, and yellow are delightful and sweet. Look to see how the moon travels across the window and how the hands on the clock have moved, or how the lighting gets dimmer with the turn of each page to illustrate the passage of time. As an added bonus, check out one of the "paintings" in a double page spread and you will find it is an illustration to another story by Margaret Wise Brown called "The Runaway Bunny", also illustrated by Clement Hurd.

We love this book, in fact, my daughter almost always has to read it multiple times in a row -thereby defeating the purpose of "winding down to bed", but it's worth it.

You have until this Friday, February 23, to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: Where the Sidewalk Ends

Title: Where the Sidewalk Ends
Author/Illustrator: Shel Silverstein
Reviewer: Stephanie

As a child, I was not much of a reader. I preferred to play outside in the dirt, ride my bike with my next door neighbor and play board games. My sister and mother have been lifelong readers, and I think that it was a disappointment to my mother that I wasn’t as enthusiastic about books as she was. The one exception was the book Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Filled with fanciful drawings and funny, ridiculous and sometimes very poignant poems, Where the Sidewalk Ends is a wonderful book for children of all ages.

One of my favorite poems from the book, titled “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout would not take the garbage out,” is about a little girl who didn’t finish her chores.

Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout
Would not take the garbage out!
She’d scour the pots and scrape the pans,
Candy the yams and spice the hams,
And though her daddy would scream and shout,
She simply would not take the garbage out.

When finally the garbage touched the sky and no one would come over to play anymore, she decides to take out the garbage. Of course, it is too late and now she has to live with the consequences.

Another one, “Listen to the Mustn’ts,” is just beautiful.

Listen to the MUSN’TS, child,
Listen to the DON’TS
Listen to the SHOULDN’TS
The IMPOSSIBLES, the WON’TS
Listen to the NEVER HAVES
Then listen close to me –
Anything can happen, child,
ANYTHING can be.

My mother and sister are still both readers, and as an adult I have joined the ranks of those who love books. I now spend time reading daily to my almost five year old daughter Leah (her current favorite being the Junie B. Jones series) and I plan to introduce the wonderful poems of Where the Sidewalk Ends to her soon.

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: little blue and little yellow

Title: little blue and little yellow
Author/Illustrator: Leo Lionni
Reviewer: Rachel

When I was a kid, one of my favorite picture books was little blue and little yellow by Leo Lionni, and recently I bought a copy of it for my daughter. The illustrations are just blobs of tissue paper. I really wish I'd thought of that first.

In the book two tissue-paper blobs, little blue and little yellow, play together, then hug each other until they turn green. Their parents do not recognize them initially, but later learn to accept their friendship. Little blue and little yellow teaches a simple lesson about colors, and another, more subtle lesson about prejudice. The story is bittersweet, and I love the mid-century simplicity of the art. The language is simple and there are just a few words per page, so it's perfect for the toddler.

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: The Funny Little Woman

Title: The Funny Little Woman
Author: Arlene Mosel
Illustrator: Blair Lent
Reviewer: Mommy de Gallo

I absolutely loved this book when I was growing up. Making "rice balls", rice paddles, Jizo, and oni were all things that I could relate to. I had the hardest time finding this book for my daughter because I could not remember what the exact title was. I was fortunate to come across it in a thrift store, and it has quickly become a favorite in our house. Tee-hee-hee!

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: Panda Cake

Title: Panda Cake
Author: Rosalie Seidler
Reviewer: Kim

"A panda cake, a panda cake, mama is making a panda cake!" And mmm... with ingredients like apples and roots and bamboo shoots, you know that this will be a tasty treat! Unfortunately, when mama sends her two panda sons out for supplies, the elder Willy chooses to "borrow" a few things from the other animals so he can spend her hard-earned panda cash at the local fair. When little brother arrives home to mama, not only is he carrying all of the freshest ingredients - he's also soon followed by some angry critters! Mama chooses to make the best of the situation, inviting all of the animals to stay and partake in the yummiest cake they've ever eaten. And by the time Willy gets home from carnival, there's not a single slice left for him!

Although I always liked the story of Panda Cake, it's the simple black and white illustrations of the portly pandas that made me fall in love with this book. I read it to my 15 month old daughter frequently and she seems to enjoy the rhymes. My husband, however, has made it his duty to point out the one slight... flaw in the book. Sure, Willy can take apples from the pig's tree, or cherries from a bird. And yes, they can still enjoy the finished product. But having the goose gobble down a cake made from it's own eggs??? I suppose I never picked up on that detail as a kid! Regardless, I still treasure my childhood copy of the book. Cake, anyone?

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: Trouble for Trumpets

Title: Trouble for Trumpets
Author: Peter Dallas-Smith
Illustrator: Peter Cross
Reviewer: Kim

Trouble for Trumpets is a timeless story of good versus evil: "As the Trumpets, summer creatures who live in a world of warmth and sunshine, prepare to hibernate, the Grumpets, winter creatures who live in the dark, frozen mountains of the north, prepare to take over their land." What makes this book an amazing read, however, is the amazing artistry of Peter Cross. First off, who wouldn't love a Trumpet (or Grumpet, for that matter) - they're a cute cross between a hippo and a teddy bear, with English style to boot! The tale is narrated by Podd, a watchman of sorts for the Trumpet folk. As he helps to defend his people from Grumpet attack, you're drawn into page after page of intricate scenes detailing everyday Trumpet life. With influences ranging from Magritte to M.C. Escher to Rube Goldberg and more, you'll find yourself spending hours looking for the hidden oddities / faces / jokes in every realistically-but-magically drawn page. I swear that everytime I picked up this book, I found yet another new thing to amaze myself. My grandfather gave me this book before he passed away so it holds a great deal of sentimental value for me; when I went online recently to find a copy for a relative, I was amazed to see that it fetches quite a bit. (Somehow, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a second copy at a local used bookstore for just $5 - woohoo!) Anyway, I highly recommend skimming through a copy if you're ever lucky enough to snag one!

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.

Book Review Contest: The Story of Ferdinand

Title: The Story of Ferdinand
Author: Munro Leaf
Illustrator: Robert Lawson
Reviewer: Naomi Shapiro

I always loved this story about the bull who didn't like to fight, preferring to smell the flowers and lounge in the shade. Seems entirely reasonable to me! My daughter turns three next month and she loves it, too.

You have until February 23 to enter our Blogaversary Children's Book Review Contest to win some great new books. Click here for details and send your submissions to daddyinastrangeland@mac.com.