Viviane SchwarzRecensioni

Fantasy

Family Picture Book Read-Aloud Afternoon: A Nine-Book Pile!

Rat law states that the "cheese belongs to you" . . . unless another rat wants it who is bigger, quicker, stronger, etc. Things escalate very quickly to authoritarian rule, coups, and anarchy.

It reminded me of this CNN article I read:

Consider an exercise practiced in one of Chicago’s most effective violence intervention programs, Becoming a Man (BAM). Teens are paired up; one is given a rubber ball, and the other is given 30 seconds to get the ball out of his partner’s fist. Inevitably, the two teens end up on the ground, wrestling and fighting to get – or keep – the ball.

After the teens switch roles and the same struggle occurs, the BAM counselor asks why no one just asked their partner for the ball. They usually look surprised and say something along the lines of, “The other guy would have thought I’m a wuss.” The counselor asks the partner if that’s true. The usual answer: “No, I would have given it to him. It’s just a stupid ball.”

Family Picture Book Read-Aloud Afternoon: A Nine-Book Pile!

A chick in an egg comes to consciousness and amuses as it explores the extent of its limited world. Things peter out as it comes to a rude awakening.

I picked this out because I like Alexis Deacon's Geis/Curse of the Chosen series.

Anna and Crocodile decide to go to the moon, even though it is a far journey that requires math and patience and planning.

This was a cute book about a pair of friends going on an adventure in their imaginations (although I'm not sure how super obvious it will be to the youngest readers that this is entirely make-believe pretend play). The dialogue between the two is spot on, and it's always good to see more children of color as protagonists in picture books. The illustrations are super fun, with lots of little details to pore over and spot.

Anna and Crocodile decide to go searching for gold, even though Crocodile warns that it will be dangerous.

This was a cute book about a pair of friends going on an adventure in their imaginations (although I'm not sure how super obvious it will be to the youngest readers that this is entirely make-believe pretend play). The dialogue between the two is spot on, and it's always good to see more children of color as protagonists in picture books. However, I read the follow-up book before this one and must confess to liking those illustrations much more; this title just didn't live up to how good the next one is.½

This is a fun twist on a counting book by showing an increasing number of yarn balls near a cat. It goes from none to one to two and before you know it, to a dozen and to lots and to too many. While this is more entertaining than the many 1, 2, 3 counting books that are incredibly staid and dull, it's still a very slim book in terms of text. I could see this being useful in infant/preschool storytimes and maybe pre-K and K classroom settings, but not for kids any older than that.

One part instructional craft book, one part comic book narrative - great presentation and while not wholly original in it's content, it's a nice little package. Definitely putting this book in the queue to try this out as a program at my library.

My (6yo) child was highly amused by this book, and I was amused too. Very nice use of inserts.

I really enjoyed this book. I think this book would be a great read in a elementary science lesson. It would be a great introduction to space, engaging students in the lesson and helping them make connections to the lesson itself. I would read this to my class.½

The first adventure of Anna, an adorably chubby brown girl, and Crocodile, showed them going on an exciting treasure hunt for gold. Now in their second adventure, they’re going to the moon!

In a gray room, Anna and Crocodile are playing a board game when Anna gets a great idea: "Let's go to the moon!" Despite Crocodile's worries, the two set off. First, they need a lot of things - math, patience, speed, and sandwiches. Finally, they are off!

After enjoying being weightless in their rocket (which looks rather like a backyard playhouse with some imaginative additions), the two arrive on the moon. They explore, marvel at the sights, and finally decide they had better go back - the Earth might feel lonely. They arrive back, ready to explore more things right on earth.

Schwarz story has a gentle, but also funny mood. Adult readers can see exactly how it follows the free-wheeling thoughts of a child's imagination while children themselves will be delighted with the silly adventure and perhaps inspired to try creating their own adventures.

Verdict: A celebration of imagination and friendship, this is a great choice for space, friendship, and imagination storytimes. Have the kids draw or construct their own rockets afterwards and watch imagination take over!

ISBN: 9781536205459; Published June 2019 by Candlewick; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library

I do love Schwarz's cats. After several popular and beloved (at least in our library) picture books with flaps, pop-ups, and other elements, Schwarz eventually returned to the smallest of her characters, Tiny Cat, in several sweet board books.

In this little book, Tiny Cat dresses up as various animals and mimics their sounds. The first spread, shows Tiny Cat, grinning widely, saying "purr" as himself, a cat. He holds up rings to make big mouse ears, a long tube for an elephant nose, a tied-on beak for a bird, long boots for a horse, a brush for a porcupine, wraps himself in a carpet for a snake, gets tangled up in yarn as a spider... but this leaves quite the pile of things. Which come together to make a scary dragon! Luckily, Tiny Cat has one more animal, which doesn't need any disguise - a lion with a loud roar!

Scharwz needs only a few lines and strokes to convey her mischievous and imaginative cat. While this isn't one I'd hand to actual babies, or even the average toddler who is unlikely to grasp the humor of the story, preschoolers are sure to adore it and with a caregiver to encourage sounds and their own dressing up, toddlers will catch on quickly.

Verdict: I love Tiny Cat. You will love Tiny Cat too!

ISBN: 9780763698188; Published 2018 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

A clever guide to putting together your own cardboard robot, including funny comics and witty commentary.

I wanted to like this book by a beloved author more than I did. It has its charms, but they are sometimes lost in the occasional muddle of the unclear imagery & text.

I wanted to like this book by a beloved author more than I did. It has its charms, but they are sometimes lost in the occasional muddle of the unclear imagery & text.

Parents will enjoy reading this story of counting to their children. The black and white pictures make it fun to count the red dots. How many does cat count? Fun counting book that goes beyond numbers.

Great book to show sharing. The bigger and scarier mouse would take the cheese and so on, but in the end it's best if they all shared the cheese.½

I enjoyed the writing as well as the illustrations in this book. This was a humorous book that I chose for a read aloud.

adventure½

January 8, 2014

No duh. All the cheese is mine, and mine alone to grate and share. My mother-in-law gives me a sack of cheeses for Christmas every year. Of course, the Spouse actually has a nickname including the word cheese. And both the Offspring are quite keen.



So, yeah, you had me at "cheese." I like the way the text builds, I like the illustration very much. And I really liked the words "rat law" together. Natasha, eleven, was amused as well.



[spoiler]For those who haven't read the back cover copy of the book, it would be fun to pair as a read-aloud with Millions of Cats. Just saying.

[/spoiler]

***

January 8, 2015

Those who forget the past are doomed to re-read it on the same date next year. Not that I'm complaining, I liked it even more this time.

Library copy

Cool idea, good execution except, wow, I'm getting old and the frames were just slightly too small to be comfortable reading. It was a slight struggle to read and to decipher the pictures. Not a lot, just a tiny bit too small, so that the whole thing was just a little bit too hard to enjoy.

That said, Natasha who is eleven and also doesn't wear reading glasses loved it.

Library copy.

lots of flaps to lift; cats talk to reader

My favorite of the three 'Cats' by Schwarz. ?�Lots of flaps and a plot that children can interact with make this a more immersive experience, imo. ?á
Interestingly, Schwarz reads these aloud on youtube for us for free. ?á(Although, at least on this one, she did skip a few words.)
I will look for more by her.

My 20 yo son, currently majoring in computer science at college, and I, introverted bookworm & homemaker, both adored this.?� Yes it's a workbook, printed oversize on heavy paper.?á It's also just a wonderful story of an energetic child and a supportive mom who learn to use their imaginations to make a customized robot.?á The playful pictures are kinda sorta ugly in a way, but they do suit the story perfectly.?á

A perfect gift for any child age 4-9 (we estimate), whether or not they're into robots or creativity.?á Parental guidance necessary, of course, for the younger kids, but older kids can do almost everything all by themselves... there's even a mini-poster of rules for the workshop about safety and tidying up.½

Crazy. silly, and great fodder for discussions with children 4-9 (I estimate).  I rate it low because I am so not the target audience, and I don't even like the art... but the right readers will def. rate it five stars.½