Saturday, November 10, 2018

BOOK REVIEW: Stegothesaurus by Bridget Theos, Illustrated by T. L. McBeth

StegothesaurusTITLE: STEGOTHESAURUS
AUTHOR: Bridget Heos
ILLUSTRATED BY: T. L. McBeth
PUBLISHED: Henry Holt


JACKET FLAP: Once upon a time there were three dinosaurs. A stegosaurus. Another stegosaurus and a stegothesaurus.

Hello! Greetings! Salutations!

He was a little different from his brothers.

SPOILER ALERT: These notes give away the plot of the story.

NOTES: The pleasing rhythm of three beats can be seen here, in the three dinosaurs, the three words in which Stegothesaurus expresses himself, the way that the three each weigh in on what they see/feel, the three things they encounter (clouds, heat, allosaurus), the three attempts Stegothesaurus makes to describe the Allosaurus, the three groups of words they say/share when they spend the day together, and then Stegothesaurus' response to finding out how the Allothesaurus got so smart also had three beats, with three words in each of the first two beats. The text of run, ran, ran might also be considered three beats. And the following three spreads depict three dinosaurs again.  Finally, the resolution features the three each weighing in on their personal suggestions, with Stegothesaurus using three words in his and then the Stegosaurus citing three words for the end of his tale, with the author crossing them out and writing THE END.

I used this as a comp title for one of my dinosaur books, and found it to be interesting. Being a structure girl, I enjoyed the structure, but yet at times felt it was perhaps a bit over much. And while I really did like the subversive twist, I didn't feel the level of character change I might have liked to see. Still, I do think that the premise is extremely clever (hmmm...) and a good book and worth reading and rereading, which is the point.

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PLEASE follow this blog so you don't miss any tidbit of information and please feel free to leave any comment or question you may have. I will do my best to answer all! 


Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic, January 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books, 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling, pending) and Let's Eat! Mealtimes Around the World -- illustrated by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books, 2019). You can learn more about her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com. 

To order the Star in the Christmas Play, click the title.

Monday, November 5, 2018

A Review of LIBBA: THE MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL LIFE OF ELIZABETH COTTEN by Laura Veirs

Image result for libba by tatiana veirs
TITLE: The Magnificent Musical Life of Elizabeth Cotten
AUTHOR: Laura Veirs
ILLUSTRATOR: Tatyana Fazlalizadeh
PUBLISHER: Chronicle Books, 2018

JACKET FLAP:

Like a girl doing what she was born to do, Libba played the guitar, upside down and backwards.

Elizabeth Cotten was only a little girl when she picked up a guitar for the first time. It wasn't hers -- it was her big brother's -- and it wasn't strung right -- she was left-handed. But she flipped that guitar up and around and figured out how to play it anyway. By the time she was eleven, she'd written "Freight Train," a song so famous you might even be able to hum it right now. And by the end of her life, everyone from the California beaches to the rolling hills of England knew her music. Libba's trip to success wasn't always stright, and it sure was bumpy, but she never stopped in her tracks. She always kept rolling.

This lyrical, loving book from acclaimed singer-songwriter Laura Veirs and debut illustrator Tatyana Fazlalizadeh tells the story of the determined, gifted, daring Elizabeth Cotten - one of America's greatest folk musicians.

BEGINNING:

Libba Cotten hear music everywhere. 

She heard it in the river when she brought in water for her mother. She heard it in the ax when she chopped wood for kindling. She heard it in the freight trains moving down the tracks near her home. 

NOTES: Written in beautiful, lyrical language and similarly illustrated. It's a wonderful, inspiring story of never losing sight of the track you're on. Even better, if you recognize the song Freight Train, and the names Pete Seeger and Peter, Paula and Mary, Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead, you will find out some fascinating tie-ins and facts. So this book doesn't just have takeaway value for kids, but for adults too. So well written and so very inspiring!

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PLEASE follow this blog so you don't miss any tidbit of information and please feel free to leave any comment or question you may have. I will do my bes to answer all! 


Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic, January 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books, 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling, pending) and Let's Eat! Mealtimes Around the World -- illustrated by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books, 2019). You can learn more about her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com. 

To order the Star in the Christmas Play, click the title.

Sunday, November 4, 2018

A Review of BLOOM: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli by Kyo Maclear Pictures by Julie Morstad

Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa SchiaparelliTITLE: Bloom: A Story of Fashion Designer Elsa Schiaparelli
AUTHOR: Kyo Maclear
ILLUSTRATOR: By Julie Morstad
PUBLISHER: HarperCollins, 2018

JACKET FLAP: As a little girl in Rome, Elsa Schiaparelli was told she was not pretty. What is beauty? Elsa wondered as she grew older. So she sought out beauty around her and found it everywhere, in colors and scents of the Rome flower market, in the garden, and in the attic of her family home, buried in a chest of old dresses. She found affection from her dear uncle in Milano.

"Voliamo," said Uncle Giovanni. "Let's fly!"

And Elsa did fly! "Schiap," as she later called herself, developed an artist's eye and imagination. These bloomed in wildly imaginative dresses, hats, shoes and jewelry that made her an important name in fashion. Defining beauty on her own creative and rebellious terms was the key to Elsa Schiaparelli's happiness and success and is still seen today in her legacy of wild imagination. Daring and different, Elsa Schiaparelli used art to make fashion and it was quite marvelous.

NOTES: This book really appealed to my artistic nature, from the title -- a suggestion to bloom, to the topic - a fashion designer and the pleasing chaos of the flowery cover. Elsa presented a flawed main character, which most of us would be able to identify with, as we all lack perfection in one way or another. Being a disappointment was an issue she dealt with during her life, even from the onset, when she was not the boy that her parents had longed for.

I enjoyed the colors, shapes and smells of the palazzo and the piazza and the flavorful words woven throughout, like canella, melone, fiori, Milano and more. I feel for the main character each time I hear the word brutta ("ugly"). I cheered that she made a name for herself and finally set herself free from what he parents and sister thought.

It has such an important message:

To the women I inspire, and the women who inspire me, and the girl I was, who once felt so ugly that she planted seeds on her face. All of us together: We BLOOM and BLOOM.

My rating: 5 out of 5 Peas

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PLEASE follow this blog so you don't miss any tidbit of information and please feel free to leave any comment or question you may have. I will do my best to answer all! 

Lynne Marie is the author of Hedgehog Goes to Kindergarten - illustrated by Anne Kennedy (Scholastic, 2011), Hedgehog's 100th Day of School – illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Scholastic, January 2017), The Star of the Christmas Play -- illustrated by Lorna Hussey (Beaming Books, 2018), Moldilocks and the 3 Scares -- illustrated by David Rodriguez Lorenzo (Sterling, pending) and Let's Eat! Mealtimes Around the World -- illustrated by Parwinder Singh (Beaming Books, 2019). You can learn more about her at www.LiterallyLynneMarie.com. 

To order the Star in the Christmas Play, click the title.