Review by New York Times Review
The fad for mock encyclopedias continues, as "the Ghost Society" - pictured in a smudgy portrait at the front - engagingly presents its "never-before-seen archives," which detail manifestations, apparitions and other paranormal phenomena. Its entries range from Japanese ghosts to a handsome cross-section of a Victorian home afflicted with poltergeists, and the tone is authoritative if always tongue in cheek: "To see a ghost move swiftly across the floor without feet will be disquieting. But remember, he'd have feet, if he could." JIM COPP, WILL YOU TELL ME A STORY? Three Uncommonly Clever Tales. Written and performed by Jim Copp. Illustrated by Lindsay duPont. Harcourt. $17.95. (Ages 6 to 9) Jim Copp (1913-99) made nine strange and wickedly hilarious children's records, attracting a durable cult following. Three of his best routines have been collected here, with a CD of the original 1958 recordings: about Kate Higgins, Miss Goggins - "who was not only very ugly, but had a temper" - and the forgetful Martha Matilda O'Toole. With witty illustrations by Lindsay duPont. FLY, CHER AMI, FLY! The Pigeon Who Saved the Lost Battalion. By Robert Burleigh. Illustrated by Robert MacKenzie. Abrams. $16.95. (Ages 5 to 8) During World War I, hundreds of carrier pigeons bore messages to and from the front. This is the story of Cher Ami, who evaded German gunfire (and a trained hawk) to bring news of the famous "Lost Battalion," trapped behind enemy lines in France, to American headquarters: "He ... had done what no man could do! He had saved the soldiers!" Cher Ami also had a happy ending: Badly wounded on his last flight but alive, he was fitted with a tiny wooden leg and retired a hero. PRESIDENT PENNYBAKER By Kate Feiffer. Illustrated by Diane Goode. Paul Wiseman/Simon & Schuster. $ 16.99. (Ages 4 to 8) One of the season's wackier election-related books couldn't be better timed: the story of Luke Pennybaker, "the youngest boy ever to run for president." During his whirlwind campaign Luke vows "to make life fair," among other implausible promises. The message, though, is mixed: Luke ultimately walks away from the White House (now painted orange), leaving his running mate-his dog-in charge. This is supposed to be a happy ending? ON A SCARY SCARY NIGHT Written and illustrated by Walter Wick. Scholastic. $13.99. (Ages 4 and up) For his "Can You See What I See?" books, Walter Wick builds and photographs miniature assemblages of remarkably lifelike scenes. This new Halloween version, loosely based on the tale "In a Dark, Dark Wood," is once again chock-full of the kinds of details that sharp-eyed children love to spot, as the story ingeniously goes in for its close-up down a dark village street, through a door, up the stairs and into a "scary scary cupboard" where a "spirit potion with a leaky cork" sits ready to release a hollow-eyed ghost. "BOO!" LOOKING FOR MIZA By Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff and Dr. Paula Kahumbu. Photographs by Peter Greste. Scholastic. $16.99. (Ages 7 and up) The team that specializes in baby animals in trouble (think of Knut, the polar bear cub) tells the story of Miza, an endangered mountain gorilla. She's lost, and then rescued by her father. It's a formula, but a good one. JULIE JUST RAISE YOUR HANDS Are kids following the presidential race? What issues do they really care about? Tell us at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Booklist Review
In an election year, no demographic goes totally ignored, including those who have quite a few years left before they can vote. Following a model similar to Nikki Grimes' Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope (2008), Winter's book focuses on Obama's upbringing, his travels between Hawaii and Indonesia, and how he was shuttled between parents and grandparents. The book's refrain consists of two questions Obama keeps asking himself: Who am I? and Where do I belong? The nitty-gritty of politics are ignored (the word Democrat only comes up in the author's note); Winter instead focuses on inspiring messages of hope and change. Although filled with fewer specifics than Grimes' book, the paintings are more realistic. Interestingly, both books share some nearly identical illustrations, including an image of a tear rolling down the cheek of a churchgoing Obama. As with any such book, there is a danger in mythologizing a figure who is only beginning his political journey, but for young readers wondering about that man on the TV, this is a good starting point.--Kraus, Daniel Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This most recent picture book about a 2008 presidential candidate (see Reviews, Aug. 11 for more books on the subject) could serve as an object lesson in haste: the publisher has said that Winter (Frida) turned the text around in two weeks and, unfortunately, it shows. Known for his clarity and lively prose, the author punctuates this biography with cliches. Barack Obama's life is framed as a "journey" through a complicated childhood to "unimaginable heights" (Winter doesn't specify those heights until an endnote, which centers on Obama's presidential campaign). At first Winter depends heavily on existential questions ("Where do I belong?" "Who am I?"), but these are poorly suited to the target audience, and some of his answers are glib. For example, discussing Obama's biracial background, he writes: "So what did that make Obama? For Caucasians, it simply made him 'black.' For some African Americans, though, it made him less African American." Debut artist Ford deserves credit for executing more than 20 paintings in only months; however, his figures are often distorted or strained. Ages 4-7. (Oct.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-More tribute than biography, Winter's picture book adopts the same reverential tone found in Nikki Grimes's Barack Obama (S & S, 2008). Yes, the facts of Obama's life can be found here. Readers learn about his brief interactions with his father from Kenya, his stay in Indonesia with his white mother and her new husband, his work in Chicago, election to the Senate, and nomination for the presidency. But Winter also includes speculations about Obama's inner questioning of his identity and endows his life with an almost messianic quality. After quoting Martin Luther King, Jr., he declares that Obama "would be the embodiment of King's dream-a presidential candidate whose very being was a bridge that joined nations." Ford's illustrations reinforce this vision of greatness, whether Obama delivers a speech in front of a huge American flag or gazes confidently into the future while skies clear behind him. Even his enthusiastic supporters may squirm at such adulation. Children deserve a more evenhanded presentation.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Winter brings all the passion he can muster to this picture-book biography of the Democratic presidential candidate, to whom he dedicates the book. Questions of identity form the theme of the brief account, as young Obama's family forms, fractures, re-forms in Indonesia, only to dissolve again. Who am I? and Where do I belong? become the touchstone questions as the text confronts his ethnic identity"Barack's mother was Caucasian. His father was African. So what did that make Barack?"and draws the conclusion that "no matter where he was, the world was his home." Both text and illustrations take advantage of loaded images: One double-page spread places a grown Obama, head bowed, before the Washington Mall's Reflecting Pool, the Lincoln Memorial (impossibly foreshortened, so its top is level with Obama's head) in the background; one passage describes a rally in historically freighted Birmingham. There's no effort at nonpartisanship, making Obama something of a Messiah figure come to save America at its darkest momentbut it sure is heartfelt. (author's note) (Picture book/biography. 5-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
