December 12–19, 1996

book quarterly

Children's Books

I've just returned from the Miami Book Fair. The largest literary bash in the nation, the fair attracts 500,000 visitors for a week of author talks and displays of books for now and '97. The "Children's Alley" has parades, music, "book tents" and a mile of booths showing publication for toddlers to teens.

What's new? Publishing people cited lovelier, larger holiday books illustrated by distinguished artists. More Spanish-flavored tales for the appetite of Hispanics, the fastest growing ethnic group in the U.S. Another trend: book-cum-item. "Item" is trade talk for a non-literary object, often a toy, usually packaged with a book. Here, then, some suggestions:

 

This Is The Star

By Joyce Dunbar, Illustrated by Gary Blythe, Harcourt, Brace, $16, Ages 5-8

A lilting nativity story offers majestic oil paintings by a noted British illustrator, matched to a rhythmic text. "This is the angel shining bright... These are the shepherds watching by night," and so on, each line repeated and a new line added. (Remember the repetition in "The House That Jack Built"?) Until, in a tender stable scene, "This is the child that was born." A Christmas classic.

 

Pippi Longstocking's After-Christmas Party

By Ingrid Lindgren, Illustrated by Michael Chesworth, Viking, $13.99, Ages 5-9

Never before available in English, this big book by the runaway successful Swedish author is one part Willie Wonka and one part love. When the children are invited to Pippi's party, they arrive at a dark empty house. "Look, in the snow," shrieks a child. Yes, there's a trail of red toffee candy to gobble up until they reach a gleaming tree wearing "huge gingerbread men" and "lovely Christmas crackers that you pull at each end."

What a party! Pippi is magic, you know. The youngsters build an igloo in seconds, and go sledding on Pippi's steep roof without accident. In the grand finale, after cream cakes, they strip the tree of presents and trudge home over the shining snow with armloads of gifts.

Children love Pippi because Pippi loves children. A neat moral. May her tribe increase.

 

Irene Jennie and the Christmas Masquerade — the "Johnkankus"

By Irene Smalls, Illustrated by Melodye Rosales, Little, Brown, $15.95, Ages 7-10

How can the slave child, Irene Jennie, be happy about the riotous Johnkankus parade? Massa has loaned out her parents to work on another plantation at Christmas. But they return to her at the end of the parade, a comforting ending to this superb book, whose art erupts in wild oranges and reds.

An 18th-century event, pre-dating Kwanzaa by about 275 years, Johnkankus was celebrated by North Carolina slaves, masked marchers who chanted and twirled to the rhythm of bones, cowhorns and drums. (Today, Jamaican groups still observe the "John Kenny" festival, said to commemorate a Guinea Coast tribal leader.)

Christmas customs are different all over the world, says this exciting book.

 

The Kwanzaa Contest

By Miriam Moore and Penny Taylor, Illustrated by Laurie Spencer, Hyperion, $3.95, Ages 8-10

Ron, a third grader, will display the superb hand-carved alligator he made from Granny's green soap in the Kwanzaa talent contest. On rubbery knees, he walks to the mike to show his creation, and to explain that when an enemy tribe had trapped the Baule people at a river, they "begged the alligators for help. So all the alligators made a bridge by lying side by side. Then the African people walked to freedom." The alligator, a symbol of freedom, wins a prize for Ron, and gives the reader a deeper understanding of Kwanzaa, America's fastest growing holiday.

 

Hooray, A Pinata

By Elisa Kleven, Dutton, $15.95, Ages 5-8

When Clara chooses a puppy dog pinata for her birthday party, it becomes a real dog to her. Samson, her friend, makes her cry by saying, "It's going to be sad when we stuff him with candy and break him!" But Clara is delighted when Samson substitutes a "toothy monster" pinata for the puppy. The dog is saved, and we learn incredible facts about the pinata party, which began 500 years ago in... Mexico? Wrong. In Italy.

 

A Jewish Holiday ABC

By Malta Drucker and Rita Pocock, Voyager, $6, Ages 4-9

This unique book portrays Jewish holidays — joyous Purim, sober Passover and others — in alphabet style. D for Dreidel, K for Kiddush, and Y for Yarmulke, for example. Each word is woven into a sentence describing a holiday symbol or tradition. The adult reader will be grateful that a glossary provides definitions for the more obscure words.

 

Wombat Divine

By Mem Fox, Illustrated by Kerry Argent, Harcourt, Brace, $15, Ages 5-8

What a dear story this is. "Wombat loved Christmas... the carols and the candles. But most of all he liked the Nativity play." So the poor little soul auditions to be an angel. "Too heavy." One of the Three Kings? "Too short." Finally, "dizzy with pride: he is cast as the Baby Jesus!"

A charming tale by Aussies who know a wombat when they see one. For the uninitiated, a wombat is a smallish bear from Down Under.

 

Frosty the Snowman

HugMeBooks, $19.99, Ages 3-5

The text of this skimpy nine-page book is nothing more than lyrics to the banal song. A polyester stuffed snowman, made in China (in a sweatshop?) is packaged with the book. Book-and-item is like dinner theater: the theater is lousy and so is the dinner. Beware of two-for-one deals.

 

Smart Art

By Susan Mayes, Illustrated by Kees Chantal, DK Publishing, $13.95, Ages 10-16

Six chunky markers accompany this how-to-draw book. Although the directions are cutesy and much like paint-by-number projects, there is still some good stuff: perspective, scaling up or enlarging, lettering, and designs with a blob of paint and a drinking straw. Avoid artist's cramp and discard the miserly allotment of only seven sheets of 7-by-10-inch drawing paper. Get a larger paper pad at an art store.

 

Spanish: Adventures with Nicholas —The Missing Cat

Berlitz KIDS, Paperback book and 60-minute audio cassette, $14.95, Ages 4-9

A spectacular debut of learning materials is with us, from Berlitz, innovators in language instruction since 1878.

Nicholas and family search for his lost cat, using Spanish greeting words, numbers and common idioms as they visit the police station, fire department and other places. Silly songs on the cassette enhance the story, as do the funny watercolor illustrations by Chris Demarest.

The good news is that this admirable program is also available in English for Spanish-speaking children, and in French, German and Italian. A caution: adults should relate the use of the book and cassette to the child's interest and ability. That is, don't program the kid. Nothing dictatorial, as in "Vee vill spend a half hour on this; vee haf vays to tich you Spanich."

— Harriette Behringer