Wild and Wacky (Picture Book Roundup)

I’ve been home sick this weekend with a sore throat and a bad cold. I’ve been getting raging headaches and have been sneezing incessantly so I haven’t been able to read anything full-length, but picture books have always made good bedside reading for me, hence this picture book roundup.

In today’s lineup are: A Day With Wilbur Robinson, Guild Geniuses, Pignapped, The Hair Scare, Klutz, The Lady with the Ship on her Head, Flotsam, and Swine Lake — books #155-162 for 2010

I hope this flu passes soon, I’ve got a lot to read for November!

A Day with Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce, first edition hardcover with dust jacket

The 411: The movie “Meet the Robinsons” is loosely based on this book, which is, according to the dust jacket, “a thickly disguised account of William Joyce’s childhood. In this novel, the unnamed narrator visits his friend Wilbur’s house. It’s an ordinary day at the Robinsons’ house, as the text suggests: Wilbur’s Aunt Billie is busy with her train set, Cousin Pete is taking the cats for a walk, Uncle Art is back from a trip abroad, and Wilbur’s sisters are busy doing normal girl stuff — one is eating grapes while talking on the phone, and the other is trying on her prom dress. The illustrations, however, tell a more fantastic story — the train is life-size, the cats are huge tigers, Uncle Art steps away from a spaceship, the sister on the phone is eating grapes fed to her by a frog, and the other sister is trying on a prom gown with a headdress shaped like the Empire State Building!

My take: I’ve always thought “Meet the Robinsons” was a smart movie, and I enjoyed it immensely, and I didn’t even know it was based on a book until I found a copy in the bargain bin! I thought the cover looked familiar, and it was only as I turned the first few pages of the book that the connection to the movie dawned on me. The plot of the book is simpler than the movie — none of the time travel and family stuff, and the kid isn’t named Lewis — but it is clear that the ideas in the movie were inspired by the book — the futuristic home, the wacky family, the frogs, etc. The movie also pays homage to William Joyce’s retro illustration style, as most of the faces and visual elements from the book are also depicted in the film. The book itself, if not plot-driven, is quirky and clever, and serves to show how illustrations can further enrich the meaning of the text.

My rating: 4/5 stars

The Guild of Geniuses by Dan Santat, hardcover with dustjacket

The 411: This book features a monkey named Mr. Pip, who has prepared a birthday present for his best friend,  the famous actor Frederick Lipton. Because of Frederick’s celebrity status, he has received many gifts from equally famous people (e.g. Sultan of Brunei sends a solid gold car and the US President invites him to dinner at the White House).  Mr. Pip is ashamed of his simple gift and is miserable about it. Frederick notices how sad Mr. Pip is and takes him to every vet in town for examination, but they can find nothing wrong with the chimp, so Frederick takes him to the Guild of Geniuses, the organization for the smartest people in the world. The geniuses attempt various methodologies, but nothing cheers up Mr. Pip, and well, you can pretty much guess it doesn’t take a genius to find out why Mr. Pip is sad.

My take: I was attracted to this book because the cover reminded me of the Mysterious Benedict Society. I love the bright, whimsical illustrations of the book, which, to my surprise, are reportedly inspired by William Joyce’s work. The story isn’t a standout — Mr Pip and Frederick are a bit like a cooler version of Curious George and the man with the big yellow hat — it’s a cute little story but the illustrations more than make up for it!

My rating: 4/5 stars

Pignapped! by Julia Van Nutt, illustrated by Robert Van Nutt, hardcover with dustjacket

The 411: It is 1845 in quaint little Cobtown, whose peaceful existence is disrupted by the arrival of three men of science from the big city of Ploomajiggy: the botanist Mr. Richard Smellie, the geologist Count Fosco, and Dr. Z.Z. Squeers, head of Ploomajiggy’s Museum of Animal History. They intend to explore Mineral Gorge for a scientific discovery, but come up empty handed. That is, until they spot a striped wild pig that belongs to Heddy Peggler, aunt of ten year old Lucky Hart. The men take off with the pig in tow, and Heddy Peggler is determined to rescue Oinkey, so together with her friend Fliberty Jibbert and little Lucky, they set off to Ploomajiggy to retrieve the beloved pig.

My take: The narrative is quite lengthy for a picture book, but I’m a sucker for old-fashioned books. Lucky Hart makes a charming narrator, telling us the story through handwritten diary entries done up in a scrapbook style. Cobtown seems to be a great place to live, where life is slow and leisurely, just the way its townsfolk like it. Lucky’s love for her hometown and its people shines through in her entries, and the soft, digitally painted illustrations match the silly story perfectly, too!

My rating: 3/5 stars

The Hair Scare by Jeffrey Fisher, hardcover with dustjacket

The 411: This book features Radbert, a haircutting genius with a knack for elaborate hairdos that resemble all sorts of things — a kangaroo, a tree, spirals, dog-ears, an airplane, and many more! The king drops by for a royal haircut, and he is unhappy about Radbert’s peacock-shaped creation so he bands all the haircuts in the kingdom. Chaos ensues from all the uncut hair: “nasty hair accidents, hair sadness and hair riots.” Finally, the King is unable to stand his unmanageable hair and asks for another haircut, but Radbert has already taken up another profession — baking flourless chocolate cakes! The king threatens to ban ovens, sugar, all cocoa products, and eggs, so Radbert gives the king the cut that he deserves. 

My take: I initially read this book for Halloween, thinking it was a horror story and then realizing it was more humorous than scary so I didn’t include it in my Halloween roundup. The graphic look of the silly illustrations is appealing, but not appealing enough to pull off the bizarre but lukewarm story.

My rating: 2/5 stars

Klutz by Henrik Drescher, hardcover with dustjacket

The 411: The Klutz family is a disaster waiting to happen, all day, every single day. The family is legendary for its clumsiness, causing several unfortunate historical incidents from the Stone Age to the Egyptians, to the sinking of the Titanic and the Hindenburg explosion. The current Klutzes — Louise, Momma Klutz, and Poppa Klutz were so renowned for their clumsiness that they were taunted as the “lumpen yokels” everywhere they went. One night, the family takes a drive and crashes into a circus, and the family gets hired to perform comedic clown acts for the circus. And then they figure out the secret to their clumsiness — the clunky, cumbersome shoes they were all born with! The Klutzes take off their shoes (quite a stink!) and they find their true calling as circus acrobats.

My take: Henrik Drescher is an awesome awesome artist. I’ve been wanting a book of his for my collection for some time now, and I’m glad I managed to find this one. Klutz does not disappoint; I love the rich colors, the mixed-media approach, and the sense of fun and energy that radiates from the book. I love circus-themed books of all kinds, and the Klutzes are quite a cheeky bunch — unapologetically clumsy and extraordinarily lucky (yes, it’s a wonder they haven’t gotten themselves killed somewhere along the way)! This book is such a fantastic read!

My rating: 5/5 stars

The Lady with a Ship on her Head by Deborah Nourse Lattimore

The 411: Madame Pompenstance is in the thick of preparations for the upcoming annual Fancy Dress Ball and is looking for a suitable coiffure to the society event. She walks along the coastline to add a few shells to her hair when the sea breeze cause her to suddenly pitch forward, and without her knowledge a pint-sized ship rows itself onto her head and perches upon her elaborate hairdo. Madame Pompenstance thinks spending time under the sun has given her a headache and she suffers through her daily activities — tea, cards with the girls, posing for a portrait — without knowing that there is a ship atop her head, while the other ladies titter enviously. Madame Pompenstance wins the plum prize at the Fancy Dress Ball, but alas she will never discover why she won the prize.

My take: This lavishly illustrated book is a delight to read, from the excellent (and historically correct?) details of the period-wear, the caprices of the foppish society with their ridiculous hairstyles and their equally silly names (Mesdames Moustarde, Romaine, Poupe, and Lepeaux, and Countess Eclair!), and the hilarious turn of events for the foolish Madame Pompenstance. Fancy and laugh out loud funny, this is a wonderfully absurd book paints a tongue-in-cheek picture of the aristocracy.

My rating: 5/5 stars

Flotsam by David Wiesner, signed hardcover with dust jacket

The 411: This wordless picture book, winner of the 2007 Caldecott Medal, tells the fantastic story of an old-fashioned camera that is washed ashore and picked up by a boy playing on the beach. The boy takes out the film from the camera and gets it developed, and he is surprised to find amazing underwater photos, such as dancing starfish, mechanical fish, a turtle with a whole kingdom on its back, and pufferfish hot air balloons. He also finds a photographic record of all the finders of the camera, so he loads up the camera with film, takes a picture of himself, and throws the camera back in the ocean for the next finder.

My take: I love wordless picture books because they open up new worlds of meaning for the reader and offer a different reading experience each time you open the book. David Wiesner is a master of wordless picture books, and Flotsam is a virtual storyland that can provide hours of storytelling fun, whether the story is from start to finish, one for each page, or one for every little detail of Wiesner’s meticulous illustrations. I lucked out on a signed copy; this book will definitely be a prized addition to my collection.

My rating: 5/5 stars

Swine Lake by James Marshall, illustrated by Maurice Sendak, hardcover with dust jacket

The 411: James Marshall penned this manuscript intending to illustrate it himself, but his friend Maurice Sendak did the illustrations when Marshall passed away in 1992. In this book, a mean, mangy wolf walks into a town of pigs, and is overwhelmed by the delicious scent of them as he walks by the New Hamsterdam Theater, where the Boarshoi Ballet is staging a production of “Swine Lake.” Licking his chops, the wolf buys himself a ticket, anticipating a filling meal. He forgets about all this, however, when he sits down and watches “Swine Lake,” as he is greatly moved by the story! He walks out of the theater in a daze. He then takes out all his savings and buys the best seats in the house for the next show! The next time he watches “Swine Lake,” his box is so close to the stage and he gets carried away. He jumps onto the stage in the middle of the play and dances with the porky ballerinas!

My take: I love pig and wolf stories, and I was delighted to discover this book on a dusty shelf in a used book warehouse. I thought this book would be a spoof of the ballet Swan Lake, but was pleased to find it was a spoof of the classic pig and wolf story! Marshall’s story is witty and clever, and Sendak’s classic illustrations hit it out of the ballpark, resulting in one very memorable theatrical adventure.

My rating: 5/5 stars

[amazonify]::omakase::300:250[/amazonify]