A Visit to William Blake's Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers by Nancy Willard

Willard, Nancy. A Visit to William Blake’s Inn: Poems for Innocent and Experienced Travelers. Illustrated by Alice and Martin Provensen. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishers, 1982. 48 pages. pap. $7.00. ISBN 978-0-15-293823-9.

Annotation: A collection of poems describing the unusual guests visiting an imaginary inn run by the poet William Blake.

Summary: A menagerie of guests visits the imaginary inn run by the well-beloved poet William Blake. Nancy Willard, inspired by Blake’s work, created a cast of characters that would feel right at home in the inn. Among the whimsical guests is the Man in the Marmalade Hat, the King of Cats, two sunflowers, a wise Cow, and a Tiger. They all have an excellent time participating in and telling of their adventures.

Evaluation: The fanciful verse and the London-inspired illustrations complement each other. The artwork is drawn with detail in shades of yellow, gray, and brown. It is a short but pleasant read. Recommended for ages 6 to 12.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Non-Fiction, Poetry, William Blake, Imagination

Awards: 1981 Golden Kite Honors Award - Fiction, 1982 Newbery Medal Award Winner, 1982 Boston Globe-Horn Award Winner, 1982 Caldecott Honor Award

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Selznick, Brian. The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scholastic, Incorporated, 2007. 544 pages. Tr. $24.99. ISBN 978-0-439-81378-5.

Annotation: Hugo, an orphan boy, who lives within the walls of a busy train station in Paris secretly works as a clock keeper while trying to fix a robot invention found by his father.

Summary: Twelve year old Hugo lost his father in a fire and is forced to secretly live and work as a clock keeper within the walls of a Paris train station. He finds an automaton that his father was fixing and decides to work on it himself. Using his father’s diagrams and stolen supplies from an old toymaker Hugo starts to repair it. Hugo befriends Isabelle, a spirited girl who is the adopted daughter of the toymaker. She inadvertently supplies Hugo with the key to start the automaton. Hugo and Isabelle discover that the toymaker is the famous French movie pioneer, George Melies, who was thought to have died. Hugo renews George’s interest in films and becomes a part of his family.

Evaluation: Brian Selznick successfully combines a telling narrative, detailed black-and-white charcoal drawings, and expert cinematic technique to form a captivating tale of mystery set in Paris in the 1930’s. His ability to tell this story equally well in both pictures and words is amazing. Inventions, secrets, dreams are slowly revealed in first-rate storytelling. Recommended for ages 7 to 14.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Fiction, Historical, Clocks, Robots, George Melies, Film-Making, Persistence, Orphans

Awards: 2007 National Book Award Honor Book – Young People’s Literature, 2008 Caldecott Medal Winner, 2008 ALA Notable Children’s Book, 2008 ALA Best Books for Young Adults

Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten’s First Full Moon. HarperCollins Publishers, 2004. 40 pages. Tr. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-058828-1.

Annotation: A hungry kitten spies what she thinks is a bowl of milk in the sky and in a moonlit pond. After several ill-fated attempts to lick up the milk, she returns home sad and tired but soon discovers a bowl of milk waiting for her.

Summary: In the evening, a little kitten spies what she thinks is a bowl of milk in the sky. As she closes her eyes and tries to lick the moon, she gets a mouthful of bugs. Repeated attempts at trying to drink the milk from the sky and a nearby moonlit pond, results in a wet and tired kitty. Upon the return from her adventures, the kitten is excited to have a precious bowl of milk waiting for her on the porch. Persistence pays off.

Evaluation: In gouache and colored pencil, the hues of black and white illustrate the poor kitten’s milk misadventures. The rhythmic text coupled with the charming, expressive artwork add to the warm and comical story. The message of determination will be enjoyed by children. Recommended for ages 3 to 8.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Fiction, Animals, Cats, Moon, Milk, Persistence

Awards: 2005 Caldecott Award Winner, 2005 ALA Notable Books for Children, 2005 Charlotte Zolotow Award Winner, 2005 American Booksellers Award - Children's Illustrated Honor Book

The Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney

Pinkney, Jerry. The Lion and the Mouse. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. 2009. 40 pages. Tr. $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-01356-7.

Annotation: In this wordless adaptation of Aesop’s classic fable of the lion and the mouse, the king of the beasts and a little mouse learn about the true meaning of friendship.

Summary: In this wordless picture book set in the African Serengeti, the classic fable of the lion and the mouse is beautifully portrayed in watercolor and colored pencil. A tiny mouse escapes from an attacking owl, only to find herself at the mercy of a lion. The lion ponders the situation and decides to free the mouse. Later the lion finds himself caught in a poacher’s snare and it is the little mouse that returns the favor and sets the lion free by gnawing the rope. Because of the acts of kindness, both animals are free to enjoy their respective families once more.

Evaluation: The detailed and expressive artwork conveys the classic fable so well that words are unnecessary. Through the telling expressions of the realistically drawn animals, all relevant emotions are convincingly communicated. Recommended for ages 3 to 8.

Genre / Subject: Juvenile Fiction, Fables, Folktale, Animals, Lions, Mice

Awards: 2010 Caldecott Medal Winner, 2010 ALA Notable Books for Children, 2010 American Booksellers Indies Choice Book Award - Best New Picture Book