children’s literature

Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

~ runciblereview ~ 1 Comment

Please Mr. Panda by Steve Antony

There seems to be a trend these days towards slightly edgy picture books and I approve! So do many of my colleagues. The best example is probably I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen, which was a smash hit a few years back and remains a favourite with just about every children’s library person I know.

Please, Mr. Panda is another such title. Released January 2015, it was immediately put into our storytime cupboard at work. We also had to order an additional copy for the public. It’s deceptively simple. The illustrations are large and mostly black and white, the only colour comes from Mr. Panda’s box of doughnuts, which makes it visually interesting and makes you really want a doughnut. (It actually took me about 3 readings to realize this, that all of the animals were black and white creatures!) Mr. Panda is adorably grumpy and he’s not about to give his pastries away to any animals who aren’t polite. Every animal who doesn’t ask nicely is told “No, you cannot have a doughnut. I have changed my mind.”

I’ve read this book for at least four storytimes and the kids always guess right away that the animals are denied doughnuts because they’re not saying please. When a cheerful lemur finally does use the magic word, he gets the whole box and we learn that Mr. Panda isn’t quite as altruistic as he seemed. The ending, like the disappearance of the rabbit in I Want My Hat Back, is usually only really gotten by the adults and older kids, but younger ones definitely enjoy knowing that the animals should say please. And the artwork is terrific, particularly the crying orca whale.

This book won’t be for everyone – I’ve seen some bad Amazon reviews because Mr. Panda himself isn’t overly polite while teaching manners – but for families with a quirky sense of humour who don’t take things too seriously, it’s a hoot.

Library Fairy by Rebecca Bender

Reviewed by The Library Fairy

(review copy borrowed from the library).

The Iron Butterfly by Chanda Hahn

~ runciblereview ~ Leave a comment

I stumbled across The Iron Butterfly on the IBook app on my IPad in the ”free young adults” section. What made me interested in this book was the unusual title. It made me want to know what the story was about. So I gave it a try and I was very surprised at the results.The Iron Butterfly by Chandra Hahn

The book was categorized under fantasy, so if you don’t like action, adventure or fantasy literature then this book is probably not for you.

The pace of the book was, for me, just right. Some other books that I have read were slow going and just got boring, or on the other hand some books zip through scenes and story lines so fast I have to go back and reread them. The Iron Butterfly focused well on important elements in the story and spent little time with others.

This also ties in with description. In The Iron Butterfly Chandra Hahn put the perfect amount of description into her story, enough so you can get a good picture or understanding of what’s going on but not too much so that some readers, like myself, start tuning out of long descriptive paragraphs.

The way Chanda Hahn writes is a big contributing factor to why this book is so beautiful. She doesn’t hesitate to plunge right into the deep end and describe the character’s emotions in their own quirky way. Because this book is written in first person, Chanda Hahn really frames her writing and how she tells the story around the main character, Thalia. She has this amazing personality and it can be amusing to see how she describes things.

There is some romance in the book but it is a side interest to contribute to the problem.

So if you enjoy fantasy books with lots of action then I highly recommend this book for you. It is superbly written and it creates its own world inside your head. Chanda Hahn is a brilliant author so I hope you download this free book onto your device and give it a try!

Reviewed by KyraPenguin by Rebecca Bender

(review copy obtained via free download)

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White

~ runciblereview ~ Leave a comment

Charlotte's Web by E.B. WhiteIn E.B. White’s 1952 children’s classic, Wilbur is a runt of a pig whose life is spared from the ax when a young girl named Fern intervenes on his behalf. Under her care he grows up strong and healthy. Wilbur is sold then to a neighbouring farm where he is befriended by a spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur learns he is being fattened up for killing Charlotte determines to help save him. Here, Charlotte shows us just how powerful and important stories are!

Charlotte weaves the words ‘some pig’ into her web, and from then on Wilbur’s world forever changes. He transitions from being a pig fit only for slaughter to a pig that’s prized:

“You know,” [Mr. Zuckerman] said, in an important voice, “I’ve thought all along that that pig of ours was an extra good one. He’s a solid pig. That pig is as solid as they come. You notice how solid he is around the shoulders, Lurvy?” / “Sure. Sure I do,” said Lurvy. “I’ve always noticed that pig. He’s quite a pig.” / “He’s long, and he’s smooth,” said Zuckerman. / “That’s right,” agreed Lurvy. “He’s as smooth as they come. He’s some pig” (81-82).

Charlotte’s strategy for saving Wilbur embodies the power of story. Her words—her story—remake reality for Wilbur. Charlotte’s writing (‘some pig’) intervenes in the current situation (a world in which a pig is a pig, intended for dinner, not deserving of special attention) and alters it (Wilbur is now some pig and visitors arrive from all over the county to look at him). This ‘new reality’ not only envelops Wilbur, but the Zuckermans, Lurvy, and their entire community as well: “All said they had never seen such a pig before in their lives” (84).

Yet Charlotte’s writing does more than alter people’s perception of a pig. It also alters the pig’s perception of itself, Wilbur’s own sense of identity. Twice Wilbur objects to Charlotte’s plan to write, in reference to him, the word ‘terrific’ in her web. “But I’m not terrific, Charlotte. I’m just about average for a pig,” he says (91). For Wilbur, at this point in time, Charlotte’s story isn’t true. Yet the very next day “everybody stood at the pigpen and stared at the web and read the word, over and over, while Wilbur, who really felt terrific, stood quietly swelling out his chest and swinging his snout from side to side” (96, italics added). Charlotte’s story brings about a shift in the way he feels about himself and, in turn, Wilbur’s sense of identity is altered. Enough so that when Charlotte discusses using the next word (‘radiant’), Wilbur immediately declares, “I feel radiant” (101). What Charlotte speaks and writes of Wilbur directly informs his sense of self. And Wilbur not only has Charlotte’s initial rendering of him as some pig, terrific, radiant, and humble but he also has the countless retellings. Charlotte’s words are repeated, restated, and reaffirmed on multiple occasions by Mr. and Mrs. Zuckerman, the Arables, Lurvy, the minister, the fair announcer, and various members of the crowd.

What’s more, in addition to altering perceptions and identity, Charlotte’s writing alters actions and behaviour. Wilbur takes to behaving ‘radiantly’ by performing flips and twists in the air and walking with a spring in his step (115). Mr. Zuckerman, in appreciation of his terrifically radiant pig, bans manure from the pigpen, orders fresh straw for each day, gives Wilbur better feed and buttermilk baths, and decides to enter Wilbur in the County Fair (84, 96, 150). This former runt of the litter wins special recognition at the Fair and, in the end, will live out the rest of his life without the fear of becoming Christmas dinner. Indeed, Charlotte’s story intervenes into Wilbur’s current situation and alters it.

Charlotte shows us that our words—our stories—have the power to shape perception, identity, actions, and behavior. Both Charlotte and E.B. White demonstrate the power of story to ‘remake’ reality. We at Runcible Review look forward to sharing more about the stories and storytellers that help shape the way we see and understand ourselves and the world in which we live.

Thanks for joining us!

Reading in the Woods by Rebecca BenderReviewed by K.C. Darling

(review copy from personal library)