 Nine-year-old Sophie accompanies her dad, the captain of an ice breaker, on a month-long journey to Mawson Station in Antarctica. Her diary is packed with facts about the South Pole’s early explorers, Antarctic animals, and life in an Antarctic research station. Endpapers with detailed maps; photographs of icebergs and sunsets; diagrams of the ship; and student paintings from Kids Antarctic Art, a traveling exhibition of children’s interpretations of the continent, reveal the wonder of Antarctica through a little girls eyes. A glossary is included. This book is based on the author’s own six-week excursion on the Aurora Australis. mjw |
| Title: Sophie Scott Goes South Author: Alison Lester Illustrator: Alison Lester Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company Copyright: 2013 Original language: English Original publisher: Penguin Group (Australia) Original copyright: 2012 ISBN: 978-0-544-08895-5 Hardcover pages: 40 Age range: 6-9 Genre: Picture book Book setting: Antarctica Author’s residence: Australia Awards: 2013 APA Book Design Award Subjects: Adventure, Antarctica, Australia, Oceania, Travel |
Sophie Scott Goes South
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Young Pedru, who lives in the village of Madune in Mozambique, loses his arm when a lion attacks him. As he recovers, he strengthens his drawing talent and his desire for revenge. He accompanies his father on a lion hunt and mistakenly kills a lion wearing a tracking collar. This leads him to a conservation research center where he learns to look at the relationship between lions and farmers in a different way. Black and white illustrations and simple language convey Pedru’s story. Helpful footnotes explain African flora and fauna. An afterward, “Living with Lions,” contains factual notes and information about the Niassa Carnivore Project of Mozambique. This book is the first in a series of books which combine real animals and conservation in fictional stories. mjw
Every morning, Igor has the flock of geese goose-stepping down to the pond. Poor little Zita is out of step and Igor kicks her out of the parade. Zita sets her own rhythmic pace and soon has all the other animals in the French farmyard following her be-bop beat. Comic, cartoon-like animals with expressive faces are painted in chalky colors. The endpapers show goose dance step floor patterns. mjw
Feisty princess Sue thinks she’s finally received the happy ending she has always dreamed of when a price comes to rescue her from an eternity of boredom, but she’s sorely mistaken. The prince has firm opinions regarding the behavior of a princess and puts her in a tower to play dress up and style her hair. One day, Sue spies a ferocious dragon outside her window and they team up to put the patronizing prince back in his place. Finally, Sue can begin her own marvelous adventures. Detailed, eccentric illustrations accompany the cheeky rhyme of this twisted princess tale that empowers young girls to break away from traditional, outdated gender expectations. cc
Geoffrey the gangly giraffe has trouble making friends due to his clumsiness. He slips, stumbles, and splashes his way through the African Savannah. He has to stoop to meet the meerkats, elephants, and other animals who are all much shorter than he is. “Oh dear, Geoffrey,” is repeated various times. He is fed up. Then, some young monkeys ask for help getting to the top of the tree where he also befriends a group of birds who have been following him all along. Geoffrey realizes that he can make friends by standing tall and being himself. The author uses onomatopoetic language and a hint of humor to narrate this story. Gouache and collage illustrations help bring Geoffrey’s adorable awkwardness to life. jjr
Offering a fresh new take on the classic story, “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly,” this playful, rhyming picture book begins with a white-bearded sailor swallowing a krill. As he progressively swallows larger and larger sea creatures, a retelling of all the previously eaten animals is given. Simple, cheerful illustrations accompany the rhyming and repetition, making this a perfect read aloud. At the end of the story, a two-page spread depicts all the previously swallowed creatures and offers factual information about each one. cc
Charming crayon illustrations complement the story of an outcast penguin-rabbit hybrid. Little Benguin is rejected and feared by others on the tropical island due to his different appearance, causing his self-esteem to crash. One day, a hungry wolf appears and Little Benguin uses his superb skills of running and swimming, products of his mixed-species heritage, to lure the wolf away. This heroism is rewarded when his former tormentors throw a party in his honor. A contrived attempt to tackle racism and prejudice is present as the underlying message of the story hints that those who are perceived as unusual must prove their worthiness in order to blend in with the norm. cc
Zeraffa was a female giraffe who lived in the Jardin des Plantes in Paris for 18 years. She was a gift from Muhammad Ali of Egypt to King Charles X of France. Magical watercolor illustrations, with detailed decorative patterns bring exotic Zeraffa’s 2,000 mile journey down the Nile, three-week sail across the sea, and 550 mile walk across France to life. When she arrived in 1827, all of Paris fell in love with her. Bakers even baked giraffe biscuits. The beautiful, lush text creates a fairytale sense of wonder in this true story. An author’s note tells more about Zeraffa. mjw
Orundellico, known as Jemmy Button, (c. 1815 – 1864) was a native from the islands around Tierra del Fuego, at the tip of South America. He was taken to England by Captain Robert FitzRoy on the HMS Beagle to be educated in the ways of Christian and Victorian upper-class customs. He was paid for with a mother of pearl button, hence his nickname. In London, he met King William IV and became quite a celebrity. One year later he was returned to his home where he shed his Victorian clothing, relearned his native language, and realized where he belonged. Bold, over-sized illustrations done in gouache, oil, and collage highlight this picture book inspired by a true story. mjw
Through unique, richly detailed pencil and digitally colorized artwork, we meet Benedict drinking her hot chocolate in Paris, Nadia watching construction of a new building in Dubai, Khanh napping in Hanoi, Sharon and Peter kissing goodbye in San Francisco, baby Diego being born in Lima, and Chloe tired from dancing all night on a cruise ship in the Atlantic Ocean. We travel eastward from the Prime Meridian through 24 time zones to see what children around the world are doing at the same time. An author’s note tells more about early timekeeping, the invention of time zones, and even GPS. A fold-out world map that marks each child’s location is also included in this tall, thin book. mjw
Paul the goldfish swims in circles every day until Bernadette literally drops into his fish bowl. She shows Paul a whole new world beyond the curved glass of his bowl. A banana-shaped boat. A blue teapot mother elephant. A green alarm clock cactus. And a milk carton, orange juice bottle Milwaukee skyline. As Paul examines the intriguing world outside, he becomes equally captured by his new companion. Vibrant oil paintings bring this story about love, friendship, and an active imagination to life. mjw
When Noah discovers a mammoth in the refrigerator, his horrified mother quickly calls the fire department. The sly mammoth evades escape, runs through the streets, and finds safe haven in a tree. Much to the firefighters’ dismay, the ice age mammal refuses to come down and he is left in the tree until nighttime when Noah’s little sister, Elsa returns to stealthily lure her friend back into her bedroom with a bunch of carrots. With a last warning to her rebellious mammoth, Elsa climbs into bed surrounded by all of her secret far-fetched pets. Simple text and four-color, 1960’s era illustrations lead to a wildly humorous and clever conclusion. cc
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