Weasels do not eat nuts and berries or frolic in the leaves all day. What they really do is secretly plot to take over the world. The illustrations really make this book. Lively mixed-media cartoons fill each page with machines, maps, a vast high-tech laboratory, and hilarious, cute-faced weasels. Visual and verbal jokes about coffee obsessions, computer geeks, and bureaucracy jam-pack the pages and provide clues for solving the mystery of the computer malfunction. mjw |
| Title: Weasels Author: Elys Dolan Illustrator: Elys Dolan Publisher: Candlewick Press Copyright: 2013 Original language: English Original publisher: Nosy Crow Original copyright: 2013 ISBN: 978-0-7636-7100-6 Hardcover pages: 32 Age range: 3-8 Genre: Picture book Author’s residence: England Subjects: Conspiracies, England, Europe, Humorous stories, Weasels, Western Europe |
Weasels
Leave a reply

Weasels do not eat nuts and berries or frolic in the leaves all day. What they really do is secretly plot to take over the world. The illustrations really make this book. Lively mixed-media cartoons fill each page with machines, maps, a vast high-tech laboratory, and hilarious, cute-faced weasels. Visual and verbal jokes about coffee obsessions, computer geeks, and bureaucracy jam-pack the pages and provide clues for solving the mystery of the computer malfunction. mjw
This beautifully illustrated picture book brings the lyrics of the 1969 Beatles song to life. Five children go on a magical journey through the playful octopus’s garden. They ride on the backs of turtles, play pirates in an undersea city, swim with a blue whale, and hide in giant whelk shells. The underwater action expresses the joy of discovery and the comfort of friendship. The book comes with a CD that features Ringo reading the story, a new recording of the song, and an instrumental version for children to sing along to. mjw
Eleven-year-old outspoken and likeable Billie Templar lives in a military town called Merchant Stanton. Her dad is serving with the army in Afghanistan and Billie desperately wants him home so they can defend their four-year record of winning the three-legged race at the school carnival. She plans to ask the Queen to give him permission to return home, but getting to see the Queen is tougher than she thinks. With the help of sweet, crazy friends and old age pensioners, she stages a military tattoo to get the Queen to visit during the Jubilee celebrations. The story is heart-wrenching, hilarious, and has a feel-good surprise ending.mjw
This narrative scrapbook, art journal, and mini graphic novel tells the story of a teenage girl from northern England. Three central themes in her life are illustrated with bits of old diaries, energetic and quirky doodles, witty pieces of wisdom, references to TV shows and music, photographs, and even ticket stubs. The themes/chapter headings are ME; FRIENDS, OTHERS, COLLEGE, AND ART; and LOVE. This portrait of teen life is solid, frank, and adorable. The author is 18 years-old. mjw
This sweet, small-format book is all about books and their place in the world. It promotes reading, libraries, bookshops, sharing of stories, and a love of reading. It tells where you can read, and where you cannot- the shower. You can even read an e-reader in a tree. It also includes a bookmark with trees of the world, inserted at the appropriate page. The finely detailed acrylic and gouache illustrations make the book a perfect gift for bibliophiles of all ages. This book celebrates the 20th birthday of the Whitireia publishing program. mjw
The negotiation between teacher and student begins as the narrator tries to convince his teacher that his incomplete homework is not his fault. Subsequently more and more absurd, humorous homework excuses are revealed on each page. Giant lizards invaded the neighborhood, there was a problem with carnivorous plants, and elves hid all of the student’s pencils. But the teacher cannot be outsmarted: she’s read the same book. Detailed pen-and-ink illustrations enhance the hilarious text, exemplifying the great lengths students will go to in hopes of avoiding homework. cc
In this simple tale, two stubborn donkeys, Jack and Jenny, have loved each other since the day they first met. When Jack forgets a special day, their silver anniversary, a silly argument ensues and the pair decides to part ways in search of their perfect match. The cow is too spotted, the goat is too scrawny, and the donkeys fail to find a suitable replacement. With the help of a lonesome camel, they realize that no other match is as befitting as the two of them together. Intricate pastel illustrations convey each donkey’s unique personality. mjw
In this psychedelic children’s story, the reader follows six competitive creatures as they claw, charge, and cheat their way to the finish line using custard trampolines, banana diggers, and chocolate submarines to navigate through each animal’s unique terrain. A lone competitor stays truthful, giving a twist to the story’s end. His morality helps convey an important lesson: cheats never prosper. Dream-like illustrations complement imaginative, quirky rhyme. A simple recipe for cheat’s fool, a dessert, follows the text. cc
Through fictional first-person poems and brief non-fiction prose, thirteen different Latino and Latina young people in the U.S., who have diverse backgrounds and experiences are introduced to readers. The poems are reflective and heartwarming and provide specific stories. The nonfiction essays explain historical and social context, the Ladino language, the Chinese and Japanese presence in Latin America, African roots, Latino immigration to the U.S., U.S.-Cuban relations, environmentalists, and more. Bold, hand-cut illustrations, a bibliography for teachers and parents, and additional resources for young people complete this celebration of the diversity of the Latino community. mjw
Lottie keeps her found treasures and secrets locked in a battered brown leather suitcase that was a gift from her grandfather. Sometimes she wishes there was someone with whom she could share her secrets. But the other children find Lottie odd and her suitcase ugly. Leon, the boy next door, sits alone every day in his back garden playing his tuba to Mozart, his cat. One day, the cat disappears and the music stops. These two different children become friends. Lovely drawings with old photos and collage support this delicate story of acceptance and understanding. mjw
Eleven-year-old Thomasine lives in her great-great Aunt Henrietta’s dusty, dark house with her father and her aunt, uncle, and cousins. The relatives are all troubled in one way or another. There are no mirrors in the house. Except one night, the youngest cousin finds a wardrobe, filled with all the missing mirrors. The mirror images reveal other sides of the old house and a mysterious young girl. Twenty magical black and white illustrations enhance this moving ghost story. mjw
Hamda feels left out. She wants to make necklaces, go shopping, and bake cakes like her older sisters do. She has also made up her mind that she wants to wear the veil. She chooses four different scarves and unsuccessfully tries four different ways to wear them. She finally finds her own special way to prove she’s a big girl. Told in five short chapters and illustrated with bold, colorful patterns, this entertaining story focuses on the Muslim experience of wearing the veil mjw