Pick of the Day: Moo!

SLJ — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 09:00:11 +0000

LAROCHELLE, David. Moo! illus. by Mike Wohnoutka. 40p. Walker. Sept. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-80273-409-9; lib. ed. $17.89. ISBN 978-0-8027-3410-5.
PreS-Gr 2–There are only a handful of words in this book; the most important one is “Moo.” Punctuation, repetition, and rhythm give it multiple meanings as readers turn the pages, which are joyfully illustrated with splashy gouache primary colors. It is hard to imagine a more expressive cow than this title’s cartoon bovine. On the first page, the cow has a contented, peaceful moo. Turn a page, and she has an inquisitive, “Moo?” when she sees a car for sale; soon enough, she’s on a joyride up and down the hillsides. The cow is the focus of each bright, borderless spread, and some pages include comedic close-ups of her face. The word “moo” appears on most spreads in a variety of font sizes, from tiny to gigantic, depending on the emotion of the moment. Children will laugh at the use of type and the artful arrangement of letters to convey action and sound. For example, when the cow drives off a cliff, her moo arcs up and then loops down, indicating the rise and fall of her bellow. For many children, this book will be their first introduction to punctuation. Even the very young will see how exclamation points and dashes can create a choppy, nervous feeling when the cow is confronted by a police officer. This book is bold, original, and funny, and should be part of every picture-book collection.–Jess deCourcy Hinds, Bard High School Early College, Queens, NY

Pick of the Day: The Price of Freedom

SLJ — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 14:33:21 +0000

FRADIN, Judith Bloom & Dennis Brindell Fradin. The Price of Freedom: How One Town Stood Up to Slavery. illus. by Eric Velasquez. 48p. bibliog. further reading. photos. websites. Walker. Jan. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8027-2166-2; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-8027-2167-9. LC 2012015781.
Gr 3-6–In 1856, John Price escaped from slavery in Kentucky by crossing the frozen Ohio River. Two years later, slave hunters arrived in Oberlin, Ohio, and attempted to take him back at gunpoint. Shopkeepers, farmers, teachers, and college students formed an armed group of Rescuers to release Price. Some members of the group were former slaves, risking their own freedom. Charged with violating the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, the Rescuers spent three months in jail. They returned home with a new purpose, vowing that “No fugitive slave shall ever be taken from Oberlin either with or without a warrant, if we have power to prevent it.” The picture-book format is highly effective in conveying the power of the story. In Velasquez’s dramatic mixed-media and oil paintings, determination shows in the stance of the figures and the set of their facial features. The book design is masterful. The front cover highlights John Price, surrounded by some of his champions. The back cover foreshadows a betrayal, with a hand dropping a gold coin into another hand, accompanied by the sentence, “How much is one man’s life worth?” On the endpapers, a dark, quiet view of the river sets the stage for the conflict to come. Full-page images and spreads draw readers directly into the action. The final image is an 1859 large-scale photo of the Rescuers taken in the courtyard of the jail. This book could be used as a nonfiction partner to Christopher Paul Curtis’s Elijah of Buxton (Scholastic, 2007) and as a resource in units about slavery, the Underground Railroad, or the Civil War.–Lucinda Snyder Whitehurst, St. Christopher’s School, Richmond, VA

School Library Journal» Walker

Pick of the Day: Moo!

Pick of the Day: The Price of Freedom