LitBit Speaks

A young soldier, a captive princess, witches, wolves and Death walk hand in hand in COSTA AWARD winner Sally Gardner's exquisitely written new novel inspired by the Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale, THE TINDERBOX, illustrated by David Roberts. Otto Hundebiss is tired of war, but when he defies Death he walks a dangerous path. A half beast half man gives him shoes and dice which will lead him deep into a web of dark magic and mystery. He meets the beautiful Safire - pure of heart and spirit, the scheming Mistress Jabber and the terrifying Lady of the Nail. He learns the powers of the tinderbox and the wolves whose master he becomes. But will all the riches in the world bring him the thing he most desires? Fairy tales are often the cruellest stories of all. Based on The Tinderbox  by Hans Christian Andersen and illustrated exquisitely by David Roberts, Gardner's latest book will be highly appealing to fans of fairy tales and magical narratives alike. The book really is th...

An extraordinary story, from an award-winning New Zealand author, of how the arrival of a baby orca whale threatens to tear apart a small fishing community and forever changes the life of the boy who first finds it. Will Jackson is hiding out, a city boy reluctantly staying with his uncle in small-town New Zealand. After he discovers a young abandoned orca, his life is further thrown into chaos when he rallies to help protect it against hostile locals. The boy and the whale develop a special bond, linked by Will’s love of singing. With echoes of the classic book and film The Whale Rider, this is a strong, exciting and beautifully written story and a compelling exploration of many global concerns. (Description courtesy of Goodreads) I was given this novel by a friend while at a child lit  conference, recently, in Worcester, UK. Given her recommendation and favourable words, I couldn't help but put it at the top of my to-read pile upon returning home.  As many can...

This picturebook was originally published in Japanese, with the title Mori no Oku no Ochakai e  in 2010. It has since been translated and is being made available for a North American audience thanks to Kids Can Press. Kikko sets out after her father with a forgotten pie for Grandma. When she arrives at a strange house in the wintry woods, a peek in the window reveals that the footprints Kikko had been following did not belong to her father at all, but to a bear in a long coat and hat! Alice in Wonderland meets Little Red Riding Hood in this charmed tale. The Tea Party in the Woods  is a beautiful tale, equal parts Red Riding Hood and Alice. In her adventures, she meets a group of animals having a tea party in a strange house that she has never seen before. When the animals realize that Kikko has ruined the pie that was originally intended for her grandmother, they work together to help Kikko reach her grandmother with an equally appealing and delicious gift. Muc...

In this sequel to Earth Space Moon Base, Monkey, Robot, and Deep-Sea Diver embark on a dangerous underwater quest! The jellyfish and spider crabs they encounter are the least of their worries as they search the depths for missing starfish in their bathysphere, the Guppy. The illustrations in this book are fun and reminiscent of Dr. Seuss, especially where exaggerated designs and absurd creatures are concerned. The colours are dark and reflect the depth of the ocean as the Monkey, Robot, and Deep-Sea Diver travel closer to the ocean floor.  The story is simple, told in rhymes and short vignettes which will delight younger readers. That all being said, the story itself lacks depth and feels uneven at times, and the illustrations overshadow the text in many instances. Some of the rhymes also feel as though they are relying on forced word combinations that don't feel as smooth as they could. This is not to say that the book is not worth picking up, but younger children and t...

I know it's a bit early, but this is a pretty unique tale and one that I want to highlight before it shows up on shelves in just over a month! Pram Bellamy is special—she can talk to ghosts. She doesn’t have too many friends amongst the living, but that’s all right. She has her books, she has her aunts, and she has her best friend, the ghostly Felix.   Then Pram meets Clarence, a boy from school who has also lost a parent and is looking for answers. Together they arrive at the door of the mysterious Lady Savant, who promises to help. But this spiritualist knows the true nature of Pram’s power, and what she has planned is more terrifying than any ghost. I've read a few creepy middle grade novels over the last few years, each of which has left me feeling at least a tiny bit disconcerted by the time I was ready for sleepy time: Doll Bones (Holly Black), The Night Gardener (Jonathan Auxier), and The Elevator Ghost (Glen Huser). And now,  A Curious Tale of the In-Between ...

What could be more perfect than a brand new set of crayons? Evan can't wait to use them, until Snap! the brown one breaks in two. Then one by one, the others break, get crushed, are blown away, or simply disappear. How can he possibly draw when there's no green, purple, or even black? Evan feels like throwing things, but instead, he scribbles using all the bits and pieces that are left. But what's this? Where yellow and blue cross, there's green, and when blue and red get all mixed up, it creates just the right purple to draw monsters. Soon, all he's left with are tiny stubs of red, yellow, and blue, but Evan discovers that even with just a few crayons, he can create new and exciting art--his imagination is the only tool he needs. I do need to admit that I'm a bit partial to Dušan Petričić already since he was the illustrator of two books that ended up on the TD Canadian Children's Literature Prize shortlist in 2014, and one of them ( The Man with the V...

A young girl is unhappy about having to leave the city for a family vacation on the Pacific Ocean (which she used to call the Specific Ocean). As the days pass, however, she is drawn to spend more time in and near the water, feeling moved by its beauty and rhythms. By the end of the vacation, the girl has grown to love the ocean and now feels reluctant to leave it behind. But as she soon realizes, it doesn't ever have to leave her. As I can't review much in the way of YA or even upper-level MG fiction, I am doing a lot of reviews of picturebooks. I have to say, too, that I'm really enjoying doing so! There are a lot of great picturebooks coming out this year, including some from my own lovely country of Canada! This is fabulous, to me, as Canada unfortunately often gets lost in the grand scheme of the publishing industry. So now, let me move on and do the actual review of this fabulous new book, coming out in September. The Specific Ocean  is beautiful story ab...

Little Bird learned a new word! He loves it so much that he's bursting to share it with all of his friends. BLARK! BLARK! BLARK! The only problem is, this isn't a very nice word. Little Bird doesn't realize it, but this word might even hurt someone's feelings. What word will Little Bird learn to make things better? Little Bird's Bad Word  has to be one of my favourite picture books of 2015. Not only does it teach a lesson, but it's adorable and does not fall prey to an overly didactic writing style. The illustrations are also cute and portray emotion without a large amount of excess detail. The colours are relatively muted, and Grant manages to show a wide range of expressions with small details. Just look at the cover, for instance, and you will see what I mean! Little bird is truly excited, and yet you can see so much shock and acknowledgement of the delicacy of the situation from the father, with just that one big eye facing the reader. ...

Delightfully odd, is perhaps one of the best ways I've heard to describe this unique tale of reluctant friendship between an unlikely duo. When a skunk first appears in the tuxedoed man's doorway, it's a strange but possibly harmless occurrence. But then the man finds the skunk following him, and the unlikely pair embark on an increasingly frantic chase through the city, from the streets to the opera house to the fairground. What does the skunk want? It's not clear--but soon the man has bought a new house in a new neighborhood to escape the little creature's attention, only to find himself missing something. . . This is a lovely tale of two characters who turn out to be rather lonely, or at least lonelier than they might think. As the man attempts to run away from the skunk in wilder and more creative ways, he doesn't realize how much he needs someone who cares enough to stick around. . . until he finally eludes the skunk and throws a party. And it i...

Princess Pinecone knows exactly what she wants for her birthday this year. A BIG horse. A STRONG horse. A horse fit for a WARRIOR PRINCESS! But when the day arrives, she doesn't quite get the horse of her dreams... Instead she gets, well, this little guy... LOOK AT THAT LITTLE FACE!!!!  LOOK AT THOSE BIG EYES!!!!! How could Princess Pinecone be disappointed in this fabulous specimen?! This is a story of strength in many forms, of love and acceptance, of bravery and cozy sweaters. In the kingdom of warriors, Princess Pinecone is her parents' special little girl, never recognizes as the warrior she wishes to be. Her parents try to help her see her dreams come true, but her parents are super intuitive in the ways that the princess would like. The illustrations are in true Kate Beaton style, full of warmth and whimsy and a little bit of charm. If the story itself doesn't keep you giggling, the pony itself won't let you stop smiling with each turn of the page...

Just a note that I'm incredibly sorry I haven't been able to stay more current with my reviews as of late. I have become overwhelmed with working on my dissertation and keeping up with selection committee reading. But I assure you that no matter what is going on in life, I will keep trying to bring your attention to adorable, hilarious, creepy, thought-provoking, and sometimes downright disturbing literature. You're welcome! Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy this review of I Don't Like Koala ! What’s not to love about a cute, cuddly...creepy toy koala? This is the story of a boy and the stuffed animal he just can’t seem to shake. Adam does not like Koala. Koala is a little creepy. Adam tries explaining this to his parents. He tries putting Koala away—far away. He tries taking Koala on a long, long walk. Nothing works. Will Adam ever be rid of Koala? I know what everyone's thinking. How could this kid seriously NOT like a koala? I mean really....

Sometimes Tim feels invisible at school-until one day, when Tim meets Sam. But Sam isn't just any new friend: he's a blue whale, and he can't find his way home! Returning Sam to the sea is hard work, but Tim is determined to help. After all, it's not every day you meet a new friend! I saw a poster recently, for an author/illustrator visit to the fabulous Kidsbooks in Vancouver. The event was to highlight Cale Atkinson and his new book, To the Sea . All I had to see (sea) was the cover, and I just HAD to buy it. So I did. And I was not disappointed. I am a huge fan of large, adorable animals with smiley faces, and well, Atkinson's illustrations fit that description, and with a great story to boot! Poor Tim feels totally invisible at school and around his peers, and if this wasn't sad enough, one day he came across a blue whale stranded in the playground! No, I know you're thinking "That's impossible!" But it's totally explaine...

Greg Gaines is the last master of high school espionage, able to disappear at will into any social environment. He has only one friend, Earl, and together they spend their time making movies, their own incomprehensible versions of Coppola and Herzog cult classics. Until Greg’s mother forces him to rekindle his childhood friendship with Rachel. Rachel has been diagnosed with leukemia—-cue extreme adolescent awkwardness—-but a parental mandate has been issued and must be obeyed. When Rachel stops treatment, Greg and Earl decide the thing to do is to make a film for her, which turns into the Worst Film Ever Made and becomes a turning point in each of their lives. And all at once Greg must abandon invisibility and stand in the spotlight. I... Uh... I'm not sure what I just read. Wait, I don't mean that in a bad way! I just... hmmm... Okay, so first of all, if you're a traditionalist when it comes to form, you will probably find your brain spinning a bit. There are chap...

Tommy bounces, and he leaps. Tommy clomps, and he bulldozes. Nothing tires Tommy out, and his family can't keep up! But then his sister has an idea: could tap class be just right for Tommy? This exuberant picture book, written by Broadway dancer Tim Federle, with illustrations by Mark Fearing, stars one very energetic kid who finally finds his place in the spotlight. Tommy can't stop moving. He can't stop bopping or bouncing or clamoring or clomping or stoping or hurdling. Tommy's parents are tired, and so is his sister. They try EVERYTHING to burn off Tommy's excessive energy so they can finally sit down for a minute. (A number of other reviewers claim Tommy is ADHD, which is a possible reading for sure, but I won't make the claim in this review since it's not made explicit in the text that he has been diagnosed with anything in particular.) In any case, Tommy's sister eventually suggests that Tommy try tap dancing. He's not an immediate fan...

Clara is taking the bus to her grandma's house by herself for the first time. To her delight, the other riders – an assortment of animal characters – are friendly, fascinating and funny. There is plenty to see on this adventure, with lots of satisfying details in the illustrations (including the changing headlines on a newspaper, which sometimes hint at what's to come), proving that it really is the journey that counts. (First published in France as  L'autobus. ) Though the story itself is simple, there is much to find throughout the book in terms of allusions to other older, beloved fairy tales and stories. One of the most obvious examples is the Little Red Riding Hood  parallel, with Clara taking a basket and her little red sweater on the bus to visit her grandma. Of course, she also runs into a wolf on the bus, though the wolf is a child in this story, and becomes Clara's friend for a portion of the journey. She also encounters a bear, a pickpocketing fox, ...