Frog Went A-Courtin'
By: John Langstaff
Illustrated by: Feodor Rojankovsky
Medal Winner
Reviewed by: Christine Kallner
I'm doing Sherry Early's Picture Book Preschool with my 5-year old daughter this school year (with big brother along for the ride!) I pulled out several books from the American Folk Tales booklist to start off our homeschool year and this one had the honor of being chosen first from the stack. We started by just reading the text as a simple rhyming story and it's lovely just like that. The artwork alternates between full-color spreads and two-color spreads and there is plenty to pore over in the detailed illustrations. Squeamish kiddos might not love the pages depicting close-ups of large bugs, but most will probably find their expressions amusing.
While the book is perfectly fine as a simple read-aloud, thankfully I was informed it is even better when sung! There is a bit of sheet music on the last page, but as a non-musical person, that isn't enough for me to figure out an unfamiliar tune. There are many variations of this traditional folk ballad, so searching Google and a music app wasn't yielding helpful results that matched the specific lyrics in this book. Enter: the audiobook! It is masterfully done, complete with banjo music and sound effects. I have now learned the tune and can sing it passably (for a very forgiving audience!), but the audiobook has been requested for repeat listens. We borrowed it from Hoopla through our library, but I will probably spend the few dollars to add it to my Audible collection as well. This story can be read, sung, or listened to by a wide range of ages, but don't skip "The Story of This Story" for anyone old enough to grasp a bit of history about the origins of this tune.
Crow Boy
By: Taro Yashima
Honor
Reviewed by: Sandy Hall
Recommended age: Ages 4 and up
Similar to Patricia Polacco's Thank You, Mr. Falker, this story written and illustrated by Japanese-born artist Taro Yashima highlights the difference a wise teacher can make in the life of a child. Some wonder if the young boy of this story is Yashima himself. He, too, loved to draw as a child and perhaps was misunderstood. Reading this tender book to today's children will be a lesson in how cruelty hurts and misjudges others who are different.
Yashima's illustrations in this book are similar in style to his later book Umbrella. The same primary colors of sunny yellow, royal blue, and bright red carry throughout the pages, done is watercolor and ink. There is a lot of wonderful white space on each page. Young Chibi, which means "tiny boy" is shown alone, separate, and desolate until after six years he is recognized for his talent and character, not only by the teacher, but by his classmates. At a school talent show, Chibi displays his ability to mimic the various calls of crows; and thus, his name is kindly changed to Crow Boy.
This book is dedicated to Taro Yashima's two young children, a son named Mitsu and a daughter named Momo, as well as to a teacher named Takeo Isonaga. It seems that teacher made a significant difference in the life of the author during his elementary school years.
★
REVIEW TEAM FAVORITE
Play With Me
By: Marie Hall Ets
Honor
Reviewed by: Sandy Hall
Recommended age: Ages 4-8
Also read and recommended by: Jeannette Tulis, Sherry Early
With drawings that are reminiscent of a young child's artwork, and with soft colors, Marie Hall Ets takes us on the outdoor adventure of a young girl who at first tries to catch each little critter she sees, but they all hop or skitter away. Eventually, she sits very, very still, and one by one, they come back: the snake, the chipmunk, the blue jay, the rabbit, and even the fawn. The yellow-toned background of the line drawings makes you think of a sunny afternoon. What a sweet book!
