This graphic novel was adapted from a film version of Deborah Ellis’ novel The Breadwinner. The novel is actually part of a series much acclaimed in Canada, and based on this graphic novel version of the first volume, I can understand why. It is visually gorgeous, and the story, which is based on things Ellis learned while touring an Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan in 1997, is gripping. The Breadwinner is the story of an 11-year-old girl named Parvana who has to disguise herself as […]
This return to childhood never disappoints (a slightly feminist review)
I’m not sure how old I was the first time I encountered The Phantom Tollbooth, but I do recall that my first exposure was in an anthology in an elementary grade reading class. We read the chapter on the Royal Banquet, where Milo is forced to “eat his words.” It strikes me that this book is likely the first exposure kids have to really understanding figures of speech and the complexity of the English language. For those who haven’t read The Phantom Tollbooth, well first […]
Cubby returns, to the delight of most
Back in February I reviewed a charming little children’s book called Cubby in Wonderland. Since then, you have no doubt been wondering, whatever happened to that ursine lad? Did he hibernate? Did he go off on his own? Did he encounter any new creatures? All these questions and more are answered in the second and final installment of this series, Cubby Returns to Yellowstone. (Two and out? Frances Joyce Farnsworth was clearly an amateur at milking a series.) When the book opens, Cubby is stirring […]
Animorphs twofer: One very silly, one very not.
Apparently instant oatmeal (maple ginger instant oatmeal, to be precise) is like Yeerk heroin, so the Animorphs decide to run a mission down to the Yeerk pool, and see how many Yeerks they can get addicted to it (a process which eventually drives them mad). Man, just typing it out like that makes me feel like their whole plan was super fucked up, and the fact that no one really put up more than a token resistance to it is NOT a good sign for […]
You know, for kids!
About a year ago, the Marvel Comic Moon Girl got a lot of positive press because its heroine is a young girl of color and because it was revealed that Lunella Lafayette, aka Moon Girl, is perhaps the smartest character in the Marvel Universe, outshining intellects such as Tony Stark and Reed Richards. Lunella is a science/math/engineering wunderkind and a fourth grader. She is also bored at school, friendless, and, in her opinion, deeply misunderstood by most of the people in her life, including but […]
Too cute for words (but I’ll try)!
I took my first trip to Yellowstone last summer and in one of the official gift shops in the Park, I picked up this innocent little book as a souvenir–supporting the Park Service and all that! Originally published in 1932, Cubby in Wonderland tells the story of a mother bear and her cub as they travel from Grand Teton National Park to Yellowstone and the many interesting critters they meet along the way. I’ll confess, during the opening pages I was all set to make some good-natured jokes about this book, like how […]
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