Review: Manolito Four-Eyes by Elvira Lindo

Manolito Four-Eyes published by Marshall Cavendish Children's Books Oct. 2010
Author: Elvira Lindo
Translated by: Joanne Moriarty

His name is Manolito García Moreno, but nobody in his neighborhood would know who that was. Everybody calls him Manolito Four-Eyes, because he has worn glasses since he was five years old. His explanation of his first name, Manolito, gives us our first taste of his unique voice and perspective:

I was named Manolito after my dad's truck, and the truck is named after my dad, whose name is Manolo. My dad was named after his dad, and so on back to the beginning of time. In other words, in case Stephen Spielberg wants to know, the first velociraptor was called Manolo, and that's the way it went right on up until today.

Manolito Four-Eyes lives in a part of Madrid called Carabanchel, and his life is filled with adventures and colorful friends and neighbors. His girlfriend, very briefly, is The One-and-Only Susana, and his best friend, Big Ears López, is also his arch-rival for her affections, until she ignores them both.

In Manolito's eyes, everything that happens is dramatic and earth-shaking. He charges through life getting into and out of trouble with reckless abandon. Besides Big Ears, his favorite companion is his grandfather, as they both seek to avoid getting in trouble with Manolito's mother, a fire breathing dragon of a woman, except when she is not. At one point Manolito says of her:

That's how my mom is-not even the Pope is capable of making her change plans. I'd like to see the Pope try to tell my mom to celebrate a birthday or not. My mom is the maximum authority on the planet; even extraterrestrials like Paquito Medina know that.

It is a funny, wild ride through Manolito's life, and kids will enjoy every minute of it. This is one of those books that the reluctant readers, boys or girls, will probably enjoy the most. Even though Manolito Four-Eyes is a crazy little kid in Madrid, kids will identify with his heart, his style, and his irrepressible nature.

My only problem with the book is that while the translator has done a marvelous job capturing Manolito's voice and style, there are times when expressions or descriptions don't the age group. I don't mean that the language is too complex, which is often a good thing, but that there are jarring turns of speech that don't sound like a kid at all. Nonetheless, I strongly recommend this book, especially for rambunctious or reluctant 4th and 5th graders.

Four out of five stars.

Read more about Manolito Four-Eyes on Amazon.com
Read more about Manolito Four-Eyes on Amazon.co.uk

A Writer On a Crusade (as Part of a Quest)

In most of my posts thus far, I have focused on reviewing books for kids. That is what this blog is all about, and I hope that I can share my findings with the kids, parents, librarians and teachers who all share a common goal - finding a good book to curl up with on your comfy chair (or bed or beach or tree house or magic carpet).

But when I am not busy reading and reviewing great books, I have another passion. I won't talk about it as often, but I want to write my own books. I've published lots of stories and poetry, but I am actively working on a middle grade fantasy with trolls and giants and dragons.

Just as lots of cool books send the hero on a quest, I am on a quest to write and publish books for kids to enjoy. When I heard that Rachael Harrie was starting a Writer's Crusade, I decided that a crusade sounded like a great adventure on my quest, so I am joining today. If you want to know about the Second Writer's Platform-Building Crusade, you can read about it here. If you'd rather read about ghosts and magic, skip to my next post about the magical Eva Ibbotson for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday - Eva Ibbotson

    
  
It's Marvelous Middle Grade Monday, started by the marvelous Shannon Whitney Messenger herself. This is my first time joining in, so I thought I'd talk about an author whom all three of my kids have loved. Eva Ibbotson is well known for her romance novels, aimed at both YA and adult audiences, but she also wrote several wonderful books for children 8-12. I have included five above.

Eva Ibbotson's stories are a mix of magic, humor and warmth, but there are also valuable lessons for children underlying the fun. In The Great Ghost Rescue, for example, Humphrey and his family are ghosts forced out of their ancestral manor, but when they go searching for a new place to haunt, they accidentally land in a boarding school. There, a boy named Rick discovers them, but instead of running in fear, he listens to their tales of woe, and sets off to ask the Prime Minister of England to set up a sanctuary for ghosts. Besides being a fun book, it is a great way to spark discussions about protecting our environment.

In almost all of these stories, there are both girls and boys who play a strong role. Perhaps because of that, the books work very well for readers of both genders. Silly, sly, warm and gentle, these are stories that are excellent for reading aloud.

Marvelous Middle Grade Monday is brought to you by Shannon Whitney Messenger, who started it. Head on over to Ramblings of a Wannabe Scribe to see what she's featuring today. Also, she's been listing other participants in MMGM, so follow them as well and spread the joy of middle grade. So far:

Shannon Whitney Messenger writes about The Maze of Bones (39 Clues, No. 1).

Joanne Fritz writes about The Wonder of Charlie Anne, which sounds lovely.

Shannon O'Donnell writes about Wolf: The Journey Home

Brooke Favero writes about The Mysterious Benedict Society, which I blogged about recently as well.

Wonderful to see the idea of Marvelous Middle Grade Monday spreading!

Review: My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis

My Princess Boy, published by Aladdin (Simon & Schuster) in Dec. 2010

Author: Cheryl Kilodavis
Illustrator: Suzanne DeSimone

My 24 year-old daughter suggested that I read My Princess Boy, as she had heard a lot about it, including some very divergent opinions of the rightness of letting a young boy dress in "girl clothes". While it is slightly scary taking on a controversial topic in a new review blog, my goal of emphasizing diversity and acceptance here at My Comfy Chair made this a must-read.

For those who have not heard of My Princess Boy, it is a non-fiction picture book about the author's four-year-old son who likes to dress in pretty dresses and pink and sparkles.

I received a review copy from Simon & Schuster, and dropped everything to see how this topic might be handled. I was nervous. What if I liked the way the story was handled, but didn't like the book itself? What if I objected to the tone, but thought the intent was good.

I needn't have worried. I read the book through, and liked it, but realized after I finished that I was still thinking too much about the reaction and not enough about the story. I started again, but this time soaking up the story and the flow and the illustrations. This time, I liked it even more. I read it to one of my cats, Pandora. My cats often have to sit in as listeners when I don't have a small child around.

This time, I fell in love with it. The message is one I have always believed, that there are plenty of people in the world who will judge your children and tell them what they can't do or be. As a parent, you have a chance to tell them that they can do or be anything, but especially themselves. Cherl Kilodavis freely acknowledges in interviews (which I watched after I finished the book) that she had her doubts and worries when her son started to dress in frilly dresses and dance around, but she overcame them. She realized that her son was who he was, and loved beautiful things. She stopped describing them as "girl things" and focuses on how they are "pretty things", and it makes all the difference.

To bolster this idea, Suzanne DeSimone took an unusual approach in leaving the faces without eyes or mouths or other features. While this may sound distancing, it makes the people us, without specific races or genders. I had a little trouble when I first opened the book, but I think it was a very creative way of making this a book about all of us and all our children. After a few pages, you don't see the approach, but simply the engaging characters.

I can't wait until it is my turn to teach Sunday school next, as I definitely want to share this with my pre-schoolers, many of whom dress up without much regard to "boy things" or "girl things". I think they will like the story, but I think their parents and older siblings need to hear it as well.

I heartily recommend this for children and families, for libraries and for classrooms.

Five Stars!

Find 'My Princess Boy' on Amazon.com
Find 'My Princess Boy' on Amazon.co.uk

Road Trip Wednesday - Groundhog Day

Road Trip Wednesday is a "Blog Carnival," where YA Highway's contributors post a weekly writing- or reading-related question and answer it on our own blogs. You can hop from destination to destination and get everybody's unique take on the topic.

Road Trip Wednesday #65 - This Week's Topic: Happy Groundhog Day! If the groundhog sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of winter (and we're hoping he doesn't, since 2/3 of the US is covered in blizzard right now).

In the movie Groundhog Day, Bill Murray has to relive the same day over and over. What books would you pick to read over and over for the rest of your life?

My answer: I love so many books, and especially YA and middle grade books, that it is hard to narrow them down, but I think I'd choose:
The Lord of the Rings
Swallows and Amazons
Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)
Which Witch?

Oh my gosh, I'd better stop or I'll be listing books all day.

Review: My Dad by Anthony Browne

My Dad, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in April 2001
Author/Illustrator: Anthony Browne

In this marvelous and warm picture book, a child tells about his dad with a touch of exaggeration, but tons of love. The illustrations show the dad, always dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe, wrestling with giants, walking a tightrope clothesline, and jumping over the moon, among other exciting feats.

Young children will love the pictures, but mostly will love to share this with their own amazing dads. Very little emphasis is made on the gender of the child, so this would be equally appreciated by boys and girls, ages 1-4. I strongly recommend this as a book for children and their dads to share.

Four out of five stars.

See more about My Dad on Amazon.com
See the board book version of My Dad on Amazon.co.uk

Review: Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters by Lenore Look

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters
Author: Lenore Look
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham

In Lenore Look's earlier book, Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things, she introduced second-grader, Alvin Ho. Scared of practically everything, but with an indomitable spirit that allows him to face his fears, Alvin takes on a whole new set of scary adventures when his father takes him camping.

As in the first book, Alvin can be a bit over-the-top, but young readers will laugh and relate to his wild overreactions. Each chapter brings a new set of mishaps, from buying night vision goggles with the emergency credit card to setting traps around his campsite. Alvin's father almost uses up his store of Shakespearean oaths as he tries to keep Alvin and his little sister, Anibelly, from ruining the camping trip. In the nick of time, Alvin meets a friend who proves that Alvin isn't the only one scared of the woods.

This book is well paced and appropriate for grades 2-4. I like the way Alvin's Chinese-American heritage is part of him, but not a focus of the story. He is just another kid, facing the sometimes-scary world with a never-ending set of good ideas that don't turn out quite the way he expects.

I strongly recommend this, as well as the earlier Alvin Ho story.

Four out of five stars.

See more about Alvin Ho: Allergic to Camping, Hiking, and Other Natural Disasters on Amazon.com


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