Little Dog Lost: The True Story of a Brave Dog Named Baltic

written and illustrated by Mônica Carnesi
Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin
January 5, 2012 | $15.99

I am not a sucker for animals. I don't have a pet at home and don't miss the one my family had as a child. Surprisingly, I took one look at Little Dog Lost and fell in love with Dog (Baltic, as he comes to be called). The story is perfectly written, almost like an early reader, with repetition and the perfect mix of worry and hope. In Poland, on the Vistula River, something on an ice floe floats by a group of children on the river bank.  They wonder, "Is it a bird? No. Is it a fish? No." Then the realization: "It's a DOG!" Firefighters are called to help with the rescue, but Dog floats too far out (see spread below). Two days later, after a long, cold journey, Dog is spotted by the Baltica, a ship, in the Baltic Sea, and rescued, warmed up, fed, named, and adopted. All is well.

The illustrations are endearing - at one point the text says, "Oh no! Where is Dog?" as only little paws are visible on a piece of ice after Dog loses his footing and falls into the river. The illustration where Baltic thanks a rescuer with a wagging tail is seen from above, a perspective not seen too often in picturebooks and executed well here. The text is simple but full of anticipation. Each page turn will have little (and not so little) readers on the edge of their seats and breathing a sigh of relief in the end when Baltic the Dog is safe.

Be sure to check out the printed end papers with the map of Baltic's journey and the back matter where Carnesi explains the facts behind this story. And don't miss the title page and publication information page - this is where the story actually begins, as Carnesi imagines how Baltic got on the ice in the first place. Since nobody really knows, she offers a simple, yet entirely plausible explanation that I just love. I hope you will too.

(Click photo to see it bigger) Text on this spread: "But the river flows too fast. The little dog floats away with the current, past the people and past the buildings. Dog leaves everyone behind."

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

by Jesse Andrews
Amulet Books
March 1, 2012 | $16.95

Greg Gaines doesn't have a lot of friends in his Pittsburgh, PA school and he's not really jiving on the idea of college next year. He spends a lot of time making sure he's as inconspicuous as possible, as does his only real close friend, Earl. During their senior year, when Greg's meddling mother insists he reach out to a childhood friend named Rachel who's been diagnosed with leukemia and then intervenes again at the big school assembly, he and Earl get more than they bargained for. Through first-person narration in one of the funniest, most self-deprecating voices I've read in years, Greg wonders about friendship, life and death, sex and love, and the future.

I laughed out loud throughout the entire book. I felt a little silly reading it in public because I couldn't help myself. There are doozy sentences, such as Greg's final word in a chapter wherein he and Earl accidentally get stoned at school (they think through their favorite teacher's soup, but later learn the source was actually Earl's older brother's cookies): "Holy flame throwing Jesuses. There are definitely kids out there who enjoy being on drugs, but I can promise you that Greg Gaines is not one of them." Rachel's mother, after telling Greg he's a riot is rewarded with a one-liner: "I'm illegal in twelve states." A scene between Greg and Rachel revolving around a nonsense riff about his potential sexual attraction to pillows ends with her asking, "Do I have to keep you away from my pillows?" to which he answers "No. Are you serious? Those pillows are all dudes." And these are only three examples. This review is not like a movie trailer. I didn't just put all the funny parts in this paragraph. There's plenty more where that came from.

This is Andrews's debut novel, and he calls it, in the acknowledgements, "this weird little book." I have to agree. And this weird little book is worth a read. The bright striped cover and marquee frames at the start of each chapter echo the film-making theme in the story as Greg and Earl learn how to be together, how to be apart, and how to figure out what's next as they grow up.

Tua and the Elephant

by R.P. Harris
Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
Chronicle Books
April 18, 2012 | $16.99

This sweet book takes place in Chang Mai, Thailand. Since I lived in Thailand for 2 years, I was interested in how it would be portrayed. Since reading this book, I've already ordered two more copies to give as gifts. Meant for middle-grade readers (age 8-12), it also makes a fantastic read aloud for any child, and I think the reader will enjoy it as much as the listener will.

Chronicle Books is known for producing beautiful books and this is no exception. Physically, it's gorgeous. It's a small trim-size with bright orange, Thai-silk print inspired end papers and a purple binding with the same little purple elephant which also begins each chapter. There are three-color (white, purple and a rich yellow) full-page plates throughout the book, and the type, set on heavy bright-white paper is also a shade of purple. Some of the fun of reading the book is holding it in your hand; it's that well-made and beautiful. The artwork by Yoo, done in charcoal and linoleum block print are fanciful and fun while also bringing some of the action of the book to life.

The story is about Tua (which means peanut in Thai), a little girl who lives with her hardworking mother in the north of Thailand, in Chang Mai. She's known throughout her neighborhood, and one night while at the night market, she liberates an abused baby elephant from two mahouts (elephant trainers). She helps the elephant after she sees the abuse and the elephant "turned toward Tua and once again held her gaze. 'Did you see that?' it seemed to say." An adventure ensues, involving bringing the chang (elephant), now named Pohn-Pohn, into a house, across a river, and to a wat (temple) to seek protection. All the while, the two mahouts are in pursuit, trying to get the elephant back because of "what an elephant is worth." In the end, everyone is safe, thanks to Tua, a local boy called Kanchanok, an elephant sanctuary run by Mae Noi, and a farang (tourist). Pohn-Pohn is a treat, and children and parents or others can say khawp khun kha (hello) to her together.

More

by I.C. Springman
illustrated by Brian Lies
Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
March 6, 2012 | $16.99 | reviewed from galleys

This gorgeous picturebook begins on the title page with a magpie and a mouse hanging out in a tree having a look down to see what might be around. Soon, the magpie has gone from having "nothing" to having "something" aided by the clever mouse. Quickly, though, that turns into "a few" and then into "several" and soon enough, many nests are piled high with treasures. Finally, when the piles of new belongings are "more than enough," the branch breaks and the magpie is buried beneath his finds. With the help of a whole gang of mice, he's rescued and learns a valuable lesson: that "less and less" or "not much at all" might just be "enough." The art is stunning in Lies's signature style which can also been seen in his Bats books (Bats at the Library, 2008; Bats at the Ballgame, 2010, etc). The detail in each item the magpie brings home will allow an observant child to study the intricate details and pick out what might catch their eye. Tiny details like the magpie's reflection in a mirror and the tracking tag around his leg, which bears the number 3.14159 ensures this book has a little something for everyone, just like the magpie's great pile. Read aloud with your kids (or your nieces and nephews) and decide together whether more is better, or, if selected carefully, enough might be just fine.

Welcome to the Book Pile!

Welcome to Auntie Karen's Book Pile, a brand new blog about books for children. There is always a great big pile of books for children in my house. There's a pile on my dresser, a pile on my coffee table in the living room, a pile on my bedside table, a pile in whatever bag I'm carrying that day, and always two or three piles on the trunk at the end of my bed. This doesn't even count the piles on the bookshelves.

So it's time I shared some of the pile with other people. Join me to hear about books I think you should know about.

Maybe you're a parent looking for a good book for your child. Maybe you're a teen trying to figure out what to read next. Maybe you're someone who has to buy another baby-shower gift. Maybe, like me, you're an aunt. Someone who gets to offer all kinds of fun and love to children who live with your siblings or friends - the very best kinds of kids, I think.

A lot of people ask me for recommendations for their kids. I hope this blog will help.

Whoever you are and why ever you are here - I hope you'll like reading about books I think are just great. There are a lot, so check back often. Enjoy!