Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin, Lloyd Moss, Illustrated by Marjorie Priceman

Books about music are always the most interesting when they explore what music really sounds like, and that can be hard to do. It’s easier in a children’s book, when an author is allowed to be silly. Lloyd Moss’s zippy prose is both silly and smart, introducing ten orchestral instruments, each played by a musician with character clearly established by Priceman’s exuberant illustrations. The rhyming text playfully describes the sound of each instrument (the ”silken moan” of the trombone, or the oboe, which is “gleeful, bleating, sobbing, pleading”) while also establishing what each sized group is called (solo, duo, trio, up to nonet and then at last a chamber group). Priceman’s drawings are all swoop and color to great effect, clearly depicting the instruments, as well as the musicians’ love of their instruments through smiles (some beaming, some quirky) and posture. Reading this book and also listening to a work such as Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra can help a child recognize instrument appearances and sounds early on. But just reading this book alone is a wonderful start and great entertainment. (Diane Magras)

About the Author and Illustrator: Lloyd Moss began working for WQXR, the classical music station of The New York Times, in 1953, and retired close to his 80th birthday from a career connected with presenting classical music. His work has also included television, film, and voice-overs. As well as Zin! Zin! Zin!, his children’s music books include Our Marching Band and Music Is. Marjorie Priceman graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design and has many picture books to her credit, each with her distinctive, active illustrations. These include My Nine Lives (by Clio), When Zaydeh Danced on Eldgridge Street (by Elsa Okon Rael), and Princess Picky, which she wrote herself. Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin was a 1995 Caldecott Honor Book.

A River of Words, Jen Bryant , Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Melissa Sweet, an illustrator living in Rockland, has more than 40 children’s books to her credit. Her newest book, A River of Words by Jen Bryant, had already been honored by the New York Times as one of the 10 best-illustrated books of 2008. In January, we learned that Sweet’s work on this picture book biography of William Carlos Williams earned a Caldecott Honor. The Caldecott committee wrote, “Sweet’s mixed-media collage and primitive watercolors flow seamlessly with Bryant’s prose to reveal the important bits and pieces of Williams’ ordinary, yet extraordinary, life as a doctor and poet.” The canvases for many of the illustrations are book covers or endpapers, so language is always at forefront, as it was in Williams’ life. The collage style suggests Williams’ modus operandi (“On his prescription pads, he scribbled a few lines whenever and wherever he could.”) but also shows precision, resourcefulness, and a deep understanding of the text-both Bryant’s and Williams’. Maine is lucky to have Melissa Sweet within its borders, where she can speak at schools and programs for educators. (Indeed, she has been a guest at Born to Read programs.) But award-winning illustrations aside, if you are a fan of William Carlos Williams, if you have read his work for Literature & Medicine, or if you are curious about how poets can write and also hold “real” jobs, A River of Words is well worth your time. (Brita Zitin)

About the Author and Illustrator: Jen Bryant lives in Pennsylvania and has published many books, both verse novels (Riverside, Pieces of Georgia), and nonfiction picture books for young adults, nonfiction (Music for the End of Time, Call me Marianne, Abe’s Fish, among others). See the review for information about Melissa Sweet.

Woodbrook, David Thomson

A longtime favorite book of mine is Woodbrook by David Thomson (published 1974). This is a memoir of Thomson, who went to Ireland in 1932 as a tutor for an Anglo-Irish family whose house of Woodbrook had been in the family since the 17th century. When Thomson arrives, he is a shy, romantic, 18-year-old boy, “reading History at Oxford.” The girls he comes to tutor are 11 and four, and he remains with them in the home until they are fully grown. He is enchanted by the family and their rich home life, drawing a loving portrait of his life with them that is interwoven with a lyrical portrayal of the Sligo countryside and informative, engaging side tours into Irish history. Thomson’s tone of tenderness and restraint is curiously compelling and haunting; as one feels the love story deepen, it develops an unexpected, understated complexity that stays with its readers as part-dream, song, poetry, and real history long after the book is put down. (Denise Pendleton)

About the Author: David Thomson (1914-1988) was born in India to Scottish parents, and grew up in Scotland and Derbyshire. After his years spent in Woodbrook, he developed a career in writing and at the BBC. He is also author of Nairn in Darkness and Light, a memoir of his childhood in Scotland, which won the NCR Book Award for Nonfiction in 1988.

Twilight, Stephanie Meyer

Twilight and its companion books have been called a teenage girl’s Harry Potter due to their wild popularity. I had wondered why it was so popular, and I confess that, although the book is not as well written as the Harry Potter books, it kept me up for two evenings, something that has not happened in a long time. It is a page-turner!

Little does 17-year-old Bella Swan realize that her self-sacrificing decision to leave her mother and her new stepfather in sunny Arizona to live with her father in Forks, Washington (a small, perpetually rainy town) would lead to happiness. A self-described “ordinary girl,” Bella is smart, clumsy and wants to melt into the background in her new school as she prepares to be miserable until she is old enough to live on her own. She does not melt into the background, though, and is generally accepted by her classmates even though she is the local policeman’s daughter. She finds herself drawn to the mysterious, intelligent, incredibly beautiful and equally aloof Edward Cullen who, it turns out, is equally drawn to her. What ensues is a heady, dangerous romance between Bella and Edward, a “vegetarian” vampire (meaning he does not partake of human blood, though this can be a struggle at times). As you may well guess, their differences and attractions lead to serious complications. Edward’s family (also vampires) have mixed feelings about having a human around who knows their secret, and Bella must be careful not to provoke any “baser” reactions among them. Bella dares not share Edward’s secret with anyone.

Ms. Meyer captures the inner world of a sensitive teenage girl beautifully, and the romance and story are remarkably convincing. My only concern with the book is its emphasis on the extreme beauty of the vampires, who are all young, pale and thin, and that Bella, when she is eating, eats very little. That is a concern given the target audience for the books, even if it does reflect the strong aesthetic of popular culture and of many teens.

Reading books popular for teens and younger keep me on my toes and in tune with my young friends as these books give a glimpse into their worlds. While there are vampires in this novel, the book is really about finding oneself and the intricacies, joys and heartaches of first love. Bella and Edward do a careful dance as they each explore the new, frightening and wonderful area of desire- something we can all relate to. The author helps us to recall these feelings in a remarkably fresh, vital way. (Elizabeth Sinclair)

About the Author: Born in Connecticut in 1973, Stephenie Meyer has spent most of her life in Arizona. Twilight was her first novel, and with it she was chosen by booksellers as one of the “most promising new authors of 2005” (Publishers Weekly).

Liberty, Garrison Keillor

Liberty, Garrison Keillor’s newest book in the Lake Wobegon Series, is a delightful, light read. In his unique prose, Keillor tells the story of Clint Bunsen, a resident who has organized Lake Wobegon’s impressive Fourth of July celebration each year. This year, however, Clint is reflecting on some of his ”missed chances” in life, especially when it seems his efforts around the holiday go unappreciated. Keillor’s amazing use of humor, in combination with his insights, provide an evocative story, and Clint’s poignant reflection on life’s decisions will ring true with the reader, as well as providing rich entertainment. (Martina Duncan)

About the Author: Gary Edward ”Garrison” Keillor, born in 1942, is best known as host of the show ”A Prairie Home Companion,” a show on Minnesota Public Radio. He is a humorist and satirist whose work has appeared in numerous newspapers and in book form.