Mercy Watson to the Rescue
By Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen
Candlewick, $12.99
Ages 5-8 years
In all of Kate DiCamillo’s interestingly various texts, there’s a strong sense of passionate attachments. Mr. and Mrs. Watson tuck in their pig, Mercy, tenderly and sing to her. Don’t think pig sty, think cute little bed. The Watsons, whose features might be called porcine by even a kindly observer, lavish love on their piggy. Some of the neighbors–the cranky Eugenia Lincoln–think it’s a bit much. And Mercy? The “porcine wonder” mostly thinks of “hot toast with a great deal of butter on it.” Mercy gets loose in the neighborhood, and depending on your point of view she’s either running amok, saving her owners, or finding ever-better stacks of buttered toast. There are 12 short and peppy chapters for reading or read-alouds.
Toot & Puddle: Wish You Were Here
By Holly Hobbie
Little, Brown, $16.99
Ages 5-9 years
When Toot goes off to Wildest Borneo, cousin Opal comes to keep Puddle company. They putter through the ordinary, planting their garden, while Toot sends postcards. “You wouldn’t believe the hairy indigo mud lily!” As blissful Opal (who seems always accompanied by butterflies and flowers) says, ” ‘How could the hairy indigo mud lily be more beautiful than a marigold?’ ” Toot finally arrives home, after an unfortunate episode in the Great Green Swamp, and he needs help. ” ‘I have the violet virus. . . . That’s the worst part. You turn blue.’ ” This lovingly detailed paean to friendship shows all the traditional and alternative remedies–each a humorous vista–as Opal and Puddle try to return Toot to piglet pink. Friendship can take you on all sorts of voyages of discovery.
Autobiography of My Dead Brother
By Walter Dean Myers, art by Christopher Myers
Amistad/HarperTempest, $15.99
Ages 12-15 years
This story begins and ends with a funeral. As little boys, Rise and Jesse made themselves blood brothers; C.J. is their close friend. C.J. and Jesse are 15, Rise a bit older. All of them are on the cusp; they’ve lived in Harlem protected by their parents, but what next? Art school for Jesse, more musical training for C.J.? Rise thinks the others need to get in touch with power on the street. The narration remains firmly fixed in Jesse’s point of view. Conflicted, he can’t figure it all out. The portraits of the parents are complex; we see their pain and anger at all they can’t control. Visually, Christopher Myers’ most striking contribution is the comic strip “Spodi Roti & Wise,” which Jesse draws. This isn’t a full graphic novel, but there’s much to draw in graphically cued younger readers.
Searching for Grizzlies
By Ron Hirschi, photographs by Thomas D. Mangelsen, drawings by Deborah Cooper
Boyds Mills, $15.95
Ages 9-11 years
This book proceeds on three levels–text, photographs, and illustrations presented as in a sketchbook–so although there is a great deal of material about the different species of bears, children at a variety of ages can get through it with pleasure. There is a personal tone, as this is a record of particular moments in Greater Yellowstone National Park. Hence there are sometimes scary moments, as when author Ron Hirschi and photographer Thomas Mangelsen end up closer to a grizzly than planned. Gives a feel for what real and respectful observation is like, not just edited film with cutesy moments.
If You Give a Pig a Party
By Laura Numeroff, illustrated by Felicia Bond
Laura Geringer/HarperCollins, $15.99
Ages 3-7 years
Laura Numeroff dances down the path again with the logic of if/then constructions: “If you give a pig a party, she’s going to ask for some balloons.” Felicia Bond’s piglet seems almost teddy bearlike but so winsome that you’d certainly take the first step with her. The text and pictures make clear that the little girl is playing the role of parent, hurtling after a toddler in almost constant motion. Most little readers could begin to elaborate even wilder sets of consequences, once they get the feel for the fun of doing it.
