Review Thursday: Children's Books

Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal (2009)
Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Born a slave, legendary lawman Bass Reeves became one of the most respected marshals to tame the Wild West. He apprehended thousands in his thirty two year career, including his own son, but only had to kill fourteen of them. This arresting (pardon the pun) portrait treats its subject with dignity all the while treading close to tall tale territory in its telling. From a humorous run in with a skunk to Reeve’s powerful response when coming across a lynch mob, Nelson gives a well rounded portrayal. With plenty of colorful turns of phrase and illustrations that show a steely-eyed African American hero, this larger than life biography will capture the imagination of readers and appeal to a wider age range (8-12) than Gary Paulsen’s fictionalized The Legend of Bass Reeves (10-12). A Coretta Scott King Award Winner

A Million Shades of Gray (2010)
Cynthia Kadohata

Set in Vietnam after the Americans have ended their part of the war, we meet 13 year old Y’Tin whose only goal is to be an elephant handler. His elephant, “Lady”, is the center of his world. When his village is overrun by North Vietnamese forces, Y’Tin sees his way of life change immeasurably. Not only does he have to help dig a mass grave, he must, after escaping, find his way through the deep jungle while protecting a friend and Lady. Y’Tin fears he will never be able to trust anyone or anything again, especially when he finds that the starving survivors want to eat the village’s domesticated elephants. He finds out that the truth has as many shades of grey as an elephant’s hide or the jungle in dim light. The first juvenile novel to address this time in history from the indigenous Vietnam viewpoint, this would be a powerful counterpoint to Patrol by Walter Dean Myers (a US soldiers point of view) or Kadohata’s ( a Newbery award winning author) Cracker!: The Best Dog in Vietnam. (11-14)

Ned’s New Home (2009)
Kevin Tseng

Ned, a charming bright green worm, has a wonderful home, an apple, but it is beginning to decompose. His mission is to find a new abode. A pear, lemon and a pile of blueberries all have serious faults (too wobbly, too sour, and won’t hold together). A plan for a cherry house is foiled by a hungry bird, who accidently delivers Ned to the best new house of all, an apple still hanging from its tree. With warm colors and visual humor, this is a comforting story that has an ecological undertone. The endpapers even show the life cycle of the apple from seed to fruit and back again. Use this with Peter Horacek’s A New House for Mouse for an equally agreeable paean to apples as the perfect dwelling place. (3-5)