The
Holiday 19
by Kenny Brechner
Coffee Table Books: Good Fences: A Pictorial History of New England’s Stone Walls, by William Hubbell, Work: The World In Photographs, by National Geographic
Above all, when selecting a
holiday gift, we hope to give experiences. Coffee table books have nowhere to
hide in this regard. Nothing is easier to come by than our opinion of them.
Great photos and solid design will make any Coffee table book at least blameless
as a representative of its species. Yet to really convey experience, a book
requires the passion of its author for his subject. William Hubbell, author of Good
Fences: A Pictorial History of New England’s Stone Walls, states that
stone walls "are monuments to tenacity and the New Englan
d
work ethic. They are folk art of great majesty. They bring order and purpose to
the New England landscape." The same may be said of Hubbell’s authorship;
his passion and insight bring order and purpose to a subject of great interest. Good
Fences operates on the principle that each stone wall has a story behind it.
Magnificent photos, compelling stories, and fascinating background material work
together to produce a book which is an exceptional experience to read.
Another source of Coffee Table pleasure is National Geographic’s Work: The World in Photographs. First off, it’s cover is so striking that one wants to posses the book immediately. Second, a quick glance at its price, $35.00, gives one a pleasing shock, given its 340 pages of lavish photography. Primarily a work composed of striking photographs, Work is divided into sections by continent, with an essay at the head of each, as well as containing sections on the Middle East and Islands. There are also three portfolios on agriculture, extraction, and manufacturing. In short, Work provides so much interest and immediacy for so little effort that it cannot fail to delight.
Interactive Books: Pirateology, by Captain William Lubber, The Princess Primer, by A Fairy Godmother
The original and best interactive books are called "The Ologies" books by everyone in the book industry. This refers to Candlewick Press’ Dragonology, Egyptology, and Wizardology, books of lore filled with removable objects, such as letters and scrolls, and things to touch and handle. The Ologies have been so successful that other publishers, reasoning that imitation is not only the sincerest form of flattery, but also a good business practice, have brazenly imitated them. This year featured the battle of the pirate books. Simon & Schuster put out an Ology imitation called Pirates four months before the scheduled release of Candlewick’s Pirateology. Candlewick was furious and rushed Pirateology into print two months early, and the battle was joined. The outcome? Pirates is cool, but it’s no match for Pirateology, which is extremely cool. From the actual compass on the cover, the superior storyline, and the nifty pirate dispatches, Piratology brings home the doubloons.
There have been a slew of princess books put out in the last few months, including several interactive books, but the Princess Primer is clearly the best. Princesses are introduced as figures of fantasy, a type of magical folk, like elves and fairies. There is some very fine illustration here, and plenty of fun flaps and literary gizmos.
Picture Books: Library Lion, by Michelle Knudsen, illustrated by Kevin Hawkes, Once I Ate A Pie, by Patricia MacLachlan & Emily MacLachlan Charest, Flotsam, by David Wiesner
A truly wonderful picture
book is such a pleasure to share with a child that one feels the need for some
new part of speech to praise it properly. Traditional adjectives won’t suffice
and we can only wish that genetic scientists, rather than sweating away making
mutant vegetables, spent their labor producing a new strain of hyperbole. Library
Lion is such a book. Where to begin? Library Lion feels good in the
hand, its creamy paper and superior layout are a pleasure in themselves. Kevin
Hawkes illustrations are marve
lously
expressive without being over assertive, and the storyline is so touching and so
well realized, that really, its pages cannot be sufficiently visited.
Once I Ate A Pie is almost certainly the most endearing dog book to ever delight young school age children. A series of first person portraits of different dogs, children love everything about this book.
David Weisner, prince of pictorial storytelling, has come out with another gem this year, Flotsam. The exquisite drawings and interesting conceptual storyline will engage anyone over five.
Holiday Books: Merry Un-Christmas, by Mike Reiss, illustrated by David Catrow, Santa Claus, by Rod Green, illustrated by Lucas, Wright, Danaher and Sudac, A Creature Was Stirring, by Carter Goodrich
In the world of Merry Un-Christmas every day is Christmas, except one. If
that isn’t a great holiday book concept what is? Catrow’s energetic drawings
are infectious and filled with funny details, with a store called Just
Fruitcakes, an eggnog filled water tower, and a law firm called Mistletoe,
Wenecelas, & Coal. The same is true of Reiss’ story, for example when
Noelle, the lead character, opens the door on Un-Christmas day, she is delighted
to find that "It was the mailman! Since the post office is closed on
Christmas, this was the only day he could bring mail." Indeed, Merry
Un-Christmas is not only funny and clever, but it manages to make familiar
messages about the unique nature of the Holidays feel fresh themselves.
In the tradition of the Ologies books comes Santa Claus, an interactive book with a North Star gem embedded on the cover, strong computer generated art, and lots of fun stuff to see and do. This book really emphasizes the magical nature of Christmas, and answers many "how does Santa pull that off" type questions. In short, Santa Claus deftly encourages the excitement that young children feel on Christmas morning.
Carter Goodrich’s A Creature Was Stirring, is a unique presentation of Clement Moore’s Twas The Night Before Christmas. On the left hand page Moore’s poem is told and finely illustrated, while on the right hand side Goodrich offers his own poem, told by a young boy who provides a charming, running commentary on the action of Moore’s poem. A Creature Was Stirring enhances a Christmas classic in a very captivating manner.
Pop Up Books. The Jungle Book, by Matthew Reinhart, Blue 2, by David Carter
Modern Pop-Up Books, dating from Robert Sabuda’ early masterpieces of paper engineering, have become something of a holiday tradition in themselves. This season has more high end pop ups than ever, but Matthew Reinhart’s The Jungle Book, a retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s classic story, and David Carter’s follow up to last year’s One Red Dot, Blue 2, are the best.
Just as snakes are able to swallow large rodents due to their hinged jaws, readers’ jaws will drop sufficiently to allow them to swallow whole muskrats and possibly even raccoons after seeing the spectacular size and dimension of the Monkey City in Reinhart’s Jungle Book.
Blue 2 features Carter’s rich conceptual style that seeks to engage the sense in unexpected ways. The puzzle element, finding the blue 2, is more of a challenge than in Carter’s earlier book.
Specialty Topics: Bibliotopia, by Steven Gilbar, The Passionate Gardener, by Rudolf Borchardt, The Tough Guide To Fantasyland, by Diana Wynne Jones
There are some books produced
for people who share an author’s passion. Such is the case of the books in
this section. Bibliotopia is a compendium of entertaining lists
pertaining to books and reading. The original Modern Library? The list is here.
Some phrases from Don Quixore? Bibliotopia provides. Best Golf Novels?
Look no further. Bibliotopia, you’ll have gathered, is a great gift for
a book lover.
The Passionate Gardener is a literary pearl, originally written in 1938 and elegantly reprinted by Mcpherson Publishing this year. It is a unique book, rich in history, language, and lore. Borchardt, an exile from Nazi Germany, wrote this book as a source of light in a dark time. It contains a series of linked essays, such as The Garden and the New Flowers, The Garden and the Human Being, and A Catalogue of New, Lost, Rare, Misunderstood & Singular Plants. This is a book which captivates, elevates and inspires its readers.
The great fantasist, Diana Wynne Jones, found herself laid up in the hospital. Faced with a prolonged recuperation she passed the time admirably, writing The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, a faux travel book which brilliantly skewers the stereotypes of her own genre. Many hours of laughter await any long time fantasy reader with The Tough Guide in her hands.
Juvenile and Young Adult Fiction: The Far Flung Adventures, by Paul Stewart, illustrated by Chris Riddell, The Sea of Monsters, by Rick Riordan, Enthusiasm, by Polly Schulman, Life as We Knew It, by Susan Beth Pfeffer
There are far more outstanding new books for 12-16 year old than there are for 8-12 year olds. Which is why a new series by the creators Edge Chronicles for younger readers, The Far Flung Adventures, is a welcome addition indeed. The same charming, inventive fast paced text, and superb line drawings one finds in Stewart and Riddell’s Edge work are delightfully present in Fergus Crane and Corby Flood, the first two books in this new fantasy series for younger readers.
For those fortunate enough to
be looking for books for the 12 and up crowd, Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson
series, The Lightning Thief and The Sea Of Monsters are
sensational books postulating the continuance of The Greek Gods in the modern
world. Enthusiasm, by Polly Schulman is a great read, a book within a
book dealing with Jane Austen and two best friends. Finally, Life As We Knew
It, is a fabulous book which explores a near future in which the moon is hit
by a meteor and knocked closer to earth, affecting the earth’s gravity. A
survival story which my assistant manager Aileen Dinsmore, whose taste is
infallible, reported as being so gripping and realistically narrated, that it
stayed with her long after she put the book down.
