Lost Boy: the Story of the Man Who Created Peter Pan
by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Steve Adams
In the film Finding Neverland, many were introduced to James Barrie as an adult and to the Davies boys, who inspired Barrie to create Peter Pan. Yolen's new picture book biography of the famous author succinctly describes his entire life, through childhood, adolescence, marriage, and his growth as a novelist and playwright. Yolen's inclusion of quotes from Barrie's plays adds an extra layer of meaning to each page-spread. Adams' expressive, soft-edged illustrations contain just enough whimsy to suit the subject and his works.
As a big fan of the author, I was so excited to receive Interrupting Chicken after its release. And Stein, author of Monster Hug, did not disappoint! Little red chicken is ready for bed, excepting her bedtime story, courtesy of Papa. But she can't just stand aside as Hansel and Gretyl, Little Red Riding Hood, and Chicken Little make potentially dangerous decisions! Will Papa ever manage to finish a story without an interruption? A hilarious read-aloud, especially for children old enough to understand the traditional fates of the storybook characters.
Lerch is a lonely goldfish in search of a friend. When his fishbowl’s inanimate inhabitants fail to respond to his friendly gestures, Lerch is despondent. And then he meets the cat outside his bowl. What happens next will be a delightful surprise to kids of all ages!
Rick Allen’s luminous prints were the first to catch my eye when I picked up this poetry/picture book. Of the multistep woodcut and hand-tinted gouache process he wrote, “There are definitely faster methods of making a picture, but few more enjoyable in a backwards sort of way.” And Sidman’s poems contain striking imagery of dusk and night in the outdoors, capturing the beauty of ordinary creatures and setting them out for readers to experience. From “Love Poem of the Primrose Moth” come some of my favorite lines: At dawn, I fold my sherbet-colored wings / and become / a primrose. Like her earlier Songs of the Water Boatman, Sidman includes sidebars chock-full of information about the landscape and creatures featured in each poem.