Day With No Crayons

January 1, 2008
Gr 2-4-This somewhat fictionalized profile introduces readers to Caltech planet hunter Michael E. Brown, who is followed from messy childhood experiments with mud craters in his backyard to his revolutionary discovery of Eris, Sedna, and other transplutonian members of our solar system. Leaving room in the corners for fact boxes about each newly found object, Francis casts him in the cartoon illustrations as a smiling, wide-eyed lad (later man) in casual dress, working (alone, seemingly) with telescopes and PCs in his years-long search, standing nervously to witness the official vote that redefined "planet" in 2006 ("Mike smiled. Astronomers had fixed a mistake. Science had progressed!"), then on the closing pages posing with children who just might go on to make astronomical discoveries of their own. Though there is no indication that Rusch ever actually spoke with her subject, this biography covers new ground for young readers and, packaged with a peel-off miniposter of the "new" solar system, makes an inspiring, energizing addition to any collection."John Peters, New York Public Library"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2008
Liza loves drawing with crayons. Unfortunately, after coloring her wall, Liza loses her crayon privileges. Gray illustrations depict her colorless day, until Liza finds she can use other things to color her world: muddy sticks, crushed flowers, a red brick. Dynamic illustrations reflect this budding young artist's imagination and creativity.

(Copyright 2008 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 1, 2008
PreS-Gr 2-Liza loves her crayons, but she has a bit of a one-track mind where color is concerned. She classifies the whole world according to the shades she finds in her crayon bucket. When she runs out of paper, she takes the next logical step and colors on the wall, prompting her mother to take away her drawing tools for the rest of the day. The situation looks bleak (and literally gray, in the illustrations), until Liza goes for a walk and discovers the colors of the natural world. Mud, leaves, bricks, and petals become her new media as she assembles life-size collages wherever she goes. It comes as no surprise when she declares at bedtime: "I think I can go one more day with no crayons." There is no shortage of picture books that celebrate artistic creativity, but this one has an interesting twist. So much of childhood art is commoditized and children spend so much time inside that the invitation to look to nature for both inspiration and materials is a refreshing one. This title could also serve as an introduction to modern art (Liza inadvertently creates a Jackson Pollack mud puddle at one point) or be paired with Barbara Cooney's "Miss Rumphius" (Viking, 1982) for an artsy Earth Day celebration."Rachael Vilmar, Eastern Shore Regional Library, MD"

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.