Zen Ties ~ by Jon J. Muth

Zen Ties ~ by Jon J. Muth, 2008, children's, 9/10

Summer has arrived — and so has Koo, the haiku-speaking young nephew of Stillwater, the panda.  And when Stillwater encourages Koo and his friends Addy, Michael, and Karl to help a grouchy old neighbor in need, their efforts are rewarded in unexpected ways.  Zen Ties is a disarming story of compassion and friendship that reaffirms the importance of our ties to one another.

The backs of the two pandas are shown on the front cover and their faces on the back cover.  What a concept!  Notice the balloons — appropriately placed to show correct perspective when we look at the other side.  The five balloons (a purple one is added inside with these colors) aren't part of the written story, but illustrations show them being given and shared and jointly lifting the little panda on one page.

I especially like paintings of the elderly woman, who used to teach English and who first appears not to like children.  After the children help her, she helps the older boy prepare for his spelling bee.

"Now listen.  Just like plants, words have roots," Miss Whitaker said.  "A plant grows from its roots and so do words.  Roots of words can teach you to spell."

And then the three children and the two pandas sit down to tea with Miss Whitaker.  The friend I'm housesitting (and cat-sitting) for suggested I would like it.  I do.  I rate this delightful children's book 9 of 10, excellent.

For more children’s books reviews, go to Booking Mama’s feature, Kid Konnection.  If you’d like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children’s books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week,  leave a comment as well as a link on her site.

You Can't Take a Balloon Into The National Gallery ~ Kid Konnection

I've found an exciting weekly meme called Kid Konnection, hosted by Julie P. @ Booking Mama.  The first book I want to share is one adults can enjoy, too, along with little folks.  It's so dense with things I want to show you that I've photographed some of what's inside.

You Can't Take a Balloon Into the National Gallery ~ by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, illustrated by Robin Glasser, 2000, children's (Washington, DC)

A girl, her brother, and their grandmother arrive at the National Gallery of Art.  Having been there before, the girl knows she can't take her balloon into the gallery, so she leaves it outside with a photographer, who is taking pictures of people posed with her image of George Washington.  Oops, an accident!  And the balloon flies away, as you can see in the sequence here.  What I like best about this story is that the balloon's adventures are echoed in the famous artwork.

The photographer grabs her stuff and chases the balloon (lower left, above). Inside, the family is viewing a statue, same pose.  The illustrator, sister to the writer, reproduces the famous artwork that mirrors the action all around the city.  The end pages, in my photo below, show a map of where the balloon drifts, looping back toward the gallery.  But does it make it before the little girl comes out looking for her balloon?  As the family comes out the door and down the front steps, a hand reaches out from the presidential limousine, snags the balloon, and hands it to the photographer.

The whole book is done with images, making it much more effective than these words of mine. To add to the fun, famous people are drawn into various scenes. From the dustjacket:

Appearing throughout this grand adventure are images of thirty-two Americans who have made important controbutions to our nation's history and culture. ... How many of these notable men and women can you find? (And don't peek at the answers in the back of the book until you've found them all!)

I love this 36-page book! Rated: 10 of 10, couldn't put it down.  (Still can't, as I keep going back over the pictures and finding more in it.)