All the Dear Little Animals
ISBN 9781776572892
Regular price $23.99 Sale price $21.60 Save 10%Early readers will love the dry humour and wonderfully rounded story of All the Dear Little Animals. Nilsson perfectly captures the child's perspective, balancing compassion and humour. This is a very funny story about a topic that touches all of us.
Reviews
101 Great Books for Kids — 2020 — Winner
USBBY Outstanding International Books List — 2021 — Winner
"Three children spend a day burying dead creatures in this New Zealand import originally from Sweden. This perspicacious observation of how children copy adult behavior in their play is also a hilarious spoof on the overtly pious funeral industry. Esther, her younger brother Puttie, and the unnamed narrator have 'nothing to do' one day. Finding a dead bumblebee, Esther declares they must bury it, but the narrator is leery of touching it, being afraid of death, and so instead offers to write the poem: 'A dear little life in the hand / Suddenly gone, deep in the sand.' Little Puttie, completely in the dark about death, is upset when Esther tells him he too will die when he is 'an old man.' 'But Mummy and Daddy will be so sad,' he whimpers. After the success of the bumblebee interment, Esther is enthused about burying 'all the poor dead animals,' and the children start 'Funerals Ltd.,' phoning neighbors for dead pets and scouring the bushes and byways for roadkill. The story cleverly—and tenderly—pivots near its end, giving it a touching depth (with a twist). Eriksson's keenly observed illustrations include full-page and double-page spreads as well as spots, and they are as wickedly hilarious as the text in their understated expressions and details. An abundance of soft springlike colors present a visually humorous juxtaposition to the morbid theme. The children are illustrated as white. Dark and hilarious." — Kirkus Reviews
"One quiet day, when a boy (the narrator) and his friend Esther have nothing to do, they find a dead bumblebee. Esther takes the lead, grabbing a shovel and burying the bee in a cigar-box coffin, while the boy recites a little poem over the grave. They're so moved that they decide to look for more dead things to bury, with help from Esther's little brother. Next, they find a dead mouse and give him a solemn burial, thinking, 'We were the nicest people in the world.' Soon they start an animal funeral business, burying a pet hamster, a rooster, a blackbird, and even roadkill: a hedgehog and a hare. Along the way, the children talk about death itself. The narrative concludes, 'The next day we did something else. Something completely different.' First published in Sweden, the book has a childlike tone that is reverent, winsome, and matter-of-fact. The kids' attitudes toward death differ realistically according to their ages and personalities. Sometimes amusing and sometimes moving, Nilsson's simply written text is always satisfying. Eriksson's sensitive, beguiling pencil drawings with color washes brighten every double-page spread. Like Margaret Wise Brown's The Dead Bird (1958, 2016), this pitch-perfect book shows children dealing with death in their own ways and then moving on." — Booklist
"Nilsson and Eriksson bring a whiff of Scandinavian noir to this lengthy, small-format picture book. After an encounter with 'something sad and tragic'—a dead bee—Esther buries the insect, then makes a pronouncement. 'Someone unselfish must make sure all these dead things get buried,' she tells the narrator, a boy in a plaid shirt. So they start a business, Funerals Ltd. The boy is a reluctant undertaker but a good writer ('There are lots of words inside me'), and he contributes a short poem for each funeral ('Farewell Harold, wee Harold so bold'). Esther solicits new business, sometimes with startling cynicism—'We will never forget him. That's what we're paid for!' Deftly translated by Marshall, the text laces honest consideration of a difficult subject with winningly mordant humor. Lindgren Award–winner Eriksson's (My Heart Is Laughing) lightly penned images of the children burying animals are the visual equivalent of Nilsson's offhand tone. It's only after the children tackle logistical matters—touching corpses, how to explain death to Esther's little brother, whether the gravestones need proper names—that a moment of real tenderness occurs: they witness a blackbird's sudden death, and even brusque Esther is moved. A sly, thoughtful, many-layered story." — Publishers Weekly
"'One day we had nothing to do. We wanted some fun. Then Esther found a bumblebee.' This illustrated early chapter book is a darkly comedic exploration of life and death. Three bored children begin holding funerals for dead animals they happen upon, beginning with the bumblebee. Flowers, poetry, tears, and a cigar-box coffin make the first funeral such a success that they start a business, Funerals Ltd. Among other creatures, that day they bury a pet hamster, a rooster, and three dead fish Esther finds in the fridge. Busy and self-righteous in their work ('We were very kind and good, looking after the dead animals. We were the nicest people in the world'), they enjoy great satisfaction and become greedy for larger creatures to buy. Then, at dusk, a blackbird flies into a window and dies before their eyes. The suddenness of the transition unsettles the three children, and this final funeral, though still melodramatic, feels more personal and less like a game. 'The next day we found something else to do. Something completely different.' Honest and uncomfortable humor within the soft, pale vignettes and full-page and double-page-spread art captures the book's spirit, with a final spread showing the graveyard the trio created, with wooden crosses and stones labeled with names (including 'A fish,' and 'One more fish') commemorating all the creatures whose lives were honored that day." — The Horn Book Magazine
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe
ISBN 9781927271889
Regular price $21.99 Sale price $13.50 Save 39%Written by Megumi Iwasa and illustrated by Jun Takabatake; Translated by Cathy Hirano
This international bestseller is an endearing illustrated chapter book about an African giraffe and his pen pal, a penguin.
Giraffe is bored, as usual. He'd love a friend to share things with. So he writes a letter and sends it as far as possible across the other side of the horizon. There he finds a pen pal—Penguin.
Giraffe knows nothing about penguins and his letters are full of questions. Where is a penguin's neck? Can a penguin fly? Penguin answers as best he can.
But no one expects what happens when the pen pals come face to face at last.
Yours Sincerely, Giraffe is a funny tale of mistaken assumptions and friendship from afar.
Recommended for young readers ages 6-9 years.
Hardcover, 104 pages. 8 x 5.7 inches.
Gecko Press.
Reviews
"An extremely bored giraffe becomes curious about what lies on the other side of the horizon and recruits a pelican to be his own personal courier. The pelican, equally bored and eager for new business, offers to travel anywhere and takes Giraffe's letter far across the ocean to Whale Sea. A correspondence begins between Giraffe and a penguin. As the pen pals discover more about what it's like on the other side of the horizon, each also ends up trying to solve the mystery of what the other animal looks like. The resulting letters and antics are humorous as the giraffe and the penguin imagine what life is like on opposite parts of the globe. This Japanese import will charm beginning readers who enjoy a bit of witty humor with their animal adventures. The pen-and-ink illustrations are simple yet have a Quentin Blake feel that rounds out the characters and their quirky behaviors. A highly amusing early chapter book for readers who may also be learning the art of letter writing."—School Library Journal
"Giraffe, bored and looking for a friend, becomes pen pals with Penguin in this illustrated chapter book. Even though Giraffe has nice weather and plenty to eat in his home in Africa, he is bored because he doesn't have 'an extra special friend.' A notice from an also-bored pelican offering 'to deliver anything anywhere' spurs Giraffe to write a letter introducing himself ('I'm famous for my long neck'), and he asks Pelican to deliver it to the first animal he meets on the 'other side of the horizon.' After a long flight, Pelican sees Seal. Seal delivers the letter to Penguin, since Penguin is 'the only animal . . . who got letters. . . . Most were from his girlfriend.' This original, playful story unfolds with perfect pacing as Giraffe and Penguin start a pen-pal correspondence. (Penguin, not sure what a neck is, writes back: 'I think maybe I don't have a neck. Or maybe I am all neck?') Giraffe and Pelican, reading Penguin's letters describing himself, are just as confused about what Penguin looks like. Hilarious deductive reasoning ensues. Young readers will love the silliness. Older readers (including adults) will relax in this gentle, judgment-free world of curiosity and discovery. Takabatake's fresh, unaffected line illustrations create a seamless collaboration of art and words. This is a rare book: joyful, ingenuous, playfully earnest, but without a whiff of studied cuteness."—Kirkus Reviews
"Giraffe should be content; he has plenty to eat and a comfortable home. But he's bored and wonders what lies over the horizon. Upon seeing Pelican's sign for his new delivery service, Giraffe gets the idea to write a letter to someone on the other side. He instructs Pelican to give the letter to the first animal he sees over the horizon, and so Penguin becomes the lucky recipient of Giraffe's note, courtesy of his local messenger seal. Letters go back and forth between Giraffe and Penguin, and Giraffe grows curious about what his correspondent looks like. Hilarity ensues as Giraffe and Pelican, neither of whom has ever seen a penguin, search the missives for clues so they can dress Giraffe to look like Penguin. When at last the pen pals meet, what a surprise awaits! But who cares how they look? Through their letters, a lasting friendship has developed between the animals. The combination of short narrative, dialogue, letters, and humorous penand- ink drawings is a winning one. For children who send or receive few letters, the book's a great introduction to letter writing, although this isn't its main purpose. Its gentle friendship story will leave readers feeling warm and fuzzy, making this early chapter book a great addition to any collection."—Booklist
Awards
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books — 2017 — Winner
Children's Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year — 2018 — Winner
Kirkus Best Children's Books — 2017 — Winner
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids — 2017 — Winner
USBBY Outstanding International Books List — 2018 — Winner
Soda Pop
ISBN 9781776570102
Regular price $21.99 Sale price $19.80 Save 10%Written by Barbro Lindgren and illustrated by Lisen Adbåge
Translated by Sarah Death
This classic Swedish children's novel is an absurd tale full of playful nonsense in a world where anything can happen.
Soda Pop loves bright orange clothes and wears a tea cozy on his head. He has brought up his son Mazarin on sweet buns and love. Grandfather Dartanyong emerges from his woodshed every morning with a new identity, and Great-grandfather has moved into a tree, eats birdseed, and thinks he is a cuckoo.
Theirs is a carefree life, untroubled by social norms. In this tolerant world anything can happen—is the garage suddenly full of tigers? We are not surprised.
Recommended for readers 6-8 years.
Hardcover, 112 pages. 5.7 x 7.8”.
Gecko Press.
Reviews
"Readers expecting a story arc, plot progression, and a certain amount of sense in their novels are bound to be disappointed with the madcap meanderings of Mazarin, his father Soda Pop, and his grandfather Dartanyong. However, if zany characters and a world with just a twinge of normality are a welcome change in your reading, this book, first published in Sweden in 1970, fits the bill. Mazarin lives in a house among the pines and firs and anthills with his 'really great dad [who] couldn't care less about anything.' Out in the dilapidated shed lives Mazarin's grandfather, 'alone in the woodshed so other people's germs can't jump out and grab him.' There is also a giraffe that 'wanders off from time to time eats whatever it can find,' as well as scaring the cows. The barn is filled with a 'swarm of tigers,' and the tigers are traded for a thousand hot dogs from the hot-dog man to feed everyone. Did I mention that each day Grandpa Dartanyong wakes with a different identity and, shall we say, very unusual problems? Fans of the wackier reaches of Jack Gantos and Polly Horvath will love these random ramblings that make up in emotional sense what they lack in conventional storytelling."—The Horn Book Magazine
"Set in a nondescript time and place, young Mazarin lives with his eccentric father, Soda Pop, and forgetful grandfather, Dartanyong. Their home includes monochromatic rooms; a garage with a fish-filled pool on top; a barn the perfect size for the cluster of tigers that turns up; a rubbish heap complete with a bed-eating giraffe; and a woodshed-turned-apartment where Dartanyong can avoid germs and store his many charts that help him remember details. Three recurring characters round out the cast: the cross man who's upset about red owls nesting in his mailbox; a hot dog seller turned tiger enthusiast; and Gustav, a robber with ballpoint-pen tattoos who is let out of the local jail occasionally for short jaunts. Nonsense is name of the game in this Swedish novel originally published in 1970 by prolific author and winner of the 2014 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (no relation to the famous author of Pippi Longstocking). This slim volume of short, episodic chapters is unabashedly absurd, moving quickly from adventure to adventure. The exploits often revolve around Dartanyong's identity of the day. When he emerges from his woodshed, he may think he's a plumber, a master painter, or a trapeze artist, and Soda Pop and Mazarin go with the flow, occasionally using his forgetfulness to their advantage when it comes to, say, feeding the hungry tigers. The translation is nicely complemented by full-color illustrations that have an appealing childlike quality. Readers wanting character arcs and climactic scenes won't find them here, but for a whimsical, lighthearted, unique reading experience, look no further."—School Library Journal
Author Bio
Lisen Adbåge was born in Sweden in 1982 and published her first picture book in 2000. She has won three major prizes for her children's books.