A Visitor for Bear is like a mix of the best of Beatrix Potter and Dr. Seuss’ Grinch. Yes, this conjures up an odd mental picture, but trust me: you’ll love it.
Bear does not like visitors. There is a large sign on his door to prove this, “NO visitors allowed.” He is quite happy going about his daily business of making tea, toast and eggs. But one day, there is a tap, tap, tap at the door. When he opens it, there is a mouse, “small, and gray, and bright-eyed.” Thanks to the wonderfully animated watercolor illustrations Mouse looks exactly as described. How could Bear be so cold as to turn him away? After all, Mouse only wants to have a cup of tea. But Bear does, and goes back to his business of making breakfast. This is when Mouse mysteriously pops up for the first time in the kitchen. Bear holds fast to his “NO visitors allowed” policy and throws him out. However, Mouse will not be deterred and shows up in creative places all over the kitchen. After blocking the door and windows, plugging the drain in the bathtub, and stopping up the chimney and still finding Mouse in the teakettle, Bear woefully gives in. He shares a lovely afternoon of cheese, tea, and jokes with Mouse. To wise and knowing adults the moral of this story will be obvious from the beginning: friends are good. Younger readers may take a bit longer to catch on, and will delight in the repetitive nature of the story along the way.
The illustrations perfectly capture the emotions of Bear and Mouse. Bear’s pointed, extended arm showing Mouse to the door proves he is not happy, even without reading the text. The careful sizing of the text serves to make its point as well. When Bear finally gives in by exclaiming, “I am undone,” it is easily three times the size of the regular text. Even beginning readers will know to read this with emphasis. For reading at home or out loud at story time, this book is a gem worth reading over and over.
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After waking from a year-long coma, Jenna Fox is lucky to be alive. She is seventeen, although the only reason she knows this is because her family has told her so. She can’t remember her friends, yet she has no problem reciting Thoreau’s Walden word for word. She has been told she hates history, but can rattle off details concerning the California earthquake that happened years before she was born. Her mother is strangely overprotective, as though Jenna might shatter before her very eyes. As Jenna starts to venture farther from home, gaining more and more independence, she starts to question everything. Why can’t she remember her past?
Illustrations are, hands-down, my favorite part of a book. When it comes to children’s books, they can be simply breathtaking, ingenious in their creativity or hilarious in their portrayal of the story. I could go on and on. But what if you are blind? Yes, there are books in Braille. But those don’t usually provide pictures. Sure, someone could describe them to you. Taking into account this missing element, The Black Book of Colors aims to please.
You can almost hear a voice-over describe the plot of this book, “In a world with seven kingdoms, the girl with one blue eye and one green has the Grace of killing. Loved by some, feared by many. She finds solace in another who is Graced, and finds the courage to face the wrath of her uncle, the King, and become free.”
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