Chris Raschka

Chris Raschka - Brief Summaries

Another Important Book 32 pages Ages Pre - K
Illustrations and simple rhyming text describe how a child grows from ages one through six. Caldecott Honor Medalist Chris Raschka's innovative illustrations burst with energy and literally dance along with Brown's whimsical verses of discovery.

Be Boy Buzz 32 pages Ages 5 - 8
An alliterative ode to the snips, snails, and puppy-dog tails gender. Raschka's illustrations appear on a background of terra-cotta paper, and feature brown-skinned boys pictured as heads and limbs emerging from amorphous clothing depicted as short white lines overlaid with circles and jags of colored lines. The energy and movement conveyed by these lines, complemented by irregular tight boxy squiggles that appear floating on the page, enhances the energetic rhythm of the text.

Best Shorts: Favorite Short Stories for Sharing (By Avi) 300 pages Ages 10 & up
An entertaining collection for young readers. Whether you begin by reading alone or reading aloud, these stories are some of the very best to share. Featuring loyal pets, rogue waves, ghosts who use cell phones, and young people caught up in events beyond their control, these stories are written by some of the most entertaining and esteemed authors of children's literature. They will have you savoring a quiet moment by yourself, talking during dinnertime with your family, and laughing in class with your friends. Though it may take only a few minutes to read, a terrific short story can take you on a long journey.

Charlie Parker Played Be Bop 32 pages Ages 3 - 6
Be Bop. Fisk, fisk. Lollipop. Boomba, boomba. Bus stop. Zzznnzznn. Boppitty, bibbitty, bop...."Charlie Parker is swinging and spinning all over the pages, and Charlie's cat is waiting, waiting for him to come home. This infectious jazzy text is just right for young toddlers and they won't even notice that they are learning about one of the finest jazz musicians, Charlie Parker.

A Child's Christmas in Wales 48 pages Ages 3 - up
For almost half a century, Dylan Thomas' A Child's Christmas in Wales has entranced both young and old and has become a familiar part of the holiday-season. With lovely poetic lilt, this simple tale captures the child's eye-view and an adult's warm remembrance of the time of presents, good things to eat, and, in the best of circumstances, newly-fallen snow. Raschka reimagines the classic for a new audience.

Elizabeth Imagined an Iceberg 32 pages Ages 4 - 7
By visualizing an iceberg and remembering how strong it can be, Elizabeth finds the inner strength to say, "Get away from me!" to a strange woman who is bothering her.

Fishing in the Air 32 pages Ages 4 - 8
A father and son set out early one morning in search of a cool, clear river in which to fish. With their lines and bobbers, they cast high into the air catching memories, discoveries, and a bubble of breeze and a sliver of sky and a slice of yellow sun.

Five for a Little One 48 pages Ages PreK
A buoyant bunny, drawn in thick ink outline with a fuzzy body and delightfully mismatched ears (one downy and one plain), introduces readers to the senses, numbering them one through five. The rhyming verses and ebullient artwork convey a child's curiosity and enthusiasm for investigating the world in various ways.

Genie in the Jar 32 pages Ages 5 - 8
A poem with words that flow is illustrated with warm and loose drawings of an African American girl dancing. She spins around and then is encircled in a group. You sense the protection of the group. She is cuddled by a mother figure and advised not to hurt herself. The young dancer then takes to the air and weaves the sky. There is a sense of support and community that takes shape in repeated readings. The illustrations are wonderfully emotional and free flowing.

Good Sports: Rhymes About Running, Jumping, Throwing and More
40 pages Ages 5- 10
Exhilarating, all-new, kid-friendly rhymes by Jack Prelutsky, a virtuoso at making poetry fun for the elementary school crowd, capture the range of emotions, from winning to losing to the sheer joy of participating, that children experience as they discover the games of their choice. His signature lighthearted humor in verse that trips off the tongue is coupled here with the 2006 Caldecott Medal winner Chris Raschka's lickety-split, stylized watercolors. Every page is a blaze of color and motion and it will prove to young children that reading poetry can be fun.

The Hello, Goodbye Window 32 pages Ages 4 - 8
The kitchen window at Nanna and Poppy's house is, for one little girl, a magic gateway. Everything important happens near it, through it, or beyond it. Told in her voice, her story is both a voyage of discovery and a celebration of the commonplace wonders that define childhood. It is also a love song devoted to that special relationship between grandparents and grandchild. This is the 2006 Caldecott Medal winner.

I Pledge Allegiance 40 pages Ages 6 - 9
This engaging, informative book not only emphasizes the importance of this ritual, but also gives the history and significance of each word and phrase, e.g., "A pledge is a promise." "Allegiance is loyalty." Raschka's eye-catching and appealing illustrations done in ink and torn paper add interest and lightness to the pages. His spare, stylized cartoon figures effectively convey the intangible concepts of liberty and justice with the same deft touch as for the concrete concepts. This title is perfect for primary-grade children as they learn to recite this oath.

John Coltrane's Giant Steps 32 pages Ages 5 - 7
This spirited introduction to the music of the jazz giant is a visual treat that strives to make music jump off the page in an entirely innovative way. Chris Raschka's text introduces each image as if they were supporting band members: raindrops symbolize the tempo; a box lays down the foundation; a snowflake provides harmony; and a kitten steps in as melody. The shapes and colors combine as if different instruments in Coltrane's famous arrangement of "My Favorite Things" hence the lyrical images that Chris Raschka has selected.

A Kick in the Head: An Everyday Guide to Poetic Forms 61 pages Ages 8 - 12
In this splendid and playful volume, acclaimed poetry anthologist Paul B. Janeczko and Caldecott Honor illustrator Chris Raschka present lively examples of twenty-nine poetic forms, demonstrating not only the (sometimes bendable) rules of poetry, but also the spirit that brings these forms so wonderfully to life.

The Little Tree 18 pages Ages Pre - K
A classic poem from e. e. cummings is given sparkling treatment from the talented author-illustrator Chris Raschka. We couldn't be happier that Cumming's "little tree" poem is back in the spotlight for the holidays. With glorious wonder, Raschka uses the poem's tribute to a small Christmas tree as a cause for colorful celebration.

Mysterious Thelonious 32 pages Ages 5 - 8
Chris Raschka matches the 12 musical tones of the diatonic scale to the 12 color values of the color wheel, then sets paint strokes for notes and color washes for harmonies, creating an astonishing tribute to musical genius Thelonious Monk.

New York Is English, Chattanooga Is Creek 40 pages Ages 5 - 9
This poetically whimsical celebration of the origins of American place-names pulls together a veritable melting pot of cities to attend a party. Each city is glossed briefly with an allusion to its linguistic origins. The humor with which Raschka invests his cities with personality is entirely winning, as is his awe-inspired theme: "A thousand names, and hundred languages, a million, and a million and a million people name one nation."

Poke in the I: A Collection of Concrete Poems 48 pages Ages 8 - 12
Who can resist a concrete poem, a poem that visually reflects its subject? This elegant collection brings together thirty clever examples of them. Some form images, like a giraffe or a popsicle, while others vary the size of typeface to make a point. The table of contents, for instance, is shaped like a table. Brightly colored collage illustrations enhance the poems and have the same playful spirit as the poetry itself.

Skin Again 32 pages Ages 5 - 8
Celebrating all that makes us unique and different; Skin Again offers new ways to talk about race and identity. Race matters, but only so much-what's most important is who we are on the inside. Looking beyond skin, going straight to the heart, we find in each other the treasures stored down deep. Learning to cherish those treasures, to be all we imagine ourselves to be, makes us free. Skin Again celebrates this freedom.

Yo! Yes? 32 pages Ages 3 - 6
With a mere 19 words Chris Raschka presents a spirited conversation on a city sidewalk that is, in itself, a complete drama. Two boys meet as strangers. One hails the other, who is cautious. The first persists. The other responds. Gradually they begin to talk and end up as friends.

Barbara Joosse
http://www.barbarajoosse.com/

Barbara Joose - Brief Summaries

Alien Brain Fryout 96 pages Ages 7 - 9
Mean old Chuckie, the neighborhood bully, has been acting spacey and strange. The three sleuths begin to suspect something is amiss. Could Chuckie's brain fry-out be the result of alien mind control?

Bad Dog School 32 pages Ages 5 - 8
Zippy was a dog with a little too much . . . zip. But that's the way Harris, his owner, liked him. Zippy made everything more fun, from digging in Mom's herb garden to causing tidal waves in the bath tub. The rest of the family thought Zippy was out of control. Was obedience school the answer?

Dead Guys Talk 112 pages Ages 8 - 10
Scarface Detectives receive a map to the town cemetery, along with a mysterious note pleading for help. Another note tells them that someone wants to sell the graveyard and move the bodies! And the dead guys don't want to leave! The detectives do some serious sleuthing to figure out who the greedy seller is and come up with a strategy to stop the plans. But there's an even spookier mystery to be solved: Who's their client? Could it be one of the bodies in the cemetery? Can dead guys . . . gulp .. . talk?

Ghost Trap 80 pages Ages 7 - 9
Willie's old friend Kyle moves back to the neighborhood from Cleveland and his new friend Lucy is jealous. Kyle's new house is a "handyman's special" where the children discover secret passages, an attic filled with junk, and a mystery. Lucy finds out that the former owner was an amateur detective and recluse who died in Kyle's room. The animosity between Kyle and Lucy escalates. Willie eventually figures out that he doesn't have to solve this problem and leaves it to his two friends to work out.

Hot City 32 pages Ages 5 - 9
It's one of those days in the city when the sidewalk is hot as a fry pan, and Mimi and her little brother, Joe, are sweatin' out rivers. Spyin' on Mama and the blah blah ladies is no fun. Then Mimi and Joe find their way to a place where it's always cool, a place where you can be a princess on a throne or a dinosaur in a forest, a place where you can allow your imagination to run free . . . .the library.

I Love You the Purplest 32 pages Ages Pre-K - 7
During a day of fishing, two brothers vie for their mother's attention, finally asking, "Who do you love best?" Mama explains that she loves each of them in their own special way. The jubilant Max, she loves the "reddest" and the quiet Julian she loves the "bluest."

The Losers Fight Back 97 pages Ages 7 -11
Lucy and Willie have to help their losing soccer team. According to Chuckie Herman, the biggest, rottenest kid in school, the Bruisers are the Losers! Even worse, Chuckie keeps singing the K-I-S-S-I-N-G song. How can Willie and Lucy take action if they can't be seen in public?

Mama, Do You Love Me? 32 pages Ages 4 - 8
A young girl asks how much her mother loves her, even when she is naughty, and receives warm, reassuring answers. The twist on this familiar theme is that the two are Inuits, and the text and pictures draw on their unique culture: "What if I put salmon in your parka, ermine in your mittens, and lemmings in your mukluks?'' asks the girl. Two pages of text at the end define and explain the functions of various terms in Inuit life.

Nikolai, the Only Bear 32 pages Ages 4 - 8
There are one hundred orphans at the little Russian orphanage, but Nikolai is the only bear. He growls when he speaks and claws the air when he plays. "Play nice, Nikolai," the keepers say. The other orphans come and go, but Nikolai remains . . . until a fur-faced man and a woman with moonlight hair come to visit from America. This story of adoption and belonging reminds us of the tender love between a child and his new parents that crosses cultures, oceans and time.

Papa, Do You Love Me? 32 pages Ages 4 - 8
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Serengeti, a Maasai boy asks his father this universal question. Does Papa love him? How much? How long? What if he makes a big mistake? Would Papa love him, even then? Papa's answer reassures his son and boys everywhere-"I'll care for you, love you and teach you. Always. Because I am your papa, and you are my Tender Heart."

Wind Wild Dog 40 pages Ages 5 - 9
What will Ziva choose, her love for the Man or the freedom of the wild? Ziva heard the call of the wild. Most mushers believed that Ziva's eyes of different colors made her half wild, so no one wanted her. But one man took a liking to her. As Ziva begins to trust the Man, she learns to use her wild energy to pull his sled, but she's torn between her love for the Man and the wolf's call. Will she stay . . . or go?

Jack Gantos
http://www.jackgantos.com/

Jack Gantos - Brief Summaries

Jack Adrift Fourth Grade without a Clue 208 pages Grade 4-7
As his family sets sail on a new life by moving to Cape Hatteras, fourth-grader Jack Henry is struggling to chart a course between his parents' contradictory advice on making friends and influencing people. Just tell people what they want to hear, Dad advises. Just tell the truth, Mom cautions. Jack finds there are no easy answers as he drifts through his crazy school year. He falls desperately in love with his young teacher, gets suckered into becoming a bad-behavior spy for the principal, and is forced to make a presentable pet out of a duck with backward feet. Indeed, with an air-headed, air-guitar-playing neighbor the closest thing to a friend, and a judgmental older sister his relentless enemy, it's all he can do to stay afloat.

Jack on the Tracks Four Seasons of Fifth Grade 192 pages Ages 9-12
Inspired by the author's childhood journals, this collection of nine stories brings to life the humorous highs and laughable lows of his unique fifth-grade year. Having just moved with his family to a Miami rental home (with a busy railroad track running right past his back yard), Jack Henry is uncertain where his new life will take him. And will it be a smooth trip or a wild ride? What he discovers is one funny misadventure after another, including a French-crazy schoolteacher, a series of outlandish cats, a seven-foot-long tapeworm, and a couple of pizza-loving crooks, to name just a few. But for Jack Henry, hailed by School Library Journal as "an 'everyboy' whose world may be wacko but whose heart and spirit are eminently sane," no matter how long and bumpy the journey, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.

Jack's Black Book 176 pages Ages 9-12 (gr. 5-9)
A writer's job is to turn his worst experiences into money.
So says Jack Henry's new motto, and if there's any truth to it, Jack's going to be filthy rich before he even gets out of junior high, for his life is filled with the worst experiences imaginable. In the course of six months covered in this cycle of interlinked stories, Jack gets attacked at the beach by a swimsuit-wearing escaped convict, is humiliated by a gorgeous synchronized swimmer, receives a tattoo the size of an ant on his big toe, flubs an IQ test, nearly fails wood shop, and has to dig up his dead dog not once but twice. And that's not the half of it. But as the School Library Journal put it in a starred review of Heads or Tails, the first book in the Jack Henry series, "Jack's a survivor, an 'everyboy' whose world may be wacko but whose heart and spirit are eminently sane." Jack may not end up rolling in dough, but he, as well as his off-kilter family, always keeps on trying.

Jack's New Power Stories from a Caribbean Year 224 pages Ages 9-12
Jack finds plenty of new material for his journal when his family moves to the Caribbean. Populated with some eccentric island folk as well as the powerful personalities that make up Jack's family, the eight stories here convey with sharp humor Jack's uncomfortable yet exhilarating early adolescence. Jack's father creates much of the summer's difficulties, in one story, deciding that each family member must conquer a fear and in another, battling with Jack for masculine power. Laugh-out-loud moments punctuate the book, but serious thoughts also force their way in, as when Jack realizes that the money he is lending to his father's sleazy friend is sponsoring cruel cockfighting. Although the book ends on a somber note, readers will still anxiously await the next installment in Jack's life.

Heads or Tails Stories from the Sixth Grade 160 pages Ages 9-12
Jack's life is a crazy roller-coaster ride. At his fifth school in six years, he's had a teacher who won't give him a break about his lousy handwriting, and a secret crush who is practicing to be a policewoman. At home, he has a pesty little brother with a knack for getting hurt whenever Jack's supposed to be looking after him, an older sister who laughs at his attempts to contact UFOs, all sorts of weird neighbors, and, last but not least, ferocious alligators in the canal behind his family's run-down rental home. Writing in his diary about his good days and his bad days is one way Jack survives his up-and-down year. But he's also a kid who knows that life can go any which way at any given moment. He might as well flip a coin: heads he wins, tails he loses. Which will turn up next?

Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key 160 pages Ages 9-12
Joey Pigza is wired. His prescription "meds" are no match for his mood swings. One minute he's sitting at his desk like any other kid; the next he's out of control and taking a time-out in the hallway. When Joey gets worked up, all the rules set by his mother and his teachers go right out the window. "My spring was wound so tight that I was more like a rat in a maze, without words, or any feelings, or any ideas about myself and what I should be doing other than go, go, go!"
Joey knows he's a disappointment to the people he cares about. His mom's been warned that if he keeps messing up he could be transferred to the downtown special-ed center for problem kids. This could be the end of the line. As Joey himself would say:
"Can I get back to you on that?"

Joey Pigza Loses Control 208 pages Ages 9-12
Gantos's hyperactive hero Joey Pigza has not lost any of his liveliness, but after undergoing therapy and a stint in special ed., he now can exercise a reasonable amount of self-control provided he takes his meds. His mother has reluctantly agreed to let him spend the summer three hours from home with his father, an alcoholic who, so he claims, has taken steps to turn his life around. Readers will sight trouble ahead long before Joey's optimistic perception of his father grows blurry. Mr. Pigza is at least as "wired" as the old Joey, and when he resorts to his drinking habits and becomes belligerent, Joey (who still wants to win his father's favor) feels scared. Then Mr. Pigza, telling Joey his medicine patches are a "crutch" that Joey doesn't need, summarily flushes them down the toilet: "You are liberated... You are your own man, in control of your own life," he announces. Joey is torn between wanting to call his mom immediately and sticking with his father. "Even though I knew he was wrong," Joey says, "he was my dad, and I wanted him to be right." Like its predecessor, this high-voltage, honest novel mixes humor, pain, fear and courage with deceptive ease. Struggling to please everyone even as he sees himself hurtling toward disaster, Joey emerges as a sympathetic hero, and his heart of gold never loses its shine.

What Would Joey Do? 240 pages Ages 9-12
"I wasn't finished with Joey -- I wanted to write a book and let the reader know Joey walks away standing solidly on his own two feet." --Jack Gantos
Are they flirting or fighting? This is Joey Pigza's question when the fireworks start to explode between his long-separated mom and dad, whom he's never really had a chance to see together. The more out of control his parents get, the less in control Joey feels and the more he wants to help make things better. But Joey's ailing tell-it-like-it-is grandmother wants her grandson to see it like it is with his unpredictable parents. Knowing that she is fading fast, she needs Joey to hurry up and show that he can break the Pigza family mold by making a friend in the outside world. The only potential candidate, however, is Olivia Lapp - Joey's blind home-schooling partner, who brags that she is "blind as a brat" and acts meaner to Joey the more desperate he gets for her friendship, even though he senses there's more to her than meets the eye.
In this dazzling conclusion to the Joey Pigza trilogy, Jack Gantos's acclaimed hyperactive hero discovers that settling down isn't good for anything if he can't find a way to stop the people he cares about from winding him up all over again.

Anna Casey's Place in the World 224 pages Ages 8-12
The story of a young girl's trials and triumphs as she tries to find a home. With warmth and humor, Fogelin has created a memorable character in Anna, who must deal with the loss of her family and adjust to living in a foster home. Feeling abandoned and alone, Anna turns to her closest companion, her explorer journal. With the help of a scrawny new friend named Eb, Anna discovers a sense of belonging… and her own place in the world.

The Big Nothing 224 pages Ages 8-12
Alone, that's how thirteen-year-old Justin feels these days. His older brother Duane has enlisted in the army, and his father has walked out, maybe for good this time. His mom is too depressed to get out of bed, much less pay the bills and keep food in the refrigerator. His best buddy Ben has a new girlfriend and no longer has time to hang out. There's not much left for Justin to do but to put his brain in neutral and slide into the state he calls "the Big Nothing." But slowly Justin discovers he has more resources than he thinks. With the help of his classmate Jemmie and her grandmother, he learns that underneath all the noisy confusion in his brain lies a talent for music. As he spends time with Jemmie, he begins to understand how simple notes make complex music, and how simple feelings can turn into deep emotions.

Crossing Jordan 160 pages Ages 8-12
Twelve-year old Cassie narrates the dramatic events that unfold when Jemmie, an African-American girl, and her family move in next door. Despite their parents' deeply held prejudice against each other's family--exemplified by the fence Cassie's father builds between their two houses--the girls find they share more similarities than differences. Mutual interests in reading and running draw them together, and their wariness of each other disappears. But when their parents find out about the burgeoning friendship, each girl is forbidden to see the other. A family crisis and celebration provide opportunities for the families to reach an understanding.
Author Adrian Fogelin addresses the complex issues of bigotry and tolerance with sensitivity and intelligence. Readers will find her story of how two adolescent girls, through their own example, teach racial tolerance to the adults in a small Florida town powerful and compelling.

My Brother's Hero 224 pages Ages 8-12
Ben Floyd has a lot on his mind. In only eighteen months he will be old enough to get a learner's permit to drive, but that seems a lifetime away. Ben enjoys the close-knit group of friends in his small neighborhood, but lately he has been longing for a taste of adventure. Keeping an eye on his younger brother Cody is getting to be a big responsibility. And he is confused by complicated feelings he has for his lifelong friend, Cass. An unexpected turn of events finds the Floyd family in the Florida Keys over Christmas vacation and offers Ben a welcome opportunity to escape the neighborhood routine. Here he meets Mica, an independent, strong-willed girl who lives a nomadic life aboard a boat with her marine biologist father. Mica teaches Ben and Cody to fish, sail, and snorkel, and together they explore the interior canals and coastal waterways. But Ben soon realizes that adventure sometimes brings danger, and that at the center of Mica's seemingly charmed life lays a mysterious loneliness.

*The Real Question 272 pages Ages 12-16
Responsibility for the well-being and happiness of the people around him is a heavy burden to shoulder. Under the strict supervision of his high school counselor father, Fisher Brown is jockeying for position at the top of his high school class. It's a challenging role, one he has doubts about. As long as Fisher single-mindedly prepares for college and practices for the SATs, he can keep his father happy. When Fisher meets Lonnie Traynor, whose carefree existence is so different from his own, he is drawn to his take-life-as-it-comes attitude. Lonnie cons him into accompanying him on a weekend outing that turns into an extended road trip. But Lonnie's footloose ways reveal a troubled man with a long history of letting down the people he loves. As Fisher becomes an unwitting participant in Lonnie's hapless adventure, he begins to rethink what it means to be responsible for other people, finds his way home and redefines his own complex relationships.

Sister Spider Knows All 224 pages Ages 8-12
For twelve-year-old Roxanne, there are two things in life she can count on: her beloved grandmother, Mimi, and her weekend job at the flea market where she helps Mimi buy and sell fresh produce and other people's junk to pay the household bills. This is her home and the people she knows and loves are here. Outside this fragile weekend world, she's lost. A so-so student with few aspirations for higher education, she feels out of place at school. Stuck in the back of the pack with the other "lard butts," Rox just tries to stay out of the way of the popular creeps in her class. Who is she anyway? Her teenage mother left when she was only three months old and her father's identity is a mystery. No one, least of all Mimi, will talk about what happened. Then her cousin John Martin brings home a girlfriend from college who has very different ideas about the way life works. When she helps Roxanne discover her mother's teenage diary, she finds some painful but important answers to the unsolved questions of her past and the possibilities for a different future.