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Paddyfield.com
Paddyfield.com
More reviews by Karmel Schreyer
Readers may purchase reviewed books from Paddyfield.com, Asia's online bookseller.North American readers may prefer to buy US editions from Powells.com.
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A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna
Fledolin Upside Down by Antje Damm
On the Tip of a Pin by Geeta Dharmarajan
These all come from a lovely publisher in India called Katha, a non-profit organization committed to improving literacy in that country (ten percent of sales proceeds from the book goes to Kathashala, a school for underprivileged children) and also to planting trees to replace the ones they need to make their books. www.katha.org
A LION IN PARIS is the playful alleged story of the Lion of Belfort, the famed statue at Place Denfert-Rochereau in Paris's 14th arrondissement. The author does not explain how Lion has made it to Paris from the savannah, but we all know what happens when one arrives -- he falls in love with the place.
And that's just what Lion does, after some initial trepidation (understandable, given the reputation of the average inscrutable Parisian). As Lion treks about town to well-known landmarks such as the Louvre, Centre Georges Pompidou, Montmartre, the Seine, and the Eiffel Tower, the city and the people grow on him. And by the time he gets to Place Denfert-Rochereau (perhaps to visit the catacombs) Lion decides to park it right there, having become one with the city, like a baguette and camembert -- or pate or a nice vin rouge.
The unique collage-type illustrations made me giggle. This would be an excellent book to give a child who is going to visit Paris, but then you would have one more thing to add to your overlong list of things to do, places to go.
Why is Fledolin, the bat in FLEDOLIN UPSIDE DOWN, different? He's right-side up in a bat's upside-down world. Naturally, everyone has to give their two-cents as to why Fledolin is not like everyone else. Their reasons are complimentary; Fledolin's friends know that he can most easily find the ball, or retrieve the kite, when they get lost in the "meadow sky". Mrs Blackbird says that no one can look after her babies as well as Fledolin. And Grandma dreams that he will become a famous yo-yo champ (which she had been endeavouring to do all her life, without success).
In addition to all this well-deserved admiration, Fledolin saves the day (I won't tell you that part of the story) showing us, once again, that it `s good to be different, and that everyone has strengths. Fledolin loves being who he is and is happiest just doing his thing. Good messages abound in this book about a bat.
The back cover copy of ON THE TIP OF A PIN calls this a sci-fi journey that you won't forget, but in case science-fiction is not your cup of tea, let's just say that this slim, colourful picture book is really more of a kids' book in the style of "I saw an old lady who swallowed a fly". Or imagine an Indian version of The House that Jack Built embellished with legend. And, oh yeah, add a bit of Horton hears a Hoo, too...
The tiny town of P.I.N.T.I.P.U.R. (on the head of a pin) has twenty houses and twenty kids, a lion, a cow, a goat, a pig -- and a big bad worm. And so begins the odyssey of people and animals of Pintipur to chase down the worm, leading to a wild ride in a wormhole (that's the science fiction part) and a new appreciation of what they have...
Which is not a bad way to end any story, except that in this case, there's more... an author's note about the science behind wormholes, and a maze to keep things interactive.
Karmel Schreyer
05/03/2010
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Karmel Schreyer is a children’s book author and a frequent visitor to schools in Hong Kong, China and Canada. (She and her daughters spent a few weeks in Paris this past summer, just down the street from the Lion of Belfort at Place Denfert-Rochereau) Her latest book is Empress Blaze Moon: a story about never giving up. www.karmelschreyer.com |
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