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Children's Book ReviewsFrom Head to Toe by Eric CarleHarperFestival, 1999.Board Book, 32 pages ISBN 0694013013. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
Worried that your children will become part of our nation's
statistics that show most children are couch or mouse potatoes and
don't get enough exercise? Let them see that movement is
fun with Eric Carle's charming board book. Using his
trademark colorful collages on a white background,
Carle portrays a series of animals
performing a movement, then asking the child if he/she can do
it. The child responds, "I can do it!" The buffalo says,
"I am a buffalo and I move my shoulders. Can you do it?
The seal says, "I am a seal and I clap my hands. Can you
do it?" and so on with the elephant (who stomps his feet),
the camel (who bends his knees) and many others.
This is a wonderful tool for showing children basic movements,
working on coordination, and having fun at the same time.
The Princess Test by Gail Carson LevineHarperCollins, 1999.Hardcover, 91 pages ISBN: 006028062X. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
In the village of Snettering-on-Snoakes, in the Kingdom
of Biddle, lovely Lorelei is somewhat of a trial to her
parents: she is allergic to just about everything and
is always either sick or injured from the most minor
causes. But her parents love her dearly. After her mother dies,
her father the blacksmith hires a servant to look after
Lorelei. While hanging up some laundry, Lorelei sheds a tear
thinking of her dear mother. Prince Nicholas, riding by,
is enchanted with Lorelei and they talk a bit.
After some misadventures, Lorelei ends up at the
palace smack in the middle of the testing process to find
a new bride for Prince Nicholas. At Nicholas' request, Lorelei
pretends to be one of the princesses, and submits to the myriad
tests to find a suitably picky and sensitive princess. Lorelei
spots the errant noodle in her salad, the missing thread in the
tapestry and the disparity in colors of the gown she is given. But
will she pass the ultimate test --- feeling a pea under twenty
mattresses while she sleeps? And what about the crocodile
princess, who keeps staring at Nicholas like he's a piece
of prime rib for dinner?
Gail Carson Levine, who won a Newberry Award for her retelling of the Cinderella story in Ella Enchanted, has a new series entitled The Princess Tales. The Princess Test is an updated version of The Princess and the Pea, told with Levine's style of wit and humor. Lorelei, who is a bit of a pill, is nevertheless quite likeable as the fussy child who finds a use for her pickiness. Lorelei's servant, Trudy, is hilarious as she schemes to get rid of the somewhat clueless Lorelei, and the Prince's parents elevate pickiness to an art form. The writing is funny and brisk, the pace never lags, and the author makes her point that no test can truly tell a person's worth, and that true love is more important than pedigree. The publisher did an excellent job with the style of the book, as well. The unusual size, lovely illustrations and elegant typeface add to the story immensely. Highly Recommended. Weetzie Bat, 10th Anniversary Edition by Francesca Lia BlockCharlotte Zolotow Books, 1999Hardcover, 113 pages. Reading Level: For Older Teens to Adults ISBN: 0060205342. Ordering information: Amazon.com. | Amazon.co.uk 
In 1989, Francesca Lia Block burst upon the young
adult book scene with her somewhat shocking
story of Weetzie Bat and her wild L.A. friends.
Fresh and innovative, the story astounded critics and
was voted as an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and
an ALA Recommended Book
for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Now, ten years and
numerous books later, the original holds up quite well.
Weetzie Bat is a blond, pixy-like high school girl who
lives in Los Angeles with her divorced, drunken mother.
But Weetzie sees L.A. with its plastic palm tree wallets
and tomahawks, its
cheap cheese and bean burritos, and its plethora of
ducks (read good looking young men) as a magical place.
With her gay friend
Dirk and her dog Slinkster Pooch they tool around
in Jerry, a 1955 Pontiac. When Weetzie is given three
magical wishes, she wishes for true love for her and her friend
Dirk and a house to live in happily ever after. She gets her
wishes and the trio live an offbeat lifestyle, while never
giving into the depression that many people would feel
from confronting death of a parent, AIDS and loss of a love.
Block's prose is spare, and almost simplistic on the surface.
But beneath is a wealth of meaning, and the simple, offbeat
tale has more to say than it appears at first glance.
Although the lifestyle of Weetzie and her friends might be
appalling to some parents (the hippie-like espousal of free
love and motherhood without marriage, for example),
the attitudes towards violence, drugs and racial prejudice
convey very positive messages. Teens will appreciate the
realistic portrayal of life in a big city, and will certainly laugh
at some of Weetzie's adventures. And, after all, it's just
a fairy tale, right?
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