Children's Book Reviews

Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, #2) by Garth Nix
Scholastic, January, 2004
Trade paperback, 368 pages
ISBN: 0439436559
Ages 12 and up
Ordering information:
Amazon.com

When we last saw Arthur Penhaligon in the first book in the Keys to the Kingdom series, Mister Monday, he had learned that he is the heir to the Kingdom, a mysterious world that parallels ours, but where time runs at a different rate. After great adventures, Arthur obtained the first key, the Key to the Lower House. Thinking that he is free to be a normal boy and grow up in the normal world before being called upon by the House, Arthur is disheartened to receive a summons back to the House so soon. Now Arthur must go up against Grim Tuesday, the holder of the Second Key. Grim Tuesday's domain is very different from that of Mister Monday. Tuesday has managed to buy up all the debt of the old holder of the First Key, and if Arthur doesn't win the Second Key or pay off the debt, Tuesday will bankrupt Arthur's family and pave over their house to make way for a shopping mall. So Arthur sets out to enter the House once again to save his family and fight for his inheritance.

Garth Nix takes readers deeper into the mysterious house in this second adventure in a planned seven part series. Grim Tuesday's domain is aptly named. Unlucky workers from all over the House are sent to help mine the giant pit, from which Tuesday mines the dangerous Nothing which he uses to make all sorts of horrible things. Garth Nix peoples his books with memorable characters: from Grim Tuesday, who can't make anything original, but only copies of things he's seen before (which infuriates him), to the irrepressible and practical-minded Suzy Turquoise Blue who can always be counted on to pull a rabbit out of her pocket, to Captain Tom who can fly a Sunship and the stuffy, uptight Sun Bear who personifies the second piece of the Will, but is too scared to make a decision. A tad darker than the first book, Grim Tuesday subjects Arthur to some serious challenges. Garth Nix continues to surprise and delight readers with his soaring imagination, his clever prose and his knack for creating an exciting adventure.

--Claire E. White

Please Say Please: Penguin's Guide to Manners by Margery Cuyler, Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
Scholastic, April, 2004
Picture Book, 32 pages
ISBN: 0590292242
Ages 3 and up
Ordering information:
Amazon.com

Please Say Please: Penguin's Guide to Manners
by Libba Bray

Penguin decides to have a dinner party at his house for all his animal friends. The animals barge right in the front door without knocking, yelling, "Let's Eat!" "Is that right?" the narrator asks. The narrator then explains why that behavior is wrong, that they should have knocked first, then waited until Penguin opened the door and then politely said hello. The wild party continues as various animals commit manners faux pas: the pig wipes his muddy hooves on the tablecloth, the hippo puts her napkin on her head, the lion announces that he hates cauliflower (a complaint many children share) and the parrot flies away from the table to go to the bathroom without first being excused. The antics of the animals are brought to life by the colorful and lively illustrations by the talented Will Hillenbrand: dancing hippos, laughing chimps and a smiling giraffe are all beautifully rendered in tableaux which are very funny indeed. This is a marvelous book for teaching manners in a way that children will absolutely love. The book's interactive narrative, which asks children "Is that right?" after every snafu is an especially appealing and helpful teaching tool.

Ruby in Her Own Time by Johnathan Emmett, Illustrated by Rebecca Harry
Scholastic, February, 2004
Picture Book, 32 pages
ISBN: 0439579155
Ages 4-8
Ordering information:
Amazon.com

Ruby in Her Own Time
by Johnathan Emmett, Illustrated by Rebecca Harry

Once upon a time, there lived a happy mother and father duck who anxiously watched over their five eggs. Four of the eggs hatched right on time, the fifth was late. But the mother duck announced confidently that it would hatch in its own time. When little Ruby finally broke out of her shell, she was really small and wouldn't eat at first. She didn't learn to swim or grow as fast as her bigger, stronger siblings. But the mother duck reassured father duck that Ruby would come around "in her own time." When the ducklings finally are ready to fly, Ruby flies the furthest and the fastest of all the ducklings. In fact, she flies right away. But we know that Ruby will return "in her own time." She does, and when she returns she has ducklings of her own.

Johnathan Emmett has written a children's story that, although lighthearted in tone, touches on an important issue. With today's infants being bombarded with Baby Mozart tapes and high expectations, some children are naturally going to fall short of such high parental expectations. But as Ruby's actions point out, sometimes kids march to the beat of a different drummer. Rebecca Harry's watercolors are soft and slightly out of focus, which gives a dreamlike quality to the pictures, and the text is simple and easy to understand. This charming story is sure to be a hit with both toddlers and anxious, overachieving parents alike.

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Children's Book Reviews

Grim Tuesday (Keys to the Kingdom, #2) by Garth Nix

Please Say Please: Penguin's Guide to Manners by Margery Cuyler, Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand

Ruby in Her Own Time by Johnathan Emmett, Illustrated by Rebecca Harry