Children's Book Reviews

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Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen
Knopf, October, 2001
Hardcover, 192 pages
ISBN: 0375811745
Ages 9 - 14
Ordering information:
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Flipped
by Wendelin Van Draanen

Juli Baker fell madly in love with Bryce Loski the moment she laid eyes on him, after his family moved in across the street from hers. Bryce is a little shy, though, so she decides to be more forward to help him out. Bryce thinks Juli Baker is the biggest pest he has ever met in his life; she follows him around, she sits in trees, and insists on giving his family free eggs from the chickens that she inexplicably raises in her suburban backyard. But when eighth grade rolls around, suddenly the tables are turned. Bryce starts to think that Juli is actually kind of interesting, while Juli starts to think that Bryce is really just a pretty face, without much depth or substance at all.

The story is told in a he said -- she said style: the chapters are told first in Juli's voice, then in Bryce's. The danger in this approach is that there will be too much repetition, as each character gives his spin on what happened. But Wendelin Van Draanen (author of the popular Sammy Keyes mysteries) neatly avoids this pitfall -- the alternating stories are, by turns, hilarious and moving. With dialogue that rings true to the age group, an engaging plot and some deft handling of such issues as honesty, social status, family loyalty and care of the mentally disabled, Flipped is a compelling and vastly entertaining read. Highly recommended.

--Claire E. White

Father Fox's Pennyrhymes by Clyde Watson, Illustrated by Wendy Watson
HarperCollins, August, 2001
Picture Book, 64 pages
ISBN: 0060295015
All Ages
Ordering information:
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Father Fox's Pennyrhymes
by Clyde Watson, Illustrated by Wendy Watson

Many of us have wished that we could find the favorite books of our childhood and youth among the shelves of our newest bookstore so that we could share them with our favorite children. Often we have been disappointed because either the story is there but the pictures are not quite right, or the story itself is nowhere to be found. Our own copies which were literally loved to pieces will not seem as special to the new reader. Luckily Harper Collins has republished Father Fox's Pennyrhymes and kept the original drawings. This charming little classic which was first published in 1971 is ready to be enjoyed by a new generation of readers.

The first rhyme introduces us to the fox family. Old Father Fox is asked to sing a song, as the family sits by the fire sipping hot cider. This sets the tone for the lively, and very American feeling of the poems that could all be called at a square dance or be used for skipping rope. There is both sense and nonsense in the rhymes, but happiness springs from all of them. As we follow the happy drawings of all of the busy antics of the many foxes, we are drawn to the delightful details. Father Fox's Pennyrhymes is the kind of book that a younger person can enjoy with an older person, as they both enjoy the rhythm of the rhymes and the humorous details of the illustrations.

--Sarah Reaves White

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Children's Book Reviews

Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen

Father Fox's Pennyrhymes by Clyde Watson, Illustrated by Wendy Watson