Diana Murray

A glittery cover, super-saturated bright colors, and rhyming text (a quatrain on each page, AABB rhyme scheme) combine for a frenzied celebration of "Mermaid Day" (why not). Every page is packed, and the colors are Lisa Frank-esque, though the characters are more diverse (mermaids with different skin tones). A shark threatens to break up the party, but really he just wants to dance!

Not my cup of tea...kind of like The Princess in Black on cocaine...but may be perfect for mermaid-loving kiddos!

That most untidy young witch, Grimelda, returns in this follow-up to her debut adventure, Grimelda: The Very Messy Witch, this time determined to enter Cobweb Town's 'Spooktacular Pet Show.' Concerned that her cat Wizzlewarts isn't spooky enough to win first prize, Grimelda searches in vain for her spell-book, determined to transform him. Then she sets out to find another pet, only to find this futile as well. Will Grimelda make it to the pet show? Can Wizzelwarts demonstrate that he's a show more winner?

There's never much doubt as to the answer to these questions, but Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show still makes getting to the conclusion fun. The rhyming text from author Diana Murray, and the bright, colorful artwork from illustrator Heather Ross together make this an entertaining read-aloud selection, particularly for witchy and/or Halloween story-times. The conclusion highlights the idea that we should love and appreciate our pets as they are, rather than attempting to change them. Recommended to anyone who has read and enjoyed the first book about Grimelda, as well as to those seeking lighthearted witchy picture-book fare. show less

"Grimelda's house was black with grime / and stacked with jars of mold and slime, / and ogre's breath, and spotted snails, / and oozing goo in rusty pails" In fact, this messy witch's house was such a disaster that when she decided to make her favorite delicacy of pickle pie, she simply couldn't find the key ingredient. Searching for it, both at home and at the store, did no good, so Grimelda finally had to take the drastic step of cleaning...

With a rhyming text from author Diana Murray that show more is great fun to read aloud, and colorful, cute illustrations from artist Heather Ross that accentuate the sense of humor throughout, Grimelda: The Very Messy Witch would make an excellent story-time selection, especially at Halloween time. Many young listeners will be able to identify with the witchy heroine's reluctance to clean up her house, and will chuckle at the somewhat gross things she finds, when she finally does get motivated to do something about the mess. The conclusion, in which her house is messy again, will no doubt also win a chuckle. Recommended to picture-book readers who enjoy witchy fare, and to anyone seeking children's stories about being messy. show less

A poetic narrative is paired with bright watercolor and collage artwork in this picture-book exploration of some of the shapes you might encounter in the city. From the square of a pretzel cart to the triangles of a flag-banner, from the circle of a manhole to the diamonds of flying kites, everything in the city has a shape. The reader is guided through New York City by a bright-eyed young girl, while a pigeon, whose appears at the beginning and the end of the text, offers a birds-eye view show more of matters.

I found City Shapes enjoyable, both from a textual and an artistic standpoint. Diana Murray's poetry reads very well, and captures the energy and fun of an urban landscape, while Bryan Collier's illustrations do much to emphasize the beauty of each example given of the different shapes found in that landscape. He used his own daughter as a model for the young girl-guide in his paintings, and her joyful exploration adds great visual appeal to the book. I particularly appreciated that she is looking at the world through a kaleidoscope in the cover illustration, as this is a neat visual encapsulation of the central theme - the combination and recombination of shape in an endless visual and structural dance throughout the city - of the poem within. Recommended to anyone looking for an innovative concept book about shapes, for a picture-book about New York City, or for children's titles featuring African-American girls as the central visual focus. show less