Janet Schulman (1933–2011)

One of three picture-books devoted to the story of New York City's resident raptor - the other two are Jeanette Winter's The Tale of Pale Male: A True Story, and Meghan Mccarthy's City Hawk: The Story of Pale Male - Janet Schulman's Pale Male: Citizen Hawk of New York City is the most detailed of the lot, and is one I would recommend to slightly older readers. Beginning with the young red-tailed hawk's arrival in Central Park - a common stop-over for migrating birds - the narrative covers show more his various attempts at starting a nest, his residence on top of one of Manhattan's most exclusive apartment buildings (overlooking the park), the many eyasses he and his mates have raised over the years, and the controversy surrounding his temporary 'eviction' from his home.

Despite living in the New York area, and being well aware of Pale Male and his history - my mother is a great fan, and was simply beside herself, when his nest was torn down - I learned a few new things in Schulman's book. I was not aware, for instance, that Pale Male had been nominated as "Father of the Year" by a CBS news commentator! Meilo So's artwork, done in watercolor and colored pencil, was just lovely, capturing the beauty of both the hawks, and their city home. As mentioned above, this was a more textually dense telling, than the other two picture-books devoted to Pale Male's story, so I would recommend it to young bird lovers who are a little more advanced in their reading, or who can sit still for, and absorb more complex narratives. show less

A cute little Halloween counting book. 10 little trick or treaters set out on Halloween night....each is frightened away by a scary sight. The illustrations are vibrant, the children's costumes are cute and fun, and the littles you're reading with delight in seeing the children get scared away. A true 10!

This wonderfully illustrated book tells the story of a red-tailed hawk living in an urban setting. The watercolor illustrations of Mielo So include wonderful hues of earthy reds, browns, and greens. Out of the three books that I read about Pale Male, this one by Janet Schulman was the most poetic. It would be a great book to discuss with a 4th to 6th grade class. Voices of the preservationists, apartment owners, and even the federal government can be explored from what Schulman has included show more in the book. Controversies present, like the preservationists versus apartment dwellers, could be analyzed as well as the controversies not discussed.

Although most readers would agree that the apartment dwellers are the real bad guys in this story, I would have liked Schulman to voice their stance on living below such a publicly watched animal. The author also straddles the line of anthropomorphism in her descriptions of birds having self-respect and pride in their wing flapping. Nonetheless, this is a great book with a hopeful mood and positive ending. I think I will go looking for some hawks next time I am in Manhattan! show less

[I almost never do holiday book posts, but I wanted to revise this review covering Valentine's Day-themed board books that I wrote a few years ago, so here you go.]

Two of the four books I am reviewing today are specifically holiday-themed and the other two are more generically "love" themed. I will say, first of all, that Valentine's Day is not a holiday I particularly like (I don't really like any holidays, to be honest) but the crafts are easy - lots of pink paper and glitter and both kids show more and parents are happy. Despite my own feelings, we do Valentine's programs every year if only so that people can't remind me, yet again, of the year I did a snake-themed storytime.

So, we begin with 10 Valentine Friends, a counting book. This is a tried and true formula from author Janet Schulman and illustrator Linda Davick. They also have a Halloween, Christmas and Easter book in the same format. Bland rhymes and flat, digital pictures walk the reader through Valentines for each child in the story. A separate space on the side of each page shows the cards made so far. It's easy to count, strongly holiday-themed, and boring. However, there aren't too many Valentine's Day books, parents ask for them, and they like the counting aspect. A book doesn't have to be amazing to be a successfully circulating title and this one will definitely go out every Valentine's Day. I'm fine with adding this to the holiday collection, but this is a book that I do not see a use for as a board book. The children pictured are much older than a board book audience and the story and counting are too complex for babies and toddlers, let alone the Valentines concept.

Next, we have Duck and Goose: Goose Needs a Hug. This is Tad Hills' very successful board book line with simple concepts illustrated by his cheery team of little birds. In this title, Goose is feeling sad and his friends keep trying to cheer him up. Finally, they take the time to listen to what he wants and find out that he just needs a hug. This would make a nice, non-romantic Valentine's Day read for even the youngest ones in storytime and Hills is expert at including just the right amount of text for young listeners. This is a definite must to add to your board book collection.

Sweet Dreams Lullaby is one of the lovelier bedtime board books I've seen, with sweet little rhymes and glowing pictures. A little bunny is inspired by the parent bunny to cuddle up in bed and "dream of water-lily beds/where baby peepers rest their heads./a daddy frog sings low and deep,/lulling all the pond to sleep." Each spread features a different verse about a different aspect of nature, including sunny days, clouds and sky, night sky, stars, etc. The pictures are my favorite part of this sweet little board book, with softly glowing pastels and cute, happy faces. I'm not really 100% behind this as a board book, since I feel the rhyming text is too long for most children aged two and under, which is who I buy board books for; however it's also available as a hardcover picture book. This would make a nice Valentine's Day present or a sweet read for an evening storytime.

Finally, Tweet Hearts is what I'd think of as a novelty book. It's a counting book, counting little hearts doing silly things, with a final spread that pops out a thin cardboard heart saying "I love you." The pictures are cute and parents will like this one, but it's not something I'd recommend to a library. The hearts are hard to differentiate from the illustrations, especially for a young audience. In one spread there are bubbles and heart-shaped bubbles, in another heart-shaped balloons and clouds. Older children would have no problem with this, but I can't see a reason to be reading this very small board book to an older child. The pop-out heart at the end will last about 30 seconds on the regular board book shelf.

Verdict: I highly recommend Goose needs a hug in board book format. I suggest purchasing Sweet Dreams Lullaby and 10 Valentine Friends as hardcover picture books. Give Tweet Hearts a miss.

10 Valentine Friends: A holiday counting book by Janet Schulman, illustrated by Linda Davick
ISBN: 9780375871306; This edition published 2012 by Alfred A. Knopf/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Duck & Goose: Goose needs a hug by Tad Hills
ISBN: 9780307982933; Published 2012 by Schwartz & Wade/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Sweet Dreams Lullaby by Betsy Snyder
ISBN: 9780307980601; This edition published 2012 by Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library

Tweet Hearts by Susan Reagan
ISBN: 9780307931535; Published 2012 by Robin Corey/Random House; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the prize box show less