Joanne Ryder

This is an early middle grade fantasy novel and it doesn't do anything particularly new or shiny on the surface -- there's a dragon and a girl and they meet and have to try to understand one another, etc. But the way the story treats these familiar figures, and its openness about the emotional circumstances that bring the two together, make the book something fresh and, indeed, charming. This is a little story about a girl and a dragon, both of whom think the other is her new pet, both of show more whom have lost someone dear, and both of whom have some grief to work through. Ultimately, the story is very frank about how we feel when we lose those nearest our hearts -- and the final scene is a wonder. The young target audience will no doubt enjoy the adventure and antics as our main characters get into all kinds of magical nonsense together, but parents might note that this is a book that does more than entertain; I think that, in its own gentle way, this book actually could help children who have experienced recent loss. That it can do so without losing its charm and entertainment value is a testament to its quality. show less

A lovely picture-book celebration of the natural world, Mockingbird Morning follows a young girl through a summer's morning - awakened by a mockingbird's song, she ventures out into the sunny world - as she observes the life around her. The narrative is composed of fifteen brief poems by Joanne Ryder, exploring such wonders as the furry moss on a tree-trunk, or the quiet "room" created by the low-hanging branches of a willow. The watercolor illustrations by Dennis Nolan capture the beauty of show more each scene, and the girl's wonder at each experience.

I enjoyed Mockingbird Morning, although I think not as much as the friend who recommended it to me. The narrative wasn't quite as affecting as I'd expected, somehow, although I did find the artwork lovely. The dust-jacket blurb describes Nolan's paintings as "sun-drenched," and I think that is very apt. Less of a stand-out title for me, than a solidly engaging one, this is a book I'd recommend to young readers who enjoys stories of the outdoor world, and to fans of Dennis Nolan. show less

What an unexpected surprise! I had picked up a copy of A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans on a whim at #alamw15, having not one clue as to what it was about. Yesterday, I was looking for something to read, and picked this up just to check it out and ended up reading it in the one sitting. The story follows Miss Drake, a curmudgeonly dragon who has taken on a new "pet" in the form of Winnie, the grand-niece of her previous pet, Amelia (or Fluffy as Miss Drake liked to call show more her). Winnie is strong willed and very sure herself and at first Miss Drake finds this very discouraging and realizes she's going to have to be very assertive in training her new pet. (Of course, the question actually becomes, exactly who is the pet here?)

Miss Drake, on a shopping excursion for some new tea and biscuits, also buys Winnie a new sketchbook that may be more that it appears to be, and when Winnie starts to sketch all the marvelous, magical creatures she is discovering, the sketchbook releases a magic all its own and the sketches come to life! It is up to Miss Drake and Winnie to find the sketchlings before they are discovered by both the magical and nonmagical worlds.

Putting this all down, A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans sounds like a typical middle grade adventure story, but what took me completely by surprise was that the story is just as much about love, loss, and the importance of family as it is about anything else. Amidst all the magic and missteps and adventures in the story is a growing underlying theme of the importance that both friends and family can have in a person's life, where friends become family and family become friends. The conclusion is one of the most touching endings to a book that I have read in a very long time, and made me think fondly of those that I have loved and lost in my life. The connections between Miss Drake and Amelie, Winnie and her father, and eventually Miss Drake and Winnie are made so incredibly real in such a short book. Laurence Yep and Joanne Ryder have crafted a beautiful and fun-filled story, and Marie GrandPré's accompanying illustrations are perfect. I would recommend this to anyone with or without a young person in their life; anyone will be able to enjoy this whimsical tale about the strength and love of families. Highly recommended.

A Dragon's Guide to the Care and Feeding of Humans is published by Crown Books for Young Readers and will be available March 10, 2015. show less

I don't know what you would call a photograph of sixteen giant panda cubs, all lined up in a row, but I would call it an overabundance of cute. An overdose of cute, even. Opening Joanne Ryder's Panda Kindergarten - a wonderful new picture-book devoted to the young pandas of China's Woolong Nature Preserve - and encountering such an image, I knew objectivity would be impossible. Subsequent pages confirmed it...

If you're looking for a good introduction to the giant panda - something that show more explores such things as life cycle, habitat, and diet - then this is not the book for you. If however, you're looking for some of the most adorable photographs of giant panda cubs ever taken - photographs in which baby pandas cuddle in their mothers' arms, young pandas cavort in the snow, or hang upside-down from their wooden jungle-gym - then look no further! Ryder's text is minimal, but that's OK. You'll want to spend all your time looking at the pictures. I know I did... show less