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by Misty Copeland and Christopher Myers (Penguin Young Readers Group, 2014)

When you open a book to sweeping, fiery endpapers, it’s almost as if you can hear the symphony begin. The author, Misty Copeland, is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater. The illustrator, Christopher Myers, is a Caldecott Honoree for Harlem and the son of the legendary Walter Dean Myers.

We are in stellar storytelling hands.

(image here // Copeland dancing the Firebird)

(image here // Copeland dancing the Firebird)

Christopher Myers’s art captures the lines and shapes of a dancer’s movement. Intricate, suspended, and dizzying.

Misty Copeland’s words are fire and poetry to a timid youngster’s soul.

I adore the anticipation in this spread, the dancer waiting for the curtain to rise, and I imagine a lump in her throat and a belly full of as many swoops as the folds in the curtain.

Each page turn reveals a composition that is even more striking than the last. This is a pairing of musicality, movement, and a jaw-dropping array of colors and feelings. The way her words and his pictures create an animated harmony is exactly how music and movement do the same in the ballerina’s world.

A perfect pas de deux.

For more on Misty Copeland, take a look at this. She is a lovely storyteller, both in her books and with her body.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Today we bring you our weekly sampler of cool youth media and marketing gigs. If your company has an open position in the youth media or marketing space, we encourage you to join the Ypulse LinkedIn group, if you haven’t yet, and post there for... Read the rest of this post

Today we bring you our weekly sampler of cool youth media and marketing gigs. If your company has an open position in the youth media or marketing space, we encourage you to join the Ypulse LinkedIn group, if you haven’t yet, and post there for... Read the rest of this post

"Llama" is a rather strange word, isn't it? It is one of the only English words that begins with a double "l." According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the word is Spanish in origin, from Quechua, the language spoken by the Incas. Two l's are typically pronounced as a y in the Spanish language so technically the word should read "yama" (or "lyama" in Quechua).

Several poets and authors have used the fun double "l" word in their works. Ogden Nash wrote an animal verse titled, "The Lama." Mary Ann Hoberman writes of "The Llama Who Had No Pajama" in her poetry book of the same title.

More familiar to kids nowadays is Anna Dewdney's New York Times bestselling Llama Llama picture book series. Part of the reason the books are so popular is that parents and kids can easily identify with the various childhood dramas that little Llama Llama character experiences. In the books, Llama Mama helps him cope with his emotions and reassures her little llama. Dewdney's books are a joy to read and the rhythmic verses roll of your tongue with repetitive "llama llama ... mama" and other rhymes. The newest and fifth book in the series is Llama Llama Home with Mama.

Llama Llama Home with Mama by Anna Dewdney. Viking / Penguin Books for Young Readers (August 2011); ISBN 9780670012329; 40 pages

"Llama Llama, red pajama, sick and bored, at home with Mama."

Llama Llama wakes up feeling yucky and ends up spending his day sick at home accompanied by his mama. Mama Llama does all she can to help her little llama recover but, go figure, ends up sick with the same illness. Luckily, Llama Llama follows his mama's example and knows just what to do to help his mama feel better. In her painted illustrations, Dewdney perfectly captures the trials of spending a day sick at home...expressions of exhaustion, red noses (somehow she makes a sore, red nose look cute) and mounds of handkerchiefs. She also includes plenty of expressive words revolving around the sickness theme (yes, shnorltes is a word in her book!)

Out of all the books in the series this is my favorite. For once Dewdney doesn't really address a behavioral issue, but writes of sickness and colds, something that all children and parents suffer with at some point. The premise is so sweet and tender -- Llama L

If you notice a little girl at your doorstep wearing an adorable red tutu with rainboots costume next Halloween, hopefully you'll be able to correctly identify her dressed up as a new (on the way to becoming a classic) children's book character. Please don't call her a "cute little ladybug" or, even worse, "a red fairy." No, she's Ladybug Girl, everyday superhero, brave explorer and a thoughtful friend to others.

A creation of husband and wife duo David Soman and Jacky Davis, Ladybug Girl is the star of the New York Times bestselling series of children's books about an ordinary but imaginative little girl named Lulu who enjoys dressing up in a red tutu, rainboots, ladybug wings and antenna. Lulu, accompanied by her trusty canine companion, Bingo, goes on everyday adventures and figures out her own solutions to various childhood situations.

The two newest Ladybug Girl book in the series are Ladybug Girl at the Beach and, published just this year, Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad. They follow the first two picture books, Ladybug Girl and Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy.

Ladybug Girl at the Beach by Jacky Davis and David Soman. Dial / Penguin Books for Young Readers (May 2010); ISBN 9780803734166; 40 pages

Two of the books we brought home from our last library visit contain famous works of art. What an excellent opportunity to introduce my children to a few famous artists! This week we talked about Monet, Van Gogh, O'Keeffe, Matisse, Cézanne and more. It was a completely unplanned educational activity.

Have you discovered any other picture books that contain versions of famous works of art?

Bridget's Beret by Tom Lichtenheld. Henry Holt / Christy Ottaviano Books (April 2010); ISBN 9780805087758; 40 pages
Book Source: Copy from local library

"Before Bridget made any kind of art, she'd put on her beret and adjust it just right."

Bridget's favorite pastime is drawing. She has many art supplies, and, most importantly, like all great artists, she owns and wears a beret. Sadly, on a very windy day, her fabulous black beret blows away. Without the special hat for inspiration, Bridget finds herself suffering from -- *gasp* -- artist's block! Thankfully her sister comes to the rescue and helps her remember that when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade.

Lichtenheld's book overflows with creativity, cuteness and plenty of clever quips and illustrations. My family is a huge fan of Lichtenheld's previous books (Duck! Rabbit! & Shark Vs. Train) and love his entertaining comic illustration style. A talking rabbit is just one of the many funny touches. He manages to craftily work in a few interpretations of famous art into this book. Bridget creates lemonade poster renditions including one of van Gogh's "The Starry Night" and another inspired by "Whistler's Mother."

As soon as I read the inside jacket flap and discovered that this book was about a girl who loves to draw, I knew I wanted to read it with my daughter. Bridget's Beret is the perfect book for budding artists.

The book includes a handy "How to Start Your Art" guide in the back that discusses several famous works of art: Giuseppe Arcimboldo, "Summer" - Mary Cassatt, "Child with a Red Hat" - Paul Cezanne, "Still Life with Peaches and Pears" - Vincent van Gogh, "Bedroom at Arles" - Henri Matisse, "Icarus" - Claude Monet, "Still Life with Sunflowers" - Georgia O'Keeffe, "Above the Clouds I" - Pablo Picasso, "Bull's Head" - Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn, "Self Portrait in a Cap, Open-Mouthed" - Georges Seurat, "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte" - Alfred Sisley, "The Boat in the Flood"

Related Links:
Tom Lichtenheld Website