Angela Sherrill Picks Three Picture Books for Young Urbanites

According to U.S. Census data there were over 200,000 children under the age of 5 living in the city of Chicago ten years ago.  Despite being a city of neighborhoods, most of those children were facing urban living in all its extremes.  For those 200,000 some children, especially those who might be suburban transplants, here are three picture books that address real urban fears and issues, yet celebrate the magic of life in the big city.  

   

There are No Scary Wolves
by Hyewon Yum
Farrar Straus Giroux | 9780374380601 | $16.99 | Oct 2010

A surprising omission from the 2010 NYT Best Illustrated list, this new picture book is the wonderful story of a young urbanite overcoming his fears.  He is quite comfortable in the confines of his house and excited to go out to his favorite noodle shop and toy store. Nonetheless, while waiting for his mother to find her keys (seemingly endless minutes!), our young narrator's mind wanders and he imagines himself heading out alone. 

In this scenario his everyday acquaintances and all strangers become scary wolves.  With encouragement and accompaniment from his mother, the scary wolves become the friendly shop clerks and the trip is successful. Even if you buy this one for the story, you'll want to keep for the quirky illustrations.

The Little Bit Scary People

by Emily Jenkins
illustrated by Alexandra Boiger
Hyperion | 9781423100751 | $16.99 | 2008

Emily Jenkins (aka E. Lockhart) has garnered accolades in a variety of writings, particularly those for children.  This isn't even her only picture book about urban living, but it is a notable one.  Like Yum's book, Jenkins addresses the childhood fear of strangers, or people one might encounter in the wide, wide world. 

From a skateboarder to a police officer, we see through the eyes of our young narrator that people who seem “a little bit scary” at first are just like people we know. The fun illustrations help urban caricatures become normalized in a way that alleviates fear and comforts the reader.  Even adults will smile at the alternative perspectives this story encourages.

The Girl on the Yellow Giraffe
by Ronald Himler
Star Bright Books | 9781932065930 | $15.95 | original publication: 1976, republished 2004

This story was originally published in 1976 and beautifully reprinted in 2004.  We are lucky to have this one back in print; it's a gem!  The story reads like a legend or fairy tale and somehow evokes two completely different worlds simultaneously. 

In this mesmerizing tale of city life our young giraffe rider encounters a magic box (elevator), sees a wizard at work (a homeless man feeding birds), passes monsters and dragons (construction equipment), and navigates an otherwise unremarkable urban terrain. What makes this one a winner is the careful language and perfectly matched illustrations that both illuminate and temper the urban setting. While some readers may contribute the brilliance of this pairing to the healthy imagination of our young giraffe rider, others will note the perfect parallel that Himler presents in the classic picture book form. 

Angela Sherrill was the children's book buyer at 57th Street Books in Hyde Park for 8 years.  She is currently looking for her next bookish adventure, but will continue to share her passion for noteworthy reads here at my3books.

FURTHER READING & RESEARCH:

Hyewon Yum: homepage | her publisher's page

Emily Jenkins (aka E. Lockhart): homepage | blog | twitter

Alexandra Boiger: homepage | blog | a post about "The Little Bit Scary People"

Ronald Himler: homepage

Star Bright Books: homepage | twitter

my3books link: Next Chapter Bookshop buyer Dave Mallmann

In case you haven't already noticed, there's a strong meeting of the minds between the my3books gang and the Next Chapter Bookshop crew.  I've previously posted a set of my3books picks from bookseller Taylor Rick, and we've mutually cross-linked to each other's blogs in the past.  But now, we're taking this cooperation to the next level!

Dave Mallmann, bookseller and buyer extraordinaire at Next Chapter, posted this set of picks to their own blog last week.  Instead of posting everything here that Dave wrote there about his favorite up-and-coming literary novelists, I'd rather send you over to the Next Chapter blog to read it.  

BUT if you read on, you will see all three authors that Dave picked, and I'll also include links to some other indie booksellers who've been raving about those authors.  These are some strong picks - they're all on my to-be-read list already!

   

from Next Chapter's Reading Copy: Newer Writers Should Join Literary Elite

This fall, we’re seeing a slew of North America’s most popular literary fiction writers releasing major new books. It’s astounding when you look at the list of names: John Irving, Barbara Kingsolver, Alice Munro, Lorrie Moore, Margaret Atwood, Philip Roth, E.L. Doctorow, Richard Russo, Pete Dexter… the list goes on and on. But there are also books coming out by authors who have paid their dues and deserve to be card-carrying members of this esteemed club. In fact, the three books I’m featuring here are better than many of the new books by the heavy-hitters (I won’t name names) listed above. This isn’t about which legends are losing their edge, this is about a new generation who deserves to be added to the list of heavy-weights… Here are my 3 nominees to be added to the who’s who of North American Fiction Writers.

Await Your Reply
by Dan Chaon
Ballantine Books | 9780345476029 | $25 | Aug 2009

Dan Chaon has outdone himself with Await Your Reply. Much like Michael Chabon, Mr. Chaon mixes literary artistry with genre conventions. The result? A taut, creepy, page-turning thriller that deserves to be on every year-end best-of and award-nominee list out there.

Blame
by Michelle Huneven 
Farrar Straus Giroux | 9780374114305 | $25 | Sept 2009

The point here is this: Michelle Huneven has her finger on the pulse of the Human Condition (remember that phase from Shakespeare 101?). Her characters and their interactions are as real as any in contemporary fiction. This is a heartbreaking and heartwarming novel by a rising star who still believes that the best fiction revolves around real people struggling with real life. Simply an amazing read.

Everything Matters
by Ron Currie Jr.
Viking Books | 9780670020928 | $25.95 | June 2009

A good writer of experimental fiction understands how important it is to surprise the reader with literary pratfalls and trapdoors. A good writer of experimental fiction will wow you with their imagination; they will shock you with their inventiveness. They will play the literary shell game with you and you won’t be able to find the ball when all is said and done. 

That's good experimental fiction, not great. The problem is, nine times out of ten, they will have no effect on your emotions.

Then there are the great writers of experimental fiction. Not only can they accomplish the wizardry listed above, but they can also move you to tears. They can evoke emotions in their readers that somehow belie the playfulness of their prose. Ron Currie, Jr.’s Everything Matters! is, by my estimation, a truly great piece of experimental fiction.

***

> More on Await Your Reply from the Northshire Bookstore's blog, by their adult buyer, Stan Hynds: "With careful deliberation he builds each story, chapter by chapter–a hint here and piece of information there–until he reveals the book’s chilling secrets.  I highly recommend this haunting, brilliant novel."

> More on Blame from the blog of Boswell Book Company's owner, Daniel Goldin (hint: he really loves it): " it’s clear that Huneven writes about addiction and recovery like few others. Above all, Blame is suffused with humor and grace, making this the kind of book I didn’t want to let go."

> More on Everything Matters! from Pudd'nhead Books' owner Nikki Furrer in her email announcement about the book: "The best book you'll read this year, we promise. ... This book is the reason I'm a voracious reader...I am constantly looking for stories that are this beautiful and haunting and extraordinary. I hope you feel the same way about that I do. But if you don't, if you feel like the book isn't emotionally connecting with you, if it bores you, if you don't like the writing or the characters - bring it back for a full refund."