Tag Archives: Pets/Animals

May 20, 2013 · 10:02 am

I Am an Executioner: Love Stories by Rajesh Parameswaran

I Am an ExecutionerTo put a word so violent as Executioner next to a muzak-soundtrack-inducing subtitle like Love Stories, on a cover sporting a cutesy, heart-shaped tiger’s tail is exactly the sort of unsettling experience you can expect from Rajesh Parameswaran‘s uniquely original debut story collection.

Animals take control of their narratives in a third of the nine stories here: in “The Infamous Bengal Ming,” a tiger newly smitten with his zookeeper unintentionally becomes a gory killer than a gentle lover; in “Elephants in Captivity (Part One),” a captive pachyderm’s hurriedly penned (trunked?) memoir is presented in translation from its original “Englaphant,” with more footnoted annotations than original text; in “On the Banks of Table River (Planet Lucina, Andromeda Galaxy, AD 2319),” the vicious mating rituals of oversized insects with each other, as well as humans, are revealed in churning detail.

While love among different species might be less than compatible, cavorting with one’s own kind is also no guarantee of ‘happily ever after.’ In the eponymous “I Am an Executioner,” the titular protagonist works desperately to start a relationship with his shocked new wife In “Demons,” a wife’s deathly wish towards her overbearing husband shockingly comes true – and then what is she to do? In “Narrative of an Agent 97-4702,” spouses can only share lives of half-truths and repeated deceptions.

When love morphs into power-play, tragedy inevitably ensues, from a failing computer salesman posing as a medical doctor in “The Strange Career of Dr. Raju Gopalarajan,” to a railway employee marrying up in “Four Rajeshes,” to a production designer’s desire to claim directorial control in “Bibhutibhushan Mallik’s Final Storyboard.”

Parameswaran’s imagination makes startling twists and manages to achieve unanticipated feats of bizarre fancy. A little shock to our jaded systems can only be a good thing – uncomfortable laughter, sudden squeamishness, unrestrained gasps all included!

Readers: Adult

Published: 2012

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April 17, 2013 · 4:45 pm

The Deep, Deep Puddle by Mary Jessie Parker, illustrated by Deborah Zemke

Deep Deep Puddle“On a busy street in the late afternoon, the rain begins …” Okay, so it’s sunny out at the moment, but it is late afternoon, just the time of day when I’m most likely thinking about total escape. Come join me as I fall head first into The Deep, Deep Puddle.

The first to discover such depths is “One shaggy dog,” who wanders a little too close and “…Glub … Glub … Glub … he sinks out of sight.” But no need for worry, because soon enough, he’s joined by two too-curious stray cats, three thirsty squirrels … six distracted tourists … nine fleeing robbers … until 10 police officers finally appear and “Halt” the in-going, wet traffic.

Eleven tanker trucks with 12 workers manage to “Schlurp! Schlurp! Schlurp!” the puddle away, and a countdown to order allows 10 officers to arrest nine robbers while eight vendors sell the spectators snacks and seven taxis reappear to ferry six tourists elsewhere. Meanwhile, the five children and the rest of the menagerie of once sodden creatures return to terra firma … at least until the next deep, deep puddle appears.

Illustrator Deborah Zemke‘s colorful, whimsical style adds delightful depth to author Mary Jessie Parker’s forwards-and-backwards watery adventures. From the playful feline pair reaching to touch their reflections, to the sinking tourist reaching up and out to save his cell phone, to the half-masked robber trying to gather his spilled bills, to the crowd of sidewalk gawkers witnessing the puddle’s schlurping-up, Zemke imbues her gleeful pictures with energy and motion, perched on the edge of anticipation and discovery, not to mention just plain old-fashioned cheery fun.

Go head … the workday is almost over. Come jump right in!

Readers: Children

Published: 2013

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April 12, 2013 · 9:00 pm

Sorako by Fujimura Takayuki, translated by GEN Manga

SorakoHaving discovered manga/manwha on the verge of being old, I often have these delicious moments of ‘gaaaah’-wonder at coming across something original in the graphic industry. So here’s a not-quite-three-years-old publishing niche I recently learned about – I know! What took me so long?!

Meet GEN Manga, purveyors of Indie Manga from the Tokyo Underground, which promises that “GEN stories are published nowhere else in the world. They come straight from the artists in Japan to you. We translate the stories and put them out as they are created.”

While most of GEN’s output thus far – available digitally, or in limited print editions – is via serialized issues of manga and (more recently added) manwha (manga with Korean origins), they’ve also begun offering standalone books. GEN’s latest is a loose collection of slice-of-life episodes that vary in quality and length about an intermittently job-searching young woman named Sorako. The opening sequence is one of the longest, and certainly the most developed, as it introduces Sorako who is waiting for the missing family dog Toma to return. Sorako named Toma after noticing the kanji character for ‘stop’ (止) marking the road on her way home the day the puppy joined the family. Sorako, too, is currently at a stopping point, caught in a limbo of inaction, a sharp contrast to her own name which means ‘a child of the sky.’

Of the shorter, less memorable pieces is a two-page interlude in which Sorako decides that she might swim off a few pounds, but the lack of a swimming cap easily dissuades her from her plans. Again, for now, she’s more comfortable stopping (止) than soaring. In other episodes, a young woman working in a coffee shop dreams of going to England as she practices English with an unseen television voice alone at night, Sorako’s less-than-earnest job search gets a reprieve when she breaks her leg, and in the final story, a young married woman tries to decide if she’s going to study abroad or not (and we see that same ‘stop’ (止) character four pages from the end, this time positioned (cleverly) in the opposite direction.

Sorako is comprised of “indie stories (doujinshi, or independent) so the author creates them as she likes,” explains GEN’s Editor-in-Chief Robert McGuire. “There is no conformity to conventional standards or directional content editing as usually is the case with manga. In other words, she is free, as all artists are at GEN Manga, to experiment. However, because of this a certain amount of avant-garde or unconventionality is common. Readers should enjoy and expect a more artistic approach when reading them. GEN Manga strives to represent otherwise unseen indie manga as it is made in ‘doujinshi circles’ in Japan.”

So there you have it. Unique and uncensored, to expect the unexpected. That’s quite a return for the mere $2.99 digital investment.

Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Published: 2013 (United States)

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Filed under ..Middle Grade Readers, ..Young Adult Readers, .Fiction, .Graphic Novel/Manga/Manwha, .Translation, Japanese

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March 20, 2013 · 9:55 am

Ollie and Claire by Tiffany Strelitz Haber, illustrated by Matthew Cordell

Ollie and ClaireMeet Ollie and Claire: “… a tightly knit pair, like hot buttered biscuits and yam.” They spend their days frolicking and yodeling, yoga-ing and swimming, snacking and running. In spite of all that double fun, Claire gets “‘bored with this ho-hum routine.’” One Friday morning, out on a rare solo walk, she sees a sign on a tree that beckons, “Come circle the planet with me!” The adventure begins on Monday at 4:00.

Because she’s convinced that “‘Ollie won’t mind if I leave him behind – this is nothing he ever would do,”’ Claire spends the weekend packing and preparing to see the world. Ollie conveniently calls to say he “‘can’t play for a couple of days,’” but gives Claire just enough time to start missing him. Still, she’s determined to expand her horizons, so she writes a farewell note to Ollie … and anxiously waits for a surprise she never expected.

Author Tiffany Strelitz Haber provides just the right rhymes – full of exuberantly syncopated melody waiting to be read aloud – while artist Matthew Cordell energetically ups the funny-factor with every page turn. Check out Claire in her unique yoga pose and her bright green swim cap, and Ollie in his chic-chic red sweatband accompanied by his purple lunchbox. Stroll along the street with a menagerie of daydreaming passers-by – including a fluffy poodle considering a makeover in front of a beauty shop. And is that Ollie testing out his scuba gear in the backyard while Claire clears out her rubber chicken? You’ll just have to see for yourself …

More than just fun, fun, fun, Haber gently reminds us to share our true thoughts with our closest loved ones … because you’ll probably have more delights to enjoy than you ever knew, not to mention escapades-times-two can be that much more rewarding! Spring is (finally!) just about here, so grab a kiddie, a spouse, a buddy … join Ollie and Claire and let’s all go, go, go!

Readers: Children

Published: 2013

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January 21, 2013 · 3:31 pm

The Year of the Snake: Tales from the Chinese Zodiac by Oliver Chin, illustrated by Jennifer Wood

Year of the SnakeThree weeks into the new year, and I’m already so behind I surely wouldn’t mind a do-over. I don’t think I’ve ever been this tardy before with the latest annual installment of Oliver Chin‘s energetic, entertaining Tales from the Chinese Zodiac series, but hopefully this is a case of ‘better late than never.’ I could take the glass-half-full approach and claim I’m early: the official Year of the Snake actually doesn’t start until the Lunar New Year which falls on Sunday, February 10. Yeah, I’m gonna go with that: I’m three weeks early!

From the same team that brought you last year’s roaring river adventure, The Year of the Dragon – especially notable as that was my year! – The Year of the Snake showcases the versatile talents of the Dragon’s cousin, the sensational, slithering Suzie. In spite of her mother’s warning to “stick to your own kind,” Suzie is too excited about the “dazzling and colorful world” to do much sleeping. So she sneaks out the snake pit and, with “HISS … hello!,” she instantly makes friends with a spunky little girl named Lily.

Lily takes Suzie to her grandparents’ house, where Yeh Yeh and Nin Nin aren’t exactly the most gracious hosts: rather than a warm welcome, Grandpa Yeh Yeh greets the pair with “Didn’t we tell you not to trust anyone with a forked tongue?” Disrespect aside, Suzie proves to be superbly helpful by catching a cheese-stealing mouse. The oldsters quickly recognize Suzie’s resourceful ingenuity and prod the new best buds to finish Lily’s chores.

Suzie plays leash for the family dog, tightrope for the height-challenged rooster, lifeline for the pig stuck in the mud, harness for the plowing ox, and more. As if the farm chores weren’t enough, Suzie snares a running tiger, who’s actually running from a fire-breathing dragon, who’s really just got a bad case of the hiccups. Suzie surely can do all the tough work, and even save the whole town. What a busy day for a little girl and her bravely slithering best friend: “They proved how true friends could be different but their hearts still beat as one.” Awwwww.

Snake is the eighth title in Chin’s rollicking Chinese Zodiac series. Each combines a sense of tenacious accomplishment with just plain rollicking fun. Illustrator Jennifer Wood makes sure to imbue every page with energy in motion – ”dazzling and colorful” as Suzie observes. And while Suzie is indubitably this story’s superstar, Wood makes sure every Zodiac animal gets pagetime so no one feels left out. Part cultural exploration, part goofy adventure, part morality tale, and just a wee bit of sort-of-hidden snark for parents to giggle over, Chin’s latest title is also an adorable reminder to get out in the world and enjoy this “sensational Year of the Snake.”

I’ve got another 49 weeks to make that come true!

Tidbit: So you wanna know why Suzie is such a good buddy? Here’s the official description of Snakes in the back of the book: “People born in the Year of the Snake [1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025] seen to warm slowly and savor their leisure. Though they appear slippery and secretive, they can be steely and decisive. But proving both sensitive and flexible, snakes emerge as truly charming and clever friends.”

Click here to check out some of the other Tales from the Chinese Zodiac on BookDragon.

Readers: Children

Published: 2013

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January 10, 2013 · 12:33 pm

Dream Friends by You Byun

What do you do when your most cherished friend isn’t real to anyone else but you? For Melody and her bestest buddy, “[t]hey had fun together every day and every night … but only in her dreams.” As the new kid on the block who is just too shy to talk to the other kiddies, Melody “wanted her dream friend in her real world.” Who wouldn’t?

When no amount of imaginative coaxing (including a toothsome cupcake trail, secret underground passageway, an unstuff-able tiny purple door, even a chemistry experiment!) brings her favorite buddy closer to reality, Melody closes her eyes and dances last night’s adventure solo. She’s interrupted – mid-pirouette – not by her dream friend, but a real-life little girl who asks, ”‘Can I play with you?’” Soon enough, one friend becomes many as the playground fills with twirling, leaping, swirling children: “There was no magic like in her dreams, but it was … magical.”

First-time picture book creator You Byun has clearly found her magic wand, or at least her magic pen. Dream Friends, in both words and pictures, is a happy little fairy tale in which dreams come true all because of the power of friendship. The lesson works for anyone, everyone: One small moment of reaching out certainly begets rich rewards.

Byun’s backflap biography notes that “[m]oving around a lot as a child made it a challenge for her to make new friends.” Constantly rushing as we do in our daily lives pretty much guarantees making connections is going to be tough for us all, regardless of age. While the new year is still fresh and young, take a moment from your distracted isolation, look around, and make a new friend – or reach out to one you’ve been missing for far too long. Surely, we’re never too old for a simple “Can I play with you?”

Readers: Children

Published: 2013

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December 2, 2012 · 5:15 pm

Captain Long Ears by Diana Thung

Captain Long EarsSo enthralled by Diana Thung‘s August Moon earlier this week, I immediately ordered Captain (her first and only other title thus far), and was delightfully tickled to find a blurb on the back cover from Gene Luen Yang (of first-ever National Book Award graphic novel finalist-fame for American Born Chinese): “Goofy and endearing with a touch of Taiyo Matsumoto.” Always comforting to come across graphic agreement (I, too, commented on that Matsumoto-channeling in Moon).

The connection here is even visually stronger: Thung’s titular Captain Long Ears pays homage to both brothers who star in Matsumoto’s TEKKON KINKREET, sporting Black’s goggles and White’s animal hat (which resembles a tiger through most of TEKKON, but at story’s end a bonus drawing of the boys as toddlers shows White wearing .. well … long ears!). No worries, however, about encountering something derivative; Thung’s got a captivating style all her own.

Somewhere in space, Captain Big Nose has gone missing. Captain Long Ears, together with his most trusted companion, Cap’n Jam – a giant purple gorilla with self-reported “32 perfectly, perfect sparkling white teeth” – prepare to head out to Space Ninja headquarters (also known as Happy Land). There they hope to find some answers about Captain Big Nose’s “top secret reconnaissance mission that will take a long, long time to accomplish,” as reported by Mum, who also insists calling Captain Long Ears “Michaeeel …”

All is not well at headquarters: the fearless Space Ninja pair are threatened by a “cannibalistic blob witch,” get attacked by flesh-eating piranhas, are trapped in the revolving prison, and must rescue a baby elephant. All the while, the dynamic duo are not any closer to finding Captain Big Nose – who seems to look a lot like Daddy – who remains elusive, always waving goodbye, no matter how much Captain Long Ears begs him to come back.

Throughout her action-filled debut, Thung presents the powerful ability of a child’s imagination to make sense when no answers can be found. Young Michael’s escapist world – complicated, adventurous, exciting – in which he’s never alone, provides a necessary antidote to a loss too difficult to bear … for now. Michael will return to the so-called real world soon enough, but first he’ll need to draw on his Space Ninja superhuman strength to get through the challenges ahead.

Readers: Middle Grade, Young Adult

Published: 2010

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November 28, 2012 · 10:02 am

August Moon by Diana Thung

Get ready for surreal delight.

When a mysterious creature with an imbedded bullet turns up, Fi and her scientist father head to the town of Calico – linked “to the rest of the country! and the world!” by a single bridge. They’ll be staying with Fi’s Uncle Simon, the younger brother of Fi’s late mother.

Insulated by headphones, Fi seems to distance herself from what’s going on around her. Her vision of the world is mitigated by one of those pre-digital age instant cameras, watching the photographs slowly develop into something other than what’s visible right in front of her.

In Calico, Fi meets Jaden, a young boy everyone knows but who doesn’t seem to belong to anyone, although he has a special relationship with Grandmama, an elderly food cart vendor who keeps him well supplied with her delicious bao (steamed buns). Jaden is no ordinary child – he has seemingly imaginary friends, he can fly, and he just might be able to save the world from the corporate out-of-towners who are snapping up all the empty spaces of unsuspecting Calico.

With elements of save-the-planet, good-vs.-evil, reclaiming the mother-daughter bond, celebrating heritage, and even a hint of Totoro-like faith in the impossible (while visually reminiscent of Taiyo Matsumoto’s dystopic TEKKON KINKREET: Black & White), Indonesian-born Australian artist Diana Thung creates a magical, mystical adventure for all ages.

Intrigued? How could you not be?

Readers: Young Adult, Adult

Published: 2012 (United States)

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October 10, 2012 · 11:15 am

Zephyr Takes Flight by Steve Light

Of course, a child named Zephyr is predestined to love planes, always ready to ride the gentle winds in the limitless sky. [I should also mention that "Zephyr" is the name of the (unmanned, solar-powered) plane that holds the world record for being continuously airborne for two weeks – clearly another example of predestined fruition!]

This Zephyr is quite the flight-minded devotee, drawing, building, playing, and eventually hoping to fly a plane of her own. One day when she gets sent to her room for rambunctious breakage of dishes, she finds a secret door hidden behind her dresser, and discovers “surely the most wondrous place Zephyr had ever seen,” mainly because she’s surrounded by flying machines! She takes off on the FS Bessie, but unexpected engine trouble forces her to land in a village of … flying pigs! She helps one little grounded porcine buddy who, in turn, helps Zephyr to return home … where Grandma, Mommy, and Daddy are waiting with “a triple-hug, triple-pancake spectacular.”

Steve Light, who earlier this year reclaimed the power of storytelling from shrunken-down mobile devices with his wooden imagination-filled Storybox collections (check out The Girl Who Loved Danger here), this time lends his creativity to the printed page. His illustrations prove to be a delightful invitation for careful examination again and again … from airborne porkers to gender benders to pink bubbles to the names of planes. Oh, so very clever indeed!

Best of all (for us oldsters), Light even adds a little nudge to remind (warn!) us to make room for playtime: when Grandma, Mom, and Dad are all too busy to play with Zephyr, all manner of things come crashing down. Literally. In other words, no need to wait until pigs fly to share this adventure with the little ones … I know, I know. Couldn’t resist that one!

Readers: Children

Published: 2012

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August 22, 2012 · 10:16 am

The No-Dogs-Allowed Rule by Kashmira Sheth, illustrated by Carl Pearce

Ishan Mehra has CDS … that is, Canine Deficiency Syndrome. More than anything in the world, he wants a dog. But getting his mother – indisputably already the family’s “alpha dog” – to agree is proving to be quite the challenge.

He tries to elicit the help of the rest of his family pack, namely his older brother Sunil and their father, but Mom firmly retains veto power. Besides, she doesn’t even like their neighbor’s lovable dog, Oggie, who turns out to be Ishan’s only opportunity for much longed-for canine companionship.

Ishan is one imaginative, active kid. He sets off the smoke detector making his own original version of his mother’s favorite parathas, thinks she’ll appreciate the ants as much as she loves the flowers on which they’re crawling, hides every possible pair of his father’s glasses when he’s trying to work, makes elaborate train scenes using the desserts intended to feed anniversary party guests, and indelibly decorates the newly painted family wall with cut-out pictures of dogs. He certainly gets his mother’s attention … but not necessarily her cooperation. How will he ever get his furry best friend?

Kashmira Sheth‘s first novel for younger readers is filled with mischievous, delightful fun (although as a mother, I’m also thinking thank goodness my children’s antics were never quite as creative as young Ishan’s!). The often goofy, light-hearted No-Dogs marks quite a departure from Sheth’s previous titles which have dealt with difficult issues, from tortuous child labor (Boys without Names), to childhood marriage and widowhood (Keeping Corner), to arranged marriage and debilitating cultural expectations (Koyal Dark, Mango Sweet), to jarring immigration (Blue Jasmine which won Sheth the Paul Zindel First Novel Award).

Until now, Sheth has also set her novels, fully or in part, in her native India; No-Dogs is her first based wholly Stateside, with Oshkosh, Wisconsin-born-and-raised Ishan whose “parents came from India a long time ago.” Sheth gently, expertly weaves in the occasional moment or two touching on cultural differences – names, language, food – but her tone remains cheerful and humorous throughout. Be warned: children with CDS will surely giggle and laugh through No-Dogs, all the while learning new tricks to convince obstinate parents the incomparable value of a furry, four-legged family addition.

Readers: Children, Middle Grade

Published: 2012

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