When my children want to make me cry they bring me our copy of The Sea Chest, by Toni Buzzeo. I think it’s partially because I still want a little girl after my two boys, or maybe it’s because my youngest son is adopted (and the story in the book is about adoption), but it’s mostly because it’s a beautiful book that thoughtfully and sweetly tells the story of a family who doesn’t know they need a daughter…until they find her

To learn more about The Sea Chest, read this interview of Toni Buzzeo.

The Wave, by Suzy Lee, is a gorgeous, wordless picture book that tells the story of a little girl and her companion, a wave. The little girl, drawn simply in black charcoal, starts out a bit afraid of the wave, but once she faces her fears and defies the wave, sticking her tongue out at it as it crashes over here, she emerges a bit humble, and then turns joyful, able to experience and explore all the seashore has to offer.

One of the wonderful things about wordless picture books is that they’re accessible to all readers. The Wave is simple enough for a very young child to understand, but the illustrator has also created the story through a series of sophisticated artistic decisions, which can be appreciated by the adult “reader” as well. Much as Max in When the Wild Things Are moves from the small square of his bedroom to the full page of the monster dance, the little girl in The Wave moves from left to right through the course of the book. Left is safety, the shallows, and right is through the chaos and unknown of the wave, into the tide pool where curiosity and exploration are rewarded .

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Martina

Catalina

Josephina

Cucaracha…

Beautiful muchacha!

Won’t you be my wife?

So say Martina’s suitors in this wonderful retold tale of Old Havana, written by Carmen Agra Deedy and illustrated by Michael Austin. The best thing about Martina, the Beautiful Cockroach: A Cuban Folktale is how wonderful it is to read aloud. Reading it out loud is so fun, you can almost hear Tito Puente in the background.

Martina the Beautiful Cockroach starts with Martina, the most beautiful cockroach in all of Old Havana, readying herself to meet potential suitors. She worries that she won’t know how to pick from all the eligible bachelors who want to woo her, but her grandmother tells her the secret to finding out who will make the best husband. Martina is to offer them a cup of coffee, and then “accidentally” spill it on their shoes. How the beaus react to this accident will show her at their worst, and she’ll know their true temperament.

One by one, the suitors come to visit: the overblown Rooster, the piggish Pig, the slimy lizard…and one by one, they fail abuela’s coffee test. Will Martina ever find true love? Maybe…Perez the mouse is quietly waiting for his audience with Martina, and he has a Cuban grandmother too!

This book is a Pura Belpré honor book for 2008, and it’s easy to see why. Fun to read, full of quirky cultural references, this book teaches that beauty is as beauty does…and Cuban grandmothers always know best.

The Spanish version is also available: Martina, una Cucracha Muy Linda: Un Cuento Cubano

Starting tomorrow, September 1, 2008, I will post one book review each day for the next year.

Like the main character in my favorite book when I was a little girl: “I think I can, I think I can!”

I know I can.