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shidoburrito's reviews
1535 reviews
Gretchen by Arthur de Pins
5.0
Yeah, that's right: 5 stars!!! It was really amusing to read and I simply love the simple, comic, art style!
The Lost Boy by Greg Ruth
4.0
If only I had the talent of the artist/author Greg Ruth. It looks like he only used inks and markers to create EXTREMEMLY lifelike characters and drawings. The realism of the art makes for an unsettling contrast to the dark fantasy in this story. Great art. Great story. I love it!
Saga, Vol. 2 by Brian K. Vaughan
4.0
I really do love the art in this series, and while the characters are odd and the story a bit convoluted, I am still really enjoying it!
The Dark by Lemony Snicket
4.0
This selection for the Mock Caldecott was scary, then fun. Illustrated by Jon Klassen and created with gouache and then the rest is digital. So, from what it looks like he used the gouache for the background and the splattery textures. The line art and main colors (like the boy and his blue pajamas) are all digitally drawn later. A fun method and a cute book I really liked it, but it wasn't the beeeeest!
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
5.0
CONGRATULATIONS! You just won a place in my top 5 favorite books of ALL TIME! This book gets me. I get this book. Cath, I feel that I am you (but without a twin, an estranged mom, or a mentally unstable dad, and slightly less anxiety), but I totally understood you! When it comes to writing fanfiction, I was with you all the way. Well, I am nowhere near as popular as Cath with her thousands and tens of thousands of hits on her fanfictions, but boy is it satisfying to post your writing under an anonymous user name and get compliments and encouragement from strangers who love your writing. It's gratifying to create scenarios of characters from books, movies or anime, so that things played out the way YOU wanted them to. And then to post it and know that other people also think this is a good idea and want to read more of YOUR writing.
Yes, this is a wonderful way to spend your time and your creativity; sharpening your writing skills on characters you love and living in a world where your skills are appreciated by many. Even when you make those characters love each other in a gay way. Yup, Cath is a writer of guy/guy fanfiction (another reason I super love her and understand her). Luckily Cath had a lot of support from her friends and family (both online and off) for her fanfiction, and alas I did not. Sure it's nerdy, but I consider fanfiction writers on par with authors. They ARE authors. Cath's fiction-writing teacher may not understand this, but luckily this doesn't break Cath's spirit. And there are a lot of tests and trials for poor Cath in this book that made me worry and sad and happy and smiling for the main character. A tough-to-figure-out roommate and her always smiling boyfriend, a "break up" with her twin sister, someone who was always there for her, anxiety attacks from the extremely different change into college dorm life, new people, and no sister, and many many more ups and downs that made me never want to put this book down.
So if you are a twin, or entering college, suffer from anxiety of new places and people, or a fangirl that has obsessed over something and writes or reads fanfiction, this book is for you!
Yes, this is a wonderful way to spend your time and your creativity; sharpening your writing skills on characters you love and living in a world where your skills are appreciated by many. Even when you make those characters love each other in a gay way. Yup, Cath is a writer of guy/guy fanfiction (another reason I super love her and understand her). Luckily Cath had a lot of support from her friends and family (both online and off) for her fanfiction, and alas I did not. Sure it's nerdy, but I consider fanfiction writers on par with authors. They ARE authors. Cath's fiction-writing teacher may not understand this, but luckily this doesn't break Cath's spirit. And there are a lot of tests and trials for poor Cath in this book that made me worry and sad and happy and smiling for the main character. A tough-to-figure-out roommate and her always smiling boyfriend, a "break up" with her twin sister, someone who was always there for her, anxiety attacks from the extremely different change into college dorm life, new people, and no sister, and many many more ups and downs that made me never want to put this book down.
So if you are a twin, or entering college, suffer from anxiety of new places and people, or a fangirl that has obsessed over something and writes or reads fanfiction, this book is for you!
A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin by Jen Bryant
5.0
This one I had to give all the stars to because it was a perfect artist biography with illustrations that children will love. Again, the artist doesn't over complicate her- wait, this is another Melissa Sweet! She's the illustrator for "Brave Girl", another Mock Caldecott title that I gave a high rating to. Huh, I guess I just really appreciate her style. She really seems to know how to draw people in with colorful drawings, mixed media swatches (this time it was paper swatches), and creating interesting, colorful spaces for the text. There were many more examples of her own text art with various quotes from Horace Pippin himself. I think in this case, the book was about an artist who just loved to draw and was at his happiest drawing anything. He also used art to convey the unhappy times in his life during the war. Perhaps the illustrator's child-like illustrations are meant to show young readers that they shouldn't be afraid to draw, no matter what their skill. All types of art are beautiful and to be appreciated. Even Melissa Sweet, whose figure drawing is no Reuben, but fun enough to get kids interested in art!
Who Says Women Can't Be Doctors?: The Story of Elizabeth Blackwell by Tanya Lee Stone
4.0
For such a little known woman in history (at least to me, because I think history is boring), they picked a great artist to illustrate this story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman doctor. Bright colors are swirly and quick and scribbly, bringing action to the story. It looks like simple copic markers or inks, but I may be wrong. Tilted and exaggerated perspectives also bring it to life in a comic, fast-paced way. Oooh, this one is good too!
Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers' Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel
5.0
Oh good, this book was actually really cute and creative. While the artist is basic at drawing humans, Melissa Sweet captures the eye with bright colors and a mixed media of water colors, fabric swatches with patterns, and photocopied objects colored in with watercolor. She also makes great use of sewed cloth and fabrics for borders and text areas, making even the text part of the book a work of art. This one might be my pick for the Mock Caldecotts!
Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka
3.0
I guess I'm a tough critic when it comes to rating these Mock Caldecott titles for work. Did anyone else think the main character looked like PaRappa the Rapper? Anyway, while I enjoyed the water-color style, the people look like peanuts and rubber-necked legumes. Sooo, for a Caldecott, I'm not sure if kids would enjoy the oddly shaped people or not. I'm just super picky!