Senor Parrot's Perch

Fifteen year old Denn Doyle, fresh from surviving a near brush with death where he was hit by a city bus while on his skateboard, lets himself get talked into playing poker. His first time, he wins big. His next time, he loses bigger. Stung by losing, and convinced that he should be able to play better than them, he studies the game. His studies pay off and he’s on to winning. He start’s losing, too, most everything else he’d valued.

No Limit‘s original title was Stone Cold, that’s what you have to be to win, says Cookie, the older card player that Denn Doyle becomes acquainted with. Stone Cold is just what Denn becomes. Just like his excellent book Rash, which Pete Hautman published in 2006, this earlier book, originally published in 1998 under the title Stone Cold, the original book title takes on new meanings as you read through the book. And though Denn plays poker, at its heart, the book is about consuming obsessions. Denn’s own obsession is reflected in contrast to the obsessions of� his father’s and the priest of the church.

At its heart, No Limit is an engrossing, fast moving story of a young man who learns and obsessed with winning. The story moves quickly and is clean and tight. (I’m left wishing that Hautman could give some lessons in self-editing to J.K. Rowling, who could have greatly improved her books just by trimming them down). The trail his plot follows is always fresh. The ending climax is both surprising and haunting and thought provoking.

No Limit, as with other books by Hautman, is an excellent book for young adult readers, especially boys, who would read if only they encountered something better, more suited to their interests, and not weighed down by tons of minutae or that don’t involve fantasy and magical powers. While I’m at it, I’ll recommend Rash, as well, a sort of dystopic view of our future. Over the years separating these two books, Hautman’s writing and storytelling has only improved.

Hautman has also written a sequel to this book, All-in. The first chapter is available on his website.

Here’s few we liked that we picked up from the library. All of these were picked by the 5-year old:

The Apple Pie That Papa Baked by Lauren Thompson and illustrated by Jonathan Bean. Told in pictures and verse, The Apple Pie that Papa Baked is a fun view of the farm at harvest time. The story is about a young girl and her father who bakes an apple pie for his daughter with the apples he has picked from their tree.

Illustrated in blacks and browns and reds, it has an earthy look and feel. The hills and paths, trees and sun have that round, plump feel, almost like a Grant Wood Iowan landscape, but I wouldn’t go too far with that comparison. If I were smarter, I’d know the style of the verse – you’ve seen it before, but here’s an example from one page:

These are the clouds,
heaped and round,
that dropped the reain,
cool and fresh,
thatwatered the roots,
deep and fine,
that fed the tree,
crooked and strong,

and on it goes.

Two by Caldecott Medal winner Eric Rohmann: Clara and Asha and My Friend Rabbit

In Clara and Asha (Ala Notable Children’s Books. Younger Readers (Awards)), Clara is a young girl who has lots of friends, one of whom is Asha, a big fish she met in the park. Asha was a part of the giant fountain, but she brought him home. Now, inseparable friends, Asha follows Clara everywhere. The story is very fun, all of a child’s imagination, and the illustrations are even more fun, and the true spark in the book.

My Friend Rabbit is the story of a rabbit and a mouse, both friends. Enthusiastic Rabbit get his friend stuck in a tree and, to try to get him down, he builds a ladder of animals. Not so good an idea, as it turns out. Mostly in pictures, the silliness abounds, and there’s really no need for words here. Eric Rohmann won the 2003 Caldecott Medal for this book.

Cat & Mouse: A Delicious Tale by Jiwon Oh

This book was the most fun of the bunch. Cat and Mouse are best friends. Cat takes cooking lessons and discovers that mice make delicious dishes, and, no big surprise, a rift in the friendship ensues. The book is delightful. Jiwon Oh’s illustrations are a combination of modern manga and ancient Chinese landscape. Go to the library or the bookstore to look for this one.