Monday, April 30, 2007

A rambling review of Annette Simon's work



I don't know about you, but just a glance at a work by Mondrian eases my mind. The symmetry. The straight lines and bold colors. Mondrian inspires a calm like no other and calls me to get organized, to make order from the chaos of life.

While I'll never achieve the perfection of a Mondrian painting, I find bold, clean design cleansing and uplifting.





I'm also a huge fan of graphic design using text. (This image to the right reads "Mayakovsky" from left to right and "for the voice" from top to bottom.)




So imagine my joy when I received two picture books in the mail from author/illustrator Annette Simon.* Simon uses graphic design and clean, bold symmetry to great effect in her picture books.








Annette Simon's This Book is for All Kids, but Especially My Sister Libby. Libby Died is told from the point of view of five-year-old Jack Simon, whose younger sister has passed away. It begins, "Did you hear me? She died. And when you die, you don't even have to get chicken pox."



Jack's continues his story, wondering about what it means to be dead (do you eat?) and what if he had died instead. He asks his mother what he can take with him when he goes and what it's like in heaven. Libby Died is a heartbreaking book to be sure, but one that is completely honest in expressing a loss from the point of view of a five year old.



Simon's use of text in Libby Died is brilliant. When Jack's questions are more insistent, text is larger, sometimes extending off the page. When Jack is more speculative, or following his thoughts tangentially, text trails off and becomes smaller. Bold colors and simple graphics are used throughout the book, giving Libby Died an emotional punch and a direct honesty. Libby Died will be much appreciated by children, who, however unfortunately, are dealing with a similar situation. It's a brilliant book--the best one I've read for children on the topic of death.


Simon's 2002 mocking birdies tackles a more cheerful subject--what kids today often call "copy-catting." One bird (in brilliant Mondrian blue)^ says "you" and another--in red, but of course--repeats "you." Soon there's a cacophony of "you"s and "stop singing my song" and songs that are blue or red. As the words become busier, Simon's graphic text alters--to smaller and overlapping words. When they can no longer be separated, the words become purple.

The purple singing attracts a purple mocking bird and eventually the most egregious mimic of all--that's right, the copy cat himself.

mocking birdies is great fun to read aloud, especially to the three- to six-year-old audience. They know all about copy-catting, so this book hits home.

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* (Since blog reviews and objectivity are subject to much speculation and criticism at the moment, let me say that I review approximately 10% of the books I receive directly from authors.)

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^ My copy features primary blue and red, rather than the lighter blue in the image above.

Sunday, April 29, 2007

Weekend Reviews (I-II)

It was truly too beautiful yesterday to do much on the computer, so please excuse me for the late weekend reviews entry. Here's what I've found this weekend:

Katie Haegele reviews Catherine Ryan Hyde's The Year of My Miraculous Reappearance for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Sonja Bolle reviews Mo Willems' two new early readers and Maxwell Eaton III's The Adventures of Max and Pinky: Best Buds for Newsday.

Robert L. Pincus profiles Brian Selznik and discusses The Adventures of Hugo Cabret for the San Diego Tribune.

In the not-a-review category, Charles Solomon writes about the manga phenomenon for the Los Angeles Times.

Kristi Elle Jemtegaard recommends Poetry Speaks to Children and other audio poetry collections for The Washington Post.

The Washington Post interviews Mary Quattlebaum.

Solomon Snow and the Silver Spoon, by Kate Umansky, is the Washington Post Book of the Week.

Paul Gravett reviews Bryan Talbot's Alice in Sunderland for the Independent.

Diane Samuels reviews Sharon Dogas' Waves for the Guardian.

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books for the Chicago Tribune. They include:
  • Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion, by Loree Griffin Burns
  • Oye, Celia!: A Song for Celia Cruz, by Katie Sciurba, illustrated by Edel Rodriguez
  • A Hippo's Tale, by Lena Landstrom
  • Duck at the Door, by Jackie Urbanovic
  • How to be a Baby, by Me, The Big Sister, by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Sue Heap
  • I Miss You!: A Military Kid's Book About Deployment, by Beth Andrews, illustrated by Hawley Wright

Oooh! Amanda Craig talks to Catherine Fisher for the Times. Craig also discusses Fisher's latest, Incarceron, in the article.

Jeanne Birdsall's The Penderwicks is the Times Children's Book of the Week.

Susan Perren reviews new children's books for the Globe and Mail. They include:

  • Birdsongs, by Betsy Franco, illustrated by Steve Jenkins
  • Wanda and the Frogs, by Barbara Azore, illustrated by Georgia Graham
  • In My Backyard, by Margriet Ruurs, illustrated by Ron Broda
  • Free as the Wind: Saving the Horses of Sable Island, by Jamie Bastedo, illustrated
    by Susan Tooke
  • One Well: The Story of Water on Earth, by Rochelle Strauss, illustrated by Rosemary Woods
  • Being Caribou: Five Months on Foot with a Caribou Herd, by Karsten Heuer

Whew! See what happens when you procrastinate?

Friday, April 27, 2007

Poetry Friday review: Animal Poems




Bloggers have been raving about Valerie Worth's Animal Poems--and for good reason.

First and foremost, as you can tell from this cover illustration, Steve Jenkins' illustrations are beauty and genius incarnate. His cut-paper collages are composed from such small pieces that the animals appear living even though they're not identical representations of their referents. I mean, just look at this porcupine. Don't you want to take him home and feed him?

Worth's animal poems are short, with their rhythms matching their subject. Take, for example, the first eight lines of "Whale":

Too heavy to live
On land, where only
Winged things escape
The weight of stones,

His whole hill of
Flesh floats easily
In the sea, light as
Dust in sun-baths

Now contrast this heavy beginning to the opening lines of "Snake":

Loosed
From
Limbs to
Run like
Water,
Spilled to
A liquid
Silt, a
Slurry
Of scales...

These differences are ones kids will understand as you read Animal Poems aloud. And with poems dedicated to bats, owls, cockroaches, and jellyfish, a child will find a favorite in no time.*

Animal Poems is best suited for children ages four to eight. It's perfect for storytime reading and for lessons on poetry in the early grades. Enjoy!

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* Valerie Worth died in 1994 and many of these poems were written decades ago. That being said, I do wish the first four lines of "Camel" were not included in this volume: "They can afford to be ugly/And ungainly, to stand/About munching and belching/Like smug old maids" How do you explain that one to a bunch of first graders?
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Other blog reviews:

Elaine Magliaro at Blue Rose Girls
Kelly Fineman
The Excelsior File
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The roundup is over at A Wrung Sponge today. Head on over and leave cloudscome your comments!

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Who's Your Daemon?

I love my daemon! Who's Your daemon?

Via The Miss Rumphius Effect

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

A big welcome to Barbara Kerley



I'm very happy to welcome Barbara Kerley to Big A little a.

Barbara is the author of many a picture book (see Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast for the full rundown), including The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Dawkins. (Barbara is dinosaur hunting here in her photo.)

Her first novel, Greetings from Planet Earth, has just been published by Scholastic. (Read the review here.) I loved Greetings from Planet Earth so much, I just had to ask Barbara Kerley a few questions. And here they are:

Barbara...you're a well-known Picture Book author. Why did you decide to turn to Middle Grade fiction? Was it always your plan, or did the idea of Greetings from Planet Earth just hit you?

Actually, I've been writing middle grade fiction for years; it's just never been published before. (I also have plenty of nonfiction that hasn't been published, either!) But I do think that the themes explored in Greetings are particularly well suited for fiction because part of the point of the book is that life poses a lot of questions and people have to find the answers that work for them. And I think that fiction poses lots of questions, too.

Beer, wine, or a soft drink?

A nice, pale ale.

If you had the chance, would you travel to the moon?

Well, this is going to sound dorky, but it is totally honest—only if I could figure out a way to avoid the motion sickness (or whatever version of it some astronauts get). As a kid I got carsick all the time. I remember once my sister being disgusted with me for getting carsick on (literally) a ten-minute drive, and my mom can still cruise around northern Virginia and point out all the spots where she had to pull over to the side of the road. As an adult, I am miserable on things like roller coasters and all those darn spinning contraptions at small-town amusement fairs (which may be just as well, as a lot of them appear to be held together with duct tape). I read somewhere that they call the zero-gravity machine astronauts train in "The Vomit Comet" and suspect I'd have to take so much Dramamine that I'd sleep through all my NASA assignments.

Beach, city, or forest?

Forest, preferably alpine, and wearing cross-country skis.

Why did you decide to write children's books and not, say, mystery, chick lit, or "literary fiction"?

When I first started seriously writing, I wrote short stories for adults. Then I had a daughter and started reading copiously to her, and realized that kids' books were a much better match for my sensibilities. I get sort of jumpy-excited about all sorts of stuff in a way that doesn't seem to fit adult books. I seem to say, "Oh, cool!" a lot. Writing for kids just feels like 'home' in a way that writing for adults never did.

Coffee, tea, or a triple skinny latte?

Irish Breakfast tea, brewed strong, with more milk in it than you can imagine any grownup wanting.

Greetings from Planet Earth is your first novel. How long did it take you to write? And I mean from the very beginning--from the spark in your eye to the lovely product I just read?

Start to finish, about 4 1/2 years, though there were some gaps in there when I worked on picture books.

Movie, Theater, or a Concert?

Movie.

If you had an entire week and unlimited resources to do whatever you'd like, what would you do and why?

I don't have to be noble and save the world, do I? You're meaning a week of fun, yes?

A week in a great city like New York or D.C. or London or Paris, in a nice hotel, with days spent wandering around town and going to lots of museums.

Halloween, New Year's, or Valentine's Day?

Actually, my favorite is Mother's Day cause I get to choose what we do (usually, canoeing) and somebody else cooks and then there is cake.

BOOK QUESTIONS

In many ways, Greetings from Planet Earth is a political novel. Theo's father did not return from the Vietnam War, and Theo strives to understand and find out what happened to him. At the same time, the thrills and excitement of the great space race were in full swing. I'm wondering whether or not you had our contemporary situation in mind while writing this novel set in the 1970s.

The entire time I worked on the novel, we had soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, and so thinking about our current conflicts has certainly informed my thinking about Vietnam. I live in a small town, and the war has touched us. I know people whose son or husband or brother has gone over to fight. I've also read articles and listened to stories on NPR about the toll the war is taking on soldiers and their families. The parallels to Vietnam seem very real.

Secrecy and the dangers of keeping secrets in families play an important thematic role in Greetings from Planet Earth. Was this a theme you thought important when designing the book, or did it develop organically while you were writing?

It's something that I wanted to explore, almost from the start. To me, it fits in with the theme of communication, which is 'tapped on' in lots of ways--how various family members communicate (or not) with each other, the tape recording Theo is making throughout the book to an unnamed listener, and, of course, the Golden Record that will one day communicate with a being way out in space.

Mr. Meyer, Theo's science teacher, is an extraordinary teacher. He's unafraid to mix the "big questions" (Who are we?) with the study of science. Does Mr. Meyer have a real-life model and, if so, can I arrange for him to teach in my kids' school district? Seriously, he's one of the most amazing teachers I've found in children's fiction.

Isn't he great? Mr. Meyer isn't based on any one person, but he does have what I've seen other great teachers demonstrate—a genuine respect for his students and their view of the world.

I loved Janet--Theo's older sister--and was wondering what it would be like to see the same scenario in Greetings from Planet Earth from her point of view. Is this something you've considered?

I love Janet, too! As I was writing, I did often think how different the book would have been from Janet's perspective. And it's funny you ask, because some of my favorite adult books do tell parts of the same story from different perspectives--books such as The March: A Novel, by E.L. Doctorow; Red Water, by Judith Freeman, and Three Junes, by Julia Glass. It's a technique I really like, and one I'd like to try in a novel some day.

What can we look forward to next from Barbara Kerley?

I have a picture book coming out in May with National Geographic called A Little Peace. It shares the same format as my other two NGS titles, A Cool Drink of Water and You and Me Together--simple text, stunning photographs, and an underlying sensibility of how much people are truly alike, all over the world. The focus of the book is that we all have the power to spread a little peace. Then in Spring '08 I have another picture book biography coming out with Scholastic called What To Do About Alice? It's about Teddy Roosevelt's daughter Alice, in her younger years known as "Princess Alice" and later, in old age, as "the other Washington Monument." hah. Alice was one of America's first celebrities, which drove her father crazy. He once said, "I can be President of the United States, or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both." And I've just begun a new historical fiction novel, centered around another "Oh, cool!" bit of science. Fun stuff!

Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Review: Greetings from Planet Earth



It's 1977 and twelve-year-old Theo is obsessed with space. So he's excited when his science teacher, Mr. Meyer, tells the class that the Voyager probes will "each...carry a golden record: a message, in pictures and sounds, from Earth to any aliens out there in space." Mr. Meyer charges the class to bring in one picture and one minute of sound conveying "what they thought was most important about Earth."

Without getting into what an amazing teacher Mr. Meyer is, let me tell you that this project gets Theo thinking. And he has quite a bit to figure out. You see, Theo's father never came home from the Vietnam War and Theo's mother doesn't want to talk about it. In fact, she tears up whenever Theo asks a question. Fortunately, Theo's grandmother, JeeBee, recognizes that Theo wants answers and helps him by talking about Theo's father and sharing his letters from Vietnam.

As Theo searches for the answer to what is most important about Earth, he becomes more and more frustrated because he doesn't know what's most important about himself and his family. He finds out his mother has hidden all his father's letters to her and to Theo and his sister. JeeBee knows the answers, but she's still not to the end of the story. Theo's frustration boils to such a point that he destroys his airplane and spacecraft model collection.

Barbara Kerley skillfully weaves Theo's thoughts about space and space craft, told in first person, with Theo's story, told in third. Theo is a compelling character, thoughtful and bright, and we sympathize with his search for answers. The ending is a complete surprise, yet utterly plausible.

The parallels between 1977 and 2007 are difficult to ignore, as is the thematic role of secrets in the novel. Secrets, no matter how well meaning, damage a family and a community. And they're particularly dangerous for a child like Theo. As Mr. Meyer tells him, "I've met a lot of people in my life, Theo. People who truly examine things--examine themselves, even. And people who don't. I see it in school all the time--the kids who memorize for the test and the kids who really want to understand." Theo wants to understand, even if it is more difficult.

Greetings from Planet Earth is highly recommended for children ages nine to fourteen. It's the perfect Middle School novel--ideally suited for kids who are just beginning to question everything themselves.
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I requested this review copy from the publisher. I enjoyed Greetings from Planet Earth so much, I've invited Barbara Kerley to an interview here.

Check out Jules' interview with Barbara Kerley over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

'Cause everyone is doing it....


Link via the always smart Bookseller Chick.

The Edge of the Forest

I'm looking for pieces for the May, June, and July Edge of the Forest.* Here's what we need:
  • 2 Kid (or Teen) Picks articles
  • 2 blogging writer interviews
  • features of all types (please send me an e-mail with your ideas)
  • original reviews in all categories (I have review copies. Again send me an e-mail if you're interested.)

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* The Edge of the Forest is still a venture of the heart. But I do have review copies :)

To illustrators: A plea for help



We need some help with an image.

You see this lovely Cybils medal here to the right? Well, Anne and I are in the midst of ordering trophies (well, paperweights) and stickers for the award winners. And we wanted an image without the ribbons for this purpose.

I was able to do this, but unable to get the image to 600 dpi, which is what we'll need for high quality printing and engraving.

Are any of you lovely, talented illustrators willing to donate some time and clean up our medal-winning image? I can promise you tons of props, but little else, I'm afraid :)

China Mieville profile

Have any of you read Un Lun Don yet? It's received some excellent reviews. I'm so swamped, though, I haven't yet sought it out. Let me know what you think!

In any case, Michelle Pauli talks to China Mieville today for the Guardian. Why the switch to children's lit? Well for the usual reasons, but also because giraffes come into play in the novel. Here's what Mieville has to say on that subject:
  • "I wanted to think of an animal almost universally considered adorable and make them a really scary baddie. So it had to be either giraffes or pandas ... You couldn't do that in an adult book.""

Monday, April 23, 2007

Felled by audio



I had every intention of posting a review of this fabulous book to the right today. It's going to have to wait until tomorrow, however, as not just one, but two audio books had me glued to the ipod.

First up was John Banville's Christine Falls. This is a mystery he wrote under the pen name Benjamin Black. I loved Banville's The Sea, which won the 2005 Man Booker Prize. Loved it. But I have to say that Christine Falls--a mystery, no less--may have even been better. Hands down, Banville's use of POV in Christine Falls was the most skillful I've seen in years. It's a slow read (or listen), because it's fairly dense, but immensely rewarding.

Next up was Lionel Shriver's We Need to Talk About Kevin. I purchased this one before the Virginia Tech atrocities, so was reluctant to read another school shooting novel. But...it gripped me from the first moment. Unlike Christine Falls, in which multiple POVs conflict and contradict one another, there is only one point of view in We Need to Talk About Kevin. A one-sided epistolary novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin is compelling from start to finish. And, there's a reason almost every critic used the world "unflinching" in regards to this novel. Narrator Eva is not perfect--she's arrogant, yet critical of herself. She's impatient, yet tries as best she can as a mother. She's almost a genetic copy of her son, but can barely tolerate him from birth. 15 hours and I listened to it all--including the interview at the end. ** And, while I had imagined the ending as one of possible outcomes, it didn't bother me in the least.

Tomorrow I'll be back, I promise. I lost a day to stories.
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**I will mention here that the audio of We Need to Talk About Kevin was, in some ways, a trial. I could hear the narrator's every swallow, every intake of breath, every drink of water. The narrator herself was quite good, but the editing, obviously, left something to be desired. Read this one instead if extraneous noises between sentences bother you :)

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Blogrollin'

It's time for another update of the old blogrolls. Much has been happening this month, and here's what I've run across:
  • The Little Horse. A serial story for children.
  • Three Men in a Tub. A group blog run by "illustrators and longtime pencil pirates Stacy Curtis, Ted Dawson and Wes Hargis."
  • Kirby Larson's blog. Hey! Kirby Larson has a blog and she's initiated a "hot women of children's literature" series. To be watched.
  • Sara Latta's blog "I've got blisters on my fingers." Sara is a children's writer living abroad.
  • In this month's "I thought I'd already added this blog" edition--The Shady Glade.
  • YALitLovers. Title speaks for itself.
  • The Adventures of Chidester the Gumberry. More serial fiction, but this one asks invites children to interact, answer questions, and, possibly, change the direction of the story.
  • A Patchwork of Books. A YA/Children's librarian's blog.
  • The Mombrarian. Holly Doe writes about books, reading, and classroom ideas.
  • ETA: 2nd Gen Librarian. "One youth services librarian here, reflecting on the profession, books, and my programming for kids. "

Weekend Reviews (II)

Now for the rest of this weekend's reviews:

In the "not-a-review, but" category: James Sullivan profiles illustrator Ed Emberley for The Boston Globe. My kids love his "How to Draw..." books.

Karen McCombie's Indie Kidd: How to Be Good(ish) is the Washington Post Book of the Week.

Mary Harris Russell is back with her "For Young Readers" column in the Chicago Tribune. Here's what she reviews this week:

  • Way Down Deep, by Ruth White
  • Louis Sockalexis: Native American Baseball Pioneer, by Bill Wise, illustrated by Bill Farnsworth
  • Gooney the Fabulous, by Lois Lowry, illustrated by Middy Thomas
  • Up Close: Oprah Winfrey, by Ilene Cooper
  • My Little Grandmother Often Forgets, by Reeve Lindbergh, illustrated by Kathryn Brown
  • Wake Up, Papa Bear! by David and Maxwell Algrim, illustrated by Adam Relf

Nikki Batalis reviews new poetry books for the OC Register.

Thank goodness for April. Poetry is hot! Lana Berkowitz reviews four new poetry books for The Salt Lake Tribune.

Step right up, folks!

Don't miss the 13th Carnival of Children's Literature over at Jen Robinson's Book Page!

Am I Alone Here? Part Two

Zee has posted a response to the Am I Alone Here? entry. Zee writes, "I thought it would be fun to do the same thing for movies. I can think of several movies I watched and felt deeply moved by only to discover that others did not share my opinion." Zee listed Artificial Intelligence and The Lady in the Water as two films she loved that others mostly did not. My choice was an older one, All That Jazz (with Roy Schneider).

What say you? Are there films you love that were panned by audiences or the critics? Head on over and have your say at Zee Says.

Saturday, April 21, 2007

Weekend Reviews (I)

A happy spring weekend to one and all! It's beautiful here in medium-sized city next to Smalltown and the outdoors are calling. In case you're stuck indoors and online, here are the early weekend reviews:

Whew! It's a busy one this week.

Friday, April 20, 2007

Poetry Friday: 'Cause Stephen Colbert told me so


Today's poem comes from U.S. Poet Laureate (former) Robert Pinsky and is called "Samurai Song."

Stephen Colbert had Robert Pinsky host his metaphoroff with Sean Penn on the Colbert Report this evening and ordered his viewers to make "Samurai Song" the number one poem in the U.S. I submit. Here are the first stanzas of Robert Pinsky's "Samurai Song":

"Samurai Song"

When I had no roof
I made Audacity my roof. When I had
No supper my eyes dined.

When I had no eyes I listened.
When I had no ears I thought.
When I had no thought I waited.

When I had no father
I made Care my father. When I had
No mother I embraced order.

Read the rest of the poem here at Poetry International.

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Let the wild rumpus begin!

Ms.Mac at Check It Out shares some of her students' poems from her Young Writers Club. Great poems, great idea.

April has inspired poets to share their own work. Suzanne at Adventures in Daily Living contributes "15 cherry tomatoes."

Gregory K. has "turned magnetic" over at GottaBook with another original poem.

Elaine also has a (funny) original up at Wild Rose Reader. You should send this one to Colbert, Elaine! (By the way...are you looking for a poem on a specific topic? Then Elaine is your source. She's offering to find the perfect poem for you.)

Speaking of Elaine, she has been busy today! She shares a Poetry Potpourri over at The Blue Rose Girls. (Information on a poetry institute, lesson plans, and more!)

Ummm...did you know that Kimberly of lectitans translates her own poetry...from the Latin? Check out her translation of Catullus today. ETA: Kimberly also reviews Lorie Ann Grover's On Pointe over at lectitans.

Michele makes no apologies for her Shakespeare contributions. (And, really, why should she?)This week's theme? The destructive nature of time.

Little Willow shares a short, simple, and true proverb this Friday at Bildungsroman.

Monica shares a letter written to a work of poetry today at educating alice. The letter was inspired by reading to her students. Casey, are you listening?

In the "great minds think alike" category, Kelly Fineman shares Robert Pinsky's "Samurai Song." Oh, and an undying affection for Mr. Colbert. (Should we start going by Kelly H. and Kelly F.? It'll be just like grade school.)

Eisha shares a poem from Nikki Giovanni and her speech at the Virginia Tech convocation (video format) at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Thanks, Eisha.

Cloudscome writes of hope and peace and shares from Nikki Giovanni's Virginia Tech convocation speech at A Wrung Sponge. Thanks, cloudscome.

Gregory K. and Elaine have inspired Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect: She shares two poems on the topic of shells--one an original, the other from J. Patrick Lewis.

Susan Taylor Brown is craving some nonsense and turns to the master: Edward Lear and his "The Pobble Who Has No Toes."

The Wordy Girls share a number of 15 word poems this week--prompt?: A metronome.

The Old Coot remembers the 18th of April with "Paul Revere's Ride." (Great photos, too!)

Emily at Whimsy Books shares some (gulp) childhood poetry this week.

Anne contributes a Poetry Friday review of Jean-Pierre Simeon's This is a Poem That Heals Fish over at Book Buds.

Mrs. K shares a lesson plan (for grades 4-8) on ekphrasis at Readathon. (Great idea, Mrs. K!)

MotherReader shares the silly with an original haiku dedicated to some damage created by a couple of practical jokers at her husband's office. Gregory K., watch out! That office is dangerous.

Nancy at Journey Woman is one smart woman. She signed up to receive a poem per day by e-mail! Today she shares one of those poems: Mark Strand's "Man and Camel" with audio link.

Miss Erin contributes Arnold Lobel's "Books to the Ceiling."

A Fuse #8 Production shares "I'm In Love with Leonard Woolf," by Susan Ramsey (her mother).

Bri discusses the Virginia Tech tragedies and being a college student at this time. She offers up "All Is Well," by Henry Scott Holland, at Bri Meets Books.

Susan praises Jean Conder Soule's Never Praise a Weasel at Chicken Spaghetti.

Charlotte takes a look at concrete poetry and two picture books over at Charlotte's Library. (Looks like fun!)

Franki reviews David Harrison's Bugs over at A Year of Reading.

Thursday, April 19, 2007

You've gotta love the top 10 lists

I'm just joking. This one is actually pretty good: the Carnegie of Carnegies.

Arifa Akbar reports for the Independent.

Here's the entire list:
  • Skeling, by David Almond (1998)
  • Junk, by Melvin Burgess (1996)
  • Storm, by Kevin Crossley-Holland (1985)
  • A Gathering Light, by Jennifer Donnelly (2003)
  • The Owl Service, by Alan Garner (1967)
  • The Family from One End Street, by Eve Garnett (1937)
  • The Borrowers, by Mary Norton (1952)
  • Tom's Midnight Garden, by Philippa Pearce (1958)
  • Northern Lights, by Philip Pullman (1995)
  • The Machine-Gunners, by Robert Westall (1981)

Books that make you ask: "Am I alone here?"

I was thinking, for some reason completely unconnected to anything I'm reading right now (so don't get any ideas!), of books that make you ask, "Am I alone here?" You know, those books everyone loves but that you end up sorta liking, disliking, or downright hating. I have to admit this happens to me more often with adult titles, but it has happened with children's/YA as well.

Here are some of my top "Am I alone here?" titles:


  • Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. I used to hate giving up on a book (reviewing has changed that for me, big time), so I was truly sad when I stopped reading this one at about page 500. This book hurt because the first 100 pages were brilliant, but it never developed from there. It just went on and on and on.

  • The Book Thief. This was a book I liked. I thought it was competent and well written and I especially liked the sketchbook sections. BUT...I didn't find it a life-changing book and I didn't think it added much to books on the Holocaust.

  • In the YA department, everyone liked Stay With Me. I didn't. I felt really alone. Something about the dyslexia thread in the novel seemed off to me.

  • The Emperor's Children--a big title from last year. God, I hated this book. I made it to the end and then felt just empty. Empty characters, empty plot, 500 pages.


What are your "am I alone books?" I'd really, really like to know! Please respond here or on your own blogs.

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In the books I love department: I have a review of Sylviane Donnio's I'd Really Like to Eat a Child up over at Book Buds. This book is awesome. (Jules reviewed it recently at 7Imp too.)


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A public service announcement for fans of Project Runway: Shear Genius is great! Nearly as good as PR. After the tedium of Top Design, I'm in heaven.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Fun online

During yesterday's busy and, I think, ultimately fruitful debate about blog reviewing over at Read Roger, I neglected to post on a number of interesting things happening in the kidlitosphere. Reviewing aside, blogs are an easy, fast, and flexible way to present news and information. Here's what's up:

  • Over the past two days I've listened to the first seven chapters of L. Lee Lowe's Mortal Ghost. In this first part of Lowe's novel, Jesse, a teen runaway, is taken in by Sarah and her mother, Meg. Jesse, who is traumatized in a way we don't know about until Chapter 7, is suspicious of their intentions and Meg's almost miraculous healing powers. Sarah--an accepting and intelligent girl--wants Jesse to seek shelter with them, but Jesse remains uneasy. Maybe they'll hurt him in their good intentions? Oh, and strange things begin happening in Chapter Seven. Great listening (the reader is a young Welsh musician) and a compelling text. You can cheat by reading ahead, but I'm holding out for more audio. Mortal Ghost is highly recommended and FREE online.

  • The first-ever wiki children's novel is chugging right along. Four chapters are up now and Moctor Fall (so christened by A Fuse #8) is in all kinds of trouble. I just put up pages for chapters five and six and they're waiting to be filled with text. If you're interested in participating, send me an e-mail.

Tuesday, April 17, 2007

I need your help, or booklist #3



I will be giving a paper soon on Western picture book transformations of the Baba Yaga story. And, I don't want to miss a title.

So, please, if you know of any Baba Yaga picture books, leave me a comment.

Thanks. And be careful when wandering into the forest!
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Monday, April 16, 2007

Review: The Plain Janes


I've held off on reviewing The Plain Janes, by Cecil Castellucci and Jim Rugg, because it won't be released until May. But, seriously, enough is enough.

I hope that The Plain Janes will put to rest the endless (and fruitless) debate about whether or not graphic novels can be or are as good as "regular books." Because this one made me turn back and reread and reconsider as much as any great novel would.

(Main) Jane is a popular girl in Metro City. Then "something" happens in the big city--an explosion, or a bombing--and Jane falls in the streets. Nearby is a man with an "Art Saves" sketchbook, a book Jane rescues when she regains consciousness and returns home.

Jane's reaction to her city's crisis is different from her parents. Jane cuts off her blond hair, dyes it black, and sees in the mirror "a girl who can handle anything." Her parents pack up the home and move themselves with Jane to the suburbs. As Jane says, "Here we go. Nothing worse than starting the school year six weeks late. Remember it's just four years. Om, and all that."

Jane is a hard-headed kid and serious about changing her life. True, she can't move back to Metro City on her own, but she can take charge. When the "cool" girls make overtures to her in the dreaded cafeteria on day one, she decides to branch out. She seeks shelter with three other girls, who happen to be named Jane, Jayne, and Polly Jane.

Before long, Main Jane has convinced the other Janes to create P.L.A.I.N. (People Loving Art in Neighborhoods), a group formed to set up anonymous street art. Their first project--pyramids formed where a new strip mall was set to go up. They left a hand painted sign, stating, "Art Saves. THINK BIG. THINK P.L.A.I.N."

P.L.A.I.N gets everyone talking, but not always in a good way. Residents of Kent Waters.Suburbia fear the anonymous art installations. Soon the high school kids are on full lockdown, a lockdown that results in, of course, their growing closer together as a group.

The Plain Janes is a thought-provoking novel about fear in the modern age, the beauty and power of art, and the imagination and heart of youth. One thread I found particularly compelling concerned Main Jane's fascination with John Doe, the man with the "Art Saves" sketch book who fell next to her in Metro City. She continues to visit him in the hospital, to write him letters, to find a kindred spirit in the man with the "Art Saves" notebook.

Main Jane is a great heroine. She's determined, smart, and a dreamer. I hope we'll learn more about the other Janes in future volumes.

The Plain Janes is highly recommended for kids ages eleven and up.

==========================

Other blog reviews:

A Fuse #8 Production
Booktopia
Trusty Plinko Stick
The Broken Frontier (interview)

If I've missed your review, let me know...

==========================
While writing this review I heard of the Virginia Tech Shooting. I'm at a complete loss for words.

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Photo books "better" than picture books?

Sarah Womack reports on a recent study by the American Psychological Association on books for toddlers in today's Telegraph.

Here's the upshot:

"Thirty-six children aged 18 months were then asked to mimic actions that had been shown in the book using three objects - a wooden ball, a stick attached to a plastic lid and a plastic jar. The children scored twice as well when they had looked at a colour photograph book of a rattle being made than when they looked at a book with coloured pencil drawings.

While none could make the rattle, most put the ball in the jar and about half tried attaching the lid to the jar."

But, then, Womack interviews the National Literary Trust (British?) and they have this to say: "while a photograph may help a child learn a specific action, it could not convey the depth of meaning of a Quentin Blake-style illustration."

Hmmm....what say you?

Weekend Reviews (II)

It's spring again in the Midwest--the sun is shining, the birds are cheeping, and lawn mowers are revving up. I feel for you all on the East Coast, and I hope the big storm will pass quickly.

Here are more weekend reviews:

Our own Fuse #8 has a review column up at Newsday. She reviews picture books, including Pale Male and 17 Things I'm Not Allowed to Do Anymore.

How Nearly Everything Was Invented, by Jilly MacLeod, illustrated by Lisa Swerling and Ralph Lazar, is the Washington Post Book of the Week.

Janet Christie reviews children's books for The Scotsman.

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books for the Chicago Tribune. They include:
  • Wag a Tail, by Lois Ehlert
  • That Rabbit Belongs to Emily Brown, by Cressida Cowell and Neal Layton
  • Flora Segunda, by Ysabeau S. Wilce
  • Today at the Bluebird Cafe: A Branchful of Birds, by Deborah Ruddell, illustrated by Joan Rankin
  • Animal Poems, by Valerie Worth, pictures by Steve Jenkins
  • Mars Needs Moms! by Berkeley Breathed

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Weekend Reviews (I)

After a few slow weekends, it looks as if this weekend will be a big one for children's book reviews. Here's what is showing up online so far:

Many reviews in The New York Times Book Review. They include:


Sherman Alexie's Flight is reviewed in the Washington Post.

Julie Masis tells the tale behind the publication of Peter Arenstam's Felix and his Mayflower II Adventures in The Boston Globe.

Susan Perren reviews new children's books for the Globe and Mail. They include:

  • Ten Old Men and a Mouse, by Cary Fagan, illustrated by Gary Clement
  • A Good Day, by Kevin Henkes
  • The Aunts Come Marching, by Bill Richardson, illustrated by Cynthia Nugent
  • Once Upon a Full Moon, written and illustrated by Elizabeth Quan
  • Pure Spring, by Brian Doyle

Amanda Craig reviews two new historical fiction titles--The Falconer's Knot, by Mary Hoffman, and The Medici Curse, by Matt Chamings--for the Times.

Katie Law reviews Jacqueline Wilson's autobiography for the youngsters--Jacky Daydream--for the Scotsman.

More later....

Friday, April 13, 2007

Poetry Friday (II)


Lorie Ann Grover's On Pointe is the Readergirlz book of the month. And it's perfect for a Poetry Friday review as it is a novel in verse.

Clare has a dream: to dance professionally. In the summer before her senior year in high school, she moves to her grandfather's home to train more seriously and try for the City Ballet:

There are only
sixteen positions
in City Ballet.
Sixteen positions
make the company.
How many in my class?
How many in the conservatory?
How many in western Washington
dream
like me
to be
one
in sixteen?

Clare trains hard and loves to dance. (I especially appreciate Lorie Ann Grover's descriptions of the pain and the beauty of dancing on pointe.) But Clare has a problem--one that escalates while living at her grandfather's--she's becoming too tall. And there's not much she can do about that.

Clare's not alone in her struggles. Her "best friend" in Madame's serious class is Rosella and Rosella has been throwing up to maintain her weight. Dia has grown too big and needs "a big bra" and her hips "are huge." But with the stakes as high as they are no one does much talking. When Dia is called in for "the talk" with Madame, for example, Dia disappears without a word. And no one mentions her absence.

Add to Clare's stress her mother's constant mention of "our dream" when they talk on the phone. (Not to moms: don't do this!) Oh, and grandfather--a wonderful, kind, prune juice drinking man six days of the week--becomes a little passive aggressive on the whole Sunday church-going issue.

In writing On Pointe as a novel in verse, Grover has chosen wisely from an aesthetic point of view. Clare's personality--straightforward, hardworking, serious--comes through in Grover's spare free verse. On Pointe is for anyone who has ever thought, "Even though I'm trying hard,/failure/could be/my future."

On Pointe is highly recommended for children as young as ten and as old as eighteen. I'd also recommend this book to the moms of the world (even the most well-meaning of us can make some big mistakes).
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Thursday, April 12, 2007

Poetry Friday (I)


A happy Poetry Friday to one and all!

It's my birthday today*, so I'm going to post two Poetry Friday entries--yet another from Ted Hughes' Collected Poems for Children and, later, a review of Lorie Ann Grover's On Pointe.

I understand that you all may be tired of me going on and on and on about Ted Hughes' Collected Poems for Children. But it's just come out in the U.S. and I've reviewed it this month for The Edge of the Forest. Now I am going to quote one final selection and then, sadly, leave him be for at least six months. (But, really, you should all buy this book.)

Today's poem comes from the last book included in Collected Poems for Children--a book intended for older children and teens (Season Songs):

April Birthday

When your birthday brings the world under your window
And the song-thrush sings wet-throated in the dew
And aconite and primrose are unsticking the wrappers
Of the package that has come today for you
.....
And the trees
Stagger, they stronger
Brace their boles and biceps under
The load of gift. And the hills float
Light as bubble glass
On the smoke-blue evening

And rabbits are bobbing everywhere, and a thrush
Rings coolly in a far corner. A shiver of green
Strokes the darkening slope as the land
Begins her labour.
-------------------------------------------
*It's a big one, my friends. The big 4-0.
-------------------------------------------
The lovely Liz B. of A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy is on the roundup this week. Please leave her your links in the comments.

The Edge of the Forest, April 2007

The Edge of the Forest (April) is finally up. Here's what's in store this month:

The Edge of the Forest will return May 10. If you're interested in writing a feature article or a review for the May, June, or July issues, please drop me a line.

Out and About



I'm still editing the Forest (up today at 5pm CST), but I wanted to tell you about a great toddler book I read recently--Wag a Tail, by Lois Ehlert. I have a review up over at Book Buds.

Speaking of Book Buds, did you know Anne will be editing the children's pages for The Poetry Foundation? She gives us the scoop here and reports on a Jack Prelutsky event here.
-----------------------

In the "it's my blog and I can if I want to" department, Eric Wilson profiles "the headmaster of fashion," Tim Gunn, at The New York Times. Now before you all start thinking I'm a major fashionista, I'll tell you that I appreciate Gunn as a teacher most of all. He's truly a master in the classroom. Take this classic comment, for example: "I appreciate what you're trying to do. Do I love it? No." Perfection.
----------------------
In the no comment, but some of you may be interested department: more celebrity, more books.

Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Just Sayin'




In front of my son's school at dropoff this morning.

At the risk of turning Big A little a into a weather complaint blog..... (Is anybody listening?)

In other topics:

I love the new look of Jacketflap. I think it's clean, beautiful, and easy to read.

Don't miss the Cybils interview with Sylvia Long! Sylvia Long illustrates the beautiful A Seed is Sleepy and An Egg is Quiet.

Also don't miss Scholar's Blog's A Hat Full of Sky discussion group over at Scholar's Blog Spoiler Zone. I'm headed over as soon as this month's forest is up.

Jules reviews an awesome new picture book over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. When I received this one in the mail yesterday, its cover called to me. I read it right away and it is droll.

Need a new chair? A Fuse #8 has the one for you!

Monica talks The Wind and the Willows over at educating alice. She asks if anyone reads it today. Good question. I have to say it works well in audio format. It was my son's favorite audio book, one he listened to multiple times. The Sea of Monsters has finally replaced it.

lectitans (who has a great new template--very readable) poses a question for kidlit bloggers: what does it mean to have a thorough knowledge of children's literature? Liz B. has a great answer up at A Chair, A Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.

Okay, now I'm just procrastinating. I must finish editing the Forest so it can up this evening. This issue is interview strong--we have Grace Lin, Lauren Myracle, and Carrie Jones!

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Snape is toast, and where the heck am I?

This weekend I linked to a Snape article in the Los Angeles Times during the weekend reviews. A Fuse #8 picked up on the story and it got me thinking this morning.

You see, there are some adults with Snape-love--adults and teens who are petitioning J.K. not to kill off our crotchety Potions master. I am one of those adults, though I haven't gone so far as to petition. Let's face it, it's J.K.'s decision in the end.

There are two issues here: 1) why do we think Snape is toast and 2) why do we love him so much? Here are my thoughts:

1) If Snape will be redeemed, he must die. And he must die proving Harry was wrong. In other words, he must die a hero. So he'll have to go saving Harry or fighting with the Order of the Phoenix for the greater cause. If he doesn't die, then Harry and friends will always suspect him and so will we.

2) I am beginning to think Alan Rickman is at fault here. I've been thinking about Snape in the books and Snape in the movies. While not one of the films has been as good as its textual inspiration, Alan Rickman has always been awesome. He is THE standout adult actor in the films. He has infused Snape with a campy humor that may be lacking in the books themselves. This may be why Rowling is surprised by Snape love. True he is a "gray" character, as mentioned in the LAT article, but he's not a funny one in Rowling's books.

There's another aspect to adult Snape love. (That sounds a little nasty, doesn't it?) Teachers and Professors love the man. He tells students what we all have longed to say at one point or another.

=====================
Where am I? I'm in the midst of editing The Edge of the Forest, which will go up sometime during the wee hours of the 10th/11th. I'm off for more work....

Sunday, April 08, 2007

weekend reviews (II)

Happy Easter to all those who celebrate! I hope you've had a beautiful Sunday with family and friends.

Here are the remains of the weekend reviews:

Mark S. Luce reviews Sherman Alexie's much-anticipated Young Adult novel, Flight: A Novel for the Los Angeles Times. (Uh-oh, not a good review.)

Not a review, but also in the Los Angeles Times: Jamie Smith Hopkins discusses Snape obsession leading up to the big day this summer. (This reminds me I need to write Leila. Count me amongst the Snape-obsessed.)

Ghost Ship, by Mary Higgins Clark, is the Washington Post Book of the Week.

Mary Harris Russell reviews six new books for the Chicago Tribune. They include:
  • Remembering Mrs. Rossi, by Amy Hest, illustrated by Heather Maione
  • My Friend Is Sad, by Mo Willems
  • The Longest Season, by Cal Ripken Jr., illustrated by Ron Mazellan
  • Junie B., First Grader: Dumb Bunny, by Barbara Park, illustrated by Denise Brunkus
  • Hey Batta Batta Swing!: The Wild Old Days of Baseball, by Sally Cook and James Charlton, illustrated by Ross MacDonald
  • The White Darkness, by Geraldine McCaughrean

Nicolette Jones reviews a ton of new children's books for the Times.

Saturday, April 07, 2007

Weekend Reviews (I)

April continues her fickle ways. It's still in the 20s in Smalltown, but at least we've been spared more of the white stuff. Spring, where are you?

At least there are books and the weekend reviews to keep us company, even if we're a bit stir-crazy and just longing for the sun.

Here's what's on tap so far this weekend:

Elizabeth Ward reviews poetry books for the Washington Post. She begins with some anti-recommendations (Prelutsky's Good Sports among them), before moving on to the good:

  • Here's a Little Poem, edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters, illustrated by Polly Dunbar. (This one has a great cover.)
  • William Blake, Sterling's Poetry for Young People
  • Today and Today, haiku's by Issa, "arranged by" G. Brian Karas
  • I Saw an Ant in a Parking Lot, by Joshua Prince, illustrated by Macky Pamintuan

Brenda Hoerle reviews new animal and environmental books for the Waterloo Record.

Philip Ardagh reviews Derek Landy's Skulduggery Pleasant for the Guardian.

Oops. Somehow I missed the Telegraph's children's book section last week. The Telegraph doesn't review children's books all that often, but when they do--they do it right. Here's what's available online:

Not a review, but Amanda Craig talks to Rick Riordan about the Percy Jackson series. In words of highest praise, Craig has this to say: "If it sounds like an Americanised Harry Potter, think again. Though they share the same formulaic titles, these are distinctive, not derivative, works." I think I love Amanda Craig.

More tomorrow, I'm sure...

Friday, April 06, 2007

Poetry Friday: Me I Am!


Me I Am!, by Jack Prelutsky and illustrated by Christine Davenier, celebrates the individuality in every child.

Based on a single poem by Prelutsky, Me I Am! follows the exuberant personality of several children as they show their stuff--baseball stances, roller skating, bike riding, insect-studying, ballet dancing, and dressing up. The kids are gleeful as they pursue their passions in a chaotic, kinetic kid-like style.

Today's Poetry Friday is the first 8 lines of Prelutsky's poem, "Me I Am!"

I am the only ME I AM
who qualifies as me;
no ME I AM has been before,
and none will ever be.

No other ME I AM can feel
the feelings I've within;
no other ME I AM can fit
precisely in my skin.


Me I Am! is the perfect choice for a child who is feeling a little out of place. Best suited for children ages three to seven, Me I Am! encourages children to find the special within themselves. Christine Davenier's illustrations are simply wonderful--colorful, busy and full-of-life. Children will search for kindred spirits in these pictures. Davenier includes not only active, busy kids, but also the detritus of their lives. Books, frogs, flowers, items of clothing, and art supplies litter the pages, just as they do the lives of young children. Enjoy!
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Here's the early roundup.

Liz Garton Scanlon celebrates a big birthday in verse over at Liz in Ink. Happy Birthday, Liz!

HipWriterMama contributes her own "A Salute to Shel Silverstein" (in verse, of course).

This is Elaine's month! She's in full poetry activity with an original poem dedicated to Susan of Chicken Spaghetti, "Mainly Speaking" at Wild Rose Reader. Also at Wild Rose Reader, Elaine reviews Here's a Little Poem, by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters (ill. by Polly Dunbar). At Blue Rose Girls, Elaine contributes a Poetry Friday potpourri. Not to be missed!

Speaking of Susan at Chicken Spaghetti, Susan calls attention to Randall Jarrell's "Bat-Poet" this week.

Wendy at Blog from the Windowsill contributes a song from the musical The Frog Prince.

lectitans shares a selection from "The Mermaid," by Alfred Lloyd Tennyson.

Tricia contributes "From the Shore," by Carl Sandburg, over at The Miss Rumphius Effect."

Mary Lee celebrates Diane Siebert and Stephen T. Johnson's Tour America over at A Year of Reading.

MsMac enjoys spring break, beautiful weather, and Jean Little's "Today" at Check It Out.

Mrs. K shares "Homeless Bird," by Tagore, at Readathon. (This poem was the inspiration for Gloria Whelan's Homeless Bird.)

Charlotte contributes ee cummings' wonderful "maggie and milly and molly and may" over at Charlotte's Library.

Little Willow finds comfort with Emily Bronte's lovely "Love and Friendship" at Slayground.

Michele thinks about Time with the help of Horace, Milton, and Frost at Scholar's Blog.

Kelly Fineman prepares for a school visit with plum poetry. Wow! Plum looks like an awesome book--must find it.

Betsy continues to post the Collected Works of Susan Ramsey at A Fuse #8 Production. Thanks, Betsy and Susan!

Susan Taylor Brown shares Edna St. Vincent Millay's classic "My candle burns at both ends..." at Susan Writes.

Laura Salas reviews Tracy Vaughn Zimmer's Reaching for Sun at Wordy Girls.

Wordy Girls also share a collection of 15-words-or-less original poems. Check 'em out!

Barbara Johansen Newman is a cowboy fan and has just discovered cowboy poetry. She shares a ton of great resources on cowboy poetry and the poem "Hands," by Linda M. Hasselstrom. Thanks, Barbara.

And there's more:

Nancy relies on an old favorite, Robert Frost, at Journey Woman.

Emily shares "When I Grow Up," by William Wise (maybe the best name ever for a children's poet) at Whimsy Books.

Lisa at Passionately Curious talks about using poetry in the classroom and posts some recent favorites.

Sherry at Semicolon contributes some George Herbert on the occasion of Easter.

Twice Bloomed Wisteria thinks about Daylight Savings Time with a little help from Robert Louis Stevenson. We know where you're coming from, Wisteria, and welcome to Poetry Fridays!

Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast is in. This week Eisha is "grooving on her new nephew" with "Only Child," by D. Nurske.

Adrienne shares Karla Kuskin's "Green as a Bean" over at What Adrienne Thinks About That.

Snow contributes "Wild Nights! Wild Nights!," by Emily Dickinson, at Kiddie Lit. Snow is also, like Gregory K. and Elaine, posting a poem a month for National Poetry Month!

Speaking of Gregory K., today's poem at GottaBook is "A Single Wish."

Jennie from Biblio File shares "The River Merchant's Wife: A Letter," by Li Bo, as translated and adapted by Ezra Pound.

Becky at Farm School drops in with a little Edna St. Vincent Millay--"Song of a Second April."

More entries:

Miss Erin shares "Evening Star," by Edgar Allan Poe.

Monica Edinger has big plans for her lucky students involving "Jaberwocky" and a literary salon. Check it out at Educating Alice.

It's cloudscome's birthday too! Happy Birthday. She celebrates with Ogden Nash's "Always Marry an April Girl" at A Wrung Sponge. Great choice.

Bri is in with some William Shakespeare (April was his month, in more ways than one) at Bri Meets Books.

Thursday, April 05, 2007

Poetry Friday: Roundup here

Hi all! I'll host the Poetry Friday roundup here this week. So, drop me your comments and I'll round you up when I post my Poetry Friday review tomorrow.

Review: Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria


These days I've been reviewing picture books over at Book Buds or at The Edge of the Forest. But once and awhile a picture book I really want to mention has already been reviewed on both sites. Such is the case with Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria.

Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria is the story of one woman's dream--a dream she held dear despite ridicule and the dismissal of her family and friends. Based on a true account, Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria also chronicles this dream within the context of what can only be called a difficult life.

Martha Ann was born a slave in Tennessee. Her father began saving to buy the family's freedom and move to Liberia, where Martha Ann and her siblings could not only live as free people, but also attend school. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving to Liberia, African fever killed Martha Ann's parents and her sisters, leaving her with only her brothers. The small family survived and Martha Ann married. One day, Martha Ann read about Queen Victoria in the newspaper: "She admired Queen Victoria for trying to save her and others from slavery by sending the navy." Martha Ann resolves to meet Queen Victoria and thank her in person.

Martha Ann began saving coins in the same red box her father used to collect monies for the move to Liberia. She also begins to make a gift for the queen--a beautiful quilt with a coffee tree design. Martha Ann survives gunfire at the hands of local tribesmen, the death of two husbands, and the taunts of local children: "Auntie Martha gonna see the Queen,/Stitching a quilt of coffee beans./How man stitches will it take?/Two-four-six-eight!"

Finally, when Martha Ann was in her 70s, the wife of Liberia's first president, Mrs. Jane Roberts, helps Martha Ann make the trip to present her quilt to Queen Victoria.

Martha Ann's life and dream comprise quite a story in and of themselves. But author Kyra E. Hicks lends a majesty to the tale, with simple, heartfelt prose and a focus on the dream above all. Lee Edward Fodi's illustrations perfectly accent this text--while realistic, they also have a childlike quality that emphasizes the prominence of the dream in the story.

Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria is best suited for children ages six to ten. Read it aloud to a second- to fourth-grade class: this story will change the way they think about the world and inspire them to hold on to their dreams.
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Review copy received by the author.

Martha Ann resources:

A photo of Martha Ann Ricks in the National Portrait Gallery in London. The portrait was commissioned by Queen Victoria.

Kyra E. Hicks website, which includes a teaching guide for Martha Ann's Quilt for Queen Victoria and information on African-American quilting.