Seven Billion and Counting… October 30, 2011

According to the United Nations, the world’s population will reach 7 billion people tomorrow – a memorable way to begin the week. I’m not sure this “elevator” has a weight limit. We will have to rely on human ingenuity to face this challenge as we have so many times before. Surfing around a bit this morning, I read that China and India account for 37% of the world’s population, and after Asia, Africa is the second most populous continent. I also learned that the best way to truly get away from it all is to move to Greenland or Iceland.

I want to ask our students to think about the number 7 billion. I can tell them that, according to one article I read, 7 billion people could stand shoulder to shoulder in Los Angeles. And that if we were to all gather in Los Angeles, the language most of us would hear is Mandarin Chinese which is spoken by over 12% of the population.

Here are ten picture books to initiate a discussion of our changing planet. The first five are for young children – books that will spark an interest in geography and curiosity about this big world.

Whoever You Are by Mem Fox

People by Peter Spier

One World, One Day by Barbara Kerley

Somewhere in the World Right Now by Stacey Schuett

How to Bake an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman

Houses and Homes by Ann Morris (Morris’s Around the World books include Bread, Bread, Bread and On the Go and Families. The books are a fascinating way to introduce young children to our diverse world.)

If the World Were a Village: A Book About the World’s People by David J. Smith (A look at the world – based on the idea that the world is a village of 100 people. Be sure you get the second edition. The book was originally published in 2002, but has been updated to reflect the current demographics.)

One Well: The Story of Water on Earth by Rochelle Strauss (70% of our planet is water and this book – for older children – stresses how water connects all of us and the urgent need to protect the “well.”)

A Life Like Mine: How Children Live Around the World (profiles of children and how their most fundamental needs are met. A project of DK Publishing in association with UNICEF.)

A Child’s Introduction to the World: Geography, Cultures and People – From the Grand Canyon to the Great Wall of China by Heather Alexander (Another book for older children, but I like this book’s focus on geography, beginning with a section titled, “Where Am I?”)

Coming in February… October 27, 2011

Walter Isaacson’s 656 page biography of Steve Jobs was released this week, and while it sounds engaging and insightful, I may wait until February when Karen Blumenthal’s biography of Jobs is published. Blumenthal’s book for young adults is 400 pages shorter and has an equally cool cover. 

Blumenthal is also the author of Mr. Sam: How Sam Walton Built Walmart and Became America’s Richest Man.  If you know a budding entrepeneur, these books would be inspiring gifts.

If you don’t have time to read either Isaacson’s or Blumenthal’s biographies of the 21st century icon, check out the 60 Minutes interview with Walter Isaacson. Here’s the link:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-20124391/steve-jobs-revelations-from-a-tech-giant/?tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

Association of Jewish Libraries Reviews Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg October 26, 2011

I am grateful and pleased by the the Association of Jewish Libraries’ review of my biography of Hank Greenberg. 

Celebrate the 100th birthday of baseball icon, Hank Greenberg, with this strong biography told in the context of American history and culture. The story of the man and his game unfold, embedded in the arc of twentieth-century America before civil rights and multicultural values became norms. Economic depression and war time are major factors in the baseball season. Greenberg’s status arcs from Jewish star to American superstar while he changes from wishing to be a great ballplayer to being a great Jewish ballplayer. Anti-Semitic remarks disturb his peace of mind, but not his determination to play as a Jew; he is famous for not playing on Yom Kippur during the cliffhanger American League pennant race. Readers observe a gentleman, standing up for his heritage. They will hold their breath wondering if Greenberg beats Babe Ruth’s home run record. They will understand why he supports Jackie Robinson who breaks the color barrier. Greenberg retires as a player, becomes an administrator and part owner; his family influences his work.

Greenberg’s quotes give every chapter immediacy and warmth; nostalgic black and white photographs reveal ordinary folks, national superstars, and political demons in their midcentury youth. The excitement of the games engrosses readers, hooked to stay despite quieter ending chapters as Greenberg ages. Greenberg played with uber-famous ball players whose names and faces grace these pages, but there is no doubt which one is the star. Readers will ask their parents to “take me out to the ball game!” Highly recommended.

The Horn Book Guide Reviews Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg October 24, 2011

Today’s mail included the fall edition of the Horn Book Guide, and I had a feeling that it would include a review of my biography of Hank Greenberg. It did. Here’s the review:

“Sommer delves into the life and career of Hall of Famer Greenberg. The text draws a well-rounded portrait of the man as both a fine athlete and as a Jewish American during a time when there weren’t many Jewish baseball players. Black-and-white archival photos enhance the volume. Many of the facts and quotes come from Greenberg’s autobiography.”

Short but nice – thanks Horn Book!

A Fancy Monday! October 24, 2011

Jane O’Connor’s popular Fancy Nancy books are a staple of our school library, but to be honest, I had not given the fancy little girl too much thought until today – when she popped up not once, but two times!

Her first appearance was at lunch when I was reading a few pages of this week’s New Yorker profile of Jill Abramson, the new executive editor of the New York Times. Abramson is the first woman in the paper’s 160-year history to serve in that role. Fascinating story, but here’s what caught my attention – Abramson is Jane O’Connor’s sister!  No wonder Abramson looks so “fancy” in the New Yorker photograph. Her sister may have been the consultant!  That little tidbit made my day…but there was more.

Later in the afternoon, an teacher stopped by the library to ask for a book to introduce the idea of ancestors and family history to her 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade students. I looked at a few picture books and found some good ones about family traditions and holidays, but not one that defined ancestors in an accessible way for a six or seven-year-old child. I decided to consult Amazon, and the first thing that popped up was: Fancy Nancy: My Family History.  Ancestor is kind of a fancy word, isn’t it!  The book is part of the HarperCollins’ I Can Read series, and the book cover says it’s a Level One.  I’m not sure I agree with that – too many “fancy” words for a new reader, but it’s a perfect way to introduce ancestors to a child. And with Thanksgiving right around the corner, it’s a sweet intergenerational story that reminds readers that their grandparents began life as children.

The Best Pet of All by David LaRochelle October 23, 2011

Admittedly, I did not plan this story time very well. It was book fair week and the library was selling, rather than lending, books. Since the library shelves were temporarily unavailable, we took  the library to the classrooms – kind of like a book mobile, but bringing only what we could carry. During these visits, I always read a few stories that are available at the book fair. It builds interest and yes, increases sales. Usually, I have a few books in mind that I already know or a title I’ve heard about, and those are the ones we bring to promote the fair. This year a cover of a book I didn’t know caught my eye – David LaRochelle’s picture book, The Best Pet of All.

The cheery retro-looking cover looked promising so I added it to my pile.  Before I read the first few pages, I knew this was a keeper, and one that would enter our very selective group of books to keep close by in case of a story telling emergency presented by a parent or teacher. The Best Pet of All is not original. It’s about a boy who wants a dog. You’ve heard that one before. But trust me. This one is different. It’s witty and funny and absolutely charming.  In this version of boy on a quest for a pet, he begins by asking his mother for a dog. No, his mother tells him. “Dogs are too messy.”  Not one to be deterred, the boy asks if he can have a dragon instead. His mother, thinking it’s safe to agree with this request, agrees that if her son can find a dragon, he can keep it. He finds one. At the drugstore, reading a magazine. 

If you know a child between the ages of 4 and 8 who enjoys funny stories, add this one to your library list. I bought a copy for Inly’s library as soon as I returned from the class visit.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret – The Movie October 21, 2011

It’s happening again. I’m getting excited about the movie version of a much-loved book and keeping my fingers crossed that this book-to-movie project will be successful. (Just the other day, I had a conversation with a student and her mother on this very topic. We decided that the movie version of Babe was a winner. I’ll never forget that scene of Farmer Hoggett dancing for Babe!)

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the Caldecott-award winning novel by Brian Selznick, has been made into a film. Selznick’s novel about a twelve-year-old boy who lives in the walls of a Paris train station could be shelved in all of these places: fiction, picture books, graphic novels, or books about movies. I keep it on a shelf reserved for my favorite books of all time - it shares space with The Book Thief and Charlotte’s Web.  The movie opens on November 23…here’s the trailer:

http://www.theinventionofhugocabret.com/movie_trailer.htm

Drawing from Memory by Allen Say October 19, 2011

When I opened the package containing Allen Say’s new graphic memoir, Drawing From Memory, it inspired a few memories of my own. As a student at the Simmons Center for the Study of Children’s Literature, I wrote one of my papers on Say’s work. I remember being more excited about this paper than the others because I was a long-time fan of Say’s multi-layered picture books.

The characters in Say’s books move between one place and another, but he has the ability to portray journeys of a few miles and those over years and continents with equal skill. His books, including his new one, are also about journeys that can’t be measured in miles. Many of his characters, young and old, are on a different kind of journey; they are traveling to pursue dream or establish an identity.

Drawing From Memory is Say’s memoir of his experience as a “cultural hybrid.” All of his books have been autobiographical, in spirit if not in fact, but now we have his story in his own pictures and words.  Like his Caldecott-winning book, Grandfather’s Journey, Drawing From Memory is also about journeys and dreams. The first page includes a picture of a Say as a young child and the words: “I was born in 1937 by the seashore of Yokohama, Japan.” What follows is a 62-page journey from Japanese art student to American artist, with particular attention on his mentor, Japanese cartoonist Noro Shinpei.

I’m looking forward to sharing this book with students – and revisiting some of my established favorites. If you are new to Allen Say’s work, start with Grandfather’s Journey or Tea with Milk.  Both of these books are excellent vehicles for beginning a discussion about identity.

Shine by Lauren Myracle October 18, 2011

Yesterday I posted a link to the National Book Award finalists, a list I thought included Shine by Lauren Myracle. This morning I read that Myracle, a popular author of young adult literature, has withdrawn from the shortlist.  The New York Times article explains that Myracle was originally named to the shortlist for Shine, but soon after the announcement the National Book Foundation “reversed itself, saying that Ms. Myracle’s book was not meant be a finalist, but that it would stay on the shortlist anyway.” The article goes on to say that the foundation added Chime by Franny Billingsley to the list.

As if that isn’t awful enough for Myracle, she was then asked to withdraw - which she graciously did.  The School Library Journal article about the unprecedented situation is here: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/home/892417-312/lauren_myracle_drops_out_of.html.csp

I ordered a copy of Shine today.

National Book Award Finalists October 17, 2011

The finalists for the National Book Awards were named last Wednesday.  You can see all of the covers by clicking the link below:

http://www.nationalbook.org/

I am particularly thrilled that Lauren Redniss’s stunning book, Radioactive, is a finalist in the nonfiction category for her graphic biography of Marie and Pierre Curie. 

In the category recognizing books for young people, I am happy – but not at all surprised – that Gary Schmidt’s coming-of-age novel, Okay for Now, was nominated.  And, coincidentally, I had just ordered a copy of Thannhai Lai’s novel, Inside Out & Back Again, based on its wonderful reviews. It”s moved up to the top of my “to read” pile.

The winners in fiction, nonfiction and young people’s literature will be announced on November 16.