Hero Day at Inly – Authors Included! January 31, 2012

Today is Hero Day at Inly which is both really fun and quite enlightening. All of the students between kindergarden and 8th grade made boxes that creatively represent a person they consider to be a hero. During the event, I took my notebook and went out to see if there were any authors among the boxes paying tribute to former presidents and Steve Jobs. I’m not taking anything away from leaders of the free world or the founder of Apple, but it was wonderful to see a few authors – and one literary character – honored by a box.

Not surprisingly, J.K. Rowling was the author who dominated this category. Lots of boxes featuring pictures of broomsticks and witch hats. But these are the other writers our students recognized:

Beverly Cleary – What a terrific choice…think of how many smiles Beverly Cleary has been responsible for over the years!

J.R.R. Tolkien – selected by a 7th grade girl who is, of course, a lover of fantasy novels

Maya Angelou – not surprisingly, it was a teacher who chose Angelou and she made the coolest “caged bird” to represent the poet’s work. By the way, here’s a fun fact about Angelou’s most well-known book, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.  The title of her book was inspired by a poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar called Sympathy.  Dunbar was an African American poet who lived between 1872 and 1906. He was born in Dayton, Ohio – and went to high school with Wilbur and Orville Wright. There’s your interesting Dayton trivia for the day!

Dr. Seuss- this box was done by an 8th grade student who wrote a beautiful essay about Dr. Seuss which included this sentence: “Children have ‘owned’ his books both figuratively and literally for years.” Nice, huh?  And so true…

Laurie Halse Anderson – Anderson was selected by an 8th grade student who feels that Anderson has put words to so many feelings that are part of being a teenager

Stephen King – Honestly, I don’t know. I admire the original selection here, but I am frightened way too easily to read Stephen King’s novels.

Rachel Carson – her words started a movement. A true hero.

And the one fictional character?  Atticus Finch, of course!

My own hero was not someone who wrote a book, but a person who found a book. Miep Gies not only risked her own life to protect Anne Frank and the others in the Dutch annex during WWII, but she was the person who discovered Anne’s diary. Without Miep Gies we would not have access to Anne’s thoughts and doubts and her belief that “in spite of everything, people are truly good at heart.”

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai January 29, 2012

Last night I sat down and read Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai. The novel – written in free verse – won the National Book Award and was named a 2012 Newbery Honor Book. My plan was to read half of it last night and the other half today. Instead, I read it straight through. Lai’s moving, and often very funny, story is about 10-year-old Ha who, along with her mother and brothers, is forced to leave her home in Saigon at the end of the Vietnam War. After a short stay in Guam, her family eventually settles in Alabama. An author’s note at the end explains that the story is based on the author’s own experience which explains the books immediacy and emotional honesty.

Some of the scenes are heartbreaking, for example when Ha describes her feelings at her new school and says she wants to “feel invisible until I can talk back.” But there are other moments that reminded me to pay closer attention to new students, regardless of where they come from. “On one side of the bright, noisy room, light skin,” Ha says about her new school cafeteria, “Other side, dark skin. Both laughing, chewing, as if it never occurred to them someone medium would show up.”

I’ve already added Inside Out & Back Again to the summer reading list, but plan to recommend it to a few students between now and then.  It’s a powerful and deeply affecting book.

On a completely different note…there’s a good article in today’s New York Times about Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel, A Wrinkle in Time. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/books/review/a-wrinkle-in-time-and-its-sci-fi-heroine.html

A Visitor In the Library January 25, 2012

I’m sitting at my desk looking at a four-foot alligator. A real one. Her name is Berkley, and luckily she is being held quite securely by Karen, a woman from Boston’s Museum of Science. Berkley is participating in a program about the life cycles of reptiles which is taking place as I write this. I’m learning a lot about alligators, but what stands out is that it is illegal to have an alligator as a pet. In fact, Berkley was rescued from someone’s home who clearly didn’t read that part of the Massachusetts law. Karen is telling us that Berkley and her fellow gators pretty much eat anything put in front of them, including people. She also has really cool pictures of baby alligators being protected by staying in their mother’s mouth. I’m staying right here at my desk looking at our collection of books about alligators and crocodiles.

If you have a child interested in learning more, I would recommend a trip to the Museum of Science or checking out one of these titles. All of them are terrific introductions to alligators and crocodiles for kids between the ages of 6 and 9.

Crocodiles & Alligators by Seymour Simon

Alligators and Crocodiles by Gail Gibbons

Alligators and Crocodiles! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

Who Lives in an Alligator Hole? by Anne Rockwell

By the way, in case you’re wondering what happens when Berkley gets larger and can no longer visit school children…she will be safely returned to a refuge in Florida where she can watch tourists taking pictures of her!

2012 Caldecott and Newbery Winners… January 23, 2012

Today was the day!  The winners of the big children’s book prizes were announced at the American Library Association meeting this morning.

Here’s the link to the ALA’s press release:

http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/news/ala/american-library-association-announces-2012-youth-media-award-winners

So  many great winners, but I was especially happy to see that Blackout, the picture book by John Rocco, was named a Caldecott Honor Book.  The Newbery winner, Jack Gantos’ Dead End in Norvelt, has just moved to the top of my to-read pile!

NPR’s All Things Considered featured a short interview with Chris Raschka, the winner of the Caldecott Award. If you want to listen, click here:

http://www.npr.org/2012/01/23/145656652/caldecott-winner-chris-raschka-discusses-his-book

An Award and a New Book January 20, 2012

When the representative of the Sydney Taylor Book Award called to tell me that Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg is a 2012 Honor Book, it took me a minute to fully “get it.” For years, I have eagerly read the list of the winners of this award, along with the other children’s book awards announced each January. It never occurred to me that my book would join the respected list of authors and illustrators who receive Sydney Taylor Awards.  

The first thing I did after hearing the news was to purchase a hard cover copy of Sydney Taylor’s classic novel, All-of-a-Kind Family. Of course, I read the book as a young girl, long before I anticipated any association with Sydney Taylor.  Published in 1951, Taylor’s book (and its four sequels), follow the adventures of five Jewish sisters and their parents living in New York City during the early 1900s.  I don’t recall the details and am looking forwared to re-reading it, but I can remember the peek into another world that Taylor’s books provided and looking for pictures of  New York City after reading them. Taylor’s world was “foreign” and exciting  - in the same way as Laura’s life on the prairie. I grew up in a suburb of Dayton, Ohio and, quite frankly, many of the people I knew shared common backgrounds and beliefs.  I didn’t visit New York until I was an adult, but Taylor’s books were one of my first literary experiences of that city.

Like the family in Taylor’s novels, I grew up with sisters and books with families of girls had special appeal. Little Women, The Little House books, and Sydney Taylor’s All-of-a-Kind Family.  These stories were my gateway into other worlds and inspired my life-long love of reading. I’m going to curl up soon with Taylor’s novel – the real book, not an e-book. When I read the books for the first time in the 1970s, a Nook was something you ”sat in.” When I revisit Ella and her sisters, I want to read it the same way I read it the first time.

Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg Selected as a Sydney Taylor Honor Book! January 18, 2012

2012 Sydney Taylor Book Awards Announced Press Release

Association of Jewish Libraries Selects Best Jewish Books for Children and Teens

Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg is a Sydney Taylor Honor Book!  Here’s the official press release about the three winners – and the eight (including Hank) Honor Books…………………………  Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda, author and artist of Chanukah Lights, Susan Goldman Rubin, author of Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein, and Robert Sharenow, author of The Berlin Boxing Club,are the 2012 winners of the prestigious Sydney Taylor Book Award. The awards were announced at the mid-winter meeting of the School, Synagogue and Community Center Division of the Association of Jewish Libraries.   The Sydney Taylor Book Award honors new books for children and teens that exemplify the highest literary standards while authentically portraying the Jewish experience. The award memorializes Sydney Taylor, author of the classic All-of-a-Kind Family series. The winners will receive their awards at the Association of Jewish Libraries convention in Pasadena,California this June.    For Younger Readers Rosen and Sabuda will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Younger Readers Category for Chanukah Lights,published by Candlewick Press.This exquisite bookcelebrates Jewish history by pairing poetic prose with intricate paper cut pop-up art. Barbara Bietz, Chair of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee, said: “From the shtetl to skyscrapers, the white pop-up scenes against a background of deep rainbow colors illuminate Jewish life for the eight nights of Chanukah. Together, children and adults will marvel at the stunning scenes that magically unfold with each turn of the page.”     For Older Readers The gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Older Readers Category will be presented to Susan Goldman Rubin for Music Was It: Young Leonard Bernstein,published by Charlesbridge Publishing. This biography shares the inspiring story of the young musician and his commitment to succeed in spite of his family’s opposition.Through hard work, determination and a spirit that won’t quit, Bernstein’s dream is realized as he takes the stage as a conductor at Carnegie Hall. Numerous photos help bring Bernstein’s journey to life. Committee member Barbara Krasner commented: “Music Was It shows the struggle between the old and new worlds – the immigrant generation and the American generation. Susan Goldman Rubin’s well-researched and polished narrative was filled with tension that today’s kids can relate to.” In 2000, Goldman Rubin received theSydney Taylor Honor Award for Fireflies in the Dark: The Story of Friedl Dicker-Brandeis. Her book, The Cat with the Yellow Star: Coming of Age in Terezin, was a 2006 Sydney Taylor Honor Book.    For Teen Readers Robert Sharenow will receive the 2012 gold medal in the Sydney Taylor Book Award’s Teen Readers Category for The Berlin Boxing Club, published by HarperTeen, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishing. This historical novel reveals the history of Nazi Germany through the eyes of Karl Stern, a typical 14-year-old German boy. Karl never gave much thought to being Jewish and had little connection with any religious life. When classmates bully Karl, he is forced to face the dangers in his own community. Given the opportunity to learn boxing from German champion Max Schmeling, Karl jumps at the chance. He grows strong and learns to defend himself. But as the Nazi’s gain power and his family is in peril, Karl questions who he can trust. Aimee Lurie, incoming Chair of the Award Committee noted: “The superb writing, meticulous research, and dramatic look into the world of boxing pack a punch that will leave teens mesmerized! Readers will be captivated and inspired by Karl’s transformation from being the victim of anti-semitic violence to a strong, confident young man who is able to protect his family.”   Honor Books & Notable Books Eight Sydney Taylor Honor Books were named for 2012.   Naamah and the Ark at Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti with illustrations by Holly Meade (Candlewick Press) and Around the World in One Shabbat written and illustrated by Durga Yael Bernhard (Jewish Lights Publishing) are recognized in the Younger Readers Category.   Sydney Taylor Honor Books for Older Readers include: Lily Renee, Escape Artist: from Holocaust Survivor to Comic Book Pioneer by Trina Robbins with illustrations by Anne Timmons and Mo Oh (Graphic Universe, an imprint of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc.), Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer by Shelley Sommer (Calkins Creek, an imprint Boyds Mills Press), and Irena’s Jars of Secrets by Marcia Vaughan with illustrations by Ron Mazellan (Lee & Low Books). For teen readers, the Honor Books are Then by Morris Gleitzman (Henry Holt and Company) and The Blood Lie by Shirley Reva Vernick (Cinco Puntos Press).

Early Chapter Books for Global Citizens January 16, 2012

Inly’s students are about half-way through their 2011-21012 world tour. They’ve read about foreign capitals, tried new foods and used the magic of technology to see how kids live in every corner of the globe. Of course, we’ve also read lots of stories.  During each library class, the read-aloud selection is a story that takes place somewhere outside of the United States. Julia Donaldson’s popular British picture book, The Gruffalo, has been the most popular choice so far. I even ordered a copy of The Gruffalo’s Child so we could continue the adventures of the smart mouse and the monster.

There is no shortage of “international” picture books. We could meet through the summer and still not read all of the wonderful stories available to American readers. But, here’s where things got tricky. We thought it would be fun for our large group of new readers to select a beginning “chapter book” written by a foreign author. That proved a bit more challenging, but it can be done.  The teachers asked me to suggest a few titles for their 1st through 3rd grade students – and here they are…

Medusa Jones by Ross Collins (Collins is from Scotland – and this is a really fun story about a girl living in Ancient Greece. As you might expect, Medusa has snakes coming out of her head!)

Babe and Lady Lollipop and The Nine Lives of Aristotle – all by British author Dick King-Smith (King-Smith has written so many sweet early chapter books – these are just a few titles to get you started. Don’t forget A Mouse Called Wolf about a music-loving mouse!)

The Akimbo series by Alexander McCall Smith (McCall Smith was born in what is now Zimbabwe and now lives in Scotland. Akimbo lives on an African game reserve with his parents – his dad is a park ranger.  This series is a guaranteed hit – animals, adventure, a likeable hero)

The Anna Hibiscus series by Atinuke (Atinuke is from Nigeria – the books are about a little girl living in “Africa – amazing Africa.”)

Younguncle Comes to Town by Vandana Singh (Singh was born in India, where this story about three children and their eccentric uncle takes place)

The Lotta series and Pippi Longstocking by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren (Lotta on Troublemaker Street is about Lotta’s too-scratchy sweater, a challenge most kids face at one point or another – unless they live in Florida!)

And Roald Dahl!  So many choices for new readers – before they read The BFG and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.  Suggest The Enormous Crocodile, George’s Marvelous Medicine, or The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me.

The Whole Megillah January 11, 2012

Thanks to Barbara Krasner at The Whole Megillah for her support of my book, Hammerin’ Hank Greenberg: Baseball Pioneer. The Whole Megillah is a website totally devoted to Jewish-themed books for children. Recently, Barbara asked Carolyn Yoder (my editor) and me to answer a few questions about Hank Greenberg.

Here’s the link:

http://thewholemegillah.wordpress.com/

You Have to See This! January 10, 2012

My son just showed me the coolest YouTube video.

It only takes 2 minutes to watch – and it will be the happiest 2 minutes of your day!

Check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKVcQnyEIT8

Turning Emotion Into Art January 8, 2012

We were in New Orleans a couple of weeks ago, and while we were there, we visited an old U.S. Mint Building which is now the Louisiana State Museum.  One of the cool things about it is that it’s the only building in America to serve as both a Confederate and United States mint. They had lots of exhibits about money and coins, and quite honestly, while I loved the building, I’m not that interested in money – except as a means to acquire books and keep my Starbucks card loaded.

What interested me the most about our visit was a quote I read. While my husband and son were walking around checking out the old coins, I began to wander.  I’m glad I did because I came to a wall that had these words engraved on it:

“The object of art

is to crystallize emotion

into thought, and fix it in form.”

I just looked it up, and the quote is attributed to Francois Delsarte, a 19^th century French musician.  I know nothing about Delsarte, but I really like this quote and keep thinking about how it applies to books. Books crystallize emotion, don’t they?  They certainly “fix it in form.”  The form may be the screen or a piece of paper, but that’s still “form.” 

This weekend I began reading The Submission by Amy Waldman. Talking about giving form to emotion! I’m not far enough along to write too much about it, but after reading the first 50 pages, I am kind of stunned by how much Waldman has taken on: the post-September 11 world, the purpose of art, patriotism and the ways we tell our own stories.  As you may know from all of the attention Waldman’s book has received, the novel is about the impact of selecting a Muslim architect to design a monument to September 11. It’s one of the most powerful books I’ve ever read, and I’m just glad to be reading it for a book club. It’s definitely a book that initiates discussion.