The Best of 2016…..

It seems like children’s books are more beautiful every year, or maybe this year I’m especially open to colorful and thoughtful portals to other places.  Perhaps I’m trying to escape the realities of the divisive language of 2016 and finding refuge in books. Recently I’ve found myself returning to books of paintings.  Not contemporary art, but paintings from the Dutch Golden Age that are rich and detailed and awe-inspiring to remind me how lucky we are to be surrounded by so much beauty.

Here are my favorite picture books of 2016….

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol  (A folk-tale like picture book about a woman trying to knit, but can’t find a quiet space. A perfect read-aloud!)

Motor Miles by John Burningham (A dog driving a car in a whimsical and joyful book.  Burningham is wonderful.  His books never rely on flashy elements or literary acrobatics, but what he does is far more skillful – his pictures and words integrate to tell a good story that kids love.)

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas (This is a quiet book, but it finds a place in your heart. A foggy and “watery” book about a lonely man who finds a message in a bottle – and new friends.)

Penguin Problems by Jory John (This is the book I’m reading in the picture at the top of the post – and my first grade friend loved it. Life as a penguin in more challenging than we realized!)

The Night Gardener by The Fan Brothers (A truly magical book about the power of community)

The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield (The book to give a young child who is afraid of the dark. The astronaut, Chris Hadfield, tells a story about his own fears that changed the day he saw the Apollo 11 moon landing on television.)

This is Not a Picture Book! by Sergio Ruzzier (I read this to a group of 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders last week and they loved it.  In fact, a student visited the Library this week and asked me to read it again.  A book about the joy of reading.)

Best in Snow by April Pulley Sayre (A photo tribute to snow that is among the most beautiful winter books I’ve ever seen.  An inspiring book for nature lovers.)

Before Morning by Joyce Sidman (Beth Krommes’ scratchboard illustrations are the stars here. They complement Sidman’s small gem of a poem about a child dreaming of a snow day.  I’m not sure if it should be shelved with picture books or art books – maybe both!)

Henry and Leo by Pamela Zagarenski (A new book for your “Velveteen Rabbit shelf” of stories about toy animals becoming real. Leo, a stuffed lion, is Henry’s best friend, but during a walk in the woods, they are separated. Only Henry believes Leo is real and will come back…..)

Last week, I visited Rob Hakala and Lisa Azizian at WATD-FM.  Thanks to their generous invitation, I have shared book recommendations with WATD listeners several times over the past year…..

Finally, here are the two paintings by the 17th century Dutch artist, Gerrit Dou, I’ve found myself looking at over the past few weeks. Since November 8 to be exact.

A Girl Chopping Onions

The Grocer’s Shop

Happy Book Shopping!

 

The Graphic Novels Take a Break…

I love Babymouse and the Lunch Lady, and Raina Telgemeier’s Sisters and Ghosts, and the Dog Man.  But last week we did this:

The graphic novels are behind the fancy paper tablecloth because, as we explained to the kids, that section of the library deserves a rest.  Yes, there were lots of sad faces – but only for a few minutes.  And then something miraculous happened.  The students realized there are 8,500 other books in the library! It may have been the first time that some of our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders noticed all of the books about animals and outer space and robots.

The popularity of graphic novels for young readers is a good thing.  The kids are “reading” both text and illustration.  The sequencing encourages them to slow down, and of course, reluctant readers are often drawn to the format.  However, there are days I look at all of the other books in the school library and wonder if they feel neglected.

We helped them get over their disorientation by displaying some of the wonderful new books for emerging readers.  If you are looking to vary the diet of your young graphic novel fan, try one of these new books….

James to the Rescue (The Masterpiece Adventures) by Elisa Broach (an illustrated companion series to the middle grade novel, Masterpiece.  The stars of the series are a boy named James and his best friend, Marvin who is….a beetle!)

Sam the Man and the Chicken Plan by Frances O’Roark Dowell  (This is one of those practically perfect early chapter books. A seven-year-old boy gets into the business of caring for neighborhood chickens that results in a lovely intergenerational friendship.)

Skunked! Calpurnia Tate, Girl Vet by Jacqueline Kelly  (Based on the middle grade novel, Calpurnia Tate, these illustrated books follow the adventures of young Calpurnia who lives in Texas in the early 1900s.)

Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami  (I love this book so much.  It’s charming and inspiring, but….it’s a stand-alone early chapter book. Books that are not part of a series can struggle to find their readers.  Books like Krishnaswami’s one need to be put in a young reader’s hands.  It’s also timely. The book’s Indian protagonist, Yasmin, borrows a book from her uncle’s street corner lending library every day, but when the Mayor threatens to close her uncle’s bookstand, Yasmin becomes a community organizer.)

The Infamous Ratsos by Kara LaReau (lots of action and warmhearted humor – give this one to a reluctant reader and watch them fly through the pages!)

Juana and Lucas by Juana Medina (Juana, a middle class girl growing up in Bogota, Columbia, loves to draw and is learning English in school. Each chapter of Medina’s book focuses on Juana’s adventures – with her dog, Lucas.  There are very few stories for young readers told from the point of view of a child living in South America.  This one is absolutely essential – especially now.)

The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat (for kids who are just entering the world of chapter books comes a new series created by Mo Willems.  The characters in The Cookie Fiasco have a problem: A hippo, a crocodile, a squirrel with pigtails, and a squirrel wearing glasses all want a cookie.  There are three cookies and four friends.  There must be a solution…)

The experiment will continue.  Tomorrow, in fact, books by Mo Willems will be taking a mental health day.  We love them so much!  I may even take a peek under the cover to get a glimpse of Elephant and Piggie, but it’s time for Strega Nona and the Wild Things and Amos McGee to shine!

If you live nearby, join us to see all of the best children’s books of 2016….

One of the most colorful surprises of Inly’s new library is the way the afternoon sun bounces off of the stained glass leaves and “dances” on the walls. Last week, the light was shining on Frederick Douglas’s quote: Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

A Weekend to Recharge and Reflect…

It’s been a weekend of trying to hit the reset button. Fortunately, the weather cooperated. Sunny and warm, I walked with a friend, treated myself to some brightly colored flowers, and contributed to the National Resources Defense Council (https://www.nrdc.org). After spending three days feeling heartbroken about President Trump’s plan to unravel President Obama’s progress on mitigating the effects of climate change, I did the only thing I could think of – begin learning about organizations that help protect our planet.

Because I’ve had trouble reading anything but news, today’s post includes lots of pictures…

A few days ago, I went to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to see “Beyond Words: Italian Renaissance Books.”  The exhibit is on view until January 16, and is a must-see for book lovers.  The focus of the small show are the Italian humanists and their glowing illuminated manuscripts.

I was recently in Barnes and Noble thinking that it has almost completely transformed into a coloring book and toy store.  Of course, books are available, but there seem to be fewer every time I go in.  Thanks to a friend, though, who shared something she found at her father’s house, we have evidence that Barnes and Noble used to exclusively sell books – a catalog from 1963…..

You may not be able to see the prices very well, but in the picture above, The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone is 95 cents!

It’s nice to see there are books “for the ladies” about curtains and patchwork patterns….

And apparently, you could travel around Europe for $5.00 a day….

Moments from last week in the library….

The first two pictures below are groups of kids looking at wordless picture books by Jeannie Baker, an artist and illustrator dedicated to preserving the environment.  First, I read The Little House, the classic picture book by Virginia Lee Burton, to a group of 4th and 5th grade students. Next, they looked at Baker’s books, Window and Home, and I asked them to make connections between books that were written nearly 70 years apart.

This picture shows why we order two copies of some books….

Finally, a picture of a book cover – just to close the post with something beautiful…

And the Winner Is…..

Squid!  By 10 votes, President Squid carried the day over Duck.  Squid’s big personality and bright pink color motivated the voters – that and the fact that Duck was perhaps a tad too eager to be President without serving very long as Governor.  (It’s complicated.)

The most fascinating thing was observing our voters. Clearly, they don’t yet understand voter privacy.  Look at this student boldly checking out his friend’s ballot:

Pivoting to a new topic….

I recently compiled a list of picture books that spark creativity.  Although you could make a case that all books are creative – writers imagined Duck and Squid before they were “created” – the stories listed below nurture the creative spirit….

Rosie Revere, Engineer by Andrea Beaty

Ada Twist, Scientist by Andrea Beaty

Iggy Peck, Architect by Andrea Beaty

Maybe Something Beautiful by F. Isabel Campy

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

Scraps: Notes From a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert

Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

The Branch by Mireille Messier

Cloth Lullaby: The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois by Amy Novesky

Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi

Not a Box by Antoinette Portis

Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis

The Dot by Peter Reynolds

Going Places by Peter and Paul Reynolds

Beautiful Oops! by Barney Saltzberg

The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires

Press Here by Herve Tullet

What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

What Do You Do With a Problem? By Kobi Yamada

What To Do With a Box by Jane Yolen

The polls are closed.  If you were a Duck supporter, maybe he will run again in four years…

 

Natalie Babbitt

When I heard that Natalie Babbitt died yesterday, my thoughts jumped back to a summer day in 2001. As a graduate student participant in the Simmons Summer Institute for Children’s Literature, I was invited to introduce one of the speakers, and I desperately hoped to introduce the author of Tuck Everlasting.

Of course, I love her celebrated novel, but the reason I wanted to introduce her is that Natalie was, like me, born in Dayton, Ohio.  Intellectually, I understood that Dayton was not the “secret spring” that sparked her singular gift, but my heart chose to believe otherwise. To me, Winnie Foster’s sensibilities were shaped by her creator’s birthplace.

I did introduce Natalie Babbitt during the Summer Institute, and she generously humored my enthusiasm for our shared hometown.

She was 84-years-old when she died at home in Connecticut, but she left us with a gift — not the secret of eternal life, but a timeless book that reminds us to “be afraid of an unlived life. You don’t have to live forever, you just have to live.”

Decision 2016: Duck or Squid

 

The campaign season is short at Inly – one week to be exact.  Today the kids met the candidates:

We started by learning about Duck who, tired of taking orders from Farmer Brown, wins a hastily called election and puts Farmer Brown out of a job.  After that, there’s no stopping the ambitious waterfowl.  He makes a quick stop as governor before being elected president.  As one of our students observed, “he gives up too easily.”  Not sure that bodes well for Duck’s chances.  Maybe a new campaign manager would help.

In a few days, the kids will meet the bossy, boastful and hot pink Squid!  At least his color is bright and cheery, but he reminds me of a certain real-life candidate.  We’ll see what a group of 1st, 2nd and 3rd graders think…

We also celebrated Halloween and, as always, there were a few book-related costumes.

Two teachers dressed as the main characters from Peter Brown’s novel, The Wild Robot.…

Another teacher was inspired by the popularity of the I Spy series…

But my favorite costumes had nothing to do with books…..

I’ll let you know the result of the election!

A Celebration of Reading….

 

It may be too early to think about holiday gifts, but if there’s a passionate young reader in your life, consider a set of three new picture books, all of which celebrate the joy of discovering the world through books.  Teachers – each of these books is an excellent jumping-off point for a conversation about the power of words, an especially important discussion in this environment of divisive rhetoric.

A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston

A young girl shows a new friend around her imaginative world made of stories.  “I can show you the way,” she tells him, before they travel “over a mountain of make-believe”…..and lose themselves “in forests of fairy tales.”  Their path is made up of words. Every element – the tree branches, the mountain, the monster – all of it words.  It is beautiful and inspiring.

One of my top five favorite picture books of all time is Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers.  I can barely read that one without crying – it is a perfect gem.  A Child of Books is more lyrical, but equally moving. Meeting Oliver Jeffers is on my “If I had three wishes list!”

I Am A Story by Dan Yaccarino

I always forget how much I love Dan Yaccarino’s work and then he releases a new book, and I enthusiastically discover him again!  Years ago, during a school book fair, I fell in love with Unlovable, Yaccarino’s picture book about an “unlovable” little pug.  And then I went through a thing with Every Friday, a picture book about a father and his son’s weekly walk to their favorite diner.  I need to pull that one back out!  Next, there was The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau which went right on to Inly’s summer reading list.

I Am a Story goes into the Dan Yaccarino Hall of Fame.   It’s the story of a story: “I am a story,” the book begins.  “I was told around a campfire…then painted on cave walls.”  The story continues its journey through the various ways it has been printed and acted out and ultimately, of course, how it can be read on a screen.  Most of all, Yaccarino’s book reminds us that stories are what connect us.  Without stories, who are we?

How This Book Was Made by Mac Barnett and Adam Rex

On a lighter note!  How This Book Was Made tells the story of how this book was made – the one you are reading.  It’s full of jokes, some of which kids won’t understand, but that doesn’t detract from the fun.  I read it with a group of students, and they enjoyed the “inside joke” vibe. From the opening page in which the author addresses the reader by saying:  “At first this book wasn’t a book. It was an idea,” the book takes the reader on a journey through drafts, illustrations, and printing, and waiting – until at last there is the book you are reading.  Good fodder for a conversation about how long it takes a book to go from idea to tangible object!

Happy Reading….

 

Gertie’s Leap, the Book Fair, and More Superheroes….

 

Now that I’ve read Gertie’s Leap to Greatness, the debut middle grade novel by Kate Beasley, I have the perfect “next book” for kids who love Ramona – Gertie is an equally spirited and spunky character.  Actually Gertie comes from a distinguished line of bold and magnetic young protagonists – Roald Dahl’s Matilda, Judy Blume’s Fudge, and Kate DiCamillo’s Raymie Nightingale.  Gertie is new to the table, but readers will welcome her enthusiastically!

A fifth grader who lives with her dad and her aunt in Alabama, Gertie is on a mission. Her goal is to convince her estranged mother, who lives nearby, that she is the best fifth grader in the world.  Gertie truly believes that if her mother knew how wonderful she is, she would not remarry and move away.

To that end, she sets out to be the best student in her class.  But there’s a fly in the ointment whose name is Mary Sue Spivey.  Mary Sue reminds me of Nellie Oelson from Laura Ingalls Wilder’s novels – the spoiled girl who is used to things going her way.

Gertie is a character with sparkle, and I truly felt heartsick for Gertie when she’s regularly upstaged by Mary Sue.  But….there is, for me, a nagging issue with the book. It seems strange that Gertie’s mother lives so close to her daughter – but has no contact with her. I know that reflects reality for some children, but there is no mention of visitation or even any communication between them.

Maybe there will be a sequel that will shine more light on the family.  I would like to spend more time with Gertie!

Last week was Inly’s Book Fair, this one brought to us by Scholastic.  As I have said to our Scholastic rep, there are some wonderful books in the fair, but there are also too many commercial tie-ins for our community so we have what I refer to as a “modified Scholastic Book Fair.”  There are SO many Lego and Star Wars books and products that we could have devoted the entire space to those two franchises, but we began by determining how much space to give George Lucas and then “hiding” the rest behind the shelves.  A fun time was had by all – especially the boy who bought the last chocolate calculator!

You may recall from last week’s post that Inly welcomed Marc Tyler Nobleman, the author of books about the creators of Superman and Batman.  Inly’s art teacher worked with our 4th, 5th and 6th grade students to create their own Superheroes:

This one is named for Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl…..

And this one might be my favorite….Disability Doggy can “locate people in need of help,” “be in multiple places at once,” and has “superhearing!”

Happy Reading!

Three Quiet Books and Two Author Visits….

I love picture books that stimulate a child’s imagination, books that make kids sit on the edge of their seats waiting to see what will happen next, and there’s nothing like reading a book that makes kids laugh – but sometimes the best book is a quiet book, a story to guide the transition from day to night or to enjoy over hot chocolate on a cold day.

Three new books are perfect for quiet moments:

The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas and illustrated by Erin Stead

A message in a bottle is the perfect vehicle for a child’s imagination.  I remember hoping to find one, but since I lived in land-locked Ohio, it was a remote possibility.  The “uncorker” of the story’s title has an important job: he finds and delivers messages that wash up on shore.  Important, but lonely work.  Naturally, he hopes one of the notes will be addressed to him.  One day, he finds an invitation to a party – but there’s no name on it.  He commits himself to finding the lucky invitee – asking people in the town to help him solve the mystery.  At this point, you can kind of guess what’s going to happen – but that does nothing to spoil the story.  Of course, he goes to the party – and the foggy and “watery” illustrations extend the mood of this quietly perfect book.

The Sound of Silence by Katrina Goldsaito and illustrated by Julia Kuo

A walk through the noisy streets of Tokyo and a meditation on the value of silence, Goldsaito’s book is an homage to the kind of quiet that has disappeared over the past twenty years.  But Yoshio, a young boy who lives in Tokyo, meets a street musician who tells him that “the most beautiful sound…is the sound of ma, of silence.”  Given the busy city streets and the sounds of “chopsticks and slurping and chewing and swallowing,” it is no easy task to find a quiet place.  Of course, he does – and the journey is magical.

Samson in the Snow by Philip C. Stead 

The setting of this story is a snowy place, but its warmth shines through.  Samson is a woolly mammoth who treasures his patch of sunshine-bright dandelions.  When a small red bird asks Samson if he could take some of the dandelions to a friend who is “having a bad day, and his favorite color is yellow.”  Samson doesn’t just agree – he gives the bird three of his “best flowers.”  Although Samson is happy to share, but wishes he had a friend. As the yellow fields turn to snow, Samson wonders about the little bird and decides to find her.  Along the way, he meets a mouse who is looking for a lost friend….guess who that is!  Ultimately, the three friends reconnect and wait out the storm together.  This is a book for every library’s friendship shelf – and a perfect companion to the 2011 Caldecott Award-winning A Sick Day for Amos McGee, written by Philip Stead and illustrated by his wife, Erin Stead – the illustrator of The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles.

Visiting Authors…..

It brightens any school day when an author visits so this was a banner week – we welcomed two visitors from the children’s book world. On Tuesday, author and illustrator Brian Lies talked with Inly’s young students about Gator Dad, his new picture book – which follows his popular Bats series. The best part of Brian’s visit was watching the kids watch him.

Unsurprisingly, he draws confidently and fluidly so a blank piece of paper quickly transformed into…..a bat “Juggling French Flies!”

On Wednesday we turned our attention from Bats and Gators to Super Heroes!  Marc Tyler Nobleman, author of, among other books, Bill The Boy Wonder: The Secret C0-Creator of Batman and Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman.  

Marc told the stories of both the Caped Crusader and Clark Kent to two groups of 4th through 8th graders, and even the kids who told me they “don’t like superheroes” were completely engaged.  For the superhero fans, I’m pretty sure it was the highlight of their school year – not a good peak to hit in early October!

Marc was clearly born to tell these stories. He began his presentation by sharing his childhood Halloween pictures in which he made his goals clear since he was often dressed in a superhero costume!

This is my favorite picture of the week….

The day after Marc’s visit, I heard voices coming from downstairs in the maker space.  I looked down on a scene of two girls – one of whom was reading Marc’s book about Batman aloud to her friend – the power of an author visit!

 

A Conference, Covers, and a Cow…

One of my favorite events of the year is the Horn Book at Simmons Colloquium.  This year’s conference, Out of the Box, included panel discussions and talks by authors about what’s happening in the world of children’s books. As always, it was an inspiring day – one that made me wish I could hide in a library for a week and read!

M.T. Anderson, author of Symphony for the City of the Dead: Dimitri Shostakovich and the Siege of Leningrad, was the keynote speaker and the story he told about what happened in Leningrad in the mid-1940s and how Shostakovich wrote his symphony as bombs were falling was a powerful reminder of the role the arts play in our lives.  The room was silent as Anderson told his story.  I bet everyone in the room was picturing the dramatic and tragic events he described so forcefully.

One thing Anderson said really stood out. I wrote it down so I could think about it on the train ride home: “How do we expect books to change the lives of readers,” he asked, “if they haven’t changed ours first?”  It’s true.  I’m not sure how anyone could work in a school library or a bookstore whose life has not been changed by reading.  Kids know when you’re telling them to read because “it’s good for them.”  And they recognize sincerity when an adult they trust says: “read this.”

I still remember the first “real” readers in my life.  As a teenager, I visited my aunt, and her house was filled with books – something that I had never seen before.  I felt a deep connection with her immediately – one that has deepened over the years.  I remember a professor who asked what magazines or journals I read besides Newsweek.  To be honest, it had never occurred to me that there were other sources of news and opinion outside of the Dayton newspapers and general interest weeklies. His question inspired my subscriptions to The New Yorker and The Atlantic.  I remember my early visits to bookstores in Washington, D.C. when I would literally leave with a bag of books and a stomach ache at the thought of how much I wanted to know.  Anderson’s question brought all of that back.

Another speaker was Steve Sheinkin, author of several respected nonfiction books for young readers. Sheinkin’s presentation focused on his most recent award-winning book, Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War.

Like Anderson, Sheinkin told a fascinating story – one that led me right to the conference book shop to buy his book.  It was especially interesting to hear Sheinkin’s comments about the parallels between Ellsberg’s story – and that of Edward Snowden. It was not surprising to hear that Ellsberg is “pro-leaks” and supports Snowden’s decision to leak classified information.

Sheinkin’s new book, Undefeated: Jim Thorpe and the Carlisle Indian Football Team, will be published in January.

There was also a presentation by the author and illustrator of Jazz Day: The Making of a Famous Photograph. Roxanne Orgill and Francis Vallejo told the story of “that moment” in 1958 when Art Kane gathered a large group of jazz musicians in one place for a group photograph.

The day was full of wonderful moments – and lots of signed books.  I’m already looking forward to next year’s conference!

In other news….

One of Inly’s cows is wearing a pencil costume!

And finally – three blue books recently published in England.  They are so beautiful that I’m tempted to order the books and put them on display in my house!

Happy Reading!