The Final Days of Summer….

We return to school soon – masked and sanitized. I have a beach chair ready for outdoor classes and plexiglass on the library circulation desk. When so many school libraries have been repurposed into classroom spaces, I know how lucky we are to keep the library open and continue putting books in kids’ hands. It will not look the same. Students will visit the library in small groups and select their books from displays rather than being free to explore the shelves. We won’t have regular programming, but the important things will remain: talking with kids about what they’re reading, welcoming new readers to check out their first chapter book, and fostering curiosity about the world.

My own reading has included books that offer an escape from this mixed-up world – and a few titles that help me to make sense of it. Here are the books I’ve been reading as the days grow cooler and shorter:

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa – This was certainly not an escape, but rather a cautionary and haunting novel about loss. The main character is a novelist who lives on an unnamed island where things – big and small – randomly disappear. One day it might be stamps and the next birds. When things disappear, people forget they ever existed and they lose all meaning. The Memory Police are the authoritarians who make sure no one owns or remembers what has disappeared. It is impossible not to think of George Orwell – and how gradual changes can creep up on us when we are not paying attention.

A Girl Returned by Donatella Di Pietrantonio and translated by Ann Goldstein – I read about this book in the Washington Post last year and the premise intrigued me: a thirteen-year-old girl is sent away from “her” family, the one she always thought was hers – and returned to her birth family. The two homes are very different. She spent her first 13 years as the beloved child in a middle class home where she enjoyed spending time with her best friend and going to the beach. But when she is abruptly dropped off at the apartment of a “large poor family,” her world is turned upside down. I loved this book. More than anything else I read this summer, A Girl Returned made me feel like I was in the room watching it play out. I could feel her confusion and sadness. I could hear her noisy and complicated new family.

Old Lovegood Girls by Gail Godwin – I read this book solely based on a Twitter blurb from Margaret Atwood: “As always, wry, beady-­eyed, acute.” Although there are lots of people not to be trusted with Twitter, Margaret Atwood was right! It caught my attention because I was familiar with Godwin’s name, but had never read anything by her. Now, after reading Old Lovegood Girls, I will seek her out. To describe it as a novel about friendship would be accurate, but totally misses what’s important about this heartbreaking, smart, and wise novel. What struck me the most was the wide-ranging breadth of Godwin’s interests. Her references to both religion and literature are rich and thoughtful. It made me think about what we miss when we think of school as only a place to build a skill set. Godwin’s deep reservoir of knowledge seems even more important in a tech-driven society. Consider the enormous consequences of having a president who does not read or express any interest in history.

Attention: A Love Story by Casey Schwartz – My current read is a total departure from my typical fare, but perfectly timed. Like many people, I’ve noticed that my concentration is not what it was before iPhones. I still read alot, but I also take breaks between chapters to check email, texts, and news headlines. I’ve heard every reason why this is a bad idea – doomscrolling and all that. But I’m guilty as charged. It’s a struggle to stay focused when there are so many distractions, some of which (not the doomscrolling) are wonderful and truly make the day better: staying in touch with friends and family, looking at the many bookstore and art history accounts I follow on Instagram, reading reviews, following up on topics I want to learn more about. The list goes on. In her memoir, Casey Schwartz asks herself the same questions and explores how we “spend” our attention. Along the way, she focuses on the work of other writers who grappled with similar challenges, including Aldous Huxley and David Foster Wallace. I’m not sure Schwartz’s book will result in any major behavioral changes, but she has made me uncomfortable (in a healthy way) and more conscious of the stress of reading so much bad news.

Next up: Elena Ferrante’s new novel:

Happy Reading!

 

A (Very) Short Escape….

With little choice, we cancelled our travel plans this summer, and like millions of others, are trying to make the most of our pandemic staycation. We are lucky to live near the beach where, if I look directly over the water, rather than at the parking lot behind me, I can pretend to be in lots of different places. I also have a deck and lots of good books to read so no complaints, but…..there was that day we hit a wall a few weeks ago. I could not stand the thought of walking between the computer, the deck, and the kitchen one more time. I am truly wearing a path between those three spaces. So we looked around for someplace to go for one night where we could have a change of scenery and remain Covid-aware.

We found it! We spent one night in Stockbridge and then, on the way home, wished we had stayed longer. But it was great. We ate all of our meals outdoors, wore masks, and kept “physically distant” from others when we were inside. Here are the book-related highlights of our 48 hour escape:

One of our favorite independent bookstores, The Bookloft, is in Great Barrington. Until this past June, the store was in the Barrington Plaza, a small strip mall that we always looked forward to visiting and then having lunch at a nearby restaurant. The Bookloft has moved, but right down the street into a brightly colored stand-alone building. I was kind of nervous about it because I loved the original location, but I should not have worried. The new store is bright and spacious, and the well curated selection is just as good.

I bought two books: Intimations, Zadie Smith’s new slim book of essays and a book about the Obama portraits at the National Portrait Gallery which traces the creation and the impact of both paintings.

We also visited Edith Wharton’s home, The Mount, where she lived between 1902 and 1911. I had visited the Mount (pictured at top of post) ten years ago, but at that point, the renovation was not as complete as it is now. Reservations are required, but once we were there, outside of the Covid-era masks, our visit was lovely – we even had dessert on the beautiful balcony overlooking the Berkshires.

The one museum on our list was an exhibit of work by the cartoonist, Liza Donnelly, on display at the Norman Rockwell Museum. I was introduced to Donnelly’s work a few years ago courtesy of Instagram. I follow lots of cartoonists and her name popped up as a recommendation – before I recognized Donnelly’s work from The New Yorker. I am a big fan of her live drawings during the Academy Awards.

I love this page from Donnelly’s sketchbook. She was playing with ideas for a drawing of a woman sitting in a chair talking to a hair stylist. One caption idea is: I want to look like Sarah Palin without looking like Sarah Palin, if you know what I mean.”  The other idea written on the side of the drawing is: “Whatever Michelle Obama does with her hair, I want you to do with mine.”

The exhibit was wonderful, but what I most appreciated about our time in the museum was the chance to take in something new. Outside of my daily dose of Covid and Trump news, I am not taking in enough new material. Summer is typically when I refill my bucket: art and music and conversations and new experiences. Of course, I’m reading good books and watching interesting YouTube videos, but I miss the experience of being someplace and filling my head with new images and words. I found myself drinking in every word from every panel about Liza Donnelly – and Norman Rockwell!

Rockwell painted 323 Saturday Evening Post covers – this is my favorite:

Two side notes:

While sitting in the lobby of the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge, this newsrack caught my eye. The rack seemed like an endangered species – a casualty of the dwindling number of print newspapers. It made me feel kind of nostalgic:

I’m reading a good book right now: Old Lovegood Girls by Gail Godwin.

Godwin is a writer I’ve long been aware of, and about once a year, picking up one of her novels from a bookstore shelf, I say “here’s an author I should read,” but then I don’t. Until now. After reading several glowing reviews of Old Lovegood Girls, I took the plunge. It was the Margaret Atwood’s blurb describing Godwin’s novel as “wry, beady-eyed, acute” that finalized my decision. Godwin is 83-years-old, and she has been a finalist for the National Book Award three times. She knows how to tell a story – which is exactly what I was looking for. A world (without Covid) to escape into during these hot days in August.

I hope you are finding books that take you away….

As I finished this post, my phone exploded with the news that Biden chose Kamala Harris as his running mate. Time to order a bumper sticker!

Reading During Covid…

Now that we are a bit beyond the half-way point of summer, I decided to take a look back at what I’ve been reading during these unsettled days. Like many people, I have struggled to stay focused for long chunks of time. I’ll read for a while and then wonder if Dr. Fauci has said anything important. After checking that, I drift over to my email and then it might be time for a Zoom meeting. Rather than being reenergizing, this summer has had moments of joy, but there’s an overlay of uncertainty over everything. My reading – like my mind – has been all over the place.

Here’s what I’ve been reading over the past couple of months:

The Plague by Albert Camus

I read this 1947 novel in college, but reading it in 2020 is an entirely different experience. Camus truly captures what it feels like to live in a place hit by an epidemic and the emotional impact of putting life on hold. There are passages that could have come from the pages of today’s reports and journals. These lines seemed to jump off the page:

“At first the fact of being cut of from the outside world was accepted with a more or less good grace, much as people would have put up with any other temporary inconvenience that interfered with only a few of their habits. But, now they had abruptly become aware that they were undergoing a sort of incarceration under that blue dome of sky already beginning to sizzle in the first of summer, they had a vision that their whole lives were threatened by the present turn of events.”

The Evening of the Holiday by Shirley Hazzard

Hazzard’s slim novel was in my “to read” stack for a while, and then one day, I picked it up. The crazy thing was that a few days later, I was reading an article in the Washington Post called “What to Read Now,” and there it was – listed among the “literary fiction” selections. Here’s what the Post said about it: “Hazzard, who died in 2016, wrote beautifully about beautiful things (Italy, romance, painting, poetry), nowhere better than in her slim debut — a psychologically precise novel about a love affair in the Tuscan countryside.”  It was perfect Covid reading!

Life Isn’t Everything: Mike Nichols as remembered by 150 of his closest friends by Ash Carter and Sam Kashner

This was an impulse buy that went like this: The author Nick Hornby writes for The Believer, a magazine I primarily subscribe to because of Hornby’s “Stuff I’ve Been Reading” column. His column is smart and funny and has led to many book purchases. In fact, my only “letter to the editor” that’s ever been printed was in that magazine – basically saying that I would read the online phone directory if Nick Hornby recommended it. He described Life Isn’t Everything said, among other things: “the book is a joy, as you probably could have predicted: full of sharp insights and funny stories, and with a firm grasp of narrative, not easy to accomplish in the oral biography form.” About five minutes later, I ordered the book. A good call – as always when Hornby gives a book a glowing review. Now I want to see The Graduate again.

Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams

This new young adult novel kept popping up on Instagram, and then it got a starred review from Kirkus, and then it seemed to be listed on every email I read about new YA novels. Read it. Loved it. Then discovered that Kelly McWilliams is Jewell Parker Rhodes’ daughter! Talent clearly runs in the family. The story centers on Agnes, a sixteen-year-old girl who lives on a ranch overseen by “the Prophet.” Agnes is a rule follower and a believer, but when she meets an outsider who is supplying insulin for her younger brother, she begins asking questions.

Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

This one is heartbreaking and beautiful and sometimes hard to read, but glad I finally read this National Book Award winner. Esch lives with her father and three brothers in rural Mississippi. Hurricane Katrina is threatening, but there is very little the four of them can do to escape its destructive path. Esch’s father is often drunk and can’t focus on hurricane preparations. Her three brothers do their best to prepare, but they have little to work with. Her brother, Skeetah, is devoted to his pitbull who just had a litter of puppies. The line that best captures Ward’s novel is from Ken Wells, an author I don’t know, who said: “Jesmyn Ward writes like an angel with a knife to your throat.” That is spot-on.

Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman

Last February, I heard Scott Simon interviewing Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman, about her memoir Sounds Like Titanic, about an orchestra that “faked” playing their instruments while the music was actually coming from a CD player. Here’s a link to the segment:

https://www.npr.org/2019/02/09/692955821/a-fake-orchestra-performance-in-sounds-like-titanic

A few weeks after hearing the interview, I picked Hindman’s book off of a staff recommendation shelf to look at it. When I picked it up, the guy at the desk said: “it’s really good.” Of course, I bought it, and he was right.

Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump

I read it because I was curious about Trump’s childhood and parents. One (of many things) that has concerned me about our current president is that he never seems happy. He doesn’t seem to smile or laugh (with any sincerity). I never see pictures of him with young children, including his own grandchildren. What, I wondered, was his life like when he was a young? What makes him so unable to connect with people who are facing struggles and loss? How can he mock a reporter with a physical disability which he did in November of 2015? I get it now.

Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami 

This is my current book. Contemporary Japanese novels are one of my favorite categories. They exert this strange pull on me because they actually feel “different.” Not a very academic descriptor, but I often feel a disconnect with the characters that does not happen when I read European novels in translation. I clearly enjoy the experience of reading them though – I keep buying them. My favorite of the past four or five is The Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. It’s about a woman who finds happiness and purpose working in a convenience store. Like most of these novels, the main characters seem isolated – from both other people and institutions. This one, Strange Weather in Tokyo, shares some of the same qualities: characters who feel detached from society and are at the mercy of forces beyond their control.

Next up: The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donahue

https://www.npr.org/2020/07/20/892279658/1918-flu-inspired-donoghues-pull-of-the-stars-a-disquieting-pandemic-novel

 

Ten for Toddlers….

Each summer we recommend books to Inly students – from toddlers through middle school. It’s a long list with, we hope, something wonderful for every kind of reader. For our toddler community, the list is a springboard – welcoming them to a world of stories that entertain, inform, and inspire.

Here are the books we hope our toddlers will enjoy exploring this summer:

1. Snakes on the Job by Kathryn Dennis (the sequel to Snakes on a Train. This time, the hard-working snakes operate bulldozers and backhoes!) 

2. Bedtime for Sweet Creatures by Nikki Grimes (A toddler who does not want to go to bed and a mother with an imaginative idea to make the journey sweeter)

3. Bear is Awake: An Alphabet Story by Hannah Harrison (An adventure and a clever alphabet story)

4. Summer Song by Kevin Henkes (A celebration of summer – including bees, flowers, sprinklers, and the color green!)

5. Jump! by Tatsuhide Matsuoka (A fun book about jumping – don’t read this one at bedtime!)

6. Three Little Kittens by Barbara McClintock (the classic story of kittens losing their mittens – with comical illustrations by one of my favorite illustrators)

7. Five Fuzzy Chicks by Diana Murray (this book just feels good – not sure how else to say it. It’s charming and comforting and feels classic and fresh at the same time)

8. The Button Book by Sally Nichols (an interactive book about pressing buttons – it doesn’t get any better than that!)

9. One of These Is Not Like the Other by Barney Saltzberg (A cheerful book about the power of inclusivity with illustrations that are reminiscent of Sandra Boynton’s) 

10. What Color is Night by Grant Snider (take this one outside at night and look at all the colors – there’s more than black and white!)

Happy Reading!

New Books!

One of the few good things happening as a result of Covid is that Inly’s new book deliveries arrive on my front door. As I go through the boxes, I love thinking about the students who will want to check the books out in September. It’s anticipatory joy to imagine being back in the library and sharing new books with teachers and kids, but until then, here are five especially awesome books that may be worth finding over the summer.

The Little Blue Cottage by Kelly Jordan

I love “time passing” picture books where the advancing years are seen through illustrations, and the main character who is a child at the beginning of the story returns to the house as an adult with his or her own child. Jeannie Baker in her books Window and Home does this really well, and I use her books with kids all of the time. A better known example is Virginia Lee Burton’s The Little House – the circular story that ends in a similar place as it began. The Little Blue Cottage is also the story of a house who waits each summer for the girl to arrive. And then one summer, she stops coming and “the cottage waited.”  “The kitchen was silent, smells of syrup fading. The boat went unused and games went unplayed.” Of course, she comes back, and she’s not alone!  The pictures by Jessica Courtney-Trickle capture the mood of the story perfectly. A sweet summer read aloud.

Chicken Little: The Real and Totally True Tale by Sam Wedelich

Thank goodness that a sequel to this book is being released in January because I’m expecting lots of young kids to love this funny take of the timeless Chicken Little story. The very cute chicken – who wears red glasses and cowboy boots – boldly announces on Page Two: “…I am not a baby. Babies are easily scared and I’m not afraid of anything!” That assertive attitude lasts until Page Three when, “BONK,” an unidentified object hits Chicken Little on the head and the doomsday scenario begins!

Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee

This is a fun book that I’m looking forward to reading aloud. It opens with an invitation to Sophie and her dad to join a party on the 10th floor of their apartment building. So father and daughter bake special cookies and get on the elevator – Going Up!  The elevator stops on every floor and, on each floor, one of their neighbors joins the party crowd. “On the fourth floor,” Lee writes, “the elevator stops again and this time it’s Mr. and Mrs. Habib from 407 with their grandkids, Yasmin and Jamal.”  By the time the elevator reaches the 10th floor, a diverse group of people has joined what turns out to be a very festive gathering.

Birdsong by Julie Flett

A beautifully illustrated story about Katherena, a young Cree girl, and her mother who move from the country to a small town. At first Katherena is lonely, but with her mom’s encouragement, she soon meets Agnes, an older woman who makes things out of clay. The two become good friends: Katherena helps Agnes in the garden and Agnes teaches the young girl about her art. “Agnes is working on a pot that’s round and bright. She tells me about waxing and waning moons. I tell her about Cree seasons…”  As the seasons pass, Agnes becomes weak, and she is unable to enjoy spending time outdoors, but Katherena has a plan to bring spring inside so her friend can enjoy it.  This sweet story of an intergenerational friendship was recently named a 2020 Boston Globe—Horn Book Award Honor Title.

Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice 

A collection of 24 poems by poets of color, this is a book for every home and school library. The foreword by Jason Reynolds states the book’s purpose: “a collection of proclamations, megaphoning to the young world that they are human and therefore have the right – I’d even go so far as to say the obligation – so talk back, to speak up, to connect with the fortifying elements outside of them, as well as those that exist within.” A timely resource for teachers and an inspirational call to action for young readers.

Happy Reading!

Summer Reading!

 

Every summer, Inly selects books for students in every level to read over the summer. The primary goal is for the students to have a shared reading experience that can serve as a jumping off point when they return to school in September. An equally important goal is for the students to read something enjoyable. Summer is not the time for books that require guidance from teachers. We choose books that will support a child’s reading skills and are perfect for the deck or the beach. We also have a long list of books from which students can choose other books to read over the summer. I’ll share some of those titles over the next few weeks.

Inly implements a curriculum that gives children an appreciation of the riches and complexities of today’s world. The curriculum does this with a three year rotation of studying Ancient Civilizations, North and South America, and World Cultures. Students explore the fundamental needs throughout different cultures and civilizations to make connections with themselves and others. We are entering a World Cultures year, and the Lower Elementary and Upper Elementary summer books are on-ramps to next year’s armchair tour of the world.

Here are the 2020 Summer Books, most of which are available in paperback at Buttonwood Books and Toys in Cohasset.

Children’s House: Choose one (or all) of these classic picture books:

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Stead

Corduroy by Don Freeman

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crocket Johnson

Lower Elementary:  Choose one (or read both) of these picture books: How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman or Carson Crosses Canada by Linda Bailey.

Upper Elementary: Dumpling Days by Grace Lin

Middle School: The Next Great Paulie Fink by Ali Benjamin

I selected Benjamin’s new novel for our middle school students for a couple of reasons. One is that it’s about a girl starting middle school, a time of change and new questions for everyone – including Caityln, the main character in The Next Great Paulie Fink. Caitlyn has the added challenge of replacing a legendary student, Paulie Fink, who his classmates won’t stop talking about. The other reason I like this novel is that it raises questions about myths – how they get started and the dangers they present. As Kirkus said in their starred review, it’s “a book to make readers think, question, reach, laugh, and strive harder.”

Happy Summer Reading!

Ten Middle Grade Novels with Black Protagonists….

Last week’s post was a list of picture books for young children that feature black boys and men as main characters. This week, middle grade fiction. These are books about universal experiences: problems with siblings and friends, school, and family. Of course, nonfiction books that help young readers navigate this challenging time should be on the bookshelf. But good novels with black characters at the center should also be on the shelf – ready to pick up on a lazy summer day.

When Jerry Craft, the author of the Newbery Award-winning graphic novel, New Kid, visited Inly this past February, he talked about how, as a child, he wanted more books about kids who looked like him who were not escaping slavery. “When I was growing up,” he said, “…Our stories always ended in tragedy. I just want a kid to read my book and be able to relax. Read it and laugh and go, “Wow, I made it to the last page and no one died and there was no heartbreak, and I’m going to read this again now that I know I can relax.”

Here are ten books that would be good summer reading choices:

New Kid by Jerry Craft (The first graphic novel to win the Newbery Award, New Kid is the story of Jordan Banks, a black boy who lives in Washington Heights. When he enrolls in a mostly white school, Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan begins living in two very different worlds.)

Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome (I read Finding Langston in preparation for last year’s educator’s conference at the JFK Library where the author was one of the speakers. At the center of this slim but moving novel is eleven-year-old Langston who, after his mother dies, moves from Alabama to Chicago where he learns about a poet named Langston.)

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (How can this book be over 20 years old?!  After living in a series of foster homes in Depression-era Flint Michigan, ten-year-old Bud decides to take to the road to look for his father who, he thinks, is a jazz musician.)

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott (A solid beginner fantasy novel. When nine-year-old Jax is left to spend the day with “Ma,” while his mother goes to court to fight an eviction order, he discovers that Ma is a witch who has to deliver three baby dragons to a magical world.)

The Last Last-Day-of-Summer by Lamar Giles (An adventure novel about two cousins who save their town from being frozen in time. The New York Times review read in part: “Giles has a phenomenal imagination, and it is thrilling to watch him do metaphysics for the tween set. His juxtaposition of oddball, affecting characters with the commonplace bickering between cousins grounds this topsy-turvy ride.”)

The Great Greene Heist Varian Johnson (Ocean’s Eleven for middle grade readers! The novel’s hero, Jackson Greene, comes up with a scheme to keep the class bully from becoming Student Council president.)

 

Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon (A super fun book about Caleb and Bobby, two brothers who are fascinated by a charismatic new teenager in their neighborhood, Styx Malone. Caleb and Bobby’s dad wants his boys to be “ordinary folks,” but things quickly take a turn when Styx enters their life. As Caleb says on the first page, ” The biggest trouble we’ve ever gotten into in our lives, we got into with Styx Malone.”)

Clayton Bird Goes Underground by Rita Williams-Garcia (Clayton loves playing the harmonica with his grandfather, Cool Papa Bird, a popular bluesman. When his grandfather dies, and his mother forbids Clayton from playing the blues, he is confused and angry – until he finds a way to bring the blues back into his life and to understand his mother’s feelings.)

Saint Louis Armstrong Beach by Brenda Woods (The third music-themed book on this list, but the star of this one is a dog named Shadow who displays Balto-like heroics after Hurricane Katrina.  I loved this book, which I read soon after my first trip to New Orleans where it takes place.)

Unsung Hero of Birdsong, USA by Brenda Woods (When I finished reading this novel last year, I showed it to an upper elementary teacher and said “we need to make space for this in our curriculum.” It’s even more relevant now. The story of a friendship between a twelve-year-old boy and a black auto mechanic in 1946, it is heartbreaking and eye-opening.)

Happy Reading!

Ten Books With Black Male Protagonists….

During these soul-searching days when many of us are taking hard looks at uncomfortable truths, there are lots of good anti-racist book lists for adults and children. These books are important. They support conversation about race and provide context for how we reached this point, but in addition to books that tackle the topic head-on, there is a place for story. Children learn through stories. Reading about another person’s joy, challenges, and heartbreaks reminds us that we are not alone. When someone asks me to recommend a book about friendship, I point them to Charlotte’s Web. Of course, there are books that provide the “dos and don’ts” of friendship, but they can’t have the same emotional impact as the final scene of Charlotte dying in the barn.

There is an especially urgent need for stories now. Children need to see picture books with black boys and men at the center. They deserve to be exposed to people of all races to expand their thinking – and their world view.

Here are ten titles to check out:

Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer (I love Daniel so much that I included both stories about him on this list. Daniel is a cute little guy who, after seeing a sign in the park announcing a poetry reading, asks: “What is poetry?” He proceeds to ask the park’s resident animals, and of course, learns that poetry is all around us. This book is a celebration of the power of language.)

Daniel’s Good Day by Micha Archer (This time, Daniel is curious about what makes “a good day.” Of course, it depends on who he asks. To a friend flying a kite, it’s “a steady wind.” This brightly colored story will inspire kids to ask what a good day means for them – and maybe spark a conversation about how it might be different for others.)

Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall (Jabari stands in a place familiar to anyone whose ever had to find courage to face a fear. In Jabari’s case, it’s jumping off the diving board.)

Hair Love by Matthew Cherry (I learned about this book through the Oscar-winning short film about a father helping his daughter with her hair.)

If you haven’t seen it, here’s the link:

 

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena (The winner of the 2016 Newbery Medal, this modern classic is about a young boy and his grandmother taking a bus ride through their urban neighborhood.)

Mr. Scruff by Simon James (I learned about the English picture book author and illustrator Simon James when my son was young, and we discovered his books on a trip to London. His style is reminiscent of Quentin Blake’s – that distinctive ability to capture emotion in a few loose lines. Mr. Scruff is a dog who lives in a shelter, until he meets James!)

Brick by Brick by Heidi Woodward Sheffield (This is the newest book on the list. It’s a warm story about a father and his son, Luis, who both work hard every day: the father as a bricklayer and the son at school. It turns out that the father has been working on another project that will make his son very happy. I cheated a bit by adding this one to the list. This is a story with a Latinx family at the center, but it’s a wonderful book about a family with brown skin, and this feels like the right place to bring it some attention.)

Kitten and the Night Watchman by John Sullivan (Regular readers know I love this quiet book about a black man who finds a kitten at the construction site where he is a night watchman. The illustrations by Taeeun Yoo are perfect for this magical story.)

A Beach Tale by Karen Lynn Williams (This book was published in 2010, but it’s worth seeking out. It opens with Gregory, a young boy who is drawing on the beach with a stick. After he draws a lion, his dad encourages him to give the lion a tail and a name. After Gregory begins exploring the treasures on the beach, it’s that lion’s tail that leads him back to his dad. A nice summertime story.)

Preaching to the Chickens by Jabari Asim (Sneaking one nonfiction book onto the list – but it’s a picture book. An especially timely read, Preaching to the Chickens is about the childhood of Congressman John Lewis. On the farm in Alabama where the future civil rights leader grew up, he would sometimes preach to his family’s flock of chickens – good practice for his future.)

Reading good books fosters deeper understanding, and it’s one thing that we can do right now: learn and listen. If we want to have a kinder world, reading these books with your child is a perfect starting point.

 

 

 

Picture Book Homes for Quarantine Dreaming…

The first trip I took to CVS a few weeks ago felt like a trip to Disney World. I had not been in a drugstore since the quarantine began, and when I finally put my mask on and went into CVS, it was kind of magical. I looked at shampoo I didn’t need. I found myself staring at toothbrushes for a very long time – so many awesome color options. And magazine covers showing photos of people traveling and decorating their kitchens was like a mini vacation!

Mostly, like everyone else, I am at home. The house shows it. The three of us eat three meals a day here. The dishwasher looks exhausted. And most of our glasses seem to be piling up on my son’s desk. But one day, while looking at some new picture books, I started thinking about fictional houses. I went upstairs to my picture book shelf and started looking for houses that would be good places to quarantine.

Here are the five houses I’ve chosen for my imaginary Airbnb tour….

Home in the Woods by Eliza Wheeler – This will be my “little house in the big woods” experience. It’s not the fanciest house in my imaginary quarantine tour, but it has a lovely setting and is perfect for reading and making yummy dinners.

Nursery Crimes by Arthur Geisert  – An offbeat choice, but these are not normal days. As soon as I began thinking about picture book homes, I remembered the family of pigs who live in an old railroad station in Ames, Iowa. The family who lives in the train station – two parents and twelve children – run a nursery which specializes in topiary and giant pumpkins.

The house, complete with a slide, is awesome and could really break up the monotony of these days.

The Storm Whale by Benji Davies – After a week in Iowa, I’ll be ready to spend some time by the sea. No competition here. The first time I read this book, I wanted to visit this simple, but pleasant little cottage.

And there are no houses nearby so social distancing is part of the package!

Hansel and Gretel by the Brothers Grimm –  Next stop: a house made of candy!  So many versions of this house to choose from, but I would choose the version illustrated by Paul Zelinsky.

This would be a fun place to spend a week, but maybe not so great for the homeowners.

The Library by Sarah Stewart – I’ll end my tour here – and wait this thing out. Hopefully, Elizabeth Brown will be at home and we can look at all of her books. “Books were piled up on top of chairs and spread across the floor. Her shelves began to fall apart as she read more and more.”

I’ll keep dreaming of future vacations, but for now, I’m happy to be in quarantine with the people right here.

Happy Reading!

 

New Books to Brighten Quarantine…

One of the small joys during this challenging time is that the books I preordered for the Inly Library arrive at my house rather than school. When I see a box on the front steps, I feel a little burst of happy anticipation and make a big production out of opening the box in front of my husband and son. They’ve been good sports, but don’t get the same thrill I do from reading new picture books.

Here are a few highlights of the recent deliveries:

Anna & Samia: The True Story of Saving a Black Rhino by Paul Meisel (This book, based on a true story, centers on Anna Merz, a conservationist in Kenya who saves a newborn black rhino who was abandoned by his mother. It’s a warm story about the bonds between humans and animals, but I think teachers will also appreciate it for the illustrations of the beautiful Kenyan landscape.)

Seagulls Soar by April Pulley Sayre (A poetic exploration of seagulls, this is a perfect book for young children who live near the water and see seagulls every day.)

The illustrations by Kasia Bogdanska, a Polish artist, remind me of Dahlov Ipcar’s pictures, especially in her book, Maine Alphabet.

Baloney and Friends by Greg Pizzoli (I’m pretty sure this book will be checked out in the first hour we open. A new graphic chapter book series starring Baloney the pig. Each of the full-color comic book style stories include Baloney and his three good friends, Peanut the horse, Bizz the bumblebee, and a grumpy rabbit named Krabbit. Super fun – and perfect for graduates of Elephant and Piggie books.)

Egg or Eyeball by Cece Bell (This one will fly off the shelves too!  Similar in format to Baloney and Friends, this is part two of Bell’s graphic novel series for new readers. The action starts on the opening page when Brain finds what he thinks is an eyeball. But his friends, Chick and Spot, think it’s an egg. Silly- and brilliant!)

Paolo: Emperor of Rome by Mac Barnett (Paolo is a little dog who wants to explore Rome, the city where he lives, but he is “confined to a small hair salon on Vio Torino.” But one day, when a customer doesn’t shut the door completely, Paolo sees his chance – and escapes!  What follows is a whirlwind tour of Rome with stops at the Colosseum, the opera house, and the Trevi Fountain. There’s a picture – by the illustrator Claire Keane – with a group of nuns who have fallen into the Fountain that is so reminiscent of illustrations by Ludwig Bemelmans that I couldn’t stop looking at it. This is a wonderful book – one that I am looking forward to sharing with kids and teachers.)

For much older readers (ages 10-14), Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted, has a new historical novel out called A Ceiling Made of Eggshells. I reviewed it for School Library Journal:

“Readers first meet Loma, a young Jewish girl living in late 15th century Spain, when she is seven-years-old and follow her as she grows up as the granddaughter of a powerful Jewish leader. As the title of Levine’s new novel suggests, Spain in the late 1400s was a perilous place for Jews. This was the time of the Spanish Inquisition during which Jewish people were being persecuted and ultimately exiled from Spain. Loma’s grandfather is one of the wealthy Jewish figures who uses his connections, money, and skills to help Jewish people and try to prevent forced conversions to Christianity. As her grandfather’s traveling companion across Spain, Loma gets a first hand look at the superstitions, ceremonies, and sacrifices that governed daily life during a cataclysmic and dangerous time. Loma witnesses, up close, King Ferdinand’s and Queen Isabella’s efforts to “defeat the infidel,” meaning Spain’s Muslim people. She also observes her grandfather’s dealmaking that keeps her people temporarily safe from harm….Levine skillfully juxtaposes both the larger religious battles taking place in Spain against Loma’s dreams for her future. The story of adventure and bravery under unstable circumstances will appeal to mature readers who enjoy historical fiction and tales of courage.”

More boxes to come….

Happy Reading!