tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81446057445355910882024-03-14T12:09:11.441-07:00Book AuntBecause OTHER people give you clothes and video games for your birthday!KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.comBlogger530125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-16698944711514636552013-04-13T14:55:00.000-07:002013-04-14T05:16:55.532-07:00Thank You's, Goodbye's, and Archives<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpTg8BFhA9r3Q2MFkNYpjOHPLWfuU7LBSaaV2sbGau49DItp2Cf5BUpi7qLMrR7upPJsm0rv0oAKk5ZIzB9eyH-tvqtTqgd43DCBEbSOwzYsK89MbjCSBIPaOBtWSN7MH1AhZ6PqjggTP/s1600/woman+writing+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjpTg8BFhA9r3Q2MFkNYpjOHPLWfuU7LBSaaV2sbGau49DItp2Cf5BUpi7qLMrR7upPJsm0rv0oAKk5ZIzB9eyH-tvqtTqgd43DCBEbSOwzYsK89MbjCSBIPaOBtWSN7MH1AhZ6PqjggTP/s320/woman+writing+5.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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Four years, three months, and 530 posts. Also a move from California to Utah and two new books published. But life gets crunched up sometimes, and what I really need is more time for my own writing. So Book Aunt is coming to a close, and I just want to thank you all for sharing the joy of talking about children's books with me.<br />
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Yesterday I was standing in a bookstore and overheard a woman trying to pick out a book for her nine-year-old niece. Naturally, I entered into the fray. My only difficulty was that when I asked the child questions about her reading habits and interests, the aunt kept trying to answer for her (incorrectly). I finally got a few words from the girl herself and managed to seal the deal with <i>Half Magic</i> by Edward Eager, though we decided that E.D. Baker's books would be a good option to look for at the library. And so it goes: Book Aunt may not be posting, but she's still lurking in the shadows of the local bookstore, leaping out to hand books to unsuspecting and presumably grateful children plus the adults they haul along with them for purposes of paying for things.<br />
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I will keep the site up for a while so that people can access the archives, most notably my large posts overviewing a genre or different versions of the same well-known story or book. Here are some of the more useful posts in various categories:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">About Fairy Tales and Folktales</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/11/honk-if-you-still-love-fairy-tales.html">Standout Fairy Tale Books, Collections, and Retellings</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/10/enter-three-witches.html">Fairy Tales and Books about Witches (A Halloween Post)</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/07/once-upon-time-classic-fairy-tale.html">Classic Fairy Tale Retellings</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/04/trickster-fiction.html">An Overview of Trickster Tales</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Versions of a Well-Known Story or Book</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/04/poetry-friday-childs-garden-of-verses.html">Versions of A Child's Garden of Verses</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/11/mother-goose-in-flight.html">Versions of Mother Goose</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/09/how-cinderella-got-twittered.html">Versions of Cinderella (Plus Notes on the Possible Demise of Picture Book Fairy Tales)</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/01/retellings-beautiful-and-beastly.html">Versions of Beauty and the Beast</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2013/03/goldilocks-and-those-three-bears.html">Versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/01/snow-queen-wintry-gathering.html">Versions of the Snow Queen</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vAUyUI89DYAv2zyPj1KjGCbYorwrS2hFn6wdKPEBfVWm7iLH96eD4wSlqCpgoBJ-IZ-prJTsCC1c-rFoKWfe_4EzRFHz6kAHLXtnTxuvM7IJ_-GO77EZPxSkJC4CKLH-wo4QXkDdGEJK/s1600/detail_woman+_writing_a_letter_with_her_maid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1vAUyUI89DYAv2zyPj1KjGCbYorwrS2hFn6wdKPEBfVWm7iLH96eD4wSlqCpgoBJ-IZ-prJTsCC1c-rFoKWfe_4EzRFHz6kAHLXtnTxuvM7IJ_-GO77EZPxSkJC4CKLH-wo4QXkDdGEJK/s320/detail_woman+_writing_a_letter_with_her_maid.jpg" width="201" /></a><span style="font-size: large;">Picture Book Themes</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/12/grieving-in-picture-books.html">Picture Books for Grieving</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/06/books-to-sing-to.html">Picture Books to Sing</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/05/water-water-everywhere.html">Picture Books about Water</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/05/picture-book-lessons-in-being-yourself.html">Picture Book Lessons about Being Yourself</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/01/thoughtful-picture-books-youve-never.html">Thoughtful Picture Books You've Never Heard Of</a><br />
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Oddball Picture Books:<br />
<br />
--<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/10/not-your-grandmas-picture-books.html">Not Your Grandma's Picture Books</a><br />
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--<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/03/picture-books-with-bite.html">Picture Books with Bite</a><br />
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--<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/07/feeling-kinda-crazy-three-unusual.html">Feeling Kinda Crazy: Three Unusual Picture Books</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Other Book Batches</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-think-mice-are-rather-nice.html">Many Mouse Books</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/01/handful-of-poems-five-anthologies-for.html">Poetry Anthologies for Small Children</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/11/christmas-books-old-and-new.html">A Selection of Christmas Books</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/07/reflections-observations-and.html">Books by Authors about Writing for Children</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Best Book Lists</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/03/best-picture-books-of-all-time.html">Best Picture Books Ever (2009)</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-middle-grade-fiction-110-years.html">Best Middle Grade Books Ever (2009)</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2013/03/top-five-or-seven-or-three.html">Final Favorites Lists (2013)</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">How to Pick Books for Kids</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/03/secret-weapons-choosing-right-books.html">Secret Weapons: Choosing the Right Books</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/07/ten-books-at-time.html">Ten Books at a Time</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Pistachio Awards</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/03/book-aunts-first-annual-why-not.html">First Annual Pistachio Awards (March 2011)</a><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/04/2nd-annual-pistachio-awards.html">Second Annual Pistachio Awards (April 2012)</a><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In Case You Didn't Know...</span><br />
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<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/02/anarchy-of-imagination-why-i-love.html">Why I Love Picture Books (Anarchy of the Imagination)</a><br />
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Again, thank you to all of my visitors. I've made so many nice blog friends. I hope to be able to keep in touch through comments, tweets, and e-mails. And of course, let's continue to rejoice in children's literature and the love of reading!<br />
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For those of you who follow my books, I have a picture book called <i>The Tooth Fairy Wars,</i> illustrated by Jake Parker, coming out in Spring 2014 and a poetry collection called <i>Monster School</i> that will probably be out in Spring 2015. No middle grade fiction at the moment, but I'm working on something, so we'll see what happens next. (Isn't that always the case with life and everything?)<br />
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<i>Note: The first image above is a detail called "Young Woman Writing" from a wall painting in Pompeii. The second image is a detail from "Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid" by Vermeer. The third painting is "Three Reading Girls" by Walter Elmer Schofield. A print of it used to hang in my grandmother's home. She was a very good first grade teacher and reading tutor as well as a voracious reader who passed the love of books on to her children and their children. The picture now hangs in my office.</i>KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-85332324990133759082013-04-05T08:31:00.001-07:002013-04-05T08:31:09.546-07:00Cinquains for National Poetry Month<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This week I'm experimenting with the cinquain, a poetry form I've only tried once or twice before. I'm also rejoicing in spring rain and in National Poetry Month. Here's a link to Jama Ratigan's excellent <a href="http://jamarattigan.com/2013/03/28/national-poetry-month-kidlitosphere-events-2/">roundup</a> of April poetry events. Note that <a href="http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=905534">today's Poetry Friday</a> is being hosted by Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge.<br />
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April<o:p></o:p></div>
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umbrellas bloom,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
coloring paper skies<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like kindergartners, drinking cups<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
of rain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Wind chimes<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
telling stories<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
about birds, branches, clouds.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If they could they’d fly far and high,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
singing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Baby<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
stares at nothing<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like a small Buddhist monk,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
her meditations bigger than<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
planets.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sore throat<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
like a nail file<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
scraping away my voice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I have nothing to say, so it’s<o:p></o:p></div>
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okay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sudden<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
rain walks the roof<o:p></o:p></div>
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like construction workers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Yelling, they hammer the sky and<o:p></o:p></div>
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the house.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><i>Kate Coombs, 2013</i></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><i>all rights reserved </i></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Happy National Poetry Month!</div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-51529770130671254052013-04-04T05:12:00.000-07:002013-04-04T06:09:23.958-07:00Welcoming Hilary McKay and Her Lulu Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhs8tNCWUNVLAddUIkvex65H7mWtrCoaQwl37mZz4vnCW0IdKyOGm8Pw9vQibmhck3o22xBc2cP9O3frSD3BoSbcJzM8W8JZheXUnUQM0f11mA6PDtQ_m9QqWXirIwDw_ZlZvCYqxMjYX/s1600/LuluBlogTour_Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglhs8tNCWUNVLAddUIkvex65H7mWtrCoaQwl37mZz4vnCW0IdKyOGm8Pw9vQibmhck3o22xBc2cP9O3frSD3BoSbcJzM8W8JZheXUnUQM0f11mA6PDtQ_m9QqWXirIwDw_ZlZvCYqxMjYX/s320/LuluBlogTour_Banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
I've been talking up Hilary McKay's Casson Family books for a while now, so when I got a chance to interview this author about her Lulu books, now being published in the U.S., I was fangirlishly thrilled. Join me in finding out just how witty and fun Hilary McKay is as a person and as a writer. Thanks, Hilary!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVNUzixckLQaRkYPIvOxgJ98NQetbZe7d3x9atWLyHU_tyeg6ZQxFI-WaEDEUf879QojH_V9klWn6oIIJSGVXXiVSWoaa84AvebdqV6bbi4SWYf-OlaPH04bioLCqz7ETJ3GRUFBCmGGH/s1600/Unknown.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCVNUzixckLQaRkYPIvOxgJ98NQetbZe7d3x9atWLyHU_tyeg6ZQxFI-WaEDEUf879QojH_V9klWn6oIIJSGVXXiVSWoaa84AvebdqV6bbi4SWYf-OlaPH04bioLCqz7ETJ3GRUFBCmGGH/s200/Unknown.jpeg" width="200" /></a><b>BA:</b> I’ve read—and loved—your Exiles and Casson Family series, which are for
middle grade readers. How did you come to write an early chapter book series?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>I've always written early chapter books
along with the longer ones. It started with writing stories for anthologies and
went on from there. So although there are only the LULU books in the US, here
we also have the CHARLIE books (in which Lulu and Mellie sometimes appear) and
the PARADISE HOUSE series (another multicultural series about a group of
children who live and play together).</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> Both the Exiles
and the Casson books are about groups of siblings, clearly ensemble casts. Has it been different writing about an only child?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>No, not at all! Lulu always has Mellie
who is as close to her as any sibling. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> You write, “Lulu and Mellie were not just ordinary
friends—they were best
friends.” Did you have a
best friend as a child? If so, what was the friendship like? Did you sometimes “[grumble] about each other’s hobbies, which were not at all alike”?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>I did have a best friend, and we were
not a bit alike</i><i>—</i><i>she
was an only child, and I was one of four. And she never read books and I read
hundreds. Despite that, for several years we were very close indeed. </i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> How did you create
Lulu’s personality?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCilAEUUqNvCSLz15heTKuyIYaGsL5EfPWKbb4KhnzrhLSb12HqKpmYh87j_ZzC314FK-mrsNIqfzi8WcYjuXGIF2qn7hDuPVh4iIKA7YEhE8iMau2caOSuWYbsl4FU5xq98LEsduXmes/s1600/9780807548080_CVR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheCilAEUUqNvCSLz15heTKuyIYaGsL5EfPWKbb4KhnzrhLSb12HqKpmYh87j_ZzC314FK-mrsNIqfzi8WcYjuXGIF2qn7hDuPVh4iIKA7YEhE8iMau2caOSuWYbsl4FU5xq98LEsduXmes/s320/9780807548080_CVR.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<o:p></o:p><br />
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<b>HM: </b><i>Lulu first appeared in an earlier book</i><i>—</i><i>climbing over a fence to visit her
friend Charlie. I believe, although it is hard to remember because it was so
long ago and I haven't a copy of the story, I believe he cut her hair! And I
think after that between them they cut the hair of most of the children in the
neighborhood. Lulu has been at the back of my mind for a long time, brave and
loving and cheeky and kind. I am very fond of her.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> I’ve really enjoyed the humor in your
previous books. Now the humor in the Lulu books makes them stand out from the
pack. Tell us about your sense of humor and the humor in your writing.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>That is so hard! Goodness! Oh well,
here goes.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>I like words. I think an unexpected
word at (as Captain Jack Sparrow might remark) the opportune moment can jolt a
person into smiling. And I like listening to people talk. It is often, I have
noticed, ridiculous. Write it down, word for word, and you often have a
joke. Or something. That is the hardest question I have been
asked since Physics at University.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> I’m pleased to see that Lulu and Mellie
are black, something that is shown in the illustrations but isn’t called out in the text. What prompted
that choice?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>I have to say this. Here in the far
from perfect UK that fact has never been remarked upon. Not once. I have been
absolutely stunned at Lulu's reception in the US. And I have to say, why not?
It's not the first time. There was a black child in the Paradise House series,
years ago here (and a Chinese one). No one ever commented. Schools over here are filled with all sorts
of children, naughty ones and good ones, plain ones and pretty ones, rich one
and poor ones, able bodied sporty ones, wheel chair users, readers, non
readers, nuisances and treasures. And white ones and black ones. Thank
goodness.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b>BA:</b> Who were you as a
child? Could you tell us a story that would give us an idea?</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfP7hKipB-2OgmsV8DW0lxUqCRfwSsVfMkU-GSCu-Y0b1iUBg_K9m6QsKq2Wa759ah0uy4oNona0MrZm3Rfv3xxdgwN42VSr1HcnbXPGNoFWAXajTEwZe9r9mRgw-pZEDUMjmy0rdUNef9/s1600/9780807548097_CVR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfP7hKipB-2OgmsV8DW0lxUqCRfwSsVfMkU-GSCu-Y0b1iUBg_K9m6QsKq2Wa759ah0uy4oNona0MrZm3Rfv3xxdgwN42VSr1HcnbXPGNoFWAXajTEwZe9r9mRgw-pZEDUMjmy0rdUNef9/s320/9780807548097_CVR.jpg" width="214" /></a><b>HM: </b><i>I remember when I was about Lulu's age
and my tortoise died, I cried so long and loudly that our neighbours across the
street could not stand it. They took me out and bought me a rabbit for the sake
of peace and quiet (much to my mother's surprise). Those neighbours had a
kangaroo skin on the wall of their hall. I thought that was the height of
sophistication. (I was very young. I've grown out of longing for kangaroo skins
now.)</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> The dogs in <i>Lulu and the Duck in the Park</i> are the
villains of the piece, while the titular dog in <i>Lulu and the Dog from the Sea</i> is the hero. What’s more, it seems like the character
growth in Book 2 takes place mostly in the two dogs, not the people. What pets
have you had in your life? Have they experienced any personal growth?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>What an observation! I am impressed! I
don't usually bother with character growth in either humans or animals. It
would take a long time to list all the pets in my life, and this keyboard would
be awash with tears at the memories. I have been fortunate enough to know some
very wonderful animals. Hamsters</i><i>—</i><i>a
merry and noble hamster named Coffee. Dogs. Yes indeed. Kipling (I know, I
know, well out of fashion) was right about giving your heart to a dog to tear.
Sam, Roly, Keeper. Laddie (I didn't name him but I loved him). Laddie didn't
believe in the existence of glass. I must say car journeys were a trial...</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>BA:</b> What inspired the
character of Mrs. Holiday? Who were the most memorable teachers from your own
school days?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>Ah, yes, Mrs Holiday! But if you had known my own Mrs Rule! What a
woman! She believed we could do anything, and we did. Well do I remember us
calculating the diameter of the earth with the aid of shadows and a stopwatch,
out in the playground in the sun. Every Friday afternoon (as a treat) every
child in her class researched and continued the book they were currently
working upon. There was no wishy washy remarking that we were only ten, too
young for literature. We baked bread and churned butter, and learnt to play a
well mannered game of chess. On my birthday (me being the class naturalist) we
had a natural history day. A very large tortoise was allowed to roam freely
between the desks. And Mrs Rule read to us every day, and often to please us
she brought in her dog. (He was named The Black Panther.) She was the best
teacher in the world and I would give a great deal to be allowed to go back in
time to tell her so.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> How did a
biochemist turn into a writer of children’s fiction?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>My friend Isabel suggested it because
she said I wrote good letters. So I had a go and it worked.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>BA:</b> Your flap copy bio
says you like getting letters from children. Could you give us a few quotes
from the<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TLJK59qqjbToTYd-gSF1RM6JHfDkJPNiYZNQ-aGok71DSPUjAhagEhuhMwNgfZAEWEWBQvsbqZkpEK77EgRr7J9GtP5nDB-p8AOjmf1DYVf_gP4c0rWxrqUXJQPBYUQcL75uvTaYeAQK/s1600/9780807548042_CVR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4TLJK59qqjbToTYd-gSF1RM6JHfDkJPNiYZNQ-aGok71DSPUjAhagEhuhMwNgfZAEWEWBQvsbqZkpEK77EgRr7J9GtP5nDB-p8AOjmf1DYVf_gP4c0rWxrqUXJQPBYUQcL75uvTaYeAQK/s320/9780807548042_CVR.jpg" width="208" /></a> letters?<br />
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<b>HM: </b><i>What? Okay. Wait till I dig the files
out.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"I thought of you today because my life
is starting to feel like a novel written by you."</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>"I own two trumpets and two guitars"</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<i>"I read it twice but I'm still
confused."</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>"It wasn't my fault the shelf was
shaky. It was an accident waiting to happen."</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>BA:</b> What’s next for Lulu??<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>HM: </b><i>Well, you have two of the series. There
are six here and I have two more to write before summer. I think your next one
involves a cat in a bag.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>BA:</b> As a postscript, I
have to ask: Are you planning any more books about the Cassons?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>HM: </b><i>Not in the next few months!</i></div>
KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-56494589163287418962013-03-31T16:02:00.001-07:002013-03-31T18:49:20.035-07:00Top Five, or Seven, or Three…<style>
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</style> <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Top
ten? Such a cliché. Here are lists of some of my favorite books in various
genres. I’m not going to list big-name classics,
though of course many of those books are high on my overall lists. For example, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Charlotte’s Web</i> is wonderful, but you
all know that one, so I’ll give you slightly less famous fare or forgotten
classics that are dear to my heart. They’re books you may have missed, but just
might like very much. Because in between gardening and walking around with your umbrella in the almost-April rain, you know you're looking for a good book!</span>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>FANTASY</b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>The Bronze King</i> and two sequels by Suzy McKee Charnas</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Crown Duel</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Sherwood Smith (was <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Crown
Duel/Court Duel</i>)</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Gom on Windy Mountain</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and three sequels by Grace Chetwin</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Nine Lives of Christopher Chant</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Diana Wynne Jones</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Grimbold’s Other World</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Nicholas Stuart Gray</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Return of the Twelves</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Pauline Clarke</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Search for Delicious</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Natalie Babbitt</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Serial Garden</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Joan Aiken</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Silver Curlew</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Eleanor Farjeon</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Taash and the Jesters</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Ellen Kindt McKenzie</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Wicked Enchantment</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Margot Benary-Isbert</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">SCIENCE FICTION</span></b></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
Bromeliad Trilogy and the Johnny Maxwell Trilogy by Terry Pratchett</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Citizen of the Galaxy</i> by Robert A. Heinlein </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
Dragonback series by Timothy Zahn (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dragon
and Thief</i>, etc., especially for preteen boys)</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Fledgling</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and sequels by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (see also the Liaden Universe
series for adults)</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Silver Crown</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Robert C. O’Brien</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Starswarm</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Jerry Pournelle</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">MYSTERY <span style="font-size: large;">& ADV<span style="font-size: large;">ENTURE</span></span></span></b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Alabama Moon</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Watt Key</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Down the Rabbit Hole</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and sequels by Peter Abrahams (see also his teen mystery/thriller, <i>Reality Check</i>)</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The
Enola Holmes series by Nancy Springer</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Minerva Clark Gets a Clue</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and two sequels by Karen Karbo</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">CON<span style="font-size: large;">TEMPORARY <span style="font-size: large;">& HISTORICAL FICTION</span></span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Casson
Family books by Hilary McKay</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Flight of the Doves</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Walter Macken</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Lark and the Laurel</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Barbara Willard</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">No More Dead Dogs</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Gordon Korman</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Snow Treasure</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Marie McSwigan</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>They Loved to Laugh</i> by Kathryn Worth (an old-fashioned coming-of-age story with Quakers)</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Thursday’s Children</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Rumer Godden</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">PICTURE BOOKS</span></b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Beware of Boys</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Tony Blundell</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Dogger</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Shirley Hughes</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Eleanor Farjeon, illustrated by Charlotte
Voake</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Julius the Baby of the World</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Kevin Henkes</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Little Rabbit Foo Foo</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, retold by Michael Rosen, illustrated by
Arthur Robins</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Not This Bear!</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Bernice Myers</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Suddenly!</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Colin McNaughton</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Talking Eggs</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, retold by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated
by Jerry Pinckney</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Thea’s Tree</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Alison Jackson, illustrated by Janet Pedersen</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Trashy Town</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Andrea Zimmerman and David Clemesha, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
(best for 3- and 4-year-old boys)</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">What! Cried Granny: An</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> Almost <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bedtime
Story</i> by Kate Lum, illustrated by Adrian Johnson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">FOLKTALES <span style="font-size: large;">& FAIRY TALES</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">“The
Boy Who Read Aloud” by Joan Aiken, from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Classic
Fairy Tales to Read Aloud</i>, ed. Naomi Lewis</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Duffy and the Devil</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Harve and Margot Zemach</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Good Griselle</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Jane Yolen, illustrated by David
Christiana</span><br />
<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17GVTJwe9E0VNGzelwNegF14yjN5o0r1btS3-S6f0IK3o0hp6oaE0pvbakdvqni1Xukx-1NlzhJdUixwQ9sMMvgv7PHZ1GYZm34VxtEjYXQ_NsDzXscwVuZYYT3Da7LZxYbwUYHxvW3Xo/s1600/Larky-Mavis-9780374343651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh17GVTJwe9E0VNGzelwNegF14yjN5o0r1btS3-S6f0IK3o0hp6oaE0pvbakdvqni1Xukx-1NlzhJdUixwQ9sMMvgv7PHZ1GYZm34VxtEjYXQ_NsDzXscwVuZYYT3Da7LZxYbwUYHxvW3Xo/s320/Larky-Mavis-9780374343651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Language of Birds</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, retold by Rafe Martin, illustrated by Susan
Gaber</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Larky Mavis</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Brock Cole</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Magic Fish-bone</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Charles Dickens, illustrated by Robert
Florczak</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">The Magic Nesting Doll</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Jacqueline K. Ogburn, illustrated by
Laurel Long</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Mr. Semolina-Semolus</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, retold by Anthony L. Manna and Christodoula
Mitakidou, illustrated by Giselle Potter</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tatterhood and Other Tales</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, ed. Ethel Johnston Phelps</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">POETRY</span></b></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">All the Small Things and Fourteen More</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by Valerie Worth, illustrated by Natalie
Babbitt</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of
Poetry</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, ed. Jane Yolen and
Andrew Fusek Peters, illustrated by Polly Dunbar</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Knock at a Star: A Child’s Introduction to
Poetry</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> by X.J. Kennedy and
Dorothy Kennedy</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Sing a Song of Popcorn: Every Child’s Book of
Poems</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, ed. Beatrice Schenk
de Regniers et al., illustrated by nine Caldecott Medal artists</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">A Spider Bought a Bicycle and Other Poems for
Young Children</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, ed. Michael
Rosen, illustrated by Inga Moore</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Swing around the Sun</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Words
with Wrinkled Knees</i> by Barbara Juster Esbensen</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Tail Feathers from Mother Goose: The Opie
Rhyme Book</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"> (Little, Brown),
many different illustrators</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Talking Like the Rain: A Read-to-Me Book of
Poems</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, ed. X.J. Kennedy and
Dorothy Kennedy, illustrated by Jane Dyer</span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">Under the Moon and Over the Sea: A Collection
of Caribbean Poems</span></i><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">, ed. John
Agard and Grace Nichols</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="line-height: 115%;">PLUS A FEW YA FAVORITES</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Changeover</i> and <i>Tricksters</i> by Margaret Mahy</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Dairy Queen</i> and two sequels by Catherine Gilbert Murdock </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Dash and Lily's Book of Dares</i> by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Dragon's Bait </i>and <i>Magic Can Be Murder</i> by Vivian Vande Velde</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTG9o8kYUaRHJilLQh0Tq3GfRLA3iFSEwcG52HuZXj3gZBRoGYBEkwVBMOkkgG5m2ya9hyphenhyphenGWA_yy388yf0X2ZqWDdTdSLFowAXxI_zkcRgxOYUWnkzOIPCNl1RSN8vPXOHYlTy3bvkk5F/s1600/73235798.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqTG9o8kYUaRHJilLQh0Tq3GfRLA3iFSEwcG52HuZXj3gZBRoGYBEkwVBMOkkgG5m2ya9hyphenhyphenGWA_yy388yf0X2ZqWDdTdSLFowAXxI_zkcRgxOYUWnkzOIPCNl1RSN8vPXOHYlTy3bvkk5F/s320/73235798.JPG" width="214" /></a></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Hold Me Closer, Necromancer</i> and sequel by Lish McBride </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>The King of Attolia</i> by Megan Whalen Turner (Book 3 in a series that <i>must</i> be read in order, starting with <i>The Thief</i>) </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Northlander</i> and <i>The King Commands</i> by Meg Burden</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Rules of the Road</i> by Joan Bauer </span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Soul Enchilada</i> by David McInnis Gill</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Thief's Covenant</i> and <i>False Covenant</i> by Ari Marmell</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><i>Withering Tights</i> by Louise Rennison</span></div>
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<span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">So Happy Spring! (And don't say you can't find anything to read.)</span></div>
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KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-16044706278939461132013-03-26T06:02:00.000-07:002013-03-26T06:04:11.654-07:00A Review of Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjlNGBoIgjkZ8mtKG_nWZpqH8Vl40RlL_GYni2-nuMDArW3R3WqF39KS_rHSvFbOitgSEig9fMYkKhZbxTTbVIDuuOTaT2g98_Xigz7piWQ0Wp6oVYD6d66xGt067_oB6oIslJKnYYssH/s1600/14863762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTjlNGBoIgjkZ8mtKG_nWZpqH8Vl40RlL_GYni2-nuMDArW3R3WqF39KS_rHSvFbOitgSEig9fMYkKhZbxTTbVIDuuOTaT2g98_Xigz7piWQ0Wp6oVYD6d66xGt067_oB6oIslJKnYYssH/s320/14863762.jpg" width="243" /></a>Today
is a happy day. It’s the release date of Amy Ludwig Vanderwater’s first poetry
collection. If you haven’t heard of Amy, you should. I first “met” her in the
poetry blog community last April, when I followed her poems through National
Poetry Month, one for each letter of the alphabet and a few bonus poems. Amy
has a very friendly and poem-filled blog, <a href="http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/">The Poem Farm</a>. She actually lives on
a farm in New York, where I suspect she takes walks</div>
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through the woods.<br />
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We
can join her in <i>Forest Has a Song</i>, which takes us on a walk through the forest and the<o:p></o:p></div>
seasons with a girl and her dog. The book is illustrated in light-filled watercolors by
Robbin Gourley. We begin with rows of leaves on the endpapers, then a view of a
house with a path leading to the woods on the title page. The oft-overlooked credits
spread is especially pretty—a row of weedy grass stalks on a sky-implying
background. Of course, our true journey begins with “Invitation,” a poem that starts with the
girl’s words and ends with the words of the forest itself. Here is the entire
poem:<br />
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<br /></div>
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Today<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
heard<o:p></o:p></div>
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a
pinecone fall.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
smell<o:p></o:p></div>
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a
spicy breeze.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
see<o:p></o:p></div>
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Forest<o:p></o:p></div>
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wildly
waving<o:p></o:p></div>
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rows
of<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
friendly
trees.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>I’m here.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Come visit.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Please?<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
is a good example of poet Vanderwater’s voice, clean and spare and true. Our walk
continues with a “Dead Branch,” a haiku stick thrown to the girl’s dog. Then we
meet “Chickadee,” who is afraid of the girl but is nevertheless attracted to
the seeds she offers. As in the first poem, the poet gives us the girl’s voice
followed by the bird’s. “Forest News” is next, in which the girl sees the
tracks left by animals as the words in a newspaper. News about different
animals is described in flowing lines. A couple of my favorites are “Young
raccoons/Drink sips of creek” and “Here a possum/whiskery-wild/climbs a tree
trunk/with her child.” The poem concludes:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Scribbled
hints<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
in
footprints<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
tell
about the day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I
stop to read<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
the
<i>Forest News</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
before
it’s worn away.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Our
girl walks on, having encounters with unfurling “ferny frondy fiddleheads” and
a “grandfather fossil,” a trilobite, before moving on to a tree frog and a lady’s
slipper. There’s a sly bit of fairy tale humor in having those two poems on the
same page since Vanderwater’s frog is courting and the lady’s slipper is the
one dropped by “Forest Cinderella.” The frog poem, “Proposal,” begins rather
desperately with:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Marry me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Please marry me.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
A
tree frog calls<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
from
tree to tree.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Hoping.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Hopping.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
High
above.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Crooning.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Plopping.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Finding
love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Notice
the combination of romance and absurdity, as in “Crooning” followed by
“Plopping.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
girl is having a picnic with her family on the next spread, giving us “Spider”
and the lullaby-like “Dusk.” Then the two night poems are especially nice.
“Lichens” ends with a wise little twist and “First Flight” tells the story of a
young owl’s first flight: “Mommy, I’m scared to be this high.” After that we
see the girl and her dog back in the forest on their own, exploring moss and a
sad little pile of bones: “I wonder/who will bury you?” We get a taste of
“Wintergreen,” a moment of deer watching (and vice versa), “Home” in a rotten
log, and the “Puff” of mushrooms ready to loose their spores. A “Warning” about
poison ivy and the sound of “Woodpecker” finish off the summer: “In a red
cap/he types poems/with his beak/upon a tree.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
girl is waiting for the school bus as “Maples in October” decide to turn red.
“Squirrel” has secrets, but can he remember them? Then we reach the poem that
gave the book its name, “Song.” The girl tells us about the sounds of the
forest, concluding:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Silence
in Forest<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
never
lasts long.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Melody<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
is
everywhere<o:p></o:p></div>
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mixing
in<o:p></o:p></div>
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with
piney air.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Forest
has a song.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
A
page turn. Snow has fallen, and snowflakes have voices. “Father cardinal” shows
off: “Dramatically/he makes an entrance/through two birches/at stage right.”
Finally, Forest bids us “Farewell,” again evoking the “spicy breeze” we smelled
in the poem that began the collection, “Invitation.” The girl and her dog walk
home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Gourley’s
illustrations are deliberately fair and spare, making a good match to Vanderwater’s
poetic style. The girl appears with her brown Everydog on most of the spreads,
leading us on a rambling tour of the forest. We get to see her parents and her
little brother once or twice, as well. The subjects of the poems are called out
in the artwork, but they support the poems rather than competing with them. The
cover art is particularly lovely, as you can see.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Listen
to the entire text of the title poem and take a look at more images from the
book in the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRIqI_FOQtw">book trailer</a>. <i>Forest Has a Song</i>
is recommended by no less a luminary than J. Patrick Lewis, Children’s Poet
Laureate of the Unite States: “With her first book of children’s poetry, Ms. VanDerwater
has already arrived.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I don’t know about you, but here where I live, Spring is
starting to show her face. What better time to take a walk in the woods?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Note: Thanks to Clarion Books for providing
me with a review copy of </i>Forest
Has a Song.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-344911026295076962013-03-16T14:03:00.001-07:002013-03-17T16:25:05.116-07:00Middle Grade MarchMarch is here and spring is springing, at least in my town, where the three feet of snow in the front yard has finally melted and the sun is shining. It's time for kites and daffodils and some good middle grade books!<br />
<i style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></i>
<i style="font-size: x-large;">Garden
Princess</i><span style="font-size: large;"> by Kristin Kladstrup</span><br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLvLt0AvH8-oVKJiQrlsm8I1O8QYOJVDbv4Hvwh8af81JtKIqMETWi8OEWoBbVAvnWr8fK0xyolIBDIW5D6qjPHcgClEQekM8M2clEXvaGPzl0zGm3h3T2MemVgdt-w8nRXUsXg4OA-6e/s1600/9780763656850_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpLvLt0AvH8-oVKJiQrlsm8I1O8QYOJVDbv4Hvwh8af81JtKIqMETWi8OEWoBbVAvnWr8fK0xyolIBDIW5D6qjPHcgClEQekM8M2clEXvaGPzl0zGm3h3T2MemVgdt-w8nRXUsXg4OA-6e/s320/9780763656850_p0_v2_s260x420.JPG" width="224" /></a></div>
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Princess
Adela is a girl after my own heart. Well, she’s more enthusiastic about weeding
than I am, but she loves gardening, as I do. Actually, Adela lives and breathes
gardening, which worries her well-meaning stepmother. How will the princess ever find
a husband with all that dirt under her fingernails? Then Garth the handsome
gardener’s boy gets an invitation to a garden party from the mysterious Lady Hortensia, and he
asks Adela to come with him so that she can help him follow proper etiquette.
Adela’s pretty stepsister Marguerite gets an invitation, too. Adela can’t
wait to see Lady Hortensia’s famous gardens.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Then
we see Lady Hortensia in her garden, accompanied by a talking magpie named
Krazo. It won’t take long for readers to realize that the lady is up to no good.
Her plans for her party guests threaten to be self-serving, and she seems to
know some magic, besides.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sure
enough, when Adela gets to the party, she finds out that Lady Hortensia is an
evil enchantress (think Circe). Now everyone but Adela is under a spell, and
she sneaks around trying to figure out what to do. But her friends are gone or
have turned against her, and she can’t hide out forever.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
book is not very long, and the prose is clear and friendly. Here is Adela’s
description of part of Lady Hortensia’s garden before the princess figures out
that something is very wrong. At this point, Adela is wondering how the woman
can have spring, summer, and fall flowers at the same time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
How
different Hortensia’s garden was from the gardens at home! The palace gardens
had wide-open lawns and terraces—broad bands of colors and texture. But this
garden felt closed in and secret, with surprises at every turn. The roses were
astonishing. They were all different from one another: damasks, centifolias,
china roses, tea roses, musk roses, and ramblers and scramblers that threw
themselves up and over the walls. The roses can’t have been moved from a
greenhouse, Adela decided. Hortensia must have been cultivating them in the
ground for years.</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Garden
Princess</i> is a fun story that reads like an adventurous fairy tale. And there is
a rather sweet romance. Adela is a kind and determined heroine, with Krazo—not
Garth—playing the role of sidekick. I found the first three fourths to be a bit
better than the last fourth, but all in all the book is a cheery, fast-paced
read, with a beautiful if ominously enchanted garden that seems just right for
spring.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A
Tangle of Knots</i> by Lisa Graff</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
world Graff creates is a lot like ours, except that many people have
Talents—some great and some small. Cady has such a powerful gift for baking the
perfect cake that she’s won the Sunshine Bakeoff every year since she was five.
Cady lives in Miss Malory’s Home for Lost Girls, which is often practically
empty because kindly Miss Malory has a Talent for finding orphans just the
right homes. Miss Malory hasn’t been able to find the right home for Cady, but
when a man named Toby shows up, it seems that will change.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Meanwhile,
the Owner of the Lost Luggage Emporium is doing something uncanny to each of
his customers and evidencing an unusual interest in a certain kind of powder
blue suitcase. This will remind readers of the prologue, but what’s the
connection?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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At the same time, a girl named Marigold Asher tries and tries to find her Talent. She’s even
jealous of her brother Zane, whose Talent is for spitting. We also encounter an old woman
who has lost her memory and then the nurse who cares for her. We meet Marigold and
Asher’s small brother Will, who apparently has a Talent for getting lost. Then
there’s the man in the gray suit, who is more than a little magical and seems
to be manipulating events.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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All
of these stories will touch each other. We learn at the end of Chapter 2 that
six of the eight rooms above the Lost Luggage Emporium are for rent.<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The
Owner didn’t know it then, but in just one short week, all eight rooms would be
filled. Some would be occupied by people with great Talents, others would not.
One would house a thief, a person in possession of an object worth millions of
dollars. Several would be inhabited by liars. But every last person would have
something in common.<br />
<o:p> </o:p>In
just one short week, every last one of them would have lost the thing they
treasured most in the world.</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p>Which, you've got to admit, is a pretty enticing statement! </o:p></div>
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While the
magical elements are well delineated, <i>A Tangle of Knots</i> reads more like
magical realism than fantasy to me, that and a touch of Ray Bradbury. I am
curious about the title. Certainly it speaks to the interconnectedness of
people, especially the people in the book. But I’m not sure Graff wants to
untangle the tangles or unknot the knots. I suspect she doesn’t even think
that’s possible. Because don’t the knots hold people together even if life is
often tangly? Graff’s book shows us that human kindness and connections are
more important than talents or Talents. Her cast is fairly large, but she
manages to imbue her characters with individual importance and nuance. <i>A Tangle
of Knots</i> is a thoughtful new book for the magically minded middle grade reader.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The
Girl from Felony Bay</i> by J.E. Thompson (5/13)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbaIN__G2q4ZtJpMftl9_ibqxqN0qcwFG-cWEuSdc7-geHUtAnxJke57WVmF-jkjTbc_5HArKW3eZxzjT0UZt9YMYA7dyY2hIMBOcHcnM8P_G8HJnyO6JT3sJ69aqs6vNp9x68UoEAvV0/s1600/girl-from-felony-bay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUbaIN__G2q4ZtJpMftl9_ibqxqN0qcwFG-cWEuSdc7-geHUtAnxJke57WVmF-jkjTbc_5HArKW3eZxzjT0UZt9YMYA7dyY2hIMBOcHcnM8P_G8HJnyO6JT3sJ69aqs6vNp9x68UoEAvV0/s320/girl-from-felony-bay.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Abbey
Force used to live on a beautiful old plantation in South Carolina, but her
father has been injured and is in a coma. He is also accused of being a thief
and has lost everything. Now Abbey lives with her Uncle Charlie and his wife.
They’re an awful pair, and Charlie seems to have betrayed Abbey’s father in
some way.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Determined
to clear her father’s name, Abbey finds an unexpected ally in a girl who moves
into Abbey’s old home, Reward Plantation. Here the author makes an interesting
choice: newcomer Bee is also a Force, and she is African American. It is
possible that Bee’s ancestors used to be slaves to Abbey’s ancestors. And now
Bee lives in the manor house while Abbey lives in a little old broken-down place.
Bee has been badly injured in a car accident and now walks with a cane.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Other
players in this tale are a bully named Jimmy Simmons and his father, a
pugnacious sheriff’s deputy, and a black boy named Skoogie who lives with his
grandmother and is often a target for Jimmy’s bullying. We also meet some lawyers who were partners with Abbey's father at his law firm. Will they help Abbey with her quest?<o:p></o:p></div>
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As
Abbey tries to find out more about what happened to her father, she stirs up trouble and uncovers mysterious doings in a part of the plantation
named Felony Bay. But—the land isn’t part of Reward Plantation anymore. Why
not? As Abbey and her friends get closer to the truth, they find themselves in serious danger. Let’s just say alligators are involved. But eventually the mystery is
solved and Abbey finds her answers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
sections about Abbey’s father are poignant, but Thompson is wise enough to
handle them matter-of-factly. Here Abbey is visiting her father, talking to him
in hopes that he will hear her and wake up.<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I
really did get straight As, but I hadn’t told Daddy that I was no longer going
to Miss Walker’s School for Girls, I also hadn’t told him that Reward
Plantation had been sold or that Timmy [her pony] had been sold or that I was
living with Uncle Charlie and Ruth and pretty much hated every minute of it.
Daddy had always raised me to tell the truth, but there was no way I could tell
him the truth about my life. I was afraid if I told him what it was really
like, he might never want to wake up.<br />
<o:p> </o:p>I
made up some happy stories about things I had done and places I had gone with
old friends from Miss Walker’s, and when I couldn’t think of any more good lies
to tell, I took out <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i> by Charles Dickens and went to my
bookmark and started to read from where I had stopped the last time.</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>The
Girl from Felony Bay</i> is a well-written adventure story, a nice blend of
friendships, mysterious goings-on, and peril in the swamps, not to mention treasure
hunting and treachery. A satisfying read for the middle grade crowd.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Note:
Thanks to Walden Pond Press for a review copy of this book.</i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-18592590847450440342013-03-11T06:08:00.000-07:002013-03-11T06:08:36.010-07:00Reader Blues
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUd5SUwu07O_LJMXf3ke-nddQY31vGQubbn6fn8DoKl5x-epibaUdGWyMvyzlyb9LPWq5Mi4120MlFLquKsZQuV2kwkeBa-BNZTMtgqPiQGS7AkN_qJU6XgazMSCGWU4ZTkR8B_mXsoQL/s1600/Living-Color-Blue.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNUd5SUwu07O_LJMXf3ke-nddQY31vGQubbn6fn8DoKl5x-epibaUdGWyMvyzlyb9LPWq5Mi4120MlFLquKsZQuV2kwkeBa-BNZTMtgqPiQGS7AkN_qJU6XgazMSCGWU4ZTkR8B_mXsoQL/s320/Living-Color-Blue.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I’m
trying to figure out the differences between being in a reading slump, going
through a genre phase, and evolving as a reader. Plus some other stuff. So far,
here’s what I’ve got:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Reading Slump</span></b></div>
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Me? Not feel like reading? Right, and the
sun didn’t rise yesterday, either. Maybe it’s a mid-life crisis, which is sort
of like teen angst. Only I’m a little past the mid-life point, so that’s a stretch.
I pace the floor, look at my TBR pile (A-list) and my other TBR (B-list). Even
the C-list. None of the books appeal to me. I consider reading something from
my standby pile ‘o comfort, beloved books I’ve already read two or three times,
if not ten or twelve. Is the sun out yet? Still winter? Is spring hinting? I
feel restless. I pick a really appealing book from the A-list pile and read the
first two pages. Meh. I flatter myself it’s because I’m so discerning after
having read thousands of books, but I know I’m making excuses. I pick up
another book, reread the jacket copy, and put it down.</div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Genre Phase</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I’m just not in the mood for middle grade
fantasy. Sort of in the mood for YA, but not for another love triangle, or hate
triangle, as the case may be (e.g., evil 400-year-old witch posing as cute
young thing is using the kind-hearted boy who really loves the good young witch).
What am I in the mood for? Adult sci fi, apparently. For three weeks straight.
And then? I got nothing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Evolving as a Reader</span></b></div>
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This is obviously about personal growth. Who
am I as a reader? And what is the meaning of life, by the way? The pages, they
are like the sky. And I reach for a new sky. Where is that sky, O World?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">Lack of Vitamin Ch</span></b></div>
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It’s not even about books. I just need some
chocolate.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">As Yet Undiscovered Syndrome</span></b></div>
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Uh, I don’t know. Just because?<o:p></o:p></div>
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What
about you? Have you ever had the reader blues? Tell us about it in the
comments. Or better yet, suggest the marvelous new book that will break through
my weltschmerz. The one that will please everybody else hanging out in the children’s book corner of the blogosphere, while we’re at it.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-91403806796966727452013-03-02T16:06:00.000-08:002013-03-03T05:37:54.063-08:00Goldilocks and Those Three Bears<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
When
I was young my sister and I learned a camp song that goes like this:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Once
upon a time in a<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
wee
little village<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
there
were three bears—cha, cha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One
was a papa bear and<o:p></o:p></div>
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one
was a mama bear and<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
one
was a wee bear—cha, cha.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
One
day they were walkin’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
in
the deep woods a-talkin’<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
when
along, along,<o:p></o:p></div>
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along
came a little girl<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
with
golden curls<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
and
upon the door she knocked…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8zvqLmmP-VXLPV9id4AwqUHbYdCVWNyP2tkgHMoANUFo36R5HKr_8AqlPBAOxUcLQ-KcFhQGolHI5Fkn_9Va-LO1carhrKe2tZ2wVMc-zc_HMEY1ZYcfY6y-2dnoPyrlne4U78Y75r3L/s1600/81jjun2juAL._SL1453_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht8zvqLmmP-VXLPV9id4AwqUHbYdCVWNyP2tkgHMoANUFo36R5HKr_8AqlPBAOxUcLQ-KcFhQGolHI5Fkn_9Va-LO1carhrKe2tZ2wVMc-zc_HMEY1ZYcfY6y-2dnoPyrlne4U78Y75r3L/s400/81jjun2juAL._SL1453_.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Timeless,
right? There are other fairy tales about thieves, but the only one that even
comes close to getting this much page time is Jack and the Beanstalk, and Jack
still can’t compete. So what’s the charm of this tale? Is it that inconsistent
porridge? The bears and their chairs? Or simply the idea of getting away with
something? Not to mention the repetition and cumulative effect of three trios
of bowls, chairs, and beds, or the suspense when the bears come home and go up
the stairs. I present to you some of the best renditions of this much-loved
story, including several revisionist versions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Perfect for Preschoolers</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsFcLEEfdc_LDKKWrD1EKdK0507f-9G44JsfqcSj-bngmPPF0EESdH3uz4FoMMXPfi8k_soQBavRNSQ-XA3Q6-wo81EwMLU7hCJFWY6tzKIsjRqRrr20OGuC0gO4M7m5tljKc3MIc_Ers/s1600/The-Three-Bears-Board-Book-9780694009985.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinsFcLEEfdc_LDKKWrD1EKdK0507f-9G44JsfqcSj-bngmPPF0EESdH3uz4FoMMXPfi8k_soQBavRNSQ-XA3Q6-wo81EwMLU7hCJFWY6tzKIsjRqRrr20OGuC0gO4M7m5tljKc3MIc_Ers/s320/The-Three-Bears-Board-Book-9780694009985.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i>The
Three Bears</i> by Byron Barton</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Barton’s
style—both in words and in pictures—is very, very simple. This gives it strong
appeal for 3- and 4-year-olds who might otherwise be confused. No surprise that
this one is also available as a board book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Catch the Classics</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b><i>The
Three Bears,</i> illustrated by Feodor Rojankovsky (1948)</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
This
Little Golden Book is what many parents and grandparents grew up with.
Rojankovsky's illustrations easily stand the test of time. His Goldilocks looks like trouble, while
his bears manage to look sweet and wild-eyed at the same time. The artwork is
simple, surrounded by white backgrounds on most pages, but the strong textures
and curves of the lines of furniture, stove, and bears are striking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Paul Galdone (1972)</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The
late Paul Galdone and James Marshall are the dynamic duo of folktale illustration. In this book, Galdone’s text is particularly well done and
reader-friendly. For example, he incorporates his introduction of each bear
into the artwork, and he uses a different font size for each one: small,
medium, and large, of course. When he tells us “They each had a chair to sit in,”
there’s a wonderful illustration that shows the three bears sitting in a row on
rustic chairs made of tree limbs, each one reading a book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by James Marshall (1988)</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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James
Marshall is good. Very, very good. He starts off: “Once there was a little girl
called Goldilocks. ‘What a sweet child,’ said someone new in town. ‘That’s what
<i>you</i> think,’ said a neighbor.” Later we get Goldilocks exploring the house in
the wood and noticing “a lot of coarse brown fur everywhere. ‘They must have
kitties,’ she said.” The illustrations are just as funny. Note that this book
won a Caldecott Honor in 1989.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Illustration Den</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><i>Goldie
and the Three Bears</i> by Diane Stanley</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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This
Goldie “knew exactly what she liked.” We see her sitting in a restaurant
holding a menu and saying, “I want <i>plain</i> pasta with <i>just</i> butter and <i>no</i> green
things, please.” In a wholly fresh choice, Stanley’s baby bear is a girl. The
porridge is sandwiches, the bears’ clothes look more 60’s than 1600’s, and a
sleeping Goldie “dreams” the bears’ return before waking up completely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Jan B</b><b>rett</b></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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You’re
probably familiar with this illustrator’s intricate style—often, as here, inspired
by Scandinavian culture. Brett is particularly well known for her borders. This is the traditional story, beautifully
illustrated. (Today’s factoid: Did you know Brett co-founded <i>Reading Rainbow</i>?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Caralyn Buehner, illustrated by Mark Buehner</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The
text is on the lengthy side and has a rhyming element that doesn’t quite work,
but the book is a nice enough retelling. I like how Goldilocks carries a jump
rope that makes it possible for her to wreak <i>far</i> more havoc.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Emma Chichester Clark</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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A
cheery British version which begins like this: “Once upon a time, there was a
family of bears: Mummy Bear, Daddy Bear, and Baby Bear. One morning, Mummy Bear
said, “<i>Bother</i>! This porridge is much too hot!” The story has more dialogue than
some of the others and the playful pastel illustrations are fresh—especially
when Goldie’s (long) hair stands on end in the final pages.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Gennady Spirin</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Sometimes
it amazes me that this Russian illustrator’s lavish, Renaissance Russia-style
artwork succeeds in children’s books, but it does. The lushness of the bears’
costumes and furniture is set off by stark white backgrounds, and Spirin’s text
is nicely concise.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears,</i> retold by Jim Aylesworth, illustrated by Barbara
McClintock</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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McClintock
gives Brett a run for her money when it comes to intricacy. And then there’s
this illustrator’s preferred nineteenth-century setting. We’re told Goldilocks “sometimes
forgot to do things that her mother told her to do,” and this point is raised
here and there as the story progresses, concluding as a moral. McClintock’s bears and their young
intruder have near-theatrical facial expressions. I especially like the spread
that shows the bears tiptoeing up the stairs with obvious trepidation—even big
Papa Bear looks anxious.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Valeri Gorbachev</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Can
I just say I love this book? As our story begins, Father Bear is playing the
violin, Mother Bear is reading a book, and Baby Bear is sneaking cookies. These
illustrations are homey and appealing, and the text is simple and clear enough
to work just fine with the 3-to-5 crowd.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>The
3 Bears and Goldilocks </i>by Margaret Willey, illustrated by Heather M. Solomon</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Willey
and Solomon do interesting things with the story, positing a bears’ house that
is closer to what real bears would have in the wild. Instead of being one of
those cottages you usually see, this is a rough, dome-shaped home with piles of
leaves inside and beetles and grubs in the porridge. Unfortunately for the
unsuspecting bears, Goldilocks is a dab hand at sweeping up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Gerda Muller</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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European
retro is the look in this lovely version by Dutch illustrator Gerda Muller. Apparently
Goldilocks lives in a circus caravan and is curious about actual houses. All of
the backgrounds in the book are a light brown color, giving it a cozy feel. Many
different things in the book come in threes, each set having a big, medium, and
small size. Muller also color-codes the bowls, chairs, and beds. Yet these
touches do not distract from the story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Revisionist Goldie</span><b><o:p></o:p></b></div>
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<b><i>Dusty
Locks and the Three Bears </i>by Susan Lowell, illustrated by Randy Cecil</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I
was a little dubious about this one, but turns out it’s a real hoedown of a
book. Young Dusty Locks is a dirty, cowboy boot-wearing child living “Once upon
a time, way out West” (think Pigpen from Peanuts). And here’s how Lowell
describes her bears: “One was a little bitty bear cub, just knee-high to a
bumblebee. One was a mild-mannered middle-size mama. And one was a great big
humpbacked grizzly, nine feet tall and cross as two sticks.” You’ll find beans
in the bowls instead of porridge.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and Just One Bear </i>by Leigh Hodgkinson</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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A
bear gets lost in the big city and takes refuge in Snooty Towers, where he
makes himself at home in a fancy apartment and proceeds to follow the Three
Bears script. Watch for the visual humor: as the bear tastes the three “bowls
of porridge,” we see that the first one is a fishbowl, the second is the food
in a dog dish, and the third is toast on a plate. The bear finds the porridge
soggy, crunchy, and dry for some reason. The chairs are even better, and wait
till you see who lives in this snazzy place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
Returns</i> by Lisa Campbell Ernst</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Goldilocks
is all grown up and running a lock and home security shop in Ernst’s sequel.
Still feeling bad about the bears, Goldi decides to go back and make things
right—by installing new locks and redecorating a bit, for example. Still
clueless after all these years! There’s a nice twist at the end of the book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears:</i> <i>A Tale Moderne</i> by Steven Guarnaccia</b></div>
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The
author of <i>The Three Little Pigs: An Architectural Tale </i>gives us modern design furniture
in this very hip tale. The house is a split-level and Daddy Bear looks like a beat poet.
This kind of book seems to be more for grown-ups than children, but how very
cool it is. The furniture in the illustrations is identified by designer on the
endpapers. I should mention that the storytelling is traditional; it’s the art
that gives it a twist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Bears and the 33 Bears and the Bliim and the Furniture OR The
Goldilocks Variations: Who’s Been Snopperink in My Woodootog? </i>by Allan Ahlberg,
illustrated by Jessica Ahlberg</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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We’re
talking nutty, over-the-top British humor. This one’s for 5- to 7-year-olds
because it’s fairly complicated and wordy. Also funny, funny, funny. There are
seven versions of the story here, including one that’s a play, one in which the
furniture talks, and one with space aliens. The book also has moving parts.
(Note: This Goldilocks inspired today’s post.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Goldilocks
and the Three Dinosaurs</i> by Mo Willems</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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A
nice new spoof of the story. I especially like the way the dinosaurs are being
ever so sneaky. It could have used a better last line, I think, but this one’s still a keeper. See <a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/09/pandas-dragons-and-dinosaurs.html">my review here</a> (scroll down).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Tackylocks
and the Three Bears</i> by Helen Lester, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Tacky
the penguin is a unique character, weird and inclined not to get what’s going
on, but nevertheless likable. This is partly because he’s pleasant and
cheerful, but also because, unlike the rest of us, he’s utterly lacking in
self-consciousness and self-doubt. In this story he draws the Goldilocks role
out of the casting bowl, which is funny in and of itself. But goofy as Tacky
looks in his costume, I was more amused by the way his buddies look in their
bear hoods, which have ears on top, of course. A rowdy audience and Tacky’s
approach to playing the part—or snoozing, as the case may be—make this
deliberately ditzy book an icy delight.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>The
Three Snow Bears</i> by Jan Brett</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Brett
told the story in traditional style in 1992, but she reimagined it with polar
bears in 2007. This time a little Inuit girl named Aloo-ki loses her sled dogs
and finds an igloo. All of the characters are arctic animals except Aloo-ki, all
dressed in heavy sweaters. You don’t often see an author tell the same story
again (Robin McKinley aside), but this version really is fresh and worthwhile.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
could go on… Ruth Sanderson has a version, Jump at the Sun did an African-American
version illustrated by John Kurtz, and Lauren Child did a version with dolls.
There’s even one told in Signed English (Harry Bornstein) and a special needs
version in which Baby Bear “uses a wheelchair, goes to physical therapy, and
ultimately makes friends with Goldilocks” (<i>Rolling Along with Goldilocks and
the Three Bears</i>). If you look up the story title on Amazon, you will find 110
pages! I kid you not. There’s just something about the tale of a little blonde
housebreaker and three put-upon bears that calls out to storytellers—and to 4- to
6-year-olds, who will want to hear it over and over again.</div>
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So
how do you decide which one to read to your child? You can’t go wrong with
the classics—James Marshall’s and Paul Galdone’s books are both marvelous, though I
think Marshall’s bears may be less intimidating for very young readers.
My own new favorite for how the bears are depicted is Valeri
Gorbachev’s version. For comedy, look to Lowell’s regional retelling, Hodgkinson’s
high-rise rendering, Willems’ conniving crew of dinosaurs, James Marshall’s sly
take on the tale, and Helen Lester’s penguin theatrics. Of course, if you like complicated
British humor, Allan Ahlberg’s your guy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Challenged
to pick just three of these books, I’d go with Marshall’s, Gorbachev’s, and
Ahlberg’s versions. But you have so many great choices!<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Note: The illustration at the top of the post is by Emma Chichester Clark and the one at the bottom is by Gerda Muller.</i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-53986714581336626932013-02-25T06:01:00.000-08:002013-02-25T06:05:23.087-08:00Happy NewsI am so excited! My book of ocean poems, <i>Water Sings Blue</i>, has won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for 2012! In case you're not aware of the award, this is a Big Deal. I'll be flying to Philadelphia in September to accept it. And there will be gold stickers on my book. Gold stickers!<br />
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You can read the <a href="http://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/activities/hopkins/2013/press2013.html">press release here</a>. To celebrate, I'll show you two spreads from the book. Click on the images to see larger versions. (There are more images in the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Water-Sings-Blue-Kate-Coombs/dp/081187284X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1361800645&sr=1-1&keywords=Water+Sings+Blue">Amazon preview</a>.) As you can see, Meilo So's artwork is breathtakingly beautiful.<br />
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On another nice note, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Poetry-Friday-Anthology-Middle-Edition/dp/193705778X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361800216&sr=8-1&keywords=poetry+friday+middle+school+anthology">The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School</a></i> is out. Two of my poems are in it. The book is edited by poet Janet Wong and Library and Information Studies professor Sylvia Vardell. It includes focused poetry lessons based on the Common Core Standards.<br />
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Now, you may be asking yourself, where, oh where, are the book reviews we've come to know and love here at Book Aunt? Well, hold onto your hats and your britches... this weekend I'll be comparing all kinds of versions of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. See you then!<br />
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<br />KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-30650900627508329942013-02-18T05:26:00.001-08:002013-02-18T05:26:49.063-08:00New Harry Potter ArtJust a tidbit thanks to <a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/55933-a-new-look-for-harry-potter.html?utm_source=Publishers+Weekly%27s+Children%27s+Bookshelf&utm_campaign=a9f53c30ea-UA-15906914-1&utm_medium=email">Publisher's Weekly</a>: new cover art for the Harry Potter series by Amulet author/illustrator Kazu Kibuishi. (See also <a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-of-explorer-mystery-boxes-edited.html">my review of Kibuishi's book</a>, <i>Explorer: The Mystery Boxes</i>, which was published last March.)<br />
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Here's the first cover, for <i>Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone</i>. My immediate thoughts are that Hagrid is really the focus of this painting and that thanks to Hedwig, Harry looks like he has angel wings. Love the shadowy blue tone and the choice of Diagon Alley for the setting. What do you think?<br />
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<br />KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-11074569514765683892013-02-12T20:39:00.000-08:002013-02-12T20:39:23.353-08:00Life, the Universe and Everything<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, pretty soon I'm off to a complete geek-fest, a sci-fi/fantasy conference appropriately titled Life, the Universe and Everything. I fully expect the answers to, well, everything! (Wasn't it the white mice who knew that? Or their computer did? I guess it was just the meaning of life. That would be sufficient for me, too.)<br />
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Anyway, I will be back blogging next weekend. I may even give you some info from the conference! Can't go wrong with workshop titles like "Lloyd Alexander: High King of Fantasy," "Mary Sue and Gary Stu: Avoiding the Dreadful Downfalls of Bad Fiction" (a panel), "Cryptography 101," "Military in Fantasy," "Space Eldritch," "How to Kill a Zombie," (I thought they were already dead!) and my personal favorite, "Everything I Need to Know about Writing I Learned from the Matrix." That's merely a sampler from the first day.<br />
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Best of all, the keynote speaker and and sometimes panel member is Megan Whalen Turner, quite possibly the best writer in MG/YA fantasy today. Yep, be envious. Be very, very envious. And read some good fantasy this week!KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-11014773936500910602013-02-11T06:22:00.001-08:002013-02-11T06:22:42.646-08:00A Review of Cardboard by Doug TenNapel<br />
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graphic novel is an unabashedly boy book full of adventures, inventions,
monsters, and chase scenes—with a bunch of pop psychology mixed in. Also a plot
thread about our hero’s dad, who is still grieving over his lost wife. Cam’s
dad is out of work, and Cam has to put up with the jerk next door, a rich kid
named Marcus who can best be described as drugs, grease, and goth. When Marcus
is not sneering, he’s bullying, either that or hanging out with his sidekick
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It’s
Cam’s birthday, and his dad buys him a cardboard box from a creepy guy at a roadside
toy booth who is obviously one of those magical types whose gifts are bound to
backfire. “Wait, there are rules!” the guy tells Cam’s dad, to which savvy
readers will instantly respond, “They’re going to break the rules!” Cam and his
dad make a goofy-cool boxer that comes to life. Then Cam breaks the rules,
Marcus gets involved, and pretty soon a lot of cardboard chaos has broken
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I
could have done without the whole plot-as-psychological analysis and redemption
with regards to Marcus. And possibly without the additional resurrection (or
something) of Cal’s dad. This all leaves Cal as kind of a secondary character
in his own story. However, I’ll admit there’s more to life than cardboard
symbolism, and we do get a lot of great action here. The relationship between
Cal and his dad is nice, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As
for the artwork, TenNapel knows his stuff. He keeps the action going with
strong ink lines—lots of slashing diagonals and forward motion. His palette
tends to be a bit dark, with blacks, browns, olives, rusts, and grays set of by
touches of brighter colors. TenNapel not only shines when it comes to
large-scale action, but his way with posture and facial expressions make his
characters’ personalities strong. Cam’s dad is a wonderful sad sack, while
Marcus is kind of hideous outside as well as in—you can’t turn your eyes away!
<i>Cardboard</i> is really the story of Marcus, this pathological liar that only a rat
could love. (And the rat bites him.)</div>
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Still, even though TenNapel may get carried away with the symbolism, his
book is so brash and over-the-top that he pretty much pulls it off. I’m guessing the 10-year-old boy you hand this one to will completely miss the
psychology and just enjoy the action-packed storytelling. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-74129339338878737672013-02-11T06:17:00.001-08:002013-02-11T06:17:51.113-08:00A Review of Little White Duck: A Childhood in China by Na Liu and Andrés Vera Martínez<br />
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this graphic novel points out with classy in-your-face power is that we really
don’t know what it’s like to grow up in China. Or rather, in the China of the
late 1970s. <i>Little White Duck</i> succeeds on so many levels I’m not sure where to
begin. We watch a little girl named Da Qin learning and growing just by seeing
the moments of her life. We understand more about what it means to be part of a
great country where people don’t walk around saying, “Oh dear, we’re
communists!” No, this is their life, their worries, their pride. We experience
all of this through focused language and rich, strong artwork in a book that
reminds me, subtly, of Sandra Cisneros’s <i>A House on Mango Street</i>.</div>
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I
remember when North Korea’s leader died year before last, we here in America
were inclined to believe that the crowd’s tears were fake. Maybe some of them
were—but maybe not. In <i>Little White Duck</i>, Da Qin wants to know why her parents
are so sad, why her mother is weeping. “Grandfather has died,” they tell her,
and they mean Chairman Mao.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Aside
from showing us life in China, the book gives marvelous little life lessons
through Da Qin’s experiences—such as when she insists on wearing her best coat
to visit the village of her father’s mother. She is baffled and upset by how
mean her grandmother is, and by the way the children in this impoverished place
treat her. But she is also changed somehow.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s
humor, too. For example, at one point Da Qin and her sister don’t want to eat
their vegetables, and their mom gives them a hair-raising version of our culture’s
“But there are children starving in Africa” speech. Then there’s the rat-catching
incident…<o:p></o:p></div>
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To
revisit the artwork, Booklist says it “evokes both traditional Chinese
scrolls and midcentury propaganda posters.” We are even given a spread of such
posters, with translations provided at the end of the book. The colors, the lines, the style all combine to make this book as art, worthy of a coffee table or a better still a gallery exhibit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Little White Duck</i> is an
amazing book, truly. My only question is whether it’s really for kids. Well, I
would read it with the 10-and-ups. And I would read it with high school students. It’s a good accompaniment to a study of
world history and of other cultures. Or US history and the Cold War. It could
prompt conversation as a set of moral tales, or it could prompt writing about
what our experiences teach us.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Whether
you’re 10 or 40, this book from husband-and-wife team Martínez and Liu is a work to enjoy <i>and</i> ponder. Or, as Aristotle would no doubt put it,
<i>Little White Duck</i> both delights and teaches.<o:p></o:p></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-4434033137430559422013-02-11T06:08:00.000-08:002013-02-11T06:23:14.373-08:00A Review of Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time: The Graphic Novel, adapted and illustrated by Hope Larson<br />
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I
am always puzzled by people who dislike even a well-done adaptation of a book to
film on the grounds that it doesn’t contain every bit of the book. A book and a
film are two different formats, with a film clearly being a tighter format than
a book. While I realize a graphic novel is a book in one’s hands, it is
nevertheless limited in much the same way a film is by its visual elements and
its very immediacy. (Ironically, the current move towards
present-tense narratives in YA and even middle grade fiction can be seen as an
effort to capture the immediacy of film.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVla9OTh7xf8OEYmpaZyFyEkyxJn0XDcX8P9xLqxCN-dJrspJhtWMPXUGkLNE7fItrD0YUN56g2zlcYWisgMbBwAMti-KcS3M8AD_AraBol-I07oqtHg6-FImrgdiPlS-YMYXuC47-b3_h/s1600/wrinkleintime.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVla9OTh7xf8OEYmpaZyFyEkyxJn0XDcX8P9xLqxCN-dJrspJhtWMPXUGkLNE7fItrD0YUN56g2zlcYWisgMbBwAMti-KcS3M8AD_AraBol-I07oqtHg6-FImrgdiPlS-YMYXuC47-b3_h/s320/wrinkleintime.jpg" width="225" /></a>A graphic novel, even if it is an adaptation, must be understood as
a compact narrative. I was wondering how well this famous, beloved book
would translate to the graphic novel format… Of course, it depends on who is
doing the translating. Hope Larson does a very, very good job.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I’m
thinking of a contrast that highlights Larson’s effectiveness. Take the graphic
novel of <i>Twilight</i>. Although I liked it on some levels, the choice to go with a manga
style gives us really sweet-looking characters. I think it would have been more effective with a grittier style.<o:p></o:p></div>
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And
there’s a certain sweetness to Hope Larson’s artwork for <i>A Wrinkle in Time</i>.
Charles Wallace would be pretty darling if he weren’t scary smart. I wasn’t
sure what to think of him in this book. You may not even realize you have a
picture of what Meg looks like, or Calvin, or the three “witches,” until you
see how Larson has envisioned them. For example, in Larson’s book, Calvin has a
crooked nose. I checked in the original, and he doesn’t, not that the author indicates, anyway. So the nose threw me
off a little, though I think the adapter-illustrator wanted to make Calvin more
accessible, especially to Meg.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s
a lot of handholding going on, with a light suggestion of romantic interest
between Meg and Calvin. Actually, Larson makes the hand holding into a theme
for Meg, and it does pop up on occasion in the original book. For example, when Meg
goes back to save Charles Wallace, Mrs. Who says, “I ccannnott hholldd yyourr
hanndd, chilldd.” And Charles Wallace is holding Meg’s hand tightly when
they land in the broccoli patch after their escape. L’Engle is certainly wise enough to imply that
Meg must grow up and act for herself, without having her hand held at the most
terrifying moment of all. And Meg's love for Charles Wallace saves him, so that
handholding makes sense. I do feel that Larson did more with the idea than
L’Engle—see for yourself how you think it works.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now,
one challenge of illustrating the story is that IT was always going to be more
scary in the reader’s imagination than in an illustration—in fact, reading
about IT without giggling is sometimes hard to do. It’s easy to make SNL-type
jokes about a giant blob of brain sitting on a platform. But the story sweeps
us along, and the brain isn’t <i>that</i> bad. In fact, Larson handles the problem by
outright acknowledging the absurdity. On page 286, she sets up the coming visual
of IT with a series of shots of Meg’s little crew reacting, looking a tad
like McCauley Culkin in that famous <i>Home Alone</i> pose. Oh, the horror! Then on
page 287 we get, “—a brain.” And Larson throws in some sound effects coupled
with visual effects, all in voice bubbles: “Quiver.” “Glorp.” “Gurgle.” “Squish.”
“Ooooooze.” After which we move immediately to Charles Wallace succumbing still
more to IT, his eyeballs starting to twirl on page 288.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Any
fan of the original <i>Wrinkle in Time</i> may have the movie adaptation reaction I
mentioned above. But flex your thinking a little, and I suspect you’ll
find that Hope Larson’s graphic novel does justice to L’Engle’s wonderful book.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-17700522530466844782013-02-03T21:56:00.000-08:002013-02-05T06:04:15.376-08:00Taking on the Classics<br />
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HarperCollins
sent me a couple of new books that were bound to make me think of some major
classics. Can it be that a new generations of authors and illustrators will
hold their own against the big guys? Kind of like in professional wrestling? We
shall see!</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Taking
on Richard Scarry</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Who
dares to challenge Richard Scarry, he of the busy world, cute-without-being-irritatingly-adorable
characters, and lots of cars and trucks?<o:p></o:p></div>
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That
would be Brian Biggs. I missed his first outing, the 2011 title <i>Everything
Goes: On Land</i>. And I’m lacking his forthcoming easy readers, such as <i>Everything
Goes: Henry in a Jam</i>. But I’m sitting here looking at <i>Everything Goes: In the
Air</i>—with its nice big 10x12 trim size—and I also have two board books under the
Everything Goes banner: <i>Stop! Go! A Book of Opposites</i> and <i>1 2 3 Beep Beep Beep!
A Counting Book</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Granted,
in Biggs’s book you will find fewer narratives, especially those mini stories
Scarry was so fond of telling, e.g., in <i>Cars and Trucks and Things that Go</i>, the
Pig Family gets sprayed by a street washer with a broken nozzle and then, on
the next page, a load of oranges gets dumped on them and their car because Mrs.
Rabbit was yelling instructions to Mr. Rabbit.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Biggs
does something similar, though it isn’t as intricate. For example, in
<i>Everything Goes: In the Air</i>, the main narrative is following a family that is
going on a trip in an airplane The emphasis is on the family’s son, who appears
to be six or seven years old. But other things are happening in the airport.
Most notably, a woman pushing quintuplets in a stroller loses all five, and
readers must help the worried mother find her active babies (who may remind you of the escaped baby in Hilary Knight’s <i>Where’s Wallace</i>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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The young main character asks questions about the airport and planes, and his parents
answer. The questions and answers are useful and clear. Airplane history is
included, as on the spread showing planes like the Spirit of St. Louis, the Red
Baron, and an early passenger plane. One early plane is shown on another spread
with the parts labeled. The pilot is labeled, plus there’s a label saying,
“Nice mustache” of the pilot’s facial hair. On another page, a stunt plane
that’s flying upside down is labeled upside down.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Which
just goes to show that the humor is likely to grab you, especially if you’re
the parent reading this with a child. A man in the airport holds a sign for an
incoming passenger and the name is “Murgatroyd.” Arrivals and departures are
listed, but along with ordinary city names we get Dullsville, Outtatown, and
Big Apple. Certain characters speak with alliteration: one man says into his
cell phone, “Honolulu was heavenly,” and on the next page another man says into
his, “I said, ‘I’ll see ya’ll in Yellville!’” Yelling, of course. A stand full
of brochures has a sign up top that says Tourist Traps. A pirate at security is
told he can’t take his sword on the flight, though apparently he can take his
parrot. My favorite funny detail is when a news helicopter is show flying and a
reporter looks over, saying, “That’s not a bird or a plane.” A superhero is
standing on top of a skyscraper off to one side. The author nicely balances
airplane and airport information with humorous details. We even get a nod to
feminism with a remark about an airplane pilot.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
board books are similar in style. Their plain colored backgrounds will make it
easier for toddlers to interpret what they see. We get touches of humor and
cheery, creative renditions of concepts using all kinds of vehicles. For
example, one spread in the opposites book shows MANY motorcycles coming up
behind a FEW (three) unicycle riders. One of the unicyclists looks back with a
worried expression at the onslaught of motorcylists. Then there's the counting book that starts
off with 1 bus and 2 RV’s before working its way up to 9 race cars and 10
bicycles. But best of all is the last spread, which shows 1 BIG traffic jam.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Biggs’s
artwork is cheery and fun, though it’s not as engaging as Scarry’s work. The
style is different, with simpler, larger shapes and stronger lines. The
characters are appealing in general and do funny things, but they lack the strong
individual personalities of characters like Scarry’s famous Lowly Worm, Officer
Flossy, and Mistress Mouse. One reason might be that the
characters’ facial expressions are somewhat uniform, particularly the eyes,
which are black dots and don’t do much.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
definitely recommend the Everything Goes books for today’s kids. But hang onto
your Richard Scarry books. With their marvelous characters, their fine print,
their eloquent illustrations, and their diminutive narratives, they make the
perfect follow-up to Brian Biggs’s vehicular world.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Taking
on P.D. Eastman</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjQfVZMs7ywy8-TYOIDnWYfbaP8RvzPmEdNlwT1QhMtEeh_WppDS2EfZ4jFveaxYVsg0iGmMc4vAVV5J19_1vrZABc77v0MQO_iqcbomCxs5yQ3reY_3g6dQtXrxD-Kyikdze6mKsrnGX/s1600/go-dog-go_2422_400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipjQfVZMs7ywy8-TYOIDnWYfbaP8RvzPmEdNlwT1QhMtEeh_WppDS2EfZ4jFveaxYVsg0iGmMc4vAVV5J19_1vrZABc77v0MQO_iqcbomCxs5yQ3reY_3g6dQtXrxD-Kyikdze6mKsrnGX/s320/go-dog-go_2422_400.jpg" width="228" /></a>Who’s
taking on P.D. Eastman, creator of the best dog book <i>ever</i>? We’re talking <i>Go,
Dog. Go! </i>here, people.<o:p></o:p></div>
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His
name is Horvath. James Horvath. In case you aren’t sure about the challenge
being on, check out the title: Horvath’s book is actually called <i>Dig, Dogs,
Dig</i>. All right, with a subtitle: <i>A Construction Tail</i>. The name matches Eastman's even if
the punctuation doesn’t. (How many of you will admit you’ve
looked up the title of the Eastman classic at one time or another to figure
out if it’s one sentence or two?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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Moving
right along, let’s check out Horvath’s construction worker dogs. I like that
the author-illustrator introduces his dogs on the front endpaper: supervisor
Duke (who carries a bullhorn) and crew members Roxy, Buddy, Max, Spot, and
Spike. Then our story begins. We see the aforementioned dogs plus several more
in their beds. There's even a cat. Duke calls to them from the doorway:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Wake
up, dogs.<o:p></o:p></div>
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You’re
going to be late.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
sun is up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There’s
no time to wait.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
next spread shows the dogs leaping out of their beds, ready to get to work. Which
is an obvious homage to pages 48–51 of <i>Go, Dog. Go! </i>Pages 48–49 show a bunch of
dogs asleep in a large bed and tell us that night is not the time for play. But
the next spread shows the same room in the morning. Dogs are leaping out of
bed, and a dog in charge with a bullhorn calls:</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Now
it is day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
sun is up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now
is the time<o:p></o:p></div>
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for
all dogs to get up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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‘Get
up!’<o:p></o:p></div>
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It
is day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time
to get going.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Go,
dogs. Go!”<o:p></o:p></div>
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If
anything, Horvath’s book was inspired by page 34 in <i>Go, Dog. Go! </i>There we find
three dogs at work. It’s a great little scene involving a shovel, a pickaxe,
and a jackhammer. (See also page 18.) That said, Horvath jumps off and does his
own thing. His dogs really are construction workers, and unlike Eastman’s dogs—who
show up everywhere from a ski slope to the top of a giant tree—Horvath’s crew
goes to the site and builds, builds, builds. It’s a nice focus. When the dogs
get to work, we get a page showing the different machines they will use. The
machines pop because they are all yellow with some black on a green background.
Each is labeled as part of the text:<o:p></o:p></div>
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“Start
up the loader,<o:p></o:p></div>
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dump
truck,<o:p></o:p></div>
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and
grader,<o:p></o:p></div>
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bulldozer,<o:p></o:p></div>
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backhoe,<o:p></o:p></div>
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and
excavator.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
work goes on with a great twist—as the dogs dig, they discover a huge T-Rex
bone! What will they do with it? And why is there a truck full of ducks heading
their way?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Horvath
rhymes his text, which could have been distracting. But most of the rhymed
phrases flow smoothly, and that’s pretty hard to do. <i>Dig, Dogs, Dig</i> is very fun
stuff. Like the Everything Goes books, it has great boy appeal. What’s interesting is
that I have a similar quibble with Horvath’s artwork. The illustrations are
cartoonish, colorful, and active, which is great. However, the dogs are less
personable than one might hope. Even on that front endpaper, all of them have
their mouths hanging open the same way and—we’re back to the eyes, in this case
black ovals with white dot pupils. Look at how someone like Kevin Henkes does
eyes and facial expressions and I think you’ll see what I mean. Let's face it: now that more
illustrators are using computers to create picture books, this may continue to
be an issue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Still,
I can happily recommend <i>Dig, Dogs, Dig</i>. It has real verve, and I think young
readers (especially boys) are going to like it. Try pairing it with its mentor
and predecessor, <i>Go, Dog. Go!</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Note:
The dogs in this book complete the whole construction project in just one day.
You might want to point out to your child that a construction project normally
takes months and months.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Taking
on Dr. Seuss (sort of)</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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Who’s
up against Theodore Geisel, AKA Dr. Seuss?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Well,
no one, actually. Not with the full list of superpowers: crazy-funny drawings,
successful rhymes that shouldn’t be, the occasional social commentary, easy
readers that made Dick and Jane run for cover, and a generally mad take on
life. (Five hundred hats? An elephant sitting on an egg like a chicken? A green
guy who’s the anti-Santa Claus?)<o:p></o:p></div>
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We
do have contenders when it comes to certain Seussian factors, however, so let’s
take a look at them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
first name that comes to mind is Mo Willems—especially his Elephant and Piggie
books. They’re the new classics in easy readers, and I can see why. Humor, not
to mention melodrama of the kind appropriately associated with frustrated 5-year-olds,
is the name of the game. Elephant and Piggie are marvelous personalities, as is
Pigeon. The situations are more commonplace that the ones you will meet in Dr.
Seuss’s books, but that makes the humor all the more impressive. It’s like
Seinfeld for kindergartners.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Rhyme-wise,
who can we go to? It’s very hard to write a great rhymed narrative. The only
person I can think of who has pulled it off recently—and in quite a different
style—is the late, supremely talented Margaret Mahy with her
poem-turned-picture book, <i>Bubble Trouble</i>. Here’s <a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/04/review-of-bubble-trouble-by-margaret.html">my review</a> from April 2009.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<br /></div>
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We’ll
have to move beyond the easy reader category to find any further comparisons to the great
Geisel. How about our latest Newbery award winner, Jon Klassen, with his hat
trick duo, <i>I Want My Hat Back</i> and <i>This Is Not My Hat</i>. Story pacing,
an odd and unique illustrative style, and an equally nutty sense of humor?
Klassen, in his own way, has a certain kinship to Seuss. Though for writing, I'm more inclined to select an off-the-wall collaborator of Klassen's, Mac Barnett. Just take a look at <i>Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem</i>, for example.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
new Seuss, ironically, can’t be too much like the old Seuss. It’s been said
that no one can successfully imitate Dr. Seuss, and I agree. So maybe Mo
Willems really is the new Dr. Seuss. Maybe Jon Klassen can stake a claim, or even Mac Barnett. But let's remember that one of the best things about children’s literature is that it
accumulates. "The more the merrier" definitely applies. We have more great books for kids now than we did 20 years ago,
and more 20 years ago than we had 30 years before that. I should say
instead that children’s books are cumulative—like the refrains in some of the
best ones. Say, for example,<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
“I
do not like them here or there.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
do not like them anywhere.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
do not like green eggs and ham.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
do not like them, Sam-I-am.”</div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-63934731462077591762013-01-28T22:00:00.001-08:002013-01-29T19:36:48.767-08:00Newbery and Caldecott Rock Our January<br />
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This
is it! The big day! Forget the Superbowl, or rather, picture a Superbowl with
authors and illustrators, only they probably wouldn’t be wearing those odd uniforms… Anyway, this morning the American Library Association announced
their annual children’s book awards. Here are some of the highlights. To see
the entire list, read this <a href="http://www.ala.org/news/pr?id=12298">ALA press release</a>. (And join me in wondering why
the knowledgeable librarians put the book titles in quote marks rather than in italics.
Perhaps they don’t trust reporters?)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Newbery
Medal</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>The
One and Only Ivan</i> by Katherine Applegate</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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The
talking gorilla takes the prize! This was not an easy premise to pull off, but
the accolades started pouring in early on and haven’t stopped. Plus, I will
just mention that at this moment, the book is #13 on Amazon’s sales ranking
list. I am embarrassed to say that <i>The One and Only Ivan</i> is still on my TBR
list, but I will read it soon, I promise.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Newbery
Honor</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Splendors
and Glooms</i> by Laura Amy Schlitz</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I
actually just read this last week and was wowed. Intense, wonderful storytelling
with depth of character and strange surprises. Kind of dark, though, so I’d say
10 and up.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Bomb:
The Race to Build—and Steal—the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon</i> by Steve Sheinkin</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrw_1fBAsf3Pk6-5ZPit3JrUPO4YT2kvNTaOow7jzKXNIS3DK2NCDBqdVmvKFp3fpTEyqwJqtBqPtpFBBjlodyOt82dI2N_b80TSIn1ZB-hSzJTs2qDUBb_T-XNbcyHiCCT_NDgwGesZl/s1600/Bomb-Sheinkin-Steve-9781596434875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNrw_1fBAsf3Pk6-5ZPit3JrUPO4YT2kvNTaOow7jzKXNIS3DK2NCDBqdVmvKFp3fpTEyqwJqtBqPtpFBBjlodyOt82dI2N_b80TSIn1ZB-hSzJTs2qDUBb_T-XNbcyHiCCT_NDgwGesZl/s320/Bomb-Sheinkin-Steve-9781596434875.jpg" width="254" /></a>My
mom is a huge nonfiction fan and I gave her this one for Christmas. It’s on my
TBR pile, but I will tell you she’s picking it for her book club next go-round.
She also loved Sheinkin’s books <i>The Notorious Benedict Arnold: A True Story of
Adventure, Heroism, and Treachery</i> and <i>King George: What Was His Problem? (The Whole
Hilarious Story of the American Revolution)</i>. I’ve read the latter, and it’s
fantastic—and truly funny. Steve Sheinkin makes a whole new thing out of
nonfiction. You should know that <i>Bomb</i> won the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award and the YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adults as well, for
a triple whammy. Arguably the best book of 2012.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Three
Times Lucky</i> by Sheila Turnage</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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Here’s
<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-years-resolutions-middle-grade.html">my review</a> (scroll down). I thought this was a fun book, but I wasn’t as enchanted
by it as the committee clearly was. Great voice and characters, definitely! A rollicking Southern tale.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Caldecott
Medal</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>This
Is Not My Hat</i>, illustrated and written by Jon Klassen</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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What we might call a companion book to last year’s <i>I Want My Hat Back</i>, this one is set under the
ocean and has the same conciseness, brash style, and grimly humorous conclusion. The
artwork is hard to describe—I guess I would say that it’s spare, deliberately flat,
and very distinct. Take a look! Oh, and note that Klassen accomplished
something that has got to be a first: He won the Caldecott Medal <i>and</i> a
Caldecott Honor in the same year! (Here's a link to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MuDfdxESOQ">the book trailer</a>.) Oh, just found out that Leonard Weisgard won both the Caldecott and an Honor in 1947. Not a common occurrence, obviously!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Caldecott
Honor </span>(Yes, there are 5 of them)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Creepy
Carrots!</i> illustrated by Peter Brown, written by Aaron Reynolds</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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One
of the things I like best about this one is that it has the look of an old
black-and-white horror film—relieved only by bright, not pumpkin, but carrot
orange. The story is cute, but the illustrations are stunning. Such a fresh take
on the Halloween book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Extra
Yarn</i>, illustrated by Jon Klassen, written by Mac Barnett</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I
<a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/11/picture-books-to-look-forward-to.html">reviewed this</a> as a picture book to look forward to, and I’ve been rooting for
it to get the Caldecott Medal or an Honor ever since. Klassen’s deadpan
illustrative style meshes perfectly with Barnett’s deadpan approach to
storytelling—and to make that mix into a modern fairy tale involving knitting?
Bliss!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Green</i>,
illustrated and written by Laura Vaccaro Seeger</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I
loved this one so much that I wrote <a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/07/homage-to-laura-vaccaro-seegers-green.html">my review</a> last July as a set of brief
poems. Non-artists tend not to see the world the same way artists do, but
in this book, Laura lends us her vision of just one color. It should change the
way we see all colors. This would have been my other pick for the Caldecott Medal (along with <i>Extra Yarn</i>).<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>One
Cool Friend</i>, illustrated by David Small, written by Toni Buzzeo</b></div>
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The artwork in this
book reminds me a tiny bit of Hilary Knight’s <i>Eloise</i>, but then, David Small’s
art has its own unique look. The story of a boy who winds up hanging out with a penguin, and why not? As Booklist puts it, the artwork is “black-and-white line
illustrations with pops of soft color.” Lovely stuff, and a gently funny book.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Sleep
Like a Tiger</i>, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski, written by Mary Logue</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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I
haven’t read this, but a quick look on Amazon made me want it. It’s illustrated
by a woman whose artwork won a previous Caldecott Honor in 2010, for <i>Red Sings
from Treetops: A Year in Colors</i> by Joyce Sidman. Another artist with an
unusual, memorable, and appealing style.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
mostly read Young Adult fantasy, so I’ve only read one of the Printz Award and
Honors books. Here’s the list—and my note about the book I did read. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Printz
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<b><i>In
Darkness</i> by Nick Lake</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Printz
Honor</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<b><i>Dodger</i>
by Terry Pratchett</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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This
book is by one of my favorite authors, and <a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-review-of-dodger-by-terry-pratchett.html">I reviewed it</a> when it came out.
Pratchett takes one of Charles Dickens’ most intriguing characters and gives him his own story,
imbuing it with that Victorian Horatio Alger feel that characterizes many of
Dickens’ books. A terrific adventure in the sewers and grand houses of London.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNXDAYNpdGwyMjxeFnMSxoPRwV2Teut9QPp5iL_Jp9FktkEl3W5J9gPhyEV3v2_yYS8iro77CZ4A9JLB8ZXXhDR9dIz258-Om48WQYKzIfnRaP5Q6o1CvKEzz2brSy7AfvH20Umuywvfu/s1600/aristotledante.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNXDAYNpdGwyMjxeFnMSxoPRwV2Teut9QPp5iL_Jp9FktkEl3W5J9gPhyEV3v2_yYS8iro77CZ4A9JLB8ZXXhDR9dIz258-Om48WQYKzIfnRaP5Q6o1CvKEzz2brSy7AfvH20Umuywvfu/s320/aristotledante.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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<b><i>Aristotle
and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe</i> by Benjamin Alire Sáenz</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ExCMkw35Xk942xN1d4MUC3zBIqy1PXckr_nK50CzBPdcvi4djYX4ieD9CuNqERWb5juuNQNQj1MQmRtU-D8U-rmE0kqrF_UdtGTuUN_M4DwsbLx3VI4Or4hj7FHlCaofBbnVZsMEsUvo/s1600/Code+Name+Verity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ExCMkw35Xk942xN1d4MUC3zBIqy1PXckr_nK50CzBPdcvi4djYX4ieD9CuNqERWb5juuNQNQj1MQmRtU-D8U-rmE0kqrF_UdtGTuUN_M4DwsbLx3VI4Or4hj7FHlCaofBbnVZsMEsUvo/s320/Code+Name+Verity.jpg" width="213" /></a><b><i>Code
Name Verity</i> by Elizabeth Wein</b><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNb4j2gF7JAu3Erfs0DMCG2kZnC4b2BNf72wQ_GUEZUgsh4IeldAPFZES_JlI6RRvOIuqHdXiKNXDQP7D_PdLDKLl5IYT0nSZDM-qmj2HHalYTx-RnS5MzuN-VBydYkiPRsmqPypHoxUa/s1600/the-white-bicycle189607885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlNb4j2gF7JAu3Erfs0DMCG2kZnC4b2BNf72wQ_GUEZUgsh4IeldAPFZES_JlI6RRvOIuqHdXiKNXDQP7D_PdLDKLl5IYT0nSZDM-qmj2HHalYTx-RnS5MzuN-VBydYkiPRsmqPypHoxUa/s320/the-white-bicycle189607885.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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<b><i>The
White Bicycle</i> by Beverley Brenna</b></div>
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Remember
to read <a href="http://www.ala.org/news/pr?id=12298">the entire awards list</a>! As Jules of Seven Impossible Things Before
Breakfast pointed out a few days ago, it was a year of wild cards. But, as
always, the ALA committee has come up with a carefully fine-tuned list of read-worthy
books. </div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-29261100019621729642013-01-27T21:09:00.001-08:002013-01-27T21:30:47.057-08:00A Review of Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford, illustrated by Gabi Swiatkowska<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Up
until now, David M. Schwartz and Steven Kellogg had cornered the market on
really big numbers with their classic <i>How Much Is a Million?</i> Their examples
make the concept as clear as it’s going to get for human brains. (Did you know
that four is the highest number of objects humans can count at a glance?) Now
Kate Hosford tackles an even bigger number, or rather concept: infinity. She
uses examples, too, but they tend to be more philosophical than
Schwartz’s, along the lines of Albert Einstein’s thought experiments or
plain old metaphors.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Concept books tend to get slapped with the "quiet" label almost automatically, and this book certainly isn't loud. I can't picture a rowdy first grader of either gender sitting still for it. But a more thoughtful child in the 7 to 9 age range, yes.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QHVffU1u0C5ecefIrz9LwmcbBolJe8rZ92k2hu0CoEDbE8dFSeBNZnN90HPHh1aKTKr5xzfS_embDe9_arJok8Z_q3PnTbE7xd74cadu5VPpP1WMY1ORicoCIUG-iaT0tukrfAEFXfUB/s1600/InfinityandMe_cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4QHVffU1u0C5ecefIrz9LwmcbBolJe8rZ92k2hu0CoEDbE8dFSeBNZnN90HPHh1aKTKr5xzfS_embDe9_arJok8Z_q3PnTbE7xd74cadu5VPpP1WMY1ORicoCIUG-iaT0tukrfAEFXfUB/s1600/InfinityandMe_cover1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Picture this: A girl named Uma is wearing her new red shoes and looking up at the stars. “How many stars were in the sky? A million? A billion? Maybe the number was as
big as infinity.” Feeling very small in the face of infinity, Uma starts asking
her friends and relations how they picture that endless idea. Her friend
Charlie says, “It’s a giant number that keeps growing bigger and bigger
forever.” Her friend Samantha thinks of the infinity symbol as a racetrack she
could drive around and around forever. Her grandma thinks about a family with an
endless procession of descendants.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Uma
asks more people what they think, but she also begins to play with the idea for
herself. It's starting to make her head hurt, yet it fascinates her, as well. Infinity and Me goes on with its barely-there narrative. Although, come to think of it, this is a
quest tale—a quest for knowledge. The red shoes provide a minor secondary
motif. The book ends on a note of love and a return to looking at the
stars. Kate Hosford's approaches to infinity are poetic and thought-provoking. Her small narrative makes a humanizing frame for a concept as cold and vast as outer space, whose stars are what get Uma thinking in the first place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Illustrator Gabi
Swiatkowska has an unusual style. The textures, floral patterns, and clothing
make me think of Europe in the 1940s—and I just looked at the back jacket flap
to confirm that the illustrator is from France. That doesn’t mean anything necessarily, but perhaps you’ll see my point when you look at the
book. In addition, while Uma and her friends and grandmother are fairly dimensional,
other parts of the book have a flat, decorative look. So we get a combination
of three-dimensional and two-dimensional effects, an essentially
black-and-white palette touched with splashes of color, and odd decorative
elements such as a few flowers, a bee, two lollipop-top looking designs, and
several hanging loops like jungle vines on the infinity racetrack spread. The
infinity symbol “track” itself is checkered black-and-white like a finish flag
for racecars. Uma rides her green bike around the track, while her friend
Samantha drives a green car. There’s also a white chicken running along behind
Samantha’s car. (The chicken pops up often in the pages of the book.) Plus there are a few splashes of greenish turquoise and a little yellow.
When you stop to think about it, the effect is surreal. Then again, so is the
idea of infinity.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
A
couple of my favorite spreads show portraits of Uma’s ancestors: the people in
the many frames have such different personalities! Thanks to the text, some of
them seem to be interacting with Uma on the second spread. It’s on that spread
that Uma expresses her disappointment that “not one person had noticed my new
red shoes.” The fact that she says it there hints that none of the people in
the portraits have noticed, even though Uma is actually talking about her current friends and family. This kind of subtle humor is apparent in both the text and
the illustrations. One more example is the spread that shows a giant ice cream
cone on its side, supported by a small, almost steampunk mechanism. The ice
cream has melted enough to create a puddle at the bottom of the page, which
rests in a “lawn” made of a black-and-white floral design. The chicken and what
appears to be a rat are swimming in the puddle of ice cream in a possible homage to Alice as Uma exclaims,
“Maybe I could lick an ice-cream cone forever, but what if my tongue started to
hurt?”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I
should mention the endpapers. They are covered with multi-digit hand-inked
numbers that do not count up in order. We get an author’s note with some
great information, as well. Did you know that the infinity symbol is called a lemniscate?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
So.
This is a strange book. It’s also a beautiful one, and an apt one, dealing with
something so difficult as to be thoroughly unimaginable. Which means <i>Infinity
and Me</i> is an ambitious book, too. Considering what infinity is (or is not) and
that this is a picture book, not a math tome, I would argue that it achieves
its goals—with style.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>See
the really great <a href="http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2012/12/guest-post-kate-hosford-on-infinity-and.html">guest post by Kate Hosford</a> </i><i>about writing the book </i><i>at Cynthia Leitich Smith’s Cynsations.</i> </div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-4196047376318520952013-01-27T20:16:00.002-08:002013-01-27T21:18:41.617-08:00A Review of Building a House, written and illustrated by Jonathan Bean<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I’ll
admit to having a special fondness for Jonathan Bean because he did the cover
art for my two Runaway books. But I don’t need that as a reason to tell you
about his new book—you’ll like this one for its own sake, as I do.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyFHdIzu3TdSxn1Ve7YtpHTJsqx2vk3nfhfDeUps51Ns_WY_5BYSF75e-JEdfE7OtM_17wlcz9Sx2fL0zIIOn5Ka0aHCm-BrSz2xTAoME45SEq3mDr-ePh22-tBk_jodMh-DNrb-y2Rdq/s1600/9780374380236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyFHdIzu3TdSxn1Ve7YtpHTJsqx2vk3nfhfDeUps51Ns_WY_5BYSF75e-JEdfE7OtM_17wlcz9Sx2fL0zIIOn5Ka0aHCm-BrSz2xTAoME45SEq3mDr-ePh22-tBk_jodMh-DNrb-y2Rdq/s320/9780374380236.jpg" width="241" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Years
ago, Jonathan Bean’s parents bought an empty field and made plans to build a house.
They lived in a little trailer while they worked on the project for five years. They also had
three kids. As an author’s note puts
it, “[They] thought of themselves as homesteaders and brought to house-building
a pioneering spirit of ingenuity and independence. They decided to build a
timber-frame house after reading a book on the subject….” Jonathan gives more
details about the project and provides some wonderful photos. But that’s just
the author’s note!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
In
the story itself, a family moves to a field and builds a house, but it takes
them one year instead of five. They do have a daughter and a son, and another
child is born while they are building the house. The book begins, “Today is
moving day. We left our old house in the city and are moving to the country.”
We watch them move in a blue pickup truck stuffed to the gills, driving through
the countryside past a curious horse. We learn, “My family is building our new
house away from the road, back down a dirt lane. Our house will sit in the
middle of a weedy field Dad and Mom bought from a farmer.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
voice in the book is that of the oldest child, a daughter. She continues to
describe the project in a simple, day-in-day-out way—though there are moments
of humor. One theme of the book is hard work, or more specifically setting a
goal and working hard to achieve it. The narrator’s dad works in town during
the week, then works on the house on weekends. We see him working at night
sometimes, too. Another theme is family and community. Not only does this
little family work hard for months, but different relatives and friends pitch
in for certain parts of the task. For example, Grandpa brings his backhoe to
dig the hole that will be the new basement, and many friends come to raise the
house’s frame.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Oh,
and the pickup truck has a name: Wyllis.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAPvyGgoPTOCCoZhO_ZzwQJDchvxKmlP0V4kbqljbwHsRyYOq7mYF_h9pEhzc0eE4HNHy6jCxotvXLdoJ8Qzx9-LqIE1FIPtt9Q6eJxKs8ZaI3WngAljddfOLwqjnR_j2VXwtcqGfs6Qq/s1600/BUILDING+OUR+HOUSE+INT-12cuttinguse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnAPvyGgoPTOCCoZhO_ZzwQJDchvxKmlP0V4kbqljbwHsRyYOq7mYF_h9pEhzc0eE4HNHy6jCxotvXLdoJ8Qzx9-LqIE1FIPtt9Q6eJxKs8ZaI3WngAljddfOLwqjnR_j2VXwtcqGfs6Qq/s320/BUILDING+OUR+HOUSE+INT-12cuttinguse.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
illustrations are simple and slightly cartoon-like. What I find most impressive
about this book is that the artwork is clear and beautiful in its simplicity. Browns and blues seem to dominate, but they’re supported by reds
and other flashes of color. If you’ve seen Bean’s wonderful, understated book <i>At Night</i>, you’ll be
happy to recognize his work here.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
I like the spread showing the blueprints. Even more, I like the spread that shows the house at four different stages, accompanied by the following sentences:<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
"But this year the first frost arrives early.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The cold rains fall early.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The icy winds that carry the heavy snow blow early.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The bad weather slows our work but doesn't stop it."</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
And we see the parents working frantically to do enough work so that the house will be safe from winter just in time. The children are young; they alternately play and help. Mostly they play. In one scene, the mom is on a ladder holding an umbrella for her husband, who is putting the roof on. The two children and their cat play beneath an inverted, tilted wheelbarrow that has been turned into a small fort. Each scene in the book, small or large, is a moment in the life of the family and in the growing shape of the house.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Building
Our House </i>will teach young readers how a house is constructed, including what
materials and tools are used. More important, it will show them a family making a
home.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Check
out <a href="http://www.jonathanbean.com/">Jonathan Bean’s website</a>.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-78519390297915217872013-01-27T19:59:00.000-08:002013-01-27T21:33:11.332-08:00A Review of Seed by Seed by Esmé Raji Codell, illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
This
picture book biography based on what is known about John Chapman’s life is
unabashedly instructive. I’m not fond of picture books that pretend not to be
preachy when they actually <i>are</i> preachy, but <i>Seed by Seed</i> is different. Codell
basically says, “What messages did John Chapman and his life teach? What can we
learn from him?” Then she proceeds to tell us—in a way that focuses on the
“legacy” part of her subtitle, “The Legend and Legacy of John ‘Appleseed’
Chapman.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
One
reason the book is successful is because of Codell’s calm poetic voice. She
begins:<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
“When
we look out of our windows,</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
what do we see?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Tall
buildings, stores, and parking lots.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Buses
and cars speeding by.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Red
lights and green lights and yellow lights and white lights.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Our
country is hard and electrical and moving.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
But
it was not always this way.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Once
it was a tangle,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
a
tangle,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
a
tangle,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
of
roots and branches and wide tree trunks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Once,
you could not hear the engines of airplanes in the sky,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
or
the sounds of phones ringing.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Maybe
you could catch the creaking of a wagon wheel,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
straining
against the ruts in the road,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
or
the fall of an axe against wood.”<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS7IJdCaGlcPEj4aTfy7_wqMk7a5Cyw4RmsmTXlayTqfWlVjjBAIwVFnZa-5koWcX1TK5mw1X6OPRLWon2x1XpMyG37nn_hxG5aq4KwLXONNnA5S1yUOT887kX4dKxPP_5phuVo3af2ep/s1600/9780061455155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGS7IJdCaGlcPEj4aTfy7_wqMk7a5Cyw4RmsmTXlayTqfWlVjjBAIwVFnZa-5koWcX1TK5mw1X6OPRLWon2x1XpMyG37nn_hxG5aq4KwLXONNnA5S1yUOT887kX4dKxPP_5phuVo3af2ep/s320/9780061455155.jpg" width="277" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Let’s
give credit to Lynne Rae Perkins as well. As these lines progress, each
page shows us a brother and sister in front of a window. On the first page we
look in at them. On the next we are behind them, seeing their view out the
window. Both of these pages are presented in a modern cityscape. But over the next
three pages, the view through the window changes, and then the children’s
clothing changes, until they—and we—are inside a cabin with the cold of winter
swirling in through the door. The children go outside. On the next page, the
children are no longer visible but the scene is set, and we hear of the man
named John Chapman, “better known as Johnny Appleseed.” Such a journey through
time could have felt contrived, but thanks to the artistry of Codell’s words
and Perkins’ illustrations, it is utterly satisfying.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Another
page, and we learn a little about Chapman’s early life. Codell tells us that
many of the things we hear about him are “three parts legend, one part fact… But
the man, John Chapman, was real… born on September 26, 1774, in Massachusetts.”
The author explains that Chapman was a hero because he lived by example. She
says that these are five footsteps he left for us to fill:<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
1.
Use what you have.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
2.
Share what you have.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
3.
Respect nature.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
4.
Try to make peace when there is war.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
5.
You can reach your destination by taking small steps.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
As the book continues, Codell shows us how John Chapman taught these principles
by the life that he led. I learned some things I didn’t know about Johnny
Appleseed. For example, he got the apple seeds to start his planting project
from cider press owners who would have thrown the seeds away otherwise. Johnny
had eleven brothers and sisters. It’s said he broke books up and loaned the
chapters to settlers. He was friends with both settlers and Indians and would
warn either group if the other were going to attack. He was a vegetarian in an era
when most people weren’t.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Lynne
Rae Perkins illustrates many facets of Chapman’s life using watercolor and
gouache. However, one page is done on burlap, two include woodcarving, one
incorporates old book pages, and a spread near the end of the book is a piece
of embroidery a little like the samplers from colonial America. The paintings show a lively Johnny interacting with settlers,
Indians, animals, and of course trees. Perkins gives us nature in a world that
was not yet covered over by cities, so one would expect dull browns and greens.
Yet her colors are relatively bright. Although the illustrator does not actually
paint in an American primitive style, I think she hints at it with those colors,
the layout of some scenes, and the mixed media pieces she includes.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
A
note at the end of the book challenges us to do something small to make the
world better. We are presented with a few craft ideas for writing and posting
our plans. Codell also gives us an apple pie recipe and the Johnny Appleseed
song.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
biographies I read of John Chapman when I was young were even more boring than I
thought compared to a book like this. Here’s a good line to end on: “He
grew so many apple trees that chances are any apple you eat today is from a
descendant of a tree planted by Johnny Appleseed.” Bite into an apple—and read
<i>Seed by Seed</i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Hey, and take a look at <a href="http://www.planetesme.com/">Esmé’s website</a>, especially her blog.</i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-65033094668708741632013-01-21T14:59:00.001-08:002013-01-25T06:21:31.767-08:00Shadowy YA<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<!--StartFragment-->
Thrillers, chillers, and sci-fi, oh my! I am happy to announce that you can buy something other than a paranormal romance about vampires, werewolves, or angels at the bookstore these days. Here is a sampler of some of the latest YA.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Cold
Fury</i> by T.M. Goeglein</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
book builds in such great ways. Interesting, because the first eight chapters
are merely leading up to what screenwriters fondly refer to as “the inciting
incident.” Essentially, we get eight chapters of backstory. But those chapters
dole out so many clues and character interactions and odd moments that it all
comes together to begin to explain what Sara Jane has already told us will
happen: her parents and her little brother disappear.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2pfFmezwxv_1_TtCgFAODqUJ1T_Js_j911__ARqO6ef_xxZOLFkWDoOJEdEbUvEFHYQBgxmF5iBr_b0sKHP7-ZivyYPJShz8ubabDg_aX-M1U-ZNm07cvqvlNjtb2XpqqoHqp2McqCyq/s1600/518pZqKw9tL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH2pfFmezwxv_1_TtCgFAODqUJ1T_Js_j911__ARqO6ef_xxZOLFkWDoOJEdEbUvEFHYQBgxmF5iBr_b0sKHP7-ZivyYPJShz8ubabDg_aX-M1U-ZNm07cvqvlNjtb2XpqqoHqp2McqCyq/s320/518pZqKw9tL.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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What do we need to know? Sara Jane is a boxer. Sara Jane adored her Uncle Buddy, but
he wound up betraying her. Sara Jane’s grandfather and father are more than
just bakers. Um, mafia? But that’s not actually the weirdest part. The weirdest
part is that when Sara Jane gets a certain kind of angry, there’s a blue light
and she has extra strength. Superpower? Kind of. It’s one of the family
secrets. More secrets are hidden in a notebook that both Sara Jane
and Uncle Buddy are after once her family disappears.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Unfortunately,
Uncle Buddy and some dirty cops aren’t even the worst of her enemies.
Fortunately, Sara Jane has friends, including a boy named Max that she
wishes were more of a boyfriend, her boxing trainer Willy, and a thuggish dog
named Harry.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Eventually
we get a Sara Jane who is on the run with “a steel briefcase, and inside that
briefcase is ninety-six thousand dollars in cash, an AmEx Black Card in [her]
name, a SigSauer .45 conceal-and-carry, and an old leather notebook….” That’s
about where the story starts, but only because the rest of the book turns out to be one long flashback.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The
blue light thing almost seems extraneous because Sara Jane and her story are
already so tough and surprising. But I’ll take it. And I’ll take the sequel
about five minutes after it comes out.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>First
Line:</b> “My name is Sara Jane Rispoli. Several short weeks ago, I turned sixteen.
So far there has been nothing sweet about it.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Don’t
Turn Around</i> by Michelle Gagnon</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
book got four starred reviews, as well it should have. <i>Don’t Turn Around</i> is a
wild and breathless ride. I’ve heard that YA editors are looking for thrillers
these days, and this book unquestionably qualifies. For example, it begins with a street
kid waking up to find herself on an operating table in an abandoned warehouse.
What has been done to her, and how will she get away? The stuff of nightmares. Nice.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78SM2WUK6s6ylOcgqZ_4WBEU1gjDWH-GmBOIYS7427j-thVQsaNoJlc2RcpMXVsgz8vCf3J3MC18Jl_bz1ZTgR7x2pxznMWhP4_YVlIT9oS6zeVyV87MXAC5vpif9wHSbjKisbT6VHDiT/s1600/7949600598_8cd86ff628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78SM2WUK6s6ylOcgqZ_4WBEU1gjDWH-GmBOIYS7427j-thVQsaNoJlc2RcpMXVsgz8vCf3J3MC18Jl_bz1ZTgR7x2pxznMWhP4_YVlIT9oS6zeVyV87MXAC5vpif9wHSbjKisbT6VHDiT/s320/7949600598_8cd86ff628.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
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Noa
barely manages to escape, and now she is being hunted. Meanwhile, a boy named
Peter Gregory uncovers secrets on the computer that get his front door kicked
in. The bad guys also shut down his underground website, ALLIANCE. Peter makes
a deal with one of the vigilante hackers from his site—who turns out to be Noa, AKA Rain.
With some help from his almost-ex-girlfriend, Amanda, and his other hacker
buddies, Peter begins following the clues. They lead him back to Noa. Meanwhile,
the people chasing Noa are getting closer and closer. A secret friend on the
Internet gives Noa some support, but she’s afraid to trust him. Then things get
really bad.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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As
the initial scenario implies, this suspense story has a medical
issue at its core. You will find that the book is set in the future, though
probably only 20 or 30 years from now.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Gagnon
keeps the pace going relentlessly, which is just right for this book. And Noa,
who has been in and out of foster homes and juvie, makes the perfect streetwise
heroine. Peter is a little more white bread, but then, he’s supposed to be. His
growing realization that, in the middle of all this drama, his girlfriend has
moved on adds humor and pathos. It’s a relatively minor
subplot, but it’s a good example of the complexity of the human interactions in
a book that could have simply been one long chase scene. Well, it is that, but
there’s a lot more going on here than cookie-cutter villains on black motorcycles.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I
really liked <i>Don't Turn Around</i>. I think you will, too.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>First
Line: </b>“When Noa Torson woke up, the first thing she noticed was that her feet
were cold.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The
Dead and the Buried</i> by Kim Harrington</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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This book begins with an excerpt from the diary of one Kayla Sloane. But Kayla is
more the antagonist than the protagonist here. Our main character is a girl
named Jade. Unbeknownst to her, the girl who used to live in her new home was murdered. Jade starts to get a clue when the kids at school act really weird, whispering about
her as soon as she gets there. Then Kayla, who isn’t nearly as gone as one
might hope, begins to haunt Jade and especially her little brother, Colby.
Kayla makes it clear that if Jade doesn’t find out who murdered her, she will
do something terrible to Colby.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxiHdjpXu2DrfE81DJDENfBTIa7IpQLLUuVSyrnek9nCrVe0VXemiUpG_H-bDZBJEKZbYP_e58z_Y50npx_Dzo9P79LkhQOVzzrr6VOs0gKKpJSK77B4hClCEM-YK3mGBp7taUXy9oq33/s1600/the-dead-and-buried1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBxiHdjpXu2DrfE81DJDENfBTIa7IpQLLUuVSyrnek9nCrVe0VXemiUpG_H-bDZBJEKZbYP_e58z_Y50npx_Dzo9P79LkhQOVzzrr6VOs0gKKpJSK77B4hClCEM-YK3mGBp7taUXy9oq33/s320/the-dead-and-buried1.jpg" width="221" /></a>Jade
uses her growing friendship with one of Kayla’s exes, Kane, to find out more
about what happened to Kayla. But she’s already made enemies, and things don’t
go quite how she had planned. Jade finds herself attracted to another of Kayla’s exes, troubled emo/geek Donovan. Half the kids in the high school
think Donovan murdered Kayla, though apparently the cops don’t. Since Kayla fell
down the stairs, it’s not entirely certain whether it was an accident or
murder. Except that ghost Kayla says she was pushed. (I found myself wondering
whether Kayla was making that up just to be cruel, since she was obviously a
Mean Girl with a capital M-G. But no, it appears someone really did push her.) One problem for Jade is that a lot of people had reason to hate Kayla. And ghost
Kayla is getting more and more scary.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Yep,
this is a ghost story, though it’s also a murder mystery. Plus it's a romance and a
bit of a stepdaughter-and-stepmother-work-out-their-differences tale.
Harrington has a lot going on here, but she pulls it off. I did figure out who
the murderer was about a third of the way through the book, but it was just a
good guess: the author keeps the mystery mysterious till nearly the climactic
moment. This is a satisfying story both because of the buildup of suspense and
because Donovan and Jade make a sweet almost-couple who have a lot to deal with
before they can settle in and enjoy their new relationship.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>First
Line:</b> “I’m not stupid. I know half of them only worship me
because they fear me.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The
Shadow Society</i> by Marie Rutkoski</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Darcy
Jones is a high school student with three good friends: Lily, Jims, and
Raphael. Abandoned when she was five, Darcy lives with a foster mother who
cares about her and treats her well. Darcy loves art, and she’s talented at it.
Life isn’t so bad until Conn McCrea shows up. Darcy is unwillingly attracted to
Conn, who most of the time looks at her like she’s a poisonous snake. But why?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsRs5SpvJtYFgUZexDmuxkXxrXk1dRrRTnYaW2FqeKhEmMz9eqC_LVVaBMb6fIe20joXmQW4Jc37Ef1J378c3tOvkz4fj0iKT281F5tEnddFm0_5_gOD9xG7jFXPBkLdXSYO296wKri6f/s1600/10356760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbsRs5SpvJtYFgUZexDmuxkXxrXk1dRrRTnYaW2FqeKhEmMz9eqC_LVVaBMb6fIe20joXmQW4Jc37Ef1J378c3tOvkz4fj0iKT281F5tEnddFm0_5_gOD9xG7jFXPBkLdXSYO296wKri6f/s320/10356760.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
The
answer is far more complex than Darcy—or readers—could have imagined. It
involves an alternate world peopled by two very different groups. It involves
betrayal, secret societies, random acts of kindness, and a Romeo-and-Juliet
romance. I really enjoyed this fresh new sci-fi/thriller/romance, which didn’t
surprise me because Marie Rutkowski is also the author of a very cool, dark,
steampunk-in-Hungary trilogy, the Kronos Chronicles.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Besides,
you gotta love a book that uses T.S. Elliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred
Prufrock” as a thematic element. I’ve always liked that poem.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Of
course, some of the plot points are a little more predictable than others. For
instance, there’s a vertex on a romantic triangle that breaks apart before it
even gets started. What really holds true throughout the book is the troubled
relationship between Darcy and Conn. How do you trust someone whose entire
purpose is to distrust you? Rutkoski takes this idea through some nice twists
and turns. And no, her Romeo and Juliet do not wind up dead. This is the kind of story where the title is a play on words even though it doesn't seem like it at first. A shadowy and engaging read.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>First
Line: </b>“Knowing what I know now, I’d say my foster mother had her reasons for
throwing a kitchen knife at me.”</div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-48400580037563985762013-01-13T20:40:00.003-08:002013-01-19T16:44:35.028-08:00Praiseworthy Poems and Poetry Prompts<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Strong children’s poetry books lend themselves to helping
young people write their own poems. Here are three such books with writing
prompt suggestions for each one.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>BookSpeak!
Poems about Books</i> by Laura Purdie Salas</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One
of the best things about this collection is that it gives voice to books and parts of books in ways that will compel readers to think about words,
books, and stories afresh. Josée Bisaillon’s illustrations support the
creative, slightly funky feel of the book. For example, on a page with a poem
called “Skywriting” we see black ink birds perched on a set of five gray wires (that
could also be a musical staff, and why not?). Inkblots are scattered off from
the birds, and each line of the poem below is written in a different font. The
poem reads:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Line
after line of inky black birds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">forming
the flocks that shift into words.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Page
after page of tales winging by,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">singing
a story against a <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">white
sky.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbrISUX3JdXPgBDWy7NXoHQV4P-mZ1I3v_YqKNxudJ6EmOu0n6gAptuCskbzi-tGbjooG73Ums8evEvCwCKnxFHlWbM0sffqvLNYX6tX8JCD3rCBTzt5VxvmdbkxVUCKQtff8jIqPrZ09/s1600/9780547223001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbrISUX3JdXPgBDWy7NXoHQV4P-mZ1I3v_YqKNxudJ6EmOu0n6gAptuCskbzi-tGbjooG73Ums8evEvCwCKnxFHlWbM0sffqvLNYX6tX8JCD3rCBTzt5VxvmdbkxVUCKQtff8jIqPrZ09/s320/9780547223001.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Which
is just marvelous. The birds are letters, then flocks that become words, and stories
that fly. Isn’t that what a story does, lifting our minds and hearts into
flight with its words and images?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A
couple of Salas’s poems touch philosophically on the idea that stories and
characters aren’t alive unless the book is opened and read: “If a Tree Falls”
and “A Character Pleads for His Life,” respectively. A journal speaks in the
poem “Top Secret,” whose illustrations feature a flight of strange butterflies
pouring out of a red diary with a small key. Note that most of the poems
are written in first person: we hear from the index (“I can tell you the page
number/of anything you’re looking for.”), the tree whose paper makes the book
(“My limbs wrote on the sky with orange leaf pens.”), and the cliffhanger
(“Please, author, write/a sequel fast!”).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One
poem even veers off to make a book metaphor in another setting. Here’s “Written
in Snow”:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Snowy
pages,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">steady
track,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">tiny
footprints<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">dipped
in black.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through
the blizzard<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">stories
roam.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They
tiptoe bravely<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">out,
then home.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At
least, the illustration suggests that the book imagery is used by real feet in
real snow. But wait—isn’t the poem another metaphor like the one about birds?
It works either way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In
<i>Book Speak!</i> we hear from the illustrations, from conflict, from the beach book,
and from the books that party late at night in the bookstore. Perhaps best of
all, we get in on an argument among the Beginning, the Middle, and the End
about who is the most important. Maybe the End should be declared the
winner because this collection really does finish off with a poem called “The
End.” Although the poem invites us back to the beginning—and why not read this book
again?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Laura
Salas’s poems are light and easy, bright and breezy, yet at the same time they
manage to be thought provoking. Or metacognitive, anyway. What is a story and
why does it matter? What parts do the physical and literary components of a book
play in our experience as readers?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Then
again, you might as well just enjoy the poems. Though you may think a little differently
about a book next time you read.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Poetry
Prompts:</b> What part of a book haven’t we heard from? Students can write their own
mask poems giving voice to other book components, e.g., setting, the author's bio, or the title
page. Or just the book itself—what does each student think a book will say?
They might even give voices to specific books like <i>Charlotte’s Web</i>, <i>The
Lightning Thief</i>, or <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i>. If those books could
talk about themselves, what would they say?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Stardines
Swim High Across the Sk</i>y by Jack Prelutsky</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Jack
Prelutsky is a bigger fan of word play than I am, and in recent books he has shown
himself to be especially enamored of inventing portmanteau words or perhaps portmanteau creatures. This new
collection presents 16 new “species” from the poet, all animals combined with a
quality or habit—in many cases an irritating one. Here’s a list of the new creatures:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10Q8kegBKs-CzD3ds5N_clwdYD09cH44dDnACe7zgePlO4AdSJCx68ndb9HDEWk07koXWowQTHgwALG8eI0F5zjyUtbED1KdvJeaEI2h24IG6W5c1BFhLeNZtpK04vJ5vyDe5rTRi2VoT/s1600/9780062014641.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj10Q8kegBKs-CzD3ds5N_clwdYD09cH44dDnACe7zgePlO4AdSJCx68ndb9HDEWk07koXWowQTHgwALG8eI0F5zjyUtbED1KdvJeaEI2h24IG6W5c1BFhLeNZtpK04vJ5vyDe5rTRi2VoT/s320/9780062014641.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
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<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Stardines<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Bluffaloes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Swapitis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Chormorants<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Fountain
Lions<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Slobsters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Plandas<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Jollyfish<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Sobcats<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Magpipes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Tattlesnakes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Braindeer<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—The
Gloose<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Panteaters<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Wedgehogs<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">—Bardvarks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And a few excerpts for your reference:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
other creatures are in bed,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">STARDINES
still twinkle overhead.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In
silence, these nocturnal fish<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Are
set to grant the slightest wish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">CHORMORANTS
are busy birds<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That
toil from sun to sun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They
labor over senseless chores<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They’re
certain must be done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They
work at this, they work at that,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
never think to ask<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If
they accomplish anything<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With
any pointless task.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TATTLESNAKE,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">TATTLESNAKE,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Overly
keen<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To
tattle repeatedly—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Truly
you’re mean.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’re
nosy, annoying,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You’re
venomous, vile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You
don’t mind your business,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We
don’t like your style.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
most interesting poem to me is the last one, "Bardvarks," which I will include in
its entirety:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BARDVARKS
think they’re poets<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
persist in writing rhyme.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Their
words are uninspired<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
a total waste of time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But
BARDVARKS do not know this,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So
not only do they write<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">With
unbearable pretension—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They
incessantly recite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">BARDVARKS
have no talent<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For
composing simple verse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">They
don’t improve with practice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
in fact are getting worse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Undeterred,
they keep on writing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And
reciting every day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">That’s
why BARDVARKS are a problem—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You
can’t make them go away.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One
wonders if perhaps the poet is being ironic about his own work, but then, I’m
more inclined to think that he is genuinely picturing certain people who are
determined to write poetry but are too proud to make needed improvements to
their work. A poor use of rhyme is a common problem. I will just tell you that the note I’ve put at the top of the new poetry
collection I’m writing is “Less rhymey-rhymey thump thump.” Ahem.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">At
any rate, Pretlutsky’s poems are a lot of fun, though I think most kids will need
a little help identifying some of the root animals and habits, particularly the
wapiti and the cormorant. But I know they'll like finding out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It’s
important to note that Carin Berger’s artwork is utterly intriguing. Each creature
is treated as an item in the catalog of a natural history museum. That is, each
poem is printed on a card that is pinned to a board with four actual pins and
given a neat label. The fonts on each card and label have the look of old card
catalog listings. On or across the page is a specimen in a display box—but each
specimen is created from mixed media and is in fact a nice mixture befitting
the portmanteau word. For example, the stardines are cut from gold paper and
look like fish crossed with shooting stars. These are physically elevated, shown
soaring above a star map.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
nice thing about word play is that it is a challenge both creatively and
intellectually. Children will no doubt enjoy reading this collection, but they
should also take up the challenge for themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Poetry
Prompts: </b>Of course students can come up with their own portmanteau creatures,
poems, and artwork. They might want to apply the somewhat cautionary tone of
some of the poems here. This task is more difficult than it might seem at first
glance. I would suggest starting with a list of possible qualities or activities
and then finding animal names to match rather than the other way round.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>When
Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders</i> by J. Patrick Lewis</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
other two books are playful, but this book is grand in tone. This is not to say
that the poems are inaccessible, and you will find a few flashes of humor. But
each poem tells about a civil rights leader or leaders, so for the most part
the poems have a dignity and weight that suit their topics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYPijeFAQllendHIXdaFUuZ-i16rmNfk7btOcdoNd_WQ7tyUc3vaCFFd2ckkZLDswYrMDYrsE2t-x8MT7XfIZex-JJG_LmOKjDHyRrvEiASlQdpjjtlDWwpJfh1ANz7rccBdXeLsqDqcN/s1600/14553489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwYPijeFAQllendHIXdaFUuZ-i16rmNfk7btOcdoNd_WQ7tyUc3vaCFFd2ckkZLDswYrMDYrsE2t-x8MT7XfIZex-JJG_LmOKjDHyRrvEiASlQdpjjtlDWwpJfh1ANz7rccBdXeLsqDqcN/s320/14553489.jpg" width="249" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lewis
uses a variety of poetic forms that I’ll admit I can’t identify at a glance—I
did see a couple of sonnets, a villanelle, and a few free verse poems. Like
the poetic forms, the artwork varies in that there are five different
illustrators: Jim Burke, R. Gregory Christie, Tonoya Engel, John Parra, and
Meilo So. This creates a rich feel to the series of page spreads. I especially like Meilo So's illustration for "The Auntie," Jim Burke's illustration for "The Slugger," Tonya Engel's illustration for "The Innocent," John Parra's illustration for "The Captive," and R. Gregory Christie's illustration for "The First."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The
following is a complete list of poem titles and topics:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Activist”—Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s wife and civil rights
activist<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Auntie”—Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese pro-democracy activist under house arrest for
many years; Nobel Peace Prize 1991<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Slugger”—Josh Gibson, outstanding black Baseball Hall of Famer who played in
the Negro Leagues before Jackie Robinson broke the race barrier<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Innocent”—Mamie Carthan Till, mother of young murder victim Emmett Till, who
was killed in Mississippi in a hate crime in 1955<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Voice of the Voiceless”—Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, great leader for India’s
independence and an advocate for women and the oppressed “untouchables” class<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Captive”—Mitsuye Endo, a Japanese American woman interned during WWII<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Freedom
Summer”—James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner, civil rights
workers ambushed and murdered by the KKK in Mississippi in 1964<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Journalist”—Helen Zia, Chinese American activist and journalist<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Astronaut”—Ellison Onizuka, Japanese American (and first Asian American) astronaut
who died in the <i>Challenger</i> accident<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Long Walker”—Dennis James Banks, cofounder of the American Indian Movement
(AIM) and Anishinabe political activist<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Crusader”—Harvey Milk, first openly gay man elected to public office in
California; assassinated in 1978<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Banker
to the Poor”—Muhammad Yunus, Bangladeshi banker who launched the micro-loan
program in Asia to help the very poor; Nobel Peace Prize 2006<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Statesmen”—Nelson Mandela, imprisoned for nearly 30 years for being an activist
in South Africa; eventually freed and became the country’s first black
president; Nobel Peace Prize 1993<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
First”—Jackie Robinson, first African American playing baseball for the major leagues<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“The
Child”—Sylvia Mendez, who as a child helped win the case against segregated “Mexican
schools” in California in 1946, paving the way for <i>Brown v. Board of Education</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These
are amazing stories, and the poems have to be powerful to tell them. J. Patrick
Lewis has done justice to this list of heroes—and make no mistake, these are
heroes. The book ends with an author’s note telling more about each civil
rights leader.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">But
I should give you some excerpts. In “The Auntie,” about imprisoned Burmese
activist Aung San Suu Kyi, Lewis contrasts her imprisonment with the General
and his life of ease:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
I refused food to protest my detention,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the
new General stuffed himself on mangoes<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and
banana pudding.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When
a cyclone flicked off the roof of my prison<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">like
the Queen of Hearts, turning my life to shame<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">and
candle, the General had a mole removed.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Lewis’s
poem about Gandhi focuses on his work in behalf of the outcast “untouchables.”
The poem concludes majestically:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For
we are not the ones to say<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What
will erode and what endure,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Where
the iron, where the clay,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who
the foul and who the pure.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And
here are the last few stanzas of Lewis’s poem, “The Child”:</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Aunt
Sally took her there once.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eyes
sharp as icepicks pierced<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">the
windowpanes as if seeing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">a
Mexican for the first time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Every
door was locked with a<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">secret
combination of frowns.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>How
can anyone ever get in?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sylvia
asked. <i>Someone must know<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>who
has the right key…</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She
looked up at her mother.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe
me?</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">These poems will help young readers find the key to becoming people who really can change the world. They will show them what true heroes are like.</span></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Poetry
Prompts: </b>Students can find out about other activists and write poems about
them. Or they can learn more about these heroes and write new poems about
different aspects of their lives. They could also try the different poetry
forms from the collection. Or they could write poems about their own reactions
to the collection, or just poems about what it means to be a hero.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Note:
In general, I recommend having students write in free or blank verse rather
than in rhyme. Rhyme tends to distract young writers from what they would like
to say and is easy to botch (see note about Prelutsky poem above). It's more productive to help young writers focus on strong </i><i>metaphors, </i><i>nouns, verbs, and, in the case of biographical poems, incidents than on rhyme.</i></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-10180446386937424202013-01-06T08:08:00.003-08:002013-01-06T08:08:49.850-08:00BleahhhI've got that evil cold that's been making the rounds. Back next week.KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-87047682057094562172013-01-01T21:05:00.001-08:002013-01-01T21:25:01.503-08:00New Year’s Resolutions: Middle Grade Fiction<br />
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There’s
no way around it—realistic fiction for the middle grade reader is likely to
have a message of some kind. It’s even likely to be a so-called “problem
novel.” And, in a Newbery contender kind of way, it might just feature a
troubled child of about 10, often left in a small Southern town with a bunch of
colorful characters. Think coming-of-age story.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Of
course, this doesn’t mean such books aren’t good. In fact, the five I’m going
to introduce today are all very good reads. It’s also true that other types of
books, such as fantasy, have messages. I'm guessing there’s no such thing as a book without
some kind of message!<o:p></o:p></div>
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Having
come full circle, then, I’ll talk about excellent middle grade reads and the New Year's resolutions they might suggest. Three of the books are entirely realistic; the other
two have elements of magical realism.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Almost
Home</i> by Joan Bauer</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I
like this author’s books very much, so I was happy to read her latest. Sugar
Mae Cole is trying to keep it together, but life is falling apart for her and
her mother—with no help from Sugar’s unreliable, mostly-absent father, who has
a gambling addiction. Sugar’s mother is sweet, but starts to lose it when she
and Sugar are evicted. Pretty soon the two of them are in Chicago, homeless.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Sugar
has a lovely if slightly unusual support system. Even after she leaves town,
her English teacher Mr. Bennett is there for her. “E-mail me,” he says, and
eventually she does. Then Sugar finds a frightened puppy and manages to keep it
even when she gets dropped into the foster care system. A group home is rough,
but she ends up with a couple who are kind to her. This doesn’t go over well
with her mother, who is still in a shelter, still struggling. Sugar handles her
divided loyalties as best she can. She also helps her fearful puppy, too, reassuring
herself at the same time. Slowly, Sugar's life takes on a new shape.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Bauer
may be prone to overly tidy endings, but I’m good with that. I believe a
children’s book should end on a note of hope—as long as it’s not sicky-sweet.
Sugar’s life has improved by the last page, but it’s still not going to be an
easy road. Sugar is a thoroughly likable character, and I’m rooting
for her all the way into that fictional future of hers. Bauer’s portrait of
homelessness may end more happily than most such scenarios in the lives of actual
children, but it will certainly clue young readers in to how hard it is to be
poor and adrift. That kind of empathy will serve them well in this life where so many people are in difficult situations.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Resolution:</b>
Awful as life may get, there are good people (and dogs) in this world. I will
reach out to them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Note:
Here’s <a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-of-close-to-famous-by-joan-bauer.html">my review of</a></i><a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2011/02/review-of-close-to-famous-by-joan-bauer.html"> Close to Famous,</a> <i>the book Bauer wrote before this one.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>A
Dog Called Homeless</i> by Sarah Lean</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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By
the time you finish this book, you may forget you are reading a story with magical
realism in it, which is fine. The most important thing about Cally Fisher is
that her mother just died and her father is too grief-stricken to do much of
anything for his daughter. When Cally sees her dead mother at the cemetery, her father
tells her to stop talking about it and her aunt explains that it’s wishful
thinking. But then Cally sees her mother again. And again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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She
sees a dog with her mother, too, a friendly wolfhound that she eventually names
Homeless. The dog seems connected to her mother, but he is connected to a
homeless man named Jed as well. Cally’s father doesn’t want her to have
anything to do with the dog or the man, but they keep appearing in Cally’s
life.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Cally’s
best friend at school dumps her just as she and her father and brother move
into an apartment. Starting with a fund-raising challenge at school to go all day without talking, Cally decides not to talk anymore at all. Still, she makes friends with Sam, the boy downstairs who
apparently has cerebral palsy and is blind and mostly deaf. Cally is diligent and kind-hearted in her efforts to be a true friend to Sam. Meanwhile, her
family finally notices that Cally has stopped talking.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
book is a little heavy-handed with its message and its plot points, but I still
liked it. Cally is an interesting character in that she seems to be a little
hyperactive, which makes school and social situations harder for her. Her
silence is out of character, but it says what no one seems to be hearing
otherwise: “Hey, I’m really upset here!” As the book ends, the dog takes on a
whole new meaning for Cally and her family, wrapping things up nicely.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I
will just add that some would argue that Cally imagined seeing her mother, but
the book as a whole seems to say otherwise. I’m in with the magical realism (or
maybe faith) on that one.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Resolution:</b>
If no one’s listening, I’ll try being quiet and doing something for someone who
needs my help.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Fourmile</i>
by Watt Key</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I
will warn you up front that this is a gritty book, pretty violent by MG
standards. The author’s website lists it as “YA/9 and up.” That may sound a
little conflicted, but I do think <i>Fourmile</i></div>
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might be a good fit for some 5<sup>th</sup>
through 8<sup>th</sup> graders as well as for readers in their teens,
especially boys. Southern writer Key has written two other books with strong
male characters in tough situations: <i><a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2009/01/book-aunt.html">Alabama Moon</a></i> and <i><a href="http://bookaunt.blogspot.com/2010/09/review-of-dirt-road-home-by-watt-key.html">Dirt Road Home</a></i>. All three
include a certain amount of violence, though all three end on a note of realistic
hope. (I’m particularly fond of <i>Alabama Moon</i>.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Fourmile</i>
is the story of a 12-year-old boy named Foster whose dad has died recently. His
mother is about to lose the farm and is dating an unpleasant man named Dax.
Foster rightly dislikes Dax and tries to protect himself, his mother, and his
dog Joe as best he can—which isn’t much. When a Shane-like character comes
walking up the road with his backpack and a dog, Foster instantly latches onto
him, and the man, Gary, stays a while doing work on the farm. Naturally, Dax
and Gary clash. Gary’s secret past comes back to haunt him, but not before
Gary fights back against Dax and his thuggish friends to protect Foster and his mom.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Fourmile</i>
is a heart-wrenching story that is ultimately about fathers and father figures,
good and bad. Gary can’t solve Foster’s problems or his mother’s—Gary can’t
even solve his own. But he can give Foster and his mother a little courage for
grabbing hold of the future.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Watt
Key is good at writing adventure-suspense novels for boys, but these books are character driven. Key is good at showing just how hard it is to be human. And at showing how
people can keep going just the same. There's a reason this book got three starred reviews!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Resolution:</b>
I can't make exactly the life I want, but I will still make a life for myself.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>The
Second Life of Abigail Walker</i> by Frances O’Roark Dowell</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuXpVoR2ag9uQcWQdVZmlRyiu4Qziy6qnclGaZsbsfqTAbKfxFhyuxJXCjkXk9aCNlhM4ies33vJjnNwsv7VQK2a8OhAPxtF0qaVFBeqFUSj_cnK4Y8qYQwHNi6Jhj5y3zyE61Wkw0lbr/s1600/abigail_walker_248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNuXpVoR2ag9uQcWQdVZmlRyiu4Qziy6qnclGaZsbsfqTAbKfxFhyuxJXCjkXk9aCNlhM4ies33vJjnNwsv7VQK2a8OhAPxtF0qaVFBeqFUSj_cnK4Y8qYQwHNi6Jhj5y3zyE61Wkw0lbr/s320/abigail_walker_248.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
When
sixth grader Abigail Walker stands up to her mean little group of friends at
school, they turn on her. She has been trying to be “the most medium of the
medium girls,” but it’s not working anymore. The girls especially tease her about
her weight. Her own father gives her a hard time about it. But, like she tells
herself, she’s only 17 pounds heavier than her friends. Is that so terrible?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Abby
slowly makes new friends with a couple of school outcasts, who are very nice, but her
former “friends” won’t leave her alone. Meanwhile, her mother makes things
harder by insisting that everything be lovely and positive at all times. This
insistent Panglossian approach winds up exposing Abby to more bullying.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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There
are new events in Abby’s life, however. She has been nipped by a strange fox
and has found something else to think about after crossing a stream, led by a
dog. Here’s where the magical realism comes in. Well, in some ways things on
the other side of the stream are ordinary. Abby gets to know a boy named
Anders, along with his grandmother and his troubled father. Anders’ father is
suffering from post-traumatic stress after serving in Iraq.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWaBIlj84K0i7WPyqI2F6WstEjHyjKY4aSruC8P7p6FIxdLYZ-7lBCcOSzE0PFQw813JA62tCR2VsGSl_mrljovcK514cMv6SIBZWhKyA5zQbsR0NU9IBqHW49NFqbicqurvmQRpF1kxA/s1600/secondlifeabigailwalker1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikWaBIlj84K0i7WPyqI2F6WstEjHyjKY4aSruC8P7p6FIxdLYZ-7lBCcOSzE0PFQw813JA62tCR2VsGSl_mrljovcK514cMv6SIBZWhKyA5zQbsR0NU9IBqHW49NFqbicqurvmQRpF1kxA/s320/secondlifeabigailwalker1.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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The
fox, however, is magic. Or more properly, mythic. Short chapters here and there
in the book are told from the fox’s perspective. The fox follows stories,
winding in and out of people’s lives, and you would think she would remain
unscathed. But she has been hurt by recent events in a far-off land, and she is
not the same, after all. I realize some readers will be put off by these
interludes and by the fox’s brief interactions with the other characters, but
what is Dowell doing with all this? Bullying is like war, maybe. Human hurt and
human suffering for no real reason. And the damage done is incalculable, even
epic. It is deserving of stories, of symbols and heroes. Something like that.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
This
book talks about bullying in unusual and effective ways. Ask yourself, for
example, in what way Abby’s parents are bullying her. Abby doesn’t think of
this, precisely. Her focus is mostly on her struggles with the other girls. In
one amazing passage, Anders asks Abby what the two mean girls can actually do
to her. She thinks for a bit about how to explain it, then says, “They can kill
you… Only, other people don’t know that you’re dead. Only you know, on the
inside.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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This
isn’t just a book about bullying; it’s about hope. It’s about looking at the
bigger picture and becoming a bigger person. Abby’s second life isn’t just
about crossing the stream. It's about helping someone with worse troubles than hers. It’s about growing into a life that isn’t medium size at
all.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>The
Second Life of Abigail Walker</i> is an odd little book. It is also one of my
favorite books of 2012.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<b>Resolution:</b>
I will not let petty people define and limit me.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Note:
Gotta hand it to the Brits. The UK cover shows a girl who’s a little overweight
and is facing the viewer with hope and moxie. But the U.S. cover gives us a
girl who doesn’t look the least bit overweight. She is shown mostly from the
back, staring away from the viewer. She is blandly pretty and very much sans
moxie. I swear, one of these days I’m going to move to London!</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i>Three
Times Lucky</i> by Sheila Turnage</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq79ZgDiV4KdM542DtLnJY4nsZ_TGZXsuDKoWz-qNuxd4NIW-iHpKvMGOL3S5R9s4VRyUE_g6GPuFAmlP1aIjzDleQCQoYtLG05BiOY-vJnVNrUrurHNE9P6gUthKfqm5maIhwD4RMeTis/s1600/7146090753_2077a05b8a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq79ZgDiV4KdM542DtLnJY4nsZ_TGZXsuDKoWz-qNuxd4NIW-iHpKvMGOL3S5R9s4VRyUE_g6GPuFAmlP1aIjzDleQCQoYtLG05BiOY-vJnVNrUrurHNE9P6gUthKfqm5maIhwD4RMeTis/s320/7146090753_2077a05b8a.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
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This
book has been getting some Newbery talk, so I put it on my To Read list and
finally got to it. Did I mention books about girls getting dumped in small Southern towns
full of colorful characters? Yep, this one embodies that scenario. But let’s
move past that and consider Turnage’s work on its own merits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Mo
(Moses) LoBeau washed up in a little town in North Carolina when she was still
a baby during a terrible hurricane. A man most people just call the Colonel
rescued her, and now he and Miss Lana are basically her parents. Only, the
Colonel wound up with amnesia during the storm, so he doesn’t know about his
past. As for Mo, she wonders and wonders about her “Upstream Mother.” The
people of Tupelo Landing help her drop messages in bottles farther up the river
for her missing mother to find.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
But
that’s not how the book begins. It starts like this:<o:p></o:p></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Trouble
cruised into Tupelo Landing at exactly seven minutes past noon on Wednesday,
the third of June, flashing a gold badge and driving a Chevy Impala the color
of dirt. Almost before the dust had settled, Mr. Jesse turned up dead and life
in Tupelo Landing turned upside down.</blockquote>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
Pretty
soon Mo has inserted herself and her buddy Dale into a murder investigation.
She is also curious about why Detective Joe Starr seems fixated on finding out
the Colonel’s secrets. Plus Dale has a guilty secret of his own, though it
means he might be able to help with the investigation.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The
plot swirls and twirls around Mo, who doesn’t stop moving herself. As
you can probably tell from the pass above, Mo has a bright and strong voice,
which is what really makes the story. <i>Three Times Lucky</i> is a vivid,
fast-paced read that manages to address questions like “What is family?” while
solving more than one mystery. All with the help of Moses LoBeau, naturally.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Resolution</b>:
I will stick my nose in whenever possible and find out what's really going on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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Now,
if none of these resolutions work for you, try this one on for size: This
year I will read some very good books!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i>Note
for Worried Parents: As mentioned above, </i>Fourmile<i> is decidedly violent and
unsettling. That is, it is appropriate for older children and teens, but may be
a little too rough for some parents. The violence is not constant, though a
threatening mood hovers over most of the book and some sad, painful things
happen. There is something ultimately hopeful and definitely human about the book, but it is not an easy read.</i> </div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-54404984212980368572012-12-22T11:45:00.001-08:002012-12-22T12:03:29.821-08:00A Christmas Song by Eleanor Farjeon<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been listening to
Christmas music on the radio. And like me, you may wonder why, considering
there are dozens of wonderful Christmas songs out there, radio stations seem to play the
same 10 songs over and over—most notably Bing Crosby's "It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas." The only relief is that they might play 2–5
versions of each of those 10.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Who better to give us a new carol or at least
different lyrics than British children’s poet and book writer Eleanor
Farjeon (1881–1965)? She wrote more than 30 books, opera librettos, plays, and masques.
“The Shepherd and the King” is from her book of Christmas poems, <i>Come Christmas</i>,
but I’m guessing it was first performed as a carol in one of her Christmas
masques. It is currently available as sheet music on the Internet.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 1955 Farjeon won a Carnegie Medal for her story
collection, <i>The Little Bookroom</i>. (The Carnegie is the British equivalent to the
Newbery in the United States.) In 1956 she was the very first winner of the international
Hans Christian Andersen Award for her “lasting contribution to children’s
literature.”<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Children’s literature people tend to talk about Farjeon's book <i>Martin Pippin
in the Apple Orchard</i>, but my favorites are two fairy tale retellings, both of
which started out as plays: <i>The Glass Slipper</i> (Cinderella) and <i>The Silver
Curlew</i> (Rumpelstiltskin plus a nursery rhyme, “The Man in the Moon”).<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Eleanor Farjeon’s most famous work is actually a poem now familiar as
the song lyrics performed by Cat Stevens, “Morning Has Broken.” Today it
is often sung as a Christian hymn.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And so I give you a very Merry Christmas, with a little help
from Eleanor Farjeon!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fFhc63snCy6HpGShAQ47NRolLfRElWDc5rhzag7J66jVSdBffcQr3fx0F2wB1z1WD0mtk1B_xjT6mpXHUMTetHq5MvTrms0kZo1gzfJ5mjieq9qu3UJUFP8hluEFDd8nuCt0mmHl3VU9/s1600/Song_of_Angels__Bouguereau.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3fFhc63snCy6HpGShAQ47NRolLfRElWDc5rhzag7J66jVSdBffcQr3fx0F2wB1z1WD0mtk1B_xjT6mpXHUMTetHq5MvTrms0kZo1gzfJ5mjieq9qu3UJUFP8hluEFDd8nuCt0mmHl3VU9/s400/Song_of_Angels__Bouguereau.png" width="272" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>The Shepherd and The King</b><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Shepherd and the King,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Angel and the Ass,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They
heard Sweet Mary sing,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When
her joy was come to pass.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They
heard Sweet Mary sing<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To
the Baby on her knee.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sing
again Sweet Mary,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
we will sing with thee!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Earth, bear a berry! <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Heaven, bear a light!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Man, make you merry<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> On Christmas Night.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Oxen in the stall, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Sheep upon the hill, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They
are waking all <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To
hear Sweet Mary still. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Baby is a Child,<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
the Child is running free. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sing
again Sweet Mary, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
we will sing with thee!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Earth, bear a berry! <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Heaven, bear a light!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Man, make you merry<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> On Christmas Night.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
People in the land, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
So
many million strong, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
All
silently do stand <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To
hear Sweet Mary's song. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Child He is a man, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
the man hangs on a tree. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sing
again Sweet Mary, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
we will sing with thee!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Earth, bear a berry! <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Heaven, bear a light!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Man, make you merry<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> On Christmas Night.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Stars that are so old, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Grass that is so young, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They
listen in the cold <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
To
hear Sweet Mary's Tongue. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The
Man's the Son of God, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
in heaven walketh He. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sing
again Sweet Mary, <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And
we will sing with thee!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Earth, bear a berry! <o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Heaven, bear a light!<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> Man, make you merry<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i> On Christmas Night.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
—Eleanor Farjeon, from <i>Come Christmas</i> (1927)<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Note: Illustration is by French painter William-Adolphe Bouguereau.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8144605744535591088.post-15320546384219755252012-12-21T07:38:00.000-08:002012-12-21T09:03:06.010-08:00Poetry Friday: Animals Eat Sunlight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
Poet Heidi Mordhorst of <a href="http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/">My Juicy Little Universe</a> is hosting Poetry Friday today, and she asked us to write poems about "lighting the dark" by way of celebrating the Winter Solstice with her and her family. Here's my poem:<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<!--StartFragment-->
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Animals Eat Sunlight<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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“Animals eat sunlight,” I tell my students.<o:p></o:p></div>
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They don’t believe me. I explain how light<o:p></o:p></div>
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is caught by the green nets of leaves<o:p></o:p></div>
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and eaten by cows that become fast food<o:p></o:p></div>
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hamburgers and how we eat leaves in salads—<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
bowls of sunlight adorned with ranch dressing<o:p></o:p></div>
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and croutons. “Sunlight is energy,” I say.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t talk about the way the sun<o:p></o:p></div>
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has been worshipped for thousands of years<o:p></o:p></div>
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as a mighty golden god or the hope after winter.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t tell them how my heart lifts<o:p></o:p></div>
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with each sunrise. How it astonishes me<o:p></o:p></div>
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that day is somehow here again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I don’t speak of my fierce love for the star<o:p></o:p></div>
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first graders draw in the upper corners<o:p></o:p></div>
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of their pictures with yellow crayons,<o:p></o:p></div>
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that circle blessing the house with its chimney<o:p></o:p></div>
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and family, its row of red flowers<o:p></o:p></div>
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like smaller suns. At recess, I walk outside.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I do not look directly at the sun, deferential,<o:p></o:p></div>
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but I feel it touching my skin. I feel<o:p></o:p></div>
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like a tree, stretching my branches,<o:p></o:p></div>
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my green nets, my everything towards light.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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—Kate Coombs, 2012<o:p></o:p></div>
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all rights reserved<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment--><br />
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<br /></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKRPi4EcxJuCuBaNeBQiz20HRjxCeDP7924AI-ZZUcQhrjIctu0qMj4LBayVM7Xa_1zItahNMztfZhwRUcag2leA6F6vE1tLyJEUVzTzvfQFOzyX7u1Ln6rGFa2BF0ubkioP3dH40x1tp/s1600/Leaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKRPi4EcxJuCuBaNeBQiz20HRjxCeDP7924AI-ZZUcQhrjIctu0qMj4LBayVM7Xa_1zItahNMztfZhwRUcag2leA6F6vE1tLyJEUVzTzvfQFOzyX7u1Ln6rGFa2BF0ubkioP3dH40x1tp/s320/Leaves.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>For more poems and links, visit the <a href="http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2012/12/poetry-friday-light-darkest-night.html">Poetry Friday post</a> at My Juicy Little Universe. Happy Solstice, Happy Holidays, Happy Season of Candlelight and Starlight!</i></div>
<!--EndFragment--></div>
KateCoombshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05584944601221466789noreply@blogger.com7