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Lita spoke last week with Charity Nebbe, the host of Michigan Public Radio’s All Things Considered. There’s a link to the Michigan NPR page here. Or you can listen to the interview by clicking on the start button below:

(It’s about 6 minutes long — please let me know if the audio gadget has any problems…)

Below are a few of the picture books I've been reading. These books offer a wide variety of subject matter and illustrations.

ONE THOUSAND TRACINGS: HEALING THE WOUNDS OF WORLD WAR II by Lita Judge. Hyperion Books for Children, 2007.
This is a simply told, true story of a girl and her mother in post-World War II United States who began a grass roots movement to provide shoes and supplies to war victims in Germany. The end page collages of photos and letters combined with the breathtaking watercolor illustrations bring this tale to life with poignant detail. This book is a slice of history and humanity that should be shared in every classroom. http://www.amazon.com/One-Thousand-Tracings-Healing-Wounds/dp/1423100085/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206555149&sr=1-1


THE STORY OF SALT by Mark Kurlansky. G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 2006.
A colorfully illustrated history of salt, this book examines one of the most common elements used worldwide. Kurlansky shows how salt, now virtually taken for granted, has played such a pivotal role in various locales in the past. A timeline of “Salt through the Centuries” concludes the text. http://www.amazon.com/Story-Salt-Mark-Kurlansky/dp/0399239987/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206555188&sr=1-1


HENRY’S FREEDOM BOX by Ellen Levine. Scholastic, 2007.
This 20008 Caldecott Honor book tells the fictionalized description of Henry “Box” Brown’s escape from slavery in 1849 when he mailed himself to freedom from Richmond to Philadelphia. The bold pictures and provocative story should encourage young readers to find more books exploring slavery in the pre-Civil War United States. http://www.amazon.com/Henrys-Freedom-Caldecott-Honor-Book/dp/043977733X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206555227&sr=1-1

AT GLEASON’S GYM by Ted Lewin. Roaring Brook Press, 2007.
Bold, bright illustrations accompany a condensed story of Sugar Boy Younan’s workout routine and quest for the National Silver Gloves Champion in the 110 Pound Bantam Weight Division. A couple of girl boxers are shown in the story as well, but the book’s primary audience would seem to be boys—especially reluctant readers. http://www.amazon.com/Gleasons-Gym-Neal-Porter-Books/dp/1596432314/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206555264&sr=1-1

Author: Neil Numberman
Illustrator: Paulette Bogan

This is a silly story about chickens who are bored of eating the normal barnyard fare and look to spice things up a little bit. Coincidentally, this is also the name of the survival manual for graduating fraternity brothers titled Chicks and Salsa: How to Score with the Ladies in the Big City.

As you'll see in the following excerpt, there are some surprising similarities between the two books.

(Disclaimer: the views expressed in the excerpt below do not necessarily reflect those of the Bottom Shelf.)

RULE #1: LEARN TO SALSA


by Brother Shoehorn (Sigma Alpha Pi) and Brother Moosedroppings (Omega Delta Delta)






Trust us bro. We know you're gonna to feel silly swinging your hips around the dance floor. We know you'd rather be bangin' your backwards baseball cap to some Dave Matthews or the Beastie Boys (who f****in rule!). But trust us dude, it will be well worth your time.

Once you find yourself in the city and away from the comfort of your boys on frat row, you will inevitably find yourself in a club with latin music of some sort. There you will see all kind of bizarre things. You'll see the oldest man there dancing with the blazinest chick in the club. Or worse, some four-eyed doofus pulling a Kucinich* and sashaying across the floor with some hottie. You will ask yourself, "What the?! What is going on here? Have I entered some kind of twilight zone where generic good looks, trust funds, and chugging ability mean nothing anymore?!"



*Pulling a Kucinich: Being with someone who is obviously waaaaaaaaay out of your league.







Don't panic. No need to get your Dockers in a bunch. What's happening is what we like to call the Chicks and Salsa Phenomenon. (Inside Tip: Now that you're in the real world, don't call them chicks. You have to call them "ladies" if you want to get anywhere)... anyways, the problem is that these ladies are in the city and they want to spice up their lives a little bit. Which means that they'll dance with any goof who knows how to salsa. They're tired of the tried and true bars where we are most comfortable. Those home-away-from-homes where we can do boat races or clear off a table for an impromptu game of beer pong. Those bars where we can comfortably stand in one place rhythmically nodding our heads to some righteous tunes.

So, if you know what's good for you... wait, hold on a sec, what are you doing still reading? Reading is for losers! Take our word for it and go sign up for a salsa class now! It will make you a man amongst bros. You can be that dude that's dancing with a chick--i mean, lady--who is out of your league. And don't worry, the salsa only needs to be used for the first month of dating or so, then you can go back to being your awesome fratastic self. Now close this book and get back out there! With any luck, even you can pull a Kucinich of your own!

Author: Lita Judge
Illustrator: Lita Judge
Published: 2007 Hyperion Books (on JOMB)
ISBN: 1423100085 Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Eye-opening scatterings of yellowed newspaper footprints, handwritten lists and aged, intimate snapshots make vivid this beautifully told true story of hardship, generosity and the pulling together of communities torn to opposite sides of war.

Other books mentioned:

• The Gardener

More books about generosity on JOMB:

• Ordinary Mary’s Extraordinary Deed

More books about war and peace on JOMB:

• Seven Brave Women
• A Poppy is to Remember
• Gleam and Glow
• The Cello of Mr. O
• What We Remember

Check out the full list of non-fiction picture books nominated for the 2007 Cybils Awards here.

Author: Sam McBratney
Illustrator: Anita Jeram

This classic is one of those quietly perfect books, a true masterpiece where the tone, pacing, and illustrations hit the right note each time. In it, Little Nutbrown Hare and Big Nutbrown Hare go back and forth telling the other one how much they love eachother, playfully trying to outdo the other.

Little Nutbrown Hare uses his arms, legs, toes, and whatever else he has at his disposal (i.e. "I love you as high as I can reach,"). It is the nature of love that we use whatever we can find to demonstrate it. For those of us who are artistically inclined, it may come in the form of a painting or a drawing. Or if you fancy yourself a writer, then maybe you'd write a beautiful love poem.

Or if you happen to be one of the greatest rock guitarists to ever live, I guess you'd write an immortal song. Check out this unbelievable story I read in The Week:

Pattie Boyd (left) inspired two rock 'n' roll legends to create their most beautiful music. In 1969, her husband, George Harrison, wrote his biggest hit, "Something," for her. A year later, their good friend Eric Clapton drew her aside. "He played me the most powerful, moving song I had ever heard," Boyd tells the London Daily Mail, "It was 'Layla,' about a man who fall hopelessly in love with a woman who loves him but is unavailable. He played it to me two or three times, all the while watching my face intently for my reaction. My first thought was, 'Oh God, everyone's going to know this is about me.'"

Boyd had rebuffed Clapton, but he kept trying, and told Harrison, "Man, I'm in love with your wife." One night, Clapton arrived at Harrison's house drunk, and the two men decided to fight over Boyd--with music. "George handed him a guitar and an amp, as an 18th-century gentleman might have handed his rival a sword, and for two hours, without a word, they dueled. The air was electric and the music exciting."

Wow. Can someone PLEASE build a time machine now? If only to go back and record that epic guitar duel between the two drunken masters and post it on YouTube for the rest of us to see, it would be worth it.

Oh and how does the story end? Well... you know that lyric from Something that goes:

Somewhere in her smile she knows
That I don't need no other lover

Apparently her smile doesn't know shit, because "A year later, Boyd left Harrison when she realized he was sleeping with Ringo Starr's wife. She wound up in Clapton's arms."

At first I was going to accuse Harrison of lyrical misrepresentation, but then I realized that he didn't actually lie. Check the lyric again: I don't need no other lover... I'll be damned! That cunning linguist tricked us all with a double negative! (If he doesn't need no other lover... that means that he does need an other lover... right?)

Moral of the story: It's time to stop guessing how much they love you and time to go back and check all your old love letters for grammatical loopholes before you find yourself in for some hard day's nights.

Author: Peggy Moss
Illustrator: Lea Lyon

Winner of the 2005 Teacher's Choice Award, Moss's book is a quietly powerful tale about silence in the face of bullying. A popular girl turns a blind eye to bullying and teasing until one day she becomes the butt of the joke. This is an adaptation of the powerful poem First They Came by the Pastor Martin Niemoller. Niemoller's poem (an indictment of complacency in the face of rising Nazism) admittedly dealt with more serious issues than junior high bullying... but the basic premise remains the same.

First they made fun of the Nerds, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Nerd.
Then they made fun of the Dorks, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Dork.
Then they made fun of the Geeks, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn't a Geek.
Then they made fun of me, and by that time there was no one left
to speak up for me.

Note: The book is extremely well done... until you get to the appendix. After the story, there is a guide on strategies for dealing with bullying. One section says:

If you are bullied, speak up! Things to say are: "Please stop." "That hurts my feelings." "I haven't done anything to you." Don't be afraid to tell an adult.

Ummm... yeah, right. Follow that advice and there's a good chance that you will either get laughed out of the gym, or pummeled on the playground. While the Say Something approach is well-intentioned, a better strategy (at least for guys) may be to use the Say Anything method:

Lloyd Dobbler's Easy 4 Step Plan for Overcoming Your Dorkdom

1) Take up kickboxing. Tell people its for your own self-satisfaction or to impress the ladies... but really it's just so that while you're getting your ass whooped by jocks, you can at least get one kick in before the ambulance arrives.

2) Wear a trenchcoat. Yes, it's weird and kinda creepy, but do it on the off chance that people will think you're eccentric or mysterious.

3) If you want to get the girl, embarrass yourself with an overly dramatic public demonstration (see picture above). This is NOT optional. Why not? Being a bumbling doofus, you don't have enough going for you to hold anything back. So set your pride aside and put it all out there. It's your only hope.

4) Star in a cheesy but endearing romantic comedy that will ruin the lives of guys everywhere (especially bullies) by warping the romantic expectations of all women who lived in the 80's, thereby sabotaging the relationships of all men (and making Chuck Klosterman's head explode). That's called having the last laugh.