It’s spring Down Under, and the gardeners of Melbourne are out in abundance, reminding me of the heartwarming account of a multicultural community garden, Paul Fleischman’s lovely Seedfolks.
Gina Biancarosa, friend and literacy expert, is a big fan of the Newbery Award-winning children’s author, and Seedfolks is her “absolute favorite” Fleischman book. “Just so well written, and even though it takes place in America, there are a number of immigrant characters in it.” She points out the Christian Science Monitor’s comment on Fleischman’s website, “The size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains.” Here’s an account of what Seedfolks inspired one young reader to do. Here’s an excerpt from Seedfolks and Fleischman’s story of how he came to write it.
Now for a few other books on community gardens… In Jorge Argueta’s bilingual text, Xochitl and the Flowers, Xochitl and her family, El Salvadorans new to San Francisco, turn a garbage heap behind their apartment into a nursery for plants. Here’s PaperTigers’ interview with author and illustrator Carl Angel. In Our Community Garden, by Barbara Pollak, also set in San Francisco, kids make a feast of burritos, stir-fry, and other ethnic specialties, using foods they’ve grown in their community garden. The Garden of Happiness, YA author Erika Tamar’s first picture book, is the story of a multicultural community garden in New York City.
Inspired? Right. For ideas on how to use Seedfolks in the classroom or how to start a school garden, click here and scroll down. Happy gardening!
Princess Caitlin’s Tiara
By Kim Messenger and Michael LaLumiere
Illustrated by Ginger Nielson
Stagger Lee Books
ISBN: 978-0-9791006-0-4
Copyright 2006
Hardcover, 32 pages, $14.95
Ages 4-8
What is it about little girls, princesses, and tiaras? From the writing team of Kim Messinger and Michael LaLumiere comes another enjoyable story for kids, though this time the tale is geared towards little female readers and book lovers.
Little Caitlin is in a rotten mood — a really “big old funk. A humongous funk. A funk that could eat Chicago.”
To lighten Caitlin’s spirits, her mom comes up with an idea. She tells Caitlin how when she was little she had something that always made her feel like a princess, a special thing that made her feel “funk-proof” — a beautiful princess tiara! But after trying on her mom’s tiara, Caitlin realizes it is too big for her; thus she sets to the task of making her own using cardboard, scissors, a stapler, and shiny silver foil. Then, with her brand-new, glittery tiara on her head, her imaginary adventures begin. Snowboarding at the South Pole with penguins, diving deep in the ocean with mermaids, riding in style in a big pink limousine, flying amidst the clouds in her pilot uniform — the fun never ends! Princess Caitlin’s Tiara is a delightful picture book that will delight young girls ages 4-8. I found it has a lot of text for a picture book, making it an early reader for young book lovers as well. The colorful illustrations are evocative and whimsical and possess a dream-like quality that suits the plot well.
This is a book that touches the ‘little girl’ in all of us. This is a fun story for bedtime reading, or one a mother may read to her child anytime for mother-daughter bonding.
Reviewed by Mayra Calvani
“Kids can handle more plot, facts, and complexity than we give them credit for,” says literacy expert (and friend) Gina Biancarosa. Her studies at Harvard and Stanford indicate that what slows down young readers is not difficulty of story line but just the opposite: actions without consequences. Her favorite writers don’t dumb down for kids, and there are lots of mulitcultis on her list, including Nancy Farmer. “Many of Farmer’s works take place in Africa, but others take place in Mexico and other countries around the world. Some of her shorter works are my personal favorites: A Warm Place and Do You Know Me. But she’s great at epic length novels for hungry readers as well: Sea of Trolls, The House of the Scorpion, and A Girl Named Disaster (awesome title). I find them a bit long, but some kids just eat them up, à la Harry Potter.” More on Farmer and her books here. And more of Gina’s faves in posts to come.
It’s spring Down Under, and the gardeners of Melbourne are out in abundance, reminding me of the heartwarming account of a multicultural community garden, Paul Fleischman’s lovely Seedfolks.
I’m definitely inspired! And how lovely to read about spring when it’s so cold and wintry here - we had our first snow last night… Thank you, Charlotte!