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I just discovered The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale with illustrations by LeUyen Pham! I'm in extreme LIKE!!! This series for our youngest chapter book readers is funny and feeds into the princess-mania that makes some grandmothers - those who came of age in the 1960s, for instance - break out in rashes. Princess Magnolia is dimply, pink and perfect UNTIL the kingdom's goats are threatened by MONSTERS. And then, she and her unicorn, Frimplepants, transform into an amazing duo of monster repelling powers. I love the name Frimplepants. Just saying.
0 Comments on Princesses Don't Wear Black??? as of 4/9/2016 3:04:00 PM
Patrice Barton’s artistic talents were discovered at age three when she was found creating a mural on the wall of her dining room with a pastry brush and a can of Crisco.
Take a look at our selection of hot new releases and popular kids' books and let us know which titles and covers catch your eyes. There are so many amazing new kids books coming in 2016!
Make a beeline for your local library’s children’s biography section and learn firsthand the shocking truth about picture book bios of mathematical geniuses. Apparently there was only one and his name was Einstein. End of story. The world as we know it is not overflowing with picture book encapsulations of the lives of Sir Isaac Newton or Archimedes (though admittedly you could probably drum up a Leonardo da Vinci book or two if you were keen to try). But when it comes to folks alive in the 20th century, Einstein is the beginning and the end of the story. You might be so foolish as to think there was a good reason for that fact. Maybe all the other mathematicians were dull. I mean, Einstein was a pretty interesting fella, what with his world-shattering theories and crazed mane. And true, the wild-haired physicist was fascinating in his own right, but if we’re talking out-and-out interesting people, few can compare with the patron saint of contemporary mathematics, Paul Erdős. Prior to reading this book I would have doubted a person could conceivably make an engaging biography chock full to overflowing with mathematical concepts. Now I can only stare in amazement at a story that could conceivably make a kid wonder about how neat everything from Euler’s map of Konigsburg to the Szekeres Snark is. This is one bio you do NOT want to miss. A stunner from start to finish.
For you see, there once was a boy who loved math. His name was Paul and he lived in Budapest, Hungary in 1913. As a child, Paul adored numbers, and theorems, and patterns, and tricky ideas like prime numbers. As he got older he grew to be the kind of guy who wanted to do math all the time! Paul was a great guy and a genius and folks loved having him over, but he was utterly incapable of taking care of himself. Fortunately, he didn’t have to. Folks would take care of Paul and in exchange he would bring mathematicians together. The result of these meetings was great strides in number theory, combinatorics, the probabilistic method, set theory, and more! Until the end of this days (when he died in a math meeting) Paul loved what he did and he loved the people he worked with. “Numbers and people were his best friends. Paul Erdős had no problem with that.”
There are two kinds of picture book biographies in this world. The first attempts to select just a single moment or personality quirk from a person’s life, letting it stand in as an example of the whole. Good examples of this kind of book might include Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell about the childhood of Jane Goodall or Lincoln Tells a Joke: How Laughter Saved the President And the Country by Kathleen Krull. It’s hard to pinpoint the perfect way to convey any subject, but it can sometimes be even harder to tell an entire life in the span of a mere 40 pages or so. Still, that tends to be the second and more common kind of picture book biography out there. Generally speaking they don’t tend to be terribly interesting. Just a series of rote facts, incapable of making it clear to a kind why a person mattered aside from the standard “because I said so” defense. The Boy Who Loved Math is different because it really takes the nature of biography seriously. If the purpose of a bio is to make it clear that a person was important, how important was a guy who loved math puzzles? Well, consider what the story can do. In a scant number of pages author Deborah Heiligman gives us an entire life synthesized down to just a couple key moments, giving the man’s life form and function and purpose, all while remaining lighthearted and fun to read. Who does that?
Did you know that there are kids out there who like math? I mean, reeeeeeally like math? The kinds that beg their parents for math problems to solve? They exist (heck, Ms. Heiligman gave birth to one) and for those kids this book will come like a present from on high. Because not only does the author highlight a fellow who took his passion for numbers and turned it into a fulfilling and fun life, but thanks to illustrator LeUyen Pham the illustrations are overflowing with math equations and puzzles and problems, just waiting to be interpreted and dissected. I have followed the career of Ms. Pham for many years. There is no book that she touches that she does not improve with her unique style. Whether it’s zeroing in on a child’s neuroses in Alvin Ho or bringing lush life to a work of poetry as in A Stick Is an Excellent Thing, Pham’s art can run the gamut from perfect interstitial pen-and-inks to lush watercolor paints. I say that, but I have never, but ever, seen anything like what she’s done in The Boy Who Loved Math.
It would not be overstating the matter to call this book Pham’s masterpiece. The common story behind its creation is that there was some difficulty finding the perfect artist for it because whosoever put pen to paper here would have to be comfortable on some level with incorporating math into the art. Many is the artist who would shy away from that demand. Not Ms. Pham. She takes to the medium like a duck to water, seemingly effortlessly weaving equations, charts, diagrams, numbers, and theorems into pictures that also have to complement the story, feature the faces of real people, capture a sense of time (often through clothing) and place (often through architecture), and hardest of all, be fun to look at.
But that’s just for starters. The final product is MUCH more complex. I’m not entirely certain what the medium is at work here but if I had to guess I’d go with watercolors. Whatever it is, Pham’s design on each page layout is extraordinary. Sometimes she’ll do a full page, border to border, chock full of illustrations of a single moment. That might pair with a page of interstitial scenes, giving a feel to Paul’s life. Or consider the page where you see a group of diners at a restaurant, their worlds carefully separated into dotted squares (a hat tip to one of Paul’s puzzles) while Paul sits in his very own dotted pentagon. It’s these little touches that make it clear that Paul isn’t like other folks. All this culminates in Pham’s remarkable Erdős number graph, where she outdoes herself showing how Paul intersected with the great mathematicians of the day. Absolutely stunning.
Both Heiligman and Pham take a great deal of care to tell this tale as honestly as possible. The extensive “Note From the Author” and “Note From the Illustrator” sections in the back are an eye-opening glimpse into what it takes to present a person honestly to a child audience. In Pham’s notes she concedes when she had to illustrate without a guide at hand. For example, Paul’s babysitter (“the dreaded Faulein”) had to be conjured from scratch. She is the rare exception, however. Almost every face in this book is a real person, and it’s remarkable to look and see Pham’s page by page notes on who each one is.
Heiligman’s author’s note speaks less to what she included and more to what she had to leave out. She doesn’t mention the fact that Paul was addicted to amphetamines and honestly that sort of detail wouldn’t have served the story much at all. Similarly I had no problem with Paul’s father’s absence. Heiligman mentions in her note what the man went through and why his absences would make Paul’s mother the “central person in his life emotionally”. The book never denies his existence, it just focuses on Paul’s mother as a guiding force that was perhaps in some way responsible for the man’s more quirky qualities. The only part of the book that I would have changed wasn’t what Heiligman left out but what she put in. At one point the story is in the midst of telling some of Paul’s more peculiar acts as a guest (stabbing tomato juice cartons with knives, waking friends up at 4 a.m. to talk math, etc.). Then, out of the blue, we see a very brief mention of Paul getting caught by the police when he tried to look at a radio tower. That section is almost immediately forgotten when the text jumps back to Paul and his hosts, asking why they put up with his oddities. I can see why placing Paul in the midst of the Red Scare puts the tale into context, but I might argue that there’s no real reason to include it. Though the Note for the Author at the end mentions that because of this act he wasn’t allowed back in the States for a decade, it doesn’t have a real bearing on the thrust of the book. As they say in the biz, it comes right out.
I have mentioned that this book is a boon for the math-lovers of the world, but what about the kids who couldn’t care diddly over squat about mathy malarkey? Well, as far as I’m concerned the whole reason this book works is because it’s fun. A little bit silly too, come to that. Even if a kid couldn’t care less about prime numbers, there’s interest to be had in watching someone else get excited about them. We don’t read biographies of people exactly like ourselves all the time, because what would be the point of that? Part of the reason biographies even exist is to grant us glimpses into the lives of the folks we would otherwise never have the chance to meet. Your kid may never become a mathematician, but with the book they can at least hang out with one.
One problem teachers have when they teach math is that they cannot come up with a way to make it clear that for some people mathematics is a game. A wonderful game full of surprises and puzzles and queries. What The Boy Who Loved Math does so well is to not only show how much fun math can be on your own, it makes it clear that the contribution Paul Erdős gave to the world above and beyond his own genius was that he encouraged people to work together to solve their problems. Heiligman’s biography isn’t simply the rote facts about a man’s life. It places that life in context, gives meaning to what he did, and makes it clear that above and beyond his eccentricities (which admittedly make for wonderful picture book bio fare) this was a guy who made the world a better place through mathematics. What’s more, he lived his life exactly the way he wanted to. How many of us can say as much? So applause for Heiligman and Pham for not only presenting a little known life for all the world to see, but for giving that life such a magnificent package as this book. A must purchase.
On shelves June 25th
Source: Advanced readers galley sent from publisher for review.
I love picture book biographies but sometimes my kids don’t like them as much as I do. I think this one will be a hit!
Jean said, on 1/21/2013 9:51:00 AM
I just did a math bibliography for my teachers and the only biographies I could come up with were Carry on, Mr. Bowditch and The librarian who measured the earth. I’ll order this one for next year.
Greg Pincus said, on 1/21/2013 10:35:00 AM
Can’t wait to get this. And I must add to your list of math bios – Blockhead: the Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese. One could make a case for Starry Messenger by Peter Sis, too, though like DaVinci, it’s not a hidden math personality being brought to life….
Elizabeth Bird said, on 1/21/2013 10:38:00 AM
I did consider Starry Messenger, but wasn’t sure where to slot it in. Blockhead is an excellent choice. Forgot that one.
It’s the recent fellers (and gals) that still tend to be rarest. If anyone can come up with some 20th century names I’d be grateful. After all, how many kids say, “When I grow up I want DaVinci’s job!”
Meghan m. said, on 1/21/2013 10:42:00 AM
Do people really LIKE math? I”m just kidding. I know there are people who do… out there…somewhere.
Elizabeth Bird said, on 1/21/2013 10:58:00 AM
I know. To an English major it’s like saying to a junk food lover that someone else likes kale. You respect their opinion but you can’t help wondering what they’re seeing in it that you’re not.
*shudder* Kale.
Greg Pincus said, on 1/21/2013 11:23:00 AM
I think this speaks to your question about 20th century names, too, though. These biographies are not about math – they are about people. I mean, look at the book Longitude by Dava Sobel. You don’t need to ever have asked “I wonder about the history of longitude” or have any interest in science to like it. Most of us, I dare say, would never had thought to ask about that history or heard of the name(s) behind it. Keeping the conversation on interesting people and stories (well told, at that) makes it easier for others to pitch worthwhile bios rather than thinking “well, no one is gonna be interested in xxxxxxxxxx.”
Lisa said, on 1/21/2013 3:52:00 PM
With the local schools in the midst of the annual biography assignment, and the hard push towards nonfiction to satisfy the CCS, I appreciate a new title to offer. Now if only more teachers would accept picture book biographies for their older students. (sigh)
Elizabeth Bird said, on 1/21/2013 5:16:00 PM
Show them the backmatter for this book. If the kids are required to read that portion then it should more than satisfy teachers of 4th and 5th graders. Heck, teens would get a kick out of it.
In celebration of National Poetry Month, we’ve hand-picked ten many-splendored new books. Children are born loving poetry from the moment they form their first babbling words to when they begin to tackle more complex rhythms and tongue twisters. As they acquire language and enjoy how it rolls off their tongues, they also gain an appreciation for the beauty of creative expression. Nothing quite tops that moment when they learn to recite their first nursery rhyme. So leave a poem in your child’s pocket and help him discover the appeal of modern poetry.
If you’re like most of us, you may have grown up with Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, or The Giving Tree on your childhood bookshelf. Master wordsmith and doodler Shel Silverstein invented laugh-out-loud silly rhymes for us to endlessly ponder. Every Thing On It has been posthumously published as a new collection of his irreverent poems and characters drawn with his trademark squiggly offhand style. It’s a great joy to share his nonsense poems with a new generation to puzzle over and love for years to come.
Ages 8-11 | Publisher: HarperCollins | September 20, 2011
What a winning combination Pham’s playful illustrations and Singer’s amusing verse make in this lovely poetry collection. Bouncing rhyme and pictures of active children at play ensure even the most poetry-adverse child will warm to its magical delights. As Singer’s light-handed verse concludes, “A stick is an excellent thing if you find the perfect one.” We’ve certainly found the perfect book of poetry in this one. For more on LeUyen Pham, check out our interview with her.
Things that I love: Blogging. My baby girl. Seattle. Two of those three things will be coming together on September 16th and 17th. That’s when the 5th (five already?) annual Kidlitcon will occur! It’s looking like a remarkable line-up as well with special keynote speaker YA author Scott Westerfeld and great presentations, as per usual. Baby girl is keeping me from attending, which is awful. I think I’ll have missed three out of five by this point. That just means you’ll have to go in my stead. For conference information, Kidlitosphere Central has the details.
Speaking of conferences I could not attend (whip out your world’s smallest violins playing a sad sad song for me), ALA came and went. Between reading Twitter updates of awesome people having post-Caldecott/Newbery Banquet parties until 5 a.m. and knowing that there’s a whole world of ARCs out there that I have not seen, I took comfort in SLJ’s very cool shots of the outfits at the aforementioned banquet. Jim Averbeck, I await your red carpet analysis. Oh, and allow me to extend my hearty thanks to Tomie dePaola for mentioning me as well as a host of other fine librarians in his Wilder acceptance speech. Made me feel quite the top cat it did.
Artist Adam Rex discusses the “Hogwarts for Illustrators” and gives us a sneak peek at a cover of his due out this coming February.
There’s more Ungerer in the offering. Tomi Ungerer got covered by the Times the other day with an interesting Q&A. In it, at one point he happens to say, “Look, it’s a fact that the children’s books that withstand the grinding of time all come from authors who did both [writing and illustrating].” J.L. Bell takes that idea and jogs on over to my Top 100 Picture Books Poll where, rightly, he points out the #2 on was old Margaret Wise Brown. He then finds other books that have stood the test of time with authors who do not illustrate. Well played, Bell man.
Also at The New York Times, editor Pamela Paul shows off the new crop of celebrity picture books. Normally I eschew such fare, but one book in the batch is of particular interest to me. Julianne Moore has penned the third Freckleface Strawberry book called Freckleface Strawberry: Best Friends Forever. I’m rather partial to it, perhaps because of this librarian character that artist LeUyen Pham included in the story:
by Karen Beaumont (Author), Leuyen Pham (Illustrator)
Reading level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Scholastic Press (January 1, 2011)
Source: Publisher
Who doesn’t like a good pair of shoes? Bestselling and award-winning author Karen Beaumont certainly does. Shoe-la-la is Beaumont’s latest rhyming picture book—and it’s all about, you guessed it, shoes. Four girls—Emily, Ashley, Kaitlyn, and Claire—go on a shopping expedition to find the perfect pair. The girls truly have the ultimate shoe experience in what appears to be an upmarket shoe store. The salesman, a European looking gent complete with curling moustache, brings the girls copious amounts of shoes in every possible style and color. However, sometimes decisions can be so hard to make. In the end, it is the bedazzled versions that the girls make at home that win them over. Rhyme and rhythm come with ease to Beaumont. Her text always flows and has a level of playfulness that enables illustrator LeUyen Pham to truly go to town on the illustrations.
Eeny, meeny, my oh my!
Just don’t know which shoes to buy.
Illustration by LeUyen Pham
Beginning with the sparkling and show-stopping cover, every picture is filled with razzle-dazzle, pizazz, and personality. Using her signature block-print artwork, Pham transforms the story, word for word, into the ultimate girlie experience. She uses mostly pinks and purples in vivid hues, combining them with softer shades and splashes of other less feminine colors which add individuality to each of the characters. At the beginning of the story, two of the girls are dressed in sneakers and one in a pair of Mary Janes and the other in a pair of ballet flats—this carefully selected attire also gives each of the girls an identity of their own. On the whole, Shoe-la-la is deliciously diva-ish, but Pham’s characterisations and humor add the grounded touch that a book of this nature requires.
Ooh-la-la (ha,ha,ha), Shoe-la-la is a fun and feminine treat that I can imagine will be gifted to children, but specifically with some shoe loving moms in mind.
Shoes, glorious shoes! Ooh-la-la, we have two copies of Shoe-la-la by written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by LeUyen Pham to giveaway. Giveaway begins January 14, 2011, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends February 10, 2011, at 11:59 P.M. PST.
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Hardcover: 40 pages
Book overview: Join four girls as they shop till they drop, looking for the perfect shoes to match their party dresses.
Emily, Ashley, Katilyn, Claire! Let’s go find the perfect pair!
There are piles of shoes to choose from, and the girls try on every pair in the store, but…
Eeny, meeny, my oh my! Just don’t know which shoes to buy.
What’s a girl to do? With some feathers and glitter, a little bit of glue, and a lof of imagination, the friends come up with the best shoes of all!
About the Author: Karen Beaumont is the New York Times bestselling author of I Ain’t Gonna Paint No More! illustrated by David Catrow. She is also the recipient of the Geisel Honor for Move Over, Rover! and three ALA Notable Book citations. As a little girl, Karen loved her tan cowboy boots best of all. She now lives near the beach in Capitola, California, and has traded in her boots for flip flops. She has two daughters who love shoes, and a cat named Jake, who runs around barefoot most of the time.
About the illustrator: LeUyen Pham is the New York Times bestselling illustrator of Grace for President, by Kelly DiPucchio, as well as Julianne Moore’s Freckleface Strawberry books and her own Big Sister, Little Sister. She is quite the shoe lover herself, and can be found traipsing about in her Mary Jane shoes or knee high boots in San Francisco, California, where she lives with her family. You can visit her and her shoes at www.leuyenpham.com.
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This past summer my friend Kevin took an epic trip to Asia, 45 days traveling through China, Vietnam, Thailand, and Korea. He had plenty of stories to share when he came back about the culture, food, and all the pretty girls (Kevin is single). I actually found his stories about the pretty girls fascinating, because [...]
As a former pre-school teacher, I found this story to be absolutely delightful. Freckleface Strawberry likes it when her parents go to work early beacause she get to go to Early Bird—most of the time. She's really good at a lot of the things they get to do, but sometimes it rains and then they have to go inside and play…dodgeball.
The only one who really likes dodgeball is Windy Pants Patrick, the school bully. Everyone else is …afraid. But then one day, Freckleface Strawberry came up with a plan.
Fears abound in this very clever book that has an unexpected twist that will have children cheering.
For complete tour information and the complete schedule, visit her tour home page here.
Four-time Academy award nominee actress, and beloved picture book author JULIANNE MOORE and bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham have joined their immense talents once again to give young readers Freckleface Strawberry and the Dodgeball Bully.
It was Ms. Moore’s infusion of hilarity and heart that won her praise from booksellers, educators, reviewers—and most importantly young readers!—for her debut picture book Freckleface Strawberry, a charming tale inspired by a childhood experience.
Nicknamed Freckleface Strawberry when she a young girl, Ms. Moore disliked the title as much as she disliked her red hair and freckles. “As a child, my hatred of my freckles was only matched by my love of reading,” said the author, who eventually grew to tolerate her red hair and freckles and find amusement in telling her own kids about her childhood nickname. Dodgeball isn’t based on personal experience, but creating a feisty character who makes the best of a bad situation—and does so with style and wit—is essential to Ms. Moore.
One of the things I respect most about Julianne Moore is her commitment to the development and welfare of children. As the U. S. Ambassador for Save the Children she works with children and families in rural areas, focusing on literacy and early childhood education. Julianne successfully launched the Save the Children Valentine program in 2008 whereby children’s book illustrators donated art work for cards, with the proceeds benefiting poverty in the United States. She is also a member of Reach Out and Read, a children’s literacy organization dedicated to educating parents on the importance of reading to their children.
Julianne now lives with her husband and children in New York City.
3 Comments on Award Winning Actress Julianne Moore Writes, last added: 7/12/2009
Hello friends I am a foreigner visiting pages in another language, try to understand their language but it cost too much and that is why we invite you to my blog which is certainly very interesting and also a translation for your language I do this through a software sure your web is also very good, thank you very much now.
So, I’m in the throes of NaNoWriMo, and I have to say… I’m really nervous about what I’ve written so far on “Penny”. Can I really put copious vomiting, neurotic parent spoofs, and a child taxidermist in the same book?
Right now everything feels off kilter and fluffy. Everything feels messy. I know this is only a first draft, but I’m scared.
I wonder if others are NaNoWriMoing books under contract? I wonder if this was a mistake. If the “serious” nature of work that’s been sold and the zany/spontaneous nature of slamming out 1500 words a day are incompatible.
I console myself with the fact that I always have time to do-over if this is a miserable failure. I also console myself with the fact that I’m a much better rewriter than I am a writer. Something learned in all those years of poetry workshop makes me a very tight tinkerer, and terrible at just throwing words onto a page.
But right now I’m nervous.
One other, unrelated, note… I’ve been re-reading Gone Away Lake, because there are things I need to learn from it to write this… and I’m struck by the (Joe and Beth Krush) art in the book. It looks SO MUCH like the (LeUyen Pham) art for Any Which Wall. Which is AWESOME. But weird.
0 Comments on Working, working, working… as of 1/1/1990
I just discovered The Princess in Black by Shannon Hale and Dean Hale with illustrations by LeUyen Pham! I'm in extreme LIKE!!! This series for our youngest chapter book readers is funny and feeds into the princess-mania that makes some grandmothers - those who came of age in the 1960s, for instance - break out in rashes. Princess Magnolia is dimply, pink and perfect UNTIL the kingdom's goats are threatened by MONSTERS. And then, she and her unicorn, Frimplepants, transform into an amazing duo of monster repelling powers. I love the name Frimplepants. Just saying.
My boy needs this book. NOW.
I love picture book biographies but sometimes my kids don’t like them as much as I do. I think this one will be a hit!
I just did a math bibliography for my teachers and the only biographies I could come up with were Carry on, Mr. Bowditch and The librarian who measured the earth. I’ll order this one for next year.
Can’t wait to get this. And I must add to your list of math bios – Blockhead: the Life of Fibonacci by Joseph D’Agnese. One could make a case for Starry Messenger by Peter Sis, too, though like DaVinci, it’s not a hidden math personality being brought to life….
I did consider Starry Messenger, but wasn’t sure where to slot it in. Blockhead is an excellent choice. Forgot that one.
It’s the recent fellers (and gals) that still tend to be rarest. If anyone can come up with some 20th century names I’d be grateful. After all, how many kids say, “When I grow up I want DaVinci’s job!”
Do people really LIKE math? I”m just kidding. I know there are people who do… out there…somewhere.
I know. To an English major it’s like saying to a junk food lover that someone else likes kale. You respect their opinion but you can’t help wondering what they’re seeing in it that you’re not.
*shudder* Kale.
I think this speaks to your question about 20th century names, too, though. These biographies are not about math – they are about people. I mean, look at the book Longitude by Dava Sobel. You don’t need to ever have asked “I wonder about the history of longitude” or have any interest in science to like it. Most of us, I dare say, would never had thought to ask about that history or heard of the name(s) behind it. Keeping the conversation on interesting people and stories (well told, at that) makes it easier for others to pitch worthwhile bios rather than thinking “well, no one is gonna be interested in xxxxxxxxxx.”
With the local schools in the midst of the annual biography assignment, and the hard push towards nonfiction to satisfy the CCS, I appreciate a new title to offer. Now if only more teachers would accept picture book biographies for their older students. (sigh)
Show them the backmatter for this book. If the kids are required to read that portion then it should more than satisfy teachers of 4th and 5th graders. Heck, teens would get a kick out of it.