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Recently, I discovered that there are several children’s literature courses from LaTrobe University in Australia available for download via iTunes U. I would like to listen to them all eventually, but I’ve begun with the one that interests me most - Genres in Children’s Literature. Over the next couple of months, as I listen to the lectures, I will be sharing my insights about the different genres covered, and hopefully, what I learn from the course will inform my future book reviews as well.

This post focuses on the fourth lecture of the course, entitled Author and Illustrator Devices, which became available on March 7, 2012.

Beagley's remarks in this lecture echoed some of the things he's already said, but then applied them all to an Australian picture book called Norton's Hut. The book seems to be out of print and unavailable these days, and it's not familiar to me at all, but Beagley's analysis of it seems like a pretty good blueprint for analyzing and reviewing books with illustrations.

Here's a list of the details Beagley discussed as he went through Norton's Hut:

• The visual effects of text (conversation bubbles, capital letters, etc.)
• Endpapers 
• Symbolism of setting 
• Framing of the illustrations/story
• Figurative language (alliteration/metaphor/personaitifcation/simile)
• Characters' expressions 
• Lighting and contrast 
• Intertextuality
• Use of cinematic technique in illustrations

I think it would be silly to assume these are the only things to look for in a picture book, but I think this list is a great starting point. If a reader is looking closely enough to notice these elements, there can be no doubt that he or she will start to notice many more. I find it difficult sometimes to think of books as constructions, with deliberate stylistics choices. It's like looking at the man behind the curtain; Oz loses its magic once you see how he works. But I also think that, in great books, seeing how they work is actually another part of the magic. Seeing how authors put together these great reading experiences can be a real treat.


Want to listen along? Click here for Lecture 4. Read about David Beagley here.

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Recently, I discovered that there are several children’s literature courses from LaTrobe University in Australia available for download via iTunes U. I would like to listen to them all eventually, but I’ve begun with the one that interests me most - Genres in Children’s Literature. Over the next couple of months, as I listen to the lectures, I will be sharing my insights about the different genres covered, and hopefully, what I learn from the course will inform my future book reviews as well.

I began this series last week with my thoughts on Lectures 1 and 2. Today’s post is about the third lecture in the series, Picture Books for Older Readers, which was originally posted to iTunes U on March 4, 2012.

This lecture was of special interest to me because it talked about the developmental differences between small kids and teenagers, and how this has translated over the years in the world of children’s literature. The questions I am asked most often at the reference desk all revolve around these developmental differences. “Is my child old enough for...?” “Is this appropriate for a child reading at this grade level?” “Don’t you think a fifth grader should outgrow reading...” Often what I struggle with is this idea many parents have that they should always be reaching for more and more mature material, so their child can read above grade level or exceed the expectations of his or her teachers. I hear parents telling their kids every day that this or that book is babyish, or that this or that book has too many pictures to be considered “real.” What Beagley said in this lecture, though, is that there are picture books for older readers that are perfectly sophisticated and not just appropriate for older kids, but also actually inappropriate for the younger ones.

I think what I liked best in this lecture was Beagley’s statement that reading is an intellectual activity where the reader interprets what happens, and that reading is very much about cracking the author or illustrator’s “code” for understanding a given story. I have a tendency to share picture books in just one way, no matter the age of the kids. Hearing Beagley say that books for older kids have different story structures that actually demand more from their readers makes me reconsider how I present books to kids at different levels. Older kids might engage more with certain books if I give them the opportunity to deconstruct what the author has created and actually understand how it works. In general, I also look forward to writing some more picture book reviews over at Story Time Secrets, where I really consider not just words and pictures, but also color, layout, size, and all the other choices authors make in shaping their stories.

Want to listen along? Click here for Lecture 3. Read about David Beagley here. Display Comments Add a Comment

Earlier this Spring, I  read through the entire Diary of a Wimpy Kid series in about ten days, and I have to say that, taken together as a series, the books aren’t quite what I expected. The main character, Greg, begins the first book as the wimpy seventh grader we all know and love. He’s awkward and out of place. His best friend is still very much a child, while he’s looking anxiously toward teenhood. His older brother, Rodrick, is a huge bully, and his parents are comically out of touch, and focused mostly on his little brother, Manny. Greg is a bit sarcastic, but he’s funny, and the mood of the entire book is mostly light, poking fun at the annoyances of middle school without getting too bogged down in negativity.

As the series progresses, though, Greg Heffley stops being cute and morphs into someone who is anything but a wimpy kid. By the sixth book, Cabin Fever, I ran out of excuses for his behavior and started wondering why anyone wants to read about him, let alone spend time with him. The fact is, Greg Heffley is kind of a jerk.

For one thing, his treatment of Rowley - and the fact that Rowley always comes back for more - is a huge problem for me in these books. The reader hears Greg discuss bullies again and again. His older brother bullies him. Bigger kids at school bully him and other smaller kids. But the biggest bully of the entire series is Greg himself! He uses Rowley for his own purposes, and then just as easily tosses him aside when he doesn’t need him. And we never see anyone comment that this is wrong. Rowley does stand up for himself now and then, but it never seems to take, because he’s always right back there, showing up on Greg’s doorstep with cookies, or bailing him out of trouble. And worst of all - the books often use these moments to poke fun at Rowley. We laugh so much at Rowley for being such a nerd, and so babyish in his behavior, and the end result is that we glorify Greg’s bullying, while still vilifying bullies who pick on wimpy kids.

And it’s not just Rowley who elicits this jerky kind of behavior from Greg. He treats his family disrespectfully. He doesn’t take his schoolwork seriously. Often it seems like he is not even trying to improve himself, or to do the right thing. And I think that’s what has made me actually start to dislike him. Most heroes in children’s books are appealing because they have some innate good qualities that keep readers rooting for their success. The Dork Diaries series has a main character who is not always on her best behavior, but who is constantly trying to break out of the patterns that cause her problems. Dear Dumb Diary’s Jamie has a pretty abrasive personality, but it’s always easy to see that underneath it all, she wants to do well and to have friends and to be happy. Even a character like Horrible Harry has a sweet side, and his anti-social behavior can be explained by events from his life.

But what do kids see in Greg? Are they amused by him because his behavior is so over the top and unlike their own? Do they think of him as wimpy, or do they realize Rowley is being mistreated, and that this isn’t okay? I don’t like to criticize books for se

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I survived the A to Z Blog challenge! With not one, but TWO blogs! Yeah, I'm the woman. Heehee! 

Blogging practically everyday on two blogs is quite tiresome, so I'm taking a short break. My regularly scheduled blog posts will return in June. I figured, since I'm behind on my Netgalley reviews, I can use this time to catch up. Sooo, I'll be posting about 2+ per week. Then, come June, when school is practically over and summer is close to starting, I can return to normal blogging.

By the way, you'll be seeing a new look on both of my blogs within the month. So excited. I've had this look since I started this blog back in 2008, so I'm thinking it's time for a new look. And my other blog, The International Diva definitely needs a new look, seeing as though the girl in the header isn't even a black girl. She was the closest to my skin color as I could get for a free blog template.

So, my loves, in the words of the great philosopher, Arnold Schwarzenegger (heehee), "I'll be back!" Until then, enjoy some book reviews. Muah!

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I have been an avid reader for most of my life, so it always puzzles me when I hear people say they don’t read. What would I do if I didn’t read? I can’t even imagine it. But when I do stumble upon those people who don’t read for pleasure, it makes me reflect on why I turned out to be the kind of person who does. These are the reasons I’ve come up with:

• My parents both read to me when I was little. From The Poky Little Puppy and Eloise to The Boxcar Children, and "The Cremation of Sam McGee", to Betsy-Tacy and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, my parents read to my sister and me right on up to our teens. Both my parents read with a lot of expression, and that really engaged me in every story we shared. I think it was also significant that we read together for the fun of it, even after my sister and I both knew how to read on our own. We watched a lot of TV in our family, and my father worked long hours that weren’t always conducive to being home at bedtime, but I was never told there wasn’t time to read, and I always looked forward to what would happen in the next chapter.

• I’ve always been surrounded by books. In addition to reading to me, my parents also made sure I had my own collection of books. I can remember being only four years old and receiving the Weekly Reader books, and the Serendipity books in the mail. We always went to the library when I was small, and when I turned 10, it was the first place I was allowed to visit without my parents. We also made trips to bookstores - both the little Waldenbooks in the nearby shopping mall and the larger bookstores we passed on bigger shopping trips to larger cities. I can’t remember a time when I chose a book I was not allowed to have - I think our only limitation was on the number of books, or the maximum amount we could spend on a given day. I had my own bookshelf, which I remember organizing and reorganizing. I even tried getting my sister to play library with me, forcing her to check the books out and bring them back on time. I think it was especially important that I had my own books - they weren’t the family’s books, or even to be shared with my sister. She had her own, and I had my own, and sometimes we swapped, but we always knew whose was whose. I really felt a sense of pride about owning all those books, and I think I read more just because the books were there.

• I aspire to write. I distinctly remember being six years old and telling my father, “Daddy, if you can read it, you can write it.” I assume I learned this nugget of wisdom from my first grade teacher (who was also my third grade teacher). She introduced me to Writer’s Workshop, this great program where kids write, revise, and then “publish” a final copy of their work. This is where I first learned how to properly punctuate dialogue, and where I truly began to understand how stories function. As I got older, my desire to write grew stronger, and I started keeping track of different quotations that meant something to me. In college, I took creative writing classes - and often my reading assignments for those classes were the only ones I managed to complete on time. Even now, when I read children’s books, there is a part of me that is always inspired to come up with my own stories. I don’t always do it, but even if I’m never anything more than “aspiring” I think the fact that I enjoy putting pen to paper and creating my own characters and plots keeps me interested in books.

• Books provide escape.
  2 Comments on Five Reasons I Became a Reader, last added: 4/24/2012
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  Shirley @ My Bookshelf said, on 4/23/2012 5:01:00 PM
  

  I too was read to as a child and had a few books all my own. My favourite, Black Beauty, was a gift from my grandparents who loved to gift books at Christmas. Books were an escape for me all through elementary school, junior high and high school. Oh the places you could go and the things you could do! I loved it and often blocked out everything and everyone else around me when I was reading. To this day I "collect" books and LOVE bookstores. (I happen to work in a bookstore!) The dream of becoming a writer was instilled in me as a very young person, and it lives on today though I haven't actively been writing of late.
  
  Books have and continue to shape my life. Today I read to blog and blgo to read and for the sheer enjoyment each book brings.

  Allison said, on 4/23/2012 11:48:00 PM
  

  Oh! I empathize with so much of this post. I love it. Especially the parts about growing up with books (my mom is a retired elementary school teacher) and finding books to be an escape.
  
  Some of my earliest book memories are my parents reading THE FIRE CAT and THE LITTLE HOUSE to me.

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Betsy Bird, the New York Public Library's Youth Materials Collections Specialist, and the writer of School Library Journal's Fuse #8 blog, is hosting The All New Top 100 Picture Book and Chapter Book Polls. Last week, I posted my Top Ten Chapter Books. Today, I am sharing my Top Ten Picture Books.

	1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
	2. All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon, illustrated by Marla Frazee
	3. The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood
	4. Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
	5. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
	6. Miss Nelson is Missing by Author
	7. Mrs Wishy-Washy by Joy Cowley
	8. Ira Sleeps Over by Bernard Waber
	9. Imogene's Antlers by David Small
	10.  Best Friends for Frances by Russell Hoban, illustrated by Lillian Hoban

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Readergirlz and Figment are planning a Rock the Drop event on April 12, 2012.  It works like this.  Get a book.  Put the bookplate, below, in the book.  Drop the book somewhere that someone might find it.  It's like International Book Giving Day but more subversive.

So do it.  Easy enough to share a good read with an unknown "friend".

Battle of the Books:  Daughter of Smoke and Bone won its first round - as I predicted.  I am buffing my chipped nails on my lapel as you read this.  Don't forget to read the commentaries after Sara Zarr's thoughtful judging. 
One of the comments to BoB's post mentioned the artwork for today.  I like the little bomb shelter sign that Dead End in Norvelt so ineffectively uses as a shield.  Thanks to RB for drawing attention to these graphics.  So read EVERYTHING on the Battle's page; the decision, the commentaries and the comments.  All fun, all worthwhile.

Monday's match.  Hmmm.  I haven't read The Grand Plan to Fix Everything.   It's hard to imagine that it is better than Allen Say's Drawing from Memory.  So I'm going with Drawing as Monday's winner.  HOWEVER, I might change my mind.

So what happens next?  Come on March 31st to see!

I still have two passes to the Elizabeth Ellis performance on March 31st at Northampton Community College.  Listen to the interview and story at the link above.  Honestly, she is so good we should charge TWICE as much as we are charging.  Try something new. 

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I know. I've neglected this blog in the midst of my moving. It's just been...crazy, ya know? But I'm back. This blog is like the oldest child. Born first, had "mommy's" attention for a while, basked in the awesomeness that is being the only child then BAM! Another child comes along and steals the spotlight. Now, "mommy" is paying more attention to the younger child than she is the 1st one. Yes, my attention was pulled away to my 2nd "baby" (my other blog), but it doesn't mean I love this baby any less.

I'm the oldest child in my family, by the way. While it may have been cool being the only child for my first four years, I'm so glad my parents had my brother (4 years younger than me) and my sister (6 years younger than me). When they were born, they were my babies. Who needed baby dolls when I had real babies in the house? I love them to death. Even in adulthood, they're my punkins...my babies. :)So anyway, I'm back. I may not be back at full capacity yet what with school about to start and this being my first year teaching in another country...but I'll be blogging as much as I can.

Ahhhh! It feels so good to be back!

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I arrived in Abu Dhabi last night. It'll take some time to get used to things and get settled in, so please be patient with me. I'll be back posting in no time. Promise. Until then, follow my adventures in Abu Dhabi on my other blog, The International Diva (www.theinternationaldiva.blogspot.com).
See ya soon!

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Just letting y'all know I now have another blog, The International Diva, chronicling my adventures abroad. My first post just went up. Stop by and visit!

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I am putting together a post for Friday in which I am talking about my 40 favorite books (because I am 40).
I have downloading some cover pictures from Good Reads and getting frustrated because I couldn't find a picture of my favorite Charlie and the Chocolate Factory cover. Then I noticed something.

Some of my absolute favorite books have been re-done, covers and inside illustrations. That's fine. But one book, one classic, has never been redone. All of the editions of Charlotte's Web have the same picture on the cover and (from what I can tell) the same illustrations by Garth Williams. Why? I love Garth William's illustrations, but I LOVE Louis Darling's illustrations in all the early Ramona and Henry Huggins books, and those have all been redone.

And the original illustrations in Charlie and James and the Giant Peach, WAY better than the newer ones.

What is it that makes some classics stay intact and some get re-done? What classic from your childhood has been re-done with less than enthusiastic results from you?

(if they ever re-did Homer Price I would have to protest majorly--Robert McCloskey is the best).

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Since I have a really difficult time waiting for a book to be released, I thought I’d release a tantalizing bit of MINE! via a book trailer.

 

 

 

Hope you like it! I love, love, love Patrice Barton’s illustrations for our book! 

And—just in case you haven’t heard . . . MINE! has gotten two great reviews thus far. (And both are starred reviews!)

From the stars so far:

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, April 18, 2011:
"Crum uses only the title word (if you don’t count a single "Woof?"), but the various inflections speak volumes about the comic dynamics of sharing…[Barton's] dizzyingly expressive digitized pencil sketches seem to be everywhere at once continually reframing the action to make sure readers savor every gleefully anarchic moment."

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 2011:
"The capricious artwork has touches of Helen Oxenbury and Marla Frazee’s babies, smudgy, digitized pencil sketches full of movement and joy…This charming, animated episode will elicit giggles and demands of ‘read it again!‘"

Enjoy!!

And be good-share,

Shutta

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One of the greatest things that has happened since I started writing is that my network of friends keeps growing–writers and non-writers. Many of the writers host contests. (As I did for THOMAS AND THE DRAGON QUEEN last fall.) Below are links to some giveaway contests and good books written by good writers. So stop by one, or more, of them and enter. Someone has to win. It could be you!

Hugs,

Shutta

(p.s.:  I will be posting a permanent link on the right hand side to ongoing book-related contests. Be sure to check that out soon.)

 

Katie Davis:  In honor of the hatching of her new book: LITTLE CHICKEN’S BIG DAY. In addition to autographed books there are different prizes each week. This week it’s a baby quilt she made herself!  So stop by Katie’s site at katiedavis.com. 

 

And stop by the YA Fusion blog where book giveaways happen often. It is co-written by a number of young adult book authors and readers, including my friends Kristin Lenz and Tracy Bilen.

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Publishing Children’s Books: The Dirty Truth!

Thursday April 7, 2011 @ 7:00 p.m.
Ann Arbor Public Library, Traverwood Branch
3333 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105

Panelists are:
Shutta Crum, author and storyteller
Sleeping Bear Press publisher at Sleeping Bear Press
Colleen Kammer, owner of the the Book Beat in Oak Park, Michigan
Marian Nelson, publisher at Nelson Publishing, LLC
Erin Stead, illustrator and 2011 Caldecott winner
Philip Stead, author, illustrator, and writer of the 2011 Caldecott winner
moderated by Dr. Harry Eiss, professor of children’s literature at Eastern Michigan University

And it’s FREE!

Come as you are. Books will be for sale. Bring friends (or even foes-we’re not particular).

For more information please contact Ahuva Rogers: [email protected] or 248-895-7241 or call the Ann Arbor District Library at: 734-327-4265.

Sponsored by the Women’s National Book Association–Detroit and the Ann Arbor District Library.

 

   

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I talk a little about We are the Monsters at Indie Books Blog today.

But this blog post is a story about perceived value versus actual value...

I have a friend who worked for a local family farm on Fridays. (she has a regular, full-time salaried position at a local church, and Friday is her day off.) She helped prepare for the Farmer's Market on Saturday.

During green bean season, when beans were plentiful, the local farmers charge $4 a pound for their locally-raised goods. The grocery stores charge 99 cents.

My friend told me all the local farmers throw away pounds and pounds of green beans, but they won't lower their prices. Why? Because people should want to pay $4 for the local food. They should pay that much because it's the "right thing to do."

If only economics really worked that way.

People will pay what they pay. I'll write more about this next week, but for now...

Have a great St. Patrick's Day. If you go to a pub/bar/drinking establishment, bring your own food dye. The barman might charge extra for green beer.

;)

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Every year since childhood, my famly and I have come up with slogans to fit the new year. For example, the year I turned 12, our slogan was "Getting It Straight in '88." The year I turned 23, our slogan was "In God's Time in '99."

This year, though, we didn't come up with one. Whether it's because we couldn't think of one or because we've outgrown it, I'm not sure. I think maybe all five of us - my parents, brother, sister, and I - are at different points in our lives and God is speaking to each of us separately. Maybe He's giving each of us our own slogan/theme for 2011.

So, a few weeks ago, I'd been wondering what my theme would be, when God gave me one word: change. This word came about after a particular complain-fest I'd had with God. I was apartment hunting - not really wanting to move from my townhome, but knowing I had to. God just listened and waited until I was done. After I finished, God told me, as clear as day, I kid you not, "This year is going to be a year of change for you, Rae. Some change you'll like; some change you won't like. Just know that I know what I'm doing." I couldn't really say much after that. I couldn't go on complaining, that's for sure.

I've always had a sense that my 30s would be the time God took me out of my comfort zone. Since I'm almost 5yrs into my 30s (I turn 35 in September), and I haven't had to go too far out of that zone, I figured, maybe I was wrong. Maybe I don't have to venture out. Well, I'm getting the feeling that 35 will start the "Journey Out of the Zone" for me. While that excites me, it terrifies me a little. I like my zone. I'm comfortable here. All's well in my little world. Now, I gotta venture out into the unknown?

The best way I can put it is like this: I'm going through my very own butterfly metamorphosis. Right now, I'm in the pupa stage. I'm in my nice, comfortable chrysalis, but God is telling me it's time...time to leave my safe chrysalis and venture out. I'm scared, but when I really think about it, I'm excited. The caterpillar is no longer a caterpillar when it leaves the chrysalis. It's a butterfly...a beautiful butterfly. And that's what God is saying. It's time for me to become the beautiful butterfly He's called me to be.

Treasure Davis, the main character in my novel #2, Hidden Treasure, ventures out of her zone to truly experience life. The differences between our journeys are (a) she's 18 and I'm 35, and (b) my venturing out has to do with God; hers is cos she learns that life is too short (her aunt has an aggressive form of cancer). It's funny that the whole story comes about during a time I myself am experiencing change. Guess that's why I totally enjoy writing this book.

One of my favorite scriptures says, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). I also like the way The Message puts it: "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." So yeah, God may lead me to the land of the unknown, but I trust Him. I believe He knows what He's doing. His plan isn't to hurt me, but to prosper me - which doesn't always mean financially, btw - and to give me a hopeful future. I'm excited about what God's gonna do. This is gonna be the best year yet and I'm gonna blog all about it, whether it's changes I like or changes I don't like. Stay tuned...

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