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The best nonfiction books make their readers want to go out and learn more about the subject. By focusing on one relatively minor aspect of Queen Victoria's long, long life, Gloria Whelan's latest book will have children hurrying off to the library (or Internet) to find out all they can about the Victorian age. Some of the questions they might have include: Why were women required to wear corsets and layers upon layers of petticoats? What was so scandalous about seeing a queen's knees? What is a lady-in-waiting? Nine children! Were all families so large back then? Luckily the author's note and list of sources will give curious readers a starting point in their research.

In this irreverent, rhyming picture book, Queen Victoria longs for a refreshing swim in the ocean while residing in Osbourne House on the Isle of Wight. But social conventions being what they were back in the day, she can't, alas, put so much as a royal toe into the Atlantic. Happily, Prince Albert is determined to find a way for his beloved wife to "dabble and splatter and swim like a fish." After considering--and abandoning--the catapult, Albert has his Eureka moment. With help from his offspring, he devises a wheeled bathing machine that allows the Queen to discreetly change into her bathing suit and enter the water unseen.

Nancy Carpenter's colored pen-and-ink drawings are as charming as the text. Each spread is bursting with activity and telling details that add to the story's magic. There's a funny bit a la Monty Python of the Queen being flung from a catapult prototype into the sea. And the images of Queen Victoria cavorting in the water are priceless. Highly recommended!

Queen Victoria's Bathing Machine
By Gloria Whelan
Illustrations by Nancy Carpenter
Simon & Schuster, 40 pages
Published: April, 2014

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Danielle wrote to ask me about Gloria Whelan's Night of the Full Moon. It is regarded as a "first chapter book" (for children who want to read chapter books on their own).

The main characters in the story are Libby (the white girl) and Fawn (the Native girl). In the author's note, Whelan tells us that although the story is fiction, it is (p. 63):

based, in part, on various accounts of the removal of the Potawatomi Indians from Indiana and southern Michigan in 1840. Throughout the summer of that year, soldiers of the U.S. Army, under Brigadier General Hugh Brady, rounded up the Potawatomi from their homes and villages. On August 17, over 500 Potawatomis embarked on a forced migration to Kansas, leaving their homelands behind forever.

I'm glad to see the note but wish Whelan had provided a list of those accounts.

Whelan's book takes the side of Native people who are losing their land. In this case, it is the Potawatomi who are losing their land. The bad guys are the soldiers who round up the Potawatomi people to forcibly move them from their homeland.

In chapter two, for example, Indian agents (white men who work for the federal government) tell Libby's family they are looking for Potawatomi's because "There's talk of sending them west across the Mississippi" (p. 15) because "Topnebi has agreed to having his people sent west. Proper treaties have been signed by him giving Potawatomi land over to the government" (p. 16). Libby's parents voice objections to the removal plan, and her father plans to warn Fawn's family.

The treaty Whelan points to was actually signed in 1821, which is almost 20 years before the year in which Whelan sets her story (1840). Removal had been going on for decades. The agent who talked with Libby's family makes it sound like it had not happened yet, and the forced removal that the agent oversees actually happened before 1840. To most people, that might be a small point. To the Potawatomi, I doubt it is a small point.

Libby and her father go to the camp of Fawn's family to warn them of the agent's plan. Fawn's father, Sanatuwa, tells Libby's father that Potawatomi's who lived south of Saginaw had been forcibly moved "some years ago." Sanatuwa says his group will probably not return from their next winter hunt. He invites Libby's family to a naming ceremony for Fawn's baby brother, which will take place on the "day of the night of the full moon" (hence the title) which sounds "Indian" but for which I couldn't find any reference to support that naming ceremony.

Before all of that happens, Whelan tells us that the Native people at the heart of her story (Potawatomi) prefer their name for themselves (Neshnabek), but Whelan doesn't use that word again. Whether it is in the narrative or in the dialog of her characters, the words used are "Indians" or "Potawatomi(s)".

Also in chapter one, we learn that Fawn's actual name is "Taw-cum-e-go-qua" but it is hard to say, so Libby calls her Fawn, which is the name Libby's father came up with because "she's like a young deer... graceful, with those long legs and big eyes" (p. 7).

I find the choice to use Fawn instead of Taw-cum-e-go-qua odd, because Whelan uses Potawatomi/Neshnabek names for all of Fawn's family members. None of them get a nickname. Fawn's father is Sanatuwa; her mother is Menisikwe, and the baby brother who died was Namah. I'm also curious as to why there aren't any hyphens in their names.

In chapter one when Whelan introduces us to Fawn, we learn that it was a good trapping season:

Each day in the forest the spirits of the animals called to my father. They told him where to put his snares and traps. He brought back many skins" (p. 7). 

While that passage sure sounds "Indian" (according to romantic notions of American Indians), I don't think Potawatomi--or any Native spirituality--works that way. Instead, there is a respect for all living things an

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A character to admire!

Link for the book @ Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/See-What-I-Gloria-Whelan/dp/0061255459/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1305553248&sr=8-1
Hardback $12.74

Link for the book, plus excerpt @ publisher:
http://browseinside.harperteen.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061255458

Published by HarperTeen on December 28, 2010/208 pages
Young Adult Fiction

Kate Tapert age 18 has recently graduated from high school. She won a scholarship to art school, but needs a place to live. Her estranged dad the famous artist Dalton Quinn lives in the same city as the art school. After showing up at his house with her suitcase, she is greeted icily by him, yet she finds beneath his cold cruel exterior that he needs her.
Kate's plans are about to change!

I liked Kate Tapert's character. She has confidence, foresight, creativity, determination, charm, and she is intuitive. A father she basically does not know, and he pushes her away when she tries to draw close to him; yet she does not shrink back in what she sees needs to be done for him. In determined manner she sets to work for his behalf.
I found elements of the story sad in what happens all to often in marriages that end. There are unresolved feelings of anger, sadness, and bitterness that trickles down or pours down to the children. Often the kids feel the brunt of whatever went wrong with the demise of the marriage. The kids deal with the aftershocks, blow-ups, and lectures on what is wrong with the other parent. In Kate's character we do not see resentment, nor unforgiveness, nor rebellion. Instead Kate appears to have her life together. She is level-headed, has dreams and goals, and is resolute in what she wants to accomplish. She is an admirable character and one that a young adult person that is going through some of the same life experiences as Kate, can look up to and emulate.
I also feel the book gave the reader an education in how to deal with difficult people. That difficult people we encounter maybe taking out on us their anger, but most of the time the problem is within them, it has nothing to do with us, but something in them....and we cannot fix them!

Blissful Reading!
Annette

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Publisher: HarperTeen (December 28, 2010)
Hardcover: 208 Pages
Genre: YA Contemporary
Book From: Publisher

Kate Tapert sees her life in paintings. She makes sense of the world around her by relating it to what she adores—art. Armed with a suitcase, some canvases, and a scholarship to art school in Detroit, Kate is ready to leave home and fully immerse herself in painting. Sounds like heaven. All Kate needs is a place to stay.

That place is the home of her father, famous and reclusive artist Dalton Quinn, a father she hasn't seen or heard from in nearly ten years. When Kate knocks on his door out of the blue, little does she realize what a life-altering move that will turn out to be. But Kate has a dream, and she will work her way into Dalton's life, into his mind, into his heart . . . whether he likes it or not.

Review by Jessica
SEE WHAT I SEE, by Gloria Whelan, is a story about a young artist who will do whatever it takes to achieve her dreams of becoming a famous painter like her father, who she hasn't seen since she was a little girl. Kate is in for more than she expected when she shows up at her father's doorstep in Detroit, to find that her long absent father is dying and has only months to live.

I found this novel very uplifting and really made me think about the importance of family. Kate has had nothing to do with her father since her took off so he could paint and be famous, and makes lots of money. He was never there for her or her mother, never called, never did anything to involve himself with his daughter and then she shows up and expects maybe he'll be nice about her staying with him because she is older and she can help around the house. He almost didn't let her stay and I wanted to yell at him to get over himself!

She learns he is dying, and multiple people tell her that she is going to have to take care of him and even though he has never been there for her, she is willing to help him out if it means that she can't go to art school in Detroit. Kate has such a distinct voice, she loves her father, and aspires to be just like him, but she also can't stand him and she wants to hate him for never being there for her growing up.

She quickly finds out that her father is deteriorating fast and he needs her attention 24/7. I found myself getting upset with the book because I wanted her so badly to achieve her dreams that she so desperately wanted but her father kept bogging her down further and further. When I finished the book I had to take a deep breath and think about how much family really means. I was surprised that this book enlightened me on the importance of family in a girls life. This is feel good, feel angry, feel sad book. I could've cried, laughed and yelled all at the same time. Kate has her own voice and this story felt like a true one, I was sucked in immediately and I couldn't stop.

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Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Yan Nascimbene (Sleeping Bear Press, 2008) is the story of a young girl from seventeenth century Japan who travels with her family in a palanquin to the imperial palace of Edo.  Little Yuki’s father is a samurai, and as such, must make the ritual visit to the shogun to pay his respects.  Yuki, however, is not excited by the prospect of this long  journey that will require the ‘thousand carriers’ to bear them and all their gifts and goods to the capital.   Yuki’s teacher suggest she write haikus on her journey about the things she experiences.

Yuki’s first haiku is wistful about her departure, but eventually she goes on to observe exciting things that keep her attention away from her homesickness like the trail of the thousand carriers and the appearance of blossoms in the rain and fishermen at sea.  The illustrations by Yan Nascimbene illustrate in a very Hiroshige-esque way the many sights Yuki witnesses.  One of the other illustrated delights of the book are the colorful kimono Yuki wears.

I enjoyed reading this book to my daughter.  In Japan, we traveled to sites like the castles, riverbanks and bridges that are depicted in the story.  We once even took a tour of an old inn, especially used for samurai lords and their entourages.  Reading Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers reminded us of that time.  My daughter also mentioned not understanding the word ‘palanquin’ until I explained to her how she had one as part of her Girls’ Day doll set.   Her eyes lit up in recognition when I mentioned it.   Little Yuki, of course, being a young female of the nobility, rode in the palanquin with her mother.

This is a good picture book to share with a young girl as a bedtime read.

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I've written many times how I really adore the different series put out by Sleeping Bear Press, especially the "Tales of Young Americans" series. Always written in a fictional, picture book format, these books give younger children a glimpse into history, without being too fact-filled. Just really nice stories, always beautifully illustrated, that can help start up family (or school or library) conversations about moments of our history.

The latest edition to the series is The Listeners, written by Gloria Whelan and illustrated by Mike Benny, telling the story of a Ella May, a young slave girl on a plantation. Every night Ella May and her friends are sent to do the "listening" by the big house, basically meaning they eavesdrop on the Master's conversations. It's the only way the slaves get any sort of news about the world or about what is going to happen to them.

Having no control over the amount of food they eat, the clothes they wear, or the treatment they get, the slaves are eager for any tidbit of information Ella May and her friends bring back. And when one bit of information is about Abraham Lincoln being elected President, the families finally have something to look forward to: a future filled with freedom.

The book is very nicely written, exhibiting the emotions of the children and their families without being overly melancholy...a good thing being the targeted age range for this book is listed as 6-10. Definitely could be read to younger children and older children could use this as an additional project resource.

The illustrations are beautifully done and the cover drew me in immediately. Very soft drawings done with muted colors that emphasize the character's features. Beautiful and lovely!

There is a really neat teacher's guide to go along with The Listeners, which you can find here: www.gale.cengage.com/pdf/TeachersGuide/ListenersGuide.pdf.

You can also find teacher's guides for other Sleeping Bear Press titles at: www.sleepingbearpress.com/educators.

(For some reason the links won't work when I embed them. So I typed out the sites for you :)

You can purchase the books here and here. Or click on the book cover above and link to Amazon.

The Listeners
Gloria Whelan
40 pages
Picture Book
Sleeping Bear Press
9781585364190
September 2009

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Yesterday I read and reviewed a wonderful picture book called The Listeners. The author, Gloria Whelan, has written numerous books for young readers of all ages. Her books have won numerous awards, and she frequently uses her considerable writing skills to bring the past alive, weaving together fact and fiction to give her readers a compelling story.

Here is my review of The Listeners:

The Listeners

Gloria Whelan

Illustrated by Mike Benny

Picture Book

Ages 6 to 10

Sleeping Bear Press, 2009, 1585364193

Ella May has to work in the cotton fields all day and it is hard work for a child. In the evenings she has another important job to do, she goes to the great house where the Master lives and she sits under one of the windows to listen. None of the white folks bother to tell the slaves what is happening on the plantation, so they send the young children to listen under the windows. Then the children report back to the adults about what they have heard.

One night Ella May and her two friends Bobby and Sue hear that the Master is going to hire a new overseer “to boss” them. This is good news because the current overseer is a cruel man. On another night Ella May’s father gets a feeling that change is in the air. He tells Ella May that “dangerous times are coming,” and he needs Ella May to listen extra carefully. The news that she brings home that evening is joyous, and everyone has high hopes that real change lies ahead of them.

In this powerful and moving book, Gloria Whelan helps her young readers to see what it was like to be slave child on a southern plantation. She also shows readers that sometimes it pays to listen to what is being said around you, because information can be empowering.

With a simple text and rich illustrations, this picture book will take readers back in time, opening a window to the past.

This is one of the titles in the excellent Tales of Young Americans series.

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Have you noticed my book-love for all of the amazing books put out by Sleeping Bear Press? I just love all the series books, especially the Discover the World series. Learning about different cultures at a young age is so important in encouraging diversity in our children. The alphabet series is always wonderful, and I'm just now starting to really get into the counting series as well. All are educational, great for multiple age levels, and the authors/illustrators always do a fabulous job.

Some of the latest in the different series?

K is for Kabuki: A Japan Alphabet, is written by the AMAZING Gloria Whelan and Jenny Nolan and illustrated by Oki S. Han and teaches us all about Japan, both past and present. We get "O is for Origami," "H is for Haiku," and "E is for Emperor," along with a poem for each topic and the fabulous fact box down the side of the page.

This one has a companion book in Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers, also written by Whelan, which I reviewed here...and a companion website www.discovertheworldbooks.com.

A new edition to the Alphabet series is V is for Venus Flytrap: A Plant Alphabet, which is written by Eugene Gagliano and illusrtated by Elizabeth Traynor and features really awesome facts and poems about plants...making a topic that is often boring, much more fun for kids to read about.

We learn about Legumes and why they are such great foods to eat, what the Royal Rose stands for in America, and Tubers, most famously, the potato. I really loved the information given in this one and the illustrations were beautiful.

Full Count: A Baseball Number Book, written by Brad Herzog and illustrated by Bruce Langton, takes a bit of a different approach, featuring numbers rather than letters, but works on the same format.

The reader learns about why it's "3 strikes and you're out," the Cincinnati Red Stockings, who were the first professional baseball team, and the number of players on each major league baseball team by today's standards. Very cool for young sport fans.

Being the generous blogger that I am (and the lack of shelf space in my house), I'm giving you my review copies! 1 hardcover copy of each book to one lucky reader!

Leave a comment on this post by 11:59pm EST on Saturday, August 29th saying you want to enter. Make sure, if you're not a blogger, you leave me an email address to contact you!

You can earn extra entries by blogging about the giveaway or Tweeting about it, just leave a separate comment for each entry please.

U.S. residents only...thanks!

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Some new books you you all this weekend...enjoy!

Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers, written by Gloria Whelan and illustrated by Yan Nascimbene, gives us readers a bit of cultural history blended with a nice story of a young girl named Yuki.

In the 17th and 18th century, provincial governors in Japan had to travel between two cities, a distance of 300 miles, which required a caravan of between one thousand and three thousand attendants (carriers), making the journey truly a huge event. Yuki's father is one of those governors and though reluctant, Yuki must accompany him and her mother on the long journey, said to be leaving her teacher and her home, writing haikus along the way.

Written on a subject not often found in picture books, this title would be a nice selection to accompany a unit on Japanese history. Probably best suited for slightly older readers, though younger children can certainly enjoy the story and beautifully done illustrations without having to understand the backstory.

Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers
Gloria Whelan
32 pages
Picture Book
Sleeping Bear Press
9781585363520
April 2008

Wiggins Learns His manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant is written by Leslie McGuirk and Alex von Bidder and is very reminiscent of the "Tucker" books, also by the pair (and they were adorable, so that's a good thing).

Wiggins is a Lab puppy that simply does not have proper manners. His owners aren't quite sure what to do until they are told to take Wiggins to a puppy class, guaranteed to rid him of his manner issues. Where is this puppy class? Well, at the Four Seasons Hotel of course!

Mcguirk writes quirky little stories with adorable dogs and the illustrations are quaint and sweet. Wiggins may also teach your little ones some manners too...always a plus!

Wiggins Learns His Manners at the Four Seasons Restaurant
Leslie McGuirk and Alex von Bidder
32 pages
Picture Book
Candlewick
9780763640149
August 2009

I LOVE Diane deGroat and she and Shelley Rotner have come up with this hilarious quirky book that is definitely giggle-inducing (and not just out of your kids!).

Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth! is a compilation of hilarious photographs featuring fifteen different dogs, showing just what they can do and what they can't. We have photos of a dog that can fetch a stick, but can't play baseball. One that can can howl at the moon, but can howl in a rockband. This is some funny stuff!

Paired with interactive foldout pages, this one is going to be a great choice for some silly time!

Dogs Don't Brush Their Teeth
Diane deGroat and Shelley Rotner
32 pages
Picture Book
Orchard Books
9780545080644
August 2009

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Directing you, today, to Rebecca Rabinowitz's "Source fiction is no excuse for racism."

Her essay is about Gloria Whelan's book, After the Train. In it, Rebecca hones in on the play-Indian theme in the book.

Barbara Bietz, in her review in the Association of Jewish Libraries Newsletter didn't note the play-Indian theme at all. Hazel Rochman's review in Booklist doesn't mention it. Neither does independent reviewer Carol Ann Lloyd-Stanger, or the unsigned Kirkus reviewer, or Hope Morrison of The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books.

On page 108, Whelan writes:

We pool our money and buy a copy of a Western by Karl May, Winnetou, the Apache Knight. Karl May has written all these great books about the American West, and the amazing thing is he's never been there! You have to wonder how he can make it all seem real.

I wonder why all those other reviewers did not mention the Karl May book? Did they not see it? Did it not matter?

Thanks, Rebecca, for your essay and the link.

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Gloria Whelan is the kind of writer who doesn't merely write stories, she inhabits them, creating imaginary worlds in places as far-away as Russia, China, India, Turkey, and Mali, as well as closer to her home in northern Michigan. "When I find the world I want to ... live in," writes Whelan, "I have no trouble sitting down each day to the computer. My only worry is if I can communicate what I

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