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By:
Lizzy Burns,
on 1/20/2015
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Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen (Vintage Contemporaries)
by Laurie Colwin. Illustrations by Anna Shapiro. Personal copy: Vintage, 2010. Originally published in 1988.
It's About: Part memoir, part cook book.
The Good: I read Colwin's Happy All the Time
around when it first came out -- and it's stuck with me all these years. Since I was only in early high school at the time I read it, I thought that Happy All the Time, and Laurie Colwin herself, was my book, my discovery. While I bought a new copy when Vintage did its 2010 reissues, I still haven't brought myself to read it: would it be as perfect as I remember? Would it be as meaningful?
For how I read then, in high school and later, and well, for various reasons, despite loving that book I didn't read other Colwin titles. The good news about that is that now I can read them.
Home Cooking is a like a wonderful visit with a friend, making dinner and having laughs with a bottle of wine. It makes me hungry from the recipes; it makes me feel capable, because Colwin presents them as if they were easy to make. Her first kitchen, her first resources, are small and simple, making it that much more accessible to any reader. There's also an emphasis on fresh ingredients - seriously, it's as if were written today.
I also want to track down a copy of The Taste of America by John and Karen Hess.
Of course, the best way to show how this book is like hanging out with a friend is to highlight a few passages:
"Some diehards feel that to give a dinner party without a starter is barbaric. Mellower types want to get right down to the good stuff and not mess around with some funny little things on a small plate. Some hosts and hostesses are too tired to worry about a first and a second course and wish they had called the whole thing off."
"After you have cooked your party dinner six or seven times, you will be able to do it in your sleep, but your friends will be bored.You will then have to go in search of new friends..."
I now have to read More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen
-- but I don't want to, not yet, because I still want to be looking forward to reading it.
Links about the amazingness of Home Cooking:
Laurie Colwin: A Confidante in the Kitchen by Jeff Gordinier, The New York Times; "there is something about her voice, conveyed in conversational prose, that comes across as a harbinger of the blog boom that would follow."
Decades Later, Laurie Colwin's Books Will Not Let You Down by Maureen Corrigan, NPR.
Because my "favorite books" list is about when I share it on the blog, not when it was published or when I read it (technically, this was during vacation last September), this is a Favorite Book of 2015.
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© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
By:
Lizzy Burns,
on 1/7/2015
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Two of the finalists for the YALSA Excellence in Nonfiction Award.
The Port Chicago 50: Disaster, Mutiny, and the Fight for Civil Rights
by Steve Sheinkin. Roaring Brook Press. 2014. Review copy from publisher.
The Port Chicago 50 tells a story that I was not familiar with -- actually, many stories I was not familiar with. The Port Chicago 50 are fifty African American sailors accused of mutiny in the aftermath of the Port Chicago disaster. I don't want to go into the details of the disaster or the mutiny accusations or the aftermath -- read the book!
The story of these fifty men is not just about allegations of mutiny and these fifty individuals; it is also bout the segregation of the Navy and other armed forces before and during World War II and the efforts to end it. It's about just what it meant, to have segregated troops, and institutionalized racism both within and without the armed forces. Segregation and racism, and the actions at Port Chicago and by the sailors, cannot be viewed in isolation of each other.
Laughing at My Nightmare
by
Shane Burcaw.
Roaring Brook Press. 2014. Review copy from publisher.
Burcaw's memoir, based on his tumblr of the same name, is a humorous look at his life with spinal muscular atrophy. It's told in short, episodic chapters -- while it's roughly chronological in order, it doesn't have to be read in order or even all at once. This structure is both a weakness and a strength: those wanting an in depth, detailed examination will be disappointed. But, that's looking for this bok to be something it isn't. It is, instead, a funny, hilarious look at life. And that is it's strength: the short chapters means it's easy to read, and also easy to read over an extended period of time. A few chapters here, a few chapters there, is, a think, the best way to approach
Laughing at My Nightmare.
While Burcaw's memoir is uniquely about his own experiences, it's also universal. Starting middle school, worrying about making friends, anxious about a first kiss -- Burcaw isn't the first person to worry about these things. Burcaw is funny and blunt: he knows teen readers will wonder "but how does he go to the bathroom?" and so he addresses those questions. And the humor is such that will appeal to a lot of teen readers.
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© Elizabeth Burns of
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
The Bling Ring: How a Gang of Fame-Obsessed Teens Ripped Off Hollywood and Shocked the World
by Nancy Jo Sales. It Books. 2013. Library copy. Inspired film by the same name.
The Bling Ring
.
It's About: The true story of how, in 2008 - 2009, a bunch of teens broke into the homes of their favorite celebrities and stole clothes and jewelry.
The Bling Ring explores who those teens were, how they planned the crimes, and how they were caught.
The Good: Both the film and the movie view this series of home robberies as an opportunity to examine entitlement celebrity fan culture. The teens targeted those people they liked, not those they didn't. They wanted to be in those homes, go through their closets, wear their clothes. It was part celebrity worship, but it was also part entitlement. Why shouldn't they do this?
The reader is as much a voyeur as those teens, reading about the robberies and the celebrities, laughing at those rich people with poor security. The movie ups that aspect by filming in the actual locations, including some of the homes.
I found it helpful to read the book before the film: the film changes some things to the make the story more linear, less messy, so consolidates and shifts some events. In simplifying the story, some of the nuance and depth is lost. That the "ring" was messy is part of the point of the underlining story.
A book like this is dependent on who talks to the writer, and not all of the teens spoke with Sales. While understandable, it also means that the reader is left with not enough understanding of just exactly what happened, who was involved, how involved they were, etc. Still, it's a pretty valuable examination of a certain type of teenager as well as a look at what happens when they get caught.
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© Elizabeth Burns of
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea CozyThi
So, today's critical response essay is in response to an article in The New York Times that talks about writing non fiction for children: To Lure Young Readers, Nonfiction Writers Sanitize and Simplify.
I read the title, cringed, read the article. While there are some good things in the article (notably quotes from librarians and authors and publishing folk I know and respect), there are some things that left me frustrated enough that I vented a bit on Twitter (thank you, friends, for indulging!) and wanted to round up here, the problems I have with the article.
In a nutshell, my response:
There is nothing wrong, and actually much right, with writing age-appropriate nonfiction books for children and teens. When and how subject matter is introduced and discussed is, well, the reason fifth graders aren't sent to university classes (unless they're Doogie Howser, of course.)
The long version:
1. What is right for an eight year old, a ten year old, a twelve year old, a fourteen year old, is different. It is not sanitizing, simplifying, nor dumbing down to recognize that a ten year old is not a thirty year old; and they learn and process things differently. It is actually respecting the audience to recognize that in writing and presenting information.
2. Common Core is driving the increased use and purchasing of nonfiction in schools and public libraries.
3. Schools are increasing their purchasing of nonfiction at a time when the resources to do so have been reduced. Funding for books is decreased; and professional librarians, who evaluate and find books, have reduced hours, increased responsibilities, or have been eliminated all together.
4. Like any author, an adult nonfiction author may or may not be someone who can also write for teens and children.
5. If an author has spent time -- meaning years and years -- researching, interviewing, and writing an adult nonfiction book, I think it's not a stretch to say that author now has knowledge and expertise in that area. Why not have them use that knowledge and research to write another book on that topic, only now for a different audience?
6. "Young readers" and "teens" are two different age groups. In the article, the new books mentioned are specifically for the age group "
under thirteen." Of the five individual titles mentioned, the intended new audiences are given as ages 12 and up; ages 10 and up; 5th to 9th grade; ages 10 and up; and ages 8 to 12. While some of these do veer into the younger teen audience, for the most part, this is children: under 13.
7. If nonfiction is being purchased to support education, which means texts to use for class, well, let's just say that I wouldn't want to be the teacher assigning a roomful of students multiple books of the lengths given in the article: specifically 759, 750, 877 pages. And even though most of these books are talked about for the under 13s, because of the size and educational needs, I can easily the "younger" versions being used in teen classroom settings. Because time. Those readers who want more can always seek out the other books.
8. The quotes from Angela Frederick and Chris Shoemaker are spot on. Why teen librarians are being asked for quotes about self-selected teen reading in an article about materials for the under thirteen set, I'm not sure. I would have liked to hear from school librarians and children's librarians, given the target age and that the audience is beyond public libraries. (Again, respect to Angela and Chris and their quotes.)
9. Blanket statements or assumptions about the differences between the books an author writes for a teen audience, an under thirteen audience, and an adult audience serve no one. Talk about the individual books. For example, I've read both books that Michael Capuzzo wrote on the Jersey Shore shark attacks, one for adults, one for teens. The teen version (
Close to Shore: The Terrifying Shark Attacks of 1916
) simply streamlined the book, removing some historical explanations and details not really needed to get to the heart of the story, and also included a wealth of photographs, illustrations, and maps not found in the original. (Seriously, I will always be Team Show Me The Photo of Anne Boleyn's Jewelry Don't Just Describe It).
10. And a yay to Steve Sheinkin, also quoted, who writes a lot of original work for children and teens. And yes, kids and teens love nonfiction, and yay to publishers for creating the books kids want and libraries buying them, because they can be hard to find in bookstores.
11. I refer again to point 5: what's wrong when an author with the research writes a second book on the same subject? Nothing, I say. Review the individual titles and let us know: is this book good on its own? Is it good compared to what else is out there for that age group? Don't just assume that the younger edition is not needed, dumbed down, and a quick way to squeeze out sales. I'd argue that it can be harder to get a point across in fewer words. That said, with the reduction of resources in schools, yes, it's easier for schools to purchase a "known brand" -- a book by a well reviewed author. But that is equally about budget cuts and the schools not having the professional staff to search out the breadth and depth of other titles.
12. Another point about cost. And time. If an author already has the research done, the book they will write will be published quicker than the new-to-the-subject author. And that means a quicker turnaround time for publishing a book that is needed by a school who wants books to support the Common Core. And they want the books now, not four years from now.
13. In case you're missing it: Common Core, Common Core, Common Core. Budgets, budgets, budgets. School librarians, school librarians, school librarians.
14. If loving photos, illustrations, maps, etc in a nonfiction book mean you don't respect me as a nonfiction reader, so be it. Perhaps the adult nonfiction should include more of those resources instead of sending us who like those visuals to the younger books that have them.
15. By the end of this article, I had tremendous, over the top respect for Laura Hillenbrand, who obviously respects her readers, her subject matter, and the new readers. Who sees a need for readers and wants to meet it.
16. Given the way books are challenged in schools, and given how school boards and states are trying to control book content, for authors and publishers to be aware of how to present materials for age groups is responsible, not sanitizing. Wanting to have children's books instead of adult nonfiction in an elementary school library is responsible.
So, what are your thoughts?
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© Elizabeth Burns of
A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy
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By: Cynthia Reeg,
on 4/24/2014
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April has been a busy, crazy, fun, busy, poetical, busy, bunny business month--and it's not over yet.
So before it gets any crazier, I'll share what I've been reading, doing, writing...
Who says libraries are just for books? Not the Lorain, Ohio children's librarians! They are encouraging kids to explore their creative side in fashions with "
Sew Lorain Kids." A long time ago I worked in a couple of libraries in the Cleveland area. I'm so glad to see that the librarians there are continuing to be innovative. There are so many great craft how-to books in libraries, but why not give kids a chance to actually put the lessons into practice. My hats off to all of you in Lorain!!!
I've been working on a variety of writing projects--one of them is an easy reader narrative nonfiction book on stars. So I was delighted to see a new book by Kathleen T. Isaacs which highlights picture books dealing with nature:
BUGS, BOGS, BATS, AND BOOKS. Young readers--as well as their parents--often need help in finding age-appropriate books on various nonfiction subjects. This title also including science activities relating to various topics in the book. Look for this book at the library or ask your librarian to help you find some delightful nonfiction books to share with your children.
Kuddos to another librarian--this time with the focus on poetry. Thinking totally outside of the norm, Cathy Jo Nelson, a South Carolina educator, blogs about "
The Unexpected Perks of Poetry." She and a teacher collaborated on a poetry assignment--encouraging the students to create poems from words in book titles:
spine poetry. Ms. Nelson elaborates in her blog about the many bonuses of this activity for both students and faculty. Poetry always seems to expand the world for us.
I'm writing the rough draft of chapter book with a poetic ghost in it. Although the story didn't start out with a lyrical ghost, she just appeared out of thin air--so to speak. And who am I to tell her that she doesn't belong in this story. I might be haunted for eternity...so I continue writing.
Apparently April is also NATIONAL HUMOR MONTH. Although I was unaware of this, I have been reading some humorous picture books of late. A couple of favorites are
CREEPY CARROTS by Aaron Reynolds and illustrated by Peter Brown. Here is a video by the illustrator explaining how he
envisioned the sneaky carrots. My two-year-old grandson loves this books. We've read it over and over again. I've even made him his own creepy carrots with real carrots and a black sharpie. Beware biting into that next crispy, orange carrot! There may be many more lurking in the shadows--just waiting to pounce!!!
The other fun picture I've been studying of late is
WHEN A DRAGON MOVES IN by Jodi Moore, illustrated by Howard McWilliam. The author uses the "what if" storyline to create an elaborate beach day fantasy complete with fire-breathing dragon. And the illustrator brings the creature to life with humor and charm, sure to entertain children of all ages. But of course, there is the dilemma--once a dragon moves in how do you get him to move out??? Rather like the moles in my backyard, I'm afraid. :)
So here's hoping April is poetically humorous--and beware of carrot-eating dragons, or something like that!
March is Women's History Month and I have just reviewed a wonderful title about an exceptional woman who did something special with her life.
Robert Burleigh
Illustrated by Raul Colon
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 to 8
Simon and Schuster, 2013, 978-1-4169-5819-2
When Henrietta was a young girl, she spent many hours staring up into the night sky, looking at the stars and getting familiar with their patterns. She was fascinated by “the wonderful bigness of all she saw,” and longed to find out more about space.
When she was a young woman, she attended astronomy class and was one of the few women who did so. After graduation, Henrietta was able to get a job working in an observatory. Though the observatory had a wonderful big telescope, Henrietta rarely got to use it. Instead, she worked with a group of women measuring and calculating, doing the job that calculators and computers do today. Henrietta and the other women were told to “work, not think,” but Henrietta wasn’t going to accept such an existence. She had an enquiring mind and intended to use it, which she did, studying astronomy in her space time.
Day after day Henrietta looked at photographs of stars, measuring and counting, and then she began to notice that there was a pattern. Some of the stars seemed to get dimmer and then brighter. Some blinked slower than others. Henrietta studied the pattern and she mapped it out. The chart that she created helped astronomers to figure out how far away the stars were. Thanks to her work, they also came to realize that our Milky Way was a lot bigger than they thought and that it was only one of many galaxies. Her discovery would have a profound effect on our understanding of our universe.
This wonderfully written book tells the story of a woman who lived at a time when women had very few opportunities to work as scientists. Indeed, most of the time they were prevented from doing research. Henrietta never gave up, and in the end her determination and hard work paid off.
Throughout the book Robert Burleigh’s lyrical prose is paired with Paul Colon’s wonderful artwork to give readers a memorable picture book biography.
Further information about Henrietta, other women astrologers, and more can be found at the back of the book.
The other day I had my first Skype session with college students. Of course there were technical glitches - I couldn't hear them - but after a few minutes, switching laptops and tossing the dogs upstairs, I finally connected with some of our future science teachers in Wyoming. What could I possibly tell them? What did I think they should know about nonfiction books?
I discussed how most nonfiction books (at least mine) are written to satisfy the author. We're curious people, constantly asking why, where, what, how, and getting excited by a topic until we have to say, "Hey look what I learned." I mentioned that good nonfiction isn't a regurgitation of general facts, but a thoughtful presentation of stories woven together to create a full picture of an event or a life or a concept. I can’t remember who said it at the NSTA conference last year, but someone said it beautifully when asked what the difference was between text books and nonfiction – the answer came down to two things – the passion of the author, and that text books leave you with no questions, while nonfiction leaves you wanting to know more. I didn't say it beautifully, but you get the gist -- Good nonfiction inspires, excites, it leaves room for the reader to imagine, question, explore.
I also babbled on about the Common Core and how NF writers are excited to have this opportunity open up in the curriculum. Writers and librarians have known forever how to use our books in the classroom, but the sad reality is that it is easier and sometimes mandated to use text books. And what's ironic about that, is that most text book companies these days purchase the rights to reprint sections of writer's award-winning NF books and magazine articles, so kids are reading quality writing, but the they are hand-fed the questions and the answers so there is no room for imagination and exploration.
I think I mentioned that teachers and writers should work together more because we do what teachers and students are asked to do everyday. We look for information, evaluate it, put it in some kind of context, then use that information, expand on it, combine it in a new, clear, thoughtful way. We can show kids how this process works – that it can be fun – and some weird people like me love doing it -- and that one style does not fit all as might be mentioned in some text books – there are many ways to do research, many ways to write, and many ways to share that writing.
After rambling for a bit the students asked questions. Where do you get your ideas? How long does it take to make a book? I sighed and realized that what I do for a living is just as mysterious to others as knowing how to fix a car is to me. No matter who your audience is, start at the beginning.
I have been working on a proposal for a book on Asian elephants, and made a newbie mistake. I proposed my project too early. In my eagerness to share all the amazing things that I learned while working with Thai elephants, I sent off an email proposal without a key bit of information.
I may have made more than one mistake, but the one that I noticed today was that I neglected to mention the existence of a book that could be considered competition to mine. I don't think it is, but that really is the judgement call of the editor and whether or not a sales department feels that it could sell a book about elephants when two other books were published last year. So, how do you judge those books and how to report that information to your would-be editor?
Well, the book that I forgot to mention in my proposal is all about one aspect of elephant life -- communication. Although it does touch on intelligence, it is not a book about the intelligence of elephants. Plus, the book focuses on African elephants, and only occasionally mentions Asian elephants. Another mistake I made was not making the case strong enough in my proposal that Asian elephants are significantly more endangered than their African cousins, even though they are the species that inhabit almost every zoo in the World. Asian elephants have a long history entwined with humans and that history is exactly why Asian elephants are often thought of as large domestic cattle. But they are not. Even today, most elephants that end up in captivity were caught from the dwindling wild population. Once healthy adults were captured to work as logging elephants, but today, the most sought after are the babies to fuel the tourist trade. And for every baby caught in the wild, there is a good chance that the mother, and several aunts were killed in the process.
Sorry for that rant -- but the point is, in my proposal I needed to make the point that a book about African elephants should not be looked at as competition to one on Asian elephants. I shouldn't assume an editor would know that. And neither should you. So, next time you are proposing a new book, take your time and evaluate your competition. Even though it may seem like you are giving an editor a reason to reject the project, you job is to present the market such as it is and then explain how your book is so different that they have no choice but to buy yours.
Carved tree trunk at Mae Fah Luang Garden
Just a few days ago I recieved a box of books that contained a book about the Olympics. Since the Olympics are going on right now, I got reading and have my review of the book below. The book is beautifully written, and I learned a great deal about the ancient Olympics and the early years of the modern Olympics. You can find more books about the Olympics and Olympic athletes in the Olympic Games feature.
Benson Bobrick
Nonfiction
For ages 12 and up
Random House, 2012, 978-0-375-86869-6
These days, the Olympic Games are watched by millions of people all over the world. The host countries spends enormous amounts of money building venues for the events, and preparing for opening ceremonies that they hope will thrill and delight spectators. The games are “global extravaganzas” that people remember for years to come.
The ancient Olympics were nothing like the modern day games. The first recorded Olympic event took place in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. There was a two-hundred-yard footrace in a meadow, and the race was won by a cook who came from the town of Elis. Over time, other races were added, along with events such as the discus throw, the long jump, the javelin throw, and boxing.
The games were held every four years on the second full moon after the summer solstice. As more events were added, and as more athletes participated who came from all over the Greek world, more buildings and facilities were added. The athletes now had proper tracks to run on, gymnasiums where they could make use of steam baths, and various other buildings that were used for training. Just like today, athletes were accompanied by coaches, trainers, and doctors. Just like today they were expected to “do nothing to disgrace the Games.” The one big thing these earlier Olympiads did not have was an Olympic Village. Their accommodations were rudimentary at best. To ensure that both the athletes and spectators could safely come to the games, an Olympic Truce was put into effect that lasted for four months, and it was upheld in all the countries and territories in the Hellenic world.
When the Romans took over the Greek Empire, they also took over the Olympic Games. Their versions of the event lost many of the elements that made the Greek Games so special. In 394 AD pagan festivals were banned and to all intent and purposes the Games were no longer celebrated.
A few Olympic Games type events became popular in England in the 16 and 1700’s, but it wasn’t until the mid-1800’s that men interested in reviving the games who came from England and France began to work towards a common goal to create an international event. The first Olympic Congress gathered in France in 1894 to create the International Olympic Committee, and two year
In death I wrote journals that spoke of goals I wanted to accomplish. I spoke of the promise if given a chance to live. I find this quite humorous. When we humans are faced with travesty we remember our faith. We are saved and sanctified. God’s promise is first and foremost and our prayers become daily rituals that were once gone in the winds. I thought that when faced with death I would cringe with fear. However, when it came time to fight there was a point and time when I embraced it.
These same feelings of inadequacy and anxiety come when I am on the brink of success. I become so fearful of achievement, I let go. I am afraid to fail, I am afraid of the added responsibility, I am afraid to follow through. Hence, the pep talk comes into play. “The Rebirth I like to call it,” I get fired up. I remember the cause, I remember my fight. Thus I am Reborn and ready to fight…
“Around and around I go…, this life of experience. Around in death, in remission, and back to the fight, around and around I go…”
I was 76 pounds of scar tissue to meat upon my bones. Forgetting the struggle from time to time I got caught in the winds. I was found out cold riddled with signs of my disease. My soul was dying and I had to die in order to be reborn. Grabbing hold to my shoulders I cradled my frail bod and whispered these words, “I want to survive.”
There was a time when I didn’t want to fight. I didn’t see much reason to deny the inevitable. This is my story, my reason, my life support, my cause. I survived, but many a time I must call to remember why. I get frustrated when things don’t go my way. I get frazzled when the winds pick up and threaten to close my lungs and stifle my breathing.
I write to remind myself of the fight and uphold my shield for I am at war. I write these words of encouragement, mentoring, and self-reflection as I recover. I also write my words of hurt, pain, and odd feelings as I am reborn. It is a daily fight to remember your struggle. Comfort comes quick. We take advantage of second chances in the blink of an eye.
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On this day in 1955, Rosa Parks decided that enough was enough. When she was asked to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus so that a white person might sit down, she refused. For this crime she was imprisoned, and because of what happened on that bus, the leaders of the Montgomery civil rights movement decided to stage a bus boycott, which lasted for more than a year.
I recently read a wonderful picture book about the bus that Rosa rode on that fateful day, and about the pivotal role that it played in the civil rights movement. Here is my review.
Jo S. Kittinger
Illustrated by Steven Walker
Nonfiction picture book
Ages 6 to 8
Boyds Mills Press, 2010, 978-1-59078-722-9
Bus #2857 rolled off the General Motors assembly line in 1948. It carried people around Terra Haute, Indiana for a few years, and then it was taken south to Montgomery in Alabama in 1954. In this city, the bus acquired something new. A sign was put in place ten seats back from the front of the bus. The new sign read: Colored, and it meant that African American passengers could only sit at the back of the bus.
If you were white you got onto the bus, paid your dime, and sat in one of the front seats. If you were African American, you got on the bus, paid your dime, got off, and got back on using the rear door of the bus so that you could sit in one of the rear seats. It did not matter if you were old and frail or if it was raining and cold. If you were “colored” this is what you had to do. If the white seats filled up, a whole row of African American passengers had to give up their seats because African Americans could not share a row with white people. “That’s just the way things were.”
Then, on the evening of December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks got onto bus #2857 and she took a seat behind the Colored sign. At the next stop, all the seats for the white folks filled up, and the bus driver told Rosa and the other passengers in her row to get up so that a white man could sit down. The other African American passengers did as they were told, but Rosa refused to do so. She was arrested, and soon afterwards the Montgomery bus boycott began.
There are only six more days before it is Halloween, and since I have some Halloweenish books on hand that I think you will enjoy, I have decided to have a six-day count down bookish event.
I will begin with a book that is not strictly a Halloween title, but it is pertinent nevertheless. It is a book about pumpkins, and since pumpkins are often associated with Halloween, I thought it would be a great way to start my countdown.
Gail Gibbons
Nonfiction picture book
Ages 4 to 6
Holiday House, 1999, 0-8234-1636-4
For many of us pumpkins are large orange squashes that we carve into jack-o-lanterns for Halloween. They are turned into pumpkin pies, and we use them to decorate our homes during the harvest season. Most of us don’t realize that these fruit (yes they are a fruit) come in all shapes and sizes. Some varieties are huge, while others are very small indeed.
You can grow your own pumpkin by planting a pumpkin seed in a prepared patch of ground in the spring. By summer, you should have a large pumpkin vine growing in your garden, and in the fall, it will be time to harvest the pumpkins you have grown. Depending on what kind of pumpkin you have grown, you can cook them, turn them into jack-o-lanterns, or - if you grow a really big pumpkin - you can enter it into a big pumpkin contest.
This informative nonfiction picture book will be an instant hit with children who look forward to harvesting or buying pumpkins in the fall. It is not only packed with information about pumpkins, but it also gives young readers detailed instructions on how to plant a pumpkin, how to carve one, and how to dry pumpkin seeds.
When I was about eight or so, my American grandmother sent me a boxed set of the Little House books. As soon as I began to read Little House in the Big Woods I became a devotee of Laura Ingalls Wilder's books, and I have read everything she wrote - I think.
Little House in the Big Woods
Laura Ingalls WilderIllustrator:
Garth Williams Nonfiction
For ages 8 and up
HarperCollins, 1971 ISBN: 978-0064400015
Laura is a little girl who lives in a log cabin in the woods of
Wisconsin with her Ma, Pa, her sisters Mary and Carrie, and the brindled bulldog Jack. The family is so isolated that Laura has never seen a town, and she rarely gets to play with other children, but she loves her life and enjoys all the new activities that come with the changing seasons.
With Laura we are going to see what it would have been like to live in the north woods in the late 1800’s. We are going to share the special events that mark the year; Christmas, Laura’s birthday, cheese making time, maple sugar time, harvest time and more. We are going to laugh at Pa’s wonderful stories, and sympathize with Laura when she is punished for being a naughty girl on a Sunday. We are going to discover what it must have felt like to see a town for the first time when Laura and her family go to the lake town of Pepin, and we are going to feel a sense of loss when Pa decides that it is time to leave the Big Woods.
This first title in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s famous autobiographical books, will get readers of all ages well and truly hooked on the Little House series. Readers will long to know what happens next to this hardworking and loving family. Children will be amazed to read about how people like the Ingalls family had to manage with what they were able to grow, make, or hunt. They will be fascinated to read about how people in Laura’s world made their own cheese, got their “everyday” sugar from maple trees, and how children were not allowed to play or shout on Sundays.
Garth Williams has created some wonderful black and white illustrations for this book, which capture the essence of Laura’s north woods life, and which give the reader a real sense of what it might have been like to live in a tiny cabin in an enormous forest.
Today is the first day of summer for us here in Oregon, and though it is not exactly hot, at least it isn't cold anymore. I have some great summer books on the TTLG website. For children who are specifically interested in the summer solstice and what it is, there is this title to read. Enjoy.
Ellen Jackson
Illustrator: Jan Davey Ellis
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 7 to 10
Millbrook, 2001 ISBN: 978-0761319856
Because the sun is so important to life on earth it was greatly venerated by the ancient peoples who lived on this planet. Often it was considered to be a god and thus on the day when the sun was at its highest point in the sky, the summer solstice, special rituals and celebrations were often held.
Both in the Americas and in Europe circles of stone marked the passage of the sun in the sky and special spokes in the circles "pointed to the place where the sun rose on the summer solstice."
In Europe and Great Britain people would roll burning wheels down a hill to symbolize the blazing sun sinking in the sky. There would be great feasting, dancing, and merrymaking and people would get dressed up in outlandish costumes.
Today remnants of these old traditions can still be found in some countries in Europe. In Ireland, Wales and Cornwall people still light bonfires on hill tops on Midsummer Eve and in Sweden tall poles are decorated with leaves, colored streamers and flags and placed in a central place. People then dance around the pole in celebration of the longest day of the year.
I have to confess that I didn't know much about Rachel Carson until I moved to the United States in 1992. Since then I have read and been inspired by her books. Here is a review of a book that I read this week.
Rachel Carson: Preserving a sense of wonder
Joseph Bruchac
Illustrated by Thomas Locker
Nonfiction picture book
Ages 6 to 10
Fulcrum Publishing, 2004, 978-1-55591-695-4
When Rachel was a little girl, she lived in Springdale, Pennsylvania, “a town once as lovely as its name.” She had a deep love of books, and through them she developed a interest in the sea. Though writing was what she loved, Rachel studied biology in college. She finally got to see the sea in person and she fell in love with its moods and its stories. Later Rachel wrote about the sea in her first book, Under the Sea-Wind.
All this time Rachel’s once lovely hometown in Pennsylvania, was being poisoned. The rivers were filthy, “the air was choked with smoke,” and poisonous agricultural sprays were killing animals of all kinds. Hearing about this terrible development, Rachel decided to write a new book. This new book, Silent Spring, angered a lot of people, but it also helped many others to see that it is important to protect the environment, and that we all have to do our part to safeguard our planet.
In this truly beautiful picture book, a lyrical and powerful text is perfectly married to Thomas Locker’s gorgeous paintings. Readers will get a memorable picture of what Rachel Carson was like and how important her legacy has been for all of us.
Here is another environmental title that I think parents and teachers will find very useful.
Molly Smith
Illustrated by Tad Carpenter
Nonfiction
Ages 10 and up
Chronicle Books, 2010, 978-0-8118-7141-9
Almost every day we are bombarded with news articles, television shows, and radio programs about the state of our environment. The situation can seem overwhelming, and many young people wonder how they can “possibly make a difference.” The truth is that one person can make a difference simply by implementing “little choices every day” that can help our planet.
This book is full of activities that will help young people to better understand how their everyday choices both help and harm our home. There are five chapters in all, and at the end of each there is a list of “simple steps” that we can all follow to make our lives greener and more environmentally friendly.
The author begins by looking at “Energy and Climate.” There
April 25th is world penguin day, and in honor of this day I have a review for you about a very special penguin who had a rather extraordinary adventure.
Pierre the Penguin: A True Story
Jean Marzollo
Illustrated by Laura ReganNonfiction picture book
Ages 3 to 7
Sleeping Bear Press, 2010, 978-1-58536-485-5
In a big museum, at the end of the Africa Hall, there is a display of live penguins. Unlike their cousins who live in cold regions, these African penguins like warm temperatures. One day Pam, an aquatic biologist, notices that one of the penguins who is called Pierre is “in a jam.” He has lost most of his feathers and he looks very unhappy and very cold. To make matters worse,
I found this book on my shelf this week and thought it would be a perfect fit both for Women's History Month and Youth Art Month. Enjoy!
Mary Cassatt: Impressionist Painter
Lois V. Harris
Nonfiction Picture Book
Ages 6 to 8
Pelican, 2007, 978-1-589-804-524
When Mary Cassatt was still a young girl, she very much wanted to be a painter. Her parents, wanting to encourage their artistically inclined daughter, arranged for Mary to have art lessons. Little did they realize that their daughter intended to make a career for herself as a painter. At this time, in the 1800’s, very few women were professional artists, and Mary had to be very persuasive to get her parents to let her go to art school.
After attending art school in Philadelphia for two years, Mary began to pester her parents to let her go to Europe to continue her studies. Her father was against the idea, but Mary’s mother thought that Mary should be allowed to go, and Mary was able to travel around France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium studying the works of the old masters.
Back in Paris, one of Mary’s paintings was chosen to be shown at the Salon, a very prestigious art show. The career she had dreamed about was beginning at last.
This beautifully presented picture book not only tells the story of Mary Cassatt’s life, but it also shows young readers how Mary was influenced by the French painters that she met. Readers will discover how Mary came to love the impressionist style of painting, and how she developed a style that bridged the old styles of painting and the new. Throughout the book, there are reproductions of art works that were created by Mary Cassatt and her contemporaries.
March is Women's History Month in the USA and I have collected some wonderful books to share with you. I would like to begin with a splendid book that is not only fascinating and beautifully written, but that is also really lovely to look at.
Mermaid Queen: A True story
Shana Corey
Illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham
Nonfiction Picture Book
Ages 6 to 8
Scholastic, 2009, 9780439698351
When Annette Kellerman was still very young, her legs developed a weakness and she had great difficulty walking. To help his daughter to get strong again, Annette’s father taught her how to swim, and he encouraged her to swim as much as she could. It wasn’t long before Annette was swimming very well, and soon she started to win races and break records.
Annette had grown up watching people dance in her parent’s home, and she had always wanted to be able to dance with grace herself. In the water, she found a way to do be “beautiful and graceful and fancy-free.” She “whirled and twirled. She dipped and danced and dived.” Annette had created something new – water ballet.
Annette was eager to share her love of swimming with others, and so she and her father left their home in Australia and traveled to London. The English were appalled at the idea of a girl swimmer performing in public. Annette decided that she needed to do something “drastic” to get them to pay attention to her, to get them to give her a chance. Annette had to “make waves.”
This delightful true story is both interesting and inspiring. Young readers will come to appreciate the fact that the Annette Kellerman’s world was very different from the one that that we live in today. There were many things that girls were not allowed to do, and it took the courage of women like Annette to challenge the ‘rules’ that everyone lived by.
Throughout the book Shana Corey’s unique text is perfectly complimented by Edwin Fotheringham’s vintage looking illustrations. Readers will find more information about Annette in an author’s note at the back of the book.
You can find many more titles that are suitable for Women's History Month on the TTLG website
here.
On this day in 1890 a young reporter ended an amazing journey around the world. Her name was Nellie Bly (her real name was Elizabeth Jane Cochran) and she was determined to prove that she could travel around the world in less than eighty days. People all over the world watched to see if this pretty young woman could break the record of Phileas Fogg, Jules Verne's ficticious character who traveled around the world in eighty days by boat and train in Verne's famous book Around the World in Eighty Days.
Nellie's journey began on November 14th, 1889, and it ended "seventy-two days, six hours, eleven minutes and fourteen seconds after her Hoboken departure."
I have read several books about Nellie and her incredible journey, and you can read my reviews here on Through the Looking Glass Book Review.
You can find more information about Nellie Bly and her remarkable career here on Wikipedia.
As promised I am posting two reviews about Wilson Bentley, the man who first photographed snowflakes. These titles are, of course, for children, but adults will also greatly enjoy them.
Snowflake Bentley
Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Illustrated by Mary Azarian
Non-Fiction Picture Book
Ages 6 to 8
Houghton Mifflin, 1998, 0-395-86162-4
Little Willie Bentley loved the snow. He loved to play in it and he loved to look at it, comparing the snow to “apple blossoms.” Unlike apple blossoms however, snowflakes could not be looked at for long because they quickly melted. It was hard to enjoy and study the snow when it disappeared so fast. Then, using a microscope that his mother gave him, Willie began to look at snowflakes up close and he would quickly draw the ice crystals that he saw through the eyepiece. Even working as quickly as he could Willie was never able to finish his drawings before the beautiful crystal formations melted.
Then, at last, Willie’s parents bought him a microscope that had a camera attached to it. Now Willie could photograph the snowflakes before they had a chance to melt, and he would have their images on glass plates to study at his leisure. After many months of failure Willie finally figured out how to take the photographs. He learned how snowflakes form, and that each and every snowflake is unique.
In time people began to recognize how beautiful and useful Willie’s photographs were, and he sold many copies of his pictures to people all over the country. When he was sixty-six Willie’s book “Snow Crystals” was published, and it is still read and enjoyed by scientists, artists and others who live all over the world.
With Mary Azarian’s superb woodcuts to illustrate it, this fascinating book captures the essence of a man who did what he loved even though he was made fun of, and even though he did not make any money from his passion. Bentley took his photographs because the beauty of snow fascinated him and because he wanted to share the beauty that he saw with others. We are able to see that though he was a scientist who studied the weather and snow formation, he was also an artist at heart who was happiest when he was capturing the images of snowflakes on plates of glass.
This book was the 1999 Caldecott Medal winner.
You can purchase this book through this blog
here.
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Kids nonfiction books are changing, and they are changing for the better. They are more interesting, kid-friendly, and factual. They range from serious subjects such as the Hitler Youth to subjects more suitable for the bathroom! (Kids love bathroom humor.) Because of this, we should use children’s nonfiction books on a regular basis to supplement our science and social studies curriculum. And we should do this at all levels. Many of these new nonfiction books are considered nonfiction picture books–for elementary students. But we can use them with middle school and high school students, too. Any book that teaches kids and teens and supplements your curriculum can be useful for you in the classroom.
This past weekend, I went to the SCBWI-IL Prairie Writers’ Day conference in Chicago. One of the speakers, Stacy Cantor, an editor from Walker Books for Young Readers, shared an extensive list of great nonfiction books for kids. She picked these books because of the unique subject matter or slant and because of the author’s voice, in spite of the fact the author was writing nonfiction. I am going to share with you a few of the titles:
*See How They Run: Campaign Dreams, Election Schemes, and the Race to the White House by Susan E. Goodman, illustrations by Elwood H. Smith
*Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrations by Kadir Nelson
*The Period Book: Updated Edition (for girls about the menstrual cycle) by Karen and Jennifer Gravelle, illustrated by Debbie Palen
*Lincoln: A Photobiography by Russell Freedman
*Let It Begin Here! Lexington and Concord: First Battles of the American Revolution by Dennis Brindell Fradin and Larry Day
*Poop Happened! A History of the World From the Bottom Up (coming Spring 2010) by Sarah Albee, illustrated by Robert Layton
Share your favorite nonfiction book to use with your students or your children.
Happy reading, happy teaching, and happy parenting!
We found these really nice books to read when studying historical figures of the Renaissance. They are published by Chelsea House Publishers. They call the series of 10 books: ” Makers of the Middle Ages and Renaissance” .
We read the Michelangelo one and the one about Leonardo daVinci. My 11 year old really enjoyed these books in particular because they are chocked full of concrete yet interesting information along with illustrations, photographs and side bars of further information. At the end of each chapter are two page quizzes, to see how much information the reader retained.
We also did some of the projects out of the book Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself by Maxine Anderson. But when my daughter built the webbed hands project, she left the webbing off the sticks so she would have X-Men Wolverine’s claw hands. The project involved duct taping chop sticks to the fingers of rubber gloves and then the child was supposed to wrap the sticks in duct tape and simulate webbing.
We learned many interesting things about Michelangelo and Leonardo. For instance, Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor and when commissioned to paint the Sistine Chapel tried to get out of it. He even signed his contract as Michelangelo, the Sculptor. He died thinking that he had never really accomplished all that he could have.
Leonardo often left his work unfinished, especially if he was more interested in something else at the time. He designed and built weapons. His anatomy drawings are so accurate they are still used today. He wrote all of his journals in a codex and some of the journals were lost.
We are on to studying King Henry VIII and his brilliant daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. So we will be ordering through our inter-library loan Queen Elizabeth and England’s Golden Age by Samuel Willard Crompton out of the Chelsea House Renaissance series.
Farmer George Plants a Nation was written by Peggy Thomas and illustrated by Layne Johnson. The paintings in this picture book are exquisite.
This is one of the books we used when assigned George Washington books in the Sonlight Curriculum. Thomas takes a new and unique slant about Washington and explores his agricultural pursuits and inventions.
Washington became the head of the estate of Mount Vernon in 1759 to discover the soil was poor. He began studying farming in earnest. He made adjustments to his plows. He rotated his crops, tested soil amendments, and changed what crops he grew, from tobacco to wheat and other vegetables. He began making things at Mount Vernon instead of buying them from England.
The story does inform the reader of Washington’s role in the revolution, but also explores the neglect of his farm during the war and George’s constant thoughts of his farm, collecting seeds and nuts on his travels.
As President, he continued oversight of his farm. He was the only slave-owning President to free his slaves upon his death.
In the back of the book there is a timeline and more information about Washington.
In this picture book are little known aspects of George Washington’s character, personality and pursuits. I highly recommend Farmer George Plants a Nation as a read aloud to children ages six and up (it is fairly wordy for a picture book) and as a reader for children ages eight to twelve. My ten-year-old was pleased with its content, pace and flow.
Calkins Creek published this book in 2008.
Gene Park, an elder in the Piqua Division of the Shawnee Tribe, http://aiac.alabama.gov/tribes_piquaShawnee.aspx was kind enough to send me a very interesting article about the great Shawnee Chief Blue Jacket. It has been told to me by cousins that some of my ancestors may have been in Chief Blue Jacket’s tribe and so Gene has been helping me to arrange a male DNA test for my brother to determine our ethnic heritage. The test on me would only be able to look at my maternal side. I am so very excited at the possibility of getting some answers about our ancestors.
The Ohio Journal of Science article that Gene sent me lays to rest the controversy over whether or not Chief Blue Jacket was a Shawnee or a Caucasian. I had read recently in a very good book The Shawnees and the War for America by Colin G. Calloway that Chief Blue Jacket was Shawnee and not an adopted white captive. Calloway presents a convincing argument and details the accomplishments of Chief Blue Jacket, often overlooked amidst Tecumseh’s fame.
I had also recently read a number of books, including children’s nonfiction, in which the legend that Marmaduke Swearingen was captured by the Shawnees and then raised up to become Chief Blue Jacket was relayed as the historically accurate story of the Chief’s life. That was what I thought was the truth. Even though, as I recently found out, the Shawnees have been trying to refute the legend since it began. I asked Gene what he thought of what I had been reading and he sent me the article.
Scientists studied DNA samples from descendants of Swearingen’s ancestor and from Chief Blue Jacket’s known Shawnee son, George. They were able to conclusively determine that Chief Blue Jacket was Shawnee. See Volume 106, September 2006, Number 4 of the Ohio Journal of Science http://www.shawnee-bluejacket.com/Bluejacket_Folders/BlueJacket.pdf
If we are related to Chief Blue Jacket, the test on my brother will be able to determine this. It will also tell us what tribe we are from, which is exciting as there are many varied family stories.
The Shawnees and the War for America is an excellent read. Calloway has chapters on Shawnee general history, Cornstalk, Blue Jacket, Black Hoof, Tenskwatawa and Tecumseh, and Removals and Survival. There is also a lengthy bibliography if you are like me and searching for information on the Shawnees.
Gene has recommended two more books for me to read:
Shawnee by James Howard
Blue Jacket — Warrior of the Shawnees by John Sugden
Gene also sent me the link to the Blue Jacket Genealogy website http://www.shawnee-bluejacket.com/
Thank you, Gene!
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Thank you, Marya for your review of my book about a gutsy lady, master artist, Mary Cassatt!
It was a wonderful book. Thank you for telling her story in such a splendid way. Do let me know if you have any other books that you would like to share.
My Charlie Russell: Tale-Telling Cowboy Artist picture book was just released. Like the Cassatt book, it is filled with colorful art images. Charlie was an author, illustrator, painter, sculptor, and a colorful guy.
Ask your publisher to send me a copy. I can try to squeeze it in for Youth Art Month.