One Saturday Morning-Peter Brown

Just a little over twenty-four hours ago, I made a thirty-minute trip to a nearby town.  It is the beginning of the annual Venetian Festival in downtown Charlevoix, Michigan.  As I drove down Bridge Street (the main street) old and antique cars lined the parking spots and were scattered across the green bordering the marina.  It was also the yearly Art in the Park in the city of Petoskey, my destination.

After parking my car, walking several blocks and up a hill, I found myself standing in front of the Carnegie Building, site of the former public library. McLean & Eakin Booksellers, my favorite independent book store, had a display at the base of the steps announcing the visit of author illustrator Peter Brown.  Stepping inside this lovely old building was like going back in time.  A large open area held seating for all the guests with a spot for the children near where Peter Brown would address his readers.

Peter Brown began his session by telling us about his childhood love of drawing and writing showing us examples.  His presentation was filled with the wit and charm found in his books.  His focus was on his newest title, My Teacher Is A Monster! (No I Am Not.).  He explained his inspiration for creating this particular book before reading it to his guests.  It's a wonderful experience to hear an author illustrator read their own book aloud, giving emphasis to those parts they feel are most important.  Ms. Kirby's voice could not have been better.

Finishing up his session Peter Brown demonstrated how Ms. Kirby came to life drawing her in stages so we all could see the combination of shapes and lines.  I was the final person to have my books signed.  Listening to Peter Brown interact with his readers was a true joy.  He loves what he does and it shows.

Living The Dream

On January 28, 2013 the American Library Association presented the 2013 Youth Media Awards.  Everywhere people not able to attend in person were glued to computer screens watching the live stream.  I have watched the video posted on YouTube repeatedly (I'm listening to it again as I write this piece.)  Since I began my life's greatest joy as a teacher librarian in 1973, it has always been my wish to attend the banquet honoring the winners.  With tears in my eyes after hearing the announcements of many of the winners, I resolved to get to Chicago this year.  And I did.



Chicago is one of my favorite large cities to visit.  As the taxi veered (are all of those drivers trying to get a position in the Indy 500?) along Michigan Avenue toward my hotel Saturday afternoon (my train was late), the tops of the buildings were shrouded in clouds.  It was my goal to get to the Exhibit Hall as soon as possible to meet author/illustrator Matthew Cordell.

Of course, since my last visit to Chicago, my hotel had moved.  The building was still there but it was renamed.  By the time the helpful desk clerk at the Hilton located my hotel, one of two DoubleTree buildings, I had less than thirty minutes to get to McCormick Place on the other end of the city.

At this point I was hoping my cab driver was vying for the Indy 500.  After race walking up stairs, registering and locating the proper aisle, I spotted Matthew.  He was getting ready to leave.  I nearly broke into a run with a huge grin on my face.  After meeting him, chatting briefly, getting one of my books signed and receiving a charming, original unicorn drawing, I knew this was the first of many magical moments I would experience this weekend.

For the next two hours I roamed around the Exhibit Hall marveling at the sheer vastness of the area, the extent of the displays and the array of titles everywhere I turned. At one point I stopped in one of the aisles, looking back to see Jerry Pinkney on my right and David Small with Toni Buzzeo on my left. I was giddy with book bliss.

I met Leonard Marcus who signed my copy of Maurice Sendak: A Celebration of the Artist and His Work.  The delightful Molly Idle graciously signed my copy of Flora and the Flamingo.  To my surprise Jesse Klausmeier was next door, dressed in a pink tutu, laughing and signing books for all her fans.  Luckily one of the posters Dan Santat designed for Crankenstein was still

available.

Unexpectedly walking from the hall, I caught a glimpse of...it couldn't be...Lois Ehlert.  With energy I didn't know I still had, I changed directions and got in line.  I freely admit tearing up when meeting her.  She said, I'm just a person.  I replied, Not to me you're not. The woman assisting her came up to me after I got my book signed.  She gave me a mock-up of her new book to look at while standing there.  I have to tell you, it's going to be one of her best titles ever.

Saturday evening a group of authors and Nerdy Book Club members gathered at the home of author Elizabeth Fama whose book, Monstrous Beauty, won an Odyssey Honor award this year.  She graciously supplied a delicious buffet and an atmosphere conducive to chatting about books and reading.  In chairs scattered about her lovely backyard we met and talked with people who we only knew virtually previously.  I even got a lesson from Mr. Schu on how to use Vine.

Jen Vincent and Brian Wyzlic

I loved speaking with author Laura Golden (Every Day After) and her husband, Michael as well as Liesl Shurtliff (Rump:  The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin), hearing their thoughts about the writing process and books in the works.  Surrounded by all the Nerdy Book Club people it felt like the best kind of family reunion.  It was an evening electrified by people who love and care about many things in common.  (Laura blogs about it here, including the names of those present.)

I barely slept Saturday night, so full of excitement for the next day.  I hurried over to the Exhibit Hall Sunday to meet with Kellie Celia, the Walden Pond Press Marketing Communications Manager.  We strolled around exchanging ideas about books and getting them into the hands of our readers.  Our first stop was to meet Tom Angleberger and Cece Bell, two people filled to the brim with happiness.  Cece signed my copy of her Geisel Honor book, Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover. They both signed their new title Crankee Doodle.

From there I had the privilege of meeting Jarrett J. Krosoczka, getting a couple of the Lunch Lady books signed (I'll be giving one of those away soon.)  His exuberance is contagious.  Colby Sharp had advised me to go to the Artist Alley area where I met Matt Phelan (The Storm in the Barn, Around the World).  I was able to get one of the few remaining ARCs of his new book, Bluffton, plus signed prints of Keaton.  He explained his illustrative process to me.  By now I'm absolutely glowing with the amazement of the day. One hour had passed.

As I was wandering in the aisles, I received a text message.  It was from a person whose blog I have been following for years.  When we spotted each another we both broke into grins and hugged.  I finally got to meet Jules Danielson from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  

Next I waited in line to meet Eric Rohmann and Candace Fleming.  Even though I already have copies of Bone Dog and Papa's Mechanical Fish, I really wanted to talk with them both, however briefly; to express my appreciation for their work.  They both revealed tidbits about how these two books were created.

I putt puff puttedy chuffed my way over to Loren Long's meet and signing line.  He is as sincere and wholesome as his character Otis.  The gentleman standing with Loren directed me to the f & g of the new book coming out in October, An Otis Christmas.  Be sure to add this title to your list.  Filled with the spirit of the season, it's a touching, heartwarming gem.

Even though it was hours away, I headed back to my hotel to get ready for the epic evening, The Caldecott, Newbery and Wilder banquet.  I still had another surprise in store before the doors of the Sheraton Ballroom opened at 6:30.  Due to the thoughtfulness and generosity of a PLN member, I was invited to the Random House Fall 2013 Preview Tea.

Can you imagine my amazement to discover I was in the room with not one, not two, not three but four well known authors?  I was able to get books signed by all four, Patricia MacLachlan, Steven Kellogg, Cynthia Voigt and Brandon Sanderson.  After Patricia MacLachlan hugged me, I think I floated back to the table.

Thanks to the kind-hearted Brian Wyzlic who advised me about the shuttle to the Sheraton, arrival at the event was timely.  The very air outside the ballroom was charged with anticipation.  Nerdy Book Club people gathered; more people were meeting one another for the first time.  As she was leaving for another commitment, Donalyn Miller looked to the gathered group and whispered, Someone please check Colby Sharp to make sure he doesn't have an air horn. I've laughed about that over and over again.

Sherry Gick, Niki Barnes, Katherine Sokolowski, Kirby Larson and Cynthia Alaniz with me

From the moment the doors opened until I hailed a taxi for the ride home, every minute was pure joy.  I thought my heart would burst.  The group at our table, the delectable food, pictures of the dessert which was tweeted and re-tweeted, videos and pictures projected on large screens on either side of the dais, the laughter, conversation and the mingling with authors and illustrators before the award presentations and speeches, were all pieces in this picture puzzle being created in my memory.  Paul O. Zelinsky was introduced to me by Jarrett J. Krosoczka.  Laura Given talked with Jon Klassen while I listened.


The speeches given by Jon Klassen (Caldecott), Katherine Applegate (Newbery) and Katherine Patterson (Wilder) were mirrors into the creative souls of each; individual but united in their desire to bring the very best to their readers.  Their words made us laugh and cry together.  People in the ballroom that evening were in the presence of kidlit royalty; you could feel it like a warm, gentle breeze on a summer's eve surrounding you on all sides.

After the festivities inside the ballroom, the medal and honor winners along with their trusted friends, greeted all in a receiving line.  While waiting in line, noticing Jerry Pinkney, I sang the song from John Henry to Laura Given.  Were we giddy with the events of the evening?  Completely.  To be able to shake hands with each of these people and express your gratitude for their books while looking them in the eyes, was golden.

The last person in the line was Katherine Paterson.  When I told her I had in fact read her first published book as well as many others, she said, Then we have a history together.  I was so touched by her genuineness, I started to cry.

I think my final tweet in the early hours of the morning sum up exactly what this weekend means to me.

For the past two days and tonight I got to live in a dream come true.  Thanks to all authors and illustrators.  You are my heroes. Always.

Thank you everyone for sharing this dream with me.

Caldecott Challenge 2012 #4

It's a very good thing that this Caldecott Challenge is a stress free opportunity.  Finding myself teaching PE classes at four different grade levels one day a week this year, in addition to my library media center classes, was a huge hurdle in and of itself.  It's a good thing librarians are so good at finding exactly what is needed when it is needed.

One benefit of this quest has been to examine how the art is changing as the years pass.  Another gain for me, personally, has been a sure and secure love of the Caldecott books, not that I didn't pretty much wish already I could own all of them.   I have never really gone back to the beginning and looked each and every one over carefully, wondering what made it stand out to receive the honor of Caldecott Medal or Caldecott Honor.  I am developing a love for illustrators I hardly knew before this challenge was started.

For that reason I wish to thank LibLaura5 blogger, tweeter and librarian for beginning this with the help of her librarian friend, Anna.  I have been having a great time even if I am only up to 1950.  The year 1950 was included in a post I did about previewing Penzu.  Below is my Capzle covering the years 1947, 1948 and 1949.

Caldecott Challenge 2012 #3

I am still plugging away reading as many titles as are available in our library media center for this Caldecott Challenge.  Reading has been going in spurts.  I have now made it up through 1946.  There are many variations on presenting the Mother Goose rhymes.

These titles are a reflection of the world in which they were written, a mirror of thoughts and beliefs.  As I was researching the illustrators for this grouping (1943-1946) I was amazed at the variety of activities they pursued prior to settling on a career in children's illustration.  I could not help but feel tonight that I was surrounded by greatness. 

My comments are displayed in a capzle found here:
http://www.capzles.com/a03a3818-1372-43b6-8b16-ed2fe482908d

Here it is embedded in this blog post.

Priceless Perspective

To the best of my knowledge author/illustrator Kadir Nelson has been winning awards for the past eight years for his writing and illustrations evoking truth and realism. Beginning with a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award for Thunder Rose written by Jerdine Nolen in 2004 and culminating this year with the Coretta Scott King Author Award and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award for Heart and Soul:  The Story of America and African Americans; at least eight other awards in between.  The name Kadir Nelson has become synonymous with the highest order of excellence.


I have cherished reading such titles as Ellington Was Not A Street written by Ntozake Shange and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, Henry's Freedom Box written by Ellen Levine and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, Moses:  When Harriet Led Her People to Freedom written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Kadir Nelson to name a few but none has touched me as has Heart and Soul:  The Story of America and African Americans.  The narrative completely captivated me, consuming it as one starved for a new view of a history that is America.  Visuals radiantly portrayed what I read but in a very personal perspective filled with an array of emotion.

Let me begin at the beginning.  This is the dedication written by Kadir Nelson.

For my family:  the Reaveses, the Pittmans, the Nelsons, the Hardys, the Wrights, and the Gunters; and for every American family whose invaluable contributions and stories have helped stitch the grand quilt of these United States.

The prologue introduces readers to the voice of an elder African American woman speaking to a child; asking for her attention... to listen, to hear of the good times and the bad times. Their history, the African American history, is America's history. 

You have to know where you come from so you can move forward.

Readers walk with the two through the rotunda of the Capitol gazing at the historic paintings none of which depict any African Americans but the truth is that as long as Europeans have been here so have they.  As the subsequent pages are turned time flows back to the American Revolution moving forward through twelve chapters concluding with an epilogue, the election of the first African American president, Barack Obama.  It is told with a quiet dignity never faltering when disclosing the stark realities of slavery, the thankful rise of abolitionists, the realities of the Civil War and the Lincoln presidency, the dark years of Reconstruction, the settlement of the West to make a new life, the Great Migration north and the injustice of Jim Crow, the uplifting Harlem Renaissance, the struggle for women to vote, the economic woes of the Depression and World War II, African American movers and shakers whose ideas changed our everyday lives, and the Civil Rights movement.

As each successive period is revealed to the reader, many times through a recounting of the life of a member of the elder woman's family, or in the relating of landmark personalities who lead, the perseverance, the pride, the greatness of people such as these is set forth in all its magnificence.  Kadir Nelson as an author has a way with words breathing life into the past bringing it to the present; an intimacy that is astounding.  Make no mistake, everyone who reads this book is that child listening intently.  Here is an example near the end of the chapter, Hard Times and World War II.

When most tank battalions lasted only seventeen days on the battlefield, the 761st, an all-black unit, fought for one hundred eighty-three days straight, longer than any other battalion in the whole war.  They helped win the Battle of the Bulge.  And I'm proud to say that both of my brothers were right there with them, giving it to the Germans.  But would you believe that after all the fighting they did for the country, the black soldiers were mostly ignored?  White units got their medals during the war and were even commended by the president while our soldiers weren't honored until several decades later.

Kadir Nelson's illustrations, forty-eight in total, most single and some double page spreads (not including the front cover), are simply stunning.  The richness in color, the play of light on the people's faces, the captured moments in time combine to create oil paintings with the trick of an eye or the click of a switch could spring to life.  The portrait opposite the prologue page, a younger version of the narrator dressed in Sunday-best, and the cupped, wrinkled hands of her elder self holding a red, white and blue I Voted button opposite the epilogue page speak volumes.

The solemn, Frederick Douglas gazing into the distance as if he can see a future laid before him, Harriet Tubman determined, strong hands grasping a walking stick, against a cloudy sky white birds taking flight in the distance, a young woman her hands upon her father's shoulders teaching him how to read in a small room, piles of cotton on the wooden floor, a school teacher standing on the porch outside her doorway bell in hand, a slight smile playing across her face, workers in a munitions factory American flag hanging in the windows, or courageous children standing strong in Little Rock, Arkansas are eloquent; the very pieces in the grand quilt of which Kadir Nelson spoke. 

Heart and Soul:  The Story of America and African Americans words and paintings by Kadir Nelson is a book for each and every American to read and most importantly to share; a story told by a master in every sense of the word.

An author's note, timeline, bibliography and index conclude this volume.  I encourage you to explore Kadir Nelson's web site referenced above with a link to his name.  In his news he states that the original paintings from his award winning We Are The Ship can be viewed at the Eric Carle Museum beginning February 7, 2012.  What a sight that would be to see.

At the publisher's website you can view an excerpt from the book.

NPR Books, All Things Considered conducted an interview with Kadir Nelson, 'Heart and Soul':  An African-American History on September 26, 2011.  It is well worth reading.

Below is Kadir Nelson speaking about the process involved in bringing Heart and Soul:  The Story of America and African Americans into our lives.

ALA Youth Media Awards 2012

It's not every day when you get to attend a prestigious award ceremony wearing your pink flannel pajamas covered in sock monkeys but that's the beauty of technology and an Ice Day courtesy of Mother Nature.  Here I sit in front of my computer listening and watching the ALA Youth Media Awards event taking place real time in Dallas, Texas.  Twitter is on fire as followers are tweeting each other about every award.  The energy and excitement is oozing out from the screen.

It's now nearly 10AM and all the award announcements have been made.  For complete information about all of the awards please follow this link.  Much like the Academy Awards in film they waited until the end for the final two awards to be announced, the Randolph Caldecott Medal which is celebrating 75 years of selecting the most distinguished American picture book for children and the John Newbery Medal for most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Randolph Caldecott Honor---2012

Blackout written and illustrated by John Rocco
Grandpa Green written and illustrated by Lane Smith
Me...Jane written and illustrated by Patrick McDonnell












Randolph Caldecott Medal---2012

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

















John Newbery Honor---2012

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Breaking Stalin's Nose by Eugene Yelchin

John Newbery Medal---2012

Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos


The links embedded in those titles noted above have been reviewed on this blog.  I've read them all except for one.  Another title which I will gladly add to my TBR pile.  Congratulations to all the winners of all the awards; so much this year for readers to enjoy and savor again and again. 

Caldecott Challenge 2012 #1

Somehow from following one tweet to another, much like discovering something new online, I came across Caldecott Challenge: 1938 to present on a blog hosted by LibLaura 5; this challenge is being co-hosted by her friend and fellow librarian Anna at A to Z Library.  The goal of this stress-free challenge is to read all the Caldecott Medal and Honor books before the close of 2012.  Considering the extent of our collection at Charlevoix Elementary School Library Media Center, I am off to a fine start. 

My plan is to read them in chronological order as we have them, filling in the gaps with inter-library loans, haunting used book shops and garage sales until I have them read; hopefully with fingers crossed  Given the extent of the titles, numbering more than 300, I am limiting myself to just a few observations about each book.

1938 Medal Winner--Animals of The Bible:  A Picture Book by Dorothy P. Lathrop; with text selected by Helen Dean Fish from the King James Bible

Using black and white lithographs, Dorothy P. Lathrop's careful, meticulous portrayal of animals mentioned in The Bible is a classic, beautiful rendition.  The following lines from her Caldecott Acceptance Paper, the first ever given, are why her drawings stay true to the flora and fauna of the area.

For a person who does not love what he is drawing, whatever it may be, children or animals, or anything else, will not draw them convincingly, and that, simply because he will not bother to look at them long enough really to see them. What we love, we gloat over and feast our eyes upon. And when we look again and again at any living creature, we cannot help but perceive its subtlety of line, its exquisite patterning and all its unbelievable intricacy and beauty. The artist who draws what he does not love, draws from a superficial concept. But the one who loves what he draws is very humbly trying to translate into an alien medium life itself, and it is his joy and his pain that he knows that life to be matchless.

Also according to this speech Lathrop had many a live model in her studio; so much so that she felt at times better able to communicate with them than their human counter parts.  Clearly she was a woman with a great deal of love for animals; connecting with them on the purest level.  This is definitely reflected in her visuals.

1939 Medal Winner--Mei Li by Thomas Handforth 

Black and white drawings illuminate a tale of Mei Li following her brother to the New Year Fair; of being lost in her adventures and found in time to greet the Kitchen God.  What bits and pieces I could gather suggest that Handforth had personal experiences based on travel in China upon which to base his illustrations.  They, as is the text, are a reflection of the culture of the late 1930s but nonetheless inviting and enhancing.

1939 Honor Winner--Andy And The Lion:  A Tale Of Kindness Remembered Or The Power Of Gratitude by James Daugherty

After a visit to the public library, Andy reads and dreams lions.  A most opportune encounter on his way to school establishes a friendship with a wayward circus lion.  This is a delightful retelling of Androcles and the Lion with pictures thought to be rendered in rubbed charcoal; illustrations of the lion are fully animated.  Every emotion between boy and beast is pictured perfectly.  The dedication reads:

To Lady Astor and Lord Lenox, the library lions who have so long sat in front of the New York Public Library and with such complacent good nature and forbearance looked down on Manhattan parade.


1939 Honor Winner--Wee Gilllis by Munro Leaf; illustrated by Robert Lawson

Using pen and tempera Robert Lawson captures the dilemma faced by Alastair Roderic Craigellachie Dalhousie Gowan Donnybristle MacMac, Wee Gillis for short. When the time comes, will he choose to live in the lowlands of his Mother's relations or the highlands from which his Father comes?  It is a set of bagpipes, a "pooped" player and his visits to both areas of the Scottish land that determines his answer.  You've got to love the facial expressions.  And I do like a book with endpapers that mirror the tale.

1939 Honor Winner--Barkis story and pictures by Clare Turlay Newberry

Newberry's artwork is so textured that readers will be hard pressed to not reach out and touch the puppy and kitten.  James finally receives a pet he can call his own for his ninth birthday; Barkis, a cocker spaniel.  Nell Jean has had her own feline friend, Edward, but now she wants to be able to share Barkis with James.  Animals befriend each other before brother and sister can come to terms about who belongs to who.  A near tragedy with a happy ending resolves all.  Illustrations done in charcoal and watercolor wash, endearing and timeless, sweeten a story whose message is just as relevant today as it was then.


1940 Caldecott Award--Abraham Lincoln by Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire

Anecdotes from the life of Abraham Lincoln through the Civil War are warmly illustrated using lithographic pencil on stone according to one source and lithographic crayon from another.  What I do know to be true is that these pictures some in color, others strictly in black and white varying in size throughout the book are first class gems, treasures to behold.  Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac provides further information. 


1940 Caldecott Honor--Madeline story and pictures by Ludwig Bemelmans

This story has endured the test of time; rhyming text paired with simple but expressive watercolor, brush and pen illustrations has true heart.  The colorful endpapers, those girls in two straight lines come what may, are what the magic of storytelling is all about.

One interesting fact of which I was not previously aware is that Ludwig Bemelmans is buried in the National Cemetery at Arlington.

The Cream Rises to the Top-Caldecott 2011

It is not often that the art of woodblock printing draws so much attention in the world of children's literature.  Erin E. Stead as a first time illustrator of a book has certainly elevated this form using it to compliment her graceful, gentle pencil drawings.  Her tiny details of the mouse with an alarm clock under Amos' bed as he stretches wearing his bunny slippers endear readers to the elder man immediately.  Careful readers will notice the mouse following Amos throughout his days.  Stead's deliberate placement of additional small items add to the story's sheer sweetness.




Cover

  Her husband, Philip C. Stead, has written a timeless tale of the power of friendship.  Amos MGee is a zookeeper of extraordinary talents making time during his day to bond with his animal buddies; playing chess with the elephant, running races with the tortoise, sitting with the shy penguin in silent companionship, holding a hanky for the rhinoceros with allergy problems and at days end reading stories to the owl who is afraid of the dark.



Closing page



One day when Amos does not feel so well and decides to stay home from work, his friends at the zoo wait and wonder.  The next few pages are a wordless wonder showing them leaving the zoo, lining up at the bus stop and traveling to Amos' home.   Each in turn engages Amos in their favorite activities which are slightly altered due to his illness.  As this tale closes readers see Amos and his guests asleep curled around one another in affectionate repose.

A Sick Day for Amos McGee written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead is a snugly book; one that readers will want to wrap around themselves for warmth, comfort and love.

Bawk, bawk, bawk

It comes as no surprise that author/illustrator, David Ezra Stein is the recipient of a 2011 Caldecott Honor award.  Interrupting Chicken garnered that award highlighting his skillful use of watercolor, water-soluble crayon, china marker, pen, opaque white ink, and tea.  Across both pages the title opens with a moon rising through an open window, a gentle breeze blowing curtains into a room littered with remnants of life with a youngster.

  Readers journey into the bedtime ritual of reading a story with Papa saying,

 I'll read one of your favorites.  And of course you are not going to interrupt the story tonight are you?

Little red chicken replies that she will be good.  Sure she will..............

As Papa first reads Hansel and Gretel followed by Little Red Riding Hood and then Chicken Little, little red hen interrupts at the first opportune moment when she can not bear for the story to continue.  She spins her own interpretation on the events.  Stein illustrates the beginning of each of these tales in old style line brown tone drawings but when little red chicken interrupts he has her leaping into the story pages in bold colors which not only changes the narrative but the story characters expressions and actions as well.

When little red chicken begs Papa to read one more story he says that they are out of stories.  At Papa's suggestion little red chicken tells a story which readers see as delightful child-like drawings in a composition book.  Guess who goes to sleep first?

It might be fun to pair this with Once Upon A Time, the End (Asleeep in 60 Seconds) by Geoffrey Kloske and illustrated by Barry Blitt.

David Ezra Stein says on the back book jacket flap and at his web site that I'll never forget the experience of sitting in a beloved lap and having a whole world open before me:  a world brought to life by the pictures and the grown-up's voice.  That is what I want to re-create in my own books.

Mission accomplished.

Chalking Up Good Reads

Bill Thomson embraced traditional painting techniques and meticulously painted each illustration by hand, using acrylic paint and colored pencils.  His illustrations are not photographs or computer generated images. That is the statement found at the end of Thomson's latest innovative tome for children, Chalk.  It is no surprise to this reader that he felt it necessary to make that declaration.

He begins with his cover artwork; a title drawn in chalk over a park dinosaur ride holding a gift bag decorated with stars and moons which in itself holds the promise of magic to come.
The dedication page is a close up of raindrops falling in a puddle.  As the story unfolds three young friends are walking through the park beneath an umbrella when they notice the bag.  Curiosity compels them to remove it looking inside to find jumbo pieces of colored chalk. 
Taking a yellow piece the first girl draws a sun on the pavement.  Imagine their astonishment when a sun rises from the drawing into the sky, parting the clouds and stopping the rain.  With wide-eyed delight the second girl withdraws an orange colored chalk sketching butterflies that quickly surround them with living monarchs.  The reader next sees the young boy, mischievous glint in his eyes, green chalk in hand.   Boys love dinosaurs.  Our young park goers gasp  and scream as a T-Rex rises from the pathway stalking them as they scurry to safety.  Crawling inside a Jungle Jim tunnel it's this same boy's quick thinking that saves the day with the story ending as it began; the gift bag hanging once more awaiting the next souls brave enough to explore what its contents offer.  The final page shows a rain splattered puddle but this time a monarch flutters across the surface.

It's hard to conceive of a finer example of the wordless picture book.  Without a doubt Bill Thomson's paintings are like the finest photographic gems with two page spreads that liken panoramic views through a camera's lens.  Among these his careful placement of chalk-framed zooms bring the reader closer to the here and now of his tale.  His close-ups capture light, expression and detail like a master's finger pushing the shutter at the precise moment.
Thank you for the gift of this book, Chalk, Mr. Thomson.   To be on the Caldecott committee this year is going to be a challenge.  In my opinion we have another contender. 

Canine Caldecott Contenders?

Each year at Charlevoix Elementary School in the Library Media Center our 3rd and 4th grade students participate in a Mock Caldecott Election.  During the course of the year I review potential Caldecott nominees narrowing it down to 10 or 12.  Sometimes we actually pick the same winner as the American Library Association committee.  Criteria for selection is excellence in the artistic medium that is used, excellence in pictorial compatibility with the story, theme or concept, and will the illustrations appeal to the audience for which they were intended--children. 
Two of my favorite author/illustrators, Mo Willems and Jon J Muth , who individually have received Caldecott awards,  have collaborated to create city dog, country frog.  In this union Willems is the author using spare text that conveys the changing of the seasons as well as the deepening, timeless friendship of a dog and frog.  His word selection captures the essence of "dogginess" and "frogginess" perfectly as they share favorite activities with one another. 
Beginning with the endpapers Muth gently beckons us to pass through spring, summer, fall, winter and into spring again.  Few can match his talent with watercolor paintings that express emotions spanning the spectrum of unbridled joy, contentment, acceptance, longing, patience and unconditional love.  His trademark use of the subtle shifting of colors, attention to detail and interpretation of text through illustration are portrayed beautifully in That was spring.; That was summer; and That was fall.  In the first what could be better than a dog paddling in a pond with a frog on his head or in the second when the two are caught in a gentle rain with the frog holding a huge leaf over dog's head or in the last with dog asleep curled up on their meeting rock with frog sitting beside him reaching out his hand to touch dog's shoulder.
 I am seriously considering purchasing several of these books so I can frame some of them to hang for artwork, that is unless I can find them available for purchase elsewhere. 





Snook Alone is written by Marilyn Nelson, who has won a Newbery Honor award, a Coretta Scott King award and the Michael L. Printz Honor award.  It is illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering who is known for his illustrations in The Tale of Despereaux, Finn Throws a Fit! and The Story of Fog Belly Rat Bone.

From the cover design, to the endpapers, to the title page and throughout the body of the story watercolor illustration interprets the story of Abba Jacob, a monk, living on an island with his rat terrier, Snook.  As the story unfolds in a journal-type format the reader becomes part of this duo's daily world enjoying their lives just as much as they enjoy one another.  Detail creates a sense of presence and immediacy; the reader is there on that island seeing it through the eyes not only of the monk but his companion, Snook.  When they become separated during a storm, each on separate islands,  text and pictures combine creating a sense of tension, sadness and constant longing, love and above all else hope.  Holding this book was like holding a piece of some one's personal history; like discovering a long-hidden treasure in an attic. It is priceless. 

These two books represent what is best in books being published for our children.  They will stand the test of time being remembered and passed on from generation to generation; enjoyed by all ages.   What more can I say?  Simply put--I love them!