Searching The Skies

One of the benefits of having an old dog as part of your life is the late night or very early morning trips outside.  It's so quiet you feel as though you are standing in an empty meadow or path in the middle of a pine forest.  With little imagination you can dream away all the signs of civilization.  On those wonderful cloudless nights, visible celestial bodies will light your way.

If when gazing upward a star should happen to shoot across the sky, a wish will be made.  For the first time Stephanie Roth Sisson is both the author and illustrator of a new title.  Star Stuff:  Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos (Roaring Brook Press, October 14, 2014) presents to readers those moments from childhood to the launch of the Voyagers which defined the life of Carl Sagan.

In the Milky Way galaxy...

Slowly bringing us from our galaxy to the Sun, to Earth, to New York and then Brooklyn we meet a child named Carl.  His appreciation for all things around him helps to fuel his curiosity allowing him to travel beyond the streets of his city.  Supportive parents make sure they visit the 1939 World's Fair.

His true fascination is with stars.  From the time he reads his first book about them at the public library his desire to know more never wanes but increases.  He dreams of possible life in other solar systems.  He reads fiction and nonfiction, everything he can, about worlds beyond planet Earth.

He studies until people call him by his degrees earned, Dr. Carl Sagan.  Efforts are devoted to sending probes into space to send data home about other planets.  Enthusiasm for what he is learning needs to be shared; a television show is the perfect answer.

A final project, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, is probably still traveling through space. It's the gift, a part of each spaceship, which tells the tale of the heart and mind of Carl Sagan.  I wonder if it's found a recipient yet.


One of the things I like about the debut writing of Stephanie Roth Sisson is bringing us full circle; not necessarily with the life of Carl Sagan but in first stretching our sight out to the Milky Way galaxy and ending with the two Voyager spaceships traveling beyond our solar system.  Within this structure she places turning points in Sagan's life and work.  Her research is apparent as very specific details are incorporated into the narrative which flows from each easily understood sentence to the next.  To take us into the proper time and place she inserts speech bubbles filled with personal comments, or voices from radio and television.  Here is a small passage.

He read stories written by people who imagined what life might be like on other planets.  His favorite character, John Carter, could stand with his arms outstretched and wish himself to Mars...


There's something about the look on young Carl Sagan's face as he leans on the window sill gazing at the stars with his toy rocket next to him which calls to the dreamer and adventurer in all of us.  On the back of the matching dust jacket and book case he is lying on his back surrounded by stars with this text next to him:

The Earth
and every living 
thing are made of
star stuff.

The opening and closing endpapers are a darkened sky too, populated by stars and planets.  On the first Sagan as a child is holding his rocket flying it over his head.  Eyes closed in a larger face; Sagan is off to the left in the second.  In the distance one of the Voyager spaceships is floating in space.  On the verso and title page Stephanie Roth Sisson begins to label items on her pictures with red arrows; galaxies, our sun, our planet and the spaceships.

Using mixed media combining drawing and acrylic painting digitally Sisson evokes the true spirit of Carl Sagan.  Her color palette is reflective of the subjects discussed and her clothing, home furnishings, and buildings make us feel like we are side by side with Carl.  Sisson's design and layout asks us to pause and learn about this gifted man.  She shifts her image sizes from large fold-out pages extending vertically to single pages to smaller visuals to double pages divided by panels.  It's exactly what her intended audience will enjoy.

When you see Carl sitting in the library reading about stars for the first time and turn the book vertically opening up the pages to reveal the rooftops of Brooklyn, the edge of our atmosphere and extending to the sun, you will find yourself issuing a silent wow.  The library shelves appear to be real with the table, chairs, Carl, his toy rocket and the book super-imposed on top; an excellent use of collage.


After reading Star Stuff:  Carl Sagan and the Mysteries of the Cosmos written and illustrated by Stephanie Roth Sisson, readers will be inspired to reach high; believing in pursuing a passion.  Carl Sagan's accomplishments are immeasurable.  I am determined more than ever to read several of his books.  An author's note, extensive notes, bibliography and sources and source notes are included on the two final pages.  You must read these.

If you wish to know more about Stephanie Roth Sisson and her other work, please follow the link embedded in her name which takes you to her website and blog.  She was interviewed by author and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Julie Danielson at Kirkus about her process for this book.  Update: On December 4, 2014 Julie Danielson added artwork from the process at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian extraordinaire and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. interviews Stephanie Roth Sisson.  You can get a sense of her passion for this book here too.  Another participant in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, Maria Selke reviews the book here.  At the publisher's website are several more pages from the book for you to view.


Please head on over to Alyson Beecher's blog, Kid Lit Frenzy, to see what other wonderful books are recommended this week during our 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

In Silence Heroes Rise

For nearly five years in the 1950s audiences thrilled to The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin.  During the same year The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin first aired and lasting for nineteen seasons, Lassie was a beloved classic recreated for television.  Even today hearing the opening music for either show brings back memories of watching the episodes each week.

Unbeknownst to me, stretching back to the era after World War I, another canine is responsible for the fame found by dogs on the silver and later the television screen.  Based on factual research, this fictionalized account, Strongheart: The World's First Movie Star Dog (Henry Holt And Company, November 11, 2014) written and illustrated by Emily McCully, shines the spotlight on a little-known hero.  With the assistance of his humans this dog became a household name.

This is the story of Etzel von Oeringen, who became the first movie star dog.

Etzel von Oeringen was born in Germany in 1917.  He was a pup with a lineage firmly in place; champion dogs known and trained to work with police.  During World War I he served in the German Red Cross earning recognition before being sent to American in 1920.

Director and animal trainer, Larry Trimble along with his screenwriter wife, Jane Murfin, wanted to create a movie, a silent film, with a dog in the starring role.  After an initial encounter with Etzel where he exhibited frightening traits relative to his training, the couple still decided to take him from his kennel near New York City back to their home in Hollywood.  Larry worked for weeks with Etzel retraining him for his new occupation.  He needed to focus more on play than work but still be obedient.

Larry and Etzel became more of a team as the dog seemed to anticipate his every move and thoughts; his face actually mirroring Larry's emotions.  Ready to begin the filming of Jane's script, The Silent Call, all Etzel needed was a screen name.  Strongheart was born. 

Strongheart was a natural on the set even performing his own stunts.  This first film with a dog in the lead was a huge hit; earning him a national tour with treatment fit for a star.  Upon his return home, his original training served his humans unexpectedly.  It seemed his fame was destined to flourish whether he was in front of the camera or not.  More movies, a mate and puppies that starred in movies too, extended the legacy of Strongheart: The World's First Movie Star Dog.


Emily Arnold McCully chooses to focus on those points in Strongheart's life most appealing to her reading audience.  Her research provides her with specific examples used to support other statements in the narrative.  By including components of his first three years of training she is able to contrast it with the results gained by Larry Trimble's work with his dog.  Her simple sentence structure works in tandem with the included dialogue creating an authentic portrait of this dog's life.  Here is a sample passage.

In time Etzel
learned to play ball,
to fetch, and to chase.
He loved his toys.  He would take each toy out of
the closet, play for a while, and then carefully put it
back where it belonged.
His favorite was a mouse.  He wouldn't let anyone 
else touch it.


Rendered in watercolor and pen and ink on watercolor paper all the illustrations by Emily Arnold McCully, beginning with the dust jacket, exude warmth.  On the front a mature Strongheart is shown from a scene in a movie.  On the back she places the puppy Etzel within an oval shape surrounded by the same shade of red from the title.  The opening and closing endpapers are five strips of film showing frames from the movies.  Three of the frames have words on them as was done in silent movies.  They are done in black and white placed on the identical rich red background.

McCully has included an introductory title page and a formal title page.  On the first a cameraman is standing behind an alert Strongheart.  A full double-page picture is next with the camera and light crew along with director Larry Trimble to the left of a movie set with actors and Strongheart on the right.  A full color palette is used with exquisite attention given to the smallest of details.  Appropriate clothing, hair styles, buildings and decor in keeping with the time period is evident in all of the images.

The pacing set by the illustrations seems to be similar to what would be found in the silent films of the 1920s.  Emily Arnold McCully uses many smaller visuals to accentuate her text with only a few double or single page spreads to emphasize more dramatic moments.  Her delicate brush strokes and fine line work convey overall mood and singular emotions with skill.

One of my favorite illustrations spans a single page.  It shows the interior of a movie theater premiering The Silent Call.  The audience is in the foreground with a pianist in front of them providing the musical score.  The upper left hand corner shows a close-up of Strongheart on the screen.  This truly captures the historical perspective presented overall in this title.


Strongheart:  The World's First Movie Star Dog written and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully preserves and presents to readers the place this canine holds in film and dog history.  Her narrative flows well captivating her readers and inviting them to do further research about this amazing animal.  A one page Author's Note supplies more details about Strongheart.  A short bibliography follows.

You might enjoy the insights of Leonard Marcus in his review of Strongheart:  The World's First Movie Star Dog found in an issue of The New York Times Sunday Book Review.  He places it with other nonfiction titles.   As usually happens to me every week when I am looking for nonfiction books to review, I found even more interesting primary sources on Strongheart, pages from an article in Photoplay 1921. (Yes...1921!) The links are here, here and here.  This is fascinating reading folks.


I am sending many thanks to Alyson Beecher, educator and blogger at Kid Lit Frenzy for hosting the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge this year. Make sure you visit the other blogs to read about this week's choices.

From The First Breath

You may forget the exact time of day.  The details will fade from your memory.  The way you felt as you watched the puppies being born remains.  Over the course of hours, days and weeks, the relationship of the mother and her new children is fascinating to watch.  How she and they interact in the outside world is a montage of images, increasing the feeling of being witness to one of nature's marvels.

Naturalist, author and artist Lita Judge's new title, Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents (Roaring Brook Press, October 21, 2014) discusses many of the adaptations new babies face in our world.  We travel to varied habitats on six of our seven continents.  New and familiar, prevalent and endangered members of the mammal family are featured.

A baby is born.

This is the first of nine single sentence headings.  Following each, two pages highlight how different mammals, usually three, address each area of their newborns' lives.  Let's see how similar or unlike us they are.

I'll bet you will never look at a squirrel the same way again when you realize baby polar bears are the same size when they are born.  Rather than be food for large cat predators, at least two African newborns are ready to run in hours.  Now threatened grizzly bear cubs drink their mother's milk for two to three years.

I wonder how many of you have walked by a fawn hidden in the grass, staying still for protection for days after birth.  Even as an adult I like the idea of a herd of musk oxen surrounding me if danger is near.  Imagine how safe their calves must be.

Homes in woven grasses, tunnels underground or hollowed trees gave babies needed shelter.  The pouches and backs of marsupials are nature's baby strollers.  Extended families act as teachers and offer protection.

Elephant trunks, cougar tongues and chimpanzee hands offer cuddly comfort.  The fun of play leads to required acts for survival.  Learning by watching and doing can take mere minutes or as long as ten years depending on the skill and the animal.  At any time or any place on our planet, mammals are being born and seeking survival.


With the reading of each nonfiction title written by Lita Judge admiration grows at her skill in presenting knowledge about her subject, as if in conversation she reveals captivating details.  It's a gift to supply information by placing it in the proper perspective so readers can see the connections between nature and their world.  It's as if we have traveled with her to each of these animals' homes, observing them with their young.  Here is a sample paragraph.

A musk ox calf is strong enough to endure harsh Arctic
storms but she is defenseless against hungry wolves.  With
sharp horns, snorts, and stamps, the entire herd forms a tight,
protective circle around the little one, guarding against attacks.

On the dust jacket and book case elegant portrayals of a mother giraffe nudging her curious baby and a small orangutan with closed eyes on the back of their mother convey the essence of each relationship.  Plain opening and closing endpapers are the same color as Born and Wild on the front which in turn is a shade similar to the orangutans' fur.  An inviting design and layout has already captured readers' interest.

On the title page and each of the nine introductory pages a double page depiction of a mother or family with the newest members brings us close to the selected activity.  The pages in-between each of these frame smaller memorable images with white space.  Lita Judge's realistic drawings enhanced with watercolor are simply stunning as she brings you into the intimacy of the moment.

It's very hard to pick a favorite illustration but one of them is the interior visual of the older orangutan with the baby on its back.  They are together among bunches of branches.  The parent with out-stretched arms is showing how to take the leaves forming them into a nest.


Born in the Wild: Baby Mammals and Their Parents written and illustrated by Lita Judge is nonfiction at its best.  Each illustration elevates the text which informs every single reader.  Judge has supported her work with meticulous research as evidenced by the list of written and online sources at the book's end. She has included a glossary of eight terms in which younger readers might not be acquainted.  Four pages are dedicated to supplying more information about the twenty-six mammals showcased in this title.  You might like to use this with Robin Page's and Steve Jenkins' book, My First Day.

Please visit Lita Judge's website to learn more about her other wonderful titles by following the link embedded in her name.  Eight images from the book are shown at the publisher's website.  On author Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog, Cynsations, Lita Judge visits for an interview about this title.






Please stop by Alyson Beecher's blog Kid Lit Frenzy to read about the other nonfiction titles chosen by bloggers participating in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

With Courage And Music

A common cause unites people with differences. It might be a wrong most people feel needs to be made right.  It's a time when barriers fall or are broken.

As a participant in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy, I have been reading more than I normally would about World War I.  I reviewed Stubby The War Dog:  The True Story of World War I's Bravest Dog (National Geographic, May 2014) and more recently the beautifully rendered Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 7, 2014) by John Hendrix, a fictionalized account of true events.  When I read Harlem Hellfighters (Creative Editions, an imprint of The Creative Company, August 19, 2014) by J. Patrick Lewis with illustrations by Gary Kelley, I knew another significant piece for my picture of this world event was firmly and memorably put in place.

RECRUITED IN SONG
April 1916
America's late declaration of war against the Germans filled enlistment offices everywhere.  In New York state, politicians enlisted magnetic bandleader James Europe to help assemble a new black regiment in Harlem. ...

This portion of the first passage follows an introductory page describing the length of the war, the number of casualties, the date when the United States entered this conflict, the number of African American soldiers and their role, the importance of the 369th Infantry Regiment named the Harlem Hellfighters by the Germans, and the leadership of James "Big Jim" Reese Europe and his band (music and soldiers).  On pages eight through thirty-one a portion is dedicated to poetic presentations of facts with supporting illustrations surrounding each of them.  It is a journey back in time, a journey highlighting men of distinction.

Two thousand strong, the 369th Infantry Regiment were recruited in 1916 and trained in South Carolina in the summer of 1917.  By December of this same year they left on a ship named the Pocahontas to make the three week journey to Europe.  Upon their arrival in France, they actually entertained people around the harbor with their own special brand of jazz.

Initially, their service was relegated to

They picked and shoveled dams, built hospitals in mud, laid rail lines spiked in blood, and dredged the port of Saint-Nazaire. 

The year was 1918.  Least you think that was their only purpose, in February they lightened the hearts of troops and boosted morale with their music in the Village of the Baths in the French Alps. Within a month the regiment was moved to the front lines.

In May 1918 Henry Johnson, a member of the Harlem Hellfighters, distinguished himself with bravery on the battlefield with a story documented in history by the honors bestowed upon him.  Their leader, James Europe, wrote some of his most well-known songs when the group found themselves moved back from duty in the trenches.  For six days these brave men fought alongside Frenchmen in the battle at Sechault, France at the war's end.

Freedom came at a high price when the numbers were noted.  Freedom was celebrated in towns throughout France, one to the tunes played by James Europe's band.  Freedom was honored when the Harlem Hellfighters marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City on February 17, 1919.


With each reading the words of J. Patrick Lewis become richer and richer in your mind.  His masterful use of language takes the facts gathered from research weaving them into paragraphs replete with portrayals which transport us to the precise time and place.  By telling the story of these men through separate events, noted by date and sometimes place, Lewis focuses on the most relevant and personal aspects of their contributions.  Here is a sample passage.

ACROSS THE WORLD
December 1917
The Pocahontas, a German-built troopship
seized in war, hauled away its cargo
of men and innocence.


The dust jacket features two images taken from within the pages of this title.  On the front we see the Harlem Hellfighters marching down Fifth Avenue in New York City on their arrival home at the end of the war.  On the back we see a single musician with a trombone in his hand standing in front of the Uncle Sam recruiting poster.  A light, plain, sand-colored matte paper covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Before the formal title page, Gary Kelley displays a gallery of Harlem Hellfighters' soldiers in twenty-four small portraits covering two pages.  A picture of a soldier sitting on a piano bench in front of a piano looks like a worn and torn photograph on the title page.

With his select color palette Kelley opens a door to the past.  It's emotional, personal and perfect.  A structured layout and design with alternate illustration sizes creates a pacing which involves readers sincerely and deeply.  We feel connected to these men through his detailed portrayals of specific scenes.  The accurate representations of attire, accessories, vehicles, buildings, battles and places are striking.

In a series of five illustrations, one more than a half-page on the left vertically and four of equal size on the right horizontally, he gives a haunting vision to J. Patrick Lewis's words

SOMEWHERE
in the mid-Atlantic
fog of history, two
dark ships passed
in the night.

In the largest of the five, a Harlem Hellfighter stands at the rail of the ship heading toward Europe.  On the left amid the fog, clouds and on the sea the sails of a schooner can be barely seen.  With each subsequent image the ship gets closer.  As it gets larger faces of African slaves, chains and shackles about their necks, come into view.

Harlem Hellfighters written by J. Patrick Lewis with illustrations by Gary Kelley is brilliant in its factual and visual representation of these men.  It's no surprise that the Society of Illustrators honored it recently with a silver medal.  It is also one of the selected titles on The New York Times Best Illustrated Books 2014.  On the final page eight sources are included in the bibliography and Gary Kelley lists five artist's notes.

For more information about J. Patrick Lewis and Gary Kelley please follow the links embedded in their names to access their websites.  This link to the publisher's website gives you views of pages from this book.  I have included several more links with information about the Harlem Hellfighters here, here, here and here.





It is a distinct pleasure to participate in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge each week.  Be sure to read about the other books highlighted by bloggers.

Let It Shine

At least half of our days in northern Michigan are without sun.  We have quite a bit of cloud cover even if there is no form of precipitation.  You can't help but crave the feel of those warm rays after a chain of dull gray skies.  No wonder plants bend toward those welcome shafts of light.

On September 30, 2014 the fourth title in an outstanding series, My Light (Blue Sky Press, 2004), Living Sunlight: How Plants Bring the Earth to Life (Blue Sky Press, 2009), Ocean Sunlight: How Tiny Plants Feed the Seas (Blue Sky Press, 2012) was released.  Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed The Earth (The Blue Sky Press) written by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm with illustrations by Molly Bang is a remarkable, informative piece of nonfiction.  Readers of any age will benefit from this title, enjoying every single minute spent within its pages.

I AM YOUR SUN, YOUR GOLDEN STAR.
Even from 93 million miles away,
I warm your land, your seas, your air,
and chase the darkness from your days.

So begins our journey of understanding narrated by the sun itself.  Not only do we, and every other living thing, need energy to exist but we consume it to maintain basics and to bolster our expanding technology.  This energy comes from coal, oil and gas, fossil fuels.

Very simply explained fossil fuels are plants, old, very old, plants buried beneath the surface of the Earth chock-full of sunlight.  When we burn these, the stored energy is unleashed.  In case you are wondering how all this sunlight is kept by those plants, look no farther than one of your first lessons in plant life, photosynthesis.  It's the give-and-take dance performed by carbon dioxide and oxygen creating chains of carbon---sugar.

Did you know this creation of carbon chains and oxygen is almost, yes almost, in balance?  Over millions and millions of years the little bit more of each is Earth's blessing.  But...over the course of life developing on Earth, those millions and millions of years, the imbalance begins to shift when humans start to use the fossil fuels.  All this consumption is releasing more carbon dioxide into the air than can be recycled through our flora and water.

This carbon dioxide, as explained by Bang and Chisholm, is one of many gases creating a cover around the planet.  When sunlight passes through this covering it works its magic, zipping back into space. The problem which is growing at an alarming rate is carbon dioxide is not allowing the heat to go back trapping it underneath the covering.  More carbon dioxide caused by more burned fossil fuels is causing the over-heating of Earth.  Further commentary about the cycle of temperature changes in the life of our planet ends with an undeniable fact and questions asked by the sun.  We need to think.  We need to make choices.

This discussion of fossil fuels written by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm (who has been a professor at MIT teaching Ecology for thirty-eight years) is exemplary in every respect.  After several sentences of conversational factual observations, they follow with a question.  At the turn of the page, an answer is given.  The answer is clearly explained concluding with another question.  Each time a question appears and each time an answer is given we learn more about the balance of life, the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide on Earth.  They take us back to the very beginning before life existed on land up to the present.  Told from the point of view of the sun provides for a broader and more in-depth overview.  Here is another passage.

What makes them "FOSSILS"?
Like dinosaurs, they 
are ancient life that was
buried deep underground.
But fossil fuels are ancient
PLANTS.  They captured
light I shined on Earth
millions of years ago.
All this time, those fossil
plants have kept my
sunlight-energy locked
inside themselves.


The artwork Molly Bang provides for this title is absolutely astonishing beginning with the matching dust jacket and book case.  The front features Earth wrapped in gasses moving in and out from the surface with life forms spread across the continents.  The back showcases an illustration highlighting the formation of fossil fuels with praise for the other three titles in the series.  Opening and closing endpapers are star-filled space.  The two pages dedicated to the title page are a breathtaking view of a sea coast city alight at night.  Beneath the surface spots of energy, fossil fuels, sparkle like tiny suns.

Seventeen pages of pictures spanning both pages, several with smaller images framed as squares and rectangles inset, visualize in intricate details the magnificence of the sun, the array of development on our planet, how fossil fuels are extracted, photosynthesis, the cycle of life, the formation of life on land from the sea, the effects of warming, the gaseous "blanket" and alternate forms of energy. Shades of blue, green, and yellow are prominent but Bang adds other earth tone colors to fill in her palette.  Everything is done with a wide perspective, in miniature, as if we are the sun looking down on Earth.

One of my favorite spreads is for the cycle of life.  Spread across both pages we see huge pale white arrows filled with carbon dioxide and oxygen moving over plants and animals on the land and the sea.  It's a stunning image of the balance needed to sustain life.


Buried Sunlight: How Fossil Fuels Have Changed The Earth written by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm with illustrations by Molly Bang is a must read.  The only way we can become sincere stewards of our Earth is through greater understanding.  This title fills our need to know building a bridge from the science community to younger readers.  But rest assured everyone can benefit from reading this book. Extensive author notes over six pages give additional information.

To learn more about both Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm please visit their websites linked to their names.  There is a special site dedicated to all the titles in this series linked in the introduction.  School Library Journal supplies this post, Earth Day Q&A: SLJ Talks to MIT Professor Penny Chisholm About Her Upcoming Picture Book with Children's Author Molly Bang, for further insights about the book.  TeachingBooks.net has a few links for more details about Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm.

This book, this recommendation, is one of the reasons I am thrilled each week to participate in educator, Alyson Beecher's 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  I continue to be amazed at the quality of work and information given to readers in each title.  Please visit the other blog posts linked to Kid Lit Frenzy this week.

Facing The Facts

There are some animals I would not mind seeing face to face if my safety is assured.  There are other animals I would never want to see face to face even if my well-being is absolutely guaranteed.  For the most part I am grateful to be able to roam among their habitats keeping myself from infringing on their space; happy for their unexpected nearness unless they are one of those critters I would rather avoid.

Truthfully, considering the changing conditions on our planet, I stand in awe of the adaptability of animals as they strive to survive.  A husband and wife team from whom we have come to expect the very best have a new title.  Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 7, 2014) by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page clarifies what we can expect to see when we look certain animals right in their eyes.

Dear tapir:
Why is your nose crooked?
The tapir has a funny nose.  At least, it looks funny to us.  To the tapir, however, its nose is not a joke.

With this first page the illuminating format used by this author illustrator team is revealed.  Each animal is given a question by the narrator.  They, in turn, provide a short, but descriptive answer.

From South America, home of the tapir, we travel across the ocean to locate an Egyptian vulture whose face is absent of feathers, to discover why a bold red and blue color the countenance of a mandrill, and visit a frilled lizard to discuss the odd arrangement around his neck.  We journey back to where we started to ask the red fan parrot why they may or may not be wearing a hat. While we are there we are astonished to note feathers on a harpy eagle direct sound to their ears.

The nose of a leaf-nosed bat, the mouth of a horned frog, the cheeks of a hamster and the body of a pufferfish are closely examined.  Oddly enough the horns on the bighorn sheep come in handy rather than being a detriment to movement.  Did you even know there is a type of pig called a babirusa living in the Indonesian Islands?

Below ground the star-nosed mole and mole rate us exterior physical characteristics to navigate, find food and dig.  Whiskers and gills not feathers allow two animals to function properly under the sea.  The wily spicebush swallowtail caterpillar sports spots on their tails to trick predators into thinking they are snakes.

Black-eyes, furry ears, and purple tongues help to discourage enemies, provide warmth and give protection from the sun.  The blobfish is a victim of gravity out of the water.  Ending up on the Pacific side of the globe we learn of the importance of a sun bear's long (more than nine inches on some) tongue, the cleverness of the shoebill stork's beak, the advantage of the thorny devil's spikes and the two main assets of the rock hyrax.

The comedic wordplay used by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins takes learning about these twenty-five creatures to the best level.  If your interest is held when you acquire new knowledge because you are laughing and it's fun, why wouldn't you remember the actual facts or the experience?  Page and Jenkins form their sentences with a specific audience in mind; an audience eager to explore the fascinating world of animals.  Read a couple of excerpts shown below.

Dear Egyptian vulture:
Why no feathers
on your face?
Are you sure you
want to know?
Really? Okay, I'll
tell you. ...

Dear leaf-nosed
bat:
Seriously, is that 
your nose?
I know, I know---it
looks strange. ...


This will be the eighth book illustrated by Steve Jenkins honored in a post on my blog.  His torn-paper and cut-paper collage pictures never fail to amaze his readers.  Authentic colors and characteristics are highlighted with vivid, bold backgrounds.  On his matching dust jacket and book case the red used in the text for the title becomes the canvas for the image on the left or back.  A pufferfish is speaking to the reader in reply to a question shown in speech balloons.

Dear
pufferfish:
What's happening
to you?

I'm inflating! It's
just something I do.
I don't have time to
explain right now, but
read the book and I'll
tell you more.

Hues of gold, green, black, red, orange, blue, and salmon supply the backdrop for these animal portraits appearing on single pages throughout the title.  Only two, the horned frog and the blobfish, extend across two pages.  Texture and the smallest of details are portrayed through the choice of paper and intricate handiwork.  Research through reliable resources assists in the accuracy of the images.  They appear as if alive.

One of my favorites of the twenty-five has to be the red squirrel.  The quickness of movement is frozen in this illustration.  You can almost hear the squirrel chattering at you for interrupting what must surely be a day spent in storing food for the upcoming winter.


Steve Jenkins and Robin Page have delivered a stellar work of nonfiction in Creature Features: 25 Animals Explain Why They Look the Way They Do.  We feel like listeners of a chatty, informative, humorous talk show.  The final two pages give diet and location of each animal depicted by their silhouettes.  A bibliography is included.  I have a feeling you are going to need more than one copy of this title for your shelves.

By following the link attached to Steve Jenkins name you will be taken to his official website.  This link takes you to an explanation of how the book evolved.  The publisher has produced a series of masks to wear taken from five of the pages.

Creature Features Mask Kit

Be sure to head on over to Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to see what other bloggers have highlighted today as part of the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Lessons From A Gorilla #2---The True Story

On January 28, 2013 I, like many others around the world, was unable to attend the American Library Association Midwinter Meeting And Exhibits in Seattle, Washington. I was however sitting in front of a computer screen listening intently to every single word during the Youth Media Awards ceremony. For the first time in my life when the winner of the John Newbery Award was announced I burst into tears.





Katherine Applegate's book The One and Only Ivan (Harper Collins, January 17, 2012) (my review) is one of those books you will always remember reading for the first time.  You will read it more than once.  You will probably also listen to the audio book.  I knew I needed to share it with as many of my students as possible.  When Ivan passed away I wrote a post, Ivan, Katherine Applegate and Mr. Schu, talking about the impact of reading this aloud to our entire fourth grade student population.  Attending the American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition Banquet to hear Katherine Applegate give her acceptance speech was definitely a lifetime highlight for me.



On October 7, 2014 Katherine Applegate continued the story of Ivan with the release of a new picture book.  Ivan The Remarkable True Story Of The Shopping Mall Gorilla (Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) with illustrations by G. Brian Karas.  It is a worthy companion making Ivan's story accessible for a larger audience including younger readers.

In leafy calm,
in gentle arms,
a gorilla's life began.

When Ivan's story began he had no name.  He was part of group, a family, of gorillas living their lives in central Africa among the trees of a tropical forest.  As a young gorilla he played with and watched and learned from the other members, sometimes riding on his mother's back.

Before he was old enough to know fear of humans, he and another young female were captured by poachers. They were placed in a crate and taken to Tacoma, Washington.  They had been purchased like things by a man who owned a shopping mall.

At first due to their size they were treated like human babies and children, even given names after a contest was held.  The young Burma did not survive for very long.  Alone and growing larger Ivan was placed in an enclosure at the mall.

His singular life was not that of a normal male gorilla, a mighty silverback.  Within the confines of his cage he sometimes watched TV, played with a tire and finger-painted pictures using his thumbprint as a signature.   After many, many years of this existence people, children in particular, began to protest against his treatment.

After twenty-seven years in this environment in Tacoma, Washington, Ivan was placed in Zoo Atlanta, Georgia.  Under the care of professionals he became accustomed to his new home until the wonderful day he got to see grass and sky and be present in the company of other gorillas.  How fitting that Katherine Applegate dedicates the book

For everyone who loved Ivan

I believe the love for Ivan will continue to grow as others learn his story through this book.


With the same adept use of words found in her Newbery title, Katherine Applegate brings the facts of Ivan's life to light.  Each sentence, simple enough for her audience to understand, evokes understanding and compassion.  Older readers will notice the authenticity of her research.  Here is a sample passage.

Ivan was about thirteen
when his coat began to shimmer
with silvery-white hairs.
He'd grown into a silverback gorilla.
In the jungle,
he would have been ready 
to protect his family.

But he had no family
to protect.


Through multiple character sketches, viewing videos and spending a day watching gorillas in a zoo habitat, G. Brian Karas is able to open this book with the close-up of a baby gorilla being held in the arms of a caring adult as seen on the matching dust jacket and book case.  Sky blue opening and closing endpapers compliment his scenes from the African jungle and to me signify freedom lost and freedom found.  His artwork of the tropical forest continues, framing the title page, verso and dedication page.

Karas alters his background colors, cream, white and taupe, to assist in creating an atmosphere.  His illustrations vary in size to heighten the emotion behind the truth of the text.  A full realistic color palette enhances his artistic style, his use of lines and shading, to create a wonderful visual memory for readers.

Two of my favorite illustrations are very moving.  Both cover two pages edge to edge.  The first shows the tiny baby gorillas inside the crate, the darkness surrounding them, as the journey is made from Africa to the United States.  The other is of Ivan at Zoo Atlanta on the day he first steps outside into his new home.  He is seated his silverback to us, looking over his shoulder.  The contrast between these pictures is evident; showing two sides of humanity.  I'll take the one signifying hope.

Ivan The Remarkable True Story Of The Shopping Mall Gorilla written by Katherine Applegate with illustrations by G. Brian Karas is not only a must read but a must own.  The care taken by these two gifted creators in the field of children's literature is obvious on every single page.  Photographs of Ivan are included on the back of the jacket and cover, at the end of the story and as part of the pages dedicated to the author's note.  The final page is four paragraphs from Ivan's keeper, Jodi Carrigan, at Zoo Atlanta speaking about their relationship and the importance of Ivan's life.

Please follow the multiple links in this post to gather more information about both of the Ivan books, the author and the illustrator.  Of particular importance is the blog post written by G. Brian Karas.  It speaks about his process in creating the illustrations for this book.

I am happy to participate in Alyson Beecher's 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted at her blog Kid Lit Frenzy each week.  When I went to link up with the other bloggers, I noted several others talk about this same book today.  Alyson highlighted it last week.  Make sure you read all the wonderful posts.

In The Silence Of The Night

The year is 1818.  In a small parish church in Oberndorf, Austria at the evening mass on December 24th, a new song, sung by the writer and composer, is heard for the first time.  They are accompanied by a single guitar and the choir.  Assistant Father Joseph Mohr had penned the six stanzas in 1816.  Local school teacher and organist, Franz Xaver Gruber, from the nearby town of Arnsdorf had been asked to write the music that very day.  Silent Night, Holy Night is the song.

Over the years whenever I've heard this music, I've immediately thought of my mom.  It was her favorite Christmas hymn.  After reading John Hendrix's new title released yesterday, Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 (Abrams Books For Young Readers) this melody has new meaning.  It began an unprecedented event.

One hundred years ago, a horrible war began.
It was the biggest conflict the world had ever seen.  Journalists would call it the Great War, but it wasn't great at all.  It was dreadful.  Today, we call it the First World War.

With that introductory paragraph, it's as if we've just heard Once upon a time.  We realize we are in the capable hands of an informed storyteller.  Five succinct explanatory paragraphs about this European conflict follow taking us into the treacherous trenches found in France during December 1914.

A young British soldier is writing a letter home to his mother.  In the first few sentences we learn he has been in the same location under increasingly difficult conditions due to terrain, weather and the nearby position of the German soldiers for almost four months.  His descriptions of the mud, rats and their bunkers read like a definition of deplorable.

He continues his letter recounting the happenings of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with a sense of awe.  As darkness fell over the war zone he and his buddies were gathered around a fire when he heard singing.  Who would be so thoughtless as to announce where they were?  When he gathered his courage and peeked over the top of the trench, he couldn't believe his eyes or his ears.

Lined up along the trench on the German side were a row of tiny evergreen trees lit with candles and lanterns.  The German soldiers were singing boldly and bravely, Silent Night, Holy Night.  A Christmas Eve celebration was happening in the last place it should have been.  All night the voices could be heard.

Christmas Day morning brought more surprises and a question was shouted out to the British soldiers.  No Man's Land became a place where comrades were laid to rest, small tokens and stories were exchanged and the traditions inherent in a holiday were observed by men from all walks of life who decided peace was possible.  When an enraged officer appeared as the British returned to their side, his orders for the time being were, as Charlie told his mother, followed to protect what they had experienced.


Again and again, what elevates a picture book to excellence is the passion the author and/or illustrator have for their project.  If it is there, it shines like the brightest beacon in pitch black darkness through the words and pictures.  Every part of this volume created by John Hendrix is luminous.

By including the initial enlightening two pages we are given enough background of the larger picture before the focus shifts to the specific days of the Christmas Truce.  This portion is written clearly enough to be easily understood, especially when using the example of dominoes.  It's a great technique to use something known by most to explain something probably not known as completely.

By having a young solider (he finished school only months before) write to his mother and sign his name at the end of the narrative, makes the experience more personal for readers.  When he relates the conditions within his trench and the surrounding area it gives us a true sense of time and place.  Specific details garnered from research make our involvement all the more real.  Here are a couple of sentences as an example.

Rain means more mud.
The mud here is like none I've ever experienced.  When it rains, a thick, loamy foam churns up from the ground and fouls everything we own.


Of course I first opened the dust jacket removing it from the book case.  To my total delight they are different.  The rich brown extends from flap edge to flap edge acting as a frame for two important visuals.  On the right flap John Hendrix includes a portion of the beginning of the letter and on the left we see a section of the signature at the letter's end.  The illustration on the front signifies the beginning of the truce as told by Hendrix.  On the back we see the men engaged in one of the activities of the day with a key line beneath.

WHY CAN'T WE JUST GO HOME---
AND HAVE PEACE?

My favorite illustration from the book spans across the book case.  In shades of blues and browns, the area of the trenches and No Man's Land on the night of Christmas day is shown.  Stars and a moon shine overhead.  A small glowing Christmas tree is left on the German side, soldiers peering over the edge, one arm raised in greeting.  Charley has stood up after finishing the letter, waving his hand in return.

The same shade of blue in varying intensity is used on the opening and closing endpapers.  There are two different pictures of Charley in his trench.  The first shows the length of the trench as he moves along carrying his weapon and gear.  In the second only a portion of the trench is seen as Charley leans against the wall with his letter.  These both appear in more complete color inside the body of the book.

These illustrations by John Hendrix were

drawn with graphite, fluid acrylic washes and gouache on Strathmore Vellum Bristol.  

Most of them flow across both pages drawing readers deeply into the story.  When necessary to the pacing, a single page, framed or unframed or a smaller illustration will be placed into the overall design.

Details in the scenery, the man-made embankments and bunkers, the equipment and uniforms increases the authenticity.  Another nice touch is to have some portions of the text appear to be handwritten, others in text and still others, the spoken words of the Germans, in another font style.  I think it's important to note Hendrix begins with two pages of wordless illustrations, except for a date, and concludes with the same.

The first time I read this, where I was sitting literally pulled away.  I was in the trench with Charley as he wrote the letter and when he experienced those two miraculous Christmas days.  Shooting at the Stars: The Christmas Truce of 1914 eloquently written and exquisitely illustrated by John Hendrix is a must have title.  At the end of the book an author's note, glossary, bibliography and index are included.  Be sure to read the dedication.

Update:  On Christmas Day 2014 Julie Danielson, author, reviewer at Kirkus and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast posted an interview with John Hendrix at Kirkus.

For more information about John Hendrix and his work follow the link to his website embedded first in this post.  If you follow the second link it will take you to his Tumblr page dedicated to this title.  He has posted several illustrations.  I am so appreciative of this book I am giving away a copy.  



Be sure to head on over to Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to see what recommendations other bloggers are including this week in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  I am aware that my title is a fictionalized account of true events but felt compelled to include it in the challenge because of the thorough research employed by the author/illustrator.

Tunes And Transformation

Still like that old time rock 'n' roll

That kind of music just soothes the soul

I reminisce about the days of old

With that old time rock 'n' roll

Bob Seeger

With strong roots in older styles such as blues, gospel, county and rhythm and blues, rock and roll music took the world by storm in the 1950s.  If you think the appeal of the beat found in these songs has lessened over the years, start playing a selection for a group of children.  Within moments first one, then another will start to move.  Before long all the guys and gals will be dancing to their hearts' content, loving every single minute of it.

A title slated to be released on October 21, 2014 proudly presents the lifetime achievements of one of music realm's greatest musicians.  Rock & Roll Highway: The Robbie Robertson Story (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt and Company) written by Sebastian Robertson with illustrations by Adam Gustavson chronicles this man's road to renown.  His focus never faltering this man is still living his dream.

The Last Waltz
On Thanksgiving night in 1976 the crowd cheered wildly, stomping their feet, demanding the return of their favorite band.  Having just completed a five-hour set of songs, The Band, came out for one more. "You're still there?" Robbie spoke into the microphone, exciting the fans further. ...

From this opening page the clock is turned back to 1945.  As early as two, Robbie was listening to popular tunes of the day coming forth from the family radio.  Frequent trips to the Six Nations Indian Reservation, where his mother had been raised, instilled a love of storytelling in his soul.  Gatherings of relatives, many bringing instruments, increased his desire to make and write music.  He lived and breathed it playing his guitar for hours.

How many kids at the age of thirteen have their own band which later becomes the opening act for a popular group?  Robbie and his buddies did.  He went on to write two songs for Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks, this same band, which appeared on their next album.  Robbie was on his way to the big time; New York City to learn with some great musicians and later a chance to play with The Hawks.

Beginning as the bassist, then as guitarist, Robbie practiced non-stop. How many people sleep with their guitar?  Robbie did.  He was further inspired by seeing and being with musicians such as Jerry Lee Lewis and Buddy Holly.  Then came a phone call bringing about more transitions.

It was Bob Dylan.  The year was 1965.  They toured with Dylan, lived at his home in Woodstock, New York and recorded more music with him.  They became simply The Band, but the music they were developing was anything but simple.  Their sound, a blend of many, contributed to what is known today as Americana Music.

By 1970 Robbie and The Band commanded a huge presence in their field.  How many North American bands make the cover of Time?  They did.  And they did it first.


Author Sebastian Robertson is the son of musician Robbie Robertson, bringing a deeply personal perspective to the writing.  He divides the narrative into sections; each one emphasizing a significant event.  These are noted with headings such as:

Sleeping, 1945
We Are the People of the Longhouse or
Endless Highway---"Hey, Robbie? Ready to Take a Shot?"

This close relationship with the biographee, who is still living, gives the readers a more intimate look with the inclusion of numerous anecdotes. The writing style is informal but informative.


 Opening the dust jacket the illustration on the front shows a younger Robbie seated with his guitar on the back of the Cadillac driven by The Hawks from gig to gig.  It is set in a more rural scene depicting their cross county travels in the American South and all across Canada.  A beautiful full page portrait of a thoughtful, experienced Robertson covers the back.

Each time I read a book illustrated by Adam Gustavson his realistic paintings in oil seem ready to come to life. His illustrations heighten the narrative.  The layout, design and size of his visuals are dictated by his interpretation of the text.  Some pictures have borders; others flow from edge to edge and still more are smaller insets, elements stressing a portion of the storyline.  He uses light masterfully.

One of my favorite illustrations is of a younger Robbie lying in bed.  Resting against the side, near his head, is pictured the top portion of his guitar.  Above his head on the shelf is a transistor radio playing softly.  He is deep in thought, intent on the music.  Light, shadows and the color palette convey a sense of tranquility.


The best thing about nonfiction picture books is each reader brings to the book a certain amount of knowledge.  Sometimes you think you have an understanding of the topic but after reading a particular title, all you can think is "Wow, I never knew that before reading this?"  In reading Rock & Roll: The Robbie Robertson Story by Sebastian Robertson with illustrations by Adam Gustavson my knowledge of this particular musician grew by leaps and bounds.  For younger readers it will certainly serve as an inspiration.  A thorough annotated timeline with photographs is found at the back.  Sebastian Robertson also includes a two page question and answer with his dad.

For more information about the work of Adam Gustavson please follow the link embedded in his name.  To discover more about rock and roll follow the first link in this post to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website.  This link will take you to the publisher's website.  They include eight interior illustrations from this title.

This review/recommendation was written based upon an Advance Reader's Edition I received from my favorite independent bookstore, McLean & Eakin Booksellers located in Petoskey, Michigan.

Every single week I am thankful to be participating in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge at Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by Alyson Beecher.  Be sure to check out the other recommendations listed there.

UPDATE:  Sebastian Robertson is interviewed at Cynsations a blog hosted by author Cynthia Leitich Smith on February 15, 2017

Defined By Childhood

There is no denying the influence of our natural world, the place in which we live and our family during our childhood; ultimately determining the way we live our entire lives.  We can select consciously or unconsciously to emulate those sensory perceptions we experience.  Decisions in opposition to those impressions can also direct the course we take.

Beginning her author's note Patricia MacLachlan says:

Why do painters paint what they do?  Do they paint what they see or what they remember?  The great painter Henri Matisse's life story may have some answers.

In her newest picture book, The Iridescence of Birds:  A Book About Henri Matisse (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press), MacLachlan traces the paths followed as a child and as an adult by this accomplished artist.  Hadley Hooper, illustrator of Here Come the Girl Scouts!, pictures the text

using a combination of relief printmaking and digital techniques.


If you were a boy named Henri Matisse who lived
in a dreary town in northern France where the skies were gray   ...

Let's pause for a minute.  What would YOU do?  Have you figured it out?  Henri, as a young boy, chose to wish for color and the warmth of the sun.

His mother painted plates full of bright hues which were hung on the walls in their home.  She brought the outside inside decorating them with flora and fauna from their surroundings.  Henri helped her by blending basic shades of paint to create other colors.

After a trip to the market, buying fruits and flowers, it was Henri who placed them around their home.  Their town, a mill town, had people who wove vibrant bolts of silk in an array of patterns.  Perhaps to bring more warmth into their home, his mother would hang red rugs on the walls and place them on the dirt floor of their parlor.  Henri noticed the same red on the feet of his pigeons.  He marveled at the shifting shades reflected on their feathers.

In the final nine pages we are offered a comparison.  We are given gifts.  We see his youth mirrored in his lifetime works which have and will continue to stand the test of time.


Clearly Patricia MacLachlan is familiar with the life and art of Henri Matisse as evidenced by her narrative.  Its integrity, a single thought, runs through the pages like a meadow brook, quiet, clear and with purpose.  Her mastery exemplified, she writes a string of poetic ifs, important elements in Henri's life, leading readers to the singular outcomes.  It's so beautiful I keep reading it over and over.


Upon opening the dust jacket we see a single illustration conceived by Hadley Hooper.  On the front, through an open doorway boy Henri is watching his pigeons outside in the yard.  On the left, the back, a grown-up Henri is seated in a chair sketching outside another open doorway.  It's a lovely picture capturing the focus of the writing.  The red pigeon legs, the red chair in which Henri is seated and the red box for the title mirror those splashes of color from Henri's life.  On the title page, a pale dusty green background highlights the fonts and Henri walking with three pigeons following behind him.

All of the visuals extend across two pages in splendid, textured varied perspectives.  Easy but explicit lines define all the parts of each illustration.  We see Henri walking through the darkened streets of his town, hanging plates as his mother paints, taking delight in mixing the paints, arranging fruits and flowers, watching the fabric weavers and tending and watching his pigeons.  When the text shifts to the masterpieces created by the older Henri, Hooper places the young Henri in each of those pictures watching.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of Henri feeding his pigeons.  Shades of blue and green with some red dominate this picture.  A smiling Henri is holding a dish to one of three pigeons on the roof of the dovecote, as two others inside look at him.  Noticeable in this visual, in all of them, is the cheerfulness of Henri.  Each is as uplifting as the narrative.


The Iridescence of Birds: A Book About Henri Matisse written by Patricia MacLachlan with pictures by Hadley Hooper is a breathtaking look at the artist's life.  In words and illustrations with impeccable pacing, readers come to understand the value each aspect of our childhood plays in shaping us as adults.  This is a tribute to the artistic brilliance of Henri Matisse who lived his art and then shared it with the world. An author's note, an illustrator's note and a selected bibliography are included.

For more information about Hadley Hooper and her work please follow the link embedded in her name taking you to her website.  Eight images from the book are available for your viewing at the publisher's website.  This title is set to be released on October 14, 2014.  Don't miss it! UPDATE: Check out this interview of Hadley Hooper at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by Julie Danielson on September 30, 2014.

This review/recommendation is based upon an Advance Reader's Edition which I received from my favorite independent book store, McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan.

Please spend some time at Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by Alyson Beecher to see what other outstanding nonfiction titles have been listed by bloggers participating in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Up And Around And Then Back Down

It can be seen for miles and miles in the distance, a beacon against the horizon announcing a spectacular experience in the offing.  During the day or night this spinning marvel is the next best thing to flying; giving passengers a bird's eye view of the surrounding landscape.  Your heart may be in your stomach but the visual feast is well worth the ride.

What thinker conceived this masterpiece of engineering excellence?  Mr. Ferris and His Wheel (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) written by Kathryn Gibbs Davis with illustrations by Gilbert Ford introduces readers to George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. and his spectacular invention.  It's a story filled with monumental moments.

It was only ten months until the next World's Fair.  But everyone was still talking about the star attraction of the last World's Fair.

Certainly an American could create a showpiece for the 1893 Chicago World's Fair which would surpass the wonder of the Eiffel Tower erected in Paris, France.  George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. saw the national contest as a chance to present an idea he had been carrying around in his mind since childhood.  His structure would be more distinctive.  His structure would move.

At first his plans were dismissed as unrealistic but George knew his wheel would work.  He would use a new metal for its construction, steel.  Not only did the fair judges wait until there was only four months until the opening date before giving permission but they refused to provide any financial assistance to Mr. Ferris.  He was not deterred but determined.

A brutal winter, frozen ground and quicksand made laying the foundation particularly tricky.  Between two steel towers a forged axle was placed, breaking a record for its size and length.  With the fair date looming in the near future, the teams worked nearly nonstop piecing together more than 100,000 parts.  Eight weeks before the fair opened it was almost completed but once the cars were attached would it function?

The elegance and size of the cars, even by today's standards, were mind-boggling.  It must have been breathtaking for George, his wife and their honored guests as they sat in #1 rising up and up.  For fifty cents customers could circle twice around taking a twenty-minute trip.  George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. built his dream at the age of thirty-four.  One hundred twenty-one years later people still feel the thrill when reaching the top of his daring design.


Notice how author Kathryn Gibbs Davis begins by building a feeling of anticipation; like the start of world-class race.  Her narrative gains strength page after page as she describes with details, supported by research, of George's planning with his assistant, William Gronau, of his presentation to the judges, of his pursuit of funding and of his tireless work with his crews to complete the Ferris wheel.  As an extension of facts presented in the main story, Davis supplies two to three sentence paragraphs, in smaller font off to the side, focusing on specifics.  Here is an example.

Two thousand tons of steel began to turn around as the soft clanking of a large chain drove the mighty machine.

Two steam engines (an extra one in case one broke) made the wheel turn.  George had hidden them under the wooden platform where riders boarded.


Unfolded, the dust jacket (and matching book case) illustration spreads in all its nighttime splendor flap edge to flap edge.  The palette of blue, purple and golden yellow shades remains prominent throughout the entire book with accents of rose and green.  With little stretch of your imagination you get a real sense of viewing this scene from a building in Chicago.  If the window were open the newly invented light bulbs, numbering 3,000, would be sparkling in the dusk as sounds from the fair drifted inside your room.

Most of the images created by digital mixed media with ink and watercolor by Gilbert Ford span two pages.  Prior to the title illustration, readers are treated to a single visual of a boy fishing in a pond next to a mill with its wheel gently turning surrounded by a forest.  Tucked into the pond is a quote from the American architect and construction chief of the 1893 World's Fair, Daniel H. Burnham.

The buildings, clothing, daily activities and room interiors carefully reflect the appropriate time period in all of Ford's artwork for this title.  Each scene, with or without people, is alive, animated.  One of my favorite pictures is a panoramic view of the park as the sun is setting.  The lights are beginning to shine in the darkening buildings and on the Ferris wheel.  Leaves on the trees are turning golden and red.  Birds in flight are silhouetted against a rosy red sky with a few stars starting to shine.  You can feel a chill in the air.


The thing about really good nonfiction is it makes you notice everything differently.  After reading Mr. Ferris and His Wheel written by Kathryn Gibbs Davis with illustrations by Gilbert Ford readers will never look at a Ferris wheel the same way again.  They will remember its construction in the context of a World's Fair, which they may not have even known about previously.  They will remember the passion and persistence of Ferris, silently respecting his achievements.  Maybe they will want to know, as I did, how he lived the remainder of his life.  At the close of this title, quote sources, a selected bibliography and websites are listed.

For further information about Kathryn Gibbs Davis and Gilbert Ford please follow the links embedded in their names, taking you to their official websites.  Gilbert Ford has an excellent post on his blog about the process for creating his artwork.

Here is a little extra fun and a tribute to George Ferris courtesy of Google.





Each week dedicating a post to nonfiction has been one of the most rewarding aspects of this year.  I am truly thankful to Alyson Beecher host of Kid Lit Frenzy for her 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  Stop by her site to read the recommended nonfiction selections by other bloggers.

What's That You Say

It's easy to see the importance of quotations, phrases and words when entering my home as they hold places of prominence on my walls.  When reading or writing on my laptop several synonym tabs are always open as is an online dictionary.  Words are powerful and permanent.

Though many can have similar meanings, each one depicts a slightly different slant depending on the context in which it is used.  Collaborators, author Jen Bryant and illustrator Melissa Sweet, whose previous titles, A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (Caldecott Honor winner, 2009) and A Splash of Red: The Life and Art of Horace Pippin (2014 Schneider Family Book Award, 2014 Robert F. Sibert Honor winner, 2014 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award) have returned to depict the life of Peter Mark Roget in The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (Eerdmans Books For Young Readers). Their collected letters and images provide a stunning portrait of a man whose accomplishments will continue to assist others for generations and generations to come.

Peter snuggled deeper into Uncle's lap as the carriage clattered through the valleys of Switzerland.

The death of Peter's father was the beginning of many moves for him, his younger sister Annette, their mother and uncle.  By the age of eight he was beginning his first book, a book of lists.  His mother worried about him constantly especially all his scribbling as she called his writing.  His lists gave him a feeling of contentment and security.

Drawn to the field of science in his teens Peter's favorite book was by another list maker, Linnaeus.  At the age of fourteen Peter entered medical school when his family relocated to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Within five years of dedicated studying, his education was complete.  (I know readers are going to find this nugget of information as astonishing as I did.)

On the advice of his uncle, Peter tutored and toured in France with two teenage sons of a wealthy gentleman prior to beginning his medical practice in Manchester, England.  He was a doctor by day and a creator of lists by night.  Several years later Peter continued as a medical doctor enlarging his practice in London, England.  Always rather shy he began to share his wealth of knowledge through lectures.

From a first draft of a book of word lists in 1805 to the publication of the first Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition in 1852 at the age of seventy-three, Roget married at forty-two and had two children, a daughter and a son.  Although a highly respected member of prestigious societies affiliated with fields of science, Peter Mark Roget continued to maintain his focus on his word collecting.  For his commitment, perseverance and devotion we will always be grateful, appreciative and glad.

Before the narrative begins Jen Bryant includes a quote from Peter Pan by J. M. Barrie, illustrating an entire page, making reference to the importance of a thesaurus in Captain Hook's cabin.  Opposite this is a list beginning with Peter Mark Roget's birth date and the word BORN.  A series of words, twenty-one in number, depicting the growth and aging of a man ends with DIED and his death date.  These two introductions to this biography and this man, displayed as if he had written them himself, are clever and utterly perfect.  

Into essential portions of Roget's life, written with intimate details gleaned from research, Bryant places repeated references to his love of books and learning.  She ties these events together with his continuous search for the right word.  Conversations appearing in speech bubbles in addition to the story line contribute to the authenticity and sense of bearing witness to this man's greatness.  Here is a single sample.

The lists helped him remember his lessons.  They also gave him something to do when Mother peppered him with questions.

PETER, YOU'RE PALE! DO YOU NEED SOME AIR?

MON CHER, DO YOU NEED A NAP?

OH, PETER, WON'T YOU EAT SOMETHING?

MAMA, I'M FINE.

Although, to be honest, Peter thought fine wasn't quite the right word.

(Readers are treated to a list of all the words which could be used instead of fine and several meaning a little less than fine.)

On the book case the open volume pictured on the front is extended to the back in a solid color with a blurb centered in the back.  Melissa Sweet's technique of using watercolor, collage and mixed media fans out from the open pages, objects symbolizing all the many words collected by Peter Mark Roget.  The opening endpapers are vertical strips of text, pages and spines from books.  A list of Roget's one thousand words with a shortened plan of classification covers the closing endpapers.

With every single page turn we see Sweet's mastery displayed.  Each item in her illustrations is carefully chosen to compliment the author's text and the focus of Roget's life.  The title page is covered in blocks stacked one on top of the other, displaying letters and chosen subjects, replicating the building of the lists.  Everywhere you look the detail is exquisite. 

One of my favorite illustrations is that highlighting the text quoted above.  Roget is pictured in silhouette thinking fine encased in a bubble.  His other fourteen words are included in distinctive fonts on various papers and even leaves.  Melissa Sweet literally pieces together people's lives with her visuals.  To see these in their original form would be grand, spectacular, marvelous and breathtaking.

I highly recommend, endorse and suggest everyone read and obtain a personal copy of The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus written by Jen Bryant with illustrations by Melissa Sweet.  Classrooms and libraries will want more than one.  A two page List of Events mingles dates of Roget's life with world events giving us a broader viewpoint.  Informative and interesting one page author's note and illustrator's note follow.  A selected bibliography, a list for further reading and sources are listed.  

Be sure to visit Jen Bryant's and Melissa Sweet's websites by following the links embedded in their names.  At Jen Bryant's page for this title you will find extra resource links and a discussion guide.  Here is a link to a post at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by Julie Danielson where Melissa Sweet talks about her process for illustrating this title.  UPDATE:  This book is part of a trifecta on September 16, 2014. Visit the Nerdy Book Club for a review by Donalyn Miller, Watch. Connect. Read. for an interview of Jen Bryant by John Schumacher and sharpread for an interview of Melissa Sweet by Colby Sharp.  UPDATE:  Here is a five question interview of Melissa Sweet at Eerdlings, Official Blog of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.  Here are two brand new videos with Melissa Sweet and Jen Bryant speaking with students about this title. (February 24, 2015)

Don't forget to stop by Alyson Beecher's blog Kid Lit Frenzy for see what other great books have been listed this week for the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.