An Appetitie for Bravery

In August 1945 as World War II was ending Korea was divided at the 38th parallel into North Korea and South Korea.  The politics of the evolving rulers were distinctly different.  On June 25, 1950 the North Korean army crossed the 38th parallel invading South Korea.  United States President Truman appealed to the United Nations.  They first asked for the invasion to cease.  On June 27, 1950 they asked for member states to provide military assistance to the South.  (Allan R. Millett, contributor, Korean War, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., July 17, 2017)

United States Marines were sent to fight in a war which lasted for three years.  During their service one group made the acquaintance of a red mare, smaller than most horses.  Sergeant Reckless: The True Story Of The Little Horse Who Became A Hero (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 12, 2017) written by Patricia McCormick with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno chronicles the remarkable service of this animal.

The small red mare whinnied for her supper.  

During combat the desires of a horse are hardly worth noting but the men led by Lieutenant Eric Pedersen were ready to drop.  They had been carrying ammunition, large shells, to a cannon at the top of a hill.  The cannon was called the "reckless" rifle.  Lieutenant Pedersen wondered if this horse was capable of carrying the ammunition.

Having no hay on hand, the horse was inclined to eat everything offered to her.  Like all new recruits she would go through training.  She was given the rank of Private Reckless.  She learned to avoid incoming fire by kneeling and retreating.  There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for food.  Her trainer Sergeant Latham found she loved chocolate bars.  Equipped with a special saddle for the shells (each weighing more than twenty pounds) she learned to carry them to the gun.

Her love of any kind of food earned her the same breakfast as the other Marines, eggs, toast and coffee.  She discovered the cook's tent and woke him up every morning.  Reckless was still untested in battle until one morning.

Like any normal living being the sound of the cannon firing scared her airborne several times but eventually that horse would carry her load up the hill again and again.  Reckless had proved her worth becoming one of the soldiers.  Later on March 26, 1953 the Battle of Outpost Vegas, a five-day battle began.  On this day the little red mare was a giant among the human members of her unit, distinguishing herself with honor.


With her opening sentences Patricia McCormick introduces readers to the stature of Reckless and her seemingly unimportant place in the scheme of the war.  This is a wonderful way to highlight the contrast of her eventual accomplishments and the faith of Lieutenant Pedersen in her capabilities.  Slowly she builds, incident by incident, the horse's growing presence with the Marines.

Her research is evident in the accounts of Reckless's training and the food used to reward her specifically an ice-cold Coca-Cola when she first carried shells in her saddle up a hill.  McCormick continues with Reckless's relationship with the cook, her behavior during a card game and a tension-filled account of the Battle of Outpost Vegas.  Here is a sample passage.

Without a word of urging, she broke into a trot and
then a gallop.  The heavy shells banged against her
sides as she hit the steep incline.  The first rays of
dawn were lighting the sky as she arrived at the top
of the trail, her flanks heaving.


When first looking at the front of the dust jacket one word comes to mind, respect.  The presence of Reckless looking out at readers, carry the ammunition shells with her much deserved honors stretched behind her demands we take notice.  The color palette evokes a sense of honor.  Spanning both pages the three golden yellow strips cross the spine to the left.  Above them on the same royal blue background are two photographs of Reckless with her handler and her Identification Card after she was given the rank of sergeant.

A different hue of the same blue covers the book case.  It is designed like a scrapbook cover with an intricate double border.  On the front beneath the title is a photograph of Reckless loaded with ammunition climbing up the hill.  To the left, on the back, patches, bars and medals awarded to her are shown as if in a display case.  The opening endpapers are a collage of newspaper headlines about the war in Korea.  On the closing endpapers another collage depicts official documents about Sergeant Reckless with a braid, medals and a patch.  Above the text on the title page is a picture of a statue dedicated to Sergeant Reckless.

Rendered in pencil and colored digitally the illustrations by Iacopo Bruno, all spanning two pages with the exception of two single-page pictures, create a genuine portrait of the horse's place with the Marines.  As the images cross the gutter they do so flawlessly.  The text is cleverly set in an element relative to the scene being depicted; a page in a manual, a sign outside the cook house, a playing card or the inside lid of a first aid kit.

The chosen color palette is suggestive of historical events but still uses full color.  The affection the troops felt for Reckless is evident and humor is part of several images as dictated by the text and what we know about Reckless.  In the closing illustration as she stands with two Marines in full dress uniforms on either side of her she is leaning to the right ready to nibble the soldier's hat.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  On the left Reckless is in her stall leaning her neck and head out to a Marine on the right.  In his right hand is her lead.  He stands in full combat gear wearing his helmet.  He is kissing Reckless' muzzle as she nuzzles him.  We are brought in close to this moment.  This illustration captures the extent of the Marines' love of this horse.


Sergeant Reckless: The True Story Of The Little Horse Who Became A Hero written by Patricia McCormick with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno is one of those nonfiction picture books which brings to readers a part of history which serves to illuminate the tie animals can have with humans.  This horse risked everything to provide assistance to those men.  I highly recommend you place this title on your professional and personal bookshelves.  It will promote further research and discussions about the value of animals in our lives.

To learn more about Patricia McCormick and Iacopo Bruno and their other work please follow the links to their websites attached to their names.  Iacopo Bruno has two other sites here and here.  The publishers have designed an educator's guide for your use.


Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy to view the other titles suggested by bloggers participating in the 2017 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by educator Alyson Beecher.

Waving Her Wand

On January 19, 1920 my mother was born on a farm in a small town outside the capital of Michigan.  On August 18, 1920 the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified; no citizen shall be denied the right to vote based upon sex.  When you consider the ratification of the United States Constitution in 1788 (our system of government began operating under the United States Constitution in 1789), it's hard to believe the first generation of women who grew up with the right to vote by constitutional amendment was my mother's generation.  In 2016 Hillary Rodham Clinton is the presumed nominee for President of the United States for the Democratic Party.

As you can imagine not only in the United States but all around the world women struggled to achieve this equality.  Prior to this achievement (and still today) if a woman assumed or pursued a role outside of the expected or accepted norm, it was not easy.  Anything But Ordinary Addie: The True Story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic (Candlewick Press, April 12, 2016) written by Mara Rockliff with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno highlights the considerable accomplishments of an extraordinary woman.

Addie never wanted to be ordinary.

This girl certainly was not going to conform to the status quo.  In fact, noticing an ad in a newspaper one day, she secretly pursued a plan which landed her on the stage in front of a live audience.  She was excellent but as far as Addie was concerned, it was still not astonishing.

Her next attempt at being daring and different had her traveling from London to other large European cities, dressed in appalling (for this time in history) attire riding on a new invention.  (The name given this mode of transportation has changed but it remains.) Addie's delight in exploring the world had her on a ship from Europe across the ocean to America.  It was in New York City, at the age of 21, that she married a fascinating gentleman, a magician named Alexander Herrmann.

They built his one man extravaganza into a show together and then added more artists.  In fact, Addie ended up being shot out of a canon!  Fearless to a fault, there was a single trick which Addie begged Alexander not to do, The Bullet-Catching Trick.  (I wonder how it would have been to sit in the audience watching a row of riflemen shoot at someone holding only a plate for protection.)

After more than twenty years together, Alexander suddenly died as they traveled by train between shows.  This is when Addie decided to do the most uncommon thing of all.  She would continue to keep the show alive.  She would become the main attraction as a magician doing what was rarely done.  For her entire life she lived as her younger self had imagined.


The research for a particular nonfiction subject is nearly always challenging but for some topics it is even harder.  In two separate author notes at the end, Mara Rockliff offers further explanations about the life of Adelaide, Alexander and their family of entertainers.  She also delves into the search for information about Addie which is a bit of a detective story.

In presenting Adelaide Herrmann as a living breathing person, Rockliff begins with a sentence which ties all other details of her life together. This mantra or viewpoint Addie had on how to embrace everything creates a subtle tension or force behind all her decisions and the narrative of this book.  It supplies readers with a series of pauses and exclamation points within a truly amazing existence.  Rockliff repeats key words and phrases to enhance this flow.  Here is a sample passage.

Alexander was no ordinary husband.
He set fire to Addie.
He chopped off her head.
He made her vanish
(poof!)
into thin air.

The two of them got 
along splendidly.

Together, they
ASTONISHED,
SHOCKED,
and
DAZZLED
audiences around
the globe.


Rendered in pencil and colored digitally all of the illustrations beginning with the matching dust jacket and book case are as alluring as Addie.  Designed to mirror the look of a stage on both the front and the back with pillars framing the pictures on each, readers are taken to an era from the past.  Iacopo Bruno includes details on the front depicting the love of animals which Addie and Alexander shared.  They used them in their acts.  He includes Addie's flare for elaborate clothing, the flying cards and Addie's wand.  There is most definitely magic in the air.  On the back, to the left, scrolled, intricate letters, A and H, are intertwined on a background of deep rich red.  The opening and closing endpapers announce the changes over the course of Addie's career.

Nineteen full, two-page visuals portray the life of this remarkable woman.  A technique Bruno uses is to highlight portions of the image in a wide white line making those elements appear to stand out from the others.  It gives the pictures a 3-D effect.  In the first illustration for the first sentence most of the picture is done in sepia tones except for Addie.  She is in full color.

Throughout the book, Bruno places small visuals within larger wholes adding interest and expanding the narrative.  The text is carefully fitted within portions of the pictures in areas provided by Bruno; inside a big drum, curtains on a stage, the side of a ship or on the back of a woman's dress in the audience.  For most of the book, the moods of the characters are happy and light, but the illustrations adeptly depict the sadness of Alexander's death on the train and the state of the show at his passing.

Repeatedly for emphasis the viewpoint zooms into the page.  Pieces of newsprint add to authenticity.  Attire of the general public and specifically the Herrmanns supplies a real sense of time and place.

One of my favorite pictures is of Adelaide and Alexander seated at the captain's table on a ship.  Large borders on both sides showcase cards, golden balls moving through fingers, large rings, a rabbit above a top hat and a hand waving a wand.  In the center at a large table set for an extensive meal sits the foursome.  Alexander is making the roses rise from the centerpiece.  Adelaide is gasping in pleasure and surprise.  There is a glow to this scene.


Anything But Ordinary Addie:  The True Story Of Adelaide Herrmann Queen of Magic written by Mara Rockliff with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno is as dazzling as the subject.  This collaboration by Rockliff and Bruno demonstrates their ability to make the same kind of wonderful nonfiction picture book as given to readers in Mesmerized:  How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France (Candlewick Press, March 10, 2015.  If a woman can rise above the prejudices of her time and do so garnering respect and admiration from her peers, this will inspire others to do the same even if their circumstances are not entirely identical.

To learn more about Mara Rockliff and Iacopo Bruno please visit their online presence by following the links attached to their names.  At two separate publisher websites you can view images from the interior of this title, here and here.  Candlewick Press provides an activity kit linked here.


Please be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the other titles selected this week by bloggers participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Rational Results

This spring many gardens are filled with newly opened daffodils, hyacinths, primroses and tulips alongside untreated lawns covered in the golden yellow of dandelion blossoms.  Let's just suppose for a moment you woke up this morning, bucket and digger in hand, to discover all those weeds had vanished.  Wherever you look, every single inch, is missing those tell-tale leaves and buds.

While you are rejoicing in this phenomenon, the thought this is too good to be true might move through your mind.  If we were to travel back in time during the American Revolution, we would encounter another series of events taking place in Paris, France, with questionable outcomes.  Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France (Candlewick Press, March 10, 2015) written by Mara Rockliff with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno discusses the examination of Dr. Mesmer's work by the famous American.

While the American Revolution raged at home, Benjamin Franklin sailed to France.  His goal?  To charm young King Louis the Sixteenth and Queen Marie Antoinette.  Ben wanted them to send money and soldiers to America.

Several things caught Ben's attention upon his arrival in France.  People were cheerfully chatting about new discoveries.  Gas, hot air and electricity were top topics.  They were thrilled with Franklin's use of the scientific method during his kite experiment.  These subjects were quickly pushed into the background though by the work of Dr. Mesmer.

This man waved an iron wand said to carry an invisible force capable of creating a variety of flavors in the same single glass of water.  This force was proficient in curing whatever ailed an individual.  As you can well imagine, physicians of the day were in an uproar, reporting their displeasure to King Louie.  He, as king, needed a resolution to this quandary.

King Louie felt there was no one better able to shed light on this dilemma than his guest from America.  Putting into practice his successful approach, Franklin worked with Mesmer's assistant, Charles.  Comparisons were made between patrons' outcomes and Franklin's own to the force.  

An idea started to form.  Moving from his hypothesis to repeated tests, this man of science was able to report a surprising but well-founded conclusion to King Louie and Queen Marie Antoinette.  It would appear people needed to place more faith in themselves.  The mind does matter.


With a flair for presenting facts with engaging energy, Mara Rockliff tells the story of these events as well as including the process of the scientific method.  To further enlighten readers, she does not stop with Franklin's discovery but continues with the impact today of Dr. Mesmer's work and Benjamin Franklin's revelations.  Phrases such as

giggled at a gas...
gasped at the balloon...
gaga over...

involve readers through the use of alliteration.

Rockliff uses repetition and contrast to reinforce ideas.  The inclusion of French words takes us to the place and time in which these people interacted.  The overall feel of these combined techniques in the text is lively which is exactly how I like my history.  We need to believe these people could walk off the page or we could step into the moment with them.  Here is a sample passage.

Doctors were furious.  Their patients didn't
care about regular medicine anymore.  All they
wanted was a wave of Dr. Mesmer's wand.
                  The doctors griped---
                         and groused---
                                and fussed---
                                       and fumed.
Dr. Mesmer's force was not like electricity, a gas, 
or the hot air in a balloon, they told the king.
Non?                            Au contraire!
The reason nobody could see or touch it was...


The radiant rich red on the matching dust jacket and book case is as magnetic as the supposed force of Dr. Mesmer.  On the back, to the left, of the opened duo we see a hypnotic two-toned set of circles around the stylized capital letter m.  The layout on the front proposes the dichotomy between the two men; the one flamboyant in his presentation, the other down-to-earth in his methods.  On the opening and closing endpapers the same set of circles now in blue, yellow and teal are placed in a pattern signifying hypnosis.  In one of them is the capital letter M on a white background.  Beneath the title on the appropriate page the two men are standing on either side of The Baquet.  

Rendered in pencil and colored digitally Iacopo Bruno dazzles readers with an array of intricate illustrations ranging in size from double-page depictions to small decorative insets, bringing the past into the present.  The design of each element contributes to deft pacing.  Diverse fonts, shifting from print to script, in a variety of sizes supplies emphasis and emotional impact.

Body postures and facial expressions allude to the true personalities of the characters as well as furnishing humor.  The attention given to historical accuracy is evident.  One of my favorite pictures is the first two pages of this book.

Spanning both pages is a map with portions of North America, Europe and Africa done in muted blues, greens and browns.  A compass rose is placed in the upper left-hand corner.  There is a path traced across the ocean from Philadelphia to Paris with a schooner moving in the waves.  A squid with legs upraised is featured beneath it.  On top of Africa is a portrait of the King and Queen of France with their names in a ribbon of purple. Positioned over most of North America is the figure of Benjamin Franklin dressed in his signature attire, glasses moved to his forehead as he looks through a spyglass.  His body extends beneath the frame.  To his left is the text for this section with a Revolutionary soldier waving a flag above 1776.


Mesmerized:  How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery that Baffled All of France written by Mara Rockliff with illustrations by Iacopo Bruno is outstanding; one of the best nonfiction picture books of 2015.  You will read it the first time for the narrative, the second time you will frequently pause to look at the images and the third time you will read it aloud for the pleasure of the combination of the two, narrative and images.  This is going to be a popular book with every reader.  At the conclusion of the story are pages devoted to an extensive author's note and sources.

To discover more about Mara Rockliff and Iacopo Bruno please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  To view an interior picture follow this link to the publisher's website.  Beneath the review at Shelf Awareness is an interview with Mara Rockliff and Iacopo Bruno about this title. At TeachingBooks.Net are additional resources about Mara Rockliff and Iacopo Bruno.


Please stop by Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to see what books are highlighted by other participants in the 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge this week.