Knock, Knock - Perfect Picture Book Friday #PPBF

     In a post last month I hinted at this treat!
     I met Bryan Collier at the PA SCBWI Fall Fest. I sat next to him in the audience and got a delightful shock when he introduced himself. If you aren't familiar with Mr. Collier's work, go find it NOW. He has illustrated more than twenty-five picture books, including the award-winning Dave the Potter and Fifty Cents and a Dream, won three Caldecott Honors and four Coretta Scott King Awards

     Lucky for those of us at the conference, Mr. Collier had copies of his newest project available for sale, before the official release date (December 17, 2013). The project was the illustration of actor, singer, writer, composer Daniel Beaty's first picture book, Knock Knock. If you are familiar with Mr. Beaty, you may have seen his Youtube recitation of a poem by the same name. The profoundly personal poem addresses Mr. Beaty's feelings of growing up with his father in prison. The picture book addresses the broader issue of growing up with an absentee parent, not necessarily one in prison. When I sat next to Mr. Collier and read this book for the first time, it brought tears to my eyes.

Title: Knock Knock
(I don't usually include a link to the title, but in this case
Mr. Beaty's other works using the same name come up pages before
the book if you search the title)
Author: Daniel Beaty

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Publisher: Little Brown and Company, 2013
FICTION

Themes: Absentee parents, loss, self-esteem

Audience: 3+ (note: serious subject matter)

Opening:

Every morning, I play a game with my father.

He goes knock knock on my door

and I pretend to be asleep

till he gets right next to the bed.

Synopsis: A young boy goes through feelings of loss and grief when his father is no longer in his life. A letter from his father helps the boy find strength in himself.

Why I like this book: I grew up from the age of five without a father and this book captures those emotions vividly. While this book's serious subject may not be everyone's choice for a holiday book, it is a work of poetry and art that transcends the subject matter. Mr. Beaty doesn't flinch from addressing hard emotions and Mr. Collier captures those emotions in his watercolors and collages where a boy's wish in a letter becomes a paper airplane flying over rooftops of faces and the image of a boy old enough to shave bubbles up from the child's outline beneath. I found myself discovering new layers of imagery each time I flipped the pages. The walls of a child's bedroom don't just hold up the ceiling, the structure of the room itself is an emotional mirror with catch-your-breath beauty. Although this topic could be depressing, the final message is an uplifting one about personal empowerment. Try to keep eyes dry when you read: "...for as long as you become your best, the best of me still lives in you."

Activities/Resources: Although this book isn't officially released until next week. Elizabeth Bird did an advance review in the School Library Journal during her Caldecott/Newbery predictions (yes, it's that good!). The Horn Book also reviewed the title on November 13, 2013. Teaching books.net has several author/illustrator resources, although nothing specific to this book. Little Brown and Company Books for young readers has the book posted on their site, but I didn't find any curriculum guides for it yet.
I believe this book is a perfect way to explore the topic of emotions--any emotions--through collage. Using a sheet of plain paper, glue and cut-out pictures from magazines, or just shapes torn from colored paper, a child can explore one way to express emotion non-verbally. Talk about other ways to express emotion (good ways and not so great ways like throwing things or yelling). And in the spirit of the holidays, perhaps go pick out a present for a local toy drive.

This review is part of Perfect Picture Book Friday where writers share their reviews of recommended picture books. Perfect Picture Book Friday was the brainchild of talented author/writing mentor Susanna Hill. Her blog keeps a list of the recommended titles.

Thanks for visiting. I'd love to know what you think in the comments. What other books have you seen on this topic?

Dave The Potter - Perfect Picture Book Friday

In earlier posts this year I reviewed the most recent Charlotte Zolotow award winning books. In that same vein I’ve been reading (or re-reading) the Caldecott winners. Although I’m not an artist, I believe that many of the Caldecott winners were inspired by the words in their stories (if there were words!). 
The book I review today is one of those amazing word/illustration combinations, a 2010 Caldecott Honor book and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award. This is a gem. It illuminates a personal journey and transports the reader in time. Read it, man, read it (Did you hear the Scottish accent of the Scotts brand lawn product spokesperson when you read the last sentence? If not, go back and try again.)

Title: Dave the Potter

Author: Laban Carrick Hill

Illustrator: Bryan Collier

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2010

Audience: ages 3 and up 

Themes: Biography, Individuality, Art, Black History

Opening: Let me preface the words by saying how much I LOVE them—

“To us

It is just dirt,

The ground we walk on.

Scoop up a handful.

The gritty grains slip

Between your fingers.”

Synopsis: The author’s lyrical prose tells the story of a slave whose talent allowed him to make some of the biggest clay pots in colonial America. Other potters didn’t have the strength to lift the clay or the talent to keep it from collapsing. Amazingly, although slaves weren’t supposed to learn to read or write, Dave inscribed his pots with lines of poetry and anecdotes of the age, preserving a piece of history for generations. Get out your thesaurus and find the word 'stunning' --the text and illustrations are all of these.

Resources: I am not the only person who loves this book. There is a Youtube reading from ReadMeAStory1, but I didn't embed the link because it didn't move me as much as reading the book on my own. Other videos talk about the book in the context of an actual potter's work. If you can put up with the bad audio, you might like this.  If you search "Dave the Potter activities" online, you will get pages of suggestions. My favorite is from the Milwaukee Art Museum's participation in The Dave Project. Pages of suggestions there alone. If you had fifteen words that would last forever, what would you want to say? Get out the clay and make your own lasting tribute to Dave. The publisher's website has a teacher's guide for classroom activities. 

If you had fifteen words that would last forever, what would you want to say? 

This certainly puts the under 500 word picture book preference into perspective! I'm thinking on my fifteen words...

This review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.