Updated News for Lola Shapes the Sky

 Every now and then I stumble on news I SHOULD have seen. 

Thanks to Ishta Mercurio for sharing  and writing a delightful review of Paolo Domeniconi's beautiful cover of my debut  picture book --two years ago!! 

And thanks to the publisher for negotiating international rights with China! 

drawn together by Minh Le #PPBF Review

2018 Recommendations-- Perfect Picture Book Friday

drawn together by Minh Le

The pace of technological inventions creates a generational divide for everyone, even if there isn't a language barrier. If children are lucky enough to have living grandparents, and to live close enough to see them, it's heart-breaking to think that anything else could stand in the way of a relationship between them. Today's rec is a sparse text with gorgeous illustrations that spoke to me on several levels. This book releases next month but is available for pre-order now.


Title: drawn together                          
Author: Minh Le
Illustrator: Dan Santat
Publisher: Disney/Hyperion, June 5, 2018
Intended Ages: 4-6 (note: theme/art for all ages)
Themes: Grandparents, Art, Communication

Opening Line: "So . . .what's new, Grandpa?"  Note: this line of text comes after multiple wordless spreads that set the mood and scene.
Synopsis: Spare text married with a mix of graphic novel style panels and traditional picture book spreads explores the emotional distance a young boy feels when his mom drops him off to visit his Grandpa. Although family, the young boy and Grandpa don't speak the same language--or do they . . .?

What I like about this book: While the story uses multicultural multi-generational characters, the message about building bridges of communication applies to all people of all ages. Silence may be golden for some, but often it's a painful reminder that we don't know what to say. I'm a huge fan of double entendre titles, and this one doesn't disappoint.

     The illustrations carry much of the story in sly glances, frowns and smiles, making clear that neither character is comfortable in the situation. Cultural and language barriers divide them. Yet by finding a common passion, two people gain a new understanding and appreciation for each other. The use of color and chaotic complex illustrations bring the flood of emotions to life. Caldecott Medalist Dan Santat does not disappoint! I think I like this one better than Beekle (and that's saying a lot!) I was reminded of the scenes from the movies The Matrix and Lucy where everything whirls and falls into place. 

     Note: the cover actually gives away the story ending, but I didn't notice it on my first reading, so don't look too hard at it! And if you're wondering what Grandpa is saying, there is a "translation" on the title page. I didn't see that in my first reading either, and it didn't matter. This book is one that can seriously be described as breath-taking and one that invites readers to revisit it again.

Resources/Activities: 

• Brainstorm ways to communicate without using words.  If you have never played charades before, give it a try!
• Pick one subject and then draw pictures together as a family. Do the pictures all look the same? Why or why not?
• Do something nice for someone you don't usually talk to. Does your kind action start a conversation?
• Get out crayons, markers, pencils, collage materials or whatever different types of art supplies are available and color in the same picture (or if you don't have the same picture printed off to color in, make a similar picture with each medium). Which do you like best?
• Try eating food from a different culture than what you're accustomed to.
• Call/visit your grandparents and give them a hug. Talk about what you have in common. If you don't have grandparents available, ask anyone you want to know better to participate.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoy my selection this week.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about it in the comments!
Note: May 23, 2018 Cynthia Leitich Smith has an interview with Minh Le about this wonderful book. 

This review is part of PPBF (Perfect Picture Book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books. Organized and curated by author Susanna Leonard Hill, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF

Note: My review is based on a review copy received from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. No other compensation was received.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Kali's Song - Perfect picture book Friday #PPBF

    What does this book have to do with Valentine's Day? Absolutely nothing, except that I loved it. Look to last week's post for the book I picked about a decidedly awkward pair of lovers.
     If you read and enjoyed David McPhail's Mole Music (which is one of my all time favs), the book I feature today is for you!
    
     Title: Kali's Song 

     Author/Illustrator: Jeanette Winter

     Publisher: Random House (Schwartz and Wade) 2012
     FICTION
   
     Audience: 4-8

     Themes: Art, Inspiration, Prehistoric people

     Opening Lines: "Thousands and thousands and thousands of years ago a boy watched his mother paint animals on a cave wall."

     Synopsis: His parents think Kali is preparing for his first hunt, but Kali has found another use for his hunting bow, creating sounds that bring his world to a standstill.

     What I like about this book: The use of long sentences in a brief text fits this book's quiet but strong message. Even though hunting is a necessary and revered part of prehistoric society, this book imagines a child whose status is elevated above hunter by his ability to charm the world with his music. The torn edges of the handmade paper used in the background of the illustrations give the book the feel of a scrapbook, recounting a real time in history. The figures in the illustrations have a spare, cave-like feeling that keeps the focus with the story. The combined package pulled me in and I connected with the story and characters.

     Activities/resources: Mr. Schu has gathered his own interview and several reviews on his blog. Ms. Winter doesn't appear to have a website, but as the author of 50 books, she does have a web presence if you search her name. This book is the perfect jumping off point for making your own instruments with simple directions on Kinderart and more complex instruments featured in Pinterest tutorials. After reading, children can also make their own cave paintings with instructions from Ann Arbor News (my personal favorite!)
For older readers, this story is a jumping off point for a discussion of what it means to be "powerful." This calm, quiet text nails it. It isn't the muscles or the weapons that had the biggest impact.

  This review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. Along with tons of writing wisdom, she keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. #PPBF

How many of you have read this book already? If it's new to you, it's the kind to find and treasure.

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.

The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau by Michelle Markel – PPBF

In a short discussion about picture book biographies, a fellow participant in Julie Hedlund’s 12x challenge reminded me of this book on my shelf. While we are used to seeing picture books with child, or child-like protagonists, biographies are one area in which adults are prevalent. The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau is unusual perhaps because there isn’t a hint of Henri’s childhood. The opening takes my breath away-imagining Henri beginning his artistic journey. The illustrations are similarly inspiring, done in Rousseau’s style--lush, bold and playful.

Title: The Fantastic Jungles of Henri Rousseau  
Author: Michelle Markel 
Illustrator: Amanda Hall
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2012 Audience: 3+ years of age 
Themes: Art, Dignity, Persistence, Self-Belief

Opening:  “Henri Rousseau wants to be an artist. Not a single person has ever told him he is talented. He’s a toll collector. He’s forty years old. But he buys some canvas, paint, and brushes, and starts painting anyway.”

Synopsis: Readers expecting quick success will be disappointed. Henri Rousseau endured years of criticism and derision from the art community in Paris. But he knew that he wanted to paint, he knew it made him feel alive, it let him visit exotic places in his mind, and so he kept painting. It wasn’t until late in his life that he enjoyed a modicum of success.

Activities/Resources:To get a taste of this book you can visit Eerdman's book trailer: Author Michelle Markal has a discussion guide for the book on her website. This book is a useful springboard for discussing why some people like certain types of art and how art is valued. Then grab the markers, paints, pencils and crayons and make some art!

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.

ME and MOMMA and BIG JOHN by Mara Rockliff – Perfect Picture Book Friday

One of my first posts was about the Eastern Pennsylvania SCBWI Fall Fest conference I attended last November. We had a choice of workshops to attend. One of the sessions I chose was led by author Mara Rockliff. Mara came across as a hard-working, practical writer, humble about her achievements and generous with her time and advice to those of us in attendance. This is one reason I was especially excited when Mara’s book, Me and MOMMA and BIG JOHN was chosen as a Charlotte Zolotow award honor book for 2012.

Title: ME and MOMMA and BIG JOHN

Author: Mara Rockliff

Illustrator: William Low

            Publisher: Candlewick Press, 2012

            Audience: 3-7 years of age (but older children may
           enjoy the history)

           Themes: Pride, Dignity, Patience, Art

          Opening:  “Momma’s first day on the job, she comes
          home late, trudging up the stairs as if they laid that
          heavy stone right on her shoulders. She is gray as
          ashes, from her headscarf to her boots.”

Synopsis: Told from her young son’s point of view, ME and MOMMA and BIG JOHN tells the story of one woman stonecutter working to build the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York City. The boy is at first underwhelmed to learn that what his mother has spent months working to complete is just one stone. One stone that will be lifted high on to the cathedral, becoming indistinguishable among the other stones. His visit inside the work-in-progress helps him realize how each individual contribution, even if not acknowledged individually, can be an integral part of a lasting work of art. The book was inspired by a real-life mother working on the project.

Activities/Resources: Use cooperation to build something where the final effort is greater than the sum of its parts. This can be a story where everyone takes a turn, adding their own part, or an actual physical structure. Talk about things people like to do-do they do them all for recognition, or for another reason?

Hope you enjoy this book! Now back to my own labor of love--writing!

Every Friday, bloggers join together to share picture book reviews and resources, thanks to author Susanna Leonard Hill’s brainchild, “Perfect Picture Book Fridays.” Susanna then adds the books (and links to the reviews) to a comprehensive listing by subject on her blog. Find the entire listing at her “Perfect Picture Books.”

When a Picture IS Better than a Thousand Words: My Gift

The best part of the holidays is relaxing with family and friends. Hands down, no contest. But for most people, gift-giving and receiving is also a part of it and my family is no exception. This year, my husband gave me a gift that brought me to tears, so I thought I’d share the story of my gift.  

Over the years, our family has had three four-legged family members. Now just so you know, I’m not the kind of person who dresses her dogs up or thinks they’re human. I know they’re dogs. But I also know that from the moment they came through the door, they were part of the family. They were living, breathing family members, not furniture or play toys.

Warning! The next part of the story is sad, but then it gets happy again.

Our “last” dog died shortly before Christmas. Frisbee was a black lab Rottweiler mix who became part of our family when I volunteered for Twyla's Friends, a dog rescue group in Texas. We fostered a litter of puppies and Frisbee had not yet been adopted when we took on another canine family member, a severely epileptic cattle dog Weimeraner mix named Angel. We decided to keep Frisbee, too. 

Angel and Frisbee’s full story is in Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover's Soul: Stories of Canine Companionship, Comedy and Courage, which is being re-issued by the Chicken Soup for the Soul franchise sometime in 2013. But here’s the short version:

Angel had multiple seizures every day. And not the relatively calm petit mal staring off into space kind of seizures. If no one was there to hold her she had the ‘bash her head on the floor, run full speed into walls during seizure blindness, jump through the kitchen window’ kind. She was on phenobarbitol, potassium bromide, and Keppra. We found a series of incredibly valuable websites that talked about how to help seizure dogs. But the one thing that was guaranteed to help Angel was if someone put an arm under her head and spoke calmly to her as the seizure came on. Instead of being upset by our presence, she came out of it quicker and without damage. The only problem was—not knowing when a seizure was coming, someone would have to be with her 24/7. Tough to do. Even the most devoted pet lovers have to go to work and school and grocery stores and...you get the picture. It was tough.

One day I was at the other end of the house and heard Frisbee making a strange noise. I ran to find her lying partly across Angel, holding her down. Somehow, she knew that Angel was starting to have a seizure and since I wasn’t in the room, Frisbee stepped in. From then on, she held Angel for us until someone got there. The vet initially said Angel wouldn’t live more than two years, but she died last year at the age of fourteen years, one month.

Frisbee died at home, in my arms, shortly before Christmas this year. Painfully, achingly tough. 

Even though dogs’ muzzles get white, and in our heads we know they are aging, dogs have an uncanny ability to stay young at heart and to live each day to the fullest. Maybe it’s because of this that their death is such a shock. 

Without my knowing, my husband took a stack of family photos with our dogs in them and sent them to the incredibly talented Wendy Trommer in New Hampshire (another Wendy!). He had met Wendy while they were both volunteering for the FIRST robotics program that one of our sons was a team member of, and knew she was also is an artist.

All I can say is WOW!

Wendy Trommer never saw our dogs. But from a series of pencil sketches that she had my husband approve, she created an amazing oil painting. She brought Angel and Frisbee to life on canvas for us. For me.

If the house was on fire, it’s get the family out—then the painting. It means more than any other “thing” in the house. If you get a chance, I’m sure Wendy would love for you to stop by her website and tell her how great the painting is!

Hope you all received what you were hoping for—or in my case what you needed but didn’t know you did.