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The Honor Books from 1949 - D&A March 2017
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I'm off to make a special ILL request for Bontemps' *Story of the Negro* now. He was a noted poet and wrote some storybooks for children, too; it might be a good book, even these many decades on.
My Father's Dragon is a personal favorite! I'm curious about Seabird because Paddle to the Sea was one of my favorite movies as a child.
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I have a feeling that "Story of a Negro" is going to be pretty hard to find. Openlibrary has several books by Arna Bontemps, but, not that one. My local library does not own the title and I'd have a heck of a time convincing them to buy it based on the title alone. Manybooks, I see Popo and Fifina on a website for $6.48. Unfortunately, just used and in paperback. But, they do say they have free worldwide shipping. (That site is my latest shopping addiction.. lol) Story of the Negro is around $8, so I can't decide it I need it or not.. lol (I didn't include the website because I'm not sure if that's allowed )
I never know if people mean they have trouble finding it at a library or trouble finding it to buy. :) I would prefer to find it in a library, but I have to pay $5 for ILL's, so, might as well buy at that point.. lol
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I should check, the last time I checked was years ago.
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Fortunately I do not have to pay for ILL. Sometimes I wouldn't mind $5, but these old honor books aren't generally likely to be worth it.
Oh, and while we're talking business, I hope you-all know that I avoid putting on my moderator hat. I try to be a host and a participant member... if I ever seem to be steering the conversation or trying to persuade people to my point of view, I apologize.
Cheryl wrote: "Fwiw: I mean 'find at a irl library' or, or 'find at Open Library, Gutenberg, UPenn, Public Domain Review..." or, just sometimes, 'find cheap at my favorite used online.' Fortunately I do not hav..."
I'm the same when I say that I can't find a book.. I already own over 500 books (A large number when compared to my IRL friends, but a paltry sum compared to people I know online) and my house is not particularly large. I have to be a bit particular over what I add to keep. I'm tempted to own a collection of all the Newbery winners, but, I don't know that I'll bother with it. I certainly don't need to own all the honors, only the ones I really, really liked or something that I would like to share with my daughter later and am concerned about its' future availability.
I try not to step on toes, but I LOVE to debate and take the other side even when I'm not particularly emotionally invested in the topic. I've tried to stem that a bit because online it's hard to tell the tone and I'm sure it comes across as antagonistic instead of back-and-forth banter. I learned so much more than I knew about early paleontology by bantering with you about that Waterhouse Hawkins book. I was looking up more information, reading on different university websites and overall got a whole lot more out of it by debating it.. lol
Just as a suggestion, several of the groups I'm in have a 'chatter' thread for random off topic discussion. I know that I keep derailing the topic at hand because I wander off on tangents, would anyone mind if I created a chatter thread somewhere? :)
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So far we've not veered significantly far off-topic, though, that I've noticed. I (both as moderator and as participant) like *comfortable* discussions, like the ones you've been active in, Jennifer.
I won't say I love arguing, but that's not what we have been doing with WH; as you say, we've been using a debate structure to learn more about the subject... rather Platonic... might be a technique to use w/ your daughter, too....
Cheryl wrote: "I'm off to make a special ILL request for Bontemps' *Story of the Negro* now."Hooray! The Cincinnati Library's got it! You should all come visit Porkopolis to check it out! I'm not above taking a road trip to pick up a library book, is all I'm saying.
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Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited Feb 16, 2017 09:56AM)
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My library cannot find a copy any closer than Harvard (!) so I actually decided to buy a copy SotN used online as it's quite cheap. After I read it, early in the month assuming it gets here, I'll likely be glad to send it on to any other US member. :)
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Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited Feb 16, 2017 11:10AM)
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(view spoiler)
Cheryl wrote: "Long story, but anyway, I only had a few minutes just now to look at Seabird. I'll hide my two-week premature comments:Fortunately for me, what I saw doesn't make me wish for more t..."
I also just got a copy of Seabird. How funny! I was just coming into the discussion to comment on it.
I will also hide mine since it's early...
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Seabird is the only one of the later Hollings that I don't own. I've read it and am looking forward to grabbing a nice condition hardcover when I see one at the right price. I like how it tells history both in terms of what changes and what stays the same.
Michael wrote: "Seabird is the only one of the later Hollings that I don't own. I've read it and am looking forward to grabbing a nice condition hardcover when I see one at the right price. I like how it tells his..."The only one of his I was familiar with before this thread was "Paddle-to-the-Sea" and I hadn't gotten around to reading it yet. That's the only one my library system still owns. :(
If any of the others are illustrated in a similar fashion, I may have to pick them up.
You can peruse all five of the later ones at open library.
Michael wrote: "You can peruse all five of the later ones at open library."Yup, forgot about that. I'm reading two books on that site right now and didn't think to check. lol Thank you!
I'm going to be able to read all 4 honor books! I checked two of them out at my local library last evening (Seabird and My Father's Dragon). I was able to request the other two through my library system and they are "in transit". Daughter of the Mountains had several copies in my library system, which encompasses about 40 libraries, but there was just one copy of Story of the Negro.
I am going to read Daughter of the Mountain. I read it in the 80s and remember enjoying it then. Also, I have my copy from the library.
I loved My Father's Dragon! The story was imaginative, and the illustrations were utterly charming. (I especially loved the picture of the lion post-grooming!) You may have noticed that the illustrator was the same as for Miss Hickory, the 1947 Newberry winner. I loved the illustrations in that book, too!As for Seabird, I enjoyed the multi-generational story, except for the bit about the whaling industry. The author laid forth the facts about whaling without holding anything back. Although the narrative was not judgmental about it, the description and one of the pictures certainly would give any reader a feeling of distaste for the industry's practices.
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I do love Gannett's art of animals and nature, but Elmer looks like his head was carved from a Hickory nut, too! I think my favorite picture is the one of the rhinoceros catching Elmer up by the seat of the boy's pants.
I think this time I'll try to find the sequels....
I just finished reading Daughter of the Mountains. Even though many things have changed in Tibet and India since 1948, the story of Momo's determination to get her stolen dog back is entertaining, due to the character and faith of Momo herself.
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That happened to me with another book. The library system said it had one copy, but then it was never returned.
I hadn't realized Daughter of the Mountains is another stolen dog book. Between Ginger Pye, Adam of the Road, and this....
I loved Seabird! The whaling didn't bug me. Holling gave a factual account of a practice that was economically vital to the US for about a century. I read Moby Dick last year, and enjoyed revisiting some of the terminology. In fact, I wish I'd read this before Moby Dick- it cleared up some things.Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Between this, My Father's Dragon, and King of the Wind, it looks like 1948 was a really strong year for kids' lit! (Stronger than 2016, anyway.)
I read Seabird which I did mostly enjoy. It's a little bit annoying that the wives in the story are basically mentioned just to explain where the son came from.. lol I don't think the names of two of them were even in there. HOWEVER, I loved the illustrations and learning about whaling. Obviously, I think whaling was a despicable practice, but I understand that at the time people really didn't understand that whales were anymore complex than fish. Whaling is one of those things that is a bit gross to me. But, that doesn't mean one shouldn't learn about it and the people who did it. Anyways, I loved about the first half of the book and then it started lagging for me, but, not one of those books that I regret reading either.
My Father's Dragon was one of the books I read to my daughter last month. It's one of those books that relies on whimsy, but, it's short and obviously for small children and amusing for them. So, I suppose it's good for the target audience. I didn't dislike it, but I only mildly liked it. It does have staying power though. There are not too many books from the 1940's that are still circulating in the children's department, but, this one still exists in my local library and even has a newer copy. I think a big part of its' appeal is that it is a very easy chapter book and almost an ideal first chapter book for children moving out of the easy reader category. There aren't too many books in that category, so to have a book like this that fits the bill is pretty nice.
I will not get to read "Story of the Negro". My local library system does not have it. I would like to read it one day though, so, if I come across it at my local book store or at my favorite online store I will pick it up.
I am waiting on Daughter of the Mountains on OpenLibrary.org. Someone else had it checked out and then there was one person ahead of me, now I'm finally next. Anyone from this group reading it on OpenLibrary? I was surprised to see it checked out with a waiting list and assumed it must be people from here reading it. :)
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Cheryl wrote: "Ack, no, I forgot to check OpenLibrary. Let us know when you're done; I'll get on the list either then or as soon as I remember... can't right now....."I'm still waiting for it, I'll let you know though! :)
I devoured Story of the Negro. I feel so fortunate that I was able to borrow it from my library system. Arna Bontemps wrote a work on nonfiction that gave so much background - starting out broad in scope to show that there were many different kinds of nations making up the continent of Africa. Then the scope narrowed to the experience of African Americans in the United States. One statistic that surprised me: during the height of slaver in the U.S., there were 2 million slaves, but about 1/2 million free black people. I've never heard much about the story of those were either were never in slavery or who became free so I found that interesting.I thought the author's writing was balanced and fair. He did not shy away from showing how awful slavery was, but in terms that children could understand and without becoming graphic. He also brought to light the many accomplishments of African Americans, much of which I knew about.
One part of the book that I also found very interesting was about the nation of Haiti and how the French plantation owners there treated their slaves - in many ways, quite differently than in the U.S.
The version I did have available from my library, however, was a 1950's edition that had some updates in years coming after 1948 when it was published. I didn't find the last chapter, which discussed Martin Luther King Jr. to flow with the rest of the book - you could sort of tell it was pieced in at the end. But it was still quite interesting.
Overall, I found this book to be a wonderful historical reference, and I only wish it were still more readily available.
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Mine is on its way as well.
Cheryl wrote: "My copy is still on its way from Better World Books, supposedly. Thanks for letting us know it's worth the wait... sounds fascinating!"I've bought from them a couple times now. Both times I was lucky and received them in about 5 days, but, I think I'm right near one of their larger warehouses.
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You should be getting a refund for this pain in the behind ...
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Cheryl wrote: "(Well, I'll certainly ask for one if they don't come or are reported lost. Last time I got a refund for books that didn't show. But I tend to patient with delays for packages of multiple used books..."I'm the same, usually when I order used books I don't expect them for several weeks as they tend to get sent media mail.
Better World books has gotten two orders to me in under a week, but, I know that may just be luck or my geographical location.
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Too bad, I know you would rather have the book than a refund.
I'm most of the way through Daughter of the Mountain and it is an enjoyable read that moves along at a nice pace. I have a couple minor issues with it though, I question how well-researched it is. First of all, she brings "tsampa beads" which are described as being dried yak cheese on a string. Now, I've seen this called churgo and churpi depending on region (churpi seems more common), I'm sure there are many names. However, tsampa is a roasted grain product, not yak cheese on a string.
There is another scene where she is observing monkeys which are swinging by their tails. The problem however is that there are no prehensile tailed monkeys in that part of the world; it is a feature of New World monkeys.
I can understand getting tsampa wrong. At least it is a food name from the region AND dried yak cheese on a string is definitely a thing from that area.
I do not understand how you get the part about the monkeys wrong. Any encyclopedia would have mentioned that major difference between old world and new world monkeys.
I'm sure though that there would have been a lot to research for this book and that research materials were not as easily accessible as they are now. Additionally, it is a work of fiction not a nonfiction reference work.
I still enjoy reading it. I'm almost finished with it, should finish it tomorrow. But, there are already two more people waiting for it on OpenLibrary.
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I have a couple minor issues with it though, I question how well-researched it is..."
I have not been able to obtain a copy, but both of these mistakes would have annoyed me a bit, actually more than a bit.
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I liked the story but it didn't wow me. One of those generational stories like James Michener writes, but a heck of a lot shorter! I did like the paintings and all the sketches with explanatory notes; they added a lot to the story. The author spent a lot of time on Ezra and Nate, but gave short shrift to James and Kenneth, and, as someone else noted above, no shrift to the wives at all. Otherwise, a good story about the sea-faring people.
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Fairly quick read. Rough beginning, in which the (Negro) author compares the majestic Watusi and the funny Pygmies and comes across as racist. Some narrative bits, but mostly a fairly straightforward account... which means that there was a *lot* of history, much new to me, fascinating, and illuminating, but which also means that the prose was more workmanlike than I expected from the poet Bontemps.
Almost no history of Africa or the rest of the world after colonization; it's more a 'history of the Negro of the US and some influences.' However, the timeline at the end did show world history in parallel, so some context was provided via that feature. (I wonder if that timeline is in the original, Newbery, edition.)
Not a bad book, and definitely an important one. I do hope there's something better that youth today are encouraged to read or study.
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Cheryl, Host of Miscellaneous and Newbery Clubs
(last edited Apr 14, 2017 02:28PM)
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I found that several monkeys of India do have long tails, including Bonnet Macaque and Nilgiri langur: http://indiasendangered.com/monkeys-o...
However, the difference seems to be that they don't have *prehensile or grasping tails (so the book is still wrong): http://primatecare.com/primate-care-s....
(Which is what you said.)
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Anyway, the reason I came back to post is because I finally did read the book. Cute enough, but it didn't feel, to me, as if Rankin knew what she was writing about from first- or even second-hand information. And I got that feeling even before I remembered your post, Jennifer.
There is a little note on history in the beginning of the book, but I can't find any information on the author, and apparently this is the only book she wrote. :sigh:
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Cheryl wrote: "There was also some weird bits or racism. Rankin seemed to patronize even the Tibetans, at the same time portraying them almost like Noble Savages. But in Calcutta, the coolies and house guards wer..."Yup, it had that sort of overall colonialist feeling.
It's interesting the difference between similar 'old world' and 'new world' animals. With monkeys, prehensile tails is a major difference between the two regions. Another fun one is tarantulas. They all have some hair, but, only new world tarantulas have the specialized urticating hairs while old world tarantulas do not. New world tarantulas throw hairs which imbed in eyes and sting as a primary defense while old world tarantulas tend to have stronger venom.
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Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Story of the Negro (other topics)Story of the Negro (other topics)
My Father's Dragon (other topics)
Seabird (other topics)
Miss Hickory (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Holling Clancy Holling (other topics)Louise S. Rankin (other topics)
Ruth Stiles Gannett (other topics)
Arna Bontemps (other topics)
Seabird by Holling Clancy Holling
Daughter of the Mountains by Louise S. Rankin
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Story of the Negro by Arna Bontemps