Children's Books discussion
The Picture-Book Club
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August 2020: Writing and Authors
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Rocket Writes a Story So cute! I really enjoyed Rocket Learns to Read. It's so adorable watching Rocket discover the magic in weaving words and expressing something you truly want to share with others. It's also a sweet story of friendship and the illustrations are humorous and charming.
Big Machines: The Story of Virginia Lee Burton
I really loved this book as a book. It's beautifully written and illustrated. I love that it explains why and how "Jinnee" created her books. As a mother of two boys who love things that go, I could really relate to how your children can make you pay attention to things you never would have been interested in yourself -- and how you would want to create something to delight them. I love how the characters from her books combine so beautifully with her own life in the illustrations here (her sons, reaching up to meet Mary Anne the steam shovel or riding on Maybelle the cable car). I enjoyed learning a bit more about VLB, especially that she loved to dance (again, I could so relate). Their town sounded so charming. It's a lovely, warm book and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
That said, I do wish there had been a little bit more about VLB herself. It almost seemed more an overview of her works than a biography about her life. The author's note at the back (along with some wonderful photographs) does fill in some of the blanks, but only left me hungry to know more. Perhaps that was the point... In any case, I do recommend it to any fans of VLB's books and it's just a lovely book on it's own, too.
Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book
Another winner in the fabulous Mr. Putter and Tabby series! This time, Mr. Putter is getting a bit of cabin fever after so many cold, snowy days. He gets the inspired idea to write a book! After all, he has everything an author needs... a warm fire, a comfy chair, and a cat! Oh, and paper and pen. And, um... an idea? Well, he does have a good title for his book. And he also has a hungry tummy. Off he goes to make some food. He spends a few minutes thinking of an idea for his story... and a few hours making food! And so it goes... will inspiration ever strike?
This book is a hoot! I already love the characters and they shine in this story (Tabby is so cute in all her "poses" as she watches Mr. Putter write and cook!) Also, as a writer myself, I can completely sympathize with those times when, really, everything is more "necessary" than going to work on that darn book!!! I just love the ending here and it has a wonderful message for writers.
Recommended for fans of the series, cat lovers and/or writers!
I actually didn't even bother writing a review for Little Red Writing because, IMO, it wasn't very good. However, it has a lot of positive reviews and I felt it belonged on this list.
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With an engaging and uplifting narrative (which while promoting essential truths and potentially even preachy messages, never feels stale or heavy-handed in both expression and scope), there is indeed so much to enjoy with regard to Lenore Look's (author) and Yumi Heo's (illustrator) Polka Dot Penguin Pottery, and so much to make one smile with both humour and understanding. And yes, I know from personal experience that sometimes, when one is frustrated with regard to an activity (like the protagonist/narrator is with her writing) that the only way to become unstuck is to in fact proceed to take a break and do something else (perhaps mildly related, but it usually also has to be something at least a bit different, like the paint your own pottery studio the grandparents encourage Aspen Colorado Kim Chee Lee to try, in order to break the cycle, in order to overcome her writer's block).
And while I truly, really so very much appreciate the fact that Aspen does not immediately succeed, that her first attempts at painting her pottery egg are a struggle and actually quite massively disheartening, it is perhaps and indeed more than somewhat ironic in retrospect that I actually did catch myself at first getting a bit annoyed with Aspen's antics and impatience, until I began to realise that I was (in reality) annoyed at her because she was in fact behaving so much like me, like I often have the tendency to act when things do not immediately go right, when I feel incompetent (so yes, reality can be more than a trifle disconcerting, even in a picture book). For it is so very true that in order to succeed, in order to make a masterpiece, and actually to make anything, one has to also be wiling to make a mess, one has to be both willing and able to accept initial problems, even initial failures and frustrations.
Furthermore and for me personally, Polka Dot Penguin Pottery also especially and appreciatingly stands out with regard to its easy and natural (organic) portrayal of multi-ethnicity; the cast of characters is depicted and presented first and foremost as people, not as ethnic types, simply as human beings. The ethnicities and backgrounds of the charcters might be physically visible with regard to the accompanying illustrations, or that Aspen calls her grandparents gungung, for grandpa, and pohpoh, for grandma, but the text NEVER (and fortunately) focusses on this. No, it focusses almost exclusively on Aspen's sojourn at Yumi's Polka Dot Penguin Pottery studio, and her movement, her slow but steady transformation from frustration to delight (and finally, on the resulting end of her writer's block). The interchanges between Aspen and the other clients of Yumi, the other individuals painting pottery, are friendly, natural, and ALL that is basically being discussed are the relevant artistic and self confidence issues at hand (that Aspen should relax, not be so hard on herself and that messes can be and often are both good and necessary for artistic, and actually for any kind of success).
Now as to Yumi Heo's accompanying illustrations (and I do wonder if the Yumi who manages and runs the pottery painting studio is based on her, or is meant to actually be her), while on their own, I would not consider them all that much to my liking, they work exceedingly well and complimentarily with the presented text, echoing the fun, the brightly nuanced colour of Lenore Look's narrative, whilst also showing with both pathos and gentle humour Aspen's initial frustrations (as well as her subsequent joy, as her erstwhile messy egg starts sprouting trees and flowers). That being said, I do not particularly care for the fact that Polka Dot Penguin Pottery is presented in a vertical manner, spine side up (as this sure does make reading, but especially flipping the pages, awkward and quite personally annoying, and is really the only reason that for me, Polka Dot Penguin Pottery is a four star and not a five star book).
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An in many ways lovely, sweet story about Lucy Maud Montgomery's feline companion Daffy, Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat really tugs at all your heartstrings. Gleaned mostly from the many references to Daffy that appear in L.M. Montgomery's journals, Lynn Manuel's engaging and evocative narrative shows how Daffy becomes Maud's cherished companion, her intimate friend, and how she often reads to her cat from the story she is writing, from the manuscript of the future Anne of Green Gables. However, upon the death of Maud's grandmother, her house becomes the property of Maud's uncle (who will not consider letting his niece stay on) and thus, both Maud and Daffy are forced to relocate to a place called Park Corner, to stay with relatives who while they are of course known to Maud (and loved by her) are complete, utter strangers to Daffy.
I have to admit that I almost cried and was at first really somewhat angry at the fact that upon her marriage, Maud seemingly just abandons poor Daffy at Park Corner. Oh, I know that she could not have taken a cat along on her European wedding tour, but being suddenly alone and frightened in a strange, unfamiliar hayloft did make me very sad for Daffy. And while I was and remain heart-glad that Maud does send for Daffy as soon as she has settled in Ontario with her new husband, I do wish that she had gone to P.E.I. herself to retrieve her cat. Daffy's long and solitary journey from P.E.I. to Ontario (in a large wooden box) is evocatively but also painfully described as being frightening to the extreme for him (he has no idea what is happening and thinks he has fallen into a deep dark well). The end of Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat with little grey Daffy once again in Maud's arms in his new home in Ontario is indeed sweet and satisfying, but my heart did ache for him alone in a strange hayloft, and I could well appreciate and feel his pain, fear and confusion on his solitary and boxed-in journey from P.E.I. to Ontario.
Janet Wilson's lush full-page accompnaying illustrations are an absolute feast for the eyes. Reminiscent of artistic Impressionism, they capture not only the beauty of P.E.I., but also the facial features and mannerisms of both Daffy and the people around him (like Maud and Grandmother MacNeill, for example). The evocative pictures do not only complement and mirror Lynn Manuel's text, they are lovely in and of themselves and would in my humble opinion not be out of place in an art gallery. And yes, I have also very much enjoyed the sepia vignettes that appear on each page of the text and act like a decorative trim to the author's printed words. Although of course not as colourful and descriptive as the full-page accompanying paintings (pictures), they add both humour and poignancy, as well as many small supplemental details. Highly recommended, especially for fans of L.M. Montgomery, but with the caveat that especially the manner in which Daffy is shipped from PEI to Ontario is potentially upsetting and might also require discussion if Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat is being read with and to very sensitive children.
The Summer of the Marco Polo
In the summer of 1883, the world-famous clipper "Marco Polo" ran aground off the coast of Cavendish, P.E.I. and near young Lucy Maud Montgomery's home. Maud wrote about this event in her journal, and one of her first literary compositions was in fact a lyrical piece on the wreck of the Marco Polo.
Well after absolutely adoring Lynn Manuel's brilliant and sweetly evocative Lucy Maud and the Cavendish Cat, I was naturally expecting to equally enjoy her picture book on the wreck of the Marco Polo, but unfortunately, The Summer of the Marco Polo has proved to be rather a frustrating personal disappointment. For while the general contents of the narrative are indeed interesting and readable enough, Lynn Manuel’s writing style, the general flow of the text is sadly quite disjointed and as such far from smooth. And in addition, some of the names mentioned in the story, like Wellington and Dave Nelson and Pensie MacNeill, for example, could really and truly have benefitted from supplemental explanations. Having extensively read much biographical and autobiographical information on Lucy Maud Montgomery, I do indeed know that Pensie MacNeill was Maud's best friend at the time of the wreck of the Marco Polo, and that Wellington and Dave Nelson were two young boys who boarded at Maud's house (or rather at her grandparents' house). But for children reading The Wreck of the Marco Polo (or even adults without the foreknowledge of who Pensie MacNeill and the Nelson boys were), the often haphazard mention of personal names without any explanation as to their relationship with and to Maud can easily feel and be somewhat if not much distracting. That being said, I still did rather enjoy reading The Summer of the Marco Polo, but its choppy presentation and lack of explanatory detail has certainly quite annoyingly lessened my reading pleasure.
While I therefore did not find Lynn Manuel's narrative superb and have had, as mentioned above, some issues with composition style and content, I would probably have still ranked The Summer of the Marco Polo with three stars if I had enjoyed Kasia Charka's accompanying illustrations a bit more. As although her seascapes, her depiction of the ocean, of nature, of the stricken Marco Polo, of buildings are generally realistically conceived and rendered, some of her human figures appear exaggerated, even potentially creepy. For example, I really do not understand why Grandmother MacNeill looks somewhat green-skinned, almost witch-like, and even young Maud, with her often unruly fly-away hair and braids appears quite wild at times, too wild for my personal tastes (and in fact, I do find the green skinned countenance of Granndmother MacNeil rather offensive and almost bordering on being insulting, as albeit Maud's maternal grandparents were indeed rather strict and humorless, they do not really, the grandmother does not really in any way deserve to be depicted in such an unflattering and grotesque manner).
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Lucy Maud Montgomery
Written and I believe also illustrated by Alexandra Wallner, this picture book biography presents a for the most part well enough researched and informative foray into the often turbulent life of Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (best known for her Anne of Green Gables series). Recommended for older children above the age of eight or nine (as there is a pretty massive amount of featured narrative), Lucy Maud Montgomery is a solid and readable enough introduction to the author's life and work, showing both Maud's triumphs and some of her many struggles (like the nasty legal wrangling between her and her American publisher, L.C. Page Company which seriously and painfully affected her both internally and externally). However and all that being said, while I generally and definitely much appreciate Lucy Maud Montgomery thematically and content wise, Alexandra Wallner's narrative flow does tend to feel a bit annoyingly plodding in places, often having Lucy Maud Montgomery read more like a textbook than an actual novelistically biographical story.
For the emotional connection to the characters, to Maud herself, often feels rather tenuous at best, making the reader feel more like a dispassionate observer than an active, involved participant; Maud's story is still and generally interestingly enough depicted and rendered, but is often presented in a rather distancing, unemotional manner and style. And furthermore, I also do have a bit of a major and personal issue with the fact that (and in my humble opinion) Alexandra Wallner has either deliberately or inadvertently omitted or changed some of the more potentially problematic, upsetting details of Maud's life story, possibly to make her at times tense and emotionally difficult family situations more acceptable, more appropriate for a younger audience. Now I do realise that L. M. Montgomery's problems with mental illness, her often intense unhappiness with her husband, the fact that she had major issues with her oldest boy Chester and so on and so on, might indeed not necessarily be appropriate in a picture book biography for younger children, but I really do think think that Alexandra Wallner has truly gone more than a bit too far at times. For example, Wallner states that when young Maud was staying with her father and stepmother in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, her father took her back to Prince Edward Island when it became clear that Maud missed the island and could not get along with her stepmother. However, that really is only very partially correct, as Maud's father did NOT actually take her back to the island, he simply sent his daughter back. Maud (a teenage girl at the time) thus had to board a train and cross Canada by herself and unchaperoned (and while I do not really expect Alexandra Wallner to have described all of this in detail, she most certainly should have written that Maud's father simply sent his daughter back to P.E.I. because he most definitely did NOT personally escort her back to the island).
Similarly, I also think that Alexandra Wallner should have mentioned that Maud's husband Ewan suffered from severe depression, instead of just stating rather mildly that "Ewan's spirits were low and he needed care." For come on, this in absolutely NO way comes even remotely close to the truth, and I equally do not think that it would have been either inappropriate or problematic for the author to have made mention of the fact that Ewan MacDonald (and Maud herself for that matter) suffered from often severe depressions, and yes, even in a picture book biography for children. Now granted, the most part, I do believe that Alexandra Wallner has at least tried to show in an informative, yet gentle manner both L. M. Montgomery's triumphs and tragedies, but there are a number of scenarios that I personally felt should have been mentioned or at least not explained away with somewhat frustrating and untrue euphemisms.
And as for the accompanying illustrations for Lucy Maud Montgomery, although they do seem to work well enough with the author's presented text, they are also simply much too pink and girly appearing for my own personal tastes. For I have never imagined L. M. Montgomery as wearing primarily pink and/or baby blue dresses, so the depictions of Maud clad primarily (or at least far too often) in these types of colours was and is a bit jarring and aesthetically most personally unpleasant. And in fact, for me, the illustrations on the whole are simply much too pink and pastel-like all around (as even many of the buildings are illustrated using pinkish or light pastel hues, just not my proverbial cup of tea at all). And indeed, that illustration of the invalid Evan MacDonald (the Evan described as requiring care) in a chair, with Maud reading to him, I have to admit that I find that particular picture somewhat strange and even potentially creepy, with Evan appearing more like an elderly, frail woman than a man (and in fact, when I first saw this particular illustration, I actually originally assumed that Maud was in fact tending to an invalid woman, and only by reading Alexandra Wallner's text did I realise that this was supposed to represent Evan). The illustrations are generally bright and cheery enough, but no, they really do not work all that well for me (and in fact, I think that I would have much preferred Lucy Maud Montgomery without illustrations). Two and a half stars, if half stars were possible, rounded down to two stars, as the more I tend to in particular ponder the accompanying illustrations, the more I personally cringe, as they at least to me and for me do not at all represent and picture what my own visual concept of L. M. Montgomery is and always has been.
J.R.R. Tolkien
Although Alexandra Wallner's picture book biography of J.R.R. Tolkien reads easily, flowingly and for the most part engagingly enough, the rather massive amount of text presented makes it definitely more suitable for older children above say the ages of eight or nine. And truth be told, personally, I definitely would have appreciated a bit more detail on Tolkien's academic career (as an Oxford professor) and his personal vision of Middle Earth (and that with The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and even The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien was, in fact, attempting to create an entire world, with a detailed mythology, history, as well as multiple complex languages), but that is likely above and beyond the scope of this book, as J.R.R. Tolkien is of course primarily geared towards children and not academically inclined adults like myself. And finally, the time line, Tolkien quotation source references and short bibliography at the back of J.R.R. Tolkien are much appreciated (and increase the teaching and learning potential and value), although I do indeed wish that the author, that Alexandra Wallner had also stated within the text proper of J.R.R. Tolkien which of the three works cited in the bibliography she actually used for her information (with quotes and footnotes/endnotes). For since Alexandra Wallner does manage to acknowledge the literary sources of the Tolkien quotations featured within the narrative, she should really also do the same with the specifics of the biographical information itself.
Now I do have to say that I do not AT ALL enjoy (and really, actually even much despise) John Wallner's accompanying illustrations. For although bright and colourful, for me, they present themselves as neither complimentary nor complementary to the author's, to Alexandra Wallner's featured narrative (and by extension equally to J.R.R. Tolkien as an author, perhaps even as a person), as they are simply much too pink and pastel hued, too cartoon like and for all intents and purposes "Disneyfied" (and thus more suited for a princess type fairy tale for young girls than for a serious biography). And that entire concept of illustrating Tolkien's biography as some sort of "Game of Life" type board game, now in my opinion, that is not only childish and shallow, but actually more than a bit insulting to Tolkien's literary and linguistic legacy (and indeed also to his intelligence). And in fact, without the illustrations, I most definitely would be rating J.R.R. Tolkien with three stars (readable, informative, though not spectacular), but with John Wallner's to and for me oh so very gaudy and yes also aesthetically unsuitable illustrations, I can and will consider but one star (as the illustrations are truly very much a personal affront to my eyes and to my aesthetic tastes).
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Now while I have generally found Lynn Fulton's She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein atmospheric enough and certainly capturing the oppressive mood (both geographically, climatically and spiritually, esoterically) that caused Mary Shelley to come up with the themes and storyline for her famous 1818 novel Frankenstein (the constant rain and lighting, the contest suggested by Lord Byron as to who could write the best and most thrilling ghost story, the scenarios of Mary Shelley remembering instances of scientists using electricity on the dead to involuntarily move their limbs, and last but not least, Mary Shelley's dream of an animated artificially created creature visiting her bedroom), after reading the author's note and realising that while Lynn Fulton has generally kept to the 1831 introduction of Frankenstein, where Mary Shelley tells her readers exactly how her monster story came to be, the episode of Mary looking at a portrait of her deceased mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, seems to have been entirely imagined by the author, this fact has certainly taken rather the shine off of my potential reading pleasure.
For not only am I entirely not in agreement with Lynn Fulton's claim that it is somehow important to mention Mary Shelley's mother, Mary Wollstonecraft (and that she died in childbirth) in She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein (and really, if you are going to be writing a picture book biography or even a picture book memoir or biographical interlude, you should in my opinion keep to the truth and to reality as much as possible and not add fictional musings and inclusions simply because you happen to feel like it), that entire episode of Mary Shelley thinking about her deceased mother to calm herself (and by looking at her portrait) after having listened to Percy Brysshe Shelley (her future husband) talking about electrical animation of corpses really does at least to and for me read as more or less tacked on so to speak, as though Lynn Fulton just personally needed to have Mary Wollstonecraft also make an appearance in She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein come what may.
Combined with the fact that although I do realise that Felicita Sala's accompanying illustrations totally capture and mirror the atmosphere of doom, gloom, mystery and creepiness of Lynn Fulton's narrative, of the presented storyline of She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein, personally and aesthetically, Sala's pictures are simply much too freaky and yes even visually frightening to and for my eyes. And indeed, if I had encountered She Made a Monster: How Mary Shelley Created Frankenstein as a child or even as a tween, while I would not likely have had any issues whatsoever with Lynn Fulton's printed words, with her presented narrative frightening me or creeping me out, the same would likely not have been the case with Felicita Sala's accompanying artwork, that especially the pictures of the various monsters and the fact that many of the gentlemen telling their stories and anecdotes often are depicted with rather tentacle and claw like fingers, that would have probably given me nightmares.
Marguerite Makes a Book For older childrenA story about medieval bookmaking by hand. I bought it when I was in library school and learning about rare books. I thought niece #1 would love it because her Mommy was making little books at the time. To my knowledge, she's never read it. Some of the reviews are quite glowing though. The illustrations are gorgeous!
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A story about medieval bookmaking by hand. I bought it when I was in library school and learning about rare books. I thought niece #1 would ..."
I enjoyed Marguerite Makes a Book for the information on Mediaeval bookmaking but found parts of the story potentially anachronistic and the illustrations more Renaissance like with regard to clothing than of the Middle Ages.
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Loosely based on British author Virginia Woolf's relationship with her older sister, modernest painter Vanessa Bell, what I appreciate and love first and foremost about Virginia Wolf is how author Kyo Maclear depicts and describes both a lovely and tender picture of sisterly love and affection (even when one of the sisters, when Virginia, is acting grumpy and even totally in a stand-offish and wolfish manner) and furthermore that she (that Kyo Maclear) also gently but not ever didactically introduces the concept and consideration that Virginia's behaviours might well not be simply a case of a bad mood but the onset of mental health challenges (which in Virginia Wolf her sister both seems to understand and try to mitigate, to assuage with treats, close physical contact, music and finally by using the one and only method that seems to work with regard to raising Virginia's mood and turning her back into a little girl, with joyful art and imaginative colour, but also and importantly with much patience and intense love). And no, indeed, Virginia Wolf does not in ANY WAY portray a nasty little girl who uses her bad mood to deliberately make her sister miserable (as I have unfortunately read in some online reviews of Virginia Wolf), it simply shows in Virginia a little girl who is obviously suffering from a serious bout of juvenile depression and how her sister Vanessa tries to and finally succeeds in helping to break Virginia's wolfishness, her depression and make her sister happy and smiling again.
An absolutely lovely, quirky and yes, emotionally engaging little gem is Virginia Wolf, with Isabelle Arsenault's accompanying illustrations providing an equally wonderful and delightful mirror of and for Kyo Maclear's written words (and while I am not always a huge fan of Isabelle Arsenault's artwork, in Virginia Wolf, her drawings have certainly been absolutely exquisite, in my opinion even presenting the main storyline as imaginatively and as sweetly as the author's presented narrative). Five stars for the to and for me totally delightful, engaging and emotionally tender combination of Kyo Maclear's text and Isabelle Arsenault's images, but unfortunately, I am still going to lower my final ranking of Virginia Wolf to four stars, as I do think that Kyo Maclear definitely should have included a supplemental author's note on Virginia Woolf's life and times and yes, that she did indeed suffer from serious mental health issues for most of her life (challenges which are now thought to have likely been bi-polar disorder).
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In Deborah Hopkinson's Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen, most of the facts and details surrounding Jane Austen's life appear to be for the most part factually correct and actually for a picture book biography surprisingly and appreciatively extensive and intensive (ranging from Jane Austen's birth to her death), presenting, providing an accessible (and definitely more than simply basic) introduction to both Jane Austen the person and Jane Austen the author, the writer (as well as giving both readers and potential listeners much insight into British late 18th to early 19th century culture and mores, and that while Jane Austen was obviously highly educated, she actually only had very limited schooling outside of home but that her father's extensive library made young Jane into an eager reader and also precipitated her desire to write, and later to have her writing, her work published, anonymously as was the tradition for female authors of the Georgian era, but officially published nonetheless).
Now as much as I have indeed enjoyed reading Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen and appreciate the detailed and informative scope and feel of Deborah Hopkinson's presented text, I do still (both personally and academically) have to question a bit the author's rather constant claims that Jane Austen generally seemed to have kept herself in the background, that she (according to both the narrative and the illustrations) was somehow much too shy to engage in public dancing and thus simply (and a bit like Mary Bennett of her Pride and Prejudice) just watched and observed but generally never danced herself. For indeed, from other biographical information on Jane Austen I have previously perused, while it certainly seems to be true that she was introverted and very much into observing and taking notes on her observations, Jane Austen also clearly loved to dance and was therefore not, as is in my opinion kind of being insinuated in Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen something of a shrinking so-called wall-flower.
But generally speaking and even with my mild criticism of Deborah Hopkinson's in my opinion turning Jane Austen into someone a bit too overly shy and retiring, I do highly recommend Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen as a very good and for a picture book quite delightfully complete and detailed, enlightening introduction to Jane Austen, to her life, to her career as an author and of course also to Georgian Britain itself (with a winningly successful combination of the author's text and the illustrator's accompanying images, although I do personally have to consider Qin Leng's pictures, while brightly descriptive and for the most part historically accurate enough as also just a trifle too cutesy, too girlishly pink-hued and overly sweet for my own aesthetic tastes). Three stars for general reading pleasure and how much I have enjoyed Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen on a personal level (for Quin Lneg's visuals are definitely rather too girly for me and I do tend to find the constant allusions to Jane Austen's supposed shyness a bit trying), but gladly rounded up to four stars, as I do for one not want to appear as too nitpicking and pedantic and that for two, I do very much enjoy that Deborah Hopkinson has included so much supplemental information at the back of Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen (and not only a time-line and bibliographical lists presenting suggestions for further study and research, but also a detailed and annotated list of Jane Austen's six main novels).
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Now textually, One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl named Alice is both enlightening and imaginative (providing a short and entertaining introduction to Lewis Carroll, how as a child he engaged his ten siblings in games of fun and mayhem and how even as an adult, Carroll never lost his sense of and taste for clever games and actually often seemed to have actually preferred the company of children to the company of adults, with One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl Named Alice culminating in the boat ride with a friend and the three daughters of another friend, where Lewis Carroll then makes up stories about a little girl named Alice, as the real Alice, one of the three girls present on the boat, is feeling a bit down and out and in need of some whimsical distractions). Making use of many of Lewis Carrolls delightful plays on words (all of them gleaned from his literary oeuvre) such as for example brillig (late afternoon), chortle (a combination of the verbs chuckle and snort), mimsy (a combination of the adjectives flimsy and miserable), and of course taking much from the author's most famous works, Alice in Wonderland and its sequel Through the Looking Glass and What Alice Found There, author Kathleen Krull creates a lovely story (and a total celebration of Lewis Carroll as both a fun-loving individual who never did forget his childhood, who always remained somewhat of a child at heart and also glowingly presenting Carrolls's extraordinary and amazing verbal skills, his appreciation and love of and for words, their meanings and how he often melded and combined expressions, utterances and parts of speech to create novel Lewis Carroll made riddles, puns and the like). And truly, if Julia Sarda's accompanying illustrations had been a trifle more to my aesthetic tastes and liking, I would most likely have given One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl Named Alice a full five stars. However, considering that I have actually found Sarda's accompanying pictures while bright and colourful, too exaggerated, too in one's proverbial face and yes indeed, also at times much too modern appearing in scope, not to mention that especially the facial features of the human characters often do seem so over-the-top so as to appear almost a bit uncanny, my ranking for One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl Named Alice must remain at but three stars (five stars for Kathleen Krull's pretty well brilliant and sweetly engaging text, but only one star for Julia Sarda's pictures, as they simply do not work for me, and have actually at least visually pretty seriously lessened my possible reading pleasure).
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Well and indeed, content and theme-wise, author Caroline Mcalister does certainly in John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien present an informative and textually rich junior level biography of J.R.R. Tolkien and especially about how he became interested in dragons and then created a famous dragon named Smaug for his The Hobbit novel. However and the above having all been said, personally, I have sadly also found the general flow of Caroline's MacAlister's narrative both awkward and frustratingly slow, and yes, especially with regard to how she commences with the various episodes of Tolkien's life (from his early childhood onwards) at times tediously repetitive, often starting her main sentences with either the linking adverb "then"or with expressions signifying the same (with the result that I for one have definitely found that John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien often if not even usually reads more like a laundry list of diverse events than a truly engaging and nuanced account of Tolkien's life and what made him become so interested in dragons).
And thus, while I have certainly found John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien a decent enough and very much educational and enlightening introduction to J.R.R. Tolkien's life and his The Hobbit (although indeed, that Caroline MacAlister ONLY writes about The Hobbit and NEVER once even mentions Tolkien's other writing and in particular his The Lord of the Rings in the main text of John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien, this really does as a total LOTR fan quite bother me) and while Eliza Wheeler's accompanying artwork is most definitely a delightful and appreciated combination of reality and imagination (with in particular how she has drawn both Bilbo Baggins and Smaug a visual treasure), I do have to admit that narrationally, that especially from a textual writing style point of departure, I have not been all that pleased with John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien and have certainly not been as enchanted as I had fondly hoped to be.
And yes, the only reasons why my rating for John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R. Tolkien is still three stars and not two stars is that for one, I do aesthetically consider Eliza Wheeler's illustrations marvelous and that for two, I very much appreciate the author's and illustrator's notes and that Caroline McAlister has also included academic, scholarly information on Tolkien's dragons (both traditional and the ones created by him), as well as a very decent bibliography (not extensive but definitively a good starting point for additional, supplemental J.R.R. Tolkien research).
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Now there is nothing even remotely difficult or in any manner inherently philosophical or issue-heavy to be gleaned from L.M. Montgomery's presented text, from her to and for my senses oh so amazingly brilliant The Way to Slumbertown (and thus, if you are looking for lyricism of intensity and pondering heaviness, you should most definitely be looking elsewhere). However and yes definitely, The Way to Slumbertown truly does indeed shiningly represent both a five star read and a (personal) "favourites" shelving, as it glowingly and sweetly features a delightfully simple, easy to understand, utterly and tenderly caressing, lovingly eternally lyrical and gentle lullaby song (and one that you cannot help singing and humming to yourself, even if there is no music score and melody shown with it).
Accompanied by Rachel Bédard's etherial, magical illustrations (which combine both imagination and reality and use white and blue hues to augment and enhance the author's sense of nighttime magic), The Way to Slumbertown presents a perfectly enchanting marriage of text and image, exquisite, poetic, with the perhaps standard, but very astute and true message that for young children, the surest and safest passage to the world of dreams, to Slumbertown, is as L.M. Montgomery so eloquently and tenderly states, by the way of a mother's arms and a mother's rocking chair. Highly recommended (and for both children and adults at that, especially for those of you who consider themselves L.M. Montgomery fans and would like to try a simply marvellous, spectacular, heart-warming picture book adaptation of one of the latter's poems, but with the caveat that The Way to Slumbertown seems to be currently out of print and is thus not always that easy to obtain for purchase).
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Sweet and certainly in a lively yet gentle manner depicting Anne Shirley saying her daily goodnights to Green Gables and what she loves about Green Gables, Avonlea, her adopted family, her friends and neighbours (with of course, Gilbert Blythe being considered not likeable and still rather if not even completely the opposite), Kallie George's Goodnight, Anne nevertheless does feel (art least to and for me) more than a trifle artificial and contrived in nature. And furthermore, since there is not really all that much if any of an actual storyline presented, personally, I do tend to believe that Goodnight, Anne will likely appeal more to individuals, to readers already at least somewhat familiar with Anne of Green Gables as a novel (and since most of us already familiar with Anne of Green Gables as a novel are over and above and often years and years over and above the picture book crowd age, I do have to wonder if younger children would necessarily find Goodnight, Anne all that engaging and inspiring, would find it a fun and delightful bedtime type of story).
However and that all having been said, I have definitely found Goodnight, Anne personally quite enjoyable and gently fun (with Geneviève Godbout's accompanying illustrations providing an aesthetically caressing and lively accompaniment to Kallie George's presented text). And indeed, if Kallie George had for one restricted herself to ONLY presenting those Anne of Green Gables episodes (and scenarios) which occur when Anne Shirley first arrives at Green Gables and had not also added allusions to the dress with puffed sleeves and Anne's teacher Miss Stacy (as Genevieve's Godbout's accompanying visuals clearly show Anne Shirley as avery young girl and both the puffed sleeves dress and Miss Stacy most definitely occur in Anne of Green Gables when Anne is considerably older and had been at Green Gables for a couple of years already) and if for two, the author had actually mentioned L.M. Montgomery by name and not just claimed that Goodnight, Anne is inspired by Anne of Green Gables, I would very likely have given a high four star ranking for Goodnight, Anne, but as it stands, a low three stars is all that I for one am willing to consider (and even then, I honestly think I am being rather majorly generous here, as especially the fact that Kallie George feels that it is somehow not necessary to pay homage to the original author, to L.M. Montgomery herself within the pages of Goodnight Anne, this really does rather massively bother and frustrate me to no end, and is one of the main reasons that I will NOT be actively recommending Goodnight, Anne to my Goodreads friends).
I read Ordinary, Extraordinary Jane Austen awhile ago. I could nitpick and argue that I don't think young Jane was shy-introverted maybe, observant, yes but not shy. I didn't like how the illustrations showed Jane as a wallflower while everyone was dancing. It was meant to show her observing the social habits of her peers but we know she loved to dance. I could also nitpick and say not all her brothers lived at home at once while Jane was growing up but I get the point-she had a big family. This is one of the only biographies I've seen that mentions the house full of boys- students of her father's. I especially liked that because it shows why Jane and Cassandra were so close. The rest of the facts are mostly correct. It talks about how Jane had access to her father's library and how she liked to read everything, especially novels; how her family put on amateur theatricals and everything that influenced Jane's writing. I think the overall facts are correct and the story is accessible for readers of the baby and early reader editions of Jane Austen's novels. It's not a stuffy, prosy, biography that Jane would have hated, but a light, fun one that I think she would approve of.
The illustrations are cute-almost too cute. I can nitpick and say the people aren't dressed correctly for the Georgian era early on in the book. I can nitpick and say Steventon Rectory looks like a pretty fancy house but I probably shouldn't nitpick that much. Young Jane is adorable! I just wanted to hug her. I like the soft, muted colors. They're bright enough to appeal to young girls (lots of pink) but not garish. The period details do seem to be largely correct though. My favorite illustration shows the family dancing together and Cassandra is dancing with little Charles! It's so charming and shows how close the Austens were.
This is a pretty good introduction to Jane Austen's life for very young readers. Read it to babies after reading them the BabyLit or Cozy Classics versions of the novels. They won't understand but maybe they'll absorb some of the information for later. They'll like the soothing sound of your voice reading the cute story anyway
Much better is Brave Jane Austen: Reader, Writer, Author, RebelFinally, a succinct biography of Jane Austen I actually like! It's a cradle to the grave biography to introduce Jane Austen in the context of the time period she lived in. It's simple enough for young readers to listen to and casual fans to learn more about the author's life in an entertaining way. It does tell a little story about Jane but it doesn't make assumptions about her personality or feelings. It shows how she read, observed and finally wrote what she knew only changing it up a bit. The author sums up the plot of First Impressions and it sounds like a silly romance but added to the context of Austen's life, it's a fine enough summary for a children's book. Kids get the idea that Jane wasn't like ordinary girls and therefore Lizzie wasn't like ordinary girls. I also enjoyed the quotes from the novels at the end. The author explains what they mean so young readers have the understanding of Jane Austen's language and time before they read the books or see the movies. This is SO important in understanding the novels. If you don't have the context you can't understand the complexity and richness of Jane Austen's beautiful stories. My only quibble is Austen's first novel was "Susan" (Northanger Abbey) even though it wasn't published until after her death.
The illustrations are not my favorite but I liked seeing a depiction of Jane Austen with dark hair and hazel eyes. Mrs. Austen resembles the stylized portrait done after Cassandra's watercolor sketch of Jane. The way the people are drawn feels a little off to me. They're too angular or something for my taste. I'll see what the artists in the family think. In this book the Rectory looks like a house and not a grand mansion and Chawton Cottage is depicted accurately with Jane's writing desk and her bed with the quilt the Austen women made. I liked those little details that Janeites will adore.
My sister really liked My Uncle Emily, about Emily Dickinson. She liked that Emily didn't conform to the usual aunt stereotype. At the time, she had a female friend she referred to as "uncle" in front of the kids. I've always liked reclusive, mysterious Emily Dickinson but this book doesn't stick in my mind at all.
Kathryn wrote: "In August, we will be exploring the writing process and authors. I realize that library access is still problematic for many during these challenging times so I am not setting any specific books fo..."Great list, Kathryn, thanks for sharing!
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Loosely based on British author Virginia Woolf's relationship with her older sister, modernest painter Vanessa Bell, what I appreciate and love first and foremost abo..."
This is a memorable book. My review:
Can't rate. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I do believe it's a five star read for some fans of Woolf and Vanessa Bell. And for ppl of all ages who have a sister, especially if one of them is bipolar and both are imaginative. Definitely less rich for literal (as opposed to imaginative) readers, but still can be enjoyed by them.
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Oh I loved this.
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Now textually, One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Girl named Alice is ..."
I'm going to look for this. Unless it's on overdrive, though, I have no idea when I'd be able to get it.
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Now textually, One Fun Day With Lewis Carroll: A Celebration of Wordplay and a Gi..."
This was pretty fun. But I did not really enjoy the illustrations.
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Thanks for the comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
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I could nitpick and argue that I don't think young Jane was shy-introverted maybe, observant, yes but not shy. I didn't lik..."
I felt much the same about this one. Maybe I'll check out Brave Jane Austen: Reader, Writer, Author, Rebel since you liked it better.
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Well and indeed, content and theme-wise, author Caroline Mcalister does certainly in John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J.R.R...."
I've been curious about this one and hope to check it out this month.
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Well and indeed, content and theme-wise, author Caroline Mcalister does certainly in John Ronald's Dragons: T..."
It is a pretty good picture book introduction to Tolkien, not spectacular but adequate, although also a bit tedious and too focused on only The Hobbit.
Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's BooksThis charming picture book for children and adults tells the story of how children's literature came to be and why. In the days of powdered wigs and hoop skirts books were for the wealthy. They were boring and hard for children to read. Books aimed at children told children how to behave and what to do. John Newbery rejected that. He thought children's books should be entertaining tales. He became a printer, editor and possibly author of fairy tales and fun folk tales for children. The History of Little Goody Two-Shoes is one of his most famous books. While his stories often taught lessons, the lessons were subtle and more entertaining. They were also affordable for children and enormously popular.
The prose of this little biography is peppy and peppered with exclamation points. The knowledge is imparted in a lively and fun manner just like Newbery's books. The sentences are short and simple so children can read the text themselves. In the back of the book is a historical note for adults and a bibliography.
The thing that kept me from giving this book 5 stars is the illustrations. The colors were a little dull and didn't suit the peppy text. The 18th century may have been a long time ago but it was a colorful time period. The two-dimensional drawings are cute and the illustrator studied the styles of the 18th-century to make them look more accurate. I would recommend this book to all readers young and old who may be interested in the history of children's books
Louisa: The Life of Louisa May AlcottThis is a very thorough biography of Louisa May Alcott. It not only covers her writing career but also her social activism and her time as a Civil War nurse. It's a cradle to grave biography for those readers old enough to read Louisa's books-I'd say 10+ because of the length. If a biography isn't enough, in the back you have "The World According to Louisa May Alcott," a compilation of quotes about various topics such as her childhood, nature, work, etc. Two poems by Louisa May Alcott, interesting facts about LMA, her writing and her family, important dates, a bibliography and her recipe for Apple Slump are also included. I've made Apple Slump several times and it's a huge hit with my family. This is a simple recipe Louisa's younger fans can make.
The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! Bright and rich in color and detail, they evoke the time period while being more of a fantasy. My artist sister-in-law loves the picture of Louisa lying against a very large dog. I can not gush enough about these illustrations. They make this book a real stand out.
Louisa May's Battle: How the Civil War Led to Little WomenThis biography focuses on Louisa May Alcott's time as a nurse in Georgetown, Washington, DC during the Battle of Fredericksburg in the Civil War. The story is accurate as far as I know. I even learned something new about her journey to the hospital. This book accurately depicts battlefield violence and injuries. It doesn't sugarcoat anything and states clearly that men were suffering and died. Then it tells of how Louisa used her storytelling talent and entertained the men with humorous stories and how she was forced to return home after 3 weeks because she was ill. Her letters from Georgetown became her first book Hospital Sketches. Because of the accurate depiction of war, this book may be too rough for sensitive young readers. The author incorporates quotes from Louisa's own writings which I appreciate very much.
There is a long author's note on the history of women in medicine during the Civil War, a bibliography with books marked especially for children and a list of LMA's children's books.
The illustrations are lovely EXCEPT the Alcotts look nothing like the real Alcotts. Louisa is too pretty even though it clearly states nurses were supposed to be plain (so soldiers didn't fall in love with them). Louisa waited until she was 30 to meet that part of the requirement and she was considered plain. I recognized Bronson Alcott but not Abigail "Marmee" or Anna and May, Louisa's sisters. I recognized Orchard House though and loved the illustration of Louisa at her writing desk in her room. I've been there and recently too so it was fresh in my memory. I also recognized the scenes from Little Women but not the characters as I picture them. The background details of the illustrations are incredible, especially the scene outside Louisa's train window in Baltimore which gives a stark reminder of why the men were fighting in the first place. I wasn't expecting that. The illustrator also included a map of the Battle of Fredericksburg.
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However, I'm not quite sure who the target audience is for this book. I would assume it is geared to younger readers who are not yet able to write stories with words... yet the format is rather complicated for that age group, IMO. It reads almost more like a comic or graphic novel on most pages and I think it is challenging for a lot of young children to follow along with multiple squares of illustration and dialogue on a given page spread so parents/educators will need to guide along as they read aloud (not a good choice for storytime, too many little details will be lost). Stylistically, I appreciate what the book is trying to show... but I don't think it really works as well as it could for the target audience though I do think at heart it's message is valuable.
Louisa May and Mr. Thoreau's FluteThis story may not be 100% true in facts but it is a good introduction to Louisa May Alcott. The spirit of the story is true even if the facts are not. Louisa was a wild, wilful girl who hated being forced into the narrow box prescribed for girls and women at that time. Mr. Thoreau was an odd duck who didn't fit in, much like Louisa. His teachings and his music inspire Louisa to become a better writer. This is a lovely message for children. I think nature loving niece and nephew will especially enjoy this book and niece who identifies with Jo March, will sense a kindred spirit in Louisa. I certainly did when I first read about her. This book also provides a great introduction to Henry David Thoreau though I think my nieces and nephews may have read the Henry bear series (by D.B. Johnson) based on Thoreau's life. It provided me with a better sense of who he was as a person.
The woodcut illustrations are wonderful! An old-fashioned craft that gives both the old-fashioned feel but also the bold splash of color modern kids like. I like wild Louisa with her hair flowing and her ink blots. She reminds me of Laura Ingalls. The colors seem accurate for the period (I'm not seeing any wild colors that don't appear in nature) and show kids that old doesn't mean dull.
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This story may not be 100% true in facts but it is a good introduction to Louisa May Alcott. The spirit of the story is true even if the facts are..."
Sounds like a delight!
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Deborah Kogan Ray's Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw is a short but always sufficiently detailed picture book biography of famous Bohemian-American children's illustrator and author Wanda Gág (amongst her many books being Newbery Award winner Millions of Cats and Newbery Honour winner The ABC Bunny), a delightful narrative that not only covers and describes the main points both happy and sad, both triumphant and tragic of Wanda Gág's life, but also very much and importantly demonstrates that especially with regard to children who are by nature artistically inclined and talented, a supportive and indeed equally art and culture hungry family is often not only a boon but indeed sometimes even what artistic children very much do require in order to flourish and be able to without reservations engage in their craft, in their artistic desires and wants. For without especially her father's constant encouragement and this even as he was dying of consumption, and equally without Wanda Gág's entire family being all and sundry absolutely and totally both "into" art and always sympathetic to and understanding of not only Wanda's talents but also and especially her decided need to constantly be drawing, painting etc., while Wanda Gág might still have become an artist without said support and encouragement, as art was obviously where her so-called calling lay, becoming an artist might well have proven considerably more difficult and painful, with more hurdles to surmount had her family not been right from square one so to speak so totally and utterly in favour of her artistic endeavours (as even when after her father's death, fifteen year old Wanda as the eldest was hard at work trying to earn money for her family's basic needs and to provide for her younger siblings an adequate education, much if not even the majority of her employment opportunities were artistically based, and with her mother's full support, Wanda started selling hand painted and drawn bookmarks, holiday cards and the like, as well as writing and illustrating stories that she would send to magazines, and of course, when Wanda took first place at artistic competitions, any prize money won always went right back into the family coffers).
Now Deborah Kogan Ray's presented narrative is both readable and immediate, and indeed, that in Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw, Wanda Gág's own words (from her diaries) are often interspersed with Deborah Kogan Ray's text, this does to and for me make Wand Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw much more personal and relatable than if the author had just written about her (for one gets to know Wanda Gág's personality, her feelings and how important especially art in every way was to and for her). An enlightening, informative and yes also very much delightful and inspiring homage to a girl (and later a woman) who defintely truly and utterly lived to draw, to whom art was life and life was art, I highly recommend Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw and the only reason I am not granting five stars is that although I have certainly very much aesthetically enjoyed the accompanying illustrations, I most definitely would have preferred for Deborah Kogan Ray to have included considerably more of Wanda Gág's own artwork (and also, while I do much appreciate the included author's note and bibliography, I do wish that the latter, that the bibliography were a bit more prominently displayed and not simply relegated to the very last page of Wanda Gág: The Girl Who Lived to Draw, as truth be told, I almost missed it).
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To call Anika Aladamuy Denise's Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré a wonderful junior level picture book biography, while this is of course and indeed the truth, it is still in my opinion a bit of an understatement, as the combination of the author's words and Paola Escobar's accompanying illustrations are in fact (and of course also in my humble opinion) pure and utter perfection (presenting both the high and low points of Pura Belprė's life, her many achievements, how she made popular Latino literature and folklore in the United States and yes, that even sad events such as the death of her husband are approached by Anika Aldamuy Denise gently but all the same realistically, and above all presenting in Pura Belpré a totally shining star, who planted stories like seeds and made them grow and everlastingly flourish). Combined with Paola Escobar's delightful accompanying pictures, artwork that is lush, imaginative but also delightfully realistic (and always totally mirroring the author's engaging and evocative narrative), I will gladly and with no hesitation whatsoever grant a full five stars to Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré (and with the informative author's note as well as the supplemental resource pages for me being the absolute icing on an already delicious cake, featuring a select bibliography, archival collections, articles and films on Pura Belpré, suggestions for further reading and indeed and appreciatively also that the Pura Belpré stories Anika Aldamuty Denise uses and cites in the main narrative of Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré are equally cited by their titles and given a basic plot summary and analysis in the supplemental resources section of this in every way amazing and spectacular picture book biography).
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Well, narratively and with this I of course mean from an entirely textual point of view, Jennifer Fisher Bryant's The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus truly is an absolutely perfect junior level biographical introduction to both the life and times of Peter Mark Roget and his famous (still now in use and also having been globally imitated for many languages other than English) thesaurus. Both clear in general set-up and written in a style that is neither too complicated nor too simplistic, the author presents not only Peter Mark Roget's life story, but also late 18th to middle 19th century European culture and life (both in the British Isles and in Continental Europe, touching on important historical events such as Napoleon's attempted conquest of the latter, on how Peter Mark Roget joined groups like the Royal Society, not to mention his work as a medical doctor and of course culminating in the publication of his famous thesaurus in 1852, which has indeed been in continuous print to this day).
And the inclusion at the back of The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus of both a detailed chronological time-line, as well as an author's and an illustrator's note do the indeed much increase teaching and learning value and potential. However for me, personally, what sets The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus apart and truly makes it academically superior is the academic resource page, which features not only a bibliography of works cited and used by Jennifer Fisher Bryant for her narrative, her text, but also suggestions for further reading on and about the late 18th and early 19th century (on individuals such as Mary Anning, Noah Webster and Charles Darwin, as well as a tome on medicine and public health in Victorian England). Furthermore, I also very much appreciate that while Jennifer Fisher Bryant never categorically (and fortunately) claims in The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus that Peter Mark Roget might well have been what is now considered on the autism spectrum, his shyness, his obsession with making lists, his often living and preferring to exist in his own world and in solitude, his introversions are presented, are indeed and clearly shown in the narrative, albeit always without authorial comment or judgement (even though for me, reading about Peter Mark Roget does make me much wonder and consider the very real possibilities of him having perhaps had Asperger's Syndrome or perhaps even a touch of OCD, of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
Now with regard to Melissa Sweet's accompanying illustrations, while I have found them both expressively detailed and colourful, they are also a bit too cluttered and in one's face for me to ever consider them as personal favourites. In fact, as someone who tends to easily get visually distracted, the illustrations unfortunately do have the tendency to sometimes take my attention away from the text, away from the narrative, and focus too specifically on the pictures (and as I basically am reading The Right Word: Roget and his Thesaurus primarily for the author's printed words, Melissa Sweet's inclination to at times intrude into my reading space and take my eyes away from the presented textual descriptions of Peter Mark Roget and his life and times with her busy and buzzing pictorial renditions are not always all that much appreciated). Still, the accompanying illustrations are adeptly rendered and do indeed provide a generally successful mirror of and for Jennifer Fisher Bryant's narrative, just that for me personally, there is just a bit too much illustrative chaos and too many minute little superfluous pictorial details present (although I can also imagine that for children, that for the intended audience, this might actually be an appreciated bonus).
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Although one of course feels both sadness and pity for Helen Keller being (or rather becoming) both deaf and blind, personally, Deborah Hopkinson’s Annie and Helen is such a wonderful textual celebration of not only how Annie Sullivan teaches Helen Keller the magic and miracle of words but also how once taught the latter, Helen just seems to totally blossom and absorb knowledge like a thirsty sponge, that yes, one almost does tend to forget that Helen Keller is in fact both deaf and blind and to first and foremost see her simply and delightfully as an intelligent and curious little girl being successfully taught her letters, numbers etc. by an inspired and imaginative teacher (with Annie not only giving Helen the gift of vocabulary, but of skills like reading and writing and later the opportunity to attend college and to be the first deaf and blind person in the USA to earn a BA).
Accompanied by Raúl Colón warmly descriptive pictures, which gracefully mirror Deborah Hopkinson’s inspiring words, although truth be told both Annie and Helen’s facial features do seem visually a bit too flat and expressionless for my aesthetics, I have indeed very much enjoyed reading Annie and Helen (and also appreciate the inclusion of letter excerpts from Annie Sullivan to her former teacher at the Perkins School for the Blind, to Sophia C. Hopkins, which although not really necessary on a narrational level does add a sense of history and immediacy to Deborah Hopkinson’s text). And indeed, the only reason why Annie and Helen is a three and not yet a four star book for me is that in my opinion, the bibliographical material should really be located in a much more prominent and easier to notice place, as I almost completely missed it since it was covered by the dust jacket of my library book and thus hidden and obscured from view until I specifically decided to check for it.
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And you actually have young children now, so you really do know what the 'target audience' could or could not appreciate. Otoh, I'll try to find it for my own pleasure! :)
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Well, narratively and with this I of course mean from an entirely textual point of view, Jennifer Fisher Bryant's The Right Word: Roget and ..."
I remember that I did like this.
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Well, narratively and with this I of course mean from an entirely textual point of view, Jennifer Fisher Bryant's The Righ..."
I did as well, but was just not really a fan of the illustrations.
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This is SO punny and also wonderfully educational. I mean, just look at that cover art (the brand of the typewriter is "Hunt & Peck" -- hahahaaa! Yeah, the whole book is crammed with jokes like that. You'll either love 'em or hate 'em!) Henrietta loves reading books so she figures that writing books must be "eggshilarating" ;-) so she checks out a book from the library ("Writing Rules" by Reed Moore. Tee-hee!) Henrietta tries to write her story (with some not-so-helpful advice from the other hens) and along the way she (and we) learn some important rules for writing stories such as "you need to hatch a plot" ;-) build suspense, write what you know, make your story come alive using all five senses, and the protagonist must solve his or her own problem. Alas, Hunter Fox, Editor does not wish to publish her story. So, Henrietta publishes it herself (love the spread where they turn the cider press into a book press -- we even get to see the ink colors lay down: yellow, magenta, cyan, black). Unfortunately, Noah Lyke of the Corn Book Magazine (HAHAHAAAAA) does not give it a favorable review. Poor Henrietta! Will anyone ever like her stories? Maybe she just needs to find the right audience.
The illustration style is not my favorite, but I do think it fits the zany style of the story.
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I hope you'll enjoy it, Cheryl!
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Manybooks wrote: "I really enjoyed and was often giggling while reading Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type, but I guess I am also laughing at those who think that this is Socialist propaganda. There is ..."Wow I didn't remember that was on the challenged list. My niece totally loved it when she was in Pre-K. We took a special city bus trip to the library, bringing her beloved American Girl doll and she chose that book to read to her doll. It's a silly story.
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Not sure if the book actually made it to the banned books list but there sure are a few reviews online claiming that it is inappropriate for children.
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Oh wow. Yeah, I love this kind of silly humor. Margie Palatini, for example Bad Boys, comes to mind. Adding this to my asap list!
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Children's Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Wish You Were Here: Postcards from Franz Kafka (other topics)Good Books for Bad Children: The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom (other topics)
The Secret Language (other topics)
River Boy: The Story of Mark Twain (other topics)
John Ronald's Dragons: The Story of J. R. R. Tolkien (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Kathy Ellen Davis (other topics)Kevin O'Malley (other topics)
Kevin O'Malley (other topics)
Kevin O'Malley (other topics)
Kevin O'Malley (other topics)
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Here is the list I am starting with this month for myself:
Rocket Writes a Story
Mr. Putter & Tabby Write the Book
The Plot Chickens
Once Upon a Baby Brother
Little Red Writing
What's the Big Idea, Molly?
A Squiggly Story
Fanny & Annabelle
Big Machines: The Story of Virginia Lee Burton
Author: A True Story
Emily Writes: Emily Dickinson and Her Poetic Beginnings
My Worst Book Ever
Me Llamo Gabriela/my Name Is Gabriela: La Vida de Gabriela Mistral / The Life of Gabriela Mistral
Richard Wright and the Library Card
To Go Singing Through the World: The Childhood of Pablo Neruda