Book Blog #7: Round

Title: Round

Author: Joyce Sidman (illustrations by Taeeun Yoo)

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2017)

Age: 3-7 years

Lexile Reading Level: n/a

Awards: Best Books of the Year (School Library Journal), more awards to come!

Review:

Round is a simple book. But there can be an elegance to simplicity and Round has it in spades. Sidman's words are a poem that is a joy to read both introspectively and out loud. The book is essentially an ode to round things - from the most simple to the most complex. For example, she writes about how the moon shows itself, "night after night, rounder and rounder, until the whole sky holds its breath." And then the next page she turns her gaze inwards: "I can be round, too. In a circle of friends with no one left out." At the very end of the book Sidman devotes two pages to the question: Why are so many things in nature round? Her answers - round is cozy, sturdy, it spreads out, etc. - all have brief explanations. These explanations are so wonderful! Some are incredibly basic while others are more detailed but in a way that a preschooler could still understand them. Speaking of, this book would be an excellent choice for a preschool storytime or even a K-2 classroom. It is, essentially, a nonfiction book disguised as a picture book. It is instantly accessible and would be enjoyed by all.

There is a childlike quality to the artwork that works. At first I wanted more. Part of that is because I was coming off of writing/reviewing Katherine Roy's How to Be an Elephant and others - books where the artwork demands attention. Books where the artwork is, arguably, just as important as the text. But, after several re-reads, I think the art fits. It is gentle. Peaceful. The harsh edges & brushstrokes are rounded away. This is a book for a young child to treasure and I think the artwork is a part of that. It's comfortable and reassuring. All in all, it's a lovely book and one I look forward to reading at my storytimes and to my own children.

Recommended Pairings:

1. Now - Antoinette Portis
2. Ask Me - Bernard Waring
3. Life - Cynthia Rylant

All three of my suggested pairings share one major thing in common with Round: self-reflection. Each book inspires the reader (and listener) to think. Now makes you think about all the wonderful things around you, what your favorites are, and serves as a great reminder to enjoy the moment. Ask Me is a personal favorite about a father and daughter taking a simple walk through their neighborhood on a fall day. It echoes Now's sentiments about the joy of the moment and brings tears to my eyes nearly every time I read it. Life - like Round, published in 2017 - is a rather profound picture book that uses animals and their lives as an impetus for our introspection. These three books are a mix of fiction and nonfiction but I think that is okay with a book like Round that straddles a fine line between the two worlds.

Suggested Activities:

The easy activity to do with Round is to explore things that are, you guessed it, round. You could build a very fun storytime or preschool lesson around round. (Throw in Press Here! as a readalike - which is all about touching little round dots.) Or it could be part of a bigger look at shapes in general. But, as reflected in my recommended pairings, I think you could go a little deeper with the book and explore what it makes the reader/listener think/feel. Finally, Sidman's explanation at the end of her book about why things in nature are round is incredibly useful for librarians and teachers. It could be the impetus for a deeper look at things in nature that are round or, more generally speaking, why animals and plants in nature are the way they are.

Book Blog #6: How To Be An Elephant

Title: How to be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild

Author: Katherine Roy

Publisher: David Macauley Studio (2017)

Age: 7-11 years

Lexile Reading Level: n/a (her previous book's lexile level was NC1330L)

Awards: Best Books of the Year (School Library Journal), more awards to come!

Review

I adored Roy's 2015 book Neighborhood Sharks so I've been anticipating her follow up with bated breath. How to be an Elephant did not disappoint. Roy's books remind me of the old trope: "Come for the X, stay for the Y." With Roy you come for the art but you stay for the education. 

First, the art. It's gorgeous. Roy's painints are museum quality watercolors. But it's also something more. Something I haven't quite put my finger on. There's a depth and a richness to her paintings but also an intimacy. That might come from her choice to use watercolors but it's also her technique. She is able to create things that are not there: smells, sounds, etc - that are so vibrant that you can easily believe that they are  there. For example, there's a fantastic painting that goes along with an explanation of a baby elephant's sense of smell and how reliant the elephant is on the sense. Roy uses different colors to show the smells - Mom, stranger danger, Aunt Elsa, the daily special. Each smell is a series of flourishes and ribbons that I actually found myself following. They were so realistic that you could, for a second, believe that that's what the odors in the African plains really do look like!

  

Second, the text. How to be and Elephant, like Neighborhood Sharks, is a textbook in disguise. Roy explains not just what life is like for a baby elephant but also how it grows, adapts, and changes from infancy to young adult. You can't read a Roy book without learning something and guess what? You'll enjoy it! Roy uses graphs, charts, diagrams, models, maps, you name it - to explain different aspects of an elephant's lifespan. The books remind me of the David Macauley books I loved growing up. Interestingly, Macauley's publishing company published Roy's books.

Recommended Pairings:

1. Elephants - Rebecca Heller
2. National Geographic Kids Mission: Elephant Rescue - Ashlee Brown Blewett 
3. Elephant Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife - Jody Morgan

All three of these books are about elephant conservation and protection. (Please see note in Suggested Activities.) The first book is a day in the life of a baby elephant but also deals with the threats the baby faces. It's a very sweet book and as a bonus, all proceeds from the sale of the book are given to the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, a non-profit organization working to ensure the long-term conservation and welfare of Africa’s elephants. The second book is from National Geographic and its a pretty in-depth book about the efforts to protect elephants with some first hand accounts from the people on the front lines. It also has activities and challenges for the reader. As befitting a National Geographic work, the photographs in the book are gorgeous. The final book focuses more on the efforts to protect the elephant rather than the actual elephant (though there is a bit on the animal as well). Lots of in-depth behind-the-scenes stuff on what it takes both in the field and in government to protect elephants and why it's important. 

Suggested Activities: 

In an interview with School Library Journal, Roy was asked about elephants and the threat to their survival. Her response:

I think that kids can handle a lot of real-world information and that we often do them a disservice when we water it down. Cute and cuddly can definitely help us connect to an animal in fiction, but when that animal is reduced to only its friendly characteristics, or given entirely human ­behavior within that animal’s body, then we can lose track of what an elephant actually is—and how important they are beyond entertainment. Elephants are cute, but they can also be fierce and terribly boring. Herbivores do a lot of standing around and chewing grass, but just by eating and walking and ­pooping, elephants have been shaping the African landscape for literally millions of years, and any number of ­species have evolved to rely on the changes that elephants exert on their habitat. All over the globe today, the environment is at odds with the economy, and the future of wildlife—and our future, really—is in the hands of lawmakers and world leaders. We have to choose who we’re going to be, and what kind of world we want to leave behind for our children. My hope is that this book, and helping educate kids about the way things really live, is a step in the right direction.

I think the suggested activities for the book should honor her sentiments. Both teachers and librarians could design programs that focus on animal conservation and protection. For example, right now the issue of elephant hunting and poaching is once again in the news because our President inexplicably announced the removal of a ban on importing elephant "trophies." (He later said that he was delaying his decision.) This could be a good time to talk about the the threats that elephants face in the wild from hunters and, subsequently, their declining numbers. While I don't live close to a zoo or wildlife sanctuary that has elephants (Chicago is the closest), some teachers/librarians could use those resources. But we don't have to limit ourselves to just learning about elephants. Earlier this semester I wrote about the graphic novel Primates in a LitBit assignment. That book focused on the research of primates by three different women but it also dealt with efforts to protect those animals. There are numerous high quality books, materials, websites, and other resources that we can use to talk about animal conservation and protection with our students/patrons. Roy even provides a list of the sources she used for the book on her website: 

http://katherineroy.com/elephants/how-to-be-an-elephant-sources/

Book Blog #5: Mesmerized

Title: Mesmerized: How Ben Franklin Solved a Mystery That Baffled All of France

Author: Mara Rockliff (words) & Iacopo Bruno (Illustrations)

Publisher: Candlewick Press (2015)

Age: 8-12

Lexile Reading Level: 690L

Awards: Cook Prize, ALA Notable Book, SLJ Best Book, and many more.

Review

During the Revolutionary War, Benjamin Franklin went to Paris to try and convince the King that the colonies were worthy of French assistance in their war for independence against the British. When Franklin arrived in Europe he entered a continent obsessed with a young doctor named Mesmer. Mesmer claimed to have discovered a new force that he was able to tap into which gave him unique powers. When Dr. Mesmer channeled the force and waived his wand he was able to do amazing things including cure illnesses. The King of France asked Franklin to investigate Dr. Mesmer's claims and the rest, so they say, is history. I was absolutely transfixed with this book! While I was well aware of Franklin's trip to France I had never heard of his interaction with Dr. Mesmer. In fact, there was a moment early on where I debated whether or not it was real. It was! The story alone had be glued to every page but the unique presentation of the book - using a mix of fonts, graphics, maps, illustrations - and the exceptional artwork that made every page a feast for the eyes made the book a true joy. I wholeheartedly recommend it. It's an amazing story and introduces some important scientific elements that I didn't know. I think it might be a bit much for a 1st grader and possibly a 2nd grader, but it would be right in a 3rd-5th grader's wheel house.

Recommended Pairings:

1. Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride (Marjorie Priceman)

2. Mr. Ferris and His Wheel (Kathryn Gibbs Davis)

3. Anything but ordinary Addie: the true story of Adelaide Herrmann, Queen of Magic (Mara Rockliff)

All three books that I have listed as pairings are, like Mesmerized, narrative nonfiction picture books. Each tells the story of a famous invention/person in a way that is appealing to both a child and the adult reading it to a child! The story told in the first book is actually referenced in Mesmerized. In 1783 the first hot air balloon took flight. It's passengers? A rooster, a duck, and a sheep! The second book is the true story of the invention of the Ferris Wheel and whether or not it would be ready for its debut at the 1893 World's Fair. The third selection was one I thought of while reading Mesmerized. Something about the book reminded me of another nonfiction narrative I had read about a woman who, after her husband - a world-famous magician - passed away, became a world famous magician herself. When I finally found the book I was surprised to discover that it was the same author as Mesmerized! All three books are informative, engaging, and inspirational.

Suggested Activities:

Each of the four books I've mentioned in this post sparked my curiosity. I read quite a bit more about Dr. Mesmer, the first hot air balloon, Mr. Ferris, and Adelaide Herrmann. Each story could be used for a larger subject study. Mesmerized alone could be used to study Ben Franklin, The Revolutionary War, The French Revolution, the Scientific Method, the placebo effect, Louis XVI, and more. I think a really fun exercise would be to have a classroom or library program study these narrative nonfiction picture books and then have each child or a small group create their own based on a historical figure/event that interests them.

Book Blog #4: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine

Title: Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine

Author: Laurie Wallmark & April Chu

Publisher: Creston Books (2015)

Age: 5-9 years old (K-3rd)

Lexile Reading Level: n/a

Awards: Booklist Top Ten Books in Science and Health, Booklist Editor's Choice: Books for Youth 2015, Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 for 2016, National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council... (several more similar awards)

Review

Ada Byron Lovelace and the Thinking Machine is a lovely book - both in words and pictures - about the 19th century Lovelace, considered by many to be the first computer programmer. It's an inspiring story - especially encouraging for young, inquisitive minds. Despite societal rules of the age (young women were not supposed to be studying math and the sciences!), Lovelace followed her hunger for numbers her entire life, eventually meeting the well-known mathematician and inventor Charles Babbage. Babbage had invented a counting machine, essentially the world's first computer, but it was Lovelace who programmed it. The books is easy for even young readers but it would still be appealing for 3rd and 4th graders. I especially loved the illustrations which are quite exceptional. They reminded me of paintings from the Renaissance era but somehow modern. The books glosses over quite a bit of Lovelace's life, but it is still a wonderful introduction to the woman and her role in the modern age of computing.



Recommended Pairings

1. Grace Hopper: Queen of Computer Code (Laurie Wallmark)
2. Margaret and the Moon (Dean Robbins)
3. Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World (Rachel Ignotofsky)

To my surprise and delight, there are numerous picture books available that tell the stories of women scientists and mathematicians. Grace Hopper is also by Wallmark and is a really cool story about another woman who had a major impact on the computer age and whom I knew nothing about. (It's worth nothing that this book has a different artist than Ada Byron Lovelace.) Margaret and the Moon is very similar to the books about Ava and Grace. All three would be excellent storytime reads or classroom reads. My third pairing is a wonderful book that I was actually introduced to by reading a fellow student's Book Blog. The book tells the story of 50 different women who made massive contributions in the various STEM fields. The book is probably best suited for slightly older children than the audience of the other three books I've written about, but I think a teacher/librarian could absolutely still use it with the younger audience. And for those children wanting to explore more on their own - this would be a great choice. My two daughters were enthralled by it. (Interestingly, my youngest loved the book on Ada while my oldest felt it was a little too "babyish" for her.)

Suggested Activities

Girls Who Code is a very popular program in libraries these days and these books would be great for that. I also think it would be a wonderful program or lesson - especially with the current political situation - to celebrate the impact and advancements made by women in the STEM fields. These books could all be a part of that. While a program/lesson like that would be excellent any month of the year, March is "National Women's Month."

Book Blog #3: Owen & Mzee

Title: Owen & Mzee: The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship

Author: Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, and Dr. Paula Kahumbu

Publisher: Scholastic (2006)

Age: Preschool - 5th Grade (according to Scholastic's website)

Lexile Reading Level: 920L

Awards:  ALA Notable Children's Book, NYT Bestseller, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Book Award 

Review

The story of the friendship between a baby hippo named Owen and a 130 year old tortoise named Mzee is remarkable. Owen loses her family in the 2004 tsunami that devastated parts of Asia and Africa. She was taken to Haller Park, an animal sanctuary in Kenya, where she struggles to adapt to her new surroundings. Then she is befriended by the infamously unfriendly Mzee and an unlikely partnership forms. The story is wonderful, heartwarming, and uplifting. Unfortunately, the book is not. It's stilted with far too many unnecessary details thrown in for no apparent reason. Subsequently the book does not flow. It reads like a manual, bogged down in minutiae, and it screams for an editor. 

The book's authors are a father and daughter (the daughter gets a writing credit but she was only five when the book was written) named Craig and Isabella Hatkoff and Dr. Paula Kahumbu, who was the manager of Haller Park. It is the first book for all three. (Interesting side note, Craig Hatkoff is a real estate bigwig and philanthropist who co-created the Tribeca Film Festival). The art in the book are all photographs by Peter Greste, a photojournalist and broadcaster for the BBC. You take the good and the bad with the pictures. The good: They're real and they help make the story real. You see what Owen looked like and what Mzee looked like. You see Owen trapped in the Indian Ocean after the tsunami. You see Owen and Mzee's interaction. It's very powerful. But, at the same time - not all of the photos are great. Some are grainy and not particularly good shots. 

I am a crier. This book should have had me weeping. It's a wonderful story and yet my eyes were completely dry from start to finish. I also don't think it would work as part of a storytime - especially with younger kids. The book - and it pains me to write this - is a slog to read. It could work for older ages as an assigned book, something the children could read on their own and do reports on, but I would avoid reading it out loud.

Recommended Pairings

1. Tarra & Bella: The Elephant and Dog Who Became Best Friends - Carol Buckley

2. Kate & Pippin: An Unlikely Love Story - Martin Springett

3. Sniffer & Tinni: A True Tale of Amazing Animal Friendship - Berit Helberg

A librarian or teacher has a few different avenues they could go with when looking at pairings. They could focus on the animals involved: the hippopotamus and tortoise. They could look at Kenya. Or they could do fun animal friendships. I've gone with that route but I think that Owen & Mzee lends itself to any of the three options. Tarra & Bella is a wonderful story about a retired circus elephant and a dog. (I mentioned earlier that I'm a crier, right? Well this book had me sobbing! In a good way!) Kate & Pippin is about a deer and a dog while Sniffer & Tinni are about a fox and a dog. Both feel aimed at a younger audience than Owen & Mzee and would work well in a storytime or as a read-aloud.

Suggested Activities

As mentioned above, Owen & Mzee is a great leaping off point for so many different paths. I think a classroom study of Kenya would be really fun. Scholastic (the book's publisher) actually has a website about the book that features activities and suggestions. You can visit it here. (That site also has more information and multiple videos about Owen & Mzee.) There are numerous Kenyan folktales and legends that would be great for readalouds, too. A study of hippos are tortoises would also be a fun possibility. 

Book Blog #2: Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

Title: Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

Author: James Sturm & Rich Tommaso

Publisher: Hyperion Books For Children (2007)

Age: 4^th-6^th grade

Lexile Reading Level: GN690L

Awards:  n/a

Review

Baseball is my passion. I love to watch, read, talk, and write about the game. I especially love to read about the Negro Leagues – the leagues created for black baseball players when they were not allowed to play with whites. Satchel Paige was the biggest name in the Negro Leagues (if not all of baseball) and the legends of his exploits both on and off the field are legendary.

However, Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow is not about Satchel Paige. Not really.

It’s about a fictional sharecropper in Alabama named Emmet Wilson. Wilson had once been a hotshot rookie who doubled off of Paige in a game only to suffer a career-ending injury later that inning when he tried to score. The book is told from Wilson’s perspective. We anticipate the at bat against Paige. We deal with the struggle of losing your dream and being forced into this horrific pseudo-slave system in the Jim Crow south where Wilson and his family live in fear of the young, sadistic white men who lord over them. When a traveling team of black ballplayers comes to town to take on the local white team, Wilson finds joy and pride in the exploits of the players on the field, especially Paige.

It’s a fine book. The reader is drawn to Wilson, roots for him. The art is simple - black and white and grey and tan - which I think gives the story gravitas. I’m sure it would be eye-opening for young readers and could be a starting point for other discussions. That being said, it’s not the book I expected or wanted. It’s not about Satchel Paige. It’s not about Jim Crow. It’s about a man who lives in the Jim Crow south. Paige becomes an almost mythical character in the book and, in an odd way, I think that cheapens what he did. Paige was a man. A man who was, in his prime, the best pitcher in the world and yet he wasn’t allowed to compete day in and day out against white players because of bigotry. Despite that, Paige thrived. And he inspired thousands if not millions. I think that graphic novel should be made. Sadly, this one is not it.

Recommended Pairings:

1. We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball – Kadir Nelson

2. Only the Ball Was White – Robert Peterson

3. March – John Lewis

We Are the Ship is one of my all time favorite books. Like in Satchel Paige, Nelson uses a fictional character to be the narrator as he traces the history of the Negro Leagues from their creation in 1920 until the integration of baseball in 1947. As a bonus, Nelson’s artwork is incredible. In addition, Nelson has written several other books about the life of black men and women in America that are all worth reading. Peterson’s book is written for adults but excerpts could be read for students. The players – Paige, Cool Papa Bell, Buck O’Neill, and dozens more – come alive. And finally, March would be a great pairing as it, too, is a graphic novel and shows the continuation of the struggle that Wilson faces in Satchel Paige. I wrote about my love for Rep. Lewis’ March trilogy in my first Read & Discuss post. It’s one of the most important books of the last decade.

Suggested Activities:

Graphic novels are such a great tool for teachers and librarians. They break down barriers for children and there are numerous studies that show how GNs are beneficial for growing minds. You could just have a graphic novel class where students read graphic novels (both fiction and nonfiction) and create their own.

For older kids, Satchel Paige and March could be used in studies of segregation, civil rights, and American history in general.

And of course, Satchel Paige could be used in studying the history of baseball and, specifically, it’s role in the civil rights movement. Interesting parallels could be drawn between sports in the 20s, 30s, and 40s and today’s athletes.  

Book Blog #1: Some Writer: The Story of E.B. White

Title: Some Writer: The Story of E.B.White

Author: Melissa Sweet

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2016)

Age: 2nd - 5th grade

Lexile Reading Level: 1030

Awards: ALA Notable Book (2017), NCTE Orbis Pictus Award, Amazon Top 20 Children’s Books of 2016, Publishers Weekly Best of 2016, Washington Post Best of 2016, School Library Journal Best of 2016, and many more

Review

Some Writer had been on my “to read” list for a long time. It was well worth the wait. The book is stunning. It is a very good biography that - thanks to Sweet’s creative use of collage and original water colors - becomes something so much more. It is a treat to read, with practically each page containing something that makes the reader smile or want to explore.

 The illustrations are absorbing. It almost feels like a family scrapbook brought to life that serves as an informational journey of the man, a tribute to this exceptional writer, a tribute to the power of words, and, oddly, a manual on how to write a book! It is filled with photos, excerpts from manuscripts (including rough drafts that are particularly interesting), personal letters, and much more. It is a joy and a must-read for anyone who has, like me, adored E.B. White’s books, and a must-have for any library.

Recommended Pairings:

1. A Poem For Peter: The Story of Ezra Jack Keats and the Creation of The Snowy Day (Andrea Pinkney)

2. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (Jen Bryant)

3. A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams (Jen Bryant)

The three titles listed above are, like Some Writer, engaging juvenile nonfiction books about famous writers and their famous works. I think a really good display, program, or lesson could be studying the writers and their works. (As a bonus, Melissa Sweet provided the illustrations for The Right Word and A River of Words as well.) Additionally, Some Writer would be an excellent read for anyone who has read E.B. White’s Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, and The Trumpet of the Swan. If a class reads one of those novels together than Some Writer would be a must-read as well.

Suggested Activities:

One of the great things about Some Writer is its depiction of so many aspects of White’s life. There are opportunities to do activities about grammar, cartoons, nature, animals, traveling across the United States, and more. A teacher or librarian who can’t find a jumping off topic from Some Writer isn’t trying that hard!