Anthropomorphized Monkeys and Racist Stereotypes in Children's Books

Anyone who knows me or reads this blog knows that I LOVED LOVED LOVED The Farmer and the Clown by Marla Frazee from the minute it was published. I am a HUGE Marla Frazee fan and love all of her work. Walk On! and The Farmer and the Clown are definitely two of my favorite picture books.

So I was VERY excited to read that this wordless book, The Farmer and the Clown, was going to grow into a trilogy! What a treat!  I couldn't wait to get a copy.

Then, I saw the title of the second book and I worried: The Farmer and the Monkey.

I have only recently started to pay attention to monkeys in children's literature. Edith Campbell led a Highlights Foundation workshop that I attended last year where she shared the problems with anthropomorphized monkeys in children's literature. She writes a bit about it here. The idea was new to me then (which in itself is a problem I take full responsibility for) and although I still don't completely understand it to the extent that I should, I can now see it as a huge problem.

If this is something you need to learn more about, Elisa Gall at Reading While White also wrote about this over 2 years ago in the post Knowing Better, Doing Better.

I am still continuing to learn more about this, but as I do, I am looking at children's books with monkeys with a more critical lens. I've recently realized this is something I've been missing all these years. When I revisit and learn more about Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, Voices in the Park and others, I missed so much as I continued to share these books with children and teachers for so long.

So, back to The Farmer and the Monkey, the sequel to The Farmer and the Clown.

I ordered the book the day it came out. Even though I knew the issues with anthropomorphized monkeys in children's literature, I was hopeful.  Very hopeful. I trusted that maybe since this was about a circus, it would be okay. As I said, I LOVED The Farmer and the Clown and I really wanted to LOVE this one too.

My hope disappeared after reading just a few pages of this new book.  This adorable monkey caused trouble the minute he entered the farmer's house.  It was clear from the visuals early on that this monkey was a troublemaker and misbehaved often.  This thread of this character as "troublesome" and "behavior problem" works through the whole book.  When I thought about this as related to Edith Campbell's work, I couldn't help but see how this was a problem. The racist stereotype of Black children as troublemakers is something that this book amplifies. 

I was compelled to dig a bit more.  I went page by page in the book and here are some problematic things I noticed:

• The monkey appears to me to be sneaky. Before he even enters the farmer's home, he is sneaking around, climbing on the roof, peeking in windows.
• The monkey is only in the farmer's house for a few minutes before the farmer sends him away--kicks him out of the house in the dark night. Alone.
• The monkey is left alone in the night and is buried in snow while the farmer presumably sleeps peacefully, not checking on the monkey through the night.
• The next morning, the farmer sees the monkey in the snow, (seemingly waiting to be saved), feels sorry for the monkey and brings him in and cares for him. but the monkey still causes immense trouble on the farm and although the farmer doesn't seem to enjoy the monkey, he is more patient with him. 
• The farmer sends the monkey off on his own to meet the train/his circus family, with a full picnic basket strapped to his back so that finally the farmer can rest peacefully on a haystack. The ending shows that the farmer's life is much better after he sends the monkey away.

Even after noticing these things, I was still a tiny bit hopeful. I remembered the clown in the first book being troublesome too, so I went back and compared the books, page by page, assuming I might see that the clown had been similar in character but that I forgot.  Here is what I noticed:

• The clown visibly presents as a white child.
• When the farmer sees the clown all alone, he immediately takes him in and cares for him, holding his hand as they walk to the farmer's house. The clown seems compliant and happy to have the farmer as a friend almost immediately. This is a huge contrast from the monkey, sneaking in and causing trouble immediately and the farmer becoming flustered.
• In the home, the little clown is sweet and compliant. He does everything the farmer does.
• The farmer is so loving toward the clown that the clown sleeps in the farmer's bed while the farmer stays awake making sure the clown is comfortable. In contrast, the farmer sleeps in his own bed while the monkey sleeps on the floor in a small picnic basket, or even stays awake at night while the farmer sleeps.
• The clown was NEVER kicked out of the farmer's home. Instead the farmer did everything he could to help the clown feel welcome and to be comfortable.
• The farmer works hard to entertain the clown and to make sure he is happy. The clown also appears to be VERY helpful with chores on the farm. 
• In the first book, the farmer and the clown go on a fabulous picnic using a full picnic basket as they wait for the circus train. They eat together under a tree. When the train arrives, the farmer holds the clown's hand and waits until the family comes out and greets him. The farmer and the clown have an emotional goodbye that is filled with hugs and love. The farmer seems to keep the clown's hat to remember him.
•  In contrast, the monkey is sent on his own, loaded down with a heavy picnic basket that they packed with food. Instead of hugs and love, the farmer shakes the monkey's hand and sends him off, without enjoying the meal together, never making sure he gets where he is going.
• The farmer appears relieved when the monkey is gone as he rests on the haystack.

After learning from Edith Campbell and others, this is the first time that I have actually SEEN for myself -- without someone else pointing them out -- the racist stereotypes and the problems with anthropomorphized monkeys in a children's book. When I look at these two characters critically, I now see a sweet white child and a troublesome monkey. I see too many anti-Black messages in this book to look away. I am not the only one who has concerns about this book. Michelle Knott also mentioned her concerns in a recent blog post.

As I said earlier, this understanding about anthropomorphized monkeys in children's literature is new to me and I imagine it is new to many educators, authors, parents and publishers. I hope that we can all do better now that this information about the problems with anthropomorphized monkeys is readily available for us.

It is not my intent for this post to end up starting a conversation about this specific book, but instead for it to act as a call for all of us who work with children and children's books to commit to learning, understanding and critically analyzing books with monkeys and to understand the problematic history of these images.

I will continue to be a huge Marla Frazee fan even if I cannot be a supporter of this book.  I am hoping that that authors and publishers take this issue of monkeys in picture books more seriously in the future.

If you'd like to learn more, here are a few things I've read:

The Disturbing "Monkey Business" of U.S. Black-White Race Relations at Teaching Tolerance 

Tell Knopf: Stop Publishing "Monkey" Book Series by Marc Brown at Social Justice Books 

More from Dr. Edi Campbell.

Edith Campbell reminds us in her post about Grumpy Monkey, "Regardless of the creator’s intent, there are social, cultural and political forces that shape the messages we find in books. Hundreds of years of equating blacks with simians cannot help but be seen in anthropomorphic pictures books"

Dictionary for a Better World--You Will Want More Than One Copy of This Book!

I cannot be a bigger fan of Dictionary for a Better World by Irene Latham and Charles Waters.  WOW!  I was excited about this book when I saw it at NCTE in Baltimore and I spent lots of time skimming and scanning over the past few months. But this week, I sat down to read it cover to cover. And WOW!  I am so glad I gave this book the time it deserved.

This book is brilliant for so many reasons. It seems to me that it belongs in every classroom K-12 and honestly, I don't think one copy of this book will be enough. There is so much here! Irene Latham, Charles Waters and illustrator Mehrdokht Amini have collaborated to create this brilliant piece of writing and art.  

First of all, the book is longer than I realized. I couldn't read it in one sitting as I intended. It is 120ish pages long and each page is worth savoring. 

Jennifer Orr seems to have a great strategy for reading this one:

Wish I had thought of this--it may be my strategy for a rereading.  Each two-page spread is definitely worth savoring.  So much to think about and so many fabulous visuals to add to each idea.

So, the book is set up as an ABC type book--a dictionary in alphabetical order.  Here is the Table of Contents to give you a sense of all that is here.

So, each two-page spread focuses on one of these words--these words that are really big ideas. The word/idea is explored with a poem, a quote, a connected story from either Irene or Charles, amazing illustrations and something to try. It is pretty incredible all that is included on each page-a deep dive into an important idea for a better world.  

I see so many possibilities for this book.  Sharing a two-page spread each day would be an incredible way to start conversations.  There are also conversations about action and narratives that move us to understanding that would come out of this.

I also see this as a mentor for writers. Each poem is a different type of poem and the authors teach us about those forms as we go.  I also think there is a lot for writers to study in terms of short, powerful narratives like the ones included on each page.  And the whole layout and creating a message with several different kinds of writing and images is so powerful. The word choice alone can become the basis for a year of study.

I could not love this book any more.  I am sorry to say I didn't make time to read it cover to cover before this week. Before this week, I knew it was good, but this week, I realized that it is more than good, it is brilliant for so many reasons.

As an added bonus, you can hear Charles Waters share several of the poems in the book here.

This is definitely a book you want to make time for this summer. It is one you will want for your home, classroom or library.  Order lots!

(I am happy to know I will be able to talk to others about this book as part of the Book Love Foundation's Summer Book Club this month!)

Still Learning to Read: Books We Love!

This is one of a series of blog posts that continue the conversation around Still Learning to Read--teaching reading to students in grades 3-6.  This series will run on the blog on Tuesdays starting in August 2016 and continue through the school year.

I love watching the tastes in the classroom change.  I love watching a student read a book and then that student recommends it to another and another and another. I love watching how books are informally passed around the classroom as readers know each other's tastes as readers.

This week, we worked on creating book reviews--we chose books we thought other 3rd graders would love to read. And we collected the book reviews on a Padlet.  So this Padlet is a glimpse into our classroom--the books that are currently popular.  Take some time to visit the Padlet, share it with your students and let us know if you read anything we recommend.  We hope you enjoy some of the books we love!

You can visit our Padlet here.

  

Poetry Friday Roundup is HERE! (Moo)

I'll be rounding up "old school" this week. 

Leave your links in the comments. 

I'll add them to the post as the day goes on.

 But first, Moo. 

Thank you, Kimberley Moran, 

for sharing the ARC of this novel in verse,

due to be published August 30, 2016, by HarperCollins. 

Somewhere,
there's a reader who will pick up this book
and know that's a Belted Galloway on the cover.

Somewhere,
there's a reader who has shown a heifer at the fair,
using a show stick to adjust the cow's stance.

Somewhere,
there's a reader who knows cow nostrils cow slobber cow plops.
Intimately.

These readers
will live inside the story of city-kids Reena and Luke
learning the small-town farm-kid Mainey life,
learning to get along with old Mrs. Falala,
learning to do things they never imagined they could do
or would do.

The rest of the readers
will watch jealously from the outside,
dreaming of freedom and fog and lobster boats.

All readers
will savor Creech's rich language
poetry
prose poems
words that skip and drip down the page
words that stretch and shout
words that
bellow
and
Moooooooooo.



HERE'S THE ROUNDUP!  (moo...)

Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge is pondering time and change, Amy Lowell and the Lowcountry of SC (plus three hokku).

Sally at Sally Murphy wrote three linked lunes...with a wink and a nod to her post from last week!

Emily Dickinson is helping Tara at A Teaching Life celebrate the recent rains.

Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme shares Carol Varsalona's Spring Seeds Gallery.

Keri at Keri Recommends has a vacation haiku from a getaway on the Little Red River in Arkansas.

Bridget's word play poem at Wee Words for Wee Ones will make you groan.

Dori at Dori Reads checks in from vacation in Montana with a glacier poem by a Kalispell student.

Laura at Laura Shovan has a mat-mom wrestling poem for us this week.

Diane at Random Noodling has bunny Haibun, Haiku and art this week!

At Kurious Kitty, Diane is celebrating Gustav Klimt's birthday with ekphrastic poetry written by Ferlinghetti.

Belted Galloways come in cinnamon, as well as dark chocolate. Image via Wikimedia.

At Beyond LiteracyLink, Carol V. shares Jone's Summer Poem Swap poem and encourages us to visit the Spring Seeds Gallery, where you can revisit the Kidlitosphere Progressive poem from last April.

Steven at Crackles of Speech has an original poem for us today about home building.

Linda M. at A Word in Edgewise also has a pair of original poems, inspired by a Teachers Write challenge.

Chelanne at Books4Learning reviews Outside the Box by Karma Wilson.

Myra at Gathering Books highlights Daniel Finds a Poem and tells about her Poetry Workshop for bloggers and families.

At The Opposite of Indifference, Tabatha has chosen a pair of poems with quiet Buddha wisdom.

Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales is contemplating stillness vs. music in an original poem.

Elaine at Wild Rose Reader has an original mask poem that speaks in the voice of everyone's "favorite" wildflower of summer!

Catherine at Reading to the Core shares an original poem that invites readers to slow down and take a closer look.

Heidi ponders the exact moment the new year arrives in her original poem at My Juicy Little Universe.

Carol W. at Carol's Corner spotlights a birder's journal that includes sketching and poetry.

Belted Galloway nostril close up via Pixaby.

Little Willow has some Hamilton for us at Bildungsroman!!

Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone shares a poem-in-progress about her recent family reunion.

Sylvia at Poetry for Children is celebrating TEN YEARS of blogging! As it turns out, this is her 811th post, and we all know which books to find shelved in the library with that number on their spines! How perfect is that? Well, then...811 cheers (or moos) for Sylvia!!

Julianne at To Read To Write To Be shares the connections that led her from a podcast to a beautiful blessing poem by Jane Hirshfield.

Linda B. at TeacherDance has some "wisdom of the ages" for these troubled times.

Tanita at {fiction, instead of lies} shares Sting lyrics to soothe our souls.

Margaret at Reflections on the Teche celebrates her mother-in-law's 85th birthday in an amazingly spectacular way!

What a treat! S. Evelyn at Notes Toward a Definition stumbled upon Patience Agbabi's revision of the General Prologue of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales: So. Much Fun.

More Emily Dickinson from Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town.

At AliceNine, Alice shares a poem that's a "guiding beacon" for her.

Time to lie down in the shade. I think the roundup is almost finished.

No, wait! There's more! Irene at Live Your Poem is still up on Cloud Nine after being named the 2016 ILA-Lee Bennett Hopkins Promising Poet! It's the 15th, Irene, not the 8th! Everybody be sure to go over and give Irene another round of congratulations!

Claudette at 100 Words a Day shares an original haibun to celebrate (?) her recent hip surgery. How about some cheer(s) for Claudette?!?

And Carlie at Twinkling Along slipped in under the wire (West Coast midnight) with a poem about falling in love.

Zorgamazoo

Zorgamazoo

by Robert Paul Weston

illustrated by Victor Rivas Villa

book design by Christian Fuenfhausen

Penguin Group, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

Zorgamazoo is a novel in verse, but not at all like the ones you're used to. Zorgamazoo is one poem. One 283 page-long poem. In rhyme. Rhyming couplets that can't help but remind you of Dr. Seuss at times.

Dr. Seuss rhymes with a little Roald Dahl thrown in -- the main character, Katrina Katrell, is a spunky little girl who has been abandoned by her rich and disinterested parents to the care of an evil guardian who wants to have Katrina lobotomized. The book design has hints of Geronimo Stilton, with fonts of varying size and style used to enhance and illustrate the telling of the story and keep things moving along briskly. 

Katrina's fate intertwines with that of Mortimer Yorgle, a zorgle who is rather a stick in the mud compared to his adventuresome but failing-in-health father. Katrina bravely runs away from her evil guardian and Morty wins a lottery whose prize is a quest to discover what's happened to the zorgles of Zorgamazoo. Luckily, Morty gets lost and winds up in the same dark, deserted subway station as Katrina, just in time to save her from a gang of thugs. After hearing Morty's story of the lost zorgles of Zorgamazoo, Katrina begs to join him in his quest (having nothing better to do and no home to return to, after all).

The story gets more and more convoluted, as our characters find themselves (and the zorgles of Zorgamazoo) trapped on the moon, and the struggle of good vs. evil takes the form of enchantment and imagination vs. boredom and tedium.

Yes, I have read over what I have written, and yes, I am aware that it sounds like I am babbling. This book defies any kind of description that makes complete sense. You'll just have to get a copy and read it. It might make a fabulous read aloud, but only if the listener is snuggled up beside you and can see the pictures and the way the words play around on the pages.

Visit the Zorgamazoo website to meet the characters, read an excerpt, and get ideas for using the book in your classroom.

Robert Paul Weston blogs at Way of the West.

Examples of illustrator Victor Rivas' illustrations are here.

Reviewed by Ali at Worducopia and Fate at The Fickle Hand of Fate.

Knuckleheads

Knuckleheads

by Joan Holub

illustrated by Michael Slack

Chronicle Books, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

This is a very punny book. It lives to pun. Study the cover carefully to get an idea of what you're in for when you open the book: Handsel and Gretel, Handerella, Thumbelina, and Nose White. Yes, these characters are what their names imply: hands, a thumb and a nose.

In this version of Hansel and Gretel, the two children are a couple of unlikeable, misbehaving knuckleheads. They get what they deserve when they're sent by the fed-up coach to beyond the outfield to play catch. In the midst of their arguing about whose fault it is that they are lost, Handsel and Gretel bump into a house made of finger food ("Free Finger Tip: Never Nibble a Stranger's House"). In the house lives an evil witch who escapes from the hand of the law and disguises herself in the next story as Handerella's stepmother. Yes, STEPmother and STEPsisters. They aren't hands, they are feet. (Are you groaning yet?) I'll skip all the details, but true to form, Handerella gets the prints in the end (Finger Prints) and they ride off into the sunset together while the witch makes her way into Thumbelina's story: "Thumbelina was short. And so is her story." In the last story, the witch's mirror finally cracks under pressure and admits that Nose White is the most beautiful in the land. The queen tries to get the hired hand to punch Nose White out, but he is peaceful and just lets her go in the forest. Nose White meets a one-hand band and becomes their lead singer. The witch finds out that Nose White's still the most beautiful, tries to get revenge with dandelion fluff, is foiled by a handsome prince with a handkerchief, and winds up climbing out the window in the back cover of the book to find a new story.

Adults may or may not like this book; it is one of those books whose true test will be in the hands of children. I'll check back in to let you know what my 9 and 10 year-old beginning punsters make of it today.

Joan Holub's website (she's the author and/or illustrator of over 100 children's books!)

Michael Slack's blog

Fuse #8's review
Bees Knees Reads' review
the excelsior file's review

Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World

Wish: Wishing Traditions Around the World

by Roseanne Thong

illustrated by Elisa Kleven

Chronicle Books, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

A lot of wishing happens at this time of the year. It starts with the elections and the turkey bones, and it progresses to letters to Santa and New Year resolutions (a sub-genre of wishing, don't you think?).

Thinking about wishing got me wondering:

Sometimes wishes are addressed to a recipient (Santa), but when they're not, where do they go?

What's the difference between wishing and asking? 

What's the difference between wishing and hoping?

Are blessings just wishes you make on behalf of another person?

Do you remember when you stopped wishing and started setting goals that you worked on to make happen?

WISH: WISHING TRADITIONS AROUND THE WORLD is the book that got me thinking about wishing. It's a beautiful book that introduces the reader to wishing traditions from 15 countries around the world, from Ireland and South Africa to Guatemala and Brazil. Each tradition is explained in a rhyme with a short paragraph of information and a gorgeous colorful illustration. In the back, there is a small amount of extra information about each tradition. It is more than a little amazing to learn that some wishes we take for granted (birthday candles on a round cake) have origins in ancient Greece, while others, such as wishing with coins, are universal. 

This book demonstrates that humans have always and will always attach meaning to symbols. So go ahead and make your wishes during this season of wishing, and deliver them to the hands of Santa or your loved ones, your own heart or the universe at large. Your wishing connects you to all the other past, present, and future humans on this planet. 

Other blog reviews:

JustOneMoreBook

The PlanetEsme Plan

7-Imp (illustrator feature)

Wangari's Trees of Peace

Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa

by Jeanette Winter

Harcourt, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

Carol said it well:  

"I want my sons and the kids I teach to understand that heroes aren't necessarily people who ride in limousines, or make lots of money, or have been gifted with athletic ability. Instead, I want them to understand that heroes are ordinary people who show extraordinary courage and character in the face of difficult situations."

Jeanette Winter, who also wrote THE LIBRARIAN OF BASRA, teaches us about another determined woman who changes her corner of the world, one tree at a time, in her new book, WANGARI'S TREES OF PEACE.

Wangari Maathai grows up in a green, forested Kenya. When she returns to Kenya after being in America for six years of studies, "Wangari sees women bent from hauling firewood miles and miles from home. She sees barren land where no crops grow." First she begins planting and tending baby trees, then she starts a tree farm. Next she involves village women in the planting efforts. The word spreads. "The government men laugh." The women ignore them and keep planting. Wangari is jailed for protesting the destruction of old trees. The women keep planting.

Between 1977 and 2004, "thirty million trees had been planted, six thousand nurseries existed in Kenya, the income of eighty thousand people had been increased, and the movement had spread to thirty African countries--and beyond."

In 2004, Wangari Maathai was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Jeanette Winter, please bring us more stories of hope and heroes like Wangari and the librarian of Basra.

other reviews:

The Miss Rumphius Effect

The New York Times (along with PLANTING THE TREES OF KENYA by Claire A. Nivola, FSG, 2008 -- another picture book about the same woman)

The Lightning Thief: I Get it Now

The Lightning Thief

by Rick Riordan

Hyperion, 2005

Review copy purchased for my classroom to replace the copy that is in tatters

I'm glad I took time to read this. I get it now. I understand the popularity. If I had more time, I'd read them all.

1.  The perfect anti-hero hero: a dyslexic hyperactive teenage boy.  Dyslexic, "That's because your mind is hardwired for ancient Greek. And the ADHD -- you're impulsive, can't sit still in the classroom. That's your battlefield reflexes. In a real fight, they'd keep you alive. As for the attention problems, that's because you see too much, Percy, not too little. Your senses are better than a regular mortal's. Of course the teachers want you medicated. Most of them are monsters. They don't want you seeing them for what they are."

2.  Plenty of humor. As Percy and his friends enter Hades, they see the Fields of Punishment, "which glowed and smoked in the distance, a vast, cracked wasteland with rivers of lava and minefields and miles of barbed wire separating the different torture areas. Even from far away, I could see people being chased by hellhounds, burned at the stake, forced to run naked through cactus patches or listen to opera music."

3.  Loads of action. Fight scenes with his evil math teacher, Medusa, The Furies, and Ares, just to name a few.

  

Book Review from NCTE

I am in San Antonio attending the annual NCTE Convention. It is a GREAT convention and I am learning lots. I don't have time to write about so many of the great things I want to share but I do have time for a quick book review! The exhibits are full of new books and some ARCS. Today, I picked up a copy (ARC) of TEN DAYS AND NINE NIGHTS: AN ADOPTION STORY by Yumi Heo. I am always paying close attention to adoption books and this picture book is definitely one that we'll add to our collection.

This book is not our adoption story, but is is a great adoption story. Told in very simple text and gorgeous illustrations, this book follows a little girl (for 10 nights and nine days) as she waits for her new sister to arrive. Her mother leaves to pick up the baby on an airplane while the father and daughter stay home to get ready. Each day means less waiting and new things to do as excitement builds. The predictable pattern and the illustrations work together in a way to show how much is happening for both the family waiting at home and the mother and the new baby coming home.

At the end of the book, there is an author's note about her relationships with many families who had experienced adoption.

This is a great book. I think it is a great addition to any collection of books about adoption. It would also be a great book to give to any young child waiting for a new sibling. I will definitely add this one to the school library when it comes out--it looks like it is due out in May. I plan to get a copy right as soon as I can!

The Snow Show: With Chef Kelvin

The Snow Show: With Chef Kelvin

by Carolyn Fisher

Harcourt, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

Carolyn Fisher got the memo that science should be fun. 

The Snow Show is a TV cooking show and the reader is in the audience for the episode where they make snow. As with any recipe, you start with your "ingredients: (available in your better latitudes) sun, water, wind, specks of dust, heat, cold." Next, the directions take you through the water cycle, the formation of snow crystals, and the assembly of a snowman, all with illustrations that explain and entertain.

Along with the fun, the reader gets a giant helping of great vocabulary, like (new one to me) DEPOSITION -- when vapor turns to ice without turning into a liquid, and some scientific equations for phase changes, like the one for freezing: liquid - heat = solid (ice). 

A must-have for your weather unit. Especially this time of year!

Here is Carolyn Fisher's website, where you can get a free activity kit to go with THE SNOW SHOW. The activities range from easy to expert -- from seasonal to scientific.

How Fast Is It?

How Fast Is It?  A Zippy Book All About Speed

by Ben Hillman

Scholastic, 2008

I bought it.  Had to have it.

If you are a fan of How Big Is It? and How Strong Is It? you are going to have to buy this book.

Same great pictures that say almost as much as the words, same great text that grabs you and makes you want to read:

Birds Gotta Swim, Fish Gotta Fly

Some animals don't do as they're told. Birds are supposed to fly. Fish are supposed to swim. Now meet the penguin and the flying fish. They've turned the rules topsy-turvy. 

Coyote vs. Roadrunner

You may be surprised to learn that some television cartoons show events that have nothing at all to do with reality! But before you throw down this book and start writing an indignant letter to the television networks, let's see how bad it really is.

Computer

The fastest computer in the world is that small, squishy blog of glop inside your head.

Those are a few of my favorite leads. Hillman is a master of endings, which I think are even harder to write:

Even teenagers don't grow that fast.  

You might wonder if you can really use a sneeze to gain an advantage over your tennis opponent. You could, but please don't. It's not polite. And just to be safe, cover your mouth when you sneeze. Please.

"And if you make me explain relativity theory one more time, I'm stopping this bus!"

Walking to School

Walking to School: A Story from Northern Ireland

by Eve Bunting

illustrated by Michael Dooling

Clarion Books (Houghton Mifflin), 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

This is a story for today's children.  The problems in the world around them (in this book the tension and violence between the Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland) can seem too big and too long-standing ever to be solved.  And yet there's hope.  A connection is made, child to child, across the boundaries that are meant to keep them apart and at odds.  The adults may not be able to end "The Troubles," but perhaps the next generation will.

Allison is a Catholic child in Belfast, Northern Ireland.  To get to her new school, she has to walk through a Protestant section of town. Protestants line the road to harass and threaten the children and the adults who walk with them for protection.  If that's not scary enough, Allison has a secret.  She overheard her uncle planning to "teach a lesson" to a Catholic who has been seen associating with Protestants. The "lesson" involved being beaten senseless with both legs broken. What's a child to do when the adults around her perpetuate the violence rather than working to end it?  

The story turns around a button, a marble, and a connection made between Allison and a Protestant girl who has been forced by her mother to come participate in the harassment.

This is an amazing contemporary story, based on an actual event, about the power of young people to bring about social change and justice. Like I said, it is a story for today's children.

Eve Bunting has published over 250 books. She grew up in Ireland. She doesn't shy away from topics like homelessness, racism, divorce, and immigration (to name a few). This would make a great addition to an Eve Bunting author study in the upper grades and middle school.

You must visit Michael Dooling's website.  His catch phrase is History Through Picture Books, and when you browse through the list of books he's illustrated, you'll recognize many favorites. According to his bio, he often paints from life -- his family and neighborhood children dressed from the collection of vintage clothes and costumes that he and his wife have amassed.

Eve Bunting's bio on KidsReads.com.

Review and discussion at The Reading Zone.

The Bill Martin Jr. Big Book of Poetry

A great new poetry anthology by Bill Martin is out. It is called THE BILL MARTIN JR. BIG BOOK OF POETRY. And it includes a forward by Eric Carle.  It is a great anthology including almost 200 great poems for kids.  The poems are divided into categories such as Animals, World of Nature, People and Places, Around the Year, School Time, Mother Goose and more.  You will see many of your favorite poets in the collection such as Aileen Fisher, Eve Merriam, Margaret Wise Brown, and Jack Prelutsky.  The illustrations are done by some of your favorite children's illustrators including Lois Ehlert, Steven Kellogg, Chris Raschka and Ashley Bryan.  This is more than a collection of poetry--it is a true celebration of some of the best poets and illustrators for children over the years.

This is a big book--almost 200 pages and  bit heavy to carry around.  It is FILLED with the best of poetry for kids of all ages.  I didn't even hesitate when I picked this one up to buy. I think kids will love it and I think it is organized in a way that teachers can use it easily to find poems that they want to share with students.  (It would probably make a great baby gift too!)

The round up this week is at Check It Out.

Julia Gillian

Julia Gillian (and the Art of Knowing)

by Alison McGhee

illustrated by Drazen Kozjan

Scholastic, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

Julia Gillian is a great new girl character.  She lives in a third floor apartment in Minneapolis with her parents (mother is a first grade teacher and father is a high school teacher).  She has a St. Bernard and her parameters include walking Bigfoot for an hour alone within a 9 square-block area.  Her list of accomplishments has filled one whole side of a sheet of paper and goes onto the back.  Down one floor live her friends Enzo and Zap, who are brother and sister.  Enzo is 18 and chooses to live with her brother Zap who is in his twenties and wants to become a famous chef.

Julia Gillian is nine years old and she's starting to realize that the adult world isn't quite as great as it's cracked up to be. Her parents read the newspaper, despite all the bad news, so that they will know what's going on in the world. Julia Gillian is starting to realize that perhaps her parents don't always tell her the truth. And she's afraid to finish reading her book because she doesn't think she's going to like the ending.

Julia Gillian works through her fears with the help of Enzo and Zap, Bigfoot, and a little girl in the neighborhood who is afraid of kindergarten. In the process, she helps her parents to better understand themselves and their "marvel of a child."

Julia Gillian is a spunky as Clementine, with as unique a world view, but she's a little older and a little more serious. I'll be waiting just as anxiously for the next book in the series.

Alison McGhee's website is here, and her blog is here.

Little Willow has an interview with the author here, and SLJ's interview with the author is here.  

Knucklehead

Knucklehead: Tall Tales & Mostly True Stories About Growing Up Scieszka

by Jon Scieszka

Viking, 2008

Review copy purchased at CTC 

I finally took Carol's advice and read this book.  It's a quick read and I'm definitely going to have to keep a tight grip on it when I take it into my classroom. I need to hold onto it just long enough to do a mini lesson in writing workshop on leads, then I'm pretty sure at least five of my boys will be fighting over it, if the girl with three older brothers doesn't get to it first. 

My favorite lead?  "I learned how to cook because I like stirring oatmeal more than I like picking up poop."

My favorite story?  Chapter 33 "Car Trip."  Moral of the story?  "Stick with your brothers. Stick up for your brothers.  And if you every drop a pecan nut log in a car with your five brothers and the cat...you will probably stick to your brothers."  (Good thing I was on one of those little puddle-jumper flights when I read this story and I had the single seat on the left side of the aisle because I was snorting and laughing out loud while I read.)

There are 38 two- to four-page chapters and lots of family photos and other assorted illustrations.  If you need to find your favorite chapter or anecdote, there is an extensive index.

Don't delay a minute longer.  Read this book.  You could use a good laugh. 

I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean

I'm the Best Artist in the Ocean

by Kevin Sherry

Penguin, June 2008

review copy compliments of the publisher

Squid is back with a paintbrush and a new boast, "I'm the best artist in the ocean."  He can draw all kinds of ocean animals in all kinds of artistic styles, but the clown fish get grumpy when he splatters paint on them.  Squid is not deterred, he is making his masterpiece!  

Then shark comes along with a full-page, sharp-toothed, "STOP!"  He points out to Squid that he is making a mess.  In a gigantic double gatefold spread, Squid reveals the surprise canvas for his "MESS-terpiece!"  No, I'm not going to spoil it.  You'll have to see for yourself!!

Check out the very funny interview with Kevin Sherry by the very funny ladies at Three Silly Chicks.

The Robot and the Bluebird

The Robot and the Bluebird

by David Lucas

first published in Great Britain by Andersen Press Ltd., 2007

Farrar Straus Giroux, October, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

This is a very sweet book.  It is a fable about a robot with a broken heart. Literally broken.  But as the story unfolds, the literal broken heart -- the hole in his chest where his heart used to be -- becomes a figurative broken heart as well.  A bluebird flying south that is caught in cold weather is invited to take shelter in the robot's chest where his broken heart used to be.  He can feel his heart fluttering, his heart now sings, and when the bluebird flies a little way, Robot feels like his heart is flying.

When it doesn't look like the bluebird can make it south on her own, Robot carries her in his heart, sacrificing everything to get her to the sunshine, where she lives in his heart forever.

I haven't tried this book on a kid audience, but I'm thinking they'll respond to the unlikely friendship between the geometrically-drawn yet emotive robot and the tiny soft bluebird. They'll cheer for the robot to overcome all obstacles to get the bluebird to the sunshine, and they'll feel the bittersweetness of the ending.

Even if this book flops with kids, it will make a great gift book for someone you will hold in your heart forever, someone who has made great sacrifices for you.

Snow

Snow

by Cynthia Rylant

illustrated by Lauren Stringer

Harcourt, November 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

I'm not ready for the reality of snow yet:  slogging, shoveling, slipping, sliding. But I'm more than ready to dream about snow and remember all the different kinds of snow.

That's what Cynthia Rylant's new book is good for: dreaming and remembering and snuggling up with her descriptions of fat-flaked school-closing snows, light snows that sit on even the smallest tree limbs, heavy snows that bury evidence of the world, and more.  Rylant meditates on the beauty of snow, the way it reminds us of all things impermanent, and its place in the natural cycle of life (at least in places far enough north and/or not withstanding global warming).

Lauren Stringer's illustrations do a perfect job of combining the warmth of indoors and the cold of outdoors during snow.  There is a fun subplot in the illustrations to discover after savoring Rylant's words.

The Doghouse by Jan Thomas

The Doghouse
by Jan Thomas
Harcourt Books, September 2008
review copy provided by the publisher

Jan Thomas is my new favorite picture book author based on just two books: I loveloveloved A Birthday for Cow (reviewed here in June). And now Cow, Pig, Duck and Mouse are back with a scary story just right for the season, The Doghouse. (In addition, What Will Fat Cat Sit On? made Katie's 5 Books (New Ones) Every Primary Library Should Have list and I'm pretty sure I will own it, love it, and add it to my own list by the end of this weekend. In addition, I see that Jan Thomas has a new book coming out in 2009. I'm thinking pre-order thoughts.)

The story in The Doghouse begins on the endpapers with Cow, Pig, Duck and Mouse playing with a big red ball. Cow makes a great kick that is headed right for (insert scary music as the pages turn past the title page to the first page of text) the doghouse, which suddenly has a dark sky, a bat across the full moon, thunder and lightning, and skeletal trees around it. First the animals send big, brave, strong Cow in to get the ball. Cow does not come back. (More bats across the moon, and three pairs of wide, frightened eyes left.) Next Pig goes in. Does not come back. Then Duck. Does not come back. Mouse begs Duck to come back, but the scary face of the Dog appears and tells Mouse, "I am having Duck for dinner." After a page of sheer Mouse terror...

***SPOILER ALERT***

...Dog turns back to his dinner guests seated at the table and says with regret in his eyes and voice, "Too mad Mouse couldn't come, too."

But isn't that Mouse peeking in the window? Sure enough, he joins the group for cake in the final endpapers.

Be sure you look for a cameo appearance by the big red ball in the final pages.