Book Review: THE ARRIVAL

THE ARRIVAL
by Shaun Tan
Lothian Books,
an imprint of Hachette Livre Australia
South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
2006

Review copy provided by publisher

Every detail of this book is worth lingering over. The cover is designed to look like an antique leather-bound book, and the story's art has a photographic feel as well. All of these details lend this story of the immigrant experience an authority that allows the reader to accept the strangeness of the world depicted in the illustrations not as a literal strange new world, but as an artistic representation of the strangeness that an immigrant encounters no matter where he moves: there are barriers of language, food, and finding work; there is loneliness, isolation, and longing for loved ones. But at every turn, there are those who will help. Those who have their own stories of leaving, abandonment, and exile.

The most amazing thing about this intricate and subtly nuanced graphic novel is that it is silent. No words whatsoever.

In his essay about the book (Click on the cover image and scroll down. Take your time, because the pictures are amazing!), Shaun Tan describes his move from creating picture books to creating this graphic novel. He had never read many comics or graphic novels, so he turned to Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics to Japanese manga and to Raymond Briggs' The Snowman for information and inspiration. When you look at the layout of some of Tan's pages, you can definitely see Brigg's influence. The moments when the reader must "read" the emotions on a face or in a gesture are very reminiscent of manga.

I can't wait to share this book with my 5th graders. I think it will deepen their thinking about immigration. I'll have to share the book with small groups so that they can see the pages and talk...even though the book is silent, I'm sure they won't be! It'll be fascinating to see what 11 year-olds make of it!

RELATED LINKS:
Here's my favorite website for helping kids to understand the waves of immigrants who have come to America, beginning with the Native Americans crossing the land bridge from Asia.

A review from a New Zealand blogger.

Anna Quindlen on Writing

If you haven't seen Anna Quindlen's latest column in Newsweek, it is definitely worth the read. It is called WRITE FOR YOUR LIFE. It reminds us of the power of writing to make sense of our lives and our worlds. (I think it says lots about why blogs are becoming so popular too.) She is one of my very, very favorite writers and I love all of her work, but this one says so much to all of us about writing.

Newbery Hope #1--JEREMY FINK

A grand suggestion was made by Betsy at Fuse #8 that we write about why our Newbery Hopes-Predictions made the list. So, I'll start with this one.

I LOVED JEREMY FINK AND THE MEANING OF LIFE by Wendy Mass. I would LOVE to see it win the Newbery. It is a great present-day story that made me feel the same way that I did when I read FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER as a child. Jeremy Fink is a character that is very real, one that sticks with you. I felt like this book had lots to offer kids in the upper elementary/early middle school grades. It was a great story with a great male and female character. There was lots of anticipation as you cheered for Jeremy to find the keys to the box left by his father.

I guess when I think about my favorite Newbery winners, BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, TALE OF DESPEREAUX, and WALK TWO MOONS come to mind. JEREMY FINK seems to be more in line with WINN-DIXIE and WALK TWO MOONS. They all three seem like great stories for kids. Stories about real, believable kids that stay with you long after you are finished reading them. When I read, I read for the characters. I look for characters like Claudia in FROM THE MIXED UP FILES because she has stayed with me through my adult life. I also think that these stories all have compelling plots--you want to see how things turn out for the characters. I am a true believer that you can make sense of the world best through great fiction. JEREMY FINK is a book that I think can do this for this generation of kids.

I have worried lately that many of the Newbery winners seem to be more Young Adultish to me. Several are books I would have difficulty sharing with my 10 and 11 year olds. The topics are sometimes too sophisticated and the themes would not mean much to them yet. I think BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and WALK TWO MOONS were great examples of realistic fiction for kids--brilliantly written from an adult perspective AND very real for kids today. Each was a story with characters and a message that kids could relate to and could stay with them for a lifetime.


I am recommending it to everyone I know and I am having big trouble lending out my own copy:-) I think it is definitely a huge contribution the field of children's fiction.

Classroom Design

For those of you looking for ways to redesign your classroom, The Sisters, Joan Moser and Gail Boushey (authors of THE DAILY FIVE) have added some great new photos to their website. I know I need some inspiration about this time of year to refresh the space in the classroom. Joan and Gail are all about beautiful spaces for learning. If you visit their site, you can also read about their upcoming DVD and their "featured favorites". A site packed with great stuff for teachers. Definitely worth a visit for so many reasons!

New Favorite Quote

I would highly recommend a visit to the blog Throwing Marshmallows. (Found it thanks to Mother Reader :-) I knew it was a good blog for me to add to my list as soon as I read the top quote. It is the best quote on learning I have seen in a long time. She has lots of great posts about books, reading, learning, etc.

After School Snack

Do you love dark chocolate? (What a silly question, I know!) M&Ms Dark Chocolate now has a game for you. They've hidden 50 visual puns concerning 50 scary movies in a Brueghel-type painting. I'm as lousy with movies as I am great with children's book titles, so I won't even tell you my score. Don't go unless you have some time to kill!

Edge of the Forest With Horn Toot Included

Franki has a great article in the newest issue!

She won't toot her horn, so I will: TOOT, TOOT!

The Edge of the Forest

The January issue of The Edge of the Forest is up! A great issue with articles, interviews, book reviews and more! If you have not checked it out before, Kelly publishes a new issue each month. Every one is packed with great articles dealing with children's lit.

TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING

Esme at PlanetEsme shares a great letter on her blog from a preservice teacher. She then goes on to remind us how a knowledge of children's literature is one of your best tools as a teacher. I would also add that it makes teaching and learning so much more fun!

She brings up some interesting points about new teachers. I loved her book EDUCATING ESME: DIARY OF A TEACHER'S FIRST YEAR when it came out. It gave us all great insights into the challenges faced by smart, new teachers. I also like a new one on a similar topic: TENSIONS AND TRIUMPHS IN THE EARLY YEARS OF TEACHING published by NCTE this fall. (The copies were sold out at the NCTE convention when I visited the booth--it is THAT good!)

"The authors recount their experiences from the preservice year through the first six years of teaching. They share moments of joy and success, but they also tell hard stories about obstacles that drive the knowledge, enthusiasm, and energy of new teachers underground and cause many to leave the profession"

I read this book and recommend it to educators at all experience levels. As a new teacher, it will help you to know that you are not alone--that we all struggle to match the visions we have for our classrooms and students. As an experienced teacher, it reminds me all that our newest teachers have to offer and how best to support them and to welcome them into the world of teaching.

Mock Newbery Round-Up

We're a week away from the announcement by the ALA of the official winners of the Newbery Award, named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery and awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children.

Here are the UNOFFICIAL picks, as of today:

A Year of Reading
Franki's Picks:
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
The Loud Silence of Francine Green by Karen Cushman
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Mary Lee's Picks:
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (I know, I KNOW! But I refuse to take it off!)
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant

Educating Alice:
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner
A True and Faithful Narrative by Katherine Sturtevant
A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz
Wabi by Joseph Bruchac
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Porch Lies by Pat McKissack
Gossamer by Lois Lowry

Semicolon:
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Alabama Moon by Watt Key
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Rules by Cynthia Lord

Mother Reader:
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Gossamer by Lois Lowry
Shug by Jenny Han
Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata

New on 1/16 from Children's Literature Book Club:
Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy
Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata
Rules by Cynthia Lord
Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life by Wendy Mass

Nina's Newbery chose A Drowned Maiden's Hair by Laura Amy Schlitz.

Born Librarian reports on the choice of Kansas City librarians: Gossamer by Lois Lowry.

Sullivan County BOCES picked Yellow Star by Jennifer Roy, Isaac Newton by Kathleen Krull, Weedflower by Cynthia Kadohata, Porch Lies by Pat McKissack, and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

Rhode Island Librarians chose The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

Northport-East Northport (NY) Public Library Newbery Book Club chose Gossamer by Lois Lowry.

Allen County (IN) Public Library chose Clementine by Sarah Pennypacker.

Anderson's Bookshop has a list of 25 from which they'll be choosing this week.

Wake County (NC) Public Library has a short list of 8. No announcement date given.

Stillwater Public Library has a short list of 11 (scroll down) and it looks like they will announce January 17 or 18.