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.

New Drawing Books by Chris Hart

Some of you may know Chris Hart from his drawing books for older kids and adults and his Manga work.

I have been wanting to add good drawing books to the library collection at our school and I've also wanted to keep some on hand in the library for kids who would like to give some things a try while they are in the library. I've had trouble finding books that are good for younger children. SO many are not beginner drawing books.  As a classroom teacher, I learned how powerful how-to types of books are and I am finding that cookbooks, craft books, and drawing books are checked out often.  So I was thrilled to find a series of 3 new drawing books by Chris Hart:  DRAW A CIRCLE, DRAW ANYTHING; DRAW A TRIANGLE, DRAW ANYTHING; and DRAW A SQUARE, DRAW ANYTHING.  I plan to create a basket of drawing books that can be used in the library and if kids seem to like them, we'll get several copies for checking out.

These books are wordless. Students use the visuals to learn to draw a variety of things. And they draw everything beginning with one simple shape.  A few words from the author at the beginning of each books let them know that if you can draw the shape, you can draw anything!  These books make drawing very inviting and doable for young children.  Flipping through them even make me think I might be able to draw some of the things.  And there are SOOO many things you can draw in each of the three books.  The final picture on each page is colored in so artists could get some ideas on how to color it when finished--looks like colored pencils which I'll add to the basket with these books. 

For classrooms, these would be great for indoor recess.  A few of these books with colored pencils would be a great indoor activity that kids would love.

Poetry Friday -- Walt Whitman Explains the Water Cycle

And who art thou? said I to the soft-falling shower,

Which, strange to tell, gave me an answer, as here translated:

I am the Poem of Earth, said the voice of the rain,

Eternal I rise impalpable out of the land and the bottomless sea,

Upward to heaven, whence, vaguely form'd, altogether changed,

and yet the same,

I descend to lave the drouths, atomies, dust-layers of the globe,

And all that in them without me were seeds only, latent, unborn;

And forever, by day and night, I give back life to my own origin,

and make pure and beautify it;

(For song, issuing from its birth-place, after fulfillment, wandering,

Reck'd or unreck'd, duly with love returns.)

by Walt Whitman

from Leaves of Grass

published in The Nature Company's FROM THIS SOIL: SELECTED POEMS BY WALT WHITMAN

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

The round up this week is at Becky's Book Reviews.

The schedule of round ups is in the sidebar here.

More about Poetry Friday is here.

And information about copyright is here.

SAVVY

I finally had a chance to read SAVVY by Ingrid Law and I LOVED it! Who hasn't loved it, really? Everyone I have talked to who has read the book has loved it. It is showing up on Mock Newbery lists everywhere. It is definitely one of my top 5 picks for the Newbery this year. At this point--since I am so late in reading it--it seems silly to tell you what it is about.  Many others have done that already.

This book received a starred award in Booklist, Kirkus, AND Publisher's Weekly--WOW!

First of all, I loved the whole concept of this book--that everyone has a savvy.  In Mibs' family, you get your savvy when you are 13 and she is getting ready for her 13th birthday.  A savvy is a special thing that you can do--helping define who you are.  Of course this is a growing up kind of story.  Mibs is struggling a bit with growing up while she is also worrying about her father, who has been in a car accident.

I love books where people are thrown together and good things happen. In Savvy, kids and adults are thrown together on a bus ride and the relationships grow as they are together on the bus.  We get to know each and every character well (which is huge for me as a reader) and I ended up seeing the good in each and every one.

I guess this would be considered a fantasy. The savvy definitely makes it that. But, it reads like realistic fiction.  It will definitely appeal to a wide range of audiences--boys and girls, a pretty wide age range.  I am thinking 4th or 5th grade is the youngest who would enjoy this book.  I'm hearing lots of teachers and librarians doing book talks around this one. I could definitely see that.

On an aside, I'll never be able to see a tattoo again without thinking of this book! 

In writing this review, I discovered Ingrid Law's blog and think I may become addicted. It is a good one!  (The title alone makes me happy!)

Others who have discussed SAVVY on their blogs:

Nina at Heavy Medal

Betsy at Fuse #8

Stephanie at The Children's Literature Book Club

Bill at Literate Lives

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.

MEET WILD BOARS

When I reviewed WILD BOARS COOK earlier this month, I thought it was hilarious. I read it to a few classes this week and they begged me to buy the first book about these characters which I promptly did: MEET WILD BOARS by Meg Rosoff and Sophie Blackall. Well, this one may be even MORE hysterical. And the writing is so smart! This is definitely my favorite book of the day. I laughed so hard reading it that I almost cried. The beginning starts like this:

This is Boris.

This is Morris.

This is Horace.

This is Doris.

They are wild boars.

They are

dirty and smelly,

bad-tempered and rude.

Do you like them?

Never mind.

They do not like you either.

That really may be the best lead of a book I have ever read! Who thinks of these things? And the book stays just as funny throughout. I won't give anything away but I laughed aloud on several pages. (I also laughed at the author blurb.)

These four wild boars are definitely joining Scaredy-Squirrel, Chester, Elephant and Piggie, Pigeon and Farmer Brown and Duck as some of my very favorite picture book characters ever! Can't wait for another one. And it definitely goes on my "Books I Can Read A Million Times" List!

Ringside, 1925: Views From the Scopes Trial

I heard one of the OEA-endorsed candidates for Ohio's State School Board (Kristin McKinley -- District 6) speak last week. (All candidates for Ohio State School Board here. If you don't live in Ohio, check the website for your state's Board of Elections.)

As a person running in one of the "small" races on the November ballot, she encouraged us to "Vote up." Start at the bottom of the ballot and make sure you vote for all of the "small" races and issues before you get to the presidential race at the top of the ticket. Good advice for all voters. Pass it on, please. Let's not get so caught up in the "big" race that we forget to help decide all the issues and races that might effect us on a more daily basis.

As educators, we were interested to hear Ms. McKinley's positions on such issues as licensure fees and a more publicly responsive State School Board.

Ms. McKinley reported that so far, the ONLY question she had been asked in phone calls from the voting public at large was to determine her position on teaching creationism/intelligent design in the public schools.

Seems like a perfect time to read Jen Bryant's new book:

Ringside, 1925: Views from the Scopes Trial

by Jen Bryant

Random House, 2008

review copy provided by the publisher

This novel in verse is told through the voices of several of the students at Rhea County High School in Dayton, TN, where J.T. Scopes happened to substitute in a biology class on the day the evolution chapter was covered, and then agree to be arrested for violating the Butler Act. Other voices include adults from the community who represent a variety of positions on religion and science.

The students are shown thinking through the issues and finding ways to both believe in religion and study science:

"Our state lawmakers passed the Butler Act

because they think science will poison our minds.
Well, I don't feel poisoned. I still believe in the divine.
Why should a bigger mind need a smaller God?"

Here's another example:

"I really don't think Mr. Scopes had any
intention of replacing the Holy Book.
I think he just wanted to teach science,
which is not the same as religion,
and I think what everyone at Rhea County High
likes about Mr. Scopes
is that he trusts us to learn both
and know the difference."

Through the poems, we learn of the friendship between Clarence Darrow and W.J. Bryan, and how, by the end of the trial, that friendship had dissolved when their differences of belief became too great to overcome.

The poems show that, for some of the fictional characters at least, the Scopes Trial was a life-changing event. In the Epilogue we learn that especially up until the 1960's, but continuing today, teachers are nervous and/or under attack for teaching about evolution.

And where does Kristin McKinley stand on this issue? She believes that as long as the US Constitution says that there is a separation of church and state, we don't even need to waste our breath arguing about it, and we certainly don't need to waste money that could be used educating our children to argue about it in the courts.

A Teacher in the School Library

There's a lot to be said for having a library school-trained librarian in the elementary school library.  

But there's also a whole lot to be said for having an experienced and thoughtful teacher of reading as the librarian in an elementary school library.

Case in point:  Franki's got an excellent article over at Choice Literacy this week, "A Workshop Model in the Library: Time for More Than Book Checkout."