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.

GREAT NEW ALPHABET BOOK!

I just picked up HOW TO BUILD AN A by Sara Midda. What a great book! It is a must have for preschool-grade 1 classrooms and it would also make a great gift for a young child.

The book is red, small and square. Very inviting for small hands. Each spread has simple text on the left side with an illustration on the right side. For example "F is for flower". The font is PERFECT for children just making sense of text. It is large with space between the words. There are no fancy/crazy letters. (I checked the "a" to make sure!) And because the pattern of text is the same on each page, it will be one that kids will begin to read on their own. The illustrations are stunning yet simple. Great art but also easy for kids to use as clues when reading.

Below each sentence of text, is an illustration of a child is "building" the letter. And the fun of this is that the book comes with all of the blocks necessary to build every letter so children can build along on every page! With a nice netted bag to store them in.

Really, this book has it all. Great illustrations, patterned text, a perfect font, and a way for kids to build along with the book. I can see kids using this in different ways for years as they grow as readers.

Universal Truths

"I believe that music is the most important when the music stops. When a piece ends, that's when I really measure what effect it had on me or those who heard it." Michael Tilson Thomas



Same with teaching, don't you think?

And reading.
And writing.
And parenting, although the music only pauses for the briefest moments.
And Solstice parties, after all the guests have gone.

Come to think of it, any creative act qualifies.
So go forth and "make some music," but be sure you pay attention to what happens after the "music" stops.

FUSE#8--OUR HERO

Thank goodness for Betsy at FUSE#8. She has compiled all of the Mock Newbery and Caldecott lists. She has also tallied the books being discussed so that we can see which ones seem to be getting the most talk. Definitely worth taking a look at--I may be adding a few books to my holiday reading list...

Poetry Friday -- Inaugural Poet Announced

Poet Elizabeth Alexander will compose the poem for Barack Obama's inauguration. (From yesterday's article in Guardian.)

Barack Obama, perhaps the most literary president-elect of recent years, has chosen his friend, the poet Elizabeth Alexander, to read at his inauguration on 20 January.

Obama had been spotted carrying what appeared to be a book of the Nobel laureate Derek Walcott's poetry last month, but it is Alexander, a professor of African American studies at Yale University, who will compose a poem to be read at his swearing in as president. She will perform alongside Aretha Franklin, Itzak Perlman and Yo-Yo Ma. The participants were chosen based on requests from Obama and from vice-president-elect Joe Biden.
...

She will be contending with the spectres of Angelou's On the Pulse of Morning ("today I call you to my riverside, / If you will study war no more"), Williams's Of History and Hope ("We have memorized America, / how it was born and who we have been and where") and Frost's The Gift Outright ("Summoning artists to participate / In the august occasions of the state / Seems something artists ought to celebrate. / Today is for my cause a day of days. / And his be poetry's old-fashioned praise / Who was the first to think of such a thing.").

Here is an excerpt from Alexander's poem Ars Poetica #100: I Believe

Poetry is what you find
in the dirt in the corner,

overhear on the bus, God
in the details, the only way

to get from here to there.
Poetry (and now my voice is rising)

is not all love, love, love,
and I’m sorry the dog died.

Poetry (here I hear myself loudest)
is the human voice,

and are we not of interest to each other?

Her poem will be a gift to Obama, and to the nation as well. It will add to the ritual of the inauguration, and it will elevate the already historic event.

Can you imagine what it would be like to compose a poem that will be referenced in the same breath as Angelou and Frost?! 

 

Check out Elizabeth Alexander's website here.
Hear her speak on the Poetry Foundation podcast.

Edited to add...Here's a Washington Post article with great quotes from poet laureates about the...um...honor of composing the inaugural poem. (Thanks to Sara for the link.)

The Poetry Friday round up this week is at Author Amok.

Study Group--OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE

We just started a study group at our school discussing Ann Marie Corgill's book on Writing Workshop--OF PRIMARY IMPORTANCE. We'll be blogging on the Stenhouse blog about our discussion. We met for the first time last week and posted our first post today.

2 New Books for Young Children by Patricia Hubbell

I have had these on my pile to review for a few weeks.  It is hard to find nonfiction books for young readers and I am not sure these would technically be considered nonfiction, but they are nonfiction-type books. True information written for young children.  Both are about topics that kids will love and I am excited to add them to the library.

MY FIRST AIRPLANE RIDE by Patricia Hubbell is a story of a child's first airplane ride.  The story takes us from the initial invitation from Grandma to come visit, to packing, to driving to the airport, going through security, and more until the plane finally lands and Grandma is waiting!  I love the details of this book and the fact that it would help a child new to flying know what to expect--the stewardess letting them know what to do. The air traffic controller telling them when it is okay for takeoff.  So many great details told in very simple sentences.  The illustrations help to alleviate any fear a child may have of flying.  Everything is colorful and happy.  This is a book I'll add to our library and one I will keep in mind as a gift for a child getting ready to go on a trip, or a child who loves planes--so many kids who will like this one!

The other book is POLICE: HURRYING! HELPING! SAVING! by Patricia Hubbell. In this book, each page lets the reader know something new about the police. It includes so many of the things kids see policemen and policewomen doing in their cities  as well as things they might not see (such as policemen in boats).  Police dogs, traffic cops and more are included.  Again, the illustrations make this a colorful and happy book and will help children understand the role of police to keep us safe.

Both of these books came from Marshall Cavendish Children's Books.

A New Cinderella

I love new versions of old favorite fairy tales. I love to read retellings of these tales and I have a few favorites, like Cinderella. I am always amazed at how different a story can feel in each retelling. And I think some of the newer ones are a bit more appealing to children. The newest in my collection of Cinderella stories is CINDERELLA by Max Eilenberg. The story stays pretty true to the original story but there are little bits of humor hidden throughout. For example, when the stepsisters are invited to the ball:

The stepsisters spent the whole week shopping. They bought expensive outfits, an enormous amount of jewelry, and some very large hats.

They thought they looked beautiful!

(In fact, they looked frightful.)

The illustrations and size also make this a good book. This is thicker than a normal picture book so it may appeal to transitional readers. The illustrations by Niamh Sharkey are colorful and fun. I can't decide whether the shorter stepsister or the Fairy Godmother is my favorite. They are both pretty amusing. There are also little hidden things in the illustrations that add to the fun and humor. Sharkey's blog is definitely worth a visit. Love his art and can't wait to see what is next.

I do buy lots of new versions of old favorites but (I think) this one is the first Cinderella book I have purchased since I purchased Cynthia Rylant's retelling. Both are very different but definitely needed in a collection of newer retellings of this story.

New Series by Sharon Draper

I am still working on sharing all of the great books I found at NCTE's Annual Convention. One series that I am especially excited about is a new one by Sharon Draper.  The first book in the series is called SASSY: LITTLE SISTER IS NOT MY NAME. I read this advanced copy on the plane on the way home and think it will be a great addition to the series books that highlight strong girl characters.  Sassy is a fun character and you can tell that from the front cover.  

Sassy is a child who matches her name. Early in the book she says, "My mom says she gave me that name right after I was born, when she first took me in her arms, and I stuck out my tongue at her.  'What a sassy little princess you are!' she said right then and there." But the problem in this book is that no one uses Sassy's name when they talk to her. They call her Little Sister and she is tired of it.  

My favorite thing about Sassy is her "Sassy Sack". It is a purple, silver, pink, and magenta purse with lots of compartments and zippers.  Sassy loves the purse and has it with her at all times. She carries lots of things in the sack. Throughout the book, it is comical the number of things she pulls out of it.  Actually, I think one of the reasons I liked the book was because the Sassy Sack reminded me a bit of my own purse--you never know what you'll find in there. (Those of you that know me and have seen my purse, know that this is true!)

The book is a good one for children in 3rd and 4th grade and the character is one that is very likable. The plot is one that is easy to follow--not lots of layers but also not shallow.  

I have written before about the lack of books for transitional readers--especially series books-that feature African American characters and continue to be stunned by the statistics on what is being published.  So I was thrilled to see this new series by Draper and I was even more excited when I read this first book. I am excited that they'll be more books about series and I can't wait to share these with the kids at school--I hope that Scholastic gets several in this series out quickly:-)

A Book to Read--THE MIDDLE PLACE by Kelly Corrigan

So, I somehow missed this book when it came out in January. But the paperback is due out 2 days before Christmas. It just got moved to the top of my Next Read Stack.  (Even though I don't yet own a copy, it has become a priority.)

This is how I came to know about this book. I am now using Google Reader and Google Alerts. I found that Angela Maiers connected to our post on 21st Century Literacy in her own thoughtful post about the topic.  She shared 4 links of posts were related to hers. I followed them.  One of the links led me to a post called "Transcending through Connectedness" on another 21st Century Learning blog.  She begins her post by saying, "Have you ever noticed how these powerful 2.0 tools really do transcend time and space?" She then shares a video clip sent to her by someone else--a videoclip that I'll share here because I immediately had the urge to share it with everyone I know.

Then I went to Kelly Corrigan's website and blog which led me to her book on amazon. Amazon had yet another video related to the book.  

So, I am sold on the book and fascinated by the way I came upon it and how connected I already feel to the book and the author and all of the blogs that led me there.  And then I wanted to make sure everyone I knew also knew about this book, so here I am telling you:-) Who knew?