Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends, Day 5: A Friend from Canada

Today's predictions come from our friend, Larry Swartz. Larry knows books! Larry Swartz is an instructor in the Elementary Pre-service Program at OISE/University of Toronto.He reads a ton and always has great recommendations for amazing books. Larry has written several books for teachers about books, literacy, drama, etc. One of his newer resources is The Novel Experience--a great flipchart on using fiction in the classroom. And, he is an expert on Books for Boys.

NEWBERY… OR NOT NEWBERY?

Hey folks

For what it's worth.. here's an opinion (north of the border) about possible NEWBERY winners...

The two best books I read this year haven’t' got a 'chance'

Sherman Alexis THE ABSOLUTELY TRUE DIARY OF A PART-TIME INDIAN
knocked me out.. but if 'they' couldn't handle the word scrotum.. I don't think 'they' would take to this...I think too the word 'Indian' might be jarring for some nitpickers... I also hesitate to recommend books when 'adult' authors cross-over into young people's territory.. (Carl Hiassen, Roddy Doyle, Nick Hornsby)...But I loved this book for its' humour and honesty... and really wish it could replace (ok maybe not replace.. but be read alongside) TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD to help young folk understand contemporary issues with social justice, diversity and equity... life on the rez.. poverty… hope.. belonging… funny…. I loved this book! (and there’s pictures too)

THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS was a knockout read.. I think best suited for over 11 year olds...The voice of innocence and irony... puts readers against the fence of a concentration camp...JOHN BOYNE is not American (i.e. IRISH).. this book is being translated throughout the world.. and needs to be read!!!! Soon to be a motion picture (YIKES!!!)

Jerry Spinelli gets my vote (ALWAYS)... bravo to him for the sequel to STARGIRL (a great love story).. but EGGS is a special read.. As I was reading, I couldn’t help thinking about the novels that I recently read that featured characters whose parents have died. . Give me a fifth grade class and I would love to organize Literature Circles (when all titles are available in paperback ) around The Higher Power of Lucky, The Meaning of Life According to Jeremy Fink, Wing Nut and Eggs not only because one or more character has a missing parent, but because they get inside the skin and hearts of these kids who are coping with life’s rotten eggs and hoping make omelettes out of life’s dilemmas large and small. …boy girl protagonists..... a quirky character or two.. and how bad could a book be that highlights the read aloud experience. Hooray for Mr. Spinelli... the best, the best, the best
(Best cover of the year too)
(See Larry's Guest Review of EGGS here!)

Early in the year, I predicted that THE INVENTION OF HUGO CABRET by Brian Selznick should win the Newbery.. It would be a brave choice.. but one that supports the reading session of graphic texts...I noticed that it was one of the top ten books featured as best illustrated books in the NEW YORK times list... but this is a novel... (isn't it?) and one that would hook a buncha readers.. (hey miss, can you believe I read a 530 page book?).. and yes.. appeal to those BOYS...

REALLY LIKED
THE CASTLE CORONA by Sharon Creech (a good adventure)
JACK PLANK TELLS TALES by Natalie Babbitt (great storytelling)

Sort of liked LARGER-THAN-LIFE LARA.. the kids were too mean .. by dandi daley mackall

Next on my book pile is ELIJAH OF BUXTON by Christopher Paul Curtis... a colleague declared 'it' should be the winner.. another friend at work.. said he needed an editor....

But end of discussion.. the award goes to HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate...
A beautiful beautiful read...
Wow! Let’s give ‘em a strong book that deals with refugees
And a strong first person (male) voice
And (exquisitely) written in free verse
And lets us care about ELL learners
And fills our hearts about the plight of longing and belonging

Here’s what my (smart) friend Nancy says about Home of the Brave…
The story is told through in the voice of the main character who speaks English in the way someone from a very different culture would speak it. The peculiarities of his speech draw you into the world he has left behind in a way that telling you about that world never would

We believe everything about his story. Having read memoirs written by children who have escaped similar situations I found everything I was being told rang true.
He and his cousin are real boys we've known.

As with all important stories about tragedy, you are not spared the details of the terrible evil of which humans are capable but you find hope in the acts of kindness that are shown. The story would have worked even if his mother had not been found but I enjoyed that little gift at the end.


So.. if the author’s won before do we* want to give another author a chance?
Do we want a novel that will get the BOYS reading and caring about a book?
Do we want a book that will be popular with boys and girls and not a hard sell?
Do we want a book that will lead them to other books?
Do we want to be brave about choosing a book with outside of the box format?

Do we care about ‘certain’ words / themes? Is safe the way to go?
Do we care about the cover?
Do we care what the kids think?

* we = the awards committee

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends, Day 4: A Librarian Weighs In

Bill Prosser is a teacher/librarian, new to the school library this year after many years in the classroom. He is LOVING the change. Here are his thoughtful picks for both the Newbery and the Caldecott:

NEWBERY:

Leepike Ridge by N.D. Wilson
I loved the plot of this book and the way the author reveals bits and pieces to you if you pay attention while you read. It was a book that I couldn’t put down and seemed to always be leaving you with a cliffhanger that brought you back. It has adventure, intrigue, hidden treasure, and mysterious bad guys. When I first began reading the book I thought it would be another single mom meets new husband that wants to be dad but can’t get along with the son story, but not even close. Great writing!

Greetings From Planet Earth by Barbara Kerley
I thought this book had an interesting hook to it. A science teacher gives the class the assignment to present Earth to alien life forms on a distant planet, much like the early satellite space probes did in the 70s. The author uses the assignment to take a 12 year old boy through some research, which leads him to discover some family secrets about his father’s return from Vietnam. The author does a great job of connecting all of the story lines and keeping the reader interested. It’s a great story of a family and how they deal with the “skeletons in the closet.” Well developed characters and plot.

Emma Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauren Tarshis
The story of an extremely bright girl who struggles to fit in with her peers because of her intelligence. She tries to handle all middle school problems logically, but middle school is anything but logical. This leads to some bigger problems including bullying, and all the other things middle school girls are good at! I really liked the way the author presented the story through three different perspectives, the gifted student, the girl who just wants to please everyone and be popular, and the just plain mean girl who likes to control everything. It was easy to see students in all three characters.

Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George
I am not a big fan of fantasy, so if a story about dragons keeps me reading, it must be pretty good! This fantasy is more in the lines of an old fashioned fairy tale, only it has a heroine instead of a handsome prince saving the day. I liked it because of the simple fantasy story line, nothing really dark or “weird” involved. The author creates a world that is almost believable aside from the mythical dragons. It was easy to relate to and understand all of the characters in the book which made it a very enjoyable read.

CALDECOTT:

Wind Flyers by Angela Johnson Illustrated by Loren Long
Both author and illustrator are from Ohio, which had a certain appeal to me, but besides that this is a beautiful book. The story of a boy who dreams of flying and becomes a Tuskegee Airman is moving. The pictures, some of them are views from the airplane, are brightly colored and really take the reader into the pages with the pilots.

First the Egg by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Simple text highlights the paintings in this book. The pictures look like they are paint on canvas and all of the texture of the medium comes through. To set it all off, it is a “cut out” book, that is the pages have space cut out that appears as part of the next picture as you turn the page. Very clever and fun for younger readers.

Seventeen Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore by Jenny Offill Illustrated by Nancy Capenter
Very funny text is set off by the collage type illustrations. The artist uses actual things like notebook paper, a pillow, and carpet as the backgrounds, then the characters are drawn on top of it. The illustrations also include real things like staplers, glue, toys and others. Very fun to read and look at.

The Cheese by Margie Palatini illustrated by S. Johnson & L. Fancher
A twist on “The Farmer in the Dell” in which the characters try to answer the question of “Why does The Cheese stand alone?” Since they can’t answer it, they eat the cheese! The pictures are very colorful and detailed but the truly interesting part is how the illustrators incorporate words from the text into them. A reader can look several times at the pictures and see different things each time. The illustrators have another book called Casey Back at the Bat done in the same way, but I like the story of The Cheese better.

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends (Day 3): Hearing From Our Friend, Don

Today's predictions come from our friend Don. Don Zancanella is an Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He teaches several classes of children's literature. Don is also the author of Western Electric, a collection of short stories that is part of the Iowa Short Fiction Award series.

Here is what he says about this year's Newbery Award:

The Newbery Medal always brings to the surface what to my mind is the most important fact about children’s literature: it’s written by adults for children. By letting adults pick the best book for children (written by an adult), the Newbery just adds another layer of complexity to this already vexed situation. That said, here are the books I think might win (or in some instances, the ones I think should win), along with a few comments:

The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

I’m a sucker for books set in the sixties (there it is already, a preference I have as an adult reader that no kid is likely to share) and Schmidt’s book captures much of what it was like to be growing up then. The use of Shakespeare’s plays is a clever plot device but I’m kind of fed up with authors who sneak classic authors into children’s books. And Holling is a little too precocious for my taste. But it all still works. It’s funny and charming and uplifting.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Graphic novel meets mystery novel meets silent film. I predict this one will win mostly because it’s different and because we do seem to have entered the era of the graphic novel. It didn’t involve me as much as I’d hoped it would, mostly because I thought the plot had kind of a clunky, old-fashioned feel to it. I’m sure that was Selznick’s intention (the old-fashioned part, not the clunky part) but I thought it was a little too self-consciously done.


The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

I might very well pick this one because I like Alexie very much. However, I haven’t read it yet. I could say the same thing about Shannon Hale’s Book of a Thousand Days.

The Wall by Peter Sis

This is my personal favorite. Yes, it flies right in the face of the adult/child problem I started with, but it’s just too good to ignore. I’ve heard people comparing it to Maus and Persepolis and it deserves those comparisons. A couple of Sis’s titles have been Caldecott Honor books, but like his earlier Tibet Through the Red Box (a 1999 Newbery Honor Book) this one blurs the Newbery/Caldecott boundary. It’s an outstanding piece of writing with wonderfully integrated illustrations--just a very fine book. Not to mention that shows us a more interesting picture of the 1960s than even The Wednesday Wars does.

Newbery Hopefuls, Day 2: Another Reading Friend's Picks

Our friend Karen Terlecky is a Language Arts/Social Studies Curriculum Support Teacher (CST) in our school district, and as such, works directly with Franki. She and Mary Lee started their careers in the district the same years in 4th grade classrooms across the hall from each other. They were CSTs for each other before the term had been invented. Karen is always up for a field trip to Cover to Cover Children's Books, our favorite local children's bookstore. Here are her Newbery picks:

I loved How to Steal a Dog -- one of the best morals I have ever read: "the footprints you leave behind are more important than the path in front of you" ( I know that's not the exact quote, but I don't have my book at home in front of me). I read this aloud to my 5th grade class at the end of last year, and then it was the book I started this year with. It was interesting how important the message was to both sets of students. In addition, O'Connor's description of the homelessness conditions was clear -- good for children to know how others live,and what they need to do to just get through the day. I also love the characters -- very well developed through dialogue and their actions.

I also really liked The Mysterious Benedict Society -- the concept of kids as heroes has been done in other books, but I thought there was a great twist to this since the kids had to use all their gifts together to overcome the evil in the book. It was like a spy novel for kids -- I'm partial to spy novels! Great twist at the end, also.

Me and the Pumpkin Queen -- loved it!!!!!!! Part of the reason I liked it so much was that I had a lot of background knowledge about places and events in the story. But, even if you take that away, the concept of this girl going through her own personal grief cycle by trying to grow the biggest pumpkin was very well done. And the friendship between her and the boy was amazing. This book is a winner for me!

The Thing About Georgie -- definitely a favorite! I almost forgot about it until I saw it when I looked in my cupboard at school!

3 others that I really like, but I'm sure won't win: Middle School is Worse than Meatloaf (hysterical!), No Talking (Andrew Clements is very predictable, but there is a clear underlying message that my students really understand), and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (another hysterical!).
I liked the Wednesday Wars, too, but I didn't love it as a Newbery, because I wasn't sure how much my kids would understand without the background knowledge that I possess because of my age.

Two Too (and tutu) Funny

The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story
by Lemony Snicket
McSweeny's Books, 2007

Review copy...well, that's part of the whole story.

Report cards went home today, so I finally had time to take my tired, crabby self to the public library to complain about the online reserve system not working (a boatload of graphic novels for my CYBILS Graphic Novels Nominating Committee reading pleasure, if you must know). I went to one branch and they had the gall to tell me, "We're not really part of the library system, we just use their online reserves." So I went to the nearest for-real branch, and got my books custom-reserved by the guy at the help desk. He even went to look for a couple he thought might be on their shelves. While he did that, I wandered over to the new books display in the children's section. I picked up The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story. It was smaller than I expected. I glanced through it, and there was definitely a screaming latke inside. I saw the familiar images that Educating Alice linked to. I started reading. I started laughing out loud. I was no longer tired and crabby.

This book has a brilliant lead: "This story ends in someone's mouth, but it begins in a village more or less covered in snow." It is filled with classic Snicket-isms, most notably: "...a word that here means..." It features a latke that is sick to death of being Christmas-ized, like when the Christmas lights suggest, "So you're basically hash browns. Maybe you can be served alongside a Christmas ham," or when the candy cane says, "Someone should write a Christmas carol about you." I would have sprayed my milk out my nose if I'd been drinking any when the cute little pine tree says, "But different things can often blend together. Let me tell you a funny story about pagan rituals."

Anne at Book Buds has a great review. Her final paragraph answers the question, "Is this really a kids' book?" Check it out. I totally agree with her.

So I was feeling much better after I read The Latke. (And even better when I learned that I had finally discovered a book BEFORE Franki!) Then I opened the package that came in the mail and found another great laugh (yes, sigh, recommended by Franki):

Chester
by Melanie Watt (of Scaredy Squirrel fame)
Kids Can Press, 2007

Our cat is 20 years old. She has been reduced to the essence of cat by her age: skeleton, fur, loud demanding yowl, and attitude. If she were fat and had access to a red marker, she would be Chester. Poor Melanie! She's just trying to write a story about a mouse who lives in the country, but Chester keeps doodling all over her work, and changing it to suit himself, and to make himself the star of the story. When Melanie demands that he hand over the marker and apologize before the count of three, Chester has the nerve to assume position and "play the cello" instead! I'm pretty sure that's the kitty version of thumbing one's nose (since cats don't have opposed thumbs, after all). It all works out in the end. Mostly for Melanie and the mouse, but that's fair, since Chester got his all the way through the book. (The end is whence the tutu in the post title, in case you were wondering about that.)

So there you have it. A couple of sure-fire mood elevators. Take two and call me in the morning. Tell me how hard you laughed and how much better you felt for reading them!

Newbery Hopefuls From Our Reading Friends

When we started our blog (almost 2 years ago!) we started it as a way to make public our conversations about the books we hoped would win the Newbery Award. We have never been right, but we love the fun of guessing. This year, we asked some of our reading friends--people who we share our book thinking with throughout the year--to share their thoughts with us. These are people who read lots and know books. We know that we may scramble a bit this next month, reading those 2007 titles that we've haven't gotten to yet. With holiday break coming, we thought others might be interested in doing the same thing. We'll feature a different Reading Friend each day for a while. Enjoy!

Our first installment comes from Jen Allen, a Literacy Coach in Maine. She is also the author of Becoming a Literacy Leader. For anyone who has a job as a literacy coach, this is a must read.

If I had to choose one book to receive the Newbery award it would be
The Aurora County All -Stars by Deborah Wiles. It is just a great read-aloud for students
in the intermediate grades. Good clean fun! Although book evolves around
the kid grabbing topic of baseball, it also weaves in layers about
friendship, gender, judging others, and segregation. Great lessons to be
learned. During this read- aloud I also shared the book, Teammates by
Peter Golenbock to help students strengthen their understanding on the
history of baseball and segregation. An additional treat is how the author
incorporates quotes from poet Walt Whitman and famous baseball players.
I tried this book as a read aloud with both my ten year old son and a 4th
grade class this fall. Both audiences enjoyed the book. I love the feel
good ending. The Aurora County All- Stars is my Newbery pick for the year.

Robert's Snow

The final auction is upon us December 3-7. The Amazing HTML-tress, Tricia, at The Miss Rumphius Effect, has the complete list of Auction 3 illustrators and features compiled here. She and her partner in HTML-tress-ness, Jen Robinson, were responsible for the awesome side-bar info that you've seen throughout the Kidlitosphere. Thanks, Ladies, for all the help you gave to those of us who are HTML-challenged! And of course, one last huge thanks to Jules, at 7 Impossible Things Before Breakfast, for getting the whole snowball rolling. I can't wait to find out what kinds of fund-raising records were broken at Dana-Farber during this year's Robert's Snow event. Finally, to the person who out-bid me on the one flake I really really wanted, I hope it's making you as happy as it would have made me!

Sunday Silliness

It's that time of the year again. Time for holiday greetings.

We're celebrating two holidays today: Report Cards Are Done (a holiday celebrated by teachers around the world), and Elf Yourself (a holiday brought to you by OfficeMax).

CHEERS!

(If you're feeling grumpy today, you can Scrooge Yourself here.)

Word Work

I'm always looking for fun, engaging, motivating ways for my fourth graders to build up their knowledge of the way words are built -- roots, prefixes, suffixes, and even the little parts that make rhymes, like -at, and -up that make cat and pup.

This week, I tried out this game, Eight Letters In Search of a Word, with my students. I was worried that they would get frustrated, and some did, but because they have grown up on Nintendo and Xbox and Game Boy, they had no problem with running out of time and trying again. They worked to beat their own high scores, they were realistic about low scores when they got a tough set of letters, and when one student figured out the "big word," a new standard was set for ALL of the students (a REAL standard set by the students, not by some governmental committee...but don't get me started). They got really good at finding every variation possible on a small word by substituting consonants, they were smart about using s to make every plural possible, and they worked -ed and -ing for all they were worth when they got those letter combinations. Because all the letters given can ultimately make up an 8-letter word, there was even a little vocabulary development thrown in. When you play this game, you might think it is too hard for 9 and 10 year olds. That is, however, precisely why they liked it so much. It was hard. They had to work for their success. They knew they earned it when they got a high score. And those times when they got the "big word?" Priceless.

Next week, we're going to see how much rice we can donate through the United Nations to help end world hunger by learning new vocabulary words. At Free Rice, you donate 20 grains of rice for every vocabulary word you get right. As you play, the game automatically levels the words you get -- if you get words right, you get harder words, if you miss words, you get easier words. I'm not sure how this will work with my students. Just like we did with 8 Letters, we will play together first, with my computer hooked up to the class TV. I think we can have some great conversations about root words and related words that can help us make a smart guess about the words. Stay tuned for a report on how this goes in my classroom. In the meantime, how much rice did you donate today?

Poetry Friday: New Poetry Book

"Have you watched the fairies when the rain is done
Spreading out their little wings to dry them in the sun?
I have, I have!
Isn't it fun?"

This is the beginning of a poem by Rose Fyleman that is part of a new collection of fairy poems. I just picked up a copy of IF YOU SEE A FAIRY RING: A RICH TREASURY OF CLASSIC FAIRY POEMS illustrated by Susan Lockheart. It is an interesting combo for a poetry book. The book will definitely appeal to my readers who love the new fairy tales and stories out there. It is such a phenomenon in my class! When I opened the book, I realized that many of the poems were written by classic poets like William Shakespeare. I was thrilled to see one by Laura Ingalls Wilder too. Some are excerpts from longer poems which is a nice idea too.

There is something about the illustrations and the way that the words are displayed on the page that make this book one that I am sure my 3rd and 4th graders will pick up. The watercolor illustrations include several "magic windows" that change as the page is turned--showing a different scene from the book. A nice way to get them into more classical poetry, I think.

Because of the window illustrations, this is a big book. Large in size, and thick. But not too big. A fun size for a poetry book.

Perfect timing for a book like this.


Round up is at Two Writing Teachers.

Three Holiday Classics

...and MotherReader's November Carnival of Children's Literature -- The Tips Edition.

Thanks for the gift of knowledge, MotherReader!

Princess Thinking

On the plane home from NYC, I read several articles in the newest issue of Newsweek. I was particularly intrigued by the one called "Princess Power". It was pretty interesting--seems Disney's is marketing to a new crowd with its Disney Princess things. Not only do they want little girls to get into princess things, but they will be marketing to middle class women well beyond their teens. I have not seen the new movie "Enchanted" yet but would like to soon. It is part of the whole princess expansion--sounds like a fun movie that spoofs several of the fairy tale events in a way that gives more strength to the protagonist.

I like fairy tales--always have. But I have always been bothered by the shallowness of the princesses in the ways that they are portrayed. Seems a bit crazy. But seems they are doing something about it.

So I picked up Cynthia Rylant's new book WALT DISNEY'S CINDERELLA. I was shocked to see Cynthia Rylant's name on this new book. Really, she is the last person that I thought would write a version of this fairy tale. But, then I read the book and realized that she is the perfect person for this! It may be my favorite fairy tale now! Somehow Rylant has been able to retell this story with her own voice, staying true to strength and love and the tradition of Cinderella. The language she uses reminds me of the words that make VAN GOGH CAFE one of my all time favorites. This new version is illustrated by the original illustrations done by Mary Blair at Disney. All but a few of the illustrations are from the Walt Disney Library.

Rylant starts the story off like this:

"This is a story about darkness and light, about sorrow and joy, about something lost and something found. This is a story about Love."

and I loved this line:

"One day into these lives came something unexpected, something momentous. It was news which would affect the destiny of each of them in ways none could yet imagine."

and this one:

"The prince had no wife because he had not yet fallen in love. Any young maiden in the kingdom could have been his, for he was brave and kind and destined to be king. But of all the girls he had ever known or seen, not one touched his heart. Not one moved him."

and there are so many more lines that I love.

I love the way Cynthia Rylant retells this story. How she tells the story of Cinderella and the prince falling in love. It is totally true to the story and totally true to Cynthia Rylant.

A huge hit. I love it more and more every time I read it.
Maybe Cynthia Rylant will rewrite all of the fairy tales in a way that will make me want to share them with my daughters. I am a huge Disney fan and a huge Rylant fan. The combination makes me happy. And if Disney is going to market to the 40 year old Moms out there, I guess this is the way to go.

The Sisters' Newly Designed Website

If you love "The Sisters" (Gail Boushey and Joan Moser) who are the authors of THE DAILY 5, you must visit their newly designed website! I just spent quite a while on it. And like Gail and Joan, it is packed with information and it is lots of fun! They have book recommendations, favorite teaching tools, music they use in their classrooms, information on the DAILY 5, CAFE Assessment and more.

If you are a primary teacher and don't know The Sisters, you will want to.

I just spent lots of time browsing their new site and realized I had to share it with someone! (The graph with the Shrinky Dinks may be my favorite thing-of-today.)

Enjoy!

My NCTE Purchases

I am finally home from NCTE. What a great convention! I learned lots and connected with lots of friends. And I came home with a HUGE bag of books. I promised my class that I'd pick up books and I really lucked out this year. On Sunday of the convention each year, the exhibitors have great sales. So I picked up some older and some new titles. Here are some that I wanted to share.

CHESTER by Melanie Watt is a pretty hysterical new book. Melanie Watt begins to tell the story of her pet mouse but Chester, the cat, interferes with the story. Great humor! (Melanie Watt will be at the Dublin Literacy Conference in February!)

Anthony Browne has a new picture book out called MY BROTHER. The book shares all of the ways that his brother is "cool". He does this with words and great illustrations. Labels really add to each illustration. I have been collecting books on different ways authors write about people so I was happy to add this to my collection.

Something new to add to the SPIDERWICK CHRONICLES--THE CHRONICLES OF SPIDERWICK: A GRAND TOUR OF THE ENCHANTED WORLD NAVIGATED BY THIMBLEWICK is a huge book (a scrapbook) filled with letters, photos and artifacts from the mansion. This one will be fun for students to browse--I think it will be one that would be best after having read the entire series. A pretty fun book with lots to absorb.

I picked up VENOM by Marilyn Singer. It is a pretty big nonfiction book about poisonous animals. It has great photos and is organized by the places you find each particular type of venom. Singer's writing has great humor and her headings are definitely some that can be studied when learning about creative nonfiction writing. Her section on poisonous spiders is titled "A Few Spiders Miss Muffet Should Avoid".

I was thrilled to meet Michale Buckley, author of The Sisters Grimm. A new, fifth in the series, book is out. It is called Magic and Misdemeanor. And it sounds like there are more to come!

I picked up a series that I read about on Planet Esme. There are 5 books in the KEEKER series-a series about a girl and her horse. I am always looking for good new, early chapter books series and this one is perfect. Each book is about 50ish pages long. There are simple illustrations on each page and the stories are perfect for 2-4th graders. I think it will be a big hit since I have so many students who love horses.

I had to pick up THE HOLLY JOLIDAY by Megan McDonald. I haven't read it but it is filled with lots of great color illustrations. It is the first book featuring Judy and Stink. I am happy to see this and hope that she writes more that include both of these characters.

I am always looking for fun, new wordless picture books. So I bought a copy of BOW-WOW BUGS A BUG-- a pretty funny wordless picture book with great, bold illustrations and a great story about a fun dog. Hopefully we'll see more of him soon.

There are others but these are my highlights. I know once I get them to school, I won't be able to get my hands on them again for a while:-)

Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet

Manga Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
illustrated by Sonia Long
Amulet Books, 2007
2007 Cybils Graphic Novel nominee

Library copy. Due today. No renewal possible, which means someone has it reserved. I hope the person who has it renewed is a high school student who desperately needs to read Shakespeare in manga in order to access and comprehend this play. Better yet, I hope the person who has renewed it is a high school English teacher who is gathering all possible versions of Romeo and Juliet in order to meet the needs of every learner in her/his class.

It is what the title says it is: Romeo and Juliet in manga. The setting is present day Tokyo, where two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet, fall in love. Their rival families are still at war. But Romeo is a rock idol, and Juliet is a Shibuya girl (a Japanese "Goth Valley Girl"). Tybalt is tattooed with dragons and Mercutio has dredlocks. Friar John and Friar Laurence are Shinto monks.

Shakespeare's exact words are in speech bubbles rather than lines of poetry, while the story is played out in the classic conventions of manga (as defined by Scott McCloud in his book MAKING COMICS): the iconic characters with simple emotive faces; a strong sense of place; frequent use of wordless panels that prompt readers to "assemble scenes from fragmentary visual information"; small real world details; "various emotionally expressive effects such as expressionistic backgrounds, montages and subjective caricatures"; and "subjective motion -- using streaked backgrounds to make readers feel like they were moving WITH a character, instead of just watching motion from the sidelines."

If you think you know Shakespeare, you must check this out and think again. If you want to know Shakespeare, you should check this out because it will give you a different way into the canon of English Literature. And if you need to know Shakespeare for the test on Monday, this seems like a much better way than CliffsNotes to get a unique understanding of the story.

Poetry Friday -- A Noiseless Patient Spider

"It launched forth filament, filament, filament..."
First, I scanned my shelf of poetry and decided on Walt Whitman. I chose the Nature Company collection in the cardboard sleeve, illustrated with provocative black and white photos.

"It launched forth filament, filament, filament..."
I quickly found a poem that spoke to me -- A Noiseless Patient Spider. But could I use the whole poem? What would Copyright say?

"It launched forth filament, filament, filament..."
I did pointless Google search after fruitless Google search until I ran across the phrase I needed but couldn't find inside my brain: Public Domain. And my answer: Yes, you can use the whole poem.

"It launched forth filament, filament, filament..."
But then I found LibriVox: "LibriVox volunteers record chapters of books in the public domain and release the audio files back onto the net. Our goal is to make all public domain books available as free audio books." And here are eight different readings of A Noiseless Patient Spider. Eight. As in, how many legs does a spider have?

"It launched forth filament, filament, filament..."
And those eight readings made me think of this email I got from Franki (she's still in NYC):

Did you pick this up at the exhibit hall?
Might be a good poetry Friday post--just an fyi.
It is a pretty cool project and site.
Videoclips of kids reciting these poems.
Much more fun than a spelling bee, I would think.

Franki

http://www.poetryoutloud.org/

Poetry Out Loud dot org. Out loud. Like LibriVox.

Enough. Here's the poem:



A NOISELESS PATIENT SPIDER
by Walt Whitman

A noiseless, patient spider,
I mark'd where on a little promontory it stood isolated,
Mark'd how to explore the vacant vast surrounding,
It launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself,
Ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them.

And you O my soul where you stand,
Surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space,
Ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to
xxxxxconnect them,
Till the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold,
Till the gossamer thread you fling catch somewhere, O my soul.



Roundup is at Susan Writes.

On Second Thought

Squiggles: A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book
by Taro Gomi
Chronicle Books, 2007
review copy compliments of the publisher

I grew up with coloring books and paper dolls. I learned to keep my coloring inside the lines and my cutting on the lines. I can only wonder how my life would be different if I had had this drawing and painting book that is filled with partially drawn pictures to be completed however one wants, and provocative sentences that pluck one's creativity strings (for example, in the "Time to Eat" section -- "This is going to be very difficult to eat.")

Initially, this book went up on the gifts-to-give shelf in my closet to wait for the children of my friends to be old enough to enjoy and provide a "guest review." ON SECOND THOUGHT...I am going to take this book to school and give it to my students for homework. Stay with me here: each child will take the book home for a night and complete one of the pictures in any way he or she desires. It's a big book ("A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book") so everyone will have a chance to do more than one page over the course of the rest of the year. We will make a very different kind of class book that will preserve these students' art and writing in a unique way.

The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Junior Edition
by David Borgenicht and Robin Epstein
Chronicle Books, 2007
review copy compliments of the publisher

This seemed at first glance to be the perfect mentor text for a unit of study in writing workshop on "how to" writing. The book is divided into four chapters where a child's survival skills would be tested: at home, at school, in her/his social life, and outdoors. In each chapter, there are about a half a dozen "How To" situations, ranging from "How to Survive Being Grounded" to "How to Survive Farting in Public." Each survival situation begins with an introductory paragraph and a short numbered or bulleted list of steps. Perfect, right? Well, ON SECOND THOUGHT, I considered the very serious, very difficult, very un-frivolous survival situations that several of my students are going through right now. This book will be a part of my classroom library, and we'll discuss the format of the book when we look at nonfiction writing. I will probably invite students to add their own survival tips on 4x6 index cards in a pocket I'll make in the back of the book. But I don't think that in this class this year I will use this book for a whole-class project on "How To" writing.

NCTE: The Details

I have recovered from sleeplessness, sore joints (from all the walking), and two days of (pre-holiday/end of grading period) teaching. Now it's time to reflect back on NCTE. (Along with Jen, Betsy, Hloney, and Stacy and Ruth...among others, I'm sure. If you've got a post, let me know in the comments and I'll add you in!)

Great Sessions
Regie Routman spoke about how writing has the power to change children's lives...even more than reading. She was very inspirational. I can't wait to read her newest book, TEACHING ESSENTIALS.

Randy Bomer and three of his colleagues spoke about teaching the new literacies without technology -- as habits of mind and materials. They showed us ways to build a schema of the internet for children, with writing activities that promote an understanding of linking, multimodality, and design.

Bruce Morgan, Debbie Miller and Ellin Keene talked about professional development that has made a difference for each of them. Their examples ranged from the very personal (Bruce's) to institutional (Ellin's).

Betsy Bird (Fuse #8) shared a short list of books that defy description and categorization. I was familiar with most of them, but HOWTOONS is, in two days, the most popular book in my classroom.

Welcome to the Kidlitosphere was the best session in the history of NCTE! Okay, I'm a little biased, but we worked hard, had fun, and the folks who came to our session really wanted to be there. It was great to meet Stacy and Amy and Denise! Thanks for coming, fellow bloggers!

Children's Literature Assembly Breakfast featured Allen Say as the speaker. We got to see and hear his newest book, still in the editing stages. It's a sweet story with gorgeous pictures of the countryside of one of Japan's small, less inhabited islands.

Amazing Food
The reception for Rudine Simms Bishop (recipient of the Outstanding Educator Award) was held at The View on the 45th floor of the Marriott Marquis. The snacks included delicious raspberries and blackberries.

Liz, Susan, Jen and I had great Thai food at Pongsri.

AJ's brother suggested we eat at Keen's Steakhouse. The food was fabulous. I have never eaten a piece of red meat that big in one sitting, and I don't think I ever will again. But it was yummy. The creme brulee was...eh. Not the best I've ever had.

The Stenhouse NCTE Author Breakfast was at a quintessential New York deli: The Carnegie Deli. I was still stuffed from Keen's, so I ordered a fruit bowl. Think MIXING bowl size! A bagel and lox came with a two inch stack of lox and a slab of cream cheese the size of the BOXES of cream cheese in the grocery store!

Sharon Hancock from Candlewick invited me to a small, intimate dinner with Megan McDonald (of Judy Moody fame). We ate at Artisinal. The mix of people was very fun. In addition to Sharon, there was Charlie and Jenny from Candlewick; Laura and Sarah, librarians in Queens; Malore, formerly of ALA and now in charge of bringing The Electric Company back to life; and Carolyn, a retired high school librarian/professor of librarianship. And me, a blogger. I had the pumpkin risotto, Malore was the one who braved the pigeon in chocolate sauce, and what was I thinking when I had the creme brulee at a fromagerie?!?! Why didn't I get the CHEESEcake??? Oh, well. I'll have to go back, I guess!

The Loot (in no particular order)
HOWTOONS by Griffith, Dragotta, and Bonsen (HarperCollins booth sell-out)
THE CASTLE CORONA by Sharon Creech (HarperCollins booth sell-out)
THE PAINTED DRUM by Louise Erdrich (HarperCollins adult books booth one-free-book)
DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES by Jeff Kinney (uncorrected proof)
STINK AND THE GREAT GUINEA PIG EXPRESS by Megan McDonald (ARC, Candlewick dinner)
JUDY MOODY AND STINK: THE HOLLY JOLIDAY by Megan McDonald (signed, Candlewick dinner)
TRAILBLAZERS: POEMS OF EXPLORATION by BobbiKatz (review copy, signed)
HONEYBEE by Naomi Shihab Nye (uncorrected proof)
THE BEST EID EVER by Asma Mobin-Uddin (she lives just down the road from my school!!!)
HOW TO PAINT THE PORTRAIT OF A BIRD by Mordicai Gerstein (give-away by the publisher because I stood and looked at the book!)
KAMISHIBAI MAN by Allen Say (CLA breakfast)
(...and a few more that stayed at school...)

NCTE: Wow!

What a great conference!

Too bad I have to go to work today instead of reflecting on the great sessions I attended (Regie Routman wins for inspiration; Randy Bomer and his co-presenters win for ideas I want to try in my classroom), the amazing food I ate (and some that I didn't -- pigeon in chocolate sauce), the distances I walked (will my feet and hips ever recover?), the books I got for free or cheap, and the new friends I met (some for the first time ever, and some for the first time in person).

Stay tuned for more!

Welcome CCBC Visitors!

We are proud to be the "Link of the Month" at the Cooperative Children's Book Center at the School of Education University of Wisconsin-Madison!

If you haven't checked out the CCBC website, go now and look at all the children's literature/education resources they have! This page of links is a great overview. Bookmark it for frequent use!

Thank You For Your Patience

We are NYC bound for the National Council of Teachers of English annual convention!

Polishing up the presentation, doing one more load of laundry and packing, writing lesson plans for the substitutes, finding quotes for the speeches...whew!

Hopefully, we'll manage to post some highlights during the conference, but if not, stay tuned for some post-conference posts next week!

Poetry Friday -- A Meditation on Consumerism

I give you the middle stanza. Here is the whole poem, which begins with apples and ends with a dog.

The Necessary Brevity of Pleasures
by Samuel Hazo

***
Call it a tug-of-war between enough and more
than enough, between sufficiency
and greed, between the stay-at-homers
and globe-trotting see-the-worlders.
Like lovers seeking heaven in excess,
the hopelessly insatiable forget
how passion sharpens appetites
that gross indulgence numbs.
Result?
The haves have not
what all the have-nots have
since much of having is the need
to have.
***

The round-up is at a wrung sponge.

The Complete 4 For Literacy by Pam Allyn

I heard Pam Allyn, author of THE COMPLETE 4 FOR LITERACY, speak at the Connecticut Reading Association Convention last week. I have been spending the last few days with the new book and am loving it.

Now, I am not usually a fan of things with names or numbers attached. My inferring skills have told me that many of these have been far too prescriptive, contrived, and scripted for me.

But, the Complete 4 is none of these! It is AMAZING.

Pam Allyn has created a framework to help teachers plan literacy in a way that keeps the decision making on the teacher. She respects our knowledge and does not intend to tell us how to teach. However, the framework she provides is brilliant. She has thoughts about yearlong planning so that all areas of literacy are covered over the course of the year. She spends time talking about the importance of the whole school, K-5 conversation so that students' learning builds. She shares goals for various units and how the goals would be different in a K-2 nonfiction unit than a 3-5 nonfiction unit. She shares sample yearlong plans with explanations about the things she's included. She includes ways to teach conventions in authentic ways in both major and minor units.

This is really better than any planing guide I have ever seen. It is really a tool to help teachers THINK in powerful ways about their daily and long-term planning.

I have a habit of becoming TOTALLY obsessed with a professional book every year or two. This is the book I am currently totally obsessed with. Such amazing ideas and they seem like things that teachers at all experience levels would find helpful. I have rethought my planning already and I can't wait to share it with teachers that I work with.

On a side note, check out Pam Allyn's website. She founded a Books for Boys program in NYC that is pretty amazing.

My Dead Girlfriend

My Dead Girlfriend
by Eric Wight
TOKYOPOP, 2007
a 2007 Cybils nominee

This was a fun book to read, and it is going to be even more fun to review. I'm going to get to use the phrase, "bitch-slapped by a Honda" in this review, and that's an occasion I don't want to miss. (You might remember the time another Kidlitosphere blogger used a similar phrase. My role model.)

I really didn't think I was going to like this book. After all, I had just finished reading The Plain Janes by Cecil Castellucci, and she gets high school cliques so right. Now here I was reading about caricatures of high school cliques: The Deadbeats are just that -- led by a vampire and including Frankenstein the bully. The Aberzombies are brainless conformists. The Foreign Exchange Students are aliens. Literally. The Coven of Witches are the drug dealers. The Lab Monkeys are the science nerds. Finney and Dahlia seem to be the only "normal" kids in the school. (It always seems like you are the normal one, right? Surrounded by all the freaks?) Right about here is when Finney gets beat up by the Frankenstein bully. When Dahlia asks him if he's okay, he says, "Felt kind of like being bitch-slapped by a Honda."

Then Finney meets Jenny Wraith (just a little foreshadowing there) at the carnival and has a great time. They arrange to meet the next day, but Jenny never shows up. Finney is in a deep, deep funk. Then his dad (who is a ghost) has a heart to heart talk with him and tells him that while he can't choose the way he'll die, he can choose the way he'll live. So Finney snaps out if it and asks Dahlia to the movies.

While walking home through the woods, Finney is ambushed by Franken-bully and his pals. Just when it seems that all is lost, a dark spirit (death is fighting for Finney's life?) swoops in and takes out the whole group, then whisks Finney away to the graveyard. And shows him a gravestone. The gravestone of Jenny Wraith, who fell into a well and died the day she was supposed to meet Finney and didn't. Then the hood of the dark cape falls away and you see that the ghost of Jenny is who saved Finney.

There you have it: the dead girlfriend in the title of the book. Plus, the perfect set-up for book two in the series. What is Finney going to do about Dahlia, the live girl that he asked to go to the movies, now that he has a dead girlfriend?

And the winner is...

...MsMac! That lucky lady who won all the piles of books at the Kitlitosphere Conference (and also agreed to host Conference #2), and who has won chocolates from Robin Brande has now won Matt Phelan's Raffle Doodle! ENOUGH, ALREADY! Give the others a chance!

I was going to take pictures of the whole process to document the fairness of it all, but I left my camera at school. You'll have to take my word for it. She won it, fair and square. (Using my new JacketFlap hat must have conjured up her good mojo from the conference.)

New Professional Book from Regie Routman

On Friday, I was in Connecticut for their Connecticut Reading Association Annual Convention. What a great day it was! (I will share some highlights in another post.) Aside from learning a ton in some great sessions, I spent quite a bit of money before 9 am! Before I went book shopping, I was able to buy some great new jewelry from a company called Purple Umbrella. Great stuff by a variety of artists from around the world. If you are in the mood for a new necklace, check it out:-)

After the jewelry shopping, I hit the booksellers. It is a great time to buy new professional books. So many new great ones out this month! I picked up several. The one that I read on the plane ride home and that I would HIGHLY recommend is TEACHING ESSENTIALS: EXPECTING THE MOST AND GETTING THE BEST FROM EVERY LEARNER, K-8 by Regie Routman. It is a quick read with so much for us to think about. The back of the book says:

"What makes a teacher outstanding? More than anything, it's a way of being with kids in the classroom that lets them know they're smart and capable of high achievement. When you combine this mind-set with effective instruction, teaching and learning is transformed."

Regie takes the opportunity in this new book to help us think about some of our most struggling students and the stance that we take with them-how much things can change when we truly believe they are smart and treat them accordingly. She shares stories from many of the schools in her work where some students labeled with a special education label were changed when instruction was delivered in a way that valued their intelligence. That good classroom instruction is good for ALL students, especially those who are not always successful in schools.

In her introduction, Regie writes:
"My hope is you will use TEACHING ESSENTIALS as a catalyst for your thinking: that reading this text may affirm what you are doing as well as create a little dissonance that causes you to reflect on your teaching. This book is an invitation to think and talk more deeply about how to improve and sustain effective, daily literacy practices across all subject areas and throughout the school year so that all students and teachers reach the highest possible levels of learning, achievement, independence and enjoyment.

As always, Regie Routman brings us back to what is essential in our work with our students--what makes sense for all students and why every student deserves this. She makes a strong argument for inviting every child into the learning community --and shares what happens when we really, truly believe that every child is smart and capable.

There is also a great companion website that adds to the book with videoclips, study guide and more.
Thanks, Regie!

Poetry Friday -- Teachers' Overture*

*To the tune, more or less, of The William Tell Overture

This song was inspired by the Mom's Overture that we wrote about last weekend, and composed by compiling (and fluffing) the comments to that post. Thanks to all who contributed!

Ready, Teachers? SING IT:


Good morning!
Have a seat,
Quiet voices, sign in.

Eyes up here,
Sit up straight,
Turn your homework in.

Sit down please,
Be mature,
1, 2, 3 and...FREEZE!

Get your books,
Line up now,
Be nice (please).

Marshmallow toes,
Clam lips,
Skinny line, eyes on me.

Have a seat,
Quiet voices,
Time for library.

Get a book,
Get a chair,
Criss-cross applesauce,

SHHHHH
SH SH
SH SH SH.

Are you sure? Where's your work? What did she? What did you?
Whatcha doin'? Are you sure? Again? So soon?
Was that a good choice? What's a better one, then?
Are you sure? Really? What happens when?

No you can't: take a nap, play with food, go again,
Practice wrestling, jump like frogs, eat chocolate for a snack,
go outside without a coat it is cold outside.
ACT YOUR AGE! (Oh, yeah, you are.)

Come to the meeting area.
Bring your writer's notebooks.
Do your self-eval.
Choose a just-right book.

Do your best. Try.
Take a risk. Try.
I know it's hard for you,
Please give it a try.

Fingers on
Home Row,
Pockets on the carpet.

Hands in laps,
Quiet signs,
Voices off, zip it!

Put it away--
back pack!
Take it home, don't bring it back.

Keep your hands
To yourself.
Tell the truth. Help your friend.

I can't hear myself think!
The only one talking right now is ME!
This is your last warning!
Be patient, I'm coming, there's only one of ME!

This is not democracy;
It's a benevolent dictatorship.
I'll explain it later. Ask your parents.
Ask 3 before you ask me!

Nice work!
Good job!
I like the way you did...

Tell me more!
Oh, wow!
That's so way cool!

Easy peezy
Lemon squeezy
I knew you could!

Aren't you proud?!
How's it feel?!
Share with the whole class!

Get your homework,
Get your books,
Get your lunch boxes.

Time to go,
Line up now,
Have a nice night!

Walk please,
Quiet voices,
Don't run to your bus!

WHEW!
What a day,
Where's happy hour?

Pippi Longstocking and Lauren Child--what a match!

I am a huge Lauren Child fan. Love all of her books and can happily watch entire episodes of Charlie and Lola on TV. She is brilliant. So, I am not sure how I missed the exciting news that she has just illustrated a classic favorite--
Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren. But, I did find it yesterday.

I always liked Pippi but I didn't love her. I read all of the books and had a ball thinking about what it would be like to be her neighbor. But, I must say that Lauren Child's version of Pippi is quite lovable. She is still the same Pippi but more fun, in my opinion.

So, the story is the classic one that we all read. But the book is large with large print and not quite so many words on a page. It is a fun size for kids.

So, I brought it into my room today and just asked if anyone knew Pippi Longstocking. None of them had ever heard of the book but they were like bargain-shopping women at a sale trying to get it from me. (I finally let a little girl have it who had just finished a book yesterday. ) Really, there was something about the book that they had to have it. They knew nothing about it but it LOOKED like a book they wanted to read. Lauren Child has that impact on people. I imagine I will never get it back as several kids have their eye one it.

So, I am thrilled about this book. It is absolutely adorable.

Robert's Snow -- Matt Phelan

"She Never Misses"
(ink and watercolor on paper mounted to flake)

Mark your calendar for the third auction of the Robert's Snow: For Cancer's Cure fundraiser at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, December 3-7, so you can bid on Matt Phelan's snowflake.

Look at that sly little grin, those arched eyebrows just daring you to come within range of that perfectly formed snowball. What spirit! What spunk!

Come to think of it, she reminds me a bit of Matt Phelan himself! When you look at Matt's work, you'll see that he has not lost touch with his inner air guitarist/trampoline jumper/yodeler/Tarzan.

In Matt's interview with 1000 Times No, a blog/podcast that explores the No's in life, I learned that Matt went through quite a few No's before he became an illustrator of children's books. His most notable No was the time he learned that the optioned screenplay he had quit his job to write would never be made into a movie. However, all of Matt's work in theater developed his skills of interpretation, which he has applied to illustration. After getting the screenplay no, he joined SCBWI and risked a portfolio review. Turned out to be the best $30.00 he ever spent, because it led to his first illustrating job!

Matt's first book came out in 2005:

The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs
written by Betty G. Birney
(Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2005).
Three more followed in 2006:

The New Girl…and Me
written by Jacqui Robbins
(Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2006)


The Higher Power of Lucky
written by Susan Patron
(Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2006)


Rosa Farm
written by Liz Wu
(Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2006)


Matt's 2007 books are:

Floridius Bloom and the Planet of Gloom
written by Lorijo Metz
(Dial Press, 2007)


A Box Full of Kittens
written by Sonia Manzano
(Atheneum/Simon & Schuster, 2007)


Where I Live
written by Eileen Spinelli
(Dial Press, 2007)


Very Hairy Bear
written by Alice Schertle
(Harcourt Children’s Books, 2007)

Matt keeps a sketch blog at Planet Ham. If you search his blog for all the posts labeled "Illustration Friday," you will see that he participated EVERY WEEK in 2006! Quite a goal, and quite a variety of pieces!

On Matt's website, you will learn that he is tickled to be able to say, "Now available in specially marked boxes of Cheerios is a cute-as-a-button miniature edition of The New Girl...and Me! The free book (one of five) is all part of Cheerios' very cool Spoonful of Stories program." You can also find some gorgeous Matt Phelan Original Wallpaper for your computer screen, and take a tour of his studio.

But here's what you've really been waiting for, my interview with Matt:

How and why did you get involved with the Robert's Snow project?
I first heard of the project two years ago and thought it was a fantastic idea. When the call for new snowflakes came up on the Blue Rose Girls blog this year, I wrote to Grace immediately and asked if I could participate.

What are some other children's book illustrators whose work you especially admire?
I'm a huge fan of children's books, so my list is pretty long. Emily Gravett, Brian Floca, and Alexandra Boiger are just a few current faves off the top of my head. Angela Barrett's recent version of Beauty and the Beast is stunning. David Small is not only one of our finest draftsmen, he is an absolute master of pacing. From the golden age, I have to put Ernest Shepard at the top of my list.

Did you have any sense when you were illustrating The Higher Power of Lucky that it might be Newbery material? Any idea that there would be the big brouhaha over the anatomical vocabulary?
I knew it was a wonderful book but it didn't occur to me to consider its award potential. To be honest, I wasn't sure an illustrated novel was even eligible. Although I realized that I had never read the word scrotum in a novel before, I had no idea it would cause a controversy. How naive.

Can you tell us anything about your top secret mission in Maine? (see sketches in recent posts on his blog)
Well heck, it wouldn't be much of a secret if I cracked the first time someone asked about it. No, I will say absolutely nothing. Except that the mission was for a book I'm writing. And the subject is somewhat nautical. But really, that's it. Stop your clever interrogation tricks!

Okay. No more clever interrogation. On to the silly stuff! Beer, wine, or sparkling water?
Beer. But only microbrewed beer, preferably from the Philadelphia area which includes some of the best breweries in the world.

Cake, pie, or creme brulee?
Creme brulee, because making it involves a tiny blow torch. It's the dessert of welders.

Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, or Oklahoma?
I'll have to pick Oklahoma because sometimes I whisper the phrase "Surrey with the Fringe on Top" as a mantra. It's very soothing.

Here's what ELSE you've been waiting for: a "raffle doodle" being offered by Matt to one lucky reader of this Robert's Snow feature. Just leave a comment, and at the end of the week, I'll put all of the commenters' names in a hat and we'll draw for a winner! This is the original sketch that you might win:
Let the auction fun begin! May Robert's Snow be a giant blizzard of bidding that shuts down schools for five days. When it stops snowing, let's meet at the park for a snowball fight. I get to be "She Never Misses," and I personally want to throw the snowball (maybe with a rock or piece of ice in the center -- he doesn't play fair, so why should I) that hits Cancer right between the eyes so that snow goes behind his glasses and he's blinded, he gets a bloody nose, and goes running to mommy. Take THAT, you creep, for the year of hell you gave me! And THAT for all of my friends you've pelted...especially the ones you've taken out of the game way too early.