We feel lucky to be included in the blog tour that the author and illustrator team of Joey Fly, Private Eye are one. We are so happy they stopped at A Year of Reading. If you are like us, you are on the hunt for great new graphic novels to add to your classroom or school library. This new book--that will hopefully become a series--is one of the best new ones out this year. This book is a mystery--full of fun. The story, the language and the art are all quite fun. How could it not be fun when the characters are bugs? You get a good sense of the book and the type of humor when you watch the book trailer.
When my copy of JOEY FLY arrived, it was sitting on the island in the kitchen. My 10 year old daughter, Ana, immediately asked if she could read it. She couldn't stop talking to me about the book and I would hear her laughing aloud as she read. She loved it. So, we thought it would make sense for Ana to ask the interview questions for this blog tour. We were curious as to what a 10 year old would ask the author/illustrator team after reading the book. So, here is Ana's interview:-)
Ana: Where did you get the idea for this story?
Aaron: Originally, the book was called Joey Off, Private Fly (you know, Off…like bug spray?). That was all I had…a title, which is often how it works for me. I’ll get a title in my head that seems funny or inspires some cool ideas, and off I go. So, when I thought of the title, it seemed funny, a snarky insect mystery. It wasn’t until I sat down to write it that some of the details came along, like Sammy Stingtail and his tail of horror, and Delilah and her stolen pencil box. Most times, I don’t think out the story in advance…I sit down to write the idea, and the story comes along the way.
Ana: Why did you choose to make the characters bugs?
Aaron: I love bugs…they make great characters because there are so many different kinds and they’re all so freaky and unique looking. I have several other books that feature bugs, including Tiger Moth, Insect Ninja and The Tale of the Poisonous Yuck-Bugs. In real life, I don’t mind bugs, but I can’t stand spiders. Yechhhh…too many legs=gross.
Neil: And yet Aaron put a giant hairy tarantula in the second Joey Fly!
Ana: How did you decide when to switch colors for things going on in the story?
Aaron: That was totally Neil’s thing. Fill her in, Neil.
Neil: Yes! Well, originally, I thought it would be fun to try a different take on the whole black and white thing, you know, like old film noir movies. But since sometimes black and white can be boring, I changed it up to blue and white! The flashback scenes made sense as another color, because they take place in a different time frame, and at the last second, we decided to add reds for all the outdoor daytime scenes, just to spice things up a bit. It worked out even better than I thought, and is now part of the storytelling that makes Joey Fly unique.
Ana: How did you get the idea for Joey to talk to himself/the reader in the squares throughout the book?
Aaron: Well, turns out, all those language arts words they make you learn in school aren’t a waste of time. The book is written in first person point of view, which means that the main character talks directly to the read about themselves and their story. When I started writing, this is just how things came out. Joey had lots of running comments or sarcastic little opinions he wanted to throw into the mix, so I wanted to give him the chance to talk directly to the reader without the other characters hearing it or being part of it. In a graphic novel, the best way to do that is in caption boxes, which are those little squares that he talks to you in. These are different from speech balloons, which is the stuff he says to other characters.
Ana: Will there be more Joey Fly books?
Aaron: Definitely! The second book is done and Neil is already finishing the art for it. I’ve seen his sketches and they are AMAZING! It’s better than the first book. And I’m currently working on the third book and have cool ideas about a fourth. So, we’ll keep going as long as the publisher lets us and the ideas keep coming. That is, if Neil is okay with that…
Neil: Of course I’m ok with it! The second Joey Fly is the most fun I’ve ever had on a project! I can’t wait to read the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh!
Ana: Which other books, especially graphic novels, would you recommend to kids who like this book?
Aaron: I really a huge fan of graphic novels for kids…there’s a new one out called The Amulet by Kazi Kibuishi that I LOVE! The second one just came out. I also love the Artemis Fowl graphic novel…definitely worth checking out if you haven’t seen it. Also Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon Hale is AWESOME! I’m also a huge fan of an old European comic called Asterix. I used to buy them as a kid at flea markets and they are still SO FUNNY.
Neil: Old Mickey Mouse comics have great mystery and suspense, Tintin by Herge, Super Mario Adventures by Kentaro Takekuma and Charlie Nozawa, and if you like the wordplay in Joey Fly, check out The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster!
They have made several other stops on this tour. You may want to visit to learn as much as you can about this book and this great team. A few of their stops have included:
Our 5th grade Graphic Novel Club in the library is well underway and a few of the kids have already read this title. I am thinking I might offer this as a book club title to 3rd and 4th graders this winter. It is a great new book with so many fun things to discuss. I think it is worth buying several copies.
I picked up two new picture books for winter. I think they will both be fun read alouds. Both are about the joys of winter. Now, I am not a big fan of winter. But these books do remind me of the fun of winter play. Kids will definitely relate to the fun that the characters are having in both of these books.
HERE COMES JACK FROST by Kazuno Kohara is about a a little boy who hates winter...until he meets Jack Frost. When he does, they have a great time together--playing in the snow, ice skating, and sledding. As long as the boy doesn't mention anything warm, they can have a great time! The illustrations are great--all done with blues and white. The illustration on the cover was what drew me to the book.
The other book is CHAUCER'S FIRST WINTER by Stephen Krensky is a fun book about a little bear who wants to know what winter is all about. But, bears sleep through the winters. Chaucer decides to go out while his parents are sleeping. He learns all about winter and has a great time with his friends--slipping and sliding and having snowball fights. He finally goes back home excited about all that he has discovered about winter.
I am so happy to have discovered this new nonfiction picture book. Last month, I attended a workshop and Selections Bookfairs was there selling books. Since our school has a courtyard, I have been trying to build our collection of books related to some of the things they kids see there and I've been lucky to find some great new bird books this year. WHOSE NEST IS THIS? by Heidi Bee Roemer is one of my new favorites. I thought at first glance that this book was about birds, but it is about more than just birds. I always forget that there are many other creatures that build nests. I think kids do too.
The first page of the book tells us that spring has arrived and many parents are making nests for their young. Then the rest of the book becomes a great guessing game. Each two-page spread has a clue filled with information on the left side. On the right side we find the answer. Although many of the nests belong to birds, we find that turtles, mice, and wasps also build nests. The guessing format makes it a fun one to read and along the way, we learn so many things about nests and habitats. So many different things are used to build nests and they are built in such a variety of places. This book is just packed with information.
The end of the book has a Fun-Fact Glossary with a bit more information on the animals in the book.
I can see so many reasons to read this book. It can serve as a type of field guide. It can be used for kids as they are learning about animals and/or habitats. And it is a great format for nonfiction writing. It could serve as a great mentor text. I always love to find nonfiction writing that has such rich language.
I love when people come up with new things and Lou Brooks has come up with Twimericks--Limericks and Tongue Twisters all rolled up. You can tell right away that this book is a fun one. There is a warning on the first page:
"THE SURGEON GENERAL HAS DETERMINED THAT RAPID READING OF THIS BOOK ALOUD TO OTHERS MAY LEAD TO YOUR TONGUE BEING TWISTED INTO A PERFECT OVER-AND UNDERHAND BAVARIAN PRETZEL KNOT--PROBABLY FOREVER."
Then the author goes on to tell us a bit about the history of Limericks and a bit about Tongue Twisters. Then he goes on to tell us what happens when you put the two together. Following this introduction are 36 Twimericks that are quite fun. Some of my favorites (all listed in the Cable of Tontents:-) are Rufus the Goofus, Banana Bonanza and Six Silly Swiss Sisters. My very favorite is "Frankly, Frank Fankley" (of course, because it has my name in it--kind of).
This book is great fun and would be a great addition to any classroom poetry collection. It begs to be read aloud. Reading them aloud is quite fun! (I read a few aloud to my husband while he was watching hockey. My reading wasn't quite enough to pull him away from the TV but he did chuckle a bit.) I can also see kids having lots of word play fun in writing workshop, word study, etc. Just a fun, playful book!
NCTE's Annual Convention is the most important thing I do for my own professional development. Last year, I was able to hear Tim Tyson, Kathy Yancey, Karl Fisch and others who helped me create a vision for where I wanted to go in my own teaching and learning. And I did meet Grover from Sesame Street after hearing CEO, Gary Knell speak. Last year, the convention really helped me solidify my thinking about 21st Century Literacies and has carried me through the year. I always love to get together and learn from such smart people.
I am totally excited about this year's convention in Philadelphia. I am looking forward to seeing good friends, checking out new books and going to great sessions. I read the book THE BRIEF WONDROUS LIFE OF OSCAR WAO by Juno Diaz and am excited about hearing him speak at the Opening Session of the convention on Thursday. He is just the first of many amazing speakers.
I am not quite sure how to focus my time--so many great choices. I LOVE the theme of this year's convention, "Once and Future Classics: Reading Between the Lines". Carol Jago, NCTE's President-Elect, has put together an amazing program. So many great sessions about books and literacy. I was amazed to see the number of authors who would be at the convention. I am hoping to make time to see Jennifer and Matt Holm since I am such a Babymouse fan. I would love to see Gordon Korman and many of the others who are listed in the program.
I will probably focus my time on 21st Century topics again this year. I am looking forward to hearing Troy Hicks and Bud Hunt's session, "Creating Opportunities for Learning with Newer Literacies and Technologies". I am also anxious to hear Ralph Fletcher talk about word play and Teri Lesesne share new YA titles. I am totally bummed that I won't be able to hear my local friends and colleagues--Mary Lee, Katie D, and Karen T present on their work. I love the title of their session--"Going Public: How Sharing Your Teaching Beyond the Classroom Can Make You a Better Teacher"--Brilliant, don't you think? And I am also looking forward to hearing Kylene's Beers' address at the General Session on Sunday. She is always brilliant and her talks always make me think. I am attending several Children's Literature Assembly events and am looking forward to those.
It is always a great time to connect with friends and colleagues and to re-energize and think about the possibilities with people who believe in kids and in the power of literacy.
I loved Kevin's post at Kevin's Meandering Mind this week. He brought some sessions to my attention that I hadn't yet seen in the program. I am adding those as well as his session to my list. I think he started a great trend--sharing the sessions we've found. I feel like there are so many options that I'll miss many without the help of others who are also looking through the program.
I'm not sure this is a children's book, but I LOVE books of quotations and this one is unique and stunningly beautiful.
Each of the 366 quotes is from a different famous person on their birthday. Those featured are "famous activists and artists, athletes and writers, inventors and explorers, healers and politicians, musicians and moguls." There is a full-page block print portrait of a famous person on every double-page spread, each one stylistically different and perfectly capturing the essence of the person featured. There is more information about each of the people whose quotes are featured in the back of the book.
Check out the Alcorn Studio & Gallery and you'll recognize many books that Alcorn has illustrated.
I'm thinking this will make a FABULOUS gift book...
In an effort to keep this great good thing we know and love as Poetry Friday running as smoothly as possible until such time as its founder, Kelly Herold, is able to take the reins again, and under the advisement of Greg (GottaBook), Tricia (Miss Rumphius), Susan (Chicken Spaghetti), and Diane (Random Noodling), I am putting out a call for Poetry Friday Round Up Hosts for the next three months.
I will post the schedule on our blog, on the calendar of the Kidlitosphere Yahoo group, and on the Kidlitosphere website. In addition, I will make the code for the schedule available to whoever requests it so that you, too, can have the schedule in your blog's sidebar if you so desire!
Leave your requested Friday in the comments or email me directly at mlhahn at earthlink dot net.
EDITED: Dates are filling up fast -- see schedule in sidebar. Thanks to all who have (and will) volunteer!!!
Tricia's Poetry Stretch this week at The Miss Rumphius Effect was to write a rictameter, which is an unrhymed nine line poetry form with a syllable count of 2,4,6,8,10,8,6,4,2 and the first and last lines the same.
Here's my rictameter, and then I'll tell you the rest of the story behind it:
Mare's war was WWII. She joined the African American Women's Army Corps at the age of 17 (lying that she was 21) to escape the dead end of 1940's life in rural Alabama, where the best jobs she could hope for as a Black woman who hadn't finished high school were being the house girl for Mrs. Ida Payne and busing tables and cleaning the kitchen of Young's Diner.
In this book, Mare is taking a road trip from California to Alabama with her two teenage granddaughters. The narrative switches between chapters about "then" when Mare is telling her life story to her granddaughters, and "now" as we see the two girls' reluctance about the trip change to interest in their grandmother's experiences and finally appreciation and admiration for her strength and independence.
By listening in on Mare's stories, I learned things about WWII, the WAC, segregation, and Civil Rights that are never included in history books.
Besides the coincidence of finishing this book on Veterans Day, I was tickled to note that Mare's full name is Marey Lee Boylen (closest I've ever come to finding a book character with my name!) and one of the granddaughters is named Talitha, which is the name of one of my great grandmothers.
I couldn't believe it when the next book I picked up after finishing MARE'S WAR on the afternoon of Veterans' Day was a book about WWI.
Remember how Frost's amazing diamond poems in DIAMOND WILLOW added so much to the story? (Bill's post at Literate Lives convinced me to read the book, and Tricia's Poetry Makers post featuring Helen Frost elevated her to One Of My Favorites!) Frost describes the poetry forms that she uses in CROSSING STONES this way:
"I've created a formal structure to give the sense of stepping from stone to stone across a flowing creek. I think of this kind of writing as painting with words, a process involving hands, eyes, ears, thought, and emotion, all simultaneously working together.
The relatively free style of Muriel's poems represent the creek flowing over the stones as it pushes against its banks. Ollie's and Emma's poems represent the stones. I "painted" them to look round and smooth, each with a slightly different shape, like real stones. They are "cupped-hand sonnets," fourteen-line poems in which the first line rhymes with the last line, the second line rhymes with the second-to-last, and so on, so that the seventh and eighth lines rhyme with each other at the poem's center. In Ollie's poems the rhymes are the beginning words of each line, and in Emma's poems they are the end words.
To give the sense of stepping from one stone to the next, I have used the middle rhyme of one sonnet as the outside rhyme of the next. You will see that the seventh and eighth lines of each of Emma's poems rhyme with the first and last lines of Ollie's next poem, and the seventh and eighth lines of Ollie's poems rhyme with the first an last lines of Emma's next poem."
Despite the seeming complexity of the structure of this book, the form NEVER gets in the way of the story. Muriel's free-flowing poems match her free thinking about her own future (NOT as a farm wife, as everyone else seems to expect of her) and the suffrage movement. Emma's and Ollie's poems are solid and almost invisibly interconnected, bringing their two families and their own lives closer and closer.
Again in this book, I learned things that are never found in history books about WWI, the suffragettes, the Spanish Flu Epidemic, settlement houses in Chicago (Hull House) and Washington, D.C., and the ability of body and soul to heal from the ravages of war.
Put both these books on your "must read" list. They are too good to pass by.
Greg's doing the Poetry Friday round up this week at GottaBook.
Ear-Tickling Poems by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy
Eye-Tricking Photos by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press, 2009
review copy provided by the publisher
This book has everything! There are fabulous poems, things to search for in the stunning photographs, flaps to lift that reveal the hidden animal in case you couldn't find it, and more information about the hidden animal to balance the information in the poem and photograph.
Apparently, I missed the first book, Where in the Wild? and David Schwartz writes on the I.N.K. blog about another book, What in the Wild?, that will accompany these two. Fun books that you will definitely want for your nonfiction collection...or your poetry collection...or both!
Disclaimer: All blog posts, opinions, grammatical errors, and spelling mistakes are our own.
Franki and Mary Lee are both teachers, and have been for more than 20 years.
Franki is a fifth grade teacher. She is the author of Beyond Leveled Books (Stenhouse), Still Learning to Read (Stenhouse), and Day-to-Day Assessment in the Reading Workshop (Scholastic).
Mary Lee is a fifth grade teacher. She is the author of Reconsidering Read-Aloud (Stenhouse) and has poems in the Poetry Friday Anthology, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Science, the Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books), Dear Tomato: An International Crop of Food and Agriculture Poems, National Geographic Books of Nature Poems, The Best of Today's Little Ditty (2014-15 and 2016), Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's Poems are Teachers, National Geographic's The Poetry of US, and IMPERFECT: Poems About Mistakes.
