The Glorious Flight, Across the English Channel with Louis Bleriot by Alice and Marin Provensen
1984 Caldecott Medal
I like learning about history through picture books and this one tells the story of a real early aviator, a Frenchman by the name of Louis Bleriot, the first person to fly across the English Channel.
Told in sweet quant pictures (reminds me somehow of one of my favorite author/illustrators Barbara Cooney) and a simple text. We learn about his family . . . a wife, four children, a cat and a cockatoo; and we hear about his invented airplanes, starting at Bleriot I and ending with Bleriot XI, the one that flew across the English Channel.
I can't really imagine building airplanes, and then flying them, as a back yard enterprise! Sort of like if NASA was being run in a neighbors basement down the street. It's fun to think about a time when that's how things happened and a person who was inspired to figure something like that out with his own ingenuity by trail and error.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Friday, March 2, 2012
Lon Po Po
Lon Po Po, A red riding hood story from China by Ed Young
Caldecott Medal 1990
No question, the illustrations are beautiful. I love Ed Young and he has been a prolific illustrator of children's books, and often the author as well (as is the case here.) He has received a Caldecott medal or honor three times! The pictures are a mix of water color and pastels. They have a curious way of being soft and details at the same time. Each page the illustration is divided into panels, I enjoy this reference to Asian traditions. It's not my favorite story, but the pictures are stunning.
This book is not for the faint of heart! He depicts the scariness of the wolf very dramatically and the children in the book look really frightened. Plus, the children manage to use their wits and survive, so it all ends well for the children. . . but not so much for the wolf, and for animal lovers these drawings are also pretty scary.
I appreciate the author dedicating the book this way: "To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness."
Caldecott Medal 1990
No question, the illustrations are beautiful. I love Ed Young and he has been a prolific illustrator of children's books, and often the author as well (as is the case here.) He has received a Caldecott medal or honor three times! The pictures are a mix of water color and pastels. They have a curious way of being soft and details at the same time. Each page the illustration is divided into panels, I enjoy this reference to Asian traditions. It's not my favorite story, but the pictures are stunning.
This book is not for the faint of heart! He depicts the scariness of the wolf very dramatically and the children in the book look really frightened. Plus, the children manage to use their wits and survive, so it all ends well for the children. . . but not so much for the wolf, and for animal lovers these drawings are also pretty scary.
I appreciate the author dedicating the book this way: "To all the wolves of the world for lending their good name as a tangible symbol for our darkness."
Song of the Swallows
Song of the Swallows by Leo Politi
1950 Caldecott Award
This is a sweet story about a boy Juan and an old man named Julian, the bell ringer and gardener of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, in California, and the swallows that arrive there every spring. There are illustrations on every page, and then every once in a while big full color illustrations that cover two pages. Two songs are included as well.
I enjoyed it very much. I appreciated the author/artist being well ahead of his time in honoring various ethnic communities in his home state of California in his books for children. I'd like to learn more about him. What I've learned so far is that he was born in the US, to an Italian family. They returned to Italy when he was 7 and he spent the rest of his childhood in Europe. He came to Los Angeles when he was about 22 and lived and painted there for the rest of his life. He was a devote Catholic and the affinity he had for the Mexican American mission communities I think was based in that common heritage. Song of the Swallows is a tender story of friendship and seasons and connection with nature and although it is not a religious story it does have a touch of the sacred in it.
1950 Caldecott Award
This is a sweet story about a boy Juan and an old man named Julian, the bell ringer and gardener of the Mission of San Juan Capistrano, in California, and the swallows that arrive there every spring. There are illustrations on every page, and then every once in a while big full color illustrations that cover two pages. Two songs are included as well.
I enjoyed it very much. I appreciated the author/artist being well ahead of his time in honoring various ethnic communities in his home state of California in his books for children. I'd like to learn more about him. What I've learned so far is that he was born in the US, to an Italian family. They returned to Italy when he was 7 and he spent the rest of his childhood in Europe. He came to Los Angeles when he was about 22 and lived and painted there for the rest of his life. He was a devote Catholic and the affinity he had for the Mexican American mission communities I think was based in that common heritage. Song of the Swallows is a tender story of friendship and seasons and connection with nature and although it is not a religious story it does have a touch of the sacred in it.
Saving Shiloh
Saving Shiloh by Phyliss Reynolds Naylor
This is the third book in the series starting with Newbery award winning Shiloh. I am really glad we read all three, in a row, and I recommend doing exactly that. The entire story (from book one) takes place in a span of less than one year in the life of eleven year old Marty. It really is one story and the end of the third book really leaves you in a satisfying place.
The thing that I admire most about this author is the way she explores the complexity of issues which we often try and make black and white. In this story the broken life of Judd Travers begins to mend. And it ends on a very hopeful note.
This is the third book in the series starting with Newbery award winning Shiloh. I am really glad we read all three, in a row, and I recommend doing exactly that. The entire story (from book one) takes place in a span of less than one year in the life of eleven year old Marty. It really is one story and the end of the third book really leaves you in a satisfying place.
The thing that I admire most about this author is the way she explores the complexity of issues which we often try and make black and white. In this story the broken life of Judd Travers begins to mend. And it ends on a very hopeful note.
How Full Is Your Bucket? for kids
How Full Is Your Bucket? for kids by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
no awards that I'm aware of
This is a great book about feelings and supporting one another. I read it to my kids and I could tell that they "got it" from their behavior that day.
Basic idea is that we all have a bucket (which the kid in this book starts literally seeing floating above his head and other people's heads). When something happens that makes us feel good, our bucket fills up a little, when something happens that makes us feel bad, the water drips out.
Felix, the star of this book, figures out how this works. "The strange thing was that for every drop he helped put in someone else's bucket, he felt another drop in his own bucket."
no awards that I'm aware of
This is a great book about feelings and supporting one another. I read it to my kids and I could tell that they "got it" from their behavior that day.
Basic idea is that we all have a bucket (which the kid in this book starts literally seeing floating above his head and other people's heads). When something happens that makes us feel good, our bucket fills up a little, when something happens that makes us feel bad, the water drips out.
Felix, the star of this book, figures out how this works. "The strange thing was that for every drop he helped put in someone else's bucket, he felt another drop in his own bucket."
Useful imagery for talking about feelings. I recommend it.
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Bright Path
Bright Path: Young Jim Thorpe by Don Brown
no awards that I know about
Jim Thorpe competed in the 5th Olympic Games in 1912. His score in the decathlon remained unbeaten for 20 years. His score in the pentathlon was never equaled.
But his "training" for these events consisted of running around on the Oklahoma plains, helping out on the farm, and running away from the Indian boarding schools that he was sent to! He hated these schools that were military strict and designed to "break" Indian children from their culture. Once Jim ran off moments after being dropped off at school by his father and arrived home BEFORE his dad reached home on horse back!
Pick up football games were the bright spot in the drudgery of boarding school, but his beginnings as a world class athelete happened entirely by accident when in 1907 he happened by the track team at Carlisle and noticed that none of the high jumpers could clear the bar. He asked if he could try--- and cleared it on the first try, dressed in overalls! He was asked to join the team and suddenly this young man who was unhappily struggling through school was a star athlete.
There are a few pages of authors notes and bibliographic information at the end of book. Here I learned that because of Jim's playing baseball in a minor minor league one summer when school was out at Carlisle, the Olympic Committee stripped him of his medals and his name was stricken from Olympic records. Since receiving the gold medal was "the proudest moment of my life" according to Jim himself, I can't imagine the emotional impact that must have had on this young man.
He played professional sports for a time after leaving school --- baseball, football and even basketball. When he retired from professional sports he worked at various odd jobs and died of a heart attack at age 64, in 1953. It wasn't until 1973 that the Olympic Committee restored Jim's amateur status and presented replica's of Jim's gold medals to his children.
The heartbreaking info in the end notes are NOT presented in the picture book, which is a story that celebrates this remarkable athlete.
no awards that I know about
Jim Thorpe competed in the 5th Olympic Games in 1912. His score in the decathlon remained unbeaten for 20 years. His score in the pentathlon was never equaled.
But his "training" for these events consisted of running around on the Oklahoma plains, helping out on the farm, and running away from the Indian boarding schools that he was sent to! He hated these schools that were military strict and designed to "break" Indian children from their culture. Once Jim ran off moments after being dropped off at school by his father and arrived home BEFORE his dad reached home on horse back!
Pick up football games were the bright spot in the drudgery of boarding school, but his beginnings as a world class athelete happened entirely by accident when in 1907 he happened by the track team at Carlisle and noticed that none of the high jumpers could clear the bar. He asked if he could try--- and cleared it on the first try, dressed in overalls! He was asked to join the team and suddenly this young man who was unhappily struggling through school was a star athlete.
There are a few pages of authors notes and bibliographic information at the end of book. Here I learned that because of Jim's playing baseball in a minor minor league one summer when school was out at Carlisle, the Olympic Committee stripped him of his medals and his name was stricken from Olympic records. Since receiving the gold medal was "the proudest moment of my life" according to Jim himself, I can't imagine the emotional impact that must have had on this young man.
He played professional sports for a time after leaving school --- baseball, football and even basketball. When he retired from professional sports he worked at various odd jobs and died of a heart attack at age 64, in 1953. It wasn't until 1973 that the Olympic Committee restored Jim's amateur status and presented replica's of Jim's gold medals to his children.
The heartbreaking info in the end notes are NOT presented in the picture book, which is a story that celebrates this remarkable athlete.
Black and White
Black and White by David Macaulay
1991 Caldecott Medal
This is one of those rare books that actually redefines "book" for me. I would put The Invention of Hugo Cabret in this category, and this one.
It starts with a WARNING "This book appears to contain a number or stories that do not neccessarily occur at the same time. Then again, it may contain only one story. In any event, careful inspection of both words and pictures is recommended."
Then, each two page spread is devided into four sections. And in each section a story is told in pictures and a few words. The top left hand corner . . . the story is about a train and a boy riding on the train. The lower left hand corner is a story about a family--- two parents, two kids and a dog. The top right hand corner there are a bunch of people waiting at a train station. The lower right hand corner the story is about an escaped convict and some cows.
These four stories move forward each in their own frame with no particular need for one another. BUT. . . . like the warning says. . . invite CAREFUL inspection.
I read this to Makayla and we over spent our reading time by a good 30 minutes with out even being the slightest bit aware of it. The experience of this book is wonderfully absorbing and fun. We finished it and immediately tried to sell it to everyone else in the house!
1991 Caldecott Medal
This is one of those rare books that actually redefines "book" for me. I would put The Invention of Hugo Cabret in this category, and this one.
It starts with a WARNING "This book appears to contain a number or stories that do not neccessarily occur at the same time. Then again, it may contain only one story. In any event, careful inspection of both words and pictures is recommended."
Then, each two page spread is devided into four sections. And in each section a story is told in pictures and a few words. The top left hand corner . . . the story is about a train and a boy riding on the train. The lower left hand corner is a story about a family--- two parents, two kids and a dog. The top right hand corner there are a bunch of people waiting at a train station. The lower right hand corner the story is about an escaped convict and some cows.
These four stories move forward each in their own frame with no particular need for one another. BUT. . . . like the warning says. . . invite CAREFUL inspection.
I read this to Makayla and we over spent our reading time by a good 30 minutes with out even being the slightest bit aware of it. The experience of this book is wonderfully absorbing and fun. We finished it and immediately tried to sell it to everyone else in the house!
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