In the Belly of an Ox

The Unexpected Photographic Adventures
of Richard and Cherry Kearton

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by Writing Nonfiction for Children

 

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children
(pub. 11.16.2009)

32 pages

Ages 5 to 8

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor and illustrator: Rebecca Bond
     
C haracters:  Brothers Richard Kearton and Cherry Kearton

 
O verview from book flap: 

      "They would have to be sneaky and clever. They would need veils and disguises [including a hollow ox]. And they would probably have to endure hunger and thirst, insect stings and rainstorms, and wade through bogs, and rope down precipitous cliffs.

     But if the brothers succeeded, they would accomplish something no one ever had before.

     With inspired prose and paintings, this book tells the true story of how two brothers from the hills of Yorkshire became known as the most innovative bird photographers of all time."

T antalizing taste:
      "All of a sudden, because of [the Keartons' book] British Birds' Nests, in the country and cities and reaches beyond, people were out looking for birds and their nests.  And instead of stealing the nests, or even plundering them for their egg trophies, curious observers were now content to identify the nests and eggs and birds and to leave the eggs in their nests to hatch."

and something more:  Rebecca Bond, the author and illustrator of this delightful picture book biography, In the Belly of an Ox, was born in Vienna, Austria, but raised in the tiny village of Peacham in northeastern Vermont.  She spent summer days building forts and rafts and still feels defined by the rural environment of her childhood. As she wrote, "It was through this world of hilly landscapes and marked seasons that I became someone who loves to read and watch and draw." 
     Just recently, a dear friend took me on my first official birdwatching outing, and I was so pleased when she showed me how to distinguish between a male Bufflehead (with its striking patch of white against black on its head) and a Hooded Merganser (also with oval white cheek patches but more of a pompadour look).   
      Birdwatching reminds me of what we seek to do as writers -- pause and pay attention to the details, and then find just the right words, as did the naturalist, John Burroughs: "When nature made the blue bird she wished to propitiate both the sky and the earth, so she gave him the color of the one on his back and the hue of the other on his breast."

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The Brothers Kennedy

John * Robert * Edward
 
This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by The Cat and the Fiddle

 

Simon & Schuster 
Books for Young Readers

(pub. 1.26.2010)

40 pages
 
A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: KATHLEEN KRULL
      and Illustrator : AMY JUNE BATES

C haracters:  John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy and Edward Kennedy

 
O verview from book flap: 

      "Three extraordinary men lived three extraordinary lives, but first they were just brothers. John, Robert, and Edward were raised with the belief that they could change things for the better, and one by one, they did just that.  Through tragedies and triumphs these men worked to right the wrongs they saw around them [and] they couldn't have done it without one another."

T antalizing taste:
      "In 2008 Edward's doctors warned him that he was too ill to travel. But back in the 1960s his brother Robert had predicted that a black president would be elected within forty years.  Edward was not going to miss seeing Barack Obama accept his presidential nomination.
      'For me this is a season of hope,' Edward said in his own speech that night. 'New hope for a justice and fair prosperity for the many, and not just for the few.'"
     ...Hope, compassion, and loyalty - the brothers Kennedy inspired these in one another.
     And so they have inspired others ever since."

and something more:   Kathleen Krull's terrific picture book biography, The Brothers Kennedy, weaves together the stories of the three brothers and explains the significant influence of their parents and extended family. The back matter of the book provides more information about their considerable contributions.  
      I had forgotten that President John Kennedy started the Peace Corps "as a way of bringing hope to the poorest countries in the world," and it "is still going strong after almost fifty years, with some two hundred thousand volunteers having served." I'm proud to add that my niece will soon be leaving for Nicaragua to serve in the Peace Corps.  As Robert Kennedy said, "Each time a man [or woman] stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope."

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Biblioburro

A True Story from Columbia
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hosted today by Apples With Many Seeds

 

Beach Lane Books (Simon & Schuster) 

(pub. 6.8.2010)

32 pages
 
A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor and illustrator: JEANETTE WINTER

C haracter: Luis Soriana who lives in La Gloria, Columbia

 
O verview from book flap: 

      "Join Luis and his trusty burros, Alfa and Beto, as they travel far and wide to bring treasured books to eager children in the remote villages of rural Columbia.

     Based on the inspiring life of a real man and his devoted burro team, here is a book to remind us of the immense power stories have to connect us all."

T antalizing taste:
      "And far away in the hills, candles and lanterns burn as the children read borrowed books deep into their night, too."

and something more:   Jeanette Winter's picture book biography, Biblioburro, with her characteristically simple (in the best sense) text and colorful illustrations, truly captures the power of books to connect to people.  A New York Times article (Oct 19, 2008), written by Simon Romero states that the Biblioburro "idea came to [Luis Soriana] after he witnessed as a young teacher the transformative power of reading among his pupils, who were born into conflict even more intense than when he was a child."      
     The article concludes with the anecdote of an 18 year old young woman who "leafed through a copy of  'Margarita,' the classic book of poetry by Rubén Darío of Nicaragua, and began to read aloud. 

She went beyond where the heavens are

and to the moon said, au revoir.

How naughty to have flown so far

without the permission of Papa.

'That is so beautiful, Maestro,” [the young woman] said to the teacher. 'When are you coming back?'"

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Come See the Earth Turn

The Story of Leon Foucault
 
This post is part of Nonfiction Monday
hosted today by L.L. Owens
 

Tricycle Press (pub. 9.14.10)
 32 pages  
 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: LORI MORTENSEN

              and Illustrator: RAUL ALLEN

C haracter: Leon Foucault, 

    a French scientist in the 1800s

O verview from book flap:

     "A sickly child, a poor student, and a medical school dropout, Leon Foucault seemed an unlikely candidate for greatness.  But his ingenious experiment - simple, beautiful, and stunningly original - changed how we see the world.

     Scientists knew that the earth turned on its axis.  But how could they prove it?  Countless experiments had been tried ... and had failed.  Then... Leon Foucault ... offered the proof everyone had been looking for.

     Discover the improbably story of the man behind the famous Foucault's Pendulum."

T antalizing taste: 
      "Even though Leon's slowpoke ways got him in trouble at school, working slowly and precisely at home allowed him to make things exactly the way he wanted them to be.

     Soon, family and friends marveled over the quiet boy's clever inventions and magnificent contraptions."

   

and something more:   In our fast-paced era, the terrific picture book biography, Come See the Earth Turn, honors a person, Leon Foucault, who took his time and, consequently, proved that the earth turned. And, for a child who also feels he or she is "a tortoise among jackrabbits" at school, Leon Foucault's success will be cheered. As a scientist, he succeeded where others with degrees in physics and mathematics had failed.
     I enjoyed reading that the author, Lori Mortensen, as a girl, was surrounded by experiments conducted by her father, a research scientist. I too have chemist parents who were often devising solutions and inventions around our house.  Hurrah for innovators! 

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