Magic Trash

A Story of Tyree Guyton and His Art

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by The Children's War

Charlesbridge

(pub. 10.1.2011)  32 pages 

A uthor: J. H. Shapiro
  and Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley-
                        Newton

C haracter: Tyree Guyton

 

O verview from the jacket flap: 

     "Vacant lots. Abandoned houses. Trash - lots of trash. Heidelberg Street was in trouble!
     Tyree Guyton loved his childhood home - that's where his grandpa Sam taught him to 'paint the world.' So he wanted to wake people up ... to make them see Detroit's crumbling communities.
     Paintbrush in hand, Tyree cast his artistic spell, transforming everyday junk into magic trash. Soon local kids and families joined Tyree in rebuilding their neighborhood, discovering the healing power of art along the way.
     Tyree Guyton, a sculptor and painter, founded the Heidelberg Project, located on Detroit's East side, in 1986. For the last twenty-five years, his art and community activism have inspired people to see how art can create positive change in their lives." 

 

T antalizing taste: 

     "His mama didn't earn enough money sewing and cleaning to buy new shoes, much less bikes and balls. So he zapped fun into amazing junk that others tossed away.
      Popsicle sticks became boards to build a house. The cap soared like a rocket ship. The wheel bounced, spokes jumping. Dots danced.
     Let rockets fly!
     Board tower high.
     Bounce, jump, and dance, magic trash!"


and something more:   Here's a great photo of Tyree and Jane at the Heidelberg Project in Detroit which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.  I love hearing about the story behind the story -- what inspired the author to write the book.  On her website, Jane Shapiro explains that when she was living in East Lansing, Michigan, she "discovered Tyree Guyton's art at the Kresge Art Museum [which is now closed, but a new museum at Michigan State University will open this Spring], and began writing Magic Trash."  As I too am a school group docent at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, I was interested to learn that Jane is currently a docent at the Portland Art Museum.  Sharing time with children in art museums is definitely a great place to get story ideas!

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Back of the Bus

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by Wrapped in Foil

Philomel Books (Penguin)
(pub. 9.1.2011)  32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Aaron Reynolds
     and Illustrator:  Floyd Cooper

C haracter:   Rosa Parks

O verview from the publisher: 
         "It seems like any other winter day in Montgomery, Alabama. Mama and child are riding where they're supposed to - way in the back of the bus. The boy passes the time by watching his marble roll up and down the aisle with the motion of the bus, until from way up front a big commotion breaks out. He can't see what's going on, but he can see the policeman arrive outside and he can see Mama's chin grow strong. 'There you go, Rosa Parks," she says, "stirrin' up a nest of hornets. Tomorrow all this'll be forgot.' But they both know differently.

           With childlike words and powerful illustrations, Aaron Reynolds and Coretta Scott King medalist Floyd Cooper recount Rosa Parks' act of defiance through the eyes of a child - who will never forget."

T antalizing taste: 

     "I take out my marble
       and start to hide it in my squeezy-tight fist.
       But instead, I hold it up to the light
       right out in the open.
       That thing shines all brown and golden in the sunlight,
       like it's smilin', I think.
       'Cuz it ain't gotta hide no more."


and something more:   I've always guided my students to read the dedications in books, and Back of the Bus has a touching one from Aaron Reynolds: "To my parents, Paul and Barbara Reynolds, who taught me to believe in myself."

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The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by Capstone Connect

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)

(pub. 1.19. 2012)  32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: William Kamkwamba
                  and Bryan Mealer
     and Illustrator:  Elizabeth Zunon

C haracter: William Kamkwamba

 

O verview from the jacket flap: 

         "Heroes can be any age. When William Kamkwamba was fourteen years old, living in a drought-ravaged area of Malawi in Africa, he pursued a dream that brought electricity and running water to his desperately poor village.
        William had always been interested in how mechanical things work, and after poring over old science textbooks, painstakingly teaching himself English so that he could understand them, he became determined to build a windmill [that would bring] electricity to his home and eventually life-saving water to his village.
         Lyrically told and gloriously illustrated, Williams' story shows how - no matter how young you are or how huge the challenge - creativity, determination, and hard work can help save your world." 

 

T antalizing taste: 

     "He dreamed of building things and taking them apart, 
       like the trucks with bottle-cap wheels parked under his bed
       and pieces of radios that he'd crack open and wonder,
       If I can hear the music, then where is the band?"

and something more:   For the first book honoring Black History Month, I chose The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind because it's illustrated by Liz Zunon, the incredible artist who illustrated the book I wrote, My Hands Sing the Blues - Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey.  Liz again creates evocative art using oil paint and cut paper collages.  Although it's difficult to choose, one of my favorite illustrations in this book is the page that's similar to the cover.  But instead of showing the boy with eyes open on a bright day with the functioning windmill as on the cover, this illustration shares the moment when William, with his eyes gently closed, imagines the possibility of the swirling windmill "pulling electricity from the breeze and bringing light to the dark valley." So beautiful!
      Visit Liz's website to see a photo of children in Malawi, William's village, holding books sent to them by Pearson's We Give Books Campaign. 
       This past Saturday, Liz participated in the The 20th Annual African American Children's Book Fair in Philadelphia with a host of other amazing authors and illustrators. 

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