Born and Bred in the Great Depression

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by Booktalking

Schwartz & Wade (Random House)

(pub. 10.11.2011)  40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Jonah Winter

     and Illustrator: 
                 Kimberly Bulcken Root

C haracter: Jonah Winter's father

O verview from the publisher: 

         "East Texas, the 1930s—the Great Depression. Award-winning author Jonah Winter's father grew up with seven siblings in a tiny house on the edge of town. In this picture book, Winter shares his family history in a lyrical text that is clear, honest, and utterly accessible to young readers, accompanied by Kimberly Bulcken Root's rich, gorgeous illustrations. Here is a celebration of family and of making do with what you have—a wonderful classroom book that's also perfect for children and parents to share."

T antalizing taste: 

"At Christmastime, you might not have gotten

many toys,

but it was magical to watch

the trains pass by.

to see the blue lights

twinkling in the windows of the dining car.

And it was a good day

if you got to play chess

with your dad

or listen to him play the banjo on the porch

in his special style,

two fingers gone

from a lumber mill accident."

and something more: Jonah Winter tells a poignant story about his father in Born and Bred in the Great Depression.  I was particularly drawn to the description of "a good day" as one in which he played chess with his dad or listened to him play the banjo. My son has taken up the banjo and he bought a wonderful used banjo from an experienced banjo player who said he bought this banjo, one of his first banjos, in college from someone who had played it during the Depression. If only that banjo could tell the stories of the people who played it and the settings where it was played.  Who knows? Maybe it crossed the path of the family of Jonah Winter's father. 

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Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth

Shen's Books

(pub. 5.31.2011)  32 pages 

A Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Joan Schoettler

     and Illustrator:  Jessica Lanan

C haracter: Ji-su, a fictional Korean girl 

O verview from the jacket flap: 

         "Ji-su's mother has been chosen by the Korean king to be a seamstress at the palace and sew bojagi, or wrapping cloths, for the royal household. It is a great honor, but to Ji-su it means saying good-bye to her mother. The only way for them to be reunited, Ji-su realizes is for her to become a seamstress just as talented and be chosen to serve the king.

           Through the changing seasons Ji-su sews, learning the craft from her great-aunt and practicing her stitches tirelessly... Is her sewing fine enough for the king?
            Joan Schoettler's warm text brings the landscape and culture of ancient Korea to life. Together with illustrator Jessica Lanan's breathtaking depictions of Korea through the seasons, Ji-su's story of longing and determination will capture the hearts of readers of all ages."

T antalizing taste: 

        "'My dear daughter.' Eomma and Ji-su held each other like threads in a seam.

          Ji-su opened her bojagi.

          Eomma examied it. 'Each stitch has brought us together again.'

          Ji-su nodded. 'Good fortune is in a wrapping cloth.'"

and something more:    With this post, I veered from my usual picture book biography because I wanted to feature Good Fortune in a Wrapping Cloth, a compelling fictional story with an artistic, cultural and historical basis. Joan Shoettler was inspired to write this story after viewing an exhibit of bojagi, Korean wrapping cloths, at the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.  

        Joan explained the background of bojagi in her Author's Notes: "Bojagi, sewn by women, held an important place in the everyday lives of all classes of Koreans during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897). They were used for everything from storing foods and household items to covering bedding and screens and wrapping gifts... Artistic creativity was embraced in bojagi. Women used scraps of fabrics to create works of art. Abstract designs, contrasting or complementing colors, and intricate stitches and embroidery are evident in their wrapping cloths.. Koreans believed good luck could be enclosed within a bojagi. Blessing and good wishes accompanied each stitch and piece of fabric. Also, wrapping a gift in a bojagi offered blessings of good luck and happiness ..." 

        Meeting Joan Shoettler at the Asilomar SCBWI conference was a gift wrapped in a bojagi -- I feel we are kindred spirits.  Joan wrote a lovely inscription in my copy of her book -- "May good fortune be wrapped in the fabric of your life." And may that be true for everyone's lives.

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Eliza's Cherry Trees

Japan's Gift to America

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by EMU's Debuts

Pelican Publishing Company

(pub. 3.3.2011) 32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Andrea Zimmerman

     and Illustrator:  Ju Hong Chen

C haracter:   Eliza Scidmore

O verview from the jacket flap: 

         "Eliza Scidmore was a remarkable woman. Adventurous and talented, she traveled around the world visiting interesting places. She wrote about her travels for newspapers and magazines, including the National Geographic Society magazine, where she was the first female writer and photographer.  She published seven books, including the first guide to Alaska.

         After seeing the parks and riverbanks in Japan, she fell in love with the cherry blossoms there. They formed pink clouds around everything and were so beautiful that she wanted to bring them back to America... However, not everyone shared Eliza's vision - certainly not the parks supervisors. She met with every one of them, year after year, to explain her idea. When they didn't listen, she asked Helen Taft, the president's wife, for help.

           It took more than twenty years for Eliza's cherry trees to become part of Washington, D.C.'s landscape..."

T antalizing taste: 

     "As she grew older, Eliza remembered all the places she had visited. She believed that all the countries in the world could live together in peace. She spent her later years working for that. She knew that sometimes, when you have a good idea, you just have to keep trying for a long time."

and something more:   Tomorrow, to celebrate the first day of Spring, I will be reading Eliza's Cherry Trees - Japan's Gift to America to my favorite class of second graders in their classroom with Mrs. Caulkins where I have the privilege to volunteer each week. And, I found a wonderful video on the author's Eliza Scidmore site that I will show the students -- a time-lapse video showing cherry trees blooming! It was created from over 3,000 digital photos, one taken every 3 minutes for eight days at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's famed Cherry Walk. Truly mesmerizing!  And, I will also tell the students that I met the author of Eliza's Cherry Trees, Andrea Zimmerman, at a SCBWI writing conference at Asilomar in Monterey, California, a few weeks ago. Such a treat for me to spend the weekend with writers, illustrators, editors and agents who all love children's literature, and don't mind talking about it 24/7.  And also, I met the terrific childrens' book agent, Erin Murphy, at Asilomar -- and the host of today's Nonfiction Monday, EMU's Debuts, is named after Erin Murphy Literary Agency.

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Alicia Alonso

Prima Ballerina

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by Rasco from RIF

Marshall Cavendish Childrens

(pub. 9.1.2011)  32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Carmen T. Bernier-Grand
     and Illustrator:  Raul Colon

C haracter:   Alicia Alonso

 

O verview from the jacket flap: 

         "Alica Alonso's artistic achievements are remarkable, considering that she became partially blind and lost her peripheral vision at age nineteen.  From childhood, she exhibited a passion for dancing, studying first in Cuba and later in New York City, where she became an overnight sensation in Giselle and was promoted to principal dancer in the Ballet Theater. Returning to Cuba in 1948, she founded her own company ... In 1959, the Cuban government gave her enough money to establish a new dance school, Ballet National de Cuba, which Alonso directs to this day.
           In elegant free verse and with stunning artwork, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand and Raul Colon have captured the seminal events in Alonso's life.  Her drive to put her art above all other concerns and influences, no matter how difficult, will impress any aspiring artist."

 

T antalizing taste: 

     "I Still Have Time

Although Alicia
is not performing,
she is still
on center stage.
She listens
to the music,
choreographs
in her mind,
explains
to ballet masters.
How would you like
to be remembered?
'I'm telling you,'
Alicia answers.
'There is a future
ahead. Ask me
in two hundred years."

"When I live, I take advantage of the little time I have to live.
When I dance, I take advantage of the little time I have to dance."
              -Alicia Alonso
               Prima Ballerina Assoluta

and something more:   I've always thought that the cover of a picture book should not only include the names of the author and illustrator, but also the names of the editor and art director who have the vision and expertise to bring the book to fruition.

But a dedication is the next best thing. Carmen T. Bernier-Grand, author of Alicia Alonso - Prima Ballerina, dedicates the book "To Margery Cuyler, choreographer of this ballet of words."

I too am so thankful that Margery Cuyler, Publisher of Marshall Cavendish Childrens, was the editor of my book, My Hands Sing the Blues.  In that book, I recognized Margery as "editor extraordinaire." Throughout the editing process, Margery gently and expertly guided me. Her suggestions were always spot on, and showed a respect for my vision.

And, thank you to Anahid Hamparian, the art director who chose the amazing Elizabeth Zunon to illustrate My Hands Sing the Blues, and also designed the wonderful layout and chose the varied intriguing typefaces for the book.

Thank you Margery and Anahid!

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Balloons Over Broadway

The True Story of the Puppeteer

of Macy's Parade 

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by 100 Scope Notes

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

(pub. 11.1.2011)  40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor and illustrator: Melissa Sweet

C haracter: Tony Sarg

O verview from the jacket flap: 

         "Every Thanksgiving morning for more than eighty years, mammoth-size balloons have risen to the skies to wobble and sway, sally and shimmy, up and down the canyons of New York City.

      Just how did this beloved tradition come to Broadway? Who first invented these wondrous 'upside-down marionettes'?

      Meet TONY SARG: the boy who loved to figure out how things moved - the boy who became the puppeteer of Macy's parade!

T antalizing taste: 

     "High above the crowds, they flounced in the afternoon wind, pulling the rope handlers this way and that. Yet with every heave-ho, the balloons gestured and articulated like wild puppets and the crowd screamed for more." 

and something more:  I loved reading this terrific book (Winner of the 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award) to my favorite class of second graders. They appreciated the tall illustration (the book is turned vertically for that page) of the huge towering blue elephant balloon in the parade.  And, afterwards, several children asked me to explain how Tony, as a boy, rigged up the pulleys to feed the chickens from his bed in the morning. And, they were impressed that "his dad, so impressed, never made Tony do another chore." A child's dream to be given a free pass regarding chores, right?

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