Hands Around the Library

Protecting Egypt's Treasured Books

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hosted today by a wrung sponge

and joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Dial Books for Young Readers

(pub. 8.30.2012) 32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Susan L. Roth and Karen Leggett Abouraya

     and Collages:  Susan L. Roth

C haracters: A librarian and the people of Alexandria, Egypt 

O verview from the jacket flap: 

      "It was a moment that captured the hearts of people all over the world: Thousands of Egypt's students, library workers, and demonstrators surrounded the great Library of Alexandria and joined hands, standing strong. They were forming a human chain to protect the glass building from harm in the midst of widespread protests and chaos. In that moment, the people of Egypt revealed how the love of books and libraries can unite a country, even one in turmoil.
        Now, through lyrical words and gorgeous collage illustrations, this amazing historical moment is brought back to life..."

        

T antalizing taste: 

"That day the whole world heard
his words
and watched
our Alexandria Library,
our Bibliotheca Alexandrina,
with all our people
holding hands
in the perfect circle
surrounding it.

And because together
we all protected
our Bibliotheca Alexandrina,
once upon a time
not long ago,
the library still stands today
holding all of our stories."

                       

and something more: As always, I love the story behind the story, and the author/illustrator connections to Hands Around the Library. "A Note from Susan L. Roth" explains: "If my friend Karen Leggett Abouraya [co-author] hadn't married her Egyptian husband, Tharwat, perhaps she wouldn't know and love Alexandria so much. And certainly if it weren't for Karen's tales of this gorgeous city, I might never have visited Alexandria... 
              When my family and I finally arrived at the library, we stood still, dazzled by the extraordinary space. Outside, the sun sparkled on the Mediterranean Sea and Egyptians bought fresh fish to grill for dinner in the same places where they would soon be marching and protecting their library. When Dr. Serageldin wrote with such pride that the library was safe, thanks to Egypt's youth, I knew right then that Karen and I had to tell their story."
               And I'm so glad they did!  And to learn more about this story and other libraries throughout the world, visit the Hands Around the Library website. 

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Colorful Dreamer

The Story of Artist
Henri Matisse

This post is part of 
Nonfiction Monday

hosted today by Abby the Librarian

and joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Dial Books for Young Readers

(pub. 11.8.2012) 32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Marjorie Blain Parker

     and Illustrator:  Holly Berry

C haracter: Henri Matisse

O verview from the jacket flap: 

      "There was once a boy named Henri, whose dreams were full of color even though his hometown was dreary and gray. His parents expected him to take over the family shop when he grew up, but he longed for a more dramatic life, and dreamed of being noticed.
        Then Henri started painting ... and kept painting and dreaming and working at his craft until he'd become one of the most admired and famous artists in the world.
        This vivid, lyrical picture book tells one artist's remarkable story, and in the process inspires all readers to follow their own big dreams."

        

T antalizing taste: 

      "It wasn't easy ... But Henri was stubborn. He refused to give up.
      He dreamed colorful dreams. He painted colorful paintings. And, little by little, people noticed....
       He moved to the coast, where the light was clear and the colors bright. He named his villa 'La Reve' - the Dream - and he filled it with birds and goldfish and flowers and fabrics. Here too he painted, as more and more people noticed."

                       

and something more: Marjorie Blain Parker explains in "A Note about Henri Matisse" at the back of Colorful Dreamer: "And, at first, Matisse's work was laughed at. Art critics sneered at his canvases, considering his technique shocking - the use of green in a woman's face, for example. They called him a Fauve, which is French for 'wild beast'."  
            Just a few days ago, I visited a class of 3rd graders to prepare them for their field trip visit today to The San Francisco Museum of Modern Art where I'm a docent and lead school group tours.  I held up the museum's Matisse painting, Femme au chapeau (Woman with a Hat 1905) and asked the class why they thought the people of Paris were so shocked and angry about this painting when it was first displayed. I called on a boy who was frantically waving his arm, and he responded, "I read a book and it said it was because green isn't a color that is supposed to be on people's faces."  Perhaps it was this very book, and today the boy will get to see the actual painting. Full circle. 

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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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Dream Something Big

The Story of the Watts Towers

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted *here today*
by True Tales & A Cherry On Top

Links to wonderful books and reviews
are listed below!  Thanks for joining us!

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin)

(pub. 8.18.2011)  40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top 

A uthor: Diana Hutts Aston
and collages:  Susan L. Roth

C haracters: Simon Rodia and the Watts Towers

 

O verview from the publisher: 

        "Uncle Sam's dream began with something tiny - just one single chip of broken tile that he found on the street. But that little chip became the first building block to a U.S. National Landmark. Day after day, year after year, a young girl named Marguerite watches Uncle Sam turn thousands of seashells, tiles, mirrors, and rocks into a group of glorious, nearly 100-foot-tall towers - which later become known as the Watts Towers..."

 

T antalizing taste: 

       "Uncle Sam was like a spider weaving his web of steel and cement and lacy shadows.'"

and something more:  I learned that the illustrator of this picture book biography, Susan Roth, who now lives in NYC studied art at Mills College.  My connections to Mills College are that my mother-in-law studied there, and in October I'll be on a panel at the norcal SCBWI conference there.  It's such a lovely campus and always a treat to be there.
     I was intrigued to read about Susan Roth's collage illustrations, as described on her website: "All but the first two of her 40 books are illustrated with cut and torn papers from all over the world, and bits of many other things, too: threads, fabrics, wood shavings, photographs, doilies, insides of envelopes, dried flowers. She is always looking for things to glue onto her pictures that she hopes are full of surprises."
     And it's always so interesting to hear about someone's passion, collage in Susan Roth's case:  "I don't paint. Over the years I have developed my collage technique into one which is exclusively faithful to cutting and tearing. From the most complete background papers to the tiniest dots of eyes and I's, I only cut or rip. This has become a real issue for me. I wear my 'no pencils, pens nor paints' sign like a badge of honor." The descriptions of her workspace reminded me of photos of Romare Bearden's studio -- paper and materials everywhere.  The makings of creativity!

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