Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua

Posted on 09/19/2021

Abrams Books for Young Readers | 978-1419740206

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to attend Gloria Amescua‘s book launch for her beautiful debut, Child of the Flower-Song People: Luz Jiménez, Daughter of the Nahua. At the time, I had no idea that I already “knew” Luz Jiménez. I was about to learn more…

Born in 1897 of Nahua descent, Luz was raised in the small farming community of Milpa Alta, a little more than an hour south of Mexico City. As a child, Luz:

“listened as the elders repeated tales their grandfathers had told. Tales their grandfathers’ grandfathers had told: how sacred streams and mountains protect them, how the Nahua lost their land to Cortés, the conqueror, and to the Spaniards who followed him.”

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Illustration by Duncan Tonatiuh

Luz was intensely curious and learned the things her mother taught her – “how to grind corn in a metate, how to twist yarn with her toes, how to weave on a loom.”

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Illustration by Duncan Tonatiuh

A desire to teach others began to grow in her heart, but by the time Luz was 19, the Mexican Revolution had destroyed her home and forced her and her remaining family members to flee Milpa Alta for the outskirts of Mexico City.

Within a few years, Luz was posing as a model. That’s when I realized I had seen her in the paintings of some of Mexico’s most well-known artists of the twentieth century – Diego Rivera, Fernando Leal, and José María Urbina.

Amescua’s lyrical prose creates a beautiful canvas for Duncan Tonatiuh‘s award-winning illustrations, his style inspired by Pre-Columbian art. Amescua and Tonatiuh’s engaging biography preserves Luz’s legacy and reminds “new generations to treasure their native traditions.”

 

Follow the links to see Luz featured in these works of art:

Learn more about Luz Jiménez in this article by Natasha Varner: Meet Doña Luz Jiménez,

Enjoy this STORYMAKERS video with Duncan Tonatiuh

Find Educator Resources to accompany the book

 

I Can Help by Reem Faruqi, illustrated by Mikela Prevost

Posted on 09/12/2021

978-0802855046 | Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers

 

There are 18 kids in Zahra’s class. Kyle is one of them. He is great at many things. Drawing and drumming, sharing cookies at lunch, and telling jokes. He is kind and full of smiles.

One thing Kyle is not so good at is reading and handwriting, cutting and gluing. Every day, Ms. Underwood asks,”Who will be Kyle’s helper today?” Zahra always raises her hand. She is a super helper and, together, she and Kyle make a good team.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Mikela Prevost

But then, at recess, Zahra overhears a few of her classmates talking.

“Kyle is such a baby,” says Tess.
“He looks weird,” says Ashley…

“Why do you help him?” asks Tess.

Zahra wants to explain why, but she doesn’t. She can’t stop thinking about their questions…

The next day, when her teacher asks her to help Kyle, she feels the weight of her classmates’ stares. She pushes Kyle’s paper towards him. “Do it yourself!” she says.

When Ms. Underwood notices that she isn’t helping Kyle, Zahra is ashamed.

“I want to answer her, but I don’t want my mean voice to come out.
I blink the right amount of blinks so I don’t cry.”

This tender story, based on an experience the author had in school, is realistic about the ways in which peer pressure from classmates can sometimes lead a child to do and say things that don’t reflect the child’s true feelings.

In this story, Zahra regrets her choices, but it isn’t until she moves to another school the following fall, that she determines to make amends.

I find my voice.
The voice that I know and am proud of.
The voice that’s mine.
“Are you new?” I ask.
“I can help!”

I CAN HELP, beautifully written by Reem Faruqi and brilliantly illustrated in mixed media by Mikela Prevost, is incredibly moving and poignant. This is an important book that will invite young readers into conversations around how we treat one another, the mistakes we sometimes make, and the path we can choose towards making amends.

 

A Boy Named Isamu

Posted on 09/05/2021

978-0593203446 | Viking Books for Young Readers

 

“When an artist stopped being a child, he would stop being an artist.”

                   –Isamu Noguchi, from A Sculptor’s World

 

A BOY NAMED ISAMU: A Story of Isamu Noguchi is a quiet invitation to enter the childhood world of artist and sculptor Noguchi as it has been imagined by Geisel Award winner James Yang.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © James Yang

“If you are a boy named Isamu…
at the market with your mother,
it can be a crowded and noisy place.
Maybe there is a quiet space
that feels more like you…”

A place where you will wonder.

“What kind of wood is this?
How does fruit get its color?
Why does cloth feel soft?
Who made the path with stone?” 

CLICK TO ENLARGE © James Yang

Trees towering, heavy stones, the ocean’s quiet rumble, leaves so perfect they must have been waiting for you. All of nature seeming to speak directly to the artist inside.

“The forest and beach were like friends giving you a gift.”

For budding artists and lovers of nature, A BOY NAMED ISAMU will serve as a lovely introduction to Noguchi’s work.

To learn more:

 

Aven Green Baking Machine

Posted on 08/29/2021

978-1454942207 | Sterling Children’s Books

I’ve been reading more chapter books lately, and a new series I’ve been enjoying very much is AVEN GREEN by Dusti Bowling, illustrated by Gina Perry.

Third grader Aven Green has many interests and in the newest book in the series, AVEN GREEN BAKING MACHINE, she’s getting ready for a big baking competition. Her plan? Enlist the help of her closest friends: Kayla, Emily, and Sujata.

But, there’s something you should know about Aven. She doesn’t bake the way many bakers do. In AVEN GREEN SLEUTHING MACHINE, she explains:

I don’t have any arms or fingers or hands or elbows or
forearms or biceps. I just have shoulders, but nothing
under them… I was born like this.

If you’re wondering, how can Aven bake without arms or hands? Not to worry. Aven has already had lots of practice, even though she’s only eight.

“…when I crack eggs, I crack them
with my feet. And when I measure sugar and
flour, I measure them with my feet.”

Aven is strong and confident, so much so that she’s sometimes convinced that her way is the best way even when the deal was that each of the girls would share a recipe and the dessert with the most votes would be the one they would enter into the contest.

Of course, Aven is certain that her mint chocolate chip pie will win. But when she refuses to try Kayla’s raisin clafouti, even though the clafouti gets the most votes, Aven finds she has both disappointed her mom and made her friends angry enough to ignore her at school the next day.

Though she apologizes, the girls have already come to a decision – “… we don’t want you to enter the contest with us anymore.”

“But why?” I said, starting to cry again even though I really didn’t want to.
“Because you’re too difficult,” said Emily. “It’s your way or nothing.”

Eventually the kids work things out, but not without learning some important life lessons.

I love the realism of the relationships.  And the way Aven and her friends –  including Ren, another friend, who agrees he’ll partner with her to make his mom’s steamed bean cake recipe – figure out, not only how to work together, but also the importance of trying new things, celebrating others, and being willing to admit when you’re wrong.

The AVEN GREEN chapter books, based on Dusti Bowling’s popular “cactus” books for older readers (Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus and Momentous Events in the Life of a Cactus), will make a welcome addtion to a home or school library.

 

  • Read these informative interviews with the author about her research when writing about a character with a limb difference:
  • Know some kids who like to draw? Check out illustrator Gina Perry’s (free, downloadable) How-To-Draw pages!

 

Pug & Pig and Friends

Posted on 08/22/2021

978-1534463004 | Beach Lane Books (S&S)

I simply adore Pug and Pig. They’ve been favorites of mine since the very first book – PIG MEETS PUG –  came out in 2016 and I couldn’t wait to see what new adventure author Sue Lowell Gallion had cooked up for them.

PUG & PIG and FRIENDS, with charming illustrations by Joyce Wan, did not disappoint! This time, Pug, Pig, and their friends, Squirrel and Robin, do what friends do – explore in the bushes and zoom around the yard.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © illustration by Joyce Wan

Their friend, Cat, doesn’t like to do that, but she does like surprises. Especially, surprising Pug when he’s taking a nap.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © illustration by Joyce Wan

When a storm blows in unexpectedly, Cat races up a tree and is unable to get down. The friends try to coax Cat down, but she won’t move. Will Pug come to the rescue? Yes! He knows exactly how to help.

I love this series for so many reasons, one of which is that it’s especially appropriate for emerging readers. Short sentences, repetition, and simply adorable illustrations make these books perfect for kids beginning to read.

As a teacher of writing, I love the first book, PUG MEETS PIG, as an example of the way an author can use rhythm, sentence length, and word choice to convey character and set up readers for what’s to come.

 

  • Enjoy this interview with the author and illustrator (Pug and Pig also make an appearance!) on Celebrate Picture Books.
  • Enjoy this ACTIVITY KIT with puppets, sequencing, a FRIENDS banner, and more!

 

wishes

Posted on 08/15/2021

Orchard Books | 978-1338305890

 

According to the UN Refugee Agency, at the end of 2020, “82.4 million people around the world were forcibly displaced as a result of persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations or events seriously disturbing public order. Among them are nearly 26.4 million refugees, around half of whom are under the age of 18.”

It’s hard for most of us to imagine what it would mean to have to steal away in the middle of the night, not knowing with certainty if we would survive the journey, but knowing that staying would mean harm, or worse, death.

wishes, by Mựợn Thi Văn is about such a journey. Shortly after the author was born in 1980 in southern Vietnam, her immediate and extended family began making plans to leave the country. Her father had served in the Navy of the losing side of Vietnam’s long civil war and the family had already been in hiding for several years.

With short poetic lines expressing the wishes of twelve significant elements from the journey (The night wished it was quieter”, “The clock wished it was slower.”, “The boat wished it was bigger.”, etc.), this powerful collaboration of text and visuals brilliantly illustrated by Victo Ngai is a moving story of resilience and the courage it takes to leave all that is familiar behind in hopes of finding a future and the beginning of a new life in a foreign land.

CLICK TO ENLARGE Illustrations © Vito Ngai
  • Learn more about Mựợn Thi Văn and WISHES HERE.

***

Pair WISHES with THE PAPER BOAT: A Refugee Story by Thao Lam (Owlkids Books | 978-1771473637)

From the publisher:

At her home in Vietnam, a girl rescues ants from the sugar water set out to trap them. Later, when the girl’s family flees war-torn Vietnam, ants lead them through the moonlit jungle to the boat that will take them to safety. Before boarding, the girl folds a paper boat from a bun wrapper and drops it into the water, and the ants climb on. Their perilous journey, besieged by punishing weather, predatory birds, and dehydration, before reaching a new beginning, mirrors the family’s own. Impressionistic collages and a moving, Own Voices narrative make this a one-of-a-kind tale of courage, resilience, and hope.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © by Thao Lam

 

Back to School!

Posted on 08/08/2021

Here in Arizona, school is officially back in session. And for those still enjoying the last weeks of summer, it’s just around the bend. There’s no better way to catch that back-to-school spirit than reading new (and not-so-new) picture books.

First up, SOUNDS LIKE SCHOOL SPIRIT by Meg Fleming, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins (Dial Books, 2021)

This book captures all the joy of a new school year. It’s especially perfect *this* year, as so many are returning to full-time, in-person learning after months of virtual and hybrid models.

Fleming’s rollicking rhythm (“We say SCHOOL, you say SPIRIT… SCHOOL! SPIRIT! SCHOOL! SPIRIT!”) and Cummins’ vibrant illustrations capture the enthusiasm and energy of the classroom and school community. You won’t get past the first page without noticing kids joining in on this lively call and response text.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © illustration by Shahrzad Maydani

BIRD BOY by Matthew Burgess, illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2021)

“Nico was nervous
walking the path to class
………alone,
with a backpack full of stones.
………(That’s how it felt.)

Nico was new,
so when everyone knew what to do
and where to go, he was left,
well, a little
……………………lost.”

This tender story speaks of a young boy who doesn’t quite fit in. The reader immediately worries. What will happen to Nico?

“But there were other things to do.” Nico falls easily into some of his favorite activities: “Watching the insects crossing a crack in the blacktop…”, sitting in the grass, sun on his face. Soon, one bird then another come fluttering, chirping, swooping by.

The kids have a name for Nico. Bird Boy. He knows they are making fun of him, and it hurts his feelings. But he thinks about the name and – to his surprise – smiles. The name fits!

Soon enough Nico makes one, then two friends.

This gentle story, with soft, dreamy illustrations by Maydani, is a must-read.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © illustration by Vanessa Brantley-Newton

THE KING OF KINDERGARTEN by Derrick Barnes, illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (Nancy Paulson Books, 2019)

First day of kindergarten? No worries! “Mommy says that today, you are going to be the King of Kindergarten!”

The kids in class have been waiting all summer to meet their new classmates, and the main character is just as excited to meet them! They’ll be learning about shapes, numbers, classroom rules and more. “It sounds like a lot, but you’re the King of Kindergarten. Piece. Of. Cake.”

With bright, joyful illustrations by Brantley-Newton, this positive, affirming look at the first day of school is sure to please even the most reluctant Kindergartener.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © illustration by Liz Climo

FIRST DAY CRITTER JITTERS by Jory John, illustrated by Liz Climo (Dial Books, 2020)

If a child is feeling nervous about school, experiencing the first day through the lens of humor and endearing animals can provide just enough distance to work through the fear.

Parrot is nervous about its tendency to repeat what others say. Without arms, how will snake carry its backpack? Baby joey worries about missing mom. And sloth? “…have you seen how slowly sloths walk?” Even the “talking rock” is nervous which, as it turns out, is actually Mr. Sherwood, their armadillo teacher!

Despite all the fears, this crew of creatures make it through the first day with flying colors. Now they’re ready for day two! And there’s even a plan for sloth, who arrived just as the first day was ending. He’ll hitch a ride with snake, and sloth will handle the troublesome backpack.

Climo’s trademark whimsical illustrations paired with Jory John’s humor make this book a win-win for animals and children!