What is the value of one human life? Ashley Bryan, author and illustrator, contrasts the monetary value of a slave with the priceless value of an individual’s hopes and dreams. In this picture book Ashley Bryan brings to life the people behind slave-related documents of the mid-1800’s. We meet Peggy, one of the eleven slaves recently put up for auction, her selling price was roughly $100 about the same price for a good horse.
Peggy was a self-taught expert herbalist and cook for the estate owners. She worked hard and carefully, knowing that everything she created and made went to the estate owners. She dreamed of her own Naming Day ceremony and her parents calling to her, “Mariama! Mariama!” She continued to dream of being free, of having her own life, creating a family, a home, a career of healing.
Each portrait reflects the role of song, call-and-response, ceremony, spirituality, community, and shared griefs in living a double life—doing what was demanded as slaves while keeping close in their hearts the “precious secret,” the constant yearning for freedom.
“When author/illustrator/artist Ashley Bryan acquired a collection of slave-related documents from the1820s to the 1860s he had in his hands a wealth of untold stories. And when he chose to give these people, swallowed by history, lives and dignity and peace, he did so as only he could. With the light and laughter and beauty that only he could find in the depths of uncommon pain. FREEDOM OVER ME is a work of bravery and sense. A way of dealing with the unimaginable, allowing kids an understanding that there is a brain, heart, and soul behind every body, alive or dead, in human history.”
FREEDOM OVER ME is a poignant, beautiful and engaging book that speaks to all – every age – of the value of every single person. Ashley Bryan, illustrator, author, creator, now at 93 years old is indeed an American treasure, an amazing man who continues to make this world a better place
Soothing rhythms calm and reassure young readers in this lyrical picture book about belonging. Whales and fishes, crickets and bees, creatures of sky and earth and sea – each is captured in this quiet ode to the natural world and the children who inhabit it.
This timeless gem of a book, with gorgeous watercolor illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault (Once Upon a Northern Night, written by Jean E. Pendziwol) in soft shades of grey with spots of delicate blue, green, orange, and yellow, will easily become a much-loved favorite.
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you belong here by M.H. Clark, illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault (Compendium, Inc., 2016)
In the mid-1800’s a Cherokee man known as Sequoyah, invented an entire writing system for his people. The Cherokee still to this day use his system.
Sequoyah realized the power and importance of keeping one’s tribal language alive. He observed that when a language cannot be written and shared, an alternative language is forced onto the people.
Sequoyah’s own people laughed at him. They said he was crazy to try such an impossible task. Maybe he was attempting witchcraft or black magic. Others shunned him. His log cabin home was burned down and all his writing was turned into smoke and ashes. But even that did not discourage Sequoyah. Instead he responded that sometimes disaster happens for a reason. Sometimes the message is, “follow a different path.”
That is exactly what Sequoyah did. Instead of drawing a different symbol for each word, he invented symbols or letters to spell out the sounds of the Cherokee language. Finally he had enough letters, about eighty-four. People took notice and stopped laughing when Sequoyah’s little daughter, Ayoka, learned to read!
Joseph Bruchac tells the story of Sequoyah the creator of the Cherokee syllabary, through the eyes of Sequoyah’s son, Jesse. Bruchac weaves details of Cherokee customs, stories, and life while showing how the Cherokee language came to be written, a valuable perspective on Cherokee history and the life of Sequoyah.
Jane Yolen praises TALKING LEAVES with these words, “I want to thank Joseph Bruchac for giving the reader such an intimate portrait of the brilliant Cherokee Sequoyah… even more I want to thank Bruchac for the powerful peek into the daily life of the Cherokee people….”
Another look at this remarkable man is found in James Rumford’s SEQUOYAH.THE CHEROKEE MAN WHO GAVE HIS PEOPLE WRITING. In this bilingual picture book one can compare the English words with the beautifully scripted Cherokee words. Anna Sixkiller Huckaby, translator, is a full-blood Cherokee tribal member and fluent in spoken and written Cherokee. This remarkable woman was named a Cherokee Living National Treasure by Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Wilma Mankiller.
Both books, Joseph’s Bruchac’s TALKING LEAVES for middle-grade readers and James Rumford’s picture book, SEQUOYAH, are “poems to celebrate literacy and songs of a people’s struggle to stand tall and proud.”
Talking Leaves, Dial Books: 256 pp. Gr. 4 and Up. Historical Fiction
Sequoyah, Houghton Mifflin Co, Gr. 2 and Up. Picture book. Historical Fiction
A tender ode to all the ways little ones are loved and cherished, sung to and snuggled, adored and embraced. Three-word-lines capture these moments in phrases such as this one, when the mother bird and her baby dip and dive over the meadow: “I sway you. I swing you. I snug you. I sing you.”
Honey bun. Sweetie Pie. Many families have silly names for one another. Mother Fox does too! “You’re my peek-a-boo, my sneak-a-boo, my laughing-till-you-squeak-a-boo.” As the young ones play, sometimes nicely, sometimes teasing, Mama’s love is steady and reassuring. Goofy or sweet, naughty or nice, “… no matter what you do … you will always be my boo.”
Enjoy these celebrations of love and share them with those YOU love this season!
Today, ReaderKidZ welcomes Sue Ganz-Schmitt, author of PLANET KINDERGARTEN: 100 Days in Orbit, illustrated byShane Prigmore (Chronicle, 2016),a clever book in celebration of all things Kindergarten and all things space!
DIANNE: Thanks for visiting ReaderKidZ, Sue!
Pairing kindergarten and space is pure genius! As the flap copy for PLANET KINDERGARTEN suggests, the book prepares “bold young explorers for their next mission – whether it’s a strange, new world, or somewhere much closer to home.”
Kindergarten can feel like traveling to a new, unfamiliar world. Can you talk about how these two topics came together for you, inspiring both PLANET KINDERGARTEN and, your newest, PLANET KINDERGARTEN: 100 Days in Orbit?
SUE: Thanks so much Dianne! It all began when I was in kindergarten. There were a number of NASA rocket launches that year that culminated in the landing on the moon. I was inspired (as you can see by this kindergarten drawing – my first space story):
“My father and brother are going on a rocket”
Years later, I watched my daughter and her friends transitioning to kindergarten. One boy was having a really rough go of it. I watched him try to be brave every day. It made me think of the bravery of the Mercury/Apollo astronauts blasting-off to the unknown.
I have had a love of NASA through the years. What has inspired me most about NASA is their commitment to teamwork and the incredible feats they have accomplished by everyone working toward one goal. Two men didn’t land on the moon on their own. It took over 400,000 people to get them there. This theme of teamwork shows up in my new book Planet Kindergarten: 100 Days in Orbit. Our hero feels like zero after he tries to go it alone.
DIANNE: The 100th day of school is a BIG deal. Kids and teachers have been marking off the days since the school year began, and everyone anticipates the celebration. It’s a day of counting collections, Zero the Hero, and stories that begin, “When I’m 100 years old I will…”
Your newest book, Planet Kindergarten: 100 Days in Orbit, brings the space theme into the Kdgn classroom’s 100th day celebration. Reading about kindernauts doing 100 “anti-gravity exercises” and making cereal “medals of honor” brought back memories of my own 100th day celebrations in the classroom. And then, there are the collections kids are asked to bring. I understand there’s a story behind the giraffe that makes its way into the main character’s collection. Can you tell us about that?
(bottom right photo credit: NASA)
SUE: Yes! I was watching NASA-TV after I had sold this 100-day book to my amazing publisher Chronicle Books. The art (which by the way was created by one of the most talented animators from Disney/Dreamworks –Shane Prigmore) had not yet been created. The astronauts were being interviewed just before heading to the rocket. Astronaut Reid Wiseman was asked by one of his two young daughters how far away he would be up there. It was his first mission. She was nervous and he eased her fears from across the glass partition. I was touched by that moment He had a giraffe on his desk that clearly belonged to his girls. Later I noticed the giraffe (Giraffitti) swinging around from a tether when the crew’s capsule reached microgravity. When Reid emerged from docking with the International Space Station, Giraffitti was hanging out of his pocket. It stayed with him during his entire mission. It was an ode to his family, and comfort from his family. While astronauts must be brave to go to space, their families must be brave too. They sacrifice a great deal. That giraffe was a connection to home and family. Kindergartners need that connection during those first 100 days of kindergartens as they navigate new territories and new obstacles. So that’s how a giraffe ended up in our space book!
DIANNE: Your website says you produce children’s musical theater, are a proud member of the Planetary Society, and have your “eyes to the stars!” What can your readers look forward to next?
SUE: There is a new space book on the horizon about a curious cow that wants to break from the herd and search for new pastures among the stars.
I have some great projects ahead like going to meet with Congress in DC to advocate for space exploration.
And, I will be taking a brave new adventure to graduate school – where I will be going into the deep space of writing for children and young adults. So maybe there will a Planet Graduate School series ahead!
This has been a fun journey with you Dianne. Thank you so much for your great questions!
DIANNE: Thank you!
Learn more about Sue and Planet Kindergarten HERE. And check out these downloadable DIY projects (courtesy of Chronicle books) for your very own astronaut’s space adventures: Rocket Fuel Juice Box Wrap & Snack Bar Wrap.
But, I really wasn’t prepared for the way I would so immediately fall under the spell of these masters of text and illustration. Before words even arrive on the page, the story begins. Readers are invited into the busy rush of cars and buses and families making their way home at the end of a long day. Turn the page, and there’s a bakery, and a baby, and a girl with a red beret. In the warm glow of their home, dinner is waiting. And that’s when we notice… a frown. The young girl’s mom is a pilot getting ready to leave for work.
We know this family and feel the dread of a ticking clock as the time for mom’s departure nears. And then the text: “In the deep woolen dark, as we slumber, unknowing, let the sky fill with flurry and flight.” Snow is on its way.
From the flap: “There are planes to fly and buses to catch, but a small child wishes for a different sort of day. As clouds gather and heavy flakes fall, her invocation rises above the sleeping city… sometimes, if spoken from the heart, wishes really can come true.”
A companion to the lovely, RAINDROPS ROLL (Beach Lane 2015), BEST IN SNOW by April Pulley Sayre (Beach Lane/S&S, 2016), is a poetic and photographic tribute to the wonder of winter, and the sparkle of snow as it quickens and thickens, clumps and clings, softens to a slushy, mushy mess and then … “Another freeze. Another breeze. Another cloud. It snows.”
Good books and snow. Snow and good books! What are you wishing for?
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
slave-related documents from the1820s to the 1860s he had in his hands a wealth of untold stories. And when he chose to give these people, swallowed by history, lives and dignity and peace, he did so as only he could. With the light and laughter and beauty that only he could find in the depths of uncommon pain. FREEDOM OVER ME is a work of bravery and sense. A way of dealing with the unimaginable, allowing kids an understanding that there is a brain, heart, and soul behind every body, alive or dead, in human history.”
