MARTIN LUTHER KING, BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Martin Luther King, Black History Month

This week as a nation we celebrate the life, work, and words of Martin Luther King. We celebrate his courage to have a dream of justice for all. Until the moment of his death, he maintained the ideal that only when all people are free from fear to learn, to speak, to work, only then are we as a a nation, all truly free.

An essential part of this freedom is having books that celebrate every child’s story. All children need to read their stories in books. Likewise, children grow in awareness and compassion reading the stories of others in books.

This month on ReaderKidZ we celebrate favorite books and exciting new books. This week I invite you to share with us a favorite book that celebrates the diversity of our country, the ideals of Martin Luther King.

I begin with a few of mine.

The author, Walter Dean Myers, died this year. How he devoured books as a kid. Books were his solace as a misfit “bad kid.”  He gave to us a treasure of over 100 books. Years ago I read the young adult novel MONSTER and still think about it … or his YA SUNRISE OVER FALLUJAH… or any of his picture books (such as BROWN ANGELS or I’VE SEEN THE PROMISED LAND: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) nonfiction, or novels, winners of so many awards, including the Newbery and Printz.

For middle grade readers I recommend, BAD BOY, a memoir of his struggle to figure out who he was and who he wanted to be. Such a classic for any struggling preteen.

For readers of all ages, I recommend the poetry of Eloise Greenfield, beginning with HONEY, I LOVE.

Love don’t mean all that kissing

                                    Like on television

                                    Love means Daddy

                                    Saying keep your mama company till I get back

                                    And me doing it

Leave a comment and tell us about a few of your favorite books. For descriptions of dozens of great books, take a look at this resource: http://thebrownbookshelf.com . Enjoy exploring the amazing variety and depth of books written by and about African Americans.   Enjoy our freedom to read.

Imani’s Moon by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell

In Imani’s Moon written by JaNay Brown-Wood, illustrated by Hazel Mitchell (Charlesbridge, 2014), Imani has big dreams. She wants to touch the moon but she’s the smallest child in her village, and her peers make her feel even smaller with their mean taunts. Imani’s mother shares stories with her daughter about Olapa, goddess of the moon triumphing over the god of the sun and a spider who captures a snake and makes a name for itself. Imani envisions herself in her dreams standing tall and brave on the moon and making a name for herself. But in her attempts to touch the moon, she falls short of reaching her goal. “I give up,” she says.

One night there is a celebration in Imani’s village. Young warriors perform Adumu, the jumping dance. Imani watches the warriors jump higher and higher. She cannot look away. She cheers loudly. Inspired by the warrior who jumped the highest, Imani stands beside the tallest tree and jumps and jumps and jumps until she feels herself soaring toward the moon. And while she is floating in the sky, no one teases or taunts her. In fact, she meets Olapa who praises her “Imani the Great” and bequeaths a glowing moon rock to her. When she returns to earth, Imani becomes the storyteller as she shares her adventure with her mother.

Brown-Wood weaves a beautiful tale full of hope and possibilities inspired by the Maasai people of Africa and their mythologies. Mitchell’s illustrations blend together seamlessly with the text and envelop you in rich, bold colors. Imani’s Moon is a wonderful nod to the magic of storytelling and passing stories on down through the generations. For ages 5 and up.

A brave girl, a stray dog, and an ending that will make you cheer through your tears

There have been a slew of good middle grade books published in recent years about children who face learning or behavioral challenges and that’s wonderful. So many children are moving through real life facing these, and other, challenges. To be able to see themselves in the pages of a book has got to be a comfort. For children who don’t face these challenges, the chance to learn about those who do is a critical lesson in empathy.

I confess that I began Ann Martin’s new book RAIN REIGN (Feiwel & Sons 2014) with a slight feeling of trepidation. The jacket said it was about a twelve-year-old girl in the fifth grade who functions at the high end of autism and who’s obsessed with homonyms. From the title, alone, I thought I knew what to expect: page after page of having to wade through homonyms, long after the point had been made. Of course, I was wrong. Ann Martin is a wonderful writer and this book is full of genuine heart and understanding and, yes, sadness, but most of all – courage. Rose Howard is courageous in many ways: in the way she works every day to correct her “annoying” social tendencies because her classmates make fun of her and they make her single father angry; in the way that, after her father gives her a stray dog who she names Rain (a double homonym opportunity!) and who runs away during a hurricane, Rose discovers that Rain’s original owners are looking for him, too, and is determined to give him back even though she knows it will break her heart. It will break the readers’ heart, too, (it did this one’s), but it will also make them cheer because Rose is so brave and we see how hard it is for her to do what she has to. Thankfully, Rose has a wonderful uncle who encourages her collection of alike-sounding words and loves everything about her. She tells her own story, too, in a voice so steady and firm that we know she’ll be fine, whatever happens. Rose Howard is a girl to admire and root for. I can’t think of a better reason to read a book than that.

Fleabrain Loves Frannie by Joanne Rocklin

It’s 1952, the year Charlotte’s Web was published and the year of the horrific polio outbreak. Francine Katzenback is a victim of the dreaded virus and is confined to a wheelchair. The public is panicked, consumed in fear of the contagious virus, leaving Frannie isolated and lonely. She is befriended by a flea. That’s right. A well-read, intelligent, magical flea named Fleabrain who adores Frannie. Together they challenge the boundaries of reality, fantasy, truthfulness, and authentic friendship.

Fleabrain Loves Frannie (Amulet Books, 2014)  is soundly rooted in the history of the day. In it, the reader meets Dr. Salk, the researcher who invented the polio vaccine; learns about the historical community effort to defeat the disease; and comes to understand the inner tenacity it takes to believe in oneself when all one possesses is the everlasting love of a flea (or a spider, in Wilbur’s case).

Bravo, Joanne Rocklin! You are one amazing writer!

Winter Bees and Northern Lights

The ReaderKidZ are back, sending best wishes for the New Year with lots of time set aside to enjoy many of your favorite books! This month we’re reviewing a small collection of our own “Old and New Favorites.” Share some of your own, won’t you? We’d love to hear from you!

WINTER BEES & OTHER POEMS OF THE COLD by Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen

Exquisite poetry. Stunning illustrations. Fascinating details in short bits of nonfiction sidebar text. Joyce Sidman and Rick Allen have done it again in this, the second book by the award-winning duo of DARK EMPEROR AND OTHER POEMS OF THE NIGHT.

Each page is a magical snapshot of a piece of winter’s landscape – a rascally moose “with a tough, shaggy hide” that kicks and prances, mama moose by his side; the “tiny chickadee, weighing less than a handful of paperclips” that fluffs and preens each downy feather, is “quick and bold and brave and clever”; and even the odd skunk cabbage, which “peeks up through the snow… rears its speckled hood… the first flower in the wood.”

This beautiful book would be a lovely addition to a home or library collection, but makes an especially nice offering for teachers looking for ways to integrate writing into the classroom. The pairing of poetry and nonfiction informational text could easily springboard into a writing lesson. An Educator’s Guide created by Sylvia Vardell, a professor at Texas Woman’s University and the author of Poetry Aloud Here! offers suggestions for using WINTER BEES in the classroom.

Once Upon a Northern Light by Jean E. Pendziwol

Once upon a northern night by Jean E. Pendziwol, pictures by Isabelle Arsenault

Publisher’s Weekly describes this book as “A reverent ode to the magic and wonder of an icy winter night.” A lyrical winter lullaby – “…one tiny flake, perfect and beautiful and special, just like you…” this book will take your breath away. Watch the trailer for a sneak peek and you’ll see what I mean.

Merry Christmas from the ReaderKidZ!

 

Joy and holiday wishes to you and yours from all the ReaderKidZ!

We’ll see you here again in the New Year.

– Ann, Debbie, Dianne, Nancy, and Stephanie

Giveaway! – BLUE on BLUE

December’s coming to a close, which means our giveaways will end very soon. But for those looking for one more gift, we’re pleased to add BLUE on BLUE by Dianne White and illustrated by Beth Krommes to our DECEMBER GIVEAWAY list.

Recently included on the Boston Globe’s Best Picture Books of 2014 list and the Washington Post’s December’s Best Books for Young Readers, BLUE on BLUE makes an excellent gift for your favorite child!

Join a farming family as they experience the full range of a thrilling seaside thunderstorm—from the wild wind and the very first drops; to the pouring, pouring rain; to the wonderful messy mud after the sun returns!

With gentle, rhyming text and vivid artwork from a Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator, this sublime depiction of nature’s patterns turns a storm into a celebration.

BonBgray
Click to enlarge illustration

“This lovely homage to ever-changing nature reminds us of all the things rain brings us, including a few extra moments to sit inside, warm and dry, sharing a wonderful book.” Kristi Elle Jemtegaard, Washington Post 
For a chance to win a copy of BLUE on BLUE, please send an email to readerkidz [at] readerkidz [dot] com, with the words “BLUE ON BLUE” in the subject line. Pass the word to your friends! Include @readerkidz in your tweet for an extra chance to win.

Congrats to Diane Greenseid, Vicki Wilke, and Sally Swiatek and the kids of “A Little Patch of Earth” Preschool. BLUE on BLUE is on its way!