Letters make words. Words form sentences. Sentences become stories. But what if each letter were able to have its own story? A story made especially FOR each of the 26 letters of the alphabet? ONCE UPON AN ALPHABET, by Oliver Jeffers, is just such a book. Readers will learn about Edmund the Astronaut, who, in spite of his fear of heights has been training for ages to go on an adventure where he can meet aliens. Then, there’s Danger Delilah, the daredevil, dancing at the door of disaster, nothing-is-too-dangerous young girl who fears nothing, “except her dad when she’s late for dinner” because he promises, “If you’re not home in FIVE minutes, there’ll be NO DESSERT!” And, then, the enigma of E – “How many elephants can you fit inside an envelope?” The answer? “Turn to the letter N to find out…” There, the enigma is solved. Sort of.
Entertaining, interlinked, and inspiring. This is the ABC story book to beat all alphabet books. For kids and adults alike.
A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year!
* “The silly, spare, slightly surreal text occasionally rhymes and endlessly surprises. An utterly delightful alphabet book.”–Kirkus Review, starred review
* “With wry humor, equally droll ink illustrations, and a solid dose of alliteration, Jeffers creates delightful mini-narratives for each letter of the alphabet.”–Publishers Weekly, starred review
THE OLIVE TREE by Elsa Marston, illustrated by Claire Ewart, is a story for all ages about an ancient olive tree in Lebanon and two children who live on “opposite sides of the wall.” At first they are enemies until an unexpected disaster show them what they share in common. This picture book story is “a source of pleasure, of conflict, and much more.” The author, Elsa Marston, has devoted much of her life studying and writing about Arab culture and people – a place that became her second home. Her stories – from picture books to young adult books – bring to life historical and contemporary Arab and Arab-American events, history and people. THE OLIVE TREE: “In a mountain village, following many years of devastating civil strife, an old olive tree still bears fruit that Sameer’s family calls the best in Lebanon. But there’s a curious thing about that tree. While some of its twisting branches drop their olives on the land of Sameer’s family, its roots grow in the yard of the neighboring family—who, because of the war, have not lived in their house for many years. Now they’re coming back. Will they have children, especially a boy who can be Sameer’s buddy? It turns out they do have a child Sameer’s age–a girl. But Muna is not friendly, and she makes it clear that she doesn’t want to share the best olives in Lebanon.”
Illustrations by Claire Ewart present an inviting step into another land, a different landscape. Claire has illustrated a variety of picture books that capture a variety of times and places, including SUN BRINGER and THE LEGEND OF THE PERSIAN CARPET by Tomie dePaola. Take a look!
The second book reviewed here is not a picture book but a novel for middle-grade readers. I am including this review for two reasons – November is National Alzheimer’s Awareness Month and second, because of the strong emotional connections we develop between our childhood landscapes – trees and flowers –and memories of home, family and friendships.
WHAT FLOWERS REMEMBER by Shannon Wiersbitzky is an uplifting story and a wonderful reminder of the goodness of life, friendships, and community. It is a hopeful story to share with children, especially a child whose grandparent, older relative or neighbor, is changing because of memory loss.
“Heirloom flowers are born from seeds that…have been handed down from generation to generation….While gathering seeds in my hand, some big, some as tiny as a grain of sand, I’ve wondered if they hold any memory of the flowers before them. What they saw, what they heard, how to survive in times of drought, or anything at all about the people who tended them. If they do, I wonder what the next seeds will remember about me and Old Red.”
“What do flowers remember? The stories of the people who cared for them, of course, as Wiersbitzky’s sensitive novel compassionately conveys.” – Kirkus Reviews
First memories, last memories are the soul-seeds for continuing the love of anyone who dies. In WHAT FLOWERS REMEMBER, Shannon captures the journey of grief and acceptance, and even the celebration that is part of losing someone beloved. In this case, it is the journey of a young Delia Burns as she tries to save those memories, the first, last, and all those in between, of her elderly neighbor who has Alzheimer’s.
For Shannon, the journey as captured in story, was also a personal one. Her own grandfather had Alzheimer’s and when she was a young woman, he forgot her. Shannon writes with a magic of capturing the flavor of small town, close family, and importance of each individual as we each contribute to the creation of community.
In a recent interview with Cynsations, Shannon says: “There was a lot of truth I could have drawn from. Moments when we battled the disease and sometimes my grandfather, too, as his personality, as well as his physical and mental abilities changed. In the end, I included only one truth:
“The emotion of being forgotten.”
“Delia’s move from grief for what she’s losing to a deeper understanding of her old friend is smoothly depicted…. The story will bring new perspective for readers struggling with their own beloved elders, and the liquid joy of a serious tearjerker to anybody who likes a poignant human drama.”
–The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Recommended
” Teachers may wish to consider this book for reading lists in middle school.” Children’s Literature
P is for power up, and that is just what you’ll want to do after reading author Chris Barton’s latest picture book, Attack! Boss! Cheat Code!: A Gamer’s Alphabet. Illustrated by Joey Spiotto in a cleverly pixilated style, kids and parents alike will delight in discovering the cool backstories behind video gamer lingo.
On their website, publisher Pow House Books claim that if you understand the following statement, you don’t need this book – “This open beta game is in third-person but first-person is unlockable if you know the cheat code or install your own mod, but either way, for the best attack on the boss on this level, try to grab that power-up.”
Chances are that most of us are in need of a serious rebooting after reading that quote.
ReaderKidZ co-founder and elementary-school teacher Dianne White’s spectacular picture book BLUE ON BLUE will be released on December 9th. We’re thrilled at the chance to interview one of our own! Today we pick up where we left off on Wednesday.
ReaderKidZ:You were a teacher in grades 1, 2 and 3 for more than 25 years. If you had had this book in your classroom, how would you have used it with your students?
Dianne, 2nd from left, with other first grade teachers at Peachland Elementary School
Dianne: I spent most of my teaching career in the primary grades, and all those years teaching first graders and reading so many wonderful picture books to young ones gave me a great appreciation for the genre. But even during the years I taught upper grade students (including one year when I taught a combo class of 4/5/6 grade students!), I always used picture books with students. And for good reason. Picture books are generally 32 pages long, and are tight packages of story.
Nonfiction. Fiction. Book-length poems – picture books are perfect for introducing a topic of study, developing background knowledge, or as an introduction to a writing lesson. I would have used BLUE on BLUE in the same way I have used many other picture and poetry books over the years – as a source of possible ideas and words for brainstorming a new poem (rainstoming!), as a way to talk about poetic devices (e.g., onomatopoeia, alliteration, etc.), and even as a way to think about story structure – beginning, middle, and end. In addition, Caldecott winner Beth Krommes’s stunning illustrations are rich with opportunity for further exploration of visual literacy and the marriage of words and illustrations.
ReaderKidZ:What were the challenges of keeping the word count as short as you did, while also trying to portray an entire day, with its changing moods and weather and children? Many writers feel that writing short is harder than writing long. As Mark Twain said, “Writing a short letter would take too long, so I wrote a long one.” Any comments?
Dianne: I’m in the camp that agrees with those many writers who say that writing picture books is deceptively harder than it appears. I love Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s quote about poetry and think it is apt to picture books, as well: “I wish our clever young poets would remember my homely definitions of prose and poetry; that is, prose,—words in their best order; poetry,—the best words in their best order.”
Picture books are meant to be read aloud. They’re oral and aural experiences. The sound of the “best” words and their placement in exactly the “best” place is at least as important as the meaning the words convey. What’s left out is as critical as what remains.
As to the challenges of keeping the word count short (119 words) while also portraying an entire day, I have to say that – for this book – I didn’t think about it at all. Every now and again you hear a writer say that the book they’ve written was a gift and BLUE ON BLUE was exactly that. Nothing mysterious, mind you, but as I recall, it was very quickly written one Sunday afternoon, the day before I was scheduled to share a manuscript with my Vermont College of Fine Arts Picture Book Certificate Program colleagues. Being under a time crunch, I fell back on a lesson I’d done with students many times – I collected “rain” words, thought about the beginning, middle, and end of my story, and wrote. I shared the manuscript with the group, someone suggested changing one word – I think it was from “sun comes back” to “sun sneaks back” – a much stronger verb, don’t you think? – and some time later, after very few word-level tweaks, I sent the manuscript off to Allyn Johnston, who had recently launched her new S&S imprint, Beach Lane Books.
Within days, I got a call. Allyn wanted to publish the book! Those of us who’ve been at this business for a long time know that never, ever happens. Allyn bought the book, Beth Krommes signed on to illustrate, and that manuscript, as submitted (minus a few lines, which were dropped, as they could be shown in the illustrations), is the one that will hit bookstores in just a few weeks. Perfect Editor + Perfect Illustrator = Amazing Experience from start to finish. That’s what I call a Gift.
(Check out Dianne’s website for more information on BLUE ON BLUE as well as about picture books in general, picture book writing, teaching with picture books, and even having Dianne visit your school or library.)
ReaderKidZ co-founder and veteran elementary-school teacher Dianne White, wrote a spectacular picture book called BLUE ON BLUE, that will be released on December 9th. It’s beautifully illustrated by Caldecott Medal–winning illustrator, Beth Krommes. We’re thrilled and wanted to learn more, so Dianne is answering Stephanie’s and Ann’s questions this week. (Incidently, check out Dianne’s website for more information on BLUE ON BLUE as well as about picture books in general, picture book writing, teaching with picture books, and possibly even having Dianne visit your school or library.)
Dianne as a third grader.
ReaderKidZ: The words, rhymes and rhythms in BLUE ON BLUE are so strong. Do you play a musical instrument? If so, which one and do you think it informs your writing?
Dianne: Thanks! Like many kids growing up, I took piano lessons but was never terrific at reading the music and playing at the same time. On top of that, I hated to practice, so after a few years, I quit. Guitar was the same – I took the lessons, but didn’t have the discipline to practice the way I should have. I didn’t stop music altogether. I love to sing and still enjoy playing the piano, but prefer to play by ear, making up the music as I go – for me, it’s much more satisfying.
The musicality of picture books and poetry continues to appeal to me and I do believe at least some of my sense of rhythm comes naturally. But I also rely on the poetry tools I’ve picked up over the years and still fall back on scanning lines and taking a deeper look at the rhythm when something isn’t working
ReaderKidZ: What is your writing routine? How do you work?
Dianne: When I’m home, I’m almost always at my computer, no matter the time of day or night. Unfortunately, that does not necessarily mean I’m writing. Oh how I wish! Trying to flesh out an idea and get a completed draft on the page is hard. I know I’m not the only writer to have that struggle.
For me, something has to click. Often, it’s the sound of words or a particular rhythm that hits first. It’s usually connected to an idea, but the idea won’t go anywhere until I’ve found a beginning for the words, and the rhythm and language of the piece.
I have a lot more discipline (and fun!) with revision, though it often amazes me how complex and difficult revising such a short piece of text can be.
I’m notorious for needing a quiet environment. No music. No people. Just me, by myself – thinking, typing, and reading the words aloud as I go.
ReaderKidZ: Which picture book authors have inspired you most?Dianne: That’s a hard question because there are so many picture book authors I admire, but I’ll choose Cynthia Rylant, because she’s been at the top of my list for years. Not just because of her picture books, but also her EZ reads, – Henry and Mudge and Mr. Putter and Tabby, both of which I completely adore – novels, poetry, and nonfiction.
Friday, Dianne will discuss some of the challenges of writing picture books, and how teaching has informed her work.
This month, we’ll be talking about picture books – old favorites and new arrivals. Loud and quiet, serious and silly, fiction and non-fiction. To kick the month off, we’re ecstatic to be able to celebrate the picture book debut of ReaderKidZ Dianne White, author of the beautiful BLUE ON BLUE (Beach Lane Books), illustrated by Beth Krommes.
“Cotton clouds, morning light. Blue on blue. White on white. Singing, swinging outdoor play. White on blue on sunny day,” and so it begins. The simple, yet evocative, story about a single day in the life of a little girl and her family on their farm that’s told in the sparest, possible language to achieve the tightest, most descriptive effect. In little more than 100 words, White conveys the peace of a sunny day outside with Mother, followed by the excitement of dark, looming clouds and the dramatic arrival of a noisy downpour, with the scared little girl’s feet poking out from under the covers on her bed and her loyal dog beside her. “Thunder! Lightning! Raging, roaring. Rain on rain on rain is pouring.” This is a book that begs to be memorized so that children can come to appreciate how much action a tight phrase can portray, and the sheer power of single words when placed in the right order.
On sale December 9th!
“White’s graceful pacing spreads the energy of the storm” – Publisher Weekly, starred review
Picture books are my all-time favorite genre! Especially because of the wide variety of ways they present factual information. Have a look at AVIARY WONDERS, INC. by Kate Samworth (Clarion Books, 2014) and you’ll know exactly what I mean. The subtitle, “Spring Catalog and Instruction Manual” gives a hint at what lies between the covers of this fabulous book.
I can’t do it justice here, but what I love about AVIARY WONDERS is that it is so unlike other picture books about topics that are – or appear to be, as is the case with this book – nonfiction. The premise – a catalog of birds and bird parts, organized by function – is quite imaginative. Laid out like a holiday catalog, readers will find a visual encyclopedia of fascinating birds and bird parts – wings, bodies, beaks, etc,
Perfect for kids who love DK books and other illustrated nonfiction or fiction, AVIARY WONDERS (winner of the 2014 Kirkus Young Readers’ Prize) is a book well worth adding to a classroom, library, or bookstore collection.
Mission Statement
To provide teachers, librarians, and parents with the resources and inspiration to foster a love of reading in kids, K-5.
