Prize Package Arrives!

Thank you, Dewey and Hatchette Books!

Sunday Salon: More Texas Book Festival

Babar

Doreen Rappaport, author of Lady Liberty

Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of Fancy Nancy

Clifford

A Plethora of Cybils, Read and Reviewed

Trout are Made of Trees by April Pulley Sayre

An intriguing title like this one would have been enough for me to seek out and read this book. And the author is able to show, by describing a series of events that take place in a stream, that the title is not only intriguing but also true.

The text tells the story of the transmogrification of trees into trout, from the death and decomposition of their leaves to their absorption in the bodies of fish. The author uses simple text to tell the story of a complex process. She provides an extensive bibliography for a young reader and gives a list of ways the reader can help this natural process continue without intrusion from the human world.

Finding Home by Sandra Markle

This book is the story of a mother koala and her baby who survived two terrible fires in Australia. It was a compelling tale of the mother's search for a way to escape the fire and of her subsequent search for food for herself and for her child.

I found it to be a valid nonfiction story, based on eyewitness reports. The mother wore a tracking collar, making it easy for people to follow her movements.

It would be an appealing book for children, giving an inside look at the details of the life of a koala and providing the drama of escape from danger.

Winter Trees by Carole Gerber

Growing up along the Texas Gulf Coast, I was at a loss as a child to comprehend the ideas of leaves changing color during fall and the loss of leaves on trees during a snowy winter. We simply did not have traditional autumn leaves nor leafless trees in winter. This book would have been very useful to me as a girl in trying to visualize changes in trees during markedly cold weather.

Each tree common to the northern sections of the United States is illustrated and described in rhyming text. I wish the author had made it clear where these winter trees are located; my Gulf Coast version of Winter Trees would have been radically different.

I also wished there had been some information about where the author obtained her facts about each tree.


Dignity Rocks! by Stephanie Heuer

Another nominee that arrived with a distinctly amateurish look was Dignity Rocks! The text is a juxtaposition of comments by children to fill in the blank, "I feel like nobody when...." and "I feel like somebody when...." The comments have an authentic feel and would resonate with children.

It's a simple book, but a book that might help children better be able to express their positive and negative feelings.

I hope to share it with a group of children and see what their responses are.

Yours for Justice, Ida B. Wells: The Daring Life of a Crusading Journalist by Philip Dray

I'm seeing a common theme in nonfiction biographies: fighters of injustice. Ida B. Wells was one such heroine.

Wells was born a slave but became free after the Civil War. The early deaths of her parents necessitated Wells' movement into the work world at a young age. She became first a teacher and then a journalist. Always she fought for those who were treated unfairly. She spent many years promoting the enactment of laws against lynching.

The pictures give a dreamy quality to idealistic Ida's life. The text is clear and written showing the dramatic difficulties Wells faced.

The author concludes with additional information about Ida's life, lynching, and a detailed bibliography.

Down By The Sea by Marilee Crou

This book is yet another book that gives an amateurish first impression. All the words in the title are capitalized, even "the." The entire book is written in script, something that is difficult for children to read. It might have made a better book for adults than for children.

Each page has a photograph and a sentence describing the photograph. The sentences are quite long and flowery.

The photographs are stunning and are the best part of the book.

No information is provides about where the author gets her facts.

Fabulous Fishes by Susan Stockdale

Fabulous Fishes is a Seuss-like look at the world of fish, with simple text and lots of rhyme. The illustrations, like the text, are simple and don't provide a lot of detail. The author follows up her rhyming textual overview with a few pages of additional information about each fish pictured. She also provides a long list of resources she drew upon.

Fabulous Fishes might be a nice introduction to the wide variety of fish living in the ocean for very young children.

Wolfsnail: A Backyard Predator by Sarah C. Campbell

Wolfsnail is a very close look at a snail that lives in the southern part of the United States and, unlike most snails, which eats meat. The story is presented using a series of photographs, though the photographs do not always depict completely the text.

Unexpectedly, I found myself being drawn into the story of the wolfsnail, seeing him as he violently hunts for and devours his prey.

I'm not certain there is a wide audience among children for this book, but young readers may enjoy reading the simple story of the wolfsnail's daily activities.

Please Don't Wake the Animals: A Book About Sleep by Mary Batten

Initially, I thought this was to be a book about hibernation. Yes, hibernation is part of the book, but not all of the book. The book is actually about the sleeping habits of various animals in our world.

A sentence summarizes the text at the top of each double page spread. The author uses examples of various animals' unusual sleeping patterns to highlight the oddities of sleep. It makes for a compelling book, filled with interesting information about a phenomenon most know little about. The author gives a list of books and websites where more information about sleep can be obtained.

Before John Was a Jazz Giant: A Song of John Coltrane by Carole Boston Weatherford

What inspired John Coltrane to become a great jazz musician? That question is at the heart of this book. The author, using words shaped like jazz itself, lists the sounds that Coltrane heard as a child and young man.

This book felt more like a poem than a biography, but perhaps a jazzy poem is appropriate for a man like Coltrane.

The pictures and shapes of the text add to the jazzy feel of the book.

An author's note at the end of the book serves as a short biography of the author's life. In addition, the author provides both a list of books for more information and a list of CDs in order to hear Coltrane's work.


Astronaut Handbook by Meghan McCarthy

How does one become an astronaut? McCarthy shows children how to become astronauts in this book.

I like very much how the author directly addresses the reader, using questions the reader might be thinking and answering in clear ways children would understand.

The illustrations offer ways to understand information that would be too difficult for the target audience had it been presented only in text.

I went away from the book feeling like being an astronaut would be a fun job and that, with a little hard work, it was something anyone could become.

Duel! Burr and Hamilton's Deadly War of Words by Dennis Brindell Fradin

I could easily see this book used in history classes all across America. Wouldn't history be so much more cool to kids if they could read text like this instead of deadly dull textbooks?

Though the story of the duel between Hamilton and Burr is dramatically told, it is also historically accurate and doesn't talk down to the older student. Hamilton and Burr are cast as well-rounded human beings with flaws and strengths. Both are shown to be at fault for the duel.

The book concludes with a lengthy bibliography.

Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move by JoAnn Early Macken

This is exactly the kind of book the preschool and kindergarten teachers are looking for to introduce seeds. The text is filled with sound words that children love, but it also contains a nice array of information about seeds and the way they travel from place to place.

Illustrations of vocabulary words related to seeds are given in the back.

No sources for the information are provided by the author.

Sisters & Brothers: Sibling Relationships in the Animal World by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page

Do animals have brothers and sisters? How do animal brothers and sisters get along?

Children are interested in these questions, the focus of this book.

It's amazing to see how much interesting information about brothers and sisters the authors have squeezed into this small book. Some animals have no brothers or sisters. Some have hundreds. Some have only sisters. Some live in enormous colonies where every member is a sibling and all have the same mother.

There is a small list of references at the conclusion of the book.

Frogs by Nic Bishop

Is there any information about frogs that has not been included in this book? Frogs by Nic Bishop is filled with data about these fascinating amphibians. What child wouldn't enjoy reading all the cool facts this book presents about frogs?

The photographs add tremendous value to this book. They show frogs of all sorts, in all settings, from all angles.

The book contains an index and a glossary, but it has no list of references.

Molly the Pony by Pam Kaster

Every child, every adult who saw the photo on the cover of this book instantly went, "Ahhh." Apparently, there is something very touching about a horse that has been able to overcome disability and be fitted with a prosthetic foot.

The book tells the troubles that faced Molly. First she struggled to survive Hurricane Katrina. Later she was badly bitten by a dog and lost her hoof and leg. Usually a horse cannot exist without the use of his legs.

A team of vets decided to take a chance and fit Molly with an artificial leg. To their surprise, she thrived.

A story of overcoming adversity and the ability of science to improve the world, even for horses.

The Art of Freedom: How Artists See America by Bob Raczka

I saw this book last spring in a book fair, but I wasn't even interested in it enough to open it. I wish I had.

This book has simple text that accompanies a series of pictures that illustrate various aspects of America. Its simplicity is powerful. It could be used with children of all ages to talk about what America is and how it is perceived.

Two pages in the back of the book provide more information about the artists who drew the artwork used in this book. No information is given about where that information was obtained.

In many ways, the book feels more like poetry than it does informational text.

"Mrs. Riley Bought Five Itchy Aardvarks" and Other Painless Tricks for Memorizing Science Facts by Brian Cleary

I love this book. I've never seen a children's book like it. I immediately began thinking of people who would like to have a copy of this book.

The author lists idea after idea for helping to learn key science information. Some of these are commonly known, but most were unknown to me.

The illustrations add to the fun. The ideas are playful and creative. This could be a bestseller among science teachers.

Used Any Numbers Lately? by Susan Allen and Jane Lindaman

An alphabet book with a numerical twist. Allen and Lindaman bring their sense of fun to an alphabet book about the ways numbers are used in the world.

The illustrations are humorous and include some inside jokes to readers of Allen and Lindaman's other books.

Children would enjoy reading through this book and think of their own ways numbers are used in the world.

No references are given, but the information presented is so widely known that none is really needed.

A Boy Named Beckoning: The True Story of Dr. Carlos Montezuma, Native American Hero adapted and illustrated by Gina Capaldi

Capaldi took the text of a letter Montezuma wrote to a professor at the Smithsonian and used it to create this book, the story of Montezuma's life. There are so few books about Native American heroes outside of cowboy and Indian folklore that this book needed to be published.

Montezuma was stolen from his parents as a small boy. He was adopted by a kind and compassionate man who saw that Montezuma received an excellent education. Montezuma became a medical doctor and a leader of his people.

Capaldi adapts the letter Montezuma wrote to create a first-person narrative of a life of great struggle and courage. She tells how she came to write the book and provides an extensive list of sources.

What to Do About Alice? by Barbara Kerley

Alice Roosevelt was the daughter of president Theodore Roosevelt. As a child and even as an adult, Alice was considered a pistol. Her father wrote that he could run the country or control Alice, but he couldn't do both.

Alice lived life to the fullest, eating unusual foods, roaming around spots throught unsuitable for woman, dancing, singing, playing, learning. She was full of energy.

This book reflects that energy with its pictures and the composition of the text.

Alice was apparently the Hannah Montana of her day. She finally grew up and began using her amazing energy to help her political causes.

A fun and lively read.

Cybil Nonfiction Picture Book Reviews

Looking Closely Inside the Garden by Frank Serafini
Learning seems to take place most often when children are deeply engaged in a task. Serafini sets up his book in such a way that the reader is drawn into thinking about and analyzing pictures of plants and animals and objects in a garden.

Each close up picture is followed by a complete picture and a page long description of the pictured animal or plant or object. The informational text presented is composed of bits and pieces of data that children might like to know.

I tried the book out with a small group of kindergarten through second grade children yesterday and they universally enjoyed trying to guess what the object was, especially when they were correct. The accompanying text was of a length was satisfactory for even the youngest students.

I wasn’t sure exactly what the author meant by a garden, as he included (sorry…spoilers ahead) both flowers and vegetables in his photographs. Perhaps he meant to include many kinds of gardens, though he provides a full picture of a flower garden only.

I could find no references for the informational text though the author explains a little about his love for photography and his interest in nature in a note at the back of the book.


It’s Moving Day! By Pamela Hickman
A burrow in the woods provides a home for many different animals over the years. That’s the idea behind It’s Moving Day.

The repetition of an animal moving out followed by a new animal moving in is sure to be a draw for children. The chorus, “It’s moving day!” is perfect for young elementary children.

The drawings are clear and help explain the text. The final page, with a short paragraph of informational text about each animal, provides more information for readers who would like to know a little more.

There is no source material given, though it is mentioned in the author’s bio on the back jacket flap that the author is a naturalist.


A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams by Jen Bryant
I was expected to call this a junior high book rather than an elementary book, but I was wrong. Though I think of William Carlos Williams as a poet students might read in junior high or high school, this book showed me that he might have appeal to younger kids as well.

The illustrations closely compliment the text making for a book that exudes the spirit of Williams in every way. The author goes beyond “The Red Wheelbarrow” and “This is Just to Say” to include poem after poem written by Williams that will be enjoyed by younger children.

The biographical information which is the focus of the book is presented in a way that children will identify with, showing Williams’ activities as a young boy and as he was becoming a poet.

The book concludes with timelines of both Williams’ life and world history during Williams’ life. Both the author and the illustrator have notes explaining their rationales for writing and illustrating the books the way they did. There is also a list of books and websites for a reader to go if they want more information. All the quoted information in the book is referenced in a short list near the end of the book.


Manfish: A Story of Jacques Cousteau by Jennifer Berne
I feel like I just came back from a lovely dive in the ocean with Jacques Cousteau.

Manfish is the story of Cousteau’s life, as he went from a young child who loved to invent and build to a man who created the aqualung and explored and filmed the deepest mysteries of the ocean.

The story is told in a way that is both simple and revealing about Cousteau’s life. The artwork, with its dark blue background and mysterious appearance, adds to the feeling of otherworldliness that Cousteau’s life seems to present. The foldout page brings a sense of depth to the pictures.

In the author’s note at the back of the book, the author provides a list of places to go for more information, though it was not clear whether or not these were the places the other obtained her information.


Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas
Even very young children know that George Washington was the first president of the United States. But how many people know of Washington’s life as a farmer?

Washington, it seems, was quite the innovator in the world of farming. He created a plow that saved his workers time and money. He experimented with fertilizers and types of farm products to maximize production. He encouraged the use of mules to replace the weaker horses and oxen as farm animals.

Looking at Washington as a farmer shows how the same strong character traits that made Washington such a successful leader made him also a successful farmer.
The paintings used to illustrate the book are lavish. The illustrator even provides as note to explain the process he used to make the illustrations feel authentic.
The bibliography at the end of the book is extensive.


Elizabeth Leads the Way: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and the Right to Vote by Tanya Lee Stone
The book has a great first page. The reader is immediately drawn into thinking about how one might feel if one was not allowed to do something simply because of one’s gender. It is a situation young children in America have never had to face. That is the challenge of the book: the author must find a way to show the miseries of the world as it was before Elizabeth Cady Stanton arrived to change things, miseries unknown to most of today’s young readers. Stone does this.

Stanton shocked the world when she met with a group of other women and proposed that women are equal to men. It took many years for her proposals to be enacted into law, but Stanton never let fear or the condemnation of others stop her.

The text of the book stops with Stanton’s proposal to allow women to vote, but the rest of Stanton’s life is related in a brief summary at the end of the book. The author provides a list of sources here as well.

Sunday Salon: The Texas Book Festival

Author Jon Agee draws pictures from his books.

The author of Elizabeth Leads the Way reads her book.

John R. Erickson celebrates Hank the Cowdog's 25th anniversary.

The illustrator of El Gato Black on Halloween shows off her dog.

Rick Riordan announces the 2009-2010 Texas Bluebonnet nominees.


R.L. Stine tells a ghost story.

This Isn't Going to Be as Easy as I Thought

How hard can it be to choose the best ten of sixty-one nonfiction picture books? Hard, as I've discovered after reading the first four and finding them all to be very good books.

It isn't going to be as easy as I thought to be a Cybils panelist.


Sparkles the Fire Safety Dog by Firefighter Dayna Hilton

The first Cybils book to arrive in the mail was this book, Sparkles the
Fire Safety Dog. Initially, I was struck by its amateur appearance; it
arrived as a soft cover book, with simple photographs used as
illustrations. I decided to set aside these reservations and take a look
at the book with fresh eyes, the eyes of a child reader.

Dogs have immediate appeal to children. There is something about
animals that draws the child in. Sparkles benefits from dog appeal.

Children also love to read about firefighters. Firefighters are heroic
figures to children. Sparkles benefits from firefighter appeal.

The text is simple, perfect for its target audience. The author is a
firefighter herself, so she has credibility. She focuses on teaching two
skills that will save children in a real fire and uses her dog,
Sparkles, to reinforce the teaching.

Don't let first appearances stop you from reading this book. It
accomplishes its task in a simple yet appealing way.


Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai by Claire A.
Nivola

Sometimes we adults wonder if there are any heroes left in our world,
any people who act not out of self-interest or greed, but out of love
and concern for others. Wangari Maathai is one such hero.

Maathai is a woman born in Kenya who left her beautiful country to go
to college in America. When she returned to Kenya, she was struck by the
destruction that had taken place in Kenya during the short time she was
away. Maathai was determined to do more than complain or seek blame. She
created a program for her countrymen to work together to restore
Kenya's natural beauty by planting trees.

I loved reading this simple story of an honorable person. The details
of the Kenyan world the author presents reveal a world both like my own,
but also fascinatingly different. The illustrations are a perfect
companion to the text. The author's note provides information about
where she obtained her knowledge of Maathai. The appeal to children will be the story of a woman who dared to make the world a better and more beautiful place.


As Good as Anybody: Martin Luther King Jr. and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Amazing March Toward Freedom by Richard Michelson

Simple text...great illustrations...and a compelling story I'd never heard before...These all combined for me to make reading As Good as Anybody a wonderful experience. I ended up reading it again as soon as I got to the end. Amazing to think that the magnificent Martin Luther King Jr. would team up with another such magnificent human, Abraham Joshua Heschel, and work together to improve the world.

The book begins with the early life of Martin Luther King Jr., highlighting the suffering he incurred as a black child in a predominantly prejudiced white culture. The story then moves to the early life of Abraham Joshua Heschel, showing the suffering he incurred as a Jewish boy in a predominantly prejudiced Nazi German culture. The early lives of both men neatly parallel each other. The men come together later in life in their joint effort to march for freedom.

The book ends on a strong note, though it is jarringly unusual; the men take their first step on the march and the reader is left wondering what will happen next. The author discloses in summation form the concluding events of the men's lives. I was unable to find any documentation of sources consulted to write the story, however.

A very powerful book.


Amelia Earhart: The Legend of the Lost Aviator by Shelley Tanaka

This is the kind of nonfiction that I love best: nonfiction that reads like a fiction story. Amelia Earhart covers the entirity of Earhart's life, with little vignettes about this moving incident and that moving incident in Earhart's life. The details the author adds to the story bring the story camera zooming in on each individual scene, making the events come alive.

The story really kicks into high gear when Earhart begins to make her attempts to fly first across the Atlantic and then around the world. For children of today who see a trip in an airplane as routine, the author is able to emphasize the life-threatening dangers that Earhart experienced. Earhart comes across as a heroic and brave figure, a role model for girls and women especially.

The book has lots of text and I must question whether it would be eagerly picked up by most elementary students because of its length. However, the author uses sidebars to break up the text in many places and that might help make a reluctant reader find his way through the entire book.

The index and the bibliography are quite extensive, and they add an air of deep scholarship to the book, a quality not usually found in a children's book.

"I'm Riding the Frog Bus!"

I have afternoon bus duty at my primary school. Yesterday, we had a new bus rider.

All our buses have animal pictures to go with the bus number, to help the kids remember which bus they ride on. The teacher told the new bus rider, "You will ride on the frog bus."

He broke into a big smile and started singing, over and over, "I'm riding the frog bus! I'm riding the frog bus!"

A teacher said me how much she missed the days when just getting to ride on the frog bus would make her so happy.

The truth is that I feel just like that new bus rider. I feel like singing over and over, "I'm going to the Texas Book Festival! I'm going to the Texas Book Festival!"

It's this weekend. And Saturday is my birthday, too.

Can life get any better?

Sunday Salon: Houston Puppetry Festival

The Houston Puppetry Festival was yesterday and everywhere there were puppets, puppets, puppets. Shark puppets. Clown puppets. Sandwich puppets. Sock puppets. Spoon puppets. Wolf puppets. An enormous full body puppet you wear as a costume. King puppets. Vampire puppets. Puppets, puppets, puppets.

I carried LaToya along with me and got lots of help from master puppeteers. LaToya behaved herself pretty well.

Great day.

Sunday Salon: Read-a-Thon Wrapup

My second read-a-thon, but this time I didn't make the whole marathon. That's okay. I thought it unlikely I would make it this time. I'm just not a late night girl. And I knew I'd be like the cat and spend most of today snoozing if I did stay up and I knew I had a lot of work to get done today...impossible. The librarian conference was also an obstacle I knew I'd have a hard time working around.

Okay, what did I achieve?

I finished five books. That's fantastic. I read three books about books: Down Cut Shin Creek about the pack horse librarians who hand delivered books during the Great Depression; In a Blue Velvet Dress about an avid reader who forgets her suitcase of books and has nothing to read on her trip but is saved by a ghost who brings her books at night; Miss Zukas and the Library Murders about a librarian who solves a murder in her library. I listened to one book, a play actually, on the way to and from the librarian meeting. And I finally finished Treasure Island, which I decided to read because my new school is named after its author.

And I'm good to go for the day....Loved the Read-a-Thon and hope to do it again in the spring....

Read-a-Thon: Hour 23

I just couldn't stay awake this time. I fell asleep at nine and slept until 6:30 this morning.

That leaves time for a little more reading....