A mole is looking for love

In just a few days it will be Valentine's day. Here in Ashland, Oregon, the school children are having class parties to exchange cards and gifts; shop windows are decorates with pink and red hearts and acres of tulle; and the food shops are full of people looking for boxes of chocolates and other sweet treats.

Just the other day I received a delightful little picture book that I think is perfect for Valentine's Day. The story is about a mole who is looking for love, and the misadventures he has.

Mole’s in love

David Bedford

Illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw

Picture Book

Ages 3 to 7

Tiger Tales, 2009, 1589254171

   One morning Morris the mole pokes his nose out of his hole and he discovers that spring has arrived. For Morris spring is a time for love, so he trots off to “find someone to love.” Morris has very bad eyesight, but he is sure that he will find the right animal to love because he knows exactly what to look for.

   Unfortunately, though he knows that he needs to find someone with “luscious shiny black fur,” a “pretty pink nose,” and “gorgeous big wide feet,” Morris does not have much luck finding the right someone.

   This charming, funny, and touching little book will delight children who like animals. With lovely multimedia artwork and a surprising ending, this is a perfect book to share with young children 

If you'd like to purchase this book for your child or your special someone click here. You can find more Valentine's Day books here. 

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Charles Darwin - A birthday

On this day in 1809 Charles Darwin, a man whose ideas would cause a great deal of fuss around the world, was born. In honor of Darwin's birthday I reviewed a new book about him.

Young Charles Darwin and the Voyage of the Beagle

Ruth Ashby

Nonfiction

For ages 8 to 12

Peachtree Publishers, 2009, 1561454788        

   When Charles Darwin was a boy, he had very little interest in learning Latin and Ancient Greek. He much preferred rambling around the countryside observing nature and collecting beetles. Nothing he chose to do pleased his father, who thought that Charles could well become a “disgrace” to the family.

    Charles did not know what he wanted to do with himself when he grew up, so he agreed to go to Edinburgh with his brother Erasmus when Erasmus when to the university there to study medicine. Becoming a doctor sounded like a good idea until Charles realized that he found the whole thing enormously distasteful. He then agreed to go to Cambridge University to prepare himself for a career in the clergy. The plan was that he would have one last hurrah before settling down; he would go on a trip somewhere to see the world a little.

   One of Charles’ friends heard about a ship that was taking a trip around the world. He suggested that Charles join the expedition, which Charles eagerly agreed to do. The journey on the HMS Beagle not only changed the direction that Charles’ life took, but it also made him one of the most famous people in the world.

  This excellent biography shows readers that greatness can lie in the hearts and minds of even the most unlikely of people. The author helps her readers to see how Charles Darwin’s ideas developed over time, and how he came to develop a theory that that would, for years to come, cause a great deal of controversy.

You can purchase this book here, and look at other reviews that I have written about Charles Darwin books here. 

Black History Month - a review

February is Black History Month, and in honor of this event I am going to share a few special reviews with you during the month. Today I have a review of a very special picture book, a book which delighted me when I read it not long ago.

Robert Smalls: The boat thief

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Illustrator:  Patrick Faricy
Nonfiction Picture Book  Series
For ages 10 and up
Hyperion, 2008   ISBN: 1423108027

Robert Smalls was a slave in South Carolina. He worked hard to learn useful skills, and by the time he was in his early twenties Robert was a skilled sailor and navigator, despite the fact that he was illiterate. He knew the waters along the southern coastline intimately and was highly valued by the people he worked for.

In 1862 Robert was working as a sailor on the Planter, a powerful side-wheeler. The

Planter was being used by the Confederacy to patrol Charleston Harbor, to lay mines, and to transport troops. More than anything Robert wanted to be free. He wanted to be sure that his baby son could not be sold like a piece of merchandize. Carefully Robert put together a plan, and on one night in May Robert and several other slaves stole the Planter and took her to the Union navy. Finally Robert was free, and he chose to serve the Union cause. His courageous theft of the Planter was just the beginning of what would be an extraordinary career.

In this fascinating American Heroes title, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. gives his readers a description of the life of one of America’s great heroes. Readers who have never heard of Smalls will be amazed that one man was able to do so much, and that one man did so much for his country despite numerous obstacles that lay in his path. Beautifully complimented by Patrick Fariey’s stunning artwork, this is an exceptional picture book biography.

This is one of several excellent nonfiction books that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has written. Another one is called Saint Francis of Assisi: A life of joy

In interview with Shannon, Dean, and Nathan Hale

A few weeks ago I posted a review of a new and very exciting graphic novel called Calamity Jack. This title is a follow on to the Hales' first graphic novel, Rapunzel's Revenge. The two authors and the illustrator very graciously agreed to do an interview about their new book.

First I talked to Shannon and Dean, the authors:

Marya: Did you know that you would be writing a story about Calamity Jack when you wrote Rapunzel’s Revenge?

SH: Hi Marya! When we pitched RR, we only had a partial script, and Bloomsbury offered us a 2-book deal. At that point, we had to decide, sequel or something entirely new? As we wrote RR, we realized Jack was our guy. Though it’s not told in RR, we created it during that process.

DH: Yeah, I think we knew pretty early the second book would be about Jack, but the story itself took a while to actually come together.

Marya: The adventures in this story combine fantasy, fairytale, and technology. How did you come around to creating such a delightfully bizarre world?

SH: We took things we love and stuffed them all together: fairy tale characters and creatures, steampunk, comic books, capers, action, comedy, romance! Why not? We didn’t want to skimp.

DH: The trick was to not make the story *about* all those cool things. The best thing to carry a story is a character, I think, and once we figure that out, sprinkle in the cool. I did lobby for the bandersnatch to be the main character, but Shannon didn’t think people could relate to it. I had no problems relating, but that’s just me.

SH: The only person I know who could relate to a mute creature with mouths for eyes.

Marya: Jack’s efforts to gain honor, respect, and love seems to lie at the heart of the story. Was this always your intention or did Jack claim this for himself as you were writing?

SH: Jack claimed this himself. While we knew the basics of his story, we didn’t know why. We wrote two completely different stories for Jack before the final, but they fell flat. It was such a relief when his underlying story finally revealed itself.

DH: I think that was all a part of finding his character, finding what it was about him that made him interesting and human. Once that was finally taken care of, I felt a lot more comfortable with the giant ants.

SH: Whatever. You always felt comfortable with the giant ants. You’d share a house with giant ants, so that you could occasionally point and scream, “It’s them! It’s THEM!”

Marya: How do you work together, and do you find it difficult or easy to do?

SH: Both! It’s more time consuming and can be frustrating. But I loved going on walks with Dean and discussing plot, hammering out ideas, seeing what nuggets of scenes he wrote each day.

DH: This is totally true, though I think Shannon had the harder job. She had to write *and* poke me with a stick, while all I did was figure out new ways to be lazy. And occasionally write.

Then I talked to Nathan, the illustrator:

Marya: Did you discuss the story with Shannon and Dean before you began to create drawings for this story? 

Dean: Yeah, we talked a lot about the story. I, for example, really wanted the character Brute, from Rapunzel’s Revenge, to join the team, so for a while he was part of the Rapunzel gang. But he didn’t quite work out. We kicked a lot of ideas around.

Marya: Did the three of you decide what the characters and the world would look like, or was that something that you did on your own?

I sent out a lot of character designs—a lot more than I did for Rapunzel. And we’d talk about what worked and what didn’t. I had a very specific look for how I wanted the city to be. I also pushed hard for it to be set in winter. Shannon and Dean were willing to let me run wild with the visuals. They’d give me a quick phrase to work with, for example, “A chained up monster with mouths for eyes.” Then I’d do the drawing (that’s the Bandersnatch monster in JACK, by the way.)

Dean: Can you tell us a little about your work process? How many sketches and drawings do you create before you have a completed piece of work?

I did the whole book in pencil sketch form. Sent it in to the publisher, then inked all the pencil drawings, then colored them digitally. The coloring was the hardest. It took forever. I actually had to hire a handful of color mappers to help me get the coloring done on time.

Thank you so much all three of you. 

Help Haiti's Children

Every week I take my daughter to the local YMCA for her gymnastics lessons - twice. I take my computer along and get many of my reviews written while I wait for my daughter to do her tumbles, her beam walking, and her bar work. Last week, both times, a group of children were selling popcorn in the YMCA lobby to raise money to "help Haiti." The smell of the popcorn drove me crazy, but the eager faces of those children lightened my heart. They were doing all they could for others, and they were doing a great job. I was very proud of them.

I have read numerous articles about children raising money for the victims of the Haitian earthquake and every time they give me hope. One little seven-year-old Londoner rode his bike around and around his local park and raised 150,000 pounds for Unicef. Here he is doing his part to help.




So many people have suffered as a result of the earthquake in Haiti, but the stories of the Haitian children are, to me, the most heartbreaking. I don't have much to offer them except my small donations of money, hand-made knitted hats, gloves and blankets, and my good wishes. I cannot send them books - which I would do - because they need food, water, medicines and other basic supplies right now. I hope to send books later when they are in a better situation to receive them. I can ask you to help these children, and that is what I am doing here. I know many of your have seen horrific images from Haiti and I know that it seems overwhelming. Just think of the children in your life, and in their names help the children of others.

Perhaps the children in your family or community would like to do their part. Organizing a walk-a-thon, a run-a-thon, a bike-a-thon, or a read-a-thon won't take a lot of effort if lots of people give a little of their time. Children will feel empowered as they walk, run, bike or read to raise those precious cents, pence, and yen.

These are some organizations that are helping the children (and their families) in Haiti:

http://www.haitichildren.com/

http://www.hopeforhaitischildren.org/

http://www.danitaschildren.org/

http://www.unicef.org/

Thank you in advance for your help.