Black History Month - The story of a brilliant African American inventor

One of the things I love about reviewing nonfiction children's literature is that I learn a lot. When I started reviewing titles for Black History Month I got to 'meet' so many wonderful men and women of African descent who stories are inspiring. I saw how many of these stories never ended up in history books, and I like to do my part to set the record straight in my own small way. African Americans, and other people of African descent around the world, have made enormous contributions to society, and we need to learn about their achievements about the honor them. 

Today you are going to meet an African American inventor who created many useful things in his productive life. One of these inventions, in particular, saved lives. 

To the Rescue: Garrett Morgan Underground 

Monica Kulling

Illustrated by David Parkins

Non-Fiction Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Tundra Books, 2017, 978-1-101-91882-1

Garrett Morgan was the seventh child of former slaves who lived in Kentucky and worked as sharecroppers. It was a hard life, and when it was time for Garrett to leave school so that he could get a job, the fourteen year old decided to travel north to Cleveland, Ohio, to see if he could find a job that was less unremitting. 

   Garrett started out sweeping floors in a clothing factory but he did not keep that job for long. When he noticed that the sewing machine belts were always breaking he invented a belt that was stronger, and thus he earned him his employer’s gratitude and a new job as a sewing machine repairman. 

   This new job served Garrett well and by the time he was twenty-one he owned his own sewing machine shop, and a house. He and his wife, Mary Anne, then opened a tailoring shop as well. 

  Garrett had a gift for inventing. Quite by accident he created a hair product that straightened curly hair. This invention led to him creating a new business, the G.A. Morgan Hair Refining Company. The success of his cream and other hair products gave Garrett the financial freedom to spend more of his time inventing.

   When Garrett saw a need he set about trying to create a product that would take care of that need. He saw that firefighters required some kind of device that would help them rescue people from smoke-filled buildings, and so he invented the Safety Hood and Smoke Protector. 

   Though his invention worked well, Garrett could not get the local fire departments interested in the hood, because Garrett was African-American. Then a disaster struck the city which changed Garrett’s life forever.

   All too often black inventors and innovators are not given credit for their creations. In this book Monica Kulling tells the story of an inventor whose inventions literally saved lives. Her engaging writing brings Garrett Morgan to life for young readers, and David Parkins’ ink and watercolor illustrations takes children back to a time when everyday life was a lot more dangerous than it is now.

A review of Aim for the skies - Celebrating Strong Girls, Strong Women

One of the things that I love about reviewing these Strong Girls, Strong Women books is the fact I am learning so much. When I first got today's book I had never heard of these two amazing women who, within days of each other, set out to fly solo around the world.It would appear that we are surrounded by the stories of women who did, and are doing, amazing things.

Aim for the skies: Jerrie Mock and Joan Merriam Smith'sRace to complete Amelia Earhart's Quest

Aimee Bissonette

Illustrated by Doris Ettlinger

Nonfiction Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Sleeping Bear Press, 2018, 978-1-58536-381-0

Jerrie Mack is only seven years old when she takes her first ride in an airplane. She is so taken with the experience that she decides there and then that she is going to be pilot.

   Joan Merriam is fifteen when she takes her first plane ride in 1952. When the plane lands Joan tells her mother that she wants to learn how to fly a plane, and she ends up getting her pilot’s license before she even learns how to drive a car.

   Both women dream of becoming a record-breaking pilot like Amelia Earhart, and when Joan is twenty-three and Jerrie is thirty-seven they both decide that what they want to do next is to fly around the world.

   Jerrie and Joan set about preparing for their epic journeys. Maps have to be studied and flight plans have to be drawn up. Permission has to be granted by the governments of the countries that they will be visiting. The interesting thing is that the women do not know each other. Joan does not know what Jerrie is planning, and Jerrie has no idea what Joan is up to.

   Then, just a few weeks before they are supposed to set off on their epic flight, the women hear about each other. It looks as if their dreams to complete the journey that Amelia Earhart was not able to finish have been turned into a race.

   On March 17^th, 1964 Joan’s plane takes off from an airport in Oakland, California. Just two days later Jerrie takes to the skies. The women have different planes and they are taking different routes. Truly remarkable adventures that are full of problems and dangers lie ahead of them.

   This is the fascinating true story of two women who both greatly admired Amelia Earhart and who both decided, independently, to follow in the footsteps of the famous aviator. The narrative gives us a picture of what the two women were like, and we come to appreciate how difficult and dangerous their journey was. This story is a tribute to the two aviators, and it is also a tribute to the woman who inspired them.

A review of Lights! Camera! Alice! The Thrilling True Adventures of the first woman filmmaker - Celebrating Strong Girls Strong Women

Happy International Women's Day. Today I bring you a review of book that tells the story of an extraordinary woman. I confess that I had never heard of Alice Guy-Blache until I read this book. I was therefore delighted to learn that such a colorful and determined woman played such a big role in the early years of the moving picture industry.

Lights! Camera! Alice! The Thrilling True Adventures ofthe first woman filmmaker 

Mara Rockliff

Illustrated by Simona Ciraolo

Nonfiction Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Chronicle, 2018, 978-1-4521-4134-3

When she was a little girl, Alice loved stories. She loved the tales that she found in the books that her papa sold, and the narratives that her grandmother and her nursemaid shared with her. Stories were the stuff of life and she could not wait “to find out what happened next.”

   Unfortunately for Alice, what happened next was not pleasant at all. Papa’s business failed, and then he died, leaving Alice in dire need of a job. She ended up getting a position at a camera shop, and through her job she found out about a new innovation: cameras that could create moving pictures. Alice and her employer went to see one of the new moving pictures and they were astounded by it, even though the subject matter of the film was not all that interesting. The young woman began to think that moving picture cameras might be “put to better use.” Why show mundane scenes in moving pictures when you could tell stories instead.

   Alice decided that she would try making some moving pictures of her own, and so she set about looking for costumes, she made sets, and found people to play the roles in the stories. At first her films’ sole purpose was to demo the cameras, but people liked her films so much that they were even willing to pay to see them.

   Alice’s films were full of clever innovations that made them interesting and engaging. She became so successful that her competitors spied on her to steal her ideas. Alice and her young cameraman decided to go to America, thinking that the country that epitomized innovation would be the perfect place to build a new life. Little did they know that no one had even heard of Alice on the other side of the Atlantic. Little did they know that both success and heartbreak awaited them in the land of opportunity.

   Most of us have never heard of Alice Guy-Blache and yet she was one of the first filmmakers in the world. She was also the first woman to make films, she made the first talking movie, and some even think that she was the first to make films that showed made up stories.

   As was so often the case at that time, being female meant that Alice did not get the recognition that she deserved. Thanks to this book a new generation of girls will grow up knowing that Alice was a tour de force in the early years of film making.

  

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Seventy-Five

Today's book is a must for readers of all ages who like dogs. The pictures are delightful, and the ending is surprising and wonderfully amusing.

Dogs

Emily Gravett

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2010, 978-1-4169-8703-1

   Have you noticed that there are dozens of different kinds of dogs? There are really big ones, and teeny tiny ones. There are dogs that are tough, and others that are total pushovers. There are dogs that bark up a storm, and dogs that are very quiet. There are good dogs who fetch slippers, and there are bad ones that chew slippers to bits. All of these dogs are loved by the narrator of this story, but there is one kind in particular that the narrator likes the best.

    Dog loving readers of all ages are sure to enjoy this amusing and clever picture book. There is a dog for everyone on the pages, and readers will enjoy trying to decide which of all the pooches is their favorite. Just in case readers get too complacent, there is an  unexpected ending that is deliciously funny. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Eleven

Being an only child, I never had to share my room or my home with siblings, and for the most part I liked having my own space. When I first moved to the States I had to share a house with five other people, and after a while I honestly thought I was going to lose my marbles. The only space I could call my own was a minuscule attic room that was boiling in summer and freezing in winter.

For today's picture book I have a story about a little rabbit who is thoroughly fed up with having to share his home with numerous brothers and sisters.

A Long Way from home

Elizabeth Baguley

Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Picture Book

Ages 3 to 6

Tiger Tales, 2008, 1-58925-074-5

   Noah is a little rabbit, and every night he has to sleep in the family burrow with his many siblings. Every night he is “squished and squashed,” and every night his sister Ella holds him as if he were her teddy bear. One night Noah decides that he has had enough, and he goes outside into the fresh air.

   Outside the burrow, Noah meets Albatross. He tells the sympathetic bird about his problems, and to make him feel a little less glum, the big bird tells Noah about “the land of the North Star.” When Noah expresses an interest in seeing a place where there are “no rabbits,” Albatross agrees to take him to see what the frozen North looks like. Neither one of them expects that this journey will help Noah to see his home life in a completely new way.

   Children who are tired of not having their own space will immediately identify with Noah and his situation. With a heartwarming and thought-provoking story, and Jane Chapman’s wonderful illustrations, this is a picture book that will resonate with people of all kinds, big and small. 

The TTLG 2011 Picture Book Celebration - Book Ten

Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman have created several wonderful picture books for young children. They have given us the Bear books - an enormously popular series of books that have charmed readers of all ages - and also the books about a penguin who is called Little Pip. Here is one of the Little Pip books.

Don’t be afraid, Little Pip?

Karma Wilson

Illustrated by Jane Chapman

Picture book

Ages 4 to 6

Simon and Schuster, 2008, 978-0-689-85987-8

   Today is a big day for Little Pip and all the other young penguins. Today is the day when they are going to have their first swimming lesson. Little Pip thinks that the ocean looks “awfully dark and deep,” whereas the sky looks “bright and cheerful.” Surely, as she is a bird, she should be learning how to fly and not how to swim?

   Little Pip’s parents reassure her. “Penguins don’t fly, they swim. That’s what makes us special,” they say. Little Pip is not convinced, and while the other little penguins are embarking on their first swimming lesson, Little Pip decides that she is going to learn how to fly. All she needs to do is to find someone who can teach her how to do it. After all, she has wings and feathers, so why can’t she fly like the other birds?

   In this sweet picture book Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman bring back the little penguin who has delighted so many young penguin fans. Children will see that there are times when you just have to conquer your fears. When you do, you might just discover all kinds of new and wondrous things.

   With a meaningful story and wonderful illustrations, this is a picture book that children will appreciate and enjoy. 

The Secret lives of Princesses

When I was growing up, I was given countless books full of fairy tales. I enjoyed the ones about dragons, monsters, ogres, witches, and wizards, but I really did not like the ones about princesses that much because the princesses in the stories were always so helpless and, to my mind, rather pathetic. These days there a quite a few books about princesses who are tough, brave, creative, and resourceful, and I am always on the lookout for princess stories with a twist. I was therefore delighted when the children's publicity manager at Sterling Books contacted me to tell me about Sterling's new princess book. Here is my review of the stunningly beautiful and very unique title.

The secret lives of princesses

Philippe Lechermeier

Illustrated by Rebecca Dautremer

Picture Book

Ages 10 and up

Sterling Books, 2010, 978-1-4027-6677-0

   Many of you are experts on princesses. You have read about Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and all those other princesses who fill fairy tale books. You know all about princess fashion sense, and you know that the best way to be sure that a girl is indeed a princess is to ask her sleep on a pile of mattresses that has a pea under the bottom one. In short you are absolutely sure that you know all there is to know about princesses.

   Unfortunately, you are wrong. There are lots of princesses stories that you have never even heard of. There are essential princess facts that you don't know. Thankfully you can now read this book to fill the gaps in your princess knowledge. There are wonderful stories about princesses of all kinds throughout the book. Among many others, you will meet Princess Babbling Brooke, whose endless chatter drives everyone around her to distraction. Princes are scared off by her verbosity, and even her parents "avoid her." However, on the battlefield her volley of chatter is very useful. Not only does it drive away "even the oldest of enemies," but it also forces reluctant soldiers back onto the battlefield. 

   In addition to a very colorful collection of stories, this book is packed with princess facts that you are sure to find intriguing. Did you know for example that the best way to grow a princess is to plant special seeds in the palace garden? Did you know that princesses love to travel, and that many of them get from place to place on elephant back? If you want to know if a girl is a true princess you don't have to use the old pea trick. Instead, there are certain things that princesses do, or don't do, that will help you to be sure. Real princesses always sing in the bath, they rarely take off their crowns, and they never wear socks, “even in the middle of winter.”

   For readers who are interested in all things princess, this book is a must. The presentation is truly delightful, and the whimsical and often beautiful illustrations are a joy to look at. Readers can dip into the book at random, and they are sure to find something of interest to suit every moment. 

  

You might like to visit the Secret Lives of Princesses website where there is more information about the book, a portrait gallery, and several games to play.

The 2009 Newbery and Caldecott award winners

This week I was lucky enough to be able to read and review two new award winning books. One is the 2009 Caldecott winner, The lion and the mouse by Jerry Pinkney. The other is the 2009 Newbery winner, When you reach me by Rebecca Stead. Pinkey's artwork delighted me so much that I looked through the book four times before I wrote my review. As for When you reach me, well it just blew me away. I usually find books that talk about time travel confusing. This one was so magical that I starting telling everyone I know that they should read it as soon as possible.

When you reach me

Rebecca Stead

Fiction

Ages 12 and up

Scholastic, 2009, 0385737424

Miranda’s problems seem to begin after one of the neighborhood boys punches her best friend Sal in the stomach. Sal retreats from Miranda’s company, and suddenly she finds that she is all alone. She has to walk past the “crazy guy” on the corner by herself, and she has no one to spend her time with. Quite by chance, soon after she loses Sal, Annemarie’s friendship with Julia goes south, so Miranda and Annemarie start spending time together. Then Colin joins their little duo, and the three children begin to spend their school lunch break working at a local sandwich shop.

   After her first day of “work” Miranda comes home to discover that her apartment door is not locked. Nothing has been stolen, but Miranda finds out that something was left behind – a note. The writer of the note tells Miranda that he or she is “coming to save your friend’s life, and my own.” He or she also asks Miranda to write a letter and to “mention the location of your house key.” The writer talks about a trip and how he or she “will not be myself when I reach you.” What on earth is going on?

    This is only the first of several letters that Miranda finds. They all appear under the most mysterious of circumstances, and what they say makes no sense at all. What does become apparent is that the writer seems to know what is going to happen before it happens. How is this even possible?

   In this extraordinary book, Rebecca Stead takes her readers on an incredible journey into the fantastic. She explores time travel and friendships, and she gives her readers a mystery that is tantalizing, intriguing, thought-provoking, and even magical. Without a superfluity of words, Rebecca Stead’s novel is a powerful tour de force that will leave readers spellbound and perhaps slightly dazed.

   The title won the 2009 Newbery Award.   

The lion and the mouse

Jerry Pinkney

Picture Book

For all ages

Little Brown, 2009, 9780316-01356-7

One morning a mouse, who is very distracted, accidentally runs up the back of a sleeping lion. Needless to say, the lion is not pleased. He could easily eat the little mouse that sits quivering in his paw. Instead, the lion, in an act of compassion, lets the little mouse go.

   Then one day, some hunters set out a trap, which the lion walks right into. Though he is the king of the savannah, the lion cannot free himself from the hunter’s rope net. He is well and truly caught. The little mouse hears the lion’s roar, and she quickly runs to where the lion hangs from a tree, trussed up in the rope net. Though she is just a very little mouse, there is something that she can do to help the great lion, and she gets to work.

   This beautiful retelling of one of Aesop’s most beloved tales will delight readers of all ages. The only words in the book are sound words; squeaks and roars, the hoots of an owl, and the “Putt-Putt-Putt,” of a car engine. Jerry Pinkney perfectly captures the essence of the fable with his gorgeous paintings, which are rich with the golden colors of an African grassland. Readers will have no trouble seeing that this story not only looks at the gift of compassion, but it also highlights the fact that even the smallest and weakest individuals have something valuable to give. The “meek” can truly have something to offer the “mighty.”

A wonderful book about snow

In the last week or so Oregon, where I live, has been hammered by storm after storm. Loud winds have woken me up in the middle of the night, and the mountains around my town are all dusted with snow. Looking at the frost dusted trees as I drink my first cup of coffee in the morning gives me a great deal of pleasure.

Yesterday I read and reviewed a wonderful nonfiction picture book about snow. I was in my local bookshop sipping a latte and reading the book, when a lady came up to me and asked if she could look at the pictures because "they look so beautiful," which they are.

Here is my review:

The story of Snow: The science of Winter’s wonder

Mark Cassino with John Nelson, Ph.D.

Nonfiction picture book

Ages 5 to 7

Chronicle Books, 2009, 0811868664

   This story begins in the clouds, which are mostly made up of air and water (invisible things), and “specks,” which we can see. These specks can be particles of soil, ash, or soot, pollen grains, or even living bacteria. Under the right conditions, water vapor sticks to a “speck” and sticks, forming an icy shell. As more and more layers of vapor stick to the speck, it grows in size until it forms a small ball of ice. This ball of ice eventually turns into a “hexagon-shaped ice crystal,” which grows until is becomes a beautiful, unique snow crystal.

   The snow Crystal can be star-shaped, plate-shaped, or column-shaped, and like humans, leaves, and flowers, no two are alike. When several crystals stick together, they form a snowflake.

   Full of gorgeous pictures of real snowflakes, this wonderful nonfiction picture book will delight children who love the snow. It will also appeal to readers who have an interest in the weather and science. At the back of the book there is a section that will teach readers “How to catch you own snow crystals.”

You can find more books about Snowy Days on the TTLG website.

If you don't feel like going out to borrow or buy this book, you can buy it here on Amazon. Enjoy.

Bad news for outlaws wins the Coretta Scott King Award

'Tis the season for award announcements, and I am happy to tell you that Bad News for Outlaws: The remarkable life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshal won the 2010 Coretta Scott King award. The book would make a great title for children studying the real Wild West and Black History Month. Here is my review:

Bad news for outlaws: The remarkable life of Bass Reeves, Deputy U.S. Marshall

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson

Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

Nonfiction Picture Book

Ages 8 to 10

Lerner, 2009, 0822567644

Bass Reeves was born into slavery in Arkansas in 1838, and he grew up on a plantation in Texas where he took care of the animals, fetched water, and learned how to become a crack shot. Bass was such a favorite with his master, Colonel George Reeves, that his master took Bass with him into battle when the Civil War broke out. During an argument, Bass struck his master, and knowing that this was a death sentence for a slave, Bass ran away to live with Native Americans in Indian Territory.

   When the Civil War was over and he was free, Bass settled down, got married, and he and his wife had children. Bass was happy living in Indian Territory but then the area “became a haven for the West’s most notorious outlaws.” Judge Isaac C. Parker was sent to the territory, and he hired two hundred deputy marshals to help bring law and order back to the land. Bass was one of these deputy marshals, and he took his job very seriously, bringing in the outlaws he was sent to catch without resorting to undue violence. He was incorruptible, determined, and “as honest as the day was long.”

   In this fascinating picture book, Vaunda Micheaux Nelson beautifully tells the story of one of the West’s unsung heroes. Unlike many Wild West legends, this story is true. With gripping accounts of Bass Reeves’ exploits, the author keeps the reader engaged right to the last page.

Here is some information about the author and the illustrator:

About the Author:

Vaunda Micheaux Nelson is the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books for children, including Almost to Freedom, which received 2004 Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor Award. In addition to writing books, she has also been a teacher, newspaper reporter, bookseller, and school librarian. She lives in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

About the Artist:

R. Gregory Christie is an award-winning illustrator of many picture books, including Only Passing Through: The Story of Sojourner Truth and The Palm of My Heart: Poetry by African American Children, for both of which he won Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor Award. His work has also appeared in The New Yorker and on music CD covers. He lives in New York City.

You might also like to visit the website that Lerner Publishing created for the book. Here you will find an author's note, background information, a discussion guide, a podcast with the illustrator, and much more.

Please consider purchasing the book through this blog.