Happy Passover

Happy Passover and best wishes from Through the Looking Glass Book Review

You can view the books I have reviewed about Passover on the Through the Looking Glass Passover feature page.

A review for Women's History Month - Fannie Farmer cooks up a storm

I read the book reviewed below many years ago, and yet I still remember it with great fondness. Reading the book reminded me that women have brought about change in many ways. Some have done so in big ways that made them front page news, like Amelia Earhart example. Then there are those women who have brought about change in big but quiet ways, like Fannie Farmer. I grew up with a Fannie Farmer cookbook and made my first very flat cake (I forgot to put in something vital) using one of her recipes. I know that when my daughter is ready is strike out on her own, I will give her (among other things) a set of basic tools in a tool box, a sewing kit, some wonderful fabrics for making cushions and curtains, a set of Jane Austen novels, and a Fannie Farmer cookbook.

Fannie in the Kitchen

Deborah Hopkinson

Pictures by Nancy Carpenter

Picture Book

Ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2001, 0-689-81965-X

   Marcia is most annoyed. Her mother has told her that they are getting a new cook, someone who will be “mother’s helper.” Why should they need such a person when Marcia herself is her mother’s helper? Marcia sincerely hopes, therefore, that the new cook, Fannie Farmer, is going to be terrible. No such luck though. Fannie is an excellent cook, and she is soon teaching Marci some of her kitchen wisdom. It must be noted however that Marci does not always succeed in her culinary exploits and there are some food disasters which Fannie has to help her sort out.

   Not surprisingly Marcia finds herself getting very fond of Fannie, and since her mother is so busy with the new baby, the little girl spends a lot of time in the kitchen, watching and learning. Marcia wishes very much that she knew all of the wonderful cooking secrets that lie in Fannie’s head. When she tells Fannie this, the red-headed cooking wonder comes up with the idea of writing down all the things she knows in a book; the secrets, the tips, the recipes.

   Soon word gets around about the book that Fannie has created, and everyone wants to use it, not just Marcia. It would seem that Fannie Farmer has something very special to offer the world.

   Deborah Hopkinson has created a delicious story about a woman who changed the way thousands of women cook. Fannie made it possible for just about anyone to learn how to cook by developing the first real recipes with exact measurements of ingredients. Her book is still widely used today by cooks of all ages.

   At the back of the book the author gives us a more detailed biography of Fannie and she includes one of Fannie’s famous recipes.

   With great creativity the illustrator combines eighteenth century engravings and her own pen and ink and watercolor illustrations to create one of a kind artwork that gives the reader a sense of the times and that is visually intriguing and unique.

An Anniversary - Harry Houdini's Birthday

On this day in 1874 a very singular person came into the world. His name was Erik Weiss, but when he was a young man he took on a different name, a name that he felt would better suit his career as a performer; he called himself Harry Houdini.

Houdini began his career as a magician, but he soon focused his energies on developing exciting escape acts. He broke out of handcuffs, jumped off bridges with chains wrapped around him, and he was even able to escape from a milk can full of water. No one knew how he did these amazing feats, and he was soon famous all around the world.

I have reviewed a selection of books about Houdini, which you can view here on the TLLG website. I particularly liked The Houdini Box by Brian Selznick. In this title, Selznick beautifully combines fact and fiction to give readers a story that is both fascinating and thought provoking.

For young readers who like a good mystery there are the Houdini and Nate Mysteries. In these titles, a young boy - with Harry Houdini's help - solves some thrilling and often dangerous mysteries.

Hans Christian Andersen Award winners and IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award winners are announced

The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) Names

David Almond and Jutta Bauer 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award Winners

Bologna, Italy...The Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), has announced thatDavid Almond, from the United Kingdom is the winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Author Award and that Jutta Bauer, from Germany is the winner of the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Illustrator Award. The announcement was made at the Bologna International Children's Book Fair, and the Andersen medals and diplomas will be presented to the winners on Saturday, 11 September 2010 at the international IBBY congress in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is the highest international recognition given to an author and an illustrator of children's books. In awarding the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for writing to David Almond, the jury has recognized the unique voice of a creator of magic realism for children. Almond captures his young readers' imagination and motivates them to read, think and be critical.  His use of language is sophisticated and reaches across the ages. 

The 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Medal for illustration recognizes Jutta Bauer as a powerful narrator who blends real life with legend through her pictures.  The jury admired her philosophical approach, originality, creativity as well as her ability to communicate with young readers.

David Almond was selected from 28 authors for the award. The four finalists were: Ahmad Reza Ahmadi from Iran, Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros from Brazil, Lennart Hellsing from Sweden and Louis Jensen from Denmark.

Jutta Bauer was selected from 27 illustrators nominated. The four finalists were Carll Cneut from Belgium, Etienne Delessert from Switzerland, Svjetlan Junakovic from Croatia and Roger Mello from Brazil. The full list of candidates can be read at www.ibby.org.

The ten members of the 2010 Jury, led by Jury President Zohreh Ghaeni from Iran, met in Basel, Switzerland on 13 and 14 March 2010.  The Jury of children's literature experts comprised Ernest Bond (USA), Karen Coeman (Mexico), Nadia El Kholy (Egypt), Maria Jesus Gil (Spain), Jan Hansson (Sweden), Annemie Leysen (Belgium), Darja Mazi-Leskovar (Slovenia), Alicia Salvi (Argentina), Helene Schar (Switzerland) and Regina Zilberman (Brazil). Elda Nogueira from Brazil representing IBBY and Liz Page as Jury Secretary attended the meeting ex officio.

The Hans Christian Andersen Award is considered the most prestigious in international children's literature, is given biennially by IBBY to a living author and illustrator whose complete works are judged to have made lasting contributions to children's literature. Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II of Denmark is the Patron of the Andersen Awards.  The Author's Award has been given since 1956 and the Illustrator's Award since 1966. Nami Island Inc. is the sponsor of the Hans Christian Andersen Awards. Information, including a history of the awards is available at www.ibby.org.

Winners of IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Award Announced

2010 Marks Twentieth Anniversary

March 23, Bologna, Italy...The International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) today announced the winners of the 2010 IBBY-Asahi Reading Promotion Awards. This is the 20^th Anniversary of the award given by IBBY and the Asahi Shimbun newspaper company for international projects run by groups or institutions judged to be making a lasting contribution to reading for young people. The Award is given every other year to two organizations. The 2010 winners are The Osu Children's Library Fund, Ghana, http://www.osuchildrenslibraryfun d.ca, and Convenio de Cooperacion al Plan de Lectura, Medellin, Colombia, http://bit.ly/9kSlvg.

Each will receive $10,000 US, which will be presented at the 32^nd IBBY Congress in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, at a special event on September 10th. The Osu Children's Library Fund (OCLF) consists of two teams one in Canada and the other in Africa--that share the mission of bringing books and literacy skills to African children and adults. OCLF works at the grassroots level, seeking support and participation of elders and members of the host community.

Convenio de Cooperacion al Plan de Lectura is a non-profit organization that encourages reading and literary creation by means of awareness, training and research programs, including workshops, storytelling and sessions with authors and illustrators. 

Other nominees were:

• Alola Literacy & Reading Programme, Dili, Timor-Leste
• Indigenous Children's Literature Writers' Meeting, Brazil
• Visible Readings for Invisible Children, Medell~n, Colombia
• Room to Read, USA
• Kamishibai - To build a culture of peace in the world, Japan
• Justita Arenas Reading Room, Mexico City, Mexico
• Mama, Tata & ...Myself Campaign, Nowa Iwiczna, Poland
• Roma People, invited to the library, Metlika, Slovenia
• White Elephant / Domrei Sor, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• Akili Trust, Kenya

Members of the 2010 jury are Jury President Hannelore Daubert (Germany), Anastasia Arkhipova (Russia), Nikki Gamble (Great Britain), Jehan Helou (Palestine), Ahmad Redza Khairuddin (Malaysia) and James Tumusiime (Uganda).

The International Board on Books for Young People, www.ibby.org, is a non-profit organization which represents an international network of people from all over the world committed to bringing books and children together.

A review for Youth Art Month

March is Youth Art Month, and in honor of this I am reviewing a number of titles about art, artists, and art history. Today I have a review of a book that quite frankly blew me away. This is one of those picture books that will resonate with adults as well as children. I recently started drawing with pen and ink and am now adding color to my pictures, so I found this book particularly pertinent to my art journey.

I am an artist

Pat Lowery Collins

Illustrated by Robin Brickman

Picture Book

Ages 6 and up

Lerner, 1992, 978-1-56294-729-3

    Some people think that an artist is simply someone who can paint, or draw, or sculpt; that an artist is someone who creates. This is true of course, but an artist is also someone who sees the little things that many of us miss. An artist sees the big picture when the rest of us are too busy to notice what is going on around us. An artist is someone who can imagine and think outside the box.

   In this gorgeous and thought provoking book the author’s simple lyrical words and the illustrator’s beautiful illustrations combine to show readers of all ages that being an artist is about observing, exploring, using your imagination, and letting yourself enjoy each moment to the fullest. In a world where so much emphasis is placed on finishing a project, this book embraces the whole art making experience, highlighting the fact that being an artist is not just about the doing, but it is also about experiencing the doing.

Please consider purchasing this book through this blog to help support our work. You can do this by using the Amazon box to the left of this post.

Free digital children's books from Barefoot Books

Bestselling Children’s Book Makes Digital Debut

Free Animated Video of The Animal Boogie Available at www.barefootbooks.com

Starting today, children and families can sing along with creatures of the Indian jungle in a free animated video of The Animal Boogie.  One of Barefoot Books’ bestselling books, with more than a million copies sold, The Animal Boogie introduces children to the creatures of the Indian jungle with an adaptation of a popular playground song. The book has garnered many awards and has received praise for the inclusive way in which it speaks to children with disabilities.

The Animal Boogie, illustrated by Debbie Harter, whose endearing pictures also appear in the popular Barefoot Books Bear series, was first published by Barefoot Books in 2000. It has become a classroom favorite, used by teachers across the world to bring early learning to life through music and movement. The book has been a particular hit in south-east Asia, where it is widely used to teach children English. 

“We are excited to give children the chance to watch the characters in The Animal Boogiebrought to life in a new way. Everyone who hears the song can’t help but get up and dance; with the video, we’d like to get even more families on their feet,” said Barefoot Books Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, Tessa Strickland.

The Animal Boogie is the second in a series of digital videos created by Barefoot Books. The first, Driving My Tractor, (http://www.barefootbooks.com/driving_my_tractor_video), sung by award-winning children’s performer Steve Songs, was launched in Autumn 2009 to wide acclaim. More popular Barefoot Books stories will be available in digital video format in the coming months.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Hans Christian Andersen Award Shortlist is announced

The Hans Christian Andersen Award Jury of the International Board on

Books for Young People (IBBY) announces the 2010 Shortlist

Five authors and five illustrators have been selected from 55 candidates submitted by 32 national sections of IBBY for the 2010 Hans Christian Andersen Award. The award, considered the most prestigious in international children’s literature, is given biennially by the International Board on Books for Young People to a living author and illustrator whose complete works have made lasting contributions to children's literature. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, March 23^rd at the Bologna Children's Book Fair. The five short-listed authors in alphabetical order are:

-       Ahmad Reza Ahmadi from Iran

-       David Almond from the United Kingdom

-       Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros from Brazil

-       Lennart Hellsing from Sweden

-       Louis Jensen from Denmark

Ahmad Reza Ahmadi's fascinating short stories speak poetically about humanity, love, nature and peace for children and young adults.  David Almond's works are deeply philosophical novels that appeal to children and adults alike, and encourage readers by his use of magic realism. Bartolomeu Campos de Queiros as an author of poetic prose and playful poetry is highly admired for his commitment to beauty and art.  Lennart Hellsing is an outstanding poet, who shares the pleasure of language through his mastery of rhythm, word games and invented words.  Louis Jensen is a powerful storyteller and entertainer who combines magic and reality.

The five short-listed illustrators in alphabetical order are:

-       Jutta Bauer from Germany

-       Carll Cneut from Belgium

-       Etienne Delessert from Switzerland

-       Svjetlan Junakovic from Croatia

-       Roger Mello from Brazil

Jutta Bauer creates a harmony between the verbal and visual language, using a philosophical approach in her originality and creativity.  Carll Cneut's amazing works powerfully narrate stories in his highly recognizable visual language. As a pioneer of modern picture books, Etienne Delessert's impact on many great illustrators around the world can be recognized.  His blending of magic and realism, grotesque and close-ups, has created a distinctive style. Svjetlan Junakovic presents beautiful compositions that are expressive and emotional, while at the same time playful, imaginative and evocative. Roger Mello's world is a rich spectrum of techniques, imagination, colour and inspiration that is considered innovative, fascinating and intriguing.

A full list of candidates can be found at www.ibby.org.

The ten members of the 2010 Jury were led by Jury President Zohreh Ghaeni from Iran. They are: Ernest Bond (USA), Karen Coeman (Mexico), Nadia El Kholy (Egypt), Maria Jesus Gil (Spain), Jan Hansson (Sweden), Annemie Leysen (Belgium), Darja Mezi-Leskovar (Slovenia), Alicia Salvi (Argentina), Helene Schar (Switzerland) and Regina Zilberman (Brazil). Elda Nogueira from Brazil represented IBBY and Liz Page acted as Jury Secretary.

Saint Patrick's Day Books

I grew up on an island in the Mediterranean where there were very few Irish people, or people of Irish decent for that matter, so (alas and alack) I did not really get to enjoy a St. Patrick's Day while I was growing up. After I left university I spent a summer in Dublin and grew very fond of the Irish people, their beautiful country, and their interesting history. I did not grow to love the damp Irish weather however. Then, when I moved to the U.S. I finally got to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, getting into the swing of things by donning green clothes, drinking green beer, and even baking Irish soda bread.

Since I started reviewing books I have come across a wonderful variety of children's books about Ireland and about St. Patrick's Day. You can look at the books I have reviewed in the Through the Looking Glass Saint Patrick's Day feature.  There are a variety of books in the collection for readers of all kinds. One in particular that I enjoyed was S is for Shamrock: An Ireland Alphabet. This is one of several alphabet books published by Sleeping Bear Press. It is the kind of book readers of almost any age - except the very young perhaps - can enjoy. Children (and adults) who read this book will find out many things about Ireland and about the Irish people.

A review for Women's History Month and Youth Art Month

I found this book on my shelf this week and thought it would be a perfect fit both for Women's History Month and Youth Art Month. Enjoy!

Mary Cassatt: Impressionist Painter

Lois V. Harris

Nonfiction Picture Book

Ages 6 to 8

Pelican, 2007, 978-1-589-804-524

   When Mary Cassatt was still a young girl, she very much wanted to be a painter. Her parents, wanting to encourage their artistically inclined daughter, arranged for Mary to have art lessons. Little did they realize that their daughter intended to make a career for herself as a painter. At this time, in the 1800’s, very few women were professional artists, and Mary had to be very persuasive to get her parents to let her go to art school.

   After attending art school in Philadelphia for two years, Mary began to pester her parents to let her go to Europe to continue her studies. Her father was against the idea, but Mary’s mother thought that Mary should be allowed to go, and Mary was able to travel around France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium studying the works of the old masters.

   Back in Paris, one of Mary’s paintings was chosen to be shown at the Salon, a very prestigious art show. The career she had dreamed about was beginning at last.

   This beautifully presented picture book not only tells the story of Mary Cassatt’s life, but it also shows young readers how Mary was influenced by the French painters that she met. Readers will discover how Mary came to love the impressionist style of painting, and how she developed a style that bridged the old styles of painting and the new. Throughout the book, there are reproductions of art works that were created by Mary Cassatt and her contemporaries.