Anniversaries - Louisa May Alcott and C.S. Lewis

On this day in 1832 Louisa May Alcott was born. Louisa May was an American novelist who is best known for her novel Little Women, which is set in the Alcott family home in Massachusetts. Little Women was loosely based on Louisa's childhood experiences with her three sisters, and it was published in 1868. I have reviewed a wonderful biography about Louis May Alcott which is called Beyond Little Women: A Story About Louisa May Alcott and you can also read my reviews of the four Little Women books on the Through the Looking Glass Book Reviews website


Sixty-six years after the birth of Louisa May Alcott, Clive Staples Lewis was born in Ireland on November 29, 1898. Commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was an Irish-born British novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist. He is also known for his fiction, especially The Screwtape Letters, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Space Trilogy.

Lewis was a close friend of J. R. R. Tolkien, and both authors were leading figures in the English faculty at Oxford University and in the informal Oxford literary group known as the "Inklings.” According to his memoir Surprised by Joy, Lewis had been baptized in the Church of Ireland at birth, but fell away from his faith during his adolescence. Owing to the influence of Tolkien and other friends, at the age of 32 Lewis returned to Christianity, becoming "a very ordinary layman of the Church of England.” His conversion had a profound effect on his work, and his wartime radio broadcasts on the subject of Christianity brought him wide acclaim.

In 1956, he married the American writer Joy Gresham, 17 years his junior, who died four years later of cancer at the age of 45.

Lewis died three years after his wife, as the result of renal failure. His death came one week before his 65th birthday. Media coverage of his death was minimal, as he died on 22 November 1963 – the same day that U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the same day another famous author, Aldous Huxley, died.

Lewis's works have been translated into more than 30 languages and have sold millions of copies. The books that make up The Chronicles of Narnia have sold the most and have been popularized on stage, TV, radio and cinema.

Poetry Friday - A review of Soup for Breakfast

This Friday I have a review of a book that is full of poems that are unique and often deliciously funny. 

Soup for breakfast

Calef Brown

Poetry

For ages 5 to 8

Houghton Mifflin, 2008, 978-0-618-91641-2

   For most of us, breakfast foods are pancakes, waffles, toast, croissants, bagels, or cereal. We definitely don’t consider cream of broccoli soup to be a breakfast food. However, a poem in this book introduces us to someone who “is not a fan,” of traditional breakfast foods. This person starts the day with soup, and what a “morning treat it is.”

   If you think this is odd, then prepare yourself for more. This book is full of poems about deliciously strange people. For example, there is a poem about Grandpa’s mustache. Actually, his mustache is not a mustache at all, it is nose hair that has grown incredibly long. It is so long that people don’t realize what it really is.

   Further along in the book, we meet an artist who uses a very peculiar medium; he paints on toast. After priming the toast with butter, the artist uses blueberry jam to create a “beautiful sky” that is dotted with cream cheese clouds. What other foods will this artist use to complete his painting?

   In this wonderful collection of poems, Calef Brown explores the ordinary and the downright peculiar, giving his readers a unique poetical experience. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving

An interview with Andy Stanton, the creator of the Mr. Gum books

Though Mr. Gum has not yet taken America by storm, he has become something of a celebrity with young readers in the U.K. Mr. Gum was created by Andy Stanton - who was the inaugural winner of the prestigious Roald Dahl award in 2008. Sales of the Mr Gum books have now reached in excess of 870,000 copies  in Britain alone, and translation rights for Mr Gum have been sold in 27 languages around the globe. Mr Gum’s list of awards is as long as his scabby arm. To date he has won the Blue Peter Award for Most Fun Book With Pictures, the inaugural Roald Dahl Funny Prize, the Fantastic Book Award, and he has been nominated for the the Guardian Children’s Book Prize and the NIBBIES Children’s Book of the Year.


This is a description of the first Mr. Gum book, You're a bad man Mr. Gum!
Weird, wacky and one in a million! Mr Gum is a truly nasty old man. He's absolutely grimsters. But this book's not just about him. There's also a little girl called Polly, an evil butcher, heroes and sweets and stuff, and Jake the dog WHO MUST BE SAVED FROM TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE EVIL. 


Here is an interview with the Andy Stanton. He tells us about the latest Mr. Gum title, Mr. Gum and the secret Hideout. 

Vote for Jumpstart!

Here is a letter that I got from Jumpstart that I would like to share with you.

Dear Marya,

Our very good friends at MetLife Foundation are celebrating Thanksgiving this year by donating $500,000 as part of their “Thanksgiving Charity Score” initiative! Jumpstart has been chosen to participate as one of four charities to receive up to $175,000!

The charity that gets the most votes from the general public over the course of the initiative will get 1st place and so on through 4th place. The $500,000 will be donated as follows: 1st place: $175,000, 2nd place $125,000, 3rd and 4th places $100,000.

Help us win $175,000 by voting for us once per day through Sunday, November 28, and donating your Facebook status to Jumpstart during this week of thanks. More votes for Jumpstart means more of the $500,000 donation will support our programs nationwide, helping children in low-income neighborhoods get the quality education they deserve. We can win up to $175K, but we can only do it with your vote!

Thank you!

How to vote and donate your status:

1.) Vote every day for Jumpstart here!

2.) Donate your status on Facebook to Jumpstart! Simply copy and paste the following as your status to help spread the word to your network. Change it every day if you’d like!

I’m donating my status to Jumpstart to let my Facebook network know that early education is important to me. I voted for Jumpstart at www.metlife.com/thanksgiving to receive $175K from MetLife Foundation! I’m thankful for my education and know how critical Jumpstart’s work is with preschool children in low-income neighborhoods nationwide. Join me – vote and paste this message as your status until 11/28.

Bookish Calendar: The anniversary of Blackbeard's death

On this day in 1718-  Edward Teach, who was better known as Blackbeard - was killed. Tired of being terrorized by Blackbeard and his men, the Governor of Virginia, Alexander Spotswood, put together a party of soldiers and sailors, and he gave them the job of finding Blackbeard. This they did off the coast of North Carolina, and after a fierce battle, Blackbeard was finally killed.
   Like so many other people, I find myself drawn to stories about pirates and their adventures. Over the years I have reviewed many books about pirates, and several of them are about Blackbeard, the man who many consider to be the most famous pirate of them all. You will find my Blackbeard feature here on the TTLG website.

Poetry Friday - A review of Poems in Black and White

At this time of year in Oregon, there is an abundance of brilliant color all around. There are the yellow, gold, and red leaves on the trees, orange pumpkins that get turned into pies and soup, and glowing red, yellow, orange, and purple chrysanthemums sitting in pots. For today's Poetry Friday title, I have chosen to review a poetry collection in which the poet looks at the world through eyes that see only in black and white.

Poems in black and white

Kate Miller

Poetry Picture Book

Ages 8 to 12

Boyds Mills Press, 2007, 978-1-59078-412-9

   We live in a world that is full of color, so much color in fact that there are times when we miss noticing the amazing things around us that are black and white. Though the richness of color is missing, the sharp contrasts that you see with black and white images can be very striking and memorable.

   For this picture book, Kate Miller has created seventeen poems that look at black and white scenes or images. She begins with the black prints of a baby’s feet on a piece of white paper. There are “two tapered soles / of elfin size” on the paper that are only a few minutes old, but that are already “adventure bound.”

   We also visit Miss Fitzgibbon’s blackboard, which is covered with math problems, the names of the planets, reminders, and other notes. On the board we see the “outlines of / A blackboard memory / Preserved in molecules of chalk.”

   Then there is a portrait of “my mother’s hair,” which is “satin black / except for one small / patch of white.” As she looks at that little patch of white, she can imagine what her mother will look like when she is no longer young.

   With beautiful black and white illustrations to accompany each poem, Kate Miller gives her readers a very special poetical treat. 

The winner of the 2010 National book Award for Young People's Literature is announced

Mockingbird, written by Kathryn Erskine, is the winner of the 2010 National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Here is a summary of the book from the publisher. I will be reviewing the book myself very soon

In Caitlin's world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That's the stuff Caitlin's older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon's dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger's, she doesn't know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.

Kathryn Erskine has written a must-read gem, one of the most moving novels of the year.

Calling all Magic Tree House fans! There is a new website to explore.

RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S BOOKS LAUNCHES

ALL-NEW MAGICTREEHOUSE.COM, THE OFFICIAL WEB SITE

FOR THE BESTSELLING MAGIC TREE HOUSE SERIES

The Comprehensive New Web Site Is Soon to Be a Favorite Destination

Among Young Readers, Educators, and Parents

(November 10, 2010, New York, NY)—Random House Children’s Books (www.randomhouse.com/kids) is thrilled to announce the launch of the all-new www.MagicTreeHouse.com, the online home for Mary Pope Osborne’s Magic Tree House series. For nearly 20 years Mary Pope Osborne’s bestselling and internationally beloved series about a brother and sister who travel through time has been trusted by parents and educators for its ability to simultaneously educate and entertain young readers. Brimming with engaging and interactive features for audiences of all ages, the site adds an exciting and enriching dimension to the Magic Tree House reading experience.

A lively animated intro leads visitors to the home page, which features a bookshelf where children can view the full series, read excerpts, and create a personal wish list. The site features a fun and educational new game, Magic Tree House Missions, in which children join characters Jack and Annie as they travel through time and collect clues to solve puzzles and complete missions. The game features more than 60 unique missions and over 250 trivia questions based on facts found in the books. Children can also sign up to receive personalized Tree House Mail from Jack and Annie, and send and receive messages from author Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce, co-author of the nonfiction companion Research Guides.

Additionally, the On Stage section of the Web site lets visitors explore the ways they can see the book series come to life through live dramatic performance. Fans can learn more about Magic Tree House: The Musical, a live musical adaptation of the series; Passport to Reading: A Magic Tree House Live Event, a touring events program that will bring Jack and Annie’s adventures to bookstores throughout the U.S.; Magic Tree House: Space Mission, the world’s only full dome planetarium show based on the series—and more.

Educators will soon discover MagicTreeHouse.com to be a favored destination of their own. The redesigned Teachers Club offers a wide array of resources, including lesson plans and 100 printable activities to help teachers incorporate the series into their curriculum. In addition, the Classroom Idea Forum is a new feature that enables teachers to chat and share ideas. Parents will also enjoy access to activities that they can do with their children and a calendar of upcoming Magic Tree House events. They will also be able to track their child’s wish list.

 “Mary Pope Osborne is one of the most beloved children’s authors of our time and it is a joy for me to witness the hugely positive influences her books have had on young readers around the world. I am delighted that the quintessential Magic Tree House experience of adventure and imagination can now be enjoyed and experienced in a whole new way,” says Mallory Loehr, Vice President, Editor-in-Chief, Random House Books for Young Readers.

Random House Children’s Books collaborated with Cricket Moon Media to create MagicTreeHouse.com. Magic Tree House fans can also enjoy the series on Facebook at Facebook.com/MagicTreeHouse, and on Twitter at Twitter.com/RandomHouseKids.

About Magic Tree House

Mary Pope Osborne’s celebrated Magic Tree House series has sold 70 million copies in North America and has been translated into 28 different languages in 31 countries. First published in 1992, the series continues to be widely regarded among children, teachers, and parents alike for its power to instill a passion for reading. With the recent launch of the entire Magic Tree House series in e-book form (June 2010), the series is available in the now-customary three platforms—print, audio, and digital.

Random House Children’s Books is the world’s largest English-language children’s trade book publisher. Creating books for toddlers through young adult readers, in all formats from board books to activity books to picture books, novels, and e-books, the imprints of Random House Children’s Books bring together award-winning authors and illustrators, world-famous franchise characters, and multimillion-copy series. The company’s Web site Kids @ Random (www.randomhouse.com/kids) offers an array of activities, games, and resources for children, teens, parents, and educators. Random House Children’s Books is a division of Random House, Inc., whose parent company is Bertelsmann AG, a leading international media company.

A letter from Joyce Sidman, poet extraordinaire

A few weeks ago I reviewed a book of poetry called This is just to say. The book was so unusual and interesting that I asked the author, Joyce Sidman, to tell me about how the book came to be written. I know what it is like to turn an idea into a story for a picture book, but how does one go about about writing a collection of poems? This is Joyce's response to my questions.

Dear Marya:
In addition to writing, I work part time in Minnesota schools as a writer-in-residence.  My job is to introduce elementary-aged students to poetry writing in an intense, one-week period—in which we play with metaphor, use sensory details, and look at the world with a poet’s eyes.  We also sometimes look back into our own sordid pasts.
   This Is Just To Say began with a poem I wrote with a room full of fourth graders. The lesson for the day was “apology poems” based on W.C. Williams’ poem “This Is Just to Say.”  We’d read and talked about the poem, and I was leading them into writing a group poem by talking about an incident from my childhood: breaking a tiny glass deer that my mother put out at Christmastime—and expressly forbade us children to touch.  Together, we re-imagined that long-ago sequence of events: irresistible temptation, clumsiness, abd disaster.  The worst, I told them, was when my mother started to cry.  The students helped me explore and write down all those feelings on the board in the form of an apology poem called “The Glass Deer”.  Then, as they began writing their own poems, one of the boys piped up: “So, are you going to send that poem to your mother?  You know, to apologize?” 

   I felt a brief clutch of child-like terror.  Had I even told her I’d done it, all those years ago?  Did I really want to bring it up again?  But I swallowed my pride, and I sent it to her; I felt I owed it to my students.  And she wrote me back a lovely letter about how she'd felt all those years ago, and what made her cry (losing a bit of her childhood). 

   This incident made me think about apology and forgiveness, how one deserves the other.  Wouldn’t it be wonderful, I thought, if apology poems could be answered?  Wouldn’t it be great if a whole classroom of children wrote poems and then got responses to them? 

   Once I sat down to write, This Is Just To Say poured out of me in a way that few books have. The characters in this book spoke for themselves, but they also spoke for me, for my heart.  There was so much to apologize for!  The goodies I’d filched; the stupid, thoughtless things I’d done; the feelings I’d hurt.  My students’ voices echoed in my head as well: children who’d felt sorrow over minor transgressions, as well as helplessness in the face of tragic events. One of poetry’s goals is to unbundle the heart and let it expand, and believe me, I did a lot of unbundling! The forgiveness poems were just as rewarding.  In a perfect world, apology and forgiveness should go hand in hand.  This may not always happen in real life, but it was deeply satisfying to create a world in which it does.

Thank you so much Joyce. You can find out more about Joyce and her books on her website.