Poetry Friday - A review of A Stick is an Excellent Thing

When I was a kid my parents had a hard time getting me to come indoors. As long as it wasn't blistering hot or pouring with rain, I preferred to be outside. These days many kids have to be pushed to go outside. Too many of them prefer to be entertained than to entertain themselves. Today's book celebrates the many ways in which children can and do spend their time when they are outdoors. The author shows to great effect that outdoor play is magical and wonderful.

A Stick is an Excellent Thing: Poems Celebrating OutdoorPlay

Marilyn Singer

Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 7 to 10

Clarion Books, 2012, 978-0-547-12493-3

Many children associate the word “playing” with TV screens, computer monitors, and hand held gaming devices. They no longer equate playing with being outdoors. Thankfully, many people, including parents and teachers, are eager to get children outside again so that they can have a more active lifestyle that encourages them to interact with other children.

   In this splendid collection of poems Marilyn Singer celebrates a wide variety of outdoor activities. Some of the poems describe are games such as hopscotch and monkey in the middl;e. In the poem Hide-And-Seek we hear from the hider, who stands “here oh so still” pretending that he is in Brazil “where lots of birds fly free.” Then we hear from the little girl seeker who is convinced that the hider hasn’t “got a prayer” because she’s “just too good at seeking.”

   Other poems look at doings that are less ordered and more free-flowing. Playing in the sprinkler is just such an activity. We see how children use their imaginations so that a stick can be a scepter or a magic wand. Even a bucket can be the center of interest when becomes a pot for making soup. Children toss grass, stones, mud, cheese, a celery stalk, an old cigar, and a piece of chalk into the pot, give it a stir, and “then throw it out and start again.”

   With wonderful poems that are paired with vibrant illustrations, this book perfectly captures the joy that children experience when they spend time outdoors playing in the sun or under the stars.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Red Kite, Blue Kite

Telling the story of a terrible time or experience is not easy, especially when you want to tell the story to young children. In today's picture book the author gives children a sense of what it was like to be a little child during China's Cultural Revolution. Often moments in the account are sad, but hope is always there and that hope makes this a powerful, memorable, and beautiful book.

Red Kite, Blue Kite

Ji-li Jiang

Illustrated by Greg Ruth

Picture Book

For ages 7 to 9

Hyperion, 2013, 978-142312753-6

One of Tai Shan’s favorite things to do is to go to the “tippy-top” of the roof of his house with his Baba to fly kites. Tai Shan’s kite is a small red one, and his father’s is a big blue one. As they fly their kites together Baba tells his son stories, stories that make their time together on the roof particularly special. Up there flying his kite Tai Shan feels as free as the kite that is flying above his head.

   Then “a bad time” comes and Tai Shan’s life is turned upside down. Schools are closed and Baba is sent to work at a labor camp. Since Tai Shan’s mother died when Tai Shan was born, the little boy is sent to stay in a village with a farmer called Granny Wang. Though Granny Wang is kind to Tai Shan, the little boy misses his father whom he sees only one day a week, on Sunday. Every Sunday Baba walks for miles from his camp to the village where Tai Shan is living, and on this one day the father and son fly their kites as they used to do.

   Then one day Tai Shan’s father tells his son that he will not be able to visit for a while. To stay connected to his son Tai Shan’s father comes up with a plan. Tai Shan should fly his red kite every morning, and his father will fly his blue kite every sunset. Their kites will be their own private “secret signal.”

   Day after day the two kites send their messages of love to Tai Shan and his Baba even though they are miles apart. Then one day Baba’s blue kite does not appear.

   Based on a true story about a boy and his father during China’s Cultural Revolution, this evocative picture book beautifully captures the power that hope can have on people during hard times. At such times, small things, like red and blue kites, come to represent something precious.

   With a memorable story and lovely illustrations, this picture book gives readers an experience that they will remember long after the last page is read. 

Happy Easter!

A Very Happy Easter To You All

Poetry Friday - A review of Vherses: A celebration of outstanding women

Women's History Month, which is celebrated in the United States every March,  is wrapping up in just a few days, so I thought that I would offer you a poetry book today that commemorates the lives and achievements of fourteen extraordinary women. Any reader over the age of eight will gain something from reading this title.

Vherses: A celebration of outstanding women

J. Patrick Lewis

Illustrated by Mark Summers

Poetry Picture Bok                               

For ages 8 and up

Creative Editions, 2005, 1-56846-185-2

For hundreds of years women lived restricted lives. A male dominated society dictated what women could or could not do, and the could nots greatly outweighed the coulds. Of course, some women chose to challenge the system, and in the eighteen hundreds more and more women dared to do things that were considered unsuitable for the gentler sex.

   In this splendid collection of poems J. Patrick Lewis celebrates the lives of fourteen women who chose to do something meaningful and sometimes controversial with their lives. The first poem is about Emily Dickinson, a woman who wrote poetry that was unusual and unconventional, who had the courage to be true to herself. Emily had her own voice and style, choosing “to weave a word,” and living a quiet life that was full of solitude and reflection.

   Georgia O’Keefe and Martha Graham also chose to find their own ways to express the creativity that lay in their souls. Georgia created paintings whose unique colors and themes startled people. Martha Graham dared to dance in a different way, focusing on “excitement and surge,” rather than beauty and elegance.

   Then there are the women who had a different sort of courage. Eleanor Roosevelt “the great first lady” who “Looked fear in the face,” championed the poor, the disenfranchised, and the downtrodden. Fannie Lou Hamer also chose to speak out. In her case she fought for the rights of America’s African American citizens, defending their right to vote and their right to freedom.

   In a similar way, Rachel Carson chose to speak for Nature, whose voice was being ignored. Her “little book,” which was called Silent Spring, helped people to understand that humans cannot take nature for granted, and that they need to care for and conserve our beautiful and wild places and our natural resources.

  J. Patrick Lewis also celebrates the lives of women who pushed their courage and bodies to new heights. Amelia Earhart dared to be the first women to fly solo across the Atlantic and pushed on even when her altimeter failed and when her plane’s wings “were icing over.” Gertrude Ederle also had to overcome appalling conditions when she swam the English Channel and made the fastest crossing made “By woman or by man.”

   Throughout this book, beautiful poetry and lovely art is paired with short descriptions of the lives of the fourteen women mentioned. The collection will touch, inspire, and appeal to readers of all ages.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Oh! If Only...

I don't want to tell you have many times I have said "If only..." to myself or to others. Regret is hard to dodge or avoid. It sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Most of the time it is a useless feeling to have. In today's picture book Micheal Foreman tells the story of one boy's "If only..." moment, and in this case at least it is a funny moment, a moment that will put a smile on every reader's face.

Oh! If only…

Michael Foreman

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Andersen Press USA, 2013, 978-1-4677-1213-2

Sometimes bad things happen, and when we look back on the events that led to the bad thing happening we wish “If only…” If only we’d remembered to water the plant so that it hadn’t wilted and died. If only we had taken our medicine when the doctor told us to so that we hadn’t got sick again. Life is full of if onlys, but for most people not many them end up being that dramatic.

   In this story you are going to meet a boy whose If Only experience ends up getting him in terrible trouble. One day he goes out and meets a dog who is carrying a little red ball. The dog clearly wants the boy to play with him, and so the boy starts kicking the ball up in the air. Unfortunately, the boy is not very good at soccer and so the ball bounces down the hill, it frightens an old lady’s cats, which frighten some birds, which spook some horses that are walking in a parade. The spooked horses cause such as kerfuffle that the big parade is “wrecked.” What a mess! The problem is that this is not the end of the story. More chaos ensues and the boy’s situation gets worse and worse. And worse.

   Children are going to enjoy this very unusual picture book. They are going to laugh at the scenes that unfold, and they will wonder what is going to happen next. They will surely be surprised when they come to the last page and find out that the ending is, well, rather surprising.

Poetry Friday - A review of Poetry for Young People:Robert Frost

On March 26, 1874, Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California. Since the 26th is only a few days away, I thought I would share a wonderful collection of his poems with you today.

Poetry for young people: Robert Frost

Edited by Gary D. Schmidt

Illustrated by Henri Sorensen

Poetry

For ages 9 and up

Sterling, 2008, 978-1-4027-5475-3

Robert Frost and his poems are often associated with New England, snow, stone walls, and white birches. What many people don’t know is that he did not start life living in this part of the United States. Robert was born in San Francisco and lived in California until his father died in 1885. Not having any money, Robert’s mother moved her family to Massachusetts, where she lived with her father-in-law for a while. Then she managed to get a teaching job in Salem, New Hampshire. A teacher’s pay was not enough to provide for three people, so Robert worked at a cobbler’s shop where he nailed heels onto boots.

Robert did well in school, and was delighted when his grandfather made it possible for him to attend Laurence High School. Robert did very well there and was able to get into Dartmouth College, which was something his grandfather wanted. However, Robert was not interested in attending college and he dropped out. What Robert did want to do was to write poetry, and this is what he did when he wasn’t working. Though he dreamed of being a recognized poet, he never imagined, back in those early days, that one day he would win awards and would read one of his poems at a presidential inauguration ceremony. What was it about Robert’s poems that made them so popular during his lifetime and beyond?

In this superb collection some of Robert Frost’s most beloved poems are brought together so that young (and not so young) readers can see for themselves why his poems are liked by so many people around the world. The poems are divided up into four sections, one section for each of the seasons, and we begin with summer. Many of the poems celebrate country life and nature. In The Pasture, the narrator invites us to “come too” when he goes to clean the pasture spring, and when he fetches a little calf. In another poem he takes us out into a hayfield where he is turning the drying grass that has been cut for hay. The job is a tedious one until the worker’s eye catches the movement of a butterfly. The little insect shows the worker something special and they are united in that moment.

On the section of Autumn poems, we hear from a little bluebird who leaves a message for a girl called Lesley. The bluebird has felt the cold touch of the north wind and he must fly south. Perhaps, “in the spring” he will come “back and sing.” We read about falling leaves that “fit the earth like a leather glove,” and join someone who has been picking apples and is ready for the rest that winter offers.

Every poem in this collection is accompanied by lovely and evocative paintings, and each one has a note from the editor that provides readers with background information about Robert Forest, his poems, and his style of writing. The combination of the poems, the art, and the notes gives readers an excellent portrait of Robert Frost and his work.

At the beginning of the book there is a short introduction written by the editor where readers will find an excellent description of Robert Frost’s life and legacy.

Happy Spring!

Happy Spring Everyone. 

There are some wonderful springish books on the TTLG Spring Books Page.

 I hope you find a book here that you will enjoy looking at and sharing.

A perfect book for women's history month

March is Women's History Month and I have just reviewed a wonderful title about an exceptional woman who did something special with her life.

Look Up! Henrietta Leavitt,Pioneering Woman Astronomer

Robert Burleigh

Illustrated by Raul Colon

Nonfiction Picture Book

For ages 6 to 8

Simon and Schuster, 2013, 978-1-4169-5819-2

When Henrietta was a young girl, she spent many hours staring up into the night sky, looking at the stars and getting familiar with their patterns. She was fascinated by “the wonderful bigness of all she saw,” and longed to find out more about space.

   When she was a young woman, she attended astronomy class and was one of the few women who did so. After graduation, Henrietta was able to get a job working in an observatory. Though the observatory had a wonderful big telescope, Henrietta rarely got to use it. Instead, she worked with a group of women measuring and calculating, doing the job that calculators and computers do today. Henrietta and the other women were told to “work, not think,” but Henrietta wasn’t going to accept such an existence. She had an enquiring mind and intended to use it, which she did, studying astronomy in her space time.

   Day after day Henrietta looked at photographs of stars, measuring and counting, and then she began to notice that there was a pattern. Some of the stars seemed to get dimmer and then brighter. Some blinked slower than others. Henrietta studied the pattern and she mapped it out. The chart that she created helped astronomers to figure out how far away the stars were. Thanks to her work, they also came to realize that our Milky Way was a lot bigger than they thought and that it was only one of many galaxies. Her discovery would have a profound effect on our understanding of our universe.

   This wonderfully written book tells the story of a woman who lived at a time when women had very few opportunities to work as scientists. Indeed, most of the time they were prevented from doing research. Henrietta never gave up, and in the end her determination and hard work paid off.

   Throughout the book Robert Burleigh’s lyrical prose is paired with Paul Colon’s wonderful artwork to give readers a memorable picture book biography.  

   Further information about Henrietta, other women astrologers, and more can be found at the back of the book.

Picture Book Monday - A review of Brave Bitsy and the Bear

Helping others, even when it is inconvenient, is something we all should do on a regular basis. I seriously believe that doing things for others and not expecting anything in return makes us better people. It also makes the world a better place. Today's picture explores how a bear and a toy bunny both choose to help someone else, even though doing so causes them problems.

BraveBitsy and the Bear

Angela McAllister

Illustrated by Tiphanie Beeke

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Clarion, 2004, 978-0-618-63994-6

One autumn afternoon Bitsy the toy bunny fell out of her little girl’s pocket and though Bitsy cried for help, her little girl did not hear her. Bitsy was all alone and lost in the woods and she felt frightened, but she boldly set off “singing a brave song.”

   Bitsy did not go far before she came face to face with a big bear. Though the bear had a frightening growl, he was a gentle fellow and though he was on his way to his cave to begin his winter sleep, he offered to take Bitsy home.

   The bear started to get sleepy and he warned Bitsy not let him fall asleep or he wouldn’t “wake up until spring.” Bitsy did her best to keep her companion awake and finally Bear, carrying Bitsy on his back, arrived at the house where the bunny lived with her little girl.

   That night Bitsy began to worry about her friend Bear. What if he did not make it back to his cave? If he fell asleep in the woods he would soon be covered with snow and he would freeze. In the morning Bitsy decided that she had to do something. She had to make sure that the kind bear was not in danger.

   Every so often someone comes along who is willing to go out of his or her way to do something kind for us. In this book readers will meet a bear who is just such a person, who is willing to do something that inconveniences him because he wants to help someone in need.

   With a heartwarming story and delightful illustrations, this is a picture book that will charm readers of all ages. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!