Kellee – Page 232 – Unleashing Readers

From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Six: We Need Diverse Books (Fiction) | Green is a Chile Pepper by Roseanne Thong, Little Roja Riding Hood by Susane Middleton Elya, Firebird by Misty Copeland, & H.O.R.S.E. by Christopher Myers

September 4, 2016April 10, 2015 by Kellee

Because of It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? posts, I find myself often with huge piles of picture books from the library that were highly recommended by fellow bloggers. I celebrate many of the nonfiction pictures books on Wednesdays, but I want to share some of the fiction picture books I have enjoyed. So, I decided to start series here on UR where I can pass on the love for these books sporadically as I read them. Here is a list of some great pictures books that I’ve read recently from my huge library pile (part 6!).

When I was watching the ALA Book Award announcements, I realized that there were many that I had not read, so I immediately ordered them from my library. While reading, I was so happy to see so many diverse picture books (fiction and nonfiction) winning awards. This week I wanted to highlight the picture books I read that were full of diversity. On Wednesday I shared the nonfiction titles, and today I will share the fiction titles.

Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors
Author: Roseanne Thong
Illustrator: John Parra
Published February 18th, 2014 by Chronicle Books
2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor

A color book told through the eyes of a young girl as she explores her Hispanic neighborhood. The illustrations are so vibrant and vivid and show such a diversity of people, traditions, and families. The text includes bilingual words thrown throughout the rhymes.

Little Roja Riding Hood
Author: Susane Middleton Elya
Illustrator: Susan Guevara
Published April 10th, 2014 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
2015 Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor

I loved this modern and bilingual rhythmic retelling of Red Riding Hood. It really is a funny fractured fairy tale that is so much fun to read aloud because of its couplets filled with Spanish vocabulary and Hispanic references.

Firebird
Author: Misty Copeland
Illustrator: Christopher Myers
Published September 4th, 2014 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
2015 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor

This text is powerful on two levels. First, Misty Copeland’s open letter to young girls who want to become a ballet dancer and may not see herself reflected in the dancers that they see on stage is so powerful. The power behind it is that Misty might as well be speaking to herself. Second, Christopher Myers’s illustrations bring the dance to life. As the two dancers dance, the illustrations seem to bring them to life.

H.O.R.S.E: A Game of Basketball and Imagination
Author and Illustrator: Christopher Myers
Published October 9th, 2012 by EgmontUSA
2013 Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor, 2015 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production Winner

I had not heard of this book until it won the Odyssey Award this year. Although I could not get the audiobook, I wanted to read the picture book because of my love of Myers’s work. I thought this book was so much fun! It is the story of a blown-out-of-proportion game of HORSE between two friends that keep trash talking the other and one-upping their shots. I love the humor that Myers finds in the grand old tradition of banter on the court. What makes the book even better is the inspiration that Myers shares at the end of the book.

What picture books should I add to my pile next?

Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Four? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Five? You can view it HERE.

From Kellee’s (Huge) Library Pile Part Five: We Need Diverse Books (Nonfiction) | Little Melba and her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown, Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales, Josephine by Patricia Hruby Powell, & Separate is Never Equal by Duncan Tonatiuh

September 4, 2016April 8, 2015 by Kellee

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday is hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and was started to help promote the reading of nonfiction texts. Most Wednesdays, we will be participating and will review a nonfiction text (though it may not always be a picture book).
Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy and see what other nonfiction books are shared this week!

When I was watching the ALA Book Award announcements, I realized that there were many that I had not read, so I immediately ordered them from my library. While reading, I was so happy to see so many diverse picture books (fiction and nonfiction) winning awards. This week I wanted to highlight the picture books I read that were full of diversity. Today I will share the nonfiction titles, and on Friday I will share the fiction titles.

Little Melba on her Big Trombone
Author: Katheryn Russell-Brown
Illustrator: Frank Morrison
Published September 1st, 2014 by Lee & Low Books
2015 Coretta Scott King for Illustrator Honor

I know I have said this before, but I love the trend of writing picture books about strong woman who should be well known because of their brilliance. Melba Liston is an inspiration. What I loved most about this book is that I think it captured Melba’s spirit as well as the rhythm of the music. The lively oil paintings mixed with Melba’s amazing story make you feel like you know her by the end of the book. I was excited to read the back matter to learn more, and immediately went to You Tube to hear some of her music. I am so glad I was introduced to her.

Viva Frida
Author: Yuyi Morales
Photographer: Tim O’Meara
Published September 2nd, 2014 by Roaring Brook Press
2015 Caldecott Honor, Pura Belpré (Illutrator) Honor

Frida Kahlo is such a mysterious woman. Usually through an artist’s work, you feel like you get to know them, but through Frida’s work, I always felt like she became even more of a mystery to me. This book just adds to that mystery. Told in small phrases in Spanish and English, the books explores creativity and imagination more than it explores Frida’s life. But oh, what an exploration into imagination and creativity it is. We go on a journey with Frida to create a piece of art which is what she lives for, and it makes you, the reader, want to go create so you can live. The beautiful photographs bring Frida, Diego, and many of Frida’s animal friends to life. They are superb!

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
Author: Patricia Hruby Powell
Illustrator: Christian Robinson
Published January 14th, 2014 by Chronicle Books
2015 Sibert Honor, Coretta Scott King Award for Illustrator Honor

This is quite the book! When I ordered it, I hadn’t realized that it was illustrated chapter book biography, but after learning about Josephine, I can see why she couldn’t be confined to less pages. Her life is an explosion of adventure from running away at 13 to standing up for her civil rights to spying for France during WWII to adopting her “rainbow tribe.” Like Melba, Josephine was a new name for me, but I cannot believe I hadn’t heard of her before. She is the epitome of strength and was a large part of the civil rights movement. I am so glad that I read this picture book that truly captures her spirit through the rhythmic prose and colorful, lively illustrations.

Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation
Author and Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh
Published May 6th, 2014 by Abrams Books for Young Readers
2015 Sibert Honor, Pura Belpré (Illutrator) Honor

Everyone has heard of Brown v. Board of Education, but Sylvia’s case is the predecessor of desegregation in the United States. After Sylvia and her siblings are denied entry into the school they are zoned for, even though they are American, and are sent to the “Mexican school,” Syvlia’s father goes on a mission which leads him all the way to the California Court of Appeals to ensure that his children get the best education possible. I loved that through all of the trials of the Mendez family, they never lost their dignity and grace. They are truly an inspiration This is a book that every teacher and child should read because the Mendez family should be a household name, and it looks at equal accessibility to education which is still relevant today.

What picture books should I add to my pile next?

Want to see Part One? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Two? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Three? You can view it HERE.
Want to see Part Four? You can view it HERE.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 4/6/15

July 27, 2015April 6, 2015 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It’s also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…you just might discover the next “must-read” book!

Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee decided to give It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit – join us! We love this meme and think you will, too.

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Ten Books We’ve Recently Added to Our To-Be-Read Lists

Thursday: #MustReadin2015 Spring Update

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Sue Duff, Author of Fade to Black and Mask and Mirrors

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: I have had a pile of picture books from the library to read for weeks, so I decided that this week would be when I read them. ALL of them were wonderful. Not a bad one in the bunch! You’ll see below that I am going to review nine of them this week because I was so happy with the diversity I found in these picture books, and I’ll blog about many of the others in the weeks to come. The picture books I read were:

Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold by Joyce Sidman
Butterfly Park by Elly MacKay
H.O.R.S.E: A Game of Basketball and Imagination by Christopher Myers
Separate is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family’s Fight for Desegregation by Duncan Tonatiuh
Firebird by Misty Copeland
Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Thong
Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw
By Mouse and Frog by Deborah Freeman
The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat
The Sky Painter: Louise Fuertes, Bird Artist by Margarita Engle
Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker by Patricia Hruby Powell
Little Roja Riding Hood by Susan Middleton Elya
Viva Frida by Yuyi Morales
Little Melba and her Big Trombone by Katheryn Russell-Brown
Wolfie the Bunny by Ame Dyckman

I also finished two novels this week. First, I read Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury which is an interesting look at World War II from a Japanese-American from Hawaii working for the army in the Phillipines. It is a WWII story like none other that I have read. It was also my first Graham Salisbury work, and I know I need to read more as he sure know how to craft a story. I also finished the early chapter book Cody and the Fountain of Happiness by Tricia Springstubb. Ever since Tricia did a guest post here and on Nerdy Book Club, I knew I wanted to read her work, and I am so happy that I was able to read Cody. Readers of Mercy Watson, Junie B. Jones, Bramble and Maggie, and other stories of rambunctious young ladies are going to find a friend within these pages.

Ricki: Henry and I spent some quality time in the library. I picked up several books to read to him, but two stood out most. King for a Day by Rukhsana Khan tells the story of Basant, a holiday to celebrate the arrival of spring, and is set in Pakistan. I loved the beautiful kites and appreciated that the author didn’t make the character’s disability the main focus of the story. If I still taught high school, I would definitely use this book while I taught The Kite Runner. We also enjoyed Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony. I’ve seen this one pop up on many blogs, and I finally found a copy. I thought it was charming and will definitely be using it to discuss manners with my son. 🙂

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I am almost done with Five, Six, Seven, Nate by Tim Federle. I adore these books, and the audiobooks make them even better. I do hope that there is going to be a third. I also plan on reading Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern and Fake Snakes and Weird Wizards (Here’s Hank #4) by Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver.

Ricki: I am embarrassed at how far behind I have gotten in my reading. In four weeks, when school ends, I can’t wait to dive in. I know I say this every week. Anyways, I have been reading several books about discourse analysis. I didn’t post them here because I don’t want to bore you. I am fascinated by the ways we use discourse in subtle ways to reveal thinks like our figured worlds. Don’t worry, I will read some awesome YAL or picture books next week to fill the gaps. Some of you are saying, “Thank goodness I have Kellee because I can’t comment on this Ricki lady’s stuff.”

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Characters We’d Like To Check In With

Wednesday: From My (Huge) Library Pile Part Five: We Need Diverse Books (Nonfiction)

Thursday: Blog Tour and Author Guest Post!: Won Ton & Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw

Friday: From My (Huge) Library Pile Part Six: We Need Diverse Books (Fiction)

So, what are you reading?

Link up below and go check out what everyone else is reading. Please support other bloggers by viewing and commenting on at least 3 other blogs. If you tweet about your Monday post, tag the tweet with #IMWAYR!

and

Girls Like Us by Gail Giles

April 3, 2015April 3, 2015 by Kellee

Girls Like Us
Author: Gail Giles
Published May 27th, 2014 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: With gentle humor and unflinching realism, Gail Giles tells the gritty, ultimately hopeful story of two special ed teenagers entering the adult world.

We understand stuff. We just learn it slow. And most of what we understand is that people what ain’t Speddies think we too stupid to get out our own way. And that makes me mad.

Quincy and Biddy are both graduates of their high school’s special ed program, but they couldn’t be more different: suspicious Quincy faces the world with her fists up, while gentle Biddy is frightened to step outside her front door. When they’re thrown together as roommates in their first “real world” apartment, it initially seems to be an uneasy fit. But as Biddy’s past resurfaces and Quincy faces a harrowing experience that no one should have to go through alone, the two of them realize that they might have more in common than they thought — and more important, that they might be able to help each other move forward.

Hard-hitting and compassionate, Girls Like Us is a story about growing up in a world that can be cruel, and finding the strength — and the support — to carry on.

My Review: While reading this book, I had no question that it deserved the Schneider Teen Award. The Schneider Family Book Award honors a “book that embodies an artistic expression of the disability experience for adolescent audiences,” and Girls Like Us take us into Quincy and Biddy’s worlds as they learn to transition from a special-ed classroom in high school to real life in such a true matter, it definitely meets the criteria for the award. In many ways, the book is like any book about girls who just graduated from high school: learning to live with a roommate you don’t understand, learning to be responsible, etc. However, the challenges that these young ladies face because of their disabilities puts the book on a whole different level. Although the book is primarily about Quincy and Biddy’s life, it does illuminate some serious issues towards the treatment of differently abled individuals. (P.S. I love the ending very much!)

There is so much to talk about with this book! Because it impacted myself and a few of my friends, we decided to have a Twitter chat focused around it (#GLUChat). If you have read the book (because there are spoilers) check out our conversation: https://storify.com/trkravtin/girls-like-us-twitter-chat. Thank you to Teresa for archiving and Michele, Carrie, Alyson, and Leigh for taking part in it with me!

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: The characters in this book are so complex! Even the secondary characters are fleshed out and have a presence. Girls Like Us is a wonderful example of character building and voice and how that can make (or break) a novel. It is especially fascinating to compare the voice and tone of the two girls’ sections. Extremely well crafted.

Discussion Questions: How do Quincy and Biddy complement each other?; How does Miss Lizzy help Quincy and Biddy overcome the challenges they face leaving school?; How did you (and Miss Lizzy) underestimate Quincy and Biddy? Why did you/she do so?; If you were going to record your feelings like Biddy and Quincy do, what would your recording say?; Did you predict why Biddy didn’t like males correctly? Did you predict the ending?

We Flagged: “My name is Biddy. Some call me other names. Granny calls me Retard. Quincy call me White Trash sometimes and Fool most of the time. Most kids call me Speddie. That’s short for Special Education.

I can’t write or read. A little bit, but not good enough to matter. There’s a lot of stuff I don’t know. If I could write I could make a long list. List might reach lal the way through Texas to someplace like Chicago. I don’t know where Chicago is. That’s another thing for the list.

But there’s some things I do know. And once I know a thing, I hold it tight and don’t let it stray off. Granny shouldn’t call me Retard. I know that. It ain’t nice. It hurts my feelings. I know it’s a wrong thing to hurt somebody’s feelings. I know that I ain’t White Trash. Trash is something you throw away. You don’t throw nobody away. That’s wrong. Even if my mama done it to me.” (p. 1)

Recommended For:

Reviews and Educators’ Guide: Matt Tavares’s Baseball Biographies

May 18, 2019April 1, 2015 by Kellee

Henry Aaron’s Dream
Author: Matt Tavares
Published January 12th, 2010 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Matt Tavares hits one out of the park with this powerful tale of a kid from the segregated south who would become baseball’s home-run king.

Before he was Hammerin’ Hank, Henry Aaron was a young boy grow ing up in Mobile, Alabama, with what seemed like a foolhardy dream: to be a big-league baseball player. He didn’t have a bat. He didn’t have a ball. And there wasn’t a single black ball player in the major leagues. B ut none of this could stop Henry Aaron. In a captivating biography of Henr y Aaron’s young life – from his sandlot days through his time in the Negro Leagues to the day he played his first spring training game for the Braves – Matt Tavares offers an inspiring homage to one of baseball’s all-time greats.

There Goes Ted Williams: The Greatest Hitter Who Ever Lived
Author: Matt Tavares
Published February 14th, 2012 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: A lively picture book biography of Ted Williams from a master of the genre — just in time for Fenway Park’s centennial.

Ted Williams lived a life of dedication and passion. He was an ordinary kid who wanted one thing: to hit a baseball better than anyone else. So he practiced his swing every chance he got. He did fingertip push-ups. He ate a lot of food. He practiced his swing again. And then practiced it some more. From his days playing ball in North Park as a kid to his unmatched .406 season in 1941 to his heroic tours of duty as a fighter pilot in World War II and Korea, the story of Teddy Ballgame is the story of an American hero. In this engrossing biography, a companion to Henry Aaron’s Dream, Matt Tavares makes Ted Williams’s life story accessible to a whole new generation of fans who are sure to admire the hard work, sacrifice, and triumph of the greatest hitter who ever lived.

Becoming Babe Ruth
Author: Matt Tavares
Published February 12th, 2013 by Candlewick Press

Goodreads Summary: Matt Tavares’s striking homage to one of baseball’s legends offers a rare view into Babe Ruth’s formative years in “the House that built Ruth.”

Before he is known as the Babe, George Herman Ruth is just a boy who lives in Baltimore and gets into a lot of trouble. But when he turns seven, his father brings him to the gates of Saint Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, and his life is changed forever. At Saint Mary’s, he’s expected to study hard and follow a lot of rules. But there is one good thing about Saint Mary’s: almost every day, George gets to play baseball. Here, under the watchful eye of Brother Matthias, George evolves as a player and as a man, and when he sets off into the wild world of big-league baseball, the school, the boys, and Brother Matthias are never far from his heart. With vivid illustrations and clear affection for his subject, Matt Tavares sheds light on an icon who learned early that life is what you make of it — and sends home a message about honoring the place from which you came.

Growing Up Pedro: How the Martinez Brothers Made it From the Dominican Republic All Way to the Major Leagues
Author: Matt Tavares
Published February 10th, 2015

Goodreads Summary: The love between brothers is key to Matt Tavares’s tale of Dominican pitcher Pedro Martinez, from his days of throwing rocks at mangoes to his years as a major-league star.

Before Pedro Martinez pitched the Red Sox to a World Series championship, before he was named to the All-Star team eight times, before he won the Cy Young three times, he was a kid from a place called Manoguayabo in the Dominican Republic. Pedro loved baseball more than anything, and his older brother Ramon was the best pitcher he’d ever seen. He’d dream of the day he and his brother could play together in the major leagues—and here, Matt Tavares tells the story of how that dream came true. In a fitting homage to a modern day baseball star, the acclaimed author-illustrator examines both Pedro Martinez’s improbable rise to the top of his game and the power that comes from the deep bond between brothers.

My Review: These four superbly crafted biographies take a look at the life of each man, but as more than a baseball player. We learn about their childhoods, where they came from, and their dreams and hopes. Each book includes aspects of the history surrounding them including the Depression, wars, and racism. Additionally, these books are crafted beautiful with lyrically written prose. These books are must reads for lovers of baseball, history, and biographies in general.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: I was lucky enough to be asked to write a teachers’ guide for each of these books. For each book, I created discussion questions and activities (including cross-curricular activities). I plan on using this guide in my own classroom with the books in a lit circle type of setting. Each group will be given one of the biographies, will complete the discussion questions and activities, and then become experts on their player before presenting. These biographies are asking to be in classrooms, and I hope the guide helps show how they can fit into a language arts/reading class.

Please check out the complete guide at http://www.candlewick.com/book_files/0763668249.btg.1.pdf

Examples from the guide:

Becoming Babe Ruth
News spread differently in the early twentieth century. Discuss with your students the way news about Babe Ruth was spread during his lifetime and have students find examples in the text. Then have them discuss the way news is spread digitally nowadays. Invite the class to debate the pros and cons of digital news.; How did Babe Ruth’s life change when he left Saint Mary’s to play for the Orioles?

There Goes Ted Williams
Have students write down Ted Williams’s batting average and home run stats as well as those of two other Hall of Famers. After comparing the players’ stats, have students write a paragraph discussing whether or not they believe that Ted Williams is the best hitter ever.; How did Ted Williams’s childhood perseverance help him become a professional baseball player?

Henry Aaron’s Dream
Baseball began integrating before all cities in the United States had ended segregation. As a class, discuss how this reality affected black players on major-league baseball teams and how black players’ trips to segregated cities differed from those of their white teammates. Then, with your students, complete a graphic organizer comparing and contrasting the life of white and black baseball players during Hank Aaron’s lifetime. Invite students to write an essay about how life has changed for players of color over time.; How did Jackie Robinson influence Henry Aaron? What did Jackie Robinson’s accomplishments mean for other black baseball players?

Growing Up Pedro
Pull up a map of North America. Have students mark all the different places that Pedro played: the Dominican Republic, Montana, Montreal, and so on. Ask students to determine the miles between each location. Which place was the farthest from Pedro’s home? Which place was the closest?; Have students write a journal entry as Pedro Martínez. Invite them to write, from Pedro’s point of view, what it feels like to move so far away from home when he is so young. Does he miss his family? Is he sad, happy, or excited to be in Montana.

Discussion Questions: Examples of discussion questions and activities for each of the biographies can be found in my teachers’ guide; however, after reading all four of the books, two discussion questions could be: Most of the baseball players had a mentor or idol that he looked up to and learned from. How did these mentors or idols help guide the players into becoming the greats they are?; Each of the baseball players helped a charity that was close to his heart. Who did each player help? Why did players choose the charity they did?

We Flagged:

Becoming Babe Ruth, byMatt Tavares — http://www.matttavares.com/becomingbaberuth.html from *Becoming Babe Ruth*

Check out Matt Tavares’s You Tube channel to see sneak peeks into Growing Up Pedro and There Goes Ted Williams.

Recommended For:

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/30/15

July 27, 2015March 30, 2015 by Kellee

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA!

We encourage everyone who participates to support the blogging community by visiting at least three of the other book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

Last Week’s Posts

Tuesday: Top Ten Books from Childhood (or Teen Years) We’d Like to Revisit

Friday: Review and Author Guest Post “Josh, Harrison & Dad’s Excellent Adventure” by Henry L. Herz, Author of Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes

**Click on any picture/link to view the post**

Last Week’s Journeys

Kellee: Spring break was good to me! I am so proud of myself because I did a good job of relaxing, spending time with family, and reading. I finished five novels!!! Woot! I enjoyed all of them, but three are new favorites.Both Big Fat Disaster by Beth Fehlbaum (such a hard book to read! And it just kept getting worse and worse!) and The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer (a look at art, poetry, and reality TV) were very good; however, 100 Sideways Miles by Andrew Smith, Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, and Better Nate Than Ever by Tim Federle were just so superb. Andrew Smith is just amazing at crafting a plot with fascinating characters! His books often seem like just another teen book, but then he is able to make them so special. Counting by 7s is such a special book. I now understand why it is compared to Out of my Mind, Wonder, and Mockingbird although I find a lot of comparisons to Fish in a Tree as well. Willow Chance is such an amazing little girl, and the way she is able to change the world around her even in the midst of grieving is inspiring. Finally, Better Nate Than Ever was the perfect book to read this week. It was funny, heart-warming, and had musicals!! I want to go back to high school (I never say that!) at my arts high school, bring Nate with me, and be his best friend! (And btw, the audiobook is so great!)

Like Henry (see below), Trent is only interested in certain books. It makes me a bit sad that he throws fits if we try a new book, but I also love that he has favorites. We were able to squeeze in two new ones in between favorites: Look by Jeff Mack (the personality of this book shines! I also love the use of only 2 words) and Pete the Cat: Big Easter Adventure by James Dean (nothing lives up to the original, but I love that we could read about Easter with Trent’s favorite character).

Ricki: For those of you kind folks who are tracking my long progress in the doctoral program, I am excited to say that I submitted my materials for my comprehensive exams—which are one month from today. AH! I will keep you all posted about how this goes. This week, I made a lot of progress in many books, and I also finished a picture book, Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku by Lee Wardlaw. It was good fun, and I particularly recommend it for use in middle or high school settings. It is important to infuse picture books into older classrooms. With scaffolding and assistance from an adult, young kids would also enjoy navigating this fun book. I think it is very important to challenge our students, and the balance of vocabulary and a fun storyline will make this book a great resource to teachers.

Henry (who is 16 months old now) shows strong preferences for books. He only wants to read truck books. Like an adult, his draws his pointer finger across the bindings until he reaches any book with the title, Trucks (and his grandmother has bought just about every truck board book that exists). I can recite the position of each of those tractors, skid steers, and all-terrain vehicles on the pages in my sleep. I am excited that he said his first word this week—“car!” (I don’t think “Mama,” “Dada,” “uh oh,” “no,” and “okay” count, right?). So along with a book update, you got a life update. Sorry—next week, it is back to books.

This Week’s Expeditions

Kellee: I have already downloaded Five, Six, Seven, Nate because I cannot wait to hear what happens to Nate next! I also plan on starting Hunt for the Bamboo Rat by Graham Salisbury tonight. We’re also trying to read a few new books with Trent, including another Easter book, but we’ll see.

Ricki: Still reading and enjoying Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin. My book club meets Tuesday, so I will definitely be done with this one within 48 hours. 🙂 I also listened to three more discs of East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I love it—but I find it very disturbing. I think I’ve reached disc 15 out of 23. It’s quite epic.

Upcoming Week’s Posts

top ten tuesday

Tuesday: Ten Books We’ve Recently Added to Our To-Be-Read Lists

Thursday: #MustReadin2015 Spring Update

Sunday: Author Guest Post by Sue Duff, Author of Fade to Black and Mask and Mirrors

So, what are you reading?

and

Review and Author’s Guest Post!: “Josh, Harrison & Dad’s Excellent Adventure” by Henry L. Herz, Author of Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes

March 27, 2015 by Kellee

Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes
Authors: Henry, Josh, and Harrison Herz
Illustrator: Abigail Larson
Published February 7th, 2015 by Pelican Publishing Company

Goodreads Summary: Enter an enchanted land of mythical creatures where manticores reign and ogres roar-a land of mystery and fright. A unique twist on traditional rhymes of everyone’s youth, “Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes” presents a more sinister approach to these childhood classics, and yet the sing-song nature of the poems renders them playful and jovial at the same time. Little Witch Muffet is not frightened by a silly, little spider; she simply adds him to her stew!

Rotten zombies, giants, dwarves, and goblins mingle with werewolves, centaurs, and fauns. Follow along the skeleton stepping stones, scale up a palisade, claw at the window of a tasty child and bake him into a pumpkin shell. Monsters cook up delicious elvish pie, too! Every kid who has an eensy weensy bit of sense wants a pet with feathers white as snow, who flies like an eagle and bleats like a goat-a hippogriff, of course!

Six forest sprites with four times as many pixies escape from a loaf of bread atop the elaborate table of the fey queen; her feast has flown away! If you enjoy mischief and have a penchant for the morbidly hilarious, the Herzs’ rhymes will satisfy your mythological curiosities.

Larson’s illustrations give new life to these ancient figures, and her artistic style employs the bold lines and colorful movement of an action-packed comic book. The author also includes a “bestiary” with information about the book’s legendary creatures, which hail from Scotland, Germany, Italy, Persia, Haiti, and Scandinavia.

Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Really like the creativity of mashing monster/mythology and nursery rhymes. A great intro to all things traditional lit and fantasy in a rhyming, fun way. I especially liked that the creatures hail from a variety of places and that the author included an appendix that includes information about each of them. I think this book would be a great way to introduce mythology as well as give students an opportunity to make their own parody of a nursery rhyme using a creature.

One thing that makes this book special is that Henry Herz wrote this book with his two sons. I am happy to share with you a post about their collaboration:

Josh, Harrison, and Dad’s Excellent Adventure

The astute observer will notice that there are three author credits for Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes. That’s because my young sons were involved in its creation. This is the tale of how two boys became traditionally published authors.

A few years ago (in a galaxy far away), I wanted to share my love of fantasy with my young sons. They were too little for watching most of the fantasy and sci-fi movie classics, and there are only so many good fantasy books available for that age range. Struck by inspiration one day, I came up with a way to share the joy of entering the magical realms of fantasy. I would write a fantasy book for them.

What I did not anticipate was that my boys would give me feedback on the story. They devised some of the character (Nimpentoad) and creature (Neebel) names and made plot line suggestions. And who better to help make the story appealing to kids than other kids? So, the goal of interesting my sons in fantasy transformed into also encouraging them to write.

Originally, I only shared the story of Nimpentoad with family, for their own enjoyment. I had no thoughts of having the book published. But one day, my sister-in-law suggested that I consider publication because she felt the story was much better than many of the books she was seeing for her similarly-aged kids. I thought about it for a while, and decided to give it a try.

The first step was to find the right artist. Once again, my sons were involved, this time in providing art direction. We would explain in words what each illustration should contain. Collaborating remotely via email and DropBox, our artist would give us a rough sketch, and we would provide feedback on details and color palette. Nimpentoad came to life, while my boys added another dimension to their experience.

Given the amount of time that had passed, as well as the anticipated challenges with finding an agent or publisher willing to take a chance on an unproven writer, we decided to indie-publish. The response to Nimpentoad was encouraging, and we subsequently indie-published Twignibble (an easy reader about a mechanically-inclined sloth, who travels the world helping his endangered animal friends), and How the Rhino Got His Skin (an updated picture book version of Rudyard Kipling’s classic).

We’ve done book readings and signings at schools, libraries, museums, farmer’s markets, book fairs, and bookstores. My boys are now experienced sales professionals! They know how to handle themselves with new people, and easily sell more books than I do.

Like any good author, I am committed to honing my craft. I belong to critique groups, participate in Tara Lazar’s annual Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) event, and took a picture book writing class at UCSD. Part of the class curriculum was to draft some picture book manuscripts. Kids love monsters and I love monsters (being a big kid myself), and so the idea for Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes was born.

As with our other collaborations, I drafted the book, and then had my sons review it. Then it went through my critique group and more revisions. I subsequently attended the Orange County Editor’s Day event hosted by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes won best picture book. After that, it was time to query agents and editors. Happily, several editors expressed interest. We chose Pelican Publishing, and the rest is history.

Writing rhyming picture books is very challenging (see why at http://wp.me/p31Xf4-K0). I jokingly encourage newbie writers to visit www.DontDoRhyme.com (not a real website). The irony is not lost on me that my debut traditionally published picture book is in rhyme. My only excuse is that I didn’t have to invent the meter, I just had to twist the words to fit the existing meter.

If you want to interest your kids in mythological creatures, or fantasy literature in general, give Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes a look. Just take care – Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes is a gateway book to The Lightning Thief and, eventually, to The Lord of the Rings.

Learn more about Monster Goose Nursery Rhymes at http://www.birchtreepub.com/mgnr.htm.

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**Thank you to Henry L. Herz for providing a copy for review and for the guest post!**