I’ll Hold You Forever: An Adoption Story Author and Illustrator: Dawn Marie Hooks
Published January 2nd, 2015 by Paper Moon Publications
Goodreads Summary: A young girl walks through the countryside when she begins to wonder: Is Mommy really her real mom? Mommy turns the question into a story of the child’s adoption. Soon the child is reassured that her mom is real and will hold her forever. A touching story about the beauty of adoption and the warmth of a mother’s love is told through charming watercolor illustrations and clear, simple text that even the youngest child can understand. Notes from the author include suggestions on how to talk to children about adoption.
Kellee’s Review: I think this book has two very important purposes. First, I think it would be a wonderful book to read with a child who was adopted. It does a very good job of honoring all parts of adoption. The “Notes from the Author” section gives some great suggestions for talking to children about adoption which is a wonderful jumping off point after reading the book. Second, I think this book could be used to discuss adoption with students who are not adopted. It is so important to talk to kids about all kinds of different types of families. This book beautifully captures the power of love between a mother and her child and would be a great text for classrooms.
Author Interview: We are so happy to have Dawn Marie Hooks here to answer some of our questions about I’ll Hold You Forever:
Unleashing Readers:What was your main purpose in writing I’ll Hold You Forever?
Dawn Marie Hooks: My main purpose in writing I’ll Hold You Forever is to communicate the love surrounding adoption. I hope adoptive families will use this book to talk to their children about their adoption stories and all readers will be touched and inspired by the beauty of adoption.
UR:What inspired you to write I’ll Hold You Forever?
DMH: This story comes from my heart, the heart of a mom. It was inspired by the adoptions of my two beautiful daughters. Actually, I drew and painted some of the illustrations using our personal photographs. We adopted our girls through a private adoption agency in Redmond, WA called Antioch Adoptions. Both children were adopted at different times and through different circumstances. Every step was full of ups and downs, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We were extremely blessed to finally become parents to two precious girls who “fit perfectly in our family.”
UR: What other picture books do you recommend that discuss adoption?
DMH: My favorite picture books about adoption are God Found Us You by Lisa Tawn Bergren and How I Was Adopted by Joanna Cole. For the very young, there is a cute board book called Tell Me Again About the Night I Was Born by Jamie Lee Curtis. There are many more but these are the ones that I’ve read over and over.
I also recommend that families who adopt create their own photo books to tell the children their unique story.
UR:What do you hope readers of I’ll Hold You Forever will take away?
DMH: I love when moms they get tears in their eyes and that “ahhhh” feeling. I love when children ask lots of questions.
I hope the readers will feel the love surrounding adoption and I hope they learn a little more about the adoption process. At the end of the book, I included a few notes for adults about how to talk to children about adoption. Of course, since it’s a picture book, it’s brief. So, on my website (www.dawnmariehooks.com), I posted an information sheet about adoption as well as a discussion & activity guide on the topic of FAMILY for I’ll Hold You Forever. (I’m a former teacher, so I love writing those helpful little tools to go along with children’s books.)
Read This If You Loved: And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson, When Otis Courted Mama by Kathi Appelt, The Red Thread: An Adoption Fairy Tale by Grace Lin, A Mother for Choco by Keiko Kasza
Recommended For:
**Thank you to Melanie at Paper Moon Publications for providing copies for review!**
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!
Seeds of Freedom: The Peaceful Integration of Huntsville, Alabama Author: Hester Bass
Illustrator: E.B. Lewis
Published January 27th, 2015 by Candlewick Press
Goodreads Summary: Explore a little-known story of the Civil Rights movement, in which black and white citizens in one Alabama city worked together nonviolently to end segregation.
Mention the Civil Rights era in Alabama, and most people recall images of terrible violence. But something different was happening in Huntsville. For the citizens of that city, creativity, courage, and cooperation were the keys to working together to integrate their city and schools in peace. In an engaging celebration of this lesser-known chapter in American and African-American history, author Hester Bass and illustrator E. B. Lewis show children how racial discrimination, bullying, and unfairness can be faced successfully with perseverance and ingenuity.
Kellee’s Review: I loved learning about Huntsville! It is amazing that in the middle of the violence and ignorance that ran rampant during the Civil Rights Movement, there was a Southern town that was peaceful and worked together to integrate. The story is so inspiring and gives me faith in humanity! I love how Bass ties together history and the movement throughout the nation to what was going on in Huntsville. It really shows the comparison between the rest of the nation and Huntsville. The illustrations are also extremely beautiful. I fell in love with his art in Each Kindness, and I am so happy to experience it again.
Ricki’s Review: The metaphor of the seeds of freedom dances across the pages of this book. E. B. Lewis’ illustrations are masterful. I spent a long time on each spread, soaking in the way the artwork connected with the words. This is a book about civil rights, and it is also a book about the goodness of people and the quiet persistence of the people of Huntsville, Alabama as they saw injustice, and they pressed on to fight against it. Students will learn a bit about history, but they will learn a lot about themselves. I plan to use this book in my methods classes to show how history can come alive in picture books. This book shines brightly.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: This book is a wonderful introduction to the civil rights movement. It gives a peaceful account and also shares information about the dark times. We think it would be fascinating to take the events mentioned in Seeds of Freedom and put them on a timeline, so students can visually see when each event was happening. It was also be interesting to compare and contrast Birmingham and Huntsville during this time period. Additionally, Seeds would be a perfect companion to Lions of Little Rock. Teachers might consider using this book in a text set to give students a rich understanding of the civil rights movement, or they might create a text set around themes such as persistence or protest in history.
Discussion Questions: How was Huntsville’s civil rights movement different than other cities around the nation?; How did the author use a seed as a metaphor for the civil rights movement?; What is reverse integration?; Who are some of the main people who helped integration within the United States?
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!
The Sky Painter: Louis Fuertes, Bird Artist Author: Margarita Engle
Illustrator: Aliona Bereghici
Published April 28th, 2015 by Two Lions
Goodreads Summary: Louis loves to watch birds. He takes care of injured birds and studies how they look and how they move. His father wants him to become an engineer, but Louis dreams of being a bird artist. To achieve this dream, he must practice, practice, practice. He learns from the art of John James Audubon. But as Louis grows up, he begins to draw and paint living, flying birds in their natural habitats.
Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874–1927) is now known as the father of modern bird art. He traveled with many scientific expeditions all over the world. His best-known works—paintings for habitat exhibits at the American Museum of Natural History in New York—are still beloved by visitors today. His art helped to encourage wildlife conservation, inspiring people to celebrate and protect the world of wings.
Poems by Newbery Honor–winning author Margarita Engle and illustrations by Aliona Bereghici capture the life of Louis Fuertes and the deep sense of wonder that he felt when he painted the sky.
About the Author: Margarita Engle is a Cuban American poet and novelist whose work has been published in many countries. Her books include The Poet Slave of Cuba, winner of the Pura Belpré Award for narrative and the Américas Award; The Surrender Tree, a Newbery Honor book; Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian, a Kirkus Best Book for Children; and The Lightning Dreamer, Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist, winner of the 2014 PEN Center USA Literary Award for Young Adult/Children’s Literature. Margarita lives in California, where she enjoys bird-watching and helping her husband with his volunteer work for wilderness search-and-rescue dog training programs. To learn more, and to download a free activity kit for The Sky Painter, visit: www.margaritaengle.com
Kellee’s Review:Louis Fuertes is an inspirational man, and Engle’s biography of him is perfect. I think what I enjoyed most was how Fuertes was not only an artist, but an animal activist, family man, and educator. He is a role model for any kid that wants to grow up to be happy. Like Ricki shares below, this book shares an important lesson about how there are so many different special things out there to be observed. Nature is phenomenal.
I loved learning not only of Fuertes and his journey to live his passion, I loved the beautiful poetry and watercolor that were used to craft his story. Both the poetry and the artwork do Fuertes’s story justice like no other format would have. The format also gives the reader a chance to look at each poem as a stand alone and also part of the whole biography which gives each poem two different purposes and two different ways they can be analyzed.
Ricki’s Review:Louis Fuertes is a remarkable man, and this book not only pays homage to his extraordinary life, but it teaches young people important lessons. He nurtures and cares for birds in ways that children can emulate in many aspects of their lives. The book shows he devoted his life to birds and wanted others to see their beauty. I’ve seen Fuertes’ artwork in a variety of places, but I never considered him as an artist. This book reminded me that sometimes I go about life, not considering something very important and special. I am so glad I learned about Fuertes’ story and will think about him whenever I read or learn about birds. This book would be an excellent gift to give to a child. The poetry is gorgeous, and the illustrations are breath-taking.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: As a teacher, we can think of a plethora of ways to use this text in the classroom. We love to offer our students options, so we might provide them opportunities to read different biographies of different people who are following their passion. Students the could get in lit circles to discuss the biography then come back together to share what they learned. They could also choose any artist or person in history and write poems reflecting this individual’s biography. It would be fun to illustrate and bind these books to share them with others. We can imagine a class sitting in a circle, reading their poetry and learning about lesser-known individuals in history.
Discussion Questions: How did Fuertes change animal painting/drawing forever?; How do you feel that some artists kill animals to draw or paint them?; How did following his passions help make Fueres’s life happier?
Book Trailer:
Interview with Margarita Engle
Unleashing Readers: What inspired you to write about Fuertes?
Margarita Engle: I became fascinated by Fuertes while I was researching rain forest ecology and visiting wildlife preserves, during the process of writing a historical verse novel called Silver People: Voices From the Panama Canal. In many references, Fuertes was mentioned as the bird artist for all the great geographic expeditions of the early twentieth century. When I learned that he was a conservationist who pioneered the painting of living birds in flight—instead of killing and posing them like Audubon—I was astonished. Why wasn’t he a household name, like Audubon? Instantly, Fuertes became the most important link in my ongoing quest for biographical picture books about great Latino naturalists who have been forgotten by history. I hope The Sky Painter helps teachers, librarians, and parents introduce children from all backgrounds to this amazing Puerto Rican/American scientist. Fuertes is a fantastic role model because he was a creative thinker who decided to learn how to paint faster, to save the lives of birds.
UR: What did your research process look like? Do you have any recommendations for students who are doing research?
ME: I try to read every book I can find, in addition to online sources. Many historical studies simply have not yet been digitized, so interlibrary loan is really helpful. I rely on bibliographies to help me move farther and farther back in time, until I discover first person narratives. Diaries, letters, field notes, etc. are incredibly helpful. Fortunately, Fuertes and the scientists he worked with on expeditions recorded fascinating details!
UR: Was there any information that you found interesting that you decided not to include in the book?
ME: Yes, because this book is for young children, I decided not to include the tragic way he died. Soon after he returned from his expedition to Africa, he was driving to show new paintings to another ornithologist. His car was hit by a train. The paintings survived, but he did not.
UR: Because we are a blog devoted to teachers, do you have any ideas about how you envision your book in classrooms?
ME: The Sky Painter can fit into science, art, poetry, or multicultural programs. One of the really clever cartoon exercises Fuertes taught children who visited his studio was simply sketching three circles, then deciding how to connect them. Two circles could become arms or wings, depending on how they’re connected. One circle is always the head. Children decide whether to create a person, a bird, or some sort of funny hybrid.
For older children, I think The Sky Painter can also be used to teach history, if a teacher discusses the way important accomplishments are sometimes omitted from textbooks. Because there’s a tendency for each generation of textbooks to include material from past editions, incredibly important topics may be gradually forgotten.
Fuertes was not only a great artist and scientist, he was also a groundbreaking conservationist. It would make me very happy to see The Sky Painter featured during Hispanic Heritage Month in September–October, as well as on Earth Day, which happens to fall during National Poetry Month in April. It would be especially thrilling to see The Sky Painter used by a teacher preparing students for a field trip, whether it’s a video or a virtual trip on a nature website, an outdoor nature walk on the school-grounds, a walk in a nearby park, or a visit to the Natural History Museum in New York to see the murals Fuertes painted as backgrounds for habitat displays. The possibilities are incredible!
Perhaps most important, The Sky Painter can be used to teach about creative thinking. Are there old attitudes we might try changing—just as Fuertes did—to promote conservation of wildlife and natural habitats?
Read This If You Loved: Feathers: Not Just For Flying by Melissa Stewart, A Boy and a Jaguar by Alan Rabinowitz, Manfish by Jennifer Berne, Look Up!: Bird-Watching In Your Own Backyard by Annette LeBlanc Cate
Rain Reign
Author: Ann M. Martin
Published October 7th, 2014 by Feiwel & Friends
Goodreads Summary: In her most powerful novel yet, Newbery Honor author Ann M. Martin tells the story of girl with mental/emotional challenges and the dog she loves.
Rose Howard has OCD, Asperger’s syndrome, and an obsession with homonyms (even her name is a homonym). She gave her dog Rain a name with two homonyms (Reign, Rein), which, according to Rose’s rules of homonyms, is very special. Rain was a lost dog Rose’s father brought home. Rose and Rain are practically inseparable. And they are often home alone, as Rose’s father spends most evenings at a bar, and doesn’t have much patience for his special-needs daughter.
Just as a storm hits town, Rain goes missing. Rose’s father shouldn’t have let Rain out. Now Rose has to find her dog, even if it means leaving her routines and safe places to search. Rose will find Rain, but so will Rain’s original owners.
Hearts will break and spirits will soar for this powerful story, brilliantly told from Rose’s point of view.
My Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Rose reminded me of a dear student I had when I was teaching. Because I had this strong connection with her character, I felt very attached to the story, in general. Rose is a passionate, caring young girl, and I think students will learn much from her.The story line is well-done, and I appreciated that it wasn’t a problem novel that only focused on her disorder. Her bond with her dog, her bravery, and her relationship with her uncle teach great lessons. This book reminded me of Wonder by R.J. Palacio because it teaches empathy quite well. It is one of those books that makes me want to be a better person. While Rose’s repetition may feel overdone, it is her reality, and Ann M. Martin hits that home. Rose pushes and pushes her father and teachers (at the same time as she pushes and pushes the reader) in ways that are a hallmark of Asperger’s. It shows the realities of individuals who live with this disorder. I think it is incredibly important for students to read books about people who are different from them, so they can see the similarities despite the differences in characters. I would love to use this book as a read-aloud.
Discussion Questions: Was Rose’s dad an evil man? What can we learn from him?; Do you think Rose made the right choice about Rain?; How does Rose make friends in school? What can we learn from her?
We Flagged: “I’m going to tell you a story. It’s a true story, which makes it a piece of nonfiction.”
Read This If You Loved: Rules by Cynthia Lord, Wonder by R.J. Palacio, Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, Out of my Mind by Sharon Draper, Each Kindness by Jaqueline Woodson; The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
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!
Winter Bees & Other Poems of the Cold
Author: Joyce Sidman
Illustrator: Rick Allen
Published November 4th, 2014 by HMH Books for Young Readers
Goodreads Summary: In this outstanding picture book collection of poems by Newbery Honor-winning poet, Joyce Sidman (Song of the Water Boatman, Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night), discover how animals stay alive in the wintertime and learn about their secret lives happening under the snow. Paired with stunning linoleum print illustrations by Rick Allen, that celebrate nature’s beauty and power.
My Review: Alyson and Carrie both nominated this book for our Mock Sibert Award, so I knew it was a book I had to read. After requesting that my library purchase it, I was so happy to finally receive the book. This book is beautiful. Each aspect of the book can stand alone: the poetry is full of imagery and figurative language, the informational aspects are interesting and fact-based, and the illustrations are exceptional and bring the animals to life.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: First, this book can be used as a mentor text for poetry. Many different types of poetry are represented and each poem is different. Second, I think this book can be a great jumping off point for an inquiry-based project where students research an animal, write a poem about it, and also write an informational piece of text to accompany the poem. This book is also a great companion to Kate Messner’s Over and Under Snow and other animal survival books which would cause for a great unit as well.
Discussion Questions: Which of the winter animals has the best plan for survival?; What fact in Winter Bees surprised you the most about how an animal survives during the winter?
We Flagged:
Read This If You Loved: Firefly July by Paul Janeczko, Feathers by Melissa Stewart, Born in the Wild by Lita Judge, Forest Has a Song by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, Over and Under Snow by Kate Messner
Won Ton and Chopstick: A Cat and Dog’s Tale Told in Haiku Author: Lee Wardlaw
Illustrator: Eugene Yelchin
Published: March 17, 2015 by Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Goodreads Summary: Won Ton has a happy life with his Boy, until… Ears perk. Fur prickles. Belly low, I creep…peek…FREEZE! My eyes full of Doom.
A new puppy arrives, and nothing will be the same.Told entirely in haiku and with plenty of catitude, the story of how Won Ton faces down the enemy is a fresh and funny twist on a familiar rivalry.
Ricki’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: A Review in Haikus:
Quite Adorable
Fun for All, Especially
Middle Grade and Teen
Vocabulary
Will Teach the Crowds to Love Words
Fantastic Must-Read
Recommended for
Use as a Mentor Text for
Creative Writing
The Illustrations
Capture the Fun of this Tale
Or Should I Say Tail?
Kellee’s Review and Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Well, Ricki sure one-upped me on this one! But I think she showed a really great example of what you can do with this book. I think it is a perfect introduction to haiku. It makes poetry accessible and fun which is the opposite of what students think when they think of poetry. I actually shared the first Won Ton book with my class at the time, and we wrote our own haiku about our favorite animal. Lee Wardlaw also includes very descriptive and specific vocabulary which would lead to a wonderful conversation about word choice and imagery.
I loved the first Won Ton book (see my review here), and I was happy to see that Lee Wardlaw had written a second so I could see what Won Ton was up to now. I am completely a cat person, so I love how Lee captures the nuances and thoughts of Won Ton.
Discussion Questions: How do the author’s haikus add to the complexity of this tale?; How does the vocabulary enhance the story?; What did you learn about friendship?; How do the illustrations enhance the themes of this book?; How does Won Ton’s feelings for Chopstick change throughout the book?
We Flagged:
“Master of escape!
High-flying, dog-defying
acrobatic cat!”
Read This if You Loved: Won Ton by Lee Wardlaw; One Leaf Rides the Wind by Celeste Davidson Mannis; If Not for the Cat by Jack Prelutsky; I Haiku You by Betsy E. Snyder; Dogku by Andrew Clements
Check out Won Ton and Chopstick at the Other Stops the Blog Tour:
“Eight Things I Learned from My Cats about Writing Haiku”
by Lee Wardlaw
1. There is no yesterday; there is no tomorrow. There is only you, scratching me under my chin right now.
Haiku poems focus on a right-this-instant experience—or from a memory of that experience. So remind your students to write in the present tense.
2. When poised at a hole, remain still—and use your ears, eyes, nose, whiskers and mouth to detect a lurking gopher.
Observation is crucial to haiku. It’s hard for children today to quiet their minds, especially when they’re constantly bombarded with TV, internet, iPhones, video games, etc. So take them outside, away from all of that! Encourage them to sit alone on the playground, under a tree, on a sunny bench, whatever, and use all five senses to absorb, appreciate, and anchor the moment.
3. Be patient. Then, when least expected—pounce!
Haiku captures ONE moment in time, revealing a surprise . . . or evoking a response of a-ha! or ahhh. This pounce helps the reader awaken and experience an ordinary moment or thing in an extraordinary way.
4. Most cats have 18 toes—unless we’re polydactyl; then we might have 20, 22, even 28 toes!
Japanese haiku feature a total of seventeen beats or sound units: five in the first line, seven in the second, five again in the third. But this 5-7-5 form doesn’t apply to American haiku because of differences in English phonics, vocabulary, grammar, and syntax. Too many teachers focus only on the 5-7-5 because they use haiku as lesson about syllables. Please don’t! When children force an unnecessary adjective or adverb (or a bunch of adverbs) into a haiku simply to meet the 17-beats rule, it ruins the flow, brevity, meaning, and beauty of a poem. It’s not a poem at all, just a laundry list. You end up with poems like this:
My cat is so cute.
He’s really, really, really
cute and so fluffy.
Encourage your students to experiment with any pattern they prefer (e.g. 2-3-2, 5-6-4, 4-7-3)—provided the structure remains three short lines. Remember: what’s most important here is not syllables but the essence of a chosen moment.
5. When I’m out, I want in; when I’m in, I want out. Mostly, I want out. That’s where the rats, gophers, lizards, snakes, bugs and birds are.
Traditional haiku focus on themes of nature, and always include a kigo or “season” word. This doesn’t mean you must be explicit about the weather or time of year. A sensorial hint (e.g. a green leaf indicates spring; a russet leaf indicates fall) is all that’s needed.
6. What part of meow don’t you understand?
Tease a cat and it won’t bother to holler—it will bite and scratch. It shows its annoyance rather than tells. Good haiku follows suit. Instead of explaining, haiku should paint a picture in the reader’s mind of the feeling it evokes. So encourage children to show the reader how cute and fluffy their cat is instead of just telling us.
7. If you refuse to play with me, I will snooze on your keyboard, flick pens off your desk, and gleefully shed into your printer.
Yes, haiku has “rules,” but remember to play! Encourage students to use words like toys, to frolic with them in new ways to portray images, emotions, themes, conflicts and character.
8. When in doubt, nap.
Good writing comes from revising. But before working on a second (or third . . . or fourth!) draft, both the students and their haiku need a “nap.” Set aside the poems for a few days (a few weeks is even better!). What needs revising will be much more obvious if the poems are read again with rested eyes, alert ears, and a fresh mind.
About Lee Wadlaw:
Lee Wardlaw swears that her first spoken word was “kitty.” Since then, she’s shared her life with 30 cats (not all at the same time) and published 30 books for young readers, including Won Ton: A Cat Tale Told in Haiku, recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and many other honors. Lee has a B.A. in Education, an AMI-Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of San Diego, and is finishing her M.Ed. in Education/Child Development. She lives in Santa Barbara with her family. http://www.leewardlaw.com
and
**Thank you to Barbara at Blue Slip Media for providing copies for review and giveaway!**
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.
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?
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http://www.matttavares.com/becomingbaberuth.html from Becoming Babe Ruth
