Day: March 13, 2008

Golden Kite Award Winners

| Tasha

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators have announced the winners of the 2007 Golden Kite Awards:

Fiction

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate (on my to-be-read pile)

Nonfiction

Muckrakers by Ann Bausum

Picture Book Text

Pierre in Love by Sara Pennypacker

Picture Book Illustration

Little Night by Yuyi Morales

 

Honor Books:

Fiction

Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree by Lauran Tarshis (Wonderful!  A great read.)

Nonfiction

1607: A New Look at Jamestown by Karen Lange

Picture Book Text

The End by David LaRochelle (Hurrah!  A wonderful book!)

Picture Book Illustration

Who Put the B in Ballyhoo? by Carlyn Beccia

Harry Potter Movie #8

| Tasha

The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that the final Harry Potter book will be made into two films.  The first half is due to be released in November 2010 and the second part in May 2011. 

I think this is a great decision and have long wondered why they haven’t done this with other Harry Potter books.  They seem so very condensed in film form and a lot of the extra moments that make Harry Potter so popular are necessarily trimmed.

Monarch and Milkweed

| Tasha

Monarch and Milkweed by Helen Frost and Leonid Gore.

I know that you probably have read many books about monarchs and have plenty on your library shelves, but you must make room for this one. 

This book about the intertwined lives of monarch butterflies and the milkweed plant is simply marvelous.  It follows the growth of the milkweed plant in spring and the monarchs’ flight northward through to the fall when the monarchs return south and the milkweed pods burst open and the flying seeds emerge.

Both the illustrations and text work in partnership here.  Frost’s words are poetic and simply lovely.  Her vocabulary is very child-friendly, but the result will have children reaching higher to understand the way she frames her thoughts and creates images with words alone.  Adding to the grace and poetry of the book are the illustrations which are at the same time ethereal and yet realistic.  They shine with an inner light and the colors draw readers in.  This is a glorious marriage that creates a book far beyond what either could be alone.

Highly recommended for all libraries and for parents looking for a great nonfiction book that offers amazing writing.  For ages 6-9.

And to Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue

| Tasha

http://www.lookybook.com/embed/1389-embed.swf

And to Name But Just a Few: Red, Yellow, Green, Blue by Laurie Rosenwald

This book offers a vibrant and often silly romp through the colors.  Each page shouts with color, large images and huge fonts.  The artistry here is clear, filled with collages, found objects, drawing, paint and much more.  It invites young readers to head out into their worlds and create their own colorful spaces. 

The text here is filled with fonts, different sizes and colors.  It is as much part of the illustrations as the paint, collages and ink.  It dances, sings and laughs along with the colors and the readers. 

I can see this being very successful in art classes talking about colors.  The audience here is not really preschoolers.  I would use it with slightly older children, say ages 5-8.  They will enjoy the play of the words and the art and will find inspiration here.