Some Writer! by Melissa Sweet

October 25, 2016October 19, 2016 | Tasha

Some Writer!: The Story of E. B. White by Melissa Sweet (InfoSoup)

The life of E. B. White, author of several beloved children’s books, is shown here in a children’s biography from a two-time Caldecott Honor winner. White’s upbringing as a child with his summers spent on a lake in Maine shows the impact of childhood experiences. He won several writing awards as a teenager, knowing exactly what he wanted to do. His work for The New Yorker and other publications as a column author and poet is shown as well as Sweet spends much of the book on the author’s adult life. The strong connection he had with water, nature and Maine shines on the page just as it does in his work. Issues with Stuart Little being accepted in libraries and other moments of note are wonderfully portrayed in original wording of letters. A writer who lived away from the fame he was garnering, White continued to do farm work, sail his boats, and enjoy the simple life he adored.

Sweet has written a simply incredible biography. Her writing flows with that of White. Hers has a frankness and an honesty that is particularly important in biography. Sweet intersperses White’s writing throughout the book, sometimes in clippings from magazines or newspapers and other times clearly typed using a typewriter to get the right feel. Unlike many children’s biographies, Sweet depicts White’s childhood and then moves on to his work and his adult life. While his childhood informs his work, it is not the sole focus of the biography, which honors young readers will plenty of information on his full life.

Sweet’s illustrations are equally amazing. She uses physical items on the page, weathered wood, screws, rope, typewriter keys, and leaves. She incorporates photographs and then her own art as well, creating a world of found objects, drawn Wilburs and Templetons, photos and actual documents that is rich and wondrous. It is like opening a drawer and discovering a treasure trove, a book you want to curl up with and read just as you did those beloved childhood books.

In short, this is a masterpiece. A book with just the right tone, style and organic nature. Terrific! Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Finding Wonders by Jeannine Atkins

October 24, 2016October 8, 2016 | Tasha

Finding Wonders: Three Girls Who Changed Science by Jeannine Atkins (InfoSoup)

This compelling verse novel tells the story of three girls who grew up to be women who made their own personal mark on science. There is Maria Merian, a girl born in 1647 who loved nature. Through careful observation, she discovered the metamorphosis of butterflies. Her artistic talents also helped document the life cycles of insects. Born in 1799, Mary Anning helped her father collect stone curiosities in England. When she saw a huge creature in the rocks, she discovered the first of the many fossils and dinosaurs she would uncover during her life. Born in 1818, Maria Mitchell grew up helping her mapmaker father in Nantucket. Exploring the night sky together, she spent years looking through her father’s telescope before discovering a new comet. All of these women battled societal expectations and familial pressures to become the scientists they were.

Atkins uses verse to directly tell the stories of these girls, the way they were raised and how they grew to become scientists. Readers unfamiliar with them will be amazed that they were able to reach such prominence in the time periods they lived and that their fathers were the ones who allowed them the freedom to learn and explore. These women demonstrate that through tenacity and determination one can become exactly who they were meant to be, despite almost everyone disapproving. The tales are inspiring and insightful.

Atkins has chosen three women whose stories work particularly well together. There are commonalities between them even though they span more than a century and involve different types of scientific endeavors. The strong focus on faith in all of the stories shows the way that scientists even today must reconcile their religious beliefs with scientific truths. Faith is handled with a frank sincerity here, an important part of family and life, but also something that can be personal to an individual.

Beautifully written, these brief glimpses of amazing women in science will introduce new sources of inspiration to young readers. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

Boys and Reading

October 24, 2016October 23, 2016 | Tasha

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Two of the largest studies of reading habits of children in the UK have been recently completed.

They show that boys of every age typically read less thoroughly than girls, no matter what sort of literature they are reading. They tend to take less time to process what they are reading and skip parts as well. Finally, they also choose things to read that are too easy for them.

Though boys read nonfiction more than girls do, the studies demonstrated that boys are not any better at reading nonfiction as thoroughly as girls are. There is also no relationship to socioeconomic status seen in the studies.

Topping said: “What you need is teachers, classroom assistants, librarians spending time with a child to talk about choices in reading; possible suggestions for more challenging books in the context of what they are interested in.

“We are not saying read hundreds of classics and that everything will be all right. They need to read challenging books in a subject in which they are interested.”

Details on the large studies can be found in The Guardian.

This Weeks Tweets, Pins & Tumbls

October 21, 2016 | Tasha

Here are some cool links I shared on my Twitter, Pinterest, and Tumblr accounts this week:

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

8 Brutal Truths of Raising a Book-Loving Kid | Brightly http://buff.ly/2ekZxoj #reading #kidlit

JK Rowling plans five Fantastic Beasts films – BBC News http://buff.ly/2e3iMDR #kidlit

Malala Yousafzai Lands Picture Book Deal http://buff.ly/2ejDHmQ #kidlit

Must be October…The books we love are painted on pumpkins! http://www.bradgustafson.com/single-post/2016/10/03/Introducing-a-New-Crop-of-LiteracyOLanterns … #LiteracyOLanterns

Pure imagination: illustrator Robert Ingpen on the value of childhood dreaming http://buff.ly/2elu5XH #kidlit

Stephen King’s First Children’s Book Coming in November http://buff.ly/2ep4nkG #kidlit

There are some absolute crackers on the @Booktrust guide to great books http://www.booktrust.org.uk/books/children/booklists/422/ … Go see for yourself!

LIBRARIES

Campus Libraries Write a Tech-Savvy New Chapter http://buff.ly/2ecP91Q #libraries

In Praise of the Public Library Answer Desk http://buff.ly/2ejZ47M #libraries

What books mean to rough sleepers – and the library that helps them http://buff.ly/2e3kE1l #libraries

TEEN LIT

5 Graphic Novels to Read to Get Spooked http://buff.ly/2dq4FJI #yalit

Keeping It Real: The Grittiness of Contemporary YA – Los Angeles Review of Books http://buff.ly/2evos9c #yalit

What’s Next for Jay Asher? http://buff.ly/2e7DUN2 #yalit

King Baby by Kate Beaton

October 21, 2016October 17, 2016 | Tasha

King Baby by Kate Beaton (InfoSoup)

From the author of Hark! A Vagrant comes a second picture book. King Baby is born to loving and devoted subjects, his parents. People bring gifts and in return King Baby bestows blessings upon them. He smiles and coos, but a King can also be demanding. When he doesn’t get his toy fast enough, he can be cranky. And his subjects don’t understand his demands, so King Baby has to do something new and bold. He crawls! Then he starts to grow and grow into a Big Boy. But as he grows up, who will rule his subjects?

Beaton has created a picture book that fully embraces the experience of new parenthood and will also work to show children about to be siblings just how very demanding a tiny baby can be for attention and time. Still, there is also the fact that they grow up so fast, quickly leaving babyhood behind. The use of imperious and lordly demands makes the book very funny and may allow overwhelmed families a little laugh about their small bundles of joy.

Beaton’s signature art work is a delight. The baby as little more than an egg with a crown captures those first few weeks perfectly. The crown remains perched on his little head all the way through tantrums and royal demands. The chaos of a home with a baby is also fully depicted with exhausted parents in hoodies and sweatpants and the floor littered with bottles, toys and clothes.

If you have a new little king or queen of your own or are expecting one to move in soon, this is a book that will have you and your other children giggling and agreeing. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Governor General’s 2016 Finalists

October 20, 2016October 18, 2016 | Tasha

The finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards have been announced and the winners will be revealed on October 25th. Two of the categories are specifically for younger readers. Here are the finalists for those categories:

YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE – TEXT

Calvin by Marine Leavitt

The Emperor of Any Place by Tim Wynne-Jones

Once in a Town Called Moth by Trilby Kent

A Thousand Nights by EK Johnston

The Unquiet by Mikaela Everett

YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE – ILLUSTRATED BOOKS

The Branch by Mireille Messier and Pierre Pratt

A Hungry Lion or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Ooko by Esme Shapiro

Tokyo Digs a Garden by Jon-Erik Lappano and Kellen Hatanaka

The White Cat and the Monk by Jo Ellen Bogart and Sydney Smith

Prime Minister’s Literary Awards Shortlists

October 20, 2016October 18, 2016 | Tasha

The shortlists for the Australian Prime Minister’s Literary Awards for 2016 have been announced. The awards cover Australian literature in a variety of categories with two of them focused on younger readers. Here are the shortlists for those categories:

CHILDREN’S FICTION

Adelaide’s Secret World by Elise Hurst

The Greatest Gatsby: A Visual Book of Grammar by Tohby Riddle

Mr. Huff by Anna Walker

Perfect by Danny Parker and Freya Blackwood

Sister Heart by Sally Morgan

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

Becoming Kirrali Lewis by Jane Harrison

Green Valentine by Lili Wilkinson

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

In Between Days by Vikki Wakefield

A Single Stone by Meg McKinlay

Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes

October 19, 2016October 8, 2016 | Tasha

Garvey’s Choice by Nikki Grimes (InfoSoup)

All Garvey seems to do is disappoint his father. His father would like him to play sports and to enjoy them too, but Garvey isn’t athletic. He’d much rather read science fiction and learn about science. Feeling bad about himself, Garvey consoles himself with food and starts to gain weight. He has one friend, who encourages him to join the school chorus. Soon Garvey is making new friends and displaying his talent. He becomes the new soloist for the chorus and his interest in music starts to build a bridge to his father via a new route.

Told in verse, this book of poetry is brief and powerful. Garvey’s situation with his father reads a organic and volatile, the desperation to connect creating even more of a distance between father and son as the failures continue. Garvey’s use of food as a solace is intelligently done, offering hope that he can find his footing again but also not seeing weight loss as the ultimate solution or weight as the real problem. Verse allows Grimes to cut right to the heart of these situations, revealing the layers of issues at play.

Garvey is a bright, funny character. He is shown as a good friend, supportive and also accepting. As Garvey begins to reach out and try new things, he is rewarded by the chorus also reaching out to him. Again, the progress is done in a natural way. Nothing is perfect and there is no magical solution here. It is hard work, talent and slow progress towards a better place.

A shining look at loneliness, bullying and the ability of music to break down barriers. Appropriate for ages 8-12.

Reviewed from library copy.

Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize Shortlist

October 19, 2016October 18, 2016 | Tasha

The shortlist for the 2016 Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize has been announced. Winners will be announced on November 17th. Here are the shortlisted titles for this prestigious UK award: