Author: Tasha

Patricia McKissack Dies at 72

| Tasha

Image result for sing jump and shout

Patricia McKissack has died at age 72. She has a new book out just this year that is an amazing collection of games and songs from her childhood. Her husband and collaborator, Fred McKissack, died four years ago.

Her heart stopped, her son said, but “in a way, I think my mother died of a broken heart.” Fredrick McKissack Jr. said his mother and father were “best friends and partners. When Dad died, the life drained from her. She tried to keep her spirits up and was coming up with ideas for new books, but she wasn’t the same.”

The McKissacks were the vanguard of diversity in children’s books. When I was director of a very small library in central Wisconsin, I purchased every book they put out, knowing that it would bring high quality along with diversity into our very white community.  They were a huge part of transforming libraries across the country into places where all children can see themselves reflected.

 

ALA’s Top 10 Challenged Books of 2016

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ALA has created an infographic and a video this year about the 10 most challenged books. You can find out more at the ALA website.

I am completely saddened and sickened at some of the reasons for challenging a book. How can an image of two boys kissing on a book cover be enough for a challenge? How can a book just dealing with a transgender child be the reason for banning it?

Still, I am very glad that ALA keeps track of these bans and challenges and that we learn as librarians and patrons exactly what is happening in our nation with books for children, teens and adults. Here’s the video with explanations of why each book was challenged:

 

Lighter Than Air by Matthew Clark Smith

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Lighter Than Air by Matthew Clark Smith

Lighter Than Air: Sophie Blanchard, the First Woman Pilot by Matthew Clark Smith, illustrated by Matt Tavares (9780763677329, Amazon)

This picture book biography tells the story of Sophie Blanchard, the first woman to fly on her own. In the 18th century, France was filled with “balloonmania.” Every balloonist was male and they were breaking records. Meanwhile, a girl was growing up by the seaside and dreaming of flight. When she met the famous balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard, the two realized they had a shared passion for flight. They were soon married and started flying together. After two shared flights, Sophie went up alone and became the first woman to fly a balloon solo. Her husband died from a heart attack and fall from a balloon and Sophie stopped flying for awhile. Eventually, she flew again and earned a living with her flight. Napoleon made her Aeronaut of the Official Festivals and Chief Air Minister of Ballooning.

Smith offers exactly the right amount of detail in this picture book. The dangers of ballooning are mentioned but not dwelled upon, just like the death of Jean-Pierre. Sophie’s own death in a balloon is only mentioned in the Author’s Note which also speaks to how little is actually known about her despite her accomplishments. Her childhood, in particular, is unknown and Smith created some of the details himself. Throughout the book, it is the wonder of human flight that is the focus and that unites Sophie’s adult life with her childhood dreams.

Tavares has illustrated this picture book with period details that capture the balloons and the fragility of the baskets. In other illustrations, he captures the sky and the expanse that Sophie is flying into. Two illustrations mirror one another with darker skies as Sophie dreams as a girl of flying and when she returns to flight after her husband’s death.

An important picture book about a brave and groundbreaking woman who refused to be limited by the rest of the world. Appropriate for ages 6-8.

Reviewed from library copy.

Round by Joyce Sidman

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Round by Joyce Sidman

Round by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Taeeun Yoo (9780544387614, Amazon)

This simple picture book looks at things in life that are round. A little girl explores her world, seeing all of the things that are round. It is much more than a list of round items, speaking to the joy of round things, the feel of them in the hand, and the way that they appear again and again particularly in nature. There is the roundness of seeds, the round center of flowers, the round circles inside of trees, and the rounded stones in the ocean. Throughout the book, the little girl experiences each of these and finds that she too can become round sometimes with friends and sometimes all on her own.

Sidman captures the joy of experiencing nature and discovering shapes there. This book is specifically about circles and rounded shapes, making it very appropriate for toddlers who are just learning about shapes. The text is simple and friendly, inviting youngsters to find round things in their own world. Text at the end of the book speaks to why we see so many round things in nature.

The illustrations by Yoo add to the feeling of being invited along on a journey of discovery outdoors. Yoo’s illustrations show the little girl, her dog and her father exploring together. Yoo lets readers see up close when appropriate and then back away to show large expanses when that works best.

A simple look at circles in nature, this picture book is a great invitation to head outside and find your own shapes. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from library copy.

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean

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Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean

Eat the Sky, Drink the Ocean edited by Kirsty Murray, Pagal Dhar and Anita Roy (9781481470575, Amazon)

This is an incredible collection of speculative short stories written by young adult authors from India and Australia. The authors worked in teams across the two countries, and the results are short stories, graphic shorts, and even a play. The quality of the collection is tremendous, showing a depth of understanding of what happens to women in our cultures and how that might play out in the future. There are stories where the women are in power and men are considered lesser, stories where women are just starting to take their rightful place, and others where the struggle is very much like it is today. Each has a ray of hope, a path forward if only we are brave enough to take it.

Readers of these short stories will love that the authors have longer books to explore. The voices here are rich and varied, still there is a sense of unity in this collection thanks to the overarching theme of women and girls and their rights. Make sure to read the final section of the book that speaks to the collaborations and how the authors worked together.

Entirely thoughtful, strongly progressive and profoundly feminist, this collection of short stories is exceptional. Appropriate for ages 14-18.

Reviewed from copy received from Margaret K. McElderry Books.

 

Father’s Road by Ji-yun Jang

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Father's Road by Ji-yun Jang

Father’s Road by Ji-yun Jang, illustrated by Tan Jun, edited by Joy Cowley (9780802854728)

Released March 30, 2017.

Wong Chung is excited to join his father on the Silk Road as they travel west to sell silk in Constantinople. There are many dangers on the trip and new skills to learn. Traveling on camels, they have to brave the desert and conserve water along the way. Wong Chung learned to cover his face against the blowing sand and find water and even food along the way in unexpected places. Then just as the journey was nearing its end, bandits attack them and kidnap them, stealing their silk. A sandstorm hits the bandit camp and Wong Chung makes a decision that will decide their fate one way or another.

This picture book about the Silk Road transports readers into the harsh terrain and the harrowing journey that used to be the way that trade was done. Through the eyes of Wong Chung, readers learn about the dangers and the wonders of the trail. They also grow to understand the importance of honor and duty in the culture.

Textured papers form the background of the illustrations, offering colors of sand, red mountains and occasional green. Drawn in fine lines, the illustrations of the camels and people meld with the setting to form a unified whole. There is a lovely organic quality to the entire book, drawing readers further into the desert journey.

Part of the Trade Winds series, this picture book is a glimpse into a bygone time of hardship and adventure. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

This Week’s Tweets, Pins and Tumbls

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

CHILDREN’S BOOKS

The colour in anything: illustrations by Quentin Blake – in pictures

Economics, Money, and Class in 2017 Picture Books Today — A Fuse #8 Production

Genes May Significantly Impact Reading Ability | Psych Central News

New crop of children’s books celebrates spring in colorful ways

Reading between the lines: Children’s and YA literature deserve more credibility

TEEN LIT

21 ‘Trends’ YA Literature Needs To Embrace In The Coming Years

Carolyn Mackler Expands on a YA Favorite

Claire LaZebnik on Her New YA Novel About Sisters, Autism, and “Things I Should Have Known”

An Interview with Laini Taylor, Author of Strange the Dreamer

Macmillan Children’s scoops fantasy trilogy in six-figure Bologna deal | The Bookseller

This House, Once by Deborah Freedman

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This House Once by Deborah Freedman

This House, Once by Deborah Freedman (9781481442848, Amazon)

Simple and profound, this picture book by a master author/illustrator takes a look at the wonder behind everyday objects like a house. The door was once a huge oak tree. The stones were raised from deep underground. The bricks came from mud that was baked hard. The windows were once sand. The book takes a quiet and focused look at the transformation of materials into the items that surround us.

I find myself unable to capture in words the beauty of this quiet book. It has a gorgeous meditative quality to it, a look at the importance of the history of our things, their origins and the skill that it took to make them. Freedman manages to convey all of that with simple words and taking a look at where all of the parts of the house came from one after another. The ending wraps it all up, tying it all back to the front door as the house comes to life around the reader.

Freedman’s art is dreamy and soft. She creates clouds and leaves with watercolors that feather on the page. Young animals play together in the natural settings that the objects originated in. There are puddles, mud, stones underground, and more. Then the house, solid and warm, lit with by a fireplace, still open to dreams.

A brilliant picture book that will entrance young readers, little builders and budding scientists. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from copy received from Atheneum Books for Young Readers.

The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler

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The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler

The Blue Hour by Isabelle Simler (9780802854889, Amazon)

In between day and night, there is a special time of day: twilight or the blue hour. This picture book looks as blue animals during this brief time of day, capturing their blue beauty against the blue of the setting. There are animals like the blue fox from the arctic. Poison blue dart frogs are tropical. The plants and animals come from around the world, some from our own backyards like violets and bluebirds. Throughout the book, there is a feel of the magical time of day and quiet it brings as night settles in.

Simler’s words are poetic. Her collection of plants and animals move from being more active to a quieter feel as the book progresses. This arc follows the way that nature quiets before nightfall. The end pages of the book offer information on different types of blue and then a map with the various animals on it.

The art is very special with the blue tones dominant throughout. There is a peacefulness and simplicity to it that matches the time of day perfectly. The various animals and plants are shown almost luminous on the blue background, their fur, feathers, and petals lit from within. This adds to the magical feel of the book and the sense that readers are looking at something almost secret.

A blue-tiful book about nature, time and the wonder around us. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Eerdmans.