Five on Friday

1. I know it’s been a while since I just blogged for the pleasure of blogging. I miss it. I really do. Life has been quite hectic recently. I’m sure a few of you are going through the experience of having a spouse who works far away so that they can have a job. This is our situation. We have gotten use to the good-byes, the hello’s are getting a little easier too. Hubby has been a total trooper doing the "bag drag." He really has two jobs. One with a private defense contractor company and the other in the Navy Reserves. I was very proud to attend his Change of Command ceremony last weekend. It’s rare that we get to see our spouses in action (at work). It was lovely to see him in uniform, carrying himself with such grace and exuding leadership. His speeches were eloquent, funny, and well delivered. What a treat! Here we are with his Chief Petty Officer.

The week leading up to this was crazy. The brakes in the trucks failed while I was driving (we are all fine) and I had to do the mechanic thing. The next day, I locked my sweet puppy and my keys in the car. Huge thank you to the lady who used her AAA to save me and the Dad of I’s classmate who drove my son to basketball practice. The next day, to travel to the Change of Command, my Hubby rented us a car from Enterprise. I showed up at 12:10 not knowing that they closed at noon. Needless to say, there were tears. But all was well.

2. I’ve completed a full draft of my novel. I missed the JONOWRIMO check in, but happy to have reached this milestone. Of course, now I turn around and start to revise: put in, take out, look for emotional distance, inconsistencies, character arc, adult word choice. Someday. Someday.

3. I turn in Packet Five today. This is my last packet for the first semester of my Vermont College experience. It’s been– I don’t really know– arduous? time consuming? enlightening? I can certainly say that I am able to look at my work with a more critical eye than before this semester. I write and read all the time. I read more critically than I did before. My critical writing has improved markedly. In my creative work, there is no time for excuses. (Although here I am at 6:30 am blogging, without my last critical essay complete and the packet due today.) I’m really looking forward to being at the residency again. Seeing my cohort group and getting the workshop pages from others to critique. I’ll be doing the Picture Book certificate and I’m really looking forward to working with Sarah Ellis and Kathi Appelt. (Time to look for a back support cushion.)

4. My puppy is growing quickly and needs LOTS of love and attention. When Hubby came home Monday (after a week away), I grabbed my computer and books and said, "You are in charge here at home. I’m going to the library." Yesterday he asked me, did I notice that it’s really hard to get anything done with the puppy wanting to play all the time? Um….yes.

5. I’m afraid that I failed to post Book Review Wednesday this week. I’m sorry. It’s just been too crazy here. I have three authors out there waiting for their reviews and I promise I’ll do them over the next few weeks. The new year is coming quickly, if you have a 2010 release and would like to send me a review copy, leave a comment with your email (spell it out so the spambots don’t get you.)

Book Review Wednesday: My Uncle Emily

Shop Indie Bookstores

The spirit of poetry past comes shining through in My Uncle Emily, a 2009 release from Jane Yolen. We can always depend on Ms. Yolen to deliver a wonderfully crafted story. This one is stellar in its use of lyrical prose to capture the tone of Emily Dickinson’s poetry and time period.

Emily Dickinson’s nephew, Gilbert, is the child friendly entry point to Ms. Dickinson’s poetry. Gilbert wonders about the symbols in his "Uncle Emily’s" poetry. Gilbert must share her poetry with his class, but he is afraid the other students won’t like or understand it either. When he finally learns to decode her ideas he lights up, "like a lamp."

My Uncle Emily, has clear themes of honesty and peaceful resolution of conflict but none of them are preachy or heavy handed. The actions and reactions of the characters are true to the story and true to life. In fact, Ms. Yolen ends the book with a piece entitled, "What’s True About This Story."

Patti Lee Gauch of Philomel is the editor for this beautifully designed book. It is not often that the editor is cited in the front matter. However, Ms. Gauch is well known for her editorial achievements and her own use of lyrical prose in Thunder At Gettysburg one of the first "novels in verse."

Nancy Carpenter, a two time recipient of the Christoper Award, illustrates the book with pen and ink and digital media. The effect is of colorful engravings which perfectly fit the Amherst, Massachusettes setting circa 1881. I was especially enthalled by Ms. Carpenter’s use of negative space which frames the illustrations and focuses the reader’s attention to particular details. Her lovely muted palette, the patterning and texture, and her gestural line capture the costume, light and formality of the period.

Ms. Yolen’s book delightfully treats modern children to the spirit of poets past.

On Vacation…

Hope you’ve had a great week. I’ll be back with Book Review Wednesday on December 2nd.

Three on Thursday

1. Please welcome, Lucy!

Lucy is a nine week old yellow Labrador who became a part of our family on Sunday. Her birthday is September 13th. She loves to chew on woodwork, pounce on footballs and soccer balls, and snuggle in your lap for some serious loving. Lucy is learning to love the warmth of being a house dog but is still learning to only pee outside.

It only took a moment for us to fall in love with Lucy but of course it will take a lifetime of training and love to make Lucy a well-mannered member of our family. I’m pretty tuckered out from a week of night time bathroom breaks. It is like having a newborn again, but one that can run away pretty quickly.

2. Because of travel issues, my parents are arriving this evening with my hubby (who has been away this first week of puppy parenting). They will stay through the Thanksgiving weekend. Did I mention that all my energy this week has gone to this puppy and my human children. The house is a complete wreck. School paperwork and projects cover my kitchen counters, flies have made their way into the boy’s bathroom and died– littering the floor, My kid’s rooms are trashed. The office, where my sister-in-law is suppose to sleep next Wednesday is covered in books for my MFA. The laundry is done and has been wrinkling in the baskets that I’ve been dumping on my bed to fold and then shoving back into the basket at night when I finally hit the hay at after a day of puppy care. In addition to the messy house, my oil just ran out. Not entirely unexpected mind you. I tried to get oil last week but they didn’t take my check which has our Maryland address still. I found someone who will deliver this morning.

3. AND… I’m supposed to be prepping for my trip to NYC for the Jewish Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Conference this weekend. I have to pack and get color copies made of illustrations. It would be nice if I could update my portfolio a bit too. I should stick new mailing labels on my postcards too.

So you see, it is quite busy here. Hectic might be a better word. Frustrating? No, exhausting.

Book Review Wednesday: Bug Boy

Shop Indie Bookstores

Normal
0
0
1
245
1401
11
2
1720
11.1282

0
0

Luper, Eric. Bug Boy. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2009.

The crafts people and artists who make up my circle of friends amaze me. I feel lucky and proud to have Eric Luper in this circle. I know that I said I would only review picture books and books for middle grade audiences. I know. But I just finished Eric Luper’s, Bug Boy (which is a Young Adult book) and I couldn’t put it down.

What’s really wonderful about this book is how Eric works the plot arch. First the reader learns to love the protagonist Jack Walsh, a shabby horse exerciser and stable cleaner. He makes Jack’s desires crystal clear and provides the main character with enough know how, personality, and drive to get the job done. The reader routes for Jack 100%.

Next, Eric immerses the reader in the horse racing culture of Saratoga Springs in 1934. From architecture to wardrobe, racing strategy to jockey speak, the historic and racing details are amazing. The reader can hear the sounds of the track: skirts rustling, hooves pounding, bookies gambling– cigar smoke mixes with whiskey and horse manure. Lovely!

Finally, Eric ratchets up the tension by inserting well-placed obstacles for our hero. The obstacles are physical, psychological, and ethical and force Jack Walsh to make grown up decisions. As the tension mounts (get it, mounts), Eric reveals back story as smoothly as a spider exudes her webbing until he catches the reader on the edge of her seat. At one point of the story, I actually said aloud, “Oh no she didn’t.”

While the book is written for Young Adults I highly recommend it for adults as well. If this book isn’t optioned for a movie in the next few years, I’ll eat my riding helmet.

Book Review Wednesday: Soap, Soap, Soap

Shop Indie Bookstores

Dulemba, Elizabeth O. Soap, soap, soap = Jabón, jabón, jabón. McHenry, IL: Raven Tree Press, 2009.

Normal
0
0
1
349
1994
16
3
2448
11.1282

0
0

Soap, Soap, Soap, tells the story of Hugo and his trip to fetch soap for his mother from the market. The only problem is that Hugo keeps forgetting what he is supposed to purchase. Soap, Soap, Soap (Jabon, Jabon, Jabon) is Elizabeth’s first picture book as both the author and the illustrator. Raven Tree Press publishes the book in an English only and a Bilingual English/Spanish edition.

I enjoyed the bilingual addition very much and was pleased with how seamlessly the Spanish vocabulary (printed in red) was included in the text. I was actually hoping for more Spanish, perhaps a side by side translation and wonder what the editorial decisions were surrounding this issue.

I had a great time following the main character as he tried to accomplish his mother’s task through Elizabeth’s wavy, whimsical town, but I had a hard time believing that the main character would loose his train of thought so quickly. How could someone be so forgetful? However, this past week I have misplaced my keys, and my cell phone, forgotten an oil delivery, and left my wash to mildew for three days. I also had to have my own kiddo repeat, “Get dressed, collect my laundry,” three times this morning. And he still needed to be sent back upstairs to get pants. Hugo’s journey seems more believable now.

Elizabeth Dulemba’s digital illustrations have appeared in trade and educational titles and the SCBWI national bulletin. In Soap, Soap, Soap, Elizabeth creates a wonderful array of diverse and true-to-life characters. Hugo and his friend, Jellybean Jones, are especially animated. I love their expressions as they navigate the mud puddle (charco de barro.) Elizabeth uses her character’s body positions (angle, arm position, and visual balance) to convey their inquisitive attitude wonderfully. Perhaps my favorite image is of Hugo on the back cover hanging on the clothesline after his bath. His body is delightfully relaxed and shows so much movement. Kudos to the designer, I love the details in this book: the text design, the endpapers, the soap bars on the pagination.

Elizabeth is well well known on the blog circuit. She has designed cyber-school "Virtual Visits" so that schools with smaller travel budgets can access guest speakers. Parents and teachers can take advantage of her extensive activities and coloring pages also available on her website and the Raven Tree site.

Whatever you do, make sure that Soap, Soap, Soap is on your holiday shopping list. Don’t forget!

Book Review Wednesday (on Thursday, oops!)

Shop Indie Bookstores

<!–
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:”Times New Roman”;
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:””;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:””;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;
mso-header-margin:28.1pt;
mso-footer-margin:28.1pt;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
–>

Sidman, Joyce and Zagarenski, Pamela. This Is Just To Say. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co, 2007.

Perhaps it is fitting that I begin this post with an apology. I’m so sorry that I missed Wednesday. It startled me, then melted away like the first snow. (Responses welcomed in the comments.)

In the first section of Joyce Sidman’s poetry collection, This Is Just To Say, fictitious sixth grade students and their teacher are inspired to write poetic apologies after reading William Carlos William’s (often anthologized) “This Is Just To Say.” In the second half of the book, those they have injured answer with poetic responses.

The whimsical collage illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski fit the collection perfectly. The student introduction tells us that a student and the art teacher created the images and Zagarenski’s minimalist drawing approach makes this believable. I especially applaud her use of school related papers in the images. Houghton Mifflin editors chose the same illustrator for Sidman’s, Red Sings From Treetops, for her wonderful ability to create fantastical settings.

The subject matter of these poems is enough to evoke emotion in the reader: a dying dog, a hurt sibling, an absent father, a missing class pet. However, some of the apologies are lighter: a stolen jelly donut or brownie, a hard hit in dodge ball, a loved school statue.

I suppose I am a little bit of a poetry traditionalist but I thought that the poems that employed more formal devices were the most effective. “The Black Spot” uses an imbedded dot of pencil lead as a metaphor for the simmering anger between siblings. “Dodge Ball Kings” a poem in two voices that captures the excitement and energy of the boys with onomatopoeias. “Haiku for Carmen” which follows the traditional 5-7-5 syllable form. “What Girls Want” in which the student poet uses a series of metaphors and parallel phrasing that builds to a final contradictory line that really packs the emotional punch of the poem.

When the poems are less formal in their organization the collection lags. Many of the poems are prose poems and I felt that the line breaks were somewhat arbitrary. Many of them could have used more condensed language and the line breaks could have been better chosen to create more impact. If you read some of these poems aloud the listener might think you were just reading a paragraph.

That said, I highly recommend this book for any middle grade reader. By immersing the reader in the characters that people Mrs. Merz sixth grade class, Ms. Sidman makes each of these situations relevant and readable to a child audience. If children visit her website, they can hear Ms. Sidman reading her poems.

The book, published in 2007, has won many awards including:

Claudia Lewis Poetry Award

Cybils Poetry Award

Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book

IRA Teacher’s Choice Book

Texas Bluebonnet Award Nomination

New York Public Library’s "100 Titles for Reading and Sharing"

School Library Journal Best Book of the Year

Book Links Lasting Connection Book

If you are looking in your library for This Is Just To Say, it is probably housed in the juvenille poetry section where some of the most wonderful and overlooked books are just waiting to be rediscovered.

Six On Saturday

1. We are hanging the Maine Illustrators’ Collective Classics Reimagined show on Monday, November 2nd. If you’d like to come and/or attend the opening, here is the information:

2. If you won’t be able to make it and would like to see my piece here it is:

From Aesop’s, The Fox and The Crow.

3. If you are wondering why I’m up early it’s because I have so much work to do on my VCFA packet. I always seem to get to this point. I read for too long then I’m crunched for writing time. (I know, Mona. Six am isn’t early but I’ve been up and working since four.) I needed an extension last time and I’m set on not asking for another one. Feeling a little anxious.
4. I just bought a wide format Epson printer with the money I’m earning from my illustration work for hire. Very exciting but it is an investment.
5. Even though I just dealt with a disappointing rejection on the job scene, I’m applying for yet another one. I guess that is just how it goes, but I start to wonder– between writing rejections and job rejections, how much can I take before I want to curl up and hide from the world? Perhaps it is a little like child birth though. Nature allows us to forget the pain so that we will do it all again. At least at the end of child birth you have the beautiful child. I’m ready to see the fruits of my labor on the job market. And in the children’s book industry for that matter.
6. Lucy the yellow lab puppy is coming home to our house on November 15th. She’ll be 9 weeks old and is as cute as cute can be. I’ll post pics when I get some. I only have them on my phone and don’t have a plan that allows me email them to myself. (ACK!)

Book Review Wednesday: There Come A Soldier

Shop Indie Bookstores

Normal
0
0
1
373
2129
17
4
2614
11.1282

0
0

Mercer, Peggy. There Come A Soldier. Illus.Ron Mazellan. New York: Handprint Books, 2007,

Peggy Mercer contacted me last week to suggest her book There Come A Soldier, for Book Review Wednesday. I’m so glad she did.

Peggy’s book tells the story of a father who fights in World War II. He draws his strength from childhood memories growing up in rural Georgia. When he learns to be a paratrooper, he remembers times jumping out of the hayloft “although it took a right smart of coaxing.” When he has to hold “still as a tombstone,” he remembers the time he was treed by a bear.

The author’s regional storytelling voice rings true throughout alternating scenes. In one scene the reader learns about father’s calls to service, training or mission in the military. Next, the author flashes back to Georgia and how father prepared for the service as a boy. The text is longer than what most editors are acquiring these days and I am so glad. The writing is lyrical and at times melancholy. Tension grips the reader in the middle of the book and propels him, along with the alternating flashbacks, towards the conclusion of the story which delivers hope and courage for young readers.

The illustrations by Ron Mazellan are painterly and evocative of Norman Rockwell. I say this with some reluctance. I don’t want you to think that they are campy or photorealistic. Instead, I mean that the reader is treated to an artist skilled in the human figure and portraiture. The painter’s signature technique is the use of white to dapple and fog portions of the images creating movement and emotion. Mazellan uses the darkest values to contrast with the white, providing depth of space and feeling.

There are no notes about the medium so I’m just giving it my best guess. Originally I thought the images were oil paintings as the under painting peaks through and seems to be mixed wet on wet. However, some of images are more translucent almost like watercolor. In these images the viewer is treated to remnants of the gestural charcoal under drawing. Both acrylics and gouache could be the medium used in this dynamic way.

When she contacted me, Peggy Mercer probably didn’t know that I’m a Navy spouse but that really doesn’t matter. There Come A Soldier is less a book about the military or war and much more a book about the bravery and determination it takes to serve. At the core of any service is a love and respect for nation. This book is about how our past friendships, connections, and experiences are forged out of sturdy stuff. How these links encircle us for our whole lives. As we approach Thanksgiving, this book is an excellent discussion starter of what we are thankful for and how we can serve others.

Book Review Wednesday: Where Am I Sleeping Tonight?

Click the image for Boulden Publishing.

<!–
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:”Times New Roman”;
panose-1:0 2 2 6 3 5 4 5 2 3;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:50331648 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-parent:””;
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;}
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-parent:””;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;}
@page Section1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.Section1
{page:Section1;}
–>

Ekster, Carol Gordon and Sue Rama’. Where Am I Sleeping Tonight?: A Story of Divorce. Weaverville, CA: Boulden Publishing, 2008.

Carol Gordon Ekster, an award-winning educator, recently retired from teaching. Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? A Story of Divorce, is her first book for children. The story grew out of Carol’s 35 years of watching many fourth grade students muddle through the side effects of joint custody.

Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? opens with an engaging scene of the two brothers waking up, confused about if they are at Mom or Dad’s home. The book is told from the POV of the older fourth grade brother, Mark, and the sentence structure is appropriate for independent readers. The book is probably best for educators and counselors who want to use the book as discussion starter.

For Mark, making sure he has everything organized for school is a problem. This is an issue that will ring true for children regardless of their family situation. It may be helpful for adults to stop reading around page 16 before Mark solves his problem. This would be a good time to talk about Mark’s situation and ask the class for their ideas. Brainstorming possible solutions would keep the students engaged through the book to see if Mark solved the problem the way that they suggested.

As concept books sometime do, this book has its share of didactic moments that come from adult word choice, and telling instead of showing, “I set a goal to be more responsible” (Ekster 8) or “The class has heard all about the importance of making lists and being organized since the first day of school” (Ekster 18). However, Carol also has some nice imagery, “But my lips stay sealed, tighter than a zipped up baggy” (Ekster 10) and, regarding his Mother’s computer limit, “It’s like she has a timer in her brain” (Ekster 13).

The book is published by the educational publishing house Boulden Publishing who chose Sue Rama’ as the illustrator. You may know Sue from her delightful illustrations in Linda Sue Park’s, Yum! Yuk! She also won the Tomie de Paola Award for Illustration from SCBWI. Sue uses what looks like pen and ink, water-soluble crayon, and watercolor to create wonderful textures and flowing gestural line. Spot illustrations extend and reinforce the story.