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You've Got a Friend

9/26/2019

Aalfred and Aalbert by Morag Hood

Morag Hood is back with another inventive tale of friendship. She still manages to spend some time in at the grocers where Carrot and Pea hang out. However, for this book broccoli and cheese play a supporting part.

Starring roles belong to two aardvarks. Aalfred and Aalbert. Name spelling is a playful nod to the species nomenclature.

Although the two aardvarks have neighboring burrows, they have never met. Each has a very distinct lifestyle, one active during the day and the other nocturnal. They seem destined to remain apart.

Until an observant bird decides to intervene.

The bird tries several different tactics to bring the potential friends together. All these well-meaning attempts fail. Until... Aalfred notices the bird is dejected and decides to do something to cheer up his feathered friend. On his way to visit bird, he slips and tumbles into Aalbert's burrow. This chance encounter leads to a lifetime friendship for the aardvarks, filled with picnics, tennis, and quantities of broccoli with cheese sauce.

Astute young readers will notice that this is more than a story of two unusual characters who meet and become friends. It is the story of a bird who helps others become friends. An example of true friendship.

A note about the primarily blue and orange color palette. These are traditionally referred to as complementary colors. This color scheme emphasizes contrasts between the two mammals.

"Complementary colors are pairs of colors which, when combined or mixed, cancel each other out by producing a grayscale color like white or black. When placed next to each other, they create the strongest contrast for those two colors. Complementary colors may also be called "opposite colors." Wikipedia

It's Science

In addition to a story of friendship and an exploration of the color wheel, Aalfred and Aalbert can be used as an introduction to nocturnal animals and magnetic fields. This picture book offers a wealth of teaching opportunities.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: September 1, 2019 Publisher: Peachtree Publishing Company ISBN: 978-1682631218

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Women’s Business

9/24/2019

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Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre
by Glynnis Fawkes introduction by Alison Bechdel

Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! -
I have as much soul as you, - and full as much heart!

Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre is an insightful and well-researched portrait of young Charlotte Brontë.

Prologue features Brontë receiving a letter from England's Poet laureate Robert Southey. A series of panels focus on Charlotte and the emotions that play across her face as she reads his critique of her poetry.

Literature cannot be the business of a woman's life.

This opening sets the stage for an illustrated chronology of the sixteen-year struggle for Brontë and her sisters Emily and Anne to establish themselves as authors. The 1800’s were not a period favorable for educated women who aspired to move beyond the traditional vocations of teacher or governess.

Following the death of her mother, Charlotte is sent, along with her three sisters, to an austere boarding school. Both of her of older sisters die from "consumption" and the two younger girls are withdrawn from the school.

The four surviving Brontë children remain at home, where their imaginations take flight as they create an elaborate world based on a set of toy soldiers. They call their fantasy world Glass Town. It becomes the basis for their early ventures into writing.

We will be the subject of tales and verse for years to come! Hooray for Great Glass Town!

Eventually Charlotte and Emily return to school and prepare to become teachers. Both girls find the life of a teacher and governess to be distasteful. They want to write. Assuming constant care of young charges leaves no time for these accomplished siblings to pursue their passion for writing. They receive this advice: women cannot support themselves as authors.

Finally the sisters determine that they will find a way to see their work in published form. All three women submit novels for consideration. Anne's Agnes Grey and Emily's Wuthering Heights are accepted. Charlotte's The Professor is rejected. Fortunately Charlotte receives this encouraging response: perhaps she might write another novel for consideration. She gets to work on a story set on the moors. The main character is neither wealthy nor glamorous. She has endured a painful childhood. Despite difficulties the heroine is determined to succeed. Her name is Jane Eyre.

Brontë writes, pouring her life and her heart into the work. When she is ready to submit her final clean copy of Jane Eyre she learns that if the publisher rejects the novel she must pay both sending and returning shipping fees. She risks a double payment if the novel is rejected. She decides to send the manuscript.

I've been writing incessantly for a year- what will come of it?

Her book is accepted.
Fawkes concludes Brontë’s story with a full-page tribute to Jane Eyre. First published in 1847, it has never been out of print, has been adapted numerous times for a variety of media, and translated into approximately sixty languages.

Emily Bechdel’s Forward serves as a a personal and fitting introduction. Back matter is a treasure trove of valuable resources. Author’s Postscript offers a rationale for focusing on the life of Charlotte, the influence of the Glass Town Saga, and the necessity of editing Brontë’s writing to fit within the constraints of sequential art. Panel Discussions meticulously document specific details with supporting sources of information. Selected Bibliography, Credits, and a Thank You conclude the work.

It is not necessary to read or to even be familiar with the novels of Brontë to appreciate her ongoing efforts to establish herself as a credible author. Her story is a moving tribute to the desire to follow one’s passion regardless of societal mores. Above all, it is a poignant glimpse into the struggle to advance the stature of literary women.
This beautiful and thought-provoking graphic novel is part of The Center for Cartoon Studies reality-based cartoon series. A rich resource and worthy addition to libraries and the school curriculum.

Fawkes line drawings and ink wash are an excellent medium for the pastoral British Isles setting.

Meet Glynnis Fawkes as she discusses two of her recent projects.

Brontë Times Three

Can't get enough of Brontë? Try this imaginative introduction to Glass Town, the fantasy world created by the Brontë siblings, a graphic novel version of Jane Eyre, and a young adult novel inspired by Jane Eyre.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher

Pub date: September 24, 2019 Publisher: Disney-Hyperion ISBN: 978-1368045827

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Weave Me a Story

9/17/2019

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At the Mountain's Base by Traci Sorell ill by Weshoyot Alvitre

Sorell's cumulative verse begins beneath a hickory tree at the base of a mountain. The scene zooms in to reveal a cabin beneath the spreading branches of the tree. Stepping inside the cabin, readers see a simple yet welcoming home. Generations of Cherokee women watch as a grandma picks up fibers and weaves a pattern. She is intertwining more than strands of colored wool. She is weaving together a family, bound by love and tradition.
Her threads extend beyond the walls of the cabin and encompass a family member far away.
A pilot flying far away in war-ravaged skies senses the influence of her grandma's songs and prayers. It is a prayer is for peace and a safe return.

An Author's Note explains that while this story fictional, it is based on the service of one Native American woman, Ola Mildred "MIllie" Rexroat an OgLaLa Lakota pilot.

Alvitre's evocative illustrations highlight Native American culture and the strong influence of the family matriarch. My favorite illustration is a two-page spread close-up of grandma's gnarled arthritic hands as she weaves. Her years of devotion to family and her craft are a testament to a grandmother's care for her family.

At the Mountain's Base offers a glimpse into a tightly knit structure that treasures home and family.

The Art of Weaving

My family's roots are in the American Southwest. Through marriage, friendships, and partnerships, we have learned to appreciate and respect the Navajo Nation. We were blessed to receive a beautiful hand-woven blanket, made from natural fibers and woven in a pattern similar to the blanket featured in the video.
I have always admired the intricately woven baskets similar to those created by Native American artist Shan Goshorn.

Cumulative Verse

Explore these wonderful cumulative tales. They might inspire youngsters to try writing their own cumulative verse.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher

Pub date: September 17, 2019 Publisher: Kokila ISBN: 978-0735230606

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Fateful Voyage

9/17/2019

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Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of the Children’s Ship
by Deborah Heiligman

"Each person had a life, a story, a life worth living and a story worth telling."

In 1939 Germany invaded Poland, creating ripples of conflict throughout Europe. Hostilities intensified when the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany and the Germans began relentlessly bombing London. British parents sought to protect their families from these attacks. One option was sending children out of the country. Children’s Overseas Reception Board (CORB) arranged to transport youngsters ages five through fifteen to relative safety in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa. A luxury ocean liner, the SS City of Benares set sail on September 12, 1940 departing from Liverpool and bound for Canada. The ship carried 406 people. Passengers included 90 CORB children along with their chaperones. Terror struck five days into the journey when a German U-boat fired a torpedo, sinking the City of Benares.
Torpedoed: The True Story of the Sinking of “The Children’s Ship” chronicles this catastrophe and the fate of its few survivors.

Heiligman combines thorough research and stellar storytelling to create a nonfiction masterpiece. Everything is true. (Numbered Endnotes provide solid documentation.) However, the book feels like a cinematic saga.

One of the hallmarks of this work of nonfiction is the powerful emotion that the story conveys. The author skillfully employs numerous writing techniques to achieve a heightened emotional effect. They include:

Italicizing specific words to convey a deeper level of meaning.

"Bombs demolished office building, schools, playgrounds, churches, and houses. Homes."

Pairing contrasts.

"Bess ...was having very mixed feelings about Louis. She was not watching out for him, as her father had asked…. By contrast, Beth didn’t have mixed feelings about anything. She knew she was in the right place."

Pivoting the narrative on a single word.

"Then he started eating a succulent orange, which made Bess feel even worse. She was truly annoyed with him.
John McGlashan, the second engineer of the Benares, was annoyed too. But he was angry about something more consequential than obnoxious younger brothers…. He thought the ship should go fast and now."

Concluding chapters with suspense.

"Lurking in the North Atlantic was a German U-boat, U-48. ...If the storm didn’t get in his way, the commander had a plan. He would attack the lead ship first, then the others. He had the lead in his sights, although he didn’t know its name, the SS City of Benares."

Zeroing in on tiny details.

"They were just hands, fifteen-year-old hands.
Up and down they went, the waves flinging their bodies over and over again onto the boat... Their skin soft like tissue paper."

Time is a critical storytelling element. Like an expert filmmaker, Heiligman contracts and expands the reader’s perception of time. Following a brief introduction, seventy pages cover five days, from the time the ship sets sail to the moment the City of Benares was attacked. When a torpedo strikes the ocean liner, the narrative moves into slow motion. As passengers evacuate the ship, brief visual vignettes paint the scene in flashes of light

"Only flares and rockets lit now and again by the crew illuminated the fragments of the scene: a person walking quickly and clutching a bag, the rain pelting the deck, a sailor trying to stop a swinging lifeboat, a sailor carrying a child, people coming up from the below frantically looking for lifeboats."

One hundred fifteen pages describe the nineteen tortuous hours for individuals who escape the ship and are set adrift in the tempestuous sea. Heiligman stretches out the narrative through numerous short, tightly constructed paragraphs. Nineteen hours feels like forever. Readers experience the never-relenting hopelessness of being alone in the dark. Excellent pacing.

A separate section describes the ordeal for six boys on a tiny lifeboat who were rescued after surviving eight days at sea. Food was in short supply, water even scarcer. Cramped conditions, boredom, disappointment, dwindling heath, and punishing weather were constant foes. Shining through this dismal journey are portraits of desperation, selfless sacrifice, and heroism painted in vivid detail. One particularly remarkable individual is Mary Cornish, a music teacher who boarded the Benares as a chaperone. Stories of Bulldog Drummond, spun from her imagination, entertained the boys who were tightly wedged in the boat. When her lips became encrusted with salt, her voice giving out, her thoughts difficult to hold together, Mary persevered. She watched over the boys, tending to the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of her charges. She was determined to save the lives of all the boys. And she did.

Exceptional book design includes an opening “cast of characters.” This serves as a helpful reference point when tracking the numerous individuals mentioned throughout the text. Photographs and primary source documents are well-placed to complement the corresponding narrative. Short chapters are broken into concise easy-to-read paragraphs which begin with introductory phrases in bold capital letters. The book concludes with a roster naming each individual who shares with the City of Benares a watery grave. Back matter includes an After the Voyage follow-up on the lives of the survivors, an author’s Thank You, Select Bibliography and End Notes.

A story of tragedy and suffering. A story of heroism and hope. Narrative nonfiction at its best.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: October 8, 2019 Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) ISBN: 978-1627795548

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Stormy Weather

9/3/2019

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The Jumbie God’s Revenge by Tracey Baptiste

Every lightning strike hit the mountain now, shaking loose larger and larger rocks...Larger ones left bruises...Sharper ones left scratches that burned in the rain. But Huracan wouldn’t stop, so neither would she.

It is interesting to view the cover art for the three books in Tracey Baptiste's Jumbies series. The Jumbies, features a frightened young Corinne moving cautiously through a dark wood, ominous-looking eyes following her. Rise of the Jumbies depicts Corinne submersed in water, body entangled in the coiling tail of Mama D’Leau.

The Jumbie God's Revenge features Corinne facing the sky, defiant and strong. She is determined and is not going to back down. One of my favorite things about this series Is the development of Corinne. Baptiste notes in her afterward that she planned on stopping with book two. I'm so glad that she didn't. Corinne comes into her own after battling forces on land, sea, and the heavens.

On with the story...

The island looked as if a giant hand had picked it up, shaken it, and put it back down again. Everything was out of place.

Corinne’s island is experiencing a rare occurrence: torrential rains accompanied by vicious lightning strikes. This is not normal. Corinne suspects that jumbies are the cause of this destruction. She learns to her surprise that this is not the work of Mama D’Leau.

Huracan, a Mayan mythological entity, is the force behind the devastating storms. This god of lightning, wind, storm, and fire is out for revenge and is intent on destroying all of the island’s inhabitants.

It is up to one girl to save everyone on the island.
She must negotiate mountain rockslides, avoid underwater volcanoes, and face a killer whale. She resolves to free Mama D’Leau who is trapped underwater. She must find her aunt Severine and return her to the island. Several of these tasks require Corinne to take mermaid form. In the process, she risks losing her memory and even her life in order to save her family and friends.

The conflict which begins on land, intensifies in the water, and eventually moves to Huracan’s home in the skies. Corinne defeats this deity in a dramatic scene that will keep readers rapidly turning pages.

She was relentless, And she had talked back, Never had anyone shouted him down.

Interspersed with Corinne’s battle against Huracan are accounts of her island friends who traverse a dangerous mountain path, searching for family and safety. There is a fascinating mermaid/jumbie subplot. Narrative is rich with island culture and dialect. Baptiste weaves it all together in the series' gripping conclusion. The Jumbie God’s Revenge is a harrowing, heart-warming tale of tremendous courage and love.

Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.

Pub date: September 3, 2019 Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers ISBN: 978-1616208912

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You've Got a Friend

Aalfred and Aalbert by Morag Hood

It's Science

Women’s Business

Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre
by Glynnis Fawkes introduction by Alison Bechdel

Brontë Times Three

Weave Me a Story

At the Mountain's Base by Traci Sorell ill by Weshoyot Alvitre

The Art of Weaving

Cumulative Verse

Fateful Voyage

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of the Children’s Ship
by Deborah Heiligman

Stormy Weather

The Jumbie God’s Revenge by Tracey Baptiste

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

You've Got a Friend

Aalfred and Aalbert by Morag Hood

It's Science

Women’s Business

Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyreby Glynnis Fawkes introduction by Alison Bechdel

Brontë Times Three

Weave Me a Story

At the Mountain's Base by Traci Sorell ill by Weshoyot Alvitre

The Art of Weaving

Cumulative Verse

Fateful Voyage

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of the Children’s Ship by Deborah Heiligman

Stormy Weather

The Jumbie God’s Revenge by Tracey Baptiste

Category

Archives

Barbara Moon

Charlotte Brontë Before Jane Eyre
by Glynnis Fawkes introduction by Alison Bechdel

Torpedoed: The True Story of the World War II Sinking of the Children’s Ship
by Deborah Heiligman