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READING STYLE GUIDE

Animalia: Two Picture Books

2/8/2019

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​The animal kingdom is filled with wonders. Two picture books beautifully capture the magnificence of some of these creatures. Each volume features an innovative approach to subject matter as well as stunning design. 

Contrary Creatures: Unique Animal Opposites
​by James Weinberg

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Weinberg uses bold graphic design to compare animal characteristics. The cover sets the stage with a wave-like separation between life on land and life underwater. The title font remains the same for both words. However, color and text position offer important informational cues. The demarcation between the two environments is neatly pierced with shafts of light streaming from the sky and penetrating the deep water. 
​Interior pages include comparisons of animal size, habitat, as well as distinguishing features and behaviors. There is even a nod to imaginary animals found in stories and legends.
A listing of the creatures along with a brief description of each can be found at the back of the book.
​​Debut author James Weinberg takes his silk screen art to new heights and depths with Contrary Creatures: Unique Animal Opposites. ​His designs are a fascinating study of color, shape, and texture. Take time to look for various textures and the pattern overlays found on each page.
Young readers may enjoy experimenting with some of these elements by creating simple potato prints. This How-To video from #MetKids is an excellent tutorial.
Contrary Creatures can be used to introduce/explore such concepts as antonyms, comparisons, animal characteristics, and design in nature. An excellent choice for inter-disciplinary activities in reading, writing, science, and art.
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Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: October 16, 2018  Publisher: Page Street Kids  ISBN:  9781624145803

Home for a Penguin, Home for a Whale
​by Brenda Williams   ill Annalisa Beghelli      

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Images of ocean life, both in the water and near the shore, follow a wave-like motion across two-page spreads. Brenda Williams’ rhythmic couplets undulate along with these animals, visually reinforcing the text’s aquatic theme.
Annalisa Beghelli uses various shades of blue as the primary background. Generally the deeper blues are at the bottom of the spreads, with color values becoming lighter near the page top. Animals are depicted with a light whimsical touch.  Sharks and barracudas to not appear particularly menacing.
A fun read aloud with a bonus: a tiny sea snail is hidden on each page, waiting to be discovered.
Back matter is a rich source of additional information. Find facts about sea creatures, world oceans map, infographic of  ocean habitats, and introduction to current issues such as climate change, clean energy and plastic dumping.
Home for a Penguin, Home for a Whale invites readers to explore a wide variety of aquatic animals. Using the back matter as a springboard for discussion, students may want to investigate ways in which they can protect animals who thrive in and near the world's oceans. 
This National Geographic video encourages youngsters to take action and help save marine life.
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Electronic copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: March 31, 2019  Publisher: Barefoot Books  ISBN:  9781782857433
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Finding Your Voice

1/18/2019

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"the story of a girl who lost her voice and wrote herself a new one"
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For two decades Laurie Halse Anderson has been speaking out, giving voice to teens who have experienced horrific trauma. Speak has brought the shame and humiliation experienced by rape victims out of the dark recesses of suppressed memory. Acknowledging the suffering, the rage. Initiating the first steps to healing.
In my early years as a youth librarian, Speak was constantly requested, always checked out. The story is as relevant to a fourteen-year-year-old girl from a small Texas town in 2000 as it is to a teen living in urban New York in 2019.
Now Anderson has added two companion books to her YA classic: a graphic novel and a personal memoir. Together these three make a significant contribution to the canon of important literature for young adults.
Here’s the beauty of these books: you can read them in any order. Maybe you discovered Speak long ago and recently learned that there was a graphic novel version of the story that spoke so poignantly to teens. Maybe you see a shiny new book titled Shout with an intriguing cover and now seek for other books by the author. Doesn't matter which book you read first, the order will be just right for you. No matter who you are or where you come from, the journey through pain and anger to triumph over tragedy can be found within these pages,
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Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson

It all started in 1999. Laurie Halse Anderson published her first book: a ground-breaking young adult novel chronicling the story of fifteen-year-old Melinda Sordino. Beginning her freshman year, this young student is ostracized by her former friends and classmates. She is singled out at a school pep rally for calling the police at a summer party.
What Melinda cannot say is that she was raped at that party. School becomes unbearable. She is constantly confronted with the shame and agony of that night, as the boy who raped her is a student at her school. Shunned by her friends, 
Melinda's life has deteriorated to the point where she seldom speaks. Art class is her refuge. Creating becomes a means of safely expressing herself. With the encouragement of Mr. Freeman, her art teacher, she is able to face the reality of her sexual assault. She begins to acknowledge her hurt, finally confronts her attacker, and eventually finds the courage to speak up and speak out.
Speak earned the distinguished honor of being named a finalist for the 1999 National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
​Copy accessed from public library
Pub date: October 22, 1999   Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux  ISBN:  978-0374371524
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Speak: The Graphic Novel
​by Laurie Halse Anderson ill by Emily Carroll
Publishing a graphic novel version of Speak is both an obvious choice and a brilliant decision. This visceral narrative translates to striking visual imagery.
Anderson chooses to update the original story, including references to cell phones and Instagram. This gives the narrative a fresh, contemporary vibe. Her Author's Note serves as an introduction. A helpful list of organizations which support victims of sexual assault contains descriptions and contact information can be found in the back matter.
​Emily Carroll eschews the traditional panel strip format, opting for a mix of full page images, spaces defined by diagonal lines, and boxes outlined in bold black. She uses Mel's facial expressions and body language to tell the story. Close-ups of a hand or part of a face provide sharp focal points. ​The excruciatingly raw self-portraits are painful to view. At times her face is mutilated, often distorted, even erased as Mel reveals her self-loathing. Most illustrations are rendered in multiple shades of gray. Intense scenes are a violent study in black, the anger exploding on a page that a rigid panel box cannot contain.
​Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: February 6, 2018   Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)  ISBN:  978-0374300289
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Shout
by Laurie Halse Anderson

Told primarily in verse, this memoir covers a wide range of events and emotions. Part One shares moments from Laurie’s difficult and conflicted childhood, her rape at age thirteen and subsequent reliance on drugs to mask the anguish, the slow ascent from depression during tenth grade, her year as a foreign exchange student in Denmark, and her foray into writing for teens. Part Two explores the publication of Speak and the impact it has had on her and a world-wide audience. Part Three returns to recurring symbols and themes: trees, blood, family, and stories. She acknowledges her parents’ personal troubles, but is willing to maintain a relationship with each. What a generous heart!
I loved the little glimpses into her extraordinary life. Some of my favorite poetic snapshots include her year in Denmark, her dream or more aptly described as her nightmare that was the genesis for Speak, and Laurie's heartwarming meeting with Walter Dean Myers.
While Shout is an apt name, some poems feel like they should be read sotto voce. These verses are the inner longings of the wounded yet resilient spirit that resides in many, far too many of us.
Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: March 12, 2019  Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers  ISBN:  978-0670012107

Bonus: Additional Resources

Since my early draft of this post, a twentieth anniversary edition of Speak​ has been released. It includes a new introduction by Ashley C. Ford as well as an afterword by Jason Reynolds. This edition also features an updated Q&A, resource list, an essay, and poem by Anderson. I look forward to reading this updated edition.
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I’ve Talked With Teenage Boys About Sexual Assault for 20 Years.
​This Is What They Still Don’t Know
 Laurie Halse Anderson Time January 15, 2019
Laurie reads "Me,Too" from Shout.
Laurie reads "Listen" from the 20th edition of Speak.
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Love By the Numbers

12/18/2018

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How Many Hugs? by Heather Swain ill Steven Henry
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This board book is a little gem. Consider the following:
  • The engaging text has a song-like quality using rhymes and rhythms.
  • Lesser-known animal species are introduced.
  • Math multiples, an interesting concept rarely covered in picture books, is a major component.  
  • It's forever and always a celebration of the enduring love of a parent.
Heather Swain infuses the text with some powerful scientific terminology: appendages, arachnids, cephalopod, isopod, tentacles.  She weaves them so smoothly into the rhymes that they easily roll off the tongue.
Steven Henry's charming illustrations provide important context clues for unknown words.  The bold color pallet and winsome facial expressions on the animal faces are a delight.
How Many Hugs? pays tribute to parental love and affection and is offered with a generous serving of STEM.
This checks off the boxes on my great gift criteria for: baby showers,  young readers, kids who love animals, and youngsters who are fascinated by numbers.
How many hugs can I give to How Many Hugs?   
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The Benefits of Hugging

“We need four hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.” 
Virginia Satir, family therapist
According to Healthline newsletter:

​Hugs reduce stress by showing your support 
Hugs may protect you against illness 
Hugs may boost your heart health 
Hugs can make you happier 
Hugs help reduce your fears 
Hugs may help reduce your pain 
Hugs help you communicate with others
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Hug +  Book= Happiness
​Copy provided by publisher
Pub date: December 18, 2018, 2018  Publisher: Feiwel & Friends  ISBN:  978-1250066510
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Small World

12/6/2018

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Firefly Forest by Robyn Frampton  ill Mike Heath

Whatever you need is what you will find among the green ferns and the fireflies.
When this magical little book arrived, it immediately elicited oohs and ahhs from an appreciative audience. Firefly Forest draws readers into a world of wonder and possibility.
We placed the book among the twinkling lights in our garden. It is the perfect book setting. 
Frampton's rhyming text, often in the form of couplets, offers reassuring messages of hope and inspiration.
However, it's her fantastical creations: miniature homes and furnishings, created from natural elements and placed throughout the woodland setting that capture the imagination.
Firefly Forest existed in an Overland Park, Kansas. The author anonymously developed  the gnomish village, one house at a time. 
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Heath's ingenious design and adroit photography give Firefly Forest a storybook quality. His use of light is particularly effective. Readers will linger over the images featuring numerous tiny details. Enchanting!

Small Wonders

Love the magic of woodland miniatures?  Here are more elfin marvels. 
Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection from the House of Ellwand.
Purchase one of Robyn's miniature doors from her website.
Visit the delightful Garvin Woodland Gardens located in Arkansas. 
Enjoy the New York Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show.
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​Copy provided by publisher
​Pub date: March 13, 2018 Publisher: Imprint  ISBN: 978-1250122636
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On the Border

11/13/2018

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“Poetry is the clearest lens for viewing the world.”

They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles 

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This slim poetry collection becomes more relevant with each passing day. They Call Me Güero chronicles the life of twelve-year-old Güero, a Mexican American boy living on the swath of land near the Rio Grande. Although he lives on the American side of the river, his heritage and identity are deeply rooted in Mexico. 
He frequently traverses the bridge connecting the two countries. In Mexico he and his father eat breakfast and purchase fresh groceries. Güero's imagination inhabits his grandmother's world filled with chilling tales of mythical monsters.
He possesses distinctive physical characteristics which distinguish him from other members in his community: a light complexion with freckles and a head of bright red hair. 
He's a 7th grade student who enjoys sharing books, comics, movies, and gaming with his nerdy friends. He fluidly moves between two countries, navigating crowded middle school hallways and the bustling pulga. He is equally comfortable communicating in Spanish, English, Spanglish, and colloquial Texan. ​English teacher Mrs. Wong expands his multicultural view of the world, incorporating Aztec, Mayan, Chinese and Korean mythology into the curriculum. ​
This first person memoir takes shape through multiple poetic forms such as haiku, rhyming couplets, and free verse.  "Mis Otros Abuelos" is a concrete poem which narrows as the family crosses the bridge connecting the two countries and expands as the family travels further into the interior of each country. 
Bowles handles sensitive topics with a light touch. Racism, stereotypes, immigration are part of Güero's life and are subtly revealed throughout the narrative. This is a boy discovering a world closely connected to his heritage, family, and friends.   
Spanish is clearly an important feature in the text. Bowles liberally peppers these verses with Spanish phrases and references to Mexican and Mexican-American culture. A glossary for most of the phrases with pronunciation and the English equivalent enriches the reading experience. This is especially helpful when reading aloud.
The poems can be read as a collective narrative.  They also work well as standalone vignettes.  Read. Enjoy. Discuss. Share. Repeat.
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¡Gracias!
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​THE REFUGE
ON THE RANCH
It's quiet here except for the hushed flow of the river
and the hum of the bugs answered by the sharp trill of birds
Somewhere, an ocelot growls.
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"I know poetry when I hear it.”
​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
​Pub date: September 4, 2018 Publisher: Cinco Puntos Press ISBN:  978-1947627062
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Under Construction

10/1/2018

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Construction Zoo by Jennifer Thorne  ill Susie Hammer

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It's a quiet morning at the zoo until... a convoy of heavy-duty vehicles rumble in to disrupt the tranquility of the park.
Jennifer Thorne uses simple rhyming couplets to introduce various pieces of equipment, describing the tasks that each perform. The intriguing twist to this picture book is the comparison between animal and machine: giraffes and cranes, monkeys and wrecking balls, elephants and front loaders.
Susie Hammer's signature style emphasizing simple geometric shapes and bold colors accentuate the functional and visual similarities of these zoo inhabitants and their construction equipment counterparts.
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Construction Zoo is a delightful read aloud. It also functions well as an interesting study in compare/contrast. This can go many ways. Try this for an extension activity. Compare animals with other inanimate objects such as fruits and vegetables. Build your own snack time zoo. Creating was never so delicious!
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More Zoo Doings

Fun picture books celebrating zoo animals with color and geometric shapes.
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​Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: October 1, 2018 Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company  ISBN:  978-0807512821
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Here Be Monsters

8/20/2018

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Monster School by Kate Coombs ill Lee Gatlin

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Coombs has applied her considerable talent for creating clever rhymes to the subject of monsters. In this collection, the monsters are students. Common school occurrences are given a slightly macabre twist: a science fair project created by Frankenstein’s grandson, baseball played in the graveyard, a student who constantly misplaces school supplies in addition to losing his body parts. ​These clever and entertaining riffs are monstrously fun.
Verses include a variety of poetic forms and rhyme schemes. Most patterns are predictable, making it easy for students to sense the rhythm and rhyme within each stanza. 
Gatlin captures the zany shenanigans happening at Monster School with full page illustrations. Muted autumn shades of grays, browns, and greens make the ghostly white faces and eyeballs pop out of each page

School is in Session

These poems are too delightful to keep to oneself. They beg to be shared. How about creating some puppets based on the monsters depicted throughout the pages? Gather up a handful of craft supplies, a copy of the book, and a fertile imagination. Viola! You have the beginnings of one monstrously good puppet show. There are endless possibilities for puppets: finger, sock, glove, stick, paper sack, or create something more inventive. The choice depends on what is on hand and the skill level of the puppet makers.
A few of the craft supplies that I assembled: foam squares, felt, yarn, pom poms, chenille stems, goggly eyes, yarn, and even some corn husks. Add some wooden skewer sticks and hot glue gun.  Operation Frankenstein-esque Creature Lab was underway.
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This would make an engaging activity for middle grade students. After reading Monster School, students could select verses to share with younger students. Construct puppets to match the characters in the poem. Then design a creepy-looking school backdrop and prepare for a spook-tacular performance. Tweens sharing poetry with younger students doubles the book’s potential audience.
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I looked for clues in the text to help create my puppets. The head of snakes featured in "Hair Care" was made with chenille stems, shaped by twisting them around a pencil. I used tiny green buttons for the snakes' heads. The purple hair mentioned in "Monster Mash" is a scrap of tulle, tied off at intervals. The hair for "Song of the Freckles" does not follow the image in the book because.... we had some fresh corn and the husks and silk were too funky to throw away. I twisted the damp husk slivers around a pencil and let them dry. They made the perfect curls for a monster girl. 
Went a bit overboard on the freckles. The text specifically mentions twelve freckles on the face. I think the marker took possession of my hand and I couldn't stop. Googly eyes provide the finishing touch to the faces. Wooden skewer sticks were glued to the back of each figure. For safety, cut or sand off the pointed end of the stick before using. These puppets are fun to make and easy to manipulate
​Consider these suggestions: “Steve the Loser" would be a terrific showstopper, with body parts falling off. Maybe secure the appendages with tiny Velcro dots for easy removal. “Fernanda Kabul” poem would be another fun puppet performance. As Fernanda casts her spells, substitute the student character puppet for a puppet resembling the hexed character. 
So many possibilities. So much fun!
Copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: August 28, 2018  Publisher: Chronicle Books  ISBN: 978-1452129389
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Words from My Heart

8/13/2018

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Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome

"So the poetry you read is a way of putting all the things you feel inside on the outside."
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It is 1946. Young Langston's life has been turned upside down.  Gone are quite slow-paced days. Gone are family and friends. His warm rural Alabama hometown has been replaced with Chicago.
I pick up my life
And take it with me
And put it down in
Chicago, Detroit
Buffalo, Scranton.
After his mother dies, Langston's father decides to move north, seeking a better life for his son. Moving into a shabby apartment with wallpaper created from newspaper is a huge adjustment.
This Alabama transplant wears overalls and speaks with a distinctive drawl. Instantly he is derisively called "country boy" by the class bully. Others join in taunting the new boy in school.
He wonders, can he ever feel at home in this strange place? 
Langston discovers a few things which help to make his life bearable. One is Miss Fulton, a neighbor in the apartment building and an English teacher at a local high school. She not only bakes delicious pie and cornbread but understands and encourages his love of reading. 
"A library for colored folks? It's a library for Chicago residents."
A chance encounter with the branch of the public library is a new experience for him. Before moving to Chicago, he had little knowledge of a library. Upon entering for the building for first time, he is astounded to discover that he is welcomed and is encouraged to borrow books from its vast collection.
This young boy's world expands even further as he is introduced to poetry. He discovers a family secret: his mother loved the works of Hughes and included some of the author's lines in love letters to her husband. He learns that his mother selected Langston as the name for her son.  She wanted to share her love of poetry with her child. 
Finding Langston is an poignant snapshot of life in 1940’s Chicago for African Americans. Lesa Cline-Ransome paints an stirring portrait of the difficulties encountered by sharecroppers migrating north, seeking to escape a repressive existence and build a hopeful future. She pays tribute to the power of libraries and their potential to inspire, inform, and serve all people.  This slim volume, liberally sprinkled with snippets of Langston Hughes' verses, offers an excellent introduction to the works of a premier American author. Young readers will be inspired to discover for themselves the work of African American poets.

Magic of Words

"...Langston who wrote these words is a poet.
​Seems more like a magician to me, pulling words from my heart I never knew I had."
Want more? Try these three picture books. Discover poetry by Gwendolyn Brooks and Langston Hughes. Learn about Richard Wright's love for libraries.
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Uncorrected copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: August 14, 2018  Publisher: Holiday House  ISBN: 978-0823439607
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It's Amazing

7/5/2018

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How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace
by Carole Boston Weatherford ill Frank Morrison

Thro' many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come
Who knew?
Who knew that in the 1700's John Newton, inspired by a violent storm he endured while on board a British slave ship, would pen the words to well-known hymn?  Really? A  slave trader would write the words to Amazing Grace?  The picture book How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace is an eye-opener.
The story continues. Eventually Newton returned to England, married, and became a minister. In time he completely reversed his views on slavery. He published these beliefs in the tract “Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade," a document which helped to end slavery in the British Empire.
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Carole Boston Weatherford uses pairs of end-stopped couplets to create a lyrical retelling of the life of John Newton and the origins of this famous hymn.
The pictures book chronicles the history and popularity of this hymn, sung by African Americans, Cherokees, Civil War soldiers, activists, gospel singers, recording artists, and even a president of the United States.
Back matter includes a current version of the lyrics, an Author's Note, and suggestions for further reading and viewing. All enhance the value of this compelling story.

Marvelous Art

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Multi-talented artist Frank Morrison painted classic images that are well-suited to the text. I had the opportunity to view some of Morrison’s original work for this book. The framed paintings are awe-inspiring. He has eloquently captured the heartfelt emotion reflected in the song's lyrics.
Below are my photos of two Morrison paintings, paired with the illustrations and accompanying text as they appear in the published book.
​​This picture book, signed by the artist, is now one of my treasures.
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Amazing Sounds

There are many renditions of Amazing Grace. In addition to the two shown here, performances by Mahalia Jackson, Judy Collins, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and many others may be accessed on YouTube.
Review based a copy provided by publisher.
Pub date: May 1,  2018       Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers    ISBN: 978-1481472067
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Never Give Up

5/3/2018

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Izzy Gizmo by Pip Jones ill Sara Ogilvie

There's a new little inventor in Kid Lit and her name is Izzy Gizmo. She maintains a massive collection of various pieces and parts. Always on the lookout for new and creative invention ideas, she designs such items as a spaghetti eating contraption and a mechanized teapot. Unfortunately, many of these brilliant ideas do not work out. It is only when she recognizes the need to help a crow with a broken wing that Izzy's efforts succeed.
Everything about this book is a delight! The title is spelled out in stylized letters resembling gears and parts. Wide-eyed Izzy: sporting round spectacles, pencil behind the ear, and held aloft with a bizarre contraption is the epitome of our plucky young heroine. End papers created from relief images of moving parts echo the theme. Then there's Izzy's ever-present tool belt and her boots. How could I forget the boots?
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Pip Jones’ rhyming text is lively, making this picture book an excellent read aloud. Words such as “tweak" "glitch" "piston" "circuits" and "sprockets” provide opportunities for discussion and exploration.
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Sara Ogilvie's illustrations capture the enthusiasm, discouragement, and determination of young Izzy. However, grandpa often steals the show. His long-suffering patience with Izzy and her string of inventions, allowing himself to be the object of her study, is priceless. His optimism after his granddaughter shaves a large swath down the middle of his head, is a testament to the power of his love. When Izzy gets discouraged, his never-failing confidence in her ability to solve a problem spurs her on.
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After a long string of failures, Izzy is determined to try and help her friend fly again. Her willingness to try, fail, and try, try again offers reassurance to creative thinkers and problem-solvers everywhere. There’s a lesson here: desire, determination, creativity, and learning from mistakes is the formula for solving problems.
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Makers Make It Happen

Meet more inquisitive, inventive, and determined young problem solvers.
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The Most Magnificent Thing
​by Ashley Spires
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Mary Had a Little Lab
​by Sue Fliess  ill by Petros Bouloubasis
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Ada Twist, Scientist
​by Andrea Beaty ill by David Roberts
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The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes
​by Mark Pett, Gary Rubinstein
Review based on uncorrected text copy.
Pub date: March 1, 2018 Publisher: ​Peachtree Publishers  ISBN: 978-168263021
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    Barbara Moon

    I like talking about books and  interesting ideas. I like thinking about how books affect my life. Not particularly interested in giving out stars or in rating books. 

    Audio Publishers Association
    2013, - present  Audies judge 
    American Library Association Book Awards and Lists 
    ​2017 YALSA Award Nominating Committee
    2016 Excellence in Nonfiction 
    2014 Margaret Edwards Award
    2012 Odyssey Awards.  
    2009, 2010, 2011 Great Graphic Novels for Teens.

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