Review of Days of the Blackbird
A. Bibliographic Information:
dePaola, Tomie. DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD: A TALE OF NORTHERN
ITALY. New York: Putnam, 1997.
B. Plot Summary: The Duke of Gennaro and his daughter, Gemma, lived alone in a grand home in the center of the town. The Duke was good and kind and always tried to keep the city’s inhabitants in good favor with each other. The favorite pastime of The “Duca” and Gemma was listening to birds sing in their courtyard each afternoon. It was a very special time of day for them. Gemma had finished her schoolwork and is ready to relax with her father at the end of the afternoon. The Duke has settled disputes of neighbors and spread good will holding court in the Great Hall all day and he is ready to relax with his daughter while he listens to the sweet music of the birds. The birds of Gennaro were of all colors, shapes, and sizes, but the bird whose song they loved the most was La Columba who was pure white. After Gemma’s father becomes very ill she opens the windows of his bedroom and parlor so he can hear the birds singing. Gennaro was in the Northern mountainside of Italy and as the cold approached the bird’s flew south. Gemma begs La Columba to stay and help sooth and heal the Duke with its pure sweet songs. La Columba stays until she almost freezes but she is loyal to Gemma and the Duca and keeps her promise. On the night of January 29th Gemma finds the nest of wool Gemma left to keep her warm does not even take the edge off the frigid weather. There was only one way La Columba could stay warm enough and that was to settle into the top of the chimney. That left La Columba’s coat black with soot. Gemma and her father are surprised to hear bright and cheerful singing the next day but they are surprised that it would come from a blackbird and not their beloved La Columba. As the song of La Columba continues the bird’s singing becomes more and more beautiful until father and daughter discern La Columba’s identity. La Columba’s songs are the one thing able to cheer the Duke and bring him back to good health. The legend of the “Days of the Blackbird” states that La Columba never again returned to her coat full of white feathers and that from thenceforth she would be called La Merla, the blackbird. The Duke in thanksgiving for his restoration to health christened the last 3 days of January as Le Giornate della Melra; The Days of the Blackbird which were the coldest days of the year
C. Critical analysis including cultural markers and standards of literary merit.
With a volatile home life with his Italian father and Irish mother Tomie learned the literature of myth, legend, and folly and is able to strike a note of authenticity to the story. This work like most of his other Italian tales fare far better with his illustration and tone than do his stories of Irish folklore.
Drawings are very rich and vivid in true Tomie fashion. Lines are rounded and the detail of the human faces, the multidimensional flowers are beyond beautiful. Especially effective are the closeups of Gemma’s curly hair and scenes where Gemma’s arms are held out to the birds. dePaola manages to make his characters and their gestures look almost 3 dimensional. The bright carefully shaded color of each bird adds much to the effectiveness of the pictures.
In true picture book fashion these illustrations are just as important in the telling of the tale as the text. dePaola, we all know from previous experience is a winner at both the story and illustration of many different types of picture books. I believe the pictures alone could tell much of the story. The health or lack thereof regarding the Duke are apparent without the text and the mood of Gemma as well. Going from solid white to solid black might be the only part that could be missed without the accompanying text. The bird is symbolic of loyalty and commitment both as a white bird and later a black one. Any morals or lessons are stated quietly and unobtrusively and are never didactic. Some of the themes of the story are that love and sacrifice make a difference in the world, that families take turns nurturing and caring for each other and that nature is a gift to be treasured daily.
The artwork is notable because of the bright, rich hues used and the many curved lines. The curving lines of the character’s gowns, the wooden relief on the bench that is a pew, Duke’s broaches and caps are splendid artwork as well as bonnets and headbands of Gemma.
You almost miss artistic symbolism in the story because it is done so subtly. In just one picture we see three pears in different states of wholeness and three candles in the room. There are three apples in a bowl on another page and three apples on the tree. Another page has 3 pots of purple petunias hanging on the outside stucco walls of the main characters’ home. The story is a blended hybrid. Tunnell and James have told us often that the line blurs in much of these childhood tales and certainly it does here. The symbolic use of 3 is the stuff of fairy tales and traditional literature. This story is both legend and folklore. We don’t know who wrote it, it has no single author or known date of when it came into being but seems to be a tale passed down through the generations.
The setting is identified and fully fleshed out with words and pictures. The words and character’s dialog flow smoothly. My only complaint about the illustrations maybe should not even be mentioned. After reading, buying and processing Tomie dePaola’s books for over twenty years they all look almost alike to me at this point. His stylized drawings are so predictable that I wish the artist would do some more exploratory and inventive techniques and designs. I guess that would be asking too much because masters of many different art forms are often predictable as well. Ralph Lauren clothes are always classic and in good taste, nothing frew frew. Versace is always loud and gaudy.
One can always recognize the artwork of Maurice Sendak but it is sometimes in colors muted, sometimes in pencil only, sometimes in pencil and one color on the page, many times the color is yellow. These small things make an audience more attentive. dePaola has been in his comfort zone for a long time and I guess that’s what jumps out at me.
One of the big pluses of the book is the many Italian words it sneaks in slowly, one every page or two. Most of the word meanings can be figured out in context.
For example, “il concerto”, “cara”, “la primavera”, “panettone”, “Epifania”.
The last page of the book, the author’s note is very significant. Just as the Grimm Brothers collected “household” tales so this story is a household one with no known author. dePaola gives credit to the owner of a Northern Italian restaurant near his New Hampshire home for telling him the story of the day of the blackbirds. Tomie documents the village and provence where this branch of the restarauter’s family were located in Italy so a setting is given for historical and pragmatic purposes. Tomie invites his reader’s to travel to Perio’s homeplace with details of the area in Italy and also tells the audience the specific U.S. locale of the restaurant and home of it’s owner.
D. Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal comments, “The moving story is elegantly, yet simply, told. The artist combines his recognizable style with visual elements reminiscent of Italian frescoes. Watercolor background washes create a marbleized effect. Color choices portray the warmth and serenity the story suggests. A successful and satisfying union of narration and illustration.”
Publishers Weekly announces, “DePaola spins the tale with panache, imbuing it with a folktale-like timelessness, and artistically it's clear he was delighted to return once again to his beloved Italy for visual cues. The pages radiate warmth, from the picturesque late medieval setting and the terra cotta or blue-green houses with their tiled roofs, to the jewel-colored birds and flowers of the duke's garden. A sprinkling of Italian words and phrases adds an authentic flavor.”
E. Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Days-Blackbird-Tomie-dePaola/dp/0142402710/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1191034087&sr=1-1
F. Connections:
The most similar in theme and nuance would be Aliki’s THE TWO OF THEM another great picture book where the young granddaughter, like the daughter in DAYS OF THE BLACKBIRD cares for an ill and aging parent. Aliki’s offering is much more realistic however and the elderly grandparent does not return to good health. dePaola’s many other Italian folktales featuring Strega Nona, Old Beefana seem an obviously good choice.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Friday, September 14, 2007
LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS: Review of ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET
A. Bibliographic Information:
Shange, Ntozake. ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET. Kadir Nelson, illustrator.
New York: Simon & Schuster
B. Plot Summary:
A young African American girl reminesces about her childhood with her father who routinely had many male friends visiting their home who became movers and shakers in turn of the century America. The entire narration and diaglog comes from a poem by the author which appears as the last page in the book. The poem entitled, "Mood Indigo" on the most rich oversized sheet of shiny blue indiglo paper you can imagine is a very effective ending to this satisfying picturebook that is in actuality historical fiction.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS with Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence
ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET makes me sing more than any children's book I've become acquainted with in a long time and I see, shelve, recommend, and touch picturebooks on a daily basis. Even though caucasian I am a lover and student of "Black" art since I was a young child.
The book to me was like opening a door to The Harlem Renassaince. We meet W.E.B. duBois, Paul Robeson, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Ghana's Prime Minister Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and four other cultural figures of the time period. The book is very subtle about introducing these men to the audience of readers. Nicknames are often used.
The art work is extremely important and well done in this volume. The dark muted yet rich colors of a Victorian home are used. Antique settees, brownstone walkups, men always in hats and with silk ties speak to a bygone era. From the arrangement of magnolias and gardenias in a vase, to the staircase, and Grandfather clock these rich pictures come alive! The purples, the greens, the blues, the pin striped suits, the little girl's young brother in a bowtie. This is a time capsule of love, warmth, and especially dignity.
The words of the poem that has been dissected stanza by stanza on a word and picture double spread has a slow and earnest quality but also a joyous one. The recognition that the girl and her family were important people entertaining important people is done in matter of fact way, never haughtily. The words flow naturally from the lips and slide off the pages effortlessly. One of my favorite stanzas is, "politics as necessary as collards, music even in our dreams." Another page goes on to say, "our doors opened like our daddy's arms held us safe & loved." The look on the father's face and the arms around them, well this picture does speak is thousands of words. The audience is never talked down to, the mood is never too serious or somber. I would love to have a class of students think up a retelling of this story in a post modern setting.....Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby, Barack Obama, Oprah, Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Giovanni, Mildred Taylor, Morgan Freeman. This would be a satisfying project of art and words just like our book.
This little girl in the story grew up to know from early childhood that ideas are important and need to be talked and puzzled out frequently, that African American people are a vital part of the American tableau. At the end of the volume the 9 men are pictured in a postage stamp sized double spread with important information about their life and it's impact. That page is entitled, "More about a few of the men........who changed the world." Happiness, warmth, security were a daily part of the young girls life. What a thing to celebrate, life, comraderie, debates, sharing music, playing cards, singing dancing. The book is many things but understated is an important part of it's charm. The book also begs, in fact, crys out to be read aloud! The illustrations are mind blowing with their depth, detail, and quite seriousness. The cover with our narrator holding a RCA Victor record album is a wonderful introduction to this title.
D. Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal reflects:
Grade 3-8-Nelson illustrates the noted poet's "Mood Indigo," from her collection entitled A Daughter's Geography. The book begins with the opening lines of the poem set against a pale gray page: "it hasn't always been this way/ellington was not a street." Opposite, a full-page painting shows several people walking beneath a green sign that reads Ellington St.......Done in oils, the skillfully rendered portraits emphasize facial expressions, clothing, and physical positioning on the page, and provide unmistakable insight into the persona of each individual. Although presented in picture-book format, the poem is sophisticated, and therefore it may need to be read aloud and explained to younger readers. A biographical sketch of each man appears at the end, along with the poem reprinted on a single page.
Booklist concurs:
Gr. 3-5. The text of this picture book for older children is a paean to Shange's family home and the exciting men who gathered there, everyone from W. E. B. DuBois and Paul Robeson to Dizzy Gillispie and Duke Ellington. Taken from Shange's 1983 poem "Mood Indigo," the words here recall, from a child's perspective, what it was like to listen "in the company of men / politics as necessary as collards / music even in our dreams." The evocative words are more than matched by Nelson's thrilling, oversize oil paintings, a cross between family photo album and stage set, featuring this group of extraordinary men interacting--playing cards, singing, discussing. The girl who is always watching them is, unfortunately, portrayed as very young, perhaps three or four, although she appears somewhat older on the beguiling jacket art. Preschoolers are not the audience for this, and despite the helpful notes that introduce the men mentioned in the poem, even older children will need further explanations (e.g., where are the famous women?). Depicting the narrator as a child closer in age to the target audience would have helped bridge the gap between a poem written for adults and a book for children. Still, with words and pictures that are so enticing, this will be embraced by many.
Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0689828845/sr=1-1/qid=1189829459/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1189829459&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
Picturebook biographies of these and other famous African American leaders and other African American poets would be an excellent bridge. HARLEM by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers or LANGSTON HUGHES: AMERICAN POET by Alice Walker would be a great starting point. Langston is one of my loves since early childhood. The picture of Duke Ellington in the back of this book could have just as easily been Lang. I always taught my kindergarteners to memorize the Hughes poem that begins, "Hold fast to dreams........."
Shange, Ntozake. ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET. Kadir Nelson, illustrator.
New York: Simon & Schuster
B. Plot Summary:
A young African American girl reminesces about her childhood with her father who routinely had many male friends visiting their home who became movers and shakers in turn of the century America. The entire narration and diaglog comes from a poem by the author which appears as the last page in the book. The poem entitled, "Mood Indigo" on the most rich oversized sheet of shiny blue indiglo paper you can imagine is a very effective ending to this satisfying picturebook that is in actuality historical fiction.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS with Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence
ELLINGTON WAS NOT A STREET makes me sing more than any children's book I've become acquainted with in a long time and I see, shelve, recommend, and touch picturebooks on a daily basis. Even though caucasian I am a lover and student of "Black" art since I was a young child.
The book to me was like opening a door to The Harlem Renassaince. We meet W.E.B. duBois, Paul Robeson, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Ghana's Prime Minister Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and four other cultural figures of the time period. The book is very subtle about introducing these men to the audience of readers. Nicknames are often used.
The art work is extremely important and well done in this volume. The dark muted yet rich colors of a Victorian home are used. Antique settees, brownstone walkups, men always in hats and with silk ties speak to a bygone era. From the arrangement of magnolias and gardenias in a vase, to the staircase, and Grandfather clock these rich pictures come alive! The purples, the greens, the blues, the pin striped suits, the little girl's young brother in a bowtie. This is a time capsule of love, warmth, and especially dignity.
The words of the poem that has been dissected stanza by stanza on a word and picture double spread has a slow and earnest quality but also a joyous one. The recognition that the girl and her family were important people entertaining important people is done in matter of fact way, never haughtily. The words flow naturally from the lips and slide off the pages effortlessly. One of my favorite stanzas is, "politics as necessary as collards, music even in our dreams." Another page goes on to say, "our doors opened like our daddy's arms held us safe & loved." The look on the father's face and the arms around them, well this picture does speak is thousands of words. The audience is never talked down to, the mood is never too serious or somber. I would love to have a class of students think up a retelling of this story in a post modern setting.....Maya Angelou, Bill Cosby, Barack Obama, Oprah, Eloise Greenfield, Nikki Giovanni, Mildred Taylor, Morgan Freeman. This would be a satisfying project of art and words just like our book.
This little girl in the story grew up to know from early childhood that ideas are important and need to be talked and puzzled out frequently, that African American people are a vital part of the American tableau. At the end of the volume the 9 men are pictured in a postage stamp sized double spread with important information about their life and it's impact. That page is entitled, "More about a few of the men........who changed the world." Happiness, warmth, security were a daily part of the young girls life. What a thing to celebrate, life, comraderie, debates, sharing music, playing cards, singing dancing. The book is many things but understated is an important part of it's charm. The book also begs, in fact, crys out to be read aloud! The illustrations are mind blowing with their depth, detail, and quite seriousness. The cover with our narrator holding a RCA Victor record album is a wonderful introduction to this title.
D. Review Excerpts:
School Library Journal reflects:
Grade 3-8-Nelson illustrates the noted poet's "Mood Indigo," from her collection entitled A Daughter's Geography. The book begins with the opening lines of the poem set against a pale gray page: "it hasn't always been this way/ellington was not a street." Opposite, a full-page painting shows several people walking beneath a green sign that reads Ellington St.......Done in oils, the skillfully rendered portraits emphasize facial expressions, clothing, and physical positioning on the page, and provide unmistakable insight into the persona of each individual. Although presented in picture-book format, the poem is sophisticated, and therefore it may need to be read aloud and explained to younger readers. A biographical sketch of each man appears at the end, along with the poem reprinted on a single page.
Booklist concurs:
Gr. 3-5. The text of this picture book for older children is a paean to Shange's family home and the exciting men who gathered there, everyone from W. E. B. DuBois and Paul Robeson to Dizzy Gillispie and Duke Ellington. Taken from Shange's 1983 poem "Mood Indigo," the words here recall, from a child's perspective, what it was like to listen "in the company of men / politics as necessary as collards / music even in our dreams." The evocative words are more than matched by Nelson's thrilling, oversize oil paintings, a cross between family photo album and stage set, featuring this group of extraordinary men interacting--playing cards, singing, discussing. The girl who is always watching them is, unfortunately, portrayed as very young, perhaps three or four, although she appears somewhat older on the beguiling jacket art. Preschoolers are not the audience for this, and despite the helpful notes that introduce the men mentioned in the poem, even older children will need further explanations (e.g., where are the famous women?). Depicting the narrator as a child closer in age to the target audience would have helped bridge the gap between a poem written for adults and a book for children. Still, with words and pictures that are so enticing, this will be embraced by many.
Reviews accessed at:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0689828845/sr=1-1/qid=1189829459/ref=dp_proddesc_0/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books&qid=1189829459&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
Picturebook biographies of these and other famous African American leaders and other African American poets would be an excellent bridge. HARLEM by Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers or LANGSTON HUGHES: AMERICAN POET by Alice Walker would be a great starting point. Langston is one of my loves since early childhood. The picture of Duke Ellington in the back of this book could have just as easily been Lang. I always taught my kindergarteners to memorize the Hughes poem that begins, "Hold fast to dreams........."
Thursday, September 13, 2007
LS 5603 LITERATURE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG ADULTS: Review of THE HELLO, GOODBYE WINDOW
A. BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION:
Juster, Norton. THE HELLO, GOODBY WINDOW. Chris Raschka, illustrator.
New York: Michael Di Capua Books/Hyperion, 2005.
B. PLOT SUMMARY: This is a story of a little girl who is lucky enough to have her grandparents, Nanna and Poppy as her best friends. She stays with her grandparents while her mom and dad are at work each day. Nanna and Poppy spend most of their time in the kitchen. It truly is the heart and hearth of this home so much so that it reminds me of old Irish cottages where the indwellers believe that Brigid, whether goddess or saint looks over them. In the kitchen are "lots of drawers to take stuff out and play with." The love and acceptance of the grandparents for the unnamed little girl are manifested in the hello, goodbye window as they play peek-a-boo, blow kisses, and play make believe. The child narrator talks about the family looking out the window and seeing their reflections at night. Poppy says, "What are you doing out there? You come right in and have your dinner. And I say, But I'm here with you, Poppy and then he looks at me in his funny way. An engaging story about a happy, happy family that sees each other on a daily basis the way most families use to do. Both grandparents are creative and exuberant as is the little girl.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS with Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence
Besides the bright and always optimistic drawings of Raschka the first thing I noticed was the positive portrayal of an interracial couple. Nanna is clearly a woman of color and Poppy is not. I believe that is a very good portrayal of many modern families. Kids need to see others that look like themselves and this book will let children of two races do just that. Our little pre-school girl looks lighter than Nanna and darker than Poppy. That realism almost goes unnoticed because of the sunshiny drawings and the quick movement from one activity and room of the house or yard to the other. The characters are fleshed out as much as possible I believe in a book of this size and grade level. Both grandparents have a good sense of humor, Poppy is a trickster who sprays little girl with the garden hose and hides bananas and raisins in the little girls hot porridge.
A key factor of a quality picturebook, that the illustrations are as important if not more so than the text is realized in this volume as they meld seamlessly to give the book a nice cadence and flow. What one may take away from the book is the mood of bright enthusiasm even more than the plot line. As mentioned earlier the art style is definitely naive. It looks like a 6 year old has just discovered craypas, oil pastel crayons and has been coloring all day in a smooth yet disjointed fashion. Poppy's big nose, Nanna's hair that is curly like our protagonist. The point of view is definitely is the little girls. The setting is realistic but this little girl most likely sees her grandparent's home as an enchanted castle. The pacing of the book fits well and both the words and pictures appeal to the senses and encourage the imagination of the reader. Many times the little girl and Poppy are pictured in a position that makes them look like they will take off flying at any moment. That keeps with the whimsical and flowing nature of the story in word and graphics. At the end of the story we see that little girl's mom and dad are also a biracial couple. This is handled gently and naturally so as to give the book an imaginative feel and never a didactic one.
The drawings exhibit an intense naive quality. Colors don't stay in the lines of the items portrayed. It looks very like a 5-7 year old colored and painted each page with enthusiasm and without stopping to censor herself but let her imagination run free.
From a strictly personal point of view the story resonated very deeply with me. My grandmother gave me what she called "machine toys" from the sewing machine and kitchen and I enjoyed similar daily interaction with one set of grandparents. The fun loving and kitchen dwelling grandparents reminded me of my parents and the compelling sense of humor of the adults in the book also remind me of family, of home. I very much did not like the style of drawing except for the cover of the book though I can see how it would be positive for a child to see this type and ability of artwork were acceptable and well thought of. Maybe it would inspire a youngster to create a project for the student media festival or PTA reflections contest.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
As seen in School Library Journal:
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1–The window in Nanna and Poppy's kitchen is no ordinary window–it is the place where love and magic happens. It's where the girl and her doting grandparents watch stars, play games, and, most importantly, say hello and goodbye. The first-person text is both simple and sophisticated, conjuring a perfectly child-centered world. Sentences such as "When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up" typify the girl's happy, imaginative world. While the language is bouncy and fun, it is the visual interpretation of this sweet story that sings. Using a bright rainbow palette of saturated color, Raschka's impressionistic, mixed-media illustrations portray a loving, mixed-race family. The artwork is at once lively and energetic, without crowding the story or the words on the page; the simple lines and squiggles of color suggest a child's own drawings, but this is the art of a masterful hand. Perfect for lap-sharing, this book will find favor with children and adults alike.
Booklist weighs in:
The window imagery is less important than the title would make it seem. More intrinsic is Juster's honest portrayal of a child's perceptions (a striped cat in the yard is a tiger) and emotions (being happy and sad at the same time "just happens that way sometimes"). Raschka's swirling lines, swaths, and dabs of fruity colors seem especially vibrant, particularly in the double-page spreads, which have ample room to capture both the tender moments between members of the interracial family and the exuberance of spending time in the pulsating outdoors, all flowers, grass, and skyFROM:
REVIEWS ACCESSED from:
http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Goodbye-Window-Norton-Juster/dp/0786809140/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189825431&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
The joyful interactions of a child with grandparents and lust for life characters remind my of the Vera Williams series that begins with A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER which precedes this title by nearly 25 years. My favorite grandparent book is Aliki Brandenberg's THE TWO OF THEM where the little girl and her Greek grandfather have fun,happy, loving days of adventure but that story ends of a realistic and sad note so it would be recommended only after thoughtful consideration. Both Juster and Raschka have many other popular picturebooks for the reader to choose from.
Juster, Norton. THE HELLO, GOODBY WINDOW. Chris Raschka, illustrator.
New York: Michael Di Capua Books/Hyperion, 2005.
B. PLOT SUMMARY: This is a story of a little girl who is lucky enough to have her grandparents, Nanna and Poppy as her best friends. She stays with her grandparents while her mom and dad are at work each day. Nanna and Poppy spend most of their time in the kitchen. It truly is the heart and hearth of this home so much so that it reminds me of old Irish cottages where the indwellers believe that Brigid, whether goddess or saint looks over them. In the kitchen are "lots of drawers to take stuff out and play with." The love and acceptance of the grandparents for the unnamed little girl are manifested in the hello, goodbye window as they play peek-a-boo, blow kisses, and play make believe. The child narrator talks about the family looking out the window and seeing their reflections at night. Poppy says, "What are you doing out there? You come right in and have your dinner. And I say, But I'm here with you, Poppy and then he looks at me in his funny way. An engaging story about a happy, happy family that sees each other on a daily basis the way most families use to do. Both grandparents are creative and exuberant as is the little girl.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS with Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence
Besides the bright and always optimistic drawings of Raschka the first thing I noticed was the positive portrayal of an interracial couple. Nanna is clearly a woman of color and Poppy is not. I believe that is a very good portrayal of many modern families. Kids need to see others that look like themselves and this book will let children of two races do just that. Our little pre-school girl looks lighter than Nanna and darker than Poppy. That realism almost goes unnoticed because of the sunshiny drawings and the quick movement from one activity and room of the house or yard to the other. The characters are fleshed out as much as possible I believe in a book of this size and grade level. Both grandparents have a good sense of humor, Poppy is a trickster who sprays little girl with the garden hose and hides bananas and raisins in the little girls hot porridge.
A key factor of a quality picturebook, that the illustrations are as important if not more so than the text is realized in this volume as they meld seamlessly to give the book a nice cadence and flow. What one may take away from the book is the mood of bright enthusiasm even more than the plot line. As mentioned earlier the art style is definitely naive. It looks like a 6 year old has just discovered craypas, oil pastel crayons and has been coloring all day in a smooth yet disjointed fashion. Poppy's big nose, Nanna's hair that is curly like our protagonist. The point of view is definitely is the little girls. The setting is realistic but this little girl most likely sees her grandparent's home as an enchanted castle. The pacing of the book fits well and both the words and pictures appeal to the senses and encourage the imagination of the reader. Many times the little girl and Poppy are pictured in a position that makes them look like they will take off flying at any moment. That keeps with the whimsical and flowing nature of the story in word and graphics. At the end of the story we see that little girl's mom and dad are also a biracial couple. This is handled gently and naturally so as to give the book an imaginative feel and never a didactic one.
The drawings exhibit an intense naive quality. Colors don't stay in the lines of the items portrayed. It looks very like a 5-7 year old colored and painted each page with enthusiasm and without stopping to censor herself but let her imagination run free.
From a strictly personal point of view the story resonated very deeply with me. My grandmother gave me what she called "machine toys" from the sewing machine and kitchen and I enjoyed similar daily interaction with one set of grandparents. The fun loving and kitchen dwelling grandparents reminded me of my parents and the compelling sense of humor of the adults in the book also remind me of family, of home. I very much did not like the style of drawing except for the cover of the book though I can see how it would be positive for a child to see this type and ability of artwork were acceptable and well thought of. Maybe it would inspire a youngster to create a project for the student media festival or PTA reflections contest.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
As seen in School Library Journal:
Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 1–The window in Nanna and Poppy's kitchen is no ordinary window–it is the place where love and magic happens. It's where the girl and her doting grandparents watch stars, play games, and, most importantly, say hello and goodbye. The first-person text is both simple and sophisticated, conjuring a perfectly child-centered world. Sentences such as "When I get tired I come in and take my nap and nothing happens until I get up" typify the girl's happy, imaginative world. While the language is bouncy and fun, it is the visual interpretation of this sweet story that sings. Using a bright rainbow palette of saturated color, Raschka's impressionistic, mixed-media illustrations portray a loving, mixed-race family. The artwork is at once lively and energetic, without crowding the story or the words on the page; the simple lines and squiggles of color suggest a child's own drawings, but this is the art of a masterful hand. Perfect for lap-sharing, this book will find favor with children and adults alike.
Booklist weighs in:
The window imagery is less important than the title would make it seem. More intrinsic is Juster's honest portrayal of a child's perceptions (a striped cat in the yard is a tiger) and emotions (being happy and sad at the same time "just happens that way sometimes"). Raschka's swirling lines, swaths, and dabs of fruity colors seem especially vibrant, particularly in the double-page spreads, which have ample room to capture both the tender moments between members of the interracial family and the exuberance of spending time in the pulsating outdoors, all flowers, grass, and skyFROM:
REVIEWS ACCESSED from:
http://www.amazon.com/Hello-Goodbye-Window-Norton-Juster/dp/0786809140/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189825431&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
The joyful interactions of a child with grandparents and lust for life characters remind my of the Vera Williams series that begins with A CHAIR FOR MY MOTHER which precedes this title by nearly 25 years. My favorite grandparent book is Aliki Brandenberg's THE TWO OF THEM where the little girl and her Greek grandfather have fun,happy, loving days of adventure but that story ends of a realistic and sad note so it would be recommended only after thoughtful consideration. Both Juster and Raschka have many other popular picturebooks for the reader to choose from.
LS 5603 Literature for Children & Young Adults
Book Review of PASS IT DOWN: FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK.
A. Marcus, Leonard S. PASS IT DOWN: FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK.
New York: Walker & Company, 2007.
B. PLOT SUMMARY: The book is a concise yet rich rendering of biographical information as it pertains to families in the business of writing and or illustrating literature of the children's picture book variety. The five well known picture book families that are portrayed include Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher Myers, Donald Crews and his wife Ann Jonas and their daughter Nina Crews, Marlow and Anne Rockwell and daughter Lizzy Rockwell, Jerry Pinkney and son Brian Pinkney. Clement and Edith Thacher and their son Thacher Hurd.
The volume traces the phenomena of how families often have many members with the same talents and that often leads to collaboration or choosing the same, similar, or complementary careers of melding art and story together for the creation of childrens picture books.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (With Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence)
The book is visually very appealing from the bright and colorful cover to the brilliant yellow gold of the end papers. The type setting is unusually interesting, the index is exhaustive and the glossary is very helpful. In telling the story of these creative families the author uses many primary sources. Most prevalent are photos from the families themselves. Photos of Nina and Amy Crews painting on easels with their oil cloth aprons help to support the claim that they went in and out of their parent's studio and indeed had one of their own that bordered their parent's workroom. I thought the presentation of the Pinkneys was exceptional. There is a photograph of Brian modeling for his Dad. He is squatting and holding a mailing tube in place of a saxophone. It is uncanny to see the finished art in watercolor and pencil from Jerry Pinkney's book, HALF A MOON AND ONE WHOLE STAR. The painting reflects Brian's stance almost as if it were photocopied. The exact angle of the feet with the left heel not touching the flooring, the exact type of eyeglasses from photo to finished art work and so many other very small details that make the piece rich and as integral and probably more so than the text of the title.
There were many details that even most childrens book lovers will likely not know before reading the book such as that Clement and Edith Thacher were intimates of Margaret Wise Brown, famed author of GOODNIGHT MOON. We learn their nicknames. Clement is Clem, Edith is Posey, and Margaret is Brownie. There is a rare photo of the Thachers with Brownie that shows exquisite detail of clothing, accessories hats, corsages, pocket hankerchiefs, and the style of furniture in the foyer. We see an ink study of Brown's GOODNIGHT MOON. Margaret decided that she would select the name of the Hurd's baby before it was born. She was right in that the baby was a boy. The Hurd's and Margaret were collaborating on a picturebook. When Margaret sent the Hurd's a new version of the manuscript the dedication page read, "For Hiram, when he comes." In the final version of the story published a few months later Clem changes the dedication to: "For John Thacher Hurd. When he comes. (He's here.) There is a picture of Thacher (as he would be called) with his father and the devastation of the couple when Brownie dies unexpectedly and early.
The story or the Crews family is rendered extremely well. Pictures of Donald using an airbrush for his first award winning book; FREIGHT TRAIN which received the Caldecott Honor Book award. There is a photo that shows such joy and wide smiles that it is extremely contagious. Donald and wife Ann have their picture taken on either side of their daughter Nina at the publication party of her first book. Crews looks as I remember him over a decade ago, big beard, bow tie, and a smile that was as wide as train tracks are long. We also learn small things that make us feel as if we actually know these families and not just their books. Ann Jonas wears a patch on her eye in more than one picture taken at different times and locations. This black patch over her left idea would make a child think of a pirate and the exciting details go on and on.
I have read Walter Dean Myers for as long as I can remember but I didn't remember him at all as a picture book author until I saw the award winning cover of HARLEM in the chapter of the Myers. There is a large color photo of a self-portrait that Chrisopher Myers made of himself at 14. There are pictures of father and son autographing books together and a 2 paged letter to Walter from the editor of Holiday House commenting on his work in progress BLUES JOURNEY.
The style of writing flows and the color placards introducing the families look like postcards, the page numbers alternate between blue, purple, green and terra cotta. The book though intended for middle school students would be equally pleasurable to bright students from the 3rd or 4th grade on up. The book is not "dumb downed" in the least and will appeal to teachers, writers and librarians as much or more than to young people.
As in true picturebook form these photos, illustrations, and memorabilia are as important if not more so than the text of the book. On the back of the book in bright red and gold the author appeals to children with the heading: THE NEXT GENERATION PICKS UP THE PEN AND PAINTBRUSH. Details about whether the children wanted to approach art as their parents had or had a more independent feeling for picturebook realization is mentioned using quotes from the children. The characters, who in this book are living authors and illustrators are very fleshed out, the transition from chapter to chapter and family to family flows smoothly and seamlessly.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
School Library Journal assesses the book:
Grade 4 Up—Marcus presents the events and circumstances that have resulted in five picture-book dynasties. Each chapter includes biographical information about the subjects that zeroes in on the salient pieces that nurtured artistic growth and includes numerous quotes from the authors/illustrators themselves...
Marcus's writing is, as usual, tight but lively, and each chapter is liberally laced with photographs, preliminary sketches, and final art. The book will be of interest to those readers who enjoy getting behind the scenes of the books they love.
Booklist muses:
Marcus quotes extensively from interviews with each living subject and weaves the personal statements into a coherent presentation to show how each person developed creatively. Illustrations include family photos and artwork, beautifully reproduced in color on heavy, glossy pages. This may be of greatest interest to librarians, but young fans will find this a very readable and perceptive book that throws an intriguing light on growing up within a successful family and choosing a career path.
REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://www.amazon.com/Pass-Down-Picture-Families-Their/dp/0802796001/ref=sr_1_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189824716&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
Other books in the series by Leonard Marcus are a logical choice in my estimation and Booklist agrees:
Similar in format to Marcus' previous books on picture-book creators, includingSide by Side: Five Favorite Picture-Book Teams Go to Work (2001), this handsome book looks at five picture-book dynasties
A. Marcus, Leonard S. PASS IT DOWN: FIVE PICTURE-BOOK FAMILIES MAKE THEIR MARK.
New York: Walker & Company, 2007.
B. PLOT SUMMARY: The book is a concise yet rich rendering of biographical information as it pertains to families in the business of writing and or illustrating literature of the children's picture book variety. The five well known picture book families that are portrayed include Walter Dean Myers and his son Christopher Myers, Donald Crews and his wife Ann Jonas and their daughter Nina Crews, Marlow and Anne Rockwell and daughter Lizzy Rockwell, Jerry Pinkney and son Brian Pinkney. Clement and Edith Thacher and their son Thacher Hurd.
The volume traces the phenomena of how families often have many members with the same talents and that often leads to collaboration or choosing the same, similar, or complementary careers of melding art and story together for the creation of childrens picture books.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (With Cultural Markers and Established Standards of Excellence)
The book is visually very appealing from the bright and colorful cover to the brilliant yellow gold of the end papers. The type setting is unusually interesting, the index is exhaustive and the glossary is very helpful. In telling the story of these creative families the author uses many primary sources. Most prevalent are photos from the families themselves. Photos of Nina and Amy Crews painting on easels with their oil cloth aprons help to support the claim that they went in and out of their parent's studio and indeed had one of their own that bordered their parent's workroom. I thought the presentation of the Pinkneys was exceptional. There is a photograph of Brian modeling for his Dad. He is squatting and holding a mailing tube in place of a saxophone. It is uncanny to see the finished art in watercolor and pencil from Jerry Pinkney's book, HALF A MOON AND ONE WHOLE STAR. The painting reflects Brian's stance almost as if it were photocopied. The exact angle of the feet with the left heel not touching the flooring, the exact type of eyeglasses from photo to finished art work and so many other very small details that make the piece rich and as integral and probably more so than the text of the title.
There were many details that even most childrens book lovers will likely not know before reading the book such as that Clement and Edith Thacher were intimates of Margaret Wise Brown, famed author of GOODNIGHT MOON. We learn their nicknames. Clement is Clem, Edith is Posey, and Margaret is Brownie. There is a rare photo of the Thachers with Brownie that shows exquisite detail of clothing, accessories hats, corsages, pocket hankerchiefs, and the style of furniture in the foyer. We see an ink study of Brown's GOODNIGHT MOON. Margaret decided that she would select the name of the Hurd's baby before it was born. She was right in that the baby was a boy. The Hurd's and Margaret were collaborating on a picturebook. When Margaret sent the Hurd's a new version of the manuscript the dedication page read, "For Hiram, when he comes." In the final version of the story published a few months later Clem changes the dedication to: "For John Thacher Hurd. When he comes. (He's here.) There is a picture of Thacher (as he would be called) with his father and the devastation of the couple when Brownie dies unexpectedly and early.
The story or the Crews family is rendered extremely well. Pictures of Donald using an airbrush for his first award winning book; FREIGHT TRAIN which received the Caldecott Honor Book award. There is a photo that shows such joy and wide smiles that it is extremely contagious. Donald and wife Ann have their picture taken on either side of their daughter Nina at the publication party of her first book. Crews looks as I remember him over a decade ago, big beard, bow tie, and a smile that was as wide as train tracks are long. We also learn small things that make us feel as if we actually know these families and not just their books. Ann Jonas wears a patch on her eye in more than one picture taken at different times and locations. This black patch over her left idea would make a child think of a pirate and the exciting details go on and on.
I have read Walter Dean Myers for as long as I can remember but I didn't remember him at all as a picture book author until I saw the award winning cover of HARLEM in the chapter of the Myers. There is a large color photo of a self-portrait that Chrisopher Myers made of himself at 14. There are pictures of father and son autographing books together and a 2 paged letter to Walter from the editor of Holiday House commenting on his work in progress BLUES JOURNEY.
The style of writing flows and the color placards introducing the families look like postcards, the page numbers alternate between blue, purple, green and terra cotta. The book though intended for middle school students would be equally pleasurable to bright students from the 3rd or 4th grade on up. The book is not "dumb downed" in the least and will appeal to teachers, writers and librarians as much or more than to young people.
As in true picturebook form these photos, illustrations, and memorabilia are as important if not more so than the text of the book. On the back of the book in bright red and gold the author appeals to children with the heading: THE NEXT GENERATION PICKS UP THE PEN AND PAINTBRUSH. Details about whether the children wanted to approach art as their parents had or had a more independent feeling for picturebook realization is mentioned using quotes from the children. The characters, who in this book are living authors and illustrators are very fleshed out, the transition from chapter to chapter and family to family flows smoothly and seamlessly.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
School Library Journal assesses the book:
Grade 4 Up—Marcus presents the events and circumstances that have resulted in five picture-book dynasties. Each chapter includes biographical information about the subjects that zeroes in on the salient pieces that nurtured artistic growth and includes numerous quotes from the authors/illustrators themselves...
Marcus's writing is, as usual, tight but lively, and each chapter is liberally laced with photographs, preliminary sketches, and final art. The book will be of interest to those readers who enjoy getting behind the scenes of the books they love.
Booklist muses:
Marcus quotes extensively from interviews with each living subject and weaves the personal statements into a coherent presentation to show how each person developed creatively. Illustrations include family photos and artwork, beautifully reproduced in color on heavy, glossy pages. This may be of greatest interest to librarians, but young fans will find this a very readable and perceptive book that throws an intriguing light on growing up within a successful family and choosing a career path.
REVIEWS ACCESSED FROM:
http://www.amazon.com/Pass-Down-Picture-Families-Their/dp/0802796001/ref=sr_1_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189824716&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
Other books in the series by Leonard Marcus are a logical choice in my estimation and Booklist agrees:
Similar in format to Marcus' previous books on picture-book creators, includingSide by Side: Five Favorite Picture-Book Teams Go to Work (2001), this handsome book looks at five picture-book dynasties
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE
A. Hartinger, Brent. THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB. New York: Harper Tempest, 2003.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB is a story of a group of teens who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Russel is the main character. He is in the closet except for nighttime forays on the internet. While iMing someone his own age that happened to go to his high school they decide to meet. Russ risks the inherent because he is lonely and tired of being misunderstood. The boys are shocked when later that same night Russel and Kevin meet. Kevin being the superstar baseball and all a round sports jock of the school was a happy surprise for Kevin who had tried to keep his eyes diverted when changing in the locker room after a group shower. Russel’s best friends are Gunner and Min. Min turns out to be bisexual and her female partner is also a student at their school. The friends of friends get together, Min, Russel, Kevin, Ike and Terese, Min’s partner. They are all shocked and amazed that they are not the only teen at school with a different sexual orientation. The club officially organizes and selects a teacher who will not really be a faculty adviser or meet with him. Soon he even gives them a key to his room where they conduct meetings. They fill out the necessary paperwork and call their support group “The Geography Club” they chose the name of the group because they thought it sounded so boring and geeky that no one else would attempt to join. (They are not so lucky after a while) I remember high school clubs meeting once a month but this group decides to meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have to start their meeting promptly because Terese is as much a jock or should I say as much of an athlete as Kevin. Russel struggles with being dragged into one double date and then two so his friend Gunner can date the other girl’s friend. Kimberly doesn’t care for Gunner at all. She’s doing this so her friend Trish, who has the hots for Kevin can have some time to go out and some time to be alone with him. Russel has kiss number one from Trish and then kiss number two on the next date as Trish tries to get him to have sex with her as they “borrow” Gunner’s car. The girls are wild and crazy. Trish carries condoms in her purse (so I salute her for being responsible). Russel tells Trish he’s a virgin and always wanted the first time to be special. That is endearing to Trish who is not use to guys like Kevin. Russel is so upset when he gets home from the date. One of Russel’s problems is that he is just too nice so he goes to many places that he doesn’t want to go. Kevin meets Russel at the gazebo and they talk through the date. Russ figures Kevin has been chased by girl after girl because he is very handsome and a sports star. Kevin sympathizes with Russ after the date. For one tiny moment as Trish pursues Russ sexually in the parked car she has the “you’re not gay are you?” chat with him. It didn’t seem like a quick harmless question to Russ so he confides in Kevin.
“Man that really sucks. Trish sounds like a real bitch.” Russ answers in the negative and comments, “She just wanted what everyone wants. I just didn’t want it with her.” Kevin and Russ have their first shy and tender kiss that night and we witness the social and sexual relationship between Min and Terese ebb and flow and what happens to “The Geography Club” when an African American girl with a bright orange shirt and headband and smiley face earrings comes to join a “real” club. Her father is a cartographer and this is an unexpected intrusion to the plans of the other “Geography Club” members.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
The book has lots going for it even though some of the plot line is a bit too improbable to make you believe it entirely. Author Brent Hartinger is a gay writer from Washington State so he speaks with authority and authenticity.
I like the fact that the characters are first just seen as ordinary high school kids who are in cliques, get bored easily and are full of teenage angst. Their sexuality doesn’t not define them totally, but yet it does. Hartinger does a great job of showing well rounded characters, a relationship with a parent, who has the wheels for adventures and other things any teen would have experience with. Russel, Min, and Gunter have always eaten together in the cafeteria each day. Now the club wants to eat together but they realize that isn’t wise. This is totally realistic that new friends that happen to be gay, that meet and confess their orientation to each other, would be more easily identified if they all hung out only with each other.
I liked Kevin and Terese being athletes. That’s something that so many people in our culture do not realize, that military employees, cops, Olympic athletes, prissy females and even Republicans :o) can be gay. I believe Hartinger is trying to point out in the novel that anyone anywhere might possibly be gay, from the minister to the heartthrob in a soap opera. There was very little focus on the physical attributes of the gay characters except that Russ thought Kevin was cute and Terese worried that she looked a little “butch.”
I thought the book did a very good job of humanizing the characters and making them believable while avoiding stereotypes. It would be a healthy book for a middle or high schooler, gay or straight to read. It is a quick read and a book I really didn’t want to put down. It reads like many realistic young adult fiction, the setting is suburban. A really funny and believable part of the story was Russel getting ready for his first date with Trish. He doesn’t want to go. He’s mad at himself for letting Gunner talk him into this, but still he wants to look nice. He agonizes over his clothes and stares at himself in the mirror to see which angle makes him look coolest in his underwear. First I think of an ancient Tom Cruise move where he slides across the floor in his sock feet looking cool and then I think of listening to Augustan Burroughs narrating his life story in RUNNING WITH SCISSORS and that is a more probable comparison.
I applaud Brent Hartinger for avoiding plastic figures just to make a point. Being gay himself gives him a voice rarely heard in the world of children’s literature. Russel nor Kevin are not smokers, they do not lift their pinkies when they drink and they are noteffeminate. Kevin is into his appearance as much or a bit more than one would expect a high school boy to be. The “bad girls” are a bit stereotyped a bit too hardened, but there are certainly young ladies that are total bitches, looking for a free screw, and love to send food back at restaurants; just anything to get attention. There are many females of all ages who are more interested in sex than their male counterparts.
THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB reads like a typical teen drama that is better than most. The characterization is good and the story rings true. The only part I found a bit unbelievable is that within a few days 5 people at the same high school suddenly “discover” each other. The dialogue sounds extremely natural and not forced. Teenagers don’t want to stand out in a crowd and Hartinger’s characters are no exception to that rule. The reading level has a 4th or 5th grade feel to me and the size of the book and type make this look like it is for preteens. Being a high interest-low vocabulary book might be a possibility here. The volume comes to fill a large niche that has been waiting to be filled. I enjoyed the Geography Club. I am on hold for the sequel. The theme of the book is coming to terms with being gay but it serves as a lesson that we all must learn to accept ourselves no matter what society tells us. As the club “outs” our author has first rate knowledge of forming support groups of tolerance for young people because he formed such an organization in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
School Library Journal characterizes this as a Grade 10 and up selection. I vehemently disagree with that. My regular young customers at the public library and my former ones in the media center could easily read the volume in elementary and middle school. It has a much lower reading level than Harry Potter for example.
SLJ does agree with me however about the book’s merits, “The club members relish the opportunity to discuss their lives and to relate to one another openly and honestly. Eventually, however, intense peer pressure and insecurity take their toll. Russel's relationship with Kevin ends, but the "Geography Club" becomes the "Goodkind High School Gay-Straight-Bisexual Alliance,"
Booklist sees this as a 7-12 grader novel. Obviously the topic is for older children but the white space and type size betray that fact. Booklist goes on to say, “for a short time, life is blissful. Russel has friends with whom he can be himself, and he also makes love with Kevin. Then things fall apart. Russel refuses to have sex with a girl, and word gets out that he's gay. Kevin can't come out, so he and Russel break up. Things are settled a little too neatly in the end, but there's no sermonizing. With honest talk of love and cruelty, friendship and betrayal, it's Russel's realistic, funny, contemporary narrative that makes this first novel special. The dialogue is right on; so is the high-school cafeteria; so is the prejudice. Booktalk this. (Now wouldn’t that be something!)
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Geography-Club-Brent-Hartinger/dp/0060012234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186626980&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
The first books that come to mind are from different YA authors who share the last name of Frank.
E.R. Frank’s AMERICA is a poignant, realistic novel that looks at the issues of being different and stereotypes but AMERICA has more depth and for a little bit more mature student.
The other is Hillary Frank’s BETTER THAN RUNNING AT NIGHT which deals with first love, betrayal, growing up. Hillary’s book to is a bit more ripened than Hartinger’s and the main character is a freshman in college.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB is a story of a group of teens who are gay, lesbian, and bisexual. Russel is the main character. He is in the closet except for nighttime forays on the internet. While iMing someone his own age that happened to go to his high school they decide to meet. Russ risks the inherent because he is lonely and tired of being misunderstood. The boys are shocked when later that same night Russel and Kevin meet. Kevin being the superstar baseball and all a round sports jock of the school was a happy surprise for Kevin who had tried to keep his eyes diverted when changing in the locker room after a group shower. Russel’s best friends are Gunner and Min. Min turns out to be bisexual and her female partner is also a student at their school. The friends of friends get together, Min, Russel, Kevin, Ike and Terese, Min’s partner. They are all shocked and amazed that they are not the only teen at school with a different sexual orientation. The club officially organizes and selects a teacher who will not really be a faculty adviser or meet with him. Soon he even gives them a key to his room where they conduct meetings. They fill out the necessary paperwork and call their support group “The Geography Club” they chose the name of the group because they thought it sounded so boring and geeky that no one else would attempt to join. (They are not so lucky after a while) I remember high school clubs meeting once a month but this group decides to meet twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. They have to start their meeting promptly because Terese is as much a jock or should I say as much of an athlete as Kevin. Russel struggles with being dragged into one double date and then two so his friend Gunner can date the other girl’s friend. Kimberly doesn’t care for Gunner at all. She’s doing this so her friend Trish, who has the hots for Kevin can have some time to go out and some time to be alone with him. Russel has kiss number one from Trish and then kiss number two on the next date as Trish tries to get him to have sex with her as they “borrow” Gunner’s car. The girls are wild and crazy. Trish carries condoms in her purse (so I salute her for being responsible). Russel tells Trish he’s a virgin and always wanted the first time to be special. That is endearing to Trish who is not use to guys like Kevin. Russel is so upset when he gets home from the date. One of Russel’s problems is that he is just too nice so he goes to many places that he doesn’t want to go. Kevin meets Russel at the gazebo and they talk through the date. Russ figures Kevin has been chased by girl after girl because he is very handsome and a sports star. Kevin sympathizes with Russ after the date. For one tiny moment as Trish pursues Russ sexually in the parked car she has the “you’re not gay are you?” chat with him. It didn’t seem like a quick harmless question to Russ so he confides in Kevin.
“Man that really sucks. Trish sounds like a real bitch.” Russ answers in the negative and comments, “She just wanted what everyone wants. I just didn’t want it with her.” Kevin and Russ have their first shy and tender kiss that night and we witness the social and sexual relationship between Min and Terese ebb and flow and what happens to “The Geography Club” when an African American girl with a bright orange shirt and headband and smiley face earrings comes to join a “real” club. Her father is a cartographer and this is an unexpected intrusion to the plans of the other “Geography Club” members.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
The book has lots going for it even though some of the plot line is a bit too improbable to make you believe it entirely. Author Brent Hartinger is a gay writer from Washington State so he speaks with authority and authenticity.
I like the fact that the characters are first just seen as ordinary high school kids who are in cliques, get bored easily and are full of teenage angst. Their sexuality doesn’t not define them totally, but yet it does. Hartinger does a great job of showing well rounded characters, a relationship with a parent, who has the wheels for adventures and other things any teen would have experience with. Russel, Min, and Gunter have always eaten together in the cafeteria each day. Now the club wants to eat together but they realize that isn’t wise. This is totally realistic that new friends that happen to be gay, that meet and confess their orientation to each other, would be more easily identified if they all hung out only with each other.
I liked Kevin and Terese being athletes. That’s something that so many people in our culture do not realize, that military employees, cops, Olympic athletes, prissy females and even Republicans :o) can be gay. I believe Hartinger is trying to point out in the novel that anyone anywhere might possibly be gay, from the minister to the heartthrob in a soap opera. There was very little focus on the physical attributes of the gay characters except that Russ thought Kevin was cute and Terese worried that she looked a little “butch.”
I thought the book did a very good job of humanizing the characters and making them believable while avoiding stereotypes. It would be a healthy book for a middle or high schooler, gay or straight to read. It is a quick read and a book I really didn’t want to put down. It reads like many realistic young adult fiction, the setting is suburban. A really funny and believable part of the story was Russel getting ready for his first date with Trish. He doesn’t want to go. He’s mad at himself for letting Gunner talk him into this, but still he wants to look nice. He agonizes over his clothes and stares at himself in the mirror to see which angle makes him look coolest in his underwear. First I think of an ancient Tom Cruise move where he slides across the floor in his sock feet looking cool and then I think of listening to Augustan Burroughs narrating his life story in RUNNING WITH SCISSORS and that is a more probable comparison.
I applaud Brent Hartinger for avoiding plastic figures just to make a point. Being gay himself gives him a voice rarely heard in the world of children’s literature. Russel nor Kevin are not smokers, they do not lift their pinkies when they drink and they are noteffeminate. Kevin is into his appearance as much or a bit more than one would expect a high school boy to be. The “bad girls” are a bit stereotyped a bit too hardened, but there are certainly young ladies that are total bitches, looking for a free screw, and love to send food back at restaurants; just anything to get attention. There are many females of all ages who are more interested in sex than their male counterparts.
THE GEOGRAPHY CLUB reads like a typical teen drama that is better than most. The characterization is good and the story rings true. The only part I found a bit unbelievable is that within a few days 5 people at the same high school suddenly “discover” each other. The dialogue sounds extremely natural and not forced. Teenagers don’t want to stand out in a crowd and Hartinger’s characters are no exception to that rule. The reading level has a 4th or 5th grade feel to me and the size of the book and type make this look like it is for preteens. Being a high interest-low vocabulary book might be a possibility here. The volume comes to fill a large niche that has been waiting to be filled. I enjoyed the Geography Club. I am on hold for the sequel. The theme of the book is coming to terms with being gay but it serves as a lesson that we all must learn to accept ourselves no matter what society tells us. As the club “outs” our author has first rate knowledge of forming support groups of tolerance for young people because he formed such an organization in his hometown of Tacoma, Washington.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
School Library Journal characterizes this as a Grade 10 and up selection. I vehemently disagree with that. My regular young customers at the public library and my former ones in the media center could easily read the volume in elementary and middle school. It has a much lower reading level than Harry Potter for example.
SLJ does agree with me however about the book’s merits, “The club members relish the opportunity to discuss their lives and to relate to one another openly and honestly. Eventually, however, intense peer pressure and insecurity take their toll. Russel's relationship with Kevin ends, but the "Geography Club" becomes the "Goodkind High School Gay-Straight-Bisexual Alliance,"
Booklist sees this as a 7-12 grader novel. Obviously the topic is for older children but the white space and type size betray that fact. Booklist goes on to say, “for a short time, life is blissful. Russel has friends with whom he can be himself, and he also makes love with Kevin. Then things fall apart. Russel refuses to have sex with a girl, and word gets out that he's gay. Kevin can't come out, so he and Russel break up. Things are settled a little too neatly in the end, but there's no sermonizing. With honest talk of love and cruelty, friendship and betrayal, it's Russel's realistic, funny, contemporary narrative that makes this first novel special. The dialogue is right on; so is the high-school cafeteria; so is the prejudice. Booktalk this. (Now wouldn’t that be something!)
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Geography-Club-Brent-Hartinger/dp/0060012234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186626980&sr=1-1
E. CONNECTIONS:
The first books that come to mind are from different YA authors who share the last name of Frank.
E.R. Frank’s AMERICA is a poignant, realistic novel that looks at the issues of being different and stereotypes but AMERICA has more depth and for a little bit more mature student.
The other is Hillary Frank’s BETTER THAN RUNNING AT NIGHT which deals with first love, betrayal, growing up. Hillary’s book to is a bit more ripened than Hartinger’s and the main character is a freshman in college.
Saturday, August 4, 2007
LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE
Review of Habibi
A. Nye, Naomi Shihab. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse, 1997.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
This is the story of Liyana and her brother, Rafik. Their father, Mr. Abboud is an Arab American. He meets his wife and decides to remain in the U.S. unlike he originally planned when he completed medical school. The kids have heard distant rumblings about going to live in Jerusalem since they were very young but they never took it too seriously. As Liyana gets ready to enter high school and her brother to enter middle school, Dr. Abboud sees this a perfect time to return to Palestine. Liyana has just received her first kiss and she does not want to move. We watch the family pack 17 suitcases and sell or leave everything else they own. A family of 4 with 17 suitcases is rather sparse when you think about it and of course they couldn’t bring along a pet. The story is Liyana’s story of how she was content with being a “half Arab” young American girl with a mother’s ancestry that’s not even mentioned it leads me to think it was her character was so “European” or “Caucasian” that it was not discussed except to show the stark differences of the parent’s cultural heritage. Liyana learns to relax with the new customs that people smell, bath, and live in different circumstances than she is used to. She attends an Armenian school and embraces learning their language and customs. Finally Liyana learns to spend time with her grandmother Sitti. Sitti teaches Liyana how to make flatbread, how she carries water on her head. When visiting a spice shop of an acquaintance a Jewish man stops in the shop because he believes by her appearance that Liyana is Jewish and he tells her she should associate and shop with her own kind. In the end Liyana comes up with the ultimate test for her family, her friends, and her safety. She falls in love with a Jewish boy that lives on “the other side” of Jerusalem.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
I believe the author did an excellent job of writing a page turner no matter the subject of the story. The subject though is very interesting and thought provoking. What would it be like for an American family whose children are 50% Arab to live in Jerusalem near a very large extended family? Liyana is so very “Americanized” being born and raised into an upper middle class family even though she has an Arab father. It appears that Liyana and Rafik have never really imagined or had a desire to visit, much less stay in the land of their father. It is a rather poignant story and there is great care in portraying the relationship of the sister and brother.
Daily life circumstances are portrayed very realistically but non-judgmentally. A lamb has been slaughtered to welcome the “return” of their own and to meet his family. Liyana and her mother go to market for chicken meat. They are both wary. Mrs. Abboud lets the butcher select the chicken, she certainly doesn’t want to. The details of the kill are minute. The picking the chick out of the cage by her claws, quickly swinging the chicken upside down until the chicken goes limp from shock. Then the twisting of the neck and severing of the head as the body gives a final twitch. Liyana does not help eat the chicken and becomes a vegetarian right at that moment in the market. Liyana’s mother tries to learn to accept that this is the way things are now and so to get meat for her family she goes to an open air market with the bloody butcher with a cleaver and dripping apron..
As much as this is a “multicultural” story it is also a coming of age story. Relationships between brother and sister, mother and father are essential elements of the story. The story is neutral and objective about the differences in the Arab and American culture and lifestyle. Liyana’s father is the ultimate tourist as they leave their home in the Midwest to travel and travel to New York and then their first days in Jerusalem. Liyana’s mother gets tears in her eyes as she traces the walk to Golgotha of Christ. Liyana’s father asks her if she’s ever thought of praying like that Arab Muslim they pass who is kneeling on a mat and kisses his forehead to the ground. Liyana’s Dad worries that his elderly mother has been living for the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Mecca most of her life. With Liyana’s Dad able to foot the bill for her transportation she makes plans. Liyana’s father tells of his concern that after Sitti accomplishes this life goal that at her advanced age she may unconsciously think she has nothing left to live for and may decline in mind and spirit.
Liyana is portrayed as a sensitive adolescent prone to writing in her journal, reluctant to leave her friends and her old way of life. There is a scene in the book that is very profound. Mr. Abboud’s oldest brother is a part of the welcoming party and lives close to the rest of the extended family. Their 2nd day in Jerusalem brings Liyana’s uncle begging for her hand in marriage for his son her cousin. Liyana’s father is furious and lets his brother know in no uncertain terms that his immediate family and himself view that particular custom archaic, barbaric, and insensitive. The tension of the region and it’s people is depicted in a fair minded way. There are good Jews, bad Arabs, good merchants and sly ones. Liyana has a very profound and unusual experience to belong to:
1. Middle Class America
2. The Arab side of Jerusalem and Israel
3. Armenian academic and religious customs
4. And a visitor to the Jewish sections of her new city
The book talks of Ramalah, an actual city in the Arab world. Readers might recognize the name because so many military bases and western elements have developed there. During the first Gulf War it was a critical base for the American military. The dangers of the city, eating dinner outside are all mentioned in a realistic manner. Again however the book just tells a story of a considerate husband who rides the bus into his work at the hospital so his wife can drive the car on market day. The parents puzzle and interview and discuss with great care which school each of the children will attend just as an American family of their stature would do in the U.S. They still have the same actions in Jerusalem. Liyana and Rifak have never met their Father’s family so allowing several weeks before Liyana is comfortable spending time alone with her Grandmother Sitti learning the “lessons of women” is logical. There is no condemnation in the story from either family about how the “other side” has lived. Mr. Abboud is so excited about returning and thrilled to be back “home” that he initially doesn’t understand how awkward and nervous his children are.
Very well written. A page turner. Adolescents will like the story because of the accurate portrayal of teenage angst, relationships between the sexes and family traditions. Liyana is portrayed as having dark hair, long and oft times braided. It mentions the beautiful skin tone she has that is lighter than her father and darker than her mother. She and Rafik have more of an olive complexion. 80 customers have given thought provoking reviews and it retains 4 stars. It obviously resonates with many people.
Depicting the realities of daily violence in the Middle East, the sharp differences in customs and behavior such as males and females are never kiss on the mouth until they are married, and the stiff enforcement of traditions that are many times at odds. The book was a great story on its own merit but a positive depiction of live in Modern day America and then in Modern day Jerusalem.
D. Praise from School Library Journal:
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Mentioned in the New York Times Book Review:
The New York Times Book Review, Karen Leggett
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation. (Ages 10 and older
Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186287566&sr=1-1
E. Connections:
Nye has written another wonderful book entitled; SITTI’S SECRET. It is for children a bit younger. Nye has also published a volume of poetry, THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD
A. Nye, Naomi Shihab. HABIBI. New York: Simon Pulse, 1997.
B. PLOT SUMMARY:
This is the story of Liyana and her brother, Rafik. Their father, Mr. Abboud is an Arab American. He meets his wife and decides to remain in the U.S. unlike he originally planned when he completed medical school. The kids have heard distant rumblings about going to live in Jerusalem since they were very young but they never took it too seriously. As Liyana gets ready to enter high school and her brother to enter middle school, Dr. Abboud sees this a perfect time to return to Palestine. Liyana has just received her first kiss and she does not want to move. We watch the family pack 17 suitcases and sell or leave everything else they own. A family of 4 with 17 suitcases is rather sparse when you think about it and of course they couldn’t bring along a pet. The story is Liyana’s story of how she was content with being a “half Arab” young American girl with a mother’s ancestry that’s not even mentioned it leads me to think it was her character was so “European” or “Caucasian” that it was not discussed except to show the stark differences of the parent’s cultural heritage. Liyana learns to relax with the new customs that people smell, bath, and live in different circumstances than she is used to. She attends an Armenian school and embraces learning their language and customs. Finally Liyana learns to spend time with her grandmother Sitti. Sitti teaches Liyana how to make flatbread, how she carries water on her head. When visiting a spice shop of an acquaintance a Jewish man stops in the shop because he believes by her appearance that Liyana is Jewish and he tells her she should associate and shop with her own kind. In the end Liyana comes up with the ultimate test for her family, her friends, and her safety. She falls in love with a Jewish boy that lives on “the other side” of Jerusalem.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (INCLUDING CULTURAL MARKERS)
I believe the author did an excellent job of writing a page turner no matter the subject of the story. The subject though is very interesting and thought provoking. What would it be like for an American family whose children are 50% Arab to live in Jerusalem near a very large extended family? Liyana is so very “Americanized” being born and raised into an upper middle class family even though she has an Arab father. It appears that Liyana and Rafik have never really imagined or had a desire to visit, much less stay in the land of their father. It is a rather poignant story and there is great care in portraying the relationship of the sister and brother.
Daily life circumstances are portrayed very realistically but non-judgmentally. A lamb has been slaughtered to welcome the “return” of their own and to meet his family. Liyana and her mother go to market for chicken meat. They are both wary. Mrs. Abboud lets the butcher select the chicken, she certainly doesn’t want to. The details of the kill are minute. The picking the chick out of the cage by her claws, quickly swinging the chicken upside down until the chicken goes limp from shock. Then the twisting of the neck and severing of the head as the body gives a final twitch. Liyana does not help eat the chicken and becomes a vegetarian right at that moment in the market. Liyana’s mother tries to learn to accept that this is the way things are now and so to get meat for her family she goes to an open air market with the bloody butcher with a cleaver and dripping apron..
As much as this is a “multicultural” story it is also a coming of age story. Relationships between brother and sister, mother and father are essential elements of the story. The story is neutral and objective about the differences in the Arab and American culture and lifestyle. Liyana’s father is the ultimate tourist as they leave their home in the Midwest to travel and travel to New York and then their first days in Jerusalem. Liyana’s mother gets tears in her eyes as she traces the walk to Golgotha of Christ. Liyana’s father asks her if she’s ever thought of praying like that Arab Muslim they pass who is kneeling on a mat and kisses his forehead to the ground. Liyana’s Dad worries that his elderly mother has been living for the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Mecca most of her life. With Liyana’s Dad able to foot the bill for her transportation she makes plans. Liyana’s father tells of his concern that after Sitti accomplishes this life goal that at her advanced age she may unconsciously think she has nothing left to live for and may decline in mind and spirit.
Liyana is portrayed as a sensitive adolescent prone to writing in her journal, reluctant to leave her friends and her old way of life. There is a scene in the book that is very profound. Mr. Abboud’s oldest brother is a part of the welcoming party and lives close to the rest of the extended family. Their 2nd day in Jerusalem brings Liyana’s uncle begging for her hand in marriage for his son her cousin. Liyana’s father is furious and lets his brother know in no uncertain terms that his immediate family and himself view that particular custom archaic, barbaric, and insensitive. The tension of the region and it’s people is depicted in a fair minded way. There are good Jews, bad Arabs, good merchants and sly ones. Liyana has a very profound and unusual experience to belong to:
1. Middle Class America
2. The Arab side of Jerusalem and Israel
3. Armenian academic and religious customs
4. And a visitor to the Jewish sections of her new city
The book talks of Ramalah, an actual city in the Arab world. Readers might recognize the name because so many military bases and western elements have developed there. During the first Gulf War it was a critical base for the American military. The dangers of the city, eating dinner outside are all mentioned in a realistic manner. Again however the book just tells a story of a considerate husband who rides the bus into his work at the hospital so his wife can drive the car on market day. The parents puzzle and interview and discuss with great care which school each of the children will attend just as an American family of their stature would do in the U.S. They still have the same actions in Jerusalem. Liyana and Rifak have never met their Father’s family so allowing several weeks before Liyana is comfortable spending time alone with her Grandmother Sitti learning the “lessons of women” is logical. There is no condemnation in the story from either family about how the “other side” has lived. Mr. Abboud is so excited about returning and thrilled to be back “home” that he initially doesn’t understand how awkward and nervous his children are.
Very well written. A page turner. Adolescents will like the story because of the accurate portrayal of teenage angst, relationships between the sexes and family traditions. Liyana is portrayed as having dark hair, long and oft times braided. It mentions the beautiful skin tone she has that is lighter than her father and darker than her mother. She and Rafik have more of an olive complexion. 80 customers have given thought provoking reviews and it retains 4 stars. It obviously resonates with many people.
Depicting the realities of daily violence in the Middle East, the sharp differences in customs and behavior such as males and females are never kiss on the mouth until they are married, and the stiff enforcement of traditions that are many times at odds. The book was a great story on its own merit but a positive depiction of live in Modern day America and then in Modern day Jerusalem.
D. Praise from School Library Journal:
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-9. An important first novel from a distinguished anthologist and poet. When Liyana's doctor father, a native Palestinian, decides to move his contemporary Arab-American family back to Jerusalem from St. Louis, 14-year-old Liyana is unenthusiastic. Arriving in Jerusalem, the girl and her family are gathered in by their colorful, warmhearted Palestinian relatives and immersed in a culture where only tourists wear shorts and there is a prohibition against boy/girl relationships. When Liyana falls in love with Omer, a Jewish boy, she challenges family, culture, and tradition, but her homesickness fades. Constantly lurking in the background of the novel is violence between Palestinian and Jew. It builds from minor bureaucratic annoyances and humiliations, to the surprisingly shocking destruction of grandmother's bathroom by Israeli soldiers, to a bomb set off in a Jewish marketplace by Palestinians. It exacts a reprisal in which Liyana's friend is shot and her father jailed. Nye introduces readers to unforgettable characters. The setting is both sensory and tangible: from the grandmother's village to a Bedouin camp. Above all, there is Jerusalem itself, where ancient tensions seep out of cracks and Liyana explores the streets practicing her Arabic vocabulary. Though the story begins at a leisurely pace, readers will be engaged by the characters, the romance, and the foreshadowed danger. Poetically imaged and leavened with humor, the story renders layered and complex history understandable through character and incident. Habibi succeeds in making the hope for peace compellingly personal and concrete...as long as individual citizens like Liyana's grandmother Sitti can say, "I never lost my peace inside."?Kate McClelland, Perrot Memorial Library, Greenwich, CT
Mentioned in the New York Times Book Review:
The New York Times Book Review, Karen Leggett
Adolescence magnifies the joys and anxieties of growing up even as it radically simplifies the complexities of the adult world. The poet and anthologist Naomi Shibab Nye is meticulously sensitive to this rainbow of emotion in her autobiographical novel, Habibi…. Habibi gives a reader all the sweet richness of a Mediterranean dessert, while leaving some of the historic complexities open to interpretation. (Ages 10 and older
Reviews accessed at: http://www.amazon.com/Habibi-Naomi-Shihab-Nye/dp/0689825234/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186287566&sr=1-1
E. Connections:
Nye has written another wonderful book entitled; SITTI’S SECRET. It is for children a bit younger. Nye has also published a volume of poetry, THE FLAG OF CHILDHOOD
LS 5903 MULTICULTURAL LITERATURE
Review of MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT
A. Millman, Isaac. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Frances Foster Books, 1998. (Millman is the illustrator as well as the author.)
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Moses is a deaf student and he goes to a concert with kids from his school who are also deaf. Moses plays the drums at home and he can’t hear them like a child with good hearing but he feels the vibrations in his hand as he plays. At the symphony the lead percussionist is deaf. The children did not know ahead of time that the star of the show was deaf and that she would perform in her sock feet because that’s how she picked up the vibrations of the melody and harmony. The class uses sign language during the performance just as others might whisper before the show starts. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels is a dedicated one and he wants to maximize each child’s potential for learning, for fun, and the ability to participate by blowing up a balloon for each student. They can feel the vibrations of the concert in their balloons. After the show they get to ask the percussionist, Ms. Elywn about music. Elywn lets the kids take turns banging on her snare drums, bass drums, xylophone, etc. The whole ordeal turns out to be a marvelous day for everyone.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
I just first have to start with the fact that I think this is a rare and exceptional picturebook. The pictures are vivid and appropriately bright without overdoing it. The pictures Moses’ room full of toys that are just a little bit messy, of the yellow school bus, the bus drivers expression, the children skipping and holding hands are so on the money. The expressions of the teacher as he turns his head to count the students on the bus and model good behaviors are done extremely well, very true to life.
This book would be very well received by almost any child Pre-school through at least grade 2. I think this would be an exceptional cream of the crop book for “Children with disabilities” week, etc. It would be so extremely effective because for the most part it’s just a bright, exciting picture book that anyone can enjoy. I think that is it’s biggest strength.
Now considering that the book is full of American Sign Language could be a pleasant aside or it could be the primary reason for selecting the book. The introduction to the book gives information on ASL: American Sign Language. There is a rather straightforward chart at the beginning of the book that teaches “How to Read the Arrows and Symbols” used in the book. Each double spread page has Moses signing a sentence at the bottom of the page on the right. The arrows help to show words and sentences that would contain more than one static symbol so children could easily practice some simple 1st grade level words. The back page is so very beautiful. It’s entitled “The Hand Alphabet” and shows a clear picture of the sign. On the :hand alphabet” page Millman has drawn subdued and very detailed pictures of each letter to show how more often that not the hand signal letters resemble the letter they are portraying.
The book does a really special thing by making “special education” children look just like regular children. These kids get excited, some of them wave at the percussionist rather than clapping. The students on the bus with Moses are black, white, dark, fair, wear braids, pigtails. There is a character or two that may be Asian Pacific Americans but it is hard to be certain. Nonetheless, the children are close to reality of what a class of deaf children would normally be, pretty much equal numbers of boys and girls, and many ethnicities represented. A small but powerful thing that creeps in at the very end of the story when Ms. Elywn is talking about her job is that the children could begin to see that they will be able to go into most any career field they are interested in, despite their handicap. People, including many teachers say we spend way too much time dealing with “self esteem” but for kids that don’t have much a little goes a long way of allowing them to think of themselves in different positive roles at work, of encouraging them and reminding them that they have unlimited potential. The part of the book that says it all, that sums up the beauty and message of the story is when Moses shares with his parents about the concert: “When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up…….a Dr,. Artist, Teacher, Lawyer, Farmer, Electrician or Actor. I want to become a Percussionist.” The other thing that is so noteworthy is that the percussionist is in love with life. From her hot pink and black tuxedo top, traditionally colored black pants and hot pink socks, Ms. Elywn is special. She rocks, rolls, dances, and her sense of play is catching and uplifting to the children. I like the “something about the author” portion on the back jacket where it tells us of Mr. Millman’s ethnicity……..born in France to Jewish immigrants for Poland before becoming U.S. citizens. Millman also mentions his military career, his family, and his degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute.
There is just no stereotyping, no labeling, making children’s faces look less than intelligent, or like a Down Syndrome Child. Sign language makes this kids powerful and their potential limitless. Having a teacher like Mr. Samuels would be most special indeed. The field trip was very special to each child but for Moses who already loved to play the drums at his house at such an early age this positive meeting with another percussionist is the kind of story that middle aged men and women talk about “changes their lives.” Bravo to Tillman. I already want to read it again.
On the first page Max has a dog, a Dalmatian. He is not on a leash but something that looks a bit like an old cloth jump rope has them together in a circle within it’s arms. Little things are important in this story too. You can’t quite tell if the buses are ‘short buses” (which children automatically associate with Special Ed.) or regular size buses. I just can’t find a thing I would ask Millman to improve. I’ve got to see if this guy has written any other books!
So a wonderful story with lovely pictures that ALSO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT DISABILITIES. Hurray!
Ah, ha. I’ve just found out this is a series of books………..Moses goes to school, Moses sees a play, etc.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Well, I guess here we go with the disagreements about “insider knowledge” and authenticity.
An amazon customer review:
Since this book was not written by a hard of hearing person, it does not give an appropriate view of the hard of hearing world. This book could not apply to deaf people becasue deaf people cannot hear music -- only feel the vibrations. The book gives a clear view of how hearing people view the heard of hearing world. It is a beginning, but it is not the best book.
School Library Journal comments,
“Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Cheers from Publisher’s Weekly:
“The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterward, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who, intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and, using American Sign Language (precisely illustrated in easy-to-read diagrams), explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal…..An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.” Ages 5-up.
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186282720&sr=1-1
D. CONNECTIONS:
The above other books in the series would be my first choice. Besides the titles mentioned above there is also MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
I really don’t know another “Special Ed.” book, certainly not another book about deaf children that can hold a candle to Millman’s work.
A. Millman, Isaac. MOSES GOES TO A CONCERT. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux for Frances Foster Books, 1998. (Millman is the illustrator as well as the author.)
B. PLOT SUMMARY
Moses is a deaf student and he goes to a concert with kids from his school who are also deaf. Moses plays the drums at home and he can’t hear them like a child with good hearing but he feels the vibrations in his hand as he plays. At the symphony the lead percussionist is deaf. The children did not know ahead of time that the star of the show was deaf and that she would perform in her sock feet because that’s how she picked up the vibrations of the melody and harmony. The class uses sign language during the performance just as others might whisper before the show starts. Their teacher, Mr. Samuels is a dedicated one and he wants to maximize each child’s potential for learning, for fun, and the ability to participate by blowing up a balloon for each student. They can feel the vibrations of the concert in their balloons. After the show they get to ask the percussionist, Ms. Elywn about music. Elywn lets the kids take turns banging on her snare drums, bass drums, xylophone, etc. The whole ordeal turns out to be a marvelous day for everyone.
C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)
I just first have to start with the fact that I think this is a rare and exceptional picturebook. The pictures are vivid and appropriately bright without overdoing it. The pictures Moses’ room full of toys that are just a little bit messy, of the yellow school bus, the bus drivers expression, the children skipping and holding hands are so on the money. The expressions of the teacher as he turns his head to count the students on the bus and model good behaviors are done extremely well, very true to life.
This book would be very well received by almost any child Pre-school through at least grade 2. I think this would be an exceptional cream of the crop book for “Children with disabilities” week, etc. It would be so extremely effective because for the most part it’s just a bright, exciting picture book that anyone can enjoy. I think that is it’s biggest strength.
Now considering that the book is full of American Sign Language could be a pleasant aside or it could be the primary reason for selecting the book. The introduction to the book gives information on ASL: American Sign Language. There is a rather straightforward chart at the beginning of the book that teaches “How to Read the Arrows and Symbols” used in the book. Each double spread page has Moses signing a sentence at the bottom of the page on the right. The arrows help to show words and sentences that would contain more than one static symbol so children could easily practice some simple 1st grade level words. The back page is so very beautiful. It’s entitled “The Hand Alphabet” and shows a clear picture of the sign. On the :hand alphabet” page Millman has drawn subdued and very detailed pictures of each letter to show how more often that not the hand signal letters resemble the letter they are portraying.
The book does a really special thing by making “special education” children look just like regular children. These kids get excited, some of them wave at the percussionist rather than clapping. The students on the bus with Moses are black, white, dark, fair, wear braids, pigtails. There is a character or two that may be Asian Pacific Americans but it is hard to be certain. Nonetheless, the children are close to reality of what a class of deaf children would normally be, pretty much equal numbers of boys and girls, and many ethnicities represented. A small but powerful thing that creeps in at the very end of the story when Ms. Elywn is talking about her job is that the children could begin to see that they will be able to go into most any career field they are interested in, despite their handicap. People, including many teachers say we spend way too much time dealing with “self esteem” but for kids that don’t have much a little goes a long way of allowing them to think of themselves in different positive roles at work, of encouraging them and reminding them that they have unlimited potential. The part of the book that says it all, that sums up the beauty and message of the story is when Moses shares with his parents about the concert: “When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up…….a Dr,. Artist, Teacher, Lawyer, Farmer, Electrician or Actor. I want to become a Percussionist.” The other thing that is so noteworthy is that the percussionist is in love with life. From her hot pink and black tuxedo top, traditionally colored black pants and hot pink socks, Ms. Elywn is special. She rocks, rolls, dances, and her sense of play is catching and uplifting to the children. I like the “something about the author” portion on the back jacket where it tells us of Mr. Millman’s ethnicity……..born in France to Jewish immigrants for Poland before becoming U.S. citizens. Millman also mentions his military career, his family, and his degree from the prestigious Pratt Institute.
There is just no stereotyping, no labeling, making children’s faces look less than intelligent, or like a Down Syndrome Child. Sign language makes this kids powerful and their potential limitless. Having a teacher like Mr. Samuels would be most special indeed. The field trip was very special to each child but for Moses who already loved to play the drums at his house at such an early age this positive meeting with another percussionist is the kind of story that middle aged men and women talk about “changes their lives.” Bravo to Tillman. I already want to read it again.
On the first page Max has a dog, a Dalmatian. He is not on a leash but something that looks a bit like an old cloth jump rope has them together in a circle within it’s arms. Little things are important in this story too. You can’t quite tell if the buses are ‘short buses” (which children automatically associate with Special Ed.) or regular size buses. I just can’t find a thing I would ask Millman to improve. I’ve got to see if this guy has written any other books!
So a wonderful story with lovely pictures that ALSO JUST HAPPENS TO BE ABOUT DISABILITIES. Hurray!
Ah, ha. I’ve just found out this is a series of books………..Moses goes to school, Moses sees a play, etc.
D. REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Well, I guess here we go with the disagreements about “insider knowledge” and authenticity.
An amazon customer review:
Since this book was not written by a hard of hearing person, it does not give an appropriate view of the hard of hearing world. This book could not apply to deaf people becasue deaf people cannot hear music -- only feel the vibrations. The book gives a clear view of how hearing people view the heard of hearing world. It is a beginning, but it is not the best book.
School Library Journal comments,
“Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves at the concert, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses's additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhance the upbeat story.?Sally R. Dow, Ossining Public Library, NY
Cheers from Publisher’s Weekly:
“The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterward, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who, intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and, using American Sign Language (precisely illustrated in easy-to-read diagrams), explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal…..An introductory note explains how to interpret the sign-language diagrams, which are integrated throughout the clear and colorful illustrations. Fiction and instruction make beautiful music together on these cheerful pages.” Ages 5-up.
Reviews accessed from:
http://www.amazon.com/Moses-Goes-Concert/dp/0374453667/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-7575722-4136600?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186282720&sr=1-1
D. CONNECTIONS:
The above other books in the series would be my first choice. Besides the titles mentioned above there is also MOSES GOES TO THE CIRCUS.
I really don’t know another “Special Ed.” book, certainly not another book about deaf children that can hold a candle to Millman’s work.
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