These were selected by my co-worker.
How Big Could your Pumpkin Grow?
Wendell Minor
ISBN: 9780399246845
Strange illustrations highlight the oddities of even stranger pumpkins, growing wildly and grandiosely out of control and overwhelming their landscapes.
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
Lois Ehlert
ISBN: 9780152661977
One of Ehlert's classic collage and found-item celebrations, this time of the colors and impressions of fall.
Leaves in Fall
Martha E. H. Rustad, consulting editor Gail Saunders
ISBN: 9781429600248
Beautiful photography and nature-facts approach make this a lovely nonfiction storytime addition.
Showing posts with label Wendell Minor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wendell Minor. Show all posts
Monday, December 10, 2018
Thursday, May 28, 2015
Tuesday Storytime: Going to the Beach
Posting late this week, can you tell summer is coming? O.o
The Twelve Days of Summer
Elizabeth Lee O'Donnell, illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt
ISBN: 0688082033
Whimsical colorful drawings of a beach, with clever uses of borders for the increasing menagerie.
Instead of the twelve days of christmas "fiiiiiive golden rings" and etc., here we have the days of summer, notated by increasing amounts of various beach animals (plus waves, oddly enough). It's well-written, the lines scan, the wordplay is interesting without being tongue-tying (six squid a-swimming) and the scenes depicted continually get zanier and zanier as the animal numbers grow. As a bonus, our "little purple sea anemone" (which I've been humming since Tuesday, thanks ever so) is hidden on each page, regardless of the scope of the composition. Well played.
Penguin on Vacation
Salina Yoon
ISBN: 9780802733979
Cute blocky "newsprint comic" style artwork enlivens a slender tale of a Penguin and Crab.
Penguin is sick of snow. Snowballs, snow forts, snowskiing, snowsledding, all of it. He's headed somewhere tropical! Sadly, he's not exactly prepared for the reality of the beach - you can't skate on sand, after all. A helpful crab wanders in to the story, teaches some good beach games, and then heads off to the pole for his own winter vacation. The ending is strangely done - Crab visits the pole, leaves, then comes back again a year later for another visit, while Penguin doesn't travel back to the beach. Kids won't notice, but I did, and wondered why the story was structured like that? Regardless, adorable and a very short read.
The Seashore Book
Charlotte Zolotow, painted by Wendell Minor
ISBN: 0060202149
Beautiful paintings of serene seascapes adorn a sweet but slow narrative.
I really hesitated over this one, and I'm glad I had a smaller, more sedate group for Storytime, because with a larger crowd, or with some of my more energetic kids, this would have gone over like a lead balloon. It's beautiful, and descriptive, and not actually very long, but it's all essentially a dream sequence, and it's simply not very exciting - it just narrates a stereotypical "platonic ideal" of a day at the beach, from before sunrise to after dark. It worked, and everything was lovely, but it very easily could have been simply too sedate.
The Twelve Days of Summer
Elizabeth Lee O'Donnell, illustrated by Karen Lee Schmidt
ISBN: 0688082033
Whimsical colorful drawings of a beach, with clever uses of borders for the increasing menagerie.
Instead of the twelve days of christmas "fiiiiiive golden rings" and etc., here we have the days of summer, notated by increasing amounts of various beach animals (plus waves, oddly enough). It's well-written, the lines scan, the wordplay is interesting without being tongue-tying (six squid a-swimming) and the scenes depicted continually get zanier and zanier as the animal numbers grow. As a bonus, our "little purple sea anemone" (which I've been humming since Tuesday, thanks ever so) is hidden on each page, regardless of the scope of the composition. Well played.
Penguin on Vacation
Salina Yoon
ISBN: 9780802733979
Cute blocky "newsprint comic" style artwork enlivens a slender tale of a Penguin and Crab.
Penguin is sick of snow. Snowballs, snow forts, snowskiing, snowsledding, all of it. He's headed somewhere tropical! Sadly, he's not exactly prepared for the reality of the beach - you can't skate on sand, after all. A helpful crab wanders in to the story, teaches some good beach games, and then heads off to the pole for his own winter vacation. The ending is strangely done - Crab visits the pole, leaves, then comes back again a year later for another visit, while Penguin doesn't travel back to the beach. Kids won't notice, but I did, and wondered why the story was structured like that? Regardless, adorable and a very short read.
The Seashore Book
Charlotte Zolotow, painted by Wendell Minor
ISBN: 0060202149
Beautiful paintings of serene seascapes adorn a sweet but slow narrative.
I really hesitated over this one, and I'm glad I had a smaller, more sedate group for Storytime, because with a larger crowd, or with some of my more energetic kids, this would have gone over like a lead balloon. It's beautiful, and descriptive, and not actually very long, but it's all essentially a dream sequence, and it's simply not very exciting - it just narrates a stereotypical "platonic ideal" of a day at the beach, from before sunrise to after dark. It worked, and everything was lovely, but it very easily could have been simply too sedate.
Tuesday, April 28, 2015
Tuesday Storytime: Penguins
Penguins are so cute.
One Cool Friend
Tony Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small
ISBN: 9780803734135
Reviewed here.
It's a little long, and I think the conceit goes waaaay over the heads of the little ones, but it's funny and cute and the pictures are inviting. It's like a short illustrated Mr Popper's Penguins, with a funny twist at the end with the dad.
Polar Opposites
Erik Brooks
ISBN: 9780761456858
Reviewed here.
Still adorable. I love how the story manages to deal with opposites, science facts, friendship, and the process of prepping/packing for a trip, without being long or cumbersome. Just an amazing accomplishment.
If You Were a Penguin
Wendell and Florence Minor
ISBN: 9780061130977
Variety of penguins in soft-edged surroundings, very like the Karma Wilson "Bear" series.
Hey, a new penguin book! Well, not new, exactly, but new to me! This one is straighforward and sweet, although to me, the ending felt more like a transition than an end. Lots of drawings of various types of penguins in action, with short snappy captions as to what they're doing (that presumably one would want to do if they were also a penguin). Adorable, easy to read, and low-stress for a final story with a wiggly and noisy group.
One Cool Friend
Tony Buzzeo, illustrated by David Small
ISBN: 9780803734135
Reviewed here.
It's a little long, and I think the conceit goes waaaay over the heads of the little ones, but it's funny and cute and the pictures are inviting. It's like a short illustrated Mr Popper's Penguins, with a funny twist at the end with the dad.
Polar Opposites
Erik Brooks
ISBN: 9780761456858
Reviewed here.
Still adorable. I love how the story manages to deal with opposites, science facts, friendship, and the process of prepping/packing for a trip, without being long or cumbersome. Just an amazing accomplishment.
If You Were a Penguin
Wendell and Florence Minor
ISBN: 9780061130977
Variety of penguins in soft-edged surroundings, very like the Karma Wilson "Bear" series.
Hey, a new penguin book! Well, not new, exactly, but new to me! This one is straighforward and sweet, although to me, the ending felt more like a transition than an end. Lots of drawings of various types of penguins in action, with short snappy captions as to what they're doing (that presumably one would want to do if they were also a penguin). Adorable, easy to read, and low-stress for a final story with a wiggly and noisy group.
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
New Nonfiction Picture Books: Ferris Wheels, Edward Hooper, the Holocaust, and Ocean Navigation
A varied set of books today, and all of these were notable, and beautiful.
All of these are technically biographies, but all of them are listed as nonfiction in their respective subject matters, which I prefer.
From the least to most profound:
Mr Ferris and His Wheel
Kathryn Gibbs Davis, illustrated by Gilbert Ford
ISBN: 9780547959221
Lovely light-infused spreads showcase the challenges and the glory of the first Ferris Wheel.
The illustrations here really are spectacular, but the story is well-paced and clearly presented. After the Eiffel Tower stole the show at the Paris World Fair, Chicago was in a panic to find something extraordinary to present the very next year that would not leave American reputations in the dust. After a failed contest to spark new ideas, the committee finally gave Mr Ferris permission (but no money) to attempt his monstrous wheel, which everyone expected to be a folly at best, and a hazard at worst. Everyone expected it to fail, but they underestimated the strength and utility of the newly produced steelworks. After months of labor (grittily illustrated in sepia) the wheel rose majestically into the sky, worked perfectly, entranced the nation, and inspired copies to be built across the county. A sources section gives the origins of specific quotations, but could have used a larger bibliography.
Dare the Wind: the Record-Breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud
Tracy Fern, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
ISBN: 9780374316990
Beautiful watercolors in striking compositions enlivens a straighforward tale of sailing.
Ellen (Eleanor) Prentiss was trained by her sea-faring father in the arts of sailing and navigation, at a time when most women remained in the home. After marrying another sailor, the two joined forces as captain and navigator, which became useful when they purchased an experimental clipper ship (designed for speed at sea) and discovered an experimental "scientific method" of following better winds and ocean currents to achieve better travel times between far-flung ports. At this time, the only way to get from New York to San Fran by sea was to go alllllll the way around South America first. Ellen Prentiss and her husband shattered the record of roughly four months by making the same voyage in just under 90 days, then years later, cutting nearly another day off her own record. A beautiful book, with a fun, fast-paced story of an adventurer and scientist, pushing boundaries and making history in the process.
Edward Hopper Paints His World
Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor (How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?)
ISBN: 9780805087529
Loving re-creations (and re-imaginings) of Hopper's work do a lot to add resonance to a narrative that strives a bit too hard for deeper meaning.
An excellent early biography of a famous American painter (Hopper's most generally-known work is Nighthawks, showing a pair of well-dressed patrons at a 24/hour diner with a white-clad cook, surrounded by the darkness of city streets at night) is straightforward and direct, but has a very odd, somewhat off-putting way of forcing the reader to consider things in a deeper way. Not content to present the life and paintings of the artist in context, the narration tries to force a connection between the artist and the subjects he painted, and the style of his paintings. Perhaps the background is there to support it, but it felt forced and slightly pretentious. Still, the paintings in the book are beautiful, and do a great deal to support and magnify the biographical information.
Gifts from the Enemy
Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Craig Orback
ISBN: 9781935952978
Haunting oil-paintings and expressive faces carry this slim hopeful narrative of the Holocaust.
It is really hard to make a picture book about some subjects, but it is equally important that somehow we make difficult subjects and hard conversations in a way that children impacted by them can feel seen and justified. (Eve Bunting has been involved in many books of this nature, but even with her masterful touch, most of them are just way too haunting and shattering for me to feel comfortable presenting them to children) The Holocaust has always seemed like one of those topics that a picture book just can't handle effectively for smaller children. This book has changed my mind. Our narrator begins as an elderly man, recounting in clear but understated language how the persecution began, turned to oppression, and then to extermination. Still, in the midst of terror and hunger and persecution, he found an ally in a German woman who left him food daily, in defiance of posted orders. This act of compassion, and that gift of food, made him realize that the very stereotypes that allowed Germans to persecute Jews for their "differences" was making him hate all Germans for evil actions they may not have know about, or may be acting against to the best of their ability. The story ends on this note of hope and peace and compassion. A short Afterword uses much stronger language to present the deprivation and fear he faced, but reiterates the message of understanding and peace. A short paragraph explains the Holocaust itself, and a Vocabulary explains the concepts presented in the story. A final spread includes Questions for Discussion, and Recommended Activities for Young Readers.
All of these are technically biographies, but all of them are listed as nonfiction in their respective subject matters, which I prefer.
From the least to most profound:
Mr Ferris and His Wheel
Kathryn Gibbs Davis, illustrated by Gilbert Ford
ISBN: 9780547959221
Lovely light-infused spreads showcase the challenges and the glory of the first Ferris Wheel.
The illustrations here really are spectacular, but the story is well-paced and clearly presented. After the Eiffel Tower stole the show at the Paris World Fair, Chicago was in a panic to find something extraordinary to present the very next year that would not leave American reputations in the dust. After a failed contest to spark new ideas, the committee finally gave Mr Ferris permission (but no money) to attempt his monstrous wheel, which everyone expected to be a folly at best, and a hazard at worst. Everyone expected it to fail, but they underestimated the strength and utility of the newly produced steelworks. After months of labor (grittily illustrated in sepia) the wheel rose majestically into the sky, worked perfectly, entranced the nation, and inspired copies to be built across the county. A sources section gives the origins of specific quotations, but could have used a larger bibliography.
Dare the Wind: the Record-Breaking Voyage of Eleanor Prentiss and the Flying Cloud
Tracy Fern, illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully
ISBN: 9780374316990
Beautiful watercolors in striking compositions enlivens a straighforward tale of sailing.
Ellen (Eleanor) Prentiss was trained by her sea-faring father in the arts of sailing and navigation, at a time when most women remained in the home. After marrying another sailor, the two joined forces as captain and navigator, which became useful when they purchased an experimental clipper ship (designed for speed at sea) and discovered an experimental "scientific method" of following better winds and ocean currents to achieve better travel times between far-flung ports. At this time, the only way to get from New York to San Fran by sea was to go alllllll the way around South America first. Ellen Prentiss and her husband shattered the record of roughly four months by making the same voyage in just under 90 days, then years later, cutting nearly another day off her own record. A beautiful book, with a fun, fast-paced story of an adventurer and scientist, pushing boundaries and making history in the process.
Edward Hopper Paints His World
Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Wendell Minor (How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?)
ISBN: 9780805087529
Loving re-creations (and re-imaginings) of Hopper's work do a lot to add resonance to a narrative that strives a bit too hard for deeper meaning.
An excellent early biography of a famous American painter (Hopper's most generally-known work is Nighthawks, showing a pair of well-dressed patrons at a 24/hour diner with a white-clad cook, surrounded by the darkness of city streets at night) is straightforward and direct, but has a very odd, somewhat off-putting way of forcing the reader to consider things in a deeper way. Not content to present the life and paintings of the artist in context, the narration tries to force a connection between the artist and the subjects he painted, and the style of his paintings. Perhaps the background is there to support it, but it felt forced and slightly pretentious. Still, the paintings in the book are beautiful, and do a great deal to support and magnify the biographical information.
Gifts from the Enemy
Trudy Ludwig, illustrated by Craig Orback
ISBN: 9781935952978
Haunting oil-paintings and expressive faces carry this slim hopeful narrative of the Holocaust.
It is really hard to make a picture book about some subjects, but it is equally important that somehow we make difficult subjects and hard conversations in a way that children impacted by them can feel seen and justified. (Eve Bunting has been involved in many books of this nature, but even with her masterful touch, most of them are just way too haunting and shattering for me to feel comfortable presenting them to children) The Holocaust has always seemed like one of those topics that a picture book just can't handle effectively for smaller children. This book has changed my mind. Our narrator begins as an elderly man, recounting in clear but understated language how the persecution began, turned to oppression, and then to extermination. Still, in the midst of terror and hunger and persecution, he found an ally in a German woman who left him food daily, in defiance of posted orders. This act of compassion, and that gift of food, made him realize that the very stereotypes that allowed Germans to persecute Jews for their "differences" was making him hate all Germans for evil actions they may not have know about, or may be acting against to the best of their ability. The story ends on this note of hope and peace and compassion. A short Afterword uses much stronger language to present the deprivation and fear he faced, but reiterates the message of understanding and peace. A short paragraph explains the Holocaust itself, and a Vocabulary explains the concepts presented in the story. A final spread includes Questions for Discussion, and Recommended Activities for Young Readers.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Summer Reading Program 2014. Week 7: Food Science Rejects; Round Two
More fun "food" books for storytimes that didn't quite make the cut for my Food Science programming this year!
This is the "interesting but ultimately unrelated" round of eliminations.
First off:
Secret Pizza Party
Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
ISBN: 9780803739475
This is a thematic sequel of sorts to Dragons Love Tacos, but it's a perfectly fine stand-alone book. This raccoon, occasionally decked out in classic spy gear (trench coat, vaguely fedora-ish hat) just wants pizza, and he tries his hardest to steal everyone's slices, but the people in town are too smart for him, and now he's pining away for lack of gooey delicious pizza. The cure for a mopey raccoon? Throw a Secret Pizza Party for him, and let him crash his own party and steal his own pizza! Well, until he gets a bit carried away again. Cute story, really cute illustrations, just not quite what I want for this program.
How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?
Wendell Minor
ISBN: 9780399246845
This is just an odd little book. The author starts with pumpkin-weighing contests at country fairs, and moves pretty quickly into straight imagination, with some weird, garish, overdramatic, and occasionally fairly creepy illustrations. He envisions pumpkins as large as hot-air balloons, acting as lighthouses for ships, standing in the lineup at Mount Rushmore, and lurking menacingly at the end of the Grand Canyon. I like the idea, but I really do worry about giving my little ones pumpkin-related nightmares! I've considered it before for fall, halloween, and pumpkin themes, but I've always wimped out at the last minute.
The Honeybee Man
Lela Nargi, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker
ISBN: 9780375849800
I was sad that I couldn't quite make this fit. I'm planning a bee-themed storytime eventually, specifically so I can use this book. This sweet old dude keeps bees on the top of his apartment building in the city, and he carefully tends them, knows their habits, and keeps them safe as much as he can - and then harvests their honey and gives it away to his neighbors to remind people of how useful (and necessary) bees actually are. The actual factual info is well-incorporated into the story, and there is a lovely nonfiction spread at the end with a great overview. The endpapers also have cutaway or cross-sectional black-and-white scientific drawings of bees and bee-related objects. Very excellent book.
This is the "interesting but ultimately unrelated" round of eliminations.
First off:
Secret Pizza Party
Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
ISBN: 9780803739475
This is a thematic sequel of sorts to Dragons Love Tacos, but it's a perfectly fine stand-alone book. This raccoon, occasionally decked out in classic spy gear (trench coat, vaguely fedora-ish hat) just wants pizza, and he tries his hardest to steal everyone's slices, but the people in town are too smart for him, and now he's pining away for lack of gooey delicious pizza. The cure for a mopey raccoon? Throw a Secret Pizza Party for him, and let him crash his own party and steal his own pizza! Well, until he gets a bit carried away again. Cute story, really cute illustrations, just not quite what I want for this program.
How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?
Wendell Minor
ISBN: 9780399246845
This is just an odd little book. The author starts with pumpkin-weighing contests at country fairs, and moves pretty quickly into straight imagination, with some weird, garish, overdramatic, and occasionally fairly creepy illustrations. He envisions pumpkins as large as hot-air balloons, acting as lighthouses for ships, standing in the lineup at Mount Rushmore, and lurking menacingly at the end of the Grand Canyon. I like the idea, but I really do worry about giving my little ones pumpkin-related nightmares! I've considered it before for fall, halloween, and pumpkin themes, but I've always wimped out at the last minute.
The Honeybee Man
Lela Nargi, illustrated by Kyrsten Brooker
ISBN: 9780375849800
I was sad that I couldn't quite make this fit. I'm planning a bee-themed storytime eventually, specifically so I can use this book. This sweet old dude keeps bees on the top of his apartment building in the city, and he carefully tends them, knows their habits, and keeps them safe as much as he can - and then harvests their honey and gives it away to his neighbors to remind people of how useful (and necessary) bees actually are. The actual factual info is well-incorporated into the story, and there is a lovely nonfiction spread at the end with a great overview. The endpapers also have cutaway or cross-sectional black-and-white scientific drawings of bees and bee-related objects. Very excellent book.
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