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Watermark Teacher Feature – January 23, 2008
In this issue:
BOOK NEWS
* Caldecott Medal winners & honorees
* Seuss Geisel Award for Books for Beginning Readers
* Great youth titles for Black History Month
UPCOMING EVENTS
* Final Friday Art Show & Reception: Friday, January 25. 6:00 p.m.
* John Burnham Schwartz Reading & Book Signing: Mon., Jan. 28. 7:00 p.m.
* Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne Reading & Signing: Tue., Jan. 29. 7 p.m.
* March & April KMUW Literary Feasts
* Lisa See Reading & Signing. Tuesday, March 18. 7:00 p.m.
FEATURED REVIEW
* “We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball” words and pictures by
two-time Caldecott honoree and Coretta Scott King Award winner Kadir Nelson
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This and previous issues of Teacher Feature are available on the Watermark Web
site. You can read on-line, complete with pictures and clickable links, here:
www.watermarkbooks.com/teach.html
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Greetings and salutations,
Even more than usual, this issue of Teacher Feature is all about the lists:
Caldecott winners, books for Black History Month, upcoming Watermark events.
We've got them all.
If you're eager to get your hands on some of the
newly announced winners of awards like the Caldecott Medal, Newbery Medal, and
Coretta Scott King Award, you're in good company! Demand is high and some
supplies are in a temporary low everywhere following last week's announcement.
Call or e-mail us with your wish list: we'll reserve you copies from our on-hand
stock, and you'll be at the top of the list as new copies of the harder-to-get
titles roll in. Phone (316) 682-1181 or e-mail
lisa.johnson@watermarkbooks.com
And speaking of "in-demand," our monthly Literary Feasts have become very
popular, especially with local teachers. February's feast is now filled, so
please look ahead to the exciting books we have lined up for March and April and
reserve your tickets early. Both events are listed in the calendar below. I
especially recommend April's outstanding novel from Pulitzer winner Geraldine
Brooks: "People of the Book" is the best novel I've read in ages.
Finally, a quick word about Kadir Nelson, who recently picked up his second
Caldecott honor for "Henry's Freedom Box." Nelson can flat-out paint, and his
brand-new book "We Are the Ship" is a wonder to behold. It's this issue's
featured review. Don't miss it!
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CALDECOTT MEDAL WINNERS & HONOREES
The American Library Association made its annual media awards announcement last
week, and as always, the Caldecott picks were among the highlights. Here are
brief reviews of each of the honored and awarded books. To view a full list of
the ALA awards, go here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/2008MediaAwardWinners.htm
Randolph Caldecott Medal Winner
“The Invention of Hugo Cabret" by Brian Selznick (Scholastic, 9780439813785,
$22.99, 544 pages, for ages 9 to 12) Selznick's book is a boldly innovative
project and an atypical Caldecott winner: rather than a skinny picture book for
young kids, it's a thick tome for middle-readers, one filled to bursting with
Selznick's cinematic drawings:
Read review
Caldecott Honor Books
“Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad” by Ellen
Levine, illus. by Kadir Nelson (Scholastic Press, 9780439777339, $16.99,
ages 4 to 8) A newly-dubbed Caldecott honoree, this beautifully illustrated
picture book tells the true story of Henry “Box” Brown, a man born into slavery
in Virginia in the mid-1800s, who mails himself to freedom in Philadelphia:
Read review
“First the Egg” by Laura Vaccaro Seeger (Roaring Brook Press,
9781596432727, $14.95, 42 pages, ages 2 to 6) This clever concept book uses
die-cut pages to playfully illustrate how living things can grow and change:
turn a page, and an egg-shaped cut-out hatches into a baby chick; turn another
and a tadpole turns into a frog, a seed grows into a flower.
Read review
“The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain” by Peter Sís (Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 9780374347017, $18.00, 56 pages, ages9 to 12) Czech-born
artist Peter Sís uses finely-detailed illustrations and a simple story based on
his own youth to relate some of his experiences growing up in Soviet-dominated
Czechoslovakia during the Cold War:
Read review
“Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity” by Mo Willems (Hyperion,
9781423102991, $16.99, 48 pages, ages 4 to 8) Young Trixie is VERY EXCITED to
take her one-of-a-kind Knuffle Bunny stuffed rabbit toy to school, but that’s
just the first round of the excitement contained in this photo-tastic, cartoon-alicious
picture book: Read
review
BONUS: Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for Books for Beginning Readers
This recently established ALA award honors a
stand-out book for beginning readers. This year's selection is one of Mo
Willems's charming Elephant & Piggie readers:
“Elephant & Piggie: There is a Bird on Your Head” by Mo Willems
(Hyperion, 9781423106869, $8.99, 60 pages, ages 2 to 5) Mo Willems’s
simply-worded books for beginning readers are charming and loads of fun: With
lively cartoon pictures accompanied by big-print type, they plays out comic
episodes that will enthrall youngsters while also entertaining adults:
Read review
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GREATH YOUTH BOOKS FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
February and Black History Month are right around the corner, so here's a handy
list compiling excellent youth titles on related topics, which have been
featured in Teacher Feature over the past year. Some are award-winners, a few
are hidden gems, and several are brand-new books!
“Ain’t Nothing But a Man: My Quest to Find the Real John Henry” by Scott
Reynolds Nelson with Marc Aronson (National Geographic Children's Books,
9781426300004, $18.95, ages 9 to 12, 64 pages) This excellent book from National
Geographic delves into the legend of African-American folk hero John Henry to
discover the history behind stories and songs about the “steel-driving man” who
raced a steam drill and “died with a hammer in his hand.”
Read review
“Gordon Parks: No Excuses” by Ann Parr, illus. by Gordon Parks & Kathryn
Breidenthal (Pelican Publishing Company, 9781589804111, $15.95, 32 pages, ages 4
to 8) This photograph-rich picture-book biography follows the life of the
multi-talented native of Fort Scott, Kansas, who became one of the Twentieth
Century’s most acclaimed photojournalists, filmmakers, and photographers:
Read review
“Grandmama’s Pride” by Becky Birtha & Colin Bootman (Albert Whitman,
9780807530283, $16.95, ages 7 to 10, 32 pages) When Sarah Marie goes south to
visit her grandmama, she’s told that picnic lunches and long walks into town are
“better” than off-limits lunch counters and segregated buses. Her grandmama’s
pride, she says, was “too big” to fit on the Jim Crow bus. This is a quietly
powerful story about character in the face of injustice—a story to make us all
sit up a little bit straighter.
“Henry’s Freedom Box: A True Story From the Underground Railroad” by Ellen
Levine, illus. by Kadir Nelson (Scholastic Press, 9780439777339, $16.99,
ages 4 to 8) A newly-dubbed Caldecott honoree, this beautifully illustrated
picture book tells the true story of Henry “Box” Brown, a man born into slavery
in Virginia in the mid-1800s, who mails himself to freedom in Philadelphia:
Read review
“Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll, adapted & illustrated by Christopher Myers
(Hyperion/Jump At The Sun, 9781423103721, $15.99, ages 4 to 10, 32 pages) In
this gorgeously painted picture book, illustrator Christopher Myers (son of
Walter Dean Myers) re-imagines Lewis Carroll’s classic nonsense poem as the
story of an epic basketball showdown:
Read review
“Jazz” by Walter Dean Myers, illus. by Christopher Myers (Holiday House,
9780823415458, $18.95, ages 4 to 8, 48 pages) Walter Dean Myers collaborates
with his award-winning illustrator son Christopher Myers on this colorful and
poetic evocation of the roots of Jazz music:
Read review
“Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom” by Carole Boston
Weatherford, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (Jump at the Sun/ Hyperion Books,
9780786851751, $15.99, ages 4 to 10) A Caldecott-honoree, a Bill Martin-nominee,
and winner of the Coretta Scott King Award, this picture-book biography
describes Tubman’s life in broad sweeps with stirring words:
Read review
“Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum” by Robert Andrew Parker
(Schwartz & Wade, 9780375839658, $16.99, ages 4 to 10, 40 pages) “Piano Starts
Here” works as a simple childhood story and also as an introduction to the world
of Jazz music and to the life of an African-American musician who stands among
such greats as Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, Charlie Parker, and Duke
Ellington: Read
review
“Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow” by James Sturm & Rich Tommaso
(Hyperion/ Jump At The Sun, HC: 9780786839001, $16.99; PB: 9780786839018, $9.99)
This excellent comic-book-style biography portrays the peerless pitcher's life
from the viewpoint of a fellow Negro League baseball player, whose parallel
story shines a light on the crushing experience of being a second-class citizen:
Read review
“Who's Got Game?: The Ant or the Grasshopper?,
The Lion or the Mouse?, Poppy or the Snake” by Toni Morrison & Slade Morrison,
illus. by Pascal Lemaitre (Scribner, 9780743283915, $25.00) This hardcover
picture book brings together three stories written by Nobel and Pulitzer Prize
winner Toni Morrison and her son Slade Morrison. Each one is an inspired,
street-smart take on one of Aesop’s Fables, and each retelling offers a clever
twist ending that makes an age-old story fresh and new:
Read review
"47" by Walter Mosley (Little, Brown Young Readers, 9780316016353, $7.99,
ages 12 and up, 240 pages) Novelist Walter Mosley creates a unique teen novel
that blends American history, African legend, and imaginative science fiction
elements to tell an engrossing story of hope and self-liberation:
Read review
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UPCOMING WATERMARK EVENTS
Final Friday Art Show & Reception. Friday, January 25. 6:00 p.m.
Local artists Curt Clonts and Jo Quillin-Tomson return to Watermark for their
much-anticipated joint show, entitled "Love Potion #10: A Dash of Happiness. A
Sprinkle of Valentines." Come mingle with these lovely artists as they unveil
their works, and enjoy a scrumptious dinner special from the Watermark Cafe.
John Burnham Schwartz Reading & Book Signing. Monday, Jan. 28. 7 p.m.
John Burnham Schwartz, author of “Claire Marvel” and “Bicycle Days,” will be at
Watermark for a reading & signing of his new novel, “The Commoner.” Steeped in
the traditions and rituals of Japanese royal life, “The Commoner” is one woman's
story from humble beginnings to Empress -- and the cost of such a
transformation. Exploring themes of sacrifice, duty, and isolation, Schwartz
lifts the veil of secrecy from the Imperial Family to reveal the heart beneath
the ceremonial robes. (The book is set for release on January 22. Pre-order by
calling Watermark at 682-1181.)
Sweet Potato Queen Jill Conner Browne - Book Talk & Signing. Tue., Jan. 29. 7
p.m.
The Sweet Potato Queen is coming back to Doo Dah! And this time she'll tell us
all about her new guide: “The Sweet Potato Queens' Guide to Raising Children for
Fun and Profit.” The event will take place at The Orpheum, 200 N. Broadway
(doors open at 6:00 p.m.). Tickets are be available at Watermark Books & Cafe in
exchange for a donation to The Orpheum.
March KMUW Literary Feast. Friday, March 7. 7:00 p.m.
The March book will be “Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man
Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam” by Pope Brock. Literary Feast
participants will enjoy dinner together, with a menu specially created by our
Watermark chef, then take part in a book discussion over dessert.
Lisa See Reading & Signing. Tuesday, March 18. 7:00 p.m.
The bestselling author of “Snow Flower and the Secret Fan” will visit Watermark
on her tour for the paperback release of her newest novel “Peony in Love.” Set
in 17th century China and based on a true story, this haunting novel uses the
richness and magic of the Chinese afterlife to explore the many manifestations
of love, the bonds of female friendship, and the desire all women have to be
heard.
April KMUW Literary Feast. Friday, April 4. 7:00 p.m.
The April book will be “People of the Book” by Geraldine Brooks (read a review
here:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/review0108-001.html). Literary Feast
participants will enjoy dinner together, with a menu specially created by our
Watermark chef, then take part in a book discussion over dessert. Tickets are
available at the Watermark book counter or by calling (316) 682-1181. Places are
limited, and we recommend purchasing your ticket well in advance. Read more
about the book and author on the KMUW Web site:
http://www.kmuw.org/LiteraryFeasts.html
For a full listing of Watermark events, including book clubs and art openings,
visit the Events page of our Web site at:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/events.html
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FEATURED REVIEW
“We Are the Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball” words and pictures by
Kadir Nelson (Hyperion / Jump at the Sun, 9780786808328, $18.99, ages 4 to
10, 96 pages)
This new book from acclaimed illustrator Kadir Nelson is an intimate, gorgeously
painted account of the early-twentieth-century Golden Age of Negro League
baseball. Nelson is a two-time recipient of the Caldecott Honor for children’s
illustration, and while “We Are the Ship” is perfect for young readers, it will
surely enthrall history and baseball enthusiasts of all ages.
Dedicated to Buck O’Neil, Kansas City Monarchs pitcher and pioneering
major-league coach, Nelson’s book opens with an introduction by Hank Aaron, who
describes how he got his start in the 1950s touring with the Indianapolis
Clowns, the last remaining Negro League team, before he moved into the majors.
Nelson then launches into a wide-ranging story told in the fictive voice of a
ballplayer who goes everywhere and sees everything during the heyday of black
baseball: “Seems like we’ve been playing baseball for a mighty long time,” he
says. “At least as long as we’ve been free.”
Nelson’s narrator recounts the challenges black players had faced even back in
the 1800s, before a “gentlemen’s agreement” among white owners forced them off
professional teams. He then turns his attention to the powerful determination of
Rube Foster, the manager and organizer whose vision it was to create a Negro
league of equal caliber to the American and National leagues so that one day
black players would be so skilled and so practiced they could integrate smoothly
despite rough waves of opposition. “We are the ship,” Rube proudly declares,
“all else the sea.”
As the Negro League finds its feet, our storyteller describes its signature
style of “tricky baseball,” which added the salt of flash and the pepper of
daring to the game: there were giants and clowns who played lightning-fast
shadow ball, and there were firecracker-kings who ruled the no-rules infield. In
those electric days, our narrator explains, inventive Negro League players
created the first batting helmets and shin-guards out ofg pure necessity, just
trying to keep everyone alive. “It was a rough league,” he says.
His story moves on through nine chapter-innings that describe great players like
Satchel Paige, fraught exhibition matches against white teams, and some black
ballplayers’ war-time work entertaining fellow troops in “Special Services”
games. Nelson’s paintings throughout are drenched in sun and action as he shows
players on the field, on dirty buses down back roads, and stepping from
segregated train cars dressed to the nines in their suits and hats.
The beginning of the end comes with the arrival of Jackie Robinson, the first
African-American player to move from the Negro League to the Major League. While
playing for the Kansas City Monarchs, Robinson was scouted by the Brooklyn
Dodgers, and when he suited up for that team in 1947, he broke the color line
and ended nearly eighty years of baseball segregation. The Negro League moved
past its glory days, and though Nelson’s narrator feels the pain of that
passing, he also feels pride for what the league accomplished in boosting
players like Robinson and Aaron into the majors: “These guys stand on our
shoulders,” he says. “We cleared the way and changed the course of history. And
knowing that satisfies the soul.”
And that is exactly the effect of Nelson’s magnificently crafted “We Are the
Ship”: it’s a beautiful book with strength enough to satisfy the soul.
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Past reviews and archived issues of Teacher Feature can be read on-line on the
Watermark Web site at:
http://www.watermarkbooks.com/teacharchives.html
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Later educators,
Mark David Bradshaw
Click here for the Teacher Feature Archives
Peruse
back issues of teacher feature since its inception in April
2003.
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