My Vote (for the most inspiring picture book of 2012)

On the eve of Election Day, I've been considering what might be the most inspiring picture book of 2012.  My vote?  Seed by Seed, The Legend and Legacy of John "Appleseed" Chapman.

Reading through this book is like walking through a living history museum!  In the opening pages, author Esmé Raji Codell asks, "When we look out our windows, what do we see?"  She then begins to describe how things used to look, as Lynn Rae Perkins' soothing pictures take us through a "tree-bough-tangled world" of the past...  

Illustrator Lynn Rae Perkins immersed herself in the life and times of Johnny Appleseed for her research: visiting museums, hiking, and even spending hours stitching a beautiful sampler that appears in the book.

source

Lynn Rae Perkins: Esmé writes about the “five footsteps” Johnny left for us to walk in, ideas that we can emulate in our own lives. I decided to try to embody those ideas in physical objects. I thought it would make it easier for kids to remember them. Also, I like, really really like, making stuff. This meant more research, because I wanted the objects to represent the idea, but also to be of Johnny’s time and place. I wanted them to be things that would have words on them: maps, books, embroidery, painted signs. But what did those things look like back then? Which things were present in ordinary people’s lives?

FIVE FOOTSTEPS:

1. Use what you have.
2. Share what you have.
3. Respect Nature.
4. Try to make peace where there is war.
5. You can reach your destination by taking small steps.

Here at Good Books For Young Souls, I've done a couple of posts on Johnny Appleseed, and this particular book is very unique.  Author Esmé Raji Codell is, I think, the biggest John Chapman fan/enthusiast I've ever come across! Why did she write this book, when there are so many others out there?  On her blog, she explains:
...what I was really looking for was a book that not only walked through the narrative of John Chapman’s storied life, but one that would make the legend of Johnny Appleseed relevant to the modern, urban readers in the Chicago Public Schools, the children with whom I was reading. The question wasn't "who was Johnny Appleseed?" The question was, "Why should we care who he was?" I wanted a book that made readers love Johnny Appleseed, be inspired by him and want to emulate his example, even over the distance of history. I had that experience, and I wanted to share it. So the first thing I did in approaching SEED BY SEED was think, what is it about John Chapman that transcends time? What about him touches me in both a secular way and a spiritual way, and how can that been written about so it will touch someone else?

One of my favorite stories that Esmé relates about Johnny?  
It is said that John Chapman used his open shirt pocket as a pouch to carry his books.  It is also said that he ripped books into chapters in order to circulate them between settlers.  He liked to gather children and their families around him and delight them with a story time...In this way, he was the frontier's first librarian!

I'm sure we can all take a lesson from Johnny Appleseed, a man who lived by example, was kind and pious, and had respect for all living things:

Seed by seed, deed by deed,

Johnny Appleseed changed the landscape of a nation.

And now it's your turn.

One small deed, every day.

Tomorrow, go do your good deed for the day and exercise your freedom to vote!  And if you treat yourself to this book, you'll find a recipe for Johnny's favorite dessert on the last page!  Apple Pie and voting - it doesn't get much more American than that!

IMPORTANT NEWS FOR PARENTS, AND GOOD NEWS FOR "REAL" BOOKS

source

I can't tell you how happy reading these words made me today: "Reading forges connections between parents and children... It's also good for little brains. But does the form in which the words appear matter? The New York Times reports that parents — even those who are avid digital downloaders — are shunning kids' e-books for the real thing. It seems that the feel and texture of paper pages dappled with colorful illustrations trumps the static dimensions of a screen."

source: Oleana's Blog

The above quote is from an article, "Why Parents Still Want to Read Real Books, Not E-Books, to their Kids", from TIME Magazine which is citing a New York Times report, "For Their Children, Many E-book Fans Insist on Paper."

from PARENTS CONNECT:
 "Best Loved Books - A Dozen We Love"

The TIME Magazine article also mentions two previously published pieces that parents of very young children should read before plopping their little ones in front of a television or handing them an iPad: "Should You 2-Year-Old Be Using an iPad?" and "'Educational T.V.' For Babies: It Doesn't Exist".


Hurray for books!

SUMMER SEDUCTION AT THE LIBRARY?

seduce (v.)- to win over, attract, or lure.


Yes - Summer Reading Programs are a successful way many libraries lure children to their bookshelves and win kids over to the world of reading.  For example, the CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY'S 2011 Summer Reading Theme is "Book Beats".  Check out their great list of Noteworthy Books and Music ("to extend your knowledge and experience with music").


BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY'S Summer Reading Program is "One World, Many Stories".  Their website has an interesting book list by subject that can be found HERE.  Many public libraries share this same theme for 2011, including the LOS ANGELES PUBLIC LIBRARY - CLICK HERE to see LA's many planned events this summer.

My kids always looked forward to the Summer Reading Program at our local library (Huntington Beach Public Library, see article at the end of this post). Armed with their book satchels, they made weekly visits and eagerly awaited the incentive prizes given out for reading a certain number of books - usually stickers, pencils, and coupons for free food at local kid-friendly restaurants.


Don't Get Caught Without a Good Book List...
The challenge was finding quality literature that was inspirational, and of course, F-U-N.  I recently came across two polls conducted by one of School Library Journal's bloggers, Elizabeth Bird (A Fuse #8 Production), that I think you'll find helpful in your book searches.  Elizabeth (who is also a librarian at the Children's Center 42nd Street of the NY Public Library system) polled other children's book bloggers to get these lists.  Do you agree with the poll results?

THE TOP 100 PICTURE BOOK POLL RESULTS These books are for children ages 4-8.  The poll is from 2009.
THE TOP 100 CHILDREN'S NOVELS (CHAPTER BOOK) POLL RESULTS These are books for kids who can read full chapters on their own and who are under the age of 13.  The poll is from 2010.

You might also find these two lists from the NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY website helpful:
100 PICTURE BOOKS EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW (this list of recommended books is in alphabetical order and contains short book summaries).
100 FAVORITE CHILDREN'S BOOKS (This reading list allows you to look at the recommended chapter books according to genre).

From "Lola at the Library", by Anna McQuinn,
illustrations by Rosalind Beardshaw.

NOTE: The impetus for my post today was a great article by Teryl Zarnow, from my own local ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER.  In "They Go Old School to Hook Little Readers", Zarnow applauds the FRIENDS OF THE CHILDREN'S LIBRARY in Huntington Beach for helping the city's public library kick-off its Summer Reading Program with its daylong FESTIVAL OF FOLKTALES.  She reports that during the Summer Reading Program "...some 63 volunteers read to about 200 children, burning through stickers like tissues during allergy season."  Zarnow suggests readers visit their local public library, where "they are still practicing magic and bringing new generations under the spell of reading".

Do you live in Orange County, CA, like I do?  Check out the O.C. Public Library Summer Reading Program Schedule HERE.

LAUREN CHILD, POST #1

LET ME INTRODUCE YOU...

Are you acquainted with Lauren Child?  She is one of my favorite author/illustrators of contemporary children's picture books.  Her quirky humor and unique collage-style art draw kids and adults alike to her books.  You can read about her journey in becoming a best-selling children's book author HERE, in the British newspaper THE GUARDIAN.

I thought this photo of her kitchen was cute.  She says, "My mother used to have this joke with me when I was little that I used to arrange things in my room to look like a shop window, and when she came in here she said I still haven't grown out of it."

Writer and illustrator Lauren Child's kitchen. Photograph: Beth Evans

I was introduced to Lauren's fun books by my library side-kick, 5-year-old Sophie and her mom.  We've read several Lauren Child books together and I look forward to sharing them with you in my posts this week.

Here's the first one Sophie introduced me to:

BEWARE OF THE STORYBOOK WOLVES “It’s bad news for a boy named Herb when the Big Bad Wolf and a little not-so-bad wolf fall out of a storybook, drooling and hungry. Thank goodness for fairy godmothers. After all, who else can bring the big wolf down to size and turn the little wolf into a fashion plate? If all that sounds silly, it is. It’s meant to be, in Beware of the Storybook Wolves. With a sly wit and a handful of evocative characters, Lauren Child takes the familiar “once upon a time” story, shakes it and then spins it for a giggle. Imagine Mother Goose meeting Roald Dahl’s “Enormous Crocodile.” The result is a smile-provoking yarn full of fairy-tale twists.”-- The New York Times

If your kids like this kind of wacky humor, they'll like Child's second book about Herb:

WHO'S AFRAID OF THE BIG BAD BOOK? "When Herb falls asleep with his head on top of a dusty book of fairy tales, he finds himself stuck inside the volume with no quick way out. Chased by a raging Goldilocks, who is upset that he landed in her story, the boy journeys through a parade of fairy tales and finally gets caught in the middle of "Cinderella." All of his past mishandling of the book comes back to haunt him-Cinderella's kitchen is sticky with cookie crumbs, the Queen does not appreciate the mustache Herb has drawn on her face, and Prince Charming has been missing since he was cut out of the book and used as a birthday-card decoration. Child's wildly expressive collages include boldly patterned backgrounds, cartoon characters, and photographs in unexpected places. The text (and font) grows and shrinks and winds jaggedly through the story, and turns upside down on several pages. This fast-paced creative tale has some really funny moments." - Library School Journal 

A PAT ON THE BACK FOR PICTURE BOOKS!

I loved reading this letter sent by some students to the Editor of the NY TIMES in reference to that now infamous article "Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children" (Oct. 2010) - which I, and many other bloggers, posted about.  This was no ordinary letter, but a 15-ft. scroll, delivered in a tube.  (Click HERE to see the NY TIMES Opinion Pages, April 13, 2011.)

LOSING SOMEONE YOU LOVE

I lost a very dear elderly friend this week and am attending her funeral today. She was bed-ridden for years, and tenderly cared for by her husband.  I am reminded of a beautiful children's book by Tomie dePaola that was written in 1973 and has helped parents and children with this difficult subject of death ever since.  It recently came out in a redrawn edition.  Mr. dePaola says it's his personal favorite of any that he's written. In re-creating the art, Tomie said, "Creating this art was as emotional an experience for me now as it was then."  

NANA UPSTAIRS & NANA DOWNSTAIRS by Tomie dePaola, is based on the nostalgic memories of his own childhood in time spent with his two "Nanas".  Four-year-old Tommy loves his Sunday visits to his grandmother's and great-grandmother's house. His grandmother seems to constantly be downstairs, busy by the kitchen stove, while his great-grandmother is always to be found in bed upstairs (because she is 94 years old). One morning Tommy's mother tells him that Nana Upstairs died during the night. Tommy feels sorrowful and empty, but his mother comforts him by explaining, "she will come back in your memory whenever you think about her." A very graceful treatment of a difficult subject. Anyone who grew up with a precious grandparent in their life will adore this book. (for ages 4-8)

To read more about Tomie dePaola and his children's books, visit his website, www.tomie.com.