Roald Dahl

There are a couple authors who impacted my childhood deeply. Walter Farley, Arnold Lobel, Dr. Seuss, Julie Edwards (Andrews), and of course Roald Dahl all wrote the kind of books that I wanted to read as a child. There are few books from any of these writers that I haven't read. And no one was better loved in our household than Roald Dahl. We each came home after listening to The BFG in school and demanded that my parent read us the rest of his books. There's something magical about that man and his mischievous books. As a child I judged him by his stories, recently I learned a little more about the man behind the writing.

I just finished a very good Roald Dahl biography called Storyteller by Donald Sturrock. I'd heard plenty of rumors about Dahl, his prickliness, his questionable past, and his even more questionable views. I'd never seen any of these in his stories, but this book did a lot to set me straight on Dahl's personality. What I encountered was a character in his own right.

I'd read Dahl's two "autobiographical" books (Boy and Going Solo) but Sturrock informs us that much of those stories were fabricated (or tweaked a bit) by Dahl to make more interesting stories. But the real story is fascinating enough. Dahl was not only a RAF pilot during World War 2 but a spy for the British in the US after the war. He seduced numerous women (some quite well known) and ended up married to a famous actress. He invented and patented a valve that saved many brain injured children after his child was involved in an accident. He raced greyhounds, married twice, and managed to father a couple children. Oh yeah and he wrote some of the best loved books of all time. A recent poll just listed him as the most popular children's book writer ever. This almost three decades after his death.

Dahl had his prickly side and loved to stir up controversy at the dinner table. But many of the rumors about his controversial views are a bit misguided. Dahl may have been controversial in his conversations but he seems tame in his actual views. He reminds me a bit of my father, who loves to see if he can rile people up. Like my dad, Dahl would play devils advocate for hours just to get a flush out of people. And that earned him a reputation for prickliness.

No matter what your view on the man, you have to give him credit for his books. As a child we listened to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, James and the Giant Peach, The Witches, and of course The BFG. We sat spellbound as bad people got their just desserts, and good children prevailed against evil. We fell in love with his characters, his wording, and his imagination. I can still read Dahl's work and be spellbound. Even his adult fare is seductive. A prolific writer and a consummate storyteller who lived a life almost as exciting as his books.

On the Hunt

I've been reading a lot of books recently about book collecting. While I don't collect in a traditional sense, with one eye on price tag, I buy books that I love or that interest me. And I could see myself eventually becoming a collector. I certainly understand the urge. I'd collect picture books, and perhaps versions of Alice in Wonderland or The Wind and the Willows. That might be inexhaustible.

I don't often pay attention to cost of books but there are a few that are on my radar that amaze me with their prices. A decade ago I spent $80 or so to buy a children's book for my sister called The Sugar Mouse Cake. This sweet tale by Gene Zion is about a boy who gets help from a mouse to bake the most beautiful cake in the kingdom for the king. I've read it a couple times but it was one of my sister's favorites. It's also incredibly rare and valuable. Currently prices range from $70 for an old library copy to $480 for a decent worn but unmarked one. I've only seen ex-library copies. That year my sister wound up with two.

The second book I've been looking for is purely for nostalgic purposes but so far its rarity has made it a tough find. As a kid I liked mysteries and none were more loved than the Detective Mole series by Robert Quackenbush. My favorite of those was Detective Mole and the Secret Clues, where our deerhunter-capped, trenchcoat-wearing main character has to find the clues that will help the duck family inherit their uncle's mansion. The house had a dumbwaiter and secret passages. It, like another series I just read, had a very important sugar bowl. I loved this book. There are three used copies on Amazon right now, none for under $300. Abebooks, my favorite place to shop used rare books, has a couple copies but most are pretty worn sounding, at least the ones in my price range.

 And I could do more to shop online but for me that takes some of the fun away. Half of the fun is the hunt. I remember hunting for years for a copy of The Hungry Thing by Jan Slepian. When I finally found it, I grabbed the book out of the dusty box and clutched it to my chest. Of all the books I came home with that day, that was the one I treasured the most. The search had made the book even sweeter. I read it occasionally but I think most of my desire was to own it, to find it. I'm sure that the others will be the same way. Hunting is much better than just buying. For all you collectors out there, happy hunting.

The World is Quiet Here

{Spoilers in this post. If you have any interest in reading A Series of Unfortunate Events, this is not for you}

The first time I read A Bad Beginning, the first book in the series A Series of Unfortunate Events, I hated it. I didn't understand the author's brand of humor and his constant definitions drove me crazy. I chocked it up to "not my taste" and put it away. Then I picked it up again this past year and loved it. I read every one of the 13 books. I couldn't stop talking about them. I loved the humor. I loved the characters. I loved the definitions. But most of all I loved the VFD.

The concept of a secret society that for lack of a better word fights crime appeals to me. Even better a secret society that uses knowledge to do it, whatever form that knowledge takes. The title of this post is the VFD's motto. It hung above their library, a safe place in a chaotic world. They are a society that values learning, that values creativity, that values curiosity. The idea is inspiring to me. For me the tales of the Baudelaire orphans were more about learning how much power they had through their curiosity and knowledge.

Klaus, the reader and scholar, is who I identified with, but each of the characters has their own strengths. Klaus's ability remember the things he reads, his unrelenting curiosity, his copious note-taking, are all things I admire. He's the bookworm of the three and I saw myself in his role. I'm not an inventor like Violet or a cook/biter like Sunny. But I can read and remember with the best of them. As Klaus stood in that burned library and read the words above the door, I had chills go through me. Partly they were about the burned library (horrific) but partly they were because I'd found a motto I could agree with.

The world is quiet here, is what I think every time I walk into my own personal library. Here I can learn and study and be at peace, away from the stress of the world. I want to paint it above my door. I want to tattoo it on my skin. Curiosity and knowledge are two things I value very highly. How wonderful to find the same value in a children's book series.

The Straw That Broke the Camel's Back

I've finally managed to do it. I broke a bookcase. I knew it was just a matter of time. I'm nice to my books, hard on my cases.

I have five bookcases in my library: one for books I still have to read, one and a half for fiction, one and a half for nonfiction, and one for children's books. My children's book bookcase decided that it had had enough this past week. The second shelf, which holds picture books, broke and dropped its contents to the floor. Jeff was watching TV on Friday when he heard a loud crash and the cat come running down the stairs. He went upstairs to find my books all over the floor.

Here you can see where the shelf had been

He piled my books up on the bed we have in the library and called me. So now I have to go out and find a new bookcase. My idea is that this next one will be a quality case. Something that will move with me from house to house. Something I can show off. Not the cheap plyboard ones I bought from Target years ago. They've held up, but my bookcases have to be strong. I finally pushed one to the breaking point. Who knows how long the others will last. Particularly with this load.

I'm Late, I'm Late

The White Rabbit by Sir. John Tenniel

I'm a huge Alice in Wonderland fan. I've read the books a couple dozen times and wrote a post about the Annotated Alice which Keith (one of my wonderful readers) had recommended. So I could think of nothing better to kick off this post than the white rabbit's mantra. I'm so late at getting posts out that it's not funny. I'm falling behind. I keep worrying that my posts aren't perfect so I don't post a damn thing.

So today that changes. I'm going to post crap some days. Be warned. These last three weeks I haven't posted because I am feverishly reading children's books and young adult novels. Several years ago my mother purchased the book 1001 Children's Books that You Must Read Before You Grow Up. So I'm trying to read them. So far I have about 200 under my belt. And I apparently want to finish the other 800 this week. I've made five trips to the library in the last two weeks. All of them (except one) have included more than a dozen books. I read a chapter book today.

Now I'm not likely to finish anytime soon. Many of the books are international stories that might be a bit tricky to find. But I'm going to try. I like having a goal. Even if it is a bit on the outrageous side. But I'm going to try not to let this take me away from everything else. "Everything in moderation." A lesson I still haven't learned. I'll keep you posted.

PS. If you haven't managed to read Lewis Carroll's brilliant but odd Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, you need to find a copy. Start tonight. Then let me know what you think.

Renata Liwska

I've been meaning to write about Renata Liwska for my other blog about children's books, but something keeps stopping me. It would make sense to post her work there, after all she is a children's book illustrator. Her work is, in a word, adorable. So it would make sense for me to write about it there, but I think her beautiful tiny pencil sketches are simply too perfect to not consider art. She belongs in both blogs, there as illustration and here as art.

I was introduced to Renata's work through The Quiet Book, written by Deborah Underwood. The moment I saw the cover at Barnes and Noble I knew I had to own the book. And I knew that I had to learn more about the artist. The cover drew me in, and the interior illustrations enchanted me further. Her image for "Pretending you're invisible quiet" is one of the cutest things I've ever seen. And all of Renata's work is that cute.

Renata works mostly in pencil, adding color digitally for her printed illustrations. She's illustrated seven books now and all of them are soft and cute. I've been reading Renata's blog (Pandas and Such) for a while and love her posts. Her blog offers glimpses into perfect miniature animals, that spring from her pencil with personalities all their own. The light pencil hash marks create detailed and adorable characters. Plus she's not afraid to show work in progress, something that I love almost more than the finished pieces. She shows off her sketchbook drawings which are enough to make almost any illustrator jealous. Look at her "rough" drawing below. I wish my finished products looked that good.

Renata is a Polish artist who has moved to Calgary to be with her artist husband. The two of them share a website. His work can be found here. I've been slowly trying to buy up Renata's books to add to my collection but I'm also thinking about picking up some of her pencil drawings as well. I'm a huge fan of adorable animals and beautiful art; and they just don't get more adorable or beautiful than Renata's work.

Poetry Friday

Last week I reviewed Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day for my other blog. It's one of my favorite stories from childhood and I've read it over and over again. What I hadn't read is many of the other works by Judith Viorst, whose children's books have graced my shelves for years now. So when I was on Poets.org recently I happened to notice that they had a poem or two of hers. I love this one. The repetition, the humor, the childlike rhymes. I simply had to share it.

Mother Doesn't Want a Dog
by Judith Viorst

Mother doesn't want a dog.
Mother says they smell,
And never sit when you say sit,
Or even when you yell.
And when you come home late at night
And there is ice and snow,
You have to go back out because
The dumb dog has to go.

Mother doesn't want a dog.
Mother says they shed,
And always let the strangers in
And bark at friends instead,
And do disgraceful things on rugs,
And track mud on the floor,
And flop upon your bed at night
And snore their doggy snore.

Mother doesn't want a dog.
She's making a mistake.
Because, more than a dog, I think
She will not want this snake.

Children's Book Canon

I posted this over on Yet Another Children's Book Blog but the book is too good not to share over here as well.

I'm normally not a huge fan of best of lists. Anytime you create a list of ten best, hundred best, or even 1001 best, you're going to have to leave some great books out. No list is perfect. But if I was looking for a pretty good canon of classic children's books, this would at least be a place to start. It has its missing titles, at least according to me, but it still has most of the books that I would consider must reads. I was fascinated by the width and breadth of the selection. And now have tons of new books to read.

The book, 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up, covers children's books for every age group and from around the world. The book is broken up into something of age groups: 0-3, 3+, 5+, 8+, and 12+. Some of these are a little arbitrary with books like The Jungle Book appearing in the under 5+ section, the same section that housed Are You My Mother? and Blueberries for Sal. But then again I'm not a huge fan of age categorization of books anyway. I know that when I was young I was interested in books that were well above my age level. I'm sure there are kids in the same situation. Each title is reviewed with a plot summary and some information about either the history of the book or what made it great. There are a number of guest reviewers including authors like Margaret Atwood, Nick Butterworth, Judy Blume, and Lois Lowry. Contributors range from educational authors, librarians, journalists, and critics. The book itself is edited overall by Julia Eccleshare

In each age section, titles are presented chronologically. I was shocked at how old some of the classic titles are. We all know that Aesop's Fables are very old but I had no idea that The Swiss Family Robinson was actually written in 1812. The books continue up until mostly modern day with the newest title being the 2008 release of The Graveyard Book. Unlike other canons of children's literature, this list contains books from around the world and many that are not written in English. I went through the book several times and was amazed by the number of German and French titles that appeared. These are books that I'd never heard of. Yet in their own countries they are classics.

I consider myself somewhat well read when it comes to children's books but I have to admit that I probably have read less than half of the titles. I have read many of the 3+ and 5+ but many of the 12+ have escaped my notice. I'm not sure if I simply bypassed that age group or that that there were far more foreign titles in that section and I rarely expanded my reading beyond primarily English titles. I will be curious to see how many of the foreign titles I will be able to get my hands on. My plan is to attempt to read all 1001.

As I mentioned before I'm not a huge fan of lists. As I went through the book I could think of a few titles that had been excluded that I would consider classics. The list is a little light on the modern side. But one of the strengths of the book is that the editor is aware that she cannot include all the books that would be considered classics. This is solved by including additional titles at the base of some of the reviews. At the bottom of the review of Seuss's The Cat in the Hat is a listing of other books by Seuss. Similarly at the bottom of the review of The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde is a list of other stories about princes. This book may well be one of the most well defined canons for the children's literature genre. I guarantee that readers will find old familiar favorites and exciting new books to check out.

Spoonful of Stories

If you see me scarfing down Cheerios recently, it has nothing to do with the flavor (okay well a little) but right now it has more to do with the books. General Mills (specifically Cheerios) and Simon and Schuster have been running the Spoonful of Stories program for the last seven years but this is the first time I was aware of it. I had heard about this giveaway from a number of the children's book blogs I read but I didn't realize it had started until I was standing in the grocery store on Sunday and looked down to see that Cheerios offered a copy of What's Under the Bed by Joe Fenton. I reviewed this book for my other blog and had loved it. I own a copy of the book but for some reason I simply had to buy that particular box of Cheerios. I brought it home, and like a child, opened the box just to get the toy.

And now I'm a girl obsessed. The program chooses five books each year to distribute in their boxes. These are not unknown books either. Some of the previous titles include: Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Bear Snores On, Click Clack Moo, and my favorite Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. The list of authors selected reads like a who's who of the children's book world. Joe Fenton's book must be part of the 2009 picks since it's not yet listed on the Spoonful of Stories site. From 2002-2008, Spoonful of Stories has distributed 35 million books in their cereal boxes. This is the kind of children's toy giveaway that I can really get behind.

The books are smaller than normal sized, softcover, and in both Spanish and English. The illustration are the exact same just in a smaller size and without the glossy pages. I ate breakfast on Monday rereading the book. I'm hoping to finish the box fast enough that I can go out to the store again to pick up another box, this time with a different book. I may have to start eating Cheerios for lunch now. And maybe dinner. Never underestimate the power of a free book.

Roald Dahl Day

One of the books I picked up when I was at the booksale this weekend was Going Solo, Roald Dahl's account of his time flying with the RAF during World War II. Years ago, I had read his short story "A Piece of Cake" which talks about him being trapped in his burning plane after a crash and I wanted to hear the rest of the story. This is the sequel to his autobiography Boy and was a really interesting read. He starts the book talking about his time in Northern Africa working for the Shell Company. After war is declared he is sent out with a small band of African warriors and no military training to try to round up the hundreds of German citizens fleeing the country. After that he heads to Egypt to train as an RAF pilot. The training and his flying missions are the bulk of the book.

Shortly after his training, Dahl is sent to join his squadron in the desert. After he is given incorrect data, he is forced to crash land in the desert. That is where his short story came up. He is discovered by a scouting group and brought back to a hospital in Alexandria. There he spends the next 8 months recovering his sight, rebuilding his nose, and recovering from severe concussions. He is released from the hospital and sent to Greece to join the dying campaign there. He and his fellow pilots have the only dozen RAF planes in Greece. It is a lost cause but no one seems to be willing to accept that. The pilots are flying for hours a day and getting shot up on every trip. Dahl talks about the almost everyday deaths of pilots. After losing plane after plane until there is only five left, Dahl and the others are evacuated to Palestine and Syria. And after hours in the air he starts to develop headaches which ground him, a side effect from his earlier injuries. He is sent home and the book ends.

Roald Dahl has a special place in my heart. I grew up reading his books and have so far not read one that I didn't love. I vividly remember being read The BFG (Big Friendly Giant, for those of you who had other acronyms in mind) which I still consider one of the best books for young kids ever. Dahl is best known for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but so many of his books are wonderful. His books have a dark sense of humor and are often considered gross or strange by most parents. But every child I know loves his work. My favorite of his books include The Twits, which is a terrible book about terrible people, getting their just rewards. It is delicious in its silliness and viciousness. I loved James and the Giant Peach, which its story of the young boy and his insects who find a way to cross the ocean in a gigantic peach. And for a more realistic book, there is Danny, the Champion of the World, a sweet story about poaching and fatherly love. It was interesting after reading so many of his books as a child, to read a bit more of his adult work. His stories from the war were enough to make this book interesting but to read it with the knowledge that he would become one of the most successful children's book authors ever, made it fascinating.

All that said, I was reading a bit more about Dahl online today and found out something very interesting. Dahl was born September 13th and I guess that day has been called Roald Dahl Day in some circles. I found it bizarre that I spent most of yesterday (his day) curled up on the couch reading his autobiography. I don't believe in coincidences but this one seems a bit odd. Roald Dahl type odd. So for all of you out there, wondering what strange and interesting tales to read your child, here is a suggestion. Find a nice quiet corner, turn your parent brain off, and get ready to be awed and revolted. And Happy Belated Roald Dahl Day!

I'm apparently insane

I've noticed that a lot of my blog has been dealing with children's books recently. It's mostly what I've been reading. I also read multiple blogs about children's books or done by children's book authors and illustrators. In addition, I've been going to the library each week and bringing home about four or five children's books to read. So I decided to write up reviews of those books and share my ideas about children's books. That's why I've started Yet Another Children's Book Blog. Amazingly the name hadn't been taken. 

If you have no interest in children's books there is no reason to read it. I'll still post here regularly. But for those who like picture or chapter books, head on over and see what I've been reading. I've just started so it's a little sparse (haha, okay very sparse) but I'll add more in the next couple days. 

Picture Book To....Picture

A friend of mine just mentioned recently on Facebook that they were making a film out of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs. If I had to list my absolute favorite picture book from when I was growing up, it would be this book. I never got tired of reading it or looking at those great pictures of a town buried in food. (Apparently I was a hungry child.) Sony Pictures is making the film and I normally have high-regard for what they do. I watched the trailer and I'm a bit...well...concerned. Add that to the already dubious Where the Wild Things Are that is coming out from Warner Bros this year. The visuals look amazing for this film but somehow I know they'll get the tone wrong.

For those who know me I'm normally incredibly harsh to films based on books I've loved. The movies are just never as good. I am reminded of my Grandmother who saw Gone With the Wind for the first time and declared it was terrible. If anyone brought up the film she would scowl and say it was rubbish compared to the book. I'm guessing that's where I get my attitude. The trailer for Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs focuses on a young inventor who creates a food making machine that goes wrong. Of course this character never appeared in the book. There were really no characters in the book, other than the grandfather and the kids. The book was wonderful because it was so sedate. It told the story of the town in a documentary style. The town itself became the main character. The movie looks to be zany in a way that makes me nervous. I know it's tough to stretch a 32 page book into a film but the question remains, why try? Just read the book.


I have to give credit where credit is due though. There have been a couple movies that have lived up to the picture books they were based on. The one I'm thinking of in particular is Meet the Robinsons by Disney. The film is based on the book A Day With Wilbur Robinson by William Joyce and matches the zany bizarre world that Joyce creates. Perhaps the film is so good because Joyce was involved in the design and screenplay. The book and screenplay are very different (with many added characters) but it is done while staying true to the tone of the book. The dialogue is hilarious, particularly the newly created Bowler-Hat Man. Its a very quotable film that somehow manages to be touching at the end. I've even talked to people who've cried at the end of the movie, a rarity for an animated film. So I have to admit, there was a film that actually compared well to the book. Now I'll just have to hold out hope for the others.

Fantastical Art

Have you ever been introduced to an artist over and over? And each time you see his work you are amazed and impressed but still don't retain the name. I have been introduced to Tony Diterlizzi in various forms several times in the last couple years. I'm always awed by his detailed art and his depth of character. His characters show such a huge range of emotions. He has a very beautiful style of art but for some reason I am shocked every time I see his name. I not sure why I can't recognize his work instantly but I can't.

A couple years ago while digging around in my parent's children's book library I stumbled upon a version of The Spider and the Fly, the cautionary poem by Mary Howitt. The poem itself is fun and dark but the illustration in the book took my breath away. They were amazing. Funny and dark and detailed in a way I hadn't seen before. The spider oozed charm and menace. The fly, in her little flapper dress and hat, was the picture of flighty innocence. The ghosts, who tried to warn the fly, practically shimmered on the page. It was a beautiful book. At the time I noticed that it was done by Tony Diterlizzi but then promptly forgot.

The same is true when I read the first of the Spiderwick Chronicles. My nephew again brought me a book and told me that I had to read it. I read the first in an afternoon. I enjoyed the first book immensely but never followed on with the series. Most of you already know my aversion to series. The artwork inside was fun, and strangely enough reminded me of my old D&D artwork. I would later find out that Tony has done work for them too. Tony co-wrote the books with Holly Black. But again the name escaped me.

So this weekend I ended up at the library picking up tons of books on illustration and some children's books. I picked up The Dangerous Alphabet that I'll have to talk about later. (that one needs its own post). But one the illustration books I picked up was "The Art of Reading", a book put out to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Reading is Fundamental program. In the book, well-loved authors and illustrators talk about the books that made them love reading. They also draw a picture from the book. It is a wonderful book that I have been reading through voraciously. But what really caught my eye was a picture of a little pig. It was the third or fourth page in and this little pig is picking flowers. Simple little illustration but the emotion on this little pig is both laughable and sad at the same time. It is such an incredibly cute creature. So I look at the artist signature and of course it is Tony Diterlizzi. Of course.

I went to his website and was completely bowled over. I've seen so much of this man's work and didn't realize it. I would seriously recommend heading over for a little bit. Not only is that little pig there, but Tony offers a ton of nice downloads and wallpapers along with sketches and finished pages from his books. I own The Spider and Fly. Now I just have to buy the rest. Beautiful. And from now on, I'll remember this name.

Reading Rockets

I was working at Heartland AEA when I was first introduced to the Reading Rockets program. Back then it had only a couple video programs that it produced but they were really well done. The videos would talk about skills for teaching reading or activities for teachers to try and they always included an author interview. I loved the author interviews. I always wished the videos had more of them.

So I was in heaven this past week to find out that there is now a Reading Rockets webpage and that it includes quite a few author interviews. Some of the best loved children's authors and illustrators have 15 minute interviews talking about how they create their work. Yesterday alone I listened to videos of Mo Willems, Lane Smith, Lois Lowery, Chris Van Allsburg, Jon J. Muth, Jon Scieszka, and Kate DiCamillo. These are not unknown authors. These are some of the top names in children's books. All good interviews and all free. For anyone who is a fan of children's books or interested in writing, this is a fantastic website all around.

The goal of the site is "Launching Young Readers". It has book lists, reading news, tips for teachers and parents, and a ton more. And then for me, the children's book geek, it has an amazing treasure trove of information about authors and illustrators. Well worth checking out.

Warriors

It's been a long time since I hid a book in my top desk drawer so that I could steal a couple minutes to read. But this morning I'm doing some work, and then opening the drawer to get my reading fix. I was late this morning because I was reading. I didn't even touch the computer last night so I could have some extra time with the book. Like I said, it's been a long time since I've had a book I couldn't stop reading.

I'm reading the first book in the Warrior series by Erin Hunter, called Into The Wild. Hunter is actually a pseudonym for three English women who write the books. The series follows several colonies of feral cats who have carefully divided hunting grounds. The book follows Rusty, a domestic cat, (or kittypet as the clans call him) who joins the group and learns the ways of the clan. This is complicated because the different clans are warring against each other for hunting territory. Somehow Rusty and an ostracized medicine cat will save the day and I'm dying to know how. I'm only halfway through the book but hope to be done with it tonight.

I picked up the book grudgingly because my nephew told me that I had to read it. I don't read series and thought it sounded kind of silly. I owe him an apology. Although I wouldn't put the book quite on par with Watership Down, it has that kind of feel to it. Each followed animal communities in their quest to survive. Each created elaborate customs and cultural orders in those communities. And each had just enough action to keep the reader turning pages fast to get to the resolution. I claim Watership Down as one of my favorite books. And the book had a number of strange influences on me. I still occasionally think silflay when I see a particularly nice dusk. I almost named a bunny sculpture Fiver. I'm not sure whether Warriors will have as much of an impact on me or even how many of the books (if any) that I read beyond this. But I'm definitely enjoying the ride.

I Love Lane

I'm on a Lane Smith kick right now. Okay so perhaps it's gone a little beyond a kick since I've been scouring libraries all over the city for his books. For those of you with children, or like me a child at heart, you simply can't beat his books. Lane represents everything I would ever want to be as a children's writer and illustrator. He's inventive, funny, and often downright silly. His books make me laugh out loud and his illustration work is always unbelievably good.

Just One More Book has been doing the Rock Stars of Reading tour, a video documentary of their East Coast tour of authors. They visit some of the biggest names in children's books and post the interviews and visits on their website. Jane Yolen, Jarrett Krosoczka, Lane Smith, Jon Scieszka, Diane de Groat.... The second, third, and fourth were all about Lane. Now I've always been a huge fan of his books but getting to see those interviews and rough sketches just made him all the more interesting.

So for those of you who've never read a Lane Smith or have children who love books, here are a couple that you really should look into.

John, Paul, George, and Ben is the hilarious story of the founding fathers in childhood. Lane takes some liberties with the stories but goes on to separate the fact from fiction at the end of the book. The little stories about Thomas Jefferson and George Washington makes me laugh out loud every time I read them. I simply can't get tired of that book. From Paul Revere's midnight ride to George Washington's chopping down the cherry tree, Lane mixes just the right amount of folktale with just the right amount of funny. The illustrations are fun and he includes some American History facts at the end to make it educational.


The Happy Hocky Family is a selection of little stories which are simply wonderful. Each member of the family gets a chance to speak and tell a simple, often one page, story. The stories are often funny with just a touch of satire mixed in. The illustrations are very old school and in that very inventive. The book, from the outside, looks like it was created in the 50s rather than 1996. Visually interesting with fun little stories.

But Lane is best known for his collaborations with Jon Scieszka. I vividly remember the first time I picked up The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. I had never read anything quite like it. It was satirical and dark and allegory. The illustrations were wild, collage and paint, and literally all over the place. There was a tough of chaos to the book that startled me. And it was the first time that I started to think about children's books as art. And I was instantly in love with it. This was new and inventive. It was, at least for me, revolutionary.


I would think the same thing when I read The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales. These books, particularly at the time, were unlike anything else that was out there. The illustrations were darker than most picture books I had read. There is a touch of the sinister in those two. The text is literally all over the page. The stories are not linear, jumping from character to character. Most of the time we read fairytales because they are the same. There is a comfort in hearing the same story over and over. These books turned all of that on its head. Suddenly what was once sameness and conformity and comfort, was chaos and difference and uniqueness. And also wonder.

Lane was also conceptual designer for James and the Giant Peach, the film. He had done the illustrations for one the prints and had been asked to work on the movie. One of my favorite films mostly for the visual look of it. He was also involved in How the Grinch Stole Christmas film but I won't fault him too much for that. I love Lane's work because he seems to enjoy pushing boundaries and reinventing his style. Each of his titles looks totally different. I love that willingness to experiment and try. I'm very excited to hear that he has two new books coming out this year, one that he's written and one that he's illustrator on. I guarentee I'll be lined up at the bookstore to pick them up. So far I haven't been disappointed.

Engineering for Children

I had fallen behind on my Just One More Book podcasts recently so I sat down this week and caught up. One of the interviews caught my attention not because it discussed on particular book or one author but because it really discussed the workings of an industry. The podcast was with David A. Carter who is a paper engineer. Never heard the term before, don't be surprised. It was new to me too. But then I found out one of the jobs that a paper engineer can do and now I want to learn more. Carter designs pop-up books!

I loved pop-up books as a child. There was something about the intricate nature and the mechanics of the books that fascinated me. I loved the movements and the way things popped off the page. And I loved the fact that the books were interactive. Close the book and the image goes away, open the book and it comes right towards you. When I got older I decided that pop-up books were for kids and stopped looking at them. I was too old for that type of things. That is until I saw Sabuda and Reinhart's Dinosaur books.

These were not just books, these were works of art. The intricate paper sculptures in this book are much more advanced than the simpler pull tab or one movement books I remembered as a child. Each page was a small work of art. And I returned to pop-up books with a serious fascination. Carter's interview reminded me of what I had loved about the books in the first place. I wanted to figure out how to make them. And luckily enough Carter himself provides the answer. He has produced a book called Elements of Pop-Up which shows people how to do each of the simpler folds used to make pop-ups. I had been wondering what to buy with my Amazon gift card that I got for Christmas. Now I know. I'm so excited to buy this book and try these out.

Plus he gave me another great idea of something to buy. He mentions one of his heros was Jan Pienkowski who was one of my first introductions to pop-ups. Pienkowski's books are intricate (although not to a Sabuda level) but their appeal is in their fun. He uses color and mood in ways that a lot of pop-up books do not. This is not just a pop-up book done for the thrill of showing off technical skill, it is a story. His Haunted House was and still is one of my favorite pop-up books because it combines paper skill and mood. I have to pick up a copy of that, since my childhood edition was a little too well loved along with his Little Monsters book. (When I mentioned Pienkowski to my little sister this week, she mentioned she had just bought one of his books for a friend's child. Just goes to show that even older classics don't lose their appeal.)

On another note while looking for pictures I stumbled across this Neiman Marcus catalog which was done as a pop-up book. I guess people are starting to realize that pop-ups aren't just for kids anymore.

Rules for Nonreaders

The previous library I worked in subscribed to the Horn Book. The Horn Book is a children's literature review magazine. It covers hundreds of children's books in each edition giving out stars to the best enjoyed titles. When we would weed out the collection I would go through each issue looking for books that looked interested or good articles. It was in the March/April 2001 issue that I found the "Rules for Raising a Nonreader" and I knew I had to pull out that list. My parents had raised me (and all my brothers and sisters) as readers and I'm happy to say they never did any of the things on this list.

I've been something of a nonreader recently in that I haven't been working on a book every night. I read every couple of days and for me that seems almost scandelous. But I have friends who don't have books in their house. (unfathomable for me) Whose kids never pick up a book for fun. Last year a U.S.A. Today poll found that one in four people had not read a single book in the previous year. I get testy if it's been more than five days since I last read for fun.

So without further ado, here is the way to make sure your child grows up as a non-reader. Remember people, that TV's not going to watch itself.

1. Never read where your children see you
2. Put a TV or a computer in every room. Don't neglect kitchen or bathrooms.
3. Correct your child every time he or she mispronounces a word.
4. Schedule activites every day after school so your child will never be bored.
5. Once your child can read independently, toss out the picture books. They're for babies.
6. Don't play board games together. Too dull.
7. Give little rewards for reading. Stickers and plastic toys are nice. Money is better.
8. Don't expect your child to enjoy reading. Kid's books are for teaching vocabulary, proper study skills, and good morals.
9. Buy only 40 watt bulbs for your lamps.
10. Under no circumstances read your child the same book over and over. He or she heard it once and should remember it.
11. Never allow your child to listen to books on tape; that's cheating.
12. Make sure your kids only read books that are "challenging". Easy books are a complete waste of time. That goes double for comic books and Mad magazine.
13. Absolutely, positively, no reading in bed.

Unlucky Arithmetic: Thirteen Ways to Raise a Nonreader. Dean Schneider and Robin Smith. The Horn Book, March/April 2001.

I can remember whole days spent lounging on some sofa reading. My parents encouraged us to read and read to us (normally the same books over and over) from the time we were very small. Mom would read picture books to us so many times we would easily have them memorized. Dad read the chapter books to us in the evenings. And once we were old enough to read for ourselves, we devoured every book we could get our hands on. I continue to read picture books (no they're not for babies) and young adult chapter books. I read fiction and nonfiction and almost any genre out there. I will pick up whatever book is handy if I'm waiting somewhere with nothing to do. Reading for me is like breathing. I can't go too long without it. I'm a librarian because I love to read. And I love to read because my parents raised us as readers. Thanks.

New Books!

So one of the gifts I was given for Christmas were some gift cards to Barnes and Noble. What a perfect gift! I can always buy more books. So last night, my sister-in-law, my brother, my dad, and Jeff and I went out to Barnes and Noble to knit. I'm working on an ear warmer for a friend of mine and almost finished it last night. My sister-in-law is working on an awesome felted bag. It looks fantastic. The boys (all of them) were working on scarves. We had a really good time and Jeff learned some new knitting stitches from my sister-in-law. But before we left I went upstairs to pick out some books. I've been focusing for a while on children's books so that is what I picked up. All three are books that I've wanted to pick up for along time. They are all favorites, all Caldecott winners, and all very different.

The first and perhaps the newest is Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems. This sweet story of a stuffed animal and a laundromat was an instant classic. Perhaps it is because the story is timeless. All kids can identify with the emotions in this story. But what drew me to the book were the illustrations. Willems uses sepiaed photographs as his background and successfully weaves his cartoon like characters into those settings. The images, rather than jarring, are simply enchanting. But this a sweet warm story that anyone will love.

The next book was The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. If Knuffle Bunny was sweet, this is the exact opposite. The book is inventive and hilarious but with a touch of maniacal. The stories are fairy tales turned on their heads. The little red hen just complains all the way through the book, even extending to the front pages and back of the book. Jack, who is our narrator, continues to elude the giant throughout the book. And of course there is the Stinky Cheese Man, (a takeoff on the gingerbread man) who no one wants to chase. Scieszka's writing is inspired and downright hilarious. Lane Smith's illustrations are silly and fun and a little mischievous. This may be one of my favorite books of all.

The last book I picked up was Tuesday by David Wiesner. Wiesner has made a name for himself with wordless picture books and this is definitely my favorite. Tuesday is about the strange going-ons of a mid-summer tuesday night. A night just like any other, except for the frogs. In this delightful story, frogs rise up on their lily pads and fly around the city at night, causing havoc wherever they go. The illustration are beautiful with more than a little touch of silly. The premise is odd but seems more magical than anything. Cute story.

So three new books for me to add to my ever expanding children's book collections. One of these days I will need to add another bookcase up there to contain my growing collection. Until then I'm not about to stop buying them. Or reading them.

Just One More Book

I'm passionate about children's books. When I was young I was in love with picture books. As I grew older I moved to chapter books. And now that I'm an adult I love them both. I still pick up the occasional chapter book but it is really picture books that bring me back to the children's section. The blending of words and illustration is just magical to me. So many of my favorite books were picture books. Arnold Lobel, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Seuss, Robert McClusky, P.D. Eastman...etc were the guides of my childhood and the passion of my adult life. And I'm constantly on the lookout for more stories. 

So when one of my favorite blogs (Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast), pointed out a children's book podcast, I had to check it out. And I'm so glad I did. Andrea Ross and Mark Blevis have created the podcast "Just One More Book". The two, who are married, sit down before work at their favorite coffee house and review the books they and their children love. They interview authors, illustrators, and agents. And they are one of the strongest voices in the kid's lit world. The podcast comes out regularly and is available free through iTunes or through their website, among other spots. They give a summary of the story, discuss their reactions to the book, and talk about why it works. They do not review books they don't like. 

The passion these two have for children's books is contagious. I have been listening to the backlog of podcasts from the website at work. And I've been really excited about checking out the stories they have mentioned plus many others. I find that there are a ton of books out there that I simply don't know about. Sites like Just One More Book or Seven Impossible Things... remind me of all the new and unique books and artists that are out there. Then I hit the library and gather as many as I can. The ones I love I'll eventually purchase. I like having my own little library to lend from. 

So I have two requests for you my dear readers. First, if you enjoy children's books listen to an episode or two of Just One More Book and see what you think. It's free and lots of fun. My second request is because of an old curiosity I have. Whenever I am trying to get to know someone I always ask two questions. The first is name two places you have always wanted to travel to. And  the second is name your favorite children's book. So I extend that invitation, the same way Mark Blevis does at the end of every podcast. Tell me what your favorite kids books is. And in a post next week, I'll list mine.