Nonfiction Monday Review

Down the Colorado: John Wesley Powell, the One-Armed Explorer
Written and illustrated by Deborah Kogan Ray
Frances Foster Books/FS & G
Ages 8-10
Map, author’s note, chronology, bibliography

I'm joining the many bloggers in Nonfiction Mondays, a roundup found at Anastasia Suen's blog Picture Book of the Day.

Art and story present a portrait of one of the great explorers of the west. A series of brief chapters (a full page illustration and facing page of text) relate in straightforward language Powell’s early life as the son of an abolitionist preacher; his home-schooling by a self-taught naturalist and growing love for the outdoors; his late teens and 20’s spent teaching and as a student of the natural sciences; time fighting in the Civil War and losing an arm; and his first trip to the Colorado Rockies leading a university field trip. A second trip to the Rockies and exploration of the Upper Colorado led him to his plan for exploring the river’s unknown canyon. Preparations and then the exciting, dangerous journey make up the second half of the book with dramatic paintings adding to the adventure and capturing the unique landscape of narrow canyon walls and river rapids. Excerpts from Powell’s writings add another historic layer and also personal nature to the story. After 99 days, 1000 miles and 500 rapids Powell and his remaining crew of five men arrived at the mouth of the Virgin River in Arizona. He made a second expedition down the Greene and Colorado Rivers, later served as the first director of the Bureau of Ethnology and Director of the U.S. Geological Survey.

I’m writing this at a campsite in Zion National Park with the Virgin River 20 feet behind me. It’s a different canyon with different challenges and explored earlier than the Grand Canyon but it lends some perspective on this incredible feat and I acknowledge as the author does, the courage, determination, and strong need to explore the unknown that these men had to complete such a expedition in small wooden boats.

The Issue of Issue Books

All throughout my career in children's bookselling/publishing, I have heard and read many debates about so-called "issue books" - yes, of course they are necessary, but are they good literature? Why do we want kids to read them? Etc...I could always see both sides of the issue.

I have just finished a book called Dear Author: Letters of Hope that nudged me more towards the "pro" side of issues books. Edited by Joan Kaywell, it contains real letters from kids to authors of many books dealing with everything from anorexia to being gay to abuse and rape. Almost every letter writer mentions how the character in the book they're writing about went through exactly what they've gone through, and they talk about how much it helped them to read the book. I had tears in my eyes for most of the time I was reading it - to think that somehow, magically, the exact right book found its way to the exact right kid.

The replies from the authors are wise and caring: Chris Crutcher, Nancy Garden, Laurie Halse Anderson, Jerry Spinelli and 2 dozen others share their own lives, words of advice, and much encouragement. I was tickled at how many of the kids also wanted to know what happened to the kids after the books ended, as if they were real people - but of course they want to know how their own story turns out.

The World of Children's Literature

While in Tucson during December we noticed a small announcement in a local paper about two traveling exhibitions of international books published for children and teens. So we dusted ourselves off and drove over to the university for the one day only chance to view the IBBY International Honour Book Exhibit which includes books representative of the best writing, illustration and translation in children’s literature from 57 nominating countries in 44 languages and Children Between Worlds, a special exhibit from the International Youth Library in Munich. WOW. It was my first experience with international books on a large scale – tables of books arranged by continents, each title with accompanying signage describing the book. I purchased the exhibit catalog
IBBY Honour List 2006 and took some notes as I wandered the exhibits.

There were many picture books I wished to READ because the art really struck me and/or the story sounded so captivating/fun/inventive/original/wildly different etc. I held an Egyptian picture book printed in Arabic and felt a thrill as I thought of children reading and connecting with the story. I fell in love with a small paperback of Greek nature poems with lovely drawings and watercolors. I thought of how I shy away from books published in other languages and later released as English translations. My children’s book experience is so decidedly American!

I didn’t have as much time to spend with the smaller exhibit of titles chosen by librarians at the International Youth Library to help promote understanding between cultures.

Kathy G. Short, Ph.D., through her work with IIBY, was responsible for bringing these exhibits to Tucson. I'm glad she did.

Fantasy Time

What is it about fantasy that is SO gratifying, especially when you’re sick? I spent the last few days watching The Lord of the Rings on DVD, and reading Libba Bray’s The Sweet Far Thing, the last in the trilogy that was begun in A Great and Terrible Beauty and continued in Rebel Angels. Oh, and I didn’t move for most of one whole day, tangled up in an advance galley for Airman, by Eoin Colfer.


I haven’t read the Artemis Fowl books but now I have to say that I might have to give them a go because I loved Airman SO much! OK, so I am a pilot and love anything to do with flying (Kenneth’s Oppel’s Airborn comes to mind), but it isn’t just that. I am dazzled and in awe of Colfer’s ability to craft this entire civilization based in the Saltee Islands, complete with a scientific king, a modern princess, a horrible villain, aeronauts, spies...oh, and a daring prison escape! (I am fascinated by prison stories, and especially by escapes. Blame it on a Scholastic paperback I had as a child called Great Escapes).

It felt really gratifying to “finish off” the Libba Bray series, as it always does when the author has tied up all of the loose ends and you get to find out what happens to everyone, people you’ve been involved with for years now. Even when I got exasperated with Gemma, Felicity and Ann for behaving like absolute teenagers, I still cared about their fates.

Speaking of long term fictional relationships, I tried to listen to the new Tamora Pierce novel, Magic Stones, which is only available in an audio version right now, and I just didn’t like it. The production was fabulous, as all Full Cast Audio’s are, and the story was grand, too – but I just didn’t like the main narrator’s voice so I decided to wait until the book comes out and finish it then. I guess I’ve just known Tamora’s characters for so long, and heard my own version of their voices in my head, to settle for someone else’s idea – even though I read an interview that said it was the narrator’s voice that prompted Tamora to have this be an audio first! Maybe I’m just not an audio person...

Oh, and after watching all of the movies, I think it’s time to reread some Tolkien.

Boy-Girl-Boy-Girl

OK, so I know I said that as a former bookseller I was often tempted to sell books by saying “this is a great boy book,” but honestly, starting with Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island and the Hardy Boys, I was a girl who mostly wanted boy books...there just weren’t many books that seemed to be for BOTH boys and girls (one that comes to mind, though, is From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, because the main characters were Claudia AND Jamie).

I’ve recently read a few books that have both a boy and a girl as main characters, and although this might have forced me to be more creative in my bookselling career, I’m happy to note the trend – see below:

Steel Trapp: The Challenge, by Ridley Pearson, Disney
I wanted to like this book more than I did – I do love thrillers – but it somehow just missed for me. One thing I did like about it was the friendship between the main character, a boy nicknamed Steel (he has a photographic memory, a mind like a “steel trap”) and a girl named Kaileigh, who’s also a science geek. They put their scientific minds to work to solve the mystery of a kidnapped woman.

The London Eye Mystery, by Siobhan Dowd, David Fickling Books.
When Kat and Ted “lose their cousin Salim, on the London Eye (a gigantic ferris wheel and tourist attraction), they find themselves working together to find out what happened to him. I like the “siblingness” to their relationship, which is fractious on the surface but warm underneath. And Ted, the narrator, is afflicted with a condition that is never named (but readers will guess is probably Asperger’s) that gives him an obsession with weather and a unique way of interacting with his familiy. He is a funny, likeable kid.


Gollywhopper Games, by Jody Feldman, Greenwillow
Part Willy Wonka, part The Mysterious Benedict Society, this book is not quite as clever as those two but still lots of fun. When the Gollywhopper company sponsors the Games as a publicity stunt, Gil Goodson is determined to participate and WIN, to avenge his father, who wrongfully lost his job at Gollywhopper the previous year. The boy/girl angle is the source of some friendly cooperation/competition between Gil and Lavinia – they have puzzles to solve together before they get to the final rounds where they will face each other. I loved the subplot and relationship between Gil and his dad, and I really liked Gil: he is a standup guy and someone you’d like to be friends with.

Like Fannie Flagg, but for Children

In my opinion, Deborah Wiles is the Fannie Flagg of children’s books. She writes with that same humor (OK, a bit more G-rated) about those same people in those same Southern towns...even when writing about death or some other heavy issue you find yourself laughing at the names, the small-town habits, the gossip. I loved The Aurora County All-Stars (have you read another book recently that combines Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass with Negro League baseball?) and it was nice to revisit Ruby Lavender and the Snowberger family, who I had come to love in her earlier two books. Can’t wait for more!

I Want to Be Leonard Marcus When I Grow Up

Why? Well, he’s an extremely nice guy, for starters. And he gets paid to read children’s books, review children’s books, and write books about – well, children’s books. As a matter of fact, I think we should make Leonard a job offer – he certainly does fit the profile of the average We Love Children’s Books employee.


Maybe you can tell I just finished reading Golden Legacy, a fantastic coffee table book that Leonard has written for all of us aficionados. It’s fascinating! Clearly he had access to the Golden Books archives – there are many fantastic photographs of the publishers, authors and illustrators; covers and interior art from many of the books, and other ephemera from the long history of Western publishing.

There’s also (and Leonard has always been good at this!) plenty of publishing “dish” about the various players involved, and that’s really what makes this book shine. Anyone in publishing will be intrigued to read about the entrepreneurship of Edward Wadewitz (founder), the partnerships formed (Disney and Simon and Schuster were key players), the angles played by Sam Lowe (the guy who talked Kresge and Woolworth into bringing these books into their stores) and the very talented and dedicated editors and educators who were determined to make these affordable books available.

One of the reasons I enjoyed this book so much is the sense of history it gave me about the children’s book publishing world. Like many of my friends in the business, I never really planned on spending my career here – what I mean is that I never studied any of this in school, and so I love it when I can get an overview of the world that has taken me over….thanks, Leonard (I am blowing you a virtual kiss).

Leonard Marcus website

Digging into Tunnels

There are certain publishing people whose opinion I will always listen to, and Barry Cunningham is one of them. We got to meet Barry a few years ago when he was squiring Cornelia Funke to the Educational Paperback Association’s annual meeting, and he was fabulous in every since of the word – a great and funny conversationalist and world traveler with a wicked smart eye for a good book (don’t forget, this is the man that discovered a new writer named J.K. Rowling.)

So anyway, Barry is pitching a new book for his imprint at Scholastic, Chicken House, and he says inside the front cover of the advance galley that “reading Tunnels gave me the same thrill I got from page one of Harry Potter.” Plus, I am fascinated by subways and underground people (remember Slake’s Limbo?) so it was moved to the top of my reading pile.

Do I think it’s the next Harry Potter? No way. But it was brilliantly original, with all of the right elements for what we used to call, when I was a bookseller, a “great book for boys.” Dr. Burrows and his son Will are amateur diggers, spending their free time exploring what’s under their feet…separately they discover that there is an entire world down there, run by a strange sect with evil plans. It’s solid science fiction, but it has an edge of horror to it that I don’t enjoy, but kids probably will. My only real complaint is that the end really does leave you hanging, and Barry says that the sequel, Deeps, isn’t coming until 2009!

Oh My Darling Clementine

I think it would be a blast to write a story starring Clementine, Ramona Quimby, Judy Moody and any of the other irrepressible elementary school heroines. The result would be kind of like a junior version of Cynthia Voigt’s Bad Girls, with each girl putting on their most mischievous airs.

Oh, and throw Lilly (she of the purple plastic purse) in there, too, because
I just read a manuscript of the next Clementine book, (thank you, Harcourt!) Clementine’s Letter, and I couldn’t help thinking of Lilly….when Clementine finds out that her teacher may be leaving them for the rest of the year, she isn’t happy, because she is “in the sink” with him, and understands his rules. Like Mr. Slinger with Lilly, Clementine’s teacher truly “gets” his student, and there’s a special bond between them.

I like the urban setting of the Clementine books (that reminds me, we should invite Eloise to this party too) and how real everyone seems, especially Clementine’s friend Margaret, who clearly represents the OCD crowd and yet manages to add humor and believability to the story.

The I-Can’t-Find-a-Good-Book-to-Read Cure

When I was about 11 or so, I used to read the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books out loud to my two sisters, and we just could not believe how magic and clever she was. (Our favorite problem child was the girl who would not take a bath, and in short order Mrs. P-W had vegetables growing out of her ears).

Apparently Betty MacDonald’s daughter Anne, found a never-before-published Mrs. P-W story and so voila! - the forthcoming Happy Birthday, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!, which includes the “found” story and 7 others. I’m happy to report that it’s quite lovely – the children are as misbehaving as ever and the parents are forced to turn to Mrs. P-W for advice, resulting in the Won’t-Brush-Teeth Cure, the Picky-Eater Cure and the Never-Finish Cure. I think I need to send a copy to each of my sisters, who have 6 children between them.

I've Got a Golden Compass

You know you've gotten the perfect Christmas gift when you're still loving it 2 months later...one of my favorites this year was the Alethiometer Holiday Ornament that Laurina gave me...having just seen the movie (which I liked!) and resolved to read the books again, I was doubly excited to receive it. It really does look like the one in the movie, which I thought was very realistic and matched the one I had created in my mind. So, feel free to send your questions to me and I’ll get back to you with the answers.

I Love a Good Library

Laurina is much better about using the library than I am...I’ve gotten lazy over these last 20 years of being a book reviewer, because I get so many books sent to me that there’s always something to read, so I never actually need to go to the library to find something.

But since we started our trip and are trying to visit libraries wherever we go, I find myself amazed at all of the changes made since the last time I hung out in a library. For starters, do you know that they now allow food??!! Well, some of them, anyway, in designated places.

When we visited the Phoenix Public Library’s Central branch, we stumbled into the Teen section, which resembled a clubhouse more than a library (except, of course, that there were books all around the walls.) There was a large group of computers, every one occupied by a teen and several more looking over his/her shoulder. All of them were drinking sodas or eating snacks! And there was a line of kids waiting to play Guitar Hero on the giant screen in a small theater-type section. Needless to say, there was a lot of chatter and no “shushing.” The times, they are a-changed. I was happy to see that the very large graphic novel section seemed to be extremely well used as most of the books had obviously been read many times.

Before we left the library we stopped in the children’s section, of course. They were hosting a display of the original art for The Berenstain Bears Out West. You know, it’s easy to dismiss the Berenstain Bear books, the way folks used to dismiss the Golden books – mass market, a bit preachy – but lately I’ve been reading (and reading, and reading) them to my niece (she’s 4) and my nephew (he’s 2) and they both love them. So anyway, the paintings were beautiful!

Picking Up Where We Left Off

We haven't posted for a few months but now that some big projects and conferences are behind us we're eager to begin writing again. It's a perfect day to play catch up. We've been camped at Zion National Park for 2 weeks now and every day there's the tug of sunny days and the most majestic scenery pulling us outdoors away from our laptops. Today though, clouds, strong winds and threatening rain have kept us indoors, all cozy with the Watchman above.

Bookstore Visits

The Children’s Hour
Salt Lake City, UT
www.childrenshourbookstore.com
Waaaay back in October, an uncertain weather forecast “grounded” us in Salt Lake City for an expected day-and-a-half. So of course we headed for The Children’s Hour, a terrific store owned by Bobbie’s friend Diane Etherington. Bobbie and Diane first met
through the Association of Booksellers for Children some 20 years ago, and this was Bobbie’s third visit to the store – Laurina’s first.

We didn’t expect to see Diane working on a Saturday, but were happy to find her there. Introductions were made and we had a short conversation before she was called
away to help a customer, so we began browsing the shop.

What began as “just” a great children’s bookstore years ago has evolved into an eclectic mix of books, gifts and women’s/children’s clothes and shoes. There’s definitely a “boutique” feel to it, with books and other items intermingled throughout the smallish space.

We were struck by the depth of inventory…selected titles, both new and backlist, were represented by multiple copies and Diane confirmed that they do lots of handselling. On this Saturday morning the store was full of customers, both adults and chidren.

Both the title mix and the focus on handselling make it clear that books are central here. We were happy to see that such an unusual mix is so successful!

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The NeverEnding Story
Las Vegas, NV
www.theneverendingstory.biz
We couldn’t imagine there really was a children’s bookstore in Las Vegas (are there any children living in Vegas??!!) but Bobbie thought she remembered meeting the owners a few years back at BEA. Sure enough, we found the address for The NeverEnding Story and couldn’t wait to drop in. Our luck held and both owners were there – Kimberly Diehm and Jennifer Graves, who opened this lovely store in 2006. The “special events” board out front gave us a preview of some of the special events the two put together: story hours, birthday parties, book clubs…

Clean design, wood floors, just the right sidelines and a small play area made the store seem so welcoming! And Kimberly and Jennifer were just so friendly and interesting – they met while both were librarians for the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District.

Probably our favorite thing in the whole store were the children’s book quotes painted on the walls, from favorites like Goodnight Moon and Where the Wild Things Are.

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Changing Hands Bookstore
Tempe, AZ
www.changinghands.com
We loved this store before we even went in, because it is connected to a great restaurant called the Wildflower Bread Company – we had been to one in Sedona, AZ and just loved it! So, after you finish your fabulous breakfast or lunch, you can stroll right through the connecting arch and spend the next three hours exploring the bookstore, like we did.

Changing Hands was the Publisher Weekly Bookseller of the Year 2007, and they deserve it. Truly one of the fabulous independent stores that we bookpeople can’t resist, with lots of Booksense signage and handouts. They had a “help wanted” sign up and we briefly considering it, just for the chance to hang around in this amazing atmosphere.

We have NEVER been in a bookstore with this many amazing sidelines and yes, we did make a few purchases.

The kid’s section was just as fabulous as the rest, with deep, deep backlist, many face-out titles and these 2 wonderful signs: “New Essentials” and “Forever Favorites.” You’ve got to love a store that sells the Hornbook in the magazine section, too.

Saw a new Tolkien book, which with the news that Peter Jackson is going to make The Hobbit, has me fired up to read them all again, and watch them all again. I still remember the THRILL of reading The Hobbit for the first time, in 7th grade.

Some Book Reviews

Superheroes, written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III, Knopf/Random House,early reader
The adventures of Max (a boy) and Pinky (a pig) continue in this second episode. They decide to play superheroes, first practicing the right moves and dressing the part, and then becoming Mighty Max and his sidekick. “Wait, ‘stubby sidekick’?” Pinky gets mad over his second rate status and quits, but when he discovers Max in trouble, he’s able to prove just what a first rate superhero he is. The text is laugh-out-loud funny with much of the humor taking place via speech balloons. My favorite is while they’re trying on superhero outfits and Max asks “How come you get the good hat?” (Well, you have to see the illustration!)The bold, brightly colored art and black outlined figures add to the fun. Kids will relate easily to the ups and downs of these “best buds”.

Samsara Dog, written by Helen Manos and illustrated by Julie Vivas, Kane/Miller Book Publishers, picture book
Few picture books combine sadness, suffering, love and joy like this one. Based on the Buddhist concepts of Samsara and Nirvana, the many lives of Dog are presented as a natural process that children can easily grasp and understand. When we first meet Dog he’s living on the streets, loving and trusting no one. In later lives his circumstances vary – he’s with a motorcycle gang, a mountain rescue team, a juggler, four lively, young girls – and the relationship he has with each owner shifts a bit. Lastly, Dog learns the most important lesson of all as he lives a full and happy life with a boy who loves him and depends on him throughout the boy’s adulthood. Julie Vivas’ soft watercolors capture the emotionality of each of Dog’s lives, significantly adding to the story.
It was hard to read this without an “adult” head or without some anthropomorphizing on my part -- I’m such a dog person. Each reading brought tears because there’s no denying this is a sad book but there’s hope too, and I felt such comfort and joy knowing that Dog knew compassion.



Front Porch Tales and North Country Whoppers, written and illustrated by Tomie dePaola, Putnam/Penguin USA, picture story book
DePaola celebrates his love of northern New England in this modern tall-tales collection of stories and jokes. The humorous tales are arranged by season and each section ends with a cartoon-strip depicting a tourist’s interaction with the locals. DePaola’s familiar illustrations appear throughout, focusing on the beautiful landscape and the taciturn, practical people. His use of regional dialect like “fahmah” and “hewse” adds to the down home flavor of the tales. You don’t have to be a New Englander to enjoy this collection!