"Holy Bookworms! Superheroes Take to the Page," by Glen Weldon, at NPR. (7.3.08)
Speaking of comics, the blogger known as Tangognat spies some manga sure to be "just the thing for ninja-crazed reluctant readers."
Which brings us to "Snacktime," a goofy new kids' CD by Barenaked Ladies, which features a funny song about ninjas. The disc is my son's car music of choice these days.
December's Carnival of Children's Literature will showcase ideas for gift books, so here's an easy one: Garfield. And you don't even have to spend a lot of money, since collections of the grouchy fat-cat cartoons turn up frequently at thrift shops like Goodwill. The 8-year-old Garfield fan in my house thinks the cheeky feline is hilarious and quotes from the books often—plus, he has developed a love of lasagna, a Garfield staple. (Our copies cost 50 cents apiece at a library sale.)
Capable young readers who aren't that into chapter books yet will be thrilled to see Garfield under the Christmas tree. If you do decide to pay full price, check the humor section of your favorite bookstore.
Additional Garfield quotations, such as the one I used as the title's post, as well as e-cards and more, can be found at Garfield.com. The comic strip turns 30 in 2008.
Junior has never been one to divulge a lot of details about school. Days are usually "fine" or "okay," and that's that. We asked him what he reads for silent reading time at school and were told, "Mysteries." When asked to elaborate, he said, "I read my mysteries." We have no idea what he's talking about. Try and pursue the line of conversation and you get, "I read my mysteries. I told you that!" (No doubt the parent-teacher conference will shed some light on the matter.) We do know that the teacher is reading Sewer Soup aloud to the class and that Junior thinks it's "good."
The third graders are required to read for 25 minutes each night, and Junior likes this part of his homework. He's fond of picture books and the comics genre in particular: Calvin & Hobbes, Babymouse, Owly, Garfield, the Sardine series. Although a capable reader, he avoids chapter books at home—which is why we asked him about what he reads at school. In order to encourage a little exploration in that area, I've been borrowing audiobooks from the public library, so he can read along with the narration.
Lately he and I have been listening to Avi's Poppy, which is about a deer-mouse family who lives under the rule of one Mr. Ocax, an owl and a "big meanie." Just yesterday we were visiting a local nature center, and one of the resident (and caged) owls started to clatter his beak at us, just like Mr. Ocax does when he's hungry. Spooky! Much to Junior's delight, we also saw plenty of owl pellets, the regurgitated parts of meals that owls cannot digest; Poppy is particularly appalled when she spots these near Mr. Ocax's perch. So, along with the good story line, Junior is picking up a bit of owl lore too. I enjoy seeing him make these connections. No mystery there.
Today's library haul included
I haven't read any of these yet. Have you?
The critic James Wood is moving from The New Republic to The New Yorker, and many media outlets are making note of the literary switcheroo. Dwight Garner, who writes the New York Times' Paper Cuts blog, links to an interview of Wood at the Kenyon Review. (If you don't have Paper Cuts on your Google Reader or Bloglines, you're missing something good.)
Via Shaken & Stirred, I read the Atlantic's interview of Ann Patchett (Bel Canto) in which Patchett talks about her terrible experience at Clemson University when her memoir Truth & Beauty was chosen as the 2006 freshman group read selection. (Laila Lalami had a much better experience at the University of Tennessee with her short story collection, Hope and Other Dangerous Pursuits.) Truth & Beauty concerns Patchett's friendship with the late Lucy Grealy, the author of the highly recommended (by me) Autobiography of a Face. Patchett tells the Atlantic's Abigail Cutler,
Hands down, the most upsetting and distressing thing about the entire Clemson experience—more than Wingate, more than anything else—was seeing in action this idea that kids could be so rude to an adult, a guest of the university, on their very first day of school. That just blew my mind. I thought, “What kind of a society are we living in?”
Dave White attended Comic-Con 2007 for MSNBC. Several of his observations made me laugh, including, "Celebrity comic-book authorship is the somewhat-less-embarrassing alternative to writing a children’s book."
Multiple editions of the Garfield books, bought at a library sale.
A book of stories by Katherine Mansfield. Why did I ever say these were funny? Maybe one was, but the rest are not. Sure, she writes with humor on occasion, but there's a undercurrent of sadness, if not tragedy, that runs through the collection. I am reminded of both Chekhov and Edith Wharton. For grown-ups, by the way.
Once Around the Sun, by Bobbi Katz, a joyful picture book of poems about the months of the year. Love this book! Great for an early-elementary classroom or the home bookshelf. In LeUyen Pham's large, beautiful illustrations a young African American boy is the lead kid experiencing all the glory of the seasons. Winner of a 2007 "Growing Good Kids" award.
Japanese Children's Favorite Stories, compiled by Florence Sakade. A third edition of a 50-year-old collection of folk tales. Charming watercolor illustrations (by Yoshisuke Kurosaki) and good stories, including "Peach Boy," "The Magic Teakettle," and "Why the Jellyfish Has No Bones."
The Seaside Switch, by Kathleen V. Kudlinski. Nonfiction picture book about the changing tides. Right up our alley. Reviewed by Elaine Magliaro at Wild Rose Reader.
Shells! Shells! Shells!, written and illustrated by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. A cheerful introduction to sea shells and mollusks. (There is no reason not to be cheerful when introducing mollusks; don't tell me otherwise.) Presented as a dialogue between mother and son Teddy bears on a beach walk, the book uses photographs and cut paper collage for the pictures. For children aged four to eight.
One Small Place by the Sea, by Barbara Brenner. This informative picture book about tide pools features vivid colorful pictures in a "scientific folk-art style," as the jacket flap says, by Tom Leonard. Although there are, at most, only five sentences per page, I still learned a few new things.
Lightship, by Brian Floca. Pen and ink and watercolors render life on a particular kind of ship, a kind of floating lighthouse, that is not in service any more. This picture book was reviewed by David Elzey at the excelsior file. David E. said it's "strangely compelling." I agree. (Am I the only one thinking Caldecott honor for this one?) David E. also wrote,
Very simply what Floca does is show us the bits and pieces that made up the routines of a crew aboard a lightship. While there is no story there is still a sense of being taken along for a tour with everything from the mundane oiling of the engine to the near-misses with larger ships in the fog.
D'Aulaires' Norse Gods and Giants (Doubleday, 1967). Stories of Odin, Loki, the Valkyries, Thor, et al. Junior refuses to have anything to do with this lovely old book (same with Harry Potter), so I am going to read it myself. A classic. (Note: In 2005 the New York Review Children's Collection reissued it as D'Aulaires' Book of Norse Myths.)
My seven year old, a second-grader, is a mover and a shaker. Oh, sure, he likes his art projects and his Legos, but most sedentary activities are not high on his list of priorities. Our water bill and the miniature canyons in the flower beds ("Mom! I made a river!") give evidence of the elaborate engineering projects that he favors over homework during the after-school hours. (I am considering getting a rain barrel, so that he will have his own reservoir of cost-free h2O.)
One homework requirement is 15 minutes of reading each day at home. After his waterways experiments, Junior enjoyed reading picture books, particularly with his dad or me or his grandmothers, but he was not a bookworm. Until Calvin & Hobbes. I remembered a mention of Bill Watterson's comic-strips about the boy and his toy tiger; Camille, over at the blog Boot Moot, recommended them some time back. ("It continually amazes me that guys and girls cannot remember their multiplication tables but can recite entire pages of Calvin & Hobbes dialog and strips from memory.")
I found a C & H compilation at Junior's school library and left it out for him stumble upon. (To judge from its raggedy cover, I see it's one of the school's more well-loved volumes.) Upon discovery of this treasure, Junior sat down and read for an hour and a half. He'd seen and liked the comic before, but he really claimed this one as his own. Although I kept my elation to myself, I was thrilled that he found something he loved enough to read independently. An hour and a half: I almost fainted. Anyway.
Camille's recommendation, part of a post called "Books That Guys Love," is something that I wouldn't have found in the book review section of a newspaper. After all, Watterson stopped writing the comic almost twelve years ago. Book review sections consider new titles—ones that adult reviewers think will appeal (or not) to children. I understand that; it's what I do in my reviews of new books, too. Camille, a school librarian, knows which books get checked out over and over; children talk to her about what they like and don't like. That valuable perspective is one of the many ways in which blog reviews supplement reviews in the mainstream media. I am grateful—and so is the local bookstore. After discovering such a great book, Junior needed a copy of his own, of course.
You'll see her bylines from Booklist to Bookslut, where she reviews young adult titles. Colleen Mondor's most recent column at the latter considers "Boys and Comics."
At her own blog, Chasing Ray, Colleen is gathering recommendations for coming-of-age novels. Scoot on over and see the list so far, and make a suggestion. It doesn't matter what year the book was published.
I added to the roster Kimchi & Calamari, which comes out in April. Keep your eyes out for this wonderful book by Rose Kent, who very kindly sent me an advance copy. Here's what I told Colleen:
The novel, for 9 to 12 year olds, tells the story of 14-year-old Joseph, who was born in Korea and adopted as a baby by an Italian American family. Using a lot of humor and compassion, Rose Kent relates Joseph's struggles with identity (and his growing relationship with his adoptive father) with the ease of an old pro. An impressive first novel—and lots of fun.
Rose Kent belongs to the Class of 2k7 posse of children's and YA authors with first books coming out in 2007. Hats off to the Class and their smart idea to band together and utilize the marketing power of the Internet. Many of the group will join Newbery judge Betsy Bird and others at Kidlit Drink Night in NYC this Friday. For details, see A Fuse #8 Production.
A big Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators confab takes place in NYC this coming weekend. I know we'll get some updates from the many bloggers in attendance.
Some fun places to visit this Wednesday morning:
Girls read comic books? Do tell. Or as Read Roger says about a certain comic-book honcho's comments, "News Flash: Girls Are Smart." I had to laugh. I'm talking about an article in today's New York Times on girls and comics, specifically DC Comics' upcoming new line, Minx. Cecil Castellucci (one of the YA authors gone wild at NCTE) gets a prominent mention for her new graphic novel, The P.L.A.I.N. Janes.
