It’s the last day of Children’s Book Week, so I thought I’d reblog this post on Cece Bell’s fantastic book El Deafo to close out the week. She designed the CBW bookmark. Thanks for following my blog. I hope it’s a children’s book year for you!
Many of the books I review I seek out, but some come to me in unexpected ways. Along with the book Fleabrain Loves Frannie, I was given one I’d never heard of, called El Deafo by Cece Bell, a graphic memoir novel. I flipped through it — bunny characters, a deaf girl, school problems, and intriguing scenes like this:
I love seeing Spock with bunny ears
In this after school special, the character is deaf and some one calls them deafo, which causes Cece some soul searching.
I was hooked, started reading, and pretty much devoured all 230 some odd pages. It tells the story of a girl who contracted meningitis and lost her hearing at age 4. She gets a bulky hearing aid she wears in a pouch around her neck with wires and earbuds. It’s only partially successful. What she hears is not what people are saying.
Since it’s Free Comic Book Day, as well as Day 6 of Children’s Book Week, I’m reblogging this post on the wonderful graphic novel series by Barry Deutch. I hope you enjoy it:
I became aware of the delightful Hereville series by Barry Deutsch through my friend Adrian Wallace. He drew the backgrounds for Hereville: How Mirka Caught a Fish, the 3rd book about “yet another 11-year-old time travelling Orthodox Jewish babysitter.” Mirka is also a troll fighter and meteor conqueror, which is amazing in that she lives in a quiet sheltered Orthodox village.
When Adrian explained to me what it was about, I was intrigued. When I read the first book, How Mirka Got Her Sword, I was totally hooked. I read the second, How Mirka Met a Meteorite, and then had to wait for the third to come out. Now it’s here! I love Mirka’s story so much I really wish it was a weekly, or even, should I be so blessed, a daily strip.
Mirka is a feisty, flawed and highly imaginative 11 year old. …
I’ve so enjoyed being a part of the Children’s Book Week Champions this week. It’s a delight to share my thoughts on children’s books and find out what books others are excited about. I’ve particularly enjoyed reading books from the Children’s Choice Book Awards. You can find the winners here. Congratulations to all the great authors who have been chosen by children as the best. I’m behind on that reading list, but that’s the nice thing about a book – they wait patiently until you can get to them.
This year I turned fifty-five and was delighted to receive several picture books for my birthday: The Rules of Summer by Shaun Tan, Hug Me by Simona Ciraolo, and Zen Socks by Jon Muth. I treasured each of these gifts as much as any child would.
Book plate by Edward Ardizzone
I live in a community centered around children. Bridge Meadows is an intentional community set up to support families adopting children out of the foster care system, and to give seniors a sense of purpose. I help introduce the delights of reading books to children ages 2 to 13.
But even before I lived here, I read children’s books as often as I read adult books. I understand the delineation between adult books and children’s books, but to me, if it’s a good story, it’s a good story no matter what age it’s recommended for. I’m pretty sure all books are recommended for me.
It’s all part of my love of story and art. In picture books I’ve always found stories with humor and hope. The illustrations are often breathtaking and I find some of the most moving art in pictures books. From the classics like Edward Ardizzone and Trina Schart Hyman to the newer masters like David Weisner, Shaun Tan, and Emily Hughes, I find much depth in the way illustrations can express what is impossible to say. Some of our finest living artist work in picture books. They illuminate meaning and bring a sense of wonder to life.
In her book The Sense of Wonder, Rachel Carson said, “A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children, I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life, as an unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment of later years…the alienation from the sources of our strength.”
I grew up in a broken home. My life was dimmed by the influence of alcoholism, drug addiction, cruelty and poverty. My refuge was always books. I was a regular library user from first grade til today. I went through a brief period during my teens and early 20s when I didn’t read picture books and story books, but as soon as I had kids at age 23 I was hooked again. My children outgrew picture books, but I kept reading them.
They are that “unfailing antidote against the boredom and disenchantment” of adulthood. In the past few decades, I’ve seen the world of children’s books expand in all directions. Printing a book is still an expensive endeavor, but there are fewer gate keepers and more kinds of independent presses. There are ways for self-published authors and artists to find an audience. The themes explored in children’s and young adult books have opened up. And, even though there’s a huge dystopian market in young adult books, there are also books for teens that explore ways of healing and rediscovering hope. A child who finds out another person has suffered abuse is a child less isolated. There is hope out there on the fringes of even the grimmest stories.
In my deepest heart, I believe it’s been the power of stories that has allowed me to rise about all the challenges that life has thrown at me. I’ve been laid low many times, but part of recovery has always been reading. I don’t think I would be as alert to wonder, to the beauty of nature, or to the value of friends without that regular injection of children’s books.
A cup of tea and a few books
In stories, there’s often a rule of three. Three challenges are overcome before the ending. While I know there aren’t happy endings to every story, I’ve learned that the unhappy ending may be just another plot point, I haven’t reached the end of the story. And when I do reach the ultimate end, I may fly away and live like a song on the wind.
I recently wrote this post on the book Cry, Heart, but Never Breakby Glenn Ringtved and illustrated by Charlotte Pardi.
It quickly became one of my most shared blog posts. I’m sharing here again for those of you who are new followers or are reading this because of Children’s Book Week. It’s a perfect example of how reading children’s books keeps my sense of wonder alive and helps me deal with very adult situations.:
I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for reading my blog.
This post is a part of Children’s Book Week, May 2 – 8. I’m posting on children’s books every day this week. To find more great children’s books, check out the Children’s Book Week website. They have a list of events going on all over the country, maybe one near you. You can find links to their facebook and twitter pages there, too.
I love books, which you know if you’ve read this blog at all, and I’m enchanted by the book arts. There are so many ways of telling a story and so many ways paper can be manipulated to bring stories to life.
I’ve been collecting pop-up books for several years now. I love the way the paper sculptures jump up from the page and give my imagination a jolt. I use pop-ups with children who are reluctant readers and who find the lure of videos, movies and social media much more interesting than a book. Pop-up and interactive books grab their attention and are a gateway to learning to love books.
I’ve recently become aware of the works of Philippe UG, a book artist whose work is bright and colorful and amazing. His work is being brought to the US market by the fine art publisher Prestel.
UG’s work is delightful. His book In the Butterfly Garden tells the story of a caterpillar’s journey to become a butterfly. A garden unfolds as you browse it. It’s a perfect book for this time of year when flowers are popping up everywhere.
“It’s time for the first walk of the day and one after the other the caterpillars are heading out.”
Noah was excited about the book and wanted to read it the second after it came in the mail.“A butterfly is born! It nibbles on the sweet nectar of the flowers with its feelers.”
Amazing and enchanting paper sculpture.
UG’s work varies greatly from book to book. Robots: Watch Out, Water About is a delight in an entirely different way.
The book is populated entirely by robots. Unfortunately, one robot gets caught in the rain and must call for a doctor to help him.
“Drip drip, drip drop…Slowly rain begins to fall. But robots don’t like water at all.”This guy got all wet!Luckily there’s a robot doctor to the rescue.
A look at how UG gets the fixed robot to stand up.
The children who have seen these books want to see more of UG’s work. That’s always a good sign – if a child want to follow an artist, you know they’ve become connected to the world of books and art in a way that will last a life time.
UG’s has also made books that will inspire an interest in more complex kinds of art. I’ll be reviewing his book Pop-Up Op-Art next week. You can check out more of his work on his website here.
Prestel Publishing has wonderful books that introduce children to the arts and artists. You can see their list of books for children here.
This post is a part of Children’s Book Week, May 2 – 8. I’m posting on children’s books every day this week. To find more great children’s books, check out the Children’s Book Week website. They have a list of events going on all over the country, maybe one near you. You can find links to their facebook and twitter pages there, too.
Here are links to the first three posts of the week:
UG’s work is delightful. His book In the Butterfly Garden tells the story of a caterpillar’s journey to become a butterfly. A garden unfolds as you browse it. It’s a perfect book for this time of year when flowers are popping up everywhere.
joy murray art~stories~life 