The Flag Maker by Susan Campbell Bartoletti and Claire A. Nivola

TITLE: The Flag Maker

AUTHOR: Susan Campbell Bartoletti

ILLUSTRATOR: Claire A. Nivola

PUBLISHED BY: Sandpiper, 2007

ISBN: 978-0618809110

PURCHASE: Amazon

The Flag Maker was a happy discovery in the nonfiction (American) section of our library.  While viewing the actual Star Spangled Banner that flew over Ft. McHenry (the subject of our National Anthem), which is currently housed in the Smithsonian American History Museum, author Susan Campbell Bartoletti was amazed to discover that the flag was made by a 13 year-old girl, Caroline Pickersgill, and her mother.  Bartoletti was inspired to write Caroline's story, and hence we have this lovely book which illustrates an important time in our history.

Bartoletti, a Sibert award winner, is a very fine writer of non-fiction picture books.  With few words, and well defined characters she makes present the entire town of Baltimore, and helps us relate to them and their situation through the brave little Caroline.  We see the toil as she and her mother sew the huge flag "so large that the British will have no trouble seeing it from a distance."  We see the flag, born out of six weeks hard work, flying on the horizon, as Caroline stands on top of a hill in Baltimore.  We feel the tension as all of Baltimore waits for the British to attack, trying to carry on with life, but scared and expectant.  We see the strange immediacy of the battle, which can be viewed from Baltimore's harbor.  And as dawn rises, we see the flag, unharmed, still waving bravely over the fort.

Nivola's illustrations are rich with historical detail, and have vague stylistic hints of early American painting.  My favorite touch is that she never zooms in on Ft. McHenry (which, by the way, is an awesome fort and if you live anywhere nearby, you really ought to visit), rather presents it as Baltimore would have seen it: from a distance, on the horizon, guarding the waterways leading to that important city. (See the battle scene, below.)

This books is really a treasure which presents a thrilling part of our history to a new generation, and gives us the back story on our national anthem in a charming vibrant way.

Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jean Fritz and Tomie DePaola

TITLE: Shh!  We're Writing the Constitution
AUTHOR: Jean Fritz
ILLUSTRATOR: Tomie DePaola
PUBLISHED BY: Putnam, 1997
ISBN: 978-0698116245
PURCHASE: Amazon

For having taken, oh, I don't know, maybe 8 years of American history, I remember surprisingly little about the Constitutional Congress.  We studied the Constitution, certainly, and had to memorize the Preamble, and the Bill of Rights, etc. etc. etc.   But we never studied the actual Congress.  Which is too bad, because the writing of the constitution is not only a fascinating story, but it also makes manifest the intent of the Constitution through characters and scenery, rather than a list of clauses and big words we never really understood.

That's why I love Jean Fritz's engaging, detailed book Shh! We're Writing the Constitution.  She narrates the entire adventure with lots of telling details, funny anecdotes, and just the right amount of political discourse.  As far as I can tell she fairly (and often funnily) presents the facts (and the arguments between factions).  Remember, this is a book for 7 and 8 year olds, not for political science nerds.

Her details and side notes are telling and funny--and help populate the landscape of the founding with real personalities.  For example: or:

"Rufus King of Massachusets and Luther Martin of Maryland went to the library and took out books but never returned them.  Sorry, they said, when asked about it; their servants must have failed to deliver them.  Sorry of not, however, they had to pay for the books."

"The most colorful arrival was that of Benjamin Franklin who at eighty-one was the oldest of the delegates.  Because he experiences so much pain when he bounced about in a carriage, Franklin came to the convention in a Chinese sedan chair carried by four prisoners from the Philadelphia jail."

Needless to say, Tomie dePaola's illustrations are up to his usualy delightful standard.  They are accurate, though a bit cartoonish, and therefore fitting representatives of this briefy, but excellent introduction to the American Constitution.  (As you can see below, the text is long.  The publishers recommend this books for 9-12 year olds, but I think it is better suited to 7-9 year olds, and plenty of adult discussion about whats going on.)

June Roundup

I'm going to do my June Roundup today, so I can concentrate on patriotic books for the rest of the week, in preparation for the 4th of July.  Also, I saw Toy Story 3 on Friday and it was A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  Really, it was perfect.  And, surprisingly, it was about vocation.  The action was intense and even rather violent at times, so I would encourage you to go see it first before taking your kids.  Which shouldn't be a problem, because you'll want to see it again.  More on that later.

Ah! June!  You passed so quickly!  Yet it seems like ages since I was in California.  While there we looked at some of my favorite California books: Fly High, Fly Low by Don Freeman, This is the Way to San Francisco by M. Sasek, The Cable Car and the Dragon, by Herb Caen.  Plus I reviewed the De Young Museum Gift Shop's Children's Section.  By the way, when I went to the DeYoung I showed Dad the Sasek book, and, as I mentioned in my review, he was smitten with the book because it did indeed show the San Francisco he grew up with and fell in love with.  I was glad my hunch was right.

We also looked at: Country Road ABC by Arthur Geishart, the Where's Waldo series by Martin Handford, Draw Me a Star by Eric Carle and Jam Day by Barbara M. Jossee.

Plus I shared with you my excitement over Toy Story, and my mother's review (which I agree with 100%, now that I've seen it!).  I also looked at the best animated films, and listed my favorites.

I shared with you an interesting post on adult books for kids (and hoped to get some response...come on people!)  And, finally, I told you about one of my favorite cd's for kids: Harry Connick Jr's Songs I Heard.

All in all, I think it's been a good month.  Next up: Patriotic books...and fireworks!

Jam Day by Barbara M. Joosse and Emily Arnold McCully

One for the basket and one for me

TITLE: Jam Day

AUTHOR: Barbara M. Joosse

ILLUSTRATOR: Emily Arnold McCully

PUBLISHED BY: Harper Collins

ISBN: 978-0060230975

PURCHASE: Abe, Amazon, IndieBound

Jam Day, by Barbara M. Joosse and illustrated by Emily Arnold McCully, is one of those lovely reliable books that are all but forgotten 20 years after they've been published, but remain treasured parts of people libraries.  It is really nothing special--written in 1987, it is about a boy, Ben, who thinks that he and his mother are basically alone.  When they come visit his grandparents, and his uncle, aunt, and two cousins are there, he begins to realize his place in the world.  They spend the day picking strawberries, making jam, baking biscuits, and really just having a grand old time, and he realizes he actually has a big wonderful happy family.

The book is gently answering the problem of a divorce--but not in a hit-you-over-the-head-with-a-sugar-coated-rolling-pin way. (Sorry for the mixed metaphor--it's the only way I know to describe it!)  Kids from a two parent household won't notice the fact that the father is not present--every kid feels lonely at times, and so they'll identify with Ben.  Kids from a spilt family will take comfort in the warmth of Ben's extended family, and the message that we're really never alone.  The book is successful precisely because it is not about divorce but about family: laughter, traditions and all. 

Draw Me a Star, Eric Carle

TITLE: Draw Me a Star
AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR: Eric Carle
PUBLISHED BY: Paperstar (by Putnam), 1998
ISBN: 0698116321
PURCHASE: Amazon

Ah!  I wish I had remembered to bring in my copy of this lovely book to show you all the images.  Because, really, the images are all you need to knock your socks off.  This is, perhaps, my very favorite of Eric Carle's picture books.  It is a simple story, that manages to also be a lovely meditation on inspiration, hard work, creativity, and the generosity of artistry.

Eve Larkin in the original School Library Journal review sums it up nicely:

A young boy is told (readers are not sure by whom) to “Draw me a star.” The star then requests that the boy draw it a sun; the sun asks for a “lovely tree,” and throughout his life the boy/man/artist continues to create images that fill the world with beauty.

(Sorry for the late posting.  40 minutes waiting for the bus.  Argh!)

Salon's Best "Adult" Books for Kids

 

Here's a great article from Salon with the best "adult" books a kid should read.  And by kid we mean, I think, junior-high age.  Full disclosure: I've only read four of these!

The idea makes sense: If you want to raise a kid with broad horizons and good writing skills, encourage said kid to read books that offer diverse perspectives, explore deeper themes, and resonate with excellent prose. This might mean sometimes encouraging your kid to read books intended for adults. And suddenly the idea sounds scary.


As a writing teacher, I ran into the same problem time and time again: I'd find the "perfect" book to assign to my students (ages 10-12): a short novel with accessible yet brilliant writing and apparently appropriate themes, only to discover a steamy sex scene halfway through my preview reading.

Many kids are ready and willing to read books intended for adults, but selecting books with both kid-friendly style and content can be time consuming.

The list? Click here to find out.  Animal Farm by George Orwell is my favorite of the books listed, and I think I first read bewteen 5th and 6th grade.  Which, perhaps, was a little too close on the heels of Charlotte's Web, but it's true. By the way, the animated Animal Farm (1954) is available on YouTube.

Have you read all these?  What would your additions be?  (Note, as the author did, not included are books by authors generally accepted to be appropriate for younger readers, like Jules Verne and J.R.R. Tolkein).

(I think my additions would be: Jane Austen, Shakespeare, and P.G.Wodehouse--especially the Jeeves and Wooster books.)

LLB's Mom's Review of Toy Story 3

I think it has been established that my Mom is pretty darn awesome.  Not only does she write an excellent blog on needlepoint (and has for, oh, 8 years), but she is also a lover of art, music, film, literature, and basically every good thing.  So, since I didn't get a chance to watch Toy Story 3 this weekend, I thought I'd share with you her review (slightly edited) that she sent over the weekend after she, Dad and my brother went to see it:

It was wonderful. Truly great. Mick LaSalle got it right in his review. Even more than UP, it has real wisdom and pathos.

And, of course, the animation keeps on getting better and better. Pixar seems to continue to top themselves. Dad said it was almost as if they said to themselves: "What can we do that we haven't done before?" But the new amazing things are so essential to the story, it almost can't be that.

This time it was fire, which is as hard as water to animate. And they continue to perfect their animation of inanimate objects, things like cars and houses. If it weren't for other things in the scene being obviously animated, you'd almost thing you were looking at a photograph.

The short before the movie was simply delightful, another one of their almost wordless gems. 

My only disappointment was with the titles. There is none of their over-the-top fanciful titles here, they were very simple. The end titles had a dance number (which works) with the toys taking up 2/3's of the screen. It was so good I was forgetting to look at the titles.

We didn't go see the 3-D one, and I don't think it would be worth the extra money.

It was wonderful.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford

TITLE: Where's Waldo, Where's Waldo: The Fantastic Journey, Where's Waldo Now?, Where's Waldo: In Hollywood, Where's Waldo: The Great Picture Hunt, Where's Waldo: The Wonder Book

AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Martin Handford

PUBLISHED BY: Candlewick

PURCHASE: Amazon

I have to spend a few months with you this morning telling you about one of the greatest series of books of the 90's: Where's Waldo.  Everyone in my generation knows them, and loves them, remembering the countless hours they spent pouring over every page of these books, long after they had located the non-chalant Waldo, and his charming Jaques Tati inspired striped shirt.  But if you didn't grow up in the 90's, or have kids in the 90's, then I am afraid you might have missed these hilarious, enthralling, silly and engaging books.

As you can see from the pictures, above and below, these comic scenes, wherein Waldo is hidden, are full of practical jokes, glorious details, history, modernity, and human folly.  On every huge two page spread, you have to find the elusive Waldo, in his striped shirt, blue jeans, and walking stick.  Sometimes he finds himself in different places in history: an Aztec temple, a french Napoleonic ball (complete with can-can dancers); sometimes he's in modern days: on the beach, at the zoo, in a shopping mall.  All around him are thousands of people funnily living their lives and entertaining all of us with their mischief, folly, and vivacity.  Now that I think of it, I don't know any books that show so much life in such a small space. 

Waldo is in the air right now (I expect to bump into him on the metro one of these days.  I found a good copy of my favorite of the books (Where's Waldo Now?--the history one) at the library book sale last week.  And on Saturday a friend gave Spoon's 4 year old daughter a Where's Waldo book as well.  Four is a good age to start, actually.  But you'll love them till your 90. 

(For the kids of the aughts + teens, there are iPhone aps and so forth on the official Where's Waldo site.)

 

Best Animated Films

A couple of weeks ago Joe Carter on the First Thoughts blog of journal First Things posted a great roundup of animated films, listing his favorites and what others he had seen.  Here are my own picks, and the list of what ones I've seen (X) what ones I think I saw as a kid but hardly remember (x) and what ones I only watched part of (O), and W if I want to see them but haven't gotten around to it yet.  My favorites are bolded (there are 18).  I've seen 62 of the 240, which isn't bad considering a huge portion of them are anime, which I don't really like at all.  (Please don't judge me because I've seen The Rugrats Movie.  It was a long time ago and I do regret it.)  (Also, yes, My Little Pony the Movie is one of my favorites.  Hello.  It's truly great.)


CLASSIC DISNEY
——————————

[X] Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
[X] Fantasia (1940)
[X] Pinocchio (1940)
[X] Dumbo (1941)
[X] Bambi (1942)
[ X] Song of the South (1946)
[ X] Cinderella (1950)
[ X] Alice in Wonderland (1951)
[ X] Peter Pan (1953)
[ X] Lady and the Tramp (1955)
[ X] Sleeping Beauty (1959)
[ X] 101 Dalmatians (1961) 
[ X] Mary Poppins (1964)

DISNEY’S DARK AGE
——————————

[X] The Sword In The Stone (1963)
[X] The Jungle Book (1967)
[ ] The Aristocats (1970)
[x] Bednobs and Broomsticks [1971]
[X] Robin Hood (1973)
[ ] The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

[x] Pete’s Dragon (1977)

[ ] The Rescuers (1977)

[X] The Fox and the Hound (1981)

[ ] The Black Cauldron (1985)

[X] The Great Mouse Detective (1986)

[X] Oliver and Company (1986)

THE DISNEY RENAISSANCE

——————————

[X] Beauty and the Beast (1991)

[O] The Rescuers Down Under (1990)

[X] Aladdin (1992)

[X] The Lion King (1994)

[ ] A Goofy Movie (1995)

[X] Hercules (1997)

[ ] The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)

[X] The Little Mermaid (1989)

[W] Mulan (1998)

[X] Pocahontas (1995)

[ ] Tarzan (1999)

This was the first Disney movie I saw that just took my breath away. 

Definitely their best adaptation of a fairy tale.

DISNEY’S MODERN AGE

——————————

[ ] Dinosaur (2000)

[O] Fantasia 2000 (2000)

[O] The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)

[ ] Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

[O] Lilo & Stitch (2002)

[ ] Treasure Planet (2002)

[  ] Brother Bear (2003)

[ ] Home on the Range (2004)

[ ] Chicken Little (2005)

[ ] Meet the Robinsons (2007)

[ ] Bolt (2008)

[ ] The Princess and the Frog (2009)

PIXAR

——————————

[X] Toy Story (1995)

[O] A Bug’s Life (1998)

[X] Toy Story 2 (1999)

[X] Monsters Inc. (2001)

[X] Finding Nemo (2003)

[X] The Incredibles (2004)

[W] Cars (2006)

[X] Ratatouille (2007)

[W] Wall-E (2008)

[X] Up (2009)

DON BLUTH

——————————

[ ] The Secret of NIMH (1982)

[ ] An American Tail (1986)

[X] The Land Before Time (1988)

[X] All Dogs Go to Heaven (1989)

[ ] An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991)

[ ] Rock-a-Doodle (1991)

[ ] A Troll in Central Park (1994)

[X] Anastasia (1997)

[O] The Pebble and the Penguin (1995)

[ ] Thumbelina (1994)

[ ] Titan AE (2000)

From the makers of Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run is hilarious. It enjoys more popularity in the UK.

 

CLAYMATION

——————————

[ ] The Adventures of Mark Twain (1986)

[ ] The Puppetoon Movie (1987)

[O] The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

[X] James and the Giant Peach (1996)

[X] Chicken Run (2000)

[ ] Corpse Bride (2005)

[W] Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005)

[W] Coraline (2009)

CGI GLUT

——————————

[X] Antz (1998)

[X] Shrek (2001)

[X] Shrek 2 (2004)

[ ] The Polar Express (2004)

[ ] Madagascar (2005)

[X] Happy Feet (2006)

[ ] Monster House (2006)

[ ] Over the Hedge (2006)

[ ] Beowulf (2007)

[O] Shrek The Third (2007)

[W] Kung Fu Panda (2008)

[ ] Monsters vs. Aliens (2009)

[W] How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

[ ] Shrek Forever After (2010)

Antz had great cameos, like Dan Ackroyd spinning his SNL role as a WASP/wasp.

 

CARTOONS FOR GROWN-UPS

——————————

[ ] Fritz the Cat (1972)

[ ] Street Fight (Coonskin) (1975)

[ ] American Pop (1981)

[ ] Heavy Metal (1981)

[ ] Hey Good Lookin’ (1982)

[ ] Cool World (1992)

[ ] Beavis & Butthead Do America (1996)

[ ] South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

[ ] Heavy Metal 2000 (2000)

[ ] Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)

[ ] Waking Life (2001)

[ ] The Animatrix (2003)

[ ] Lady Death (2004)

[ ] Final Fantasy: Advent Children (2005)

[ ] A Scanner Darkly (2006)

The Iron Giant is vastly underrated and under appreciated.

OTHER ANIMATED MOVIES
——————————-

[X] Animal Farm (1954)
[X] Charlotte’s Web (1973)
[X] The Hobbit (1977)
[X ] Lord of the Rings (1978)
[ ] Ringing Bell (1978)
[ ] Animalympics (1980)
[ ] Pink Floyd’s The Wall (1982)
[ ] Rock & Rule (1983)
[X] Care Bears: The Movie (1985)
[ ] He-Man & She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985)
[ ] Starchaser: The Legend of Orin (1985)
[ ] Gobots: Battle of the Rock Lords (1986)
[X] My Little Pony: The Movie (1986)
[ ] Transformers: The Movie (1986)
[ ] G.I. Joe: The Movie (1987)
[ ] Bravestarr: The Movie (1988)
[X] The Brave Little Toaster (1988)
[X] Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
[ ] Fern Gully (1992)
[  ] Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland (1992)
[x] The Swan Princess (1994)
[ ] Balto (1995)
[X] Space Jam (1996)
[ ] Cats Don’t Dance (1997)
[X] The Prince of Egypt (1998)
[ ] Wizards (1977)
[X] The Iron Giant (1999)
[ ] Quest For Camelot (1999)
[W] The Road to El Dorado (2000)
[ ] Powerpuff Girls: The Movie (2002)
[ ] Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
[ ] Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon The Movie (2007)
[ ] Superman: Doomsday (2007)
[ ] Justice League: The New Frontier (2008)
[ ] Wonder Woman (2009)
[ ] Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
[ ] Batman: Mask of the Phantasm

Masterful, hilarious, and surprisingly wise.

IMPORTS
——————————

[ ] Arabian Knight
[ ] Back to Gaya
[ ] Yellow Submarine (1968)
[ ] Watership Down (1978)
[ ] The Last Unicorn (1982)
[ ] Light Years (1988)
[ ] When the Wind Blows (1988)
[W] The Triplets of Belleville (2003)
[ ] Persepolis (2007)
[ ] Planet 51 (2009)
[ ] Waltz With Bashir (2008)

STUDIO GHIBLI/MIYAZAKI
——————————

[ ] Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
[ ] Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
[ ] Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)
[ ] Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
[ ] Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)
[ ] Only Yesterday (1991)
[ ] Porco Rosso (1992)
[ ] My Neighbor Totoro (1993)
[ ] Pom Poko (Tanuki War) (1994)
[ ] Whisper of the Heart (1995)
[ ] My Neighbors The Yamadas (1999)
[ ] Princess Mononoke (1999)
[ ] The Cat Returns (2002)
[ ] Spirited Away (2002)
[ ] Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
[W] Ponyo on a Cliff by the Sea (2009)
[ ] Panda! Go Panda!
[ ] Tales from Earthsea
[ ] Horus, Prince of the Sun

SATOSHI KON
——————————

[ ] Perfect Blue (1999)
[ ] Millennium Actress (2001)
[ ] Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
[ ] Paprika (2006)

SHINKAI MAKOTO
——————————-

[ ] She and Her Cat (1999)
[ ] Voices of a Distant Star (2001)
[ ] The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004)
[ ] 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)

Ponyo is an anime, which I really don't like, but looked charming and was highly

recommended by friends, including Ben Hatke.

OTHER ANIME FILMS
——————————

[ ] Galay Epress 999 (1979)
[ ] Arcadia of My Youth (U.S. Title – Vengeance of the Space Pirate) (1982)
[ ] Space Adventure Cobra (1982)
[ ] The Professional: Golgo 13 (1983)
[ ] Unico and the Island of Magic (1983)
[ ] Lensman (1984)
[ ] Macross: Do You Remember Love (U.S. Title – Clash of the Bionoids) (1984)
[ ] The Dagger of Kamui (U.S. Title – Revenge of the Ninja Warrior) (1985)
[ ] Vampire Hunter D (1985)
[ ] Fist of the North Star (1986)
[ ] Neo-Tokyo (1986)
[ ] Project A-ko (1986)
[ ] Dirty Pair: Project Eden (1987)
[ ] Urotsukidoji: The Movie (1987)
[ ] Robot Carnival (1987)
[ ] Wings of Honneamise: Royal Space Force (1987)
[ ] Akira (1989)
[ ] Patlabor the Movie (1989)
[ ] Silent Möbius (1991)
[ ] Ninja Scroll (1993)
[ ] Ghost in the Shell (1996)
[ ] End of Evangelion (1997)
[ ] Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (1998)
[ ] Vampire Hunter D Bloodlust (2000)
[ ] Metropolis (2001)
[ ] Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2003)
[ ] Appleseed (2004)
[ ] Steamboy (2004)
[ ] Robotech: The Shadow Chronicle (2006)
[ ] The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
[ ] Appleseed: E Machina (2007)
[ ] Sword of the Stranger (2007)
[ ] Origin: Spirits Of The Past

ADDENDUM
——————————

[ ] The Chipmunk Adventure (1987)
[ ] Felix the Cat: The Movie (1988)
[ ] We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story (1993)
[X] The Rugrats Movie (1998)
[ ] Pokemon: The First Movie (1999)
[ ] Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (2001)
[X] Ice Age (2002)
[ ] Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas (2003)
[W] Shark Tale (2004)
[W] The Spongebob Squarepants Movie (2004)
[W] Hoodwinked (2005)
[ ] Valiant (2005)
[ ] The Ant Bully (2006)
[ ] Flushed Away (2006)
[ ] Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
[ ] Open Season (2006)
[W] Bee Movie (2007)
[W] The Simpsons Movie (2007)
[ ] Happily N’Ever After (2007)
[o] Horton Hears a Who (2008)
[ ] Space Chimps (2008)
[ ] Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)
[W] The Tale of Despereaux (2008)
[W] 9 (2009)
[W] Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (2009)
[ ] Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs (2009)
[ ] Robots

And not on Mr. Carter's list was Wes Anderson's claymation Fantastic Mr. Fox, which, as you know, I have seen.  And loved.

I LOVE THIS MOVIE.  That's all.

Toy Story 3

I would like to be in line right now to see the first (noon) showing to Toy Story 3.  But, alas, I shall have to console myself with another look at it's trailer, and this great review by Joe Morgenstern of WSJ:

Only the toys are essentially unchanged, albeit scuffed and worn, in a family that's been transformed by the passage of time. Andy, no longer a boy, is college-bound. Buster, no longer a pup, is so old and fat he can hardly walk. Since no one seems to want the toys any more, they find their retirement prospects looking grim until they're consigned to a local day-care center called Sunnyside.

Throughout the evolution of the series, Toy Story storytellers have put forth powerful themes in the gift- wrapping of animation. (This film was directed by Lee Unkrich from a particularly resonant screenplay by Michael Arndt, who wrote "Little Miss Sunshine.") Sunnyside provides a perfect place to explore some new ideas, starting with the perils of fidelity versus the benefits of emotional detachment. Woody, Buzz and the others, including a distraught Barbie, have suffered the pain of being cast off by their beloved Andy (though the facts of the case are more complex), but all of the toys at Sunnyside are castoffs and, as one of them says, no owners means no heartbreak.

This afternoon, check back in for a look at my favorite animated movies!

Sale Alert at Eigth Day Books

Today and tomorrow the online bookseller, Eighth Day Books is having a summer sale.  Eighth Day Books is an simply marvelous bookseller, with fantastic selection. (And, for the record, the best catalogues I've ever seen.  Reading the Catalogue is an education of its own.  Sign up for one here.)  Anyway, today and tomorrow get 15% off when you enter the code summersale at checkout.  Pop on over to their Children's section to find treasures like:

+ The House by J. Patrick Lewis

+ A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson

+ Papa, Please get the Moon for Me, by Eric Carle

+ A wonderful collection of Mythology and Foklore books

+ A fairly extensive collection of "Stories of Faith"--illustrated Bibles, saint stories, etc.

+ Or, newly published, Aesop's Fables illustrated by Arthur Rackham with an intro by G. K. Chesterton (above)

This is a great chance to support an excellent independent bookstore!

Harry Connick Jr: Songs I Heard

 

Last night I attended my 3rd Harry Connick Jr. concert.  I try to always see him when he is touring because he is a wonderful live performer.  Don't get me wrong--his albums are great.  But, like all fine jazz musicians, he is better live.  His band is excellent, and he is terribly proud of them and their playing, and not afraid to share the spotlight at all.  Furthermore, Jazz ought to be spontaneous, and a live audience feeds spontaneity.  It is always a very good show.

At every concert I've seen, he always has a back and forth conversation with a child in the front rows.  He has three daughters, so it won't surprise you that he loves kids and knows how to engage them in conversation.  Last night's pick, a six-year old named Paige, got him a bit flummoxed: "Do you know who I am? ...No.  Well, that's all right.  Do you know who Lady Gaga is?  ...No?  Do you know who Justin Timberlake is? ...No?!"  He turned to the parents: "Where do you keep here?  In a locked basement?"

Well: I applaud her parents for shielding her from Lady Gaga and all celebrity Justins, Timberlake, Bieber, or otherwise. (Side note: Who is Justin Bieber anyway?  I know I am old when I see headlines saying "Justin Bieber is the most popular man in America"--and it has a picture--and I still have no idea what they're talking about.")  Furthermore, I applaud them for taking her to an "adult" concert at such a young age.  I promise, she'll never forget it.

I know this from personal experience.  When I was seven years old, my mom and my grandma took me to a Frank Sinatra concert.  It was in a pretty small venue, and we were fairly close. And though some may chide me for falling asleep halfway through the concert (I WAS SEVEN!  THE SHOW STARTED AT NINE!  WHAT COULD I DO!!!) I still treasure the memory and know how it shaped my love of Jazz and music and great performers.  Sinatra was a master--one could hardly do worse.

I absolutely recommend Harry Connick Jr.'s albums for your kids enjoyment.  (My top five?  When Harry Met Sally, Come By Me, We Are In Love, 20 and 25.)  His love of kids and of entertaining spurred him to create a CD of great tunes from children's movies, musicals and plays.  Songs I Head is a treat for parents and kids alike.  Backed by his wonderful Big Band, it includes favorites like: "The Oompa Loompa Song", "The Jitterbug", "Ding-Dong the Witch is Dead" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile." 

Let them discover Lady Gaga when they're older.  Much older.

Make a Dragon (Pop-up!)

See my round-up of my favorite of Matthew Reinhart's pop-up books here.

Country Road ABC by Arthur Geisert

 

TITLE: Country Road ABC: An Illustrated Journey Through America's Farmland

AUTHOR + ILLUSTRATOR: Arthur Geisert

PUBLISHED BY: Houghton-Mifflin

ISBN: 978-0547194691

PURCHASE: Amazon

You may recall, I am not the biggest Arthur Geisert fan.  I just don't get most of his wordless picture books. His illustrations, however, are so wonderfully detailed and engaging, that I was thrilled to see Country Road ABC, his newest release.  In it we find vivid and meticulous depictions of all aspects of farm life.  And, I tell you, we could spend hours looking at and learning from his illustrations.

I should tell you: this is not a romantic country book.  It does not show only the old charming parts of farm life.  I mean, the "A" page is...Ammonia Fertilizer.  This book shows all different (and real!) elements of farming, and would fit as easily in the non-fiction books as it does with other abecedarians.  And while I love the romanticism of books like The Ox Cart Man and the work of Mary Azarian, I find this realist approach compelling.  It would be tedious without Geisert's rich and educative illustrations--his eye makes everything important and fascinating.

The Eric Carle Picture Book Museum Children's Book Festival

For my readers in Massachusets and Connecticut (and really, anywhere in New England): head to the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art for their 3rd Annual Children's Book Festival:

Visit The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art on June 12th from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm for The Carle’s third annual Children’s Book Festival. This year’s event is a celebration of dogs in picture books and the artists and authors who created them. All programs and activities are free with Museum admission.

Featured artists and authors include:

Karen Beil

Nick Bruel

Stephanie Calmenson

Eileen Christelow

Corinne Demas

Diane deGroat

Jules Feiffer

Patricia MacLachlan

Jeff Mack

Barry Moser

Katy Schneider

Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Shelley Rotner

For my reviews of the Eric Carle Picture Book Museum click here and here.

The 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards

Horn Book-Boston Globe 2010 Picture Book winner.

 

The 2010 Boston Globe-Horn Book Awards were announced earlier this week, and I was thrilled to see one of my favorites from last year, John Burningham's It's a Secret (reviewed here) win in the Picture Book Category.  Other winners include: The Lion and the Mouse (which has basically swept all the awards circles as I knew it would.) (Note to self, why do I still not own The Lion and the Mouse?  For shame.)  and Laurel Croza's I Know Here, which I have wanted to read since I came across a review of it on kid-lit blog A Year of Reading: I Know Here is illustrated by Matt James, a Canadian painter and illustrator--I will be keeping my eye on his work, because I love it's rough realism.

First and foremost, this is a powerful story of moving and leaving a place that you love--finding ways to hold onto it after you are gone. If I were in the classroom, it would definitely be one I'd use early in the school year to invite kids to try different types of writing. A great writing mentor text. But it can also start conversations about setting or a sense of place in a story. And the illustrations are unique and stunning.

 

I can't find a good picture of this cover!

Bookshop Review: The DeYoung Museum Gift Shop

The first museum I remember visiting was the DeYoung, in the middle of Golden Gate Park in San Francsico.  My mom, grandmother, baby sister (she was a baby then) and I went to see an amazing exhibit on high fashion starting with the New Look of Christian Dior through to contemporary fashion.  It was an awesome exhibit, and I still remember it well, though I was probably only six years old when I saw it.

That DeYoung is gone--it was declared structurally unsound after the Loma Prieta earthquake, and had to be torn down.  The new DeYoung is everything bad and everything good about a modern museum.  It is rather hideous from the outside (though, I will say, it looks better in person than it ever does in the photographs).  Inside it is difficult to navigate, though spacious and well light.  Worst of all, it is used more for touring exhibits than to showcase the marvelous collection of American and specifically Californian art that made it famous in the first place.  I've been to the deYoung many times since it reopened, but I still have yet to explore the permanent collection.  I don't even know where it might be housed.

All that being said: the gift shop is excellent--and especially the children's section.  

They have doodle books and drawing books and lives of the artists books.  I discovered Andy Warhol's Colors and other art themed board books there.  I also discovered the extraordinary Black Book of Colors there, after I had failed to find it at every good bookshop I knew (reviewed here). Given the close geographical proximity to Chronicle Books, which always has a strong artistic bend in their children's selections, I wasn't surprised to see many of their fine books on the shelves. Indeed, I discovered their reprint edition of Bruno Munari's Zoo and ABC--reviewed here--at this fine shop.   They also carry many of Phaidon's children's books (including Bob Gill's What Color is Your World, which I love love love).  They have Phaidon's interesting two volume art appreciation and history books The Art Book For Children.

They have toys and models and paint sets and puzzles (puzzles!) and tons of other fun things.  If I lived in San Francisco, this would be my first stop for gifts and books for kids of an artistic sensibility.  And, maybe while I'm there, I'll make a visit to the permanent collection, too.  (Look for my review of their current Birth of Impressionism exhibit next week on 10KP.)

(They also have educational programs for families and kids.  For more information, go here.)

The DeYoung Museum Gift Shop + Store

Tuesday-Sunday 9:30 am to 5 pm

50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive

San Francisco's Golden Gate Park

(415) 750-3642