Balloons over Broadway

Sweet, M. (2011). Balloons over Broadway. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.

Tony Sarg was the puppeteer who made the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade such a visual treat. The story begins with his first invention, a chicken feeder that allowed the six year to feed his father’s hens without leaving the comfort of his bed. Sarg went on to become a puppeteer in London, and then in New York City, where he earned the admiration of R.H. Macy, who asked him to design mechanized marionettes for his holiday window displays. An immigrant, Sarg wanted to created spectacular puppets for the holiday parades celebrated by New York’s immigrants, and Macy agreed to put on a parade for his employees. The story follows Sarg on his journey from small puppets on floats, to larger rubber stick puppets, to giant helium and silk puppets that everyone could see for miles.

I love it when non-fiction books are approachable for children. Every kid loves puppets and parades, and so this is a more entertaining read than some. It does educate, but as much about the man as about how something works. And no kid could possibly look at those enormous balloon puppets and not wonder how they work and what they’re made of. It’s a good Wonder to tackle!

The author made her own toys and puppets to make the illustrations for this book. She made collages of watercolors, papier-mache puppets made from old books, fabrics, and found objects, which she painted and altered to take readers into the world and mind of Tony Sarg. I liked the mixed media feel of this book, like we are exploring shapes and dimensions in the same way Sarg must have experimented trying to make puppets in reverse and on a grand scale. The book contains a Bibliography and Sources section, a Quotes Sources space, as well as notes about Sarg that she discovered that didn’t make it into the story. Sweet thanked the friends, families and institutions that assisted her in her research. Even the paper lining is of old newspaper clippings of early Macy’s parades and book mentions of Sarg. All in all, this book is playful—the colors, the artwork, the text. It’s so important for a kid to see how artistic expression, experimentation and determination can become something iconic and wonderful.

I get so hungry

Campbell, B.M. with Bates, A. (2008). I get so hungry. New York, NY: G.P. Putnam’s Sons

This book tackles the national epidemic of obesity in children, through the eyes of Nikki, a young African-American girl. Her classmates tease her about her weight, calling her Supersize and Nikki Thicky. She has always relied on food to make herself feel better and when she starts, it’s hard to stop. It’s a family problem too, despite the pediatrician’s advice. When her overweight teacher, Mrs. Theodora Patterson, has a scare and starts to work for a healthier lifestyle, Nikki takes note. Her teacher drinks water and stops sneaking food. She walks to work and around the schoolyard between classes. Instead of reaching for the chips that night, Nikki asks her mom if it’s okay to walk with Mrs. Patterson before school. Her teacher tells her she is eating more healthy food, so she doesn’t get hungry throughout the day. Nikki’s mom is impressed by Mrs. Patterson’s weight loss and decides to walk with her daughter on weekends. By the start of the new school year, Nikki is healthy and no longer food dependent.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a children’s book about obesity before. I’ve seen books about mobility, diabetes, ELL students, and cancer, but this book intrigued me. Yes, it’s a bit simple. Food dependence is hardly solved in a fifty page children’s book. But this book is a mirror, and I think it’s a great idea to devote some time to a topic that is so affecting our population of children. It is surprisingly unpreachy or moralizing. The little girl is loved and cared for, but a bit in the wrong way. Her mom soothes a sad doctor’s visit with a trip to the doughnut shop. You know it’s bad, but there’s no finger shaking or scolding. And I liked that while obesity can have a snowball effect in a family, healthier living can as well. Mrs. Patterson’s commitment to the simple act of walking was contagious, getting a student and then her mother outside and moving. The watercolor and ink illustrations are lovely, very fresh and uncluttered/ She does draws expressions wonderfully, a downcast eye, a thrust out lip. And her characters have an inner glow and a softness that make them seem infinitely accessible and sympathetic. It reminds me of Marla Frazee’s work, similar to All the World. While this book isn’t necessarily worthy of an award, I think it’s a great toe-dip into a subject that needs more books. More children struggling with obesity deserve to know they are not alone in their fight. They deserve inspiration and characters that look and think like them and work hard and are rewarded. More of this, please.

A Bear called Paddington (Audiobook)

Bond, M. narrated by Fry, S. (2005). A Bear called Paddington [audiobook]. 

Narrated by Stephen Fry of Jeeves and Wooster hilarity, this book is marvelous. Fry does different voices for Paddington, the Browns, Mrs. Bird, Mr Curry and Mr Gruber, even the shopkeepers and bobbies. The pacing and clear diction are easy to understand, even for small children who aren’t used to accents. And his comic timing is perfect. There were peals of little boy laughter from the backseat every time the Browns said, “Oh dear,” or Paddington gave someone “a hard stare.” The other volumes narrated by Hugh Bonneville are also excellent. After we finished the first, both the eight year old and the three year old wanted more, which is a good sign!

Checking the physical book out of the library was just as great a pleasure. Bond’s pencil drawings are darling, and it is always nice to see how an author has pictured his character in his own mind. Paddington looks charmingly disreputable sitting on the train platform with his suitcase, battered hat and his note, “Please look after this bear.” The image of him upsetting the table of buns is pure magic. With its mixture of pictures and short, clear sentences, I think this would be appropriate for a child ready to graduate from Cynthia Rylant or Emily Jenkins’ Toys Go Out and then Paddington. There are some vocabulary differences, between American English and British English, but these can generally be figured out by context. 

Retrieved from http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/A-Bear-Called-Paddington-Audiobook/B002V0QQ7S/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1490320295&sr=1-1

The book with no pictures

Novak, B. J. (2014). The book with no pictures. New York, NY: Random House.

Similar to Elephant and Piggie’s We Are In A Book, Novak’s The Book with No Pictures makes the reader break the fourth wall. The reader must say everything written on the page, even if it’s “I am a robot monkey,” or “Glibbity globbity.” The reader has to sing and make goofy noises and proclaim herself to be “a robot monkey” complete with a silly techie font. The adult reading aloud has to beg to stop reading, and the children listening presumably get a chance to yell, “No!” 

Even without pictures, the book is funny with a lot more interaction between grownups and children than traditional books. There is a smidge of potty humor, entertaining use of fonts, and tons of laughter. This is a great readaloud book for children PreK through second grade.

Zen Shorts

Muth, J.J. (2005). Zen Shorts. New York, NY: Scholastic Press.

This picture book is the story of how three children, Addy, Michael and Karl meet a Zen-master panda bear named Stillwater. Stillwater moves in next door, and each child comes to him with different philosophies, problems or worries, and to each, he gives them a Zen story that puts things in a new perspective. To Addy, who bakes him a cake, he tells the story of a poor man who gives gifts to a robber. To Michael, who is a worrier, he tells a story of a farmer who knows that good luck and bad luck are all a matter of perspective. And to Karl, who is the youngest and holding on to hurt feelings, Stillwater shares the story of “The Heavy Load,” and encourages him to put down his burdens to make room for lighter feelings.

Having shared this book at a first grade readaloud, I found that this age group of six and seven year olds had a lot to share about the stories and pictures. They found the story of Uncle Ry wishing he could give the robber the beautiful moon very romantic. Several agreed that putting down injustices was something they probably needed to work on, just like Karl and the young monk from “The Heavy Load.” Even the students who had read the book before hadn’t noticed the calligraphy in “The Farmer’s Luck.” They really got a discussion going, which I thought was remarkable. I personally love this book because for any age group, it’s helpful to have a short meditation that helps make “different” sense out of our situations. I know I can hold on to blame like a dog with a bone, and the admonishment of the old monk, “Why are you still carrying her?” hits home whenever I think on it.

Jon Muth’s illustrations are not necessarily detailed, but somehow he still captures the essence of expression; no one looks more quietly annoyed than Stillwater with a pool full of sharks and floaties. Muth said, “I love stories. I love what language does. It’s the finger pointing at the moon, the truth. That’s what my pictures have to do as well” (Marcotte, 2015). His watercolors of the children and the panda bear playing together create soaring treescapes and hilarious wading pool scenarios (Stillwater wears fat pants!). Stillwater’s stories though, are done in ink brushwork, calligraphy trees and landscapes with cartoonish animals enacting the short Zen story. I think it could be a fun book to drop into a curriculum about religions, mindfulness, calligraphy art class, Chinese or Japanese culture…it’s very versatile.

Reference

Marcotte, A. (2015). Zen and the art of Jon Muth. “American Libraries. Retrieved from https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/zen-and-art-jon-muth/

One morning in Maine

McCloskey, R. (1980). One morning in Maine. New York, NY: Penguin Books.

A sequel to Blueberries for Sal, this book, also a Caldecott winner, follows Sal on her next adventure—a loose tooth. At first alarmed and scared she will miss out on a trip to Buck’s Harbor with her dad, her mother comforts and reassures Sal that it is part of being a big girl to lose a tooth. She can put the tooth under her pillow and make a wish. Walking down to meet her father, Sal tells all of the Maine animals about her loose tooth—the drawings are breathtaking—from a fish hawk to a curious seal. She helps her father dig for clams and her tooth falls out into the pebbly sand. I think the most poignant line of the book is when Sal makes a face “that is almost like crying.” She ends up making a wish on a feather a gull lost instead, and her baby sister makes a wish on a spent spark plug, and both girls get an ice cream cone—their wishes come true.

The rooster crows: A book of American rhymes and jingles.

Petersham, M. & Petersham, M. (1945). The rooster crows: A book of American rhymes and jingles.

New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, Inc.

A collection of traditional American nursery rhymes, The Rooster Crows includes finger games, skipping rhymes, songs, jingles, and counting rhymes from all over America. From “Engine, Engine, Number Nine” to “This Little Pig,” to the now less familiar “Entry Kentry Cutry Corn,” there are many favorite rhymes that form a part of America’s cultural heritage, or, as the book jacket says, “An American Mother Goose.” The clothing and scenes are reminiscent of a more pastoral time, old fashioned, yet comforting and still familiar. The four color illustrations are beautifully rendered and charmingly humorous.