Current Reads & Reviews: Biography THE LINCOLNS: A SCRAPBOOK LOOK AT ABRAHAM AND MARY

Fleming, Candace. The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books, 2008. ISBN: 0375836187

Summary: A museum in a book! Walk your eyes through the lives of Abraham and Mary, how they came to be, met, and survived the ups and downs of life together, culminating in their deaths. Chalked full of illustrations of items that visually guide you. The reader is taken on an in-depth journey into two intellectual lives who were both very strong willed, bold people, who shared political interests as well as a love for one another resulting in a true partnership.

Analysis: This biography is an in-depth look into the life of Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary laid out in scrapbook form leaving the reader feeling as if they have visited a museum dedicated to these two interesting lives. This biography gives the reader a look into Lincolns' 19th century America and its people. This is an excellent resource to be used in Social Studies! It is quite lengthy but the timeline near the front itself will lend as a great research tool for middle school to college level students.
                As you read this awesome informative book you "hear" the accent of the folks back then as there is inflection within the text. You find yourself a bit disappointed when you have to turn the page because once you begin reading one thing you're hooked, then you turn the page and it is all new information, you lose the disappointment quickly though because the new story is just as enthralling. The illustrations are photos, newspaper clippings, personal letters, personal items/trinkets, invitations, drawings, maps, poems, and much more. Visually stimulating as almost each entry comes with an illustration that complements the text well. This book reads like a well done documentary.
               One feature that was pretty cool is the use of the font type called "Old Times American" which was the very typeface that was used in the 1800s. There is A Note on the Type at the very beginning that teaches the reader how "typing" was done back then with metal or wood and ink. Then there is a Table of Contents that is divided by key themes so the reader does not necessarily need to read this book in any particular order. After that, there is a lengthy Introduction written to the reader by Candice Fleming herself notifying us that this book is written by her, and she grew up in the "land of Lincoln" even knowing a distant cousin of his. Here the reader learns that Abraham detested the being called "Abe." Following the informative Introduction one will find a detailed timeline called The Lincoln Years listing the main points in Abraham and Mary's life. The timeline is written in different fonts Abraham's being Roman Text and Mary's being italicized.
               In the back, the reader will find resources for extended reading or research, other young adult books and web links with little blurbs on what one will find at each site.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Norman A Sugarman Award (2010); Flora Stieglitz Straus Award (2009); Society of Midland Authors Award for Children’s Nonfiction (2009), and a plethora of scholarly reviews.

From Booklist 09/15/2008: "Fleming’s writing, filled with quotes and personal details, is just as lively as the assortment of images, and an extensive time line, suggested resources, and source notes round out the text. Starting with her personal introduction, this exemplary resource will prompt readers to consider how an individual’s life story, and a country’s history, are constructed."

From Kirkus Review 09/01/2008: "Fleming's five-year immersion in letters, diaries, newspapers, speeches and other primary documents yields a monumental visual chronicle of Abraham and Mary Lincoln and their times. The visuals range from the essential to the mundane—portraits, maps, battlefield scenes, political cartoons, dress patterns, a stovepipe hat and measurements for a pair of boots—and, along with clear writing and thematic organization, leave readers 'feeling as if you have just visited old friends.'"

Connections: Students could skim/read this extensive biography then follow up by watching the documentary Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided which "weaves together the lives of the two Lincolns, drawing us into their long-vanished world." Read other highly acclaimed biographies written by Fleming such as Ben Franklin's Almanac: Being a True Account of the Good Gentleman's Life (2003); Our Eleanor: A Scrapbook Look at Eleanor Roosevelt's Remarkable Life (2005).

Current Reads & Reviews: Nonfiction Biography CHUCK CLOSE UP CLOSE

Greenberg, Jan. Chuck Close, Up Close. Ill by Sandra Jordan. New York, NY: DK Ink, 1998. 

                  ISBN: 078942486X

Summary: This biography picture book is a story of a boy struggling with learning disabilities in a time when they were not recognized. Then later a physical disability and how he worked around that and continue to do what he loves. Chuck Close became a very successful innovative artist, one who could not see in the third-dimension but only things that were 2D. To combat this disability he began drawing "heads" by taking a photograph similar to a mugshot then letting that be his map. His style was a "concept of self-imposed rules that would form the basis of future work" and his "painting becomes a topographical map of a face" a window into the true self.

Analysis: This is a great biography picture book about Chuck Close and his struggles through life, and how he dealt with them through his creation of art. This would be an excellent read to all classes as there are students struggling with learning disabilities at every turn. What a great way to show them they too can be successful, they might just have to work at it a bit differently. "When every kid on the block wanted to become a policeman or fireman, I wanted to be an artist. It was the first thing that I was good at, the first thing that really made me feel special. I had skills the other kids didn't have. Art saved my life."
               The text is chalk full of Close's own words and reads like he is telling the story of his own life. His interesting life and the struggles he faced along the way keep the reader interested. "I don't tend to recognize people on the street. But I do have a photographic memory for things that are flat. So by painting these large portraits and making them flat, I commit to my memory people who are important to me."
             While the text sequences Close's life and his struggles, each page provides photographs of his portraits in the different styles and techniques he applies throughout. Starting with his studio, progressing through his styles of portraits, using different tools from an airbrush to his own fingers. Starting with a Table of Contents in the beginning and then ending with reference aids such as a glossary of art terms, a bibliography that will lead the reader/researcher to additional resources, and a list of the museums that hold some of his art pieces, this is an extensive look into the subject's life.
             This read has shown me that picture books are a visually stimulating way to read a biography while not loading the reader down with too much information on the subject, leaving the reader learning just the important highlights and turning points in the subject's life.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee 2000; Best Books For Children 6th Ed (1998); Best Books For Children 7th Ed (2002); Best Books For Young Teen Readers, Grades 7-10; and much more.

From Kirkus Review 02/09/1998: "Close's feelings for his friends are conveyed through his gargantuan portraits of them and his multiple interpretations of their photographs. Full-color illustrations show both finished works, and the processes through which they are made, including scenes of Close on the forklift he uses to move around the canvas."

From School Library Journal 03/01/1998: "This is an inspiring look at the contemporary artist who struggled with learning disabilities as a youngster, became a celebrated painter in the late 1960s, and later overcame paralysis to continue creating huge portraits in which the image is created by a multitude of small abstract units. Sometimes Close makes the abstract units by inking his finger and pressing it on the canvas over and over. His way of working, as it developed from photorealism to his current unique style, with its relationship to computer art and photomechanical reproduction, is inherently interesting, while the way his portraits almost magically seem to emerge as one gets far enough away from the canvas is clearly shown in the excellent-quality full-color reproductions. "

Connections: A great visual book for art history research or an English class research/writing project. The students could view this video found on Youtube before reading the biography picture book (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbcP8zNrqsk&feature=related). After reading, there is another video of a letter that Chuck Close wrote to younger self on what he has learned through his struggles (https://vimeo.com/41638000). The students could then write letters to either their younger self or their older self.

Current Reads & Reviews: Award Winning Nonfiction Biography Picture Book

Bryant, Jennifer. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus. Ill by Melissa Sweet. MI: Eerdmans,                     2004. ISBN: 0802853854

Summary: This little biography picture book is about the life of Peter Mark Roget, the creator of the first list of words and their synonyms... the Thesaurus, inspired by losing his father, then having to move. Life was difficult for Peter but he found solace in books, so he began writing his own. Instead of stories he wrote lists. Lists of all sorts of things he learned along the way. Peter loved words! Lists made his life seem orderly. Roget was quite an amazing man, creating lots of very cools things (the slide rule, the pocket size chess set). I have always loved words and now I have a newfound respect for the reference tool the Thesaurus, a "treasure house" it is!

Analysis: Where to begin... there is so much going on in this little biography picture book. Great for all ages! The illustrations are awesome and grab your attention. You fall into each page and stay awhile because there is so much detail in each illustration to take in. This picture book is a great learning tool for teaching synonyms, classification, and categorizing as each item/part is explained by showing its purpose textually and visually. Starting with the front cover illustration of an open book with pictures of all the cool stuff one can find within. The inside cover is awesomely decorated with educational information with the science of words. On the back inside cover one will find a "Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases, Classified and Arranged so as to Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition" along with images to help visualize the word list's subjects.
              Additional resources such as Roget's life events along with notable world events from 1779 through 1869 can be found in the back as well as the Author's Note that will clue the reader in on Bryant's inspiration behind creating the book. The Illustrator's Note gives insight to the Roget's original 1805 word book and how it inspired Sweet's lists and pictures all from Roget's 1st edition. Also found near the back, one can find a bibliography "for further reading." I love how there is a photo of a page from Roget's original word book. Peter Mark Roget was always trying to come up with a better word for the one he originally thought of by creating lists of synonyms for each. Roget creates the first Thesaurus, a Greek word that means "treasure home." Cover to cover the illustrations are a feast for the eyes. There is so much to see. It could be quite overwhelming for a young scholar but that being said the illustrations as well as the text is very engaging. A nonfiction book all educators should have on hand.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winners and Honors 2001; Caldecott Medal/Honor Books; Fanfare 1998; Horn Book Honor List; Georgia Picture Book Award Nominees 1997; Horn Book Magazine Starred Review Titles and many more.

From Booklist 08/01/2014: "Echoing Roget’s obsession with words, Sweet’s intricate and elaborate collage illustrations—made out of textbooks, graph paper, maps, fabric, typewriter keys, and other found objects—put words on center stage. Lists in wildly expressive handwritten fonts along with cut-paper assemblages stuff the dynamic pages, even the appended time line and endpapers, with arresting detail."

From Kirkus Review 08/01/2014: "Bryant's prose is bright and well-tuned for young readers. She goes gently, omitting Roget's darkest traumas, such as witnessing his uncle's suicide. Sweet tops herself—again!—visually reflecting Roget's wide range as a thinker and product of the Enlightenment. Injecting her watercolor palette with shots of teal, scarlet and fuchsia, Sweet embeds vintage bits (ledger paper, type drawers, botanical illustrations and more), creating a teeming, contemplative, playfully celebratory opus."

Connections: Under the "For Further Reading" there are five other books that would go along great with this one. One in particular would be a great extension called Noah Webster and His Words. As an ELA teacher, I think this along with The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus would be great starter reads when introducing how to use the Thesaurus and the Dictionary in the classroom.

Current Reads & Reviews: Poetry Picture Book MIRROR MIRROR

Singer, Marilyn, and Josée Masse. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reverso Poems. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books, 2010. ISBN: 0525479015

Summary: Singer's innovative poetry picture book takes popular childhood fairy-tales and mixes them up a bit. She writes a poem then takes it and reverses the poem so it is read from the bottom up coining this "reverso." The reverse reading of the poems convey two different points of view. Each poem comes with bold brightly colored illustrations that create a dark versus light effect representing good versus evil in some. While some of the poems were really good, making you laugh out loud, others were lacking in flow, although very clever!

Analysis: This picture book of poetry is quite different from the norm... The clever concept of writing the poems one way then again backwards setting them right next to each other gives the reader a different perspective, showing that there are always two sides to every story. Singer creates the poems in reverse only changing the punctuation and capitalization here and there. Some poems had rhythm and rhyme while others did not. The poems that had rhyme created a nice flow for the reader while the ones that didn't lacked flow. She writes descriptively but not figuratively. Short clippy sentences made it hard to imagine but the illustrations are bold and bright. She splits the page in half one side dark and the other light representing good versus evil. At the end of the book Singer provides the reader with an end note about reversing poems that will help students write their own "reverso" poem. Below was one of my favorite poems  and illustrations. Click image to enlarge.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: ALA Notable Books 1944-97 (And Ongoing); Texas Bluebonnet Book Award Nominees 2004-05 (And Ongoing); Kirkus Reviews 2010 Best Children's Books and many more.

From Booklist 01/01/2010: "This ingenious book of reversos, or poems which have one meaning when read down the page and perhaps an altogether different meaning when read up the page, toys with and reinvents oh-so-familiar stories and characters, from Cinderella to the Ugly Duckling."

From School Library Journal 01/01/2010: "The vibrant artwork is painterly yet unfussy and offers hints to the characters who are narrating the poems. This is a remarkably clever and versatile book that would work in any poetry or fairy-tale unit. A must-have for any library."

Connections: Once the students read this reversible poetry book, they will be asking to create their own. Have the students select a poem from a different poet and apply the "reverso" then share with each other. Also a great way to teach the concept of dichotomy. There is a lesson in punctuation and capitalization as well. Seeing how one little change can create a totally different effect.

Current Reads & Reviews: Beehive Children's Poetry Book Award Nominee I AM THE BOOK

Hopkins, Lee Bennett. I Am the Book. Ill by Yayo New York: Holiday House, 2011.
         ISBN: 0823421198

Summary:  A collection of thirteen poems all about the pleasure reading can bring to a person. Poems that show the reader there is a book for every reason, and stories that change with the seasons. A great picture book that will instill a love for books and reading at an early age.

Analysis: This thematic picture book is a collection of poems by various poets that focus on losing yourself in a book. I love the illustrations for each poem as they depict the imagination that books bring to the reader. The artwork throughout give the illusion of "living" inside a book showing the reader you can lose yourself in the imagination a good book can create, entering worlds yet unseen. The illustrations transform you into a story showing different aspects of reading. The reader can feel the magic!

 A few poems seem to focus on poetry alone, showing different forms from quatrains to sonnets, while others have an ABAB rhyme scheme creating that sing-song feel. All but one of the poems have a lovely flow to them. Most with rhyme through the use of assonance and consonance, and others with onomatopoeia. The lyrical flow of each poem reads like a song and will have students wanting to hear them again and take part in.  I Am the Book not only will teach students about poetry but also how reading can be fun, encouraging them to read more. Each page is a new adventure. Below is one of my favorite poems from the book...

 Wonder Through the Pages 

by Karla Kuskin

 "So I picked out a book

on my own

from the shelf

and I started to read

on my own

to myself.

And nonsense and knowledge

came tumbling out, 

whispering mysteries, 

history's shout,

the wisdom of wizards,

the songs of the ages,

all wonders of wandering

wonderful pages."

In the back, are blurbs about each poet we meet in this collection, telling us who they are, what they are known for, and where the reside. If you love books and reading, you will absolutely fall in love with this book too!

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: Beehive Children's Poetry Book Award nominee 

From School Library Journal 04/01/2011: "The attractive and fanciful acrylic paintings feature exaggerated shapes and perspectives that go nicely with the flights of imagination depicted in the poems. Literature-loving adults will want to share this book with the young people in their lives."

From Booklist 03/01/2011: "The whimsical, light-toned acrylic artwork extends the metaphors with witty, fantastical transformations of books: in one scene, a dark-blue book cover becomes an ocean, where you can dive in the sea of words and swim."

Connections: Before reading this picture book to students, ask them to think about a time when they were reading for fun. Where were they? What was the weather like? When do they most like to read? Then read the poems and observe the connections the students make. Have the students draw a page for the book that represents their favorite spot to read. A wonderful companion book for this one would be BookSpeak! Poems About Books by Laura Purdie Salas, illustrated by Josee Bisaillon.

Current Reads & Reviews: Poetry - Novel in Verse

Sones, Sonya. What My Mother Doesn't Know. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young                  Readers, 2001. ISBN: 0689871147

Summary: A novel written in prose, this is a story of a young girl, a freshman in high school, who sees love interests at every turn. A story of lust, love, loss, and friendship. Every girl seems to go through the roller coaster of emotions that Sophie experiences here all the while learning the difference between lust and love. A book every girl can relate to!

Analysis: Sonya Sones has a way with words! Alliteration sprinkled here and there..."deceitful despicable" and "giggling gabfest." Metaphors and imagery that lyrically paint the picture for the reader... "I step into the steam and let water rinse my body clean while rivers flow in ribbons down my arms." Similes..."their shrieking whips around inside me like a tornado." I found myself gasping at times then laughing out loud at others. Each pages flows with figurative language entices our senses... "His little finger finds mine, hooking us together, and all the clatter of the corridor fades away till the only sound I can hear is the whispering of our fingers." A few are concrete poems taking shape with the words like in I Wish while others have a rhyming scheme like in Long Weekend...

"Forty-eight hours

of silence go by.

Forty-eight hours

alone.

Forty-eight hours

is such a long time

to sit

and stare

at the phone."

Sones write with boldness, sometimes to create shock value when touching on tough topics like ethnicity or sex. My absolute favorite page is the one called More or Less...

"If Dylan and I had met

by chatting on the Net

in a room in cyberspace

instead of face to face

and I hadn't seen his lips

or the way he moves his hips

when he does that sexy dance

and I hadn't had a chance

to look into his eyes

or be dazzled by their size

and all that I had seen

were his letters on my screen, 

then I might as well confess:

I think I would have like him

less."

I truly enjoyed this quick read and moved right on into the sequel What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know.

Accolades/Scholarly Reviews: South Carolina Book Award Nominee for Young Adult Book Award (2004); Michigan Library Association Thumbs Up! Award Nominee (2002); Iowa Teen Award (2006); Missouri Gateway Readers Award Nominee (2004) and many more.

From Publisher's Weekly: "Drawing on the recognizable cadence of teenage speech, the author poignantly captures the tingle and heartache of being young and boy-crazy. She weaves separate free verse poems into a fluid and coherent narrative with a satisfying ending."

Connections: Read the companion novel told by the boyfriend's perspective. Have the students write about a relationship gone wrong or about one gone right, then ask them to write it again but from the other person's perspective.