I can hear you all now, nodding and murmuring, "Ah, yes, Stonehenge." And yes, well done you! Stonehenge was (we suspect) built to mark the seasons as well as a place to bury your (most important) dead. However! Stonehenge is not my favorite. My favorite is a place far north of Stonehenge, built on the Orkney Islands. It's called Maes Howe. 

And every year there is a live webcam of the sun penetrating the long tunnel into the chamber on the Winter Solstice. Before you roll your eyes at me, there are a few things you need to know. 

1. It was built around the year 2800 BCE (How did they engineer this thing? HOW?)
2. It is a burial chamber, and can fit 15 people comfortably inside with plenty of head room. 
3. When the sun shines fully into the chamber, there is a display shelf on the rear wall that gets bathed in sunlight (What?!
      HOW DID THEY DO THAT?!)
4. There is graffiti on the walls, in RUNES from when some Norsemen got snowed in one winter. It's fairly vulgar, and thus
​      hilarious.
5. Maes Howe and surrounding neolithic monuments are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The Maes Howe website has some great information (and pictures!). The website itself was built a while ago (and thus lacks bells and whistles), but it is my favorite thing this time of year. 

I should mention that I have BEEN there, but all of my photos are analog and around here somewhere. If I can locate them, I will share with the class. 

I would be remiss in my librarian duty if I didn't share at least one title with you! I found two delightful nonfiction picture books that cover both the scientific reason behind the Solstice and the ways it was celebrated. 

The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson

Covers both the scientific reason for the Solstice and folklore associated with it. Offers historical perspectives from Europe and South America. 

The Shortest Day by Wendy Pfeffer

Discusses the holiday traditions that are tied to ancient Solstice traditions from all over the world. Includes a clearly illustrated explanation of why winter in the Northern Hemisphere has shorter days. 

Hey party people! I have been super busy behind the scenes working on my e portfolio, so the blog got put in the back seat. I have not forgotten you! I am working on a few fun tutorials, so look for those in the next few days. In the meantime, go to the library and get a few books to read. Here are 10 titles that should tide you over!

Mouse, Bird, Snake, Wolf by David Almond, illustrated by Dave McKean, Candlewick, 2014. UK.

This graphic novel takes us to a world, much like ours but for one difference—this world was left unfinished by gods who spend their time feasting and sleeping. In this unfinished world live three children Harry, Sue and Little Ben who one day decide to go wandering and come to rest beneath a tree. Ben declares he can sometimes see things in the empty spaces, and brings forth a mouse. Sue looks into the empty space and brings forth a bird. Harry conjures a snake. But then their imaginations get overly ambitious and they bring something new and dangerous into the world. It’s up to Ben to save Harry and Sue, as the gods are still napping. This tale takes familiar fairytale concepts and breathes a new fresh tale into existence. The illustrations are as twisty and ephemeral as the children’s thoughts. Dave McKean uses pen & ink, colored pencil and digital collage to draw us into this world and peer into the minds of the protagonists. 

Sita’s Ramayana by Samhita Arni, Groundwood Books, 2011. India.

This a graphic novel format retelling of the epic Ramayana from the point of view of Sita, Rama’s wife. The illustrations are done in the scroll painting style of Patua—with thick black outlines and vibrant colors, the illustrations are like murals and illuminated manuscripts from centuries past. Told from Sita’s perspective, the mighty battle in Lanka takes on a sorrowful tone as she empathizes with the women who have lost loved ones. The tale subtly highlights the fate of women in a male-driven world. At the back of the book is a section on how the book was created and a historical note about female retellings of the Ramayana.

Beyond the Surface by Nicolas Andre, Nobrow Press, 2014. Great Britain.

This concertina style book is wrapped in a four-panel fold out that, on the interior, has facts about the greatest heights and the deepest depths of the Earth and the intrepid explorers who have traveled there. The concertina itself is printed on both sides. One side takes you up above the surface of the Earth and shows a myriad of ways to explore and enjoy this planet. There are campers, downhill skiers, dragon-kite-flyers, planetary-spy-ers, and mountain climbers. On the flip side, the illustrations take you below the surface into underwater caverns, past dinosaur skeletons, gemstones, bats, cave dwellers, and abandoned mines. The vibrant palette is reminiscent of the 1960’s with lime greens, bright blues and reds jostling for attention. This wordless concertina provides hours of entertainment as you pour over the illustrations and make hypotheses about who the characters are and what they are doing. 

Time of Miracles by Anne-Laure Bondoux and Y. Maudet, Delacorte Press, 2010. France.

Told from the perspective of a young refugee, Blaise Fortune, we learn of how he was raised by a woman named Gloria after she rescued him from a burning train as an infant. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the pair travel from the Republic of Georgia across Europe, Gloria tells Blaise that his mother was French and that he is a French citizen. It is Gloria’s goal to get Blaise to France so that he can live a life of freedom. Five years are told in vignettes and as Blaise grows older, so too does Gloria. This novel is a tale of survival, love, and belonging. 

The Black Book of Colors by Menea Cottin, Groundwood Books, 2008. Spain.

This is a book about colors, and the way we describe them. The book itself is printed on black glossy paper, with text in white on the lower half of the left page. On the upper half of the left page, the text is repeated in braille. On the right page are embossed black-on-black illustrations. The book is beautiful both in design and feel.  What makes this book so great is that unlike most braille adaptations, this book is in picture book format which means that it is for all children not just blind children.

Wild Berries by Julie Flett, Simply Read Books, 2014. Canada.

This charming picture book follows Clarence and Grandma as they go into the woods to pick wild berries. Told in English with Cree words sprinkled throughout the text in red, this gentle tale is a celebration of time spent outdoors with those we love. Julie Flett has created a story that is at once familiar and brand-new. With illustrations on the right and text on the left, the book carefully balances text and images. The illustrations are watercolor and cut paper against a white background. The palette is deep and earthy, composed of green, grey, red and blue. At the back of the book is a pronunciation guide and a recipe for wild blueberry jam. 

The Rabbit Problem by Emily Gravett, Simon & Schuster, 2010. Great Britain.

This book is not a book about math (even though it’s based off of Fibonacci’s famous equation). It is a book about rabbits. The text explores how many rabbits can a pair of rabbits create at the end of a month? How many rabbits will there be at the end of a year? And what happens when you have 53 pairs of rabbits in one field? The book is designed like a calendar (complete with a hole for hanging on the wall), and each page turn will bring you to a new month. Gravett’s mixed media illustrations are both humorous and inviting. A few pages have mini books that cover everything from knitting a rabbit sweater to the Carrot Cookbook. As the population increases, the hand-drawn rabbits spill over one another in order to fit on the page until finally they all burst forth in a pop-up at the end of the book. 

Before After by Anne-Margot Ramstein and Matthias Aregui, Candlewick, 2014. France.

This hefty wordless book is a visual demonstration of the passage of time. Each page contains a single full-page illustration that extends to the very edges of the page. Most of the stories are a two page set of before-after like the acorn and the oak, but a few are before-after-after like the oak tree through the seasons. The digitally rendered illustrations are vibrant, but appear flat—there is very little shading used to create the illusion of depth. To differentiate foreground from background all of the items on the page have thin outlines, but the outlines are not all black. The size (6”x9”) is ideal for a cozy exploration in a comfy chair.  

La Malinche: the Princess Who Helped Cortez Conquer the Aztec Empire by Francisco Serrano, illustrated by Pablo Serrano, Groundwood Books, 2011. Mexico.

 A tale of the conquest of Mexico by Cortez, utilizing both historical documents and first-person sources Serrano explains how Cortez, with the aid of La Malinche, was able to travel to the capital city of Tenochtitlan and overthrow Moctezuma. The book doesn’t shy away from the realities of conquest, but the focus is on La Malinche’s role as translator and the symbolic mother of all Mexicans. At the back of the book is a map that shows Cortez’ route, a glossary, a list of sources, and recommended further reading. The book is filled with illustrations reminiscent of early church murals combined with Aztec motifs in a warm, sun-baked palette. 

Lost and Found by Shaun Tan, Arthur A. Levine Books, 2011. Australia.

This collection of three shorter Shaun Tan works explores how people (or in one case, rabbits) move through the world. In The Red Tree a girl moves through a bad day, starting with a room full of fallen leaves to being overshadowed by a giant putrid fish to being stuck in a tiny boat surrounded by giant steamboats. But at the last minute hope is restored when she returns home to find something beautiful waiting for her. The illustrations here are in Shaun Tan’s unique style, combining organic with machine to create new and puzzling combinations. The palette is subdued but lush. In The Lost Thing the protagonist tells a tale of the time he was collecting bottle caps and spotted a lost thing on the beach. Again Shaun Tan creates a creature that is part organic and part machine (but full of personality). The protagonist is told by his parents that the lost thing needs to live somewhere else, and goes on a trek to find a place where the thing can fit it. This story is utterly charming, and the illustrations are full of gears and mechanisms to ogle and ponder. The last tale The Rabbits was written by John Marsden and illustrated by Shaun Tan. This story is an examination of imperialism and manifest destiny—if the conquerors had been rabbits instead of people. Gorgeous earthy colors and layers upon layers create the scenery into which the rabbits invade. As the tale moves forward, the illustrations get smaller in size and darker in color. It is a prime example of how text and illustration can work together to create a something greater than the sum of its parts.

This book is a quick read that offers an opportunity to discuss the life and culture of an American teen. As a piece of historical fiction, the text offers glimpses into living in an urban war zone. In the classroom the text could be used as a springboard to discuss current political global affairs, or the global situation in the the mid 1980's, or as a writing exercise (what would Faten's life be like as a teen in Lebanon today?). It could also be useful to discuss the aspirations of the teen students and how they feel about Faten's choices. 

I have been working on a few projects in the studio and I thought I would share. Over the winter break I learned a new bookbinding technique and I have been making books for a variety of uses. (Mostly I have been making books to make books)  Up next I will be making small books (4"x 4") and then I'm going to try my hand at triangle books. TRIANGULAR BOOKS, people! I'm pretty jazzed about the whole thing.

And I have been working on lettering and flourishes in watercolor. 
In anticipation of Galentine's Day, I am making a few cards. 
You can check in later to see what I mean...(hint hint)
I'm not saying I'm the best friend, but I'm pretty good at being a good friend.

The cast of animals should be mostly familiar to young readers: jackal, crane, fish, turtle, squirrel, cat, peacock, elephant, and a tailor bird. The text inside the story provides excellent vocabulary-enriching opportunities. 
The illustrations are large enough to make this book work for storytime. It is flexible enough to work for a variety of themes: eating, books with singing, new twists on old tales, and stories from India to name a few. With this book you could also incorporate making predictions, clapping to the song, waving scarves to the song, and readers could read the sound effects which are in white text. Extension activities can be art-based (you knew I was going to go there, right?) For older children, you can show them how the illustrations were made and then provide them black paper and white paint to create their own animals. For younger children, you could show them how the artist uses patterns to decorate the animals and have them draw and decorate animals. Both of these activities will allow them to use their pencil-holding muscles and encourage them to make text-to-self connections. 

Have you seen the quote that says "You have the same amount of hours in a day as Beyonce"? Once I saw it I felt super-motivated to look at how I spend my time. I'm not sure how many hours a day the super-prolific star spends sleeping, but I need a solid 8 to be of any use to anyone. That gives me 16 hours in which to do something. I'm not a huge TV person (most of my watching happens on weekend nights via Netflix) so I don't really have to worry about that getting in the way. I read a lot, which I consider a worthwhile use of time--anywhere from 2-4 hours a day you will find me in a book. And then there is time spent making meals and eating...let's call that 3 hours. And lastly there is school work, Girl Scout prep, and yoga.
 Conservative estimate of my time still available to me: 3 hours a day. That's A LOT of time, yet somehow I feel like I have no time. 
Which is a shame, because I have all these great ideas that I want to share with you. 

This semester I am taking a class that is going to Bologna, Italy for the Children's International Book Fair (where rights to books get bought and sold.) The Fair at Bologna is kind of a big deal--it's where Scholastic bought the rights to print and distribute Harry Potter.  As prep for the trip we are reading books that were originally published outside of the United States. I am a lover of picture books and can spot an international picture book from 50 paces--the art and narrative sensibility are different than American published books (and, confession: I love the slightly off-kilter feeling of reading a book from elsewhere). So far I am halfway through the reading list, and I cannot pick a favorite. The trouble with being a bibliophile is that the books I dislike are few and far between. 

Here are is what I have read so far and how I think you could use them in your classroom or in the library!

The Bathing Costume: Or the Worst Vacation of My Life by Charlotte Moundlic, illustrated by Oliver Tallec, Enchanted Lion, 2013. France. 
 

This is an excellent example of narrative to be used with middle grades. It could be used to start a memoir project, or to talk about the interaction between text and illustration. In the library it would work as a display book for summer, or for conquering fear, or for family. You could also use it as an example for a teen or tween creative writing group.  

Now that Mother's Day has come and gone, I'm working on a collection of bicycle stories to share. I started the Pinterest board this morning--it's a work in progress to be sure. Most of the titles are for children in elementary school (grades K-5). If you enjoy a good picture book for the work of art that it is, check out Along a Long Road by Frank Viva. The illustrations and overall design of that book are really quite brilliant. 

The most interesting thing about bicycles (to me, anyway) is that they appear on nearly every continent. Are there bicycles on Antarctica? Maybe a pedal-happy scientist has brought one to the research station. 
Two minutes of research has turned up the interesting fact that YES there are (or at one time there were) bicycles on Antarctica. 

In my selection of books for this month's story collection, I tried to provide a list of books that cover a variety of viewpoints and experiences. If you have a moment, read the White Paper from the ALSC (Association for Library Service to Children) which covers the importance of books that portray the diversity and variety of the world in which we live. To sum up: this world is full of amazing and wonderful cultures and everyone should be able to see that in the books we publish and share with one another. 

Below are a list of titles about bicycles that you can check out at your library. 

Ander. Me and My Bike. Heryin Books. 2008.

Brown, Marc. D.W. Rides Again! Little, Brown. 1993.

Donahue, Jill L. Ride Right: Bicycle Safety. Picture Window Books, 2009.

Dudley, David L. The Bicycle Man. Clarion Books. 2005.

Ernst, Lisa Campbell. Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale. Simon & Schuster Books. 1995.

Goodstein, Madeine. Wheels!:Science Projects with Bicycles, Skateboards, and Skates. Enslow Publishers. 2009.

Hillenbrand, Will. Off We Go! A Bear and Mole Story. Holiday House. 2013.

Lewis, E.B. My Rows and Piles of Coins. Clarion Books. 1999.

Mulder, Michelle. Pedal It: How Bicycles are Changing the World. Orca Book Publishers. 2013.

Parish, Herman. Amelia Bedelia Means Business. Greenwillow Books. 2013.

Proimos, James. The Best Bike Ride Ever. Dial Books for Young Readers. 2012.

Raschka, Chris. Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle. Schwartz & Wade. 2013.

Robinson, Laura. Cyclist Bikelist: a Book for Every Rider. Tundra Books. 2010.

Schwartz, David. Supergrandpa. Tortuga Press. 2005.

Shannon, David. Duck on a Bike. Blue Sky Press. 2002.

Stauffacher, Sue. Tille the Terrible Swede: How One Woman, a Sewing Needle, and a Bicycle Changed History. Alfred A. Knopf. 2011.

Tsubakiyama, Margaret. Mei-Mei Loves the Morning. Whitman, A. 1999.

Viva, Frank. Along a Long Road. Little, Brown. 2011.

Greetings! 

I'd like to take a brief moment to talk about this bibliography I have compiled, who it is for and why we (as Americans) need it. My final project for Library Materials for Children centers around literature that explores the immigrant experience in North America. The materials collected are for children in grades 3-5, and cover a range of materials from picture books to novels as well as a wide variety of experiences. These books can be used in a classroom setting as part of the social studies curriculum or in the home as jumping off points for conversations about cultural heritage and family traditions. 

As America is made of a patchwork of cultural histories and traditions all swirled together, it is important for children to learn about the many peoples who have become a part of the America we live in today. At some point in their lives, all children will meet someone who is “not from here”—whether that means another town, another state or another nation--and it is in everyone's best interest for our children to be able to empathize with that person. Today, one in every eight residents in the United States is foreign-born, and in more than 2/3 of the country foreign-born residents make up more than 5% of the population. As cross-border travel becomes easier and global communication becomes more frequent with the rise of the digital age, it is imperative that children understand that we are all human even though we may have different cultural traditions. 

We have all experienced the magic of a book: to transport us into someone else's life, to show us the world as we haven't seen it before.  I hope you will consider sharing some of these books with the kids in your life. 

Here is a list of the titles I have compiled. To read brief summaries, please go to my Pinterest board.

Alvarez, Julia. "Return to Sender" (2010).
Cheng, Andrea. "Honeysuckle House" (2004).
Fleischman, Paul. "The Matchbox Diary" (2013).
Himelblau, Linda. "The Trouble Begins" (2005).
House, Silas and Vaswani, Neela. "Same Sun Here" (2013).
Khan, Rukhsana. "Big Red Lollipop" (2010).
Lai, Thanhha. "Inside Out and Back Again" (2013).
Lombardo, Jenny. "Drita, My Homegirl" (2006).
Moore, Julianne. "My Mom Is a Foreigner, But Not to Me" (2013). 
Smith, David J. "If America Were a Village: A Book about the People of the United " (2009).
Tan, Shaun. "The Arrival" (2007). 
Trottier, Maxine. "Migrant" (2011).
Walker, Paul Robert. "All About America: A Nation of Immigrants" (2012)
Williams, Karen Lynn. "My Name Is Sangoel" (2009).