Animal Humor in an Awesome Blend of Fact and Fiction

 Quick Covid 19 anchor in time:

The status of "spread" or "flattening" of the virus varies in different regions of the country, but our nation's overall numbers keep climbing. Some kids will resume physical or virtual school, some families are working virtually or leaving home as essential public workers, and some are out of work and struggling with the financial stresses of that situation (with governmental supports currently expired and little sign of restoration). Whatever your local circumstances are, please stay safe and well, and show others the respect of keeping public spaces as safe as possible.

I have been seeing sidewalk chalk for sale in every possible location as I make my way during essential trips into retail spaces for medicines, foods, and hardware. The pandemic and protests for Black Lives Matter and racial justice seem to have heightened the creative impulse in kids and adults. That reminded me of a breathtaking picture book I am overdue to feature. 

Henry Holt and Company, 2019

HANDIMALS: Animals in ART and NATURE includes nonfiction text by Silvia Lopez and mind-boggling  body art by Guido Daniele. The artist's mission is to call attention to the plight of endangered animals by showcasing their distinctive beauty, behaviors and adaptations on an unusual platform. In this book the text provides informative and engaging details about particular animals, tucked on each broad-layout double-page spread between bookends of a vibrantly colored photograph of an actual animal on the left, mirrored by a full-bleed photographic image of the animal Daniele has created  on hand(s), sometimes including arms, shoulders, and multiple individuals.

Interior image- CHAMELEON

The art is so incredible that it takes intense  attention to distinguish the body parts on which the image is painted. I remain in awe of the positioning, texture, and dimensionality of each creature, and, most especially, the eyes. There is helpful thumbnail back matter to augment the scientific content about each species, but I was even more intrigued by Daniele's afterword discussions of how (and why) he works to achieve these images. 

I'll admit I was suffering on behalf of the models as I examined each finished piece, feeling my own hands cramp in sympathy with how long they must have held each position. Daniele's process allows for extensive preparation to avoid that, analyzing and achieving intended positions, taking photographs, sketching/drafting the details, and planning color and detail applications before applying colors to the actual models. Those eyes I so admire in each case are his starting point, he says, and he chooses particular hands/arms/poses to suit the textures and content for various plans. 

How many hands, arms, shoulders do you see?
What connects to what? Whose are whose?

There are added important and intriguing details in that back matter, including that he uses make-up rather than paint, and only natural materials. His dedication for this book is to Jane Goodall, who is pictured with him and her own chimp-painted hand. This amazing book will intrigue and inspire readers of any age, and is an ideal example of  #STEM content being elevated by ART to become #STEAM. This book has been available for some time, but I feel like it is a perfect book for right now. 

GREYSTONE KIDS, September, 2020

A new picture book will be available in September, 2020, and it flips the above approach by using  a delightful FICTION premise to introduce NONFICTION content, sparking research, observation, and comparisons, not to mention some potential art efforts. ANIMALS BRAG ABOUT THEIR BOTTOMS is the inspired work of MAKI SAITO, translated by Brian Bergstrom. The very simple text assumes each animal is, indeed, quite proud of their bottom, with some minimal text reference to similarities, differences, and traits.

interior of some posteriors.

Bottoms of all kinds!

As this final spread indicates, diversity is a virtue, and comparisons are rarely going to make sense. On the other hand, (for pun fans), these two books would benefit by comparison in EVERY way. Whether focused on the front, the whole, or the rear, each animal has characteristics that suit its needs for protection, survival, and habitats. One type of art is complex and precise, while the other is interpretive with softer details. One uses elaborate factual text and images, the other uses simplified fictional text and images, but both inform, invite, and entertain. With a bit of investigation it turns out that both are translations, both have global appeal and both are published in other countries and languages. The appeal is clearly global.

Here's hoping you'll get your hands on HANDIMALS for now, and ANIMALS BRAG ABOUT THEIR BOTTOMS in September.  

Public zoos and museums have been reopening, some with prescheduled attendance and restricted displays. Still, they are open for visiting and direct observation. Wouldn't it be a great idea to make a trip (or more) and use those handy handheld cameras to capture these and other intriguing critters in a variety of positions and with varying expressions? Wouldn't it be fun to create your own art, or even books, adding information discovered through observation and research?

Facts Are Facts- Sorta!

I readily admit I am intrigued by unusual facts, but I rarely make an effort to recall them exactly. I tend to store the information in a "ballpark" sense. Sorta the way I balance my checking account. In other words, close enough.
Kids of all ages (which includes adults) find quirky facts fascinating. How else do you explain the popularity of trivia games, Guinness World Records, and sports statistics? Whether they retain the precise details (a la Rain Man) or just enjoy an unexpected discovery when it's encountered, readers have a treat waiting for them in the pages of picture books.

Templar Books (Candlewick), 2013

Paul Thurlby's art is always amazing, but especially so in his recent release, PAUL THURLBY'S WILDLIFE.  Even before reading the text I had fun comparing his approach to the styles of Peter Brown in MR.TIGER GOES WILD and Christopher Silas Neal in LIFETIME, featured in recent posts. 
Then his text won me over, too. He incorporated figurative phrases in the poster-like art that give literal clues to the animal facts.  A few of those facts were familiar to me, but most were surprising and even memorable. He takes something as common as "bears sleep through the winter for up to six months" and spices it up with the added detail: WITHOUT POOPING! So much for the toilet paper commercials starring bears.
More examples and a full analysis are included in this Kirkus starred review. I agree entirely with Booklist's assessment: "These zoology nuggets are unusual, specific, and accessible to young audiences, all while offering surprises to those reading aloud to them."

Viking, 1995

Enriched as they are by images, puns, and humor, Thurlby's facts are, actually, facts. On the other hand, real information and perspectives on people, places and things are presented in a book that is "sorta" factual. ZOOM is a wordless book created by Istvan Banyai. He fills the left page of each spread with black, almost as if the shutter of a camera is continually closing and reopening. The right pages display crisp images we think we recognize, only to turn the page for a "zoom out" to reframe the image with a wider perspective that reveals something more, or different, or both. The levels of understanding at each step back become more complex and generate more questions for the reader. And yes, despite being wordless, those who explore this book are "reading" it.
Banyai's subsequent books along this line include the equally engaging RE-ZOOM and THE OTHER SIDE and are well worth exploring, too.

W. W. Norton & Co. 2013

In the spirit of stepping back for a different perspective, I'll include a book here that is NOT a picture book, but raises a ton of mental images within its fact-filled pages. 1,227 QUITE INTERESTING FACTS TO BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF was produced by John Lloyd, John MItchinson, and James Harkin, the creators of the earlier BOOK OF GENERAL IGNORANCE. Ranging from such nuggets as, "There are no moles in Ireland", (which begs the question, why not?) to "King George the Third's urine was blue", the contents of this book left me baffled, if not always sockless  To learn more about sources and the authenticity of their claims, they offer a website: 
www.qi.com/US1227. Of course, everything you find on the internet is true, right?

Among other outstanding non-fiction picture book titles are the ones featured here in a summer post by Mia Wenjen on her Pragmatic Mom blog. Whether your tastes run to precision and verification or exploration and investigation on your own, these books are good places to start. The power of some wacky facts or a wordless eye-opener to spark curiosity and generate further reading is not just "sorta" amazing. It's downright wonder-full.

March Madness and Its Maker

Here's hoping that somewhere in the midst of bracket-tweaking, team-cheering, and post-game analysis some of the millions following the NCAA Tournament will need a breather and find their way here. Although I'm a die-hard baseball fan, I get swept up in the excitement, too. I have at least three teams to whom I pledge allegiance, and all three made it to the magical "64" this year. (To avoid alienating readers, I'm withholding names.) Unlike baseball, basketball is a sport that allows for players of any age or gender to be able to practice skills or just shoot hoops when alone, which is hard to say for many team sports. These are reasons to dedicate a post to basketball, but sharing powerful picture books is an even greater incentive to haul out my brightest spotlight and shine it on this book.

Carolrhoda Books (Lerner), 2013

The name James Naismith turns up regularly in trivia games, crossword puzzles, and even the occasional Jeopardy session. John Coy's non-fiction picture book about Naismith and the genesis of basketball should be read by anyone who has ever watched, played, or even heard of this game. HOOP GENIUS: HOW A DESPERATE TEACHER AND A ROWDY GYM CLASS INVENTED BASKETBALL is illustrated by Joe Morse and the subtitle says it all.
But please don't stop reading there. 
The text is crisp, controlled, muscular, and fast-paced; not unlike a competitive game of basketball. The muted colors, black-line edges, and intense expressions in the illustrations  are equally muscular and dramatic. In fact, the text and pictures combine to put the reader in the shoes of a  thirty-year-old teacher walking into a gym class of near-grown men who had already caused two teachers to quit.  The images of the aggressive players and their scowling features are enough to make many turn around and walk out. 
Not Naismith. 
He concocted  and adapted several other games, but injuries and fights continued. Drawing on a childhood memory, he imagined a skill-based game that limited body contact. When it came to ball-handling skills, their sprawling arms, legs, and massive hands made this the ideal batch of basketball guinea pigs. The photo of that original team in the back matter suggests the illustrations are no exaggeration of reality.
I particularly enjoyed the endpapers, which are the reproduced images of Naismith's two-page typed (and hand-revised) rules for the game. Thirteen rules, two-pages double-spaced. The official NCAA manual for 2012 has a four-page index, double columns and 9-point font!
I urge you to read this and share it with anyone who loves the game. Since reading it I can't hear a single squeaky sneaker on a basketball court, in the tournament  or otherwise, without picturing the man who launched a sport that now encircles the globe.
While you're at it, here  are several other basketball picture book titles to add to your basket or hold requests:

Candlewick, 2004

For lively rhyming text using the voice of the basketball try LET'S PLAY BASKETBALL, by Charles R. Smith, Jr. and illustrated by Terry Widener.

Sleeping Bear Press, 2005

Older readers will be intrigued by the colorful images and informative text in this basketball entry in the non-fiction series by Sleeping Bear Press:  J IS FOR JUMPSHOT: A BASKETBALL ALPHABET, by Michael Ulmer, illustrated by Mark Braught

Carolrhoda Books, 2011

The youngest, Nerf-ball chucking kids will be delighted with DINO-BASKETBALL, by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott.





Fans of any age, or even **gasp** non-fans will find things to cheer for in these titles. Considering that odds of having "your" team win, or even reach the final four, comfort yourself with the thoughts that these are all winners. 

Psst...Pass It On

How often does it happen that two favorite blogs feature the same remarkable book on the same day? Actually, more often than you might think. Sometimes this happens due to "buzz" or new releases, but sometimes it's a message from the ethernet about books that no one should miss.

With this extra post I'm just doing my part to spread the word.

Today I opened Kirsten Larson's Creating Curious Kids, and found her Perfect Picture Book Friday post (say that fast three times) featuring Vulture View. What do you get when you combine April Pulley Sayre's lyrical text and extensive research with Steve Jenkins's dynamic illustrations to tell the story of fascinatingly repulsive vultures? VULTURE VIEW, a most remarkable creative non-fiction book for all ages, a book that deserves the spotlight on Friday or any day of the week, that's what.

Then I opened a blog feed from another favorite, I.N.K. (Interesting Non-Fiction for Kids), hosted by a stellar array of non-fiction writers. Today Melissa Stewart's topic is Creative Non-Fiction, and the very first image and title to pop up is... ta-da...Vulture View.

The post is packed with sage advice and insight, including a list of some of the best creative non-fiction you could hope to find, all recent releases. High quality, multi-use, multi-age picture books like these are featured in my workshops, including most of these titles. I also recommend subscribing to I.N.K. to stay informed and inspired by the best of the best in the world of non-fiction for kids.

Melissa points out that these are books that engage, inform, generate inquiry, provide mentor text, link to content area studies, and address common core standards. Beyond all that, they are appealing! Kids (and adults) love them, eat them up, can't get enough of them...

like ice cream!

Even when there's "no room for dessert", ice cream melts and goes between the cracks, as I often insisted to my parents. In our jam-packed, digitally enhanced world, inside classrooms and out in the world, kids (and the rest of us) live tightly programmed lives. Literature in general is being squeezed out, including time to reflect, discuss, and question. But...(and you knew this was coming)... there is always room for picture books. Ice cream, when consumed mindfully, is nutritious, satisfying, comforting, readily accessible, and delightful. So, too, are quality picture books.

And they're good for us!

Just remember to share.

Amelia Overlooked: Worth the Search

The recent ALA Youth Media Awards were exciting, and highlighted many worthy books. Wednesday's post on I.N.K. Rethink  presented a thorough wrap-up of winning/honored non-fiction. Since the announcements, comments have been popping up about a title missing from that mix: Candace Fleming's 2011 Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart.

When it released last spring I posted a review at the Carthage College Center for Children's Literature site. I'm including a section of it here in hopes that this remarkable title will not be "lost" in the swirl of attention surrounding the recent awards.

Fleming leads readers on a surprising path to the truth behind Amelia’s winning smile and curly bob despite the iconic cover photo and unsurprising title of her new book. Including the fact that Amelia’s curls were not natural, as she often claimed, we find countless examples of Earhart’s efforts to develop and maintain a public persona as heroine/aviatrix, “otherwise flying opportunities will stop rolling in,” (her own words). Fleming plumbs reliable sources to correct misconceptions and shed new light on one of our brightest stars of the twentieth century while maintaining an objective tone.

Revealed through intriguing specifics, from her birth to her disappearance, Amelia becomes much more than a mythologized cardboard figure. Aspects of self-promotion and some “not very nice” decisions on the part of Amelia and her promoter/husband George Putnam enrich our understanding of her many passions: for flight, breaking barriers, risk-taking, and reaching her full potential. Exploring her many dimensions allows readers a broader perspective of the role Amelia played in the advance of aviation and women in American society. Fatal flaws leading to her disappearance (impulsivity, over-confidence, and tunnel vision among them) serve to humanize Earhart.

Amelia’s experiences as a social worker, advertiser, competitor, and clothing designer will come as a surprise to most readers. Other worthy players in the development and popularizing of aviation are given due credit, their points of view providing insight to Amelia’s choices. The intense efforts to locate her lost plane are revealed with enough suspense to engender a sense of possibility for success despite our knowledge of history.

From the cautionary forward (Don’t believe everything you read- dig for the truth) to the annotated bibliography, source notes by chapter, reliable web sources, and index, Fleming has created a profile built on solid research, primary sources, and a healthy dose of accuracy. Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart is a clear-eyed and compellingly suspenseful presentation of a remarkable American woman. Candace Fleming’s well-earned reputation for meticulous detail, exhaustive research, and superb storytelling continues unblemished in this blend of biography and true-life mystery.  

Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart

By Candace Fleming

Schwartz and Wade Books, 2011 (Random House Books)

Readers: age 10 and up.
Starred Reviews in Kirkus Reviews, The Horn Book Magazine, School Library Journal, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books