THE WORLD'S BEST CLASS PLANT

 That heading is NOT a typo. 

Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick are each talented authors in their own spaces. Together they have produced some enjoyable and special picture books. You might be familiar with other titles by this team: Five Minutes (That’s a Lot of Time) (No, It’s Not) (Yes, It Is) and Bob, Not Bob. (If not, these are bonus recommendations to check out!) Both feature seamless blending of humor, heart, and unique perspectives toward familiar situations. 

G. P. Putnam's Sons
2023

This talented pair has a new release starring, you guessed it, a CLASS PLANT! Not exactly a familiar scenario, even for those classrooms whose shelves are blooming with greenery. THE WORLD'S BEST CLASS PLANT, illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao, the story they've created for us is unique and resonates with the truths about classrooms, kids, and "pets". The premise is no great surprise.

Every other classroom, even the ART ROOM, has a pet of some kind. If you can imagine humor and tension resulting from this unhappy situation, you've got the humor part right. Mr. Boring's students (not his real name) are stuck with a CLASS PLANT! No excitement there, and certainly no fun, either. In the opening end papers we see these doubtful students trying to share class experiences with a small potted plant, resulting in side eye, sneers, yawns, and outright ignoring. They argue that there's no FUN stuff to do with a plant. Mr. Bummer (also not his real name) urges patience, learning about this odd choice, and giving things time to grow on you. 

Naming it JERRY wasn't much help. When Jerry begins to do strange things (sprouting long and twisty fronds, needing a bigger pot) the kids learn it is a spider plant, the offshoots are called spiderettes, and more. So far, so familiar. Then their own discoveries make them want others to know what terrific things they've learned about Jerry. 

(Anyone who has attempted to write text for picture books will have heard about  amping up the tension or action. This next step is a brilliant example of just such a step.) 

JERRY APPRECIATION DAY involves the entire school, but not until extensive planning and imaginative preparation are complete. Their new-found enjoyment and engagement with a simple plant have contributed to extensive learning, class coherence, and thrilled last-day kiddos when Mr. Perfect (should be his real name) announced that every child would take home a potted spiderette to keep! 

That sounds like a natural place to end, but if you had the talent of this team you'd know that there can be more, better ways to conclude. I won't spoil those brilliant last couple of pages by revealing details, but anyone trying to write for kids should refer often to the magic quality in this book that demonstrates what is added by making a story as GREAT as it can be. 

Make no mistake that the text alone carries all that power. It's a more-than-worthy text for entertainment and insights, enjoyable and suited for many ages. But the illustrations play a significant role in delivery of that fun, as they should. The closing endpapers provide a view of those same kids, many months after the opening papers, eagerly sharing their days with Jerry in utter bliss and satisfaction. I also love how the diverse and clever kids express their reactions and approaches throughout each scene. A fun exercise could ask kids to label the emotional state of kids with various expressions, imagine what they might be thinking/saying, and also what THEY, the reader, might be doing or thinking if in the story. 

One additional note has to do with the illustration choice to make Mr. (you'll eventually learn his correct name) a young Black educator whose choices clearly reveal mastery of his profession despite his comparative youth. Nothing in the text indicate that. Black, male educators are desperately needed in schools, especially young elementary populations. Mr. (______)'s  race has NOTHING to do with the story. There is so little experience of this in real life (that it is a viable and desirable choice for young Black males to teach kids) that his presence and success in this picture book setting is a priceless example to kids of every background. If you can see it, you can be it! 

The combination of talents of the three creators of this book (and certainly their editorial and art director contributors) are also evidence that two heads are better than one, and imagination is enhanced by collaboration. I'd love to hear if you agree.

Tick-Tock: (Not that one)- FIVE MINUTES!

How can half a month disappear while my back was turned? I was busy, sure, but where did the time go?
It seems like I just posted my enthusiastic celebration of our Cybils Nonfiction Finalists for Elementary and Middle Grade titles, but that was TWO WEEKS AGO! 

Isn't it strange that in some circumstances time flies past and in others it drags along in a dreary slog? (Although I can confirm from personal experience that the older one becomes, the more the speedy-where-did-the-time-go reaction is much more common.)

G. P. Putnam and Sons, 2019

Even so, kids will be the first to point out that any given segment of time is not a mathematically defined span of Earth's rotation. Take, for example, "five minutes", as authors Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick did in their recent picture book, FIVE MINUTES (That's a lot of time) (No, it's not) (Yes, it is). With perfectly paced text cuing recognizable situations that prompt grins, giggles, and groans, illustrator Olivier Tallec interprets this familiar family with every conceivable attitude about just exactly how variable "five minutes" can be. 
Not "seem", but actually BE, in the life of a child, at least. 
Together the text and images  reveal "five minutes" dragging on during painfully boring w-a-i-t-i-n-g, or zipping past when savoring something special.  Speaking of painful, what about those five minutes in a dentist's chair, or when a bathroom stall isn't available- yet. 
There are layers of laughter and love throughout, as the parents and kiddo experience time in different ways, including the heartwarming last minutes of this book. 
Years ago my neighbor-friends had a delightfully precocious tot who began talking early. Some of the first words little Tracy learned were "When?" and "How soon?" Before long she added "It is time yet?'
To all of the above, Mom's gentle response was typically, "Not quite yet."
That was effective for a few weeks. 
But then, when asked/told to do something, Tracy began answering, in a calm and charming tone, "Not quite yet."
I thought of that relationship as I read this book and know that readers of any age will recall their own experiences with that sense of the flexibility and frustrations of time. I can't imagine anyone reading this book and not wanting to tell someone about it, before or after reading it several times more.

Holiday House, 2019

As we all well know, time (on the clock) is anything BUT flexible. Since that is a sad but challenging fact, you may want to check out a recent book by the prolific and kid-friendly author, David A. Adler. His nonfiction picture book, TELLING TIME, is illustrated by Edward Miller and does an impressive job of answering the important question: WHAT IS TIME?
with simple direct address, multiple familiar scenes, and important time-related vocabulary, this book states numerical facts, compares time-measures, establishes relative references for time spans, considers tools and technology, and allows for practice in telling time. 
The diverse characters, speech bubbles, and cartoonish scenes make complex content feel friendly and approachable. A short glossary and author note at the back are also helpful. 
This is intended for instruction, but has lots more appeal than an academic text, making it a great way to return to the book time after time. (<

In many years of teaching, my students and I would often discuss the question, "What superpower would you choose?"
My choice was always control over time, with more examples than I will list here. Suffice it to say, I never developed such powers. Instead I do my best to make the turning of the Earth and the hands on the clock as meaningful and productive and kind as possible. 
When I occasionally manage to succeed at that, I guess it feels pretty super after all. 

Baseball Biographies: Who Makes the Line-up in Literature?

Baseball's Opening Day has finally arrived. Hooray!  

Baseball season stretches across six months, with enthusiasm waxing and waning from month to month, depending on the current standing of our favorite teams. When October looms, even the most devoted fans may find interest on a downward spiral if our team(s) are statistically eliminated.

At no point in the season do our fandom flames burn more brightly than on Opening Day. That's when the proverbial playing field feels truly level. Errors are excused. Batting averages are "tied" across the line-up. Players virtually vibrate with enthusiasm and their grins are enormous and contagious. Whatever the weather, open field or closed roof, spring has officially ended and sunny days stretch far into our foreseeable future.

Many little boys dream of taking that field on some far off opening day. But not every boy. Quite a few girls, little and otherwise, see themselves stepping up to bat, too. Mo'Ne Davis became an instant celebrity last year when she pitched her way to fame in the Little League World Series. 
Her participation was a far cry from that of Effa Manley nearly a century ago. Manley's story is told in the picture book biography, SHE LOVED BASEBALL: The Effa Manley Story, written by Audrey Vernick and illustrated by Don Tate. Here's a book that's been around for half a decade and received nowhere NEAR the attention it deserves. There's more than a touch of irony in that, since Effa Manley's life was also largely ignored by anyone in the circles of power, meaning Major League Baseball. She was truly a woman ahead of her time in the arenas of sports, business, civil rights, and gender stereotypes. 

Balzer & Bray, 2010

Her integrity, ingenuity, and insistence on fairness changed lives and the face of American baseball. Long after the Negro League disbanded, Manley advocated successfully for long overdue recognition and honors for players, including assignment to baseball's Hall of Fame. 
On July 30, 2006, she became the first female affiliated with the Negro League inducted into the Hall of Fame on her own merits. As her tombstone says, She Loved Baseball.
If ever there were a biography begging to be made into a movie, this is it. Is anyone in Hollywood ready to take it on? This is a great candidate for promotion in the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign. I'm especially excited to share it today, in April, as a public reminder that "Black History" and "Women's History" are relevant all year long.

For more baseball biographies and stories rooted in history (and social justice) check out this collection of reviews on a new blog. (Click here.)

My post schedule on this blog has been slowed in recent months by writing and revision demands for a book due out later this year. I'm also one of four historical fiction writers authoring a new group blog, launching today:

THE STORIED PAST.

It's a catchy title, but note that we are thestoriedpast.org, (not .com). We four (Sandy Brehl, Emily and Hilda Demuth, and Stephanie Lowden) write historical fiction, among other things. We look forward to offering reviews, interviews, reflections, and quotes. We also welcome suggestions for reviews and interviews  I hope you'll take a look, maybe even subscribe. 

We're celebrating the new endeavor and opening day by offering a FREE Kindle download of the latest Demuth sisters' title, HATTIE'S WAR. The Civil War and the earliest days of baseball feature strongly in Hattie's story, at a time when this nascent "gentleman's" sport was still called "base ball". Click here for your free download before the offer expires on on April 6. 

Baseball Strikes Again!

Baseball is a long season, almost a prototype for the classic Survivor slogan: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast. As excited as I was on opening day, I'm sad to report that my home team BREWERS have faced a trifecta of season-ending injuries and several others that range from from "nagging" to serious. Our impressive first day line-up has been shaken and stirred, but not yet consumed by this stroke of lousy luck.

In fact, the team continues to adjust, adapt, and endure. Sometimes winning, even if not as often as they would with a healthy team. Why? Of course, because they represent a wealth of talented players who are well-paid to do so. One reason I love this team, though, is the character and heart they display, trumping the miserable hand of fate with energy and oomph just when it is needed most.

I didn't grow up loving baseball, but the Brewers wooed me and won my devotion. There's just something about baseball... and I don't seem to be alone in that opinion. Several nonfiction picture books explore the love story that is baseball.

Perhaps the best example of playing for the love of the game can be found in BROTHERS AT BAT:The True Story of An Amazing All Brother Baseball Team by Audrey Vernick, illustrated by Steven Salerno. In the 1930's many families had lots of kids, and the Acerra family of New Jersey was no exception. All twelve brothers played baseball, but the four sisters didn't. In those days "sports were just for boys", although Salerno's period pictures clearly show that these sisters didn't agree with that presumption.
Each brother developed his own distinctive and impressive talent. In one game brother Alfred was blinded in one eye by a bunt gone wrong, but his brothers worked with him until he became "a pretty good one-eyed catcher". Four of the brothers went off to war, but each eventually returned to rejoin the team. It wasn't until 1997 that their unique family team was honored in the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Don't miss the author's and illustrator's notes at the back for even more inspiring background information about this remarkable family of baseball fanatics.

Baseball is a truly American sport. As the author's note indicates, in 1845, the year Lipman was born, the first official set of rules were drawn up to change a child's game into a sport played by adults. LIPMAN PIKE: America's First Home Run King, by Richard Michelson and illustrated by Zachary Pullen, is the story of speedy young "Lip" and his love of the game called "Base". He eventually battled his father's resistance, anti-semitism, and government corruption to apply his unequaled speed and hitting power to the game he loved.
We've all become convinced that superior sports talent will translate to big paychecks, life-changing paychecks. It wasn't until 1871 that the first all-professional (paid) league was formed. Lipman's earliest payments were "unofficial" and just $20 a week. One inflation calculator shows that Lipman, the leading player of the day, was paid the equivalent of about $280 per week. Professional players like Pike worked full time jobs in "real" life to allow them to live out their baseball dreams, playing with the best.

Yet another look back in time can be found in PLAYERS IN PIGTAILS by Shana Corey, illustrated by Rebecca Gibbon. The lead character, Katie, is a fictional composite of the very real young women who seized the opportunity to play professional baseball when history took most of the professional players off to fight World War II. No less than President Roosevelt himself mandated that baseball remain viable for the sake of the nation's morale. Just as women moved into factories they also took on the world of sports.
Katie's story is timeless- a girl whose talent and interests focused on sports, but the world judged her on traditional expectations- cooking, dancing, knitting. Until fate offered up the opportunity to live out her own baseball dreams.
The author's note reveals a surprise about the familiar "Casey at the Bat" and adds even more intriguing details about the way the AAGPBL came to be at that time. (All American Girls' Professional Baseball League).

Now for a nod to a title set in present day that partners well with these picture books,
SHAKESPEARE BATS CLEANUP, by Ron Koertge.
This story in verse speaks in the voice of Kevin, a fourteen year old boy, confined at home "resting" until given the "all clear" from mono, his tall, lean, baseball body losing its strength and instincts. The down time with his writer father involves a journal, a book on poetry forms, and plenty of time to reflect on baseball, girls, and his deceased mother, among other topics. Once he is back on the team he warms the bench, still writing, and sees people (including himself and girls) through new eyes.

Writing will do that to you.

Baseball's beauty is in offering a season long enough for overcoming adversity, gaining insights, and leading with your heart.

Not unlike the characters and story in a good book.

Cliche` or not, baseball (Life?) is a marathon, not a sprint. Reading and writing (and injuries) point out lessons along the way.