OTHERWISE KNOWN AS JUDY THE GREAT: A Poetic Ode to Judy Blume

CHRISTY OTTAVIANO BOOKS, 20026

 There are countless authors of books for kids, picture books and otherwise, that adults are unaware of. parents and others may recognize the titles of some classics (GOODNIGHT MOON comes to mind, or BROWN BEAR BROWN BEAR), but relatively few adult readers of these books could recall their authors' names. 

But mention the name JUDY BLUME and the percentage of adult recognition skyrockets. Many of those "lightbulb" recognizers will rattle off one or more of Blume's titles that really mattered: to themselves, to their kids, and even to current generations.

Sadly, JUDY BLUME was not yet writing books when i was looking for strories  as a kid. In fact, she was growing up, as I was, in a world that did not offer kids much in the way of current interesting releases. Even Beverly Cleary was barely getting started. 

That, in fact, is partly why she grew up to WRITE books that reflected REAL kids, REAL concerns, and stories that felt like readers' REAL lives. The good news is that those JUDY BLUME books were coming out while I taught reading and literacy with students across many ages. They and I came to know and love her titles. 

NONE of her books were picture books, although she did expand her portfolio to write young adult/teen titles and novels for adult readers.I'm excited to share a picture book poetry biography of JUDY BLUME now, since April is poetry month, and every day is JUDY BLUME Respect Day! (I made that last one up!)

OTHERWISE KNOWN AS JUDY THE GREAT: A POETIC ODE TO JUDY BLUME is written and illustrated by Selina Alko. The award-winning author-illustrator uses a series of poems in different forms to reveal Judy's life, focusing strongly on her early years and family life. Readers find that Judy's close knit family provided safety and security, but it also led her to trying to do things right and BE a good girl,  LITTLE. MISS. PERFECT. Her brother's frequent pranks and boundary-pushing made Judy's self-imposed pressure even greater.

The mid-century life she led is presented on the page with mid-toned, colorful art, offering a sense of warmth and happiness. The illustrations also include collage-effect, scrap-book-style sections of text passages, assembled symbols of her life, and detailed items related to underlying concerns Judy felt as a child. Her "bargaining with God" to achieve a longed-for adventurous life, to help her brother recover from illness, or even to end the war (WORLD WAR II) came back in ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET. Each poem reveals not only Judy's complex growth and imagination, but also the issues that she later explored in her novels for young readers. 

Many of the poems are titled to convey reminders of specific books she wrote as a mother of two (a boy and a girl). These were stories she wished for in her now childhood, ones she saw her children longing to read. The books she wrote allowed young readers to navigate their own lives, to pursue and contemplate truths. A Judy Blume timeline clarifies content from the poems, paired with a few family photos. Selina Alko's extensive note in back matter reveals the extensive research she did into an author she loved. She lists multiple connections with Judy: being Jewish, loving ALICE IN WONDERLAND and NANCY DREW books, and seeking answers to questions that life presented. Judy's books are frequently listed as BANNED, and Judy continues to work against censorship. 

There are individual poems that can spark lively conversation, but taken as a whole this is biographic journey through the young experiences that fueled an American author everyone should know. The references and further readings in back matter are a great resource, but a doubt they capture and convey JUDY as well as this picture book does. 

DEAR ACORN, (LOVE, OAK): Letter Poems to Friends (With NPR interview link)

My usual strategy in choosing books to celebrate here is to focus on books that are just a shadow away from major accolades, because this titles will get plenty of attention from voices more widely heard than mine. Even so, some stand out so fully and specially that I can't help but add my two cents. This is a link to an interview on NPR with Joyce Sidman and Melissa Sweet. It aired Saturday 10/4, so I beat this post to air a day before. even so, it is a must-listen for anyone who cares about kids, or kids' books, or life!

Check the interview here- it's not long, but it is invaluable. Thanks, and enjoy.

CLARION BOOKS, 2025

DEAR ACORN, (LOVE, OAK): Letter Poems to Friends is a collection of themed poems written by Joyce Sidman and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. 

This is a one-of-a-kind pairing of two master creators combining their talents to produce a collection of poems on a timeless and child-focused theme. Joyce Sidman is among the most skilled and creative poets for young readers (and the rest of us) while Melissa Sweet produces collaged and mixed/media art and illustrations that delight the eye and invite closer consideration. That reader-response invitation provides a perfect scaffold for poems that delight the ear and encourage multiple readings and reflections. 

Sixteen poems are presented in eight pairs, each a direct address letter from a member of a large-to-small (or reverse) relationship within nature. Children, by definition, live lives in big-small relationships and this fresh and personified take on those emotional connections will be welcome.

The table of contents suggests what I'm trying to describe:

Oak/Acorn, Bubble/Sky, Cloud/Droplets, Pebble/River, 

Brick/School, Button/Coat, Toes/Child, and Sea Turtles/Ocean.

 Each poem assumes the voice of the entity, but also assumes a reading by the intended addressee, suggesting it expects to be heard and understood. And each opening poem does, indeed, get a reply. That, too, is a rich and resonate experience for children and for the child in each of us. Being heard and responded to feels like a basic human drive.

For example, when "bubble" starts life with the breath of a boy, it fully experiences its ephemeral but fun existence-- bobbing, shifting, shimmering. Even in that joyful instantaneous moment, Bubble speaks to Sky, revealing its wish to be part of something more. And then POP! The moist casing bursts and a boy's breath becomes part of the atmosphere. The art on Bubble's page has literal elements and a swirl of rainbow-sparkled other bubbles, forecasting their futures as elements of rainbow-filled skies. When SKY replies, it addresses "Dear BUBBLE-THAT-WAS". It shares a poignant insight and a personal thank you for a rare "soapy kiss", signing itself SKY-THAT-ALWAYS -IS.

Just as each phrase, line, and emotion of those two poems merits lingering attention, so too do the sky-square images assembled on that spread. Each suggests a different aspect of the sky, from science to play to weather to wondering. 

If ever a book could be effectively used as inspiration and mentor text for any and all ages, it is this one. The poems can spark exploration of the paired elements and their scientific/natural relationships. The poems encourage appreciation and acceptance of the truth that poetry, perhaps the best of poems, do not require or rely on rhyming, but rather on imagery and language and emotions. The art invites attempts at similar collage and assemblage creations, as well as analysis of elements and patterns of color, shape and sizes. 

Sidman provides a brief author note on the back page to invite readers to attempt letter poems, which are one of the best ways to capture that elusive but highly-valued writing craft, VOICE. As those who attempt letter poems will realize, and Sidman suggests and models in this collection, VOICE is a direct result of becoming part of the expressive object (or person). To imagine and occupy the thinking and feeling of the intended speaker is a rich exercise in empathy. Letter poems invite writers to go a step further and fully imagine themselves in the lives of the recipients. 

I am not alone in singing the praises of this lovely offering. HORN BOOK gives it a starred review HERE, and KIRKUS reviews it HERE as an "imaginative masterpiece."

All of that purposeful use of the book makes it  a must-have for homes, libraries, classrooms, and writing classes. Even so, I feel compelled to repeat myself from some prior posts many years ago. No one, not author, illustrator, editor, nor publisher, puts their time and heart and effort into making a superb picture book like this for the PRIMARY purpose of it being used in these intentional ways. The best creators may, consciously or not, generate work with depth and layers that can be unpacked again and again among many audiences for many purposes. But the MAIN purpose, the driving intent of the best picture books, is to be shared and enjoyed. Do that with this book, please. Read it, enjoy it, share it, and explore it. After delighting in and appreciating that original rich experience, I suspect the further uses and readings and inspirations will flow naturally as it lives on in your lives and on your shelves.

The Very Brilliant Bookmaker, Eric Carle

 Word of Eric Carle's passing  will have reached you by now, no doubt. My few comments here  will not be the most memorable commentary that you'll read. But I do want to add my thoughts about the way this gentle giant of the kingdom of children played a central role in my reading, teaching, and writing life. I avoid naming favorites among books, authors, and other precious things. In fact, though, Eric Carle will always hold a place in my heart beyond measure.

Across  many years and grades of teaching, I used a video (VCR!) featuring him in conversation with the viewers, who he clearly understood were children, but whom he treated with respect and sincerity that any viewer of any age or status would welcome. Carle's personality and brilliance reached right through the screen and into our hearts. His conversation ranged from his early childhood and family, his joy in creating art and stories, and his warm invitation to children to try out the things he demonstrated. 

For his passing, I want to preserve here a summary of one short section of that program. 

He described his "trilogy" of three picture books as holding the core of his beliefs about growing up and becoming a person in a  wide, wonderful, and worrisome world. 

As he worked on THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR, he realized it was a book about HOPE.

 

Later, as he worked on THE VERY BUSY SPIDER, he reflected on the value of WORK. 

Still later, THE VERY QUIET CRICKET reminds us of the importance of finding our own VOICE.

The legacy of Eric Carle's art and stories will never end. May every child have the opportunity to know and love them. And may we all help every child to grow up gentle and confident- with hope, hard work, and a clear voice.