What's in Your Pocket? A Picture Book Review, A Mini Author Interview, and A Giveaway!

Nine curious children who grew up to become scientists. Nine adults who discovered new products, new species, and new ideas. These nine individuals are the backbone of Heather Montgomery's latest book, What's In Your Pocket?  (Charlesbridge, 2021). Illustrated by Maribel Lechuga, this STEM book will be an asset to any K-3 classroom.

REVIEW

When you explore the great outdoors and find something strange and wonderful, do you put it in your pocket?   

Scientists collect specimens so they can observe the details of natural artifacts.

Immediately, young readers will be drawn into the opening pages of this book. The young girl who is pictured on the cover, is seen stooping down, examining a rock, and then pocketing it. 

As she walks off, the reader turns the page and sees a field where young George is examining a seedpod.  He must have put it in his pocket because,

The section ends with a repeated refrain,

Nobody knew that George would grow up to be the famous scientist George Washington Carver....He discovered almost three hundred new uses for the peanut including soap, glue, and fuel...

In this charming way, children are also introduced to William Beebe who held eggs in his mouth while climbing down a tree... and became the first person to see glowing fish and other deep-sea animals alive in their habitat; to Valerie Jane who put wiggly worms under her pillow...and became the famous primatologist, Jane Goodall.

Readers meet Charles Darwin (naturalist, biologist), Meg Lowman (biologist, ecologist), Diego Cisneros-Heredia (naturalist and scientist),

Mary Anning (paleontologist), Bonnie Lei (conservation biologist), and Maria Sibylla Merian (naturalist and scientific illustrator).

I enjoyed the juxtaposition of the little girl "narrator" as she explores and collects elements from nature, and the nine mini-biographies of scientists who loved the outdoors as children. The text is very child-friendly and I can practically hear Heather Montgomery speaking directly to the reader!  

The last two pages are a wonderful spread of the animals seen in the book along with the little girl marveling at one of her discoveries. The text reads:

Throughout history, kids have found all

kinds of strange and wonderful things.

They've created collections.

They've made discoveries.

They've changed the world of science.

Every discovery started with just one thing.

One little thing that could fit in a pocket.

What's in your pocket?

Can't you just picture children checking what's inside their pockets after that last line?

BACK MATTER

I'm a back matter junkie and What's In Your Pocket is an example of one of the best. Four and a half pages are filled with "More About These (Grown-Up) Kids. One and a half pages are delightful notes from the illustrator and author. Readers hear about how nature inspired both Maribel Lechuga and Heather Montgomery and how they researched this book. (Artists and writers: Get ready to be impressed!) I particularly like how Heather included that she respects nature, that she respects the people she lives with by "making sure my artifacts are clean and (mostly) stink-free, and she respects herself. "I don't put my hands where my eyes can't see (like under a rock or log). Field guides and a bibliography complete the book.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

CAROL: This is a longer picture book than most.  How did you and Charlesbridge determine the length? ​

HEATHER: Originally, I paced this manuscript to be 32 pages; fortunately, in an early discussion about the project, editor Alyssa Pusey suggested expanding it to 40 pages. At that point in 2018, she was looking for longer picture books. I was delighted. It allowed two full spreads for most of the scientists, gave extra space for backmatter, and made room for more of that luscious art.

CAROL: Closely tied to that first question—how did you pick which scientists to focus on? Were there others you wanted to feature who didn’t make it into the book?

​HEATHER: Finding just the right stories was the challenge. Researching full biographies, I developed a list of scientists and stories. But those biographies did not showcase enough diversity. I crossed names off my list to make room for others. And that required some creative research (like a Google survey sent to scientists around the world). Not only that, but the anecdotes had to convey the right mix of sweetness and skills. It took careful selection and sequencing to illustrate skill-building.

CAROL: I love the structure of the book where you show the scientist as a child and then the reader turns the page and finds out who they became as an adult. Did you indicate that was how you conceived the book when you submitted the manuscript?

​HEATHER: The pause of the page turn can be so powerful. From early on in this project I wanted to make use of the page turn to let readers predict what kind of scientist the young collector might become. It's like an entire biography condensed into two spreads. When I submitted my draft, I used numbers in brackets (i.e. [Page 4-5]) to suggest where page turns might fall. Not every editor wants that, so research before you submit! 

GIVEAWAY

Leave a comment by Saturday, October 16 at 6 PM to enter the giveaway. For an extra chance, start following my blog and let me know that you did. U.S. postal addresses only. IF YOU ARE NEW TO MY BLOG, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS!

                                            

Will You Be Friends With Me? A Board Book Review and Giveaway

Kathleen Long Bostrom's newest book, Will You Be Friends With Me? (Hachette Book Group) has come out just in time for International Friendship Day. This simple board book with inviting illustrations has a powerful message: children will look different and have different preferences--but they can still be friends. 

REVIEW

From the opening of the book: 

I wake early, you sleep late.
My hair's curly, yours is straight.
I say, "Now!"
You say, "Wait?"
Will you be friends with me?


The book shows children in a variety of play, school, and sports settings. Throughout the text, children point out differences between themselves with the narrator asking the recurring question, "Will you be friends with me?"

In the middle of the book, the narrator observes that working together is better than being alone:

Let's play leapfrog.
Jump up high!
Maybe we will touch the sky.
We can do it if we try!

The theme, "It's okay to be different from one another" is clearly shown:

I like morning.
You like night.
We're just different
That's all right.

The concluding spread celebrates diversity and friendship.

The illustrations by Jo de Ruiter are cheery and friendly. Young readers will see themselves in the activities depicted. 

Will You Be Friends With Me? will be a useful resource in the Pre-K classroom as well as a fun book for families to read together. 

GIVEAWAY

If you are interested in winning this book, leave me a comment by 6 PM on July 10. If you are new to my blog, make sure you leave your email address also. 

Two "Boy" Picture Books--for Boys and Girls + Two Giveaways!

Not so long ago, writers were encouraged to write "boy books"--books that would appeal to young males who were less likely to be readers than girls. Many authors have taken up the challenge to create books that would engage boys. Here are two picture books that boys will like, as well as girls. 

A Boy Like You

Frank Murphy, the author of A Boy like You (Sleeping Bear Press, 2019), has a message he wants to share with boys (both young and old):

"The world needs a boy--a strong and brave and kind boy--now more than ever."

This sentiment pervades every page of this picture book that will be a great curriculum resource for the preschool-second grade crowd. 

The opening spread shows boys enthusiastically playing a variety of sports but ends with the admonition that a strong boy will,  "Play hard, but play fair. Be a great teammate. Say 'Nice goal!' and 'Good try!' Don't say 'You throw like a girl.' Ever. And, remember, there's so much more than sports..."

The pages which follow show a Black boy (with a White father and Black mother) working in the garden, baking, reading, and playing music which are all wonderful activities in addition to sports. This character is encouraged to discover other people's stories from a diverse cast which are skillfully and artistically portrayed by illustrator Kayla Harren. 

My favorite pages are when Murphy uses a play on words and instructs the reader to,  "Oh boy, be curious." And, "Oh boy, be thoughtful." I also really enjoyed the page of the little boy being scared to jump off the diving board. The text reads, "Here's a secret that not many people know. Fear and bravery are partners. You can't be brave without first being afraid."

Although the text may seem a tad didactic to adult readers, boys and girls will get the message loud and clear: 

"You are original. And that's a wonderful thing."

A Fist for Joe Louis and Me

In the author's note Trinka Hakes Noble writes that she first saw Joe Lewis's bronzed boxing glove in plexiglass in Cobo Center in Detroit. It inspired her to write this book, just as Joe Louis's knock out fight with Max Schmeling gave hope "during the dark days of the Great Depression and the coming of World War II with Nazi Germany." This book is coming out soon from Sleeping Bear Press and beautifully illustrated by Nicole Tadgell.

This sweet story highlights an unlikely friendship between the young Black boy Gordy Williams, and his Jewish friend, Ira Rubenstein. Gordy's father has been teaching him how to box and afterwards they listen to radio broadcasts of boxing fights--especially when Joe Louis is fighting. 

The Depression hits Detroit hard and his father--along with many others--loses his job at a car manufacturing plant. But Gordy thinks, "But we still had Joe Louis in our corner." 

Gordy meets Ira who's family just immigrated from Germany and they bond over boxing matches and Gordy teaches Ira how to "put up his dukes". They come up with boxing names  and become "Gordy Steel" and "Iron Ira" and joke how they are iron and steel--tough and strong, just like Detroit. 

Their friendship is solidified when Gordy sticks up for Ira against a bully, and their father's friendship is solidified when they discover their joint interest in boxing. In a conversation about Joe's upcoming fight against German Max Schmeling, Mr. Rubinstein says,

"My people and your people, we have much in common, Mr. Williams. This fight is for us too."

I didn't know what Mr. Rubinstien was talking about, but my father did.

"It's for all of us," he said as he stood and reached out his big hand. Mr. Rubenstien reached out his hand, too.

I wasn't sure why, but their handshake felt important, like reaching across something far greater than our kitchen table.

From giant-boxing-arm-of-joe-louis

Giveaway

I am giving book picture books away so please tell me which one you want in the comments. Make sure you leave me your email address if you are new to my blog! Giveaway ends August 1. Follow my blog or share this on social media for an extra chance to win. 

My Family Four Floors Up- A Picture Book Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Cat Michaels who won a customized indigo scarf from last week's blog. Stay tuned for more information about Pumpkintown Primitives!

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One of the benefits of being a book reviewer is receiving books that I can share with you. Today's giveaway is a brand new picture book, My Family Four Floors Up written by Caroline Stutson and illustrated by Celia Krampien (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018).

In simple verse--which Caroline admitted she was told never to do when she started her career as a writer--this lovely picture book takes readers through the day of a young city dweller. Readers will appreciate the diverse community in which the main character lives.

Although Caroline spent most of her life in Littleton, Colorado, she grew up in Brooklyn, New York. It is obvious that her formative years inspired My Family Four Floors Up.

Notice in these illustrations how colors are emphasized, a pattern that continues through the book.

This is my favorite spread because it shows such movement and activity:

A perfect book for bedtime, the book ends with: 

WRITING PICTURE BOOKS

Picture books--particularly those written in verse--appear deceptively simple to write. But that is far from the truth. Here is an article (in verse no less!) that author Margot Finke wrote on the subject. 

If you are an aspiring picture book writer, here's another article by Finke on The Purple Crayon website. She suggests:

Choose Adjectives and Verbs the Way a Jeweler Selects Gems

Verbs -- strong and powerful verbs are a picture book writer's best friend. Strong active verbs help you craft text that grabs the young reader, and keeps their interest.

Adjectives -- don't fall for the idea that if one adjective is good, two more will work wonders. Like a jeweler choosing the perfect gems for a necklace, unearth adjectives that are perfect gems.

Although I don't know if Caroline read that article, she demonstrated her ability to pick "perfect gems" in My Family Four Floors Up.

GIVEAWAY

To enter this giveaway, please leave me a comment by February 2. Make sure you leave your email address if you are new to my blog.

Rory's Promise: A Review and a Giveaway

Rory is a 12-year-old street smart orphan who keeps her promises.

First, she is determined to keep her promise to her dying mother that she’ll take care of her younger sister, Violet.

Second, she will absolutely not break her promise to five-year-old Violet: Nothing will ever, ever separate them.

It’s just that keeping these promises proves to be a lot more difficult than even spunky, Irish Rory Fitzpatrick ever imagined.

 

From http://christinabakerkline.com/blog/my-next-novel/

Co-authors, Michaela MacColl and Rosemary Nichols use the facts of the Orphan Trains in this fictionalized account starring Rory as the sharp-witted, courageous heroine.  Between 1853 and 1929 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children were put on trains and brought out west. The Children’s Aid Society of New York sponsored many of them. At times, the families used the children for underage labor; this was before there were child labor and foster care laws. On the other hand, The Foundling, a Catholic  organization, took great care to place the orphans in their care in “good, Catholic families.”  

http://www.chsfs.org/blog/evolution-orphan-train-new-practices-and-waiting-children

Although Rory herself is a fictional character, many of the other characters in the book are real: Sister Anna, the nun in charge of placing the children; George Swayne, the agent who worked with The Foundling; Father Constant Mandlin a young French priest who couldn't communicate well with his parishioners  as well as the white women who were furious when Mexican working-class families received children and they didn’t.

http://www.neh.gov/humanities/2007/novemberdecember/feature/lost-children-riders-the-orphan-train

But I am getting ahead of the story.

Rory’s goal to make sure she and Violet stay together drives this story forward. As far as she’s concerned, not even plans to take Vi out west to the Arizona territory will stop her. Although she successfully sneaks on board the orphan’s train, her journey is not without moments of doubt.  Families who couldn’t have children of their own wanted cute little 5-year-olds—but would anyone want her sister also?

But the more happy families she saw, the more she wondered if Vi had a future that might not include Rory. If Vi had a chance for parents and a home, could Rory stand in the way of that?  p. 144

After a stressful journey, when the train finally arrives in Clifton, Arizona Territory everyone is shocked.  First, the stench of sulfur and a building belching dark smoke greet them. Rory soon learns that the town revolves around mining copper. In the small station, a mob of loud, white women pound on the train’s windows.  Later Rory is told,

"This place is bad for making babies. The air is thick with fumes and the water is full of metals from the mines. Nothing grows here. No trees. No babies.”  (pp.171-2)

A new conflict—one based on history—enfolds. The Protestant women believe they have a right to the children since they are the same race and skin color. But the children have been promised to the Mexicans so they can be raised in “good, Catholic homes.”

The white women are demanding and ugly. Rory is actually relieved when Violet and a little boy, William, are assigned to two kind Mexicans, Elena and Ramon Martinez. But her relief that Violet has found a family is tempered by her anguish of wanting to stay with her sister. Can she find a way to convince the Martinez family to adopt her also?

 

Downtown Clifton, circa 1915
http://visitcliftonaz.com/rich-history/

Rory’s concept of family--people who look alike--is challenged and her courage and loyalty are severely tested.  She needs every ounce of her abilities to think quickly and to act fast to help the orphans and to keep her promises.

At the risk of including a spoiler, I must share one of my favorite parts of this book.  At the end, when she tells Violet about the Martinez’s plan to take them both to Mexico Rory says,

"We’ll never see the Foundling again—or Sister Anna or the other kids,” she warned. “We’ll have to learn a new language too, Vi. And there won’t be any American kids to play with. We’ll always be different."

“Special?” Vi asked, her blue eyes shining with pleasure. 

“”I guess so,” Rory said ruefully.  (p. 250)

Leave it to a five-year-old to have a different perspective on what their new life will be!

Thanks to the generosity of Boyds Mills Press, I’m giving away a copy of this middle-grade novel for girls.  It documents a little-known period in American history, when Mexican families fought for the right to adopt white children. Also useful as a classroom book, Rory’s Promise will spark some interesting discussions about diversity.  If you are interested in adding this book to your library or donating it to a classroom, please leave a comment by Thursday, June 4. If you are new to my blog, please leave your email address also.