ARMANDO'S ISLAND: A Picture Book Review, Author Interview, and Giveaway

From the publisher:

Armando's home is the rainforest—he knows its sights, smells, tastes, and sounds. He even knows its moods. From the bottom of the forest floor to the top of the emergent layer, the trees are also home to a multitude of creatures. When outsiders begin laying claim to and destroying the surrounding landscape, the displaced animals find refuge with Armando in the only remaining pocket of untouched forest, his "island." As people come in and animals are forced out, this poignant tale shows the cumulative and disastrous effects of Amazonian deforestation. (The Creative Company: 2023)

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It is always a pleasure to review one of Marsha Diane Arnold's beautifully written picture books. For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you may remember Badger's Perfect Garden, Mine. Yours., Lights Out, or Galapagos Girl. (if you're new to my blog, check those titles out!). 

Marsha's love for animals, nature, and conserving the environment is present in her newly released book, ARMANDO'S ISLAND. This time, as the book blurb indicated, it's a story about a young boy growing up surrounded by the animals of the Amazon rainforest.  

REVIEW

The book sets the stage with this word picture:

Beneath a canopy of trees, flowing like green ocean, 

in an ancient forest

lived Armando.

and this illustration: 

Marsha describes Armando's life in sensory language:

Walking barefoot, leaves crunching beneath him, 

playing among riverbanks, mud squishing between toes

skipping across fallen logs, grasshoppers jumping, 

climbing liana vines, lizards scrambling beside him

he felt connected to his leafy refuge.

Armando grows, as does his love for the rainforest.

Men and women come to Armando asking him to sell his land. They promise him great wealth in return. Repeatedly, Armando refuses.

"I am rich already," said Armando,

gazing at the emerald green surrounding him.

Each conversation is followed by a scene showing the machinery destroying the rainforest and the animals and birds fleeing to Armando's land.

In the morning, to the east, a great hammering and

sharp drilling 

wailed through the air.

Dolphins stopped swimming.

Otters stopped sliding.

Capybaras stopped bathing.

Hummingbirds left their dance beneath the waterfall

as they fled, to the west, to Armando's. 

The expressions on the animals' faces reflect their emotions as they face their homes destruction.

 

In the end, 

Now, Armando's home stands crowded and apart,

an island of emerald green, shimmering in the sunlight.

Sometimes the people to the north, south, east, and west

glance at Armando's island, fragile in the mist.

Armando hopes that some morning with the first song of the toucan,

a long-ago memory will come to them...

Anne Yvonne's lush illustrations compliment Marsha's lyrical language and immerse readers into the interconnections of the rainforest's ecosystem. I loved how she even showed the feelings of the animals who are displaced.

Several pages show Armando on one side of the text along with the machinery destroying the forest on the other. 

 

To read the backstory behind Armando's Island (and how long it took to get this book out into the world!), please see Beth Anderson's blog post.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE

I picture Armando's Island used in Pre-K through third-grade classrooms. The back matter includes three pages of information and illustrations of animals in the Amazon rainforest. An activity guide will be available on the publisher's website on September 1--just in time for back to school!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

CAROL: What was your inspiration for this book? It is so rich with detail—did you go to the Amazon yourself or is this from research?

MARSHA: I wish I could say I traveled to the Amazon, but the book came from research and from my great love of nature and rainforests. 

As I note in my Activity Guide, "There is a difference in knowledge by acquaintance and knowledge by knowing information. We may never travel to the Amazon rainforest, so we will not know it by acquaintance. But we can immerse ourselves as much as possible with videos, audios, books, and activities and we may know and appreciate it a little in this way."

I started researching Armando’s Island thirty years ago! At that time, I was involved with a number of conservation organizations, some working to protect the rainforests. Later, I visited Costa Rica and fell in love with the rainforests there. My husband and I built a casita in the rainforest years after that first visit. Macaws, monkeys, and toucans were our neighbors. 

CAROL: How did you get Armando’s name? Is he from a particular tribe?

MARSHA: I have no remembrance of where the name Armando came from. The rhythm of phrases is always important to me and I do think this has a lovely rhythm - Armando’s Island. I suspect I researched names common in Latin America. Armando is a multicultural name. In Latin America, it is associated with strength, courage, and a fierce loyalty to friends. The Armando in my book is certainly all of those.

The name is not from a particular tribe. I wrote the story as a fable, an ode to the rainforest and its animals and those who stand with them. Anne Yvonne did scrupulous research. She deliberately made Armando’s face paint and headdress non-specific, but he is identifiable as an indigenous Brazilian tribesman.

I love that a man named Armando, the only person I know with that name, invited me to join the 2008 Artists in the Back Country group of seven artists, chosen to spend a week in the High Sierras, painting, photographing, and writing. Another natural island. Serendipity?

CAROL: Do you consider this free verse poetry?  (seems so to me!)

MARSHA: I have always thought of it simply as lyrical writing, but free verse poetry sounds very nice to me. Thank you!

CAROL: Were you involved in the choice of the artist? Anne Yvonne is perfect for this book.  What medium does she use?

MARSHA: In a roundabout way you might say I was involved. At the end of Armando’s Island’s thirty-year journey, there were two publishers who offered a contract. I knew that The Creative Company published beautiful books and in 2020 they had found the perfect illustrator, Susan Reagan, for my book on light pollution, Lights Out. I trusted them to find another perfect illustrator. They did not let me down. I was thrilled and humbled that someone of Anne Yvonne Gilbert’s caliber would be illustrating my book. She used colored pencils over-layered with sepia drawing ink. So beautiful.

CAROL: Whose idea was it to frame some of the text between an illustration of the machinery and the animals? That is brilliant juxtaposition. 

CAROL: The layouts were Anne Yvonne's ideas, approved by the art director, Rita Marshall. It is indeed a brilliant juxtaposition.

Thank you, Carol, for having me on your blog and for your insightful questions.

GIVEAWAY

To enter the giveaway, please leave me a comment along with your email address if you are new to my blog. U.S. addresses only. If you prefer, you can shoot me an email instead. If you are a home school educator, teacher, or librarian please let me know. You'll get two chances. The giveaway ends August 15. 

A POEM IS A FIREFLY: A REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW, and A GIVEAWAY

As I mentioned in a previous post, the summer issue of Talking Story is on wordplay. Today and in my next blog I will share two books written by Charles Ghigna, our author-expert for that issue.  (Spoiler alert: In the next blog I'm reviewing his newest anthology THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY and in the newsletter, Charles gives a few hints on how he writes his poems.)

"Father Goose" as he is affectionately known, is no stranger to my blog; you'll find a review of his adult collection here and a nonfiction book about strange, unusual, gross, and cool animals here. I admire his ability to create fun poems for children--he makes it look easy! 

REVIEW of A Poem is a Firefly

The book opens with the main character asking,

As the bear quickly finds out, a poem can be ANYTHING! That doesn't exactly answer his question, so Bear goes on a quest for the answer, which his animal friends supply. A hedgehog hurries to help him:

and a bee buzzes,

A butterfly blips onto a page and says, "A poem is an echo... slowly passing by."

A spider shares that,

The creatures converge:

Finally, as the sun sets, they suppose,

Illustrations courtesy of Charles Ghigna.

CURRICULUM RESOURCE 

I think this is a fantastic book for preschool through second-grade readers. The rhythm of the poems, the lyrical language, and the animal characters will engage each and every child. Like I have recommended in the past, read the book through several times with your audience. Then take it apart and point out the figurative language. See what nature comparisons your students can come up with. 

I think you'll agree that the illustrations by Michelle Hazelwood Hyde are outstanding and also engaging.  By the way, the title on the cover lights up in the dark--just like a firefly!

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

CAROL: What was your inspiration for writing FIREFLY? 

CHARLES: I wanted to create a book that would be an original, fun way of introducing children to poetry and metaphor based on a "show, don't tell" method. I choose a friendly group of woodland animals as my main characters and had them meet in the woods to discuss "What is poetry?" Each animal compares (metaphor) what they think a poem can be with answers that rhyme. It was fun for me to brainstorm on all the different aspects of nature that I could compare to poetry and create rhymes to lift the narrative with melody, lyrical language, and rhyme.

CAROL: I read on one of your sites that you work on 3 books at a time. What’s that process like? 

CHARLES: I always have more than one project going on at a time. It's fun switching back and forth between the manuscripts, often returning to the other one with new eyes and inspiration. Right now I have five new book manuscripts in the works. It makes getting up in the morning a little more exciting, wondering which ones will reignite the spark that will keep me writing all day ... and night.

CAROL: I assume that they’re each in a different phase? 

CHARLES: Yes, I like to let each of my new projects complete themselves on their own good time. 

CAROL: Did you like poetry as a child? 

CHARLES: My earliest discovery of the power and wonder of rhyme and poetry came from listening to songs. The radio was always on in our house. 

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So, teachers, parents, and homeschool educators let your students and children listen to songs and poetry. It will increase their love of words!

GIVEAWAY

Please leave a comment by July 8th if you are interested in adding this delightful book to your home or school library. Remember, you'll have a second chance to try and win it through Talking Story. If you're not receiving this quarterly newsletter, you can subscribe here. U.S. addresses only. Your comment might not go live immediately so be patient! Educators get two chances; just let me know in the comments. If you are new to my blog, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win. If you're uncomfortable doing that, you can email me here.

DOWN TO EARTH: A Middle Grade Book Review by Guest Blogger, Elliot Kurta and a Giveaway

As a freshman in high school, Elliott Kurta, one of my first student guest bloggers, is pretty busy with his academic workload and volunteer work at the library. But he returns to my blog today with a book he genuinely enjoyed, Down to Earth by Betty Culley. 

REVIEW

In Down to Earth, Henry Bower, an aspiring scientist, and water dowser, witnesses a meteorite fall from the sky and land in his backyard. Henry, his sister Birdie, and his best friend, James, are at first in awe of the gigantic, space-borne stone. But soon, as the meteorite draws attention around his rural Maine town from the press and the scientific community alike, the meteorite is cast in a negative light. A gushing river has spouted near where the meteorite has landed, forcing the Bower family to evacuate their home, and all of the wells in town have begun to run dry. As the community begins to turn on the Bowers, Henry finds his voice to stand up to what he knows to be right. Aided by his sister, parents, best friend, and a genteel museum curator, the meteorite inspires Henry to find his place in the world.

Henry, the intrepid protagonist of the novel, is without a doubt the heart of the story. His curiosity and earnestness serve to heighten the story; this novel is worth reading for his narration alone. One example of Henry’s simultaneously warm and analytical voice is his use of percentages to measure his emotions as he tries to work through his conflicting feelings. Henry’s narration is light-hearted but realistic, even as the townspeople become disgruntled that Henry’s family happened to recover the meteorite, for which a large reward has been offered. Despite the optimism expressed by the Bowers throughout the novel, the arrival of the meteorite is foreshadowed by tragedy, as the Bowers lose their home early in the story due to flooding caused by the meteorite’s landing.

            An important, recurring element in Down to Earth is the connection Henry and his family share with nature. Henry has grown up watching his mother forage for food in the nearby forest, collecting fiddleheads and cattails. His father is a dowser, and works alongside his brother, Henry’s uncle, to drill wells for the townspeople. The deep respect Henry feels for the natural world can be seen when he first greets the meteorite, on page 24.

            I want to say something to the big rock myself, to welcome it the way my parents make visitors, or even strangers, feel at home. Then I remember what my mother says when she finds a mushroom or fern she can’t identify.

            “I don’t know your name, but I’m glad to meet you,” I say to the big rock.  

            Down to Earth is written for the natural scientist in each of us, and recaptures the wonders of childhood while at the same time showing Henry’s journey as he finds his place in the world. Henry’s optimism and respect for the natural world around him serve to root the story, and his narration makes even the most prosaic of things—such as a seemingly ordinary rock—take on a new life. The novel, through Henry’s exuberant narration and the coincidences that lead Henry to discover his voice, makes a powerful case for living life down to earth. 

Elliott is a prolific reader of various genres who is more than happy to share his opinions on books. In his free time, he enjoys writing, reading, and running. He is a 9th-grade student in Charlotte, NC.    

GIVEAWAY

If you are interested in winning this book, please leave a comment by March 28. Make sure to include your name and email address if you are new to my blog. U.S. addresses only. Please note that your comment will not show up until I approve it. 

Don't forget to check out the other wonderful middle-grade books on Greg Pattridge's MMGM site. 

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature- A Review and Giveaway

Congratulations to Clara Gillow Clark who won Finding Home: My Arc-O-Biography on last week's blog.

Note: In the next two weeks I'm going to try and post extra book giveaways so you have a chance to win a holiday gift for someone special. 

REVIEW

When I saw on Margriet Ruurs Facebook page that she had a new book coming out, I knew I wanted to share it with all of you. 
Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature, (Orca Books, 2018) is a wonderful tribute to one of Canada's most famous artists. Both the text and illustrations are beautiful; I had a hard time selecting which illustrations to accompany this blog. Hopefully the pictures and short snippets of text will pique your interest; the animals I've named in the review are accompanied by magnificent illustrations.

From a youth, Mr. Bateman loved the outdoors and was "in awe of nature." He investigated fields and animals; birds and plants.

"In school he spent a lot of time staring out the window. He dreamed of traveling so he could see more wildlife, from whales to wrens."

Not only did Mr. Bateman "paint the shapes and patterns of the world around him," but he also carved wooden birds and noticed "details of feathers and form."

Owls, penguins, polar bears, and lions in their habitats. 

Towards the end of the book, there is a lovely illustration of Mr. Bateman walking through a field with his grandchildren. The text reads: 

Now Robert walks the forest with his grandchildren. He shows them the shape of a leaf, the texture of bark. He tells them to pay attention to the details of nature around them.

Robert Bateman: The Boy Who Painted Nature will be enjoyed by grandparents, parents, K-3 teachers, and of course--young readers themselves. Hopefully the text and illustrations will encourage our next generation to appreciate nature as Mr. Bateman did as a child. 

GIVEAWAY

Leave me a comment by December 12 with your email address if you are new to my blog. For an extra chance to win, share this on social media (please let me know what you did) and I'll put your name in the hat twice. 

Two Nature Picture Books and Two Giveaways!

Congratulations to Jan Brent for winning the ARC of Jo Hackl's debut novel, SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE OF MAYBE.

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NATURE'S FRIEND: The Gwen Frostic Story

Like myself, you might not have heard of Gwen Frostic, a 20th century Michigan artist. Author Lindsey McDivitt and illustrator Eileen Ryan Ewen have produced a beautiful tribute to a woman who would not allow her physical disabilities to keep her from the art she loved (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018). 

As a baby, Gwen contracted a disease similar to cerebral palsy. Although it left her with slurred speech and she frequently fell down, she worked her hands extra hard just to learn how to write. "She sketched and scribbled. She doodled and drew. Gwen's grip grew stronger and stronger."

Throughout her childhood, "Nature felt like a friend, pulling her out to play." In high school she signed up for mechanical drawing--"learning to use rulers and compasses to draw machines--and the men squawked like angry blue jays." 

In art school Gwen discovered how to make prints from blocks she carved out of linoleum. Eventually she launched Presscraft Papers stationary company which is still in business today. Drawn to the outdoors, she relocated to Lake Michigan's Betsie Bay so she could capture nature in her artwork.  

Nature's Friend is a lovely tribute to a woman who once said, "Love this earth, love its waters...care enough to keep it clear." 

AN EXTRAORDINARY ORDINARY MOTH

In another lovely nature picture book, Author Karlin Gray and illustrator Steliyana Doneva, team up to bring young readers a story in rhyme celebrating an ordinary moth (Sleeping Bear Press, 2018). 

Although the moth feels like it's not as massive as an Atlas moth, as beautiful as a butterfly, or as graceful as a Luna Moth, a young boy is delighted when he finds it:

"A moth! A moth!"

a boy then screams.

He's running up to me.

I freeze and blend in with the wall.

Maybe he won't see.

But when his twinkling eyes shine bright...

his smile grows wide with pure delight...

His happy face is such a sight...

I move forward toward his joyful light. 

I enjoyed the moth's "metamorphoses" at the end -- not into another insect-- but rather into an appreciation of itself. This last poem reminds me of Miriam Franklin's debut novel, EXTRAORDINARY.  

So how 'bout that?!

I'm someone's FAVORITE!

Little, grayish me--

proof of how

EXTRAORDINARY

Ordinary can be.

GIVEAWAYS

I am giving away these books, both excellent curriculum supplements with activities included, through the summer issue of Talking Story on "The Great Outdoors."  Leave me a comment here (including your preference) and I'll add your name to the list. Leave a comment through Talking Story and your name will go in twice. Don't forget to leave your email address if you are new to my blog. Giveaway ends July 23. 

AND JUST BECAUSE...

Since to my knowledge a book that I've featured has never been on a billboard before, I have to share this picture that I grabbed from Eileen Ryan Ewen's Facebook page!

Be Light Like a Bird: A Review and ARC Giveaway

Congratulations to Connie Saunders and Karen White who won copies of AIM from last week's blog. Thanks to everyone who left comments.

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In August I featured Susan Campbell Bartoletti, a faculty member at Highlights Foundation Summer Camp. Her keynote was so packed with information that it was impossible to give you everything she said. In this blog post I use more of her points to review Monkia Schroeder's latest middle grade novel, BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD.

Major Dramatic Question

In that previous post, I quoted Susan as saying that every book should have a MDQ--A Major Dramatic Question that can be answered yes or no.

In BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD, Monika poses this dramatic question for Wren, the protagonist: Will she and her mother resolve her father's death? The answer to that question drives many scenes and is raised again at the climax of the book. 

Key Scenes

Susan offered a working description of key scenes which Patti Gauch shared while helping her with her first novel. You might not want to use it as a writing formula, but it’s a helpful approach to analyze your work as well as other writers' novels. 

A Scene that Incites: Wren's father's plane crashes and his remains are never found. We read,

After the search-and-rescue people called, there was an explosion in my brain, and a cloud appeared, spreading out over everything. The cloud pressed down on me like overstuffed down bedding, the kind you want to push away so you can breathe. Except there was nothing I could do to lift it. The cloud made all my thoughts seem as though they came through a fun-house mirror, like the one Dad and I had stood in front of at the county fair last year, laughing...It made it hard to think. 

It was because of the cloud that I didn't notice at first how much Ma had changed. I didn't remember her often being angry before... (p. 9)

The cloud over Wren and her mother's anger trigger their reactions. Wren's mother goes from town to town in a seeming random effort to escape their past. She refuses to talk about Wren's father, leaving Wren angry, confused, and the two estranged from one another. They end up in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and for the third time within a few weeks, Wren starts attending a new school. 

A Scene that Agitates: Wren's new teacher asks the students to find a controversial topic for a class presentation. She mentions that the township plans to expand the landfill. In this snippet, we meet Theo, the dorky kid in class who is a loner, like Wren. 

"They've already started to survey the area, I blurted out. "I saw it. It's so sad!"
"There's nothing wrong with it," Carrie piped up. "My dad runs the landfill. They just need more space."
I frowned. Why did I not know that about her?
"Who cares about that swamp anyway?" Carrie added.
"Pete's Pond is not just a swamp," I said quietly. In my mind I added, There's actually a wetland surrounding the pond with very exciting bird life.
"Sounds like this is already controversial here in our classroom," Mrs. Peters said with an encouraging smile. "Theo what do you think?"
Theo was the master of pauses. He didn't seem to mind that a gigantic silence spread out, hovering in the middle of the conversation. He just sat there, thinking about an answer. "I wonder why we need that space to bury garbage," he finally said. "The town hasn't grown very much."
Mrs. Peters gave us a big smile. "Looks like you've already figured out why this is an interesting issue." She wrote our names and the topic on her chart. 
After school Carrie and Victoria left the building together, giggling as if they had known each other forever, just like a pair of turkey hens." (p. 62-3)

A Scene that Confuses and A Scene When the Character Faces Choices. Wren is at recess with Carrie and Victoria, the two girls who she hopes will like her. Wren has been doing Carrie's math homework in an attempt to win her friendship. Victoria is reading through a quiz in Miss Magazine that determines if you're compatible with a friend. Victoria asks, 

"If you had to spend a week on a deserted island and could only take three things what would you take?"
"That's easy," Carrie said. "I'd take my gel pens, my journal, my pink sweater."
"I'd take my photo album, my favorite quilt, and my pink jacket," Victoria said.
If I had to spend a week on a deserted island, I would take matches so I could make a fire. I'd take my binoculars to observe birds or watch for a boat to come. I'd also need a pocket knife. But I knew I couldn't say what I really thought.
"I would take..." I began slowly.
But Victoria was already reading the next question.  She looked at me, and when I didn't finish my sentence she said, "Okay you can come back to that one." Then she read the last question: "What is your favorite hobby?"
Carrie spit out her answer. "Playing tennis."
Victoria nodded eagerly. "Mine is playing tennis too!"
They both looked at me. "What's yours?"
I didn't want them to roll their eyes when I said I liked watching birds. Maybe I should tell them I liked to read. That was also true and much safer. But before I could give an answer, the bell rang, and I was glad we had to go back to class. It was easier to avoid answering than to be true to myself. (p. 72-3)

A Scene that Confronts. Wren and Theo decide to collect signatures to petition the town to preserve Pete's Pond. At lunch Carrie confronts her,

"I heard you're exhibiting your bird photos at the library and collecting signatures for a petition against my dad's landfill."
"We're just collecting signatures," I said. "It's not a big deal." I was thinking about Ma and didn't have any patience for Carrie's hysterics.
"I can't believe you're doing this to me," she said. "Making my dad out to be some evil destroyer of nature." 
"I'm not doing anything to you." I looked at her and added. Not everything is about you." (p. 140-1)

A Scene that Shows Strength or Courage. (this is continued from the previous scene)

Carrie inhaled sharply and glared at me. "You probably just want to hurt my dad because you don't have one."
Suddenly the kids at the tables near grew quiet. Everyone was watching.
I didn't know how Carrie had found out about my dad. I was mad at her for saying that, and at the same time, I was scared to what I felt the need to do next.
Then I heard Dad's words again: You are braver than you think you are.
I slowly got up, not saying a word. But before I left, I paused and looked down at Carrie. My voice was calm when I said, "I don't think I want to have anything to do with you anymore." (p. 141)

A Scene that Resolves. Wren's mother tells her daughter that after her husband died, she discovered that he was having an affair and this was why she has refused to talk about him. Wren is shocked, denies it, and decides to take a bus to Chicago to confront his girlfriend. Her mother finds Wren walking along a road holding a dead dog she wants to return to its owner. 

"Oh, baby," Ma said. "I'm so glad I found you."
"I was going to Chicago," I said. "I wanted to talk to that woman. I don't believe what you said about her. I don't want to think of Dad having done something like that. I just don't want to." Suddenly there wasn't enough space inside my chest and I could only take small breaths. "And now... now I have to tell these people that their dog died. But I can't do it. I can't. It's too sad."
"You don't have to go to Chicago," Ma said, holding my shoulders. "And I'll go with you to meet Corey's owner."
[Wren asks her mother why she hadn't told her about the affair and hears her mother's explanation.]
..."Oh, Wren, I've made so many mistakes. I hope you can forgive me."
I was startled for a moment. No one had ever asked me for forgiveness. I looked up at her. "Of course I'll forgive you. But it's still so hard to believe that Dad did this. I don't how to...how to..."
"I know, Ma said. "It means we have to forgive him for what he did and mourn him. I don't know how to do that by myself either. But maybe we can do it together."
I fell into her arms, and Ma held me tight as I buried myself in her jacket. I could feel her lips on my hair. We stayed like that for a while, and I felt good and warm.
When I looked up at her, Ma gently pushed a strand of hair from my forehead. "Come on, baby. We'll bring Cory home." (p. 211-213)

Although this isn't the end, you can see how the MDQ has been raised and answered. 

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For a chance to win my ARC, please leave me a comment by October 13. If I don't have your email address, please make sure you include it. 

Come back next week when Monika will share some of the backstory of BE LIGHT LIKE A BIRD and you'll have a chance to win an autographed copy. 

This review originally appeared on litchat.com.