If I were playing fantasy baseball with books, here's who I'd want on my team. These All-Star picks of mine, I suspect, most people are missing out on. I want these books to stay on the staff picks display not for the usual 30-60 days, but forever--until everyone in the world has enjoyed them! And make no mistake--although these are children's books, I want adults as well as children to have the pleasure they bring, regardless of whether they have a child in their life sharing the experience.
Pitcher: A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. This one has the advantage of a male protagonist--de riguer when recommending to boys. Grandma Dowdel is one character you'll never forget. Follow up with A Year Down Yonder and Fair Weather.
Catcher: Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath. The most unexpected happy ending ever. Follow up with The Trolls.
1st Baseman: A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban. It's never too early for a little girl to be warned about potential cattiness in a playmate. And if, Like Frances, you can give as good as you get, you can still remain friends! Follow up with the other Frances books by Hoban.
2nd Baseman: Dear Mr. Blueberry by Simon James. A story of imagination, friendship, and ecology. It's a shame, but I betcha haven't even heard of author-illustrator Simon James. And he'll never win a Caldecott, 'cause he's a resident of Britain.
Shortstop: C D B! by William Steig. If you know your ABCs, that's all you need to read these ear-puzzles. Follow up with C D C?
3rd Baseman: In the Town All Year Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner. A rich reading and perusing experience at any age; can even be "read" by those who don't know their ABCs yet.
Right Fielder: Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George. Okay, so this did win a Newbery Medal. I love it so much, however, that until I find something less well-known to replace it, it's on my list.
Center Fielder: In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Bette Bao Lord. Baseball as seen through the eyes of Shirley Temple Wong, a young Chinese immigrant in New York City, 1947.
Left Fielder: Yucka Drucka Droni by Eugenia and Vladimir Radunsky. Even exceeds the zaniness and tongue-twisting of "There's a Gnuthbrush on my toothbrush".
Friday, April 16, 2010
When the Plot Summary Applies to Any Book By That Author
I just finished reading Voices in Summer, my fifteenth or so book by Rosamunde Pilcher (only two more to go!). Like Nicholas Sparks, Rosamunde Pilcher stories are all formed from a predetermined list of setting, character types, and events--not a bad thing, as both authors' success shows.
Here are the required ingredients for any of her charming stories: 1) Cornwall or Scotland, or both. 2) Female orphan at center of story, who has no money worries, and neither does anyone else. 3) Multiple generations, often including bohemians among the younger folks. 4) An impromptu house party at the modest ancestral home. 5) Long-lost relatives and/or childhood friends reunited. 6) Everyone neatly paired off at the story's end.
Here are the required ingredients for any of her charming stories: 1) Cornwall or Scotland, or both. 2) Female orphan at center of story, who has no money worries, and neither does anyone else. 3) Multiple generations, often including bohemians among the younger folks. 4) An impromptu house party at the modest ancestral home. 5) Long-lost relatives and/or childhood friends reunited. 6) Everyone neatly paired off at the story's end.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Betsy Bliss
Book review: Betsy and the Great World by Maud Hart Lovelace
I didn't know about the Betsy-Tacy series as a child, but I'm so glad to have found it as an adult. Once introduced, I got as far as Betsy and Joe, book 8 of 10. At that time the series was out of print*, and to my dismay, my library only carries the first 6. Used copies proved to be too expensive. So there I was, stalled. I managed to "look inside" at the first 2 pages on amazon.com. My waiting finally ended this fall, when Harper brought out the last 6 books in Perennial Classic editions. I think it makes sense to put them in editions for the adult market. My slight regret is that they aren't matchy-match with books 1 through 8 already on my shelf.
Maud Hart Lovelace, recounting her own life story via the fictional Betsy, depicted the outbreak of World War I as she experienced it. Betsy's year in Europe comes to an abrupt end, fraught with the worry that she may be stranded across the ocean from her family and friends. Rather than the omniscient, analytical angle that a history book gives, Betsy's experience is from the angle of "a man on the street". Betsy and her friends watch as the political dominoes fall that summer, but wonder why it must add up to war. Seeing it from their point of view, I felt the same way. I would like to learn more about the Great War.
I'm going to wait a while before reading Betsy's Wedding, the second half in my Harper's Perennial Classics edition. It'll be my last Betsy book, and I want to savor the experience as long as I can! After that, I can occupy myself by compiling a Betsy-Tacy Songbook. What would the Maud Hart Lovelace Society think of that?
*HarperCollins has let the later books in the series go out of print, rather like clockwork, twice in the last 15 years. Fodder for another blog post.
I didn't know about the Betsy-Tacy series as a child, but I'm so glad to have found it as an adult. Once introduced, I got as far as Betsy and Joe, book 8 of 10. At that time the series was out of print*, and to my dismay, my library only carries the first 6. Used copies proved to be too expensive. So there I was, stalled. I managed to "look inside" at the first 2 pages on amazon.com. My waiting finally ended this fall, when Harper brought out the last 6 books in Perennial Classic editions. I think it makes sense to put them in editions for the adult market. My slight regret is that they aren't matchy-match with books 1 through 8 already on my shelf.
Maud Hart Lovelace, recounting her own life story via the fictional Betsy, depicted the outbreak of World War I as she experienced it. Betsy's year in Europe comes to an abrupt end, fraught with the worry that she may be stranded across the ocean from her family and friends. Rather than the omniscient, analytical angle that a history book gives, Betsy's experience is from the angle of "a man on the street". Betsy and her friends watch as the political dominoes fall that summer, but wonder why it must add up to war. Seeing it from their point of view, I felt the same way. I would like to learn more about the Great War.
I'm going to wait a while before reading Betsy's Wedding, the second half in my Harper's Perennial Classics edition. It'll be my last Betsy book, and I want to savor the experience as long as I can! After that, I can occupy myself by compiling a Betsy-Tacy Songbook. What would the Maud Hart Lovelace Society think of that?
*HarperCollins has let the later books in the series go out of print, rather like clockwork, twice in the last 15 years. Fodder for another blog post.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Reading Tastes
Thoughts on tastes in reading:
1) When discussing with a Borders co-worker whether I would want to actually read our latest "Key Item", Home by Marilynne Robinson, I noted that the very-common Women's Lit theme of family relationships just doesn't spark my interest. There seem to be endless piles of books about "woman returns to the small town she grew up in and revisits her relationship with her mother"(ugh) or "Celebrating the bond of sisterly love" (double ugh).
2) Lelac Almagor notes in a Horn Book article that "we used to laugh that all the children's books we knew prepared our students for waking up one morning to find that they were required to save the world...Even the texts that didn't feature the vanquishing of grave magical threats were about leaving behind home and family to...return (or emerge) as heroes."
This prompted me to acknowledge that I'm not particularly interested in the One-Person-Must-Save-the-World premise, either. Too simplistic. One person can make a difference, yes. But single-handedly fix everything? Nah.
1) When discussing with a Borders co-worker whether I would want to actually read our latest "Key Item", Home by Marilynne Robinson, I noted that the very-common Women's Lit theme of family relationships just doesn't spark my interest. There seem to be endless piles of books about "woman returns to the small town she grew up in and revisits her relationship with her mother"(ugh) or "Celebrating the bond of sisterly love" (double ugh).
2) Lelac Almagor notes in a Horn Book article that "we used to laugh that all the children's books we knew prepared our students for waking up one morning to find that they were required to save the world...Even the texts that didn't feature the vanquishing of grave magical threats were about leaving behind home and family to...return (or emerge) as heroes."
This prompted me to acknowledge that I'm not particularly interested in the One-Person-Must-Save-the-World premise, either. Too simplistic. One person can make a difference, yes. But single-handedly fix everything? Nah.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Harry Potter, scholarly examinations of
Shouldn't Hermione be in Ravenclaw rather than Gryffindor?
Can American children understand a book that uses "foreign" language like Mum instead of Mom or trolley instead of cart?
Was it right for the New York Times to alter their Bestseller List parameters in order to cease HP's domination of the fiction list?
The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon, edited by Lana A. Whited is pithy stuff; I love examining/analyzing/beating to death anything I read or watch. And I definitely consider the Harry Potter series worthy of closer attention.
The article having the greatest number of quotes I want to memorize is "Crowning the King: Harry Potter and the Construction of Authority" by Farah Mendelsohn. Here is a juicy tidbit, condensed from page 171: "Hufflepuff: a house dedicated to the sidekick and creating the mentality of the faithful follower. ...it is perfectly acceptable to kill off Cedric Diggory...in order to provide our hero with a motive to hold out and allow Dumbledore to deliver his 'consolatory' speech. ...For those readers who know their Star Trek, members of the Hufflepuff house wear the red shirt." Amen to that.
"Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender" by Eliza T. Dresang points out that Rowling imposes stereotypical hysterical/fearful/whining behavior [on Hermione] and uses words like shriek, squeak, wail, squeal, and whimper, verbs never applied to male characters in the book. These descriptions are at odds with Hermione's basic role of "intellectual, problem solver" and seem to arise from stereotypes associated with her female gender rather than her own characterization.
Another great discussion assesses the translation of Harry and Co.'s British English into American, for the Scholastic editions. Verdict: Unnecessary. Thankfully, the amount of translating reduced dramatically with Goblet of Fire (You Say "Jelly," I Say "Jell-O"? Harry Potter and the Transfiguration of Language" by Philip Nel).
More food for thought was consumerism and conspicuous consumption; it is not limited to the Dursleys, says Elizabeth Teare in "Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic."
"Specters of Thatcherism" by Karin E. Westman examines power structures: pure-bloods vs. Muggleborns, house-elf controversy, prejudices against giants and werewolves, and what the persecution of Muggles at the Quidditch World Cup reveals about widespread wizardly attitudes.
Since these essays were published after Book 4 was published but prior to Book 5's release, I am on the lookout for other volumes which will take scholarly HP studies further. Perhaps I'll start with Jack Zipes' Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter, and I'll let you know what else I find.
Can American children understand a book that uses "foreign" language like Mum instead of Mom or trolley instead of cart?
Was it right for the New York Times to alter their Bestseller List parameters in order to cease HP's domination of the fiction list?
The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a Literary Phenomenon, edited by Lana A. Whited is pithy stuff; I love examining/analyzing/beating to death anything I read or watch. And I definitely consider the Harry Potter series worthy of closer attention.
The article having the greatest number of quotes I want to memorize is "Crowning the King: Harry Potter and the Construction of Authority" by Farah Mendelsohn. Here is a juicy tidbit, condensed from page 171: "Hufflepuff: a house dedicated to the sidekick and creating the mentality of the faithful follower. ...it is perfectly acceptable to kill off Cedric Diggory...in order to provide our hero with a motive to hold out and allow Dumbledore to deliver his 'consolatory' speech. ...For those readers who know their Star Trek, members of the Hufflepuff house wear the red shirt." Amen to that.
"Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender" by Eliza T. Dresang points out that Rowling imposes stereotypical hysterical/fearful/whining behavior [on Hermione] and uses words like shriek, squeak, wail, squeal, and whimper, verbs never applied to male characters in the book. These descriptions are at odds with Hermione's basic role of "intellectual, problem solver" and seem to arise from stereotypes associated with her female gender rather than her own characterization.
Another great discussion assesses the translation of Harry and Co.'s British English into American, for the Scholastic editions. Verdict: Unnecessary. Thankfully, the amount of translating reduced dramatically with Goblet of Fire (You Say "Jelly," I Say "Jell-O"? Harry Potter and the Transfiguration of Language" by Philip Nel).
More food for thought was consumerism and conspicuous consumption; it is not limited to the Dursleys, says Elizabeth Teare in "Harry Potter and the Technology of Magic."
"Specters of Thatcherism" by Karin E. Westman examines power structures: pure-bloods vs. Muggleborns, house-elf controversy, prejudices against giants and werewolves, and what the persecution of Muggles at the Quidditch World Cup reveals about widespread wizardly attitudes.
Since these essays were published after Book 4 was published but prior to Book 5's release, I am on the lookout for other volumes which will take scholarly HP studies further. Perhaps I'll start with Jack Zipes' Sticks and Stones: The Troublesome Success of Children's Literature from Slovenly Peter to Harry Potter, and I'll let you know what else I find.
Monday, July 13, 2009
3-D illustrating
Remember the beginning of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, when the camera floats over the miniature set of buildings? I always found that view fascinating, and wished that the whole show featured those little buildings. Home, a wordless picture book by Jeannie Baker, offers views on a city neighborhood in a somewhat similar fashion. The illustration technique is relief collage. I feel a bit tardy on "discovering" Jeannie Baker as an illustrator, because she has been publishing since 1977. Home was a 2005 ALA Notable book, originally titled Belonging, when it was published in Australia. This summer I have caught up with Ms. Baker by reading Home, Grandfather, and Where the Forest Meets the Sea.
Another noteworthy illustrator, Salley Mavor, makes "fabric-relief." She takes broadcloth, felt, knits, ribbons, eyelet, buttons, yarn, and painted wood, and then sews, embroiders, crochets and arranges them into pictures. My two favorites among her work are The Hollyhock Wall by Martin Waddell and In the Heart by Ann Turner. In both books, the magic of a high-quality story is added to by intricately detailed illustrations. A quote from Salley Mavor herself, from the book jacket of The Hollyhock Wall, helps describe how this works: "she chose to illustrate Mary's garden-fantasy world in this medium because 'sometimes the vivid world of fantasy seems more real than real life.'" In art, realism has a place, but the audience often benefits more when guided to see things through a filter which the artist provides.
Another noteworthy illustrator, Salley Mavor, makes "fabric-relief." She takes broadcloth, felt, knits, ribbons, eyelet, buttons, yarn, and painted wood, and then sews, embroiders, crochets and arranges them into pictures. My two favorites among her work are The Hollyhock Wall by Martin Waddell and In the Heart by Ann Turner. In both books, the magic of a high-quality story is added to by intricately detailed illustrations. A quote from Salley Mavor herself, from the book jacket of The Hollyhock Wall, helps describe how this works: "she chose to illustrate Mary's garden-fantasy world in this medium because 'sometimes the vivid world of fantasy seems more real than real life.'" In art, realism has a place, but the audience often benefits more when guided to see things through a filter which the artist provides.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Engaging and spooky
Novel of the week is A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth C. Bunce. This retelling of the story Rumpelstiltskin is told in first-person by the miller's daughter. In a small English town in the late 18th century, the mill is plagued by bad luck: accidents, breakdowns, and inexplicable 'refusals' to stay in good repair. The townsfolk have many superstitions, lore, and simples to try to combat ill luck and danger. The traditions and lore seemed to be empty superstitions at first, but as the story progressed, it became evident that the practices and perceptions were tied to historical events. And those historical events were genuinely spooky! Charlotte Miller was searching for long-buried secrets from the past which would explain the mill's curse and allow her a chance to set things right. The melding of folklore with magic was the hook for me, as it had been also in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's as though the oral traditions are another form of myth, striving to express truth through symbolism and fiction.
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