Shining a Light on Bryan Collier

This Black History Month, why not introduce
children to one of today’s most creative children’s book illustrators: Bryan Collier. A good place to start is with Collier’s latest, a picture-book biography that won the 2011 Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor for its stunning illustrations.

Hill, Laban Carrick. Dave the Potter: Artist, Poet, Slave. illus. by Bryan Collier. Little Brown, 2010.

Hill’s spare, poetic text opens with the image of dirt. “But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he learned to form a life as a slave nearly two hundred years ago.” The simple words work with Collier’s art to focus on the growth and development of a unique artist. Known simply as Dave, this talented man went on to create about 40,000 pots, some of which are displayed in museums today. The concise biography gains heft and power with Collier’s textured, earth-colored watercolor/collage images. The illustrations feature Dave’s strong hands, especially in Collier’s four-paneled foldout showing how “Dave’s hands, buried in the mounded mud, pulled out the shape of a jar.” Collier clearly situates the artist’s remarkable achievement within the context of South Carolina’s lush green landscape and its cotton fields, worked by enslaved field hands. Living in a time when that state outlawed the education of slaves, Dave often wrote brief poems on his pots. The final illustration shows him picking up a stick to write a few lines that “let us know that he was here.” Facts about Dave’s life and art, a photograph of his work, and the author’s sources are included. This is a beautiful book that will lead to discussions on justice, slavery, and the nature of creativity.

Note: On February 5 you can see Bryan Collier at the African American Children’s Book Fair in Philadelphia, happening 1 to 3 p.m. at the Philadelphia Community College.

A Sampling of Collier’s Outstanding Books

Freedom River by Doreen Rappaport. Jump at the Sun, 2000. Ages 9-12. Rappaport and Collier make a fantastic team: exemplary nonfiction prose and striking, thought-provoking collages. This thrilling, true story tells of a little-known hero: John Parker, an ex-slave who helped hundreds escape from slavery into freedom. Risking all, Parker crossed the Ohio River time after time to bring slaves from slave-owning Kentucky to the free state of Ohio. Rappaport zeroes in on one particular family Parker managed to free from the Shrofe plantation. She builds tension by repeating simple action verbs: “Run, run”; “Row, row”; “Listen, listen.” Complicating this rescue attempt is the fact that Master Shrofe realizes the family nearly fled with Parker before. Knowing the mother will not leave her baby, he now keeps the infant the foot of his bed each night. Risking all, Parker quietly enters the house and retrieves the infant. Shrofe awakes, and the chase is on! The watercolor and collage illustrations capture the intensity of the story and provide historical context, at times using a ripple effect across people’s faces to evoke the river that forms a boundary and a passage to freedom.  Notes at the beginning and end of the book provide additional fascinating information, and endpapers show a useful map of the Ohio River. This superb picture book won the 2001 Coretta Scott King Honor for Illustrations.

John’s Secret Dreams: The Life of John Lennon by Doreen Rappaport. Hyperion, 2004. Ages 8-12. Another fabulous collaboration! See my October 1 post featuring this picture-book biography.

Lincoln and Douglass: An American Friendship by Nikki Giovanni. 2008. Ages 8-12. This book captures the unexpected friendship between two American leaders: the president and Frederick Douglass, who was born a slave but escaped in 1838 and became a key figure in the abolitionist movement. The men found they shared important values and worked for the same goal.

Martin’s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by Doreen Rappaport. Ages 6-10. If you have time for only one children’s book on Martin Luther King, Jr., make it this one. The focus is on King’s powerful words, enhanced with Collier’s magnificent illustrations. Provide plenty of time to discuss King’s life and the beauty and wisdom of his words. For lesson plans, see these from Read.Write.Think.

Rosa by Nikki Giovanni. Holt, 2005. Ages 7-10. Acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni portrays Rosa Parks as the strong, politically aware woman she was. She takes us back to that Thursday afternoon in December when Rosa left work. The bus was full, but Rosa found a seat in the middle, “neutral” section of the bus. After a few stops, the bus driver approached Rosa and demanded she give up her seat for white passengers. Mrs. Parks refused. When the police officer came to arrest her, she quietly asked, “Why do you push us around?” Collier’s painted collages, incorporating both dark and golden hues, won the 2004 Coretta Scott King Award and a Caldecott Honor.

Uptown by Bryan Collier. Holt, 2000. Ages 6-8. Collier wrote and illustrated this lively picture book, in which a boy shows off his hometown, Harlem. A melange of sights, sounds and smells fills the pages: from the row of brownstones that “look like they’re made of chocolate” to the sisters in their matching Sunday dresses; from the busy shoppers on 125th Street to the hopping jazz clubs; from the playgrounds where kids shoot baskets to the hot platters of chicken and waffles. Collier’s debut book won the 2001 Coretta Scott King Honor for illustrations.

Related resource: See Reading Rockets: Black History Month for more teaching tips and for video interviews with noteworthy author/illustrators, including Collier.

One Snowy Day a Groundhog Met a Fox

Blackaby, Susan. Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox. Illus. by Carmen Segovia. Sterling, 2011. Ages 4-7.

If you’re seeking a whimsical read-aloud for Groundhog’s Day, you’ve found it. Brownie Groundhog and the February Fox sparkles with wit and sly charm. Brownie is a clever groundhog that meets a hungry would-be predator on a cloudy February 2nd. The fox tells her, “Hold still…. I’m trying to eat you for breakfast.” Brownie’s flip response is that it’ s simply too late for breakfast. The two find they both hate to wait. Brownie suggests the fox work up an appetite by clearing the snow off the pond. Segovia’s humorous image shows the fox putting his fluffy tail to good use. Alas, after all that effort, it’s too late for lunch, says Brownie. Then the tricky groundhog leads the fox to a tree and winds her scarf around and around the fox, binding him to the trunk.

Brownie’s little heart is touched, though, as she hears the fox’s plaintive cries. She decides it’s time to share what’s in her basket: cocoa and cinnamon toast. The crumbs attract a robin — the first sign of spring! The two new friends leave for home, pondering their next adventure. The illustrator’s note describes how Segovia first conceived of this engaging character one winter as she sketched a groundhog. Her wintry palette, splashed with the fox’s red, is as refreshing as that impromptu picnic.

Enhance a snowy story with the cold facts, perfectly described and displayed in

Cassino, Mark and Jon Nelson. The Story of Snow: The Science of Winter’s Wonder. Chronicle, 2009. Ages 4-9. You’ll be singing songs of snow, glorious snow after reading this snappy little informative book. Cassino and Nelson reveal the scientific nature of snow by using an accessible format featuring a brief fact in a large type size, then giving details in smaller text. Readers will learn of the three major types of crystals (star-shaped, plate and columnar), as well as other interesting facts. (It’s the molecular structure of water that creates the six-sided crystals, for instance.) The superb illustrations include both spectacular photographs that beg to be shared and Aoyagi’s ink and watercolor diagrams that show how a crystal develops from a speck of soil, pollen, or other substance, and then develops into an intricate six-sided beauty. Also noteworthy are the clear instructions on catching and examining snow crystals — just the trick for getting readers to venture outside to explore wintry wonders.

More and More Snow …

Alarcon, Francisco X. Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems. illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez. Children’s Book Press, 2001. Ages 7+ Fresh poems, often written from an unusual perspective, grace bright and beautiful pages showcasing poems in both Spanish and in English.

Andersen, Hans Christian. The Snow Queen. Trans. and retold by Naomi Lewis. Illus. by Christian Birmingham. Candlewick, 2008. Ages 8-10. Don’t miss Andersen’s most beautiful fairy tale, a source of inspiration for C.S. Lewis and other fantasy writers. Of the many versions available, Lewis’s is the one you want. This memorable wintry tale begs to be read aloud: “The cloak and cap were made of snow, and the driver ah, she was a lady, tall and slender and dazzlingly white!” Gerda’s dear friend Kay is kidnapped by the Snow Queen and held in her palace, where “the walls were of driven snow, and the doors and windows of cutting wind.” Gerda sets out on a treacherous quest to save Kay. Barrett’s watercolor-and-pencil illustrations capture the dreamy, sometimes frightening aspects of Andersen’s brilliant story.

Aylesworth, Jim. The Mitten. illus. by Barbara McClintock. Scholastic, 2009. Ages 3-6. This dynamic duo has produced a lively version of the beloved Ukrainian folktale, in which more and more animals cram into an almost ever-stretching mitten. McClintock’s energetic illustrations created with ink, gouache, and watercolor provide the perfect wintry touch.

da Costa, Deborah. Snow in Jerusalem. illus. by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu. Albert Whitman, 2001. Ages 6-8. Two boys live in Jerusalem, but they have never met. Avi lives in the Jewish Quarter, while Hamudi lives in the Muslim Quarter. To their surprise, they discover they have both been caring for the same stray white cat. The cat knows no boundaries, and leads the boys to friendship — as unexpected as snow in Jerusalem. If you don’t have this book, get it! Children love the story, which provides wonderful opportunities to discuss conflict in the Middle East and the nature of friendship and trust.

Florian, Douglas. Winter Eyes: Poems and Paintings. Greenwillow, 1999. Fun for all in these brief, whimsical poems, enlivened with Florian’s witty paintings.

Photo of a snow crystal by Wilson Bentley

Martin, Jacqueline. Snowflake Bentley. Houghton, 1998. Wilson Bentley of Vermont first discovered how to photograph snow crystals, as described in this modern classic picture-book biography. Also explore the Snowflake Bentley web site to see his astounding photographs such as the one at left.

Stewart, Melissa. Under the Snow. illus. by Constance Rummel Bergum. Peachtree, 2009. Where do the ladybugs go when it’s cold? What about the bees and the centipedes? Stewart explores winter aspects of such habitats as a field, a forest, a pond, and a wetland. Bergum’s watercolor paintings reveal the animals’ world beneath the snow and the world above, where people skate on frozen ponds and deer forage for food. Use this simple informational book to amaze and to enhance winter story times. Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2010

Whipple, Laura, ed. A Snowflake Fell: Poems About Winter. illus. by Hatsuki Hori. Barefoot Books, 2003. All ages. This lovely collection of wintry poems by such poets as Nikki Giovanni, Jane Yolen, David McCord, Barbara Juster Esbensen, and Ted Hughes, explores the season in all its dazzling glory. Hori’s evocative pastel and watercolor paintings add to the frosty fun.

Try a Little Tenderness

Stead, Philip C. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Illus. by Erin E. Stead.Roaring Brook, 2010. Ages 3-7.

This year’s 2011 Caldecott went to a sweet, whimsical story of kindness. Amos McGee works at the zoo and sets aside time each day for the animals; he would play chess with the elephant, run races with the tortoise, sit with the shy penguin, lend a handkerchief to the rhino, and read to the owl. Then one day Amos gets sick and stays in bed. The lonely animals decide to take action; that afternoon they make their way to Amos’s home. Throughout the book, Erin Stead’s pencil and woodblock illustrations sprinkle humorous details guaranteed to make readers smile. My favorite is the double spread showing the animals riding the bus, while others will be charmed by the last illustration, showing the quiet penguin gazing at the moon while the others snooze away after a busy afternoon taking care of their friend.

Looking for more kindness? For ages 4-7, try last year’s Caldecott winner, The Lion and the Mouse, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, and, for Valentine’s Day, reach for Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, by Eileen Spinelli. For older children, consider Tale of the Mandarin Ducks by Katherine Paterson and the Cinderella variations that focus on the protagonist’s kindness:  The Talking Eggs by Robert San Souci, Papa Gatto by Ruth Sanderson, and Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story by Judy Sierra. Also, see my December 27th post on being kind to animals.

What are your favorite children’s books featuring kindness? Please leave a comment!

Catch This Bus

Kittinger, Jo. S. Rosa’s Bus: The Ride to Civil Rights. Illus. by Steven Walker. Calkins Creek, 2010. Ages 6-9.

Many children’s books relate the story of Rosa Parks and her refusal to vacate her seat for a white man. This picture book, however, zooms in on the actual bus — #2867, which began its journey in 1948 on the assembly line in Michigan and ended up getting restored and displayed in the Henry Ford Museum in 2003. Kittinger keeps the story rolling along, undeterred by superfluous details. Walker’s colorful oil paintings, especially those of the bus, add to the kid appeal. After Rosa’s arrest, the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. led the bus boycott, which “went on and on. No dimes jingle-jangled in the coin box. Day after day, week after week, month after month, Bus #2357 rode down the street with plenty of empty seats.” After 382 days, the boycott ended with the Supreme Court ruling that outlawed race-based discrimination. Use this book and the author’s suggested activities to enhance children’s understanding of the Civil Rights Movement and their appreciation of the perseverance of those who participated. The bibliography provides noteworthy sources for those who want more details.

Shelton, Paula Young. Child of the Civil Rights Movement. Illus. by Raul Colon. Schwartz & Wade, 2009. Ages 5-9.

This first-time author is a daughter of Civil Rights leader Andrew Young and a first-grade teacher, experiences that enrich her engaging, child-friendly true story. Using simple, rhythmic language, she describes how her family moves from New York to Atlanta to work for the end of “Jim Crow, / where whites could / but blacks could not”). Famous leaders in the movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr., are not cast as distant gods but as folks who ate and laughed and prayed together. Colón’s soft-colored pencil-and-wash illustrations evoke the affection shared among the activists. Children will laugh upon learning of Shelton’s first protest: She sat on the floor and wailed when a Holiday Inn restaurant in Atlanta refused to serve her family.  One aspect that particularly recommends this book to children is its hopeful, positive tone, with its emphasis on community and respect. The story’s triumphant end shows Paula and her family joining the world-changing march from Selma to Montgomery. A brief bibliography and biographical notes provide additional information.

Other Recommended Titles for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Leave a comment to share your favorite children’s book related to MLK!

Michelson, Richard.  As Good as Anybody:Martin Luther King and Abraham Joshua Heschel’s Amazing March Toward Freedom. Illus. by Raul Colón. Knopf, 2008. Ages 6-10. Michelson provides an interesting perspective in this 2009 Sydney Taylor Book Award winner. He focuses on two peaceful heroes: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and an ally, Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel. Michelson invites readers to consider the parallels between the two leaders and their experiences. Both experienced hostility and prejudice in their homeland. Both overcame it with love, faith, and wisdom. Colón’s illustrations illuminate both the individual experiences (King’s story features an earthy palette, Heschel’s a blue one) and the similarities, as when he depicts the hateful signs that say “Whites Only” and then the ones proclaiming “No Jews Allowed.” In the final pages, the colors blend together, showcasing the diverse people who joined the march from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.

Rappaport, Doreen. Martin’s Big Words. Jump at the Sun, 2001. Illus. by Bryan Collier. Ages 5-10. Rappaport weaves her own well-chosen words with those of King’s, resulting in a concise, poetic, and respectful picture-book biography of King. Teaming up with Collier was an inspired touch, as his amazing painted collages lend this book so much power and beauty. Martin’s Big Words won both the Coretta Scott King Honor and the Caldecott Honor for its stellar illustrations.

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Here’s to All the Dreamers

Today the American Library Association announced the winner of the 2011 Pura Belpré Author Award. It’s a beauty! Other winners are listed after this review.

Ryan, Pam Muñoz.  The Dreamer. Illus. by Peter Sís. Scholastic, 2010. Ages 10-16.

The landscape of a major poet’s mind provides Ryan with the space to create her own work of art in The Dreamer. Her lush rendering of the early life of Neftali Reyes, the acclaimed Chilean poet known to the world as Pablo Neruda, is stunning and original.

This is the story of a scrawny, seemingly weak boy who finds power in words, in his vibrant environment, in the kingdom of imagination. The authoritarian figure of the father looms large in this novel, providing tension and conflict. The rigid patriarch has worked hard to advance with the railroad and is determined to see his son Neftali pursue a respected career in medicine. Ryan depicts the boy’s fears, his stuttering, and his growing resistance to his father’s demands.

The integration of form and content in this historical novel is a joy to experience. Ryan’s poetic structure involves choosing a single evocative word to denote each chapter, sprinkling her own poetic, Neruda-like lines within the story, and capturing the boy’s sense of wonder with the use of onomatopeia and repetition. Further highlighting the boy’s experiences and perceptions are the dreamy pen-and-ink pointillist illustrations of Peter Sis, known for his sensitive, often mysterious artwork.

A sampling of Neruda’s poems is included at the end of the book and will inspire older readers to discover more about this remarkable poet.

2011 ALA Awards for Children’s Literature Published in 2010

Newbery Awards & Honors

Honor	Dark Emperor & Other Poems of the Night	Joyce Sidman	9780547152288
Honor	Heart of a Samurai	Margi Preus	9780810989818
Honor	One Crazy Summer	Rita Williams-Garcia	9780060760885
Honor	Turtle in Paradise	Jennifer L. Holm	9780375836886
Winner	Moon Over Manifest	Clare Vanderpool	9780385738835

Caldecott Awards & Honors

Honor	Dave the Potter	Laban Carick Hill; illus. by Bryan Collier	9780316107310
Honor	Interrupting Chicken	David Ezra Stein	9780763641689
Winner	A Sick Day for Amis McGee	Erin Stead, illus.	9781596434028

ALEX Awards: The Alex Awards are given to 10 adult books that are appealing to young adults

The Boy Who Couldn’t Sleep and Never Had To	D.C. Pierson	9780307474612
Breaking Night	Liz Murray	9780786868919
Girl in Translation	Jean Kwok	9781594487569
The House of Tomorrow	Peter Bognanni	9780399156090
The Lock Artist	Steve Hamilton	9780312380427
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake	Aimee Bender	9780385501125
The Radleys	Matt Haig	9781439194010
The Reapers Are the Angels	Alden Bell	9780805092431
Room	Emma Donoghue	9780316098335
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden	Helen Grant	9780385344173

Schneider Awards: Annual juvenile award to an author or illustrator that best captures the disability experience

Best Children’s Book	The Pirate of Kingergarten	George Ella Lyon	9781416950240
Best Middle School Book	After Ever After	Jordan Sonnenblick	9780439837064
Best Teen Book	Five Flavors of Dumb	Antony John	9780803734333

Stonewall children’s and YA literature Award: Annual award for English language book best capturing GLBT  experience

2011 Honor Books

Will Grayson, Will Grayson	John Green	9780525421580
Love Drugged	James Klise	9780738721750
Freaks and Revelations	David Willis Hurwin	9780316049962
The Boy in the Dress	David Williams	9781595142993

2011 Winner

Almost Perfect

Brian Katcher

9780385736657

Coretta Scott King: Given to African-American authors and illustrators for outstanding inspirational and educational contributions

Lifetime Achievement	Henrietta M. Smith
New Talent	Zora & Me	Victoria Bond	9780763643003
New Talent	Seeds of Change	Sonia Lynn SadlerJen Cullerton Johnson	9781600603679
Illustrator	Dave the Potter	Laban Carick Hill; illus. by Bryan Collier	9780316107310
Author Honor	Lock Down	Sharon Berti	9781450062732
Author Honor	Ninth Ward	Jewell Parker Rhodes	9780316043076
Author Honor	Yummy	G. Neri	9781584302674
Author Winner	One Crazy Summer	Rita Garcia-Williams	9780060760885

Margaret A. Edwards Awards for significant and lasting contribution to young adult literature

• Terry Pratchett

William C. Morris Award for Best debut YA Author

Honor	Hush	Esches Chayil	9780802720887
Honor	Guardian of the Dead	Karen Healy	9780316044301
Honor	Hold Me Closer Necromancer	Lish McBride	9780805090987
Winner	Freak the Observer	Blythe Woolston	9780761362128

YALSA Best Nonfiction Award

Honor	Spies of Mississippi	Rick Bowers	9781426305955
Honor	The Dark Game	Paul Janeckzo	9780763629151
Honor	They Called Themselves the KKK	Susan Campbell Bartoletti	9780618440337
Winner	Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing	Ann Angel	9780810983496

Prince Honor Books: Excellence in YA Literature

Winner

Ship Breaker

Paolo Bacigalupi

9780316056212

Pura Belpre Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators

Winner -Illustration	Grandma’s Gift	Eric Velasquez	9780802720825
Winner -Text	The Dreamer	Pam Munoz Ryan	9780439269704

Mildred L. Batchelder Award: International and Translated into English

Winner

A Time of Miracles

Anne-Laure Bondoux

9780385739221

Sibert Honor: Most Distinguished Informational Book

Honor	Ballet for Martha	Jan Greenberg	9781596433380
Honor	Lafayette & the American Revolution	Russell Freedman	9780823421824
Winner	Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot	Sy Montgomery	9780618494170

Laura Ingalls Wilder Award: Lasting & Significant Contribution to Children’s Literature

• Tomie DePaola

Theodore Seuss Geisel Award: Book for Beginning Readers that demonstrate great creativity and imagination to engage children in reading

Honor	Ling & Ting	Grace Lin	9780316024525
Honor	We Are in a Book	Mo Willems	9781423133087
Winner	Bink & Gollie	Kate DiCamillo	9780763632663 0763632

Playing with Perspective

Singer, Marilyn. Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse. Illus. by Josee Masse. Dutton, 2010. Ages 7-10.

Arresting images, lyrical language, and relevant themes inhabit all of Marilyn Singer’s poetry collections for children. In Mirror Mirror, she has created a new poetic form, which she calls the reverso. The apt name refers to her technique of writing a poem that can be read in both directions — up and down. She uses the same words in both poems, changing only punctuation and capitalization as needed.

Singer’s reversos focus on fairy tales, where things are almost never as they appear.  The title and the form perfectly match the substance, all the while providing an intriguing reading experience. Masse’s vibrant paintings create split images that depict the brilliant duality of the poem’s perspectives. Words and illustrations reflect interesting angles on familiar fairy-tale characters: “Rapunzel’s Locks,”(“No wonder she felt snippy.”); “In the Hood,” (plays on two meanings of hood: Red Riding Hood’s and the slang word for neighborhood); “Longing for Beauty,” (“A beast/can love/ beauty”; now read the lines in reverse order) and “The Road,” about the process of letting yourself go “wherever the road leads.” That’s what the poet and the illustrator have done. Now it’s your turn, dear Reader. Keep your eyes wide open. This could be paired with Laura Whipple’s If the Shoe Fits: Voices From Cinderella, 33 fresh poems from various perspectives of objects (such as the glass slipper) and characters in the fairy tale.

Double the Fun With a Superbaby

O’Malley, Kevin. Once Upon a Royal Superbaby. Illus. by the author, Carol Heyer, and Scott Goto. Walker. 2010. Ages 6-9.

As in the hilarious Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude (Walker, 2005), this talented trio again taps the inherent conflict of a collaborative writing assignment for two kids who don’t see eye-to-eye. The boy’s contribution to the pair’s invented fairy tale includes plenty of rock ‘em sock ‘em action, while the girl focuses on a queen she names “Tenderheart” and the baby she calls “Sweet Piper.” The boy transforms the infant into “Strong Viper” as the “superbaby” manages to save his kidnapped parents from a giant cyclops, in a happy-ever-after ending that satisfies both writers.  O’Malley’s Photoshopped drawings of the storytellers are complemented by Goto and Heyer’s dramatic illustrations reflecting the children’s contrasting ideas. This picture book provides humor as well as a chance to discuss conflict resolution and gender differences.