Sendak Is At It Again

Let the wild rumpus recommence! After 30 years, renowned author/illustrator Maurice Sendak is back with a sly new picture book oozing with revelry and rhyme.

Mr. Sendak, whose classic Where the Wild Things Are won the 1964 Caldecott Medal, has returned to that dark and fertile territory where youthful rebellion leaves room for love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Peering from the cover, the yellow-eyed pig Bumble-Ardy, donning a blue sailor cap perched between big petal-pink ears, looks as if he’s ready to party. Is he ever!

In his nine years, he’s never celebrated his birthday. His parents, we learn in the prologue, ignored birthdays and then were eaten when he was eight. “So Adeline, that aunt divine,/ Adopted Bumble when he was nine./ Now, ain’t that fine?”
Sweet Aunt Adeline, dressed in a Victorian pink and lavender dress coat, presents the birthday pig with a “hotsy-totsy cowboy costume” and a hefty, candle-laden cake—but no party. Bumble-Ardy throws on the suit, lassos his stuffed pig, and preens in front of the mirror. The reflection of the pig’s mischievous expression ushers in a shift in the story’s tone.

Bumble-Ardy proceeds to invite “some grubby swine” to join him “for cake and brine at ten past nine.” Which sounds fine, except for the fact that his aunt must leave the house just minutes earlier to go to work. And Aunt Adeline does not approve of pigs guzzling her fine, homemade brine. That’s not enough to stop this nine-year-old from breaking the rules. After all, we are in Maurice Sendak territory and have encountered “some swill pig,” as a yellow banner proclaims. Here’s the author’s opportunity to unleash his own wild imagination and wicked sense of humor.

As he did in this story’s first incarnation, a 1971 animated short produced for “Sesame Street” by Jim Henson, Mr. Sendak spins a simple plot that pits an impish boy against the constraints of his old-fashioned matriarch Adeline. The author/illustrator changed the wine to brine and the impish boy (reminiscent of the author’s famous Max) to a pig.

Happily, the picture book format allows for greater exploration of the sights and sounds of Bumble’s escapade. Surprises both bright and dark abound for the reader. Various signs carried by swine both further the plot and enrich it with humor and words that rhyme with nine. Banners and balloons in pink, blue and yellow display that word in various languages—Italian, Hebrew, and Dutch—and foreshadow the wide-ranging mayhem to follow.

A detailed double-spread presents the raucous crowd arriving in a bizarre array of handcrafted costumes. One pig is dressed like a bum and sticking out his tongue; one is a feather-decked Indian, while another is a parody of a proper lady with smeared lipstick and sky-blue eyes. In the midst of the bright procession, Mr. Sendak slips in a characteristic nod to the presence of mortality, with his image of a gold- and silver-eyed grim reaper wearing a crumpled brown tri-corner hat. Like the revelers, readers will follow the party as it descends into chaos and gluttony. The author skillfully serves up a profusion of verbs denoting excess: the swine broke down the door, they guzzled brine, hogged sweet cakes, and oinked loud grunts “and pulled all kinds of dirty stunts.”

Mr. Sendak’s well-chosen words virtually dissolve as he presents three riotous, moonlit double-spreads crowded with cake, lollipops, and wide-open mouths. From snout-tickling to piggyback riding, the beastly feast proceeds, with no adults in sight. That is, until sweet Adeline “hurried home so she could dine/ With Bumble on his birthday nine/ And found a mob of swilling swine . . .”

Employing a more casual, penciled-in look, Mr. Sendak shows the enraged aunt ousting the partiers and then confronting a tearful nine-year-old repentant. That’s just the right time for Adeline to sweep up her piggy valentine and kiss him “nine times over nine.”

For oinkers with large yellow eyes—or readers with more mundane irises—Maurice Sendak has delivered an unexpected treat that’s simply divine.

Reprinted by permission of NYJournalofBooks.com

For more subversive fun:

“Milk in the batter! Milk in the batter!” In honor of Banned Book Week, why not pick up Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen?

A banned book for older children:

James and the Giant Peach is a treat to read independently or aloud.

And for teens:

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” Animal Farm is just as relevant today as when George Orwell wrote it.

Related articles

• Maurice Sendak’s operatic third age (guardian.co.uk)

Children of the World

I dare you to pick up this book and resist devouring it. Everyone looking for resources to instill in children a greater awareness and appreciation of the world’s diversity will want to add Children of the World to their library.

Photographers Anthony Asael and Stephanie Rabemiafara have compiled a vibrant collection of photos, along with children’s artwork and poetry, to show how people feel about their native land. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, the world beckons from the colorful pages of this inspiring, accessible nonfiction book. It’s a breeze to use, thanks to the table of contents and a page pinpointing the features readers will find on each of the 192 UN nations included. Mr. Asael and Ms. Rabemiafara have wisely chosen to focus on simple, essential aspects of the nations: language(s) spoken, popular foods, and favorite sports or activities. Following the profiles are statistics from Unicef’s State of the World’s Children reports, credits, and a sprinkling of children’s artwork.

Arranged alphabetically, each nation, identified by continent and with a map, stars in its own bright double-spread. The left-hand page features artwork by a local child, a poem in another child’s own language and handwriting, and the English translation of that poem. On the right is a full-page photograph of a child or children in their environment.The photographs, taken from various angles and times of day, range from stunning close-ups to lively group shots that capture a specific locale.

One of the many impressive aspects of Children of the World is the care the compilers took to combine their photos with the children’s artwork  in ways that enhance our appreciation of a culture. Take, for instance, the spread on Kuwait. We learn natives of this Middle-East nation speak Arabic and English, that they eat many different rice dishes and drink laban, a yogurt-based drink, and that they play soccer and water sports. A nine-year-old’s poem called “The Smile of Kuwait” tells of the children who “are the flowers of its garden … the enemies of guns … [who] refuse to see in our fields the light of fire… . How can we accept to see birds’ nests destroyed in our homeland?” Flame-colored markers in a seven-year’s artwork showcase three brightly veiled females, the youngest of whom appears ready to play a game of  hopscotch. On the right, we see a photo of a radiant smiling girl, her black hair adorned with a twinkling lattice of golden circles, rectangles, and flowers.

In gazing at such sweet faces, children will no doubt sense the similarities and differences among us. This, in fact, is a goal of the compilers, who seek to cultivate “cross-cultural understanding and to empower a sense of global citizenship” with their not-for-profit organization Art in All of Us, which the book’s proceeds will support.

Perfect for one-on-one sharing or for a boatload of elementary-school curricular units, Children of the World shines with hope and creativity. Pick it up, and it will reciprocate.

And for older children, ages 8-12:

For teaching tips on If the World Were a Village, see the excellent guide at Kids Can.

Another interesting choice features unusual libraries:    

Books in the Key of Community

I expected to encounter a heavy dose of post- 9/11 stories in the media this week, but such horrifying images are simply not appropriate for small children. Instead, it seems to me they need to hear about the importance of community. Across the world, communities, happily, come in all colors. Here are a few you might enjoy sharing with young ones:

Cunnane, Kelly. Chirchir Is Singing. illus. by Jude Daly. Schwartz & Wade, 2011. Ages 4-8.

Even a small child needs to find her place in her community. Chirchir, which means “born quickly,” lives in a village in western Kenya. This girl loves loves loves to make up songs. One bright day she wakes up determined to help the elders as they go about their work.

She sees Mama drawing water from the well and feels up to that task. Soon, though, she loses hold of the rope and falls. “Little one, this work is not for you,” says Mama. Each time Chirchir approaches a relative — to start a fire, spread mud on the floor, or to hoe potatoes — she hears that message.

Just when she’s feeling disheartened, she hears a cry and follows it to the hut where her infant brother has awakened. Her older brother, who had been responsible for tending him, lies fast asleep. How fortunate that Chirchir is ready and able to handle the job, for what better way to soothe a baby than to sing?

Chirchir’s small journey of self-discovery is pleasingly rendered by the South African artist Jude Daly, with folk-art paintings employing flat perspectives and a generous helping of leafy greens for the rural landscape. Echoing the hills’ curves are lively images of swirling flocks of swallows, a golden yolk of a sun, and an elongated swirl containing notes and images of her family at work that emerges from Chirchir’s mouth when she realizes she, too, has an important job to do.

Cunnane, author of For You Are a Kenyan Child (2006), has created another gentle, likable story that celebrates family life in Kenya. Her rhythmic, poetic language sparkles with specific images, such as the “winking silver circle of the well,” and with Chirchir’s lilting songs: “Jambo! Hello! Day is growing tall./ Wake up to green sunlight and rooster’s call!”

Educators will find this lyrical little story tailor-made for read-alouds and for incorporating simple instrumentation. Others will simply enjoy a fresh, sweet story that ends on a high note.

The author includes information about the setting and a glossary of the Kalenjin and Swahili words lightly sprinkled throughout the story.

For other great read-aloud titles see my post on 14 Cows for America and these hopeful ones:

An Earful of Wisdom

Photo from Story Museum

Storytellers have always enriched our world by firing the imagination, by sharing wisdom, by building a sense of community, and by opening our hearts so we can empathize with others and see their perspective. The British storyteller Hugh Lupton has devoted his life to this powerful but often-neglected teaching tool.  I’ve used many of Lupton’s stories over the years, especially with upper-elementary students. His recommended audience, however, actually ranges from ages 5 to adult. Thanks to Barefoot Books, you can hear his supple, expressive voice on CDs. Of course, you might prefer to read aloud his wonderful stories yourself. Here’s a sampling of Hugh Lupton’s enchanting work.

Tales of Wisdom & Wonder. Illus. by Niamh Sharkey. Barefoot. Ages 8-12.  In what ways might a blind man possess uncommon wisdom? Why is it wise to listen to your dreams? Such intriguing themes run through this collection of folktales from many cultures, accompanied by a CD with Lupton’s impeccable recordings. Included: “Monkey and Papa God,” from Haiti; “The Curing Fox,” from the Cree Nation; “The Peddler of Swaffham,” from England; “The White Rat” from France, “The Blind Man and the Hunter” from West Africa, “Fish in the Forest” from Russia, and “The Shepherd’s Dream” from Ireland.

The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud. Ages 4 to 8. Another great paperback/CD combo, these seven tales from seven cultures should be part of every child’s literary heritage. Lupton includes his versions of  “The Magic Porridge Pot” from Germany, “Monkey-See, Monkey-Do” from India, “The Sweetest Song,” African-American, “Little Lord Feather-Frock” from Russia, “The Three Billy Goats Gruff” from Norway, “The Little Red Hen” from England, and “The Blue Coat,” a Jewish tale.  You can hear his version of “The Magic Porridge Pot,” one of my favorites when I was quite young, at the Barefoot Books podcast page.

The Adventures of Odysseus. For upper-elementary and middle-school listeners, this crackling version of Homer’s travails is unsurpassed. Boys especially love the perilous adventures filled with bizarre and frightening challenges and with wild creatures that haunt the imagination. You can hear Lupton on the CD or DVD — or gather the family (or class) for an unforgettable read-aloud adventure.

Tales of Mystery and Magic. Illustrated by Agnese Baruzz. Barefoot Books. Ages 8-12. Strange elves and living bones inhabit this fascinating collection of folktales from Chilean, Scottish, South Asian, Inuit, Russian, Seneca, and West African sources. Their power is enhanced by Baruzzi’s gorgeous artwork, which evokes the culture from which each story springs.

An aside: Hugh Lupton’s great-uncle was Arthur Ransome, renowned illustrator and author of such classics as Swallows and Amazons. The first in a series, his beloved novel follows the adventures of four children who are allowed to sail in their boat, Swallow, to a deserted island to camp out for the summer.

 

Related Links
Hugh Lupton, Storyteller.
Story Museum.