Great Reads For You

Hugs and Toddler Story Time

2010-09-05T11:56:00.006-04:00

Last week on a Wednesday morning, I sang songs, I told stories, and I got hugs from tiny people. It was a wonderful first Toddler Story Time for two year olds. It had been a rough week, starting with an all day stint at jury duty on Monday, where I luckily was not a part of the final six selected for a four day civil trial, or I would have had to cancel my first session.

I started my program, setting up in a half an hour, including setting out carpet squares for places for toddlers and their caregivers to sit, and assembling materials for a simple craft. My theme was "All About Me." The caregivers, including one Dad, a grandmother, and a set of grandparents for twins, contributed beautifully, singing the songs, clapping along, and generating both control and enthusiasm.

Several things made it work so well: a handout with rules and expectations (stated in a friendly manner, of course, and printed attractively with a color border) given to the caregivers as I gave their child a name tag, a handout with the four action songs included in the program, including the opening and closing songs that will be used every week, along with a folder to put them in; and a quick talk at the story room door with the parents, explaining it was important for them to sing and model the actions.

I managed four stories and four action songs, without drama, and lots of fun. One child wasn't ready at the opening, so Mom brought him in during the program (though she was supposed to wait for craft time), but it worked out fine. They entered in the middle of a song, and he joined right in, staying focused for the next story and the closing song. The craft was tracing hands onto colorful construction paper, and gluing down bright colored flowers. Caregivers joined in spontaneously, and some works of art included hands in two sizes.

The most wonderful thing for me was seeing the happy faces of the children as they clapped their hands and stomped their feet, and their delight in recognizing concepts and objects from their everyday life from the carefully chosen books. When they came up for "stickers" at the end, getting to pick a tiny star face, so I could place it on their hand, I sat on a low stool. When the children came up, since I am so small, we were at the same level. It all brought back happy memories of Mommy and Me classes.

My son is now sixteen, but when he was a baby and a toddler, Mommy and Me and the songs and stories and friends we came away with, were a large part of our lives; generating trips to the library for storytimes, and playdates and holiday celebrations with favorite moms and children. There was a group of four of us- we extended what we learned from Mommy and Me and created themed parties for our kids, coming up with songs and stories and crafts. Like every parent of an older child, I miss those days, when our kids were open to the world and they brought us along with them.

New Categories

2010-08-27T01:17:00.003-04:00

I'm excited. I start my Toddler Story Time for Terrific Two Year Olds the middle of next week. I'm in the process of linking to resources for this age group, including songs and fingerplays. I'm adding them to my sidebar under Toddler Finger Plays and Toddler Story Time.

No Kindles For Me

2010-08-20T16:41:00.003-04:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ve been thinking about kindles and more of the like. I don’t want a kindle. I want a printed book. I used to think kindles would be useful only for reference books, and not for fiction. I now realize, if I want to look up a piece of information, a portable internet device will do. I can go to reliable databases linked to my library’s catalog. With a search of Google, I can read about topical events. Without a kindle, and with the internet, I am unlimited in my requests.

I hold in my hands a collection of short stories, an inch and a half thick. It’s not even a hardcover; it is a large format paperback. I love the roll of the spine as it opens up, the texture of the paper and the pages as they flip, the muted contrast between printed word and variegated surface, the portability as I carry it from room to room, the warmth of the words as they settle with me, in my hands and in my lap.

Can you imagine the experience of a toddler, their first experiences with images and words, if they cannot hold it, touch it, feel it, and hear the voice of a parent or loved one, encouraging them to turn the pages? I still have my son's first library of books. I can't imagine substituting a computer screen, or a tiny hand held device, for our many pleasurable hours with board books and pop-up books, and later, a book we could hold in our hands, as we lay down to read before bed.

Now, everyone knows kindles and the like are not for babies; they are for adults. But in moving toward that, are we moving away from the printed book? Is it a dangerous first step? I think I'll go for an I-Phone or an I-Pad or just a tiny laptop with wireless access, before I buy-in to a Kindle.

I read poems and short fiction online, because of its ready availability, coupled with access to my favorite writers and their blogs; but I am always happy if they have a chapbook or a book available and I can read their writing on paper and pages.

I love this video clip!

Could you do this with a Kindle?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Toddler Story Time

2010-08-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a week and a half, I start a Toddler and Parent Storytime for terrific two year olds. I'm looking forward to it, but there will be a learning curve. I had a story program for grade school kids, ages 6 to 11, for seven years, before staffing cuts forced us to make it available only during the summer reading program.

I enjoy that age group the most, because I can choose more complex stories and use multiple voices. I had a great group this summer, mostly ages 6 to 8, though I did get older siblings. It was different kids almost every week, and for the first time this summer, I rarely had a kid who was disruptive or inattentive; they all had a great time.

The toddler program will require me to be "on stage" every moment, or I will lose them. It's a shorter program, with stories, songs and fingerplays. Even looking for materials, is bringing back fond memories of going to Mommy and Me with my son. I find I'm seeking out the "music and movement" songs that were part of every Mommy and Me class, to use in my own program. Do you know Raffi? I love him.

I have many favorite books from my own child's toddler years. What is your favorite book to read to a two year old? Mine include Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood, and What Next, Baby Bear? by Jill Murphy. Ages 3 to 5, I could list hundreds!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are: Movie Reviews

2009-10-14T22:44:00.003-04:00

I've found a link to a balanced review of the movie version of the children's book classic and Caldecott award winning book: Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. The movie opens this Friday, October 16th. It's rated PG "for mild thematic elements, some adventure action and brief language."

The article cites a Newsweek interview, where Sendak is quoted answering the question, "What do you say to parents who think the Wild Things film may be too scary?"

SENDAK: "I would tell them to go to hell. That's a question I will not tolerate."

I remember hearing Maurice Sendak speak, probably eighteen years ago, at a large regional library. He was a brilliant, depressed, and "crusty" old man, even then; but his art work and uncompromising respect for children's intelligence outweigh any lack of finesse, in an otherwise, mostly erudite interview. In the Newsweek article, Sendak, the director, Spike Jonze, and the novelist-screenwriter go on to discuss the issues sparking Sendak's unexpected response.

I plan to go see the movie this weekend. I don't have a small child to go with me, but Sendak's work is for all ages.

James Ransome: Children's Book Author and Illustrator

2009-07-22T14:26:00.005-04:00

In April 2009, I attended three of five sessions of a children's lit conference, hearing talks by James E. Ransome, an award winning children's book illustrator, painter, and author; Gary Neri, an author of books targeted to inner city teens; and Tonya Bolden, a writer of children's biographies, addressing the African American experience. All three were dynamic speakers, conveying their love for children, and their love for what they do; all three with advanced degrees and extreme talent, who have decided to devote their energies to children, literature, and the art of the printed book.

Visit any children's department throughout the United States, and you will encounter James E. Ransome's illustrations. He's illustrated over 40 children's books. Among his many awards and commendations, he won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration in 1995 for a book called Creation (Holiday House, c1995), and the Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Uncle Jed's Barbershop (Simon & Schuster, c1993).

James Ransome spoke about growing up in Rich Square, North Carolina, a small town with three traffic lights. He knew he wanted to be an artist from the third grade, and he learned how to draw from comic books and from MAD magazine, copying the illustrations and creating his own, because there were no art classes in the schools and no art teachers in the town. Later, he moved to New Jersey, with what he termed an incredible art program in his high school, though he chose to concentrate on animating films. When he went to the Pratt Institute and majored in illustration, he met Jerry Pinkney, another renowned illustrator of children's books, because Pinkney's son was a fellow student. Jerry Pinkney became a mentor and a lifelong friend. (I had the pleasure of speaking with Jerry Pinkney, a wonderful man, a couple of years ago at a similar conference.)

Of interest to writers, I think, aside from Ransome's ongoing contributions to children's literature, is his description of his process, and his evolution from self taught student to professional illustrator and writer. He's also written and illustrated books of his own, and collaborated with his wife on several children's book projects. His wall size murals are installed in museums and libraries. He's worked in oils, and later in both acrylics and watercolors.

In response to a question from the audience, he thinks his direction will become all three mediums, using whatever is best for an individual project or using a combination of the three. He said he tends to use oils when the subject of the book is historical, and acrylic when the feel is modern and contemporary. However, the next book he's illustrating, with realistic people, is in watercolors, and another book will be done in prints. His research methods are meticulous, based on posing the models he calls characters as if he were casting a play, photographs, site visits, and a personal library of books.

Ransome titled part of his talk, How I Illustrate a Book:

(1) Thumbnail - He begins with a thumbnail sketch, 5 to 10 for each page of a book.

(2) Research - He begins his research studying pictures of everything pertinent, from animals to artifacts to period clothing, and when he is able, incorporates trips to places like the Caribbean and even visits to Disney World's Animal Kingdom (He has four kids, so it makes sense! And he inferred it's quicker and less expensive than visiting Africa.).

(3) Dummy Book - He creates a "dummy" book, a mock-up with text and pictures, to see how the pictures and the text work together (a major goal of children's book illustration and the basis for earning awards). The mock-up is sent back and forth to the publisher, three to four times, with notes and suggestions for changes.

(4) Model Shoot - He does a model shoot, posing his characters in period costume, and taking photographs. (He noted that Jerry Pinkney was the model for one of his characters in the book, Uncle Jed's Barbershop, and that at other times he has used his children, his parents and other relatives. It must be great to have yourself immortalized in a quality children's book, because Ransome's illustrations of people are the equivalent of professional portraits.)

(5) Drawing - He begins the actual drawings for each illustration, using tracing paper to build up layers and make a final drawing.

(6) Painting - Painting begins with a wash of color to dull the pure white of the page. He begins filling in with flat colors, and then the subsequent layers of paint. When it's oil or acrylic, if he doesn't like something, he changes it as he goes, re-working the illustration until he is satisfied with the color, the composition and the facial expressions.

In response to other questions, he said, once he begins a painting, with standard interruptions, like picking up his kids from school, answering phone calls, etc..., it generally takes him one week to complete it, and that painting faces take the longest (and faces are the most fun). It takes about a year to complete a book, he said, but he's working on different stages of other books and projects at the same time. He also said, doing illustrations for a book is a matter of interpretation, not a literal rendering of the text. He used a wonderful analogy, saying illustration is like a song; every singer should sing the song a little differently.

I was impressed by James Ransome's warmth and his dedication to Children's Literature, and the importance of what he does. Through multimedia, he introduced the audience to his wife and children, the places he grew up in, and where he lives today, in Rhinebeck, New York, including an intimate look at his artist's studio, located on his property, a free standing structure the size of a small apartment. He also teaches at Syracuse University. Here's a link to his website.

This wonderful article further describes James Ransome's process, the fact he uses a model for every person he paints, his influences, and his philosophy about introducing children to art. It includes an interview and reviews of his books.

Writing Fantasy Fiction: A Short Bibliography

2009-07-10T00:50:00.008-04:00

These are books I've read and enjoyed, with specific information about writing Fantasy Fiction:

Card, Orson Scott, How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Writer's Digest, 1990.

Gerrold, David, Worlds of Wonder: How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy, Writer's Digest, 2001.

Le Guin, Ursula K., Cheek by Jowl: Talks & Essays on How & Why Fantasy Matters, Aqueduct Press, c2009.

Le Guin, Ursula K., The Language of the Night : Essays on Fantasy and Science Fiction, HarperCollins Publishers, 1992.

Le Guin, Ursula K., Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussion on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew, Eighth Mountain Press, 1998.

Martin, Philip, ed., The Writer's Guide to Fantasy Literature: From Dragon's Lair to Hero's Quest, Writer Books, c2002.

I'm still in the middle of reading Le Guin's Cheek by Jowl, and enjoying it. If you know of other helpful guides to speculative writing, please let me know in the comments!

Annie and the Wild Animals

2009-06-16T09:00:00.006-04:00

Annie placed more corn cakes

at the edge of the wood.

This illustration from Annie and the Wild Animals (Houghton Mifflin, c1985) is a great example of Jan Brett's technique of adding story information in panels strategically placed at the top and bottom, or on the sides of a two page spread. What animal is coming next to eat Annie's corn cakes? Can she tame him for a pet? (She misses her cat, Taffy.)

Jan Brett: Author/ Illustrator

2009-06-14T11:17:00.011-04:00

Jan Brett is one of my favorite contemporary children’s book authors and illustrators. Her books are a visual treat with covers and end papers designed to reinforce the story and complement her detailed illustrations. In most of her books, each two page spread contains border panels or bottom decorations that allow a young child to anticipate what will happen next in the story, or the panels extend the story beyond the words written on the page.

I have so many favorites, starting with one of the earliest Jan Brett books I discovered and began to collect, long before my son was born: Annie and the Wild Animals. Other favorites, many of which I own, include: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, The Hat, The Mitten, Armadillo Rodeo, Trouble with Trolls, Berlioz the Bear, The First Dog, Gingerbread Baby, and Hedgie’s Surprise.

Wait, there’s more! Jan Brett, on her web site, at no charge, and under no obligation, generously makes available to the user: free art, free crafts, free coloring pages, free full color bookmarks, free calendar pages illustrated with her myriad characters, free ABC and 123 pages, and free online games. She also links to information sites for educators, and craft sites that relate to her stories and her themes.

All in all, she includes over 4,800 free coloring and activities pages. And, just if you want, she adds convenient links to information about her books and where you can buy them. She also has a blog, where she discusses her travels, her research, writing and illustration, and the bookmaking process.

Silver Phoenix - Book Review

2009-06-13T00:52:00.006-04:00

Gods, demons and monsters abound in Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia, Cindy Pon’s debut fantasy novel, named within one month of publication as one of the Top Ten 2009 SF/Fantasy novels for Young Adults by the American Library Association. What makes Cindy Pon’s novel unique in the Speculative Fantasy genre is its origin in the myth and legend of ancient China. Journey on foot and fly by dragon with Ai Ling and her romantic interest, Chen Yong, to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams as Ai Ling discovers her awakening powers, and is charged by a Goddess with a mission to free the Kingdom of Xia from a sorcerer who has cheated death for centuries. Issues of equality, prejudice, male/female relationships, murder, morality, and an attempted rape make this novel appropriate for mature high school age teens and adult fantasy fiction readers. Readers will anticipate the sequel, awaiting answers to questions about Chen Yong’s father, Ai Ling's past life as Silver Phoenix, and the resolution of the budding love between Ai Ling and Chen Yong.

For more information about Silver Phoenix and author, Cindy Pon, please visit her web site: http://www.cindypon.com/. Cindy is a wonderful person, and she freely shares her journey from fledgling novelist to published author on her web site, in author interviews, and on her blog.

Crafts For Kids - Online Search Strategies and Recommended Web Sites

2009-06-11T22:57:00.041-04:00

When I'm looking for a craft to go along with a theme for my story times for children, I usually perform a Google search based on whatever theme or holiday I'm searching for, and the key words: Kids Craft.

One example: "Valentine's Day" Kids Craft. Depending on the initial search results, I may also try: Heart Kids Craft, or Valentine Kids Craft. If I'm getting too many search results, I'll often switch to Google images, so I can see a picture of what the finished craft will look like.

Another example: Tiger Kids Craft. Or you can search by the type of materials: "Paper Plate" Tiger Kids Craft. Please note that when you place a group of words between quotes, they will be searched as a phrase. To find a coloring sheet, try searching on these key words: Tiger Coloring. This usually yields both "coloring sheets" and "coloring pages."

Of course, you can use any search engine, Google or otherwise. I've found the best results are often listed within the first few pages. I ignore craft sites that indicate they are advertising a kit, because that will cost money. I look for free craft sites for kids that include instructions for making the craft, and when applicable, a template or templates.

The sites listed on my sidebar under the heading: Crafts for Kids, are the most frequent sites I use. The sites, designed to be used by parents, librarians, and educators, are usually organized by theme. Enchanted Learning used to make almost everything available for free, and even after initiating an annual fee, there's still a great deal you can access without paying anything. Some of the sites rely on advertisements, but they usually give you the option to skip the ads, and offer instructions on how to copy a template without the ad banners. Another method I use is to copy the image of the template as a picture file, so I can import it into a Microsoft Word document, and resize the image to whatever size I need. (Sometimes you can do that directly by opening up a Google image thumbnail to full size, and copying the image as a picture, without ever going on the original site, particularly useful with free coloring sheets.)

Parents and grandparents, educators and librarians, if you're looking for a "rainy day" craft; a fun, educational, or artistic experience; or if you'd like to extend the theme of a story or a series of picture books you've been reading aloud, be sure to explore these sites.

New Look and Additional Links

2009-06-10T15:56:00.006-04:00

I'm experimenting with fonts and colors, and I'm continually adding new links to the sidebar. My goal is to make Great Reads For You "user friendly," with information for adult readers and writers; and for parents, grandparents, and caregivers of children and teens. Recently, I've added links to Resources and Materials for Children, Crafts for Kids, Book Sites for Adults, and Blogs for Writers. Please let me know if you have any suggestions for the layout or the links.

Books on the Craft of Writing Fiction

2009-05-31T22:47:00.003-04:00

For years I wrote fiction without any regard to technique, my only guide the fact I’d been an avid reader since childhood, I had a solid command of language, stories to tell, and emotions to convey. With a natural affinity toward characterization, dialogue and description, I wrote scenes and chapters with promise, but I had no knowledge of point-of-view, story structure, or any workable concept of plot. Over the past several years, I’ve taken two university level classes in creative writing, and I’ve read and studied forty-five or more books on fiction writing, literary analysis, fantasy writing, and playwriting. I’m still learning, but I’ve achieved satisfying improvement. These are some of the better fiction writing guides I can recommend:

Scholarly, Accessible Guides:

Both of these guides lead the beginning to advanced writer through "everything you need to know" about Point-of-View, Characterization, Description, Setting, Plot, Dialogue, and Story Structure. Though there are popular guides with varying degrees of usefulness that also cover these points, why not start with two of the best?

Burroway, Janet. Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft, 7th edition, Longman, c2006. I own the 6th edition of this book. I don’t like the author’s tone in the introduction, but other than that, this expensive college textbook is extremely useful, and also includes full text short stories to illustrate its points. Because of the price, you may want to check your local library for this one.

LaPlante, Alice. The Making of a Story: A Norton Guide to Creative Writing, W.W. Norton, c2007. List price $29.95. Amazon Price $19.97. I highly recommend this guide. Every chapter includes concrete information, specific writing exercises, and full text short stories and creative nonfiction pieces exemplifying her ideas. A chapter I particularly enjoy is titled: The Splendid Gift of Not Knowing.

Popular Guides:

There are many popular writing guides, available in any major book store that can be useful, depending on your particular stage of development, and your affinity with an author’s delivery style. I recommend perusing the shelves, and also checking your local library for out-of-print guides. I like to buy them, so I can highlight the ideas I find personally useful. These are some of the popular guides I’ve found particularly helpful.

Note: Few of these guides are useful, unless you’re actually writing, or have written a substantial body of work, so you can mentally apply what you’re reading to works-in-progress, or stories you’d like to revise.

Kress, Nancy. Characters, Emotion & Viewpoint, Writer’s Digest Books, c2005.

McClanahan, Rebecca. Word Painting: A Guide to Writing More Descriptively, Writer’s Digest Books, c1999.

Morrell, Jessica Page. Between the Lines: Master the Subtle Elements of Fiction Writing, Writer’s Digest Books, c2006.

Rosenfeld, Jordan. Make a Scene: Crafting a Powerful Story One Scene at a Time, Writer’s Digest Books, c2008.

Sexton, Adam. Master Class in Fiction Writing: Techniques from Austen, Hemingway, and Other Greats, McGraw-Hill, c2006.

Classics or Soon-To-Be-Classics that Should
Not Be the First Books on Writing You Read:

Forster, E. M.. Aspects of the Novel, Harcourt, c1927, c1955. Though it is tedious reading, this book is often cited by popular and academic writing guides, so it’s useful to read the original yourself.

Gardner, John. The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers, Vintage Books Edition, c1991, c1983. Gardner’s tone and condescending attitudes will drive you crazy, but you will learn. This book and the next, by Gardner, are considered essential reading for every writer.

Gardner, John. On Becoming a Novelist, W.W. Norton, c1999, c1983.

Le Guin, Ursula K.. Steering the Craft: Exercises and Discussions on Story Writing for the Lone Navigator or the Mutinous Crew, Portland, Oregon: Eighth Mountain Press, c1998. I just love Ursula Le Guin. Don’t you?

Yolen, Jane. Take Joy: A Writer’s Guide to Loving the Craft, Writer’s Digest Books, c2006. You will either love or hate the way she’s organized her thoughts.

Books on the Revision Process:

Browne, Renni and King, Dave. Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, 2nd edition, HarperCollins, c2004.

Lyon, Elizabeth. Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore, Perigree, c2008.

Overall, I’ve found that the act of writing coupled with reading books about writing- everything from mundane texts on revision, to popular guides about mainstream fiction and genre writing, to tomes on literary fiction- is the best way to learn how to write, all with the goal of forming a personal philosophy of writing, and finding your own unique style. Of course, reading quality books is also essential; and allowing your work to be read by others and critiqued, and your willingness to analyze and critique other author’s writing, will also aid your development as a writer. Published or unpublished, those of us who are devoted to the craft are all writers-in-progress. And that’s a great place to be.

One final word of advice I’ve gleaned from one or more guides to writing fiction: When you are writing, forget everything you’ve read about writing, and just write. The time to assess what you’ve written comes later.

Welcome to Great Reads for You

2009-05-31T19:00:00.012-04:00

From time to time, I will post bibliographies of books or lists of authors I can personally recommend, labeling them under categories for Children, Teens, Adults, or Writers.

I've been a librarian and a member of the American Library Association for eighteen years, working in both Adult and Youth Services, and I'm certified as an Educational Media Specialist for PK-12. I read and write both speculative fantasy and literary fiction, and I have some talent for playwriting and poetry. I have a strong interest in contemporary and classic Children's Literature and book illustration.

This site will be more eclectic than comprehensive, reflecting my various interests, with the good intention of recommending quality books with favorable reviews. Please check the sidebar for related links to useful blogs and recommended sites.

Occasionally, I may post a review, a brief recommendation, or an introduction to a blog, a web site, or a group of web sites. Posts are open for comments, and your recommendations of books or sites you've found to be significant or helpful.

Happy Reading! ~ Annie