New Books & News for Author/Illustrator James Burks

If you follow this blog with any regularity, then you have probably heard me mention Gabby and Gator and creator James Burks.

James has a new picture book coming out on March 1st - Beep and Bah (Carolhoda Picture Books).
 
Here is the book trailer:


And he has more good news.  His graphic novel Gabby and Gator is being developed into a Television show.

Check out the promo clip:



And it doesn't end there.  In August, his newest graphic novel, Bird and Squirrel (Scholastic/Graphix), will be released.  I have shared the Advanced Copy with some students and they are already singing its praises.

Congratulations James - Looks like 2012 will be a wonderful year!

What are you reading? From Picture Books to YA (12)

It's Monday! What are you reading? is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  Jen & Kellee from 

Teach Mentor Texts have adapted this to focus on Picture Books to Young Adult Books.

Each week I'll recap what I've read/reviewed the week before 

and then look ahead to what I am planning on reading/reviewing in the upcoming week.

Last week's book adventures:

This week's reading picked up, but I also started and stopped several books.  I'll come back to them but sometimes my mood points me to a different book than one I expected.  My quest to read all of the Caldecott Honor Books has resumed and I was able to get a few other books in.  To spare everyone a long list of books, I have selected my favorites to highlight.

 

Here are my favorites from the past week:

Hattie Big Sky by Kirby Larson - I listened to this one on audiobook and at times I wish I had an actual hard copy because I wanted to read it faster than the narrator was going.  Don't get me wrong, the narrator was good, but there were times I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next to Hattie and I knew I could read it faster.  Regardless or audiobook or print copy, Larson did an amazing job creating characters that you cared about and you wanted to know.  I felt like Hattie and all of her neighbors were real and I became so engrossed in their lives.  I was so excited to find out on twitter today that there will be a sequel.  Yay!

Listen to My Trumpet by Mo Willems - Elephant and Piggie are back.  That is reason enough to celebrate.  This time Piggie has a special surprise for Elephant.  I won't spoil it.  Fans of this series will love the newest book.

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano, Illustrated by Erin Stead - There are times when I hold a book in my hands and read it and know that it will win an award or be on a bunch of end of the year lists.  This was wonderful in both text and illustrations.  Stead, who won a Caldecott for A Sick Day for Amos McGee, has another winner on her hands.  I loved this one.

Just Behave, Pablo Picasso by Jonah Winter, Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes - A biographical picture book about Pablo Picasso and his stubborn determination to paint what he wanted to paint despite people who criticized him.

When Blue Met Egg by Lindsay Ward - This one is just simply a make you smile & chuckle book. 

Future Release:

Squid and Octopus Friends for Always by Tao Nyeu - If you haven't heard of this book, put it on your summer TBR pile.  This is going to be a favorite.  I loved this book. Mouse & Mole, Frog & Toad, Elephant & Piggie and now Squid and Octopus. Not truly an early reader but this one will appeal to the audience who loves all those other great friendships. The story is fun but the little side notes are almost funnier. I can't wait to see the final version of this book but I know I will be recommending it.

Caldecott Challenge Books:
I read 13 Caldecott Honor Winners this week.  This was the only one that I gave higher than a 3 star (a few would have received negative stars if that was an option).

Nothing at All by Wanda Gag -  This 1942 Caldecott Honor Book actually reminds me of a children's picture book.  It is quirky and fun.  It even has a different type set.

Upcoming book adventures:
I actually have to start tackling more reading for an Award Committee that I am serving on.  I will probably be digging into that pile this week.  Not sure which books though...so you will have to wait and see.

So, what are you reading this week? 

Please share! And remember to check in at Sheila's or Jen & Kellee's blog to see what they and others are reading!  

Book Review - Born Wicked

Author: Jessica Spotswood
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons / Penguin Young Readers (Released: February 7, 2012)
Source: Advance Readers Copy
Audience: Young Adult
Reviewed by: Kate G.

Good Reads Description:
"Blessed with a gift..."cursed" with a secret." 

Everybody knows Cate Cahill and her sisters are eccentric. Too pretty, too reclusive, and far too educated for their own good. But the truth is even worse: they're witches. And if their secret is discovered by the priests of the Brotherhood, it would mean an asylum, a prison ship - or an early grave. 

Before her mother died, Cate promised to protect her sisters. But with only six months left to choose between marriage and the Sisterhood, she might not be able to keep her word . . . especially after she finds her mother's diary, uncovering a secret that could spell her family's destruction. Desperate to find alternatives to their fate, Cate starts scouring banned books and questioning rebellious new friends, all while juggling tea parties, shocking marriage proposals, and a forbidden romance with the completely unsuitable Finn Belastra. 

If what her mother wrote is true, the Cahill girls aren't safe. Not from the Brotherhood, the Sisterhood - not even from each other.

Kate's thought's on this book:
A historical YA fantasy fiction set in the time of the Puritan- like society sounds like a winner, right? I am happy to say, “Yes”! I was a bit wary of this novel when I started to read it. I found myself getting angry and flustered in every chapter. About three to five chapters in, I figured out why. The author, Jessica Spotswood had me totally invested. I was experiencing the same emotions as the Cahill sisters. It started with the political and societal environment but is soon got deeper than that. I felt Cate’s anger at her mother. I resented the loneliness and feeling of neglect that Maura felt as a middle child.  (This hit very close to home being a middle child myself.) I envied the wisdom Tess gained from her curious and intellectual nature. Underlying it all, there is the constant undeniable push and pull of their bond as sisters and witches.

Even more surprising, I didn’t find the obligatory love triangle (between Cate, Paul, and Finn) trite or characteristically familiar. The guys are on equal footing. There is no extra talent or leg-up for either of them. (Ms. Spotswood does foreshadow a possible paranormal consequence to one of the pairings but to us readers, not Cate herself.) It was refreshing to see such a normal struggle in a world permeated with Magic.

This book is not without it’s curiosities, like why Dubai is mentioned as an ideal for these witches over and over again. I, for one, can’t wait to discover why and how the Cahill sisters will survive the politics, the Prophecy, and each other.

Check out this book trailer:



For more information about author Jessica Spotswood:
http://www.jessicaspotswood.com/

On twitter: @jessica_shea
Facebook:  The Cahill Witch Chronicles

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday (6)

As part of the Non-Fiction Picture Book Challenge 2012 (Twitter: #nfpb2012), my goal is to read and review as many of the new non-fiction picture books that are released this year.  Wednesdays will be my primary day to post the reviews.

What Color is My World: The Lost History of African American Inventors
Authors: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Raymond Obstfeld
Illustrators: A.G. Ford, Ben Boos
Publisher: Candlewick Press (January 3, 2012)
Audience: Grades 3 to 7
Source: Borrowed Copy

Description from GoodReads:
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, basketball legend and the NBA's alltime leading scorer, champions a lineup
of little-known African-American inventors in this lively, kid-friendly book.

Did you know that James West invented the microphone in your cell phone? That Fred Jones invented the refrigerated truck that makes supermarkets possible? Or that Dr. Percy Julian synthesized cortisone from soy, easing untold people's pain? These are just some of the black inventors and innovators scoring big points in this dynamic look at several unsung heroes who shared a desire to improve people's lives. Offering profiles with fast facts on flaps and framed by a funny contemporary story featuring two feisty twins, here is a nod to the minds behind the gamma electric cell and the ice-cream scoop, improvements to traffic lights, open-heart surgery, and more - inventors whose ingenuity and perseverance against great odds made our world safer, better, and brighter.


An interview with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

 

My thoughts on the book:
Some books make you wonder about the conversation that might have taken place between publisher, editor, author, illustrator.  If I was a more talented writer, I would recreate this hypothetical conversation for the entertainment of readers.  However, I will spare you that digression and jump into my thoughts on the book.

When I look at a book, especially a nonfiction picture book, I have a hard time stepping out of my educator mindset.  Yes, I want to enjoy a book simply because it is an enjoyable book.  However, with nonfiction, I am also trying to consider how to use it with children.  Basketball great - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has stepped into the role of celebrity debut author with his new children's book What Color is My World: The Lost History of African American Inventors.  His comment in the video above indicating his desire to show children a piece of African American History beyond Slavery and Civil Rights is most admirable.   I want children to know about the rich history and culture of African Americans too.  For that we are in agreement.  We are also seeing eye to eye on the wonderful facts provide on the various men and women inventors which are included in this book. 

Where we diverge, the format of the book and the voice of the story.  The format is a large-size picture book with flaps which in my mind is typically for younger audiences.  The text written for the facts about inventors is written for student in grades 4 and up.  The story portion of the book has an excessive amount of text (again for an older audience) but a voice that almost seems appropriate for younger readers.   

It is true that I haven't had a chance to look at this book with children, and so my opinion might change.  And though, I think there are wonderful facts and parts to this book, I would discover a way to share this book so children will get the most from it.

Click here to check out Candlewick's Book Trailer for What Color is My World?

It's that time of the week...add your nonfiction reviews to the Mr. Linky below.  

Book Review - Snowy Valentine

Author/Illustrator:  David Petersen
Publisher:  Harper Collins Children's (November 11, 2011)
Audience: Ages 4 to 8
Source: Copy for Review
Picture Book * Fiction * Holiday * Valentine

Description from Publisher:

Step out into a snowy Valentine’s Day with Jasper the bunny as he searches the forest valley for a special gift for his loved one.

In his picture-book debut, David Petersen, the Eisner Award–winning creator of Mouse Guard, tells a delightful tale that becomes the perfect way to say “I love you.”

Bring this sweet story home to your Valentine today.

My thoughts:

I discovered the work of David Petersen last summer when I came across his Mouse Guard series while I was preparing for a presentation on Graphic Novels.  I was immediately taken by his illustrations which were vivid and beautiful.  A few months later I came across an advanced copy of Snowy Valentine; Petersen's first picture book.   

In a Snowy Valentine, Petersen brings his trademark style and uses it to tell the story of Jasper and Lilly Bunny.  Jasper loves his wife Lilly and sets out through the snow to find a gift for her.  He quickly discovers that gifts that might appeal to porcupines, toads, racoons, and cardinals just aren't the right match for Lilly.  The story even includes a bit of a close call when Jasper runs into a fox and almost ends up as a Valentine for Mrs. Fox.  However, Jasper's wanderings lead him to the perfect gift for Lilly. 

Holiday picture books can be scary territory to explore.  So many of them are overly sweet or silly, or somewhat annoying.  When I read this book months ago, my reaction was positive.  It was refreshing to come across a story that was charmingly illustrated and sweet without being cloying. The twist at the end seemed like a fitting way to conclude the book.  As I read the finished copy in preparation for this review, not only did I feel the same way about the story, but I felt like I picked up some new details in the illustration.  I was also excited to discover from reading Petersen's blog that the story originated as a gift to his wife.  What a lovely gift both for Petersen's wife and for readers.   

David Petersen talks about the making of Snowy Valentine on his blog.  You can follow him on twitter @mouseguard
Part I 
Part II
Part III

You can follow him on twitter @mouseguard