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Poet: The Remarkable Story of George Moses

8/26/2015

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Young George Moses loved how words danced. When Bible verses were read, he listened. When children read books aloud, he listened. When songs were being sung beneath the hot sun, he listened. But George wanted to do more than listen to the music that words made when spoken. He wanted to read those words, too. 
So George, by listening, learned the alphabet. Will he be able to read now? His mother gave him a book of hymns, but he couldn't read it. Not yet. 
George found an old spelling book--tattered and torn--and night after night, despite being tired after working all day on his master's farm, George studied the letters. He sounded out the words. He worked until he had taught himself how to read those words. And soon words became sentences, sentences became paragraphs, paragraphs became stories. George was reading! And how he loved being able to read!
George read books. George read the Bible. George read poems. George read hymns. George read newspapers. George read anything he could get his hands on. 
With all those words dancing inside George's head, a wondrous thing happened. Those words began to line up together into their very own song, a song of George's making, a song that needed to be heard aloud. George had become a poet, and not just any poet, but a poet of the finest kind. Now it was his own words that were dancing above the tilled fields like a musical breeze.  

"When first my bosom glowed with hope, I gaz'd as from a mountain top On some delightful plain; But oh! how transient was the scene--It fled as though it had not been. And all my hopes were vain."

POET: The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton, written and illustrated by the talented Don Tate, is a picture-book biography that every classroom should have. Students will see that even during the dark days of United States history African-Americans could read and write. It was slavery's chains and oppressive laws, especially after Nat Turner's rebellion in 1831, that stole their opportunity to do so. But they certainly had the ability. Language is a gift all humans normally possess, even the oppressed. And I am sure that any child today who struggles to read and write, no matter their ethnicity, will find George's determination to learn to be absolutely inspiring.
There is so much to love about this book. The color tones that Tate used mirror the brightness and joy that words infused into George's life. I love the illustrations where George stands tall while he is reciting his poems for college students. I love seeing George dressed in his finest as he wrote out his poems for the wife a professor, the one who helped him become published. And I absolutely love how the book's designer at Peachtree Publishers took George's poems and placed them about the page like they are dancing on the air.  

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Lilliput, a beautifully illustrated middle-grade

8/24/2015

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PicturePublished by Peachtree Publishers
Meet Lily, a feisty 3-inch Lilliputian who is determined to escape Gulliver's prison. Who does he think he is--that yahoo? How dare he kidnap her, put her in a birdcage, and keep her there for moons? And for what? To offer proof that Lilliput is real? 
Not if Lily has anything to do with it! Lily is determined to escape. And this time her plan just may work! With feathers strapped about her arms, she flies out an open window. She is finally free, free as the birds that fly in London's skies. Just then, Gulliver's giant hand reaches through the window, and yanks her back inside. 
But all is not lost. Finn Safekeeping, an "apprentice" to the evil clock maker who lives in the shop below, has found Lily's plea for help, the one she tied to the tail of a mouse. And today Finn has slipped a little something into Gulliver's coffee. Before you know it, Gulliver is knocked out and Finn has got Lily safe inside his pocket. Finn, however, cannot take Lily far. He has a Waste Not Watch that winds cruelly about his wrist and that keeps him bound to the clock maker's shop. Lily decides not to escape alone. She will free Finn. Besides, he can help her make her way through those massive streets of giants. So using her small, nimble fingers, she loosens the mechanisms within the Waste Not Watch and frees him!

"There's a reason we found each other," she told him. "We're the keys that unlock each other's cages."

Finn, with Lily in his pocket, and the clock maker close behind, dashes into the streets of London. Eventually, the two friends find safety inside Mr. Ozinda's candy shop. Once Lily is revealed, Mr. Ozinda determines to help Lily find her way back home. Will she ever make it? Or will Lily be stuck in the world of giants--forever? You'll have to read this illustrated middle-grade written by Sam Gayton and published by Peachtree Publishers, to find out.
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Alice Ratterree (c)
Picture
Alice Ratterree (c)
What I love about this spin-off from Gulliver's Travels--that classical tale written by Jonathan Swift in 1726--is the illustrative work of Alice Ratterree. She captures each moment with detailed skill, not dissimilar from the work of a clock maker. Eighteenth-century London is dressed majestically by Ratterree's pencil and watercolor drawings. She infuses Lily's spunk, determination, and bravery into every illustration. Just look at Lily as she wields her needle like a sword! She's a tiny force to be reckoned with, to be sure!
Lilliput is written by Sam Gayton, illustrated by Alice Ratterree, and published by Peachtree Publishers. 

llustrations © 2015 by Alice Ratterree. Permission to use granted by Peachtree Publishers.
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The Most Magnificent Thing

8/1/2015

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Ashley Spires has crafted a delightful tale of a determined little girl who sets out to create a magnificent thing. The girl knows exactly how she wants her creation to look. She knows exactly how it should work. And she makes exact plans to accomplish her task. 
With her canine assistant by her side, she gathers an assortment of gizmos and gadgets and begins to create. But when she steps back to admire the first thing she has produced, it is not at all magnificent. So she tries again. Nope. Not magnificent. Time after time, and time again she tries, but to no avail. None of her inventions are magnificent! And when she smashes her finger, not only is she frustrated, she’s a hot-mess MAD! 
She throws her tools aside, stomps on her latest creation and says, "I'm not good at this. I QUIT."
Will that be the end of our girl’s plans? Will she let her frustration conquer her determination? Or will she listen to the advice of her canine assistant and discover an alternate solution? Will the girl's magnificent thing ever become a reality? You’ll have to read this picture-book, published by Kids Can Press, to find out. 
What I like about this picture book is how Spires uses our little girl’s journey to show the swing of emotion a person experiences when his or her best-laid plans fail. And, in my own life, I've seen that the canine assistant’s advice really works, especially when frustration has built to the point when you feel like stomping and crying and giving up. (So in my opinion, this book is a must-have for elementary-school guidance counselors everywhere.) Yet, the story is not at all didactic. It’s just a cute yarn with delightful illustrations.
Speaking of illustrations, Spires, the author and illustrator, uses white space in a magnificent way. The line-drawn cityscape makes for a visual treat. I love the way the girl’s polka-dot coat pops red on each page. And how those matching facial expressions of girl and canine assistant made me smile one magnificent smile!        


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Ben Franklin's Big Splash!

7/27/2015

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    Ben had imagination.  He imagined that if he could create some fish fins to fit his eleven-year old body, he'd be able to swim just like his aquatic friends. So he sketched. He sawed. He sanded, until his wooden fins fit his hands, then his feet. He strapped on his invention and jumped in the river for a swim! Did it work? I hope you'll read this delightful picture-book biography to find out.
As a writer, I truly enjoyed seeing how the book's author, Barb Rosenstock, located such a kid-friendly fact within the volumes contained in the life of this famous man of Colonial-American history. And I loved how, in turn, she spun that event into a lively story that kids can relate to--wishing to swim like a fish. Rosenstock's clever use of alliteration throughout the entire book is a bonus that makes for an enjoyable read-aloud. 
The illustrator, S.D. Schindler, does a fabulous job weaving historical facts into the book. (Love those shoes and clothes!) And the color palette gives the book a historical feel. My favorite illustration? Seeing Ben, submerged up to his nose, with his swim-fins on and three fish fleeing from him with bug-eyed wonder!
The book's layout, wonderfully designed (and published) by Calkin's Creek, is gorgeous! The text often gives a sense of water moving. And I think it's quite clever how the big, blue font hints of Ben's later-learned skill of printing.
BEN FRANKLIN'S BIG SPLASH; THE MOSTLY TRUE STORY OF HIS FIRST INVENTION is one picture-book biography that I'm sure kids in every elementary classroom will enjoy.
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Less is More in THE CROSSOVER

2/22/2015

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      I’m sure you've heard the writing adage “Less is more.” It seems oxymoronic, doesn't it? But it’s true in the aesthetic of things. I mean, what front yard looks amazing with five hundred lawn ornaments? When it comes to writing, an abundance of words loads down a sentence, slows down the pace, weighs down dialogue. Verbosity ruins story.
        While reading the beautifully-written middle-grade novel in verse, THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014), I was struck with how well the writing demonstrates that “less is more.”
         For example, notice how the main character, Josh, describes what’s happening to his father:
            
            He sits up on the bed, holds
            his chest like he’s pledging
            allegiance. Only there’s no flag 

        
         Alexander does not over explain. Clearly and concisely, he conveys the fear of the moment. Readers understand that Josh’s dad is in trouble and Alexander used only 17 words to do so.
        Less is more is especially evident when Alexander uses metaphoric language. For example:
            
            Our seats are in the clouds, 
            and every time Dad thinks 
            the ref makes a bad call, he rains.
        
           Alexander's skillful use of exact nouns and verbs prove less to be more. For example, in this passage, notice what imagery Alexander creates with just a few words:
           
            The Red Rockets,
            Defending county champions,
            Are in the house tonight.
            They brought their whole school.
            This place is oozing crimson.

       I found it difficult not to keep turning pages while reading Alexander’s slam-dunk of a novel and 2015 Newbery Medal recipient, for each word contained in THE CROSSOVER is full of more.

THE CROSSOVER blurb from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: “In this middle grade novel in verse that's Love That Dog meets The Watsons Go to Birmingham meets Slam, twelve-year-old twin basketball stars Josh and Jordan wrestle with highs and lows on and off the court as their father ignores his declining health.” www.hmhco.com

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Driving with Jumpy Jack and Googily

5/24/2013

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I just knew I was ready for behind-the-wheel. After all, I had read and studied each chapter in the driver's ed. book, paid rapt attention in class, and had passed every test with flying colors. But when it was my turn to put the car into gear, it was another story.

"Haven't you been watching other people drive?" my driver's ed. teacher asked when I inquired which pedal was the brake and which one was the gas. "No," I had to confess. "Was I supposed to?" Before I could barely get down the road, my exasperated teacher told me to get out of the driver's seat. Now! He wasn't ready to die!

My problem was that I didn't know how to put the advice I'd learned in the book into practice. Of course, if I had been watching how good drivers do it, I would have had a clue. Why hadn't I thought of that before I got into the car to drive? 

It's not so different with writing. We can read advice all day, but if we don't observe that advice in "drive", flowing through a real-live book, it will be difficult for us to apply that advice in our own writing. No wonder we are told to read, read, read.

So--not wanting to crash my manuscripts--when a book resonates with me, inspires me, works for me, I analyze why the book "drives" so well. This helps me see how to put advice into practice when I take my stories out for a spin.

Take the book Jumpy Jack and Googily, for instance--written by Meg Rosoff, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, and published in 2008 by Henry and Holt. This picture book makes for a wonderful ride. The story's engine purrs. Here's what advice I see in action when I drive with Jumpy Jack and Googily.

ADVICE: Begin with a Problem.

Twenty-one words into the story and the problem is laid out like the plaid on Googily's pants. Jumpy Jack, Googily's friend and roommate, is sporting not only a brown-striped shell, but a crooked frown as well. "I'm nervous," Jumpy Jack confesses to his dear friend. "There could be a monster nearby and I'm scared of monsters."

With this, Meg Rosoff shows us how to begin a story in media res (Latin for "in the midst of things"). No set up. No expository blah-blah-blah. None of that pillow fluff stuff. Jumpy Jack and Googily's first few sentences simply present the reader with the character's problem. That makes the reader want to turn the page to find out how it'll all work out.

ADVICE: "Page" Your Story 

Jumpy Jack and Googily slosh and plod toward home on a hilly terrain, encountering little obstacles along the way. Is there a monster behind the tree? Ready to pop out of the paddling pool? Staring through a letterbox? Poor Jumpy Jack. He's a bundle of nerves. But thanks to Googily, when you turn the page, each encounter finds our little slime-trail-leaving friend smiling again.

In this, Meg Rosoff shows us how to structure mini-scenes within a story. For Jumpy Jack and Googily each small episode begins on one page, has a middle on the second, then (turn the page) ends with the third and fourth. Having page turns at such strategic places within the plot builds suspense and keeps the story moving along.

ADVICE: Use Repetition Effectively 

Jumpy Jack asks his friend Googily for help over and over again. Each time he does so with the decorum of a finely clad English gentleman. He would be grateful. He would appreciate it. He would feel better. Every time Googily replies patiently, reassuring his friend. "No monsters here," he says. Jumpy Jack sighs a "Phew!" in relief every time.

In this, Meg Rosoff shows us that a thread of repetition woven throughout a story makes the storyline feel like home, the characters feel like family, the setting feel like a view of our own backyard.

ADVICE: Use Humor 
Jumpy Jack is afraid of monsters with dreadful smiles, horrible scary hair, and long tongues, right? Yet, our dear Jumpy Jack has no idea--n'er an inkling--that Googily is a monster that possesses these very attributes!

In this, Meg Rosoff shows us that the humor in our stories must be well thought out, fresh, clever.

ADVICE: Visualize the Text 

Jumpy Jack's eye-spots twist in every conceivable direction. From beneath his wiry smile on his slug-like body, two buck teeth protrude. Big, blobby, blue Googily is attired in a green bowler hat, a red wristwatch, plaid trousers, pink socks, and pointy shoes. One arm drags behind him while the other totes an umbrella. And those goofy facial expressions as the two friends experience their day together--all make for a visual delight.

In this, we writers are shown that we need to see the possibilities within our text for an illustrator to work his or her magic. This we should do as we are outlining, planning, and writing our story, whether we are an illustrator or not.

ADVICE: End with a Twist 

Little do we expect for Googily to be scared of anything. But surprise! As the two friends come to the close of their day, it is our brave Googily that sports a nervous frown. It's Googily that asks Jumpy Jack for help. It's Googily that declares, "I am frightened of socks." As the two of them peer under the bed to see if the frightful apparel is present, another twist is spun! The sock says, "Boo!"

In this, Meg Rosoff demonstrates that a simple, yet clever twist at the end of a story is like an elegant evening of dining ending with a delightful burp!

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    About Me

    Dionna is a spinner of children's yarns, a weaver of nonfiction, and a forever-learner enrolled in the Institute of Imaginative Thinking. Her kidlit work has appeared on the pages of  Cricket, Spider, and Ladybug. As a work-for-hire author, she's written projects for Scholastic, Lerner, Capstone, Little, Brown and other educational publishers. Her middle-grade, MAMA'S CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS, will be released by Holiday House come 2024. An SCBWI member since 2005, Dionna is represented by ​Kelly Dyksterhouse and 
    Jacqui Lipton of The Tobias Literary Agency.


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