Best Picture Books of 2011!

O November 21, 2011 November Book Buzz is for Picture Books! Best Picture Books of 2011!  We're talking and schmoozing picture books this month so here is a list you don't want to miss, all brand new this year. Will one of these win the Caldecott Award for Best Picture Book/Illustrations? It will be interesting to see in Dallas, Texas January 20-24 at the Midwinter ALA meeting. Have any of you read these titles? Which books are your favorite? Which books will you run out and purchase for your school or library or classroom - or for your own children and grandchildren? Happy Reading!    Retellings of the classic Aesop's fable of good deeds rewarded are legion, but few are as elegantly and richly conceived as this mother-son collaboration.     Everything? Believe it. Fisher introduces readers to a wealth of concepts-numbers, letters, colors, shapes, weather, and more--and does so using photographic tableaus made up of vintage toys, knickknacks, and other odds and ends.     With deadpan humor and a hint of wickedness, illustrator Klassen makes his debut as an author with the deceptively simple story of a bear who just wants to find his missing hat.     In this alphabetically audacious romp, the letter E has an accident, and while it is recovering, the letter O takes its place (with comedic results). The pages are jam-packed with so many linguistic puns, acronyms, and jokes.        Nelson raises the bar in this ambitious account of the African-American experience, from slavery to the present day. Pairing luminous, electric paintings with a grandmotherly narrative voice, it's as unflinching, personal, and dignified account. Wordless stories have a magic all their own, and that's especially true of Nolan's maritime fantasy, in which a child's sand castle is besieged by the tide, setting in motion a dramatic escape for the miniature family that lives within.     Rocco's joyfully illustrated story of an urban family drawn together by a power outage tingles with the magic of a night lit only by candles and stars, while reminding readers that the technologies that connect us can sometimes keep us apart, too.     Savage's wordless game of cat-and-mouse (or rather walrus-and-zookeeper) demonstrates how much one can do with a few simple forms, some repetition, and an effortlessly charming tusked hero.        A boy wanders through his great-grandfather's topiary garden, the sculpted hedges reflecting the elder's story, from a rural childhood to war and finding love. Lane's young narrator serves as a poignant reminder that the things we create-stories, memories, art (in whatever form it might take)--endure long after we do.     Tullet's simple and playfully interactive offering, which invites readers to press, shake, and turn it-and see the results on the next page. Books like this prove that there will always be a place for well-executed, and proudly low-tech picture books.    Friendship is friendship, whether with another child or with a blue toy alligator, and Willems treats the highs and lows of Amanda and her alligator's relationship with honesty and humor with Mo Willems exceptional talent.    Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website  to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.      Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Acts of Haiku." To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to www.caroleedean.com.       Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time. Website  Blog                           UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS                Sunday, April 29th, 2012 9-5 Preconference Session Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire" Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose   Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories: Beyond Story Grammar" Carolee Dean

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The Twenty-First Century Picture Book!

November 14, 2011 The Secret Language of Stories - Carolee Dean THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PICTURE BOOK - Continued Welcome to all of our new subscribers who joined us at the NCTE conference in Albuquerque.  If you would like to read last week's post by author Uma Krishnaswami about her 7-point system for analyzing picture books to use with students of all ages, visit our blog This article, and the one from November 7, are both from an exciting presentation Uma and I gave at the NMLA conference last April. When I discuss story structure with students of all ages, I like to use picture books as models. Because picture books are shorter than novels, more examples may be covered in a condensed period of time using a greater number of titles and larger variety of story types.   One of my favorite children's book, and one that I use frequently with high school students, is The Spider and the Fly by Toni DiTerlizzi. The black and white illustrations in this dark and foreboding retell of the Mary Howitt poem, create an almost film noir mood. The Fly, the character driving the action of this story, is the villain, which provides an opportunity to discuss the sometimes confusing distinction between protagonist and antagonist. The Dragonfly dies at the end of the story - a good example of a satisfying, but not so happily-ever-after resolution. One genre that lends itself particularly well to use with students of all ages is the fairy tale. I like to use Domitila: A Cinderella Tale from the Mexican Tradition (a picture book by Jewell Reinhart Coburn) as a springboard to discuss Cinderella tales.  Starting with this title you may then branch off to do the following: 1 )  Ask groups of students to research various Cinderella tales from other cultures. A good starting place might be The Classic Fairy Tales by Iona and Peter Opie. They discuss the well-known French tale of The Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault, the English translation of Finetta the Cinder-girl by Madame D'Aulnoy, the German tale of Aschenputtel (Cinder-fool) by the Grimm Brothers, the Scandinavian tale of Rashin Coatie, etc. Also of interest is the first recorded Cinderella type story collected by Tuan Ch'êng-shih around 850 A.D. 2)  Compare and Contrast the different versions and discuss the influence of culture and the impact of the Cinderella tale on contemporary books and films. 3)  Ask students to create their own Cinderella story in picture book form, or explore a variety of genres by assigning different formats for different students (i.e. poem, script, comic book, news release, essay). 4)  Tell students to write for a specific audience and to adjust their vocabulary and word choice accordingly (i.e. preschool child, middle school poetry class, high school literary journal).  Another favorite activity of mine is to examine non-fiction picture books, especially those written as narratives. An excellent example is Sadako, by Eleanor Coerr. Sadako is the story of a young girl who suffers from leukemia as a result of radiation exposure after the bombing of Hiroshima at the end of WWII. Next, you may want to read about The Atomic Bombs in the Dorling Kindersley reference World War II. This 336 page text is a beautiful example of the trend in non-fiction picture books. This provides an excellent opportunity to discuss the difference between a straight non-fiction resource like the DK book, and narrative accounts (whether non-fiction or fiction). You may also want to bring in other WWII stories such as The Diary of Anne Frank. So whether you are exploring history, discussing genres, studying story structure, or looking for inspiration for original stories, pick up a picture book. It's a great place to start. Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Acts of Haiku." To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.      Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.    Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time. Website Blog UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS Sunday, April 29th, 2012 9-5 Preconference Session Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire" Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories: Beyond Story Grammar" Carolee Dean

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Using Picture Books for Older Students/Kids

November 7, 2011 Special Guest - Uma Krishnaswami THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PICTURE BOOK: MUCH MORE THAN COLOR AND GLOSS Last April at the 2011 NMLA conference, Spellbinders regular, Carolee Dean, conducted a librarian workshop along with author, Uma Krishnaswami. The purpose of the workshop was to discuss the diversity of the twenty-first century picture book and to give suggestions to educators for how these valuable resources might be used in the classroom, even with teenagers. During the session, Uma discussed a system she devised for evaluating picture books for teens. She has generously agreed to share it with us here at Spellbinders.  A 7-Point System for Evaluating Picture Books for a Wide Range of Audiences by Uma Krishnaswami Why seven points? Oh, I happen to like odd numbers. Why a wide range? Because the best picture books can convey one set of meanings for a very young reader, a different set for that same reader 5 years later, and then yet another set in another 5 years or more. Think about picture books in terms of these criteria. Keep the related considerations in mind to find the right ones for audiences from elementary to high school and beyond. This is not an all-inclusive list. It's meant to get you thinking about how to construct your own list. Central question: What is the central question of the book? Can it be discussed in varying degrees of complexity? E.g., The Red Tree by Shaun Tan and Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr. Character development: How are the characters delineated? What is stated in words? What is unstated and picked up in the pictures? What is left to the reader to conclude? E.g., McFig & McFly: A Tale of Jealousy, Revenge, and Death (With a Happy Ending) by Henrik Drescher. Poetry and Pictures: Is a poetry collection enhanced by the visual poetics of the picture book form? E.g., I, Too, Sing America: Three Centuries of African-American Poetry, edited by Catherine Clinton, or Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa by Shonto Begay.  Literary connections: How does the book relate to literary works in other forms? E.g. various picture book Cinderella version compared to Perreault, or Albert by Donna Jo Napoli compared to "St. Kevin and the Blackbird" by Seamus Heaney. Story structures: Does it demonstrate fictional structure that is easier to recognize because of the smaller story structure? E.g., Waiting for Mama by Lee Tae-Jun as an illustration of rising action and the creation of scenes, and Black and White by David Macaulay for a host of characteristics of postmodern fiction. Introduction or overview of a complex subject: Has the picture book creator distilled primary source research into a compact introduction or overview? E.g., World War II: The Definitive Visual History by Richard Holmes. Or has she shed light on an aspect of reality that has never before been examined in quite this way? E.g., Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don't You Grow Weary by Elizabeth Partridge. Rhetorical choices: Has the picture book writer made interesting word choices and demonstrated a suitable variety of rhetorical options? What has s/he elected not to say in words? E.g., The Wolves in the Walls by Neil Gaiman. Uma Krishnaswami is the author of many books for children including picture books (Monsoon, The Happiest Tree), early readers (Yoga Class, Holi) and middle grade novels (Naming Maya and The Grand Plan to Fix Everything). She has been an invited speaker at schools from Texas to Maryland, national and international conferences, and most recently the National Book Festival in Washington, DC.  Find out more about Uma and her books here.  Next week Carolee Dean will be discussing specific picture book titles and how they may be used with students of all ages. Join Our Mailing List! Meet the Spellbinders Carolee Dean has made numerous appearances as a guest poet/author at schools, libraries, poetry events, and teacher/library conferences. She holds a bachelor's degree in music therapy and a master's degree in communicative disorders, and she has spent over a decade working in the public schools as a speech-language pathologist. Her first novel, Comfort,was nominated as a Best Book for Young Adults, was named the Best YA Novel of 2002 by the Texas Institute of Letters, and was on the TAYSHAS (Texas Library Association) reading list. She conducts teacher trainings on inspiring reluctant writers including "The Secret Language of Stories" and "Random Acts of Haiku." To find teacher's guides, writing activities, and information about author visits, go to my website.      Kimberley Griffiths Little is the recipient of the Southwest Book Award, The Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, and the author of the highly acclaimed, The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets, published by Scholastic Press. Look for her books at the Scholastic Book Fairs, as well as two more forthcoming novels in 2012 and 2013. She lives on a dirt road in a small town by the Rio Grande with her husband, a robotics engineer and their three sons. Kimberley is a favorite speaker at schools around the country, presenting "The Creative Diary", a highly successful writing workshop and has been a speaker at many conferences. Please visit her website to download free Teacher's Guides and Book Club Guides.    Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. She's taught English and social studies to upper elementary and middle-school students in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. Back in New Mexico, Caroline now writes middle-grade novels and picture books full time. Website Blog UPCOMING AUTHOR EVENTS Sunday, April 29th, 2012 9-5 Preconference Session Author's Panel at the International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "Rekindling the Reading and Writing Fire" Join us for this all day session featuring 11 authors including all 3 Spellbinders Carolee Dean Kimberley Griffiths Little Caroline Starr Rose Tuesday, May 1 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. International Reading Association Conference Chicago, Illinois "The Secret Language of Stories: Beyond Story Grammar" Carolee Dean

Forward email This email was sent to spellbinders@peifercomputing.net by spellbinders@peifercomputing.net |   Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. Spellbinders | 3 YAF Authors | Albuquerque | NM | 87181