The Mildred L. Batchelder Award - International Literature

The Mildred L. Batchelder Award is given to an American publisher.  The book recognized is originally published in a foregin language in a foreign country.  The book is later translated into English and published in the United States.  The 2009 winner of the Batchelder Award was Tiger Moon written by Antonia Michaelis.  Michaelis  is from Germany but has lived and taught in India, thus her knowledge of tigers and Indian fairy tales.  Tiger Moon was orignally published in German and then translated into English.

Yes, I know I am 43 years old but I still love fairy tales(even though I've previously mentioned that they are sexist)  and that's exactly what this story is - a fairy tale.  Raka is being held prisoner (the damsel in distress) as the time for her arranged marriage approaches.  To help pass the time, Raka begins to weave a story about a thief and his tiger (kind of sounds like Aladdin, doesn't it).  As the story continues the reality of Raka's situation and the tale she is spinning become difficult to distinguish.  This book is more appropriate for upper middle school or even high school readers as there is the mention that Raka has been sentenced to death as it is discovered that she is not a virgin.

The Hans Christian Anderson Award - International Literature

The Hans Christian Anderson Award is the most prestigious award given for international children's literature.  The award is given to an author and an illustrator and is awarded every other year bythe International Board on Books for Young People.  The 2010 winning author was David Almond.  The honored illustrator was Jutta Bauer.

Some of David Almond's works include

I reviewed Kate, The Cat, and the Moon.  This is basically a bedtime story as it is bedtime for Kate.  A white cat appears to Kate just as she is about to drop off to sleep.  Kate and the cat take a nighttime adventure into the neighborhood.  The magical feature in this book is that Kate becomes a cat for the journey.  David Almond is known for his magic realism that captures the imagination of young readers.  I'm really looking forward to reading The Boy Who Climbed Into the Moon.  I will be looking for it on my next trip to the public library.

One Crazy Summer - Diversity

One Crazy Summer has been honored with numerous awards - it was a Newbery Honor recepient, a Coretta Scott King winner, and the Scott O'Dell award for historical fiction to name a few.  I really enjoyed this book - a lot!  Three young girls - the oldest being just eleven- are put on a plane to Oakland, California.  Their father thinks it is time that they see their mother.  Delphine, the oldest, is really the only one with any memory of their mother.  It's frightening to think that children travel on their own, but they do.  What makes this especially frightening to me is that this was in the summer of 1968 and these girls were African American.  Our country was in turmoil at that time and I can't imagine how scared this girls must have been.

They land safely and are picked up at the airport by their mother.  Cecile is really a mother in name only.  She didn't send for the girls and she didn't want them there.  So, as Delphine always has, she set to mothering the children.  Getting their "take-out" supper each night and going to the center every morning for free breakfast.  The center is run by the Black Panthers - which adds to the plot greatly.  Their mom is arrested while they are there and a neighbor takes them in for a while.  This was a great read for a rainy Saturday afternoon.  This book would be a great book in our school library as there are many, many students that can relate to the situation that these girls are in.  We learn a little history behind Cecile and her reasons for leaving her very own girls.  The reasons don't justsify their abandonment, but it just goes to prove that we really don't know what other people have gone through.  We all have some sort of cross to bear.

Something Beautiful - Diversity

Something Beautiful is about a little girl that lives in the projects and doesn't have too many things in her life that most people would consider to be beautiful.  However, she's able to find something beautiful in circumstances that most people considered to be dismal.  Her fried fish sandwich tastes beautiful, the apples at the fruit store are beautiful, and her baby cousin's laugh sounds beautiful.  Wyeth never discloses the little girl's name throughtout the story but readers can tell she is a determined and strong character.  In order to make her neighborhood more attractive, the little girl takes it upon herself to clean up the trash from the courtyard and scrub hateful words from the front door.  At the end of the story the little girl is making plans to plant flowers and give the homeless lady a real home and a real bed.  This was an amazing picture book.  I think it's important to include in a school library because many of our students live in these conditions.  The little girl in this story proves that one person, even a child, can make a positive difference in the lives of others.

The Star Maker - Laurence Yep

The Star Maker tells the story of Artie, a young Chinese American boy growing up in San Francisco during the early 1950s.  The narrator relays that his family lives in Chinatown where all Chinese familys must live.  This story is not so much about the discrimination that Chinese Americans  faced but more about their daily lives in Chinatown - the very ordinary happenings that were typical in a Chinese American family.

The main character, Artie, is the youngest in his family and takes a lot of teasing because of that.  Artie finds an ally in his Uncle Chester.  Uncle Chester was the youngest of his generation and he understands exactly what Artie is going through.  Uncle Chester even agrees to help Artie out of a bind by supplying him with firecrackers for everyone to celebrate Chinese New Year.  Artie was the star maker of the family when everyone set their firecracker off.

I enjoyed learnng about some Chinese traditions and was impressed that Yep included a bibiography at the end so that readers may investigate some of these traditions on their own.

Goin' Someplace Special - Jerry Pinkney illustrated book

     Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack is a book  that I love to use when discussing segregation with students.  The story is beautifully done and is recalled from experiences that McKissack had growing up in Nashville, Tennessee during the 1950s.  Pinkney's watercolors bring the pages to life.  

     The story details Tricia Ann's journey from her home to downtown where her "Someplace Special" is located.  Along the way, she encounters rude stares, ugly comments, and embarrassment.  This was of course during the time of Jim Crow laws (blacks had to sit on the back of busses, drink from specified fountains, etc.)  Tricia Ann finally arrives at her "Someplace Special" and it is the Public Library!!  Above the front of the building are the words etched in stone "Public Library:  All Are Welcome."  That statement sets the tone for how I want all students to feel about the library this year.

     I always share the dedication and other special pages with my students as well because there is usually valuable information there.  In McKissack's note at the back of the book, she shares that in the late 1950s, Nashville's public library board of directors voted to integrate all of their facilities.  The downtown branch of the Nashville Public Library was one of the very few places that people of color did not have to endure the humilation of Jim Crow signs.  Pinkney was awarded the Coretta Scott King Award for this book in 2002.

Mr. Popper's Penguins - book/movie comparison

My daughter and I saw Mr. Popper's Penguins last night.  Let's just say that I was pleasantly surprised.  The movie was really cute and family friendly.  There were more differences between the book and movie than there were similiarities.  A major difference was that Mr. Popper from the book was a painter that struggled to make ends meet, especially during the winter months.  Mr. Popper from the film, Jim Carrey, was a real-estate developer and money apparently was not an issue for him.  Both Poppers had two children, the book version of Popper was a married man, and the film version was a divorced father of two.

In the book, Mr. Popper's Penguins, Mr. Popper had written to Admiral Drake - a world famous explorer whom he admired a great deal.  Admiral Drake sent him a penguin.  The film version's Mr. Popper's father is an explorer and has passed away. Mr. Popper's  inheritance is a penguin. Of course the penguins cause many disruptions to the Popper family and Mr. Popper's livliehood.  In the end, the penguins repair the rift in the Popper family and Mr. and Mrs. Popper's love is rekindled (awwwwwwwww).  Just as in the book, the penguins are returned back to their polar home where they belong.  The book has Mr. Popper going to the Antartic with the explorers to return the penguins and the film version has the entire Popper family going to the Antartic. 

I have to honestly say that I enjoyed the film version very much - even more so than the book.  I know, I know.  The book is a classic and I am glad I read it - it's a favorite of my daughter.  I love Jim Carrey and was very impressed that the movie was so family friendly.  The film was very nicely done.  Two flippers up!