Looking to the Future

I read and commented about a great blog today about two children's books introducing a variety of fun and interesting jobs. One book involved poetry and the other was a nonfiction book.

Breathtaking Unsung Heroes

picture from amazon.com

We Are The Ship: The Story of Negro League Baseball

Words and Paintings by Kadir Nelson

Published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children, NY, 2008

Summary: "The story of Negro League baseball is the story of gifted athletes and determined owners; of racial discrimination and international sportsmanship; of fortunes won and lost; of triumphs and defeats on and off the field."

Strengths: The combination of beautiful, realistic pictures and interesting, informative text, this book provides an excellent introduction to a topic that is not well-known. The statement on the cover describing the pictures as "oil paintings- breathtaking in their perspectives, rich in emotion, and created with understanding and affection for these lost heroes of our national game." The word breathtaking really describes these illustrations full of action and emotion. I like that the book takes you through the story of these athletes and includes an index. I also like that the chapter headings are titled innings and that a quote is written under each chapter heading. The text is fast-paced and captivates the reader.

Concerns: This book is rather lengthy, but if the reader is interested in the topic, the fast-paced text and illustrations will allow him or her to stay interested.

Classroom Use/Other Comments: This book can be used as a resource for students interested in baseball, as well as an excellent book for investigating segregation. Students can select chapters to read, look at the pictures, or look in the index for specific information. Ages 8 and up would enjoy reading this book.

I read and commented about this book on a blog with a mock Coretta Scott King Award.

Building a Multicultural and Poetic Bridge

I read and commented on a blog with information on a few books that received multicultural awards. I plan on reading these books along with the related books that the blog author recommends!

I was also greatly saddened by Ms. Vardell's posting of a moving poem and link to another blog commemorating two librarians, Kate McClelland and Kathy Krasniewicz, who passed away in a car accident in Denver. I would like to offer my condolences for the families and friends of these women, specifically Kyle Stetson and Lauren Glover. Take a moment to reflect on the impact librarians, family members, teachers, and friends have had on you.

School Librarian

By Kristine O’Connell George

Mrs. Thompson knows I love sad stories.

The books she lends me

come with

hidden bookmarks—

folded tissues tucked into

the sad parts.

From: George, Kristine O’Connell. 2002. Swimming Upstream: Middle School Poems. New York: Clarion Books, p. 35.,

found on http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/

Do You Have Any Advice for Those of Us Just Starting Out?
Ron Koertge

Not surprisingly, libraries are a good place to write.
And the perfect place in a library is near an aisle
where a child a year or two old is playing as his
mother browses the ranks of the dead.
Often he will pull books from the bottom shelf.
The title, the author's name, the brooding photo
on the flap mean nothing. Red book on black, gray
book on brown, he builds a tower. And the higher
it gets, the wider he grins.

You who asked for advice, listen: When the tower
falls, be like that child. Laugh so loud everybody
in the world frowns and says, "Shhhh."

Then start again.

From: Koertge, Ron. 2006. Fever, 2006. California: Red Hen Press,

found on Carol's Corner and Poetry180

Patterns Galore

I read about a great book about animals, shapes, and patterns on another blog, check out my comment!