Our Little Olivia!

Olivia

Ian Falconer

Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2000)

Meet our little super cute Olivia!  However, her hat was a tad bit too big and kept falling over her eyes.  Her dad ended up wearing the hat, but the merchants were still thrilled to meet Olivia and everyone knew the character.

I ADORE the Olivia series.  She's sassy, fun, and goofy (in the way that every toddler I know is!).   Ian Falconer is an illustrator for the New Yorker Magazine and after looking at his body of work—his images are very familiar to me.  I even have a package of cards that have his image of an old lady pulling a dog along, but I had no idea that it was illustrated by the author of the Oliva books. 

Apparently, he made the book for his niece Olivia.  He tried to market it and it was rejected.  Publishers told him that he should have someone else write the words.  He stuck it in a closet for four years.  (Oh man, can you imagine how bleak it would be for toddlers if Olivia had remained in the closet never to be birthed).   

Later, Anne Schwartz from Atheneum Books called him and asked if he was interested in making a kids' book.  He pulled out Olivia to show her and she liked it pretty much as is.  

After researching Ian's background, I have a better idea as to why I like this book so much.  For one thing, he is a set designer and I think the pictures in the book have that sort of stylized presentation.   He says that he keeps things very simple and uncluttered, so that you can really see the facial expressions and so that a child could read the book alone without knowing the words.  Also, his use of few colors harkens back to the old days when it was too expensive to use multiple colors.  In this case, however, he uses only a few colors to enhance the book rather than for financial reasons.  Finally, I like his angles.  For instance, there is one page where Olivia is looking up at a painting.  You can just feel how small and impressionable she is.  

Olivia has a fun website with craft ideas, games, coloring pages etc.  Check it out!!!

http://www.oliviathepiglet.com/

Also, here's a great interview with Ian.  He is wonderfully humble and I wouldn't mind spending an afternoon hearing him talk.

http://media.barnesandnoble.com/?fr_story=4f49230e7d231a88be4bcb2521c249c5b9d0ddf5



A Teacher's Reflections

This weekend at a Halloween party, I met a teacher.  She was VERY gung-ho about teaching reading to her 4th and 5th grade students.  It was lovely to see how passionate she was about the topic.  One interesting activity she did with her students is to have them all think about the first book they remember being read to them and the first book they read all alone.  The class became quite animated as they recounted these favorite books such as Hop on Pop.  They then surveyed the teachers with the same two questions.

I wonder which book Mirette will remember.  I picture her as a teenager reading books to a kid she's babysitting and getting a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart because we read that book together.  

I have a plan to facebook the teacher and get her list and I will definitely post it on here.

Meanwhile, it got me thinking.  Do I remember being read to by my mom or my dad?  I don't really, but I know books were an important part of our childhood.  I even dug up this old photo of my mom reading to my sister and I.  Yep, I'm the one with the crazy hair.  I wish I could make out the book title.  Even though I don't have any visceral memory of the books we read together, I do often read books to Mira that are so warm and familiar.  I can just feel my mom stroking my hair and soothing me to sleep even though she is all the way in Florida. 

Zizzer zazzer zuzz: Part Two

I set off to be the first mom to read each and every Dr. Seuss book and I didn't even come close.  Sigh.

As much as I love and admire Theodor Geisel, both Mirette and I got tired of reading Dr. Seuss every night.  After a while, his books blend into one another.  He definitely keeps the weird animal theme going from book to book and has a certain kind of voice and illustration that is all his own, which makes the books more fun to read in small doses.

With that said,  here are some of the books we discovered that we both loved (and keep in mind Mirette is 2 1/2, so all these books get her seal of approval)!  I've only included the ones you may not have heard of (not ones like One Fish. . . ).

And to Think That I Saw it on Mulberry Street

Horton Hatches the Egg

McElligot's Pool

Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose

If I Ran the Zoo

If I Ran the Circus

Scrambled Eggs Super

Fox in Sox

and our best discovery of all, Daisy Head Maisy.  It is not illustrated by Dr. Seuss.  It's about a girl that has a daisy growing from her head.  Now when playing outside, we put plants on our heads and say we are Daisy Head Maisy.

One other cool Dr. Seuss fact is that both The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham were written as challenges.  In the case of the former, he was handed a list of words that children are supposed to know and had to create a story using only those words.  He went with the first words on the list that rhymed, cat and hat.  For Green Eggs and Ham, the challenge was to create a book using only fifty words.  As you may be able to guess, he succeeded!  Here are the words: 

a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, the, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you.

I also stumbled upon a PBS documentary about Dr. Seuss.  It's really interesting.  Here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WkOHQGA8hZc

Book of the Day: A Visitor For Bear

A Visitor For Bear
Author: Bonny Becker
Illustrator: Kady MacDonald Denton
Candlewick Press, 2008

On Thursday, we picked up Mirette's sister Lily (she's 24 and lives in Seattle!) and headed to Mockingbird Books to hear Bonny Becker speak.  It was a great thing to do on a stormy day.  We were first, so Mirette and Lily played with the awesome train set while I browsed and bought a few books (A Visitor for Bear, Olivia, and a Fancy Nancy sticker book). 

Before long, the place was hopping with toddlers, including a handsome teacher with a gaggle of kids crawling all over him.  Bonny read A Visitor for Bear aloud, followed by another bear book more appropriate for the younger set, A Birthday for Bear.  Mirette was fidgety, but I was loving seeing a real live kids' author with lots of kudos and awards to her name.  

During the question and answer session (which given the age of the kids wasn't too introspective in nature), she asked the adults if we had any questions about the writing process.  She said that often adults that turn out for these types of readings are interested in writing children's literature themselves. In fact, she wrote her books because she was reading aloud to her grandkids and thought she could write something better.  She didn't know WHAT she was going to write—just that there would be a bear who was grumpy and a mouse who was sophisticated and old English.  

She also said that she did not have a say in picking the illustrator.  I think that is such a bizarre fact (and one that I knew even before I started this blog) of the children's book publishing world.  Why can't the author pick the illustrator (or vice versa if the pictures were created first)?  It just seems so wrong.  The author must put his/her words out there to the world and HOPE to get an illustrator that works for the vision.

Bonny's story is delicious.  It's fun, funny, and filled with great words like Vamoose!  The interplay between grumpy bear and sophisticated mouse is endearing.  But she also got REALLY lucky.  She got a fantastic illustrator.  What if they had given her someone horrible?  Would the book still be a bestseller?  I guess I am geeky enough to spend time wondering about these types of things.   

What I really want to say, though, is that Bonny Becker is a delightful person and her books are gems.  I really love this story.  It's special and adorable and I can't wait for us to read the entire series.

Here's a link to her website:
http://www.bonnybecker.com/index.html

Kady MacDonald Denton's website is very utilitarian, but here it is anyway:
http://www.kadymacdonalddenton.ca/

Book of the Day: Once Upon a Twice

Once Upon a Twice
Author: Denise Doyen
Illustrator: Barry Moser
Random House, 2009

One of the most pleasurable things about writing this blog is that it makes for a great conversation starter.  People of all ages have favorite books from childhood and I keep finding myself surprised by the sheer volume of amazing kids' books and how wonderful it is to talk about the books that light us or our children up.  

My friend Angela turned me onto this amazing book during a play date last week.  The words are lots of fun and very playful.  In fact, Denise Doyen makes Dr. Seuss look rather calm.  Here's an example:

They runrunnel through the riddle –
Secret ruts hid inbetwiddle –
But one mousling jams the middle –
Whilst he goofiddles, others howl:

That would be enough in and of itself, but the illustrations are also stunning!  The cover is a mouse pulling back the tall grass to peer up at the round full moon.  The color scheme consists of rich blues and blacks.  

This is author Denise Doyen's first kids' book, but she has a background in children's television and film.  Barry Moser, however, is a seasoned illustrator with a wide range of credits to his name.  He even illustrated The King James Bible (yep, I want to check it out for sure).  I couldn't find a website, but here's an interesting interview.


http://www.underdown.org/moser.htm

Thanks Angela for the book tip and Mirette for letting me write this while she played with her doll house.

Zizzer zazzer zuzz: Part One

What would a blog about children's books be without a few entries about good ol' Dr. Seuss?  My Dr. Seuss knowledge was rather limited.  I knew his name was really Theodor Geisel and that he had attended Dartmouth.  I got copies of Oh the Places You'll Go for my graduation from high school, college, and grad school.  Like anyone around these parts, I've read all kinds of Dr. Seuss books—everything from One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish to Horton Hears a Who.  And each year I watch, and adore, The Grinch who Stole Christmas.  But that's about as far as my Dr. Seuss knowledge went (key word went!).

I read two biographies on Dr. Seuss.  The first, Theodor Seuss Geisel by Donald E. Pease, was pretty ho hum.  The second, The Seuss, the Whole Seuss and Nothing But the Seuss by Charles D. Cohen, was filled with such minutiae that it was kind-of a cumbersome read.  If you want to get the basics, I'd go straight to wikipedia for a really great overview—better and simpler than either of these books.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Seuss

I'll let you discover the biographical details yourself if so inclined and leave you with the points that jumped out at me:

1. The house in which he was born still has drawings of the fantastical animals he created adorning the walls.  Can you imagine being the little kid that lives in his house?

2. He was a very successful advertising and political cartoonist, long before he became Dr. Seuss.  I had NO idea.  I wish Ted was alive now—we would have some amazing cartoons depicting tea party politics, occupy Wall Street, etc. 

3. He is truly brilliant at what he does!  In my opinion, he is a very gifted wordsmith, artist, and creator.  His biggest strength, weird animals with fun names like the Foona Lagoona Baboona,

4. Although he had some racist and anti-Semitic moments, he later picked through his books, making sure they were not offensive.  I find that VERY impressive.  He definitely went up in my esteem as a very thoughtful man willing to make repairs and really think through situations.

5. Some of  his characters have names that have become actual words, like in The Shape of Me there is a character named a Blogg.  Ha ha!  And Ooblek?   I found the recipe in a craft book and made it for Mirette.  If you haven't tried it yet, it is messy but great fun on a rainy day—just add water and corn starch.  I didn't know the word came from the book Batholomew and the Oobleck.  The word Nerd first appeared in If I Ran the Zoo.

6. Many of his images are used again and again—like craggy mountaintops.

7. Finally, he used to make up fantastical stories for his interviewers, never giving them a straight answer.  For example, when asked how he came up with his ideas, he would say, "In a little town near Zybliknov, where I spend an occasional weekend."   I imagine him being great at dealing with today's aggressive paparazzi.

8. Here's some Dr. Seuss websites for you:

Seussville is filled with information and games. It's an on-line Seuss world complete with parent information, curriculum ideas for teachers, all the characters, books, games, activities, and anything else Seuss.

http://www.seussville.com/

Some samples of his political art:
http://www.americanartarchives.com/seuss.htm

Seriously ironic, the Dr. Seuss collection is coming to Chicago and I happen to be going there for Thanksgiving—a must-see for our family!

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-10-13/entertainment/ct-ent-1013-museums-dr-seuss-20111013_1_seuss-landing-seussiana-theodor-seuss-geisel

Book of the Day: 13 Words

13 Words
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Maira Kalman
Harper Collins, 2010

Leave it to my husband to find weird, wacky, and wonderful books!  Steve often mills around on music sites and that sometimes leads him to the discovery of interesting children's books and music which he buys without telling me.  What a delight to find something new and interesting in our mailbox (and things that I never would have discovered on my own in a gazillion years).  13 Words  was one of those books.

It says in the description on Amazon that this book is for 1st grade and up, but we've had great fun reading it with Mirette.  It's the story about a despondent bird—REALLY weird story (it is Lemony Snicket, after all), but really fun!  Here are the 13 words: 

13 Words:
1. Bird
2. Despondent
3. Cake
4. Dog
5. Busy
6. Convertible
7. Goat
8. Hat
9. Haberdashery
10. Scarlet
11. Baby
12. Panache
13. Mezzo-Soprano

The best thing about this book, though, is that I seriously have fallen in love with Maira Kalman's artwork and stories.  In fact, I can't remember when I have last been so taken with an artist.  I took out from the library EVERYTHING written by her.  I like the way she thinks about the world and that she has an existential philosophy (as do I).  She wonders a lot about why she is alive and what it means to be alive.  She also writes a blog for the New York Times which is just incredible.  Can you tell I am a big fan?

Favorite Maira kids' book: What Pete Ate: A-Z
Favorite Maira adult book: And the Pursuit of Happiness

Websites of Note (not really for kids, but great fun for adults):

Maira's fantastic website:
http://www.mairakalman.com/

Maira's NY Times blog:
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com/

A project Maira was part of that had to do with why there is such fascination with the image of Lincoln:
http://www.21stcenturyabe.org/2009/02/01/looking-for-lincoln-page-1/

The mezzo-soprano sings the book:
http://nicomuhlyarchive.bandcamp.com/

Lemony Snicket's website with some vile videos of Maira and Lemony being silly together:
http://www.lemonysnicket.com/vilevideos/index.html

Scroll down to see Maira and Lemony being interviewed.  I like their sense of humor:
http://www.amazon.com/13-Words-Lemony-Snicket/dp/0061664650/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1318207452&sr=8-1

Amazing website: No Time for Flashcards

Just a quick post before I hop into bed.  Yep, I hope to be asleep before 9 as I am one exhausted mama.  I hope it REALLY happens.

My friend Jenny hooked me up with this website.  It's a pretty cool mix of literature reviews and craft projects. 

Mirette and I made the paper plate suns listed under toddler activities and it was a HUGE hit.  (I know this isn't about books, but there is a crazy amount of book reviews on this site too.)  BTW, we made our own version of the suns, and we made them for a few people we love and care about.  On each ray of sun, we put things we adore about that person.  We also put one up on our door to welcome our friends and family.

So check out this site, it is pretty amazing.

http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/category/books-about-love

Book of the Day: Dandelion

Dandelion
Don Freeman
Puffin Books, 1964

"Simplicity is the essence of children’s book stories, not simple mindedness.” Don Freeman

It was a rough day in our household.  Mirette woke up at 5 AM saying, "Mommy, Daddy, I have pee on my leg."  I sleepily entered her room to find that the pee was actually poop and it had dripped down her leg all over her carpet.  The rest of today, more of the same.  All plans were cancelled and we stayed at home, making applesauce, listening to cd's, and cuddled up reading (in between diaper changes).

Despite my sadness at watching my daughter be sick, it was sweet to be together as a family, loving each other up.  

So I might as well share a happy book today, one that brings laughter and smiles to us even when we are sick!  

I love Dandelion.   In fact, I love Don Freeman and anything he writes/draws—Corduroy, Dandelion, Earl the Squirrel.  I don't know how he did it, but all of his characters are so lovable, adorable, charming, and cheek-squeezing cute.

In my opinion, though, Dandelion takes the cake in the adorable department.  And the book even has a moral!  The basic plot is that Dandelion gets all dressed up for a party, tries to be someone he is not, and doesn't get recognized.  Rejected from the party, he sits outside in a rainstorm, gets his hair mussed up and then, surprise, his friends recognize him. 

Though I certainly hope to impart the wisdom of being yourself to Mirette, what I love best about the book is Dandelion's haircut.  In one photo he is sitting in the chair with wet hair, looking earnestly at the reader as Lou Kangaroo dons a pair of scissors.  In the next picture, you can just see his little face and he is covered in a circle of shampoo.  At this point, Mirette and I both crack up!  

The next series of drawings depict an unsure-looking Dandelion with puffy hair.  This elicits more hearty guffaws from us.  And finally, Dandelion's mane is curled into tight ringlets.  At this funny picture, we are rolling on the floor with laughter.

And laughing together is one of the sweetest pleasures of being a parent, making the story an A plus in my book.

Don Freeman (1908-1978): I learned many interesting things about Don Freeman from milling around the website his son made for him: http://donfreeman.info/.  He was very involved in New York culture in the '30s and '40s and has many sketches of street life and the theater world from those decades.  He has some adult graphic books that look really great too. He seems like quite a creative and fun character.

Another thing I learned is that his wife, Lydia Freeman (1906-1998), has her own website at  http://lydiafreeman.com/welcome.  In addition to painting, and writing and illustrating children's books, she also wrote poetry in the form of Haikus.  During the last two years of her life, she drew a doodle a day.  Before she died, her friends matched up her Haikus with her doodles and created a lovely book.  It has nothing to do with children, but check it out—it's pretty amazing, simple but profound stuff.