Book of the Day: Six Crows

Six Crows
Leo Lionni
Alfred A. Knopf  (1988)


We love Leo Lionni's interesting fables and collages.  Mirette loves Swimmy, Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse, and A Fish is a Fish, but Six Crows is a new one for us.   We love the fall theme, the picture of crows with ripped paper, and of course anything with a scarecrow wins Mirette's seal of approval.   I, of course, like the books that have morals because they usually remind me  of life's simple truths.   In this case, it's never too late to talk things over.


Here's a few interesting things about Leo Lionni (1910-1999):

  As many illustrators of his generation, he got started with a career in advertising.

He didn't start writing until he was around 60.  He was on a train without any art supplies and started tearing images out of magazines to tell a story to his grandchildren, thus inspiring him to use his collage method.  

He is the first children's author/illustrator to use collage as a medium.

He uses realistic color on a white background.

He is Dutch,  but lived in the United States and Italy.

He wrote 40 books.

He was an only child.

His mom was an opera singer.

As a kid, he collected all kinds of natural objects and many of his images stem from this time.

Being Jewish, his family got out of Italy and moved to the states right before the war.

He loved music.

He died of Parkinson's disease.

This website is full of information, profiles all of his books, a few videos and a touching piece written by his granddaughter:   http://www.randomhouse.com/kids/lionni/aboutlionni.php

Another site with some great information/lesson plans:  http://www.mermaidtheatre.ns.ca/onTour/leoLionni/Leo_Lionni_SG/index.htm


His obituary:  http://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/17/nyregion/leo-lionni-89-dies-versatile-creator-of-children-s-books.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

Parrot Tico Tango Revisited

A while ago I wrote this blog posting about the book:  Parrot Tico Tango:

http://miretteandmommy.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-of-day-parrot-tico-tango.html.

This book has been a continuous favorite of ours and is just a gorgeous book in every way.   One day
I was browsing in a small consignment shop on our island that a friend recently started.  On the table, there was a big pile of the Parrot Tico Tango books. 

"That's one of our favorite books," I commented.

"Did you know she lives on the island?"  Emma replied.

"WHAT!"

Today Mirette and I were lucky enough to listen to Anna White read her two stories and sing to a group of about 6 kids.  It was so sweet and she made it fun with her Spanish words and guitar playing.   I am thrilled that she lives here and seems such a warm and wonderful person!

We also got in a little chat about picture books.  She said that it's very difficult to publish rhyming books--publishers don't want them these days.  I think it's probably because so many rhyming books are god-awful and trite.    But how sad to pass up a book like this with rich, complex, intersting rhymes.      

Fun Fall Books

Here are some great ideas for books about FALL.

We've been checking some of them out from the library and there are lots of great new discoveries!

http://www.simpleasthatblog.com/2012/09/50-fabulous-childrens-books-for-fall.html

http://delightfulchildrensbooks.com/2011/09/18/autumn/

You can't go wrong with these two great sites!

Book of the Day: Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin
Paul O. Zelinsky
Houghton Mifflin Company (1989)

What a strange story--so chilling and horrific anyway you look at it.   I mean, the Queen ends up happily married to the King, but only because she could spin hay into gold--sounds like a great start to an intimate relationship.  

 But I do love these old Grimm tales translated and modernized.  I like reading something that was told years and years ago, but now with vivid pictures.     Plus, it's fun to do a funny voice for good ol' Rumple.  It makes Mirette laugh.

Paul O. Zelinsky http://www.paulozelinsky.com/paul.html lives in Brooklyn with his family.  He attended Yale and was inspired by a class he took taught by Maurice Sendak.   He also wrote Rapunzel and The Wheels of the Bus both of which are very acclaimed.  

By the way,  I'm back in business--or at least I think I am!

Short Chicago Takes: My Little Pink Princess Purse

My Little Pink Princess Purse
Stephen T. Johnson
Simon and Schuster (2010)

I'm not into promoting the princess thing and Mirette hasn't shown a huge leaning towards the phenomenon (yet!), but this princess book was completely captivating. 

It occupied Mirette for hours and I found it interesting myself.   It was the type of book I would have loved when I was a kid.    On Amazon, it is marketed as a gift novelty book (whatever that means).  Basically, it is the story of a purse of a young princess.  The reader can take out all kinds of things that are in the purse (a letter from her grandma with a key, a mirror that really works, a fan that unfolds, perfume that really smells).  It takes some dexterity to get the things in and out which is one of the reasons Mirette spent so much time with it--it was fun to take things out and put them in again.  And the moral of the story is:  Be yourself and be empowered!

I think an older child would also enjoy this book as you could make up more fantasy play while reading it.  

The author Stephen T. Johnson also wrote My Little Red Toolbox and a bunch of others in the same style.  He has other award winning books for children (A is for Art looks awesome!).  art in major museums, made a plan for the World Trade Center, art hanging in Paul Simon's house, an amazing piece on the NYC subway (worth going to the website just to see it).  He's known to be a very versatile artist who works in many mediums and his resume is kind-of off the charts amazing.  

He settled down in Kansas City with his family and probably wrote the books in part for his own kids.  

http://www.stephentjohnson.com/news/

If you want to see the book in action:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TScA7fwLCc&feature=relmfu

Short Takes Chicago: The Little House

The Little House
Virginia Lee Burton
Houghton Mifflin (1942)

And if I thought Harry the dog broght back memories. . .  This book was a favorite of mine as a kid and still is today.   Mirette loved it too. 

It's about a little house that is nearly swallowed by the big city.    I love how the house has feelings and a personality.    It also brings back some kind-of longing for a simpler time before urban sprawl--a life I can only imagine.   It's a sad book because it's so realistic.  If houses did have feelings, I think so many of them would be crying out.

Virginia Lee Burton reminds me a lot of Margaret Wise Brown  http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8749317886050281919#editor/target=post;postID=6830531492329285296, only a lot less eccentric.  She really changed the world of writing for children and also incorporated social commentary into her tales.   She was considering a career in dance, but chose art instead.  She lived in Massachusetts with her husband and two children.  Both her kids went to Harvard.  One is a renown sculpture artist, the other owns amusement parks.   

The best site I found on her:  http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/mike_mulligan/biohome.shtml


There's also a movie about her life, but the website is currently down.

Short Takes Chicago: Harry the Dirty Dog

Harry the Dirty Dog
Author:  Gene Zion
Illustrator: Margaret Bloy Graham
Harper Collins (1956)

Just back from a week long trip to Chicago.  I tend to define my trips by the books that I find along the way.  I'd have to say that Chicago was a roaring success.   This trip led me to my sister's attic and a book shelf filled with books belonging to my nieces and nephews (now teenagers).   How fun it was to sit with Mirette under the foos ball table (which happened to be pushed alongside the book shelf), ignoring the intense heat, covered in books from head to toe--so many great discoveries.   This was followed by a stint at my friend Stephie's house, dominated by princess books, but also some excellent discoveries. 

Join me for some short takes on the books we discovered while in Chicago.    You are in for a fine ride!

The Harry series is a blast from my past--what sweet memories and how weird that I had forgotten all about this wonderful simple book.  The plot is very similar to Dandelion:   Harry gets dirty and his family doesn't recognize him.   Harry is so adorable and mischievous.   (He is now up there with Biscuit, Spot, and Fergus in Mirette's list of favorite dogs).

Not much out there on Gene Zion.   After  he wrote the Harry series and his wife illustrated it (so many husband/wife teams in this field), they got divorced in 1968.  He never wrote another book.   And then he died in 1975.


His ex-wife went on to illustrate many other books!