Two Friends: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass by Dean Robbins (author), Sean Qualls (illustrator), and Selina Alko (illustrator) (2016, Orchard Books; 32 pages) This is one of the most exquisite pictures books I’ve read this year, beautifully illustrated by Sean Qualls & Selina Alko, two artists who also collaborated on the fantastic book The Case for Loving. The award-winning author Dean Robbins has created a wonderful children’s book based on the friendship between two of the greatest Americans of all time, Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglas. The author explains in a note that this book imagines what it was like when Frederick Douglas met Susan B. Anthony at her house to talk about ideas. The two became friends in Rochester, New York, in the mid 1800s. At that time, slavery was legal in the United States, and so was discrimination against women. Anthony worked hard for women’s rights, as did Douglass for African American rights, and they became two of the greatest American champions of freedom. Today, in Rochester, where they used to live, a statue shows the two friends having tea. Dean Robbins imagines that conversation with a cup of tea in their hands while the snow falls outside, and he does so in an impeccable way. He also describes important details of the era, like both friends' wardrobes, for example ("Frederick wore a gentleman’s jacket, vest, and tie. Susan wore a kind of pants called “bloomers.” She liked them better than the heavy dresses women were supposed to wear.") The rhythm and tempo of the book is perfect. Once the setting is described, and the characters put in the temporal context, each friend their life story, and doing so, they pass along to the reader a well of fantastic information in a very clear and concise way, enriched by a fabulous vocabulary. After they share they stories “Frederick and Susan ate their cake and talked about their plans.” The change of font type and size stresses the importance of that moment in history and in the lives of both friends, and the illustration that accompanies the text, with the snow falling outside the window, the candlelight and the beautiful contrast between a white woman and a black man sharing a piece of cake and a cup of tea while talking and looking at each other’s eyes is just mind blowing. This book is a must for readers of all ages. A wonderful story and a powerful tool to open the door to one thousand conversations between parents and young readers. Find this title in our catalog: Two Friends Recommended by: Maite
0 Comments
Miguel's Brave Knight: Young Cervantes and His Dream of Don Quixote by Margarita Engle (text) and Raul Colon (illustrations) (2017, Peachtree Publishers; 32 pages) Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra is widely considered to be the creator of the first modern novel. The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha is one of the most influential books in Spanish and Latin American culture, and the fictional knight has exerted an enormous influence on Western culture. Margarita Engle, author of Miguel’s Brave Knight, grew up -- like many other Latino and Spanish children -- surrounded by images of Don Quixote with her Cuban mother telling her stories about his adventures and her American dad painting pictures of the knight in various moods. She also grew up in the sixties, a time of political and social turmoil, when her family often participated in peace demonstrations and protests. It was in 1965, when she was thirteen, that she traveled to Spain to visit the windmills that inspired Cervantes in the remote hills of La Mancha. There she was inspired by the figure of Don Quixote, a figure that shows “how the power of imagination can be a great source of comfort and hope in times of struggle and suffering.” Margarita’s book is delightful in every way, helped by the beautiful illustrations of Raul Colon, who has chosen pen, ink, and watercolor as a perfect medium to bring to life the drawings that accompany each chapter on the book describing a time in the life of Miguel Cervantes. The poems of Margarita Engle tell us about the difficult childhood of Cervantes, a child who found refuge from his family’s troubles by daydreaming of dragons and imagining a brave knight who would right the wrongs of the world. They also narrate many other episodes of the life of this Spanish author, “the man who dreamed Don Quixote into existence.” Beautiful illustrations and poems and a great life story, this book is a must for all readers, especially those who believe in the power of idealism and hope through imagination, which the author attributes to the great figure of Dox Quixote of La Mancha. It is also a great book to introduce to young readers the life and main creation of Don Miguel de Cervantes. Find this title in our catalog: Miguel's Brave Knight Recommended by: Maite Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta 1325-1354 by James Rumford (2001, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; 40 pages) Ibn Battuta was the traveler of his age, the fourteenth century, in a time before Columbus, when many believed the world to be flat. Like Marco Polo, Ibn Battuta left behind an account of his own incredible journey from Morocco to China, from the steppes of Russia to the shores of Tanzania, some seventy-five thousand miles in all. The author, a world traveler himself, has retold Battuta's story in words and pictures, adding the element of colorful Arab maps and an arabesque of pictures. From the book: "In Jerusalem, I stood at the center of the world. I could go anywhere from here. If I took this road, I would be on my way to India and China. That road, to Zanj. Traveling - it offers you a hundred roads to adventure, and gives your heart wings!" If you consider yourself a traveler, if you love to travel, then this book will offer you a great reading experience that will also be quite visually stimulating. Find this title in our catalog: Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta Recommended by: Maite Roger is Reading a Book by Koen Van Biesen (2015, Eerdmans Books For Young Readers; 42 pages) Before we open the first page of the book we have a fabulous illustration of rain falling over a city street, painted in gray and green tones, and a window, illuminated with light, that shows us the silhouette of a man reading a book. The man's name is Roger and all he wants is some peace and quiet to enjoy his book. Unfortunately, his neighbor Emily, a young girl, has hobbies of her own that are pretty loud hobbies! Koen Van Biesen, the author of this picture book, has illustrated more than twenty children's books. He lives in Belgium and teaches at the Academy of Fine Arts in Mortsel. His art is brilliant, and you can visit his Web site here. Find this title in our catalog: Roger is Reading a Book Recommended by: Maite The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc (2014, Enchanted Lion Books; 64 pages) The Lion and the Bird -- one of the best books I've read in the past year -- is an ode to friendship, loneliness, and kindness. This book contains not only fantastic, magical illustrations, but also a storyline built around a rare friendship that follows the bittersweet passing of time and seasons. There is a kind lion and an injured bird. There are wordless pages that tell the story through exquisite details in the illustrations that help to create a gentle pace, because sometimes words are truly not necessary, and what is necessary is to look at the world in silence and open your heart to the unknown. Everyone should read this book once or twice in their lives. Find this title in our catalog: The Lion and the Bird Recommended by: Maite Home by Carson Ellis (2015, Candlewick; 40 pages) This loving look at the places where people live is a new picture book in our collection, written and illustrated by Carson Ellis, artist for the Wildwood series and also the artist for the indie band The Decemberists. What I love about the book (besides the illustrations) is the brave vocabulary, and also the wittiness. It is simple, and still introduces the mythology and geography and even philosophy of home. "French people live in French homes. Atlantians make their homes underwater." "Some homes are boats. Some homes are wigwams." The final pages of the book allow interaction with the reader in a great and inspirational way: "But whose home is this? And what about this?" A meditation on the concept of home and a visual treat that invites many return visits. "Home might be a house in the country. Or an apartment in the city. Or even a shoe." I love this book. Find this title in our catalog: Home Recommended by: Maite Sparky! by Jenny Offill (Schwartz & Wade, 2014; 40 pages) “You can have any pet you want as long as it doesn’t need to be walked or bathed or fed.” Our heroine’s mom probably regrets telling this to her daughter, but it’s too late now. The minute she says it the girl heads straight to the library (where else?) and there she learns about sloths. In no time at all, one appears via Express Mail and she names him Sparky (thereby giving away the fact that she harbors impossible sloth-related dreams). Her know-it-all neighbor Mary Potts is not impressed, so our heroine determines to show off her pet in a “Trained Sloth Extravaganza.” Naturally, this does not go as planned, but even after everyone has left and it’s just her and Sparky, she can’t help but love the little guy -- and neither could I. Sparky! is hilarious, touching, and irresistible. Find this title in our catalog: Sparky! Recommended by: Greg |
Archives
March 2018
|