From the Good Mountain

How Gutenberg Changed the World

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday

hosted today by Apples With Many Seeds

and joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Macmillan/Flash Point

(pub. 9.18.12) 36 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor and illustrator: James Rumford

     

C haracter: Johannes Gutenberg

O verview from the jacket flap: 

      "What was made of rags and bones, soot and seeds? What took a mountain to make?
       For the answer, travel back to the fifteenth century - to a time when books were made by hand and a man named Johannes Gutenberg invented a way to print books with movable type.
        Written as a series of riddles and illustrated in the style of medieval manuscripts by award-winning author and artist James Rumford, From the Good Mountain will intrigue readers of all ages..."

        

T antalizing taste: 

        "A man from the Good Mountain in the city of Mainz ... put a sheet of damp paper into the press and slid paper and type under the giant screw. He pulled the handle. The screw turned and pressed the paper onto the raised letters of the type. In a flash the paper was glistening with words. He looked at his work and smiled."

                       

and something more: I always enjoy the Author's Note and Back Matter in picture book biographies, and the Epilogue of From the Good Mountain provides lots to ponder, including a discussion of the first printed books and a new vocabulary word for me: "From 1450 to 1500 printing was in its infancy. The books printed then have a special name to show how new they were: incunabula (in-kyoo-NA-byoo-la), which means 'cloth in which you wrap a newborn baby.'"  Sweet!