5 TRUE TALES ABOUT POETS & AUTHORS & LIBRARIES

Five Picture Book Biographies with  ...

A Cherry On Top   

A bout Poets & Authors & Libraries 

C haracters:   

Zora Neale Hurston (JUMP AT THE MOON)

Gwendolyn Brooks (EXQUISITE)

Beatrix Potter (SAVING THE COUNTRYSIDE)

Jose Alberto Gutierrez (DIGGING FOR WORDS)

Melvil Dewey (THE EFFICIENT, INVENTIVE (OFTEN ANNOYING) MELVIL DEWEY) 

O verviews:

JUMP AT THE MOON - The True Life Tale of Zora Neale Hurston: "Zora was a girl who hankered for tales like bees for honey. Now, her mama always told her that if she wanted something, 'to jump at de sun' -The True Life Tale of Zora Neale Hurston, because even though you might not land quite that high, at least you’d get off the ground. So Zora jumped from place to place, from the porch of the general store where she listened to folktales, to Howard University, to Harlem. And everywhere she jumped, she shined sunlight on the tales most people hadn’t been bothered to listen to until Zora. The tales no one had written down until Zora."

 

EXQUISITE - The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks: "Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000) is known for her poems about 'real life.' She wrote about love, loneliness, family, and poverty—showing readers how just about anything could become a beautiful poem. Exquisite follows Gwendolyn from early girlhood into her adult life, showcasing her desire to write poetry from a very young age. This picture-book biography explores the intersections of race, gender, and the ubiquitous poverty of the Great Depression—all with a lyrical touch worthy of the subject. Gwendolyn Brooks was the first Black person to win the Pulitzer Prize, receiving the award for poetry in 1950. And in 1958, she was named the poet laureate of Illinois. A bold artist who from a very young age dared to dream, Brooks will inspire young readers to create poetry from their own lives."

SAVING THE COUNTRYSIDE - The Story of Beatrix Potter and Peter Rabbit:
ething important, something that truly mattered. As Beatrix spent her summers in the country and found inspiration in nature, it was through this passion that her creativity flourished. There, she crafted The Tale of Peter Rabbit. She would eventually move to the countryside full-time, but developers sought to change the land. To save it, Beatrix used the money from the success of her books and bought acres and acres of land and farms to prevent the development of the countryside that both she and Peter Rabbit so cherished. Because of her efforts, it's been preserved just as she left it."

 

DIGGING FOR WORDS - Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built: "In the city of Bogata, in the barrio of La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses. One is a boy who dreams of Saturdays-- that's the day he gets to visit Paradise, the library. The second Jose is a garbage collector. From dusk until dawn, he scans the sidewalks as he drives, squinting in the dim light, searching household trash for hidden treasure . . . books! Some are stacked in neat piles, as if waiting for José. Others take a bit more digging. Ever since he found his first book, Anna Karenina, years earlier, he's been collecting books--thick ones and thin ones, worn ones and almost new ones-- to add to the collection in his home. And on Saturdays, kids like little Jose run to the steps of Paradise to discover a world filled with books and wonder."

 

THE EFFICIENT, INVENTIVE (OFTEN ANNOYING) MELVIL DEWEY: "Melvil Dewey’s love of organization and words at a very early age drove him to develop and implement his Dewey Decimal Classification system, a school to train librarians, inventions to streamline librarians’ work, and more, leaving a significant and lasting impact in libraries throughout the world." 

T antalizing taste:   

If you'd like to learn more about these 5 picture book biographies about poets, authors and libraries, please visit my complete reviews on this blog to see a "Tantalizing Taste" of text from each book. And also read the"Something More" in each review that discusses what intrigues me about each book:

Zora Neale Hurston (JUMP AT THE MOON)

Gwendolyn Brooks (EXQUISITE)

Beatrix Potter (SAVING THE COUNTRYSIDE)

Jose Alberto Gutierrez (DIGGING FOR WORDS)

Melvil Dewey (THE EFFICIENT, INVENTIVE  (OFTEN ANNOYING) MELVIL DEWEY)