Itzhak

A Boy Who Loved the Violin -

The Story of Young Itzhak Perlman

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 5.12.2020) 

40 pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: Tracy Newman
       and illustrator: Abigail Halpin

C haracter: Itzhak Perlman

O verview:

       

    "Before becoming one of the greatest violinists of all time, Itzhak Perlman was simply a boy who loved music. Raised by a poor immigrant family in a tiny Tel Aviv apartment, baby Itzhak was transformed by the sounds from his family’s kitchen radio—graceful classical symphonies, lively klezmer tunes, and soulful cantorial chants. The rich melodies and vibrant rhythms spoke to him like magic, filling his mind with vivid rainbows of color. After begging his parents for an instrument, Itzhak threw his heart and soul into playing the violin. Despite enormous obstacles—including a near-fatal bout of polio that left him crippled for life—Itzhak persevered, honing his extraordinary gift. When he performed on the Ed Sullivan Show at only 13, audiences around the world were mesmerized by the warmth, joy, and passion  in every note." 

T antalizing taste: 

"When Itzhak listened to music, a vivid rainbow of colors appeared in his mind - hues from dark green to red to yellow. Music brought Itzhak intense joy. And tears. Itzhak loved it.

By three, Itzhak knew - he wanted more. He had to make music. Young Itzhak had already chosen the instrument whose magical sound he loved best. He begged his parents for a violin.

But for an immigrant family whose dinner was often a piece of watermelon and some bread, musical instruments were a luxury."

 And something more:  In her Author's Note, Tracy Newman writes: "Performing in music halls that lacked ramps or elevators was a frequent challenge. Itzhak admitted, 'It's like they're telling you, 'Here are our stairs, and you're not welcome here.'' Still Itzhak remained determined to demonstrate that he was capable of being a professional musician... He is dedicated to improving access to public buildings, including hotels, airports, and concert hall. 'It's not a hobby that I happen to do when I'm not playing violin... It's part of what my life is about.'"

Exquisite

The Poetry and Life of Gwendolyn Brooks

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 4.7.2020) 

48 pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: Suzanne Slade
       and illustrator: Cozbi A. Cabrera

C haracter:  Gwendolyn Brooks

O verview:

 

"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."

T antalizing taste: 

"Gwendolyn grew up in the big city of Chicago with little money to spare.

Yet her family owned great treasure - a bookcase filled with precious poems.

Each night, her father read fine poetry aloud, passionate and proud. Nothing sounded sweeter to Gwendolyn than Father's deep voice reciting the rhythmic words.

Gwendolyn memorized those lines - fine words in time to share with her big-hugging aunts."

And something more:  As an author who values primary sources, I appreciated Cozbi A. Cabrera's Acknowledgement: "A special thank you to the staff at the University of Illinois of Urbana-Champaign's Rare Book and Manuscript Library, where all of Ms. Brooks's personal papers are archived. Holding her handwritten papers and notebooks in my very hands was like her message in a bottle - so overwhelming and tender, it reverberates. Doing the research for the illustrations illuminated just how Gwendolyn Brooks overshadowed and transcended lack, limitation, oppression, and every established boundary line with the power of her discipline and the persistence of her love." 

You Are My Friend

The Story of Mister Rogers
and His Neighborhood

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 8.6.2019) 
40 pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top    

A uthor: Aimee Reid
       and illustrator:  Matt Phelan

 
C haracter: Mister Fred Rogers

O verview: 
     "A heartwarming picture book that celebrates the work of Mister Rogers and carries on his legacy of kindness.
      Mister Rogers is one of the most beloved television personalities, but before he was the man who brought us Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, he was just little Freddie Rogers. Though he was often sick and had trouble making friends as a child, his mom and grandfather encouraged him to ask for help and explore the world. With their support, he learned how to better say what he was feeling and see the beauty around him. 
      As he grew up, he realized he could spread the message of compassion, equality, and kindness through television. You Are My Friend is a gentle homage to Fred Rogers and shows how his simple message still resonates with us today: “There’s no person in the world like you and I like you just the way you are.”

T antalizing taste: 
"Fred created a television show for children.
He remembered all of the people who had 
helped him as he was growing up.
He thought of his neighbor, Mama Bell Frampton,
who was always glad to see him.
He wanted to share that good feeling with children everywhere ...

At first, Fred felt shy to be in front of the camera,
but he found out that his grandpa was right.
Just by being himself Fred made his show special."

And something more:  "A Brief Biography of Fred Rogers" at the back of the book explains that "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood ceased production in 2000 after taping 895 episodes... [and] The Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History holds one of Mister Rogers' iconic zippered sweaters in permanent display."
     Aimee Reed touchingly writes in her Author's Note, "I hope that Mister Rogers' affirming message reaches you and your loved ones, too. No matter our ages or histories, our hopes or sorrows, we all need to hear it.
      You are important. You are valuable.  You are enough - just as you are."

When Sue Found Sue

Sue Henrickson Discovers
Her T. Rex

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 5.14.2019) 
32  pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: Toni Buzzeo
     and illustrator: Diana Sudyka

 
C haracter: Sue Henrickson

O verview: 
     "Sue Hendrickson was born to find things, large or small. As a child, her curiosity led her to find many treasures, from lost coins to a tiny brass perfume bottle. And as she grew, her curiosity grew, too. She became a diver who searched for lost boats and buried treasure and a paleontologist who searched for prehistoric-whale fossils.
     On a dig in South Dakota, Sue discovered something bigger than she had ever imagined: the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever unearthed, a skeleton named Sue in her honor. Full of scientific intuition and true adventure, When Sue Found Sue will inspire young readers to look closely at the world around them and to nurture their curious spirits."

T antalizing taste: 
"During the last weeks
of her fourth summer of digging for duckbills
in the blistering heat,
Sue Hendrickson felt pulled
to a sandstone cliff
far off in the distance.
She couldn't say why then -
and she couldn't say why even now -
but she was called to that cliff.
And on August 12, 1990,
when her team headed into town
to fix a flat tire,
Sue finally followed her curiosity."

And something more: Toni Buzzeo's Author's Note explains that while "many other T. rexes are represented by a few important bones, Sue the T. rex is more than 90 percent complete. She's the largest (thirteen feet tall at the hip and forty-two feet long), most complete, and best-preserved T. rex ever found. What's more, when she was found, her bones were in excellent condition, rather than the fragile state in which many fossilized bones are recovered."

The Bluest of Blues

Anna Atkins and 
the First Book of Photographs

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 2.12.2019) 
48 pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top   

A uthor and illustrator:  Fiona Robinson

 
C haracter: Anna Atkins

O verview:
      "A gorgeous picture book biography of botanist and photographer Anna Atkins- the first person to ever publish a book of photography.
     After losing her mother very early in life, Anna Atkins (1799-1871) was raised by her loving father. He gave her a scientific education, which was highly unusual for women and girls in the early 19th century. Fascinated with the plant life around her, Anna became a botanist. She recorded all her findings in detailed illustrations and engravings until the invention of cyanotype photographs in 1842... Weaving together histories of women, science, and art, THE BLUEST OF BLUES will inspire young readers to embark on their own journeys of discovery and creativity."

T antalizing taste: 
     "Anna dedicates herself to creating an herbarium, a collection of dried plants... She is proud of her herbarium, but it is not accessible to a wide audience. Illustrating and publishing it would take far too long - her seaweed collection alone amounts to over 1,500 examples.
     Anna thinks, if only there was a quick, accurate way to copy her collection ...
     Anna listens carefully as Sir John [Herschel] introduces his most recent discovery: the cyanotype print. This process doesn't need a camera, just two chemicals, paper, water and strong sunlight...
     Anna, inspired, sees a ... purpose for cyanotypes. She can't wait to get home and experiment ...
    As if by magic, the seaweed appears, white against the bluest of blues. Every bubble and bobble, tendril and root, frizz and wrinkle is visible."

And something more: The Author's Note explains that she signed her books "with only her monogram, A.A... For years after her death, some people assumed that 'A.A' meant 'Anonymous Author.' ... the misunderstanding may have led to her being rarely acknowledged until historians of photography in the twentieth century further researched her beautiful and scientific books."

The 5 O'Clock Band

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 6.19.2018)
40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor:  Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews with Bill Taylor
     Illustrator: Bryan Collier 

C haracter: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews

O verview from the jacket flap: 
     "WHERE Y'AT? WHERE Y'AT? 
      In this companion to the Caldecott Honor-and Coretta Scott King Award-winning TROMBONE SHORTY, join a young musician on a tour of his cherished hometown. After letting his band down by missing rehearsal, a boy called Shorty has some serious questions about what it means to be a leader. He hits the streets of New Orleans to find some answers and to soak up some inspiration. Along the way, he'll meet people who have their own special wisdom to share about being an artist, a leader, and a friend.
     In THE FIVE O'CLOCK BAND, Troy Andrews has crafted another unforgettable love letter to New Orleans, illustrated by the incomparable Bryan Collier."

T antalizing taste: 
      "Tuba Treme placed his giant horn to his lips. The first notes of 'When the Saints Go Marching In' tickled Shorty's ears. Like so many other New Orleans musicians, Shorty had learned how to play his horn with this tune. Pride swelled in Shorty's chest as he and Tuba played the same notes together that Louis Armstrong had played many years before them in these same city streets.
     'Tradition,' Tuba Treme said. 'Every bandleader needs to know where music came from in order to move it forward.'
    'If you understand tradition and you keep it alive, you will be a great bandleader.'"

    
and something more: In the AUTHOR'S NOTE, Trombone Shorty explains that "one of my city's - and our country's - greatest gifts to the world is our music. In New Orleans, we've created musical styles you won't find anywhere else.  We also have our own entirely unique culture, built of rituals and traditions that feel as old as our music... For me, making music represents society functioning at its best. When a group of individuals collaborate in harmony - with sincerity, spirit, and soul - they create something beautiful.  They face and overcome challenges. They aren't afraid to dream for the future. Growing up in Treme, I was encouraged to seek guidance from all the musicians who lived there. So I did."
      A portion of the proceeds of the book are donated to The Trombone Shorty Foundation which has the mission of preserving the rich musical culture of New Orleans, including mentoring young, talented New Orleans students to express themselves and pursue their dreams while also supporting the community.

Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(pub. 5.18.2018)
48 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor and illustrator:  Jennifer Thermes

C haracters: Emma Gatewood

O verview from the jacket flap: 
     "With little more than the clothes on her back and a pair of thin canvas sneakers on her feet, Emma 'Grandma' Gatewood left her small town in Ohio and set off for a walk. She ended up walking the entire Appalachian Trail.
     In 1955, at the age of sixty-seven, Grandma Gatewood became the first woman to hike the 2,160-mile Appalachian Trail alone. She was also the first person to complete it three times! From Georgia to Maine, Gatewood braved dangerous storms and wild animals, but she also experienced the kindness of strangers and witnessed the vast beauty of America's longest footpath.
    Told through dramatic illustrations and intricate map work, Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail is a story of true grit and resilience and a testament to never giving up at any age.

T antalizing taste: 
     

     "The trail ran over hills, across streams, alongside roads, and through small towns. At times, the woods felt like a long green tunnel. Sometimes Emma lost her way, but even without a map, she always found it back again.
     Some mountain farmers didn't know what to make of Emma, with her hair like a wild woman after days and nights on the trail. But most gave her supper and a cozy place to sleep. She often found the kindliest welcome from the poorest of families...
     Emma scrambled up and down steep hills carved by glaciers that had melted millions of years ago. The trail wasn't quite as easy as that magazine article had said.
     'For some fool reason they always lead you right up over the biggest rock to the top of the biggest mountain they can find,' said Emma." 
      
and something more: The NOTES at the back of Grandma Gatewood Hikes the Appalachian Trail explains that "Born on October 25, 1887, Emma married young and raised eleven children on the family farm in Gallia County, Ohio. It was not a happy marriage. After many years, Emma divorced her husband.
     One day, while waiting in a doctor's office, Emma read about the Appalachian Trail in an old issue of National Geographic from 1949. The article made it sound like an easy walk, and since no woman had ever hiked the entire trail solo, she decided to give it a try....
      Emma walked twelve to sixteen miles a day - and sometimes more - and wore through five pairs of canvas sneakers. She changed from a skirt to trousers after brambles scratched her legs. Hurricane Connie hit the East Coast hard that year, but other than getting soaked, it didn't slow Emma down much When she finished after four and a half months of walking, Emma had lost thirty pounds, and her feet had grown larger by one size.

     She became something of a celebrity. Local newspapers from towns along the trail wrote articles about her, and she was interviewed by a reporter from a brand-new magazine called Sports Illustrated."

Cloth Lullaby

The Woven Life of Louise Bourgeois

Abrams Books for Young Readers
(published 3.1.2016)
40 pages

A True Tale
with A Cherry On Top 

A uthor: Amy Novesky
and Illustrator: Isabelle Arsenault

C haracters: Louise Bourgeois
                 
O verview from Abrams Books for Young Readers website:

"Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010) was a world-renowned modern artist noted for her sculptures made of wood, steel, stone, and cast rubber Her most famous spider sculpture, Maman, stands more than 30 feet high.

Just as spiders spin and repair their webs, Louise's own mother was a weaver of tapestries. Louise spent her childhood in France as an apprentice to her mother before she became a tapestry artist herself. She worked with fabric through her career, and this biographical picture book shows how Bourgeois's childhood experiences weaving with her loving, nurturing mother provided the inspiration for her most famous works. With a beautifully nuanced and poetic story, this book stunningly captures the relationship between mother and daughter and illuminates how memories are woven into us all.".

T antalizing taste:

"Louise kept diaries of her days. And in a cloth tent pitched in the garden, she and her siblings would stay till the dark surprised them, the light from the house, and the sound of a a Verdi opera, far away through the trees.

Sometimes, they'd spend the night, and Louise would study the web of stars, imagine her place in the universe, and weep, then fall asleep to the rhythmic rock and murmur of river water.

The river provided flowers and fruit, a lullaby, and a livelihood.

Louise's family restored tapestries - art woven from wool - and the wool loved the tannin-rich water, which cleansed and strengthened it, and allowed it to soak up color."

and something more:  I feel so fortunate to have read, early on, a draft of Amy's amazing book in which she wove together her poetic evocative words. Amy shared with me what inspired her to write this book:  "The inspiration for this book came from a 2004 New York Times article about Louise Bourgeois’s cloth work. I immediately fell in love with her fabric odes, whose colorful graphic and tactile shapes resonated with me, and, I thought would with young readers. But I didn’t find my way into the story until years later when I discovered a monograph of her cloth work at the Sausalito Library. While the book was 12 years in the making (!), I wrote the story in a week."

I heartily concur with the New York Times review: "Novesky's writing is alert to young readers' voracious appetite for the aliveness of language. The story is strewn with beautiful, pleasantly challenging words ('indigo,' 'fragments,' trousseau'), words that have earned the right to make themselves at home in a child's imagination ... Cloth Lullaby is one of the loveliest picture books I've encountered - a tender homage to an extraordinary woman."

Trombone Shorty

This post joins other

kidlit bloggers at
Nonfiction Monday Roundup
& It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts
& 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book
Challenge at KidLitFrenzy

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 4.14.2015) 40 pages

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews

           and Illustrator: Bryan Collier

    

C haracter: Trombone Shorty

O verview from the jacket flap: 

    "'Who's that playing out there?,' Bo Diddley asked the New Orleans crowd. It was a small child who'd been nicknamed 'Trombone Shorty' because his trombone was twice as large as he was. Trombone Shorty was lifted in the air and carried through the audience until he reached the stage with Bo Diddley. He has been on stage ever since.
     Hailing from the Treme neighborhood of New Orleans, where music always floated in the air. Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews didn't always have the money to buy an instrument, but he did have the dream to play music. This is the story of how he made his dream take flight."

T antalizing taste:  

     "All day long I could see brass bands parade by my house while my neighbors danced along. I loved these parades during Mardi Gras because they made everyone forget about their troubles for a little while. People didn't have a lot of money in Treme, but we always had a lot of music.
     I listened to all these sounds and mixed them together, just like how we make our food. We take one big pot and throw in sausage, crab, shrimp, chicken, vegetables, rice - whatever's in the kitchen - and stir it all together and let it cook. When it's done, it's the most delicious taste you've ever tried. We call it gumbo, and that's what I wanted my music to sound like - different styles combined to create my own musical gumbo!"

and something more:  Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I showed this picture book biography to my son who lived in New Orleans for a few years. And he responded, "Oh yeah! I've heard Trombone Shorty play. He's good!" 

     Of course, that inspired me to listen to Trombone Shorty's music again on his website, and my son's right. Trombone Shorty's good. Really good! And his music reminds me of the incredible vibe in New Orleans of amazing music heard everywhere from clubs to street corners to park benches. I actually first saw this book at a wonderful New Orleans' indie bookstore, Blue Cypress Books, down the street from a favorite restaurant and bar (where we met a fellow writer).

     I was interested to read about the Trombone Shorty Foundation, partnered with Tulane University, whose mission is "to preserve the rich musical history of New Orleans" by providing "music and business education, instruction and a mentorship experience to New Orleans high school students who are gifted in music. Experienced instructors help young underserved musicians express themselves and pursue their dreams while also supporting their community." Terrific!

Jean Laffite

The Pirate Who Saved America

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday 

hosted today by Booktalking

Abrams Books for Young Readers

(pub. 4.1.2012) 48 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Susan Goldman Rubin

     and Illustrator:  Jeff Himmelman

C haracter: Jean Lafitte - the pirate

O verview from the jacket flap: 

      "Jean Lafitte's life was an action-packed adventure, and he even helped to change the course of American history! As a young boy, raised in a Jewish household, Jean longed to be a pirate. With the help of his pirating brothers and uncle, he became a privateer at a young age. Soon, the only life he knew was one of the high seas - full of glory, riches, disaster and revenge... His most remarkable role came when he helped General Andrew Jackson fight the Battle of New Orleans in the War of 1812. With Jean's help, and that of his fellow privateers, Jackson beat back the British - effectively making Laffite the pirate who saved America!"

        

T antalizing taste: 

   "Even though pirating was a common business in those days, their Grandma Zora strongly disapproved. She raised Jean and his older brothers and sisters after the death of their mother. Grandma Zora told stories, too. Hers were about the family's suffering in Spain and how they had to practice their Jewish faith in secret. Like many others, they had fled to the New World and had settled in Port-au-Prince in Saint-Domingue (later named Haiti)...
    Grandma Zora, however, wanted the boys to be well educated and use writing to help others. She sent them to good schools.  So Alexander [Jean's older brother] had to secretly teach the boys about pirating." 

          

and something more: As I've often mentioned, I love learning about the origins of a story or what inspired an author to write that particular book. The idea for the book, Jean Laffite - The Pirate Who Saved America, was kindly given to Susan Goldman Rubin by another children's book author, June Sobel. (Just another reason I feel so lucky to be involved in the kidlit world -- I'm so often impressed by the generosity, kindness and encouragement kidlit writers, illustrators and bloggers give to each other.)  Susan explains in a recent article on Nonfiction Book Blast that she and June Sobel "were both signing books at a book fair once, but to put it more accurately, she was signing hundreds of copies of Shiver Me Letters: A Pirate ABC, and I signed only two copies of my holocaust themed book. June kindly stopped by to say hello and gave me a gift: did I know that there was a Jewish pirate named Jean Laffite? No, I said. June told me that she had not included him in her book but I was free to take the subject and run with it."  And run she did -- straight home to research him, and a book was born.  Thanks June, for sharing your idea!  

         Of course, I had to check out June's pirate book also, and here's the beginning of Shiver Me Letters: "'R' roared the captain. 'R's not enough. We need other letters to make us tough. Let's sail far away to find ABC's. Bring me back D's, E's, F's, and some G's.'"  Arrrr!  Swashbuckling fun!