I Am Farmer

Growing an Environmental

Movement in Cameroon

Millbrook Press
(Lerner Publishing)
(pub. 2.5.2019) 
32 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: Baptiste Paul & Miranda Paul
 and illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon 
 
C haracter: Tantoh Nforba

O verview from the jacket flap: 
     "When Tantoh Nforba was a child, he loved the dirt and all that grew in his grandmother's garden. In school, his fellow students mocked him by calling him Farmer. His older brother told him to study hard so he could one day get a job in an office. But Tantoh knew that wasn't the right path for him.
     Today Tantoh is proud to call himself Farmer. Farmer Tantoh is an environmental leader, bringing clean water and bountiful organic gardens to the central African nation of Cameroon. He is also the founder of the international charity Save Your Future Association. 
     Authors Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul traveled through northwest Cameroon with Farmer Tantoh to see firsthand how his grassroots work is growing a movement.
     Elizabeth Zunon's intricate collage illustrations authentically bring to life this powerful story of community."
    

T antalizing taste: "At college, Farmer Tantoh is thirsty to learn everything he can. Although he soaks up plenty of facts and figures, clean water is still scarce. He contracts typhoid from drinking the local water. He is so sick, he worries he may not live long enough to graduate.
     For seven years, medical doctors and local healers use their knowledge, medicines, and herbs to make Farmer Tantoh feel better. During his recovery, he thinks a lot about his future, and the future of his fellow Cameroonians. No one should die from drinking something that is necessary for life: water."

And something more: I'm thrilled to share the thoughts of I AM FARMER's illustrator, Liz Zunon, (who also beautifully illustrated a book I wrote, MY HANDS SING THE BLUES - Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey):

    "I loved creating Farmer Tantoh's world out of shades of blue, green and brown papers, and experimenting with watercolors for the first time. Every element of each illustration is a piece of paper that I traced out, cut and glued onto my backgrounds... So many tiny pieces of paper! I also used pastel colored pencil to give Tantoh and the characters in the book highlights and shadows on their beautiful brown skin. It's amazing what a little highlight on a cheek or nose will do to bring the character to life! 
     I was fortunate to meet the real-life Farmer Tantoh recently, and was inspired by his passion and all of his accomplishments. You can learn more about Farmer Tantoh and his environmental projects here:  https://www.syfaglobal.org"

The Vast Wonder of the World

Biologist Ernest Everett Just

Millbrook Press
(pub. 11.1.2018)
40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: Melina Mangal
     Illustrator: Luisa Uribe

C haracter: Ernest Everett Just

O verview from the jacket flap: 
     "Ernest Everett Just was not like other scientists of his time. He saw the whole, where others saw only parts. He noticed details others failed to see. He persisted in his research despite the discrimination and limitations imposed on him as an African American. His keen observations of sea creatures revealed new insights about egg cells and the origins of life.
     Through stunning illustrations and lyrical prose, this picture book presents the life and accomplishments of this long-overlooked scientific pioneer."

T antalizing taste: 
      "The time came when Ernest refused to tolerate the segregation any longer. He decided to move to France and become an independent researcher.
     Crossing the Atlantic, Ernest thought about the hundreds of students he'd introduced to science and how his fascination with cells began. 
     He poured those memories and feelings into his work and completed a groundbreaking book.
     Through his careful observations and hard work, Ernest opened up the wonder of the universe to all of us, through a tiny egg cell."

    
and something more: In the extensive back matter of THE VAST WONDER OF THE WORLD, the author, Melina Mangal, explains: "Ernest came to prefer working in Europe, where scientists encouraged his unique approach to biology, which included both philosophy and science. Each time he sighted the Statue of Liberty when he returned from Europe, Ernest would say, 'This is where my liberty ends.'"

The Nutcracker Comes to America

How Three Ballet-Loving Brothers
Created
a Holiday Tradition

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

Millbrook Press

(Lerner Publishing)

(published 9.1.2015) 36 pages

A True Tale with  Cherry On Top 

A uthor: Chris Barton

      and Illustrator: Cathy Gendron 

C haracters: William, Harold, and Lew Christensen

O verview from the jacket flap: 

    "'Every December, The Nutcracker comes to life in theaters all across the United States. But how did this nineteenth-century Russian ballet become such a big part of the holidays in twenty-first-century America?

     Meet Willam, Harold, and Lew Christensen, three small-town Utah boys who caught the ballet bug from an uncle in the early 1900s. they performed alongside elephants and flows on vaudeville, immersed themselves in the New York City dance scene, and even put on a ballet featuring gangsters at a gas station. Russian immigrants shared the story of The Nutcracker with them, and during World War II - on a shoestring budget and in need of a hit - they staged their own Christmastime production in San Francisco. It was America's first full-length version and the beginning of a delightful holiday tradition."

T antalizing taste: 

"When Willam was out and about, he noticed San Franciscans whistling the music of a popular composer - Tchaikovsky. That gave him an idea: Willam decided to have another go at The Nutcracker.

Not just bits and pieces of it, either. He and Harold were going to treat audiences to the whole shebang. So what if they hadn't actually seen the whole shebang themselves?

Willam and Harold huddled up with their friends George and Alexandra, who had danced in the whole show long ago in Russia.

Equipped with a better understanding of the story and the characters and what all the dancing meant, Willam built up the steps for a new production.

Harold built up the dancers so that they could do those steps. Patient, strict, and teasing all at once, and always standing so straight that his pants kept trying to slide down Harold took special care in teaching the many young dancers taking part."     

and something more:  I always like hearing authors give credit to their editors. I'll always be so indebted to the finesse, expertise, knowledge and gentle touch of my book editors (Margery Cuyler, Christy Ottaviano, Donna German and Katie Hall) in shaping my stories.

     In the "Author's Note" of The Nutcracker Comes To America, Chris Barton describes his extensive research for the book and concludes : "All the while, my efforts were guided by Millbrook Press's Carol Hinz, whose skill as an editor - paired with her own experience as a ballet dancer - deserves considerable credit for the book."   

     Also, I enjoyed learning that America's Nutcracker had its origins in San Francisco where I first saw the ballet (and have enjoyed seeing it many times thereafter). 

One Plastic Bag

Isatou Ceesay 

and the Recycling Women
of the Gambia

This post joins other
kidlit bloggers at
Nonfiction Monday Roundup

and also joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Millbrook Press (Lerner)

(pub.2.1.2015) 32 pages

A True Tale with 

A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Miranda Paul

           and Illustrator: Elizabeth Zunon

    

C haracter: Isatou Ceesay

O verview from the jacket flap: 

    "Plastic bags are cheap and easy to use. But what happens when a bag breaks or is no longer needed? In Njau, Gambia, people simply dropped the bags and went on their way. One  plastic bag became two. Then ten. Then a hundred.

The bags accumulated in ugly heaps alongside roads. Water pooled in them, bringing mosquitoes and disease. Some bags were burned, leaving behind a terrible smell. Some were buried, but they strangled gardens. They killed livestock that tried to eat them Something had to change.

Isatou Ceesay was that change. She found a way to recycle the bags and transform her community. This inspirational true story shows how one person's actions really can make a difference in our world."

T antalizing taste:      
      "Something silky dances past her eyes, softening her anger. It moves like a flag, flapping in the wind, and settles under a tamarind tree. Isatou slides the strange fabric through her fingers and discovers it can carry things inside. She gathers her fruits in the bag."

and something more:  Liz Zunon's collage illustrations in One Plastic Bag are stunning! She's the amazing illustrator of the picture book I wrote, My Hands Sing the Blues about the artist, Romare Bearden -- it's always exciting to see one of her new books! 

Liz kindly shared with me some thoughts about working on this book: 

"I was so happy to work on another book about an African success story.In One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia, Isatou notices the problems caused by discarded plastic bags in her village of Njau, Gambia. Goats eat the bags and get sick, dirty water pools in them and attracts mosquitoes that breed there, and people burn these bags in their trash heaps and get sick from the toxic fumes. She decides to do something about this. With a few friends, she collects, washes, and cuts up these plastic bags into strips and figures out a way to crochet them into plastic purses to sell. What a way to start a little business and clean up your neighborhood too! An inspiring woman. 

I hope others who read Isatou Ceesay's story will be inspired to be the change in their own communities. In illustrating this book, I decided to use many different textures in the collage elements. Many of the women's clothing in the illustrations came from pieces of fabric that hold a special place for me. I also used real plastic bags in the images! That was really fun. 

Since Isatou and her friends made purses to sell, and I make purses too (although with fabric, not plastic) an sell at craft fairs and such, I felt I could really identify with her; it's nerve-wracking to sit at a table with your precious handmade things, hoping someone will take an interest and buy some. You've got to be friendly, but not overbearing, you've got to try and keep a smile on your face and look pleasant even if it's 95 degrees out and you're hot and cranky and you have not sold a single thing."

Liz generously gave me a gift of two of the beautiful purses made be the women of the community. Amazing to think they are crocheted from plastic bags -- an inspiring endeavor! 

I love this quote from Isatou Ceesay: "People thought I was too young and that women couldn't be leaders I took these things as challenges; they gave me more power. I didn't call out the problems - I called out solutions."

Miracle Mud

Lena Blackburne
and the Secret Mud

That Changed Baseball

This post joins Nonfiction Monday

hosted today at Wendie's Wanderings

and also joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Millbrook Press / Lerner Publishing

(pub. 1.1.2013) 32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: David A. Kelly

     and Illustrator: Oliver Dominguez

C haracter: Lena Blackburne

O verview from the publisher: 

     "Lena Blackburne loved baseball. He watched it, he played it, he coached it. But he didn't love the ways players broke in new baseballs. Tired of soggy, blackened, stinky baseballs, he found a better way. Thanks to a well-timed fishing trip and a top-secret mud recipe, Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud was born. For seventy five years, baseball teams have used Lena's magic mud to prepare baseballs before every game...Lena's mud went from a riverbank to the major leagues and all the way to the Hall of Fame." 

T antalizing taste: 

"Splooootch! He stepped into some dark brown

mud. It was soft and gooey. Lena’s boot stuck in

the mud. He slooooooooowly pulled it out.

Lena had an idea.

He reached down and scooped up some of the

dark brown mud. It looked smooth and creamy

like chocolate pudding. But it felt gritty.

Lena took the mud to the ballpark." 

                       

and something more: What a great concept for a children's book -- mud meets baseball! And I enjoyed reading the background and mystery behind the Miracle Mud in the Author's Note: "While baseball mud is used during every game from spring training to the World Series, the mud harvesting season starts in July. [The Lena Blackburne Baseball Rubbing Mud] crew take a boat out to their secret mud hole. They scoop up hundreds of pounds of mud and bring it back to shore. Then comes the super-secret part: they store the mucky brown mud in barrels over the winter Perhaps something special happens in the barrels We don't know. And they won't tell."  

Play Ball, Jackie!

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday hosted today by ...

Books Together and joins
It's Monday!  What are you reading?
at Teacher Mentor Texts

Millbrook Press (Lerner Publishing)

(pub. 4.11.2011) 32 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Stephen Krensky

      Illustrator: Joe Morse

    

C haracter: Jackie Robinson

O verview from the jacket flap: 

      "April 15, 1947, is a big day for ten-year-old Matty Romano. His dad is taking him to see his favorite team - the Brooklyn Dodgers - on opening day!

        It's also a big day for the Dodgers' new first baseman, Jackie Robinson. Many white fans don't like the fact that an African American is playing in the major leagues. By putting Jackie on the team, the Dodgers are breaking the color barrier. How will Jackie respond to the pressure? Is he the player who can finally help the Dodgers make it back to the World Series?

T antalizing taste: 

   "Matty remembered hearing his grandfather's stories around the kitchen table. Everyone deserved a chance for a better life - his grandfather and Jackie Robinson too."

and something more:  As I'm writing this, my son is watching a San Francisco Giants baseball game. When I ask him about baseball commissioner Bud Selig, my son reminds me that in 2002 he got a baseball signed by him at a Giants' World Series Game. The reason I ask him about the commissioner is because the Author's Note of Play Ball, Jackie ends with this quote by Bud Selig made on April 15, 2004: "[B]aseball's proudest moment and its most powerful social statement came on April 15, 1947, when Jackie Robinson first set foot on a Major League Baseball field."