Elvis is King!

Schwartz & Wade
(Penguin Random House)
(pub. 1.8.2019) 
40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor:  Jonah Winter

 and illustrator:
 Red Nose Studio
 
C haracter: Elvis Presley

O verview: 
     "Here’s the perfect book for anyone who wants to introduce rock ‘n’ roll and its king to the child in their lives. In single- page “chapters” with titles like “The First Cheeseburger Ever Eaten by Elvis” and “Shazam! A Blond Boy Turns into a Black-Haired Teenager,” readers can follow key moments in Presley’s life, from his birth on the wrong side of the railroad tracks in the Deep South, to playing his first guitar in grade school, to being so nervous during a performance as a teenager that he starts shaking . . . and changes the world!

       Jonah Winter and Red Nose Studio have created a tour-de-force that captures a boy’s loneliness and longing, along with the energy and excitement, passion, and raw talent that was Elvis Presley."

T antalizing taste: 

     "Elvis Tries to Make a *Real* Record

     But - he's just sitting in this chair,
     not moving, not excited,
     no feeling in his voice.
     The recording guy just shakes his head.

     Elvis Tries to Make a *Real* Record (Take Two)]

     So, Elvis and the other musicians are goofing around
     during a break - having fun with a popular blues song
     called 'That's All Right.'
     Elvis is standing up now and shaking his hips
     and doing these crazy moves with his knees  
     and making his voice all wobbly.
     The recording guy perks up:
     'LET'S RECORD THAT!'

And something more: Jonah Winter's Author's Note includes a detailed background about Elvis Presley and his success, including the following: "What is most amazing is just how fast Elvis went from being a shy, stuttering teenager to being on top of the pop music world... Elvis was the biggest music star in America - and he was only twenty-one years old.
     It is undeniable that Elvis owed much of his success to the essential fact that he was white during a era of massive discrimination against African Americans, an era when the music world was blatantly segregated. The first person to record him... was looking for a white musician to play 'black music' for white teenagers.... 
     Elvis took inspiration from anywhere he could find it --  rhythm and blues gospel, country and western, and crooners... he was always at heart a country boy. And this is why I have included Southern dialect here and there. I am from the South, and my ancestors are from Mississippi and Alabama. My Texas grandmother, one of my favorite people of all time, used to  say 'Good Lordy Mercy!' - as do many people from this part of the world. I included such phrases out of love and compassion."

SUPERHEROES Are Everywhere

Philomel Books
(Penguin Random House)

(pub. 1.8.2019) 
 40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

 A uthor:  Kamala Harris

        and illustrator: 
        Mechal Renee Roe
 
C haracter: Kamala Harris

O verview from the front flap: 
     "Before Kamala Harris became a lawyer and a United States senator, she was a little girl who loved superheroesl 
      And when she looked around, she was amazed to find them everywhere! In her family, among her friends, even down the street there were superheroes wherever she looked. And those superheroes showed her that all you need to do to be a superhero is to be the best that you can be.

     In this empowering and joyful picture-book memoir that speaks directly to kids, Kamala Harris takes readers through her life and shows the that the power to make the world a better place is inside all of us."

Tantalizing taste: 
     "My mom was a superhero because she made me feel special. She believed in me, and that helped me believe I could do anything.
     Who makes you feel special? ...
     
     My grandfather used his voice to make India a free country.
     All of my grandparents in India and in Jamaica were superheroes for standing up for what's right.
     Who stands up for what's right in your life? ...

     Teachers like Mrs. Wilson are superheroes because they show us the whole world and help us chase our dreams.
     Who are your favorite teachers?"


And something more: The short biography on the back flap of SUPERHEROES Are Everywhere explains that "Kamala Harris serves as a U.S. senator from California. Before becoming a senator, she worked in the Alameda County district attorney's office [and every time she had to stand before a judge, she was proud to say, 'Kamala Harris, for the people."] 
     And then she was elected district attorney of San Francisco and later elected attorney general of California.
     The second African American woman and the first person of Indian descent ever elected to the U.S. Senate, she works hard to make sure all people have equal rights, especially kids."

Sisters & Champions

The True Story of
Venus and Serena Williams

Philomel Books

(Penguin Random House)
(pub. 5.29.2018)

32 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor:  Howard Bryant
    and illustrator: Floyd Cooper

C haracters: Venus and Serena Williams

O verview from the jacket flap: 

     "Nobody thought sisters Venus and Serena Williams would become great, and certainly not as tennis players. People thought it was weird two black girls were playing tennis at all. They said the sister weren't supposed to dream so big. But the Williams family knew better.

     From their early days of childhood tennis matches to their record-breaking careers including Olympic gold medals and multiple number one rankings, this is the inspirational story of two sisters, their determination to succeed, and their unending love for each other.

     Written by acclaimed sports journalist Howard Bryant and brought to beautiful life by Coretta Scott King Award-winning illustrator Floyd Cooper, here is an in-depth look into the lives of two of the greatest tennis players of all time and the most successful siblings professional sports has ever produced."

T antalizing taste: 
      

      "The Williams family lived in Compton, a real tough, sometimes scary part of Los Angeles.  When Venus and Serena were four and three, Richard bought them tennis rackets, believing tennis treated girls more fairly than other sports, and, if his hunch was correct, that his girls would have an athletic advantage that would change the sport forever...

     Yet not all the talk was friendly.

     The sisters were different.

     Their skin was different.

     Their hair was different.

     Venus was tall. Really tall!

     And the way the sisters hit the ball - so hard, like the boys - even harder than the boys! - was different.

     In ways big and small, people reminded them of being different every day."

    

and something more: The text includes fascinating facts, such as the fact that in "February 2002, Venus was ranked NUMBER ONE in the world.  Six months later, it was Serena's turn to be NUMBER ONE! It is the only time in history two sisters, or brothers, were ranked first and second in the world."

Nice Work, Franklin!

Dial Books for Young Readers
(Penguin Random House)
(published 1.5.2016) 32 pages 

A True Tale
with A Cherry On Top 

A uthor: Suzanne Tripp Jurmain
      and Illustrator: Larry Day

C haracter: Franklin Roosevelt

O verview from the jacket flap: 

    "FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT wanted to be like his cousin PRESIDENT TEDDY ROOSEVELT. 
     He wore eyeglasses like Teddy's. He spoke like Teddy. He even held the same public offices. But then one day everything changed. He developed polio and could no longer walk. But Franklin Roosevelt was determined not to give up. He ran for governor and won. But, about that time, a different kind of sickness spread across the nation. Businesses stopped. Banks closed. Millions lost their jobs. It was the Great Depression.  
      Franklin believed he could make the country well again, so he successfully ran for president. Then, with more hard work and great determination, President Franklin Roosevelt found new ways to help America heal." 
    
T antalizing taste: 
     
    "Now, no disabled person had ever tried to become a governor, a president, or even a mayor before, so, of course, some people objected. They said that a handicapped person like Franklin was not strong enough to carry out the business of government. But Franklin's friends just answered, PHOOEY! A governor's business 'is brain work,' they said. 'The governor of New York State does not have to be an acrobat.' And that made sense. It made such good sense that New Yorkers elected Franklin D. Roosevelt."

and something more: The Author's Note explains that although "he never regained the use of his legs, Franklin Roosevelt supported research to fight polio. In the 1950s and 1960s such support led to the discovery of vaccines that could prevent the disease. Thanks to those scientific achievements, the illness that made Franklin Roosevelt our only disabled president is now almost a forgotten disease in many parts of the world." 
    The FDR Presidential Library and Museum website includes this quote by Franklin: “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’…You must do the thing you think you cannot do” 

You Never Heard of Willie Mays?!

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Nonfiction Monday blogs
hosted today by Sally's Bookshelf

and joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Schwartz & Wade Books
(Random House)
(pub.1.8.2013) 40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Jonah Winter
      and Illustrator: Terry Widener

    

C haracter: Willie Mays

O verview from the publisher's website: 

      "He hit 660 home runs (fourth best of all time), had a lifetime batting average of .302, and is second only to Babe Ruth on The Sporting News's list of 'Baseball's 100 Greatest Players.' Many believe him to be the best baseball player that ever lived. His name is Willie Mays. In Jonah Winter and Terry Widener's fascinating picture book biography, young readers can follow Mays's unparalleled career from growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, to playing awe-inspiring ball in the Negro Leagues and then the Majors, where he was center fielder for the New York (later San Francisco) Giants. Complete with sidebars filled with stats, and a cool lenticular cover, here is a book for all baseball lovers, young and old."

T antalizing taste: 

     "You could fill a whole book with all the jaw-droppin' plays Willie made, all the homers he hit, all the bases he stole. But what made 'the Catch' in '54 so special was that millions of people all over America had seen it on TV ... 
      Just look at him: Even as he falls to his knees after makin' that play, his eyes still takin' in the path of the ball - even then, you could see he was mentally still in the game, wantin' to win, never givin' up, ready for more.
     Yessir, in that one moment when Willie made the Catch, he showed the world a new way of playing the game. He changed how people saw his skin. In his own way, he changed the world."

and something more: Today's feature of yet another baseball player biography picture book was inspired by fellow kidlit blogger, Jeff Barger at NC Teacher Stuff. Jeff asked if I knew of any picture book about Willie Mays. Voila! Jeff had recently visited my favorite and local baseball stadium, AT&T Park in San Francisco, and I had mentioned the sculpture of Willie Mays in front of the ballpark.
     I learned that WIllie Mays joined the SF Giants in 1958. Just this past May, Willie Mays celebrated his 82nd birthday and the San Francisco Chronicle posted photos from his career. A living legend and amazing role model!

A Splash of Red

The Life and Art of Horace Pippin

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday

hosted today by Wrapped In Foil

and joins It's Monday!

What are you reading?

at Teacher Mentor Texts

Alfred A. Knopf/ Random House

(pub. 1.8.2013) 40 pages 

A True Tale with A Cherry On Top

A uthor: Jen Bryant

     and Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

C haracter: Horace Pippin

O verview from the publisher: 

     "As a child in the late 1800s, Horace Pippin loved to draw...He drew pictures for his sisters, his classmates, his co-workers. Even during W.W.I, Horace filled his notebooks with drawings from the trenches . . . until he was shot. Upon his return home, Horace couldn't lift his right arm, and couldn't make any art. Slowly, with lots of practice, he regained use of his arm, until once again, he was able to paint--and paint, and paint! Soon, people—including the famous painter N. C. Wyeth—started noticing Horace's art, and before long, his paintings were displayed in galleries and museums across the country..."

        

T antalizing taste: 

         "Then, if he could find a scrap of paper and a piece of charcoal, he drew pictures of what he'd seen that day.
        Horace loved to draw. He loved the feel of the charcoal as it slid across the floor. He loved looking at something in the room and making it come alive in front of him. He loved thinking about a friend or a pet, then drawing them from the picture in his mind."

                       

and something more: I was intrigued to read the collaborative efforts behind A Splash of Red. Melissa Sweet recounts the background in her Illustrator's Note: "Typically, authors and illustrators stay fairly separate when making a picture book, but after Jen [Bryant] wrote this text, we bucked the tide by researching Horace Pippin together. Driving through the back roads of eastern Pennsylvania, we shared what we both knew and loved about art and Pippin." 
          And, as Jen Bryant explains in her Author's Note: ".... once the story was written, Melissa and I retraced many of these paths [of her earlier research] and forged some new ones. We were inspired and amazed by the very real struggles in Horace Pippin's life and the incredible, simple elegance of his work. Through his art, he transcended personal loss, injury, poverty, violence, and racism, producing a body of work that remains wholly original and deeply American"... AND inspiring!