Summary: The Death of Yorik Mortwell

It’s not every day you come across a book where the hero dies in the first chapter.  But in The Death of Yorik Mortwell, that’s exactly what happens to 12-year-old Yorik Mortwell, orphaned son of a gamekeeper at Ravenby Manor: he dies. Fortunately for the readers, Yorik does not pass quietly into the great beyond, but returns as a ghost.

Upon his return, he is greeted almost immediately by the spoiled and curiously powerful silver-haired Princess and her peculiar (and ailing) friend Erde, who live in an enchanted glade on the grounds.  After briefly considering exacting vengeance on his killer, Yorik  realizes that something dark and deadly is stalking the manor grounds and the house itself, while the Princess’s friend Erde seems to be wasting away into nothing.  Yorik quickly loses his taste for revenge, and is consumed with concern for Erde and for his still-living younger sister Susan, a servant in the Ravenby House.  He is determined to defeat the Dark Ones—but what are they?  Where did they come from?  Why are there so many?  And what is one little ghost boy to do against such dark forces?

The story is punctuated with grimly comedic illustrations, which are decent enough but cannot survive the invited comparison to the master Edward Gorey.

Subjective Appeal: Grim and Gruesome Fantasy with a Light Heart

The front flap of this book notes that it will be popular with fans of Edward Gorey (to whom the author and illustrator clearly owe a debt), Lemony Snicket, and Neil Gaiman’s inimitable The Graveyard Book.  An impressive statement, that, but the book manages very nearly to live up to it.  By starting with the death of the main character, there is immediately a sense of the grim tone that so endeared A Series of Unfortunate Events to its readers.  And Yorik is not the only one to meet such a fate.  Neither of the Ravenby children survive the story, and Yorik’s father dies before the book even begins.  Yet the story never becomes self-pitying or morose—Yorik picks his ghost self up and starts back to work, unfazed by his transition to the world of the no-longer-living.  This dark flavor has a certain charm that makes the book quite appealing to many children’s morbid sensibilities.

Then, too, the somber mood highlights the fantastical elements of the story.  In addition to Yorik’s ghostly self, we meet an otherworldly Princess—imperious and rather snotty, she is capable of almost limitless magic in the confines of her glade, but unable (or unwilling) to cross its borders.  She has been imprisoned there for reasons she refuses to divulge.  Her odd moon-faced friend Erde, dripping with mud, has an equally fantastic and mysterious history, and even has a few powers of her own.  Talking topiary animals converse with Yorik, while the Dark Ones haunt the manor, whispering evil into the ears of anyone who will listen—that is, until the kennelmaster’s demon-dogs chase them into the night.  The story rises to an amusingly anti-climactic showdown between good and evil, and a female heroine provides the ultimate resolution!

All of this adds up to a delicious spooky and morbid tale that never loses its buoyant, childlike spirit.  And with a [SPOILER] happy ending to boot, all but the most sensitive readers will be able to enjoy the thrills and chills without any actual distress.

Developmental Value: Death and Sin

With a ghost for a main character, it’s hardly surprising that this book says something about death.  Here, death is presented as a common reality—three of the major characters are dead, as is the hero’s father, and two more characters (and more than one dog) meet untimely ends along the way.  This normalizing of death may be extremely encouraging to young readers, as it shows them that loss is a part of life—like stubbing your toe or going to the dentist. There is also, for these characters, some sort of life after death, and the dead can still do good or evil in the world.  With concepts like this percolating in the background (and occasionally the foreground) of the story, it could easily be a catalyst for important conversations about death, grief, morality, and what comes after death.

Perhaps even more important, however, is the focus on sin and guilt.  We see three different responses to wrongdoing—one from the side of the wronged party, and two contrasting responses by the wrong-ers.  In Yorik, we see a picture of what to do when someone has wronged you—that is, forgive. Although he is originally inclined to punish his killer, he rapidly abandons this plan in order to pursue other, more important goals—in this case, the protection of his still-living sister and, by extension, the Manor where she works and all its inhabitants.  By letting go of his anger, he is able to roam freely over the grounds in a way his vengeful self could not.  Later, in a series of direct confrontations with his killer, Yorik verbally extends forgiveness, realizing that his killer was, like so many others, a victim of the Dark Ones’ lies.

Yorik’s killer is, in turn, a cautionary tale—he knows he has wronged others, and is unable to respond to his guilt correctly.  He killed Yorik out of fear of exposure for previous wrongs, and is now plagued with guilt both for his original transgressions and for Yorik’s death, and is consumed with fear that he will be discovered.  He responds to his guilt with despair and violence, and is unwilling to accept the forgiveness offered him (much to his own—and others’—detriment).

The Princess likewise struggles with guilt for her own ‘unforgivable sin’, but her response is much healthier.  Throughout the course of the story, she is gradually convinced that forgiveness is possible, even for her ‘sin’.  She apologizes for her wrong, demonstrates repentance, receives forgiveness, and is reconciled to her punisher. Her revelation—that is, that forgiveness is possible and should be sought—proves vital to the climax and resolution of the larger story.

All of which provides an excellent structure for discussing sin, confession, reconciliation, and forgiveness.  Children learn that hiding wrongdoing is a recipe for personal disaster, that confession is good for the soul, that forgiveness is always possible, and that they, in turn, should forgive others.  With such a great set of life lessons wrapped up in an eerily entertaining story, I couldn’t help enjoying this little book.

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Here’s what you’ll find inside:

• Practical tips on picking great books for kids of all ages—infant through young adult.
• Guidance on what makes books attractive and developmentally valuable for children.
• Analysis of themes, illustrations, stories, and the use of humor in children’s books.
• Philosophical reflections on the role of children’s books in the development of character.
• A comprehensive list of online resources for finding excellent children’s literature, including book lists, sources of professional book reviews, and children’s literature blogs.

For those of you who end up downloading and reading it, I would be especially grateful for your feedback on it, whether encouraging or constructively critical; just leave it below in a comment on this post.  I’d like the book to be as helpful as possible for parents, teachers, and anyone else concerned with getting good books into the hands of children; your feedback will help me to achieve that goal.

Finally, if you think the book would be helpful to anyone you know, please tell them about it or pass the digital copy of it along to them.  Better yet, share it on Facebook or Twitter; the “share” button below makes it easy.  Again, the download page is here if you are interested.  Thanks!

Summary: A Children’s Counting Book

Clare Beaton’s One Moose, Twenty Mice is a counting book to help with learning numbers for preschool.  It begins with the following statement/question: “One moose, but where’s the cat?”  Each subsequent page continues the pattern established on the first page.  For example, the second and third pages say, “Two crabs, but where’s the cat?” and “Three ladybugs, but where’s the cat?”  The pages continue counting up in the same way until the last page, which says, “Twenty mice, and here’s the cat!”

The illustrations are scenes of colorful stitched fabrics (mostly felt), ribbons, buttons, sequins, and beads that depict the numbers and animals mentioned in the text.  Importantly, in each scene (except the last) the cat is hiding somewhere.  In the last scene the cat is finally in full view, chasing twenty white mice!

Subjective Appeal: Engaging, Funny, Excellent Illustrations

Several factors give this counting book subjective appeal for toddlers and young children.  First, the narrative structure is very inviting.  The repetitive refrain, “…but where is the cat?” on each page plays several roles.  Since there is a (semi-) hidden cat on each page, it prompts the child to hunt for the cat.  And who doesn’t like hunting for objects in illustrations? (Wheres Waldo anyone?)  Hunting for and finding the cat also gives the child a sense of accomplishment and naturally causes her to linger over each page.  The repetition also gives young children a sense of what is coming, and thus of security and mastery.  Finally, the refrain builds anticipation about the end of the book: “I just know we’ll see the cat in the end!”  This building anticipation keeps the child enjoyably focused on the book and creates forward motion, just like a good story would.

Second, the illustrations are beautiful and unusual.  The colorful combinations of fabrics, beads, buttons, and other bric-a-brac vary beautifully on each page.  And the artwork is so creatively and excellently done that it makes you want to examine every detail.  The illustrations are nicely integrated with the text, both supporting and embellishing it.

Third, the book is plain funny.  For example, there are several pages where the hidden cat is positioned in ways that make children (and adults!) chuckle.  On the page for the number eight, all you see of the cat is a green eye peeking through the lower loop of the eight.  On the page with 12 fish, the cat is staring into the fishbowl longingly, as if about to go fishing.  The end, of course, is the real punchline: kids giggle to see the cat in full chase—claws extended, smile on her face—as the mice scatter.  On the very last page she is sleeping contentedly (I guess she caught one…).

Developmental Value: Educational and Creative

In addition to these elements that give the book subjective appeal, the book also has obvious developmental value for young children and toddlers.  First, of course, the book is educational: after all it is a counting book.  In addition to providing an opportunity to learn the numbers up to 20, the book refers to 21 kinds of animals—some familiar, and some not.  For example, while the cat, mice, horses, and ducks are likely familiar from other barnyard tales, the moose, crabs, parrots, and dolphins might well break new ground.  So, if you are interested in helping preschool kids learn numbers and animals, this book is great.

Second, the repetitive rhythm of the book makes for good language learning.  This sort of repetition helps children to recognize and articulate specific words, especially via sentence completion.  By the end of the book, my guess is that if you simply read, “Nineteen elephants,” your toddler would chirp, “but where’s the cat?”  The second time through she’ll be chirping the whole way.

Finally, the book illustrations are incredibly creative.  As such, the book encourages a child’s standards for evaluating creativity—a developmental benefit in itself.  Moreover, I can imagine a parent or teacher using the book as an exemplar and a springboard to creative arts and crafts work with his children or students.

In sum, I highly recommend One Moose, Twenty Mice.  It is a creative and educational children’s counting book with an engaging rhythm and a great sense of humor.  It is a perfect way to help preschool kids learn their numbers and animals.  I encourage you to add this book to your home library.  If you do, please support our work by purchasing the book through the links in this post.

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Children’s Fantasy Novel: The Door in the Forest

Daniel Crowley cannot tell a lie.  For most of his life, this inability has been a fairly manageable annoyance.  Now, as soldiers move into the small town of Everwood, it’s become downright dangerous.  There’s a rebellion in the City, and the soldiers—especially the unsettling and erratic Captain Sloper—are determined to root out any sympathizers.

This is particularly bad news for Daniel’s friend Emily Byrdsong, a newcomer to Everwood and granddaughter of the town witch.  There’s something mysterious about the Byrdsong family—Emily’s parents haven’t been seen since their arrest for participating in the rebellion, Grandma Byrdsong has a curious fondness for bubble baths, and they live in a house where the rules of time and space don’t seem to work quite the way they do in the rest of Everwood.  Captain Sloper is suspicious of the Byrdsongs, and is determined to use Daniel’s honesty to expose them . . . and the rest of the town.

But the Byrdsongs aren’t the only mystery in Everwood.  There is an island on the edge of town where no one ever goes.  Indeed, no one has ever been there.  Not that people haven’t tried.  The waters teem with venomous snakes . . . snakes with faces eerily reminiscent of those who tried to breach the island’s barriers.  Some say it is protected.  But by what?  And against whom?  Armed with a cryptic, ancient map, Daniel, Emily, and Wesley—Daniel’s kid brother—are determined to explore the island.  Will they be able to solve the mystery before Captain Sloper destroys the island—and the town—in his crazed quest?

Subjective Appeal: Magic, Magic Everywhere

When it comes to fantasy literature, the charm is in often in the details, and Townley fills this tale right to the brim: an obese old woman who reads the future in bath bubbles, a magic pearl necklace, windows to the past and future, a boy who cannot lie, snow leopards you can ride, cryptic maps, riddles, a mustachioed villain, the aforementioned human-faced snakes, and a seemingly impregnable island . . . this book is a veritable cornucopia of precisely the sort of delightful touches that are relished by lovers of fantasy, whether young or old.

As you can see, there’s kind of a lot going on here.  At times, the story feels a bit scattered, as if Townley had difficulty weaving all these admittedly wonderful elements into a unified whole.  But then, the plot isn’t really the point—it’s just a vehicle for showcasing the glittering gems of Townley’s creativity.  While this book does not rise to the level of a literary masterpiece by any stretch, Townley has still created an interesting and appealing work of fantasy that manages to be fairly original.  He builds on the foundation so ably solidified and expanded by Rowling without creating a mere imitation or knock off.  The story is unique enough to avoid direct comparison with the great Harry Potter, but fans of the series will find much to enjoy here.

Developmental Value:  Death, Heaven, and the Third Amendment

In the course of their explorations, Daniel, Emily, and Wesley discover that the island is a sort of earthly paradise.  Not really earth, yet not quite heaven, it is a land where anything is possible.  Here Emily is temporarily reunited with her dead mother, and here she learns the importance of returning to the real world to live her life and carry on the secret family legacy.  This treatment of death as separation and of the afterlife as a place of wonder and joy paints a comforting picture for young readers who may be all-too-familiar with the reality of death.  Whatever the reader’s own experiences of loss may be, this book undoubtedly addresses some very difficult issues with tact and sensitivity, and could be a springboard for important discussions on the subject of What Happens When You Die.

In a rather surprising twist, Townley alternates between the ethereal mystery of the otherworldly island and the real-world dangers of military occupation and gives equal weight to both.  He does an excellent job highlighting the many evils of quartering troops: the effect on the town’s supplies, the risk of theft and violence, and the constant fear of retaliation at the slightest hint of resistance.  Let’s be frank—the Third Amendment isn’t exactly front page news these days, and kids and adults alike may have difficulty even remembering which essential right this oft-overlooked amendment preserves.  For a generation functionally ignorant of this particular peril (and I include my own generation in this category), it’s quite a worthwhile reminder.  And kudos to the Third Amendment for doing such an effective job all these years!

The blend between the political and the fantastic is not always seamless—the juxtaposition of tanks and magic pearls can be a bit jarring. Even more irksome is Townley’s refusal to clearly identify his setting.  Are we in America?  Some other country?  A fictional land?  Is it the past?  The future?  We get enough familiar detail to imply some semblance of modern Western culture, but the details don’t quite match up.  There are contradictory hints all over the place, and I for one found myself distracted by the desire to figure out where (and when) this story is supposed to take place.  But then, younger readers may not be so driven to nail down details of setting, and so are likely to simply enjoy this children’s fantasy novel for what it is:  a fun and fantastic romp through a mysterious and exciting world.  Wherever it may be.

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Are you looking for a middle-grade novel with dinosaurs, time-travel, eco-responsibility, and Shakespeare for children?  If so, The Last Synapsid by Timothy Mason may be what you are looking for!

Summary: The Last Synapsid

Life in Faith, Colorado is fairly uneventful for best friends Rob and Phoebe. That is, until one day they come across a prehistoric creature so old, he makes dinosaurs look modern—a plant-eating synapsid they affectionately dub ‘Sid.’ Sid’s on an epic journey through time . . . and he needs Rob and Phoebe’s help! Another synapsid—an aptly-named Gorgon, and much less amiable than the kind-hearted Sid—has stumbled into the modern era via a ‘time snag’ and refuses to return to his native time. If this carnivorous monster remains in the present, the course of evolution will be changed forever, and humankind (and all other mammals) will never come into existence. Meanwhile, a mysterious stranger by the name of Jenkins has been lurking around town, and he seems bound and determined to use the synapsids’ time-traveling abilities for his own selfish ends—no matter the cost…

The book includes a few helpful illustrations (Rob is a budding artist, and he carefully documents the various creatures they meet on their adventures), but by and large the book relies on verbal descriptions to depict the fantastic animals and events Rob and Phoebe encounter.

Subjective Appeal: Dinosaurs and Time Travel!

Describing the subjective appeal of a book about prehistoric creatures seems almost tautological. Dinosaurs are inherently appealing to young minds. Of course, synapsids aren’t technically dinosaurs (they’re their ancestors), but the appeal is still there—exotic, never-before-seen beasts from the distant past. And they even talk (a vast improvement over your run-of-the-mill dinosaur, in my opinion). There are plenty of other animals, too—mountain lions and deer and woolly mammoths and horses and dogs . . . it’s an animal lover’s delight. Rob and Phoebe (and their parents) clearly love animals, and this story will likely resonate with young readers who share that quality.

As if talking (almost) dinosaurs weren’t enough, the kids also get to travel through time on multiple occasions. Whether it’s visiting a frontier mining town at the turn of the century or taking in a pre-human mountain vista or a prehistoric landscape strewn with volcanoes, Rob and Phoebe (and friends) get more than their fill of history come alive.

One reservation: The writing is a bit simplistic.  However, this may be appropriate given the lower age range targeted by the book—kids should definitely be able to read this one on their own. Fortunately, it’s still a fun story that they’ll enjoy, even if the writing doesn’t sparkle. In fact, the combination of simple writing with an interesting story might make it a good “Hi-Lo” book, i.e., a book that is highly interesting but that is appropriate for reluctant readers with reading abilities lower than normal.

Developmental Value: Self-Sacrifice, Eco-Responsibility, and Shakespeare for Children

The entire book is filled with self-sacrifice. Sid risks his life traveling through time so that future generations can live. Rob and Phoebe are willing to help Sid in his quest to save all of human- (and mammal-) kind, even at the cost of their own futures. At one point, the duo appears to be facing certain death, but still they press on, determined to complete the task at hand. This self-sacrifice is contrasted sharply with both the greedy opportunism of Jenkins, who is willing to sacrifice others for his own gain, and with the Gorgon’s own determination to stay in the modern era regardless of the effect on others. Indeed, the Gorgon uses humanity’s selfishness to justify his own, arguing that humankind is so selfish that it does not deserve to evolve at all. Only when he witnesses humans genuinely caring for others is he finally convinced to return so that the human race will come to be.

It is hardly surprising that a book relying so heavily on evolution would also incorporate the importance of eco-responsibility. The synapsids’ world is failing in some unspecified way; Sid encourages the children to preserve their own world in order to avoid such a tragedy. The book freely acknowledges that humans have not been good to the planet; the pre-human times visited boast cleaner air, purer water, and more vibrant plant and animal life. Then, too, the nature of the self-sacrifice that forms the heart of the story is necessarily environmental: the Gorgon must act for the benefit of future generations. He must make a sacrifice today in order to preserve tomorrow—an idea central to environmentalism. However, the book does not take an extreme position on the issue. After all, Faith is a mining town, and there is nary a hint of judgment for this backbone of the town’s economy.

*A side note on the issue of evolution: It is central to the book’s conflict (the Gorgon must return so that mammals, and eventually humans, will evolve), but parents who adhere to another theory of origins can, I think, navigate these waters with relative ease. The underlying lessons here are morally sound, independent of any debate over science or religion. Evolution, like time-traveling prehistoric creatures, can be accepted as a premise for purposes of the story regardless of the reader’s real world beliefs. It is fiction, after all, and presented as such.

If you thought that 8-year-olds were too young for Shakespeare, think again! Excerpts from The Tempest are sprinkled all throughout the climax of the book. Rob and Phoebe face off against the Gorgon during a community production of the Shakespearean play, which the Gorgon, in all his travels, has learned by heart. The Gorgon sees himself as Caliban, manipulated and mistreated by the selfish Jenkins, his Prospero. Indeed, it is his love for Shakespeare that tempts him to stay in the present day, and his love of Shakespeare contributes to his decision to return home (so that humans—including Shakespeare—will one day exist). This is an extremely appealing introduction to the Bard, particularly for young men: Shakespeare is not just long words and romance and tragedy—it has monsters! And (pre)dinosaurs love it! While this book is no guarantee that young readers will develop a taste for Renaissance plays, it should at least whet a few appetites.

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The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn

With the scheduled December 2011 release of Steven Spielberg’s movie, The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn, I thought I would review the classic 1959 middle-grade comic with the same title by the Belgian artist Georges Rémi (1907-1983), who created under the name Hergé.  The Tintin comics were some of my favorites as a child, and my kids have now started enjoying them too.  If you would like to see the trailer for Spielberg’s upcoming movie, click here.

Summary: The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn opens with a news report that incidences of petty thievery are on the rise in London, and that the police are using their “best men to put a stop to this public scandal.”  It turns out that London’s “finest” include Thomson and Thompson, two identical-looking and identically incompetent detectives who sport black suits and bowlers.  On their patrol of the Old Street Market—during which both of their wallets are stolen—they bump into their friend Tintin (a brave, sharp reporter, the protagonist of the story) and his white fox terrier, Snowy.  As Tintin buys a model ship for his friend Captain Haddock—a retired old salt who struggles (sometimes not too hard) with his taste for liquor—two men appear beside him and express interest in the ship he has just bought.  They offer dueling bids, but Tintin refuses to sell it.

Tintin takes the model home, where Snowy accidentally breaks the mast.  Never mind: Tintin easily repairs it.  When Tintin shows the ship to Captain Haddock, the Captain notices that the ship is a scale model of the Unicorn, the ship sailed by his distant relative Sir Francis Haddock.  However, soon after the model is stolen from Tintin’s apartment, which is ransacked in the process.  In the wake of the break-in, Tintin discovers a scroll with a curious but incomprehensible message.  Tintin deduces that the scroll had been tucked into the mast of the model, before it was broken and then stolen, and that the scroll had been what the thief was after.

As the story unfolds, it comes to light that there are in fact three scale models of the Unicorn, and that each contains a similar cryptic scroll.  But, who is after these scrolls, and why would they go to such lengths to get them?  I won’t give it away entirely, but I will say that pirate treasure is involved! The complete story actually spans two Tintin comics, and is resolved in The Adventures of Tintin: Red Rackham’s Treasure. (I believe the movie covers the entire story.)

Subjective Appeal: Adventure, Funny Characters, Excellent Art

The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn will appeal to middle-graders for several reasons.  First, the story is packed with action, mystery, and adventure.  For example, a portion of the comic tells the swashbuckling tale of Sir Francis Haddock, and how his ship, the Unicorn, was taken over by pirates, stocked with treasure, and sunk to the bottom of the sea.  In another section Tintin is kidnapped by those pursuing the scrolls and escapes by fashioning a make-shift battering ram that he uses to punch a hole in the wall of his prison.  Such fast-paced adventure will engage even reluctant readers.

Second, The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn is funny.  The humor revolves around several of the key characters, especially Thomson and Thompson, and Captain Haddock.  As I suggested in the summary, one running gag is that Thomson and Thompson keep getting their wallets stolen by the very thief they are trying to catch.  There is also a classic scene where they keep getting their bowler hats stuck too far down on their heads, so that they can’t see.  Such slapstick humor feels like it is from a different era, but it still works; it’s smart and keeps kids chuckling.  Humor like this fills the space between mystery and adventure, leaving no room for boredom.

Finally, Hergé’s cartoon art is masterful.  The drawings are simple, but they contain lots of interesting detail, especially in the occasional half-page or full-page spreads.  Moreover, Hergé used color variation in a way that keeps the visuals fresh and appealing from scene to scene.  Together, the story and art are captivating.

Developmental Value: Complex Story, International Flair

In addition to its subjective appeal, The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn is developmentally valuable in several ways.  First, the story is fairly complex.  The characters are rich (by comic book standards) and the mystery has lots of moving parts.  As I’ve written before, such complexity can be quite beneficial for a child’s cognitive and social development.  For example, complex plots can have a salutary effect on memory, requiring a child to hold in mind the many clues that help her solve the mystery.

Second, The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn has a certain international, historical flair.  Like all the Tintin comics, this one is set in a real place and time: the language, accents, and currency tell us the setting is England, while the styles, automobiles, and other contextual clues tell us it is the 1950s.  In fact, other Tintin comics even tie in with larger historical events to such an extent that they approach historical fiction.  For example, The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus is set in China around the Japanese invasion associated with World War II.  This sort of historical-cultural context gives the Tintin comics a subtle educational value.

Third, The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn has the potential to turn reluctant readers into regular readers.  There is just something about good comic books that kids find hard to resist.  And because Tintin comics are complex and have smart dialogue, there is some real reading involved.  So, Tintin could be just the ticket for kids (especially boys) who don’t usually enjoy reading.  Indeed, I think Tintin comics are a great alternative to recent “gateway” books such as the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (which I don’t much care for, as you can tell from my review).

Finally, I should mention that there are frequent scenes of cartoon violence (e.g., fist fights with crooks, pirates sword fighting), and Captain Haddock’s drinking habit is a running gag in the comic.  However, none of the violence is graphic (i.e., no blood/gore), and the Captain’s habit is conveyed as a silly vestige of his days as a sailor; in The Adventures of Tintin: The Shooting Star, Captain Haddock is introduced as the “President of the S.S.S. (Society of Sober Sailors),” though even there he wrestles with his sobriety.  In any case, the portrayal of these issues in the Tintin comics does not concern me as a parent, but it might concern some, so I thought I’d mention it.

Summing up, The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn is a fantastic comic in a fantastic series.  Fast-paced adventure, slapstick humor, and interesting artwork make it appealing to middle-graders (even reluctant readers).  A complex story set in a realistic cultural-historical context makes it beneficial for them.  Thus, I encourage you to purchase The Adventures of Tinitin: The Secret of the Unicorn through the links in this post and thereby support our work.

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Alice at the Mad Tea Party, by Frank Dormer

Today I continue my series of interviews with children’s book bloggers in an interview with Julie Danielson (abbreviated “JD” below), who blogs at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, or “7-Imp” for short.  Jules  is an influential blogger in the kidlitosphere and is an aficionado of children’s picture books .  As you’ll see from the interview, she’s a wiz with American Sign Language and is also pretty darn funny.  Pithy enticing quote: “…very simply, I’m an Illustration Junkie and must feed my habit.”  The point of these interviews, of course, is to help connect readers of Children’s Books and Reviews to some of the many other excellent children’s literature blogs out there. So, if you are also a sucker for children’s picture books, after reading the interview I encourage you to check out Julie’s blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Click here for the previous interview in this series, with Jill Tullo of the Well-Read Child.

Q: When and how did you become interested in children’s picture books?

JD: I blame Eisha Prather, my best friend and fellow imp—and whom regular 7-Imp readers will recognize as my partner-in-crime in co-founding the blog. Not too terribly long after college and before each of us went off and got hitched, we were roommates in a lovely, if un-air-conditioned, old farmhouse in beautiful Maryville, Tennessee. That’s “Murvul,” by the way, if you’re a true East Tennessean. At the time, she was a public librarian and would bring home her favorite picture books and leave them on the dining room table for me to read. I’d wander off with them and explore. I fell for them. And fell hard.

Q: Tell me some basics about your blog.

JD: The two of us co-founded the blog in 2006 (back when, tragically, our images at the site posted so very small). Our vision was pretty simple: We planned to talk about the books we read. And lots of different kinds of books: picture books, memoirs, YA fiction, science fiction, graphic novels, fancy-pants postmodern high-art metafiction for grown-ups, paranormal noir, whatever struck us. And we wrote about them in the hopes that we could a) let readers know about a book that they might like to read, too, and b) inspire discussion about said books.

In 2009, Eisha decided to officially back out of the blog. Her career path simply shifted (though I admit we joked about staging a fake fight with lots of creative cursing and making it look like she was storming out). Now I blog solo. Even before Eisha officially backed out of 7-Imp, my focus shifted. For different reasons (but primarily ‘cause I am fascinated by the art form that is the picture book), I post about illustration — picture books and illustrated novels. I simply couldn’t keep up with blogging about novels I’d read, though I still read them. I now leave that to the numerous other bloggers who are way better at it than I — unless, like I said, there are illustrations involved, in which case my interest will be piqued.

I probably lost a bunch of readers when I shifted my focus, but perhaps I gained fellow picture-book-nerd readers. (I say “nerds” lovingly.) Who really knows. I don’t even know how to look up my reader stats. Honestly. I just run my mouth and hope someone will engage in a conversation with me about children’s lit.

I don’t even consider 7-Imp a “review” blog anymore, though I notice sometimes people refer to it as one (which is fine). I’m not sure what it is. I’d like to think of it as a sort of literary salon where authors and illustrators stop by, after getting a cup of cyber-coffee, to share their craft—and where illustrators wake us up with art. Yeah. That.

Plus, very simply, I’m an Illustration Junkie and must feed my habit. Should the blog’s header now say, “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, a blog about illustration”? Perhaps. But I’m too sentimental to change it.

That’s my story, and I’m stickin’ to it.

Q: What is the significance of the name of the blog?

JD: “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast” is a reference to Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking Glass. In chapter V: “Wool and Water,” Alice meets the White Queen, who tells Alice that, when she was her age, she “sometimes… believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

This quote seemed perfect for the blog for a couple of reasons. First, as Eisha once wrote at the site, the idea of deliberately believing impossible things is a pretty great description of what a fiction-lover does when s/he opens a book. We also felt that the Alice books were a great talisman for the blog, because they’re read and loved by children and adults alike. Since back then, we were blogging about both children’s and adult literature indiscriminately, it seemed fitting to make reference to a crossover classic, particularly one that had such a huge influence on both of our early literary lives.

“Six Impossible Things…” had already been used pretty heavily in the hyper-hypo world of the Web. And “Twelve Impossible Things”—since there were two of us—has already been used by Jane Yolen in one of her book titles. And besides, we were both kind of busy when we brainstormed the blog’s name, so “twelve” was probably too ambitious anyway. We compromised on “Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast — why stop at six?”

Q: I noticed that there are quite a number of “Mad Tea Party” images adorning your blog. Can you tell me a bit about those?

Alice at the Mad Tea Party, by Dan Krall

JD: In 2007, author/illustrator Frank Dormer created a Mad Tea Party image [AM: the image at the top of this post] specifically for 7-Imp by way of thanks for featuring his art work. I loved it so much I wanted to take it to the courthouse and shotgun marry it, so I placed it in the header of one of the blog’s pages. I then decided it’d be fun to “collect” various Mad Tea Party images and place them in the headers of the site’s other pages, though the blog’s main page will always have the classic Tenniel. Some I found on my own or others pointed out to me, and then I begged and borrowed (such as, Fernando Falcone’s). Others are the result of illustrators saying, you featured my art. Thank you. As a result, I just created a Mad Tea Party image just for your site. Want it? To which I can usually be heard screaming with enthusiasm, while doing cheerleader spirit fingers (not really), WHY OF COURSE YES!

Q: Tell me about Cristiana Clerici’s International Spotlights.

JD: Cristiana Clerici is an Italian blogger and picture book aficionado. She blogs over at a site called The Tea Box, where she shares her love of books and follows titles from all over—with special attention to Italy, the United States, the UK, France, Spain, and South American countries. In September 2010, I asked her if she’d like to come contribute posts—interviews and book reviews—about international picture books at 7-Imp, because I have a huge interest in what picture book authors and illustrators on the other side of the world are doing. (If only I had more time to blog, I’d love to do more of that myself.) She enthusiastically agreed.

So, whenever the mood strikes her, she makes these lovely contributions to 7-Imp. And she is a force of nature, I tell you what. She maintains three pages in three languages (Italian, English, and French) at her own site, so most of her time goes into translating her own posts. I mean, holy wow and hubba whoa, right?

She is so smart. And fun. And passionate about picture books. I wish I could meet her in person and have cappuccinos with hazel cinnamon rolls and mini frittatas every morning while gabbing about picture books in a small, rustic cafe in some remote Italian town.

And, as illustrator Pascal Lemaitre said about author Toni Morrison in my 2009 interview with him, Cristiana is a sun. (I love that. I have lifted that phrase to describe personalities like Cristiana’s.)

Q: Who are some of your favorite children’s illustrators? Authors?

JD: I love the work of Maurice Sendak. He has tremendous respect for children.

I love every single thing John Burningham ever did.

Big Momma Makes the World is probably my favorite picture book ever, because the writing is perfect, the illustrations are perfect, and both of them together are sublime. (Should I say, it’s “good. It’s real good”? Or is that too corny?)

Marie Hall Ets. Naomi Shihab Nye. E.B. Lewis. M.T. Anderson. Jack Gantos. Ruth Krauss. Virginia Euwer Wolff. Polly Dunbar. Dave McKean. R. Gregory Christie. Adam Rex.

This is hard! I could go on. As for picture books, let me direct you to this fairly recent post à la the talented Mr. Sergio Ruzzier.

Q: I understand you recently spent some time as a librarian at The Tennessee School for the Deaf. Tell me about how you came to be involved with the deaf community, and how that experience has been for you.

JD: I received my Bachelor’s degree in Sign Language Intepreting and worked as an interpreter at The University of Tennessee, even co-founding a children’s theatre for the deaf in Knoxville at one point. Most interpreters you meet have, say, an aunt who is deaf or, growing up, had a neighbor who was deaf. I knew no deaf people as a child. I was simply very taken with American Sign Language—I remember as a child staring with my jaw dropped at deaf people’s hands flying through the air—and decided to study it in college. It’s the most complex and straight up gorgeous language on the planet.

After getting my graduate degree in Information Sciences, because I so super bad wanted to study children’s literature and that’s where those courses were, I ended up (after a while) as the librarian at the Tennessee School for the Deaf (grades pre-K to 12). It was wonderful. Challenging, too. Many deaf children end up at school with a language delay—smart as a whip, but their hearing parents may have gotten a late start in learning to sign and communicate with their children—so the challenge was to match the right book/reading level with the child.  And ASL is an inherently dramatic language, so story times were really fun!

Q: So, I also understand that you are doing the hard work of mothering right now. How is that? Are your kids catching your passion for books?

JD: My seven-year-old, yes, usually has her head in a book. And we look at illustration a lot around here. She still says she wants to be an artist one day. The five-year-old? Not as heavily into books, which is a-okay (and, I realize, could change anyway). She’s entirely more active, as in she’ll usually jump around like a monkey while I read a novel aloud, while just somewhat listening. However, if you read to her an Ursula K. Le Guin Catwings book any day, a hush falls.

Mothering is a large part of why I started blogging. I had gone from full-time work to full-time stay-at-home motherhood (my choice). I found it challenging to spend my days with humans incapable of abstract thought, as much as I adored them, after having spent my days discussing books with teachers and other librarians. Blogging was a way to keep my brain active—and to keep myself involved in children’s lit. I suddenly had some new colleagues, if you will—other bloggers from all around the country, who also loved discussing children’s lit. I still feel like I owe those other bloggers a whole heapin’ lot. As in, seriously, I’m tearing up now. I thank them for re-engaging me in those discussions during an isolating time.

Q: Do you hope to return to librarianship some day? If so, what is your ideal librarian job?

JD: Honestly, I have no idea anymore what I want to be when I grow up. I may return to school librarianship. Right now, I’m freelance writing. And I like it. I’d like to be a children’s literature adviser of some sort.  But I’m not sure how one earns that title. Or if I’ve got what it takes.

Essentially, I wish 7-Imp’ing were a full-time job, but that doesn’t happen to bloggers. There’s so much more I’d like to do at the blog (such as the kind of thing you’re doing with your blogger interviews here, which I once did and no longer have time for), but it comes after my family, work-that-pays, and Other Things That Enable Me to Have a Life. For all those reasons, too, I try not to take it too seriously.

Q: I noticed that you have aspirations of one day pursuing a doctorate in children’s literature. Do you have a research topic in mind that lures you toward the ivory tower? If so, what is it?

I’m honestly not so sure about that anymore. (I should really update my blog’s “about” pages!) If I do it, I’d want to be that instructor who introduces children’s lit to Education and Library Science majors. The first person they meet along the way, that is, who encourages them to think about children’s books in a scholarly manner. (And I’d keep it fun. Promise.) I meet so many people who think children’s lit isn’t worthy of that level of thought.

Q: I noticed that you also do some freelance writing. Tell me about the book project you are currently working on (unless it is top secret).

JD: I’m writing Wild Things!: The True, Untold Stories Behind the Most Beloved Children’s Books and Their Creators with Elizabeth Bird of A Fuse #8 Production and Peter D. Sieruta of Collecting Children’s Books. Over the years, the three of us have been surprised by how many people have a romanticized view of children’s literature, visualizing their favorite authors and illustrators writing stories with a quill pen in hand and two or three cute fluffy bunnies curled up at their feet. With this book, we hope will dispel the fluffy-bunny school-of-thought by exploring the “untold” world of children’s/YA literature. It’ll be a slightly irreverent (but always respectful and celebratory) survey of the stories behind our favorite books and what it’s like to be a living, breathing twenty-first century creator of children’s books in a culture that often misunderstands, patronizes, or idealizes one’s work. It’ll be published by Candlewick in Spring 2013.  The three of us really love children’s literature, and we hope to communicate that with this title.

Q: I understand you also write a regular column for Kirkus Reviews. What sorts of things do you write about there?

JD: Yes! About two months ago, they asked me to join their Book Blogger Network, focusing on children’s lit. I have an invitation to write about whatever I want—and however I want (reviews, Q & A, whatever blows my hair back). I was inordinately happy to have been asked. As already mentioned, I blog primarily about picture books, but over at Kirkus—since I am currently the only one in the Book Blogger Network in the “children’s” genre—I feel a self-imposed obligation to also write about books in the realm of children’s lit that are beyond picture books. This means that also I make a point of covering chapter books, middle-grade novels, etc. (They have multiple YA folks in the blogger network, so that’s covered.)

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work around children’s literature?

JD: That’s a wonderful question.

When we talk about “children’s literature,” we mean a very wide spectrum. Everything from board books to adult titles considered crossover YA titles. My very favorite stop on that spectrum—though I love to read a little bit of it all—is picture books. I love to see what contemporary illustrators are doing. “The picture book is a peculiar art form that thrives on genius, intuition, daring…” Maurice Sendak once wrote. I find it a complex and beguiling thing—when art and text interact.

I’ll also add this: Blogging is a labor of love. It’s definitely a follow-my-bliss type of activity. For that reason, it’s extremely validating—and makes me all geeky-happy—when people use 7-Imp as a resource. For instance, a picture book illustrator emailed me recently to ask a question about a book he was working on. He had made particular palette choices and was wondering about examples of picture books with similar palettes. I was able to give some examples (and with images!) by hitting the 7-Imp archives. He was happy to have some examples, and I was happy to have provided them. Or when instructors/professors of illustration and children’s lit tell me they use the blog as a resource in their classrooms, I get all squealy. Because I love talking about picture books with others.

And I’ll do it if just one person is reading.

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Q: When and how did you become interested in children’s books?

JT: I’ve loved to read as long as I can remember, and in seventh grade I started a diary. Alongside the usual information you’d expect to find in a tween girl’s diary (boys, friends, school, etc.), are brief summaries and reaction to books I’d just finished. This was before the days of blogs and sites like Goodreads, so old-fashioned pen and paper had to do. Because I read so much, I’ve always wanted to keep records of what I’ve read and how I felt about the books when I finished them.  In 2007 when my little girl was just a few months, I had a very emotional experience reading a book to her – On the Day You Were Born by Debra Frasier – and decided that I wanted to document these experiences and keep track of the books I read with her. The Well-Read Child was born that night.

Q: Tell me about your blog, The Well-Read Child.

JT: The Well-Read Child started out as a place to write about what I was reading with my child, but I knew there were so many other books for children that I wanted to talk about. I’d also heard from other parents that they just didn’t know what books to choose for their children or even how to get them interested in reading. That’s when I decided to write book reviews for kids of all ages and offer tips for parents to help them instill the love of reading in their children. I’m passionate about literacy, so I felt this was an outlet for me to share this passion.

Since my blog was “born,” I’ve had periods of “blog angst,” (i.e., not knowing where I want to go with it, where to focus it, etc.). If you go through the archives you can see different things I’ve tried, but in the end, it all came down to the basic concept of sharing books and reading tips with parents, caregivers, and others who really want to read with the children in their lives. I work full time and now have another child, so I don’t post as often as I used to. I try to post at least once a week, but that doesn’t always happen. Now that my son is a little older, I do have a bit more time to sneak in blogging, so I expect the frequency of posting to increase.

Q: I love the simple mission you have for your blog: “Get kids to read”.  What are three ways to help children read?

1.         Make it Fun – I can’t stress this enough. If you force books on kids and it seems like work, they won’t enjoy it. Let kids pick out books they want to read. Go to the library and let them browse. Talk to librarians who can help them find books on topics that interest them. And don’t worry too much out the reading level of the books they choose.

2.         Try a Variety of Reading Materials – Books aren’t the only things that promote literacy. Magazines, comic books, newspapers, and graphic novels are also great ways to get kids interested in reading. Make use of “environmental print” (packaging, road signs, logos, etc.) to add variety to their reading and to show how essential literacy is in everyday life.

3.         Establish a Routine – Regardless of the age of your child, set a time of the day when you either read together as a family or have individual reading time. We always read to the kids before they go to bed, and it is my most favorite time of the day. My four-year-old daughter especially loves for me read to her. Reading is just a normal part of her everyday life, and she looks forward to it. It definitely takes commitment because some days I’m exhausted after a long day of work, but for me, it’s not just another task I have to complete. It’s fun and rewarding and worth the time.

Q: I understand you used to be a teacher. What grade/subjects did you teach?

JT: During my student teaching days, I taught English to 10th and 11th graders. I also spent four months in Brazil teaching English as a Foreign language to 7th graders and adults. When I returned from Brazil, I spent three years teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) to middle school and high school students. I also taught ESOL to adults in evening classes.

Q: How has your time as a teacher influenced your view of kids and books?

JT: Not only do kids have a variety of interests but they also have a variety of literacy levels. When I was teaching ESOL, I had students from war-torn countries who’d missed years of schooling and had very low literacy levels. We made weekly visits to the school library and dedicated daily class time to “free reading.” One thing that was a bit frustrating was that there weren’t a lot of appropriate books for my high school students. Many of the books that they could read in English were for younger students, so they were often too embarrassed to check them out. That was 10 years ago, so I hope the selection has improved since then. [AM: Here are some good lists of books for older children struggling to read, i.e., "Hi-Lo Books" (Hi Interest, Low Reading Level).]

Q: How has being a parent influenced your perspective on kids and books?

JT: I’ve always been an advocate of reading and literacy, so my perspective hasn’t changed a lot. But watching my daughter grow from “eating books” to being an active participant in the reading experience has been a true joy. Right now, she asks tons of questions and is trying to sound out words. And it’s fun to watch my son go through the same process. At 15 months, he’s beginning to graduate from book eating to page flipping.

Something I’ve learned and accepted is that my kids don’t always have the same taste in books as me. I could absolutely love a children’s book that my daughter will not pick out a second time. And vice versa. There are times when I’d rather have a tooth pulled than read a book I don’t care much about over and over again.

Q: I understand you also work as a strategist for a marketing firm.  Does that job give you a special perspective on the marketing of children’s books? What do you think about the way children’s books are marketed?

JT: My company does a variety of work in the marketing, branding, and communications fields, and marketing can be tough for any organization or industry. We don’t do work with the children’s book industry, but it seems especially tough. There is such a big gap in the audiences that publicists needs to reach – the kids who read the books vs. the adults who buy them – that marketing tactics and messaging need to be totally different. There are some very well-established brands like the Harry Potter, Magic Tree House, and Hunger Games series that have experienced a great deal of success, but that level of success is hard to attain. Many authors take on a lot of the responsibility for marketing themselves, and social media outlets like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs have really opened the door for more conversation between readers, authors, and publishers. I think it’s going to continue to be a challenging industry, and authors and publishers are going to have to be constantly thinking of creative ways to raise awareness of their books.

Q: I understand you also do some freelance writing and editing (you’re a busy person!).  What sorts of projects do you enjoy working on most?  Any interesting recent projects?

JT: I haven’t been able to take on a lot of work lately because I have been so busy with work and family, but I’ve written a variety of things from “How to Protect Your Pet if You Die” to “How to Choose a Programmable Thermostat.” I specialize in instructional design and educational writing, so I’d love to do more projects that involved curriculum development and education. Even though I’m not in the classroom, my job offers me the opportunity to educate others, so I’m always excited to work on educational projects.

Q: Who are some of your favorite children’s authors and why?  Favorite recent children’s books?

JT: Growing up, I couldn’t get enough of Judy Blume’s books. Her writing was funny, entertaining, and real. I also loved Roald Dahl and the fantasy worlds he created.

A new favorite is Mo Willems – we have the Knuffle Bunny triology and most of the books in his Elephant and Piggie series. Mo is simply a genius – he gets kids and writes books that both parents and kids love.

For older kids, Suzanne Collins and her Hunger Games series are definitely favorites. I also love the work Sara Zarr, Laurie Halse Anderson, and Maggie Stiefvater. All of these authors have different writing styles and write in different genres, but they write beautifully and engage readers from the opening sentence.

Q: I noticed from your blog that you think highly of wordless picture books.  What’s so great about them?

JT: I love wordless picture books for so many reasons.

First, they let your imagination soar. Kids can use the pictures to make up their own words and stories. If I was still a teacher, I’d love to do an exercise where I ask kids to write their own stories based on the same picture book. I think it would be a joy to read the different ways kids interpret the story in their own words.

Second, wordless picture books are good for kids who may be struggling with reading. They can enjoy a book without feeling the pressure of trying to figure out all of the words.

Third, they can be great tools for bilingual families. As an ESOL teacher, I had many students whose parents couldn’t speak English, and wordless picture books can help bridge that language barrier and let parents and children enjoy reading together. Right now, I have a picture in my mind of a child sitting on his grandmother’s lap enjoying a book together that the grandmother wouldn’t have been able to read in English.

Finally, wordless picture books sort of force you to take a step back and really enjoy the art. Sometimes words do get in the way, and you forget to look at the art and the way the author tells his/her story through imagery.

Q: Why is it important to let kids choose their own books?

JT: I think that it’s nearly impossible to force something on a child and expect them to love it. Children have their own minds and allowing them to choose books empowers them to make their own choices and explore what’s out there.

Q: So, I noticed you have a “soft spot” for dystopian fiction.  What draws you to it?

JT: Boy, do I. I think my first encounter with dystopian fiction was Lois Lowry’s The Giver, and then in high school, I read Brave New World and Nineteen Eighty-Four. Those books hooked me into a lifelong interest in that type of fiction. I’m intrigued by portrayals of futuristic worlds – how they’re structured, who has the power, how they got to be where they are. But I’m even more intrigued by the people who live in these worlds and of course the heroes who inevitably question the society they’ve grown up in. Whether the new world is the result of some sort of nuclear attack, an overthrown government, or a virus that turns victims into zombies, the stories of the people living within it fascinate me.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work around children’s literature?

I love the community of people who are just as passionate as I am about reading with children and literacy, and I love discovering new books and new characters that I can share with others.

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Q: When and how did you become interested in poetry, and poetry for children in particular?

SV: I loved the rhythm and rhyme of poetry when I was a little girl and memorized a poem to perform for my Mom for her birthday when I was 7 or 8. Then came a long dormant period where poetry became more academic. I actually enjoyed analysis in college, but it wasn’t til I met a poet in graduate school that I came to see the passion BEHIND the creation of poetry and remembered how fun it could be. And that was when Shel Silverstein was a brand new voice (in the 1970’s) and his poetry persuaded my cranky sixth grade students to give the genre a chance. I used to say that Where the Sidewalk Ends was the one book I would want with me if I were ever stranded on a desert island with sixth graders!

Q: Do you write poetry for children yourself?

SV: Nope, I don’t. At least not with any intention of sharing it at all. I play with it from time to time, but mostly I love writing ABOUT poetry for children and I figure we need those voices, too.

Q: Why is poetry important?  Is there something especially important about it for children?

SV: Poetry is part music and part chocolate—delicious and unforgettable. Everyone should get a taste at some point in their lives. For kids, it’s also primal, as natural as a heart beat and an organic way to learn language and from there, a path to reading.

Q: I noticed that you often emphasize reading poetry aloud. In fact, you’ve written a whole book (Poetry Aloud Here!) focused on that theme.  Why is reading poetry aloud so important?

SV: Yes, reading poetry aloud is THE essential component in working with children, in my opinion. They learn through listening long before they master the complex process of reading and can take in hundreds of poems before they’re reading independently. So, there is a clear cognitive and intellectual benefit. But it also offers an affective benefit—an emotional connection; and a pedagogical benefit—it only takes a few minutes to share a poem with kids and the impact can be huge! What else offers so much learning in such a tidy package?

Q: Tell me about your blog, Poetry for Children.

SV: I am coming up on the fifth anniversary of my blog (begun July 14, 2006) and I can hardly believe it! Blogging for 5 years. Wow. I thought blogging sounded interesting—a way to share information using a technology that seemed quick and easy to learn. I looked around the “kidlitosphere” and saw several wonderful book review sites, but nothing focused exclusively on poetry for young people, so I decided that would be a niche that I would love to fill. I had published many articles (and then books) about poetry for kids, but I hoped a blog would give me an outlet that I could update on my own any time. And it has! I post weekly (usually on “Poetry Friday”), except during April when I post daily for National Poetry Month. I try to keep readers current on the whole world of children’s poetry, so it includes all kinds of things: poetry book reviews, guides and tips for using poetry with kids, news about poets and poetry awards, etc. If you follow my blog, I think I can proudly say that you’re keeping up with the field through my postings. At least, I hope so!

Q: Tell me about your exciting recent project Poetry Tag Time.

SV: Poetry Tag Time grew out of an idea that I featured on my blog last year (2010) during National Poetry Month. I thought it might be fun to play “tag” with poetry, so I asked one poet (J. Patrick Lewis) if he would share an original unpublished poem and then tag a fellow poet who would then share an original unpublished poem CONNECTED to his poem in some way. Then that poet would tag another poet friend, who would tag another, every day for 30 days. And it worked like a charm—30 poets participated and we had a lively, interactive time and generated a great response.

That led to the idea of creating a book of poetry featuring poets tagging each other with connected poems—but why not make it an e-book? So, I collaborated with poet and friend Janet Wong to do just that. We gathered 30 big name poets who had fun sharing poems and tagging poets. We published it just in time for National Poetry Month this year (2011) and it’s the first book of poetry for children that is digital only. The response has been very positive—even Roger Sutton at the esteemed Horn Book Magazine likes it!

Q: Can you share something surprising or interesting that has happened as a result of, or as part of, the Poetry Tag Time project?

SV: I learned that you don’t have to have a Kindle to read Kindle books! You can just download a free Kindle “app” from Amazon on your laptop (or cell phone) and have access to hundreds of free books to read. Very cool!

Q: Apart from Poetry Tag Time, what are some of your favorite recent books of poetry for children, and why?

SV: There are SO MANY I love! In fact, I post my list of favorites of those published each year on my blog–usually in December.  [AM: Click here for Sylvia's favorite poetry for children, 2010.]

Q: I understand you spent some time teaching and researching at the University of Zimbabwe as a Fulbright scholar.  Can you share one of your favorite anecdotes from your time there?

SV: That was a wonderful experience. My whole family went with me—my husband was also a Fulbright Scholar there and we brought our five-year-old daughter and a sixth-month-old son. So, just LIVING there as a family was fascinating. It was just a few years after Zimbabwe had gained its independence so it was a time of great hope and promise. I remember people were so eager to take part in their country’s development that the newspaper sold out each day. Sold out! The schools were jammed to overflowing and there were such shortages of books and materials, but also true joy (and resourcefulness!) in the classrooms. We were there 6 months and wrote long, newsy letters about our adventures once a month which we photocopied and sent to family and friends back home. No Internet, no computers, no cell phones. What an adventure!

Q: How has your experience in Zimbabwe shaped your work since?

SV: It has made me a passionate advocate for multicultural and global literature for young people. Growing up as a German immigrant (who learned English as a second language), I was already pretty aware of the role of culture and language in one’s upbringing. But now I also experienced the role of race as a white minority living among a black majority in Zimbabwe. I realized we are all products of what we know and see and READ—thus the value of books showing many ways and many worlds.

Q: Tell me about Librarian’s Choices.

SV: The Librarians’ Choices project began as a class assignment in Fall, 2003, at Texas Woman’s University, with graduate students in Library Science enrolled in a Book Reviewing course. It has since evolved into a significant professional development activity involving about a dozen volunteer teachers, librarians, and library professionals. We spend the year reading and discussing hundreds of new books for children and young adults provided by major publishers. Then we decide which titles are most outstanding based on literary quality, appeal to children and young adults, the typical needs of a school or community library, and a comparative study of other professional review sources. We focus on developing a list of 100 titles, with approximately half of the list being designated for picture books or books for children and half of the list designated for novels or works for young adults. Poetry and nonfiction titles were also incorporated as appropriate. We also actively sought out works with multicultural content. As a culminating activity, each participant also reviews some of the titles including a description and analysis of each book, as well as connections for sharing the book with child/teen audiences, and recommendations for related books to combine or compare with the featured title. The goals of the project are twofold, to develop participant knowledge about current books for children and young adults and the ability to read and write critically about these books and to use this experience to create a professional resource for others interested in choosing outstanding and intriguing books for the young people they serve. Our latest issue is available online (librarianschoices.blogspot.com) and I’m working on getting all our previous issues posted there, too.

Q: What are some trends you see in children’s and young adult literature today?

SV: I actually see poetry getting more attention, especially novels in verse. And history is making a comeback—in historical fiction and in fantasy that incorporates historical details or even time travel.

Q: Are there things that worry you about the contemporary children’s literature scene?  If so, what are they and why?

SV: I continue to be optimistic about the wonderful variety and creativity I see in the field. And when I see kids with books—whether paper or electronic—it always makes me happy to see them lose themselves in words and stories.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work around children’s literature?

SV: It’s constantly new, with new books, new trends, new writers and artists, new kids discovering books—and yet, it’s ageless, timeless, universal. Amazing!

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Q: I understand you are an elementary school librarian.  Can you tell me a bit of the story of how you decided to take up that profession?

TJ: I followed the classic three step program:

1. I found that I hung out in libraries a lot. Public, school, college – I’ve visited and staked out my territory in them all. I can’t imagine how much time I would have spent in libraries if they circulated Jughead Double Digests when I was growing up. I think we would have had a From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler situation (except, you know, with a library instead of a museum).

2. I went to college and decided I wanted to work with the elementary set. I got my teaching certificate and started getting back into children’s books.

3. After college I did a year of service with AmeriCorps and ended up working in a school with a desk just off the library. The outstanding librarian there (Beth Miller) was a huge influence on me wanting to give librarianship a go. Halfway through the year, I was signing up to go back to school for my library degree.

Q: Where, exactly, do you work, and what sorts of things do you enjoy most about your job?

TJ: I work for a school district in Michigan. I’m the elementary school librarian and I split my time between four buildings serving grades K-6.

I love my job. The variety’s good. One day you’re working with a class, helping a student research “Golden Girl” Rue McClanahan, the next you’re hosting an author visit. Every day is different.

Q: Any good stories from your time as a school librarian?  Wild happenings in the library?  Heart-warming stories about new readers?

TJ: Allow me to use every ounce of hyperbole when I say…one of our library books saved a life. Maybe two. I was “following up” (nagging is such an ugly word) with a student about an overdue book, when he reluctantly relayed a memorable story.

The student was driving home with his mother on a snowy winter night. After skidding off the icy road and getting the front tires of the car stuck in a snowbank, they needed something to jam under the tire for traction. Hulk: The Incredible Guide did the trick.

That’s how we roll in Michigan. I’m hoping Marvel contacts this parent to write a head-scratching blurb for a new edition some day: “Excellent for getting out of snowbanks!”

Q: How do you think our cultural attachment to technology and screens is affecting children’s literacy and kids’ relationship to books?

TJ: There are so many cool things going on right now in terms of technology, but I have to admit I’m a bit nervous about how that’s affecting us. My wife and I have a daughter and I think about that more often now. But then I calm down and realize it’s probably like anything – don’t overdo it and things will be fine.

Q: What motivated you to start your blog, 100 Scope Notes?  What are its goals and content?

TJ: I wanted a way to keep track of the books I read and what I thought of them. My goals for the blog haven’t changed much. I still try to get out as many reviews as I can and post about things happening in the children’s lit world that are interesting to me. Through 100 Scope Notes, I feel like I’m ahead of where I would have been in terms of children’s lit knowledge, since I write about it on a daily basis.

I was also moved to start the blog because of all the excellent blogs I was reading when I first started as a school librarian back in the glory days of aught five. They made writing about kids books look like a lot of fun. Most of them are still around doing great work: A Fuse #8 Production, Jen Robinson’s Book Page, Chicken Spaghetti, MotherReader, A Chair, a Fireplace & a Tea Cozy, A Year of Reading, the list goes on.

Q: What is the significance of the name, “100 Scope Notes”?

TJ: “Scope note” is a reference term – it is text that helps explain an entry in a thesaurus. I’ll have to check, but I’m pretty sure that was the nerdiest sentence I’ve ever written. Anyway, since I would be explaining what I thought of books, the term seemed to fit. The 100 is an homage to the number of times I’ve tried and failed to read the The Twilight series. No, actually I just thought it worked to differentiate the blog from the term.

Q: What are the central criteria you apply when reviewing children’s books?

TJ: Giving readers a sense of what a book is like, how it fits into the grand scheme of children’s lit, and providing my honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. I review for School Library Journal where the word count is strict and the mood is professional. On 100 Scope Notes, I have the ability to do whatever floats into my head. While this can be dangerous, in both instances I try to apply these criteria.

Q: I noticed you’ve been posting some interesting poems lately for National Poetry Month (April).  Can you tell me about those, and perhaps give an example?

TJ: While I appreciate poetry, I have a hard time writing it. Being wildly inhibited can really put a damper on the whole “expressing yourself” thing. I came across book spine poetry by chance, somehow arriving at the site of artist Nina Katchadourian. After I tried it out, it really seemed to be a good “gateway” poetic form. I thought it would be fun to encourage others to try it out by posting the results. I did a few spine poems recently and I think this is my favorite.

Q: I also noticed from your blog that you seem to have a special interest in book covers for children’s books. Can you tell me about that, and how it makes its way into your blogging?

TJ: The whole design thing has always been an interest for me. I was a few classes shy of an art minor in college, so I definitely have an interest in the visual side of books. Working around kids, I know how a well-crafted cover can lead to circulations, and it kills me to see good books going unread because the cover isn’t appealing. I’m fascinated with how publishers arrive at final covers and how those covers are received in the wilds of the bookstore or library.

Q: What are some of your favorite children’s books and authors?

TJ: I am forever and always a Roald Dahl devotee. As a kid it was my goal to read every one of his books. It’s so wild to think about trying to track down books back in the pre-internet days. The best idea I had about Dahl’s other work was from the little list they put at the beginning of each book. My town library didn’t have them all, and I didn’t realize I could order them from the bookstore, so I was always on the lookout. I still remember visiting the bookstore in Portage, Michigan where I finally found the elusive The Vicar of Nibbleswicke. For some reason, I knew that buying the book wasn’t going to happen, so I sat down in the store and read the whole thing.

Nowadays there are so many authors and illustrators I like. Literally scores. How about I randomly select one author-type person I love…

Candace Fleming

…and one illustrator-type person I fancy:

John Hendrix

They’re both good.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your work around children’s books?

TJ: Looking for the best books and sharing them with kids. In my non library life, I always have to hold myself back from recommending things to people – music, TV shows, Girl Scout cookie types, etc. (“Buy the Tagalongs, pass on the Trefoils”). Thankfully, I get to put this curse to good use in my job.

Q: If you were standing on a soapbox full of children’s books, what advice would you give your audience?

TJ: Give kids choice.

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