19 Varieties of Gazelle

     19 Varieties of Gazelle: Poems of the Middle East, by Naomi Shihab Nye, is a National Book Award Finalist. When I first looked at the cover of this book, and read the title, I didn't know what to expect from this book. After reading the first poem I knew, whatever I expected, this isn't it. I found myself unable to pass the book to someone with the instructions to "read this" and then "now read this" so we could talk about it.
      In "Flinn, On the Bus" on September 11, a convict is described as having secluded himself in his cell to avoid any possible problems before his release from prison and then stares at his "free hands" while he rides the bus. How did Nye ever conceive of the idea of writing from the perspective of an ex-con?
     In "Postscript" Nye responds to a prompt to "Think of something you said. Now write what you wish you had said." We then experience the writers regret of speaking words that cannot be taken back. She expresses a desire to use words, "That nobody would get a splinter from." Naomi's poems aren't read so much as they are felt.

Never in a Hurry

Never in a Hurry: Essays on People and Places by Naomi Shihab Nye is like window shopping through interesting moments in the life of the author. Places she's been, people she's spoken too, and little bits of her past are interwoven in moments that are common and yet somehow uncommon at the same time. In "Favorite Cleaners" for example, she recounts her experience of using the same dry cleaners over many years, of watching the shop prosper, of business declining, of the proprietors death, and of her feelings about that loss. I think the essay that impacted me the most was "Bread." Before she left her family in the Middle East, her aunt baked bread for her to carry home. The bread represented home and family. She had difficulty in the airport because of her background but felt a momentary connection with an airport employee as he gently handed the bread back to her after searching her belongings. It felt like little bit of humanity in the midst of a  trying time. Nye has a way of taking something ordinary and making it somehow more, of painting a picture that has more than just 3 dimensions, of letting you feel and experience along with her. 

The Penderwicks at Point Mouette

    In The Penderwicks at Point Mouette by Jeanne Birdsall the girls are off on a summer vacation at the beach. Rosalind heads to Maine leaving Skye OAP (oldest available Penderwick) in charge of her sisters. Skye feels the pressure when her aunt takes a tumble and sprains her ankle, Jane falls head over heels for a boy, and she fears that Batty will blow up while under her care. Not only does Batty not blow up, she discovers she shares Jeffrey's talent for the piano. Jeffrey meanwhile, discovers that he shares not only his love for music but also an uncanny resemblance to a vacationing neighbor.

     Another delightful Penderwicks adventure filled with fun and mystery. I'm looking forward to finding out how Batty's piano playing will progress and what will become of Jeffrey's relationship with his father.  Birdsall does a wonderful job of portraying characters so realistic you feel like you know them.  

The Penderwicks on Gardam Street

     The Penderwicks on Gardam Street is Jeanne Birdsall's second Penderwicks book. Mr. Penderwick is starting to date and the girls, none too keen on the idea, hatch the Save Daddy Plan. They set up a series of disaster-dates designed to convince him to give up the idea of dating entirely. In the mean time, they develop a friendship with a lovely new neighbor who just happens to be a widowed mother. In time they come to realize that perhaps having a step-mother wouldn't be so horrid after all.

     The Penderwick girls are endearing characters, each unique and gifted in her own way. I really like that they are positive role models for young girls. Education in a priority in the Penderwick family. Mr. Penderwick is a Latin-quoting botany professor, Rosalind studies Latin in school, Skye enjoys math, Jane is an aspiring writer, and Iantha is a professor of astronomy. Thoroughly enjoyable and highly recommended. 

The Penderwicks

     The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall, is a National Book Award winner. It is a charming tale of the adventures of four sisters over summer vacation. Rosalind, Jane, Skye, and Batty Penderwick, along with their loyal dog, Hound, travel with their father to spend summer in a nice cottage. The cottage is owned by Mrs. Tifton who has a young son, Jeffery. The girls and Jeffrey become fast friends. Jeffrey is about to be sent away to a military boarding school but he is a musician at heart and the military is  not what he desires. The Penderwicks help Jeffrey to have the courage he needs to speak honestly with his mother.

     I wish The Penderwicks had been published when I was young. I would have loved it. This book is definately written with a target audience of young girls in mind. These four young ladies are positive role models. Skye, for example, has a penchant for math. The girls deal with situations that range from humorous, such as the forgotten and burned to a crisp cookies, to touching, such as dealing with the loss of their mother.  Ever present is their love and loyalty to each other. Girls from upper elementary through middle school, will thoroughly enjoy The Penderwicks.

Flora's Very Windy Day

    Flora's Very Winday Day is written by Jeanne Birdsall and illustrated by Matt Phelan. Flora is painting when her little brother knocks over her paints. Her mother sends her outside with instructions to take her little brother with her. It's a very windy day and little brother, Crispin, is carried away on by the wind. Big sister Flora follows to watch out for him and bring him back home.

    The front cover illustration greets us with two children flying through a blue sky on a swirling wind with autumn treetops and houses far below. The lettering reinforces the swoosh of the wind. The colors are blue, red, orange, yellow, brown, green and purple. The warm, russet color of Flora's coat and red of her "special heavy-duty boots" tell us the action will focus on her. Illustrations depict lots of movement with the wind appearing as pale blue and white lines swirling across the pages and the children carried along with it.

    This is a delightful tale of a big sister watching out for her little brother. Flora dutifully keeps him from getting lost and sees him safely home again. As they settle back down to earth and she straighten's his hat she seems to be thinking that perhaps being a big sister isn't such a bad thing after all. This would be a wonderful read aloud for story-time.

The Wanderer

     The Wanderer is a Newbery Honor book written by Sharon Creech and illustrated by David Diaz. The main character, Sophie, is an adopted child who goes on a sailing trip across the Pacific ocean with her new cousins and uncles. As the story progresses we find that Sophie's purpose in this trip is to face her fear. Sophie is a bit of an enigma and we wonder, along with her new family, just what exactly happened to her "first" family and how it is that she seems to know Grandpa "Bompie" better than his own sons.

     This story, and the illustrations of David Diaz, are brilliant. The front cover illustration depicts a sailboat highlighted in gold. Above it is a grey storm cloud, and below it the boat is tossed by spiraling blue and green waves. The sails form two arrows pointing to the right and inviting us to open the book. The illustration has soft edges as if it has been spraypainted. The clouds and waves have rounded lines. We get a feeling that although this boat may encounter rough weather, it will be safe in the end. This feeling is a perfect compliment to the family we get to know. They do indeed encounter rough seas both literally and figuratively in their lives and in their trip acorss the Pacific. The journey ends with this group safe and sound but a bit wiser for what they learn along the way, not just about about sailing, but about themselves. Insightful, heartwarming, and highly recommended.

Smoky Night

Smoky Night is a Caldecott Medal winner, written by Eve bunting and illustrated by David Diaz. In the cover illustration, texture is created visually through a layered, collage technique. The background has the appearance of shredded paper. The names of the author and illustrator are framed on homemade paper over cardboard. The collage style continues on the end papers with a variety of materials such as papers, fabrics nailed onto unfinished wood. The sharp edges of the black lettering in the title echo the roughness of the background texture. The tone is set for a night that is anything but soft and gentle - this night is bound to be frightening. The illustrations are set in thick, black line frames. Shapes are jagged, angled, and geometric, reflecting the feeling of danger. The colors are purple, violet, blue, gray, brown, red, and green. Bright orange draws our eye to the fire. This is the night of a riot, told through the eyes of a child. It is also the story of neighbors that come together in time of need.

Going Home

The first thing I notice about Going Home, illustrated by David Diaz, is that the cover reminds me of a patchwork quilt, reflecting the feeling of "Home" established by the title. The background of the interior pages reflect Mexico's rich cultural history. Text illustrations are set in a black frame to separate them from the background. The black text is on a lively yellow background, adding a feeling of excitement. The colors used in the illustrations are yellow, red, violet, blue and green. The story describes a family's holiday trip back home in Mexico. The story is told by a little boy named Carlos. Carlos wonders why his parents are always using the word, "opportunity". As the story progresses, Carlos develops an appreciation for the sacrifices his Mama and Papa have made and comes to understand the opportunities they seek in America are for he and his sister. There are no jobs in La Perla, Mexico and the family desires a better life for the children through an education in America. This story leaves us with a feeling of love for family, appreciation of cultural tradition, and hope for the future.

Before You Came

Before You Came was illustrated by David Diaz. The colors used in this children's book are magenta, violet, orange, yellow, blue and gree. The illustrations show movement through elements that guide the eye across the pages from left to right such as birds flying, characters facing right. The illustrations are organic with lots of curves and circles and leaf patterns. Nature and movement play a large part in these images. Most of the illustrations span two pages and seem to continue off of the page. Artistic elements are used to draw attention. For example, in the illustration of the red canoe, the canoe is large, covering two pages, and bright red in color. In the illustration of the cat, she is as large as two full pages, her eye is placed on the right page and draws our eye to hers, the line of her body moves from her curled tail on the left, across her body and down to the right, creating movement across the pages. Depth is created with subtle background imagery in organic and round geometric patterns. In the illustration featuring the dog, a red cardinal anchors the eye on the left and a line of pink flowers guides our eye to move gently from left to right across the pages. Blue birrds flying across the gutter enhance the feeling of movement. There are about two to four lines of text per page which tells me that this story was written with a target audience of preschool children in mind. The story is told in the voice of a mother speaking to her child about the world she has created for him.