Showing posts with label Nonfiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nonfiction. Show all posts

Monday, January 14, 2019

Finding Lost Things and Learning a Name


My favorite part about learning is when a subject I did not know was missing from my cabinet of knowledge in my brain becomes a subject of wonder that I wish to remember.

I continue to reiterate that I love nonfiction picture books! In my library, last year, picture books were in the Everybody section. While there are leveled picture books for readers at various beginning reading levels, picture books that are not specifically leveled, can work for all age levels. In fact, the general reading level in many picture books is higher than that of a beginning reader. This doesn't mean young children and early readers cannot comprehend the language, it only means that reading may be more challenging for newer readers. Picture books, in my mind, are meant to be read aloud and shared. If the illustrations are done well, comprehension lost on the words, can be found via seeing the pictures. Plus, pictures tell the reader or viewer details beyond the words.

Unfortunately, people, kids included, assume picture books are only for little kids. NOT TRUE! Nonfiction picture books, as well as fiction picture books that tell stories based on true events are excellent stepping-stones for learning about something new and getting started on further research.

My two recent finds include a MN Star of the North 2018/2019 nominee that I had not seen when it was published in 2017, and a title by my first advisor (aka Jackie) and mentor when I started working toward my MFA at Hamline and realized how little I knew.
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Maya Lin: Artist-Artchitect of Light and Lines: Written by Jeanne Walker Harvey; Illustrated by Dow Phumiruk(c)2017 Henry Holt and Company (Publisher) 

This story is about Maya Lin, the woman who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. I will be honest, this is a historical fact I did not know. I don't remember if, when I visited the wall many years ago, I noted any information about who designed it. The visit was all about the wall, even though I knew of no names on it.

Maya grew up in a home with a brother and parents who allowed her to think her own thoughts and be her own person. Maya found a passion for creating art with her hands. She loved nature and the shapes of things. She decided to one day become an architect.

During her final year of college, Maya learned about the design competition for a Vietnam War memorial. Using clear and simple language, Harvey details Maya's process, and reasoning while she considered and planned her design. Competing against accomplished architects and artists, it came as a surprise to Maya, as well as many others, that the chosen design belonged to a student. Maya held strong as people held hearings to announce opposition or wishes for changes to her work. Despite challenges, her design eventually became reality, with Maya involved in the construction.

The book pages contain white space, spare colors, and text segments having no more than five lines each. This simplicity reflects the style of work that Maya continues to create. Little detail, thus leaving room for people to engage with the art and ponder what they feel. I find the book calm, and lovely.

The stepping stone created by Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines, for me, will lead me to learn more about Maya Lin's work, and help Little Sapling* see the potential of her art (as her goal is to become an artist one day).

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Creekfinding: Written by Jacqueline Briggs MartinIllustrated by Claudia McGehee(c)2017 University of  Minnesota Press (Publisher) 

When things go lost, unless someone remembers, a treasure may not be rediscovered. In Creekfinding, though, someone remembers.

The story begins by sharing what a creek is, and how it can get lost. It continues when a man named Mike buys the land, intending to grow a prairie of flowers and tall grasses. One day, a neighbor informs Mike that he once caught a brook trout where Mike stood. This changes Mike's goal. Now, he sets his mind on finding the creek that once flowed. While ignoring those who scoff at his idea, he works with friends who own bulldozers, excavators, and other machines. He works with plants, rocks, and gravel. He works with time. Working with everything together, Mike finds the lost creek and restores it to life. 

My daughter and I enjoyed this book. Neither one of us had familiarity with the concept of creekfinding prior to reading. I love any idea that involves discovery and growth. We also admired Claudia McGehee's bold and beautiful scratchboard illustrations showing the process, development, and increasing natural beauty of Mike's efforts. I am a fan of scratchboard art and love the use of black outlines and watercolors in the illustrations. McGehee's art truly complement Martin's storytelling.

In addition to the illustrations, Martin's word choices added an auditory element. Water "burbled" and "tumbled". Insects "whirred" and "buzzed". An "outdoor orchestra", comprised of herons, bluebirds, frogs, insects and more, can be heard. I "heard" all of this in my mind. 

Mike, who the reader learns via the end notes, is epidemiologist Michael Osterholm. Osterholm shares that despite the naysayers who laughed at his plan of finding the creek, "the science part of my brain said if the stream flowed once it could flow again." He reminds readers, as does Martin by telling the story, that it is possible to restore natural resources. Osterholm also adds, "I hope kids will remember from this story that we can change the world by acting on our dreams."

The stepping-stone created by Creekfinding, for me, will lead me to learn more about what Little Sapling and I can do to grow flowers and other plants to attract birds and insects we're not seeing as much as we would like near our home.
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What is a recent stepping-stone you've encountered in your reading? I  would love if you would share in the comments sections. (Comments won't appear immediately, but I'll approve them once I see them).

To continued learning and reading,

today and tomorrow,

~Tamara



*Little Sapling - online name I use to refer to my seven-year-old daughter.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

A Story I Didn't Know, A Voice of Value

Growing up Jewish and attending Hebrew School six to eight hours per week from third grade through my senior year of high school, I started learning about the Holocaust from a young age. I remember presentations that included photos and film clips of men and women starved to the bone, crammed in sleeping shelves, wearing striped clothing or nearly nothing at all. We learned about Hitler and his quest to annihilate the Jews. As I grew older, outside of Hebrew school, I learned that the dictator's quest went beyond only Jews. The Holocaust, I learned, was only one major aspect of World War II.

History and Social Studies was not "my thing" in school. Yes, I passed my classes with A's and B's, but I retained little. The content was rarely presented in a way that seemed meaningful to me. So, I went through the motions of learning what I needed, when I needed it, and then letting it go.

When I came across the book, Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story, my apparent naivete about history led me to say to myself, "I honestly didn't realize people survived the bombing of Nagasaki." Laugh if you will, or shake your head. I am sure I am not the only one who did not know this fact. Today, I value learning about history and other cultures as an important aspect of understanding each other in the present. Learning about history can help us to not repeat past failures, and to grow from these mistakes. We can learn from past successes and build off of them. We can learn from other cultures and gain ideas for trying something differently in our own life, or gain a different appreciation for what we have.

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story by Caren Stelson (c) 2016
Carolrhoda Books (Publisher)
National Book Award Longlist

"What happened to me, must never happen to you." ~Sachiko Yasui

I have heard a similar sentiment over the years from Holocaust survivors. It pains me to hear and read the stories shared. Caren Stelson felt that Sachiko's story needed to be told, and I believe she was right.

It has been a long time since a book, particularly a children's book, made me cry. The narrative of Sachiko on the fateful day she starts off by playing outside with friends, tore at my heart. The bomb falls and the intense heated wind rushes through. I could visualize the details described. Then, when Sachiko's uncle eventually rescues her from the dirt and rubble, they discover her deceased playmates and later family who survived, and family who died.

While Sachiko's family is forever changed, her parents do what they can to move forward--both physically and emotionally--despite Sachiko's siblings and other relatives dying over time from sicknesses related to radiation exposure. Sachiko's father inspires her with his words of how to see peace in the only world they live. He tells her about Gandhi and his philosophy of nonviolence and peace. Sachiko carries her father's words in her mind throughout her life.

The reader follows Sachiko as she encounters bullying related to her appearance and lack of knowledge when she begins school. The reader sees how Sachiko replays the final words of an older brother to "take care of everyone", how she fears she cannot, and how her mother works with her to write her name with a stick to help Sachiko believe she can achieve in school.

As Sachiko grows into an adult, she reflects on the teachings from her father.  She remembers and studies about Gandhi. She also finds inspiration in the words of Helen Keller, and later, Martin Luther King Jr.

Considering Martin Luther King Jr.'s words, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter", and Gandhi's words, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world," Sachiko wonders how she can use her own voice to make a difference. Would there be a purpose for sharing her story? Until another tragedy touches Sachiko, she dismisses requests to speak publicly as a survivor.

On the 50th anniversary of the bombing of Nagasaki, Sachiko ends her silence and speaks at an elementary school. This begins her journey of sharing her story. And, thanks to Caren Stelson, Sachiko's story can be shared with all, even if we do not get the privilege of hearing Sachiko speak in person (which is what initially ignited Stelson's interest in learning more and ultimately writing Sachiko's story).

Stelson's research involved travel to Nagasaki over the course of five years to interview Sachiko in person. While the book mostly focuses on Sachiko's story, Stelson also intersperses additional historical facts, photos, and information to show the timeline of events, the political sides of events, the key leaders along with their roles as the events played out during the war, and more. Stelson writes with clear language, as if she is talking to a group of youth, and does not bog down the story with excessive amounts of dates, data, and facts.

Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor's Story is the most moving, heartbreaking, and hopeful work of children's nonfiction I have read in a long time. The book is geared for youth between 5th and 12th grades, but I believe there is definitely no upper age limit if you have an interest in learning history, but feel overwhelmed by the information written in books for adults. Reading nonfiction in books written for children and young adults makes history accessible and often more relatable. Stelson accomplished this in my view. I learned something, and believe I will retain it this time around.

Thank you for reading my musings, 
~Tamara

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Potty Talk is Hilarious! Nature can be gross!

NOTE: Here's what I know for me when I write my blog posts. It's hard to keep myself extra motivated when I don't know if I have much of an audience. Please consider following my blog (down on the right side. It costs you nothing, but earns you my thanks. I also love comments.) Now, read on!
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I sure hope it's a phase, but having a preschooler into potty talk and the hilarity of it being repeated in some of my 7th grade girls makes me think I'll be encountering it in some capacity throughout parenthood. I admit I am getting a little tired of "tooting" here and everywhere, seeing the butt dances, and mooning. At least there is improvement in the burping. Little Sapling (the name I call my daughter online) burst with pride a few months ago when, after processing in her mind during breakfast, she said, "T-o-o-t-y-b-u-t-t. I can spell tootybutt, Mommy."

I am so proud.

And now, it doesn't help when we heard a clip from "Thomas the Train" when the narrator said that Thomas tooted (his horn). I looked at Little Sapling and said, "Thomas tooted." Then we giggled together.

Sometimes, I'm no help.

While bodily functions that emit goop, poop, gas, odors, spit, vomit, etc. are natural and generally serve a purpose in humans (although in humans it's not always clear what the purpose may be), in nature there is a lot more "Gross Stuff That Helps Nature Work" (taken from the cover of the first Nature's Yucky! book).

Nature's Yucky! is a series of three (so far) beautifully color-illustrated non-fiction science books aimed at ages five and up. They are written by Lee Ann Landstrom and Karen I. Shragg; published by Mountain Press Publishing Company. The first book was illustrated by Constance R. Bergum. The other books are illustrated by Rachel Rogge.

Several common elements exist in the books. There is the repetition of the words for each animal,  

"Did you know...[insert animal name and gross behavior here]
Eeewww! That's yucky! 
But hey, it's okay. Just imagine if it weren't that way!" 

The authors follow these up with details of the purpose of the yucky behavior, along with a thought-provoking comment that leads one to reconsider something we have familiarity with in our human lives. In the back of each book, readers will find additional in-depth details about each animal, along with a recipe for a "yucky" food, and other fun information. Both the second and third books also conclude with a list of numerous print and electronic resources, for both children and adults, promoting continued learning.  

Nature's Yucky! Gross Stuff that Helps Nature Work (c) 2003 focuses on a random list of animals such as honeybees, sea stars, grizzly bears, great gray owls and more. Find out why hoary marmots don't poop during the entire winter or why sockeye salmon start to rot before (yes, while they are still alive) they die or how western painted turtles breathe through their butts. As in the subsequent books, readers will also encounter animals who eat their poop, throw up regularly, and use their tongues as toilet paper. Even though some behaviors are similar in each book, it's interesting to learn about the variety of animals who engage in the same yucky behaviors. The recipe in the first book is for Scat Cookies. I mean really, who hasn't wanted to eat cookies that resemble animal poop? (They do have chocolate in them, if that helps.)
 
Nature's Yucky! 2 The Desert Southwest  (c) 2007 
This book begins with the introduction of the regal horned lizard who squirts blood from its eyes. Later, readers will meet a snake who can make itself smell like garbage, an animal that smells like stinky feet, more animals that help their young poop by licking their butts, an animal who uses pee as glue, and more. Celebrate the learning in this book by baking the recipe for "Raven-Gut Upside Down Cake."


Nature's Yucky! 3 The Eastern United States (c) 2013

This book continues the grossness. Did you know that the velvet on the white-tailed deer's antlers has nutritional value for the deer? Want to see a truly ugly baby that grows into something beautiful? Learn about a butterfly who starts off life as a caterpillar that resembles bird poop. Read on to learn why dragonfly larvae shoot water out of their butts. I thought opossums only played dead when afraid. Now I know about their smelly green goo. If you've ever avoided someone because they had an odor that was less than appealing, you will learn that for animals, the stink factor is often a form of self-protection. Conclude your learning with a snack of Bird Poop Caterpillar Pretzels.

I find learning about instinctual behaviors of animals fascinating. It's also a reminder that we, all living creatures, have many inherent abilities. Unfortunately for humans, we don't always realize that the skills we need to move forward and survive may already be a part of us.

The Nature's Yucky! books are great for read-alouds with children. They contain lively kid-friendly details and a tone aimed at children (or really anyone who prefers an easy, laid-back read when it comes to learning about science topics). The vivid illustrations have a beauty that draws the viewer to the animal and makes it easy to not notice the visual grossness. I find the written descriptions of the yucky behaviors more gross than what appears in the illustrations. Finally, if you are anything like me, watching and hearing listeners react to the gross factor as someone reads the books aloud provides entertainment in itself.

Thank you for reading my thoughts.
More words in a coming tomorrow,
~Tamara