Experience African American history through Her Stories

In Newbury Award-winning author Virginia Hamilton’s Her Stories, readers will find a wonderful collection of folk and fairytales focusing on the oft-overlooked cultural tradition and experience of African American women. The book is divided into five sections (Her Animal Tales, Her Fairy Tales, Her Supernatural, Her Folkways and Legends, and Her True Tales) and each section contains four or five short stories, accompanied by beautiful illustrations and a short paragraph on the story’s historical context.  Hamilton does a great job at amassing tales which previously were passed down through the oral tradition only and manages to give each story a distinct and individual narrative voice. Not only will children love these tales for their plotline, the book also serves as a great historical piece on the journey of African American women from slavery to the present.

My favorite story in the collection was that of Annie Christmas. Anne Christmas is the female answer to John Henry and Paul Bunyan – a woman whose story became larger than life in southern Louisiana culture. Annie was supposedly “coal black and tree tall.” A keel-boat operator on the Mississippi, she was “the biggest woman in the state of Loo’siana, the strongest that ever lived in New Orleans-town.” In this version of Annie’s tale, she falls in love with a paddleboat captain after he demonstrates bravery in the face of danger during a rough storm on the Mississippi. The captain does not return her love and Annie wishes “big trouble” upon him. In the face of this rejection, she jumps overboard in her prettiest satin dress, never to be seen again. The captain and his crew mysteriously disappear as well. The captain is said to haunt that part of the Mississippi while Annie is said to occasionally appear from the mist of the river near New Orleans, singing a river-boat tune. I loved this story the most because of its strong heroine character and the high intensity and drama of the whole tale. I also loved the narrative voice Hamilton gave this story. This is by far her strongest writing technique, so much so that she reminded me a lot of Toni Morrison, except for a much younger audience.

Further research on Hamilton really surprised and impressed me. I hadn’t previously heard of her before picking up Her Stories, but her life and its achievements were so impressive, I can’t believe I haven’t encountered her sooner. The descendant of slaves, Hamilton grew up on a farm in Ohio that her grandfather bought and owned after escaping from Virginia on the Underground Railroad. Hamilton studied at Ohio State University before moving to New York, where her literary career really began. Over the course of her career she wrote 41 books within a variety of genres, mostly focusing on the African American experience. Not only was her work groundbreaking, she also has the distinction of having won every possible award for children’s literature, according to her website (http://www.virginiahamilton.com/biography/). Regardless of the fact that I came upon Hamilton's works a bit late, I think I will definitely try to incorporate her works into a future classroom library to provide my students with a variety of American perspectives and experiences.

Reach for the Stars with Sheep Blast Off!

In Nancy Shaw's fun and clever Sheep Blast Off, a group of unassuming farm animals find themselves aboard a rocketship headed for space! It all begins innocently enough, when a spacecraft lands in the sheep's yard and they meander over to examine. After some tinkering, the bumbling sheep end up blasting off into the stratosphere and beyond! They encounter some technical difficulties including a scratch on the space shuttle and a near death experience after the autopilot fails but they are saved thanks to the help of some alien sheep friends. They return home, tired but exhilarated after their little space adventure.

Sheep Blast Off is by far the silliest book I've reviewed for this blog thus far but this doesn't mean that its value should be discounted. The book does utilize rather large vocabulary words for a picture book, including "stratosphere" and "weightlessness" so it would be great for younger readers as either a read aloud or a challenging practice for guided reading. The illustrations by Margot Apple are eyecatching and colorful, sure to hold children's interest and make them laugh out loud. My research into this author/illustrator pair found that they have published seven other sheep-related books together, so they would be a great way to introduce the concept of a book series to younger readers. Whether you read these books as a series or just Sheep Blast Off, they promise to be a fun and amusing read that will hold children's attention the whole way through.

When I Was Young in the Mountains: A "Wild and Wonderful" Read

Evoking the simple and gentle pleasures of country living, When I was Young in the Mountains by renown children's book author Cynthia Rylant invites readers to share in a piece of her Appalachian childhood, growing up with her grandparents and without indoor plumbing. "When I was young in the mountains, Grandfather came home in the evening covered with the black dust of a coal mine. Only his lips were clean and he used them to kiss the top of my head," begins Rylant's first book. She continues, describing how her grandmother would make homemade country food and walk her to the "johnny-house" when she ate too much okra. Much like Donald Crews in Bigmama's, Rylant highlights the quiet simplicity of a rural upbringing: summer days spent lazing in a swimming hole, attending church in the one room schoolhouse and sitting on the porchswing at night. The reader is left with a sense of quiet contentment and a wish that they could enjoy such a satisfyingly simple life.


Further research shows that Rylant was initially inspired to write this first book thanks to the works of Southern writer James Agee. She points to her West Virginian upbringing as particularly influential, saying, "The inspiration for this book came from memories of my childhood in Appalachia, when I lived with my grandparents and other relatives in a four room house in Cool Ridge, West Virginia. We children had to make do with each other and what we found in the mountains, and do you know, I was never bored!" But this inspiratio stems beyond a deep-seated nostalgia. In an interview with Scholastic.com, Rylant says, "I get a lot of personal gratification thinking of those people who don’t get any attention in the world and making them really valuable in my fiction — making them absolutely shine with their beauty”(http://www2.scholastic.com/browse/contributor.jsp?id=3288).

I think that young readers will be soothed by this tale; Rylant repeats the phrase "When I was young in the mountains," about every other sentence and the result is a soothing sing-songiness that children will love. Not only do Rylant's words have an unassuming grace about them, illustrator Diane Goode's simplistic folk-inspired watercolors are the perfect compliment. In fact, they suited the text so perfectly, the book was nominated for a Caldecott and received a Caldecott Honor award in 1982. This book would serve as a great jumping off point for further class discussions about rural life or even a historical lesson on coal-mining. Teachers could also use this text to introduce the concept of biography and have students write their own mini-autobiographies in response. If you are looking for a simple, soothing read that also serves an educational purpose, When I Was Young in the Mountains is the perfect fit.

To Grandmother’s House We Go!

In Bigmama’s, author Donald Crews takes readers on a walk down memory lane, drawing upon memories of visiting his grandmother in Cottondale, Florida to create a rich celebration of family and childhood. Crews describes how every summer he would travel with his mother, brothers and sisters on a three day train ride to Bigmama’s house in rural Florida. Upon their arrival, Uncle Slank would pick them up at the train station and take them to their grandparents’ house where “Bigmama and Bigpapa were waiting for us on the porch. There were hugs and kisses and ‘Oh my, how you’ve grown!’ and ‘How tall you are…is this you?’” Once they were through with the greetings, the kids would go inside, kick off their shoes and socks (“We wouldn’t need them much in the next few weeks,”) and explore. Crews remarks that every time they arrived at Bigmama's - despite the passage of a year - nothing ever seemed to change. The pedal sewing machine, the wind up record player, the kerosene lamps and the Sears Roebuck catalogs remained the same. Rural life created a living playground for Crews and his siblings. There was the chicken coop where “Sunday dinner’s chicken spent its last days,” the outhouse which was “okay now, but scary in the dark,” the barn where eggs were hidden, the stable with two horses, Nancy and Maude, and the pond where there was “plenty of water for fishing and swimming.” Crews describes the large family meals they would have where they “talked so much we hardly had time to eat,” which were followed up with gazing at the night sky filled with millions of stars. He ends the book on a nostalgic note, writing as a bearded man, “Some nights even now I think that I might wake up in the morning and be at Bigmama’s with the whole summer ahead of me.”

            Not only was Bigmama’s heartwarming, it really did a great job of exploring familial relations through a child’s perspective. Crews uses similar techniques as Cynthia Rylant did in The Relatives Came, remarking with childlike wonder at the hubbub surrounding a three day journey to his grandmother’s house and the resulting fun and freedom he and his siblings experienced once there. He accurately captures the feeling of independence that farm life in the summer brings with it. Crews’ description of family dynamics is also similar to Rylant’s, especially when detailing the lengthy hugs and kisses upon arrival and the seemingly endless dinner chatter. The accompanying watercolor illustrations manage to be both visually appealing and simplistic, mimicking the warm childlike tone created by his text. From all of my research and having read a few of Crews’ other books, the illustrating style is quite a departure from his usual style of bold lines and color.  I think this is intentional, representative of the emotional and sentimental quality of his memories. Overall, I think Bigmama's did a great job a recording an experience that many can identify with. Regardless of age, readers young and old will identify with Bigmama’s and surely find a bit of their childhood among its pages.

Jumanji: It’s a Jungle Out There!

             

         Many readers are familiar with author Chris Van Allsburg thanks to the great success of his 1985 classic, The Polar Express. But I was surprised to find while pursuing the bookshelves of the Williamsburg/James City County Regional Library that he also authored another familiar tale, Jumanji, which was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1981. A huge fan of the movie from when I was younger, I couldn’t remember reading the book so of course I picked it up to review for this class! Much like Van Allsburg’s other material, Jumanji did not disappoint.

            The book centers around two siblings, Peter and Judy, left at home by their parents and looking for something to do. They decide to go to the park to play and there find a mysterious game called “Jumanji: A Jungle Adventure Game.” The rules seem pretty simple but one is rather ominous, “Once a game of Jumanji is started, it will not be over until one player reaches the golden city.” Peter and Judy shrug this off and begin to play, but they soon find that they are in for more than they bargained for. Peter lands on a space labeled “Lion attacks, move back two spaces,” and finds that a live and hungry lion has been transported into his living room. He and Judy trap the lion in a bedroom and are tempted to stop playing and call the zoo. But Judy reminds Peter of the instructions’ warning – the game won’t end until they reach the golden city of Jumanji. The two continue playing the game, encountering a monkey attack, monsoon, lost tour guide, rhino stampede and python before Judy can reach the city and yell out “Jumanji!” Just as mysteriously as the animals appeared, a calm descends upon their house. The two siblings pack the game up as quickly as possible and return it to the park where they found it, relief setting in as they realize they made it out alive. When their parents return home, it’s as if nothing has happened.

            A great thing about Jumanji is that it plays upon the typical childhood michevious streak that arises whenever left without supervision. The fact that the two kids are left on their own does not ever seem weird or dangerous, it seems FUN. It allows Peter and Judy to literally travel through the harrows of a jungle adventure and back, all before Mom and Dad get home. Readers will identify with the thrill that this can allow, especially given the pressure of removing a lion from a bedroom before their parents get home. Filled with suspense, excitement and imagination, children will undoubtedly love Jumanji, as they have for the past twenty plus years.  

           The text is rather dense for a picture book and thus more suitable for upper primary ages. It not only employs the fantastic, it also provides a great platform for teachers to discuss monsoons, the rainforest and its numerous animal inhabitants. Van Allsburg’s drawings have a silent intensity to them and also open the book up for imaginative interpretation. The simple black and white pictures convey a lot of drama based upon shading and content. For example, when Peter and Judy find the game and are leaving the park with it in tow, the picture is extremely dark and ominous. The same feeling can be found at the very end, when two other children are shown taking the game from where Peter and Judy placed it in the park. In the scenes where the various jungle animals appear, the white of the illustration is very white and the shading is very dark, symbolizing Jumanji’s intensity and drama. Van Allsburg also leaves a lot to the reader’s imagination, for example, never showing the faces of Peter and Judy’s parents or the lion. There is an eerie quality to these drawings and I’m sure children will feel a chill down their spines when they imagine being chased by a lion or a stampede of rhinos in their own homes. Best of all, my favorite part about Jumanji is that it provides young readers with an exciting and suspenseful ride through the surreal without the use of a computer, game console or Wii!

Dav Pilkey's Paperboy Delivers a Great Read

        In Dav Pilkey’s Paperboy, readers will find a book that artfully captures the both the nearly extinct act of newspaper delivery and the quiet excitement found in being awake when it seems the rest of the world is asleep. The book, written AND beautifully illustrated by Pilkey, follows a morning in the life of a young paperboy who awakes before sunrise along with his faithful Corgi companion to deliver the Morning Star Gazette to his neighbors. “The mornings of the paperboy are still dark and they are always cold even in the summer,” begins Pilkey’s book, capturing the familiar desire of the paperboy to remain in his warm bed. However, as a true and responsible employee, the main character of the story forces himself to arise, dress, eat his breakfast and tiptoe out of his house to deliver newspapers from a large red bag. This is a professional paperboy after all and while “it’s hard to ride a bike when you are loaded down with newspapers…the paperboy has learned how to do this and he is good at it.” The paperboy and his dog know their route by heart and even though all the world is asleep except for them, this time is when they are happiest. As the route finishes up, the sun begins to rise. The paperboy returns home and while his family slowly rouses themselves from their slumber, he creeps back to his bed and returns to sleep where he is free to dream.

I must admit that I superficially chose this book because the cover was pretty and the pictures looked much the same. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book was nominated for a Caldecott and received the Caldecott Honor award, a sort of runner-up among Caldecott nominees. This is a worthy award, given Pilkey’s paintings – one is even supposedly inspired by Van Gogh’s Starry Night! Along with being beautifully illustrated, I loved this book because it accurately captures the wonder and anticipation early morning holds for many children. These days, being awake before sunrise is ungodly and something viewed more as a punishment than anything else but I can remember when I was younger, being awake that early felt like a secret only I knew. I also found it charming that the boy featured in the book was a paperboy, a former childhood profession that is now dying out, replaced by adults in cars or computer-based versions of newspapers online. I think children will identify with the paperboy’s desire to feel responsibility and the fulfillment he receives from his job. It might also inspire them to pursue smaller jobs that will give them such fulfillment.

What surprised me the most about what I learned from my research was that Pilkey is the author of the famous children’s series Captain Underpants. I knew the author name seemed familiar to me but I didn’t make the connection at the time I checked the book out of the library. I remember hating the Captain Underpants books when I was younger because they seemed so crude to me and the only people I knew who read them were boys. I must have retained that stereotype subconsciously because it shocked me both that an author could produce two such different books and that Paperboy was so beautiful in comparison to Captain Underpants. Upon further research to Pilkey’s professional website, I found that this story was inspired by both the author’s experience as a paperboy and his observations later in his adult life. Pilkey was a paperboy when he was growing up in Ohio and his website states that “although he hated getting up early in the morning, he [Dav] did like the serenity and independence he felt riding his bike around in the dark, cold mornings.” (http://www.pilkey.com/bookview.php?id=11). It turns out that he was later inspired to write Paperboy thanks to his local paperboy who “seemed so confident and happy, and he reminded me of the way I felt when I was a kid delivering papers in the quiet mornings.”( http://www.pilkey.com/bookview.php?id=11). I’m glad to say that regardless of preconceived notions of the author, Dav Pilkey has utilized both personal experience and observation to create a beautiful book that both children and adults should and will enjoy!