Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Monday, May 27, 2019

Tara Books

Looking at the book, An Indian Beach: by Day and Night created by Joelle Jolievet, I realized that I hadn't gushed about a favorite publisher of mine, Tara Books, for quite sometime.

An oversight, to be sure.

The books that I love most from Tara Books are handmade (from the paper, to the images being screenprinted, to being bound by hand) and/or often illustrated in unique and interesting ways showcasing traditional Indian folk art styles..

For example, An Indian Beach. This book illustrates the typical activities that go on from morning til night on Elliot's Beach near the city of Chennai, South India. The author depicts people waking up in the morning, engaging in all sorts of activities such as selling fish, repairing nets, eating, jogging, going to work, and playing.  At the hottest time of the afternoon there are very few people out, only a couple of dogs or birds. But by early evening the pace picks up again and people are out and about selling food, playing games, relaxing until nighttime when it's time to return home.

But it's the way in which the daily happenings on Elliot's Beach has been displayed for the reader that makes it stand out. Wordlessly, it has been illustrated as a series of predominately black and white panels joined together to create a never-ending, circular flow of activities from dawn til night. It's a wonderful display that invites the reader to stop and take in the details of each scene. On the inside of the joined panels are multitudes of various species of fish to be identified reinforcing the proximity and importance of the sea to the people living close to this beach. There is a blue border at the top of each page 
identifying the presence of the sea. On the inner side of the book blue colours the water for the fish.


The folder packaging the book provides us with additional descriptions about what's going on in the panels. It also includes suggestions as to how the book can be used and read. Because of the foldout nature of the pages the scenes can be 'read' in various configurations, inviting the reader to create their own stories.

This would make a terrific addition to the Alberta social studies unit studied in grade 3 where students learning about India. I think the book design is provocative enough to be of interest to almost anyone.

As I said at the top of this blog, I love Tara Books because of the books they publish. I love that they take on the challenge of storytelling in unique and innovative ways. An Indian Beach is an excellent addition to my favourites list.

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Nonfiction 10 for 10

#nf10for10 is an online celebration of nonfiction picture books. Whether you'd like to contribute or just pop into see what others are featuring, I strongly recommend doing so.

Click on this link to follow along at Enjoy and Embrace Learning blog or twitter with the #nf10for10 hashtag.

Every year I find out about new and sometimes older picture book titles that teachers, librarians, booksellers and parents are giving and reading to children.

My picks are pretty eclectic this year.  It's a list of picture books I enjoyed, found beautiful or made me chuckle.

So in no particular order...


#1. The Butterfly Garden by Laura Weston
      A lift-the-flap book that portrays the life cycle of the monarch butterfly in a beautiful and unique way. This is a black-and-white board book with flaps that open into brightly coloured butterflies, caterpillars, leaves and flowers. Recommended for Kindergarten to grade 2.


#2. Picture the Sky by Barbara Reid
     Barbara Reid's illustrations always amaze me. Composed from clay, she creatively conveys every mood she describes. In this book, the reader is shown variations in the light from skies in different landscapes at different times of the day and night and everything in between. Would be a great mentor text for art and language arts classrooms. Recommended for Kindergarten to grade 2.




#3. The True Adventures of Esther the Wonder Pig by Steve Jenkins, Derek Walter, and Caprice Crane.
      A few years ago Esther the Pig had an adult book written about her. This picture book tells young readers how she came to live in the family that took her in and what life is like living with a  650 pound pig. Emphasis is on lots of love. Lots of love!  Recommended for Kindergarten to grade 3.



#4. Hawk Mother: the Story of a Red-Tailed Hawk Who Hatched Chickens by Kara Hagedorn
     This book is filled with fantastic photographs detailing the journey an injured red-tail hawk lived through, from a wildlife rehabilitate centre to living with a human who tries to give her a life that is as authentic as possible. To that end, Shineshine (the hawk) was given a couple of chicken eggs to hatch after several years of trying to hatch her own infertile eggs. The question would she see these chicks as her's or potentially, as a meal? Excellent nonfiction writing with additional information and glossary.  Recommended for grades 2 to 6.




#5. Welcome to Country: a Traditional Aboriginal Ceremony by Aunty Joy Murphy 
       Written by a Wurundjeri woman from Australia, we learn about the importance of the welcoming ceremony as cultural greeting offered by Elders to visitors to enter onto their traditional lands.The illustrations are reminiscent of bark paintings. Emphasizes the importance to connecting to the land and respecting the people and ancestors of that land.
Recommended for grades 1-6.




#6. The Secret Kingdom: Nek Chand, a Changing India, and a Hidden World of Art by Barb Rosenstock.
      A creative, little boy loves the stories he learns from his family that reflect the rich Indian culture of his village. This is India in 1947 at the time of partition when Hindus and Muslims were separated into two countries. Nek and his family are forced to leave their homes. Moving to a new city that seemed devoid of the culture he loved, Nek collects and re-purposes trash and constructs his own village from it over a period of year.This renown folk artist has up to 4000 people a day visit his Rock Garden of Chandigarh. You need to check out the Foundations website to see some of his sculptures and how he changed the landscape. Amazing! Recommended for grades 3-7. Great book to tie in to units about recycling trash into art, science units about waste in our world and social studies units about India and partition. 




#7. Inky's Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home by Sy Montgomery
     I've a soft spot for stories about octopues since reading Sy Montgomery's book, The Soul of an Octopus. This book conveys the intelligence of this marvelous animal while he learn about how they live. This one has the added bonus of an adventure story as a rescued octopus finds his own way back to the ocean from an aquarium that had been his home. Recommended for grades 3-6.




#8. The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner and Matthew Forsythe
      Recounts how Ken Nedimyer was fascinated with oceans as a boy. He noticed that corals in the Florida Keys were in distressed and dying. Through his interest and endeavors he discovered a way to cultivate introduced corals into areas that were in dire need of help. Beautifully illustrated. Recommended for grades 3-6.




#9.  Around the World in Numbers by Clive Gifford and Josh Hurley.
      Divided by continent, the reader who loves trivia will enjoy this book. Lots of statistics are given for a range of eclectic things related to specific countries or specific areas in countries. Examples: 1,500 paintbrushes and 66 tons  of paint are used repaint the Eiffel Tower; 38,000,000 motorbikes are the most popular form of transport in Vietnam; 2.25 gallons of water can be held in an African elephant's trunk; 100,000,000 leather slippers are made in Morocco every year; 5.9 million pounds of maple syrup were stolen by thieves in Canada in 2012, etc. Because such large areas are covered there are not a lot of details for any one country. Good for browsing. Recommended for grades 4-7.




And....

#10.  Mama Africa!: How Miriam Makeba Spread Hope with Her Song by Kathryn Erskine.
       Born in South Africa apartheid was enforced, Miriam uses her amazing voice to sing songs of protest to raise awareness and protest the oppression that black South Africans live  under. This picture book tells of the trials and tribulations that she endured. Extensive author's notes, timeline, glossary, bibliography and additional reading list are included. Recommended for grades 4-7.








Monday, May 18, 2015

Trio of fun

I've three recommendations that are interactive and fun, fun, fun.


First, is a book from Tara Books.  This is an Indian publisher known for its handmade books that are often illustrated by ethnic peoples from various parts of India in traditional styles.  Visit the Bhil Carnival by Subhash Amaliyar and Gita Wolf is one such book.

This fold-out, pop-up picture book features two children who wander through a maze-like carnival, enjoying balloons, Ferris wheel, ice cream, Indian sweets like coconut burfi, music, dancing, and visiting friends. Opening the book we see Neela and Peela starting off to the fair. Turn the page and two flaps that run along the top and bottom of both pages reveal a peak-a-boo opening that tells us to “Come In”.   Pulling the flaps open reveals the entire fairground in an explosion of colour and dots.

The illustrator is from the Bhil tribe from Madhya Pradesh in central India.  His folk style uses the colour and dots to convey the constant movement and excitement to be found in this type of celebration.  The fold-out page includes a small story-book tucked and affixed into the corner that tells us what Neela and Peela are up to and a pop-up Ferris wheel too. Try this one with grades 2 and up as it ties into the social studies curriculum about community, quality of life, and India very easily.


Walter was Worried by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a terrific combination of visual and word play.  If Walter is worried, we see a boy’s worried face but the details are comprised of the letters that spells the word ‘worried’. If Shirley is shocked, we see a girl’s face with ‘s’ and ‘k’ as eyebrows, ‘c’ and ‘d’ for eyes, ‘h’ and ‘e’ are the pupils and ‘o’ for an open, shocked mouth.  It’s good fun and kids may be inspired to come up with their own depictions of spelled-out, facial emotions.  It’s a pretty sophisticated concept book that will work well with upper elementary.



And, my last bit of fun to offer you is Book-o-Beards: a wearable book by Lenke & Lentz. This oversized board book displays the bottom half of several hairy, male faces.  Holding the book up to your face with your nose tucked over the spine, you can try ‘wearing’ a new, bearded look before actually committing the time and effort in real life. If beards are back in, then anyone can be a part of this trend.  If you want to be a lumberjack, then you may want to try out a full, curly, orange beard.  Not into cutting down trees, then maybe take to the high seas as a black-bearded pirated complete with braids, bows and beads.  The knife held between yellowed-teeth is included for authenticity.  Also included are a cowboy, a sailor, Santa Claus, and a police officer. This will appeal to anyone with a sense of humour.

Thanks, Cowboy Barb, for showing us your beautiful beard.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Coffee table books round up

Even though I haven’t been blogging very much in the past few weeks rest assured that I’m always busy reading or at least looking at books with lots of pictures.

Thus today’s topic – coffee table picture books.

I’m a big proponent of these books as the best of them are typically, beautifully produced, informative and often give us mini-narratives about the photographer’s work, adventures and views on a given topic.

Let’s start with Dawn to Dark Photographs: the Magic of Light by National Geographic.  I can’t think of a single National Geographic book that has ever disappointed me.  Always stunningly beautiful photographs arrayed in thoughtfully produced books.

In Dawn to Dark Photographs, the photographs are sorted into eight sections based on time of day starting with dawn, then into sunrise, morning, midday, afternoon, sunset, twilight and then night.  Most of the photos are of landscapes and specific natural phenomena with a few showing people or animals.  In terms of classroom use, I was thinking about the obvious connections with the elementary science units about light and shadows, time, animals, as well as with photography as an art form for any level.  What I hadn't thought about was the meditative quality of the book.  Jim Richardson in the preface reminds us that photographs can resemble medieval meditations (think illuminated texts like the Book of Hours) as we pause to look and reflect on “the miracle of light and appreciate its infinite and astonishing variety”.  Every few pages we get a short passage written by the photographers about their picture: what they saw and experienced and maybe tried to capture in their image.  Or we are given a short poem, quote or thought that ties into the adjacent photo. 

India: In Word & Image by Eric Meola obviously connects to the grade 3 social studies curriculum which looks at life in India.  What totally blew me away was the overwhelming sense of colour.  Even before getting to the title page our eyes are bombarded with achingly vibrant colours.  Besides being richly coloured, the photographs capture the exotic and textured landscapes and architecture of India.  Images of people are captured individually or in groups in moments of celebration and everyday activities.  I’m not sure if it’s just me being caught up with the myriad of patterns and colours of saris or the photographer’s keen interest, as many of the pictures depict sari-clad women.

The photographs are anchored between passages, often selections taken from novels, written by authors who are Indian, of Indian descent, or who write about India.  The passages are appropriate for high school level and up but the pictures will engross any age.

And, finally I’m recommending Relics: Travels in Nature’s Time Machine by Piotr Naskrecki. This one has more text than the other two making it appropriate for high school reading level and up or perhaps for students who are super keen on palaeontology and willing to make the effort.  I didn't find the information difficult to digest; it just seemed a little dense and might be intimidating to less-than-proficient readers.  However, Naskrecki does include lots of vignettes of his adventures, which read like little mini-stories and he certainly conveys his passion and excitement.

But it's the great pictures that will get students into the book.

This entomologist is also a fantastic photographer who travels the world looking for animal and plant relics found in nature.  “Living fossils”, relicts and relics all refer to those species of plants and animals that can be linked to similar organisms in the fossil record.  These are modern plants and animals that can provide insight into genetics, habitats, adaptations and behaviours of ancient species.  Some of these include horseshoe crabs, legless lizards, various tree frogs, toads, caterpillars, ferns and fern-ish looking trees known as cycads, magnolias and so many more.

One critter of particular interest is found in the Rocky Mountains close to Calgary.  Ice crawlers are insects that live in ice caves or on northern talus slopes up to about 3,000 meters, who like it cold but not too cold (0 to -9 degrees Celsius).  You can kill an ice crawler by merely touching it because of our warm body temperatures. Very cool little critters.  Again and again, I flip through pages and see yet another fascinating animal and another and another…

Classroom connections again would lean to environmental science, art and language arts.






Monday, September 9, 2013

Journey of a traditional artist

Okay, another blog about another Tara Books publication.



Waterlife by Rambharos Jha.

But this one is so beautiful I just had to let you know about it. 

It’s another handmade book with gorgeous textured paper and coloured printed illustrations (you can smell the ink) that are so lush and vibrant they shimmy on the page.  A piece of art you can hold in your hands.  (Has anyone noticed that Tara has started numbering their handmade books?)

The author/illustrator, Rambharos Jha is an artist born in the Mithila region in India.  Growing up, he was influenced by the women who traditionally painted the walls, floors and courtyards of their homes during festivals, participating in a government supported program that gave them opportunities to earn a living from their artistic endeavours.

Rambharos Jha learned to draw by watching.  He came to appreciate the accessibility of the dyes and colours derived from nature, local markets and household detritus (such as lamp soot) that coloured his paints.

Starting with Hindu mythology, his art work reflected these traditional stories while he learned how to detail in a traditional style and motifs.  Gradually, he began to follow his “own creative impulse, and to register the impact, like all artists do, of my surroundings, the place and time I found myself in…I was now beginning to journey into my imagination. I was also working with new colours, having begun to use acrylic paint.  During this experimental phase, I started doing pictures of water…”

In this book, his illustrations reflect the meshing traditional motifs (fish, turtles, crabs, snakes) and traditional line patterning with his interest in the natural world centred around water.
"It is an enormous challenge, even technically speaking: how for instance, is he to show movement using the conventions of an art form that is essentially static?  Rambharos does it masterfully: he adapts the Mithila tradition of signifying water through fine lines but extends it into a complex whorl of eddies and currents.  He solves the problem of naturalism by side-stepping it elegantly, giving his fish, tortoises and crabs and home and habitat in water – while keeping essentially with their traditional symbolic representation.  Sometimes he invents creatures like the lobster who never appear in Mithila art.  At other times he plays with his swans and lotuses as they appear within a conventional Mithila composition." --from publisher, Gita Wolf
This is the journey of many artists. Creativity is about  blending tradition with the artist's own yearnings to create something fresh and of their own.

Highly recommended.  This book is an art piece and could be used with all age groups for that reason alone.  


Today is Nonfiction Monday, a blogging event that celebrates nonfiction children's literature.  Please stop by Wendie's Wanderings for see a raft of reviews.

Monday, May 27, 2013

Life’s journey


Drawing from the City by Tejubehan is another interesting offering from Tara Books, an Indian publisher that promotes Indian art forms in beautifully produced books that are often handmade.

This particular offering is an oversized, handmade book based on the oral stories of the artist Tejubehan who has illustrated her life’s journey with highly detailed, folk art drawings.

She introduces us to her life as a young girl in a small village in Rajasthan.  Daily life revolves around the routines required to survive.  On occasion her father tries to earn money and food as a traditional singer, going house-to-house.   Her mother, also a singer, does not sing in public.

A nearby train track makes Teju wonder about the lives of others – travellers on the trains, where they are travelling to, life in the city – and she dares to dream of going there one day.

Drought and famine do eventually drive Teju’s family to the city, but the vibrant urban pulse that Teju feels when she first arrives, won’t help her family start anew.  Their new lives will be on the fringes, living in a ragged tent city, again just scraping by.

Time passes and she marries a kind man, Ganeshbhai, who is also a singer from Rajasthan.  With his encouragement she also begins to sing in public and the two decide they will try to earn their living travelling from place-to-place, singing of everyday occurrences, of hope and faith.  Life continues to be a struggle.

But luck does strike, too.  The artist, Haku Shah gives Ganeshbhai the opportunity and encouragement to learn to draw.  In turn, Ganeshbhai encourages Teju to try her hand at drawing as.  With pen and paper, Teju feels a level of contentment she’s never encountered before.  Being able to draw what she sees and imagines in her mind’s eye is ‘like magic’.

Teju’s illustrations are filled with images of busy people moving and travelling on bicycles, trains, cars, and airplanes. She focuses on women, depicting them as they travel about. As much as this book shows others travelling and what she imagines the lives of other women to be like,  this Teju’s story about her journey from village to city, from girl to married women, from singer to artist.  The idea of travel seems to represent freedom for Teju something she knows she doesn't always have due to economic and social constraints.  But it’s in her art work that she does revel in her artistic freedom to express what is in her heart.

This is an intriguing record of one woman’s life and art work.  I recommend using this book across the grades in social studies, fine arts and language arts classrooms.

Today's Nonfiction Monday event is being held at proseandkahn.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Garbage to recycling


This past summer I read Trash by Andy Mulligan (823 M9165T FIC), a mystery focussed around three boys who live and work in a large urban garbage dump somewhere in Southeast Asia.  I enjoyed reading this middle grade novel, but found the premise of people living in and from a garbage dump very disconcerting.  This wasn't something I had been unaware of; I just hadn’t come across this issue before in children’s literature.

I would pair the novel Trash with Trash! On ragpicker children and recycling by Gita Wolf, Anumshka Ravishankar and Orijit Sen (331.31 WoT 2011).  This nonfiction book will answer questions that could come up.  And there’s a lot to question about children working in such appalling conditions.

Trash! On ragpicker children and recycling uses a fictional boy in India who runs away from home to a big city, to illustrate what the life as a ragpicker is like.  Velu meets a girl who shows him how to work in a dump and survive living on the streets.  Interspersed within the story are blocks of information about ragpickers and the trash industry, life in India especially for the poor, living conditions and educational opportunities for children, and the recycling industry.  The story is a bit didactic but does work well for its purpose, which is to show a real-life situation and create empathy with working children.  There are points for discussion at the end of the book, as well as suggestions about what would help children ragpickers.

An interesting point is that this book is an Indian publication (Tara Books) and is directed toward an Indian audience.  So when reading the discussion points at the end of the book the statement “All of you must have seen such children – ragpicking, working in restaurants, in garages or as servants in houses” it really jumps out.  Unless you’ve visited a country where child labour is more prevalent, you are less likely to be witness to this.  

This would be useful as a supplemental resource for grade 3 social studies (Alberta) curriculum.  Reading level is appropriate for middle grades.


Today's Nonfiction Monday event is hosted by A Teaching Life.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Traditional Indian Art


Two recent additions to the Doucette Library caught my attention.  But then again, most books from Tara Publishing out of India often hold my attention for the traditional art forms it incorporates into picture book making.

 The Great Race by Nathan Kumar Scott and Jagdish Chitara (398.209598 ScG 2011 PIC BK) is a retelling of an Indonesian folktale about pride coming before a fall.  In an Aesop- like tale, a boastful deer, Kanchil, challenges all the animals of the jungle to a race to prove who is the fastest.  Only a tiny snail comes forward to accept the challenge.  To the amazement of all of the animals, the snail beats the deer twice.  How did he do it?

It’s the art work that really shines in this book.  It fits very well with traditional storytelling with a strong folk style and limited colour palette.  There is a write-up at the back that explains that the Waghari were formerly nomads who created block printed textiles as a form of worship.  We learn about the method used to create these pieces of art and how they are growing in popularity with the upper classes of India.  We also learn that the low caste Waghari, though making some money from their skills, are still considered socially inferior.


 Mangoes & Bananas by Nathan Kumar Scott and T. Balaji is another folktale from Indonesia that introduces us to different traditional Indian textile art form.  Kalamkari is a centuries old tradition that depicted “Indian epics on large pieces of textile, which were hung in temples and carried from town to town by minstrels.”  The process of production is epic in itself with lots of preparation of the cloth, renderings of the pictures, and labour intensive hand colouring. 

This tale, again, features Kanchil, the boastful deer from The Great Race and his friend, Monyet, a monkey.  Kanchil comes up with the idea to plant a garden as a way to have easy access to their favourite foods, mangoes and bananas.   But as with many plans there is often an unforeseen flaw.  Kanchil cannot climb trees to pick his own mangoes and must rely on Monyet.  With the best of intentions to share, Monyet gets caught up with the wonderful bounty and eats all the bananas.  This entitles Kanchil to all the mangoes without sharing.  Of course, Monyet is still the one having to pick the fruit and thinks that just one mango won’t be missed.  One, leads to two and you know where this going.  Realizing that he is about to miss out on the mangoes, Kanchil starts insulting Monyet (“face like a papaya”, “head like a cabbage”, etc.).  Monyet reacts by throwing the remaining mangoes at Kanchil.  Who’s the winner in this one?

The stories are entertaining, but I have no way of knowing how authentic the retellings are.  However, I thoroughly enjoyed the illustrations from both books.  I love that this enterprise between Tara and traditional artists introduces us to art styles from across India we would  never see otherwise.  Educating the reader about the peoples and art processes is fascinating. 

See for yourselves.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Kind of the same


*Same, Same but Different by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw (823 K8475S PIC BK)
*Mirror Mirror by Jeannie Baker (823 B1743M PIC BK)
*A Country Far Away by Nigel Gray (823 G793C PIC BK)

            Three books that are similar, yet -- different.

Each of these picture books compares the lives of two children (coincidentally, all boys) from a western culture (North America, Europe or Australia) with that of a boy from either Africa or India.

All take a different approach in illustrating how each child lives day-to-day.


A Country Far Away uses a single sentence that applies to either child’s life, depicted in a series of panels running across the top or the bottom of the page depending on where the boy lives. For example, when a baby sister is born in each family, we see a midwife arriving by donkey in the African village and children crowding into the family’s hut to visit mom and the new baby.  The urban, western family awaits the arrival of the baby in a hospital, with dad, brother and grandparents visiting after the baby is born.


 In Same, Same but Different the story alternates between correspondence and drawings exchanged between the two boys, comparing and contrasting their lives. Elliot lives in an American city with his mom, dad and baby sister, whereas Kailash lives in an Indian town or city with his extended family (23 members) plus their animals (cattle, goats, chickens, dogs, rabbits and birds).  Elliot has a dog and a pet fish.



Mirror, Mirror is a single book but has two wordless narratives, independent stories that can work side-by-side or separately.  Two stories, beginning at each of the book’s covers, are read either left-to-right (Australian story) or right-to-left (Moroccan story), depicting the events that occur for an average family from each of these countries. The stories overlap by the end, emphasizing that in this world of mass globalization we are all connected.  The Moroccan family has traded a hand made carpet for a computer and the Australian family has purchased the same carpet for their living room.

All three books are enjoyable and suitable for grades 1-4.

Monday, January 30, 2012

Seriously, a good series.

-->I’ve spent some time reading a book from a recently published series, Civil Rights Struggles Around the World.  

 
The Force Born of Truth: Mohandas Gandhi and the Salt March, India, 1920 by Betsy Kuhn (954.035 KuF 2011) was certainly a very informative read.  It provided a brief introduction to the life of Gandhi, where his ideas of nonviolent protest originated and a more thorough grounding into India’s struggle for independence from the British.
I thought there was enough information to get a handle on the ‘who, what and where’ without being overwhelmed. The section dealing with the Salt March is fairly long, encompassing its importance and the lengths to which the National Congress of India went to ensure its success.
Overall, the book is well written giving a concise report of events, implications and repercussions.  It also includes a timeline, list of people involved, source notes, bibliography, web resources and index. This is a good resource for a secondary student writing a report about Gandhi, or India or a specific example of a civil rights movement.  However, I don’t see a student picking the book and reading it cover-to-cover but selecting the bits most relevant for a report.  It does not provide any great personal insights into any of the many people involved. 
As a series, I was interested in the range of protest movements included.  If you say “Civil Rights Movement”, I immediately think of Black-Americans fighting for their rights in the 60s and 70s and there is one book in the series covering this.  Other American struggles include gay activists in the 1960s, migratory immigrant produce pickers in the 60s and 70s, and striking garment workers in 1909. International examples are Chinese student activists in 1989 at Tiananmen Square and South Africans fighting against apartheid laws in 1952.
Definitely worth a look.

Monday, October 3, 2011

School days



Going to School in India by Lisa Heydlauff (370.954 HeG 2005 PIC BK) is an interesting book to peruse. The illustrations are crazily bright and energetic, filled with photographs of children from across India going to school and sitting in their ‘classrooms’.

First off, getting to school is varied. A multi-page pull-out shows us that kids travel by every transportation mode possible. From rickshaws, carts that may be drawn by oxen, horses or camels, bicycles, buses, military trucks, boats or on foot, great effort is made to attend school since often schools are not located near where children live.

As varied as the way students get to the schools are the schools themselves. Some are located high in the mountains or inside of a bus or outside; others are in government-run one-room schools or in a tent in the middle of a desert. The book also shows us some of the things the students do, such as go on field trips, conduct interviews, write a small newspaper, and hold parliaments to discuss politics or how the school should be run. Another set of fold-out pages shows us the variety of food that Indian children eat at lunch.

We learn about the lives of the children too. Some are street children living in large cities, some are ‘tribal’ are don’t attend government schools but congregate on their own to learn, and some live the migratory lives of salt-pan workers in the desert. Girls and boys have different opportunities for going to school. One example is a night school for girls who must work during the day.

There is certainly lots of ‘flavour’ of India here. The book feels a little hodge-podgy -- a collection of bits of information, individual stories of children or schools, activities, food, and transportation. I do like it but I think this will be more of a browsing book for North American kids studying India, perhaps a good resource to initiate questions. India is studied in grade three social studies in Alberta but I don’t think this would be the first book I’d introduce to a class.. Having it as a back-up resource would be fine. Its bright colours and dynamic layout will draw interest.

Suggested reading level is grades 4-6.

Today is Nonfiction Monday at 100 Scope Notes.  Check out the list of blogs reviewing nonfiction children's literature.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Not your everyday "John Hancock"

Signature: patterns in Gond art edited by Gita Wolf, Bhajju Shyam and Jonathan Yamakami (759.9548 Si 2010) is a celebration of the artistic tradition and creative ability of tribal artists from central India. This book offers a unique perspective of Gond art as it explains that each artist designs an individual pattern that becomes their ‘signature’. Artists can be identified by these designs.

Each two page spread features an artist and one of their paintings. A segment from the painting has been blown up to showcase the pattern the artist uses to decorate the images in the painting. Animals, gods, people and trees are represented in these pages and every singe image is filled in with detailed patterning of their ‘signature’ design. The patterns include crosses, single lines or dots, diamond shapes filled with lines, basket-weave, half-circles, spirals and many more. The colours combined with the patterns create vibrant images.


Each artist explains the inspiration for their particular design. I’ve included a few of these descriptions which I often find very poetic.
Mohan Shyam says, “Here are ears of corn. I’ve drawn them simply one behind the other, in rows.”


Nankusiya Shyam says, “This is the pattern created by a marriage procession, as it weaves through the village.”


Narmada Prasad Thekam says, “I’ve followed lines, the lines from the past to the present, tracing memory.”


Rajkumar Shyam says, “You’ll see my design inside a lemon. Just cut it across in half, and you’ll find the seeds and the pattern I’ve used.”

Subhash Vyam says, “These are seeds, scattered on the feathers of a peacock.”


In terms of classroom use, the most obvious connection is art. I think it could also be used in a social studies classroom when talking teaching about identity and the interconnectedness between tradition, the individual and the present. Further to this is the concept of community and how the Gond have developed and maintained their art form. Pair this with another Tara book, Tsunami as a way to illustrate how traditional art forms are being kept relevant in today’s world.

To see what Gond art looks like check out the YouTube video below.


Monday, August 15, 2011

Self-portraits

A recent release by Tara Books, Following My Paint Brush by Dulari Devi and Gita Wolf, tells the life events that lead to Dulari Devi becoming an artist. This autobiographical picture book beautifully depicts what growing up in India was like and the difficulties her impoverished family had filling even the most basics needs. From a young child her expectations were of nothing but hard work. It is not until one of her employers provides the opportunity that she discovers the wonders of art. She is immediately drawn in and eagerly wants to learn more. Through her art we see her as a child, her family and where she gets her inspiration. This is her journey from labourer to artist.

The illustrations are done in the traditional Mithila style of folk painting derived from eastern India. These detailed, heavily lined paintings have customarily been used to decorate the walls of houses depicting religious Hindu gods, goddesses, icons and scenes of everyday life.

Another book that also focuses on self-portraits of artists is Just Like Me: stories and self-portraits by fourteen artists edited by Harriet Rohmer. These artists, predominately living in North America, most from the United States, also tell their stories about becoming artists and how their identities are reflected in their art. Each two-page spread features a different artist with one page dedicated to a visual portrayal of themselves, showcasing their art style. I really enjoyed the range of styles, finding out what inspires them and what lead them to this path. The piece done by Michele Wood (p.27) is especially evocative of journey, detailing several important points in her life.

In case you’re wondering, I will be drawing these two books into my mega-book talk to the Nellie McClung Elementary School teachers as they both reflect the ‘big idea’ the school will focus their teaching around next year.

Today is Nonfiction Monday at Amy O'Quinn's website.  Check out the links to other blogs focusing on nonfiction children's literature today to learn about other resources.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Summertime reading update #2

So, I'm back from a few weeks off at home.  And read I did.
The following are few of the highlights:


Nonfiction
** Candy Bomber: the story of the Berlin Airlift's 'Chocolate Pilot' by Michael O. Tunnell.
Super narrative about American airmen distributing chocolate and candy to Berlin children after the end of World War II when the city had been blockade by the Soviets. I would recommend this for grades 5 to 9.

Following my paint brush by Dulari Devi
A picture book biography of an Indian artist and how her passion has changed her life.
Just like me: stories and self-portraits by fourteen artists edited by Harriet Rohmer.
Gives us insight into what makes an artist tick, from their childhoods, to their inspirations and techniques. 

Look! really smart art by Gillian Wolfe
Looks at works of various artists and the techniques they use to create special effects which draw viewers in, make us look closely and get us to think and feel.

Through my eyes by Ruby Bridges
I don't know how I missed this one as it comes up all the time in children's literature.  But I did and gladly have rectified my oversight.  A short memoir of Ruby's experience attending one of the first racially integrated schools in New Orleans in 1960.


Fiction - Picture books
A place where sunflowers grow by Amy Lee-Tai
Based on the experiences of Lee-Tai's mother as a child in an American internment camp for Japanese-Americans in the 1940s.  Suggested for grades 1-5.

**Perfect square by Michael Hall
 Imagination and possibilities are celebrated when a square becomes so much more - when it becomes two triangles to make a mountain or is torn into bits to make flowers in a garden or cut into rectangular ribbons to become a river. Suggested for grades K to 3.


The secret river by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
Nice message with an old-time feel in this picture book first written in 1947 and published in 1955 with a different illustrator.  This edition is illustrated by Leo and Diane Dillion.  Their work adds considerably to the storytelling.  A real treat.  Suggested for grades K-4.


Fiction - Novels
Fever Crumb by Philip Reeve
Steampunk fantasy fiction and prequel to Mortal Engines. Interesting character and lots of action will keep you turning the pages.  Amazing world building. Suggested for grades 5 to 8.
Junonia by Kevin Henkes
A gentle story about a little girl returning to a beach cottage for a summer holiday. She looks forward to the usual summertime occupants and doing all the usual beach stuff with her parents.  But this year is different when everything doesn't go according to plan and not everyone is able to be there.  A growing up story with everyday little dramas and no big explosions.  Recommended for grades 2-5.


**Karma by Cathy Ostlere
I really enjoyed this local Calgary author's YA novel told in narrative verse.  India, 1984 - Indira Gandhi is assassinated and chaos ensues.  Fifteen-year-old Maya (Canadian-born of immigrant parents), caught up in the turmoil and separated from her father, witnesses horrific acts of violence.  This leads her to meeting Jiva, a young Indian man with his own issues of identity and family. Gripping story.


London calling by Edward Bloor
Not quite what I thought it was going to be but then I'm not sure exactly what I thought.  Part ghost story, time travel during World War II, yes. But there's also a school story about class inequities, justice, what makes a hero, family reconciliation, and a smattering of spirituality. Lots going on with a thoughtful main character.  Sometimes a little slow but overall enjoyable.  Suggested for grades 6-9.


**Okay for now by Gary D. Schmidt
Easily my favorite book this summer.  Love the voice of the main character, Doug, new kid in town who has few hopes of fitting in. Rough family life and a sarcastic streak a mile long makes him a prickly person to get to know.  But slowly, he does makes friends and finds his place within this community. Really loved it! Recommended for grades 7-10.

Fiction - Graphic novels
**Grease monkey by Tim Eldred
What good fun.  This one had been sitting on my shelf forever and I finally thought "read it or else". Glad I did.  It's the future where gorillas have been given 'higher intelligence,' after 60% of humankind was wiped from an attack by aliens, to help rebuild and prevent future attacks.  Mac Gimbensky is one cool dude, er - gorilla mechanic with some very definite opinions about what it takes to be a mechanic.  Enter Robin, young apprentice who's more than a little apprehensive about his assignment. It's all here -- spaceship battles, master/grasshopper relationship, friends helping friends, romance and growing up.  Great illustrations. Recommended for grades 10 and up.


Resistance, book 1 by Carla Jablonski & Leland Purvis.
Another World War II story this time in France.  The story is told from the perspective of three children who learn about the impact of  the Nazis in their community. Eventually they become involved with the French Resistance.  This first in the trilogy  feels like it's mostly setting up the story for the next installment. Suggested for grades 7 and up.

What have you been reading?  Please feel free to send in your recommendations.

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