Thunderbirds: Nature's Flying Predators

Thunderbirds: Nature's Flying Predators

• author and illustrator:  Jim Arnosky  http://www.jimarnosky.com/
• medium:  acrylic paint and white chalk pencil

• year of publication:  2011
• publication city: New York
• publisher:  Sterling
• ISBN:  978-1-4027-5661-0

Annotation:  Artist Jim Arnosky presents life size foldout illustrations of Nature’s Flying Predators and discusses some interesting facts about these beautiful and majestic creatures.  Included are owls, herons, eagles, vultures and more!

Personal Thoughts:  At first I couldn’t believe some of the claims that the fold-out illustrations in this picture book were life-size.  The great gray owl’s head is massive!  It’s as big as my head!  Arnosky has crafted a beautiful book with paintings and sketches of a beloved topic dear to the author: giant predatory birds.  Arnosky’s writings combine a personal reflection of being in the field watching his avian subjects, and facts about their flying, hunting and eating habits as well as their habitat locations. 

was surprised at how interested I was and wanted to keep reading once I got started.  Did you know vultures have bald heads because they stick them inside rotting carcasses much of the time and feathers would be too messy to deal with?  Owls are silent predators while eagles and hawks rely on speed and agility.  I didn’t even realize I had so much interest in birds until Arnosky got me started.  This is a great read.

***Artwork -  The graphic presentation of this picturebook is amazing!  The pages fold-out to reveal gigantic illustrations of life-size paintings of osprey wing spans, pelican heads with beaks, and wide spreading heron and egret feet.  A naturalist illustrator, Arnosky has created lifelike acrylic and white chalk paintings that should be in an audobahn society book.   There are also impressive black and white pencil sketches of birds’ flight motions, talons and fish catching techniques.  Jim Arnosky is a very talented artist who has  large catalog of illustrated books. 

***Curriculum Connection - 7th Grade Life Science - Zoology, Birds of Prey

A River of Words

A River of Words: The Story of William Carlos Williams

•  author: Jen Bryant  http://www.jenbryant.com/
• illustrator: Melissa Sweet  http://melissasweet.net/
• medium: watercolor, collage, mixed media

• year of publication:  2008
• publication city:  Grand Rapids, Michigan
• publisher:  Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
• ISBN:  978-0-8028-5302-8

Annotation:  This picture book biography of Wiliam Carlos Williams traces childhood events that lead him to become a doctor and a poet. 

Personal Reaction:   It’s surprising how helpful picturebooks for older readers can be.  Again, I have learned so much from books that I thought would be too simple for me.
I have casually experienced the poems of William Carlos Williams in college classes and workshops.  Funny thing was, I always thought he wrote in Spanish and came from Central or South America, in the vein of Garcia Marquez, Neruda, or Vargas Llosa.  It was a shock that WCW is from New Jersey.  It must have been the “Carlos”.  It was interesting to learn that WCW ran with Ezra Pound and that literati circle. 

I would recommend this picturebook to any student doing a report on WCW.  It’s biographical and includes the poet’s most famous poems.  The story really explains how WCW transcended the structured rules of poetry, and crafted his own style and voice.  Having little knowledge on WCW’s background, A River of Words really enlightened me on the life of this great American poet.

***Artwork: Melissa Sweet has created a wonderful art style.  While the characters painted in watercolor help move the story along, the layered collages representing the poetry really stand out.  Dissecting old book discards from a New Jersey public library, Sweet layered different papers from books, journals, notepads and hand drawn illustrations to create a multifaceted piece that seems to jump out of the page.  The choice of papers seems to come from the early and middle 20^th century, when WCW would have lived.  It really adds another layer of interest on top of the already enriching story of the poet.  A fantastic effort!!

***Simile:
Now when he wrote poems, he felt as free as the Passaic River as it rushed to the falls. 

***Alliteration: 
Plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds 

***Rhyme
Plums, wheelbarrows, and weeds 
fire engines, children, and trees  

The archer is awake!
The Swan is flying!
Gold against blue
An Arrow is lying.

The Headless Bust: A Melancholy Meditation on the False Millenium

The Headless Bust: A Melancholoy Meditation on the False Millenium

• author & illustrator:  Edward Gorey  http://www.edwardgoreyhouse.org/
• ink sketches
• year of publication: 1999
• publication city:  New York
• publisher:  Harcourt Brace & Company
• ISBN:  0-15-100514-1

Annotation: Edmund Gravel and the Bahhumbug meet a winged Whatsit bug that whisks them off to a faraway island where they witness the eerie encounters of a macabre group of characters at the turn of the millennium.

Personal Thoughts: This is a very strange book indeed.  The story is told in verse and involves an aristocratic looking gentleman called Edmund Gravel and a giant black bug called the Bahhumbug, who are returning characters from previous Edward Gorey books.  The two are transported via dark cloud to a faraway island where they witness the misadventures of other dismal characters that seem to weave in and out of the story with rhyme, but without reason.  We hear of dogs who go into comas, a man with six toes, a pianist who goes into seclusion after losing her dress on stage.  What is going on in these stories?  It is truly hard to figure out. 

 

But Gorey is probably best known for his grim and gothic sketches.  This book is fun due in large part to the giant Bahhumbug standing next to well dressed Edmund.  The juxtaposition brings to mind so many interesting comparisons, from Kafka to Tim Burton to Disney to E.T.  Gorey will attract interest from anyone who magnetizes toward the macabre.  Even though the writing is nonsensical, the pictures the reader grounded.

Houdini: The Handcuff King

Houdini: The Handcuff King

• author:  Jason Lutes  http://jlutes.wordpress.com/
• illustrator:  Nick Bertozzi  http://nickbertozzi.com/ 
• medium: pencil, ink, digital color
• year of publication:  2007
• publictation city:  New York
• publisher:  Hyperion Paperbacks
• ISBN:  978-078683903-2

Annotation:  In Boston, 1908, the world’s greatest escape artist Harry Houdini attempts a late-career feat jumping from the Harvard Bridge into the Charles River while handcuffed and shackled in front of hundreds of amazed spectators.

Personal Thoughts:  Lutes and Bertozzi have created an awesome study of the personality that was Harry Houdini.  This graphic novel is perfect for an introductory lesson on the world’s greatest escape artist. 

There is an informative introduction that acts as a short biography of Houdini, catching up novice fans as to how Houdini got to be the figure he was celebrated for.  Then the comic takes over presenting the setup and enactment of a stunt performed off the Harvard Bridge into the Charles River. 

The dramatic script by Lutes is so filled with complicated issues that the reader really feels like they are getting to know Houdini.  Houdini is shown as very dedicated to his craft, a perfectionist when it comes to preparation for the stunt.  He is a leader of men, demanding that his crew knows their tasks and make no mistakes.  Houdini is a dedicated husband to his love who takes an important role in love life and stage life. 

The book ends with a great set of “panel discussions” offering informative tidbits on a variety of topics including the city of Boston, Anti-Semitism, Reporters at the turn of the 20^th Century, and more.  

***Artwork – Bertozzi’s illustrations are a perfect for the setting of the early 1900s.  He’s pinned down the architecture and dress style of the era.  His caricatures have various ethnic features that emphasize the diversity of Boston at that time.  The color scheme is well thought out, presented in blacks, whites and blue tones.  The colorization reminds us of black and white films and there is always a feeling that these events happened long ago.  The thick ink lines and Bertozzi’s drawing style make Houdini: the Handcuff King an easy read that makes the story jump off the page.  

Tikki Tikki Tembo

Tikki Tikki Tembo

• author:  Arlene Mosel
• illustrator:  Blair Lent
• medium: ink & watercolor
• year of publication: 1968
• publication city:  New York, NY
• publisher:  Holt, Rinehart and Winston
• ISBN:  978-0805006629

Annotation:  This retelling is a cautionary tale from China warning parents of the dangers of giving your children long names.  When two sons are playing by a well, trouble ensues and we find out having a shorter name has its benefits.

Personal Thoughts:  Originally published in 1968, Tikki Tikki Tembo has a classical picturebook feel.  It has a strong setup with two sons, one that is cherished, one that is ignored and their preferential matriarch.  It has an element of danger, with the boys falling into a deep well and their lives at stake.  It also has a simplistic message that giving children excessively long names puts them in harm’s way. 

The early publishing date explains the overly simplistic portrayal of the characters and some might view the story as culturally insensitive.  It reminded me of the 5 Chinese Brothers by Bishop and Wiese.  While not overtly racist, these books are presenting Asian cultures from a purely invented style from Western viewpoints.  Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo doesn’t even sound remotely Asian.  The first six syllables lends to a more African sounding name.  Nevertheless, the story is engaging and supposedly comes from China and it has a lasting appeal.  

***Repetition -Tikki Tikki Tembo’s name is used over and over.

***Alliteration - Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo


***Rhyme - Tikki Tikki Tembo-no sa rembo-chari bari ruche-pip peri pembo

Maggie's Amerikay

Maggie's Amerikay

• author: Barbara Timberlake Russell  "no author website"
• illustrator:  Jim Burke  http://www.jimburkeart.com
• year of publication: 2006
• publisher city: New York
• publisher:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux
• ISBN:  0-374-34722-0

Annotation:  In new Orleans, 1898, while her mother talks of saving to buy land and her father insists on the importance of an eduction, young Irish immigrant, Maggie McCrary is determined to find her own way in their new home, America.

Personal Thoughts: 

In Maggie’s Amerikay, Barbara Timberlake Russell has crafted a heartfelt yet realistic portrayal of clashing cultures and a character learning to transcend cultural differences. 

It’s 1898 and Maggie McCray is growing up in New Orleans with her Irish immigrant family.  They are poor but hard working.  The Irish immigrants distrusted and quarreled with the blacks and the blacks felt the same distrust towards the Irish.  This was due to pressure and competition for jobs.  The portrayal of the different ethnic groups quarreling seemed realistic to me and I appreciated the honest writing. 

The characters' motivations are convincing.  While Maggie’s mother is driven by money and property ownership, she scorns time wasted on education and resents Negros for taking up jobs.  Maggie’s father on the other hand pushes for education and insists his children get schooling over manual labor.  His character is compassionate and charitable.  When he gives an aspiring musician, a young negro boy, a free cornet, Maggie is mortified, having lost the value of the horn, a whopping sum of $1.  But no good deed goes unreturned and the boy hooks Maggie up with work writing down the words of an old Negro storyteller.  Incidentally, her education and book-learning pays off in the end. 

The story is so cultural rich and believable, never seeming condescending or false.  I enjoyed the book for female protagonist, who struggles to help her family and finds strength in her intelligence, while learning to appreciate her neighbors, despite their cultural differences. 

All-Star Superman, Vol. 1

All-Star Superman, Volume 1

• author:  Grant Morrison  http://www.grant-morrison.com/
• illustrators: 
• pencils, Frank Quitely  "no author website"
• Digitally inked & colored by Jamie Grant  "no author website"
• year of publication: 2007
• city of publication:  New York, NY
• publisher:  DC Comics
• ISBN: 978-1-4012-1102-8
• Eisner Award - Best New Series - 2006

Annotation:  Rescuing astronauts on the first mission to the sun, Superman is genetically enhanced with new powers, but is also suffers cellular damage and is slowly dying.  Facing mortality, the man of steel interacts with original characters reinvented by Grant Morrison.

Personal Thoughts:  No kidding:  All-Star Superman is a fantastic read.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I don’t even like Superman comics.  I always thought an invincible alien-born goodie two-shoes was boring, lacking the dark complications of a human vigilante like Batman or Spiderman.  But Grant Morrison has presented Superman in such an interesting way, giving him mortality and the consequences of death.  On top of that, he and artist Frank Quitely have re-invented original characters into new interesting renditions of themselves.  Lois Lane, now looking like J-Lo/Michelle Rodriguez car model, is fierce and strong and given Superman’s powers for a day.  Jimmie Olsen is presented as a go-getting reporter, suave and kind of “metro” whose reporting specials get him into major trouble leading to a fistfight with the man of steel.  Lex Luthor is physically redone, making him a testosterone fuelled body builder who devised a plan to kill Superman, involving the first manned flight to the sun.

Quitely & Grant’s artwork is great.  The character design is light and attractive, with an edgy, brawny look to the heroes and villains, but also given a futuristic edge that translates so well to comics.  Metropolis, Atlantis and Superman’s Arctic Lair have a colorful, science fiction designed look that’s part Wizard of Oz, part Blade Runner. 

Seriously, like I said, I’m not a fan of Superman, but Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman storyline is worth a read, even if this will be the only Superman comic you will ever read.  Highest recommendation!!