Reading Journal March 24, 2011

Small Talk: A Book of Short Poems
Selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Illustrated by Susan Gaber
Harcourt Brace & Company
Copyright 1995
48 pages
Illustrations done in watercolor and colored pencil on Strathmore Bristol board
Display type—Simoncini Garamond
Text type—Stempel Garamond

All the poems in this book are short—from 2 to 16 short lines, each poem fitting easily on a single page. Some of the poems are quite simple and some are thoughtful and resonant. All contain beautiful language. This collection will appeal to young children who enjoy words and to older children who will find the depth without struggling to read length. Most of the poets collected here are familiar—Carl Sandburg, Aileen Fisher, Eve Merriam, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Langston Hughes, et al.

Two of my favorites include:

WHAT ARE HEAVY? By Christina G. Rossetti

What are heavy? Sea-sand and sorrow.
What are brief? Today and tomorrow.
What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth.
What are deep? The ocean and truth.

And:

SUMMER COOLER by X. J. Kennedy

In the summer young Angus MQuade
Carried off to his castle of shade
Two cool soothing pillows,
The Wind in the Willows,
And an ocean of iced lemondade.

Reading Journal March 22, 2011

Firefighter Ted
By Andrea Beaty and Pascal Lemaitre
Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster
Copyright 009
Book design by Ann Bobco
Text is set in Bliss
Illus. are done in brush and ink, colored digitally
32 pages, not counting bright orange-red end papers. 594 words

Very dryly funny picture book about a bear who pretends to be a firefighter. The pictures carry much of the humor while the text is quite deadpan. For example—text: “Firefighter Ted looked everywhere.” Picture: Ted is shown looking inside his firefighter’s hat and bending over, looking between his legs.

Good use of repetition—“The crowd was speechless. ‘No need to thank me” said Firefighter Ted”—this is an event that happens 3 different times (rule of three). Also, Ted puts out fires at home, on the way to school, and at the science fair (again, rule of three.)

The book begins and ends with Ted in bed, covering the course of one day. Ted perfectly captures the imagination and energy of a young child.

Reading Journal

I just finished reading:

Stink and the Incredible Super-Galactic Jawbreaker
by Megan McDonald
illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
Candlewick Press copyright 2006

This is the 5th or 6th book by Megan McDonald that I have read in the Judy Moody and Stink series. She is a smooth writer with a great feel for the interactions and dialog between a bossy older sister and a pesty younger brother. The story unfolds quickly, with great humor and wordplay. This book emphasizes "Idioms", which Stink is studying in school. Also letter writing, another of Stink's lessons from school. So it has great curricular tie-ins while being an easy to read, high-attention, humorous book about family, school, and friends. What's not to like?

I do wonder if some of the language--slang--will date the book quickly, expressions such as "way cool." However, I think she makes up some of the slang, such as Judy's expression, "rare". Will these books have the staying power of Beverley Cleery's Ramona books? I don't think they have the depth, but they do have the humor.

Chasing Vermeer
by Blue Balliett
illustrated by Brett Helquist
Scholastic, Inc. copyright 2004

While the plot is a bit contrived, I found this a very satisfying book to read. It raises some very interesting points about coincidence and intuition and patterns. It's like The DaVinci Code for kids, only much smarter, better written, and with real characters. The portrayal of friendship is very true to a six grader's experience, I think. I read this a while ago and have forgotten some of the details. This is a book I would enjoy rereading. It values asking questions more than answering questions.

The Wright Three
by Blue Balliett
illustrated by Brett Helquist
Scholastic Inc. copyright 2006
edited by Tracy Mack
agents Doe Coover and Amanda Lewis

While the 2 main characters from Chasing Vermeer also star in this book, there is a third character and we see the story mostly from his point of view. Balliett is one of only a few authors I've read who can successfully shift point of view from one character to another and make it satisfying and convincing. I don't feel she does it because she doesn't know how to tell the story in a more consistent way, the way I usually feel when an author flits from one characters interior to another. She develops clear differentiation between her characters and putting the pieces together is part of the story. Again, this book is intellectually satisfying and challenging. And the characters' interactions are honest and yet surprising.

Changing Gears

One of the things I have learned (as I go) is that it is really hard to keep a blog. For me writing a blog is in direct competition with keeping a journal. I write my journal by hand, with a Pelikan fountain pen and special Pelikan Fount India Ink. I write only for myself--I rarely share my journals--and I try not to censor my thoughts or think of an audience other than myself. My journals are a conversation I am having with myself and in them I explore many issues and problems, projects and ideas. I organize my days, my life, my thoughts. I store my best ideas.

By the time I get to writing my blog, I am tapped out. I am overly aware that this is a public space, whether I have a real audience or not, and I lose my true voice and start to bore even myself. So I am changing gears, taking this blog in a different direction for now.

I read a great article in the SCBWI National Bulletin about keeping a reading log. It was suggested that you keep track of the title, author/illustrator, publisher, date, and editor and/or agent if possible (often the editor or agent is mentioned in the acknowledgments--more likely in a novel than in a shorter book). Then write about the book--what captured your interest, or, if you lost interest, why was that. The point, of course, is to read with the eye of a writer. So I have decided to keep my Reader's Log here, on my blog. This is just one more way I am learning as I go.

Getting the Word Out

Publicizing my activities is something that often falls by the wayside. Here is an announcement I have emailed to my "art" lists--people who have indicated an interest in my art activities. I will also create a Facebook event. Not sure if my web guy will be able to get it up on the website announcements page. It seems long for that. I'm curious to see how many participants I get.

Artrageous Workshops—Calypso Moon Studio

To celebrate Artrageous in Oak Park, Calypso Moon Studio will offer two adult workshops, taught by artist and writer Sallie Wolf. Sallie creates panoramic watercolor and mixed media landscapes in her studio, Calypso Moon. She also works in collage and continues her on-going Moon Project, an ever-growing compilation of drawings, graphs, music, and installations based on daily observations of the moon and its movements. Sallie is the author of three children’s books, including The Robin Makes A Laughing Sound: A Birder’s Journal, which is illustrated with sketches scanned from her journals and sketchbooks. To learn more about Sallie’s art and writing, visit her website, www.sallie.com.

Basic Drawing and Introduction to Watercolor

Saturday, October 9, 9 am to noon. $45

Learn to draw, using a basic “vocabulary” of lines and shapes. Then experiment with watercolor, which is essentially a drawing medium. From small sketches and doodles to larger works based on observation or preliminary sketching, participants will explore ways to record the world around them and the dreams within them.

Bring whatever drawing and watercolor materials you may already have. Paper, brushes, paint, and drawing implements will be available to purchase or borrow for the class.
Paint and paper plate palette--$3
Fabriano Artistico Paper, 140 lb cold pressed--$1 per quarter sheet


Making, Keeping, and Using an Artist’s Sketchbook-Journal

Saturday, October 9, 1:30-3:00 pm. $45 (price includes an autographed copy of Sallie Wolf’s book, The Robin Makes A Laughing Sound: A Birder’s Journal, which grew directly out of her sketchbook-journal practice.)

Participants will create a simple 32 page, 3-hole pamphlet-stitch journal, and explore different ways of keeping a sketchbook-journal and different materials to use. All materials are be included in the cost of the workshop.


Calypso Moon Studio will be open for the Studio Walk, Saturday, Oct 9, from 2-7 pm.




Basic Drawing and Introduction to Watercolor

Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010, 9 am – noon
Calypso Moon Studio
331 B Harrison St.
Oak Park, IL 60304

708-860-2072

Name___________________________________

Email___________________________________

Telephone______________________________

$45—check made out to Sallie Wolf______



Journal Making, Keeping, and Using an Artist’s Sketchbook-Journal

Saturday, Oct. 9, 2010, 1:30 – 3:00 pm
Calypso Moon Studio
331 B Harrison St.
Oak Park, IL 60304

708-860-2072

Name___________________________________

Email____________________________________

Telephone_______________________________

$35—check made out to Sallie Wolf_______



To register by email, contact Sallie Wolf at salwolf@comcast.net

(I will be unable to answer my phone between Aug. 31 and Sept. 11. After Sept. 11, call Sallie Wolf at 708-860-2072 with questions about the workshops.)


I’d love to have you in one of my workshops!

Sallie
--
Sallie Wolf
http://www.salliewolf.com

THE ROBIN MAKES A LAUGHING SOUND, a birder's journal, Charlesbridge, Spring 2010
TRUCK STUCK, Charlesbridge, 2008
PETER'S TRUCKS, Albert Whitman, 1992


Does this make you want to sign up? Any suggestions for creating future announcements?

A little help from my friends redux

Here I am, showing the journal with the original watercolor and the page from The Robin Makes A Laughing Sound: A Birder's Journal where the image was included. (Thank you Patricia J. Murphy for taking photos during my workshop.)

It is really fun to share my book and the journals that inspired it with budding writers and artists. Yesterday I presented a journal-making workshop for school-aged children at the Book Stall at Chestnut Court, in Winnetka, IL. The Book Stall is one of the premiere independent bookstores in the Chicago area and I was thrilled to be a part of their exciting calendar of events. We had great turnout--about as many kids as I could handle in one workshop. And they were great kids. We bound 32 page journals using wallpaper for covers and raffia for the 3-hold pamphlet stitch binding.

Then we talked about what to do in a journal. The very first thing, I said, is put your name in it. I lost a journal once and I still am in mourning for it.

Another suggestion I had is to begin each entry in the same way. For instance, I begin each of my journal entries by writing out, by hand, the day, date, place, time, and weather--"Saturday, July 10, 2010, Oak Park, c. 7:25 am, another gorgeous summer day." My pen is moving, I've written almost two lines, and I haven't had to think yet. Then, I told them, I usually write about what I did the day before, what I intend to do today, what I'm reading, what I'm working on or thinking about. Ideas for a new book. Anything that comes to mind.

I also like to draw in my journals. We talked about how to draw anything using a very basic "vocabulary" of straight and curved lines, geometric shapes, and letter shapes. As I demonstrated this drawing vocabulary, the children practiced in their journals. We tried drawing cubes three different ways--one way that I suggested and two that came from the kids.

These journals are also great places to glue in scrapbook items--ticket stubs, cards, photos, decorative papers and wrappers. My own journals are filled with writing, drawing, and collage.

And lastly we learned to draw birds three different ways. By the end of the workshop the kids had a good start on working in their journals.

The cost of the workshop was the price of one book. I felt like a real star with a line of 10 or 12 kids waiting for me to autograph their books. And the name tags that the children were wearing helped me to spell their names and be able to address them by name. The ages of the children ranged from going into first grade up to going into fifth grade--perfect for this workshop.

Bev Patt stopped by to wish me luck. Robert McDonald, who coordinated the event for the Book Stall and another Book Stall staffer provided helping hands for guiding the children through the steps of folding papers, punching holes, and stitching the binding. And Debbie Topolski, who is a fellow SCBWI-Illinois member and great friend, provided invaluable support and assistance, as driver, as assistant in setup and take down, and as sidekick and backup. Patricia J. Murphy has a blog entry about how SCBWI members can help each other. This workshop was a great example of that support.

Natalie Rompella & Good Blogging Advice

Back in February, Natalie Rompella, an SCBWI-IL member (and new mother) shared some good advice about how we SCBWI-IL members can support each other's blogs. She had four suggestions:

• 1. Post others' blog addresses on your blog. Kind of if you love my blog, you'll also love her blog.
• 2. Click the follow button on others' blogs (not your own as I all of a sudden became a follower of my own blog!)
• 3. Commenting on others' blogs. There's nothing worse than pouring your heart out into your blog and finding that no one seems to be reading it. :)
• 4. Letting people in other facets of your life know about blogs you think they'd enjoy.

She also had these suggestions about how to spread the word about your own blogs:

• send a link to your friends through your regular email or through your blog inviting them to view
• share the link on Facebook
• share the link on Twitter

Here are Natalie Rompella's blogs and website:

• www.natalierompella.blogspot.com
• www.natalierompella.com
• www.mamaandbabybear.blogspot.com

I have been hoarding her posting on the SCBWI-IL list serve until I had a chance to put it to use. Now I can clear one more email from my over-full, but shrinking in-box.