children's books: telling our stories
TRANSCRIPT
Children's Books: Telling Our StoriesAuthor(s): Kathy G. Short, Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, Kathleen Crawford, Caryl Crowell,Gloria Kauffman, Barbara Peterson, LaFon Phillips and Jean SchroederSource: The Reading Teacher, Vol. 47, No. 5 (Feb., 1994), pp. 404-415Published by: Wiley on behalf of the International Reading AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20201276 .
Accessed: 25/06/2014 01:56
Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at .http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp
.JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range ofcontent in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new formsof scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected].
.
Wiley and International Reading Association are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extendaccess to The Reading Teacher.
http://www.jstor.org
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
CHILDREN'S BOOKS Editors: Kathy G. Short, University of Arizona, Tucson, USA
Kathryn Mitchell Pierce, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and School District of
Clayton, Missouri, USA
Coauthors: Kathleen Crawford, Caryl Crowell, Gloria Kauffman, Barbara Peterson, LaFon Phillips, Jean Sehroeder, Tucson Unified School District, USA Cyndi Giorgis, University of Arizona, USA Kathy G. Short
Telling our stories
Stories are essential to making sense
of our experiences. It is through creat
ing stories that we are able to under
stand and learn from our experiences and share and compare them with the
stories of others. These stories become the framework for how we interpret and construct our understandings of the world. Our need for story is uni
versal, although the particular form of
storytelling varies from culture to
culture.
In this column, we celebrate the role of story in the lives of children
through literature about family stories, memoirs, biographies, and the autobi
ographies of authors and illustrators who write children's books. Some of these books highlight the different
ways we make and share stories with
others, including language, art, music, dance, and mathematics. We have also included recent books on slavery and the Holocaust that contain the actual life stories and words of people involved in those events. These books create a powerful context for children to use story to understand their own
lives as well as the lives and worlds of other people.
Passing on family stories The stories that family members tell
each other about past and present gen erations create a rich heritage and sense of history and place for children.
Family get-togethers are often the occasion for "remember when" sto
ries as family members share their
experiences and values through story
telling. When Stella and Zelda visit their grandma, their first request is for
her to tell them a story. In When
Grandma Almost Fell Off the
Mountain, & Other Stories, written
by Barbara Ann Porte and illustrated
by Maxie Chambliss, Grandma is full
of amusing stories about the trip she
and her sister took to Florida when she was just their age. In several class
rooms, this family story served as an
invitation for children to interview
family members to collect their own
family memories for oral storytelling and written publications.
Several other family stories empha size cycles of life and traditions that
will continue to be passed on to future
generations. This Quiet Lady, written
by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated
by Anita Lobel, looks through a young
girl's eyes as she tells her mother's own history from family photographs. The Promise, written by Tony Johnston and illustrated in warm pas tel colors by Pamela Keavney, focuses on a girl's fascination with cattle. As
she helps her neighbor deliver a calf
late one night, he tells her a story that includes a long-ago promise which
will fulfill her own secret wish.
Storytelling was a tradition in Susan Lowell's family, one which she con
tinues in her new novel, / Am Lavina
Cumming. This chapter book is based
upon the life of Lowell's grandmother,
who was born on a ranch in the Arizona territory in the late 1800s and sent alone on a train to Santa Cruz,
California, following her mother's death. Anyone who has ever moved to a new place will identify with Lavina's struggles to adapt to a differ ent lifestyle while clinging desperately to her own independent nature.
Throughout the book, Lowell has found opportunities to continue the
family storytelling tradition, weaving in stories about her great-grandfather and other family members, as well as
popular legends of the time. David Williams also grew up listen
ing to his grandmother's stories. In Grandma Essie's Covered Wagon, he has "shaped and arranged" his grand
mother's words to tell one of her favorite stories about crossing Kansas and Missouri in a covered wagon. The soft full-page oil paintings by Wiktor Sadowski capture the many moods of
the story as the family moves from
place to place trying to make a life for themselves.
Eleanora T?te immediately brings the reader into an intimate family gathering in Front Porch Stories at
the One-Room School as Matthew J. Cornelius Carson tells stories about
attending a one-room school and
growing up in Nutbrush, Missouri.
This collection of stories, sprinkled with pencil drawings by Eric
Velasquez, varies from funny to scary and sad, such as when Ethel tells a
404 The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 5 February 1994 ?international Reading Association oo34-o56i/94/us$i.25+.oo
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Telling our stories web
Books about
bookmaking
Children's authors and illustrators tell their stories
Passing on
family stories
Celebrating the stories of American Presidents
Telling our stories
through art, music, mathematics, and
dance
Children's stories from around the world
Telling stories about
slavery, oppression, and resistance
Telling stories about racism and the Holocaust
"once upon a time" story of her momma and how she wishes life could be. This superbly written short chapter book is a perfect read-aloud for chil dren of all ages. The storytelling tradi tion is kept alive in this heartwarming collection that celebrates family, friendship, and childhood.
Nicki Weiss's Stone Men was a big hit with 9 year olds, who liked the col orful pastel illustrations and theme of the weak outwitting the powerful. The
picture book opens with Arnie asking his grandmother to tell him a new
story, one she has never told before. She whisks him away to czarist Russia where Isaac, a poor peddler, has the
peculiar habit of building stone men to
keep from being lonely on his long travels. When he overhears soldiers
bragging about their plans to pillage Bruria the next morning, he uses his wits and his stone men to trick them into believing that the village is pro tected by its own army.
In My Name Is Maria Isabel, Alma Flor Ada makes the point that names are another way families tell their sto ries and connect children to their cul tural heritage. When 9-year-old Maria Isabel Salazar Lopez attends a new
school, her teacher renames her
"Mary" because there are already two other Marias in the class. For Maria, this name change is a rejection of her
Puerto Rican heritage, and she has dif
ficulty remembering to respond to
"Mary" when the teacher calls on her.
Although the story is too easily resolved, this short chapter book sends an important message about cultural
sensitivity in the classroom.
Children's authors and
illustrators tell their stories
Through authors' autobiographies, readers realize that books are written
by people, not machines, and discover the close relationship of authors' lives to their writing. Children also begin to see how their own lives can become the basis for their writing. Four books in the author autobiography series
published by Julian Messner provide such examples. Readers of Laurence
Yep's novels were intrigued by the
people and episodes from Yep's life that were integrated into his books. In
The Lost Garden, Yep tells of search
ing for his own identity while being raised largely in mainstream American
culture with strong influence from his Chinese heritage. Through Yep's warm, wry, and often humorous writ
ing, readers gain insight into the prob lems and joys associated with belong ing to two cultures.
Yoshiko Uchida discusses the blend of Japanese and American cultures in her autobiography, The Invisible Thread. In her thought-provoking story, Uchida recounts her experiences during World War II in the Japanese
American relocation camp on which
her novel, Journey to Topaz, and other sequels are based. Uchida uses
frequent dialogue and occasional figu rative language in her well-written
story of inhumanity to others. This is not a complete picture of the author's life but the story of the contrast between her innocent early years and those spent in internment.
In Richard Peck's autobiography, Anonymously Yours, he tells of his Midwestern upbringing, time spent in
the army, teaching career, and devel
opment as a writer. Peck freely uses
excerpts from his books, and readers familiar with his novels will recognize people and events that have been woven into Peck's fictional stories.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS 405
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Tips for aspiring writers are included. On the first page-of Betsy Byars's
autobiography, The Moon and I, read ers are introduced to Moon, a large black snake that Byars encounters one
day while writing. Byars effectively uses the snake as a vehicle in talking about her childhood, the writing process, and herself. She also weaves
various facts about snakes throughout her story. In this humorous and imag inative book, readers encounter a
witty, conversational style that is rem
iniscent of Byars's fictional novels. All four autobiographies mentioned
above are illustrated with black-and white photographs that add to the
enjoyment of the text. Jerry Spinelli and Nicholasa Mohr are slated to be next in this wonderful series on chil
dren's authors. Other recently pub lished books include the autobiogra
phy of children's illustrator Ted
Lewin, Ted Lewin: I Was a Teenage
Professional Wrestler-, a detailed
biography of Johnny Gruelle: Creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy by Patricia Hall; and The Monster
Factory, by Richard Rainey, about the
life stories of the creators of monsters
such as Frankenstein and Dracula.
One way in which we have used these
books is to read an autobiography aloud to the class as they engage in
small group discussions of that
author's novels.
There have been several books about Zora Neale Hurston recently published, but A.P. Porter's Jump at
de Sun: The Story of Zora Neale Hurston is one of the best. Written for a younger audience than Mary
Lyons's Sorrow's Kitchen, the story
telling style of Porter's writing cap tures the flavor of Zora Neale
Hurston's eventful life?creative,
abrasive, and contradictory?while telling of her rejection by her father
and her unhappy adolescence. Well
placed photographs extend the text
and put faces with the many names of
individuals in this short chapter book. Porter uses Hurston's own words and
includes a foreword by Hurston's
niece to add a family dimension. Also included are author notes, a bibliogra
phy, and an index. Richard C. Owen publishes a series
of picture book autobiographies by
authors who give young children the
opportunity to find out firsthand what
it is like to be an author. This series is illustrated with color photographs that
help young readers see their favorite authors as real people. In The Writing
Bug, Lee Bennett Hopkins talks about how he began as a writer for teachers.
Verna Aardema describes her secret room in the cedar swamp where she
thought up stories as a child in A
Bookworm Who Hatched. Nine-year old CJ. was impressed with Verna's
lifelong ability to avoid doing the dishes! Jean Fritz relates her love for
exploring and the fact that she leaves
manuscripts in the refrigerator for
safekeeping in Surprising Myself Earlier autobiographies in this series
include Cynthia Rylant's Best Wishes, Jane Yolen's A Letter from Phoenix
Farm, and Rafe Martin's A
Storyteller's Story. With these
glimpses into their lives, the authors
bring more meaning to their books for children.
Speak!, edited by Michael Rosen,
provides readers with another perspec tive on their favorite illustrators.
Compiled to benefit The Company of Animals Fund, 43 illustrators have
contributed an illustration and brief
anecdote about their humorous and
sometimes heroic canine pals. Contributors range from Lane Smith to Steven Kellogg. This delightful book will encourage children to tell stories about their own pets.
Authors often use people and inci dents from their lives to create fiction al stories. In Tom, Tomie de Paola uses childhood memories to create a
simple yet touching story about the close relationship between Tommy and his namesake grandfather, Tom.
Every Sunday, Tom and Tommy read
the comics together, clean the furnace, visit the puppies next door, or "just sit
outside the cellar door and talk." They even enjoy playing practical jokes with discarded chicken parts. (Tom is a butcher.) Readers immediately rec
ognized and applauded de Paola's
familiar watercolor illustrations. Donald Crews relates one of his
childhood experiences in Shortcut. Even though they had been told to stay off the train tracks, seven children decide to take a shortcut home. The
reader gets an indication that trouble is not far away when the scene begins to
darken and the approaching train light creates a sense of impending doom.
Fortunately, the children jump off the tracks moments before the train rum
bles by, leading young readers to
breathe a sigh of relief. Five double
paged spreads follow, with a few illus trations slightly out of focus to indi cate motion. The contrast of the cartoonlike characters against the smooth renderings of the train and
scenery enhances the feeling of the children being in the wrong place at
the wrong time. Emily, age 8, stated, "This book is exciting and the pictures tell the story as much as the words."
Other children agreed and thought the train sounds made them feel as if they
were really there.
Trumpet Book Club has produced several videos that focus on individual authors. One such video, Trumpet Club Visits Donald Crews, provides students with additional information about the author/illustrator and his work and takes them on a journey to
his grandfather's farm where the story occurred. Other videos in this series are on authors such as Mem Fox and
Gary Paulson. Daniel Pinkwater keeps readers
guessing what could possibly happen next in his picture book Author's Day. He creates an outrageously funny situ ation when an entire elementary
school prepares for the visit of the "famous author, Bramwell Wink
Porter," but read a book written by a
different author. Although Mr. Wink Porter points this out, all choose to
deem it an insignificant tidbit of infor mation and carry on with their plans. Eight-year-old Branden said, "I think
these things really happened to him
(Daniel Pinkwater). He just had to fill in the gaps." This book is a good example of what not to do when the next celebrity arrives at school!
A fictional encounter between a
young girl and poet Emily Dickinson is depicted in Emily by Michael
Bedard. Soon after a young girl and her family move into the neighbor hood, mother receives a note asking the girl to play the piano for "the
Myth" as Dickinson is referred to by the neighborhood. The first meeting
406 The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 5 February 1994
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
and the special gifts exchanged between the girl and the poet are described in a frequently lyrical text.
Cooney's wonderful oil paintings cre ate a sense of time and place. For
younger children, this picture book
provides an introduction to Emily Dickinson, while older children gain an understanding of the poet's odd behavior.
Books about bookmaking In order for authors and illustrators
to tell their stories, they must take them through the publication process.
Leonard Everett Fisher has made an
important contribution to children's
understandings about bookmaking with Gutenberg. This biography tells what is known of Gutenberg's life and career, focusing on his invention of the printing press. A page from the 1455 Gutenberg Bible, a chronology
of Gutenberg's life, and a map of
Germany are included at the front of the book. An endnote emphasizes the
impact of the movable letters and
press on modern life. Henry, age 8, said, "The black and white illustra tions help show the times because they didn't have color for printing." A new
Eyewitness book, Book by Karen
Brookfield, provides additional infor mation and photographs on the history of writing, printing, and books.
In A Book Takes Root: The
Making of a Picture Book by Michael
Kehoe, children are able to follow the
process of making a book from a tiny seed in the author's mind to the fin ished book being read by children.
Although the entire process of creating the book is included, the major focus is on the publishing company and the
work done by designers, typesetters, and printers rather than on the writing and illustrating processes of the author and illustrator.
Telling our stories through art, music, mathematics, and dance
There are many ways in which we
can make and share our stories with others in addition to oral and written
language. Since the beginning of human history, people have been
telling powerful stories through art,
by Michael Bedard pictures by Baifcai^ Cooney
From Emily by Michael Bedard, jacket illustration copyright? 1992 by Barbara
Cooney. Reprinted by permission of Bantam, Doubleday, Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
music, dance, and mathematics.
Through recent biographies, children are learning about the lives of these
storytellers and their diverse ways of
creating stories for others. Musicians tell stories about their
lives and worlds through musical com
positions. Kathleen Krull has selected 20 famous musicians in her book
Lives of the Musicians: Good Times, Bad Times (And What the Neighbors Thought), a title that prepares readers for this humorous, eclectic, and highly informative collection. Kathryn
Hewitt paints lively watercolor carica tures of each musician, two of whom are women. In these three- to four
page biographies, children learn about musicians' phobias, obsessions, bad
habits, and what they wore and ate.
Steven, age 10, stated, "I like it because it has a lot of passion in it." The musicians range from Vivaldi, Mozart, and Claire Schubert to
Gershwin, Gilbert and Sullivan, and
Woody Guthrie. Included is a list of musical terms as well as a list for fur ther reading and listening.
In Claude Debussy by Wendy Thompson, readers discover
Debussy's creative genius and the
originality of his music by following his life story during the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Each section in this picture book is highlighted with a
timeline of family photographs, art
work of the era, original musical scores of the composer, and lists of his
work. Listening to Debussy's popular "Clair de Lune" during a reading of the book drew children into this com
poser's story. This book is part of the
Composer's World series that also includes books on Beethoven, Haydn,
Mozart, Schubert, and Tchaikovsky. Alvin Ailey changed the field of
modem dance by exploring new ways to use dance to tell his stories about
African-American experiences. Brian
Pinkney uses his vibrant, flowing scratchboard illustrations to capture the moods and rhythms in this inter
estingly written picture book biogra phy by Andrea Davis Pinkney. The
story follows Ailey from childhood
through his adult triumphs in the
CHILDREN'S BOOKS 407
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
world of dance. Mathematics is another way we cre
ate and communicate meaning to oth ers. Carl Sandburg's famous poem,
Arithmetic, explores the many ways in
which mathematics offers us new
ways of looking at the world and chal
lenges our minds and imaginations. Ted Rand has used anamorphic images to transform this poem into an
adventure for readers. Using the mylar sheet provided in a front pocket of the
book, readers play with the distorted
images in the illustrations. Information on how children can create their own
anamorphic pictures is included at the
end of the book. Four pioneering women artists who
tell their stories through various forms of art are presented in Leslie Sills's Visions: Stories About Women Artists. Readers learn about the great risk Mary Cassatt took by joining the radical artists of her time, the
Impressionists. Leonora Carrington, influenced by myths, legends, and
fairytales, explores the unknown in
her surrealistic paintings. Betye Saar creates work charged with spiritual power that celebrates the unity of all
people. Mary Frank "takes the spirit of life and transforms it into life."
Although their lives and visions are
different, these women share a com
mitment to art and a belief in the
human spirit. Each section is interwo ven with photographs of the artist
along with pictures of her artwork. A
list of the artwork's title, media used, exact size, and location is included in the index. Another series, Robyn
Montana Turner's Portraits of Women Artists for Children, includes a picture book biography of Mary Cassatt.
Rosabianca Skira-Venturi takes readers on A Weekend with Leonardo
Da Vinci as they tour his rooms at the castle of Amboise and learn about his
inventions and ideas. The text is told from two perspectives, first person
through the artist's eyes and third per son as "it talks about the pictures and
explains them" (Hillary, age 10). Full color reproductions and photographs are skillfully interwoven into this
book, part of the Weekend series. In Looking at Paintings: Self
Portraits, readers are able to use a
painter's lens to see a bit of their lives
and imagination. Peggy Roalf leads readers through a gallery of 19 artists'
self-portraits, including Vincent van
Gogh, Renoir, Marc Chagall, and Frida Kahlo, to learn about how these artists interpret their world through a
diversity of styles and techniques. Included is a glossary and index of the terms as well as credits of each paint ing consisting of media, size, and location. Looking at Paintings is a
series that presents many artists' views
of subjects such as families, dancers, children, horses, and cats.
In Stitching Stars, Mary Lyons writes about the life of Harriet Powers, who created her stories through quilts. Born and raised in slavery, Harriet became talented with needle and thread out of necessity. Although quilts were a staple of life during these
times, Harriet took quilting to new
levels with her creative story quilts. Since there is little information avail
able about her youth, the author makes
realistic assumptions about her
lifestyle, emphasizing how central
quilts were to survival. The story
quilts are photographed in whole and
then panel by panel with each story
explained. This book is part of a
series, African-American Artists and
Artisans, which also includes another book by Mary Lyons, Starting Home, about the difficult life of artist Horace
Pippin.
Telling stories about slavery,
oppression, and resistance
Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth are just a few of the strong and brave individuals who tell their stories of a period in U.S. his
tory when the human rights of an entire
group of people were violated. Some of the most powerful books we have received in the last several months are
stories, often told in the words of slaves, about slavery and those who actively resisted its oppression and inhumanity.
Patricia and Fredrick McKissack have written a stirring biography, Sojourner Truth: Ainyt I a Woman?, in which they have woven excerpts from Sojourner Truth's speeches, let
ters, and songs. Primary sources such as a handwritten bill of sale, posters of
runaway slaves, and lecture handbills are included along with portraits, pho
tographs, and pen and ink illustrations.
Sojourner Truth constantly fought for freedom for herself and her children as
well as the rights of African
Where to send books or comments
Children's Books presents reviews, recommended uses, and curriculum connec
tions for recently published trade books for children. Materials reviewed in
Children's Books are in no way advocated or endorsed by RT or the International
Reading Association. Opinions expressed are those of the department editors or
reviewers. Send questions, comments, or suggestions to Kathy Short,
Department of Language, Reading, and Culture, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
Editorial board for Children's Books column
In Tucson, Arizona:
KATHLEEN CRAWFORD, Maldonado Elementary School; CARYL CROWELL, Bort?n Primary Magnet School; CYNDI GIORGIS, University of Arizona; GLORIA KAUFFMAN, Maldonado Elementary School; BARBARA
PETERSON, Tully Elementary School; LAFON PHILLIPS, Schumaker
Elementary School; JEAN SCHROEDER, Cragin Elementary School.
In Missouri: BEVERLY BOGNAR, Meramec Heights Elementary School, Arnold; CONNIE
BURKE, McKinley Elementary School, St. Louis; PHYLLIS COOK, St. Peters
Elementary School, St. Peters; TONYA DIX, Wren Hollow Elementary School, Ballwin; MARGARET SCORDIAS, Meramec Elementary School, Clayton; CINDY SEARCY, University of Missouri-St. Louis; JOAN VON DRAS, Wren Hollow Elementary School, Ballwin; MARIE WOODMAN, Central Elementary School, St. Charles.
408 The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 5 February 1994
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Americans and all women as she went from meeting to meeting telling her
story. This chapter book concludes by pulling together her relationships to other abolitionists through short accounts of the people who worked
alongside Sojourner Truth in her fight for social reform.
In a vivid first person narrative about the harshness of slave life,
From Slave to Abolitionist: The Life of William Wells Brown, Lucille
Schulberg Warner has adapted the
original writings of William Wells Brown. "Some Whites thought that Black people weren't people because of their color. The Blacks were good.
Why do bad things always happen to
good people?" (Rudy, age 11). David Adler's A Picture Book of Frederick
Douglass gives a solid account of another escaped slave, abolitionist, orator, and author. "He put his life in
danger to rescue others. He was able to do what he wanted to do" (Renee, age 11). The text is supported by Samuel Byrd's detailed paintings of the people and events that influenced
Frederick Douglass. Many individuals and groups of
people risked their lives to end slav
ery. Gwen Everett highlights the
shocking 1859 raid of Harpers Ferry by John Brown, an extremist and
fanatic, in John Brown: One Man
Against Slavery. "I thank John Brown for risking his life for people not his own color. He believed slaves had the
right to live. I don't think it is right to
buy slaves. People are not for money" (Amber, age 11). Jacob Lawrence cap tures the essence of the human condi
tion, piety, violence, and tragedy with his bold use of colors, striking pat terns, and strong sense of design.
In her short chapter book, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Celia Bland takes readers through the events that led Stowe to write Uncle Tom's Cabin in order to expose the cruelty and injus tice of slavery. Accompanying the
biography are photographic collec
tions, paintings and other historical
markers, and a timeline of her life.
"Women, especially Black women, were very strong, and they tried to
change things, even though it was hard" (Arthur, age 11).
The first African Americans were
brought to America in chains, but they found ingenious ways to escape. No one knows how many slaves escaped or how many people tried to help that trek to freedom. What did survive,
though, are hundreds of stories of
flight along the Underground Railroad, the organized network of
people and places that helped the slaves to freedom. A beautiful picture book, Sweet Clara and the Freedom
Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson, tells of
young Clara, a seamstress in the big house who collects stories and sews the paths of the routes of the
Underground Railroad into a quilt. "Slaves were not allowed to be edu cated. Clara teaches herself through listening and creates a quilt map for herself and her people to find free dom" (Amanda, age 11). When her
quilt is finished, Clara follows the path to freedom, leaving the quilt behind so that others might also follow the North Star to Canada. James Ransome, a descendant of slaves who lived on the Verona Plantation, captures the beauty and pain of slave life and the courage of a young girl in his full-page paint ings.
Faith Ringgold's fantasy picture book, Aunt Harriet's Underground Railroad in the Sky, follows Cassie as she retraces the steps taken by escaped slaves on the Underground Railroad.
The bold, primitive-style paintings add details and emotion. "The paintings are so real as you follow the hidden
bounty hunters all through the book and see the fear in the slaves' eyes" (Anthony, age 11). A map of the
Underground Railroad and some information on Harriet Tubman com
plete this book. In Faith Ringgold, Ringgold's own story as artist is told
by Robyn Montana Turner in the newest addition to her picture book series on women artists. She particu larly highlights Ringgold's creation of
story quilts that combine storytelling with vibrant paintings on quilted can vases.
Jim Haskins's Get On Board: The
Story of the Underground Railroad is a good informational accompaniment to these stories of slavery. The chap ters can be read in isolation, giving historical details of events and people during the early 1800s. "It was good to see that White people were also
A Picture Book of
Frederick Douglass David A. Acfler
From A Picture Book of Frederick Douglass by David A. Adler, copyright? 1993. Illustrated by Samuel Byrd. Used by permission of Holiday House, Inc.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS 409
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
good" (David, age 11). Haskins also wrote the introduction to Lift Every Voice and Sing, a song known as the African-American national anthem. This anthem, written by James
Weldon Johnson in 1900, is combined with some of Elizabeth Catlett's 1947 linocuts. Although the song and prints
were done separately, they come
together in a powerful statement about the hard life of African-American men
and women and their endurance
through strength and dignity. The Society of Friends, or Quakers,
believed everyone was equal and became involved in guiding runaways from state to state on their way to Canada. Marlene Targ Brill has writ ten an easy-to-read, short chapter
book, Allen Jay and the Under
ground Railroad, about an 11-year old Quaker boy who helps a runaway slave, Henry, to the next station of the
Underground Railroad. "Henry trusted Allen Jay on the outside but on the inside he was very afraid" (Travis, age 11). Janice Lee Porter's pencil crayon
drawings help create suspense and excitement as Allen Jay learns about his family's secret involvement in
helping runaways. An afterword tells how his adult life as a minister, teacher, and speaker was changed by this powerful encounter with injustice.
Elijah McCoy was bom in Canada to former slaves who escaped from
Kentucky through the Underground Railroad. Wendy Towle tells his story in The Real McCoy: The Life of an
African-American Inventor, a well
written picture book biography. McCoy, a mechanical engineer-inven
tor, patented more than 50 inventions in his lifetime. His superior design of an oil lubricating cup for locomotives
prompted train engineers to request "the real McCoy." In a foreword, the author discusses the possibility that this American expression, which has come to mean "the genuine article,"
may have originated at this time. Wil
Clay's dramatic acrylic paintings con
vey both the historical context and
impact of McCoy's inventions on modem day life.
Julius Lester's Long Journey Home is an outstanding collection of
short stories. This gifted storyteller has added details and characters to the
true stories of slaves, thus intensifying the human experience in each story as a means of teaching history. He says,
While it is necessary to know Tubman, Douglass, and Sojourner Truth, I prefer to think of the 'great figures' as individuals who embodied in their lives and actions the ethos of their times, and for that reason stand
out above the mass, the movers of
history.
Virginia Hamilton has also written a
book of powerful short stories about historical events and people, Many Thousand Gone: African Americans
from Slavery to Freedom. Leo and Diane Dillon's full black-and-white illustrations are both tender and brutal
ly honest. Fernando Pic? has produced an
excellent historical picture book on
slavery for Spanish readers, La
peineta colorada. Based on docu ments from the General Archives of Puerto Rico, Pic? weaves a story of
deception and courage surrounding the hunt for an escaped slave in the
mid-1800s. Vitita, with the advice of her community's respected sage, Rosa, outsmarts the slave hunter
through wit and personal sacrifice. With colorful illustrations by Maria Antonia Ordonez and a glossary that translates regional Puerto Rican dialect into more universal Spanish vocabulary, this book is a valuable contribution to historical fiction for
Spanish readers. Hopefully, it will soon be translated into English.
Telling stories about racism and
the Holocaust Several new titles dealing with
Holocaust themes through the lives and words of Holocaust survivors have been published to coincide with the opening of the new United States
Holocaust Memorial Museum in
Washington, DC. The voice of Anne Frank has become well known through her diary about her life in hiding. Several new books provide additional information for children who want to understand more about the person behind that voice. In Anne Frank, Beyond the Diary: A Photographic Remembrance, Ruud van der Rol and Rian Verhoeven have included over 100 photographs taken by Anne's
father along with historical essays and
quotes from Anne's diary. This pow erful book begins with Anne's life before going into hiding and ends with
testimony from the last people to see
her alive in the camps. An additional historical source on Anne's life can be found in Johanna Hurwitz's short
biography, Anne Frank: Life in
Hiding, which has just been published in paperback.
For younger readers, David Adler's A Picture Book of Anne Frank pro vides a straightforward introduction to her story of courage and suffering. The primary-age children who read this book were captivated by Karen
Ritz's pencil sketches based on actual
photographs and the cutaway depic tion of 263 Prinsengracht and its secret rooms. Lisa, a 9 year old, asked, "Can I get a copy of Anne's diary at the library? Now I want to hear what she had to say about what was happen ing to her."
First person narratives are particu larly effective in bringing history alive for readers. In The Big Lie: A True
Story, Isabella Leitner, a Holocaust
survivor, relates her story for young readers. Her carefully chosen, but elo
quent prose delicately reveals the hor rors of Nazi anti-Semitism and con
centration camps to children who may never have heard about this period of
history. In short chapters, Leitner describes the Nazi occupation of her small Hungarian town and her subse
quent deportation to Auschwitz, the most notorious of the Nazi death
camps. The descriptions of camp sur vival are disturbing, but her story ends on a hopeful note as she and her sur
viving sisters arrive in America. Like Anne Frank, Nelly Toll kept a
diary while she was hidden in Poland. Toll's outstanding book, Behind the Secret Window: A Memoir of a
Hidden Childhood During World War Two, is her adult reflection on the
diaries, paintings, and memories she made as a child. For 13 months, 8
year-old Nelly wrote in her diary about the heartbreaking events she experi enced, her grief over the loss of family
members, and the day-to-day fears of life in hiding. In contrast, Toll's exu
berant, brightly colored watercolor
paintings, done to pass the time, por
410 The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 5 February 1994
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
tray the life she could not have?out
ings with school friends, pets, and clear sunny days spent outdoors.
Adults and children alike were deeply touched by this poignant, compelling
memoir. Caryl, a teacher of 8 and 9
year olds, commented, "I couldn't put it down. I read it in one sitting, and
frequently, I needed a tissue." Two fictional works, one in
English, one in Spanish, but both told in first person, draw readers into their stories as effectively as the diaries and
memoirs mentioned above. El soldado de hielo, by well-known Catalan author Emili Teixidor, begins with the
escape of a handful of adolescent pris oners from a train bound for a concen
tration camp. Andr?s, a French youth, aids the young escapees in their efforts to hide from the Germans and join the
Resistance fighters in the surrounding mountains. Teixidor's prose is rich and powerful as he deftly develops the
main plot while giving the fleeing characters an opportunity to tell their stories.
Daniel's Story, a novel by Carol
Matas, was published in conjunction with a similarly titled exhibit at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Although Daniel is a ficti
tious character, his story is inspired by the real experiences and stories of the
more than one million children who died in the Holocaust. As he leaves his home in Frankfurt, Germany, riding the trains, first to the Jewish ghetto in
Lodz, Poland, then to Auschwitz, and later to Buchenwald, Daniel recalls the
rise to power of Hitler and the Nazi
party and his life in the ghetto and in concentration camps. Children will need time to talk with supportive adults as they encounter the detailed and graphic descriptions of Nazi atroc
ities. The author provides a chronolo
gy and glossary. Spanish readers can gain more
detailed knowledge of the Holocaust and one of its prominent figures from
Raoul Wallenberg, by Michael Nicholson and David Winner. Tran slated from English by In?s Mart?nez
Aguilar, this biography is filled with
photographs, documents, and maps, as
well as quotes from Wallenberg's fami
ly and friends. The authors document Hitler's rise to power alongside the
story of Wallenberg's life as a Swedish
diplomat who saved over 100,000
Hungarian Jews from annihilation. A
glossary, timeline, and index make this
biography a useful addition to any his
torical study of this period. Ediciones SM has also translated several other
biographies into Spanish from this
series, among them Desmond Tutu, by David Winner.
mira fe r
Beliincl the Secret Window / / file m o t r oj a ' 11 acte n (J /i t la h a ou
DTR I N o W O R l. 1) \X' A R T W ()
In Neilv S. Toll
From Behind the Secret Window by Nelly Toll. Copyright? 1993 by Nelly S. Toll on text and illustrations. Used by permission of Dial Books for Young Readers, a division of
Penguin Books USA Inc.
Children's stories from around
the world
Although most information books and biographies are told through the
eyes of adults, several recent picture books tell about modem life in diverse international settings from the child's
point of view. Siobhan's Journey by Barbara Beime is told in first person through the voice of a 10-year-old girl
CHILDREN'S BOOKS 411
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who
spends 6 weeks with an American
family. Emily, age 11, said, "In her
country the Catholics and Protestants don't get along because of religious and political differences." Color pho tographs complement the story, illus
trating many of Siobhan's activities
during her stay in the United States. Chi-hoon: A Korean Girl by
Patricia McMahon looks at a typical week in the life of 8-year-old Chi hoon. Readers tag along to school,
markets, parks, and family gatherings to get a picture of Chi-hoon's life.
Branden, age 8, responded, "That is a
very different school system, big time!" as details such as attending school on Saturday are revealed
throughout the book. The author demonstrates her knowledge of the Korean culture by sharing the tradi tions that characterize everyday life as
well as hinting at the changing per spectives of some young Korean fami lies. The clear color photographs enhance the text and bring Chi-hoon's smile into the reader's heart.
Eskimo Boy by Russ Kendall also tells the story of a child and his cul ture. Although not told in first person, the author invites the reader into the
thoughts and feelings of 7-year-old Norman Kokeok, an Inupiaq Eskimo from Shishmaref, Alaska. As Norman and his family move through the year, readers learn about the harsh environ
ment, the hunting tradition, the use of ice for drinking water, and the long,
dark days of winter. A glossary of
Inupiaq Eskimo words and an after word offer other information on mod em Eskimos and Alaska. Photographic illustrations add a dramatic look at the
harsh landscape and climate of Norman's life.
Celebrating the stories of American Presidents
February is the month of birthday celebrations for two well-known fig ures from American history, Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. Several recent books are excellent additions to the many biographies published on these two men. The com bined talents of artist Malcah Zeldis and author Edith Kunhardt have resulted in a remarkable picture book
Books too good to miss Our two featured books tell the stories of children, families, and communities who faced adversity and discrimination. The first, Children of the Dust Bowl: The True Story of the School at Weedpatch Camp by Jerry Stanley, won the 1993 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children. Interestingly written and filled with black-and-white photographs, the book tells the story of the
"Okies," poor farmers who moved from Oklahoma and Texas to California in
search of work. In California, they faced tremendous discrimination, and their
children were not even allowed into the school system. With the help of
Superintendent Leo Hart, they built their own school from derelict buildings and
spare parts. The book highlights the courage and determination of the Okies in the face of poverty, rejection, and ridicule and the roles that education played in offer
ing opportunities and in changing the attitudes of the larger community. Just as the Okies were segregated into relief camps because they were different,
Japanese Americans suddenly found themselves relocated into internment camps
during World War II. Baseball Saved Us by Ken Mochizuki is a picture book that focuses on Shorty and his family and how an entire camp worked together to build a baseball field so that they could have something to look forward to. Through baseball, Shorty crosses racial lines and earns the respect of others. "It was sort of
sad because they wouldn't talk to him, just because he was different and they didn't know he was actually American. Even though he was different than them,
he's still a person" (Renee, age 11). "They put them in camps just because of their color. It was the same thing that happened with slavery" (Rudy, age 11). The illus trations by Dom Lee, which powerfully convey the actions and emotions of the
story, were created by applying beeswax, scratching out images, and then using oil paints to give the quality of old photographs.
biography of Abraham Lincoln, Honest Abe. The storytelling quality of the text combined with the bold
gouache folkstyle paintings captured the attention and imagination of chil
dren and adults alike. Eleven-year-old Mark stated that this book should be in
the Ford Theater Museum's bookstore because "it tells the story of Lincoln well enough for little kids to under stand." The book's end matter includes a decorated copy of Lincoln's
Gettysburg Address and a chronology of Lincoln's life. David Adler's pic ture book biography of Abraham
Lincoln, Un libro ilustrado sobre Abraham Lincoln, has also been
recently translated into Spanish by Teresa Mlawer.
Milton Meltzer points out that while more has been written.about Abraham Lincoln than almost anyone else, he chose to write another book because so few of these books include Lincoln's actual words. Meltzer believes that Lincoln was the greatest writer among American presidents, and he has
excerpted passages from his speeches,
letters, and papers and arranged them into sections connected by brief com
mentaries. Lincoln: In His Own Words is a moving collection of Lincoln's words, dramatically illustrat ed by Stephen Alcom's bold, expres sive linocuts. The illustrations, large
print, and attractive format drew 11 and 12-year-old students into the book and Lincoln's explorations of the
moral and political issues of his time. James Cross Giblin visited Mt.
Vemon and engaged in extensive re search before writing George Washing ton: A Picture Book Biography, which focuses on Washington's childhood,
family life, and career. Michael Dooling establishes the historical context
through splendid full-page oil paintings. Included at the end of the story are notes from the author dispelling the
cherry tree myth and providing more information on Washington and Mt.
Vemon.
The books in this column involve readers in the warmth of family stories
passed from generation to generation, the ways in which people tell their sto
412 The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 5 February 1994
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
ries to others, and firsthand, personal views of slavery, war, racism, and
hatred. Through reading the stories of
others, children gain a better sense of their own heritage as well as come to know and value the stories of people from other times and cultures. As they also tell their stories to each other, they create the potential for a broader and
more personal understanding of their
history and our world community.
We want to thank Hispanic Book Distributors of Tucson, Arizona, for their help in locating Spanish books.
AIIH^BH^BHili?BlIBli l???BS?ll?i?I
From Children of the Dust Bowl by Jerry Stanley. Copyright? 1992 by Jerry Stanley. Reprinted by permission of Crown Publishers, Inc.
Books cited
Aardema, V. (1992). A bookworm who hatched. 111. D. Smith. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen. 32 pp. ISBN
1-878450-39-5.
Ada, A.F. (1993). My name is Maria Isabel. 111. K. Thompson. New York: Atheneum. 57 pp. ISBN 0 689-31517-1.
Adler, D. (1993). A picture book of Anne Frank. 111. K. Ritz. New York:
Holiday. Unpaged. ISBN 0-8234 1003-X.
Adler, D. (1993). A picture book of Frederick Douglass. 111. S. Byrd. New York: Holiday. Unpaged. ISBN 0-8234-1002-1.
Adler, D. (1992). Un libro ilustrado sobre Abraham Lincoln. Trans. T.
Mlawer. 111. J. Wallner & A. Wallner. New York: Holiday. Unpaged. ISBN 0-8234-0989-9
(pap.). Bedard, M. (1992). Emily. 111. B.
Cooney. New York: Doubleday. Unpaged. ISBN 1-895555-01-9.
Beirne, B. (1993). Siobhan's journey. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda. 48
pp. ISBN 0-87614-728-7.
Bland, C. (1993). Harriet Beecher Stowe. New York: Chelsea Juniors. 79 pp. ISBN 0-7910-1773-7.
Brill, M.T. (1993). Allen Jay and the Underground Railroad. 111. J.L. Porter. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda. 48 pp. ISBN 0-87614 776-7.
Brookfield, K. (1993). Book. 111. L. Pordes. New York: Knopf. 63 pp. ISBN 0-679-84012-5.
Byars, B. (1991). The moon and I.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Julian
Messner. 96 pp. ISBN 0-671 74166-7.
Crews, D. (1992). Shortcut. New York: Greenwillow. Unpaged. ISBN 0-688-06436-1.
de Paola, T. (1993). Tom. New York: Putnam. Unpaged. ISBN 0-399 22417-3.
Everett, G. (1993). John Brown: One man against slavery. 111. J. Lawrence. New York: Rizzoli. 32
pp. ISBN 0-8478-1702-4.
Fisher, L.E. (1993). Gutenberg. New York: Macmillan. Unpaged. ISBN 0-02-735238-2.
Fritz, J. (1992). Surprising myself 111. A. Pfleger. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen. 32 pp. ISBN 1-878450 37-9.
Giblin, J.C. (1992). George Washing ton: A picture book biography. 111.
M. Dooling. New York: Scholastic. 48 pp. ISBN 0-590-42550-1.
Hall, P. (1993). Johnny Gruelle: Creator of Raggedy Ann and Andy. Gretna, LA: Pelican. 221 pp. ISBN 0-88289-908-2.
Hamilton, V. (1993). Many thousand
gone: African Americans from slav
ery to freedom. 111. L. Dillon & D. Dillon. New York: Knopf. 151 pp. ISBN 0-394-92873-3.
Haskins, J. (1993). Get on board: The
story of the Underground Railroad. New York: Scholastic. 152 pp. ISBN 0-590-45418-8.
Hopkins, L.B. (1993). The writing bug. 111. D. Rubinger. Katonah, NY:
CHILDREN'S BOOKS 413
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
Richard C. Owen. 32 pp. ISBN 1
878450-38-7.
Hopkinson, D. (1993). Sweet Clara and the freedom quilt. 111. J. Ransome. New York: Knopf. Unpaged. ISBN 679-82311-5.
Hurwitz, J. (1988). Anne Frank: Life in hiding. New York: Beech Tree. 52 pp. ISBN 0-688-12405-4 (pap.).
Johnson, J.W. (1993). Lift every voice and sing. 111. E. Catlett. New York:
Walker. Unpaged. ISBN 0-8027 8250-7.
Johnston, T. (1992). The promise. 111. P. Keavney. New York: Harper Collins. Unpaged. ISBN 0-06 023020-7.
Kehoe, M. (1993). A book takes root:
The making of a picture book.
Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda. 48
pp. ISBN 0-87614-756-2.
Kendall, R. (1992). Eskimo boy. New York: Scholastic. 40 pp. ISBN 0 590-43695-3.
Krull, K. (1993). Lives of the musi cians: Good times, bad times (and what the neighbors thought). 111. K. Hewitt. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 96 pp. ISBN 0-15 248010-2.
Kundhardt, E. (1993). Honest Abe. 111. M. Zeldis. New York: Greenwillow.
Unpaged. ISBN 0-688-11189-0.
Leitner, I. (1992). The big lie: A true
story. 111. J. Pedersen. New York: Scholastic. 79 pp. ISBN 0-590 45569-9.
Lester, J. (1993). Long journey home. New York: Dial. 147 pp. ISBN 0 8037-4953-8.
Lewin, T. (1993). Ted Lewin: I was a
teenage professional wrestler. New York: Orchard. 128 pp. ISBN 0 531-05477-2.
Lowell, S. (1993). / am Lavina
Gumming. Minneapolis, MN:
Milkweed. 198 pp. ISBN 0-915943 39-5.
Lyons, M.E. (1990). Sorrow's kitchen: The life and folklore ofZora Neale
Hurston. New York: Scribner. 144
pp. ISBN 0-684-19198-9.
Lyons, M.E. (1993). Starting home. New York: Scribner. 42 pp. ISBN 0-684-19534-8.
Lyons, M.E. (1993). Stitching stars. New York: Scribner. 42 pp. ISBN 0-684-19576-3.
Martin, R. (1992). A storyteller's story. 111. J. Krementz. Katonah,
NY: Richard C. Owen. 32 pp. ISBN 0-913461-03-2.
Matas, C. (1993). Daniel's story. New York: Scholastic. 136 pp. ISBN 0 590-46920-7.
McKissack, P., & McKissack, F.
(1992). Sojourner Truth: Ain't I a
woman? New York: Scholastic. 186
pp. ISBN 0-590-44690-8.
McMahon, P. (1993). Chi-hoon: A Korean girl. 111. M. O'Brien.
Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills. 48 pp. ISBN 1-56397-026-0.
Meltzer, M. (1993). Lincoln: In his own words. 111. S. Alcorn. San
Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 225 pp. ISBN 0-15 245437-3.
Mochizuki, K. (1993). Baseball saved us. 111. D. Lee. New York: Lee & Low. Unpaged. ISBN 1-880000-01 6.
Nicholson, M., & Winner, D. (1991). Raoul Wallenberg. Trans. I.
Aguilar. 111. B. Van Loon. Madrid: Ediciones SM. 64 pp. ISBN 84-348 3297-6.
Peck, R. (1991). Anonymously yours.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Julian Messner. 122 pp. ISBN 0-671 74162-4.
Pic?, F. (1991). La peineta colorada. 111. M. Ord??ez. R?o Piedras, Puerto
Rico: Hurac?n. Unpaged. ISBN 980-257-098-2.
Pinkney, A.D. (1993). Alvin Ailey. 111. B. Pinkney. New York: Hyperion. Unpaged. ISBN 1-56282-413-9.
Pinkwater, D. (1993). Author's day. New York: Macmillan. Unpaged. ISBN 0-02-774642-9.
Porte, B.A. (1993). When Grandma almost fell off the mountain, & other stories. 111. M. Chambliss. New York: Orchard. Unpaged. ISBN 0-531-08565-1.
Porter, A.P. (1992). Jump at de sun:
The story of Zora Neale Hurston.
Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda. 96
pp. ISBN 0-87614-667-1.
Rainey, R. (1993). The monster facto ry. New York: Macmillan. 128 pp. ISBN 0-02-775663-7.
Ringgold, F. (1992). Aunt Harriet's
Underground Railroad in the sky. New York: Crown. Unpaged. ISBN 0-517-58768-8.
Roalf, P. (1993). Looking at paintings: Self-portraits. New York: Hyperion. 48 pp. ISBN 1-56282-357-4.
Rosen, M.J. (Ed.). (1993). Speak! San
Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. 43 pp. ISBN 0-15 277848-9.
Rylant, C (1992). Best wishes. 111. C. Ontal. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen. 32 pp. ISBN 1-878450-20-4.
Sandburg, C. (1993). Arithmetic. 111. T. Rand. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. Unpaged. ISBN 0-15-203865-5.
Sills, L. (1993). Visions: Stories about women artists. Niles, IL: Whitman. 64 pp. ISBN 0-8075-8491-6.
Skira-Venturi, R. (1992). A weekend with Leonardo Da Vinci. New York: Rizzoli. 63 pp. ISBN 0-8478 1440-8.
Stanley, J. (1992). Children of the Dust Bowl: The true story of the School at Weedpatch Camp. New York: Crown. 85 pp. ISBN 0-517 58781-5.
T?te, E. (1992). Front porch stories at the one-room school. 111. E.
Velasquez. New York: Bantam
Skylark. 98 pp. ISBN 0-553-08384 8.
Teixidor, E. (1990). El soldado de hielo. Madrid: Ediciones SM. 160
pp. ISBN 84-348-3279-8.
Thompson, W. (1993). Claude
Debussy. New York: Viking. 48 pp. ISBN 0-670-84482-9.
Toll, N. (1993). Behind the secret win dow: A memoir of a hidden child hood during World War Two. New York: Dial. 161 pp. ISBN 0-8037 1362-2.
Towle, W. (1993). The real McCoy: The life of an African-American inventor. 111. W. Clay. New York: Scholastic. Unpaged. ISBN 0-590 43596-5.
Trumpet Club visits Donald Crews
[Vid?ocassette]. (1992). New York:
Trumpet Book Club.
Turner, R. (1993). Faith Ringgold. Boston: Little Brown. 32 pp. ISBN 0-316-85652-5.
Turner, R.M. (1993). Mary Cassatt. Boston: Little Brown. 32 pp. ISBN 0-316-85650-9.
Uchida, Y. (1991). The invisible thread. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Julian Messner. 136 pp. ISBN 0
414 The Reading Teacher Vol. 47, No. 5 February 1994
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
671-74164-0.
Uchida, Y. (1971). Journey to Topaz. 111. D. Carrick. New York: Creative
Arts. 160 pp. ISBN 0-916870-85-5. van der Rol, R., & Verhoeven, R.
(1993). Anne Frank, beyond the
diary: A photographic remem
brance. New York: Viking. 113 pp. ISBN 0-670-84932-4.
Warner, L.S. (1993). From slave to
abolitionist: The life of William Wells Brown. New York: Dial. 136
pp. ISBN 0-8037-2743-7.
Weiss, N. (1993). Stone men. New
York: Greenwillow. Unpaged. ISBN 0-688-11016-9.
Williams, D. (1993). Grandma Essie's covered wagon. 111. W. Sadowski.
New York: Knopf. Unpaged. ISBN 0-679-80253-3.
Winner, D. (1990). Desmond Tutu. Trans. E. Ortega. Madrid: Ediciones SM. 64 pp. ISBN 84-348-3296-8.
Yep, L. (1991). The lost garden.
Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Julian
Messner. 117 pp. ISBN 0-671
74160-8.
Yolen, J. (1992). A letter from Phoenix Farm. 111. J. Stemple. Katonah, NY: Richard C. Owen. 32
pp. ISBN 1-878450-36-0.
Zolotow, C. (1992). This quiet lady. 111. A. Lobel. New York: Harper
Collins. Unpaged. ISBN 0-688
09306-X.
Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all ISBN num
bers are for hardcover editions.
For Makenzie Susan McGee
McGee teaches English and American history to
eighth graders at Lake Ridge Academy, North
Ridgeville, Ohio, USA.
"The end,"
read the young girl as she closed the cover,
"The end."
Carefully she opened the book again,
placed her spread hand
on the first page and gently moved it
across the print
touching each word with the tips of her fingers. She turned the page and spread her hand,
loving the page, the words, the book.
It was hers now; words were becoming her friends.
Another page turned and caressed.
It had been hard to make these friends.
She hadn't known how.
They were there, but she couldn't always find them.
She tried writing to them, but didn't remember what they wanted her to say. She cried when they hid from her memory and teased with their disguises. She practiced their names hoping to please and wept at their indifference.
She had believed they would be good friends
and invite her places she had never been.
They took her nowhere.
It wasn't that she hadn't wanted to go. She longed to travel with them.
She had so much to share, so much to give. She tried to write her own friends, to form them with her own hand, but they joined the others and hid on the page.
Anger brought more tears.
She tried to hurt them back.
Rip them apart, throw them down.
In the end it was singing their songs that won them over.
And the devotion. The Loyalty. She had been practicing. For years.
It had been painful most of the time.
The syllables had fooled her, too, with their names and tricks.
Finally the aching, the longing in her sounds
touched the soul of the words.
Slowly at first, then more willingly,
friendship was offered.
The young girl touched
all the words on the last page and tenderly closed the book.
CHILDREN'S BOOKS 415
This content downloaded from 195.34.78.81 on Wed, 25 Jun 2014 01:56:05 AMAll use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions