Picture Book Month and Mock Caldecott

Colby Sharp's students and my students are celebrating Picture Book Month together. We're kicking off the festivities today. Please head on over to Colby's blog to read our plans. 

Colby and I tried our very best to create a well-balanced list of nominees. We could have selected 100 books, but for the sake of time, we agreed on 20 outstanding titles.

And the nominees are...

hello! hello! Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Hyperion, 2012. 

Read an excerpt from my interview with Matthew Cordell: 

Mr. Schu: I know that librarians and teachers around the world will tell their students about hello! hello! What are three things you would want anyone booktalking it to mention or point out ?

Matthew Cordell: I sure hope they do! So, three things…

1. Be present. In our world of ever-shortening attention spans, it has become difficult to be conscious of and present for the people sitting beside us. Listen and talk. Ask questions. Pay attention.

2. Everything in moderation. Technology is fun and helpful in so many ways. But it is important to limit our time with our gadgets so that we can spend quality time with the people we love. Just as it is unhealthy to have a whole cake but tasty to have one slice, it is also unhealthy to spend hours alone on the computer or phone or game device, but fun and engaging to spend shorter, more reasonable times playing games or on the internet.

3. Create and be created for. It is wonderful to find and appreciate and learn from things that have been created for us by others. Books, television, games, art. But it is equally as important to use our own minds to create something for the people we love and for ourselves. Express yourself. Make something. Never stop using your imagination.

Another Brother. Illustrated by Matthew Cordell. Feiwel and Friends, 2012. 

This is not just "another" picture book about sibling rivalry. It is fresh and fun. Check it out. Now! 

Good News, Bad News. Illustrated by Jeff Mack. Chronicle Books, 2012. 

Read an excerpt from my interview with Jeff Mack: 

Mr. Schu: Good news! I adore Good News, Bad News. It is an ingenious picture book that I cannot wait to read to my kindergarten students. What should I say when they ask, “Mr. Schu, why do you think Jeff Mack wrote this book?”

Jeff Mack: Thanks, Mr. Schu. I'm glad you like it.

I wrote Good News Bad News to find an answer to this question:"Can two characters be friends when they have opposite attitudes about everything?" By writing it, I decided the answer is "Yes!" Not only that, they can become ever better friends once they learn to see things from each other's point of view. Plus, their struggles can be pretty funny. With a lot of bad news, if you look for humor, you'll probably find it.

Mr. Schu: Are you more like Bunny (an optimist) or Mouse (a pessimist)?

Jeff Mack: The last time someone asked me that, I said I was more like the Mouse. But the more I think about it, the more I think I'm probably wrong.

Extra Yarn. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. HarperCollins, 2012. 

Extra Yarn was a Sharp-Schu Book Club selection. Here are some comments from the discussion:


"My students were speechless the first time they read Extra Yarn." -Colby Sharp

"Extra Yarn really got my students thinking!" - @Utalaniz

"I really believe Extra yarn is a contender for Caldecott, my huge hope." -@Stylinlibrarian

"I ADORE Mr. Crabtree in Extra Yarn." -Ame Dyckman

Bear Has a Story to Tell. Illustrated by Erin Stead. Roaring Brook Press, 2012. 

I wrote this paragraph on July 2, 2012: 

I rarely beg and plead for an advance reader's copy (ARC). I follow strict ARC etiquette during conferences and always feel extremely uncomfortable emailing a publisher for a galley. However, I am determined to get my hands on an F&G (folded and gathered) of Bear Has a Story to Tell. (Macmillan Kids, are you reading this post? 

(Well, as you can see, I FINALLY got my little paws on it, and I absolutely, positively adore it.)

Boy + Bot. Illustrated by Dan Yaccarino. Random House, 2012. 

Author Ame Dyckman and author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino interviewed each other about Boy + Bot. 

DAN: Are you really a robot and this book the first step for you to reveal it to the world? 

AME: Affirmative! Um... I mean, no.

*AME: How old were you when you first wished for a robot friend, and what did you imagine they would be like? 

DAN: I've been wishing for my very own robot buddy my whole life! I even wrote and illustrated a book called IF I HAD A ROBOT. I guess I imagined him to be much like Bot, big, happy and of course red. All robots should be red, except of course the silver ones. He would be my best friend and we would do everything together.

*DAN: How does it feel to have your first book published?

AME: I’m tremendously happy! When I got my preview copy, I carried it around all day like a little kid with their favorite toy. On release day, I’m going to buy hundreds of copies and use them to build a little BOY + BOT fort in my living room and do all my writing in there from now on.

*AME: Is Boy's spiky hair a nod to anime?

DAN: I grew up watching Astro Boy and I also loved Tin Tin, so maybe it's a reference to them. Also, I have a cowlick.

*DAN: Why picture books? Why not YA novels or chapter books?

AME: My Writing Voice is four years old. We can only do a few hundred words before it needs a nap.Also, while I like YA and chapter books, I LOVE picture books.

*AME: Were any of the characters in BOY + BOT drawn based on people (or robots) you actually know?

DAN: No, not really. I like to invent things or draw out what I'm thinking.

*AME: Tell us about the little light bulb bot. (In my house, we call him “Watt.”)

DAN: I thought there needed to be another robot of some sort at the Inventor’s lab. I imagine the light bulb as the Inventor’s first attempt to create a robot. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.

*DAN: Any more books about robots coming?

AME: There are more BOY + BOT adventures in my head, and one or two already on paper. I hope everybody else will be able to see them someday, too.

*AME: Did you ever dress up as a robot for Halloween? Will you this Halloween?

DAN: No and no.

AME: (giggling) That’s what you think!

DAN: What?

AME: Oh, nothing.

A Rock is Lively. Illustrated by Sylvia Long. Chronicle, 2012. 

Read an excerpt from Kid Lit Frenzy's review: 

"As soon as I saw the cover for A Rock is Lively, I knew I had to read this book. Aside from the fact that it is just as beautifully illustrated and formatted as the other books in the series, I knew the text would be engaging and informative. Sure enough, it lived up to my expectations." -Alyson Beecher

Green. Illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. Roaring Brook Press, 2012. 

Read an excerpt from Anita Silvey's Book-A-Day Almanac: 

"Green presents this talented creator working at the top of her craft--with assurance and creativity."

And Then It's Spring. Illustrated by Erin Stead. Roaring Brook Press, 2012. 

And Then It's Spring's book trailer makes me want to take a nature walk. The music is meditative and soothing. Erin Stead, recipient of the 2011 Caldecott Medal, creates an inspiring and beautiful world. Could she take home the 2013 Caldecott Medal and an Honor? Hmmm.... 

Laundry Day. Illustrated by Maurie J. Manning. Clarion Books, 2012. 

The reviews are in...

"Everything teems with movement and life--completely beguiling." -Kirkus

"The hustle-and-bustle setting provides another visual treat, matched by the warm exuberance of the boy's neighborly adventure." -Booklist

"There's much to discover in the varied, well-paced frames of this graphic picture book..." -Horn Book

Kali's Song. Illustrated by Jeanette Winter. Random House, 2012.

Read an excerpt from my interview with award-winning illustrator Jeanette Winter: 

Mr. Schu: What planted the seed for Kali's Song? 

Jeanette Winter: I saw a concert by the folksinger Buffy St. Marie, at which she played a mouth bow, and talked about how music was first made from a weapon, thousands of years ago. I found a cave drawing from France that depicted a man (perhaps a shaman), playing a mouth bow, surrounded on all sides by animals. The cave drawing was the seed for KALI'S SONG.

The text and illustrations work together beautifully to tell a story that will stay with readers for many years. What came first: the text or the illustrations?

Jeanette Winter: A rough picture, or 2 or 3, came first. I wanted to 'see' the setting of the story.

Then came a rough draft of the text. Then a small dummy of the book, all the while changing the text and pictures back and forth until they worked together.

I'm working on a book now where the text came first, but sometimes all the pictures are finished before I write the text. Each book is different.

Oh, No! Illustrated by Eric Rohmann. Random House, 2012. 

"All-star team." -Colby Sharp, from his Goodreads review

Unspoken. Illustrated by Henry Cole. Scholastic, 2012. 

An excerpt from Travis Jonker's glowing review: 

"This is what can happen when an established illustrator makes a book close to his heart. It feels like a statement. An excellent jumping off point for Civil War and Underground Railroad studies. Readers won’t soon forget it."

A Home for Bird. Illustrated by Phillip Stead. Roaring Brook Press, 2012. 

Let's pretend a teacher stops me in the hall to share how much she enjoyed reading A Sick Day for Amos McGee. She asks if Phillip Stead has written any other books. Later that day, she finds A Home for Bird 
in her mailbox.

Step Gently Out. Photographs by Rick Lieder. Candlewick Press, 2012. 

Great Kid Books wrote the following about Rick's photographs:  

"Lieder's photography will be the first thing to grab children's attention. Each page brings the reader up close to an insect, as if you were right there crouching in the garden." - Mary Ann Scheuer

This Is Not My Hat. Illustrated by Jon Klassen. Candlewick Press, 2012. 

I read This Is Not My Hat to eight classes. I will always remember the fifth-grade boys (who don't typically laugh out loud) laughing hysterically at the little fish in his  bowler hat. Every class gave it two thumbs up. 

Nighttime Ninja. Art by Ed Young. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012. 

When will I recommend Nighttime Ninja? 

1. A kindergarten teacher: "I love doing creative drama exercises with my students. Can you help me find an interesting and engaging picture book that's good for a narrative pantomime activity?"

2. A third-grade teacher: "My son is going to be a ninja for Halloween. Can you recommend a picture book with a ninja as a main character?"

3. Colby Sharp: "We need to work on our 2013 Mock Caldecott list."

Boot and Shoe. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. Simon and Schuster, 2012.   

Margie (AKA @LoveofXena) wrote the following about Boot and Shoe's illustrations. 

"Using black pencil and gouache most of her illustrations are small studies carefully held in the hands of white space further adding to the charm of this story.  Five of the visuals cover two pages to enhance emotional impact."

One Cool Friend. Illustrated by David Small. Penguin, 2012. 

"Small’s illustrations are, as ever, something to see. He grasps opportunities to expand on the text with a humor and creativity that few other illustrators can match." -Travis Jonker

Fifty Cents and a Dream. Illustrated by Bryan Collier. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2012.  

Fifty Cents and a Dream includes everything I look for in a picture book biography: illustrations that extend the text, accessible and clear language, a timeline, an author's note, an illustrator's note, and a bibliography.

********

Fiction: A Book of Horrors edited by Stephen Jones

The purpose of the anthology A Book of Horrors (St. Martin’s Griffin) would seem to be, at least in part, to take a stab back at all those sparkly vampires. “What the hell happened to the horror genre?” editor Stephen Jones asks in his introduction. “These days our bloodsuckers are more likely to show their romantic nature, werewolves work for government organizations, phantoms are private

Holiday Gift Guide: True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps by Gianna Sobol and Alan Ball

True Blood: Eats, Drinks, and Bites from Bon Temps (Chronicle Books) represents the ultimate creative full circle. What is now an immensely popular television series began as the Southern Vampire Mystery Series by Charlaine Harris. The first book in the series, Dead Until Dark, debuted in 2001. Then came True Blood the television series in 2008. And now, four years later, we have the -- wait for

Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac

Dear Professors and Instructors of Children's Literature, 

I am thankful every day for Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac. It is an informative and fun resource that celebrates the best children's books. Anita's vast knowledge, charming writing style, and love for the subject will inspire your students to be well-read educators/librarians/parents/aunts/uncles who celebrate children's books every single day. I think Anita's essays will motivate them to host celebrations on National Pig Day (March 1), International Primate Day (September 1), Moldy Cheese Day (October 9), World Origami Days (October 24-November 11), and Jerry Pinkney's birthday (December 22).  

Please tell your students about this valuable resource. Maybe you'll even add it to your course syllabus or post a link to it on the classroom discussion board. I know I would never forget the professor/instructor who introduced me to Anita's useful and inspiring almanac. 

Happy reading! 

-John Schu
Teacher-Librarian 

I am giving away one copy of Anita Silvey's Children's Book-A-Day Almanac. 

Rules for the Giveaway

1. It will run from October 31 to 11:59 p.m. on November 5. 

2. You must be at least 13. 

3. Please pay it forward. 

4. Smile. :) 

Visit the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac online. 

Borrow the Children's Book-A-Day Almanac from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops. 

Will Ferguson Wins 2012 Giller

Though until now he has perhaps been best known for his debut work, 1997’s Why I Hate Canadians, Will Ferguson has been given the nod for the 2012 Scotiabank Giller Prize, Canada’s richest literary award.

Ferguson wins for his novel, the thriller 419 (Viking Canada/Penguin Canada). The announcement was made at a nationally televised dinner and awards ceremony hosted by CBC personality Jian

Penguin and Random Merger Will Create Global Publishing Giant

News that the merger of Random House and Pengiun Books will go forward has all facets of the industry speculating on how this marriage between giants will impact the book business.

But The Telegraph broke the worst news of all: one of the best ever opportunities for a pun has been missed. There will be no Random Penguin, as so many had hoped. And no Penguin House. Instead, as Katherine Rushton

Fiction: Doppler by Erlend Loe

In a world gone mad for all literature with the smack of Scandanavia, Doppler (Anansi) seems at first like a sharply sweet joke. Canadian publisher, Anansi, calls Doppler an “enchanting, subversive, and very unusual story of one man and his moose.” Think of Doppler as Jonathan Livingston Seagull for the 21st century, but with a moose calf called Bongo, Scandinavian hipster attitude and a sharper

Happy book birthday to Matthew Cordell's hello! hello!

Yay! Matthew Cordell's hello! hello! is celebrating its birthday today! I've been looking forward to this special day ever since Matthew read it to a group of librarians during ALA Annual. I instantly fell for it. I took it on vacation, started promoting it in my library in August, and pre-ordered four copies. 

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I once read it while jumping on an odd-shaped trampoline. Here's the evidence: 

I think it is best if we move on to the interview before I embarrass myself any further.

Mr. Schu: I know that librarians and teachers around the world will tell their students about hello! hello! What are three things you would want anyone booktalking it to mention or point out ?

Matthew Cordell: I sure hope they do! So, three things…

1. Be present. In our world of ever-shortening attention spans, it has become difficult to be conscious of and present for the people sitting beside us. Listen and talk. Ask questions. Pay attention.

2. Everything in moderation. Technology is fun and helpful in so many ways. But it is important to limit our time with our gadgets so that we can spend quality time with the people we love. Just as it is unhealthy to have a whole cake but tasty to have one slice, it is also unhealthy to spend hours alone on the computer or phone or game device, but fun and engaging to spend shorter, more reasonable times playing games or on the internet.

3. Create and be created for. It is wonderful to find and appreciate and learn from things that have been created for us by others. Books, television, games, art. But it is equally as important to use our own minds to create something for the people we love and for ourselves. Express yourself. Make something. Never stop using your imagination.

Mr. Schu: I think of hello! hello! whenever someone almost bumps into me because he is too busy texting, or when I spot a family in a restaurant glued to electronic devices. Did similar experiences inspire you to write hello! hello!? 

Matthew Cordell: Absolutely. The entire idea came to me because I was being that guy who was glued to the device. At home one day, I was playing with my daughter, Romy, who was around 2 years old at that time—too young to know if I was giving her my complete attention. Or so I thought… In the middle of playing with some toys, I thought I would be fine sneaking over to a nearby laptop computer to check my email (or worse… my Facebook page). After a minute or two of having my face stuck to the screen, I heard Romy say from across the room, “Dada, stop checking email and come play.” She was a very verbal young toddler, and I knew she was putting together sentences, but I had no idea she knew the word “email.” I felt bad, in a way, that, already, she even knew that word, but worse that I was not giving her what she wanted because I chose to be selfish at that moment. Whatever I was doing, work or not, it could’ve waited until later when my wife was going to be taking over toddler duty. Later on, it occurred to me that with the amount of technology we are exposed to these days, this whole scenario must be playing out with parents and kids everywhere and all the time. The movable laptop at home is certainly distraction enough. But it is worse with the omnipresent smart phone that follows you everywhere you go, always beckoning to be looked at. At this point, in our culture, you cannot go anywhere without seeing someone in the company of another who is attending more to a device than to the person sitting at his or her side.

Having said all of this… It is not my place to judge anyone for doing what’s right or wrong. Or even to set that limit of how much is right or wrong. This was never my intention with hello! hello! Like I said earlier, I wrote this book because I was not doing my job as a good Dad. Not doing my job as a good person. And I wanted to say, “this is happening to all of us. Let’s think about what’s going on here…” I would give any parent who is locking eyes with an iPhone—instead of the eyes of their child—the benefit of the doubt that he or she is still, of course, a good parent. It is just really easy to forget what is happening—to forget who is happening around us. But what is important is being cognizant of the fact that this exists and keeping it in check. Being mindful of when it is legitimately important to look in on the phone or computer, and when it is not. 

Mr. Schu: What came first: the text or the illustrations? 

Matthew Cordell: Usually I will write a book as completely as possible before beginning to sketch it out all the way. Though I will do some sample art to share with my editor and sketch the rest out in my head, making notes along the way. But this book is told primarily through the illustrations and I knew that would be the case when I was first envisioning it. So I developed the art and text somewhat simultaneously in working sketch dummies with my editor and art director. I wanted the dialog to be pretty plain, just as it is when people aren’t really paying attention and talking in depth with each other. So I thought it would be fun idea to single out the simplest piece of conversation, and make a whole book out of, more or less, just one word. “Hello.” The book begins by using “hello” in a rather dismissive and disinterested way in the black and white world of the parents, devices, and the neglect. But as the story evolves and life and energy pick up, I flipped “hello” on its head and began using this plain word in a very different way as the animals greet one another and the new world very enthusiastically. It was a lot of fun bringing out a wide range of emotions from using only one word and also letting the artwork do a lot of the heavy lifting.

Mr. Schu: I read your blog post about the bamboo pens you received as a Christmas present. Can you share a bit about your bamboo pens and how you used them to create the art for hello! hello!? 

Matthew Cordell: A quick explanation: A bamboo pen is very simply just a short stick of bamboo that is sharpened to a point. It’s very old school. To use one, dip the pointy end of the bamboo in a bottle of ink and draw with this until the ink runs out. And repeat….

One year my mom gave me a bunch of art supplies, including a few bamboo pens, all of which she knew I did not typically use. It was an interesting and thoughtful gift, really. If looked at the right way, it could be a perfect excuse for an artist to step outside of his or her old box. But of course, being a relative creature of habit, I just put them all up on the shelf. Then one day, a year or two later, I happened upon what would be one of my all time favorite picture books, Leaves by David Ezra Stein. Aside from the genuine, warm, satisfying storytelling, I love his very confident, free-flowing very natural line work and watercolors in this book. (I love the fearlessness of all his books.) And I found in the art notes that he had used a bamboo pen. So, finally, I dug around in my messy studio and pulled out my own never-before-used bamboos and gave them a spin. It was a horribly unpredictable drawing experience. Drawing with, essentially a pointy stick, does not allow for consistency or predictability with the line. Until that point, I had been using a more obvious pen and nib—which is a metal, machine made point that you dip into a bottle of ink and use to draw. I was so frightened of the bamboo that I STILL did not use them for any final art. Fast forward to another year or so where I finally found the perfect moment, and finally had the right amount of nerve to use the bamboo for finished artwork. I was beginning work on hello! hello! and I was building up the courage and seeing wonderful possibilities in drawing with a bamboo pen. Once and for all, with this book, it was the right time to tackle the bamboo. It has a wonderful and varied organic line quality. It’s very heavy and wet/drippy at times, but then very coarse and dry at times (almost like the texture of a dull pencil). Drawing with a stick instead of with plastic and metal just felt right with this nature filled book. It is loose and chaotic and, yes, unpredictable at times but it is the perfect instrument for getting back to nature and back to imagination. I learned to embrace the unknown. The ultimate freedom. 

Mr. Schu: It is a good year to be Matthew Cordell. In 2012, you’ve published seven instantly lovable and well-designed picture books. I am in awe of your ability to manage work, family, and social media. What’s your secret, Matthew? 

Matthew Cordell: Well, thank you, sir! My secret weapon is my amazing, amazing wife, Julie Halpern. She is an inspiration, an incredible support system, a wonderful mother and wife. (As well as a top notch talent! She’s an acclaimed Young Adult author!) There are times when my head is totally slammed and clouded from the world of book making and she is very tolerant and patient and ever so helpful when I’m up against a wall. It’s been such a blessing to stay so busy with work that I absolutely love, and to have my two most favorite people in the world, Julie and our daughter, Romy, to share it with.

Another Brother 

Mr. Schu: Please complete these sentence starters: 

Reading is a magical collaborative experience between the creator(s) of a book and its reader. Every reader will bring the characters of a book to life in a different way, infusing a part of themselves and their own experiences into that story. Reading is transcendental and stokes the imagination. Reading is essential.

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me about what’s next?

Well, hello! hello! is out on October 30. Before that, comes If You Were a Chocolate Mustache (October 1, Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press), a brilliant collection of poems by the master himself, J. Patrick Lewis. It was a real honor to illustrate his work.

And on to books I illustrated that publish next year…

Ollie and Claire by Tiffany Strelitz Haber (Philomel/Penguin)

What Floats in a Moat? By Lynne Berry (Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers)

Like Bug Juice on a Burger by Julie Sternberg (a sequel to Like Pickle Juice on a Cookie, Abrams)

Gone Fishing: A Novel in Verse by Tamera Will Wissinger (Houghton Mifflin)

I’ll be illustrating a third JUSTIN CASE novel by Rachel Vail!, (Feiwel and Friends/Macmillan) maybe out in 2013?

I’m currently in finishes on art for a picture book with Disney-Hyperion with author Susan Hood.

Last, but not least, I’m quite close/a whisper away (knock on wood!) from approval for two picture books I am terribly excited about. One will be written/illustrated by me. The other is written by an amazingly talented and prolific friend. That’s about all I’ll say on that…Fingers crossed!

Thanks you so much for having me here, Mr. Schu! As you know, I am a huge fan of all that you do for kids and books and books for kids. You are an inspiration and a true ambassador of children’s books. 

I am giving away two copies of hello! hello! 

Rules for the Giveaway

1. It will run from October 30 to 11:59 P.M. on November 4. 

2. You must be at least 13. 

3. Please pay it forward.

Borrow hello! hello! from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.