Spotlight on Kate DiCamillo: Author

One of my new favorite authors is Kate DiCamillo.  My appreciation of her work started about two years ago when I first read Because of Winn-Dixie, and then grew last fall when I read The Tale of Despereaux to my boys.  Recently, I headed to the library and came home with an armload of DiCamillo books.  I have now read and enjoyed them all... and am eagerly awaiting her next creation!
DiCamillo has written books for children of all ages.  She has created two picture books so far.  The first is Great Joy (2007), which I have not seen yet (someone else checked it out before I got to it).

The second is Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken, illustrated by Harry Bliss, 2008... 

Louise, an intrepid chicken, longs for adventure.  She leaves her home, venturing out into the wide world.  There she encounters pirates, circus performers, and a mysterious stranger.  Louise learns that, while adventures can be exciting, they can also help you appreciate the warmth and safety of home.

I enjoyed the subtle (and the not-so-subtle) humor in the story and illustrations.  (I also got a chuckle out of the character idea of a chicken who's not "chicken".)


DiCamillo has also written several early reader chapter books.  The first of these was Mercy Watson to the Rescue, illustrated by Chris Van Dusen, 2005...   

Mercy is a pampered pet pig who loves buttered toast more than anything else.  When she climbs into bed with the Watsons one night, the overloaded bed begins to fall through the floor and it's Mercy to the rescue!  (Well, sort of....)  Kids and parents alike will be entertained by this amusing story and its hilarious illustrations!

An entire series has now been dedicated to Mercy, the porcine wonder, including Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride (2006), Mercy Watson Fights Crime (2006), Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise (2007), Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig (2008), and Mercy Watson: Something Wonky This Way Comes (2009).  I haven't had a chance to read these books yet, but hope to look for them on my next trip to the library.


Another Early Reader chapter book by DiCamillo is Bink & Gollie, co-written with Alison McGhee and illustrated by Tony Fucile, 2010...

A story about the friendship between two very different (and headstrong) girls, this book made me laugh out loud!  (My family thought I was a little crazy... until they read it, too.)  I think part of the reason that I enjoyed it so much is that Bink and Gollie really reminded me of my own kids, especially the way that they talk to each other.  I also love Fucile's charming drawings, as well as the zany predicaments the two girls find themselves in.

A new Bink & Gollie book, Two for One, is set to come out this June.  I can't wait!


DiCamillo has also written several middle grade novels:

Because of Winn-Dixie, 2000...  I talked about this wonderful book in a previous post.

The Tiger Rising, 2001...

Twelve-year-old Rob Horton feels lost and alone in the world.  His mother recently passed away, he and his father moved to a new home, and the other kids at school either ignore him or bully him.  Then Rob finds a tiger in the woods and everything changes.

This book is filled with sadness, but some hopefulness shines through, as well.  I found it to be a poignant story.


The Tale of Despereaux, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering, 2003...

Despereaux the mouse loves music, stories, and the human princess called Pea.  Roscuro the rat lives in darkness and longs for light.  Miggery Sow is a slow-witted girl who wishes to be a princess.  When these three lives become intertwined, it creates an endearing story you won't soon forget.

My daughter Emmalie read this book many years ago.  She loved it, and recommended it to me.  I finally got around to reading it last fall.  Almost as soon as I'd finished it, I began re-reading it -- only this time out loud, to my boys. (They loved it, too.)  It is my favorite of all the DiCamillo books I've read so far, and one I imagine I will want to read over and over again.


The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline, 2006...

Edward Tulane is a self-absorbed china rabbit, belonging to a young girl, Abilene, who adores him.  One day he is lost at sea, and his unusual journey begins.  As he moves from place to place, encountering people from all walks of life, Edward slowly learns about love and the things that truly matter in life.  I found it to be a touching, thought-provoking book.


The Magician's Elephant, illustrated by Yoko Tanaka, 2009...

Peter, an orphan, has been told that his young sister is dead.  But when he meets a fortuneteller who insists that Adele is alive -- and that an elephant will lead him to her -- he wants to believe it is true.  This is a magical tale, a fable that asks "what if?"

For more information about this talented author and her creations, check out the Kate DiCamillo website.  There is also a Mercy Watson website that includes fun games for kids, a letter from DiCamillo, and a section for parents and teachers.  And don't forget to look for DiCamillo's work at your library and bookstore!

Happiness

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"Thousands of candles
can be lighted from a single candle,
and the life of the candle
will not be shortened.
Happiness never decreases
by being shared."

~ Buddha

Allegory

According to Dictionary.com, allegory [al-uh-gohr-ee] is a noun meaning "a poem, play, picture, etc., in which the apparent meaning of the characters and events is used to symbolize a deeper moral or spiritual meaning."  A literary allegory is an extended metaphor, with both a literal meaning and a symbolic meaning.  (Fables and parables are kinds of allegories.)

One of my favorite books, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, is a fantasy novel -- but it is also a Christian allegory.  Another favorite book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, has been said (though not by its author) to be a political allegory.

Can you think of other allegories that you've read?

Smells

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Smells

Through all the frozen winter
My nose has grown most lonely
For lovely, lovely colored smells
That come in springtime only.

The purple smell of lilacs,
The yellow smell that blows
Across the air of meadows
Where bright forsythia grows.

The tall pink smell of peach trees,
The low white smell of clover,
And everywhere the great green smell
Of grass the whole world over.

~ Kathryn Worth

Patches of green...

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An excerpt:

     Every moment the patches of green grew bigger and the patches of snow grew smaller.  Every moment more and more of the trees shook off their robes of snow.  Soon, wherever you looked, instead of white shapes you saw the dark green of firs or the black prickly branches of bare oaks and beeches and elms.  Then the mist turned from white to gold and presently cleared away altogether.  Shafts of delicious sunlight struck down onto the forest floor and overhead you could see a blue sky between the tree-tops.

~ from The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,
by C. S. Lewis

Exercise

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"Reading is to the mind
what exercise is to the body." 

~ Richard Steele

Squirrel and Acorn

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Squirrel and Acorn

Where's that nut
I hid in the fall?
Bad news!
Bad news!
Can't recall.
Must think.
Try hard.
Somewhere
In the yard.
Look here,
Look there,
Bad news!
Nowhere!
                                I'm here
                                Below,
                                Just under the
                                Snow,
                                Off to his
                                Right --
                                Well out of
                                Sight.
                                He can't
                                Recall?
                                Then I'll
                                Grow tall.
                                Could be a
                                Tree.
                                Good news!
                                Good news!
                                Good news
                                For me!

~ Beverly McLoughland

Spotlight on Leo Leonni: Illustrator and Author

Leo Leonni has long been a favorite author-illustrator of our entire family.  We love his fables and his distinctive artwork -- bold, beautiful collages.  When my daughter Emmalie was about two years old, she was a HUGE fan, and we ended up checking out every single book of Leonni's from the library.  (We've bought a few of the books over the years, too.)

Somewhere in our house we have copies of Alexander and the Wind Up Mouse and An Extraordinary Egg.  Despite quite a bit of frantic searching, however, I have not found them yet.  (Yes, it's probably time for some spring cleaning!) Here are the Leonni books I did find, in our house and at the library:

Little Blue and Little Yellow, 1959...  While on an outing with his two young grandchildren, Lionni made up this story (using scraps of paper he tore from a magazine) to keep them occupied.  Later, he turned the story into his first book!

Little Blue and Little Yellow are best friends, and when they hug each other, they make green!

Inch by Inch, 1960...  An inchworm measures a robin's tail, a flamingo's neck, and much more... but can he measure a nightingale's song?

Swimmy, 1963...  The sea is filled with wonders, but the little fish are afraid to come out of hiding and enjoy the world around them.  Swimmy teaches them how to work together and keep each other safe.

This is probably my favorite of all of Leonni's creations (though Frederick, seen below, runs a close second!):

Fish is Fish, 1970... A fish and tadpole become good friends, but when the tadpole turns into a frog, he leaves the pond to explore the world.  When he returns and tells his friend about all the wondrous things he's seen, the fish decides he wants to see them with his own eyes....

Theodore and the Talking Mushroom, 1971...  Theodore the mouse doesn't think he has any special talents like his friends do.  When he discovers a mushroom that says "Quirp!", he convinces his friends that he caused it to talk.  From then on, Theodore's treated like a king!  But what will happen if the other animals find out the truth?

I read this book to my boys the other night.  They loved it... right up until the end!  They both thought the ending (which, admittedly, does not reach a happy conclusion for Theodore) was "awful".

Frederick, 1973... While the other mice gather food for the winter, Frederick gathers his own supplies -- words -- to feed their spirits when it turns cold and dark and dreary.

Of all Leonni's books, this one was Emmalie's favorite back when she was two.  (And when she saw I'd checked it out from the library last month, she gasped and said, "Frederick!  I love that book!!")  She has always loved the poem that the mouse poet recites toward the end, and had the entire thing memorized as a toddler!

I have loved this book for many years, too.  I distinctly remember my elementary school librarian reading it to our class.  Its message about the power of words has always stuck with me. :)

A Color of His Own, 1975... A chameleon wishes he had a color all his own, like other animals do.

Six Crows, 1988...  The crows and a farmer both lay claim to a field of wheat, and must learn (from an owl) how to compromise.

To find out more about Leo Leonni and his creations, check out the 100 Years of Leo Leonni website.  The site offers some fun activities for young kids, as well.  Be sure to check out his books at your library and local book store, too!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

This is just a quick blog post in honor of Dr. Seuss' birthday and Read Across America Day.  (I didn't find out that it was going to be either until last night and didn't have time to prepare more.  Maybe next year!) 

Sometime I will have to do a "Spotlight on Dr. Seuss" post, because he's written and illustrated many, many wonderful books.  For today, though, I will simply share one of my favorites, My Many Colored Days.  Published in 1996, five years after his death, this is a delightful little book about various emotions.  I love the bright paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, but even more than that, I love how Dr. Seuss so aptly describes different feelings, assigning them each a color. 

My son Benjamin loves this book, also.  The two of us have read it so many times that we have the words memorized.  I remember one dreary winter day not too long ago, when we both were feeling bored and a bit dreary ourselves.  Ben walked up to me and said, "Gray Day...  Everything is gray.  I watch. But nothing moves today."  I nodded solemnly, and then we both erupted into a fit of giggles, turning our gray day into more of an orangish pinkish one!

Cheers to Dr. Seuss, who has helped to make reading fun for so many kids, for so many years!

Keep your backside in a chair...

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"Writing is hard work,
and fun,
and requires you to
keep your backside in a chair
when you would sometimes
like to put it elsewhere.
So the only wisdom
is the advice to keep at it,
I guess."

~ Lois Lowry