It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Elizabeth, Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox

Have You Seen My Dragon? by Steve Light

Help! We Need a Title! by Hervé Tullet

Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs

A Piece of Cake by LeUyen Pham

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

I'm trying to prioritize my reading as we head into summer: Capitol Choices must-reads, books to return to the library, NetGalley ARCs that will be archived soon, series-concluding books that I want to read ASAP etc. I feel like I'm being pulled in different directions and I just don't read quickly enough! How do you decide what to read first? And do you juggle multiple books at the same time?

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Birdcatdog by Lee Nordling and Meritxell Bosch

Bunny the Brave War Horse: Based on a True Story by Elizabeth MacLeod

 Emily's Blue Period by Cathleen Daly

Hana Hashimoto, Sixth Violin by Chieri Uegaki

Harlem Hellfighters by J. Patrick Lewis

Hippos Can't Swim and Other Fun Facts by Laura Lyn DiSiena and Hannah Eliot

If ... A Mind-Bending New Way of Looking at Big Ideas and Numbers by David J. Smith

How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle

Miss Emily by Burleigh Mutén

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

Hollow City (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children #2) by Ransom Riggs

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper

Peter Sís @ Politics and Prose :: June 6, 2014

I Instagram-ed that it was like a dream to see Peter Sís in person, and it truly was a dream come true. Mr. Sís has been creating children's books for three decades, but I didn't become aware of his work until my son was born in 2000 and I bought Madlenka for our home library. His art is part of the reason why I was inextricably drawn into children's literature as an adult. His role in where my passions (children's literature and literacy) now lie is huge, and I will forever be grateful for that ... and for the opportunity I had to personally thank him.

Mr. Sís was at Politics and Prose to talk about his new book, The Pilot and the Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, a beautiful picture book biography of the author of The Little Prince.

[Peter Sís and the Czech copy of The Little Prince his father gave him when he was a child.
It doesn't have any illustrations.]

When Mr. Sís was 12, his father gave him a copy of The Little Prince, and the story has stayed with him ever since. Re-reading it at different stages and milestones in his adult life (e.g. when he moved to New York, when he read it to his children) revealed different emotions and personal discoveries. The two authors also have a similar life circumstance of living in New York, away from their home country, and creating something artistically (Mr. Sís started his illustrating career in NYC in 1984 and Saint-Exupéry wrote The Little Prince in 1942).

[A page from Peter Sís's idea/sketchbook for The Pilot and the Prince. He creates them in blank bound books. I didn't browse through it, but what I saw of it was quite beautiful and would make a fascinating  published book as-is! While drafting his books, he creates his illustrations as line drawings, which he wishes he could always do. Not surprisingly, his friend, Mo Willems, suggests he should do just that!]

[Showing the kids what a WWII pilot might look like!]

Although he looks fairly serious in this picture, he was incredibly kind, silly, self-deprecating, and enthralling to listen to. The student audience skewed rather young -- I'm guessing they were first graders -- but they were a polite and good audience. It was so very cute that Mr. Sís thanked them for being so patient and attentive. One interaction in particular was adorable: In true Little Kid fashion, one of them asked Mr. Sís what his favorite ice cream flavor is. Mr. Sís got excited because he's actually writing a book about ice cream, and he delighted in this coincidence (the other coincidence was that on his hotel room door there's a picture of Thomas Jefferson, the first person to bring an ice cream machine to America from France).

[He took the time to sign and doodle in the four books I brought with me. He was very generous with his time with each fan, to the point of being reminded by P&P staff that he still had a huge stack of books downstairs to sign for the school kids! This was the first children's book event I went to at P&P with so many adults in the audience. He clearly has wide appeal across age groups.]

There was one serious moment at the end of the talk. He mentioned that The Pilot and the Prince is dedicated to Frances Foster, his long-time editor. Ms. Foster was forced to retire after suffering a stroke (I believe), but she had worked with Mr. Sís to get The Pilot and the Prince started. When Mr. Sís went to visit her before his talk at P&P, he knew that she didn't recognize him, but he held up a page from the book, hoping the illustration of the blue sky would reflect in her own blue eyes, a little ode to her that Mr. Sís slipped into the book. Sadly, Ms. Foster passed away a few days later. Mr. Sís posted this illustration on his Facebook page: 

And one last story: The night before his P&P talk, Mr. Sís went to Jaleo for dinner, where they mistook him for a restaurant critic and plied him with food until he felt ill. He tried to tell them he wasn't a critic, but they insisted on bringing him food, saying, "No, no, we know who you are"!

Oh, and if you're wondering what Mr. Sís's favorite ice cream flavor is, it's mango (he thinks!).

Other articles about the book:

• Brain Pickings: "The Pilot and the Little Prince: Beloved Illustrator Peter Sís Captures the Bittersweet Story of Antoine de Saint-Exupery"
• NPR: "In the Cockpit, Gazing at Stars: Saint-Exupéry's Life In Pictures"
• Slate: "Peter Sís and Margaret Ferguson: The Slate Book Review Author-Editor Conversation"

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

Not surprisingly, I have a lot of bookish friends. Through social media I see what they're reading, which can be inspirational and intimidating at the same time. I love finding new titles based on what they're reading, but I'm often discouraged at my very slow reading pace compared to them. I know that compared to the general population I read more than most people, but it's hard not to wonder how my friends -- who are employed full-time, blog often, and network online -- still manage to read more than I do! I know it's not a race, but instead of feeling inadequate, I need to feel motivated by them and do the best that I can to read as much as I can.

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Gaston by Kelly DiPucchio

Goatliocks and the Three Bears by Erica S. Perl

Green is a Chile Pepper: A Book of Colors by Roseanne Greenfield Thong

Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino

Ninja! by Arree Chung

Numeralia by Jorge Luján

 Peanut Butter and Jellyfish by Jarrett J. Krosoczka

The Story of Buildings by Patrick Dillon

Twelve Minutes to Midnight by Christopher Edge

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

Miss Emily by Burleigh Mutén

Laura Marx Fitzgerald @ Politics and Prose

First-time author Laura Marx Fitzgerald spoke to a large crowd of fifth graders at Politics and Prose on Monday, June 9, 2014. Her first book, Under the Egg, is a middle grade art mystery that takes place in New York City.

So, how did this former art history major and copywriter become a children's book author? A sense of inquiry and her need for discovery! Although she studied art history in college, Ms. Fitzgerald said, "It was excruciatingly boring!" because her classes were most often about art theory and comparing artists rather than the stories behind the art. After graduating, she started reading the kind of art history books that really captivated her imagination and satisfied her sense of curiosity: what was going on with the artists that motivated them to make art? what circumstances in the world around them inspired them or changed their art styles? In particular, Edward Dolnick's The Forger's Spell was a fascinating read for her about an art forger, the science related to art and forgery, the Nazi penchant to collect (or steal) art, and the psychology behind the desire to discover "lost" artworks.

She read more about painters like Raphael and Titian and the art that often revealed their secret lives. (In the Resources section of her website, Ms. Fitzgerald has additional background information about both artists, and more art history factoids relevant to Under the Egg.) Through the many books she read, the pieces began to come together for her own book about a young girl who is bequeathed a painting from her recently-deceased grandfather, only to discover the hidden painting underneath. Is it a Renaissance masterpiece? If so, how did it come into her grandfather's possession? And so begins a mystery that takes her all around Manhattan to discover the truth about the painting and her grandfather.

To use the term "interesting" to describe Ms. Fitzgerald's presentation would be unimaginative, but that's exactly what it was. I couldn't stop listening to her talk because I wanted to know more and more about art. She is so right about the stories behind the art making art history more engaging. I could tell that many of the students were captivated by the sometimes titillating details of an artist's life or the intrigue behind why a painter painted over a work of art. Her talk also reaffirmed that there is an intersection between art and science & technology, that STEAM is an extremely relevant topic to today's students.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

A bit better this week, although, admittedly I started off a bit slow. I really must remember to carry a book around with me; there's so much time I could be using to read while waiting in line, waiting for the kids, riding the Metro (although that happens only sporadically), etc.

Trying to get through my Borrowed Books shelf (i.e., books from libraries and Capitol Choices) so I can start the summer off with a "clean" reading slate. I'm making fairly good progress on that end, but then I went and bought some books this week so my to-read pile only gets bigger! But I guess that's a problem most readers have. ;)

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Dogs of War by Sheila Keenan, illustrated by Nathan Fox

The Grave Doug Freshley by Josh Hechinger

Kids Are Weird and Other Observations From Parenthood by Jeffrey Brown

Ms. Marvel, Issue 4 by G. Willow Wilson

The Pilot and the Little Prince: The Life of Antoine de Saint-Exupery by Peter Sís

Princess Ugg, Issue 1 by Ted Naifeh

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

The Story of Buildings by Patrick Dillon

The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

How I Became a Ghost by Tim Tingle