Book Gardens

Guest Post by Rashin Kheiriyeh

“Nestled in the branches of a tree,

Arlo opened his book and breathed in.

“Beginnings were always the best part.

They smelled as if anything were possible.”

I illustrated The Book Tree, written by Paul Czajak – a wonderful story about a boy who sits on the branches of a tree to read. When one of his books falls on the Mayor’s head, the Mayor decides to tear up every book in town – with disastrous consequences for teachers and their students, chefs and their restaurants, actors and their theatres and of course, libraries.

But then there was a miracle: “a sprout springing from where the page had been buried. It began to open its leaves. It reached for Arlo’s words, begging for more.” Pretty soon, Arlo was imagining and writing stories about giants and swans and fire-breathing beasts.

“People grew hungry for reading again. Some wrote their own stories and became book gardeners themselves.”

Even the Mayor finally shared the wonder of books.

My illustrations feature oil paint, ink and collages. I used natural materials to bring  depth and contrast to my drawings, like using real feathers, pieces of wood, fabrics and metals to make the collages more tangible.

People of the town have different skin tones with blue hair or mustaches. They look funny and whimsical.  The book tree itself is been printed with golden ink to give it a magical shine. The books that actually grow on the tree branches are in different languages.

The Book Tree can inspire student writing and even turn a whole school into book gardeners – limited only by your imagination.

Here are a few ideas to get started:

1 –  Have students draw a book tree full of their favorite books.

2 –  The teacher can draw a tree and each student draw or attach his/her favorite book to it.

3 – Draw the Mayor and Arlo as friends, reading a book together – or have students write a paragraph about what books the Mayor and Arlo enjoyed reading together. Perhaps they could even write a story together.

4 – Look at the illustrations in the book and find places where materials other than paint and paper have been used.  Make your own collage with lots of different materials.

The motto of publisher Barefoot Books is to “step inside a story.”  What stories would your students like to step inside?  The Book Tree celebrates the themes Barefoot Books seeks to highlight: “encourage independence of spirit, enthusiasm for learning and respect for the world’s diversity.”

 www.rashinart.com

CELEBRATE DIVERSITY ON MCCBD DAY

by Jacqueline Jules

“El barrio is a shimmering cold hydrant spray on a hot summer day, vegetable gardens instead of lawns, and bright colored houses that look like villages.”

In Debbi Chocolate’s El Barrio a little boy describes the people and sights of his vibrant city neighborhood accompanied by colorful illustrations by David Diaz.

“El barrio is silver-streaked tenements, neon city streets, storefront churches, and bodegas that never sleep.”

Read El Barrio to your students. Admire the lyrical language and all the culturally rich details. The discussion could naturally lead to a conversation about different kinds of communities and the fun of learning words from other countries, such as the ones listed in the glossary at the back of El Barrio.

Using El Barrio as a model, ask your students to write about the beauty in their own neighborhoods. If time, let them illustrate their work, too.

This exercise provides a great opportunity to celebrate the diversity in your classroom and gives students the chance to share something about their lives.

Multicultural Children’s BookDay will be celebrated this week on January 27^th. 

This national event was created to raise awareness for the kids’ books that celebrate diversity and to get more of these books into classrooms and libraries. To read about this exciting endeavor and how you can help, please visit their website.

If you'd like some book recommendations, visit this link for a list of resources to use on Multicultural Children’s Book Day 

Happy Multicultural Children’s Book Day!

www.jacquelinejules.com

WRITING CONNECTIONS WITH KAREN LEGGETT ABOURAYA

by Mary Quattlebaum

I’m delighted to welcome Karen Leggett Abouraya to Pencil Tips.  Karen is a long-time champion of children’s books and literacy and first-time co-author, with Susan L. Roth, of Hands Around the Library (Dial 2012), an inspiring nonfiction account of people coming together to protect the great library of Alexandria during the 2011 Egyptian revolution.  Karen reflects on the joys and challenges of writing and offers a prompt to jumpstart youngsters’ thinking about their own civic engagement. The book’s back matter and Susan’s website www.susanlroth.com include information on the international “Let’s Hold Hands” art project, which encourages children to create and share their own self-portrait collaged paper dolls.   This could be a wonderful project for the classroom or home.

1.  I loved reading about a community acting together to ensure the continuation of a library.  It seems that libraries are one of the most important (and cost-effective) ways to foster a love of reading and to ensure the availability of books for everyone.  What was your greatest joy in writing Hands Around the Library?

My greatest joy was finding the opportunity to write a compelling story about modern Egypt – and collaborating with a good friend to do it (acclaimed illustrator and collage artist Susan Roth).  Children know all about pyramids and mummies and the Sphinx, but we tend to forget that Egypt is full of people living busy and interesting lives today.

Here are Karen and Susan in one of Susan’s collage illustrations for the book.

  

2.  Has the book had an impact internationally?

The book has provided an opportunity to share both similarities and differences in the lives of American and Egyptian kids. During a Skype session between students in Alexandria, Virginia, and Alexandria, Egypt, one American boy asked the Egyptian children, “What’s your favorite food?”  An Egyptian girl said, “Pizza and hamburgers.”  It may have been one of the more significant questions of the day because it reminded these kids that they are more alike than different.

3.  What was your greatest challenge in writing the book?

The biggest challenge was making sure we stayed true to what actually happened during the revolution in Egypt in 2011.  The “goosebumps” in this story come not so much from a sense of imminent danger as from seeing so many diverse people – rich and poor, Muslim and Christian, young and old – holding hands to save one community institution they all cherished.  We worked hard to give that message top priority in the story.

4.  Your school visits galvanize much discussion.  Do you have a writing prompt that might connect with the book?

I have conversations, more than writing exercises, with students, but this question would work as a writing prompt as well. The most interesting discussions have been generated when I ask, “What place in your community is so special that you would work hard to save it if it were going to be damaged or destroyed?”   The answers have ranged from the local animal shelter to a local park to the students’ school and homes to Chuck E. Cheese (yes, that was the very first answer I received to this question!). Then we talk about what you might do to save that place – especially if you are one kid or a group of kids – making signs, writing letters, organizing friends, gathering petitions, etc.  I’ve had some great discussions with kids on these issues of civic engagement.

Thank you, Karen!   Your prompt got me thinking about ways to save and strengthen libraries in the United States, many of which have been hit hard by budget cuts.

www.maryquattlebaum.com