Courage & Defiance

You know I am a fan of well-crafted, thought-provoking nonfiction of all kinds.  I love when a title leaves me with questions - things to mull over later.  I strongly believe that the best nonfiction leaves you wanting more, that the reader will then take the bibliography or resource list and continue to learn.  When I was offered the chance to review Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs and Survivors in World War II Denmark, I knew that Deborah Hopkinson would have written a book that would make me think.  I had already read and loved many of her previous titles, including most recently Titanic: Voices from the Disaster.   What I didn't know when I accepted this assignment was that I would cry, cheer and sit in awe of the people contained within its pages.

The story Hopkinson tells is about the small island nation of Denmark.  When Germany came marching into Denmark on April 6, 1940, the country of Denmark did nothing.  The.  Not y quickly realized that their military could not resist the much larger German military, and their best hope was to surrender.  Amazingly, while the Danish government thought this was the safest plan of action, its people did not agree.  Hopkinson writes "But it began that first day, when ordinary citizens woke up to a changed world.  It began with anger, disbelief, and determination.  And it began with individuals asking themselves a difficult, almost impossible question: what can one person - or even a few together - do to make a difference against a powerful invading force?" (p. 22-23)

To me, the answer to the question is continually surprising.  Not because one or two people wanted to make a difference, or even hoped they could, but because so many Danish citizens stood up against the Germans.  They fought back in clever ways, risking their lives to do what was right.  For instance, Tommy Sneum, who was a pilot and lived by a German-occupied air force base.  A German soldier accidentally gave Tommy information about an early-warning system that the Germans were using to watch for Allied planes at the base.  Sneum risked his life repeatedly to get this system documented and the information to the Allies.  This included such inconceivable tasks as reconstructing an airplane in a farmer's barn to fly it across the ocean to England to deliver the intelligence.  And since they couldn't risk landing the single-engine plane anywhere the Germans might discover them, Tommy and his co-pilot would have to refuel in midair.

Tommy's story is just one of the incredibly daring stories Hopkinson has documented here.  And what is incredible to me about these stories is that these aren't necessarily the stories of generals in the Danish military or government officials scheming to save their countrymen.  These are the stories of people like you and me.  Many of the stories involve young people who easily see the injustice and fight back.  Niels Skov begins his sabotage by blowing up German cars on the street.  It may have seemed small, but it was something.

Hopkinson follows several people throughout the war, retelling their efforts at collecting information, performing feats of sabotage, and basically doing everything possible to slow the Germans down.  One truly amazing story begins on October 1, 1943, the day the Germans came to round up all of the Danish Jews.  There were 7700 Jews in Denmark, and it would take the bravery of many people to get as many of them as possible to safety.  Reading this story was one of the times tears came to my eyes - the entire country showed courage and defiance in accomplishing this miracle.  They protected their Jewish neighbors and friends and got more than 7200 of them to Sweden safely.  That is a jaw-dropping number.

Even for those of us who are familiar with the history of World War II, there is something new to learn here.  I mentioned earlier that this book left me with additional questions. Hopkinson's book inspired me to learn more.  In her prologue, she advises "Courage & Defiance is an introduction to a multifaceted, complex story, and there are many aspects I have not addressed." (p. 1)  For example, I wanted to learn more about how 7200 Jews were able to move into hiding without attracting attention from German soldiers on very short notice.  I want to know more about the governmental response.  A good piece of nonfiction gets the reader wondering, and then it provides the reader with strong resources to continue their exploration of the subject.

The back matter in this book is, of course, complete and extraordinary.  There are pages o selected resources (including a section of books of special interest to young readers), online resources, source notes, information on the Danish language, and more.  My only minor complaint is that while I read the book, I kept wishing for a map of Denmark to be able to better visualize some of the action.  I did find one, but it was in the back matter, so I didn't find it until I was finished with the book.  That might be a lesson for those of you who are teachers - encourage your students to explore the back matter first, to get a feeling for what information they will be exposed to in the heart of the book.


These stories give hope in the face of one of the greatest evils our world has known.  People all over Denmark stood up and did something, even if it was small.  Hopkinson's retelling is suspenseful and readable.  I couldn't put it down and can't wait to share it with others.  Thanks again to Deborah Hopkinson for appearing.  For other stops on the Courage & Defiance blog tour, please check http://deborahhopkinson.com/

 

 

Courage & Defiance: Stories of Spies, Saboteurs, and Survivors in World War II Denmark. Deborah Hopkinson.  Scholastic Press, 2015.

sent by the author for review

Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure

I have a confession to make - I am probably a small town girl at heart.  Or possibly a medium city girl at the most.  This might surprise those of you who know that I lived in San Diego until I was 21.  Or those of you who know me from my time living in Phoenix - both big cities.  I do love the benefits of living in a big city - the shopping (an actual mall!), the arts (very few bands make Helena a tour stop!)!  But I also really appreciate many of the things this small town showcases.  And I'm comfortable here.  When I was in college, I took a train from Virginia to Massachusetts.  I had to switch trains in New York City.  Granted, I never left the actual station, but even that experience intimidated me.  I've never wanted to go back.  So I feel a lot of admiration for books with characters who treat New York City so casually - who have, indeed, conquered it.  It's one of the things I mentioned in my review of Starry Night.  And that confident independence (something I could never imitate) is what strikes me about Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure.

It begins like any other school day for these tweens.  They emerge from the subway, thinking about the field trip that day.  And then there is Pablo, whose parents are hovering over him, worrying because it is his first day at this school.  He tugs away from them to enter school on his own, saying "Please just go away!"  But in true mom fashion, his mother gets in the last word, announcing loudly and in public that she's packed Pablo's teddy bear into his backpack in case he gets lonely.  I can feel Pablo's cringing embarrassment from all these thousands of miles away.

Pablo is part of the class going on the field trip, and Alicia volunteers to be his partner for the trip.  It starts off poorly, with the other kids teasing them.  Then  the teacher engages the class in a discussion of their favorite subway trains, since they will be traveling on one to the Empire State Building.  When all the other students rattle off their preferred subway lines, Pablo takes a calculated risk and volunteers the X train.  That starts the rest of the class off into giggles again, since everyone else knows there is no X train.  Pablo has attracted the wrong sort of attention.

But their teacher smoothly moves on from Pablo's mistake, giving lots of facts about both the construction of the subway system and the Empire State Building.  As the class makes their way down to the subway platform, Alicia asks Pablo where he's from.  Pablo replies "Nowhere.  My dad has to move a lot for his job."  Alicia asks Pablo "But where is HOME for you?"  He replies angrily "NOWHERE!", and Alicia states the obvious "Then I guess New York is your home now!"  Pablo huffs "Whatever."  You can already see their emotions about the day in this exchange - Pablo is overwhelmed and negative; Alicia upbeat and positive.

As they enter the platform, the teacher is explaining the difference between express and local trains.  The platform fills with commuters - talking, walking, checking their phones.  Alicia takes the opportunity to show Pablo a map, so he can familiarize himself with the subway system.  Just as she drags him over, though, the rest of the class boards a local train (which makes additional stops).  In a moment of panic, Pablo grabs Alicia to rush her to the train.  But they have rushed onto the wrong train.  The teacher gestures wildly at them, hoping that they will get off at the next stop the two trains share.  In the meantime, Pablo and Alicia argue over whose decision got them separated from the rest of the class.

The panicked decision-making from Pablo and Alicia only continues throughout their travels.  They are impulsive and worried, jumping from train to train.  At this point in the story, this mother was worrying about their safety.  But at least Alicia is a city kid, comfortable with the maze of subways.  Pablo has the sheer determination to conquer the new school and the subway.  The thing they need to succeed in reuniting with their class: each other.  Can they work together and maybe even become friends?

As much of the story fascinates me, being as far from my children's life experiences as can be, what amazes me about Lost in NYC are the layered, thoughtful illustrations.  The series that TOON Books began publishing last fall is called TOON Graphics for Visual Readers, and I think Lost in NYC is one of the best examples of this series.  Let's start with the endpapers.

The front set of endpapers shows a cropped section of the NYC Subway map, including parts of Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.  It has the stops marked in bold black font and the trains in different colors.  The subway lines interweave on the map, showing how commuters get where they need to go.  It's a traditional subway map - one that is most likely available at any stop to stash in your pocket.  It is the same map posted on the wall in the subway station where the class loses Alicia and Pablo.  On the back endpapers, the students' trip is shown.  The scale is off - the children are as big as buildings - but this is purposeful.  You can spot Alicia, Pablo, and their class throughout this map as they travel.  It's whimsical and suits the story perfectly.  Pablo, for instance, enters a subway car at one height, then in the next car, he fills the car completely, looking a little scared and out of his depth.  It also shows Alicia, the class and Pablo all converging on the Empire State Building.  I like this slightly different perspective on the map of their journey - it feels a little more emotional.  It gives readers a unique view of how they all got to their destination.

As we all know, there are millions of people in New York City, Sanchez has the challenge of drawing the crowd of people surrounding Pablo and Alicia throughout the book, but to also keep the readers' attention.  Many people are dressed in muted colors, so that Alicia (dressed in pink and green) and Pablo (in blues) stand out.  But the commuters also have lots of individual details that draw the eye - absorbed in their phones as they wait, shuffling along in single-file lines, listening to headphones, reading - there are lots of terrific details when the reader pores over the illustrations.

One of the other very cool things about this book is the way it incorporates photographs and New York City history into the graphic novel format.  When the teacher begins to give information to the class in preparation for their trip, the class is shown on a map of the subways (again, much like the one in the front of the book).  The teacher explains how the subways were constructed at the turn of the century, which included digging trenches for the trains.  As he describes the construction process, the students perch on the edges of newly dug trenches.  This double-paged spread is also filled with historic photographs of the subways being built - another way for students to visualize what happened then.

Finally, this book does not disappoint in back matter either.  TOON always has great information in its back matter, and Lost in NYC is perfect.  There is a fascinating behind-the-scenes section about Sanchez's trip to New York City and how he found all the details included in the book.  There are also pages on the subway system's history and the subway system today.  Finally, there is a brief history of the Empire State Building and of course, a bibliography. It is especially helpful that the books in the bibliography are provided with age ranges to help guide readers.

As always, these books are quality products, elegantly designed, but with an appeal to children.  Even here in our little town of Helena, Frances and Gloria have read and re-read Lost in NYC.  I hope you will too!

Lost in NYC: A Subway Adventure.  Nadja Spiegelman and Sergio Garcia Sanchez.  TOON Graphics, 2015.

sent by the publisher for review

A Nation's Hope

There are some books we hear about all year long because they've been written by a famous author or illustrator.  There are some books we hear about all year long because they are quirky or are just plain enjoyable.  And there are some books that are mentioned all year long because they are just plain fabulous.  And A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis is just plain fabulous.  As an example of its fabulosity, it was just this week named one of the New York Times' Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2011.  It is also a Cybils Non-Fiction Picture Book Nominee, which is why I am reviewing it here.

Full disclosure:  I looked for A Nation's Hope at my public library this summer after hearing its buzz.  The book's status was checked in, but after I put it on hold the library quickly determined that it was lost.  I tweeted about my frustration, and Matt de la Pena did tweet back that he would hunt down the thief for me!  Also, there is a San Diego connection between de la Pena, Nelson and myself - we all at least attended high school there, and Kadir lives there now.  Just some fun facts before I dive into my review...I love how connected we can be with social media!

De la Pena opens this story at Yankee Stadium in 1938.  It is in the middle of the action - the crowd is buzzing and full of excitement.  The crowd is waiting for Joe Louis to fight German Max Schmeling, as we learn in subsequent pages.  This could be confusing for readers who don't know much about Joe Louis and his history.  But it works in this case because de la Pena helps readers cue in to the high energy and excitement.  This sucks readers into this moment in time.  We want to read on and find out why everyone is waiting for this fight to start.  De la Pena balances the tension of the fight (which is billed as the United States against the Nazis) with the story of Joe Louis' life.

There is a lot of weight on Louis' shoulders as he waits to fight - the "weight of history", the weight of the nation's need for him to win, to show Germany their power, the weight of the underdog, the weight of being black in America.  As we examine Joe Louis' life, we see that he also staggered under the weight of other people's expectations (his mother expected him to be a musician) and he also worked through the weight of defeat - working harder and harder every time he lost as an amateur.  What Joe Louis carried on his shoulders was the weight of learning - he learned from every experience and came out of it a better fighter.

De la Pena uses a free verse style to draw readers through the dual stories.  In this style he can give the important facts, the important feelings of the fight without getting weighed down.  He creates a successful mix of sportswriting, biography, poetry and informational text.  Readers will get the historical context while feeling like they are there, waiting for the bell to ring.

There is a good reason why this was named one of the New York Times' 2011 Best Illustrated Children's Books.  Nelson's oils on wood are simply amazing.  One of the most spectacular things he does in this book is his work on black backgrounds.  You would think that the black background would be unmanageable, that it would be difficult to paint light images onto the dark background, but in fact the opposite is true.  The darkness of the background just serves to emphasize the light in the rest of the painting.  One double-page spread is a closeup of Louis' arms and hands in boxing gloves.  His arms glow with sweat and hard work, veins and muscles delineated.  The black background only makes the light source warmer.  The same is true for a painting at the beginning of the fight.  Nelson does the unbelievable, making the lights (which are also black, but give off warm yellow light) stand out from the rest of the dark shadows of the stadium.  Most paintings where Louis is featured are from a perspective slightly below him.  This always makes him look like the hero he was and is.  The art is astonishing.

Now that's not to say that I think this is a perfect book, but it's pretty darn close.  I really missed the back matter for this title.  Because de la Pena's text is so spare and taut, I think that there could have been a bibliography of other recommended titles or source notes.  I would have liked to see notes from the author and illustrator, describing their process or maybe the sources they used to create this portrait of Joe Louis.  I would have even liked to see some other biographical information about Louis - his fight record or when he retired.  All of these, I believe, would help students use this book as a springboard for more research.  But these things don't stand in the way of a great piece of sportswriting at a perilous time in history.  Please take a look at it.  I know you'll be moved by this powerful story.

Note: I am on the Cybils Nonfiction Picture Book panel, but this blog post does not represent the committee's thoughts about the book.  It only represents my ideas and thoughts.
 
 A Nation's Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis. Matt de la Pena; illustrated by Kadir Nelson.  Dial Books for Young Readers, 2011.

borrowed from Helena School District

Old Penn Station

I recently found an old email recommending several good picture books from 2007.  While I was familiar with the authors of all three books, I wasn't familiar with the books themselves, so I interlibrary-loaned them.  The one that I loved the most of this set was Old Penn Station by William Low.  Perhaps it struck a chord because of its format - it is definitely a nonfiction picture book.  Nonfiction picture books are more important to me these days because of my current work as a Cybils panelist.  But whatever the reason. I want to share it with you.

Low includes an author's note at the beginning of the book, explaining why he was so interested in Old Penn Station.  He began to create the paintings for this book as part of a thesis project.  Low had always loved New York City and its history, and Old Penn Station is evocative of both of these.

Low takes the history of this station and distills it into sentences that are easily accessible for even kindergarten students.  There are only one or two sentences per page, but they give you the feel of the station as it was built, and, eventually, torn down.  For those of you who may not be familiar with it (like me), the Pennsylvania Railroad Company created the original Penn Station to have a station presence in New York.  It was designed to make a grand statement, and no expense was spared in its creation.  Eventually, however, as commuting changed, people were not using trains and the gorgeous Penn Station was torn down.  It was replaced by the current underground station.

Low used oil paintings to depict the station in all its facets.  One of the things that Low mentions about his own work on his website and in a video located on the website about the making of this book) is his love of light.  He looks for places to include light sources, and in this book the use of light is amazing.  Light and shadows are everywhere - making you realize how truly beautiful the old station was.  The most jaw-dropping picture to me is the title page painting.  Workers pose in front of a stone sculpture at the station, and half the painting (and half the group) is in shadow, the other half bathed in warm light.  It's almost as if a drop cloth is being pulled off a sculpture or painting, exposing it to the light.  It is a magical effect.

One of the themes Low emphasizes in this book is work and the pride workers took in what they had created.  There were many, many people who toiled to create this station.  There were tunnel workers who burrowed under the Hudson River, stone masons who carved sculptures and hundreds of construction workers involved.  Once the station was built, there were still many workers involved in a traveler's experience within Penn Station.  Low highlights these workers as well - the shoeshine man, the porter, the wait staff, the conductors.  The expressions on their faces show their pride, their dedication to their work.  You can see how much they love working in the station.  It is not only a history of the station, but also a history of work as many of these jobs are no longer as prevalent.
Another thing Low does in this book is make the concept of historical preservation understandable for very young readers.  We see many of the stone sculptures that stone masons carved throughout the book.  But Low focuses on one of the stone maidens throughout the destruction of Penn Station.  As the text describes the Pennsylvania Railroad Company's belief that the old Penn Station needed to be torn down in order to modernize it, you see the stone maiden over and over again.  Readers admire her luminosity and grace in the beginning of the book, along with admiration for the hard work of the stone mason.  Then as the stone maiden is hauled away to rest unceremoniously in a dump, readers become aware of the loss and sadness in this process.  You feel palpable sorrow as the maiden is hoisted off the building.  Low talks in his video about his anger at the destruction, but there is also grief in the paintings.  Low goes on to describe the founding of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and its importance in protecting the rest of the city's historical landmarks.  I think this is a perfect place for teachers to draw connections between New York City and their own towns,  It is so important to preserve history and to make children aware of what history can teach us.

Low includes a bibliography at the end of this history, so teachers can extrapolate more information to use with their students.  Unfortunately, it seems that the majority of these sources are adult books, but there are always ways to use the photos and other primary sources.

This book has come from Low's heart, and it is especially rich for all of his emotion about Penn Station.  I hope you will take time to admire this glorious book and honor this part of New York City's history.

Old Penn Station.  William Low.  Henry Holt & Co., 2007.

borrowed on interlibrary loan

The Great Migration

I first heard about The Great Migration on School Library Journal’s Heavy Medal blog, which covers the Newbery award throughout the year.  Especially since I am without my close-knit library community here in Helena, I try to pay attention to what others are reading (and liking) this year.  While I have some people I “talk books” with here, I really miss having review journals to go through and my trusted group of librarian friends to talk with on a daily basis.

Anyways, back to this poetry collection.  Eloise Greenfield is a famous author of poetry for children, with many awards on her shelf.  Jan Spivey Gilchrist is also a noted award-winning illustrator, who has collaborated with Greenfield multiple times.  But this isn’t their only shared history.  The jacket copy notes that both of their families were part of the Great Migration. 

The Great Migration happened between 1915 and 1930, and included more than a million African Americans, according to Greenfield’s author’s note.  Many of these people were trying to escape the hopelessness, racism and poverty of their lives in the South, and had heard rumors of a better, happier life in the North.

Greenfield begins this collection of poetry with a poem entitled “The News”, which begins to build excitement and hope for a new life.  It also shows African Americans encouraging each other to hope and dream.  She then continues on with various people saying goodbye to their lives in the South.  These poems have sorrow and pain – after all, many of these people are going on ahead of their families to find jobs and housing.  But they also include words of hope as they turn towards the North.  All of these poems are free verse, so it is easy for young readers to connect with the people leaving, to feel their hardships and anxiety about their new lives.

Finally as the characters we’ve met, and faceless, nameless others arrive in the North, they turn around to extend a willing, helping hand to those still in the South, worried about this move.  They encourage those left behind to have hope, to move on.  The last section of poems are from Eloise Greenfield’s  own life – her family’s move from North Carolina to Washington DC.  Although at four months old, Eloise is too young to remember the move, she describes the trip and how hard it was for her mother.

Greenfield’s poetry is relatable, strong and moving – worthy of being included in any Newbery debate.  But what astonished me about this book is Gilchrist’s artwork.  It is mostly collage with color washes over the illustrations.  Gilchrist has used a combination of historical photographs and illustrations with her own artwork added in, and this gives the book a gripping feel of authenticity.  You look into the faces of the people moving North, and really see the hope and fears Greenfield is describing.  The personal story that Greenfield tells through her poems comes to life with these photographs.  You see their strength and despair in their lives in the South.  While there are many superb illustrations here, my favorite is on the third page of the poem “The Trip”.  A train steams across the top third of the page, carrying all those people North across a gentle blue sky.   At first glance, below the train is a golden wheat field, mentioned in the text.  But look closer to see figures interspersed in the stalks of wheat, looking North across the page, but still left behind in the South.  It is powerful, aching, and gives the poem a real sense of escape. 

The book ends with a short bibliography for additional research if necessary.  I think both author and illustrator have done exemplary work in this book, and I can only hope it’s recognized for its strengths.  You feel the intensity of this migration from hopelessness to a hope-filled future.  As Greenfield says, these families are “filling up the cities with/ their hopes and their courage./ And their dreams.”

The Great Migration: Journey to the North.  Eloise Greenfield, illustrated by Jan Spivey Gilchrist.  Amistad: HarperCollins, 2011.

Borrowed from Lewis & Clark Library

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum

When we went to the public library about ten days ago, we walked over to the children's new nonfiction display.  I always like to see what is available - as you can tell, I'm reading a lot of children's nonfiction.  On this trip, Frances (who is 3 1/2) went over and immediately selected Pop!: The Invention of Bubble Gum.  I sort of groaned inside, because I'm not that interested in bubble gum, and I believed that once we got it home Frances would never look at it again.  Besides, my girls aren't even allowed to chew gum!  But we checked it out, and amazingly Frances proudly carried it over to her aunt's house that night.  We finally sat down to read it the next day, and boy, was I impressed!

Pop! is a simplified version of the Fleet company's invention of bubble gum.  It enfolds the specific story of Walter Diemer, an accountant turned inventor at Fleet, into this history.  McCarthy's skill is in distilling this story (and the history of chewing gum) into one or two compelling, interesting sentences per page.  Frances and Gloria (3 1/2 and 2) listened to the entire story twice, which especially speaks to its readability. 

But just because it is short and basic doesn't mean that McCarthy skimps on research.  In fact she artfully includes quotes from Diemer in the easy to read text.  She also includes a strong bibliography in the back matter, along with a biography of Diemer and facts about gum.  So her research is solid and will allow kids to use this book as a starting point for papers and projects.  To me, this book is unusual in its strength for preschool-grade 2 nonfiction.

And the illustrations are just as appealing as the story McCarthy reports.  The majority of the illustrations are double-page spread acrylic paintings, rich in their color.  The figures in the paintings have super-round eyes, resembling perfectly blown bubbles.  The people depicted are friendly and smiling, giving a great impression of determination and goodwill.  Without making the paintings busy with a lot of background detail, McCarthy still conveys the historical time period through dress, automobiles and buildings (the majority of the book takes place in the 1920's). 

Pop! is a truly successful nonfiction book.  It makes the history of bubble gum interesting and the scientific process exciting.  McCarthy has made a believer out of me.  But my girls will not be chewing bubble gum any time soon!!

Pop! The Invention of Bubble Gum.  Meghan McCarthy.  Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2010.  Borrowed from Lewis & Clark Library