Gentle Norwegian Story Helps Children Understand Death

Life and I: A Story about Death

Written by Elisabeth Helland Larsen and Illustrated by Marine Schneider

Translated by Rosie Hedger

Little Gestalten, Berlin, 2016

Ages 5 – 8

With clear green eyes and a flower in her hair, Death rides a pink bicycle and visits small animals with soft fur and big animals with sharp teeth.

In this Norwegian import, “Life and I: A Story about Death,” death is portrayed as a kind and gentle black-haired girl. The words are poetic and pretty. Colorful pastel drawings create a warm, soft mood for the story.

The story is reassuring for children who may have questions about death. But a parent should read the story first before deciding whether to share it with their child.

Sometimes disturbing ideas, such as many people dying in a fire, are broached. But they are discussed in a tender way, “Shoulder to shoulder we stand in a circle. I put up lights for all to see.”

Another page brings up the death of children: “From time to time I meet those with downy soft hair and little warm hands that I hold in my own.”

And another considers, “Many people ponder all their lives what will happen when I come. Will it be chaotic or quiet, with the loss of a heartbeat and one last breath?”

The story brings up several positive ideas about death. One is that death makes way for new living things to grow. Another is that life and death live together in every body.

Life is portrayed as a red-haired twin to the black-haired Death. The two girls sit quietly together huddling over a town, or resting against tree trunks.

Finally, the narrator Death tells the reader, “If you are afraid of me or of Life, I can whisper something to you ... Love!”

Love does not die, even when it meets Death, the narrator says.

About the Author and Illustrator:

A native of Norway, Elisabeth Helland Larsen studied theater in Paris at the Ecole Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq and children's literature in Oslo at the Norsk Barnebokinstitutt. She has worked as a clown for more than 20 years in hospitals and hospices, as well as refugee camps, circuses, and theaters.

Marine Schneider has drawn since she could hold a pencil. The young Belgian illustrator just received her degree from the LUCA School of Arts. “Life and I” is her children's book debut.

Amusing Story Encourages Kids Who Are Toilet Training

The Saddest Toilet in the World

Written by Sam Apple and Illustrated by Sam Ricks

Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s publishing Division, 2016

Ages: 3-7

Parents who are struggling with toilet training their youngsters may find help from “The Saddest Toilet in the World,” a cheeky picture book about a toilet who runs away from home because Danny won’t sit on him.

The story is set in New York City and the active, comic-strip like illustrations show the toilet finding a familiar-looking exhibit at a modern art museum, being photographed with a family in Times Square, playing chess with an elderly man in a park, and riding in a horse carriage at Central Park. 

  

The morning after the toilet takes off Danny decides he is ready to begin sitting on the toilet. He and his parents discover the toilet is missing and he and his mom go through the city looking for him. They look everywhere, but can’t find the toilet.

On the way home, Danny spots the toilet on the subway. He tells him he’s ready to sit on him. The toilet needs some assurances, but finally decides to come home.  True to his word, Danny sits on the toilet and the toilet is happy and so is Danny. The story ends as the family rides a roller coaster to celebrate.

“The Saddest Toilet in the World” is well written and the colorful, active illustrations perfectly complement the story. Recommended.

About the Author and Illustrator:

Sam Apple teaches creative writing at the University of Pennsylvania and is the author of “American Parent” and “Schlepping Through the Alps.”  His work has appeared in “The New York Times Magazine,” “Financial Times Magazine,” and NewYorker.com, among many other publications. A native Texan, Apple now lives in Philadelphia with his wife Jennifer and their three children, Isaac, Lila and Nina. 

Sam Ricks is the illustrator of several books for young readers including Simon & Schuster’s Data Set series. Sam earned his BA from Brigham Young University and his MA from the University of Baltimore. He is a founding member of Cotopaxi: Gear for Good. He lives with his wife and five children in Salt Lake City, Utah. Visit Sam at samricks.com.  

    

Biography of Early Female Sports Reporter Is Inspiring

Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber

Written by Sue Macy and Illustrated by C.F. Payne

Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016

Ages: 5-8

“Miss Mary Reporting: The True Story of Sportswriter Mary Garber” is a wonderful picture book biography: well written, engaging and inspiring in its subject. It is the story of Mary Garber, one of the first American female sports reporters.

Mary grew up in the 1920s and ‘30s, first in New Jersey and then in Winston-Salem, N.C. Even though she was a tiny girl, she always loved sports: playing football with the boys, going to football games with her dad and sister, and following boxing, baseball and football in the newspaper.

She graduated from Hollins College, a women’s school in Roanoke, Va., with a degree in philosophy. Then she struggled to find a job as a newspaper reporter, and finally took a post as a society reporter for the Twin City Sentinel, a paper in Winston-Salem. Reporting on the fashionable dresses rich people wore to social events didn’t interest her though.

Mary got her break during World War II when many young men joined the armed forces, leaving women to take over jobs on the home front.  After the Sentinel’s last sportswriter joined the navy in 1944, the editor assigned Mary to cover sports.

       

 She continued to write about sports for the Twin City Sentinel, and then its sister paper the Winston-Salem Journal after the Sentinel went out of business in 1985, until she was 86 in 2002, though she officially retired in 1986.

As one of the first woman sports reporters, Mary faced many obstacles, especially in the beginning. In the 1940s, women weren’t allowed to sit in the press box at college games. She had to sit with the coaches’ wives until her editor complained. As a woman, she also wasn’t allowed in the locker room.

When the male reporters interviewed players as they changed into their street clothes, she had to wait outside. It was hard for her to get quotes from the players because they were eager to get home after they left the locker room.

She wrote about Jackie Robinson, who played for the Dodgers as the first black player in major league baseball since the 1880s. Robinson became a role model for her. She felt inspired by how he maintained a quiet dignity despite taunts and jeers from people who couldn’t accept a black man in the major leagues.

Mary’s color blindness came out in her decision to begin covering games at Winston-Salem’s all black schools. At that time, many schools in the South were segregated, with white children attending all-white schools and black children attending all-black schools. When Mary began writing for the sports pages, the Sentinel rarely covered games at the black schools. Mary changed that.

Mary won many awards for her reporting and was voted into sportswriters’ halls of fame. But she said the greatest compliment she ever got happened when she was covering the Soap Box Derby in Winston-Salem. A friend of hers overheard a conversation between two eight- and ten-year-old African-American boys.  The older boy pointed to Mary and said, “Do you see that lady down there on the field?” The other boy nodded.

“That’s Miss Mary Garber. And she doesn’t care who you are, or where you’re from, or what you are. If you do something, she’s going to write about you.”

As strong as this book is editorially, it is equally powerful visually. The mixed media illustrations by C.F. Payne compliment the story perfectly.  They fill the pages with character and movement, and are well composed for dramatic effect.

With its clear writing, nice use of quotations, and inspiring story, coupled with outstanding artwork, this picture book biography is strongly recommended.

About the Author and Illustrator:

Sue Macy enjoys writing about sports for children. Her latest picture book, “Roller Derby Rivals,” was a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year and was called “a slam bang offering” by Betsy Bird, who writes the blog, “A Fuse 8 Production,” for School Library Journal. Her previous picture book, “Basketball Belles,” was a Booklist Editors’ Choice for 2011. Before turning to full-time writing, Sue was an editor and editorial director at Scholastic. She lives in Englewood, N.J., and her website is suemacy.com.

C.F. Payne is the illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestseller “Mousetronaut” by Mark Kelly and “Mighty Jackie: The Strike-Out Queen” by Ernest Lawrence Thayer, which earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly. He has received great acclaim for his work, including awards from the Society of Illustrators in New York and Los Angeles. C.F. is a professor of distinction in the illustration department at Columbus College of Art and Design. He lives with his family in Lebanon, Ohio, and his website is cfpayne.com.

    

“Brave Like Me” Helps Kids of Military Personnel

Brave Like Me

By Barbara Kerley

National Geographic Society; April 12, 2016

Ages: 4-8

When a mom or dad is serving in the military far from home, children have to be brave. Simple text told from the child’s point of view is matched with colorful photographs of real children and military personnel from all over the world. The child narrator tells about his struggles with sadness, anger and fear.

But he/she knows his parents have worked hard to learn how to stay safe. The child talks to his parent on the phone and on the computer, and sends letters, photos and drawings. He/she tries to do the best he can at school. The rest of the family makes dinner, reads books aloud and tucks him/her in at night. Neighbors and friends take him/her to the park, the movies and the pool. He/she stays busy with friends, pets and alone. So there will be “lots of things to talk about and a million hugs and kisses to share when they come.”

At the back of the book, the reader learns where every photo in the book was taken. There is more information about dealing with separation and a note to caregivers. Children are quoted telling what being brave means to them. More information is provided about the military services and what military personnel do around the world. Further resources are listed. Finally, a couple of military personnel are quoted telling some things they do to make it easier for their children.

About the Author:

Barbara Kerley is the author of six award-winning books for National Geographic. Her latest is “With a Friend by Your Side,” which Booklist declared is “sure to win hearts.” “The World is Waiting for You,” “A Cool Drink of Water,” and “One World, One Day,” received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly. “You and Me Together“ was named an American Library Association (ALA) Notable Book and “A Little Peace” was called “stunningly beautiful” by the “Boston Globe.” Barbara is also the author of “What to Do About Alice?” “A Home for Emerson,” and “The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins,” a Caldecott Honor Book

When Barbara was a young girl, her best friend’s father was in the military, serving in combat far from home. When she grew up, Barbara taught English classes in a program for veterans who were preparing to go back to school. There she met many men and women who were disciplined, hardworking and very brave.      

    

National Geographic Publishes Kids’ Books for Easter

In time for Easter, the National Geographic Society is coming out with two educational books for youngsters: a paperback version of a children’s book about Easter traditions first published in 2007 and a board book about farm animals.

Holidays around the World: Celebrate Easter with Colored Eggs, Flowers, and Prayer

By Deborah Heiligman with the Rev. George Handzo

National Geographic Society, paperback edition, 2016

Ages: 6-9

The history and traditions of Easter are told in a first-person plural narrative with many colorful vibrant photographs. Children learn about the religious and secular celebration of the holiday throughout the world.

Photos show Sunday services letting out in Ghana; an Easter procession on Marinduque Island in the Philippines; Christians celebrating Palm Sunday in Jerusalem; and thousands gathering for Easter Sunday Mass at St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican in Rome.

More photos depict revelers in New Orleans for a Mardi Gras parade; children at the White House Easter Egg Roll in Washington, D.C.; a dog with a pink hat and pink painted toe nails in the Easter Parade in New York City; and women decorating chocolate Easter eggs in a factory in Sydney, Australia. 

           

At the back of the book, children can learn more facts about Easter, how to hide messages in Easter eggs, two popular Easter hymns, and how to make Easter cookies. Several children’s books about Easter and educational Web sites are listed. A glossary tells definitions of a handful of words. A map shows all the areas in the world where photos were taken for the book. Finally, the book’s consultant, the Rev. George Handzo, gives parents and teachers more historical and cultural background about Easter.  

    

About the Author and Consultant:

Deborah Heiligman was a religious studies major in college. Today, she specializes in writing about complex subjects for young people, tackling everything from butterflies to the Titanic. Her award-winning books for National Geographic include “Honeybees;” “Babies: All You Need to Know;” and “High Hopes: A Photobiography of John F. Kennedy." Deborah lives in New York City with her husband and two sons. Visit her at www.deborahheiligman.com and tell her how you celebrate Easter.

The Reverend George Handzo is an associate vice president of the HealthCare Chaplaincy, a center for pastoral care, education, and research around the world. It is based in New York.

National Geographic Kids Look & Learn: Farm Animals

By Catherine D. Hughes

National Geographic Society, 2016

Ages: 2-5

Young children can learn more about some of their favorite farm animals and enjoy colorful photographs in this kid-size board book. The language is simple and age appropriate. In the last pages, the children are quizzed about what they have learned. They can point to the picture of the animal that answers each question.  

About the author:

Catherine D. Hughes is the executive editor of preschool content at National Geographic. She has written several other National Geographic books for youngsters.

Funny Book Pokes Fun at 'Normal'

Normal Norman

Written by Tara Lazar and Illustrated by S. Britt

Sterling Children’s Books, March 2016

Ages: 4+

An eager young scientist, narrating her first book, is tasked with defining the word “normal.” To do this, she describes the appearance, home and family of Norman, who is “exceedingly normal.”

Unfortunately, Norman, a purple orangutan, turns out to be anything but normal. He drives a dune buggy, feels sorry for bananas and oranges when they’re peeled, and sleeps with a stuffed animal named Mr. Scruffles.

Hilarity ensues as the little scientist becomes more and more frustrated with Norman for ruining her demonstration. Finally, she throws her clipboard up in despair and begins to cry. Norman comforts her and invites her to observe him and his friends in their natural habitat. A rhinoceros paints, a lion rides a scooter, a giraffe roller skates, and a crocodile and snake play marbles. Finally, the junior scientist decides normal is different for everyone. She quits her narration and decides to do her normal hobby, riding on the back of a rhino and playing an unusual, new-fangled horn. The head scientist writes on his clipboard, “Results: ‘Normal’ is impossible to define. Assignment complete!"

“Normal Norman” is a fun story with a good message for children. The colorful, vibrant illustrations ratchet up the humor and offer many details for readers to enjoy.

About the Author and Illustrator:

Tara Lazar lives in Basking Ridge, NJ, with her husband, two daughters, and 2,749 stuffed animals including a four-foot-tall Norman.  She’s the author of “The Monstore,” “I Thought This Was a Bear Book” (both Simon & Schuster), and “Little Red Gliding Hood” (Random House). She founded Picture Book Idea Month (PiBoIdMo) on her award-winning blog at taralazar.com.

    

S. Britt (a.k.a. Stephan Britt) first developed his zeal for drawing in childhood, when he drew on anything and everything that wasn’t dripping wet. He soon decided there was nothing that would make him happier than illustrating children’s books. His first picture book, “Over in the Hollow,” was a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best. He lives in Portland, OR. Visit him online at sbritt.com.

Beautiful Book Sings about Cuban Girl Drummer

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music

Written by Margarita Engle and Illustrated by Rafael Lopez

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

Grade level: Preschool to 3

A Cuban girl dreams of “pounding tall conga drums, tapping small bongo drums and boom boom booming with long, loud sticks on big, round, silvery moon-bright timbales.” But at this time in Cuba, only boys can be drummers. This lyrical story is inspired by the story of  a Chinese-African-Cuban girl named Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who in 1932 at the age of 10, performed with her older sisters in Anacaona, Cuba’s first all-girl dance band. She went on to become a world-famous musician.

The story is told with beautiful, lyrical language in the style of a poem. Drum dream girl lives on the island of music in the city of drumbeats. She goes to outdoor cafes and hears drums played by men. She closes her eyes and hears her own imaginary music. As she walks around her tropical island home, she hears music in parrot wings, woodpecker beaks, and in her own footsteps and heartbeat. At carnivals, she listens to the rattling beat of dancers on stilts and the dragon clang of costumed drummers in masks. At home, she drums on tables and chairs.

Her sisters invite her to join their all-girl band. But their father says only boys should play drums. She keeps drumming and dreaming until her father finally agrees to let her take drum lessons. She practices and practices until the teacher agrees she’s ready to play her small bongo drums at a starlit café. Everyone who hears her “dream-bright music” sings and dances, and decide that girls should be allowed to play drums.

The full-page, colorful illustrations are as full of beauty and movement as the words. Lopez’s luminous acrylic paintings bring the girl’s brave story to vivid life.

This inspirational book will be enjoyed by adults as well as children. It has won many awards including the 2016 Charlotte Zolotow Award for outstanding writing in a picture book and a 2016 Pura Belpre Medal for illustration, which goes to a Latino/Latina illustrator whose work celebrates the Latino cultural experience.

The book includes a historical note at the back, giving some information about the child Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who inspired the story. 

About the Author and Illustrator:

Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet and novelist whose work has been published in many countries. Her award-winning books include “Silver People: Voices from the Panama Canal;” “The Lightning Dreamer: Cuba’s Greatest Abolitionist;” “The Wild Book;” and “The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba’s Struggle for Freedom,” a Newberry Honor Book. She is a several-time winner of both the Americas Award and the Pura Belpre Medal. Margarita Engle lives in Northern California.

Rafael Lopez grew up in Mexico City, where he was immersed in the rich cultural heritage and color of street life. His vibrant picture books include “Tito Puente, Mambo King,” and “My Name is Celia,” both written by Monica Brown, and “Book Fiesta!” by Pat Mora. He has received the Pura Belpre and Americas awards multiple times. An acclaimed muralist, he has designed community-based mural projects nationwide. He divides his time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and San Diego, Calif.