Illustrator Spree - Jeanette Winter

Birthday: October 6
Lives:
Family

I love her illustrations, the way her books "look," and always, always enjoy her subject matter.   I love the folky feel to Jeanette Winter's illustrations. I love all the clever touches she includes. Yup, one of my top five artists of all time.

She wrote AND illustrated these books:

Angelina's Island (2007)
Beatrix (2003)
Biblioburro:  A True Story from Colombia (2010)

Calavera Abecedario, A Day of the Dead Alphabet Book (2004)
Jeanette Winters's art, her illustrations, the way she depicts this happy Mexican celebration, evoke really good feelings for me. Lots of blacks and fiesta colors. Black-backed illustrations framed to the edge of the page with yellows, pinks, purples, aquas, greens.....
          The first nine pages tell of a family in Mexico City that have made calaveras (paper mache skeletons) for generations. Then the alphabet begins. Angels, witches, doctors, farmers, musicians, bride and groom, shoemaker, unicorn, chemist, queen.... all are depicted as calaveras using the SPANISH name. The translation for each is in the back as well as a bit of information about the day.

Christmas Tree Ship,The (1994)
Cowboy Charlie: The Story of Charles M. Russell (1995)

Elsina's Clouds (2004)  This book is about the "Basotho women of southern Africa." My research shows that Basotho is a part of South Africa, perhaps in and around the area of modern-day Lesotho. I'll have to look into this a little more.
          Jeanette Winter shares the custom of the Basotho women painting their houses as messages to their ancestors to bring the rain. A nameless young girl paints the addition to her family abode that will house her soon-to-be-arriving baby sibling. She goes to bed at night and dreams about the rain coming to moisten her mother's crops.
          This is the third time I've read that it's the WOMEN who plan, plant, care for, and sow the crops in many parts of Africa.

Emily Dickinson's Letters to the World (2002)
Follow the Drinking Gourd (1988)
Henri's Scissors (2013)
Hey Diddle Diddle (1999)
House That Jack Built, The (2003)
Itsy-Bitsy Spider, The (2000)
Josefina (1996)
Kali's Song (2012)
Klara's New World (1992)

Librarian of Basra, The: A True Story from Iraq (2005)
Simply told, beautifully illustrated, here is another version of the bombing of the central library in Basra, Iraq. Ensconced in rich purples and yellows and blues, Winters' recognizable artwork accentuates the story beautifully. A great companion book to Alia's Mission.







Magic Ring, The (1987)
Malala, a Brave Girl from Pakistan/Iqbal, a Brave Boy from Pakistan: Two Stories of Bravery (2014)
MAMA, A True Story, In Which a Baby Hippo Loses His Mama During a Tsunami, But Finds a New Home and a New Mama (2006)
Mr. Cornell's Dream Boxes (2014)

My Baby (2001)  There are THREE reasons why this book is a "5" for me (the illustrations, the bogolan cloth, the great author). And there are THREE different reasons to read it:
          One: The story. Nakunte learns the art of painting bogolan cloth from her mother. Years later she paints a special cloth for her baby that will come when the rains come. As she paints, she speaks of all the creatures that live in her African village.
          Two: The culture. Mali, Africa. You get a feel for the place.
          Three: The painting of the cloth. I have some of this beautiful black cloth, myself. To see how it starts with white cloth, then specially prepared mud is painted on, leaving the lovely white design, is a treat.

          When, as a young adult, Nakunte begins her painting, the borders of the illustration become strips of the bogolan cloth she's working on. The colors are bright and cheerful, different colored borders on each and every page, with very little white. And, Ms. Winter is a lyrical writer: "Listen, my baby, do you hear mama crocodile creeping across the savanna on her short legs? Will she find the water she is looking for?"

My Name is Georgia: A Portrait (1998)
Nanuk, the Ice Bear (2015)
Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story from Afghanistan (2009)
Nino's Mask (2003)
Rock-a-Bye Baby (1999)
Sebastian: A Book about Bach (1999)

September Roses (2004)  This is a lovely book that memorializes this terrible occurrence with a connected story.  I now use it in my classroom each year, but fourth graders now, 13 years later, don't yet know much about this day.  So I have to talk to them about what happened before I share the book  I keep it simple.  After reading the book we talk about gratitude.  Nine year olds have enough time in the future to talk about the nitty gritties of the day as well as the repurcussions, but I've found this gentle, simple book is a really nice way to talk about this day with my kids.




Tale of Pale Male, The: A True Story (2007)
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star (2000)

Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa (2008)
When Wangari returns from six years of schooling in America, she realizes that a huge amount of Kenya's trees have been cut down. She starts by planting and nurturing nine seedlings. And then she begins to give them away to the village women to grow, care for, and protect. "The women spread out over their village, planting tiny trees in long rows, like a green belt stretching over the land." She protects old growth threes and is even arrested. But she does not give up. "The umbrella of trees returns."
          Excellent author's note. Wangari won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize and is now a member of the Kenyan Parliament! Wonderful storytelling.


Watcher, The: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps (2011)

The World is Not a Rectangle: A Portrait of Architect Zaha Hadid (2017)
It's no secret that I adore anything and everything that Jeanette Winter writes and/or illustrates,  but what I really appreciate is the diversity of people that she chooses to research and share with kids!  This book highlights another amazing woman in our world and will inspire kids (and architecture buffs!) in many, many ways.  Bravo!





She illustrated thes books but they were written by someone else:

Changling, The (Selma Lagerlof) (1992)
Cotton Mill Town (1993)
Day of the Dead (by Tony Johnston) (1997)
Diego (by Jonah Winter) (1991)
Eight Hands Round (by Ann Whitford Paul) (1991)
Fruit and Vegetable Man, A (by Roni Schotter) (1993)
Once Upon a Time in Chicago (by Jonah Winter) (2000)
Secret Project, The (by Jonah Winter) (2017?)
Secret World of Hiildegard (by Jonah Winter) (2007)
Shaker Boy (Mary Lyn Ray) (1994)
Snow (by Steve Stanfield) (1995)
Tortilla Cat, The (by Nancy Willard) (1998)
Witch Goblin and Ghost in the Haunted Woods (by Sue Alexander) (1981)
World's Birthday, The, A Rosh Hashana Story (by Barbara Diamond Goldin) (1990)

Illustrator Spree - Patricia Polacco

Birthday: July 11, 1944
Lives: in Michigan, I'm guessing.  She was born in Lansing.
          I have been a huge fan of Ms. Polacco for many years.  She's been writing - and illustrating - children's books for over 25 years and has written dozens and dozens of them.  Her stories are in-depth and fascinating, many based on true events from her own life. They are delightful and complete short stories, which I like to use to introduce my short story unit to my fourth graders as well as when I'm teaching both my memoir and historical fiction genre units.

Born and raised in Michigan, Patricia Polacco had a serious learning disability that prohibited her from learning to read until she was 14.  Hah!  Look at her now!  Bravo!

Her website includes all sorts of stuff for teachers and kids as well as an address and instructions about sending books for her to sign!  What a wonderful woman.

I've read a lot more than I've actually written a review for, so I think one of my goals for 2014 is to reread/read as many as I can find and add them to my blog.  That's a goal I'm really looking forward to!

Wow!  And every single one of them is AMAZING!!! I've read almost all of them, but I haven't reviewed too many.  So here I go!

Applemando's Dreams (1991)
Art of Miss Chew, The (2012)
Aunt Chip and the Great Triple Creek Dam Affair (1996)
Babushka Baba Yaga (1993)
Babushka's Doll (1990)
Babushka's Mother Goose (1995)
Bee Tree, The (1993)
Betty Doll (2001)
Blessing Cup, The (2013)
Boat Ride With Lillian Two Blossom (1989)
Bully (2012)
Bun Bun Button (2011)
Butterfly, The (2000)
Chicken Sunday (1992)
Christmas Tapestry (2002)

Clara and Davie (2014)  It's always fun to curl up with a new Patricia Polacco.  This one is a biography!  It's an insightful look at Clara Barton as a child, based on first hand knowledge from Polacco as she is related to the Bartons and is retelling a story that she knows. 


Emma Kate (2006)

Fiona's Lace (2014)  Polacco chronicles another family story - that of her great-great (I think) grandmother, who came as a child from Ireland knowing how to make beautiful lace.  It's an immigration story as well as the story of a family's love and perseverance in really tough times.



For the Love of Autumn (2008)
G is for Goat (2003)

Gifts of the Heart (2013)    A new Patricia Polacco!  As Christmas approaches, Trisha and Richie discover they have no money to purchase gifts for their family.  Enter Kay Lamaty, the new housekeeper, who teaches them that making your own gifts - and the amount of love that goea into it - makes Christmas even more special.A s much as I liked this, the story didn't "enchant" me as hers usually do.  That's not to say I didn't like it, but it didn't grab me and yell "hurrah".

Ginger and Petunia (2007)
Graves Family, The (2003)
Graves Family Goes Camping, The (2005)
I Can Hear the Sun (1996)
In Enzo's Splendid Gardens (1997)

In Our Mothers' House (2009) Told in the first person by the eldest of three adopted children, we watch her (she happens to be African American), Will (Asian American) and Millie (red-haired and freckled) grow up being raised by two mothers - Meema, a short, stout, pediatrician who loves to cook and sew and Marmee, a tall, thin organized fixer-upper who is a paramedic. Through 48 pages we watch the family grow, thrive, have fun, and love each other. It handles a neighbor-woman, unhappy with their relationship, lightly and well (because, unfortunately, the world has to deal with bigots and homophobes). This is a totally delightful story of a wonderful family and two mothers that will...and DO....do anything for their children. 

Junkyard Wonders, The (2010)  Patricia Polacco does it again - and of all her books - I do love 'em all - this is at the very top of my list. Why? It's about a very special teacher, which I think (as a teacher) is very cool. It's about a group of kids who are who they are -- they've had no choice in the matter. Whether they've got diabetes, tourettes, visual and/or physical handicaps, learning difficulties, they are all put into the same class. And they bond. They shine. They care about each other. And they're smart and special.
          This story is about how five kids - our author; Patricia Polacco, Thom, Gibbie, Jody, and Ravanna, prove the genius definition. It applies to all of them.  At the end - as an afterward - PP tells what became of her "tribe."  Simply wonderful storytelling.

January's Sparrow (2009) This story begins and ends in the voice of January, a black runaway slave that was captured, tortured, and put to death for his actions. Two days later, his adopted family, the Crosswhites, decided to run when they discovered their sons were to be sold away from them. The youngest was a girl named Sadie, and most of the story is told from her point-of-view. It's not an easy story. It tells of violence and hatred and ridiculous laws. It also tells of compassion and caring that travels well beyond the usual bonds of friendship.
          The Crosswhite family makes it safely to Marshall, Michigan, which is free. However, they are still runaway slaves and can be arrested and returned to their owners if they are caught. Marshall is a friendly town of blacks and whites living together, so they decide to stay and rest for awhile. Seasons come and go until they'v been there for four years, and a new baby girl has been born to the family. But then....yup....they are found by their viscious owner.

John Philip Duck (2004)
Just In Time, Abraham Lincoln (2011)
Just Plain Fancy (1990)
Keeping Quilt, The (1988)
Lemonade Club, The (2007)
Luba and the Wren (1999)
Meteor! (1987)

Mommies Say Shhh!! (2005)
I read the board book of 17 pgs, wonder if there's a 32-page companion?  This is a book about a farm and farm animals and the things that farm animals say.  Hardly any words (which is not the "usual" Patricia Polacco, but full of her illustrated masterpieces!





Mr. Lincoln's Way (2001)

Mr. Wayne's Masterpiece (2014)
      I wonder if Patricia Polacco has journals she kept from her childhood and young adult years?  Her memories seem so strong!  However, even with a flickering memory, a clever writer can embellish the remembered details and craft a story...and Polacco is the master of this.  So many of her wonderful picture books are based on her own memories, and here's another.  
     I love the idea that PEOPLE can be masterpieces, which is the premise of this story - taking a very shy girl and teaching her how to come out of herself on stage, and ultimately speaking in front of a very large crowd.
     This is a great model for teaching writing to kids, AND for kids with stage fright.

Mrs. Katz and Tush (1992)
Mrs. Mack (1998)
My Ol' Man (1995)
My Rotten Redheaded Older Brother (1994)
Oh, Look! (2004)

Orange for Frankie, An (2004) What a moving Christmas story!  I was actually a little teary at the end.  Based on a true story, as many of Ms. Polacco's are, this one was told by her grandmother and based on her grandmother's youngest brother.  It is a story from a hundred years ago, still being kept alive and honored by her entire family.  It is full of pictures of America's past. A large, hard-working family enjoys a simpler Christmas than we're used to, one steeped in traditions and hard work.  A completely lovely "short story," illuminated by Patricia Polacco's incredible art.  Loved it.

Picnic at Mudsock Meadow (1992)
Pink and Say (1994)
Rechenka's Eggs (1988)
Rotten Richie and the Ultimate Dare (2006)
Some Birthday! (1991)

Someone for Mr. Sussman (2008)  A young man tells the story of his Bubbie, who is a matchmaker in New York City. One of her clients is Mr. Sussman. But Mr. Sussman has no idea what he wants in a wife. He comes up with idea after idea, and after each one Bubbie complies - herself. But nothing makes him happy - perhaps because Bubbie goes so overboard. At the end, of course, Mrs. S. realizes his perfect wife was right there under his nose the whole time - Bubbie

Something About Hensley's (2006)
Thank You, Mr. Falker (1998)

Thunder Cake (1990) Another wonderful memory from Polacco - this time when an approaching storm at her grandmother's farm in Michigan terrorizes her, her Babushka shows her how to make a thunder cake, all the while assuring her and calming her through her fears.

Tivkah Means Hope (1994)

Trees of the Dancing Goats, The (1996)
Another memoir, told about "Trisha's" growing up on a farm in Michigan, when one winter all their neighbors, all Christian, came down with scarlet fever.at Christmastime.  Since they were unable to chop down and decorate trees, and even unable to cook for themselves, Grampa and Babushka cut down trees and decorated them with the handmade painted animals that Grampa had made for Hanukkah and delivered baskets of food containing chicken and latkas.  On the eighth night of Hanukkah, when the neighbors were finally back on their feet, they arrived with thanks and a hand-carved menorah, decorated with some of Grampa's carved animals.

Tucky Jo and Little Heart (2015)
     Based on a true story, we follow a 16 year old Kentucky boy go off to the Pacific during World War II.  While there he meets and takes care of a small native girls with whom he creates a strong attachment and remembers for all the rest of his life.

Uncle Vova's Tree (1989)
Welcome Comfort (1999)

When Lightning Comes in a Jar (2002)
     A young Patricia Polacco recalls their annual family reunion that includes jello salads and meatloaves, baseball games and croquet matches, photo albums and picture taking, stories told by the elders, catching fireflies, and spending special time with cousins, aunts, and uncles.  Then we see how those same family traditions continue as an older Patricia Polacco becomes one of the elder storytellers.  Lovely story: as usual with tots of text.

Patricia Polacco's Fantabulous Website

Patricia Polacco Curriculum Guide

Patricia Polacco on FaceBook