Shelf Awareness--The 1619 Project: Born on the Water

PB Review: The 1619 Project: Born on the Water

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson, illus. by Nikkolas Smith (Kokila/Penguin, 48p., 9780593307359, November 16, 2021)

The 1619 Project: Born on the Water is both a joyful and painful ode to Black Americans whose history did not begin with the whips and chains of enslavement, but rather with a "proud origin story."

When a girl must trace her roots for an assignment at school, she tells her grandmother she is ashamed that she can track down only three generations of her family. Her grandmother gathers the family to explain. What follows is a tale of the people who, before they arrived here 400 years ago, "had a home, a place, a land"--who, before they were enslaved, were free.

When the girl's ancestors spoke, they had "their own words/ for love/ for friend/ for family." They were "good with their hands... good with their minds" and they had rich lives filled with industry and joy. "And the white people took them anyway." As her grandmother explains, this is not an immigrant story with "promises, whispered from mouth to ear,/ of seeing each other soon." The people were taken from their home and allowed "no things." But they had their "histories and bloodlines/ and drums pulsing in their veins." Packed as they were "in dark misery," kidnapped "strangers chained together," they realized that the strangers "were their people now." Thus, a new people was "born on the water," forebears of those who are fighting now for progress so that the U.S. may "live up to its promise of democracy."

Nikole Hannah-Jones and Renée Watson (Love Is a Revolution; Ways to Make Sunshine) employ a series of stirring free-verse poems that uplift as much as they devastate. Their moving words successfully shape Hannah-Jones's 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning The 1619 Project into a picture book accessible to all ages. Artist Nikkolas Smith uses a broad range of Central West African details to craft illustrations full of movement and expansive emotion. Smith's paintings respond to the individual poems with, in his words, "a visual representation of the infectious joy, heartbreaking struggles, and triumphant legacy of my ancestors." The three creators have together produced an unflinching look at the people who were stolen from their lives, lost so much and, though repeatedly beaten back, survived in a new land. It's a story vital to the U.S.'s survival as a nation, because what the grandmother tells her family regarding their ancestors is true for everyone who lives in the U.S. today: "Their story is our story." And it needs to be heard. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

Shelf Talker: This picture book account of the rich, proud origin story of Black Americans, adapted from the 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winner, is both profoundly joyful and deeply painful.

October Recommendations

Novels:

PAX: JOURNEY HOME, by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Jon Klassen, picks up the tale of the fox Pax, and his boy Peter, which was told in the first PAX book. Now on his own, Pax and his mate have three little kits. Peter, badly hurt, conflicted, and full of guilt over abandoning Pax and letting down his father, decides he’ll never let anyone or anything get close to him again. But when Peter joins the Water Warriors to clean up rivers and streams after the recent war, he finds it’s not nearly as easy as he thought to cut all ties. Don’t miss this completely engaging, heart-wrenching, love-affirming sequel.

THE MANY MEANINGS OF MEILAN, by Andrea Wang, is the story of how Meilan Hua must leave the comfort and security she’s always known in Boston’s Chinatown, because after her beloved grandmother dies, her parents, aunts, and uncles can’t seem to do anything but fight. They sell their bakery, and Meilan’s Bàba packs up Meilan, her mother, and her grandfather into their car. Their journey ends in a small town in Ohio, where Meilan finds adjusting to her new and very different life a real struggle. When the school principal renames her Melanie, she begins to question who she really is. It’s a strong and enjoyable middle grade read.

Easy Readers:

CHARLIE AND MOUSE, LOST AND FOUND, written by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Emily Hughes, tells of how Mouse loses his blanket and Charlie helps him find it, how the two of them find a dog named Silly, but lose it again because isn’t a stray, and how they find a dog named Boop, who really and truly belongs to them. Sweet, engaging story and art!

Picture Books:

In AND THEN CAME HOPE, by Stephen Savage, when the boats in the harbor aren’t feeling well (“Barge got bonked” and “”Ferry felt feverish” etc.) they know who to call. Hope, “with her team of tugboats at her side,” saves the day. It’s a charming, perfectly age-appropriate introduction to the hospital ship dubbed the S. S. Hope, a state of the art floating medical center, now retired. Bold, blocky digital art is sure to please.

TOUGH LIKE MUM, by Lana Button and Carmen Mok, is the heartfelt story of a child dealing with poverty and a depressed parent. Even though Kim is pretty tough, some days are more difficult than others. But there are also the times they can snuggle together in bed telling silly stories. Caring adults can make a difference. Expressive gouache, colored pencil, and Photoshop art helps make the text relatable and enhances how this sweet book can also pack an emotional wallop.

THAO, a picture book by Thao Lam, describes a particular frustration the author/artist felt as a young child. With a name that’s not easy for classmates to say, she gets called many things, some of them not nice at all. But by the end of her story, she embraces her name and heritage in a way that’s perfect for a picture book audience—with excitement over her mom packing her favorite lunch. The art looks to be collage, but may well have a digital component. The story has a nice tight arc, and is a creative approach to building empathy.

--Lynn

Shelf Awareness--Vespertine

YA Review: Vespertine

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (Margaret K. McElderry Books, $18.99 hardcover, 400p., ages 13-up, 9781534477117)

Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson (An Enchantment of Ravens) is a splendidly dark story of a reclusive young woman struggling to control a powerful revenant.

Artemisia, like all Sighted people, is vulnerable to possession. As a child she was controlled by a spirit which left her so badly scarred--physically and emotionally--she wants only a cloistered life in the convent, "tending to the dead." There she and the other novices are tested for their ability to sense ghostly entities and Artemisia discovers she has "an extraordinary talent for wielding relics." When possessed soldiers attack, Artemisia is tasked with watching over the convent's "greatest weapon": the holy relic of Saint Eugenia, a finger joint from the Sister of the Gray Lady of Death who martyred herself to "bind a Fifth Order spirit to her bones." To save the Sisters now, Artemisia takes the bone's fettered revenant into her body. She is able to wield it successfully, despite its great power, and decides she must use it to learn why a rising number of Dead are attacking the living. Artemisia is forced to trust the revenant, a dangerous--and sarcastic--entity she has no idea how to control.

Rogerson's third YA novel contains a wonderfully ghastly mythology, and a plot that crackles with tension. Reluctant "Saint" Artemisia charges forth in her quest to solve the mystery and save humanity, even as her beloved solitary existence is wrenched from her grasp. At its heart, Vespertine is a satisfying friendship story about the ability to trust other people--and revenants--enough to share one's burdens. Vespertine is an excellent bet for fans of Robin LaFevers's Assassin Nuns and Garth Nix's Old Kingdom. --Lynn Becker, reviewer, blogger, and children's book author.

Discover: Reclusive novice Artemisia struggles to control a spirit of great power to vanquish rising hordes of the Dead in this darkly splendid novel.

Interview with Nicole Magistro and Alice Feagan

Nicole Magistro and Alice Feagan are the author and illustrator, respectively, of READ ISLAND, a warm invitation for readers to journey to a story time taking place on a whimsical “island made of books.” All sorts of friends race to arrive “before the tale unfolds.” Readers, too, will find a “world of stories, safe and true,” along with these fine words to remember: “Books can take you anywhere.” The rhyming text is beautifully brought to life with mixed media collaged art.

Welcome, Nicole!

Congratulations on your lovely book! Where did you get the idea for it?

Books and nature are everything to me. When I set out to write a children’s book about the joy of reading, I knew it had to take place outdoors and not inside a classroom or a library. Books take us to amazing places, right? My lightbulb moment was connecting the real Read Island – our family’s favorite place to visit every summer – to that idea. Then, during the pandemic when we couldn’t travel to British Columbia, except in our imaginations, my 9-year-old son and I “visited” as often as we could through meditation. During one of these mental journeys, the symbolism of the place name became the story.

Why did you decide to self publish it?

After owning a bookstore for 15 years, I knew I wanted to spend more time on writing in the next phase of my career. But I also wanted to stay connected to the business of the book world, and I felt that I would learn an immense volume of things if I took the path to independent publishing. I’m ever an entrepreneur, and so I guess, rather than waiting for someone else to tell me that I could make a great book, I tried it myself.

Can you tell us about that process?

I believe there is a lot of opportunity for small presses to make books that matter and bring them to market more quickly than the traditional houses. Also, as a store buyer, I know that so many books get lost in big lists. To that point, I focus on making a book that is competitive on the shelf and in the category. Read Island had to stand up against picture books from Candlewick and Scholastic and Penguin Random House. And then when the reader opened it, the quality of the story and illustrations had to be excellent. Even better than excellent! I worked with an amazing group of experts along the way – Alice, of course, plus editors, designers, consultants, printers, publicists, and booksellers. Our team learns every day about the challenges of the supply chain and book marketing and kid lit. I’m really loving it.

Do you have any other books on the horizon?

Yes! But let’s not put the cart before the horse. I want to make sure this one is a success first.

And, welcome, Alice!

Why did you decide to illustrate this book?

Nicole was busy running her independent bookstore, The Bookworm, when I met her back in 2016. The Bookworm hosted a book launch event for a book I had recently illustrated and she and I casually talked about maybe someday down the road collaborating on something. Fast forward to 2020 and she approached me with this new manuscript. While I had not illustrated an independently published book before, I could immediately see some of the spreads and how my illustrative style could work well with her lyrical writing. We've worked very collaboratively together from start to finish and it's been a fun, exciting, and high educational experience!

Can you tell us how you made the art?

All of my books begin with hand drawn spreads which I then scan into the computer. I build the art in layers in Photoshop, first creating the shapes and then applying collage to them with clipping masks. The collage materials come from a large collection of papers, textures, and (in this case) many classic children's stories all of which I have amassed over the years. Sometimes I add depth and detail with paints, markers, crayons, etc. The approach and materials are slightly different for each project depending on the tone and content of the story.

Are you working on anything else?

I'm in the very early stages of editing a manuscript for a new picture book I'm pretty excited about. I'm also wrapping up some work for Boston Children's Hospital. Along with my projects, Nicole and I are always tossing around new ideas.

Thank you, Nicole and Alice!

For those in Colorado, here are a couple of scheduled story time events:

• Wandering Jellyfish, Niwot, CO – November 4
• Second Star to the Right, Denver, CO – November 8

Nicole Magistro is a professional reader and amateur mother who lives in the mountains of Colorado. She owned a bookstore for 15 years, wrote thousands of book reviews and memorized a few too many bedtime stories. Her favorite place in the world is the real Read Island, which inspired this story. Magistro is also a mentor, journalist, consultant, and community leader. She was the longtime proprietor of The Bookworm of Edwards, Colorado. During her tenure, she was the recipient of the ABA's Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, WNBA's Pannell Award and James Patterson indie bookseller grant. Magistro judged the Kirkus Prize for Fiction with Colson Whitehead and Megan Labrise, and has served various nonprofits including the American Booksellers Association, The Literacy Project, The Mountains and Plains Independent Booksellers Association and Vail Mountain School. She received a Masters from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism and has written for regional and national publications.

Alice Feagan is a children's book creator known for her distinct cut-paper collage style in The Collectors and School Days Around the World. Her lifelong love of storytelling and art making led her to the world of picture books where she creates playful illustrations for children's books, magazines, apps, educational products, and games. When she is not making picture books, Alice can be found reading them with her two young sons. She lives in Edwards, Colorado and is responsible for all of the art within these pages.

October's Book of the Month--The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess

October's Book of the Month is an extremely entertaining, original fairy tale, THE LITTLE WOODEN ROBOT AND THE LOG PRINCESS, written and illustrated by Tom Gauld.

A king and queen, the happy rulers of “a pleasant land,” can’t have children, so one night the king goes to the royal inventor, who builds him a “wonderful, intricate little wooden robot,” while at the same time the queen goes to a clever witch, who brings to life “a perfect little log princess.”

All is good, but the princess has a secret—when she falls asleep at night, she turns back into a log, only to awaken if the magic words are spoken. The robot says the magic words every day, until the morning a circus comes to town and, in his haste to see it, the robot forgets to wake his sister. A maid sees the “plain old log, lying in the princess’s bed” and tosses it out of the window! It promptly rolls down a hill to the village, gets picked up by a log-collecting goblin, and put on a barge. The robot searches for his log sister while the barge sails for the frozen North. Adventures of many kinds ensue, as the devoted robot tries to do the best that he can for the princess, who in turn does the same for him. With some help from a family of beetles, a mouse, a bird, a rabbit, a fox, and the clever old witch, they all mange to save the day.

This fairly tale feels both familiar and fresh at once. It’s got shades of William Steig’s Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, maybe crossed with The Toy Brother, but it should also appeal to fans of Barnett and Klassen’s are recent Extra Yarn. And anybody else who loves a good, earnest, creative picture book. The art certainly adds to the appeal. It feels like a graphic novel/picture book hybrid, with lots of fun details, fresh design, and very appealing soft-but-dynamic color palette.

Kids of all ages should love it!

--Lynn