Top 5 Author / Illustrator Posts

Next up in our countdown of the top posts of 2016 on The Logonauts: the most-read author and illustrator posts from this year! I love featuring the work of inspiring authors and illustrators, and this year I had the good fortune to interview some too!

Click here for more Top Posts of 2016 or click here for more featured illustrators.

Top 5 Author / Illustrator Posts of 2016

#5 Featured Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

#4 Featured Illustrator: Demi (part 1: biographies and part 2: traditional tales)

#3 Featured Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh (part 1 and part 2)

I still need to write up all the details about our incredible school visit with Duncan earlier this month! (I highly recommend him for an author visit. He was awesome with our 2nd through 7th graders in both small and large group settings.) My first post about his books introduces his fictional stories, and the second post covers his biographies. [Spoiler: his newest book coming out next year is a dance-based biography ... ! The artwork is stunning. Just incredible.]

#2 Interview and the Books of René Colato Laínez

I was delighted when Lee & Low contacted me about an opportunity to interview René Colato Laínez. I wrote an initial post with a review of his current picture books, as well as the interview post that also includes my review of his newest book, Mamá the Alien / Mamá la Extraterrestre. Another great author to get to know!

#1 Interview with Shoumi Sen

Our top author / illustrator post was my interview with author Shoumi Sen about her From the Toddler Diaries series. These are great books to introduce youngsters to different popular Indian holidays. Read on as Shoumi talks about her inspiration for the series.

Plus ... big news from Shoumi this week. A second book in the series, Celebrate Holi With Me, just arrived in January 2017!

Who are you favorite authors or illustrators? Click here for more featured illustrators or click here for more Top Posts of 2016.

Featured Illustrator: Melissa Sweet

If I could be any illustrator, I think I would want to be Melissa Sweet. Something about her style appeals so deeply to me, and I love how she incorporates layers of found materials and other ephemera into her work. I've actually tried to make a few "Melissa-Sweet inspired" scrapbook pages of my own, and let me tell you, it is a lot of work to put something like that together!

In this post, I'm sharing two of my favorite categories of books by Melissa Sweet: her biographies (both written by her or with Jan Bryant) and her illustrations for books or poems or books on writing. Interested in more illustrators? Click the "Featured Illustrator" tag to see all the posts.

Biographies

Some Writer! The Story of E. B. White (2016) by Melissa Sweet. I need to write an ode about how much I love Melissa Sweet. Her scrapbooky style of artwork is always so inspiring, and she did an amazing job incorporating so many actual photographs and ephemera from the White family. This biography seems like an instant classic for anyone who loves and appreciates the stories of E. B. White. As a teacher, one of my favorite insights was the inclusion of multiple (wildly different) drafts of the opening page of Charlotte's Web. A mini-lesson in the making.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus (2014) by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet [a Siebert Award winner and a Newbery Honor winner]. This is a great biography of Roget with a lot of insight into the creation of the original thesaurus. Will definitely share this one with students when we get to talking about how and why to use a thesaurus. Fascinating to read how the idea evolved and to see the original meaning-based organization of the first edition.

River of Words: the story of William Carlos Williams (2007) by Jen Bryant and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. I shared pieces of this bibliography every year with my students when we studied some of the poems of William Carlos Williams (read full details in Teaching Poetry with Love that Dog). I really like how the illustrations convey the connections between Williams's "real" profession (being a doctor) and the sights and sounds of his farm that inspired his poetry.

On Poems and Writing

You Nest Here with Me (2015) by Jane Yolen and Heidi Stemple and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. This precious poetry book is one that I fell in love with immediately. The soothing and rhythmic rhymes are perfectly complemented by the endearing collage and mixed media style of Melissa Sweet. Different birds and their nests are introduced, and the mother reassures her daughter through the repeating refrain of "You nest here with me." This is a book that I have given as a gift to several friends to read to their children.

Firefly July: a year of very short poems (2014) selected by Paul Janeczko and illustrated by Melissa Sweet.The book is arranged seasonally with a wonderful array of short poems for each season. Each poem is accompanied by the incredible art of Melissa Sweet, whose bright collage style ought to make anyone want to create art. A combination of one and two-page spreads as well as clever poem juxtapositions make this book a treasure.

Little Red Writing by Joan Holub and illustrated by Melissa Sweet. There are so many great things going on in this book! First, of course, is the fact that Little Red (the pencil) is writing her own Red Riding Hood parody, but I also love the inclusion of individual parts of speech and the "story path" for how to create a fiction story. This could be a touchstone text for students when writing their own fiction stories, as well as helping them use different grammar and parts of speech to bolster their writing. Fun!

A quick search of my public library reveals many many more wonderful books written or illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Did I miss any of your favorites? Please share in the comments below.

Looking for more great illustrators? Click the "Featured Illustrator" tag for more.

Featured Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh, part 2: biographies

My first post about author-illustrated Duncan Tonatiuh shared about his fictional stories and a little of the behind-the-scenes of his artwork (and an example from one of my students, following his lead). This post will introduce several of his incredible picture book biographies.

Biographies Written and Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation [a Pura Belpré Honor book and a Siebert Honor book]. This is an important book that sheds light on a lesser known side of the Civil Rights Movement: the segregation of children of Mexican and Hispanic descent, especially on the West Coast. I think it is critical for kids today to understand that discrimination is not just a white/black issue and that many groups have been treated differently for many "reasons."

Diego Rivera His World and Ours. This book is an interesting mix of standard biography and asking questions. The first half details the life and influences of Diego Rivera, while the second half asks students to consider how Diego might interpret our modern world in his art. My students especially liked the depiction of a row of kids at their computers as an artistic statement. (We shared this book with others about Frida Khalo as well. You can read more about that here.

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras [Sibert Award winner and a Pura Belpré Honor book]. Written in a similar style to Diego Rivera, this book combines biography with an interpretation of Posada's works and their application in a modern setting. Our Spanish students often do activities related to Day of the Dead, and this would be a great book to give them more background about how this artistic style developed.

I can't wait for more from this talented illustrator and storyteller!

Click here for part 1 about fictional stories by Duncan Tonatiuh or click the "Featured Illustrator" tag for more books by talented illustrators.

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Featured Illustrator: Duncan Tonatiuh, part 1: fictional stories

I had the opportunity to hear Duncan Tonatiuh speak at NCTE last year in November (at a presentation, I am sad to share, which was attended by only a handful of educators). He talked a little bit about how he found his inspiration during art school and how he decided to reach back to his Mexico and Mixtec roots to arrive at his stylized work, which is immediately recognizable.

He even opened up Photoshop on his laptop to show us how he uses photographs and scanned textures to digital color his drawings! (Cool insider tip: the black hair is actually a photograph of a black wig, which explains how all the highlights and reflected light get included.) It was great to be able to bring these kind of stories back to my students when we shared some of Duncan's books this year. He even autographed copies of his books afterwards!

One of my students was so inspired by Duncan's books and his artwork style, that she decided to try her hand at using his style in her poster project for a report about the life of the ancient Maya.

Folktales and Stories Illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh

For this first post, I will share some of Duncan's books that are folktales or fictional stories. Part 2 of this series will feature his biographies.

Dear Primo: a letter to my cousin [a Pura Belpré Honor book]. This is Duncan's first book and the one that he created as part of his final project for art school. The story shares letters back and forth between two cousins, one living in the United States and the other in Mexico. Both the letters and the illustrations highlight the similarities between both boys. In the author's note, Duncan explains how he based much of the book on his own childhood experiences, growing up first in Mexico and later in the US.

Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: a migrant's tale (2013)  [a Pura Belpré Honor book]. Written in the style of a fable or folktale, Pancho Rabbit deals with the very real-world issue of illegal immigration from Mexico into the United States. When Pancho's father does not return from "El Norte," Pancho sets out to find him and bring him back, with the help of a coyote he meets along the way.

This was my first year sharing this story with children, and my students and I had some very powerful conversations both before and after reading it. We had studied historical immigration in an earlier unit, so they could make a lot of connections between past and current immigration - and to many of their own family's immigration stories. I cannot encourage you enough to read and share this story with children. (We followed it up the next week with Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation (2015) written by Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Leslie Staub about a young girl whose mother is in immigration prison.)

Salsa: un poema para cocinar / a cooking poem (2015) by Jorge Argueta and illustrated by Duncan Tonatiuh. This bilingual poem celebrates the process of making salsa using a molcajete. While salsa does not need to be an exact science of portions and measurements, it would be a little difficult to make just by reading the poem. It seems an oversight to not include a traditionally-written version of the recipe in the back of the book too. (H/T July/August 2015 issue of the Horn Book.)

Stay tuned for part two about biographies by Duncan Tonatiuh or click the "Featured Illustrator" tag for more books by talented illustrators!

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Featured Illustrator: Demi, part 2: traditional tales

This month's featured illustrator is Demi, who often both writes and illustrates her own works. This post highlights her wonderful traditional tales and folktales, some of which were based on the childhood stories her Chinese husband heard growing up. The previous Demi post featured her picture book biographies.

Folktales and Traditional Tales by Demi

Liang and the Magic Paintbrush (1980) by Demi. In this popular Chinese folktale, young Liang has a magical paintbrush that makes his paintings come to life! The greedy emperor wants to capture the boy and his brush, so he must rely on his own creativity to save the day.

One Grain of Rice: a mathematical folktale (1996) by Demi. This book is a favorite read aloud of my third graders. A young girl, Rani, returns spilled rice to the Raja, even though he is hoarding the rice and not sharing with the villagers in this time of famine. When the Raja grants Rani a wish, she asks simply for a single grain of rice ... that will double each day until the end of the month. This math parable will excite even the math critics among you as they realize the powers of exponential growth!

The Greatest Treasure (1998) by Demi. This Chinese traditional tale contrasts the lives of two men: a rich, miserly man and a poor farmer who delights in his family. When the poor man is tested, he reaffirms the importance of love and family - and helps teach the rich man the lesson too.

Kites: magical wishes that fly up to the sky (1999) by Demi. This fanciful story imagines the origins of kite flying in ancient China, as a mother wishes to send a wish for her son up to the gods themselves. The middle section features many different designs for kites (and their meanings), while the end shares about the modern kite festival of Ch'ing Yang. Directions are included for making your own kite.

The Hungry Coat: a tale from Turkey by Demi. This sumptuous retelling of a single Nasrettin story teaches about the danger of caring too much. After Nasrettin is treated poorly by his friends for his smelly attire, he returns well-dressed to teach them a lesson in humility. (You can read other versions of this tale in my collection on "Foolish" Wise Men of the Middle East and India.)

The Empty Pot (2001) by Demi. This retelling of a Chinese folktale is also available in a multilingual printing that includes two versions of the Hmong language. Young Ping is overjoyed when the emperor puts forth a challenge - the child who can grow the most beautiful plant will become his heir. This story highlights the importance of honesty and good character, and kids will be surprised by the twist at the end! (This is another popular read aloud with my students, and it often leads to some thoughtful discussions.)

The Dragon's Tale and Other Animal Fables of the Chinese Zodiac (1996) retold and illustrated by Demi. Finally, this book presents a different take on the zodiac tales. Rather than explaining how the animals were chosen, this book includes twelve separate fables featuring each of the animals. Each fable ends with a short epigraph that restates the moral lesson. This could be a great addition to a lesson on fable or Aesop or for studying aphorisms. (An aside, this book contains the most fascinating note on the illustrations I have ever read. I am still not sure if it is factual or sarcastic.)

The Girl Who Drew Phoenix (2008) is written in the style of a folktale about a girl who longs to be able to properly draw a phoenix. Despite the teasing of others, she pushes on, following the instruction of the various phoenix and learning moral lessons along the way. (This one uses a very repetitive text structure, and the story itself was not as interesting to me as many of the others. The fold-out gold and red phoenix, however, are incredible.)

When the Animals Saved Earth: an eco-fable (2015) retold by Alexis York Lumbard and illustrated by Demi. The origins of this story go back more than 1,000 years and links through several major world religions. It tells a creation story from the perspective of the animals, who have a unique take on the "arrival" of humans. This is a great book for getting kids to think about other points of view, as well as to talk about environmental issues.

Do you have other favorite folktales written or illustrated by Demi? Click here for part 1, all about her incredible picture book biographies of famous historical and religious figures or click the "Featured Illustrator" tag for more books by talented illustrators!

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Featured Illustrator: Demi, part 1: biographies

Demi is an incredibly talented author and illustrator! This post will focus on her biographies of famous and often religious figures, while the next post will share her versions of traditional tales. (Presented in order of publication.) Click here for more posts on featured illustrators.

You can read a great interview with Demi from a few years back at Paper Tigers. Thanks, Marjorie, for sharing this link!

Biographies by Demi

Buddha (1996). A practicing Buddhist, it makes sense that Demi began her exploration into the biographies of famous religious figures by starting with Buddha/Siddhartha. Divided into a few chapters (The Young Prince, The Seeker of Truth, The Buddha) and two parables (The Blind Men and the Elephant and The Burning House), this book tells the story of Siddhartha's life, his revelations, and the basic tenets of Buddhism, including the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. This is a great overview of both his life and the beginnings of the religion itself.

Muhammad (2003). Out of respect for Muslim restrictions on depictions of the Prophet, Demi utilizes a full-body golden silhouette for his biography, as well as the honorific symbol, denoting the phrase "Peace Be Upon Him." The biography about his life and the rise of Islam is a great introduction, and this is one book that I include in my classroom library when we are studying Asia and Asian-based religions.

Jesus, based on the King James Version of the Holy Bible (2005). Rather than her own text, Demi structures her biography of Jesus solely around illustrations of passages from the Bible. The book ends with an apostolic blessing granted to the book from Pope John Paul II (including the full name of the author, Charlotte Demi Hunt).

Mother Teresa (2005). This biography of Mother Teresa focuses on her sense of calling and the many, many people and ministries that she served (and created). The book ends with a listing of her awards and accomplishments, as well as an explanation of the process (still underway) to canonize Mother Teresa and make her a saint. This book also includes the blessing from the Pope.

The Legend of Lao Tzu and the Tao Te Ching (2007). The first, briefer, section of the book is the biography of Lao Tzu, explained in terms of the legends and unknowns that surround him and his life. The second section includes 20 of the 81 verses that comprise the Tao Te Ching, the foundational book of Taoism (or Daoism in some spellings). The book concludes with the end of the legend and an explanation of Taoism symbolism.

Rumi Whirling Dervish (2009). The book opens with a note from an author and translator of Rumi's works who provides a bit of an introduction as well as mention about 2007 having been the 800th anniversary of Rumi's birth. The biography itself details Rumi's birth, life, and inspiration and intersperses many recitations of his poetry within the narrative. A note at the end explains a little bit more about the whirling dervishes and their dance.

Marco Polo (2008). This lengthy biography draws on the work of many researchers as well as various translations of Marco Polo's own book. There is plenty of information provided here for a student looking to find out about the life and adventures of this well-traveled man. Each page is laid out as a two-page spread with a rectangular picture in the center, framed by texts. There is exquisite detail paid even to the borders of each individual rectangle!

The Great Voyages of Zheng-He (2012). What series about great explorers would be complete without Zheng-He? Nearly 100 years before Columbus, he journeyed around the Pacific and Indian Oceans, establish trade routes and partnerships around the region. Demi details his various voyages and their impact on the world. (One nitpick, this book does not contain a bibliography or details for further reading.)

The Fantastic Adventures of Krishna (2013) (A SABA Highly Commended Book). This book shares the childhood adventures of Krishna, the Hindu Lord Vishnu reborn on earth to defeat the evil demon kings. The wide variety of spectacular and menacing demons are rendered in dramatic fashion through Demi's brightly colored artwork. A truly fantastic way to share these stories with kids.

Below are several additional biographies of Demi that I have not yet read:

     

Stay tuned for next week's feature on traditional tales written and/or illustrated by Demi!

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