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How do you feel about middle-grade novels that deal with life's harsh realities? My novel, May B., focuses on a child who has been abandoned, who faces starvation and possible death. Several young readers have confessed parts of it are scary. I'm okay with that. What I'm not okay with, though, is leaving my readers in a place of despair.
Here's a quote from the amazing Katherine Paterson on just this topic:
I cannot, will not, withhold from my young readers the harsh realities of human hunger and suffering and loss, but neither will I neglect to plant that stubborn seed of hope that has enabled our race to outlast wars and famines and the destruction of death. If you think that this is the limitation that will keep me forever a writer for the young, perhaps it is. I don’t mind. I do what I can and do it joyfully.”
-Katherine Paterson, A SENSE OF WONDER: ON READING AND WRITING BOOKS FOR CHILDREN
I love Ms. Paterson's idea of a "stubborn seed of hope", something that grows beyond painful circumstances, something that can anchor both the character and reader in a better future to come.
Do you shy away from heartache in the books you read or write? Why or why not?
I've seen a number of books over the years about how seeds move from one place to another.
PLANTING THE WILD GARDEN, written by Kathryn O. Galbraith and illustrated by Wendy Anderson Halperin, is a beautiful, quiet book that had me hooked from the opening pages. It begins:
The farmer and her boy plant their garden. They drop seeds--tiny, fat, round, and oval--into the earth. From these seeds, pumpkins and peas, carrots and cabbages will grow. In the wild meadow garden, many seeds are planted too, but not by farmer's hands.
On this first double page spread is a pictures of a woman and her son, both kneeling in the dirt planting seeds. I was most enamored of the illustrations of the growth stages of the pumpkin, carrot, cabbage and pea that border the main illustration.
On the pages that follow are may examples of how wind, water, and animals help seeds disperse. Galbraith uses language that evocatively describes the sounds of the wind (Oooooo--whishhh!), rain PLip-plop!), acorns falling (thump, bump) minnows dining (Gulp! Gulp!) and more. The sentences are simple but so carefully crafted. There is a lovely rhythm to the lines and the story they tell. It all comes full circle when readers learn that people also help to plant the meadow.
The muted colors and dreamy quality of Halperin's work gives readers much to appreciate. Many of the illustrations beg to be pored over.
This book is a terrific introduction to seeds, how they travel, and can even be used to introduce the growing stages (life cycle) of plants. I'm using this one with my preservice teachers next week and predict this will become a classroom favorite. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Author: Kathryn O. GalbraithIllustrator: Wendy Anderson Halperin
Publisher: Peachtree Publishers
Publication Date: April, 2011
Pages: 32 pages
Grades: K-5
ISBN: 978-1561455638
Source of Book: Personal copy
This review was written for
Nonfiction Monday. Head on over to
Books Together and check out all the great posts highlighting nonfiction this week.
By:
Kimberly Pauley,
on 4/16/2012
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Young Adult (& Kid's) Books Central
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Go on a fantasic voyage to discover all kinds of unbelievable, almost magical dramas playing out in--yep--your very own backyard! A gardening family and a pair of chickens bring you on an interesting and fun journey in this informative book.
Click here to read my full review.
Stencils backlit by computer screen.
(Blogger would not let me post this the other day when I wanted to - so better late than never?)
Being inspired by *Spring* and planting and gardens and all, I thought I'd revisit my garden-seed collection (which I truly will package up and share with interested parties, I promise! I have any number of things that re-seed profusely!). These are the initial mock-ups. Will see how it progresses....
(and here are my very tiny, very late seeds-started-indoors. NOT from my garden-seeds who re-seed themselves quite.....readily).
(Let me know if you want seeds!)
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By: Leslie Ann Clark,
on 4/2/2011
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It’s that time of year again. A time to dream about the garden! Many people begin cleaning their homes but my mind travels to the garden. I am not a master gardener, but I love digging and planting and waiting to see what comes up! This year I am planting with my niece in mind. She is getting married in August and I love the idea of snipping off blooms for her center pieces!
I picked up some seeds at the nursery today and will place an order at Burpee for some fancy zinnias!
HOORAY for SPRING!!!! Rocks in my shoes, dirt in my hair, hahaha! FUN in the sun!
…Okay, so we are expecting snow tomorrow and Monday… but I am already growing flowers in my dreams.
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We are proud to annouce our second place winner, Julie Hart. Here is her article entitled; Cheeky Chipmunks.
CHEEKY CHIPMUNKS
By Lisa Hart
A super charged ball of fur darts across the grass. It reappears on top of a nearby tree stump littered with shells. You recognize the bold stripes running down its back. The glossy, black eyes appear to be checking something out. Could it be you or your picnic lunch?
Chips, Chirps and Chucks
Chipmunk talk combines many different chips and chirps. Most of these get lost among the tweets and warbles of the birds they share backyards, parks and wild areas with. But one chipmunk sound stands out from the chorus. Trouble sets off a rapid fire of scolding chucks. Sounding something like a sharp cough the warning call seems to shake the chipmunk's whole body.
Chubby Cheeks 
Chipmunks pack quite a pouch. Using their tongue they move seeds and nuts into position between the teeth and the skin of their cheeks. The older they get the more elastic this skin becomes. Fully loaded cheeks sometimes balloon out as big as their owner's head. Once in their den they squeeze the food back out by massaging the cheeks with their front paws.
Chipmunks tote more than food in their pouches. While digging a den they pack dirt in their cheeks. Clearing dirt away from their front door in this way helps to keep the site a secret.
Sleeping Beauty
Chipmunks store food not fat. Instead of settling in for a long winter's nap they sleep for a few days or weeks at a time. When the chipmunk wakes they snack on the food hidden under their bed of grasses, shredded leaves and fluffy seed heads.
Chipmunks often store away more food then they need for the winter. Under the ground uneaten seeds and nuts get a jump start on sprouting in the spring thanks to the chipmunk.
Did You Know?
A chipmunk may tunnel through three feet of snow to leave its den on a warm spring day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~With a love for animals
Lisa Hart dedicates many of her articles to our furry friends, from the familiar to the little known species. Her first byline appeared in Boy's Quest, a family of magazines she continues to enjoy success with. Lisa's articles, fiction and poetry have appeared in such magazines as Skipping Stones, Kid Zone and the School Magazine in Australia. She's won several regional contests for historical fiction.
How Does a Seed Grow? by Sue Kim, photographs by Tilde
A visually interesting book all about seeds, sprouts and the harvest. Each page is dedicated to one kind of seed complete with photographs of the seeds. That then unfolds to show a large photograph of the seedling in a cutaway format that shows below the ground to the roots and up above the ground for the leaves. Readers then unfold the page one more time to see a photograph of a child holding the fruit or vegetable. The text is very simple and rhyming. The illustrations are the heart of this book. It is a book guaranteed to fascinate children not only with the unfolding pages but with the details of the seeds and seedlings.
The book covers tomatoes, blueberries, bell peppers, peas and oranges. The brief rhymes do give a sense of the needs of plants from loose dirt to warmth to water and sunshine. Readers will enjoy looking at the differences in the shapes and sizes of the seeds and the different ways that the seeds grow. The children pictured with the fruits and vegetables are multicultural. One quibble is that some of the pictures are a little blurred, which is noticeable when compared with the crispness of the other images.
This book will work well in a classroom setting or in a story time focused on spring and plants. The foldout pages will not survive circulation at a library for long unless they are reinforced with tape. Appropriate for ages 2-5.
Reviewed from copy received from Simon & Schuster.
The King and the Seed by Eric Maddern, illustrated by Paul Hess
King Karnak has no heir and is coming to the end of his reign. So he puts out a call for anyone who wants to be king to come and join in a competition. Knights come from across the land, ready for the battle to begin. But the king surprises them all by handing each one of them a seed and asking them to bring it back in six months to show what they have grown. A boy, Jack, who came only to witness the competition, gets a seed for himself. Jack tries and tries to make his seed grow, but nothing works and six months later he heads back to the castle. There he finds the knights with armloads of plants, huge flowers, all different from one another. Jack doesn’t want to admit his defeat to the king, so what’s a boy to do?
Maddern’s storytelling has a great flair, filled with small touches and humor that really bring the story to life. The book has a strong message that is not overdone. It also has a classic folk tale format that is mixed with a modern storytelling style, creating a very engaging book. Hess’ illustrations are bright-colored and offer interesting perspectives on the action. They will work well with a group.
Ideal for reading aloud, this book is a great modern folktale that emphasizes the importance of honesty. Appropriate for ages 4-8.
Reviewed from library copy.
A Seed Was Planted by Toulla Palazeti, illustrated by Pamela Barcita
From a single seed being planted, people share shoots of the plant. With friends, neighbors and family members who each take it in turn, plant it and then pass on a shoot to another person. The book uses the refrain of “It grows,” as each person plants their shoot. In the end, the small plants grow and grown until they are trees large enough to climb. The book speaks to the wonder of seeds, the power of sharing and the way that one small idea can lead to transformation.
Author Palazeti keeps the text very simple with only one sentence per page. This makes it ideal for new readers of both English and Spanish. This simplicity of language belies the depth of the story and its gentle and powerful message. Barcita’s illustrations are realistic and very friendly. Readers get to see each sharing of the tree along with a framed image of the newly potted shoot. The different pot styles and settings speak firmly to our differences as well as our commonalities.
Recommended for new readers in either English or Spanish, this book is universal in its message and appeal. Appropriate for ages 3-5.
This book comes in both English and bilingual English/Spanish. I reviewed from an ARC of the bilingual version that I received from the publisher.
Besides the backyard being full of birds (I can hardly keep my feeders filled) -
- I got this charming package in the mail, winging its lovely way from far away England, from
Wiltshire artist,
Karen Davis -
She sells these gorgeous, hand painted hearts at her
Etsy store. I am tickled pink (or in this case, turquoise?) to have this one!
- And I have *finally* gotten a couple of flats of seeds planted. I've only been trying to get to that all month! I still have a basket of packets of "early spring" seeds that need put into the ground ASAP - as it becomes less early-spring by the day.
But, alas, that will have to wait for a bit. It is now spring break. My daughter is flying off on a school trip to England and Scotland tomorrow, and I was SO not invited to
chaperon :-( - so I am winging my own way off to spend a few days with my folks, while my husband also heads out of town on business.
Flying for everyone! Happy spring.
(Maybe it will think about warming up a little by the time I get back).
Much to Selma's chagrin, she began to sprout during her very first "Seed Sewing Bee." ................................................................................
Submission for Illustration Friday this week.
Sketched Out
With this week's topic, I had a childhood memory of how I used to always wonder where the seeds from a flower would plant themselves when you blew them into the wind. (I know...totally corny!) I am sure my neighbors could have done without me blowing weeds into their yard.
Here is a quick experimentation with Painter's digital watercolor brushes and Hard Pastel on Rice paper. I have not used Painter's watercolors in awhile and I had forgotten how wonderful the brushes are for showing fluid movement. (the seeds blowing out of the dandelion are the "Spatter Water" brush.) When I worked traditonally, I could never control my spatters and would always end up with a muddy mess.
If people like this experimentation then maybe I will do a tutorial next on painter's watercolor and pastels tools. Let me know if you are interested...
By: Rebecca,
on 10/9/2007
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Afyon, Turkey
Coordinates: 38 45 N 30 33 E
Elevation: 3,392 feet (1,034 m)
When speaking of edible plants (and their medicinal properties), the opium poppy tends to get a bad rap. Most likely this is because while its harmless leaves, oil, paste, and ripened seeds can be found in various Turkish, Arabian, and Persian dishes, the narcotic properties of unripe poppy seeds have made it a lucrative black market crop in recent decades. (more…)
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By:
Just One More Book!!,
on 8/7/2007
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Author: Dianna Aston (on JOMB)
Illustrator: Sylvia Long (on JOMB)
Published: Chronicle Books (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0811844285 Chapters.ca Amazon.com
Stunning in its sensational simplicity and resplendent with scientific details, this gorgeously illustrated and warmly worded masterpiece is a stirring introduction to the modest magnificence that is life.
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I think that heartache and hope are the two most important ingredients in an amazing book.
Agreed.
I love the Katherine Paterson quote, and her books are proof of that philosophy! I wrote a blog about this, too, and your book is in it, Caroline! :-)
http://hollymueller.blogspot.com/2012/07/death-and-loss-in-middle-grade-novels.html
Thank you, Holly! I'll check it out after my run.
Ditto, too! I think heartache and hope are the perfect blend because those are the lives we all live each day.
That's a great quote. My daughter was commenting to me recently that all the books she's read lately are sad, and we talked about just this. She just finished Paterson's The Great Gilly Hopkins and the idea of foster care and abandonment by a mom was a new and harsh idea for her. But she acknowledged that at the end, there was a possibility of hope for Gilly - a better life, even if it wasn't the one she dreamed in her head. It's good for kids to learn that in books, so when it hits in real life, they'll remember that hope isn't always the same shape as our dreams.
Thinking of you, friend, in this midst of your hope and heartache. xo
Yes. Another thing Paterson has said that has struck me deeply is that books are a dress rehearsal for life. We hope children don't have to face many of the difficulties that books deal with, but at the same time, they provide a safe place for reflection and growth.
I didn't read Gilly Hopkins until just a few years ago. Once again, Ms. Paterson's commitment to and compassion for children rings throughout.
I like that idea: the stubborn seed of hope because I do try to shield my kids through grade 3 or 4 from stories of harsh realities. They have plenty of time in their lives to read those kind of stories that are full of dispair and violence. I think that phrase captures the fine line that I waver between; if it is ultimately uplifting, then I am ok with it for younger readers.
It's a great image, isn't it?
That's a wonderful quote! I agree wholeheartedly. It's important to be real, but that "stubborn seed of hope" is vital.
You've just inspired me to write a memory of Katherine Paterson on my own blog.
Love this post!
Yes. And you do this well in your own writing, Amy.
Looking forward to it!