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My Parents are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts about Me by Bill Cochran, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman.

Ted’s parents are divorced, but that is just one aspect of this kid.  His parents may live separately, may not watch his games together, and he may still be sad whenever he thinks about the divorce, but that definitely doesn’t mean that Ted is weird.  What makes Ted weird are the other parts of his life:  eating cold spaghetti sauce out of the jar, naming his elbows, and wearing soap Mohawks.  When taken all together, Ted is the sum of many things and being the son of divorced parents is a big part but only a part of him.

This book takes divorce and makes it normal.  It talks about the feelings, the confusion, the pain of divorce but offsets it with the humor and silliness of Ted’s other interests.  In this way, Cochran makes it into more than a simple book on divorce.  It becomes a book that any child, from a divorced family or not, can see themselves in, and see themselves celebrated.  Yes, it is a book about divorce, but just like Ted, that is only a part of what it is.

Bjorkman’s illustrations gleefully add to the silliness of the story.  Nicely, the pages about the divorce are not darker or different.  They are just as bright and colorful as the rest.  In the most poignant illustration, Ted sits between his parents as they tell him about the divorce.  He is snug up against his mother with his hand and arm reaching toward his father on the other side of the couch.  A lovely illustration that encompasses the feel of divorce in a single image.

Highly recommended as a book on divorce that will not depress children but will encourage moving through it and beyond.  Appropriate for ages 5-8.

Reviewed from copy received from publicist.

Also reviewed on Book Dads, Young Readers, and A Chair, a Fireplace and a Tea Cozy.

With this ring I thee wed… and now I expect…

To never have to do the dishes again

To never need to cook a meal again

To have my meal given to me when I come in, regardless of time and yes I will complain if it isn’t ready or is ruined

To allow the pets to lick clean the plates I can’t be bothered to move off the floor

To let mould grow in my old coffee mugs

To leave my laundry around the house and have you clear it up

To not have to figure out how the washing machine works

To not have to learn how to use an iron

To expect you to have a full time job and do all the housework

To not have to tidy up – that’s YOUR job

To not have to lift a finger around the house – unless I want to

To go out with my mates on a drinking binge and not tell you when I am coming home

To forget birthdays and anniversaries

To think a bunch of garage flowers is a sufficient apology

To spend ages talking about how great my car is and not notice your new hairdo or clothes

To think “facebooking” is a good way to communicate with you

To have a better relationship with my computer and blackberry than you

To know more about my online buddies than you

To expect hugs, cuddles and *** when I want it

To expect you to look after the kids and deal with discipline

To sit in my underpants all weekend if I want to

To spread out across the bed and have all the duvet if I want

To snore all night and refuse to use the spare room

To stay in bed for as long as I want

To drink beer in front of the TV and watch sports

To fart in bed, heck to fart anywhere!

To let myself go – I don’t need the gym body any more

Well heck darlin’ what do you expect??? I married ya didn’t I…!

Yes my darling you did but after all that… here’s the number of my divorce lawyer!

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Image via Wikipedia

Guess who’s coming over for dinner? It’s your mother-in-law. Are you excited? Well here are ten fortune cookie sayings that you might hear from your dear mother-in-law.

1.   You look like a bum. You smell like a bum. I guess you are a bum. I don’t mean to be rude.

2.   Get a job! Get off your butt! What’s the matter with you? Have a nice day.

3.   You call this cooking? What are you trying to do? Are you trying to poison me? I’ll just have some wine.

4.   Lose some weight! You look like my next door neighbor. They call him the Elephant Man.

5.   Why did you ever marry my daughter? Where did I go wrong? By the way, wash your face and comb your hair.

6.   Did you know that divorce is a seven letter word? You can use it in Scrabble or on some other occasion.

7.   I’m ill. Call my doctor! Call my lawyer! Call my psychiatrist! Just get off your ass and start calling.

8.   You’re not getting anything from me when I’m dead. I’ve written you out of my will. Now start massaging my feet.

9.   Did anyone ever tell you that you bear a striking resemblance to the picture of the serial killer that is terrorizing the city?

10. Good news! Someone is moving into your home to live with you. I’ll give you one guess.

Image via Wikipedia

Guess who’s coming over for dinner? It’s your mother-in-law. Are you excited? Well here are ten fortune cookie sayings that you might hear from your dear mother-in-law.

1.   You look like a bum. You smell like a bum. I guess you are a bum. I don’t mean to be rude.

2.   Get a job! Get off your butt! What’s the matter with you? Have a nice day.

3.   You call this cooking? What are you trying to do? Are you trying to poison me? I’ll just have some wine.

4.   Lose some weight! You look like my next door neighbor. They call him the Elephant Man.

5.   Why did you ever marry my daughter? Where did I go wrong? By the way, wash your face and comb your hair.

6.   Did you know that divorce is a seven letter word? You can use it in Scrabble or on some other occasion.

7.   I’m ill. Call my doctor! Call my lawyer! Call my psychiatrist! Just get off your ass and start calling.

8.   You’re not getting anything from me when I’m dead. I’ve written you out of my will. Now start massaging my feet.

9.   Did anyone ever tell you that you bear a striking resemblance to the picture of the serial killer that is terrorizing the city?

10. Good news! Someone is moving into your home to live with you. I’ll give you one guess.

Image via Wikipedia

Do you need an attorney? Who doesn’t need an attorney for some legal matter? Of course, attorneys charge a lot for their services. Here are ten humorous fortune cookie sayings with lawyers in mind:

1. If the suit fits, sue tomorrow.
2. You are about to come into a tidy fortune. Just ignore the banana peel on the marble floor until it is too late.
3. Would you like some black forest tort cake? I see. You would prefer just the tort.
4. You are about to learn more about cell technology. It is so fascinating that the subject will just imprison you.
5. Divorcing yourself from reality may not lessen your cost from your imminent divorce.
6. Beware of a guy named Mal. This is particularly true if his last name is Practice.
7. People shouldn’t judge you by your appearance unless you are picked out of a lineup.
8. Betty Lou would sure love to court you. However, if you  become unfaithful, she’ll see you in court.
9. You cannot replace your batteries in a case of assault and battery.
10. If you are drunk as a skunk and drive, you just might find yourself making the evening news by five.

Image via Wikipedia

Do you need an attorney? Who doesn’t need an attorney for some legal matter? Of course, attorneys charge a lot for their services. Here are ten humorous fortune cookie sayings with lawyers in mind:

1. If the suit fits, sue tomorrow.
2. You are about to come into a tidy fortune. Just ignore the banana peel on the marble floor until it is too late.
3. Would you like some black forest tort cake? I see. You would prefer just the tort.
4. You are about to learn more about cell technology. It is so fascinating that the subject will just imprison you.
5. Divorcing yourself from reality may not lessen your cost from your imminent divorce.
6. Beware of a guy named Mal. This is particularly true if his last name is Practice.
7. People shouldn’t judge you by your appearance unless you are picked out of a lineup.
8. Betty Lou would sure love to court you. However, if you  become unfaithful, she’ll see you in court.
9. You cannot replace your batteries in a case of assault and battery.
10. If you are drunk as a skunk and drive, you just might find yourself making the evening news by five.

My Parents Are Divorced, My Elbows Have Nicknames, and Other Facts About Me by Bill Cochran, illustrated by Steve Bjorkman. HarperCollins. 2009. Copy supplied by Raab Associates.

The Plot: Ted is made up of many things. His parents are divorced (but that doesn't make him weird.) He sleeps with one sock on (so maybe that's a little weird.) Sometimes when he answers the phone pretending he's a chicken (OK, so that IS weird.) Ted is Ted; he is who he is.

The Good: Kids, like adults, are made up of many things -- weird bits (eating cold spaghetti out of a jar) and not so weird bits (having your divorced parents on opposite sides of the soccer field.)

Cochran uses humor to address some not-so-funny issues, such as being angry about divorce and separate houses and stepparents.

Divorced parents (and the separate houses) is just one part of who Ted is; and this funny book is a gentle reminder to kids to think of themselves as a whole person (who may indeed have some strange habits!) instead of a person with a label ("parents are divorced.") And to embrace the part of you that wears your cape even when it isn't Halloween.


Book Trailer:





© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

BIRD LAKE MOON by Kevin Henkes (published by Greenwillow) is a boy book that deals with issues of divorce and death. Twelve-year-old Mitch Sinclair reluctantly accompanies his mom to his grandparents' lake house after his dad announces he wants a divorce. The tension mounts quickly as Mitch finds it hard to accept the divorce, and his grandparents seem less than enthusiastic about their long-term house guests.

Antsy Bonano and his buddies Ira and Howie are spending Thanksgiving flipping channels between the big game and the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. They are just making fun of a marching band dressed in orange and pink when Ira notices the giant balloon featuring Roadkyll Raccoon is bucking and swinging in the wind. Next thing they see, Roadkyll is heading north with 3 balloon handlers still hanging on! The balloon alights atop of the Empire State Building, deflates, and the handlers are still there swinging from their tethers. Anthony turns to his friends and says, "Let's go".

On the train, they see school-mate Gunnar Umlaut. Antsy has known Gunnar since elementary school, but they don't really hang out or anything. In fact, this is what Antsy has to say about Gunnar:

"Gunnar's got long blond hair he makes no excuse for, and a resigned
look of Scandanavian despair that melts girls in his path. And if
that doesn't work, the slight accent he puts on when he's around
girls does the job. Never mind that he's been living in Brooklyn
since he was six. Not that I'm jealous or anything -- I admire
a guy who uses what he's got."

After the attempted rescue is over, Gunnar sways slightly and stumbles and Antsy asks him what is wrong. Gunnar surprises Antsy when he says that it's just part of his condition. He then tells Antsy that he has 6 months to live.

Now, Antsy has never had a friend who was dying before, and he has a need to do something Meaningful for Gunnar. Antsy comes up with the bright idea of donating one month of his own life to Gunnar. Sure it's only symbolic, but it's the thought that counts, right.

The problem is that everyone in the school hears about it and lots of kids want to get involved. Which would be fine, unless Gunnar is not telling the whole truth.

Antsy Does Time is filled with memorable characters, and Antsy's voice will have readers smiling. Even if one hasn't read The Schwa Was Here this title stands on its own. Antsy's family is having problems during this time, and apparently so is Gunnar's. Though the topics are heavy, Neal Shusterman uses his trademark humor to make the reading easier, and to add depth. Funny and sad all at the same time, this read for older tweens will be enjoyed by boys and girls alike.

LATEST: "Mending Lucille" is "Book of the Month" in Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth - "Melbourne's Child" parenting magazine has made "Mending Lucille" their book of the month. Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth editions of the paper have followed suit.

The Highs and the Lows of Creating a Winning Picture Book

"Mending Lucille" written by J.R.Poulter & illustrated by Sarah Davis, Lothian/Hachette Livre, hb, 2008, ISBN 9780734410337:
The book has had the most amazing reception.
It sold out the first print run in its first week of release.
It was picked up by ASO.
Within its first fortnight has become a recommended book for counseling and biblio-therapy by Monash Medical Centre's Australian Centre for Grief Education and a site devoted to counselling parents/carers of children suffering the trauma of loss/bereavement.

The following story of the creation of "Mending Lucille" is based around a presentation Sarah & I were invited to give at SCWBI International Conference, Sydney, February 2008 - a huge honour for 2 relative newbies.

INSPIRATION
• First version written in one sitting – started with the first line ‘A raging and roaring and rolling in the sky like a storm –’ the next line came immediately I committed the 1st to paper. The whole story took less than 15 minutes to write.
• It was submitted to Lothian almost as an afterthought - they were looking for more humorous material at that time.
• Later submitted the 2nd version - more like a poem – this version wasn’t used.
• The story behind the story – can’t be told in its entirety, as it goes back generations and many folk affected are still alive. I was motivated to write by the pervading sense of loss and grief that hung, mist-like in the homes of relatives who had suffered terrible loss as children.

THE PROCESS
• The story was to have been released pre the Hachette/Lothian merger.
• Helen originally contracted Caroline Magerl to do the illustrations.
• I very much like Caroline’s work. My favourite example of her style and what I imagine she might have used for “Mending Lucille” was her utterly beautiful “Grandma’s Shoes”- see below:


















THE HUNT FOR AN ILLUSTRATOR
• After the takeover by Hachette, the pace quickened.
Caroline Magerl decided to devote herself more to her art and withdrew. [http://www.cmagerl.com.au/]
• I was sent an example of Leith Walton’s work. Couldn’t find the picture the publisher sent, which was very different to Caroline's work but still well executed. This is Leith’s submission for the ‘Book of Pi’ competition.














• Hachette decided against Leith for my particular project and the hunt was on for another illustrator. [Wonder what he’s doing now.]


• Jenny Gibson, art teacher/web designer, had submitted her portfolio. Jenny had done the humorous illustrations for my education series, “Poetry Action for Classroom and Stage”. This is one of her line drawings. Hachette decided against using her work for this particular project. [see more of Jenny's work: http://www.jennygibson.com ]













• At this stage, I asked Helen if I could “have a go at finding an illustrator”. Helen gave me my head!

MY SEARCH
• I Googled ‘illustrators’ specifying ‘pages from Australia’ – two sites came up worth checking. The SCBWI site was one.
• I found two artists – one on each site and contacted the sites. Sarah Davis was the artist I found on the SCWBI site. Site Coordinator, Susanne Gervay, responded to my enquiry almost immediately and sent me Sarah’s contact details. Susanne has been an enormously encouraging mentor to both Sarah and I and subsequently invited us to present our story of the book's creation at the SCWBI International Conference, Sydney February 2008.
• This is the picture that drew me to Sarah – it was so multi-layered! [http://sarahdavisillustration.com/artwork/243867.html]



















MAKING CONTACT
• Rang Sarah and told her I had a contract with Lothian. Would she be interested in doing a couple of sketches for Helen? I couldn’t guarantee she would get the contract & I couldn’t pay her.
• Sarah loved the ms and submitted sketches. [ I got first peak within 48 ours.]
• I contacted Helen, my wonderful editor at Lothian. She was wary, Sarah not being a ‘known’ illustrator and pairing her with me, not exactly a ‘known’ myself! I was so excited at discovering Sarah that I didn't hesitate to say to Helen, ‘Sarah’s the one – just wait till you see the samples!’
• Helen loved the samples - the rest is history!

SARAH’S FIRST SKETCHES
Lucille, the ragdoll:













MORE CHALLENGES
• Sarah got underway with the illustrations, sending me updates - the two of us just gob smacked at how unified a vision we had of the book!
• This is an early picture Sarah sent me. It visualised a key element in the story, one Hachette now felt should be changed. The dead bird:

THE FURTHER EVOLUTION OF THE STORY
• The story was as originally written when Sarah started illustrating. However, at about the same time, Hachette took over Lothian.
• I was told I needed to eliminate any reference to or hint of ‘death’ from the text.
• This was no easy task as the dead bird symbol was one of the key elements to the story.
• I had seen the need for a story like Mending Lucille. So many children have been and are being left without one of their central carers/parents and popular opinion was always that the children were not affected adversely.
• Re death/bereavement: It was generally felt children ‘got over it’, ‘they were too young to be aware of what was happening’. Death's very finality allowed for recovery, for moving on, it gave a sense of closure.
• Re loss/abandonment: Of more devastating proportions for a child, however, is the loss of a parent on going - a parent's abandonment of the child. The general consensus was ‘it was better for the child than living in an unhappy home’ etc. There is no easy moving on from this type of loss because the parent is still alive somewhere...it is a profound loss, an inconsolable loss – it does not go away.

A CHANGE TO THE ORIENTATION
• I had used the reference to ‘death’ in relation to the bird to gentle the story down – the fate of the mother was to be deliberately left ‘open’. Whether literally dead or gone from the child’s life, she was effectively ‘dead’ to the child I was not looking at pros and cons – not looking for reasons why – this was the child’s story, from her perspective.
• Children are not generally told reasons and even of they are – they are too young to take them in – it is the loss that registers. The ‘unspeakable’ grieving – no one speaks to the child in a language he/she can understand about their loss till someone like Chrissie comes and starts to reach out to them at their level & so begin to console and mend the child.

THE PROBLEM
• I needed to find a way to still tell the story without compromise, but keep the publisher happy. I found a path through but fought for some of my more resonating text.
• I drafted changes and ran them by Sarah – would this still fit with her vision of the whole? Yes, Sarah could see how it could be interpreted visually!

BOLDER, BRAVER, BETTER!
• We both feel that what we now have, the final book, is a braver text, more controversial in ways, more honest! This is Sarah’s revised version of the bird and the rosebush:











• The changes to the text introduced the cage that is loss and grief…Sarah’s evocative illustration:











• The bird becomes the spirit soaring! The end flaps:











"Mending Lucille", Lothian, 2008, hardback, ISBN 978-0-7344-1033-7

To read the illustrator's side of the story of "Mending Lucille" - go to:
www.sarahdavisillustration.com
http://pseudoarmadillo.wordpress.com/page/2/
and
http://www.jacketflap.com/megablog/index.asp?blogid=515

The latest Tiger’s Choice, Naming Maya, by Uma Krishnaswami, is a response to the Books at Bedtime Reading Challenge that was extended to all readers of PaperTigers. Thanks to Marjorie for giving us all a chance to read our way through different countries and cultures–this challenge opens up a whole new reading adventure for those of us who choose to take it.

As Naming Maya unfolds, many of its readers are presented with a new country, new codes of behavior, new flavors, smells, and daily landscapes. The taste of “honey and chili powder” mingled on the tongue, milk delivered by bringing a cow to a doorstep and milking it in view of the person who is soon to drink it, listening to the call of a brain-fever bird, seeing a tree that is adorned with flowers, coins, and a statue of ” the plump, cheery elephant-headed god, Ganesha,” these things are all vividly described and give a glimpse of Chennai, India.

Or it does for me. How about you? As you read, do you see Maya’s new world, and experience her confusion? Do the differing values of her mother’s home country that frustrate this New Jersey girl become clear as the book progresses? And is memory a gift or a curse?

As the Tiger’s Bookshelf progresses on its own adventure of searching for readers who will take part in our online book group, the question persists of how do non-virtual, more conventional book groups solve the dilemma of having members take voice in their group discussions? If you belong to a book group that has found solutions to the silence, please let us know! How do you entice the shyest, least confident members to voice their opinions and express their thoughts?

Maya is one miserable New Jersey girl. Instead of spending the summer with her friend Joanie, she’s in India, the homeland of her parents, with her mother. Maya’s grandfather has died, her mother has inherited his house and is spending every waking moment trying to sell it, with little time left for Maya.

Every time I come to India, it’s like entering another world,” Maya complains, adding to a cousin, “I’m American here, but in America, I’m Indian.” Nobody understands, her mother is busy, and Kamala Mami, the housekeeper who is Maya’s constant companion, lapses frequently into her own strange and invisible world. Maya spends much of her time with her own thoughts, mourning the loss of her father, who moved far away after her mother divorced him.

As Kamala Mami becomes more and more immersed in memories of the past and less attached to the present, Maya leaves her own world of idealized memories to help the old woman whom she has learned to love. How can she bring Mami back to be with her? How can she break through the barrier of loss that separates her from her mother?

Please join us in reading and discussing this wonderful novel. Don’t like it? Tell us why–just don’t give away the ending!

I caught a peep at a new book due out in the spring called America At War, poems selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn. The selections are grouped by the major American wars starting with poems about the Revolutionary War and concluding with poems from the Persian Gulf War of 1991. I had been looking lately for a poem about the Vietnam War that might resonate today. I

Good Morning All:

Here it is, June 7th and it's chilly enough to wear a light jacket. I'm forcing myself to enjoy it though, as I know that within the next week or so, the temperature could be in the 90's to low 100's and I'll be wishing for a little chill!!

I spent a small portion of the afternoon yesterday going through a box of my treasures. Included in this box is my mom's wedding ring set from 1946, a strand of pearls given to me by an old lady named "Pansy" that lived next door to me when I was a little girl, and lots of other goodies that would most likely be junk to anyone else!

Also included in this old shoe box is my Grandma Watson's glove. A single glove, as the mate belongs to one of my mom's sisters. I don't know exactly how old it is, but I know that the gloves were sent to my grandma by my grandpa during World War I. I don't even know where he purchased them, although I've been given the broad idea that it was "somewhere in Europe, maybe Germany".


It is so delicate and tiny. I wonder if my grandma ever wore the gloves, as it looks as though it really wouldn't fit an average sized woman.

I imagine it is made from silk lace, but I don't know for sure. There are two mother of pearl snaps on the wrist...



and it has turned a beautiful light tea color over the years. It's kept in the same envelope that my grandpa sent them in originally. Unfortunately, the stamps are long gone and the writing on the envelope was done in pencil and is mostly worn away.

I'll keep this one single glove, along with my other little family treasures, in the old shoe box until it's time to divide them up. But...every once in a while, I'll open the lid and take a peek at the history that will one day belong to my kids.

*************************************************

I took a stroll through the garden today and Jr. came along with me. He's not too helpful, but he means well......


And, as usual, here's a link to My Etsy Shop. I've listed a set of 3 "Ghostly" collage ACEO prints today. As always, if you're interested in purchasing something in my shop, but you don't have an Etsy account, simply email me through my blog and I'll be more than happy to work with you.

The Lonely Ghost


The Ghostly Owners


Until Tomorrow:
Kim
Garden Painter Art
gnarly-dolls