Sophie, Bee-Eaters & Writing

We spent yesterday at the Bronx Zoo. Here are pictures and a brief video of the zoo biologist feeding crickets to the White-Throated-Bee-Eaters, birds that lives free in East Africa. L to R: Sophie (with pigtails) watching the biologist reach into a plastic bag full of live crickets. Bee-Eaters on branches. They catch a cricket mid-flight and then "smack" it on a branch to make it easier to eat. The"cliff" is where they build nests (last year they produced 9 fledglings). In captivity, the birds eat "cat chow" (you're not hearing things in the video; that's what she says), softened with water, enriched with calcium. The cricket feeding activity, she explained, is for "fun," i.e., to keep the birds from "getting bored." When the weather gets warmer, she collects bees from the hives that are on the top of the building (The World of Birds) and releases them for the birds to chase and consume. The exhibit is open, i.e., above the railing in the first picture (the birds stay put because of the branches, "cliff", and food), except when the bees are released. Then a curtain is drawn to keep the bees from escaping. The "smacking" ejects the toxin and stinger from the bees.
Later while we were eating dinner, I asked Sophie what she liked about writing:
"Using my imagination," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Looking in my brain."
"Imagination is interesting," I said. "You can use it to make up things to write or you can use it to remember something that really happened to write about. That's what I mostly write about--things that really happened."
As an example, I suggested, we use our imagination to describe the White-Throated Bee-Eaters.
"Their beaks are like bananas," she said.

Up at 3 am

I've been up since 3 a.m.--no, that is not typical, in fact, I've never done that--but my editor is waiting for my manuscript for Stirring Up The World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship. Plus Elizabeth and Susan are soooooo on/in my mind that I decided to get up and write. It's now 12 hours later--I'm drinking iced coffee (from the breakfast left-over) and popping popcorn--no, not typical, in fact, I've never done that either; maybe I'm delirious!? Back to work!

Reading with Sophie

I thought Sophie would be intrigued by Sylvia A. Earle's first-hand account, Dive!: My Adventures in the Deep Frontier (National Geographic Society, 1999). Earle, a legendary marine biologist and ocean explorer, starts off with a note that immediately engaged Sophie. "If you want to . . ., " Earle begins and continues with a series of possibilities. She concludes: “I know such things are possible because I have had the fun of doing them and have glimpsed how much more there is to discover.” Opposite the note is a full page color photo of Earle wearing scuba equipment & eyeballing a jellyfish, with the caption: “Jellies, such as this lacy beauty, collapse into great gobs of goo on the beach. The best way to get to know them and other sea creatures is to go where they live—underwater.” Sophie & I laughed at the descriptive phrase “great gobs of goo” (and delighted in the alliteration!) because we’ve seen them during our many walks along the beach at the Jersey Shore. There’s lots of text, but Earle’s personal style held Sophie’s attention until I read about the summer she went to “the whales’ dining room—the plankton-rich waters of Glacier Bay, Alaska." Then she interrupted me to ask:
“Grammy, why did she say ‘dining room?’”
“That’s an interesting question. I wondered about that too,” I replied. “Perhaps she thought it would be easier for readers to understand that that’s where humpback whales go to eat. Sometimes writers do things like that. What do you think? Did she need to write ‘dining room’? Was it a good idea?”
“No,” she said. “But keep reading, Grammy.”

Earlier in the book Earle reported that humpback whales make “short grunts and squeals.” At which point, I interrupted my reading to say, “That's the sound I made when I sat down on the floor to read this book with you!” She laughed; me too!

The Met

Lucky, lucky us--two nights in a row of going to the Metropolitan Opera, and tomorrow is the radio broadcast! It happened this way because we had to exchange tickets once my teaching schedule got set. It's a wonderful happenstance because my writing on Stirring Up the World has been flowing--I'm right up against the deadline--and going to the opera will not disrupt that (nor does my time with Sophie); everything else does to some extent.

Sophie & Daffodils & Writing

Over the years, I've planted daffodils--all kinds--all over our backyard. This year the first to bloom are at the edge of our "woods." Sophie and Linda are headed to pick a blossom for Sophie to take home. Later we were coloring together & she spontaneously said:
Sophie: I don't want to be a writer.
Grammy: Why?
Sophie: Because they write all the time.
For me, this was a particularly interesting exchange because Sophie's school (she's in kindergarten at a NYC public school) uses a writing program in which during the writing period students' real names aren't used; instead they're called "Writers." In my classes at Queens College (long before Sophie started school), I've questioned that practice for several reasons: it erases student's individual identity, it collapses the art and skill of becoming a writer into a generic label, and it conflates/confuses the task of learning the life skill of writing with the decision to be a writer when you grow up--while that decision is optional, the task is not.
So what did I do?? Oh, wow, I thought, now what do I say? (while simultaneously thinking--this is evidence for my critique). Then I said,
G: But you don't have to be a writer, you just need to be Sophie who can write.
S: Oh.
G: Do you still want to be a veterinarian?
S: Yes.
G: So you don't have to worry about having to write all the time. But you do have to write when you go to school to learn how to be a vet, and when you write How-To books about taking care of animals (Sophie had written a how-to book last week on "How to put children to bed). And you love to illustrate stories, right?
S: Yes.
G: So that's another reason to write, to write stories for your pictures.
S: Oh.

Making up a Story

On Thur--our Sophie/Grammy Day--Sophie wanted to go to the American Museum of Natural History. Although there wasn't much time,--I pick her up from kindergarten at P.S. 153 at 4 pm & the museum closes at 5:45--off we went. Having gone many times, including taking Planet Classes, she's a pro at getting around (Over the years, I've gone a gazillion times, but am definitely not so skilled!) & we had a great time. We exited to discover it was raining & cold & on the trek to where we had parked, we exchanged this dialogue:
Sophie: My feet hurt.
Grammy: Mine too
Sophie: My toes hurt.
Grammy: Mine too
Grammy: Sophie, are you thinking that it would be good idea for someone to carry you to the car?
Sophie: Yes
Grammy: Well, you’ve grown so tall, I’m not sure I could carry you all that way. Besides, you’re the granddaughter and I’m the grandmother and I read somewhere that granddaughters are suppose to carry grandmothers.
Sophie: Where did you read that?
Grammy: “Oh, I don’t know somewhere in a story.
Sophie: a long pause then: Grammy, I think that’s a story that you’re writing right now.
Grammy: with a delighted laugh: Sophie, you're right--that's just what I'm doing!
She laughed too & in no time we arrived at the car.

Heads-Up for Earth Hour and Women's History

My lifelong friend Mary Dalrymple Putnam just emailed me this heads-up: "Have you heard or read about Earth Hour set for tomorrow evening? People everywhere are asked to turn out their lights at 8:30 for an hour. I thought Sophie would like this. Another exciting activity is The Globe at Night. www.globe.gov/globeatnight explains the project based on views of Orion that one can report." Check out Earth Hour at www.earthhour.org

My women's history colleague and dear friend, Margaret Crocco, Chair, Department of Arts & Humanities, Teachers College, Columbia, University, sent me a link to an interesting interview with the editor of a book, The Evolution of American Women's Studies: Reflections on Triumphs, Controversies, and Change, in which she has a chapter: http://www.insidehighered.com Margaret is also a co-editor of the new & invaluable book, Clio in the Classroom: A Guide for Teaching U.S. Women's History.

Rosie the Riveter

On March 23, 2009, I presented the keynote address, Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II, at the New Jersey State Federation of Women's Club of GFWC's 101st Public Affairs Day. Two women war workers were in the audience--Ruth Siuta, who did what was called an "essential civilian" job at the Air Force Base in Rome, New York, and Rosalie Cutitta, a riveter who worked on bomber planes like the B-17 Flying Fortress and the Grumman Avenger at the Fleetwings Plant in Bristol, Pennsylvania. Despite suffering hearing damage, Rosalie says she would do it again. Here's a video clip of her comments, including her story about driving across the Delaware River on the Burlington-Bristol Bridge from her home in New Jersey to the factory in Pennsylvania. Ruth Siuta is at the left in the video. On the right is, Anne H. Redlus, president of the New Jersey Federation, who organized the marvelous event. Rosalie and Ruth received a standing ovation from the appreciative audience.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe

A couple of years, David and Crystal, gave me the Shout, Sister, Shout!, the biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, an extraordinary musician everyone-who-loves-gospel- rhythm- blues- rock-and-roll should know about (and I didn't).
Yesterday on my way to the airport to pick up Linda, (who had been at a research conference in New Orleans), I heard a terrific piece about Tharpe; on what would have been her 94th birthday, a group of fans raised the money to buy a headstone for her grave. The link is http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102167126
There are many videos on the internet of her performing; check out her powerful voice, dazzling guitar playing and exuberant style.

Spring, etc.

A lovely coating of snow greeted me this morning--the first day of Spring; happily my snowdrops and crocuses held their blossoms high!

This post is a potpourri: in addition to Happy Spring to all, I want to tell you about a blog I recently discovered, "Ms. Yingling Reads: One librarian's attempt to read all the Young Adult Literature in the world and shoot her mouth off about it." On March 3, she reviewed Thanksgiving: The True Story, which is why I happened to find her blog. I read more of her reviews & liked her insights and voice. Here's the link: http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2009/03/wednesday.html (Scroll down to the pic of Thanksgiving.

Re my last post about my daughter-in-law Sarah Jones, if you google "Michelle Obama + Sarah Jones," you'll find a cool pic and articles about MO's women's history day in Washington, DC.

Celebrating Women's History

Tomorrow Sarah Jones, my daughter-in-law and Tony award winning star of "Bridge and Tunnel" is celebrating women's history by having breakfast with Michelle Obama and 20 other women, spending the day doing events for girls in DC schools, and performing at a dinner at the White House. For more about Sarah go to: http://www.sarahjonesonline.com/ My son Steve emailed me the update. He's a poet and a star of the Tony award winning show "Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry Jam on Broadway." All of the events are for school girls and women from the Obama administration and other celebs, so, although Steve's going with Sarah, he says that he will be "watching from the front gate."
As for me tomorrow, I'm doing my "Celebrating Women" multimedia presentation at the FDIC (yup, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) in the morning, then racing to Queens College to teach. On Thursday, I speak at the United States Mint in Philadelphia (yup, the money-making place). If you're wondering why??--it's because Women's History Month is designated by Congress therefore federal agencies, including the military, need to schedule programs; thus they sometimes contact me, which means I've gone to many interesting places to share my passion for women's history!

Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin

Sunday morning, I was half-listening to NPR while reading the newspaper when the lead to a segment titled "Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin" snagged my full attention. Having written about Claudette Colvin in my book Girls: A History of Growing Up Female, I abandoned the paper and turned up the volume on the radio. Do check it out--it's a terrific segment with excerpts from an interview with Colvin, a 69-year-old retiree who lives in the Bronx. Phillip Hoose talks about his new biography Claudette Colvin for teenagers. (I'm going to discuss the book with my classes next week.) David Garrow, a historian of the Civil Rights movement, welcomes the visibility of Colvin's role because "the real reality of the movement was often young people and often more than 50 percent women." Here's the link to the NPR piece: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=101719889

Link from Charlotte

My dear friend Charlotte Bennett Schoen, an indispensable member of the city council in Englewood, NJ, just sent me this link to the Jewish Women's Archives, which "is launching a series of podcasts of Jewish women recalling "ah-ha" moments that catalyzed their social activism, political activism, or work as religious innovators." I checked it out http://jwa.org/discover/throughtheyear/march/activism and heard Bernice Stern recall taking a stand to condemn racial prejudice against African-American soldiers serving in World War II; Anita Weinstein talk about her advocacy for women on campus; Lynn Amowitz remember overt discrimination during her graduation from medical school; and Idit Klein recall the moment when as a four-year-old she asked her great aunt about the blue numbers on her arm. The podcasts are a few minutes, a transcript and photo of each woman are included.

Sophie's Pussy Willow

This evening, during a phone conversation with Sophie, I discovered that she thought that the pussy willow she had planted last year had died during the winter. (See 3/25/08 for a pic of Sophie planting it.) So, out I went to check on the pussy willow and happily discovered the first catkins. I emailed this photo to Sophie & thought that you all would like to see that Spring is on its way in NJ, despite our recent snowstorm.

To the Library

What Darwin Saw: The Journey That Changed the World by Rosalyn Schanzer (National Geographic, 2009) In her Author's Note, Schanzer tells readers that she "loved everything about making this book." She traveled & took over 3,000 pictures and did "reading, reading, and more reading." Her decision to use "a graphic novel layout with lots of diagonals" resulted in a book replete with her illustrations--as many as 10 separate images (some realistic, many cartoonish) on a two-page spread--many quotes (some in quote bubbles) and her own minimalist text. Abridged quotes from Darwin's various writings appear in brown type, quotes from everyone else are orange, and the author's text is black (that hard-to-find information is provided on the title page in a bird's dialogue bubbles). To make sense of everything, I had to skim, read, and reread the book. Soliciting other opinions, I showed it to Linda Hickson, special education professor, Teachers College, Columbia University; Sue Kirch, science educator, New York University; and the graduate students in two of my classes (“Issues in Children’s Literature” and “Nonfiction Literature for Children” ) at Queens College; to a person they agreed that the format was overwhelming; so much so that it limited the appeal and/or usefulness of the book. If you do decide to teach with the book, here are some sequential suggestions: brief students about Darwin and his importance; underscore the fact that the book features his journey on a ship, the H.M.S. Beagle; explain why that journey is important; examine the map in the end matter; read the black text (author's narrative) all the way through (before scrutinizing the illustrations and quotes); read the information in the bird bubble on the title page. Also my graduate students noted some advanced vocabulary words; so have a dictionary handed. If you have comments, please feel free to add them.

Women's History

Presidential Proclamation on Women's History Month
Obama pays tribute to women who helped preserve, protect the environment
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
March 3, 2009
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, 2009
BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
A PROCLAMATION
With passion and courage, women have taught us that when we band together to advocate for our highest ideals, we can advance our common well-being and strengthen the fabric of our Nation. Each year during Women's History Month, we remember and celebrate women from all walks of life who have shaped this great Nation. This year, in accordance with the theme, "Women Taking the Lead to Save our Planet," we pay particular tribute to the efforts of women in preserving and protecting the environment for present and future generations.
Ellen Swallow Richards is known to have been the first woman in the United States to be accepted at a scientific school. She graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1873 and went on to become a prominent chemist. In 1887, she conducted a survey of water quality in Massachusetts. This study, the first of its kind in America, led to the Nation's first state water-quality standards.
Women have also taken the lead throughout our history in preserving our natural environment. In 1900, Maria Sanford led the Minnesota Federation of Women's Groups in their efforts to protect forestland near the Mississippi River, which eventually became the Chippewa National Forest, the first Congressionally mandated national forest. Marjory Stoneman Douglas dedicated her life to protecting and restoring the Florida Everglades. Her book, The Everglades: Rivers of Grass, published in 1947, led to the preservation of the Everglades as a National Park. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1993.
Rachel Carson brought even greater attention to the environment by exposing the dangers of certain pesticides to the environment and to human health. Her landmark 1962 book, Silent Spring, was fiercely criticized for its unconventional perspective. As early as 1963, however, President Kennedy acknowledged its importance and appointed a panel to investigate the book's findings. Silent Spring has emerged as a seminal work in environmental studies. Carson was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom posthumously in 1980.
Grace Thorpe, another leading environmental advocate, also connected environmental protection with human well-being by emphasizing the vulnerability of certain populations to environmental hazards. In 1992, she launched a successful campaign to organize Native Americans t o oppose the storage of nuclear waste on their reservations, which she said contradicted Native American principles of stewardship of the earth. She also proposed that America invest in alternative energy sources such as hydroelectricity, solar power, and wind power.
These women helped protect our environment and our people while challenging the status quo and breaking social barriers. Their achievements inspired generations of American women and men not only to save our planet, but also to overcome obstacles and pursue their interests and talents. They join a long and proud history of American women leaders, and this month we honor the contributions of all women to our Nation.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 2009 as Women's History Month. I call upon all our citizens to observe this month with appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities that honor the history, accomplishments, and contributions of American women.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.

BARACK OBAMA

For more information and to buy the poster go to: www.nwhp.org

Rosie the Riveter

Last night I gave my Rosie the Riveter PowerPoint speech to a terrific audience. Marilyn Hindenlang brought the Certification of Commendation that the Navy awarded to her mother when she worked at Grumman. Her mother's name--I. F. Norton --is on the certificate and she received it on September 2, 1945 (my first birthday!). The "I" is for Irene and the F is for Florence. Norton was her married name; she started work with her original last name--Kacinski. Thank you to Marilyn for sharing this important document; workers at only 5% of all defense factories earned this commendation. Her husband kindly scanned it and made a pdf file and a copy for me.
During the Q & A, a feisty woman said that didn't like the fact that "Rosie the Riveter" became the catch-all phrase during the war for women workers. "It was that song," she said. "It overshadowed the fact that lots of us were doing other things--I operated a lathe machine and then a press and other machines!" At which point, everyone spontaneously applauded her. "Thank you for your service," someone called out! Yes, thank you.
This was my first PowerPoint in which I inserted video clips from WWII propaganda films aimed at recruiting housewives--happily they worked beautifully & added another dimension to the story.

Sophie/Grammy Day

Before Sophie and I went to the museum, she excitedly showed me the flower on the pumpkin seed we planted last Halloween when 3 generations--Sophie; her mother Katrin; her grandmother Ille, who was visiting from her home in Zurich, Switzerland; and I got together to carve a pumpkin. I had never scraped out the flesh of the pumpkin (we just remove the seeds), which, I learned, was Katrin's family tradition. So we scraped and scraped and reaped two benefits: the candle light illuminated the entire pumpkin and Ille turned the pumpkin scrapings into delicious soup!!! For sure, that's a tradition I've adopted! I'll keep you posted re the progress of Sophie's pumpkin plant.

Sophie/Grammy Day

It's Tues morning I'm listening to Beethoven's violin concerto, the snow is piled high outside my basement window, I'm about to dive into Stirring and my phone rings--it's Sophie calling to say she'd like to go to the museum with the space ship, which I guess is the Liberty Science Museum . . . here's the scoop, according to her mother: she had a fever yesterday (NYC schools closed for snow day) and wasn't totally up to par this morning so Kat kept her home, but by mid-morning she was fine and raring to go and wanting to call me for an adventure, so she did.
Although writing, teaching, speaking keeps me working all the time, I've got flexibility, especially on Tuesday (except on the 17th when I'm booked for two speeches) & I embrace spontaneity--so off I go to pick up Sophie!!!!

National Women's History Month

My dear friend, Sue Kirch, a science educator at New York University, shared a large part of her weekend digitizing my World War II propaganda films--"Glamour Girls of 1943," "The Hidden Army," and an oral history, "Good Work, Sisters"--and teaching me how to make clips in IMovie on my Mac to use in my PowerPoint presentations, "Rosie the Riveter" and "Celebrating Women." I'm psyched to be able to share this very cool material with my audiences, which will include former women war workers! So I'm off and running for National Women's History Month--of course, women's history is a 365 day affair around here, but my speaking schedule ramps up in March.

Throughout the month, I'll be posting photographs from my twenty years worth of road trips in search of monuments, markers, and memorials to women.
Another twenty year milestone is the anniversary of the Boston Women's Heritage Trail, a project that was sparked by a young girl who interrupted a field trip on Boston's Freedom Trail to ask: "Where are the women?" Check out their terrific web site at: www.bwht.org Order their guidebook with seven self-guided walks throughout Boston neighborhoods. It's a must have if you live in or around Boston, or visit; if you don't, it's an excellent model for setting up walks in other communities. Their newest trail is "Boston Women & the Law. To receive their newsletter, send your email to sara@bwht.org.
Celebrate Women!

To the Library for nonfiction books

I, 2, 3, Go (Henry Holt, 2000) written and illustrated by Huy Voun Lee, who was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and moved to the U.S. in 1975. A simple introduction to 21 characters in the written language of China. The numbers (1-10) and words (catch, stomp, hit, push, carry, pull, tiptoe, jump, kick, run, go)-- are presented on double spread pages with energetic, bold illustrations of children demonstrating the characters, e.g. "eight" and "jump" has a stop-action illustration of eight girls and boys jumping. I love Author's Notes, and Huy Voun Lee's is informative and helpfully placed at the beginning of her unpaged picture book. I'll see what Sophie thinks of this book tomorrow. Gettysbury; A Graphic Novel, caught my eye as I was leaving the library with my stack of books; so I grabbed it and returned to the checkout counter. (I've been curious about graphic nonfiction ever since the concept appeared in the last book contract I signed.) I skimmed through it with mild interest; the blue lettering and images are effective (note: there are graphic depictions of dead soldiers). His series of illustrations for Lincoln's words will delight progressive readers and are/could be a springboard for interesting discussions. I reread it with great interest after I got to the end and discovered Butzer's excellent Author's Note in which he describes each frame and gives the source for quotes and information. If you decide to check out this book, read the Author's Note first! Butzer includes women and for more check out "Women at the Battle of Gettysburg: Understanding the Civil War from a Different Perspective," an excellent presentation (there's a link to a video on YouTube with more links to interesting videos) by historian Jane Peters Estes at the Camden County Historical Society at http://historiccamdencounty.com/ccnews111.shtml

On Writing and Music

I was just writing chapter 22 of Stirring Up The World and listening to a recording of Beethoven's Concerto for Piano No. 5 in E Flat, Op 73 and had to stop--it was soooooo beautiful! On Friday we saw "33 Variations," a play in previews written and directed by Moises Kaufman, at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre (a wonderful space). It's about Beethoven's Diabelli Variations and a dying musicologist's quest to discover why Beethoven wrote them. There's also a mother/daughter plot line, plus a romance, etc. We went because I love Beethoven's music, Linda loves the theater, we were both curious to see Jane Fonda, at the age of 71, who plays Dr. Katherine Brandt. We were captivated--fast-paced complex, but clear and engaging (and funny at times) script; terrific cast; clever staging and set design; gorgeous music. There were times I wished I had a replay button, especially the scene when Zach Grenier as Beethoven stands alone, center front, and "composes" one of the variations as the pianist, Diane Walsh, plays it--intensely and intricately coordinated--took my breath away!

"Women Making America"

Check out Women Making America a fabulous new book by my dear friends Heidi Hemming and Julie Hemming Savage. This is a page-turning comprehensive, chocked-full of prints and photographs, clearly and compelling written book--a must have for readers of all ages. Suggestions for book groups and teachers are at www.womenmakingamerica.com

Today, Sat., Feb. 21st, The Washington Post printed a letter to the editor from Heidi and Julie critiquing the "idea that it is men who make history and women who help them." Their issue was with a caption the Post published on 2/19 for a photograph of "Thurgood Marshall and some of the Little Rock Nine on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court" in which the the woman standing beside Marshall was identified as the teenagers' "chaperone." To which Heidi and Julie responded, "It doesn't seem like too much to ask that women be recognized as co-participants in historical events. . . . Chaperone? The woman is Daisy Bates, who recruited the young people who made the stand at Little Rock Central High School . . . . According to Ernest Green, the first black graduate of Little Rock High, 'Daisy Bates was the poster child of black resistance. She was a quarterback, the coach. We were the players.'"
For some reason, I can't directly link to their letter, but you can search for it at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com

To the Library for nonfiction books

Today I wandered through the stacks of the Queens College library juvenile children section. A title caught my eye--Built to Last: Building America's Amazing Bridges, Dams, Tunnels, and Skyscrapers by George Sullivan (NY: Scholastic, 2005). It's longer--12 inches--than high--nine inches which allows for two-page vertical spreads (24 inches!) of picture e.g. the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and the Flatiron Building in New York. I checked it out because I wanted to read about the Hoosac Tunnel (Susan B. Anthony went sightsighting there during its construction in the 1850s), the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, which I've driven over/under several times,; and the U.S. Interstate Highway System, which over which I've travelled gazillion million, etc. (And why do we pick book? 1. we connect with the topic.) Sullivan organized the book into 4 time periods: The Early Republic 1790-1850; Invention and Discovery 1850-1910; Hard Times 1920-1940; A Golden Age 1950-1965; Megaprojects 1990-Present and described 17 projects. It's amply illustrated with full color and black and white photographs. The text is clearly written and engaging. Sullivan is adept at weaving in relevant context and interesing details. NOTE: he fails at writing inclusive history 101; e.g. he completely ignore Emily Roebling's indispensable role--memorialized on a plaque attached to the Brooklyn Tower--in taking over after her husband Washington suffered two attacks of the bends and was paralyzed.
She only appears as having been "given the honor of being the first to ride over the bridge." This is an inexcusable lapse on the part of the author and editors at Scholastic in a book published in 2005.
For my taste the page design has too many elements--thin and wide vertical lines of different colors that divide this from that--looks to me as if the designer was trying to simulate/evoke architectural structures. The title of each structure appears in a multicolored oval that must--at least for me--be consciously overridden in order to focus on the texts. This is a book that I would read for my enjoyment, also talk-read with Sophie, i.e. pick and choose from the text and caption to read aloud, who is interesting in bridges. (Her apartment building is beside the George Washington Bridge--one of our pending adventures is to walk across it.)

Books by the nonfiction poet and illustrator, Ruth Heller, are stacked high in my personal library. Yes, a nonfiction poet, i.e. she doesn't make up anything. I love her writing--great use of vocabulary--clever and bold--and her vivid illustrations. Heller died a few years ago, but left a legacy of words and images about animals, colors, grammar, flowers, etc. Over the years, teachers in my classes report that students love and remember Heller's first book, Chickens Aren't the Only Ones.

To the library

This is a new feature: A huge library-fan, I'm going to write a weekly post about some or all of the books I check out on Wednesdays (the day I go to the library to get books to use in my children's literature classes at Queens College). Since the kidlitosphere and classrooms are dominated by fiction, I'll feature nonfiction books--my preference & what many teachers report kids prefer, when given a choice.

"In 1928, an artist named Wanda Gag created her first book for children. The lively tale was about an old man in search of one kitten. Except that he didn't just find one cat, he found. . . ." That's how author/illustrator Deborah Kogan Ray begins her marvelous book Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Lived to Draw (Viking, 2008). The subject--Wanda Gag, the creator of Millions of Cats--caught my attention. The lush illustrations grabbed my eyes and the engaging text had me turning the pages. There are 18 half- and 3/4-pages of brightly colored, evocative illustrations. Each text page begins with a quote in italics from Gag's writings. Ray doesn't shy away from Gag's difficult growing up years and highlights her resilience and determination. In her author's note, I wish Ray would have told readers whether or not the Gag's father really told her: "Always look at the world in your own way, Wachachen." Guess I'll need to find out myself because that matters in nonfiction! Tomorrow I'll see whether or not it grabs Sophie.

Going Back Home; An Artist Returns to the South, pictures by Michele Wood, story interpreted and written by Toyomi Igus (Children's Book Press, 1996) It's Wood's story of her search for her family history in the southern United States that Igus interprets. Her crisp and clear narrative is just the right accompaniment for Wood's richly detailed powerful paintings. I love her use of blues, the hen, her reds and brown. Igus includes explanations of details in various paintings, e.g. the square on Wood's forehead in her self portrait on the last page.

I selected Making Your Mark, Franklin Roosevelt by Judith St. George, illustrated by Britt Spencer (Philomel, 2007) to take to my "History Through Literature" class, but never did take it out of my bag. Why? Most likely because I'm ambivalent about the book. The illustrations are caricatures, even cartoonish. The text bounces from straight forward to cutesy. Although some teachers report that kids like that style, I think it trivializes history. I'll try again next week and see what everyone thinks. There's a brief author's note that does what most author do re FDR--give him all the credit for everything. As the biographer of Frances Perkins (A Woman Unafraid: The Achievements of Frances Perkins), his secretary of labor from twelve years, that's always irks me!

As for my other reading, I am, of course, still immersed in the stacks of materials by and about Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony for my project Stirring Up the World. I'm also reading Adam Cohen's excellent book--he does do justice to Frances Perkins--Nothing to Fear: FDR's Inner Circle and the Hundred Days That Created Modern America.

On writing

So I didn't come up with relevant Scrabble words for what the police officer called "mischief" but I did have an afterthought--It was vandalism, not mischief! Lots of differences in meaning, in particular--now, I need to find the time to repair the damage; perhaps when Sophie is here on Thursday--never too early to learn how to fix things.

On writing

People ask where I get my ideas--everywhere, I reply. For example, about 45 minutes ago Linda and I were in the kitchen. Our chatting was interrupted by a huge crash, a thud that shook the house. Stunned silence broken by "What was that?!!" We searched all four floors--nothing, no collapsed bookshelf, no, nothing. Then I opened the front door & discovered that someone had smashed in the bottom panel of the storm door; left a mighty big footprint. The police were efficient--"mischief," he said, by a group of kids dispersing after a basketball game. We weren't the only call. "Kids, today," the officer, who looked pretty young to us, "they're out of control--middle school and up, girls and boys, they're out of control."
There's a story there; just have to figure out what & if I really want to write it. But now it's time for our nightly Scrabble game--think I'll try to make words that describe the incident.

On reading

Update re what kids are reading from Dot Emer (i.e. Dot Chastney--her pre-marriage name--whose memories of WWII I quote in my book Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II), my dear friend and passionate, savvy children's librarian (see blog post 3/19/08). Currently she is a middle school librarian:

"I'm sure you've probably heard about the "Twilight" series of four books about a teenage girl, a senior in high school who falls in love with a boy in the class who is a vampire. The books are almost 500 pages long and have been flying off my shelves. I finally decided I had to read the first one and I can understand why teenage girls like the series, but one was enough for me. One thing about the series is that girls who always drag their feet about reading were reading!"

I haven't heard about the series, and I'm not drawn to the topic. However I am interested in the "what and why" makes books go "flying off" shelves, whether in a bookstore, library, home.
What do you think? And are you of the "at least they're reading" school or "reading THAT is not real reading"??

Car in our front yard

It's snowing. We're both home writing--Linda in her second floor office facing the road, me in my basement office. Vaguely I hear Linda's voice saying something about a car in our front yard. Pulling my mind out of the 19th century, I call out, "What?"
"A car--there's a car in our front yard."
And indeed there was--a young woman, driving her SUV way too fast for the slippery conditions, hit a truck and ended up clipping our magnificent cedar tree before stopping in our front yard. No one was hurt--and we hope the tree is OK(& grateful that it prevented her from careening into our living room). She insisted she wasn't driving too fast. A witness said she was. The guy she hit said she was. The police officer said she wouldn't give her a ticket for speeding 'cause she didn't witness the accident; she'd let the "insurance company sort it out." I was glad that I had been too preoccupied to move our cars from the back end of our long driveway to the front; our habit when it's snowing so that we don't have to shovel the whole thing on teaching days. And that noone was walking on sidewalk. And that Sophie wasn't playing in the front yard. But now that I'm distracted, guess I should go shovel.

David's Radio Interview

David M. Lewis-Colman, one of my sons and the author of Race Against Liberalism: Black Workers and the UAW in Detroit, was interviewed last night by Mimi Rosenberg and Ken Nash, hosts of "Building Bridges," on WBAI, 99.5 FM in New York City. It's a great interview--totally engaging and interesting! Mimi called David's book: "A Must Read!"
You can hear the interview at:
http://archive.wbai.org/files/mp3/090126_190001bbridges.MP3

Sophie and Elizabeth and Susan

Last night, we had an unexpected, but totally delightful overnight with Sophie. Unexpected meant that all my research notes, documents, books, manuscript pages, etc. etc. for my current project Stirring Up The World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, A Biography of a Powerful Friendship were spread out in my basement office; a shared space when Sophie comes where we draw together and read books, and play zoo and circus, etc.
"Is this your book?" she asked as we were replacing primary source documents with elephants, lions, clowns, a circus band, etc.
"Yes."
"What is it about?
"It's about two women--Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony."
Opening the picture research folder on my computer, I showed her this picture (the first one taken of them together, 1870).
"They were really good friends and reformers who fought to make the world a fairer and better place for women. They lived a long time ago."
"Oh," Sophie interjected, "when women couldn't vote."
She knows at age 5 what I didn't learn much, if anything about, until years after I earned a masters degree in history! I'll bet she'll never take the vote for granted!
She's also on the road to acquiring a storehouse of powerful role models.

Inauguration Day

On inauguration day, I joined about 1,000 other people to watch the event on a large screen at BergenPac,  the performing arts auditorium in Englewood, NJ, where I've lived for twenty-nine years.  The first picture: the girl who led us loudly and clearly in the Pledge: she's a first grader at the school my three sons attended many years ago. The second:  Mayumi, who sat to my right (I was in an end seat).  Throughout the event, we--strangers before that moment--held hands and hugged. The next day she sent me an email in all caps: "THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING EACH OTHER TODAY--HISTORICAL MOMENT." 

The other two pictures are a sampling of the enthusiasm and excitement that was replicated around the world! 

On Writing

Check out the piece, "Henry Street Settlement Sewing and Craft Program Survives Budget Cuts," in today's New York Times about Ruth Taube, a role model for all ages, written by Susan Dominus. It's a fine example of nonfiction writing, in particular the way Dominus presents Taube, weaves in relevant facts, and ends with a great quote. With the article, there's a audio of Ruth Taube telling how she made her daughter Hester's wedding gown & how she learned to sew. Here's the link
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/09/nyregion/09bigcity.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=%22Big%20City%22&st=cse

Sophie's Picks

This post reflects one of the "issues" I raise in my children's literature classes: that adults--not children--typically decide the definition of "kid friendly" and do the reviewing, award-bestowing, buying, "leveling," selecting, (e.g. many principals select a book-of-the-month to be read to all grades), etc.. There's a presumption that adults know what's best for kids to read (hummm, perhaps that belief turns some kids off to reading?). While there's merit to that presumption, I think it's important to let kids be the "boss" of what they read, (even, in my case, when that means having to read a Disney-produced princess book)!

Yesterday we had a special treat of "Sophie-Sitting" (i.e. "babysitting"): pick-up from kindergarten; "hanging-out," including the Columbia University bookstore that has a children's book section and big comfy leather chairs; bath, including playing "sea lion" ( I was the trainer who thought up tricks for Sophie, the sea lion, to perform after which I would "throw" her "fish, squid, etc." to "eat"!) Sophie picked books for bedtime reading: the "coolest one", she said, was Explorabook: A Kids' Science Museum in a Book, by John Cassidy The Exploratorium, www.klutz.com (a Christmas gift from Sue-the-scientist, i.e. Sue Kirch, a science educator at New York University, see posts 10/08/07; 9/19 & 29/08; 11/17); the "funniest" was The Jellybeans and the Big Dance by Laura Numeroff and Nate Evans, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger; another "cool" book was Spot the Difference. We also read The Adventure of Isabel by Ogden Nash, illustrated by Bridget Starr Taylor, with the refrain, "Isabel, Isabel didn't worry/Isabel didn't scream or scurry;" Clip-Clop by Nicola Smee (a fun book to read with a physics lesson & delightful illustrations www.boxerbooks.com); The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett; and The Beautiful Butterfly Book by Sue Unstead, illustrated by Gill Tomblin.

I was also interested to see Sophie set aside some books in her library as "baby-books." When we're not in the throes of bedtime, I'll follow up & ask her: What makes a book a 'baby-book"?

Finally we ended up with me making-up another "Sparkle & Sophie" story, which she loves. Making-up stories is not my forte. Sophie, however, doesn't seem to mind my fumbling --perhaps because she'll prompt me when need be, e.g., last night I was going on and on about Sparkle & a little bug, when Sophie asked, "Grammie, isn't it time for Sophie to come."

On Writing and Music

Last day of 2008--it's snowing, I'm listening to the Classical Countdown on WQXR--#9 "most favorite work" is Verdi's "Requiem"--a very special piece of music for me: oh, so, many years ago, my father shared his passion for it with me. Hearing it takes me back to 1967--my father was engaged in a heroic fight against cancer & had gone to Italy for treatment. But before he had decided to go to Italy, he had bought a ticket to hear singers from La Scala (yes, the opera company in Milan, Italy) perform Verdi's Requiem in New York City ( yes, New York). I remember the ticket was $25.
Determined and dying, my father, who was in Rome, Italy, with his ticket for the NY performance by an Italian opera company of Verdi's "Requiem," debated what to do. Finally he decided to buy a plane ticket back to NYC, attend the performance, return to Italy. His father condemned him for his extravagance. At the time, I was living in Buffalo, NY, and pregnant with my first child. I don't really remember what I thought about my father's decision, but I trust I cheered him on! I do remember that he was totally transported and thrilled by the performance, as I still am.
Those of you, who have heard me talk about how I write every book to music know that it is a mystery to me which music will or won't "work" with a particular manuscript. Verdi's Requiem was 1/2 of the soundtrack for Corpses, Coffins, and Crypts: A History of Burial(named a Best of the Best Books for the 21st Century by the American Library Association). Only half because the writing/music would get too intense & I'd need to switch to of all things the music from a Broadway musical "Falsettos." Strange combination, I know, & I thought so at the time, but what works, works.
After too many holiday distractions, I'm finally back to writing Stirring Up The World: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a Biography of a Powerful Friendship. Emmylou Harris's CD "All I Intended To Be," has become the "soundtrack."
Happy New Year to all!!!!!

The Season

We're all (except Linda's daughter, son-in-law, and newest grandchild, who will be in Minnesota) gathering in Natick, MA, for Christmas gift-exchange (like many people we drew names) and dinner at the home of Linda's son & family. Like many people we drew names for the adults & agreed to prudent gift-giving for the children.

In thinking about this time of year, here is what a very dear lifelong friend (whose mother was my Girl Scout leader many years ago) wrote via e-mail:
"I love the beauty of the season. Our tree and decorations bring out the nostalgia in me. Since packages are few (we draw names), old toys surround the tree. I find myself doing what Mother did. She took plates of cookies to elderly ladies in North Warren. I have chosen three who feel like gifts to me."

For a historical perspective, here is an excerpt from Elizabeth Cady Stanton's autobiography, Eighty Years & More: Reminiscences 1815-1897.
Note: she grew up in a wealthy family
"As St. Nicholas was supposed to come down the chimney, our stockings were pinned on a broomstick, laid across two chairs in front of the fireplace. We retired on Christmas Eve with the most pleasing anticipations of what would be in our stockings next morning. . . . The boys and girls of 1897 will laugh when they hear of the contents of our stockings in 1823. There was a little paper of candy, one of raisins, another of nuts, a red apple, an olie-koek, and a bright silver quarter of a dollar in the toe. If a child had been guilty of any erratic performances during the year, which was often my case, a long stick would protrude from the stocking. . . . During the day we would take a drive over the snow-clad hills and valleys in a long red lumber sleigh. All the children it could hold made the forests echo with their songs and laughter."

Winter Solstice and The Nutcracker

Happy Winter Solstice!

Today Sophie, Katrin & I had our second annual holiday excursion to see "The Nutcracker." Last year we went to George Balanchine's classic production at Lincoln Center. This year we went to Keith Michael's version performed by the New York Theatre Ballet at the Florence Gould Theater. The Balanchine is quite the spectacular, what with "growing" Christmas trees and all, but this was lovely & fun to compare the two with Sophie and Katrin!

On Thursday, Linda & I went to the 50th anniversary concert of the Shirelles, the first all-girl group to have a number one song on the Billboard (1960). At one point, Beverly Lee, one of the original four singers, performed an over-the-top jitterbug that had us all on our feet. She also talked about the pioneering women of blues & rock & roll--great women's history!

On Reading

Following up on my last post about the urging readers to consider the writer-the what/why/how she/he does in a piece of writing--check out Diana B. Henriques' front page article in today's The New York Times ("Madoff Scheme Kept Rippling Outward, Crossing Borders," 12/20/08). It's a skillfully crafted piece of narrative nonfiction--great example of my 3Cs of writings--Clear, Coherent, Compelling. As you read it, think about/identify--the rhetoric devices/strategies she uses, e.g. her use of repetition in the third paragraph after the subheading "The Scheme Collapses" near the end of the piece.

Another example is Eve Merriam's Independent Voices, a collection of narrative nonfiction poems about Benjamin Franklin, Elizabeth Blackwell, Frederick Douglass, Henry Thoreau, Lucretia Mott, Ida B. Wells, Fiorello H. LaGuardia. In "A Note to the Reader," Merriam writes: "The portraits are in verse, yet no instance has any 'poetic license' been taken. Every incident and description, to the best of my knowledge, is based upon true happenings and not hearsay. But if that is so, if the sketches are in no way fictionalized, then why not have represented them in factual prose? Because I felt that through the condensation and heightened speech of verse, history might come more alive and these actual independent voices might resound once again--lively, familiar, ringing clear." Readers who read her note (although many won't, I have sadly discovered from my teaching), will be in a position to have a dialogue with her about her feeling that "history might come more alive" through "the condensation and heightened speech of verse."

On reading

Recently in my Issues in Children's Literature class, I coined the phrase the "narcissistic reader" in response to the all too common practice of privileging a reader's opinion without considering what the writer was trying to do/create/convey, etc. & why. The same applies to illustrators.
I'll write more about this later.

Nonfiction Writer

Last night, I came home with straw on the back of my black pants & make-up on my face. Why? I was interviewed at a turkey farm in East Windsor, NJ, for a History Channel Holiday Special hosted by Lewis Black that will air in 2009. The set was outside; my seat, a bale of hay; the background, barns with turkeys whose "gobbles" provided the background soundtrack. Interviewed about what, you might be wondering. The producer contacted me after discovering my new book Thanksgiving: The True Story. The actual interview, however, focused on turkeys with question ranging from the history of turkeys to the pressure to cook the "perfect" turkey to a discussion about the gel in the tip of brown feathers that if broken leaves a mark on the turkey's skin that looks like a bruise, thus 90% of all turkeys today are white. Fortunately, although my head is into Stirring Up The World (my forthcoming bio of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony), I had spent the morning prepping for the interview--a day in the life of a nonfiction writer!!

Birthday Celebration

Today Sophie is 5 years old! Depending on extenuating circumstances, we celebrate a "birthday season" instead of a one-day-event. That is what we did this year--on Sat. we hosted a family gathering (picture is Sophie, having just finished frosting the vanilla bunny cake I made for her, with me, my three daughters-in-laws and Linda; for some reason I can't upload the picture of my three sons performing the birthday rap that she had requested??); Sunday was a joint gala with one of her friends at a studio in NYC, and today it's chocolate chip cookies with her kindergarten class & her "special dinner" with her parents. Students in my Issues in Children's Literature class will recognize the "snowflake" hanging in the door & the decorations in the second picture(the unfrosted bunny cake is at the far end and a popcorn bunny cake is at the close end)--yes, I made them & Sophie added decorative touches--Elizabeth's visual instructions stuck!
Tomorrow afternoon I'm being interviewed at a turkey farm for a History Channel special, "Surviving the Holidays with Lewis Black"--meaning I'm needing to get my head back into Thanksgiving, in particular turkeys, & I wondering--What does one wear to be interviewed at a turkey farm?

Odetta

Today in my classes at Queens, I going to talk about Odetta, whose obituary I just read in the New York Times. Why? 1. She's an inspiring role model; 2. I'm hoping to motivate teachers to add the indispensable music of the civil rights movement to their predictable February lessons on Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr.; 3. I'm committed to honoring the panoply of people who were an integral force in the civil rights movement. Here is a link to an interview with Odetta:
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/arts/20081203_odetta.html?hp
I met Odetta twice--once at a New Year's Eve concert at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. We met in the bathroom--just the two of us. Ever gracious, even upon exiting a toilet stall, she took both my hands as I thanked her for her soul-stirring performance. (No, I didn't worry that she hadn't yet washed her hands, &, yes, I had the impulse to never wash mine again.) The second time was in Washington, DC, at a music workshop with a member of the a cappela group, Sweet Honey in the Rock. A totally unpretentious Odetta sat in a circle with the rest of us. She asked what I did & was pleased to hear about my recently published picture biography of her friend and sister activist, Fannie Lou Hamer. That's when I asked her for her autograph, which she graciously wrote on the only piece of paper we could scrounge up--a receipt for a bank withdrawal.

Sophie, Reading and Writing

This weekend we had a Sophie-Sleep-Over. It is fascinating to observe her progress in reading & writing after a few months in kindergarten--she knows many "sight words," carefully uses her knowledge of phonics to sound out words, and is writing sentences such as "You are good." "You are bad." "You have a bad dog." (No, we don't have a dog.) She wrote the sentences on "tickets" that she gave me & Linda when we played a game Sophie organized--"pool." Sophie was the life guard, I was the swimmer, who periodically needed to be rescued, & Linda sat by the pool reading the Sunday New York Times (her condition for playing). We got the "You are bad." tickets for talking to each other, instead of "swimming" and reading. We celebrate Sophie's 5th birthday on 12/8. It's a cliche, I know, but my, how time flies!
I have no memories of learning how to read, although I'm pretty sure I was never taught phonics. My only school-reading-memory is feeling utterly humiliated when my third grade teacher, Miss Anderson, called out the names for reading groups and I wasn't in the "top" group with all my friends. As for writing, I learned during the days of the Peterson method & was never able to replicate that lovely orderly legible script. (My brain was always ahead of my hand, I suspect.)
On the last day of November & before a very busy week, Linda & I drew great tiles during our nightly Scrabble game--note: my "adenoid" and Linda's "heaven." (as always, click on pic for a larger image). p.s. don't worry about "zone" just missing the "triple word" square--remember we don't keep score. Happy December!

"The First National Thanksgiving"

Today's mail brought a note from another old friend, Eric Sandblade, who wrote "We in York think we created Thanksgiving as evidenced by two enclosed recent newspaper articles."
I noted the 12/18/1777 event on p. 35 of Thanksgiving: The True Story. For additional information here's a link to June Lloyd's article, "First National Thanksgiving Proclaimed in York in 1777. http://ydr.inyork.com/ydr/opinion/ci_11053199
Here's a link to a photograph by Beverly Pfingsten of the historic marker:
http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=4549

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! My son David & his wife are spending Thanksgiving week in Colorado with old friends. Today when they called to wish us a Happy Thanksgiving, David exuberantly described seeing a huge herd of elk grazing in Rocky Mountain National Park. He and 8-year-old Bevan and 3-year-old Lyndall & their father Richard joined with other people who were peacefully walking among the peaceful elk! In New Jersey, we took a walk in the woods and came upon a rafter of wild turkeys--15 in all.
(click on picture for larger image)
My book Thanksgiving: The True Story put me back in touch with Bob Schaeffer, an old friend, really old as in we had play dates, before they were called play dates, in the early 1950s. Here is a link to his column in The East Hampton Press.
http://www.27east.com/story_print.cfm?id=180357

On Tues. 11/18/20 I did an interview via email with Glenn Evans, a reporter for the Longview News-Journal, Longview, Texas. You can read his piece at http://www.news-journal.com/search/content/features/stories/2008/11/19/11192008_truly_thankful.html
Check out the very cool "click-2-listen" feature at the top of the article "Table Talk: Experts discuss the origins of Thanksgiving traditions."
In the last paragraph, the reporter misattributed a quote from me to "Oliver," and the newspaper printed a correction in Friday's paper. I relate that incident because educators/librarians frequently ask me about "accuracy," i.e. how to ensure it, check for it, etc. There's no surefire way, I reply, because unintended things--new discoveries, mistakes, etc.--happen to even scrupulous writers. So, check, double-check, & maintain a healthy skepticism.
Elizabeth Bird, senior children's librarian, New York Public Library, posted a review at http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/blog/1790000379/post/1070036907.html
Check out what Jeremy Brunaccioni wrote at: http://blogs.scholastic.com/kid_lit/2008/11/picture-book--2.html
Fran Hawk at http://www.charleston.net/news/2008/nov/25/ideas_make_children_feel_special62882/
Terri Schlichenmeyer at: http://tri-statedefenderonline.com/articlelive/articles/3317/1/Book-Review-Thanksgiving-The-True-Story/Page1.html

Jen Robinson's review

For some time, I have recommend Jen Robinson as the go-to person for insightful & terrifically written reviews of children's books. Because I admire her intelligence and thoroughness, I was thrilled to read her review of Thanksgiving: The True Story. Here is the link:
http://jkrbooks.typepad.com/blog2008/11/thanksgiving-the-true-story-penny-colman.html

On teaching about Thanksgiving

The technology worked--mostly--during the Skype conversation yesterday. As always, it was interesting and fun to talk with readers/teachers about my process for writing nonfiction books, in this case Thanksgiving: The True Story. I'm about to leave for San Antonio, Texas, to present at the master class, The Potential of Nonfiction, at the National Council of the Teachers of English, but I wanted to quickly follow up on a question from a 1st grade teacher re how to teach Thanksgiving in light of my book.
There are multi-entry points: e.g.
*Harvest festivals, in particular page 25-29, on p. 26-27 I point out that the Wampanoag celebrated harvest festivals throughout the year & give thanks every day;
*Sarah Josepha Hale & her campaign to get Thanksgiving declared a national holiday (chapter 3);
*Traditional gathering of family & friends (chapter 5);
*Food, including a discussion about regional and ethnic contributions to the traditional Thanksgiving menu that I describe on pages 109-119;
*Changing activities (chapter chapter 6);
*Many meaning (chapter 8); what Thanksgiving means for some Native Americans, including the Day of Mourning that I discuss on pp. 73-74, ill. p. 76;
*Emergence of the iconic "Pilgrim & Indian" story (chapter 4); ), etc.
*Any one of the illustrations could also serve as a springboard for a discussion of Thanksgiving.
*Fascinating tidbits such as the the story of Fantasticals, the first parade, first professional football game, and a ball where dancers wore vegetable costumes.
*Etc.

Skype conversation

Today I'm having a conversation via Skype with graduate students in Jan Kristo's children's literature class. A professor of Reading and Language Arts, University of Maine, Jan teaches this course off site in Pittsfield, Maine. All the students have read Thanksgiving: The True Story. In an email Jan wrote that they will be particularly interested in my research process.
She also wrote that gkisedtanamoogk, a Wampanoag from Mashpee, MA, who teaches Native American studies at the University of Maine, will be attending the class. In an earlier discussion with Jan's class he spoke about "the view from the ship versus the view from the land." His name is pronounced Key set TAH NAH mook (with a long o sound). We're scheduled to talk for an hour, although I'm certain we could happily talk much longer--it's all so fascinating! This is my first Skype conversation so fingers crossed that the technology works! (Yes, I did a trial call last week.)

Book talk

Everyone is welcome to attend my PowerPoint book talk Thanksgiving: The True Story at Teachers College, Columbia University
Tues, Nov. 18th, 4-6 p.m. (don't worry about coming in late)
Room 309 on the 3rd floor of Gottesman Library

Note: enter TC at the main entrance on 120th street, turn right & walk down the hall to the library.

Ellipses

We had a lively discussion in my Issues in Children's Literature class at Queens College about the use of ellipses. It seems that young writers are being taught to use ellipses to indicate increasing tension, a use that was new to me. Several of the teachers in the class, reported that students fill their writing with ellipses; but, why not--it's easier than creating the effect through actual writing! Today I checked out Grammar Girl: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/ellipsis.aspx

She cites The Chicago Manual of Style. I double-checked my copy, the 15th edition:
11.45 Faltering or interrupted speech. Ellipsis points may be used to suggest faltering or fragmented speech accompanied by confusion or insecurity. In the examples below, note the relative positions of the ellipsis points and other punctuation. (For ellipsis points used to represent omitted text, see 11.51-65.)

"I. . . I . . . that is, we . . . yes, we have made an awful blunder!"
"The ship . . . oh my God! . . .it's sinking!" cried Henrietta.
"But . . . but . . .," said Tom.

TV interview

Yesterday Joanne Santiglia, a top-notch reporter for NY1, came to my house to interview me about Thanksgiving: The True Story. I'm always a bit on edge before interviews, worried about answering questions crisply etc. but Joanne--knowing that one of my books is Rosie the Riveter: Women Working on the Home Front in World War II--started off by sharing her excitement from the day before about filming the Veterans' Day ceremony in Fort Lee, NJ, where the VFW honored women war workers! Then she said she was "enchanted by the turkeys on the cover" of Thanksgiving & we were off and running. Thanks Joanne! In the picture, she is setting up the shot. Hummm, I'm trying to link to her story about the women war workers but it's not working--you can find it at www.ny1.com, click on "nj news"

The Election, 2008

Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Jonathan took Sophie with him to vote. When we arrived for dinner & election-watching, she exuberantly announced that she voted!
"For whom," I asked--"Obama," she replied.
There are many exciting aspects of the election results. In my classes at Queens College, CUNY, last night, I was delighted by the reports from my students--many classroom teachers & one middle school librarian--of the energy & excitement of their young students! Keep them engaged, I said, design projects, lessons, etc. that involve them/educate them about the process of transition. e.g. how/why/who BO appoints--engaged, informed citizens are the lifeblood of democracy!!!! I also talked about/honored the black & white women of the civil rights movement--Fannie Lou Hamer, Ella Baker, Septima Clark, Joan Browing, Virginia Durr, Pauli Murray, etc. FYI: my 32-page biography, Fannie Lou Hamer and the Fight For the Vote is out-of-print, but available from on-line bookstores & in libraries. My chapter "Mary Mcleod Bethune: Passionate Educator," including the story of her dramatic election night confrontation with the Klu Klux Klan is in Adventurous Women: Eight True Stories About Women Who Made a Difference. Also check out Women of the Civil Rights Movement by Linda Barrett Osborne; it's accessible & loaded with photographs. For a longer read, get Freedom's Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement from 1830 to 1970 by Lynne Olson in full of inspiring true stories. Both AW & FD are in print & available from local and on-line bookstores & libraries.

Book Festival & VOTE

I was on panel on Writing about Writing & Girls in History at the 3rd Annual Delaware Book Festival.
Check out the "Thank you for coming to the Delaware Book Festival" treat that I, and other authors/illustrators, found in our hotel room. Yes, it's a white and milk chocolate box filled with M & Ms!!!! (I "posed" it to show the inside.) The terrific festival was sponsored by the Delaware Division of Libraries, Delaware Center for the Book. The chocolate was delicious!!!
Tomorrow is election day--VOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTEVOTE
We're watching returns with Sophie, her parents, and her other grandparents who are visiting from Zurich, Switzerland.

Thanksgiving books, Delaware festival, voting

The publisher of Thanksgiving: The True Story asked me to recommend some of my favorite books for Thanksgiving. They're listed at:
http://us.macmillan.com/NewsDetails.aspx?id=9637&publisher=holtbyr

I'm looking forward to participating in the Delaware Book Festival this weekend. (http://debookfestival.lib.de.us) Saturday morning, I'm on a panel, Women in History, with Laurie Halse Anderson and Cathy Gourley. Of course, I'll be mentioning the fact that Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony addressed the Delaware General Assembly in 1881 as part of an effort to amend the state constitution to allow woman suffrage. No such luck. In 1920, Delaware had the opportunity to be the final state needed to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment, but didn't & the honor passed to Tennessee, which did, by one vote cast by a young legislator, who voted according to his mother's wishes!!

REMEMBER: The fight for women's right to vote was hard and hard; the victory narrow--VOTE on Tues, November 4, 2008

Books signing

I spent several fun hours on Saturday, signing books at Borders in Stroudsburg, PA (Route 80 to exit 302, right at the light, down the hill to the "Shoppes at Stroudsburg" mall on the left.) As always, the bookstore manager, Linda Crooks (pictured), set up a wonderful display of my books. The place was abuzz with excitement as people poured in(there was a fierce rainstorm outside) to join in the fun and games of a Halloween event Linda had organized--"Spooktacular."

Podcasts, students, booktalks

A middle school librarian, Kristy McCarthy, recently gave an interesting presentation in one of my classes at Queens College, about how she uses podcasts in her library. There are two useful examples on her library website: 1. samples of podcasts that she helped students create are found under "Student Projects"; 2. her personal podcast booktalks are found under "Podcasts."
http://westburyschools.org/middle_school/library/Welcome.html

Music, Art, Reading & Writing

Re my 10/16/08 post: The teacher, Marie Russell, who uses Vivaldi's Four Seasons" in her classroom sent me this picture of the autumn results, "Turning Nature into Art: Inspired by Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'" (click on picture for larger image). She wrote, "The culminating activity was putting all four seasons plus the Vivaldi report together into a book which they were able to take home." The second picture is of her students' project about Pablo Picasso that included using a recycled water bottle in a sculpture.
"As you might have gathered," she wrote in her e-mail," I love to bring in music and art into the curriculum and always try to find a way to incorporate reading and writing."

Students and scientific reasoning and Sue Kirch

Here is a link to a short video in which Sue Kirch, a science educator at New York University, discusses the question: Can elementary school students engage in scientific reasoning? See my 9/29/08 entry, for a summary of Sue's recent presentation at the Nonfiction Institute at the University of Maine.
http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/videos/susan_kirch

Click on "comment" at the bottom of the entry to read Sue's response to questions I emailed her after I viewed her video. If you have questions for Sue, feel free to post them on the comment page & she'll respond.

Music, Teaching, Writing

Last night in my Issues in Children's Literature class at Queens College, a teacher described how she plays Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" throughout the school year & ties in lessons & activities. She said that her students love the whole experience. I love the idea!

I grew up in a musical family (raised one, too): I remember going to sleep to the sounds of my father, Norman Morgan, playing the piano. My mother, Maritza Morgan, played the cello & was the music editor at the Chautauquan Daily, the newspaper for Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York, for years. My tastes range from country (love Dolly) to soul/blues to classical--right now I'm listening to a new recording of Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto--so gorgeous, perfect antidote to worrying about the state of the country & the world.

There's a sound track for everything I've ever written, i.e., I write to music. What kind? Depends & I never know until some mysterious process kicks in & the "right" music "reveals" itself to me. And I mean mysterious, e.g. I'm writing Stirring to Nanci Griffith's CD "Clock without hands." Here's what's mysterious about that: I've never particularly responded to her music. In fact, I only have that CD because it has her song, "Pearl's Eye View (The Life of Dickey Chapelle)," one of the women I wrote about in Where the Action Was: Women War Correspondents in World War II. (My son Jonathan told me about the song.) In April, I had retrieved the CD to include it in "Celebrating Women," my PowerPoint presentation about my 20-year quest for monuments, markers, and memorial to historic women. During a multi-tasking moment, I was listening to it & working on Stirring & they glommed (now there's a good Scrabble word). Now, in a Pavlovian way, when I've carved out writing time--I put on "Clock without hands" & play it over and over and over until my writing time is up. Note: Recently for my b-day, my son David & his wife Crystal gave me Emmylou Harris's CD "All I Intended To Be"--hummmm, Emmylou may nudge Nanci aside--I'll keep you posted.

I'll write another post detailing the sound track for my other books. During school visits, I used to bring a tape of 4 excerpts & 4 books & ask kids to listen & match the excerpt with the book. It was always lively & fun. Not sure why I stop, probably because I like to keep myself, thus my presentations, fresh.

Writing, Words, and Scrabble

The act of writing is putting one word after another. That's why we should start teaching writing by teaching youngsters--to LOVE words, one by one.
We play Scrabble most every night at bedtime, even when that means starting a game at 11 p.m. Last night I started the game with a 7-letter word--"touring." Also check out "zygote"

"You just can't be afraid."

What an intense time--I'm writing about the Civil War & I'm following the worldwide financial meltdown & I'm noting the ugly crowd reactions to inflammatory rhetoric by SP, J & CM. To keep focused and steady, I turn, as always, to the life lessons I've learned from historic women. For this situation, I've turned to Frances Perkins (1880-1965) secretary of labor during the Great Depression and World War II, and the architect of some of the most far-reaching and important reforms and social legislation ever enacted in America, including the establishment of Social Security. Here's an excerpt from my biography of Frances Perkins (A Woman Unafraid: The Achievements of Frances Perkins):
Several years before her death, Perkins had talked about the state of the world. 'I hear people say that the world is in a crisis . . . . I think crisis has occurred in the world's history many times, I'm glad to say that in those other crises we didn't have radio, television, and the movies to run it up until everybody died of terror . . . . You can't do any of those things we did in the early part of the century in you're afraid . . . . You just can't be afraid . . . if you're going to accomplish anything.'"
Although A Woman Unafraid is out of print, I have copies. If you'd like one, send me an email & I'll send you an autographed book for the price of postage and handling.

On Writing & Usefulness

After a break for my son Jon's electrifying performance of his powerful songs Monday night (you can find him of FaceBook), I've been hunkered down in my basement office working on Stirring Up The World. Since last week, I've been "piling up pages," to quote Linda, in large part because my Wed. night classes at Queens College, CUNY, haven't met for two weeks, due to religious holidays--having a stretch to immerse myself is such a treat.
A couple of weeks ago, I met a retired New York City librarian who told me--insisted, in fact-- that applying the word "usefulness" to a book is the "kiss of death" for librarians, a "code" in a book review that indicates that the reviewer didn't want to write something negative, but couldn't write something positive. Whoa! If that's the case, then it seems to me that there is a huge gap between what many readers seek & teachers need and librarians who shun "usefulness."
No school for Sophie today so we're off to the Bronx Zoo!