Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - Mister and Lady Day: Billie Holiday and the Dog Who Love Her

Author: Amy Novesky
Illustrator: Vanessa Brantley Newton
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers (June 18, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy
Audience: Grades 1 to 3
Keywords: Biography, American Jazz, Women Singers

Description from GoodReads:
Billie Holiday—also known as Lady Day—had fame, style, a stellar voice, big gardenias in her hair, and lots of dogs. She had a coat-pocket poodle, a beagle, Chihuahuas, a Great Dane, and more, but her favorite was a boxer named Mister. Mister was always there to bolster her courage through good times and bad, even before her legendary appearance at New York’s Carnegie Hall. Newton’s stylish illustrations keep the simply told story focused on the loving bond between Billie Holiday and her treasured boxer. An author’s note deals more directly with the singer’s troubled life, and includes a little-known photo of Mister and Lady Day.

My thoughts on this book:
Picture Book biographies are difficult on a variety of levels.  How do you condense someone's life down to 32 to 40 pages and most often without a lot of words? Then there is the challenge of what colorful bits of a person's life do you keep in and what do you leave out.  Some individuals made some great contributions to art or music or science or math but along with being absolutely brilliant they often had some interesting character traits which may not be the best thing to highlight in a book written for 7 or 8 year olds.

With that in mind, I appreciate how Amy Novesky tackles the life of Billie Holiday.  In this picture book biography, Novesky shares Holiday's rise to fame and musical contributions through a unique aspect of the singer's life, her love of dogs.  And she certainly loved dogs.  There are at least eight dogs mentioned in this book.  However, the main focus is on a boxer named, Mister.  Did you know Mister had a mink coat? Pretty stylish dog. 

Though Novesky does not explicitly mention that Holiday spent a year in prison for drug possession, she does mention that the singer got into "trouble and had to go away for a year".  The book wraps up with Holiday's return to stage and Mister's presence in the wings on that evening.  The author's note at the end provides more insight into Billie Holiday's life and some additional resources.  Vanessa Brantley Newton's illustration compliment and enhance Novesky's words making this a win-win on several levels.

I am looking forward to including this book in some of the units that I do with students during the school year.  Look for a copy of this book at your local library or independent bookstore.    

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - The Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos

Author: Deborah Heiligman
Illustrator: LeUyen Pham
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press (June 25, 2013)
Source: Purchased
Audience: Grades 2-4
Keywords: Biography, Mathematician, Nonfiction

Description from GoodReads:
Most people think of mathematicians as solitary, working away in isolation. And, it's true, many of them do. But Paul Erdos never followed the usual path. At the age of four, he could ask you when you were born and then calculate the number of seconds you had been alive in his head. But he didn't learn to butter his own bread until he turned twenty. Instead, he traveled around the world, from one mathematician to the next, collaborating on an astonishing number of publications. With a simple, lyrical text and richly layered illustrations, this is a beautiful introduction to the world of math and a fascinating look at the unique character traits that made "Uncle Paul" a great man.

My thoughts on this book:
Rather than a numbers person, I have considered myself more of a word person. Hence, I do not spend a ton of time reading math biographies.  However, this was one I definitely wanted to read.  Heiligman knocks it out of the park with this picture book biography about Paul Erdos.

Paul Erdos was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1913.  He grew up with parents who supported and encouraged his fascination and love of numbers.  His mother was a math teacher and when she returned to work Paul was left with a nanny.  When Paul rebelled at school against the rules, his mother kept in at home.  With both his mother and nanny available to take care of all of his needs, Paul continued to grow in his understanding and love of numbers.

When Erdos grew up, he lived a very nomadic life staying with friends and other mathematicians in order to continue learning about numbers and sharing that knowledge with others.  Erdos may not have been the best guest and did not always pay attention to simple social rules, but he was brilliant and well loved to the point of being referred to as "Uncle Paul". 

Erdos was very singular in his purpose in life, and utilized his skills to connect mathematicians together to create "better math".  At the end of his life, Erdos passed away while at a math meeting.

Heiligman and Pham within the limited number of pages of a picture book captured the essence of Paul Erdos' life.  Heiligman's author's note provides much more detail including information about Erdos' father and other bits about his personality and behavior.  Erdos was a true genius, with a very singular passion that he generously shared with others.

Along with Heiligman's storytelling, Pham uses numbers prominently in the illustrations.  There are three pages at the end of the book where Pham shares her very intentional way of incorporating math and math symbols and math concepts into her art.  Both Heiligman's and Pham's notes should certainly not be overlooked because part of the brilliance of this story lies within those four pages.

If your school or local library does not have a copy of this book, think about picking up a copy and donating it to the library of your choice.  Educators interested in more about Paul Erdos might want to check out this post by Deborah Heiligman which includes many wonderful links and resources.

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Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - July Releases

As part of the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, I try to give a heads up on new releases for the month.  Here are several releases coming out this month.

July 9, 2013

Jimmy the Joey: The True Story of an Amazing Koala Rescue by Susan Kelly, Deborah Lee Rose (National Geographic Children's Books)

July 16, 2013

Explorers: Whales and Dolphins by Peter Bull, Anita Ganeri (Kingfisher)

July 23, 2013

Flying Solo: How Ruth Elder Soared into America's Heart by Julie Cummins; Illustrated by Marlene R. Laugesen (Roaring Brook Press)

July 30, 2013

Martin and Mahalia: His Words, Her Song by Andrea Davis Pinkney; Illustrated by Brian Pinkney (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Don't forget to sign up your nonfiction reviews for the week:

Nonfiction Picture Book Wednesday - The Mighty Lalouche

Author: Matthew Olshan
Illustrator: Sophie Blackall
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade (May 14, 2013)
Source: Purchased
Audience: Grades 2 to 5
Keywords: French History, Letter Carriers, Boxing

Description from GoodReads:
In Paris, France, there lived a humble postman named Lalouche. He was small, but his hands were nimble, his legs were fast, and his arms were strong. When his job was replaced by an electric car, he turned to boxing to support himself and his pet finch, Genevieve. But--"You? A boxer?" the fighters asked. "I could sneeze and knock you down!" Still, Lalouche refused to give up. And perhaps small Lalouche was just nimble . . . just fast . . . and just strong enough to beat his fierce competitors. This is a marvelous story, full of humor and heart, and illustrated by Sophie Blackall, winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Award

My thoughts on the book:   
This book may be pushing the extremes of the true description of nonfiction picture book.  It is more a book of historical fiction. Though a postman named Lalouche did not really exist, French boxing did exist in the early nineteenth century.  Electric cars were being created and experimented with in the late 1800's and early 1900's.  It is this context of Paris, Frances in the late nineteenth century that author Matthew Olshan uses to create his story of a humble but very special postman.  

 
What would it be like if the French postal system did decide to use sporty electric cars to deliver the mail?  In The Mighty Lalouche, Olshan speculates how exactly the use of an electric car would provide an opportunity for the small, nimble and quick postman to become famous.

Lalouche did not know about boxing or what was expected of him.  Ignoring those who laughed at him, Lalouche uses his special speed and strength to become a success. 

Despite Lalouche's success in the ring, he missed his former occupation.  I love these lines from the book -

"And yet stationery stores could make him sad, and envelopes, and above all, stamps."

"In his heart, Lalouche was still a postman."

And when his boss called him to say that the electric car was not working out. Lalouche was ready to return. "And just like that, Lalouche traded in his famous gloves and booties for a humble postman's uniform."

Matthew Olshan has provided young readers with an enchanting story and pieces of history that may be less familiar.  Illustrator/artist, Sophie Blackall brings the story to life with her incredible artwork.  I have always been amazed at any author who uses paper cutting as a means of creating illustrations.  Her paper cuttings bring an extra layer and texture to The Mighty Lalouche.  Read about Sophie Blackall's process to create the artwork for The Mighty Lalouche, click here.

This is one of my favorite picture books of 2013 and just a wonderful story.  I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book from your local library or independent children's bookstore if you haven't seen it.

Don't forget to link up your nonfiction reviews:

Nonfiction Pictue Book Wednesday - Barbed Wire Baseball

Author: Marissa Moss
Illustrator: Yuko Shimizu
Publisher: Abrams (April 9, 2013)
Source: Personal Copy - Purchased
Audience: Ages 8-11
Keywords: Nonfiction, World War II, Japanese American Internment, Baseball

Description from GoodReads:
As a boy, Kenichi "Zeni” Zenimura dreams of playing professional baseball, but everyone tells him he is too small. Yet he grows up to be a successful player, playing with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig! When the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor in 1941, Zeni and his family are sent to one of ten internment camps where more than 110,000 people of Japanese ancestry are imprisoned without trials. Zeni brings the game of baseball to the camp, along with a sense of hope.
 
This true story, set in a Japanese internment camp during World War II, introduces children to a little-discussed part of American history through Marissa Moss’s rich text and Yuko Shimizu’s beautiful illustrations. The book includes author and illustrator notes, archival photographs, and a bibliography.

My thoughts on the book:
Earlier in the year, I was searching for books to use in several elementary schools to celebrate the Fred Korematsu Day.  Korematsu became know for standing up for the rights of Japanese American citizens who were unfairly held in Internment Camps in the United States during World War II.  As a result, when I heard about this book and that it also focused on Japanese American citizens who were interned, I was definitely looking forward to reading it.

Author, Marissa Moss tells the story of Kenichi "Zeni” Zenimura, who despite his small stature dreams of playing baseball.  His is a story of perseverance, and a story of what a community can do despite the situation they find themselves in.  Though Moss has chosen to focus her story solidly on Zeni's work at creating a viable playing field for baseball and pulling in all of those in the Internment Camp to make it a reality, there are references to what life was like at the camp for those who were held there.  Moss provides readers with a story of hope and what hard work can do for an individual or a community.

Along with Moss' ability to make the story of Zeni and those in the camp come to life, Yuko Shimizu's illustrations provide the just right feel and look for the text.  This is one book where you can read the story without the illustrations and it would be good.  You can look at the pictures and get a sense of the story without reading the words.  But when you put the two together, it becomes something special.  This is how I felt about the work of Moss and Shimizu.

At the end, readers will discover some information about Kenichi "Zeni" Zenimura, as well as, additionally resources.  I also enjoyed reading the author's note and artist's note at the ends.  This is one book to definitely add to multiple lists from baseball to history to civil rights.  I encourage you to go out and pick up a copy to read and to add to your school or classroom library.   

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