Read, Write, Repeat.

Lists of books always get me excited. I have a running list of requests at the library, and I’m always adding more to my to-be-read stack.

My daughters’ school helped me out recently by providing the list for its annual Battle of the Books. Students read books on the list on their own time and then are assigned to multi-grade teams. The teams compete to see which one can correctly answer the most questions about the books on the list.

This is the first year my youngest daughter can participate, so she’s been reading the books at her age level with a vengeance. Her teacher is encouraging the class by having them read books from the list and then do creative book reports.

So far, my daughter has gone to school dressed as Molly from Barbara Cohen’s Molly’s Pilgrim and done a flip book of a key scene in Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Boxcar Children.

I was pleased to see the list contained some books my daughter had already read on her own — like Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney, The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

But there are a lot for her to still explore — even if she sticks to her grade level. Books like Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater, Freckle Juice by Judy Blume and Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary.

I even got some new titles. I’d never heard of or read A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla until it came home in my daughter’s backpack. And, somehow, I’d missed reading Roald Dahl’s classic James and the Giant Peach. (Although, in my defense, I’ve read both Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Glass Elevator.)

The list also had some of my all-time favorites. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (which may be the book that made me want to be a writer), Each Little Bird That Sings by Deborah Wiles and My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

Here’s the rest of the list. See how many you’ve read and which ones would make good additions to your personal reading list!

Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs by Betty Birney
Tornado by Betsy Byars
Wanted … Mud Blossom by Betsy Byars
Muggie Maggie by Beverly Cleary
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr
Magic School Bus: “Inside the Earth” by Joanna Cole
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher by Bruce Coville
Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech
The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Daglish
The Original Adventures of Hank the Cowdog by John Erickson
The Million Dollar Shot by Dan Gutman
Running Out of Time by Margaret Haddix
Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise
Worth by A. LaFaye
Fables by Arnold Lobel
All About Sam by Lois Lowry
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
Summer of the Monkeys by Wilson Rawls
The Best School Year Ever by Barbara Robinson
Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman
Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Call it Courage by Armstrong Sperry
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
When the Circus Came to Town by Laurence Yep

Which are your favorites?

Young readers may already be familiar with Farmer Greenstalk and his farm thanks to Chickens to the Rescue, a 2006 picture book featuring a flock of poultry that responds every time there’s a crisis on the farm.

In the follow-up, Pigs to the Rescue (Henry Holt, 2010), the pigs respond to small farm disasters, but they’re a bit … over eager.

Here’s what Booklist had to say: “Eight excitable pigs mount overachieving rescue missions to cope with minor problems at the farm. Does the rooster have a sore throat? Pigs to the rescue! Eight pigs, perched on the barn roof, wake the farm at daybreak with oinks, squeals, and snorts. Emily broke her shoelace? Pigs to the rescue! The weirdly costumed swine lasso her and tie her up, mummy style. Written with a minimum of fuss and illustrated with comic delight, this picture book from the To the Rescue series offers plenty of laughs for the read-aloud crowd.”

Now, let’s see what Tyler has to say:

Today’s reviewer: Tyler

Age: 5

I like: Playing with my cars, going to Wisconsin to visit my cousins, eating ham-and-cheese sandwiches.

This book was about: Pigs coming to the rescue!

The best part was when: The cows came to the rescue at the end.

I laughed when: The pigs were carrying on in the pool. When the pigs tied up Emily.

I was worried when: The tractor broke and Farmer Greenstalk couldn’t plow his fields.

I was surprised that: The pigs were helping people and other animals.

This book taught me: About helping people.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The silly noises the pigs make.

Three words that best describe this books are: “Funny.” “Colorful.” “Fast.”

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “Pigs to the rescue!”

You should read this book because: It teaches people about helping.

Thanks, Tyler!

To learn more about author and illustrator John Himmelman, visit his website. You also can listen to an interview with him on Just One More Book.

If you’d like to see other blog reviews of Pigs to the Rescue, visit:

• Books for Kids.
• Kids Lit.
• Chalkfull of Books.

You just can’t ignore a good book.

And based on some anecdotal evidence, it seems Justin Case: School, Drool and Other Daily Disasters (Feiwel and Friends, 2010) is a very good book indeed.

Here’s what happened.

When Niki, today’s guest reviewer, got the book, she started reading and — according to her dad — didn’t stop.

And after she’d given the book and her questionnaire back to me, my daughter grabbed the book and read straight through supper. She was so focused, I even had to remind her to eat.

I have yet to read this book myself, but based on the interest it’s generated so far, you can be sure I’ll start as soon as my daughter is finished.

Now, let’s hear from Niki.

Reviewer: Niki

Age: 10 

I like: Horses, dogs, reading, Irish dance, jazz dance, playing with my friends, golf, winter, computers, watching television and eating breakfast.

This book was about: Justin Case. He was a boy who was afraid of everything. But by the end of the book, he was no longer afraid. In Justin’s mind, his old stuffed animal (which was a dog) told him to face his fears.

The best part was when: Justin climbed a rope and was scared when he looked down. The picture showed Justin was sweating and shivering. 

I laughed when: Justin said the boiler in his basement was a big bad monster.

 I was worried when: Justin said he would never be friends with Daisy (his best friend) again.

I was surprised that: Justin actually climbed the rope and overcame his fears.

This book taught me: That it’s okay to be scared and that you can still conquer your fears.

Other kids reading this book should watch for: All the ways Justin conquers his fears. 

 Three words that best describe this book are: Funny, hilarious, hysterical.

 My favorite line or phrase in the book is: When Justin says, “What the heck?”

 You should read this book because: It’s an awesome book because it will make you laugh and teach you how to conquer your fears.

Thanks, Niki! You weren’t the only reader who liked it. There’s another great review at Kid Lit Blog.

Author Rachel Vail writes for little kids, tweens and teens. You can learn more about her books here. Or read a great Publishers Weekly interview with her here.

This book has charming spot illustrations by Matthew Cordell. A website full of his wonderful work is here.

By any standard, Bonnie Leick has been busy lately. Here’s a list of books she’s illustrated that were released in the last two years.

• Goodnight Little Monster (Marshall Cavendish, 2010) written by Helen Ketteman.
• Alien Invaders (Raven Tree Press, 2010) written by Lynn Huggins-Cooper.
• Beautiful Moon (Raven Tree Press, 2009) written by Dawn Jeffers.
• Wolf Camp (Tanglewood Press, 2009) written by Katie McKy.
• Where the Mild Things Are (Simon and Schuster, 2009) written by … ummm… Maurice Send Up.

If that weren’t enough, Bonnie’s work has been featured extensively in Highlights magazine — on covers and illustrating stories and rebuses.

And she’s won awards including a  merit award and a runner-up letter of merit in the 2010 SCBWI magazine illustration competition. Beautiful Moon was a National “Best Books 2009″ Awards Children’s Picture Book finalist and received a Mom’s Choice Award in the Bedtime Stories category.

Recently, Bonnie – whose last name is pronounced “like” – took a break from her busy schedule to answer a few questions about her illustrating career for Read, Write, Repeat.

When did you first realize you could draw, and that you liked it?

That is a really good question – the “liked it” part especially. I only realized I could draw when I was four because my pre-school teacher told my mother and I think she told me. 

Sometimes I question my drawing skills now, though. Especially when the deadlines are fast approaching and I feel that I haven’t drawn as well as I can. But I really never had that realization myself I suppose. Wait, I surprised myself in eighth grade when I got a really great set of colored pencils and copied a candy bar ad. (I think the assignment was to copy something …). It came out picture perfect – it was then that I realized that I actually could draw. 

I think maybe that was the first time I realized that I actually REALLY liked it. I liked it before – but that time – I really liked the outcome. And my art teacher showed my drawing to all of her high school students, and I thought that was cool. 

You originally worked in animation. Did that make it easier or harder to move to illustrating children’s books?

It was a natural transition, and I still bring my animation skills into my art when it comes to “acting” and “movement” in my images. It wasn’t too hard to get used to the less drawing count that a picture book has compared to a scene in animation. I was able to color them too – yay!

Were there any habits you had to learn or unlearn?

I just had to make sure that the style wasn’t so “animation-like.”  But that wasn’t too hard since I like the illustration style much better. Also, it was soooo nice to just work on a few images that were different from each other than many images just like each other. I also got to paint the image as opposed to only doing rough pencil drawings. Don’t get me wrong, the thrill of making my drawings come alive is still there, but at the moment, illustration is what I love doing best.

How did you get your first opportunity to illustrate a children’s book? 

I sent out art samples to art directors around the country, had nibbles and finally Raven Tree Press e-mailed me saying that they had the perfect manuscript for me to illustrate.

What are your favorite types of books to illustrate? 

Monster books –fiction.  And I mean the type of fiction in which the characters aren’t of this world. It really allows me to get ultra-creative. The main character in my book Goodnight, Little Monster is a monster. I created a monster that was kind and gentle looking to kids though – not too scary. Monsters are fun to draw because, unlike a horse, they can look like anything you want.  A horse has to look like a horse. I drew a lot of creepy but friendly things too.  I also love designing furniture and the story had lots of possibilities for that. 

Drawing aliens would be fun. I have written a picture book story (actually it is in the works …) where aliens are the main characters. 

I have illustrated a few books with girls as the main characters, and those are fun in a different way. They look realistic for the most part but then, I like to create a back story with my illustrations. In Bella Luna/Beautiful Moon,  I use a bunny as the constant companion to the main character even though there is no bunny mentioned in the manuscript. 

Kids love finding these things – especially when the parent hasn’t and the kids get to point it out to them.

You’ve also done quite a bit of illustrating for magazines like Highlights. Tell us a little about that. 

The first project that I did with them was for a cover for Highlights High Five. I was so excited to be able to do artwork for them not only because it was a cover but because of who they were. I had grown up with Highlights and now I was going to draw for them. How cool is that?

I have now done nine pieces for both Highlights and Highlights High Five, and each one is as fun as the next. It can be a nice break when I am working on a book that has multiple images and with their projects, it is just one. My work for the Highlights magazines has also produced three awards. My art directors and the editors there are really wonderful to work with.

What are you working on now? 

I am working on a picture book titled Baby Bear Eats the Night (Marshall Cavendish). It will be the first book that I work on that is just animals – unless you count monsters as animals then you may count Goodnight, Little Monster (Marshall Cavendish) as one too. I’m also polishing up a few picture book manuscripts to send off to publishers.

And finally … any predictions for this year’s Caldecott Medal? 

Ha – that is really hard! I don’t know how the judges for the Caldecott award make their decisions. There are so many wonderful books and I can tell you off hand that artists like Mo Willems and David Wiesner are consistently great in their artwork. So that makes me root for the underdogs. 

But a book that sticks in my mind is Bats at the Ball Game by Brian Lies. I liked how it uses different angles, I like the colors and I also like bats. So there you go. I’ll be waiting to see.

Thanks, Bonnie!

If you’d like to learn more about Bonnie and her books, visit her website.

I have to be honest.

Before I saw the brightly colored picture book Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix at my local library, I knew very little about Jimi Hendrix.

If pressed, I might have said that he had lots of hair, wore bright colors and performed during the 1970s.

But now, thanks to author Gary Golio and illustrator Javaka Steptoe, I know a lot more. And learning it was a delightful experience.

The book, published by Clarion in 2010, focuses on Jimi’s love for sounds at an early age and how he heard music that others missed. Whether he was listening to rain falling on a roof or a truck backfiring, Jimi heard a song. And after he got his first $5 guitar, he spent all his free time playing those songs so others could hear them too. (And, of course, I recognized several of his songs once I saw the titles.)

What originally made me pick up the book were the beautiful illustrations. Javaka Steptoe made them by swirling vivid paints on recycled plywood from Seattle, Jimi’s hometown. The artwork is bold, captivating and — I have to say it — psychedelic.

Once I started reading, I was equally caught up in the beautiful language. The story itself was lovely and lyrical, and the thorough backmatter fills in the rest of Jimi’s life, including a discography and details of his drug-related death at age 27.

And now, I’m even smarter because Gary Golio has stopped by Read, Write, Repeat to talk about this beautiful book.

How did you get the idea to write a picture book about Jimi Hendrix?

I started reading about Hendrix back in 2002 (I love to play electric blues on the guitar), and was struck by what were—to me, at least—the surprising details of his childhood. There was a lot of tenderness and beauty amidst the poverty and tough times, and Jimi’s devotion to his craft, very early on, was inspiring. So I thought I’d share that sense of surprise with readers, and hopefully create a meld of words and images that Jimi himself could be proud of. With Javaka’s help, I think we did a pretty good job.

What type of research did you do? What was the most surprising thing you learned?

I did a lot of reading—adult bios of Jimi, old articles and interviews from the 60’s, extensive web-tributes—and immersed myself in recordings (CDs, old vinyl, archived and bootleg cuts) as well as movies of Jimi and his performances (thanks, YouTube!). And it was much more a spiraling kind of process than a linear one, going back to things I’d missed, re-reading and re-listening, and searching out clues to the young Jimi wherever I could. Good research is an adventure story in itself!

Did you listen to Jimi Hendrix music while you wrote the book? What songs especially inspired you?

I especially love to listen to Hendrix songs that are unusual and atypical—things like 1983 – A Merman I Should Turn to Be, One Rainy Wish, alternative takes on classics like Hey Joe or The Wind Cries Mary, and studio outtakes that reveal Jimi’s creative process. The last album he made while alive—Electric Ladyland—in particular, is mind-expanding to me, and if that’s not a 60s-style compliment, I don’t know what is!

You have other music-related picture books coming out soon. Did you plan these as a series or did they evolve separately?

When Bob Met Woody (Little, Brown), a story of the young Bob Dylan and his early meeting with mentor Woody Guthrie, is coming out in May. And in Fall ’12, my middle-grade, 48-page picture book on John Coltrane, Spirit Seeker (Clarion/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), is due out, as well. It just kind of worked out this way, with JIMI and BOB being my first two literary children. But in between those and the Coltrane book, I wrote others on Pablo Picasso and Henri Rousseau —books that reflect my other life as a visual artist—which I’m still trying to sell. So from a certain promotional point-of-view, the first three books being about musicians is probably good, though I’ve got many interests and lots of ideas for other subjects.

I’ve heard you play instruments when you speak at schools. What kind of a musician are you?

I’m in love with the electric guitar, and most enjoy playing blues or classic rock with a slight jazz tinge. For some of my booksignings and planned school visits, I use the Fender Stratocaster (Jimi’s signature guitar) to present a musical story of the young Jimi Hendrix, which complements the book with snippets of songs that influenced the young guitarmaster (B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley), and “sound effects” that mimic, à la Jimi, what he heard while living in Seattle (raindrops, train whistles, airplane engines up in the clouds, people talking out on the street, etc.). It’s a lot of fun for me, and beats just reading the book out loud. As for the Dylan book, I’ll switch over to acoustic guitar since it’s about his early folk period.

You’re also an artist. Was it hard turning the illustrations for the
book over to another artist? What was your first reaction when you saw the illustrations?

Interesting that you ask, because I’ve wanted to illustrate a book for several years. In fact, right now I’m doing just that, with a picture book text I’ve written about Charlie Chaplin. But as for Javaka’s amazing images—when I saw them the first time, I was speechless. (And that’s saying a lot for me, as my wife will attest!) Javaka did something visually which I never would have imagined, even while creating bold and multi-layered illustrations that go hand-in-hand with Jimi’s music. And I only see more things when I look over the spreads—there are subtle and somewhat hidden images in there, and for me it’s like a treasure hunt. It’s amazing what can be done with recycled plywood in the right hands.

What other projects do you have in the works?

There are some other fabulous subjects that I’m looking at right now. I’m forever interested in writing about the lives of artists, no matter what medium they work in.

Thanks, Gary!

This book has gotten a lot of buzz. Earlier today it was named to the Kirkus Best Children’s Books of the Year 2010 list. And there have been some wonderful reviews of it, including this one by author Mitali Perkins. It looks at Jimi’s multicultural approach to live and music.

If you’d like to learn more about Gary and his many interests, visit his website.

If you’d like to learn more about Javaka and other books he’s illustrated, visit his website.

And, finally, if you’d like to look at the biography of another rock legend for older readers, check out this interview with Ann Angel, author of Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing.

Never fear, we’ll return to author interviews and kid book reviews shortly.

But for today, here’s a collection of some interesting things I’ve seen online lately. I’ve even sorted them by category for your browsing pleasure.

Picture Books

• How much is too much? Lisa Von Drasek responds to the often-cited argument that picture books are too expensive by comparing the cost and value of picture books to other things parents frequently spend money on for their children.
• Is there a silver lining? Monica Edinger shares the good news she sees about picture books.
• Which books should you check out now? The Book Review has identified its picks for the best-illustrated books of each year since 1952. This is the 2010 list. And Amazon shares its top list, too.

Writing — for children and others

• Tips to improve your business writing from Bonnie Budzowski. Although they’d apply for almost any type of writing.
• Seven ways to ensure your reading is helping your writing from Daphne Gray-Grant.
• SCBWI Metro NY News presents: What are picture book editors looking for?

Books I want to read

• Soar Elinor by Tami Lewis Brown
• When Stella Was Very, Very Small by Mary-Louise Gay
• Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner

Miscellaneous fun

• Season of Love and Hope. An auction supporting author Bridget Zinn. Bridget was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer in 2009. After receiving treatment in Portland for 18 months, Bridget and her husband, Barrett, are now traveling to Phoenix for one week every month for innovative treatment at the Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Not all their costs for this promising treatment are covered by insurance. Bridget and Barrett’s friends and family are rallying to help them pay the bills. Artists, authors, and others have donated items in the spirit of love and hope.
• Blogger Jama Rattigan posts on cats in literature!

Patricia Polacco’s The Junkyard Wonders (Philomel, 2010) shares a true incident from the author’s youth. And, it’s as compelling as any story she could have made up.

Polacco has previously written about her struggle learning to read. Here, she recounts her experiences in a classroom full of students with perceived physical, intellectual or emotional issues that made them not fit in anywhere else.

In fact, the class is so looked down upon by the rest of the school that it’s openly referred to as “The Junkyard.”

Fortunately, the teacher, Mrs. Peterson, doesn’t believe in labels. Instead, she sees every child as a genius waiting to be discovered. And she encourages her students to look for the potential in themselves and the world around them.

Still, it’s a tough year. One child with health issues dies. Others are bullied. And a close-minded principal almost cancels a rare opportunity for the students to shine. But the class perseveres, earning a well-deserved moment of triumph.

It’s a moving, well-told tale. But the author’s note at the end may be the most inspiring.

As she wrote the book, Patricia discovered what happened to many of her junkyard classmates. One becomes the artistic director of a major ballet company. Another works for the fashion industry in Paris. And one becomes an aeronautical engineer for NASA and designs lunar modules for the Apollo missions.

All credit their eventual success to that classroom and the teacher who saw greatness in them.

Now, let’s check in with today’s guest reviewer, who’s pretty great herself …

Our reviewer: Sonia

Age: 8

Things I like: Reading this book, eating mints, watching TV and playing with my D.S. Feeding my cat.

This book was about: A girl named Patricia Polacco and her friends. They made a plane that Gibbie is in charge of. He has a disease called Tourette’s and he says the plane will fly all the way to the moon. There’s another boy in Patricia’s tribe named Thom, and he can’t see well. He’s the first friend Patricia makes. And, there was a tall boy named Jody with a growing disease. And a girl named Ravanne who doesn’t speak much. And their classroom is called The Junkyard and their teacher’s name is Mrs. Peterson. She inspires them to be the best they can be and see the possibilities in things.

The best part was when: At the end of the book where there’s the photo of all the kids and it tells what they went on to do in life. I also liked it when the plane went all the way to the moon with the streamers behind it.

I laughed when: Gibbie says the plane needs a propulsion unit, but he means a motor.

I was worried when: A mean boy took Patricia’s pin off. When Jody looked pale and died. And when the principal took their plane away.

I was surprised when: A picture of the kids really went to the moon. And that the author saw Gibbie again in Houston when they were all grown up.

This book taught me: Be the best you can be. Try your hardest.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Junkyard.” “Wonder.” “Plane.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Like I said,” Gibbie whispered. “That baby is going straight to the moon.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The plane flying up into the sky. The poodles on some of the girls’ skirts. The picture of all the kids at the end. Their teacher, the boy named Jody and the stars.

 You should read this book because: It’s real. And, it’s a good story. The drawings are good.

Thanks, Sonia.

To learn more about this book, check out this review from the blog Books For Kids.

To learn more about Patricia Polacco, visit her website and watch this series of video interviews.