Read, Write, Repeat.

Need some good advice?

Then you might want to check out Melanie Watt’s series of picture books about a squirrel who worries.

Because he worries, he tries to plan his life so nothing he worries about will ever actually happen. And he shares handy advice and checklists along the way.

But as you might imagine, things don’t always go as smoothly as a worried squirrel would like.

Scaredy Squirrel’s fifth adventure was recently released. In Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party (Kids Can Press, 2011), he decides to plan the perfect, calm, quiet, safe birthday party.

Does he gets what he wants? Let’s ask today’s guest reviewer.

Our reviewer:  Faith

Age:  7

Things I like to do:  Gymnastics, reading, writing and singing.

This book was about: A squirrel who plans a small birthday party with one friend.  It turns out that he gets something that was not part of the plan.

The best part was when:  Scaredy Squirrel sees his cake lit.

I laughed when:  Scaredy Squirrel played dead.

I was worried when:  The dog was chewing on the balloon.

I was surprised when:  Scaredy Squirrel only invited one guest to his party.

This book taught me:  How to plan a party.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Party.” “Plan.” “Invitations.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “WARNING!  Scaredy Squirrel insists that everyone put on earmuffs before reading this book.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: Scaredy Squirrel’s list of things that could spoil a party.

 You should read this book because:   It will teach you how to switch to Plan B when Plan A does not work out.

Thanks, Faith! That’s good advice for all of us to remember.

If you’d like to learn more about author/illustrator Melanie Watts, read this interview she did for the Cybils or this article in the Montreal Gazette.

If you just can’t get enough of Scaredy Squirrel, you can join the official fan page on Facebook or watch a variety of Scaredy Squirrel videos on YouTube. 

And, what’s even better, the American Library Association has created a Scaredy Squirrel poster and bookmark proclaiming “Don’t Be Afraid to Read.”

Which is also very good advice.

When a book gets starred reviews from Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and the School Library Journal, chances are it has something good going on.

And when it wins a Newbery Honor award that sort of seals the deal.

Heart of a Samurai (Amulet Books, 2011) by Margi Preus is based on the true story of Manjiro (later John Mung). Manjiro is 14 in 1841 when his fishing boat is shipwrecked in a storm.

An American whaling ship eventually rescues him and his shipmates, and while his fellow fishermen are afraid of the “barbarians,” Manjiro is curious about them. He travels to America, learns about the country and then finds his way back to Japan where, against all odds, he becomes a samurai.

The book features illustrations by Manjiro himself as well as new art from Jillian Tamaki.

Now, let’s hear from our guest reviewer …

Today’s reviewer: Jordan   

Age: 11

I like: Legos, Pizza, sports, and reading.

This book was about: A Japanese boy who got stranded on a deserted island and was rescued by Americans.

The best part was when: Manjiro became a samurai.  

 I laughed when: Manjiro didn’t understand the captain’s sarcasm.

I was worried when: Manjiro almost got killed by Jolly. 

I was surprised that: Manjiro became a samurai because he was just a simple fisherman.  

This book taught me: That good can sometimes come in bad situations. 

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The Japanese spellings. 

Three words that best describe this book are: “Funny.” “Dramatic.” “Realistic.” 

My favorite line or phrase in the book is: “We are the Samurai of Bird Island.”  

You should read this book because: It is based off of a true story and is a very good book.

Thanks, Jordan!

Other reviews of this book can be found at:

• The Wall Street Journal.
• Becky’s Book Reviews.
• Library Lounge Lizard.

If you’d like to learn more about author Margi Preus, you can read this interview or visit her website.

If you’d like to learn more about illustrator Jillian Tamaki, visit her website or check out her blog.

Chances are, you’ve never heard of a chiru.

If that’s true, don’t feel badly. Chiru (chee-roo) are only found on the Tibetan plateau and surrounding areas. And because they have not survived in captivity, the only way to see them is to visit  their natural habitat.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin traveled 7,000 miles from her home in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, to the Chang Tang Reserve in Tibet. The result is a nonfiction picture book, The Chiru of High Tibet (Houghton Mifflin, 2010).

The chiru are worth a book for several reasons. They’re rare. And, their wool can be made into warms shawls which people value because it’s very cold in that part of Tibet.

The chiru are also endangered. And although it’s illegal to kill them for their wool, people still do it. So every year, there are fewer and fewer chiru.

Briggs Martin tells the true story of George B. Schaller, a scientist who wanted to protect the Chiru by making the area they travel to each year to have their babies safe from poachers and development.

But first he had to find it. Four men helped him and followed the chiru through their long trek to the calving grounds. They walked for days, pulling food and supplies behind them through gorges, mountain passes, icy water and rugged terrain. Finally, they found the spot in the Kunlun Mountains.

Here’s what today’s reviewer had to say about the book.

Reviewer: Anneka.

Age: 9

Things I like to do: Go to art class, sing, help people and play computer games.

This book was about: Some men finding out where a mysterious breed of wild goats goes to have their babies. The men want to protect that spot because the breed is endangered.

The best part was when: The men found where the animals go.

I was worried when: The breed got to a fairly low population.

The book taught me: To be patient and persistent to achieve your goals.

Three words that describe this book: “Interesting.” “Tibet.” “Mountains.”

My favorite line: “Without the Chiru, there would be no story.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The interesting facts in the corner of many pages. (Editor’s note: And the cute picture of the baby chiru in the back of the book!)

You should read this book: To learn about the difference some men made.

Thanks, Anneka!

The Children’s Book Council’s Outstanding Science Committee of the National Science Teachers Association has named the book to the “Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12” list for 2011.

If you’d like to learn more about the author, visit Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s website, which has links to a book trailer and a radio interview. Or read her blog.

If you’d like to learn more about the illustrator, read Linda Wingerter’s blog. Or read this article about her work.

To learn more about the chiru, see this website. To learn more about how you can help protect them, visit the Wildlife Conservation Society.

This post is part of Nonfiction Monday.

Starting Feb. 14, you can see other Nonfiction Monday posts at this week’s host blog — Three Turtles and Their Pet Librarian – which is a very cute blog worth checking out at other times, too.

One, two, three, four. I declare a thumb war!

The game is popular because it’s easy. You just need a friend and your hands.

But Jeff Miracola learned there’s more strategy to thumb wars than he thought when he illustrated a guide to the sport, Thumb Wars (Klutz, 2011).

He joins Read, Write, Repeat to talk about his experiences with the book.

How did you approach illustrating Thumb Wars?
I was contacted by Jill Turney, art director at Klutz/Scholastic, to illustrate the cover and a few interior illustrations after she and Editor Eva Steele-Staccio saw an illustration of a Mexican wrestler I had done for Advanced Photoshop Magazine. They really wanted some of the same flavor and energy of that illustration to work its way into Thumb Wars, so my approach from the beginning was to give them that same kind of look without repeating myself too much. 

My first drafts of the cover art had Mexican wrestlers on the front in various poses. Jill and Eva liked these sketches, but they decided to go with a different take on the cover by featuring a referee character. I originally had my heart set on a wrestler complete with decorative garb for the cover, but as I fleshed out the referee concept, I liked it, and it made more and more sense.

At the same time I worked on the cover, I did some interior illustrations. It was a tight deadline, about two weeks, because Klutz needed to get the cover and some other illustrations done to mock up the book for Scholastic approval and also send the cover art to the printer to be included in the spring catalog.

Once I was done illustrating the cover and those few interior illustrations, I approached Jill and Eva about the prospect of creating all of the illustrations in the book. As a fan of Klutz books and having bought many for my own kids, I know that they don’t normally have one illustrator do an entire book, so I didn’t expect a positive response to my question. I was surprised to find out that they were already considering me as the sole illustrator on the project. I felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

A few months later, when the text was complete, I worked with Jill and Eva to illustrate the entire book, along with additional changes to the original cover.

What did you learn?
I’ve learned that working for the large publishers, like Klutz/Scholastic, is no different than working for any other publisher. Assignments are never delivered in nice, neat packages, all tied together with a “nothing’s going to change” bow. The publishing industry is constantly dealing with deadlines and the pressure of getting books to market. The editors don’t always have the luxury of getting all their ducks in a row on a project before having to get illustrators, writers, or others involved, started on the project. So, as an illustrator, be prepared to make changes. Sometimes you are told to illustrate a concept only to find out someone higher in the chain modified the direction of the project and you’ll have to start over.

I never have a problem with this because, when I work on a project like Thumb Wars, I emotionally invest myself in the project and want to see it succeed. So I do what it takes to make the art director and editor happy with the product. I never want them to just settle for something I’ve done. I want them to love it because they’ll be that much more enthusiastic about fighting for the project if it’s ever looking like it could be bumped from the publishing schedule. And I’ll admit that I was giddy at the idea of illustrating a Klutz book. Their books really have been a part of my family over the years.

How did working on this project differ from illustrating a picture book?
I didn’t have as many continuity issues with this project as I would with a picture book, as far as characters go. A few characters appear in various places in Thumb Wars, but nothing to the level of a picture book. I just wanted the book to have a cohesive feel and flavor. This is especially difficult on a project like Thumb Wars when you aren’t given every spread at the same time. I wasn’t able to build a dummy of the entire book. I had to illustrate one spread or page at a time. As the book started to come together, I would go back to previous pages and fix illustrations so they felt more in keeping with the look of the book.

I was actually illustrating two different styles in this book because I also created the technical hand illustrations, which are handled differently than the characters or backgrounds. Incidentally, my children got involved in the creation of the book as well. My son and daughters were the hand models for all of the technical illustrations. They had a lot of messy fun with the mud wrestling spread especially!

Was it a job requirement to have lots of games of thumb wars? Did you learn any secrets to success?
Yes, lots of thumb wrestling! I had forgotten just how much fun it could be. And the various activities in Thumb Wars, creatively put together by the team at Klutz, are a lot of fun.

And I’ve learned that I’m not as strong as I think I am. Parents sometimes let their children win when they are competing against them in something. (Oops. Did I just break the parent code of silence?) But I was honestly trying to beat my kids at thumb wrestling, and they were pinning me down more than half of the time. So I’ve got to start doing more of the training exercises mentioned in the book.

One secret to success when thumb wrestling your children is to threaten them with housework if they don’t let you win. Just kidding.

How did you get started as an illustrator?
I got my first professional job back in 1993 after attending GenCon, the world’s largest fantasy gaming convention. At the time, it was held in Milwaukee (now held in Indianapolis). I put together a portfolio of my art and walked around the convention with my girlfriend, now my wife, as she pushed me to show my work to every art director or editor who’d take the time to see it.

I used to be a lot more shy about my work, so without Silvia nudging me along, I don’t think I would have done as well as I did that year. Within a month or two of the convention, I got my first phone call from an art director at Wizards of the Coast to do 18 illustrations for a role-playing game.

What’s your favorite medium to work in?
My favorite medium is oil paints. I have two different styles – one for paintings, and one for all my digital art like that found in Thumb Wars and other children’s industry projects. Although I love the convenience and forgiveness of digital work, there is nothing quite like sitting down in front of a canvas, pushing oil paint around, applying glazes, and slowly watching a painting come to life over days or weeks. When all is said and done, you have created a one-of-a-kind, physical piece of art that is a time capsule for that moment in your life.

For many of my oil paintings, I can tell you what music I was listening to when I painted it or what was happening in my life at that time. I just don’t have the kind of friendship with my computer that I do with my easel, I guess.

What are your goals as an illustrator?
My current goal is to publish a book with my wife. She is an aspiring writer and already has one manuscript out with an agent and is close to finishing her second manuscript, a young adult fantasy. We have teamed up on the creation of one picture book so far, but I need to create the book dummy and shop it around for a publisher. That’s something I hope to accomplish early this year.

She and I have at least a half dozen other ideas for picture books ready to be fleshed out. Having my name and my wife’s name on the same project would be a dream come true for me.

Whose work do you most admire?
For fantasy artists, I am a big fan of Frank Frazetta, Brom, Boris Vallejo, Berni Wrightson, Sanjulian, James Gurney, and Scott Gustafson.

In the children’s industry, I am a big fan of my friends Tony DiTerlizzi and Scott Fischer. I also really enjoy the work of Peter Brown, Jerry Pinkney, Chris Van Dusen, Dr. Seuss, and Munro Leaf. The Story of Ferdinand is one of my all-time favorite children’s books.

Thanks, Jeff!

Jeff has also illustrated the picture book Welcome to Monster Isle (Immedium, 2008) by Oliver Chin.

You can see more of Jeff’s work at his website. Or by reading his blog.

There are certain phrases most children hear at least once in their life :

“Clean your room.”

“Eat your dinner.”

“What on earth were you thinking?”

And …

“Don’t slam the door.”

Dori Chaconas has turned this last phrase into a rhyming picture book called, surprisingly enough, Don’t Slam the Door (Candlewick Press, 2010).

In her book, the little girl is the one who doesn’t want the door slammed. And she’s not just worried about the noise. She knows the slamming door will set off a whole series of unfortunate events.

The door will wake the cat, which will put knots in mom’s yarn, which will mean lumpy socks for pa, which will make him hop around and bump the honey hive, which will disrupt the bees, which will sting the bear, which will scare the cows.

And all of this will make an awful mess that SHE will have to sort out.

Today’s guest reviewer, Arun, got caught up in the fun. Here’s what he had to say.

Our reviewer: Arun

Age: 8

I like: Karate, running, reading and telling my mom to hurry up and take me to school.

This book was about: The girl was trying to let the cat sleep, but the door slammed and the cat woke up. Then the yarn got tangled and the mom was still knitting with it and Pa bumped the bees who went for the bear. The cows went into the house and there was a BIG MESS, so the girl said “I’m going to count to five …”

The best part was when: They made the big mess.

I laughed when: The girl tried to warn everybody about what would happen but no one listened.

I was worried when: I thought the bear would eat the cows.

This book taught me: To warn people not to wear lumpy socks.

Three words that best describe this book are: “Don’t.” “Slam.” “Door.”

My favorite line or phrase in this book is: “Pa, don’t hop and yell.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: The lumpy socks mom knit. How the bees spell out “OK” when the girl tells them to get out of the house.

You should read this book because: It’s funny and kind of weird.

Thanks, Arun!

This book is a delight to read out loud, and there’s a lot going on in the illustrations for kids and parents to notice.

You can learn more about author Dori Chaconas by visiting her website.

You can learn more about illustrator Will Hillenbrand, by visiting his website.

Super Bowl Sunday is fast approaching.

And, because I live in Wisconsin, I’m surrounded by Green Bay Packer mania. I was reminded just how excited Packer fans can be when I visited with Jack, today’s guest reviewer.

When we opened his book, Don’t Call me Sidney (Dial Books for Young Readers, 2010) I noticed a most interesting bookmark he had created. (See photo to the lower right.)

So before we talked about the book, we talked about the Packers. Jack plans to watch the game and predicts the final score will be Green Bay 24, Pittsburgh 21.

Remember, you heard it here first.

Fortunately, Jack also had some thoughts on the book, the story of Sidney, a pig who’s a poet. Sidney is dismayed that not many words rhyme with his name, so he decides he wants to be called “Joe” instead. Lots of things rhyme with that.

But … his friends have a hard time remembering. His mother is disappointed. And even Sidney admits he just doesn’t feel like a Joe. But what to do? He’ll never be able to write a poem about himself if he sticks with Sidney.

Now, let’s turn things over to Jack.

Today’s reviewer: Jack

Age: 7

I like: Playing sports like football, basketball and volleyball. The Green Bay Packers.

This book was about: Sidney not liking his name very much until the end.

The best part was when: He said his last poem and decided his nickname was “Sid.” My real name is Jackson. Jack is my nickname.

I laughed when: I saw the picture of his great-great-great grandfather, Sidney.

I was worried when: He couldn’t find anything to rhyme with his name.

I was surprised when: He changed his name to “Joe.”

This book taught me: You don’t need to have something to rhyme with your name. (Although Jack came up with several words that rhymed with his, like “back,” “smack,” “lack” and “Cadillac.”)

Three words that best describe this book are: “Changing.” “Thinking.” “Poems.”

Other kids reading this book should watch for: When he wrote the name “Joe” on his arm.

Thanks, Jack!

So if you’re looking for some light-hearted fun to take your mind off the big game, check out this book.

If you’d like to learn more about author Jane Sutton, visit her website. (But be warned, Jane lives in Massachusetts. So if geography means anything, she might be cheering for the Steelers.) 

To learn more about the illustrator Renata Gallio, you could read this interview, if you speak Italian. Renata lives in Italy, so I it makes sense.

And to see some other reviews of this book, visit:

• Creative Chaos II (which includes a really great interview with Jane Sutton.)
• Young Adult Books Central.