Aboard a Paper Plane and Other Poems

Aboard a Paper Plane... and other poems

by Joe & Allison Kelly
illustrations by Supakit Chiangthong



When this poetry collection, Aboard a Paper Plane, by Allison & Joe Kelly came my way, I was absolutely delighted to read it! Not just to myself. I read it aloud to my kids, and, randomly quoted some of the lovely lines to the other adult in residence as well.

Shel Silverstein meets Kenn Nesbitt meets Kurt Cyrus.

That's what popped into my head as I read this set of poems. The random everyday quirks with a deeper thought-provoking perspective à la Shel Silverstein, the laugh-out-loud aspect of Kenn Nesbitt's works, as well as the amazing wordplay that Kurt Cyrus brings to his creations, these are what struck me when I read the forty eight poems in this collection.

Some are long and showcase their wordsmithing perfectly while others are crisp and short and made me double up with laughter.

The younger child's favorite was, of course, Bath for the "Ewww..." factor, and Painter, as he had tried that once and found that it was not appreciated.

The older child loved the Secret Club and Pop Quiz, while chuckling at Clover and nodding along with If Only I had a Dollar.

Vegetables - a cautionary tale is at once brilliant and funny, one of my favorites. The wordplay in Broke is superb.

 Before I start listing the joys of each poem here, let me stop and share an informal interview with this talented couple.


1. Tell us about your writing journey - when did you start, what was your motivation for writing? 

J: I started writing children's poetry when I was fifteen - right around the time I met Allison, actually.  I love the variation inherent in a poetry collection, and I love it as both a reader and a writer.  The imagination's zigzag from character to character, situation to situation; not knowing to which world the next page is going to take you, only that it will be a place you're sure to enjoy.  I guess that's why we were drawn to the paper plane.

A: Like most writers, I'm sure, I'm thrilled by the idea of creating something new that wasn't there before: a character, a plot line, a turn of phrase. I've been enthralled with the writing experience since the age of six or so; it's truly been one of the constant joys in my life.

J: And me, right?

A: Yes, Joe.  And you.

2. Do you focus on writing only for children? What are some of your other works?

A: I will write for anyone! I recently started a small business in which I write and publish personal memoirs for people -- usually older folks whose children want to gather their stories and memories in one place before it's too late. I also write material for standardized tests for students ranging in age from kindergarten to high school, and for both native English speakers and English language learners.

J: I'm not quite as versatile as my wife.  It's been largely children's material to date - poetry, rhyming books, middle grade; even tried my hand at YA.  I'm drawn to the imagination bursting from the genre seemingly everywhere you look.  My "day job" is in finance, so I find balance in using the creative side of my brain after a long day or week of analytical thinking.

Aboard a Paper Plane is our first title.  While writing, however, we stumbled upon a few ideas that were too long to be part of the collection.  The game plan now is to turn those into stand-alone rhyming stories.  We've also started planning a second poetry collection.  We don't have any timelines or anything as of yet, but we're certainly having fun putting it all together.


3. What was the inspiration for this particular book? Why a poetry book? How did you settle on the 48 poems included, it's a tall order? Which of these are your top 3 favorites? 

A: A poetry book allowed us to experiment with a lot of tones, themes, characters, and settings.  We were writing the book in our free time (evenings, weekends), so we wanted to make sure the experience was always fresh and exciting.  And as for the inspiration, Joe's the idea generator, so I'll let him take it from here.

J: Thanks, Al!  The inspiration for the book was an odd collection of dozens of little things I've noticed throughout my day-to-day.  Normal things - things you see every day ,but maybe don't put much thought into.  Like a graveyard or a boomerang or a lobster - stuff like that.  If an object or situation catches my eye, I jot it down in the Notes app on my iPhone. It's also energizing to take lofty "life lessons" -- try not to compare with others, be grateful for what you're given, and so on -- and repurpose them in a fun and accessible way through poetry.  In terms of the forty-eight, we were trying to assemble a nice variety of lengths and subjects and styles. There were a handful that didn't fit with Aboard a Paper Plane.  We hope to find a home for them in the next collection!

A: My favorites are probably The Runner, Guardian Angel, and The Tiniest Ant & the Giantest Bear. They're all very different, and I think they give a good idea of our versatility. I think they best showcase our humor, wordsmithing, and wit.

J: I wouldn't say I necessarily have a favorite poem, but I do have a few favorite lines.  Like in the "Octopus Barber", the line about the monkfish.  Or in "Fortune Teller" when the narrator daydreams about body surfing.  Or in "Aboard a Paper Plane" - the part that goes, "You'll cartwheel to the moon and then you'll swim from here to Spain / Or close your eyes and scrunch your face to sprout a lion's mane."  That makes me smile every time.


4. Tell us about your favorite children's author(s)? Favorite children's book(s)?

J: When I was very young, my favorite book was Richard Scarry's "Best Ride Ever". In retrospect, it was a pretty odd story.  Essentially, the plot line revolved around this dog named Dingo.  Dingo Dog had a really, really cool red car.  What Dingo Dog did not have was much respect for traffic laws.  Dingo would drive his car down the sidewalk, through the supermarket - I think at one point he even drove through someone's living room?  At end of the day, the whole book was a pretty airtight case study on why we don't let animals operate machinery.  According to my dad, I would laugh nonstop through the whole story.  Guess I was kind of a weird kid...

A: You were a weird kid?  According to my mom, my favorite book as a little kid was "The Book of Virtues".  It was 1,000 pages and had no pictures.  I would ask my dad to read it to me every night...

J: Okay - you got me there. But since my Dingo Dog-days of childhood, I've accumulated a whole host of both authors and stories I admire.  Just to name a few: Norton Juster's "The Phantom Tollbooth" & Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" for their wordplay and structure.  Shel Silverstein for his characters and situations.  R.L. Stine's "Goosebumps" for their zany twists.  But my absolute favorite?  I love "Oh, the Places You'll Go".  My grandparents gave me a copy when I graduated high school.  It's been on my desk ever since.

A: I loved the Berenstain Bears series -- the cute stories, the colorful full-page pictures! But most of the formative works I read as a child were when I was a little older, eight or nine or so. I loved "Little Women" most of all, followed closely by "A Wrinkle in Time" and the Babysitter's Club series.


5. How does the collaboration work? Each writes, and also edits the other's?

A: Writing children's poems has always been Joe's passion.  He comes up with the idea, any clever turns of phrase or characters, and writes a first draft.  Then, we both sit down in front of it to comb through line by line and word by word.  I'll suggest changes, shore up the scheme, and do my best to make sure every word counts.  We find that this process makes the best use of both of our skills.

J: That said, there were a few poems in the collection that we wrote pretty much top-to-bottom together.  These were, most notably: The Tiniest Ant & the Giantest Bear, If I Only Had a Dollar, Patient Pat, and The Gadget.  My favorite part about writing is being able to work with Allison.  I love having this as a shared experience.


6. Why eBook? And how was the self-publishing experience? Were you interested in submitting to the traditional publishers?

A: At this point, self-publishing Aboard a Paper Plane as an eBook was our most practical and expedient option.  We've also submitted to some literary agents and traditional publishers.  We're hopeful that our run as an eBook isn't the destination, but rather a step on the journey.


7. How did you "meet and collaborate" with the illustrator? On behalf of the illustrator, will you be able to share how they created the art, and whether they are open for working with other authors interested in self-publishing?

J: We met Supakit on Fiverr (which - by the way - is a great platform for children's book authors to partner with illustrators).  Our experience with him was fantastic - he was professional, easy to work with, and very talented. For each poem, we'd put together a detailed description of what we were looking for in the picture, shoot it over to Supakit, and then let him work his magic.  Unfortunately, we don't know too much about his process.  As of today, Supakit has taken his profile down on Fiverr.  He was a student during most of our collaboration, and we got the sense that he was taking on other time-intensive responsibilities as he got closer to graduating.


8. What do you do when you are not writing? What are your other interests/passions?

J: When I'm not writing or working, I enjoy running on the treadmill while watching a movie or show (currently, season 1 of True Detective), practicing the piano, drinking Guinness, all things personal finance, and spending time with my friends, family, and beautiful wife.

A: I love trying new recipes, learning languages (I'm currently taking a Spanish class!), reading, entertaining, and slowwwly decorating our house. And of course, spending time with my family, friends, and Joe!


Our sincerest gratitude to the Saffron Tree team for featuring us and our debut poetry collection, Aboard a Paper Plane! We truly appreciate all you do to promote children's literature. We hope you enjoy Aboard a Paper Plane; please reach out at jkelly821@gmail.com if you have any questions or comments! Happy reading!


[Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book but the opinions shared here are entirely my own. Review policy for this blog is available.]

Finnigan the Circus Cat

Finnigan the Circus Cat

by Mary T. Wagner

Publisher: Waterhorse Press; First edition (May 27, 2016)
Publication Date: May 27, 2016


An warm tale about a simple life that can have its own adventures, this book can be fun for cat-loving kids.

Cousins Max and Leroy, two circus mice, live a well-settled life at the old Farnsworth Circus Museum. They have comfortable place to rest, enough food to eat, no bothersome dogs or cats. But when little Lucy Farnsworth and her family move in, along with their dog Boomer, things start to change a bit. To add to the annoyance, Lucy hides a rescue kitten in their barn, which totally aggravates the mice cousins, naturally.

This little kitten, which is not allowed in the house as Lucy's dad is allergic, seems oblivious to the disturbance he must have caused in the status quo at first. But, Max and Leroy take him under their wing and show him the best spots for hiding, the best hidden route to the stream on a hot day, all the nooks and crannies in the circus wagon...

Things can't be this idyllic for long, and sure enough Hector and Godfrey show up which is not a good sign for Leroy and Max. When Leroy almost falls into Godfrey's mouth, Finnigan, leaps to his rescue, hangs by his long fluffy tail, and saves him from certain death.

The pencil illustrations in the book were done by the author herself. The story flows smoothly and predictably with engaging dialog and not a lot of fast-paced adventure or rising action or conflict. This might be the first in a series where we follow Finnegan along with his new adventures.

[Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book but the opinions shared here are entirely mine.]

Summer Reading: A Baker's Dozen 3rd Grade Chapter Books

There is a reader for every book and a book for every reader. As long as they meet each other I have no complaints.

Now that Summer is over and school has begun in right earnest, I thought I should jot down the books that the then 3rd grader read over summer. Just random picks. I didn't have an agenda. Well, I sort of did, but did not enforce it.

Agreed, I'd rather have my kids read what I consider wonderful and worthy, or what the general writing community and librarians and teachers consider must-reads. But, each kid is different and what speaks to them and appeals to their sensibilities and interests varies widely. So, if they end up not loving a book that I rave about, it's okay.

So far, almost every book by Roald Dahl has been much enjoyed by both the kids. The BFG is a hit, of course, thanks to his whizpopping and his strange grammar. The Witches  made him wonder about the women he sees - seemingly ordinary people - whether they could be secret witches. The Giraffe, the Pelly, and Me was nice too. Matilda was fantastic.

As a non-fiction fan, it is gratifying for me to see the younger one finish fiction chapter books voluntarily. Especially because non-fiction picture books have filled our lives with wonder, right from the kid's infancy.

Here are a few fiction chapter books that the 3rd grader has enjoyed this summer either listening to me read it out loud, or reading them by himself as he lost patience waiting for me.


Dave Pigeon
by Swapna Haddow
illustrations by Sheena Dempsey

A quick read pumped with the kind of silliness that appeals to kids, Dave Pigeon has its laugh-out-loud bits as well as some bits that the jaded adult in me knew was a drag but just put in there to get the kids to giggle.

Two pigeons are scrounging for scraps, and not doing so well, when a Human Lady (with a cat in her basket) comes along with a perfectly stale bread that is a heavenly treat for the said pigeons. Her cat, however, finds its own treat in tormenting the two pigeons, one of which gets its wing hurt. That's our "Dave", so named when the Human Lady takes him home to mend.

The friend pigeon, Skipper, follows along and finds that life can be good with the Human Lady if only the Mean Cat was out of  the way. They both embark on schemes to throw the cat out, but end up with a different problem when the book ends.

So, there is bound to be a part 2 that tells us more about how things progress.

[image source: Author website]



Oggie Cooder (2 book series)
Oggie Cooder, Party Animal

by Sarah Weeks

Veteran author Sarah Weeks manages to create a likable character whose life is realistic enough for kids to take notice and bizarre enough for kids to keep reading. Oggie Cooder is a naturally talented charver. What is charving? It is carving cheese with teeth.

There's the usual super-privileged girls, the boisterous jocks, the dorky smarties; and despite fame trying to change him, Oggie remains true to his sweet nature.

The second book, Party Animal, is all right. There is the requisite diva-ish girl who does not want Oggie to come to her party but invites him anyway, and then imposes these impossible rules for him to follow if he is to come to her party. Not my cup of tea, but all in all, Oggie comes out nice and likable again.

[image source: scholastic]



Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing
(Superfudge, Double Fudge)
Judy Blume

What's not to love about these soon-to-be classic books? Peter Hatcher, his little brother Fudge, and their lovely family are quite a bunch. Virtually every kid I know has read at least one "Fudge book".

Ms. Blume is a master at her craft, spinning seemingly mundane everyday events into wild adventures that turn out to be entertaining, and yet full of heart and tons of humor.

Although Peter is our protagonist, he mostly talks about his brother, Fudge, whose attention-getting antics might be all-too-familiar for parents with high-energy/highly-imaginative kids. Baby sister Tootsie brings new fodder for such antics and the anecdotes flow into a general story with not necessarily a huge conflict/resolution style arc but more of a things-happened-and now-it's-all-right kind of sequence.

Read an Excerpt

[image source: Puffin- Penguin/Randomhouse]



Heck (series)
(Rapacia, Blimpo, Fibble)
by Dale E. Basye
illustrated by Bob Dob

This is a book I did not scan ahead, or read to the child, so I kept getting updates from the reader in installments as and when he read it. It seemed so bizarre that I had to pick it up and do my usual rapid-reading to make sure.

Marlo and Milton get sent to Heck after they are killed. They meet Virgil there, in Heck, which is practically like Hell: there is school there! The threesome try to escape this freakish world.

There are a few more books in the series and the kid has been working his way through them. The rich wordplay and fantasy world building might just be offbeat enough to keep the kid engaged.

Read an Excerpt

[image source: Penguin Random House]



Ukulele Hayley
by Judy Cox

A heart-warming book where kids are not bystanders in their own art enrichment education. Hayley can play the ukulele, it must run in the family since her great-aunt Ruby was famous for it. But, when her school decides to cut funding for the music program, she gathers her fellow music enthusiasts and puts together a show, and in effect appeals to the board to change their mind.

Kids can identify with Hayley and her seeming lack of special talent: while others can sing, dance, juggle and what-not, she seems to be talentless. Until she discovers ukulele, and discovers that with just 3 chords she can learn to play many tunes.

[image source: Holiday House]



The Story of Diva and Flea
by Mo Willems

illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi


I must admit that the main reason the resident Elephant and Piggie fan picked up this book is the name-recognition factor: being familiar with the Mo Willems name.

It's a sweet story of friendship between an alley cat, Flea, surviving on pure wits and next-to-nothing-scraps and a pampered little 'fraidy-cat dog, Diva. Their friendship grows gradually, organically. They each help the other out of their comfort zone and find that life isn't so bad on the other side.

Diva shows the joys of regular, reliable, predictable Breck-fest and indoor life to Flea who is used to scavenging for fish bones and food remnants in the dumpsters.

Flea shows the joys of exploring, living free and flâneur-ing, while helping Diva overcome her fear of feet.

[image source: Disney Publishing]


Jelly Bean
Shelter Pet Squad  

by Cynthia Lord

After Rules by Cynthia Lord, I was looking for other books that the younger child might enjoy. Having lost our own pet guinea pig, it seemed like he was ready to read about another guinea pig looking for a home.

Second-grader Suzanna cannot have pets in her apartment, even though she would love to have one. Her parents thought it would be a good idea for her to volunteer at the nearby pet shelter. Suzanna is shy at first, but soon makes good friends at the shelter and takes it upon herself to find a good home for Jelly Bean, a guinea pig that another family dropped off at the shelter as they cannot care for it anymore.


[image source: Scholastic]



No Talking
by Andrew Clements
illustrated by Mark Elliott


It seems like just about every fourth-grader has encountered this book in school as teachers and librarians seem to put it on every reading list they send home. As they should, indeed!

The noisy fifth-graders, notorious for their rambunctious behavior, decide to stop talking in school suddenly, after being inspired by Mahatma Gandhi who had made it a habit to abstain from speech one day a week during his adult life.

It is a riotous read. The complicated rules for "allowed" talking is laid out organically - three-word sentences only at a time - as the teachers and principal try to deal with this civil disobedience. Of course, on the one hand, the teachers are happy with all the peace and quiet, but on the other, it clearly is not working out well overall.

All's well that ends well, of course, as the two camps (girls vs. boys) end up as allies rather than adversaries and learn a thing or two from each other.

[image source: Atheneum/ Simon & Schuster]



Wonder
by R.J. Palacio

Ten year old Auggie starts mainstream school after spending his formative years hiding under a toy helmet. His face is quite deformed and that becomes the focus for anybody who meets him. They are unable to see the humanity in him and his struggles.

Told via eight different narrators with unique voices and perspectives, the book allows us to get to know Auggie for who he is, not what he looks like. And, it captures the circumstances and emotions that lead to misunderstandings, perhaps even to friendships. As Auggie navigates his middle-school life, he learns to be more comfortable with himself, and we learn to choose kindness.

As the Dalai Lama said, and as I quote him at home often when kids start fighting with each other:

"Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible."

Read an Excerpt

[image source: Penguin Random House]



Ruby Lu, Empress of Everything
by Lenore Look
illustrated by Anne Wilsdorf


Ruby Lu ends up being likable, even if not memorable. When her (deaf) cousin, Flying Duck, emigrates from China and starts living with them, things change for the worse at home. At least, that's what Ruby thinks.

At first, Ruby is quite excited about Flying Duck's arrival and takes it upon herself to be the best Smile Buddy. But slowly, things she took comfort in starts to change - more Chinese spoken at home, more Chinese foods at the table, and her best friend Emma doesn't seem like her best friend anymore.

The book easily addresses the challenges of summer school, swimming, emigration and transition to life in a new country as seen through an Asian-American kid whose hopes and fears are quite authentic, convincingly told from a second-grader's point of view.

Browse Inside 

[image source: Simon & Schuster]



Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis
(1999)

Ten year old Bud Caldwell is probably known to most 4th and 5th graders in public schools. Orphaned, and abused in foster homes, he flees his quiet town in Depression-era Michigan, setting out on a journey to meet his father. Rather, the man he thinks is his father - bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, Herman E. Calloway.

Along the way, Bud-not-Buddy has a lot of weird experiences/adventures. Even the most heart-wrenching moments are infused with hope, and Bud's attitude is ever-hopeful and positive. Bud is extremely likable - polite and sensitive, brave and smart.


Read About the Book at Penguin Random House

[image source: multcolib.org]

The Seventh Wish
by Kate Messner


Although it seemed that this book might be a bit beyond his realm of experience, it worked out all right for our nightly read aloud sessions. Much like the fairy tale, "The Fisherman and His Wife", where the fish can grant a wish but the wish always backfires unless worded carefully, our protagonist, Charlie, catches one while ice-fishing.

Charlie's struggles and daily travails was appreciated more by the eleven year old than the eight year old, but still, he was somehow drawn to it and stuck with it till the end, having us read aloud till the book was done. The heroin-addiction for Charlie's sister was a bit much for him, as it bothered him that it can really happen, even if to a character he doesn't care about...

[image source: Author website]

The Hobbit, 
Or There and Back Again
by J.R.R. Tolkien

Since I love the book a lot, I took it upon myself to read it aloud to the kid. It was a blast as expected, reading a chapter at a time.

And, it was even more fun comparing it to the movie(s) to see what parts got dropped out of the movie and speculating why.

[image source: multcolib.org]




Flora & Ulysses
by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by K.G. Campbell


While this was a fun summer read, I decided to dedicate a separate post to Flora & Ulysses.

Save Me A Seat

Save Me A Seat 

by Sarah Weeks & Gita Varadarajan


Joe Sylvester and Ravi Suryanarayanan. Two kids starting fifth grade at Albert Einstein Elementary. Two kids from completely different backgrounds, cultures, corners of the world. Two kids who just want to fit in. Two kids who are unlikely to become friends.

Written alternately from Joe's and Ravi's perspectives, by two authors, the book unfolds the first week of school where Ravi is a brand new kid, not just to this school, but to America. His family has just moved to New Jersey from Bangalore, India. His paternal grandparents came along as well. His mom is a homemaker while Ravi's dad works full time.

While Joe has been in this school since KG, he has always felt an outsider thanks to his APD (Auditory Processing Disorder) which makes every single noise in his environment equally stimulating and distracting and so is unable to focus as needed while tuning out the unwanted sounds. His mom takes any work she can to supplement the family's income, while his dad is on the road a lot with his trucking job.

Dillon Samreen is a typical spoilt, rich ABCD - American-Born Confused Desi* - another name for U.S.-born kids of Indian immigrants, who craves attention and seems quite popular, thanks to his clothing and antics. [*Desi = Indian]

It's a regular school story, centered around the lunch time in cafeteria. Each section of the book is named the day of the week staring from Monday and ending in Friday. And that's not all, each day of the week is further qualified by the cafeteria lunch served in Albert Einstein Elementary. "Monday: Chicken Fingers." "Tuesday: Hamburgers." and so on. And, sure enough, Dillon is the villain-of-sorts with his bullying and insensitivity and selfishness.

Rather than elaborating on every moment of each day of school life through the week, the book focuses on hand-picked incidents that strike an emotional cord, tailored specifically to elicit poignant responses in readers, both young and older. The clever device of picking up the same incident from Joe's perspective where Ravi left off the narration previously (and vice versa) is done seamlessly and brilliantly. So that, without exchanging much dialog with each other, somehow Ravi and Joe are easily connected, destined to end up together as friends.

Bridging the cultural diversity, the book offers fairly authentic perspectives into Ravi's and Joe's lives without espousing a favored position. Touching upon subtle disability (ADP), we see a bright kid, Joe, from a working-class family, struggling to make friends and share what he can offer. Being from a very different culture, we see Ravi's food and demeanor as authentic to his upbringing so far, with a sense of eagerness to please and to excel even while limited by a hard-to-follow accent.

With two authors bringing their own unique perspectives to the characters, the book is innovative and brilliant. Veteran Sarah Weeks tugs at our heartstrings with effortless ease, while Gita Varadarajan brings rich sensory information about Indian culture through credible characterization of Ravi's family and their interactions.

Being an American of south Indian origin, there were quite a few aspects that resonated with me and, of course, quite a few that grated my nerves. Which is not a bad thing for a book like this, for an adult reader like myself.

One thing that irked me was that Ravi's grandmother says, "Be proud of who you are and remember where you come from. If you are not careful, you'll turn into one of them. Your grandfather didn't slave in the tea plantations so that his only grandson would become some rude, overweight, beef-eating cowboy."

While I do not advocate ever forgetting one's roots wherever that may be, the words, "don't turn into one of them" rather rubbed me the wrong way. As if Americans are all uncouth and unworthy somehow, at least according to grandma, by being overweight cowboys. I perfectly understand the spirit in which it is written, but, even the resident eleven year old was irked by it, being an American with south Indian heritage.

On the other hand, Joe's dad says, "Immigrants. They're visitors in this country; who do they think they are, pushing us around?" when referring to Dillon, an American kid of Indian origin. But, Joe points out that Dillon was born in America and that Dillon's dad is a reputable doctor.

There's nothing wrong with blending in and absorbing the host culture without losing one's own beliefs and identity, picking the best of both worlds. At the same time, are guests wrong to expect the host culture to be open-minded in welcoming them? And then again, is it truly a host-guest situation or a host-parasite relationship that creates this fear and mistrust? Rather than always trying to find fault and be derisive about cultural practices and affiliations different from one's own, is it possible for us to accept and appreciate aspects of various cultures without trying to prove why one is somehow inherently better than the other?

Also, towards the end when grandpa helps Ravi gather a few leeches for his Personal Reflection project, I cringed initially thinking why would grandpa equate Indians to leeches - blood-sucking parasites that drain the hosts and move on?  But then, grandpa states, "These leeches are a reminder of who we are, and where we've come from, Ravi, and of all the hardships we've endured to get here."

Rising from a humble tea plantation guard who protected the workers from these nasty leeches, grandpa is proud that his son worked hard to gain recognition for his intellectual abilities and was sent to U.S to contribute his knowledge and expertise for the better world, so that his grandson can live the American Dream, such as it may be. But, their fairly upper middle-class background was not convincing enough to justify this speech about leeches. However, when I realized that it is drawn from author's own personal experience, it came together quite all right.

Ravi's family moved from Bangalore in South India, and Ravi calls his parents 'Amma' and 'Appa' which are south Indian (particularly, Tamil) terms for 'mom' and 'dad'; however, he also calls his grand-parents 'Perimma' and 'Perippa' which is rather unconventional as those terms also refer to Aunt and Uncle - either mom's older sister and her husband, or dad's older brother and his wife. Not that it affects the story, as families can choose to call grandparents in whatever traditional fashion they adopt, but as a Tamil-speaking reader, it was rather an interesting point for me.

I hope this book is chosen as a must-read for fifth graders in school. It is a fairly quick read. Plenty to discuss. The resident 11 year old, who is exposed to south Indian culture, found it an entertaining read. Even if it was written with Ronaldo from Brasil or Ridwaan from Somalia, instead of Ravi from India, the story would have rung true, and that's the diversity in books that children need to be exposed to. Back of the book has Joe's glossary and Ravi's glossary, plus recipes of Joe's and Ravi's favorite foods.

Having finished this book one weekend evening, after tucking kids in bed, I knew I wanted both the kids to read it. So, I took charge and read this book out loud to them. Slowly, in installments, till my throat went hoarse, I read it aloud to the captive duo every chance I got.

Both kids immediately took to Joe, wondering why Joe does not seek an adult intervention when Dillon screams in Joe's ear on purpose. That is cruel and unacceptable. Their argument: If Joe is not confrontational, it is fine, but, he should not condone that behavior by keeping quiet about it and trying to find a subtler way to get back. How will Dillon learn that what he does will not be tolerated if he does not get any consequence for such an unacceptable act of torment? How can it be tattling when asking an adult for help after being unable to deal with such behavior? Joe tried the appropriate method of using his words and making it clear he doesn't like it, but if Dillon still continues his bad behavior, then why can't Joe seek help from adults? Surely that's not tattling, is it? Why keep it from your parents and teachers and thereby protect Dillon?

And both kids found Ravi to be quite sweet and easy to befriend if he was in their classroom. Being familiar with some of the foods Ravi brings to school, the kids were furious when Dillon called Ravi  "Curryhead" and told him that his food stank and that he stank. The 8 year old was horrified that Dillon would get away with such an insensitive and inappropriate comment. Or that Dillon's cronies would laugh when hearing such hurtful words.

Clearly, the authors knew what they were doing! I wish I could gather all the neighborhood kids and read this book out loud to them. Between Chloe in India, It Ain't So Awful Falafel, and Save Me a Seat, I think there's plenty for kids to think about beyond their own small world.... along with books like Percy Jackson and Divergent and Books of Ember, of course.

[image source: Scholastic]

6 Picture Book Biographies of Extraordinary Women

Daredevil
The Daring Life of Betty Skelton
by Megan McCarthy

Beautifully rendered story of Betty Skelton's life, this picture book captures her spirit and her personality with humor and authenticity.

Betty was a daredevil all right. The part that affected the kids most was when she was invited to train with the male astronauts for Mercury 7, went through the training with flying colors, only to be rejected at the crucial time simply because she was a woman and NASA wasn't ready to send a woman into space at that time.

Illustrations are slightly on the funny side and yet very adorable and relevant.



Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea
by Robert Burleigh
illustrated by Raúl Colón

One of 20th century's most important scientists, Marie Tharp was the key person involved in mapping the seafloors around the world. Her hard work validated the theory of Continental Drift which was a tenuous proposition at that time, but the only reasonable explanation for the observations.

Being the daughter of a mapmaker, it was no surprise that Marie knew what to do from her younger days. Even though she initially faced many obstacles as she was just a woman and women couldn't possibly be smart scientists in those days, her perseverance and confidence gained her respect among her peers at Lamont Geological Labs where she started her project of mapping the sea floor.

Illustrations by Raul Colon (of DRAW) complement the text well.


Queen of the Track: Alice Coachman
Olympic High-Jump Champion
by heather Lang
illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Alice Coachman was born to run and jump. Thus begins this story of a remarkable athlete who took her talents to new heights via sheer hard work and determination. Talent like hers cannot be suppressed, it is bound to be discovered sooner or later. But being black in those testing times was not helping her at all.

Going to London from her segregated Southern state, for the Olympic Games, Alice was awed that she could sit anywhere on the bus despite being black. That little nugget in the book influenced both the kids at home deeply. That, and the fact that the King George VI shook her hands when awarding her gold medal at the Olympics was something huge for Alice, something she could not expect the white people in her own community to do willingly.


Dorothea's Eyes
by Barb Rosenstock
illustrated by Gérard DuBois

Afflicted with polio at age six, Dorothea Lange never recovered from the limp; she felt different and lonely. But, she saw things like no one else did - with her eyes and her heart.

Being enterprising and tenacious, she asks to work with any photographer who would taken her on as apprentice. She learns all that she can pick up. Eventually, recognizing her talent, one photographer gives her an old camera.

In an age when photography was not taken very seriously, and women were not taken seriously, Dorothea was a natural at both, very seriously. Many of Dorothea's photographs are held in National Archives and can be accessed at archives.gov.


Stone Girl Bone Girl
A Story of Mary Anning of Lyme Regis
by Laurence Anholt
illustrated by Sheila Moxley

By now, most budding paleontologists have heard about Mary Anning, the girl who couldn't help finding fossils everywhere she looked, the girl who found the first Ichthyosaurus fossil that reconciled a huge gap that scientists had in understanding prehistoric creatures until then.

Being poor, and not knowing the value of her finds, Mary probably gave away most of her valuable treasures just to put food on the table. The book talks about the little speckled dog that showed up at Mary's one day and stayed with her for all her discovereis up until Ichthyosaur, and then magically disappeared. She later found Plesiosaurs and Pterosaurs in her small, unassuming town of Lyme Regis in Dorset.

The illustrations are bright, colorful, and gorgeous!


Bon Appétit!
The Delicious Life of Julia Child
by Jessie Hartland

A children's picture book about Julia Child? This I must read, I told myself when I saw it in our library.

All about Julia's life and her life's work -- Mastering the Art of French Cooking, the book shows Julia's indomitable spirit and her methodical approach to perfecting each recipe so others can follow it blindly and end up with something out of this world.

Never one to sit idly, Julia was always passionate about cooking, and even got her own TV Show with live demonstrations in a day and age when such things were not easily open to women hosts.

My only nagging issue with the book is its layout and font - it is cluttered and crowded and hard to read in proper sequence. Plus the fonts are cursive which the younger child is not adept at reading - yet.


-------------------

When I was Eight,
Not My Girl
by Christy Jordan-Fenton & Margaret Pokiak-Fenton
art by Gabrielle Grimard


While not a biography but more a memoir of sorts, these two books gave a peek into a life of Margaret Pokiak-Fenton, that is very different from anything the kids had expected to read in a picture book.

Olemaun, an Inuit girl, knows a lot of things including how to keep the sled dogs quiet when hunting for caribou; how to bring get her team of dogs to obey; how to relish muktuk (whale blubber) and pipsi (dried fish).

But, she did not know how to read English, like the outsiders. And wanted to learn. So, she was sent to study with the nuns at the outsiders school.

The school changes her in ways she never imagined. She has forgotten her own language, lost the taste for her own native foods, and can't seem to know all the things that are important for her survival in the harsh lands.

When I was Eight is about Margaret going away to the outsider school; Not My Girl talks about her return from school and trying to get rehabilitated and learn the ways of her people so she can continue the traditional way of life and preserve her cultural heritage.

The illustrations are brilliant!


[image source: multcolib.org]

A Dozen Series Fiction Chapter Books/Graphic Novels for 3rd/4th graders

While I support librarians and authors on saying No to the age-banding issue,  I do add age range labels in my posts just for sorting-and-searching purposes. Kids read at their own comfortable levels-- some are reluctant readers, some are avid readers, so, I hesitate to use an age label in my posts for reading proficiency purposes.

And, rather than "review" per se, my book posts are more of a cheer-leading effort to champion some favorites, share some titles that made an impact, and to list any surprise finds.

It takes quite a bit of effort to get the non-fiction-loving eight year old child to give fiction chapter book series a chance. If the first book is not impressive and if none of the characters appeal to him at any level, it makes no sense to plod on with the series hoping one of the books down the road would eventually speak to him.

Since I believe in reading aloud to readers of any age, I still read the fiction chapter books aloud to both the children on and off. If the book grabs their attention, they'll read the rest of the book on their own.

Anyway, over the last few months, the eight year old has been open to a handful of series books for one reason or another that I'd rather not subject to my armchair analysis. Some are graphic novels series as we were exploring them over last summer/autumn, and some are novels in cartoons and text like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid, while others are generic chapter books. If the subject matter seems a bit mature for him, I screen the topic but let him to decide to finish it or not. Knowing his sensitivities, I avoid books that are themed around topics that I know would disturb him at this time.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here are some interesting reads for kiddos with widely varying reading preferences.

Ranger in Time series

by Kate Messner

illustrated by Kelley McMorris

I loved Kate Messner's picture books Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt, as well as Over and Under the Snow. We tried Marty McGuire chapter book series but it didn't resonate with the then seven year old, but I was not ready to give up. So, we tried Ranger in Time series - the first book is about the Oregon Trail, which is always a fascinating topic at home.

We've read the first three books so far, each set around a different historical event. Ranger is a sweet dog who accidentally finds a teleporting time-traveling machine in the form of a First Aid Kit. When it hums and glows, Ranger nudges it onto his neck and as soon as he wears it, he is transported to a time a place other than his own where is services are much needed: He is a trained Search-and-Rescue dog!

The kid and I liked that Ranger is not anthropomorphic-- thankfully -- so he is not a talking dog. But we get to know him better as the story is told from his perspective. His thoughts and actions, while quite human, also stays true to his canine nature and instincts.

Geronimo Stilton series

by Geronimo Stilton

What's not to love about this series? Quick and easy read, with quite an interesting mix of mice characters and settings that promise a fantastic adventure.

It did irritate the kid that words like "fabumouse" (fabulous) and "famouse" (famous) is used to add to the theme of mice living in Mouse Island, and it did initially bother him that strange fonts in various colors caught the eye to distract rather than enhance the reading experience -- especially since he couldn't figure out a pattern or any rhyme or reason for those words to b highlighted as such. However, the stories and the situations were well done that he quickly got over his nagging objections.

There's a ton of books in this series, with more coming out in a steady stream, I believe. Plus, there's spin-offs with Thea Stilton books and Space Mice and Cave Mice and such.

Magic Treehouse series

Authors: Mary Pope Osborne, Natalie Pope Boyce

Illustrators: Sal Murdocca, Luiz Vilela

A long-standing staple, the series takes the brother-and-sister duo on mini adventures to various times and places.

The older child went through most of these books around kindergarten and first grade.

As always, the young resident reader's main objection has been: How come their parents don't know about it? And why aren't they telling their parents all about it and asking for permission first? Of course, magic only works a certain way, so all such details can be explained away, am sure.

According to Humphrey series

by Betty G. Birney

Hamster Humphrey and the kids of Room 26 seem to have great dynamics. When Ms.Mac brings Humphrey home from Pet-O-Rama, he was all set to bond with her and spend the rest of his life with her, But, Ms.Mac was only substituting in Room 26. When Mrs. Brisbane comes back to teach Room 26, Humphrey is heartbroken to see Ms.Mac go, and be stuck with Mrs.Brisbane who calls him a rodent and doesn't care for him much.

As the first book progresses, we see that Humphrey is neither saccharine nor sassy. He makes his keen observations and shares his goodness without being too cloying.

There are quite a number of books in this series. which is wonderful if kids get hooked on it. Ms.Mac is back on and off as well, and the second book, Friendship According to Humphrey, introduces a new pet - Og, the frog.

I Survived series

Author: Lauren Tarshis

Illustrator: Scott Dawson

Set around traumatic events in history, the book is fast-paced with the story moving forward ever so rapidly to let the protagonist meet the conflict head-on and overcome it successfully. Each book has its own set of characters in the time period and place, but what they all have in common is a protagonist with pluck and grit who manages to survive a true-life incident.

39 Clues series

 by Rick Riordan, Gordon Korman, Peter Lerangis, et al

Brother-and-sister Dan and Amy Cahill are orphaned but are entrusted with guarding the most powerful thing which cannot fall into the wrong hands. I could have lived with the commercial production with multiple revenue streams, but the stories and the characters are bland and stereotypical and one-dimensional. Moral ambiguity, conflicts, growth in the young characters as they pass through the story arc is what makes books like these more enjoyable as a series. The first couple in the series were all right but soon it got tiresome to read. So, we reserved these as audiobooks for long road trips.



Hank Zipzer series
by Henry Winkler, Lin Oliver

Hank, with two good friends, undergoes the usual struggles of an underachiever who has some challenges in learning and conforming.

However, Hank is kind and resourceful, not snarky and loud-mouthed. There are quite a few books in this series.

Life in school can be a struggle for kids like Hank, but with steadfast friends who don't make a big deal of his issues, school can be exciting as well.

I must admit, I only picked this up as I was curious about what The Fonz came up with. Yep, the creator/author is Henry Winkler, the Fonz of Happy Days.

Along with Lin Oliver, Winkler provides an insight into his younger days when learning disabilities were not recognized and kids were subject to learning methods which killed the joy of discovering the world around.

Plants vs. Zombies

Plant Your Path Junior Novel

by Tracey West

Choose-your-adventure type stories can be horribly appalling or pleasantly amusing. This book seems to fall under the latter category according to the kid. It even inspired him to write his own Choose-your-path novel (by hand in a spiral notebook) with Crazy Dave and plants and zombies, with the reader as the main character choosing what happens at each stage and finding out if in the end the zombies ate their brains.

Plants vs. Zombies graphic novels
Lawnmageddon
Timepocalypse
Bully For You
Garden Warfare
by Paul Tobin, Jacob Chabot, Ron Chan et al.

Each book provides a different adventure and is primarily appealing to the PvZ fans. I'd rather not overanalyze this set of books, they seem to make the resident 8 year old quite happy and that's all there is to it.

Mr. Pants series

By Scott McCormick

Illustrated by R. H. Lazzell

Mr. Pants and his two feline siblings, plus his human mom make up this quick-to-read set of books that end well even if there is chaos all along the way. The cartoon silliness and the bright colors is one main attraction.

 After a recent bout of going through my Calvin and Hobbes collection at the home library, the kid seems to lean towards cartoons and comic strips a lot more these days. Of course, only about 50% of Calvin and Hobbes makes perfect sense to him, understandably.

We didn't read it in order. Starting with Trick or Feet was helpful to get into the characters and find the silliness in their high jinks.

Stick Dog series (and Stick Cat)

by Tom Watson

Diary of a Wimpy Kid-like text and cartoon illustrations is one of the appeals of this series. There's a bit of inside humor and adventure and friendship that can be appealing as well, since the main hunt is for food -- the poor dog is always hungry!

As for me, I did not particularly like this series, but, the kids did.The characters are nice enough, the story is simple enough but nothing held my attention as an adult, and it doesn't have to - the books are aimed at kids.

Sample available for reading at Harper Collins

Amulet series (graphic novel)

by Kazu Kibuishi

The first book, The Stonekeeper, starts off with a bang and continues to roll fast-paced to a satisfying end, making us reach for the second installment almost involuntarily.

It did bother me that the dad dies in the very first scene and the mom gets abducted in the very first installment of the graphic novel series, but, kids didn't seem to mind at all. They just went with the flow and kept reading till all the seven books were done, wanting more.

Ariol series (graphic novel)

by Emmanuel Guibert

illustrated by Marc Boutavant

Quite the menagerie of characters here: Ariol, our hero, is a tween donkey, with a best friend pig, and a dog teacher. Originally published in French, the misadventures of Ariol are a quick and fun read. Since the character is a tween, some of the feelings he has are not easily understood by the resident 8 year old but the book has plenty of silly to keep kids giggling.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

by Jeff Kinney

Though not necessarily for 3rd and 4th graders, the first book or even the second book might appeal to some 3rd and 4th graders as it has plenty of silliness.

The older child went through this series three years ago, and there's new installments coming out steadily.

The younger child got the first book (used copy) as a prize in school (I like  that their class teacher gives out used books as prizes sometimes, rather than pencils and erasers and plastic toys.) He has read the first two books and that's where I left it. He may not get a lot of the issues that middle-schooler Greg Heffley faces but quite a bit of the humor is universal enough to keep him giggling aloud and bring it to share with me.

[image source: author or publisher websites where available and google images]

Hilda books by Luke Pearson

Hilda and The Troll,
Hilda and The Midnight Giant,
Hilda and The Bird Parade,
Hilda and The Black Hound,
by Luke Pearson
published by Flying Eye Books/Nobrow Press



Hilda and The Troll (originally titled Hildafolk, a play on Icelandic huldufólk) introduces us to a blue-haired tween living with her mother in an idyllic mountainous region. Along with Twig, a deerfox (fox with antlers), for company, Hilda is perfectly content exploring the woods and drawing rocks (she loves rocks!) in her sketchbook.

The first book, Hilda and The Troll, quickly establishes her world filled with mythical creatures who are not confined to a separate magical realm but seamlessly integrate into Hilda's reality.

Hilda gets her adventure in this story when she encounters a suspiciously troll-looking rock. However, it is the world-building that captures the readers right from the start.

Hilda reads in a book that it is customary to tie a bell around a troll's neck so you can hear him coming, and proceeds to do so without much agonizing. But later realizes her mistake when the same book explains that this is a cruel and out-dated practice and the trolls don't like it.

Hilda immediately rectifies the situation, and the troll very kindly gives back her sketchbook she had dropped near him earlier and walks away. Simple as that. No moralizing, no saccharine, no tied-up-in-a-bow closure.

Hilda and The Midnight Giant gets interesting right from the start as Hilda finds letters strewn over her house that turn out to be eviction notices.

What else can she expect when her cottage happens to sit in the middle of the village inhabited by invisible elves. As she has her hands full trying to find the right person to negotiate with, Hilda also investigates the mysterious giant who shows up every night for no apparent reason.

The hilarious rollicking adventure leads up to a satisfying surprise ending.

In Hilda and The Bird Parade, we move to the bustling city of Trolberg with Hilda and her mom. Friendship and doing the right thing are woven into the story ever-so-subtly, but it is the talking amnesiac raven that delights us with his personality and insights.

Behind-the-scenes mom takes on a bit more of a worry-wart role in this book, anxious about Hilda's safety in the city and asking her to stay home and watch TV instead. But through her fabulous adventure, Hilda learns a lot more about herself, her values, and her relationship with her mom. All's well that ends well. This was the most popular of the four books with the kids.

The last one for now, (hope more comes out soon), Hilda and The Black Hound uses dark palette to convey an ominous presence - a mysterious beast.

With a nod to the Girl Scouts, this book has Hilda working hard to earn her merit badges as a Sparrow Scout. However, it is the Nisse that captivated our attention - a house elf who is without a house.

Spatial laws are ignored in this installment as Nisse live in their own dimension within the three dimensions of a house. The ending is heart-pumping and extremely satisfying.

The four Hilda books have been a huge hit with both the kids, and myself, attesting to the versatility and all-ages appeal of these comics.

The art is charming and beautiful, and the limited color palette works perfectly for each story. The colors speak as much as the characters by offering a safe sunny setting for Hilda's adventures with muted colors, as well as drama and movement with deeper colors when the situation changes.

The text is crisp and witty and funny, peppered with social commentary and keen observations of human tendencies.

Hilda is not a typical goody-two-shoes, and is not quirky for the sake of it. Her environment seamlessly blends the magical with the real, encircling an interesting cast of creatures.

[image source: Luke Pearson website]

Loos, Poos, and Number Twos

Loos, Poos, and Number Twos    

A Disgusting Journey Through the Bowels of History
by Peter Hepplewhite



"Awfully Ancient" books by Gareth Stevens Publishing can be quite a fun read for kids interested in fascinating events from history. Full of fun trivia, accompanied by cartoon illustrations, fact boxes, and sidebars, Loos, Poos, and Number Twos takes us on a Disgusting Journey Through the Bowels of History, as the subtitle claims.\

Starting with prehistoric times, we go through ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, ancient China, Medieval times, Tudor times, down to the Victorian loos.

Did you know that ancient Greeks had public loos in bath houses and gymnasiums but no private stalls for doing the business? Did you know the ancient Chinese even had a toilet goddess? We all let out a collective sigh of relief when we read about John Harrington's invention of the washing closet - the flushing toilet - during the reign of Elizabeth I. But without the sewerage system, what good is flushing?

Of course, when kids read the fascinating fact that on the International Space Station, the pee is recycled to drinking water and the poo is packed into capsule and fired into Earth's atmosphere where it burns up, thankfully, the gross-factor and the cool-factor compete closely to achieve a fine balance.

Glossary and More Information at the back makes this a perfectly fun book for readers of all ages who enjoy such trivia.

[image source: garethstevens.com]