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November 11, 2014 by Nina Lindsay

Picture Books

November 11, 2014 by Nina Lindsay   8 comments

There is no stipulation that the Newbery be fiction, nor that it be long, though it tends to happen that way. Some exceptions from the lengthy category include a 1973 Honor for FROG AND TOAD TOGETHER, a 1983 Honor for DOCTOR DE SOTO, the 1989 winner for JOYFUL NOISE, and the 1982 Medal for A VISIT TO WILLIAM BLAKE’S INN, which also took home a Caldecott Honor (and is the only book to place in both awards).  This year, I find several “a-typical” texts that are Newbery-consideration-worthy, and which also qualify for Caldecott consideration as picture books.

JOSEPHINE by Patricia Hruby Powell is a biography in verse, and verse that sparkles with the verve that typified its subject’s fame. At the Horn Book at Simmons Colloquium a month ago, Powell stood on her chair on stage to demonstrate how the rhythm in the first page of verse IS actually the Charleston in literary form.   The free verse allows Powell to give an overview of Josephine Baker’s life, while bringing the emotional and dramatic narrative to the forefront.  It’s an effective use of style to make this biography engaging and accessible for its audience, and the text can certainly be evaluated separately from the visual presentation.  I think that Robinson’s achievement here is even more distinguished, and assists the text in making its most dramatic impact, but none of this detracts from the text’s own distinguished qualities.

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THE COSMO-BIOGRPAHY OF SUN RA is (to depart from Newbery criteria for a sec) Raschka’s most successful jazz musician biography, I believe, since CHARLIE PARKER PLAYED BE-BOP.  The perfectly un-dramatic layout and square presentation suggest a a straightforward delivery of a straightforward but strange man, and Raschka gets this across best in his text.  He starts with what is the most important part of this story for young readers: “Sun Ra always said that he came from Saturn. / Now you know and I know that this is silly. No one comes from Saturn. // And yet. If he did come from Saturn, it would explain so much. / Let’s say he did come from Saturn.”  Then he tells a very stripped-down version of Sun Ra’s musical life, without further disputing Sun Ra’s claim. Because that suspension of disbelief is essential to appreciate and understand Sun Ra, so the text is able to communicate his genius through a remarkably short and straightforward text.  I understand that many adults may think this book is “weird.” I think that’s the point…but it so plainly normal and weird at the same time, I find it distinguished, and I’d be curious to here if anyone has tried this with younger readers.

IVAN: THE REMARKABLE TRUE STORY OF THE SHOPPING MALL GORILLA could be called a “companion” to THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN, but it doesn’t seem intended to be.  It’s more just Applegate taking the true story that was the nugget of her Newbery Medal winning book, and presenting it on its own merits to a different audience.  Her poetic prose is present here as well, and I think works even better in this short form.   It reads like any picture book text, but one in which the line breaks are clearly deliberate, and the rhythm of words from page to page pack an emotional punch.   As I noted in the Horn Book review, Applegate’s text never anthropomorphizes Ivan; rather she presents his situation in a way that taps a young reader’s empathy.   This approach is highly respectful in a way that is rare for this particular audience (ages…4-7?).    Of course, Karas’s masterful illustrations do an equal amount of the work, but the text and illustrations each can be easily separately parsed for distinguished qualities, and if I had to pitch for one book to follow in A VISIT TO WILLIAM BLAKE’S INN’s footsteps, this might be it.

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About Nina Lindsay

Nina Lindsay is the Children's Services Coordinator at the Oakland Public Library, CA. She chaired the 2008 Newbery Committee, and served on the 2004 and 1998 committees. You can reach her at ninalindsay@gmail.com

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tom Angleberger says

    November 12, 2014 at 2:38 pm

    I think John Hendrix’s Shooting the Stars is entirely deserving of a Newbery.

    • Barb Outside Boston says

      November 12, 2014 at 6:38 pm

      Thank you for the timely reminder–I need more books for Veteran’s Day, which is a big deal at our school.

  2. Sheila Welch says

    November 15, 2014 at 9:12 pm

    Patricia Hruby Powell is a dancer and storyteller and writer. This combination of talents and many years of hard work come together in this book. Wouldn’t it be exciting if it won the Newbery? Poetry, nonfiction, illustrated, for a wide range of ages . . . It would be an unusual choice but, I think, deserving and welcome. Or maybe not. What do others think?

  3. Roger Sutton says

    November 17, 2014 at 4:31 pm

    I have one hesitation with JOSEPHINE and I don’t know how the committee would handle it. For me, the frequent use of all-caps words and phrases is too directive, even pushy. But is this a characteristic of the text or of the design?

    • Nina Lindsay says

      November 17, 2014 at 6:18 pm

      This is such a good question Roger…I dithered with this same feeling, though I was ultimately convinced that it works. I think even if one argues this is “design” and not “text,” however, the argument belongs on the table if it gives you pause, as per the criteria:

      “The committee is to make its decision primarily on the text. Other components of a book, such as illustrations, overall design of the book, etc., may be considered when they make the book less effective.”

  4. Sheila Welch says

    November 18, 2014 at 1:17 pm

    Wasn’t Josephine Baker one of the most flamboyant performers of her era? Having her story told with many words in all-caps is certainly fitting to her sense of herself and her individual style. Whether this was done as a design decision or as the author’s decision concerning her text, it fits the personality of the subject of this biography just as well as the brilliantly colored pages and stylized art work. Josephine was PUSHY!

    The only design issue I have is with a few pages where the text is a bit hard to read because the background color is too close in intensity to the text.

  5. Elaine says

    November 18, 2014 at 6:35 pm

    I really enjoyed the movement and flamboyance of this – it really fit the subject! I am very glad to have considered this book – it just does not have the quality of many others we’ve discussed. It is not distinguished enough in my opinion. I think Roger raises a good point – the design seems to detract in the use of capitals.

  6. DaNae says

    December 2, 2014 at 5:51 pm

    A non-fiction picture book that I found utterly brilliant in its presentation of information is Molly Bang’s Buried Sunlight. It uses the sun as a narrator to explain many big and complex facts about the development of the Earth and its living inhabitants. It never feels rushed in its delivery but by the end a lot of ground had been covered. The text is direct, uncomplicated with a splash of elegance.

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