Links Updated

Obviously, this is not an active blog. I personally use it for the links in the sidebar. I updated links today to remove out of date or irrelevant links. If you are planning early literacy or music and movement storytimes, you may find some of the links useful!

Up-To-Date Links

Hello Readers,

You will notice that my posts date back to 2009. My link lists, however, are current, and I use them to plan toddler and pre-school story times, and story or activity programs for grade school age children or tweens. I have links for Early Literacy, STEM/STEAM activities, links to programming sources for teens, and links to professional and educational resources. Enjoy! And thank you to all of the wonderful bloggers out there listing so many ideas. I don't have the time right now, and I appreciate all of the hard work that you do, sharing with the rest of us, so we can all create wonderful programs for the children and families we serve.

James Ransome: Children's Book Author and Illustrator

In April 2009, I attended three of five sessions of a children's lit conference, hearing talks by James E. Ransome, an award winning children's book illustrator, painter, and author; Gary Neri, an author of books targeted to inner city teens; and Tonya Bolden, a writer of children's biographies, addressing the African American experience. All three were dynamic speakers, conveying their love for children, and their love for what they do; all three with advanced degrees and extreme talent, who have decided to devote their energies to children, literature, and the art of the printed book.

Visit any children's department throughout the United States, and you will encounter James E. Ransome's illustrations. He's illustrated over 40 children's books. Among his many awards and commendations, he won the Coretta Scott King Award for illustration in 1995 for a book called Creation (Holiday House, c1995), and the Coretta Scott King Honor Award for Uncle Jed's Barbershop (Simon & Schuster, c1993).

James Ransome spoke about growing up in Rich Square, North Carolina, a small town with three traffic lights. He knew he wanted to be an artist from the third grade, and he learned how to draw from comic books and from MAD magazine, copying the illustrations and creating his own, because there were no art classes in the schools and no art teachers in the town. Later, he moved to New Jersey, with what he termed an incredible art program in his high school, though he chose to concentrate on animating films. When he went to the Pratt Institute and majored in illustration, he met Jerry Pinkney, another renowned illustrator of children's books, because Pinkney's son was a fellow student. Jerry Pinkney became a mentor and a lifelong friend. (I had the pleasure of speaking with Jerry Pinkney, a wonderful man, a couple of years ago at a similar conference.)

Of interest to writers, I think, aside from Ransome's ongoing contributions to children's literature, is his description of his process, and his evolution from self taught student to professional illustrator and writer. He's also written and illustrated books of his own, and collaborated with his wife on several children's book projects. His wall size murals are installed in museums and libraries. He's worked in oils, and later in both acrylics and watercolors.

In response to a question from the audience, he thinks his direction will become all three mediums, using whatever is best for an individual project or using a combination of the three. He said he tends to use oils when the subject of the book is historical, and acrylic when the feel is modern and contemporary. However, the next book he's illustrating, with realistic people, is in watercolors, and another book will be done in prints. His research methods are meticulous, based on posing the models he calls characters as if he were casting a play, photographs, site visits, and a personal library of books.

Ransome titled part of his talk, How I Illustrate a Book:

(1) Thumbnail - He begins with a thumbnail sketch, 5 to 10 for each page of a book.

(2) Research - He begins his research studying pictures of everything pertinent, from animals to artifacts to period clothing, and when he is able, incorporates trips to places like the Caribbean and even visits to Disney World's Animal Kingdom (He has four kids, so it makes sense! And he inferred it's quicker and less expensive than visiting Africa.).

(3) Dummy Book - He creates a "dummy" book, a mock-up with text and pictures, to see how the pictures and the text work together (a major goal of children's book illustration and the basis for earning awards). The mock-up is sent back and forth to the publisher, three to four times, with notes and suggestions for changes.

(4) Model Shoot - He does a model shoot, posing his characters in period costume, and taking photographs. (He noted that Jerry Pinkney was the model for one of his characters in the book, Uncle Jed's Barbershop, and that at other times he has used his children, his parents and other relatives. It must be great to have yourself immortalized in a quality children's book, because Ransome's illustrations of people are the equivalent of professional portraits.)

(5) Drawing - He begins the actual drawings for each illustration, using tracing paper to build up layers and make a final drawing.

(6) Painting - Painting begins with a wash of color to dull the pure white of the page. He begins filling in with flat colors, and then the subsequent layers of paint. When it's oil or acrylic, if he doesn't like something, he changes it as he goes, re-working the illustration until he is satisfied with the color, the composition and the facial expressions.

In response to other questions, he said, once he begins a painting, with standard interruptions, like picking up his kids from school, answering phone calls, etc..., it generally takes him one week to complete it, and that painting faces take the longest (and faces are the most fun). It takes about a year to complete a book, he said, but he's working on different stages of other books and projects at the same time. He also said, doing illustrations for a book is a matter of interpretation, not a literal rendering of the text. He used a wonderful analogy, saying illustration is like a song; every singer should sing the song a little differently.

I was impressed by James Ransome's warmth and his dedication to Children's Literature, and the importance of what he does. Through multimedia, he introduced the audience to his wife and children, the places he grew up in, and where he lives today, in Rhinebeck, New York, including an intimate look at his artist's studio, located on his property, a free standing structure the size of a small apartment. He also teaches at Syracuse University. Here's a link to his website.

Annie and the Wild Animals

Annie placed more corn cakes

at the edge of the wood.

This illustration from Annie and the Wild Animals (Houghton Mifflin, c1985) is a great example of Jan Brett's technique of adding story information in panels strategically placed at the top and bottom, or on the sides of a two page spread. What animal is coming next to eat Annie's corn cakes? Can she tame him for a pet? (She misses her cat, Taffy.)

Jan Brett: Author/ Illustrator

Jan Brett is one of my favorite contemporary children’s book authors and illustrators. Her books are a visual treat with covers and end papers designed to reinforce the story and complement her detailed illustrations. In most of her books, each two page spread contains border panels or bottom decorations that allow a young child to anticipate what will happen next in the story, or the panels extend the story beyond the words written on the page.

I have so many favorites, starting with one of the earliest Jan Brett books I discovered and began to collect, long before my son was born: Annie and the Wild Animals. Other favorites, many of which I own, include: Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Wild Christmas Reindeer, The Hat, The Mitten, Armadillo Rodeo, Trouble with Trolls, Berlioz the Bear, The First Dog, Gingerbread Baby, and Hedgie’s Surprise.

Wait, there’s more! Jan Brett, on her web site, at no charge, and under no obligation, generously makes available to the user: free art, free crafts, free coloring pages, free full color bookmarks, free calendar pages illustrated with her myriad characters, free ABC and 123 pages, and free online games. She also links to information sites for educators, and craft sites that relate to her stories and her themes.

All in all, she includes over 4,800 free coloring and activities pages. And, just if you want, she adds convenient links to information about her books and where you can buy them. She also has a blog, where she discusses her travels, her research, writing and illustration, and the bookmaking process.

Silver Phoenix - Book Review

Gods, demons and monsters abound in Silver Phoenix: Beyond the Kingdom of Xia, Cindy Pon’s debut fantasy novel, named within one month of publication as one of the Top Ten 2009 SF/Fantasy novels for Young Adults by the American Library Association. What makes Cindy Pon’s novel unique in the Speculative Fantasy genre is its origin in the myth and legend of ancient China. Journey on foot and fly by dragon with Ai Ling and her romantic interest, Chen Yong, to the Palace of Fragrant Dreams as Ai Ling discovers her awakening powers, and is charged by a Goddess with a mission to free the Kingdom of Xia from a sorcerer who has cheated death for centuries. Issues of equality, prejudice, male/female relationships, murder, morality, and an attempted rape make this novel appropriate for mature high school age teens and adult fantasy fiction readers. Readers will anticipate the sequel, awaiting answers to questions about Chen Yong’s father, Ai Ling's past life as Silver Phoenix, and the resolution of the budding love between Ai Ling and Chen Yong.

For more information about Silver Phoenix and author, Cindy Pon, please visit her web site. Cindy is a wonderful person, and she freely shares her journey from fledgling novelist to published author on her web site, in author interviews, and on her blog.