Poetry Friday - Edward Hopper

           It's time again for Poetry Friday. Thanks for hosting, Carol Wilcox, a few blocks north of me, at Carol's Corner! Don't miss her post, a wonderful one about verse novels. 

          I am fortunate to have the time to work at the used bookstore where I volunteer. If you already don't know, it's a store that's been running for nearly fifty years, a non-profit 501 (c) 4, first started by a small group of women who thought the community should have a bookstore! One also can become a member, though it's not necessary, and as a member, one receives credits, for the fee per year and for books donated. Thus, I find a lot of books that one could say are 'free'. Recently a book about Edward Hopper was donated and I snapped it up, am enjoying reading about his life, learning about his career from beginning to the end. Its copyright is 1983. I have written a few poems using Hopper's paintings. Each one inspires a story, doesn't it?  Now inspired by the book and one of Hopper's favorites, Here's one of my poems.

          

after Edward Hopper’s Gas


My Uncle Bill walked into the picture,
shutting down the tanks
of his gas station
at the edge of town,
closing at dusk,
homebound for supper.

What only I can see 
is the fireworks stand
at the back,
knocked together wood planks,
red, white and blue bunting
draping the table's front. 
Sometimes I got to help,
my life's favorite paycheck –
sparklers. 

You also cannot know
he retired when the big stations
took over, 
in the big towns,
with the big prices.

That's when everyone
in this small town
had to drive twelve miles,
no longer could say
"fill 'er up",
but had to pump the gas themselves,
while missing my Uncle Bill.

Linda Baie (c) All Right Reserved

Non-Fiction Picture Books - Stories We Never Knew

art by Sarah S. Brannen

           Visit Alyson Beecher on Wednesdays for Non-Fiction Picture Books at Kidlit Frenzy.  From her post and others, you will discover and want to celebrate terrific nonfiction picture books! 


             I've had this book for a while, just had not read it yet, but now, wow! It is the 2019 Orbus Pictus Award Winner, announced this past week at the NCTE convention.

       I am not a big football fan, have never heard of Ernie Barnes the NFL player but I now know I've seen the paintings of Ernie Barnes, the artist, possibly because of seeing art with a student years ago, who wanted to paint sports heroes. I am no longer sure of the name, but I remember the brilliant full-of-action work of Ernie's paintings. Now I know some of his story, too, from this book by Sandra Neil Wallace.

       Ernie Barnes grew up in North Carolina, loved to draw, and even drew in the mud when he was young. He carried a sketchbook everywhere. In his home in the segregated south, no one told him how to make a living as an artist, but a note at the back said a weight-lifting coach discovered him and made him an athlete.  He became a football star, earned scholarships to college, eventually ending in the NFL.

       One review says that his "work has influenced a generation of painters and illustrators and can be found in museums and collections, such as the African American Museum in Philadelphia and the California African American Museum."

       One thing I loved in this story is that Ernie's parents, while in the south kept from many public places like art museums, knew that the arts were important and that Ernie wanted to be an artist. His mother took him to work with her some days so he could see the art in the home of a wealthy lawyer where she worked. There are others who gave him courage to continue doing art like his art teacher, even a coach who kept fining him when caught sketching during football games (thus he kept going anyway)! 

       In the final game of 1964, a rainy clash, Ernie was newly inspired when the field turned to mud. "Painting mud." He finally decided to give up football and quit. It was a courageous act which left him broke until he presented himself to a meeting of the team owners, asking them to hire him as the official artist of the American Football League. His brilliant idea worked; he was soon exhibiting and selling his work in New York galleries, the success achieved from those early days of drawing in mud.

Monday Reading - Special Books

          Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who post their favorites.
          I had the great fortune of reading two marvelous chapter books this week, two you shouldn't miss.

Thanks very much to Candlewick Press for the ARC of this book, out early in November.

         I taught thirteen-year-olds, connected to this strong voice of Jimmy immediately and certainly understood his need to go hide out in a bathroom stall at the funeral home (which he did several times). This is a wake for his cousin, a cousin that pretty much made his life miserable every time they were together. Now Jimmy's mother says he has to give a brief eulogy at the funeral tomorrow. Can things get any worse? He also is stuffed into last year's dress pants because there was no time to get new ones. Arranged by chapters that are titled/words from Jimmy to show coming advice, like "Family member will be the first ones to make you feel out of place" and "You'll be surprised at who shows up", I had a tough time putting this one down. 

         Jimmy can't find one thing good that Patrick, his cousin, did or one memory that didn't end in ruin. Each chapter returns to those memories. It is painful to read about out-of-control Patrick and also out-of-control parents along with a few other adults. One continual light is Patrick's sister, Sophia, deaf, the one person who seemed to understand Patrick and certainly loved him. As the memories and the coming speech compound Jimmy's worries, he also tries to understand what really does happen at wakes, and while some parts are sad, other people show their true forms no matter the tragic circumstances. At the funeral, faced with this challenge, words come out that makes everyone gasp: "Patrick was kind of an asshole." You'll need to read this book to find out the rest of his words and what he shared he learned, something for us all. 

          Adam P. Schmitt's first novel is a poignant story that perhaps all parents and teachers should read to learn if they've been missing something in children in their lives.

       You must experience this book and Jonathan Auxier's note at the end, but wait to read that 'after' you read the story. The writing is beautiful and all I'm going to do is share a few quotes. It's a wonder of a book! You can also see a bit more from Auxier at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, some additional words about the writing and some sketches he made.

     "And even though they had eaten nothing, the girl still ended her day with a belly full of story--which sticks to the ribs even better than mutton."

      "Nan and Charlie stayed in the room all through the afternoon and into the night.

Just being quiet and things like that."

      "'So what if you are a monster?' She squeezed his hand. 'I wouldn't have it any other way.'"

        And here are four picture books I also enjoyed thoroughly.

        Thanks also to Candlewick Press for this sweet Christmas picture book from Michael Morpurgo and Kerry Hyndman that may connect with all of us with longing for home. This robin, brave and persistent, hears a calling that he cannot resist. Traveling over mountains and sea, in snowstorms and escaping hawks, Kerry Hydman's illustrations show the struggles of this bird, the sweeping and harsh terrain surrounding the flight along with other flocks he later joined, to return home. The ending is deliciously wonderful as he finds "her" and his home, welcomed by the people who live there, eating their Christmas bird cake. The story does have a happy ending and reminds me of the movie several years ago titled "Winged Migration", showing the struggles and the success of birds flying their long journey to HOME. 

Poetry Friday - Evening Theater

          It's been a poetry week filled with great words from NCTE (from afar for me), and lots of food, poetry there, too! Our host this week is Irene Latham at Live Your Poem. She's back with a fun post of all her special adventures at NCTE here. It includes a little bit about Irene's and Charles Waters' book Can I Touch Your Hair?, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko earning a Charlotte Huck honor. Congratulations all! And thanks for hosting, Irene!               
                 Find all the poetry goodness at Irene's post today here with a sneak peek at Laura Purdie Salas' new poetry book and a giveaway!

         We've had unusually warm weather this week, 50's or 60's every day, but still cool at night. That warmth means the kids are out playing all over the neighborhood, trying to get in as much "outside" time as possible, considering night comes at five. I've shared before that my mail comes very late so that usually means walking down to the bank of boxes near dark, and often, it still isn't there, but I like the final short walk and the "evening theater". Thus Monday evening inspired this. 

last sky pink,

basketball’s sweet swish,

Mom calls “Supper!”

Linda Baie © All Rights Reserved

Ta Da!           Last week I hosted and posted a giveaway of this new book for bedtime by Rosemary Wells and a signed print from it! Here are the pictures of the pot of names, and the winners I drew. Thanks to everyone who shared a favorite bedtime book or lullaby. I learned some new ones from you!

Congratulations Robyn Hood Black and Diane Mayr! 

If you message or email me your addresses, I'll send one prize and the other will be sent by Candlewick.

Monday Books - People Everywhere (& horses!)

          Visit Kellee and Ricki at UnleashingReaders and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts to see what they've been reading, along with everyone else who post their favorites.

Thanks to Candlewick for a copy of this book by Robert Sabuda, a pop-up artist extraordinaire. If you have some child who adores pop-ups, this is a marvelous one showing 10 different horses and what they are doing on the farm: running, jumping, bucking, drinking, grazing, pulling, playing, sharing, resting. For little ones, there are extra things to look for on each page, plus the surprise pop-up. 








Two examples!

          It's quite wonderful that we have authors and illustrators telling about people in the world we may never have heard much about, perhaps a little in passing. These following books celebrate adults and children we need to know. I am thankful to be able to read about their lives.

             In a tribute to historic and modern-day Indigenous heroes, Wab Kinew writes of native figures such as Tecumseh, Sacagawea and former NASA astronaut John Herrington. He's done it in a rap song, with this message used as a refrain as each person takes his or her place in the book: "We are people who matter, yes, it's true; now let's show the world what people who matter can do."  The illustrated paintings by Joe Morse also celebrate these people page by wonderful page. It includes figures such as Crazy Horse, Net-no-kwa, former NASA astronaut John Herrington and Canadian NHL goalie Carey Price, a diverse group of Indigenous people in the US and Canada, both the more well known and the not- so-widely recognized. The brief bios inspire and additional information and portraits are included in the back.

         Oh, wow, do I love these illustrations like corrugated cardboard reminds of mud. There's the 'No-Go desert under the stretching-out sky" where a sister and her two brothers create a bike, from whatever they can find, "the best thing of all in our village" she tells. The bike and the kids' excitement steal the show on most pages, except when mentioning the 'fed-up mum' (perhaps they used a couple of things of hers for the bike?). Don't miss the author's and illustrator's notes at the end that illuminates their intent. Ms. Clarke writes: "The girl and boys in the story love their patchwork bike just as much as a kid with a brand-new, expensive BMX bike might love theirs--or maybe even more." This an award-winning book out of Australia.