Sunday, September 27, 2009

“For young readers: New picture-book biographies - Eagle-Tribune” plus 4 more

“For young readers: New picture-book biographies - Eagle-Tribune” plus 4 more

For young readers: New picture-book biographies - Eagle-Tribune

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 09:28 PM PDT

'Finding Susie'

Sandra Day O'Connor, $16.99, ages 4 to 8

In "Finding Susie", former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor delivers a slice of autobiography that will interest any child who's ever wanted a pet. Drawn from O'Connor's own childhood, the story centers on young Sandra's unsuccessful efforts to tame several wild animals — including a bobcat. Then one day, she's offered a stray dog named Susie, and Sandra knows she's finally found the perfect pet. O'Connor's story moves along nicely, while the illustrations by Tom Pohrt reflect the stark beauty of the Arizona ranch where the first woman on the nation's highest court grew up.

'The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan'

Jonah Winter, $16.99, ages 5 to 8

In "The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan", author Jonah Winter tells how a quarrel between two friends resulted in some of the world's most popular musicals. The brightly colored, stylized illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Richard Egielski add further energy to Winter's tale.

'Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Loved to Draw'

Deborah Kogan Ray, $16.99, ages 7 to 10

It took years for Wanda Gag to become a successful artist, given that she had to help raise her siblings when her parents died. Then, in 1929, Gag's first children's book, "Millions of Cats," won a Newbery Honor, launching her children's-book career. In "Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Loved to Draw", author-illustrator Deborah Kogan Ray tells the story of a woman who is credited with creating the first modern picture book. With a text drawn partly from Gag's own words and illustrations reminiscent of her artwork, Ray's book captures Gag's long, difficult journey to becoming an artist, showing how hard work, plus a bit of luck, can help people achieve their dreams.

— Scripps Howard News Service

Picture-book biographies intrigue children, parents - Seattle Post Intelligencer

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 08:57 AM PDT

Picture-book biographies pack a lot of facts into a large, illustration-filled format, offering an enticing package for kids.

Here's a look at some great new picture-book biographies:

• In "Finding Susie" (Knopf, $16.99), former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor delivers a slice of autobiography that will interest any child who's ever wanted a pet. Drawn from O'Connor's own childhood, the story centers on young Sandra's unsuccessful efforts to tame several wild animals — including a bobcat. Then one day, she's offered a stray dog named Susie, and Sandra knows she's finally found the perfect pet. O'Connor's story moves along nicely, while the illustrations by Tom Pohrt reflect the stark beauty of the Arizona ranch where the first woman on the nation's highest court grew up. (Ages 4-8.)

• Author Jonah Winter has just published two very different picture-book biographies. In "The Fabulous Feud of Gilbert & Sullivan" (Scholastic, $16.99), Winter tells how a quarrel between two friends resulted in some of the world's most popular musicals. The brightly colored, stylized illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Richard Egielski add further energy to Winter's tale. (Ages 5-8.)

Winter's other picture-book biography borrows the style of its subject — writer Gertrude Stein — to tell her story. Titled "Gertrude Is Gertrude Is Gertrude Is Gertrude" (Atheneum, $16.99), the book will intrigue children as they work to understand just why the author keeps repeating phrases and why some words are printed in large type while others are in small type. Calef Brown's quirky illustrations, suffused with color, perfectly complement this whimsical look at a unique author. (Ages 7-10.)

• It took years for Wanda Gag to become a successful artist, given that she had to help raise her siblings when her parents died. Then, in 1929, Gag's first children's book, "Millions of Cats," was named a Newbery Honor Book, launching her children's-book career. In "Wanda Gag: The Girl Who Loved to Draw" (Viking, $16.99), author-illustrator Deborah Kogan Ray tells the story of a woman who is credited with creating the first modern picture book. With a text drawn partly from Gag's own words and illustrations reminiscent of her artwork, Ray's book captures Gag's long, difficult journey to becoming an artist, showing how hard work, plus a bit of luck, can help people achieve their dreams. (Ages 7-10.)

• Author Shana Corey and illustrator Edwin Fotheringham team up to create a splashy look at an adventurous woman named Annette Kellerman in "Mermaid Queen" (Scholastic, $17.99). Now largely forgotten, Kellerman was a celebrity in the early 20th century, best known as the creator of water ballet and as a fashion revolutionary who championed more modern bathing suits for women. Corey's entertaining yet fact-filled text, in which some words and phrases are printed in larger type for emphasis, will have readers cheering Kellerman's courage. Fotheringham's digital media illustrations further spotlight Kellerman's zest for living. (Ages 7-10.)

(Note: For a look at another plucky heroine, check out "The Daring Miss Quimby" (Holiday House, $16.95, ages 5-8), written by Suzanne G. Whitaker and illustrated by Catherine Stock.)

• In "The Fantastic Undersea Life of Jacques Cousteau" (Knopf, $16.99), author-illustrator Dan Yaccarino helps young readers experience the marvelous watery world that so captured the imagination of the famous explorer. Yaccarino's brief text is straightforward, while his eye-catching illustrations, painted in gouache and then airbrushed, are steeped in the colors and forms of the sea. Yaccarino includes an ending note with a time line of Cousteau's life, plus sources for those readers who want to know more about this underwater pioneer. (Ages 5-8.)

• Author Kathryn Lasky paints a riveting portrait of artist Georgia O'Keeffe, compressing many different events in her life into a single day, in "Georgia Rises" (FSG, $16.95). Lasky's lyrically written text allows readers to understand O'Keeffe's creative genius. Meanwhile, the outstanding illustrations by Ora Eitan vividly reference O'Keeffe's art while retaining Eitan's own style. (Ages 6-10.)

Here are a few other good picture-book biographies:

• Author-illustrator Diane Stanley details the story of a musical genius in "Mozart: The Wonder Child" (HarperCollins, $17.99, ages 7-10).

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• Josef Albers may not be a household name, but he changed the way we see colors as author Natasha Wing and illustrator Julia Breckenreid show in "An Eye For Color" (Henry Holt, $16.99, ages 6-10).

• Author Kathleen Krull and illustrator Greg Couch present an insightful look at an unusual character in "The Boy Who Invented TV" (Knopf, $16.99, ages 7-10).

• In "Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudí" (Henry Holt, $16.99, ages 7-10), author Rachel Rodriguez explores how the architect used the shapes and colors of his Catalonian childhood to create revolutionary architecture. Julie Paschkis' illustrations underscore the beauty of Gaudí's creations.

Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson@gmail.com.

A 12-in-1 art show Hattiesburg native's works showcased - Hattiesburg American

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 04:23 AM PDT

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With aspirations of an art career, he joined other Mississippians from the period, including Sam Gilliam and William Dunlap, and moved to Washington, D.C., and then New York in the 1970s. He has exhibited in museums and galleries throughout the United States, Europe and Asia including numerous public outdoor commissions.

Currently, McGowin is a professor at State University of New York, Old Westbury and former chairman of the Department of Sculpture at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., according to his Web site.

"He had his career as head of an art department and as a very influential teacher," Piersol said. "But, very early on he began getting recognition as a painter, as an artist. The show that really put him on the map, I think that the show was in 1970. That show was called Name Change. The idea was that he didn't want to follow the familiar path like Rembrandt or Picasso."

So, McGowin invented a new persona, legally changed his name, his artistic style, and often his medium 12 times within 18 months. Within that period he created a body of work unique to each persona and over the past 35 years has continued to add to those works.

Examples of his work are on display through Nov. 29 at the museum.

"Ed came at a time in America in art when tradition was being rejected and he was right there in the middle of it and doing it in his very own way," said Piersol. "So he has been very influential. There are a lot of artists that come along that do terrific work and they are recognized, but only once in a great while does one really make a sea change in the way that people perceive art."

So, who is the real Ed McGowin?

"That is the funny thing," Piersol said. "You look at these crazy personalities through their biographies, but Ed is Mr. Down-to-earth, Mr. Normal, Mr. Everyday. He just has this incredible imagination. If you saw him across the room, you wouldn't think anything. He doesn't talk about himself very much but when he talks about his art, he is very engaging about it. He explains so clearly the rationale for why he is doing it. He doesn't take himself too seriously."

UI music center to open season today - Iowa City Press-Citizen

Posted: 27 Sep 2009 01:17 AM PDT

The University of Iowa Center for New Music, under the direction of David Gompper, will open its season with a free all-Iowa concert at 7:30 p.m. today in the University Capitol Center recital hall.

The CNM Ensemble will perform works by Alan Schmitz, a University of Northern Iowa faculty member; Brooke Joyce, who teaches at Luther College; UI alumnus Ralph S. Kendrick; Linda Robbins Coleman, co-founder of the Iowa Composers Forum and former composer-in-residence for the Cedar Rapids Symphony; UI faculty member Michael Eckert; and UI alumnus Christopher Gainey, whose "So it goes..." is a musical homage to former Iowa Writers' Workshop faculty member Kurt Vonnegut.

For the full program and detailed biographies, visit www.uiowa.edu/~cnm/44.090927.html.

CNM, an organization devoted to the late-20th and early 21st century repertoire, is the focus of contemporary composition and performance at UI. The center, now in its 44th year, functions as a performance extension of the UI School of Music's composition area, and as a repertory ensemble for the creation and presentation of new music. It has directed much of its energy to composers in residence at UI, many of whom have since become leading figures in American music.

Rapid Assessment - Free Lance-Star

Posted: 26 Sep 2009 09:43 PM PDT

Why I became a "Guybrarian"

Date published: 9/27/2009

WHEN I TELL people what I do for a living, a now expected look crosses their faces, somewhere between a suppressed chuckle and a barely contained rolling-around-clutching-their- bellies guffaw.

"Librarian, huh?" they'll say, "Hmm, interesting." They'll attempt to sound polite and conversational, even intrigued. But I know what they're thinking. My manhood is suspect. "He probably macrames, too," the smirking expressions suggest. "Or bakes muffins on the weekends? Sniffles with some BFFs over chick flicks and Ben & Jerry's?"

In the public imagination, male librarians--guybrarians--rank somewhere in the neighborhood of male hairdressers, nurses, and ballet dancers (except those stereotype-busting Russians) on the Dubious Masculinity Scale. Somehow the idea of a grown man fretting over the Dewey Decimal System or priggishly reminding kids to "keep it down--this is the library" is disquieting, even appalling. (Which is why I do neither.)

My childhood provides no Kane-like clues (no effeminate Rosebuds crackling on any childhood-altering fires) as to how I ended up in such a gravely suspicious profession. I played sports--baseball, basketball, football. Had an electric guitar and wanted to be rock star like every other teenage boy. Heck, as a young man I even got into a few fights. (Yes, smarty-pants, the real fist-wielding variety. In bars, no less. The kind you "settle outside.")

In other words, I hit all the normal guy milestones in the appropriate order. How then to explain this whole librarian thing?

For starters, I've always enjoyed reading. Long ago, in those hazy, pre-Internet days, this was perfectly acceptable behavior for boys. Remember Boy's Life? Mad? National Lampoon? All magazines targeting boys. As I got older, I'd binge on the sports biographies (really hagiographies) rife in those less-critical times, before the warts-and-all bios became the standard. "The Babe Ruth Story." "The Mickey Mantle Story." "The Gale Sayers Story." (Sports biographies weren't noted for their creative titles.)

I read books about Jim Thorpe, Jackie Robinson, Joe Namath, Wilt Chamberlain, devouring one after another. I viewed reading sports biographies as a kind of job preparation, you see, since I knew--just knew--I was destined to be a legend of the gridiron, diamond, or court myself (maybe all three?). Ah, boyhood.



Date published: 9/27/2009


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