Senor Parrot's Perch

I had some hum-drum work to do so I fired up iTunes to listen to some podcasts while I hum-drummed along. From Just One More Book podcasts about kids books, I saw that they too had just reviewed You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!
These guys sound Canadian, ay!

They really liked it, too. Even more than me, by the enthusiastic sounds in their voices. And they really loved artist Andre Carrilho’s illustrations.

My review from this morning is over here.

You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!

Author: Jonah Winter

Illustrated by Andre Carrilho

When I was a kid, Sandy Koufax was greatest pitcher in the game. He threw harder, faster and better than anyone else playing at the time, or since, or before. It was still the good old days of sports, when we talked about great athletes instead of doping scandals. So I was excited to find You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?!, a great children’s book about that great baseball player.

This book provides a glimpse into Sandy Koufax’s life during his brief athletic career. A natural athlete, Koufax started attracting attention for his pitching when �he was still a teen. His amazing pitching speed won him a birth with the Brooklyn Dodgers, later the Los Angeles Dodgers, after they moved.

Koufax was not an immediate success. His pitched erratically and he lacked the control to consistently pitch in the strike zone. It was some time before he displayed the greatness that he would later achieve. What happened? How did Koufax develop into one of the greatest pitchers who ever played the game of baseball? No one knows for sure, but one day, after walking four batters in a row to fill the bases, he transformed in an instant, and struck out all the remaining batters and from that minute on he became perhaps the greates pitcher of all time.

Koufax is also famous for his integrity and character. A Jew, he refused to play a game in the world series because it fell on a Jewish holy day. This honorable act showed he truly held the convictions of his faith, putting it before everything else. Nowadays, that level of commitment to one’s beliefs is so rare and almost strange to see. Personally, I find it extremely noteworthy and admirable and it reminds me of�Eric Henry Liddell, the amazing athlete from Scotland who ran for England in the 1924 Olympics, who also put his faith and convictions before personal ambitions (see the great movie Chariots of Fire for a glimpse of Eric Liddel).

This book is also noteworthy for some great illustration. It’s really a picture book as much as a biography. Some of the illustrations remind me of renaissance religious paintings. The illustrations frequently emphasize oversized stylized heads, but also offer some great perspectives and convey the strength, motion and grace of baseball. You Never Heard of Sandy Koufax?! is a must read for your young baseball fans. Adults will enjoy it as well. And if they are around my age or older, they can enjoy recalling the glory days of the sport when character still counted for more than winning, and athletes won without drugs.

Here’s another bio of Koufax. I haven’t read this one yet, but I recall that it was very well received. Sandy Koufax, by Jane Leavy is aimed at the Young Adult and older crowd.

Did Fleming Rescue Churchill?: A Research Puzzle by James Cross Giblin, and illustrated by Erik Brooks.

Reading level: Ages 9-12
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (April 1, 2008)
ISBN-13: 978-0805081831

Did Fleming Rescue Churchill?: A Research Puzzle illustrates the problems of historical research and the work that goes into establishing what is true and how to make facts into an interesting story. It’s also a cautionary tale of the pitfalls of internet research. While researching a well known scientist, fifth grader Jason finds three conflicting stories and must sort out the truth.

Jason had missed class so he could see the dentist because of a toothache. Too bad, because he missed getting his choice for a scientist to research and report on. The only one left was Alexander Fleming, and who was he? His teacher, Ms. O’Mara, insisted he was a great choice because he discovered penicillin, the antibiotic that has saved millions of lives.

When Jason agrees, he mentions to his teacher that he’ll start on the internet and go from there. Jason’s teacher warns him that the internet is a poor place to start, not everything is true. He accepts her advice, but he’s turned off by the biographies he finds, and settles for the encyclopedia. Here he learns the details of Fleming’s career and that he won the Nobel Prize for Medicine. Then, his teacher gives him useful pointers for organizing and writing his report, and most importantly, he learns how to make his report interesting for others.

Jason’s report grows more interesting to him, also, as he proceeds. Inspired to find the truth about a link between Fleming and Winston Churchill that he has learned about on the internet, Jason spends every free moment looking for some source that will settle the questions that have arisen during his research. How will he resolve the conflict stories about Fleming?

All in all, this book was fun to read. More importantly, it taught important lessons about research and writing at a middle school level. I really do think that this book is worth reading. It -Yeah, right Dad! – would even make a good jumping off point for keeping a kid or two busy for a while during the upcoming summer. Have him or her read the book, then assign someone who has won a Nobel Prize as a subject for a three page paper, using the lessons from this book as a guide.

Well, Senor Parrot, you’ve laid a big goose egg, I hear you say, Not over summer break!� But a trip to a water park would make a good reward, if you need help kicking up the enthusiasm.

March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World by Christine King Farris and illustrated by London Ladd is an inspring recollection of that great day, August 28, 1963, when over 250,000 people marched into Washington, D.C. to demonstrate for equal rights for black Americans and really, for all. The author, sister of Martin Luther King, Jr., paints a vivid picture of that hot summer day on the National Mall that conveys the passion and dignity of� her brother and the fellow leaders as they led the events of that day.

The book is written for middle grade kids. In fact, it was my middle school daughter who brought it home to me, insisting that I read it. How glad I am. Focusing on small scenes leading to the day, and the book then opens to a panoramic view of the day at the National Mall where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his most famous speech.

There, Martin Luther King spoke of his dream before 250,000 men, women, and children. We’ve all heard that speech many times, and yet the power of that dream as he spoke it has never faded. Because of its goodness and purity, and because of the passion in King’s voice, and because of the memorable words he spoke so well, many of us can hear it in our minds, almost as if we had been there ourselves.

In perhaps my favorite part, Christine King Farris depicts the crafting of that speech the night before. Surely he already had most of this on his mind, but he labored along, in his hotel room, through the entire night to perfect and commit to heart the words he would convey. Then he dressed and prepared to go out. Receiving a call that an enormous crowd was marching to the National Mall, he rushed out and joined the other leaders to march arm-in-arm together with the throng.

Christine King Farris paints his character in small details, pointing out how his commitment to dignity and respect was reflected even down to his manner of dress and his behavior, and how both communicating his message, as well. These little insights into his character give a great deal of strength to his message, of his dream, when men will be judged by the content of their characters and not by the color of their skin. And men’s actions do reflect their character.

She also conveys a sense the faith in God that bound King and his fellow leaders together for their cause and to each other; a faith that I believe gave them strength, that enabled them to rise above the injustice of the racial prejudice and violence that poured down on them.

August 28, 1963 was a great day, but it never would have happened without men of character and strength who had powerful vision, who labored long to see that day. Now, 45 years later, we have elected a black American as President. Such a great change we’ve seen since that day.

Title: March On! The Day My Brother Martin Changed the World

Author: Christine King Farris

Publisher: Scholastic Press (August 1, 2008)

ISBN: 978-0545035378

Veterans’ Day isn’t much anymore. When I was a child, all our fathers served in one way or another in WWII or the Korean War and helped build the world I grew up on. Some of my friends were children of their mother’s second husband, the first remaining somewhere in Europe or at the bottom of the Pacific. That world died with Viet Nam.

The Children’s Book Review-Growing Readers has provided a nice list of books that remember those who bravely put their lives on the line for us. Now, many of the children reading thises books would have grand parents and great grandparents who served in WWII or the Korean War, or in the Viet Nam or first Iraq wars. Many will have fathers who have or continue to serve in Iraq or Afganistan. And since Viet Nam, they have grandmothers and mothers serving as well.

Let’s always remember their great sacrifice.

If your kids like the Lego or Playmobil castles, or any of the other building toys,� Castle Under Siege! by Andrew Solway is a little book that offers a fun hook into some the science behind those ancient buildings. Already engrossed in the imaginary building of a castle and defending it against all enemies, kids are primed to learn how it was really done. Books like this are great segues into learning more on their own.

I found this book in the library by chance, while looking for books about robots to share with my kids. I grabbed it, realizing that these simple applications might help my kids see just why science is cool. It also provides a nice window into the past. Its aimed at 2nd through 4th graders, though some older kids might enjoy the quick informative read, especially coupled with David Macaulay’s great Castle, which is aimed at higher age level than Castle Under Siege!

Medieval society seems like all labor, but there were lots of machines at work to create and maintain their way of life. Castle Under Siege! looks at a few of these, like the drawbridge, crossbow, catapults, and siege engines were actually applications of simple machines. Photographic reenactments and illustrations help explain the concepts.

Simple machines are also so simple, that a trip to the hardware, home improvement, or hobby store to pick up a couple pulleys, boards, dowels and wooden wheels can result in some quick construction of the same machines on a tabletop scale.

Book Review: The Adventures of Pachelot: Last Voyage of the Griffon

Author: Wendy Caszatt-Allen

ISBN: 978-1934133088

Reading level: Ages 7-12

Paperback: 112 pages

Publisher: Mackinac Island Press, Inc.; 1st edition (June 1, 2007)

Imagine yourself with Ren� Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, better known as simply LaSalle, the great French explorer of the 17th centure. Exploring and trading for furs with the native americans along the shores of Lake Michigan in 1679, you sail the Great Lakes, aboard his ship, The Griffon, then the largest vessel to sail the great lakes. Leaving Green Bay in the fall of 1679, laden with furs, and a short crew of six, the ship disappeared with all its crew and cargo.

Imagine you are a dog, and your name is Pachelot, and you are one of LaSalle’s most trusted companions. You, too, have a nose for adventure. And you are aboard the Griffon on its last voyage. You survive.

Imagine you can talk, and certain people can understand you. You are telling your story.

Pachelot, an Australian Shepherd, is the narrator of this fun and exciting story. You see, Pachelot has found that certain people can understand him when he talks. You are one of those people, if you read his story. You will meet many people, evil and good and make good friends.

The Adventures of Pachelot: Last Voyage of the Griffon is the first of a series. The wide open ending of this first volume is clearly designed to continue in the second installment. In fact, this first story really has no resolution at all, which is a serious fault in my mind, and saps some of the reading satisfaction that this book promises. Nevertheless, for early chapter book readers, I think it is a good choice for moving beyond easier books like the Nate the Great series, or the Cam Jansen series. It also is mature enough to appeal to older children, as well.

One aspect of this book that I really like is its sense of atmosphere and period. It really sparked my interest in reading more about this early period of our country’s history. Pachelot can be used to spark an interest in early American history or in Native American culture, as well.

Ending the book with no resolution is a trait this book shares with the books in the A Series of Unfortunate Events. It was acceptable with A Series of Unfortunate Events because of the promise of further bad experiences, until the end, when in The End, the Daniel Handler, the author of the series, seemed to cop out and just let the story’s ending drift out of sight with the Baudelaires.

Another trait borrowed from A Series of Unfortunate Events is Pachelot’s frequent elaborations about what he means by something he has just said. If you’ve read A Series of Unfortunate Events, you’ll remember that one of the most entertaining and charming features of the books was Lemony Snicket’s elaborations on the meaning of the words that he uses to relate his woeful tail. This trick works well for Pachelot, as well, and should prove a fun feature to young readers.

I’m looking forward to the next one in this series. It’s title The Adventures of Pachelot: Fort Brokenheart. I’ve only seen the cover The author, Wendy Caszatt-Allen, has co-authored the PaleoJoe series, and she shows more of her own stuff in this solo effort.

On the night of July 3, in a heavy rain, I was in a two-car/one semi wreck on Interstate 90, just east of Madison. The cause? A single sheet of cardboard, carried by the water running along the side of the road, blocked a storm sewer inlet, flooding the east-bound lanes of the interstate. I lost control, the car behind me managed to keep from hitting me, until the semi behind her smashed into her car and drove it into mine.
Well, that got me thinking. Literature is full of stories where weather is behind scores of wrecks and tragedies.

Two of my favorites are The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea by Sebastian Junger and The Children’s Blizzard by David Laskin are two of my favorites. Both are non-fictional accounts of real events that still reverberate today in the lives of many people. Both books have this in common: solid and detailed research, and moving depictions of the lives of the people swept up into the events.
The Perfect Storm tells the tale of the men aboard the Andrea Gail, a commercial fishing vessel, that was caught in the killer storm off the coasts of New England and Canada. The Children’s Blizzard is the story of the late wave of prairie settlers isolated in the harsh extremes of the northern Great Plains, caught in the worst blizzard in memory.

The events of weather in themselves can be fascinating, but what makes these books excel is their clear explanation of the catastrophic impact weather has on our lives. It is the struggle real people, brought to vivid life in the pages of these books, against the incredible power and capriciousness of changes in the weather and their environment as they seek their livelihood and fortunes.

Both are excellent reads for older kids. For myself, I’m guessing that I would have enjoyed them as early as the age of 13. I would enjoy them at the age of 93, as well. Look for them in your library or bookstore and get ready to lose yourself in another place and time.

Parents use all sorts of means to get their kids to eat well so that they have a strong body. What about reading well in order to have a strong mind? Today, I want to talk about how books can introduce science to early readers, and also one in particular that I think is a good example.

Books that skillfully introduce science through an interesting story are excellent ways to kindle a kid’s imagination. How do we find things out? Who makes important discoveries and how to they do it? In what practical ways do we use science to discover the secrets of�our world? How can a kid learn to observe the world in a way the he or she can make discoveries, too?

A�great little book that got me thinking about this was Shipwreck Search: Discovery of the H.L. Hunley, written by Sally M. Walker and illustrated by Elaine Verstraete, and published in 2006 by Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, MN. Its the story of the H.L. Hunley, a confederate submarine that was sunk and lost in the American Civil War. Divers sought for years but not until 1995 were they successful.

Written for second� to fourth grade readers, Walker tells the�fascinating story of�three underwater archeologists who searched for and found the missing submarine. That was only the beginning of the discovery, however. They encountered problems along the way that required careful thinking�before devising�solutions as they sought to raise the wreck and bring it back to the lab to investigate further. (more…)

Libraries are one of the best resources for lovers of Kids Books. The small local branch that we visit has a large and comfortable area for young children’s books that my kids dearly love. We usually stop by on Saturday afternoon on the way home from swimming lessons and the kids get to explore and find books that they will like.

In today’s Wall Street Journal Online, I read an interesting article by Jeff Zaslow, entitled “Of the Places You’ll Go, Is the Library Still One of Them?” In it he talks about the growing trend for kids to avoid the library, preferring the Internet for their research.

He notes that kids also prefer to own books rather than borrow them, a trend that Zaslow correctly attributes to our culture’s acquisitive inclinations.

They’re missing out. My small local branch library has a better selection of kids books than Barnes and Nobles or Borders. It doesn’t have as much of the junk, and it has more of the better stuff, and it has books that the retailer’s would probably never put on their shelves because, regardless of the books quality, it may just not fit into the Big Box Bookstore’s marketing plan.

An important point made by one of the persons Zaslow interviews in the article is:

“It’s true that older Internet-phobes are missing out on an incredible tool. But many tech-savvy kids never experience the library as a place for serendipitous discovery. “The library is about delayed gratification,” says Dr. Levine. “It’s about browsing through shelves of biographies. ‘Do I want Jackie Robinson? Franklin Roosevelt? What will I do when I grow up?’ The library slows you down and makes you think.”

Three weeks ago, I was helping my daughter find books on the Boston Tea Party. I showed her how to search the online catalog, how to narrow it to books at the branch we were at, and then where to find the call number on the screen and then how to locate it on the shelves.

So, we quickly located 4 or 5 books to search for and as we were pulling them from the shelves, we were constantly interrupted by all those other good books shelved next to and between the ones we searched for. We went home with more books than we expected – a common occurrence – and happier for it.

Also, ever noticed, when reading up on a topic on Wikipedia, how annoyingly poorly written some of the articles are? In my experience, I’ve found that generally, books or printed articles, are a better read than the online articles, especially like those found in Wikipedia. If you’re looking to learn about something beyond very basic, just beyond definitional, information, books tend to be a better source.