ReedALOUD: HELLO LIGHTHOUSE

HELLO LIGHTHOUSE by Sophie Blackall is one stunning book. It is absolutely beautiful.  Blackall's exquisite art is matched by her spare, lyrical narrative. It is a book that makes the reader sit back to take in the whole scene then beckons her or him to lean in and examine each gorgeous detail. 

In HELLO LIGHTHOUSE, Blackall invites readers to think about the role of this magnificent building and the steadfast keepers who quietly went about protecting the lives of those who sailed the sea. It is a book that is at once both universal and unique. We learn about this uncommon life of a lighthouse keeper, while also recognizing universal traits and themes of hard work, diligence, loneliness, comfort, the natural world, and the circle of life.

But I get ahead of myself, let's start at the beginning of the book. This jacket asks to be moved to make the lighthouse beacon shine while it subtly demonstrates the role of a lighthouse. 

Under that beautiful jacket is this case art. The lighthouse beacon seems to be emulating the stars in the night sky.

The flap on the jacket completes the art on the end papers, yet when removed reveals new images.

And so we begin.

"On the highest rock of a tiny island
at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse.
It is built to last forever.
Sending it's light out to sea,
guiding the ships on their way.

From dusk to dawn, the lighthouse beams.
Hello!
   ...Hello!
       ...Hello!
                  Hello, Lighthouse!"

Blackall's use of circular insets invites the reader into the sometimes small, but always important life of the lighthouse keeper.

I love this lighthouse and want to walk through it. This page is a case in point as to how this book asks the reader to sit back and take in a scene...

...and then lean in to explore each exquisitely-wrought detail:

Again, I love how these circular insets feel like looking through a nautical hand held telescope into the keeper's life. The ocean flowing around them reinforces how isolated this life is.

Those letters in a bottle are an example of the fine details Blackall imparts throughout the book.

Those letters in a bottle yield a wonderful surprise. The lighthouse keeper's wife comes to join him! We see what you are seeing!

I love how this spread makes it feel like the lighthouse and ship are moving toward each other.

Hello!  Hello! Hello Lighthouse!

Those outstretched hands! Those expressions!

Daily life, including storms, sickness, and rescues ensues, but my favorite is the growth of their family and how Blackall reinforces the circle of life throughout.

Look at these parents showering their baby with love. 

I haven't mentioned the ocean! Throughout the book, the ocean has a personality and story all its own - from stormy swells to calm ripples, it is an ever present element of the story ebbing and flowing around the stalwart lighthouse.

Times change and life at the lighthouse comes to an end. 

Slow, deep breaths accompany the reading of these pages. We feel the keeper's sorrow.   

"He climbs to the top

of the spiral stairs

and closes the logbook

for good.

They pack their belongings

into the boat

and wave farewell 

to the gulls."

"On the highest rock of a tiny island
at the edge of the world stands a lighthouse.
It is built to last forever.
Sending it's light out to sea.

The fog rolls in, and the fog rolls out.
The waves rise and crash.
The wind blows and blows.

Hello!
     ...Hello!
         ...Hello?"

The gate fold that follows is beautiful and uplifting.

We readers know who is living in that house on the ocean's edge. 

Sophie Blackall includes a note about lighthouses in the back matter that is sure to further pique readers' interests in these magnificent buildings and the keepers who cared for them. 

I cannot wait to read this book with my students!

ReedALOUD: Martin & Mahalia

Today I read Martin & Mahalia with my fourth graders. Martin & Mahalia is written by Andrea Davis Pinkney and illustrated by Brian Pinkney.

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and his strong voice and powerful message were joined and lifted in song by world-renowned gospel singer Mahalia Jackson. It was a moment that changed the course of history and is imprinted in minds forever. Told through Andrea Davis Pinkney's poetic prose and Brian Pinkney's evocative illustration, the stories of these two powerful voices and lives are told side-by-side -- as they would one day walk -- following the journey from their youth to a culmination at this historical event when they united as one and inspiring kids to find their own voices and speak up for what is right"

We are moving from our Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. exploration and celebration into a unit on the Civil Rights Movement. This book is ideal for making the transition because it introduces the idea that there were many activists in the Civil Rights Movement. It also places an important spotlight on the role that music played in the Movement.  Did I mention that it is rewarding to read aloud and stunningly illustrated?

After reflecting on the knowledge of Martin Luther King, Jr. I talked a bit about the power of song and how my parents used to come into the library to talk about their experiences in the Civil Rights Movement. My mother emphasized the importance of song and how on bus rides, marches, and gatherings the songs would create a sense of community among those gathered as well as strengthen their spirits, as in Selma where the singing carried them through their fear.

But, I digress. This is about Andrea Davis Pinkney's amazing book and how it gives light to the powerful combination of Martin's oratory and Mahalia's singing. 

After reading the book, I turned back to the page where Mahalia urges Martin to "tell them about your dream." I pulled a New York Times article that explores the the speech that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered on that day.  With Mahalia's urging, Martin diverges from his prepared speech and launches into five minutes of extemporaneous speaking, five minutes that the world will never forget.  

After looking at parts of the article, I showed the students a bit of this footage of Mahalia singing that day as well as a bit of this footage of her singing that day.

Then I played the first part of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech so the students can see how Andrea crafted her language in Martin & Mahalia.

I then fast forward to 10:00 into the speech. I pause around 12:15. It is clear that Martin Luther King, Jr. was wrapping up his speech in one direction pauses and takes off in another. I then played the remainder of the speech. Here's the full text from the National Archives.

It was interesting to watch the students, some of whom have seen and memorized those last five minutes of the speech and silently but energetically mouthed the words versus those who in stillness absorbed the power of speech for the first time.

This was powerful stuff. What followed was the start of a long conversation on the fight for equal rights. Stay tuned.

ReedALOUD: Finding Winnie:

I am thrilled to be reading Finding Winnie with my students. The book is written by Lindsay Mattick and illustrated by Sophie Blackall and published by Little Brown Kids.

"Before Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real bear named Winnie. In 1914, Harry Colebourn, a veterinarian on his way to tend horses in World War I, followed his heart and rescued a baby bear. He named her Winnie, after his hometown of Winnipeg, and he took the bear to war. Harry Colebourn's real-life great-granddaughter tells the true story of a remarkable friendship and an even more remarkable journey--from the fields of Canada to a convoy across the ocean to an army base in England...And finally to the London Zoo, where Winnie made another new friend: a real boy named Christopher Robin. Here is the remarkable true story of the bear who inspired Winnie-the-Pooh."

~from Hachette Book Group

This incredible book has earned a spot on my Mock Caldecott list. I am biased toward anything Winnie-the-Pooh, but even with this, I can say that this book deserves to be on my list. Here's a sneak peak from Little Brown. 

The fourth and fifth graders read the book with our Caldecott criteria in mind:

a.   Excellence

Do these illustrations demonstrate excellence in the technique (collage, painting, wood carvings) employed? 

b.   Appropriateness

Is the technique employed a good match for the mood, tone and themes in the story?

c.   Importance

Are the illustrations critical to the understanding of the story? 

d.   Appeal

Will the design of the book and the illustrations appeal to a child audience? 

When looking at the criteria, I think Sophie Blackall's illustrations excel. They are excellent, appropriate, important and appealing. I love the color palate and style, both speak of the time period, tone and mood. Before one even gets into the books, the jacket and cover illustration set the stage. The jacket illustration grabs the readers' attention with a sweet little bear sitting on a pile of books. Flip the book over and a stuffed animal bear hangs gently from a young child's hands. We want to know these bears and how these stories connect. The jacket's softer illustrations give way to strikingly beautiful case art of silhouettes of soldiers marching across a field led by a proud little bear. Open the cover and the reader enters into a spring-like wood and our story begins. 

The students liked how the album on the table and the owl on the bookshelf foreshadow what is to come.

The students pointed out how the light switch on the wall grounds them in the bedroom but also lets their imaginations travel into the (Hundred Acre) wood.

The students appreciated the detailed illustrations and historical accuracy of the uniforms, cars, trains, clothing, and hair styles. Even though the text establishes that the story takes place "about a hundred years before you were born," I asked if the students could tell which war Harry Colebourn was heading off to. They used the picture clues first to decide on WWI and then reinforced that supposition with the narrative about caring for horses at the front. We also talked about how Sophie subtly showed the reader little things like the time of year before they set sail to England (autumn because of the trees). This two-page spread connected by the train track drew quite a bit of conversation.

I can't go any further without talking about the story, which is heartfelt and beautiful. I did not always make the Winnie-the-Pooh connection  for the students before I read the story, so it was fun to see their faces as the wave of understanding passed over. I loved sharing this book with the students and even after eight classes, got choked up reading the page when Harry brings Winnie to the London Zoo. The writing at times feels like an homage to A.A.Milne, such as this excerpt from the spread above, "The train rolled right through dinner and over the sunset and around ten o'clock and into a nap and out the next day..." This too feels Pooh-like, "Taking the treat [condensed milk] in her paws, Winnie lay on her back and hummed a happy song as she drank." 

I could go on, but don't take it from me, here's what how the fourth grade students ranked the book using our criteria:

Fifth graders shared their thinking on this Padlet.

The fourth graders also used Telligami to share their reaction to the story (sorry for some of the audio quality):

Finding Winnie is one of those whole package books whose writing and art should be and will be read and explored time and time again.