Sunday, May 23, 2021

An Author a Day: Eric Carle

Eric Carle (June 25, 1929 – May 23, 2021)

This post was originally published as an updated blog entry on June 25, 2020 - today we are updating it once again to acknowledge the passing of Eric Carle just a month before he would have celebrated his 92nd birthday.  He was one of the first authors/illustrators that I called a true friend.  I will remember him (and his books) fondly for many years).
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In 1969, Eric Carle's (June 25, 1929 – May 23, 2021) signature book The Very Hungry Caterpillar was published by World Publishing.  In 2020 Carle celebrated his 91st birthday) and The Very Hungry Caterpillar was celebrated  with 51 years in publication.  But The Very Hungry Caterpillar wasn't Carle's first book, two years earlier, he had illustrated a book by Bill Martin Jr., Brown Bear Brown Bear.  That book was originally sold directly to schools for use in reading instruction. But more and more teachers requested trade book copies so in 1976 Holt issued a trade book edition.  A history of the "bear books" is included on a website maintained by Holt publishing.  But two things they do not make mention of includes the fact that although Bill Martin Jr. saw Carle's illustrated advertisement of a red lobster and solicited him to illustrate the book, the first trade book published did not include Carle's name on the cover.  Only Martin's name was on the cover of the book.  These days of course, Carle's name is prominently displayed on the cover of every book Carle illustrates.

The second unmentioned fact is that in the original classroom edition of Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?,  the repetitive refrain asks animal after animal what they see.  The book moves through many unusually colored animals, and some very normally colored animals.  There's a blue horse, a red bird, a yellow duck, green frog, and so forth.  In the classroom edition, a pink elephant and a gray mouse were among the animals in the book.  In the trade edition those two animals disappeared and have never seemed to have reappeared.  At the end of the book it is a teacher that the animal sees next, and then the teacher sees children "looking at me."  In some editions of the trade book, it is a mother (rather than a teacher).  The illustrations themselves have gone through many revisions of the illustrations.  The first edition of the books had illustrations composed of collages created from standard artist's tissue -- the kind anyone could purchase from the art store.  Revisions over the years kept essentially the same composition but were refined in the types of tissue used.  Carle began to create his own colors and patterned archival tissue paper.  Examining his earlier collages with those in more recent books show that the tissue paper now has brush marks and a texture not previously seen in earlier editions.

When I first met Eric Carle he was a relatively new but very popular illustrator with books that captured the interest of adults and the children they read to.  Young readers loved the patterns in Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, and delighted in the daily progression of the caterpillar's existence in The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Eric Carle was a gentle and humble artist who has gone on to become an icon in the field of children's literature.  But this spring day in 1976, the day we met, he was a relatively new author/illustrator and he spoke to the audience explaining his art technique, and as the audience applauded his presentation, he came down off the stage and whispered to me, "Did I do all right?"

At the time he was moving to illustrate all of his books in paper collage but he had published a book that was not collage -- it was created in what looked like crayon sketches.  But this first version (Crowell, 1975) of The Mixed-Up Chameleon was different.  I asked him about the illustrations.  I was not sure if the illustrators were drawn with several colored crayons, or oil pastels, for example.  When asked he told me he actually had drawn the illustrations with a plain box of Crayola crayons.  Then he corrected himself and said, "Actually, I just used one black crayon and drew the artwork as separate pieces of art based on the colors I wanted the printer to print."  (NOTE: in 2009 Crayola created a new colored crayon - Very Hungry Caterpillar Green).
Seven years after the first edition of The Mixed-Up Chameleon, a new edition of the book was published with new illustrations in what had become Carle's signature collage form.  He had also tightened up the text.
Here's what I said about the "new" collage illustrated edition in 1984 -
K-GR 3 — Collage illustrations characteristic of much of Carle’s work are showcased in this reissue of The Mixed-Up Chameleon. The collages mimic the form and relationship to text of the original crayon drawings but the bold colors of the original have been muted and in doing so have helped focus readers on the ever-changing composition of the mixed-up animal. In addition to the new illustrations, the text has been tightened in this revision. In both editions, the illustrations enhance and complement the text, but in this revision, the illustrations have become an integral part of the story, adding information not stated. A chance to compare and contrast the two editions will give older readers some insight into the writing and editing process and the role of illustrations in picture books. A book that’s sure to remain a perennial favorite.” - by Sharron McElmeel, School Library Journal, December, 1984
A reviewer for Booklist provided an example of the text revision:
For example, where the 1975 edition read, “If I could be like a fox, then I would be smart. Instantly it had a fox’s fluffy red tail.” Now it simply says, “I wish I could be smart like a fox,” with the illustrations showing the fluffy red tail.
In addition to illustration revisions in several of his titles he also has revised the text in several of his books.  Those have included The Mixed-Up Chameleon and another favorite, Rooster's Off to See the World.  

The night before we had hosted a dinner at the Ronneberg Restaurant in Amana, Iowa - a German Community known for its delicious German food.  After that meal, Carle declared that it was the best German food he had eaten since leaving Germany.  And if he had not been a writer or illustrator what would he have been?
A chef!... I think it would be fun to wear a white apron and a chef's hat and cook up a delicious meal. ~ Eric Carle
One enduring memory of Carle's appearance in Cedar Rapids and the opportunity to meet him, greets me every day of my life.  As part of the promotion of the conference Carle's publisher sent several book jackets -- I had a couple extra when all the work was done.  A few months after that first conference my family and I moved into a "new" to us house, in the country.  There was a stairwell going to the lower level.  Since the downstairs with its picture window and French doors would primarily be the domain of our six children (at the time ranging from 3 mos to 14 years of age) I wanted the wall of the stair case to reflect the personality of the space.  And frankly I could not envision hanging long strips of wall paper - nor painting the slanted stair well.  So I bought a bucket of prepared wall paper paste and got out a stack of book jackets from favorite books and began to paper the walls, collage style.  This was the result - -and over the years I've touched up with a few new jackets to cover a crayon scribble or two or a spot that needed repair but basically the wall has stayed as a visual reminder of some of our favorite books.  Here is just one side of the stairwell.
About the same year we were moving into our home in rural Iowa, Eric Carle and Bobbi were moving into a house in rural Massachusetts in the Northhampton area.  After a decade or more they moved into a home in Northhampton itself, a home where they did not have to maneuver the snowy roads in the winter time.  Eventually, after Bobbi retired from her teaching career and after living for thirty-three years in the Northhampton, Massachusetts area Eric Carle and his wife Barbara decided to move south. They have now sold their Newhampton home and since 2004 they lived in a house redesigned and rebuilt by noted designer Luis Pons in Florida.   The house is situated overlooking the ocean - and is located about halfway between Miami and Key West.  During the summer they retreated to a home in North Carolina that they purchased.  The home sits on a mountain top and the renovation was Bobbi's project.   Bobbi passed away in 2015, and Eric now spends his winters in the Florida Keys.  Inspired by his studio in his Florida home Eric Carle is still creating art and books.  Carle makes frequent visits back to his "old studio" where he is a regular visitor at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Updated notes:  
Eric discusses his "two houses" in a post on his blog at http://ericcarleblog.blogspot.com/2009/01/where-i-live-now.html.  

Bobbie Carle passed away on September 7, 2015. (Read announcement at http://ericcarleblog.blogspot.com/2015/09/very-sad-news.html) .  

The Eric Carle Museum has honored Bobbie with the establishment of Bobbie's garden (https://www.carlemuseum.org/content/pressreleasebobbiesgarden).The garden, now titled Bobbie's Meadow was dedicated on Saturday, June 23, 2018; The garden’s ribbon-cutting ceremony was the opening event for the 2018 Annual Children’s Book Festival, themed around “gardens.”  https://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/06/eric_carle_to_dedicate_museums.html

Read all of Eric's blog posts at http://ericcarleblog.blogspot.com/.

Resources: 

Eric Carle's Home Page (WEB) www.eric-carle.com
Brown Bear Web site (WEB) www.brownbearandfriends.com
Eric Carle's Blog (WEB)  ericcarleblog.blogspot.com
Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art (WEB) www.carlemuseum.org/
McElmeel, Sharron L.  100 Most Popular Picture Book Authors and Illustrators.  ABC/CLIO/Libraries Unlimited, 2000;  pages 98-103.
McElmeel, Sharron L. Authors in the Kitchen: Recipes, Stories, and More. ABC/CLIO/Libraries Unlimited, 2005; pages 49-51.

Sharron L. McElmeel Papers, University of Iowa's Special Collections, Iowa City, Iowa.

This blog post originally published January 2015, and has been updated.
Cite this blog post.
McElmeel, Sharron. (2015, Jan; updated 2021, May 26). An Author a Day: Eric Carle.  Author, Author, and an Illustrator or Two. (Blog).  https://bit.ly/RIP-ericcarle

www.mcbookwords.com
for author visits

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Connecting Paper Cranes to Books - Fun with paper and books.

My friend Tony Pope began creating paper cranes in remembrance of Sandako and the Thousand Paper Crane by Eleanor Coerr (more about that at this Iowa History: Bits and Pieces blog entry at https://bit.ly/papercranes-Iowa).

He sent five of them from Georgia to Iowa.

 But once these cranes arrived in Iowa from Georgia, Tony asked if the one in the lower right reminded me of any book.  Indeed it did: despite the color patches being curved in the shape of a scale I connected it first to Elmer the Patchwork Elephant by David McKee.  You see my husband's given name is a family name going back several generations; and one of our sons named his son Elmer to stay with the tradition.  When that baby was born, I said to my son, "I know the first book I am going to buy for him."  And my son said, "I already bought it."  Me to him, "I didn't know you even knew the book."  And he replied, "Bottom shelf, right hand side, green cover."  Despite him being in California he nailed the location on the Iowa book shelves.  In the current published book, the cover shows Elmer in patchwork; but the first book about Elmer was published with a lime green cloth cover.  However most people would, because of the rounded scales associate the first crane with Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.  So I have included both here.

The others - see what you think - and then give it a try and see what you come up with.  Fold a crane, match a book - take pictures and send them along.

Sunflowers ...


Flamingos ...


Clouds in a blue sky ...


Frida Kahlo and her menagerie of plants and animals...


Okay now create your own crane - and pair it up with a book -- just for fun.
If you don't know to fold a paper crane a quick search on YouTube will lead you to plenty of tutorials.


Cite this website as:
McElmeel, Sharron. (2020, June 18). Connecting paper cranes to books - fun with paper and books.  Author, author, and an illustrator or two.  Retrieved from https://bit.ly/papercranes-books.



Friday, April 3, 2020

Michael Sampson - Author

Today (April 3, 2020) author Michael Sampson visited with a young reader via Zoom.  Michael Sampson is a professional educator, football lover, literacy expert, and author. (Learn more about Sampson and his books at www.michaelsampson.com/ ). During the one-on-one visit (just one of 10 that Sampson contributed to do his part in educating readers in this epic situation) Sampson read this first grade reader three books that he wrote or co-wrote.

Star of the Circus, had a refrain that invited participation and both Sampson and Pryor sung the refrain.  And who is the star of the circus of the eight animals: Cannonball Cat, Zany Zebra, Marvelous Mouse, Crazy Kangaroo, Dazzling Dog, Jazzy Giraffe, Big Bear, or Elegant Elephant?  The answer is in the reading.

When Michael Sampson shared a reading of a sequel to his friend, Bill Martin, Jr's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?, a sequel that Sampson helped to write, Sampson shared some additional information about Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? 


Michael Sampson is an author or co-author of many books.  He was a good friend of Bill Martin Jr.  who wrote Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You Hear?  Together the friends wrote many books.


Cover of The Football That Won Sampson wrote a book titled The Football That Won... but also wrote many others with his friend.
A popular book that Sampson wrote with his friend was a book, I pledge allegiance, explaining the vocabulary in the Pledge of Allegiance written by Francis Bellamy in 1852.
Pryor read that book before meeting Michael Sampson.  And he had also read all the books in the Brown Bear series.
 I pledge allegiance I pledge allegiance...
 Other books by Sampson include the Little Squeegy Bug Book and several about Kitty Cat.
Cover of The Little Squeegy BugCover of Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Going to School

Pryor enjoyed meeting Michael Sampson, and enjoyed hearing his books.  Pryor was very familiar with Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? but had not associated that title with Michael Sampson.  Sampson also co-wrote Baby Bear, Baby Bear What Do You See?  
And what advice did Sampson have for a young scholar - read and start a journal.  What a great experience for a 7-year-old reader!

Cite this article:

McElmeel, Sharron.  (2020, April 3).  Michael Sampson - Author.  Author, Author, and an Illustrator or two.  Retrieved from https://bit.ly/michaelsampson. 


Monday, March 30, 2020

Tomie depaola - A Friend (Sept 15, 1934 - March 30, 2020)

Tomie dePaola
Tomie dePaola, at the age of 85 died from a fall, according to a news post by Roger Sutton, editor at Horn Book Magazine; and Elizabeth Law, dePaola’s long time publisher at Holiday House.
Tomie dePaola is the author/illustrator of many beloved children’s books including: Strega Nona, Helga’s Dowry and more than 250 more.  Tomie dePaola was born on September 15, 1934 in Meriden, Connecticut where he grew up with an older brother and two younger sisters, who appeared with him in his successful biographical series, 26 Fairmount Avenue.  His mother was Irish and father Italian.  His mother loved books and spent many hours reading aloud to her children.   He knew from a very young age that he wanted to be a children’s book illustrator.  He attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn and earned a masters of fine arts from California College of Arts and Crafts.  For a time, he taught art at Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire.  For many years he lived and worked in a 1830s, 13 room house and barn in Wilmot Flats — a picturesque village down the road from New London.
He studied at Pratt along-side of Arnold and Anita Lobel; and was neighbors with Wally Tripp and Trina Schart Hyman.  All the events of dePaola’s life have had a significant effect on his art and writing.  At one time dePaola joined. Monastery with the intention of becoming a brother.  He left the monastery before taking his final vows but throughout his career he created many works of art for Catholic churches and monasteries in the New England area.  Several of his book have religious themes.  One of his most popular,  Francis, the Poor Man of Assisi(Holiday House, 1992) was recently rereleased as Brother Francis of Assisi (Ignatius Press, 2020).
For many years dePaola’s companion and assistant has been Robert Hechtel who helped him in all aspects of his career.
In a 2017 interview with Maggie Reagan for Booklist Online, dePaola said, “My days are busier than they’ve ever been, and I’m 84. But I’m very pleased that this is true. I’ve had a long career, and I hope it keeps on going for more years, because I love the work that I’m doing now. “ (http://bit.ly/talkingwithtomie).
And all of his readers wish there were more years … but his work will live on, and so will Strega Nona, Helga and the dozens of other characters he created: Charlie, Andy, Bill and Pete.  And as for Tomie - he is off on the wing of a whitebird.  RIP

The obituary from Associated press 

'Strega Nona' author Tomie dePaola is dead at age 85 By KATHY McCORMACK Associated Press Mar 30, 2020 can be found online at in the MuskogeePhoenix News which was first to get the information online.
~~~
For more information about Tomie dePaola visit his website at http://www.tomie.com and search the net for information about YOUR favorite dePaola books - these are some of mine.

For my archival information about Tomie dePaola from my resources, locate my 1988 title An Author a Month (for Pennies) (Libraries Unlimited, o.p.) but available in many libraries.Research material related to Tomie dePaola is part of the Sharron L. McElmeel papers in the University of Iowa special collections.  Identifier: msc0991.  http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/sc


Saturday, October 19, 2019

Some Illustrator - Melissa Sweet

Some Illustrator - Melissa Sweet

In October 2019, Melissa Sweet was invited to visit a series of schools in Iowa City, Iowa.  She also presented a short talk at a local bookstore and it was there that we (myself, other local writers/illustrators, and Pryor).  I have long admired her work - and actually had several of her titles - some of them signed by the author, and some actually signed by Sweet.  I had never met her but had obtained the signed books through bookstores where she had signed.  Other titles were signed by authors: Jen Bryant, Judy Sierra, Heidi E.Y.Stemple, and Jane Yolen.
We loved hearing the back story of some of her books. 
Pryor had just one question about her newest book: How to Read a Book by Kwame Alexander.
The question:  Why does she use neon colors?
Below we have linked to several interviews and resources which will provide much information about Melissa Sweet and her illustrations.  We will certainly be looking for her next book.  Pryor clutched his signed books, all the way home.
Thank you, Melissa Sweet, for coming to Iowa.








More Resources for Information About Melissa Sweet

Art of the Picture Book (2014, Oct 8). An interview with Melissa Sweet — Art of the Picture Book.  Retrieved from https://www.artofthepicturebook.com/-check-in-with?tag=Melissa%20Sweet   
Bookology: Children’s Literature.  (2016, April 29)  Melissa Sweet – Interviews.  Retrieved from https://www.bookologymagazine.com/article/melissa-sweet/
Idle, Molly: Idle Illustration.  (2013, November 27 ) Mini Interview: Melissa Sweet.  Retrieved from http://idleillustration.com/2013/11/27/mini-interview-melissa-sweet/
McElmeel, Sharron L.  (2012, June) in the Spotlight; Balloons, Marionettes, an Mobiles.  Retrieved from  https://www.mcelmeel.com/author/otherwritings/articles/Sweet_balloonsMJ2012SWEET.pdf  -- The article profiles Anthony Frederick Sarg, the inspiration of author Melissa Sweet for her book "Balloons over Broadway: The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy's Parade." It discusses his birth and residence in Guatemala until he reached the age of seven, the transfer of his family to England and Germany including his immigration to New York City where he worked on the display window of Macy's department store. It offers information on the discussions about the puppeteer and the parade.
Sweet, Melissa.  (n.d.) Melissa Sweet: Author + illustrator (homepage).  Retrieved from https://www.melissasweet.net/about.  Several links to other interviews on the “About” page.
The Children’s Literature Research Collection: University of Minnesota.  (2015, April 4).  Balloons Over Broadway, Melissa Sweet, and the Engineering of a Picture Book: The Author, interview with Melissa Sweet.  Retrieved from  http://gallery.lib.umn.edu/exhibits/show/balloons-over-broadway/the-author/interview  More sections explore information about the exhibit, the author , research for a picture book, trial and error, mixed meia, life of a page, curriculum, about the exhibit, and appropriate links.
The National Center for Children’s illustrated Literature (NCCiL).  (n.d.)  Some Illustrator! Pictures by Melissa Sweet.  Retrieved from https://www.nccil.org/exhibitions/illustrations-of-melissa-sweet.  – outlines awards and books that has brought Sweet honors/awards.  Description of exhibit available for a ten week period. 
And a page about the artist herself - https://www.nccil.org/artists/melissa-sweet
A video trailer previewing the available exhibit - https://youtu.be/dWOa8h4lHKY
Wm. R. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (n.d.)  Author Interview Melissa Sweet.  Retrieved from https://www.eerdmans.com/Pages/Item/9080/Author-Interview-Melissa-Sweet.aspx
www.mcbookwords.com
for author visits

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

Caldecott 2018 - Mock Voting

This morning (11/08/17) our picture book group -- seasoned writers and book reviewers considered several dozen 2017 books that we felt would be contenders for the 2018 Caldecott.  The following results of our discussion and voting result in a winner, and two honor titles.

The award vote went to Mike Curato, the illustrator of Margarita Engle's All the Way to Havana (Henry Holt and Company, 2017).  Engle is a native of Cuba.  Curato went to Cuba and stayed in a bed and breakfast operated by two of Margarita's cousins in Havana.  During his stay he research and photographed many cars and scenes in Cuba.  Car enthusiasts will notice that the cars are often modified with parts from a variety of sources, parts that substitute for the original parts but do not necessarily duplicate the original. The car that is the main focus in the book is a real car, a 1954 Chevy 201 Series - sometimes know as a Chevy Delray.  The real car was owned by Rey a driver who took Curato and a fellow illustrator, Curator's interpreter in Cuba, around Havana.  The car has been in Rey's wife, Marbelis's family for more than three decades.  Curato's illustrations were created with pencil and paint and emulated the textures from the photographs Curator had taken in Cuba.  The perspectives of the buildings and the variety of cars are a feast for the eyes.  Readers will glimpse a bit of the culture and history of Cuba - as seen through the eyes of an observer in the country.  A book trailer for this book is available online at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=pcqtGqGUuFM


These following two illustrators were strong contenders and are listed here in alphabetical order by the illustrator's last name.
Illustrator Keith Mallett - 
First time author Andrea J. Loney tells the story of an innovative photographer in Take a Picture of Me, James Vanderzee! (Lee and Low, 2017).  Loney tells the inspirational story of Vanderzee who as a young boy saved his coins to buy his first camera to his rise as a sought after photographer in Harlem where he took photos of legendary figures that were part of the Harlem Renaissance.  As a photographer Vanderzee created photographs that showcased the beauty of those he photographed.  The illustrator, Keith Mallett, does the same for Vanderzee as he illuminates the subjects of Vanderzee's subjects.
Keith Mallett is an artist and designer, residing in San Diego.  He has been creating art for as long as he can remember.  For more than three decades he has created posters and art prints.  He was able to attend the original James VanDerZee exhibit "Harlem on my Mind" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The illustrations were created with acrylic paint and were meticulously researched for accuracy true to the late 19th century.  Read VanDerZee's comments about how he created the illustrations in a blog post on Lee and Low's blog about art and design.
"Illustrator Keith Mallett Takes Us Behind the art of Take a Picture of Me, James Vanderzee.  (27 Jul 2017).  Lee and Low. (Online) http://blog.leeandlow.com/2017/07/27/illustrator-keith-mallett-takes-us-behind-the-art-of-take-a-picture-of-me-james-vanderzee/.  


This book joins other recent books about photographers that will make a great collaborative reading package for young readers.
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America. Illustrated by Jarney Christoph. (Albert Whitman, 2015)
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Dorothea Lange: The Photographer Who Found the Faces of Depression.  Illustrated by Sarah Green.  (Albert Whitman, 2017)

***
Illustrator: John Rocco
Fans of the forever popular writer Virginia Lee Burton will love this look at Burton's life and artistry, Big Machines The Story of Virginia Lee Burton, by Sherri Dusky Rinker, with illustrations by John Rocco (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017).  The biography text is a tribute to both Burton and her artistic style, while Rocco emulates Burton's visual style and includes images of Jinnee and her two boys, Aristides Burton Demetrios and Michael Burton Demetrios, in many scenes.  (Note: Learn about Aris and Mike on the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Internet site at http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/features/mike_mulligan/arismike.shtml) But the focus of the book and the illustrations are the big machines that Jinnee created to delight her sons: Mary Anne, Katy, and Marybelle.
John Rocco is no stranger to illustration or to the Caldecott. He has illustrated dozens of children's books, one of which was named a Caldecott honor, Blackout, in 2012.  His art for Blackout was created with graphite pencil on Strathmore Bristol paper with digital coloration.  For this book, the talented and versatile illustrator created the illustrations with watercolors, colored pencil, and digital media. Rocco's art can also be seen on the covers of many books by Rick Riordan - specifically the Percy Jackson series.  He also has worked in animation and in leading industry venues.  Rocco's illustrations for Big Machines have been described as being "... alive, bursting with color and action" and indeed they are.
.
Visit Christopher John Rocco's professional site at http://www.roccoart.com
 
Access a complete list of books illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton at the FemBio site at http://www.fembio.org/english/biography.php/woman/biography/virginia-lee-burton/


Now to wait until the actual awards are announced during the American Library Association's midwinter convention February 9 - 13, 2018 at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, CO.  The announcements are typically made on the Monday morning of the conference - which would be February 12, 2018.  Good luck to all the illustrators of 2017 books.

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Creekfinding: A True Story

March 2017 saw the release of Creekfinding: A True Story.  This tale based on the true story of Michael Osterholm and his efforts to bring back a lost stream that once flowed through a field on his farm.  With heavy equipment, thoughtful plans and plenty of ingenuity Osterholm created an environment that allowed the spring fed stream to come back and when the water came so did the birds, and reptiles, and hundreds of insects.  This is the story of the finding of that creek and the efforts to restore the creek as a habitat for the trout that once inhabited the stream.

In March, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Claudia McGehee, and Michael Osterholm were at Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa to share the back story of the book, and to introduce the work to the many bibliophiles that came to hear the reading and learn about the stream and the story.  On April 1, Claudia and Jackie shared their book at the CSPS hall in Cedar Rapids as part of a program arranged and sponsored by Next Page Books in the New Bo District.  And on April 15th there is a celebration at the Perfect Blend in Mount Vernon, IA.  But the celebration does not stop there, on April 23rd, the Red Balloon Bookshop celebrates the book with another reading and appearance by Martin, McGehee, and Osterholm.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Claudia McGehee, Michael Osterholm
at Prairie Lights Bookstore in Iowa City, Iowa.

Watch for this blackbird who seems to show up
throughout the illustrations for the story.


Max is a real dog that was by Michael's side throughout
the Creekfinding activities.  Ask the book creators about
his story.

Michael Osterholm began his adventure with the creek
through his efforts to create a prairie area on his newly purchased
farm fields. Now cone flowers and other native wild flowers have a
home along the banks of the creek that runs through the field.

 Gtotaku - making a fish print

The first step in creating a fish print (Gyotaku) is to cover
the fish with the black ink which will create the print
impression.

Those who attended the reading at the CSPS hall in Cedar
Rapids were given an opportunity to make a fish print in the
manner that has been used in Japan for centuries.  Here the
fish which has been covered with a printer's ink is being rubbed
with the paper which will yield a print of the fish.


This is the finished print, framed, and ready for his mother's day gift.

Earlier at the CSPS hall Jacqueline Briggs Martin reads
from Creekfinding: A True Story.


Children attending the reading helped put the animals in
the prairie.


Be sure to ask the creators about the role the fox played in
the book - or at least the backstory about the origination
of the story and its role in finding the collaborators.

  From the publisher - The University of Minnesota Press

"In the words of award-winning author Jacqueline Briggs Martin and the enchanting illustrations of Claudia McGehee, this is the heartwarming tale of an ecosystem restored in the Driftless Area of northeast Iowa. The story will charm and inform young readers who are drawn to a good mystery, the wonders of nature—and, of course, big earth-moving machines." ~ University of Minnesota Press
 
"The main narrative reads smoothly aloud, and the pictures, though detailed, should show well to a small group. Author's and illustrator's notes and a comment from the actual creek rescuer complete the package. A heartening story of environmental restoration." ~ Kirkus Reviews




 
 
Jacqueline Briggs Martin - author of Creekfinding: A True Story (and many other picture book titles) is available for author appearances -- find out more at McBookwords.
McBookwords has a dozen or more authors that speak with young readers.  If you would like to investigate having an author visit your school or library -- for an author appearance please contact us at McBookwords.  Each of these authors often speak  in schools with young readers, and at all types of groups that are interested in literacy and  books.