beatrix part one: a review of Beatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig + other guinea pig musings

March 22, 2016June 25, 2024 ~ jama ~ 19 Comments

My Dear Reader,

Since I’m a big Beatrix Potter fan, I was happy to see Beatrix Potter and the Unfortunate Tale of a Borrowed Guinea Pig by Deborah Hopkinson and Charlotte Voake published in time to celebrate Miss Potter’s 150th birthday this year.

I enjoyed the story immensely, but I must confess it reminded me of my own tragic guinea pig experience (*shudder*). But more on that later.

This charming cautionary tale is about the time young Beatrix, who loved to draw and paint wild as well as tame animals, borrowed a guinea pig from her neighbor to use as a live model. She and her younger brother Bertram had lots of pets in the third floor playroom/science lab/art studio of their London home — pets such as snakes, snails, bats, ducks, rabbits, hedgehogs and salamanders. Though Beatrix loved all these creatures, we are warned early on that “she did not always have the best of luck with them.”

We are given evidence of several animal mishaps via journal entries that note an escaped snake and newts, a family of dead and dried up snails, and even a bat which was dismembered by a jay. And what of the unfortunate guinea pig? Beatrix especially loved painting animals doing “ordinary, everyday things, like reading the newspaper, working in the garden, or taking tea. (And why not?).” And the day came when Beatrix just had to paint a guinea pig and they didn’t have one at 2 Bolton Gardens. Not to worry, though, as quite a few of them apparently lived in Miss Paget’s parlor.

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hotTEAS of Children’s Literature: Linda Ashman

March 17, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 10 Comments

Linda Ashman is the author of more than thirty children’s books, as well as The Nuts & Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books. Her books have been included in the “best of the year” lists of The New York Times, Parenting and Child magazines, the New York Public Library and more. She lives with her husband, son and two dogs in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I have straight up black coffee first thing in the morning. Then, around 11:30, I have a soy latte with some sort of treat (for the record, a pecan scone today). My sister Liz gave me this mug as a reminder of growing up in New Jersey, and my very first job—waitressing at Dunkin’ Donuts.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Rock-a-Bye Romp, illustrated by Simona Mulazzani (Nancy Paulsen Books/Penguin Random House, January 2016); Henry Wants More!, illustrated by Brooke Boynton Hughes (Penguin Random House, January 2016); All We Know, illustrated by Jane Dyer (HarperCollins, March 2016). Forthcoming: Hey, Coach!, illustrated by Kim Smith (Sterling, August 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOKS: We must have read Seven Silly Eaters a zillion times when my son was small. We also loved Susan Meddaugh’s hilarious Martha books (the magical power of alphabet soup!). Oh, and Cooking with Henry and Elliebelly is really funny too.

☕ Visit Linda Ashman’s Official Website. She also blogs monthly at PictureBookBuilders.com. Learn more about Henry Wants More! in Linda’s Chat with illustrator Brooke Boynton Hughes, and about Rock-a-Bye Romp in Linda’s Chat with illustrator Simona Mulazzani.

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out this great Welcome to My Studio feature at All the Wonders — you can see the different places where Linda likes to work in her lovely home.

☕☕☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: If you’re an aspiring or even a seasoned picture book writer, Linda’s Nuts and Bolts Guide to Writing Picture Books is a must read:

The Nuts and Bolts Guide is designed to work like a 9-week class. Each chapter includes detailed instruction on essential topics—things like building a story, experimenting with voice, creating memorable characters, writing rollicking read-alouds and pitch-perfect verse, playing with humor, and submitting your work—plus a reading list, interviews, tips, resources, and exercises to stimulate new ideas and apply to works-in-progress.

Click here for a free preview and to order your copy (available as a PDF or eBook for Kindle).

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nine cool things on a tuesday

March 15, 2016November 14, 2017 ~ jama ~ 17 Comments

1. It’s always nice to see new prints in Katie Daisy’s Wheatfield Shop — bright colors are just what we need to get us in the mood for Spring. Of course I have a weakness for hand lettered alphabets and I couldn’t resist the reminder to “Be Kind to Others.” These inkjet prints of her original watercolor and acrylic paintings come in three sizes. Lots more to choose from!

2. New Book Alert! Look what’s coming out next Tuesday, March 22 — Let’s Go to the Hardware Store by Anne Rockwell and Melissa Iwai (Henry Holt, 2016)! This is the same team who created the wonderful picture book Truck Stop (Viking Books, 2013), about a family who runs a diner and gets ready to serve a nice hot breakfast to all their regular customers (blueberry muffins! pancakes! bacon and eggs!).

This time, a family who’s just moved into a new house needs to do some fix-ups, so they visit the hardware store to get some tools and supplies:

When the new house needs fixing up, it’s off to the hardware store to find the tools and materials needed to get the job done―a hammer, a screwdriver, a shiny tape measure, and even a stepladder.

This family outing explores a familiar errand that fascinates plenty of young children: the hardware store. Anne Rockwell’s perfectly pitched story and Melissa Iwai’s child-friendly illustrations make this book ideal for the preschool audience.

Anne Rockwell is a household name to picture book lovers; it’s such a treat whenever she publishes a new book. And of course Melissa Iwai won me over big time when she published Soup Day (Henry Holt, 2010). 🙂 Love her cheery palette and engaging details (such a fun way to introduce kids to some basic tools). Her pictures make me miss the small neighborhood mom and pop hardware stores. Everything’s a big superstore these days. Click here to read Melissa’s post about doing the illos for the book.

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Matthew Winner

March 14, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 8 Comments

Matthew Winner is a blogger, a podcaster, a teacher librarian, and a daddy, among other super strengths. He’s the co-founder of All The Wonders, the host of the Let’s Get Busy podcast, and a 2013 Library Journal Mover & Shaker.

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: Earl Grey tea with honey. I drink a cup of tea each morning to calm my mind and start my day with a bit of sweetness.

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESS: (Co-author with Meghan Hearn) Teach Math with the Wii: Engage Your K-7 Students Through Gaming Technology (International Society for Technology in Education, 2013).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio, illustrated by Eric Wight (FSG, 2015).

☕ Visit Matthew online at All The Wonders.com or say hi at @MatthewWinner.

☕ ☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out Matthew’s Let’s Get Busy Podcasts at All The Wonders — recent guests include Fred Koehler, Madelyn Rosenberg, Philip C. Stead, and Charise Harper and Anna Raff.

☕ ☕ ☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Bonus Pic: Matthew and his Squishy

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hotTEAs of Children’s Literature: Philip Nel

March 10, 2016September 25, 2017 ~ jama ~ 12 Comments

*I write books about children’s books. I also teach, read, edit, grade, and occasionally sleep.*

☕ CUPPA OF CHOICE: I like a cup of tea because it caffeinates me, but not as much as coffee does. (I also like coffee, but it tends to amplify my manic tendencies to the point of distraction.)

☕ HOT OFF THE PRESSES: Crockett Johnson and Ruth Krauss: How an Unlikely Couple Found Love, Dodged the FBI, and Transformed Children’s Literature (University Press of Mississippi, 2012); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby, Volume One: 1942-1943 (co-editor with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books, 2013); Crockett Johnson’s Barnaby, Volume Two: 1944-1945 (co-editor with Eric Reynolds, Fantagraphics Books, 2014). Forthcoming: Was the Cat in the Hat Black?: The Hidden Racism of Children’s Literature and Why We Need Diverse Books (Oxford University Press, tentative pub date, late 2016).

☕ FAVE FOODIE CHILDREN’S BOOK: Rude Cakes by Rowboat Watkins (Chronicle Books, June 2015).

☕ Visit Phil Nel’s Kansas State University Homepage and his blog Nine Kinds of Pie. Phil also contributes to The Niblings Facebook Page. 🙂

☕☕ JUST ONE MORE SIP: Check out The Crockett Johnson Homepage!

☕☕ ☕ CAN’T GET ENOUGH: Enjoy Phil’s recent post, “Seuss on Film.” Interesting to see clips from the 1940’s, 1958, and 1964. The first, “Unusual Occupations,” is the earliest known film footage of Dr. Seuss. 🙂

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