Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow

Sturm, J., & Tommaso, R. (2007). Satchel Paige :Striking out Jim Crow. New York, NY: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children.
ISBN: 978-0-7868-3900-1
Book Website: http://cartoonstudies.org/books/paige/

My Personal Top Ten

Author: James Sturm
Website: http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/artStudio.php?artist=a3dff7dd55f39b

Illustrator: Rich Tommaso
Website: http://richtommaso.com/home/

Media Used (discussed in detail): James Sturm, who is a cartoonist, provided pencil drawn drafts of the story for Rich Tommaso to use as a guide.  Tommaso used both pen and brush in developing the final illustrations. Photos from the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information (FSA-OWI) Collection  provided the artists with visual references of how rural life was like during the Jim Crow years.  Tommaso studied the lighting and composition of Thomas Hart Benton which influenced the book's style.  The illustrations in this book definitely set the moods found in the story.  The images of Paige tying his shoes, stretching, and moving the dirt highlight how methodical and unrushed he was regardless of who he was pitching to or who was talking to him.  The fact that each of Paige's motions, from adjusting his belt to raising his hands to lifting his leg,  is illustrated in a separate panel makes you feel the hitter's anxiety and Paige's slowness during his windup while quick transition of the ball then appearing in the catcher's glove illustrates how fast Paige could throw the ball.  My favorite set of panels was when Emmet was fading in and out from the pain of breaking his knee.  Anyone who has been knocked out and has had people standing over them will relate to those panels.  The other panel that really jerked at my emotions was the lynching scene on page 37.  Even though the author had been hinting at it in the text and the illustrator placed the panel last in a 2 page spread, it still seemed to sneak up on me which drove home the reality of the terrible injustices that were happening at that time.

Summary: Baseball hall-of-famer Leroy "Satchel" Paige's story, told from a fictional sharecropper's point of view. During his career he played for dozens of teams, was one of the Negro Leagues’ fastest pitchers, and played as a major league pitcher.

Personal Reaction: I have a soft spot for sports of all kinds in my life, but baseball and softball have always been my favorites.  So you would think that I would enjoy reading sports themed books, but that is usually not the case.  This book's text and illustrations captured the feelings and emotion of the game, as well as that of the time period, extremely well.   I would definitely recommend this book to a baseball or softball fan who is learning about this time in American History.  This is probably best used as a book for older readers (8th grade and up) because of the lynching scene, the scene where Emmet's son gets beaten up, and the one instance of the N-word being used.  A younger audience might not understand the context of these scenes within this time period.     

Use of Repetition: (1) The illustrations of the catcher with the ball in the glove is repeated to stress that Paige pitched so fast the ball just seemed to appear in the catcher's glove. (2) The re-occurring illustrations of Paige's pitching motions which show how he moved at his own pace and no one else's.

Lesson Plan #4: Segregation

Curricular Connection: 8th Grade American History
California Standard 8.11.3: Understand the effects of the Freedmen’s Bureau and the restrictions placed on the rights and opportunities of freedmen, including racial segregation and "Jim Crow" laws.

Brave Margaret

San Souci, R. D. (1999). Brave Margaret: An Irish adventure. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
ISBN: 0-689-81072-5

Author: Robert D. San Souci
Website: http://www.rsansouci.com/

Illustrator: Sally Wern Comport
Website: http://www.artatlargeinc.com/

Media Used (discussed in detail): The book's text is set in Clearface Roman and the illustrations were originally done in pastels.  Pastels are one of my favorite mediums as they offer a chalky yet vibrant look to the illustrations.  The pastels also allow for a wonderful blending  of colors which helps to give the illustrations a unique textured look.  The book's illustrations are mostly set up in a portrait like fashion - depicting certain action scenes that are described in the text in a way that highlights the emotions and feelings of the story.  My two favorite scenes are the opening picture in which Margaret is leading her cows, due to the bright use of color, and the scene where the the old woman becomes young again using the water of healing because of how life like the glow of the the healing water is.

Summary: Retells the Irish folktale of Brave Margaret, a young woman who falls in love with a ship's captain, battles a sea serpent, and defeats a giant troll.

Personal Reaction: The illustrations of this book really help to highlight the different important events that happen throughout the story.  The story flows well making it a good candidate for reading aloud to a group despite the length.  The depiction of a strong female heroine in a traditional folktale is always a welcomed reading addition.  Margaret's only desire is to travel and be with her love, Simon, in all other things she is brave and selfless.  I also like how the author ended the tale.  Rather then a traditional "happily ever after" or "the end" phrase, I particularly like San Souci's ending sentence: "Their wedding lasted nine nights and nine days, but their happiness lasted a lifetime."

Use of Rhythm: "Fee, fum, fo, fay,  What foolish mortal comes this way? Churl or champion, king's son or knave, One blow of my club puts you in your grave!"

Use of Rhyme: (masculine rhyme - a rhyme in which the stress is on the final syllable of the words)

"Fee, fum, fo, fay, 

What foolish mortal comes this way?

Churl or champion, king's son or knave,

One blow of my club puts you in your grave!"

Use of Personification: "The stones of the black castle danced when the giant slammed the ground with his club."

Use of Alliteration: "But Margaret, spurred on by the sight of Simon's lifeless body, charged forward." 

Use of Onomatopoeia: “The monster hissed but hesitated.”

The Magic Horse fo Han Gan

Chen, J. H. (2006). The magic horse of Han Gan. (Claudia Zoe Bedrick Trans.). New York, NY: Enchanted Lion Books.
ISBN: 1-59270-063-2

Author & illustrator: Chen Jiang Hong
Website (publisher's): http://www.enchantedlionbooks.com/node/26

Media Used: Chen Jiang Hong painted the illustrations using the same technique that Han Gan used.  The illustrations were painted, using ink and pigment, directly on prepared silk.

Summary: Tells about how the Chinese artist Han Gan became renowned for the horses he drew.  The horses were so realistic looking that a legend was started about how his magical horses could come to life.

Personal Reaction: The book's illustrations are large and would do well when sharing with a group.  The horses are drawn wonderfully - exhibiting strength, power, and movement.  The first part of the book tells the biographical story of Han Gan and the second part of the books transitions into to the legend of the magic horse.  I felt that the story flowed smoothly and was presented much like it would be told during an oral storytelling.  A good legend to me is one that could have happened and a good way to achieve that is to blend fact and fiction.  Unlike most picture books, the pages are numbered which is actually quite helpful if you were presenting this to an older group and wanted them to reference a page during a writing response exercise.

Use of Repetition: Horses, which were Han Gan's favorite thing to draw, are drawn into almost every scene in the book.

Curricular Connection:  5th grade Art
California Standard 5.3: Historical and Cultural Context - Students analyze the role and development of the visual arts in past and present cultures throughout the world, noting human diversity as it relates to the visual arts and artists.

The Great Race: The Story of the Chinese Zodiac

Casey, D. (2006). The great race: The story of the Chinese zodiac. Cambridge, MA: Barefoot Books.
ISBN: 1-905236-77-8

Author: Dawn Casey
Website: No author website

Illustrator: Anne Wilson

Website (not official): http://www.illustrationweb.com/artists/AnneWilson/profile 

Media Used: Typeset in Present and Cerigo. The illustrations were prepared in printed collage papers with acrylic and printed backgrounds. 

Summary: Tells how the Jade Emperor choose the 12 animals of the Chinese calendar by holding a race across a wide river.  The 12 years of the the calendar would be named after the animals in the order that they arrive. 

Personal Reaction: I really enjoy the artwork of this book.  It is comprised of colorful layers which draw the eye across the page.  I've personally read this book for a variety of ages, in order to help introduce the Chinese New Year, and it has always done well.  This is one of the few story time quality picture books about the Chinese Zodiac that I enjoy reading aloud - and surprisingly unlike my usual story time material it doesn't rhyme.  Possible follow up discussion topics - figuring out which animal of the zodiac you are; comparing the similarities and differences between the Western and Chinese calendars; learning about other important Chinese festivals; or an art lesson plan such as the one offered by the publisher, Barefoot Books.

Curricular Connection: 6th grade World History
California Standard 6.6: Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of China.

21: The Story of Roberto Clemente

Santiago, W. (2011). "21": The story of Roberto Clemente. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics Books.
ISBN: 978-1-56097-892-3
Book's Website: http://www.21comix.com/

My Top Ten Selection

Author & Illustrator: Wilfred Santiago
Author's Website: http://www.wilfredsantiago.com/

Media Used: Use of a yellow and dark blue color scheme (when mixed together also created a dark black blue color) inspired by the Pittsburgh Pirates uniform.  English speakers were represented by orange colored word bubbles and Spanish speakers represented with white colored word bubbles.  Used a cartooning and caricature style of drawing in order to help express the story in fun but realistic way while avoiding a "static" feel ("Creator Q&A | 21 author Wilfred Santiago," Mautner, 4/1/2011).

Summary: Chronicles the life of Roberto Clemente including his growing up in Puerto Rico, his baseball career highlights, and his life on and off the field.

Personal Reaction: Roberto Clemente was the first Latino inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  He grew up in a poor family in rural Puerto Rico.  He came to the United States to play baseball during the Civil Rights movement, and he, himself, was subjected to what was the common inequalities of the time.  This book shows Clemente's own personal beliefs in kindness and justice.  A great book to suggest for young baseball fans learning about inequality and the civil rights' movement (though it is more baseball then civil rights).           

Use of Allusion: As a child Roberto is shown reciting in class the phrase "Amarillo is yellow!" which alludes to the color of the Pittsburgh Pirates uniform color that he will wear in the future.

Use of Simile: "It's like he has eyes on his fingertips!" & "Arm's like a bazooka!"

Non-Fiction in Graphic Novel Format
Curricular Connection: 9th to 12th grade Social Science
California Historical Interpretation Standard #3: Students interpret past events and issues within the context in which an event unfolded rather than solely in terms of present-day norms and values.
California Standard 11.10.5: Students analyze the development of federal civil rights and voting rights by discussing the diffusion of the civil rights movement of African Americans from the churches of the rural South and the urban North, including the resistance to racial desegregation in Little Rock and Birmingham, and how the advances influenced the agendas, strategies, and effectiveness of the quests of American Indians, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans for civil rights and equal opportunities.

30 Days of Night

Niles, S. (2004). 30 days of night. San Diego, CA: Idea & Design Works, LLC.
ISBN: 978-0-971977-55-6

2009 Students' Top Ten List Nominee
Author: Steve Niles
Author's Website: http://www.steveniles.com/#tp


Illustrators: Ben Templesmith (art) & Robbie Robbins (letters & design)
Ben Templesmith's Website: http://www.templesmith.com/faze3/
Robbie Robbins Website: No illustrator website
Media Used: Mostly color illustrations against a smoky black and blue grey background with computer graphic letter art.  Comic panels are set against a solid black background.  Use of soft fuzzy lines enables the reader to envision looking out through a snowstorm or a dark foggy night. 

Summary: Barrow, Alaska is a remote town that experiences 30 full days of night once a year.  Vampires have descended on the town, cutting off all communications, in order to enjoy feeding on everyone living there without fear of the sun rising.

Personal Reaction: Just by looking at the cover, you know that this is a horror tale about vampires and not some Twilight love story.  Though to be honest the hero of the book does sacrifice himself selflessly for his wife and the townspeople - so there is a little bit of love.  As with most horror stories, the characters here a fighting a desperate fight simply to survive both the vampires and the extreme Alaskan weather- barely finding enough food or shelter.  The use of soft fuzzy illustrations allows your mind to make its own images of the horror going on.  The limited use of bright splashes of color (particularly the splashes of red blood throughout the scenes) draws the readers eye from scene to scene.  I particularly enjoyed how the first scenes in the book of the sun setting mimics the last scenes when the sun once again rises.      

 Awards: Nominated for Eisner Award (2005)

Maus: A Survivor's Tale - Part I: My Father Bleeds History

Spiegelman, A. (1986). Maus: A survivor's tale. Part I: My father bleeds history. New York, NY: Pantheon Books.
ISBN: 0-394-74723-2

Author: Art Spiegelman
Author's Website: http://www.barclayagency.com/spiegelman.html

Illustrator: See Author
Media Used: Black ink on a white background.

Summary: Maus tells the story of Art Spiegelman's father, Vladek Spiegelman, a Polish Jew and Holocaust survivor. The story simultaneously tells of Vladek’s life before and during World War II as well as his life later in New York.

Personal Reaction: Once I picked up this book, I was unable to put it down.  It illustrates what daily life was like for Jews before and after the Nazi's came into power.  The hardships and fear they lived with.  Vladek's story of life in Poland is interrupted by his present day life - which improves the telling of the story rather then distracts from it.  The stark black and white illustrations fit the story's material well.  A great recommendation for students learning about the Holocaust.

Metaphor Use: The Jews in the story are represented as skinny mice, the polish as plump pigs, and the Nazis as big buff cats.  Spiegelman used different groups of animals to represent the different nationalities, religions and races involved in the war.  All the animals within a group were identical to one another except for their clothing which helped to highlight how people during that time viewed other's by their race or religion first and foremost.  Characters who were hiding by pretending to be of another race were represented as wearing another animal's face as a mask. 

Non-Fiction in Graphic Novel Format
Curricular Connection: 10th Grade World History
California Standard 10.8: Students analyze the causes and consequences of World War II.

Awards: Pulitzer Prize Special Award Winner (1992)