Voice from Afar: Poems of Peace

Title:  Voice from Afar: Poems of Peace 

Author: Tony Johnston

Publisher: Holiday House

Year of publication: 2008

Photographer:  Susan Guevara

Genre: History

Age Level: 9 and up

Theme: Peace, Sympathy, and Reconciliation

About the author: Tony Johnston was a fourth grade teacher before becoming a publisher.  She is a renowned author of more than one hundred books for young readers. Among her award-winning books are The Iguana Brothers, illustrated by Mark Teague; the Sparky and Eddie books, illustrated by Susannah Ryan; The Quilt Story and The Badger and the Magic Fan, both illustrated by Tomie dePaola.  She has won the Southern California Award for her book Any Small Goodness: A Novel of the Barrio.  Tony is now a full-time writer living with her family in San Marino, California.

Synopsis: This book consists of a poetry collection concerning peace and war by a highly praised children's poet and author, Tony Johnston.  The book is attractively illustrated by Susan Guevara.  The poems in this collection present lasting images of war and peace.  The poems also depict the effects of war on ordinary people as well as the hope and joy that mark each person's journey to survive.  For instance, a brother told his sister to tell him a happy story and the sister made up a sweet story telling her brother about their house flying away from gunfire.  Then, a lentil was paradoxically asked to fling itself into boiling water so that a desperate family could be fed; a stubborn rosebush blooms, because no matter what it must endure.  There are twenty-six poems in the book, and the photographs in the book express personal feelings that send a peaceful message to children all over the world- from Belfast to Africa, Middle East, and so on.

About the photographer: Susan Guevara was trained at the San Francisco Art Academy and Belgium's Royal Academy of Fine Arts.  Her technical skills and creative interpretations have been highly praised by reviewers and readers alike.  Her picture books have been awarded many accolades, including the 1996 and 2002 Pura Belpré Award, the 1996 Tomás Rivera Award, and the 2005 New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year.  Susan has illustrated nearly twenty books for children, from traditional fairy tales to stories set in the East Los Angeles barrio, all in distinctly different styles.   Her painting is full of sweeping, vivid color and emotion, Susan Guevara's accompanying acrylic paintings astonish, move, and provide a fascinating interpretation of and tribute to Tony Johnston's call for peace.  She lives in a large live/work space in Santa Fe, New Mexico with her cat, Bulldozer, and several rosebushes. 

Pre-reading activities:  The children will read the book and tell the stories in their own words sharing what they think about the poems or the readings.

Post-reading activities:  In practical, students will be given a project of writing out the things that make for peace and how to reconcile with friends or others who hurt them.  This is to help them to learn how to live harmoniously with people through forgiveness.

Reflection:  This is an important book to read because it helps to know about what people go through in different parts of the world.  It helps to appreciate and value a person fortune knowing that there are other people who are suffering as a result of war and poverty.  The book also helps to learn to sympathize with people and to reach out to the underprivileged people as well as the victims of war.

Works cited:  http://www.lindaglaserauthor.com/index.html

http://www.amazon.com/Voice-Afar-Poems-Tony-Johnston/dp/0823420124

http://authors.simonandschuster.com.au/Tony-Johnston/1779508/biography

http://www.google.com/search?q=pictures+of+Susan+Guevara&hl=en&biw=1440&bih=690&prmd=imvnso&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=4q60ToY3w4mwApW4ydMD&ved=0CCYQsAQ

http://www.papertigers.org/gallery/Susan_Guevara/index.html

Fancy Nancy My Family History

Title: Fancy Nancy

My Family History

Author: Jane O’Connor

Photographer: Robin Preiss Glasser

Publisher: HarperCollins

Genre: Fiction

Age Level: 6-9

Theme: Ancestral Report

 Synopsis: The book is about a girl who wrote a report about her great-grandfather who was ninety years old.  She knew her great-grandfather was a war hero but did not have much information about him to complete her report.  The grandfather visited her family and she was able to gather more facts from him in order to complete her ancestral report. 

 About the Author: O’Connor was born, and bred in New York City.  She still lives on the Upper West Side of Manhattan with her family and their canine companion.  Her book, Fancy Nancy, remained on the New York Times picture book list for ninety-eight weeks.  O’Connor finds writing for adult much harder, but she had fund and novel experience of finally writing some sex scenes.  She is married and considers her husband, Jim, a relative newcomer to NYC even after thirty-five years of marriage.  Her book, the Fancy Nancy- The 100^th Day of School was published in 2009. 

About the photographer: Robin Preiss Glasser is an illustrator.  She is a wife, and she has sold more than 1 million copies of the book. “I then had the opportunity to illustrate beloved radio star Garrison Keillor’s Dady’s Girl and award-winning poet Elizabeth Garton Scanlon’s A Sock Is a Pocket for Your Toe, before being paired, in 2005, with author Jane O’Connor for the life-changing (for me!), first in the Fancy Nancy series..”  O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser are the author and illustrator of the #1 New York Times bestselling Fancy Nancy series.  Jane lives with her family in New York City, but Robin lives with her family in southern California

Pre-reading activities: The children will be asked to collect information about someone in their family they would like to know about.  They will be asked to write a brief poem about the person based on the information they get. 

Post-reading: They will share the information with the class and each child will learn from one another

Reflection: This book is good for children because it helps them to know about their family roots.  Reading this book will help children to cherish and appreciate the worth of every family member.  It will help them to be family and community oriented as they grow.

Works cited: 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/children-s-book-Fancy-Nancy-My-Family-History?keyword=children%27s+book+Fancy+Nancy+My+Family+History&store=kids

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/O-Connor-and-Robin-Preiss-Glasser?store=kids&keyword=O%E2%80%99Connor+and+Robin+Preiss+Glasser