The Graveyard Book

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, with illustrations by Dave McKean.

I read this young adult novel in one day -- I couldn't put it down!  I enjoy books that have a slightly quirky, spooky bent -- and Neil Gaiman is a master of that genre.  The Graveyard Book (TGB) won the Newberry Award in 2009, which is awarded annually to "the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children".  Bravo!

To sum it up:  Nobody Owens is a boy who lives in a graveyard, and is being raised by ghosts and a vampire.  (Gaiman never comes straight out and calls him a vampire, but that he "belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.")

That's usually enough to sell people on the story right there.  But if you'd like to know more... Bod, as his friends call him, has mastered as much of the art of being dead as a living person can:  he can fade, he can walk through walls, see in the dark, and instill fear in people.  He explores an ancient burial tomb deep within a hill, journeys to the land of the ghouls, befriends a dead witch and is tutored by a werewolf -- all within the walls of the graveyard.

But Bod wants to see what's out there, to learn about more current things (after all, his ghost teachers have been dead for hundreds of years), and to enjoy the company of other people.  However, when he leaves the safety of the graveyard, he must also deal with the man who murdered his family.

Learn more:

• The (Official) Graveyard Book website at http://www.thegraveyardbook.com/  

• Visit Neil Gaiman's website for children and young adults at http://www.mousecircus.com and hear TGB read aloud by the author.  Play Graveyard Sodoku.  Watch a trailer for TGB using illustrations from the book.  Learn about his other children's books, including my favorites:  Coraline (MUCH better than the movie), and The Wolves in the Walls (a picture book).  

• Bod dances the Danse Macabre with his graveyard friends.  Watch a recital of the "Danse Macabre" by Camille Saint-Saens as performed by the ASU Orchestra.  Find out more about the dance, the music, the poem by Henry Cazalis and the superstition behind it from this educational guide from the Minnesota Orchestra.
  

• Bod learns to read with the help of tombstone epitaphs.  Read some "Funny Stones to Tickle Your Funny Bones" -- real epitaphs found in cemeteries.
  

• Bod befriends the ghost of Liza Hempstock, a witch.  Learn more about witchcraft persecutions before Salem.  

The Rainbow and You

The Rainbow and You by E.C. Krupp and illustrated by Robin Rector Krupp

My daughter, like every little girl, is crazy about rainbows.  She even dressed up for one as Halloween!  (Rainbow striped dress, crown in the shape of sun rays, carrying a cloud shield with blue water beads hanging from it.)   I now have a member of the rainbow patrol living in my house because of this book!

Dr. Krupp is an authority on ancient and prehistoric astronomy, as well as the Director of Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles.  It should be no surprise then that this book starts with the importance of rainbows in ancient cultures.  We learn that Isaac Newton (yes, the laws of gravity guy) was also the first to show that sunlight is made up of the rainbow's colors using a prism, and how raindrops bend light.

It then encourages you to become a rainbow reporter, noticing as many details as you can, and explains how you can make your own rainbow.  My rainbow-crazy daughter especially liked the last page:  "Since no one sees exactly the same rainbow, that rainbow you see belongs to you."  Pure magic for rainbow lovers!!

Learn More:

• 3-D Rainbow Paper Craft:  A simple paper craft that results in a 3D ornament you can hang in the room.   http://www.dltk-kids.com/crafts/rainbows/m3drainbow.htm  Another Rainbow Mobile!   More rainbow craft projects can be found here.

• Plant a rainbow in your garden!  Read Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
  

• KinderKorner's "A Rainbow of Colors" is full of activities, books, songs and poems about rainbows.  Aimed towards kinder-aged kiddos. http://www.kinderkorner.com/colors.html
  

• "The Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow" is available in both a video and a book based on the video.  

• Prism's Rainbow Teacher's Guide is written for kinder based on Texas state standards.  It's 40 pages long and has a lot of information in it!   http://centerforeducation.rice.edu/SST/resources/Bridging/Module1/Grade_K/1%20Rainbows.pdf

The Black Book of Colors

The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin and illustrated by Rosana Faria, translated by Elisa Amado

Try explaining to a sighted child what it's like to be blind.  How do they comprehend colors without their sense of sight?  It's a bit tricky, isn't it?  How do they read?  That's a little easier to answer, but not necessarily easier to do at all.  This innovative book uses a combination of embossed etchings and Braille to answer those questions, including a full braille alphabet at the end of the book.

What is red?  "Red is sour like unripe strawberries and as sweet as watermelon.  It hurts when he finds it on his scraped knee."  You don't even need to close your eyes to visualize that statement, as the book is black.  All black -- except for the white text, which is translated into braille above it.  On the opposite page is a black embossed picture of a strawberry, begging you to run your hands over it and feel the smoothness of the leaves in contrast with the bumpiness of the fruit.


Learn More:

• Braille Bug is a site for children (grades 3-6) that teaches braille, including it's creation by Louis Braille and it's use by Helen Keller, and learning to recognize braille letters and numbers using puzzles and games.   http://www.afb.org/BrailleBug/ 

• Alphabet Braille Blocks are colorful wooden blocks for all children with a raised letter to trace and the letter in braille as well.  http://www.lssproducts.com/product/4112/childrens-products 

• You've Got Braille:  Arthur's friend Marina is blind, and she shares five fun facts about communication for the blind and a braille translator.  http://pbskids.org/arthur/print/braille/index.html  Also check out Arthur's Communication Adventure Lesson Plans at http://pbskids.org/arthur/parentsteachers/lesson/communication/index.html  for teacher's guides, activity sheets, and online activities for 2nd-3rd graders.  Recordings of the episodes are available for check-out at many public libraries or for viewing online at YouTube.  Episodes to search for are "Prunella's Special Edition" and "Prunella Sees the Light".