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Freedom in Congo Square by Carole Boston Weatherford Illustrated by R Gregory Christie


Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh Illustrated by Raúl Colón

Arctic White by Danna Smith Illustrated by Lee White

Some beautiful books are already being published. What did you think of these?

I have to get my hands on them my job does not have them yet, I will be placing holds on them.

I read Freedom in Congo Square and I shared it with my 4th & 5th Grade Book Club. They said the story was sort of ok. They liked that it rhymed. But they didn't like the illustrations at all. And I have to agree. I'm not a big fan of that style and I find that most of my students are not either. I've already Solving The Puzzle Under The Sea. I really liked it. Of course, I've always been a big fan of Raul Colon's illustrations. I haven't shared it with my book club yet. But I do know that I'll be purchasing this book for the library. Not only are the illustrations beautiful, but the book is a perfect fit for one of the grade level units.

Am I finding the correct book,
The Door by the Staircase looks like a chapter book.

Although I enjoyed all of these books, I'd be surprised to see any of them as a real contender at the end of the year. I felt Arctic White and Congo Square sort of paired better with their text and seemed like better read alouds. However, I am always partial to Raul Colon's illustration style and really loved the pictures in Solving the Puzzle, but didn't feel like the text worked as well with them. The Door in the Staircase hardly had any illustrations at all and they did not seem distinguished to me. I enjoyed that book more as just a chapter book.

As a side note, does it seem like the faces in Arctic White are too pale? I guess I thought the book was portraying Inuit people with the igloos and the clothing, but their faces was very pale. Is there another culture in the Arctic Circle that matches better that I am unaware of?

I am just waiting for one more book to come in, I will start what I have this week and comment on all when I can.

Arctic White is my fav of the bunch. I liked the creative illustrations in Freedom in Congo Square. Solving the Puzzle...is nice. I have loved Raul Colon's illustrations forever. He was totally robbed of the Caldecott for his book Draw. I wasn't blown over by this title, unfortunately. I haven't read The Door by the Staircase.

Stephanie wrote: "Am I finding the correct book,
The Door by the Staircase looks like a chapter book."

You are. One of the lists I looked at marked it as a picture book. I have finally gotten a hold of it and you are right. I will take it off the current reading list. My apologies to everyone.

Kristen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Am I finding the correct book,
The Door by the Staircase looks like a chapter book."

You are. One of the lists I looked at marked it a picture book. I have final..."
No problem. I was just not sure I was looking at the correct book.

Stephanie wrote: "Kristen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Am I finding the correct book,
The Door by the Staircase looks like a chapter book."

You are. One of the lists I looked at marked it a picture bo..."

Apparently picture books can win the Newbery...

Deborah wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Kristen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Am I finding the correct book,
The Door by the Staircase looks like a chapter book."

You are. One of the lists I looked at mark..."
That is true learned that this past Newbery.

I will jump in on the discussions tonight or tomorrow, I have all the books now (I think) will read them then discuss!

No library in the state of Michigan owns Arctic White, so I'll weigh in on the other two for now. I went into Freedom in Congo Square without really paying attention to what it was about, so I was paying a lot more attention to how it was arranged than I normally would. I enjoyed the countdown of the first half of the book, but it felt odd that it ended halfway through. I, personally, enjoyed the illustrations. They're not something I gravitate to normally, but something about the way they were drawn nearly bent in half drew me in to their backbreaking work.

Even so, I preferred the artwork in Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor. I don't know how Raul Colon manages it, but his art always looks so soft to the touch! It's very soothing and draws you in. I also LOVED how he would show what was happening both above and below water at the same time. It didn't hurt that I learned something new about a fellow Michigander (Marie Tharp) at the same time.

All of that being said, I would be surprised if either won the Caldecott. They were wonderful, but didn't knock my socks off. :)

Freedom in Congo Square:
I liked the story and the notes, but the illustrations are not a style that I am drawn to; although they did illuminate the text well. Even if it does not garner a Caldecott mention, I would be surprised if it was not given a Coretta Scott King award or honor.

Arctic White:
I liked this story, and the lead up to viewing the northern lights was good. I was not wowed by the illustrations, but they did fit the text, and the colors of the northern lights were a very nice contrast to the preceding, duller colors. I also liked how the girl transformed her viewing experience into art.

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea:
I liked this book the best of this month's 3 choices. I liked Colon's illustrations much better than the other illustrations. His illustraions were rendered in watercolors, Prismacolor pencils and lithograph pencils. There is a lovely double-page spread in the middle of the book of the Atlantic ridge. And the short biography was very inspiring. I hope it receives some kind of recognition!

Ok, I planted myself in a Barnes and Noble and read all three! Of the three, my favorite was Freedom in Congo Square. I liked it because the style of illustration seemed to work well with the content/text. The colors, patterns and shapes evoke African motifs and pulled the story together. In contrast, I didn't feel that artwork in Arctic White really complemented or enhanced the story (which I liked). Perhaps incorporating Inuit art would have helped. Given the grandeur of the setting, perhaps a portrait orientation could have worked better. Lastly, I love Colon's very distinctive style, especially in his book, "Draw!". However, I didn't think it worked as well for this story. I thought the book was more text-driven and the artwork was not an equal partner. That said, I will probably purchase it for our library on the strength of the story. Looking forward to April! Lots of new titles coming out.

Terris wrote: "
I just started Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, liking it so far!"

Not sure why you are posting this book on this discussion. This discussion is for the three picture books listed at the top, which might be Caldecott contenders. Counting by 7s was published three years ago, and is not a picture book.

Beverly wrote: "Terris wrote: "
I just started Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan, liking it so far!"

Not sure why you are posting this book on this discussion. This discuss..."
Oops! Sorry!

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea--A worthy purchase just for the story of a female scientist in the 1940s. I would have liked to see Burleigh's text to go a little more in depth. Colon's illustrations are lovely. I love all the the textures he adds to his illustrations. The backmatter about Tharp gives basically the same information as the story (with a little extra info). I'm glad a glossary is included for readers to gain more understanding from the text. The bibliography includes books that young readers can access, and credible websites to locate more information. I also liked the wonder section to encourage further research.

I just read Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea just in time. This is a worthy book because it features a female ocean topographer Marie Tharp who was a pioneer in her field. I am always looking for strong female role models for my daughters, and I think Tharp is a worthy choice. But the book is on our list for the illustrations and they are exquisite. Raul Colon's color technique makes the pictures look textured. This to me makes Tharp's ocean maps stand out to the eye. I think we need to keep an eye on this book as the year progresses because it is a worthy choice.

Do we know what we are reading for April?

Just read Freedom in Congo Square...it is beautiful!