The Scraps Book: Notes from a Colorful Life

The Scraps Book:  Notes from a Colorful Life

Lois Ehlert

ISBN:  9781442435711

I recently finished reading another Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee, this time a nonfiction title:  The Scraps Book:  Notes from a Colorful Life by Lois Ehlert.  I was actually looking forward to getting to this title on the list, mostly because I love Lois Ehlert’s books and often use them in story time.  Although it is an autobiography, the book is presented in picture book format, so it reads quickly.  However, the simple format doesn’t detract from the text; rather, it encourages a deeper understanding of Ehlert’s career as an artist.

Summary

Lois Ehlert has considered herself an artist since a very young age.  Encouraged by her parents and inspired by all manner of things around her, she has spent many years creating beautiful works of art.  Ehlert outlines not only her development as an artist, but also her process for creating the artwork for her books.  Using examples and illustrations from many of her popular titles, this text provides a beautiful explanation of Ehlert’s life and encourages the reader to develop their own artistic talents.

What I Liked

This book is truly a masterpiece, incorporating not only Ehlert’s personal memories, but also her beautiful artwork.  The combination of childhood photographs and book illustrations seamlessly shows the transition between her artistic beginnings and the growth of her dream.  In addition to the familiar pictures, the book also includes pictures of objects and the creative process in developing them, showing the reader how a single idea or moment can translate into a picture or even an entire story.  The inclusion of simple craft instructions also encourages the reader to attempt their own artistic creations.  I particularly enjoyed the notes accompanying the artwork and photos included.  While reading this information is not necessary for understanding the process, the added information provides extra depth to the narrative.  I also appreciated the photo credits for each of the illustrations, which helped remind me of some of my favorite works.

What I Didn’t Like

I don’t really have any complaints with this book.  It is informative, engaging, and useful in several contexts.  While at times I wished more information was included, the simplicity of the text added to the overall beauty of the work.  Readers of all ages are sure to enjoy this work.

Overall Feeling

This autobiography is simple and compelling.  Whether a fan of Ehlert’s work or not, at the very least, the reader can appreciate the development of the artistic process, the use of mixed media, and the inspiration from everywhere in creating art.  One of the most compelling parts of this book is the underlying message:  Anyone has the capability to succeed at their dreams.  Anyone has the capacity to create art and beauty.  At the same time, Ehlert remains realistic that sometimes developing one’s dream requires time and patience, an important reminder for many.  I would recommend this book for anyone interested in art, or anyone interested in the works of Lois Ehlert.  Teachers and students alike will appreciate this work, and the simplicity and engaging illustrations will be appealing to both older and younger readers.

The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus

The Right Word:  Roget and His Thesaurus 

Jen Bryant, illustrated by Melissa Sweet

ISBN:  9780802853851

This is the second nonfiction Texas Bluebonnet Award nominee title that I have read, and honestly, I was a little disappointed in this one.  The illustrations were beautiful, and, if you took the time to really look at them, they very much enhanced the text.  There is not a doubt in my mind as to why this book was a Caldecott Medal Honor book.  However, I found the book overall to be lacking in the substance that I had expected, and I wished that it had offered something more.

Summary

Peter Roget has been making lists his entire life.  Starting with his list of important events, he makes sense of his world by organizing things into understandable lists.  As he grows older, Peter realizes the importance of these lists not only in organizing his world, but also in helping him to find the precise word that he needs.  In time, he realizes that he must share these lists with the world, and thus the legendary thesaurus, still in use to this day, is born.

What I Liked

This book is full of beautiful illustrations.  If you take time to appreciate the details, you learn more about Roget’s lists and the ways in which he organizes the world.  The little details, such as important dates, are shown in the vivid detail.  I also liked that overall, the concept of the book was simple.  The reader learns about what a thesaurus is, and how it is useful, before ever learning the specific term.

What I Didn’t Like

I didn’t care for the writing style of this book at all.  On some pages, the text is in complete, logical sentences and paragraphs, while on others, it switches to a more lyrical format and reads like an awkward poem.  There does not seem to be much rhyme or reason as to why the writing style switches, and for me, I found it confusing to switch back and forth between one and another.  Another thing I thought was lacking was specific historical details.  While the back matter of the book includes a list of important dates and a selected bibliography as part of its resources, I found that overall this factual information was missing from the text itself.  It seemed that in an attempt to keep the book simple and understandable, the author left out numerous details that would have allowed this to become a stronger work.

Overall Feeling

I personally did not feel that this was a strong nominee for the Texas Bluebonnet Award. While the illustrations are fantastic, the pictures alone are not enough to carry the book.  It lacks the substance of other nonfiction titles, and the poetic approach may be confusing to young readers.  As a brief introduction to the the thesaurus and its invention, this book is an adequate resource; however, as an authoritative reference work, it falls short.  It is worth reading for the background information, and for the illustrations, but if you are looking for depth of information, you will need to look elsewhere.

The Great American Dust Bowl

The Great American Dust Bowl

Don Brown

ISBN:  9780547815503

This is the second title I have read for the 2015-2016 Texas Bluebonnet Award nominees.  Continuing down the list in alphabetically order, this is the next title.  I was actually pleased to have a nonfiction title (and more of a picture book) after reading a full chapter book.  It also gave me a better idea about the diversity of titles that are included each year on the nomination list.

Summary

The biggest storm of the Dust Bowl happened on April 14, 1935.  But, as Brown points out, the events that led to the Dust Bowl started far earlier.  The text, reading in an almost graphic novel format, presents a summary of the events leading up the Dust Bowl, from the shifting of the earth’s plates, through World War I, and on into the series of droughts and dusters that shaped the Dust Bowl.

What I Liked

As a nonfiction title, this book obviously presented a lot of facts.  I liked that the author presented the facts as simply as possible, but also in ways that are understandable to the reader.  For example, Brown describes the duster of May 1934 as filled with enough dust to fill 1500 modern supertankers.  Not only does the reader suddenly understand the vast amount of dust described, the simple visuals accompanying the text reinforce the points.  Overall, the book presents much factual information in a concise, understandable format.  Further, Brown hooks the reader from the very first sentence of the book.  The word choice immediately intrigues the reader and encourages you to read further.

What I Didn’t Like

Overall, I enjoyed the book.  However, I felt that the illustrations could have done more to support the text, at least as it relates to the families depicted.  On their own, the illustrations do a wonderful job of depicting the terror and hardship of the dust storms.  However, since the author chose to use a graphic format with the characters periodically adding their own thoughts to the narration, I would have liked to see perhaps a bit more character development throughout the story.  For instance, having the same family describe the impact of the Dust Bowl on their farm to allow the reader to form a stronger connection.  Overall, though, the way the author presents information does not detract from the text or the overall goal of the book, and the comments that are provided are beneficial for providing more personal context to the historical events described.

Overall Feeling

I enjoyed reading this book.  As a nonfiction title, it presents a lot of information without being overwhelming, and yet there is no doubt as to the historical accuracy and the amount of research that the author put into the work.  I think this book provides a great factual overview to the topic, and includes a surprising amount of information for its relatively short format.  I would recommend it not only as an interesting read, but also as a very useful resource in understanding this period in American history.