Archive for August, 2020

13 Stories About Harris

h1 Thursday, August 6th, 2020


I’ve a review over at BookPage of Amy Schwartz’s 13 Stories About Harris (Holiday House, August 2020). That review is here. So entertaining, this one.

Here today at 7-Imp are a few spreads from the book.

Enjoy!

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The Bookman in Zoomland:
A Guest Post from Dean Schneider

h1 Tuesday, August 4th, 2020


A spread from Kwame Alexander’s award-winning The Undefeated,
illustrated by Kadir Nelson: “… who shine / their light for the world to see
and don’t stop / ’til the break of dawn.”

(Click to enlarge spread)


 
Here’s something a bit different today: I’m pleased to welcome a guest post from Dean Schneider, who teaches English and history at Ensworth School in Nashville, Tennessee. In his 45-year teaching career, Dean has taught in a variety of schools; served on several book award committees, including the Newbery and Caldecott; and written for several magazines.

Dean is a friend, and during a recent (socially-distanced, of course) visit, he told me about the books he has planned for a history course he’ll teach this school year. I am always interested in hearing Dean talk about his work—he’s an outstanding teacher, and his students are lucky to have him—but I was especially intrigued by what he had to say about teaching during a pandemic and how he wants books to remain in the forefront. As a school librarian by training, I often seek the thoughts of talented teachers like Dean. (For instance, see this recent piece from Donalyn Miller on the importance of continuing to read aloud to students during these uncertain, unsettled times of returning to school during a pandemic.) And when Dean agreed to let me host his thoughts here at 7-Imp, I was delighted.

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7-Imp’s 7 Kicks #702: Featuring Gaku Nakagawa

h1 Sunday, August 2nd, 2020


“My message is very simple: Economic growth and progress must add to
human happiness, not take away from it.”

(Click spread to enlarge and read text in its entirety)


 
Today, dear Imps, I have an unusual picture book import for you. The World’s Poorest President Speaks Out was originally published in Japan in 2014 and will be on American shelves in mid-August, thanks to Enchanted Lion Books. Translated by Andrew Wong, edited (in the original Japanese edition) by Yoshimi Kusaba, and illustrated by Gaku Nakagawa, it is a picture book adaptation of Uruguay President José Mujica’s 2012 speech to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, during which he asked: “Can we really talk about the solidarity of humankind and kindness to each other, or even togetherness, when we are constantly competing to outdo each other?”

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