{"id":4912,"date":"2019-07-14T00:01:31","date_gmt":"2019-07-14T06:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4912"},"modified":"2019-07-14T09:02:53","modified_gmt":"2019-07-14T15:02:53","slug":"7-imps-7-kicks-646-featuring-elizabeth-haidle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=4912","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #646: Featuring Elizabeth Haidle"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nToday, I’ve some illustrations from The Girl Who Named Pluto: The Story of Venetia Burney<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Schwartz & Wade, May 2019), written by Alice B. McGinty<\/a><\/strong> and illustrated by Elizabeth Haidle<\/a><\/strong> (who is also the creative director of Illustoria<\/em> magazine<\/strong><\/a>). <\/p>\n

This is the story, set in 1930 in Oxford, England, of (as the book’s sub-title tells you) Venetia Burney, the only child to have named a planet. In the book’s opening spreads, we are invited into her world, as we walk with her and her schoolmates outside in a classroom lesson about the solar system. Venetia and her mother live with her grandfather, a former Oxford library head, and the inquisitive girl loves to tell him all about her lessons. Venetia is fascinated by not only outer space, but also Greek and Roman mythology; she’s intrigued by the links between science and literature. So, when a new planet is discovered . . . <\/p>\n

Venetia’s imagination takes off, flying, leaping, connecting the dots from science to story. She knows that this planet, so far from the sun, must be frozen, dark, and lifeless. It would be like the underworld \u2014 the underworld ruled in Roman myths by Neptune’s brother, Pluto.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n


 

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(Click to enlarge cover)<\/em><\/center>
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\nAfter Venetia’s grandfather shares this idea with his friend, Professor Herbert Hall Turner of the Royal Astronomical Society, the wheels start to turn, and it eventually becomes a reality. This reveal \u2014 that her name for the new planet has been formally accepted \u2014 comes after correspondence between the girl’s grandfather, the professor, and more. We follow Venetia as she waits to hear word on her suggestion. The moment she learns the news is a triumphant one, the one in which “Venetia is a hero!” <\/p>\n

The book fast-forwards through her adult years to just before she turns 89 years old. She visits the Observatory Science Centre in England and, for the first time in her life, views Pluto through a telescope. <\/p>\n

Haidle’s eloquent, velvety illustrations, on a muted palette of various shades of blues and grays (from navy to slate and lots of other subdued hues in between), include occasional panels to accelerate the pace. This is a book that captures a child’s joy at not just being heard and respected by the adults around her (something all children deserve), but also a young girl making a name for herself in the very history books. Thrilling. Here are some spreads . . .
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“Out of the classroom, down the hallway, and out the door \u2014 Venetia Burney and her schoolmates follow their teacher, leaving their British schoolhouse behind. …”<\/em>
(Click second image to enlarge spread and read the text in its entirety)<\/em><\/center>
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“When Venetia and her friends return to the park later with
lumps of clay for the planets, they run, counting paces ….”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread and read the text in its entirety)<\/em><\/center>
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“‘It might be called Pluto,’ Venetia says.”<\/em>
(Click to enlarge spread)<\/em><\/center>
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\nTHE GIRL WHO NAMED PLUTO: THE STORY OF VENETIA BURNEY. Text copyright \u00a9 2019 by Alice B. McGinty. Illustrations copyright \u00a9 2019 by Elizabeth Haidle and reproduced by permission of the publisher, Schwartz & Wade Books, New York.<\/em><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome.<\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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1)<\/strong><\/font> My daughters and their kick-ass friends. <\/p>\n

2)<\/strong><\/font> Finally getting my copy of Margaret Renkl’s<\/a><\/strong> Late Migrations<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (with art by Billy Renkl<\/a><\/strong>). Can’t wait to start it. <\/p>\n

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3)<\/strong><\/font> Having friends over for brunch. <\/p>\n

4)<\/strong><\/font> Breakfast tacos. <\/p>\n

5)<\/strong><\/font> I’ll be presenting this week about the year’s best picture books for the Center for Children’s and Young Adult Literature<\/a><\/strong> at The University of Tennessee, and I’m looking forward to it. <\/p>\n

6)<\/strong><\/font> My youngest daughter is teaching herself on piano the theme song<\/a><\/strong> to the television adaptation of Good Omens<\/em>.
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