B is for building cities

Posted in Uncategorized by juliamace2015

Max uses B is for Brooklyn as inspiration.

At our house, it’s pretty common to trip over traffic jams or cities. Calvin is constantly lining up vehicles in his room, the bathroom, on the treadmill, in the kitchen, on window sills, you get the picture. Accompanying the traffic jams are signs and buildings.

I found B is for Brooklyn written and illustrated by Selina Alko at the library and thought it had all the ingredients that make him happy – buses, bridges, traffic, signs.

B is for Brooklyn has all this and more. It takes you through the alphabet with beautiful illustrations of all that Brooklyn has to offer.

While reading it, Calvin and I talked about using a newspaper like Alko did to create buildings. My boys love building cities: Lego cities, box cities, paper cities.

Inspired by B is for Brooklyn, we go to work. The brotherly fighting ceased the day we built our latest city. They spoke to each other the way I imagine they do at school saying, “Please pass the glue.”

“Who are these kids?” I thought to myself, as I listened to their polite tones.

Calvin does his favorite thing: city building.

Calvin creates his favorite things: traffic and cities.

They were still bossy. If I stopped to survey my work or take a sip of coffee they would both direct, “Mama, get back to work.”

Using the Sunday New York Times, we cut up the travel section. Calvin was thrilled to see the Paris Metro. We also found a map of Arizona and New Mexico. I pointed out where their cousin Rahsaan was born and where he lives now. That was a big hit.

The final product – an unusually peaceful morning and a cool piece of art.

Where to find the book and other info

You can find the book and more on Alko’s website.

Alko’s created many beautiful books. This includes The Case for Loving: The Fight for Interracial Marriage. She illustrated this with her husband Sean Qualls. According to her website, “It is the true story of the interracial couple Mildred and Richard Loving, and the courage they needed to have to fight to get their

My view of the city builders from the porch where I took a coffee break.

My view of the two foreman from the porch. I was sneaking a coffee break.

marriage legally recognized in the 1960’s in the state of Virginia. Alko felt a personal connection to the Lovings’ story, being half of an interracial couple herself.”

10Jul2015

I got to interview Jennifer K. Mann!

Posted in Author Interviews, Uncategorized by juliamace2015

Mrs. Benson is a lot cooler than my fourth grade math teacher.

My third grade math teacher was scary. And mean. And she wore brown. Every day. Most of us have a memory of a scary teacher.

Author Jennifer K. Mann captures these memories and the feelings that come with them in her new book, I Will Never Get A Star On Mrs. Benson’s Blackboard. The gracious writer and illustrator agreed to be interviewed for my blog!

I’ve written about her book, Two Speckled Eggs, and love her work. In her newest book, Rose struggles in class because she’s messy and never gets any stars from her teacher. Unlike my former teacher, Mrs. Benson sees talent. She sees that is an artist, albeit a messy one. (Spoiler alert – she gets a star at the end.)

Here’s my interview with Jennifer:

Can you tell me about your inspiration for Mrs. Benson’s Blackboard? I read it was from your own childhood.
I had a tough second grade year, with a teacher who was really hard to please —I kept a messy desk, and maybe didn’t get the math problems right the first time, and she scared me a little. My memories of that year, and the nervous feelings it inspired, have stayed with me ever since. The story of that difficult year was the first thing that I jotted down when I began in earnest to pursue a future in children’s books! I don’t think there are too many kids in the world who haven’t wrestled with the anxiety of pleasing a difficult-to-please teacher!

What’s the message (in the book) that you want to resonate with kids?
I want kids to know that it is okay to march to the beat of our own drums! So we’re a little messy. So we daydream more than others. So what? We all have gifts and talents that are worthy and unique. We just have to let them become obvious by being true to ourselves.

Mrs. Benson points out Rose’s talent.

I love that you attended Blueberry Hill Elementary. Will you use that name in a book someday?
Oh, I would love to! I also spent much of my childhood living part-time (divorced parents) in a magical house on a hill covered in wild blueberries. The house was also called, coincidentally, Blueberry Hill! I think there is no doubt that it will appear in one of my stories sometime.

You write that it is a really long process to get a book from start to finish. How did you feel when you first saw a completed copy of your book?
Oh my goodness. The feeling is almost indescribable. I used to be an architect, and it was such a neat thing to see a design go from paper to building. But so many people and processes were involved that it was also easy to feel a little detached. But to see a story, which has been squeezed from my memory and my emotions and my blood, sweat, and tears, in the form of a book, illustrated by me too…!! Wow!!! Of course I cried. I think I will cry every time, because it is an amazingly emotional life event.

How do your own kids respond to your books? Any words of wisdom from them?
My kids are both amazing artists and writers. So they always weigh in throughout the process. I have to say, some of my best critiques come from them. They are both quick to see where the story is a little flat, or doesn’t quite ring true, or could use a little something to raise the stakes. I am so grateful to have their support. And to see the pride on their faces at my first ever book launch—that alone was worth the entire long journey to get there.

Rose daydreaming. I did this during Math.

Do you think Rose would be friends with Ginger and Lyla in Two Speckled Eggs?
Oh for sure. Actually Rose and Ginger share some DNA, so either they would love one another dearly and be inseparable, or be prone pointing out one another’s faults, despite being pals. Lyla and Rose, however, would be fast friends. They are not alike in many ways, but they would have a mutual, unspoken appreciation for the other’s free spirit.

Thank you, Jennifer.

Where to find the book and other info.

Max and Calvin like the book!

You can buy the book at your local bookstore or find it online.

Find out more about Jennifer, her books, her art, and read her blog on her website.

She has another book Sam And Jump slated to come out in 2016 by Candlewick Press.

24Jun2015

After all, she’s only six

Posted in Uncategorized by juliamace2015

Max and Calvin admire Eloise.

There’s a six-year-old girl my boys can’t stop talking about. I felt the same way when I discovered her in my twenties.

Kay Thompson’s Eloise (illustrated by Hilary Knight) is a known wonder and delight. If you haven’t heard of the little girl who lives at The Plaza Hotel in New York City, for Lord’s sake go straight to your local bookstore or library.

Written in 1955, Eloise lives and wreaks havoc at The Plaza. She cohabitates with her British Nanny, dog Weenie, turtle Skipperdee, and a visiting pigeon.

Max and Calvin can’t get over her freedom and antics. “Eloise sits on top of the car,” they tell me, jealous and concerned. She runs around The Plaza by herself. “Why is she all alone?” You never see her absent mother who “sometimes sends for her.” “Where are her parents? Why doesn’t Nanny ever give her back?” they ask. That’s a hard one to explain.

“They’ll be glad when they get home.”

After reading the first Eloise book, we checked out Eloise in Moscow, Eloise in Paris, Eloise at Christmastime, and Eloise Takes a Bawth. Talk about hard to explain. Eloise in Moscow, written in 1959, depicts a lack of privacy, cold weather, and frowning locals.

“They’ll be glad when they get home, this place is really different,” Max gravely said.

I worry that Eloise Takes a Bawth may give them ideas. (Eloise floods The Plaza with her bawth.) The boys love this. I try to discourage them with my own cautionary tale of knocking over a diaper pail that leaked through the living room ceiling, making their Pop Pop (my Dad) go mad.

Oooo.. I absolutely love Eloise and I’m glad my boys do too.

Where to find the book and more info

You can find Eloise at most bookstores or public libraries.

Learn more on the official Eloise website.

Visit Hilary Knight’s website (He also illustrated Betty MacDonald’s Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. I love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.)

Hilary is the subject of a great documentary “It’s Me, Hilary” produced by Lena Dunham. (Dunham sports an Eloise tattoo.)

I have the good fortune of having my own Eloise. Calvin says, “Her name is like the book!” She wrote a guest blog post for me in March. I absolutely love my Eloise too!

11Jun2015

California Love

Posted in Uncategorized by juliamace2015

Max and Calvin check out the cable car.

Our first day in California, Max burst out singing Tupac Shakur’s California Love. “California, California…” (Disclaimer… he doesn’t know all the words.) People smiled at him on the street. He was expressing all of our excitement to be in the sunshine state of the wild wild west.

We traveled to California two weeks ago for a family wedding in Petaluma, north of San Francisco. We also spent a day in the city. Thanks to author Virginia Lee Burton, the boys were excited to ride the cable car.

I’ve always loved Burton’s classics The Little House and Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. I’ve enjoyed discovering her other books with Max and Calvin. Her detailed illustrations appeal to the boys, especially Calvin who loves her drawings of traffic and transportation in Katy and the Big Snow and Maybelle the Cable Car.

Up and down Maybelle went.

Maybelle is a San Francisco cable car. She and her sisters have served the city for many years. With the advent of buses and cars, the city fathers are considering retiring the cable car. Even Calvin, who is a bus fiend, feels for Maybelle. Fortunately, the good citizens of Tupac’s home state vote to keep Maybelle so they can get up their steep hills. “I like it when they vote yes,” says Max.

The boys had a great time on the cable car although Calvin said, “He wished he could have ridden a bus,” and Max was too busy telling some strangers, “When my mom was 5, my dad was 14!”

Smiles all around on the cable car.

Where to find the book and other info

Burton’s books span the 30s to the early 60s. You can find her books at most bookstores and libraries. Here’s a link to her books on Powell’s.

Not only did Burton write children’s books, she was a textile designer, painter, and sculptor.

There’s a movie about her life: Virginia Lee Burton: A Sense of Place. You can find more on this site about this talented woman’s life.

6Jun2015

A mansion, a frat house, a new library

Posted in Uncategorized by juliamace2015

Calvin and Max at the new library.

Our neighborhood boasts a historic mansion that was a fraternity house for many years. Friends from my youth probably remember the fire truck they had parked on the front lawn. As of last week, it’s now the new home of the Clifton branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County. Parkview Mansion was the home of politician “Boss” Cox.

Our family missed the grand opening but we were lucky that we ran into Mr. Eric and got a personal tour. If you frequent the Clifton branch, you know that Mr. Eric (Davis) is the incredible children’s librarian. He holds a mean story hour complete with a guitar and songs.

“It’s beautiful inside,” said Calvin. And that it is. The renovated mansion has original fireplaces, tile, floors, and a gorgeous stained-glass window. There are reading rooms, study areas, a teen section, rooms you can reserve for meetings, and an incredible front porch with tables and chairs.

Mr. Eric gives the boys the grand tour.

Calvin adds that he, “likes the books and the drinking fountain. The elevator smells funny.”

My friend Sarah Hoctor grew up a couple houses down from the mansion (in a charming haunted house) and she says that tunnels connected the houses on that street during prohibition.

George “Boss” Cox had Hannaford & Sons build Parkview Manor in 1895. According to the library’s site, “Cox lived in Parkview Manor and entertained lavishly there from 1895 until his death from pneumonia at the age of 63 in 1916. His wife maintained the home until she died in 1938. It was bequeathed to the Union Bethel and became a home for girls until 1947 when it was purchased by Pi Kappa Alpha for a fraternity house. In 2007 Michael L. Dever purchased the property.”

A reading room in the Clifton branch library.

Dever donated the property to the library.

If you live in Cincinnati or plan to visit, the new Clifton branch is well worth a look!

More information about Parkview Manor and the Clifton branch.

The library is located at the corner of Brookline and Jefferson Ave., across from Burnett Woods in the Clifton neighborhood of Cincinnati, Ohio.

See before pictures on the library’s Flickr feed.

Read more about the building’s history. Read and see photos of the grand opening.

Here’s another great article about the mansion’s past along with rumors of ghosts.

Visit George Cox’s Wikipedia page.

Watch a video featuring Mr. Eric.

26May2015

Underwear is funny

Posted in Uncategorized by juliamace2015

Todd suggest polka-dot underwear. Max and Calvin like superheroes.

Todd suggests polka-dot underwear. Max and Calvin like superheroes.

Here’s what I saw when I walked into the house the other day: two naked little boys, jumping on a mini trampoline with underwear on their heads.

Underwear is the cause for a lot of laughter at our house. Max put his on backwards recently, “just because I felt like it.” Calvin went with the opposite effect and didn’t wear it when we went sled riding a couple of months ago. I discovered this while we were changing out of wet clothes. When I asked him why he said, “I didn’t feel like it.”

My boys take great delight in Todd Parr’s, The Underwear Book. It provides helpful underwear Do’s and Don’ts. “Do go shopping for underwear with a hippo. Don’t let her try it on. (It may rip).” Other helpful hints include, “Do wear underwear on the first day of school,” “Don’t bring it for show–and-tell.”

It reminds me of Glamour Magazine’s fashion dos and don’ts. (If you’re not familiar with it, the magazine would photograph unsuspecting subjects on the streets and block out the eyes of the fashion don’ts.) But Todd is kind; there is no reason to block out eyes in any of his books. His stories and colorful illustrations address feelings, differences, being kind, families, and other groovy topics. That’s why he’s so popular and a best seller. Personally, I like to think he’s the godson of SARK with his bright colors and inclusive messages. (Anyone out there remember SARK?)

If you’re going to a party this weekend, you may want to heed Todd’s advice, “Do wear polka-dot underwear, don’t wear a plain pair.”

Where to find the book and more info

Our first introduction to Todd Parr was when the boys’ older brother bought them The Earth Book. We’ve since read many of Todd’s books. Go to his website to learn more.

Here are two more awesome books about underwear that the boys and I love: Brief Thief written by Michaël Escoffier and illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo. Picasso’s Trousers by Nicholas Allan is a family favorite.

8May2015

Worms. Need I say more?

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Max with his friends the worms.

April showers bring May flowers and…… worms. My boys have been digging worms since they were two. They seek them out, especially when it rains or when in the woods. I asked them why they like worms so much and they told me, “They are squiggly.”

Worms have long had a place in children’s literature. There is the most well-known worm, Richard Scarry’s Lowly, who not only has adventures but is stylish with his outfits and one shoe. When I was in the fourth grade, my teacher Ms. Shomburg would read us Thomas Rockwell’s How to Eat Fried Worms and laugh so hard she would put her head down on the desk.

Elise Gravel’s The Worm is both scientific and funny. While learning about the worm, her illustrations make comments like, “I am NOT disgusting.” Gravel’s artwork explains that earthworms are useful as recyclers and delicious for fish.

“My favorite part is when the worms have a party in the dog’s stomach!”

Her coverage of some of the more icky facts about worms delight Max and Calvin most. “My favorite part is when the worms have a party in the dog’s stomach!” said Max. It’s true. Parasite worms are shown having a meal in a dog’s table and saying, “Pass the salt, please!”

Next time you are out in the woods, pick up a rock and say hi to your friends the worms!

Where to find the book and other info

Gravel has written several other awesome kids books about slugs, head lice, spiders, and my least favorite, rats. (That’s a story for another day.) They are all part of her Disgusting Critters series. Learn more about her and buy The Worm and more on her website.

Another great book about worms is Winnie Finn, Worm Farmer by Carol Brendler; illustrations by Ard Hoyt.

29Apr2015

Goldfish Memories

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Bernadette drops in on Paul.

We returned from vacation and our black goldfish was orange. My brother let out a wail, “Blacky!” Our babysitters/pet sitters had kindly replaced my brother’s fish when he met his maker. They just forgot to keep it the same color.

You can’t blame them. They were teenagers and our pets seemed to always implode when we traveled. Our hamster escaped, pooping all over the house, chewing things up. Our cat threw up, strayed from his litter box, and set off the burglar alarm. Once we arrived home, our neat freak dad would, well, freak out.

At least the Kleinfeldt girls replaced the fish. When I went to college, my family forgot that my goldfish, Fred and Ginger, were in my room where they were left to a sad fate. I learned about it on a call home.

These goldfish memories attracted me to Rosy Lamb’s book Paul Meets Bernadette, a story about fish. (And my brother’s name is Paul.)

Bernadette shows Paul the world.

The jacket description alone pulled me in. It states that Lamb “painted the pictures for this book while her baby daughter slept by her side.” And the painter and sculptor, “lives in a studio with tall windows on a quiet street in Paris.” These idyllic descriptions match Lamb’s lovely paintings.

The story is not only pretty – it’s funny. Paul swims around in circles, until Bernadette is dropped in and shows him a different way of looking at the world. As they swim around the bowl, they examine items on the breakfast table and Bernadette incorrectly identifies objects. A banana is a boat. A teapot is an elephant feeding her children. Reading glasses are a butterfly. Max and Calvin find this hilarious. They howl, “That’s not an elephant!”

But the sweetness of the story isn’t lost on them. Paul loves Bernadette and thinks, “Bernadette, you are my star.”

“He loves her,” Max points out. “Do fish kiss?”

Where to find the book and more info
We found this book at the Public Library of Greater Cincinnati at the Clifton branch. You can buy it here and watch a video reading of the book. Visit Rosy Lamb’s website to see her sculpture and paintings.

Speaking of local libraries, our branch is moving right around the corner from us in May into the Parkview Manor!

17Apr2015

Things have been gross but we’re still reading

Posted in Uncategorized by juliamace2015

The cow takes a ride.

When the plague hit our house last week, my blog took a backseat. Ok, it wasn’t the plague but the throw-up bug the boys and I got sure felt like it. At least to me; they seemed to recover so quickly.

Right after I got sick, Calvin wanted me to read him a book. He carried it into me as I slumped on the bathroom floor. Max was a little more sympathetic, telling me, “Mama, I take a deep breath when I don’t want to throw up.” However, the next day he was over it and asked me, “Why are you lying around so much?”

As Max and I sprawled on the couch after he caught it, he asked me to get him some olives.

“Olives? Baby, that might upset your stomach,” I said.

“Just get the puke bucket,” he shrugged.

Grossness aside, here’s a quick recap of the books that are on our minds this week.

Moo! written by David LaRochelle and illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka. LaRochelle wrote one of our favorites, How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans. (Read about it in a previous blog post.) LaRochelle successfully uses one word all the way through a book (moo) to depict a cow going on a joyride. The only other word used is baa when the cow tries to blame crashing the car on an unsuspecting sheep. The boys like it because it’s funny, they know the word moo, and can read it themselves.

These kids invite their large friend to tea.

If you were having a tea party what would be better than inviting T. Rex? I selected Tea Rex written and illustrated by Molly Idle because Max loves dinosaurs. The mishaps of the tea party are funny and in the end the kids get invited to T. Rex’s house for tea. They also meet his friends! Of course Max points out, “Those dinosaurs didn’t live in the same era!”

Ah, my little scientist.

Where to find the books and other info

You can find Tea Rex at Powell’s. Idle has a great website and another dinosaur book, Camp Rex. And here’s an awesome interview about Tea Rex and the process of creating it on Debbie Redpath Ohi’s blog. (She’s a great illustrator too.)

Check out Moo! The Moo-vie on LaRochelle’s website. And you can find Moo! and more on Mike Wohnoutka’s site. They won the 2014 Minnesota Book Award for “Moo!”

Here’s some other info: I’m happy to say that I had a piece published in The Mid. Please click on this link to take a look. If you’re wondering what it’s about….it’s an essay on my return to aerobics and Jazzercise. Like what you read? Please share it!

1Apr2015

Glasses are cool

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Paige says she can see just fine.

If your kid brought home a skunk, thinking it was a stray cat, you’d probably have his or her eyes checked. This is what happens to Paige in I Can See Just Fine by Eric Barclay.

I picked this book up at the library when we found out Max needed glasses. Believe me, he wasn’t having trouble adapting. There was a fight at our house about the glasses. As twins, my boys always want what the other one has. So, Calvin wanted glasses too.

“But you don’t need them,” my husband and I would explain. “But I want them!” he’d protest. Calvin is stubborn. He used to whisper, “I do,” thinking he could bend us to his will with his Darth Vader voice. He wasn’t going to give up on the glasses.

After several hilarious antics, including the skunk, wearing two different socks, walking into the boys’ restroom (my boys LOVE this one), Paige’s parents decide to have her eyes checked. She picks out her frames out of wall of glasses. That’s where Calvin found his glasses too. “I want those,” he said, pointing to a pair of pink cat eyes.

Paige and Calvin like lots of options.

Paige got her glasses and could see. Max got his glasses and could see. And Calvin, poor buddy, had tubes put in his ears. “Will they stick out of his ears like straws?” Max asked. Calvin could hear just fine but he still wanted the glasses.

One night during the holidays, I popped into a local shop and there on the wall were child size, pink, cat eye sunglasses!