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[CCBC-Net] Garmann's Summer
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From: Annette Goldsmith <ayg>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:13:56 -0500
Great news about the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award! I agree with what's been said to date about Moribito and Garmann's Summer; I haven't had the chance to read Tiger Moon yet. I have a few things to add:
MORIBITO -- For much of the book, the protagonist seems to be Balsa, a 30-year old bodyguard, rather than 12 year old Chagum, the prince she is protecting from numerous potential assassins. Gradually Chagum comes into his own as he moves from being a pampered prince unable to fend for himself to a resourceful, thoughtful young man. I assume that subsequent volumes (if they get translated into English, which I hope will happen!) will focus more on Chagum... but maybe not, because Balsa is so fascinating. This focus on an important adult character reminded me of The Killer's Tears, a 2007 Batchelder Honor Book (Delacorte) by French writer Anne-Laure Bondoux, in which Angel, who has murdered the young protagonist Paolo's parents, really takes center stage.
It is not unusual for adult characters to be important in children's books, of course. It just strikes me that if these stories had been told by a U.S writer, the impulse might have been to more firmly take the child's point of view throughout. In Moribito and The Killer's Tears, we get a broader, perhaps more unusual, perspective.
GARMANN'S SUMMER -- An utterly original and distinctive intergenerational story about understanding and confronting one's fears. I love that there is no pat ending. This book won the 2007 Bologna Ragazzi Award, which is a design and editorial award given by the Bologna Book Fair. I thought the list might be interested in what they said about Garmann:
"Very rarely in the history of publishing does one come across a book like Garmanns Sommer by Stian Hole. The truly innovative leap accomplished by this book reflects an ability to think outside the box. Stian Hole's work demonstrates an authenticity that is the product of dedicated study. While research signifies innovation, it also means taking in the wider picture, looking at the present while considering the past in order to seek out one's roots. Accordingly, the author includes the German avant-garde of the immediate post-war period, Italian experiments in style, the masters of surrealism, experimental cinema, and design between the two world wars. All contribute to creating a clear, dreamlike world whose poetic narrative is sustained by a quiet clarity of intent. Created for children, the book has a poetic force that sets itself apart from the impoverished vulgarity of much of today's market offering. In setting itself these ambitious goals, Garmanns Sommer strives to sustain a nobility of spirit for the visual text." From: http://www.bookfair.bolognafiere.it/page.asp?m=52&a=&l=2&ma=34&c=2701&p=52Wi nners2007
I look forward to reading Tiger Moon!
Annette Goldsmith, Ph.D. College of Information Louis Shores Building 142 Collegiate Loop Florida State University P.O. Box 3062100 Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100
Chair, 2010 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Committee
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Miriam Lang Budin Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 4:31 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: [CCBC-Net] Garmann's Summer
This is probably an opportune moment to reveal that GARMANN'S SUMMER's author, Stian Hole, is the winner of the 2009 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award.
It's Saturday and I'm not at work, so I can't refer to the actual book or to the laudatory comments of our committee members, but I do remember that we admired Hole's ability to evoke the universal emotions of apprehension and fearfulness while telling a very specific story about a very specific little boy. The marriage of text and illustration is wholly felicitous, as the reader sees Garmann's peculiar interpretations of "butterflies in the stomach"; the startling images of his great-aunts, sprouting hairs from their chins and taking off on skateboards; and those horrid little twins next door who can do everything AND have lost their front teeth. And that poignant depiction of Garmann cradling the dead bird--the curve in his back--his tender, stalk-like neck--it says everything there is to say about vulnerability...
You can tell that I'm a HUGE fan of this book!
Miriam Lang Budin Chair 2009 Ezra Jack Keats Award Committee
On 2/21/09, ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu < ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> wrote:
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> Today's Topics:
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> 1. Garmann's Summer (Barthelmess, Thom)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:22:31 -0600
> From: "Barthelmess, Thom" <Thomas.Barthelmess at ci.austin.tx.us>
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Garmann's Summer
> To: "ccbc-net, Subscribers of" <ccbc-net at lists.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <1C428BDEE2C6934AAAF8618C5594B078F1A67C at COAEVS3.coacd.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I think that Garmann's Summer succeeds in just about every possible way.
>
> As a text, it marries a lyrical, colorful narrative with an ambling,
> utterly child-like structure. You sense that you're experiencing
> Garmann's apprehension and disquiet personally, because it's presented
> in so genuine a fashion.
>
> And the artwork, with it's own marriage of the poignant and the
> ridiculous, crafted in vibrant collages of snippets and details, has a
> nostalgic quality that is accessible and discomforting, all at once.
>
> And then, the text and the illustrations come together, leaving the
> reader with an indelible impression of what it feels like to be scared.
>
> Wow.
>
> My $.02.
> Thom
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Megan
> Schliesman
> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 9:27 AM
> To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Batchelder Award
>
> I want to echo Tessa's appreciation for "Garmann's Summer." When I
> first read it I didn't know what to make of it--visually it's so
> unusual. But the story struck me as extraordinary, especially given its
> length. While it's a long text for picture book format, the depth and
> richness of the narrative was striking to me--I felt like I was reading
> a novel, full of backstory and character development. I had been dropped
> into the middle of Garmann's life and mind, but everything I needed for
> a satisfying story and literary experience was contained in the pages of
> that slim volume.
>
> I thought the Batchelder winner, "Moribito," was fascinating. It works
> on one level as a fantasy adventure story, but I thought the author
> deftly examines weighty ideas along the way, most notably, the
> understanding that "history" is often a version of the past from the
> perspective of those who conquer. The setting of this story--in an
> imagined world meant to evoke medieval Japan--brings specificity to that
> idea as the future of the kingdom becomes dependent on someone
> remembering the stories and rituals of the indigenous people whose
> traditions--if they can be remembered in time--reflect the truth about
> the past, and hold the answer to the immediate crisis surrounding the
> fate of the 12-year-old prince. (Now I've made it sound heavy-handed,
> and it isn't at all.)
>
> Megan
>
>
> Megan Schliesman, Librarian
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
>
> 608/262-9503
> schliesman at education.wisc.edu
>
> www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
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> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
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>
>
> End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 43, Issue 14
> ****************************************
>
Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:13:56 -0500
Great news about the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award! I agree with what's been said to date about Moribito and Garmann's Summer; I haven't had the chance to read Tiger Moon yet. I have a few things to add:
MORIBITO -- For much of the book, the protagonist seems to be Balsa, a 30-year old bodyguard, rather than 12 year old Chagum, the prince she is protecting from numerous potential assassins. Gradually Chagum comes into his own as he moves from being a pampered prince unable to fend for himself to a resourceful, thoughtful young man. I assume that subsequent volumes (if they get translated into English, which I hope will happen!) will focus more on Chagum... but maybe not, because Balsa is so fascinating. This focus on an important adult character reminded me of The Killer's Tears, a 2007 Batchelder Honor Book (Delacorte) by French writer Anne-Laure Bondoux, in which Angel, who has murdered the young protagonist Paolo's parents, really takes center stage.
It is not unusual for adult characters to be important in children's books, of course. It just strikes me that if these stories had been told by a U.S writer, the impulse might have been to more firmly take the child's point of view throughout. In Moribito and The Killer's Tears, we get a broader, perhaps more unusual, perspective.
GARMANN'S SUMMER -- An utterly original and distinctive intergenerational story about understanding and confronting one's fears. I love that there is no pat ending. This book won the 2007 Bologna Ragazzi Award, which is a design and editorial award given by the Bologna Book Fair. I thought the list might be interested in what they said about Garmann:
"Very rarely in the history of publishing does one come across a book like Garmanns Sommer by Stian Hole. The truly innovative leap accomplished by this book reflects an ability to think outside the box. Stian Hole's work demonstrates an authenticity that is the product of dedicated study. While research signifies innovation, it also means taking in the wider picture, looking at the present while considering the past in order to seek out one's roots. Accordingly, the author includes the German avant-garde of the immediate post-war period, Italian experiments in style, the masters of surrealism, experimental cinema, and design between the two world wars. All contribute to creating a clear, dreamlike world whose poetic narrative is sustained by a quiet clarity of intent. Created for children, the book has a poetic force that sets itself apart from the impoverished vulgarity of much of today's market offering. In setting itself these ambitious goals, Garmanns Sommer strives to sustain a nobility of spirit for the visual text." From: http://www.bookfair.bolognafiere.it/page.asp?m=52&a=&l=2&ma=34&c=2701&p=52Wi nners2007
I look forward to reading Tiger Moon!
Annette Goldsmith, Ph.D. College of Information Louis Shores Building 142 Collegiate Loop Florida State University P.O. Box 3062100 Tallahassee, FL 32306-2100
Chair, 2010 Mildred L. Batchelder Award Committee
-----Original Message----- From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
[mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Miriam Lang Budin Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2009 4:31 PM To: ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Subject: [CCBC-Net] Garmann's Summer
This is probably an opportune moment to reveal that GARMANN'S SUMMER's author, Stian Hole, is the winner of the 2009 Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award.
It's Saturday and I'm not at work, so I can't refer to the actual book or to the laudatory comments of our committee members, but I do remember that we admired Hole's ability to evoke the universal emotions of apprehension and fearfulness while telling a very specific story about a very specific little boy. The marriage of text and illustration is wholly felicitous, as the reader sees Garmann's peculiar interpretations of "butterflies in the stomach"; the startling images of his great-aunts, sprouting hairs from their chins and taking off on skateboards; and those horrid little twins next door who can do everything AND have lost their front teeth. And that poignant depiction of Garmann cradling the dead bird--the curve in his back--his tender, stalk-like neck--it says everything there is to say about vulnerability...
You can tell that I'm a HUGE fan of this book!
Miriam Lang Budin Chair 2009 Ezra Jack Keats Award Committee
On 2/21/09, ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu < ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu> wrote:
>
> Send CCBC-Net mailing list submissions to
> ccbc-net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> ccbc-net-request at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> ccbc-net-owner at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of CCBC-Net digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. Garmann's Summer (Barthelmess, Thom)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 12:22:31 -0600
> From: "Barthelmess, Thom" <Thomas.Barthelmess at ci.austin.tx.us>
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Garmann's Summer
> To: "ccbc-net, Subscribers of" <ccbc-net at lists.ad.education.wisc.edu>
> Message-ID: <1C428BDEE2C6934AAAF8618C5594B078F1A67C at COAEVS3.coacd.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I think that Garmann's Summer succeeds in just about every possible way.
>
> As a text, it marries a lyrical, colorful narrative with an ambling,
> utterly child-like structure. You sense that you're experiencing
> Garmann's apprehension and disquiet personally, because it's presented
> in so genuine a fashion.
>
> And the artwork, with it's own marriage of the poignant and the
> ridiculous, crafted in vibrant collages of snippets and details, has a
> nostalgic quality that is accessible and discomforting, all at once.
>
> And then, the text and the illustrations come together, leaving the
> reader with an indelible impression of what it feels like to be scared.
>
> Wow.
>
> My $.02.
> Thom
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu
> [mailto:ccbc-net-bounces at ccbc.ad.education.wisc.edu] On Behalf Of Megan
> Schliesman
> Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2009 9:27 AM
> To: ccbc-net, Subscribers of
> Subject: [CCBC-Net] Batchelder Award
>
> I want to echo Tessa's appreciation for "Garmann's Summer." When I
> first read it I didn't know what to make of it--visually it's so
> unusual. But the story struck me as extraordinary, especially given its
> length. While it's a long text for picture book format, the depth and
> richness of the narrative was striking to me--I felt like I was reading
> a novel, full of backstory and character development. I had been dropped
> into the middle of Garmann's life and mind, but everything I needed for
> a satisfying story and literary experience was contained in the pages of
> that slim volume.
>
> I thought the Batchelder winner, "Moribito," was fascinating. It works
> on one level as a fantasy adventure story, but I thought the author
> deftly examines weighty ideas along the way, most notably, the
> understanding that "history" is often a version of the past from the
> perspective of those who conquer. The setting of this story--in an
> imagined world meant to evoke medieval Japan--brings specificity to that
> idea as the future of the kingdom becomes dependent on someone
> remembering the stories and rituals of the indigenous people whose
> traditions--if they can be remembered in time--reflect the truth about
> the past, and hold the answer to the immediate crisis surrounding the
> fate of the 12-year-old prince. (Now I've made it sound heavy-handed,
> and it isn't at all.)
>
> Megan
>
>
> Megan Schliesman, Librarian
> Cooperative Children's Book Center
> School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison
>
> 608/262-9503
> schliesman at education.wisc.edu
>
> www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> _______________________________________________
> CCBC-Net mailing list
> CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu
> Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe...
> http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-net
>
>
> End of CCBC-Net Digest, Vol 43, Issue 14
> ****************************************
>
-- Miriam Lang Budin Chappaqua Library, NY _______________________________________________ CCBC-Net mailing list CCBC-Net at ccbc.education.wisc.edu Visit this link to read archives or to unsubscribe... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/mailman/listinfo/ccbc-netReceived on Sat 21 Feb 2009 06:13:56 PM CST
