Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson

Reading this book had a huge impact on me - I read it some months ago but I just needed to wait to talk about it. I am now penning this post as I am about to travel to the IBBY Congress in Trieste and I have run out of time to do a detailed post so I will just use some review comments as a way to share this book. This is a book to linger over - take your time it has 398 pages - and it is a completely engrossing story. The discovery that this is all based on real events serves to make it even more powerful.

Freewater blurb: Under the cover of night, twelve-year-old Homer flees Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, unwillingly leaving their beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the swamp. In this society created by formerly enslaved people and some freeborn children, Homer finds new friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he crafts a plan to find his mother and help his new home. Deeply inspiring and loosely based on the history of maroon communities in the South, this is a striking tale of survival, adventure, friendship, and courage. 

Use this review comment to read more plot details:

The page-turning action will engage readers as the story reaches a satisfying conclusion. Kirkus Star

Wikipedia entry

Here is a School Library Journal interview with Amina Luqman-Dawson.

Awards:

• John Newbery Medal Winner!
• Coretta Scott King Award Winner!
• New York Times Bestseller List!
• Indie Bestseller List!

Companion books:

Crossing Ebenezer Creek (YA title)

Chains

I am Tama, Lucky Cat: A Japanese Legend by Wendy Henrichs illustrated by Yoshiko Jaeggi

Bookseller blurb: Under the shadow of the white-capped mountains of Japan, a kind and gentle monk takes in a white cat with unusual markings and names him Tama, Lucky Cat. Tama watches as his new master teaches Buddha's ways to poor farmers, caring for their welfare while ignoring his own empty stomach. Tama truly earns his nickname -- "Lucky Cat," when during a powerful thunderstorm, he sees a towering warlord on a white horse. The cat beckons the warrior forward just as a large branch crashes to the ground and lands right where the warlord had previously stood. In gratitude to Tama, the warlord lavishes gifts on the monk's poor temple.

Here is the website for Yoshiko Jaeggi. You can see inside I am Tama, Lucky Cat here. 

You see these little waving cats in Asian restaurants and shops but I never thought to wonder about the story connection. Many years ago our school welcomed a delegation of educators from China. I immediately thought of the waving cat and I involved the children in making or colouring them for our library foyer notice board BUT just days before the visit I discovered the waving cat is a from Japan. I quickly had to pull down the display and make some sweet little purple origami pandas.  The visit went well (no one was offended by my error) although this visit was strange. It was all part of a proposal from the school Principal to partner with a school in China - this idea never eventuated.

Wikipedia tells me: Because of its popularity in Chinese communities (including Chinatowns) the maneki-neko is frequently mistaken for being Chinese in origin rather than Japanese, and is therefore sometimes referred to as a "Chinese lucky cat" or jīnmāo ("golden cat"). ... The figurines are often displayed in shops, restaurants, pachinko parlors, dry cleaners, laundromats, bars, casinos, hotels, nightclubs, and other businesses, generally near the entrance,[1] as well as households.[2] Some maneki-neko are equipped with a mechanical paw which slowly moves back and forth.

I found a couple of other books that explore this story - there are four different versions of the folktale from Japan (check the Wikipedia link above).

Red Ted and the Lost Things by Michael Rosen illustrated by Joel Stewart

Red Ted is left behind on the train and so inevitably he ends up in the lost property office which is has shelves filled to the ceiling with hundreds of lost toys. Red Ted is placed on a shelf beside a green crocodile. The green crocodile toy has been lost for so long he has forgotten the name of the child who used to own him. But Red Ted remembers Stevie and he is certain she will be desperate without him, so he hatches a plan to escape. Naturally, Green Crocodile decides to join him in the search.

The pair have one important clue which might help them find Stevie. She loves cheese and Red Ted smells like cheese. The pair of intrepid adventurers meet a huge cat and by coincidence she also loves cheese. She can smell these flavours on Red Ted and she is sure she knows exactly where to find this delicious cheese. And yes, the cat does find Stevie's house but she is not home! This is a wonderful wordless page which is sure to make your young reading companions gasp. Luckily this book is by the wonderful Michael Rosen and so you are in safe hands - a happy ending is just around the corner (or just over the page). 

This book will be a terrific way to introduce your young reading companion to the way graphic novels are presented. With an older group you could also introduce the idea of a story map or graph as a way to depict the highs and lows of this narrative. Here are some discussion questions from the Philosophy Foundation. This book is from 2009 so it is sadly out of print but I found a copy in a public library here in Sydney so you might be lucky and find it in your own school or community library. 

Stewart’s dense environments, filled with texture and intricate details, create a rich world for Rosen’s heroes, and his use of graphic novel–type panels offers a good introduction to sequential-image storytelling. A satisfying tale for all involved, from the adopted crocodile, satiated cat and found teddy bear to the readers who will delight in this sweet adventure. Kirkus

Companion read:

The Lost Property Office

Eight

Finding Monkey Moon

Bird to Bird by Claire Saxby illustrated by Wayne Harris

Begin with the cover - notice the bird flying in the air and the other bird, possibly made from wood, held in a hand above the ocean.

These things come together in this book but you need to read the text to make all the connections. A bird drops a seed, it grows into a tree, the wood from the tree is used to make bunk beds on a ship, this is a ship filled with convicts heading to Australia. The ship falls into disrepair and so the wood from the bunk beds is now used to make a weaving loom because clothes are desperately needed in the new colony. Wool is woven into fabric and then the fabric is made into suits. Eventually the loom is no longer in use and so this wood is now used as part of a kitchen roof. Over time the old home crumbles but a crafter finds the wood and carves a small bird. I just sighed over this perfect ending. 

Here is a set of teachers notes.

There's also a gently delivered message about treating our world with respect and being responsible with its resources. The story's words are used sparingly, which when combined with a series of beautifully painted images, evoke a sense of looking down on places and events as time passes. Bird to Bird is a book that packs a powerful punch. Kids' Book Review

I recently spent a few spare hours in a local library and I took the time to make notes about several picture books which I am now sharing here months later. I had not seen Bird to Bird even though it was published in 2018 but by then I had left my former school library. This book would be SO perfect to share with a Grade Three or Four class as a part of their topic on Australian history especially alongside another book by Claire Saxby My name is Lizzie Flynn. Take a look at the NCACL annotation. 

Other books by Claire Saxby:

Iceberg

Secrets of the Saltmarsh

Other books illustrated by Wayne Harris:

Read about Wayne Harris in this post

Leonardo's Horse by Jean Fritz illustrated by Hudson Talbot

Image source: 14 animal sculptures from around the world

If you are reading this post in September I have just spent a few weeks in Italy - especially in Florence, Milan and Trieste and this story has been on my mind.

My friend from Kinderbookswitheverything asked me to read Leonardo's Horse because it was a book she put out on a library display in June. Sadly none of the children had borrowed it. She purchased this book in 2009 (it was published in 2001) and I can see from the date due slip it has only been borrowed three times. This is a missed opportunity for her students and their parents. This is a fascinating book and the design is surely very appealing with the book shaped like the dome that was built by Charles Dent. More about that in a moment.  Leonardo's enormous horse sculpture was not completed back in 1493. He did make a huge clay model, but in 1499 the French army arrived in Milan and they shot arrows at the statue and then it rained and this amazing twenty-four-foot model was destroyed. 

In 1977 Charles Dent read about Leonardo's horse. Like Leonardo, Charlie was a dreamer. He decided to build the horse as gift from America. In 1988 he began, firstly with an eight-foot model, then he built a dome to hold the sculpture and by 1994 they were ready cast the twenty-four foot model but very sadly Charles Dent died at the end of that year. In 1995, just as the horse was about to go to the foundry someone decided something was wrong with the proportions. 

"He looked awkward. Out of proportion. One of his rear legs appeared to be short. His eyes were not exactly parallel."

So now another artist from New York City took over the project. Nina Akamu began the whole process all over again. She studied real horses and made another clay model. Then an eight-foot horse from plaster and then a twenty-four-foot horse from clay and finally this was cast in bronze. To transport the horse to Milan it was cut into separate pieces. On 10th September 1999 the statue was unveiled in Milan. 

This book is about history, perseverance, sculptures, art, horses and dreamers. Here is the Kirkus star review of Leonardo's Horse. You can see inside this book here. And here is a CBC review.

I recently attend a terrific lecture about the Fabulous Florentines - Leonardo da Vinci; Michaelangelo; Machiavelli; Dante; Donatello; Botticelli; and other names that were unfamiliar to me such as Francesco Petrarch; Lorenzo de Medici; and Artemisia Gentileschi.  I remember watching a fascinating BBC television program called 'A Skirt through History' and one episode featured Artemisia. Here is a video for adults as background information. Exploring these famous names could be a fabulous topic to explore with an extension class in Grade 6 or a High School art class. 

Books for children about Leonardo da Vinci:

Flood by Gillian McClure

It has rained and rained and the land is now totally flooded. The Fussy Hen is, well fussing. The sly fox is hungry. Old Slogger the ox just keeps her head down but eventually the water level is just too high. 

"The hungry fox was swept off his feet and Fussy Hen freed from his stare let out a squawk and flew up in the air and landed on Old Slugger the Ox."

Chaos ensues and somehow the hen ends up in nestled in the brush tail of the fox and the fox is now hanging on to the tail of the ox. They have formed a kind of boat. At first they go round in circles but then Fussy Hen discovers she can steer their group.

"And so on they went through the great flood, steered by Fussy Hen, looking this way and that from her nest at the back until they saw land."

The land is a tiny island with hardly enough room for this group. They have to put aside their differences and squash up close. Peace is restored while they wait for the rain to stop and the flood waters to subside. 

I love FLOOD. For several reasons. The brevity of the text. The drama, real drama. The characterisation. The way you enable us to suspend our disbelief and accept a pacific outcome. But what makes the book quite outstanding, and to my mind the most successful of all, is the fluidity of the way you have set the text, the images of ox, fox and hen wrapping round each other, and the all- enveloping downpour that swirls and rushes from page to page.  Kevin Crossley-Holland

There is one word early in this book which might make your young library group gasp! The hen is squawking in the rain the old ox thinks "I wish she'd shut up!" I know from past experience this will make young reader gasp - so if I was reading this book with a group I might say 'be quiet' instead. This book was published in 2014 so it is now out of print but it was nominated for the Kate Greenaway medal so it might be in your local or school library. 

I was curious about the author/illustrator of this book. Gillian McClure is from the UK. Here are some of her books:

Bookseller blurb: One day a strange cat appears at the door. 'My name is Tom Finger,' he cries. Each day he appears, and each day he leaves a strange and wonderful gift: a silk purse, a lace handkerchief, an embroidered needle case. Queenie is completely entranced by him - her brother though is convinced he is a witch's cat. But Queenie is determined to find out - and one day starts following the cat through the snowy forest, following a trail of red wool...What Queenie finds at the end of the trail is totally unexpected.

Other books about floods and long rain events. I have a Pinterest collection on this topic:

The Clothes Horse and other Stories by Janet and Allan Ahlberg

There are six very short stories in this little book with delightful, detailed illustrations by the late Janet Ahlberg.  The stories cover a range of emotions and some of these ideas or themes might surprise you. Each story is named after a common expression such as jack pot or God knows.  The first story is the one you see in the title. A magician makes a horse out of clothes and for a while the horse works pulling a milk cart but eventually he runs away. Over time all of his clothes are stolen so the horse goes back to the magician and because he is now invisible, he plays a few tricks on him until the horse works out he can take washing off clothes lines and find a new purpose in life as a pantomime horse. 

The second story is very sad and poignant. A young girl decides to save parts of her life for later. As an old woman she opens her various boxes. For one day, for example, she is able to live as though she is eight all over again. Bit by bit, over time, she uses her Life Savings then sadly she dies but there is one box left. This box contains 'half an hour, age four.'  The twist is clever:

"If ever you should feel the urge to act like a four-year-old (unless you are a four-year-old) you can blame it on the life savings of a woman in the fortune-telling business, with a little magic on the side. That's what I'd do."

The third story is called The Jack Pot and it is about a whole lot of boys named Jack who invade the home of a giant. The fourth story is called No Man's Land but it is not about a war. And the sixth story, God Knows, is the most complex. God is telling a bedtime story to a group of children and it is about the creation of the earth and some how all of history is squeezed in too.

My favourite story is Night Train which explains the delivery of night at the end of every day and also the delivery of sweet dreams. It reminded me of this book:

The King who Banned the Dark

I am always on the look out for short story collections because they are so perfect to use with a class as writing inspiration and also I love to share these with casual (relief) teachers because they are easy to pop into a bag of teaching tricks for those days or times when no work has been left for a class.

I had a copy of The Clothes Horse and other stories in hardcover and in a larger format in my former school library but oddly I had not read it until last night. My copy comes from a charity book sale and as I have said previously, I am fairly sure this book has never even been opened it is in such pristine condition. The Clothes Horse and other stories was first published in 1987. My copy is a reprint from 2000.

Here is the full Kirkus review:

Six brief, whimsical stories with the air of extemporaneous bedtime tales told by a gifted parent, from the creators of Each Peach Pear Plum; each story is a logical (but zany) extension of a common phrase. "The Clothes Horse" has been made by a magician, out of clothes; but even after all the clothes are appropriated, one by one, he retains a tenuous existence. "Life Savings" are bits of various ages stored up by a 70-year-old woman, resulting in curious behavior when she gets them out again. In "The Jack Pot," a beleaguered giant catches troublesome Jacks till they form a football team and bother him more than ever. Then there are "No Man's Land," "The Night Train," and "God Knows" - God's answer to his own children when they ask him what else people invented (after spaceships and the Beatles) and what they did next. Janet Ahlberg's deft, carefully detailed illustrations add to the fun. Cozy, comic, wry and wise, these rather British morsels may not be to the taste of every American child, but they're certainly worth a try. The avuncular voice suggests a read-aloud, but the stories' brevity will also make them attractive for independent reading.

The Clothes Horse story which opens the book reminded me of this picture book:

The Emperor's New Clothes Horse

You should also look for this book by Janet and Allan Ahlberg - it's a terrific one to share with a Kindergarten or Preschool group. 

I Love Vincent by Laura Ljungkvist

"My name is Scout. I am a good dog! 

My best friend is Vincent. 

Vincent can't see so I am his guide

and we go everywhere together."

This book had the potential to move me to tears for two reasons. I just watched a moving little Instagram film of a very young boy exploring the uniform of a firefighter with his hands. And many years ago we had a boy in my school who had lost both his eyes as a baby.

Scout is a guide dog and Vincent is his best friend. We follow their journey in this book from their meeting in guide dog school through to Scout learning how to navigate Vincent's home and neighborhood. They visit the park and ride the subway and enjoy lunch at a cafe. At night Scout can relax without his harness and the friends enjoy listening to music together. 

My friend picked this book up for her library from a bargain bookseller but sadly it is out of print because it was published in 2021. If you can find it, this book would be a terrific addition to your school or preschool library. 

You might like to watch this television series "Pick of the Litter." Here are some other books about guide dogs from my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything.

Laura Ljungkvist is originally from Sweden. She moved to the US in 1993. You can see inside her books here. 

I previously talked about this book by Laura Ljungkvist:

Pepi sings a new song

And these might be in your local or school library: