Mitali Perkins's Blog, page 27
February 21, 2012
Sap's Running! Five Classic Early Spring Reads
It's maple sugaring season in New England, and it looks as if we're in for a marvelous early spring. For avid tween readers, here are five classic books with a strong sense of place and seasonal change. I recommend and re-read them every year:
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (helps me believe again in the transformative power of place)
Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (always makes me want to skip rope while singing the doxology, even though I'd likely be related to one of the "natives" who die of cholera in chapter one)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (no troubling comments about American Indians in Almanzo's lovely family, thank goodness)
The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright (an artist and a writer, the author knew how to engage all five senses--how I wished she'd lived a bit longer to pen more books)
Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace (my favorite example of changes in a place mirroring change in a character, a perfect read if you're in the "slough of despond")
A recent
study
found a decline in portrayals of nature in award-winning picture books. I hope the same isn't true among novels for children. Know of any contemporary MG or YA books that evoke spring so well I'd want to re-read them every year in late February?
Also, for your browsing pleasure, here are indie booksellers' Spring 2012 recommendations for young readers , featured by The Voracious Reader, one of my favorite bookstores on the planet.Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen (helps me believe again in the transformative power of place)
Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (always makes me want to skip rope while singing the doxology, even though I'd likely be related to one of the "natives" who die of cholera in chapter one)
Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder (no troubling comments about American Indians in Almanzo's lovely family, thank goodness)
The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright (an artist and a writer, the author knew how to engage all five senses--how I wished she'd lived a bit longer to pen more books)
Emily of Deep Valley by Maud Hart Lovelace (my favorite example of changes in a place mirroring change in a character, a perfect read if you're in the "slough of despond")
A recent
study
found a decline in portrayals of nature in award-winning picture books. I hope the same isn't true among novels for children. Know of any contemporary MG or YA books that evoke spring so well I'd want to re-read them every year in late February?
Also, for your browsing pleasure, here are indie booksellers' Spring 2012 recommendations for young readers , featured by The Voracious Reader, one of my favorite bookstores on the planet.Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
February 15, 2012
Why I Don't Write About Gossip, Zombies, or Gossiping Zombies
Primary Source
recently featured me as part of their Asian American author series, asking how young people can relate to my books (perhaps because mine aren't necessarily "commercial" at first glance) and the experience of growing up "between cultures." Maybe I can write about immigrant zombies?
"A story can change the direction of how you view something for the rest of your life," I said, along with a bunch of other stuff which they edited nicely:
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
"A story can change the direction of how you view something for the rest of your life," I said, along with a bunch of other stuff which they edited nicely:
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
February 13, 2012
February's Flood of Author Visits
Since I spent January teaching in California, I'm traveling here and there during an intense few weeks of author appearances which are usually spread out over January and February. I've been visiting the
Max Warburg Courage Curriculum
,
Needham Free Library
, Meadowbrook School in Weston,
North Andover Middle School
, a children's literature class at Boston College, Underwood School in Newton, and am heading to NYC at the end of this week for a meeting of the
United States Board on Books for Young People.
I meet many wonderful educators, parents, writers, and students during winter author visit season, but one of my favorite encounters was last week's appearance at Boston International High School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This small high school for students not yet proficient in English language hosts newcomers to the United States from more than 25 different countries, some with an interrupted or nonexistent education before arriving due to war or poverty.
You need company when you're growing up between cultures.
When I talked about my own experience of immigrating here and becoming a writer, faces lit up with empathy and understanding. I was a survivor of the life they were experiencing, my very existence sending the message that they, too, might endure a stressful coming of age between two worlds. Thanks, 826 Boston and the Foundation of Children's Books , for enabling this encouraging conversation about balancing the best of both worlds through the power of storytelling.
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
I meet many wonderful educators, parents, writers, and students during winter author visit season, but one of my favorite encounters was last week's appearance at Boston International High School in Dorchester, Massachusetts. This small high school for students not yet proficient in English language hosts newcomers to the United States from more than 25 different countries, some with an interrupted or nonexistent education before arriving due to war or poverty.
You need company when you're growing up between cultures.
When I talked about my own experience of immigrating here and becoming a writer, faces lit up with empathy and understanding. I was a survivor of the life they were experiencing, my very existence sending the message that they, too, might endure a stressful coming of age between two worlds. Thanks, 826 Boston and the Foundation of Children's Books , for enabling this encouraging conversation about balancing the best of both worlds through the power of storytelling.
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
February 7, 2012
Bell Rings, Class Over, Memories Remain
You'll have to use your imagination to grasp how much I enjoyed this past month of teaching at Saint Mary's College of California. This wonderful
article
might shed some light on the privilege of discussing "Race, Culture, and Power in Children's Books" with 25 undergraduates on this beautiful campus nestled in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Or maybe this picture of my cute students will help:
Think of me walking into my parents' house at the end of a long day of preparation and teaching, calling out, "I'm hungry! What's to eat?" And every day, there was a delicious meal, cooked from scratch by Mom, and good conversation with both of my parents.
I stayed in this cozy cottage nearby, perfect for quiet study and reflection, stocked with unlimited firewood and fresh flowers:
Picture me hiking these hills every day (in January, friends -- I live in Boston, remember?):
Oh, and did I tell you MY VERY OWN SON took my class? Talk about Mommy finagling: (1) nest empties, (2) miss him and reading aloud to him, (3) son takes my class, (4) get to read picture books to him again. I'm good, aren't I? Or maybe it's that Someone is very good to me.Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
Or maybe this picture of my cute students will help:
Think of me walking into my parents' house at the end of a long day of preparation and teaching, calling out, "I'm hungry! What's to eat?" And every day, there was a delicious meal, cooked from scratch by Mom, and good conversation with both of my parents.
I stayed in this cozy cottage nearby, perfect for quiet study and reflection, stocked with unlimited firewood and fresh flowers:
Picture me hiking these hills every day (in January, friends -- I live in Boston, remember?):
Oh, and did I tell you MY VERY OWN SON took my class? Talk about Mommy finagling: (1) nest empties, (2) miss him and reading aloud to him, (3) son takes my class, (4) get to read picture books to him again. I'm good, aren't I? Or maybe it's that Someone is very good to me.Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
February 2, 2012
Take the Pledge: Join Me for a Net-Free Month This Summer
I'm feeling sucked dry by the internet again, my creative wells drained and shallow. Anyone want to join me for an experiment this summer?
This June 15 - July 15, 2012, we'll stay away from the internet and go old school: reading real books, writing longhand in journals, and napping in the sunshine.
Take the pledge to join me by commenting below. You don't have to go cold turkey like me, but set a goal for some serious withdrawal (weekends are internet-free, evenings after 5, etc.). I'm looking for FOUR other writers/artists to join me with a full commitment, and after a month of internet-free life, we'll weigh in on the experiment.Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
Take the Pledge: Join Me for a Net-Free Summer
I'm feeling sucked dry by the internet again, my creative wells drained and shallow. Anyone want to join me for an experiment this summer?
This June 15 - August 15, 2012, we'll stay away from the internet and go old school: reading real books, writing longhand in journals, and napping in the sunshine.
Take the pledge to join me by commenting below. You don't have to go cold turkey like me, but set a goal for some serious withdrawal (weekends are internet-free, evenings after 5, etc.). After two months of (semi) internet-free life, we'll weigh in on the the experiment.Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
January 23, 2012
Questions About Power in Stories and Storytelling
We're moving to the issue of power in my Jan Term class at
Saint Mary's College of California
, "Race, Culture, and Power in Children's Books." I thought my Fire Escape folk might be interested in a couple of lists I'm sharing with my students.
Questions to Ask about Power in a Story:
Who/what has the power to BE changed?
Who/what has the power to MAKE change?
Who/what has the power to PREVENT change?
Who/what GAINS power and how?
Who/what LOSES power and how?
What KIND of power does each player have? Where did they get it? Do they use it? Why or why not?
How is the child reader/listener empowered or disempowered by the story?
If I Want to Tell the Story of a "Less Powerful" Child ...
Why am I writing this story?
Could anyone else tell it better? Does that person have a voice I can seek to nurture or empower?
Have I held enough babies in that community?
Have I done my research?
Am I allowing that child/teen character to be whole and real?
What kind of power am I giving my fictional child/teen? Is it true to his/her context? Is it culturally appropriate or "western"?
Is there an outside "savior?" If so, who is it and why? How much power am I giving that "savior" over the child/teen?
Am I reinforcing a "single story" about that child/teen? (Watch Chimamanda Adichie's brilliant TED Talk if you don't get this one.)
Anything to add?Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
Questions to Ask about Power in a Story:
Who/what has the power to BE changed?
Who/what has the power to MAKE change?
Who/what has the power to PREVENT change?
Who/what GAINS power and how?
Who/what LOSES power and how?
What KIND of power does each player have? Where did they get it? Do they use it? Why or why not?
How is the child reader/listener empowered or disempowered by the story?
If I Want to Tell the Story of a "Less Powerful" Child ...
Why am I writing this story?
Could anyone else tell it better? Does that person have a voice I can seek to nurture or empower?
Have I held enough babies in that community?
Have I done my research?
Am I allowing that child/teen character to be whole and real?
What kind of power am I giving my fictional child/teen? Is it true to his/her context? Is it culturally appropriate or "western"?
Is there an outside "savior?" If so, who is it and why? How much power am I giving that "savior" over the child/teen?
Am I reinforcing a "single story" about that child/teen? (Watch Chimamanda Adichie's brilliant TED Talk if you don't get this one.)
Anything to add?Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
January 10, 2012
Hey, We Need More Latino Books ... and More
Popping back on the Fire Escape to share a table we compiled in my month-long course on "Race, Culture, and Power in Children's Books." We'd love to hear your responses to and thoughts about this data. (Thanks, US Census and CCBC!)
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
December 2, 2011
Making Mistakes when Crossing Borders in Fiction
I was recently asked by
Ed Spicer
about common mistakes I've seen when authors cross borders to tell stories. The answer is somewhere in the middle of the interview, but you might appreciate the entire conversation:
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
December 1, 2011
Around the World in 80 Books
Travel the world from your sofa with this superb list of 80 books (.pdf file) covering every geographic region. The bibliography is curated by Kathleen T. Horning of the Cooperative Children's Book Center , and includes contemporary and historical books published here and in other countries between 2001 and 2011. K.T.'s goal is to "give readers here a glimpse not only of life in or the history of other parts of the world, but also of what children and teens elsewhere may be reading." (Full disclosure: My Bamboo People made the list.)Come visit me on the Fire Escape!
