Gene Stratton-Porter Shares Her Love
of Nature with the World
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub. 3.12.2024)
48 pages
Ages 7 - 10
Author: Jill Esbaum
Illustrator: Rebecca Gibbon
Character: Gene Stratton-Porter
Overview:
" Gene Stratton-Porter was a farm girl who fell in love with birds, from the chickens whose eggs she collected to the hawks that preyed on them.
When she grew up, Gene wanted nothing more than to share her love of birds with the world. She wrote stories about birds, but when a magazine wanted to publish them next to awkward photos of stuffed birds, she knew she had to take matters into her own hands.
Teaching herself photography, Gene began to take photos of birds in the wild. Her knowledge of birds and how to approach them allowed her to get so close you could count the feathers of the birds in her photos. Her work was unlike anything Americans had ever seen before—she captured the true lives of animals in their natural habitat.
A pioneering wildlife photographer and one of the most popular authors of the early 20th century, this bird girl showed the world the beauty of nature and why it was worth preserving."
Tantalizing taste:
"Geneva takes on the care of sixty-four nests. She visits each one every day, inching forward softly, silently, watching and wondering.
If a bird so much as twitches a wing, she freezes ... and waits for it to relax.
The birds, wary at first, are soon chirping hellos and flitting onto Geneva's head and shoulders, tiny claws tickle poking, as she pulls treats from her apron pocket.
Happy birds, happy bird girl."
And something more: Jill Esbaum, in the Author's Note writes: "All of Gene's books... included plenty of what she sometimes called 'nature stuff.' That nature stuff is what kept readers coming back... They often added that her books had sparked in them a commitment to protect wild places. That was Gene's proudest accomplishment. She knew what happened when nature's wild places were lost. She'd seen it outside her own back door. By 1910, there wasn't much left of her beloved Limberlost Swamp...
So imagine how she would feel to learn that two Indiana conservation groups, inspired by her life and books, began in the 1990s to buy up chunks of farmland and woodsy patches that were once part of the 13,000-acre Limberlost Swamp. Their goal? To bring it back. As of this book's publication, nearly 1,800 acres have been restored."
Kitchen Scientist and America's Cook
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Calkins Creek
(Astra Books for Young Readers)
(pub.1.30.2024)
40 pages
Ages 7 -10
Author: Emma Bland Smith
Illustrator: Susan Reagan
Character: Fannie Farmer
Overview:
" When Fannie Farmer learned to cook in the late 1800s, recipes could be pretty silly. They might call for 'a goodly amount of salt' or 'a lump of butter' or 'a suspicion of nutmeg.' Girls were supposed to use their 'feminine instincts' in the kitchen (or maybe just guess). Despite this problem, Fannie loved cooking, so when polio prevented her from going to college, she became a teacher at the Boston Cooking School.
Unlike her mother or earlier cookbook writers, Fannie didn’t believe in feminine instincts. To her, cooking was a science. She’d noticed that precise measurements and specific instructions ensured that cakes rose instead of flopped and doughnuts fried instead of burned. Students liked Fannie’s approach so much that she wrote a cookbook. Despite skepticism from publishers, Fannie’s book was a recipe for success."
Tantalizing taste:
"As Fannie whipped and simmered, something revolutionary was cooking in her head. Fannie, you see, had the mind of a scientist. Through trial and error, she noticed that precise measurements made a whole heap of difference. Standard measuring cups and spoons had been invented, but few people thought they were necessary. I mean, who needs standard measurements when you've got your trusty feminine instincts, right?"
And something more: The section in the back of THE FABULOUS FANNIE FARMER, Fannie's Legacy, explains: "If she heard about an amazing new meal at a restaurant, she would rush out to sample it, and sometimes sneak a bit home in order to further analyze the flavors. She really was something of a kitchen scientist. (One writer referred to her ability to 'Sherlock Holmes' a chef's dish - to deduce the methods and ingredients.)" Such sleuthing reminds me of what authors and illustrators of picture book biographies need to do to research, write and illustrate. And Emma Bland Smith did just that as can be seen from the book's extensive Bibliography (with sources marked with an asterick to indicate quotation sources). And Emma even included two of Fannie Farmer's recipes in the book -- I can't wait to bake her Popovers!
Eunice W. Johnson and the EBONY Fashion Flair
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Lee & Low Books
(pub. 2.6.2024)
40 pages
Ages 6 - 11
Author: Lisa D. Brathwaite
Illustrator: Lynn Gaines
Character: Eunice W. Johnson
Overview:
" Eunice W. Johnson believed in the power of fashion and beauty to inspire people. After she and her husband, John H. Johnson, founded EBONY magazine, it quickly became the premiere lifestyle publication for mid-century Black readers. Among the many hats she wore, Eunice delighted in writing a fashion column describing the latest styles.
In 1958, Eunice launched a project that would change fashion forever--the EBONY Fashion Fair. In towns and cities across the United States, Black models walked the runway in the freshest trends that season and Black attendees got to see people who looked like them in bright colors and haute couture.
To make the Fashion Fair happen every year, Eunice negotiated with snobby fashion houses in Europe and navigated racism back home in the US, to acquire the most show-stopping styles for her show. Decades later, her name remains a watchword for glamour and elegance in the Black community"
Tantalizing taste:
"The EBONY Fashion Fair 'Americana' tour took off in September 1963…Backs straight, heads held high, the graceful models sashayed, and posed on the runway to a lively piano accompaniment. Feathers flipped and fluttered. Beachwear blazed and beckoned. Shifting sequins shimmered. The sparkle from jewels jumped in the light. A commentator's witty quips added to the excitement.
What a show!"
And something more: Lisa D. Brathwaite, in the Author's Note shares: "I carry fond childhood memories of thumbing through the magazine's issues that graced my family's coffee table. I'd mimic the models, holding my head high. I'm hopeful EBONY's cultural legacy built by John. H. Johnson and Eunice W. Johnson will continue to flourish and inspire future generations."
