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Mem Fox

Last week our trivia question was:

Our author today is known as an Australian, but she actually grew up in Africa. She recounts being the only white child at her school, and learning to write by pushing her finger in the dirt because there weren’t any pieces of paper or pencils. Now she is a retired Associate Professor of Literacy and prolific children’s author, who lives in Australia. Her children’s books and her writing books for adults are known worldwide. Do you know who this lively woman who stands out in a crowd these days not because of her skin color, but because of her brilliant red hair?

Mem Fox is this lively Australian who is both an author and literacy advocate. If you get a chance, you should poke around her website, which is linked to her name. it is full of treasures.

If you have never seen one of her books, here is a reading of her sweet bedtime book for toddlers, Time For Bed.

This video of Mem Fox at the 2010 National Book Festival is a bit long, but it is also enlightening.

If you have young children, or write for young children, you might want to check out Mem Fox’s books:

Children’s Author Trivia will return next Thursday.

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Children’s Author Trivia Volume 32

The trivia question for the day:

Our author today is known as an Australian, but she actually grew up in Africa. She recounts being the only white child at her school, and learning to write by pushing her finger in the dirt because there weren’t any pieces of paper or pencils. Now she is a retired Associate Professor of Literacy and prolific children’s author, who lives in Australia. Her children’s books and her writing books for adults are known worldwide. Do you know who this lively woman who stands out in a crowd these days not because of her skin color, but because of her brilliant red hair?

The answer will be posted next Thursday.

Edit: The answer is now posted.

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Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson

And now, the answers to last week’s trivia:

Talk about talent! I would have loved to have to been a fly on the wall to see the collaboration between Ruth Krauss, the author of The Carrot Seed, and her husband, Crockett Johnson, who illustrated it. Turns out there was a lucky person who did get to learn how to write children’s books from the couple, none other than Maurice Sendak.

Ruth Krauss wrote over thirty children’s books, and many are still in print. Her book A Happy Day was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1950, and A Very Special House was a Caldecott Honor Book in 1954. She was well-known for her ability to put a lot of information into few words.

If you haven’t read The Carrot Seed or at least read it lately, take a look.

Don’t you just love the size of the carrot at the end?

And for a bit of botany trivia, it turns out that carrot seeds do take an extra long time to germinate, at least when compared to other garden favorites.

Growing With Science has carrot information and activities

Gryphon House gives wonderful story stretcher activities

Other books by Ruth Krauss:

Crockett Johnson was known as a successful children’s illustrator and author, too. He is the creator of Harold and the Purple Crayon. Here’s a bit of trivia:  Crockett Johnson was a pen name. His real name was David Johnson Leisk.

Books by Crockett Johnson:

What a pair!

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Is A Worry Worrying You?

Is a Worry Worrying You? by Ferida Wolff and Herriet May Savitz, and illustrated by Marie LeTourneau may not take all your worries away, but it is a wonderful way to start a conversation about anxieties, a situation that may be debilitating to some. The text is not only soothing and humorous, but also suggests logical and appropriate solutions. What a perfect balance!

The first things you notice about the book are the whimsical illustrations. The monster representing worry is a hairy beast reminiscent of the monsters from Where The Wild Things Are. Much of the humor is emphasized and elaborated in the illustrations.

The text shows the reader that everyone has worries, it is normal. But you don’t have to be a prisoner of those worries. By telling about some situations where a child might worry (a few of which are extremely silly, like an eagle nesting in your hair) and how to deal with each one, a child will add real world coping skills to his or her tool kit.

Having recently read an article about how picture book authors need have a subtle message to attract adults to buy the book as well as being appropriate for young readers, I was thinking about how well this works in Is a Worry Worrying You? The book shows the way by being absolutely child friendly, but the topic and message work well for adults, too. Everyone can definitely benefit from having a copy on their shelf to reference whenever stressful events arise.

The publisher’s website has instructions for a related activity of making a worry box. it is towards the bottom of the page.

Reading level: Ages 4-8
Paperback: 32 pages
Publisher: Tanglewood Press (May 8, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1933718056
ISBN-13: 978-1933718057

The electronic review copy was provided via Net Galley.

Be sure to look for more information about children’s books at today’s Book Talk Tuesday.