So, 2012 is now rolling and it’s time to wrap up our Reading the World Challenge for 2011…

So did we complete it – yes, by the skin of our teeth! Older Brother spent a couple of hours on Saturday finishing off Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (The Young Reader’s Edition adapted by Sarah Thomson, Puffin Books, 2009). It was clear that it had a profound effect on him by the way, all the way through reading it, he would tell us about different parts of the book at mealtimes; and he was much struck by the interview with Mortenson’s daughter Amira and her involvement in the project.

The other two books he read to complete the Challenge were Secret Heart by David Almond; and Bird by Zetta Elliott, illustrated by Shadra Strickland (Lee & Low Books, 2008). He was moved by both of them. Secret Heart was ultimately uplifting but Bird made him “really sad”. When I asked what it made him think about drugs, he said, “I don’t know how to explain or describe it, but NO!” A fairly incoherent but nevertheless eloquent response.

Younger Brother combined his local and non-fiction criteria into one book, The Dinosaur Coast by Roger Osborne and Alistair Bowden, and published by the North York Moors National Park Authority (2000). For his poetry book, we have read together Where the Steps Were by Andrea Cheng (Wordsong, 2008). I have blogged about this wonderful book before – suffice to say here that Little Brother was captivated. In general, he is very much drawn to the conciseness of poetry, and he became very caught up in the narrative here – the blend of history, the relevance of that history to the children, and the children’s individual concerns. He managed to keep tabs on each child’s voice much better than I did!

Our last two books for reading all together were Children of the World by Anthony Asael and Stéphanie Rabemiafara (Art in All of Us / Universe Publishing, 2011) and the third of Susanne Gervay’s Jack Books, Always Jack (HarperCollins Australia, 2010).

We have so enjoyed dipping into Children of the World, which was PaperTigers’ Book of the Month in November. We have looked up countries at random, picked countries out of the air, looked through for places we’ve never heard of – and in all cases, the boys have found the pictures and poetry written mostly by children around their age to be inspirational. We’ve also had some interesting discussions about making generalisations, particularly arising from the last two of the three sentences under the title banner – “We eat…”, and “We play…”, and particularly with reference to the UK pages!

Always Jack was another great read. We loved the previous two books in the series, especially I Am Jack, so our expectations were high and we were not disappointed. Jack himself is, as ever, a well-rounded blend of confidence and insecurity, determined to get the last word with one of his (usually) funny jokes. Several highly charged themes run through the book, including cancer (Jack’s mother), dementia (his Nan), and the Vietnam War (through Jack and his best friend Christopher’s joint school project into their family histories). The book made us laugh; it made us sad (and me cry); and it made us think. Both my boys empathised with Jack every step of the way and were delighted when his Mum’s wedding to Rob went ahead – not only because it meant she had won that particular battle against cancer, but also becasue it signified an end to all that mum, sister and best-friend Anna stuff of taking months to decide what to wear etc! Always Jack is an enjoyable, easy read and the book will be a very useful tool to give to children who may be going through similar experiences in their families. It also highlights the importance of keeping the channels of communication open, in the case of illness in a family, or indeed of creating those channels between generations in the first place. In Always Jack, Christopher’s parents had never before spoken to him about their journey from Vietnam for a new home in Australia; for his mother especially it had been too traumatic. Jack himself did not know the story behind his grandfather’s medals. By entrusting these stories to the younger generation, family ties were tightened and wounds had a chance to heal. So yes, Susanne has done it again. All thre of us wholeheartedly recommend Always Jack and just wish there could be more.

And what about other participants in the Challenge? Sandhya over at My Handful of the Sky has completed it, both on her own account and with her daughter. You can follow links to her posts on all the books they read in her round-up post here – definitely worth delving into.

If you took part in the Challenge, do let us know how you got on, if you haven’t already – and look out for the post (imminent) for the PaperTigers Reading the World Challenge 2012.

David Arkin, text and illustrations, with introduction by Pete Seeger and musical score by Earl Robinson
Black and White: A song that is a story about freedom to go to school together
New Street Communications, 2011.

Ages 6-10

With an introduction by the beloved Pete Seeger, New Street Communications in Providence, Rhode Island, has reissued David Arkin’s also beloved 1966 illustrated text and music for the award-winning song, Black and White. Arkin, father of actor Alan Arkin, co-wrote the song with Earl Robinson in 1956 to celebrate the U.S. Supreme Court decision Brown vs. the Board of Education, which outlawed segregation in American public schools. The song was a top-ten hit for the U.K. reggae group Greyhound in 1971 and reached the top of the U.S. charts in a 1972 version by Three Dog Night. The reissue of Arkin’s book is a slender unpaginated volume that treats each lyric line to its own black-and-white (naturally) illustration. Beginning with “the ink is black, the page is white,” the lyrics contrast, and bring together, black and white in simple images relevant to all school children.

“The world is black
The world is white
It turns by day
And it turns by night
It turns so each and everyone
Can take his station in the sun!”

Charcoal drawings accompanying the lyrics feature such images as black and white children, the nine judges with their black robes and white hair, the white chalk on the black board. At the end of the book, Robinson’s score is printed with the complete lyrics in verse form.

Along with Pete Seeger’s introduction, the front matter includes an explanation “About this book and the people who made it” (with the unfortunate grammatical error: “by he and …”). The beneficiary of all royalties on this publication, the Central Asia Institute, is also described briefly. CAI is the non-profit organization that funds Greg Mortenson‘s (Three Cups of Tea) admirable work to create schools for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Black and White is a moving and appropriate tribute to that work. Parents and teachers who know the song will be delighted to introduce it to their children and students through this inspiring little book, and it will doubtless win new fans among adults as well.

Charlotte Richardson
May 2011

Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools, recently held 3 speaking engagements in Vancouver, BC.  Reporter Rebecca Wigod’s claim that Greg draws crowds like a rock star is definitely true as the 4,000 available tickets sold out in record time! I was one of the many disappointed ones to not get a ticket but several of my friends attended and all raved about their experiences. Children’s author Margriet Ruurs was also lucky enough to get a ticket and had this photo to share along with these thoughts:

Last night we listened to Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, as he shared his experiences of building schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Did you know that the book is now mandatory reading for high ranking officials in the US army? It makes me feel hopeful to know that they might be listening to such a wise peacemaker. I felt honored to meet Greg and exchange books with him.

Check out Margriet’s blog to read more about her evening.

Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, is coming to Vancouver for 3 days in January. Organised by Kidsbooks, Vancouver’s premier children’s bookstore, adults and students are invited to attend one of three presentations, signings and fund-raisers to show their support for Greg’s remarkable achievements in making education a reality for so many children in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Although the session on Friday January 14 is sold-out, there is still space available to attend the January 15th or 16th sessions. Ticket prices include a $10 donation to Greg’s non-profit charity Central Asia Institute, and, for adults, a copy of his new adult book Stones Into Schools. Stones into Schools continues the remarkable story of Greg’s international bestseller Three Cups of Tea and brings to life both the heroic humanitarian efforts on the ground and the triumphs of the young women who are now graduating from schools built by Pennies for Peace.

Greg’s book Three Cups of Tea is a favorite in our house: we have all three versions – adult, young adult and children’s!  I’m looking forward to attending one of the sessions along with my two children who will be receiving their tickets as a Christmas gift and I’m sure they will be thrilled as well!

This year for the first time, PaperTigers was invited to submit nominations for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award (winner to be announced March 24th, 2010) and one of our nominees was Greg Mortenson. In our “Grounds for Nomination” statement we stated:

Greg Mortenson is a humanitarian whose motto is “Books, not Bombs.” Since 1993 he has been committed to promoting and supporting education and literacy (with an emphasis on girls’ education) in rural, underserved regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Through his work as co-founder/Executive Director of the Central Asia Institute, as of May 2009, he has established over 78 schools, supported the training of 600+ teachers and offered scholarships to hundreds of disadvantaged students, thus providing education to over 28,000 children (including 18,000 girls) who would otherwise have no opportunities.

Greg Mortenson is also founder of the Pennies For Peace program and author of the Kiriyama Prize-winning book Three Cups of Tea, which has been translated into 29 languages. It has been adapted into a version for young adults and a beautiful picture-book, Listen to the Wind, illustrated with wonderful collages by Susan L. Roth.

This year for the first time, PaperTigers was invited to submit nominations for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. We have just heard that the jury is now sifting through the nominations and that the complete list will be made public on 25 September at the Gothenburg Book Fair; it will also be on their website so we’ll let you know when it’s available.

In the meantime, here are our “Grounds for Nomination” statements for artist and author, Allen Say, and author and promoter of education in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Greg Mortenson.

Often drawing on his own background, Allen Say captivates his readers through beautifully honed prose and luminous watercolors. He embraces a striving for happiness with a blend of gentle humor and realism, and touches on many aspects of being human, such as race, migration, disability and age. Even young children can empathize with and find echoes in many of his stories. Say opens young hearts and minds both to new cultures and to their own potential; and his portrayal of the human condition provides a forum for children to recognize their own value and to dream.

Allen Say is featured in a Gallery in our current issue of PaperTigers, and offers some fascinating insight into his latest book, Erika-San. You can also read an interview with him, in which he talks about his semi-autobiographical book for young adults, The Ink-Keeper’s Apprentice, as well as some of his other picture-books. Sally recently chose his Music for Alice for a Books at Bedtime post.

Greg Mortenson is a humanitarian whose motto is “Books, not Bombs.” Since 1993 he has been committed to promoting and supporting education and literacy (with an emphasis on girls’ education) in rural, underserved regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Through his work as co-founder/Executive Director of the Central Asia Institute, as of May 2009, he has established over 78 schools, supported the training of 600+ teachers and offered scholarships to hundreds of disadvantaged students, thus providing education to over 28,000 children (including 18,000 girls) who would otherwise have no opportunities.

Greg Mortenson is also founder of the Pennies For Peace program and author of the Kiriyama Prize-winning book Three Cups of Tea, which has been translated into 29 languages. It has been adapted into a version for young adults and a beautiful picture-book, Listen to the Wind, illustrated with wonderful collages by Susan L. Roth.

Please do share with us your thoughts and comments about our two nominations – we’d love to hear from you.