Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

 

De la Peña, Matt. Last Stop on Market Street. Illus. by Christian Robinson. New York: Penguin, 2015. Print.

The rain is coming down, and Nana and CJ are on foot. As CJ complains about getting wet, and not having a car like his friend, Nana responds with positivity, and takes him on the No. 5 Bus for a special trip. Nana greets fellow bus passengers warmly (including a blind man tuning a guitar, a woman with a jar of butterflies, and two teens listening to music), and in her interactions, models kindness and empathy. As the blind man plays a tune, CJ is moved by the music, and his mind swirls with visions of butterflies, hawks and freedom. Their trip ends with a walk down a run-down neighborhood, and the final destination is revealed: a soup kitchen where Nana and CJ serve meals together. As CJ takes this journey with Nana, he sees that with the right outlook, beauty can be found in any place.

I first read this book in January, 2015. Of course, it won the Newbery Medal for 2016, and when the award was announced in Boston at ALA MidWinter, I was fortunate enough to be there to hear it. As I sat in my seat beforehand, chatting with fellow librarians, someone from the press asked the whole row if we had any predictions. I remember my reply was "Last Stop on Market Street: Caldecott". Of course I was partially right about this, as it did win a Caldecott Honor Medal as well as a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award.

It is now February, and our Scholastic Book Fair Week is upon us. One of the featured books is indeed Last Stop on Market Street. As I visited some classes to talk about the book fair, I brought this book along with me, and read it aloud. I could tell that our readers were enjoying the story, but I also re-discovered several gems about this book which I shall share:

• First, the stained-glass windows on the church (opening of the book) are lovely. The alternating triangles remind me of work by illustrator Molly Bang. 

• Two people in the street outside the church are holding umbrellas -- a signal of what is to come.  Nana has brought her umbrella as well, showing us that no matter the weather, she will go to the soup kitchen to help. 

• See the location of the gutter on the double-page spread where Nana and CJ first encounter rain. The trunk really does resemble a straw, just as Nana says. 

• Mr. Dennis, the bus driver, gives CJ a coin by pulling it out of his ear. (The coin is mentioned later in the book.) There are people around us who enjoy their work, and do little acts of kindness like this every day. This is part of the beauty that Nana wants us to notice. 

• The woman with the butterflies in the jar intrigues me. Where does one go with butterflies in a jar? (This character has found beauty for herself.) This line always causes wonder when I read it aloud to classes. 

• Nana's hand offers comfort/empathy/agreement to those around her: the blind man on the bus, and to CJ when they get off the bus. 

• The double-page spread where CJ closes his eyes to listen to the music is a stopping point. You do pause here because you know CJ is changing in some way. The music, Nana's words, and the passengers on the bus have all had an effect on CJ. And from then on, when he asks a question, he is asking for a different reason -- not because he is complaining any more, but because he is truly wondering. 

I still think about CJ's story, even though it has been on my shelves for over a year, and I have read it several times. I find it comforting to know that no matter how many times I  turn to this book, I find something that will make me wonder or pause (just like CJ), proving once again that picture books are meant to be enjoyed repeatedly. One quick read of a picture book is never sufficient to appreciate its full meaning.

PAX by Sara Pennypacker

I think I've purchased every book written and/or illustrated by Jon Klassen. Or if not, almost all of them. Of course, this purchasing all started with I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick, 2011). 

I guess if I tried to describe Klassen books, I would begin by saying that with each, a certain promise is attached.  A promise of something magical. A promise of a story that is unlike any other. A promise that is always kept. Unfailingly.

Pax (Harper Children's, 2016), also makes -- and delivers -- this promise. 

Sara Pennypacker (Clementine series, Summer of the Gypsy Moths, Meet the Dullards) is the author of Pax, and Klassen illustrates it. This pairing works: Pennypacker's storyline is gloriously unpredictable, and Klassen's depictions make it all believable. 

Peter's mother has died, and his father is going off to war. So, Peter is being sent to live miles away with his grandfather. And with this change, Peter must also give up Pax, his beloved pet fox whom he has had since he was a kit. The separation between boy and his pet sets off an immediate need to be reunited. The story switches from Peter's point of view to Pax's, and Klassen's chapter markers tell us so: silhouettes of Peter and Pax. In search of one another, Peter and Pax each encounter mysterious characters, and moments of heart-stopping adventure. As the journey progresses, readers are taken into Peter's heart and memory with a masterful narrative that makes readers long for Pax right along with Peter, and vice versa. Pennypacker builds the story page by page, using suspense and weaving in  themes of family and belonging. Is home a place? Can home be found in those you love?

This is not a sweet boy-finds-cuddly pet story. Pax will evoke powerful emotions. This story will not be what you expect. 

Klassen's illustrations are placed at perfect spots in the book, bringing to life moments in the plot and setting. But it is the cover of the book that will draw readers in and set the tone: Pax looking over fields, surrounded by trees, searching for Peter. When you see the cover, you know it is Klassen. This is comforting. 

Though I purchased a final copy of Pax for my home library, I initially read the ARC, which came packaged beautifully in a diorama kit. Before I even read the book, I built the diorama, slowly and carefully (because I didn't want to tear anything) - from easy-to-follow instructions: 

Building the diorama had an effect on me: prior to reading Pax's story, I had already been brought into his world. And I had crafted it carefully, with a kind of solemnity, knowing the story would be memorable, and enriching. 

I wasn't wrong. The promise was indeed made and kept. 

Poetry in February

One of the very best parts of my week was sharing poetry with 2nd grade. These young readers know my love of books, but I also wanted them to know that poetry is one of my most favorite genres of all.  I knew their teachers were focusing on poetry in language arts, so I decided to supplement/support their instruction with a mini-lesson during their library time.

My inspiration for this lesson came from the two books pictured below. I consider both to be must-haves for anyone using poetry in their classrooms or libraries.  (I will forever be grateful to Georgia Heard, Dr. Sylvia Vardell, and Janet Wong for their work.)

I had several goals (besides their language arts standards, of course). One was to establish the library as a place where poetry could be celebrated. My message: "We have poetry books and this is a place where you can read poems aloud and share them!" I also wanted to read poetry to them and help them hear the lovely music a poem can play. And, I wanted them to "discover" poetry that they liked on their own.

I had a lot of goals! 

We sat around my storytime area. I told them how much I loved poetry and asked if I could share one of my favorite poems with them: "The Library" by Barbara A. Huff. It's a wonderful ode to libraries! Then, because it was Super Bowl weekend, I shared "Super Bowl Sunday" by Jane Rush MacCulloch from The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo Books, 2015). I had fun acting out the eating in the poem and we all joined in on the last word: "Touchdown!" 

I shared "Poem Like the Sea" by Patricia Hubbell next. They thought it was very funny that I was sharing a poem about a poem! I read it once aloud, then showed it to them. "Tell me what you think," I said to the class.  Slowly, hands went up with noticings about rhyme, repetition, line arrangement, and verses. During this discussion, I used teachable opportunities to tag on to their own learning. I celebrated their observations, asked questions for clarification, and connected one learner's answers to another. At just the right moment, I sent them off to our tables where I had placed poetry books -- hand-picked by me! I asked them to read poetry by themselves or with a partner. They immediately found poems about favorite topics like dinosaurs and chocolate and recess. And I noticed them walking over to each other to share what they'd found. I asked if anyone had found any poems they enjoyed. Hands went up immediately, and though I had not asked them to read the poems aloud, most wanted to do just that! And many did! And two boys came together in one class to read a 2-voice poem! With everyone that read aloud, I read right with along with them-- mainly, to provide support in case they came upon a word they didn't know, but also to celebrate with them.

After checkout, many came back to the poetry books to read more. Several brought me books from the tables and asked if they could check them out. I said "Of course!" with detectable joy in my voice. (Couldn't hide it.)

Now, the poetry section is a bit of a mess, and it looks depleted but to a school librarian, this is a very good thing! It means the books are being read!

The next part of the poetry lessons will continue next week. But I have already learned so much.