Tag Archives: Children Books

Ashley Bryan

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Ashely Bryan, an art activist for children, has passed away. He was 98 years old.

Ashley Bryan believed in the arts- music, painting, sketching, collaging, story telling- you name it, he believed in it. Furthermore, he was able to put himself into children shoes and write for them.

He knew his craft and delivered it well.

With so many people writing children book’s these days, it looks quite easy to write and illustrate a book for a child; however, when you view Ashley Bryan’s ‘Walk together Children’ or ‘Puppets Making Something from Everything’ or ‘Beautiful Blackbird’; you know children book making is more about craft than about circumstance, more about inspiration than about influence and more about realization than about repetition.

Ashley Bryan will continue to live on in classrooms and communities because of his deep appreciation of who he was and from whence he came.

Thank You, Mrs. Greenfield

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Thank you Mrs. Greenfield for your dedication to my education

I was but a child when I came across Nathaniel’s Talking

It was a poem my second grade teacher skipped over for Henry and Mudge

At night, however, my sisters and I became self-teachers and rappers

We tied our hair up in towels and crochet blankets

We looked into the mirrors and recited

Nathaniels Talking until it became a song

We recited it until it became an anthem

We recited it until our mom called us down for dinner

We danced down the steps chanting,

Nathaniel’s talking and Nathaniel’s me

Talking about my philosophy!

And we added beats and danced to the rap

Thank You Mrs. Greenfield for your dedication to my education

I am but a teacher now and read, Nathaniel’s Talking

It’s a poem my third grade class encounter at the beginning of the year

and never fail to ask for us to read it again at the end.

Thank you Mrs. Greenfield for your dedication to my education.

Mrs. Eloise Greenfield was a beloved children’s author. She passed away this month in Washington, D.C., at age 92.

Fashion Ellwand’s Way

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Fashion Ellwand's WayOne book you should take time out to just peak in is Fairie-ality: The Fashion Collection from The House of Ellwand. It is amazing to me how David Ellwand took flowers, bird feathers, sail shells, grass, pumpkins, stones, cow parsley…ect and made it into “clothes.” It is indeed a Fairie-ality. The colores are so rich and flowing. He even made shoes out of rose petals and cow parsley; and bathing suits out of snakeskin! My favorite  chapter is: ” A Fairie Tale Wedding”  The mother of the bride is dressed in duck duck goose! The Groom looks good in crow feathers and have eloquent snail buttons. Of course I liked the Lily Bridesmide who had poppy evanescent for sleeves! The Maid of Honor looks dashing in black and green. The top piece of the dress is silky crow feathers and the bottom is black parrot feathers. I’ll leave the bride out for your imagination.

This dancing dress of lilting lily petals in two colors oozes self-assurance. Trust us. David Ellwand.

 

Who says feathers are just for the birds? David Ellwand