But I'll Be Back Again: An Album
By Cynthia Rylant
Since we have studied Rylant’s picture books, realistic fiction, historical fiction, and poetry prose throughout the semester, I have grown to appreciate and respect her craft of words. Because we have studied her books in depth this semester, I was pleased that her autobiography was saved until last. I think this made my “meeting” with Cythnia Rylant more meaningful. Did anyone else feel as they read But I’ll Be Back Again, that they were sitting face to face with Rylant as she spilled her childhood secrets, her mischievous demeanor, her first kiss? Rylant was so REAL with her stories! It felt like she was exposing us to her childhood diary – what a neat feeling to share with an author after having studied her work!
“Some children who have suffered a loss too great for words grow up into writers who are always trying to find those words, trying to find a meaning for the way they have lived. Painters do that. And composers.“ (pg 5) Having read her stories about love and family, I was surprised that her childhood was immersed in hardships. But, as I read on, I realized that Rylant used writing as a means of coping with her childhood. For writing stories gives Rylant “the power to change things I could not change as a child.” (pg 10). I think this is a valuable lesson to share with children – a lesson for the children who enter our classrooms who are less fortunate and come from tough backgrounds, to those children who come from supportive families and who are having a minor drama issue with friends, hearing that a writer, a painter, a composer can be empowered by their work is inspirational. I think another valuable lesson to share with students is the fact that Rylant immersed herself in comic books as a child, and romance novels as a teenager to escape her “embarrassing” life. Isn’t that what we want for our students, to become so engaged with reading that they are swept off their feet and taken new places and new adventures with the books they read?
My favorite part of the book included the connections I was able to make from her life to her novels. On several occasions, as she introduced characters, Rylant would explicitly state that a chapter or a book was dedicated to a person in her life. For example, Robert Rufus became Rufus in her novel A Fine White Dust, Rylant’s Uncle Joe was honored as a soldier and a hero in a chapter in her novel Blue-Eyed Daisy. Reading how Rylant was inspired to honor these important people in her life as characters in her books motivates me to want to read more of her novels!!
In the last sentence of her book, Rylant says her hope for every child is “a hero, and music, and at least one kiss he will never forget.” I thought this closing line was very touching; it definitely made me think about what my hope is for children. Although I am still deciding, I think my hope for every child is a hero, an imagination, and at least one true friend.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Long Night Moon
Long Night Moon
By Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Mark Siegel
Long Night Moon captures the power of a picture book! I found Rylant’s lyrical phrases descriptive and inspiring, but powerful when coupled with Siegel’s illustrations. At the end of the book, Sigel retells his challenge in choosing a medium for his artwork. Over a several month time period, Siegel walked at night noting the details of the moonlight. During his moonlight walks, he decided on charcoal as his medium, and concluded that the moon provided a “velvety mysterious light that softens everything, bathing nature in a dreamy luminosity.” Don’t you just love that phrase? I feel as if Siegel created each of his illustrations, with the previously described admiration for the moon. Whether the full moon is hiding behind the clouds, providing bright light in a low sky, or shining high in the sky, the full bleed pictures invite you to gaze upon the moon with a sense of awe. (The book also credits Siegel’s pictures with pencil, pastel on Arches paper and digital color. I am not familiar with Arches paper, but I am guessing that the paper provided the evenly dotted texture to the pictures?)
I notice that Siegel chooses to begin the story at dusk with a mother dressed in her winter coat and scarf, holding her baby, who is bundled for the chilly air. The mother is standing in a gazebo on her farm, gazing at the January’s Stormy Moon. On the next page, as dusk turns to dark, the mother walks the short distance to the warm and cozy farm home. We do not see the mother and child again until the end of the story, when we are introduced to December’s Long Night Moon. Instead, the months between January to December, and the corresponding pictures focus on the plants, and animals on the farm. I think the mood of the story is better achieved by focusing on nature, for the journey Rylant and Siegel takes us on during each month helps the audience’s appreciation of nature’s moon grow as well. Even though her text poetically describes the plants and animals of each month, I wonder if Rylant intended for most of her picture book to exclude humans, or was this an interpretation Siegel created himself… doesn’t Rylant usually focus on the home, family, and love in her books?
I enjoyed Rylant’s connection to the Native Americans in the first stanza in the text. It begins, “Long ago Americans gave names to the full moons they watched throughout the year. Each month had a moon. And each moon had its name…” To me, it sets the tone for the book, while also giving meaningful purpose for the naming of each full moon. When I think of the characteristics of Native American stories, I think of their utmost respect and appreciation of nature. Even though Rylant’s text looks simple and minimal, her concise wording and line breaks successfully describing the magical events of nature in each month. My favorite month is December’s Long Night Moon. Naming it a faithful moon, Rylant captures the essence of the long winter night.
This book is yet another stellar picture book by Rylant. I continue to be amazed by her craft, and have placed this book, along with many of her others, on my list to read and share with students.
By Cynthia Rylant
Illustrated by Mark Siegel
Long Night Moon captures the power of a picture book! I found Rylant’s lyrical phrases descriptive and inspiring, but powerful when coupled with Siegel’s illustrations. At the end of the book, Sigel retells his challenge in choosing a medium for his artwork. Over a several month time period, Siegel walked at night noting the details of the moonlight. During his moonlight walks, he decided on charcoal as his medium, and concluded that the moon provided a “velvety mysterious light that softens everything, bathing nature in a dreamy luminosity.” Don’t you just love that phrase? I feel as if Siegel created each of his illustrations, with the previously described admiration for the moon. Whether the full moon is hiding behind the clouds, providing bright light in a low sky, or shining high in the sky, the full bleed pictures invite you to gaze upon the moon with a sense of awe. (The book also credits Siegel’s pictures with pencil, pastel on Arches paper and digital color. I am not familiar with Arches paper, but I am guessing that the paper provided the evenly dotted texture to the pictures?)
I notice that Siegel chooses to begin the story at dusk with a mother dressed in her winter coat and scarf, holding her baby, who is bundled for the chilly air. The mother is standing in a gazebo on her farm, gazing at the January’s Stormy Moon. On the next page, as dusk turns to dark, the mother walks the short distance to the warm and cozy farm home. We do not see the mother and child again until the end of the story, when we are introduced to December’s Long Night Moon. Instead, the months between January to December, and the corresponding pictures focus on the plants, and animals on the farm. I think the mood of the story is better achieved by focusing on nature, for the journey Rylant and Siegel takes us on during each month helps the audience’s appreciation of nature’s moon grow as well. Even though her text poetically describes the plants and animals of each month, I wonder if Rylant intended for most of her picture book to exclude humans, or was this an interpretation Siegel created himself… doesn’t Rylant usually focus on the home, family, and love in her books?
I enjoyed Rylant’s connection to the Native Americans in the first stanza in the text. It begins, “Long ago Americans gave names to the full moons they watched throughout the year. Each month had a moon. And each moon had its name…” To me, it sets the tone for the book, while also giving meaningful purpose for the naming of each full moon. When I think of the characteristics of Native American stories, I think of their utmost respect and appreciation of nature. Even though Rylant’s text looks simple and minimal, her concise wording and line breaks successfully describing the magical events of nature in each month. My favorite month is December’s Long Night Moon. Naming it a faithful moon, Rylant captures the essence of the long winter night.
This book is yet another stellar picture book by Rylant. I continue to be amazed by her craft, and have placed this book, along with many of her others, on my list to read and share with students.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
I Had Seen Castles
I Had Seen Castles
By: Cynthia Rylant
I appreciated Cynthia Rylant’s historical fiction novel I Had Seen Castles. I thought it captured the many different faces of World War II - the over anxious green soldier, the sacrificing father, the supportive yet terribly worried mother, as well as the outspoken anti-war character of Ginny. I know many authors accomplish the task of bringing the perspectives of history through the life of characters, but I thought Rylant’s historical fiction text was superb! I am not a history buff, nor is historical fiction my favorite genre, but Rylant impressed and inspired me to give historical fiction another look as I browse book genres.
I have to admit, when I first picked up the book, I was surprised to learn that Rylant chose to write a historical fiction story on WWII. In our experiences with Rylant this semester, I had the feeling that her stories revolved around the family, home, as well as her Appalachian background. But, as I read the book, I realized her themes are still present… each character of the family supported the war in a different manner, exhibiting the patriotism in WWII. Furthermore, in Rylant’s interview at the end book, I read that Rylant based her story I Had Seen Castles from a WWII veteran interview she herself had read in a newspaper – an interview she was moved by and thought should be told. I commend Rylant’s motivation to tell such a story, and in my opinion to step a outside of the picture book work I am familiar with, to tell a story that captured the faces and emotions of war.
I took John’s character to heart throughout the text. My heart ached with him as he longed to turn 18, to enlist in the army, and honorably serve our country. Of course, my personal life helped me to connect to the feelings and emotions wrapped around John’s character. Aaron (my boyfriend) just returned home from a 6 month deployment in Iraq. In August, I remember trying to say goodbye, and just crying. I couldn’t fathom the affects warfare would have on him, and feared what road lie ahead for him in the desert. I remember not knowing what to say as I hugged him goodbye, and just crying even when I promised myself and him I was strong. It is for this reason I can only imagine how comforting and inspiring Ginny’s words were “you (John) will be an old man.” We all know what it feels like to have someone believe in us, can you imagine how profound this phrase was for a young man heading to war? “I (John) would regard them as sacred prophecy, and later, later, when my own weak heart could not gather enough will to live, when I felt at times I would surely die and even wished to die, I would remember that Ginny had said I would one day be an old man. And I lived for her” (pg 52). WOW! That is too sweet! As an outsider, I was so relived to know that even though Ginny did not support the war, her powerful words influenced him, giving him the courage and strength to persevere during war. In the same regard, however, I had a difficult time understanding why John did not go to Smithfield to find Ginny after he returned from war. On page 94, John proclaims that he wanted to proclaim his gratitude to her, how their experiences graciously pulled him through the war… but yet he never wanted to find her??? In the text, it reports that John was too weak and didn’t have enough resolve. Even if Ginny and John did not work out as couple, I still wished he would have found her in Smithfield and thanked her for the love and support she provided him. I wonder if anyone else wishes John would have gone to Smithfield to find her, or I am just a hopeless romantic?
Nonetheless, I am pleased I broadened my genre horizon and read Cynthia Rylant’s historical fiction, for her work continues to be nothing less than impressive!
By: Cynthia Rylant
I appreciated Cynthia Rylant’s historical fiction novel I Had Seen Castles. I thought it captured the many different faces of World War II - the over anxious green soldier, the sacrificing father, the supportive yet terribly worried mother, as well as the outspoken anti-war character of Ginny. I know many authors accomplish the task of bringing the perspectives of history through the life of characters, but I thought Rylant’s historical fiction text was superb! I am not a history buff, nor is historical fiction my favorite genre, but Rylant impressed and inspired me to give historical fiction another look as I browse book genres.
I have to admit, when I first picked up the book, I was surprised to learn that Rylant chose to write a historical fiction story on WWII. In our experiences with Rylant this semester, I had the feeling that her stories revolved around the family, home, as well as her Appalachian background. But, as I read the book, I realized her themes are still present… each character of the family supported the war in a different manner, exhibiting the patriotism in WWII. Furthermore, in Rylant’s interview at the end book, I read that Rylant based her story I Had Seen Castles from a WWII veteran interview she herself had read in a newspaper – an interview she was moved by and thought should be told. I commend Rylant’s motivation to tell such a story, and in my opinion to step a outside of the picture book work I am familiar with, to tell a story that captured the faces and emotions of war.
I took John’s character to heart throughout the text. My heart ached with him as he longed to turn 18, to enlist in the army, and honorably serve our country. Of course, my personal life helped me to connect to the feelings and emotions wrapped around John’s character. Aaron (my boyfriend) just returned home from a 6 month deployment in Iraq. In August, I remember trying to say goodbye, and just crying. I couldn’t fathom the affects warfare would have on him, and feared what road lie ahead for him in the desert. I remember not knowing what to say as I hugged him goodbye, and just crying even when I promised myself and him I was strong. It is for this reason I can only imagine how comforting and inspiring Ginny’s words were “you (John) will be an old man.” We all know what it feels like to have someone believe in us, can you imagine how profound this phrase was for a young man heading to war? “I (John) would regard them as sacred prophecy, and later, later, when my own weak heart could not gather enough will to live, when I felt at times I would surely die and even wished to die, I would remember that Ginny had said I would one day be an old man. And I lived for her” (pg 52). WOW! That is too sweet! As an outsider, I was so relived to know that even though Ginny did not support the war, her powerful words influenced him, giving him the courage and strength to persevere during war. In the same regard, however, I had a difficult time understanding why John did not go to Smithfield to find Ginny after he returned from war. On page 94, John proclaims that he wanted to proclaim his gratitude to her, how their experiences graciously pulled him through the war… but yet he never wanted to find her??? In the text, it reports that John was too weak and didn’t have enough resolve. Even if Ginny and John did not work out as couple, I still wished he would have found her in Smithfield and thanked her for the love and support she provided him. I wonder if anyone else wishes John would have gone to Smithfield to find her, or I am just a hopeless romantic?
Nonetheless, I am pleased I broadened my genre horizon and read Cynthia Rylant’s historical fiction, for her work continues to be nothing less than impressive!
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