Awards
2010 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
2011 Caldecott Honor Book
Synopses & Reviews
Shooting at the Stars is the moving story of a young British soldier on the front lines during World War I who experiences an unforgettable Christmas Eve. In a letter home to his mother, he describes how, despite fierce fighting earlier from both sides, Allied and German soldiers ceased firing and came together on the battlefield to celebrate the holiday. They sang carols, exchanged gifts, and even lit Christmas trees. But as the holiday came to a close, they returned to their separate trenches to await orders for the war to begin again.John Hendrix wonderfully brings this story to life, interweaving fact and fiction along with his detailed illustrations and hand-lettered text. His story celebrates the humanity and kindness that can persist even during the darkest periods of our history. Back matter includes a glossary, additional information about World War I and the Christmas Truce and its aftermath, and an archival photograph taken during the Truce.
Praise for Shooting at the Stars
STARRED REVIEWS
andquot;Few titles at this level convey the futility of World War I as well as this one does. A first choice.andquot;
--School Library Journal, starred review
andquot;Timed with the centenary of World War I but a lesson for always, Hendrixand#39;s tale pulls young readers close and shows the human side of war.andquot;
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"An accomplished, visually stunning homage to an important African-American artist." Kirkus Reviews
Review
"An inspiring story, perfectly presented and sure to prompt classroom discussion and projects. Outstanding in every way." School Library Journal
Review
"A beautiful introduction to a great lost artist." Booklist
Review
"This extraordinary life deserves wide attention. And, fittingly for a book about an artist, Dave the Potter is beautifully designed and illustrated" New York Times
Synopsis
To us it is just dirt, the ground we walk on... But to Dave it was clay, the plain and basic stuff upon which he formed a life as a slave nearly 200 years ago.
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.
Synopsis
To us
it is just dirt,
the ground we walk on...
But to Dave
it was clay,
the plain and basic stuff
upon which he formed a life
as a slave nearly 200 years ago.
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.
Synopsis
A Caldecott HonorA Coretta Scott King Award Winner
An award-winning celebration of an American hero
Dave was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living in South Carolina in the 1800s. He combined his superb artistry with deeply observant poetry, carved onto his pots, transcending the limitations he faced as a slave. In this inspiring and lyrical portrayal, National Book Award nominee Laban Carrick Hill's elegantly simple text and award-winning artist Bryan Collier's resplendent, earth-toned illustrations tell Dave's story, a story rich in history, hope, and long-lasting beauty.
Synopsis
A National Book Award finalist teams up with an award-winning illustrator to present a beautiful and inspiring biography of a slave who lived in South Carolina in the 1800s and his extraordinary talent for pottery. Full color.
Synopsis
A young girl witnesses the discovery of the mummified body of another girl in an Irish bog and feels a strong connection to this unknown being from the past.
Synopsis
Maeve is unnerved when she and her grandfather find a body in the bog in Ballywhinney,
Ireland. It turns out to be the body of a young girl who lived more than a
thousand years ago. A girl like Maeve, with fair hair, who walked the same fields and
picked the same flowers. When archeologists display the mummy at a museum, Maeve
wonders: Does the girl mind being displayed in a glass case for all to see? Or does she
miss the green meadow where she had lain for so many hundreds of years?
Two picture-book masters sensitively capture the layers of thought and feeling arising
in the face of an awe-inspiring and mysterious discovery.
Synopsis
In this inviting picture book biography of Mary Nohl, we meet the artist as a young girl, just discovering her talent, and watch as her front yard sculpture garden comes to life.
Synopsis
While the rest of her classmates were making pastries in cooking classes, Mary Nohl was making artandmdash;anything she fancied out of anything she could find. Inspiration struck Mary even when she wasnandrsquo;t looking for it. Mary used common objects to make uncommon art. And one day, her garden was a gallery.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Mary Nohl passed away in 2001 at the age of eighty-seven. Her famous garden gallery is located in the front yard of her Fox Point, Wisconsin, home to this day.
Synopsis
Hailing from the Tremandeacute; neighborhood in New Orleans, Troy andldquo;Trombone Shortyandrdquo; Andrews got his nickname by wielding a trombone twice as long as he was high. A prodigy, he was leading his own band by age six, and today this Grammy-nominated artist headlines the legendary New Orleans Jazz Fest.
Along with esteemed illustrator Bryan Collier, Andrews has created a lively picture book autobiography about how he followed his dream of becoming a musician, despite the odds, until he reached international stardom. Trombone Shorty is a celebration of the rich cultural history of New Orleans and the power of music.
About the Author
Laban Carrick Hill is the author of more than thirty books, including the 2004 National Book Award Finalist
Harlem Stomp!, a book he researched for nearly a decade, and
America Dreaming, which examines the legacy of the 1960s. He has taught writing at Columbia University, Baruch College, and St. Michael's College and is currently teaching at the Solstice MFA in Creative Writing Program at Pine Manor College in Massachusetts. He is also the cofounder and codirector of the Writers Project of Ghana, based in the US and Ghana.
Bryan Collier began painting at the age of fifteen and earned a B.F.A. with honors from the Pratt Institute in New York. He is the illustrator of over 10 picture books, including Martin's Big Words and Rosa (both Caldecott Honor and Coretta Scott King Award winners) and Barack Obama: Son of Promise, Child of Hope, a New York Times bestseller. Mr. Collier lives in Harlem, where he directs mural programs throughout the city for any child who wants to paint.