Eagerly Awaiting Erica's Visit

My second graders at the French International School are eagerly awaiting the visit of author Erica Silverman. They adore Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa, those two sparky and tender friends. They've come up with questions for the author, they've prepared a Readers Theatre performance for the author, and they will all wear bandanas on the day of her visit to show how we psyched we are, and how we'd all like to live on a ranch. They will even sing a French version of Cocoa's Lullaby!

Our school librarian, Elodie Domenge, has prepared a display to make Erica feel at home. We can't wait! Yee-haw!

Children Love Poetry

The first graders I teach at the French International School in Washington, DC, love poetry. Every year, I am thrilled to see that no matter what anybody says about memorizing poetry, kids lap it up! And they adore the freedom of expression that it gives them once a poem is learned by heart.

Last week, these 6-year olds joyfully and raucously recited Dorothy Aldis's poem "Everybody Says." It goes like this:

Everybody Says

by Dorothy Aldis

Everybody says

I look just like my mother

Everybody says

I'm the image of Aunt Bee

Everybody says

my nose is like my father's

But I want to look like ME!

Dorothy Aldis (1896-1966) was a children's literature author and poet. 

Summer Flowers

Kinda groovy, this stop-motion video of a still life…
Click the link below and see it happen…
http://www.vimeo.com/27130532

Pippi Longstocking

I've just finished reading, for the first time ever, Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking. Wow, am I flabbergasted! Wishing now that I would have read this earlier in life, I can only guess how much I would have enjoyed this as a girl. Irreverent, strong, eccentric, subversive - she's a girl's role model, and a woman's delight. Refusing authority to those whom we never dare disrespect, ie, teachers and policemen, Pippi delights in being her own person, her own nine-year rebellious, natural, wonderful self.

Pippi Longstocking came out in 1945 in Sweden, but it wasn't until the book's translation into English by Edna Hurup in 1954 did it become a worldwide sensation, and with it Pippi, a classic, trans-cultural archetype of children's literature.

She reminds me of characters from Roald Dahl's world, of creatures from Dr. Seuss's crazy galley. She is as good as Alice in Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass, turning us all on our heads, making us totally topsy-turvy.


For years, Pippi has been available to my students in my classroom, but it's just one of those books I never took the time to read. Lately, when I heard that Lisbeth Salander, aka The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, was based more on Pippi than on anyone else, I was intrigued. What an eye-opening and fun read it's been.
2007 Oxford University Edition with cover illustration by Lauren Child

I wonder… what editor would take a chance on Pippi today?

Prix « Coup de Pouce »

Quelle bonne surprise ! Je viens d'apprendre que Combinaison gagnante, publié dans la collection « Livres et égaux » des Éditions Talents Hauts, a été sélectionné pour participer au seizième Prix Coup de Pouce décerné par la ville d'Eaubonne, catégorie ROMANS. Ce prix de littérature jeunesse est décerné par un jury d'enfants des établissements scolaires de la ville et récompense l'auteur d'une première ou seconde œuvre jeunesse publiée entre le premier janvier 2010 et le 31 décembre 2010.

Les votes auront lieu début mars, ainsi faudra-t-il attendre la semaine du 13 mars 2012 pour en savoir plus…

J'ai été ravie de voir que le livre Philo mène la danse, écrit par ma consœur aux Éditions Talents Hauts, Séverine Vidal, a également été sélectionné.

Le genre des mots composés, ou…

Depuis toutes ces années que je parle le français (j'en ai commencé l'étude à 14 ans), il reste toujours des difficultés que j'ai du mal à maîtriser. Par exemple, jusqu'à l'été dernier, le genre des mots composés me donnait du fil à retordre. Quelques exemples : 

le repose-tête

le porte-documents

le pense-bête

le porte-monnaie

Je n'arrivais pas à utiliser ces termes sans me tromper sur leurs genres : à chaque fois que je disais : « Mais où est passée ma porte-monnaie » mon entourage français me disait : « C'est UN porte-monnaie ! »
Mais comment est-ce possible ? « Une » porte-monnaie serait tout de même logique : une porte, c'est féminin, la monnaie, c'est féminin, ne serait-ce pas logique que ce terme composé soit, lui aussi, féminin ? Eh bien, non !

Pour moi, il était temps d'en venir au bout de cette faiblesse et de vaincre cette difficulté de la langue française.
Et c'est là que Philippe (mon entourage français, voir quelques lignes plus haut) me dit : « Mais tu sais, ce sont les mots dont le premier est un verbe d'action et le deuxième son complément. Et c'est toujours masculin. »

Puisque nous faisions une longue route de Washington vers le Maine pour nos vacances, j'avais le temps d'en faire la liste. J'ai pris mon calepin, mon crayon, décidée à mettre par écrit les mots-composés qui m'enquiquinait depuis si longtemps. J'en ai trouvé un paquet.

Avant de vous faire voir la liste, permettez-moi une petite remarque : les francophones dont le français est la langue maternelle auront peut-être du mal à comprendre à quel point ceci est une énorme difficulté pour ceux qui ont dû l'apprendre en deuxième langue, après l'enfance. Ces derniers (dont je fais partie) vont savoir de quoi je parle ! Avec chaque nouveau mot composé que je rajoutais à la liste, je jubilais à la pensée de pouvoir bien l'utiliser dans mes propos futurs, que ce soit à l'écrit ou à l'oral. Et depuis, je ne me trompe plus ! (Si, de temps en temps, mais je me corrige immédiatement !)

Voici la liste : 

Un accroche-cœur
Un amuse-guele
Un appui-tête
Un attache-remorque
Un attrape-nigaud
Un baise-main
Un brise-glace
Un cache-cœur
Un cache-misère
Un cache-nez
Un casse-croûte
Un casse-noix
Un casse-tête
Un chasse-neige
Un coupe-vent
Un croche-patte
Un emporte-pièce
Un épluche-légume
Un garde-boue
Un gratte-ciel
Un lance-pierre
Un lave-linge
Un lave-vaisselle
Un lèche-frites
Un lèse-majesté
Un marque-page
Un monte-charge
Un ouvre-boîte
Un ouvre-bouteille
Un pare-brise
Un passe-montagne
Un pense-bête
Une perce-oreille
Un pèse-lettre
Un pèse-personne
Un pique-fleur
Un porte-clé
Un porte-bonheur
Un porte-document
Un porte-feuille
Un porte-manteau
Un porte-plume
Un porte-serviette
Un pousse-café
Un presse-ail
Un presse-citron
Un presse-purée
Un protège-matelas
Un rabat-joie
Un ramasse-poussière
Un repose-cuillère
Un repose-tête
Un rince-doigt
Un sèche-linge
Un serre-tête
Un soutien-gorge
Un taille-barbe
Un taille-crayon
Un taille-haie
Un tape-cul
Un tire-bouchon
Un tire-fesses
Un tourne-vis
Un vide-poche

Évidemment, il y a quelques exceptions à la règle (mais pas tant que ça, curieusement) :

Une garde-robe…
Une pince-monseigneur…

Y a-t-il une raison à cela ? Quelqu'un peut-il expliquer ? Auriez-vous d'autres contre-exemples ?

J'attends vos commentaires !

This is Just to Say…

that I love the poetry of Williams Carlos Williams. Through teaching, I have come to know Williams and his poetry better than I ever did before, and I am in love. Even more, I have been able to transfer some of this passion to my third and fourth grade students. They love this poetry, too.


Although I've been introducing students to Williams' poetry now for years, I have just recently started using a wonderful book about his life to enhance their experience. It is Jen Bryant's A River of Words, The Story of Williams Carlos Williams. This wonderfully illustrated, mixed-media picture book / biography (ill. Melissa Sweet) helps my young students understand a bit more about how Willie broke out of traditional poetry forms to find his own voice. They understand that although he was a medical doctor who delivered babies, set broken arms, and tended to the sick in his community, he was first and foremost a lover of words, of sounds, of images, that he was atuned to everyday, commonplace happenings. He followed his innermost calling by writing poetry throughout his life… as a family doctor! My students particularly love the picture of Willie up in his attic, late at night, with his typewriter, surrounded by pieces of paper filled with interesting words and phrases, tacked up on the walls. They love that from these bits and pieces, he pulls out the one or two or three words and ideas, and distills them into a pithy poem.

Children are natural philosophers, and the Williams' poem "The Red Wheelbarrow" opens up discussions that make them think, and ask "Well, what really depends on what?"

The Red Wheelbarrow

So much depends

upon 

a red wheel

barrow

glazed with rain

water

beside the white 

chickens.

And while studying the following poem, the students and I talk about relationships, complicity between people who know each other well, temptation, pleasure, and trust. 

This is Just to Say

I have eaten

the plums

that were in

the icebox

and which

you were probably

saving

for breakfast

Forgive me

they were delicious

so sweet and 

so cold

After studying and memorizing this poem, the students use it as a model for writing their own "This is Just to Say." Here's one by Sami (8 years old):

I have taken

the soccer ball 

that was on

the field

and which 

you were probably

saving 

for the big game

Forgive me

it was incredible

so bouncy

and so hard

SUR MES BORDS LES QUERELLES

Allez voir cette expo à Brooklyn… ça en vaut le détour.
Mago Crêperie, 464 Grand Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
Quartier du « Clinton Hill »
Vendredi 29 avril à partir de 18h
Qui sait trouver la référence littéraire du titre…  ?

Festival de la Francophonie 2011

Living in DC can be great fun: it's a city where international happenings occur sans cesse, all throughout the year. March and April were months during which one could enjoy the kinds of francophone treats – films, music, performances, literary salons, storytelling – which otherwise, one would have to travel far and wide to attend. I made it to only a few of them… The festival celebrates the French-speaking world present on all continents, and as Hubert Haddad so rightly reminded us: Les français sont francophones, mais la francophonie n'est pas française, meaning that the French language and culture is not the reserve of France, in fact, French speakers from France represent only 40% of French speakers worldwide!

I attended the opening reception at the Belgian Embassy where I was delighted to meet the francophone contingency from Lafayette, Louisiana, a place where I have deep roots (on my mother's side - another blogpost about that later). The next week, I spent an evening listening to Hubert Haddad, franco-tunisian writer, at a literary salon where he was interviewed by Sarah Diligenti-Pickup. Unfortunately, I missed the one with Yannick Lahens, from Haïti. A few days later, I was thrilled to experience a live music concert by Les Nubians, those two Grammy nominated international singers and recording artists who just happen to be sisters.





It was, however, the evening of La Nuit du conte that I did not want to miss. Four storytellers both captivated and enraptured the audience at La Maison Française: Mimi Barthélémy with stories from the West Indies, Bienvenu Bokian from West Africa, Myriame El Yamani from Acadia, Quebec, and Maghreb, and Barry Jean Ancelet from Louisiana. It was the Louisiana storyteller who caught my attention. I wanted to hear my compatriot tell folktales in French. I wondered if they would be the same I had heard growing up in Louisiana. His voice, his tone, and the stories, tales, and legends from the Cajun world all brought me back to where I come from.
I haven't lived in Louisiana for over 35 years, but I feel closer to it now that I ever have. Vive la francophonie! 

Super, la classe de CM2B !

Jeudi dernier, le 31 mars, j'ai eu le plaisir de rendre visite à la classe de CM2B au Lycée Rochambeau, dans la région de Washington. La maîtresse de la classe leur a fait lire mon livre Combinaison gagnante,  et ensuite, elle et ses élèves m'ont invitée à venir leur parler un petit peu du livre, du processus d'écriture, et de bien d'autres choses. Les élèves étaient prêts. Non seulement avaient-ils lu le livre avec attention, ils avaient réfléchi à des questions concernant les garçons et les filles. Que ce soit Tom, Théotime, Léa, Théodora, Marie, Gabriella, Yasmin, Stephen, Abigail, Antoine, Emilio, Imane, ou Prunella… chacun percutait avec ses questions.

« Pourquoi les filles ne font-elles pas plus de sport de compétition ? »
« Qui est votre personnage préféré ? »
« Avez-vous fait du kart quand vous étiez jeune ? »
« Qu'est-ce qui vous a donné l'idée d'écrire cette histoire ? »
« Aimez-vous écrire ? »
« Combien de fois avez-vous révisé votre texte ? »
« À quand le tome 2 ? »

Cette dernière question m'a bien étonnée ! Tous ses élèves avaient envie de savoir ce que deviendrait Axelle par la suite. La connaître à douze ans ne leur suffisait pas ! Voilà de la matière à réflexion.

Chaque élève est venu me parler individuellement, muni de son exemplaire du livre. Et ce fut le moment des dédicaces, et des conversations. Merci à Lycia, merci aux élèves de la classe de CM2B.

Dans le « Cahier de vie » de la classe de CM2B (où chacun prend son tour), l’élève Léa a écrit :

« La visite de Madame Paul :

Ce jeudi, 31 mars, Jane Singleton Paul est venue dans la classe pour faire des dédicaces et parler de son livre. Le titre de son livre est Combinaison gagnante, c’est un livre qui raconte l’histoire d’une fille nommée Axelle, son rêve, c’est de devenir une championne en Formule 1, mais ses parents ne veulent pas… Guillaume, son frère est un rêveur, il aime lire et écrire des poésies mais il n’aime pas faire du kart, c’est là que Guillaume a l’idée de changer de vie… »

JSP avec Léa, Imane, et Théodora.

Encore un grand merci !

<3

Parse Gallery & Artist Situation in NOLA

Last week, while Philippe and I were visiting family and friends in Louisiana, we encountered Parse Gallery & Artist Situation in downtown New Orleans. 

Parse Gallery is a three-story building where two young artists are establishing a progressive and playful art community. The directors, Ricardo Barba (originally from Chicago) and Margot Walsh (originally from Richmond), run the space and invite diverse artists to come together to live and work, a kind of artist collective and community. The gallery is at 134 Carondelet Street, just on the fringe of the French Quarter, right past Canal Street. 

The first floor serves as a gallery. Up until yesterday, Parse was showing two young artists' works: Brooke Inman and Jess Laskosky, whose collective pieces are called "Still Life with Bombs." Up next is a show of Ricardo's works slated to begin in April. On the second floor, there is a residential space for the artists who join them for a time. On the spacious third floor is the studio space which is already operational, where the artists do their thing, but more space is on the way: Ricardo and Margot are expanding studio space and living quarters so as to welcome even more artists.

Wishing them much luck, and a few breaks! C'mon New Orleans!

Bonne chance à Ricardo, à Margot, et à Parse !

.

.

.

The Batchelder Award?

Every year, we await the announcement of the Newbery and the Caldecott awards. "Moon Over Manifest," by Clare Vanderpool, is the 2011 Newbery Medal Award winner for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature, and the Caldecott Award for the most distinguished American picture book has been awarded to Erin E. Stead for "A Sick Day for Amos McGee."


But the American Library Association bestows many other awards for children's literature: among others, the Printz Award, for excellence in literature written for young adults; the Coretta Scott King Award, for an African American author of outstanding books for children and young adults; the Alex Awards, for the ten best book that appeal to teen audiences; the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, for the most distinguished beginning reader book… and the Mildred L. Batchelder Award…

What was that last award?

One of those "other awards" receiving very little attention and even less press is one that interests me particularly. It is the Mildred L. Batchelder Award for an outstanding children's book first published in another language other than English, and then translated and subsequently published in the United States. I was extremely pleased to see that this year's winner was for a book originally published in French, and then translated from French to English.

This year's Batchelder selection is "A Time of Miracles," released in France in 2009 and entitled Le Temps des Miracles, written by Anne-Laure Bondoux and published by Bayard Jeunesse Millézime, translated from the French to English by Y. Maudet, published in English in the US by Delacorte Press Books.

Despite the glowing reviews the book received in France when it was published in 2009, American publishers are still leery of taking on the risk of a book translated from another language for American readers. "A Time of Miracles" is not the first book Delacorte Press has taken a risk on, and this publisher is to be commended for expanding young readers' horizons by offering them literature that speaks to the universal heart, yet through the prism of a culture other than our own.

Bravo, Anne-Laure Bondoux!
Bravo, Y. Maudet!
Bravo, Delacorte Press Books!