"Pyongyang" by Guy Delisle

Summary of Pyongyang by Guy Delisle
This graphic novel opens the eyes of the reader to the secretive society of North Korea.  The author was a first hand witness as he entered the country on a work visa for a French film company.  The experience allowed him to view the culture, more of it than the North Koreans had intended.  The text and illustrations cooperate together to give a good picture of the realities of living under the world's best known Communist dynasty.  The story line focuses on his personal adventures within the country in the company of his translator and guide. 

Delisle, G. (2005).  Pyongyang.  New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux.

Personal Impressions of Pyongyang by Guy Delisle
This first hand account of life in North Korea is very informative and interesting. The author's sarcastic humor adds to the flavor. The impression of negative and hopeless conditions are accented, as well as the inability of the government to contain the troubles within. The graphics are complementary of the text, which is interesting and chronological of Delisle's personal journey.

Reviews of Pyongyang by Guy Delisle
"In 2001, French-Canadian cartoonist Delisle traveled to North Korea on a work visa to supervise the animation of a children's cartoon show for two months. While there, he got a rare chance to observe firsthand one of the last remaining totalitarian Communist societies. He also got crappy ice cream, a barrage of propaganda and a chance to fly paper airplanes out of his 15th-floor hotel window. Combining a gift for anecdote and an ear for absurd dialogue, Delisle's retelling of his adventures makes a gently humorous counterpoint to the daily news stories about the axis of evil, a Lost in Translation for the Communist world. Delisle shifts between accounts of his work as an animator and life as a visitor in a country where all foreigners take up only two floors of a 50-story hotel. Delisle's simple but expressive art works well with his account, humanizing the few North Koreans he gets to know (including "Comrade Guide" and "Comrade Translator"), and facilitating digressions into North Korean history and various bizarre happenings involving brandy and bear cubs. Pyongyang will appeal to multiple audiences: current events buffs, Persepolis fans and those who just love a good yarn. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information."

Review by Publishers Weekly and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble. 

"The author accepted an assignment to work with a team of North Koreans hired to draw a cartoon series. This graphic novel depicts his time there, mostly in the capital city. Delisle stays at one of the three hotels in Pyongang permitted to take foreign guests. The 50-story Yangakkdo is mostly empty; the only floor with its lights turned on is the one with foreigners on it. Accompanied everywhere by at least one or two government assigned “guides,” the animator sees pretty much only what the powers that be want him to see. Even that limited view, however, reveals a fascistic and surreal landscape: a “phantom city in a hermit nation.” Delisle is a good guide through this overly ordered world. He genuinely likes the North Koreans and has no ideological axe to grind; he brings along Orwell to read, but doesn’t let it restrict his thinking. His sharp eye captures many telling details: a monstrously luxurious subway station (marble walls, chandeliers) that seems to be only for show; the empty restaurants; the “volunteer” civilians obsessively cleaning everywhere he looks; and always the passionate reverence for Kim Jong Il, whose portrait hangs “in every room, on every floor, in every building” throughout the land. Brilliant, passionately rendered reportage."
Review from Kirkus Reviews and Retrieved from kirkusreviews.com

Suggestions for Use in a Library or School
Pair the reading of Pyongyang with the article from National Geographic titled Escape from North Korea by Tom O'Neill (Feb. 2009 issue).  Ask high school students to comment on why someone would flee from North Korea and how international countries can help bring about freedom to the people there.  Pose other questions via discussion or essay:  Why do you think the people tolerate the government's control?  OR What freedoms do you take for granted in the U.S.?

"The Boy on Fairfield Street" by Kathleen Krull

Summary of The Boy on Fairfield Street by Kathleen Krull
Ted Geisel grew up on Fairfield Street in Springfield, Massachussetts.  Close to the public library and the zoo, Ted enjoyed lots of things.  He found little encouragement beyond his mother of his imaginative drawing and humorous escapades.  While he attended college, he was not studious like his sister.  Later in life he began drawing cartoons and received an encouraging response from a twelve year old boy.  It dawned on him that children would really like his ideas and he could share his love of animals, reading, and justice (freedom from the rules adults make).  The rest of his life was devoted to this endeavor, and he never wrote for adults again.  Several of his books, such as The Cat in the Hat and Green Eggs and Ham, continue to be favorites as first readers for children even today.

Krull, K. (2004).  The Boy on Fairfield Street:  How Ted Geisel Grew Up to Become Dr. Seuss.  New York, NY:  Random House, Incorporated.

Personal Impressions of The Boy on Fairfield Street
Ted Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, a.k.a. Ted or Theodore Lesieg, had a wonderful imagination and this book illustrates how unconventional his approach was in the early years.  If not for his mother, and later his wife, one might wonder if he would have ever persevered to undertake his love for creativity.  A good portion of determination and stubborness must have been a factor, as so few people gave him credit for his abilities. So many of us are glad he wrote for children with his fun antics, limited (sight word) plus phonics friendly vocabulary,  and unique illustrations. His books are loved and valued by most adults and children alike as a positive introduction into the world of reading. The illustrations in the book have a soft watercolor design, reminiscent of the turn of the century art during his young life.  A small example of Dr. Sueuss' art is provided on the bottom of each textual page.

Reviews of The Boy on Fairfield Street
"This picture-book biography is a winner. Ted Geisel was not an athletic child, and spent his free time roaming his neighborhood in Springfield, MA, and hanging out with his best friend. Except for encountering some strong anti-German sentiment, his childhood was ideally normal. The clear, large-type text concentrates on Geisel's youth. It delves a bit into his cartooning talent, honed while he was at Dartmouth College. The story ends with his successful career as Dr. Seuss still to come. An appended four-page section succinctly sums up his life and accomplishments. Johnson and Fancher's lovely, full-page illustrations are supplemented by samples of Dr. Seuss's artwork, including scenes from The Cat and the Hat and The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. A complete list of Seuss's titles, in chronological order, rounds out the title. Mae Woods's Dr. Seuss (ABDO, 2000) devotes more space to his adult life and career. Krull's work is a terrific look at the boyhood of one of the most beloved author/illustrators of the 20th century."
Review by Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI of School Library Journal and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble.

"Krull's (V Is for Victory) fond tribute to Dr. Seuss focuses on the well-loved author/artist's youth. Growing up in Springfield, Mass., Ted Geisel "feasted on books and was wild about animals" and "excelled at fooling around." The informal, anecdotal narrative explains that Geisel early on demonstrated a passion for drawing (even on his bedroom walls) "whatever popped into his head." He took only one art class, in high school, and quit when the teacher scolded him for "breaking rules" and told him he would never be successful. While attending Dartmouth, Geisel was admired for his "talent for silliness" and, Krull notes with comic irony, "He was clearly gifted, though no one knew at exactly what. It wasn't as if men could doodle for a living." The tale ends rather abruptly as the 22-year-old Geisel arrives in New York City to embark on his artistic career. A four-page addendum, presented in a smaller font, chronicles the highlights of Dr. Seuss's publishing career and provides intriguing tidbits about the creation of some of his beloved books. Johnson and Fancher's (New York's Bravest) representational, nostalgic paintings effectively evoke both the period and Geisel's appealingly puckish personality. Featured in spot art, familiar Seuss characters frolic through these pages, thematically complementing the illustrations while reminding readers why Geisel's life is worth celebrating."
Review by Publishers Weekly and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble.

Suggestions for Use in Library or School

For older students, encourage a look at Dr. Seuss books and how he challenged rules.  Have a discussion on why was he discouraged in his creativity and why do they think it was wrong.  Could it have prevented him from pursuing his goals and why didn't it?  Why are his books so memorable and excellent choices for beginning readers?  What is your favorite Dr. Seuss book and why?

For younger students, take a look at his illustrations and compare it to other children's books of his time.  Explain or discuss why people might have been reluctant in appreciating his imaginative approach for books.  Did you read his books when you first started reading?  What was your favorite and why?

"The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair" by Russell Martin and Lydia Nibley

Summary of The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair by Martin & Nibley
A remarkable true story of the path of a lock of hair from Beethoven's head.  Taken from Beethoven as he was on his deathbed, it was a treasured heirloom of a family passed down through time.  Lost during the turbulent years of World War II, it reappeared in Europe and is authenticated and auctioned off to two collectors who share ownership today. Scientific studies conducted on the lock of hair was analyzed to determine his cause of death, which now appears to be a prolonged poisoning by lead and is possible as the reason for his bouts of temper and eventual deafness.

Martin, R. & Nibley, L. (2009).  The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge Publishing, Inc.

Personal Impressions of Beethoven's Hair
What a fascinating and unique subject matter for a non=fiction selection!  A lot of detail goes into the process for determining the cause of so much lead in Beethoven's hair. Medicine meant to help his gastrointestinal problems he suffered from his whole life may be the very cause of his deafness. The mystery of the transfer of the lock of hair from the Hiller family and how it reappeared in Denmark will probably never be solved.

Reviews of Beethoven's Hair
"On Beethoven's death a gray-brown lock of his hair was snipped by a fifteen-year-old musician, Ferdinand Hiller, from the composer's corpse, and placed in a locket. Vignettes from the brilliant, troubled composer's life alternate with an account of the forensic detective work conducted on the lock of hair after it was acquired by collectors in 1994. The combination makes for a fascinating book, a young readers' version of Martin's national bestseller, Beethoven's Hair. Hiller became a composer and musician himself, and he took seriously Beethoven's injunction to him to devote his life to his art. Hiller also happened to be of Jewish heritage, from a family that may have protected itself by hiding that aspect of its identity. In a continent rapidly becoming engulfed with anti-Semitism, it is unclear how the lock of hair got to Denmark as it obviously did. Martin and Nibley use those chapters to speculate on possibilities and to flesh out the events of the evacuation of Denmark for young readers. Here the missing elements of story offer an opportunity to contextualize and clarify, where such a panning out to the larger events of the time may be seen as a weakness in the adult book. Woven into the narrative as well are the lives of the two impassioned Beethoven collectors, Alfredo "Che" Guevara of Laredo, Texas, and Ira Brilliant of Arizona, who acquired the lock of hair at a Sotheby's auction. Finally, The Mysteries of Beethoven's Hair details the meticulous process of testing and investigating historical artifacts and cumulatively building our knowledge about the lives that touched them. An afterword provides the story behind both the adult book and this one. A note fromthe authors clarifies aspects of the art of narrative nonfiction." 
Review by Uma Krishnaswami of Children's Literature and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble.

"In 1827, a music student cut a lock of hair as a memento from the head of recently deceased Ludwig van Beethoven. In 1994, two Americans bought the hair for about $7,300 and had scientists subject it to forensic tests. This slim volume introduces Beethoven's life, with an emphasis on his poor health and emotional problems, interspersing chapters about the hair's journey from Vienna to Arizona and the scientific analysis. Although the lock's history intersects with Denmark's remarkable evacuation of Jews in World War II, the specifics of its journey are unknown, which leaches some of the excitement from the episode. One must also wonder how many child readers will be captivated by the revelation that Beethoven's hair had extremely high levels of lead, much as the authors strain to build to a dramatic climax. Beethoven fans and music students may be intrigued, but overall the audience for this mildly interesting story will be limited. Black-and-white archival illustrations and photographs add little to the appeal."
Review by Kirkus Reviews and Retrieved from Barnes & Noble.

Suggestions for Use in Library or School
For the high school student, do a research project on the possible cause of deafness/death of the famous composer Beethoven.  For the younger student, pair the book with the video "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" and see if any of the symptoms of lead poisoning were prevalent in the depiction of his personality in the film.