J u s t P u b l i s h e d
THE BIRTHDAY TREE
Illustrated by Barry Root
After Jack's parents plant an apple tree in honor of his birth, they notice a strange affinity between the two. When the boy runs off to sea, they're bereft--until they realize that they can behold their son's life through the tree. Paul Fleischman's first book, originally published in 1979, has now been luminously illustrated by Barry Root.
Candlewick Press / Spring 2008
GLASS SLIPPER,
GOLD SANDAL
A Worldwide
Cinderella
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Once upon a time, in Mexico... in Zimbabwe... in India... there lived a girl whose stepmother made her sleep on the hearthstones. In Iraq, knowing she'd urged her father to remarry, she tells herself, "I picked up the scorpion with my own hand" and vows not to complain about her lot. In Russia, crying in hunger, she's fed by a cow pouring honey from its horn. In Indonesia, she receives a golden sarong to dance in from the mouth of a crocodile...
Gorgeously illustrated by
Julie Paschkis,
Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal braids a gathering of Cinderella tales into one--a hymn to the rich variety of our cultures and the chameleon quality of stories to change their clothes while keeping their essence.
A New York Times 2007 Notable book
A Book Sense Children's Pick
An NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Language Arts
California Book Award, Silver Medal, Commonwealth Club of California
An IRA Notable Children's Book for a Global Society
Starred reviews in Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Booklist, School Library Journal
"A gem of a book...For anyone who ever thought they'd seen enough of Cinderella, here's an offering that, in celebrating both its universality and specificity, makes the old tale new again." --Kirkus Reviews
Henry Holt / Fall 2007
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"O n e B o o k"
P r o g r a m s
C h o o s e
S E E D F O L K S
The community read program in
Menomonie, WI is the latest to pick
Seedfolks--a collection of vignettes by 13 characters describing the first year of a community garden in a Cleveland immigrant neighborhood.
Its short length, multicultural cast, and suitability for adults as well as students has led
Seedfolks to be used in community reads around the country:
VERMONT used the book as its One-State One-Book choice throughout 2005. There were discussions, dramatizations, readings on Vermont Public Radio, and the participation of dozens of groups--from the Friends of Burlington Gardens to the Vermont Refugee Resettlement Project--in communities up and down the state. For information on Burlington's splendid community gardens and views of my 2005 visit, click here.
RACINE, WI gave away copies of the book, encouraging readers to leave them in public places when finished, posting comments and following the book's journey via BookCrossing.com. Discussions in Spanish, a screening of Greenfingers, writing and virtual gardening at a women's prison are a few of the many activities that took place. The book was chosen as well for the statewide reading program, Read On Wisconsin.
TAMPA, FL gave away more than 15,000 copies of the book and used it in conjunction with Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, encouraging citizens to volunteer in an array of community improvement projects.
NEWBURGH, NY connected the book to a month-long multicultural celebration of words, art, and dance, with concerts and classes on everything from found sculpture to African drumming. The local newspaper serialized the book in both English and Spanish.
The book has also been read by Upland, CA; Arlington, MA; Boca Raton, FL; Springville, UT; and Winchester, MA.
"Dear Paul Fleischman: I've bought 20 copies of Seedfolks and given them away."
--PETE SEEGER
The book has been used in connection with
school gardens at every level, performed by community theaters, and used in school-wide and district-wide reads. I've posted an
article--included in the new paperback edition--on
how the book came to be written. Click
here for a newspaper article on how
a New York teenager put the book into action. An
audio of the book is now available from
Audio Bookshelf. If you're interested in using
Seedfolks in a school or community reading program, contact Dina Sherman at HarperCollins (dina.sherman@
harpercollins.com). Click here to download HarperCollins' teacher's guide to the book.
"The size of this slim volume belies the profound message of hope it contains."
--CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR
Seedfolks in Spanish!
Translated as
Semillas, Seedfolks is now available in a Spanish paperback edition from Scholastic's
Lectorum Publications.
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Photo by Laurie Harbeson
WESLANDIA --
The Musical
Composer Frumi Cohen has brought
Weslandia to the stage! The tale of a grammar school outcast who founds an alternate civilization in his backyard has now been infused with her toe-tapping, lyrical, irresistible music. The 55-minute musical is available both as a large-cast student production and as a touring play for 3 males and 3 females. You can get more information and hear samples at
frumicohen.com .
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E V E N T S
I'll be present at a readers theater performance of Seek to celebrate the opening of the new library in Watsonville, CA on May 6, 2008. The show will begin at 4pm in the new building at 275 Main Street.
Spring 2008 performances of Zap will be given in:
Janesville, WI, Parker High School, January 11-12
Florence, SC, Palmetto Dramatics Assoc. Festival, February 22-24
Toronto, ONT, University of Toronto Schools, February 29-March 1
Liberty, MO, Liberty High School, March 12, 14, April 18-19
Oak Harbor, WA, Oak Harbor High School, March 13-15
Medina, OH, Highland High School, March 13-15
Bardstown, KY, Nelson County High School, March 18, 20
Clovis, CA, Buchanan High School, April 24-26
Castle Dale, UT, Emery High School, March 27; April 16, 19, 24
Greensboro, NC, Weaver Academy, May 29-June 1
Chula Vista, CA, Olympian High School, May 30 and June 6
Kingston, ONT, Kingston Collegiate and Vocational Institute, June 3
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C O M P O S E R S
L I V E !
Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices may be the only Newbery book never to be translated into another language--but composers rushed in where translators feared to tread. Quite a few have set selections from the book to music over the years, captivating works I can now share with you. Do your children or students think all composers are dead, or that questions have only one right answer? Listen to these very different treatments of the same poem.
The first is the work of
Shirley Hoffman Warren, one of five
Joyful Noise poems she set to music, all performed at SUNY in New Paltz, NY, where she lives. "I often strive for a slightly off-balance feel," she says--wonderfully evident here. To hear more of her work, visit her website at
www.washalee.com .
The second was composed by
Brian Holmes and was recently performed by the Peninsula Girls Chorus in Burlingame, CA. To learn and hear more, go to
myspace.com/brianwholmes.
Jacket art from The Birthday Tree © 2008 by Barry Root. Text copyright © 1979, 2008 by Paul Fleischman. Illustrations copyright © 2008 by Barry Root. Published 2008 by Candlewick Press, Inc., Cambridge, MA.
