- Sep 16, 2024
Updated: Dec 10, 2024
Ralph Fasanella, Artist of the People
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Holiday House
(pub. 11.7.2023)
48 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Anne Broyles
Illustrator: Victoria Tentler-Krylov
Character: Ralph Fasanella
Overview:
" When dared to jump, Ralph always took the dare. So begins this beautiful tribute to a singular artist and his tireless efforts to honor and celebrate immigrant and working-class communities through his paintings.
Born in 1914 New York City to Italian immigrants, Ralph’s youth was one of dress factories, ice deliveries, union meetings, and Momma’s stories of the Bread & Roses Strike around the dinner table. By teaching himself how to paint, Ralph discovered a new way to reach working people: he would depict their lives, their work, and American history with electric color at a grand scale.
Focusing on themes of social justice, immigrant rights, labor rights, and the dignity of working people, I’m Gonna Paint inspires to give a new generation the confidence to continue the fight for better working conditions."
Tantalizing taste:
"As a kid, Ralph taught himself to read.
As an adult, he taught himself to paint.
He visited museums to study works by famous artists.
He filled giant canvases with precise details in bold colors that rippled out, like when a pebble is thrown into a pond. Memories of his old neighborhoods, his father's ice wagon, the Protectory, and the dress shop where Mama used to work were transformed into paintings.
Ralph also referenced current events: Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, President Kennedy's assassination ,and many more.
He painted ordinary people, city streets, everyday working life."
And something more: The More About Ralph section includes his quotes:
"Any good painting is a social statement. I just feel that art and politics can't be separated ."
"I have been a working man and a union man all my life. My paintings celebrate that. They're about working people: what they do, where they go, and what their hopes and dreams are."
"You want to be smart, go to the library."
"I never did a painting for myself. I was always trying to uplift other people, to show them who they are and where they came from… My job is not only to record American history, but to record the feelings of American workers as honestly as possible."
- Sep 16, 2024
Updated: Dec 10, 2024
How James Earl Jones Found His Voice
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Knopf Books for Young Readers
(pub. 7.30.2024)
48 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Kari Lavelle
Illustrator: Bryan Collier
Character: James Earl Jones
Overview:
" Before legendary actor James Earl Jones was recognized for his memorable, smooth voice, he was just James--a stutterer who stopped speaking for eight years as a child...and ultimately found his voice through poetry...
Whenever James tried to voice his thoughts, his words got stuck in his throat. But James figured out a solution for his shame: if he didn't speak, he wouldn't stutter.
And so he was silent...until he wrote his own poem, Ode to Grapefruit, and found a love for poetry."
Tantalizing taste:
"He traveled to the front of the classroom,
the dark side of fear rising.
Heart pounding.
Eighteen sets of eyes
and Professor Crouch watching.
Some kids smirked and some smiled.
Knees shaking.
But he felt the rhythm in his soul.
Tata tata tata tata…
James opened his mouth and began,
his voice deep and smooth,
reciting from his heart,
'Ode to Grapefruit...'"
And something more: The author, Kari Lavelle, shared in the Author's Note: "As a speech pathologist for over fifteen years, I continue to share the inspirational story of James Earl Jones with many kids who stutter. In researching and then writing his story, it is my hope his voice gives a voice to many."
Updated: Feb 8
WOO HOO! I’m beyond excited to be visiting DC to share our books! I’m so grateful to be hosted by such amazing organizations!
If you’re in the area, I’d love for you and any kiddos to join us at any (or all!) of these FREE events open to the public. Here's the scoop from the venues:
❤️ NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
Friday, September 20
10:30 AM – 12:30 PM EDT
1st Floor, Explorer Theater in Sant Ocean Hall
Join us for a special Story Time with guest author, Jeanne Walker Harvey!
Jeanne Walker Harvey will be here to read her newest book, Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep. Come early to explore the deep sea through play. Families will also have a chance to explore some specimens from the museum's deep sea collection later in the program.
Following the reading, Jeanne Walker Harvey will be available for *book signing in the Explorer Theater.
*Please note that books will be available for purchase and are not included with attendance to the program.
❤️ AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM -
September 21, 2024 |10:30 am - 12:30 pm
National Air and Space Museum
Free, Timed-Entry Passes Required
Jeanne Walker Harvey will read her book, Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas.
After the story, we will learn about the Alma Thomas paintings that are in our collection at the National Air and Space Museum and other Smithsonian museums. We will play and make art to learn about Thomas, who had a unique way of depicting the world around her.
Following the reading, Jeanne Walker Harvey will be available for book signing at our Museum store.
❤️POLITICS and PROSE BOOKSTORE:
Sunday, September 22, 2024 - 10:30am to noon
Jeanne Walker Harvey - Else B and the Sea (ages 4 - 8) at 5015 Connecticut Ave
Join us for a Meet and Greet with the author! She will also read the book aloud with families and have several books from her extensive backlist available, and she can sign any purchased books.
And here's MY note:
Special thanks to the incredible team at Blue Slip Media for orchestrating these visits! 😍 And An Open Book Foundation or inviting me to share with students.
