The Luck of the Buttons

 “Tugs Button darted past Zip’s Hardware, stumbled over the lunch specials sign at Al and Irene’s Luncheonette, and pushed through the door of Ward’s Ben Franklin as if the devil himself were chasing her.” Anne Ylvisaker, The Luck of the Buttons, (Candlewick Press, April 2011)

Please help me welcome Tugs Buttons to the world of children’s books. She’s the spunky star of a new middle grade novel, The Luck of the Buttons. Written by my friend, Anne Ylvisaker, her story is set in Iowa circa 1929 and it’s a great read.

Here's how you can catch The Luck of the Buttons internet buzz, and join in the book’s celebration.

• Head over to Anne Ylvisaker’s blog where she’s been writing and illustrating with family photos the stories behind Tug’s story.

•  “Oh yes, and there's pie in the story!”  Don’t miss the pie party over at Vintage Cookbooks and Crafts . All week there will pie recipes and posts are by Anne. Today’s rhubarb.
• When you have finished your pie, stop by Anne’s Facebook Author’s page.
• Don’t let your excitement end there.  Get yourself a copy and read The Luck of the Buttons. Look for it in the usual places—great independent bookstores like The Red Balloon Bookshop, online booksellers like Amazon, or your local library. It's also an audio book.



Reuimel’s Mittens

They were knit in a soft tan and cream wool. There’s a left one and a right one--a refinement I left behind a hundred mittens ago. The cuff is ribbed with a two stitch cable. The top of the hand and thumb were decreased to form a triangle. The diamond stitch pattern is an interesting play of negative and positive, knit at 7 stitches to an inch. A simple folk mitten, they are more complex than any of my own creations.  And though they are a tight fit for my hand and rarely worn, they reside in the basket where I keep my everyday walk gear--hand knit mittens, hats, and cowls. Their presence adds a welcomed grace.

I found the mittens at the Crowded Closet, a thrift store in our town, run by Mennonites. A thin strand of the mitten’s wool held them together along with a small tag-like card completely written in what I thought was Cyrillic. Today, examining the tag more closely, I found some English words. Googling them, I learned the mittens were Estonian. Studying that informative little slip of paper with its official looking rubber stamp, and unique code of numbers, I was drawn to very last entry on the back side. Meister. Mactep. Although I could not translate it, I think I know what it means. Master--the knitter who made them. And beside it, inked in a confident blue scrip was just one name. Reuimel.

Of Interest --Related and almost related suggestions

Children’s Books

Winter is the Warmest Season, Snow – Lauren Stringer.

Lauren’s books are picture book winners. Look for her titles as well. And check out Lauren’s new blog.

Knitting

Estonian mittens all around the world- Aino Praakli

I haven’t read this yet, but it came up on my Google search. Looks very interesting. 

Lativan Mittens: Traditional Designs and Techniques  Lizabeth Upitis

At one time, I owned two copies of this book. I have never knit any of the mittens, but I love looking at the piuctures and reading about them. One day, I will knit a pair. Or maybe just one.

Recipe: The Best Brisket Ever –

What to serve on a cold spring night?

This recipe is from Art Ginsburg, a.ka. Mr. Food. I knew Art and his family when I was growing up in Troy, New York. I wished had known his brisket recipe years ago. It took scores of advice from the experienced, and the first few years of my marriage, to nail down cooking brisket. I had been a vegetarian, and back then, beef baffled me. Now brisket is what I make when I need something easy for dinner. I like to make it the day before, or early in the day. That way the brisket has time to sit, and the fat can easily be skimmed off the top. Try this recipe with potatoes, carrots and cabbage.

Note: I will now be blogging regularly on Fridays. Post should appear by noon CST. I have added a Blog RSS for those of you who would like to follow that way. I am thing about starting a monthly newsletter with stories, pictures, pattern and recipe links. If you'd like to be on my mailing list, send me an email from the contact page.



Thee, Hannah

It was a visit last weekend from our friend Bill that got me interested again in the work of author/illustrator Marguerite de Angeli. In our conversations about children's books, her name came up.

Did I know her work?

I ran down to my studio to find Henner's Lydia, Elin's Amerika, Bright April and the other few prized volumes of her books that I own.

Did I have Thee, Hannah?

No. But after Bill told me it was based on his great grandmother who was de Angeli's friend, I quickly ordered a copy. Yes, it is still in print. And it arrived the other day. This morning, a cold and bright Friday, I sat in my studio and read it.

There's a quiet peacefulness to this book which takes place in Philadelphia before the Civil War. Illustrated in watercolor and fine pencil drawings,  de Angeli tell a genuine story of a young Quaker girl's curiosity, desires and ultimately, her courage. She also gives us a view into the times-- including the Underground Railroad.  I especially adore how each chapter starts with the street calls--oyster man, pepper pot lady, and more.

A few of Marguerite de Angeli's books remain in print.  Look for others at your local libraries and second hand book vendors.

Nine o'clock, and all's well!

Nine o'clock of a rainy night!

The Hanukkah Trike

I'd like to introduce you to Gabi Greenberg, the star of my new picture book, The Hanukkah Trike. To read more about Gabi and why I wrote about her, ride over to Albert Whitman's  Boxcars, Books, & a Blog .

August 18 2009

It's Tuesday. Mostly sunny here in Iowa. The kind of late summer day that makes one feel empowered enough to think this might be the day to meet all sorts of goals that would seem down right foolish on a gray, rainy day. A goal like maybe updating one's website.

I did try. I did make one change. But this blog has become my escape route, my backdoor. Visit me here, I wrote on what became the only entry I made on www.michelledwards.com/ I had wanted to write something about my book Alef-Bet, now back in print after many years. The above illustration is from the book. Ah well, you did see it here. And it's on Amazon. And wherever fine books are sold, as my husband is so fond of telling those kind enough to inquire.

Knitters, check out this week's Lion Brand Newsletter for my latest story, Back to School.

Other news to report has to do with owls. The one who showed up in the woodpecker's tree the other night. A glorious specimen. Huge. Commanding. And I think maybe a sign of something grand to come. When I was rewriting Jackson Friends, hoping that Harcourt would finally offer me a contract, I spotted an eagle on my walk. Now an owl. I know what I hope it means. Stay tuned.

Enjoy the last days of summer.

The five authors – Michelle Edwards, Carol Gorman, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, Claudia McGehee, and Anne Ylvisaker - are the members of the Tall Grass Writing Group, an ensemble dedicated to promoting children’s literature by appearing together across Iowa to share the joy of reading. All five live in eastern Iowa.

Jacqueline Briggs Martin’s Snowflake Bentley (Houghton Mifflin, 1998) won the 1999 Caldecott Medal; it’s an illustrated biography W. A. Bentley, a scientist who photographed individual crystals of snow. She has written 15 picture books; her most recent book is Chicken Joy on Redbean Road (Houghton Mifflin, 2007).

Carol Gorman is the author of over forty books for young and younger people, including Games (HarperCollins, 2007) and, most recently, Stumptown Kid (Peachtree Publishers, 2007), a story about baseball, prejudice, and honesty, co-written with Ron J. Findley. Many of Gorman’s books are popular with middle school readers.

Anne Ylvisaker’s most recent book, Little Klein (Candlewick, 2009), won high critical praise. Her earlier novel, Dear Papa (Candlewick, 2007), made Booklist’s Top Ten First Novels for Youth; she has also written numerous non-fiction books for youth about science and the natural world.

Claudia McGehee’s Woodland Counting Book (2006) and Tallgrass Prairie Alphabet (2004), both published by the University of Iowa Press, feature illustrations inspired by our local natural environment. A forthcoming book will focus on birds.

Michelle Edwards wrote and illustrated Chicken Man (New South Books, 2009), which won the National Jewish Book Award. She is also the author of the Jackson Friends series, starting with Pa Lia’s First Day (Harcourt, 2005) and most recently adding Stinky Stern Forever (2007).

Refreshments will be provided and additional copies of several of each author’s books will be available. This is the Haunted Bookshop’s third author event since reopening at 203 North Linn Street earlier this year.

April Showers and Children's Books

I meant to post this several weeks ago. Here's what I have learned about blogging, though. Work comes first. This has been a busy time for me. I'm working on a new book. A huge undertaking. More about that in the coming months. And then there's a new knitting essay, Knitting for Soldiers, which will appear in this weeks Lion Brand Yarn Company Newsletter. On my needles at the moment is a hat for the Ships Project. Also the cardigan from the Mason Dixon Knitters, Knitting Outside the Lines.

Back to the the post I had intended for weeks ago. And children's books. My friend and great supporter, Natalie Blitt, has a blog, Reading Kids are Dreaming Kids. And her last post about my book, Alef-Bet.

Writing and illustrating books can be a lonely buissness. And there's a long wait between when a book is finished and when it comes out in print. I know it may sound a bit trite and over used, but a great review, or any acknowledgment of a book, always means a lot to me.Thank you, Natalie.