History and Finding Out What is True ~Christy Mihaly

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the nation's founding, I'm excited to say I have a semi-quincentennial book coming out on May 26. It's America's Founding Myths ... And What REALLY Happened!, illustrated by Marta Sevilla and published by Barefoot Books. It's intended as a book that kids will enjoy, even as they learn that they've been lied to. 

The Barefoot Books team, Marta, and I worked to create a lively, kid-friendly book that would engage kids while letting them know that some of the history they've been told was wrong. Marta's art incorporates historic images, photographs, and comic-like art. We have sprinkled cartoons, jokes, and humorous asides throughout.

The image below shows how each of the fifteen main spreads begins by stating a myth:

The spread features a large gatefold flap on the left-hand side. A myth is briefly restated on the front of this flap. The reader then lifts the flap to the left to open the full spread, revealing the true story. Here's an explanatory graphic from the book:

And here's what the full spread looks like with the flap opened. On the reverse of the flap on the left is an explanation of "Where did the myth come from?" then the true story is summarized in the remainder of the double-page spread: 

The book debunks some of the central myths that kids have been told for generations, from Columbus to the First Thanksgiving to Paul Revere's ride and beyond. I also sought to elevate unsung heroes including important female, Black, and Indigenous people. 

Crucially, the book shows readers that to learn about history, we have to ask questions and question assumptions. The introduction starts by asking, "Where does history come from?" -- pointing out that history is messy and that stories change. It proposes other questions for readers to ponder as they read, such as why people tell these myths and what we can learn from them. 

While hoping to make kids laugh, we also model critical thinking and asking questions. Each of the main spreads includes a provocative question related to the myth discussed. For example, on the Boston Tea Party spread, we ask, "Do YOU think it is ever okay for protesters to break the law?" For the myth of Columbus, "How do YOU think celebrating something with a holiday changes the way we think about it?"

In addition, we offer resources on information literacy. A section in the back matter asks, "How do I know what is true?"

This material gives kids tools to use and questions to ask when confronted with new information. It empowers them to evaluate the truth of what they're told. 

Christy Mihaly

I hope America's Founding Myths inspires many conversations among kids and adults about what really happened in our history and what it means for the nation's present and our future. Such conversations are critical to help young people develop the skills they need to be active participants in a vibrant democracy. 

For the educators among you, Barefoot Books has provided a discussion guide for the book, with activities and a Junior Myth Buster certificate for readers who complete the activities. As an aside, the book is "officially" for the 8 to 12 year old age range, but younger kids can use it to learn the true stories early, and high school students as a starting point for further research. 

If you're interested in more new books for young readers centering untold stories of the Revolution, check out author Beth Anderson's blog series, #AmericanRevolution250. 

Happy reading, and happy semiquincentennial!

The Weight of the Window Banners: Anchoring Grief in Middle-Grade Fiction by Todd Burleson

The Weight of the Window Banners: Writing Grief and the WWII Home Front

Hello, GROG readers! Todd here.

I’ve been thinking lately about what it means to truly “hold one’s breath” on the page.

When we write historical fiction, especially about an era like the American home front during World War II, it is tempting to fill our early drafts with the big movements. We tend to focus on the troop deployments, the battles, and the busy smoke of factories. But I have come to believe that the most accurate map of 1944 was not found in the war room. It was found in the windows of ordinary homes.

Hanging there were small, simple banners. A Blue Star meant a family member was actively serving. A Gold Star meant they were not coming home. As writers, we know these are not just historical props or set dressing. They are the silent beacons by which a community, and our characters, navigate their own vulnerability.

Finding the Compass in the Story

In drafting my middle-grade novel, The Secret War, I found myself deeply drawn to twelve-year-old Billy. For him, the Blue Star in his window is a compass. He is desperate to be a “good soldier” for his brother, Mike, who is fighting in the Pacific. It is this very desire to serve, to stay “on course,” that makes him so vulnerable to the shadows of the era.

But in Chapter 18, the flight path changes. A yellow Western Union telegram arrives. The Blue Star turns to Gold.

I know that including the death of a sibling in a book for young readers is a heavy choice. But over my decades in the classroom and the school library, I learned something vital. Children do not need us to sanitize the world. They need us to help them breathe through it.

Trusting Our Young Readers

History is not just a series of dates. It is the quiet, terrifying courage of ordinary people. By trusting our young readers to sit with the complexity of that Gold Star, we are not just teaching them about 1944. We are using our stories to teach them the most profound human skill. We are teaching them the ability to bear witness with kindness.

Anchoring Grief in the Tangible

This brings me back to those window banners and why physical objects are so crucial in our craft. Death is a massive, abstract concept. For a young reader, comprehending the permanence of loss can be completely overwhelming. But an object, a Gold Star in a window, a faded photograph, an empty chair at the dinner table, or a pocket watch that no longer ticks, gives that grief a physical form.

It gives the character something tangible to hold, to hide, or to finally let go of. When we anchor the heavy reality of death to a specific object, we give our readers a safe container for their empathy. The grief becomes something they can see and understand without being completely consumed by it.

I would love to hear from you all. How do you approach the heavy topics in your own writing? What physical objects have you used in your manuscripts to help ground your characters when they are facing a profound loss? Let's discuss it in the comments!

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A quick note: If you are looking for a wholesome, screen-free summer read that introduces ten to thirteen-year-olds to incredible real-world history, The Secret War is out now in all formats! You can find it on Amazon, and I have also put together a free Educator’s Resource Kit with a 1940s Student Field Notes workbook over at toddburlesonwonders.com.

In Praise of Small Publishers

by Fran Hodgkins 

Driving home this morning, I passed the building that used to be home to the publisher that bought my first book. It is now a Habitat for Humanity ReStore. A lot has changed in 26 years, and upheaval in the publishing world continues, with layoffs and the shuttering of Dial Press and Roaring Brook Press back in March. 

Perhaps that's why I so appreciate that my first experience in trade book publishing came with a small press. 

At the time, I'd written a manuscript and sent it to a Major New York Publisher. They responded with excitement, and I was thrilled thinking that my big chance had come. Then, disaster: Another letter arrived, saying they had changed their mind. And I put the manuscript away.

 Six years later, I dug it out again, reread it, and decided it deserved another chance. So I sent it to the original publisher-who-had-interest, a small publisher, and another house. Very soon, the small press emailed: If you haven't sold this yet, we'd love to talk to you.

Thus began a relationship that has lasted a quarter of a century. 

My editors were fantastic, and we became good friends. The sales and publicity team met with me in person, giving me a chance to share ideas and keeping me in the loop as they traveled around the region promoting a brand-new author's brand-new book. They hand-sold the book to booksellers and gift shop owners. They set up signings and other events -- and taught me how to do both of them effectively. 

 In short, I got a nurturing, supportive relationship. I could call or email anytime I had a question, concern, or idea. 

Unfortunately, the press was sold, and sold again, and I don't even know who I would send a manuscript to now. The names on the royalty letters and statements aren't familiar. My editor? Laid off. My wonderful publicity person? Long retired. I miss them terribly.

But I know that the end of one relationship doesn't end others, or preclude new ones. Publishing is changing, yes, but the people in it still want to create good books. Even though the companies may be bigger, at heart the people still want to create books that will connect with kids, showing them that they are part of a great big world that has beauty as well as challenges. As you go on your publishing journey, keep your eyes open for these people. As you attend conferences and approach agents, don't overlook the small houses. You can forge a strong, mutually beneficial relationship that could last, oh, for decades. 

For more information about independent presses that are open to submissions, check out:  

The Children's Book Council, a trade association of book publishers large and small; its list of members is available on its website at cbcbooks.org -- the list provides links for publisher websites, so check for current information.

Independent Book Publishers Association, an industry group that provides education and support to independent publishers.

  

 

 

 

 

 

The Sixth Annual GROG Arthropod Roundtable

hosted by Sue Heavenrich

Welcome to the Sixth Annual Arthropod Roundtable! Grab your cuppa, pull up a chair, and please help me welcome our guests. 

Laura Gehl is a former science teacher and scientist who is now a full-time children’s book author. So it almost makes sense that most of her books center around science and nature themes. Her newest board book is Odd Bugs , the third in a series that includes Odd Beasts and Odd Birds. 

“When I was doing research for Odd Beasts, I came across a lot of fascinating bugs and couldn’t wait to give them their own book,” says Laura.

Melissa Stewart is a science writer, children’s book author, and avid nature lover. Her new picture book is Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal. While visiting schools to take about her earlier butterfly book, A Place for Butterflies (published in 2006) she noticed that many students raise monarchs. She also noticed that they thought all butterfly species have similar lives and habitats. 

“Butterflies are an incredibly diverse group of insects,” Melissa points out. “So, in 2008 I began writing a book called Two Butterflies, Two Lives to help kids understand the variety of foods butterflies eat, the different habitats they call home, and the many ways they survive winter weather.” Over the years, that book evolved into Monarch and Mourning Cloak!

Karen Jameson is a retired elementary school teacher and author of lyrical, rhyming picture books. Insects have found their way into several of her books (including the beetles and dragonflies in It's Time to Shine). There’s even more bugs in her newest book, Who Nests Here?

“Insects have such unique ways of nesting,” says Karen. “I spotlight gall wasps, mole crabs, scorpions, and devil crayfish in my new book. And who wouldn’t thrill to see a termitarium – a giant termite nest?!

Katherine Hocker is a science illustrator, naturalist, and educator with an inordinate fondness for aquatic insects. Her new book, When You See Us, takes us on a field trip into the mysterious and fascinating world of aquatic insects. 

"They are some of the most watchable wildlife I know,” says Katherine. “They live pretty much everywhere on Earth, and are easy to find and observe. When you consider that they live double lives as some of our most familiar winged insects, such as dragonflies and mosquitoes, everyone should know about them!”

Jenni Walsh writes novels for kids and adults. She confesses that she didn’t know how cool bugs were until she was researching their defense mechanisms for her middle-grade tale of mystery and thievery, The Bug Bandits. 

“My book is inspired by a real heist that occurred at the Philadelphia Insectarium," says Jenni. "Over $40,000 worth of rare insects were stolen – and I found this utterly fascinating. In the book, we call it a buglery.”

I’m joining in this year because 13 Ways to Eat a Fly is celebrating its fifth birthday! Before writing books for kids, I taught science and also worked as a newspaper reporter. One afternoon I was covering the opening of a nature preserve. People were standing because there were “small bees” perching on the sun-warmed metal chairs. Those “bees” were actually flower flies – awesome little pollinators! That’s when I realized that too many folks have no idea about the diversity of flies buzzing around them. 

Initially I wrote 13 Ways to Eat a Fly as a backyard field guide. Bo-oring! It took a few years (and many revisions) before I came to the idea of making it a backwards counting book. You know: starting with a bunch of flies that disappear one by one as each hungry critter (or plant) grabs a snack. I added a brain-eating fungus, because who can resist zombies! I got to wondering... 

... why did other folks chose the format they did?

Melissa Stewart

Melissa: Because butterflies are so beautiful and graceful, I thought free-verse poetry would be the best way to share information. Initially, I wrote a series of poems in two voices, but the first-person point of view wasn’t working. Over the years, I continued to revise, writing draft after draft and receiving rejection after rejection. The book’s design pays homage to this process by showing each poem atop a stack of papers. Finally, in 2023, I decided that perhaps the book needed an additional conceptual layer that tied into the art and design. So I sent the manuscript to my friend, illustrator, and past collaborator Sarah S. Brannen. I let her know what I was thinking and invited her to go on a hike to brainstorm. A few hours later, we had a vision for what the book could be—a nature journal bursting with art, poems, and informational notes.

Jenni: I wrote The Bug Bandits for my 10-year-old so middle grade was the perfect age group for him. He’s a reluctant reader but I’m pleased to say he couldn’t resist a heist book that is Night at the Museum meets Home Alone.

Laura Gehl

Laura: I love writing board books because they can serve as a child’s first introduction to a topic—in this case, really weird and amazing bugs!

Karen: Lyrical, rhyming picture books are my jam. It feels natural to write this way in the main text - a style which is brief and accessible to younger readers. Science concepts in the back matter are written in prose for those who wish to explore the topic in more depth.

Katherine: I wanted the story to be told in the voices of the insects themselves—a kind of song they sing to reveal their secrets. That called for a more lyrical approach.

Me: As a kid, I was fascinated by ants. They lived in sidewalk cracks and in our garden, often working together to carry bits of dead beetles to their homes. Plus they have queens! Being a fairy tale-reading second-grader, how could I resist? I wondered ...

... what was the gateway arthropod for other authors?

Katherine Hocker

Katherine: Caddisflies! I remember discovering them as a child—these tiny crawling underwater beasties that built themselves homes out of grains of sand or tiny twigs. We used to call them “stick bugs.” It was many years before I learned that they have a winged adult form.

Laura: I read about a poop-shooting caterpillar when I was in grad school, and one of my first-ever published pieces of writing was about that caterpillar. I’ve been hooked on bugs ever since!

Karen: I am obsessed with dragonflies! Not only are they beautiful, but they’re symbolic of joy, good omens, and transformation.

Melissa: I’ve been a lover of all creatures big and small since childhood. I was fortunate that my parents owned 10 acres of woods, and we had a national forest across the street from our house. My brother and I spent most of our time outdoors—immersed in the natural world. Some of my long-time favorite insects include walking sticks, lightning bugs, and of course, butterflies.

Jenni Walsh

Jenni: I’ve always loved butterflies. When we visited the insectarium the book is based on, my family and I loved walking through the butterfly pavilion. We also hatched them at home and had a release party. It inspired my main character, Liberty, to have a butterfly releasing business in The Bug Bandits!

Me: Today is Earth Day. What can we – and the kids we write for – do to help make our backyards and neighborhoods better places for bugs?

Jenni: There are certain native plants that encourage bug-life, such as butterflies. I encourage everyone to find out what plants/flowers are bug friendly for your area!

Karen Jameson

Karen: I include a Nesting Site Conservation section in the back matter of Who Nests Here? Here’s a few tips: 1) Pick up trash and keep waterways clean. 2) Leave rocks, shells, pine cones and other natural elements where they are, as they may be someone’s home. 3) Don’t poke sticks into nests or move them to another site.

Laura: This is pretty easy for me, because my husband and I don’t have the time or energy to keep our back yard neat or tidy! Having a messy yard with leaf litter, brush/wood piles, clover and dandelions, and sections of longer grass is great for bugs!

Katherine: Aquatic insects need water to survive. Many, such as caddisflies, stoneflies, and mayflies, need water that’s very clean and cold. We can help them thrive by protecting our ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers.

Melissa: Grow native plants is the most obvious answer. But Earth, our precious planet, is one big interconnected system. Anything we can do to lessen pollution and climate change, and to preserve natural areas is going to help every living thing—including us.

your host, Sue Heavenrich
looking for spiders

Me: To these great suggestions I’ll add that using natural mulches, such as dried leaves, grass, and straw creates the perfect habitat for spiders. Also, my lazy gardening provides other benefits. All those dried, hollow flower stems that I never remove turn out to be great homes for native bees. 

We could talk bugs all day long… but I’m out of coffee. Check out our author websites, drop by our blogs, and remember to head outside and watch some bugs!

Laura Gehl at https://lauragehl.com/

Sue Heavenrich at https://www.sueheavenrich.com/

Katherine Hocker at  https://katherinehocker.art/

Karen Jameson at https://karenljameson.com/

Melissa Stewart at   https://melissa-stewart.com/

Jenni Walsh at https://www.jennilwalsh.com/

Celebrate Poetry Month With Roberto Germán ~ Christy Mihaly

This April is the 30th anniversary of National Poetry Month, a time to celebrate the important role poetry plays in our lives and well-being. Today GROG is pleased to welcome poet Roberto Germán to share some poetry insights.

Many people assume poets must be "special" people, but Roberto believes that anyone can be a poet. He points out that writing poetry connects us with our innermost emotions and thoughts, and helps us make order of the chaos. That's something we can all use!

Educators

Roberto and his wife Lorena Germán founded and run Multicultural Classroom, which offers schools and other organizations training in social justice and inclusivity. They travel nationwide to bring their programs, workshops, and wisdom to educators and students, seeking to bring a diversity of perspectives to education.

Roberto and Lorena Germán

Poetry Workshops

Roberto also runs poetry workshops in schools. These are designed to help students find their voices through poems. Poetry, Roberto points out, is a powerful tool to help young people tell their stories. Writing poetry helps kids process their experiences and emotions as they develop their identities. He tells students of his own turbulent early years as a Black Dominican-American, the son of immigrants.

In 2023, Roberto published Blue Ink Tears, a bilingual collection of poems interspersed with handwritten notes and photographs.  Roberto wrote the poems over many years, starting when he was still a teen. He tells students that if he could do this, they can, too. His poems explore themes of immigration, race, family, masculinity, love, and loss.

In reading his work to students, Roberto models how poetry helps tap into our emotional truth. He teaches young people to honor vulnerability rather than burying their feelings. He told me he didn't have a mentor to share these lessons when he was growing up, but eventually he realized that writing could be a tool to process his thoughts and feelings. He hopes his poetry workshops help students do the same.

Poems from Blue Ink Tears

I've chosen some shorter selections from Roberto's collection to share today. Enjoy! 

Roberto addresses themes of love ... 

... and immigration, heritage, and metaphorical belonging (also, there's a food thread) ...

... with some haiku exploring themes of history and heritage: 

                                   

For more of Roberto's poetry, you can hear him recite his work here. To see a student reading his own poem after one of Roberto's workshops, check this out. 

Profound thanks to Roberto for sharing.

And Happy Poetry Month to all.