| Birdsong by James Sturm named to Kirkus Reviews ' Best Books of 2016 This elegant wordless book by master cartoonist James Sturm draws upon the tradition of kamishibai— the art of Japanese paper theater—and has captured the imaginations of readers of all ages. We love hearing from teachers and parents about how young children (and adults!) "tell" this story. As the importance of visual literacy continues to grow in our media-rich environment, TOON is proud to publish books that celebrate, promote, and support visual learning and storytelling. LEARN MORE "A gorgeous wordless book with a snappy mood that seems to explicitly invite out-loud storytelling." --The New York Times "For all its simplicity, an episode rich in drama, humor, pathos, and thematic depth—with plenty of latitude for verbal embellishment." -- Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW "Sturm’s masterful grasp of the sequential art form is wonderfully on display here." --Booklist "Full of open-ended questions for readers to consider, it’s a haunting study in both empathy and storytelling itself." --Publishers Weekly "Skillfully hand-inked and emotively colored." --The Horn Book Magazine Make your own kamishibai theater and more Our Birdsong: A Story in Pictures lesson plan asks just the right questions that guide readers to analyze and connect to the story emotionally in order to draw their own conclusions. For fun and creativity, there's also an activity sheet that teaches you how to make your own kamishibai theater. VIEW LESSON PLAN PLUS! Sturm's "Ape and Armadillo" is on track for world domination! How much fun would it be to take over the world? Armadillo is trying to come up with a plan for global domination...but with every new idea, being a bad guy seems a little less fun. Young readers will delight in star cartoonist James Sturm‘s tender depiction of how far a true friendship can take you. ★ ★ ★ "The text perfectly captures the wildly creative narrative spirit in the play of imaginative children, who are not bound by logical rules and physical limitations...should win plenty of fans.” --Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW ★ ★ ★ "Sturm’s deep story line gently teaches children the ways of friendship and compromise...VERDICT: An excellent addition." --School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW "Captures the larger-than-life emotions and imaginations of these friends in crisply drafted cartoons as Machiavellian machinations give way to compromise." --Publishers Weekly "Sturm’s large, vibrant panels are ideal for engaging young readers, and quirky details (is that an alligator in the sewer?) will ensure devoted contemplation." --Booklist A lesson in creative collaboration Our Ape and Armadillo 's teacher's guide focuses on creative collaboration in the spirit of the book itself. Students partner up to concoct their own world domination plans, learning first-hand about teamwork and conflict resolution. Visit our Common Core Guides page for more free guides created by our team of passionate literacy experts. VIEW LESSON PLAN Come see us at NCTE! If you are heading to Atlanta, come by and see us at Publisher Spotlight Booth #434. And Shhhhh! We're giving away a limited number of advance copies of Sea Change by Frank Viva! See our Lesson Plan for suggestions on how to use this visually stunning coming-of-age book in the classroom. " the novel equivalent of the best summer-vacation postcard a person could get." --Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW Author signings at Miami Book Fair |
Birdsong by James Sturm named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2016 |
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This elegant wordless book by master cartoonist James Sturm draws upon the tradition of kamishibai—the art of Japanese paper theater—and has captured the imaginations of readers of all ages. We love hearing from teachers and parents about how young children (and adults!) "tell" this story. As the importance of visual literacy continues to grow in our media-rich environment, TOON is proud to publish books that celebrate, promote, and support visual learning and storytelling. |
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"A gorgeous wordless book with a snappy mood that seems to explicitly invite out-loud storytelling."
--The New York Times
"For all its simplicity, an episode rich in drama, humor, pathos, and thematic depth—with plenty of latitude for verbal embellishment."
--Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
"Sturm’s masterful grasp of the sequential art form is wonderfully on display here."
--Booklist |
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| "Full of open-ended questions for readers to consider, it’s a haunting study in both empathy and storytelling itself."
--Publishers Weekly "Skillfully hand-inked and emotively colored."
--The Horn Book Magazine |
|
|
|
|
Make your own kamishibai theater and more |
|
Our Birdsong: A Story in Pictures lesson plan asks just the right questions that guide readers to analyze and connect to the story emotionally in order to draw their own conclusions. For fun and creativity, there's also an activity sheet that teaches you how to make your own kamishibai theater. |
|
PLUS! Sturm's "Ape and Armadillo" is on track for world domination! |
|
How much fun would it be to take over the world? Armadillo is trying to come up with a plan for global domination...but with every new idea, being a bad guy seems a little less fun. Young readers will delight in star cartoonist James Sturm‘s tender depiction of how far a true friendship can take you. |
|
★★★ "The text perfectly captures the wildly creative narrative spirit in the play of imaginative children, who are not bound by logical rules and physical limitations...should win plenty of fans.”
--Kirkus Reviews STARRED REVIEW
★★★ "Sturm’s deep story line gently teaches children the ways of friendship and compromise...VERDICT: An excellent addition."
--School Library Journal STARRED REVIEW |
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| |
|
|
| "Captures the larger-than-life emotions and imaginations of these friends in crisply drafted cartoons as Machiavellian machinations give way to compromise."
--Publishers Weekly
"Sturm’s large, vibrant panels are ideal for engaging young readers, and quirky details (is that an alligator in the sewer?) will ensure devoted contemplation."
--Booklist |
|
|
|
|
A lesson in creative collaboration |
|
Our Ape and Armadillo's teacher's guide focuses on creative collaboration in the spirit of the book itself. Students partner up to concoct their own world domination plans, learning first-hand about teamwork and conflict resolution. Visit our Common Core Guides page for more free guides created by our team of passionate literacy experts. |
|
If you are heading to Atlanta, come by and see us at Publisher Spotlight Booth #434. And Shhhhh! We're giving away a limited number of advance copies of Sea Change by Frank Viva! See our Lesson Plan for suggestions on how to use this visually stunning coming-of-age book in the classroom.
|
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| "the novel equivalent of the best summer-vacation postcard a person could get."
--Shelf Awareness STARRED REVIEW |
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Author signings at Miami Book Fair |
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