Dear Readers,
Thank you each and everyone for the wonderful comments and good wishes for Deborah Heiligman's Book Birthday Celebration of
Vincent and Theo, the Van Gogh Brothers published by Henry Holt. The
Lucky Winner is announced at the bottom of the post.
"This exquisite, remarkable book told in the present tense positions readers as intimate observers of Vincent and Theo’s lives. Two portraits emerge in rich detail: a deep-thinking, gifted artist who was a troubled, gentle, compassionate man; and an insightful critic who recognized his brother’s brilliant mind and work, devoting incredible energy and resources to nurturing and supporting him. Uplifting, poignant, and tragic by turns, the brothers' lives, so very human, unfold in a work of exceptional literary nonfiction weaving scholarly research (further detailed in ample end matter) into a vivid, immersive accounting."--CCBlogC http://ccblogc.blogspot.com/2017/04/book-of-week-vincent-and-theo.html
Additional titles by Deborah Heiligman you won't want to miss!
*Starred Review* Grade 8 Up—Beginning with Darwin's notorious chart listing reasons to wed and not to wed, Heiligman has created a unique, flowing, and meticulously researched picture of the controversial scientist and the effect of his marriage on his life and work. Using the couple's letters, diaries, and notebooks as well as documents and memoirs of their relatives, friends, and critics, the author lets her subjects speak for themselves while rounding out the story of their relationship with information about their time and place. She shows how Darwin's love for his intelligent, steadfast, and deeply religious cousin was an important factor in his scientific work—pushing him to document his theory of natural selection for decades before publishing it with great trepidation. Just as the pair embodied a marriage of science and religion, this book weaves together the chronicle of the development of a major scientific theory with a story of true love. Published for young adults, this title will be equally interesting to adults drawn to revisit Darwin on his 200th birthday.—Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA
*Starred Review* Though eccentric mathematician Paul Erdos might seem an unusual subject for a picture book, his story makes for a memorable biography. Growing up in Hungary during WWI, Erdos tried school but chafed at the rules and convinced his mother that he should study at home. He was fascinated by numbers from an early age, and by the time he was 20, he was known as The Magician from Budapest. Unable to do common tasks such as cooking, laundry, or driving, he spent his adult life flying around the world, staying with other mathematicians, and working collaboratively on challenging math problems. Math is woven into the lively writing (Mama loved Paul to infinity. Paul loved Mama to 8, too!). The wonderfully vivid artwork, where ideas from the text are clarified, also uses decorative elements to support the idea that Erdos saw the world differently—numerically. Heiligman appends a lengthy note about writing the book, while Pham offers a more extensive note on creating the illustrations, in which she comments on the mathematical ideas and mathematicians depicted in the art. This excellent picture-book biography celebrates a man little known outside his field, but one well worth knowing. Grades K-3. --Carolyn Phelan
Thank you so much, Deb, for giving us so many wonderful books to treasure!
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| Author Deborah Heiligman |
Learn more about the author and her books at these links:
And the lucky WINNER selected by random.org is. . . MARGARET BRUETSCH
CONGRATULATIONS, MARGARET!!!! Please email me: claragillowclark(at)gmail(dot)com and send me your mailing address and to whom you'd like the book personalized. Thank you! Next up on Thursday is a delightful spring time picture book and a giveaway!!!
Congratulations, Margaret Bruetsch!
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