Anne Renaud (1)Recensioni

Ten-year-old Sorale discovers a tiny heart-shaped book among her mother's belongings. Its pages are shaped like four-petaled flowers, upon which are written words in languages Sorale does not understand. Who wrote these words? Where did the heart come from? And why has her mother never mentioned this tiny book before?

Primary
Gwendolyn gets a garden instead of a pet and learns to love it.
Great book to use alongside growing a plant or garden as a class

Lovely picture book about Anna Swan -- short and sweet, but conveys her loving personality well. I am enraptured with the soft geometric illustrations. It's a pleasure to read.

I am a sucker for picture book histories, and this one is good fun -- the origin of the potato chip (perhaps), and a sweet homage to George Crum, who by all accounts was a darn good cook. Fascinating, fun, and lovely in the art department. Let's hear it for remembering obscure and interesting folks!

Mr. Crum was a humble chef working in the heart of New York in the 1800s, and everyone loved Mr. Crum's cooking. Except for Filbert P. Horsefeathers, who was the pickiest eater ever. Every order Mr. Crum cooked up was sent back by Horsefeathers. Until Mr. Crum sarcastically fries the potato slices, but Horsefeathers loves them. The potatoes end up being called Saratoga Chips, aka potato chips. This was a very fun read because of the playful illustrations, the alliterations, and the cheerful storyline. I liked how the author's note mentions that the story is made up; however, Mr. Crum was famously known for creating the potato chip.½

The True Tale of a Giantess is the real story of Anna Swan, a woman that was born in the 1800s in Nova Scotia, and grew up to be extraordinarily tall. As people whispered and pointed about her, she decided to make the most of her situation. She was exhibited at county fairs who toured with P.T. Barnum, and eventually became an exhibit at his Gallery of Wonders Museum in New York.

This is not just a child's biography, but an overview of her life for anyone who feels different. Anna always felt that she did not fit in, but eventually found a place she felt comfortable. Anna's story is a story of all people who feel different, who feel that they don't fit in. It is inspiring and encouraging, and it shows us that being different is not necessarily a bad thing. There's a great list of references in the back for kids (or adults) who would like to learn more. The True Tale of a Giantess by Anne Renaud is a beautifully illustrated children's book that teaches us all, young and old, to feel better about the things that make us unique. A great addition to any school, public or classroom library. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and this story is another example. Have you ever wondered where the Potato chip came from? Mr. Crum was a real man who came up with this food item. This story is a fun fictional story based on George Crum.

Mr. Crum was a wonderful cook who was known far and wide as a wonderful cook. Everyone loved his food, that is until Filbert P. Horsefeathers came into his restaurant. He wanted an order of potatoes. Three times, Mr. Crum cooked him potatoes and he sent them back because the slices were too thick. He finally got what he wanted, Potato Chips! This is a cute story with wonderful illustrations. The back of the book has a short biography of the real George Crum. This book could be used in many ways with children. It could be an introduction to inventions/inventors, used to discuss not giving up, even as a discussion about healthy foods, where various food comes from and how to prepare different food. I think kids will enjoy this one. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via netgalley.

I knew nothing about Anna Swan before reading this picture book biography about her. I learned quite a bit about her and her life after reading this book, and I really enjoyed it. Anna Swan was born on August 6, 1846, in a small farming community in Nova Scotia. She was remarkable from the day she was born, due to her unusual size; she was 13 pounds, which is almost twice the weight of an average newborn. By the time she was four, she weighed 100 pounds and was almost 5 feet tall- I'm almost 20 and I'm only 4'11"! By the time she was six, she was taller than her mother and the same height as her father, and she still kept growing. Her parents would take her to county fairs, where she was displayed and called the "Infant Giantess." She was essentially a local celebrity, but by the time she was twelve (and still growing taller) she began to notice the rude remarks people would make about her, simply because of her height. Eventually, she found out about a man named Phineas Taylor Barnum, who was looking for people to join his museum called the "Gallery of Wonders" in New York City. At first, her parents didn't want to let her leave, but they agreed on the condition that she would have a private tutor accompany her to continue her teaching, as well as act as her chaperone until she was eighteen. At the museum, she was dressed in elegant gowns and custom-made shoes for her size 16 and a half feet; she would preform in plays, recite poetry, and play the piano for museum visitors. The museum would occasionally tour to different locations; in England, she befriended the Queen and met her future husband, Martin Van Buren Bates. Martin- also known as the Kentucky Mountain Giant- was about the same size as Anna; he was 7'8" while Anna was 7'11.5". After their wedding in London, the pair toured the world as "The Tallest Married Couple on Earth." Eventually they settled down in Seville, Ohio, where built a large house to comfortably fit them and their two children. Anna died August 5, 1888, on the eve of her forty-second birthday. I didn't expect to love this book as much as I did; something about the soft illustrations and the adorable interactions between Anna and Martin melted my heart. The story of Anna finding love is very sweet, and the fact that she found a second family in Barnum's museum was just as nice. I think children would really enjoy reading this book, plus it would widen their view on what is considered "normal." The book makes the point that even though Anna is taller than most people, she's just like everyone else- I thought that was a great message for kids.

Most people aren’t aware that it was a mixed-race inventor who came up with the potato chip, the most popular snack food item in America. The son of an African-American father and a Native American mother, George Crum was working as the chef of an elegant resort in Saratoga Springs, New York in the summer of 1853 when he incidentally invented the chip.

One of the dinner guests complained that Crum’s French fries were too thick and sent back the order. Crum, irritated, sent back a dish of fries so thin, they couldn’t even be speared with a fork. To everyone’s surprise, the guest loved them. Other diners began requesting what would soon be called Saratoga Chips.

George went on to build his own restaurant and featured potato chips in a basket placed on every table. In those days, people of color were not allowed to take out patents on their inventions, and Crum never profited from his invention. [Today, potato chips are eaten at the rate of 1.2 billion pounds annually.]

This book begins with the epigraph: “the story you are about to savor is a fictional tale with a helping of truth.” The problem is, as the author writes in a note at the end of the book, the story about George Crum being the original inventor of wafer-thin potatoes has not been substantiated. But the outline of the story is true, as is the fact that his crisp potatoes were in such demand that customers began to order them as “takeout” in a paper cone. The author writes:

“George’s eclectic clientele - which included millionaires, farmers, politicians, heads of industry and laborers - came to him in ‘swarms, herds, droves and flocks,’ according the the New York Tribune of December 27, 1891.”

The best thing about this book are the colored pencil and watercolor illustrations by self-taught artist Felicita Sala. In an interesting departure from other illustrators of children’s books, she began her career by selling her paintings on the street as a way to earn extra income. Be sure to check out her blog posts of illustrated recipes, here.

Evaluation: This fun and engaging book tells "the story behind the story" of one of the most iconic foods in American culture. I was always interested as a child about how inventions came about, and this book will entertain as well as enlighten kids on a subject that is bound to be of interest to them.

This is a biography of Anna Swan who was born in Nova Scotia and weighed 13 pounds at birth. (Her poor mother!) Her extraordinary growth continued through her life and she eventually joined P. T. Barnum. The author does an excellent job of conveying her country life during her childhood by comparing her size to plants and animals. There are additional facts under author's notes. The story is fascinating.

Full of gorgeous illustrations, The True Tale of a Giantess by Anne Renaud & Marie Lafrance, tells the story of Anna Swan, one of the tallest women to live. Swan, upon reaching adulthood, stood over 8 ft tall. With a heart longer for adventure, Swan travelled to New York, joining PT Barnum’s museum and show. Over the years, Anna travelled often, meeting such illustrious personages as Queen Victoria herself. She even found a giant to marry, a man known as the Kentucky Mountain Giant. Sadly, Swan died relatively young from a heart attack, a result of her gigantism. Written in an engaging, and easy to read fashion, Anna’s story served an additional purpose. It is a tale of courage in the face of adversity and ridicule. It is the perfect lesson for children to be accepting of their differences, and those of others. Highly recommended! All of my cubs loved this book.

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Fania’s Heart by Anne Renaud and Richard Rudnicki is another beautiful offering from Second Story Press. A story inspired by Fania Landau Fainer, a Jewish prisoner imprisoned at Auschwitz during the Second World War. Her heart is a card, crafted meticulously and at great risk by her fellow prisoners, for her 20th birthday. Filled with nineteen birthday messages in several different languages, the heart is one of only a very few objects to have survived that was created by the prisoners. The heart speaks to the resilience and the strength of those who where imprisoned and the very failure of the Nazi campaign to weaken and destroy all those who were deemed “racially inferior”,

In a story told in the voice of Fania’s daughter Sorale, she speaks of her mother’s secrets, some that were shared and some that were hidden. When Sorale finds the heart hidden in a lace handkerchief, she wonders whether this is a secret that will be shared. In a beautifully written talk between mother and daughter, Fania tells Sorale the story behind the heart and the powerful meaning in the messages written to her. Anne Renaud has carefully crafted Fania’s story in a way that is understandable and truly demonstrates the resilience of those who were imprisoned simply because of their faith. With a wonderful section at the back to give the background to the story, Fania’s Heart is a beautiful non-fiction picture book for your older readers. With beautiful illustrations by Richard Rudnicki, depicting life in the camps and the factories and camps, this story is a perfect compliment to any discussion about bias, World War II, resilience, and the power of words.

The real “Heart of Auschwitz” now resides at the Montreal Holocaust Museum for all to witness the power of words.

Such an interesting tale. Anna was tall. Really tall. Early in life, and most of her life it was a burden, but she did many things, and had many adventures because of it. I enjoyed this look at a small relatively unknown historical figure and I think kids will as well. I love the addition of real pictures from Anna’s life at the end, plus a list of sources, so I might go look up more information.

This picture book borders the line between fiction and nonfiction, telling the probable (but not 100% certain) story of the invention of the potato chip. The people in this book are interesting (and real-life diversity is good), the vocabulary is impressive but done in a fun way, and the story overall is presented in a semi-humorous way, from the ridiculously snooty customer to the repetition of key phrases. The illustrations are not really my favorite style, yet they work very well with this book.½

The illustrations are richly done and befitting the time period the author used for her story which is a fictional take on a probable historical event. Whatever artistic license was used in both story and art work was done well and the diversity used in the customers was nice to see.

I had never heard of Mr. Crum or given much thought to how we have the modern potato chip so I appreciated not only how well the author has written a story that seems realistic but also provided the known and assumed historical information so the reader can look more into this.

I read this to my daughters, who now want me to try making our own potato chips, they liked the characters particularly Mr. Crum as they thought he was very patient and nice to put up with such demanding behavior.

I think it’s a great book for schools and families as you are able to be educated while entertained. It makes a great opening to look into further food inventions and to discover the history behind the food we take for granted.

a book about what happens at grosse ile and all the deaths