All Things Kid Lit: Imogene's Last Stand

Picture Book Pick of the Week:

Imogene's Last Stand
by Nancy Carpenter
Pub. Random House, Oct. 2009
ISBN: 9780375836077
40 pages
Fiction picture book

Imogene is incensed when she learns that her town’s historical society is about to be demolished. To gain support to save the building, Imogene distributes flyers, holds a rally, and even dresses as Paul Revere: “The bulldozers are coming! The bulldozers are coming!” she shouts. Includes notes about historical figures quoted in the story.

From Kirkus Review:

Armed with gumption and grit, a young history maven takes on her town to prevent the historical society's demolition. Imogene's first words were: "Four score and seven years ago." During her kindergarten show-and-tell, she gave lectures on women in history. After refurbishing the forgotten Liddleville Historical Society, Imogene discovers the Society is slated for destruction to make way for a shoelace factory. Announcing boldly "I have not yet begun to fight," Imogene mounts an epic campaign to save the Society. She spouts quotes from historical figures, argues with the mayor, alerts the town in her Paul Revere costume, posts signs and drops flyers. But no one cares and the bulldozers approach-until she uncovers a letter from George Washington that changes everything. Fleming peppers the text with famous quotes that add a layer of historical depth to the story while Carpenter's amusing, active and detailed pen-and-ink-and-digital-media illustrations follow determined, resolute, bespectacled Imogene through Liddleville as she campaigns to save her town's heritage and makes a little history of her own.

Also Recommended:

• Tricking the Tallyman by Jacqueline Davies
• Pearl by Debby Atwell
• Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco
  

Kid Lit Links: 

How Clifford, the Big Red Dog Started
Seattle Times
Nov. 4, 2009

It was 1963, and Norman Bridwell, the father of an infant daughter, was broke and desperately searching for work as a commercial artist in New York City. Figuring he had to try everything, Bridwell put together a portfolio of illustrations and began to make the rounds of children's publishers. He didn't have any luck, but an editor at Harper & Row looked closely at one sample, which showed a little girl with a huge red dog, and suggested that "there might be a story in this," Bridwell recounted in a recent interview. Bridwell headed home and three days later, he had created the story and illustrations for "Clifford, the Big Red Dog."


Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2009
The New York Times
Nov. 9, 2009

Every year since 1952, the Book Review has asked a panel of judges to select 10 books from among the several thousand children's books published that year. Here's a slideshow of this year's 10 best, and links to their Times reviews.