SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: GRANDMA’S FARM
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.garlandpicturebooks.com/
CITY: Patterson
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY: American
LAST VOLUME: SATA 329
http://econkids.rutgers.edu/new-picture-books-in-2011-first-word-a-i/2033-grandpas-tractor-by-michael-garland http://www.bookloons.com/cgi-bin/Review.ASP?bookid=13847 http://pppics.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/grandpas-tractor-by-michael-garland/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born 1952, in New York, NY; married; wife’s name Peggy; children: Katie, Alice, Kevin.
EDUCATION:Pratt Institute, B.F.A., 1974.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Author and illustrator of children’s books. Worked as an illustrator for Forbes, Fortune, and Newsweek. Illustrated book covers for many national publishers as well as advertisements for IBM, NBC, CBS, ABC, and U.S. Marines.
AVOCATIONS:Fine art painting.
AWARDS:Certificates of merit, Society of Illustrators, 1981-88, 1990-92; Booklist Editor’s Choice designation, and National Council on Social Studies/Children’s Book Council Notable Children’s Trade Book designation, both c. 1989, both for My Cousin Katie; Nebraska Agricultural Picture Book of the Year, 2011, for Grandpa’s Tractor; Pennsylvania Baker’s Dozen Best Books of the Year, Banks Street Best Children’s Books of the Year, both 2014, both for Tugboat; Junior Library Guild Selection, 2017, for Pizza Mouse; Outstanding Science Trade Book, Science Teachers Association, 2018, for Birds Make Nests; California State Young Readers Award; Delaware State Reading Award; Texas Armadillo Reader’s Choice Award; two silver medals, Society of Illustrators.
WRITINGS
Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook was adapted for video, Spoken Arts, 2006.
SIDELIGHTS
Michael Garland began his career as a children’s book illustrator, and he later transitioned to both writing and illustrating in a range of areas, including biography, picture books, and puzzle-and-story combinations. Both as an author and illustrator, Garland’s work is known for its imagination, charm, and energy. His illustrations were described as “a slick fusion of soft and razor-edged computer images that sport electric coloring and quirky shading” by a Kirkus Reviews contributor in appraising Garland’s work for Debbie Bertram and Susan Bloom’s The Best Place to Read. Reviewing Ann Tompert’s picture-book biography Joan of Arc: Heroine of France, a Publishers Weekly critic asserted that Garland’s artwork “blend[s] mostly flat, postmodern perspectives with photo-collage elements and a spectrum of styles, from painterly to folk-like to … almost puckish.”
Garland suspected from a very young age that he would grow up to be an author and artist. “Reading was always important around our house,” he remembered in an interview in Author Turf. “Both my parents were always working on a book. Before I could read, I look at books from our bookcase like Robinson Crusoe, illustrated by the Read brothers or Moby Dick illustrated by Rockwell Kent High. Those same books sit on my bookshelf now. High standards in school were expected.” “I wasn’t the smartest one in my class or the best athlete in any sport,” he recalled on the Penguin Group USA website, “but when they passed out the paper and crayons, it was my time to shine.”
Garland’s abilities continued to develop throughout his college career. “I graduated from Pratt with a B.F.A., but I didn’t know a lot about illustrating when I first got out of school,” Garland explained in Kidlit 411. “So I practiced and took small jobs to earn my credibility. As I continued to improve my craft and gain experience, I was sought after to get additional projects.” “A few months after graduating, I was driving a taxi in NYC, when True Confessions magazine purchased my first illustration directly from my portfolio. It was a gothic paperback sample of a pretty girl running away from a haunted house. Gradually, I was able to build a portfolio of printed samples that helped to establishes credibility among potential art buyers,” the illustrator said in Writing and Illustrating. “I never did get a ‘big break.’ I earned every opportunity that ever presented itself. One small success was built on the back of another. It was a slow and steady progression of small accomplishments.”
Drawing was a frequent pastime, but Garland soon excelled at painting; he is particularly respected for his proficiency with acrylics. Electra and the Charlotte Russe was his first foray into computer-assisted illustration, a technique for which he has also become well known. He continues to use both traditional methods—painting and drawing—as well as computer techniques in his art. “From the very first job,” Garland remembered in CB Illustrators Notebook, “I’ve learned to make the best possible effort with every picture I illustrate. Every book I illustrate, I try and make it the best book I’ve ever illustrated. Sometimes, circumstances can make that aspiration difficult, but … it’s worth overcoming any difficulties.” “The way to become a successful illustrator,” he advised in Writing and Illustrating, “is to work very hard, be flexible, open-minded, and adaptable. Also, try and develop a very thick skin. You’re going to need it.”
My Cousin Katie, Garland’s debut as an author/illustrator, focuses on a young child living on a busy farm as a cousin comes to visit. All the farm activities are depicted both visually and by means of the text as Katie works as a real participant in the life of the farm. Garland employs a simple vocabulary to depict this experience, making the story appropriate for young children. School Library Journal reviewer Janet DiGianni called attention to the illustrator’s technique of rendering scenes and objects from a child’s perspective, thus reinforcing Katie’s view of the scale of life. Critics have commented on Garland’s use of a realistic style imbued with a certain idealism that conveys a romantic vision of rural farm life.
Like My Cousin Katie, Circus Girl presents a child’s life that is very different from that enjoyed by most readers: his focus here is on an extended family of circus performers. Father performs as a clown while mother is a tightrope walker. Alice, the circus girl, and the rest of her family are all involved in the many tasks that make each performance possible. There is no plot; instead, scenes depicting everyday activities in a circus. are captures in Garland’s realistic style with a bright palette of acrylic paints. Carolyn Phelan, writing in Booklist, praised the fanciful final scene where the father, in full clown regalia, reads a bedtime story to Alice and several caged and enthralled wild animals.
Another self-illustrated book by Garland, Dinner at Magritte’s, was inspired by his long-held interest in surrealism. His self-illustrated books capture the same fanciful quality: in The President and Mom’s Apple Pie he tells a tale of President William Howard Taft’s legendary appetite, Hooray José! focuses on a tiny rodent with big dreams, and King Puck retells a humorous Irish legend.
A little mouse with a big love of sports is the star of Hooray José!, a picture book in which Garland’s colorful, computer-enhanced art is paired with a “buoyant, rhyming text [that] keeps the plot moving quickly,” according to School Library Journal critic Joy Fleishhacker. In the story, José is never asked to play during pick-up basketball games, but he practices his on-court technique anyway, hoping for his big break. Finally, the little mouse gets his chance to shine, when he is called from the bench during a championship face-off between the Mice and the Rats.
King Puck takes readers to Ireland, where Seamus the farmer and his goat Finny live a quiet, simple life. It is also lonely, and Seamus eventually wishes for someone to talk with. In typical folk-tale fashion, his wish is granted when Finny begins to speak. The goat’s talents are soon heralded far and wide and after bringing honor to their town both man and goat are treated to regular visits from a librarian who keeps them supplied with entertaining books to read and discuss. Predicting that young people will enjoy the book’s “lively, colorful pictures,” Lee Bock added in his Booklist review that King Puck “is a simple, silly story that youngsters will enjoy.”
Garland’s self-illustrated stories also include Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, the first in a series featuring a second grader named Zack and his very unusual teacher. Miss Smith styles her bright, orange-red hair in spikes and wears a leather jacket, but to the students in her class the most unusual thing about her is her magical, leather-bound storybook. When Miss Smith opens this book and reads aloud, characters emerge to roam the classroom, which itself is transformed into a forest or pirate ship or whatever else is featured in the tale. At story’s end the book closes and everything returns to normal. One day, when Miss Smith is late in arriving at school, the principal opens the magic book and promptly flees in terror when a dragon emerges from the pages. The students in Zack’s class add to the chaos, reading the beginnings of more and more stories and causing characters ranging from the Cowardly Lion to the Mad Hatter to crowd into the school. In characteristic fashion, Garland’s “lively, bright illustrations have a glossy, computer-generated quality … that young readers will appreciate,” Catherine Threadgill remarked in her review of Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook for School Library Journal.
Miss Smith and her story book return in Miss Smith Reads Again! and Miss Smith and the Haunted Library, both which find the carrot-topped teacher creating magic and inspiring a love of stories. In Miss Smith and the Haunted Library she chooses a tale that allows all manner of frights to invade Zack’s class, while in Miss Smith Reads Again! her students are taken to a prehistoric jungle during a reading of Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World. When Zack changes the plot and their teacher is carried aloft to a pterodactyl’s nest, he and his fellow students find themselves at the mercy of a hungry T-Rex until he makes a plot correction and deals with the dinosaur threat. Reviewing Miss Smith Reads Again!, School Library Journal contributor Maura Bresnahan maintained that Garland’s focus on a single story gains mileage from his use of “nonstop action” and “win[s] an even larger audience of fans” than Miss Smith’s first picture-book outing. In Kirkus Reviews a contributor concluded that Garland’s mix of “glossy, elaborately detailed” artwork, likeable characters, and “exciting adventures” will “draw” young readers.
In Grandpa’s Tractor Garland addresses urban sprawl and the losses and gains that are an inevitable part of change and progress. Grandpa Joe takes his grandson Timmy to see the farm where he grew up, and when they arrive they find the place in serious disrepair and surrounded by a still-growing sub-division of identical homes. The farmhouse is run down: the barn’s roof has collapsed, the silo is missing its cap, and the red tractor is rusting in the field. Grandpa Joe tells Timmy about all the times he rode the tractor and how important it was to life on the farm, whether bringing the family apple picking, hauling vegetables to market, or dragging home a Christmas tree. Grandpa Joe’s recollections bring the downtrodden farm to life for Timmy as he imagines the spread’s former glory.
Reviewing Grandpa’s Tractor in Kirkus Reviews, a contributor cited the story’s “strong cross-generational appeal,” while a Publishers Weekly reviewer commented that the affection between Timmy and Grandpa Joe “is palpable.” Susan Weitz, writing in School Library Journal, stated of Grandpa’s Tractor that “pictures and text together compose a loving tribute to the heyday of small farms in America, a time and place that should not be forgotten.”
Another motorized vehicle is the star of Car Goes Far, an easy-reading story designed with boy appeal. When a brightly polished red car speeds off to the local hamburger store, it begins to lose its shine: mud cakes its fenders during a turn through a construction site and then pigeons begin splattering gifts on the car’s smooth red roof. Fortunately, a car wash is on the route, and Garland’s story ultimately speeds to an upbeat close. With a minimal vocabulary, Car Goes Far benefits from “both lively facial features and succinct word choices,” according to School Library Journal contributor Meg Smith, and in Kirkus Reviews a critic asserted that “Garland’s little red car invites children along for a ride to reading success.”
A holiday offering from Garland, Oh, What a Christmas! carries readers on a holiday adventure with a wayward Santa Claus. The rotund bearer of Christmas gifts runs into mechanical trouble with his sleigh and becomes stranded. When he locates a barn filled with farm animals, he begs them to take his reindeers’ place and get his sleigh flying again. Eager to help, an assortment of farm animals take to the night sky, circling the globe and delivering gifts in a hurry. Garland’s digital illustrations prompted Eva Mitnick to comment in School Library Journal that the “Pixar-like illustrations of Santa and the bug-eyed animals are funny and exuberant,” while in Publishers Weekly a writer noted that the “coyly expressive, digital cartoon animals pop off the page.”
Garland has also produced several “search-and-find” combination story-and-puzzle books. Christmas Magic: A Look-Again Book, Mystery Mansion: A Look-Again Book, Christmas City: A Look-Again Book, The Great Easter Egg Hunt: A Look-Again Book, and Americana Adventure: A Look-Again Book are structured around a boy named Tommy and Tommy’s aunt Jeanne. The aunt uses rhymed clues to lead Tommy on mysterious searches through fantastic landscapes— The Great Easter Egg Hunt, for example, features a ten-foot-tall chocolate bunny and a Fifth Avenue Easter parade that has been crashed by Santa Claus, a Halloween witch, and a leprechaun. Similarly inventive, Americana Adventure finds Tommy on a U.S. history tour to commemorate Independence Day, guided by his aunt’s cryptic notes. At the end of each hunt is a lovely surprise.
Garland’s “Look-Again” books have received favorable notice for their opulent and complex illustrations and for presenting challenges both to the intellect and the imagination; over 400 animals are hidden in the illustrations for Mystery Mansion, for example. Reviewing Americana Adventure, Martha Topol wrote in School Library Journal that the book “takes the search-and-find game to a new level” by “providing a fun entry into history” for its readers. A reviewer for Publishers Weekly noted of Mystery Mansion that Garland’s digital art adds considerably to the attractiveness of the book and the experience it evokes, while Linda L. Walkins, reviewing The Great Easter Egg Hunt for School Library Journal, called the artwork both “vibrant” and “eye-catching.” “Garland … pulls out all the digital stops” in Christmas City, according to Phelan, the Booklist critic adding that the author/illustrator creates “an ornately detailed, architectural fantasy of a grand metropolis.”
In Tugboat, Garland explores the many jobs performed by tugs in the modern world. “Garbage barges, tall ships, ocean liners—no job is too big for a tugboat,” explained Kara Dean in a Booklist review. “As the book progresses,” declared a Publishers Weekly reviewer, “Garland delineates the many important jobs of a tug.” Garland depicts the tug in proportion to the boats it moves, demonstrating the little boat’s power. “Children who love boats,” stated a Kirkus Reviews contributor, “will … see that small size does not preclude great strength.” “This title,” concluded Meg Smith in School Library Journal, “is a strong read-aloud for those looking to add transportation books to their collections.”
(open new)With Where’s My Homework?, the young narrator turns the house upside looking for the homework he completed the previous night. After considering a range of fantastical theories, he sees that his dog ate his homework. A Kirkus Reviews contributor stated: “If only all students were as diligent and truthful as this one (and every homework search turned out as happily).” The early reader, Lost Dog, features Pete, a large dog that gets lost while going to Grandma’s birthday party. Along the way, Pete asks different animals for directions before he finds her house. A Kirkus Reviews contributor found it to be “a delightful story with wide appeal beyond the early-reader designation.”
In the picture book Birds Make Nests, a range of birds are shown creating different types of nests for their young. A mourning dove calls a boot home, while flamingos, pelicans, and ostriches find the ground comfy enough. Birds from around the world are represented in the text. A Kirkus Reviews contributor opined that “the simple narrative arc … is appropriate for the youngest readers, and the sense of wonder is palpable.” In Pizza Mouse, a mouse from New York City encounters a number of obstacles to bring back a slice of pizza to its babies down in the subway. A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that “the mean streets may have never looked so clean, but it still takes pluck and courage to survive them.”
With Daddy Played the Blues, a family move from the Deep South to Chicago during the Great Migration for job opportunities in the stockyards. Daddy brought along his six-string guitar so he could continue to play blues music. A contributor to Children’s Bookwatch insisted that this “original and entertaining read” is “unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for young readers.”
In Two Men and a Car: Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, and a Cadillac V-8, Garland offers comparative biographies of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and mobster Al Capone, combining them through a bulletproof Cadillac that they both had used. A contributor to Publishers Weekly observed that “scratchboard-style illustrations in muted hues offer realistic portraits of the men and depictions of the era.” Say Hello! features young Herman Jiggle, a boy who is excited to make new friends. Herman’s problem is preventing his words from getting stuck in his mouth. A contributor to Children’s Bookwatch said that the book “is unreservedly recommended, especially for elementary school, middle school, and community library collections.”
With Ferry Boat, a family shows young readers the excitement of riding the Staten Island Ferry to and from Manhattan. Booklist contributor Lolly Gepson claimed that the book “will give children a helpful introduction to a vibrant city.” The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor tells the biography of photographer Lewis Hine, focusing on how he used his self-taught skills in photography to bring the injustices of child labor to the attention of mainstream society. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “a searching picture of a pioneering social crusader.”
In Grandma’s Farm, young Timmy walks around the farm where his mother grew up while listening to Grandma’s stories about what life was like on the farm. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called it “a warm tale of passing the love of the family farm from one generation to the next.” In We’re Not Weird, twenty wild animals are featured, with each claiming that the various facets that make them unique are not, in fact, weird. A Kirkus Reviews contributor remarked that “the art is something to see, but the perfunctory text reads like an afterthought.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, September 1, 1989, Denise Wilms, review of My Cousin Katie, p. 70; November 1, 1992, Carolyn Phelan, review of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Found among the Papers of the Late Diedrich Knickerbocker, p. 513; June 1, 1993, Carolyn Phelan, review of Circus Girl, p. 1856; March 1, 1996, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Leah’s Pony, p. 1187; October 15, 1997, Julie Corsaro, review of The Mouse before Christmas, p. 414; February 1, 1998, Ilene Cooper, review of Saint Patrick, p. 916; November 1, 1999, Kathy Broderick, review of An Elf for Christmas, p. 538; February 15, 2000, John Peters, review of Icarus Swinebuckle, p. 1117; July, 2001, Connie Fletcher, review of Last Night at the Zoo, p. 2019; September 1, 2001, Catherine Andronik, review of Christmas Magic, p. 120; March 1, 2002, Connie Fletcher, review of The President and Mom’s Apple Pie, p. 1140; October 1, 2002, Carolyn Phelan, review of Christmas City: A Look-Again Book, p. 335; February 15, 2005, Julie Cummins, review of The Great Easter Egg Hunt: A Look-Again Book, p. 1084; March 15, 2005, Julie Cummins, review of The Best Time to Read, p. 1662; September 1, 2005, Ilene Cooper, review of Pooch on the Loose: A Christmas Adventure, p. 144; June 1, 2007, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of How Many Mice?, p. 80; April 15, 2008, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of The Best Books to Read, p. 48; May 15, 2008, Bina Williams, review of Americana Adventure: A Look-again Book, p. 45; January 1, 2011, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Super Snow Day Seek and Find, p. 113; April 1, 2012, Kristen McKulski, review of Fish Had a Wish, p. 76; March 15, 2014, Kara Dean, review of Tugboat, p. 70; December 15, 2020, Lolly Gepson, review of Ferry Boat, p. 99.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, April 1, 1993, review of Circus Girl, p. 247; April 1, 1995, review of Dinner at Magritte’s, p. 273; November 1, 2001, review of Christmas Magic, p. 102.
Catholic Library World, March 1, 1999, Charlotte Decker, review of Angel Cat, p. 48.
Childhood Education, September 22, 2001, Valerie Deysher, review of Last Night at the Zoo, p. 49.
Children’s Book Review Service, December 22, 1990, review of My Cousin Katie, p. 62; January 1, 1999, review of Angel Cat, p. 50; April 1, 1999, review of The Big Stone, p. 104.
Children’s Bookwatch, February 1, 2017, review of Birds Make Nests; August 1, 2017, review of Daddy Played the Blues; May 1, 2020, review of Herman Jiggle, Say Hello!; February 1, 2022, Alexandra S.D. Hinrichs, review of The Traveling Camera.
Kirkus Reviews, October 15, 1998, review of Angel Cat, p. 1531; September 15, 1999, review of An Elf for Christmas, p. 1499; April 1, 2000, review of Icarus Swinebuckle, p. 474; May 1, 2002, review of The President and Mom’s Apple Pie, p. 653; November 1, 2002, review of Christmas City, p. 1618; December 1, 2002, review of The Best Place to Read, p. 1766; June 1, 2003, review of Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, p. 803; December 15, 2004, review of The Great Easter Egg Hunt, p. 1201; July 1, 2005, review of The Best Time to Read, p. 731; June 1, 2006, review of Miss Smith Reads Again!, p. 571; December 15, 2006, review of King Puck, p. 1267; April 1, 2007, review of How Many Mice?; July 1, 2007, review of That’s Good! That’s Bad! In Washington, DC; April 15, 2008, review of Americana Adventure; May 1, 2008, review of The Best Book to Read; October 1, 2010, review of Super Snow Day Seek and Find; March 15, 2011, review of Grandpa’s Tractor; June 1, 2011, review of Oh, What a Christmas!; March 1, 2013, review of Car Goes Far; February 15, 2014, review of Tugboat; June 1, 2014, review of Where’s My Homework?; August 1, 2014, review of Animal School: What Class Are You?; July 1, 2015, review of Lost Dog; January 15, 2017, review of Birds Make Nests; June 15, 2017, review of Pizza Mouse; July 15, 2017, review of Daddy Played the Blues; February 1, 2019, review of Two Men and a Car: Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, and a Cadillac V-8; July 1, 2021, review of The Traveling Camera; August 1, 2022, review of Grandma’s Farm; October 15, 2022, review of We’re Not Weird.
Natural History, December 1, 2014, Dolly Setton, review of Animal School, p. 44.
New York Times Book Review, September 24, 1995, review of Dinner at Magritte’s, p. 29; June 16, 2002, Rebecca Boggs Roberts, review of The President and Mom’s Apple Pie, p. 20.
Publishers Weekly, May 31, 1993, review of Circus Girl, p. 54; May 22, 1995, review of Dinner at Magritte’s, p. 59; October 6, 1997, review of The Mouse before Christmas, p. 54; January 26, 1998, review of Saint Patrick, p. 86; September 27, 1999, review of An Elf for Christmas, p. 55; March 6, 2000, review of Icarus Swinebuckle, p. 111; September 25, 2000, review of Saint Nicholas, p. 113; January 22, 2001, review of Last Night at the Zoo, p. 324; July 2, 2001, review of Mystery Mansion: A Look-Again Book, p. 75; September 24, 2001, review of Christmas Magic, p. 50; March 25, 2002, review of The President and Mom’s Apple Pie, p. 63; February 10, 2003, review of Joan of Arc: Heroine of France, p. 187; June 9, 2003, review of Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, p. 51; September 26, 2005, review of Pooch on the Loose, p. 86; February 28, 2011, review of Grandpa’s Tractor; September 26, 2011, review of Oh, What a Christmas!; January 20, 2014, review of Tugboat, p. 54; January 21, 2019, review of Two Men and a Car, p. 83.
School Library Journal, November 1, 1989, Janet DiGianni, review of My Cousin Katie, p. 80; November 1, 1992, Andrew W. Hunter, review of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, p. 94; December 1, 1993, Louise L. Sherman, review of Circus Girl, pp. 86-87; March 1, 1996, Liza Bliss, review of Leah’s Pony, p. 173; October 1, 1997, Carolyn Jenks, review of Electra and the Charlotte Russe, p. 88; March 1, 1998, Patricia Pearl Dole, review of Saint Patrick, p. 207; May 1, 1998, Jackie Hechtkopf, review of Diary of a Drummer Boy, p. 107; October 1, 1998, Patricia Pearl Dole, review of Angel Cat, p. 100; June 1, 1999, Jackie Hechtkopf, review of The Big Stone, p. 95; October 1, 1999, review of An Elf for Christmas, p. 67; October 1, 2000, review of Saint Nicholas, p. 63; May 1, 2001, Blair Christolon, review of Last Night at the Zoo, p. 115; September 1, 2001, John Peters, Mystery Mansion, p. 188; October 1, 2001, review of Christmas Magic, p. 65; June 1, 2002, Alicia Eames, review of The President and Mom’s Apple Pie, p. 94; October 1, 2002, Maureen Wade, review of Christmas City, p. 59; March 1, 2003, Ann Welton, review of Joan of Arc, p. 225; May 1, 2003, Kathie Meizner, review of The Best Place to Read, p. 108; October 1, 2003, Catherine Threadgill, review of Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook, p. 125; February 1, 2005, Linda L. Walkins, review of The Great Easter Egg Hunt, p. 97; July 1, 2006, Maura Bresnahan, review of Miss Smith Reads Again!, p. 78; February 1, 2007, Lee Bock, review of King Puck, p. 86; May 1, 2007, Joy Fleishhacker, review of Hooray José!, p. 97; June 1, 2007, Jessica Lamarre, review of How Many Mice?, p. 97; September 1, 2007, Wendy Lukehart, review of That’s Good! That’s Bad! In Washington, DC, p. 161; June 1, 2008, Lee Bock, review of The Best Book to Read, p. 95, and Martha Topol, review of Americana Adventure, p. 123; July 1, 2009, Lori A. Guenthner, review of Miss Smith and the Haunted Library, p. 63; December 1, 2010, Susan Weitz, review of Super Snow Day Seek and Find, p. 82; May 1, 2011, Susan Weitz, review of Grandpa’s Tractor, p. 76; July 1, 2011, Sara Lissa Paulson, review of Miss Smith under the Ocean, p. 66; October 1, 2011, Eva Mitnick, review of Oh, What a Christmas!, p. 93; March 1, 2012, Barbara Elleman, review of Fish Had a Wish, p. 122; April 1, 2013, Meg Smith, review of Car Goes Far, p. 130; March 1, 2014, Meg Smith, review of Tugboat, p. 111; May 1, 2014, Grace Oliff, review of Where’s My Homework?, p. 80; September 1, 2015, Laura Hunter, review of Lost Dog, p. 120; May 1, 2017, Hillary Perelyubskiy, review of Big and Little Are Best Friends, p. 61.
Wilson Library Bulletin, November 1, 1992, Frances Bradburn, review of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, p. 74.
ONLINE
Author Turf, http://authorturf.com/ (January 13, 2016), author interview and profile.
Boyds Mills Press website, http://www.boydsmillspress.com/ (November 20, 2009), “Authors and Illustrators: Michael Garland.”
CB Illustrators Notebook, https://www.cbillustrators.com/ (March 7, 2018), author interview.
Childrensillustrators.com, https://childrensillustrators.com/ (January 29, 2023), author profile.
Garland Picture Books website, http://www.garlandpicturebooks.com/ (January 29, 2023), author profile.
Kidlit 411, http://www.kidlit411.com/ (March 1, 2014), “Author-Illustrator Spotlight: Michael Garland.”
Michael Garland website, http://www.michaelgarlandfineart.com (January 29, 2023).
Rutgers University, Project on Economics and Children website, http://econkids.rutgers.edu/ (August 20, 2012), review of Grandpa’s Tractor.
Writing and Illustrating, https://kathytemean.wordpress.com/ (August 31, 2013), “Illustrator Saturday—Michael Garland.”
Michael Garland is a New York Times Best Selling author and illustrator.
His books have won numerous awards including the California State Young Readers Award, Delaware State Reading Award and the Texas Armadillo Reader’s Choice Award, The Correll Book Award, Kirkus and Banks Street Best Books of the Year, The Society of Illustrators honored Michael’s work with two silver medals.
Best Selling author and illustrator Michael Garland’s greatest success has been for writing and illustrating children's picture books. Garland’s Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook won the California and Delaware State Reading Awards. He is author and illustrator of forty-one children’s picture books and illustrator of more than forty books by other authors. New books include Big And Little Are Best Friends, Scholastic, Birds Make Nests, Pizza Mouse, published by Holiday House and publishing in 2021 Lewis Hine and the Traveling Camera from Getty/Abrams. His work has won many honors and is frequently included in the Society of Illustrators and the Original Art of Children's book show as well annuals from Print, Graphis and Communications Arts magazines. Recently, Michael Garland was included on the list of the top one hundred Irish Americans by Irish American Magazine. Michael Garland is frequently asked to speak at schools, literary conferences, and festivals across the country. Call or email for information. You can learn more about Michael Garland by visiting his website or on Facebook. http://www.garlandpicturebooks.com
Get to know Michael Garland…
Michael Garland’s greatest success has been writing and illustrating children’s picture books. Garland’s Miss Smith’s Incredible Storybook won the California and Delaware State Reading Awards. He has authored and illustrated thirty children’s picture books and illustrated more than forty books for other authors.
Michael has also illustrated for celebrity authors such as James Patterson and Gloria Estefan. Recently, he was included on the list of the top one hundred Irish Americans by Irish American Magazine.
When Michael isn’t illustrating, he paints traditional oil paintings for sale in galleries. His paintings have been featured in two issues of American Artist Magazine.
Quirky Questions
Let’s start off with an embarrassing moment. Got any?
I was a young altar boy, holding a huge candle, leading a Stations of the Cross procession on Good Friday. Musical prompts from the church organist were my signal to proceed to the next station. The procession was supposed to stay in the same place twice, but I forgot about that. When the music started again, I marched solemnly, by myself, toward the next station. It wasn’t until I turned the corner and looked over my shoulder that I noticed the scowling priest and the other altar boy frozen in place. I sheepishly scuttled back to my place, to the great amusement of the smiling congregation.
What is the oldest item you own?
A small watercolor painting by JH Clare. It belonged to my grandmother, who emigrated from Ireland when she was fourteen to work as a servant in Manhattan and Raquette Lake, NY in the summers. She bought the painting in a second-hand shop in the city because it reminded her of home. I found the picture while looking through some old books with my father. He gave it to me and I hung it in our home. It reminds me of my father and my grandmother. The painting is signed JH Clare, 1874.
A few years ago, on a family vacation to Ireland, I came upon a spot that looked exactly like the scene in the painting. I felt as though I had been there before (maybe in a dream). If you look closely at the finely-detailed picture, you can see a thatched cottage, with a mother and child sitting on the lawn by a lake with a rowboat waiting for a rower. When I look at this painting, I imagine JR Clare sitting by the rocky shore of an Irish lake, painting away, hoping someone will like his work.
It’s time to start a new trend. What will it be?
Underground children’s picture books.
What great idea did you come up with, but never followed through on?
Underground children’s books.
If you could be a spokesperson for any product, it would be:
Artistic License, the product that lets you do anything you want.
If you went to a psychiatrist, what would he/she say you suffer from?
Being too modest. I am very good at being modest. In fact, I’m great at being modest. Really, I’m the best at being modest. I rule at being modest. I…
Writing & Illustrating Questions
Is there a place where you feel most creative?
No, in fact, the more boring and mundane my circumstance, the more I retreat into my own creative space. I have a beautiful studio with views, a soaring ceiling and skylights. I happily create there, but I could just as well be waiting in an airport or holed up in some hotel.
Is there someone who encouraged you when you felt like quitting?
First, it was my parents who believed in me, then my wife Peggy, but ultimately I had to believe in myself. There is no roadmap for a career in the arts. The lives of other artists and writers, seen from a distance, are an illusion. They may serve as inspiration, but not always as a practical model.
What has been your greatest sacrifice that has enabled you to become the artist you are today?
Spending many, many long hours doing various freelance jobs that I would rather not have done, but the income from those jobs allowed me to remain a freelancer and work toward projects that I really love doing. Even with the most tedious, routine assignment, there is something to be learned. I never just “mail it in.” I always aim for artistic quality and client satisfaction.
Any words of inspiration to pass along?
In life, as in art and literature, there is always room for improvement. The next story can always be better. The next picture can always be better. Reevaluate your work. Look for deficiencies and improve them. Innovate. Take chances. Tear it down and start over (regularly).
What is your typical day like?
I get up early. I work until late in the day writing or illustrating or painting, then go off for a hike or to play golf. My routine is broken when I do author visits or lectures. I travel all over the country.
How much of your own life is reflected in your work?
My life is reflected in my work. I won’t write anything unless I find it interesting or amusing. My first three books (My Cousin Katie, Circus Girl and Diner At Magritte’s) feature each of our three children as models for the protagonists. In Tugboat from Holiday House, I used myself as the model for the tug captain.
Do your family members enjoy writing/illustrating too?
My father was a New York City policeman, but he wrote verse. It seemed like a natural thing to me. Of course, we are Irish, so my father being a policeman-poet was no surprise to anyone.
Did your upbringing influence the way you write today?
Reading was always important around our house. Both my parents were always working on a book. Before I could even read, I’d look at books from our bookcase like Robinson Crusoe, illustrated by the Read brothers, or Moby Dick illustrated by Rockwell Kent High. Those same books sit on my bookshelf now. High standards in school were expected.
Which of your books gives you the most pride?
I am most fond of my first three books because of the connection to our children, but the most satisfying book is always the book I am working on at the monument because while I’m working on it, I always believe it will be my best book yet.
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Author Spotlight
Illustrator Spotlight
AUTHOR-ILLUSTRATOR SPOTLIGHT: MICHAEL GARLAND
© 2013 Michael Garland
We are very excited to interview award winning author and illustrator Michael Garland. Michael has been on the New York Times Best Seller list four times.
Michael's greatest success has been for writing and illustrating children's picture books. His MISS SMITH'S INCREDIBLE STORYBOOK won the California and Delaware State Reading Awards. He is currently working on his thirty first book as author and illustrator.
Michael Garland has illustrated for celebrity authors like James Patterson and Gloria Estefan. His illustrations for Patterson's SANTAKID were the inspiration for Sak's Fifth's Avenue's Christmas holiday window display in New York City. Michael's CHRISTMAS MAGIC has become a season classic and is currently being developed for a for a TV special.
Michael has generously donated his time to do this interview for KidLit411. Welcome, Michael!
How did you get started in illustrating?
I graduated from Pratt with a B.F.A., but I didn't know a lot about illustrating when I first got out of school. So I practiced and took small jobs to earn my credibility. As I continued to improve my craft and gain experience, I was sought after to get additional projects, and to build my portfolio. Harper Collins then asked me to design covers for their backlisted books, and soon after came the opportunity to do my first picture book, the award winning, MY COUSIN KATIE. That opportunity came about mid way through my career.
Has your illustration style changed over the years?
Yes. When I first began my style was very realistic, very Norman Rockwell-esq. As time went by however, I let go of that photo-dependant style and began embracing drawing from my imagination more. I started writing and illustrating together.
What are you working on these days?
I am always working on something new. I am always creating a project, whether that is writing, illustrating or painting. My newest picture book, TUGBOAT came out this past February. And another picture book, WHERE'S MY HOMEWORK will be released in June by Scholastic. I was honored that the artwork for TUGBOAT was showcased at the opening of the Society of Illustrators last month in New York.
Tugboat (Barnes and Noble)
What advice would you give to an aspiring children's writer or illustrator?
Do not quit. Do not give up. Write. Rewrite. Write some more. Even as many years as I have been in this industry, you cannot allow yourself to get discouraged, it will happen, because it happens to everyone. If you are an author/illustrator, make complete dummies of your project.
Where's My Homework (Pre-order here!)
What is something about yourself that most people don't know?
I am an outdoor person. I love to hike and play golf. But I guess the one thing that people don't know about me is that although I am known for my picture books, I have just written my very first Young Adult novel!
And the final KidLit411 question…
Do you like anchovies on your pizza?
I don't despise anchovies, but I am not a big fan of them either.
Thank you, Michael for sharing your expertise with us! Good luck to you on your new YA adventure!
Michael Garland has had a long career as an artist and illustrator, but his greatest success has been for writing and illustrating children's picture books. Garland's book, MISS SMITH AND THE HAUNTED LIBRARY, made the New York Times bestseller list. He lives with his family in Patterson, New York.
Visit him at:
www.garlandpicturebooks.com
www.michaelgarlandfineart.com
Hinrichs, Alexandra S.D. THE TRAVELING CAMERA Getty Publications (Children's None) $17.99 9, 14 ISBN: 978-1-947440-06-7
A tribute to the self-taught photographer who sparked real reform by turning faceless masses of abused workers into children with names and histories.
Incorporating Hine’s voice and some of his actual words (signaled with italics) into her free-verse monologue, Hinrichs highlights both his purposes—“I want to show their hard work / their hard lives” and also “their spirit. Because / the human spirit / is the big thing / after all”—and his methods of getting past suspicious factory overseers and of connecting with child workers in settings from cranberry bogs and canneries to coal mines. Garland’s harmoniously toned painted images of a slender, deceptively inoffensive-looking White figure using an awkward box camera to take pictures of solemn children, most but not all White, with downcast eyes and patchy period clothes meld gradually toward the end into Hine’s actual work (he called them “Hineographs”). More than 30 in all, they appear in a gallery that goes to the rear endpapers and are accompanied by a prose recap that downplays but at least mentions his quaint views on gender roles plus the fact that he took relatively few pictures of Black children and almost none of Asians. Russell Freedman’s Kids At Work (1994) explores his life and legacy in greater detail, but there’s enough here to leave even younger readers moved by his mission and his timeless portraits.
A searching picture of a pioneering social crusader. (chronology, source list, endnotes) (Picture book/biography. 8-10)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2021 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Hinrichs, Alexandra S.D.: THE TRAVELING CAMERA." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2021, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A667042244/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=488bfae7. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
The Traveling Camera
Alexandra S. D. Hinrichs, author
Michael Garland, illustrator
Getty Publications
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 500, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1682
www.getty.edu/publications
9781947440067, $17.99, HC, 32pp
https://www.amazon.com/Traveling-Camera-Lewis-Fight-Child/dp/1947440063
Synopsis: Author Alexandra Hinrichs and artist Michael Garlands picture book "The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor" combines stunning visuals with a poetic text to tell the inspiring story of Lewis Hine (September 26, 1874 - November 3, 1940), a teacher, photographer, and sociologist who employed his art as a tool for social reform.
Working for the National Child Labor Committee (NCLC), Hine traveled the country, taking pictures of children as young as five toiling under dangerous conditions in cotton mills, seafood canneries, farms, and coal mines. He often wore disguises to sneak into factories, impersonating a machinery inspector or traveling salesman. He said, "If I could tell this story in words, I wouldn't need to lug a camera." His poignant pictures attracted national attention and were instrumental in the passage of child labor laws.
"The Traveling Camera" also includes extensive back matter with timelines, original photographs, and a bibliography.
Critique: A well informed and exceptional picture book biography of a remarkable man and his contribution to changing America's attitude towards the use (and abuse) of child labor, "The Traveling Camera: Lewis Hine and the Fight to End Child Labor" is an extraordinary and unreservedly recommended addition to family, elementary school, and community library American Biography collections for children ages 6-9.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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Hinrichs, Alexandra S.D. "The Traveling Camera." Children's Bookwatch, Feb. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A707299388/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=77bef14c. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Ferry Boat.
By Michael Garland. Illus. by the author.
Jan. 2021.32p. Holiday, $15.99(9780823447701). K-Gr. 2.
Children are invited to join a family on a trip to and from Manhattan on the Staten Island Ferry. The boarding process is traced step-by-step; first, they enter the gate, then go up the escalator, watch the walkway come down, and go aboard. The text is minimal, and the vibrant illustrations, done in digital woodcut, are meticulously accurate in their portrayals of the sights en route and the size of the ferry and its seemingly endless windows, capable of accommodating a multitude of passengers. The understated artwork depicts people from all sorts of different backgrounds, highlighting the diversity of the New Yorkers and tourists aboard the ferry. Small illustrations in the back matter identify the key sights. Readers will enjoy the photograph of the author aboard the ferry at age five. This entry in the I Like to Read series will give children a helpful introduction to a vibrant city--and, for New York-based kids, a fun idea for an iconic outing.--Lolly Gepson
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 American Library Association
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Gepson, Lolly. "Ferry Boat." Booklist, vol. 117, no. 8, 15 Dec. 2020, p. 99. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A649725741/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5a794ffc. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Herman Jiggle, Say Hello!
Julia Cook, author
Michael Garland, illustrator
Boys Town Press
13603 Flanagan Blvd., Boys Town, NE 68010
www.boystownpress.org
9781944882518, $10.95, PB, 32pp, www.amazon.com
Herman Jiggle is excited to make some new friends! But first he needs to figure out how to stop his tummy from doing flip-flops and his words from getting stuck in his mouth! How will Herman make any friends if he's too shy to even say hello? With Mom eager to help Herman overcome his nerves and learn to make a good first impression, she teaches him some new skills like how to introduce himself, and how to start up a conversation. If Herman can learn these new social skills, he can start to untangle his words, and overcome his social anxiety. "Herman Jiggle, Say Hello! How to talk to people when your words get stuck" is a thoroughly 'kid friendly' picture book for young readers ages 8-12 that is unreservedly recommended, especially for elementary school, middle school, and community library collections.
Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2020 Midwest Book Review
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"Herman Jiggle, Say Hello!" Children's Bookwatch, May 2020, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A626507715/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b6e43fdd. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael TWO MEN AND A CAR Tilbury House (Children's Informational) $17.95 3, 12 ISBN: 978-0-88448-620-6
A custom-built, bulletproof limo links two historical figures who were pre-eminent in more or less different spheres.
Garland admits that a claim that FDR was driven to Congress to deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech in a car that once belonged to Capone rests on shaky evidence. He nonetheless uses the anecdote as a launchpad for twin portraits of contemporaries who occupy unique niches in this country's history but had little in common. Both were smart, ambitious New Yorkers and were young when their fathers died, but they definitely "headed in opposite directions." As he fills his biographical sketches with standard-issue facts and has disappointingly little to say about the car itself (which was commissioned by Capone in 1928 and still survives), this outing seems largely intended to be a vehicle for the dark, heavy illustrations. These are done in muted hues with densely scratched surfaces and angled so that the two men, the period backgrounds against which they are posed, and the car have monumental looks. It's a reach to bill this, as the author does, a "story about America," but it does at least offer a study in contrasts featuring two of America's most renowned citizens. Most of the human figures are white in the art, but some group scenes include a few with darker skin.
The car gets shortchanged, but comparing the divergent career paths of its (putative) two riders may give readers food for thought. (timeline, bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 10-12)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Garland, Michael: TWO MEN AND A CAR." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Feb. 2019. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A571549161/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c4068a98. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Two Men and a Car: Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, and a Cadillac V-8
Michael Garland. Tilbury House, $17.95 (64p) ISBN 978-0-88448-620-6
Garland (A Season of Flowers) uses a car to link two men who made very different headlines during the first half of the 20th century. Legend has it that President Franklin D. Roosevelt, on his way to deliver his "Day of Infamy" speech to Congress in 1941, rode in mobster Al Capone's bulletproof Cadillac, 10 years after it had been confiscated by the U.S. government. A compare-and-contrast narrative describes how the two intelligent and ambitious New Yorkers, born 17 years apart, chose divergent paths. Their biographies intersect in a few interesting and little-known ways: Roosevelt was a wealthy only child who graduated from Harvard; Capone had eight siblings and once held a job at a dancehall called the Harvard Inn. "Roosevelt was a determined politician who fought his opponents with ballots" faces a page that declares, "Capone was a determined gangster who fought his opponents with guns." Scratchboard-style illustrations in muted hues offer realistic portraits of the men and depictions of the era. An extensive timeline contextualizes the major events of their lives, and a further reading list concludes this comparison of contemporaries: one famous, the other infamous. Ages 10-12. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2019 PWxyz, LLC
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"Two Men and a Car: Franklin Roosevelt, Al Capone, and a Cadillac V-8." Publishers Weekly, vol. 266, no. 3, 21 Jan. 2019, p. 83. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A572145799/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=36a8b66a. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael DADDY PLAYED THE BLUES Tilbury House (Children's Fiction) $17.95 9, 11 ISBN: 978-0-88448-588-9
One family's journey from Mississippi to Chicago in 1936, as recalled by the now-grown daughter, interweaves the history of the Great Migration and African-American blues heritage. Cassie's narrative begins as the family loads the car with all they own. Uncle Vernon's up front with Daddy and Mama, and Cassie and two brothers ride in back, Daddy's acoustic-guitar case across their laps. The family settles on Chicago's South Side; the men work in the stockyards and play the blues every chance they get. Cassie's narration seesaws between family scenes and insertions that feel contrived: a definition of the blues, particular blues lyrics, and name-dropped musicians. Oddest is a double-page spread that introduces musician Robert Johnson's legendary devil's bargain at a crossroads--without context. "Sometimes...I would fall asleep with the sound of the music in my ears, dreaming about Robert Johnson waiting at the crossroads for the devil to come." The song is quoted above a sleeping Cassie. Opposite, a horned devil looms huge above Johnson in a red sky. Children not frightened by the image will surely be bewildered. The digital paintings resemble woodcuts. Garland's signature use of squat, foreshortened figures effectively trivializes the adults, especially when contrasted with depictions of famous blues players, seemingly distilled from photos. In a lengthy author's note, Garland provides historical background but conflates personal reminiscences with the musical history and celebrates the white rockers who appropriated the blues. Skip. (song credits, map, thumbnail biographies) (Picture book. 6-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Garland, Michael: DADDY PLAYED THE BLUES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A498344953/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4901c507. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Daddy Played the Blues
Michael Garland
Tilbury House, Publishers
12 Starr Street, Thomaston, ME 04861
www.tilburyhouse.com
9780884485889, $17.95, HC, 48pp, www.amazon.com
Packing themselves into an old jalopy along side Daddy, Uncle Vern, and Mama in the front seat and Cassie and her two brothers in the back, the family joined the Great Migration from the impoverished Deep South to Chicago, where there was work to be had in the stockyards. Across the kids' laps lay Daddy's prized possession, a six-string guitar. Daddy worked hard to put food on the table, but what he really loved was playing the blues. Deftly written and superbly illustrated by Michael Garland, "Daddy Played the Blues" is an evocative picture book tale of the African-American odyssey in search of a better life is also a homage to the uniquely American music that developed from African music and American spirituals, work songs, and folk ballads. Of special note is Garland own personal story of how he first heard and fell in love with blues music, beginning a lifelong fandom. Featuring portraits and thumbnail biographies of great blues musicians and landmark songs complete this tribute to the great American music and the yearnings that produced it, "Daddy Played the Blues" will prove to be an original and entertaining read for children ages 6 to 10, making it unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library picture book collections for young readers.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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Garland, Michael. "Daddy Played the Blues." Children's Bookwatch, Aug. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A506605759/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f917cd0e. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael WE'RE NOT WEIRD Holiday House (Children's None) $18.99 1, 3 ISBN: 978-0-8234-5102-9
Twenty wild creatures strut distinctive horns, tongues, feet, scales, and other prominent features.
From the hummingbird hawk-moth to the blue-footed booby, the aptly named blobfish to the narwhal and the babirusa, land and sea creatures from various parts of the world pose with strong, boldly textured presence in natural settings in Garland's digitally colored woodcuts--mostly as single subjects, many chasing or chowing down on favored prey, and two (a male frigatebird and the aforementioned booby) posturing before prospective mates. But if the pictures reward attention, the accompanying commentary generally just singles out one physical feature for each and offers, at best, sketchy explanations of its function. "My large nose keeps out dust and helps me breathe," says the saiga antelope. (Don't most noses do that?) "I have large tusks, but I don't use them for fighting," says a babirusa, leaving readers in the dark about what they are used for. Similarly unenlightening are opaque follow-up notes, which mention that the Sunda flying lemur "is a cobego and not a lemur" and that jellyfish "are not fish; they are Scyphozoa," plus a mistaken implication that only male narwhals have tusks. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
The art is something to see, but the perfunctory text reads like an afterthought. (glossary, bibliography, index) (Informational picture book. 6-8)
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"Garland, Michael: WE'RE NOT WEIRD." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Oct. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A721918183/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e9a90f76. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael GRANDMA'S FARM Astra Young Readers (Children's None) $17.99 10, 11 ISBN: 978-1-63592-583-8
A young boy learns about a beloved family farm.
In this sequel to Grandpa's Tractor (2011), Grandma and Timmy take a sentimental journey to the old farm, now abandoned and in disrepair, where his mother grew up, and Grandma shares stories and notes from her diary while Timmy imagines his mother's early life. As the pair walk around the farm, they talk about all the chores, such as feeding the pigs--and catching them when they escaped--planting, picking, and selling vegetables, gathering and candling eggs, and shearing sheep. But farm life isn't all work. Grandma recalls how the family had fun fishing, playing family baseball and board games, watching TV, reading, and visiting the library each week. The trip is a success, and the book closes with Timmy feeling closer to both Grandma and his mother and eager to plant a garden of his own. Full-color digital illustrations have the realistic feel of scrapbook photos--they may have faded a bit, but the important details are in clear focus. In fact, reading the book feels like peering over Grandma's shoulder as she shares her scrapbook and stories with Timmy. The story is alive with farm life details that young readers will appreciate. Timmy and his extended family present as White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A warm tale of passing the love of the family farm from one generation to the next. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-6)
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"Garland, Michael: GRANDMA'S FARM." Kirkus Reviews, 1 Aug. 2022, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A711906612/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e9df4964. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Fish Had a Wish.
By Michael Garland. Illus. by the author.
Apr. 2012. 24p. Holiday, $14.95 (9780823423941).
PreS-Gr. 1.
For one little sunfish, life definitely looks greener on the other side of the pond. Observing the various creatures in his sylvan habitat, Fish desires to be just like them. He wishes to fly like a bird, sport a bobcat's spots, be a hissing snake, and even stink like a skunk. But a tasty mayfly reminds Fish that he is pretty happy just being himself. Still, he has one more wish: to stay a fish. This title in the I Like to Read series offers budding readers a basic but varied text, a gentle message, and appealing woodcut-style digital illustrations featuring large, arresting figures in richly colored, wood-grained landscapes. Each two-page spread presents a close-up of an animal and its lush, natural environment; concluding scenes of the jubilant, multicolored Fish are particularly captivating. This easy-reading offering on the rewards of being yourself is sure to make a splash with young nature lovers.--Kristen McKulski
McKulski, Kristen
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2012 American Library Association
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McKulski, Kristen. "Fish Had a Wish." Booklist, vol. 108, no. 15, 1 Apr. 2012, p. 76. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A286390723/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=c21be08c. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Tugboat
Michael Garland. Holiday House, $16.95 (32p) ISBN 978-0-8234-2866-3
Garland (the Miss Smith series) demonstrates the all-weather feats of a New York City tug in this concise addition to the tugboat-themed bookshelf. Unlike the heroes of Little Toot or Scurfy the Tugboat, Garland's tugboat is only lightly personified in the text--"The little boat is ready to do big jobs"--and is portrayed realistically in his digitally assembled illustrations, with a bright red cabin and the name Hudson emblazoned on its side. As the book progresses, Garland delineates the many important jobs of a tug, including pushing a stately cruise ship filled with vacationers, pulling a schooner past the Statue of Liberty during a parade of tall ships, and moving a fireworks barge into place for a Fourth of July celebration. Less glamorous work includes guiding a tanker in a snowstorm and pulling a coal barge and a barge filled with garbage ("Hold your nose!"). The clipped yet informative text plays a backup role to Garland's often dramatic illustrations, which highlight the tugboat's diminutive size compared to the massive ships it assists, hitting home the idea that small can be mighty. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 PWxyz, LLC
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"Tugboat." Publishers Weekly, vol. 261, no. 3, 20 Jan. 2014, p. 54. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A356580634/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=a233947b. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Tugboat. By Michael Garland. Illus. by the author. Mar. 2014.32p. Holiday, $16.95 (9780823428663). 386. PreS-K.
In a field crowded with diggers, locomotives, and race cars, the humble tugboat continues to pull more than its weight with picture-book readers. Garland's colorful book highlights not only the many services a tugboat provides but also the variety of jobs a boat's captain and her crew are likely to tackle on an average shift. Garbage barges, tall ships, ocean liners--no job is too big for a tugboat. Many of the graphite and digital illustrations are double-page spreads that allow the reader to appreciate the contrast of the small boat in relation to the size of the jobs it is being asked to perform. Meanwhile, the simple, direct text will make young readers feel confident in tackling a picture book. Though the book is not quite the reference source that the table of contents hints it might be, the glossary of shipping terms and a brief note about the use of tugs to transport parts of the Willis Avenue Bridge from Albany to New York City are genuinely insightful. This book will be tugged around quite a bit.--Kara Dean
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 American Library Association
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Dean, Kara. "Tugboat." Booklist, vol. 110, no. 14, 15 Mar. 2014, p. 70. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A363381957/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=d04f451e. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael WHERE'S MY HOMEWORK? Cartwheel/Scholastic (Children's Picture Books) $6.99 6, 24 ISBN: 978-0-545-43655-7
It turns out the dog really did eat the homework.Garland's title page nicely sets the scene and establishes the young narrator's veracity: He is dutifully sitting at his desk, lamp blazing, doing his homework. But the next morning, the papers are nowhere to be found. In an excellent portrayal of searches by real-life kids, who imagine that everyone would want and naturally steal what they are looking for, spread upon spread of full-bleed illustrations in rich colors show readers what the boy imagines happened to his homework: "Maybe Martians from outer space invaded my room and abducted my homework!" Plundered by pirates, taken by a slithery boa constrictor and run away to join the circus are just a few of the other possibilities. But just as his mother is calling that it's getting late, he hears some suspicious slobbering from the living room. (The question of where the homework was between the boy's desperate search for it, dog at his heels, and his hearing these noises is never addressed.) Of course, the boy simply must drag the dog to school to confront his teacher, and a lucky deus ex machina belies her suspicions. Garland's trademark style combines fuzzily digital illustrations (especially of hair and fur) with collaged patterns and textures.If only all students were as diligent and truthful as this one (and every homework search turned out as happily). (Picture book. 5-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2014 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Garland, Michael: WHERE'S MY HOMEWORK?" Kirkus Reviews, 1 June 2014. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A369549124/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=32667852. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael LOST DOG Holiday House (Children's Picture Books) $14.95 9, 15 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3429-9
A huge dog named Pete gets really lost on the way to Grandma's house for a birthday celebration. The story opens with Pete wrapping a box in flowered paper and making a birthday card. He sets off in his yellow car with the present, a bouquet of flowers, and his suitcase, on his way to Grandma's house on Mutt Street. But when Pete gets off the crowded freeway, he quickly gets lost and finds himself in a forest. He asks for directions, and a different animal answers on each spread, using a simple, repeated format that will easily be followed both by emergent readers and by toddlers just getting used to comprehending stories with a plot. The environments change with each new animal, taking Pete around the world on his journey to Grandma's; a whale finally gives Pete and his car a lift back to reality. A German shepherd police officer tells Pete he's already on Mutt Street, leading to a wordless final spread with Grandma opening her gift, a ribbon-wrapped bone. Digitally produced illustrations create a dreamy, imaginative world in which a bear can drive a car and a jaguar can read a book in a rain forest. A delightful story with wide appeal beyond the early-reader designation. (Early reader/picture book. 2-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2015 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Garland, Michael: LOST DOG." Kirkus Reviews, 1 July 2015. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A419698492/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b9482f0b. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael BIRDS MAKE NESTS Holiday House (Children's Picture Books) $16.95 3, 15 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3662-0
To keep their chicks and eggs safe, different bird species make different nests.For the youngest readers or listeners, this album shows a wide variety of nests sheltering eggs and chicks. On the copyright page, a black-capped chickadee flies with nesting material; at the end of the book, chicks emerge to walk, ride, or fly. Garland selects a variety of bird species from around the globe, guaranteeing that most readers will find some birds they recognize and others that feel exotic. A mourning dove nests in an old boot; ospreys, storks, and eagles seek nesting places high up; and ostriches, flamingos, and Australian pelicans make theirs directly on the ground. Basket nests hang from tree limbs, rest on branches, or cover a whole treetop (a kind of bird apartment house). A brown-headed cowbird takes advantage of someone else's nest. From the nesting mute swan and cygnets on the title page to the common loon in the water, chicks riding on her back, on the last, Garland's digital art uses scanned wood textures to mimic woodcuts. It will show well to a group. Birds are clearly labeled by common name and by sex where they obviously differ. Species are colored appropriately, the eggs less carefully, but the nests--the focus of this pleasing introduction--are reasonably accurate. The simple narrative arc, from nest-building to the beginnings of chick independence, is appropriate for the youngest readers, and the sense of wonder is palpable. Eggs-actly right for a nature-themed storytime. (Informational picture book. 3-7)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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"Garland, Michael: BIRDS MAKE NESTS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Jan. 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A477242377/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6892f14d. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.
Garland, Michael PIZZA MOUSE Holiday House (Children's Fiction) $14.95 9, 5 ISBN: 978-0-8234-3761-0
For a New York City mouse, hazards abound--but also delicious discoveries.Garland knocks the rougher edges off an incident featuring an ambitious rat and a whole slice of pizza that was caught in a viral 2015 video clip. Sporting a tough-guy chip on his diminutive shoulder ("I am a mouse. So what?"), this nonetheless cute, fuzzy forager has four legs but anthropomorphically scurries around on two. He pithily tallies his many foes as he roots through piles of garbage, snatches a roll from a table of elegant diners, takes shelter from a swooping hawk in a used pizza box, and finally drags the cheesy treasure he finds therein down subway steps and through a crowd of oblivious commuters to present it to a squad of nestlings. "Daddy!" they exclaim. Along with downsizing his protagonist and giving him a family to feed, Garland does such an awful job of depicting urban grime that even the worst food waste looks not just yummy, but artistically displayed. Still, though the setting may be caricatured, the thoroughly diverse human cast, even its Asian members, is not, and he offers an affectionate ankle-level view of the city's general hurly-burly. The mean streets may have never looked so clean, but it still takes pluck and courage to survive them. (Picture book. 5-8)
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2017 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
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Source Citation
MLA 9th Edition APA 7th Edition Chicago 17th Edition Harvard
"Garland, Michael: PIZZA MOUSE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2017. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A495427896/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=bba0e5e6. Accessed 17 Dec. 2022.