Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude

LOVED this book! The illustrations were really fun and fabulous. The book captured all of the best and most revered qualities and dimensions of Gertrude Stein's life and relationships with other famous artists and writers of the era. Even though it's a picture book, I'm going to lend it to my a 6th grade student of mine who is talented in art to read for a sense of the interconnectedness of the modernist movement. I think it's REALLY important that readers of this book read the author's note though, because without context it may be very confusing, especially with the playful nature of the book's language obscuring or teasing about the real facts of Gertrude and Alice's relationship, for example.

Thoughts:Go ahead and call it a children’s picture book, but I think you are wrong; the children I read this book to looked at me in bewilderment. It looks like a picture book. It reads like a picture book. But reading it to young children is like asking junior high students to read Great Expectations; it can be read, but it should be saved for those old enough to really appreciate it.I loved it. It would probably be among my top picks for best nonfiction picture book. It’s bright and colorful. The text mimics the style of the subject, poet Gertrude Stein. It’s funny. As Gertrude Stein might say, A picture book is a picture book is a picture book is a picture book. But sometimes it’s not. A Sample:“Talk talk talk talk. Laugh show more laugh. More talk.Laugh. Okay. Enough.And now it’s time for tea.Teatime is teatime.And look who’s here,in time for tea.It’s Pablo Picasso the Spanish artist.Pablo Picasso looks so angry but no.Pablo Picasso is PabloPicasso.He just invented Modern artwhich is not the same thing as being angrybut then again maybe it is.Maybe it isand maybe it isn’t.Then again maybe it is.It’s so hard to inventModern art.Maybe it isandmaybe it isn’t.Maybe.”Children’s Comments:Sydney, 6, said, "Never want to read. It's wacky."Vanessa, 6, said, "It's weird because they have a dog named Basket."Joey, 6, said, "The title was weird."Jony, 6, said, "The bear was in a chair!"Children’s Ratings: 3, 1, 4, 1, 3, 4, 5, 2 show less

An interesting take on the life of Gertude Stein. Written in her style, but telling the story of her life with Alice B Toklas. CAlef Brown creates a tableaux of all of the artists in her life, including Matisse, Picasso and Hemingway. It may not appeal to very young children but certainly to older elementary school kids learning about this creative era.

Ok, I know of Gertrude and Alice, but I'm not familiar with Stein's work. All I know is A Rose is a Rose..., and that is here, obviously, and Pigeons in the Grass, Alas, which I say to myself every time I see that scene, which is not included here. So, a star off for not including my favorite. (My review, my whim, indulge me.)

I really liked the page spread that mentioned Matisse that actually reminded us of his style by showing us some bits of some of his work. And I like that this focuses on the playful and childlike aspects of her work. I would like a bibliography of other introductions to her work; the brief author's note included expects us to jump right into Stein's own books and I'm not ready....

This book is a playful picture book for audiences of all ages who wish to take a glimpse of a glimpse of a glimpse into a day in the life of Gertrude Stein. Jonah Winter imitates Stein's line "Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose" and with poetic license produced a unique and endearing relationship between the reader and Ms. Stein

In the classroom: Author study of Gertrude Stein; author study of Jonah Winter, poetry-like prose; modern art and artists, relationships between artists and authors; language: repetition, nonsensical, imitation

Z sort of liked the wordplay (the book is written in the style of Gertrude Stein) and Calef Brown's illustrations are always a big hit over here. The overall verdict, despite a few laugh out loud moments, was "this is weird."

Winter, J. (2009). Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude. New York: Atheneum Books
for Young Readers.

141694088X

Gertrude is Gertrude is Gertrude is a biographical picturebook written in the style of, and about, Gertrude Stein. This is a book that needs a lot of background information to get completely. Also, because of it’s prose style, a teacher will need to read this book aloud multiple times (or encourage rereading) to help students get the meaning. (Of course, there’s nothing wrong with just sharing the book for enjoyment of the words and the way they flow either. It all depends on your goal for the day)

With some beautiful lines, this book would be great to accompany sharing some of Stein’s writing.

The illustrations are fun and show more colorful and compliment the text well. They help to provide a sense of fun and play with perspective.

Activities to do with the book:

After sharing this book, a teacher could encourage students to write freely, whatever thoughts go through their heads.

There are a number of ways a teacher could use this book with larger individual or group projects. A teacher could assign research papers or presentations based on Modernism and the artists and writers of the school (including Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Ernest Hemingway, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso), their art and the historic events.

While this book could be used with a number of age groups, if a teacher chooses to share it with the upper grades, at least a few students will assume the unseen narrator is on drugs and the teacher will have to challenge students to think more deeply.

Also, if any teachers out there happen to be as nerdy as me, he or she may want to try having a tea party after sharing this book by taking an hour to two to have the students go to the school library or other homey school space, dress in period clothes (maybe for extra credit) talk about literature and art of the period and maybe even read Stein’s poems and others’ works aloud in small groups.

Favorite Quotes:

"And now it's time for tea. Teatime is teatime. And look who's here, in time for tea."

"Pages and pages and pages with words all over the pages. My goodness, what fun. What fun to write whatever words occur."

"You see Miss Gertrude is a genius. And a genius is a genius. So what if no one understands a word she writes. Some day they might."

For more of my reviews, visit sjkessel.blogspot.com. show less