Give the Gift! 10 Fulfilling Ways to Raise a Lifetime Reader by Matthew Gollub (Author), Larry Nolte (Illustrator) Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: Tortuga Pr; 1st edition (May 2, 2007)

ISBN-10: 1889910422 ISBN-13: 978-1889910420    

Give the Gift! shows parents and caretakers simple but powerful literacy customs to help children cultivate a love of reading at home. Humorous, four-color illustrations depict parents of many ages, with children ranging from infants to teens. Fun, easy-to-read picture book format distinguishes this book. Hints scattered throughout the text expand on central ideas including: finding time to read with kids at home and on the go; making kids of all ages EXCITED about reading; providing plenty of books at home no matter how tight your budget; limiting time that children spend on video games and TV; eye-opening facts about the benefits of reading.

Finalist in The Parenting/Family Category
of The National Best Books 2007 Awards.

Finalist in Best Book Awards 2007 (USA Book News)

Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Award

America’s #1 Recommended Children’s Book, Children's Book Sense 76

Benjamin Franklin Award for children's book/audio book

Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children

California Department of Education Suggested Reading

San Francisco Chronicle Editors' Picks

Featured on "West Coast Live" and major jazz radio stations

Gobble, Quack, Moon [With Audio CD]
by Matthew Gollub (Author,Performer), Judy Love (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: Hardcover, 32 pages Publisher: Tortuga Press; Book & Cd edition (April 2002)

ISBN-10: 1889910171 ISBN-13: 978-1889910178

Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal When a drummer fly gets lost on his way to a gig, he tries to get directions from a frog, a pig, a donkey, and a dog, but none of them speaks his language. He finally finds his way to the club and all is well until the Queen Bee demands "-a new BEAT/or this band is OUT!" The fly is stymied until he remembers the retorts of the animals he heard on his way and uses those noises to create a whole new sound that makes the band famous. The rhyming text includes scat refrains like "ZA-baza, BOO-zaba, ZEE-zah RO-ni" that just beg to be read aloud. The unique illustrations, gray-toned pictures with contrasting hints of pastel colors, were accomplished by scanning pencil sketches into a Macintosh computer and then re-creating them with Adobe Illustrator. One spread features the gray figures of the bassist and saxophonist spotlighted in green and pink, respectively. The text itself is cleverly designed. Words representing sounds are portrayed as if they are coming right out of the animals' mouths in colored fonts. Together the illustrations and book design give the whole enterprise the feel of jazz, even without musical accompaniment. The accompanying CD is delightful. Gollub narrates with a jazzy beat, and the danceable music perfectly accentuates the story. Children will love hearing this book read aloud and imitating the animal sounds and other refrains. A natural for storytimes. Tim Wadham, Maricopa County Library District, Phoenix, AZ Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist And the donkey don't understand Jazz Fly, but, fortunately, the dog does. Arriving at  fly gets lost on his way to a performance, so he asks several animals how to get to town: "ZA-baza, BOO-zaba, ZEE-zah RO-ni?" he asks. The frog, the hog, anthe club, Jazz Fly sits down at his drums and begins to play, incorporating the animal sounds into his music to great audience response. The story is slight but bouncy, especially as it's told by the author on the accompanying audie CD, with the narration heightened by the music of a jazz quartet. The illustrations are mostly black, white, and gray, with splashes of color to accentuate the jazzy style. Susan Dove Lempke Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Cool Melons-Turn to Frogs: The Life Andpoems of Issa By Matthew Gollub, Kazuko G. Stone (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: Hardcover,  40 pages Publisher: Lee & Low Books; ; (September 1998)

ISBN: 1880000717 ISBN-13: 978-1880000717

 

The Horn Book Fanfare Benjamin
A.L.A. Notable Book

Born in 1763 on a farm in central Japan, Issa began writing haiku as a young child. Matthew Gollub has integrated the story of Issa's life and selections of his best-known work with Kazuko Stone's visual interpretations in the form of whimsical watercolors. Full color.

 Editorial Reviews

From Horn Book Starred Review This introduction to an eighteenth century Japanese writer of haiku is as restrained, graceful, and concise as the art form it honors. Interspersed throughout the biographical account are thirty-three of Issa's haiku, carefully chosen to reflect the poet's experiences at each stage of life. Stone's illustrations are haiku for the eyes expressive and only seemingly simple. -- Copyright 1999 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

From Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review Readers would be hard-pressed to find a more eloquent...and inspiring approach to understanding (and writing) this deceptively simple art form.

The Moon Was at a Fiesta by Matthew Gollub, Leovigildo Martinez (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8, 32 pages, Publisher: Tortuga Press; Revised edition (January 1998)
Hardcover ISBN: 1889910112 ISBN-13: 978-1889910116 

Paperback ISBN: 1889910139 ISBN-13: 978-1889910130

The sun lights the day, and the moon lights the night, and morning seldom breaks with them both in the sky. But for those days when the moon stays out past dawn, the people of Oaxaca, Mexico, have an explanation: "It's because the Moon Was at a Fiesta," they say.

Once again, Matthew Gollub and Leovigildo Martnez have created a sumptuous and original folktale set in the artist's native Oaxaca, a story as exhilarating as a nighttime fiesta, filled with music, tamales and paper lanterns.

The story is related simply, with Spanish words thoughtfully woven into the text. The author's detailed afterward contains a glossary and notes on Mexican fiestas.

CA Department of Education Recommended Reading Artwork and text exhibited in 26 museums nationwide

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist  Arranging a nocturnal fiesta to please the dissatisfied stars ("All the games and feasts take place under the sun's brilliant rays"), the moon is pleased until she realizes that the villagers of Oaxaca, Mexico, will sleep all day, and their crops will be planted late. Still, she has enjoyed her evening very much and continues to celebrate occasionally. That's why in Oaxaca, when people rise with the sun, they sometimes see the moon. Combining the social realism of Orozco with the whimsy of Chagall, the vigorous mixed-media paintings are a delight. The patterned pictures in golden hues include the sleeping half-moon covered by a colorful blanket and an exhausted human reveler draped over a tree limb. The narrative of this original pourquoi is simple yet appealing, and Spanish terms like mole, tamales, and monigotes are thoughtfully integrated into the narrative. This is the same team that gave us the acclaimed The Twenty-five Mixtec Cats (1993); hopefully, they'll take on the intriguing Mexican festivities (Night of the Radishes and Monday on the Hill) discussed in the detailed afterward. Julie Corsaro --

From Horn Book This original tale, set in Mexico, explains why the sun and moon are occasionally visible in the sky at the same time. The moon plans a nighttime fiesta but causes trouble when she forgets to set in the morning. Contrite, she decides to stay in the evening sky, but, once in a while, she insists on celebrating. The large watercolors are full of the sights and colors of southern Mexico. Glos. -- Copyright 1994 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal The story is perfect for reading aloud. The Spanish words, seamlessly interspersed throughout, add flavor. The watercolor, gouache, and acrylic illustrations perfectly complement the text--cool greens and blues reflect the light of the moon by night, and earth tones reflect the sun's glare by day. The luminous colors used in the landscapes are repeated in the people's faces and clothes, suggesting their close relationship with nature. Full of wonderful details, the pictures give a glimpse of Oaxacan culture--the paper cut-out decorations, fireworks and wooden masks, and the anthropomorphized moon beautifully convey the people's respect for nature and their love of celebrations.

La Luna se fue fe fiesta (Spanish Edition) by Matthew Gollub, Martin L. Guzman (Translator), Leovigildo Martinez (Illustrator), 32 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8, Publisher: Tortuga Press; October 1997

Hardcover ISBN: 1889910120 ISBN-13: 978-1889910123  

Paperback ISBN: 1889910147 ISBN-13: 978-1889910147

Ten Oni Drummers

by Matthew Gollub, Kazuko G. Stone (Illustrator) Reading level: Ages 4-8 Edition: Hardcover,  32 pages  Publisher: Lee & Low Books; ; (November 15, 2000)

ISBN: 1584300116 ISBN-13: 978-1584300113

At dusk, on a beach in Japan, a young boy falls asleep and begins to dream, but soon he has company--a tiny oni, creeping up from the sand. Throughout the night, one-by-one, more oni appear, until there are ten in all, and they grow bigger, too. They begin beating their taiko drums, louder and louder. They sail on a raft, play games, have a big meal, and eventually chase away the boy's scary dreams.

In this playful, rhyming story, young children find reassurance and comfort for their fears when scary dreams come their way. Through art and story, children also learn about Japanese taiko drumming and the Japanese words and characters for the numbers one to ten.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal In a reassuring rhyming story, 10 Japanese oni appear one by one on the beach. They bang drums, make noise, and increase in size, page by page. As they approach the house of a small boy, they chant loudly and count in Japanese. However, the little hero is not afraid of these colorful wild goblins, for they serve to chase away his spooky dreams and become small sand creatures again at daybreak. This is a humorous look at nighttime fears, a delightful counting book, and an appealing story poem. The verse is crisp and childlike. Stone's vibrant, expressive watercolor-and-pencil illustrations strike just the right balance between being scary and funny. They fill each page with action and color. Clear Japanese characters from 1 to 10 adorn the shirts of each one. The book concludes with a pronunciation guide, background notes, and a number chart. A delightful and unique offering to fill requests for bedtime and counting books.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Uncle Snake by Matthew Gollub, Leovigildo Martinez (Illustrator) 32 pages, Reading level: Ages 4-8, Edition: Hardcover, Publisher: Tortuga Press; (August 1996)

ISBN: 0688139442 ISBN-13: 978-0688139445

A magical tale of snakes and lightning, Oaxacan style. Once again, Matthew Gollub and Leovigildo Martinez have spun a mysterious and captivating original tale from the rich folk culture of Mr. Martinez's native Oaxaca. Full-color illustrations. Age 5 and up.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist  After going into the forbidden cave, where he discovers snakes with human heads (who are actually children who have been enchanted and cannot leave the cave), a young boy's face becomes that of a snake. He is told that for 20 years he must wear a mask and dance each year at the village fiesta. Twenty years later, the boy, now known as "Uncle Snake," returns to the cave and is transformed into a snake with a human head whose zigzagging leap into the sky is the lightning that heralds life-giving rain. Although inspired by the ancient Mexican belief that a snake in the sky brings the rain and incorporating other pre-Hispanic folklore elements (as explained in the author's note), this is another original folktale from the pair that created The Twenty-five Mixtec Cats (1993) and The Moon Was at a Fiesta (1994). With an authentic ethnic flavor and richly complex watercolor illustrations, this pourquoi tale is spooky and dramatically compelling.... . Annie Ayers

From Kirkus Reviews  A murky, captivating tale based on the culture of Oaxaca, Mexico, from the team behind The Moon Was at a Fiesta (1994). Martinez's delightfully comic illustrations place readers solidly in the enchanted world of a tale that explains the origin of lightning. A boy who has ventured into a forbidden cave from which strange lights flicker during storms discovers the fate of former curious children--they have turned into snakes with human heads. When this happens to the boy, no curandero can heal him, but a nahual, a shape-shifting magic worker, gives him a mask to wear and outlines a 20-year program of prayer and dance, the successful completion of which will enable the boy to ``show the world something new.'' The resolution of his troubles will bedazzle even impatient youngsters.... -- Copyright 1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

The Twenty-Five Cats

by Matthew Gollub, Leovigildo Martinez (Illustrator), Reading level: Ages 4-8, Edition: Hardcover, 32 pages, Publisher: William Morrow & Company (April 1993)

  ISBN: 0688116396 ISBN-13: 978-0688116392
The healer in an Oaxacan village returns from market with 25 kittens, but the unfamiliar animals are viewed by the townspeople with suspicion and scorn. When an evil spell threatens the local butcher, the healer and his cats save her life and win the villagers' hearts.

100 Titles to Read and to Share" --N.Y. Public Library

Editorial Reviews

From Horn Book The Mexican healer's twenty-five new cats are spurned by the villagers until they assist the healer in reversing an evil spell. The color illustrations are entrancing.... -- Copyright 1993 The Horn Book, Inc. All rights reserved.

Los Veinticino Gatos Mixtecos

by Matthew Gollub, Leovigildo Martinez (Illustrator), Martin Luis Guzman (Translator), Reading level: Ages 4-8, 32 pages,  Publisher: Tortuga Press; (May 1997)

Hardcover ISBN 1889910007 

Paperback ISBN 1889910015 

 

 Presentations

Over the past nine years, Matthew has produced 14 books, including The Jazz Fly, a multiple award-winning book with audio CD; Gobble, Quack, Moon (his latest musical book with audio CD); and Cool Melons--Turn to Frogs!, an ALA Notable selection and a Horn Book Fanfare best book of the year. As a speaker, he has inspired hundreds of audiences at schools and conferences nationwide with his storytelling, drumming, and command of three languages--a combination that teachers describe as "unbelievably dynamic."

Comments from Matthew Gollub School Visits

"Until you experience an assembly by Matthew Gollub, you simply cannot appreciate what he does for kids. " --Maria Cervantes, Principal,  Heritage Elementary School, Lodi, CA

“We are still basking in the afterglow of your visit. Our students really benefited from your visit here.”  –Allison Wagner, District Librarian, Butte County Office of Education

“Thank you for your inspiring work. The children love your books. We all enjoyed your performances and appreciated the opportunity to show you how we felt about your stories.”  --Kelly Martin Mauro, teacher, Lake Forest Elementary School, El Dorado Hills

“Jack [my son] came home on a cloud and could not stop talking about you. I loved the way Jack said to me, ‘Mom, I met the neatest guy at school today’ and then proceeded to tell me about you as if he had made a new friend. He thought you were fascinating.”  --Parent, Armstrong Elementary School, Dallas, TX

Matthew Gollub combines humor, practical insights, storytelling, and drumming to thoroughly engage listeners of all backgrounds and ages. He has been a keynote speaker at statewide conferences including California Reading Association, California Association for Bilingual Education, Head Start, and Migrant Education Even Start. A sought after children's author, he conducts assemblies at over 50 schools per year, along with numerous workshops for students and teachers, and family literacy events in English and Spanish.

Please click on the link below for more information about:

 

 

The Professional Speaking Fees for schools are:

         $1500.00 for 4 sessions per day
         $400.00 extra for an additional evening event
         $800.00 for 2 sessions (half day)
         (Half days only possible when 2 halves are booked for the same day
          at 2 nearby schools.)
         Plus travel expenses

 

Contact

Matthew Gollub PMB 181 2777 Yulupa Ave. Santa Rosa, CA 95405 Phone: (707)544-4720 Fax: (707)544-5609 mailto:mg@matthewgollub.com     Blog: http://matthewgollub.com/mgblog/ Website:  http://www.matthewgollub.com

---

11/19/12 date this page was last edited      Click HERE to return to state page