Beauty Is In...

Ask any human with a dog in their lives, they will tell you each dog has their own personality.  It's a combination of their physical characteristics, body movements and facial expressions.  Most will attest to the fact they are positive their dog understands more, much more, than they choose to reveal.

Dogs are no different than people when it comes to their attributes on the outside.  If you love them (which we dog people do), it does not matter how they look.  We can see beyond their appearance into their hearts; the spirit which makes them unique shines.  In Spike: Ugliest Dog in the Universe (Beach Lane Books) written and illustrated by Debra Frasier, Spike's world is turned upside down more than once.

One day my owner entered me in the
Ugliest Dog in the Universe contest.

Can you imagine the kind of person who would do such a thing?  No, me neither.  To add insult to injury, Spike won!  The humiliation of having his picture attached to the local newspaper headlines about the contest win is a blow; it crushes his doggy heart.

In Spike's mind

you can't judge a book by its cover.

When it feels like it can't get any worse, it does.  His human abandons him; leaving him tied up on the porch.  Fortunately, Joe, the boy next door, comes over releasing Spike, feeding him and taking him back to his house.

Joe and Spike together are like two halves of a perfect whole but Joe's mom feels they can't afford to keep Spike.  It looks like he is going to the animal shelter when the weekend arrives.  This calls for some crazy courage.

Spike decides to seek the advice of his nearest neighbor, an award-winning cat.  Yes, you read that right---a cat.  Evangeline suggests Spike act more like her; purring, staying clean, eating carefully, napping, being quiet and enjoying an occasional sardine.  All doggy delights must be put on hold.

Ever mindful of the looming threat, Spike is pup perfection.  Joe begins a pictorial offensive, posting hand-drawn reminders all around the house of Spike's more positive features.  Each day Joe's mom seems to be leaning toward Spike becoming a part of the family...until Saturday.

At each stop along their errand route, Spike is a model of decorum. They still drive to the animal shelter.  But wait!  It's closed!  Joe's mom says they will be back tomorrow.

Back home Spike is awakened from a nap on the porch by a whiffy smell.  Something's fishy.  Evangeline is in need of a hero.  Will Spike prevail?  Will he still have to go to the DOG POUND?  Another newspaper article, a drawing of Joe's and a long conversation wag the tail...er...tell the tale.


Debra Frasier certainly knows how to write a story.  Told entirely in first person point of view she takes readers right into the center of the action.  Spike's voice rings true, loud and clear.  Her impeccable pacing, moving back and forth between good news and bad news, keeps us guessing page turn by page turn.  You will be cheering for Spike, Joe and yes, Evangeline, every step of the way.  Here is a passage from the book.

Have you ever smelled a sardine?
Pew! Pew! PEWWWWWW!
It's a tiny fish with a BIG stink.

Evangeline licked her paws.
"Now it's time for my beauty sleep, ohhhh yes."


Without a doubt what immediately catches your eye, after the title, are the materials used to create the illustrations.  On the verso, Debra Frasier states:

The illustrations for this book are collaged with Cansons papers, used clothing, and worn blue jean pieces.  The jeans were gathered from friends, students, coffee shop comrades, and thrift stores, as well as the author-illustrator's own collection.  

Frasier goes on to explain how the pieces were laid out, positioned, moved and photographed.  Final editing was done in Photoshop.  Her opening and closing endpapers are layers of worn and torn denim pieces with Spike peeking out from a hole or a pocket.

All the frayed edges forming holes in the fabric provide frames for Spike, text and layers used in a picture.  Each page is an astounding example of workmanship, artistic layout and design; text is placed on or pieced into each illustration.  Every portion of a pair of jeans is used, legs, pockets, seams and waist bands.

At times Frasier will cover nearly the entire page in denim with only a word or part of a face showing through a worn spot.  You'll be surprised how much emotion is conveyed with this technique. The color red is used to enhance and accent in all the right spots.  Illustrations may fill double pages, a single page or carry over the gutter; matching the flow of the narrative.  A two page spread at the beginning when Joe comes to the porch where Spike has been abandoned is one of my favorites.  I like how Debra Frasier has placed the word beautiful in red on white surrounded by denim.


Spike: Ugliest Dog in the Universe is quite simply a masterpiece for the story it tells and the illustrations visualizing the words.  Debra Frasier is truly gifted as both an author and illustrator.  The meticulous detail within each picture is marvelous.

Please follow the link embedded in the title to a fantastic page for this title at Debra Frasier's website.  There you will find an explanatory video about the artistic process and an assortment of related activities.  Here is a link to the publisher's website containing additional pages for viewing including my favorite.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Sailing Away

Comfort can be found and felt in the smallest of things.  The smell of bayberry candles reminds me of my Dad's smile and laughter; it was his favorite scent. The taste of hot chocolate reminds me of all those mornings counting the bubbles on top of a fresh hot mug; each representing a monetary amount.  The sight of Xena lying at my feet as I write and read reminds me of the countless hours we've spent walking and running.

Children find solace in a favorite blanket, stuffed animal, story or in the company of those who love them; as we all do.  In this third tale, Willy continues to find companionship with Bobo, his sock monkey.  Earl, the family cat, is never far behind, ready to steal Bobo away.  The entertaining trio is off on another adventure in Bobo The Sailor Man! (Atheneum Books For Young Readers) written by Eileen Rosenthal with illustrations by Marc Rosenthal.

This morning Willy woke up with a plan.

Not only is Willy taking Bobo exploring but he has BIG ideas.  The exuberance of Willy is contagious; knowing they might uncover dinosaur bones or, as improbable as it might be, a volcano.  With Willy and company a patch of mushrooms is not just a patch of mushrooms; they must be poisonous.

Each new item, acorns, a caterpillar, a stick, and a forgotten comb, are discovered treasures.  Their place in the world is elevated by Willy's imagination.  Cloud gazing reveals a menagerie of creatures past and present.

An abandoned pail by a nearby river, sends the ever present and most willing, Bobo on an unexpected voyage.  Willy can't run fast enough and the rocks are far too slippery to get Bobo back.  With a stern command to Earl to watch over Bobo, (as if he is not always doing so anyway), Willy runs off to get help.

What we see and Willy fails to see, will have readers giggling to their hearts' content.  Who's the rescuer and rescued?  Water trips, sailor hats and afternoon naps tell the tale.  And Earl...let's say he has the last laugh...again.

In each story Eileen Rosenthal, has created characters we want for friends.  The persistence and determination of Earl are to be admired.  No one would ever have a bad day with Willy's zest for life, his optimism, and his willingness to find joy at every opportunity.  Told entirely in Willy's conversations and thoughts, except for the first sentence, we can easily place ourselves in the middle of the action.

Bright yellow on the matching jacket and cover immediately attracts the viewer to the latest installment in the adventures of Willy, Bobo and Earl.  The contrasting vibrant red text, pail and boots hint at events to come.  As in the two previous titles, the back features Willy, clad in his pajamas, intent on his next undertaking, holding Bobo as he and Earl gaze out a window.

Plain pale yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers, with one exception.  In the lower right-hand corner of the beginning sits a tiny newspaper sailor hat.  Like the other two titles, the verso information takes on a specific shape.  This time it forms a pail.  

Drawn in pencil and colored digitally, Marc Rosenthal infuses each illustration with lively emotion.  For the most part chocolate brown lines define the settings with color filling in the characters and those elements specific to the narrative.  Text size accentuates the emotions flowing around several small illustrations on a page, single page pictures or the expressive double page spreads.  I think my favorite two pages are a series of six small pictures of Bobo's rescue.  I can't look at them without smiling.

The wife and husband team of Eileen Rosenthal and Marc Rosenthal have created another lighthearted winner in Bobo The Sailor Man!  Whether shared one-on-one or in a group setting, readers will fall in love all over again with these characters.  I would even venture to say, there might be more requests for lovable sock monkeys this Christmas season.  Bobo dressed in his bumblebee black and yellow is hard to resist.

If you want to discover more about the author and illustrator please follow the link embedded in their names to access their official websites.  Here is a link to the Simon & Schuster website for a look at more pages from the title.  It includes four activity pages to extend the fun of Willy and his friends. Here are links to my reviews of I Must Have Bobo! and I'll Save You Bobo!  For more sock monkey fun I would pair this with the series by author Cece Bell and Emily Gravett's book, Monkey and Me.

Christmas "Cat" astrophe

Day by day the holidays are approaching.  Plans are being made for cookie baking and meal making.  Thoughts are drifting to gift giving, light stringing, tree decorating and hanging of the greens.

Households are full of festive fun with much to be done.  When you are Fuddles, one of the most coddled cats in creation, it stands to reason you believe all is being done for you and you alone.  Readers who were introduced to this chunky feline in Fuddles (Aladdin, May, 2011) will be delighted with his return in A Very Fuddles Christmas (Aladdin) written and illustrated by Frans Vischer.

Fuddles was a fat, pampered cat.
His family spoiled him endlessly.

When the napping Fuddles is awakened by a tantalizing smell, he naturally follows it to the source.  Greeted by the sight of a table laid with food fit for a king, Fuddles can hardly wait to pounce with pleasure.

"No, Fuddles! That's not for you!"

What!? Not for him?  How can this be true?  No matter...he scurries into the living room to discover wrapped presents, gingerbread treats and lights waiting to be put in place.  Every gesture he makes, every exploratory move, elicits negative exclamations.

When Fuddles beholds the beauty of the decorated tree, he is overwhelmed with desire, a desire to scale that magnificent model of glowing greenery.  Timberrrr....  Uh, oh... In a furry hurry, Fuddles heads out of the room straight to the out-of-doors.

Dumbfounded by all the whiteness, he wonders what happened to the grass, flowers  and leaves.  The temperature is much too chilly for Fuddles' taste.  To his frustration the door is closed and no amount of yowling can get his family's attention.

In an attempt to locate the back door (perhaps it is open) Fuddles meanders around the yard getting colder and hungrier.  When a couple of troublesome squirrels shake a pile of snow on him, that's the last straw.  Hot on their tails, Fuddles goes up...up...and up...right into more trouble.  You can be sure this is one Christmas Fuddles will always remember.

Using his family's cat as inspiration, Frans Vischer writes a narrative as someone who knows how the feline mind works; cat attitude, fears and feats are portrayed in comedic truth.  Fuddles may be pampered, but when he's on the move there's plenty of action.  Descriptive phrases, individual words, paint precise pictures as Fuddles' latest escapade is told.  Here is an example.

Whoops!
Whoosh!
Bump!
Like a pioneer frontiersman, Fuddles bravely faced the elements...
through the bitter cold and biting wind...


Taking a single look at the matching front and back, jacket and cover, you can feel the corners of your mouth curve upward into a big grin.  Tangled in a string of lights, wreath about his neck or popping out of an open Christmas box with the tree topper firmly attached to his head, Fuddles clearly is up to another adventure, a holiday adventure.  Paw prints travel across the verso to the second, primary title page showcasing a contented, smiling Fuddles sitting next to a plate of cookies.

Illustrations created digitally by Frans Vischer, in full color, depict Fuddles in all his feline glory.  With adept ease, Vischer transitions from a full page visual to small vignettes to two page spreads with a layout designed to hold the reader's attention page by page.  The body language and facial expressions on Fuddles are completely giggle inducing; just thinking about his overly plump stomach makes me grin.  I burst out laughing at the first page, Fuddles lying on his purple settee, red pillow under his head, quilt covering his body, cucumber slices over his eyes, assorted desserts on the table next to him, all by a roaring fire in the fireplace.  My favorite illustration is a series of six looks and body positions when Fuddles is clearly in a precarious spot.  I could look at it over and over.


Whether you are a lover of cats, Christmas or both, A Very Fuddles Christmas written and illustrated by Frans Vischer is a title you will want to add to your shelves.  This book delivers the best gift of all, laughter.  Please stop by the links embedded above to access the Fuddles website, Frans Vischer's website and blog, and my review of Fuddles.  By following this link to the publisher's website you can get a glimpse of a couple of interior pages.  UPDATE:  Here is a link to Carter Higgins's blog, Design of the Picture Book, where she highlights this title and interviews Frans Vischer.

Paws-ibilities

For the past four days I've been raking leaves in the rain, sleet and snow as the winds gust about northern Michigan.  For the most part it's been sweep, gather and haul, sweep, gather and haul but yesterday as I was clearing a pile away I noticed several curled caterpillars under the layers, already taking up residence for the winter.  In that moment I realized I had probably disturbed other realms smaller than mine, tiny civilizations I should be noticing.

It's that idea of worlds within worlds or shifting our perceptions, taking down the wall of first glance and replacing it with a more transparent wall of look closer, that leads to the intriguing stories presented by three-time Caldecott Medal winner, David Wiesner.  In Mr. Wuffles! (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcout) he dares to share his dreams, his imaginings with we fortunate readers.  Mr. Wuffles' day is out of this world.

LOOK, MR. WUFFLES,
A NEW TOY!
OH, MR. WUFFLES!

Mr. Wuffles is a cat with an impressive attitude.  His home is littered with new toys, none of which seem to interest him in the slightest.  As he saunters among these treasures gathered by his human, attentive readers will notice one without a price tag.  At first glance (yes, first glance) it appears to be some kind of tea leaf strainer.

Upon closer inspection, zooming in, we see it is a vehicle filled with five tiny inhabitants, green-skinned, large eyes in small egg-shaped heads, wearing long belted garments similar to dresses.  Amid their celebrating, two huge eyes fill their large window.  Mr. Wuffles has doubled back, noticing these beings.

In typical feline fashion he begins to bat it around, carrying it, trying to open it and then abandoning it for the moment.  Inside, the passengers feel like storm-tossed, shipwrecked sailors; their equipment, necessary for operation, suffering damage.  With no other option, they leave the safety of their craft seeking repairs.

The wily Mr. Wuffles spies them sneaking away, gets closer, and lifts a paw for the destructive swat.  When zipping through the air is a rescuer for the frantic folk.  Racing to the closest shelter, they scurry beneath a heating radiator, then through a hole in the wall.  This is a David Wiesner book; this hole is no ordinary hole.

On the walls are drawings, like the prehistoric cave paintings discovered throughout the world, depicting battles with the cat, battles between ants, mice and ladybugs.  As conversations begin, information and food is exchanged among the ants, ladybug and alien beings.  Mr. Wuffles, nose pointed toward the radiator, is staring like the Spinx.

Inside, materials are assembled, repairs are made and a strategy is formed.  Working together the teeny creatures attempt to thwart Mr. Wuffles' advances.  Success will mean all can return to their respective homes.  Success will mean Mr. Wuffles will be stationed in front of the radiator waiting, watching and wondering.


Only four phrases in English are used in this title, enclosed in speech bubbles; his human is speaking to Mr. Wuffles. Speech bubbles are likewise inventively shown when the aliens are communicating with the ants and ladybug.  The difference is readers will have to decipher the symbols signifying words by the extraterrestrials.  The bug babble is another mystery altogether.


 Without their knowing David Wiesner is preparing readers for a journey into the land of possibilities with the design and layout of his jacket and cover.  His front jacket highlights the steely stare of Mr. Wuffles among his toys with the colorful raised title letters above him.  The tiny ladybug flying in the corner is a hint of things to come.  On the back of the jacket the wallpaper changes patterns but continues with the same color palette.  We are closer to the ladybug and its shadow as a partial shadow of Mr. Wuffles is shown in the upper corner.  The real surprise to first time readers is the cover; a glossy spread of the cosmos.  It's a study in contrasts; the black and white of Mr. Wuffles set among the many colors and the warm homey scene of the jacket compared to the shine of outer space on the cover.

Through a series of panels per page, double and single page spreads edge to edge, including the verso and title page, using watercolor and India ink, Wiesner tells this tale in definitive, wordless detail. Pacing and tension are superbly portrayed in the size and frequency of his visuals.  The true to life gestures, movements and expressions on all the characters will make believers out of readers by the final page turn.  To delineate between the rooms with Mr. Wuffles and inside the hole, the panels are framed differently; white space represents outside the hole, thin black lines convey the darker area behind the walls.  One of my favorite illustrations is a close-up of Mr. Wuffles staring intently at the spaceship which is emitting alien language sounds.


Mr. Wuffles! written and illustrated by David Wiesner is a purr-fect piece of storytelling; a pictorial adventure, a close encounter of the best kind.  Every reading will reveal new details and evoke fresh grins at the gentle humor.  This nearly wordless masterpiece has been placed on our Mock Caldecott list.

To obtain more information about David Wiesner, his work and his books, follow the links embedded in his names above to two different websites.  This link is to a five question interview at The Horn Book.  For a short teacher's guide created by the publisher about this title and others follow this link.  Enjoy the official book trailer and David Wiesner speaking about this book below.