His Heart Leads The Way

Some fictional characters, like their human counterparts, no matter their age look at their world with curiosity and hope.  Seeing something new on a daily walk, exploring a place away from home or looking for love, can fill your days with delight if your heart is open and your spirit in generous.  Treasures are waiting to be found, if you look with the right kind of eyes.

Sometimes, seemingly disparate things can have an important connection. Let's look at a pinecone, a crab and yarn.  What these three items have in common is a very special character created by author illustrator, Salina Yoon.  In October of 2012 she introduced us to Penguin in Penguin and Pinecone; a story of an endearing friendship, of a love which grows and spreads.

This year we lucky readers have two new titles featuring this huggable, lovable bird.  In April, perfect for our summer months, Penguin on Vacation (Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury) arrived.  Our friend decides he needs a change of scenery.

"I need a vacation."
Penguin sighed.
Snow again?

I'll wager many people in the northern climates, especially in the last few weeks, can identify with Penguin.  He feels like he's exhausted all previous snowy activities of skiing, sledding and skating.  This feathered creature craves sun and sand.

Suitcase by his side, beach ball in his flippers, he travels by floe to the beach of his dreams only to discover it's not quite what he expected.  Hazards such as sea shells, coconuts and hot sand make exploring a bit difficult.  His favorite pastimes of skiing, sledding and skating don't work as well or not at all.

A little red pal appears ready to acquaint Penguin with the finer points of vacationing at the beach.  Crab knows all about creating castles, climbing palm trees, and surfing.  Penguin can't believe his good fortune found with his new friend.

We all know vacations must come to an end.  Reluctantly Penguin begins the long float home.  Startled by a movement in the water, the return trip reveals exciting new possibilities.  Penguin is able to return many kindnesses and the gift of a tiny scarf and tiny mittens. Another return makes an appearance by the book's end to the delight of more than one penguin.


In the simple sentences telling this tale, Salina Yoon conveys thoughts and emotions but most importantly the presence of innocence.  Both Penguin and Crab are eager to extend the hand of friendship to one another, unencumbered by any assumptions.  The main narrative is broadened with the smaller text; additional thoughts and exclamations by the characters.  You can tell Yoon loves playing with words giving a cadence to some of her sentences.  She also likes to include a wee bit of humor.  Here are a couple of examples.

Ninety-nine balls of snow on the ground...

They whooshed and pushed.
They fished and wished.


When opening up the cover of this title, Salina Yoon gives you hints about how the story will unfold picturing Penguin's arrival at the beach with Crab on the sand, the back cover showing the conch shell, an important element to the story.  The beginning endpapers are diagonally lined with multiple Crabs, red on pale yellow.  On the back endpapers he is still there, clad now in Penguin's newly knitted gifts.

To accentuate the narrative flow, illustrations vary in size from two pages, to single pages, small cutouts on pure white backgrounds, and single pages framed in her signature heavy black lines surrounded by white space.  With only black dots for eyes, Yoon still conveys her characters personalities with warmth and conviction.  The tiniest of details add to the book's charm; Penguin's beach outfit, Crab's beach bag used in travel and Penguin pulling Crab on a spare skate as if he is a skier behind a boat.  My favorite illustration is of the two of them drinking from the same coconut, using long straws, lying on their respective beach towels and wearing sunglasses.


Less than ten days ago Penguin in Love (Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury) could be found in bookstores.  As in the first title, Penguin comes across an unexpected item.  It begins an interesting chain of events.

One day, Penguin was looking for love.
What's this?
Instead, he found...

It looks like a mitten but there are no signs from where it might have come.  Grandpa (It's great that Grandpa has a part in all the books.) and several others penguins say it is not their mitten, although they are missing other things.  What Penguin does not know is his friend, Bootsy from Penguin and Pinecone, is busily knitting cozies on the other end of the ice.

Like Penguin, Bootsy knits with purpose, to help others and fill her solitary heart.  To Penguin's surprise two puffins land near him and his latest knitting project, a partner for the sole mitten.  Guess what?  It's not a mitten but a bill cozy which the puffin is thankful to receive.

Those two puffins, a match made in heaven, have a plan.  Penguin's yarn disappears.  Bootsy's yarn vanishes.  In searching for their yarn, Penguin and Bootsy meet again.  They have a mystery to solve, though.  A line of clues have been left for them.

Following these trails of yarn, the two knit and knit and knit and knit, binding themselves together in warmth, fun, comfort and kindness until a terrible storm separates the two.  All they have left are their individual clues.  It's not easy but they discover the greatest adventure of all waits.


When you read the first sentence of this narrative, you are completely captivated.  You imagine how Salina Yoon might have Penguin find love.  It's interesting how she uses her sentences like a knitter uses yarn, stringing them together, in and out, over and under, having Penguin and Bootsy follow paths to each other creating the best kind of garment for warmth, love.  Additional interest is added in this title with the introduction of the puffins, other penguins by name, the seal pup and the whale. Again we see the playful nature of Yoon in the song sung by her characters out at sea. The final three pages of text are guaranteed to create a sigh, a glow lighting every reader's heart.


As she did in the previous title, the opened cover provides foreshadowing; the heart-shaped ice floe, the yarn making a letter o and the needles making a letter x on the front.  The tip of the ice extends to the back with the two puffins looking forward at Penguin, a heart drawn in the snow reading P + B.  On both the starting and closing endpapers on a white background are lines of brightly-colored yarn, making loops and hearts.

You have to smile at the inclusion of a telescope in Penguin's flippers when he is looking for love and the magnifying glass he holds examining the single mitten.  Another delightful interpretation by Yoon is when Penguin lays out a sign for Bootsy to find; he spells her name in yarn with a knitted bow crossing the t and a heart woven into the tail of the y.  As in the other titles, cheerful colors sparkle on every page with the white backgrounds and bold black lines lifting them into view. My favorite illustration spreads across the bottom of two pages; in a line are the whale, two puffins on an ice floe, and the seal pup on a floe too with the heart-shaped floe in the lead, occupied by Penguin and Bootsy as all are singing.


Penguin on Vacation and Penguin in Love written and illustrated by the very talented Salina Yoon are charming with a capital C.  You can't help but fall in love with Penguin and his friends as they enjoy each other's company.  All of these books are first and foremost to be enjoyed but think of the wonderful conversations you can have about friendship.  Share them with as many people as you can, repeatedly with joy.

Paddle Cooperation

There are portions of the Jordan River in northern Michigan where it's easy to imagine you are drifting along a waterway in another time.  Civilization has left no mark.  Owning my own canoe, smaller than the average size, made trips here frequent and relaxing.

When going with a group in larger canoes, the journey takes on a whole new dimension.  With more than one canoeist in the boat, holding the paddle correctly, reading the water, weight distribution and teamwork, can make the difference between a fun-filled, smooth ride or an unexpected dip in the swiftly, moving, and often chilly, river.  Nicholas Oldland, author illustrator of Big Bear Hug, The Busy Beaver and Making The Moose Out Of Life, brings the friends, previously introduced to readers, together in a new title, Up The Creek (Kids Can Press).  It's definitely a canoe ride not soon to be forgotten, especially for this woodland threesome.

There was once a bear, a moose and a beaver who were the best of friends, though they often disagreed.

What they did agree upon was to spend time canoeing together.  The first problem makes an appearance when they all want to be in charge of navigation.  All the weight in the back of the boat makes it flip, dumping them into the water.  A game of Eenie-Menie-Minie-Moe quickly ends that dilemma.

When the three adventurers are next seen the canoe is not going down the stream but in circles.  They all prefer to paddle on the left side of the canoe. Exhaustion and sore muscles solve this predicament; switching sides being the key.  A beaver dam provides an obstacle which almost stops the voyage until bear's suggestion, the third suggestion, works.

An enjoyable ride is short-lived when their raised voices, quibbling about every little thing (and beaver's hunger) covers the sound of their approach to the biggest difficulty yet, white-water rapids.  Tumbling, tossing, in and out of the swirling, dangerous descent into doom, the terrified trio finally manage to land on a rock with their canoe intact.  As darkness falls they are still discussing, with less and less civility, how to get out of this mess.

In the light of a new day, a decision is made.  It's not easy by any means but they've discovered the secret to success.  Destination reached, a nap, a meal, a moment of thankfulness and yet another wise determination is reached, one sure to cause a knowing smile from readers.


As this tale of adventure and mishap unfolds, the narrator simply states the facts, sentence by sentence.  This writing technique used by Nicholas Oldland sets the stage for the added character dialogue and illustrations which elevate the comical nature of the whole ordeal.  Each time bear, moose and beaver face a decision, Oldland discloses more about their characteristics through the storyline.  Here is a single example.

But it wasn't long before they began to argue.
Moose: Stop Splashing
Bear: Keep Paddling
Beaver: I'm Hungry

It's the illustrations created in Photoshop by Nicholas Oldland that will bring on the giggles.  When looking at the matching jacket and cover, the trio facing forward in the moving canoe, it's all I can do to contain my laughter.  The expression on the beaver's face with those over-sized teeth is priceless.  What you can't see without opening up the jacket and cover is the continuation of the picture with a small red bird doing a backstroke down the river.  The small red bird appears throughout the book as a constant witness and participant in this canoe trip gone wrong. (He even has his own teeny, tiny paddle on the last page.)

The title page and verso show a winding waterway through a few forest trees on a white background.  The pictures alternate between double-page spreads, full single page, edge-to-edge visuals, smaller pictures with lots of white space on an individual page and several vignettes across two pages.  It's the details, the enhancement of the text, which adds mirth to the mayhem; moose covering his eyes, bear paddle in the water and beaver yelling AHHHHHHH!  as they go over the falls or when they cook lunch over an open fire, moose holds grass, bear holds a fish he caught with a pole and line and beaver is roasting a stick.  My favorite illustration is when they first run the rapids, the canoe upended three times in the air, each holding on (or not) at different angles, ending with the bear sitting upright, paddle in paw with the canoe upside down, moose and beaver riding the underside like a surfboard.


First and foremost Up The Creek written and illustrated by Nicholas Oldland is a delightful day gone wrong solely due to the inability of the friends to cooperate.  Fortunately for them, this is resolved but not before readers have been treated to a first class humorous escapade.  This is one of those books that would be loads of fun as a reader's theater with a minimum amount of props or as a puppet show.

Follow this link to the publisher's website to take a peek at some more illustrations from the book.  For more information about Nicholas Oldland follow the link embedded in his name above to the publisher's website.

Appreciating The Good

Oh, sometimes it's so hard to not to listen to the green-eyed monster as they whisper in your ear.  You look at one person or another focusing on what they can do or have; abilities, qualities or objects which they posses and you do not.  You forget the importance of each individual, the necessity of all to be a part of a larger whole.

As you dwell on what they have, your confidence, your self-esteem, sinks lower.  Before you know it, the green-eyed monster has taken up residence in your heart.  Written and illustrated by Bob Shea, Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great (Disney Hyperion Books) takes a good look at jealousy, envy, so you know exactly what to do the next time it tries to wiggle its way into your thoughts.

Things are a lot different around heresince that Unicorn moved in.

Goat was feeling mighty good riding his bike to school. Like a balloon getting stuck by the proverbial pin, his feeling good left in a flash when Unicorn flew, yes flew, right over his head.  Let's compare this...riding a bike to school or flying to school. Hmmmm....

Goat's plate of marshmallow squares looks pathetic when Unicorn makes it rain, yes rain, cupcakes.  No wonder Unicorn is surrounded by adoring friends.  Perhaps Goat can regain some attention with his talent show dancing.  Nope.  Unicorn looks like the latest winner of Dancing With The Stars. How can Goat's coin trick compare to Unicorn turning things into gold?  Yes, readers, he turns things into gold.

Goat sinks into a verbal fit of despair, frustration and resentment.  Quite frankly, who can blame him?  Sitting down to eat his favorite slice of pizza, you-know-who comes strolling up to investigate.  From then on, the other side of the coin is revealed.

Unicorn is absolutely over-the-moon with the smell and taste of pizza covered in goat cheese.  Unicorns don't have cheese.  In fact Unicorn starts to point out other qualities Goat has that Unicorn lacks.  From dreams of superhero rescues to a fast friendship Goat and Unicorn figure out they are like two pieces in a perfect puzzle.


From his astute observations of people and his ability to be direct, Bob Shea's narrative has purposeful appeal for the intended audience.  From the time I opened the cover, until I turned the final page, the smile on my face got bigger and bigger.  He puts into words exactly how children feel, what they say and think.  Goat's telling of this tale is true to life, lively and filled with language sure to elicit laughs in abundance.  Here is an excerpt.

Whoa! What is up with your hooves?
Those things are
 out of control. 

Oh, these?
These bad boys
are "cloven."
It means they're 
split at the end.


The matching jacket and cover, front and back, foreshadow the extent of Goat's attitude toward the neighborhood newcomer.  The bright colors, as varied as the rainbow which seems to follow Unicorn, placed on the pure white background throughout much of the book, add to the overall attraction.  The rows of vibrant cupcakes on the opening and closing endpapers not only showcase Unicorn's gifts but offer the possibility of a happy resolution to the story.  The illustration on the title page might be my favorite; a smiling, cheerful-eyed rain cloud with a tiny heart sprouting out, looking at Unicorn dancing in a yellow circle as rain falls every place else, including on a disgruntled-looking Goat.

The shapes of Bob Shea's characters in a variety of bright hues, with his black lines added to distinguish personalities and individual traits, are expressive and downright endearing.  The altered, bold backgrounds are reflected in opposite pages; a clever design technique.  The contrast between Goat's efforts and those of Unicorn are pictured so well, all readers will respond to the hilarity.  Despite Goat's original mood all the elements of this title work together to create an uplifting whole.


The single factor about Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great written and illustrated by Bob Shea, found in those children's books which have stood the taste of time and more than a few titles this year, is the care given, the details addressed in words and pictures.  Bob Shea loves what he does and it shows.  Whether reading with a few children or a larger group, this title is a winner.  Reading it aloud is a joy.

Please follow the link embedded in Bob Shea's name above to his official website.  This link is to an interview at babble.  Julie Danielson, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, interviews him at Kirkus here.  Enjoy the trailers.

A Little Bird Told Me

More than forty years ago a wise man told me, "If you want friends, you need to be a friend."  While I already knew this to be true, there is something about the context in which this was said, the act of kindness shown by him, that has stayed with me.  When you are basically shy, small in height and old enough to have felt the sting of betrayal, though, most of the time, this is easier said than done with the exception of students.  The hearts of children are the blessing of humanity.

On the other hand it's truly heartwarming to see what a simple greeting will do when given to a complete stranger.  Watching their face brighten, transforming at being noticed, is what keeps us (me) brave in the act of creating friendships.  This magic is tenderly portrayed in stunning visuals and light, spare text by author illustrator, Philip C. Stead in his newest title, Hello, My Name Is Ruby (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press).

Ruby introduced herself. "Hello, my name is Ruby."
"Hello," said the bird standing in the cool water.

By introducing herself not only does Ruby receive a cordial reply but an invitation.  For the very first time Ruby gets to fly with a friend.  Oh, here's a new bird.  I wonder what will happen this time?

After a friendly hello Ruby asks this bird to go flying with her.  Flying is a foreign activity to this bird.  This bird moves about by walking.  Ruby sees life differently at ground level.

At her next meeting Ruby is up high again but not flying.  This time she is chatting with a bird as small as herself, each of them perched on the ossicones of a giraffe.  Her little friend is most gracious in showing Ruby exactly how sometimes fear at one's size can be banished.

Ruby goes from bird to bird, from one new habitat to another, making friends through her simple, cheerful invitations. All goes well until she meets the peacock who answers Ruby's question politely but in the negative.  As if nature understands Ruby's spirits have hit a low, it begins to rain.

Singing a sad song until the sun breaks through, our feathered friend looks up at a very, very large bird who has approached.  It's not easy after the last disappointment but Ruby courageously asks the stranger its name.  In the course of their conversation the bird reveals a surprise to Ruby;  friends multiply when we least expect it and need it the most.

As you read this book, the first thing that strikes you is the sentence structure, the flow of the narrative.  There is a directness about it, an innocence in the question and answer conversations between Ruby and the new birds she meets, even the peacock whose answer is not what she would like to hear.  With each fresh acquaintance a discovery is made by Ruby and the others; flying together, what flying is, what walking is, courage in numbers, and the meaning of a name. (Ruby's definition will melt your heart.)  With each reading the voices of the characters become more distinct, more endearing.


Using a mixture of media, chalk pastels, colored pencils and colored inks, Philip C. Stead, has formed luminous, textured illustrations.  The front and back jacket and cover showing the meeting between Ruby and her last large friend, reach out to readers immediately creating a bond.  Ruby's body stance, her upward gaze, and the shape of her beak, contrasting with the other bird looking down at her, is priceless.

The heavier, matte finished paper is a perfect compliment to the visuals, all double page spreads except for four.  The lines, varied in thickness and the colors, sometimes bold, sometimes softer, but in shades across the spectrum, blend together in happy harmony.  One of my favorites is the cover piece, the other, the wordless elephant spread.  I quietly gasped when I saw it.


Hello, My Name is Ruby written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead is a treasure of a tale about the give and take between and the value of true friends. His text and visuals are beautifully essential to one another.  I will be placing this title on my Mock Caldecott list.

I encourage you to stop by Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast to read the post today about Stead's process in writing and illustrating this book.  It's fascinating.  It's truly lovely.  It includes the new book trailer.  As with all my posts, follow the link embedded in the author/illustrator name to access their website.  Here is a link to a publisher Friendship Activity Kit.

From The Market

As much as I love the summer, the end of summer along with the beginning of autumn is one of my favorite times of the year.  Visiting the farmers' markets, seeing all the fresh vegetables, fruits and flowers on display, for me, is like walking through magic.  When you think about it, everything in the surrounding stalls and tents came from the tiniest of seeds, nurtured by man and nature; a precarious partnership, the one always at the mercy of the other.

Another of life's magic, never failing to cause me to pause in wonder, is looking at the world through the eyes of a child.  What may or may not capture their attention, their interpretation, is a thing of marvelous mystery.  Sophie's Squash (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books) written by debut author, Pat Zietlow Miller with illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf explores a charming friendship lasting from season to season, one year to the next.

One bright fall day, Sophie chose a squash at
the farmers' market.


What Sophie's parents did not know at the time is that Sophie is not looking at the squash as a side dish for supper, she is looking at it as the right size for so many things.  At home in her bedroom she draws a face on the squash, a smiling face.  Sophie is smiling on the inside and outside too.

In the kitchen her mother takes one look at the squash knowing it will not be a part of the evening meal.  Sophie names it Bernice.  From that moment Sophie and Bernice are inseparable; trips to the library, the same farmers' market and somersaulting down the hills in the garden.  Like a favorite doll she tucks Bernice in at night in her own cradle.

One morning, Sophie's mother casually suggests Bernice may be getting mushy soon; she believes Bernice will be delicious cooked with marshmallows.  Horrified Sophie begs Bernice not to listen to such nonsense.  None of her parent's suggestions for possible places for Bernice or substitutes for Bernice can weaken Sophie's resolve to keep her friend forever.

Sophie is indignant at the library story time when boys and girls point out Bernice's expanding blotches.  She has to admit as cooler weather descends Bernice lacks her usual vigor.  Sophie decides to seek the advise of a professional back at the farmers' market.  Inquiries made and answered she heads home.

Going to Bernice's favorite spot outside Sophie makes sure she does all necessary to bring Bernice back to good health.  Winter snows come followed by the new life of the changing season.  Bernice flourishes through spring into summer giving Sophie a surprise; friends forever.


Pat Zietlow Miller has created an endearing character in Sophie.  Her devotion to Bernice through the seasons, defending her, doing what is best for her, even though it means they must be apart for awhile, is utterly charming.  Sophie's parents are supportive in her fascination with Bernice even though they try to dissuade her gently, if only to spare her future disappointments.  These two sentences are only a sample of their kindness.

"I call her Bernice," Sophie said.
"I'll call for a pizza," said her mother.

There is a cadence to Miller's writing; using right size in sequential sentences, wrapped and rocked in a single sentence, thought and events structured in threes. Whether read silently or aloud it flows like a soft breeze wrapping its warmth around the reader.  Throughout the narrative a familiar and familial humor softly permeates.

Every night, Sophie gave Bernice a bottle, a hug, and a kiss.
"Well, we did hope she'd love vegetables," Sophie's mother told her father.
"Shhhhhhh," Sophie said, "Bernice is sleeping."


As stated in an interview illustrator Anne Wilsdorf believes the cover, endpapers and body of the book contribute to the world of the book.  All are important to the reader's entry into that world.  Her illustrations rendered in watercolor, ink and China ink are an open window into a light and lively story.  Her soft, warm colors, fine lines, varied visual size and perspective say what words do not say.

Across the front and back jacket and cover readers are introduced to the season, Sophie, Bernice and the ever present cat.  Opening and closing endpapers joyfully feature Sophie in forty-three different playful poses with her squash and company.  The upturned noses, wide circular eyes and mouths expressing emotion on all the characters and critters (even the stuffed animals) will have readers falling in love with them all.  I think my favorite illustration besides the garden tea party is the double-page spread of Sophie's bedroom which illustrates the phrase above.  The attention to detail is superb; Sophie's drawings of Bernice on the wall, the drawing of her cat on the floor, the cat chasing a butterfly in the room, a stuffed mouse toy looking at a stuffed cat toy in a cage on top of her armoire, Bernice in her cradle with a doll buggy next to it, the homemade rabbit next to the stuffed rabbit toy and Sophie's parents bending over her.  It's precious.


Let me add my praise without reservation to the four starred reviews( Booklist, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly) Sophie's Squash by Pat Zietlow Miller with illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf has received to date.  It's a tale of loving friendship, life's changes and parental patience.  I can't think of a single bookshelf that won't want to have a copy of this title resting easy among all the other titles to be removed frequently and read repeatedly.

I encourage you to follow the links above to learn more about both the author, the illustrator and the publication of this book.  Follow this link to the publisher website to get a glimpse at more of the illustrations.

Dwelling In Friendship

Four months ago, to my surprise, a package was laid on my doorstep by my wonderful mailman.  Inside were two books a friend knew I would love.  The one, A Hen for Izzy Pippik by Aubrey Davis with illustrations by Marie Lafrance was read and reviewed the very next day.  To say the other was not read immediately would not be true.  It was read then and many times since its arrival.

One of the basic needs to survive is shelter.  To me there has always been a huge difference though between a house and a home.  No matter the size or location, the inhabitants and their visitors need to feel an extra warmth, a sense of welcome and comfort, a place they would be glad to call home.  A House in the Woods (Candlewick Press, November 8, 2011) written and illustrated by British author illustrator, Inga Moore, is a tale of mishaps made into a miracle by a friendly foursome and a bunch of busy beavers.

A Little Pig had made a den for herself in the woods.  Next door, another Little Pig had made himself a hut.

When exploring in the forest one morning the two find a special feather and a zigzaggedty stick but when they each return home, other surprises await them.  Bear has decided to take up residence in Little Pig's den and Moose is living in Little Pig's hut.  The Little Pigs really like Bear and Moose but not what happens to their homes.  With a whoosh and loud snapping their dwellings lay in ruins.

Sitting on a nearby park bench the four ponder this dilemma.  None of them likes the idea of being without a roof over their heads.  Quite suddenly Moose pops up with a marvelous idea; they could construct a house large enough for all of them.  Moose knows they need the very best to help them build a real home, one with walls, a roof, windows and doors.  A phone call later the Beaver Builders are on the job.

With payment negotiated, peanut butter sandwiches, work begins.  Accomplishments are assessed at mealtimes over the next few days.  Builder Beavers, Moose, Bear and the Little Pigs each contribute according to their strengths.  A trip to the junkyard, grocery store and to the lodge at the lake signal an end and a new beginning; a house, a home and four friends dwelling therein.


There is something calm and understated about the way Inga Moore has this narrative unfold; almost as if readers are gathered together listening to a storyteller.  There is an air of collective cooperation in all things said and done.  And yes, humor, makes an appearance at the right moment each and every time.  Here is a sample passage.

...and by dinnertime the roof
was on.  (The lunch and dinner
times were on different 
days, of course.  Beavers are
fast, but not that fast.)


What draws the reader into the story though are her illustrations rendered in pencil, pastel and wash using an earth tone palette.  The matching jacket and cover allude to a time in the future, of pastoral peace and pleasantries among friends.  Each of the endpapers, opening and closing, extend the story.  In the beginning we readers wonder why a bear and two pigs crossing a meadow are bringing stacks of sandwiches on plates to a group of happy beavers.  At the end you can almost hear a collective sigh at the sight of a moon rising over the railed walkway leading to the beaver's lodge on the pond; the surrounding trees reflected in the still waters.

Astonishing details are prevalent is all the realistic delicate pictures.  Moore alters between a double page spread, one crossing the gutter to create a panel for the text, to a single page framed in white or extending to the edges or insets framed by text.  Her close-up of Moose making the phone call on an old style phone, which just happens to be hanging from a tree trunk, is delightful.  The beavers clad in hard hats arriving in pickup trucks with slatted wooden sides will bring on the giggles.  There is so much to enjoy in each and every illustration.


I will be singing praises for A House in the Woods by Inga Moore loud and strong as many times as I can.  It would work well with Building Our House by Jonathan Bean or If I Built a House by Chris Van Dusen.  I invite you to read Bringing Words to Life and Inga Moore, illustrator of the Wind in the Willows to further appreciate the process behind her work.

And to my happy-go-lucky friend, I send thanks for bringing this wonderful book into my reading life.

It's All In Your Mind

There are moments when your memory fails you.  Waking up suddenly in the night can cause temporary confusion.  Going from one room to another, your mind loaded with tasks, only to discover the real reason you went to the room has left your mind.  Sometimes you will be writing along and the spelling for the simplest word has vanished from your thoughts entirely.

When joining my 93-year-old Mom for dinners in her assisted living home, I sit with her table companions listening and watching some of them struggle to put a sentence together.  You can see in their eyes as they search for the correct words to express their thoughts.  Imagine how this would be if you were only in middle school?  Kate Messner's newest title, Wake Up Missing (Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc.), places six young people with head injuries, all hoping to get their normal lives back, together in circumstances where their very existence is threatened.

If you hit your head hard enough, your brain gets shaken up inside your skull.

Twelve-year-old Cat Grayson and her mom have recently arrived in the Florida Everglades to drop her off at the highly acclaimed International Center for Advanced Neurology, I-CAN.  They are taken to the former military facility by air boat along with another new patient Ben and his aunt.  Two other guests, Quentin and Sarah who have been there for two weeks already, and Dr. Mark Ames, head of I-CAN, greet them upon their arrival.  When Cat's mom and Ben's aunt leave, Cat is overwhelmed with conflicting emotions, should she be here or not.

Trent and Kaylee are in the final stages of treatment, their absence while noted by the other four, is dismissed as their first morning conversations focus on getting to know one another.  The initial inkling that something might be amiss is noticed by Cat that same day when she overhears an argument between Dr. Ames and a neurologist who specializes in genetic engineering, Dr. Gunther.  Later when Trent appears in the cafeteria, Sarah, who has spent the most time with him, insists he has changed; his personality, speech and mannerisms are altered.

Overhearing a cell phone conversation on the roof, Cat is certain she and the others are being told a distorted version of the facility's true purpose.  Sneaking into Dr. Gunther's office, she and Sarah discover even more alarming evidence.  Convincing the two boys, Quentin and Ben, is not so easy though....until they discover something and someone who are not supposed to be there.

Dead scientists' names adding up to a terrifying realization, clandestine trips into the Everglades, experiments gone wrong, kidnapping, a horrible statement overheard, drug runners and One-Eyed Lou spell serious trouble for the six.  They have become pawns in a truly frightening high stakes game reaching to the upper echelon.  In what can only be described as a tension-filled, page-turning series of events the group needs to work through their differences, find the best possible solution in multiple worse-case scenarios and search within themselves to find answers quickly.


Within the first two chapters readers will feel a sense of apprehension building.  Supported by meticulous research, in the capable hands of author Kate Messner, a sure knowledge grows that despite this being a work of fiction, it could happen.  It's this recognition combined with superb writing techniques which hooks readers, not letting them go until the final sentence is read.

We are there with Cat, Ben, Quentin, Sarah, Trent and Kaylee through conversation, thoughts, detailed descriptions of place and single potent sentences.  Supporting characters, Molly the air boat driver, Dr. Gunther, the neurologist with a less than stellar past, Gus and Eugene, the duo living on the wrong side of the law, good and bad all ring true.  Dr. Mark Ames, plotting and planning, with his eyes on the prize will stop at nothing to succeed.  Here are a few examples of her writing from this title.

I smiled back at her and reminded myself this was where I needed to be to get better.  I liked the birds.  The kids were friendly, and Dr. Ames seemed nice, too.  Like he cared about us, like he wanted to make sure we felt safe and happy.  Like we were important to him.
I guess we were, in a way.  Just not the way we thought.  

All the anxiety that had lifted from me watching the birds came back, twisting my stomach, pounding on my head from the inside.  Now I had to stay hidden; somehow, I knew I was hearing something I shouldn't.  

"Come on." Quentin offered Ben his hand.  Ben ignored it and almost fell in the water, but he caught a branch and started up the trail.  It didn't go far before the brush filled in, and we were climbing over snapping branches and mangrove roots thick as my arm.
"Did you hear that?" Sarah grabbed my arm.  We stopped and listened.
It was quiet.
I looked at Quinten.  His eyes narrowed, and I could tell he was thinking what I was thinking.
It was too quiet for the Everglades.


Kate Messner's Wake Up Missing is a science thriller jam-packed with heart-stopping action.  Precisely when you think you have all the dots connected, she throws in another tantalizing shift, a new element that changes everything.  You, like the characters, need to re-evaluate; they to survive, you to speculate on what the next turn of page will bring.  Plan on multiple copies; this is one book that will never be on the shelves.

In a detailed Author's Note, Messner outlines the spark for writing this book and the research involved.  Here is a link to the Pinterest board she has developed for this title.  My review is based upon an ARC I received from Kate Messner as part of one of her KidLit auctions.

Three Plus One Equals...Fun?

When it comes to folktales, wolves have generally been portrayed as the bad guys.  It seems they have a huge hunger for little girls in red capes, grandmothers, baby goats and pigs.  They've made appearances in fables and fairy tales throughout time and in cultural variants from countries around the world.

Even when the tales are fractured, the premise is pretty cut and dried.  In The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.) written and illustrated by Mark Teague, readers are given a fresh view of the pigs and...the wolf.  Let's head on over to the barnyard.

Once there were three little pigs.  They lived on a farm, as most pigs do, and were happy, as most pigs are.

So far so good but lo and behold, out of the blue, the farmer and wife inform the pigs the farm has been sold.  They are moving to Florida so the pigs need to find another place for themselves and their belongings.  The single most important thing to two of the pigs is food.  After all, they are pigs.

The third pig, however, wants to purchase building supplies. For pig number one, it's straw and a truckload of potato chips.  Sticks and an ample supply of sody-pop, are acquired by the second pig.  It's stacks of bricks for our third porcine pal.  She's going to build something that lasts. (Lucky for her the gentleman at the store gives her a sandwich.)

Lapping in the luxury of their snacks and not their ill-constructed abodes, the first two swing in a hammock, lounge in a mud bath or pork out (so to speak) while watching the third pig work at a steady pace.  When completed the brick home is fit for royalty, gardens and all.

Soon, though, you-know-who comes waltzing into town.  No one want to serve him so much as a crumb of food.  As the story goes, one hungry wolf is on the prowl.

When approaching first the house of straw, then the house of sticks, he is astounded when after a series of huffs and puffs, both blow down.  He didn't know he had it in him.  Because they both leave on their respective scooter and bike, he's still one ravenous carnivore.

The pigs numbering three can't be bothered with his threats of huffing and puffing outside the house of brick; after all their favorite television show is on now.  What do you think happens to a starving wolf who huffs and puffs and huffs and puffs and huffs and puffs with no results?  These three little pigs are not typical.  The wolf is not typical.  And the ending...well, it's safe to say the authors of old would be surprised as readers will be too.


One of the narrative techniques which sets this telling apart is the folksy tone of the conversation.  The blend of the talk between the characters, the voice of the unseen narrator, and the wolf's thoughts spoken aloud couldn't be better.  Mark Teague's sense of humor shines through in his word choice and the rhythm generated in addressing the activities of the three pigs (and the wolf) separately again and again.

Here is a portion of a single passage:

The wolf moved on, hungry but confident.  He came to another house, this one built of sticks.
"Same piggy smell, " he said.  He knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" called the second pig.
"Wolf. Open up, or I'll blow your house down! Trust me," he added, "I've done it before."


There is something about the pigs Mark Teague paints that brings on smiles to all who see them; those robust figures, knowing eyes, big snouts and laughing mouths.  The matching jacket and front cover give no hint as to the ending; quite the opposite.  The back jacket and cover show the trio in front of the barn and silo dribbling a soccer ball.  Patterned across the pale yellow opening and closing endpapers are pig one and two munching and drinking their favorite treats in easy chairs, while pig three is pushing her wheelbarrow.  The wolf, mama duck and ducklings, hen and cat are part of the crew. The bright, bold color palette seen on the cover is continued throughout the title on all the two-page spreads.

Using oils Teague's detail and texture bring the illustrations fully to life; animated features and body postures conveying the mood of each character set among less than normal circumstances.  It's not everyday you see a pig reading in a chair next to a cloth-covered table with a lamp and framed picture on top in the same pig pen with two others wallowing in mud.  There's also a basketball hoop hanging on the wall at pig-high level next to the mud hole.  It's the mix of a human lifestyle with these three pigs that will have readers' sides shaking with laughter.


Written and illustrated with oil paintings by Mark Teague, The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf is a must add to your fractured fairy tale collection.  I've said it before, and I will say it again...any title which makes readers laugh while introducing them to folktales, is the best kind of picture book.  This is certainly a good book to share one on one but aloud, with voices, it's a storytime winner.

I will be adding this title to my Little Pig Variants popplet.  Here is a link to various activities at the Scholastic website.  Follow this link to a series of video interviews of Mark Teague at Reading Rockets.

JoEllen McCarthy has my sincerest thanks for gifting me a copy of this book.  We follow each other on Twitter.  Her handle is @imalwayslearnin

A Dog, A Dinosaur and a Boy's Love

On the wall in my home is a signed print by the late artist and author, Stephen Huneck.  Huneck is best known in the children's literature community for his series of Sally, a black Labrador, books. My print is of the front paws, head, chest and winged back of a yellow Labrador, nose pointed upward toward a single shining star, the laces of a dangling shoe, in his/her mouth.  The print is captioned, Dogs Have A Soul.  

If you've ever loved and lost a dog, the need to believe this, for this to be true, is very strong.  When children grow up with a puppy, there is something extraordinary about the bond formed between them and their dog.  It's as if they are the other half of one another.  Author/ artist Doug TenNapel, whose graphic novels, Ghostopolis, Bad Island and Cardboard, are extremely popular with readers, has a recently released, newer version of the title, Tommysaurus Rex (Graphix, an imprint of Scholastic) filled with king-size heart about the remarkable connection between a boy and his canine....er....prehistoric companion.

Ely, an only child, living with his parents in suburbia has grown up with a golden retriever named Tommy.  We are introduced to the characters around the breakfast table as Ely is getting ready to take Tommy for a walk to the park.  On the way to meeting his friends with their dogs, tragedy strikes.  Another dog gets away from their human, chasing Tommy out into the street where he is struck and killed by a car.

Absolutely heartbroken, Ely is comforted by his Dad that evening with the suggestion he go stay with his grandpa, helping him on the farm.  Upon arrival at the farm, amid the greetings, Ely receives the gift of a toy Tyrannosaurus Rex from his grandpa. All goes grandly, as is often the case between grandparents and their grandchildren.

The next day after hours of hard work, Ely takes a break walking around the area with his new, smaller plastic companion.  A local boy, Randy and his two buddies Shem and Beckett approach Ely.  Their intentions, however, are not friendly.

Ely takes off with them in hot pursuit running through the woods trying to hide in a cave.  Caught off guard by strange sounds within the dark cavern, he is nabbed and bullied by the three, losing his grandpa's gift too.  That night neither Randy or Ely can sleep; Randy is filled with anxiety over the absence of his father and Ely hears those same noises, heard earlier, louder and closer, coming from the darkness outside.  Who or what is out there?

Making his way through the night back to the cave, Ely frees a trapped, full-grown Tyrannosaurus Rex.  The friendship between the duo is immediate.  Of course, there is the slight problem of his size, appetite, friendship with a local black cat and fear of fire.

It's up to Ely, Grandpa and Rex to prove to the mayor of the community that he's an asset rather than a liability.  While their determination to succeed seems to be working, Randy is equally driven to make life as miserable for Ely and Rex as possible.  When Randy's efforts roar out of control, Ely's decision alters everything...except for the love he shares with Tommysaurus Rex.


Told entirely in dialogue, visual and sound effects, Doug TenNapel creates a story poignant in its sadness and happiness alike; breaking your heart and fixing it more than once. His placement of humor (and dino poop) are spot-on.  His characters are fully human; flawed but rising to the occasion when they need to be better than they think they can be.  Here is an example:

The newly acquired Rex has just eaten a cow.

Ely: COOOOL!
Grandpa: A dinosaur is eating my cow.
Ely: They do that.
Grandpa: Mmm...so they do.
Ely: His name is Rex.
Grandpa: Ely, that's a Tyrannosaurus Rex! You can't keep him.
Ely: Oh, come on, Gramps! He's gonna be my best and only friend.
Ely: PUH--LEAAAASE!
Grandpa: And don't try to give me "Weepy Eyes"! I've got my Weepy-Eye Shields up!
Ely: Aw, come on, Grandpa! We get a T-Rex dropped in our lap and you wanna get rid of it!
What kind of man doesn't dream of owning a T-Rex?
Grandpa: You've got a point there.
Ely: Look at him go! He finished all of the bowels in thirty seconds!


In perfect sync with the dialogue the graphics accentuate the emotional heartbeart of the story.  Alternating between framed panels, single page and double page illustrations and shifting perspective they captivate the reader, pulling them into the center of the action.  Numerous times the humor is unspoken but obvious.  Some of my favorites are: the series of pages when Ely first encounters Rex foreshadowing events to come, the three panels when Ely throws a stick saying fetch and Rex brings back the local policeman dangling from his motorcycle, when Ely's dad comes to his room to comfort him, lying down on the floor next to him and the uplifting final two pages.


Having read Tommysaurus by Doug TenNapel twice cover to cover and other sections a third and fourth time, I can say, in complete honesty, this graphic novel is a great read.  It is first and foremost a story of the love a boy has for his dog and in turn of the dog's love for his boy.  But, many other life challenges are raised within this story, the why of bullying, remorse, forgiveness and death.  Plan on multiple copies.

PLIK! PLIK! PLIK!

One of the most anticipated events with elementary students is the loss of a tooth.  Many a lesson, storytelling circle and book browsing session has been interrupted by a young, eager and happy voice shouting out, "My tooth fell out!"  Students gather around the lucky soul as if they have discovered gold.  A plastic tooth on a string necklace, a small hinged box, perfect for holding the treasure, is a favorite piece of "jewelry", a point of pride.

The next morning they are regaling their best buddies with a story of the tooth fairy's visit.  Never having thought about it, but granting it makes perfect sense, other creatures with teeth probably have their own tooth fairies.  With a blast from the prehistoric past The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy (Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.) written by Martha Brockenbrough with illustrations by Israel Sanchez tells a tale of teeth, longing and finding the one thing which bridges across the ages.


Inside the museum of truly old things, past the food court, the woolly mammoths, and the wheel exhibit, the last Dinosaur Tooth Fairy polishes her collection of fangs.

As you can imagine it has been quite some time since the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy has gathered in any new pearly whites.  You can only dust and shine your current cache for so many millenia before the urge, the urge for another tooth, is overwhelming.  Being the final one of your kind is mighty, mighty lonely, too.

With the practiced eye of one at the top of her profession, the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy spies a very loose tooth, so loose it falls out of the mouth of a young visitor at the museum. Lickety split she leaves her world behind to see the little girl gulped up by a noisy, yellow behemoth; she grabs on for all she's worth.  When it stops, with relief she notes, the child escapes only to enter another challenging menace.

As darkness descends, finally finding an opening, she continues her pursuit looking in the most unusual nooks and crannies (to her) with next to no help from the other irritating inhabitants.  As the sun begins it's climb into a new day, the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy's goal is at last within her grasp.  She reaches... getting more than she bargained for in the beginning.


As evidenced by her young adult title debut (Devine Intervention reviewed here) author Martha Brockenbrough knows how to spin a story that is heartwarming, thoughtful and surprising.  Her love of language, playing with word combinations, to create the correct atmosphere for the tale and meaningful moods for her characters, will call out to you, welcoming you to join in the toothy quest.  Choosing to focus on a single word, repeating it three times in a row, increases tension, further binding the reader to the plight of the desperate dino.  Here are a couple of examples.

She has a spiky beauty from a Spinosaurus,
a mighty molar from the Gigantosaurus,
and a splendid side tooth she snagged from a yawning duck-billed Hadrosaur.

It's definitely not with the parrot,
who is rude, rude, rude and that is ALL there is to say.


How can readers not be drawn to the green, grinning, crowned, flying dinosaur in a frilly skirt, purple purse loaded with large teeth, on the cover of this book?  The truth is, they can't.  Using gouache to color the world of The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy, illustrator Israel Sanchez, putting paint to paper, begins to add his special ingredients to the story as soon as the cover is opened.

His visuals tell a tale all their own complimenting and completing Brockenbrough's words.  Readers will immediately note and continue to look for the mysterious being in disguise.  Most of the the bold, bright pictures extend from edge to edge across two pages; a few single pages are opposite a large oval illustration.  The humorous delight is in the details, facial expressions and body language, dinosaur tails, dog drool, dentures in a glass, a hairy hamster and a cranky, tattle-tale parrot.  I think one of the funniest pictures is of the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy squeezing through the doggy door trying to placate the household pet with dog bones.


A first picture book for both author Martha Brockenbrough and illustrator Israel Sanchez, The Dinosaur Tooth Fairy will fly right into your heart filling it with laughter and friendship...and you won't even have to loose a tooth to get these gems.

By following the link embedded in the title you will find lots of extra goodies at a special website for the book.  There are links embedded in the author and illustrator names to their official websites.  Martha Brockenbrough is donating ten percent of her royalties to Kids International Dental Services, which provides pro bono dental care to impoverished children in developing countries.

One Of A Kind

There are those who deliberately try to stand out in a crowd.  Their trademark is individuality in the extreme.  There are those who despite every effort, attempting to blend in with the group, will be like a beacon in the darkest of nights.

There is also a distinct group who neither tries to be eccentric or indistinguishable from others.  You might say they are the perfect example of ignorance is bliss believing they are normal in every respect. Odd Duck (First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press) written by Cecil Castellucci with illustrations by Sara Varon is the story of conventional (she thinks) Theodora and her outlandish new neighbor, Chad.


Theodora's days were very busy.
In the morning, she swam in straight 
lines across the pond
with an object
on her head
to maintain 
perfect posture.


What some might call a routine or a rut with a capital R, Theodora thinks of as a typical day.  Groceries (mango salsa?), craft supplies (squares for quilting?) and library books (are you sure you want to check those out?) seem as right as rain to her.

Each night is the same as the night before; dinner and star gazing.  Each night she wishes the same wish on the first shining star.  Her life she loves though, being alone, is about to change.

The empty house next door has a new occupant who couldn't be more different than Theodora than if it is part of a cosmic plan.  Proper as she is, baking a cake and introducing herself is the only thing to do. But oh my, this duck is not proper, not proper at all. This duck named Chad is a messy, talkative, rude dude.

Theodora's only hope as the days go by is Chad will soon fly south for the winter.  She herself prefers to stay in the calming hushed quiet of the cold days.  Of course...Chad stays.  Theodora's life is about to change again.

During an evening of gazing skyward naming the constellations, Theodora finds herself accepting an invitation from Chad.  One spoken thought leads to another and before she knows it, as the chilly days pass, she and Chad have become inseparable---they're best friends.  Spring brings a third change to Theodora, in the form of a comment said aloud as the two of them pass by a chatting group of ducks.

Odd? Who's odd?  He's odd!  She's odd!  A door slamming argument threatens the newly formed friendship.  One day passes, two days pass, and on the third day, odd, even opposite-as-night-and-day odd, might be the best thing of all.


Cecil Castellucci know ducks and people, combining the attributes of one with the emotions and actions of the other.  Mixing a simple narrative with speech bubbles and descriptive, text-filled asides, this story of less than ordinary quackers, flows like a constant, babbling brook; sure and steady.  You can't help but feel the lightness of the tale, the humor evident in each of the six chapters.


The book's jacket serves to illuminate the personal qualities of Theodora and Chad; the front a close-up of both their peculiarities, the back a series of three activities.  Rows of full-color, square portraits of the ducks in the story pattern the cover.  Opening and closing endpapers, in three shades, teal, orange and gold, show heads of the characters first in once direction, then the other, among watery waves and lily pads.

The design and layout employed by illustrator, Sara Varon,  alternates between double page spreads, single pages and multiple panels on an individual page.  Her visuals are so expressive they not only enhance and interpret the text but tell a story all their own.  All the duckish details add to the delight; duck nesting dolls on Theodora's dresser, bunny slippers next to her bed, lily pad bedding, duck book titles, and Mallard's Moving Company on the side of the truck.

The body shapes of her ducks, their attire and accessories can't help but make readers smile; Theodora's hat, socks and gloves in contrast to the goggle-wearing, striped-scarf Chad with the dyed feathers.  Round, wide eyes and spindly legs add to the hilarity.  For the sentence, She and Chad would not be Friends, Varon uses two page, all white space except for a shocked Theodora holding a plate with a slice of cake on the left looking at Chad on the right scratching his head with a fork while yakking non-stop.  (I burst out laughing when I saw this.)


Without a doubt Odd Duck, written by Cecil Castellucci with artwork by Sara Varon, charmingly conveys to readers opposites, even odd opposites, can attract. This title is sheer, pure fun all around.  It  can't miss as a great read aloud.  Make sure you add this graphic novel to your collection.

Please follow the links embedded in the author and illustrator names to their official websites. This link is to the publisher website where eight of the beginning pages can be viewed.

Jump Right In!

When you live in a state surrounded by water filled with inland lakes and rivers, learning to swim is a necessity.  After nearly drowning during lessons at the YMCA, swimming under water became less frightening than swimming on the water.  My wise and caring Dad helped by placing coins in the shallow section to be retrieved by jumping in and swimming along the bottom of the lake.

Sometimes it's more important to feel safe.  Sometimes it's more important to do what you can when you can.  Deborah Freedman's newest release, The Story of Fish & Snail (Viking, June 2013), is about trust; leaving safety and doing more than you think you can to be where you want to be.


Every day...
Snail sits in one special spot, waiting 
for Fish to come home with a story.

On this day Fish returns home excited by the discovery of a new book.  Snail is thrilled with this news, too, wondering if Fish will tell the tale.

Delight turns to dismay when Snail learns this story is not going to be told.  Fish wants Snail to come into the new book.  Fish's zest for the vastness of a watery wonder filled with adventure in this fresh tome completely overlooks Snail's sense of security in staying exactly where Snail is.

Snail fails to see the joy in secret treasure and a pirate ship.  Snail finds pleasure in princesses, kittens and sleeping in the same spot.  With these thoughts voiced, Fish responds that what Snail likes is boring.   

Taunts are tossed between the two; voices getting louder and sentences getting shorter until...with a flash Fish leaves their book. But...but...but...how can this be?  Snail is in a story about Fish and Snail with no Fish.

Snail calls.  Snail looks.  Snail leans.  With a leap of faith toward friendship, Snail astounds Fish.


Told entirely in dialogue except for the introductory and closing sentences, Deborah Freedman instantly invites readers into the intimacy of Fish's and Snail's world.  Within a few conversational exchanges it's easy to understand the two personalities; the one preferring the comfort of routine, the other needing the challenge of change.  This is even enhanced further by the word choices given to Fish upon returning from the new book; 

"Ahoy, Snail!" ...
"Arrrgh, Snail, I promise we can come back here later. ..."

It's also crystal clear, though passionate about their respective positions, they are bound to one another.


In looking at the two-page array of the cover, splashes of water following Fish leaping toward Snail, the three colors against the blacks, grays and white of the bookcase, you can't help but feel the pure elation of the moment.  Lightly tinted blue-green watery opening and closing endpapers welcome readers.  Zooming back from the cover image the title page shows an open book in the thematic color palette, on a stack of the tonal black books, a huge splash of water with the glimpse of a golden tail on the left with the information on the right.  The verso and first page of the narrative continue with the same perspective giving readers a clue as to the smaller world in which Snail and Fish live; a fish bowl.

As the conversation begins and intensifies we move in closer and closer; Fish's movement about the page highlighted by splashes and bubbles as if swimming in water.  We are well aware of the emotional state of each by the position of eyes and eyebrows.  The viewpoint shifts again after Fish leaves to capture the lengths...and heights Snail needs to conquer to follow Fish.  All of the illustrations extend over two pages.

Freedman's use of watercolor and pencil and/or ink with the contrasting limited color palette skillfully presents the realm of a fish bowl or ocean within a book within a book.  You can't help but be amazed at this portrayal of speculative visualizing.  I adore so many of these illustrations but two of my favorites are:  the pile of books in front of the book shelves with the huge SPLOOSH! reaching to the top of the stack representing Snail's bravery and the two friends on the wavy pages of the new book, alternate personas in place as they embark on their journey.


The playful pal and comfortable companion are delightfully depicted in The Story of Fish & Snail written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman.  When it comes to friendship, living the story is much better than listening to the story; your world grows, your spirit soars and your heart is brimming with happiness.  Oh, let me tell you; this book is meant to be shared...again and again.  This would be lots of fun as reader's theater or at the very least be sure to use a special voice for each of the characters.

I've placed links to Deborah Freedman's website and her blog with her names above.

If Only...

If only we could turn back the clock; pick a point in time to revisit.  Those things we did or didn't do could be corrected.  Those things we said or did not say could be remedied.  Sometimes dialing back is not necessary; amends can be made.  Other times it's simply too late.

The loss of a loved one, whether it's expected or sudden, makes us feel not only extremely sad but strangely off-kilter.  All that we knew, the rhythm of our days, is missing.  In The Center of Everything (Harcourt Children's Books) author Linda Urban, opens the door of opportunity to find what has been lost; to have a wish granted in an extraordinarily ordinary way.


In the beginning, there was the donut.

It is Bunning Day, an annual celebration to honor Captain Cornelius Bunning, inventor of the donut hole, according to the story told in Bunning, New Hampshire.  This year Ruby Pepperdine is standing in a square in a circle along the parade route.  This year sixth grader Ruby Pepperdine is the Bunning Day Essay Girl.

As Ruby waits and watches for each portion of the parade to pass, we discover that unlike most of her family and friends, in the three months since her beloved grandmother, Gigi, has died, she can't seem to find the balance her life used to have.  There is a single moment weighing heavily on her mind and in her heart.  An occurrence in Mrs. Tomas's art class brings this into focus causing Ruby to wonder about doing what or talking like you are supposed to.

There is also the wish which could make all well again.  Tradition has it if you throw a quarter with your birth date on it on your birthday through the donut hole (on Captain Cornelius Bunning's statue) before the next Bunning Day has ended, your heart's desire will come true.  As fate would have it, on Ruby's twelfth birthday past, her quarter went through the hole.  So much is riding on what she has wished.

Her parents, an assortment of aunts, uncles and cousins as well as significant townspeople, teachers and schoolmates fill her musings of the past few days and the minutes prior to her reading her essay.  She thinks about what she has done and said.  She worries if her forever friend, Lucy, is still her friend.  She wonders if the new relationship with Nero is over.

Nothing is the same.  Everything is the same. Life circles around more than one center.  It's about listening...really listening.

When Linda Urban writes a book, this book, even if you feel its excellence at the first reading, it gets better when you read it again.  There are passages, single sentences too, that you want to copy on a piece of paper, fold up, place in a pocket and carry with you.  Her characters are so real you want to live in their town sharing the ebb and flow of their days.

Through point of view, alternating chapters between the past and present, the thoughts of Ruby and others with ties to the Bunning Day parade, Ruby's world unfolds before us.  We see our sixth grade selves in Ruby and her two friends told with clarity and humor.  We know and understand her sense of loss; it rings poignantly true.

There are many passages I keep replaying in my mind.  One is the conversation with her parents in the car on the way to the fireworks, The Hole Shebang.  Here are a couple more.

Ruby knows the speck that poked her too. It was the reason she still feels so sad when everyone else has moved on.  She had tried to forget about it, but today it reached out and poked her.
And she wishes there was a way she could reach back.

"You ever read Holes?" Nero asks.
Ruby nods.  "I loved it."
"I didn't read it for a long time. I thought it was going to be about a donut shop.  Once I found out it was about something else, I was mad that I hadn't read it sooner."
"I know," Ruby says. "You get this idea of what something is like, and that gets in the way of finding out what it's really like."
"Exactly." Nero looks straight at Ruby. She gets this feeling he's not just talking about books and that he's going to ask some sort of crazy Nero DeNiro question, and suddenly Ruby understands how all her teachers must feel, torn between curiosity and the fear of losing control of things.


Linda Urban's The Center of Everything, in the course of a single afternoon and evening slowly but with purpose, much like the character Patsy Whelk organizes the order in which parade entries will walk the parade route, reveals how Ruby Pepperdine looses her place and finds it again.  This is a beautiful story about loss, friendship, family and community.  This is a story to savor and share.

Please follow the link embedded in Linda Urban's name to her website.  Here is a portion of the beginning for you to read.

The Center of Everything by Linda Urban - Excerpt by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

A Rare Sight

Infrequently seen, where I've lived and visited, a brief glimpse as they soar by, is what I've come to label, a cause for a pause.  Their color is so brilliant it's hard not to gasp.  For me the sight of a bluebird has always meant there is magic in the air.

When my copy of Bluebird (Schwartz & Wade Books) written and illustrated by Bob Staake arrived, I could hardly open the box fast enough.  I'd been reading about its reception in the children's literature community but had not read any of the reviews or interviews except for one.  I wanted any impressions of this book to be all my own.

As is my practice I looked over the front and back jacket.  Upon removing the jacket I was delighted to see the cover has another illustration, a double page spread of the bluebird looking over the city from above.  An initial glance at the opening and closing endpapers told me they are an essential part of the story.

The unique framing used throughout begins on the verso, dedication and title pages.  They are all a part of the pictorial narrative. As the bluebird flies from left to right, through four frames, alighting in a tree outside a school, we meet the boy.

Watching, the bluebird sees the sadness of the child, head lowered, silent, as others make fun of him; a new school year is beginning.  Leaving the school at day's end, the boy slowly makes his way home but the bluebird follows, weaving in and out of his path.  Before too long the bluebird's persistence makes the boy smile.

As the two make their way through the city streets to the park, each new scenario further defines each of their personalities and the growing relationship.  Due to the bluebird's guidance the sailing pond yields newfound friends.  Leaving their resting place in the sun, they enter another darker, more wooded part of the park.

Within moments the boy is approached by three other boys wanting his sailboat.  When an act done in anger threatens the boy, his bluebird friend intercedes.  The result has the three running and the boy left, tearful, holding the bluebird.  To the boy's bewilderment a colorful array of birds first one at a time, then in groups, approach with their own plan for him as he still holds his bluebird friend. A strikingly beautiful ending, for the shift in color and the ensuing final pages, will have each reader drawing their own conclusions.


This wordless wonder has readers immediately developing an emotional attachment with the boy and the bluebird.  We experience the loneliness, the light, freely given friendship of one then the other, the happiness of discovering other playmates, the fear, the sadness and ultimately the hope.  With each turn of page we are more deeply involved in the events of the day.

For most of the book Bob Staake uses shades of gray and blue with black and white making the burst of rainbow hues at the end more profoundly felt.  To tell you the truth, after the first few pages the palette choice, unique and definitely appealing, shifts slightly back as the reader intently studies the movements and facial expressions of the bluebird and the boy.  Every nuance of  their developing bond is clearly draw; visible with the line of an eye or mouth, the turn of head, the lift of wings or stature.

Each two page spread with different size square and rectangular frames, carefully placed, defines the speed in which the story is revealed. Inside those frames we might see a larger overview or zoom in for a shift in the story's actions or emotions. The layout and design is brilliant.  One of my favorite double page illustrations is after their adventure at the pond.  You have to wonder how long it's been since the boy has been this happy.


At my first reading of this title I was stunned (and tearful).  With each subsequent reading of Bluebird written and illustrated by Bob Staake I continue to be amazed at the power of storytelling in visuals alone.  The layers in this story, the opportunity for discussion, makes it a book to be read and shared...repeatedly.

The first interview of Bob Staake regarding Bluebird I read can be found at Watch. Connect. Read.  Here is an interview titled Hostile Questions at Booklist.   19 Questions with Author and Illustrator Bob Staake can be found at Random Acts of Reading.  Publishers Weekly conducted a Q & A with Bob Staake.  Be sure to follow the link embedded in Bob Staake's name above to read about the process of creating Bluebird.

 

What Did He Say?

It happened on Monday night.  Stepping out the door for the final stroll around the yard with Xena, their music filled the night air.  The spring peepers were peeping.  The symphony announcing spring has started.  As soon as you get too close the cheerful tunes pause until you move away.  Neither they or their amphibious cousins stay visible but prefer the security of being under water.

It's a rarity, a treasured moment, when a frog does stay poised on a log, rock or lily pad.  You might even say it's surprising when this happens.  But not as surprising as Ribbit! (Alfred A. Knopf) written by Rodrigo Folgueira with illustrations by Poly Bernatene.


Once upon a time, there was a pond that was home to a family of frogs.

Well, they thought it was their home until one morning they make a shocking discovery.  Smack dab in the middle of the pond, sitting on a rock, is a pig.  You never heard so much muted croaking conversation and speculation among this crew until now, wondering why this little pink porker is where he shouldn't be.

Even more astounding is the pig's reply when asked by the fearless frog leader how they can help him.

"Ribbit!"

The chatter begins anew and he replies with the same resounding word. News of this unusual visitor spreads faster than a lightning strike through the forest.  Each animal, raccoon, weasel, turtle, duck, parrot, joins in the verbal exchange until even the pig's single word exclamations can hardly be heard above the din.  The frogs are getting madder and the animals are laughing louder.  Finally the elder shouts for their attention.

His suggestion fills them with fear but no other choice presents itself; a visit to the wise old beetle must be made.  Left all alone the little pig's ribbit takes on a different tone.  It's not easy with everyone speaking at once but in the end the wise old beetle suggest a return to the pond.  He needs to see this with his own eyes.

But what he and the other animals see upon their return is not what anyone expects.  What the wise old beetle suggests as he leaves never entered their minds.  They collectively glance upward, determined to correct their mistake.  Is that a "Tweet!"?


Rodrigo Folgueira has crafted the best kind of story alternating between an unseen narrator's voice and dialogue between the frogs, forest animals and the little pink pig.  He manages to convey with a few sentences the exact emotional tone and dilemma of all involved.  It is because of the conversations readers are well aware of the inherent humor; it's not everyday one sees a pig sitting in the middle of a pond saying "Ribbit!" Here is one example of the conversation around the pond that memorable morning.

"This new relative of yours is a little pink!" said the raccoon.
"He's no relation of ours!" declared the frogs.


It's a given when a bright pink pig is calmly sitting on a rock in a pond, eyes closed, uttering "Ribbit!", surrounded by aghast and disgruntled frogs, readers are going to be attracted to the title.  Solid color opening and closing endpapers are the same eye-catching hue as the misplaced porcine visitor.  With the exception of three opposing pages all of the illustrations within the book span two pages.

The background for each of the visuals is textured and layered in warm cremes, greens, blues, browns and pinks but readers are well aware of the passage of time because of the colors on the final three pages; an extraordinary sunset is closing the day.  With minimal use of lines Poly Bernatene captures the humor in the situation; the lifted eyebrows, the googly-eyed frogs, the frowning mouths, the perplexed and laughing forest animals and the intent of the little pink pig.  The shape of each animal's body, especially their faces, is full of charm and personality with a plus.

Having searched again and again online for information about Bernatene's technique and medium used in his illustrations and finding nothing, I decided to send him an email.  My Spanish is a little rusty since college (both he and Folgueira are Argentinian) but to my delight I received a response.  He says he does most of the original work, the textures by hand, then "applies" them in the computer using Photoshop.  He goes on to say the process for this project was very special as he and Rodrigo have been friends for twenty years.  It was and is very personal to them.  He continues by saying

It was almost 3 years of work between coming and going, with several changes in the development to reach to the best way to tell the story through with lot of care to keep balance within words and illustrations.


The first time I read Ribbit! with words by Rodrigo Folgueira, illustrated by Poly Bernatene, standing in my local indie bookstore, McLean & Eakin, I burst out laughing.  Without a doubt this collaboration between these two longtime friends is a magical, laughter-filled tale of the lengths taken by a friendship-seeking pig.  This is one story that must be read aloud.  It's a winner all the way.