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.

A Bear...A Story...

I may have mentioned a time or two before but sometimes when I get a new book by an author and an illustrator whose work I appreciate and admire, I don't read it right away.  I keep it in view, anticipating the moment when I open it for the first time; like I do with a present.  I am careful when I do open it, looking at the jacket, cover, endpapers and title page before I even start the story.

There are those when the story is finished, where I sit in stunned silence wondering.  Then I read the story again...and again...and again.  The new title, Bear Has a Story to Tell (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) written by Philip C. Stead with illustrations by Erin E. Stead is one of those books.

It is almost winter and Bear was getting sleepy.

Before Bear will let himself go to sleep, he has a story he feels the need to tell.  He first goes to Mouse. But Mouse has seeds to gather. Bear helps him and watches him burrow into the ground to wait out winter.

Duck has no time for a story needing to fly south. Frog has to find somewhere to sleep out of the cold.  When Bear looks for Mole, he listens but Mole is already deep asleep, deep down in the earth.

As the snowflakes drift down, Bear, too, lets himself go to asleep, story untold.  Excitedly, Bear awakens to the warmth of spring eager to tell his tale.  As his friends slowly shake off the seasonal shift and slumber, Bear helps each one adjust to this season as he helped each one get ready for the last.

A moon rises in the darkening sky.  Bear sits upon a log with Mouse, Duck, Frog and Mole around him ready to listen.  But Bear has a problem.  His friends speak up as friends do, everything coming full circle.


As the text written by Philip C. Stead is read you can't help but feel he has leaned over and whispered to you, "I have something to tell you.  Listen."  His words truthfully, gently, softly beckon you to follow Bear. And you do because of the way he writes.

As Bear progresses from one of his friends to the next we know he is getting sleepier and sleepier by the descriptive language and comparisons.  We can picture him and his friends in the woodsy surroundings through sensory phrases.  Every carefully told action Bear takes depicts his kindness, his patience.  Mouse, Duck, Frog and Mole respond naturally, instinctively, to their world and to Bear.


It's the illustrations of Erin E. Stead created with crushed dry pastels and pencil (her favored medium) that illuminate the narrative further, evoking a sense of peace, a quiet presence.  Every feature of Bear, his face with expressive eyes, black nose, his large rounded stomach, arms and paws are very much bear but more.  The way he looks when he walks, his stance when he bends over to offer assistance to Mouse, how he holds his arm outstretched to check the wind's direction, how he gazes upward at the snowflakes, are all done with a reverent grace, a respect for the story.

Tiny details on Mouse, Duck, Frog and Mole offer insights into their personalities but do not stray from their natural appearances.  As readers turn the pages different backgrounds, sometimes mostly white with a few stray leaves and Bear's sitting log, distinctive tree branches awash in fall colors, or varying shades of blues and blue-greens signifying a change in seasons or time of day.  I have so many favorites but the one of Bear lying down, head on paws, with Mouse, Duck and Frog waiting with him for Mole to pop out of his hole in the evening is simply beautiful.


Authors Norma J. Livo and Sandra A. Rietz in Storytelling: Process & Practice, state:

"Story" is a mystery that has the power to reach within each of us, to command emotion, to compel involvement, and to transport us into timelessness.

Through the combined, award-winning talents of Erin E. Stead and Philip C. Stead readers enter the marvelous mystery of story in Bear Has a Story to Tell.  We are witness to its rhythm, its invitation and how everyone has a story to tell in their own time.

Follow this link to an interview of Erin E. Stead at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast where she discusses her work.  Here is an interview given by both Erin E. Stead and Philip C. Stead to Publishers Weekly, Life After The Caldecott: Erin and Philip Stead.

A Powerful Thing...

I have found over the years the very best things, pure excellence, are more than worth the wait.  When I read the post on Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, titled Philip C. Stead Visits 7-Imp to Share Where a Story Comes From...Or:  How a Toad Named Vernon Ended Up Sailing a Teacup into the Great Unknown, I truly wondered, if just this once, time might fly.  The thirty-three days did pass quickly. What a joy it is to hold my own copy of A Home for Bird (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead.

I usually speak about the storyline followed by focusing on the illustrations (which I will still do) but in this title I have to say, the visuals speak volumes, the text is art.  Prior to the first written line readers see an old rattlebang truck, bumping down the road, loaded up with someone's worldly possessions.  A "arm" extends from a cuckoo clock shooting the bird in an arc from the truck's bed.

Vernon was out foraging for interesting things when he found Bird.

Vernon is an inquisitive toad with a huge heart.  In his toady mind the ever silent Bird might be in need of a friend.  Vernon invites him to be a part of his life introducing him to his friends Skunk and Porcupine and sharing with him all the wonders of his world.

Bird's persistent lack of speech is a puzzle to Vernon and his two chums.  Thinking he might be missing his home, the adventurous amphibian, using his gathered treasures, sets sail with Bird down the river.  Along the way a variety of possible homes, birdcage, birdhouse, mailbox, bird's nest, are shown to Bird who never utters a single word in response.

Saddened but nevertheless faithful to his task, Vernon, while sitting with Bird on a telephone wire with other winged companions sees a red balloon whose string is tangled.  From boat to basket a teacup takes the duo further along their journey.  Chatting with a rooster weathervane Vernon notices him pointing a response to his comments.

Gazing into the distance Vernon can see a little, happy-looking home with a rattlebang truck tooting and honking away down the road.  Making their way to the window sill Vernon spies a potential place for his pal.  Will this door break open Bird's silence?  In the brightness of a new day, Vernon receives his answer.

Philip C. Stead's careful, singular word selection not only tells the tale but evokes in readers a strong emotional attachment to Vernon's quality of character, his compassion, his unconditional love for his new friend. 

"I hope this is a good idea, " said Vernon.
Bird said nothing.
"Bird is very brave," thought Vernon.

His narrative guides us from place to place as a home is sought for Bird but this tale is also building the structure of true friendship.

Stead states the illustrations in this title were not created in his usual medium of collage.  He began each with an under-drawing in water-soluble crayon then painted over with gouache resulting in a specific and unique texture filled with an airy luminosity.  Colorful hues continue that lightness, a sense of hope and happiness. 

I love the little extra details in his visuals; the three-leaf clover stems stuck in the tin can but the one Vernon is holding is a four-leaf clover, the sail fabric is the same as the curtains in the blue board house and the cuckoo clock is a mirror image of the home.  Picturing Vernon using items at hand to create his sail boat, a curved straw, teacup, a slip of fabric and a spoon for an oar, further reveals the toad's will to succeed, to make do with what's at hand.  The subtle hints at humor, the name on the truck's door, Careful Moving Co.,  are the finishing touch.

A Home for Bird written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead is one of those books you want to put under your pillow at night knowing all your dreams will be sweet or carry around with you like a treasured stuffed toy or favorite blankie; not wanting to be parted.  Vernon is the kind of best friend everyone should have once in their life, a selfless champion.  Any of the illustrations would find a welcome place on my walls as framed marvels.  I absolutely love this joyous, wonderful book.  I am adding it to my Mock Caldecott list for 2013.

Here is a link to the Macmillan site for more illustrations in addition to those in the interview linked above.  Please read the interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast;  offering insight into the creative process for this book.  By following the link to Philip C. Stead's site you can download the music he wrote for this book trailer.