Those Bells Are A Jingling

They can turn the gusty wind, bitter cold and falling snow into something magical.  In the movies they can be deliriously happy, worrisome and wild or pleasantly romantic.  Other than the appropriate amount of snow, a willing and cooperative horse is a requirement...along with a sleigh, of course.

More than ten years ago, readers laughed as they followed a girl and her dog attempting to travel down a river in One-Dog Canoe (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March 2003).  Along the way first a beaver, then a loon, wolf, bear, and moose decided to join, filling up the small red boat.  When a frog hopped on, the scales were tipped, throwing everyone into the water.  Returning for another memorable trip in One-Dog Sleigh (Farrar, Straus and Giroux) written by Mary Casanova with pictures by Ard Hoyt, the gal and her puppy pal are in for more surprises.

I hitched up my pony
to my little red sleigh.
My dog wagged his tail.
"I want to play!"

"You bet," I said. "Just me and you
in a one-dog sleigh."

Traveling through the woods, the duo is enjoying their ride.  Within minutes sailing through the air like a trapeze artist, Squirrel decides he wants to play too, landing in the sleigh.  They are barely underway again when a flap of wings and a series of hoots grab their attention.

Even though the girl recommends Owl join them on a different ride, he does not take no for an answer.  The occupants now number four.  It's getting decidedly crowded.

Lynx wakes up.  Deer hears the bells.  Bear looks down.  Three more want to join the lively trek.  With the deepening snow and the heavier load, Horse can barely move.  In fact, the sleigh comes to a complete stop.

In the blink of an eye, up jumps Mouse.  Tears springing to her eyes, the girl knows this ride is doomed.  Never fear...the small one takes charge as all others push and pull.

At the top of the peak, the group knows without a doubt, their sleigh has become a sled as a crazy downward plunge begins.  What's that?  A bump, you say? Oh, no!


More than one person lately has remarked how snow seems to energize their canine friends, so it stands to reason Mary Casanova, a longtime resident of northern Minnesota, would place her characters on a wintry ride.  As she did in the companion title, rhyming phrases and delightful wordplay, introduce other forest residents into the narrative.  Dog's initial request of

"I want to play!" 

is repeated by each one before they end up in or on the sleigh.  Descriptive active antics and onomatopoeia abound.  Here is a single example.

But with a SMACK, CRACK, KA-WHACK!
Bear balanced on the back.


For a first sleigh ride, I hope to be part of a group as happy as the threesome on the matching jacket and cover of this title; you can almost hear the delighted sighs of the girl along with the yipping pants of the dog as the runners slide through the snow.  The only clue to the events to come appears on the back.  Dog is looking curiously at a speaking mouse.  Ard Hoyt begins the story on the title page with the girl and pup looking inside the barn doorway at the sleigh and horse.  A two page illustration stretches from right to left joining the first page with the verso featuring the best friends about to set off on another adventure.

While Mary Casanova gives the book its enticing beat, Hoyt brings exhilaration and joy to the tale.  A full range of colors highlights the events, cooler background shades of white, blue, gray and green, swirl around the characters giving you a feeling of a brisk winter's day and movement.  Each picture whether on one page or two, shifting in perspective from a bird's eye view or zooming in for a cozy close-up, is full of humor.  It bursts off every page especially in the facial expressions of those already in the sleigh wondering how another will possibly be able to fit.

I think my favorite illustration is toward the end of the story.  Across two pages, Ard Hoyt has pictured the red sleigh going full tilt down the hill, filled with all the animals...yes, even the pony.  All are looking rather wild-eyed as they speed down the hill except for the girl, horse (he has on blinders) and the mouse who are smiling with glee.  The squirrel is hanging on for dear life to the dog.  Grasping the horse's mane like reins, the mouse is having the time of his life.

Some titles are meant to be shared by reading them aloud to one or many.  One-Dog Sleigh written by Mary Casanova with pictures by Ard Hoyt is one of those books.  It's brimming with merriment.  Will the girl and her furry friend have another escapade?  I certainly hope so.

For more information about the author and illustrator please take time to visit their websites.  Links for these are embedded in each of their names.  Here is a link where author Mary Casanova speaks about the collaborative relationship she has with illustrator Ard Hoyt. To view more pages from the book follow this link to the publisher's website.

I think it would be fun to pair this with Lita Judge's Red Sled or Jan Brett's The Mitten.

A Reading Ritual Interrupted...

It's the comforting rituals from childhood which form lasting memories.  The anticipation of those daily, weekly, monthly or yearly occurrences bring a sense of security and belonging to a boy's or girl's world creating a rhythm for their lives.  It might be shopping for supplies before a new year of school, celebrating holidays and birthdays, a weekly visit to the library to gather a stack of books to bring home, eating an evening meal together or taking a walk with your dog one last time at the end of the day.  These customs are as varied as the people who make up the families, small or large.

One thing, one very important thing, can happen every single day.  It's cost is measured in minutes or hours but the rewards are priceless.  It happens at different times all around the world; everyone is the better for these shared moments.  In the forest realm, something has interrupted this nightly event, something silent, mysterious.  Author Helen Docherty and her illustrator husband, Thomas Docherty, have teamed together for the first time to tell this tale in The Snatchabook (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky).

One dark, dark night in Burrow Down,
a rabbit named Eliza Brown
found a book and settled down...

when a Snatchbook flew into town.

All the creatures of Burrow Down, owls, mice, rabbits, badgers and hedgehogs, read books or listened to books being read aloud at bedtime every night.  Stories of dragons, witches, pirates or princesses had them dreaming and pretending.  Eliza Brown is amazed when without warning, the book she is reading disappeared from her hands.

She did see her curtains move a bit.  The owls did hear tapping.  Perhaps the squirrels heard something, too. What everyone was sure of though was their books were vanishing.  Each night it was the same; something, someone, was stealing their books.

With a plan in place, Eliza Brown was not about to let this continue.  A stack of books as bait did the trick.  Terrified but determined she called out as a shadow crossed her bedroom floor.

A reply is heard.  Words are exchanged.  Everyone, even a Snatchabook, needs stories.


After several silent readings and one aloud, I find the words composed by Helen Docherty ring with a magical beat of their own.  Rhyming phrases invite pausing and pacing.  Readers will wonder about the mystery, will cheer on Eliza Brown's courage and cleverness and find solace in the resolution. Here is a single passage from the book.

The little owls, on Mommy's lap,
were quite surprised to hear a tap
against the bedroom window glass.
Tap, tap! The noise came really fast.
Before they'd even looked around,
the book was gone---without a sound.


When looking at the  matching jacket and cover, featuring the two main characters, the front in the light of day in a woodland nook, the duo surrounded by stacks of books, the back at night in a bunny's cozy bedroom, readers will begin to speculate about the title, wondering about the story to be told.  Opening and closing endpapers done in two shades of blue showcase a scene from the forest at night, moon in the sky, small closed windows and doors in tree trunks indicating the presence of animal homes.  When Eliza appears, hands on hips, looking at the Snatchabook perched on a book stack on the title page, I guarantee readers will already be falling slightly in love with them both.

Thomas Docherty's illustrations light up each and every page whether they are his two page spreads, single pages or smaller pictures framed in white.  His fine lines, exquisite details, draw the reader's eyes into the story.  Peeks into the animal homes at night are precious, perfectly extending the narrative.   The color palette on the jacket and cover are continued on all the pages, giving the reader a feel for being in the forest.  One technique in particular I like is his placing of large open pages of books into the illustrations, making the animal readers into the characters.  One of my favorites is of Eliza Brown tucked under the covers in bed, lamp next to her (with carrots on the shade), small stuffed toy bunny on the bed, reading a book.  The larger part of this visual is filled with a page from a book, looking much like a scene from Little Red Riding Hood. 


Do you want a book that celebrates books and reading?  Do you want a book that shines a joyful light on reading aloud at bedtime?  The Snatchabook written by Helen Docherty with illustrations by Thomas Docherty does this splendidly.  This book is a gem, a gem to be shared repeatedly.

To read more about the author and illustrator, follow the links to their websites embedded in their names above.  Thomas Docherty features several more pages from this book at his site.  This link is to The Snatchabook Activity Kit.  An educator's guide can be found by following this link.

He's On The Run Helping Heroes

Heroes appear everywhere, everyday; the spotlight shining on some more than others.  To the recipient of those actions though, one is no more important than another.  When asking children what they would like to be when they grow up, a small voice will always shout firefighter.  At least one comes trick-or-treating to my home every year.

Unlike living in a highly populated area with larger cities, where I live, when the alarm is given over their radios, volunteers in trucks with flashing lights leave neighboring townships and the city proper to converge on the fire station downtown.  Although the sirens mean someone needs assistance, people take comfort when they see these men and women responding.  Like our younger students who visit the fire station each spring, our favorite cookie character from The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School is traveling with his class on a field trip.  The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.) written by Laura Murray with illustrations by Mike Lowery is another running, rhyming romp introducing readers to hometown heroes.

On a bright Monday morning, my teacher breezed in.

Her initial announcement is met with a chorus of cheers from classmates one and all. They are taking a bus to meet the firefighters at Company Four and their canine teammate, Spot.  Hopping into a backpack the Gingerbread Man comes along in comfort.

Arriving at the station students listen and learn but the Gingerbread Man is shaken about so much he pops out of the pocket landing right on Spot's nose.  Catching a whiff and taking a taste of this superb sweetness, the pooch prepares for the big gulp.  With a leap Gingerbread Man is speeding quickly into the station with the determined Dalmatian hot on his heels.

Weaving among the students trying on gear, quick as a wink, the trotting treat takes a seat in the fire truck.  Barely taking time to enjoy his escape, the fascination of the dashboard and steering wheel capture the Gingerbread Man's attention.  Before long he is able to explore some more, climbing a nearby pole, jumping on beds and peeking into the firefighter's kitchen with lunch steaming from a simmering pot.

WOOO goes the alarm.  Firefighters spring into action; the Gingerbread Man does too.  Hanging on as tight as he can, he rides the truck to help fight the fire.  Our baked buddy handles the hose, pulls the nozzle and a wild, lively river of water pours out.  It's a good thing Fire Chief Anne is nearby.  It's a good thing the Gingerbread Man went along for the ride.  Heroes every one, helmets all around!  He's the Gingerbread Man, he runs, he rides, he turns the tide!

When it comes to writing rhymes, Laura Murray places winning combinations in her sentences, never forced but full of fun. Her lively language takes readers on a tour of the fire station, the tools used by the firefighters and the every day action using the Gingerbread Man's race from Spot as the ideal recipe for exciting exploration.  Alternating between a narrative and character conversations Murray welcomes participation by readers.  Here is one of her passages.

Spot wasn't there--

a sure sign of good luck.

So I slipped down the pole

and then jumped on the truck.

"I'll ride to the rescue

as fast as I can.

I want to help, too! I'm the

GINGERBREAD MAN! 

 

Now I ask you, look at that Gingerbread Man perched on the fire hydrant, hands on hips outside the fire station. How can you resist this cute little guy wearing a firefighters helmet from Company Four?  The front jacket and cover allude to the potential problem of Spot but the back cover makes it clear Dalmatian trouble is in our spicy friend's future.  A rustic red, a shade of the fire truck color, covers the opening and closing endpapers with white outline sketches of the Gingerbread Man scattered across both.

Rendered in ink, traditional screen printing and digital color, Mike Lowery's crisp graphics convey the storyline with clarity and the characters' actions with engaging energy.  With loosely sketched panels separating the action on many of the pages and dialogue appearing in speech bubbles this has the partial feel of a comic blended with frameless single and double page spreads.  In a sequence of pictures Lowery brings readers into the story by zooming in and out on particular elements in the action.  One of my favorite illustrations is the Gingerbread Man sitting behind the wheel of the huge fire truck pretending to drive.

The Gingerbread Man Loose on the Fire Truck written by Laura Murray with illustrations by Mike Lowery is a rhythmic adventure through an important fixture in our communities, highlighting what one can find in a fire station, on a fire truck and the people dedicated to serving others.  As an introduction to Fire Prevention Week, a field trip or a visit by firefighters, this title is a treasure.  A poster is included in a back pocket with four panels of activities on one side and the Gingerbread Man giving guidance when there's smoke on the other.

Please follow the links embedded above to the author and illustrator websites. Here is a link to a printable teacher's guide.  John Schumacher invited author Laura Murray to his site Watch. Connect. Read. for an author interview.

Which One Is Which?

I have a deep and abiding respect for any animal in the wild, being keenly aware of the precarious place in which many find themselves with the diminishing areas left for them to live on our planet.  Although I long to see some in their own habitat, free from the encroachment of human population, I wish to do so from afar.  I've been told crossings are being made from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to the Lower Peninsula when the lakes freeze over in the winter.

Wolves, cougars and black bears have been sighted in the tip of the Mitt but not by me.  A black bear decided to take a stroll within our city limits several years ago.  Fortunately there are authors and illustrators who are dedicated to informing readers of those animals unlikely to be observed by most.  If You Were a Panda Bear (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) by Wendell and Florence Minor takes us on a trip around the globe so we can met eight members of the bear family.

If you were a panda bear,
Guess what you would wear?

Pandas don a coat patterned like no other and enjoy snoozing when not eating a bunch of bamboo.  Their timid nature is something young readers will understand.  I wonder why the sloth bear has those long claws?  Why is their hair so long?

Blending with the color of snow, a polar bear peeks through a hole in the ice.  Perhaps a next meal will be spotted.  You know it's true but sometimes you forget to look up, up in a tree for a black bear.

It's a sliver, a sliver of the moon, that's printed on the moon bear's furry chest.  His brother the sun bear is smaller.  To get his sweet treat, his tongue is different than most.

Salmon is a tasty meal but I don't think I want to ask a ten foot grizzly bear to share.  Meeting a new friend within the pages of a book is the best.  I wouldn't feel shy about wearing my glasses around a spectacled bear.  There is one bear, of course, the most well-known and treasured of all.  Can you guess what it's called?


Geared toward younger readers but equally enjoyable for any age, Florence Minor writes a series of four-line poems about each of these bears.  Woven into the cheerful, rhyming verses are facts about physical characteristics, diet and habits.  Beginning each with the words, If you were a... , encourages reader involvement; after the first couple of poems listeners will be adding their voice to the opening line.  The rhythm created by these poetic introductions invites repeated readings. (I've read it at least four times already.)


The realistic, spectacular paintings of Wendell Minor begin on the matching jacket and cover.  Walking in a row showing the difference in shape, color and size are four of the bears beneath the initial title page.  (All are shown in this manner across the final two pages, Bear Fun Facts.)  Beneath the title on the following two pages, all eight bears are facing forward, lively and intent, mainly their heads and upper bodies.

Throughout the body of the book, double page spreads are dedicated to the bears; sometimes two sets.  The texture, the softened quality, of each painting is remarkable.  Minor's dedication to showing his subjects in their natural setting adds to the authenticity of his artwork.  Readers will believe at any moment, the bears could come to life.  One of my favorites is the close-up of the sun bear, tongue extended licking the honey, bees swarming about, one enlarged bee coming straight toward the reader.

If You Were a Panda Bear by Wendell and Florence Minor is a lively first look at bears known and unknown.  While facts are included in the poems and at the book's end, this is the type of nonfiction book which promotes further investigation.  I can see posting a world map and locating the natural residence of the bears; perhaps by making a Popplet.  As more information is discovered students could write their own four line poems to include what they've found.  Bear Sources and Websites, a short bibliography, is the final page in the book.  I highly recommend this title.

The New England Independent Booksellers Association recently named Wendell and Florence Minor the recipients of the President's Award for a lifetime achievement in arts and letters.


Please follow the link embedded in Wendell Minor's name above to access the couple's website. There you can view more pages from this title.  This link is to the publisher website.  They offer inside views of the book and a simple activity sheet.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Where Art Resides...

They can feature history, art, science or a combination of all of these or something else entirely.  Many times the focus will be on a event, a particular person, a significant place or a fascinating discovery. ( The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, The American Museum of Natural History [Wonderstruck],  The Metropolitan Museum of Art [From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler]) Large or small in scope, museums collect and preserve so others can enjoy.

In an art museum, images, frozen moments, captured using an assortment of mediums, through numerous techniques and combinations, can stir the music of emotion within us.  Like a treasure box, it holds these images, memories and the expressions of others that may mirror our own.  The Museum (Abrams Books for Young Readers) written by Susan Verde with illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds conveys one girl's day spent in wonder.

When I see
a work of art,
something
happens in
my heart.

Art causes this viewer to move and be moved.  She jumps and leaps, she becomes a ballerina or twirls in circles like the stars in Van Gogh's Starry Night.  She notices and makes notes about the smallest of details in traditional or abstract pieces of art.

Her active participation in what she sees, actually tires her out.  Resting, she sits and thinks while looking at Rodin's The Thinker.  As she walks and explores she finds that art can make her feel sad, hungry or joyful.  She mimics, she makes faces, and can't stop laughing.  An understanding flows outward to the reader; art is alive.

The final wall with the final canvas gives her pause.  It's blank, totally white.  Confused she closes her eyes to ponder the possibilities.  That's when everything she's seen, everything she's felt, everything she's done, begins to create her work of art.


On an outing with her children at an art show Susan Verde was given the spark for this story.  This personal incident clearly demonstrated the power of images.  In this title through the voice of the girl rhyming phrases transport readers; we experience what she experiences.  Word choices, while conveying a variety of moods, are ultimately uplifting.  You can't help but draw the same conclusion the girl does.


Upon opening the book's jacket we are greeted by a young girl joyously embracing her visit to the museum; shades of yellow, some rose and the metallic purple title depicting her mood within the frames.  The cover shows two different framed scenes with added colors.  The front shows her again leaping but this time she is outside in the evening.  On the back, as on the jacket, she is acting in response to a specific artist's work

The endpapers tell a story of their own.  Across the opening two pages familiar and original artwork, given a unique flair, by the hand of Peter H. Reynolds are hung for all to see.  The closing two pages are blank frames, canvases and even an easel waiting to be filled.

Reynolds begins his enhancement of the text on the title page, showing the girl walking up the sidewalk into the open museum, a cityscape in the background.  The lightness found in the narrative is continued in his abundant use of white space.  His watercolor illustrations vary in size and placement, a perfect match for the story on every page.  My favorites are the pages when several pictures give the girl a fit of giggles causing her to kick her legs while lying on the floor and when she stands still eyes closed, hands crossed over her heart, knowing where the true museum resides and the final two showing her dancing through the night on her way home.


The Museum written by Susan Verde with art by Peter H. Reynolds will have readers wanting to schedule their next visit to a museum as soon as possible.  I would also venture to guess that many will want to round up the appropriate tools to make their own art whether its tempra paint with carved potato halves, a camera or pressed flowers found in gardens, fields or the woods.  Museums really are everywhere each and every one of us is.

Follow the links embedded in the author's and illustrator's names to their websites.  One page at Susan Verde's site is dedicated to teachers and parents with lots of extras.

Crossing...

Even though there is a structure right down the road called Castle Farms, completely renovated to mirror the original and other similar medieval marvels, it has no moat.  The closest I've ever been to a castle with a moat is on a miniature golf course. History tells us that moats have been used as a line of defense as far back as the Mayans though we generally think of them paired with European castles.

When recalling all the books read in settings featuring castles and moats, the presence of a goat and a hen do not figure in any of them.  It's not every day you see a goat donning a knight's helmet holding hands...er...wings with a hen on top of a barrel floating in water.  Let's open the cover of What Floats in a Moat? (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) by Lynne Berry with illustrations by Matthew Cordell to see what's happening.

Archie the Goat stopped short at a moat.

After much ado involving a table, paper, measuring tape, writing implements and using the old noodle, Archie has an idea.  When Skinny the Hen calmly points out he could use the drawbridge, Archie scoffs.

"Bah," said Archie, "drawbridge, straw-bridge."

For this goat there is only one answer---science.

The two take a gander at the pile of stuff loaded on their cart.  Hmmmm...Archie is thinking the barrel might be the solution to getting across the water.  Working hard the two build a sailing ship of sorts, the S. S. Buttermilk.  Archie climbs on board with Skinny left to do all the labor of getting it into the water.
Guess what?  It sinks like a rock.

It's back to the proverbial drawing board with science to the rescue.  This time the goat thinks an empty barrel might float.  The problem is that all the barrels are filled with buttermilk.  After a bit of a back and forth discussion, hen begins to drink...and drink...and drink.  With the application of more elbow grease by the two, the S. S. Empty becomes a reality.

Guess what?  It floats like a charm, but rolls around like a ball, plunging Archie the Goat smack dab into the water again.  Never fear, he is relentless in his pursuit of getting from one side to the other.  Skinny the Hen is not so enthusiastic; the thought of drinking more buttermilk weighing heavily in her thoughts and on her body.

Due to her inability to imbibe as previously done and after a bit more work, the S. S. Ballast is tested.  Guess what?  The goat, the hen and...the queen, a royal pig, have a little Q & A about barrels, buttermilk and science.  Science wins!


Lynne Berry has the right combination of ingredients to create a playful read with intent.  Rhyme, alliteration, repetitive lines with appropriate alterations spiced up with liberal doses of humor, tell the tale well.  The personalities of Archie the Goat and Skinny the Hen, his determination to cross the water using his own invention and her logic to use the available draw bridge, clash in the nicest possible way.  They both grow; intellectually and physically (too much buttermilk).


The illustrations of Matthew Cordell foreshadow possibilities on the matching jacket and cover.  On the front we see the pals afloat as well as the letters in the title, on the back the goat, gripping the mast, is glub, glub, glubbing his way to the bottom of the moat.  A scattered pattern of barrels is spread across opening and closing endpapers in a pale, golden color, a shade of buttermilk?

With a turn of page Cordell begins the pictorial story in the lower, left-hand corner opposite the initial title page; goat is pushing a filled cart with hen perched atop, scanning the horizon.  They stop for a conversation on the dedication page and continue toward their destination on the title page.  He even continues the story of goat, hen and the queen after the narrative is finished on the author's note and publishing information pages at the back.

Pen and ink with watercolor pictures fill every page with laughter; white space framing the individual tasks of Archie and Skinny.  Every time goat's helmet gives a klunk as it closes, the body contortions of hen trying to get the latest vessel in the water, goat's frustrated and determined looks and the depressed expression on hen knowing she has to drink buttermilk again, are hilarious.  Some of my favorites are the double page spreads of the launchings and of Archie the Goat and Skinny the Hen when the truth hits home.


You couldn't ask for a more entertaining story that happens to include a lesson from Archimedes than What Floats in a Moat? by Lynne Berry with illustrations by Matthew Cordell.  It's the kind of book where distinct voices are heard for the two friends along with the queen at the end.  It's the kind of book where as the text is read, the pictures will be studied and enjoyed for all the extra they offer.  In a word, this book is fun.

 Please follow the link embedded in Matthew Cordell's name to access his website.  By following this link you are taken to the publisher website to view eight illustrations from the story.

You Say You Want A Pet?

You have to wonder if we are somehow genetically wired to desire the companionship of creatures, large or small, in our homes as part of our daily lives.  From an early age gals and guys most certainly not only want but feel they need a pet.  Maybe it's as simple as desiring to nurture being a part of our inherent nature.

From experience I know most parents have a long, detailed list of reasons for not getting any kind of a pet.  But even mine would have looked with admiration and in stunned silence at the parents of this pigtailed prodigy.  You'll feel a grin begin to grow from as early as the jacket flaps when reading The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicious Verses (Atheneum Books for Young Readers) by Lisa Wheeler with illustrations by Zachariah OHora.

I asked my parents for a pet.

My parents answered, "Not quite yet."

The parents of this girl have responded with a requirement of  research; what kind of pet she wants, all the associated costs and to personally observe each possibility.  As proof of these endeavors, they've requested she write everything down.  Her first stop is the farm.

A rather cranky cow, a  haranguing hen, a persnickety pony, a dove who delights in dropping doo-doo and stinky sheep have our gal making a hasty retreat to another animal residence, the zoo.  Her findings there are equally frustrating; a monkey with disgusting habits, a tiger who tastes humans (gulp), a penguin with no mind or mannerisms of his own,  a hippo who is much too large and a polar bear with dietary requirements a tad on the gross side.  Reflecting on her possibilities, she decides to head closer to home.

Into the woods the smells of a skunk cement her original thoughts on the species, the bustling of squirrels have her dreaming of their handiness as landscapers, and the garden marauding of bunnies let her know there's another place she needs to go.  Now in her home she wonders about a gobbling goldfish, ambitious ants, a too small dog and a turncoat cat.  No...no...no...and no have her exploring once more.  Her frustration is growing as her hope of finding the perfect pet gets smaller.

A stop at the pet store is disheartening; from the slow-moving turtle to the multiplying gerbils to the unpredictable guinea pig to the parrot with no social skills to the why-are-there-so-many mice and the hungry snake, our traveling investigator is left in a quandary.  With the precision of a career scientist, with all possibilities exhausted, there is only once conclusion that can be drawn.  These twenty-seven plus poetic thoughts written with care will lead readers to a surprising last line. ( I can hear the exclamations now--"She wants a what!")

Our elementary school was fortunate enough several years ago through our generous PTO to have Lisa Wheeler spend a day in our building.  The wit and wisdom, rhythm and rhyme, and playful use of language found in her books is part and parcel of her bubbling personality.  In this title the poetry simply rolls off your tongue with pacing creating a catchy beat.  With the honest, no-holds-barred notes of the girl, readers will find it hard to not burst out laughing.  

Rendered in acrylic paints the illustrations in this title roar out at readers beginning with the double-page matching jacket and cover.  Zachariah OHora's use of heavy black lines to accentuate the elements in his visuals draw readers' eyes exactly where they need to go.  The jacket flaps cleverly align with the opening and closing endpapers; a row of thirteen different animals all cheerfully facing us in the beginning but showing us the backside of each in the end.  One animal does seem to be missing though...and the snake slithering off the page has a huge lump in its middle.  A limited color palette, shades of green, red, gold, orange and tan heighten focus.

The close-up of the top of the girl's head, pigtails sticking out, spread out across both the title pages is the first hint of numerous touches of humor.  It's easy to see with pictures featuring varying but distinctive perspectives exactly how the girl feels about her latest inquiries.  OHora's interpretation, his extension of the text, is downright clever.  While I like the pony appearing in a beauty salon chair under the dryer, getting a pedicure, my favorite is the illustration accompanying the bunnies rhyme.  We get to see the furry fiends in action underground. 

The Pet Project: Cute and Cuddly Vicious Verses by Lisa Wheeler with illustrations by Zachariah OHora is a riotous, romp, an exploration brimming with humor, not to be missed.  The poems beginning on the jacket flap, continuing with an introductory warning and filling the remaining pages are fun...fun...fun.  This title is sure to be a favorite with readers and listeners alike.

For more information about the author and illustrator follow the links embedded in their names to their websites.  Follow this link to Zachariah OHora's blog for a look at the process involved in the cover development.  Here is a link to an interview of Zachariah OHora at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Where Are They?

I am a dyed-in-the-wool neatnik.  It's possibly the consequence of having a Dad who had all his tools organized by type and size, even engraving his initials on every single one.  My lifetime love, being a school librarian, could weigh heavily in favor of this particular personality trait.  The influence, over decades, of good ole' Melvil Dewey and alphabetical order is hard to shake.

Despite this, there are times when the most used, the most loved, item will turn up missing.  For whatever reason, my mind has one of its Swiss cheese moments. It's good to discover I share this, the forgetfulness not the neatness, in common with a particularly charming little green duck.  Have You See My New Blue Socks? (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) written by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Sergio Ruzzier takes readers on a comic lost-and-found stroll.


I have lost my new blue socks.

Looking in a box proves futile.  Duck knows, at least he thinks he knows, he put them close.  It's a complete mystery where they could be.

He decides to ask his pal Fox if he has seen his new blue socks.  Fox, knowing Duck well, asks if he has looked in his box.  He also suggests he question Ox about those missing socks.

This is becoming quite the puzzle because Ox has no clue except for inside Duck's box, asking Fox or....wait maybe down by the rocks.  There are plenty there but none are blue.  And blue is exactly how Duck is trying not to feel.

Knowing how the peacocks like to preen and parade Duck thinks they might have passed his lost attire. The three offer a question, sympathy and a solution.  The youngest of the three (and a careful reader) spots the tiniest of clues. Hip! Hip! Hooray!  Duck knew he put them close.


Rhyming couplets and repetition of phrases masterfully conceived by Eve Bunting provide an irresistible beat.  It invites active participation in the reading and the narrative journey. Each turn of page offers new possibilities, building toward a mirthful resolution.


From the matching jacket and cover readers clearly feel the frustration of  Duck having lost his new blue socks.  We also get a sense Duck might not be the best housekeeper either.  The title page featuring a single peacock feather hints at the ending.  A two page illustration, a landscape showing a forlorn duck leaning out the window of his home, follows for the verso and dedication page.

Sergio Ruzzier's adept composition of pen and ink and watercolor pictures done in a palette of delicate blues, greens, yellows, rusts (terra cotta), purple and creams elevates and extends the text.  Fine lines convey personality traits and mood on each of the characters.  Ruzzier's extra touches, those added details, add joy to the story; Duck's unkempt household (items scattered on the floor, hanging from the open window frame and upon the sill), Duck's friend Fox reading a book (Aesop's Fables?) with a plate of grapes from the arbor next to him, Mr. Ox sitting on a bench painting a fruit tree but not quite getting the colors right, the shape of the peacocks bodies, their head and tail feathers and the shoes Duck wears.  Each reading offers new discoveries.


Author Eve Bunting and illustrator Sergio Ruzzier have penned and pictured a precious tale in Have You See My New Blue Socks?  While the story reaching out to readers, the illustrations will pull them in, surrounding them with affection and warmth.  This is one of those books that is best shared, preferably out loud.  It would be fun to extend this with reader's theater or creative drama.

The link embedded in Eve Bunting's name will take you to a series of video interviews at Reading Rockets.  Sergio Ruzzier's official website can be accessed by following the link attached to his name.  Links to several interviews about Ruzzier's illustrative process can be found in a previous review linked here.

Golden Glowing, Flying Flashes In The Dark

When you least expect it, there they are.  In the middle of a neighborhood game of hide and seek, during a late night stroll or when you are coming in off the lake after a fishing adventure, the cooling summer air in all directions will be filled with the tiniest lights flashing off and on. Those beetles with bodies that glow have taken flight.

Whether standing still among them or moving about to hold one for a moment; no matter how many times you've seen them, the wonder never ends.  Summon your memories of summers' past.  Author Dianne Ochiltree and illustrator Betsy Snyder have combined their talents to capture the magic of a single evening in It's A Firefly Night (Blue Apple Books).


When the moon is high
and the stars are bright,
Daddy tells me,
"It's a firefly night!"

Yes, she can see them all around her house, filling her yard with lightning gleams.  Joyfully jumping off the porch, now placing them in her jar, she still notices the warm air and gentle grass on her bare feet.

The container, a pulsing lamp, is a gathering spot, a layover, for the nighttime creatures.  She counts their numbers up to five, running to show her Daddy her temporary treasure.  Later, she places the jar on the ground, carefully holding one bug in her hand before she sends it flying away.

As each takes wing, she again counts their numbers, backward from ten, watching as they pass over familiar landmarks.  Marveling at their movement and light, she wonders.  Hand in hand as she and her Daddy walk back home, she asks the one question such an enchanted encounter inspires.


With eleven four-line verses, the second and fourth line rhyming, Dianne Ochiltree wraps readers in the warmth of this summer adventure.  Lilting words form a sensory luster all their own; shimmer, glimmer, sparkle, and shine. Metaphor and alliteration add to the melodious mood.


A double page illustration of the little girl and her little dog, enjoying their firefly fun stretches across the matching jacket and cover; the front and back jacket having a special addition, a raised glitter detail on eight spots.  Opening and closing endpapers continue the nightscape with the starry sky, lightning bugs, a grassy hill, evergreens and bushes.  The rich color palette seen on the jacket and cover is continued throughout the title in a series of lush, luminous two page visuals.

A cheerful variety of textures is used on all the items in each of the pictures; the marbleized moon, the scalloped roof, the lacy overlay on the girl's nightgown, her Daddy's checkered shirt and slippers, and the patterned fireflies' bodies and wings. In an email message received from Snyder she indicates I typically create my art by hand-painting textures, scanning them in, and collaging them on the computer using Photoshop. I use a mix of materials—acrylics, watercolor, pastels, gouache, etc.

The intricate details delight; the fireflies on the dog's nose and tail, the little red bird who follows their walk, the owl, skunk and fox in the opening view of the neighborhood, the caterpillar chewing a leaf, the smiles on the firefly faces or the spiderweb on her swing set. Betsy Snyder further elevates the elated feeling of the story by altering views; the first three illustrations zoom in closer and closer to the girl and her dog as they gather in the fireflies, in another readers look down on the girl as she gazes upward and in one the focus shifts to her outstretched hand, a lightning bug on a fingertip.

It is nearly impossible to pick out a favorite illustration but the close-up of the flowers and grasses with the caterpillar and ladybugs among them, surrounding the jar filled with five fireflies, showing only the girl's hands, seems to represent the the special moments of the entire evening.  Of course, the final two pages showing her and her Daddy walking along a path toward their house, the pup scampering ahead, the night alight with stars and fireflies, is a gem too.

It's A Firefly Night written by Dianne Ochiltree with art by Betsy Snyder is a light-hearted, absolutely charming, poetic portrait of a daughter and her father enjoying one of summer's precious pleasures.

After the story nine facts about fireflies are found in glowing orbs set in a night sky among the lightning bugs and stars.  Follow the links embedded in the author and illustrator names to their official websites.  This link is to the publisher website where several two-page spreads are available for viewing.

Two Fast Friends

Reactions upon finishing books for the first time are as varied as the books themselves. Tears may come if your heart is pierced to the core.  Laughter may burst forth if you are filled with joy from head to toe.  Hugging is assured if the book is endearingly adorable.  It goes without saying, especially if they are picture books, rereads are a given.

Even before I finished reading Ollie and Claire (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.)written by Tiffany Strelitz Haber with illustrations by Matthew Cordell, I knew it would be a favorite.  To begin, the characters, best friends, are dogs.  Secondly, there is something about Matthew Cordell's illustrations that I find irresistible.

What I tend to do on the second reading is to read the story aloud.  Before I had finished the first page my reaction to this book made a tuneful appearance.  I was singing the narrative of Ollie and Claire!

Ollie and Claire were a tightly knit pair,

like hot buttered biscuits and jam.

They frolicked by day at the park and the bay,

where they yodeled and yoga'd and swam.

There is no doubt about it, Ollie and Claire are best buds day in and day out.  You could set your clock by their routine.  For Claire this perfect punctuality starts to become a problem.  She's ready for a little variation, new discoveries.

On a Friday morning stroll she sees an answer to her dilemma hanging on a nearby tree.  Someone wants a companion on a trip around the world.  The thought of what she might do or see thrills her, fills her with excitement. She quickly pens and posts a reply.

 Not wasting a second, she heads home to pack.  Though, truth be told, a phone call from Ollie that evening leaves her perplexed.  All weekend she worries and frets. Claire writes another note, this time left for a friend.  It's now Monday at 4 and there are surprises; surprises galore for both Ollie and Claire, friends to the end.

You couldn't ask for a more lively story penned in flawless rhyme.  Tiffany Strelitz Haber is a wizard with words; her selection a reflection of the canine companions' love for one another and their secret desire for a bit of adventure in their lives.  The narrative flows from one rhythmic sentence to the next with a catchy cadence.  The bits of humor, their yodeling, practicing yoga, running hurdles, bologna on white and their visions of travel, are sure to elicit smiles. (I'm grinning still.)


With no stretch of imagination you can feel the elation of Ollie and Claire on the front and back jacket and cover. Whether they are yodeling among the flowers or twirling in a circle, hands clasped, suitcases upraised Matthew Cordell 's special interpretation, his flair for creating comical creatures is evident.  Twelve possible scenarios of the two engaged in the most outrageous of activities, hand gliding, floating as astronauts in space, or snowmobiling or the most everyday, inline skating, biking or butterfly catching, decorate the opening and closing endpapers.  Their two houses, side by side, are shown on the title page as they meet, eat and leave in three small visuals on the verso and dedication pages.

Using pencil (with a hint of digital magic) and watercolor Cordell works his own brand of magic with a blend of light and bold colors using wide margins of white space to frame his pictures, except for several two page, edge to edge, spreads.  It's impossible not to laugh at the eyes, mouths, the facial expressions, and body movements of the two dogs; eating and talking while standing on a park bench or looking like ballet stars in the ocean wearing a bathing cap (Claire) and goggles (Ollie).  As Claire is dreaming of and packing for her new escapade, careful readers will see who her "new" partner really is as Cordell tucks them into the pictures. The downtown store front dream scene in this place populated by dogs is downright hilarious as is the visual of Claire throwing things out of her closet in her packing frenzy.


Ollie and Claire is a happy-go-lucky ode to friendship and its challenges.  When you pair the rhyming writing of Tiffany Strelitz Haber with the distinctive, detailed art of Matthew Cordell you have a book that will be a joy to read repeatedly.  This is a story where listeners will be moving to the narrative beat and laughing at the lovable dogs.

Make sure you follow the links embedded in both the author's and illustrator's names above to view their official websites.  Enjoy the book trailer below.

But I'm Not A...

At first glance what we think may be, might be something else entirely if given a chance to look more slowly and with intention.  Then, too, there is the case of looking at something which closely resembles another to the point we think they are one and the same.  The classic comic example of this is a small child spying a skunk and crying out, "Kitty!"

There are those moments when desire seems to completely alter perception; where what we see and what is, are total opposites.  In Carin Bramsen's debut book as both author and illustrator, Hey, Duck! (Random House) a little duck is looking and...hoping.  When you view life as a glass half full, as does Duck, good things might be right around the corner...er...puddle.


Hey, duck!
Why do you walk like that?
I slink because I am a cat.

Yes, a duck thinks a cat is a duck. Through a series of questions and thoughts we sense duck's possible puzzlement but determination.  The cat's tail length is compared to the duck's.  Fur is thought of as feathers; to the chagrin of the cat.

Duck invites and coaxes needing a partner in the puddle stomp.  Irritation on the rise the cat tells the duck to skedaddle, preferring solitude.   A raspberries match ensues between the two.

Duck decides one can have fun as cat settles into a snooze.  A refrain of duck's startles the cranky cat to wakefulness.  Now who's calling, Hey, duck?

A change of heart is a start as is the sound cat makes.  Duck feels a dance coming into those webbed feet.  You know what that means.  But a surprise is in store for cat and every reader.


Told entirely in dialogue readers are treated to a rhyming tale of upbeat persistence.  The contrast between duck's cheerfulness and cat's crabbiness creates humorous tension. The recurring refrain, Hey, duck! provides added rhythm. With careful word selection Bramsen has given readers very distinct voices for each of her characters.


Upon opening up the jacket and cover (a single illustration spanning both pages) you can't help but be attracted to the colorful, charming portrayal of cat and duck; the cute quotient is sky-high. Opening and closing endpapers in pale yellow resemble the downy feathers of a duckling due to the tiniest of lines and shading.  Teeny little duck footprints with drops of water are placed in a loop around the dedication extending from the left page to the right where duck sits in his "pond" beneath the title.

For most of the illustrations a vivid sky blue is the background whether they are two page, a single page or grouped by twos or threes on a page.  When smaller visuals are used white space provides a frame of alternating shapes; rectangle, circle or oval.  The texture and detail of each picture is exquisite; at the very least you'll want to reach out and touch them expecting to feel fur, feather, grass, tree bark or water.  Facial expressions, eyes many times looking right at the reader, and body movements convey each and every emotion and personality trait with perfection; cat hanging onto the tree with claws extended and arms spread, the wordless spat, duck splashing in the water with complete abandon, or cat's startled looks.


Carin Bramsen's debut work as both author and illustrator, Hey, Duck!, is a delightful exploration of compromise in the forging of friendships; of how goodness is many times not recognized until it's gone.  It would make a wonderful read aloud using appropriate voices for the two characters or a bedtime pick for just a few.  I predict multiple readings. (I've read it again and again, myself.)  I can see pairing this with Leeza Hernandez's Dog Gone! or Dog in Charge written by K. L. Going with illustrations by Dan Santat.

Look...See...Beneath...Below

When the Mock Caldecott election rolls around every year in school and public libraries, it's fun to to imagine the conversations taking place about the varied techniques employed by the illustrators in the rendering of their pictures.  Each year within my own building the discussions were lively about color, composition, detail, how skillful the particular artist was with their medium of choice and how the visuals contributed to and enhanced the storyline.  Once an explanation was offered about the means used by an illustrator to create their visuals, it was exciting to see the look of wonder on the students' faces.

One of the more popular, unusual illustrative styles is that of 1994 Caldecott Honor award winner, Denise Fleming.  With nineteen books to her credit including the newest title, underGround (Beach Lane Books), her work is easily recognizable and distinctive.  As described in the verso:

The illustrations were created by pulp painting---a papermaking technique using colored cotton fiber poured through hand-cut stencils.  Accents were added with pastel pencil and copy transfer.


Low down.
Way down.
Under ground.


High in the branches of a tree a robin watches rabbits on a garden plot.  He swoops down among the carrot tops spying a worm to tug up.  On the dirt beetles and ants are crawling as grubs nestle beneath the soil.

On top a rabbit munches as a mole meanders below.  A small child examines ants as readers see all the activity he cannot.  Chipmunks carry a feast of nuts to their tunnels as a groundhog snacks on a grassy treat.

As the story proceeds a mixture of animals above and below are highlighted busily going about their day.  The child's dog buries a bone among others deeper down.  A cherry tree is planted, carrots are picked and the two companions scamper away.


Denise Fleming's skill at using the least amount of words for the biggest impact is highly evident in this book.  Her crisp phrases relying on alliteration and rhyme convey constant motion.  It's like she's issued an invitation to everyone, "Come closer...look here, over there. Now, put on these special glasses.  Can you see beneath the above?  It's full of life, too."  When her three closing sentences match the first three, the circle is complete, but continuing.


The array of energetic greens and browns with touches of royal blue, orange and brilliant red shown on the jacket and cover are carried throughout the book.  Identical opening and closing endpapers are textured with marbled layers of dirt, lost treasures strewn about; a thimble, a bit of chain and a wrench.  A turn of page begins the story as the title, author and publishing information is shown underground with the rabbits in the garden greenery above, ants and bees joining them.

Another page turn shows a child and their dog running toward a red wheelbarrow carrying trees for planting, more publication information tucked on the far left side.  Page after page reveals lush portrayals beginning on the left spread across to the right, bleeding out to the edges, for the entire book.  Perspective, detail and the texture of the pictures makes you want to reach out and participate with more than your eyes.

At the story's completion Fleming takes readers on a short informative tour, Creature Identification.  Twenty-one small, captioned pictures set against a rusty, pebbled background feature additional facts about the critters found in this book.  It's the final jewel in a treasure chest filled to the brim.


Denise Fleming's gift is to draw our attention, to focus, on a specific aspect of our world.  In underGround we are able view the activity of above and below at the same time with an uncommon closeness.   This title is another example of why most of her titles have found a place on my personal shelves.

Enjoy the book trailer.



I've used this video with great success, especially the part where she takes viewers into her studio
to demonstrate the pulp painting process.  It is nearly forty minutes in length.