Summer Hiatus: July 14-31.

 

Due to personal obligations and my need to tend to some health issues, I'll pause new posts until August. 

After more than a dozen years of work on this blog, I hope that some of my past celebrations of books might be of interest to you instead. You can find posts randomly by dates or search of key words, author names, titles in the side bar. >>>> I hope you find something to enjoy.

I also urge readers who are eager for posts about brand new or upcoming books to check out other blog posts. I'll be doing that from among some of my favorites: 

BETSY BYRD'S FUSE 8 PRODUCTIONS: https://afuse8production.slj.com/

PICTURE BOOK BUILDERS: https://picturebookbuilders.com/

GROG BLOG: https://groggorg.blogspot.com/

Maria Marshall's blog: https://www.mariacmarshall.com/

And here's a link a KID LIT 411 page recommending other blogs that I fully encourage you to try!  https://www.kidlit411.com/2014/01/blogs-to-follow.html

Thanks for reading here, whether you stumbled onto this page by accident or read faithfully. I look forward to returning, restored and ready to feature more of the wonderful picture books that I hope you'll enjoy. 

SPOOKY LAKES: Does That Get Your Attention?

ABRAMS BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
 2024

SPOOKY LAKES: 25 Strange and Mysterious Lakes That Dot Our Planet is written and illustrated by Geo Rutherford.  If that title doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what would. Add to that attraction the fact that this is a fully illustrated, deeply researched nonfiction work that opens on a table top like an invitation to plan a trip! 

The creator's dedication reveals that she was named GEO by her science-loving mom, and from there I was hooked even further. The table of contents offers a helpful introduction, then individually names the twenty-five global lakes of various sizes and qualities that can be read in orders or searched by name. 

Backmatter begins with an author note that reveals something quite remarkable. She generates  a TikTok series called SPOOKY LAKES, and each October since 2020 she has produced a program on a different spooky lake for each of the 31 days of the month. I can attest that writing even a fictional scary story for each of 31 days would be daunting, but it seems this scary-lake obsessed woman has managed to do the deep-dive research and polished production process on various "scary lakes" each year. She goes on to thank loyal audiences for leading two this book, and discussed the spruces of her information and its reliability. (I'll just say that when writing about unexplained phenomena, skepticism is always a frame of reference.) Double spreads that follow provide excellent glossary content and an extensive bibliography, websites, and a helpful index. 

The various scary lake spreads in this 96 page beauty include informational text to identify the locations, mysteries, and accounts, as well as insets that reveal more about the geologic structures when needed, describe secondary details about history, warning signs, and surprising related facts and events, as well as examples of the evidence of what is happening in each lake/location. Some lakes burn with fire, some release toxic gases, and not all are made of water (a pitch lake and a brine lake are among examples of these). This professor, writer, artist, media star lives on the edge of spooky lake and challenges readers to read, if they dare. 

Summer travel might just allow you to be in an area worth exploring in a side trip.  Again, if you dare. 

Will you?

OUR LAKE: Tender in Text and Illustration

   

KOKILA PRESS, 2025

 OUR LAKE, written and illustrated by Angie Kang, is an invitation to witness a very special, transformational moment. A relationship and slice of time that transcends the event. Don't miss this seemingly simple experience. Reading the book, diving into its luminous illustrations and subtle text felt personal to me. 

The cover image reveals two boys, lit by a glorious sun and standing at the edge of something high, overlooking a shimmering lake. My anticipatory thought was that this might mirror JABARI JUMPS, the first of several JABARI titles, and my favorite among them. (I reviewed it HERE, and it's a terrific summer title to share with early stage swimmers!) I am among many who, though we love the water, are not exactly confident about diving in from high places. In Jabari's case, his father offers the confidence to launch, and I imagined that might be the case with this seemingly older brother. I was drawn to that relationship, one in which an older sibling is protective and encouraging. I was also drawn to the art, which called to mind another water/confidence picture book, I TALK LIKE A RIVER, reviewed HERE. 

The voice and art of this recent release echoed some favorite qualities from that earlier title. Narrative is direct, personal, minimal, but revealing. Deep emotion is suggested, but only in a gentle and approachable way. The illustrations are soft-edged and glowing, impressionistic and subdued in detail but rich in realism and connection to readers' own experiences. The use of color and light to convey the healing warmth of the sun and the soothing effects of water are nearly magical.

Obviously, all that appealed to me before I even opened the book.

Then I read the story and was convinced that I was reading a future-award-winning treasure. 

On the title page we see the older boy tying the shoes of the younger one. The first spread introduces the heart of this story: 

"Today Brother is taking me up to the lake to swim like Father used to."

The first several spreads swell the pages with mixed emotions of color: Skies and upper backgrounds radiate colorful joy and brilliance, while the foreground and base of the pages absorb that brightness into somber blues and shadows. Multiple spreads throughout the central pages reveal preparing for the lake adventure with rituals of stretching, toeing the edge of the height, and the older boy's plunge into refreshing wasters. The next spreads are similarly simple but heartfelt as the younger boy hesitates, recalls his absent father, makes his decision, and resolves in the sweetest way you can imagine. Actually, it might surprise you, but it will more than satisfy.

Like Jabari Jumps, this is a Father/Son/Confidence story. Like I TALK LIKE A RIVER, this is a story in which the father is not present and yet his presence in the mind and heart of his boy speaks clearly. Beyond these two comparisons, this is a story of loss and resolving loss through the power of shared memories, traditions, and support. In a recent post I reviewed NIGHT WALK, which echoed an experience of finding comfort in loss by sharing memories with others who also loved them. It, too, like these others, relied on direct and subtle text with illustrations that evoke real experiences with a slightly dreamy quality. 

I urge you to read and appreciate this book. It should be one to keep in mind for sharing with anyone (of any age) who loses a parent or parent-figure. Finding strength in relationships that remain will never erase or take the place of the lost loved one. A story like this can offer hope and reassurance that we are not alone, that hope and support are at hand. 

KOKILA PRESS, 2025, OUR LAKE, Interior

NIGHT WALK: A Dream of a Picture Book

CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2024

Unless you are entirely new to the world of picture books, I'd guess that you know of OWL MOON, written by Jane Yolen and illustrated by John Schoennherr (Philomel, 1987). Both author and illustrator represent lifetimes of remarkable successes, and yet their collaboration on OWL MOON feels to me like a capstone accomplishment.

Yolen has published more than four hundred books for children and youth, many award winners among them. Even so, that title conjures instant memories of the utterly realistic yet magical cold weather owl walk of a child and parent. Through a snow-covered woodland, they stroll quietly, gently, seeking a glimpse of a night owl. 

That's a lovely premise, to say the least. The magic comes in the way a seemingly simple, concrete story transcends the intended goal to depict a timeless yet precious moment between the human pair, christened by the eventual presence of the owl in the title. The illustrations captured and expanded the frozen, heartwarming, minimalist story with Caldecott Award-winning images that engage all of our senses. 

That book is touchstone in storytelling, poetry, voice, mood, and figurative language.

I begin with that homage because I rarely compare other books to OWL MOON, and definitely don't rank other work  alongside that original. This  picture book is an exception to my unwritten rule. NIGHT WALK is written and illustrated by Jason Cockcroft. This is not "another Owl Moon", rather it calls that icon to mind in content and quality. In this case, it's Grandpa waking up Sleepyhead to take a night walk in search of Grandma's favorite place. The text is an extended dialogue between Grandpa and child, reading like direct open verse in exchanges alternating plain font and italic. The child has never taken a night walk, has never imagined how such familiar wild territory could look so different in moonlight.

Together they are on a trek to Grandma's favorite place, with the child noticing countless things they knew were beloved by Grandma. Sometimes the child points them out, other times Grandpa does. Each discovery is viewed as a potential "Grandma's favorite place". Their hike involves fox and owl, fish and hedgehog, The illustrations are richly evocative, with shades and depths of blue, always frosted by moonglow. 

Under the stars, too many to count, watching passing whales, both rest on a hillside and whisper that they miss Grandma. In the fading night, Grandpa finally confirms that THIS is Grandma's favorite place-- as a page turn reveals a spectacular morning sunrise reflected in dawn waters. That, my friends, is a spoiler, but one that I won't apologize for revealing. The progression of story allows that penultimate scene to take your breath away, whether you know it is coming or not. I won't reveal the closing text on the final page turn, but you might anticipate it. 

This quietly elegant and yet simply rustic tale is not one that surprises. In fact it will resonate in each reader with your own special memories, personal losses, hallowed spaces. And with the remaining relationships with those who shared memories and love. I hope you'll take time not only to read NIGHT WALK, but to savor its grace and embrace your own memories and emotional treasures. Within the publishing world it is often repeated that "quiet books" are a hard sell. With this as an example, I doubt that.