Summer Break: Back SOON!

My "to-do" list for this blog is streaming off my desk and trailing toward the floor, where an impressive stack of picture books sits, muttering about being neglected. I do expect to resume sharing their impressive and appealing contents in posts. 

What? Please pardon this interruption: 

(Shush,  stack, you KNOW I've read all of you already, and several of you TWICE! You DO matter to me, but I will do more justice to your terrific talents after this short break!)

Apologies for that, but these picture books DO call to me, and I really do want to give each its full turn in the spotlight. For now, though, I will pause my posts here for two weeks and resume in mid-August. And I hope that you who are reading here are giving yourself permission to take some breaks in your lives. Whether that involves travel or having company, pausing in your reading or reading things you normally don't, may the time dedicated to your own respite be gratifying and satisfying. 

Back soon!

 

I Think That I Shall Never See... TREES Like These! (Nodding to Joyce Kilmer, Here)

If you've been reading my posts in past years, you'll have noted my fondness for books involving nature, especially trees. A few previous reviews can be found HERE, HERE, and HERE. With a record-breaking hot, dry season upon us, trees have been in the news, both as shelter and atmosphere-saving as well as becoming endangered by ever-worsening climate change. It's always a good time to share picture books about trees, but this is an especially ideal time to develop deep appreciation for the lengthy and complex processes involved as trees grow from seed to maturity.

Candlewick, 2021

To start at the very beginning, as a familiar song lyric says, is a very good place to start. That advice finds a clever iteration in ZEE GROWS A TREE, written by Elizabeth Rusch and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand. The long spans of time required to grow from sprout to mature tree are made more relatable by linking fictional Zee Cooper's birth (into a tree-farming family) with the very day when a Douglas Fir seedling sprouts in its pot. Children can recognize their own growth landmarks and developmental changes in Zee's patterns over time, as well as empathizing with her deep love and commitment to her tree. As with people, including Zee, times can be good AND bad in the lengthy life cycle of a tree.

This is a gentle and relatable fiction story used to reveal the growth patterns of douglas fir trees, loving relationships, and one family's lives as tree farmers. 

This lovely story is enhanced by brief, focused, and non-intrusive  sidebar content on each page, paralleling the needs, growth, and purposes of a tree with the growth patterns of Zee, for whom the tree was planted. 
The subdued and direct story and expository text are perfectly paired with realistic scenes, natural colors, and varying perspectives to give young readers a clear understanding of the science as well as the sentiments portrayed.

On that note, this seemingly fictional picture book incorporates many qualities of nonfiction, beyond the sidebar content. There is a simple index in back matter that points out pages with specific information about aspects of trees, Douglas firs in particular. The brief author note indicates ways in which a holiday evergreen can be enjoyed without having to cut down a healthy living tree, but also pointing out that this business practice can be a sustainable economic option, if managed correctly.

Several suggested readings are offered, and an acknowledgement on the last page indicates experts whose readings and advice contributed to the accuracy of the content. Even the copyright routines are formatted in the shape of a fir tree. All are details worth sharing.

ABRAMS BYR, 2022

A second and equally graceful offering is ALL FROM A WALNUT, written by Ammi-Joan Paquette and illustrated by Felicita Sala. In this case, a walnut tree's life journey is explored through a gift from grandfather, a walnut that appears on Emilia's nightstand. In this case, her age and natural curiosity lead to an ongoing conversation with her aging grandfather, who was once "a little nut like you", but living far across a distant ocean. 

In the course of their discussions Emilia learns that one of the towering trees in her yard grew from her grandfather's traveling-from-home walnut, and the second tree, also tall but not yet fully grown, grew from a walnut given to her mother at about the same age as Emilia is now. 

With gentle but evocative  illustrations, this multi-generational story is both loving and intense, incorporating the struggles of immigration, patience, grief, and hope. The closing scenes are both satisfying and stimulating, offering a spark to imagine how many more generations of life can be found in the lifetime of a tree, walnut by walnut.

Both picture books are rich  in detail, wrapping meaningful information in heartfelt stories. Both are adeptly illustrated to reveal both immediate emotions and relationships over time, allowing young readers to connect with  those years passing in a personal way. Both invite young readers to examine the details within the art, including subtle insights to changing seasons and surroundings along with botanical aspects and observations of trees. Both, in my opinion, will spark curiosity and appreciation of the magical reality of trees, both the science and the storytelling within their long lives. 

And BOTH are wonderful picture books that just might serve to launch similar traditions within families you know and love.

I Was Born A Baby (How About YOU?)

 In a recent webinar a prominent editor proudly insisted that frequently-reported advice about writing rhyming picture books is WRONG:  Writing in rhyme CAN sell, and does. But it MUST be well-done. No, perfectly done. That, and it must also be the best possible way to tell the story/content.

In other words, there are markets for rhymed text, but you'd better be good.

I sang the praises of one such excellent rhyming picture book in this prior post about BLACK GIRL RISING. In that case, the text is lyrical, lilting, and uplifting, an ideal choice for this inspiring text and theme.The rhyming text served the purpose of that book ideally.

HARPER, BYR.  2022

In today's example the rhymed text  is a perfect fit, too, but with entirely different purpose and impact. I WAS BORN A BABY is written in rhyme by Meg Fleming, with googly-eyed, stop-action-style illustrations by Brandon James Scott, whose work sets the tone perfectly.

Several reviews have referenced the full text as reminiscent of CHICKA CHICKA BOOM BOOM in its irresistible, often ear-worm-y patterns and grin-worthy sequences of words and ideas. This is, actually, a concept book; one aimed at learning and grouping terms for "young" creatures.  Endpapers feature those ubiquitous circles in singlets (hedglets, owlets, and puggles) while animals with names in common- such as PUPS and CALVES and CUBS gather together into larger circles.

A fun introduction before the title page indicates that the contents are "mostly" true, with no animal names being changed from correct science terminology. Two clarifications are provided,  seemingly at the request of the animal characters involved. This sets the stage for what little audiences and adult readers will know is going to be a read-it-again-romp. 

With so few words in the full text I hesitate to quote many of them, but that comparison to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom is a valid one without suggesting it is derivative. It makes for a read-aloud then read-along gem, including a pattern of "No way, no how! That can't be true!" followed by several repeating lines. The extra large trim size, the adorably-sized and-posed young animals, the large, crisp font, and extensive white page backgrounds encourage connection and participation. The humor is subtle and clever, throughout, avoiding adult exhaustion when the  anticipated multiple requests to "read it again" ensue. The side-eye, half-closed lids of a few animals (interior and on the back case cover) are a nod to the patterns that unfold and to the mix of predictability and surprise. 

The other often-quoted "rule" for rhyme writers is to AVOID AT ALL COSTS the dissatisfying effects of slant-rhyme or near-rhyme. We all know these are used often in song lyrics, but for young audiences it is reportedly confusing and leads to mis-hearing or mispronouncing words. Even so, with this simple text, the musicality of its patterns and the readily recognizable critters who are named in those rhyme-stretches work elegantly and naturally. This is one of those exceptions that make the rule. 

My prediction is that this is just the start of multiple versions of the book, and potentially some musical/video song versions, too.

Another Look AT JOY!

Here's a brief post with a review to follow-up my previous post about summer fun, currently and in "the good old days", as recalled by Jacqueline Woodson. In that post I praise the recent THE WORLD BELONGED TO US and, slightly older, THE HULA-HOOPIN' QUEEN. Within those books and my notes are celebrations of PLAY and JOY. The circumstances in each are location- and time-specific, with both, in fact, set in densely urban city streets. The images are universal while  anchored in those specifics. Text and images effectively speak to Black-American audiences, and yet the aspirations and challenges apply to ANY child in any culture, (at least to those  living with the human right to play and grow naturally, not dealing with trauma, war, poverty and other disruptions in development.)

Candlewick, 2022

Follow those titles with an even MORE universal, affirming, and necessary picture book. This one presents illustrations and authors,  text to inspire and demonstrate the potential of every child, but specifically a girl child. In fact, a Black girl child. BLACK GIRL RISING is written by Brynne Barnes and illustrated by Tatyana Fazlalizadeh.

From the glowing cover art and expression, a lyrical, rhyming text embeds single name references to Black female icons in many fields. Lines issue challenges to the "girl" being addressed. A half-mocking voice mirrors phrasing that would have been used across centuries, confrontations directly issued to intimidate and belittle anyone who was getting "uppity", acting as if they were/might be talented, capable, beautiful, and in so many ways valuable! A sort of "Who do you think you are?" attack. As the names roll across the pages, so do the images, the every-Black-girl possibilities, including a variety of skin and hair tones and types, features, body shapes, and cultural dress. Expressions, too, are wide-ranging, not simply dreamy-eyed and positive. The illustrations and color pallet provide effective showcases for these variations, including the less-often seen images of "blue-purple, black-ruby-sapphire tones". 

Throughout all stanzas and double-page spreads there is strength, rhythm, and musicality that uplift while firmly anchoring the characters in sure-footed confidence. Various lines also blend Black-culture vocabulary in powerful patterns and unexpected ways:

"from your skin, your lips, your freckles, you're fade,

your fro, your naps, your dreads, your braids,

your  blowout, your kinks, your twists, your waves, 

your coils, so free and unafraid.

Who gave you a CROWN so wonderfully made?"

As I so often say, (many) picture books will find purpose and appeal across a wide range of ages. This would make an ideal gift book for a young girl about to enter school, or having a recital or performance of some kind, celebrating a landmark birthday, or even graduating. Just imagine the many generations of Black youth who received the time-honored SEUSS book for graduation instead of this. It's about time, I say. As for upper grade literature classes, use this to identify the remarkable array of authors mentioned and locate the words or references to iconic lines or titles or themes. For this lovely picture book my only suggestion would have been to provide that reference list in a single page back matter, citing full names and titles referenced

Please check it out and share it. And PLEASE DO not think it is "only" for Black audiences. 

Please. All children need diverse books, and diverse images about others. 

Summer Nostalgia: JOY, Then and Now!

Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022

The World Belonged to Us is written by multi-award-winning and widely-admired author Jacqueline Woodson, with brilliantly joyful, time-specific details and action-packed scenes, illustrated by Leo Espinosa.This text is longer than many recent picture books, but every word carries its weight-  although the tone and pace of this book is not at all weighty, characterized by feathery lightness of spirit and tone. The opening words, repeated throughout the book, are presented in larger colorful font and poetic line breaks:

"In Brooklyn

in the summer

not so long ago"

At each appearance, those words launch a past-tense account of the FREEDOM of kids in summer- FREE as sun, FREE as summer! In summer, in those days, things that had bound kids into the braces and traces of daily life were ERASED:

Hairdos, clothing, schedules, playground fences, and even having adults resolve differences. In summer, it fell to the kids themselves to work things out  in ways that preserved their community of play. The compelling drive and array of options, their curiosity, and necessary collaboration sustained the momentum of a single game over several days. Most endeavors involved large numbers of kids, so everyone found their places in the action. 

The threads of shared news, heroes, storytellers, and wishes (ice cream truck, anyone?) meant the bonds ran deep and strong, overcoming occasional issues. 

"Wait! Wait! We want a cone.

Then we shared with the friends with no money

because some days the ones with no money

were us."

Within the span of a long (timeless!) day, play extended to the borders of dusk, street lights glowing, and adults calling from street-lined  windows. While heading indoors, assurances of returning where they left off on the next day were shouted up and down the street. 

A magical ending ensues, and I want to share it, without quotations, because wordsmith Woodson deserves your full attention to the text on those final page turns. As a reader and writer of picture books, I have often noted (and have had my attention called to) stories that are "wonderful", but somehow "too slight", or "just not quite enough". 

As gorgeous as this account is, if it had ended with the cleared streets and lighted windows, it just might have merited that comment. Nostalgia has its place but can only go so far in the minds of young audiences. But at that point Woodson turns her repeating phrase in the opening on its head, with "not just" phrasing. Readers join in a powerful leap off the steps, off the page, and into hearts with a perfectly worded conclusion about the power of those experience to launch kids filled with confidence and joyful anticipation of life.

Lee & Low Books, 2017

The Hula-Hoopin' Queen is written by Thelma Lynne Godin and illustrated by exuberant and joyful  Vanessa Brantley-Newton. This is my own nostalgic nod to a throwback title that deserves a close look.  It offers a recognition that not all is lost in current summer vacation days. This contemporary presentation of "Black Girl Joy" has been on the shelves for several years and deserves another shout-out here. The intense  emotions of a girl who has her heart set on winning a neighborhood competition against her rival, with the designation of HULA-HOOPIN' QUEEN, is magnified when her family responsibilities deny her a chance to even TRY!. 

That is a perfect example of writing a story with specific character, situation, and setting that will speak universally to kids from across the country and around the world. Darn those family chores that "ruin" kids' days- especially summer sun/fun days! That happen everywhere, and to everyone!

But joy is not only powerful, it is contagious. The triggers of rhythm, musicality, and cross-generational love and joy lead to a lively, shared resolution that will have hips wiggling and feet tapping, young and old alike. 

This is a great example of a picture book that "lasts", that remains worthy of celebration and attention, long after the early launch hubbub it also deserved. Track it down, share it, and then dig out your old hula hoops!

Prolific (and Inspiring) Author PAT ZIETLOW MILLER'S Spring Picture Books

 I began my recent review of HOW CAN WE BE KIND? for toddlers and early readers (HERE) with a brief reference to Pat Zietlow Miller's NYT best-selling title, BE KIND (my Goodreads review HERE). The range of topics, themes, characters, and writing styles embraced in Miller's many picture books is impressive, and inspiring. In May and June alone she celebrates the release of THREE new titles, two of which are featured here. These two are particularly clear examples of her versatility and talent in exploring the intentions, audiences, and purposes for writing to make a perfect landing on the "just right" approach. She doesn't apply a formulaic personal style and yet her expert touch is evident in all her books. In my opinion (which is what this blog is all about, isn't it?) the most recognizable pattern in Miller's many picture books is her success in seamlessly weaving characters, text approaches, and voices into an effective whole. She utilizes these creative and craft skills in each particular book to achieve the story that she wants to tell, the intended impact, and to best reach the children she hopes will read/hear her content. 

QUILL TREE BOOKS, 2022

Both of Miller's new releases are contemporary and yet timeless. I was struck by her choices in point of view and voice for each. NOT SO SMALL, written by Pat Zietlow Miller and illustrated by Paolo Escobar, features young people as the stars. Kids are front and center on every spread, but the action is achieved through a third-person narrator rather than  using a more predictable direct address to the young figures, a "YOU" approach. 

In this manner the narrator uses sentences with more general phrases like "one person", a "small voice", "talkers", "writers", and "walkers". This approach allows space for the illustrator to portray young people of diverse backgrounds in various activism scenes, ones in which every child will feel they are the object of the narrator's message. Physical differences, identities, and demeanors in illustrations naturally extol every child to find  themselves within its pages. Each remains "small", in contrast with enormous buildings and issues. The steps that each ONE can take are stated and viewed in practical terms, but yield a powerful impact as they combine their voices, efforts, and commitments to be "heard". They leave an impact that is "not small...at ALL." 

I grew up in the Viet Nam protest years, which included multiple other actions and causes  involving public demonstrations, petitions, and campaigns, both pro and con. At that time there were few if any young children visible in newspaper or media coverage, except, of course, for teens/college students who populated  most of these events. The noteworthy exception to that were some of the many CIVIL RIGHTS demonstrations, sit-ins, and even arrests which came to include children (See MARCHING FOR FREEDOM:Walk Together Children and Don't Grow Weary, written by Elizabeth Partrtidge: VIKING BYR, 2009). 

There were no picture books addressing protest activity, and certainly none placing children front and center. None that celebrated the strength and authority of young children acting and using their voices to make a difference in an enormous world, yet the one they inhabit and will inherit. The marchers and their causes in this picture book do not advocate for or against, do not specify topics or themes, but allow any young person who feels committed to matters close their hearts to believe in and pursue their ultimate ability to make a difference. This, in fact, is a call to seek out others, to act locally and gradually see their global connections. It is a powerful call to arm themselves with clarity of thinking, collaboration, determination, community action, and commitment. 

Roaring Brook Press, 2022

By contrast, Zietlow's other picture book of Spring, 2022, is SEE YOU SOMEDAY SOON, In this case the author also avoids a predictable direct address, second person voice. This voice would be suited, of course, indicating through narration an understanding of the universal feeling of missing someone special in our lives. 

Instead, the young character is drawn with cartoon-style ambiguity regarding gender and ethnic identity, while their longed-for elder loved one is never named specifically as a grandparent, but is obviously an elder who is loved and deeply missed. The text and specifics are intensely personal, and yet the impact hits the mark directly in the reader's heart. 

Illustrator Suzy Lee is enormously talented at packing seemingly simple scenes with vibrant but not glaring colors, while using her remarkable cut-out skills to showcase key words, doubling the impact of colors, words, and expressions with unexpected reveals and smiles. Missing someone deeply is universally experienced. This small child's first person plea and promise are throughly authentic for the character, resonating with both crushingly real longing and a comfortingly reassuring resolution that has not a syllable or hint of schmaltz. This is a book with a highly specific character speaking in an intimately personal voice. even so, it reads as if it is revealing each reader's personal experiences.

Neither of these picture books is better than the other, and neither should actually be compared to the other, except perhaps in a craft examination such as this has been. Each stands strong on its own footing and with its own integrity and appeal. In fact, each of Miller's titles merits close reading and analysis by anyone hoping to write memorable and remarkable picture books. That, though, is advice for adults, when reading for themselves. These are titles that could well be used in instructional work as mento9r text for voice in writing classes. 

But these are books fully intended for the enjoyment of young audiences, and those audiences are the true test of a successful picture book. Try either (no, BOTH) of these new titles with young readers and see what they have to say. Whatever voice they use, I'm predicting a unanimous round of cheers.

Candlewick   June, 2022

If you recall, I mentioned that Miller has a third picture book that released just a few days ago. This is the first of several she has co-authored with e.E. Charlton-Trujillo: LUPE LOPEZ, ROCK STAR RULES.  Don't miss this new title, since it it the first of several upcoming books starring the irrepressible and lovable LUPE LOPEZ- kindergarten  rock star!

HOW CAN WE BE KIND? An IMPORTANT Question.

 

The premise on which I launched this blog more than a decade ago is that picture books are for every age and should NEVER be considered just a "stage" that children move through and leave behind once they can read chapter books, even early ones. (I won't elaborate or link my thoughts on that, but if you are new to this blog, scroll down my archives and read a few posts from the earliest days of posting in which I actively present my point of view.) 

I have reviewed here many of the picture books by talented Pat Zietlow Miller, but not her New York Times best-selling BE KIND (Illustrated by Jen HIll). I love it and keep a stock of copies on hand to use as gifts, but readers were obviously finding it without  needing a boost from me. In it, Miller's kind-hearted main character struggles with the central question: "What does it mean to be kind?". The age of the characters, with a layered plot and interactions, make that book an excellent choice for sharing  and discussion with individuals and groups who are school age (and older!).

Frances Lincoln Children's Books, July 2022

That's why I'm excited to celebrate a new picture book by the equally talented and prolific Janet Halfmann, HOW CAN WE BE KIND? Wisdom from the Animal Kingdom. Her title question explores the same premise, but frames nonfiction text with animal groups as examples of ways that little ones can recognize in their own lives and those of their families and communities. Illustrated by talented Darla Okada,  this text incorporates global animal groups as examples of instinctive behaviors that increase the survival and comfort and FUN of living in groups and communities. While a few of the samples will be familiar to North American audiences, most will be new to little viewers (and their adult readers!), yet they subtly expand our awareness that caring for others, benefitting from companionship, support and security, is a universal and natural way to live. 

It is also a delight for those audiences who are still lap-sized, with no personal connection to the school scenes and situations in which the Miller's story unfolds. That's a fine way to reveal that academic world in a gentle and comfortable way while revealing that answers don't all come from walking through school doors or through direct instruction while seated at a desk. Some of the most important life lessons are learned through respectful interactions with others.

What I celebrate in this new offering  is the language and format of Halfmann's latest, both  perfectly suited to the littlest eyes, ears, and experiences. The opening spread frames the question with human faces of many ages and ethnicities/identities, visually confirming that people of every kind can find ways to answer this seemingly simple question in the following pages.  Double page spreads reveal that question with images of a particular species demonstrating caring behaviors, followed by more double-page-spreads with  different species before returning to that central question. Each turn provides the name of the animals shown within the natural text of the questions and responses, framed as "We can __________ like ________". Those things /ways we can be kind are accessible and natural in everyday life, offering even the youngest toddlers an opportunity to consciously choose to "be kind" as the ubiquitous mantra extols us to be. The things we can learn include looking after each other, sharing, making others feel welcome, working as teams, putting others first, and even making others laugh! The animal examples include globally familiar creatures like ants and bees, but also European badgers, capybaras, European jackdaws, and more. 

I was especially a fan of the animal choices, to expand the underlying universality of the messages which is direct but not didactic, and also because the choices of species are visually similar to other animal "relatives" from around the world, keeping the examples very relatable yet inspiring curiosity about "new" discoveries. Halfmann, as always, does reliable research and found a way to answer some initial questions in user-friendly back matter. Small inset illustrations of each animal is accompanied by a short passage describing the actual species patterns depicted. Care was given to assure that these sometimes big-eyed critters reveal, in colorful, natural ,cartoon-styled art, the actual look and behavior of the animals in GROUPS, with no exaggerated humanizing by walking on hind legs when that is not the nature of the animal, etc. By the way, I recently reviewed a CAPYBARA picture book which made a fan of me, and would be a great companion title for readers captivated by less familiar animals. 

The text and images combine with small-hand-friendly trim size to make this a direct and delightful nonfiction favorite among the youngest set, but one that has potential for becoming an individual's memorable treasure, or to spark eager exploration of animals and their behaviors. Even in a single read, it will generate a deep-seated sense of how to be KIND. Always. Every day. The text and presentation also makes this an ideal candidate for translation in many languages, which has happened for many of Halfmann's prior titles.

In a recent post I mentioned an older picture book by author Janet Halfmann, GOOD NIGHT LITTLE SEA OTTER. Halfmann's appreciation of nature and environment are relflected in these titles and in many others for this target age. A lifetime of writing has honed her skills in writing and directing the curious content she discovers toward the developmental interests at various ages and for the purpose of the book, especially for these youngest audiences. In the case of How Can We Be Kind? , as with WHO IS SINGING? (previously reviewed HERE) she demonstrates mastery of producing well-researched and appealing nonfiction content in delightfully age-appropriate non-fiction picture books that are lovable in themselves but also spark interest in learning more and exploring the natural world. If any of these books appeal to you, visit Halfmann's website, HERE, to learn more about her current and past titles, and to follow what's coming next.