A Trio of Terrific Cumulative Books

 Three remarkable creative teams have released three separate picture books that each achieve something very challenging. Cumulative text, especially rhymed text following a familiar traditional text, requires a level of innovation and respect for the form. That can become stilted at worst or at least slightly awkward unless brilliantly executed. To have three such stellar examples release in a single year is worth noting. To be clear, I have nothing but praise for the illustration side of each of these wonder-books, but the text itself demands most of my attention. I've read enough examples of this approach in picture books to know that most are appealingly fun, but not enough to capture my public praise. Still others are at least slightly cringe-worthy. These take an often-used pattern and elevate their stories through unique topics and excellent execution.

BORZOI BOOKS/ Alfred A. Knopf, 2023

First up, it's CREEP, LEAP,  CRUNCH: A Food Chain Story is written by Jody Jensen Schaffer and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal.  I've sung the praises of Schaffer's books in the past, HERE  and HERE, with an interview HERE. Her ongoing success, and the outstanding output of illustrator Neal can be found easily with a search of their names. In this case, their pairing has produced a delightfully creative nonfiction version of a food chain, including those who consume, and those who are eaten... or escape! 

My delight in this title is not only in Schaffer's  fluent, lyrical rhymed text that naturally reflects the rhyme and rhythm schemes of THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY.  (Click on that to hear Judy Collins sing the song with the muppets!) The original is a silly-sort-of food chain verse, but Schaffer's take is an authentic approach in a nature scene including familiar animals and inserting a realistic but exciting twist at the conclusion. Another aspect I adore (absolutely adore) is her successful adherence to this structure that honors the source of all of Earth's food  in her opening spread. This is repeated throughout (instead of the old lady's "perhaps I'll die"):

"There was a blue sky with a bright shining sun,

a glorious, life-giving, fiery sun.

The day had begun."

From that introductory verse the patterns of life and food move to plants and trees then to plant-eating insects, celebrating that global gift before any predators appear:

"The cricket munched grass

far beneath the tall trees

that blew in the cool 

of a blustery breeze. 

They made their food

with the help of the sun,

the glorious, life-giving, fiery sun.

The day had begun."

I don't usually include such extensive quotes, and won't do so again for this book or the others. (Maybe just a little.) This example felt important  to demonstrate the joy of ready text in this style that appears effortless and yet must have involved countless hours of adjusting and modifying words and syllables to remove any stumbles or stutters or clunkers. I've reread this book multiple times, silently and aloud, and never encountered a single stumble to disrupt the meaning or the flow or the magical bouncing beauty of the narrative. 

Shaffer's food cycle is confined to a meadow/deciduous woodland habitat that will be familiar to many readers, from the glorious, food-producing sun-source through to an apex predator, a black bear. The back pages include a glossary that sustains the large open font in accessible vocabulary with full-sized illustrations, including not just the animals but a description of a food chain and reference to the reality that many prey do escape, living on to sustain their species and the stability of the food chain. This is a "take-off" title that stands fully on its own, including the language, the information, and the illustrations that delight and inform. Please devour it!

SIMON & SCHUSTER BYR, 2024

Next I'll share my praise for THE QUIET FOREST, written by Charlotte Offsay and illustrated by Abi Cushman. In this cumulative tale, the author seems to have begun with a story to tell, and an interest in rhyming and gathering the elements along the way. In this case, though, I did not detect an adherence to a particular example of  familiar verse. To me, this felt like a wise decision that freed the story to soar. The author relied on lyrical language, including mouth-and-ear-pleasing word choices (as is true for Schaffer's work), and leaning into humor and personalities of the various wood land creatures whose habits and antics are entertainingly portrayed by Cushman. 

Candlewick Press, 2024

Switching scenes, THE DEN THAT OCTOPUS BUILT is written by Randi Sonenshine and illustrated by Anne Hunter. As the title and cover suggest, this creative non-fiction narrative is based on both the concept and patterns of  THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JACK BUILT .(Link is to the old original rhyme and a bit of its history. Full early lyrics included.) This approach reveals accurate facts regarding the ways in which Octopuses (that's right, back matter clarifies the official plural form) live, thrive, and interact with their ocean-floor habits. Both the style and the details of the illustrations provided readers with better understanding of the text as well as broader appreciation of the lives of octopus and other underwater plant and animal residents.

Despite my note above that I would not insert extended passages, here are a few lines to indicate the many aspects of octopus survival patterns beyond building a den:

"This is the algae with unblinking eyes,

or is it a cephalopod in disguise

swaying near the den that Octopus built?"

Octopuses are "having a moment" in popular culture, and various posts have revealed surprising things about the species and varieties. Despite that, I learned a great deal about from this book in the narrative, as well as in the back matter. When writers are  pursuing both research and revision of nonfiction titles there is powerful temptation to include every countless fascinating details that have been uncovered. Sonenshine manages that challenge successfully by providing and organizing back matter to answer some questions that might arise, along with a glossary. The informative text is lightly lyrical, made even more appealing by wonderful watery illustrations that add humor and understanding. If you are already octopus-curious, you'll race to get this book. If you thought you had no interest in this rarely-studied critter, read it to see how surprisingly interesting you will find it.

Do yourself a favor and  check out all three of these cumulative text successes.