In the darkest of times, CLIMB ON!

NorthSouth Books, 2022

CLIMB ON comes from the brilliant pairing of author Baptiste Paul and illustrator Jacqueline Alcantara. (Previously paired on prize-winning picture book, THE FIELD).

Before I discuss the book itself, let me repeat my deeply-held belief that an excellent picture book is as powerful for older kids AND adults of any age as it is for the indicated target reader age. When I launched this blog in 2012, my initial post included my opinion that the best picture books can and do reach and teach and comfort and entertain adults every bit as well as they do for children. Layers of theme and emotion can be unconsciously absorbed by the very young through the joy (or care) in a well-told and illustrated story. 

But adults, who have experienced so very many more years of heart and power and honesty and deception, will find in these few colorful pages a force of therapy and thought that is worth far more than the  cost of the book or the effort to pick it up at the library.

That's what I hope  might happen for a few personal friends if they pause to explore within this vibrant and vital picture book. When loss and struggle and exhaustion and commitment drain the spirit from those who I have witnessed as tireless leaders and creatives, there is so little I can do to offer relief. The best I can hope for is to send them my concern and hopes for the strength they need to keep putting one foot in front of the other, when that feels challenging, or even impossible.

Which brings me back to the actual content of this new and heartwarming picture book. From cover to cover, from dedication to endpaper challenges, from lush interior spreads to luminous bilingual text (English-Creole), this is an irresistible picture book. The story, too, is magnetic, with a prepared. curious, determined young girl who holds her daddy to his promise to climb with her to the tippy-top of a jungle crest. Even though Daddy feels it is fine day to spend on the couch, streaming his favorite football club (obviously soccer!), daughter moves him and the story up, up, up, pursuing her own mission to CLIMB ON!

Along the way Daddy's reluctant attitude continues, despite daughter's discoveries, celebratory engagement, and repeated enthusiastic invitations. Until...

No spoiler here, but chance and parental commitment come into play to elevate determination for both, to reap the rewards of their efforts with awe and shared satisfaction, and top off the day with exuberant excitement and joyful abandon. 

There are so many things about this book that little ones will find thrilling and surprising and delightful, including the possibility of learning some simple Creole phrases to use in their own playful daily lives. My library copy was particularly helpful in NOT taping down the back of their protective case cover. The memory and visual challenge presented on the pasted-down endpaper would have meant little fingers prying loose their efforts anyway while trying to peek under a taped down case to find the visual search prompts during a second (and more) read.

I hope this description is enough to make this a family, classroom, or gift purchase. But give some added thought to anyone you know who is in the midst of  hard times, who is waking each day only to wonder how they will make it through to the end of that day, let alone resist depression and conclude whatever challenge they might be facing. Give this book a look with them in mind. Consider sharing it with folks who have always been the ones to step up and reach out to you and others. The folks who seem to be endlessly optimistic, to draw on a bottomless well of energy, using that effort for the good of others. Those same folks who you know (or suspect) might now be mired in really tough times. This joyful, inspiring, heartwarming, and encouraging story might be just what they need. Especially if it is delivered along with an offer of a listening ear, a sure hand, or a quiet "ask when you need help" in their ear. 

In other years of this blog I'd have likely emphasized the positivity and parental relationship and delicious eye candy that this book is. With the thought of friends who would love it with open arms, but whose arms and hearts are now filled with burdens, the depth of the story resonates with me at every page turn. 

This, too, this power of picture books to meet you where you are in different ways at different times, is why I continue to read, write, examine closely, and celebrate picture books. if you are reading here, I suspect you agree. I hope that you will give this one the reading it deserves, and read the needs of your friends, as well. 

And to my struggling friends, CLIMB ON!

SOCCERVERSE: A Perfect Title for Perfect Poems

Wordsong, 2019

Anchoring this post in time:
We're well into the third week of SAFE-AT-HOME self-quarantine behaviors related to the Covid19 pandemic. In this part of the world (upper Midwest, USA) we have experienced warmer than usual April weather. That leads to both positive and negative effects on maintaining safe social distance. 
Of course, fair weather means many of us are able to spend time outdoors: gardening, walking, home repairs, birdwatching, and many other fresh air options to combat cabin fever. 
Unfortunately, sunny days also make it harder to honor health concerns that prevent us (all ages) from engaging in team sports. 
Whether you are a soccer-loving person or not, Imagine every opportunity to exercise, explore, practice or create (safely) during this time of enforced isolation as steps into the future, in which individual skills and talents can be shared with others. 

SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER is written by the very talented poet  Elizabeth Steinglass and illustrated by Edson Ike. Interested in learning more about the author? Check out this wonderful interview from last year when the book released, HERE.
This collection of twenty-plus individual poems incorporates various poetic forms, each of which adopts distinct voices and points of view. It offers a gateway to poetry even for those who may resist reading or writing this genre. April IS poetry month, after all. 
This can be especially helpful during current home-based learning.
The interconnected emotional and active lives of the characters portrayed, all engaging in various ways through soccer, depict a multiverse of individuals. It could in some ways substitute for an enforced lack of team engagement. In place of peers, siblings and parents may even become more desirable teammates that is typically the case.
In SOCCERVERSE: POEMS ABOUT SOCCER, the backmatter supplement describes forms for each poem, with a challenge to match the poems to its form, complete with an answer key for independent readers. Teachers (parents) who wish to use this collection as mentor text should enjoy the challenge, too.
Soccer is a sport that requires team effort while expecting individuals to improve skills, well, individually. The same is true for writing, reading, math, and all of those other safe-at-home academic efforts. Spending some time outdoors, being active and curious, can help each of us find joy and growth in this unprecedented time. Take a look at this example from the collection:

Poem from SOCCERVERSE, Wordson, 2019

While you're at it, Check out this interview with Baptiste Paul, author of THE FIELD, from an earlier post.  
This book is not a poetry collection, but pairs perfectly with the poem above. It also reminds readers that THE FIELD that calls to us all- our greening grass and empty playgrounds, may not always be available. Even so, we can hold hope that our pent up energy will eventually bring us all back together in joy. 

Don't forget, you can support independent booksellers by placing pick-up or mailable orders, inviting friends into your home in the form of new books!

ADVENTURES TO SCHOOL: Around the World

It's that time again... back to school, around the world!  Whether a child can walk out their front door and take a few steps to the schoolhouse door (as I did), or boards a bus, or walks miles on a dirt road (as my mother did), getting there matters. Many kids feel the stirring excitement of going to school in their bones, usually fostered by their parents' messages about the value of learning. 

little bee books, 2018

ADVENTURES TO SCHOOL: Real-Life Journeys of Students From Around the World is co-authored by Baptiste and Miranda Paul and illustrated by Isabel Muñoz. It makes a compelling case that this feeling is a universal experience. 

This delightful recent picture book uses imagined but convincing first-person-voiced young locals describing trips to school under challenging circumstances. This combines with informative illustrations and narrative text to reveal daily school-travel in remote areas around the world. The balance of voices/perspectives is effective in connecting and developing empathy as well as curiosity and respect. Expository sidebars include images of each country's flag, an iconic indigenous animal, and up-to-date facts about the featured country as a whole.

Author notes in front- and back-matter are helpful in recognizing the universal importance of education and the extent to which families value and support learning and progress for their children. Notes about research and authenticating sources are especially valuable, including cautions about online videos, often viral, making claims about places and people that are no longer true or perhaps never were. 
I particularly appreciated the range of locations across many continents (including North America) and the album-like double page spread at the back to assemble images and place-designations for the fictionalized characters within the book. One additional feature I would have enjoyed would be a world map marking and labeling each character with a location. I can easily see this book being used to launch a geography/map unit of study, for a classroom or for individual readers and families.

I'm pleased and privileged to say that both Miranda and Baptiste are personal friends of mine, and I was expecting to invite them to answer a few interview questions here. Before asking, if they'd have time in their busy lives, I developed a list of questions. Then I went online to search for prior interviews so that I could eliminate duplicates and be sure to provide something fresh for readers. In the process I found that Maria Marshall had posted an extensive interview with Miranda and Baptiste on her blog, THE PICTURE BOOK BUZZ (HERE). It's not surprising that some of my questions matched hers, but she had covered every topic on my list! I was especially interested in how they had divided up the writing work, and was excited to read about their process in this earlier post. Actually, Maria's questions were even more comprehensive than my own, included the same interior spread and author photos, and also provided information about upcoming books and links to other reviews.

I know when to take a step back and give the stage to others, and this is a perfect case. I also know when I've found another picture book blog to which I should subscribe, which I did (and you should, too). Please, take the time to click the link to this comprehensive blog post (Repeated HERE!) 

So, instead of an interview, I'll remind you to get your hands on this book and share it with kids. While you're at it, check out my previous post about IT'S YOUR FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, BUSY BUS! by Jody Jensen Schaffer. Both books tap into the excitement of returning to school, and between the two of them there's something for any age!

Interview with Baptiste Paul, Author of THE FIELD

I've been working hard to resist depression imposed by the seemingly endless, record-breaking April snow in our part of the country. In my prior post, here, I escaped the relentless cold and wind by traveling, virtually, to the tropics with two delightful new picture books, THE FIELD and ISLANDBORN. If you missed that post, I urge you to check out my reviews and get your hands on both books, sooner rather than later.

NorthSouth Books, 2018

In this post, the author of THE FIELD, Baptiste Paul, found time in his jam-packed life to join me for this interview about his debut picture book. Read on to get some peeks at his other books coming soon! 

I've known Baptiste for several years now, and his current success is exciting to experience. Some of his previous interviews can be read here, and here, in which he shares "the story behind the story". That includes a book trailer you won't want to miss.

Congratulations on the success of your debut picture book, Baptiste. You’ve described your excitement about sharing your vibrant memories of daylong play on St. Lucia. I thoroughly enjoyed THE FIELD and I look forward to sharing it directly with kids and as gifts. You're a busy man, so let's get this interview started. (Questions in black, Baptiste's responses in BOLD/blue)

Baptiste Paul, author

Q: One look at the cover of THE FIELD will have kids clamoring for it in libraries, classrooms, and bookstores. Since you’ve been on the road and meeting kids you’ve been able to see their reactions to your book in person. Can you tell us a bit about that experience? What kids have said? What someone said that surprised you?  If it was all that you hoped it would be?

BP: I enjoy sharing this book with kids. I usually start every presentation with the question, “Do you like to play?” Most times, all the kids’ hands shoot up, eager to tell me about their favorite things to do. Early on in this process, I realized my goal is to take kids on a journey. So I decided that at school visits I would meet the kids at their level literally— which usually means the floor. The kids form a circle around me while I read the book, pass a ball, and and make one-on-one connections. In the last few months, I have received more high fives and fist bumps than ever before. In fact, in my most recent tour of school visits, some kids were so well prepared for me by reading the book and bombarding me with questions that I forgot to even read my book during the presentation! (They kindly reminded me.) This is all to say, yes—the experience so far has been all I hoped for and more.

Since you asked, it surprises me sometimes when adults seek me out after the presentation to thank me for taking them to a special place and time in their lives where ‘play’ made them happy, too.

Q: How has “becoming a published author” changed your life- and feel free to be as concrete or as spiritual about it as you’d like! 

BP: The ride, the journey had been super duper fun but busy at the same time. I juggle many schedules. With children, school visits, a full-time job and an author-wife, there are always so many things going on. To be honest, writing books has never been about me — it’s all about the kids, the story, and what I can share or give. I want each child to take my story and make it their own, create memories, and just play.

Q: You have co-authored with your author-wife, Miranda Paul, a nonfiction picture book that will be available soon, ADVENTURES TO SCHOOL.  How did writing non-fiction change your approach to writing?

BP: We both enjoy writing non-fiction. Writing a book like Adventures To School required a lot of assistance from a number of people. Writing non-fiction is not only about the facts but making sure each person and culture is represented with dignity and care. Small details matter. Little parts are not insignificant and we’re grateful for people who helped us look over things, since there were multiple sources and each had different experiences.

Farmer Tantoh Nforba, 2005

Miranda and I also recently finished up the text for a book called I AM FARMER (Millbrook/Lerner, February 2019), which is a nonfiction picture book biography of Tantoh Nforba, an environmentalist from Cameroon. Tantoh is cultivating an organic farming movement in addition to bringing clean, sustainable water to villages in need. The book will shine a spotlight on his good work and tour proceeds will benefit the Save Your Future Association. These are both books I feel very proud to have worked on, and they shed light on important global topics.

(Cover image is not yet available for I AM FARMER, but you can learn more about it here.) 

Thank you, Baptiste, for sharing your time with us here, and doing all the work necessary to produce these amazing books and others still to come. Your hard work made me reflect on this:

little bee books, May 1, 2018

Any stubborn season of lingering snow is a bit of an analogy for a writer's life. Even when things take longer than expected, that sense of a never-changing, lifeless landscape will eventually reveal new life. The delay can even result in a more robust and vigorous abundance of colorful sprouts and blossoms than a milder season might produce. At least our eyes and hearts will view it in that way. 
When a debut author has  three picture books coming on the scene in less than a full year it may seem like an overnight success. Instead, like the passage of seasons, Baptiste's inspirations, research, memories, drafts, revisions, and submissions (with inevitable rejections) were all unseen by the public. Now, sprouting before our very eyes, we witness the first blossoms of a long and successful career. 
I'll take encouragement from that analogy to value those daily efforts, knowing they are setting the stage for even better times ahead. And, while working away, we should all remind ourselves of Baptiste's tagline: MAKE PLAY PART OF EVERY DAY!

Time for a Trip to the TROPICS! (Snow, Snow, Go Away!)

If the view from your window is anything like mine, you're appalled by the incongruity of the date on the calendar and the snow covering your world. Today's forecast here calls for even more snow, possibly five more inches! 

N-O-O-O-O!!!

Whew, I'm back in control. Yes, I'm an adult. I know that the snow will disappear fairly soon and when it does, spring will burst forth with a vengeance. I'll welcome that with open arms, as will the rest of the midwest and east coast residents who, like me, want to see the last of this frozen precipitation.

I regained my perspective because of a virtual tropical getaway. Two new picture books provided a perfect antidote to the remnants of winter that are plaguing much of the country. 

NORTHSOUTH Books, 2018

For a satisfying virtual visit to the Caribbean, open the covers of THE FIELD.
Author  Baptiste Paul  grew up in St. Lucia, speaking Creole and playing with his siblings and neighbors at every opportunity. The spontaneous, free-wheeling, all-out "living in the moment" captured in this simple circle story lands the reader smack-dab in the scene: rounding up playmates, shooing the side-eye-ing cattle, and empathizing with every step, slip, slush, and GOOOOOOAAAAL along the way to exhaustion. The immersive experience of image, language (both English and Creole), and action make it clear that the author and illustrator, Jacqueline Alcantara, drew on densely familiar and memorable island life in their own experience.

DIAL Books for Young Readers

Then read and compare that with ISLANDBORN, written by Junot Diaz and Illustrated by Leo Espinosa. Young Lola lives in a dense but diverse urban neighborhood, one teeming with former islanders, people like her who once lived on the unnamed island on which she was born. Lola's intensity and sincerity in trying to complete her assignment, to draw the place she's originally from- a place she was too young to remember. 

Between the covers of both books you'll find such vibrant and energizing island life that you'll want to recommend them to readers via a sunny, island postcard. Both merit the attention of a wide audience, and kids will respond to both with exuberance that matches the stories and images on the pages.