1, 2, 3, JUMP! Author Interview with Lisl H. Detlefsen

Here in the Midwest, we've struggled to string together two days in a row that have the vaguest resemblance to summer. The gray skies, cool temps, and general malaise surrounding this persistent weather pattern felt more like autumn than summer solstice.
But now that July has arrived, summer heat is moving in and kids are plunging into pools, ponds, and lakes. Every child deserves to feel confident and safe around water, making it  a perfect time to celebrate a favorite new picture book from 2019.

Roaring Book Press, 2019

1, 2, 3, JUMP! is written by Lisl H. Detlefsen and is illustrated by Madeline Valentine. Together they've produced a delightful book that blends heartfelt emotions with giggle-inducing charm. 
I'm a fan of second person voice (directly addressing the reader) and Detlefsen displays finesse and mastery with that point of view. 
In this spring release, she approaches a common and legitimate fear with gentle humor while remaining supportive and fun. The illustrations play a critical role in building and resolving this story with the same empathetic and lighthearted touch. In fact, this is the kind of picture book text that feels like it could only work if the author is also the illustrator. Otherwise it  would involve pages and pages of art notes. 
To test that theory, I tried typing only the text and realized that it does NOT require excessive notes, since the voice is so perfectly tuned to the would-be swimmer (reader) in such a way as to invite the illustrator to join in the fun, which Valentine did with zeal!
There's alchemy in the way text, illustration, and book design interact to achieve the miracle of communication that we call picture books. I'm lucky enough to know this author, so I was able to ask her a few questions about that creative magic behind her terrific book. 
When I searched for other interviews to avoid wasting Lisl's time, I found a delightful discussion (here) between Lisl and talented author Jill Esbaum on a blog you should follow, Picture Book Builders. 
Together, Lisl and Jill answered my initial questions and more, including the "story-behind-the-story", exploring Lisl's writing process and progress, and describing what's coming next. It's a fun and informative interview, so I urge you to click and read their exchange. Jill does a great job of introducing Lisl and sharing her personal backstory, too.
Even so, as I reread the book and began making notes I found I still had questions. Lisl was kind enough to answer them so you can learn more about her and this winning book along with me.
Sandy: Lisl, congratulations on this latest picture book. I adore it, and  thank you so much for taking time to share your thoughts about it with my readers. Let's get started.
The “how-to” format and second person voice in this is perfection!  You've successfully written in this voice before, but this story has a sort of omniscient “announcer-y” kind of tone. Were you envisioning someone in particular as the speaker? It doesn’t seem to be coming from the patiently encouraging instructor. I had lots of fun imagining what it would actually sound like and just who it might be. Do you use a particular voice when reading aloud to groups? Do kids ever ask about who is speaking when you are at school visits?

Lisl: Thank you for your kind words about the voice! I love writing in second person POV, and have in several of my picture books now. For this particular story, I approached it as if I were writing a rather tongue-in-cheek “how to” book for kids learning to swim. I especially like reading second person books at school and library visits because it feels so immediate and interactive with the audience. I use a very matter-of-fact, authoritative voice when I read it, then occasionally break from that to ask kids in the audience questions, such as “Are those the right goggles for swimming? No? What are those type of goggles actually for?” It’s been a fun one to share!

Sandy: The humor and word play are an open invitation to the illustrator to have fun, and Madeline Valentine did a brilliant job in elevating a worrisome situation to a giggle-icious delight. Did you include any art notes at all, or rely on your editor Kate to make suggestions to the illustrator, or just take the brave plunge and let it go without suggestions?

Lisl: I’m so glad you agree Madeline’s art is brilliant and adds extra humor to the story! The manuscript was submitted with art notes, particularly in the beginning to make it clear the main character is NOT wearing what the text would indicate and later on to make it clear she is consistently refusing to get into the pool. I often use a lot of art notes while writing for my own benefit. Sometimes that helps me assess if the text is leaving enough room for the art to tell half of the story and double-check for things like the dreaded “talking head syndrome.” 

Then as I revise with an eye toward submission, I pare them down as much as possible, leaving only the ones that help make the plot or action clear for an editor reading without the benefit of the art. I often phrase the ones left in as ideas or suggestions as I know illustrators often have better or more unexpected ideas of their own. Writers are often cautioned not to use art notes—usually for good reason—but my texts tend to be so art-dependent that submitting them without art notes was occasionally causing confusion or not conveying the intended humor. It was my agent who first gave me “permission” to use them when they’re necessary to making the story clear, such as when the art subverts the text for added humor.

Sandy: Speaking of humor, did you try out any of the word-play lines on your own kids? How do they like the finished book?

Lisl: I don’t remember specifically trying out lines on them, but I have to believe I did—they are often my best and most hard to please critics, so I always feel more confident if they laugh at my attempts to be funny! It’s always a lot of fun to share the finished product with them and ooh and aah over the art together. 

An eager and fearless swimmer
who is well-known to Lisl.

Brave plunger #2 among Lisl's
swimming buddies.

Sandy: You’ve mentioned in the past how often your boys provided inspiration in your work. Did either of them ever hesitate before taking a swimming leap (or some other bold step)? Did you?

Lisl: I vividly remember my youngest resisting his first jump into the pool with a swim teacher and—I still cringe every time I remember this!—how she told him she would catch him… and then didn’t! I think in her mind, she showed him how he didn’t need to be caught—which was true, as the water wasn’t deep and he came back up without any trouble—but it broke his trust with her and set him wayyyy back in the learning-to-swim process. I thought of that experience while writing the story and knew the narrator and teacher had to earn—and keep— the main character’s trust throughout to have her (and the readers) feel safe and successful in that final spread.

Sandy: The teacher in me is furious with your son's swim teacher, and delighted with the way you developed the teacher's encouraging and empowering role in this book. Safety and trust are at the center of all learning, in my experience. Not avoiding failure, but providing assurance that someone has your back. That comes through so clearly in this story.

I wonder, did you rely on any of your own experiences with swimming lessons or consult a manual or other teaching tips to enhance your story with such excellent details and sport-specific vocabulary? I can imagine kids having great fun with word play in other direction/how-to steps once they share this book.

Lisl: I relied on my own experience learning to swim way-back-when and my experience as a mom helping to teach my kids, but I also talked to a few swim lesson experts. One of my good friends taught swimming lessons for many years and helped me by giving suggestions for how to have the main character participate in the lesson even while she refuses to get into the water. I also shared it with my niece and nephew’s swim coach at that time, who gave me helpful feedback as well. Even though the book is certainly not a swimming lesson manual, my editor and I wanted the book to be accurate and realistic. It felt especially important for me to have the main character’s victory feel plausible, rather than showing her go from a reluctant swimmer to a gold medal Olympian in the course of one lesson!

Sandy: That comes across very effectively. You’ve been out and about, sharing this with kids this spring. Is there an activity you recommend to enhance the fun?

Lisl: The amazing staff at my local library planned a wonderful launch party for the book, and in addition to the typical reading and book signing, they had a craft station where kids got to make flippers ad goggles out of sheets of fun foam and elastic straps. It went swimmingly! (Sorry, I couldn't resist!)

Sandy: What a clever approach, and I'm betting those lucky kiddos couldn't wait for a chance to get to a pool themselves. 

Thank you, Lisl, for another wonderful book and for sharing your development process with us here. After reading through your replies a couple of times I realized you just condensed your process into a master class on writing picture books!

Notice how Dad stays on the beach?

It feels only fair that I should make a confession right about now. Those who know me, from childhood right up to my current wrinkled status (wrinkles that can't be blamed on too much time in the water), would undoubtedly describe me as independent, confident, perhaps even pushy. Despite that impression, I've been aware of my inner coward ever since my earliest memories. In real life I may have charged ahead and plunged right into that pool, but smack in the pit of my gut I often experienced the same anxious feelings of the little girl in this story.  My siblings and I became water babies thanks to Mom, who loved the water, and Dad, who skillfully disguised his own dislike of water deeper than a bathtub. 
I love the way Lisl's progression of humor and introduction of small steps allowed her  character and her readers to enter into the water play with agency and success. 

I hope you're convinced to make this a summer must-read, must-share book, and while you're at it check out Lisl's other amazing picture books.

And now that books about courage and water adventures are on your radar, be sure to also check out LOTTIE AND WALTER, written and illustrated by Anna Walker. 

While you're at it, check out my notes about JABARI JUMPS, written and illustrated by Gaia Cornwall.  I've written about it several times now, and one post is HERE.

Meanwhile, just because summer heat and swim time have finally arrived, it's no excuse to put reading on hold. There's still bedtime, stay-out-of-the-water-after-meals-time, and frequent library trips to bask in air-conditioned bliss.  Enjoy!

A Fathers' Day Round-up of Picture Book Favorites

Rather than focus on asingle  new title for Fathers' Day I'm falling linking up some recent favorites on this topic from my own posts, and suggesting recommendations from some other bloggers/reviewers.

Combining these sources means a very long list of special books for and about dads (and dad-surrogates) and their relationships with their kids emerges. One of the most recent releases is featured in my post about Chris Raschke's SIDE BY SIDE. It has also turned up in several other posts starring Fathers' Day recommendations, including this post by Horn Book. 


There are so many wonderful things to say about this book, not least among them the expansively diverse representation of the pictured pairs and their varied activities and personalities. The deepest value I found in it was the unstated but undeniable truth that time spent together, fully present (i.e., not glued to a screen!), is the richest and most robust gift a child and a parent will ever exchange.

Next is my post about JABARI JUMPS, with reflections on my own dad. This title, too, appears on several other lists. Whenever I prepare to write a post, I take the time to see if I'll be repeating what someone else has already said-- or not. I'll admit that discovering how popular my favorites are with others can be a bit frustrating, because I feel real excitement when it seems I might be introducing news about wonderful books that readers have yet to discover. 
On the other hand, it is gratifying to see my own appreciation of particular books being shared by others who deeply respect and enjoy picture books. It also allows me to recommend some outstanding bloggers you might want to follow. In this case, check out what Davina Hamilton has to say about JABARI JUMPS, here.

The books above and most that are featured in others' posts are recent releases.even so, a few  classics are included, such as PAPA DO YOU LOVE ME? by Barbara Joosse and Barbara Lavallee.

I'll add my own throwback favorite to the mix, a title that didn't pop up among the many blogs featuring Fathers' Day titles, THE BOYS, by Jeff Newman. Perhaps it was overlooked because it isn't really a "dad" story as much as it is a story about the power of role models and mentors, a sort of barber shop culture in which young people can feel safe and valued, even if being gently teased by the adults. 
If this "old" title (2010) is new to you, or is one you've known and forgotten, please do a favor for yourself and someone who cares for kids, especially boys, and recommend this book. It's wordless, which makes it ideal for any age and especially for relationships in which one or both sides of the age span lacks the ability to read English. In this case, the visual reading is a rich and universal narrative of hopes, dreams, and support, liberally laced with humor. You'll see what I mean, beginning with this post. 
Some other  blogs you may want to read include COOL MOMS, featuring very recent releases, Abby the Librarian which includes some titles I've mentioned and others, too, that are favorites of mine. And PEACHTREE PRESS, a favorite picture book publisher   presenting Fathers' Day offerings from their newer titles and their backlist of terrific choices. Finally, Brightly Blog presents a wide selection with brief notes, and each is something very special.
So, my gift to you is not only an extensive selection of titles for Fathers' Day, but an array of wonderful picture book bloggers for your investigation. You might want to subscribe to one or more of these to have further great suggestions pop into your inbox on a regular basis. 
Finally, here's a link to a prior post singing the praises of dads and sharing more thoughts about my own father.  Those of you who still have a father in your life, hug him one extra time for me and all the others who no longer can do that with our own fathers.
Miss you, dad. 

Facing Our Fears- With Help

If snow and sub-zero temperatures have you feeling worried, check out my previous post to enjoy a kinder, gentler, more hopeful version of WINTER. 

OR,
you could escape to indoor activities. I was in awe of my parents for many reasons. Among them, I was especially impressed when they continued their weekly indoor swim sessions throughout the long cold months of midwest winters. They enjoyed joining their friends in the water exercise group, and the activity helped them feel better physically. At least Mom did. She loved the water, but Dad existed in a borderline state of hating/fearing water activities. He went with her, joined in with her, because he was always one to face his fears. 

To overcome this somewhat threatening wintery spell, let's shift gears and read about swimming, of all things. Then let's also reflect on facing fears.

SATURDAY IS SWIMMING DAY is written and illustrated by Hyewon Yum. Here's the gist:
When little Mary wakes one Saturday morning feeling ill, there's no malingering involved.(That's Mary on the cover.)  She feels AWFUL! Those Saturdays circled on her wall calendar were not marked in happy anticipation. They indicate the mornings she will be going to swimming lessons. Her misery is deeply felt. She is worried about this process, fearful of that pool. 

On the surface (my pun on that threatening water surface is intentional), this is clearly a story for little kiddos who are afraid of the pool, or some other mundane childhood experience. Her fear is there, her resistance is there, and Yum's illustrations, pacing, and spare text capture it all well.
But I'll argue with anyone who says it is ONLY that. 
Just as readily as Mary's classmates plunged right into that pool, we can dive deeper and see that this is a universal human story. Granted, there are many kids (and older folks) who embrace adventures, challenges, any kind of change with a full-throated 

I believe, though, that even those brave souls have occasionally encountered something that caused a twinge in their guts, put a wobble in their chins. It would be a something that they recognize as scary for them, even if embraced eagerly by peers. A something that doesn't appear to have the least bit of scary attached. 

And yet... that gut feeling screams danger!

May each of us find someone willing and able to coax us through those times. Someone like Mary's swim teacher. Someone who knows when to stay within reach and when to step away.
Someone whose wise guidance allows us to own our success and face the next challenge confidently.

SATURDAY IS SWIMMING DAY is an outstanding example of the truth that picture books are not only for the young. It could be the right book for you (adults). If there's something lurking in your life that gives you that gut-punch feeling, lift your head just a little higher. Stick your neck out, look around for your own "swim teacher". Somewhere there's someone who will help you find your own strength, your willingness to face your fears, even if it takes some handholding along the way. Each out and take that hand, accept that help.

Another outstanding picture book about facing fears with steadfast help standing nearby is JABARI JUMPS, which I shared in a past post, here.

If these kids can face their fears, you can, too. 
I know it.
Feel free to share experiences in comments.

Your success stories could be the helping hand to someone else.

In Daddy's Arms... a Mirror for ALL of Us

I'm nearly ready to post a series about some of the picture book poetry nominees I'm reviewing as a CYBILS panelist this season. Winnowing is no easy process, but one that I enjoy. For today, though, I want to spotlight three picture books that aren't among the nominees for 2017. I haven't posted in a couple of weeks, so I found myself running long on this one, and also sending readers to multiple cross-links. Please consider following my leads.

Veterans Day had me thinking about my dad, a WWII German-American soldier who was fighting on his grandparent's homeland. Earlier this year I reviewed JABARI JUMPS, by Gaia Cornwall.  If you missed it, I hope you'll take a moment to click the title above and read about the book, about the way it connected me to memories of Dad. Not only will it mean you'll get to know a bit about him, but also about  a book that continues to win praise from far-more-influential reviewers than I am. Look for this title to float to the top during end-of-year awards season. 

One of the most enjoyable things about having this blog is that it allows me to explore inner connections and reactions, (okay, emotions), that might otherwise get only passing attention from me while reading. Warm, sometimes worrisome, responses triggered by words and images on the page are essential to being "a reader". When the process of engaging with discreet text and pictures reveals a whole world in your hands, a world that vibrates through you and awakens memories, emotions, and connections, you know you are really reading.

Lee & Low Books, 2001

It's fun to read and review a newly released picture book like Jabari Jumps and celebrate it here, even before a tidal wave of praise and support arrived via social media. It's also fun to make a quiet discovery, to share it year after year and see its effects on young readers, only to learn much later that it had been awarded accolades that I was too busy teaching to notice at the time. 
IN DADDY'S ARMS I AM TALL: AFRICAN AMERICANS CELEBRATING FATHERS, an anthology edited by Javaka Steptoe, is such a book. My classroom copy of this book was worn-thin and replaced several times in the span of a few years. This long-time favorite collection of poems foreshadowed, in a sense, the current wave of anthologies (both poetry and prose) by  long-successful and newly minted diverse authors. It's loaded with poems kids love to memorize, to use as mentor text or forms, and to internalize- regardless the readers' ethnicities. My classroom students, though diverse, were primarily as "white" as I am, but the love within the pages transcended the images and settings to connect with the truth of each poem. 
What truth?
Just read that title.
There is no larger truth than that- IN DADDY'S ARMS I AM TALL. 

Pair this with a more recent release, CROWN: AN ODE TO THE FRESH CUT, written by Derrick Barnes and illustrated by Gordon C. Hayes. 
I found this to be a brilliant blend of text and illustration, inviting readers through the door of a black barbershop, into the cultural experience of transformation and observation, to the process of growing into yourself and into your community. It's a celebration in concept and images, each with rhythm and depth, both with shimmer and shine, delivered with swagger and smiles. 
The afterward was particularly moving, to me, after recently hearing an interview with Gary Younge, author of ANOTHER DAY IN THE DEATH OF AMERICA, on my local NPR station, WUWM. I encourage you to listen to the full interview linked above.
Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review, and I'd give it one, if I had one to give. But I disagree with three words in their note:
"One of the best reads for young black boys in years, it should be in every library, media center, and, yes, barbershop." 
Their statement is true, as far as it goes. I fear, though, that it will be seen as a book for YOUNG BLACK BOYS (which it is) but ONLY for them. Worse yet, only during February.
The only kinks I had in my hair were at Easter, the day after Mom sat me on a stool in the kitchen and gave me a "TONETTE". It fried my hair to frizz and kept my Easter bonnet from fitting. Even so, as I did with Jabari Jumps, as I and my students did with In My Daddy's Arms I AM Tall,  in this book, I found connection. It was easy to sense the truth underlying both common and different experiences. 
One of my earliest posts, written just weeks after launching this blog, was titled, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. Reading that might make what I say next more understandable. 
I recently heard a woman interviewed, a member of a white-nationalist group. She claimed to be one of the "fine" people taking part in recent protests throughout the country. She insisted that she didn't hate anyone or any race, she was just so tired of having everything "in her face". Why couldn't we go back to the way things were? (Paraphrasing, except for the quote.) She specified, when asked, that "everything" meant media displaying mixed couples, LGBTQIA individuals and couples, and "so many blacks" in every kind of program.
I feel certain that, if she read this post or even scanned the book covers, she would ask me, "Why?" Why would I feature THREE books with black characters when there are so many good books out there with whites. WHY would I want to erase her and her race from discussion? It's not even FEBRUARY!
My answer would be too long to include here, but this is the gist of it: 
These books are about HER, about her sons, their fathers, her community. 
She just sin't willing to find those connections, to look into the books and see herself reflected there. To recognize that the distinctions are important but the similarities are even greater.
After all, that's what those "many good books" about "whites" would say to any people of color or difference, right? That's the "in your face" reality, still, for 95+% of the books that people of color and difference encounter on most library, classroom, and bookstore shelves.  We  ask "others" to find themselves and their truths within  the words and pages  of "white" books NOW nearly as often as we have for centuries. Let's realize that they are provided NO CHOICE but to succeed in that "in your face" effort. Shouldn't we do the same? If we fail to see ourselves in these works, to connect at a visceral level with experiences and identities that are not our own, isn't it our own failure? 
Until we can do that, spontaneously, naturally, eagerly, our society will continue to see surface differences as barriers rather than mirrors. 
And we'll miss opportunities to find our own truths and emotions in everyone we meet.

Jabari Jumps... With Dad's Help

Candlewick Press. June, 2017

With Fathers' Day barely a blink away, the June release of JABARI JUMPS arrives on bookstore shelves just in time. Author/illustrator Gaia Cornwall has produced a perfect picture book, with natural appeal on the surface, and plenty to discover when you dive below the surface. Mirroring Jabari's exuberant attitude after (spoiler alert) mastering the high dive, readers will want to return to this book again and again to revel in the story, the warmly supportive relationship, and to discover even greater thrills within its pages. 

The generous trim size allows for expansive, sunny, watery, double-page spreads, turn after turn featuring expressive characters with just enough detail to connect with urban readers (skylines) and swimmers, divers, and families everywhere.

I was delighted by Jabari's gusto, bravado, and attention to his cautionary inner voice. Even more so, I was touched by his dad's sensitive awareness and deft responses to affirm, reassure, and encourage independent choice. From the title spread onward, Jabari, his dad, and his toddler sister are portrayed tenderly, energetically, recognizably, and humorously. The images and color choices had me smelling chlorine and hearing the splashing laughter of a summer community pool. 

I'm not the only one to celebrate this new release. School Library Journal's starred review summarizes the storyline and concludes: "VERDICT Jabari’s story will help assuage the fears kids experience when faced with a new and daunting adventure. A terrific seasonal storytime read-aloud that’s perfect for one-on-one sharing."–Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

A review in The Washington Post featured JABARI JUMPS for young readers in an article focused on books that inspire bravery in readers. I've also read  and recommend the two titles for older readers, GIRL RISING: CHANGING THE WORLD ONE GIRL AT A TIME, by Tanya Lee Stone, and THE HATE U GIVE, by Angie Thomas. But I'm writing here about picture book readers. For Fathers Day bonding and months beyond, read this excerpt from Kathie Meizner's review to see why this is a must-have title:

 "   full of the light blue of summer sky and water and attuned to the perspective of a small boy whose ambition is just a little bit bigger than he is."

Back to that perspective, and the quiet confidence Jabari finds through his dad's acceptance and reassurance. During the summer of 1945, thousands upon thousands of American and other soldiers were in Europe, winding down from their successful effort to defeat Hitler's forces. Most, like Dad, barely made it home for Christmas. 

My dad was among them, waiting  through the months-long process involved in returning home to his wife and baby girl, my sister. That's him in the picture. Those who don't know him might see in this picture a confidant, steady young man. I see my dad wearing a wool uniform on a steamy beach because he would never set foot in the water. I see my dad who was desperately seasick on his  voyage to and from Europe, a man who never lost his fear of water, but never transferred that to the four little waterbugs he raised. 

It didn't hurt that Mom loved the water and taught us each how to swim. Despite his lack of enthusiasm for the water, Dad willingly scraped together his limited funds, patched our old station wagon with duct tape if necessary, and hauled us to our annual vacation in a rented cottage on Lake Erie. There, day after day, he donned his swim trunks, waded out with us into water that he feared, for us as much as for him, while never once allowing that fear to pass from his hand to ours as we bounced, splashed, and reveled in what felt like an ocean. 

Dad  came to my mind as I read JABARI JUMPS, the first time and each time since. Jabari's dad isn't in the water until the later spreads, even then only up to his waist. He never takes his eyes off of his son and is ever-attentive to his water-winged baby girl. What mattered to me won't matter to everyone, and kids will certainly identify with Jabari, not his dad. Yet I'm thinking there will be plenty of kids who could read this and find in the dad's gentle messages the comfort, confidence, and support they may lack in their own relationships. 

And they will be brave.

As Dad was.