THE LITTLE RED CHAIR: One Girl's Treasure...

 The back story about this new picture book is mentioned in the author's note that follows the main text, but author Cathy Stefan Ogren discussed it further in this terrific interview about story origins and the deep connection to her friends and family, HERE. Beth Anderson shared her website platform with Cathy for her insights into finding and writing the HEART of this wonderful new fiction picture book. Other comments, reviews, and insights about Cathy and this book can be read in sites from her blog tour, with links offered HERE. My reactions to this delightful new story, born from real experiences, follow. 

SLEEPING BEAR PRESS, 2024

THE LITTLE RED CHAIR is written by Cathy Stefanec Ogren and illustrated by Alexandra Thompson. I found this story delightful because the text achieves such a prefect balance of personification of the little upholstered chair without fully anthropomorphizing it. It doesn't speak or dance or have agency, at least none that can be witnessed in the "real" world in which it exists. Readers, though, gain access to its inner wishes, dreams, and worries. The author gives the chair a voice, including the repetitive "Squeakity-squee" of its wheels. Just as with human language, context and inflection can make the same 'words" or "Squeakily-Squees" carry entirely different emotional value, and that is true as the chair reveals its reactions throughout.  The illustrations manage to achieve a similar delicate balance, using angles, perspectives, and relationships in space to underscore those emotional twists and turns. Brilliantly and tenderly done.

(For anyone exploring personification in writing, adults or teachers leading students, this is superb mentor text.)

With that note aside, here's my look at the story itself.

The cover indicates this story's opening, setting a bedraggled, frayed little upholstered chair in a drab store window on a dreary day. What hope could there be for a better life, unless that little girl has a huge heart. She does. Her insistence on taking it home is conveyed with minimal text and glowing expressions. The chair and girl begin a bond built by time, shared experiences, and mutual need. But, as with many things in young lives, the girl, Mia, grows up but the chair does not. Until one day Mia leaves for college, but she continues to hold the little red chair close, even though it's once renewed and spruced up condition has become worn and drab. 

Readers will fear (at least THIS reader feared) that the household would discard the chair, leaving it to find a new family. That would not necessarily be an unhappy ending, and makes a fine circle story. The good/bad news is that chair survives a down-sizing move, but only to the new residence's attic. There, again, racers can access the inner feelings of the chair throughout seasons and passing time, until... 

No spoilers, but THIS circle story is even more gratifying in the best ways. Though this is a relatively simple story and one told with familiar White characters, the concept of a generational circle story about a beloved childhood companion is universal in every sense, with an emotional arc that will resonate around the world. The muted but expressive illustrations and details set it in very specific conditions that enrich the account, but the basics invite multiple retellings among readers, inserting their own tales of discovery, recovery, connection, growth, and reconnection over time. As mentioned above, the text and illustrations offer outstanding mentor opportunities for others to pursue personal, "small moments" stories from their own lives, even ones not spanning a lifetime of change. 

I can't close these notes without mentioning the back matter, in which the author reveals the full story from her own life that inspired this book, as well as a very informative note about small-scale furnishings, appliances, and vehicles that were used by traveling salesmen to provide actual examples of their inventory without lugging full-sized objects across country. These were called "Salesman's Samples", and you may have seen a few if you watch PBS ANTIQUES ROAD SHOW or other programs about such stores and objects. 

With that in mind, I felt a special appeal from the front and back endpapers, which appear as a closeup of the faded, frayed, tufted surface from THE LITTLE RED CHAIR at the start and after it shared its life with Mia and her family. The details are so well rendered that I longed to reach out and smooth the surface, to reassure the chair that love is never lost, that something better was waiting. I hope you'll enjoy it as much as I did, and consider revealing some of your own or family stories with young readers when you share this book with them.

Two Wordless Wonders: Something Special for Every Age

Candlewick Press, 2021

The creative pairing of author JonArno Lawson with illustrator Qin Leng was inspired. Both are listed as being residents of Toronto, but I tend to imagine them as being residents of a single mind. I first met their shared brilliance in OVER THE SHOP. This wordless book tells a gradually unfolding but complex story of the transformative power of openness, positivity, curiosity, and inclusion. A young girl lives with her curmudgeonly-grimaced older adult. He's likely, but not necessarily, her grandfather, and they reside together above his shop.They each seem well-established in daily routines, but with different demeanors. When making a stack of breakfast pancakes, his expression is as down-turned as it is when a cat intrudes on his grocery display outside the shop.The girl, however, is intrepidly intent on doing her own chores while noticing and engaging with the cat and other occurrences. She is NOT  relentlessly grinning or apparetnly a 'chipper" child, but is attentive, patient, and respectful of the space others need to feel safe. 

This, after multiple scenes, sets the stage for the "plot": a second residence above the store is available to rent. The apartment has little going for it, as the first potential renter (and reader) observes before making a speedy exit. Then a series of potential residents are shown coming... and quickly going. When a mixed-race young couple arrive, the owner's scowl is even deeper than usual, despite his obvious need for renters. The child intervenes, and he grudgingly concedes. A happy ending, I'd say.

But wait, the story is only half over. 

This is a transformative story, in which the young couple demonstrate gently that they are not only hardworking but eager, friendly, greeting even the fellow on the porch next door, who notes but does not respond to their greetings. As they dig into deep cleaning and restoration to a livable space, the girl joins in their effort, chasing away the hungry cat who threatens the birds nesting on the balcony. 

This is a highly realistic story. Change is not achieved overnight, but small signals of investment of care into the place gradually bear fruit. The tiny trail of cat tidbits that eventually play a role feel symbolic of the overall small steps leading to the gradual taming of the owner, celebrating the infectious power of caring, kindness, and community in warm and wonderful everyday acts.

Whew! Look at all those words up there! Lawson is a poet and poets use words very sparingly. ALL of the above words are mine. This poet, this master of the "just right word", managed to convey his story wordlessly! That means he somehow created and described all of this  in a way that allowed the illustrator ample space for her own creative interpretation, knowing the intent was a wordless story that captured his original creation. And Leng accomplished that with grace and nuance. Each time I "read" this story i note added visual details that enhance it further- from the setting details in the shop, residence, apartment, and neighborhood, to the clothing, body postures, and facial expressions of the central characters and the ones who appear only on a page or two. The story as a whole and in its particular parts and details is fantastic and offers something for every age. The same is true for this subtle and persuasive message.

Candlewick Press, 2022

Their second wordless collaboration is A DAY FOR SANDCASTLES. This, too, displays the nuance and visual appeal of OVER THE SHOP, but takes a very simple premise and conveys a full emotional arc in a circle story about a family day at the beach. A family alights from a tour bus unloading eager beachgoers. The adults set up at the edge of dunes, while the three children head to water's edge to build a sandcastle. Time after time they achieve, or nearly achieve, that goal, only to suffer setbacks from many angles (not just the predictable incoming tide). In this story the fun is in those visual details, noting subtle cues, predicting what could come next, imagining what they will do now (or what the reader might decide to do!). But then ... several factors in quick succession send them all back aboard the bus for a weary but satisfying sunset ride home. It's hard to imagine a more perfect purely-summer picture book! 

Once again, I wondered just what words Lawson might have used to set the stage for these remarkably familiar yet specific and fascinating  images, revealed in a  combination of full spreads, horizontal panels, and comic-style quick sequences. Whatever they were, and whatever editor and/or art director orchestrated these two wordless/visual narratives, they achieved timeless brilliance with both. 

Lawson has paired with other illustrators, notably with Sydney Smith in the multi-award-winning wordless book, SIDEWALK FLOWERS. That's a favorite of mine, one I featured in an earlier post while serving as a Cybils panelist a few years ago:

"This wordless book uses color, detail, subtle facial and body expressions in black/white illustrations with the spot color contrast to lead readers through an emotionally complex story. It is accessible to the very young but offers content to spark potentially intense discussions at any age about relationships, personal expression, and pursuing that often-referenced "in the moment" awareness in daily life."

It was this picture book that alerted me to Lawson, and I've been delighted with where that attention has led. I hope that my small spotlight on these books will bring them to your attention, too, and you'll share them with others!  Wordless books, like these, are accessible to the very young, but carry meaning for every age.

Grandpa Connections: Post-Covid Perfection

Last spring and summer I opened many blog posts with a "Covid19" comment, anchoring the review or interview in "Covid time" and in relation to the current status of the Black Lives Matter movement or other all-consuming social markers. I stopped that some time ago, in part because I was beginning to feel as if the Covid 19 impact on our lives was a "new normal", while it simultaneously felt  impossible to endure.

Now, more than a year has passed since the word "pandemic" became familiar rather than confusing, although no less terrifying. We've lived through more than a year without the traditions and close connections of holidays, birthdays, casual gatherings, and those all important hugs. But vaccines were developed, many of us have been vaccinated, and grandparents are FINALLY spending time with grandchildren.Two new picture books celebrate those very special relationships. Both feel as if they were written for these reunion gatherings (and beyond) despite the reality that they were in the works long before the pandemic began. And in both cases that lengthy publishing process was well spent to achieve exactly the right text and illustration pairing to capture the magic and love between a grandparent and grandchild.

Candlewick Press, 2021

MY RED HAT is written and illustrated by Rachel Stubbs.The opening spread shows Grandpa holding grandchild and a red hat on his lap. Told through his first person voice, the first line says it all: 

"I give you my red hat."

In spot illustrations, parallels strips, and double spread scenes, Grandpa's equally simple statements on each page address the many situations in which that red hat, now worn by the child, is exactly the right addition to their perfectly paired twosome. Early scenes  emphasize wry humor and surprising innovations (serving as a water bowl for a thirsty dog?). Gradually hyperbolic exaggeration in illustration and figurative language that plays out literally move the reader to understand that wearing the red hat provides the child with strength and curiosity and courage.  The child, the hat, and faith in Grandpa lead the reader to a full circle homecoming. 

When I began reading this I pictured a different ending, imagining that the return home would find Grandpa no longer there. Instead, their time together resumes in a perfectly satisfying way, followed by a gorgeous concluding double page spread at night, under the moon, with this  simple line:

"This hat is for you."

That line, that image, that final scene combine to make this a delightful bedtime book. But it is so much more than that. It's a  grandpa love story, a growing up brave and independent story, a you-are-my-world story, and a reminder that life is big and complex at the same time it is delicate and delightful and surprising. With a grandpa like this, one who gives you his red hat and the truths that it can hold, anything is possible. 

Tilbury House Publishing, 2021

Perhaps I was expecting a different ending from MY RED HAT because I had just finished reading I'LL BE THE WATER: A Story of Grandparent's Love, written by Alec Aspinwall and illustrated by Nicole Wong. This gentle book takes a very different approach in revealing the grandparent-grandchild relationship. In fact, it does something that is often discouraged in writing picture books: Ihe narrator's voice is that of a grown "child" looking back and remembering. 

In this case, the simple statements and subtle illustrations reveal humor, love, and details that will connect with readers at both ends of the ages portrayed. Both Grandpa and the boy are aging slightly from page to page as they share peanut butter and banana sandwiches, create imaginary adventures, and go fishing. 

Over the years, the boy notices that Grandpa's skin had grown too big for his face, and his hands shook when putting a worm on the hook. His answer to the boy's question is as simple and fun as their lives together:

"I've been getting old since I was a baby.

I'm just getting better at it."

After Grandpa's long scary stay in the hospital, they resume their times together. But Joshua's mind is a rushing current of questions. Their discussion about dying includes sensitive recollections, reassurances, and even some humor. I won't quote or even paraphrase Grandpa's wise and gentle insights about surviving the loss of his own father are young age, because the combination of text and illustration are stronger together. There is nothing original in the spirit  and truth of Grandpa's conversation and assurances, but it is well-told and unfolds on the page in ways that are unique and memorable. 

The full circle effect of the ending accounts for that "look back" adult voice early in the story. The  central message is captured with immediacy and balanced emotions in the conversation featuring some extended dialogue from Grandpa. That does not become static or overly serious because his voice and the shifting perspectives of the illustrations allow readers to feel we are listening in on a conversation we were meant to hear. It is soothing and sinks in with a comforting ease.

Now that vaccinated  grandparents can resume being physically present in the lives of their grandkids, I wish every child the opportunity to spend time with a grandparent or two in everyday experiences. These books call to mind that the everyday shared chats and activities are the fabric of an eventual memory quilt of love, memories that will wrap and support those who are left behind. 

And, lest you suspect I've favored the grandpas by featuring these two books, take a click back to find a recent post about Grandmas, HERE.

Time With Family: A Trio of Titles Celebrating Diverse and Universal Family Love

 Grandmas can make everything better. So can Grandpas, and Mamas, too.

Three recent picture books explore special family relationships with stories populated by diverse and distinct characters, cultures, and situations. They all landed in my library bag as I am getting a head start at reading potential nominees for CYBILS FICTION PICTURE books worth noticing. They are wonderful stories told with skill and sensitivity, they are entertaining and engaging, and filled with heart and happiness. 

When Cybils Nominations open up on October first  (which is right around the corner), be sure to consider helping to get these onto the list. We're each  allowed only one nominee per category, so spread the word among your reading friends to support favorites and get them into the running!

PAGE STREET KIDS, 2020

SATURDAYS ARE FOR STELLA is written by Candy Wellins and illustrated by Charlie Eve Ryan. As the cover suggests, George and Stella have spent a lifetime of Saturdays "making memories". Stella gives George her undivided attention, from ninja tournaments to fighting off aliens, and even baking cinnamon rolls "without popping open a tube". 

Stella never tires of giving George her undivided attention on Saturdays, and George keeps a running list of the best things about Stella,  including hugs, doing everything, and doing nothing. But always TOGETHER. 

Suddenly, shockingly, Stella is gone, and so are George's special Saturdays. Even when he tried remembering her by doing the things they shared, the fun, the taste, the effort always falls short and leaves him in tears. 

Time passes, despite the Saturdays he crossed off his calendar. With that passing time, baby Stella joins their family. George begins introducing her to the things he always loved on Saturdays, and eventually lists his favorite things about sister Stella. Those turn out to be warmly and lovingly similar to his earlier list. The author masters the most serious of challenges for picture books: the death of a loved one, the passage of time over several years, and complexity of events and emotions made accessible and appealing with pure and simple text. The illustrator does the same, resulting in a magnificent, huggable book.

Annick Press, 2020

An equally delightful new offering with an entirely different premise is MY DAY WITH GONG GONG, written by Sennah Yee and illustrated by Elaine Chen.In this case, first-person-narrating grandchild is spending the day with grandpa (Gong Gong), but reluctantly. The child does not  speak Cantonese, and Gong Gong does not speak English! 

Early in the day the child switches channels from hockey to cartoons when Gong Gong dozes. He wakes, gets up, and they go for a walk to Chinatown. Cantonese  greetings and comments are exchanged, appealing toys and foods are craved. Gong Gong appears unaware of those wishes and of the child's growing hunger.

Hopes rise when they stop for a snack, but only tea is ordered, followed by supermarket shopping and more walking... SLOW walking! A stop in the park sets up another frustrating time when Gong Gong and friends are speaking Cantonese and laughing. At what? Hungry and tired, frustrated and stained with pigeon poop, tears  flow. Gong Gong cleans things up, rescuing the situation with surprises. They agree on the word 'HOME", with more surprises and smiles along the way as they take their time getting there. A back page provides a glossary with Cantonese characters, English spelling of Cantonese words, and translation for the six phrases that occur throughout the book. 

The empathetic situation, escalating story/tension, and appealing illustrations combine to capture universal emotions and situations within a very particular time, place, and people. The simply drawn but expressive faces, body language, and perspectives between and surrounding the central pair elevate the stakes and the emotional connection that evolves. Reading this as an adult will be a very different experience from reading it to very young kids. Gong Gong's cluelessness could be stressful and worrisome, but his smiling gentleness offers comfort and optimism even when the going gets a bit tough.

A similar challenge is met quite differently in award-winning  DRAWN TOGETHER, written my Minh Le and illustrated by Dan Santat. If that has somehow missed your reading list, be sure to add it to this grouping.

A DINENE MILNER BOOK, 2020

ME & MAMA is the creation of author/illustrator Cozbi A. Cabrera. it, too, features a young character, first person narrator, who "want(s) to be everywhere Mama is". The illustrations are lush and colorful, nuanced and detailed. That visual story provides a rich landscape for text that conveys depth of detail in simple narration. Examples:

"Mama's cup goes clink, clink, clink...

My cup goes duh, duh, duh...

Sometimes things break, Mama says."

From brushing teeth to combing hair, from rainy day walks to nap time, this portrays a delightful day as the background tapestry for a loving, sensory, secure, and happy relationship. The language and images and heart will have even the littlest ones chiming in and acting along with the story. 

All three are circle stories, of a sort, and even bedtime stories. Each is heartwarming but not overly sentimentalized, and all three convey lives, settings, families, and cultures that are both warmly familiar and revealing of new worlds. Even if your intended readers are not among the very young, these are all worth a close read and look. For anyone attempting to write or illustrate picture books, these are even more important.

Anchor in time for Covid, Black Lives Matter, and politics:

We (USA) have passed 200,000 deaths with no sign of slowing. Reasonable projections indicate we could reach 350,000 deaths by the end of the year. Wisconsin, where I live, has become one of the national hot spots. I stay close to home and wear a mask everywhere I go, observing physical distance and crowded spaces. I urge you to do the same.

Charges have been filed in Breonna Taylor's death in her bed by police gunfire. one officer of the three involved was charged for the bullets that strayed into a nearby apartment. In other words, the only charges in her death are for the bullets that missed her. Protests continue in Louisville, KY and across other cities. Scholar Ibram X. Kendi has said the only conclusion is that she is responsible for her own death- a story that has been told in such cases for centuries.

I voted on Monday, turning my ballot in directly to the clerk, who signed as my witness. The next day I confirmed on line that my ballot has been received and will be counted. Our president has said that there may not be a peaceful transition of power. Ruth Bader Ginsberg is lying in state on the steps of the Supreme Court. A nominee for her replacement will be named on Saturday, and it appears that the vote will be pushed through before the election.

Thoughts About An Ordinary Day

 Here's a quiet Sunday gift for one and all. I hope you'll check it out.

BEACH LANE BOOKS, 2020

AN ORDINARY DAY is written by Elena K. Arnold and illustrated  by Elizabet Vukovic. While we all yearn for an ordinary day during these Covid times, the truth is that we have always been surrounded by ORDINARY DAYS, but rarely do we take notice. 

As this seemingly simple picture book suggests, a garden-tending neighbor, a nosy crow, and playful companions on an ordinary street are unconscious witnesses to nearby passages in ordinary lives. Two nearby homes on this quiet street are each visited by medical professionals. From that spread onward, the two interior settings parallel and contrast each other, with one family experiencing  a sad goodbye to their beloved pet, while the other family welcomes a new baby to their home. 

Lyrical minimalist language and softly realistic images of a stable, diverse neighborhood enhance the simplicity of and deep loving truths about our ordinary lives on AN ORDINARY DAY.

As our yearning for "the past times" draws our attention, perhaps our focus should really be on the people living in homes nearby, playing in yards, and, at times, exhaling last breaths and inhaling first breaths.

The Rough Patch: Wisdom for Every Age

I launched this blog many years ago to celebrate the joy, value, quality, and benefits of picture books for every age. If this is your first stop at this blog, you can read my manifesto about picture books in these early posts, HERE and HERE. 

Greenwillow/Harper Collins Children's Books, 2018

I take great joy in reading picture books (text and illustrations, which is how picture books speak to us).
I never planned to provide daily posts (and I'm still  in awe of those who manage to do so). I'm very selective about the books I feature here.

Deciding which picture books to discuss and how extensively to write about each book challenges me. I look for something unique in the books I feature, searching for something that attracts my attention, draws me back again and again, and allows me to uncover new elements in the text and the illustrations on each rereading. 
I share books that are multi-layered, both timeless and ageless, in my opinion. 
Even though it goes against my nature to name favorites among the many books I love, some continue to absorb my attention, even years after an initial reading or post.

THE ROUGH PATCH, written and illustrated by BRIAN LIES, will undoubtedly be such a book. I'm not alone in feeling this way. It has already garnered rave reviews and three stars. Check out what School Library Journal said (HERE), Kirkus Reviews (HERE), and Publishers' Weekly (HERE). Each outlines the story well and makes note of a few of the many distinctive details, like Evan's garden boots.

I offer these trusted sources to confirm that my opinion about this tender story wasn't unduly influenced by the fact that I faced a heartbreaking final good-bye to my own four-legged companion earlier this summer. In fact, if this book had been released in June I probably wouldn't have chosen to read it at that time. My emotions were still too new, too raw.
Having read it now, though, I wish it had been available to me then. 
There is as much comfort between the covers of this book as I feel when wrapped in one of my heirloom family quilts.

Yes, on one level, THE ROUGH PATCH is a story of loss. But it is so much more than that. It explores and celebrates the amazing capacity and power of friendship and love. It reveals the depths and strengths of human emotions, the importance of living in the moment, and, yes, the circle of life.
In fact, the initial opening spreads are joyous, vibrant, luminous. Evan (the Fox) and his friend (the Dog) savor every moment of their full, shared lives. Their companionship, comfort, and wordless communication shine on the pages and will be deeply felt by those who share their own lives wth dogs, cats, or other friends. 
The scant but potent text in each spread, throughout each stage, conveys Fox's joy, grief, anger, and eventual healing. Lies's writing perfectly suits the lives of this garden community: simple, direct, and pure. It reminds me of a free-verse Robert Frost.  In one achingly gentle double spread, Evan realizes that "the unthinkable happened."

The next several spreads follow Evan through his stages of grief: his isolation and anger, and his rejection of his formerly joyful garden. The metaphoric title plays out superbly in the middle portion of the book, in which "a good place won't stay empty for long". Evan destroys his formerly manicured garden, but nature abhors a vacuum. The space soon fills with growing things: weeds, thorns, and spiky intruders. Evan nurses that negativity, embraces it. In the process, though, he experiences the healing power of resuming his daily habits despite his aching, broken heart. 
Time passes, sun shines, and a "volunteer" vine creeps into the garden. 
When Fair Week finally rolls around Evan is open to a twinge of familiar excitement. Time and old habits have allowed his heart to begin to heal, to give himself permission to enjoy familiar joys. When a scrabbling tendril of possibility reaches out to him at the fair, he chooses to begin anew.

Throughout each page and stage, Lies uses his mastery of illustration to combine expressive features, shifting perspectives, light, shading, color, and detail to create scenes that beg to be examined closely while urging readers to turn the page and know the characters more deeply. Throughout it all I found myself walking hand-in-paw with Evan, wanting desperately to comfort him but knowing his was a journey to be traveled alone.

Lies has created many books I admire. His talent for capturing the nuance of expression, movement, habits, and postures in animals is incredible. I first described that talent in a post (here) about MORE, which he illustrated for author I. C. Springman. 
Apart from the elements within each scene or spread, I greatly admire the way he conveyed the emotional arc of this book through the continuity and transformations from first page to last. In THE ROUGH PATCH I noted his use of similar artistic tools, and yet he achieves distinctly different effects. In both cases, the transitions are so deftly accomplished that what might be considered simple circle stories instead become salvation stories, each ending with the characters transformed and strengthened in ways that are layered and lovely.

I recommend many books, but put THE ROUGH PATCH at the top of your list. 
Share it widely.
This fox and dog represent all of humanity.