102... Lots To Think About Here!

 I'm so eager to dive into picture books that I rarely read the back blurbs or jacket copy before diving into the book itself. That isn't the kindest news to those who labor so seriously to find exactly the right text to lure readers in. I realize that, and always go back to read that material eventually. In the case of 102, written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, I found in that later reading of jacket copy the use of the book's opening line, a line that I'll include here: 

LITTLE, BROWN, & Company  2025


Those twists continue throughout.

The opening spread remains anchored in the familiar; A kid is sent home with a fever of 101, a stray mouse scurries across the floor, and a debate ensues about getting rid of it or keeping it.

The reassuring line, "You'll be safe with me" provides a hint about issues that quickly arise.

This is an ideal place to elicit ideas about what, exactly, will happen next. I'd wager (money I don't have) that brilliant ideas will follow, but none with get it right, at least not in total. The child narrator attempts to follow a calling grasshopper, shrinking to hole-in-the-wall size himself. Readers join him for a journey inside the walls of the house. Who and what he meets there are both curious and informative, but must not delay him on the quest led by the grasshopper. Eventually, they reach the source of the truth about those beans, and about that mouse, and about the boy himself.

I've already given away so much of the story, but that should not deter you. The best continues on, and each page provides Cordell's color-drawn line art in ways that underscore this nighttime adventure, a quasi-reaslitic adventure, and the tenderness of a mother for her ailing child. 

Even in the final pages, this beans, those 102 repetitions, that gentle recognition of kindness toward others all resonate on the page. What part is realistic? What happened and what didn't happen? That's for you and young readers to decide. 

Don't HIDEAWAY the Magic of Childhood Imagination!

 Far too many children in the world, at home and afar, are so occupied with survival that imagination must lie dormant. Others, also far too many, have outsourced their minds to screens. This picture book provides glorious casual insight into the magical space of early imagination could be just the right choice for those who DO indulge in self-generated world-building as well as for those who have abdicated the realm.

RED COMET PRESS. 2023

HIDEAWAY is written by Melania Longo and illustrated by Alesandro Sanna, with translation  by Brenda Porter. While I follow the latest releases, widely acclaimed or otherwise, I get especially excited when I encounter a picture book from prior years that missed my radar. That matters even more when it is from a smaller press and remains deeply relevant in the current moment.

Picture book production timelines are even greater when  foreign acquisition and translation play a role. Across the board, this book merited the time and effort involved. 

Knowing how lengthy the process is to take a picture book idea from origin to contract to full illustration and production, the 2023 release date indicates to me that some or most of this story emerged during the covid-lock-down years. At the very least, all creatives involved offer us a view through the gauze of a young imagination, or two. There's little we will miss about those years, other than beloved folks who were lost to the virus. One of the small things we can celebrate is the likelihood that more children rediscovered their imaginations during those imposed periods of isolation from intensely-scheduled lives.

This picture book feels like a capsule version of such a life, worth preserving and recovering.

The assertive narrator is fully self-possessed and also possessed of a vivid and expensive imagination. Her account of  the Hideaway of slender branches is revealed to readers in an authentic child voice that introduces her best adventurer friend (her brother with long legs that sometime disturb the structure but is worth the company). Nothing dramatic or explosive or heartbreaking occurs in this hideaway, unlike THE PERFECT SHELTER (reviewed HERE). I should clarify that nothing EXTERNAL of consequence happens. But this pair of adventurers find within the slender stems of their HIDEAWAY a world without walls. They travel with massive animals, play roles, recognize aspects of nature we too often ignore, and more. Across seasons, and in the course of a day, they exhaust the realms of their imaginations and instantly reboot with more to come. A bedtime return to the household is unavoidable, but the energy of imaginative spirits transforms their bedroom, too. Ultimately, even settling under covers suggests dreams filled with travel and discovery. 

The authentic voice of the narrator (kudos to both author and translator) is richly  enhanced by full spreads of fluid, visually-enticing elements, with colors and details that recapture attention at each rereading. Black line accents focus on the story line while shadows, white space figures, delicate swirls, and barely discernible lines suggest an ethereal quality in that borderland between nature and the surreal. 

Not enough can ever be said about the essential role of imagination in a child's life, but also in our collective futures. My current check says this title is on back order, so request it at your local library. If you enjoy it as much as I do, order one or more copies at your local indie-bookstore to gift to a child, school, or little free library. The invitation to imagination is worth sharing, and worth waiting for.

 

SEVEN: A MOST REMARKABLE PIGEON Whose Story Inspires

 That's right, I'm sharing another bird book. Trust me, I realize there are probably more than enough posts about birds books on this blog (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE...  you see what I mean?) But don't expect me to change. First, birds will always hold a special place in my heart. That must be true for many, since there's no shortage of books of every kind for every age that feature birds in fact, fiction, and with a blend of those approaches. 

CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2025

That blend is what propels my thoughts about  SEVEN, A MOST REMARKABLE PIGEON onto yet another post. I read this lovely, heartwarming, and entertaining book by author Sandra Nickel and illustrated by Aimeé Sicuro multiple times. I usually do that, but in this case I pursued even more repeated readings. Because i have a broad knowledge base about birds, I saw countless facts about pigeons within  a story that was clearly fictional. I had a concern that young readers might come away with confusions about what was real and what was made up. The author's note did a fine job of pointing out the factual details, and yet the storytelling was so nearly-magical that I wanted to feel confident that the account was not misleading.

In brief, the story features a singleton hatchling pigeon  in a nest that almost always holds two eggs. Parent pigeons DO tend faithfully to the young, they DO urge flocking and close contact with other pigeons, they DO work with young prior to migration to prepare them for successful travel. This little loner was named SEVEN because pigeons consider seven a lucky name (obviously storytelling) but this tidbit is used as a device to share the fact that SEVEN thousand miles is the longest recorded route a pigeon has return to its home. Seven, the pigeon, has a remarkable sense of smell, particular preferences, and doesn't mind going its own way. 

The story allows SEVEN to rise to the hero role due to environmental circumstances paired with its own warmly-embraced talents, despite outside pressures. The story itself incorporates facts within a delightful and charming account of a character that encourages independence and individuality, that appreciates differences, that celebrates multiple ways to solve problems, and that encourages empathy and acceptance. The illustrations allow readers to enjoy both a fictionalized, semi-personified pigeon while viewing information about pigeons through visual narrative and scenes. 

SEVEN will work well for many ages, with multiple layers about science, group dynamics, individual identity and development, and patterns of the environment and nature. Pigeons are the urban birds that young people are most likely to interact with, and that's because they are versions of domesticated birds that are now considered wild but deeply adjusted to (and sometimes dependent on) human interaction. This book is a way to make pigeon science and their specialized talents more available to young readers. It also invites discussions about individual differences and respect for those differences. That's a lovely combination.

If you'd like to see an example of how that can help or hurt the survival of pigeons, here's an interesting video you might want to watch. It's on YOUTUBE and  begins with a short ad, but it called to mind the power of human support for our natural friends. HERE's the video. I want to be sure that viewers know this should not be attempted on your own, and certainly not by children. It can be a skill developed with support from trained wildlife rescuers. The trust and experience of this individual are impressive and worth learning about, IMO.

HOPE Is a Thing With Wings... and Ears: RABBIT's FEAT

HIPPO PARK (Astra Books) 2025

Spring is the season of change, of hope, of... rabbits! Whether you welcome them or dread their nibbling intrusions in your gardens, rabbits are appealing and hard to resist. A new fiction picture book, RABBIT'S FEAT, created by author/illustrator Barney Saltzberg, is also appealing and utterly irresistible. (That sweet little title pun has a few punny partners within the text, but not enough to annoy the anti-pun-folks among us!)

This new book presents, on the cover, a simple but fantastic premise...Boulder is firmly anchored on a high ledge, not far from prickly Cactus that blooms only occasionally, as is often true for  cactus plants. The two have shared this exact desert space long enough to become "friends", and the text centers on their minimal dialogue. In only a few lines it's clear that boulder genuinely longs to get closer to witness those rare blooms more fully, and cactus dreams that would be possible. This central problem and ensuing discussions are  illustrated with warm, saturated desert-night colors. The text elicits empathy, even for inanimate, immovable objects.

 But wait...

A parallel VISUAL narrative is launched on the first page. Rabbit hears their conversation of friendship and longing, spring after spring, and understands that boulder and cactus are each incapable of moving. On that same opening spread is a butterfly, reappearing throughout each spread. Both the rabbit's awareness and the butterfly's presence symbolize that hope can be nurtured, even in seemingly hopeless situations. 

This essential wordless visual narrative is anything but stationary, revealing rabbit's attempts to move Boulder. Imagine that. Even with burtterfly's help, (imagine that, too) it seems a lost cause. But without evidence of movement, Boulder senses their efforts, imagines that a move just might be possible, that things might change.

Rabbit recruits support, and (spoiler) succeeds. The winners are kindness, team work, and science, and especially readers. 

Illustrations are a masterful blend of collage (using handmade papers) and soft-edged art with crisp rabbit character elements (eyes, nose, whiskers, claws) that enrich an appealing emotional story among the collaborators.

Harking back to my longtime soapbox, that the best of picture books offer value and meaning to readers of any age, this story made me think of so many current situations involving separation, longing, and seemingly hopeless situations. Throughout our country and in our own lives. Just sensing that someone, anyone, recognizes that longing, cares, and wants to help can make the struggle survivable, right? if those who want to help will recruit others, if they collaborate in creative thinking and energy, if even the slightest among them is valued and included, anything is possible.

Whether used intentionally as SEL text in support of dreams, hope, teamwork, empathy, and community, or as a fun intro to the power of levers and other simple machines, or simply to entertain and engage young audiences, RABBIT'S FEAT is a winner.

HOME in a LUNCH BOX: A Universal, Any-Age Story

 I've been giving lots of time and attention to nonfiction picture books lately, so I welcome this pause to celebrate a minimal-text/nearly wordless new book of fiction. It feels "just right" on many levels and I hope you'll agree. HOME IN A LUNCHBOX is the tasteful, heart-tugging work of writer/illustrator Cherry Mo. It was the well-deserved winner of a Caldecott Honor Medal recently, and many other accolades.

This fiction picture book accomplishes what often occurs- that HUMAN TRUTH, the kind of universal realities that all or many of us experience, can reveal itself most clearly through fiction. The author/illustrator reports that this story mirrors many aspects of her own childhood relocation with her loving family, and she has captured every child-like element of such an exciting-terrifying-hopeful-heartbreaking aspect of the major change that launches this story.

PENGUIN WORKSHOP, 2024

 

In this case, a young girl and her parents move from Hong Kong to a small American town, a story in itself that is told with a visual transition on the opening end papers. On the left is a complex and ultra-urban prior home, but a road travels to the right with the image of a truck labeled INTERNATIONAL MOVERS. That  transports readers to a simpler, seemingly suburban neighborhood. It's a seismic journey of thousands of miles captured on endpapers!

Title page illustrations and those that follow (full page illustrations, strips, panels, and double-spread pages) use minimal text: only brief speech bubbles, iconic signs, or words (in two languages) written on the palm of Jun's hand.  Each image is powerful in carrying the plot narrative and the deep emotions throughout Jun's efforts to be friendly, meet people, understand a totally foreign language, and interpret the confused reponses she gets to her efforts. 

It is at lunch time, sitting alone, when Jun is transported back to her loving family and prior life whenever she opens her lunchbox. The comfort of delicious memories, literally and figuratively, gives her the strength to make it home, off the bus, and into her mother's arms that first day. 

Each day after reveals more roadblocks and hurdles, but the bus-riding neighbor girl who wanted to be friendly is effectively shown throughout as noticing, as growing in awareness of Jun not just as someone new, or even an outsider, but as a child like herself, one with something to to say and do. That observant friend eventually plays a pivotal role, as do the contents of the lunchbox. A not too surprising happy ending does not disappoint because the scene shifts and reveals even more cultural specialties shared with new-found friends. A few pages of back matter provide the phonetic spelling for the words on Jun's hands, as well as the names for the foods featured in the lunchbox and during the conclusion. The closing end papers provide a Jun-styled art display of her contrasting homes that are fun to compare to the opening papers in content and style. 

Return for a moment to the premise with which I began: fiction can artfully convey the deepest truths. Leaving home is never easy. Being the "new kid" is challenging, even without language and cultural differences. We all need talismans of comfort, and food often does the trick. When  things get difficult, seek refuge among your safe people, but return again to face those difficulties. And hold on to the child within you- those emotions are some of the purest, truest, most constructive of any you will ever feel. Last, but not finally (since this story of few words offers depths of story levels), when you see someone struggle or in need of a friend, reach out. And then do it again, if the first time goes awry. EMPATHY is not a weakness it is a feature of maturity and humanity, not a glitch.

I can think of no better book to share as widely and often as possible and no better time than now.

THE OUTSIDE: Laugh and Learn About Prairie Dogs

 Classifying/categorizing books, especially picture books, is becoming harder and harder. When it comes to "labeling" books that provide reliable nonfiction information, but present that material through cartoonish or personalized characters, it's debatable. I find myself turning to library shelving choices or publisher descriptors. Is a particular title creative nonfiction? Or informational fiction? When both story text and sidebar facts are provided throughout, I (and readers) more clearly see this as nonfiction. (See recent post, HERE.) When the story incorporates factual content within anthropomorphized critters, but provides back matter about each of those factual elements, it gets a bit more challenging.

VIKING, 2024

And that's precisely how author-illustrator Gianna Marino left me perplexed but delighted with THE OUTSIDE.  Call it what you want, but take my advice and read it. As you likely know, prairie dogs live in extensive communities, often called prairie dog towns. Whether the extended group is small (as this one is) or massive, their interactions can make a lively and appealing model for many human relationships. 

In this case, the story unfolds with speech bubble narratives, delightful perspectives, and one prairie dog, Earl, who is afraid of going outside. He prefers dig-dig-digging underground where he feels safe. His above-ground buddies are on the look out for predators, but Earl fears rain. Earl's fears (of several kinds) play a role in his rescue of the group. Even so, despite their safe survival, Earl relies on his peer support to find security within himself and among his community. OUTSIDE!

This is an excellent offering for young readers to encourage social/emotional learning and discussion, to empathize with characters, to identify/predict storyline, and to flat-out enjoy a funny story.

The double spread back matter includes labeled illustrations of the ways prairie dogs dig complex intentional underground spaces to survive and thrive. I found Earl & Company to be unforgettable, and I hope you will, too.

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.

Compare, Contrast, and Celebrate Imagination!

 I enjoy sharing more than one title in a post, even though that means providing a slightly less detailed examination of each. In the prior post, HERE, I offered a quick look at three picture books that came home with me from the NCTE 2023 Conference. Each offered distinct appeal and each would be shelved in different sections of a library or book store. 

Please note the following word of warning from this committed picture book reader/writer/cheerleader:

I enjoy taking a deeper dive into titles that provide valuable and appealing reads in their own standing, but might be elevated even further when read together. I'll repeat something I often advise when mentoring young teachers/parents or providing workshops or professional development:  ALWAYS share a picture book on its own merits before beginning any lesson or analysis or other  exploration. Some kinds of intentionally instructive books can be used in parts or sections, but a quality picture book offers that glorious opportunity that few other whole "books" can do. They provide COMPLETE, COMPACT, and COMPELLING art and literature in a single sitting. They are meant to be read through, to be experienced as a whole. That is the intention of  both the author and the illustrator. Honor that. Share it as a whole. Of course a single spread in isolation or a breathtakingly beautiful line of text can be isolated and shared, but it will mean so much if that happens after the entirety of the book has been experienced. 

After that side note, I'm eager to share with you two books that each deserve the tag, "quality picture book." 

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 
Holiday House 2023

The first is SOMETIMES IT'S NICE TO BE ALONE, written by Amy Hest and illustrated by the Philip Stead. This spectacle-wearing girl presents a thesis: "Sometimes it is nice to be alone...."  repeated on multiple-spread sequences that reveal a pattern. Doing everyday things (eating a cookie, reading, tumbling, even trailing after-bath footprints), she restates the premise and then adds a "what if a friend..." consideration. After the initial comparison of solo versus shared activity, it is clear that the "sometimes" qualifier matters. Even the most independent and "loner" personalities will sometimes find great pleasure in sharing the activity with a friend. 

In this case, the remarkably talented, Caldecott Award winning illustrator depicts each set-up scene with visual clues that allow readers to soon anticipate who each surprise friend might be as the page turns. Light-hearted and heart-warming humor arrive in each revelation, allowing audiences to nod approval as familiar stuffed characters achieve "real life" size and traits as they join in a paired/shared activity. They are all animals, wild animals at that, but ones that convey the safe and sentimental personalities of the ZOO animals in A SICK DAY FOR AMOS McGEE, also illustrated by Philip Stead.

I noted the effect of the spectacles throughout, always reflecting so that we never see the actual eyes of this girl. Her gaze/glasses are always aimed at her own pursuits, not at the reader, underscoring her comfort in being on her own. I couldn't help but notice, though, that even as her stuffed animals joined in the engaging pastimes she chooses, none are actual friends or humans. In repeated readings I believe young audiences might note the poignancy of that, wondering if she is masking a longing for actual friendship and companionship, at least at times.

ENCHANTED LION BOOKS, 2023

The second picture book that extends this "What if..." line of thinking into a more conceptual level is WHAT IF ONE DAY... , written by Bruce Handy and illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin. This book uses a similar pattern of proposing a potential situation ("What if one day all the birds flew away?) followed by several double-page spreads that propose consequences.No labels or clear indicators of the relative merits or losses of those consequences is imposed, inviting discussion. So, the skies would be quieter, worms would worry less, etc. 

This picture book is oversized on sturdy paper stock with vibrant illustrations that splash across the pages and drip off the edges. The character posing this question appears to be similar in age to the prior main character, in this case a child of color without clear indicators if it is boy or girl. 

The minimal but thought-provoking text invites audiences to imagine other potential results if such a thing would happen one day. A celebratory double spread concludes each "what if" sequence, declaring, joyously, that "THERE ARE BIRDS!" and other such exuberances for each cycle. That format means this is picture book longer than the usual 32 of 40 pages, with color and font and considerations leading to the ultimate "What if...". What if things are missing from this world because someone has not yet dreamed it? What might the reader dream that could lead to filling the world with wonders as a result. 

Both books invite imagination, empathy, and connections to the natural world. Both, obviously, use repeating patterns to assure young readers that the stories offer secure and safe places to consider such remarkable "what if..." questions. The first asks the same WHAT if each time- regarding the potential of sharing with a friend. The latter looks around and sees what is taken for granted then erases it to explore potential consequences.

So, WHAT IF you get your hands on both of these books and compare them yourself, then find others to share them with. Invite yourself and others to ponder that final question: WHAT WOULD YOU DREAM OF? And what could that lead to? 

"Speed Round": a Few Picture Books Featured During NCTE 2023

 

HOLIDAY HOUSE, 2023

To make up for several missing weeks of posts, this time I will spotlight several picture books that followed me home from my recent NCTE Conference. To name any single title, author, session, or special event as the best would not do justice to the well-planned array of experiences offered. Even so, I'll admit that joining the Notable Children's Book Awards Luncheon was unforgettable. I was seated at a table hosted by Holiday House, showcasing their informational poetry picture book THE DIRT BOOK: Poems About Animals That Live Beneath Our Feet. Author David L. Harrison was a special guest of the publisher and I was delighted to take part in some lively conversation. Big bonus?  I received a signed copy of his book!

I reviewed this delightful picture book earlier this year, a library copy, and this is what I had to say at that time:

"What's better than a collection of poems in a variety of forms that informs and explores the various lives (from roots to earthworms to mice) that abide mostly underground. Easy, right, to conclude "out of sight out of mind"? Not so in this case. Sharing the common habitat of "dirt", each exploration entertains and amazes in ways both familiar and unexpected. The " What's better?" part is in the trim size and art design that requires readers to turn the book 90 degrees and view the spreads from very long top-to-bottom expanses. The dark-toned illustrations also remind and invite readers to consider things that don't sparkle or flash, but may well, often do, prove to be treasures of nature."

That's all true, and now I happily add that this is a 2023 Notable Picture Book of Poetry!

Random House Studio, 2023 

During those whirlwind four days I also attended a fantastic panel session that included the noted, multi-award-winning, and always inspiring Melissa Stewart. Her presentation did not disappoint, and I later lined up to meet her and receive a signed copy of her latest non-fiction picture book, WHALE FALL: Exploring an Ocean-Floor Ecosystem.

This is both luminous and enlightening in its informative text, the fluid and movement-infused illustrations, and the remarkable facts of this after-life contribution of whales. Their biodegrading processes have served the ocean ecology since whales first existed and yet evidence of a whale fall was  only discovered and study begun in recent decades. This is one astonishingly powerful picture book I urge you to read and share.Everyone should know this powerful portrait of life.

GROUNDWOOD BOOKS, 2023

In a light and lively twist, author Nadia L. Hohn shared her latest release, MALAIKA, CARNIVAL QUEEN. In this title, Malaika continues to splash her warm-hearted and colorful joy of life in CARNIVAL season. As in earlier titles featuring Malaika, a contemporary story is woven with local language, culture, family history, and an innovative, engaging personality that sparkles on the page and leaps into young readers' lives. 

These three varied  titles range across library categories, target ages, and purposes.These are only a first sampling of the exciting books and authors I encountered in a few short days. I promise to return soon with some more special offerings and background stories. Meanwhile, this trio of beauties are available in libraries and for holiday gifting. With such a variety of topics and treatments, there must be someone in your life who would love to find one or more of these in their lives, right?

Another Remarkable Creative Team: The Steads!

My recent post featured a new picture book created by a talented pair whose collaboration produced an exciting and distinctive retelling of THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF, HERE.  

"The Steads"  have together produced Caldecott-winner A SICK DAY FOR AMOS McGEE, along with many other titles that tap into gentle but moving relationships and characters. Click HERE to see some of their covers and anticipate an "AHA" recognition of favorites of your own.

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 2022

THE SUN IS LATE AND SO IS THE FARMER is written by Philip Stead and illustrated by Erin E. Stead. This recent work offers some parallels to that earlier work with a feel that it may have found some roots in classic tales, too, but is entirely original. The animals are on a farm, not at the zoo, and the missing human, a central figure in both, is a farmer, not a zookeeper. 

In this case the animals note the absence of the sun, only then realizing that the farmer is also late, and their food has not been prepared for the day ahead. The three central figures are ideally partnered, a sort of animal Magi, watching the predawn sky for a sign of the new day. The mule, the milk cow, and the miniature horse are boon companions, kindred spirits. They share their worries, discuss possible next steps, sharing their progress through an effort to take action, to help in some way. Barn owl is consulted, since everyone knows how wise owls are. 

Owl's advice is seemingly simple, as is this entire story: subtle, reasonable, with some concerns but nothing terrifying. The pace, repetition, naturally expressive features and postures the farm animals all take readers on a steady, companionable adventure through the field of sheep, across the broken fence, into an acre of tall corn, past the farmhouse (with no lights on), to "the edge of the world". 

That's not to say there are no surprises, and the story allows time for readers to examine elements of each dimly-lit scene, each aptly chosen word, and experience each building emotion and final, satisfying resolution. The animals are not "named", just as is true for most farm animals. That in no way implies that they lack personality or character. Rather, they are each and together unforgettable. The same is true of this lovely picture book.

 I heard about this book when it released a few months ago, and I've looked forward to reading it closely. Now that I've had it in mom hands, I've returned to it, time after time. Each time I notice elements of the text and the images that add depth and sensitivity to a moving and gratifying story while providing those "things" we love in books for younger audiences: expanding vocabulary, awareness of social and emotional connections, gentle humor, all while treading the tender line between realism and fantasy. Read this and share it, soon.

How Many Days until YOUR birthday?

Following the fun and frolic of the holiday season and New Year's gatherings, here's a delightful new picture book with a "birthday launch" to celebrate! I'm especially excited about this one because it is written by a friend and writing buddy, Stef Wade. She's also the author of other books you may know and love, as I do, reviewed HERE, with other great titles previously published and new ones on the way!

Running Press Kids, January, 2023

EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY: Winnie's Birthday Countdown is illustrated by Husna Aghniya with colorful, action-packed scenes featuring the very imaginative Winnie and her innovative mom in a romp of lively language and STEM-related possibilities. 

 Winnie’s post-birthday letdown has her asking in the opening line, “How many days ‘til my birthday?” I’m certain Winnie is not the only child who’s felt that way, even with 362 days left to go!

That relatively familiar situation leaves both mom and daughter with the same dilemma, from two different perspectives: how to get through SO. MANY. DAYS! What seems to begin as a creative one-day distraction (Winnie waking to find popcorn for breakfast on National Popcorn Day) diverts her attention only while the jumbo bag of popcorn lasts. Winnie is again dismayed at so many days to wait, and her mom is challenged to continue daily celebration recognitions. When her actual birthday finally returns, the year of alternatives has broadened Winnie’s perspective. This contemporary, realistic picture book incorporates entertainingly age-appropriate content connections to math, calendar skills, significant national holidays, and invites group sharing, discussion of familiar holidays, and pursuit of creative ideas for other holidays.

 

This delightfully entertaining premise is executed with perfect pacing, themed sequences, nicely varied language to sustain novelty at each page turn, and an effective blend of recognizable holidays and important days with surprising (but REAL!) minor ones. 

Wade’s knack for humor and lighthearted dialogue lift a strong offering to even higher levels. Share this with any child who has a birthday (those are easy to find, right?) and join in the fun yourselves. If your particular child(ren) need to wait all the way to or near December for a birthday, start now with those fun alternatives. An abundance of specialty celebration days are just a search-click away, or invent your own! How would YOU celebrate Lost Sock Memorial Day?

Congratulations and happy book birthday, Stef, on another kid-bait picture book that's jam-packed with learning potential!

 

A Fast Fanfare of Fiction Titles

 I've returned from a lengthy stretch away. It's one that involved loss and struggle, as well as some illness. I only mention that to indicate that this marks a full return. I'll resume a more normal schedule now, and I thank you for your patience and for staying with me during some abbreviated posts and less frequent reviews.

That stack of very special picture books I mentioned in a recent post, HERE, has now gained my full attention. Any one of them deserves a full post. In my time away, I was honored and excited to learn that I will again be serving as a ROUND ONE CYBILS panelist for 2022 titles in the nonfiction category. Since our listings this year will span elementary, middle grade, and high school titles, I'm already beginning the process of reading and preparing reviews for those. As a result, I offered brief thoughts about these fantastic fiction books in my GOODREADS pages. I'll include them here with cover images and a line or two from my reviews. I hope you'll trust my opinion enough to get your hands on them and check them out for yourself while I return to a growing stack of nonfiction titles at the other side of my desk!

CLARION BOOKS, 2022

LITTLE GOOD WOLF is written  and illustrated by the talented pair of sisters, Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel. 

Some lines from my Goodreads notes:

It is a topsy-turvy twist on the trope of a BIG BAD WOLF in those many folk tales, with a young wolf who is a major disappointment to his "Big Bad" parent wolves. Despite their most earnest efforts, he is deeply, naturally GOOD, but also wants to please his parents and be accepted by them.

 

CAPSTONE EDITIONS, 2022

YOU ARE LIFE is written by Bao Phi and illustrated by Hannah Li. Moving from fantasy/allegory to contemporary philosophy and identity, this is a book for everyone, with special emphasis on the ways in which we are alike... in a society that too often stresses and threatens differences.

I had this to say:

Lyrical, lovely text and images that offer a diverse cast but with particular affirmation of Asian/Pacific Island children whose physical identity may have resulted in situati0ns of taunting/bullying or led to witnessing this toward people in their family or communities, especially during the polarized Covid battles. The author note in back is worth reading with young audiences. 

CAROLRHODA BOOKS, 2022

FROM THE TOPS OF TREES is written by Kao Kalia Yang and illustrated by Rachel Wada. 

This is must-read for any age.

The art on the colorful pages of this poignant book will connect with kids from any background, while introducing them to the daily life of a child's family and community life in a refugee camp. Despite the comforting love of family and glorious pets, despite occasional spreads of grey and somewhat worrisome expressions. This child's hope is for life in a place that is different, better, holds promise, but she has no experience on which to frame such dreams. 

Her father's uplifting solution opens the whole world to her future. 

LITTLE, BROWN & COMPANY, 2022

BERRY SONG is written and illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Michaela Goade. 

Don't miss this one at any time of the year, but especially at this harvest time of year.

Dripping with delicious language and emhanced by glorious art in natural tones and sweeps of outdoor scenes, this brief, simple text celebrates "berrying" through the voices of an Alaskan indigenous pair, young and older. 

ut in the forest, they seek... BERRIES, like "little jewels".

From those early pages, the voices of elder and young, forest and heritage echo to each other with the values and cultural richness they share. Interspersed with berry chants naming specifics that were new to me, little audiences will quickly learn to chime in as they recur:

"thimbleberry, swampberry, dogberry, chalk berry,

lingonberry, raspberry, bunchberry, cranberry."

and more...

As I reread and wrote these various notes I realized that these are titles that are well-suited to share a post, since each deals with personal identity and finding/embracing our places in the wide world and within our own families.

I'll let those be the last words on this bouquet of terrific fiction titles. Let the fiction reading begin for you, and nonfiction for me!  Back with those notes 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.

Best (Poetic) How-To: HOW TO MAKE A BIRD

Candlewick Press, 2020

I'm taking a side-step from my intensive reading of nonfiction elementary and middle grade books as a CYBILS AWARDS Round One panelist to share a remarkable, ethereal, immersive picture book. 

HOW TO MAKE A BIRD is written by Meg McKinlay and illustrated by Matt Ottley. One glance at the cover art should reveal why I chose those adjectives. 

I'm an unapologetic fan of birds and bird books. Just type BIRD in the search box (>>>over there in the side bar) and you'll find links to many prior posts featuring bird-related books, both fiction and nonfiction. 

In this case, I found the book to be breathtaking, literally. The text is direct but lyrical, light, and minimalist. It's distinctly poetic and fictional, but framed around facts that incorporate magical realism into the narrative. Yes, birds' bones are their foundation, and yes, they are so light and small that you barely feel them in your hand. Then there are feathers. Oh, those feathers. Whisper light but serving heavy-duty purposes of warmth and flight and waterproofing. The eye, the beak, every element of a bird is another magical ingredient that contributes to the eventual outcome- flight. (Yes, we know some birds do not fly, but even they have these remarkably adaptable and curious components.)

The text assumes a reader who will follow directions carefully, beginning, "To make a bird..."  Illustration spreads alternate between DaVinci-like anatomical sketches of bones and assemblages on parchment-like backgrounds to luminous sand-and seascapes using colors that both soothe and swell the spirit. Set on an island-like isolated sprawl of sand, a child lives in a lofty perch that appears to be assembled by an experienced nest-builder. Toward the end, the narration adopts direct address.  That tone and the sprawling skycapes invite the reader to join this magical transition to flight, to imagine fully the air currents, swirls of cloud, sun, and sky that could infuse a carefully constructed bird with life.

I'm tempted to get a bit magical in my own thinking here. The time I spent reading and immersing myself in these elevating illustrations and reverent, minimalist text felt like a spiritual experience. Perhaps that's a result of youthful appreciation of blue-sky religious art and later experiences as a licensed wildlife rehabilitator. I've held a bird (many birds) in my palm and felt the moment when a stopped or feeble heart recovered, bounding against a delicate rib cage, and transforming a lifeless bundle of parts to the miracle of flight. Those were miraculous moments. Readers can experience some of that magic in this book.

LAST CALL: Back to School with HUMOR and Deep Thoughts

 By today, the day after Labor Day, the last of the holdout schools will be back in session, even though many others have been whirring along since early August. These two picture books have in common that they will fit right into early days/weeks of classroom communities, one with humor and one with reflection about how and where we learn. 

Philomel Books. July, 2021

MY SCHOL STINKS! is cleverly written in first person diary format by Becky Scharnhorst and illustrated with delightful detail by Julia Patton. 

This is a laugh-inducing premise, involving a tentative and nervous student, struggling to be brave and prepared for a first day at a NEW school. Incorporating advice from parents that, while valid, prove unsuccessful (deep breaths, think happy thoughts). 

The illustrations are jam-packed with hints and giggles, demanding a close look on the first read but promising and delivering) even more surprises on return reads. In opening spreads our little bespectacled student draws a map that foreshadows the wrong turn that launches this surprisingly exciting and stinky school experience. With frequent word play, alphabet-linked characters like Charlie Crocodile (with enormous teeth), Betsy Beaver (who chews pencils) and George Gorilla (who picks nits), this diary-driven account of first schools days reveal the ways figurative language can be confusing. Reporting to parents that new classmates are wild animals does not elicit sympathy, since all kids are wild animals, right? 

There's humor-aplenty, and layers of details that will serve to spark discussions about fears/anxiety (deep breaths), making friends, and not judging others based on first looks or assumptions. The twist at the end is a delight and will leave more than a few adults nodding and blushing at themselves. 

TUNDRA BOOKS, 2021

Moving on from fiction/fantasy/humor to a nonfiction/reflective profile of an incident with the  daughter of Charles Darwin, this story travels back more than a hundred years and invites readers to share their walk  on the OVAL THINKING PATH that Darwin developed on his property. ETTY DARWIN and the FOUR PEBBLE PROBLEM is written and illustrated by Lauren Soloy. With earth-toned illustrations and a spotlight firmly fixed on young Etty, they tavel the thinking path to consider various questions. Among them is Etty's question about fairies. It's no surprise that Darwin, always a scientist, expects proof, while Etty wonders if the burden of proof should be on disproving their existence. 

This lovely father-daughter exchange and inquiry offers entertainment and enjoyment, In addition, it is a subtle feast for the eyes, suggesting appreciation for the many ways in which Darwin used observation to build his theories and draw his conclusions. Etty's attention, intellectual debate, and appreciation for her/their relative roles within the larger lives of planet Earth model an inquiry approach to learning. A short author note in back extends the experience by describing the roles Etty assumed as an adult who worked closely with her father in his writing and scientific studies, even though that was a rarity for women in the mid-19th century.

 Besides genre and era, there are multiple ways to contrast and connect these two books. In the first, the animals in school are frightening and fanciful, while the Darwins' walk inserts this gentle pair into nature itself, welcoming an opportunity to think among the critters who reside there. The first title is clearly fanciful while the second feels familiar and focused. the first reveals the story in a journal/diary writing style while the second is written in direct narrative voices. Both are styles of writing offering mentor texts for students own literary craft and growth. Last,  but not least, one is set in a classroom while the other is an example of home-based schooling, an apt comparison for the many students who have experienced both actress the span of a pandemic.

I encourage sharing these two titles in classrooms and homes, whether this is a first week of school or you are already heading into the second month of the school year. There's plenty to enjoy and learn from in each, and even more when they are shared/compared together.