HAZEL IS ALL THAT: Learning Like a Little One

ROCKY POND BOOKS, 2025

Spend a few minutes with HAZEL, of HAZEL IS ALL THAT, written and illustrated by Chad Otis. Hazel is that bespectacled little girl on the cover, surrounded by dogs, wearing an ambiguous expression. So, too, are some of the dogs. This vibrant new picture book is awash with color and action,  with "dog talk" sometimes offering page-covering onomatopoetic power. The first dog Hazel encounters erupts with repeated 

RRAAARP! 

RRAAARP! 

RRAAARP! 

RRAAARP!

Hazel's reaction is no surprise, and her label of "bad dog" fits with a reader's reactions. As Hazel and her adult proceed through the park, she encounters a dog who is good, another who is tough, and another who is naughty. All are labels used by Hazel based on observation of behaviors, body types, and ...

her own assumptions. 

Hazel does what we all do. Or, more fairly, I'll speak for myself. This "little one", trying to figure out her world and apply labels she's learning, does what an old human like me is inclined to do-- jump to conclusions. Without asking, without further observation, without having any real need to assign labels to others. 

Midway through, Hazel's dropped ice cream sends her cycling through the many emotional states she had observed in the park pets: angry, naughty, sad, embarrassed, and happy again. This wise young Hazel realizes that she can be ALL THAT, allowing her to notice that the conclusions she had draw about dogs are incomplete, at best. All those dogs can also be "all that". A plot development in theconclusing pages will tug at readers' hearts and also reminds us that emotional states are rarely one-offs. We can be scared and angry and "good" at the same time, in varying amounts.

This minimal-text, maximal meaning picture book combines loose-lined, splashy illustrations reminiscent of  Chris Raschka's "Daisy" books with the heart of THE HAPPINESS OF A DOG WITH A BALL IN ITS MOUTH by Bruce Handy and Hyewon Yum. I relished the yellow glasses throughout, symbolic of the open-eyed perspective of a little one in a big world. Hazel was taking everything in, processing prior learning and applying it (especially those ambiguous emotional labels) to the patterns she observed. 

Again, rather than say "we all do that at every age",  I'll just admit I am thinking of myself. It is such a challenge NOT to turn brief observations into instantaneous judgments. No matter how aware I try to be of that tendency, it takes a story like this to remind me of this trend in my nature. I need to STEP BACK. To pledge to be as open-eyed as Hazel became. When "evidence" appears that someone is a certain way, that should be my signal to consider what MANY ways that person could be feeling or thinking or what they could be dealing with. Perhaps a sour facial expression is inadvertent evidence of physical pain. On a day of immeasurable happiness anyone can be caught with a wave of regret, or missing someone, or longing of some other kind.. 

Jumping to conclusions rarely lands us on solid ground. HAZEL IS ALL THAT is a colorful, action-packed picture book that serves social-emotional learning on every level. Noting visual clues that triggered Hazel's initial responses offers an important exercise for youngest audiences, as is dealing with her own "meltdown" midway through the book. The astute insight she achieves about emotions being complex and multi-layered presents yet another discussion point for early learners. And, may I say, a reminder to me and others who are decades away from being "littles" that Hazel's awareness, her outreach to notice the emotions of others, and her ability to self-correct are lessons we never outgrow. 

IF YOU WANT TO RIDE A HORSE: Who Wouldn't?

NEAL PORTER BOOKS, 2024

IF YOU WANT TO RIDE A HORSE, written by Amy Novesky and illustrated by Gael Abary, is a most unusual nonfiction offering. This information-packed picture book calls on readers to use imagination and dreams to discover facts about horses and horseback riding. Beginning with an invitation to readers to close their eyes and imagine the horse they might ride, page after page reveals aspects of horse knowledge (horse breeds/types, sizes, body parts and variations, markings). The direct address, rhythmic text continues on to personalizing details, like names and animal care. Advice is offered about ways to respond to natural fear, to communicate calm to the animals, and all advice is informative and encouraging. Labels and drawings of care tools, chores, clothing, gaits, and more serve to introduce young dreamers to the realities (hard work and joys) of horse-riding. 

Back matter clarifies even further the many details introduced in the lyrical lines of the main text. Brief messages from the author and illustrator include a photo of each with their horses. 

As a kid who "wanted to ride a horse" but never got beyond the pony-picture stage, I would have loved this book as a child, and I love it now. For all those who are fans of "virtual reality", this is a superb example of the original virtual reality tools- imagination, curiosity, and a beautifully written and illustrated picture book.

THE WORLD'S BEST CLASS PLANT

 That heading is NOT a typo. 

Liz Garton Scanlon and Audrey Vernick are each talented authors in their own spaces. Together they have produced some enjoyable and special picture books. You might be familiar with other titles by this team: Five Minutes (That’s a Lot of Time) (No, It’s Not) (Yes, It Is) and Bob, Not Bob. (If not, these are bonus recommendations to check out!) Both feature seamless blending of humor, heart, and unique perspectives toward familiar situations. 

G. P. Putnam's Sons
2023

This talented pair has a new release starring, you guessed it, a CLASS PLANT! Not exactly a familiar scenario, even for those classrooms whose shelves are blooming with greenery. THE WORLD'S BEST CLASS PLANT, illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao, the story they've created for us is unique and resonates with the truths about classrooms, kids, and "pets". The premise is no great surprise.

Every other classroom, even the ART ROOM, has a pet of some kind. If you can imagine humor and tension resulting from this unhappy situation, you've got the humor part right. Mr. Boring's students (not his real name) are stuck with a CLASS PLANT! No excitement there, and certainly no fun, either. In the opening end papers we see these doubtful students trying to share class experiences with a small potted plant, resulting in side eye, sneers, yawns, and outright ignoring. They argue that there's no FUN stuff to do with a plant. Mr. Bummer (also not his real name) urges patience, learning about this odd choice, and giving things time to grow on you. 

Naming it JERRY wasn't much help. When Jerry begins to do strange things (sprouting long and twisty fronds, needing a bigger pot) the kids learn it is a spider plant, the offshoots are called spiderettes, and more. So far, so familiar. Then their own discoveries make them want others to know what terrific things they've learned about Jerry. 

(Anyone who has attempted to write text for picture books will have heard about  amping up the tension or action. This next step is a brilliant example of just such a step.) 

JERRY APPRECIATION DAY involves the entire school, but not until extensive planning and imaginative preparation are complete. Their new-found enjoyment and engagement with a simple plant have contributed to extensive learning, class coherence, and thrilled last-day kiddos when Mr. Perfect (should be his real name) announced that every child would take home a potted spiderette to keep! 

That sounds like a natural place to end, but if you had the talent of this team you'd know that there can be more, better ways to conclude. I won't spoil those brilliant last couple of pages by revealing details, but anyone trying to write for kids should refer often to the magic quality in this book that demonstrates what is added by making a story as GREAT as it can be. 

Make no mistake that the text alone carries all that power. It's a more-than-worthy text for entertainment and insights, enjoyable and suited for many ages. But the illustrations play a significant role in delivery of that fun, as they should. The closing endpapers provide a view of those same kids, many months after the opening papers, eagerly sharing their days with Jerry in utter bliss and satisfaction. I also love how the diverse and clever kids express their reactions and approaches throughout each scene. A fun exercise could ask kids to label the emotional state of kids with various expressions, imagine what they might be thinking/saying, and also what THEY, the reader, might be doing or thinking if in the story. 

One additional note has to do with the illustration choice to make Mr. (you'll eventually learn his correct name) a young Black educator whose choices clearly reveal mastery of his profession despite his comparative youth. Nothing in the text indicate that. Black, male educators are desperately needed in schools, especially young elementary populations. Mr. (______)'s  race has NOTHING to do with the story. There is so little experience of this in real life (that it is a viable and desirable choice for young Black males to teach kids) that his presence and success in this picture book setting is a priceless example to kids of every background. If you can see it, you can be it! 

The combination of talents of the three creators of this book (and certainly their editorial and art director contributors) are also evidence that two heads are better than one, and imagination is enhanced by collaboration. I'd love to hear if you agree.

Grief and Loss: Nobody Does it Better than PICTURE BOOKS

 

TUNDRA BOOKS, 2022

Grief may not be continuous but is ubiquitous, a universal human experience at any age. Here's a story that takes every reader into the heart of loss and offers both empathy and a hopeful hand of comfort. RODNEY WAS A TORTOISE is written by Nan Forler and illustrated by Yong Ling Kang.

This particular story of the death of a nonhuman friend uses possibly the least likely critter as the pet who passes. Rodney a tortoise has outlived generations of Bernadette's family, is a constant companion whose ways are seen as fully compatible with friendship, and reveals his personality and affection in the most subtle of ways. Ways, though, that young Bernadette recognizes, appreciates, and embraces in her daily life and within her circle of family and friends.

The first pages of the story reveal all of the above and also allows the reader to develop a sense of connection, even affection, for Bernadette's "old pal" Rodney. When Rodney's slow style becomes evidently NO movement at all, Bernadette hopes that Rodney's "joker" style might mean he was simply holding his breath. She and her family come to terms with his passing with a family burial ceremony, near the lettuce patch, and by remembering the things Rodney had taught them:

"Be a pal. Slow down. Chew your food. Enjoy each piece of lettuce." 

Bernadette sings a goodbye song.

Some picture books about grief end there, providing a useful model for those heartbreaking goodbyes and inevitable losses.

But not this book. Things get quite a bit worse before they get better (hang in, please). Bernadette finds that her friends at school have nothing whatsoever to say about her loss. Despite having met Rodney at bring-a-pet-to-school day, they are quickly preoccupied with their own news and issues. Within their silence and busy-ness, Bernadette slips deeper and deeper into her own turtleneck and hoodie, isolating herself at recess time in a shell of sorrow. Eventually a classmate, Amar, climbs into her cloud of grief and asks about her sadness, sharing a single line about his own lost pet, then allowing time and space to just be there. 

This last stage of the process of gradual recovery and restoration of small joys in life is far less frequently explored in books dealing with grief. This offers so much realistic, eventual hope and resolution that it's a must-have title for those providing suggested "grief" picture books.

Another title that remains among my most often recommended was reviewed HERE, THE RABBIT LISTENED. Other titles addressing this topic are featured HERE, and HERE, and HERE. There are many other picture books that explore this fraught aspect of life, especially for young people. I suggest making a list and taking a look now, before life deals someone you love an experience for which there are so few answers or comports, other than time. There's no reason to imagine that a picture book will "fix" anything in such times of struggle, but they can, in fact, reflect and reassure, engage and even entertain. 

On a Lighter Note... THIS IS A DOG by Ross Collins

In case you missed it, I hope you'll click back to the previous post by author/illustrator Richard Jones. His April release of PERDU earned high praise from me, including this line I wrote:

 "Perdu is a very expressive pooch, but remains every inch a dog." 

In that case, little lost Perdu communicates the way dogs do- with heart and expressions and body posture. The fact that both the words and illustrations in this picture book were created by one person assured full communication of the story.

In THIS book, my words can also apply. This dog is a very expressive pooch, but remains every inch a dog. Except for one thing... mastery of a crayon and some impressive literacy skills.

The DOG, in THIS IS A DOG by Ross Collins has equal appeal to Perdu's, and will generate head nods of recognition by dog people, along with grins, chuckles, and outright guffaws. In this case, just a few words combine with remarkable lively and expressive illustrations to succeed in telling THIS DOG's story with drama and delight. The emotional engagement is quite different from PERDU, or from any lost dog story. In fact, This DOG shares some personality traits with MOOSE, in Z IS FOR MOOSE, written by Kelly Bingham and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Dog is determined to hijack what sets out to be a simple book of animals, with an intended title, MY FIRST ANIMAL BOOK. 

Perhaps Collins invited such a sassy attitude from DOG when he opened the first full spread with THIS IS A DOG, starring the pooch on the cover. Dog should be forgiven for assuming that the book would be about him, right? From that page forward, Dog intrudes on each intended animal, with each showing it is  fully aware of DOG's presence. Kids AND adults will appreciate the range of communication through eye contact and body language between the intended animal and that interloping dog. 

Don't imagine that this is a one-joke book. The action, emotion, humor and heart throughout are irresistible and make each page turn more fun than the first. That doesn't mean that a single reading will suffice, either. The illustration details, nuance of expression, and personality of DOG combine to make a hug-worthy experience that is bound to be a read-it-again favorite.

I won't reveal specifics, and that includes the satisfying final page turn. I will share the delightful dedication, though: 

For my dog, HUGO,

who taught me the meaning of irony

by destroying some of the artwork

from this book.

I leave a bit of a surprise for you on this part, too, since Hugo is granted a little photo cameo with the dedication. I would have wagered money I don't have that Collins is a dog-person, even without that dedication, based on the extent to which he brought dog-ness to this art and story. The dedication was just the kind of unexpected detail and layer of laughter that this book promises on every page. 

Line up the dog-lovers, laughter-lovers, adventure-lovers, and irony-appreciators in your lives and make a list. This is a must have for one and all. 

SMALL in the CITY and TRUMAN- Two Views of Urban Pets

This pair of recently released picture books are treasures when enjoyed "as is", each offering a heartwarming, heart-tugging story, with visually engaging and expressive images and satisfying resolutions. Each will undoubtedly by reread again and again, each inviting readers of any age to pore over the illustrations and expressions and subtle details despite appearing to be pretty simple. And BOTH offer ideal mentor text for older readers for exploration of deep themes, distinct voice, and story structure to build tension and weave clues throughout minimalist text.

Neal Porter Books, 2019

SMALL IN THE CITY is the creative work of author/illustrator Sydney Smith. The universality of the main character is brilliantly portrayed by the illustrator, allowing the clothing, skin tone, and body posture to provide a character who can and will be donned by any and every reader. The first person voice pairs with up-close scenes, in full spreads and frames of various sizes, to present insights about the possible welcomes and dangers of a neighborhood, especially to an implied listener who might be new to the area, probably navigating it alone. Questions arise immediately about who the "you" might be, with various clues allowing for multiple possibilities. Nearing the end, the underlying story emerges, pulling hard at our heartstrings but without manipulation or cheap tricks. The color tones, the subtle details of reassurance, and the agency of the narrator will all be welcomed by very young, but will also serve as an extended analogy for middle grade and older writers who are exploring and developing understanding of deeper themes. 

Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019

TRUMAN is written by Jean Reidy and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins. Truman is certainly the most appealing, charming, donut-sized tortoise you'll ever meet. He's also very clever, recognizing subtle changes in in his dear friend, Sarah, on the day she prepares to to go to school for the first time. From his window-view tank, Truman's logic leads him on a grand adventure to "be brave" and go in search of Sarah, who he had watched climb ON THE BUS for the first time!
His deep-seated commitment to Sarah, his flawless logic, and impressive determination lead him out, onward, and unwilling to give up, even when feeling overwhelmed.
The consistency of his tortoise-eye-view and mindset allows readers to identify with his fear despite knowing the human side of the story. The bright colors and unusual scale and perspective of the scenes combine a background awareness of the time passage for his adventures to build hope in the reader. An expected happy ending is taken a few pages further to extend the satisfaction level of both Sarah and Truman moving into a new stage of their relationship.

I've been reading many rave reviews about these books and expected to like them, but I was wowed. These seemingly simple books can serve as mentor text for tone, voice, and even for art perspective. Both are books that kids will beg to reread and can do so for themselves at very early ages.When the two are shared together the similarity of rounded images, minimalist line characters with expressive eyes and postures, and voices of the narrators beg comparison. On the other hand, contrasting the two titles for use of color and light tones, seasons, settings, and relationships merits discussion. 
Writers intent on creating remarkable picture books should take a page and explore both through repeated readings and discussions. Don't miss them.

Potential Bunny Pets? Read BORROWING BUNNIES First!

Popping in here with an important (and lovable) book for the Spring/Easter season. 

Farrar Straus Giroux, 2019

BORROWING BUNNIES: A Surprising True Tale of Fostering Rabbits is written by award-winning novelist Cynthia Lord, with photography by John Bald and Illustrations by Hazel Mitchell. 
Let's just agree, photos of bunnies deserve five stars and raves.
No arguing, I said.
If you don't believe me, get your hands on this book and see for yourself. 
Now, on to a discussion of the book.
This is a nonfiction, how-to book that serves as mentor text for young writers (of any age, actually), and also models practical and accessible back matter. The photos, illustration enhancements, and details of a particular fostered bunny pair will have you AW-ing at every page turn. Who on this planet would not AW and OOH at newborn bunnies that look like miniature hippos, at babies named for Dickens characters, and at happy rabbits twist-jumping in a move called a "binky". 
That's real!
Just be sure to make that final page turn to the back matter after the ooh-ing and aw-ing are over. The title of that page poses this important question: 

DO YOU WANT YOUR OWN RABBIT FOR KEEPS? 

(Who wouldn't, after reading this book?)

Some simple cautions and guides provide parents with questions and answers that will make sense to little ones: 

• Is anyone in the household allergic? (Enough said.)
• Are there very young siblings in the home? (Waiting is advised, for everyone's sake.)
• Do you have time for a rabbit? (even after the novelty wears off?)
• Will you care for it throughout its long life? (8-12 years!)
• Do you have enough money for a rabbit? (Supplies, food, veterinary care?)
• Can you keep your rabbit safe? 

This is a  must-have book for anyone considering having a bunny as a pet, but also a must-have for nonfiction collections in libraries, classrooms, and homes.

Before you even consider buying a bunny (or chick or other baby animal) to tuck into an Easter basket or offer as a gift for other seasonal celebrations, PLEASE research and be realistic about the needs of the animals involved. This is a perfect example of how research can be fun, and a reminder that there are other outlets than ownership for animal lovers. Kids are often welcome to volunteer as caregivers, fosters, walkers, petters, and such. More research could yield great solutions, since this book doesn't go into such details.
If you hope to proceed to ownership AFTER (and only after) serious investigation, I strongly recommend adoption of rescue animals rather than pet shop purchases. That should be your next stage of research. 
So, with Easter still a month away, I'm sharing this post into the ether in advance of last minute impulse buying!

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.

Pets and Poetry: A Perfect Partnership in Picture Books!

April, already several weeks in the rearview-mirror as I write this, is POETRY MONTH, and yet poetry picture books are priceless all year long. If you're new to this blog, here's a link to my deeply held belief that "THEME MONTHS" are a double-edged sword, whether in classrooms, libraries, or home. May happens to be National Pet Month, though, and I simply can't ignore it. Cartoonist Patrick McDonnell (MUTTS) uses his characters to advocation for animal rescues/adoptions, and you can see that he walks the walk, here.

Scholastic, 1997

Since I launched a personal campaign to shine my spotlight, limited as it may be, on poetry picture books throughout the year, this is a perfect opportunity to rave about a favorite of mine, WEIRD PET POEMS, compiled by Dilys Evans and illustrated by Jacqueline Rogers.

This is a testament to the timelessness of picture books, and, most especially, of poetry. Dilys Evans is a noted artist and poet, and she contributed her editorial skills to draw poetry from as long ago as 1930 through to contemporary publications. She contributed the launching poem and combined her selections in a story-in-poems that reveals energy, enthusiasm, curiosity, humor, and imagination.

HOORAY! HOORAY!

Hooray! Hooray!

I'm eight today and now I have my own pet!

It can't be too hairy. It can't be too tall.

It can't be too scary. It can't be too small.

Mom doesn't like snakes. She doesn't like frogs.

Or anything else that lives near a bog.

So it cannot be slimy and must not drool.

What does mom make me for, an absolute fool?

My pet will be perfect in every way.

It will love me to pieces, and want me to play.

I'm not sure what it is yet, Mom says that's just fine.

But as soon as I see it, I'll know that it's mine.

Okay, let's get started. I know where to look.

So turn the next page... we'll look in this book!

Thus begins a search for the perfect pet, transported by poets including Lee Bennet Hopkins, Marilyn Singer, Karla Kuskin, and Shiki, among many other notables. The birthday boy searches, always accompanied by his little sister (sometimes only visible via her topknot). The candidates range from bulldogs to turtles, porcupines to pterodactyls, dozes to yaks, and beyond. The concluding haiku is by none other than ISSA:

UNDER THE WILLOW

Under the willow

With a leaf stuck in his mouth

The puppy sleeps.

A poem by the most noted poet of all time, ANONYMOUS, opens and closes the book:

THE ANIMAL SONG

Alligator, hedgehog, anteater bear,

Rattlesnake, buffalo, anaconda, hare.

Bullfrog, woodchuck, wolverine, goose,

Whippoorwill, chipmunk, jackal, moose.

Mud turtle, whale, glowworm, bat,

Salamander, snail and Maltese cat.

Polecat, dog, wild otter, rat,

Pelican, hog, dodo, and bat.

House rat, toe rat, white deer, doe,

Chickadee, peacock, bobolink, crow.

Now for a word about the illustrations by Jacqueline Rogers. From the alphabetic-animals used to spell out the title to the comically inadequate leash  the boy has tethered to an enormous and  curmudgeonly dog(?) on the back cover, every intricate detail matters. The expressions on human and other animals, the elaborate and moody backgrounds, and the complex relationships depicted in each double-page spread all demand exploration and examination. They hold up well in repeated readings, offering new discoveries each time through the book. 

There is ample justification for the current emphasis on diverse voices and images in all forms of children's literature, spearheaded by WE NEED DIVERSE BOOKS. But a book like this, published twenty years ago, is proof that illustrators like Rogers offered outstanding examples of mainstream books that appeal to and reflect ALL readers. In fact, since this title seems to be out of print, now is perfect time to reintroduce it to a whole new generation of young people. It's available in libraries, so don't wait for that to happen before checking it out for yourself. And, if you don't already have a pet, consider adopting one from a rescue center. Who knows, it might even inspire you to write a poem or two for yourself.

If you happen to enjoy poetry, pets, and particularly haiku, take a look at a previous post that  featured exactly those kinds of books, here.