ELECTION DAY!

 

Stock image, 2026

As important as picture books are to me, (and if you don't already know how much that is, I've got more work to do here!)  it's even more important today to focus on GETTING OUT THE VOTE!

More people than usual have voted early in this midterm cycle. I voted on the first day of early in-person voting. More than usual numbers have requested absentee ballots. If your responsibility and rights have already been completed in the voting realm, take this last day of eligibility to drive someone to the polls, to encourage those still holding absentee ballots to drop off TODAY, or take a drive past a polling place and SMILE!

Once all that can be done has been done, you may want to sit back and learn about a few of the many titles celebrating how this crucial right and responsibility came to be taken for granted. (It never should be, as we see today more than ever.) A good place to start is with the remarkable story of how POX nearly cost us our revolutionary war, making all of this a moot point!  Several recent releases exploring the topic were featured HERE, while earlier titles have not lost their potent messages HERE, and some fun twists on voting are featured HERE. Some profiles of activists and leaders cast spotlights on folks who are still fighting the good fight in today's political contests, HERE.

Whatever else you do today, please make sure you've stepped up to the plate to cast your own vote- for whoever or whatever rings your bell. And, when possible, speak up in support of the process and others who might face struggles to get to the polls. Then, regardless of whether the results are what you hoped for or not, raise your voices to say that the results are safe, trusted, and a consequence of citizens exercising their rights to make choices. 

HOW A BEAR BECAME A BOOK: POOH!

 I've recently added commentary about text structure to my reviews of nonfiction titles. Narrative approaches present factual content within a storytelling style, as with biographies and others, HERE, HERE, and HERE. Expository approaches present facts within various texts patterns, always as a sort of user-friendly direct instruction. Examples are HERE, HERE, and HERE. But there are OTHER approaches, and those are few and far between. When well done, they elevate an information book to magical proportions.

HENRY HOLT and COMPANY, 2026

HOW A BEAR BECAME A BOOK: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-Pooh is written by Annette Bay Pimentel and illustrated by Faith Pray. There is no shortage of books about the legacy of Pooh, about the characters, origin story, creators, spin-offs, and more. I was looking forward to reading this, but was knocked off my feet by the originality of the approach and the excellence with which it was delivered. 

The choice here was neither narrative nor expository, although both play a role. The style is something of an homage to the original style of the works (something I often appreciate) although that is not the overall structure. Nor is it epistolary.

Its topic is exactly what the title says, but actually about so much more. Endpapers often augment the contents of the book, and these do that superbly. Almost poetically. The opening endpaper offers a blurred silhouette of a Pooh-shaped and Pooh-colored bear gazing out a rainy window. The closing endpapers use that same window setting and cozy blanket but provide full images of Pooh and his friends on that ledge, fully formed. These bookends frame the story, mirroring the progression of the contents of the main text. 

A Pooh-ish image interacts with a boy-narrator who strikingly resembles Christopher Robin. They engage in dialogue from the first page turn. The next several turns reveal the pair in a plan to tell the story of WHO the Pooh-ish being actually is and where he came from. I love the early awareness by the bear that he is a creation of words. But... another turn reveals the title page, with shadowy images of the two romping hand in hand through the pages of a book. So, we're just getting started? what were those early pages about? Set-up, yes, but more.

Seriously... This alone is a brilliant launch of boy-explaining-book-making to readers through the eyes and heart of Pooh. Just as the title says. The boy's words are in standard font and bear's words appear hand-written and honey-colored. Bear's responses are often carefully selected excerpts from actual Pooh conversations in the original books. Our understanding of how the books came to be sets up a parallel for Bear's understanding of himself and his embracing of his full personality. And as that progresses, his shadowy image acquires identifying lines and featu

(Pause here to consider that children's picture books in the 1920s were barely illustrated at all, and certainly not in the interactive, full spread, kid-friendly way that we now know. The wild success of the POOH books set the stage for a revolution in books for children.)

The exchanges feel like we are observer/participants with this appealing pair in an ongoing conversation (not sounding at all like "dialogue"). Bear learns about his own history through editors, illustrators, art directors, and more. The more Bear learns of his origins and development, the more defined his image on the page becomes. He acquires his Pooh-ish personality until there is no mistaking who this is. On the final spread of the main text, the whole Pooh crew is romping through their familiar fields. The closing words carry a significant message, although not the only one.

"Sometimes words need pictures 

and pictures need words.

When they find each other,

characters spring to life."

This delightfully suited style has informed readers while winning their hearts. But, as they say in so many infomercials, WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

What would typically be labeled back matter continues in the voice and style of the main text in first person voice, labeling various those text blocks with the Pooh-patterned language;

"IN WHICH WE LEARN MORE ABOUT ALAN, ERNEST, AND THEIR EDITORS"

I've never yet encountered back matter details presented in a way that made me more eager to read on. The spot illustrations continue and the creators who brought this timeless cast and their stories to the world leap off the page every bit as much as the originall ones did. Further pages use this same approach for other information about the creation, success, and impact of these books. The "In Which We Learn... " labels continue to share bios/notes about the author and illustrator, followed by notes about the team members that brought THIS book to all of us, and even the citations and sources.

So, even though this has a read-again magnetism to it, though it is heartfelt and huggable, it is also deeply researched, thoroughly accurate, revealing and recognizable in its language/style, and accurate in both the historic and current players who produce picture books. It is a celebration of collaboration of the highest order, which reflects Christopher Robin and Pooh in their community of friends and problem solvers. The structure used may not work as well for any other information as well, but it suits this effort perfectly. The point is, the approach of style, voice, and text structure served the purpose of information-sharing better than any other I can imagine. 

I wish I had imagined this. It's brilliant. ***Great idea for holiday gifting!

 

KALEIDOSCOPE OF HOPE: Brilliant Butterflies

There are plenty of ways that a picture book distinguishes itself from others with similar topics or themes. Something I celebrate most about the rich array of modern picture books is the ways children's sections for today have positively exploded in comparison to the tiny corner children's works claimed in my childhood library. This doesn't mean someone somewhere is just cranking out books to fill expanded shelf space. Rather, expanded shelf space is required to display the amazing and innovative ways creators are producing books, even about familiar topics, that are masterful and amazing.

Consider monarch butterflies. A quick topic search in my metro library list yields more than three dozen titles with publication dates in the last five years, and that doesn't include related topics of life cycles, habitats, and more. Yet each provides distinct perspectives and other features to attract attention while offering choices to kids eager to learn more. And more.

GREENWILLOW BOOKS, 2026

Miranda Paul is an author whose interest in monarchs (and all nature) goes back decades, as does her experience in writing for children. In the case of her latest release, KALEIDOSCOPE OF HOPE: How Butterfly Life Cycles Reflect the World, that intersection of experiences reaches a gorgeous and unique crescendo. 

For a moment, let's aside the incredible illustrations and page designs, but we will return! The text structure and writing are remarkably novel and engaging. Anyone who has ever peered through a kaleidescope will recall that obsessive, emotional response to cascading crystaline magic that keeps the device attached to your face. An unusual and appealing text structure elevates this informational content, told with lively lyrical prose. Information is organized in repeating facets of facts and relationships. Patterns shift relative to each other and to what has come before.

White space backgrounds allow the words and their significance to shine, just as backlighting makes kaleidescope chips glow like glass. Using (and defining) five seemingly generic or abstract words as the components of the cycles described (HOPE, GROWTH, CHANGE, PREPARATION, EXPLORATION)  sets the stage for readers to come full circle in understanding how butterflies of all kinds experience similar cycles while being marvelously distinct. And vulnerable at every stage. The abstract is rendered vividly specific and concrete.

Two added kaleidoscopic discussions, NOTHING and ACTION, offer alternative endings. One is unthinkable but possible: extinction. The other is immediately accessible in our own lives and yards, window sills and community gardens: ACTION. The structure itself compels attention, drawing readers to their own conclusions that taking action is an imperative, not a choice.

The benefit of back matter allows Miranda to comment on her personal experiences in raising and studying monarchs and swallowtails, and the impact of information books that launched years of engagement. Photo-insert how-to examples of making local resources encourage participatory support of butterfly survival. 

Despite my glowing praise for the text, the illustrations in this book stand on their own merit  to intrigue anyone of any age or language or interests. The keyword pages (as noted above) portray kaleidoscopic arrays of stages of butterfly life cycles as well as those two human options, NOTHING and ACTION. As the cover reveals, the swirls and cascades of individual images are as mesmerizing as they are informative while underscoring the cycles, sequences, and circles of life. Illustrators HARI and DEEPTI provide a double spread of detailed steps involved in creating the dimensional replicas of each item in the final illustrations, formed from paper, glue, paper clay, and water, along with tracings and photography and incredible talent. The scenes, circles, and replicated creatures in different stages seem alive enough to crawl off the pages or cling to your fingers. The illustrators, too, encourage young readers to make a try for themselves at using simple tools and materials to make art, inviting close observation and assuring that accuracy often benefits from enlargement (a kid-friendly tip!).

Autumn is migration season for monarchs and many other butterfly species. In only a few days from now the Mexican DAY OF THE DEAD will honor ancestors and loved ones who have moved on ahead of us. Monarchs play a huge and symbolic role in those celebrations, as described in GHOST WINGS, mentioned in this earlier post. Just when we in the northern climate bid farewell to the last of the monarchs as they fly incredible distances on fragile scaled wings, the safe harbor forests of Mexico are welcoming them home. Learn more about Dia de Muertos, November 1 and 2. 

Rooted In Wonder: Trees of the World!

 In a recent post I mentioned attending a writers' conference. It was located in an historic area of central Wisconsin, where the land itself and the conference/complex are both rooted in the past. Trees embraced every view and were reaching glorious Fall color stages, reflected in the luminous lake. My session with Kirsten W. Larson explored narrative nonfiction. (An exemplary title of that format was reviewed HERE.) The other approach to nonfiction we considered is expository, meaning that informational content is directly presented rather than incorporating it into language and structures resembling storytelling.

MOONBIRD,  2026

ROOTED IN WONDER: Celebrating the World's National Trees is written by Michelle Cusolito and illustrated by Marya Wright. The cover itself reminds readers that any discussion of trees MUST consider the flora and fauna supported by trees. Not to mention their incomparably important below ground structures and functions: stabilizing soil, affecting water flow and filtration, interacting with other root systems, and more. The subject matter lends itself less to storytelling and more as outreach to readers with content of high interest. 

This expository approach suits it well and the creatives forces behind this book achieved a keeper. 

Many of my prior posts featured TREE books, some of which are HERE, HERE, and HERE. Each is nonfiction and each is outstanding in  unique ways. In the case of ROOTED IN WONDER, attention is due for the appeal of its contents and the ways in which the text and illustrations take readers on a global tour they might never have imagined. 

End papers provide a welcome anchoring of the information that follows, providing a simple map and a border-parade of the featured trees. This allows for a scaled comparison of their size, type, and distinctive elements, from baobab's bulbous base and seemingly dead appearance to banyan tree's sprawling growth system that generates itself into a virtual forest. The tiny quinoa tree appears unimpressive but it's tagged "fever tree" not for its imposing size or shape but for the life-saving bark used in medicines.

Each of these and more is a "national tree", some designated as such by multiple countries (OAK is claimed by England, Ireland, and the United States). 

Short expository passages about each appear on a double spread in reader-friendly font and size, overlaid on informative illustrations that expand understanding of key traits as well as global locations and related residents of the habitat.

Back matter includes additional short sections of text, each with a spotlight image cut from the featured pages. This and direct prompts encourage readers to look back and explore further. The closing pages of main text require reorienting the book to vertical, displaying a scientific illustration of a tree with labels and cutaways to reveal common elements of all trees. 

The platform I so often preach from is that picture books (good ones) can often serve audiences and populations far wider than those designated by publishers. In this case the range of trees and locations will delight little listeners and expand understanding of basic concepts about trees, while elementary readers can launch research and reports on other trees using this as mentor text. Uses and appeal of this book reach into  older grades and even biology classes to consider and compare text structures as well as biological structures. 

If you are a fan of trees (and if you aren't, why not?) you will want to puruse this expository nonfiction picture book (and care not a whit about that lengthy label). Instead, you'll immerse yourself in a virtual world tour and find not only old friends (oaks, maples) but also meet delightful and unfamiliar rooted-residents of this planet we all share.