Mar 15, 2024

I AM GRAVITY: A Welcome Companion to I AM SMOKE


 

Tilbury House Publishers, April, 2024

In case you missed it, check out my thoughts about a remarkable picture book from 2021: I AM SMOKE, here. The portrayal used a unique voice and poetic, personified narrative for such a ubiquitous, sometimes nostalgic and other times unwelcome, even tragic part of our lives, SMOKE. That picture book has been hailed as groundbreaking. That's not just my opinion. I (and many others) have been awaiting a companion picture book on some equally challenging abstract, universal experience. It's exciting that I AM GRAVITY is arriving soon. It does not disappoint. Both are written by Henry L. Herz and illustrated by Merce Lopez

In I AM GRAVITY, Herz voices a universal force (literally) that's infinitely more complex than smoke. With text that explores familiar daily life and star formation within the same spreads, the power, necessity, and magnificence of GRAVITY in our lives becomes vividly clear. Both concepts and images are illustrated with fluidity and subtle detail that offers something for every age and background on this subject. The limited colors allow gravity's invisibility to be "shown" or suggested through a sense of graceful movement lines and consistent color that catches the eye against neutral background shades. From the cover (ball catch and bouncing hair) to remarkably balanced rocks to black hole activity and star formation, gravity is somehow made visible. 


That's the alchemy of picture books as a format: text and images achieving more than either could accomplish alone. In this case it is also the nearly magical achievement of these two creators to turn potentially mundane scenes into transformational connections that evoke awe, appreciation, and  awareness of a vital life force that we rarely notice without the attention of such an effective homage.

It does not do justice to the complexity and appeal in this new picture book to offer excerpts, and yet I can't resist. Here's one example:

"I tether the moon to the Earth. High tide.

Low tide. I wave to you with the oceans."

Henry L. Herz, author

These two seemingly simple lines reveal the lyrical appeal and the accessibility of this material even to very young audiences. It also sparks curiosity in older readers and invites further exploration of the multilayered science elements and interconnections of gravity in everything we know and do. A few pages of back matter provide direct information for readers and their families. This is an excellent example of WHY and HOW picture books of such high quality have much to offer for readers of many ages, as well as purposeful uses within language arts and content area classrooms. A huge plus is that the young people whose lives are shown in these images are diverse and multicultural, additionally emphasizing the global significance of this topic.

The well-known librarian, Betsy Bird, shares her thoughts about this pair of books and an interview with the author, HERE.

Excerpt: “Holy moly. I think you’ve just written something even better than I Am Smoke.”   – Betsy Bird, librarian and blogger for School Library Journal

Check out the book trailer!

I appreciate and welcome the opportunity to have an advance look at this, (without promise of review) and I hope you'll read more about it, request it at your library, and (pre)order for gifts, your home library, or your classroom. You won't regret it. 

Mar 12, 2024

MUD ANGELS: History Restored

Albert Whitman, 2024

With weather extremes occurring around the globe, sometimes without warning, this historical fiction account of a flash flood in Florence, Italy resonates with modern times and concerns. MUD ANGELS: How Students Saved the City of Florence is written by Karen M. Greenwald and illustrated by Olga Lee. Despite modern scientific developments in forecasting and remarkable global scientific tools, sudden weather events continue to assault communities, too often without  warning. 

In this account of a surprise weather event in the 1960s, Florence, Italy, was badly damaged by storm-generated rogue waves. Magnified by their containment within urban canals, the waters rose several stories high, rushing and crushing everything in their wake. Although that weather event itself lasted only eighteen hours before the waters suddenly receded back to the sea, the damage to everything in its path would take massive efforts for weeks, months, to salvage and rescue the city and its cultural treasures from utter destruction. (Learn more about that storm HERE.)

Author Greenwald creates personal connection for young readers to this story featuring older kids. The young narrator indicates that a four-generations-old hand-printed book authored by her ancestor resides in the Central Library of Florence, an even-older institution that was directly in the path of those rising, ravaging waters. The narrator's family lived nearby and operated the hotel at which many young Florida State University students resided during their time in Florence.

The well-researched story begins in modern times, revealing that the institution still serves its community. A page-turn takes readers back in time more than fifty years to what could also be considered "modern times" and yet clearly qualifies as history. Unheralded from that era and that horrific episode are the young people who led the rescue and restoration of the flood-damaged books in the Central Library of Florence. The author's notes (in back acknowledgements) share her information sources and interests, with reference to the young story narrator's likely perspective  through interactions with the students staying in her parents' hotel. The author was able to incorporate primary source materials to assure that this rarely-told story would honestly and thoroughly depict the brave young "mud angels" from many countries whose efforts are celebrated in the book. 

Illustrations suggest a page-turn time shift, depicting visiting students who wear period clothing (girls in skirts, not slacks) and the obvious thrill it must have been for international youth to be able to study and learn in such an exciting location. The subsequent and remarkable efforts of visiting students in attempting to rescue and restore priceless and timeless volumes from the flooded, muddied lower levels of the library are revealed in efficient text and compelling visuals. The residue "mud" and waters of the flood (as anyone who has dealt with such events will attest) included dangerous detritus, unknown chemical contaminants , and other matter that exposed those young people to serious harm to their skin, lungs, eyes, and more. 

Internal illustration from ARC, MUD ANGELS
Albert Whitman, April, 2024

And yet they left their safe hotel rooms, those young folks who were not even residents of Florence. They could have remained comfortably above the waters, or returned to their homes, but instead they plunged into the deepest levels of the muddied institution, determined to rescue and revive as many of the ancient volumes as they could. The author compares the eventual influx of even more students arriving from around the world 
to waves of human, international good will, volunteering to participate in a rescue effort that spanned not months, but years. That theme, of serving, caring, and borderless commitment is clearly and effectively conveyed. Volunteering relies on such efforts, and a story like this is overdue in giving credit where it is so well-deserved.

This important, inspiring, informative new picture book will release in April, 2024. You can preorder a copy from the publisher, your favorite book store, or online sources. By the way, National Library Week (ALA) is in April, so consider purchasing a copy to give to your own favorite library! At the very least, share this review with your favorite youth librarian and encourage them to add it to the public collection! May no library ever need such a cadre of MUD ANGELS, but if and when it happens, consider stepping up. Serving our communities can be inspired by this story, and it deserves everyone's appreciation.









Mar 8, 2024

BAT, CAT, and RAT: Stars of A COZY HOME

 If you don't know author AMY DYCKMAN, I have one question: WHY NOT?!?

Her well-earned reputation and popularity comes not only from excellence in writing well for kids, but in her knack for hitting humor where it lands best- on the funny bone, not the snarky or snide or out-of-joint corner of kids' senses. They find laugh-out-loud and grin-able-tell-someone lines in everything she offers, always combined with brightly colored and appealing images created by some of picture book publishing's most shining stars. 

SIMON & SCHUSTER, 2024

In this case, AMY DYCKMAN was paired with illustration star MARK TEAGUE to create a trio of unexpected animal friends for an early-reading, beginning chapter book series that promises a long life of fans and adventures. BOOK ONE released too late to be considered for the 2023 CYBILS award in that category, but after serving as a panelist for this past season I assure you this (and upcoming titles in the series) will be nominated and seriously considered as finalists for the 2024 awards. 

With that bold claim, consider the book itself: BAT, CAT, and RAT series Book One: THE COZY HOME. This new independent reading series provides loads of fun. It's the introductory title that will help the ongoing series become a favorite with kids and families. Humor is a bonus and it has the lighthearted blend of silliness and realism that author Dyckman has mastered. Illustrations are equally delightful and make these three characters feel like new and lasting friends.

The subtitle note, THREE-and-a-HALF CHAPTERS suggests the ongoing nature of their adventures and the tongue-in-cheek writing approach readers can expect. (Excuse me a moment while I restock my hyphen-key for the rest of these these comments.)

I'll admit I had my doubts when I first read the title. Beginning readers that rely on (often overuse) words from the -at letter pattern are rarely my favorites. It suggests to me (after countless years of using beginning readers and early chapter books) that the "author" may be over-focused on inserting and "practicing" such patterns at the steep cost of fluent and fun narrative text. Similar to the painful reading of awkward poetry attempts, lines are inverted, repeated unnecessarily, and and sometimes even created where they had not existed before in order to provide particular letter patterns/groups that can then be considered "mastered" after the book has been successfully read without assistance. Just explaining that gave me a stomach ache. Nothing repels a child more (and that's probably the child in me reacting above) than opening a book, expecting a story, something engaging and entertaining or informative, only to find a word-soup of awkward, oddly assembled words and images with no real connection to their lives or imaginations. If you doubt me, just go to Goodreads or other book lists and check how many CAT-BAT-RAT titles you find! I'm not saying they are all bad, but I urged you to read any yourself before condemning a child to them.

It's joyful for me to know, after reading, that Dyckman and Teague have retained their child-focused storytelling, in words and visual narrative, throughout Book ONE. The characters are introduced as friends, revealing childlike behavior in their choices and playful banter. the stories flow naturally and  invite young readers to imagine themselves as neighbors to this lively trio. Coming in May, BOOK TWO takes them on VACATION, and I'm smiling now as I imagine their antics, as well as hoping for many more titles to come. These are the kinds of characters, experiences, and storytelling patterns that will have the books well-worn and in need of eventual replacement over time in homes, libraries, and classrooms. They continue the power of picture books (Compact, Complete, and Compelling) while transferring the power and agency of independent reading into the welcoming hands of young readers. That certainly shouldn't have surprised me, given the long success and accolades of the creative pairing of Dyckman and Teague. Even so, there is a particular talent to achieving that level of appeal within the format and intentional constraints of beginning readers. Kudos to both creators, commendations to whoever paired them, and happy reading to the young folks whose hands will find the joy of actually reading on their own in company with BAT, CAT, and RAT.

Mar 5, 2024

THE LAST STAND: Lovely, Powerful History

 In an earlier post I first featured a picture book by the Pumphrey brothers, narrative storytelling illustrators and wonderfully effective voices for Black History that is ignored, not just overlooked. They create stories that speak for themselves, adding excellent foundational background in their creator notes in their debut THE OLD TRUCK. The author did the same in this new truck-centric picture book written by Antwan Eady and illustrated by Jarrett and Jerome Pumphrey. 

Alfred A. Knopf, 2023


THE LAST STAND
 
features an old truck and continues that underlying history of Black farmers and their current lives, as the cover reveals. Relationships star, including the partnership, the evident love between Papa Earl and the young narrator,  his grandson. The surface story indicates that Papa is a farmer, that the young narrator shares and learns those habits, practices, skills, and appreciations by living the life with his family. The cover and opening revelations also indicate how important Saturdays are, not just for them but for the community. That's the day that the two generations load their harvest in Granny's sweetgrass baskets, fill the bed of the old blue truck, and head out to the farmers' market. 

Such Saturday chores are more quickly said than done, allowing readers a few page turns to gain perspective on the work and time for minimal but potent text to mention Papa's black and wrinkled hands, each wrinkle telling a story. Of fixing, of carrying signs, of taking stands in life. Those simple signs (in the background, on the other "closed" stands, on the bumper sticker) point out the hardships and struggles that underlie these current Saturday mornings. Black community shoppers lined up and waiting speak volumes, too, about the significance of sustaining this food stand experience on both sides of the exchange. Not only are there economic and political strengths in this cycle but also a strengthening of community. Shoppers and sellers are known to each other, seen by each other. 

On its own, this would make an important and complete story. But, as they say on the infomercials, "Wait, there's more...". And the more in this case is the core of the story. The pair return home after dark, returning to their dusty bumpy driveway, where every bump welcomes them home and tells a story of its own. When the young narrator next describes a change, he is coping with collecting and loading and preparing for Saturday market on his own. Papa does not participate. Readers are allowed only hints that Papa is experiencing some kind of struggle, but the tradition will go on. 

Or will it...?

Delivering harvest loads on a bike produces a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, precious crops spilling onto the roadway or needing to be left behind. The next Saturday we are reassured that Papa is still around but too tired to load or drive. A solution has been considered and implemented, though, and the market opens that morning. Including Papa Earl's sign. Even then, the story has not concluded. A few more page turns allow the storytelling to include every player in the satisfying, inspiring closing.

This book is a delight, even at its most literal, it's uplifting. It serves as mentor material for discussions, even lessons, on thorough and effective storytelling. Of not simply "saying more"  but of following the trail to the heart of the story. The text captures the heart and power of the relationships among the family and community with direct and lyrical language but surprisingly few words. The visual narrative reveals similar simplicity with eloquence that yields even more power to each line, detail, and word of text. That includes those recurring indicators to "Support Black Farmers".  

This is a picture book that entertains and satisfies, but also enlightens and challenges. It contributes important content to our generally untold American history and encourages us to learn more. There's not a thing I'd change about it, and I hope it finds its way onto countless lists and shelves and into discussions when it comes to layers and layers of topics: community, economy, social justice, social-emotional learning, multigenerational families, farming and gardening, and so many more. It's a true harvest of rich discussion and reading resources.

 


Picture books are as versatile and diverse as the readers who enjoy them. Join me to explore the wacky, wonderful, challenging and changing world of picture books.