CARTER HIGGINS: A Big Deal in Little Books

If you've never read (or realized that you've read) picture books by CARTER HIGGINS, allow me to introduce you. If you don't click on her name now to learn more about her and her books, please do so once you reach the bottom of the page. I've followed blog posts by Carter for years. Working with books as a librarian was her career and her personal delight, always with an uncanny ability to see in the best of them (in the images especially) the depth of ideas and intricacies of detail and meaning that could be found and shared with young audiences. Nuance and discovery were traits of her book reviews and explorations and I learned a great deal by reading her thoughts.

In time, she was immersed enough in the world of picture books to write her own. In her many  amazing books she has been paired with stellar illustrators who rose to the high bar of her language and concepts. Her books show how thoroughly she absorbed and learned from the best examples of others that she often celebrated in her blog posts. Please explore her website to see examples of her work and confirm them as evidence for my praise. 

CHRONICLE BOOKS, 2022

One particular title is a seemingly small work that is in fact quite complex and rich. BIG AND SMALL AND IN-BETWEEN is written by Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares. It includes a few complex interactive paper folds and gatefold features, but the words and art merit long pauses and appreciation at each page turn. The concepts of big, small, and in-between represent sections within the book, each followed by multiple spreads of examples. These range from literally-sized references, to emotionally evocative ones (BIG is the donut that your brother has because he got to it before you could!), to imagined ones, challenging ones, and figurative ones.

 Each experience in each grouping combines with simple but evocative language ("a boat below the sky and above the swell" with illustrations that expand the concepts and entice further inspection of the many ways in which things like in-between-ness can be noticed and appreciated. The cover art and end papers invite scrutiny, too, offering rich opportunities for close inspection and discussion of discoveries.

The "concept spreads" offer an enjoyable read-through and discussion of comparative size, value, impact, etc. They also welcome discussions of emotions and reactions. We sometimes describe little ones who struggle for self-regulation as having BIG FEELINGS, and yet, don't we all?  Even the most accommodating child (or adult) likely feels deeply and strongly about many things, but has managed those feelings, wrestling them into levels of expression that won't "make waves". A book like this, one with such gentle and delightful language and color, can be dipped-into a page at a time. It  is a priceless tool for folks to find themselves within. It invites discussion and encouragement, acceptance of BIG FEELINGS even among those who try so hard to deny or suppress them.

Finding a way to describe just "what kind" of a book this is can be a challenge. It is not as literal as a few concept books Carter has created, including her numerous board books and interactive books. This has several of those qualities, including the durable construction and smaller square trim size. But it has even more pages than a typical 32 page picture book, far more than an eight- or sixteen-page board book. The labeled concepts of size are much more ambiguous or internal, still aimed at readers of any age but inviting longer, lingering consideration.

I urge you to spend similar reflections time exploring her website. She offers activities related to her books for those focusing on early language and concept development. In case you didn't click on CARTER HIGGINS above, do it now!

Celebrating Picture Books from 2018- Briefly?

I've exhausted my library "hold" renewals on some of the many fiction picture books that tugged at my heart in recent weeks (months!). I'll be loading up a couple of totes to return these early next week, but I can't let them go without sharing them with you here. Each deserves a full review, discussion, and recommendation for uses, but the size of my book stack has crushed that dream. Instead, I'll try to follow up with my "speed-dating" approach for board books. Let's see how that goes.

a house that once was is written by Julie Fogliano and illustrated (brilliantly) by Lane Smith. I really enjoyed Fogliano's lyrical, lilting text, but it is Lane Smith's illustrated treatment that won my heart. With just enough ink-line realism to anchor the story to the text, Smith combines multi-media techniques in each of the two parts: the contemporary exploration of a deserted house in the woods and the imagined lives of the missing inhabitants. The ongoing tale of the abandoned house exploration includes numerous nearly-hidden images that later gain significance within the imagined alternate lives of the residents. 
An additional story-within-a-story is boldly suggested on the title page. A little bluebird (of happiness?) slips into various obvious and obscure corners of the pages for readers (especially eagle-eyed little ones) to discover. 
There is a genuine charm to this circle story that concludes with the same short verse that opens the story: 
"Deep in the woods/ is a house/ just a house/ that once was/ but now isn't/ a home."
There is a delightful irony to that conclusion as the little bluebird peeks out at the departing kids from inside the upstairs window. This is all-out possibilities, and kids will love it.

So much for keeping it brief, right?  I'll try again on this next adventurous picture book that celebrates imagination, cooperation, diversity, hopes, and dreams.

Everything You Need for a Treehouse is written by Carter Higgins and Illustrated by Emily Hughes. This lush and imaginative picture book engages on every page, revealing both realistic and fantastic aspects of collaborating, constructing, and creatively occupying "a treehouse". The extensive and diverse group of kids make cooperation and old-fashioned "playing outside" look much more appealing than staring at screens.  And 

The illustration details are like eye-magnets, but it is worth turning back to the text to appreciate the extraordinary and lyrical language Higgins uses to turn a simply-titled "HOW TO" book into a multi-layered life lesson, delivered with a touch as gentle but persistent as a seed, the wind, or a child.
I won't issue a spoiler here, but I will say that despite the diversity and matter-of-fact, scavenged, makeshift aspects of the building processes, I had a mental reservation about how privileged this group of kids seemed: dressed for the weather, access to tools, and living in welcoming environments. I was pleased to see the various versions in what could be different habitats or even different global locations. Still, that reservation stayed wth me, until the final page turns. 
Now, I fully and enthusiastically endorse this book and recommend it for EVERY age. 

(And don't spoil the impact of those last pages by peeking.)

Well, so much for keeping it brief, right? Just goes to show why I've held on to these two for so long. You'll want to do the same, and so will the kids who read them with you.