Back to School? Time for RECESS! By Lane Smith

 Some names in the world of picture books  elicit trust. Trust that the work will be masterful, entertaining.Worth the time, money, and attention to give it a close look. With the likely result that it will merit praise and recommendations. 

Books (creators) like that are not always my first-choice to share here, since there are countless major reviewers (KIRKUS REVIEWS, SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, HORN BOOK, etc.) who will undoubtedly read and support such works. Even though I read and adore such work myself, I tend to lend my limited influence to other creators or titles that might be overlooked despite displaying noteworthy qualities.

Despite that policy, there are plenty of highly-touted new books that I can't resist chiming in on. One of these creators and new titles is RECESS by LANE SMITH. Some of the wackiness, color, energy, and irreverence of Smith's earlier works may come to mind when looking at the cover of this latest release. A thorough look at his work reveals wide variety in techniques, media, style, design, and tone. If past titles don't spring to mind, I'll just mention the outrageousness and lively humor of THE STINKY CHEESE MAN or THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS By A. WOLF (both partnered with Jon Scieszka) to the very different images and tone of A HOUSE THAT ONCE WAS written by Julie Fogliano. For a peek at that variety of talent, take a quick look at a collage of his covers:

You can see what I mean. This is one versatile creator who does NOT need my praise to succeed! 

And yet... I can't resist celebrating his latest picture book, released just in time for BACK TO SCHOOL!  You heard me right. BACK TO SCHOOL! I lived or decades in a state in which public schools could not resume, by law, until after Memorial Day (even though that meant attending through the middle of June). I now live in a state without such restrictions. I see school buses and kids in uniforms, toting backpacks, from early AUGUST onward.

My hope for them, first and foremost, is that the schools they attend have air conditioning. 

My next hope is that every classroom will purchase and share Lane Smith's new picture book, RECESS.

The tongue-in-cheek text pairs with fantastic page design and kid-centric art to capture and exploit the feeling of those kids in those desks. Especially during AUGUST! 

ABRAMS, RECESS, 2025 (Interior art)

It's never easy to shift gears from summer schedules to back-to-school demands, as this early spread suggests so effectively:

That first reveal of text design is a pattern used throughout and is worth noting. The first lines of text addresses kids who are less than energized as they sit in class, then a lively string of  anticipatory words, followed by tiny text refuting the hopes indicated.

Each page turn/enticement leads to a double page spread of recess releasing.

ABRAMS, RECESS, 2025 (Interior art)

That text design on the RECESS pages also utilizes that varied text layout to exaggerate the silliness of the described activity, the insistence to STOP!, then an added tiny-print last line with a notably different voice and perspective. 

What I appreciated about this, especially was my memory of those covid-school days/months in which kids were NOT allowed to have contact with each other, even wear masks. They had to learn to cope with the isolation a community that was restrictive by definition. RECESS included. 

In this new work, it's joyful to share the goofiness of moving our bodies to provide escape from the drudgery of necessary tasks. Following each RECESS command/spread, a page turn takes readers back to a nearly black-and-white, scowl-inducing  situation that is all too familiar to school kids. Most make easy metaphors for adults at work, too. Smith's exaggeration of both sides of life, from unfulfilling routines to unimaginable raucousness, will not only trigger giggles but will invite repeated readings (and enactments!). 

This is a perfect case of picture books NOT just being for little kids. From preschool through college kids (who ALSO end up back in class in August!), to employment settings, I recommend sharing this book once and then keeping it on hand for future, unexpected spread-breaks. A sudden shout out and movement jolt is a powerful tool for energizing creativity and problem solving. If a kiddo has the bedtime wiggles, try enacting a full read-through to exhaust some of that energy. If a  lengthy car ride is in the works, many of these recess experiences can be executed while seat belted and soaring down the road. By simply admitting that endless stationary sitting is not human nature, a hilarious fresh start can reset the tone for everyone involved. 

RECESS by Lane Smith certainly shook me up, bumping a planned post to get this note out to all of  you! 

I DON'T CARE... DO YOU?

On this national holiday commemorating Martin Luther King, Jr. and his immeasurable contribution to a better country and world, I'll feature a new picture book that embodies everything important about his messages for young audiences. 

Neal Porter Books, 2022
Holiday House Imprint

I DON'T CARE is written by multi-award-winning Julie Fogliano, and illustrated by a pair of award-winning illustrators Molly Idle and Juana Martinez-Neal. 

Among the best of all interviewers is Scott Simon of NPR's Weekend Edition Saturday. In December, Simon hosted both illustrators, Molly and Juana, for an interview that knocked me flat. I was entertained, informed, uplifted, and... disappointed.

 WHAT?!?!?  Disappointed? Here's why. I had been offered a chance to submit interview questions for all three creators, but after hearing their conversation I realized that nothing I could offer would be more engaging and powerful than that session together with Scott Simon. Whether you read anything else here or not, (and I hope you will), do yourself a favor and listen to this remarkable interview, HERE.

Foregoing an interview allows me space to dig even more deeply into the work itself, trusting you to read/listen to the discussion linked above. It will reveal back story and details about the choices for color, style, even paper! All of these make the experience of the book itself all the more powerful. Don't let my gushing endorsement of their illustration work and of the interview content suggest I'm overlooking the brilliance of the text itself. That can't happen.

Julie Fogliano has produced some of my all time favorite picture books, including THESE. The common trait among them is the author's gift for using the "just right" words in the "just right" order to focus readers on the heart of each particular story. She often writes in rhyme, but that approach never overwhelms or even leads the way for readers. She allows the unfolding text to reveal the heart of what is happening, what is at stake, and what is resolved. Those qualities are most often "quiet" in her works, and "quiet" books are reportedly not easily sold in today's market. 

Ha!

As with rhyming, another approach writers are  frequently cautioned to avoid, the secret to success is to do it well, even perfectly. Julie does just that. Her books often, and especially this one, provide ideal mentor text for anyone attempting to write for children. 

In this case, her full text is voiced by what she had envisioned as a single child, addressed to a "you". That "you" would seemingly be another child who the speaker is evidently rebuffing, assuming the "other" likely thinks negative things about the speaker. About their hair, boots, clothes, drawing, what they have or where they live or what they eat. The speaker's guard is up from the first moment the other, the "you", appears

 The speaker's words imply suspicion, defensiveness, and (likely) a bias toward others who in any way seem different. The text continues to allow the "I" voice to see and consider a possible connection to the other, one that might actually be an opportunity for company, for play, for... friendship. 

This development allows for caring: about what matters most, and about the other as much as about themselves. The lines and language, gently rhymed and paced, provide time for growth, inner reflections, and the possibility for change. The childlike pattern used (and the use of lower case /i/ for the pronoun stating the characters feelings) remind readers of any age that  such a suspicious, tentative approach to new encounters, to change, to expectations that remain unpredictable, are common negative reactions at any age, to one degree or another. If the illustrations had developed with this single perspective, I have no doubt that I'd still love and praise this new offering. 

But, as the interview linked above reveals, handing text to an illustrator allows for an entirely expanded interpretation, and that was the impact on Molly Idle when she was asked to illustrate. The text spoke to her entirely as an interactive dialogue between TWO characters, alternating that /i/ voice and those cautious feelings, allowing both to gradually recognize themselves as being safe in the other's company and, in fact, very much caring about the newly developing friendship. 

This delightful, gentle, powerful exploration of inner and interactive emotions is a perfect reflection of the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s lifetime efforts. Neither character tried to reshape the other, but each is able to overcome cautious defensiveness and give the other a chance. 

This is no quick transition; no abracadabra moment occurs. But sustained "tolerance", close observation, and human curiosity serve as magnets to explore further. What this seemingly simple picture book captures is a human being moving through initial discomfort, sitting with those feelings long enough to explore and overcome them. None of that would happen if the initial response was to shut down and go away, or to find like-minded folks and reconfirm that anything other than the familiar presented danger.

Interior spread, I DON'T CARE, 2022

That gave the two a chance... for what? To be who they are, and to accept the other fully, finding safety and respect in the process. And, in this case, making new friends. Transformation of our historically silo-evolved society comes one encounter at a time. This new book not only provides mentor-text and mentor-illustration for creators, it is a mentor offering for life, for all ages. 

Don't miss it. then share it and actively practice. Seek out opportunities to spend time outside your usual circles, habits, locations. Be patient and fair. Change CAN come, given a chance.

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.