A PLACE JUST FOR ME: Priceless.

 The words of Virginia Wolff resonated from the moment they first appeared in her 1929 extended essay: A ROOM OF ONE'S OWN. That piece is a very adult reflection on creativity, identity, and independence. Even so, the impulse to have "space", to find yourself and be yourself, can be recognized in even the youngest among us. A PLACE JUST FOR ME, written by Loredana Baldinucci and illustrated by Melinda Berti, seizes that impulse and celebrates agency and self-awareness in a young mouse.

GREYSTONE BOOKS
2023

Beginning with the illustrations, Berti has captured the perspective and character of nature at mouse-scale, blending realism with lighthearted marvel. The youngest mouse in the family lives in the roots of a large tree in a sprawling meadow. That little mouse and family live a human-ized life that mirrors that of many young children. 

There is absolutely nothing WRONG with mouse's life, but something about it is just not RIGHT. Silver's many siblings and generations are busy mice, with space to pursue their interests. Silver seeks a place to do NOTHING, at least for a little while, amid the very busy household. This simply-stated narrative is enhanced with detailed scenes on white backgrounds, with clarity that even the youngest audiences will investigate but with enough simplicity to feel safe and comforting. Silver doesn't need to escape, he needs to FIND a place that is a good fit. This is a quest story at its heart.

The narrative and scenes allow Silver to explore among safe neighbors, and to recognize ones that are not safe. His journey offers growth and learning what does or doesn't work for him. He is only out and exploring for a few hours, and yet he acquires awareness that some of his dissatisfaction comes from within. The lovely conclusion reveals that his quest has been on Mama Mouse's radar. Carving out a niché for Silver leads to recognition that home is the right place: for doing nothing, for doing something, and for being HOME. 

DRAGONFLY BOOKS, 2017
(reprint)

Something about the visuals and the gentle sense of mouse-persona reminded me of Leo Lionni's mouse tales, especially FREDERICK.  The illustrations involve very different media and techniques, but both titles and visuals capture a lightness of spirit, insights into the mind of a sensitive young mouse, and calming resolutions that welcome repeated readings and imagined connections. Both the creators of A PLACE JUST FOR ME and FREDERICK are (were) from Italy. It makes me wonder what magical personalities those Italian mice must have!

When you or someone you know seems in need of a place of their own, or time and space to do NOTHING, share this book. Or both!

Swimming with the Fishes- In the Best Way!

 It's August. I thought I'd mention that in case you are feeling as time-disoriented as I sometimes am these days. That means it's FISHING season, regardless of where you find yourself (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). Whether you are an avid angler or wrinkle your nose at the thought of baiting a hook, a recent non-fiction picture book is a must-read. 

FISH EVERYWHERE, was created by multi-award-winning Brita Teckentrup. This London-based creator is a fine-artist, illustrator, author, and remarkably effective science educator. The shimmery, embossed and texturized cover invites readers of any age to begin with a leisurely and curious examination of these schooled fish. Each shape, size and color suggests the remarkable diversity among the vertebrate fish pictured. Even at a glance, their individual eyes reveal the fact that fish have brains, complex nervous systems, and pursue individual purposes, even when schooled. This cover is an ideal invitation to meet these fish you will want to know more about.

Teckentrup provides a brilliant introduction to fish on our planet, launching the book with a double spread challenge to find images that are NOT fish from among the clearly labeled images. Successive spreads offer STEM content at its best, with intriguing and labeled science diagrams of a "bony" fish and a "cartilaginous" fish. There is no shying away from accuracy in language and content, yet the images and main text make the science content understandable for even youngest readers, at least in conversation with adults. 

The page-turns progress from early evolutionary fish history through varied habitats, always including sidebar illustrations and brief text with information and/or questions. Various pages also feature "Can you find it?" insets, food chain patterns, oddities of various species, survival strategies and adaptations, and reproduction patterns. 

In the concluding spreads the role of PEOPLE in relation to FISH is explored briefly, but effectively, revealing disruptions to nature's millions of years of FISH development, along with examples of kid-friendly changes in daily behaviors and choices that can have significant positive effects on FISH!

Teckentrup's informative and somewhat intense treatment of FISH called to mind a timeless picture book favorite of mine, SWIMMY, created by another globally acclaimed author/illustrator, Leo Lionni. These two gorgeous books would make a brilliant shared experience, offering comparisons of fiction and non-fiction picture books, art techniques, intended purposes and uses, and verse/voice styles. 

My Covid 19 anchor in time: 

Throughout my long teaching experience, at many grades, I shared SWIMMY during the first days and weeks of school. The direct (but lyrically light) message in this classic is that we do our best (not just survive, but THRIVE) when we work together. FISH EVERYWHERE reveals that truth, too, within it's scientific exploration of patterns and species adaptations. 

This commonality feels especially suitable as we face the stressed and distressed return to school, in one form or another, or many forms. For all the legitimate concern about providing social interaction for developing learners, books like SWIMMY and FISH EVERYWHERE invite us all to recognize that we are all, ALL OF US, residents of the same planet, inhabiting this social world together, and are in a multitude of ways connected in our various learning/working settings. Rather than adopting a survivalist/predatory approach to our choices, reaching beyond ourselves to explore a broader landscape of needs is a choice each of us can make. In the process, we can make those choices better for ourselves and the broader society. 

Shouldn't we try that as often as possible?