Following Dreams: TO SEE AN OWL

The picture books i feature here are among those I consider the best of the best. THere's no denying that my choices are highly subjective, despite reflecting years of objective comparison among other offerings for readers. A big factor in my subjective choices is subject matter, whether fiction or nonfiction, informational or inspiring. Or any combination of the above. As regular readers here might have noted, and I openly admit, books about birds get a head start on my heart. Though I seek to feature books with wide appeal, in recent weeks I wrote about THE CRANE AND THE KEEPER (HERE), and THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST (HERE). Both are nonfiction with accounts that intrigue and entertain. 

RANDOM HOUSE STUDIO, 2023

It's about time I give a round of applause to a picture book that flies in the face of categorization. There's no doubt it is informative, and it is as uplifting as a whoosh of bird flight. TO SEE AN OWL is written and illustrated by award-winning creator Matthew Cordell. That cover alone suggests the ironic parallels within this story, the push and pull of an avid and curious admirer of owls (she's the one on the right) and an elusive, evasive great horned owl. Their eyes tell the story, in a sense, suggesting that the expertise of each (the sought and the seeker) rely on careful and intentional observation in their pursuit of what they most want.

This lovely offering of facts about owls couches the scientific information within the story of a girl with a lifelong dream. It's clear that her mother is in large part responsible for this girl's obsession since infancy, through shared books and encouragement of her interest and art. It's no wonder that even when less-than-enthused, her mother  tirelessly trudges along on many  sojourns to spot an owl. I've mentioned Jane Yolen's powerful OWL MOON in prior posts about books featuring this not-rare obsession, as in this post. Many of those who attempt to produce owl-pursuit picture books share a visual aesthetic with OWL MOON, and that's to be expected. After all, owls are sought in the the dark, in wooded areas, and more than occasionally in snow-covered times. That's when the ringing WHOOO resonates most clearly, floating above a moon-luminous, blue-lit snowy field or path. The art is often watery-washed and magical in tone, simply because such an eventual meeting is, indeed, quite magical and unforgettable.

Cordell's style and technique emphasizes line art, as the cover reveals. Color serves the story but often leans toward the subdued natural tones seen here. That technique underscores the storytelling in this restrained but heartfelt account of a devoted and determined young girl whose teacher turns out to also be a birder. One who affirms that spotting an owl is magical.

That connection is a bond that increases the girl's knowledge, skills, and intentionality in her pursuits. When the time comes to share her report, she has not yet seen an owl, despite her increased expertise. But her field map and accurate recordings of other sightings leads to a comment from her teacher that sparks hope. And the ultimate moment of meeting (really? that's a spoiler? No, it had to happen.) is powerful and direct, uplifting and gratifying, but not in the usual 'dreamy" way.

This is what I loved most about this book.This realistic, earnest character who recognizes magic without special effects. I continue to refer to "the girl", even though she is central to the story. The first person narration allows readers to find themselves seeing what she sees, feeling what she feels, dreaming along with her of a lifelong goal. One that doesn't win a prize or prove a point, but allows her to satisfy her dream. From the pre-title page art and text to the final page turn, the subtle art, the warmth of adult support and faith, the drive to learn and discover combine to produce a fully satisfying conclusion. 

If you read this one and come away without at least an urge to go owl-spotting, leave a comment and explain, please. Perhaps, instead, you followed the dream-pursuit journey to the place in your heart that will take you on an entirely different journey, but with no less dedication to making your dream come true. That's magical. The magic of picture books for any age.

 

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! 

OUR LAKE: Tender in Text and Illustration

   

KOKILA PRESS, 2025

 OUR LAKE, written and illustrated by Angie Kang, is an invitation to witness a very special, transformational moment. A relationship and slice of time that transcends the event. Don't miss this seemingly simple experience. Reading the book, diving into its luminous illustrations and subtle text felt personal to me. 

The cover image reveals two boys, lit by a glorious sun and standing at the edge of something high, overlooking a shimmering lake. My anticipatory thought was that this might mirror JABARI JUMPS, the first of several JABARI titles, and my favorite among them. (I reviewed it HERE, and it's a terrific summer title to share with early stage swimmers!) I am among many who, though we love the water, are not exactly confident about diving in from high places. In Jabari's case, his father offers the confidence to launch, and I imagined that might be the case with this seemingly older brother. I was drawn to that relationship, one in which an older sibling is protective and encouraging. I was also drawn to the art, which called to mind another water/confidence picture book, I TALK LIKE A RIVER, reviewed HERE. 

The voice and art of this recent release echoed some favorite qualities from that earlier title. Narrative is direct, personal, minimal, but revealing. Deep emotion is suggested, but only in a gentle and approachable way. The illustrations are soft-edged and glowing, impressionistic and subdued in detail but rich in realism and connection to readers' own experiences. The use of color and light to convey the healing warmth of the sun and the soothing effects of water are nearly magical.

Obviously, all that appealed to me before I even opened the book.

Then I read the story and was convinced that I was reading a future-award-winning treasure. 

On the title page we see the older boy tying the shoes of the younger one. The first spread introduces the heart of this story: 

"Today Brother is taking me up to the lake to swim like Father used to."

The first several spreads swell the pages with mixed emotions of color: Skies and upper backgrounds radiate colorful joy and brilliance, while the foreground and base of the pages absorb that brightness into somber blues and shadows. Multiple spreads throughout the central pages reveal preparing for the lake adventure with rituals of stretching, toeing the edge of the height, and the older boy's plunge into refreshing wasters. The next spreads are similarly simple but heartfelt as the younger boy hesitates, recalls his absent father, makes his decision, and resolves in the sweetest way you can imagine. Actually, it might surprise you, but it will more than satisfy.

Like Jabari Jumps, this is a Father/Son/Confidence story. Like I TALK LIKE A RIVER, this is a story in which the father is not present and yet his presence in the mind and heart of his boy speaks clearly. Beyond these two comparisons, this is a story of loss and resolving loss through the power of shared memories, traditions, and support. In a recent post I reviewed NIGHT WALK, which echoed an experience of finding comfort in loss by sharing memories with others who also loved them. It, too, like these others, relied on direct and subtle text with illustrations that evoke real experiences with a slightly dreamy quality. 

I urge you to read and appreciate this book. It should be one to keep in mind for sharing with anyone (of any age) who loses a parent or parent-figure. Finding strength in relationships that remain will never erase or take the place of the lost loved one. A story like this can offer hope and reassurance that we are not alone, that hope and support are at hand. 

KOKILA PRESS, 2025, OUR LAKE, Interior

BUNNY and TREE- Reflections on HOME

 This year's holiday gatherings have felt especially sweet. My recent move back to my home town (after MANY years away) find me taking part in big and small occasions with family and friends, most I  had rarely seen at this time of year. During the Fall, I enjoyed aa short visit to my longtime home to deal with multiple business matters. When my plane landed, a thought filled me- "I'm HOME!" Not many days later, as my return flight approached landing back in my hometown/new home, another thought overtook me, unsolicited: "You'll be HOME soon." Then, in a conscious, intentional thought, I compared those two reactions and I realized, to my deep joy, that I have TWO homes. Two places where I know my way around, where caring people who have been part of my life for a long time are near, and where I find joy and feel safe. We all require safe shelter and sustenance to survive, and will fail to thrive without relationships of love and trust.But HOME is immeasurably more than that.

Enchanted Lio0n Books, 2023

That's what brought me back to share this very special wordless picture book. BUNNY & TREE is a loving and moving debut endeavor by BALINT ZSAKO, A visual artist/photographer/filmaker, he was born into an artistic family in Budapest, Hungary but now is a resident of Canada.

This is an exceptionally impressive wordless book for many reasons, not the least of which is the quality of the art and the final product. Colorful, full-spread illustrations are expensive to produce for publishers, especially with the large page size, excellent paper, and surprising length of this offering.With a range of tones and colors, from glowing pastels to shadowed subtlety, each sprawling spread incorporates the gentleness or intensity needed to share a glorious field off flowers or a seethingly fierce wolf. The cover image here gives you a sense of the story, as does the title. The length of this book (184 pages) is beyond rare for such a publisher's financial commitment to storytelling and to art. This is a visual storytelling of escape, assistance, need, challenge, travel, hope, and the power of such emotional connections between friends. 

I receive picture books from authors and publishers (but with no promise of a review). I seek out most books I reveiw at my public library collaborative. (Cheers for those fabulous folks and facilities, at my prior home and now here!) I buy books as gifts and often reveiw those, since I curate actual purchases very cautiously. In this case, though, I learned about this July, 2023 release long before it became available, and I preordered. From my first "reading", through countless others since then, I have deferred writing a review because I felt inadequate to praise it. With SIX starred reviews (so far) and being named on "Best of Year" lists, I'll admit to a shift in my thinking. This is one of those phenomenal books that is getting outstanding support and will certainly be named among many medal and honor winners in the coming month. (All well-deserved.) I decided I would lend my small voice and limited blog posts to some other books that were still a step away from such glowing spotlights. Yet, these many months later, I have not shelved this book out of my line of sight. I keep it "at hand", because each time I examine it from front to back, retold its visual stories, I find more to love. New details or insights expand previous readings, and I continue to love it deeply. 

After my experiences reflecting on HOME and what it means, I picked this up again and found an even closer connection.

Throughout each reading, the short version of what happens is an epic journey, a nine-act story with prologue and epilogue. It seems both fanciful and familiar. RABBIT (with different-colored ears to foreshadow attention to color in images and impact) and its mates seek escape from a marauding wolf. Just as death is imminent, TREE reveals itself as having both empathy and unique abilities. Reshaping its trunks, branches, and limbs into the shape of a massive wolf head, TREE forces the predator to retreat. This is all in the the prologue. Each chapter reveals grateful RABBIT and caring TREE moving through helpful roles, balancing each other. All the while they discover places and experiences in a wider world that only bond them further in trust and awareness of the potential each offers. Their journey involves dangers and sacrifices, but this story provides the polar opposite of the Tree's sacrifice in THE GIVING TREE, a picture book both despised and cherished by readers of different opinions. 

I considered sharing an interior spread, or a short passage of my (latest) interpretation of the visual narrative in words, and choose not to do so. Whether you check it out of a library, gift it to someone you love, screen first by reading other reviews, or ask your local independent bookstore to show it to you, please "read" it. Many times, if you can. Over time. The meaning of HOME and FRIEND and COMMUNITY changes throughout each of our lives, as it does within the pages of this book. The magical accomplishment in this wordless marvel is the epilogue indicator that when we share journeys and emotions and understanding with others, nature itself may join the pro9cess in the most surprising ways.

Roar Like A Dandelion: Celebrate the Alphabet

Congrats to the giveaway winner. Becki Kidd! Thanks for stopping by, Becki. I'll be in touch directly to make sure you really can get your hands on this book soon!
Sandy

Patience, please. 
I am steadily reading nominees in my Cybils Awards categories: nonfiction for elementary and for middle grade readers. You can take a look at the amazing titles that are currently stacked by my side as I write this. Narrowing this list down to two eventual "shortlists" is an enormous responsibility, but the reading is fun. If you wonder what I've been thinking as I read, check out some of my recent ratings and reviews on my GOODREADS posts, here.

 I'm not quite ready to launch reviews of nonfiction picture book nominees. I've also been reading some delightful fiction picture books that released recently. That's intentional. I'm reminding myself to focus not only on the high quality content in these nonfiction nominees, but also on the kid-appeal, word play, and general delightfulness of the books. The underlying criteria for every Cybils category are READER APPEAL and LITERARY QUALITY. 

HarperCollins October, 2019

Those two traits are embodied in an October release, an alphabet picture book that makes me smile from cover to cover: ROAR LIKE A DANDELION, with words by RUTH KRAUSS and drawings by SERGIO RUZZIER. I've been a fan of Ruth Krauss before I began paying attention to author names, and that's because she was writing books while I WAS A CHILD. Yikes! That's a long time ago!
That kid-appeal quality was always evident in the words and point of view Krauss provided in her books, and I adored them. You can read more about Krauss in this great article from Brain Pickings blog. 
Sergio Ruzzier does not need my praise to bolster his stellar career.  Even so, I can imagine that despite his success and award-winning  reputation he may have been a bit anxious about being selected to bring this unpublished work by Krauss to life. After all, many of Krauss's books were illustrated by Maurice Sendak and Crockett Johnson, icons of picture book illustration. 
So what makes this book so special? Alphabet books range from academic to storytelling to subject-specific. In this case, Ruzzier has managed to capture the glorious, enormous imagination of Krauss's words with delightfully detailed and impishly illogical characters. His images both illustrate and expand the imperatives Krauss imagined. The charm of the front cover invites a quick peek at the back cover, which launches the reading with a laugh. Endpapers do the same, offering an array of insect-ish critters exploring their inner roaring voices and attitudes.
Krauss offers letter-inspired directives to execute various actions, making her words a fun library or preschool exploration of action and vocabulary. Some are suited to simplistic thinking: Make music, Nod yes, Hold your arms out like a pine tree. Others nudge imaginations beyond the literal: Eat all the locks off the doors, Paint a picture of a cage wth an open door and wait, Undress to match the trees in winter. 
Ruzzier recognized the magical miracle of Krauss's words, even the seemingly mundane ones, providing a page-by-page parade of wild wonderings. His characters are both recognizable critters (whales, mice, bugs, pigs) but also wryly off-center, with exaggerated shapes, sizes, colors, and attitudes. Krauss's "Fall like rain" reveals a sky of plummeting elephants while a kitten on the ground extends a paw from under the umbrella to check the weather. "X out all the bad stuff" shows an irritated mouse-ish fella marking X's on three slightly-too-unusual critters.The ironic appearance of potential enemies within individual illustrations adds to the humor: "Go like a road" has mice walking the spine of a snake from tail toward face- Surprise!
When it comes time to review nonfiction picture books (soon), I won't expect this level of wacky wondering to be as evident. But the power of words and images to elevate and transform each other WILL be among the qualities I'll consider. The power of picture books to explore core concepts has a long and successful history, establishing a high bar for excellence. This new book is a great example of this and will remind me to keep those kid-appeal and literary excellence criteria in mind.

*** I received a copy of ROAR LIKE A DANDELION from the publisher with no promise of reviewing it.

GOT TO GET TO BEAR'S: Get Your Hands on This Picture Book by Brian Lies

I recently wrote about THE ROUGH PATCH, written and illustrated by Brian Lies. I was not alone. The book was awarded a Caldecott Honor, among many other accolades, and I urge you to read it.

Houghton Mifflin Books

Just a few months after the release of that gorgeous and powerful picture book, GOT TO GET TO BEAR'S hit the presses. Also written and illustrated by Brian Lies, this picture book will tug your heartstrings and become a family favorite. The  remarkably appealing story involves adventure, internal rhyme, a few spontaneous and encouraging song lyrics, and a cast of characters with delightfully clever names. The nuanced language elements entertain but also enhance the momentum of their journey. The remarkable visual details provide rich resources for smiles and reveal each character's personality in wonderfully organic ways. Both voice and visuals entice readers to return to the book again and again.

This is a story to warm the heart, tickle the funny bone, fascinate the eye, and enjoy again and again. There are countless potential mentor moments- the importance of the apostrophe in "bear's", the voice of each cleverly distinct character, and the subtle visual details (many related to the story, and many others- not!). This cumulative adventure has a surprise component, a model of true friendships, and lilting language that leads readers to a satisfying, circle-story conclusion. 
Themes of loyalty, persistence, teamwork, kindness, and trust are woven throughout and emerge naturally in the course of the story. 

If you get the feeling that I'm a fan of BRIAN LIES you're nearly right. Actually, I'm a fan of his work, although I've never met the man. I look forward to each pending release, check them out of the library immediately, then feel compelled to purchase the book(s) for my own collection and as gifts. Yes, his illustrations are irresistible. Yes, I am a naturalist and deeply appreciate the ways his art and narrative capture the true nature of animals I adore. 
Good reasons to rave, right?
Yes, but my enthusiasm has as much to do with the undeniable heart in each distinct book, with the blend of humor and concern, with the hint of the unseen daily lives of the characters.   Here are some other suggestions to explore:

The Rough Patch: Wisdom for Every Age

I launched this blog many years ago to celebrate the joy, value, quality, and benefits of picture books for every age. If this is your first stop at this blog, you can read my manifesto about picture books in these early posts, HERE and HERE. 

Greenwillow/Harper Collins Children's Books, 2018

I take great joy in reading picture books (text and illustrations, which is how picture books speak to us).
I never planned to provide daily posts (and I'm still  in awe of those who manage to do so). I'm very selective about the books I feature here.

Deciding which picture books to discuss and how extensively to write about each book challenges me. I look for something unique in the books I feature, searching for something that attracts my attention, draws me back again and again, and allows me to uncover new elements in the text and the illustrations on each rereading. 
I share books that are multi-layered, both timeless and ageless, in my opinion. 
Even though it goes against my nature to name favorites among the many books I love, some continue to absorb my attention, even years after an initial reading or post.

THE ROUGH PATCH, written and illustrated by BRIAN LIES, will undoubtedly be such a book. I'm not alone in feeling this way. It has already garnered rave reviews and three stars. Check out what School Library Journal said (HERE), Kirkus Reviews (HERE), and Publishers' Weekly (HERE). Each outlines the story well and makes note of a few of the many distinctive details, like Evan's garden boots.

I offer these trusted sources to confirm that my opinion about this tender story wasn't unduly influenced by the fact that I faced a heartbreaking final good-bye to my own four-legged companion earlier this summer. In fact, if this book had been released in June I probably wouldn't have chosen to read it at that time. My emotions were still too new, too raw.
Having read it now, though, I wish it had been available to me then. 
There is as much comfort between the covers of this book as I feel when wrapped in one of my heirloom family quilts.

Yes, on one level, THE ROUGH PATCH is a story of loss. But it is so much more than that. It explores and celebrates the amazing capacity and power of friendship and love. It reveals the depths and strengths of human emotions, the importance of living in the moment, and, yes, the circle of life.
In fact, the initial opening spreads are joyous, vibrant, luminous. Evan (the Fox) and his friend (the Dog) savor every moment of their full, shared lives. Their companionship, comfort, and wordless communication shine on the pages and will be deeply felt by those who share their own lives wth dogs, cats, or other friends. 
The scant but potent text in each spread, throughout each stage, conveys Fox's joy, grief, anger, and eventual healing. Lies's writing perfectly suits the lives of this garden community: simple, direct, and pure. It reminds me of a free-verse Robert Frost.  In one achingly gentle double spread, Evan realizes that "the unthinkable happened."

The next several spreads follow Evan through his stages of grief: his isolation and anger, and his rejection of his formerly joyful garden. The metaphoric title plays out superbly in the middle portion of the book, in which "a good place won't stay empty for long". Evan destroys his formerly manicured garden, but nature abhors a vacuum. The space soon fills with growing things: weeds, thorns, and spiky intruders. Evan nurses that negativity, embraces it. In the process, though, he experiences the healing power of resuming his daily habits despite his aching, broken heart. 
Time passes, sun shines, and a "volunteer" vine creeps into the garden. 
When Fair Week finally rolls around Evan is open to a twinge of familiar excitement. Time and old habits have allowed his heart to begin to heal, to give himself permission to enjoy familiar joys. When a scrabbling tendril of possibility reaches out to him at the fair, he chooses to begin anew.

Throughout each page and stage, Lies uses his mastery of illustration to combine expressive features, shifting perspectives, light, shading, color, and detail to create scenes that beg to be examined closely while urging readers to turn the page and know the characters more deeply. Throughout it all I found myself walking hand-in-paw with Evan, wanting desperately to comfort him but knowing his was a journey to be traveled alone.

Lies has created many books I admire. His talent for capturing the nuance of expression, movement, habits, and postures in animals is incredible. I first described that talent in a post (here) about MORE, which he illustrated for author I. C. Springman. 
Apart from the elements within each scene or spread, I greatly admire the way he conveyed the emotional arc of this book through the continuity and transformations from first page to last. In THE ROUGH PATCH I noted his use of similar artistic tools, and yet he achieves distinctly different effects. In both cases, the transitions are so deftly accomplished that what might be considered simple circle stories instead become salvation stories, each ending with the characters transformed and strengthened in ways that are layered and lovely.

I recommend many books, but put THE ROUGH PATCH at the top of your list. 
Share it widely.
This fox and dog represent all of humanity.

Illustration Celebrations: Introspective and Retrospective

Crispin Books, April, 2014

I can't help feeling guilty about neglecting this blog for the past couple of weeks, even though I posted a warning I'd be focusing on my author blog at www.SandyBrehl.com/blog for a month or two in conjunction with the release of my middle grade historical novel, ODIN'S PROMISE.
Click to the blog above later to find links to giveaways from various blog tour hosts.

I've been busy in the best possible ways, but never too busy to feel guilty when it comes to letting my attention to picture books slide. Let me assure you that I have been working on material for this post and for several future ones, and now the calendar demands I procrastinate no longer.

The reason for my return is to extend my own celebration to two worlds of illustration. The first was triggered by the arrival of the March/April Horn Book Magazine in my mailbox, a special issue on illustration. I particularly loved this quotation from Roger Sutton's editorial on the unique value and function of picture books in literacy development:

"To echo another social media meme, Leave the Kindergarteners Alone! It's our job to read to them; it's their job to look at the pictures; it's the pictures' job to join the story with the imaginations of those who read it and those who hear it. As the many examples in this special issue demonstrate, that job continues to be performed admirably."

A quick glance at the titles and authors of the articles in the Table of Contents (here) should convince you to get to a library or bookstore and read it cover to cover. Where else could you enjoy (over and over) the wisdom and insights of so many masters of the art of illustration in a single sitting. That's what I did, even though it meant I had to let a few important to-do items wait.

If you absolutely, positively can't read it now, it will be there waiting for you when you get to it, but GET TO IT, as a favor to yourself. 

The more important reason for getting back to posting here is that some things won't be there waiting for us if we miss them now.This is an event I will miss out on, but you don't have to.

Wendell Minor, “Heartland (Red Barn Flag),” 1989.
Cover illustration for “Heartland” by Diane Siebert,
Thomas Y. Crowell, New York. ©Wendell 

Make it a point to get to the Wendell Minor retrospective exhibit at the Norman Rockwell Museum, celebrating 25 Years of Children's Book Art. The exhibit began November 9, 2013, but the clock is ticking. May 26 is the final day to see this incredible collection, entitled Wendell Minor's America. No excuses, folks, take a few minutes to click the link above and view the embedded video in which Minor describes his early years, the forces behind his development as an artist and nature lover. and his professional assignments prior to and related to working on picture books. His reflections on the role of illustrations in picture books is in perfect harmony with Sutton's comments.

Norman Rockwell Museum Composite,
Wendell Minor Retrospective

In the video he says: 
"The unique thing about a picture book is that they aren't just 16 or 20 pictures together, they all have to relate together, to flow together.In a good picture book you should be able to not read the words and still get the message through the pictures, and the words add that extra dimension."

I would add that this is true not only for story picture books for the very young, but for the most sophisticated non-fiction subject matter. Even when the text has demanded huge amounts of research and sophisticated knowledge, illustrations such as Minor's reveal nuance, intricacy, and dynamics that text alone can never fully describe.

Harper Collins, April 2014

Minor recently indulged me with a lengthy phone interview. I'll return in a week or two with another post sharing some of the many things he spoke about in that interview, including spotlights on just a few of the many picture books he has created alone and in partnership with remarkable authors. In my last post I reviewed his latest release, GALAPAGOS GEORGE, written by Jean Craighead George. He has several new works scheduled for release in the coming year which will be previewed in that post. 

In the meantime, if you are anywhere in the vicinity of the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, get there before this exhibit ends. Minor's art is impressive enough in the quality pages publishers use to best display his work, but an opportunity to view the original art should not be missed. Sadly, I will not be able to get to the coast during this exhibit. If you've been there, go back and take my virtual eyes. By all means, add comments about your experience there. 

Go ahead, rub it in. At least I have many of his books to console me, and a signed catalogue of the exhibit, which I cherish.

FLORA and FLAMINGO: Meet Molly Idle

Molly Idle, Author and Illustrator

Walker Children's, 2013

I’m so excited to share this blog-stop “virtual interview” with readers. I’ve been a fan of Molly Idle’s work for several years. This year she hit the trifecta of publishing with simultaneous releases of three remarkable picture books: ZOMBELINA, (written by Kristyn Crow), TEA REX, and FLORA AND FLAMINGO.

Viking Juvenile, 2013

2013 is quite a year for remarkable picture books, proving once again that this format has (and will continue to have) a vigorous and relevant role in the world of publishing, and in our literary lives. Earlier this spring I interviewed Jesse Klausmeier about her own release of OPEN THIS LITTLE BOOK, after which she introduced me to Molly Idle (again, virtually). 
Jesse's title and Molly's FLORA AND FLAMINGO share the distinction of receiving mentions among  reviewers eyeing contenders for the 2013 Caldecott Award. (I've been assured that these mentions in no way carry a jinx-factor, which allows me to repeat them here.) Each of Molly’s 2013 releases has been met with acclaim, but none more so than the innovative wordless book, Flora and Flamingo. She was kind enough to answer some questions about creating this book to share with you here.

Without further ado, welcome Molly! Congratulations on your amazing year. 
*Extended pause for applause.*

Molly: Thank you so much for your kind words about Flora, and for featuring this interview on your blog.

Chronicle Books, 2013

Who came to you first, Flamingo or Flora?

Ah, which came first- the flamingo or the egg? The answer (in this case) is the flamingo. My knack for nomenclature misinterpretation was a running gag when I was growing up. For years, I thought Lee Iacocca and The Ayatollah were the same person (their names sounded exactly the same to me!) I was 10 before I realized that A.A. Milne’s characters, Kanga and Roo, when put together, made "kangaroo". To me, that was just who they were, and it never occurred to me that it was also what they were... (sigh)

And, for years, I thought "flamenco dancing" was "flamingo dancing". So, the idea of a dancing flamingo had been playing about in my mind for a long time. It was only when I started thinking about a dancing flamingo as a character for a picture book that I began looking for his partner.

I can envision you researching and investigating the movements of a flamingo, but how did you settle on this particularly shaped and sized child? Did you have a model or are you a trained dancer? 

Oh. my goodness no- I am not a dancer.  I do love to watch dancers though. Gene Kelly and Donald O'Connor* are two of my favorites. Two more of my favorites are my nieces, Sarah and Katie. When they were about 8 and 10 they came to visit my husband and I for summer vacation. In the evenings they would choreograph dance routines which they would perform for us on the front porch. At the time they were both in that round tummied, growing-out-before-growing-up stage. They were also completely, blissfully, oblivious to all of the body image insecurities that plague young women. They thought that they were fully awesome just the way they were...  and they were right. And to my mind, they were the perfect models on which to base the dance partner for a flamingo.

About Flora’s flippers and swim cap (which are not only charming, but genius, in my opinion), were they the end result of a variety of hair/foot design trials, or did Flora arrive in your imagination fully geared up?

Both the swim cap and flippers were there from the very first sketch. In fact, neither character changed from my initial sketch (which is a first for me ). But the detail of the flowers on Flora's cap came after I had finished coloring in the pair for the first time. As I stood back and surveyed them, I just thought she needed a little something extra... And in thinking about the rubbery surface of her swim-cap, I remembered these rubbery non-slip stickers that had been on my bathtub growing up. They were shaped like daisies, and I thought- "That's it!"

When you settle in to your incredible workspace, sip your java, and gaze out the window, is music playing? Click here for an extensive Chronicle Books interview with Molly to find out more about her work habits and spaces. And take a few minutes to watch BOTH videos embedded in this link.

Most always... When I'm working on final art, I have different mixes for different projects, and they help get to me in the groove, and to switch grooves when needs be. I love the company of background noise in the studio. But when I'm working out initial sketches, or when I'm writing, then I have to turn everything off.  It sounds melodramatic, but, to really get deep down inside a story or a compositional problem, I want (like Greta Garbo) " to be left alone."

In other interviews I’ve read, you mention the fantastic art and design teams at your various publishers. Can you tell us a bit about those collaborations as compared to your animation collaborations?

In animation, the artists I worked with had an incredible sense of imagination and play, but the production environment itself was extremely regimented. It has to be when you have an enormous team, creating thousands upon thousands of images. Even after having been a part of it, it never ceases to amaze me how the hands and minds of so many individuals can collaborate to create such a unified vision. It’s awesome! But, as a small cog in the works, it can also mean subjugating your individual style for the sake of consistency. 

That is why I find making books so freeing. For while it is still very much a collaborative process, I'm never asked to make my work like that of anyone else. The editors and art directors I get to work with instead push me to create the best work I can make... Whatever it may be. They are like magic mirrors up to which I hold my work, and when they reflect it back to me I see what is working and what can be made better. (And it can always be made better.) That kind of collaboration is really exciting!

In a mini-interview with Jeremy Holmes on your blog, you said the design of his book THERE WAS AN OLD LADY WHO SWALLOWED A FLY opened your mind to alternative interactive picture book design. Can you tell us more about your choice for fold-down flaps for FLORA AND FLAMINGO?

Yes, yes I can! 

I pitched the idea for the book to my agent, as a straightforward wordless picture book, and while she liked it, she asked me to think of of some element that would necessitate it being a book rather than, say... a short animated film. Could the story, she asked, have some element of interactivity?

And it was like a lightbulb popped on over my head! I knew right then that the interactivity needed to be that of the reader determining the poses  in which the characters would relate to each other. And I knew the way to achieve that was to have the characters appearing in opposing flaps.

I didn’t know if it was possible to print something like it in a cost effective way, nor did I know how to construct it. But I knew it was the way I needed to tell the story, and I set to work. Once I had muddled through the paper engineering, and about 4 rolls of double stick tape, I had the assembled first draft of the dummy, and we sent it off to Chronicle!

This spring you released Flora and the Flamingo from Chronicle Books, Zombelina from Walker Childrens,  and Tea Rex from Viking Press within weeks of each other. That must have been exciting, but were the deadlines and other development processes simultaneous? How do you handle projects when that happens?

I learned a lot about time management in working through the books I had published this year! Yes, FLORA, TEA REX and ZOMBELINA were all in the works simultaneously. It was like a year long  game of round robin in my studio!  Rather than try and spend a bit of time each day on every project, I  finished each book in stages. I dove into the sketches for Flora, and when they were finished, I sent them off for notes and then started in on sketches for Rex. When they were finished, I jumped into character design for ZOMBELINA. By the time I had finished that, I had revision notes back on the sketches for Flora... And round and round it went. 

Are you free to tell us about any of the projects you are working on currently?

I'm working on another round robin schedule right now. I've just wrapped up work on CAMP REX (Viking, April 2014), and now I'm working on  FLORA AND THE PENGUIN (Chronicle, Winter 2014), RODEO RED, written by Maripat Mohr (Peachtree, 2015), and the third REX book!

In the mini-interviews on your blog (which I recommend to my readers here) you ask the same questions for each illustrator. Which of those questions were you hoping someone would ask you?

Yes, Juana Martinez Neal, Mikela Prevost, Laura Jacobsen and I have asked the same questions of all of our interviewees for the past few years during National Picture Book Month. But this year, we are changing up our format, and the question I would most like to be asked, is the  new final question I’ll be asking in this November’s round of Mini Interviews. But I don’t want to give it away. So... I'll just say...Check back in with me in November!

Thank you, Molly, I really enjoyed this virtual conversation and hold out hopes of meeting you in person someday.

Cheers, Sandy- the feeling is mutual! :)

So there you have it. readers. If this doesn't send you racing for a copy and exploring Molly's other books and online links, you're either in a summer snooze or early hibernation. Don't miss this one! 

*If you have ten minutes to spare, I beg you to watch this YouTube video of Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor. In particular notice the interaction, facial expressions, and body language between the two of them starting at about 6:50 minutes into the video. Am I the only one who sees the roots of Flora and Flamingo’s friendship here? Brilliant!

I just loved Molly’s references to classic cultural icons- makes me practically giddy to see current generations giving appreciative nods to timeless talents.