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!

BOARD BOOKS Bring on the ART

A catchphrase I often use when writing about or speaking about (or thinking about) picture books is "You never outgrown your need for picture books". On the flip side, you're never too YOUNG for picture books. 
Or for ART. 
That's especially true when provided via quality, sturdy, thoughtfully designed board books. 

Board Books is a category that has blossomed far beyond PAT THE BUNNY (although that book remains a timeless classic) to explore high concepts and stimulating subjects. In 2018 I was a Cybils panelist for this category and posted several times (HERE, HERE, and HERE) about how amazed I was at the variety, creativity, and overall awesomeness of board books currently being published.Take a look if you're shopping for a new baby or for shower gifts.
Among the remarkable board books I examined in 2018 were several released by PHAIDON.com. The latest of their releases to land in my lap is another of their titles with a forward-looking-interactive approach to ART! 

PHAIDON Publishing

ART THIS WAY is the product of the creative couple Tamara Shopsin and Jason Fulford. 
Following my notes about this book, consider clicking on the links I'll provide about early infant brain development, related to language, visual perception, and also the impact of screen time in infant development.

The approach to this sturdy and little-finger-friendly book is to reproduce images (in very high resolution) of innovative and eye-popping art, inviting twists, turns, flaps, colors, and offering some basic informative text. The cover art looks the same upside down, and the authors' opening  directive is to 

"Walk around, open up, 

look down, and up 

and in and out, 

look close, 

look behind, 

and keep looking."

Each reproduction can be explored through lift pages, flaps, mirrors, shifts in dimensions, and brief text prompts.The works include sculptures, photography, mobiles, screeenprints, and compilation installations. The final double spread repeats miniature images of each piece of art with attribution to the modern artist and the media. All are from the Whitney Museum's collection, featuring art by Calder, Christa, Herrara, Levitt, Lichtenstein, Marison, Sherman, and Warhol. 

If you are skeptical about the appeal of such a topic to the youngest audiences, just flash back to the way infant eyes and hands love to explore curls of ribbon, empty boxes, and sticky labels during the recent holidays. The impulse to explore, examine, contort and consider the world around them is a universal fact of infancy. One that is welcomed by this board book.
One that, sadly, diminishes rapidly with age (and with obsessive screen time.
Think about it. 
Screens require interactivity, but it is all dictated by the machine, not the child! If a device is reoriented, it straightens itself. Random twists, turn, flips produce nothing meaningful. Only preprogrammed actions and responses are productive. 
The child in your lap and arms has unlimited potential to CREATE ART, to IMAGINE possibility, to view the world from every angle. Whether or not their work is ever displayed in a gallery is not the question at stake. The crucial question is: 
Are we encouraging (or limiting) their development of  individual insight into, appreciation of, and curiosity about the physical world, and their internal world, too. Books like this one are better than screens by any measure.

And here's my evidence for that claim, with clicks to the content I promised about some of the more recent science findings regarding early infant brain development:

First, this is a reader-friendly summary of the advice from America's pediatricians;
next, this is a summary of the value of reading aloud ANYTHING with young children;
and here are even more board books, new and classic, to replace those screens.

I recently wrapped up my work as a round one panelist for CYBILS AWARDS in the nonfiction categories for elementary and middle grades for 2019. Stay tuned, HERE, for the announcements and blurbs for ALL categories, coming on New Year's Day. You're gonna LOVE these finalists!