SEVEN: A MOST REMARKABLE PIGEON Whose Story Inspires

 That's right, I'm sharing another bird book. Trust me, I realize there are probably more than enough posts about birds books on this blog (HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE...  you see what I mean?) But don't expect me to change. First, birds will always hold a special place in my heart. That must be true for many, since there's no shortage of books of every kind for every age that feature birds in fact, fiction, and with a blend of those approaches. 

CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2025

That blend is what propels my thoughts about  SEVEN, A MOST REMARKABLE PIGEON onto yet another post. I read this lovely, heartwarming, and entertaining book by author Sandra Nickel and illustrated by Aimeé Sicuro multiple times. I usually do that, but in this case I pursued even more repeated readings. Because i have a broad knowledge base about birds, I saw countless facts about pigeons within  a story that was clearly fictional. I had a concern that young readers might come away with confusions about what was real and what was made up. The author's note did a fine job of pointing out the factual details, and yet the storytelling was so nearly-magical that I wanted to feel confident that the account was not misleading.

In brief, the story features a singleton hatchling pigeon  in a nest that almost always holds two eggs. Parent pigeons DO tend faithfully to the young, they DO urge flocking and close contact with other pigeons, they DO work with young prior to migration to prepare them for successful travel. This little loner was named SEVEN because pigeons consider seven a lucky name (obviously storytelling) but this tidbit is used as a device to share the fact that SEVEN thousand miles is the longest recorded route a pigeon has return to its home. Seven, the pigeon, has a remarkable sense of smell, particular preferences, and doesn't mind going its own way. 

The story allows SEVEN to rise to the hero role due to environmental circumstances paired with its own warmly-embraced talents, despite outside pressures. The story itself incorporates facts within a delightful and charming account of a character that encourages independence and individuality, that appreciates differences, that celebrates multiple ways to solve problems, and that encourages empathy and acceptance. The illustrations allow readers to enjoy both a fictionalized, semi-personified pigeon while viewing information about pigeons through visual narrative and scenes. 

SEVEN will work well for many ages, with multiple layers about science, group dynamics, individual identity and development, and patterns of the environment and nature. Pigeons are the urban birds that young people are most likely to interact with, and that's because they are versions of domesticated birds that are now considered wild but deeply adjusted to (and sometimes dependent on) human interaction. This book is a way to make pigeon science and their specialized talents more available to young readers. It also invites discussions about individual differences and respect for those differences. That's a lovely combination.

If you'd like to see an example of how that can help or hurt the survival of pigeons, here's an interesting video you might want to watch. It's on YOUTUBE and  begins with a short ad, but it called to mind the power of human support for our natural friends. HERE's the video. I want to be sure that viewers know this should not be attempted on your own, and certainly not by children. It can be a skill developed with support from trained wildlife rescuers. The trust and experience of this individual are impressive and worth learning about, IMO.

August Dog Days... Time For HOT DOG by Doug Salati

 Late July and early August has always been seen as the hottest of weather (in the northern hemisphere), tagged as "Dog Days". (Click to learn more about the history of this phrase and the patterns of summer in Almanac.com.) I spent several of those "dog days" viewing the annual (now virtual) SCBWI summer conference. A featured creator was Doug Salati, the author/illustrator for HOT DOG, winner of the latest Caldecott Gold Medal and the EZRA JACK KEATS gold, both for picture books of extraordinary visual narratives.

Albert A Knopf, 2022

In a conference keynote, Salati described his creative process for HOT DOG. Those who might assume that making a picture book is a simple process should have heard his account. Click his name above to see the many books he has successfully created/illustrated and you'll note that he features both artistic talent and undeniable skill at visual storytelling. Even his covers indicate reveal what lies under the covers and also the celebratory nature of his colors and lines. You might have assumed that this was a smooth creation story. 

It was not.

His persistent efforts to bring this little dog's beach romp to readers required many revisions, major and minor. Ultimately, the little canine becomes an unforgettable character. Opening endpapers feature  line sketches in the many poses a dog adopts to begin its day, while final endpapers sketch those just-before-well-earned-sleep poses at the end of its long, hot,  joyous day.

As you might imagine, an apartment-dwelling city dog would welcome a leash walk to help its busy person while doing chores on hot urban streets. Minimal but superb text:

"concrete 

crumbles

sirens 

screech"

and wonderfully intense vertical panels of "street scenes" positioned as Triptych or Diptych images draw readers right onto those streets. Waiting is hard, surfaces are scorch-y, and this hot dog is overwhelmed by a steaming, screaming city that is"

 "too close! 

too loud! 

too much!"

HOT DOG, 2022. Interior spread

Some who are reading this will recall exactly those same reactions. Certainly small children will! The transition from being a tag-along companion for adult business shifts early in the book when dog puts its foot down (actually, belly down) in the middle of a crosswalk. Nonverbal communication is superb. Only then does the woman at the other end of the leash gain her new perspective. The remainder of the book reveals a spontaneous taxi ride and train/subway journey to arrive at space, sand, water... relief! 

The jubilant dog romps and revels, then locates and shares countless bits of this landscape with the woman, who savors the relief of sea breeze and boisterous joy by treasuring those tokens, presented with such wagging love.

I hope this summary, in more words than Salati used in the entire book, will entice you to take a look for yourselves. Have no fear that I've spoiled the plot, since that slim text and those rich illustrations hold many surprises, including a very satisfying and heartwarming ending. And yes, even on the hottest city streets, a story like this will chill your mood from the initial intensity so that warming your heart is a welcome reaction. 

Jagged nerves, weariness, and furry-bodied exhaustion find their ideal antidotes in the pages of this book. I am convinced you will, too. With such stellar awards to its credit, you can be sure I'm not alone in singing its praises. I hope you will join the chorus.

While HOT DOG may sound like the ideal summer review, I'm months overdue at sharing it here. Please don't delay even a bit in getting your hands on it and sharing it widely, sooner rather than later.

Garden Time... in Two Terrific Picture Books

 When rain (and slushy snow) were forecast for seven days in a row, I made an impulse decision to stop at the garden center and load up on grass seed and lawn patch kits. Within an hour I was spreading seed and seed/slurry across my badly bare and damaged lawn with flurries swirling around me. All week long, as folks around me grumbled about the gray, miserable days trudging one after the other, I held on to the dream I had of a green, healthy lawn, of seeds swelling and preparing to sprout, digging down and stretching toward the sun. (Eventually there will be sun, right?)

G. P. Putnam's Sons, 2022

I am not a lawn perfectionist, at all, preferring to trust Nature's management. But I do abhor bare patches, spots that seem neglected or uncared for. Then I do my part to give Nature a hand. 

That's why I felt immediately connected to Millie, the first person, present tense narrator of IN OUR GARDEN, a celebratory, instructive picture book written by Pat Zietlow Miller, with illustrations by Melissa Crowton. 

Millie is a girl transplanted from the home she knows and loves. She's surrounded by concrete-- steps, sidewalks, buildings. She sees (and feels) gray, dull, hard. Mom calls it HOMESICK. 

Millie longed for the tender, bright, uplifting color of her home. Then she has an idea, a bouncy idea, an idea that her classmates can't see. 

They see what is. Millie sees what could be!

Millie's idea is inspired by her previous life in a tall gray building with a garden on the roof. Her roof now isn't the right kind, but her SCHOOL ROOF seems perfect. And her mission is launched: first with her naysaying classmates, then with her teachers, and eventually with the community. Of course, there's the unstated but joyful involvement of Nature, every step of the way.  Lessons in science, math, and safety are needed to make this project possible and successful. Lessons were learned involving patience. (Lots of patience- no sign of grass sprouts after ten days, but I know what Millie knows: something IS happening. Out of sight! It makes dreamers like Millie bounce and believe. I'm right there with her.) Over time, a neglected, barren roof in a gray world under a gray sky is peopled with colorful new folks, old friends, soft and fragrant produce, and the buzz of life! 

Same sky, same sidewalk, new Millie!

Peachtree Publishing Company, 2022

Next up, MIGUEL'S COMMUNITY GARDEN is written by Ja-Nay Brown Wood and illustrated by Samara Hardy. This is also a contemporary, urban, realistic picture book, but it begins, in a sense, where IN OUR GARDEN ends. In this case the community garden (at ground level) is in full bloom and ready to harvest. Miguel is on a mission, too. His plan is to harvest a sunflower for his garden party. With a narrator using an implied second-person voice to the reader, the traits of a sunflower, a sort of "what makes a sunflower a sunflower?" listing, provides the anchor for the unfolding garden investigation. One by one, Miguel compares those traits to the plants he finds and harvests. 

What he doesn't find are the sunflowers. At each plant encounter the wheelbarrow is filling up with harvested goodies for the garden party. But what about that sunflower? A long view of the garden leads the reader's eye, and Miguel's, to the prized sunflowers, nodding at the top of their sturdy stems in the warm sunlight. 

This simply-told "story" frames a ciose examination of various plants, their traits, their names, and their colorful but accurate images on delightful spreads filled with the colorful bounty and bounce that Millie would love. There is plenty to learn in the direct text, but also within the cartoon-style illustrations that reveal other plants, specific little critters, and types of growing media and habitats. There is also a subtle seek-and-find tone, concluding with the picnic/garden party at which the various foods are served.

 The latter book is wrapped with vibrant endpapers splashed with the plants that appear in the story. Endpapers for IN OUR GARDEN are subtle line drawings on green background that depict the various tools and steps involved in bringing Millie's ideas to life. Both books  offer abundant opportunities to embrace the values, practices, and power of gardening, especially with kids and community. Their colorful joy extends to illustrations with varied skin tones, body shapes, relationships, and ethnicities. These occur in a naturally inclusive experience and require no direct references, a perfect way to reflect a diverse and accepting community. None of these identities affect their abilities to fully engage with each other or the projects involved. The portrayal of such worlds is a welcome window to a healthy neighborhood, especially for kids whose communities are more homogenous. 

As for my grass seeds... stay tuned!