On Center Stage

You recognize them as soon as they walk into your classroom.  There isn't a sign of glitter on them anywhere but they sparkle.  It's noticeable in the way they walk, the intonation of their voice as they talk, and in the combinations of colors and patterns on the clothing they wear.  They are making a statement with an air of assurance.

They can be five or fifteen, age is not a factor.  For them life is most definitely not a dress rehearsal and their world, wherever they are, is a platform for a performance.  Starring CARMEN! (Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 12, 2017) written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Lorena Alvarez Gomez is a look at an energetic girl and her equally energetic hermanito (younger brother) Eduardo. 

Carmen is a one-girl
SENSACION!

She can act, sing, dance and design costumes.  She never tires of being in the spotlight on stage.  Every night she requires the attendance of her ever-so-patient and supportive parents at her show.  No two shows are alike.

Carmen takes every opportunity to practice.  This is what performers wishing to excel do.  Eduardo watches Carmen with affection and longing.  He wants to be a part of the shows.  Carmen is not eager to share the fame and glory.

As the newest show is about to start she determines Eduardo would be better as a lamp, wearing a shade over his face, than his original role of a rock.  Tonight the musical is rather lengthy; seventeen songs, slightly less dances and a bit of karate.  Poor Eduardo is not aware the show is over.  (How can you with something over your face?)

When Carmen requests an encore at dinner, her parents resist her urgings.  The next morning they try to cheer up a melodramatic Carmen, pouting at having only one show the previous night.  When she attempts to make a point, her mother counters with a fan letter from an admirer. 

Pirate play encourages Carmen to assume another position in the upcoming rock opera.  As the evening event is about to start everyone in the family appears to be happy with this production, especially Carmen.  There is nothing better than an inspired great surprise.


There is no denying the liveliness of the main character in this title when reading the words penned by Anika Denise.  To heighten the effervescence of the story, Spanish words and phrases are used with affection by Carmen's parents.  A blend of narration and dialogue contribute to the connection readers will feel with Carmen, her little brother Eduardo, and their parents.  The dialogue also informs us of the moods of the characters as well as the strength of the family unit.  From this we can see the gentle humor in more than one situation.  Here is a sample passage.

Dress rehearsals start early.
"Can I be in your show tonight?" asks Eduardo.
"Sure!  I'm the queen.  You can be a rock."
"How do I be that?" asks Eduardo.
"Don't move," says Carmen.

"Do I have any lines?"
asks Eduardo.

"Shh," says Carmen.
"Rocks can't talk."


You expect her to dance right off the dust jacket, singing one of her many songs.  Looking right at readers Carmen gives us a preview of her personality and presence on and off the stage.  The dazzling hues in the set, curtains and props, extend over the spine, unfolding like a Broadway musical presentation.  On the left, the back, gazing over his shoulder at his sister, Eduardo, holding a smiling star on a wand, is adding his share of magic to the show.

On the book case we get a peek at an interior illustration spanning edge to edge.  Carmen is taking a bow after her show.  Eduardo is not sure what's happening.  This is our first glimpse of the elaborate, inventive and vividly colored costumes and sets fashioned by Carmen.  The opening and closing endpapers are a rich, rose canvas.

Beneath the text on the title page, dressed in costumes, Carmen and Eduardo dance in pure happiness.  Rendered with paper, pencils, and Photoshop by Lorena Alvarez Gomez the illustrations invite participation in the story and generate ear-to-ear smiles.  Her full color images are frequently placed on a crisp white background to draw our attention to the included details.  They may be loosely framed.

Her pictures spreading across two pages are marvelous in their use of precise shapes, clean lines and colors ready to burst out of the book.  These ask the reader to stop.  They ask us to step into the lives of these family members.  We reply with an eager YES!

One of my many favorite illustrations is the one depicted by Lorena Alvarez Gomez for the text previously quoted.  The bodies of three sea dragons swirl and curl in shades of pink, golden orange and blues and greens across both pages.  Colored paper, scissors, glue, pictures, books and already completed fish surround Carmen as she works on one of the dragons in the center of the right hand portion of the picture.  Outside the gutter on the left, paper in hand, stands Eduardo.  Wide-eyed and hopeful he is asking Carmen to participate in the show.  She is looking up at him with skepticism.


We should all be so fortunate as Eduardo and his parents to have someone like his sister in our lives.  Starring CARMEN! written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Lorena Alvarez Gomez is in a word, exhilarating.  This character's passion for performing and positive perspective on life is contagious.  Her propensity to stand in the spotlight alone is tempered by her love for her brother.  Your patrons will be asking for this book frequently.  They will hardly be able to wait for the promised sequel.  I can't wait to read this one aloud. 

To learn more about Anika Denise and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  If you follow the link to the page about this title, she has activity guides in English and Spanish and templates for Starring CARMEN! crafts.  At the publisher's website they have printable activity kit pages.  I know you'll want to visit Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., to enjoy the premiere of the book trailer and a chat with Anika Denise.

Start Your Engines...The Race Is On

If your windows are down as you approach, even miles away, you can hear the roar beginning.  It's the sound of more than twelve thousand fans gathering for the day.  The stands and infield are packed with people.  Trucks are parked inside the circular track.  Family and friends are seated in chairs on the roof of those trucks to get a better view.  When the flag drops, those voices are joined by the rumbling of engines as the race at Michigan International Speedway begins.

Shouted conversations speculate on the outcome.  Will the favorite finish first or will a "dark horse" speed and weave around the front runners?  A dastardly, delightful spin on who might win is found in the rip-roaring Monster Trucks (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, July 12, 2016) written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Nate Wragg.

On a SPOOKY speedway...
MONSTER TRUCKS MOAN!
MONSTER TRUCKS GRUMBLE!
MONSTER TRUCKS GROAN!

We meet those lined in a row and ready to go; one with parts started by a spark, another which lifts his hood to howl, a third more dead than alive but ready to drive, another who is a shadow of his former self, and the fifth and final entrant who seeks to drain the energy of everyone.  The flag goes up and then down, the sound is deafening as the competition commences.  The battle is fierce as they circle.  What's this?  Another competitor has arrived!

It's a bus, a little blue bus, bustling to join that bunch of boisterous bullies.  The others tower over the timid truck.  They're ready to feast on her apparent fear when, with a shout, a challenge is issued.  Shifting into high she leaves those snide rides real fast as they fade into the rear.

Maneuvering with skill the smallest takes the lead as the furious five spin and collide.  Now in the open, the little blue bus is a target, a bull's eye for what has burst forth from the mess of metal.  The finish line looms.  Will the mighty of heart meet their doom?  A trick and a twist are revealed under the light of the full moon.


The beat generated by the rhythm of the rhyming, alliterative, and onomatopoeic words written by Anika Denise is sure to have readers and listeners ready to race (or dance at the very least).  The narrative pauses in several places as a familiar refrain, three phrases describing the monster trucks, chants the current mood.  Word choices and punctuation create a cadence that flows and is never forced.  Readers feel as though they are observers of midnight madness, a race run in the absence of daylight and humans.  Here is a sample passage.

It's a monster mash-up!
CLANG!  BOOM!  BASH!  BANG!
Every truck for himself---by piston and FANG!
When out of the pit...with a PUTT and a TOOT
comes a LITTLE BLUE BUS
looking perky ...and cute.


Opening the dust jacket (I'm working from an F & G.) readers are greeted with a full image left to right, back to front, of the five fearsome monster trucks revving their engines as they race down the track.  Nothing is going to stop them as they fight for position.  Nate Wragg uses a full color palette but lights from the headlamps, speedway stands and the full moon cast shadows and an eerie glow to the scene.

On the title page the ghost truck glides in through headstones, looking at the reader with wide eyes.  Three other trucks travel over darkened ground and through trees looking like skeletons on the verso and dedication pages.   A lone gas pump, shaped like a coffin, drips gasoline as vampire truck slurps a sip.  Bats fly across the sky.

Most of the illustrations rendered in acrylic paints with digital color are spread over two pages or a single page, edge to edge.  For one portion of the narrative Wragg uses three smaller horizontal pictures on a single page to heighten tension at a turning point in the story.  The animation on the truck faces is superb, more scary than cute.  Every visual is charged with energy.

One of my favorite illustrations is when the monster trucks are blasting from the starting line.  Their expressions are full of determination as they face forward or give each other the evil eye.  They are going so fast they are nearly airborne.  The sky behind them is shades of orange, full of golden yellow rays shooting upward from the ground behind them.  You actually believe you can hear the engines and the screams from the crowd.


Bright and bold Monster Trucks written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Nate Wragg is a finger-snapping, toe-tapping read aloud; a seasonal selection or for a monster or truck themed story hour or event.  You need to plan on reading it more than once because your listeners will want to participate with gusto in the word play. It's noisy, scary, fun and a little bit tricky.

To learn more about Anika Denise and Nate Wragg please follow the links to their respective website and blog.  Nate Wragg also maintains Tumblr pages.  Anika is a guest post writer at Angie Karcher's RHYPIBOMO site.   Enjoy the sampler and book trailer.

UPDATE:  Anika Denise is a guest at PictureBookBuilders.  Enjoy the interview. August 9, 2016

Cozy Cooking Comfort The Bear-y Best Kind

With golden leaves whirling about in the stiff breezes, pumpkins and mums decorating home entrances and snow predicted for the end of the week, it's easy to get in the mood to fill the house with the scent of fresh-baked goods. Welcoming warmth fills the kitchen spreading to nearby rooms in contrast to the chilly temperatures outside. This is what makes a house a home.

To share this cooking adventure with others is a memory worth making.  Baking Day at Grandma's (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), August 14, 2014) written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Christopher Denise follows three bear children as they happily traipse through the snow to their grandmother's home.  Anticipation whispers promises in the air.

It's baking day!

It's baking day!

It's baking day at Grandma's!

Dressed from head to toe in hats, coats, mittens, scarves and boots they pull their sled from a cottage to a cabin, past the pond and up and down hills.  Grandma Bear is ready and waiting for their arrival.  A crackling fire gets them warm on the outside as quickly as grandmother's greeting warms their hearts.  

Utensils and ingredients are gathered.  Aprons are donned.  A recipe is read. Can't reach the table?  Then stand on a chair to blend everything together.  You can even sneak a taste.

Delicious smells come from the oven; a cake is rising.  Grandma gives steaming cups of hot chocolate to her treasured trio as Jack Frost paints patterns on the windows.  Singing, dancing and smiles add to the merriment.  

A timer signals this confection is done to perfection.  Shapely gifts are decorated, covered in paper, tied with a bow and gently placed in personalized pouches.  Dressed from head to toe in hats, coats, mittens, scarves and boots the three, glowing inside from exchanged hugs and their sled brimming with hand-made goodies, head home, the path lit by a full moon.

Get ready for some audience participation! Anika Denise begins with a refrain echoed throughout this story which your readers are going to voice with unbridled enthusiasm.  In-between she tells the story with rhymes rich in rhythm, a spirited beat.  Words express the mood and emotions connected to the day as well as conveying the steps taken to create this delightful delicacy.  Readers will understand love is the most important element in making this cake but the pleasure of the day is doubled when it is given away.  Here is a three sentence sample of her writing.

Pass out aprons, "One-two-three."

Grandma reads the recipe:

flour, sugar, butter, eggs.

Stand on chairs with tippy legs.

Rendered in Adobe Photoshop each illustration exudes luminosity.  Those on the matching dust jacket and book case are taken from interior pages.  Looking at the children and grandma dancing in the kitchen makes you want to do the same thing.  On the back they are on their way to the cabin singing the baking song.  The cool steel blue on the opening and closing endpapers match shades found in the morning and evening skies.  The still life of the measuring cup, bowls, wooden spoon, recipe book and checkered towel foreshadow the activity to come.

With visuals other than his edge-to-edge double page spreads Christopher Denise uses white space as an element to frame his one page illustrations and smaller insets on pages containing text.  A very fine red line also delineates his one-page pictures.  His characters' features are lively and lovable.  The bears' physical traits are realistic even if they are wearing clothes.  

What readers will notice are his careful details in his landscapes and the interior of the cabin.  The little bear in the rear watching his reflection in the pond as they pass a group of birches with trees and mountains in the distance is absolutely perfect. The rag rugs, the cuckoo clock and sampler handing on the wall, the wooden table and chairs, the copper tea kettle on the old stove and oven, and the Victrola are charming. (Count me in when everyone heads to Grandma's for a day of baking.)

I would gladly frame any one of these illustrations but one of my favorites is when the three children are dancing around the table carrying the recipe book, wooden spoon and whisk and the bowl above their head.  Grandma Bear is clapping in time to their song, the table covered with other baking ingredients and utensils behind her.  The cabin is awash in light from the fire, the sunny day and glee.

Make sure you have everything on hand to bake Grandma Rosie's Chocolate Cake.  I know readers and listeners will hardly be able to wait to cook and taste after reading Baking Day at Grandma's written by Anika Denise with illustrations by Christopher Denise.  This book is pure one hundred percent comfort.  What a treat it is!  The recipe is on the last page above the publication information.

To enjoy more about the work of Anika Denise and her husband, Christopher Denise, please visit their websites by following the links embedded in their names.  Several days ago Anika Denise tweeted about extras available at her website which are linked here.  Anika Denise is interviewed by Stephanie Bernaba.  Christopher Denise is interviewed about this title and his other work at all creativelike and Writing and Illustrating. When I first saw this book at my favorite independent book shop, McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan, I immediately thought of Jama Rattigan and her blog, Jama's Alphabet Soup.  After her blog post about this title which contains even more links and several illustrations from the book, I went back to get a personal copy.

Update: Author Anika Denise shares with her readers one of the best kinds of frosting to put on the cake.