Chilly Jeweled Treasures

In the midst of winter, snow, wind, and cold can work to create breathtaking artwork.  Last year as I was wandering from beach to beach along Lake Michigan and noting the work of this trio, another admirer asked if I had seen the blue ice at a nearby beach.  I had not.

I believed most of the rare blue ice was to be found along the Lake Michigan shoreline closer to the Mackinac Bridge, but this blue ice was along the shore at the west end of Lake Charlevoix. (Blue ice forms when a combination of clear water, dense ice, and sunlight work together.)  As I pulled into the vacant parking lot and looked across the snow at the lake, I gasped.  Fortunately, the sun was shining and it heightened this spectacular natural wonder.  

One of my favorite authors was also intrigued by the formation of ice when observing the pictures taken by a friend.  When this woman's curiosity is awakened, we can expect an outstanding title to follow.   Ice Cycle: Poems about the Life of Ice (Millbrook Press, October 4, 2022) written by Maria Gianferrari with illustrations by Jieting Chen is a collection of informative original verses enhanced by equally informative and transformative images.  You might want to bundle up as you step into the pages of this brisk book.

Ice Is Born

From freezing water,

Bonds settle into order.

Shapes unfold

Temperature and vapor mold.

Lattice facets

Crystals form habits.

This first of eleven poems introduces us to the creation of ice.  We are also privy to familiar and, perhaps, unfamiliar words used in the context of ice.  It is beginning, too.

The next poem talks about frost before we read about how water freezes on wood, plants, and in soil to fashion hair, flowers, and spikes.  We are intrigued by the range of movements ice makes.  We listen as its sounds fill the frigid air.

Have you ever heard of the word frazil?  This is another beginning on the surface of water, salt and freshwater places.  Ice shapes are given names like hummock and bummock.  If you think the word floe acts alone, you'll be amazed at learning about its partners.

When certain animals are born it is called calving, but this word is used, too, when ice breaks from a larger portion of ice.  Names are also assigned to ice as it grows older, whether it melts or survives melting.  Ice's life finishes and starts with the rising and falling of temperatures.  It is a circle to be savored.

That we are factually informed through poetry is evidence of the talent of author Maria Gianferrari.  She starts and finishes the text with the same three words.  In between those three words, short phrases, rhyming words, alliteration, carefully chosen descriptive adjectives and verbs, and terms relative to ice wrap us in a world of water, wind, and bitter temperatures.  Maria Gianferrari takes us on a journey from the smallest forms of ice to towering giants and landscapes farther than our eyes can see.  Here is a passage.  It is the first part of the poem Ice Plays.

Icicles shine,

Drip and drop.

Ice spikes launch,

Stick and prick.

Cat ice whorls

Swirl and twirl.

Brinicles sink,

Plume and bloom.

Upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case, readers are treated to a single image spanning left to right over the spine.  The color palette definitely depicts a frozen atmosphere.  To the far left of the spine is a large glacier and sheets of ice.  The sheets of ice reach like fingers into the icy blue water.  This takes our eyes to the right side with the clever display of title text shaped like an iceberg.  

These images by artist Jieting Chen

were created with Photoshop.

On the title page a small figure dressed in red stands on a snowy piece of land jutting into the turquoise water.  Rising above the water are enormous mountains of ice.  With a page turn labeled forms of ice,  geometrically framed, stretch from the verso page to the first poem.  

Each page turn is a beautiful surprise.  Jieting Chen varies her perspectives, sometimes within the same illustration.  We might be close to the kind of ice forms featured, or given a wider, more vast viewpoint.  Sometimes to indicate the size of the ice forms, a person or water vessel is placed within the visual.

Smaller labeled pictures are shown in a column off to one side of two pages, or they might be the main highlight as in the poem, Sea Ice Sprouts.  Light and shadow indicate the time of day.  Added details portray sound and movement.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It is as if we are standing in an open window on the second floor of a building.  The window opens like a French door.  The panes on the left and right sides are etched with frosty designs.  The tree branches are spiked with delicate spines of ice.  Below in the snow, two children play.  Their forms cast shadows on the snow.  Are they starting to make a snowman or gathering snowballs for a toss and catch?

From the first page to the last page, Ice Cycle: Poems about the Life of Ice written by Maria Gianferrari with artwork by Jieting Chen is captivating.  There is extensive back matter.  The first page is titled Ice Is Nice!  This gives us some basic information.  The next page is dedicated to Freshwater Ice Formations.  Here terminology is thoroughly explained.  This is followed by two pages with words defined relative to Sea Ice and Ice on Land.  There is a short section titled Time to Experiment:  Make Ice Spikes!  At the close under Further Information is a list of books, websites and online articles, photos and videos and sounds of sea and lake ice.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections.  Use this title as an informational read aloud or as an introductory title for a unit on ice, winter or cold climates.

To learn more about Maria Gianferrari and Jieting Chen and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  At Maria Gianferrari's website she has an activities and resources page for her books.  There are some great ideas for this title.  Maria Gianferrari has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Jieting Chen has an account on Instagram.  This book is featured at author Tara Lazar's site, Writing For Kids (While Raising Them) and at Maria Marshall's site.  At the publisher's website, you can read an excerpt and view interior images.

Maria Gianferrari thinks ice is nice.  After seeing editor Carol Hinz's feathery frost photos on Instagram, she was inspired to find out more.  During her research, Maria was amazed by all the diverse kinds of ice that exist, and this book was born.  Her favorite form is pancake ice.  Maria lives in Massachusetts with her family, where winters usually bring ice and snow. 

   

The Marking Of Twenty-Six

One of the most enjoyed units in our library each year was exploring the Japanese form of poetry called haiku.  For students hesitate to write poems, our choice to use a line of five syllables followed by a seven-syllable line and concluding with a five-syllable line was a structure many of them appreciated.  Did all of them adhere to the perimeters?  Not always, but the results, whether they selected the pattern or not, were wonderful.  You could feel the joy in the room as they discovered simple and ordinary things in our world are worthy of transformation and validation.

In 1968 the Haiku Society of America was founded.  One of its charter members was New York City public school teacher and writer Sydell (Syd) Rosenberg.  This woman, who passed away suddenly in 1996, had a dream.  Her children, specifically her daughter Amy Losak, vowed to make her vision a reality.  H Is For Haiku: A Treasury of Haiku from A to Z (Penny Candy Books, April 10, 2018) written by Sydell Rosenberg with illustrations by Sawsan Chalabi is a collection of twenty-six poems written for children (but to be enjoyed by all ages). In an introduction Amy Losak writes a letter to readers before her mother poetically defines haiku.

These twenty-six haiku poems take a different approach to exploring our alphabet.  Instead of solely focusing on a person, place or thing represented by a letter, each poem begins with the appropriate letter. It's a different path to take, allowing for more possibilities.

Adventures over
the cat sits
     in the fur ring
of his tail, and dreams 

Everyday sights in her city capture Rosenberg's attention.  A boy seated on a mailbox, a berry-carrying blue jay and the act of getting a first library card are a few of the first to be noted.  Items seen on the back seat of a car are prime elements in her imaginative mind.

On a rainy day, a cluster of children holding umbrellas become fungi.  A large seed carelessly tossed is a toy for a fun-loving feline.  A broom is formed by a tail twitching in the rays of sunshine.

The simple act of riding a bike on an autumn day reads like a short symphony.  You will wonder which is louder; a thunderstorm or the cacophony of recorders.  A perception on a full-moon night tricks a looker's eyes.

Laundry hanging on a clothesline reveals memories.  Puddles take pride in their purpose.  Each letter takes readers on a journey of discovery.  During this trip we are invited to breathe deeply, stop, focus and use every one of our senses. 


With her writing of haiku in this book, Sydell Rosenberg guides children into the world of not only poetry but in the art of observation.  As she talks in her definition, haiku is a captured heartbeat.

Before the hoof comes down---that's haiku.

Sydell Rosenberg takes what might be an insignificant instance and with intention delivers something connecting us to each other.  Here is another of her poems from this book.

Neon wings
     of moth
exploding into headlight,
on a country road


At her website artist Sawsan Chalabi states most of her work is digital but she also uses

traditional line work and textures.

On the front of the dust jacket she gives us the impression of the H as being a part of the landscape with the clouds on the front extending over the spine to the left and back of the jacket.  This is precisely what author Sydell Rosenberg wants readers to see in her poems and in their day to day lives.  The featured girls are relaxed, comfortable.  I particularly like them being barefoot.

A colorful, tiny "v" patterns the opening endpapers (I'm working with a digital copy.)  On the title page a turtle mentioned in one of the poems is basking on a rock.  He is one of the first examples of a keen sense of humor Sawsan Chalabi displays in this book.  His nose is rather long. (He reminds me of Jimmy Durante.)

The full-color illustrations shift from full-page pictures to double-page images.  Some of the visuals only contain two colors, limited colors or an array of hues.  The fonts are bold, like many of the lines.  Readers will be delighted and surprised at the change of perspective; landscape view to close-up, depending on the poem.  Sometimes the illustrations are distinctively alone but other times one joins another; separate but parts of a larger whole.

One of my favorite pictures is of the children walking in the rain.  All four children from the bottom of the page to near the top are carrying red umbrellas with large white polka-dots.  The colors in their clothing, yellow, teal and orange, and the umbrellas are reflected in the colors of the letters in the poem.  The green from the iguana on the previous page is the color of the first letter, "H".


Sure to inspire and challenge readers to pen their own poems, H Is For Haiku written by Sydell Rosenberg with illustrations by Sawsan Chalabi is like a welcome sign.  Readers will start to look around a room in which they are sitting or standing, they will watch people whether they are in a grocery store or a movie theater and they will seek out animals domesticated and wild.  All have the potential to become part of a haiku poem.  Poetry collections will benefit from having this title.

To learn more about illustrator Sawsan Chalabi please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  Amy Losak and Sawsan Chalabi are interviewed at author and illustrator, Jen Benton's website.  Amy is interviewed at Matt Forrest Esenwine's site, Vivian Kirkfield's site, at Cynthia Leitich Smith's site, at KidLit411 and Celebrate Picture Books.  Amy Losak wrote a guest post at Laura Sassi Tales.  At Teachers & Writers Magazine, a lesson around Sydell Rosenberg and this title is showcased.  Amy maintains an account on Twitter. 

El Hermoso Libro De Rimas

Nursery rhymes with their short phrases and spirited cadences become part of a child's language and literature foundation sometimes before they are even born.  The reading, reciting and singing of these poetic pieces span generations.  All you need to do is begin one of the more popular titles and everyone, regardless of their age, will join in.

Many nursery rhymes are a reflection of the culture and historical time period in which they originated.  One of the better known collections of nursery rhymes are those bearing the name of Mother Goose.  La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Ninos (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, July 19, 2016) written by Susan Middleton Elya with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal is a charming bilingual blend and interpretation of eighteen of those poems.

Maria Had a Little Oveja
Maria had a little oveja.
Its lana was white as snow.
And everywhere that Maria went,
la oveja was sure to go. ...

In Baa, Baa, Black Oveja the words are changed to create a more familial setting for young readers but keep the same beat.  One bag of wool is given to my sister and my mother (madre) and the third is shared by my brother and my father (padre).  The theme of Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater is abbreviated but works splendidly.  His wife is able to use her artistic talents matching casita and bonita.

Little Miss Amarilla (Little Miss Muffet) and Young Juan Ramon (Little Jack Horner) have new twists when it comes to food selections; beans and rice, guacamole, tomato and beans.  Monday's Child names the days in Spanish but the final line gives a nod to an occupation which could lead to further discussion.

But the child that is born on domingo day
will be un toreador. !Ole!

A rhythmic rendition of One Potato, Dos Potatoes is created by substituting Spanish for the numbers in the first two lines and using Spanish entirely for the final two phrases.

In Old Mother Hubbard the dog, while still going without a treat or meal, does receive something special.  What Are Las Ninas (Little Girls) Made Of? and What Are Los Ninos (Little Boys) Made Of? are a lighthearted look at these rhymes with the slight changes making them absolutely perfect.  Readers will surely giggle at the antics of the dish in Hey, Diddle, Diddle.  

Moving toward the close of day we lift our eyes to the sky.  A star will still twinkle like un diamante.  And la luna will still see you as you gaze at her glowing, growing shapes.


Adeptly Susan Middleton Elya places Spanish for English.  Her gift is in knowing when to substitute one for the other without losing the cadence of the original rhyme.  When the words are changed they ring culturally true.  When Elya rewrites the poem creating a new rhyme, the bones of the first still remain.  Here is an entire rhyme.

What Are Las Ninas Made Of?
What are las ninas made of?
What are las ninas made of?
Azucar and flores
and all los colores.
That's what las ninas are made of! 


When you open the dust jacket for this title it sings of shared moments; it calls out to readers asking them to speak the words within aloud.  The charming scene of La Madre Goose happily walking with the laughing children on her back is a prelude to delight.  To the left, on the back, continuing with the yellow background bordered in delicate branches are small pictures of el gato and the fiddle, three little gatitos and baa, baa, black oveja.

On the book case colored in a pale sage green with the branches framing the edges in white a child sits cozily on a crescent moon on the front. They are clothed in striped pajamas wearing a wreath of branches and holding a stuffed toy cow.  You already want to be a part of the world you know you will find inside this book.  The matching opening and closing endpapers in a dusty teal hue with the palest similar shade are thirty etched images with labels in Spanish.  Some of them have more than one portion labeled.

Rendered in acrylics, colored pencils and graphite on handmade textured paper the exquisite illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, covering either a single page or two, are brimming with warmth and merriment.  Readers will pause at each page turn to enjoy her fine-lined tender details. The facial expression on all the characters will have you wanting to reach out and hug them all.  Her visuals extend the rhyme.

In This Little Cerdo Went to Market a little girl is chatting with a pig sitting next to her.  On the wall she has drawn all the parts of the poem in white chalk.  Mice can be seen laughing after they've taken the little kittens' mittens and then they are throwing them back for the second portion of the rhyme.  The Itsy Aranita is wearing a red and white polka-dot dress, eight white boots and carrying an umbrella, wondering if the sun will stay out.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the rhyme One Potato, Dos Potatoes.  Spanning two pages the scene unfolds in a garden.  Along the edges of the garden are dainty purple flowers with yellow centers.  On the right side is a bag full of potatoes, labeled papas.  Standing on top is a rabbit holding a potato to be placed in the bag.  Next to the bag is another rabbit watching a third rabbit on the left.  This bunny is handing a potato from a row to a little girl.  She is wearing polka-dot tights, a jumper and a yellow and orange striped shirt.  In her hair are some of those purple flowers.


La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Ninos written by Susan Middleton Elya with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal is a wonderful addition to the children's literature realm.  It will have appeal for both English and Spanish speaking readers creating connections between cultures.  In the front of the book there is an extensive glossary of the Spanish words with their English translations.  You will want to include this title in your personal and professional nursery rhyme collections.

To discover more about Susan Middle Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal and their work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  At Juana Martinez-Neal's site you can view several interior images from this title.  She also has a link to a blog she maintains.  Both Susan Middle Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal have accounts on Twitter at @susanpolkadot and @juanamartinez respectively.

Passing Through Time, Poetically Speaking

When we need it the most, winter sheds sleep yielding to spring.  The cold slowly gives way to warmth. Snowfall is replaced with welcome rain showers.  Spots of green appear in brown, leaf-coated gardens.  Silence is filled with song.

So it is with National Poetry Month in April.  We need this timely tribute to a body of literary verse regardless of the selected style.  Having already committed to reading more poetry for several weeks, I find myself forming fresh descriptions of my daily sensory experiences.  The beauty is rising to the top as perceptions are verbally altered.  With several memorable poetry collections to their credit author Paul B. Janeczko and illustrator Chris Raschka bring us another treasure in The Death Of The Hat:  A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects (Candlewick Press, March 10, 2015).

In a four page introduction Janeczko converses with us about the divisions in poetic literary eras.  Reflections are made about the political climate during specific time frames.  He is the informed teacher and we are the eager students.  For the purpose of his selections the ages presented here are:

Early Middle Ages 400-1000
High Middle Ages 1000-1500
The Renaissance 1500-late 1600s
The Enlightenment late 1600s-1785
Romantic Period 1785-1830
Victorian Period 1837-1901
Modern Period 1900-1945
Postmodern Period 1945-present
Contemporary

To begin these gathered poems about objects, Janeczko includes a poem by Eloise Greenfield.

Things
Went to the corner
Walked in the store
Bought me some candy
Ain't got it no more
Ain't got it no more

Went to the beach
Played on the shore
Built me a sandhouse
Ain't got it no more
Ain't got it no more

Went to the kitchen
Lay down on the floor
Made me a poem
Still got it
Still got it

We make friends with a moth dining on words and a goose lost from the flock. The comfort in the continuity of grass is revealed.   A sword, a grain field, a candle and the moon entering an unexpected opening bring us into the age of The Renaissance.  We marvel at the majestic magic of the sun and the enlightening joy of peach blossoms.

A discourse on the dread of hearing drums is softened by Robert Burns' A Red, Red Rose.  A truly wondrous nod to an alphabetical member, A Riddle, On the Letter E, by George Gordon, Lord Byron will have you amazed at the profoundness found in two lines.  I wonder if I've ever read a better characterization than The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Shivers from Edgar Allan Poe, luminosity from Mary Elizabeth Coleridge and entanglements from Christina Georgina Rossetti will keep you reading.  Emily Dickinson will have you longing for travel by train and William Carlos Williams will have you doing the same for a wheelbarrow colored red. Trees of the heart and trees in the city, a cat caught in moonlight's cycles, stars, driftwood and boxes and bags divulge their secrets.

We cheer at the portrayal of fungus by Sylvia Plath and sigh at e. e. cummings's celebration of a single day.  Collectors of stamps will remember fondly the insights noted by Pablo Neruda.  Oh how I wish I still had one of my father's hats, just one, as lifted in words by the title poem, The Death of the Hat, by Billy Collins.  Janeczko chooses to close with Famous by Naomi Shihab Nye.  It's a brilliant assessment on the importance of one thing to another.  Here is the last verse.

...I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.


When I think of Paul B. Janeczko two words come to mind, collector and connoisseur.  His created anthologies for readers include some of the finest examples in the chosen categories.  We are the better for reading those words he values most.  As I read poem after poem in this collection it was not only a journey through the history of poetry but one through those poems I have read repeatedly.  It was like being back in all those literature classes, enjoying every syllable.


I think I could watch Chris Raschka paint for hours.  His lines are fluidity filled with emotion. When you open the dust jacket the yellow from the front extends to the left (back) tying the two separate images together.  A picture of a walking man from Robert Louis Stevenson's My Shadow is featured.  The man resting his chin and side of his face in his hand on the front is a compilation of those men in hats from the title poem.  Beneath the jacket, the book case is a solid, smooth spring green with a pattern of stamps taken from an Ode to a Stamp Album by Pablo Neruda.

The opening and closing endpapers are absolutely breathtaking.  The first is a scene with rain in blues and golden yellows and grey clouds.  A formation of geese is flying toward light.  On the second the lost goose from an interior poem has joined the others as a red sun sets in the lower right-hand corner.  This goose is also seen repeatedly throughout the book flying toward a much-needed destination.

The rain on the opening endpaper is falling on the double-page title illustration.  A man, his back to us, is wearing a hat and carrying an open umbrella.  On the dedication pages, table of contents and introduction pages, Raschka has placed different objects handwriting labels beneath them.

As each poem dictates Raschka varies his visual sizes.  They may cover a page with partial framing.  Glancing to the right the framing envelops the accompanying poem.  Smaller images may surround a given selection.  With a page turn we gasp at a two-page depiction for Grass.  Elements cross the gutter to bridge one age to another or one poem to another.  White space is utilized to excellent effect.

You must see the illustrations for So Breaks The Sun, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Street Lanterns, the Railway Train and The Red Wheelbarrow.  These are my favorites for the brush strokes, details and color choices.  I would gladly frame any of them to hang in my home.  I can see children taking their fingers and following the lines.


This book, The Death Of The Hat:  A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects selected by Paul B. Janeczko with paintings by Chris Raschka, is a must have for every collection.  There are poems here for all readers regardless of their poetic tastes or their ages.  I have read many of them aloud today.


To learn more about Paul B. Janeczko please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the Candlewick Press website you can view an interior image.  At TeachingBooks.net various links are offered for further study about both Janeczko and Raschka.  Reading Rockets has a collection of video interviews of Chris Raschka.  Update:  Here is an interview conducted by author and blogger Julie Danielson at Kirkus with Paul B. Janeczko.

To Nap Or Not To Nap

It's curious to see how life circles back around.  As a child the only thing eclipsing resistance to bedtime would be the dreaded afternoon nap.  Nowadays curling up in a cozy chair, underneath a comfy blanket, in the sun reading a book and not worrying about drifting off to sleep, seems like a perfectly good option.

In some cultures a mid-day snooze is completely acceptable whether due to climate or practiced traditions.  We need only look to our primate relatives living in the rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra to understand the value of short snatches of sleep in the animal kingdom, too.  Orangutanka:  A Story in Poems (Henry Holt and Company, March 24, 2015) written by Margarita Engle with illustrations by Renee Kurilla is a cheerful nod to naps and to rest rebels.

cozy morning
baby orangutan cuddles
with mama
in their leafy nest
while a breeze sways green trees

The two siblings are ready to move but their mother is perfectly content to snooze.  On a lower level the father rests on branches able to bear his weight.  Handy vines assist the older sister in her airborne antics.

Rangers have piled delectable fruit treats for the family, enticing them from the treetops.  A hand is extended. A tasty pineapple is enjoyed.  Carried on mama's back, baby watches, eyes alight with wonder.

Appetite satisfied, the slumbering family does not see sister slip away.  A beat inside won't let her sleep.  This girl is taking a chance to satisfy her need to dance.

It happens someone does notice the jiving gymnast.  An unforeseen rain shower finds her surrounded by men, women and children.  Suddenly shy, the dancing stops.

An elder with an open eye decides to dodge the drops.  The duo, reunited in their desire, lift arms and stomp feet.  Sun shines on a new troupe.


In an opening note, Margarita Engle explains to readers the poetic form, tanka, she uses to tell this story.  Consisting of five lines, she adheres to the modern writing of short, long, short, long, long rather than an actual syllable count.  Her word selections describing the family reflect personal observations of orangutans while visiting the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre in Sarawak, Malaysia.  She writes as if speaking to us in conversation but heightens the fun with alliteration and rhyming. Here is another sample poem.

in afternoon heat
sly, mischievous big sister
sneaks all the way down
from an enormous tree's height
to explore the forest floor


You just know a whole lot of happy is going to be happening in this book as soon as you look at the matching dust jacket and book case.  This group of orangutans is full of playfulness in their favorite place, a rain forest home.  On the back, to the left, two tall trees, an orangutan climbing each, frame another book title written by Margarita Engle with accompanying endorsements.  Matching green on green with white for light forest scenes decorate the opening and closing endpapers.  An introductory title page reading

Orangutanka

features sister walking on her hands.  Mama and baby with another are swinging through the trees in the double-page picture on the formal title page.  We see them again climbing on a single page opposite the note about tanka poems.

Rendered with pencil and ink and colored digitally, Renee Kurilla's illustrations depict the nature of her subject within their habitat as well as capturing the mood of the narrative.  Deep lush greens, warm shades of brown and orange, cool blue hues and colorful flora and fauna span two pages, single pages or smaller images framed in a circle.  This circular theme seems to be carried out in the larger images by placing luminosity in their centers.

Readers are drawn to the expressions on the faces of the orangutans and the caretakers and visitors of the rain forest.  To portray motion we see elements frequently extend from the frame.  White space is used to create extra energy in the smaller illustrations.

One of my favorite images is the one selected for the formal title page.  You are transported to the rain forest, feeling the humidity, hearing the creature noises and watching in awe as the orangutans swing from tree to tree before your eyes.  Renee Kurilla represents their skill, their form and their feeling of happiness in their home.


This, Orangutanka:  A Story in Poems written by Margarita Engle with illustrations by Renee Kurilla, is a wonderful title to share for its spirited story, an introduction to a poetic form and for heightening awareness about these endangered creatures.  Every poem is a read aloud joy.  Each illustration makes you wish you could whisk yourself away into the wild to visit these amazing beings.  Included at the end is a page of Orangutan Facts, and Learn More About Orangutans through online and print resources.

To learn more about Margarita Engle and Renee Kurilla please follow the links to their websites attached to their names.  This link to the publisher's website offers the opportunity to view eight interior illustrations. This book is part of a trifecta featured at teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read. (Don't miss the book trailer), super third grade teacher Colby Sharp's sharpread (an interview with Margarita Engle), and Renee Kurilla is a guest at the Nerdy Book Club.  Here is an interview of Renee Kurilla at Parka Blogs.

Cat One, Dog Won

One late summer afternoon as I was strolling down the streets in a tiny town located along the shore of Torch Lake in Michigan, a tiny kitten followed me wherever I went, purring and rubbing against my legs.  After some inquires with the local shop owners, it appeared this wee bundle of fur was an orphan.  By the time I decided to give it a home, someone else with children offered to take it.

Apparently fate already had another companion ready to become part of my family.  I just didn't know it yet.  The winning team of author Lee Wardlaw and illustrator Eugene Yelchin who gave us Won Ton:  A Cat Tale Told in Haiku has followed with an equally engaging and humorous companion title, Won Ton and Chopstick:  A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku (Henry Holt and Company, March 17, 2015).  Like me, Won Ton has no idea about the canine creature about to take up residence in his home.



The Routine
It's a fine life, Boy.
Nap,
play,
bathe,
nap, eat, repeat.
Practice makes purrfect.

When Won Ton awakens from one of his naps, sights and sounds alert him to a disturbance in his household.  A closed door appears to hold the answer to his question.  When it opens, he is aghast!  His boy...yes HIS boy...is holding a puppy.  This simply cannot be true.

Running from the room yowling in protest, Won Ton finds out who is taking center stage now.  He is gently put aside.  When his boy and sister try to name the canine intruder, Won Ton's suggested name, as you may guess, is not even close to their proposals.

When Won Ton attempts to lay down the law, as to what is what in the four-footed realm, he finds himself on an unwanted vacation in the great outdoors.  Not even the prospect of a wayward mouse can lessen the cat's loneliness.  Back inside for another day, our feline friend decides to take a different approach.

The toilet paper caper does not end well.  With both cat and pup now relegated to the joys of fresh air, Won Ton is delighted to encourage the youngster in a variety of "oh no" activities.  Bath time, rain time and trash time follow with the duo striking a tentative partnership.

What Won Ton knows to be true is pups make good pillows, their language of arfs, howls and whining is almost incomprehensible and

practice makes purrfect.

Only time will tell how this tale unfolds.  And the pup's name, given by Won Ton, you ask?  It's a poetic masterpiece.


In an author's note contained in the verso, Lee Wardlaw explains the form, senryu, used in writing these thirty-seven (haiku) poems, the later favoring nature over the imperfections sometimes present in relationships which is showcased in the former.  Each selection focuses with appreciation on feline features while emphasizing the apparent "que-sera-sera" nature of the newcomer.  The contrast between the two depicted in the thoughts of Won Ton provide for numerous humorous moments.  The pacing prevalent through word selections will have readers feeling like the characters portrayed.  Here are two poems from The Naming.

Sis goes first:  "Sushi,
Cookie, Noodle, Scraps,"  Great Rats!
It's a dog, not lunch.

Brutus?  Ninja?  FANG?
Cats don't laugh, Boy, but I might
make an exception.


Looking at the front of the identical dust jacket and book case, one thing is obvious.  The puppy is looking at Won Ton with perky curiosity.  The cat, on the other paw, is reserving judgment for now...maybe forever.  To the left, on the back, on a sky blue background, the first title with endorsements is highlighted.  At the bottom a smaller picture of Won Ton shows him with head bowed, one paw resting on his forehead.  The opening and closing endpapers, alternating in another shade of blue and green, are patterned in a mouse toy and a red Kong.  Beneath the text on the title page the backs of Won Ton and Chopstick are shown sitting side by side on a bright pale yellow canvas.

With only a few exceptions the illustrations, rendered in

graphite and gouache on watercolor paper,

spread over both pages either as a single image or two separate pictures joined by an element from one crossing the gutter into the other.  Only three times does the background hue remain the same designating important events in the story.  Eugene Yelchin has a discerning eye for pairing background colors together creating an enjoyable sequence and extending the text.

His lines used for Won Ton and the puppy capture the essence of cat and dog.  Sometimes only a portion of one or the other is needed to convey their presence.  The body postures and eyes for both Won Ton and Chopstick speak clearly about their personalities.

One of my favorite two pages is of the puppy wrapped in a towel in the bathroom after his encounter with a rather smelly wild creature.  The blend of pastel tile work with the polka-dotted towel and the placement of bones, rubber ducky and brush are perfect.  To the right on a plain pale spring green background is Won Ton cleaning himself.  His tale extends into the bathroom scene.


Both cat and dog lovers, anyone of any age who enjoys our furry friends, is going to thoroughly enjoy repeated readings of Won Ton and Chopstick:  A Cat and Dog Tale Told in Haiku written by Lee Wardlaw with illustrations by Eugene Yelchin.  With each reading the humor grows as you come to know each of the characters.  Practice reading it aloud so you get the voice of Won Ton right as well as the cadence of these poems.  Be sure to pair it with the first title.  You might also want to use in with My Big Dog by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel.

To discover more about Lee Wardlaw and Eugene Yelchin and their work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  This link takes you to an interview of Wardlaw, Three Questions For Lee Wardlaw:  Advice For Young Writers And Illustrators, life advice and WON TON AND CHOPSTICK at author and illustrator, Debbie Ridpath Ohi's website.  Yelchin includes the entire dust jacket and four double-page interior visuals at his site; one of which is the favorite I mention.  If you follow this link to the publisher's website you can view more interior pages.  Links here are for a printable teacher's guide and an activity kit.

To water, To life Al agua, A la vida

Back in October teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher, and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. began compiling a 2014 Best Books Lists.   To have all these selections in one spot is invaluable in directing the reading lives of your students, colleagues, friends and you.  It gives you a chance to compare what you have read and what you might need or want to read.  When the New York Public Library released their Children's Books: 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing 2014 earlier this week, one title in particular, already on my pile, caught my attention.

Having spent my life in a state whose motto is Si Quaeris Peninsulam Amoenam Circumspice, If you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you, water, streams, rivers and lakes, is an inescapable part of my immediate world.  Water Rolls, Water Rises El agua rueda, el agua sube (Children's Book Press, an imprint of Lee & Low Books Inc., October 1, 2014) written by Pat Mora with illustrations by Meilo So and translations by Adriana Dominguez and Pat Mora is a respectful tribute in free verse, in both English and Spanish, to all forms of water.  It reminds us how this essential element connects people all across the planet.

Water rolls
onto the shore
under the sun, under the moon. 

El agua rueda
hacia la orilla
bajo el sol, bajo la luna.

As I walked along the sands of Lake Michigan this morning, even though it was dead calm, it was easy to identify with the words in this first verse.  The play of the wind on the waves along any shore anywhere is a continual constant.  If you have not witnessed these same waves crash upon the shore or climb skyward in a wild wind, it is a sight you need to see. Who has not felt the fingers of fog?  Who has not felt this water cloak days and nights?

Water shapes walls of rock as it wanders or is directed through walls made by man.  Deeply dug wells hold it.  Slight shallow streams guide it.  Loud storms release it.  It is a sculptor, a quencher of thirst, and a composer.

Water gathers in natural containers.  Water provides a home for nature's residents.  Water makes music as it moves.  Silent, speaking softly or roaring water seeks and finds our attention.

More than seventy per cent of Earth's surface is covered in water.  In all its forms the sensory experience of water is priceless.  It sustains life.


As each of the fourteen lyrical lines is read, we are fully aware of the beauty water creates.  Reading them aloud in English and Spanish (thankful my Dad gently pushed me to get a minor in Spanish); we recognize the care Pat Mora gave to her word choices.  She begins slowly with words like

rolls, rises and weaves.

She gives water as fog human qualities readily identified by readers; a hand brushing cat's fur.  If you close your eyes, listening to her use of language, visuals of wild water, quiet water, nurturing water, dancing water and water like a mirror easily come to mind.  Mora excels in her use of alliteration and onomatopoeia.  Here is another sample verse.

In the murmur of marsh wind,
water slumbers on moss,
whispers soft songs far under frog fee.

En el viento susurrante de los pantanos,
el agua duerme sobre el musgo,
murmura suaves canciones bajo patitas de ranas.


With the first two images on the front and back of the dust jacket and book case, Meilo So with sweeping lines evokes the sheer magnificence of water's natural displays.  Within a few page turns younger readers will continue to be fascinated by the variety of landscapes water inhabits.  Older readers will begin to feel as though they are being taken on a world tour as familiar sights appear in the illustrations.

This is exactly what So has done; each picture takes its inspiration from sixteen places around our globe as disclosed in the back matter.  Point of view is modified to generate reverence in the reader or to represent the significance of water in our daily lives.  For the first verse we see waves making their way toward a beach as seagulls fly overhead.  Several groups of people are engaged in activities or simply enjoying the view.  For the other verse I showcased we are closer to the water.  Geese are flying low, ducks are swimming and a frog sits on a lily pad.  Two children are poling a skiff through the reeds.

Her choice of color, its boldness or softness, is dictated by the words of Mora.  Each two-page illustration throughout, rendered in mixed media, will elicit an emotional response in the reader.  It's as if her visuals are a gift to water.

One of my favorites is of the women and children dipping their buckets into a well for water.  We are the water looking up at them as they look down.  The majority of the lower section of the pages is of splashing water with pails tipped to gather what they can.  It's a stunning depiction.


This bilingual ode of gratitude to water, Water Rolls, Water Rises, El agua rueda, el agua sube written by Pat Mora with illustrations by Meilo So and translations by Adriana Dominguez and Pat Mora is elegant and eloquent.  It most certainly will leave readers more appreciative of this invaluable resource but will also promote thoughtful discussions and research.  This is a book not to be missed.  A short author's note is included at the end.

For further information about Pat Mora and Meilo So and their other work visit their websites by following the links embedded in their names.  Pat Mora has a discussion guide which can be used in other subject areas as well as language arts.  This link will take you to a series of video interviews of Pat Mora at Reading Rockets.  Author Julie Danielson and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast highlights this title at Kirkus and her blog.

From His Jolly Old Self

You may have heard Nicholas was born in a country know as Turkey today.  Even as a child he was well-known for his generous spirit and care for others.  At the time of his parents' deaths due to a plague, he became a very wealthy man.

You may have read prior to his becoming known as Saint Nicholas a story about him using his wealth to aid a nobleman, now living in poverty, by providing dowries for his three daughters.  On individual nights he tossed a sack filled with coins through the girls' bedroom window.  On the final evening the sack is said to have landed in the youngest girl's stocking.

You may have discovered a tale about him becoming the youngest bishop to ever serve; being so named in the town of Myra near his birthplace.  During his time as bishop (and even after his death) there are several miracles attributed to him regarding his saving children by bringing them back to life.  It is believed Nicholas died on December 6, 342 or 343.

You may have learned this date was a well-celebrated feast day in Europe during the Middle Ages.  The goodness of Saint Nicholas began to be associated with gift giving during Christmas in certain countries.  In time this custom crossed the ocean as colonists settled in America.

You may be familiar with a particular visit by St. Nick as recounted in Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas vividly describing the man, his sleigh and reindeer.  But I'll bet you didn't know Santa Claus is quite the poet, specializing in haiku.  Santa Clauses:  Short Poems from the North Pole (Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., September 1, 2014) written by Bob Raczka with illustrations by Chuck Groenink reveals this beloved figure's literary genius.

December 1st
Wishes blowing in
from my overfilled mailbox---
December's first storm.

This first poem and the twenty-four others are inspired by a bookish gift of haiku poetry given to him by his wife.  Word by word, syllable by syllable, and line by line, Santa writes each one on his faithful typewriter for our reading pleasure.  We get an insider view of life at the North Pole during this busiest month of the year.

Walking outside we might see the effects of a snow hare's hunger on a snow elf or see Mrs. Claus enjoying the delights of first snow.  Santa, keeping his pathways safe, is thinking of treats waiting inside for him.  Tying and untying bows and knots are pleasant or not so pleasant tasks.

One of the reindeer does more than guide his sleigh offering assistance under the stars.  Moonlight and shadows cast their own spell.  A workshop is filled with a symphony of noise.  Stolen kisses under mistletoe add cheer to work.

Trees are trimmed inside by one jolly old elf and outside by the frozen weather.  Nighttime visits with the reindeer, strings of light around a home and spread across an Arctic sky and the fragrance of baking cookies fill the hours with sensory delight.  Stories read by a fire in a darkened room end the day.

Candy canes are consumed, sawdust is swept and wolves sing at the moon.  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are getting closer.  Reindeer listen, elves sleep and Santa dresses in his suit of red. From high in the sky a landscape spreads below.  Now we know how it goes at the North Pole.


How I wish I could have been privy to the thoughts swirling around in Bob Raczka's mind as he formed these poems.  It's as if he walked with Santa for these twenty-five days.  I can see him standing still in a moment; watching, listening, touching and smelling. His depiction of the everyday is simple but profoundly beautiful.  At all times a touch of humor, lightness in his words can be felt as well as a reverence for the outside world.  Here is one more poem.

December 22nd
Reading the reindeer's
favorite bedtime story,
my cold nose glows red.



Rendered in pencil, gouache and Photoshop each image lifts the words in companionable warmth.  The two page spread across the matching dust jacket and book case invites you into Santa's world at the North Pole.  You can hear the silence, understand the awe he and his dog feel looking at the stars and feel the crisp, clear air.  Carrying over the shade of blue from the night sky on the opening and closing endpapers for a background, Chuck Groenink has placed a pattern of snowflakes, bells, Christmas trees, candy canes, a wrapped package, holly, stars, mistletoe, a glowing candle, a Santa hat, Christmas ornaments, and gingerbread boys; no two are alike with the exception of the cookies.  The colors used are hues of red, green and white.

Opposite the title page is Santa's desk.  I would love to sit in the solitude portrayed in that picture; a window showing snowflakes falling, a chair at a tidy desk displaying a cat on a book, a typewriter, paper, a mug and a vase holding a spring of evergreen with a single ornament.  Subsequently Bob Raczka's introduction is shown on a piece of paper nearly rolled out of an old manual typewriter.

Every page turn reveals a different image size with the text displayed as if written on a typewriter; the dates in red, the poems in black.  The larger font size is not a distraction but a welcome addition to each scene.  Groenink might extend elements from one illustration to the next page displaying a smaller visual framed with a liberal amount of white space.  In turn this is followed by several two page pictures, a single page image and a smaller one framed again in white.

There is an old world, cozy quality to each scene, the details bringing readers into this alternate North Pole world inhabited by Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves and reindeer within Mother Nature's realm.  Santa's mailbox has a grinning mouth painted on the side giving the impression the letters are coming from this animal.  An old wood stove warms the workshop with a pot and kettle sitting on top.  Santa's residence is a log home several stories high.  The light over the kitchen table is filled with candles; drying herbs hang from a pole nearby and a cuckoo clock is seen on the wall.

One of my favorite illustrations is the one for the second quoted poem.  Groenink uses the beams in the barn to frame Santa dressed in a wooly coat, sky cap on his head, hot pot next to him on a bale of straw as he holds a book reading to the reindeer.  The reindeer are gathered around him, eyes watching and ears up listening.  A single lantern hangs above Santa's head.  Outside the tiny window snow is falling.


Every collection, every book shelf needs to have at least one copy of Santa Clauses:  Short Poems from the North Pole written by Bob Raczka with illustrations by Chuck Groenink.  It is sure to become one of those classic books to be read year after year welcoming the Christmas holiday.  It has my highest recommendation.

To learn more about Bob Raczka and Chuck Groenink please visit their websites by following the links embedded in their names.  If you select this title at Groenink's site you can see several illustrations from the book, including one of my favorites.  UPDATE:  Please visit this page at Kirkus. Author Julie Danielson interviews Bob Raczka.

From The Confines Of A Square

National Poetry Month 2014 has come and gone but as far as I'm concerned poetry should be celebrated every month of the year.  With its multiple forms it can characterize a moment, a person, a thing or a place better than anything else.  Some of the most enjoyable poetry is written for children.  All you have to do is look at the shelves in a school library at any time of the year to realize the popularity of poetic works.

Poets who create for children of any age have a unique gift, the ability to get to the spirit of their subject.  They see the world through the eyes of their intended audience.  Outside the Box: A Book of Poems (Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division) written by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Diane Goode is a collection sure to appeal to any reader but especially to those who enjoy looking at life through the lens of laughter, thoughtfulness and absurdity.

Welcome!
Welcome to my humble book.
Turn a page and take a look.
I hope you choose to stay awhile,
read a poem, relax, and smile.

But if you find this book a bore,
can't stand to read it anymore,
and tell the world my book is lame,
do me a favor?  Forget my name.

With an introductory poem like that (pictured as a note taped to the first page), readers will be hard-pressed not to accept the invitational challenge of turning the next page.  On the following two pages a poem named for the title explains the premise for the book.  If you weren't hooked before, you will be now.

Although there are no titled chapter headings, two page illustrations provide eight divisions between the poems. Enlarging lies, being sick on the wrong day of the week, the perils of poetry writing, finding a too-cozy spot to hide and those pesky songs on re-run in your head make for unexpected endings.  A brother would exclude a sister in his winnings but a sister gets her revenge in a bubble blowing exhibition.

Who knew the boogie man likes to boogie?  If an imaginary friend speaks wrongly about you, does that make them your fantastical foe?  Are stolen kisses really yucky?  Will you look at the moon the same way tonight or the sun at the break of day?

Heed the Please Don't Feed the Bears words of wisdom.  Watch out for feisty insects.  Take lessons from the clever sheep.  Keep your eyes open for animals unknown...yet.

You'll burst out laughing at a birthday wish gone wrong and the last best gift of Christmas.  You'll shiver and shake the next time you go trick-or-treating, if you ever go again.  You'll knowingly nod at the tale told by the rider of The Great Gargantuan.  When all is read and done, at the close of the day and the book, you'll realize a grin has been growing.


These poems penned by Karma Wilson are a rocking and rolling riot of fun.  They reel you in with their rhythm and rhyme from the first line to the last.  In Wilson's hands words take on a life of their own, casting spells no matter the length of the poem.   She looks at both sides of her characters, animals and topics; the good and not so good are acknowledged with her wit and wisdom.  Here is a sample passage from the poem titled The Dream Weaver.

...  Embroidering visions, enriching our nights,
dreams full of magical, mythical sights.
Frightful, wistful, charming, and bleak...
each dream, like a snowflake, unique.  ...


Caldecott Honor medalist (When I Was Young in the Mountains) Diane Goode brings her considerable skills and signature artwork using brush and pen and ink to enhance and extend this poetic collection.  Done entirely in black and white in a variety of sizes and perspectives, an air of the fantastic permeates the pages.  Her lines, heavy or fine, solid or shaded, tell their own stories; a personality quirk, a mood, an emotion or a particular scene.

On several of her two-page illustrations she adheres to the theme of outside the box having elements from the poems gathered around an open box.  She might switch it up changing the type of box or leave the box out entirely as when she has an airplane in the clouds pulling two skiers, tow ropes extended from the wings.  There is a definite sense of humor underlying many of her pictures; the same sister is used in two separate poems and the playbill highlighting Shakespeare shows him with a "Pinocchio" nose.  Several poems become shaped or reader's need to turn the book sideways to read them vertically.

A favorite illustration is for the poem, The Problem with Baking Cookies.  Two older brothers are arguing, then fighting, about who is going to get to lick the spoon, baking implements in the air.  Calmly off to the side, sitting on the floor, is a toddler...licking the spoon.  There is no mention of the third child in the poem; it's artistic wonderfulness from Goode.

I can't imagine having a bookshelf without this title, Outside the Box: A Book of Poems written by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Diane Goode, being a part of the collection.  Karma Wilson dedicates this volume to wordsmith Shel S.  I know it will fly off the shelves into the hands of eager readers for years to come just as his books continue to do.  Plan on having extra copies on hand.

If you follow the links embedded in Karma Wilson's name and Diane Goode's names you will be able to access their websites.  The second link to Goode's website shows the process for illustrating this book.  It was an immense task but worth it for the truly wonderful results.

In Silence

Everything takes longer now.  Movement is measured with numerous stops to lift her head in the air taking deep breaths through her nose.  As her companion I follow, pausing when she does.  It's not easy but the rewards have been huge.  My aging dog is still teaching me lessons about life.

When you slow down you tend to be more aware of your surroundings; the small details become large.  We wonder about new prints in the snow, our breath clouding the midnight air as trees pop and crack in the woods.  Circles around the moon, falling stars, frosted branches, sugary snow gleaming like diamonds in the sun and the bright call of chickadees fill our wintry nights and days.  Hi, Koo! A Year of Seasons (Scholastic Press) presented by Koo and Jon J Muth with illustrations by Jon J Muth asks readers to appreciate, to marvel at, the everyday, looking at it with new eyes.

In an introductory author's note Jon J Muth speaks about the evolution of the poetic form, haiku.  His final sentence depicts the very essence of this book.

At its best, a haiku embodies a moment of emotion that reminds us that our own human nature is not separate from all of nature.  

He also adds these twenty-six poems take an alphabetical journey through the seasons with one word in each given a capital letter.

Beginning with fall we look around personifying this season, curious about the change in wardrobe.  Cleaning up leaves, lost items found on a windy day and the contrast between cold rainy days and the warmth of home are musings given to readers.  Two young friends, a boy and a girl, follow Koo into winter.

Snow prints, snowballs, ice, and snowfall keep this trio on the go.  What's that? A cat?  Tiny spots of color herald the newness of spring.  It's time to get outside trading in screen time for playtime.  Oh...the wonders to be seen and understood; puddles, nests, reading to chirping friends and the sorrow of an ended life.

Earthbound stars, a sliver of moon, water catching thrown stones, and sidewalk fantasies lead to the absolute stillness found in listening to Nature breathe; in and out, in and out.  String the single alphabetical words together.  It's a study in seasonal sensations.


As fluid and evocative as his watercolor illustrations, Jon J Muth's words call forth those singular seconds in our lives we might otherwise fail to notice.  Whether a question, a statement, an observation, or an invitation, the group of words has been thoughtfully chosen to depict the heart of the moment; how it is seen, heard, felt, or tasted.  In all of the poems but one a soft joy reaches out like the best kind of endearment to the reader; lifting our spirits.  In that one poem Muth wants us to consider carefully the results of our actions in the world around us.


The branch filled with cherry blossoms, the pale blues of the sky reaching toward the glow of spring green grass, petals scattered among the blades, are particularly pleasing. Who can resist smiling at the antics of Koo on the front dust jacket or doing handstands with his two friends on the back?  What's even better is the different case beneath.  A cloud filled sky patterns the wide spine.  The back and front is a solid lively green with Koo cartwheeling across the front.  Endpapers in shades of pale purple zoom in on blossoms turned to leaves.

Jon J Muth uses white space to draw readers into each illustration.  A single picture is dedicated to each poem.  Even though each visual is separate from the other they are joined by the color palette in each.  I would happily frame any one to hang with honor in my home; Koo holding on to a lamp post with his umbrella outstretched in the rain dreaming of eating soup at home, shadows stretching beneath lamplight as delicate snow falls, flashlight beams shining on frolicking friends, or Koo skipping stones as his companions play along the water's edge.

One of my favorite illustrations is found on the final page.  Koo is seated on a tree branch with his back to us.  He is so still his pal, the cardinal, has built a nest on his head.  The picture is filled with hues of blue, green and golden leaves framing the panda.  Perfection.  Peace.


When members of my PLN visited Anderson's Bookshops' Author's Breakfast in February Jon J Muth was a featured guest.  After their proclamations I could hardly wait to read Hi, Koo!  It was well worth the wait many times over.  I think this would pair nicely with Matthew Cordell's hello! hello! and Dan Yaccarino's Doug Unplugged.

Please follow the link embedded in Jon J Muth's name to access his website.  Reading Rockets has a series of video interviews with Muth here.  At Literacyhead Jon J Muth is interviewed.  He is one of the artists showcased at their wonderful site.

For The Little Guys And Gals...

There is nothing quite like having your library filled with a kindergarten class.  At the beginning of the school year, you seriously wish you could clone yourself when they are learning to browse for books.  Many lessons involve breaking into song for showing them how to save their spot with a marker, explaining the fiction and nonfiction areas, the difference between an author and an illustrator and getting settled in the story area.

When it comes to reading aloud you couldn't ask for a more captive audience.  The sound of their oohs, aahs and laughter is the best music in the world. If what you are reading has the slightest cadence, they will soon be responding with body movements to match the beat.  Little Poems for Tiny Ears (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group(USA) ) written by Lin Oliver with illustrations by Tomie de Paola will have listeners grinning, giggling, singing and sighing in no time at all.

These twenty-three rhythmic rhymes cover a variety of aspects and activities from the babyhood realm.  The startling discovery of seeing someone exactly like you doing everything you do in tandem when first looking in a mirror, the numerical fascination with ten toes, the built-in buffer of behinds when learning to walk or cruising the neighborhood in a vehicle powered by parents are examined with the open enthusiasm of a child.  A nose, a sneeze and a tongue are placed, defined and described with transparent truths.

What's that noise?  What's that you said?  There's simply no sense to these sounds except to the one making them.  Friendly dogs and cuddly cats are constant companions and communicators. The advantages of sitting in certain places are featured with eager energy.

Silly games, clanging kitchen utensils, and moving mobiles provide endless entertainment.  Daily rituals, diaper-changing time, nap time, bath time and bed time, are titled and shared with delightful musings.  The three "b"s, belly button, beard and blankie are all part of this creative welcoming collection.

You can almost hear the childlike voices reciting these poems as they are read.  Lin Oliver combines her keen observations of human behavior and stellar writing skills to deliver verses as lively as the subjects. There is a sense of sincere respect for these marvelous moments shared by children as well as a gentle joy, a touch of humor, in each of Oliver's selections.  Here is a single poem.

Blankie
Without my blankie,
Me so cranky.
When it's by me,
Me all smiley.


The beautiful layout and design found on the front extends to the back of the matching dust jacket and book case; the row of square blocks continuing with fifteen more, alternating background colors, stretching to an enlarged back book flap.  In what can only be described as brilliant, this longer jacket flap unfolds covering the front of the book.  It can be secured in place by a variety of stickers provided in the back of the book; a gift inside and outside.

Using transparent acrylics in his signature palette of pastel shades, Tomie dePaola frames each of his single or two pages illustrations in a double border with tiny inverted shapes resembling photograph corners in the four respective spots.  His children's faces from diverse ethnic backgrounds are animated with the full range of emotions you take joy in seeing.  Tiny stars, confetti-like shapes, dots, and hearts are sprinkled on many of the pages.  Exquisite details encourage participation; pictures on the walls, stuffed animals, bugs and butterflies, balls, teddy bears and blocks, dolls, toy cars, and rubber duckies.  You want to jump right in the pictures with these children as they tell their poetic tales.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the poem, My Car Seat.  The steps necessary to get ready to go are depicted with absolute charm.  Everything is there, the stuffed animals, the dangling overhead toys, the striped hat on the boy's head and the necessary bag of cereal.


You couldn't ask for a better book on a day in the life of babyhood than these twenty-three poems, Little Poems for Tiny Ears, written by Lin Oliver with illustrations by Tomie dePaola. You will be grinning from ear to ear before you have even finished the first one.  I guarantee you will be able to hear the soft laughter of little children in the background.

For more information on the author and the illustrator, please follow the links embedded in their names to their official websites.

Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #3

For the Thanksgiving post for the past two years, I've featured titles to commemorate and celebrate this holiday; Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition and Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #2 highlight four favorites of mine.  It is important to not only set aside a single day for the giving of thanks but to appreciate and recognize small memorable and positive moments all year long.  They are there every single day if we only take the time to pause, listen and look.

In 1844 Lydia Maria Child published a poem, The New-England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day in a collection titled Flowers for Children, Volume 2.  Since that time it has achieved classic status as a seasonal song.  In 2011 author illustrator Matt Tavares illustrated the beloved verses with his rich, period paintings in Over the River and Through the Wood (Candlewick Press).



Over the river, and through the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way,
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

The opened matching jacket and cover feature a peaceful pastoral scene, from the edge of one flap to the other, of a family leaving their town to climb the hills to grandfather's house.  On the title pages Matt Tavares gives readers a panoramic, aerial view of the community, winding river and hills in the background, with the family tucked in the lower left-hand corner next to their sleigh getting ready for their trip.  For the first five lines of the poem he provides a close-up of the parents, their two children, and dog about to depart.

For every five lines of the poem Tavares' illustrations rendered in watercolor, gouache and pencil spread across two pages.  While the color of the sky, people bundled in winter clothing and fallen and falling snow, leave no doubt as to the chilly temperatures, there is warmth in every picture.  The colors used in the clothing, buildings and the sleigh coupled with the facial expressions on the people reflect the remembered joys of this day.

The joy of passing by a store window filled with toys, crossing an arched stone bridge, watching the people skating on the river below, climbing up one hill after another, passing through the gate around the barnyard, arriving at grandfather's home and enjoying a meal together, are all depicted in varying perspectives designed to make the reader feel like a participant rather than only an observer.  Attentive readers will notice Tavares has also chosen to add another story to the trip through his illustrations; a special canine connection.  Any one of these gorgeous pictures is worthy of framing but one of my favorites is of the family's arrival at the farm, the home and barn in the background, the dog running ahead, the boy leaning forward in the sleigh expectantly, as snow falls.  You can almost hear the bark of the dogs, called greetings, baaing of sheep and the slide of runners on the snow when you look at this illustration.

Over the River and Through the Wood written by Lydia Maria Child with illustrations by Matt Tavares is a lovely seasonal offering for readers of all ages.  There is a note about the author at the book's end.  Please follow the links embedded in Matt Tavares' name to access his website and blog. The videos below are to acquaint you with the true joy Matt Tavares feels for his work.













I have seen tweets repeatedly which mirror my own feelings about reading books once you have heard an author or illustrator speak; from that point forward when you read their work you hear them talking to you.  After listening to Katherine Paterson's speech at the American Library Association, Association for Library Service to Children, Newbery, Caldecott, Wilder Awards Banquet and conversing with her briefly in the reception line, I hear her gentle, knowing voice in my mind when I read her books.  Her most recent title, as an author and editor, Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers And Praise Songs Of Thanksgiving (Handprint Books, an imprint of Chronicle Books) with illustrations by Pamela Dalton is the ideal platform for what I believe to be the soul of her body of work.

As way of introduction Katherine Paterson begins with a two page reflection on joy, gratitude and prayer.  She recounts all the blessings in her life from the good and bad times alike, as each has lessons from which we can learn. For each of the following sections in this book, she begins with a single page of her own words on the theme.

In Gather Around the Table Paterson voices her gratitude for having plenty of food to eat, recounting her own and another's story.  Within the eight pages we can read a traditional American mealtime prayer, an Islamic prayer, a Chinese proverb, a Native American grace, words of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson or a Pueblo blessing.  It is apparent that no matter the culture or custom, giving thanks for food to eat is universal for its nourishment, for sustaining our bodies.

A few shared hours with her son David watching a cicada, opens the chapter A Celebration of Life.  This is my favorite of the four.  Her descriptions, choice of words, transport you to those marvelous moments.  Poems penned from authors around the world are found here as are prayers from a variety of cultures.  Some are familiar, others are new, but all bring a sense of peace to the reader; twelve pages of beauty.

A thoughtful musing on the poor in spirit begins the writings titled The Spirit Within.  I think of all those contained in these six pages my favorite might be by Helen Keller.

The best and most beautiful things in
the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart.

Then too, it's hard not to be moved by the words, the song, written by John Newton,

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound...

Katherine Paterson closes the book with thoughts on all the many places she has lived and visited around the world and the importance of understanding.  It addresses our misplaced beliefs.  The selections in the Circle of Community are about noticing the similarities we share.  They are about the importance of each individual.


The exquisite, intricate cut-paper illustrations by Pamela Dalton done in the early American tradition are nearly beyond description. A note at the back briefly describes the technique.

The paper was then antiqued in a coffee solution, ironed, and illuminated with watercolor.

The rustic red seen on the jacket and cover is deepened to provide a background for the opening and closing endpapers.  On the endpapers the cut-paper artwork creates a wide frame for tiny oval watercolor paintings which also appear throughout the book.

Different colored backgrounds are used for each area of the book; a golden tan, deep earthy green, a steely blue and the rustic red of the jacket and cover.  These hues supply the left-hand side of each page with a wide margin for highlighting the illustrations.  Other cut-paper pictures are placed within the pages, shades of cream on cream.  The painstaking hours of work for each is easily apparent, causing you to pause on each page wondering.  My favorite is the last page in the A Celebration of Life chapter.  Green, yellow and gray-brown cut-paper birch tree branches frame a square containing an E. E. Cummings verse with a black-capped chickadee sitting on a branch.

Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers, And Praise Songs Of Thanksgiving edited and with reflections by Katherine Paterson with illustrations by Pamela Dalton is as breathtaking as their first collaboration, Brother Sun, Sister Moon. I highly recommend it for your personal and classroom collections due to the diversity of choices within the pages.  It makes you stop, take note and be grateful.  It can be the basis of a variety of discussions and writing prompts with your students.

Please take time to visit the author's and illustrator's websites by following the links embedded in their names.  I could not resist sharing this video of Katherine Paterson and her husband John talking about the importance of picture books.

 

Giving Thanks

I am extremely grateful for these authors and illustrators not only on this Thanksgiving day but every day.  They have brought immeasurable joy to all their readers.