How Does It Grow

When your childhood is spent with gardeners, it is easy to become a gardener yourself.  You find yourself scanning perennial, annual, and seed catalogs in the winter.  You plot out your gardens.  You dig, rake, hoe, and plant.  They know you by name at the local nurseries.  You wait, watch, weed, and water, working in partnership with the weather.  After decades, you still marvel at the yield.  You are astonished at the colors and smells of the flowers. You savor the scents and tastes of the vegetables and herbs.

As a gardener, it is easy to believe in miracles because even though you work hard, the results are a beautiful, sometimes unexpected, bounty.  Uncle John's City Garden (Holiday House, May 3, 2022) written by Bernette G. Ford with illustrations by Frank Morrison celebrates the connections created between gardens, family, and food.  This book is based upon truth and wishes.

Everyone called me Li'l Sissy.

She was smaller than her older sister and her older brother.  They were individually shorter than their Uncle John, but if they stretched themselves out head to toe, they were taller than this giant of a man.  This story started with nothing but dirt.  A great area of dirt between tall brick city buildings called the projects.

Each of the siblings picked their own packets of seeds.  Each of the children were assigned their own rows for planting, labeled by their Uncle John.  There were rows for okra, tomatoes, onions, corn, and lima beans.  Uncle John had the rest of the rows.  

Li'l Sissy had a small shovel.  Her sister had a bigger shovel and her brother's shovel was the biggest of the three.  Uncle John made hills with his long-handled shovel and the children dug holes for their seeds in those hills.

Day by day the plants grew, were watered and weeded.  One day a huge thunderstorm raged.  Would the garden survive? It did and the vegetables seemed to have grown overnight.  Each day the children and their uncle harvested their vegetables.  A huge family barbeque showcased the garden treasures.  What do you think happened to all the rest of the vegetables?

As stated in her author's note, Bernette G. Ford based this narrative on visiting her Uncle John's urban garden in Brooklyn, New York during her summers.  This book answers her dream of spending an entire summer working in her uncle's garden.  Readers will appreciate the rhythm established by Bernette G. Ford using the technique of comparing the siblings by height, the seeds they select, the number of rows they plant, the size of their shovel handles, and the size of the garden plants.  As these comparisons unfold, it's almost like they mirror the growth of the garden, inch by inch, and foot by foot.  Here is a passage.

Uncle John showed us how to pick our crops.

He gave us bags to put our vegetables in.  Brother

had a big one for his corn and lima beans.  Sister's

bag was not as big as his.  My bag was little, like me.

We picked a lot of vegetables.  But every day when

we came back, the garden had grown some more.

For gardeners and those who enjoy the "fruits of gardeners' labors", the front, right side, of the matching dust jacket and book case is a sight to behold.  All those vegetables are radiating from the siblings and their uncle like the rays of sun are around Li'l Sissy.  The buildings behind them indicate the urban setting of this remarkable garden.  It is also here we are aware that Li'l Sissy will be the narrator of this story.  

To the left of the spine, on the back, set in a canvas of the rustic red color of the tomatoes is an oval image.  It is taken from the interior of the book.  It is a portion of the picture when Li'l Sissy and her mother are inspecting her okra plants.

The opening and closing endpapers are a rich garden green.  On the title page is a double-page picture of sky, buildings and rows of okra.  We are brought close to the seed packet label with the plants, building and sky as part of the background.  On the publication information page and dedication page, a child is skipping rope on the patch of dirt between the buildings.

Each of the two-page images (and two single-page pictures) by artist Frank Morrison were

created with oil paint and spray paint on illustration board.

There is a strength in the portrayals of all his characters, especially in their faces.  Sometimes Frank Morrison brings us close to a scene or gives us a more panoramic view as when the siblings first visit the garden between the buildings.  The children, even the child passing on a homemade scooter, are small compared to the land spread before them.  He brings us close to the children and their Uncle John several times.  During the storm Li'l Sissy's fear for the garden is depicted realistically as she looks out a window.  Her joy at holding a tomato with two hands because of its size will warm you from the top of your head to the tip of your toes.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  We are very close to Li'l Sissy, her brother and sister and their Uncle John.  They have just completed the planting of all their seeds.  Uncle John stands behind the children as if enveloping them in a hug.  We see a portion of his face and upper body.  On the left is the brother and on the right is the sister.  Li'l Sissy is in the middle.  Her figure, because she is shorter, only shows the upper portion of her face.  She is wearing her huge straw hat.  Her face is to the left of the gutter but the hat spans on either side of the gutter.  They are all looking toward their accomplishment in anticipation.

This title, Uncle John's City Garden written by Bernette G. Ford with artwork by Frank Morrison, is an ode to a childhood memory and the act of gardening to grow your own food.  It certainly will inspire others to do the same thing.  At the close of the book is a recipe for succotash.  I highly recommend you place a copy of this book on both your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Bernette G. Ford and her work, you might want to read this article in The Horn Book where she and her husband were interviewed by Roger Sutton two years ago.  One year ago an obituary for Bernette G. Ford was written for Publishers Weekly.  It speaks about her many accomplishments.  To learn more about Frank Morrison and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  Frank Morrison has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website, you can download some activity sheets found in an event kit. 

For many gardeners, their creativity has more than one outlet, but they still desire to add color to their world through the planting of flowers.  Celia Planted A Garden: The Story Of Celia Thaxter And Her Island Garden (Candlewick Press, May 17, 2022) written by Phyllis Root and Gary D. Schmidt with illustrations by Melissa Sweet highlights the life of writer, painter, and gardener Celia Thaxter.  Her passion for the sea, her island homes, her gardens, and the natural world are beautifully showcased.

When Celia Laighton was very young, she lived on White Island, where the rocks were gray and white, and the waves that broke on the rocks were gray and white, and the seagulls that rode the sea were gray and white.

Celia planted marigolds among those rocks in the spring and observed the native plants in the summer.  In the autumn, she watched a variety of birds leave to fly south for the winter.  Sometimes at night she could see them flying in the beam of the lighthouse light.  In the harsh winters, Celia, her  two brothers, and parents survived some terrible storms.  In the spring Celia planted again.

At the age of twelve, Celia and her family moved to the island of Appledore, near White Island.  There her father built a hotel.  Celia planted a garden.  She gathered rain water to keep the plants healthy.  Celia was constantly at work in either her garden or at the hotel.  When she got older, Celia met and married Levi Thaxter.  He did not like Appledore Island.  They set up residence on the mainland.

Celia missed her islands, even their winters.  She missed her garden.  To fill her sadness, Celia wrote about the sea and her gardens.  They were published and received by those who longed for the sea and island life.  Celia filled her indoor space with flowers and grew many from seeds.  She began to paint about the sea, her islands, and flowers.

In the spring after winters on the mainland, Celia would sail to Appledore Island taking flowers with her and expanding her garden.  Birds loved her gardens (and the inside of her home).  One day a harsh summer storm pelted freezing rains on Appledore Island.  What Celia found the next day and what eventually happened is a testament to Celia and her garden.  Miracle?

The devotion Celia Thaxter had for the sea, her island homes, her gardens, and birds grows inside readers with every word written by authors Phyllis Root and Gary D. Schmidt.  Each revelation about the life of Celia Thaxter unfolds like the blossoms she loved so well.  The names of flowers and birds she adored are woven into the narrative.

As the seasons of the year and of Celia's life pass, we are presented with specific events to mark each one.  There is a repetition of certain words and phrases fashioning a rhythm.  We come to understand that these rhythms are kin to the rhythms of the seasons and they are the rhythms of Celiz Thaxter's life and her work.  Here is a passage.

Still, Celia planted a bigger garden than before, even though she had so much to do 

at the new hotel.  Artists and writers were coming to stay, and each summer day she

greeted the new guests and went out to plant.  She served in the hotel's dining room

and went out to weed.  She made up the guests' beds and went out to clip blossoms

for the vases on their dressers.

And on that rocky and waterless island, Celia's garden bloomed gloriously.

The highly intricate signature artwork of Melissa Sweet is evident on the open and matching dust jacket and book case.  Her blend of complementary hues and layers invites us to step into Celia Thaxter's world.  On the front, right side, she frames Celia at work in her island garden with intimate views of her flowers.  The presence of a hummingbird is a hint of wonder to come in this astonishing woman's life.  To the left of the spine, on the back, on the palest of peach backgrounds (almost cream) are two vignettes separated by clipping shears and a cut flower.  These images are paired with the above-noted words in the interior of the book.  The artwork on the left is of Celia chatting with a guest in her garden as other visitors at the hotel are silhouetted behind them.  On the right are a collection of vases in white and black filled with colorful flowers.

On the opening endpapers is an outline, a plan, fifty feet by fifteen feet of a garden.  It is drawn as if we are looking down at the garden.  On the closing endpapers, in a collage of memorabilia and artwork, is a postcard or photograph of Appledore, Isles Of Shoals.

At the first page turn after the opening endpapers on the left are two maps.  One in the left-hand corner shows the position of the Isles of Shoals in relation to New Hampshire and Maine.  The larger map shows the Isles of Shoals.  Vivid strips indicate the two islands where Celia planted gardens.  The islands are labeled and readers can see how some of the islands belong to New Hampshire and others are a part of Maine.  On the title page is a postcard with a seagull filling most of the space.  To the left of the card are a set of watercolors and a paintbrush.

Melissa Sweet rendered these images

in watercolor, gouache, and mixed media.

They are a mix of two-page pictures, single-page pictures and pictures within pictures.  Columns are made within these illustrations.  In the columns are quotations by Celia Thaxter relevant to the narrative.  For every two pages, there is a quote with two exceptions.  Two single pages each have a quote and the following two pages have none.  All of these eloquent visuals bring us deeply into the story, not as observers but as if we were there.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page visual.  On the left side we see a portion of the lighthouse where Celia's father initially worked on White Island.  The windows are glowing.  It is so cold outside that Celia and her brothers breathe on pennies and place them on the frozen windows so they can see outside.  On the right, Melissa Sweet has displayed a dark, angry and icy sea with howling winds.  Embedded in the waves are the words:

The sea is black and white

as death, with horrible long

billows that break and roar

aloud.

In a word, Celia Planted A Garden: The Story of Celia Thaxter And Her Island Garden written by Phyllis Root and Gary D. Schmidt with artwork by Melissa Sweet, is fascinating, especially when the time in which it took place is considered.  At the close of the book are two pages titled A Note On Celia Laighton Thaxter.  These are followed by two pages of a detailed timeline with forty-seven significant years.  There is an extensive one and one-half page bibliography.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Phyllis Root and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  She has an account on Facebook.  You can find out more about Gary D. Schmidt at these two links, his Calvin University page and an article in the university's publication, Spark.  By following the link attached to Melissa Sweet's name, you can access her website.  There you can learn about her work.  She has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At the publisher's website, you can download a four-page teacher's guide.  At Penguin Random House, you can view interior images.

Waiting For Sweetness

They appear with regularity annually.  There's still snow on the ground.  There's still a chill in the air but the days are longer and more often are filled with sunshine. They, these buckets, hang from sugar maple trees, gathering sap no longer necessary for the winter months. 

For those of us who adorn our pancakes, waffles, French toast or hot cereal with dribbles or pools of maple syrup, we are grateful to see these buckets.  Maple syrup is also preferred by some in baking and cooking as a distinctive sweetener.  The smell alone is enough to bring delectable memories soaring into our minds.  Two January releases focus their attention on collecting the sap, sugaring time. 

For those eager to learn about the process, Bear Goes Sugaring (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, January 7, 2020) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III is an enlightening and lively title.  You may know Maxwell Eaton III for his Truth About . . . (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) series.  Maxwell Eaton III brings the same fascinating information and the same generous helping of humor to Bear Goes Sugaring as he does in his other marvelous nonfiction books.

The winter has been long and cold, and while the temperature is still below freezing at night, it's now above freezing during the day.  The sun is shining, and spring is on its way.  It's sugaring time! Time for Bear to make maple syrup.  

That means
pancakes,
right? (questions his canine companion) (squirrel is still snoozing)

Further details appear in a sign posted in front of Bear's home about the correct months of the year and temperatures.  Inside Bear's home she finds her brace, a hand-powered drill, her drill bit, stainless steel spouts and buckets with lids.  As she looks for the proper tree, readers are educated about four different types of maple trees.

We follow her to a sugar maple and watch as she drills a proper, size and length, hole and hammers in the spout.  A bucket is hung and covered.  It's no surprise when her dog asks if it's syrup yet.  Bear happens to notice a hole in one of the buckets (her dog did this earlier mistakenly with the hammer).  We learn about other kinds of buckets.  As the sap drips into the bucket, dog is puzzled to discover it's not syrup.  An explanation of sap follows.

As the sap falls into the buckets Bear sets up her evaporating system.  We watch her build the structure and stack the wood.  We follow how the process works to turn the sap into syrup.  We are reminded about the proportions of water and sugar in sap.  Guess how many buckets of sap are needed to make a gallon of syrup?  This is the reason syrup is expensive and prized.  It's one more generous gift from trees.

Bear works diligently for a week bringing buckets of sap to covered collection buckets until she has enough to fill the evaporator pan.  For an entire day she works over the evaporator, gradually adding sap to the pre-heater, stirring and straining.  There are a few more steps as night falls and then Bear takes a pot of syrup into the house.  (At this time her dog and the squirrel are nearly passed out from hunger.  Their craving for pancakes has reached an all-time high.)  As the full moon rises outside, inside at the kitchen table stomachs start to fill with pancakes topped with . . . maple syrup.


The information provided by Maxwell Eaton III flows like a conversation between friends.  Each portion of the process is supplied concisely and correctly to readers.  It's as if he understands exactly what we need and want to know.  The side comments by Bear's dog and the squirrel are hilarious!  Even a warming on a sign on the verso page about the process and need for a responsible (human) adult is presented with comedic conversation.  Dog says:

I'm 
forty-two
in dog
years.

Generous additional fact balloons address specifics outside of the general narrative.  Illustrations are labeled for clarity.  Here are passages from one-and one-half pages.

Wait a minute! Bear notices a hole in one of the buckets.
Weird! (Dog)

Luckily, just about anything that can safely hold liquid food can hold sap.  Bear digs an empty plastic milk jug out of the recycling bin, cleans it, and cuts a hole near the top.
SNIP!
I lost scissors
privileges long
ago. (Dog)

Then she hangs it on a spout just like a bucket and ta-da!
I guess we'll
never mention
this again. (Dog)

Milk jugs are a great way to collect sap
without spending a lot of money. (Caption box)


The full color image on the matching dust jacket and book case is a wonderful scene of Bear working at night at her evaporator.  The trees with the hanging buckets, mountains, greenery and starry sky extend over the spine to the left edge of the back.   The design and layout on the front are superb with the steam framing Bear's face and her puny comment is just a hint of the fun and facts to come.  On the dust jacket the title text is varnished.

A lighter shade of the red found in the title text covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page is a panoramic scene of Bear's home and her barn.  The sun is just starting to rise between the mountains.  A two-page illustration contains, on the right, the front of Bear's home with the first page of the book and on the left is the mountain behind her home allowing for space for publication information.

Maxwell Eaton III rendered his pictures

with watercolor and graphite pencil on 140 lb. bright white, cold press, watercolor paper.

They alternate between full-page pictures and double-page visuals.  There are insets of detailed images within the main illustrations as well as smaller pictures on top of larger images.  The point of view shifts, also.  When Bear is inserting the spout into the tree, we only see her hand holding the hammer as it knocks the spout in place.  Careful readers will notice a humorous thread within this narrative based on the comments of Dog and Squirrel.  (And did a mouse just join this book?)

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a bird's eye view of Bear working at her evaporator.  Around the evaporator Bear on the left is skimming foam, in the center she is adding wood to the fire and on the right, she is pouring sap into the pre-heater from a bucket.  A shovel is sticking up in the snow.  Empty buckets are on the left near the barn.  In front of the wood stack on the right, Dog and Squirrel, on their backs, are lamenting the length of time this is taking and their "extreme" hunger.

This book, Bear Goes Sugaring written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III is funny and factual.  I can't imagine a unit on sugaring, maple syrup, food or the transition from winter to spring without this book.  There are pages showing a map of Maple Syrup Territory, A Variety of Evaporators, Old Spouts and a Traditional Sugarhouse.  At the close is an author's note and list of three resources for further reading.  I highly recommend this title for your collections.

To learn more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other books, follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III maintains accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House you can view the title page.  At the publisher's website are links to two sets of activity sheets.



Gary D. Schmidt and his late wife, writing under the name of Elizabeth Stickney, have penned a more intimate fictional account of sugaring and the wait for maple syrup.  Almost Time (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, January 14, 2020) illustrated by G. Brian Karas is an endearing story about a boy and his father.  It's about anticipation, patience and love set within the changing seasons.

When Ethan had to eat his pancakes with applesauce instead of maple syrup one Sunday morning, he knew it was almost sugaring time.

He was curious to know if the sap was running yet.  His dad said the days were still too cold.  After sledding one day, Ethan discovered a shining sun does not necessarily mean the temperature is warmer.  The following week on Sunday Ethan again wondered if it was time to tap the trees. 

He was told the nights are still too long.  He looked for extra light and his best stuffed toy friend, but it was too dark.  Another week passed and the only difference was Ethan now had a loose tooth.  When he wondered when it will fall out, his dad was fairly certain it will come out when it's time to tap the trees.

Ethan waited and waited.  It's as if time had stopped.  It's still too cold during the day and the nights still had hours and hours of darkness.  And no matter how loose his tooth was, it did not fall out.

One day, as if by magic, something happened to Ethan at school.  When the bus delivered him home Ethan had something to show his dad.  His dad had something to show Ethan.  For an entire week the father and son duo worked together until one Sunday morning, the wait was over.  Yum.


The writing in this book is similar to the waiting and making of maple syrup.  The cadence is slow, soft and patient with results that are sweet but not too sweet.  It's worth the wait because when you get that first taste, you can't help but sigh.  Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney write with the sure knowledge of the human spirit and of the relationship between a loving child and parent.

They use a combination of narrative and conversation.  A rhythm is established by coming back to each Sunday.  Between those Sundays we see how things move forward from week to week.  They add charming details like the name of Ethan's teddy bear, Roosevelt.  Here is a passage.

When he bit down on a walnut, he discovered something.
"My tooth is loose!" he said.

His father inspected. "I expect it will fall out before long."
"How long?" asked Ethan.
"About as long as it takes the sap to start running," Dad said. 


The three trees with buckets featured on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case are tall compared to Ethan.  It's as if they symbolize the length of the wait for him.  You can imagine Ethan standing there and speaking to them as he holds Roosevelt.  What do you think he is saying?  I really like the use of shadow in the trees and Ethan and his footprints in the snow.

To the left, on the back, on a canvas of muted red is a small square with rounded corners.  On this cream-colored background sits a jar of maple syrup on a table.  Roosevelt, his head peaking over the edge of the table, is looking at it. 

A bright, deep spring green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, with his back to us, Ethan is looking out a window at the snow.  Rendered in

pencil and digital color

these illustrations by G. Brian Karas are enchanting, elevating and expanding the text.  The double-page picture for the dedications is a gorgeous night scene, a panoramic view of Ethan and his dad's home in the woods.  It's a limited color palette with a crescent moon in the sky.

The images alternate in size to complement the text and pacing.  We are shown single-page pictures, double-page visuals, or smaller rounded corner squares or rectangles on a full page.  The facial expressions on Ethan and his father along with their body postures are lovely, so lovely.  There is an exquisite tenderness in their relationship as shown by G. Brian Karas.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  It is a loosely framed square.  It is in Ethan's bedroom at night.  We can see the outside through the window next to his bed.  A single light on the table next to his bed casts a glow in the room.  Ethan is snuggled under the covers with Roosevelt.  Ethan is looking out the window as his dad bends down and kisses him good night on his forehead.  The text for this picture is:

And the nights were still long.

You'll want to add this title, Almost Time written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney with illustrations by G. Brian Karas, to your list of huggable books.  It will enhance your story time themes on family, seasons, patience and how maple syrup is made. Hold a place on your personal and professional bookshelves for this delightful story.

To learn more about Gary D. Schmidt and G. Brian Karas, please follow the links attached to their names.  G. Brian Karas does have an account on Twitter. 

To Bloom Where You Are Planted...

There is no question about the value of picture book biographies based on solid research written to inform and connect with the reader; illustrations evoking a culture, a historical climate and the person's place in each of those.  In the space of thirty-two pages a masterful author and illustrator can focus on the significant events of the selected individual's life making their struggles and triumphs relevant and timeless for any age.  It is the person who we may think has the least in common with us that is the most similar.

In May of 1962 a man who lived sixty years, born in 1579, was canonized, the first black saint in the Americas.  Author Gary D. Schmidt, two time Newbery Award Honor winner, and illustrator David Diaz, winner of the 1995 Caldecott Medal, compliment and enhance each other's skills in the summer 2012 release of Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt).  This is a life to be remembered, a life which can give hope to many.

Anna Velazquez hurried out of the barrios of Lima and onto the plaza.  She carried a quiet baby, wrapped closely so that no one could see him---but no one was looking.

This woman, a freed African slave, is making her way to the cathedral to seek baptism for her child.  The boy's father, a Spanish nobleman, is not present.  Not pleased with this the priest nevertheless completes the christening.

Living in the abject poverty of the barrios of Lima, Peru, Martin and his younger sister Juana are haunted by hunger and illness until at the age of eight his father, Don Juan de Porres took them both to Ecuador.  Several years later back in Lima Martin becomes the apprentice of a cirujano, a type of doctor, per his father's arrangements.  It is during this time Martin's gifts begin to shine; his healing abilities, his capacity to make things grow quickly and well.

Due to his race, Martin is not allowed to study to be a Dominican brother but at the age of fifteen he is allowed to enter the monastery to serve the others doing menial tasks; sweeping and washing floors, cutting hair, opening doors and cleaning baths.  Father Lorenzana realizes through tales being told that Martin is no ordinary young man; his talents are increasing.  Martin's devotion to healing people in the barrios, spreading to include people from all walks of life, becomes legendary as does his care for dogs.  

Within thirteen years that which was written was broken.  Miracles multiplied; being seen in two places at once, candle-carrying angels lighting his way and those trees he planted bore fruit all year long.  In 1639 voices floated from the monastery to be joined by voices in the streets of Lima, a Mother's belief, "He is a rose in the desert." was no longer blooming.

There is a particular, unique, quality to the writing of Gary D. Schmidt; drawing readers into a place so completely you believe you are there.  The easy flow of his narrative mirrors the spare life of Martin de Porres but there is also an undercurrent of richness to be felt in the telling, a richness revealed and received by all whose lives were touched by Martin de Porres.  Schmidt's technique of repeating what the slave boys, Spanish royals and priests see and say in a given set of circumstances places emphasis on the class differences but also highlights the faith of each, their willingness to believe.  It strengthens the importance of the saint's beginnings and the obstacles overcome to do what he did.

A young Martin de Porres simply clothed as a servant of the Dominican brothers surrounded by shades of green and followed by the smallest of creatures (spread across the front and back jacket and cover) begins the tale of a quiet, servant who rose to miraculous achievements.  Opening and closing endpapers, a vibrant but soft shade of rose, encase the mixed media illustrations of David Diaz. An older Martin head bowed, a golden-orange glow framing his face graces the title page. 

All the pictures span two pages with the text set in various spots; never a distraction but a part of each.  On three of the visuals smaller illustrations showcase a particular part in the retelling; a baptismal font, a lemon tree and a rose. The color palette, the shades of green, blue, red, gold and brown, simply glow.      Perhaps my favorite illustration of all is Martin moving through the arched cathedral hallways at night, two angels flying by his side, lanterns in hand, as he carries bread to feed to the poor, a dog walking by his side.

With the richness of Gary D. Schmidt's writing matched by the peaceful, luminosity of David Diaz's illustrations, Martin de Porres: The Rose in the Desert is picture book perfection, a biography to be relished repeatedly.  Readers young and old alike will be able to identify with the barriers Martin faced in his life but can also take heart in knowing barriers can be surmounted in more ways than one.

Please follow the link embedded in Gary D. Schmidt's name to view his website.  This is a link to a Scholastic interview of David Diaz.  

Beyond The Milky Way

Before beginning a review I always go over my marked passages, reread favorite dialogue or gaze in wonder at the illustrations rendered. It says something about the strength of a particular title when perusing, you find yourself again caught up in the story.  Before you know it, a second reading, within a few days of the first, becomes a necessity.

Also noteworthy is if the author has stepped out of their usual mold to venture into another genre and has done it with complete success.  That is the mark of a magician with words; an incredibly skilled artist.  What Came From The Stars (Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) written by Gary D. Schmidt is such a book.

More miles away in space than our minds can imagine is a place, the home of the Ethelim.  Watching over these people are the Valorim but their days are numbered.  A darkness led by the black-hearted Lord Mondus fueled by the masses of the faceless O'Mondim and a few traitorous Valorim, has spread across the land, is breaching the stronghold called Reced.  Only Young Waeglim remains working with an urgency at the tower forge as the battle rages.  He forms a chain of green and silver binding within it all the stories and thoughts from the hearts of the Valorium, the Art of the Valorium, and sends it traveling forth into the starry expanse.

The necklace lands in the most unlikely of places, the Ace Robotroid Adventures lunch box of a sixth grader at William Bradford Elementary School located in the Milky Way galaxy, in a Solar System circling a Sun, on a planet known as Earth on the North American continent in the town of Plymouth located in the state of Massachusetts.  Tommy, the owner of the lunch box, has problems of his own.  It's been less than a year since the death of his mother; his father no longer paints and his sister no longer talks.  A real estate developer, mother of Cheryl Lynn Lumpkin, school bully, plots to acquire their home on the sands along the ocean for a condominium project.

During a rather embarrassing moment in the school cafeteria, Tommy discovers the necklace placing it around his neck.  Without any conscience thought, the power of this talisman begins to work.  Tommy knows things he shouldn't know, he can do things he should not be able to do, he speaks words from no known language and he creates a creature in the sand, giving it life.

Back among the Ethelim Lord Mondus covets the Art of the Valorium; singing and sending a song out into the vast universe hoping for an answer.  Along the sea in Plymouth strangers arrive, one of darkness and the other of light.  Unusual storms pound the community as fear strikes every heart; someone is breaking into homes, destroying them and leaving the foul stench of rotten seaweed.

Running parallel to the mounting tension in Tommy's community are plans for rebellion among the Ethelim who can no longer tolerate living in constant oppression.  Battles must be fought. Two worlds hang in balance needing a twelve year old boy to conquer his fear, grief and to do what he believes is right.

To spin this tale Gary D. Schmidt begins with a chapter written in the tongue of an ancient language much like storytellers of old, painting a picture of Weoruld Ethelim.  In the following chapter he transitions into modern day Massachusetts with the present day vernacular of middle school students, parents, teachers and community members.  His mastery at moving the story between the two worlds in alternating chapters is a marvel.

In speaking of the Ethelim it's as if we readers are sitting around a campfire listening to an epic story unfold; one which has been passed on from generation to generation.  It is his command of language, his ability to not only understand human emotion but to convey that understanding through his characters to his readers, that acts as the bridge. Each of the many characters contributes an integral part, whether small or large, to the overall narrative.

Patty, Tommy's younger sister, a student in first grade, conveys through her eyes and gestures a full range of feelings.  Three of Tommy's classmates, football loving, James Sullivan, accordion playing, Patrick Belknap, stand-tall, inquisitive Alice Winslow are the best kind of friends to have.  The adults depict the range of people anyone, anywhere might be likely to discover.  That's what I love about Gary D. Schmidt; his ability to cover a full spectrum of personalities and to weave them together in a fascinating whole.

Here are a few selected passages.  It was very hard to choose which to include.

And when Young Waeglim would not reveal where he had sent the Art of the Valorium, the Lord Mondus imprisoned him deep beneath the Reced, where the Twin Suns never shone, where the soft moonlight of spinning Hreth never glimmered.  Young Waeglim did not tremble at his lonely doom, but as he was carried down from the Tower, lower and lower into the depths of the Reced, his eyes searched out each window, as if he might take within himself its light.  And when he came at last to the final pane, then it was that Young Waeglim burst upon the O'Mondim with the might of twelve, and more than a few of the Faceless would never again feel the covering of the cool sea.

Alice Winslow and Tommy and Patty had eaten five elephant ears between them--which they figured was probably more than they should have---and heard the Foxboro Fiddlers perform with their star fiddler fiddling behind his back, and the Andrew Sisters Redux sing a medley of World War II top hits, before James Sullivan found them.
"Am I too late?" he said.
"For what?" said Tommy.
"Belknap."
They looked at him.
"Belknap is playing today."
"Playing what?" said Tommy.
"His accordion."
"In front of everyone?" said Alice Winslow.
"No, he's going to wait until everyone leaves," said James Sullivan.
"That might not be a bad idea," said Tommy.

Schmidt extends his adeptness to the last syllable in the last two chapters tying Tommy's Plymouth, Massachusetts to the Ethelim.  But he does not stop with those two chapters.  He includes a glossary of words spoken by Tommy under the power of the necklace written by Alice Winslow with help from their teacher, Mr. Burroughs.  It is in the final defining sentence that this extraordinary author reveals what I believe is at the center of this story and all his work.

What Came From The Stars by Gary D. Schmidt is high fantasy at its absolute best.  Finely, defined characters, the blending of two worlds galaxies apart, the pure of heart versus the wicked and soulless, journeys by thought and journeys of healing all combine to keep the reader riveted to the pages.  This story soars into the heavens.

I want to leave you with one final thought.  At the 2012 Summer Conference of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, Martha Brockenbrough, author of Devine Intervention (reviewed here) sent a tweet out to her followers on Twitter.  When listening to Gary D. Schmidt speak she said--When Gary Schmidt talks, it feels like your heart is being gently held in someone else's miraculous hands.  

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Wordsmith Schmidt Delivers Again

Receiving a Newbery Honor for The Wednesday Wars, author Gary D. Schmidt has penned another literary triumph, Okay For Now. As the central voice around which everything else revolves, Doug Swieteck, a character from The Wednesday Wars, tells his story.  This is by no means a sequel but more of a companion book as the author explains in the video clip below.

Undoubtedly due to my age I can remember going to libraries having copies of John James Audubon's out for patrons to use rather than under glass as is an original in this story.  You have to marvel about the mind that can imagine a tale using Audubon's masterpiece as a vehicle for growth and redemption.
Birds of America

Joe Pepitone once gave me his New York Yankees baseball cap.
I'm not lying.
He gave it to me.  To me, Doug Swieteck.  To me. 

These three thoughts one reads upon opening to the first page.  Then your eyes drift back again to The Arctic Tern Plate CCL straight out of Birds of America pictured on the left.  It is a thing of beauty the way Schmidt brings those two seemingly incompatible elements together by the end of chapter one. 

Using that cap we are introduced to his bullying brother, Christoper, his older brother, Lucas, serving in Vietnam beating up someone other than Doug for a change, his abusive father, My father's hands are quick.  That's the kind of guy he is., and his quiet Mom whose strength is initially demonstrated when told she can't take her potted perennial plants; she calmly does not get in the car and distributes them throughout the neighborhood.  As the three guys watch her move about this task Holling Hoodhood walks down the street bringing Doug a going-away gift, a New York Yankees jacket, Joe Pepitone's jacket that he had given him.  This gesture of kindness plays an important part in subsequent chapters.

The family is leaving for Marysville in the Catskills because Doug's father got fired.  His new job, obtained by his less than stellar friend, is at Ballard Paper Mill.  Doug hates this town and christens their new home, The Dump.  In a moment of freedom he explores the town following a girl into a building, his first visit inside a library.  Walking upstairs he sees a large room with a single glass topped table in the center.  Inside is...

A huge, huge book.  Its pages were longer than a good-size baseball bat. 

The book is open to a single page.  Doug's perception of that illustration, The Arctic Tern, is so concise, so vivid that one wonders if he is describing the bird or how that bird is a representation of himself.  This portrait fans an ember long hidden in Doug.  He can not wait to go there again but on Monday finds that the library is only open on Saturdays.  But that girl, Lil is there.  He decides not to be so much like his brother Lucas.  He decides to be nice.  She gets him a job hauling groceries for customers in her Dad's store on Saturday mornings.

Each remaining chapter begins with a plate from Audubon's Birds of America.  Each of those plates foreshadows events, dialogue and depictions of time and place in 1968 Marysville, New York.  Those chapters are peopled with characters that become the kind of family that Doug needs.  Mr. Powell, one of the librarians, prompts and promotes Doug's artistic talent, an eccentric wealthy playwright, Mrs. Windermere who gives Doug a lesson in creativity with a capital C, Evelyn Mason, a grandmother type that everyone wishes for because of her kindness, Mr. Loeffler, an elderly gentlemen who makes Doug feel needed, the Daugherty family whose children adhere to Doug like glue and whose parents give Doug chances.

Beginning eighth grade in September at Washington Irving Junior High School, Doug's family extends from seemingly unfair Principal Peattie, to Miss Cowper, an English teacher with a gift for noticing those students that might fall through the cracks, brutal Coach Reed a Vietnam vet still suffering, and to Mr. Ferris a physical science teacher that can see the potential in all his students. 

Woven into this fabric are a rash of robberies, a friendship that becomes so much more, a Broadway play debut, an fight for life, a damaged brother returning home, an elderly friend found in the most unlikely of places and most important is Doug's quest to find and return pages that have been cut from John James Audubon's Birds of America.  It seems that some things never change; money for keeping the library open is needed so pages are being sold.  One of my favorite quotes from the book is Doug's thoughts about this.

When you find something that's whole, you do what you can to keep it that way.
And when you find something that isn't, then maybe it's not a bad idea to try to make it whole again. Maybe.

When I finished Okay For Now, I softly exclaimed wow and thought, I can't wait to read this again.  You become more than a reader, you shadow each and every person in their lives feeling hope, compassion, empathy, deep sadness, pride at their strength, disgust, perhaps forgiveness...but not quite yet and most of all love; love for all their humanness.

This is going to be a Newbery contender.  I'm not lying.