Odd Couple Kalinka and Grakkle Blog Tour

Living beings act in surprising ways.  Time and again there will be stories of animals, sometimes enemies, who pair for survival.  People, total opposites, will spend lifetimes together.  Somehow they are able to overlook their differences and find small windows of togetherness. 

Sometimes those small windows of togetherness open when the two are experiencing their worst moments. Kalinka and Grakkle (Peachtree, April 1, 2018) written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems, Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales Henry Holt and Company, August 18, 2015) is about a decidedly odd couple.  They give new meaning to the word opposites.

Kalinka was a little yellow bird with a neat cap of red feathers.  
"I'm such a good bird", she said to herself.
"Good as gold, with a cherry on top."

Her neighbor, Grakkle, was big, green, hairy, cranky and an all-around messy kind of monster.  Kalinka took it upon herself, after flying in Grakkle's open window, to begin to put the chaos in his home in order.  All Grakkle said over and over was:

"Grakk!" 

Grakkle wanted no help at all.  He did want his Auntie Grumble's homemade ginger cookies.  He did want to rest his feet in a bucket of pickle juice.  He did want to snooze in his best chair, his only chair.
The problem was Kalinka.

Eating every single one of Grakkle's cookies except for crumbs was not a good idea.  She picked up his stuff but was clueless as to where it should go.  Putting pencils in a box of spaghetti and mail in a toaster was not wise at all.  You had better believe there was a whole bunch of

"Grakk!" 

being said by a very frustrated monster.

Finally Kalinka did the one thing which sent this monster into a frenzy.  He had a fit.  She ended up in a dire situation.  Her tidiness wouldn't save her now.

"Grakk!"


On the first page Julie Paschkis clearly defines the two characters in appearance and demeanor.  Before you even turn to the next page, you know there will be tension.  What you do not know is Kalinka will misunderstand every single one of Grakkle's Grakk! exclamations.  She thinks he's perfectly happy with everything she does. 

The narrative blends well with Kalinka's happy chatter and Grakkle's angry mumbles.  This supplies humor and leads us wonderfully to a startling twist.  Here is a passage.

Grakkle swatted at the bag.  He belched and scratched his head in confusion.  His hair stood out every which way.
"This beast's appearance is appalling," said Kalinka.
"Luckily for him, I do have a way with hair."
She perched on his head and got to work.
"Gr-r-r-r-rakk," grumbled Grakkle.
"You're welcome," said Kalinka, tying a bow in his matted hair.


It will be interesting to see what readers believe they are seeing on the opened, matching dust jacket and book case.  What is all that curly green?  Are those the outlines of hands on the right and the left on the spine?  Kalinka is already busy speaking.  To the left, on the back, within a white background (on the green) and gracefully framed in signature Julie Paschkis lines and flowers are words spoken right before Grakkle's temper explodes.

The opening and closing endpapers are a soft white with larger yellow dots. (Grakkle's wallpaper)  On the initial title page Julie includes a dedication and features Kalinka and the hands of Grakkle.  She continues with this design but uses Grakkle's tail as a perch for Kalinka on the formal title page.

Rendered in ink and gouache the illustrations, most of them on two pages, employ delicate lines but also manage to convey Grakkle in all his monster glory.  He is indeed a monster and his home is a mess. His expressions as Kalinka goes about her merry way are a huge signal of events to come.  Julie Paschkis uses lines and dots, flowers and leaves to separate text and wonderful patterns on items in Grakkle's house, even if they are patched.  The inclusion of the black pot-bellied stove with a tea kettle simmering adds a bit of old-world charm.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  It shows the kitchen table covered in a beautiful patterned cloth.  Chairs are placed to the left and right.  In the upper right-hand corner a bit of curtain billows out.  Kalinka is perched in the center of the table.  She has nearly finished consuming all of the ginger cookies.  Grakkle wearing his vest and belt and with arms upraised is about to go crazy.  He's horrified and angry at the blissful unawareness of Kalinka.


Kalinka and Grakkle written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis will promote all kinds of discussions about what binds friends together.  Readers will see that sometimes the wrong kind of help can make matters worse.  They will also see that even the grumpiest grump has a soft spot.  This title would be an excellent addition with other odd couple books at story time and of course, books about friendship.  Julie's artwork will endear readers to the characters.

To learn more about Julie Paschkis and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  On the Peachtree blog, here and here, Julie talks about this book. Julie chats about the evolution of this title on the Books Around The Table site.

Animal Observations And The Music of Language

Early this morning fog and clouds shrouded the mountains as snow fell.  Walking from one room to another something caught my attention; a shadow moved behind the shades still down over the window and door opening to the back deck.  The small tree (Xena's tree) was still lit and twinkling.

It was a large doe moving as lightly as the falling flakes.  In search of food she got through the snow and ate what grass she could find.  I know when spring and summer come she will try to enjoy my gardens.  It will be a challenge as we share the same space but today she was beautiful. 

Author illustrator Julie Paschkis combines her notable skills, her acquired love of the Spanish language and perceptions of the animal world in her newest title. Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems, Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales (Henry Holt and Company, August 18, 2015) is a harmonious tribute to the beauty of written and spoken words.  It seeks and finds joy.

Snake

Slithering

through the grass

the sinuous snake

is writing

a slippery poem

with his body. ...

La Serpiente

Deslizandose

por la hierba

la serpient sinuosa

esta escribiendo

un poema resbaloso

con su cuerpo.

Fourteen animals and fourteen poems, each in English and in Spanish, feature characteristics, imagine possibilities, describe moments, and pose questions.  It's not usual to think of snakes as authors but it does make a kind of sense when you wonder about the marks they leave behind.  We know the turtle's shell is a portable home but there might be other treasures carried too.

As a heron takes flight a picture alters.  Even on a rainy day a single crow manages to find a bit of sparkle.  A cat sleeping and awake can explore named points apart on our world.  A field is not a field to a cow but a ready restaurant.  Do the dogs wag their tails or does sheer jubilation?

A tiny fly, a flashy parrot and a silent deer feast, demand and peer.  Perhaps they will travel to watch sea giants waltz with waves.  A haunting hoot pierces the dark as moths and fireflies seek and give light.  Under and on water fish weave a lullaby.

From every place on our planet the familiar become extraordinary as Julie Paschkis uses language like a magician makes magic.  Onomatopoeia, repetition, rhyming and free verse in English are mirrored in the elegance of the Spanish translation.  She has the ability to see beyond the obvious and make us gasp in admiration at her perspectives.  Here is another sample portion.

Owl
The moon is a lantern
in the branches.
A shimmer.

A shadow whistles
through the grass.
A whisper.

El Buho
La luna es un farol
en las ramas.
Brilla.

Silba una sambra
por las hierbas.
Un susurro.


Rendered in Winsor & Newton gouache on Arches paper all the illustrations throughout are as stunning as the two on the front and back of the dust jacket.  The earth tones on black are a gorgeous pairing.  On the back, to the left, a male deer, a buck, is looking directly at us from among the trees.  As you will note letters and words in English and Spanish are blended into the illustrations.  This adds a creative, innovative dimension to each image.  The book case is identical to the interior illustration of the heron.  A grass green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Some of the elements from the dust jacket appear on the title page.

All of the visuals span edge to edge across two pages.  Intricate details invite you to pause at each picture.  Sometimes Julie Paschkis draws us directly into the presence of the animal.  Other times we move back and see them within a larger landscape.  Her color palette varies in relationship to the animal and the time of day.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the poem Dog.  Among a swirl of yellow flowers and leaves red balls bounce.  On each side a furry brown dog jumps in joy.  The words bump, bounce, abound, red, ruff and ready and tonto, junto, juego, pronto, redondo, rojo, ojo and rebote appear on the leaves and balls.


Flutter & Hum: Animal Poems Aleteo y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis is a cheerful frolic among animals, wild and domestic.  I highly recommend this title for reading aloud in either or both languages.  In an author's note, in English and Spanish, Julie Paschkis tells us these poems were first written in Spanish, then English.  Don't wait until National Poetry Month, use this all year long for writing, a study of languages or animals.

To enjoy learning more about Julie Paschkis and her other books please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  If you visit the publisher's website you can view eight interior images.  They are absolutely lovely.  Julie Paschkis was a guest at Jama Rattigan's blog, Jama's Alphabet Soup.  You will enjoy the additional illustrations and the interview.


While some might argue the use of this title for the 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy, the use of two languages and animals plus the classification is enough for me.  Please visit the blog to see the other books selected by other bloggers this week.