Paws For A Friend

Even on your worst day ever or your best day ever, their appearance makes everything at least a little bit better.  Their acute senses can assess any situation.  It does not matter if they are by your side or the companion of another.  Their presence is a gift.  How we choose to accept this gift can alter our lives more than we can imagine.

Dogs tend to approach humans and other dogs in distinctly different ways, usually.  They do bring, as we do, past experiences to the encounter.  The initial results are often unpredictable.  More times than not the final effect is you will have a friend for life.  A collaboration between author Kate DiCamillo and cartoonist Harry Bliss titled Good Rosie! (Candlewick Press, September 4, 2018) is a heartwarming mix of storytelling, art and all the generosity of spirit found in our canine companions.

PART ONE THE BOWL
Rosie lives with George.
Rosie is a good dog.

The morning routine of George and Rosie sharing breakfast time always ends with Rosie staring at her empty shiny bowl and seeing a dog looking back at her.  This particular dog never answers her greeting.  There is nothing lonelier than an unanswered hello. 

Their walks after breakfast are about squirrel chasing (Rosie) and cloud watching (George and Rosie).  One day they see the same thing in the clouds, a dog.  This one does not reply to Rosie's cheerful barks, either.  George, astute human he is, knows exactly where to go.

At the dog park Rosie is overwhelmed by all the dogs.  It's pretty lonely when you know no one.  A big dog named Maurice wants to play.  Rosie wants to go home.  Who needs to be around a huge, drooling dog that shakes his toy rabbit with a speed like lightning.  Before Rosie can convince George to leave, a tiny little dog, Fifi, comes bouncing into view. 

Maurice's idea of playing with Fifi is to treat her like his toy bunny.  YIKES!  Rosie springs into action. Looking on the bright side of her most recent predicament, Fifi's positivity is attractive to Rosie.  A contrite Maurice tries to explain his actions and all three dogs agree on a definition and reach a decision.  Who knows what adventures await Rosie, Fif (three rhinestones are now missing) and Maurice and the blue bunny at the dog park?


There is always a hint (or sometimes more) of the extraordinary in the stories told by Kate DiCamillo.  Her word choices and sentence structure leave room for emotional interpretation.  By dividing the narrative into nine short chapters she welcomes younger readers into this tale of Rosie.

Each of these nine chapters begins with an important thought and closes with another for readers to ponder.  Many of the sentences are bursting with truth.  When George speaks to Rosie it is separate from the text and Rosie's thoughts, her woofs and growls, and the conversations with Maurice and Fif (i).  Here are some of the passages from one of the chapters.

Look at the clouds, Rosie.
Aren't they magnificent? That
one looks like Abraham Lincoln.

George thinks that most clouds look like presidents.
Rosie thinks that most clouds look like squirrels.

One day, George see something different in the clouds.
Look, Rosie!
That one looks like a dog.

The cloud does look like a dog!
Rosie wags her tail.
"Hello, hello!" she shouts.

Woof,
woof! 


It's a given when readers look at the front of the dust jacket and see Rosie looking right at them, there will be a sigh of affection.  What's not to love about that face?  Rosie's red collar with the tiny gold tag engraved with her name are the perfectly perfect finishing touches.  Each of the four scenes around Rosie are portions of images from four separate chapters.  A teeny, tiny picture of Rosie is on the spine beneath the title.

To the left, on the back, a larger picture is framed in the same cream color.  It's an important turning point in the story.  The text reads:

A good dog
needs
good friends.

The red from the title text and Rosie's collar covers the book case.  The portrait of Rosie is again featured on the front; smaller and the title words are separated above and below her.  The four small visuals on the front of the dust jacket have been placed on the back of the book case framed and separated in red.  The opening and closing endpapers are a muted, soft rosy red like a wash of watercolor.  On the title page, Rosie appears below the text, resting.

Harry Bliss designs his art for Kate's story as if it is a comic.  The pages host a single image, two illustrations to a page, four pictures to a page or three visuals to a page all rendered in watercolor.  They are outlined in a fine black line and separated by white space.  The sizes and positions of the illustrations elevate the pacing.

Some of the images are without words as when Maurice approaches Rosie at the dog park.  Slight changes in each panel signify the size of Maurice even before he comes into view.  The qualities of each of the three dogs are depicted with marvelous realism.  You want to reach out and cuddle with them.  Yes, even with Maurice.  Their facial expressions are priceless.  One other element which caught my attention is the presence of a monarch butterfly in two of the illustrations.  Is it a reference to happiness and the chasing of a butterfly?

One of my many (Okay, all of them.) favorite illustrations is the first one.  For those initial two sentences Harry Bliss brings us into George's bedroom at daybreak.  George is soundly sleeping.  Several books relative to dogs are open and on the bed.  A tennis ball rests near Rosie, also sleeping and stretched alongside of George.  One of George's hands is on Rosie's body. And the other hand is placed on his chest.  A set of stairs is next to the bed for Rosie to use.


For early readers, for lovers of dogs, for a theme on the power of friendship and for anyone needing and wanting a story with art to hold in their heart, Good Rosie! written by Kate DiCamillo with pictures by Harry Bliss is a superb selection.  Rosie, George, Fif and Maurice are the kind of characters who live beyond their story.  They become a part of our stories.  Who wouldn't want this in their personal and professional collections? 

To learn more about Kate DiCamillo and Harry Bliss and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Kate has another site, Stories Connect Us, here.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  (You are going to love it.)  The cover is revealed with an interview with Kate and Harry at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Shelf Awareness features Good Rosie!, Kate and Harry.  Publishers Weekly showcases this title with Kate and Harry.

Two Letters, A Single Word, A Single Note

With every tick of the clock, the opportunity for change is present regardless of the previous minutes, days, weeks, months or years in the past.  We are six days into a new year.  Anticipation fills the air.  People seem more determined than ever to pursue a difference, a difference for the greater good and ultimately for them.

Throughout social media people are selecting one word to guide them through the year.  These words are highly significant for them.  The explanations they offer for their choices are heartfelt and inspiring.  La La La: A story of hope (Candlewick Press, October 3, 2017) written by Kate DiCamillo with illustrations by Jaime Kim has been on my desk next to my computer since its release.  With each reading the reminder to readers, to me, to reach out with our voice is strengthened.  And sometimes when a single word is lifted in song it resonates more beautifully.

La

A little girl opens her mouth and releases a word into the world, not once, not twice but three times.  She waits for a reply.  She tries again.  There is still no response.

Slightly discouraged she walks until leaves drift down toward her.  She sings her word, hoping for an answer.  The leaves lead her to a place filled with natural splendor.  She continues to send the one-word melody toward a rock, a tree and all the branches on the tree.  She runs along a pond, singing.  She is greeted with silence.

Darkness has fallen. The leaves beckon her back into the special spot.   A strong light illuminates the surrounding area in a beam as it rises in the sky.  The little girl sings.  She does everything she can believing this marvelous moon can and will sing back to her.  The only sound is the stillness of the night.

Sad and a little bit mad, she drags the object she used to get close to the moon back and sits.  As she drifts off to sleep, a soft, gentle La leaves her lips.  A loud musical note wakes her up. In wonder she watches, she runs and a quiet, joyful nighttime conversation dispels her aloneness.


In her singular use of words to express an idea or a belief Kate DiCamillo takes one word, one very small word, and depicts the value in courage and persistence.  She allows us to see how the child does not give up even when exhaustion wraps around her.  Kate also reminds us to wait.  Sometimes the answer we seek takes time to arrive.  It usually appears when we least expect it.  When it makes its presence known, it's much better than we imagined.


Look at the child, hands clasped, foot lifted in a little dance, eyes closed and mouth open in song.  There is something heartwarming and endearing about her facial expression, clothing and stance.  You want to know her.  You want to be her friend.  We are not privy yet when looking at the dust jacket as to the source of the circular light around her but the colors selected suggest a warm connection.  As the shade of rose red bleeds to the spine it leads us to the darker shades of purple indicative of nighttime on the back.  Leaves and stardust frame the words:

What if you were
able to connect with someone?

What if you were
able to sing?

The book case expands on the presentation on the jacket back.  Both sides are covered in purple with star dust.  Extending from the spine are mirror images of flowers and leaves.  The opening and closing endpapers are a silvery blue, like dusk.

Rendered using watercolor, sumi ink, and digital techniques Jaime Kim elevates the narrative to a magical realm.  The type of paper, heavier without any gloss, allows the child, the leaves and additional elements to cast a shiny reflection when tilted in the light.  They seem to move on the pages.  It's a masterful technique.  When the special spot covers two pages, the illustration literally glows.

As the child moves from point to point our eyes follow her flawlessly.  We are completely intrigued with her movements and secretly cheer for her success as Jaime Kim adds new delicate details.  Readers will be captivated by the significance of the leaves.

One of my many favorite illustrations is at night.  The little girl is getting closer and closer to the source of the song she heard.  She steps through tall grasses, parting the plants.  The moon is reflected in the water in front of her.  Stardust and leaves tumble in the air.  Vegetation borders the pond.  A tall tree extends from the right side.  As an inset, Jaime Kim has added a small framed picture on the right side.  It's a close-up of the child's face.  Her mouth is forming an "o" in awe of what she sees.


No matter how many times you read La La La: A story of hope written by Kate DiCamillo with illustrations by Jaime Kim, it will leave you deeply moved and inspired.  Children have many lessons to teach us if we keep open to all they have to offer.  Kate DiCamillo and Jaime Kim both speak at the close of the book.  I highly recommend you place this title in all your collections.  In case you might be wondering about the power of the single word sung, I started singing La La La from my office.  My puppy, Mulan, two rooms away came running.

To learn more about both Kate DiCamillo and Jaime Kim and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  At Penguin Random House you are given a peek at several interior pages in the book's beginning.  At Candlewick Press there is a teacher's guide about using wordless books in the classroom.  For the introduction of the book trailer Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, interviews Kate here and Jaime on the following day at Watch. Connect. Read., his blog.

A Rare Sight

Infrequently seen, where I've lived and visited, a brief glimpse as they soar by, is what I've come to label, a cause for a pause.  Their color is so brilliant it's hard not to gasp.  For me the sight of a bluebird has always meant there is magic in the air.

When my copy of Bluebird (Schwartz & Wade Books) written and illustrated by Bob Staake arrived, I could hardly open the box fast enough.  I'd been reading about its reception in the children's literature community but had not read any of the reviews or interviews except for one.  I wanted any impressions of this book to be all my own.

As is my practice I looked over the front and back jacket.  Upon removing the jacket I was delighted to see the cover has another illustration, a double page spread of the bluebird looking over the city from above.  An initial glance at the opening and closing endpapers told me they are an essential part of the story.

The unique framing used throughout begins on the verso, dedication and title pages.  They are all a part of the pictorial narrative. As the bluebird flies from left to right, through four frames, alighting in a tree outside a school, we meet the boy.

Watching, the bluebird sees the sadness of the child, head lowered, silent, as others make fun of him; a new school year is beginning.  Leaving the school at day's end, the boy slowly makes his way home but the bluebird follows, weaving in and out of his path.  Before too long the bluebird's persistence makes the boy smile.

As the two make their way through the city streets to the park, each new scenario further defines each of their personalities and the growing relationship.  Due to the bluebird's guidance the sailing pond yields newfound friends.  Leaving their resting place in the sun, they enter another darker, more wooded part of the park.

Within moments the boy is approached by three other boys wanting his sailboat.  When an act done in anger threatens the boy, his bluebird friend intercedes.  The result has the three running and the boy left, tearful, holding the bluebird.  To the boy's bewilderment a colorful array of birds first one at a time, then in groups, approach with their own plan for him as he still holds his bluebird friend. A strikingly beautiful ending, for the shift in color and the ensuing final pages, will have each reader drawing their own conclusions.


This wordless wonder has readers immediately developing an emotional attachment with the boy and the bluebird.  We experience the loneliness, the light, freely given friendship of one then the other, the happiness of discovering other playmates, the fear, the sadness and ultimately the hope.  With each turn of page we are more deeply involved in the events of the day.

For most of the book Bob Staake uses shades of gray and blue with black and white making the burst of rainbow hues at the end more profoundly felt.  To tell you the truth, after the first few pages the palette choice, unique and definitely appealing, shifts slightly back as the reader intently studies the movements and facial expressions of the bluebird and the boy.  Every nuance of  their developing bond is clearly draw; visible with the line of an eye or mouth, the turn of head, the lift of wings or stature.

Each two page spread with different size square and rectangular frames, carefully placed, defines the speed in which the story is revealed. Inside those frames we might see a larger overview or zoom in for a shift in the story's actions or emotions. The layout and design is brilliant.  One of my favorite double page illustrations is after their adventure at the pond.  You have to wonder how long it's been since the boy has been this happy.


At my first reading of this title I was stunned (and tearful).  With each subsequent reading of Bluebird written and illustrated by Bob Staake I continue to be amazed at the power of storytelling in visuals alone.  The layers in this story, the opportunity for discussion, makes it a book to be read and shared...repeatedly.

The first interview of Bob Staake regarding Bluebird I read can be found at Watch. Connect. Read.  Here is an interview titled Hostile Questions at Booklist.   19 Questions with Author and Illustrator Bob Staake can be found at Random Acts of Reading.  Publishers Weekly conducted a Q & A with Bob Staake.  Be sure to follow the link embedded in Bob Staake's name above to read about the process of creating Bluebird.