Spreading Sunshine

By definition, they shelter us from an abundance of rain or sunshine.  They are unique by design to fold together when not in use.  Sometimes, though, depending on the quality of the ribs and fabric, they may falter in their purpose.

There were many days, windy, wet days in spring and autumn, when on the campus of Central Michigan University in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan, where umbrellas failed students scurrying from dorm to class, class to class, class to library, and hopefully to the university center.  It was like living in a wind tunnel.  You would be walking with your umbrella only to have the wind turn it inside out; the ribs breaking like toothpicks.

You would see broken umbrellas stuffed in trash cans, or simply thrown down by frustrated travelers.  If you were fortunate, someone with a sturdier device would offer you protection until you reached your destination.  Most of us gave up buying new umbrellas after the third purchase.  But, quite unexpectedly, these portable canopies will offer us something wildly wonderful when we need it the most.  Let's see what happens in The Umbrella (Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, March 21, 2023) written by Beth Ferry with artwork by Tom Lichtenheld. 

Dreary.

Weary.

Everyone is tired of rain, day after day.  The grayness of the outside world is seeping into people's homes, minds, and hearts.  Will it ever stop raining?

One small child ventures out with their canine companion.  Whatever the weather, dogs need their outside time.  They make it to cover under the awning of a neighborhood store.  This shop is filled with an eclectic assortment of new and old, familiar and odd items.

Inside one trunk, multiple possibilities are unearthed.  The dog discovers an old, seen-better-days yellow umbrella.  It is free!  As the pair make a mad dash for home in the rainstorm, the umbrella does not survive the wind and rain.  To say the child is disappointed is an understatement, but the duo get cozy in bed for the night.  And it keeps raining . . . for days.

One morning when the child and pup head outside, they are greeted with a huge surprise.  Somethings bloomed where they were planted. A compassionate heart knows what to do with this discovery.

With Beth Ferry's writing we are privy to the power of a single word.  The first seven words in this story stand alone, followed by a period.  To add to the pacing and the adventures of the pup and child, sometimes words are combined as they move from one point to another.  Then, one word at a time, the narrative continues, taking us on a rhyming romp from gray to glad.  Her use of alliteration is perfect.  Here is a passage.

Dashing.

Splashing.

Pitter-patters.

The selection of shades of purple and yellow throughout the book, as first seen on the open and matching dust jacket and book case, is a wonderful choice.  Complementary and contrasting, they provide depth to each image.  On the right side, we see what the child and dog have found in the trunk.  What is it exactly?  What can it be if we use our imaginations?  The rainwater and umbrella are vanished on the jacket.

To the left of the spine, still on a bright white background, is the illustration depicting the dog finding the tattered umbrella in the trunk of the whatnot shop with the child wondering what it is.  On the opening endpapers in a muted lavender, vertical dashes of white signify falling rain.  The rain creates puddles around a sandbox, itself turning into a pond.  A sand shovel is sticking up and a rubber ducky floats in the water.  On the closing endpapers, a vibrant yellow covers the pages.  The child is calling to the dog as they race over a yellow hill toward a rising sun.

Back at the beginning of the book, the first page turn reveals the verso on the left.  In a design genius choice, the rain continues to fall.  With a closer look, we see the long drops of rain in white are the dedication and publication information.  This is brilliant!  To the right, on the title page, the umbrella lays on the floor of the shop.

These illustrations rendered by Tom Lichtenheld

in pencil and watercolor on Stonehenge paper with a bit of Photoshop to put it all together

contain the right amount of humor and details.  Is that someone in a canoe going down the street?  Clothed in a raincoat, a weary but hopeful citizen dreams of sunshine while throwing a coin in an overflowing fountain in the square.  An insect seeks shelter under a broken branch on a hollow tree trunk.  In that hollow trunk, a mother rabbit holds out a paw to check if it is still raining.  Her babies huddle under her.  Inside the shop, the pup glances up at a painting of a group of dogs.  They might be playing poker.  Next to that is another Easter egg.  (Did I just laugh out loud?)

The expressive looks on all the characters' faces skillfully convey every mood.  They are clearly exhausted by this nonstop rainy weather.  They long for change and this child and her pup are agents for that change.  We can feel this building with every page turn.

One of my many favorite images is a single page illustration.  It is when the child and dog make it under the awning over the front of the shop.  Graphite and purple hues color the page.  A loud BOOM!! is shown between dark clouds at the top and the roof of the store.  Thunder!  in white is embedded in the brick upper story.  And Under! is placed in the doorway.  Still on a leash, the dog shakes off the wetness of the rain and the child happily spreads their arms at the success of finding a dry spot.  Rain falls around them and puddles on flat surfaces.

This book, The Umbrella written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld, is full of delightful revelations.  If readers ever think they are too small to make a difference, this dispels that notion.  One act by one soul can make a difference.  You will want to have a copy of this title in all your collections.  This book is one to gift to others often.  You also might want to be on the lookout for yellow umbrellas.  You never know what can happen with one.

To learn more about Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Tom Lichtenheld has many illustrations from this title at his website.  Beth Ferry has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Tom Lichtenheld has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view the opening endpapers.  You will enjoy this discussion on Publishers Weekly between the creators about who this book honors.

To The Dogs #1

For those sharing their lives with beings other than humans, each one has a preference with particular reasons attached to that preference.  This reader has a fondness for dogs.  Four Labrador Retrievers have been members of my family, sisters, Soot and Cinder, sweet Xena, and my wild child cuddlebug, Mulan.   For this reason one saying I hold close to my heart is

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.

Roger Caras

Any title referencing dogs has my attention.

Whatever it is, when you begin and end with a dog, expect the extraordinary.  I'd Like To Be The Window For A Wise Old Dog (Doubleday Books For Young Readers, April 5, 2022) written and illustrated by Philip Stead is a place to let your imagination spread as far as it will go.  It's also a reminder to be more observant of the details you might miss at first glance. 

Oh, I'd like to be

the raindrop

falling on a turtle shell

For the next two page turns, the rain continues.  It makes a puddle for a leaper.  It provides the opportunity for an umbrella, an elephant's umbrella, to supply shelter.  And when the rain ends, at the most perfect moment, it fashions a wonder seen out the window.  A window under which a dog sleeps.

The unseen narrator contemplates the movements of penguins, snails, honeybees, and those of a whale.  They ponder mirroring those motions.  With sure knowledge, this individual returns to wanting to be something which gives to another.

Where will the sunshine fall?  Who will nest in an oak tree hollow?  Who will hide in high green grasses?

We read of feathers and weather.  We read of a hummingbird, mouse, and a quiet cat.  Again, with sure knowledge, our wonderer goes to the window and the dog.  As the window, the voice is filled with the happiness of the dog's thoughts as she gazes through the glass.

No matter how many times the book is read, the sheer beauty of the words carefully penned by Philip Stead surround the reader in a hug of serene speculations.  Each pondering asks us to look and marvel at things we might take for granted instead of viewing them with gratitude.  There is a musicality to the shifts in reflections from wanting to be something, to moving like something, and then to being something again.  Philip Stead uses a bit of rhyming, alliteration, and metaphor.  Here is another thought.

I'd like to be

the tall grass

standing with a mother deer

helping hide the little fawns

one     two     three

White is used masterfully by Philip Stead to elevate his full-color artwork throughout the book as first evidenced on the dust jacket.  On the front, elements found in other illustrations are a part of this initial illustration.  The blend of rain and the rainbow, the red ball and red bird, the blue and yellow coneflowers, and the wise old dog hint at continuity which can be comforting.  To the left of the spine, on the white canvas is a mouse carrying an acorn.  The mouse is flying with delicate angel wings.  Beneath the mouse are the words:

And I sometimes wonder . . .

The book case is white and covered on both sides with raindrops.  The raindrops are in the colors found in a rainbow.  The opening and closing endpapers are the same shade of red as the bird and ball.

The first interior picture is of the window.  It is raining outside.  The red bird is singing in a tree with ginkgo-shaped leaves.  The dog, her back to us, is staring out the window.  Next to her is the red ball with a mouse seated on top of it.  The next page turn we zoom to the bird singing in the rain.  The background is blue with white drops, green leaves, brown branches, and the bright bird.  On the title page, the dog now has the ball in her mouth.  The mouse is running across the verso.

For his phrases, Philip Stead uses double-page pictures.  His printmaking is exquisite with subtle shading and fine details.  Before a final phrase or an alteration in phrases, words spread across two pages with no other artwork.  The color of the letters is a hint of what is to come.  As the narrative continues, figures from previous illustrations join other members culminating in a heartwarming array.  Readers will pause at page turns to locate all the creatures.  You will notice other smaller stories embedded in the artwork like the turtle and mouse moving the red ball to its final resting place.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of the elephant holding the umbrella in the rain.  The background is white with blue raindrops.  The elephant is facing to the left with the front portion of its body to the left of the gutter.  Underneath the elephant's body it is white as light blue water puddles around it.  Under the elephant's belly, eight tiny yellow birds are seeking shelter.  Underneath the green umbrella in the elephant's trunk are two more yellow birds.  Two other yellow birds are flying to the right near the elephant's trunk and head.  There is something exceedingly soothing about this scene. 

On the verso, the dedication by Philip Stead reads:

For Wednesday most of all

As previously stated when something begins and ends with a dog, it will be out of the ordinary.  I'd Like To Be The Window For A Wise Old Dog written and illustrated by Philip Stead is indeed remarkable.  It is one eloquent moment followed by another equally eloquent moment.  It is uplifting.  It is hopeful.  It is a tribute to life.  You will want a copy for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Philip Stead and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Philip Stead shares a website with his wife titled The Stead Collection.  They share an Instagram account, too.  At the publisher's website, you can view the first few pages of this title.  You can view more artwork from this book at R. Michelson Galleries. Philip and his wife, Erin, and Kevin Henkes and his wife, Laura Dronzek, were part of a virtual event on Friday, June 24, 2022.  The four talk about their newest books.  You can view this event hosted by Books of Wonder here.

Of the many things attributed to dogs, one of the most endearing is their ability to make us laugh.  Their body language, facial expressions, and antics are a constant source of joy.  They welcome every moment of every day.  In Bug On The Rug (Sleeping Bear Press, April 15, 2022) written by Sophia Gholz with illustrations by Susan Batori, a pup's beloved rug becomes an object of controversy and comedy.

Pug on a rug,

cozy and snug.

He's a rug-loving pug.

When along comes . . .

It's a bug!  This bug is looking a tad bit too proud of his position on that rug.  He has set up residence on Pug's rug.  

Growling and buzzing ensues.  Then Bug throws a stick, which Pug sets off to retrieve.  Pug arrives back at his rug mad at that bug.

Pug grabs the rug and a tussle begins, until the duo crash into none other than Slug.  Slug in not happy about being sandwiched between a fighting pug and bug.  Slug says they are being selfish and rude.  

Pug and Bug are filled with guilt.  Sobbing Bug tells the tale of how he lost his home.  Pug tearfully realizes the mistake he made.  When Bug decides to leave, Slug makes a suggestion.  The trio are enjoying the rug until . . .

With a keen sense of humor, author Sophia Gholz invites us into rhyming rhythmic fun-filled fiction.  Her selection of words used to create this tale are delightful, true, and never forced but flowing.  She shows readers how discord can be turned into harmony.  Here is another passage.

Pug growls and howls.

Bug buzzes and scowls.

He might be small,

but Bug stands tall.

The open and matching dust jacket and book case give us a clear glimpse of the funny and frantic mischief-making about to happen between Pug and Bug.  The characters in this tale all have wide-eyed expressions with exaggerated body characteristics, either small or large.  On the dust jacket the image extends from flap edge to flap edge.  On the right flap we are introduced to Slug who is looking surprised to see Bug on Pug's rug.  Pug's body extends over the spine to the middle of the left side.  There, a worm is looking cautiously at the happenings on the rug.

The opening endpapers include the publication information on the left and the title page on the right.  There Bug has set up his new home on the rug.  On the closing endpapers is the hilarious wordless conclusion.  The looks on the characters' faces are totally laughable.

The illustrations by Susan Batori alternate between double-page pictures and full-page images.  Her perspectives in these visuals shift from wide to close enhancing the pacing of the story.  Humor is infused in every line of these highly-animated illustrations.

Readers will appreciate the added elements.  When Bug builds his home on the rug, there is a Welcome mat outside his tent.  He is drinking from a red and white polka-dotted cup.  On a table next to him the red and white polka-dotted teapot sits.  He has a tall lamp!  Whenever the characters are thinking or remembering, those are shown in clouds above their heads.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  On the sides, local flora is shown.  On the grass is the infamous rug.  Looking off-kilter Pug, Bug, and Slug are on the rug.  They have just slid and crashed into one another.  Bug and Slug are squashed under Pug.  They are dazed and bruised.  This is the beginning of a change in the story.

This title, Bug On The Rug written by Sophia Gholz with artwork by Susan Batori, is read-aloud gold.  Listeners and readers will be finger-snapping and swaying after the first few pages.  The humorous phrases forming a story of sharing and friendship will remain with readers long after the book is closed.  Your personal and professional shelves need to house a copy of this book.

To learn more about Sophia Gholz and Susan Batori and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Sophia Gholz has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Susan Batori has accounts on Behance, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The book trailer premiered along with an author interview at Watch. Connect. Read., the blog of librarian and writer John Schu.  There are more author and illustrator interviews about this book at Kathleen Temean's Writing and Illustrating and at Good Reads With Ronna.

Wishing You The Bear-y Best In Books

By their very presence, respect is given to them by other animals.  Their size is a definite factor as is their appetite for certain foods.  That smaller versions of them have been fashioned into beloved stuffed toys for humans elevates the admiration given to them.  This esteem which they've acquired helps to make them the perfect candidate for characters in stories.

Two recent publications feature bears as a central character.  Both protagonists supply a generous dose of humor.  In the first book, a debut picture book, Soaked! (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, July 14, 2020) written and illustrated by Abi Cushman readers along with Bear discover life can be better in the rain.

Look at this rain.
Everything is dreary.
Everything is drenched.
And no one is happy.

A badger, a bunny, a hula-hooping moose, and Bear are not happy, not happy at all.  Rain takes the delicious out of ice cream cones.  It takes the architecture out of sandcastles and the shape out of cashmere sweaters.  And Bear has great affection for ice cream cones, sandcastles, and cashmere sweaters.

Bear suggests Badger, Rabbit, and the hula-hooping moose gather in his cave.  It's much too cozy for comfort, especially with the moose's antics.  Bear's missing his blue umbrella with bumblebees on it, but strangely enough Badger found an identical umbrella she claims is her umbrella.  Bear decides to mope on a hollow log.  That's what he does until the moose flings a hula hoop into the top of a tree.

As a team they retrieve it, until with a big oops and a splash it lands around Bear's neck.  Bear is encouraged to use it.  He does but shows no enthusiasm.  He asks to be alone with the hula hoop.

Bear begins to act completely out of character.  The moose, Rabbit and Badger are inspired by his shenanigans.  It's remarkable what hula hoops, and rain can do to shift the ordinary into the extraordinary. 


Each word, each pause, each inflection spoken by Bear in this narrative has been carefully written by author Abi Cushman to generate comedy.  Bear's attitude is as blah (and sarcastic) as the wet woodlands which are assuredly in contrast to his companions who are trying to make the best of a less than perfect day. We readers know nothing is going to get Bear out of his grumpy, dumps until the perfect solution presents itself.  The twist comes at the end when Bear is Bear, through and through.  Sound effect words add to the drama and sheer fun of the story.  Here is a passage spoken with irony and sound effects from the hula-hooping Moose.

Oh yes.
Great idea. 

Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!

Doesn't feel
crowded at all
in here.

Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!
Whoosh!


I dare you to not burst out laughing when you look at the front (right) of the open dust jacket.  The facial expression on Bear in comparison to the happy looks on Rabbit and Badger is hilarious.  He is miserable, disgusted, and grouchy.  This sets the tone of the narrative even before you open the book.  To the left (back), the moose with legs extended (balancing on one leg) is twirling three hula hoops.  Rabbit and Badger watch, standing in a puddle.  The text reads:

There is nothing funny
about this book.  Trust us.

Especially not the
Hula-Hooping moose.

On the book case, we are inside Bear's cave.  The story is completed.  These two images, on the left and right, present the back and front of Bear engaged in an activity.  On the left, with Bear's back to us, Badger and Rabbit watch and look at each other knowingly.  Sound effects are also written on the images.

Whoosh!

On the opening endpapers on a pale blue canvas are blue umbrellas with bumblebees and a bear's head handle.  All ten are in different positions.  Perhaps this is a single umbrella tumbling in the wind of a rain shower.  In the lower left-hand corner, Badger is reaching for one of the umbrellas.  On the closing endpapers, a pale yellow provides the background.  Eighteen colorful hula hoops are shown in their entirety or in portions.  On the far-right Rabbit is hula hooping.

On the title page a big drop falls from the "k" in Soaked!  It lands right on top of Bear's head featured along the bottom of the page.  These illustrations

drawn in pencil and colored digitally

by Abi Cushman span two pages or are grouped together on two pages with loads of white space.  The perspectives bring readers close to the characters to heighten the emotional impact.  Sometimes only a portion of the character is depicted.  Their facial looks and body postures are priceless.  Several images have only a few words or none, but there is no doubt as to the exact mood being conveyed.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The sky is gray.  The rain is pouring.  From left to right sits Bear, Rabbit and Badger on the hollow log.  On the right the moose is standing on his/her front legs.  The top two are spread open and a hula hoop has just swished off the upper right-hand corner.  Bear is looking dejected.  Rabbit is watching Bear.  Badger and the moose watch the hula hoop sail away.  Behind all the animals is the word, in yellow,

Blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh . . .


Sometimes the worst situation can bring out the best in a crabby character.  Soaked! written and illustrated by Abi Cushman with much mirth proves to readers you can have loads of contagious fun when you least expect it.  This book is a stellar selection for a one-on-one or group read aloud or for use in a themed unit on humor, bears, rain, friendship, or attitude.  You'll want this title in your professional collections and on your personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Abi Cushman and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At her website you can download a series of ten activity sheets.  Abi Cushman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read. the cover is revealed along with a conversation.  Abi Cushman has a post at author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).  She is interviewed at author Susan Leonard Hill's site, Celebrate Picture Books, Maria Marshall's site and KidLit411.  At the publisher's website you can view the opening endpapers.




The second title, Dozens Of Doughnuts (Putnam, G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, July 21, 2020) written by Carrie Finison with illustrations by Brianne Farley is about a doughnut-loving bear getting ready for hibernation.  Her kind heart, affection for cooking, and healthy taste for pastry become a huge problem.  Sometimes generosity has its limits, however temporary they may be.

Early one morning, as autumn leaves scatter,
LouAnn's busy stirring a big bowl of batter.

She'll eat some sweet treats, then, warm and well-fed,
she'll sleep away winter, tucked tight in her bed.

As LouAnn is about to begin consuming her freshly made dozen doughnuts, her doorbell rings.  It's Woodrow, the woodchuck.  Woodrow wants some doughnuts and LouAnn is willing to share.  Before they can begin eating, the doorbell rings again.  It's Clyde, a raccoon.  Now LouAnn has to make another dozen doughnuts.

As the trio start to chew this new dozen, the doorbell rings a third time.  It's Topsy, an opossum.  LouAnn invites her inside, but her cheerful nature is being strained as is her desire to make another dozen doughnuts.  The foursome is about to gobble down these delectable treats when . . .

DING-DONG!

Of course, LouAnn invites this latest neighbor into her home, but she's getting desperate.  She is using up the last of her doughnut-making ingredients to cook a new batch.  She still has not had a single doughnut.  As the very last dozen doughnuts come from the stove, the doorbell rings again.  LouAnn is at her wit's end . . . and her friends know it.  They hastily retreat. 

LouAnn is frazzled.  After a bit, she curls up on her floor, sad and very hungry.  Can you believe it?  The doorbell rings again. No one is more surprised than LouAnn at this story's tasty finish.


The joyful rhyming couplets invite readers into the story anticipating which words will complete the pairs.  Having the large pause before LouAnn starts to eat a doughnut, followed by the

DING-DONG!

welcomes us to participate in this tale.  A repeating phrase also works to encourage a partnership with readers.  Author Carrie Finison flawlessly blends text and dialogue designing a more personal story. Here is a passage.

One dozen doughnuts, hot from the pan.
A few for her friends, and the rest for---

DING-DONG!

"Topsy?"
"I smelled something good.  Can I hang for a while?"
LouAnn says, "Come in," but she's lost her big smile.


When you look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, you see a very happy LouAnn carrying a dozen doughnuts followed by her neighbors, a woodchuck, a raccoon, an opossum, a skunk, and a chipmunk.  The other half of the chipmunk pair is in front of LouAnn.  The raccoon's body continues on the other side of the spine.  By placing these fully animated creatures in full color on a white and pale yellow background, they and the doughnuts draw our attention.  On the back, left, of the jacket and case, ingredients and cooking utensils are drawn in black and placed on the floor.  The text here reads:

Doughnuts are better shared.

On the opening endpapers on a yellow canvas are twenty-four different doughnuts, numbered and labeled.  They are so realistic you'll find yourself reaching out to pick one up and eat it.  On the closing endpapers only pieces and crumbs remain except for one whole doughnut.  It's number twenty-three, Old-Fashioned.  A paw is reaching to grab it. 

These images by Brianne Farley were rendered

in gouache, colored pencil, and charcoal, with some help from Photoshop.

She begins her visual interpretation on the title page.  LouAnn is standing in front of her window, holding a bowl, and stirring.  This window figures importantly in the story, foreshadowing who will arrive next.  Their tail appears in this window before the doorbell rings.

In a colorful, delightful collection of illustrations spanning two pages, edge to edge, full pages, edge to edge, and with smaller images on a single page, Brianne Farley reveals the personalities of the characters, especially that of LouAnn.  You'll find joy and growing laughter in the facial features.  Sometimes only an outline will be present for added details like the stone walls in LouAnn's home, the ingredients, cooking utensils and glasses on the table.  In several pages white space is used to excellent effect.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  We are close to the characters.  From left to right they are seated on the same side of LouAnn's bright blue table.  First is Woodrow, then Clyde and then Topsy.  In front of these three are plates with three doughnuts and glasses of something to drink.  Clyde holds a chocolate chocolate doughnut in his paws.  They are all smiling.  On the right side of the gutter is LouAnn.  She also holds a doughnut in her paw.  The look on her face is oh-no-this-can't-be-happening as the doorbell rings.  In the window is a skunk's tail.


Generosity and best-laid-plans are challenged in this tale of friendship and sharing sweet treats.  Dozens Of Doughnuts written by Carrie Finison with illustrations by Brianne Farley will have you smiling, laughing out loud, sighing, and wishing you had the ingredients for making your own doughnuts.  This book is a wonderful choice for a storytime or themes on bears, companionship, cooking, doughnuts, or winter.  (I used to have a neighbor who would make doughnuts every time we had a snow day during school.)  This is a title you'll want to have in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Carrie Finison and Brianne Farley and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  At Brianne Farley's site you can view a few interior images.  Carrie Finison has accounts on Instagram, and Twitter.  Brianne Farley has accounts on Instagram, and Twitter.  Carrie Finison is featured on author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them). This book is showcased at Soaring '20s High Flying Picture Book Debuts.  This title is also highlighted at Kathy Temean's Writing and Illustrating, PictureBookBuilders, and Laura Sassi Tales.  At the publisher's website you can view the opening endpapers.

Better Together

Friends and family, people, celebrate for any number of reasons.  None of these gatherings to observe something spectacular or the simple joy of another day, month, year or life well-lived are complete without food, especially dessert.  Said to be the most traditional American dessert pies have been historically documented throughout the world for centuries.  Most people will agree, there is nothing quite so savory as a fresh-baked straight-from-the-oven pie. 

Sometimes the first slice of pie is a bit tricky to cut and serve but the lucky recipient is certain to be happy whether it comes out whole or in pieces.  Pie Is for Sharing (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, May 5, 2018) written by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard with illustrations by Jason Chin takes readers to a sunny summer day in a park near the beach.  Children (and their parents) are making lasting memories.

Pie is for sharing.

It starts out whole

and round.

Even though you can make the slices large or small, sometimes there is not quite enough for everyone.  Pie, on this sunny summer day, is not the only thing more than one person can enjoy.  A book, a ball and a tree are for sharing, too.

Jumping rope offers more than one opportunity for happiness. Can you name them?  At the beach the gals and guys sail a small boat down a stream and take a rest on the toasty sand.  Some people and natural treasures are more easily given than time with 

your best friend.

An unexpected tumble does not hurt as much if someone holds and helps you.  From the mishap you can create a tale of adventure.  Secret spaces and discoveries are better with a pal.  

Singing an impromptu song, tasting ripe berries and snacking on homemade bread rounds out the day.  The evening promises even more happiness on this fourth day of July.  We are gathered because everything is better together. 

The entire tone of the book begins with the first four words.  Stephanie Parsley Ledyard fashions an atmosphere of goodwill where all are equal, and compassion dictates the actions of the children.  She asks us to notice the obvious but extends out thinking. When we think we are alone, we are not; a companion is hidden. When we are doing what we think is a single activity she invites us to look at all aspects.  Here is a passage.

Easy to share:

cousins,

sticks,

stones from your pocket.

The illustration on the front (right) of the opened matching dust jacket and book case feels as though you are holding this day in your hands.  The expressions on the children's faces, and their clothing reflects the ease of summer.  Everyone is eager for a slice of the pie, even the youngest's best friend, the black dog.  With little imagination you can hear the quiet chatter of their voices and the sounds of the seagulls. Jason Chin works the colors of red, white and blue into the banner for the title text, the table cloth, plates, napkins and blanket on the right. 

To the left, on the back, evening has arrived.  The boy in the yellow shirt, the brother of the youngest girl, is offering the crumbs in the homemade bread pan to the dog.  The same red used in the title text covers the opening and closing endpapers. With a page turn Jason begins the visual story.  A family is in their kitchen getting ready to go to the park.  Two pies are about to be placed in a picnic basket.  The little girl has a blanket tented on the dog's head and her head.  Her brother is kneeling on a stool at the island.  The dad is filling water bottles at the sink.  

A large double-page picture has the family getting on their bikes in front of the house on a small-town street.  Chalk pictures and chalk are on the sidewalk.  It's a peaceful setting for the title page. On the verso the family is on their bikes, riding.  

Most of the visuals rendered in watercolor and gouache extend from page edge to page edge on full pages or double pages.  For the purpose of pacing several smaller images are grouped on a single page.  Each scene, worthy of framing, has elements leading us to the next image.  On the grass in one of the final illustrations is a book titled Liberty. (I am wondering if this is a nod to Lady Liberty by Doreen Rappaport with illustrations by Matt Tavares.)

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a single page picture.  Five of the children are sitting or lying on a towel on the beach holding the small boat they sailed down the stream.  To their right (our left) the smallest girl is shoveling sand over herself.  Her belly is buried.  The black dog is curled and sleeping next to her.  Behind them is a bank of rocks and a path.  Some of the parents are there with new arrivals. Two tall trees are growing on either side of the girl.  Trees provide a pale varied green background along the top.

Pie Is for Sharing written by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard with illustrations by Jason Chin is a warm-hearted, beautiful portrait of holiday activities and festivities.  It depicts sharing of the little but important moments.  It honors the freedom to do these things.  Perhaps the next time pie is shared readers will pause and notice the other things being shared, in addition to the pie, and be grateful.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal book collections.

To learn more about Stephanie Parsley Ledyard and Jason Chin and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  (This is Stephanie's first picture book.)  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  The publisher also has prepared a discussion and activity guide.  Stephanie Parsley Ledyard and Jason Chin are interviewed at The Horn Book about this title.  This book is featured at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Stephanie and Jason maintain accounts on Twitter. 

 

It All Started With...

There is no need to say it aloud.  You can begin with a whisper.  It's like an "on" switch for laughter with kids.  You know the word I mean.  Underwear.

If that word appears in a book title, it's like a homing device, a true attention getter.  Without a doubt One Big Pair Of Underwear (Beach Lane Books, September 9, 2014), words written by Laura Gehl, pictures made by Tom Lichtenheld, will attract guys and gals like honey does bees.  Once they start reading it, they are in for an even bigger treat.

ONE big pair of underwear.
TWO brown bears who hate to share.
ONE bear wears the underwear.

Already something is not quite right.  Someone has one, the other has none.  With a page turn and a glance to the right, two sacks of salty snacks get noticed by three young yaks who are wearing black backpacks.

Guess what?  We now have one very unhappy snackless yak.  The pattern continues with stealing seals, greedy goats, and napping cats.  Each time one member of the group, whose numbers continue to grow by one, is left wanting what they others have.

There aren't enough cookbooks, jet skis, sticks or trombones.  A hippo is harrumphing, a cow is crying, a duck is downcast and a baboon is baffled.  Clearly these critters are missing a key component, a valuable life lesson.

As if it isn't bad enough already,

TEN tall, twisty playground slides

come into view.  Twenty, not ten, pigs want to glide down those slides.  I don't think this is going to end well because pigs are...well...pigs.

Readers are in for a jolly jolt as those pigs show how dividing is done.  Two bears, one wearing underwear, take note.  Strike up the band!  It's a parade of possibilities.


Laura Gehl's love of words is evident in her debut picture book.  Alliteration and rhyme mix and match on each and every page.  Adjective descriptors introduce things, animals and actions as the final word in each phrase creates a rhythm within the foursome.  Here is a complete group.

THREE fast scooters, painted teal.
FOUR ball-bouncing silver seals.
THREE seals steal a set of wheels.
ONE seal gets a real bad deal.  


Look at those wide-eyed bears with mischievous looks on their faces as they stand in a giant pair of briefs, one body protruding through each leg hole.  How can you not laugh?  On the back of this matching dust jacket and book case, the duo stands looking off to the left.  The one without any underwear holds a spyglass.  The text sums up this book nicely.

Hey, look! Here's a counting book that everyone can share!

The underwear hilarity continues on the opening and closing endpapers.  Shades of blue and silhouettes of the twosome show them first, boating over the waves in the daylight with the underwear billowing sideways as a sail and then, second, beneath a starry sky toasting marshmallows over an open fire.  Their tent...the underwear upside down.

Rendered in pencil, with digital color and assistance from Kristen Cella, Tom Lichtenheld begins the interior with a double-page spread of the huge underwear stretched across the gutter hanging from a clothesline, each of the bears peeking from behind a single tree.  The title spans nearly edge to edge above the line.  This, like all the subsequent illustrations, is lively and in full color.

For most of the book, Lichtenheld relies on a pristine white background to accentuate his detailed picture portrayals.  Three smaller visuals will be on one page with a single illustration following, showing a disappointed creature.  When everyone finally begins to see the benefit of sharing, the blue sky from the title page gradually fills in the white.

Lichtenheld's sense of humor and gift for capturing emotion are most noticeable on the single pages.  His picture of the seal on a tricycle while the others blast away on scooters or the baboon holding a triangle as the others toot on their trombones is hilarious.  He certainly knows how to please his audience.


One Big Pair Of Underwear words by Laura Gehl and pictures made by Tom Lichtenheld is a rollicking romp in rhyme.  Readers will count their way to a lighthearted lesson in sharing.  I think there is sure to be some clapping and toe-tapping along with a request to read it again.  You might want to have one big pair of underwear handy to heighten the fun.

If you wish to learn more about Laura Gehl or Tom Lichtenheld please follow the links embedded in their names to take you to their websites.  Each has extras you will want to use with your students or children.  This link to the publisher's website shows even more pages from the book.

S'more bears. The back endpapers from #OneBigPairOfUnderwear from @SimonKIDS (guess what constellation is overhead) pic.twitter.com/WIILY0zGY3
— Tom Lichtenheld (@tlichtenheld) September 11, 2014

Bee-Ginnings Of The Bear-y Best Kind

Out walking in April seeing the first robin after a long, chilly, snowy winter never fails to make me feel like dancing.  It's a sure sign that soon the air will be filled with more than birdsong, the gentle, almost imperceptible, hum of awakening insects will gradually fill the silence.  The telling perfume of skunks, and tracks of turkeys, rabbits and squirrels left in the receding snow are indications spring is coming and coming soon.

With spring comes renewal.  With renewal comes growth.  It has always seemed to make sense for growth to be most successful, understanding needs to be present.  

But if you're a bear whose winter nap is drawing to a close, renewal, growth and understanding are the last things on your mind.  Your big bear belly is telling your brain to find some food and find it fast.  Bridging the gap between hunger and honey Bear and Bee (Disney Hyperion), penned and pictured by Sergio Ruzzier, shows how the right amount of understanding can fill more than an empty stomach.

Moving about as the snow melts, putting on his red sandals, Bear gets ready to venture out.  By the time he leaves his cozy den, stretching to greet the sunny day, flowers are blooming among the green grasses. A treat is hanging from a nearby tree branch.

"I'm hungry," says Bear.

Bear's nose gives him the news a hive filled with honey is ready to be enjoyed.  A tiny being asks him if he would like some of this sweet delectable delight.  Of course he wants some but his fear of the bee stops him.

His reply when asked if he has ever seen a bee is a hearty no and he never wants to either. He believes them to be frightful, big with large teeth and sharp claws.  His small companion points out he is big...he has large teeth...and...sharp claws.

At these revelations Bear exclaims in despair,

"I AM A BEE!"

The ensuing conversation clears up the identity of each.  With that issue resolved Bear's big belly's emptiness prompts a query.  The answer is exactly what Bear and Bee need and want.


Told entirely in dialogue between the two characters, the spare text moves the narrative forward flawlessly.  Pausing at the precise point prior to a turn of page, Sergio Ruzzier elevates interest and ignites humor; knowing what to say and when.  The progression of Bear's befuddlement to bliss contrasted with Bee's complete kindness and knowledge makes this story simply charming.


A nearly matching jacket and cover introduce, in a two-page visual, the characters and color palette. (The cover includes the text from the front jacket flap in the cloud on the back.) Opening endpapers done in a steely navy feature a pattern of snowflakes, each one different.  The next six pages, introductory, title, dedication and copyright, immediately invite readers to the story as they show a passage of time from winter into spring.  It's as if we've heard once a upon a time and we get to begin right away; as it should be.

Ruzzier's expressive pen and ink drawings colored digitally on the heavier matte paper span across both pages in all the illustrations in this title.  The looks on his character's faces and their body movements conveying mood and mannerisms are priceless.  As the day moves toward night the background reflects the peaches and oranges of a setting sun.  Stars are sprinkled across the rich, bluish-purple evening-sky color on the closing endpapers.


If you are looking for a huggable, lovable tale, then Bear and Bee written and illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier is the perfect choice; fear is erased with sweetness, literally and figuratively.  Please follow the link embedded in Ruzzier's name above to his official web site.  He has generously provided downloadable activity sheets for this title.

Follow this link to TeachingBooks. net to hear how he pronounces his name.  These two links are to interviews and highlights courtesy of Julie Danielson at Kirkus and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  On both of these blog posts at Pen & Oink (here and here) more information is shared about the process of creating this book.

"Sergio Ruzzier, we're glad you are an illustrator and an author."