A Snow-tastic Spell

Earlier this week, a wild rain and windstorm raged through our entire state.  Along the Great Lakes in northern Michigan waves rose and trees bent from these forces.  This event heralded the arrival of much colder conditions.  Clouds spit snow earlier this morning.

Winter is nature's seasonal pause.  Now is the time to enjoy this yearly rest. Ten Ways To Hear Snow (KOKILA, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 13, 2020) written by Cathy Camper with illustrations by Kenard Pak follows a little girl as she walks to her grandmother's house after a nightly blizzard.  It is a sensory sensation.

When Lina woke up, everything was quiet.

Everything was coated in snow.  There were no sounds of vehicles on the move.  Despite the weather, today was the day she and her grandmother were making warak enab with grape leaves.  Dressed snuggly, her parents allowed her to go.

As she stood outside Lina wondered if this was how Sitti, her grandmother, sensed the world.  Were the sounds she heard gentler?  Were they sharper?

As she traveled to Sitti's home specific sounds were noted by Lina.  The music of a shovel on a sidewalk, of the bite of the bottoms of her boots in the snow, and of snow swept off car roofs and windshields were the first few she heard.  Activities of children made new sounds.  Lina listened to cross-country skiers and snowman makers.

Lina finally arrived at her grandmother's building.  She had heard eight snow sounds.  After greeting her grandmother, they cooked together, step by careful step.  They imagined what the rolled, grape leaf bundles might be other than food.  Eating their meal, Lina talked with Sitti about the blizzard.  She was surprised at an answer her grandmother gave to a question.  Then, side by side and outside wrapped in warmth and love, they heard the final sound of snow.  

Like Lina gathering sounds of snow, author Cathy Camper, piece by piece, creates a tapestry for readers of the world after a blizzard and of familial affection.  Her concise sentences, some with dialogue, are a realistic reflection of Lina, her parents and her Sitti.  Each sound Lina hears is accurately depicted with her meticulous use of language.  There is a soothing rhythm supplied by the introduction of the sound and Lina's response.  Here is a passage.

Lina cut across the park.

Scritch, scratch, scritch, scratch.

Another snow sound?

Lina saw long, skinny tracks by her boots.  Ahead of her,

people were skiing.  Their skis made the fifth way to hear snow.

The silvery, white-coated world is eloquently portrayed, first to readers, on the open and matching dust jacket and book case.  On the dust jacket it extends flap edge to flap edge.  The frosty clarity is so real you can imagine yourself standing with Lina and Sitti.  They are shown on the front of the jacket and case as they appear together on the closing page.  On the back the community buildings and trees with branches reaching out and up like arms, continue.  Text nestled between boughs in the snow-filled sky read:

WHEN THE WORLD GROWS QUIET,

WE LEARN TO LISTEN.

A sage green color covers the opening and closing endpapers.  A darker green, complementary to the endpapers, is used to form a snowflake made of grape leaves on the title page.  This single, enlarged snowflake is placed beneath the text.

Rendered digitally Kenard Pak's artwork, on single and double pages, is delicate and intricate.  His details draw readers deeper into the story.  With care he uses darker colors on his characters and certain elements in each setting.  Other items are lighter and etched.

His perspectives, a scene viewed through an upstairs window with curtains acting as framing, a panoramic view of Lina's street, and a bird's eye view of her walking in the snow afford readers a genuine experience.  When Lina enters Sitti's home we are shown a view of the outside of her apartment and one inside with Lina in four different places.  For the making of warak enab, he provides us with a page showing the four stages of filling and folding the grape leaves.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when Lina is walking, listening, and hearing her boot soles on the snow.  The crisp white background in broken by blue-shadowed footprints leading to Lina walking off the right side of this single-page picture.  Text appears above and below the footprints and Lina.  Of Lina, we see her hat, scarf, coat, legs, and boots from above.  A small portion of the bag with the grape leaves in her right hand is there.  This is a marvelous view.

Besides being an enchanting encounter within a wintry realm, Ten Ways To Hear Snow written by Cathy Camper with illustrations by Kenard Pak asks readers to take a respite in their normal, daily lives.  It challenges them to seek other sounds present in snow.  This title is pure perfection for a winter-themed storytime or perhaps one revolving around being more present in the moments of movements between awakening and sleep.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections.

By following the link attached to Cathy Camper's and Kenard Pak's names, you can access their websites to learn more about them and their other work.  Cathy Camper has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Kenard Pak has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view the title page.

The silence in the mornings as the sun rises is complete.  Many of our feathered friends have flown to more southern regions for winter.  Others that remain have distinctive times of the day when they make appearances.  Fortunate are those who see a flash of red, reminding us of the presence of cardinals.  Sometimes when the sun shines brightly, chick-a-dees will gather in the trees, singing.  Blue jays squawk and swoop, sometimes alone or in a pair.  At dark, the hooting of an owl signals their nightly rituals.  Snow Birds (Abrams Books for Young Readers, November 3, 2020) written by Kirsten Hall with pictures by Jenni Desmond is a poetic, pictorial ode to those birds who remain in winter or thrive in colder climates.  Eighteen poems about seventeen birds will have you seeking their presence every time you step outside.

Blue Jay

Look! In the tree! A blue jay feeder.

Carved with care from fine red cedar.

Hung with love, set facing east,

a call to all:  It's a peanut feast! . . .

A Carolina wren seeks a home.  Where will they find a cozy place to rest?  Snow buntings flock and fly painting a pattern in the sky.  In formation snow geese weather the snow, finding a place to sleep.

Black rosy-finches call and look for food before they head for shelter.  An Atlantic puffin dives, beak open, and feeds on fish.  A hawk sits statue still as a swarm of Bohemian waxwings tantalize it.  

Under the snow a hollowed house is filled with the feathered body of a ruffed grouse.  Do you hear them call?  A snowy owl hoots for all listening to hear.  

Many days their distinctive songs echo across the landscape.  If you are lucky, they will land near you, these black-capped chickadees.  Grateful American tree sparrows gather to feed on seed.  What is that drum-like beat?  It's a downy woodpecker finding a meal, making a hole for a nest, and hoping for a mate.  Winter is nearly over.  Spring is easing back.  There is a brief glimpse of red.  Northern cardinals welcome this change with their tunes.  And the blue jays find joy in a new nest.

With a passion for her subject, author Kirsten Hall writes her verses showcasing the characteristics and habits of each bird.  She highlights those specifics which separate them from other birds within the context of all of them surviving in harsher conditions.  She uses rhyming masterfully, blending the bird calls into her narrative.  Her words sing off the pages.  Here is an entire poem.

Snow Goose

Snowflakes whirling,

snow-flocks swirling,

streaks of white

twirl through

the night.  Then

lower,

slower,

home,

a good night. 

(This poem is presented with the words, across two pages, forming a v above and below a flock flying in formation.)

From a single goose we hear:

KREEY-A!!!!!

Ki-ki-ki-ki! Ki-ki-ki-ki!

Ki-ki-ki-ki! Ki-ki-ki-ki!

Luminescent illustrations by Jenni Desmond are presented on the open dust jacket, front and back.  The northern cardinals on the front form a striking contrast to the snowy setting in cool colors.  Held to the light, snowflakes shimmer as the jacket is moved back and forth.  To the left, on the back, a snowy owl sits on top of a nearly white dune.  Above it a dark sky presents a perfect canvas for the crescent moon.  On the black sky words read:

"A soulful, vivid look at the

hidden world at winter birds."

---New York City Audubon

On the book case the snow geese are featured in their V-shaped arrangement, one bird flying from the upper, left-hand corner to the front bird flying off the center, right-hand side.  The lower side of the v has the final two birds close to the spine. The birds' wings, some up and some down, and some back, indicate their beautiful movement.  They are presented on a gray streaked canvas with snow falling.  This picture is eloquent enough to have you believing you can hear them.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a stark winter landscape.  A thin ribbon of blue is spread across the top.  Beneath this is snow.  Along the bottom is a trail of bird tracks.  On the closing endpapers one element is added.  The bird who made the tracks.

On the title page all seventeen birds are shown around and among the text.  Each double-page picture rendered by Jenni Desmond using

watercolor, acrylic, pencil crayons, ink, drypoint printmaking, and Photoshop

displays a knowledge of setting, habitats, and the birds.  

The details are breathtaking.  The placement of text within the images reveals a superb sense of design. 

Sometimes we are close to the birds when they are feeding among branches.  Other times they are placed in a larger world.  A large snowy vista spans two pages with a dark gray sky, a line of trees, branches bare, and a single bird feeder standing in the snow in the foreground on the right.  A flock of American tree sparrows gladly gather.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the black-capped chick-a-dee.  For this two-page image the canvas is black.  The poem is on the right side, text in white.  On the left enveloped by the black, as if cupped in hands, is a single small chick-a-dee.  This is a stunning depiction.

For a unit on winter, birds, or broadening your knowledge of our natural world, Snow Birds written by Kirsten Hall with artwork by Jenni Desmond is an excellent choice.  At the close of the book are seventeen additional paragraphs, one for each bird.  Kirsten Hall includes an author's note in the form of a letter to readers.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Jenni Desmond and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Kirsten Hall has an account on Twitter.  Jenni Desmond has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

Countdown To 2019 #2 Night

Last night, or rather very early this morning, a yip split the air outside the house.  It was followed by a melodic, soulful howling of at least one coyote.  It was breathtakingly beautiful and a reminder of a world that exists for many when others are sleeping.

There are animals whose lives function best when darkness changes the landscape into a multitude of shadows and shapes not seen during daylight.  There are people who work tirelessly during the night to ensure safety and stability for many individuals. Published in 2018 there are two lovely titles presenting those whose tasks take them from their homes while the rest of the community sleeps.

Night Job (Candlewick Press, September 11, 2018) written by Karen Hesse with illustrations by G. Brian Karas invites readers to join a father and his son for one night.  In that one night we are introduced to a lasting love.  We understand the precious nature of memories acting as the glue for an unbreakable bond.

On Friday nights, when the sun goes down,
I snap the clips shut on Dad's lunch box
and climb onto the back of his bike.

The boy, hands and arms clasped around his father's body, roar down the highway on a motorcycle.  After passing the bay, they arrive at their destination, a school.  The odor of the air has shifted from fish to lilacs.

After unlocking the door to the building, the two enter and start to work.  In the gym, they begin, one dusting the floor and the other shooting baskets.  As they clean the cafeteria and stage, a radio momentarily takes them to a baseball game.  Together they sweep one hallway after another hallway.

Two hours before midnight they stop and eat their packed meal in the courtyard. Later when they move to the library, one polishes and another one reads aloud until he falls asleep.  With dawn less than two hours away, the dad and his son get ready to leave, riding the bike back home.

They pass wildlife and fishermen getting ready to work.  Quietly they enter their neighborhood.  A regular routine guides them to rest and dreams.


When Karen Hesse writes this story, she chooses to direct our attention to very specific details.  Her poetic depictions of these elements lure and lull us into the magic found in this night.  She takes what is normal and ordinary and lifts it up.  We realize the priceless nature of this job and this relationship.  Here is a passage.

We pull into our space.
Dad hauls out a ring of keys
as big as the rising moon.
He opens the door
and the building sighs.
Come, it whispers to us.


There is something special and welcoming about the fine lines forming eyebrows, eyes, noses and mouths and creating soft scenes in the artwork of G. Brian Karas.  On the front of the matching dust jacket and book case, as the dad and his son work, we see a fondness for their tasks and for each other.  To the left, on the back, we join them in the courtyard as they eat their nighttime meal.  They are cozy in the darkness with light from the hallway shining on them.

A deep muted blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  G. Brian Karas begins his pictorial interpretation on the initial title page giving us a view of the apartment where the dad and son live.  All other windows are dark except for their window. In four horizontal squares spread across two pages the preparations and leaving of the duo are placed beneath the title text on the formal page.

The dark muted colors shown in small square images, full-page and double-page pictures, and illustrations moving over the gutter to create columns for text beckon to readers.  At another point G. Brian Karas uses three vertical panels over two pages to provide the passage of time.  It's as if we have stepped into another realm, one of comfort and consistency.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the third panel of those vertical illustrations.  In this one as our eyes move from left to right, we understand the floor polishing is completed and the dad is now dusting book shelves.  Off to the right in a corner made by higher book cases sits a green sofa with a single light shining on it.  The boy has fallen asleep.  He has taken off his red sneakers.  He is still holding the book he was reading in one hand, but it is now resting on the floor.  Bliss.


You want to hug this book.  You want to put it next to your bed, at the very least, or maybe under your pillow.  You want to share Night Job written by Karen Hesse with illustrations by G. Brian Karas with everyone.  You certainly will want a copy on your personal and professional book shelves.
To learn more about Karen Hess and G. Brian Karas follow the links attached to their names to access their websites. At Candlewick Press and Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  Candlewick Press has an author's note about the journey to publication.  In a beautiful post, author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson, speaks about this title on her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  G. Brian Karas has an account on Twitter.



Sometimes during the night beings who normally hide, reveal themselves.  Their need for connections overcomes their fear.  Kitten and the Night Watchman (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, September 25, 2018) written by John Sullivan with illustrations by Taeeun Yoo is a story about one of those connections.

The night watchman hugs
his wife and children . . .

and drives to work. 

As the sky turns red and orange and gold, he takes his solitary walks.  Every aspect, doors, windows and workshops, in buildings are checked.  He strolls through yards full of equipment.  A startled bird shrieks into the dusk.

Pausing for a moment the night watchman sees a full moon and stars bathe the city in light.  A soft sound gets his attention.  A kitten has returned.  Now the man is not alone as he creates a path with his flashlight.

Machines look like monsters or insects.  A jet travels overhead.  A dinner is shared as the companions rest.  Wherever he goes, the kitten follows, until she vanishes.

Where did she go?  A dog barks.  Travelers in cars and on trains make other night noises.  The night watchman can't stop thinking about the kitten.  Hours tick-tock past until the sky lightens.  A man leaves his workplace in his car, heading home with a gift.


In simple declarative sentences by John Sullivan, this story unfolds.  Through this technique we are able to walk side-by-side with the night watchman.  His descriptions of sights and sounds disclose the changes night brings.  Here are some sentences.

An excavator bows
like a strange giraffe.

A backhoe rises 
like a giant insect.

A jet glows in the night sky.
SHHHHEEEEEEEEERRRROOOOOOOOOMMMMMM
And all is quiet again.


The open and matching dust jacket and book case, front and back, are symbolic of a discovery and continuation of a lasting friendship.  On the former the watchman finds his feline friend has returned again.  On the later, what was lost is found.  The moon and flashlight beam on the jacket are varnished.

The color palette used by Taeeun Yoo is rich and bold making use of blues and purples with complementary splashes of yellow and red.  She eases into the night hues by starting with close-of-the-day shades.  The opening and closing endpapers in contrast are a pale robin's egg blue.  On the initial title page, the words are placed on a canvas of a slightly darker blue with golden colors.  This continues to the verso and title pages with deeper and warmer hues of gold.

Each illustration rendered using digital and hand-printed textures is on full pages, double pages or loosely framed circles.  Even in the shadows encountered on the night watchman's walk, there is a warmth.  When light intrudes it does so in sync with the night.  Taeeun Yoo alters her perspective to intensify the emotional impact of the story.

One of my many favorite pictures is on a single page.  We are close to the night watchman viewing only the upper portion of his body.  In his hands he is holding the kitten close to his face.  Both have a look of pure contentment on their expressions.  Thick lines of light outline elements on their bodies.


Here is yet another book you want to hug and share with the world.  Kitten and the Night Watchman written by John Sullivan with illustrations by Taeeun Yoo is this man's author debut.  It is based upon a true story, his story.  I can't imagine a collection, personal or professional, without a copy of this book.  To learn more about Taeeun Yoo follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  She maintains an account on Instagram.  John Sullivan is interviewed at the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.  Taeeun Yoo is interviewed at Let's Talk Picture Books.  Both interviews focus mainly on this title.  At Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson, talks about this title.  It's a treat to see all this artwork.