Worth The Wait

Upon waking each morning, many of us have daily ambitions.  Our choices hopefully aim us toward our desired direction.  Although life being what it is, our paths are rarely in a straight line. They are a series of zigs and zags and steps forward and back and back and forward again.

Whether we reach our aspirations for the day, with the fading light and start of night, we all, eventually, crave similar things.  Two autumnal titles draw our attention to this special time.  The first, A Story for Small Bear (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, October 13, 2020) written by Alice B. McGinty with illustrations by Richard Jones, follows a cub trying to accomplish all that is required so she can receive her heart's desire.

When a late autumn wind

swirled into their den after noontime nap,

Small Bear shivered.  Brrrrr.

Mama knew today was the day to start their winter rest.  First, there was work to be done.  Small Bear needed to help for her wish to come true.  Small Bear had to remain focused. 

Spruce sprigs were gathered to add comfort to their cave.  Small Bear noticed and climbed into her favorite cozy hollow in the spruce tree.  She did not want to leave.  Remember the bitter wind, it blew, reminding her of what the day's end would bring.

There were two more stops.  There were two more tasks.  There were two more distractions.  

Brrrrr.

Small Bear did not want to leave but the icy wind pushed her to find Mama.  Mother and daughter walked to their den.  Inside, Small Bear asked Mama a question.  Her gentle but strong voice beginning with 

Once there lived . . .

was the answer Small Bear wanted to hear.  A promise was kept.

Using a combination of narrative and dialogue, author Alice B. McGinty weaves a tale of family, preparation, and the power of story.  Lyrical, descriptive phrases guide the characters and readers through the final day before a winter's rest begins.  Repetition of specific words and phrases supplies readers with a serene, but at times playful cadence.  Here is a passage.

No dilly.

She knew that's what Mama would say.

Still, she rolled and wriggled and played some more.

No dally, Small Bear thought.

But it was so hard to leave!

The textured, full color images on the open and matching dust jacket and book case ask readers to reach out to the characters, to join them.  On the front, framed by late summer and autumn flowers and leaves, Mama and Small Bear present the perfect picture of parental care.  By placing the bolder colors in the foreground with softer colors in the background, we are drawn into this moment of intimacy within a larger domain.

To the left of the spine, on the back, a portion of an interior illustration is used.  Small Bear is high in a tree, enjoying the acorns.  She has her head turned over her shoulder, watching the sun fading.  Beneath her the words read:

Small Bear wants to play---

but wind is biting,

winter knocking. . . .

Will she save time for stories?

On the pale cream canvas on the opening endpapers leaves in year-end colors are scattered.  The closing endpapers are a reflection of the change in the seasons.  Snowflakes of all sizes fall on a light turquoise background.  A close-up of a meadow scene with a bunny and a bird is placed between the text on the title page.

Rendered

in acrylic and watercolor paint and edited in Adobe Photoshop

the illustrations by Richard Jones highly complement the text, elevating it in realistic, soothing, and marvelous scenes.  We are treated to double-page pictures, edge to edge, full-page images with rounded corners and some elements breaking the frame, smaller visuals in unusual shapes or gathered in geometric forms on two pages to provide pacing.  Perspective is altered to place the characters in their proper settings, but we are never far and sometimes very close to Small Bear and her endeavors.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  Small Bear is swimming in the river.  On the left the river winds between two shores, one filled with meadow flowers and the other a small grove of trees.  Mama is ambling to the left in the trees.  Close to us on the right Small Bear moves her paws splashing.  Water birds take flight above her.  The sky mirrors the time of day.

Play comes naturally for this little bear, but the words of her mother guide her toward her one wish before they sleep.  The strength of tale-telling rings true in A Story for Small Bear written by Alice B. McGinty with artwork by Richard Jones.  For a quiet time, bedtime, discussing the benefits of sharing tasks, or for the changing seasons, this book is one you will want to have on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Alice B. McGinty and Richard Jones and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  At Alice B. McGinty's website is a parenting guide to use along with this book.  At Richard Jones' website he has pictures from the book for you to see.  Alice B. McGinty has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Richard Jones has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At a publisher's website you can see the opening endpapers, the verso and title pages, and the first two pages.

Some of those things we hold closest to our hearts are as varied and individualistic as we all are.  Others are daily moments we share in common with a multitude of people.  It is in those common hours we find what makes us a part of a larger whole.  Mr. Brown's Bad Day (Candlewick Press, Nosy Crow. November 10, 2020) written by Lou Peacock with illustrations by Alison Friend is a comical and ultimately endearing day in the life of a distinguished tiger gentleman.

Mr. Brown was a very important businessman.

He always carried a very important briefcase,

and he worked in a very important office.

Mr. Brown made numerous financial decisions daily.  He was in and out of meetings.  Every minute was packed with very important activities.  Regardless of the hustle and bustle of working in the very important office, Mr. Brown never missed taking a break for lunch and bringing his very important briefcase with him.

One day as Mr. Brown was seated on a bench in the park eating his lunch, he did not see a baby grab his very important briefcase and take it away.  When he discovered it was missing, he was frantic.  Luckily, he saw the baby with the briefcase.  He followed it at a brisk walk.

In a quirk of fate, the very important briefcase was snagged on the cart of an ice cream peddler.  As the peddler paused his bicycle, Mr. Brown thought he was getting close to his very important briefcase. Yikes!  The very important briefcase is on the move again courtesy of a student on a field trip.  Every time Mr. Brown gets near his very important briefcase, it moves.  Dapper Mr. Brown is getting very frazzled.

Mr. Brown's day is not good.  Finally, looking worse for the wear, Mr. Brown catches up to the students and their teacher, roaring about his very important briefcase with invaluable items inside.  In the dark Mr. Brown walks home with his cherished possession and its contents.  Once there, he checks inside his very important briefcase.  Time for bed, Mr. Brown.

The sheer fun of this book by author Lou Peacock is how she wraps readers into the wild chase of Mr. Brown trying to retrieve his very important briefcase.  The use of the words very important and the words fortunately and unfortunately repeatedly generates hilarious tension.  We are so involved in the retrieval of the briefcase; the conclusion is the sweetest of surprises.  The blend of text and dialogue is exactly right bringing us deeper into Mr. Brown's dilemma.  Here is a passage.

Fortunately for Mr. Brown, the line was moving quickly  . . .

but unfortunately for Mr. Brown,

when the schoolchildren got off the ride,

they took Mr. Brown's very important

briefcase with them.

And then they went to catch the bus.

When readers look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, they see from left to right a foreshadowing of events to come.  Against the blue building on the city sidewalk is the teacher and three students.  The teacher is a smartly dressed zebra with a kitten and alligator youngster trailing behind her.  On the front the pup is trying to warn Mr. Brown about the next disastrous step he is about to take.  There are three pigeons, two in flight, on the back.  As if the banana peel is not bad enough, notice the fourth pigeon above the W in the title text.  All the elements on the front of the dust jacket except for the sidewalk and building are varnished.

In lighter hues of blue, lightly shaded and outlines of buildings provide readers with a view of Mr. Brown's city on the opening and closing endpapers.  Light clouds, nearly like fog, cover the blue sky.  On the initial title page are three pigeons resting on the ground, looking for food.  On the formal title, verso and dedication pages, the cityscape is in the background.  Vehicles and city inhabitants move down the street and on the sidewalk.  Mr. Brown walks toward the right side of the double-page picture.  The author's and illustrator's names are placed on the side of a truck like a business name.

Mixed media

illustrations by Alison Friend cheerfully and humorously depict every portion of Mr. Brown's day.  The animals are highly animated with facial expressions revealing their moods.  Full-color images span two pages, single pages and sometimes two horizontal pictures are on a single page.  Readers will find themselves looking for extra details and additional pastimes within the visuals.  Alison Friend alters the perspective in keeping with the narrative as when Mr. Brown and others are standing on the ground looking up at the Ferris wheel ride as his very important briefcase goes higher and higher.  It is as if we are seated on the Ferris wheel looking down.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is a two-page picture when Mr. Brown is pursuing the baby elephant who picked up his briefcase.  The park path winds across from the upper left-hand corner to the lower, right-hand corner.  Mr. Brown is walking across the bridge in the upper, left-hand corner.  Along the way all kinds of children and their parents are engaged in a variety of pursuits.  A dropped ice cream cone (the baby elephant's) is being consumed by pigeons.  An alligator is soaking its feet in the park pond.  You can't look at this picture without smiling.

This book, Mr. Brown's Bad Day written by Lou Peacock with illustrations by Alison Friend, is a day to remember.  We come to understand through a delightfully funny series of mishaps why the very important briefcase has that designation.  I know readers will want to read or hear this book again and again.  I highly recommend it for your professional and personal collections.  Good night.  Sweet dreams.

To learn more about Lou Peacock, the link attached to her name takes you to the Nosy Crow page dedicated to her.  The link attached to Alison Friend's name takes you to her agency page.  Alison Friend has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website and Penguin Random House you can see interior images.

From The Woods

When you get to the conclusion of a book and wonder what happened, you know you have to read it again immediately and then again and maybe one more time.  You wonder if you need to separate what's perceived as real from what might be pure imagination.  You search for veracity. With these repeated readings you can form your own opinions. You believe what you want to believe and what you need to believe.

With books like this even after having formed a viewpoint, later it may shift as you bring new experiences to the reading of it.  Camp Tiger (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, May 21, 2019) written by Susan Choi with illustrations by John Rocco is a title with spellbinding words and illustrations.  It is in a word, unforgettable.

Every year, my mom and dad and brother and I go camping at Mountain Pond.  

It's a lengthy journey off the beaten path, ending on a road that's more rock than road until Mountain Pond, water between tree-covered mountains, appears.  The family camps at the far end of the pond.  They are alone here as school will start in September when they return home from this trip.  The narrator is not excited about beginning first grade. 

As they unload their gear from the car to set up the site, the family talks about the things they are apt to see.  During the setting up of a tent, the mother freezes.  Her family does, too.  A tiger walks out of the woods.  He's big, but not too big.  He's thin.  He talks!

He asks if they have a spare tent; his cave is cold.  When they have it erected, the youngest boy unzips it.  The tiger enters first and he follows him inside.  When he asks his mother to zip them inside, she tells him to do it himself.  She's been doing that more lately.  The child snuggles against the tiger as they chat.

During their two-day stay the tiger shares in their activities.  On the last night the tiger accompanies the boy to look for shooting stars; just the two of them in the canoe on the pond.  The next morning, an emotion threatens to overshadow the joy of the weekend for the narrator.  Arriving home before bedtime, a memory is preserved.

Award-winning author of books for adults, Susan Choi has written an enchanting story of the last lingering moments of summer and a treasured childhood age.  Her descriptions of place, family and being on the cusp of change are an exquisite blend of first-person narrative and dialogue.  These initial descriptions of the ordinary make the appearance of the tiger extraordinary and perfectly natural at the same time.  When humor finds its way into the tale, we willingly laugh with the family.  Here is a passage.

Inside the tent, the tiger lies down so he's shaped

like a C and puts his head on his paws.  I wrap my arms

around him and bury my face in his fur.  He smells like 

sunshine and pine needles.

"Tigers live in Africa," I tell him.

"Not Africa, Asia," he says.

"This isn't Africa or Asia," I tell him.

"No," sighs the tiger.

Accomplished artist John Rocco renders images so beautiful you'll have to remind yourself to breathe.  He begins with the illustrations on the open and matching dust jacket and book case.  By blending the partial face of the tiger into the landscape, the imagery is magnificent.  The title text looks to be formed from the clouds billowing up between the two sides of the forest.  The family with our narrator in the lead is striding into a memorable end-of-summer adventure.  

An interior picture is used for the back on the other side of the spine.  The families red SUV carrying their red canoe looks small on the rocky road along Mountain Pond.  The pond is indeed like a mirror between the forested mountains.  

On the opening and closing endpapers in shades of darker forest green, items taken on a camping trip are spread across two pages.  Some of them are cast iron pans, silverware, a fishing net, a fishing lure, sleeping bags, tents in bags, fishing rods, canoe paddles, a lantern, a utility knife, a first aid kit, a compass, an axe, a flashlight, a canteen, matches, hiking boots, a rope, binoculars and a backpack.  Curling up from the bottom of the center of the right-hand side is the tiger's tale, bright orange with black stripes.  It is an astonishing contrast.

The illustrations are rendered

using a watercolor sketch and wash pencil and then adding the color digitally.

On the initial title page, camping gear is placed beneath the text.  On the verso and title pages a cityscape on the left, with clouds layered like whipped cream behind it, leads to mountains on the right.  Along the bottom a road is empty except for the family's red car, lights shining in the early morning.  Several small horizontal visuals on a single page highlight the journey to Mountain Pond which is given a full-page picture.

In another part of the story, four pictures, two to a page, wordlessly convey what can only be defined as magical. John Rocco shifts his illustration sizes to accentuate the story but also to elevate it.  Double-page pictures add drama as does the use of liberal white space in other images.  The details, the use of light and shadow and the altered perspectives ask you to pause on every page.  And you do . . . with great respect and awe.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the text previously noted. Across two pages, inside the blue tent, shown with a textured and faint-light splashed background, are the tiger and the younger boy.  The tiger is curled in the C shape nearly from one edge to the other.  The boy hugging the tiger is cozily shaped within the C.  Both of their eyes are open.  By the expressions on their faces, they are content and comfortable in each other's company.

After you've read this book once, twice and at least a third time, you'll long for a camping trip like this one.  Camp Tiger written by Susan Choi with illustrations by John Rocco is sheer wonder in words and illustrations.  You'll want to share it often with as many people as you can.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Susan Choi and John Rocco and their other work, please access their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Susan Choi has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  John Rocco has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website and on John Rocco's website you can view a few interior images.  At Picturebooking with Nick Patton John Rocco talks about this book in a podcast.

Fearless Frightening Feline

Children like to play a game of sorts; a game based upon one's ability to sneak up and scare another individual.  It can last one day or months.  It's usually enjoyed with two individuals.  The scarer takes great delight in their skill of stealth and of instilling pure panic.

Usually, but not always, size is also a characteristic contributing to the fear factor.  In The Tiptoeing Tiger (Candlewick Press, February 6, 2018) written and illustrated by Philippa Leathers a cub is perfecting his techniques at being terrifying. The results are not exactly as he expects.

Everyone in the forest knew that tigers were sleek, silent, and totally terrifying.  

You knew when a tiger was coming even before you saw it, the forest went silent as the residents vanished from sight.  When Little Tiger walked in the forest it was business as usual.  He was after all, small.

To Little Tiger's dismay, his brother laughed at him.  In fact, he told Little Tiger there was no animal in their forest he could scare.  Little Tiger was not the kind of tiger to back down from a challenge.

The tiptoeing began in earnest.  Both Boar and Elephant had logical reasons for not being frightened.  The monkeys could not stop gleefully giggling.

Shaken out of his sadness by a jumping frog the cub believed he had another chance.  Ever so slowly he moved silently to the pond.  He gave a mighty roar.  His brother was entirely mistaken.


Philippa Leathers supplies readers and listeners with a storytelling rhythm using the sequence of three and repetition.  Three descriptive characteristics are used to define a tiger.  Little Tiger tries three times, with no success, to frighten animals.  When he tiptoes, we read

Tiptoe, tiptoe, tiptoe . . .

These techniques, working with the blend of narrative and dialogue, welcome reader participation.  Here is a passage.

"You don't scare me," yawned Boar.  "I could hear you coming a mile away."
"Bother!" said Little Tiger, and he set off again to find someone to scare.


Rendered in pencil and watercolor, combined digitally the illustrations beginning on the matching dust jacket and book case invite readers into the forest setting, following Little Tiger.  It's nearly impossible to resist smiling or curbing a desire to know what Little Tiger will do next.  To the left, on the back, the forest floor continues.  On the far left a group of rocks provide a perch for a small forest bird who watches Little Tiger with interest.

On the opening and closing endpapers a lovely array of forest ferns creates a green on green pattern.  This continues on the next page at the beginning and ending of the book.  Beneath the text on the title page, Little Tiger is about to wake his sleeping brother.

The majority of the pictures span two pages with appropriate flora and fauna in each scene.  When Philippa Leathers shifts the image size and perspective, it is to enhance the pacing in the story.  Children and (kids at heart) are going to want to reach out and touch the animal characters.  Their physical characteristics are realistic with a touch of adorable.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Little Tiger is tiptoeing toward Boar.  From left to right, from forest to mud patch in a field, the cub moves sneakily across two pages. First he peeks from behind a tree, then moves to another tree and then tiptoes ever so carefully toward the sleeping boar.  You can feel the tension as you grin.


Looking at and sharing the front of the dust jacket and book case is only the beginning of the laughter you will hear when reading The Tiptoeing Tiger written and illustrated by Philippa Leathers.  Everyone will be able to connect to the feeling of being smaller than you desire.  We've all been little.  It's the resilience of Little Tiger and his willingness to face the truth which will endear him to you.  Make sure you have a copy of this title for your professional and personal collections.  And be ready to roar with your readers and listeners.

To learn more about Philippa Leathers and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's websites, here and here, you can view interior images.  The illustrations are a page turn apart.

A Grandmother Is Gone

That we continue to explore our own folklore and the folklore of other cultures is essential.  Not only is it the foundation from which many other forms of literature builds but if we are to understand one another, we need to read and listen to these stories.  In these narratives we discover the richness cultures different from our own offer us.  We discover those things we have in common; those values which transcend those differences.

Most folklore has stories of animals exhibiting particular characteristics.  These animals can deter, challenge, help or inspire the efforts of humans in these tales.  Debut picture book author Julie Kim offers readers a look at characters well-known in Koren literature.  Where's Halmoni? (Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Sasquatch Books, October 3, 2017) takes us on a quest to find a beloved family member.

Halmoni~
We are here~

Sister and brother, Noona and Joon, have come to visit their grandmother. Noona is carrying a bag with groceries and Joon is wearing a backpack shaped like the head of a fox.  Halmoni, their grandmother, has disappeared.  So has her red bean soup.  All they can find are a trail of tracks.  When they look for her in her bedroom, Joon locates a slightly open door.

It leads to a vibrant landscape filled with mountains, tall trees, flowers and butterflies.  Readers see, before the siblings, an animal climbing down a rope ladder.  It's a rabbit with a red cloth bundle on its back.  Their inquiries about their grandmother are answered in Koren.  In exchange for some of the snacks Joon has in his backpack, the rabbit gives them a magical back scratcher.  They also believe they need to find a tiger.

When the duo rest in the forest, hungry and tired, they are startled by a group of dokkebi, friendly goblins.  More snacks and drinks are given in trade for an elaborate door handle with its own unique properties.  A glowing opening shows them another path.  Loud roaring has them rushing toward the sound.

A tiger and a nine-tailed white fox are arguing over an item the two identify as their grandmother's soup pot.  Joon runs to the rescue chewing on the tiger's tail.  Noona suggests a more peaceful method, a hearty game of rock-paper-scissors.  Of the four, two are quickly eliminated.  A triumphant winner is tricked but in a twist the trickster is tricked.  A tiger roars for more.  Will Noona and Joon ever get home?  And where is their grandmother?


Limited text in the form of dialogue between the characters written by Julie Kim sets this story in motion and introduces us to everyday customs and respect for family members.  When Noona and Joon encounter the rabbit, the goblins, the tiger and the fox we realize the cleverness of the siblings is no match for the animals.  Evidence of humor is provided in the items given to the children and in their comments to each other especially when they are with the goblins.  Here is a passage.

I think it's thirsty. (Noona)
Of course it is.  It ate ALL our cookies. (Joon)
I think it's REEAAALLY thirsty. (Noona)
And we ARE sitting on it.
Let's get OUT of here Noona, before we lose ALL our snacks!


Upon opening the sturdy paper cover (I am working with an F & G.) on the other side of the door, to the left on the back, Noona and Joon are peeking around the edge.  Their wide-eyed looks and open mouths tell a story as much as the sly look on the tiger's face on the front.  The firm, fluid lines and bright colors here are a wonderful indication of the images to follow.

On the title page the tiger is creeping through the opened doorway in Halmoni's bedroom.  On the verso page Julie Kim gives readers a glimpse of the fantastical realm in the form of light clouds and a bird in flight.  The design and format of the visual aspects of this title are in panels.

Their size alternates between full page pictures, half page illustrations, multiple images on a single page and double page pictures. Sometimes they are framed in thin black lines; other times they span page edge to page edge.  The text may be in speech balloons or for effect written on the illustration.  When a new character appears in the story it is given two pages with a symbolic element, Koren letters, the Koren name and the English name.

What readers will enjoy (what this reader enjoys) are the facial expressions and body language.  There is never a doubt as to the mood of the moment or the emotional status of any given situation.  These, plus the gorgeous settings, bring us all into the story.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  On the left the five colorful goblins with green, red, blue and golden skin wearing patterned and equally colorful clothing are gobbling the treats given to them and pointing for more. Noona is handing out a package of cookies and a juice box.  Joon is pulling out snack after snack from his back pack.  What is charmingly humorous is the stacks of snacks around him look as though they could fit in four back packs instead of just one.


If you have not read Where's Halmoni? written and illustrated by Julie Kim make sure you remedy this as soon as possible.  Then read it aloud to one or more people . . . repeatedly.  I can see this book, a true treasure, being a favorite of listeners.  I highly recommend this for all collections.  At the close of the book, Julie Kim supplies reads with translations of the Koren text and describes the folklore characters and their place in her life.

To discover more about Julie Kim and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At Sasquatch Books you can read small portions of the four starred reviews this title has received plus view the first of nineteen pages.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson reveals the cover on her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, with some additional artwork.  Teacher librarian Cynthia Alaniz interviews Julie Kim on her blog, Librarian in Cute Shoes.  Julie Kim stops by teacher librarian Matthew Winner's All The Wonders, Episode 396 podcast.  She also visits Let's Talk Picture Books for an interview with lots of artwork.  At This Picture Book Life she appears to give us the red bean soup recipe.  Where's Halmoni? was among the winners of The 2017 Nerdies:  Fiction Picture Books introduced by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher.

Goodbye Status Quo!

Our lives are governed by rules, by laws, principles of etiquette.  Some are written, others are understood.  Within the structure of these guidelines, individual beliefs play an important part.

For some following what is, what always has been and will continue to be so, is easy.  For others, it's confusing, frustrating and not where their heart directs them.  Mr. Tiger Goes Wild (Little, Brown and Company) written and illustrated by Caldecott Honor award-winning Peter Brown (Creepy Carrots!) is about being brave enough to break the mold.

Everyone was perfectly fine
with the way things were.
Everyone but Mr. Tiger.

Propriety was pushing Mr. Tiger to his limits.  It was simply too ho-hum, too confining and left no room for play.  The beauty in being a tiger is being wild after all...right?

So Mr. Tiger decided to try something a bit different.  Instead of walking upright like all his fellow friends, he boldly lowered his body to stride out on all fours.  Not surprisingly, it was the right thing to do.

Mr. Tiger was shedding the skins of confinement.  And he liked it.  He liked it so much he did more and more each day.  He ran, he chased, he climbed and he roared a very loud roar.  Let me tell you though, there was a lot of tut-tutting going on by his fellow townies.

The day he jumped into the fountain in the central square, loosing all his clothes, was the final straw for his up-to-that-point tolerant pals.  Sternly asked to leave, he joyfully departed for the wilderness.  Away from the buildings, streets, clothing, and orderly lifestyle, Mr. Tiger went completely wild!

The freedom was exhilarating but something was missing, the comfort of the familiar.  Making his way back to his town, friends and home, he made a startling discovery.  Mr. Tiger's fearlessness had paved the way. ROAR!


In direct spare statements and examples our narrator makes it quite obvious that Mr. Tiger is ready for change.  Peter Brown's word placement and pacing create the same tension and energy for the reader that Mr. Tiger is feeling.  By placing dialogue in speech bubbles along with the narration the story becomes more personal.  We are intimately involved.  We want to roar (and will probably do so with abandon).

Toward the end of June Peter Brown and I exchanged a series of tweets.

ROAR!!! My very first copies of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild arrived! It might have been worth all the hard… http://t.co/rKIWRf2QDE
— peterbrown! (@itspeterbrown) June 25, 2013

@Loveofxena Why YES, the case cover IS different! I was wondering if anyone would notice that little detail...
— peterbrown! (@itspeterbrown) June 25, 2013

It's the care given to every facet of this book, which makes readers want to go wild themselves.  Peter Brown even goes wild in the illustrations created by trying a new technique, using a different combination of mediums, India ink, watercolor, gouache, and pencil which are digitally composited and colored.  If you look closely you will notice the fifth color, orange, which was included in the printing of the book on paper.

The jacket is a double page spread with Mr. Tiger in the wilderness.  The quote on the back,

There is a time and place for everything---
even going wild.

alludes to the changes which will occur as does the front and back cover, a textured pattern of stripped tiger fur, rough to the touch.  The opening endpapers of taupe, gray bricks are a sharp contrast to the closing endpapers done in hues of green in the stylized ferns found in Brown's forest.

The placement of elements on each of the illustrated pages, whether they are two page, single page or several smaller ones on an individual page, is impeccable; the conversation between Mr. Deer and Mr. Tiger,  the movement of Mr. Tiger as he gets his wild idea, the tall building he climbs in the gutter of two pages, or a potion of his, now, unclothed body running off the right page.  Liberal use of white space draws the reader's eye exactly where it needs to go.  Mr. Tiger's facial expressions convey his moods precisely.  One of my favorite illustrations is the two-page spread of toucans in the air, fish in the water, the series of waterfalls cascading over cliffs , trees, ferns and Mr. Tiger roaring.  You can feel joy in the air.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild written and illustrated by Peter Brown is your ticket to a roaring good time. It's an invitation to be yourself, to be brave and perhaps change those around you.  Some rules whether written or understood are meant to be broken.

Enjoy Peter Brown speaking about Mr. Tiger Goes Wild.




Follow this link to a Q & A with Peter Brown at Publishers Weekly.  Peter Brown was interviewed at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast about the process for bringing this book to readers.  Follow this link to begin the blog tour of Mr. Tiger Goes Wild.  This link has a couple of fun activity sheets.  This links to a new post Peter Brown composed for his blog, Mr. Tiger Gets Styled.

And whatever you do, remember to Roar! at least once this weekend.

There's A What Where?

If you have a younger sibling, raise your hand?  If you have an older sibling, raise your hand?  No matter where you fall on the older or younger spectrum of the brothers and sisters line, frustration with one another is as inevitable as sunrise and sunset.

When this frustration is fed by imagination, it's hard to predict the outcome.  What's even more fascinating is when the line between reality and illusion is blurred, or is it?    Tiger In My Soup (Peachtree Publishers) written by Kashmira Sheth with illustrations by Jeffrey Ebbeler is imagination gone WILD.

Today, my big sister is in charge of the house, the lunch, and me.

What this brother wants, more than anything, is for his sister to read to him.  She has other plans for her time. Looking at the pictures over and over, while interesting is not the same as sharing the experience with someone else.  He asks her again.

She does not reply.  When he yells that he is hungry, she definitely hears him.  After heating up soup, as she is handing him the bowl, she warns him about it being hot.  He views the steaming soup as another opportunity; he asks her to read to him as it cools.  Does she read to him now?

Of course... she does not.  What happens next proves that either the soup or the boy are extraordinary.  One innocent stir and a tiger emerges from the liquid warmth; a full-blown, grown tiger.  

In his dumbfounded fright, the boy drops his spoon and yelps, "Help!"  Peeved the sister, surprisingly unaware of the tiger, hands him another.  It's up to the lad to protect himself from this ferocious feline on his own.  It's an out and out battle.  But wait...could it be?  Where did the tiger go?

Annoyed the sister looks up from her book wondering why her brother let his soup get cold.  Despite his frantic pleadings, she places the bowl in the microwave.  A scream, a sigh and a page read later, the boy is not sure about the book, soup or his sister any more.

Through the first person narrative and dialogue created by Kashmira Sheth we experience a fantastical adventure which springs forth from the simple desire to have a story read.  It's the play between the two which generates the rhythm of the story, adding to the tension, action and surprise.  Conversations between the brother and sister are so typical you can't help but smile.  When the boy is speaking to the reader about his taming of the tiger smiles will turn to laughter; word choices are wonderfully chosen.  I really enjoyed this sequence of sentences.

I look at the pictures by myself...

downside up and upside down,

front to back and back to front,

with my eyes open and

with my eyes closed.

When opening up the jacket and cover readers know this book is going to be a tad bit different and more than a little bit funny.  It's hard to miss the lifelike tiger crouched on the table with a colander-clad boy, chair and belt in hand, trying to keep it at bay.  On the back cover the boy is lying on his back reading his book, feet propped in a Adirondack chair with a seagull lying on his back, feet stuck straight in the air, next to him, also reading the book. (As long as the boy is outside the seagull is his constant companion plus he peeks inside during the story, eyes popping at the sight of the tiger.)

Pictured, using a heavier matte finished paper, on the front and back endpapers are cans of alphabet soup in rows with the frightened boy in various poses of escape, hungry tiger in pursuit.  Both sets of title pages, verso and dedication pages feature tiger skin, a tiger tail swishing in a steaming bowl of soup, and the beautiful stylized illustrations from the boy's book; a story from India.  Readers will fall in love with family's home looking like a tree house perched atop a rock island, rows of twisting stairs needed to get to the front door.

Jeffrey Ebbeler rendered these illustrations with acrylics on archival 100% rag watercolor paper using a color palette combining hues that reflect the seaside setting with the warmer colors associated with the tiger and the boy's book.  The effect is captivating.  Lots of movement, facial expressions and switching perspective contribute to the reader not knowing what is going to happen next but being more than willing to turn the page to see.  His details, the grinning kitchen clock, pasta spelling words, the patterned fabric on the placemat, and the chair and table legs shaped like paws, add to the overall appeal. 

Get ready to be entertained when reading Tiger In My Soup by Kashmira Sheth with illustrations by Jeffrey Ebbeler.  The brother and sister dynamics, the suspense, the action, the humor and the energetic pictures will have readers saying "read it again" as soon as the cover closes.  This title is on its way to my 2014 Mock Caldecott Learnist board.

Please follow the embedded links in their names above to the official author and illustrator websites.  As soon as I read this post at Jama's Alphabet Soup I knew I could hardly wait to see this book.  When I read these two posts by Julie Danielson at Kirkus and Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast (with lots of illustrations) I knew I had to own a copy for myself.