Rest Well, Furry And Feathered Friends

As soon as the plan is made and parents are consulted, the excitement builds.  Even if they are your next door neighbor, the thrill is still there.  Thoughts of shared chatter, laughter and activities fill you up with joy.  Is there anything more fun than getting to spend the night with your best buddy?

Two friends who never tire of encouraging one to be more like the other are returning for another delightful adventure.  They met in Hey Duck! (Random House, January 22, 2013) and returned in a companion title, Just a Duck? (Random House, January 27, 2015).  Sleepover Duck! (Random House, January 2, 2018) written and illustrated by Carin Bramsen is sure to have you smiling from beginning to end.

Hey, Cat!  My mom said it's all right
to sleep inside the barn tonight.

As the sun sets Cat and Duck are happily celebrating their slumber party night.  Duck, as usual, is ready to commemorate the event with a singular series of steps,

the slumber party dance!

A special game is next on the agenda.  Cat is immediately declared the winner.

Duck needs a little assistance in falling asleep properly.  Cat willingly provides hints.  Just before Duck descends into dreamland a new noise, a soft sound, shakes Duck awake.

It's something different for the duo to do.  They search among the other slumbering barn mothers and their children, a cow, a mare, a ewe and a sow.  Determined to locate the source, Duck climbs to the loft.

From this height answers and new surprises are provided.  The slumber party guest numbers grow.  Soon it's time to snuggle close.  Here's wishing the furry and feathered friends have sweet dreams.


A gentle rhythmic cadence beckons to readers through rhyming words at the end of sentences and phrases.  Carin Bramsen uses the conversations of Cat and Duck and the other animals resting in the barn to assist in making us a part of the slumber party.  The compelling exuberance of Duck and companionable support of Cat are the perfect ingredients for an evening to remember.  Here is a passage.

Well, lie down first.  Try breathing deep.
It's not so hard to fall asleep.

Then I'll lie here, if you don't mind.
Oh, thanks.  That's better.  You're too kind. . . .


When you look at the friends on the dust jacket, Cat curled on a bed of straw and Duck positioned for action, probably laughing, you can't resist opening the book case cover.  The evening sky of rich blues and purple extends across the spine for a full, double-page illustration.  Stars twinkle around a crescent moon on the back to the left.  Other mounds of straw frame a small wooden structure.  The surprise guest sits there silently.  (I am working with an F & G.)

The opening and closing endpapers, unique to these books, are pale yellow, downy like the feathers on a baby duck.  Duck, in the same position as on the front of the dust jacket, is poised on straw beneath the text on the title page.  He is close to us, looking right into our eyes.

Each picture, in full color, spans two pages, single pages or several on a single page framed in white.  There are a series of images without words, as in the previous two titles, which depict the distinct personality of the characters.  They create an irresistible connection between them and us.  Careful readers will see the source of the sound following Duck and Cat.  This is the best kind of humor.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on two pages.  Across the top is the red siding of the inside of the barn.  A portion of a bucket and rope are visible on the left.  A wooden floor spans to a bed of straw along the bottom.  Cat is stretched out to from the left to the edge of the page on the right.  One eye is open, the other is closed.  Duck is relaxing on Cat's head until the noise causes Duck to flip and land on Cat's back.  We can see the noise maker but Cat and Duck cannot.


For a bedtime or quiet time treat Sleepover Duck! written and illustrated by Carin Bramsen is absolutely charming.  Guys and gals will be happy these lovable characters have returned in a third title.  Pure magic is heightened in threes. You'll want copies on your professional and personal bookshelves. 

To learn more about Carin Bramsen and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  You'll be able to see those opening and closing endpapers which you'll long to touch, expecting them to be soft and fuzzy.

This Blue Planet

Every time you witness a sunrise or a sunset you are reminded of the wonders waiting to be seen on this Blue Planet.  The rustle of dried, crumpled oak leaves clinging to a branch, the crunch of snow beneath your boots on a bitter, cold afternoon, the notes of birdsong, the chattering of local squirrels, the gentle rippling of water as you wade across a stream and the smell of blooming lavender on a summer's evening as fireflies blink off and on are cherished memories of treasures offered by our Earth.  This place we humans and a host of creatures call home is remarkable.

No one can extol the virtues of our home more than Earth.  Earth!: My First 4.54 Billion Years (Henry Holt and Company, October 24, 2017) by Earth (with Stacy McAnulty) and illustrated by Earth (and David Litchfield) is a humorous, lighthearted and informative look at the third planet from the sun.  Let's join Earth now for fun and facts.

Hi!  My name is 
Earth.
Some people call me
Gaia,
the blue marble,
the world,
or the third planet from the sun.
You can call me
Planet Awesome.

Earth quickly acquaints us with a favorite activity, spinning.  Some spins take a day.  Other spins take a whole year.  Moon is Earth's best buddy.  They go everywhere together.  Earth has the time needed for Moon to spin around Earth down to the second.

When you're 4.54 billion years old, it's tough to remember babyhood but Earth says:

But I've been told I was a hot mess.

After that it rained and rained and rained.  It rained for thousands of years.  Earth was in for even more surprises, islands.  These islands connected and then divided into what we now call continents.  We have seven.

Earth shows us a timeline, a huge ruler, designating the arrival of air, plants, bugs, dinosaurs, mammals, birds, flowers and finally humans.  Another secret is shared.  Earth loved the time of the dinosaurs; all 175 million years.

Earth tells us about all the disasters like eruptions of volcanoes, ice ages and asteroids.  On the upside Earth has stayed the same under the surface.  There's still a crust, mantle, outer core and inner core.  Earth shares a final confidence.  Humans are captivating.  There's never a dull moment with humans.  We do tend to be careless with Earth sometimes but Earth believes in us.  Let's honor this respect!


As soon as Earth begins to chat with readers through the words written by Stacy McAnulty, it's as if we are gathered together enjoying a picnic in a grassy meadow under a spreading Sycamore tree.  Earth's pride is evident in the statements made about its position in the solar system and the galaxy, the daily and yearly spinning accomplishments and the beauty of flowers.  Humor is found in asides made about Pluto and comments about other animals' interest in Earth as opposed to human fascination with Earth.  Here is a passage.

Some used to say I have eight siblings,
but Pluto is more like the family pet. 


Rendered in pencils, ink, watercolor paints, and digital art tools the illustrations starting with the opened dust jacket shout out a big hello to readers.  Earth is slowly spinning among the stars, smiling and waiting to talk with us.  To the left, on the back, she is peeking up from the lower, left-hand corner.  She's reading:

Read this book about Earth,
written by Earth, while you float through
space on---you guessed it---Earth!

To readers enjoyment David Litchfield has given us a different book case.  The background is a blend of green and golden hues sprinkled with stars.  Earth, on the back and to the left, is again looking at the same words as on the dust jacket.  But on the front she is much larger spanning from edge to edge looking upward, grinning and her hands are near her mouth as if she just can't believe how fortunate she is.

The opening and closing endpapers are a blended blue, green and golden array replete with stars.  On the title page Earth looks as if she can hardly wait to share her secrets with us.  Earth is a constant character on every page turn but two.  Her size is in keeping with the narrative and other elements David Litchfield uses in his design.  She may be extending a hand to point out important features, joining her siblings (and the Sun), having fun with the Moon, or taking a journey through time in a photo album.

In his portrayal of Earth David Litchfield endears readers to their residence.  Her mannerisms, facial expressions and hands are spirited and inviting.  On the final three two-page pictures Earth extends from page edge to page edge.  Superimposed on her enlarged eyes, mouth and continents are smaller elements relative to the text.  These are wonderful, emotional portraits.

One of my many favorite images is of Earth as an infant.  On the photo album page which is tilted and extends across the gutter to the left, the caption at the top reads:

Explosive.  Gassy!  Very cranky.

Earth is shown as red hot, frowny-eyed and with crossed arms.  A pacifier is stuck in her mouth.  Under one of the corner tabs it reads:

BABY EARTH

On the far left present-day Earth is shown smiling and holding and looking at the album.


For any readers, even your youngest readers, Earth!:  My First 4.54 Billion Years written by Stacy McAnulty with illustrations by David Litchfield is a must for all your collections.  With comedy, captivating conversation and interesting information Earth tells us a lot about Earth.  At the close of the book Stacy McAnulty speaks to alien visitors about Earth.  She further includes items about the continents, Earth's location and life.  There is also a list of sources.

To discover more about Stacy McAnulty and David Litchfield and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Stacy has activity pages associated with this title at her site.  You can see illustrations at David's site different from those found at the publisher's website.  Stacy McAnulty is a guest at author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).  Stacy is interviewed at WeGrowMedia.  David maintains accounts on Tumblr and Instagram.  I hope you enjoy the videos.





Please be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by Alyson Beecher to enjoy the books selected this week by other participants in the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Here's To You!

Several years ago when I was spending one of her last days with my mom, a hospice caretaker told me no one lives to be ninety-four years old without true grit.  When she was still four years old my mom's father was killed in an accident.  There were several step-fathers.  Mom was only twenty-five years old when her beloved mom died.  After she started dating my father World War II took him away from home for more than a year.  During that time she and other women throughout the United States in a variety of capacities kept this country running.

When she was in her forties mom realized a dream and returned to college completing an associate degree in library science.  She was a rock when my dad suffered through ALS.  They were seventy-six years old, just short of being married for fifty years, when he passed away.  For the last eighteen years of her life she lived alone.  How fortunate for me, I got to experience and learn from her true grit for more than sixty years.

Lessons passed from mothers to daughters are generations strong, decades in the making.  Dear Girl, (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, December 26, 2017) written by the late Amy Krouse Rosenthal and her daughter Paris Rosenthal with illustrations by Holly Hatam cheers for, inspires and advises girls of all ages everywhere.

 Dear Girl,
Keep that arm raised!
You have smart things to say!

In the first of nineteen notes to readers, girls are reminded to not be afraid to speak out when they know the answer in a classroom (or a board room).  I wonder how many times girls have kept quiet rather than face being called a nerd or know-it-all.  Remember girls, you can be frilly and proper or coated from head to toe in mud, but you are still all girl.

You need to develop an appreciation for all those physical traits which make you uniquely you.  You will have days of unbearable sadness and days of incredible bliss.  Embrace them all.

Being curious about and grateful for your world brings greater understanding; never stop asking questions. Look around you using all your senses.  It's a good idea to write down what you thinking.  (Your older self will thank you.)

Being a friend with like-minded people helps you to create long-lasting memories but getting to know other people, different people, builds compassion. Regardless of what anyone says, go with your gut instincts. Always.

Not only do you need to recognize your physical characteristics but hone your individuality by the things you do.  Go forth with bravery.  Holding this book in your hands, girls (and all readers), is your key to confidence.  Someone who loves you, no matter where they are, will constantly support you.  Always.


The words of Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal will reach out and reverberate long after the final sentence is read.  Beginning each set of thoughts with Dear Girl, establishes a wonderful, intimate relationship between the authors and the readers.  Many of the sentences are structured concisely like pep talk phrases.  Others start with the word sometimes to depict the duration of the circumstances.  Here is a passage.

Dear Girl,
Sometimes you just need a good cry.
Sometimes you'll 
need a friend.
Sometimes you'll
need to be alone.
Sometimes you'll
need a tissue.
Sometimes you'll need a bucket.


No matter your age there is an indescribable feeling of complete joy when you are flying through the air on a swing.  This is the very thing sure to generate a smile to all who look at the front of the matching dust jacket and book case. The contrast of the green and splashes of shades of red on white only increases this feeling.  To the left, on the back, on a canvas of white, an interior image depicts the girl looking in a mirror and thanking the freckles spread across her face.

A muted red covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page the girl is holding a book titled Dear Girl.  An array of scrolled stems covered in leaves and flowers is coming from the pages.  Birds are resting on those stems.  Another bird is flying toward the D in the title text.

Each page turn has the girl placed in many different and colorful situations courtesy of the charming and playful artwork of Holly Hatam.  They look to be a blend of drawings and realistic pictures careful designed and placed to enhance the text.  White space is used superbly.  The size of the images elevates the pacing; shifting from two pages to multiple images on a single page.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  On the left is a bulletin board hanging over a desk.  The girl is cozily seated in a puffy chair reading.  A stack of books and a teddy bear are on the floor in front of her.  To the left her bed is between two lamps, one hanging from the ceiling.  A gauze curtain is draped from the ceiling over the bed.  On the wall hangs a poster of Amelia Earhart with one of her quotes. (Amelia Earhart was my mom's hero.)


You will want to have a copy of Dear Girl, written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal with illustrations by Holly Hatam on your professional and personal bookshelves.  Girls will welcome a copy next to their beds so they can read pages before drifting off to sleep and dreaming of their best selves.  And guys need to read this so support can be offered to their fellow travelers in this life we live on this beautiful planet.

To learn more about Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Holly Hatam and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both Paris Rosenthal and Holly Hatam maintain Instagram accounts.  Here are two links to interviews and broadcasts on Today highlighting Paris Rosenthal carrying on the work of her mother, April 28, 2017 and January 9, 2018.  Please visit StoryCorps for more about Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal.  Holly Hatam is showcased at Writing and Illustrating.  I hope you enjoy the book trailer, extra video and excerpt shown below.

To Belong

There will be times during your life, hopefully not too often, when you feel completely out of place.  You are the proverbial square peg trying to fit in a round hole.  For whatever reason, those individuals around you, in this particular set of circumstances, are completely unlike you.

What can make this situation even more uncomfortable is when you want to be a part of the group but are excluded for your differences.  Neither (Little, Brown And Company, February 13, 2018) written and illustrated by Airlie Anderson is a tale of a newcomer.  As a novice the statements made by the current residents make no sense.

Once upon a time, there were two kinds:

this

and

that,

these

and

those,

one

or the other.

One day a green egg cracked and out popped a green being.  This individual, besides being mostly green among blue rabbits and golden, yellow-orange birds, was a combination of the two.  His body was like the birds' bodies except for rabbit ears and a white fluffy tail.  His legs were stripy too.  He did 

HONK!

He was told he couldn't be a blend of both.  He was told he was neither.  He was not enough of a rabbit to play with them.  He was not enough of a bird to play with them.  By shouting they bullied him into leaving.

He flew out of The Land of This and That until he was over a landscape of multiple colors made of many patterned shapes.  Talking with a purple kitten with butterfly wings and antennae he discovered he was in The Land of All.  There were blends of creatures of all colors!  

They wanted him to join with them in their play.  He couldn't believe it, asking them if they were sure.  To them their differences made everything better.  In a gentle, surprising twist those who dwell in The Land of All joyfully embraced two unexpected arrivals.


The first sentence with the triple comparisons sets the stage with excellence for the arrival of someone or something which does not conform.  Airlie Anderson has fashioned her narrative for the youngest of readers with a theme impacting all ages.  It's an introduction to and a reminder to strive toward being our best selves.  And it reinforces the value in being an individual.  Here is a passage.

Why don't you find Somewhere Else?
You're not one of us.
You're neither!
Neither!
Neither!
Neither!


The first time you share the front of the dust jacket with readers they will be smitten with the green creature happily running from the left to the right.  The hues of blues, greens and yellow invite the reader into the story.  To the left, on the back of the dust jacket, our green guy has arrived in another land with six friendly faces welcoming him.  (I am working with an F & G.)

On the opening endpapers a repeating pattern of squares and rectangles in blue and yellow cover the two pages.  An array of circles, swirls, intertwined hatches, loops, a heart and stars in greens, pink, yellow, and orange are spread across the closing endpapers.  On the verso and title pages Airlie Anderson zooms in on the blue and yellow pattern taking us into The Land of This and That.  Round trees in blue and yellow cone-shaped trees alternate and line the pathway. 

Rendered in gouache (opaque watercolor) on hot press watercolor paper Arlie Anderson continues with the theme of blue and yellow, adding more of this and that keeping the size of the landscape the same but increasing the volume of trees along the top edge.  For six pages this idea is reinforced until . . .

HONK!

Now the images don't extend page edge to page edge.  The pacing changes with two illustrations to a page or single-page pictures.  The corners are rounded.  As the green bird/rabbit takes flight readers are treated to a lush two-page spread with one landscape blending into the other.  Readers will take note that images extending edge to edge or those with rounded corners have significance even after the welcome to The Land of All.

The facial expressions and body postures of the rabbits, birds and mixtures of animals reflect the current mood in each situation.  Careful readers will notice tiny details and slight differences before they are presented in the story.  If they look closely they will see hearts tucked into the illustrations.  You can literally spend hours looking at the next to last two page picture.

One of my many favorite images spans two pages.  We are brought close to the characters in The Land of All.  From left to right six, including the green bird/rabbit, stand in a row as close as they can to each other. The reply to the green guy's observation is a single word, each letter a different color.  In the background are the hills, their varied colors and patterns suggestive of pure delight.  Behind a bush elements hinting at a plot shift are peeking at the others.


If you are looking for a title for all ages showing the strength of individuality and the acceptance of that individuality by others, Neither written and illustrated by Airlie Anderson is the perfect title.  Even in the sadness of the green bird/rabbit's rejection by this and that you know hope is carrying the narrative forward.  This book will be requested over and over again for one-on-one story times or as a group read aloud.  You will want to have a copy for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Airlie Anderson and her other work, please visit her website and Tumblr account by following the links attached to her name.  You can also connect with Airlie on Twitter and on Instagram.  The visuals supplied at these sites are as uplifting as this title.  

Diving Toward The Right Choice

When you've lived in a state like Michigan filled with lakes and rivers your entire life, learning to swim is a necessity.  For some swimming on the water is much easier than it is for others.  Those who struggle with this might find swimming under water more enjoyable.  It's an entirely different experience.

Using a mask, snorkel and fins you can explore between the surface and the depths.  If you make the choice to forego the snorkel, it's as if you are actually one of the many inhabitants of this world.  Your lungs will consistently remind you to seek the surface and breathe.  The Boy And The Whale (Roaring Brook Press, November 21, 2017) written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein is about a child of the sea faced with a difficult decision.

Every day, I loved to watch the sun rise out of the sea.  

No matter how many sunrises you've seen, no two are rarely alike. A boy greeting the sea and sun one morning is greatly surprised at what he sees.  A large something is drifting on the surface of the water.  His father quickly decides it's a whale.

Nearing the giant animal in their boat, both the boy and his father are distressed but for different reasons.  The whale is tangled in a net.  Papa wants to save their fishing net, a means for them to make a living and survive.  His son wants to save the whale, if it's alive.

As father and son dive into the water and swim around the whale, the boy recalls nearly drowning when he was caught in a net.  Their net is ruined.  Just when the boy can't hold his breath another second the whale blinks its eye open.

As they head back to shore, Papa has his mind on one thing, finding another net.  Once there he leaves his son, advising him to not attempt saving the nearly dead animal.  Remembering how he felt snared in the woven ropes, the boy makes the only choice he can.  He heads back out to the whale.

It's an enormous task for one small boy, a boy who has to breathe.  He works with his small knife, cutting and diving and cutting and diving.  How much time has passed?  Is time standing still?  Finally standing in his boat,  the silent sea stretches before the boy.  An immense being leaps from the water and plunges down again, over and over, pure bliss filling the boy, the sea, the air and the day.


Told in the first person by the boy, Mordicai Gerstein weaves together a simple but beautiful blend of thoughts and conversations.  The sincerity of the boy's musings, the word choices Gerstein makes, takes readers immediately into the story.  It begins with the first sentence.  Even though we can't watch the sun rise out of the sea, if the clouds are gone we see a sunrise regardless of where we are. We may never know a life like this boy's life but we are connected to his heart.  Here is a passage.

The whale's eye was as big as my head.
It seemed to see me.
And then it blinked!
And I had to . . .


When you open the dust jacket you are treated to an entire image extending from the left page edge to the right page edge. (I am working with an F & G.) The size of the whale compared to that of the boy and his boat is astounding.  In viewing this illustration you get a sincere sense of the extent of the whale's problem and the job facing the boy.

On the title page just a sliver of pink is tinting the horizon as smoky clouds frame the upper right and left of the scene.  Mountains spike up and down beneath the clouds on the left.  The sea spreads across the remainder of the page reflecting the retreating darkness.  Gentle waves wash upon the sandy shore and against the family's boat.

A page turn reveals the verso and first page and a spectacular sunrise on the sea.  The boy stands on the shore noticing the large thing in the water caught in a ray of the sun.  Mordicai Gerstein shifts his picture sizes, two together as if in a photograph album, single pages, double pages and two pictures on a single page.  He even has two vertical visuals inviting the turning of the book.

His paintings are loosely framed in wide strokes of yellow, green and a wash of sea blue colors.  Other pictures extend page edge to page edge.  Through the facial expressions of the characters and the placement of elements in his artwork, the emotions found in this story leave the page and envelope us.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a close-up of the boy, Abelardo, working with his knife to cut away the net.  He is right next to the whale whose single eye is losing all signs of life.  The look on Abelardo's face as he holds the net in one hand and the knife in the other hand is of grim determination.  It's as if he knows he has to repay the saving of his life with the saving of this whale's life.


A part of the original list at The Horn Book, Calling Caldecott, The Boy And The Whale written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein reminds us of the mastery of this author illustrator.  In this tale we are reminded of the fragility of life but also the value in taking care of each other.  The final conversation of Papa and Abelardo will resonate with readers long after the book is finished and it will prompt them to read it multiple times.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  I think it would pair nicely with Trapped! A Whale's Rescue by Robert Burleigh with illustrations by Wendell Minor.

To discover more about Mordicai Gerstein and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website you can view some of the stunning interior pages. In a November 4, 2016 chat with Roger Sutton at The Horn Book, Mordicai Gerstein talks about his current book release but you also gain insight into his entire process for each book and his life dedicated to making picture books.  I hope you enjoy this video below.  It uses this title frequently.

Sweet Secrets

As an adult losing a parent is crushing.  There is a fresh feeling of emptiness, a feeling of being lost.  For a child it must be overwhelming.  Whether their death is recent or so long ago it's hard to recall anything more than glimpses of cherished memories, there's the sense of not quite being whole.

There are times when this loss is brought sharply into focus.  Smart Cookie (Scholastic Press, January 30, 2018) written by Elly Swartz (Finding Perfect) presents the current quandary of a motherless, eleven-year-old girl.  It's been seven years since her mom was killed in a car accident on a wild, stormy night.  Now she needs a mom as soon as possible.

Headquarters, the Cookies, and the Storm

Sometimes to fix your family, you need to keep a few secrets.  Even when secret keeping is not a thing that happens naturally when you live at the Greene Family B&B.

Francine, affectionately called Frankie, is headed to the basement of the Greene Family B&B for a special Code Red-Hot Chili Peppers meeting with her best buddy, an avid ghost hunter and fan of ghost hunters, Elliot.  With the Winter Family Festival Parade on the horizon, this year due to an upcoming marriage of another student's dad, Frankie will be the only one without a mom.   With a bribe of sorts, a brand new Ghost-Hunter Super-Charged Laser, from Frankie, Elliot agrees to support her in her quest.  With hope in her heart Frankie clicks submit on the profile she wrote for her dad at Connection.com

There is an off-limits shed on Frankie's property housing all of Gram's stuff when she came to live with them and take Frankie's mom's spot.  Oddly enough, walking around it with the laser, the new gadget registers a ten.  Elliot is convinced there's a ghost there.  Is it Frankie's mom, Elliot's grandfather, the ghost of an unsolved local murder victim or has the missing community member met with an untimely demise?

Mystery, tension and humor escalate when some of the townsfolk start to whisper about ghosts at the Greene Family B&B, the Possible women start to show up at the B&B looking and acting nothing like their profiles, a local man, Reggie Hogan, says the B&B should never have been Frankie's family's place and Frankie gets matched with her used-to-be best friend, Jessica, for a Shakespeare project at school.  Elliot hatches a plan, a daring, we're-toast-if-we're caught plan, for possibly solving the ghost, missing community member and the threats of Reggie Hogan dilemmas.  Frankie is trying to work with Jessica but revelations and betrayal cause their efforts to be stop and go and then stop again.

Frankie's dad and her Gram are acting less than normal lately.  Her dad seems distracted and is spending more time away from the B&B even when guests keep cancelling.  Her grandmother has started wearing perfume and lipstick and more and more boxes, stuff, are arriving daily.  Gram's time at the senior center seems to be spent with one individual more than the others.

A rap, Valentine roses and a winning theme contribute to a shifting of secrets.  A mystery, decades in the making, still needs to be resolved.  A person's family can be made of more than relatives.  Your herd just may appear when you need it the most.


When finishing this book for the second time moments ago, tears filled my eyes.  The last two sentences written by Elly Swartz are like the

still melty-chips warm

phrase she uses to describe one of many batches of cookies made by either Frankie or her Gram for the guests at the Greene Family B&B.  Elly's depictions of the B&B, the ten rules of The Greene Family B&B Rules and why they have those rules, and the names of the rooms after games, The Yahtzee Room, Checkers and Chess Rooms, Monopoly, Connect 4, Rubik's Cube, and Candy Land, supply readers with a real portrait of the characters of Frankie, her dad and her grandmother.  This family is full of warmth and everyday life challenges.  (Gram stays in The Game of Life room and Frankie hangs out in the Scrabble room.)

We are introduced to those family rituals which strengthens this family's love for one another.  Every year on Frankie's mother's birthday they celebrate with a picnic in the cemetery.  Every year Frankie leaves a drawing for her mother under a special rock found by her dad.  In the character of Annie Devlin, Frankie's mother's best friend and Frankie's kindergarten teacher, we are acquainted with another beautiful practice meant to continue lost love and create new love.

We can see into Frankie's huge heart in her conversations with each family member, Elliot and in how she mends her friendship with Jessica.  Frankie frequently takes cookies and breakfast to Elliot when they meet or go to school.  Frankie tries to stitch together the growing gap between her dad and grandmother, even before she understands her grandmother's problem, by writing another rule for the B&B.

One of the most touching techniques Elly Swartz does to further bind readers to Frankie and her thoughts is when we read the letters Frankie writes to her mother in her journal.  They are never shared with anyone but Lucy, Frankie's puppy, and Winston, Frankie's hedgehog.  As readers it's an honor to know Frankie's soul.  Here are some passages.

Elliot nods.  I bite my right pinkie nail.  It's always the sacrificial one.  "It's for his own good.  I mean all he does is work and fix stuff."
"If you get caught, this would be way worse than Rufus."
Rufus was my pet snake.  I flushed him down the toilet.  I thought he'd like it, and I also thought he could swim.  Turns out he couldn't, but he could clog the toilets of an entire B&B.  For two days.

Dad laughs.  I love his laugh.  It fills the space between us.

Dad's still talking.  "She was also a great rock climber."  He pauses and stares at her headstone.  "I was terrible at it."  He laughs.  "I mean, so bad."
I let the moment hang.  He seems to be reminiscing more with her than me.  I look at his face and wonder how many people one person gets in a lifetime.  I mean, is there some sort of cap on heart space?

This is part of a letter Frankie is writing to her mom.

Except the lightning.  No idea how to fix that.  I was glad it stopped long enough for Dad, Gram and me to finish our salami sandwiches, but now it's back.  It looks like shards of glass piercing my room.  I wish it would stop.  Truth is, I wish I could stop being afraid of it.  Don't get why I'm scared of it.  I don't remember that night.  Not the rain or the lightning or the smell of the shampoo Dad says you always used.  You know, Dad still keeps a bottle of it in the shower.

"The Wi-Fi in Connect 4 isn't working.  Again."
"Try connecting it."  I laugh.
Dad laughs, too, then grabs his tool box and heads upstairs.
Gram gives me a suspicious glance.
"What?" I ask in my I'm-not-hiding-anything voice.
"You tell me, Smart Cookie," she says.  Gram first called me this after I accidentally dyed all the B&B sheets and towels purple.


This book, Smart Cookie written by Elly Swartz, is one to read not once but at least once more.  And I guarantee you will be marking places with sticky notes or underlying phrases with your favorite highlighter.  You will come back to this story and characters as often as you can.  I highly recommend this as a read aloud.  Make sure you have a copy on your professional and personal bookshelves.  At the conclusion Elly Swartz includes Macbeth-The Rap by Frankie and Jess and resources consulted on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related OC-spectrum disorders, including hoarding disorder.

To learn more about Elly Swartz and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Elly provides a curriculum guide and an activity for this title at her site.  Elly is interviewed at It's All About The Journey, Katie Reviews Books, Beth McMullen Books, and YAYOMG! about this title.  She makes a guest appearance at Elly Swartz & MG At Heart Book Club: Books Between, Episode 42 with Corrina Allen.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., Elly's cover for this title is revealed and she also writes an open letter to teachers and librarians.  Elly celebrated the release of Smart Cookie at the school where extraordinary teacher librarian Jennifer Reed champions all things reading and research in her library.  Read about it at Reederama.

Woof-tastic Facts And Features

No one can pinpoint the exact origin but its use can be traced back over two thousand years ago.  It is a lunar calendar based upon a cycle of twelve years.  Each of the twelve years is named for an animal.  One commonly held myth is there was a race.  The first twelve animals to finish became a part of this calendar forever.  The order of their completion of the competition makes for an interesting story.

The Chinese zodiac, this lunar calendar, is today an important part of the Chinese culture.  This year on February 16, 2018 the Chinese New Year celebrating the Year of the Dog begins.  For all my canine companions, past and present, this is an occasion for rejoicing. There is no better way to do so, than by reading the captivating Dogs: From Predator to Protector (Science Comics series) (First Second, an imprint of Roaring Brook Press, October 31, 2017) written and illustrated by Andy Hirsch.

In a few moments, you will meet a dog named Rudy, a scraggly, friendly little guy with four legs who loves balls and his human, who excels at meeting new dogs and people, and who, interestingly enough, dabbles in time travel.

Through Rudy's commentary we humans will come to develop a greater understanding of dogs' natures.  Rudy starts at the dog park, one of his most favorite places on the planet.  Surrounded by all kinds of breeds and mixes of breeds, he dives into a discourse on classification taxonomy acquainting us with the trickiness it can involve when it comes to dogs.  With pure pup persistence he presents comprehensive explanations of genetic inheritance (DNA, chromosomes, alleles) digging into Mendel's Law of Segregation, Law of Dominance, and the Law of Independent Assortment.

Next Rudy takes us into the realm of Charles Darwin's natural selection.  Evolution is described as being a trait most likely to cause a species to survive which is passed to the next generation and the next and the next.  It has to do with how dogs look and how they act.  Did you know there was a trait to be less frightened of humans or friendlier toward humans?  There was actually a scientist, Dmitry Belyaev, who quietly studied this trait attempting to speed up domestication by experimenting with silver foxes.  It worked!

Rudy sustains our fascination by delving into genetic diversity and the impact of environmental conditions.  He talks about dogs' eyes.  The length of their snout is a huge influence on perspective.  Have you ever wondered why dogs favor yellow tennis balls, Rudy tells you the truth.  Dogs' hearing and sense of taste are off the charts but they shine the brightest with their noses.  Did you know a dog can detect the odor of a fart in an airship hanger?

Dogs understand when we point.  They perceive moods and mirror them.  They learn to perform jobs like guardians of flocks or herds or sled dogs.  They are selectively bred for physical characteristics which leads into a discussion of purebred canines.  Not one to leave a topic without a thorough representation Rudy speaks about personality traits and genetic groups.  We are able to understand how nature and nurture go paw in paw.

As Rudy has been chasing through time to retrieve his yellow tennis ball, we soon find ourselves back in the present day.  Barking and tail wagging are a dog's way of talking to us, if we would only look and listen like their other pooch pals.  And in the event they can't pick up a scent, these intelligent beings can use landmarks.  Hey Rudy!  I see you've found your human again.  Fetch!


The amount of information Andy Hirsch imparts to readers through Rudy is astonishing.  There is a natural progression from one point to the next just like a dog who is searching for an end goal.  This is a brilliant approach by Andy Hirsch.  Rudy's narrative ranges from that of an engaging professor to a best friend who whispers best kept secrets.  Here are some passages.

Alleles can even be codominant, meaning both traits are expressed.  Your genes are a big, messy mix of all sorts of allelic interactions!

The process of evolution is often slow, sometimes weird, and undeniably awesome. 
It can turn toes into hooves . . .
pinholes into eyes . . .
and predators into playmates.

We dogs are extremely athletic.  Real jocks.  Maybe you don't think of us that way because---
KOFF! KOFF!
---we don't run the quickest quarter mile . . .
. . . but we've got stamina!
Once we start racking up . . .
. . . we can't be beat!  In fact, for anything over ten miles on land, dogs are maybe
the fastest animal in the world!

But dogs drool from their mouths, not their noses!  What good are smell molecules there?
. . . Wanna hear a secret?
Dogs have a second way to perceive smells:  the vomeronasal organ!
This rests on a small bone between the nose and the roof of the mouth, and li'l ducts help captured molecules find their way here.


Can you see the faint outline of DNA on the background of the opened front of the book case?  This hints of facts to be covered within the book.  It also supplies a placeholder for text.  Rudy jumping for his beloved tennis ball announces its importance as he travels through time.  All those happy pups ready to join in a game of fetch frame Rudy wonderfully.  To the left, on the back, a faint outline of an interior image of howling dogs on a rooftop during a full moon provides the canvas for material you might find on the flaps of a dust jacket.  Pure white covers the opening and closing endpapers.  A short biography of Andy Hirsch is seen beneath a happy-go-lucky-tail-wagging Rudy on the final page.

On the two page span for the title text a row of dogs look eagerly at the reader.  Rudy is among them, paw lifted and ready to speak.  When you think of the size and placement of the panels drawn by Andy Hirsch one word comes to mind, energy.  The perspective in each frame changes in keeping with the pacing of the text.

Hirsch may frame his images with fine black lines, have elements stray past the borders and place pictures overlapping other pictures.  Explanatory, colorful diagrams help to visualize Rudy's words.  Text is placed along framed images or appears in speech balloons.  You can't help but turn the pages as fast as possible to discover what Rudy will reveal next.  And you will find yourself smiling and laughing repeatedly.


Dogs: From Predator to Protector (Science Comics series) written and illustrated by Andy Hirsch is a stellar addition to an outstanding series.  Readers may read through this in one sitting or read portions of it at a time.  One thing is certain.  They will be reading it repeatedly.  They will also be sharing their newfound knowledge to any available listening ear . . . even if it's their canine companion who will probably understand every single word.  At the close of the book a glossary and further reading (books, journals, web) pages are included.  Rudy also has a few words to tell us about dog adoption and giving dogs loads of love.

To learn more about Andy Hirsch, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website you can view eight interior pages.  Andy Hirsch is interviewed at Live Science about this title.  Please enjoy the video of Andy Hirsch at Comics Alternative.




If you would like to make a display of books about dogs for the Chinese New Year this video explains the value of the Chinese zodiac.

Please take a few moments to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the selections this week by other participants in the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.