Reading Rhythms

We read.  We read for reasons varying from day to day from the time we first read until the last time we read.  We read to know and to grow.  We read to find ourselves and to find others.  We read for the laughter, the joy, and the hope. We read.

Whether you are a new reader or a reader having spent decades immersed in the written word, to celebrate this skill and the freedom to choose what we read is an honor.  Read! Read! Read! (WordSong, an imprint of Highlights, September 19, 2017) written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater with illustrations by Ryan O'Rourke is a collection of twenty-three poems.  Each one focuses on this life-changing ability.


Pretending

Tracing my fingers
under each letter
I used to pretend
I could read to myself.

I didn't know how
but I didn't care.
I'd go to the library
pull from the shelf---
a rainbow of rectangles. 

The first time you put words on a page together to make a sentence and the sentences together to form a thought or thoughts is something never forgotten.  You read whatever you can as soon as the day begins.  For many children, it's cereal boxes or favorite sections of the morning paper.

During class reading time there are as many different experiences in any one room as there are students present; story lines, characters and settings combining and contributing to those fictional or factual realities.  Wherever we go words appear on maps and road signs.  Have you ever taken the map from inside a National Geographic magazine as soon as it arrives?  Did you hang it on your bedroom wall?

There are readers who collect words, singularly descriptive words they've read.  Their lists of these words are like a poem, a poem about them.  The stories we read teach how to handle the bumpy roads we travel and the hollowness we feel at loss.  Books can give us companions we might otherwise never know or have.

Our reading, the words we consume, nourish us.  They become a part of us.  There are days when our hunger for these words stretch into the night.  A flashlight illuminates the page as the words illuminate our lives.  It's an enduring love.


With each poem Amy Ludwig VanDerwater gives us a probable stop on the journey of our reading lives.  Whatever particular point she highlights she reveals the delight shared by all who stop there.  Her descriptions are (will be) remarkably familiar.  Here is another part of one of the poems. (Mulan selected it.)

Book Dog

I cannot get a real dog
but I have one in this book.
She's fluffy and she's friendly.
She's right here--take a look.

I hug my dog each time I read.
She licks me without fail.
And when I turn the pages fast
wind whisks through her tail.


The blend of blue hues, golden yellow and warm orange over a bookish landscape spreads in a swirl over the spine from flap edge to flap edge.  The sun-kissed clouds form a pathway from a castle located on the left at the back.  The children are flying toward new worlds.  A lighter royal blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.

Rendered digitally in Adobe Photoshop Ryan O'Rourke  alternates between single and double page pictures.  Prior to the title pages a circle of colorful letters curve around the first poem changing into an array of open books as a little girl watches.  Beneath the title text a young boy sits on the tail of a benevolent dragon.   The books from the first poem tumble down from the top of the page next to the contents.

Books take flight with birds over a reading landscape, two boys gather at a breakfast table reading, city buildings spring from an opened map, a girl sits on a sofa as trees filled with hawks grow around her and are you ready to climb steps made of books leading to a tree house roofed with a book?  Each image designed by Ryan O'Rourke fills our vision with memories of our reading lives.  He shifts his perspective in keeping with the poems to enhance their meaning.

One of several of my favorite pictures spans two pages.  It's Sunday morning. Newspaper pages are spread over a hardwood floor.  On the left a glasses-wearing cat pauses to read with the front page draped over it like a blanket.  On the right a boy eats his breakfast and reads the comics on the floor.  A cereal bowl and a glass of orange juice are near him.


Readers will connect with most if not all of these twenty-three poems in Read! Read! Read! written by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater with illustrations by Ryan O'Rourke.  These collaborators have wonderfully conveyed what it means to read and be a reader.  Professional and personal collections will want to have a copy of this title.

To learn more about Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and Ryan O'Rourke, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  At Amy's site there is a section devoted to the art process Ryan uses for this book.   You can find more about Amy at The Poem Farm.  Amy is interviewed at Live Your Poem.  Both Amy Ludwig VanDerwater and Ryan O'Rourke maintain Twitter accounts.  Please take a few moments to enjoy the book trailer.

Lost And Found, It Goes Around

There will be times, more often than not, when in a given situation individuals will be expected to act in a specific manner.  Action may be taken as expected but sometimes the best choice, the right choice, is unforeseen.  It is surprising to all those involved.

Even in the world of animals there are cases of unlikely alliances, some lasting a lifetime.  Pup and Bear (Schwartz & Wade Books, October 3, 2017) written by Kate Banks with illustrations by Naoko Stoop is a tender story of maternal instincts determining choice.  In the harsh world of the Arctic it can be the difference between life and death.

WHOOSH!
When the great gray owl swooped down,
screeching whoo-whoo,
the Arctic wolves knew that the Big Freeze
was on its way.

Shelter was sought in order to survive the bitter cold, raging winds and snowy drifts.  With the passage of time, the beginning of a new season caused the ice to melt and break apart.  A wolf pup was adrift on a piece of ice, separated from the pack.

After sliding into the water, swimming and swimming, he reached land, exhausted.  Curled up in a ball, he slept.  He was awakened by a polar bear.  She was not the mother he wanted but the polar bear told him to have faith, taking him to her den.  Her promise of food and warmth assured him.

For them it was not all food gathering and snuggling in the den but play and discipline too.  The pup grew into an adult, no longer needing the polar bear.  Another winter came in the Arctic wilderness.  The wolf had his own pack now, no longer alone.  One bitter day this wolf discovered a polar bear cub, alone without a mother.

This was not the mother the polar bear cub wanted but the wolf told the baby to have faith.  Once again a promise of food and warmth was given.  A life for a life . . . was repaid.


As you read the words penned by Kate Banks you become deeply attached to the events unfolding in this story.  The severe climate in the Arctic vividly described and the loss of mothers for the wolf cub and polar bear cub are dangerous situations in which readers will feel an immediate compassion. Kate Banks repeats key phrases and dialogue creating a storytelling rhythm linking the two children and their adopted protectors together.  This is the beauty of this tale; the universe, Mother Nature, supplying a balance.  Here are several passages.

The pup was shy and frightened.
"Aren't you going to eat me?" he asked.
"Polar bears eat wolves."

"Not this one," said the polar bear, shaking her head.
"Climb on my back, and I will take you to my den."


When you look at the front, right, of the unfolded, matching dust jacket and book case, the gentleness of the polar bear female wrapping her body protectively about the wolf cub envelopes you.  The simplicity of this scene is intrinsically powerful. The sky and wintry landscape continues over the spine to the back on the left.  These words are in the sky:

"I am not your mother," said the polar bear,
"but I can cuddle you and keep you safe."

The scene spans to the edges of both flaps.

On the opening endpapers heads lifted and howling to the snowy sky is a pack of five Arctic wolves.  The predominant color is green.  A family of polar bears on a blue and snowy background strides into the snow on the closing endpapers.  The verso and title pages are a soft black.  Blue and white evergreen trees span from side to side.  The text is in white.  This is a stunning presentation.

Naoko Stoop rendered these breathtaking visuals using acrylic paint, ink, pencils, and pastels on plywood, and digitally finished them.  Each page turn reveals a double-page picture, a grouping of smaller illustrations or single-page images.  They enhance the poetic pacing.  Emotions are conveyed in the perspectives employed.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  A large frame of white with a blue wash fashions a loose oval border around a small picture.  A blue-green sky blends into a tan and white ground.  Upon this walks the great mother polar bear leaning down to the small gray wolf cub.  It is the ultimate visual of maternal affection.


Author Kate Banks and illustrator Naoko Stoop have given children's literature a luminous look at how creatures protect one another when given the opportunity in the right conditions.  Pup and Bear is memorable and moving.  I highly recommend this title for all collections, professional and personal.

To learn more about Kate Banks and Naoko Stoop and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  They both maintain blogs in addition to their websites.  Their Twitter accounts are here and here.  To view interior pages in this title visit the publisher's website.

Crafty And Cruel Creatures

If you were to ask a group of elementary or middle school (maybe even high school) students which nonfiction area has interested them the most in their reading lives; books about animals, wild and domestic, living and extinct, would probably be at the top of their lists.  Granted the particular creature (or creatures) which captivates them at any given time might be different, but books about animals are a constant favorite.  You've never seen excitement quite like the excitement of a student who has recently discovered some new fact about a specific animal.

In the autumn of 2017 renowned author illustrator Steve Jenkins released the first two books in a new series, Extreme Animals, for early readers.  Deadliest!: 20 Dangerous Animals (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 10, 2017) focuses on those animals who prey and protect using the most dangerous means. Usually the recipients of their actions are other animals but humans are not entirely safe.

Danger!
For millions of years, animals have been killing and eating other animals.

The bull shark, growing as large at eleven and one half feet, lives in shallow salt and fresh water.  They are not picky eaters.  Never make the mistake of assuming a large animal like the hippopotamus is slow.  They can move as fast as a horse.  The king cobra, the largest venomous snake in the world, does not seek out humans but nevertheless is responsible for

hundreds---perhaps thousands---of human deaths every year.

If you happen to be hiking in southern Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay or Uruguay be careful not to lean against any trees.  The giant silk moth caterpillar, which is about 2 inches long, has spines on its body which inject venom.  Fatalities can happen.  Can you imagine a bird big enough and strong enough to deliver a lethal kick? It makes its home in Australia and New Guinea.  The most surprising of the deadliest animals are among the most plentiful and one of them is beloved.


Trickiest!: 19 Sneaky Animals (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 10, 2017) presents those critters who survive by their wits.  It can be a deliberate cry, camouflage, physical traits or unique actions.  They do whatever is necessary to live another day.

Survival can be tricky.
For most animals, finding food and avoiding danger is a full-time job.

In Central and southern Africa a bird, the fork-tailed drongo, sounds the alarm if predators are near.  Other animals flee but sometimes this bird does it when no danger is close in order to eat food left by the fleeing animals.  An alligator snapping turtle uses its tongue to imitate a worm, thus enticing fish.  Its jaws can bite off a human finger.  Did you know there is a bug called the wasp beetle which looks just like a wasp?  Predators quickly loose their appetite.

A leafy sea dragon is no mythical creature but a type of fish with the appearance of seaweed.  On the island of Madagascar there is a lizard with a tail which mimics old leaves.  What if you had wings which helped you blend into tree bark but if frightened you could open them up, revealing eyes on those very wings.  These large eyes turn this Io moth from prey into possible predator.

In both of these books there is a contents at the front of the book.  For each featured creature in addition to the main paragraph there is at least one extra bit of information.  A world map indicates its geographic location along with statements of the place and what it eats.  A scale supplies its size in comparison to an average human or a human hand.

In the Deadliest! at the close of the book is a list of the animals, the number of human deaths per year and more facts.  A two-page diagram at the end of the Trickiest! displays all the animals in groups by the tricks they employ.  Both books have a glossary and a bibliography of sources.


In each of these books the opened dust jacket and book case are identical, showcasing four of the included animals on the front, right.  To the left, on the back, a single animal is featured and readers are given a peek at a single creature presentation page in miniature.  We are also told about two other titles, Stinkiest! and Speediest!, to be released in the spring 2018.

With each page turn Steve Jenkins in his signature torn-and cut-paper collage creates animals lifelike enough to fly, jump, crawl, slither, or swim off the page. For each animal he chooses to give them two pages or a single page.  His design and layout are impeccable, employing balance with the use of circles for close-ups of details or as placeholders for text.


The Deadliest!: 20 Dangerous Animals and the Trickiest!: 19 Sneaky Animals written and illustrated by Steve Jenkins are outstanding early readers.  This author illustrator has a knack for picking those animals with the most engaging information.  Readers will read these over and over until every single word is memorized.  I highly recommend them for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Steve Jenkins and his other memorable titles, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  He has information on how he makes his books.  If you go to these specific titles, there are interior illustrations for you two view for each one.


I invite you to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to read about the titles selected this week by those participating in the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Dino Dilemma

Between more than 230 million and sixty-five million years ago dinosaurs roamed this planet. (It's fairly difficult to wrap your thinking around a time frame in the millions of years.)  For them it was survival of the strongest and cleverest until a significant event caused them to become extinct.  Today many scientists believe they still live on in birds.

The fascination dinosaurs hold for student readers (and many adults) has never lessened.  Their size, power and capabilities continue to captivate.  To have a dinosaur as a pet or personal friend is the ultimate wish of many.  Don't Forget DEXTER! (Two Lions, January 1, 2018) written and illustrated by Lindsay Ward is about a dinosaur, a toy dinosaur, whose human, his best friend, has vanished.

Hello?

Is anyone there?

Dexter T. Rexter, Dexter, has recently noticed Jack, his best buddy, is missing.  They were together at the doctor's office waiting for a checkup.  Dexter has been alone for a long time.  

He asks us if we have seen Jack, even drawing a picture in his likeness with crayons.  When we don't recognize him (he's a stick figure), Dexter has a mini-meltdown.  The fish in the office aquarium and the receptionist have no answer for Dexter.

Dexter needs to take a new tactic so he sings their song.  When Jack doesn't appear in response to the music, he sings. . . er. . . shouts it again.  This dinosaur is starting to panic.  Then a horrible thought pops into his head.  He quickly dismisses it due to his outstanding physical qualities which he enumerates.  Like the worm worry is, another equally horrible thought zaps his mind.  Comparing himself to others is definitely not working until a voice calms him.  

Determined to find Jack, Dexter attempts a daring escape.  His failure and where he falls has him lamenting all the things he won't be able to do with Jack.  A scream echos in the room.  Remembered. 

To relate Dexter's predicament to us in his own voice allows author Lindsay Ward to add vital emotion to the story.  His dialogue is lively, genuine and exactly as one would think when left alone. Humor is supplied in the form of Dexter responding to implied replies from readers.  Here is a passage.

How can you NOT remember him?!

He was just here!

I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to shout.

Please don't go!

Who can resist the orange dinosaur on the pale blue background looking at them on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case?  We already know from the added speech balloons, Dexter will be speaking to us and making us part of his story.  On the other side of the yellow spine, Dexter is standing on a darker blue rug on the blue floor.  He is looking up and saying:

Hello?

Is anyone up

there?

The same orange used to color Dexter covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Similar lines are spoken by Dexter on the title page.  The verso and first pages are a two-page picture of the doctor's office with tiny Dexter wondering why he is minus his best friend, Jack.

Rendered in printmaking ink, colored pencil, and cut paper the images span two pages, single pages or a series of pictures to portray and enhance pacing.  The backgrounds vary between shades of blue, pale yellow, orange and cream.  Interest is peaked in the shift in perspective, placement of text, pointing arrows and descriptive speech balloons.  Dexter's eyebrows, eyes and mouth leave no doubt as to his current state of mind.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the one for the above cited text.  Dexter is standing on the blue rug on the blue floor right next to the low table with crayons and paper on top.  The point of view brings us close to him.  He is holding up the drawing of Jack.  Jack has lots of curly hair and he is drawn in red crayon; the same color as Dexter's spikes.  An arrow from the words

MY FRIEND

points to Jack.  All we see of Dexter is his hands holding the picture, the top portion of his head and his eyes.  You can tell his claws are made from children's writing paper which is a very welcoming illustrative touch.

No dinosaur story time will be complete without Don't Forget DEXTER! written and illustrated by Lindsay Ward.  Children will easily connect with the feeling of being alone or will recall those times when they have forgotten friends.  Get ready to read it with emotion and humor in your voice and expect requests for it to be read again.  You'll enjoy reading the closing flap where Lindsay discloses the inspiration for this book.

To learn more about Lindsay Ward and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  There is a short interview with Lindsay at The Children's Book Review.  Lindsay is the founder of Critter Lit, a place where you can get free one-time critiques.

In The Middle

Family dynamics are constantly shifting to accommodate the ebb and flow of the personalities of individual members.  No two family dynamics are the same.  With that being said, sometimes the middle child in more than one family struggles to be noticed.  It seems the majority of favorable attention is given to the oldest and youngest siblings.

Most children would rather not be invisible.  A little bit of love can make all the difference.  Bub (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, January 16, 2018) written and illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton is about a little monster in the middle of an older sister and a new baby.

This is Bub.

His real name is Bob.

Unfortunately for Bob when writing his name on the first day of school, he didn't close up the o.  (It's surprising how a tiny error like that can have a lasting effect.)  Bub's family consists of Maw, Paw, his sister Bernice and The Baby.

In case you're wondering why the baby is called The Baby, it's because Maw and Paw still have not selected a name.  They shout and argue about names too much.  This loudness makes Bub cranky.  He knows they can be quiet because when Bernice is practicing her violin, they shush him.

The Baby demands constant consideration.  It is freely given by Maw and Paw regardless of Bub's presence.  One day, one day when Bub is already cranky, Bernice and The Baby say the wrong things to Bub.  This little middle monster makes a decision. 

A necessary change goes unnoticed for nearly an entire day.  When attention is finally given in the form of a written message, a reply arcs and loops through the air.  Love finds a way.


Straightforward and succinct sentences written by Elizabeth Rose Stanton appeal to readers of all ages.  The descriptions of the baby-naming campaign, the praise given to Bernice and affection showered on The Baby strike a collective chord in siblings' hearts.  When Elizabeth Rose Stanton introduces little bits of dialogue, we are endeared further to Bub.  Here is a passage.

And when Maw and Paw could
not agree, they could be extra LOUD.
GERTRUDE!
GISELLE!
GABRIELLA!
GLADYS!
This made Bub feel grumpy.

How about Bea?  (Bub)


One of the first things you notice when unfolding the dust jacket is the soft white canvas.  Elizabeth Rose Stanton uses white space masterfully here and all through the title.  It is an essential element on every page allowing her fine lines, delicate colors and pops of red to radiate a certain charm.  The significance of Bub holding the purple crayon will become apparent.  The same hue used in the title text covers the spine.  When our eyes move to the back, the left, Bub's family including the cat, greets readers with smiles and open arms.  (I am working with an F & G.)

On the opening and closing endpapers two colors appear; first pale green and then white.  They are reversed at the conclusion.  On the opening endpapers a small folded paper airplane is at rest in the lower right-hand corner.  An A+ mathematics paper for Bob is placed in the center of the left-hand side of the closing endpapers.  Bub stands amid crayons, papers, a pencil and his whistle beneath the text on the title page.

Rendered in pencil and watercolor the illustrations vary from single page pictures to two page images.  The attire of the characters and their facial expressions are comical and winsome.  That single tooth peeking out from each smile is grin-worthy.  What readers need to notice are the six portraits hanging on the wall in the living room.  From left to right are a space alien, Frankenstein, Henny and Peddles from Elizabeth's first two books, a monster family member and a one-eyed purple guy (The Purple People Eater?).  Their expressions change as the climate in the family changes.  You'll laugh out loud when the parents are shouting.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  Paw is standing behind Maw.  Maw is holding The Baby.  Bernice is blowing Bub's whistle.  Her violin and its bow are on the floor next to her.  Bernice is blowing on the whistle so hard, the ribbons on her dress are falling off the fabric.  Hearts are coming out from the whistle.  The others are shouting BUB!!


This book, Bub written and illustrated by Elizabeth Rose Stanton, is for every child who feels invisible in their family.  It is also for those who have never felt lost as a family member.  It reminds them of the importance of each individual.  We need to be aware of each other exercising empathy.  This book will resonate with all of your readers.  I believe it will generate the best kind of discussions.

To learn more about Elizabeth Rose Stanton and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Elizabeth has a blog here.  You can find her on Instagram and Twitter.  To view interior illustrations please visit the publisher's website.  Elizabeth is interviewed about her work at Dani Duck Artist Obscure.

Two Letters, A Single Word, A Single Note

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

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

La

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

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

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

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


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


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

What if you were
able to connect with someone?

What if you were
able to sing?

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

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

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

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


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

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

Attired In Truth

The splendor of storytelling is one story always leads to another story.  Some part of a tale may trigger a past experience in the mind of the reader or listener.  Another item may light the spark of an entirely new variation on the same narrative.  Each of us are filled with stories, a reflection of our daily circumstances and the customs and cultures in which we live.

Elements from and references to fairy tales, a rock solid foundation, are found throughout other forms of literature.  The Chinese Emperor's New Clothes (Abrams Books for Young Readers, December 26, 2017) written by Ying Chang Compestine with illustrations by David Roberts offers a captivating new look at Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, The Emperor's New Clothes.  Ingenuity can come at any age.

By now, you have probably heard the old folktale about the emperor's new clothes.  Two sly tailors fool a vain emperor into believing he is wearing magical clothes, when in fact he is parading through town buck naked.  The truth is that the story took place here in China, and without any tricky tailors.

A little boy named Ming Da became emperor at the young age of nine.  His much older ministers, believing him to lack experience, took beautiful silk, rice, gold and gems from the emperor.  The boy, in fact, needed the silk to make clothes for those who had none, rice to feed the hungry and the value of the gold and gems to manage his kingdom.  He wanted to stop this but couldn't think of a way to do so without harming his kingdom and its people.

A New Year's Day tradition of wearing new clothes to ward off evil spirits gave the boy emperor an idea.  He asked his two tailors if they would assist him in defeating his corrupt counselors.  Together the trio devised a remarkable plan.

When Ming Da asked his ministers to view his new clothes he prefaced it with a single statement.  Dishonest people and honest people would see the garbs differently.  One would see resplendent fabric decorated with exquisite handiwork and gems.  Others would see burlap.

Can you imagine the moment when the boy stepped out in the open dressed in a rice sack adored with ink and juice drawings?  The ministers had to say yes when the boy asked if they wanted identical attire as beautiful as his was.  News of the making of magical clothing spread quickly throughout the kingdom.

As the ministers checked on the progress of their apparel, they kept asking about the lack of quality.  The tailors' replies lead each one of them to try to outdress the other.  This was a crucial part of the strategy of the emperor and his tailors.  Their understanding of the ministers' character lead to an outcome best for the members of the kingdom.  Children (and their tailors) have the hearts of heroes.


To this reader Ying Chang Compestine reveals her gift of recognizing what her readers want and need as well as respecting them regardless of their age.  Her narrative introduces us to the characters and brings us into the place and time but the addition of dialogue heightens the humor and growing tension.  Through the selection of word choices the true nature of the ministers, the emperor and his loyal tailors is apparent.  Here is a passage.

When Ming Da stepped out, the ministers stared at the boy emperor, mouths agape.

"Most excellent, don't you think?" Ming Da spread his arms wide.  "Feel the sleeves!"  He shook his arms.

The Trade Minister broke into a cold sweat.  He stroked the rough sack.  "Um, it's softer than the finest silk!"


You'll be hard pressed not to softly utter an "Oh, my goodness" when looking at the opened dust jacket.  One of the first things you will notice here (and throughout the title) is the attention given to detail in keeping with Chinese cultural history.  The dragon's head and partial body peering through the window with Ming Da is a well-known figure in New Year's Day parades.  If you unfold the flap on the right the entire scene continues with the body becoming longer.  From the left flap edge the body weaves across the bottom of the page with the pale sage green crossing the spine and connecting to the front.  Above the dragon's body on the back, to the left, is the structure of the room in which the window is placed.  The same hues of red, yellow and green seen here are used within the body of the book also.

On the book case the interior wordless two-page picture of the New Year's Day parade is shown.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in two shades of the rose red.  They are patterned in dragon scales.  On the title page the emperor's palace spans from page edge to page edge.

Rendered in watercolors, pen, and ink on Arches paper and others in pencil and graph paper these illustrations by David Roberts are playful, gentle and exquisite.  The blend of fine and bold lines provides a superb contrast.  David Roberts is a master of perspective.  You are drawn into his images such as the small child on the large throne, the boy emperor looking out his high window at the children begging in the street or the tailors speaking with the Agriculture Minister during one of his visits to see his new clothing.  In this scene the elaborate architecture supplies a wide frame around the three figures.  It is reflected in nearby water.

The clothing worn by all the characters is appropriate and in keeping with their economic status.  You will find yourself smiling more than once at the expressions on the characters' faces.  And careful readers will be looking at every picture for the tiny white mouse and cricket. 

One of my favorite of many illustrations is on a single page.  Ming Da is secretly listening to his tailors speak with the Trade Minister.  Ming Da is in the foreground.  An ornate panel separates him from the three others.  Light from the other side of the panel casts a shadow in front of Ming Da.  As the young tailor holds up the minister's clothing and speaks, it is clear the minister is angry.  Ming Da has a knowing and hopeful expression on his face.

This title, The Chinese Emperor's New Clothes written by Ying Chang Compestine with illustrations by David Roberts, is a welcome volume in the realm of fairy tales.  Readers will find themselves drawn to the cleverness of the boy emperor and his tailors (especially with what they draw on the clothing).  At the close of the book Ying Chang Compestine in an author's note explains her childhood and the origin of this story.  It is followed by an idea for making Your Own Chinese New Year Parade Robe.  I highly recommend this book for all your collections.

To learn more about Ying Chang Compestine and David Roberts and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names.  David Roberts was a guest at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.   Ying Chang Compestine maintains an account on Twitter.