A circle is much more than a geometric shape. Symbolically, it has more than one interpretation. When we are seated in a circle, no one is more important than another. All are equal. A circle is said to represent eternity, having no beginning or no ending. It depicts wholeness.
It signifies perfection. For those who love the sweet fried circles known as doughnuts, this meaning rings true. Two book publications at the end of September focus on this delicious pastry. Donut Feed The Squirrels (A Norma And Belly Book)(RH Graphic, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, September 29, 2020) written and illustrated by Mika Song is a charming and comical, five chapter graphic novel about two best friends who develop an obsession for doughnuts.
Wake up.
I'm making
pancakes!
You are?
I am.
Yes!
Yesss!
The problem is Belly and Norma are so excited about their pancake breakfast, the pancakes burn to a crisp. Belly suggests chestnuts for their morning meal. This is their plan until Norma gets a whiff of
crispy, sugar, oil,
and a hint of
linden flowers.
Belly and Norma plus the entire squirrel population in their community smell it. It's a doughnut food truck. Now they all want doughnuts. Norma and Belly have another scheme.
It seems the cook and owner of the truck does not consider chestnuts a good form of payment. Norma and Belly end up soaking wet after being sprayed. They dry out so fluffy their mentor, Gramps, thinks they resemble dandelions. Gramps, Norma, Belly, and another youngster devise a strategy to get inside the truck and gather a bunch of doughnuts.
As with many ventures, things do not go smoothly. One hilarious incident, inside and outside the truck, after another are certain to have you laughing and cheering at the same time. Later, while a festive squirrel gathering is happening, the frustrated food truck baker makes a startling discovery. Surprises come in all shapes and sizes. Yum!
Told entirely in dialogue with some sound effects, author Mika Song prepares a textual feast for readers. The snappy conversations between Belly and Norma and the other characters are tinged with friendship, love of community, humor and valuable insights on life. Characters' traits are revealed through these exchanges. Here are two adjoining passages.
Yuck.
I hate being wet.
It's sunny---we'll dry
in no time.
See!
Mr. Spritzer
better hold on to
his donuts.
Let's just play
Frisbee and
forget about
the donuts.
I can smell
them, Belly.
Come on! I have a plan.
Have you ever seen more animated, happy-go-lucky looking squirrels than Norma and Belly on the front of the open book case? You know based on the title and the placement of a doughnut above them, escapades are in the offing. To the left, on the back, Norma and Belly are placed on the upper portion with words reading:
Norma and Belly
Would Really Really Really Really Like
A Dounut.
The bottom portion contains text you would usually find on a front flap of a dust jacket. On the back the colors are reversed, green on top and yellow on the bottom.
The same green is used for the opening and closing endpapers. Norma and Belly in lively positions are shown on both title pages. On the dedication page, the food truck is on its way to the park.
Rendered
with pencils, sumi brushes, sumi ink, and watercolor on watercolor paper
the illustrations in the various sizes of panels depict warmth, a form of casual coziness. Mika Song changes the perspectives to further engage readers in the intimate details of the story. There is a narrow black line framing the panels and the speech bubbles. Many of the panels are wordless and guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
Two of my many, many favorite illustrations are after Norma and Belly dry out from being spritzed and when Belly is inside the food truck. The first one is a half-page picture. It's when we first see the duo after they are dried. Their fur is so fluffy, their size is doubled. They are extra-poufy, everywhere. In the second image, a bit larger than a half page, Belly has started up one of the machines. The doughnuts are moving up on a belt. One moves off the top into the air. Belly is riding it and screaming
Wheee!
Readers will be reading Donut Feed The Squirrels (A Norma And Belly Book) written and illustrated by Mika Song repeatedly. They will be thrilled to know Apple Of My Pie is the second planned adventure with this twosome. You'll want to have several copies of this book in your professional collections and at least one in your personal collection.
To learn more about Mika Song and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website. Mika Song has accounts on Instagram and Twitter. At the publisher's website you can view multiple pages. Mika Song reads all five chapters aloud. Below you can view the first one where she presents it in
Kamishibai-style using her original watercolor pages.
More than seventeen years ago, readers met an irresistible character with appealing opinions. This effervescent personality is coated in chocolate and colorful candy sprinkles. His name is Arnie, and he is a doughnut. In HELLO ARNIE!: An Arnie The Doughnut Story (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt And Company, September 29, 2020) written and illustrated by Laurie Keller readers are treated to a bit of a mystery.
Hi, Plain!
Good
morning,
Glazed!
Hey,
Long John!
Arnie is moving through the bakery shouting greetings to all his pastry pals. And they reply in one loud chorus. Arnie is proud he knows everyone in the bakery until Cinnamon Twist points out he does not know everyone. He does not know the reader. YIKES!
Arnie is quick to point out that the reader (you) is the largest doughnut he has ever seen. In fact, he makes several references as to how big you are. His thinking then evolves to the type of doughnut you are.
He is eager to help you find your proper place on the doughnut trays. Through a series of comparisons, Arnie reaches an astonishing conclusion. (He does take a few moments to discuss the virtues of sprinkles and the lack of them on you, the reader.)
Arnie decides, rather reluctantly, you are not a doughnut. How is this possible? Well then, what are you? Is it possible you are a __________________!?
By using Arnie's voice as narrator, author Laurie Keller, places readers directly in his story. His genuine commentary, questions and answers strike the center of readers' hearts. You'll probably be laughing, too. His brief conversations with Cinnamon Twist and Long John and the choral responses of the entire bakery of doughnuts add extra sweetness to this tasty tale. Here is a passage.
What kind of
giant doughnut
ARE you anyway?
WHAT?!
You don't
know what
kind?
The tiny, printed pattern (mini doughnuts) spreads across the front, spine, and back of the open dust jacket. The hues of those small forms shift from teal to purple and to pink, almost like reflected sunlight. Arnie with his wide-eyed look, open mouth, and animated arms and legs is in his full glory. He makes an appearance on the back to talk about this book and to point out the four other books in which he stars. On both the front and the back of the dust jacket, Arnie is varnished, along with the thumbnails of the other titles, and the main title text on the front. This text is also raised.
The book case back is identical to the dust jacket. On the front we have moved closer to Arnie. His face fills the entire front of the book case, his grin lighting up our lives.
On a white background, the opening and closing endpapers are covered in red, yellow, blue, pink, and green sprinkles. On the verso, dedication, and title pages, illustrator Laurie Keller has created a double-page picture of a doughnut machine and a large dough bowl with a curved chute dropping doughnuts into hot oil. Can you spy a character from another of her popular books walking across the top of the title page?
Each illustration rendered
with markers, colored pencils, pen and ink, acrylic paint, collage, and digital drawing
is highly animated spanning either two pages, single pages, or two smaller visuals on a single page. The backgrounds shift through a series of pastel shades or feature the checkered colors of the bakery. Sometimes there are two different backgrounds on a single page like panels to separate moments. Laurie Keller's collage technique is fabulous.
One of my many, many favorite illustrations covers two-thirds of a page. Arnie is looking closer at the reader, at you. In his left hand he is carrying a clip board and blue pencil. This is how he is keeping track of observations. His left eye is closed in concentration. In his right hand he is holding a magnifying glass held up to his right eye. This eye, as seen through that glass, is HUGE! He is trying to see if you have filling coming out of your head.
Written and illustrated by Laurie Keller, HELLO ARNIE!: An Arnie The Doughnut Story shows us a character at his personal best. He tackles the mystery of who we are with his usual exuberance. When he reaches a conclusion, he embraces it with his truth. Arnie is a character to love. I know you will want to have a copy for your professional and personal collections. (And wouldn't it be great if there was an Arnie The Doughnut plush toy?)
To discover more about Laurie Keller and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website. Laurie Keller has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. At the publisher's website you can view interior images. Laurie Keller was recently featured at Only Picture Books and author Tara Lazar's Writing For Kids (While Raising Them). Enjoy the charming book trailer.
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