Seasonal Sensations

Books centering on pumpkins, jack-o'-lanterns, vampires, ghosts, witches, goblins, and things that go bump in the night can be read and enjoyed any month of the year but when the last stroke of midnight echoes on October first, something happens.  Readers' desire to enter and explore the season increases tenfold.  Whether it is fact or fiction, funny or frightening; they want it all.

By definition, vampires, alive or back from the dead, tend to be most active during darkness.  We never expect to see them during daylight hours.  This is why, before we have even opened the cover of Vampenguin (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, July 20, 2021) written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins, we are already smiling.

On Saturday, the Dracula family woke up extra early

so they could beat the weekend crowds to the zoo.

Once at the zoo, they were inside quickly, or were they?  As per their custom, they went to the Penguin House first.  They were not the only people enjoying this area.  Before long, they had viewed the several different species living there.  As they left, it was time for the penguins' breakfast.

(Unbeknown to the Dracula family, their tiny tot traveling in the stroller had switched places with one of the penguins.  This was never part of the written narrative but fully disclosed in the pictorial story.  Their ignorance is bliss for readers.)

As the family moved to the enclosures of the tiger, elephants, monkeys, and the lion, something strange was happening.  At the bear exhibit they were completely unaware of the bear's hand signals.  A nearby vendor had his snow cones entirely consumed to their puzzlement.  The parents and older son, Junior, were oblivious to the birds' curious chorus in the aviary and the sea lions' splashing at the demonstration.

In the Penguin House, as you might imagine, normalcy was gone.  Disrespectful visitors got a fright.  So intent on finishing their stroll through the zoo, the Dracula family failed to see nonverbal communications of the animals, even when they paused for a picture and a balloon.  It is safe to say this trip to the zoo was a memorable one for all.

Every sentence written by author Lucy Ruth Cummins is a study in contrast.  What is distinctively said and what we observe in the pictures supply us with comedy at nearly every page turn.  These carefully chosen words are also leading us to a conclusion certain to promote outbursts of laughter more than once.  Here is a passage and image explanation.

Back outside, the entire Dracula family was absolutely delighted

by the sea lion behavior demonstration.

The parents and Junior, seated on the stands, were not happy with being splashed.  Their hands were up, and their eyes were closed at the sudden watery episode.  The penguin in the stroller was thrilled.

The washed-teal background is used on both the front, right, and back, left, of the open dust jacket.  On the back a penguin is standing on the ISBN.  On the front, we see what the Dracula family does not.  A penguin in the stroller is making the SHH sign with its flipper wing.  This is an indication to readers this book has the unexpected ready to envelope us.

On the book case a darker teal spreads to either side of the wide black spine.  In the far lower, left corner on the back is the toddler sucking on his yellow teething ring.  In the far lower, right corner on the front is the penguin.  We are only shown their upper bodies.

On the opening and closing endpapers a pattern of black and white stripes, like the mother's shirt, creates a visually alluring effect.  On the title page illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins shows us the zoo entrance at dawn.  The clock there shows it is 6 am. 

On the heavier, matte-finished paper, these illustrations 

rendered in gouache and colored pencil, and finished with digital line

are full-page pictures, double-page visuals or smaller images grouped by two to a page.  The limited color palette adds to the comedic impressions.  We are supplied with varying perspectives; close to characters and fading in the distance, a birds-eye view, realistic overview of scenes, and close-ups.  The facial features and body postures extend the impact of each illustration.  The smallest of details elevate the humor such as the single penguin looking directly at readers after the toddler has contributed a new odor to the Penguin House. 

One of my many favorite pictures is a double-page image.  We are brought close to the Dracula family as they swiftly move through the aviary.  Here, on the left side and along the top half of the right side, a variety of birds among branches and vines are not at rest.  They are vocalizing the fact a penguin is riding in the stroller.  Father is pointing at some birds.  Mother has her head buried in a map.  And Junior is looking straight ahead.  The penguin shifts in the stroller to give the birds a soft SHH.  Here, as throughout the book, the colors of black, white, yellow, pale pink and teal (turquoise) expand the emotional and hilarious response in readers.

Although this title, Vampenguin written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins, is certain to be a huge hit during the autumn season, it is guaranteed it will be a much requested read aloud all year.  The text and images work together with perfection welcoming readers from beginning to end.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Lucy Ruth Cummins and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Lucy Ruth Cummins has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

Before October arrived this year, pumpkins were appearing at every grocery store, nursery, and farmer's market.  These squash are a symbol of the season.  They find their way into our food and drink, outdoor and indoor displays and decorations, and in our gardens, too.  There is something clearly satisfying about watching a pumpkin grow from blossom to something heavy we can hold in our hands.  How to Help a Pumpkin Grow (Beach Lane Books, July 20, 2021), one of the newest titles by author illustrator Ashley Wolff, joyously informs readers.

Dig it.

Spade it.

Seeds to sow.  

Sometimes when we plant early in the spring Mother Nature sends us a surprise snow.  We need to protect those seeds, so they will grow.  If we have hungry creatures near our gardens, we need to protect those seeds now forming tiny plants.  A good fence works.

Special care is given to those sprouting shoots.  Food, water, and weeding are on the agenda.  Crow helps.  Rabbit helps.  Duck is ready to lend a wing.

The vines are creeping and winding.  Let's wrap them around the sturdy posts.  The garden is flooded with green, yellow, and orange.  Goat wants to help, too.  The spring and summer seasons have shifted to harvest.

Pumpkins are gathered and taken to Dog's farmhouse.  Crow, Rabbit, Duck, and Goat are happy with their part in this success.  There is cooking and consuming of delectable delights.  And, yes, there is one more project.  Can you guess?

There is one word which comes to mind in reading the words here penned by Ashley Wolff.  That word is jubilation.  From beginning to end, her use of alliteration and rhyming is an open invitation to readers.  Two-word sentences fashion an introductory cadence.  The questions asked by Dog of Crow, Rabbit, Duck and Goat are a promising pause.  This whole narrative reads like a song.  Here are two passages.

Drench them.

Quench them.

Let it flow.

Watering up and down the row.

You want to help a pumpkin grow? (Dog bends down to Duck.)

The angle of the sun provides us with breathtaking views in the autumn.  At times, the light seems magical.  This is what we see first on the open and matching dust jacket and book case of this title.  There is a luminescence, a background glow in the front and back images.  This warmth, this golden sheen, is part of every picture throughout the book.  Cleverness in design is apparent in using the stacked pumpkins as placeholders for the title text.  Crow, the first animal, makes an appearance.  The tiny mouse, though never named, is present in all but one of the illustrations.  Readers will enjoy seeking out this tiny individual.

To the left of the spine, on the back, is a more panoramic view of Dog's farm.  Here Rabbit, Duck, and Goat are present.  Two are in the pumpkin patch, and one is under an apple tree.  Behind them is the farmhouse and silo with the barn.  We see the use of a darker blue with hints of purple as a complementary color.  Who wouldn't love to rock in the chair on the porch?  The ISBN is inside a pumpkin.

On the opening and closing endpapers colors mirror those of a pumpkin.  We are close to a pumpkin, blossoms, leaves, and vines on the title page.  Mouse is peeking from behind a leaf.

In this book, these illustrations were made using

acrylic gouache on Fabriano watercolor paper.

Each double-page picture is animated, filled with charming elements, and the rich hues of a pastoral setting.  We can see in the color choices how the days and seasons progress.  The animals, Dog, Crow, Rabbit, Duck, Goat and the mouse, are featured with facial expressions and body postures suggesting happiness and a willingness to help.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the words:

Twine them.

Vine them.

Watch them go,

filling up the garden---whoa!  

The exploding pumpkin patch is bursting with leaves, vines, blossoms, and pumpkins.  The fence is partially visible from left to right of this double-page picture.  On the left Dog stands, eyes closed, and arms outstretched in happiness.  Duck, with only its neck and head visible, looks at Dog.  Rabbit is holding a white pumpkin and watching Dog.  On the right, Crow is perched on the fence.  Goat's head is through the fence and chewing on a pumpkin vine.  The mouse is resting on the side of a pumpkin.  All their eyes are on Dog.  The sky is glowing.

Whether this book, How to Help a Pumpkin Grow written and illustrated by Ashley Wolff, is read silently or aloud, it is one to savor repeatedly.  For a thematic story time pair it with, to name a few, How Big Could Your Pumpkin Grow?, Stumpkin or Pick A Pumpkin.  Be sure to have a copy of this title on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Ashley Wolff and her other work, please access her website by following the link attached to her name.  She also has a blog.  Ashley Wolff has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  This title is featured at Jama Rattigan's Jama's Alphabet Soup.  You will love the interview and all the added images.