We have a Gale Warning in effect until ten o'clock this evening, January 27, 2023. The winds have turned the snow in our yards into sculpted frosting, full of waves and peaks. The wind chill was thankfully above the teens for a bit, but it is now bitter cold. Not one flake of the promised snow has fallen. (It just started!) Nevertheless, Mulan and I are together in front of the fireplace; she is behind me on the sofa, nestled between the cushions. The air is filled with the comforting aroma of vegetarian stuffed peppers baking in the oven.
A stack of twelve books is next to my computer. Each one will receive one little word. There might be more than one title for a given word. I will link to the author and illustrator websites or one of their active social media accounts. A link will be attached to the name of the publisher. If they have additional resources on their site for the book, it will be noted.
The first few sentences in the book, a short blurb of my own, and comments about the words and artwork will be provided. If there are other resources I believe to be helpful, like articles or videos, I will include them. In writing these posts, it has been a pleasure to read these titles again. I am thankful for the meticulous care given by the creators, the authors and illustrators, and those who supported their efforts. When I view the realm of children's literature since I became an educator in the early 1970s, the changes are wonderful for all readers.
I hope you enjoy this third installment.
EMPATHY
The Notebook Keeper: A Story Of Kindness From The Border (Random House Studio, June 28, 2022) written by Stephen Briseno with illustrations by Magdalena Mora
At the publisher's website, you can view interior images including the softly-textured, colored and patterned opening and closing endpapers. There is also an audio sample for you to hear. There is a podcast called Picture Book Look in which a conversation takes place between the author, illustrator, and Anne Kelley. In The San Diego Union-Tribune, there is an article discussing this book, and its origin with input from the author. At the ADL (Anti-Defamation League), there is an Educator Guide and a Parent/Family Discussion Guide to download. At the close of the book is an author's note and selected sources.
Mama tells me we have a long way to walk.
Before, sunshine drenched the yard. Our
neighbors' laughter danced in the streets.
Now, Papa is gone. The streets are unsafe.
We are leaving, too.
This is a story of a mother and daughter leaving their home and traveling with a long line of others to reach the San Ysidro border in Mexico. Their arrival is not treated with compassion. They are told to search for the notebook keeper.
The notebook keeper, Belinda, finds them. Their names and from where they have come are written in the notebook. They are given a number, 653. They and the others with that number have to wait until it is called. They wait for week after week, living and eating unlike anything previously experienced.
When Belinda's number is called, she will pass the responsibility of keeping the notebook to another. She is searching for someone with a generous and understanding soul. Will it be Noemi and her mother?
Debut author Stephen Briseno writes this from the little girl's perspective. Some Spanish words are included in the narrative to supply readers with authenticity. The sadness, the worry, and the waiting are not diminished, but hope rises to the top with his words.
Illustrator Magdalena Mora
using colored pencil, pastel, gouache, and Photoshop collage
portrays people and settings brimming with emotion and tradition and truth. When we are told by the child what she can bring with her, a single page is devoted to those items. As others join Noemi and her mother, one page is joined to the next in a loop of shifting perspectives and color. She takes us close to Noemi with a double-page picture when the notebook keeper appears. The dust jacket and book case differ.
SANCTUARY
Everything in Its Place: A Story of Books and Belonging (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, July 19, 2022) written by Pauline David-Sax with illustrations by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow
At the publisher's website, you can view interior illustrations including a collage of library cards and bookshelves on the opening and closing endpapers. There is an audio excerpt. At the author's website, you can sign up to receive an educator guide. She also has a page dedicated to the story behind the story.
The bell rings and I push open the library door.
The book-return bin is full.
Got your work cut out for you, Nicky, Ms. Gillam says.
Nicky feels like the library is a place where she is needed, a place with purpose for her. She looks out the window, seeing her classmates at lunch recess in their usual groups. There is no group where Nicky feels she has a place.
Shelving books is soothing to her. Each book has a space on the shelves. As she works, Ms. Gillam tells her she is leaving for a whole week to go to a conference. A whole week of recess!?
Later at her mother's cafe, she feels comfortable with each patron, especially Maggie, who lends her good books. Maggie rides a motorcycle and her favorite saying is tucked away in Nicky's mind.
That weekend, Maggie arrives with other women motorcyclists. From this, Nicky realizes individuals can belong in the same space, sharing a common interest. Recess on Monday is not as bad as she imagined.
For those readers who are shy, wondering if there is a place for them, author Pauline David-Sax writes with clarity and understanding. We come to understand exactly how Nicky feels, our hearts wanting to hold her close. This gentle story of differences and similarities will resonate with a lot of readers.
The artwork of Charnelle Pinkney Barlow for this title is a cheerful, soothing blend of what appears to be mixed media. Her design and layout of collaged pieces is outstanding. She places two different perspectives in a single double-page picture, allowing us to be two places at once. Her depiction of the women motorcyclists inside the cafe is fantastic!
A Library (Versify, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 27, 2022) written by Nikki Giovanni with illustrations by Erin K. Robinson
At the publisher's website, you can read a sample and listen to a sample. This allows you to see the title page and first page. This book is highlighted at WCMU Public Radio, Central Michigan University. Author Nikki Giovanni is in conversation at the Library of Congress about her work and this book. At the close of the book is an author's note. Nikki Giovanni talks about the library she visited in the summers and the special librarian there, Mrs. Long.
After breakfast on Monday,
Grandmother washes
the sheets and pillowcases.
I wash
the dishes.
I help her hang
the sheets outside
and watch the wind gently
blow them.
When her grandmother rests from their morning work, the girl rushes to the Carnegie Library. Once there she describes all the meanings of a library to her. Here she can be anything, do anything and be and do it freely and safely.
With each page turn, three, four and five word phrases take readers on a personal journey into this girl's explorations in this library. It is in the library where dreams can become reality. Here reality is the best it can be.
Back home, the laundry is taken from the line and put away. Dinner is started. And the girl snuggles in a quilt, reading and feeling free to be.
The pacing of Nikki Giovanni's poetic words is perfection. She meticulously writes this tribute to all this library was for this girl and all it can be for everyone else. This is a book for librarians and their patrons to treasure and a reminder for us to protect and preserve what libraries offer.
Illustrator Erin K. Robinson
used Procreate to create the illustrations
spanning one and two pages. They are smooth, soft, and textured. The child is highly animated as she tells us what a library is for her. The depictions of her thoughts and dreams are lovely, truly lovely.
TALENT
A Little Ferry Tale (A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book, Atheneum Books For Young Readers, August 2, 2022) written and illustrated by Chad Otis
At the publisher's website, you can view interior images and the open dust jacket. There are activity sheets to download. At the author illustrator website you can view other interior illustrations plus his other work.
Once, not so long ago
in a place with more water than land . . .
. . . there was a little ferry
who took people to visit a little island.
His passengers loved to watch Tugboat, Speedboat, and Sailboat perform their marvels. She wished to be all the things they were, but she was not courageous, fast, or able to glide on the water. She did know what her best traits were but they did not bring on cheers, until one day she had a thought.
She would be exactly as they were. It did not go well because Little Ferry was not a tugboat, or a speedboat or a sailboat. Sadly, she turned around to return to the dock when suddenly Tugboat tooted. There is trouble on the island. Smoke!
Tugboat, Speedboat, and Sailboat tried to help the animals but they frightened them. Little Ferry used all her best qualities until she was overloaded with animals. Would she sink? She heard a small voice. Those spoken words went straight to her heart.
Using the storytelling three technique, Chad Otis explains why Little Ferry wishes to be like the other boats. He used it again to explain her best qualities and when she tried to replicate the other boats' actions. This establishes a connection between the reader and the story. We can identify with Little Ferry, but also recognize our gifts have their purpose, too.
Digitally rendered, the illustrations by Chad Otis pair excellently with the text. They are stylized and explicit in their features. There is a simplicity and rhythm to them, just as there is in the story. On the opening endpapers, various boats in action are displayed. The closing endpapers feature all the island animals Little Ferry was able to save. The wide eyes of Little Ferry in several of the images are fabulous as is the perspective in which they are portrayed.
UNCONDITIONAL
Forever Home (Scholastic Press, August 16, 2022) written and illustrated by Henry Cole
At Scholastic Canada, you can view an interior image. In an author's note at the end of the book, Henry Cole explains the story behind this story. He also discusses dog adoptions and giving pets a forever home.
This book is entirely wordless, a tender and truthful wordless wonder. It begins on the opening endpapers with a small dog sitting on the porch of a home with a for sale sign out front. In the pages prior to the title page, we see his abandonment. He ends up living inside a cardboard box in the city.
In this same city, a boy longs for a dog. He lives for having his own dog. Carrying around a red leash, he implores his fathers to get him a dog, any breed will do. How can a boy with such a messy room care for a dog? He decides to pretend he has a dog, dragging the leash behind him.
Everywhere he goes, the dog (invisible) goes with him . . . in all kinds of weather. One day, the boy sees the dog living in the cardboard box. They are meant to be together, but what will his dads think?
Doing everything to demonstrate how responsible he can be, they agree to let him adopt the dog in the box. When they get to the site, the dog is gone. A trip to the shelter ends in jubilation. The closing six pages and the closing endpapers will find, as will this story, a permanent place in your hearts.
The artwork for this book was rendered
with Micron ink pens on Canson paper.
In a word, it is astonishing. These beautiful images ask you to pause, enjoying every exquisite line and the masterful use of light and shadow. We feel every moment, the dejection of the dog, the desire of the boy for a dog and the path the boy takes to find his forever companion. You will love the names Henry Cole gives the stores. You will laugh at the boy's chaotic room, but you will also see how much he loves dogs, really loves dogs. This book is timeless. It will be much requested to be shared often.
WONDER
Pip and Zip (Roaring Brook Press, August 23, 2022) written by Elana K. Arnold with illustrations by Doug Salati
At the publisher's website, you can view interior images. This book is featured on Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. At the close of the book, the author tells the story behind the story, based upon an adventure her family had. She has a portion titled What Should You Do If You Find a Duck Egg? There is a short list of resources to use for more facts.
Once, when we all had to stay home for the whole long springtime,
when schools were closed
and work was closed
and everything fun was canceled,
after we were all so bored of TV
and computers
and video games
and screens of every kind,
Dad said, "Let's take a walk."
As the family walks, they see other neighbors cautiously out and about painting, roller skating, shooting hoops and walking their dogs at the park. As they stroll around the lake in the park, they find one and then another egg in the water and the mud. Mom puts one in each of her pockets.
They asked their neighbor, who was painting, what they should do. These times were not normal, so a wildlife center was out of the question. Ted loaned them an incubator. The waiting and watching began. It was a long, long time.
And then . . .one day tiny little sounds announced the cracking of the eggs and the birth of baby ducks. Ted said this was a first. They watched and waited some more as Ted raised them. Soon the ducks learned to fly and it was time to take them to the lake in the park. They were free. Soon we were, too.
Based upon personal experience, Elana K. Arnold has penned a story of joy in a time of uncertainty. Through her words, she captures how something ordinary in the midst of something extraordinary can become extraordinary, too. Everyone was experiencing what this family was enduring, but not everyone, even in the best of times, can hatch ducks from two found eggs.
The artwork of Doug Salati, in double-page pictures, full-page pictures, and smaller single-page pictures with lots of white space, excellently depicts the overall mood of everyone at this time while taking our focus to the miracle this family witnessed. His pencil-drawn visuals colored digitally are warmly realistic. The finding of each egg is an intimate experience through his perspectives. His portraits of the ducks in all the stages of their lives are marvelous!
UNIQUE
Patchwork (Putnam, G. P. Putnam's Sons, August 30, 2022) written by Matt de la Pena with illustrations by Corinna Luyken
At the publisher's website, you can view the endpapers. There is also a teacher's guide to download. The cover reveal at Imagination Soup hosted by Melissa Taylor contains an author and an illustrator interview about their work on this title. Matt de la Pena and Corinna Luyken speak with Bianca Schulze (The Children's Book Review) about this book. Kansas Public Radio, Weekend Edition, Conversations hosts a chat with these collaborators about Patchwork. Matt de la Pena, an alumnus of the University of the Pacific, is featured in an article there with respect to this book.
You were blue before you were even born.
We mark, we mark.
We see the struggle of this boy as a child to be what he is expected to be, even though this is not what his heart is telling him. We sigh and cheer inwardly, when he becomes his true self. Another child is destined to be a dancer, but the same beat she feels when she dances helps her in coding.
Four more children evolve from their beginnings, using their desires and skills when they were younger, to build into something more perfect for them and for those around them. We are told we are a
symphony
made from many notes. We are small pieces put together to be
beautiful.
Anyone who hears or reads these words by Matt de la Pena will feel something stir in their souls. He touches on finding our own paths with true beauty. Three passages are devoted to each child. After the first sentence, a two word phrase is repeated for each one (except for the final child). These two word phrases can be viewed as adults believing that a child is supposed to be one thing and only one thing. To see them progress is poignant, deeply poignant. Matt de la Pena's closing words will have readers reflecting on what they can do and who they really are.
Using
gouache, ink, and pencil
artist Corinna Luyken has elevated the words of Matt de la Pena, taking the title text and weaving it into each image. Lines and brush strokes mirror patterns and pieces. Her dust jacket differs from the book case. On the case all six diverse and distinct children are featured, three on each side. Large pastel patches are displayed on a white background for the endpapers. On the opening endpapers the patches are single colors. On the closing endpapers, those single patches are filled with other patches of varying sizes and colors. Her depictions of the people are as Matt says---beautiful.
CONTENTMENT
Rick The Rock Of Room 214 (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, August 30, 2022) written by Julie Falatko with illustrations by Ruth Chan
At the publisher's website, you can view multiple illustrations including the open dust jacket. There is an activity booklet to download. There are also interior pictures at the illustrator's website. Author Julie Falatko and author Tara Lazar chat about this book on Tara's website, Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).
This is a rock. He lives on the Nature Finds shelf in Room 214,
with an acorn, some moss, and a piece of bark.
On this shelf, Rick and his friends sit, watching the lively students in room 214. Rick cannot think of a time when he was not sitting on this shelf. During class one day, the teacher is talking about rocks, their properties and how they are formed. This all looks much more exciting than sitting on a shelf.
Rick's companions on the shelf are content. Rick is not. He is ready for adventure. He is going to leave that shelf as soon as possible. And he does by rolling into a student's backpack and then landing on the ground outside.
What he discovers from all the other rocks on the ground is sitting on a shelf in room 214 might not be so boring. It certainly is better than being in a thunderstorm. What is Rick going to do?
No one could have told this story of a rock sitting on a shelf in a classroom better than Julie Falatko. Her sense of humor shines in every sentence. She contrasts Rick with the children in the classroom. She contrasts the teacher's lecture with Rick on the shelf. And she, finally, contrasts Rick outside with Rick sitting on the shelf. This is how Rick and readers realize the truth. Rick's conversations with the acorn, moss, and bark, his shelf companions and the rocks outside are hilarious.
Ruth Chan used ink to create these illustrations and colored them digitally. While the dust jacket focuses on Rick on the shelf with students next to that shelf, the book case highlights that first shining moment when Rick is outside in the grass. The title page gives us an overview of the classroom cubbies and a peek inside through the doorway. Ruth Chan's images vary in perspective and are highly animated, with wide-eyed (sometimes wild-eyed) looks on the students. Careful readers will notice what the child who finds Rick is reading throughout the story.
COMMUNITY
All Are Neighbors (Alfred A. Knopf, August 23, 2022) written by Alexandra Penfold with illustrations by Suzanne Kaufman (This is a companion title to All Are Welcome.)
At the publisher's website, you can listen to an audio sample of this book. Here is the link to a wonderful Classroom Activity Guide found at Random House Teachers & Librarians site. You can view two-page interior images at the illustrator's website.
What is a community?
With this first sentence, this question, the narrative invites readers and the newest members of the neighborhood to take a journey. We walk among all kinds of children and adults. It is the morning and some leave for work. Others remain home.
Everyone lends a hand when needed. Down the streets and past the stores, there are people to see galore. Everyone is busy, but not too busy to give a smile or a wave whether at the public library or the coffee shop or the park.
There are street performers. There are food trucks. Everyone is happy to see everyone. This is a community, a multi-cultural blend of people from everywhere.
Throughout the story author Alexandra Penfold repeats a phrase tying the entire narrative together, portion by portion. She refers back to
We all are neighbors here,
repeatedly. It is the chorus to her verses. Her explanatory verses come in three with the last world rhyming. After reading this book, who wouldn't want to live here surrounded by this lively diverse group of people?
The vibrant artwork of Suzanne Kaufman envelops readers in a hug. On the front of the jacket the group of children are paired with an elderly couple dancing on the sidewalk on the back. A neighbor plays her guitar for them. (The inside of the jacket is a poster.) On the book case are twelve different buildings occupied by people. These create four rows of six in a repeating pattern. The opening endpapers show the new family moving into their home. The closing endpapers show the community embracing them in celebration. With every page turn a new aspect of the people and the buildings is presented in a lively, meaningful manner.
Sal Boat: A Boat by Sal (Abrams Books for Young Readers, August 30, 2022) written and illustrated by Thyra Heder
At the publisher's website, you can view interior visuals. At Thyra Heder's website is a beautiful display of artwork from this book. One of the images is close-up elements found on a single page to show passage of time and effort by Sal.
Sal loved the water.
He liked to imagine it moving under his feet.
Wherever Sal went, all he thought about was being on the water. Sal wanted a boat. He was without funding, so he had to build a special boat, a boat just for him. It needed to be a boat unlike any other boat.
He gathered what he could use from his Mom's garage, the local builder, and the marina. Soon everyone in Sal's town was asking if he was building a boat and handing out advice as well as donated materials. With a spot for building picked out, Sal got to work doing an assortment of tasks to make a boat.
The boat got bigger and more complicated as Sal's ideas did the same. He worked for days and days and people began to wonder what kind of crazy boat this was. Sal kept working on his own until it was done. Now there was another problem.
How would Sal launch his boat? Nothing seemed to work. In his frustration, Sal was ready to smash the boat to bits. Then . . . the best thing of all happened. And he was glad he did not do it alone.
As this story unfolds in Thyra Heder's words, we are taken to a seaside town, a town where everyone knows everyone. We feel the deep desire of Sal to have his own boat built all by himself. The commentary within the images is fabulous with hints of humor. Readers will revel in the words detailing all the jobs necessary to build a boat and what he does with the finishing touches.
The pencils and watercolor illustrations of Thyra Heder are breathtaking. The dust jacket is a panoramic scene of the sea with multiple boats on the water behind Sal working on his boat. The book case is the triumphant moment when the boat is launched, an interior illustration. The opening and closing endpapers show first the boats on land covered for the season and second, they are on the water with their covers removed. The one in the lower, right-hand corner is Sal's boat. The watercolor washes and loose lines fashion a personal portrait of this boy and of his town. As a dog lover it is a joy to see his canine companion in many of the scenes. In a word this book, words and artwork, is enchanting.
Mary Had a Little Plan (Union Square Kids, September 6, 2022) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Vanessa Brantley-Newton (This is a companion title to Mary Had a Little Glam.)
At the illustrator's website, you can get a peek at some of the interior illustrations. You might want to check out her vivacious Instagram account where she shows you a video of her creation of Mary's hat. At Picture Book Builders, Tammi Sauer talks about the writing of this book and working with Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Author Tammi Sauer is a guest at Kathleen Temean's Writing and Reading. She talks about how this book originated.
Mary had a little plan
that spouted on the spot.
It all began the day she passed
a drab abandoned lot.
As soon as she saw that space, she knew exactly what to do. Back at home, she drew and designed and planned and plotted. She gathered paint and fabric. She asked neighborhood businesses for plants, building materials and tools.
She worked and worked all day trying to clean up the trash on that lot before she could put her plan in motion. She barely made a dent. Mary did what she did best, she rounded up a crew.
Together, they picked and planted, built and watered. They painted. Mary added the finishing touches. Together they made this lot better, a haven of happiness.
The rhyming, every couplet, by Tammi Sauer is flawless. It freely flows welcoming readers into Mary's story. Mary's energy is contagious and transferred to us. I daresay that during a read aloud, some listeners will probably start to clap or dance. They will participate by anticipating the second word in the rhyme. You couldn't ask for anything more.
The artwork of Vanessa Brantley-Newton lifts up this narrative. Mary's energy is seen in every element in every scene. Just look at her on the front of the jacket and case. She is ready to make her plan a reality. On the opening and closing endpapers is an array of clothing, tools, and materials necessary for Mary to transform this lot. The final two-page picture is pure joy!
FRIENDSHIP
Penguin and Penelope (Bloomsbury Children's Books, September 6, 2022) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon (This title is the seventh book with Penguin as a character. Here is a link to my blog post about the sixth book, Penguin's Christmas Wish. Within that post is a link to the first book, Penguin and Pinecone: A Friendship Story. Here is a link to two other Penguin books, Penguin on Vacation and Penguin in Love.)
At the author illustrator website, you can view interior illustrations. There is an activity guide there to download. This book is featured at author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).
One day, Penguin came
across a little elephant.
Oh no!
Her name was Penelope.
Help!
I'm stuck!
Penguin did what any friend would do. He freed her from the mud, gave her food to eat, water to drink, and a bath. The next thing Penguin had to do for Penelope was get her back to her herd. The elephant trail led to a crossing they could not make.
They looked for days to find another trail around the ravine. They were tired, so they slept. Time passed. Penelope got bigger. Their bond got stronger. One day at the beach, Penelope gave Penguin an idea.
Penguin led Penelope to the edge of a large body of water, she hesitated but trusted Penguin. In the water, she felt free. After swimming they arrived at the other side and spotted a wonderful thing, elephant tracks! Together they found the herd. Their affectionate good-byes are truly touching. You might think this is the end of the story. It is not. Penelope and Penguin, friends forever.
Just when you think that Salina Yoon could not create more endearing characters than she already has, she gives us Penelope. Through this narrative, readers understand that Penguin's heart attracts like hearts. Her spare text is a blend of narrative and dialogue. Each sentence leads us to a greater understanding of this duo and the meaning of friendship.
Salina Yoon's illustrations
created digitally in Adobe Photoshop
are defined by bold, black lines and brilliant colors. Her characters' facial expressions leave no doubt in the readers' minds as to their current mood. She has Penguin wearing his signature scarf throughout the story until one particular tender-hearted part. The three-page gatefold at the end is fantastic! I wonder if other readers will spy what I spied in that visual.
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