Through The Four

For those fortunate enough to live in an area experiencing all four seasons, in the northern hemisphere spring seems to have finally arrived.  There have been several mornings in the last ten days without frost on rooftops.  Grass is greening and growing. Tiny buds are appearing on shrubs and trees.  Shoots are pushing through the soil in gardens and forest floors.  The first flowers of spring from bulbs like daffodils, hyacinths, tulips, or crocus are blooming.  The birds are back with all their various melodies.  The sun is rising earlier and setting later.  And we are experiencing warmer than normal temperatures.

All living things are embracing this change.  People of all ages are outside biking, walking, and working in their yards and gardens.  You can hear the sound of children talking and laughing as they ride their scooters or shoot basketballs at a neighbor's hoop.  A wonderful new title to help us enjoy this spring and the other three seasons is My Big Book Of Outdoors (Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press, March 29, 2022) written and illustrated by Tim Hopgood.  It is a lively look at spring, summer, fall, and winter and all each season has to offer.

On the title page, beneath the title text it reads:

Welcome! In every season, there is something different to see, discover, make, and do.  So step outdoors and into nature.

Following the title page, two pages are dedicated to an extensive table of contents with page numbers.  For each season's introduction a double-page picture provides a place for listing, on the left, six phrases, observations about that season.  The next two pages are devoted to 

Signs Of_________.

 

For those up at sunrise in the spring, we are given descriptions of six birds we might see or hear.  We are asked to notice birds building nests.  This is followed by an activity where we can create our own nest out of chocolate.  (Yum!)  Eggs and feathers of birds are later discussed.

We explore bugs, building a bug hotel, soil we can see and soil we can't see.  Do you know how a tadpole becomes a frog?  Can you tell the difference between a frog and a toad? Have you ever been pond dipping?

During summer, the insect populations explode.  We are given pictures of fifteen insects with their names.  How many have you seen?  Do you know how an egg turns into a butterfly?  You can enjoy painting your own butterfly before eight butterflies are displayed and identified.

Bees and their purpose are disclosed.  Dandelions, sunflowers, and daisies are a part of our explorations and things to do.  Fruits and vegetables of summer are portrayed and labeled.  For those near an ocean or sea or those who make a trip to either, what can you discover in a tide pool or along the sandy shore?

The signs of autumn most visible are the changing colors of leaves.  We can still distinguish between eight leaves by their shapes.  Trees shed seeds which the fall winds carry.  (Our area has a gazillion maple seeds now sprouting in lawns and gardens.)  Squirrels are getting ready for winter building shelters and storing food.  We are presented with two thoughtful pages on the power of a single acorn.  

Fruit is being harvested and used in delicious recipes like baked apples.  How many apples can you name?  If you look to the skies you can see birds leaving on their annual migration routes and cloud formations predicting the weather.

As the chill of winter descends, some birds stay the course.  Which ones of those shown are in your area?  Winter walks in snow reveal tracks of wild travelers.  I spy deer and rabbit prints of the six shown.  Two pages show a dormouse and a hedgehog hibernating.  Some facts about each are shared.

Do you know the name of trees which retain their leaves regardless of the season? Five conifers are represented as well as seven different pine cones.  Did you know pine cones are natural humidity detectors? Four pages speak about snow and snowflakes along with an activity.  To close out the section on winter we look to the skies again, studying stars and the phases of the moon.

The enthusiasm Tim Hopgood has for this subject is evident in every chosen word and every written sentence.  Although the specific topics covered in each season vary, their presentation is similar enough to create a pleasing and welcoming rhythm for readers.  There are the previously mentioned introductory phrases, the signs of pages, topics and matching activities and several poems.  These are woven together seamlessly in each season through informal and informational conversations and abundant labeling.  Here is a passage and a poem.

Cool Places

Stones block out wind and

sunshine and keep the ground

cool, dark, and damp---the

perfect place for insects to

live.  Insects with hard shells

can push under stones to find

food and shelter.

Splish Splash!

Plip

plop

plip-plip-plop

pitter-patter

pitter-patter

drip, drop

splash!

Pitter-patter

pitter-patter

drip, drop

splash!

Drip-drop

drip-drop

drip

drip

stop!

The bright turquoise blue sky stretches from flap edge to flap edge on the open dust jacket.  Swirls of startling white clouds are spread across that sky.  The vivid splashes of color seen in the insects and flowers (butterfly on the right and ladybug on the left) also extend to the flap edges.  The ladybug on the left is flying above a large, colorful cluster of flowers.  The ISBN is placed in the center of a white flower.  The title text is varnished.

On the book case it is as if we are looking at a natural exhibit.  The background is dark in hues of blue and green and black.  From left to right on the open case, we are presented with an egg, ladybug, snowdrops, sea creatures, leaves, a butterfly, an acorn, a feather, a snowflake, a mushroom, a pinecone, a moth, a snail, worms, and another kind of nut.  The ISBN is placed inside a white leaf.

On the opening and closing endpapers, on a canvas of pristine white, is a close-up of a honey bee.  It is flying over a gorgeous array of flowers.  They are turquoise, pink, white and yellow, orange, and yellow.  Bits of green appear toward the bottom.  On the verso and title pages is a two-page image.  It is a close-up of grasses and a leaf.  Featured are a snail, an ant, a ladybug, and a caterpillar.  The dedication reads:

For everyone who stayed

indoors in 2020

Using 

mixed media

every page turn depicts either a two-page picture or a single-page visual.  Tim Hopgood takes us close to a topic such as his conversation about ants.  Here we are viewing their activities via a cross-section.  In support of a sentence and a question in the section about fall, we are privy to a forest landscape.  Many different types of flora and fauna are present in this vista done in warm shades of autumn.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the Signs of Winter section.  It is a two-page picture.  There are white and black silhouettes.  Evergreen boughs, tree trunks, shrubs, and spider webs are in frosty white.  There are several black tree trunks.  On the left side is a winter sky with brighter stars.  A black bird rests in branches covered in red berries.  On the right side, snow swirls.  An icy blue area indicates a frozen pond.  This is a marvelous collage of winter wonders.

Not only is My Big Book Of Outdoors written and illustrated by Tim Hopgood brimming with information, activities, and stunning artwork, but it is an ode to nature.  Your appreciation for the outdoor world will grow with every supplied observation.  You will want to have a copy in both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Tim Hopgood and his other work, please access his website by following the link attached to his name.  At his website, there are many images from this book to view.  Tim Hoppgood has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House, you can view interior illustrations.

What's Your Favorite . . .

Waiting for the next book in a series is like waiting for a special event or annual celebration.  If it's a fictional account with characters we adore (or villains we loathe) in a time and place we want to enter again, we can't wait to see how things have either remained the same or what new challenges will be presented.  Often authors and illustrators will insert a cliffhanger at the end of one book to heighten the anticipation for the next title.  In nonfiction series, there is usually a format we prefer.  The continuing structure of the narrative, the layout and design provide a sense of assurance.  Discovering new information within a known framework is like entering a familiar laboratory or workplace ready to begin a different experience.  Sometimes a series is a blend of both approaches, or perhaps, something entirely unknown.

Nearly six years ago, beloved and renowned author illustrator Eric Carle initiated a series titled, Eric Carle and Friends.  In the first volume, What's Your Favorite Animal? (Henry Holt and Company, January 21, 2014) thirteen author illustrators, Nick Bruel, Lucy Cousins, Susan Jeffers, Steven Kellogg, Jon Klassen, Tom Lichtenheld, Peter McCarty, Chris Raschka, Peter Sis, Lane Smith, Erin Stead, Rosemary Wells and Mo Willems, were invited to talk about their favorite animal and supply readers with a visual portrayal.  Each author illustrator is given two pages.  Eric Carle begins this book and each subsequent title.  Some of the author illustrators told a story about a favorite animal, wrote a poem, an ode, or a comedy.  At the close of the book, pictures of the author illustrators as children with short biographical information are supplied. Here is the open book case.

One of my many, many favorite depictions is that of Nick Bruel.  He titles his pages, Behold The Octopus.  On the left, in a series of panels, he talks about a variety of octopuses and their unique characteristics.  In the fourth and fifth of five panels, Bad Kitty enters from the bottom and side looking disgusted.  A discussion between Nick Bruel and Bad Kitty ensues on the right within eleven small images concluding with hilarity.

On May 2, 2017 the second book, What's Your Favorite Color? (Godwin Books, Henry Holt and Company) (Eric Carle and Friends) was released.  In this book the contributors are: Lauren Castillo, Bryan Collier, Mike Curato, Etienne Delessert, Anna Dewdney, Rafael Lopez, William Low, Marc Martin, Jill McElmurry, Yuyi Morales, Frann Preston-Gannon, Uri Shulevitz, Philip C. Stead and Melissa Sweet.  As in the previous book, each illustrator is asked to name their favorite, why it is their favorite and give readers a visual presentation.  The narratives of these author illustrators are indeed explanatory but also heartfelt reflections, nearly lyrical.  Two author illustrators picked the same color, gray, but Rafael Lopez and Melissa Sweet approached it in their signature styles.  You'll enjoy how similar their reasons truly are. We are treated, at the end, to childhood pictures and short biographies.  Here is the book case.

One of my many, many favorite pictures and essay is that of Yuyi Morales.  On the left, with a small portion crossing the gutter, is a picture of her as a child.  It is of her face and shoulders.  She is looking at the reader.  It is textured as if done in ink, black with flecks of deep dark pink.  One of her hands is raised to hold a brilliant pink, Mexican Pink, bougainvillea blossom.  In her narrative she speaks of cutting them on her way to visit her grandmother.  Her text is hand-written.


Readers only had to wait a year for the next title, What's Your Favorite Bug? (Godwin Books, Henry Holt and Company, July 31, 2018) (Eric Carle and Friends)  In this book, the author illustrators number fourteen (not including Eric Carle).  They are:  Joey Chou, Eric Fan, Denise Fleming, Ekua Holmes, Tim Hopgood, Molly Idle, Beth Krommes, Scott Magoon, Kenard Pak, Maggie Rudy, Britta Teckentrup, Brendan Wenzel, Teagan White and Eugene Yelchin.  As in the two previous books all royalties go to The Eric Carle Museum Of Picture Book Art founded by Eric Carle and his wife Barbara Carle.  In this book author illustrators feature the praying mantis, moths, the dragonfly, the katydid, the daddy longlegs, bees, ants, a ladybug, the firefly, peacock spiders, millipedes, the worker bee, the walking stick and the Rhino beetle.  You'll have fun looking at all the childhood pictures and reading the short biographies at the end.  Here is the book case.

One of my many, many favorite bugs showcased is the Praying Mantis by Denise Fleming.  The shades of green in this close-up of the bug are mesmerizing.  There are two splashes of purple in some blossoms.  She has the head of the praying mantis looking at readers because this is a special characteristic she notes in her essay.


For 2019's release, as soon as I read or think the last word, a tune from the musical Oliver! starts to play in my mind.  Before I know it, I'm singing it out loud.  What's Your Favorite Food? (Goodwin Books, Henry Holt and Company, July 23, 2019) (Eric Carle and Friends) highlights the talents of author illustrators, Aki, Isabelle Arsenault, Brigette Barrager, Matthew Cordell, Benji Davies, Karen Katz, Laurie Keller, Juliet Menendez, Greg Pizzoli, Misa Saburi, Felicita Sala, Dan Santat and Shannon Wright. 
You'll be heading to the grocery store and then the kitchen as soon as the first entry by Eric Carle is read.  By the time you finish, you'll be ready for a fourteen-course meal.  Here is the book case.

As with the three earlier titles, it is nearly impossible to select a favorite illustration but because I've recently discovered a new simple recipe I love, I am selecting Ramen by Dan Santat.  This illustration brings readers close to the table.  On the left are two possible sauces for the ramen along with a beverage.  Dan Santat explains ramen and how it is usually served.  On the right is a large bowl of ramen.  Yum! Yum!


This collection of books, What's Your Favorite Animals?, What's Your Favorite Color?, What's Your Favorite Bug? and What's Your Favorite Food?, all part of the Eric Carle and Friends series, present readers with an array of talented author illustrators and their reasons for selecting their favorites.  Their images and narratives are a distinct reflection of their work. You could use any one of these books to introduce units on animals, color, bugs or food.  They would work well to inspire drawing and writing by children on any of those topics.  They will also promote further research about those subjects chosen by the author illustrators or new ones the children pick as their favorite.  I highly recommend all four titles in the series.  I love them!

Attached to each of the titles is a link to the publisher's website where interior images are shown.  There are links attached to each of the author illustrator names so their websites can be accessed.  For those without websites, I attached links to sites with pertinent information about them.

Preserved Grandeur

The memory of certain beauty, no matter how many decades pass, never leaves.  When you stand on the edge of the Grand Canyon gazing at the vista spread before you, you have to remind yourself to breathe.  An early morning drive through the Great Smoky Mountains feels like you've entered another place in another time, a place when magic is possible.  If you time it right, you'll be looking up more than one hundred feet as Old Faithful, a geyser, erupts in Yellowstone.  Lupines as far as the eye can see, carpet a landscape in Rocky Mountain National Park.  In the silence of a sunrise as the world awaits, the Grand Teton range stands like ancient sentinels, guardians of the world spread before them.

The designation of national parks throughout the United States protects diverse ecosystems.  They provide protected spaces in a variety of geographic locations for more than 300 million visitors each year.  You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks (Atheneum Books For Young Readers, June 4, 2019) written and illustrated by Evan Turk is a spectacular and intimate journey to twenty-three of the parks.

To the chipmunk in her burrow,
sleeping beneath the leaves to keep warm;

Traveling from the Shenandoah in Virginia, we see giants plow through snow in Yellowstone in winter.  The bison brave weather in all the seasons.  Wildflowers swaying in breezes and pronghorn grazing on grasses are seen in Colorado at the Great Sand Dunes.  All these animals and the flora around them call these places home.

Bobcats, fireflies, and elk roam these locations, their relatives residents for generations.  Whether you come from city streets or sprawling farmlands, this is home.  For people calling this home for the first time and for people calling it home before anyone else, this land is for all to enjoy.

Rock formations like alien architecture, mountaintops like stairways to the stars, trees towering like they belong in a land of giants and coral reefs creating castles for marine life, are only some of the majestic sights to be scene in our national parks.  Wherever you travel, whatever you see, hear, smell, taste or touch, all these things in these preserved regions are home to you and many others.  These national parks are constantly in motion through the activities of the wildlife, the flow of water, the erosion of rocks and soil and the changing views throughout the seasons.

Even with changes something remains the same.  It is a melody sung in every corner of every national park.  You can feel its notes playing in your soul, connecting you to that which surrounds you.  It is a single word with the warmth, serenity and comfort of an embrace.


The poetic phrases penned by Evan Turk are a soothing symphony; taking us on a journey through the best this planet has to offer us.  Each combination of words appeals to our senses as we become acquainted with the flora, fauna and scenic vistas.  Regardless of where we originate, Evan Turk ties us to these national parks, allowing us to call one or all home.  Here is a passage.

to the herds of elk
trumpeting the arrival of fall;

to the forests of twinkling aspen
turned golden by the shortening days:

you are home.

When you open the dust jacket two magnificent scenes are spread before you.  We stand with two others looking over flowers, water, hills and mountains in California before our eyes turn to the left, on the back.  (The three-word title on the front is embossed in gold.)  We are in Virginia with the rolling hills of a valley spread before us.  In the lower right-hand corner, the chipmunk from the first passage watches.  Accolades for three of Evan's other titles appear in a framed rectangle superimposed on this view.  The background for the text is like vellum.  It's partially transparent.

The book case in rich colors of red, purple, orange and green portray a view of a canyon with a river in turquoise like a ribbon winding through the steep walls.  This is more of an abstract depiction but stunning, nonetheless.  On the opening and closing endpapers, we visit first Acadia and then Olympic.  In the first a setting sun radiates golden light on water and a rugged shoreline.  In the second night fashions shadows of tall rocky spires against a star-studded sky.  

For the title page the scene on the back of the dust jacket is extended to the left on another page providing a place for the dedication and publication information.  All the illustrations are rendered in pastel on black paper and most span two pages.   Single page pictures emphasize the pacing of the narrative.  Whether Evan Turk takes you close to a sleeping chipmunk or to watch others walk through the Arches or among soaring birds in the Everglades, each image is heart-stopping gorgeous.  

The color palette, time of day and season of the year are presented with polished skill.  Each visual conveys not only a particular park but the passion of this author and illustrator for his art.  With each page turn you find yourself inwardly gasping at the Earth's elegance before you.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is in Yellowstone (the first National Park).  To the left rolling hills studded with trees are snow-covered.  The air is filled with snow.  A river winds through the landscape along the bottom.  Bison are grazing.  On the right the animals are closer to us and in the foreground, ready to move.  Behind them a darker, snow-covered view moves to the top of the page and to the right.  There is a very real sense of majesty in every element of this picture.

After you've read You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks written and illustrated by Evan Turk, you'll go back to read it repeatedly but only after you've paused in stunned silence first.  This is a showpiece, a work of art.  At the conclusion of the book, Evan Turk has two pages of notes, including a portion about the art.  It is followed by a map of the National Parks Of The United States with thumbprints of those parks featured in this title on the right. There is one final page titled:

More About The Parks And Animals In This Book.

Make sure you have a copy of this book for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Evan Turk and his other work, please follow the link attached to this name to access his website.  Evan Turk highlights interior images from this title.  He has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Evan writes a guest post on The TeachingBooks.net blog about this book.  The cover reveal is hosted by teacher librarian Matthew Winner.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, premieres the book trailer at Watch. Connect. Read.  Evan Turk is interviewed at The Booking Biz.  This title is highlighted by author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  At the publisher's website you can view interior pictures.

UPDATE:  Evan Turk is interviewed at Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb on June 27, 2019.

This book is so important and lovely, I am happy to give away a copy to one fortunate winner.  Good luck!

Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the other titles selected this week by those participating in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

And Nothing But The . . .

There are two things which happen when readers are hooked on a series.  The first is a growing excitement for the next installment.  It builds until we hold the next volume in our hands.  The second thought ever present in our minds is we don't want this to end.  We enjoy it completely and without reservation.

If laughter as an element figures in our appreciation for a collection of titles, this collection becomes more firmly cemented in our desire for it to continue endlessly.  On February 27, 2018 two titles were released which not only inform readers but entertain us and promote further research as well.  These books, The Truth About Bears (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) and The Truth About Hippos (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III are seriously fantastic.

This is a bear.
I'm Pete.

In tandem with each stated fact, more than one on most pages, bears are commentators declaring obvious details but also providing comedic responses.  Other animal characters you might find in the appropriate region chime in with their insights.  Additional information appears as captions or in signs.

We quickly learn standing polar bears are eight feet tall, actual bear claws are several inches long and the three most common bears are American black bear, brown bear and the polar bear.  Koalas, residents of Australia, are not bears.  Bears have voracious appetites.  Did you know they can eat thousands of berries in one day?

Bear newborns are so small they weigh less than a guinea pig, but a full-grown bear can rival a small car in weight.  Hibernation, the value of fur and bears under threat are discussed.  Hints about safety around bears are given.  Here is an example of the blend of facts and dialogue on two pages.

Polar bears eat seals.  They smell them
through the seals' breathing holes
in the ice and snow.

Sometimes they smash the ice and grab them.

You should probably turn the page. (polar bear)
Please don't. (seal held in polar bear paw)


This is a hippopotamus.

H-I-P-P-O-
T-Z-O-6-3

Hippo
for
short.

Did you know there are two kinds of hippos; common hippos and pygmy hippos?  Their weights are compared to four cows versus one pig.  That's a huge difference.  They both live in Africa but tend to enjoy other areas; water and grasslands contrasted to mud along rivers and lakes close to the cover of dense forests.

Pygmy diets are more varied.  Common hippos have long, long teeth and mouths that can lay almost flat when open.  And you don't want to be near them when they relieve themselves of their waste.  YUCK!  Did you know hippos can't swim?  How do you think they move in the water?

One of the hippos prefers resting in groups, the other alone in the shade.  Night is when hippos are on the move.  The daylight hours are for taking it easy.  Both, common and pygmy, hippos need protection from hunters and habitat destruction.  Here is a factual and dialogue passage; some in narrative, some placed on signs and speech balloons.

Common hippos and pygmy hippos
both spend their days resting.

HIPPOS ARE NOCTURNAL.
THAT MEANS THEY SLEEP ALL
DAY AND STAY UP ALL NIGHT.

Common hippos stay in the 
water in large groups.

Has anyone see
this calf's mom?

She has
smooth
gray
skin.

A GROUP OF HIPPOS
IS SOMETIMES
CALLED A BLOAT.


Happily, for readers of the series a third title was released on May 8, 2018.  The Truth About Dolphins (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) with artwork and words by Maxwell Eaton III will have readers captivated as soon as they see the cover.  By the first page, they'll be reading as fast as they can.

This is a dolphin.

Hello. (dolphin)

Yikes! (girl seated in inner tube in water)

<---common i="">
Common
bottlenose
dolphin (arrow points to dolphin)

For the first several pages comparisons are made between dolphins and fish.  Did you know one swims by moving their bodies from left to right and the other moves their tails up and down?  Dolphins are mammals; traits in support of this are disclosed.

There are more than forty species of dolphins with one of them weighing 12,000 pounds.  You can go almost any place on our planet and find dolphins.  They are skilled hunters working together in groups.

They are one of few animals employing the use of echolocation.  Their communication techniques are masterful so is their desire to play.  Both help them to avoid enemies like sharks.  Their worst enemies are us.  Here is one of the humorous combinations of text and conversations.

Dolphins eat mostly fish and squid.

Atlantic 
spotted dolphin

That was close. (arrow points to hiding squid)

They hunt in groups, called pods, by
using their eyes, ears, and one
very special ability . . .

Left, right,
left, right, left,
right, left, right,
left, right, left,
right, left! (says a group of six fleeing fish)


When The Truth About Elephants (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, November 27, 2018) written by Maxwell Eaton III was released this autumn, readers wondered what would be revealed.  What factual items would this author illustrator include in this book?  What would the elephants and other animals say in response?

Here comes an elephant.

Boom Boom Boom
Boom Boom Boom Boom
          Boom

Actually,
I'm a
human. (says a little girl who doesn't see what is behind her)

With the first declaration about elephants being the largest land animals, all types of comments are made along with supporting documentation.  A white rhinoceros and a common hippopotamus (who we've already met) are not too happy.  A blue whale peeks through a circle in the page to add elephants are not the largest in water.

We learn of the development of elephants, their current relatives and the types of elephants.  The Asian and African elephants are shown side by side with their differences noted.  The finer points of trunk use are disclosed.

Their tusks and molars come in handy for an array of activities.  Did you know these herbivores spend about eighteen hours a day in the act of looking and consuming food?  Family hierarchy, communication, and herd defense work is explained with examples.  Here is one of many blends of truth and playfulness.

Elephants' teeth are also unique.  Long
tusks are used to dig for roots, scrape bark
from trees, and defend against predators.

He 
tried to
eat me. (baby elephant now on mother's back)

Kids,
right? (alligator trapped beneath mother's tusks)

ELEPHANTS' TUSKS NEVER STOP GROWING.  THE OLDER
THE ELEPHANT, THE BIGGER THE TUSKS!


As an illustrator Maxwell Eaton III begins his pictorial interpretations immediately on the matching dust jackets and book cases of all four books.  His word play is evident in the opening comment on the front of each.  The images with verbal comments, text or sound effects on the back make reference to the hilarity or theme found within the body of the book; car driving bears, bicycle riding hippos, dolphins and diving with scuba gear and elephants and jazz music.

The opening and closing endpapers are bright solid colors.  On the initial title page each specific animal makes a factual or funny statement.  This is expanded on the formal title page, a double-page picture, with results certain to cause readers to smile or burst out laughing.

Maxwell Eaton III alters his illustration sizes in order to heighten and complement his narrative, captions and conversations.  They range from double-page visuals, single-page images, or several pictures gathered together on one or two pages.  Elements from one illustration often overlap another image.

The facial expressions on all the animals convey exactly what they are thinking or saying.  These add to the truth and prevalent comedy.  At the close of each book spread across two pages is an open file labeled on the tab with the animal name.  It contains habitat facts, tracks, field notes, size, a territory map or other pertinent pieces of information like elephant toenails and further research opportunities for children and adults.  This is followed with a final one-page image guaranteed to generate giggles and grins.

There are many, many favorite illustrations in each book.  In the bear book when we are being informed about bears' food it mentions rodents.  A bear is not sure what a rodent is.  A squirrel points to a rock and says it's a rodent.  In the discussion about hippo waste elimination the backside of a hippo faces us.  A small bird on top of the hippo states this is why he is where he is.  When we are learning about dolphin communication two dolphins are shown at rest underwater.  One says a sound is like a particular third dolphin.  The second dolphin says this third dolphin still owns him three squid.  Being educated about four gigantic elephant molars in their mouths invites a small bird standing on a ladder and leaning toward the open elephant mouth to make a comment.  Holding a toothbrush, he knows a bigger one is needed.


The mix of factual and funny information, commentary and illustrations is a huge invitation for readers of all ages to read The Truth About Bears, The Truth About Hippos, The Truth About Dolphins and The Truth About Elephants all part of the Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals series written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III.  These will be great and welcome nonfiction read-aloud selections and research titles.  You will need multiple copies of each volume. I highly recommend these for your personal and professional collections.  It appears a fifth and sixth book are coming in the spring and fall of this year.  Fans of crocodiles and hawks will be happy.

To discover more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III maintains an account on Instagram and Twitter.  You can view interior images from Bears, Hippos, Dolphins and Elephants at the publisher's website. There is a wonderful, older interview with Maxwell at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Maxwell Eaton III is featured in the Lake Placid News about his books.


Remember to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to note the other titles chosen this week by participants in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Window Into Winsome

It is defined by Merriam-Webster as attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful or delicate way.  It, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  Each person's description of cute is based upon a variety of perceptions.

Jess Keating, writer and zoologist (and illustrator) is a master of educating all who read her books.  Her love of the natural world and the animals dwelling therein shines in every word she writes.  Her third companion title in the series The World Of Weird Animals, Cute As An Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals (Alfred A. Knopf, August 28, 2018) with illustrations by David DeGrand is like taking a walk with her around the world seeking and peeking into the realm of seventeen marvelous animals.

Think you know
CUTE?
Turn the page to see some 
of the world's cutest animals
in a whole new light . . .

Our first stop is Lake Xochimilco in the country of Mexico.  There dwells the precious animal seen on this book's cover, the Axolotl.  This clever creature can repair and regrow damaged limbs.  Unfortunately, they are listed as critically endangered.

As we cross over to Australia, we find the Quokka who appears to be constantly smiling in its furry face.  Beware though, their claws are razor sharp and they find over-eager humans tasty.  Have you ever heard of a Fairy Penguin?  They dwell in New Zealand, Tasmania and Southern Australia.  They are the smallest penguins on our planet at only 12-13 inches high.  These little beings are in trouble too, but guard dogs are protecting them now.  (Isn't this amazing?)

There are moths that as adults don't eat.  These Rosy Maple Moths, with wing spans of between one and one-quarter to two inches depending on the sex, are lush shades of yellow and pink looking like fur.  (They are sometimes found in Michigan, so I am on the lookout.) The only scaled mammal on Earth is called the Pangolin. Their tongue can grow to be longer than their fifteen to twenty-three-inch body length.

There is a frog with a see-through body for spotting its organs, a tiny hippo who prefers the night, a fly that looks like a bee that bees need to avoid, and an eight-inch long squirrel that can glide and hide beautifully.  Parts of Africa are home to the Dik-Dik a small antelope only about sixteen inches tall.  They use their tears and urine to mark their territories.

A mother who buries her young to keep them safe, a teeny reptile that pretends to be wood, and a fox with six-inch ears exist and survive but like all the other animals need protection and prudent conservation to keep their habitats in place.  They need our help.  We need them; they are integral links in the chain of our existence.


No matter how many times you read about these animals each time your respect is renewed.  Jess Keating speaks about these animals as if we are standing next to her in conversation with a valued friend.  And that is the gift Jess Keating brings to her writing; it's brimming with knowledge but completely accessible to all kinds of readers.  She wants us to know what she knows.  She wants us to be good citizens of this planet.

She continues the pattern of information supplied to readers in the first two previous titles.  In the first paragraph she captivates us with facts certain to fascinate us.  In the following paragraph she introduces or extends our information about a specific aspect of the animal.  On the right side we are privy to the name, species name, size, diet, habitat and predators and threats of each animal.  Here is a sample passage.

Nope, it's not a figment of your imagination or a character in a video game.  The Blue Dragon is the real deal, and shares its scientific name with the ancient Greek sea god Glaucus.  This squishy blue nudibranch could sit on your fingertip, but don't touch it!  The blue dragon eats venomous creatures like the Portuguese man-of-war.  But instead of getting sick, it stores their venom in its skin and becomes toxic itself. 


With wit illustrator David DeGrand adds his comic cartoons of each critter.  He focuses on a particular point in the narrative providing an exaggerated viewpoint sure to garner laughter.  The guard dogs for the fairy penguins are wearing sun glasses so the attackers are unaware of where they are looking.  The anemones held by the chelipeds of the pom-pom crab do indeed look like their name, but those anemones are shown chomping on food to clean up the crab's home. The blue dragon is carrying a load of bottles labeled with the universal sign for poison, a skull and crossbones.  One of my favorite illustrations is the bare-hearted glass frog shown standing on a branch, singing for a mate.  We can see its heart and intestines.


If you have not added this title to your professional and personal collections yet, run and get a copy or two or three of Cute As An Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals written by Jess Keating with illustrations by David DeGrand.  As educational and entertaining as the companion titles, readers will reread this until it has the well-loved look.  Jess includes a discussion called The Science of Cute at the conclusion inviting readers to think and talk about what cute means.  A lengthy glossary of useful words follows.

To discover more about Jess Keating and David DeGrand and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both Jess and David have accounts on Twitter.  On Instagram Jess and David also have accounts.  Jess Keating is interviewed at Booklist.  It is excellent.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Jess stopped by this blog to chat with me about this title and premier the fun book trailer.


Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the other titles selected this week by participants in the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Whatever. Together. Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers Blog Tour

Have you ever felt like your best assets were ignored or abhorred?  Have you consistently been the weak link in a chain?  I think you know where this line of thinking is going.  Some individuals are teased and then believe if, as the saying goes, someone looked up the word dud in the dictionary, their name and picture would be listed.

What no one tells them is the very qualities others find to be lacking are strengths.  These traits will keep them resilient in the face of future adversity.  Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs (Peachtree Publishers, September 1, 2018) written by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Stephanie Laberis is a book championing characteristics regularly undervalued.

Everyone loves elephants.  They're so big and strong.
Everyone respects cheetahs.  They're so fast and fierce.
But this book isn't about animals we admire.

This book is singing the praises of another kind of animal.  This book has us cheering for the Etruscan pygmy shrew and Amau frog.  They are tiny, pinkie-fingernail tiny.  How does this size help them?  They can hide where their enemies cannot go.  The Galapagos tortoise has no need for speed.  Do you know why?

Stepping in a cow pie (manure) once is more than enough.  It's as if the smell is stuck to your nose hairs for days.  There are actually two animals that smell worse.  Yes, this is true.  These two odoriferous creatures cause predators to become ill or run away lickety-split.

Being shy is a silent way to blend into the surrounding flora.  Ask the okapi how this helps.  Sometimes we think of sleepyheads as having a lack of incentive but in reality these animals are storing up energy.  A little bit of food goes a long way with them.

Being clumsy is not necessarily a disadvantage, speed can cause a fall but it does produce a feast more often.  Go western fence lizard, go.  The blubber found on walruses, seals and sea lions is not an anti-beauty statement but a protective key to survival.  Finally the attributes of an underground critter definitely rank them low on the cuddly scale but they are a marvel of adaptation. In the words of the author

Underdogs Unite!

As a meticulous researcher Melissa Stewart brings a respected authenticity to everything she writes.  In this title her easy conversational style replete with captivating facts and the use of alliteration generates a desire in the reader to keep turning the pages . . . as quickly as possible.  As humans we find ourselves amazed by these animals' unique traits and seeing singular characteristics at the same time in us.  We identify with these underdogs.  Melissa also asks readers questions which welcome us as participants in this title.  Here is a passage.

In winter, a walrus's thick layer of fat can weigh more than 400 pounds.  Seals and sea lions fatten up too.  What a bunch of blubbery blobs!  Think these plump lumps should go on a diet? 


You can't help but smile when looking at the opened and matching dust jacket and book case for this title.  Surely humor resonates from the animals' body postures and facial expressions.  There is a funky smell in the air as depicted by the green swirls.

To the left, on the back, the same animals are shown in their same positions but from the back.  The little bat is there too.  What is different is the ISBN.  In a brilliant design moment two naked mole rats are carrying the bars to and from the barcode.  I love this! The opening and closing endpapers are colored in a dark teal to match the color of the title text.  Several of the same creatures are featured on the title page, much smaller and positioned differently.

Rendered in Adobe Photoshop these illustrations by Stephanie Laberis are realistic but also portray her own special brand of animation and humor. Many of the critters are displayed in their habitats but for emphasis they are sometimes taken out of that realm and put in our world. Stephanie does not gloss over the very true-to-life battle for survival.  The Etruscan pygmy shrew and Amau hiding from a bird and snake respectively are frightening situations for them.  When she represents the effect of the hoatzin and zorilla, I know readers will laugh out loud.

Her images spread across two pages, single pages, and may be grouped together as smaller insets.  One of my many favorite illustrations is the double-page picture of the walruses.  The background is a blend of blue-gray rounded clouds.  Snow rests on the icy landscape and on the walruses.  On the left one walrus nearly fills the page, looking directly at the reader.  His expression is priceless.  To his right, across the gutter and on the right side a group of walruses are huddled together on the edge of the ice.  Water is placed in the lower, right-hand corner.


There is much to appreciate and enjoy about Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs written by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Stephanie Laberis.  Readers will come to view the parallels between the lives of these creatures and the bullying seen in human situations.  At the close of the book two pages are dedicated to more information about the animals in this book along with thumbnails images.  Selected sources and important dedications by the author and illustrator appear on the final page.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Melissa Stewart and Stephanie Laberis and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites. Melissa also has a blog.  Both Melissa and Stephanie maintain accounts on Twitter.  Stephanie has an Instagram account.  At the publisher's website are a teacher's guide, a reader's theater and animals stats and a map.  At educator Alyson Beecher's blog, Kid Lit Frenzy, the cover was revealed.  Melissa wrote a guest post about expository literature at School Library Journal and new sources for teaching nonfiction at the Nerdy Book Club.  Melissa is interviewed at For the Love of KidLit.  The book trailer was premiered at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.

As part of the blog tour both Melissa Stewart and Stephanie Laberis are answering a few questions.  And here they are!

Thank you Melissa for graciously agreeing to answer a couple of questions about your latest title, Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs.  I view all your writing with great respect and your dedication to science and nonfiction is wonderful for all of us.

After I read this book, in addition to the animals it features, I started to think how humans, children and students, could benefit from this way of viewing themselves.  Then I went to the back of the book and saw your dedication.

For any child who is being bullied right now---
what others see as a weakness may actually be your strength.

Don’t give up.

Was this the initial reason for writing this book?  Was there a specific incident which sparked the writing of this book?

Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, the Monday posts on my blog, Celebrate Science, will be entitled “Nonfiction Authors Dig Deep,” and each week, a different highly regarded nonfiction author will contribute. You can look forward to posts from Barb Rosenstock, Sarah Albee, Candace Fleming, and many, many more. Thirty-three in all. I was gobsmacked by the generosity of my colleagues and their enthusiasm for this project.

You see, writing nonfiction isn’t just cobbling together a bunch of facts. Every book we write contains a little piece of us. The topics we choose and the approaches we take, are strongly influenced by who we are as people—our personalities, our beliefs, our experiences in the world.

One of the experiences I endured as a child was bullying. From fourth grade to eighth grade it was a constant part of my life, and, in some ways, it shaped the person I am today. For example, it made me resilient enough to keep writing despite receiving about a zillion rejections from editors in the last 20 years. Okay, maybe not quite a zillion. But, trust me, it’s a big number.

Who knows . . . if I hadn’t been bullied, maybe I wouldn’t be writing today. I might have given up a long time ago.

When I decided to start researching animal superlatives (biggest, strongest, fastest) a few years ago, I found myself connecting with the anti-superlative animals (smallest, slowest, shyest, clumsiest,—even stinky-est). One morning, I woke up with the beginning of the book in my head, and I knew I was on to something.

Writing this book meant revisiting a painful part of my past, but it has already also allowed me to connect with educators who have previewed it in truly special ways. All my books are about
science ideas that I’m passionate about, but this book is also about offering hope to kids who really need it. 

Why did you focus on these eight special characteristics?  How did you choose the animals to represent these characteristics?

I’m so glad you asked this question, Margie, because it gives me a chance to geek out about nonfiction text structure—one of my favorite topics.

Like many of my books (and STEM-themed nonfiction picture books by other writers),
Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs is a concept book with a compare and contrast text structure. There is a main idea—surprising adaptations (body features and/or behaviors) can help animals survive—and then lots of examples. Some people call this a list book, and fact-loving kids adore them.

It might seem like the order of the animals in the book is random, but it’s not. And one day, when I’m in the middle of a school visit program, a child who hardly ever seems engaged in school will shock teachers by suddenly raising his/her hand and excitedly pointing out the pattern to me—a pattern that most other people never notice.

That’s the child I write for because he or she is an analytical thinker, a budding scientist or engineer who needs all the encouragement I can possibly provide. Info-kids don’t connect to narratives the way many teachers think they should, but they love expository literature.

So what’s the pattern in Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers? Actually, it’s multi-layered.

As you mentioned, there are eight characteristics featured in the book.

First layer: The number of pages devoted to each one alternates. Two spreads, one spread, two spreads, one spread, etc.

Second layer: The first four characteristics focus on adaptations that help animals stay safe, while the second four characteristics highlight adaptations for getting food or conserving energy, so less food is needed.

Here’s the chart I made to keep myself on track as I was revising.

In some ways, the structure grew out of the animal examples I had to choose from, but in other ways, the structure determined the animals I selected. There was a lot of back and forth to create a book that includes great examples AND has a great pattern. It’s important to have both because even if readers don’t recognize the pattern, they feel it. It affects the pacing and the page turns, so it’s critical to the experience of reading the book.

Thank you Melissa! 

I am so happy to have you here today Stephanie.  I thank you for taking time away from your work to chat with us.

Thank you so much! It’s a pleasure & an honor to speak with you!

When you plan for creating images for a title how does your process begin before you go to Adobe Photoshop?  Do you design a layout?  Do you complete sketches?  Do you do research first?

I always start with photo reference. No matter how stylized my work will be, I make sure that I have lots of photo reference to work from. You have to know the rules to be able to break them, as they say, and the better an understanding I have of an animal’s anatomy, the better decisions I can make about which forms to exaggerate for the sake of expression, while keeping these distortions believable. Sometimes I will read articles about a particular animal to better understand their habitat, what critters might coexist with them, or to learn some interesting habits they might have. It helps to create a more compelling illustration & to build off of the author’s text.

After I have my reference, I do very rough thumbnails, keeping things loose. This is how I figure out compositions & solve the bigger problems in layout. After that, I do a rough layout in Photoshop, using the page template of the book to figure out text layout & to make sure nothing important is lost in the gutter.

After the roughs are approved, I work directly from the rough file in Photoshop to bring the spread to full color. It makes my workflow much more smooth & fast to work this way.

If someone looks at the body of your work in children’s literature, it appears you enjoy illustrating animals more than any other subject? Why is this?  

It’s true, I love drawing animals! I think there a couple of reasons for this, the simplest one being that I don’t enjoy drawing humans as much as animals, haha! Beyond that, I was always into animals, even as a kid. I had a variety of pets growing up, such as dogs, gerbils, anoles, fish & rats, & I was always very interested in nature documentaries (and still am!) I even considered pursuing a career in biology or veterinary sciences at one point. I feel as though I have hit a good balance at this point with my artwork, in that I can still be immersed in the animal world, even focusing on more scientific elements, while being expressive & creative at the same time.

And if I can sneak in one more question . . . there is a good deal of humor in your illustrations for this book. Why?    

That’s a great question! I think mostly it’s because humor is FUN to illustrate! I LOVE pushing poses, facial expressions & actions as far as I can! Even when I do nonfiction works, I try my best to keep some elements of humor or push the expressions in my animals as much as I can, because really, animals in their most basic environment have these sorts of funny mannerisms. I think the fact that I am also an avid animation fan contributes to this - I loved The Lion King as a kid & really loved the balance of animals still running around on all fours, but having human-like mannerisms & expressions, including humor.

Thank you Stephanie!

All Together Now

It was early morning.  The sun was not up yet but the birds were.  Their different songs were like instruments in an orchestra tuning before a performance.  Off in the woods a squirrel chattering with gusto scolded an intruder.  Branches snapped as a startled deer ran.  Soon hundreds of bees would hum flitting from blossom to blossom.  The number of living beings sharing space with us is huge and amazing.

As is with many things, if we pause and ponder, we realize all kinds of life in all shapes and sizes swirl around us at all times.  We are part of a much greater whole.  Fur, Feather, Fin: All Of Us Are Kin (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, May 1, 2018) written by Diane Lang with illustrations by Stephanie Laberis addresses the similarities and differences in the families of creatures on our planet.

All animals on Earth are kin,
while not the same on the outside or in.
Some we stroke with loving hand;
some we don't yet understand. 

Mammals, that's us too, do not hatch their babies.  We are all born.  Birds come from eggs but their gift is feathers whether they fly or not.  Some use their wings to move on land or in the water.  From fur to feathers to skin smooth to the touch now we have amphibians.

This is a family with big alterations.  Masses of eggs in water, swimming tadpoles and then like magic we get a frog, toad, or a newt.  A change of skin texture helps to regulate body temperature in the following family.

They move on land and through the water, slowly or quickly.  They can even scoop out a place to keep them safe.  You never know what a reptile will do.  Do you know what group has jointed legs and hard exteriors?

Creeping, crawling, flying and fluttering arthropods travel under water, across land and in the air.  (They do tend to eat each other, sometimes.)  Breathing under water with gills plus their bones distinguish fish from other animals.  Do they all look alike?  Not always.  And are there others making their homes in the water?  Yes!  Can you name one?

There is a special kind of creature whose work is never done.  They make what is dead and gone into something rich and new.  Detritivores are essential to the cycle of life.  With every breath we take, many others are doing it right along with us.


Each phrase or sentence supplies a soothing rhythm for readers as Diane Lang carefully creates rhyming words at the end of each line.  Each of three couplets for the families, mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, arthropods, fish, water dwellers, and detritivores, contains distinguishing facts about them.  An introduction and conclusion bring us full circle.  Listen for the beat.  Here are two couplets.

Metamorphosis:  the road
for changing tadpole into toad . . .

or salamander,
frog,
or newt.
And at the end, a whole new suit!


A pristine white canvas highlights the array of animals on the matching, opened dust jacket and book case.  You almost expect them to run right off the page. The tiny intricate details are a request for readers to stop and see how many animals they can find.  How many can they name? 

To the left, on the back, a similar twist and turn has a different group of creatures following a path.  On the opening and closing endpapers a beautiful blue-hued sky is patterned with puffy clouds.  Two sea gulls travel past those clouds.  You will notice the change in their position from the front to the back.

On the verso and title pages a panoramic beach scene spreads before us.  A woman and two children are walking toward the water. On the next double page picture, the little girl and little boy are watching all the animals in a tide pool. (The trio is highlighted on the final two-page illustration of a closer view of the ocean.  There are lots of animals to find here.)

Stephanie Laberis alternates between vast two-page pictures, groupings of smaller images on one or two pages and single-page visuals.  These elevate the pacing while giving readers views of a wide range of animals.  Her illustrations are in full color, depicting different kinds of weather, seasons and settings.

One of my many favorite images is on a single page.  Rain slants across a gray sky.  Moving in close it pelts the feathers of a loon.  Its wing is raised to provide shelter for five furry babies in the nest.  They are in various stages of sleep and wakefulness.  Reeds frame the birds on the right and left.


As soon as readers and listeners are shown this book, Fur, Feather, Fin: All Of Us Are Kin written by Diane Lang with illustrations by Stephanie Laberis, I can guarantee they will move in closer to notice all the animals shown in the wonderful images and portrayed with the poetic, factual words.  This title could be used to begin a unit on animals in general, diversity in the animal world or to begin a study of a particular group.  It will spark awareness and promote research.  You will want to have more animal books ready.  At the close in an author's note more explanations are offered about similarities, differences, how we can help animals now and resources.  You will want to have a copy of this book for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Diane Lang and Stephanie Laberis and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Diane has activities to download.  Stephanie maintains Instagram and Twitter accounts.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.



Be sure 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.