On Being The Oldest Sibling

Being the oldest child in a family has perks.  In the beginning, as the only child you are everything to your parents.  Every single first is documented.  With the arrival of a younger sibling, everything shifts away from you.  This is a bit of a shock.  The shock grows larger when another realization dawns.

You are assigned more responsibilities.  It's safe to say, some are okay.  Others stink, literally and figuratively.  In The Baby-Changing Station (Megan Tingley Books, Little, Brown And Company, August 2, 2022) written by Rhett Miller with illustrations by Dan Santat, older brother James initially believes a wish has been granted.  He learns, as most of us do, to be careful about making wishes.

People have names

And my name is James.

I'm a regular ten-year-old kid.

I always thought

I was nice but I'm not.

I feel bad 'bout this thing that I did.

James is lamenting the fact he is no longer in the spotlight.  Joe, his new baby brother, has taken this from him.  Everything Joe does is adorable, even the gross stuff.  If James commits even the tiniest infraction, in his parent's eyes he is not nice.  James begins to plot how to get rid of Joe. Taking him back to a store or sending him in return mail are out of the equation.

When Thursday rolls around, the family goes to The Magical Pan, the best pizzeria in town.  Mom, Dad, and James are stuffed with this delicious treat, when Joe starts to grimace.  Then, the air fills with a tell-tale odor.  

Dad looks at Mom.  Mom looks at Dad.  They both look at James.  James reluctantly takes Joe to the men's room Baby-Changing Station.  Surprisingly efficient, probably motivated by the smell, James has Joe clean and happy in a jiffy.  It is then that James notices a screen over the table.

The screen offers to make Joe disappear with a push of a button.  In his place, there are three options (cool stuff to own).  A huge plus is all memories of Joe will be erased from the family's minds.  As each choice appears, James has visions of future fun.  A countdown from ten to zero begins on this one time offer.  Will he or won't he push that button?  A single word shouted at the end gives us a warm-hearted answer.

By the time you get to the second six line stanza in this narrative, the cadence captures you to the point you might be ready to dance.  James's first person rhyming words by Rhett Miller speak to the truth a first child feels when a younger brother or sister arrives.  Readers will readily find themselves laughing at the dilemma Joe presents to James.  The screen above the baby-changing station seemingly granting James's fervent wish is sheer genius as are James's thoughts when each option is presented.  The rhyming beat, the first person viewpoint, the humor, and the three choices all build toward a conclusion certain to elicit a sigh of satisfaction from readers.  Here is another passage.

Before I could question

This crazy contention

A picture appeared on the screen.

Some weird-looking glasses

With high-tech attachments,

Camouflage, dark brown and green. 

NIGHT VISION SPECS

TWO COMPLETE SETS

ALLOW YOU TO SEE IN THE DARK

(Page turn completes stanza)

As soon as you see the open dust jacket, with Dan Santat's signature artwork, you know you are in for an interpretive pictorial treat.  In both images, right front and left back, the screen above the changing table holds text.  On the front James and stinky Joe have just entered the men's room.  (Notice the green fumes.)  On the back, Joe sits on the changing table, clean and much less smelly.  He is wide-eyed with his head and eyes raised.  Above him, the sign makes the first verbal announcement.  One look at this and readers will laugh out loud.

On the book case, we zoom in to the changing table, pre-change.  On the right side, Joe down to his diaper seems to be oblivious to the fumes.  On the left, James has laid out all the necessary supplies.  He has wipes, a towel, a clean diaper, pins, and BABY BUTTER.

On the opening and closing endpapers are eight different kinds of diaper folds.  Each one is labeled next to diagrams indicating numbered steps.  Who knew?

These illustrations 

were done in color pencil, watercolor, and Adobe Photoshop.

Each image, single-page or double-page, enhances the text with extra doses of comedy.  The facial expressions are off-the-charts funny.  Usually, we are brought close to the characters and their actions like when Joe is grimacing and loading his diaper as Mom, Dad, and James watch with apprehension.  When James is imagining three different futures with one of the possible selections, readers will wish they could jump into the scene.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a two-page visual.  It is nighttime.  A large dark area with scalloped edging on the corners fills the pages.  There is a sprinkling of stars.  Four boys with flashlights are shining them in the park.  Three are in the background and one is closer to the front on the left.  On most of the right side and with some crossing of the gutter is James and Baby Joe.  Baby Joe is wearing a onesie and carrying a flag.  Both boys are running with mouths wide open and arms spread at their sides.  They are the only two wearing night-vision goggles.  They have captured the flag and a ton of fun.

In this book, The Baby-Changing Station written by Rhett Miller with illustrations by Dan Santat, readers will connect with the family dynamics depicted in exuberant rhyming words and equally rambunctious artwork.  They will knowingly laugh and rejoice at the uplifting ending.  This will be a much requested story time title.  I highly recommend it for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Rhett Miller and Dan Santat and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Rhett Miller has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Rhett Miller and Dan Santat were interviewed about this book at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production by Betsy Bird.

Then. Now. Every Day.

Most nights near midnight when stepping outside for a final walk with my canine companion, the stillness is absolute.  There is not a breath of air stirring through the evergreen boughs or shaking now leafless branches in the trees. There is no birdsong and the owls are not yet hooting.  In this serenity with closed eyes, the only sound is the steady beating of my heart and the rhythm of my breath going in and out.

These moments are enchanting and filled with promise.  In her first picture book, Long Ago, on a Silent Night (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., September 3, 2019) author Julie Berry tells the story of the birth of a baby thousands of years ago which is commemorated each year at Christmas.  She weaves into this the present-day birth and infancy of a mother's first child.  Powerful, gorgeous illustrations by Annie Won cast a celestial glow on every word.

Long ago, and far away,
A baby was born on Christmas Day.
Shepherds knelt and angels sang
Till the night sky with rejoicing rang.  . . .

A mother feels the same rejoicing as she looks at her firstborn.  She believes as the mother long ago, a new child is a precious gift.  All those tender moments shared thousands of years ago are shared now.  A soft song soothes. 

It is said at the birth all those years ago, the animals, out of love for the boy, began to speak.  Perhaps at midnight every year, they still do.  This new mother and her husband speak with love, too.  They learn to experience life through the expressions of their new baby.  Then, as others sought the birth of

A prince of peace, a chosen one,

so, too, do the elders of this new baby.

This new child takes the everyday and makes it extraordinary.  As the days passed then and as they pass now, they and the child living in them are cherished.  No act is too small.

On that night thousands of years ago, those in attendance knew themselves to be in the presence of one sent from heaven.  Our narrator, believes her child is from heaven, also.  (Do not all mothers know this to be true?)  As the final written words are read, a great happiness wraps around you.


Like a carol the words written by Julie Berry softly sing out and envelope your soul.  Her words paint pictures as surely as an artist does with a brush.  Her rhyming phrases deftly bring the past into the present with eloquence.  For each series of sentences describing the birth long ago, she follows these and pairs them with realizations of the mother in the present.  By repeating Long ago we not only are reminded of the past, but this leads us to the wonderful final six lines.  Here is a single passage.

Long ago, on a silent night,
Travelers followed a new star's light
Bearing gifts of love to welcome a child
Who would one day calm a tempest wild,
And teach mercy and gentleness as he grew.

My love, you're a gentle teacher, too.


Breathtaking is a word that comes to mind when you look at the open dust jacket.  On the front illustrator Annie Won places the present-day mother holding her new child, eyes closed in love, contentment and gratitude.  The window curtain billowing with a gentle breeze is like a shawl.  The royal blue sky perfectly highlights the stars, text, mother and her child. I love the child's gaze looking out at us.

On the other side of the spine, but still appearing as an extension of the front image, is Mary holding Jesus.  The architecture of the building behind them seems to be part of the curtain with its angle and curves.  The sky is lighter at the horizon, but a large star seems within the grasp of mother and child.  In the lower, left-hand corner there are slightly rolling hills and some grass.

On the book case there is another stunning display of the past and present mingling.  On the left an enormous star shines among others.  This depiction is presented as part of a star from long ago on the right.  Beneath this starry cluster on the left is a bridge and cityscape in the present.  On the right, high on a rocky cliff, is a tent with a fire blazing in front of it.  Three travelers and several camels are also present.  Underneath the ledge are three gifts.  This is the first of several illustrations with the Magi.

On the opening endpapers the three men are traveling across an ocean on the left at night toward the present-day cityscape on the right.  Their vessel is ancient.  One is holding a map.  The huge star sits over the city.  Clouds billow into the sky at the horizon.  On the verso an image of a snow globe with the Holy Family is placed between the present-day child's teddy bear, tiny shoes and Christmas ornaments.  Light from this moves across the gutter to the title text.  In not wanting to spoil the reading for others, I will say nothing of the closing endpapers except to say, I think they are brilliant.

Each illustration, a two-page masterpiece is a glorious presentation, an enhancement and expansion of the text.  Some of the images shift perspectives from one point to the next in the present and in the past.  Others focus close to the child now.  In all of them are exquisite details welcoming you to pause on every page turn.  In each picture there are stars.  The symbolism embedded in some of the visuals is stunning.  You could frame each and every one of these pictures for display in a gallery. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a crisp cold December day in the present.  On the left snow and frosty lace cover the page.  On a branch from the top left side to the right side, sit two rose-breasted grosbeaks.  They are looking to the right.  A third rose-breasted grosbeak, wings a flutter, looks to the right also.  The frosty lace frames a window on the right.  Through the window, we see the father holding his child and the kitten.  The mother is next to them. The child hugs his teddy bear.  These beings fill the frame.  Their facial expressions are full of love and joy.  A golden light shimmers in this scene, along with a scattering of stars. 


This book, Long Ago, on a Silent Night written by Julie Berry with illustrations by Annie Won is a lovely, luminous look at the love of a mother for her newborn child.  In an author's note and illustrator's note on the verso (dedication and publication information) page, we know the depth of these creators' commitment to bringing a title filled with joy to readers. In this, they have accomplished their desire.  This is a title for your personal and professional shelves to be read and shared for years to come.

To learn more about Julie Berry and Annie Won and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites. Julie Berry has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Annie Won has accounts on Facebook and Instagram. 

A Letter Tells A Tale

Children enjoy playing with the sounds made by letters and words.  The rhythms made by combinations of the two are like a symphony to them.  If what they are hearing has a melody, they are more likely to remember it. 

When you simply start humming the alphabet song (copyright 1834 by Charles Bradlee), most children with an English language background will easily start to sing the song.  You can see they have a sense of pride in remembering the order of the letters in this alphabet.  Another use of language in which they have fun is alliteration.  B Is for Baby (Candlewick Press, March 12, 2019) written by Atinuke with illustrations by Angela Brooksbank uses a single letter, words beginning with that letter and brings a bonanza of bliss to book lovers.

B is for 
Baby.

This baby is eager to have her mother weave beads into her hair.  A large basket filled with bananas captures her attention.  She crawls inside and eats one for her breakfast.

Her older brother, dancing to tunes heard through his headset attached to a music player, puts the lid on the basket and loads it on the back of his bicycle.  Does he see the baby?  He does not.  He pedals his bike, riding down the less than smooth road.

As they travel toward Baba's home, the baby in the basket with the bananas sees many things along the road starting with the letter "b".  The lid is lost when a curious baboon steals it.  Groups of people on foot and riding in a vehicle wait to cross the bridge over a stream.

Baba's home and the flowers around it use the letter "b" to name them.  Who do you think is more surprised to see the baby inside the basket of bananas?  Baba?  Brother? After a snack, brother and baby sister return home through a bounty of words beginning with the letter "b".


As you read each sentence, B is for  ____, you do so with appreciation for the manner in which author and storyteller Atinuke connects them together.  She takes us through an entire day using only words beginning with a single letter.  We begin at one home, travel down a road, arrive at another home and circle back to the beginning.  It's a brilliant use of a figure of speech.  Supplying punctuation, periods, exclamation points and a question mark, adds to the cadence of the narrative.


How can you look at the front of the matching dust jacket and book case without smiling?  I'm positive I can hear the giggles of a baby.  This adorable child, in her colorful clothes, is downright huggable.  To the left, on the back, her older brother, listening to his music, has grasped her hands and is dancing with her.  The creme canvas showcases the bright, lively hues in the children's clothing.

Shades of red and creme are used in a vibrant pattern on the opening and closing endpapers.  It's an enlarged version of the cloth used in the mother's dress.  With a page turn a double-page illustration spreads across the verso and title pages.  It shows the family's house with the mother holding her baby in the foreground on the right.  The scene, especially with all the people on the porch of the house, reflects a happy home.

Using mixed media on a white background, artist Angela Brooksbank supplies readers with lush images, some double-page pictures and others full-page images.  To supply readers with pacing, several smaller illustrations are also grouped together on a single page.  To give readers a sense of the objects noted, our point of view is close.  For us to appreciate the flora and fauna, Angela Brooksbank gives us a larger perspective, at times at bird's eye view. 

Every picture is fully animated (except for one).  We feel as though we've been invited to join the story.  Readers will pause on many of the pages to further savor the wonderful elements.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for B is for Baboon.  It is a double-page picture.  A single tree trunk extends from the grass on the left with branches arching along the top of both pages.  A troop of baboons are sitting on or hanging from the limbs.  Up close on the left, one baboon is holding the lid for the basket it grabbed as the bicycle passed.  On the right the brother is riding along, listening to his music and smiling, oblivious to his surroundings.  On the back of the bicycle, the baby is looking rather surprised, nestled as she is among the bananas.


B Is for Baby written by Atinuke with illustrations by Angela Brooksbank is a treasure of an alphabet book for its word play and for the revealed story.  For those not familiar with the setting or some of the words, it's a fabulous title to use for expanding vocabulary and knowledge of places unlike your own.  This book is highly recommended for your personal and professional book collections.

To learn more about Atinuke and Angela Brooksbank and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Atinuke has an account on Facebook.  Angela Brooksbank has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At Penguin Random House you can view the endpapers, verso and title pages and the first double-page picture.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson features this book on her site, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

Pondering Purpose And Life's Passions

To think about possible outcomes, to envision a future full of the best life offers to us and what we can give back, is how we fill our hearts with hope.  As adults our purpose as we pursue our passions is to pave the way for opportunities for those who follow us.  As my mom always loved to say, "Wherever you go, leave it better than when you arrived."

In Matthew Cordell's first book in a proposed series, Wish (Disney Hyperion, March 3, 2015) elephant parents long for a child.  The arrival of this member in their family, after disappointments, is as if a miracle is granted to them.  The second book, Dream (Disney Hyperion, May 2, 2017) written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell extends and explores the overwhelming pure bliss parents feel when their baby enters their lives.

On the night you were born,
our world shined
bright as the sun.

Gorilla parents gaze with complete amazement at their new child as if hardly able to believe such joy is their joy.  Before them they see a life about to unfold.  This new life will change everything; change them.  As they fall asleep together, one dreams.

In the dream the eyes and voice of the child are remembered with great affection.  The parent imagines the growth of the children in its ability to grip its fingers and climb to new heights.  Huge emotions, some of them contrasting, are woven tightly together by these thoughts.

As the dream continues the child, more grown, ventures to new places.  A friend is found.  Play and similar pursuits are shared.  A bond is forged.  But then profound sadness comes and the parent will do anything to ease this particular pain.

The parent's thoughts keep on unfolding a possible future.  The child is a young adult having followed a passion for making art as a painter.  Upon waking questions and promises swirl in the parent's mind.  Birth.  Beginnings.


No matter how many times this title is read one thing is abundantly clear, love pours forth from these pages.  Matthew Cordell conveys in his carefully chosen words the deep emotions felt by parents when a child they believe will never be born arrives.  Matthew allows us to speculate along with the parent.

As the parent shares their dream you realize you are privy to an intimate experience.  In this small being a personality is ready to blossom and flower spreading their own special beauty into the world.  When we read we can't help but wonder how the rest of our lives will be directed.  What will we dream?  Here are two more sentences.

I dreamed of the many stars
in your small eyes.

Of the music in your voice surrounding
everything, everyone, everywhere.


The soothing mint green as a background for the front of the dust jacket lends itself to dreaming.  The multi-colored pieces spiraling upward from the child signify a wish realized.  They and the title text are varnished. This wonderment follows him throughout the story.  To the left, on the back, one of the interior images is placed.  A parent (mother) is standing outside their home as the other (father), on top of a hill above the house, holds the child up looking into his eyes.  On the book case another interior picture is shared on a canvas of rich lavender, showing the child in five separate phases of growth.  The opening and closing endpapers are patterned in the confetti representing wishes and dreams.

Above the text on the title page the parents are kneeling, both looking at their baby in adoration.  An elaborate curl or question mark in the multi-colored pieces extends upward from the little one.  With a page turn we see two pages of white.  On the far right a gorilla hand reaches from the bottom of the page.  It is holding a paint brush, stroking a line of green.  Throughout the story we come to understand a picture is being painted as elements in the visual are added.  This is blended in with the illustrations Matthew creates using bamboo pen and India ink and watercolor on paper.  Without words the final painting appears on the last two pages.  I can't wait to ask other readers who they think paints this picture during the story.

The illustrations in Matthew's signature style, loose lines, intricate details, and expressive facial features amid wonderful settings are set in liberal amounts of white space.  This technique draws our attention to those items in color.  The perspective is shifted to bring us close to the parents and their child or to give us a larger view of their surroundings.  Sometimes the pictures will cover one or even two pages loosely framed or page edge to page edge.  To depict several incidents over time, there are smaller visuals grouped on a single page.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is for the words

A great journey was beginning
on this very bright night. 

A deep blue sky is brushed across the top of the page with stars and a crescent moon.  The mother and father gorilla are standing in front of their home.  One (the mother) is holding the child up toward the sky.  A large pathway of the multi-colored pieces reaches from them covering the sky as it lifts upward. ( I determined the one gorilla was the mother because it looks as if the other larger gorilla is a silverback.)


It does not matter if you are a parent or not or if you are a child reading this book.  Dream written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell is about hope.  Children are our hope.  They are the promise of a future.  This title tells them love will follow them as they dream of the paths they may follow.  These two books Wish and Dream are truly beautiful.

To learn more about Matthew Cordell and his other work please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Matthew chats with author James Preller on this blog about the first book but this gives you an idea of how the proposed trilogy will be portrayed.  Matthew has an account on Instagram at cordell_matthew.  Enjoy these two images I was able to find online.

Two Halves Of A Happy Whole

Children are attracted to puppies.  Puppies gravitate toward children.  You simply can't keep them apart.  Once they have been introduced to one another, they are inseparable.  After visiting an elementary school classroom several times, my sixth month old puppy instantly perks up at the sound of children's voices.  These younger humans and their canine counterparts share much in common.

Yesterday was National Puppy Day, a celebration started in 2006 to recognize how human lives are changed when puppies enter them.  (It also helps to bring awareness to the many orphan puppies needing forever homes.)  One of the most delightful new titles to express this irrepressible joy is Puppy, Puppy, Puppy (Boyd Mills Press, an imprint of Highlights, April 4, 2017) written by Julie Sternberg with illustrations by Fred Koehler.

As the sun rises,
Baby enjoys breakfast,
and Puppy enjoys breakfast.
And Baby says,
"Puppy."

As the morning progresses Baby and Puppy get dressed or is it make a mess?  Gardening takes on a whole new meaning.  Mom and Dad are carefully turning the soil among the flowering masses.  The youngest duo are enjoying the benefits of a hose, plucking a bunch of flowers and wearing dirt is the new attire of the day.

Bath time is a mix of suds and mud; footprints and pawprints patterned on the bathroom floor and wall.  Whew!  After all this morning excitement it is time for a snooze.  Baby is tucked away in one place and Puppy is gated in another space.  Two tuckered-out parents slump side by side in sleep.

Puppy spies Baby's toy.  No gate is going to stop this puppy from spending time with a pal.  No crib is going to stop this baby from being with a best buddy.  While parents rest and later as the afternoon passes, Baby and Puppy are stuck together by friendship glue.

As the night sky darkens Puppy and Baby prepare for bedtime.  They must be exhausted by now, but not too tired to raise a chorus at the moon.  How long will they slumber?  Only the sun knows.


Author Julie Sternberg starts with a trio of paragraphs sharing the same rhythmic sentences only altering the activity for each.  This firmly establishes the reader's presence within the story.  Bathtime and naptime break this pace but create new ones.  The original beat begins anew as Sternberg reinforces the bond formed between the baby and the puppy as the afternoon continues and the day closes.  Here is the naptime passage.

Baby wails,
"Puppy!
Puppy!
Puppy!"

Puppy cries.
Baby cries.

Mommy and Daddy say,
"Shh, Puppy.  Puppy, shh.
Shh, shh, shh."


I don't know how you can look at the matching dust jacket and book case without smiling or laughing out loud.  Those pawprints and handprints all over the title text and the puppy enjoying the baby's spilled food speak volumes.  The pale yellow background superbly accents the other elements on the front.  To the left, on the back, is a scene from nighttime slumber of Baby curled on the floor and Puppy using the child as a pillow.  The opening and closing endpapers are the same bright, sky blue as the title text.

Fred Koehler does not waste any space beginning the pictorial story on the title page.  Surprised parents are standing with gift-giving grandparents as Baby opens a box with Puppy leaning out.  The happiness on Puppy's and Baby's faces express an instant bond.  Opposite the verso page on the dedication page Baby and Puppy are eye-to-eye, each one clasping their treasured toys.

Rendered digitally Koehler extends the text with humor in his pictures which will have you giggling throughout the narrative.  It's the expressions on the parent's faces amid the chaos created by Puppy and Baby which tell another tale.  Most of the visuals extend page edge to page edge across two pages.

His backgrounds are usually the pale yellow, a pale blue or a dark purplish brown.  These backgrounds hold the setting done in line drawings and varied hues of the background color.  The main elements are done in full color.  It's a wonderful effect.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is the garden scene.  It is a pale yellow background with lighter yellow clouds.  Across a portion of the lower half is a garden full of red flowers.  On the left, at the top of the garden, Mommy and Daddy are working.  Mommy is bent over either digging or hoeing.  Daddy has stopped and is leaning with one hand on his shovel.  His other hand is pointed toward Mommy's shoulder.  You can almost hear him saying, "Ah dear, you might want to look at Baby and Puppy."  The toys, the bone and blue monster, are sticking out of the mud.  The puppy is spraying the hose at Baby.  Baby is pulling out flowers.  They are both literally coated in mud.


Puppy, Puppy, Puppy written by Julie Sternberg with illustrations by Fred Koehler is absolutely perfect for National Puppy Day or any day of the year when you want to share the delight of a baby and puppy together.  This blend of story and illustrations is guaranteed to generate laughter.  These two, an author and an illustrator, certainly know how to present the essence of puppies and babies within the pages of a book.

To learn more about Julie Sternberg and Fred Koehler and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Julie Sternberg is featured at HenryHerz.com, and All The Wonders, Let's Get Busy, Episode 198 with teacher librarian Matthew Winner.  Fred Koehler is showcased at The Writers' Loop, The Picturebooking Podcast, and All The Wonders, Let's Get Busy, Episode 240 with Matthew Winner.

Look Out, There's A New Face In The Family

Nine days ago my life completely changed... for the good but it is exhausting.  It's been a little more than sixteen years since a puppy was a member of my home.  At two months old Mulan, a chocolate Labrador, is full of energy, teething and trying to get the hang of relieving herself outdoors.  Everything chewable is now placed above five feet.  I am on alert 24/7 gauging the amount of time between food, drink and the last time we were outside.  Her schedule has become my schedule until we can get adjusted to one another.

Last night was the first time we slept more than four hours (which was a huge relief considering I slept in my clothes for several nights, not the same clothes, of course).  There was a mini wake-up but soothing words did the trick and the sweet pup went back to dreaming.  The Boss Baby (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, August 31 2010) written and illustrated by Marla Frazee is about a newcomer with a mind of his own.

He has huge demands which take every single second of Mom's and Dad's time.  He becomes the center of attention.  If all his wants are not met, he puts up an enormous fuss.

His meetings are Mom and Dad trying everything under the sun to make their son satisfied.  He does not care one iota about what time of day or night these occur.  Trying to understand him is nearly impossible because his language is gibberish to their adult ears.

One day no matter what he does, his workers fail to perform.  Nothing seems to get their attention until he does something he has never done.  The results are better than expected.  Is there anything better than being in charge?


Given the laws of life and nature, what goes up must come down.  In other words the Boss Baby is blissfully unaware his authority is about to be challenged.  The Bossier Baby, a companion title, (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, November 1, 2016) written and illustrated by Marla Frazee, shows how upsetting a shift can be for a smooth running company...er...family.

From the moment his baby sister arrived,
the Boss Baby had a feeling that change was in the air.

She has a plan and she is sticking to it.  Her first order of business is to put new leadership in place.  She is now in charge...of everything.

She is even more vocal than the Boss Baby which if you recall he set new records in the bossy department.  Mom and Dad don't seem to mind all this noise.  In fact the Boss Baby is saddened by their total delight in the Bossier Baby.  Her on-the-job perks are much better than his.  How come he never had

a full-time social media team?

The Boss Baby is getting angrier by the minute.  To add fuel to his fury, no one seems to care.  His shocking actions go unnoticed.  So he does something he has never done.

Little-miss-in-charge-of-everything makes a discovery.  You will not believe what the Bossier Baby, the Chief Executive Officer, the CEO, does.  It is something she has never done before.  All appears to be running smoothly.  Or is it?


In both these titles Marla Frazee puts a brilliant spin on the arrival of a new baby in a home.  Her narratives equating the youngsters as the heads of a company are hilarious in their exactness.  In both titles an unseen narrator is assessing the situation as an astute observer.

The tone of each book is straightforward never missing a beat with perfect pacing adding to the comedic effect.  Her descriptions of the meetings, the perks and the

out of the box

thinking by both the Boss Baby and the Bossier Baby are exceedingly creative and clever.  The private jet for Boss Baby is a plane-shaped swing and the private limo for the Bossier Baby is a ritzy, cushioned baby buggy.  Here are passages from each book.

He made demands.
Many, many demands.
And he was quite particular.
If things weren't done to his immediate satisfaction,
he had a fit. 

The first thing the new executive did was outline her business plan and restructure the organization...
from the top down.


In both books the opened matching dust jackets and book cases introduce readers to the no nonsense characters by placing them front and center.  To the left, on the back, of each, the main characters are being catered to by the staff, Mom and Dad.  The opening and closing endpapers on the first title are a happy pattern of baby toys in shades of pink, blue and white. In the companion book there is a geometric, retro design of squares and rectangles with Etch A Sketches prominently in view and part of the mix for the endpapers in yellow, grays, red and orange.

On both of the title pages you have to smile at the scene of each baby arriving at their home.  In the first he is sitting in a rather large backseat, consulting his watch with a huge briefcase on his lap. The Bossier Baby arrives in a snazzy car with her small head, a single curl on top peering out the back window.  She is, of course, wearing sunglasses.

Marla Frazee rendered the art in these books using

black Prismacolor pencil and gouache on Strathmore 2-ply cold press paper.  

Her line work and design are unmistakable giving her images texture and loads of animation.  Many of her illustrations span two pages but her perspectives vary expanding the text.  To provide pacing and slowing the narrative, a single page picture is used or a series of smaller vignettes depict the passage of time.  The expressions on the babies' faces and their body postures (on Mom and Dad too) will have you laughing out loud.

One of my favorite illustrations from the first book spans two pages.  Mom and Dad, looking the worse for wear and barely awake, are standing in front of a crib with Boss Baby making demands in the middle of the night.  He is wearing footie pajamas in black with a tie.  His open brief case is next to him in bed.  A Calder style mobile hangs from the ceiling over his crib.  He is holding a long page enumerating his wants and needs.

One of my favorite illustrations from the second book is when the Bossier Baby enters the home for the first time.  She strides in pushing her sunglasses up on her forehead wearing a classic pearl necklace.   She is caring her Etch A Sketch.  Boss Baby is watching, pressed against the wall and looking aghast.  On the right-hand side of the page Mom and Dad are thrilled with her arrival.  A picture of the original trio is on a nearby table beneath a retro sunburst clock.


The Boss Baby and The Bossier Baby written and illustrated by Marla Frazee are sure to ignite bouts of giggles in readers of all ages.  We all know what it's like to have our lives turned topsy-turvy by a "boss".  These bosses are starting at a very early age.  Who knows what the future holds for either of them.  Whatever it is, there is bound to be lots of humor involved.

To learn more about Marla Frazee and her other remarkable works, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website you can read about the inspiration for the first title. You will enjoy reading The Boss Baby Gets a Starring Role---and Second Billing at Publishers Weekly.  Marla Frazee is a guest at educator and administrator for the Plum Creek Festival, Dylan Teut's blog Mile High Reading.  All The Wonders, Episode 304 by teacher librarian Matthew Winner features Marla Frazee.  Andrea Skyberg hosts a tour of Marla Frazee's studio.




Marla Frazee from Adam Goodwin on Vimeo.

A Common Ground

It seems as though in the circle of life those at the beginning and those at the end embrace everything around them with a similar energy and outlook.  When beings are seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching something for the first time it's charged with emotion.  Unless the circumstances are threatening, it's usually with a sense of wonder.  As our days become numbered, even if those somethings have been seen, heard, smelled, tasted and touched before or perhaps many times, they become sharper, clearer and more meaningful.

The very young and the very old know how to live in the moment.  In Old Dog Baby Baby (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, October 11, 2016) written by Julie Fogliano with art by Chris Raschka we are gifted with a portrait of this shared experience.  It is a love letter to seeking joy.

old dog
lazy
lazy
lying on the
kitchen floor

One look at an old dog and you know they have the wisdom of their ages in their faces.  They know when to sleep and when not to sleep.  Watching them rest in ease grants the viewer a feeling of peace.  Comfort caresses them and youthful dreams envelope them.

Although their body posture may not initially acknowledge it, if their space is shared with another, they will be fully aware.  When a baby comes creeping along the kitchen floor, a happy exclamation pushing aside the curtain of quiet, the old dog lifts up her head and looks.  Canine sniffs and canine kisses supply a greeting received with glee.

The two, baby and old dog, play with abandon, touching and clutching, pushing and pulling.  Both are grinning.  It's a best buddies' romp.

As you may expect at their respective ages, it is not long before a change takes place.  The once dynamic duo is done.  Look.  Where there was one, now there are two.  Listen.  Can you hear it?  This is a moment for everyone; a bit of the divine.


 Simple but enlightened words written by Julie Fogliano convey the essence of an old dog, a baby and their happy meeting.  Surely she is a student having studied the behavior of babies and old dogs.  Their mannerisms and behaviors are adeptly defined.  Words are repeated for emphasis and pacing.  Words rhyme to create a lively and sweet beat.  Here are two passages.

old dog dreams
old dog twitches
old paw scratches
old ear itches

baby fingers
baby toes
"puppy! puppy!"
baby goes

When Chris Raschka paints we see life in every brush stroke.  Every line is with intention and purpose.  Upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case, the baby and dog are stretched perfectly over the spine to the left on the back.  The affection they have for each other is evident in the child's smile and in the dog's patience.  The basic color palette of red, green, blue, yellow and white of the title text and the child with the white, black and gray of the dog conveys the gentleness and playfulness of the narrative.  A burnt orange covers the opening and closing endpapers.

On the title page the baby is leaning over a green chair, finger touching the old dog's nose as it sits on the other side.  Raschka begins his interpretation of the narrative with a two-page picture on the verso and dedication page.  A child is seated at the kitchen table looking at a photograph album with the old dog sleeping on the floor.

All of the images span two pages with the exception of seven single-page pictures.  All supply us with varying perspectives.  With a page turn we zoom in on the girl and old dog as a woman stops to speak with her.  We get a glimpse of another woman via a single foot and red shoe in the upper, right-hand corner.  With a second page turn we are very close to the dog, now beneath the table.

When the girl leaves we can see she has been viewing pictures of the dog as a puppy. As the baby crawls through the door, our view is larger showing the kitchen counter, an appliance and another table.  On this table is a family photograph, two women, two children and the dog, and a potted flower. It's this dedication to detail and design which makes these illustrations remarkable.

One of my many favorite images is of the old dog and baby rolling on the floor.  Raschka has chosen to only show us the upper portion of their bodies.  On the left, upper section of the visual the dog is positioned with his head upside down, ears flapped to the sides and tongue hanging out, paws pushing.  The baby is on the right toward the bottom.  Arms are wide open, eyes are closed and a huge grin is on the child's face.  You can almost hear the giggles and soft woofs.


Old Dog Baby Baby written by Julie Fogliano with art by Chris Raschka is the best of both worlds, baby and old dog with the heart of a puppy.  The warmth of a happy home in which joy can be freely expressed is evident on each page.  I've lost count of how many times I've read this book.  You'll lose count too.  It's a book to be shared often.

To view two interior pages please follow this link to the publisher's website.  Julie Fogliano maintains a page on Facebook.  Chris Raschka can be found on Twitter.  Julie is interviewed at the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation site.  Lydie Raschka, Chris's wife, talks about his artistic life at The Horn Book.  Chris Raschka is interviewed at Reading Rockets in a series of videos.

A Loving Heart Knows

The first of May was always cause for celebration growing up in my home.  For at least two days cone-shaped baskets with handles would be crafted from colorful construction paper.  On May Day early in the morning before beginning the day's activities or going to school, we would pick small bouquets of flowers from my Mom's gardens, placing them inside the paper containers.  The best part of all came next.

We went like fairies skipping from home to home in the neighborhood hanging the spring treats on door knobs.  Extending small kindnesses to others was one of Mom's gifts.  Mothers instinctively provide comfort.  In Bunny Roo, I Love You (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), April 14, 2015) written by Melissa Marr with illustrations by Teagan White a child is warmly welcomed into their new world by a loving mother.

When I met you, 
you were small
and trembling,
and I thought
you might be
a little bunny.

The unseen narrator, a new mother, carefully watches her child.  Each time the child displays a different behavior she likens it to an animal.  She responds as the mother of the particular animal would.

A trembling bunny would want to be cuddled and cozy.  A pouch might be a secure sanctuary for an active joey.  A hill bright with sunlight would be the perfect perch for a special someone to learn about their world.

If you've ever heard the howling of a wolf at night, you know a youngster of the pack needs a home with their own special spot.  There's nothing like the cool sip of milk to quench hunger or thirst.  Soothing suds are in store for another.

A final facial expression, no doubt in response to the care given and received, tells this mother exactly what she needs to know.  This being is unique.  This being will be hers to love as long as she can.


With the presentation of each of the six animals, Melissa Marr is telling the reader, the child, no matter what you do, I know what to do in return.  Using the words when and then to introduce the actions creates a questioning note followed by the nearly musical answering words of I thought you might be.  When the mother explains what she does, a pleasing pause wraps itself around us.  Here is the passage which follows the first sentence.

I held 
you close
so you were 
warm.


Children like to run their hands over the dust jacket, book case and pages of books. (I do too.)  They are completely captivated by the texture.  The matte finish and heavier interior pages pair wonderfully with the theme of this title, a beckoning tenderness.

The delicate pale sage green with tiny white dots on the dust jacket and matching book case are a gentle invitation as well as an exquisite canvas for the palette used by Teagan White.  On the back to the left, we see the bunny sitting among the flowers and grass, wondering.  If I had to pick one word to describe a reader's first look at this book it would be comfort.

The opening and closing endpapers are done in the deeper rose shade with a pattern of white and peach flowers scattered along with clusters of dots. On the title page the text and the happy bunny, in four positions moving across the page, are framed with floral corner arrangements.  On the publication and dedication pages a single garden scene, flowering trees, flowers, a stony path and wooden fence, are the ideal place for the bunny.  This illustration crosses the gutter to the left.

For each action by the child, the text is on the right with the little one placed in a circular image.  I like this because the lines of a circle, like a mother's love, are continuous and constant. When the mother gives her reply White has painted lovely two page pictures in muted hues with graceful brush stokes and intricate details.  The clothing and accessories worn by the mothers are absolutely darling.

I adore all of these illustrations but one of my favorite is the first two page spread.  It looks to be a fuller view of the garden in which the bunny is originally seen.  On the left is a bird bath occupied by a happy cardinal with a sparrow watching on a flower stem.  Flowers are growing out of a watering can.  On the right a bird house is in a nearby tree with small wind chimes handing from a branch.  Another sparrow is sitting on the T of clothes line.  Clothing is in a basket and on the line.  Clothes pins are scattered on the ground.  Mother Rabbit is holding her bunny.  Both their eyes are closed.


Bunny Roo, I Love You written by Melissa Marr with illustrations rendered in watercolor and gouache by Teagan White will fill your heart with its charm.  Whether you share this with a group at storytime or one on one, each listener will know they are loved.   You might want to have the children think of other animals and their antics.  What would a mother's response be?  This is a book my Mom would have loved, every single word.

To learn more about Melissa Marr and Teagan White and their other work, please follow the links embedded in their names to access their websites.  This link will take you to Teagan White's Tumblr page where you can see interior pictures from this title.  Melissa Marr was interviewed at Publisher's Weekly and Brightly about the very personal reasons for this book's birth.

UPDATE:  Enjoy this podcast interview at Storybook Spotlight. 

A Question As Old As Time...Well, Almost

It's spring! Everywhere you look new life is peeking through the soil, cheeping from a nest, waddling toward the nearest water or covering the landscape.  Looking across the wooded horizon, leaves are finally unfurling on the branching boughs.  For the first time in anyone's memory, the tiniest of trees are sprouting from seeds by the thousands, literally covering people's lawns and gardens.

I have become a third parent in the saga of guarding the new robins nesting in my hanging ivy; chasing away an enormous crow looking for an easy snack today.  Patient parents glide in and out of the nest, sometimes together taking care of their growing, hungry brood.  With growing joy, I saw wings flapping above the nest edge today.

All parents in the animal kingdom care for their young instinctively, as they have for year after year after year.  In the human realm, young children are understandably curious about the arrival of their new brothers and sisters; catching the vibes of the expectant parents.  In The Baby Tree (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA)) author illustrator Sophie Blackall provides answers in her charmingly original signature style.

After I wake up

and after I get out of bed,

after I wake up Dad

and wake up Mom

and wake up Dad again,

and after I get dressed

and feed Brian,

we have breakfast.

In true youngster ramblings a boy tells us of his morning.  At the breakfast table his parents have news for him; big news.

A new baby is coming.

Loaded with questions, the boy asks the one his stomach dictates.  Fortunately his parents, happy with their announcement, allow him to have a second helping of cereal.

On the way to school with his teenage walking companion, Olive, he questions her.   Her reply, as to where babies do come from, is a seed.  This is no ordinary seed.  This seed grows a Baby Tree.  

His attempts to paint a Baby Tree during art at school, don't quite measure up to the vision he has in his head.  He asks his teacher the same question.  Without hesitation she says babies come from the hospital, quickly changing the subject.

Knowing his Grandpa was in the hospital, he is sure he will have the correct answer.  A stork?  He leaves a bundle at the door?  He keeps checking but there is no bundle.  He decides to ask the mailman, Roberto.  Roberto seems to think babies come from eggs whose origins are unknown.

Four people have delivered four different answers.  This boy is definitely befuddled.  After dinner, bath, and bedtime stories one and two, he asks his parents.

Where do babies come from?

And you know what?  They, as parents do, give him the perfect answer.


There is something completely endearing about this narrative written by Sophie Blackall.  She speaks to the reader with the distinct knowing voice of a young child.  Without hesitation, unburdened by inhibitions, he seeks truthful responses from those people in his life he trusts.  Their replies are small tidbits of fact (except for Grandpa who the boy is going to set straight).  I love this sentence after Grandpa's answer.

I check the doorstep every morning before breakfast but there are no babies, only the mail.


You want to sigh from the sheer adorableness of the dust jacket and matching book case.  Looking at those newborns, looking at one another and at their surroundings, wrapped in blanket buds with those pointed hats, is sure to elicit smiles.  This is a picturesque introduction to the gentle playfulness found throughout the book.  The soft blue background with the golden yellow bottom is carried to the back where a nest containing three eggs, two cracked sits in the center.  A head has popped out from one; a tiny foot is pushing out from the other.

Opening and closing endpapers feature a pattern of delicate branches with tiny leaves.  Among the spaces they form are an egg, a stork, a hospital, and a tiny growing seed.  A design found every time the boy imagines a given answer begins on the title page; a large thought bubble extending to the edge of the page.

A thick matte-finished paper provides the perfect texture for Sophie Blackall's watercolor and Chinese ink illustrations.  Their size is altered to complement and enhance the boy's story.  Eight small pictures visualize the first sentence.  Usually she uses two pages to convey the message found in the text.

I could easily frame many of these illustrations to hang on my wall but two which fill my heart are the sequences with the boy speaking with Grandpa.  The two are standing close together with Grandpa placing his arm around his grandson.  The flight of the pigeons and the stork carrying the child are beautiful.  It's interesting to see a framed picture of the stork hanging on Grandpa's wall in one of the final pages.


Every bookshelf in homes, classrooms and school libraries will want a copy of The Baby Tree written and illustrated with exquisite care by Sophie Blackall.  I have never seen a book which answers this question with such intention and love for the audience for which it is written.  In addition to the parent's response Sophie Blackall has a page with six other questions and factual answers.  What are you waiting for?  Go now.  Get at least one copy. (Plus Sophie Blackall honors two of her studio mates.  See if you can find how she does this.)

Please follow the link embedded in Sophie Blackall's name above to her official web pages.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian, dedicated a blog post to celebrate this title at Watch. Connect. Read.  The delightful book trailer can be found there.  Carter Higgins, author and teacher librarian, highlights this title on her blog, Design of the Picture Book.  Her giveaway lasts until June 2, 2014.   Julie Danielson, author and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast reviews this book and has art pictured in a post. Head over to The Horn Book for Five questions for Sophie Blackall.

Tree Togetherness

I think that I shall never see

A poem lovely as a tree.

From Trees by Joyce Kilmer 

Time and time again I've stood among trees or gazed up at the leafy boughs beneath one with those two poetic lines running through my mind.  It's easy to recall fond memories of summer or autumn days spent gathering leaves, pressing them between sheets of wax paper.  Later after using the clothes iron to seal them shut, holes would be punched along the side, string binding all the pages together like a book.  A space on my bookshelf is reserved for my copy of A Field Guide to Trees and Shrubs by George A. Petrides (Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1972).

For these reasons the planting of a tree is life-affirming; a way to ensure others may enjoy the many benefits they offer.  As told in Maple (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), February 20, 2014), the first picture book written and illustrated by Lori Nichols, planting a tree can be the start of special surprises.  The joyful passion of a single little girl will encircle you even after the last page is turned.

Maple loved her name.

Before she was born her parents put a seedling in the ground in celebration of her yet unknown exuberant self.  The two grew together; both maples in name.  By her tree Maple could shout aloud, sing with gusto, dance and make-believe.

On the best days Maple would lie on the ground looking up at the leaves watching them dance in the wind.  You might have noticed Maple trying to keep her tree warm during autumn breezes or play snowy games during winter.  No matter the season the friendship flourished.

One spring morning Maple made not one but two discoveries.  New companions would become part of their world.  At every opportunity Maple offered her best but so did her tree.


In Maple Lori Nichols has created an absolute gem of a character.  Single succinct sentences, placed with care to convey a storyteller's pacing, embrace the reader as readily as Maple does her tree. The use of parenthetical comments adds just the right touch of gentle humor to the narrative. Here is one passage.

Sometimes Maple wished she had someone else to play with.
(The tree wasn't very good at throwing snowballs.)


When you look at the dust jacket and book case, it's hard to conceive the illustrations were rendered in pencil on Mylar and then digitally colored.  There is a subtle softness about all of them; reaching out and touching the pages is exactly what you want to do.  (You also can't help falling in love with Maple either.) On the front Maple is pictured with her tree in the summer.  On the back it's winter.  Maple is hanging on to her tree leaning in the opposite direction.

The opening and closing endpapers are designed using elements found in the story; the former is in two shades of bright lime green, the latter in two hues of a cool light blue.  Lots of white space frames Maple, her tree and the new additions.  It's interesting to note only the lower half of Maple's parents is shown; giving her and the tree center stage.

Maple's red shoes and boots, her three tiny toy friends, the small white bunny, and the birds building a nest in the maple tree and laying eggs are examples of the attention to detail Lori Nichols provides for her readers.  The two page illustration showing the tiny toy friends gathered around one surprise while Maple looks at the other is charming with a capital C.

One of my favorite illustrations is of baby Maple lying in her woven basket, gazing upward with maple leaves framing the page in variations of green and rust.  The quality of the maple leaves on this page (and the others) is astounding.  They look real enough to be rubbings.  You can almost see them flutter and hear the rustling.


In a word Maple written and illustrated by Lori Nichols is wonderfully winsome. (Okay...two)  It's meant to be shared one-on-one or with a group in the same voice as the combined text and pictures; comfortable conversation with laughter and love of life radiating from each page.  Everyone will want to plant a tree, their own tree.

Please follow the link embedded in Lori Nichols name to access her website.  She has a great book trailer there.  Lori Nichols is interviewed at Miss Marple's Musings.  Here is another lovely interview at Frog On A Blog.

  

Teachers, librarians & parents: Maple wants to share this nature craft with YOU! Share the love of nature. #maple pic.twitter.com/mn9qhteMw6
— Lori Nichols (@lorinicholsbook) March 5, 2014

Teachers, librarians, parents & nature lovers: Maple wants to share this art lesson with YOU! Diggin' nature! #maple pic.twitter.com/bH2JiNysEI
— Lori Nichols (@lorinicholsbook) March 3, 2014