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Humans are not as quick to receive someone as their canine counterparts.  Dogs, regardless of your physical characteristics, readily give you their unconditional love.  Their loyalty is humbling in its purity.  Whether you are courageous or cautious, or aloof or friendly, or carefree or worried, their understanding of you, your flaws and strengths, is remarkable.  If you are fortunate enough to have a friend who views you in this manner, it is a cherished gift.

As someone who is shy, being among others, especially large groups, professionally or personally, is challenging.  It is not easy to join in small talk, offer comments in discussions, or provide answers to questions, even if you have correct responses.  You prefer to be an observer.  You prefer to blend rather than engage.  In Where Is Bina Bear? (GodwinBooks, Henry Holt and Company, January 11, 2022) written and illustrated by Mike Curato, readers are invited to a party.  One of the guests is most bashful, but has the best kind of friend, a cherished gift.

Tiny was having a big party.

But where was Bina Bear?

Bina Bear was hiding in the dark.  Bina Bear was trying to blend in with the wallpaper.  Bina Bear believed standing still with a lampshade on your head turned you into a lamp.  It was a good plan for concealment. 

When Tiny, a small rabbit and Bina's friend, asked if the object was Bina, a voice replied it was a lamp.  Bina next arranged to be a large table with a bowl of fruit resting on it.  The table graciously allowed Tiny to take a banana.

As Tiny moved outside and then back inside, each encounter with Bina Bear presented a new object which freely spoke with Tiny, but denied being Bina Bear.  Tiny voiced missing Bina Bear.  Wherever Bina Bear went and whatever she became, Tiny was there.

When Tiny asked if Bina Bear was all right, the bear said yes.  Bina Bear was not okay.  Through a compassionate conversation, Tiny realized what Bina Bear needed most.  Two hearts shined as one.

Spare, intentional text with specific word choices by author Mike Curato evoke an emotional response in readers.  Dialogue between Bina Bear and Tiny establishes their affectionate relationship.  The questions and answers further our comprehension of their bond. The decision to use fewer words leaves room for the artwork to elevate the story.  Here is a passage.

Excuse me, have you ---

I AM NOT BINA.  I AM A TREE.

Oh, okay.

Sigh . . . 

"nom nom nom" 

Do you want

some banana,

tree?

Yes.

One of the first things you notice about the open dust jacket is the color palette.  The bright yellow as a background on the front and back sings out hello.  The complementary hues used with the yellow heighten the greeting.  The cones of light above and below Bina Bear draw our eyes to the title text and to Bina Bear and Tiny.  The text, Bina Bear, and Tiny are varnished on the front.

To the left of the spine are three of the forms Bina Bear assumes to hide.  She is a table in the living room, a tree in the yard, and a chair.  The accompanying text contrasts with what readers can see.  Bina Bear and Tiny in these three scenes are varnished.

On either side of a yellow spine, the book case is purple.  It is Bina Bear.  All we can see of her is her eyes and nose enlarged on the front of the case.

The opening and closing endpapers are the same bright yellow.  On the title page is a full-page picture.  It is a party setting.  Balloons from the refreshment table are used to spell out Bina Bear in the title.  Bina Bear is peeking from the outside through an open door in the background.  Tiny is chatting with a squirrel.  Careful readers will notice a familiar character, trunk raised, near a plate of cupcakes.  The dog, Spot, is under the table, tongue out waiting for crumbs.  

These illustrations were rendered using

ink, colored pencil, watercolor, and digital.

The size of the visuals vary in accordance with the narrative. There are single-page images, two-page illustrations, two horizontal panels, top and bottom, across two pages, and two, three, and four images on a single page.  There are several dramatic wordless double-page pictures.  All the artwork is loosely framed.  The perspectives vary with the image sizes.  What artist Mike Curato conveys with his eyes alone is marvelous.

One of my many favorite illustratons spans two pages and is wordless.  We are inside a formal library.  The walls are papered in a fern design.  Ornate white bookcases line the walls on the left.  Between two of those bookcases is a Bina Bear bookcase.  Her arms and legs are arranged like shelves to hold books.  To the right of the gutter, French doors, now closed, open into the party.  On the far right, a plant hangs from the ceiling near a pink and green chair.  On the wood floor, stained pale pink, sits Tiny on a green pillow.  She is reading a book as big as she is.  One of her eyes is watching Bina Bear watch her.

This book, Where Is Bina Bear? written and illustrated by Mike Curato is for all those shy people to know they are seen.  It will build empathy in all those people who are not shy.  Readers will find a special place in their hearts for this bear and her rabbit friend.  I know you will want a copy of this title for all your collections, personal and professional.

For those desiring to learn more about Mike Curato and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Mike Curato has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Mike Curato speaks further about his book on this additional site of his.  Mike Curato, this title and his artwork are featured by author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson on her site, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  You can view interior images at the publisher's website.

Where Is Bina Bear? by Mike Curato from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.

An Apparition In Need

Caregivers and educators tell you, regardless of the time of year, when given the choice most children overwhelming request scary stories.  Of scary stories, stories about ghosts are in high demand.  In fact, children are eager to share their own ghost stories based on personal experiences or family legends.

By definition, ghosts are the souls or spirits of departed beings.  Their ability to be seen or unseen varies.  Gustavo: The Shy Ghost (Candlewick Press, July 14, 2020) written and illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago and the Spanish edition Gustavo: El Fantasmita Timido released on the same date is the story of a ghost who wants and needs the other monsters to see him.

Gustavo era

un fantasmita.

Como a cualquier otro ser paranormal, le gustaba

hacer las cosas que le eran normales: atravesar

paredes, hacer volar objetos o brillar en la oscuridad.

Gustavo was a ghost

He enjoyed doing the normal things that

paranormal beings do---passing through walls,

making objects fly, and glowing in the dark.  

Of all the things in Gustavo's world, he loved playing the violin the most.  He had a secret. He loved Alma, another monster in town, but he never declared his affections to her.  

Gustavo was much too bashful.  He wanted to join the other youngsters in their activities, but it frightened him.  Yes, it did.  He disguised himself as other objects to get near them, but they did not notice him.  This saddened him.

The little ghost knew he had to be proactive if he wanted friends.  He wrote a letter to all the other monster children, inviting them to a violin concert in the cemetery during the Day of the Dead. A full moon was expected.

When the date arrived, Gustavo went to the cemetery. No one came.  Gustavo decided to do what he loved most, he played and played and played his violin.  He gleamed with happiness.  Imagine Gustavo's surprise at hearing sounds he longed to hear.  His life was never the same after that Day of the Dead night under a full moon.  Neither were the lives of anyone else.

Gustavo may be a ghost, but author Flavia Z. Drago's depiction of him and his problem creates an instant connection with readers.  She describes something and someone he loves, just like us.  She explains his fear with examples and his attempts to overcome it.  When he chooses to be brave, we find ourselves cheering for him, especially when he decides to perform his concert for an empty cemetery. Flavia Z. Drago, through Gustavo, shows us how to make a dream come true.  Here is a passage from the book.

As the days went by, Gustavo

couldn't stop thinking . . .

What if no one shows up?

What if they don't

like my music?

What if they don't like me?

Except tonight was The Night

And this time, he couldn't hide.

Conforme el tiempo pasaba,

Gustavo no podia dejar de

pensar . . .

?Y si no llega nadie?

?Y si no les gusta mi musica?

?Y si no les gusto yo?

Pero esta noche era La Noche.

Esta vez no podria esconderse.

The color palette is dazzling in the contrast between brilliant pink and orange.  On the front of the dust jacket, the framing around Gustavo, in his home, features papel picado, a form of art known in Mexico.  Delicate, elaborate patterns are cut into tissue paper.  This framing around Gustavo is varnished.  When you run your fingers over the items in this part of the image, they are raised.

On the back, the theme of papel picado is used to fashion the entire illustration.  The colors are reversed with orange being the prominent color.  Pink is the cut-out places.  The main part of the picture shows Gustavo and Alma in the cemetery together, both smiling. The skeletons, musical notes, lacey edging, and the same border at the top as the front are part of the back illustration.

The book case is white on the front and back.  On the back in pink are the same words shown on the back of the dust jacket.  They are:

GUSTAVO IS A GHOST.

A VERY SHY ONE.

MORE THAN ANYTHING,

HE WANTS TO MAKE A FRIEND!

On the front big and bold are the eyebrows, eyes, smile, and rosy cheeks of Gustavo.

In two hues of gray, rows, vertical and horizontal, of symbolic skeletons pattern the opening endpapers.  Along the right side is a set of photo booth pictures, four portraits of Gustavo with different facial expressions, curious, smiling, startled, and sad.  For the closing endpapers, the color of the design is two shades of rosy red.  The photographs, numbering six, capture the changes in Gustavo's life.  

These illustrations,

done in mixed media

are enchanting, shifting in size to place emphasis on the story and its pacing.  The intricate details invite readers to pause at every page turn.  They are a reflection of a ghost's life within the Mexican culture.  Gustavo's father is a ghost, and his mother is a skeleton.

The fish in the fishbowl in their living room is a skeleton, but there are bubbles to indicate it is breathing.  A floating teapot is pouring tea into a floating cup for Gustavo's mother.  In the Spanish edition the word NEWS on the mother's newspaper reads NOTICIAS.  EYE-SCREAM on the dessert truck in town is changed to HELADOS YETI.  Little skulls with wings and antennae fly around Gustavo and the other monster children.  Every time you read this book; you will discover more wonderful elements.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  It's when Gustavo is trying to get close to the other children by disguising himself as something else other than himself.  On a white background are a group of monsters, five altogether.  There is a skeleton girl wearing a frilly pink hat.  She is waving her arm where bubbles flow from a circle-shaped wire.  She is behind a Frankenstein character.  In front of him is a werewolf in a dress with a bow in her hair.  She is carrying a soccer ball.  Next to her with a hula hoop around its waist is a creature from the Black Lagoon.  Alma is on the far right, carrying a handful of colorful balloons on strings.  Gustavo's face is one of the balloons.  I love this scene.

Gustavo: The Shy Ghost and Gustavo: El Fantasmita Timido written and illustrated by Flavia Z. Drago is in a word, delightful.  Readers of all ages will be fascinated by the artwork and captivated by the story whether it is read in English or Spanish.  The Spanish when read aloud is musical.  For its portrayal of a ghost, a culture, and overcoming shyness, this book needs a place on both your personal and professional bookshelves in both languages.

To learn more about Flavia Z. Drago and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At her website you can view interior images from this book, not shown in the illustrations at the publisher's website or at Penguin Random House.  Also at the publisher's website are an activity kit and author's note you can download.  Flavia Z. Drago has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  This book and Flavia Z. Drago are showcased by librarian Matthew C. Winner at The Children's Book Podcast.  Please enjoy the video below.

Staging Success

Every time we tell a story to a friend, we are in the spotlight for those brief moments.  We are a presenter with an audience of one.  For many of those storytellers speaking to one, the thought of sharing themselves or their talents with a larger audience is simply not going to happen.  Their preference is for working behind the scenes and being an invisible supporter.

As life would have it, sometimes what is desired and what is needed are two entirely different scenarios.  The Bear Must Go On (Philomel Books, February 11, 2020) written by Dev Petty with illustrations by Brandon Todd focuses on a group of forest friends with a zest for jazzing up their current situation.  Their endeavors are filled with exuberance and loads of hilarity.

Four woodland animals could not decide how to spend their spring day.

Rabbit proposes they put on a show and it's enthusiastically endorsed by Squirrel and Other Squirrel.  As Rabbit, Squirrel and Other Squirrel shout out the details of said show, Bear volunteers to be the note taker.  When the truth dawns on Rabbit, Squirrel and Other Squirrel, they are aghast that Bear does not want to be in the show.  He tells them he is much too timid to perform.

As Bear takes notes of their loud demands, his humming to himself turns into a lilting tune he begins to whistle.  The trio voice their requirements for hats, tickets and a curtain exclaiming how every item needs to be perfect to keep the show from being ruined.  Bear happily writes; confident he is not going to be out front on the stage.

As you can imagine, nuts have to be offered to all attending the show.  They are the ideal refreshment.  Four working as a single unit begin to assemble all the elements for their splendid show.  Each time Rabbit, Squirrel or Other Squirrel mention something else, Bear notes it.  They work all day and into the early night.

As the population of the forest arrives to see the show, everything is as the friends planned.  The curtain opens and then everyone is stunned, especially Rabbit, Squirrel and Other Squirrel.  Bear scans his notes.  Bear makes a suggestion.  He is not overjoyed with his companions' response, but Bear is the best kind of friend.


Readers are quickly endeared to the characters, Rabbit, Squirrel, Other Squirrel and Bear, in this story because of their shared conversations in the narrative.  Based on their commentary by author Dev Petty, their highly animated personalities are guaranteed to have readers laughing out loud; in particular when Rabbit, Squirrel and Other Squirrel are compared to Bear.  (And if you aren't grinning at a character named Other Squirrel, then you need to check to see if you have any sense of humor.)  An additional technique author Dev Petty employs is to drop hints as to what Bear's notes reveal with respect to the conclusion.  She keeps adding and increasing one specific aspect.  Here is a passage.

"We also need tickets," said Rabbit.  "SHINY tickets."
"VERY SHINY," SAID Squirrel.
"Write SHINY in big letters, Bear!" said Other Squirrel.  "No one will come if the tickets are dull.  Everything will be ruined."

Bear surely didn't want anything to be ruined.  He wanted everyone to come to the show, especially since he wouldn't be in it.


When you initially look at the front, right side, of the matching and open dust jacket and book case, it's obvious Bear is less than eager to do what his friends, Rabbit, Squirrel and Other Squirrel are urging him to do.  The facial expressions on all the characters' faces is our first hint at the differing personalities.  Here, too, is our introduction to the full and vibrant color palette used throughout the book.

To the left, on the back, on the same light tan canvas is a bowler hat among flowers with a SHINY gold ticket stuck in the hat band. A speech bubble above the hat reads:

ENCORE!

in bright green letters. On the opening and closing endpapers are a variety of hats, pencils, and flowers patterned on a pale blue background.  A double-page picture of the four forest friends chatting on a hilly meadow supplies a scene for the title page.  Digitally rendered by Brandon Todd the illustrations range in size from double-page pictures, to full-page images, and to a group of geometrically-shaped visuals on a single page.

In each of these images Brandon Todd includes a vast array of details and perspectives.  His speech bubbles become highly valuable features.  Comedy is frequently embedded in these pictures.  Readers will find themselves deciphering Bear's notes which appear above him and finally around all the characters.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It is early evening with a full moon sitting on the horizon.  On the left side Rabbit is sewing the red and green striped curtain draped on the floor of the carefully built stage.  Squirrel and Other Squirrel are putting tiny hats with strings on the heads of birds and handing them the invitations.  The birds are delivering the invitations to the show.  On the right in a clearing among the trees is Bear.  He holds his pencil in one paw and polished, SHINY, tickets in the other paw.  Musical notes lift from his mouth.  The setting for the stage on the left is wooded with night hues in the trees, flowers and gently rolling hills. 


For anyone in need of courage and inspiration to give something out of their comfort zone a try, The Bear Must Go On written by Dev Petty with illustrations by Brandon Todd is an excellent choice.  For those who love a super story filled with humor, friendship and several shocking surprises, this is the book for you.  Truthfully, I can't look at the front of the jacket and case without smiling.  You'll definitely want a copy in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Dev Petty and Brandon Todd and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Dev Petty has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Brandon Todd has accounts on Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view the endpapers.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, hosted the book trailer and a chat with Dev Petty at his site, Watch. Connect. Read.

Speaking Her Truth

Every child has something to say.  When they give voice to their beliefs, opinions and ideas, they wish to be heard.  Not only do they hope to have others listen to them, but they need them to do this with sincerity and respect.  It's difficult when you struggle with the courage to speak and then others ridicule your beliefs, opinions or ideas.

If you and your family are living in a country other than the place of your origin, it is an extra challenge and source of concern.  Stella Diaz Has Something to Say (Roaring Brook Press, January 16, 2018) written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez follows a third-grade student with her own special brand of brilliance waiting to shine.  She discovers others can be marvelously supportive in contrast to the outright unkindness of a few.

Chapter One
The smell of albondigas fills the house
when my brother, Nick, and I come home.
"Time for our weekly appointment," says Nick, walking in the direction of the kitchen.
I nod.  My mouth starts to water as I follow him toward the sound of sizzling food.

Their weekly appointment is a Friday homemade dinner with their mother cooking; working during the week makes it impossible for her to do this other than on Fridays.  There is also board game playing and dancing past their bedtime.  It's easy to understand this is a loving Mexican American family trio based on their warm conversations and enjoyable evening.  Nick is in eighth grade this year and hopeful of making the basketball team.  Another family member is Pancho, Stella's beta fish, swimming alone in his bowl in her bedroom.

On the following Monday Stella can hardly wait to meet the new third grade student expected to arrive.  Her best friend, Jenny, born in Chicago but whose family is from Vietnam, is not in her classroom this year making it lonelier for Stella. The new student is not the girl Stella hoped for but a boy named Stanley from Texas.  To Stella's total embarrassment as she sits back down in her chair after introducing herself in Spanish first and then English, her chair tips over, leaving her on her back with her feet sticking straight up in the air.  This is not the first impression she wanted to make.

As the weeks pass readers become further acquainted with Stella, Nick, her mother, Jenny, Stanley and the class bully, Jessica. Stella struggles with her shyness and to separate speaking Spanish and English. (She has been taking speech for three years.) She is thrilled with their year-end, long-term research assignment.  She is choosing to focus on marine life but she's worried about the speaking part of the presentation.

Further incidents with Jessica, a holiday visit from family still living in Mexico, a New Year's celebration, a spelling bee and the big project have Stella anxious one minute and relieved the next minute.  Will the support of family, friends and teachers come in time for this star to cast her true light?  You can't help but cheer as the story soars toward summer vacation and the freedom it brings.


With each chapter our affection for Stella and her family grows.  Angela Dominguez paints a clear and loving picture with her use of language of the day-to-day activities inside their home, the family routines and rituals.  The dialogue between Stella, her mother and brother, and Stella's thoughts convey the personalities of the characters.  The support offered to Stella by her mother and brother in several scenarios is wonderfully touching.  We come to understand the reality of Stella's challenge in being a child from one world and living in another world with the use of Spanish words throughout the story.  Angela's skill as a writer leaves no doubt in readers' minds as to the meaning of the Spanish words, adeptly weaving them into the story.  We also can't help but crave all the delicious ethnic foods mentioned.

At school we are shown the dynamics of the classroom through the behaviors of certain students, the teachers and school librarian.  We are painfully aware of Stella's shyness, especially when we know, as she does, she possess intelligence and the determination to succeed.  The descriptions of specific events help us to feel as though we are there with Stella.  Here are some of my marked passages.

Nick is pretty stellar most of the time, but he can still be an annoying older brother sometimes.  Nick knows it especially bothers me that he laughs when I mess up my words.  I can't help it.  Sometimes I mix up the way words or letters sound, and when I do I turn roja like a tomato.  That's because the letters sound a little different in English and Spanish.  I'm taking a class to help me, but I don't like that I have to take it, and I definitely don't like people making fun of me.

Hearing that makes me feel happy.  Even though we can all read really well, Ms. Bell reads aloud to us a little bit every day during storytime.  It's just one chapter, but it's like watching a play.  I close my eyes, remembering how Ms. Bell does all these great voices for all the characters.

When it's my turn, I stand up.  I feel myself turning roja.  I freeze.  I just read that some octopuses can paralyze their prey.  Maybe Stanley is part octopus.  Probably not.  He looks like a normal boy with freckles, blue eyes, and a cool monkey shirt.  I catch myself staring at him for a second.

Mom stands up.  She pulls me to the floor to dance with her and twirls me until I start giggling.  She finally stops twirling me, and everything keeps spinning for a second.  When I finally see straight, I notice that my whole family is giggling with me, too, even Nick.  I'm really happy that giggling and smiling is something that doesn't have to be translated.  You just know it when you see it.


For one reason or another there will be times all of us feel as though we don't belong.  This is why we form an immediate kinship with Stella Diaz Has Something to Say written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez.  Through Stella and her experiences our empathy for immigrants is highly enhanced.  This title reinforces the fact that above all else we are all human and in need of each other's support.

Angela Dominguez fills the pages of this book with her drawings in black and white, some small and others spanning an entire page.  They serve to highlight specific portions of the text.  At the close of this title an Author's Note and Acknowledgments will further endear you to the author.  I highly recommend this book for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Angela Dominguez and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her Tumblr account.  She maintains a blog here and an Instagram account.  You can read an excerpt and view interior pages at the publisher's website.  Angela is interviewed about this book at Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.

Planting Change

They are very easy to spot if for no other reason than they are usually smaller than the rest of the students.  They and their caregivers who walk with them are filled with a mixture of excitement and nervousness on the first day of kindergarten.  For many of these little guys and gals this is the first time they have been away from home for an entire day in a school setting with other students older than they are.

For some of them with sisters and brothers who are in higher grades, the experience is less stressful.  If these new kindergartners are the oldest child in their family or an only child, it's not quite so easy.  If they happen to be shy, it can be exceedingly difficult.  The charming child we met and loved in Sophie's Squash (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, August 6, 2013) has returned in a companion title, Sophie's Squash Go To School (Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, June 28, 2016) written by Pat Zietlow Miller with illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf.

On the first day of school, Sophie peeked into her classroom.

Regardless of the fun exhibited by her classmates and the kind words of her parents, Sophie is certain school will make her miserable.  Nothing is right, not the chair, the milk and certainly not her fellow students' attitudes about her best friends, Bonnie and Baxter, two squash. She is appalled when someone asks if the squash can be eaten.

To make matters even worse, in Sophie's opinion, Steven Green with his toy frog, Marvin, follows her everywhere.  Her replies and standoffish air do nothing to dissuade this boy's pursuit of her friendship.  Her parents chat with Sophie about Steven but she remains firm in believing the only pals she needs are Bonnie and Baxter.

Little by little Sophie starts to enjoy others but only in her mind.  And she still wants absolutely nothing to do with Steven Green.  With autumn in full swing, Sophie knows it's time to put Bonnie and Baxter to bed in the ground.  When an art activity results in disaster, Sophie is completely disgusted with Steven Green.

Finding something inside her backpack, a chat with her father and a nighttime visit with Bonnie and Baxter help Sophie to think.  Sophie needs the assistance of a very persistent person to put a new plan into action.  Tender loving care and patience generate a happy dance in Ms. Park's kindergarten classroom.


When Pat Zietlow Miller writes it is with considerable compassion and insight into the personalities of her characters.  Her words evoke empathy in readers for the people found in her books.  In this narrative several realistic topics, first days of school, shyness, and friendship (all kinds), are intertwined into a pleasing whole.

Ms. Park, the kindergarten teacher, and Sophie's parents are supportive and kind. In some of their conversations her parents exhibit little bits of humor as well as nicknames of affection for Sophie.  I really like that Miller continues to have Sophie give her squash names beginning with the letter b.  Here is a sample passage.

Sophie's parents were no help at all.
"Steven sounds adorable," said her mother.  "And it's good to have friends."
"Especially human ones," added her father.
Sophie hugged Bonnie and Baxter tightly.  "I have all the friends I need."


Fine lines, soft brush strokes and delicate details define the work of artist Anne Wilsdorf in this title.  On the matching dust jacket and book case as Sophie strides to school carrying Bonnie and Baxter glancing over her shoulder, we readers wonder what has caught her attention.  This is a definite invitation for us to open this book.

The opening and closing endpapers are a patterned array of Sophie, Bonnie, Baxter, a blue chair from her classroom and a surprise appearance by another character in the final vignette.  Each one of the forty is different alluding to the energy found in Sophie and her love of Bonnie and Baxter.  On the title page Sophie is standing on the blue chair in front of an easel drawing a portrait of the smiling Bonnie and Baxter sitting on the floor.

Rendered in watercolor and China ink the image sizes are altered to heighten the pacing.  The double and single page pictures are brimming with multiple elements asking us to pause and increase our understanding of the scene and the characters' moods.  In several of the visuals Wilsdorf extends her illustration to the left across the gutter tying it to the smaller image shared on the left page.  Her sequences of pictures grouped on a single or double page indicate tension or a turning point. Good cheer and charm are evident in the colorful, textured and patterned clothing worn by all her characters.

A favorite illustration is the first two-page picture of Sophie standing in the doorway of her classroom with Ms. Park welcoming her in front and her parents, behind her, encouraging her.  Spread before the reader is a good glimpse of the room; the children engaged in creative chaos.  Shelves are filled with interesting, playful items and lots of books.  There is a geometric shape and block table, big letters of the alphabet on another table, children are drawing at a third table and another group is sprawled in the storytelling area on a rug with pillows.  This IS kindergarten.


If you are looking for a fresh new title for the start of the school year, Sophie's Squash Go To School written by Pat Zietlow Miller with illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf is the perfect book for you.  It's a lively, joyous story with realistic themes lovingly told in words and pictures.  You also might want to consider visiting your local farmers' market to pick up a supply of squash.  I predict Sophie will find a spot in many readers' hearts.

To learn more about Pat Zietlow Miller please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  An older post but still valuable about Anne Wilsdorf can be found at Emu's Debuts, "A book...is a whole world.": An Interview with Anne Wilsdorf.  To get some views of interior illustrations please visit the publisher's website.  Pat Zietlow Miller wrote a post, Five things to know about SOPHIE'S SQUASH GO TO SCHOOL, at Picture Book Builders.  Pat Zietlow Miller was recently interviewed at The Winged Pen.