Coming Home . . .

For many of us entering a library, whether it's for the public, a school or even our personal collections, it supplies us with a sense of homecoming.  In this space, an infinite number of stories are housed.  They enrich and enlarge our imaginations.  Through them we travel into the past, present, and future with greater understanding and compassion.  These stories give us answers to questions while leading us to more discoveries and answers we didn't even know we desired.  Armed with the truths they provide, our knowledge of our planet and its inhabitants, plant and animal, grows.  Not only does our knowledge grow but so does our admiration for the complexity of intertwined systems functioning every second of every day.

For those of us who have spent most of our adult lives serving patrons of all ages in libraries, we are witness to the remarkable moments when readers are connected to the story they need or want.  We not only listen to them with our minds, but also our hearts.  This is how bridges are built between books and readers.  When that bridge is built, when that connection is forged, something nearly indescribable happens.  We see it in their eyes, their demeanor, and their body posture.  It is joy.  This joy is wonderfully expressed in words by John Schu and in artwork by Lauren Castillo in their first collaboration, This Is A Story (Candlewick Press, March 14, 2023).  This book shows us the power of story, our stories and the stories of others.

This is a word.

SEA

That word, sea, is then shown on a page, a page within a book.  That book is one of many on a shelf.  It is waiting on one of many shelves in a library.  (We are beginning small and keep seeing a larger view.)  When we step back farther, there are people in a city, a city with that library.

Some of the people in the city are traveling to the library, seeking help, help in finding answers.  That book, one of many on a shelf of many shelves, is given to a child by a librarian.  So begins the reading.  So begins a special connection.

There are other readers here, finding what they need and finding what they want.  In the pages of the books they read, their minds keep stepping back, (like we do in the beginning of this story) enlarging what is known, imagined, and hoped.  Each of these readers have something else, a valuable something else . . . hearts.  Their hearts will increase in their ability to make connections in the books they are reading and in every facet of their lives.

Walking through the doors of a library is walking into a

world of reading.

Like most seeds, this world starts with the tiniest thing and the youngest person.  An early interest is nurtured and encouraged to flourish.  It is nurtured and encouraged to flourish through a story. 

With intention author John Schu builds his narrative, his poem, from a single word.  He takes us on a journey with that word until the book with that word is placed in the hands of a child by the librarian.  Word, book, reader, and story create an unbreakable and lasting link.

We go from that single reader to other readers, who similarly have questions, ideas, hopes, imaginations that can blossom without limits through reading.  John Schu, then, takes us back to the beginning.  It is here the idea of starting small is reinforced.  Word by word, they are strung together to give us a story.  The final sentence he writes will resonate with every reader and every person who has brought a story to a reader. 

(The text in this book is very precise.  At this point I usually supply readers with a passage from the book, but I will not here.  I do not want to diminish anyone's experience in reading this title.) 

For every time I have seen a child hug a book, or every time I have hugged a book, for the sheer happiness that book brings, the visual on the front, right side of the matching dust jacket and book case, is pure perfection.  This is STORY.  The colors around the child radiate warmth.  Along the bottom they mirror her love of the sea and sea horses.  Her eyes are closed because that is what we do when we are overwhelmed by the joy in a moment.

To the left of the spine on a white background, the girl is carrying an armload of books, followed by her little brother.  He is carrying his beloved stuffed toy cat.  This is a nod to author John Schu's cat, Lou Grant.

When the jacket is removed from the case, readers get a larger glimpse of the meticulous care and exquisite details artist Lauren Castillo brings to this book.  On the underside of the jacket are eleven children, from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, seated in a semi-circle reading.  Our sea horse-loving girl is included. For nearly all the books, we can see enough of the jackets and cases to recognize the titles.  (At this point, you might want to get your magnifying glass and start making a list of titles.  I did.)  One of the boys is wearing a yarmulke.  Another child has a hearing aid.  In bright red under this array of readers are the words HAPPY, HAPPY READING!

That same red covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page is an intimate scene of the little girl's father giving her a library card.  For the dedication page, Lauren Castillo has created a double-page view of the father carrying his son down the stairs of their home.  A cat looks out the window.  Ahead of them on the sidewalk, the little girl walks carrying a sea horse kite and striped bag.

A pure white page supplies the space for the first sentence, opposite a wash of blue green for the word, 

SEA.  Each illustration in this title was rendered

in ink, watercolor, and pastel.

They are single-page pictures and glorious two-page visuals.  We are brought as close as possible to each setting, giving us a personal, participatory experience.  For the words,

This is a book on a shelf . . .

we see the book that is the focus of the first portion of this title.  It is shelved with other like books, many which we can identify. (Readers will see friends here on this shelf, too.)  

Just like the words of John Schu, Lauren Castillo's artwork begins small, growing and increasing our view until a double-page wordless picture features the front of the library.  When we step inside that library with the girl, her father, and brother, we might gasp.  Not only is a librarian looking like John Schu standing there, but along the top of the shelves are books we know and love.  Again, the artwork enhances the words to the point where we believe we are there in every moment written and illustrated.  With each page turn, readers are shown with or around books we have read and enjoyed.  (I started to cry in the visual of a child reading the One and Only Ivan.  Here Lauren Castillo has placed elements from the books above the readers' heads.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  Across the top hangs a series of colorful pennants.  On the right side in the background, in shades of golden orange, are three adjoining shelves outlined in darker lines.  In front of them, the librarian is squatting down to be at the level of the girl.  In his hands he holds the book about sea horses.  The child is reaching toward it, knowing he is

connecting

her to what she wants and needs.  To the right of them on the floor is the sea horse kite, its string wound around a spool.  

Love of story, books, reading, readers, authors, illustrators, librarians, and libraries is tucked into every page of This Is A Story written by John Schu with artwork by Lauren Castillo.  Like the child on the front of the jacket and case, readers will finish this book and hug it close.  It is most definitely a heartprint book.  It invites discussions about story, books, reading, readers, authors, illustrators, librarians, libraries, and favorite books.  I can't imagine a professional or personal library without a copy on its shelves.

To discover more about John Schu and Lauren Castillo and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  At John Schu's website are two videos about this title.  John Schu has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Lauren Castillo has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube.  The cover is revealed by author, blogger, and teacher librarian Travis Jonker on School Library Journal, 100 Scope Notes, including a chat with the creators.  Through the publisher, author, podcaster, and fifth grade teacher Colby Sharp has prepared a Teacher's Guide.  At The Children's Book Podcast, author John Schu and artist Lauren Castillo chat with Matthew Winner about this title.  At the publisher's website, you can view an interior image.  At Penguin Random House, you can view a series of interior visuals.

UPDATE:  Author Erin Dealey hosts John Schu on her blog with a seven-question series about this book.

Get Lost And Found In A . . .

It happens to all of us regardless of the length.  When the last word is read and the cover is closed, we look up.  For a few moments, we are confused as to where and when we are.  We are still lost in a story, a story other than our real lives.  Not only are we still part of the world within those pages, but we come away with having found something.  It may be something we have misplaced or misunderstood or something fresh and new.

This is the gift of a book, given to us again and again whenever the cover is opened.  Authored by Grace Lin and Kate Messner with illustrations by Grace Lin, Once Upon a Book (Little, Brown And Company, February 07, 2023) is a layered narrative with hidden references to other titles and different cultures. It is a story of longing and belonging.

Alice was tired of heavy sweaters and thick

socks and staying inside with nothing to do.

As she grumpily walked away from her mother, wishing to be away from the constant chilly and cloudy weather, she noticed a book on the floor. Its pages gently flipped in the air.  Reading it aloud prompted the birds in the illustration to invite her into the book.

When Alice stepped into the book, the book she was reading appeared there, too.  The warm air and the birds as playmates suited Alice perfectly. until it started to rain.  Using the book like an umbrella, Alice continued reading and wished for somewhere dry.

Several camels asked her to join them in the desert.  Riding on a camel through the desert was grand until a dust storm began.  Alice did not stop reading.  What she read next encouraged the inhabitants to welcome her into their world.  Away she went.

Two more times, Alice was not quite as satisfied as she believed she would be in a new and distinctive setting.  With her final wish, she read words describing a place memorable and comfortable to her.  A voice she had heard her entire life said,

"Turn the page."

What do you think Alice did?

Authors Grace Lin and Kate Messner have penned an imaginative, immersive and original circle story.  They have masterfully used classic storytelling elements.  The places Alice visits are enticingly descriptive, appealing to the reader's senses.  Each time Alice reads from the book, the inhabitant (s) of that place request she joins them.  This is followed by the same reply from Alice.  Now at a new setting, she continues to read until something specific interrupts her satisfaction.  This repetition fashions a participatory rhythm. We can't wait to read where Alice will venture next!  The blend of text from Alice's book, her commentary, and the words of the beings inside the book take readers on a remarkable journey.  Here is a passage.

"I wish I were someplace that wasn't so

cramped and crowded." Then Alice read,

So the girl went to a place of wide-open blue,

where she would be boundless and free.

"That sounds like our home,"

said the clouds.  "Turn the page

and come in . . ."

The open dust jacket reveals a single large image.  It is the open book read by Alice.  Four of the book's corners bleed off the edges of the jacket.  Tropical birds fly from the upper, left-hand corner, across the spine to the lush flora of the forest.  Hidden in this forest is a white rabbit, a companion who joins Alice on her adventures within the pages of the book.  Notice the fabric of the dress Alice is wearing.  This is intentional by artist Grace Lin.  The title text and Alice are raised to the touch on this glossy dust jacket.

The book case is a bright, shiny red.  The only element on the case is a white rabbit in the lower, right-hand corner on the front, right side.  The rabbit is leaping upward.  

On the opening endpapers is Alice's home.  Icy sleet falls on the snow-covered roof and ground.  A snowman creates a mound in the snow with only a head and one arm remaining.  A flamingo is walking to the left, placed at the far corner of the house.  A cat sits in the large picture window.  Alice looks outside from a window on the right.  She is not happy.

On the closing endpapers is Alice's home.  What we see in the windows is altered.  It is evening and the sleet has stopped.  A full moon hangs in the sky.  A rabbit is curled within its boundaries.

With a page turn we find ourselves at the dedication, verso and title pages.  Rabbit slippers belonging to Alice are tossed on the far left.  Clothes make a pathway to Alice as she takes her print, sleeveless dress from her dresser.  On top of the dresser, readers will want to notice the items there.

These gorgeous illustrations by Grace Lin were rendered 

in gouache on Arches hot press Watercolor Paper.

Pausing to look at each visual will reveal to readers undisclosed tiny elements.  When Alice first begins to read the book before stepping into the story, the mix of reality and imagination is wonderfully portrayed.  I can only wonder at the gasps when readers see her first walk into the book.

The luminous, vibrant colors in each setting are breathtaking.  Whether we are viewing the story from a more panoramic perspective or close-up, we cannot help but feel as if we are there with Alice.  Astute readers will notice that each time Alice goes into a new setting, her dress becomes the hue of her surroundings, forest green, sandy brown, sea green, sky blue or charcoal or black, until she arrives where she began.  All of the illustrations are double-page images except for the first one.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Alice is still in the forest.  She is holding the book over her head in the rain and continues to read.  She is looking up at the open book.  We see the book as if we are Alice.  The gutter in the book matches the gutter in this book.  A tropical bird rests on her arm, looking at the book.  To the left of the gutter, two other birds look at the book along with a butterfly.  Peering down from the upper, right-hand corner is a part of the rabbit's head. Superb.

This title, Once Upon a Book, written by Grace Lin and Kate Messner with artwork by Grace Lin is wondrous.  To read this book aloud is to take listeners on the best kind of adventure, one of the mind's inventions.  I can already think of wonderful discussions.  Where else might Alice go?  What might cause her to want to leave?  This is a book to share often and widely.  It is a book to gift to others.  I highly recommend it for all your collections.

To discover more about Grace Lin and Kate Messner, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Grace Lin has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  Kate Messner has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website is a video you must watch.  Here Grace Lin talks about her illustrations.  Grace Lin, Kate Messner and this book are featured on NPR Books, KidLit TV, KQED Mindshift, The Harvard Crimson, and an upcoming PBS Books event on March 1.

Purr-fectly Perfect

Our furry feline friends have personalities as distinctive as our own.  They can be unpredictable and creatures of habit at the same time. We find ourselves embracing them despite these contrasting characteristics.  Unlike most of their canine counterparts, sometimes it can take years before they allow themselves to be a part of a human family.

It takes a special kind of person to persist in loving a cat when they have not thought of loving anyone at all.  Negative Cat (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, August 31, 2021) written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall is about a persistent boy.  The cat he loves is also persistent, but not in the way the boy desires.  This is their story, a "tail" waiting to be told.

On Day 427 of asking for a cat . . .

a miracle happened.  The boy's parents said yes!  There were conditions attached to this affirmative response.  The least appealing was the necessity of reading for twenty minutes every day.  

Reading was not this child's favorite thing to do.  He read slowly.  He had to read aloud.

At the shelter, it was hard to select only one cat, but he did.  He named the cat Maxmilian Augustus Xavier, Max.  At home, the cat paid no attention to the comforts and treats, and toys supplied by the boy.  This cat stared at the wall.  This cat was negative in every respect.

In return for kindness by family members, the cat did undesirable things like putting its tail in the butter and eating flowers.  The parents and older sister were ready to return it to the shelter.  A call was placed.

In a last-ditch effort to keep this cat he loved, the boy scrambled to do some of the items on the conditions' list, most importantly, his least popular.  And another miracle happened.  In fact, the boy's classmates joined him at the shelter once a week, expanding on that unexpected revelation.

What readers might not grasp at the beginning, but is our first clue about this boy's nature, is the fact he asked for a cat for 427 days.  Sophie Blackall wants us to know the significance to this child of having a cat.  She wants us to understand his tenacity.  This builds page by page through first-person narrative and dialogue, past and present, until the joyful addition to their family.  When it looks as though the joy is fleeting, we are once again reminded of this boy's deepest desire to do anything to keep Max.  At this point you don't know whether to sigh or cheer, so you do a little bit of both.  Here is a passage.

The next day, I surprise Max with a toy mouse.

(He is not surprised.)

I tickle him with a feather.  (He is not ticklish.)

I tell him all my best jokes.  (He doesn't even smile.)

The wide band of blue on the spine complements the shades of orange (and tan) used in the canvas, wall, flooring and cat on the front, right, and back, left, of the open book case.  In looking at the front, you wonder what would prompt a cat to stare at a wall.  On the back, we are given a hint of things to come.  Text above and below a circular image is that usually found on the front and back flaps of a dust jacket.  It introduces us to the book and to author illustrator, Sophie Blackall.  In that illustration the boy is writing on his laptop as Max watches, seated in the boy's lap.

On the opening and closing endpapers in blue and white is an array of childlike drawings of cats of all shapes and sizes.  The cats and their features are outlines.  The canvas is polka dotted.    On the title page the tiny mouse toy is placed between the text.  The publication information and dedication page are opposite the first page.  In fact, the illustration on the first page is the right side of a double-page picture.  

The illustrations in this book were created digitally and superimposed on the reverse side of vintage wallpaper salvaged from a falling-down house.

Readers, with every page turn, will stop to notice the details. These details are full of humor.  It isn't that the boy simply begs for a cat with drawings, but he makes a cat-shaped snowman in winter.  He makes cat ears on his head from soap during his bath.  He has his mother read him Brendan Wenzel's They All Saw A Cat.  And . . . he reads Max one of the oldest picture books in the United States still in print, Wanda Gag's Newbery Honor book, Millions Of Cats.

The perspectives in the visuals and their sizes shift to convey emotions and enhance the pacing.  There are groups of small insets, double-page pictures, single-page images, horizontal panels, and diagonal panels.  The dialogue is shown in longer, loose speech balloons.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture of the boy celebrating the yes answer from his parents.  On the pale orange background is a green-striped oval rug.  He is kneeling on the rug on his knees supported by his hands.  His head is back, his eyes are closed, and he is laughing as he kicks up his heels.  He repeats three times:

I'm getting a cat!

Look no further than Negative Cat written and illustrated by Sophie Blackall for the ultimate silver-lining title.  With a marvelous blend of images and text, page turn by page turn, when hope is fading, it rises again through the magic of reading aloud.  I highly recommend this book for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Sophie Blackall and her other work, please access her website by following the link attached to her name.  Sophie Blackall has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Sophie Blackall writes a guest post about this book at the Nerdy Book Club.  Sophie Blackall is interviewed about this book, others, and her work at The Children's Book Review.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

We know when we look at the world through the eyes of another, the world can become completely altered.  Two or more individuals can be looking at the same space and focus on entirely different elements.  This is how our perceptions of our immediate and extended surroundings increase and our imaginations are keener.  Inside Cat (Chronicle Books, October 12, 2021) written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel presents a cat's eye view as it moves throughout its building.  This cat believes what it sees, floor by floor, is a realistic representation of the outside.

Inside Cat knows many windows,

finds a view wherever it goes.

This Inside Cat sees portions of the outside.  It looks through windows of all shapes and sizes, geometric designs on walls, floors, and ceilings.  Some windows stand alone, and others share a space next to each other.

Each window is a chance to pause and ponder.  Each display a bit different, look by look.  The glass in these windows is clean, dirty, bubbled, and broken.  It is shuttered.  It is open.

Some things seen through the windows remain the same, frozen.  Other things are in motion.  Is it a group of on-your-mark-get-set-go birds or a swarm swooping through the city?  It that an enormous snack or the display on an ice cream truck?

As Inside Cat moves from floor to floor, there are small treats and short snoozes to take.  Now wide awake, Inside Cat maintains it knows people up and down and all around.  It maintains it knows what it sees, and smells is true.  Inside Cat is certain it knows everything, until . . .

The use of language in this book by Brendan Wenzel is superb.  It is written like a poem with the first sentence and another three sentences bookending the center portions.  There is beautiful alliteration and rhyming.  The last sentence at the beginning of a new portion, a group of words, leads to multiple examples of that statement.  With every reading, the text becomes more melodic.  Here is a passage.

Glass all dusty.

Glass so streaky.

Glass gone gloomy.

Glass way freaky.  . . .

View to view,

floor to floor.

Knows the windows,

walls, and more.

Upon opening the dust jacket, flap edge to flap edge, the entire body of Inside Cat is supplied to readers.  The body and tail extend to the left of the spine.  The large eyes on the front draw our focus to the central theme of the narrative.  What is this cat's point of view?  The white of the cat's eyes and the title text are varnished.

A rusty red is the canvas on the book case.  Large portions of the front, right, and back, left, are filled with the cat's home.  It appears to be a unique building in the shape of a cat.  Inside Cat is peering through one of the windows, a cat's eye.  This is wonderfully ingenious.

On the opening endpapers the background shifts to a midnight blue.  The house is now shown in blue and white soft, flowing lines giving us the inside view of all the rooms.  In this perspective wherever there is a window, we see the outside.  The cat is still looking out the same window, although its eyes have shifted to the side.

With a page turn, we are on the double-page image for the title page.  Inside Cat is looking outside at a sunny floral depiction.  (I will say nothing about the closing endpapers which hold the publication and dedication information.  Everyone needs to see that for the first time without explanation.)

These images by Brendan Wenzel 

were rendered in a variety of media, including cut paper, colored pencil, oil pastels, marker, and the computer.

Every picture invites you to stop and stare as does the cat.  The inside views are in blue and white, faint outlines like you would expect to see on an architect's drafting board.  The outside views are in full color.  In each setting, inside and outside, they are bursting with items revealing the lives of the human dwellers or the cat's imagination toward the conclusion.  Readers will be looking in each visual for the tiny creature which seems to follow Inside Cat, at a discreet distance, of course.  Inside Cat is drawn with loose lines indicative of a careful, curious explorer.  Though Inside Cat is indeed careful and curious, it is also highly animated.

One of my many favorite pictures, two-page as they all are, is for the text above-noted.  Inside Cat is portrayed in five different poses at four windows.  The first one is so dirty Inside Cat's paws are covered with dirt, leaving behind paw prints on the steps, ottoman, the next window and the wall.  The third window is covered in dark paper to fashion a Halloween scene, one corner turned down to show the world outside.  The final window is an abstract, stained-glass of the sun in pastel colors with bright orange.  In this visual, it is as if Inside Cat is strolling through an art gallery.

No matter how often you read Inside Cat written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel, you will find something new each time.  The words will sing to you and the illustrations are like a map leading you to an amazing discovery.  I can't imagine a personal or professional collection without this title.

By following the link attached to Brendan Wenzel's name you can access his website to learn more about him and his work.  Brendan Wenzel has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  At librarian, guest lecturer at Rutgers, and writer John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read., Brendan Wenzel talks about this book.

Dear Readers

Stitched in librarians' hearts are the words

the right book for the right reader at the right time.

When this happens, the world of that reader and those around them changes.  In their excitement at reading this book, they read it to others or speak about it with others.  These others in turn do the same.  Words are powerful.  They are even more transformative in books.

It is also said this purpose is shared by all those devoted to books and reading.  It is a gift happily given again and again.  Yours In Books (Cameron Kids, September 21, 2021) written by Julie Falatko with illustrations by Gabriel Alborozo is an endearing correspondence between two individuals,  One is a bookshop owner.  The other is someone seeking solitude to read.  During the course of their written conversations, we grow in understanding of the power of words lovingly written and illustrated in books.

Pine: A Bookshop

Knobby Pine Northeast of the Big Fir

Dear Sirs:

I received your marvelous catalog in the mail and

spent many long hours reading the descriptions

of all the books.

Owl T. Fencepost has requested a book be sent to his address at the 

Top of Oak

Near the Clearing

and the Noisy Small Animals.

He wants to soundproof his home so he can read in peace and quiet.  B. Squirrel, the bookshop owner, replies to Owl his desired title is out of stock.  Is there another title he wishes to purchase?

Well, Owl has decided to vacant his premises and wants to locate on an island far, far away from the Top of Oak.  As the second title is also out of stock, B. Squirrel decides to send a book encouraging Owl T. Fencepost to stay where he is.  You get the real sense of Owl's frustration in his next letter.  As he reads another book aloud, the noisy neighborhood children appear and want him to read it aloud to them.  He does this but writes it will be for the last time.  

The other thing readers will notice is the shift in the letter writing between B. Squirrel and Owl T. Fencepost.  Their greetings and closings are becoming friendly rather than professional.  A relationship is forming.  Instead of a book on fence building, B. Squirrel sends Owl T. a book on cooking and baking.

Each book B. Squirrel sends is having the opposite effect Owl T. wants in response to the boisterous children.  The evident humor and budding trust in their letter writing increases.  An invitation is issued by Bessie.  She wants Owl to visit the bookshop.  In the next several exchanges between Bessie and Owl, something is being planned by the children who now fill Owl's abode.  The messages between Owl and Bessie get shorter as anticipation and excitement build.  Books, reading, and most importantly, children, can make our lives better.  They did for a bookshop owner and an individual who thought he wanted to read in solitude.

There is an art to letter writing.  That art is even more evident when an author pens letters written between two characters.  Julie Falatko through the exchange of letters allows us to participate in the developing relationship between Bessie and Owl.

This friendship forms through their shared love of books.  In the titles of the requested books and those sent by Bessie to Owl, we are recipients of Julie Falatko's wonderful sense of finding and sharing joy and her keen observation skills of relationships.  Here are portions of a letter to Bessie from Owl and her reply.

However, the aromas of warm food heating on

my stove brought all the noisy neighborhood

children to my doorstep.  Please send The

Busy Owl's Guide to Food That Will Not Entice

Neighborhood Children to Stop By Uninvited.

The book you requested does not seem to exist.

Is it possible you were making a joke?  If so, I

am delighted.  It sounds like you and the children

might enjoy 50 Fanciful Biscuits and Cakes, which

I have enclosed, of course.

When you look at the open dust jacket, you get a preview of what artist Gabriel Alborozo imagined when reading the manuscript written by Julie Falatko.  To the left of the spine, on the back, is a close-up view of Owl T. Fencepost's writing desk.  He has started a letter to the bookshop.  His pen rests on the paper with his glasses nearby.  Stacks of books can be seen on either side as well as a vase with flowers and a matching teacup and saucer.  Through a picture window we get his view from the Top of Oak.

To the right of the spine, on the front, we see Owl and Bessie reading together in her bookshop with some of the children.  Do you see the snail in the lower right-hand corner?  It is a postal worker.  (I love the nod to snail mail.)  Another enchanting aspect are the two birds holding the paper, letter writing paper, with the text.

The book case is designed to be a book wrapped in brown paper, tied with two-tone string.  The bow is on the front along with a cancelled stamp.  The cancellation is for Oak Post Office.  A crowned owl is featured on the stamp.

Two distinct scenes are showcased on the opening and closing endpapers.  They are fine-lined drawings in black on creme.  The first is an overview of the oak in the lower, right-hand corner and the bookshop in the upper, left-hand corner.  Included are a pathway with a bridge over a stream, other trees, a pond, and a playground.  We zoom in to Owl's tree on the closing endpapers.  It is large and fills nearly all the right side, crossing the gutter as the treetops spread to the left.  Owl stands in his doorway holding a book as the children play below him.  Owl and Bessie, each holding a book, stand together on the title page.

These full-color images vary in size and perspective.  Many of them are double-page pictures with the letter placed on the side opposite most of the illustration.  Sometimes, for the purpose of pacing, single pages are devoted to the letters and their writers.  And to heighten the expectations of events to come, smaller visuals are grouped two to a page for several pages.  These illustrations reveal the personalities of Bessie and Owl in the descriptive and included details.  You will be thrilled with two wordless, double-page pictures.

One of my favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  We are inside Owl's home.  Celebratory chaos is evident.  Birds are flying.  A bunny swings on a ceiling lamp.  A tiny hedgehog clings to the broom handle held by Owl.  Other animals are scampering about the room.  Owl holds a red balloon in one claw.  Food is scattered.  Is that water on the floor?  Is that a plunger a squirrel is holding?  Is that a roll of toilet paper unraveling?

If you are of the mind one can never have too many books to read or too many friends, Yours In Books written by Julie Falatko with artwork by Gabriel Alborozo is the title for you.  Read this book for sheer enjoyment or to promote a discussion about the power of books to change lives or how letter writing can forge friendships.  This title is charming from beginning to end and should find a place on both your personal and professional bookshelves.

To discover more about Julie Falatko and Gabriel Alborozo and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Julie Falatko has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Julie Falatko chats with Heidi Fiedler at Book Magic.  Gabriel Alborozo is highlighted at Words & Pictures.  After watching this video, you'll be inspired to bake or you might get lost down the rabbit hole of acorn crafts, book making crafts or tea parties on Pinterest.

Seeking Reading

Throughout the United States and around the globe, there are specific structures, statues, and natural monuments or areas distinctive to specific places.  We don't need a sign or a map to know where we are.  Those formations are as familiar to us as the place we call home.  

If we see Mount Kilimanjaro, we know we are in Tanzania, Africa.  We know we are in Paris, France if we see the Eiffel Tower.  Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon signifies we are in the state of Arizona.  When we face an enormous building and see statues of resting lions on either side of the steps leading to the large entrance, we know we are about to walk inside the New York Public Library.  These statues are the main characters in recent publications. The first, Lost in the Library: A Story of Patience & Fortitude (Henry Holt and Company, August 28, 2018) written by Josh Funk with illustrations by Stevie Lewis, takes readers through the wonders to be found in this marvelous institution as one lion searches for the other missing lion.  These artistic collaborators created a companion title, Where Is Our Library (A Story of Patience & Fortitude) (Henry Holt and Company, October 27, 2020).  In this newest adventure the duo discovers the contents of their favorite place have disappeared.

Just after midnight, as all New York dozed,

Silently dreaming in bed,

The last of the shops and the markets had closed,

When Fortitude lifted his head.

Now Patience was awake.  The twosome was ready to spend the night reading.  They enjoyed wandering around the New York Public Library when it was empty of patrons but not empty of books!  The children's room was bookless!

Fortitude lead Patience to the bright lights in the center of the city, but the books were not in Times Square.  Patience proposed a plan.  Off the friends went to the sanctuary and past Central Park Zoo.  

Arriving at the pond, the 

clever old man with the hat

had not a clue.  Alice (of Wonderland) suggested another statuesque literary fellow might assist them.  HCA gave them a list of buildings to browse.  Off the pals went from branch to branch, finding old and new stories but not their well-known tales.  As the hours rushed past, the lions knew they needed to move fast.

Even the recommendation of a kite dragon failed to yield results.  The approach of dawn started to light the sky. The dejected lions headed back to rest.  Within mere minutes of home, they made a surprising discovery.  Indeed, to read was to succeed.

Author Josh Funk has a knack for fashioning poetic narratives.  In this tale of the two lions, the first and third, and second and fourth lines of each paragraph rhyme.  Although dialog is part of these paragraphs; the rhythm flows flawlessly.  We move through the night with curiosity, concern, and longing at each stop along with the feline friends.  Here are two passages.

"I once heard the tale of a clever old man

Who sits with a hat in the park.

I'll bet if we ask him, he'll help if he can."

With that, they ran off in the dark.

They entered the park by some fancy hotels

And skirted a fountain or two.

Stealthy as foxes and swift as gazelles,

They scurried by Central Park Zoo.

When you open the dust jacket, the cityscape with lights glowing in windows continues its nocturnal vista on the other side of the spine to the left edge of the back.  Neatly, here, the first title fits into the buildings with this text,

Patience and Fortitude,

the noble lions---and best friends---

who stand guard in front of the famed

New York Public Library,

are ready for their next adventure.

The lively figures of Patience and Fortitude on the right, front, speculate where they might journey to locate the missing books.  Clearly, they are enjoying the sights of the city. 

On the book case a matte-finished black is the canvas for architectural etchings of buildings.  They are done in the golden yellow shown on the front of the dust jacket for the title text.  The buildings are placed to emphasize perspective.

On the opening and closing endpapers we find Patience and Fortitude on a black background.  On both sets of pages tiny floral details are present.  In the first endpapers, the lions look forlornly at only six books between them.  An abundance of books, most of them open, appear with the duo on the closing endpapers.  The two lions are at rest in the top corners of a wide column of text reading:

The Sights of Where Is Our Library? 

Six bulleted sections offer further information.

On the verso, dedication, and title pages Patience and Fortitude are walking toward the Children's Center with a single light illuminating them.  A thin line of light comes from the Children's Center doorway.  Each two-page picture and single-page image is a marvelous portrait of the lions, the New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, sights in the city, and other branches of the library by illustrator Stevie Lewis.  The color palette accentuating nighttime is wonderful!

Readers will by enthralled by her attention to detail along with her literary liberties.  The marquees in Times Square glimmer with the names of books and references to felines.  When Patience and Fortitude enter the branch libraries careful readers will see more beloved book titles like Ida, Always, Nana in the City, Red & Lulu, The Gardener, and The Curious Garden. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page visual.  It shows the feline friends traveling through Central Park.  Many of the prominent features of the park are shown.  They start in the upper, left-hand corner looping back and forth, cross the gutter and loop around the pond to the group of statues from Alice in Wonderland.  Their trip is highlighted by longer dashes in a contrasting hue to the shades of night, but alike those colors in the carousel.  

Whether readers live in or near New York City or thousands of miles away, they will be captivated by the explorations found in Where Is Our Library? (A Story of Patience & Fortitude) written by Josh Funk with artwork by Stevie Lewis.  You'll want to use this in a storytime about libraries, books, reading, or for the sheer fun of adventure.  I know your personal and professional collections will benefit from having a copy of this book.

To learn more about Josh Funk and Stevie Lewis and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Josh Funk has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  Stevie Lewis has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Tumblr.  Both Josh Funk and Stevie Lewis are guests at Maria Marshall's site.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  There is also an activity guide for both books.

For The Girls

For centuries, for generations, women have struggled for equality.  For them to construct the best possible lives for their families, friends, and themselves, certain elements are valuable for success.  A solid, basic education with appropriate materials, qualified educators, and the opportunity to pursue a desired goal or dream gives all women, regardless of their age, a firm footing on a good future.  The support of a parent, guardian, or trusted mentor can be priceless in helping to form a foundation of beliefs or in supplying strength in the face of adversity.

Earlier this month, two children's literature publications address both elements.  The first, One Girl (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 6, 2020) written by Andrea Beaty with illustrations by Dow Phumiruk, vividly portrays the power of a single young girl acquiring a single book.  Through lilting, rhyming words and luminous images, we see the power of both. 

One Girl.

One spark.

Faint and fading in the dark.

This spark is a book which cascades from the sky to appear glowing at the girl's feet as she sits on the steps of her front porch.  When she opens the book, the spark though faint continues to glow.  It burns without going out.  It is fire!

It grows brighter and brighter, inspiring her to follow a dream, a dream of being educated.  The more she knows, the more she grows.  She shares what she knows so others can grow.

The brightness spreads from girl to girl, girl to boy, and boy to boy, and boy to girl.  Each child is learning.  With their increase in knowledge, they can embrace the wonder our world holds for them.  What they read and what they write spreads farther and farther, up and out into all corners of the planet.

With this accomplishment sparks are traveling where they are most needed.  They, like falling stars, make wishes come true.  They land one book at a time at the feet of one girl.

Beginning this narrative with these two words has readers asking many questions.  Andrea Beaty immediately kindles our interest.  Her simple but profound word choices fashion a flawless flow, almost a melody, with repetition of specific words inviting reader participation.  Here are two more word combinations.

Flicker . . .

     Flicker . . .

          Flicker . . .

Glow.

Tiny ember.

Burning low.

When you look at the little girl on the front of the dust jacket, you feel the hope and awe shown in her face.  She has discovered the endless possibilities found in a book.  They grow up and out, blooming and flying.  The warm background of rich red, orange, and yellow hues extends over the spine to a home on a hill with the girl seated on the steps of her porch.  The book glimmering with potential is on the ground in front of her.  Words from the narrative invite us to open the book.

On the book case is a large interior image.  It shows the girl, now in school.  A star barrette holds part of her hair in place.  She is on the left, her hands crossing the gutter to rest on her desk.  One hand holds a pencil as she writes.  Stary sparks drift upward from her paper in a pale rainbow of color.  The canvas for this illustration is a shade of cream.

On the opening and closing endpapers on a variegated purple background is a pattern of delicate white flowers, vines, books, pencils, pieces of paper, rockets, stars, crescent moons, and white birds.  Some of the leaves are in several colors of green and blue.  With a page turn we are treated to a double-page picture of a community on a hill at night.  Some of the windows in the homes glow with lamplight.  A sliver of moon sits in the upper, right-hand corner.  A comet like object arcs over the title text.

These illustrations by Dow Phumiruk are rendered using 

pencil and Photoshop.

Some of the illustrations span two pages, single pages, or others are smaller with loose framing.  They are atmospheric, displaying not only the time of day, but the mood of the little girl and the other children.  The use of light and shadow are beautiful to see.  When the words of the book are released as wonder, the delicate designs are intricate, portraying a world of potential.  Just looking at the little girl and the other children will fill your heart with joy.  

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a two-page image.  The background from bottom to top begins as cream moving to a muted orange.  There are eight children spanning both pages, wearing their uniforms in white and navy.  They represent a diverse group of children.  They are gazing upward.  The main little girl, to the left of the gutter, has her right arm up and holding a pencil.  From this pencil scrolls of white lines and stars move above the children and around to the lower, right-hand corner.  Within this design are elements representing hopes and dreams.  The words read:

Shares her song.

The collaboration between author Andrea Beaty and artist Dow Phumiruk on One Girl gifts readers with a book to treasure.  It's a pleasure to read aloud, in fact it would make a marvelous reader's theater.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections to promote the true power of a book and education.  An author's note offers further explanation about books, knowledge, education, and the lack of education for too many girls globally.

To discover more about Andrea Beaty and Dow Phumiruk and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Andrea Beaty has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  In addition to her website Dow Phumiruk has another site here, as well as accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view multiple interior images.

The second book is a promise from a father to his daughter, a love letter explaining how they can shape their world, her world.  What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 6, 2020) written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is a journey of discovery and of finding one's capabilities, and a guide to accomplish what is true and good in our lives.  It shows readers how an adult can be one who endeavors to be an enduring bedrock or fortress if needed.

What shall we build, you

and I?

Let's gather all our tools for a start. 

In a row, all the tools represent a father and his daughter, a green crayon near a paintbrush, and a toy pig next to a wrench.  This is how they will make things, and if necessary, restart.  Perhaps they should build a door and a house around it.

They will work together building each other's future.  They will create love for when it is needed most.  They know a hole might be necessary so they can hide.  Sometimes it will be necessary to construct a mighty abode with a wall around it, but also a gate to allow entrance of former enemies.

From that fortress, together they will raise a tower from which to gaze upward at the world beyond ours.  No mountain will hinder their progress.  They will build a tunnel.  Whatever is necessary for them to build to enjoy endless opportunities, they will use their tools to make it.

They will rest.  They will travel in a seaworthy vessel.  And then when a low is reached, they will recover in a special place where loved objects reside.  Those with the earlier-made affection will remain until the lowest of the lows calls to them.  This father and his daughter have been busy planning, so as the narrative concludes they are warm and asleep by one of the oldest forms of comfort which they build together.

There is a childlike quality to the rhyming narrative written by Oliver Jeffers.  He moves freely from one thought to the other, like children do when their imaginations are set free, unhindered.  The narrative changes from building a tunnel through a mountain to constructing a road to the moon or from resting cozily in a hammock to a wild ride at sea.  The words let's, we'll, and I'll precede build multiple times to supply a soothing and comforting cadence.  Here is a single sentence which I could read over and over.

We'll put these favorite things beside

the earlier love we set aside.

When you open the dust jacket you see that the background on the front spans over the spine, flap edge to flap edge.  The stary sky and mountain range continue.  I love the complementary colors of purple, yellow and orange with the spot of red in the toolbox.  What a wonderful choice to have the title text be a sign built by the duo.  To the left of them, on the back, sitting alone is a fox.  This fox appears later in the narrative.  Words there, from the book, welcome you to the plans.

The book case is a pale lavender.  There are five tools in a row on the front.  They are embossed in red and silver foil, as is the text on the spine.  The tools shown, left to right, are a screwdriver, a saw, a hammer, a pencil, and a lightning bolt.

On a dark purple canvas elements from the story, looking like they were drawn in crayon, appear in hot pink on the opening and closing endpapers.  You have to smile when seeing these pages.  Father and daughter, hand in hand, are placed beneath the dedication on the verso. (Remember to read this wonderful dedication and a short note from Oliver and Mari, his daughter, also on this page.)  On the title page is the red toolbox, opened.

These illustrations by Oliver Jeffers are a blend of realism and whimsy with his signature style prevalent throughout the title.  They shift from double-page pictures to single-page images and in point of view for emphasis.  Several times careful readers will notice how one illustration connects to the other.  

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  Father and daughter are stretched feet to feet on a hammock they built between two small trees with pink leaves.  The trees are growing from what appears to be the surface of our moon, sandy in color.  Both are wearing glass helmets.  The father, arms behind his head, is sleeping.  The daughter with one arm raised is speaking.  Her toy pig rests on her stomach.  Her other arm is behind her head.  Two birds, wearing clear helmets are present.  In the distance in a pink and purple sky with stars is planet Earth.  This picture is one of contented and affectionate happiness, pure perfection.

This book, What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, is a joyful, truthful exploration of what fathers and daughters can accomplish.  It resonated with this daughter, who to this day is far better for having a father who taught her to build and who she sorely misses every single day.  Hand this book to daughters, fathers, or anyone who is looking to form relationships founded in love.

To learn more about Oliver Jeffers and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You can see a few interior images from this book there.  Oliver Jeffers has another website titled Oliver Jeffers' World.  Oliver Jeffers has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  I hope you enjoy these videos and are able to follow the VancouverWritersFest coming in a few days.

Recognizing Riches In Rubbish

We know with a certain mindset we see things wherever we go that otherwise might be missed.  If we are actively seeking the little details, beauty, kindness, and the best life has to offer, we will find it.  It is not always easy, but with focus we will discover treasures of all shapes and sizes, some fleeting, and others lasting a lifetime.

There are remarkable human beings who do perceive life as an entire sensory experience.  They are all the more exemplary for their sharing of their discoveries.  In Digging For Words: Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built (Schwartz & Wade Books, September 8, 2020)  written by Angela Burke Kunkel with illustrations by Paola Escobar (Rescatando Palabras: Jose Alberto Gutierrez y la biblioteca que creo escrito por Angela Burke Kunkel, ilustrado por Paola Escobar, traducido por Teresa Mlawer), we are introduced to a man whose work is alive in those he serves.  Two separate individuals connect through their shared love of story.  It's a blend of fact and fiction based upon the truth.

In the city of Bogota, in the barrio of

La Nueva Gloria, there live two Joses.

Little Jose stirs in his bed.  The early-morning light wakes

him.  

En la ciudad de Bogota, en el barrio

La Nueva Gloria, viven dos Joses.

El pequeno Jose se despereza en la cama.   La luz de la

manana lo despierta.

A child living in Bogota longs for Saturday.  On Friday, he rides his bike to school, he tries to listen to his teacher, and plays futbol (soccer) with his friends.  He knows tomorrow is filled with promise.

A man living in Bogota contemplates his day.  He did not complete his schooling as a child.  He left to become a bricklayer to help support his family.  We are told he nevertheless read each night with his mother.  

Un cuento at the end of a long day felt like Paradise.

Un cuento al final de la jornada era como estar en el Paraiso. 

In the evening, the boy returns home.  In the evening, the man gets ready to collect the garbage from other areas of Bogota.  He works all night.  What this man, this grown Jose, does is search through the trash for treasure.  His treasure is books.  It all began many years ago when he found a copy of Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy.  That book was his doorway into another world.  He has never stopped searching for other doorways.

At the close of every shift, Jose brings home gathered books, placing them in stacks and on bookshelves, his library.  On Saturday, the younger Jose runs like the wind with the other neighborhood children to enter Paradise at the older Jose's home.  There they spend hours looking through all the collected books of all shapes and sizes covering a wide range of subjects and interests.  That night the labors of Jose, the garbage collector, will be enjoyed by children all over La Nueva Gloria, until next Saturday when they, like Jose the child, will again enter Paraiso.

Readers will gravitate to the narrative supplied by debut picture book author, Angela Burke Kunkel.  She combines the story of a fictional child with that of the real Jose Alberto Gutierrez.  Given the work of Jose Alberto Gutierrez, the fictional child is apt to be true.

The writing of Angela Burke Kunkel is clear, concise, and lyrical.  Spanish words are a part of the story, carefully placed so their meaning is easily discernable.  So vivid are her descriptions, we find ourselves seated next to Jose as his trunk makes its nightly runs, and we find ourselves running along with Jose toward his Saturday destination.  Here is a passage in English and Spanish.

A few pages to read, a few hours to dream,

and then it is a new day.  Tonight, he revisits

Macondo, a magical village deep in the jungles

of Colombia, and he is lost in a place where

times moves by its own rules. 

Varias paginas que leer, varias horas para

sonar, y asi comienza un nuevo dia.  Por la

noche, nuevamente visita Macondo, un pueblo

magico en lo mas profundo de la selva de

Colombia, y se pierde en ese lugar, donde el

tiempo transcurre a su ritmo.

When you look at the front, right, of the open dust jacket you see a man and a boy, smiling.  Stacks of books frame them on either side.  From the pages of an open book, we see the stories each find in their books depicted.  It's easy to imagine this very scene happening each day in the library Jose Alberto Gutierrez has made for the people in his barrio.  To the left, on the back, a garbage trunk moves through the nighttime streets of Bogota.  The words read:

Jose scans the sidewalks as he drives,

squinting in the dim light.

He searches the household trash

for hidden treasures . . . books!

Mientras Jose manejo su camion de basura,

escrudina las aceras de la ciudad

entrecerrando los ojos bajo la tenue luz.

Busca entre la basura de las casas

tesoros escondidos . . . !Libros!

On the book case in a wash of muted yellow with streaks of blue, we see the younger and older Jose.  The child is on the left, bending down to pick up a book.  A trail of five books lead to the far right with the older Jose, carrying a stack of books, as he runs off the right edge.

On the opening and closing endpapers artist Paola Escobar begins and concludes her visual interpretation.  On the first beneath a stary sky, brilliant with several larger stars, and a crescent moon, Jose drives his truck, lights shining in front of his vehicle.  Beneath a streetlamp, a can holds bags of trash.  Next to the can is a stack of books.  On the second, the scene is the same, but empty of the truck, the trash, and the books.

These illustrations by Paola Escobar rendered digitally are filled with details of life in the barrio of both the child and the man.  Their size alternates in keeping with the narrative and its pacing.  The eagerness of the boy and the contemplative and determined nature of the man are vividly portrayed.  The two-page pictures are marvelous, giving us multiple perspectives, allowing us to see realty and the magic found in story.  

One of my many favorite pictures is an overview of the cityscape of Bogota at night.  Beginning in the upper, left-hand corner Jose and his truck wind back and forth and back and forth from stop to sop from left to right to the left of the gutter, crossing the gutter, and then winding back through the city up into the hills to the right of the gutter.  Beneath the streetlamps are the garbage cans.  We can see Jose stopping, carrying bags to his trunk, and searching for books.  This gives us a superb overview of the enormity of this man's accomplishments, night after night, book by book.

I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections, supplying both the English and Spanish editions, for your readers.  There is a beauty in both, in the use of language, and in the illustrations.  This book, Digging For Words: Jose Alberto Gutierrez and the Library He Built (Rescatando Palabras: Jose Alberto Gutierrez y la biblioteca que creo) written by Angela Burke Kunkel with illustrations by Paola Escobar, translation by Teresa Mlawer, is a powerful reminder of the power of one.  At the close of the book is an author's note, descriptions of books featured in the narrative, and selected online sources.

To learn more about Angela Burke Kunkel and Paola Escobar, please follow the link attached to their name to access their respective sites.  Angela Burke Kunkel has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Paola Escobar has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Angela Burke Kunkel is highlighted at KidLit411, The Soaring '20s, and at author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).  At the publisher's website you can view interior images in both the Spanish and English editions.  Angela Burke Kunkel is interviewed about this book by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, at his site, Watch. Connect. Read.

To view the other selections this week by participants in the 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, please visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher.