Schooled In Perception

These four words, first day of school, are replete with a range of emotions for people of all ages.  Whether it is your first day of school ever or the thirtieth year in a row, there is a strong blend of anticipation and anxiety, and knowing and not knowing.  If you are new to the community, your feelings are heightened.

When your attire, physical characteristics, and actions are different than those of your classmates, you draw attention to yourself.  Some of it is unkind.  The New Kid Has Fleas (Roaring Brook Press, June 15, 2021) written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Eda Kaban follows a unique new student and another who, through chance, befriends her.  It is a tale full of twists and truths.

I'm not sure about the New Kid.

The narrator, a fellow classmate, is trying to be his best, but it is hard when the new kid takes off her shoes so she can go barefoot, howls in music, and pursues a different kind of food for lunch.  Another student, Molly, tells the children the New Kid has fleas.  She quietly hears the revelation.  Does it bother her?

Stewart and our narrator want to be partners during the science project, but their teacher has other plans.  The students' names are put in a bowl and are paired through the luck of the draw.  Stewart and Molly are paired.  Our narrator is paired with the New Kid.

This is an after-school project.  The duo rides the bus to the New Kid's home.  When our narrator steps inside, he is terrified at the parents, and siblings of the New Kid.

In the first of several surprises, the siblings are fun. Snack time, while not our narrator's usual fare, is tasty.  The New Kid is brilliant in helping with the science project.  The next day at school, Molly is strangely absent.  When it is time to present their science project, it is a howling success.  Given a chance, we can discover rare gifts in others.

Simple declarative sentences, short phrases, and single words by author Ame Dyckman fashion a story replete with humor.  Word play adds to the laughter factor.  Through the first-person narrative we are able to witness a transformation from first impressions to lasting friendship.  Here is a passage.

Mom and Dad say don't stare.

That I should put myself in her shoes. 

But the New Kid doesn't wear shoes.

And it's hard not to stare . . .    

Painted digitally by illustrator Eda Kaban the images in this title, beginning with the matching front dust jacket and book case, are highly animated and brimming with visual interpretation.  We see a range of responses on the students' faces when the New Kid boards the school bus.  And we are curious to see the silhouette of a wolf as a place holder for the title text.  Without a doubt, we have to open this book!

On the back of the dust jacket a loosely formed rectangle, framed in lots of white space, holds an interior image of the students outside for lunch.  The New Kid is climbing out on a branch to grab a squirrel.  Beneath the illustration is a wolf cub.  On the back of the book case is another interior image surrounded by white space.  It shows the narrator playing with the New Kid's siblings.

The background on the opening and closing endpapers is first a light robin's-egg-blue morning sky and second the shadowy purple of dusk.  On the opening endpapers a tree top and branch extend from the left-hand side.  A squirrel leaps off the branch.  On the closing endpapers, from a bough crossing the gutter, left to right, a squirrel leaps.  In the upper, right-hand corner another branch is visible.  On its end is a nest.

Each illustration, double-page pictures, smaller images on a single page, and single-page pictures, done in full color asks readers to pause and notice the children.  Their facial expressions convey a lot.  The narrator's looks invite giggles and grins.  Page turn after page turn readers will notice an underlying current of warmth as understanding leads to friendship.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page image paired with the above-noted text.  We are brought close to seven of the students, most seated at their desks.  Sunlight from rows of square windows beams across the scene casting a glow on the large-checked floor tiles.  Our narrator, the boy, seated at his desk and paused in his work, is looking at the New Kid.  She is intently working, one leg outstretched and the other bent with her foot on the seat.  One of her shoes is on the desk and the other is on the floor, laces undone.

This book, The New Kid Has Fleas, written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Eda Kaban with compassion and comedy explores being new and how acceptance by one person can change everything.  This story is about looking at people with open eyes, minds, and hearts.  You'll want to share this widely and often.  Be sure to have a copy on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Ame Dyckman and Eda Kaban and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Ame Dyckman has an account on Twitter.  Eda Kaban has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At Macmillan you can view interior images.

When the first day of school is the first for the youngest students, each child brings something remarkable to the learning experience, to their classrooms.  For some, they are fully aware of their gift.  For others, it is yet to be revealed.  Becoming Vanessa (Alfred A. Knopf, June 15, 2021) written and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton is about a little girl with a sparkling personality.  Her story is beautifully transformative.

Mom pulled at Vanessa's hair as she got it ready for the 

first day of school.  Mom was excited, and Vanessa 

could tell she wanted her to be excited, too.   

Vanessa was wondering if the other children would like her.  At breakfast, her father reassured her, telling her she is special.  She questioned how her classmates would know this about her.

At her mother's suggestion, Vanessa selected her own favorite items to wear.  These were certain to alert her classmates that she is someone they will enjoy.  Their reaction to her distinctive apparel was not exactly as she expected. Everyone was friendly, though.

During circle time, Vanessa wnet first explaining her love of drawing butterflies and the anticipated arrival of a sibling.  Their questions to her were direct.  For the rest of the day, Vanessa struggled to be comfortable with her classmates.  She was, in a word, miserable.

The next morning, Vanessa dressed to blend in.  She told her parents she wished her name were shorter and easier to write.  Then her mother told her the story of her name.  At school, on this day, circle time was special when Vanessa spoke.  Just as special as she is.

With her words, author Vanessa Brantley-Newton creates a character we love from the first page.  She is genuine in her thoughts, feelings, and conversations.  Through a mix of dialogue and narrative, we find ourselves identifying with her first day jitters and circumstances.  Her supportive parents, welcoming classroom, and resilient character allow her to soar.  Here is a passage.

After that, things only got worse.

"I can't see

past her hat!"

"Too many feathers!"

Even her shoes were pinching her feet.

When you look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, you are immediately drawn to the girl on the front looking out her window at the butterfly resting on a branch.  Her smile, her hair in the colorful, beaded ties, and wide eyes behind her round, blue glasses are utterly charming.  The delicate curtains framing the scene are like butterfly wings.  The heart inside the o is the finishing touch.  

To the left, on the back, Vanessa is standing in a flower garden placed on a golden background.  She is holding one of her butterfly pictures.  Two butterflies fly toward her.  On the front and back of the dust jacket Vanessa, her butterfly picture, the butterflies, and title text are varnished.  

On the opening endpapers is a scene as if we are looking through Vanessa's bedroom window, white sheer curtains on either side.  Against a blue sky are shrubs, treetops, and a large branch.  A caterpillar, a chrysalis, and two butterflies are featured.  On the closing endpapers dotted-line paths in a variety of hues loop as do the butterflies making those paths.  It's a splendid display bursting with color.

Illustrator Vanessa Brantley-Newton rendered these double-page and single-page visuals

using Posca pens, acrylic paint, Magic Markers, crayons, and watercolor paint on a Bristol board and collaged with hand-painted, printed, and found papers.

Although we notice the extra details in each setting, we linger on the people.  Their faces, body postures, and clothing tell us little stories about each one.  There is a special magic in every element fashioning a memorable whole.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  In this picture a parent and their child are walking left to right on the first day of school.  They are traveling down a city sidewalk.  Here we see a marvelous diversity of children.  Two mothers are walking with their sons and two fathers are walking with their daughters.  Vanessa and her dad are leading the group.  You can feel the hope.

Becoming Vanessa written and illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton could be about any one of us.  It is a story of finding and embracing your true self.  It asks us to spread our wings and fly.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  

To learn more about Vanessa Brantley-Newton and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Vanessa Brantley-Newton has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a showcased artist on KidLit TV.  In this video she demonstrates how to make a collage.

There are those students whose excitement at attending school for the first time can hardly be contained.  They are super prepared. They have a vision of how their experiences at school will be.  Little Bat in Night School (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, June 29, 2021) written and illustrated by Brian Lies takes a character highlighted pictorially only in his four previous bat books and gives this creature his own voice.  Let's join him as darkness descends.

Little Bat was ready.  He had everything he needed.

He had all his supplies and a backpack to hold them.  He kept wondering if it was time to go.  He was thrilled to meet the other bats.

When he finally walked into his classroom, imagine his surprise at seeing all kinds of animals, owls, raccoons, a ferret, and only two bats.  They were already playing and not inclined to play with Little Bat.  Seeking a place to hide he found another classmate hiding.  It was Ophelia, an opossum.  

They decided to join the others in circle time.  They learned a song and the science behind stars and the moon.  When it came time for show-and-tell, Little Bat had something no one else did.  The students snuggled in pockets for nap time.  During art Little Bat learned a lesson worth remembering from another student.

A munch time accident led to laughter and kindness.  Recess was an opportunity to build literally and in their minds.  Just as story time was taking them on another amazing adventure, the first rays of dawn drifted into the classroom.  Guess who talked non-stop all the way home?

In a word, this story, authored by Brian Lies, is delight.  Little Bat's enthusiasm, revealed in dialogue, his thoughts and the narrative, is contagious.  The interactions between Little Bat and his mother and his classmates, especially Ophelia, are authentic.  Here is a passage.

Little Bat flew into a cubby to hide, but someone

else was already there.

"Hi---what are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm just . . . hanging out," she replied.

"Oh," Little Bat said.  "Is it okay if I hang out

here too?"

"I guess so," she said.  "But why aren't you out

there with them?" 

Opening the book case, readers notice on the left text usually found on the front and end flaps of the dust jacket.  There are also thumbnails of two of the bat books, Bats at the Beach and Bats at the Library.  On the front, right side, front and center is the lovable Little Bat.  Around him and in his hands are colored pencils, crayons, an alligator pencil sharpener, a glue stick, a water bottle, and his backpack.  The legs sticking out are a snack.  He is grinning in happiness for the night adventure to come.

The opening and closing endpapers are a midnight blue.  On the title page, Little Bat is holding a drawing he made of himself, hanging upside down.  His crayons are scattered at his feet.  On the verso above a small scene of Little Bat and his mother flying to the school are the words of the dedication,

To teachers, who bring light to the darkness.

These illustrations rendered

with acrylic and watercolor paints and colored pencil on Strathmore paper

make excellent use of white space.  It places emphasis on the full color, highly detailed images.  Many of these are single-page pictures or groups of smaller visuals to indicate activities and to highlight pacing.

Brian Lies brings us close to Little Bat and the other characters in his life and school.  We feel as though we are there with him.  The fact that the setting of night school is a classroom in an actual school adds to the enchantment of the tale.

One of my many favorite pictures in a single-page illustration, edge to edge.  We zoom to a deep blue alphabet wall hanging with pockets.  Letters, capital and lower case, c, d, e, f, j, k, l, m, q, r, s, t are on the pockets.  The students are nestled inside the pockets for nap time.  What a clever idea!

We all have expectations for the first day (night) of school.  Sometimes there are surprises as our favorite flyer discovers in Little Bat in Night School written and illustrated by Brian Lies.  An open mind and an open heart can lead to the best kind of learning.  I highly recommend this book for both your classrooms and your personal collection.

To learn more about Brian Lies and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Brian Lies has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  The cover reveal and interview for this title were hosted by Dr. Dylan Teut on his blog, Mile High Reading. At the publisher's website you can download an activity kit.

Stepping into a new school for the first time can be intimidating.  When you are not fluent in the language spoken there, it can add to your unease.  The rhythm of familiar words, the only ones you've known, comfort you as the unfamiliar words confuse you.  Isabel and Her Colores Go to School (Sleeping Bear Press, July 15, 2021) written by Alexandra Alessandri with illustrations by Courtney Dawson explores the glorious mind of a little girl who carries colors with her to view the world around her.  Told in Spanish and English with Spanish, this story is a heartwarming representation of finding your place and finding a friend.

The night before the first day of school,

Isabel sat cross-legged on her bed,

coloreando with her favorite crayons:

rojo, verde, azul, rosado, morado, violeta.  

La noche antes de su primer dia de escuela,

Isabel se sento en su cama con las piernas cruzadas,

coloreando con sus crayones favoritos:

rojo, verde, azul, rosado, morado, violeta.

She was worried about not speaking much English.  To her it was reflected in cool colors.  Spanish was warmth and joy.  The next morning, she begged her mother not to take her to school.  At school when she embraced her before leaving, her mother gave her words of encouragement.  Isabel was still on the verge of tears.

Stepping into the classroom, Isabel heard her teacher, Miss Page, call out a welcome.  All kinds of colors swirled around Isabel as other students entered the room.   When Miss Page called out different portions of the day, Isabel watched the other students to know what to do.  She did not understand her teacher.

Not seeing a place for her on the rug for story time, Isabel felt like she was shrinking into herself.  Then another little girl offered her a place to sit.  Isabel understood the word here.  They exchanged names.  All was well until Sarah asked Isabel a question.  Isabel did not understand.  Sarah did not understand Isabel's reply.  A cheerful start had turned to sadness.

After lunch, Miss Paige announced another task.  Isabel heard a word similar to one of her favorite things to do.  She worked using an array of colors.  She held her finished drawing out to Sarah.  The girls exchanged words with the same meaning, one in Spanish and the other in English.  One final moment of happiness led Isabel to believe another hue would portray school.

The cadence of the carefully chosen, poetic words in each sentence, in Spanish and English, penned by Alexandra Alessandri beckon to readers.  We stand side by side with Isabel as she struggles to understand and confronts her fears.  Her colors paint a picture of her emotions for us.  The literary techniques and figures of speech employed by Alexandra Alessandri are excellent.  Here is a passage.

It's okay to be scared." Mami's voice was

soft and amber like a ripened mango.

She gave Isabel a squishy, squashy hug.

"Al mal tiempo, buena cara," Mam said.

"To bad times, a good face."

---Es normal tener miedo---dijo mami,

con su voz dulce y dorada como el mango maduro.

Ella le dio a Isabel un abrazo do oso.

---Al mal tiempo, buena cara.

The pictorial presentation on the front, right, of the open dust jacket not only introduces us to Isabel but the flow of colors embedded with flowers and leaves from her backpack, grows as it crosses the spine to the left.  Across the back, left, of the dust jacket, it covers nearly all the space.  It continues to the back flap.  On the front flap with a white background is the book's description with Sarah and Isabel chatting beneath the text.

On the entire book case is the flow of colores with flowers and two purple birds, one on either side of the spine.  These waves of colors and flowers are found in varying patterns on both the opening and closing endpapers.  The text on the title page is a repeat of that found on the dust jacket.  Small flowers frame the words.

These vivid, lively illustrations by Courtney Dawson, single-page pictures and double-page visuals, are a pleasing combination of complementary colors on a variety of canvases.  Swirls accompany the colors as Isabel envisions them.  For most of the images we are close to Isabel and the other children, creating an intimacy with the story.

The wide-eyed expressions on the children (and adults) portray an openness.  There is a spirit of acceptance in the classroom atmosphere, in Sarah, and in Isabel.  This openness allows the courage of Isabel to shine.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  On a crisp white background, we move close to Sarah and Isabel.  They are seated on the floor and facing each other.  Their faces are full of happiness as they tell each other their names in their own languages.  This is a defining moment full of promise.

This bilingual, luminescent story, Isabel and Her Colores Go to School written by Alexandra Alessandri with illustrations by Courtney Dawson, will have you viewing your world with a different set of eyes.  Whether read during a story time or one-on-one, readers will be eager to seek a color for distinguishing exemplary moments in their lives.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Alexandra Alessandri and Courtney Dawson, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Alexandra Alessandri has additional resources for this book at her site.  Alexandra Alessandri has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Courtney Dawson has an account on Instagram.  The cover reveal was hosted by Las Musas.  Two sites of several highlighting this book are Latinxs in Kid Lit and at Jena Benton, Writer and Illustrator.

Countdown To 2019 #3 Bears

There are eight surviving species.  Of these eight, six are in trouble and facing possible extinction.  One of them can smell prey more than one-half mile away and more than three feet under the snow.  Another spends half their time in trees, even building platforms on which to rest. A third can exist for at least six months without eating or drinking or eliminating body waste. They have been known to run at least forty miles per hour.  They are clever enough to wipe away their trail to evade hunters and can spring a trap without hurting themselves to eat the bait.

When formed into toys they've comforted countless children for generations. They are beloved characters in classic and current children's literature.  We humans have an affinity for bears.

Little Bear's Big House (Chronicle Books, October 9, 2018) written and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud is the fourth companion title in a delightfully detailed series (The Bear's Song, The Bear's Sea Escape, and The Bear's Surprise).  This small guy is off and running on another adventure.

The sun streams through the pines, melting the snow and warming Teeny Tiny Bear as he naps.  Mama and Papa Bear are careful not to disturb their slumbering cub.  They don't see the frown on Little Bear's face or the restless twitch of his tail.

Little Bear is bored with life in the forest.  He seeks excitement other than among the trees.  He wonders what a little boy would do.  As he passes by other animals in his search, they all want him to stop and play or eat or hunt.  He keeps on walking until sunset.

Before him is a clearing he has never seen.  A tall many-windowed, many-floored estate rises in front of his eyes.  The open front door is an invitation he can't resist.

Running from room to room Little Bear sings, plays and explores galore.  He loves doing what he wants to do when he wants to do it.  In the middle of all this fun, a loud

BANG!

freezes him.

It must be monsters, lots of monsters.  He wonders what a little boy would do.  He bravely walks toward the sound, whispering a mantra to give himself courage.  He stops. Terrified.  It IS a monster, a three-headed monster!  There are roars.  There is running.  There are tales to tell in the morning.  

Amid the elaborate descriptions of setting and actions by Benjamin Chaud runs an impish thread of humor.  He inserts just enough dialogue in his story to give us a better idea of Little Bear's thoughts.  Piece by piece the anticipation grows until Little Bear knows he is not alone.  What readers know, and Little Bear does not, is a perfect hilarious twist.  Here are two passages.

Monsters!  Little Bear hides under the covers.  And, just like a little boy, his imagination takes flight.  The monsters probably have long fangs and large claws and black eyes, not to mention grumbling stomachs!

Thump, CRASH, thu-thump, CRASH! What should a little boy do?  What should a little bear do?

When readers open the matching dust jacket and book case the night scene before them is brimming with questions.  Why is Little Bear running and carrying a floor lamp?  Why is he wearing that polka-dotted frock?  Where is he?  

To the left, on the back the image extends to show his family walking toward the clearing.  Teeny Tiny Bear is followed by Mama Bear and Papa Bear.  The local animals are on high alert.  The red opening and closing endpapers are patterned in a repeat of three plants found in the forest.  Beneath the text on the title page stands Little Bear posing like a hero attired in a cap, cape and stockings.  

With the exception of five pages all the images are double-page pictures.  With intricate details every single one tells an ever-expanding story of its own.  The smaller images on single pages accentuate the pacing and increase the comedy.  Readers will be unable to contain their laughter when Little Bear is visiting every room or playing in a series of eighteen small visuals.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It is a cut-away of the large red house in the clearing.  It shows us three floors of rooms and stairways.  In each room we can see what Little Bear is doing.  It's funnier than funny at how much he is enjoying all this freedom.  

Little Bear's Big House written and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud is another fabulous title in this set of books.  I highly recommend it for your professional and personal collections.  At this link the publisher gives us an inside view of Benjamin Chaud's studio.  Here is an interview with Benjamin Chaud at PictureBook Makers.

One of children's literature's favorite bears is back. In the season of winter it's a widely known fact, certain species of bears engage in a form of hibernation but a beloved bear is having problems.  Bear Can't Sleep (Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, October 23, 2018) written by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Jane Chapman is a precious presentation of exemplary friendship.

In his home in the forest,

while the cold wind blows,

Bear snuggles in his quilt

from his nose to his toes.  

We all have those nights when falling asleep is a struggle.  With snow falling and drifts getting deeper and deeper, Bear should be having sweet thoughts of summer honey.  Instead he flips from side to side under his cozy quilt.  He is wide awake!

His friend Mouse scampers inside to make sure Bear's fire is going.  He's shocked to see Bear not sleeping.  Even a cup of fresh mint tea does not help Bear drift into dreamland.  Badger and Hare stroll into Bear's den, each doing their best to help him sleep but nothing works.

Other animal friends, Mole, Gopher, Wren, Owl and Raven check on Bear.  A soothing lullaby might work.  It does not.  Finally Bear roars the truth.  He's awake and completely bored so he decides to entertain his best pals.  

As he tells a tale, they lean in, comfortable and warm.  It's a new one, never heard by any of them.  Just as he gets to the end . . .

When Karma Wilson weaves words together in this book, she fashions a gentle fabric to envelope her readers in peace and calm.  A beat is formed by the entrance of Bear's friends, their attempts to help him rest and the repeating phrase of

And the bear can't sleep. 

Lines two and four of each group of sentences rhyme like a soothing song.  Here is a passage.

"Ho, Mouse!" says Hare.

"We were just out walking.

Bear should be asleep,

but we both heard talking!"

The image on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case extends over the spine to reveal more of Bear's den.  Even though we understand by the title he is unable to sleep, he is also surrounded by all his friends.  Their concern is obvious as is his frustration.  The colors used in this illustration, throughout the book, radiate congeniality.  

The opening and closing endpapers show us the wintry woods as snow falls and wind blows.  A small opening in a drift reveals Bear in his glowing den.  There is a distinct difference in his face between the first and second double-page visuals.

Rendered in acrylic paint Jane Chapman's pictures alternate in size from small spot illustrations, to full-page images to double-page visuals.  She gives us a variety of inside views of Bear, his cave and his friends.  The size of the pictures pairs beautifully with the cadence of the story.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  On the left we can see the snowy woods through the opening in Bear's abode.  He is stretched across the center covered in his patchwork quilt.  Badger and Hare are standing on either side of him.  Mouse is placed in front of his nose, deep in mint leaves.  In the right-hand corner, the fire burns with a tea kettle hanging over it.

Readers will come to understand this story, Bear Can't Sleep written by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Jane Chapman, ties in marvelously with another of Bear's books.  It is a must-have title for those who enjoy the series, for those who love a good story and for those who need to fall fast asleep.  Links are attached to both Karma Wilson's and Jane Chapman's names for accessing their websites.  Karma Wilson maintains an account on Twitter.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

When a call for help is answered, it's a sign of friendship or friendship in the making.  Got to Get to BEARS! (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 30, 2018) written and illustrated by Brian Lies is an action-packed adventure of forest friends intent on reaching someone in need. Nothing will stop them.

When Izzy read the note, she knew she had to go.

Izzy was a chipmunk.  The sky looked like bad weather was coming but if Bear asked her to come as soon as possible, that was all she needed to know.  It started to snow.  Soon it was so deep, she was stuck.

Scritch, a squirrel, asked where Izzy was going.  He offered to help her by leaping from tree top to tree top with her on his back. They finally reached a point where they were unable to keep going.  Bingle, a duck, was more than willing to fly the duo.

The snow storm turned into a blizzard and Bingle was blinded.  They tumbled onto a snow-covered roof.  They each decided walking should be tried again.  The duck was moving slower and slower.  When a raccoon came along, they were more than ready to ride on his back.  Snaffie kept going.  Soon only Izzy was above the snow now, guiding the raccoon.

A glow in the distance gives them hope.  Are they too late?  What Bear and all her friends do next is the very best kind of surprise.

As a storyteller Brian Lies has a gift for engaging his readers immediately.  With the note Izzy receives from Bear, a mystery begins.  To have this call for assistance come at the same time as the beginning of the snow storm heightens the tension.  We become further involved as each animal makes an appearance and offers support.  This tension and tempo increase in tandem with the depth of the snow and intensity of the blizzard.  This is why the surprise is pure perfection.  Here is a passage.

As they went, the sky darkened, the wind grew

wild, and snow stung their faces like tiny bees.

"Can't see!" Bingle screeched.  "Can't see!"

Rendered in acrylic paint on Strathmore paper the illustrations reach out to readers as soon as we see the double-page picture featured on the matching and open dust jacket and book case.  Tall trees and the forest floor are fully blanketed in snow.  A huge mound provides a placeholder for the ISBN on the back.  A lantern glows above it.  The four friends lean into the wind, determination etched on their faces.  The text and friends are varnished on the jacket.

The same shade of red in the title text is used to cover the opening and closing endpapers.  On the initial title page Bear is leaning against her window looking out into the snow.  On the formal title and verso pages, a note is delivered to Izzy with a bear paw print sealing it closed.  It flutters down from a retreating bird who seems to be carrying a mail bag on its back.  (These are the kind of wonderful details Brian includes in his artwork.)

Each illustration speaks to and enhances the narrative.  Some of the pictures are full-page, others are small loosely framed circles.  A series of four horizontal panels extend over a double-page visual.  And then we are treated to a large image over two pages.  Brian also has four vertical panels on two pages.  Layer by layer, image by image we become more a part of this story.  You will cherish the realistic portraits of the animals and their facial expressions.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Bingle is flying straight into the blizzard.  All around the duck is dark blue and snow.  She is streaking toward us on the right side of a double-page picture.  Her right wing crosses the gutter.  The squirrel and chipmunk are hanging on for their lives with their eyes closed.  

Without a doubt readers are going to love Got to Get to BEARS! written and illustrated by Brian Lies.  They will be captivated by the mystery and adventure . . . and shocked at the surprise.  I know they will ask to have the story read to them again.  If you follow the link attached to Brian Lies' name, you can access his website.  Brian has an account on Twitter and Instagram.

Love Grows Love

When another being is close enough to share the air you breathe day after day for years, they are a cherished companion.  They are a part of who you are.  Your days are defined by the experiences you have together.  Others identify the two of you as parts of a wonderful whole.

When, for more than one reason, you are separated the world feels in a word, wrong.  The sense of loss makes it hard to breathe.  In The Rough Patch (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, August 14, 2018) written and illustrated by Brian Lies this missing, essential element in a life is portrayed with gifted awareness.

Evan and his dog did everything together.

Their days were full of play, tasty treats, melodies and singing and all sorts of memorable travels.  Day and night, winter, spring, summer and fall, they did it all . . . together.  Their favorite place to be was Evan's garden. 

This was no ordinary garden.  Oh, no.  Once something was planted here it grew and grew and grew.  It was magnificent.

One day Evan discovered his dog was not sleeping in his bed.  He was resting in death.  In a corner of their beloved garden, Evan buried his dog.  And everything shifted.

In his grief Evan no longer desired to be in the garden.  In fact, he destroyed it.  Cleared ground is an open invitation for seeds.  Weeds grew in place of his fabulous vegetables.  They fit his mood perfectly, so he gardened with these undesirable intruders.  Sorrow flourished.

Seeing a vine with

prickly stems, fuzzy leaves, and spidery, twisty tendrils

creeping under his fence, he was tempted to get rid of it but it, too, suited this dreary plot.  Giving it his usual care day after day, something happened, a big something.  Evan loaded up his truck, heading to the Fair.  On this day Evan felt another shift.  Nothing was going to be the same.


No matter how many times this book is read, if you've loved and lost, you will share in Evan's heartbreak.  Brian Lies writes using declarative sentences, brief but profoundly true.  He builds the relationship of Evan and his dog with sweet simplicity so when the dog dies we can't help but shed tears.  We know exactly of what he speaks.

When Brian tells us about Evan's destruction of the garden they loved, we understand completely.  As Evan helps the weeds to thrive the genius of the book's title becomes abundantly apparent.  Most of us have suffered a rough patch but how many of us have literally helped one to grow? 

The introduction of the vine is a subtle alteration in the story.  We can feel something other than a vine growing.  It is an expectation of a change for the better.  Here are two passages from the book.

If Evan's garden couldn't be a happy place,
then it was going to be the saddest
and most desolate spot he could make it.

And soon it was. 


When first opening the dust jacket readers are treated to a soft blue sky extending from left flap edge to right flap edge.  The snow white fence continues along the bottom.  An evergreen, a perch for a crow, tilts on the left side.  Nearby sticks act as braces for a bush.  Along the top edge of the sticks, a pair of scissors and a trowel hang to discourage unwanted nibblers. Evan is intently sculpting with his clippers.  On the far right a rake is propped against the fence.  This is a peaceful scene.  It gives no hint of the interior.  Is it before or after the conclusion?  (I am working with an F & G generously supplied by Brian Lies.)

On the title page, once again Brian, asks us to extend our thinking.  It is a breathtaking view of clouds in autumn at the close of a day.  Trees with leaves turning colors rise above the white fence surrounding the garden.  Evan's garden appears to be as it was in the beginning.  We are close to Evan as he gazes to the right.  Behind him is a large, large fruit (vegetable).  Toward the bottom of the fence is the shadow of Evan's dog. 

Created with

acrylics, oils, and colored pencils on Strathmore paper

each image is stunning, a beautiful study of light and shadow and shifting perspectives.  The use of color plays heavily in supplying a mood and depicting emotions.  Some of the pictures span two pages and others are loosely framed and grouped together on one or two pages.  Brian may inset one visual into another.  His use of white space will have you gasping.  The picture of Evan leaning over his dog's bed will break your heart in two.

I want to address the point of view seen from illustration to illustration.  We are drawn into the image of Evan leaning on his shovel, thoughtfully looking at his dog's resting place in the garden.  The line of the shadow invites us.  When Evan digs up everything in the garden, on the left he is carting armloads to a compost pile.  On the right a spading fork is so close; it's as if we are standing next to it.  On the day the vine comes beneath the fence the vine fills those two pages.  We see the shadow of Evan's hoe.  All we see of Evan are his garden boots with holes for his paws' claws. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations (I love all of them.) is of Evan at the fair.  It is a two page picture.  It is bird's eye view of an expanse of a certain kind of fruit gathered together. They are all huge.  A pathway winds between them.  Foxes of varying ages are walking on those paths.  Evan is speaking with two other farmer or gardener friends leaning against these prime garden-grown specimens.  It's when we know Evan is easing into a new normal.  We can hear the murmured conversations and feel the crisp autumn air.


Once you read The Rough Patch written and illustrated by Brian Lies you will read it again and again and again.  It allows us to understand how heartbreak can be healed.  It is simply one of the best books on loss.  I highly recommend it for your personal and professional collections for the excellence found in the text and illustrations. 

To learn more about Brian Lies and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website. At the publisher's website you can view interior images. At The Horn Book Brian talks about this book.  Brian visits author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast to talk about his process art.  Brian writes a guest post about The Rough Patch at 24 Carrot Writing. 

Reptile Rollicking And Romping

If we could bottle up laughter allowing a little bit out on those days when we need it the most, I would have saved my dad's laughter.  Once he got started he could not stop.  Tears would run down his face and he would be gasping for breath.

That man had a huge sense of humor.  With two daughters and a wife who got herself into Lucille Ball type situations, he needed it. With him everything was an adventure and an opportunity for us to learn something new.  His favorite saying was actions speak louder than words.  Gator Dad (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 3, 2016) written and illustrated by Brian Lies is a fun-filled look at a day with a dad; a tribute to a dad like my dad and many, many others.

Come on---
let's go!
Let's squeeze the day.

Two dozing gators and little gator number three are about to begin their day.   A tasty breakfast and a refrigerator fright get them going.  The happy foursome rush through their necessary tasks so they can enjoy play time in the park.

They teeter and totter, race and run and swoop toward the sky.  With energy to spare, this papa becomes what his hatchlings imagine him to be.  He will go where others might not go and giggles full of glee will fill the air.  A trail of footprints will tell the tale.

Home once more, cozy in a comfy chair they travel to places, wild and wonderful, that soar and surround them from the pages of a book.  Inspired by those stories, they create a furniture and blanket fort of enormous dimensions.  Impersonations and noise sensations fill the minutes and hours.

Scrub-a-dub dubbing in the tub and snuggling with Dad during a storm end with the youngsters back in their own bed.  Shadows on the wall, a soft glowing light and all is right with these gators listening to a final story for the night.  Their day ends as it began with a phrase and a promise.


How can you not get a big grin on your face after reading the first two lines of this tale?  The second sentence written by Brian Lies is sheer genius.  The play on those words comes full circle at the close of the book in an action and a statement.

Having the dad narrate their day's activities and events offers closeness between these gators and readers.  Before we are aware, we feel as though we are joining them in all their merry making.  Lies supplies a rhythm with his words using some alliteration and rhyming.  Here is his phrase for bath time.  Lies certainly has a marvelous way of depicting moments in words.

After dinner, we'll rinse away the day.


Upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case, readers are greeted with a panoramic scene of dad and his gang of little gators galloping on a grassy hill enjoying the day.  To the left, on the back, a fully dressed zebra is sitting on a park bench reading a newspaper with the ISBN nestled on the back of the seat.  To the left on the lid of a garbage can, a mouse is reading a tiny newspaper.  In the distance on the far left is a city skyline.  It's befitting the opening and closing endpapers are a "gator" green.

Rendered in acrylic paint on Strathmore paper the illustrations are bursting with cheer and charm.  (Yes, these alligators have an undeniable charisma.) Lies varies his visual sizes from full page, edge to edge, double-page pictures and loosely framed ovals set among white space.  Extra entertainment comes when elements in these smaller images leave the frame.

Readers will enjoy noticing all the details in the images, names on the grocery (mice cream and goat meal) and household items, the swampish metalwork on the hatchlings headboard, the decorative posts on the park entrance gate, and backpack and attire patterns. The text becomes part of the overall design.  And the alligator grins and eyes convey the joy in every moment.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when they are in the park.  Gator Dad is standing on a hill legs apart and arms stretched out and up and face lifted skyward.  The little gators are climbing on him as if he is a tall tree.  Clouds are forming in the background, a prelude to the incoming storm.  (Careful readers will notice how the sky changes during the day.)


Gator Dad written and illustrated by Brian Lies is one of my absolute best book choices about a dad and his children.  We all need to see how dads can seize and squeeze the day.  Read this any time of the day with those you love.  Make sure to have a copy on your personal and professional shelves.

To learn more about Brian Lies and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  For an activity kit created for this title follow this link.  John Schumacher, Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries, featured the book trailer premiere and sentence starters and answers at Watch. Connect. Read.  Brian Lies was interviewed at Mile High Reading by educator, Dylan Teut.

Birds Have The Words

About the same time birds were returning to herald in spring this year, two books were released with our feathered friends as central characters.  Each of these books uses text sparingly but to great advantage.  Highly expressive illustrations in each reflect and extend meaning.

Up! Tall! and High! (but not necessarily in that order.) (G. P. Putnam's Sons) is written and illustrated by Ethan Long.  Three short tales tell of birds wondering about who's the tallest, who can fly the highest and who would rather be up than down.  The technique of surprise is used in all the stories.

In the first one bird is quite proud of his height until another comes along. To his chagrin this bird is taller.  Then readers see a long, long leg extending off the page with the attached foot placed squarely between these two.  Clearly this newest member is taller.  But is he really tall or rather small or...POOF?  POOF???

Next we see a quartet of these winged beauties gathered, testing their flying abilities.  The problem is one of the group is a penguin.  His sadness is alleviated as he is elevated by a brilliant idea.  After all, what are friends for?

The final story has a small bird resting in the top of a small tree.  Along comes a much larger bird who also wishes to be up among those upper branches.  With a flap of his wings he is there but wait...oh, oh...  Up or down, it's good to have help around.

Ethan Long is short on words but tall on repetition, rhyme and rhythm.  Even without the illustrations the snap, vigor and humor of his language choices soar off the pages.  The final sentence in each ties everything together with warmth and a sense of accomplishment.

Drawing in ink and brush, Long then scanned in and colored his illustrations digitally.  The endpapers introduce the stories' characters as they parade across the pages.  Stick legs, round wide eyes, infectious grins, a slight shift in facial features and those delightfully shaped bodies in bold, complimentary colors burst with emotion.  Sturdy, shiny paper with flaps invite participation until the closing endpapers picturing the gang taking a bow as they leave.

Ethan Long has created a book for all ages where smiling is not an option, laughter is guaranteed.  All you have to do is open the cover of Up! Tall! and High! (but not necessarily in that order.) to enter his particular view of words we use everyday.  Please follow the link embedded in his name above to go to his website.  There you will find fun activities for kids and informative videos about his books and his art.

More (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children) written by I. C. Springman with illustrations by Brian Lies is an inspiring fable, a glimpse of what could be, should be.  Magpies, a part of the Crow family, are known to be an intelligent bird, with similar habits; collecting or attraction to shiny objects.  Mice, on the other hand, seem to make do with what is at hand. (as evidenced by their occupation in various parts of my garage and basement from time to time)

Endpapers looking much like brown-toned, textured grass paper begin and end this story.  Turning to the title and verso readers can see the beginning pictured before them, a tall tree, branch extended, with a mouse peering into a nest as a magpie bends toward the branch.  Single words start the narrative.

Nothing.
Something.
A few,
several,
more
and more
and more.

These first words are spread through eight pages as we watch how a single gift, a marble, from the mouse to the magpie becomes a collection obsession.  All to soon one nest is not enough.  Eight more are filled to overflowing.

The mouse pleads with the magpie, enough is enough.  A habit once formed is hard to break.  The weight of magpie's wanting is almost his undoing.

I. C. Springman takes forty-five words, carefully chosen words, to guide readers through magpie's desire to have not what he needs but what he wants.  Her text, in and of itself, is the lesson she wishes magpie and her readers to learn, less is truly more.  In the end, giving is receiving.

Using acrylic paint and colored pencils on handmade paper, Brian Lies wraps and weaves his realistic, rich illustrations around the text.  How he chooses to depict or interpret a word is exquisite.  For the very first word, Nothing, he places it in the upper left-hand corner of the creamy blank two page spread, picturing the lone magpie head bowed in the lower right-hand corner.

He alters the size of his visuals on pages or within panels, along with the focus.  At times we see a wide view, at others a close-up such as only the magpie's feet with some treasures in his nest.  His details are nearly photographic.  He adds personality to the mouse and magpie with extra touches, a piece missing from the mouse's ear, a band about the magpie's leg.  They are both irresistible.

According to an interview here readers gain a greater understanding of the ideas which prompted both I. C. Springman and Brian Lies to combine their efforts in More.  Oh, yes, you come away knowing the difference between nothing, something, more, less, plenty or enough but what's important is you realize their significance in our individual lives and how it impacts others.  At Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Brian Lies shares more of the process for his artwork in this title.

I highly recommend both these books, definitely as a read alouds, for one-on-one and as great discussion starters.  And for some inexplicable reason these two titles started this song playing in my head.  Perhaps, because the words and illustrations in each of them are so upbeat, so perfectly perfect.