Comedy Times Two #3

On one thing most scientists can agree, the strength of laughter to elevate our well-being.  Laughter pushes everything else aside for those moments you are laughing.  If you are not alone in your laughter, it lasts a lot longer.  If you have the giggles, a simple look, sound, or body movement can ignite another bout of guffaws shared by those gathered.

As soon as you read certain books (in between bursts of laughter), you know you are holding hilarity gold in your hands.  Today, two book releases fit this description.  Both have imbedded facts, making them fun and funnier.  On February 26, 2019 readers were able to enjoy a generous serving of humor reading The Very Impatient Caterpillar (Scholastic Press) written and illustrated by Ross Burach.  The outspoken, exuberant caterpillar is back after having the patience to make it through metamorphosis. In The Little Butterfly That Could (Scholastic Press, April 6, 2021), our butterfly friend finds the thought of migration a tad bit terrifying. 

 

HEY! Have you seen

a group of migrating

butterflies?

They went that way.

Excited the group is close, the butterfly is shocked to discover they are 200 miles away.  When asking the whale how to travel 200 miles, the whale says flight is the only solution.  In a fit of drama, the butterfly believes this is impossible.

In the ensuing interlude, the butterfly recounts how much simpler life was as a caterpillar, and then as a chrysalis who patiently (HA!) waited to become a flower-seeking butterfly.  It seems a fog descended, and the butterfly lost his migrating flutter friends.  With calm, the whale counters every possible thing the butterfly believes will hinder its success.  It is okay to be afraid.

When the whale says he gets butterflies in his stomach, in reference to possible obstacles, the butterfly wants to hide there.  Certainly, inside a whale's stomach is preferable to flying 200 miles!  Finally, the butterfly starts flying.  It is more of a struggle than true flying.  He moves two feet!  For this butterfly there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but the whale keeps offering encouragement.  You must believe.

Voicing mantras of inspiration, the butterfly, fortified with confidence, begins at last.  First, he makes 25 miles.  Then he makes 50 miles.  At every point closer to the 200 miles, the butterfly pushes forward with words and an affirmative mindset.  Does the spunky insect reach its pals only to discover there is yet another challenge in the offing?  Read on, readers.  Don't give up.

Told entirely in dialogue, this book is a study in humor, contrast, and education.  Ross Burach manages to make us laugh as the butterfly's frantic fear is countered by the whale's calm composure.  The over-the-top outbursts by the butterfly engage us in every moment.  We all understand this feeling.  This is why we laugh.  It is pure genius how facts about butterfly migration become a part of the butterfly's explosions of speech.  Here is a passage.

WAIT!

Can't I just live in your

stomach FOREVER?

No.

How about

a one-year lease?

No!

You have

to keep

trying.

(My copy is on its way, so this post is being completed using an F & G.)

On the front of the dust jacket, in bright bold colors, matching a bright bold personality, the wide-eyed, little butterfly is jittery with worry.  Here over an ocean, what's a butterfly to do?  On the back, the butterfly is offering no-nonsense words to readers about the value in reading the first book, The Very Impatient Caterpillar.  It needs to be read NOW!

(I am looking forward to seeing the endpapers on the finished copy.  The opening endpapers on the first book feature a row of white caterpillars along the bottom of an orange background.  On the closing endpapers in white is the little butterfly with a couple of flutter friends.  They are hovering over some flowers on a purple canvas.)

Ross Burach's art was created with pencil, crayon, acrylic paint, and digital coloring.

Each visual is loaded with exaggerated animation.  Ross Burach alternates between two-page pictures, single-page pictures, and groups of smaller illustrations.  His shifts in perspective keep the pace moving quickly.  One minute you are looking at the vast display of the ocean across two pages with the whale and the little butterfly small in comparison.  The next minute you are inside the whale's stomach as the butterfly moves through three scenarios of setting up possible residence there.

As if there is not enough comedy to be found in the little butterfly, the whale, and other butterflies' bodies and expressions, readers need to notice the details.  When the little butterfly is sobbing, out of nowhere in the middle of an ocean, the whale is holding a box of tissues.  When the butterfly is worrying about getting lost, an upside down map is in its hands.  It is holding a pair of binoculars up to its eyes.  When the butterfly is looking inside a refrigerator inside the whale's stomach, the only thing stored inside is krill.

One of my many favorite illustrations is one of three on a single page.  It is the center visual.  The little butterfly is at mile 150.  Its wings are down in their flapping, or perhaps it is gliding.  The little butterfly is wearing a runner's head band.  It's squirting water from a bottle into its mouth.

Nothing is better than laughter except when laughter and learning are combined.  We understand the importance of a can-do attitude and butterfly migration after reading The Little Butterfly That Could written and illustrated by Ross Burach.  I know you'll want this title in both your personal and professional collections. 

To learn more about Ross Burach and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You'll find loads of extras there.  Ross Burach has an account on Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view some interior images.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher reveals the cover for The Very Impatient Caterpillar and chats about The Little Butterfly That Could with the author illustrator on his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  Here is a link to the recent Book Joy Live event with Ross Burach and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.

When spring rolls around after more than a year of enduring a global pandemic, everyone is ready for a seasonal change at the very least.  The sound of spring peppers encourages you to join them in song.  Leaves of tulips and daffodils are pushing their way through dirt.  Soon their stems will extend, and blossoms will form.  We want to join them by shedding our winter wear for t-shirts and shorts.  Teeny, tiny buds on sprouting from shrub and tree branches.  We want to stretch out our arms and embrace this newness.  Down on the farm, most of the animals are ready for spring, too.  In Not Now, Cow (Abrams Appleseed, April 6, 2021) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Troy Cummings, everyone is welcoming the season, except for one.  Cow is confused. 

SPRING

Duck is ready.

Helps things grow.

Sheep is ready.

Skips below.

Goat is ready, too.  Cow is not.  Cow is standing under a tree wearing mittens, a scarf, and a snow cap.  Rooster states this is not the time for winter wear.

When summer comes Chick, Goat, and Pig all dive into appropriate activities.  Cow stands ready to race down a snow-covered hill on a sled.  Rooster is exasperated.

Horse, Chick, and Sheep enjoy the out-of-door fun fall brings.  There is leaf-raking, apple-eating and pumpkin carving.  And Cow, well Cow, is not getting the autumn vibe at all.

Finally, winter arrives.  (I'll bet Cow can hardly wait.)  Pig, Horse, and Duck are frolicking in the snow and on the ice.  To Rooster's utter amazement, Cow's seasonal clock has tick-tocked into another hemisphere.  The final sentence (the whole book, truthfully) will invite loads of laughter.

Is this book perfect for a read aloud? Yes.  Is this book perfect for reader's theater?  Yes.  Is this book perfect for a puppet show?  Yes.  Tammi Sauer writes for readers to experience this book completely.  She establishes a cadence for each season with three animals participating in an activity followed by Cow's lack of understanding and Rooster's frustration.  She repeats phrases.  The final words in sentences rhyme.  It's pure playful perfection.  Here is a passage.

Pig is ready.

Leaves a trail.

Cow is . . .

Oh, Cow.

Not now.

How can you look at the front of the book case and not laugh out loud?  Look at Cow wearing beach gear and ready for some fun in the sun in the middle of winter!  Cow's grin and Rooster's incredulous look tell a story themselves.  On the back amid the continued snow scene is information about Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings similar to that found on the back end flap of a dust jacket.  Beneath the text are Goat, Chick, and Sheep appropriately attired for winter.  They are looking slightly mystified at a green and yellow polka dot beach inner tube laying in the snow.

Not wasting any space, Troy Cummings uses the opening and closing endpapers to start and conclude the story.  Rooster is shouting out the news of spring's appearance prior to the verso and title pages.  There a double-page picture shows Cow ambling in from the left as Rooster races off the right side.  They are placed amid a pastoral scene on the farm.  At the end, the entire barnyard crew is staring at Cow.

These digitally created images have a rhythm to them as does the text.  Each season is given a full-page picture.  This is followed by two animals sharing one page and another one on a single page.  For the 

Cow is . . .

phrase, this stands alone in a loosely framed image.  A two-page visual closes out the season.  It depicts Cow's clueless demeanor contrasting with hilarity to Rooster's look of disbelief.  Readers will enjoy looking at all the extra elements in the clothing, facial expressions, and actions of the other animals.  Chick nibbling on and carrying an apple bigger than it is while wearing oversized work boots is a real rib-tickler.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The countryside is all aglow with colors of fall.  Standing on a pile of leaves is Cow.  Cow is wearing a purple puffer coat, bright mittens and earmuffs and ski goggles.  In one hand is a ski pole.  In the other hand is a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Ski boots and skis finish the ensemble.  Rooster perched on the fence is gritting its teeth.  Its eyes are rolled, and one wing is to its forehead. 

Expect a chorus of read it again from story time listeners after reading Not Now, Cow written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Troy Cummings.  Between all the grins and giggles, each season is explored.  Be sure to place a copy of this title in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Tammi Sauer has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Troy Cummings has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Tammi Sauer penned a post at Picture Book Builders about this title.

Of Butterflies And Borders

Early this spring along the road taken by my canine companion and me on our daily walks were the shells of milkweed pods among the dried grasses and leaves.  For the most part, the seeds were still snuggled inside. For a gal with the goal of having a field of milkweed for the monarch butterflies, this discovery was pure gold.

The numbers of these marvelous, brightly colored creatures, in recent years, is decreasing due to climate change and loss of habitat.  We, as humans, are at the root of their problems, but if we do everything possible, we can reverse their possible extinction.   Planting milkweed seeds is one of several solutions.

Anyone of any age can become a champion for these butterflies. Senorita Mariposa (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, August 6, 2019) written by Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G) with illustrations by Marcos Almada Rivero, through lively text in both English and Spanish and Spanish and English and vibrant images, follows the miraculous annual migration of monarchs from Canada and the United States to Mexico.  You'll be singing and dancing and clapping and toe-tapping from beginning to end. 

Little butterfly
Pequena mariposa

You just caught my eye
Llamaste mi atencion

A girl playing in a lake notices a monarch butterfly flying above her.  Three other children, singing as one plays a guitar, see the monarch butterfly among the bees.  A chorus rings out in tribute to the beauty and power of Senorita Mariposa.  This monarch butterfly is loved.

Soon she joins other monarch butterflies leaving the north to travel south.  She will be missed as she flies at least sixty miles per day.  Wherever she goes, her presence is noted.  Wherever she goes, all are amazed at her yearly accomplishment.

This butterfly and her companions traverse over mountains and deserts until they happily reach their destination.  Once there, their arrival is welcomed.  Children greet them with praise and joy following their flight to their resting place.

Millions and millions of monarch butterflies gather to create fluttering orange boughs on a special specie of evergreen.  They will reside there during the winter months as if in celebration.  The chorus rings out again in honor and great affection.


As you read the words penned by Ben Gundersheimer you find yourself captured by the rhythm of the rhyming words in English.  When you sing the English followed by the Spanish or sing the Spanish followed by the English, the musicality of the words in both languages wraps around you.  The chorus, sung first in Spanish, rhymes for the first four lines and ends with

Te quiero a ti
I love you

Careful readers will discover facts woven into the narrative.  Here is a two-line passage.

Sixty miles or more a day
Por mas de sesenta millas al dia

We will see you on your way
Te veremos en tu camino


Against a blue sky with swirling clouds readers are introduced to Senorita Mariposa.  She is joined by other monarchs, one positioned on a letter in the title.  The primary authentic hues with orange, black, and white are a cheerful request to meet this butterfly.  The tip of her right wing continues on the other side of the spine, to the left, on the back.

There the shades of the blue sky shift a bit to include greens.  We are now in a forest setting.  A bear gazes up at monarch butterflies and bees flying over milkweed.  Senorita Mariposa is nearly nose to nose with the bear.  A grasshopper watches from a branch above them all.

On the book case leaves in varying hues of green supply a background.  On the front Senorita Mariposa has opened her wings completely, gazing at readers with a slight turn of her head.  On the back two happy monarch caterpillars crawl among the leaves.

A pale lavender covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Digitally rendered the images created by Marcos Almada Rivero are a beautiful blend of bold color and soft washes.  Readers will find themselves pausing at each page turn to enjoy all the items in each scene, animals, domestic and wild and lush flora in panoramic views or close-ups with Senorita Mariposa.

The representation of children from a variety of racial and ethnic backgrounds engaged together in different activities is wonderful to see.  They are blissfully happy, as they should be.  Even the expressions on the animals are thoughtful and content. Readers will also be able to speculate where and when Senorita Mariposa is in her flight by items in the pictures. 

One of my many favorite illustrations spanning two pages, as they all do, is when the monarch butterflies and Senorita Mariposa arrive in Mexico.  Two children, an older brother and his younger sister, run along with the butterflies as they travel to reach the evergreens.  The little girl is carrying a white kite with a monarch butterfly on it.  Their dog, tongue hanging from its mouth in happiness, is running with them.  The children and the butterflies are moving from left to right and upward.  On the right side branches of the fir trees frame the text as butterflies move among them.  We are watching this joyous occasion as if we are one of the monarch butterflies.


For an exuberant read aloud destined to have listeners participating through song or dance or both or as an introduction to a theme revolving around monarch butterflies, butterflies or insects, Senorita Mariposa written by Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G) with illustrations by Marcos Almada Rivero is an excellent choice.  At the conclusion of this delightful title in an author's note readers are given more information about monarch butterflies and asked to help protect them.  Readers are directed to a website.  You'll want a copy of this title for your personal and professional collections.  It's sure to be a favorite.

To learn more about Ben Gundersheimer (Mister G) and Marcos Almada Rivero and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Here is a link to the Mariposa Project page at Mister G's website.  Ben Gundersheimer maintains accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  Marcos Almada Rivero has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view the title page.  For additional research on monarch butterflies, readers might want to consult this page with multiple links provided by Michigan's Department of National Resources.

Fluttering Away

Elusive butterflies are associated with chasing happiness; they and it may gracefully and unexpectedly arrive when we quietly sit.  Butterflies are historically symbolic in numerous cultures.  For many they are viewed as souls in flight.  Their life stages represent distinctive changes in following the Christian faith.  For scores of other people butterflies are simply insects of exquisite beauty that move in and out of their field of vision.

Recently heard on television, a character stated butterflies in your stomach means you care deeply about something or someone.  Everyone has experienced this sensation.  Butterflies On The First Day of School (Sterling Children's Books, May 7, 2019) written by Annie Silvestro with illustrations by Dream Chen depicts with beautiful insight in words and pictures, the fluttery feeling we get in our stomachs when faced with something momentous.

A month before school, Rosie picked out her very first backpack.

It was decorated with flowers.  She adored it, wearing it around the house.  Rosie made sure she knew how to raise her hand when necessary.  She wrote her ABCs over and over.  She said her teacher's name.  She was excited for her first day of school until the night before that day.  Worry settled inside her.

In the morning, Rosie spoke to her mother and father about her reluctance to go.  Her mother told her

"You just have butterflies in your belly."

Before Rosie could ask for an explanation the school bus pulled into view.

On the bus ride to school, three butterflies flew out of Rosie's mouth when she spoke to a new friend.  No one but Rosie saw them.  On the circle rug in the kindergarten room when it was Rosie's turn to introduce herself, the butterflies moved around inside her until she bravely stood up and spoke.  More butterflies left Rosie's belly then and as she worked and played in her classroom.

During recess Rosie noticed a little girl standing alone.  Another friendship formed as a child looked in amazement at a new sight.  At the end of the day, running from the bus into her mother's loving embrace, an affectionate surprise fluttered upward.


When we meet Rosie through the chosen words of Annie Silvestro we are drawn to her charming personality as evidenced by her warmth toward her sister and parents.   We feel a bond with her at her reluctance to go to school.  Why else wouldn't she eat chocolate-chip pancakes?

It's that first connection on the school bus when Violet speaks to her and she responds that a butterfly flies out of her mouth.  This is a wonderful moment for Rosie and for readers as a correlation is made.  We are willing participants in this story as Annie Silvestro adds depth and humor with dialogue. Here are two passages.

The words tumbled out on two silver butterflies.
Rosie watched them flutter down the aisle.
Violet didn't seem to notice. (on the school bus)

Violet went next.
"I'm allergic to dogs," she said.  "And sometimes
to my brother, Alex."  (in the classroom)


A collection of complementary colors captures our attention of the front of the dust jacket (I'm using an F & G for this blog post.) We wonder along with the little girl at the splendor spread above her.  To the left, on the back, on a continuation of the dark cream background, Rosie is featured with the family dog and cat.  She is smiling as a butterfly soars over them.  A passage from the book is above this illustration.

On the opening endpapers what appears to be a collage created by artist Dream Chen spans the two pages.  It's a pattern of yellow and golden flowers, clusters of red berries (replicated on Rosie's first-day clothing) and tiny-leaved green stems.  At the back on the closing endpapers, butterflies in hues of blue, red and yellow fly from the bottom to the top.

Most of the illustrations are placed on a crisp white canvas with generous borders of white, illuminating the bright color palette.  Image sizes vary from full-page pictures to several visuals on a page to larger double-page illustrations in the classroom.  The children are fully animated and fully engaged in conversations and activities. 

One of my many favorite illustrations shows the interior of the school bus.  In the first of four seats in green, Rosie and Violet sit.  The students behind them are laughing and chatting with the exception of one student.  It's Isabella, who we meet later. (It's interesting how she is shown in illustrations until Rosie notices her on the playground at recess.)  Sunlight streams in through the windows making rectangles on the floor of the bus.  Two butterflies float away from Rosie.


Butterflies On The First Day of School written by Annie Silvestro with illustrations by Dream Chen is an absolutely precious title for sharing with students attending school on that first day whether they are in kindergarten or older.  I adore the clever use of butterflies in the stomach and how they fly away as calm settles over Rosie and her new nervous friend.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  For reading aloud with a group you might want to consider using a flying butterfly surprise which you can wind-up and place inside the book. 

To learn more about Annie Silvestro and Dream Chen and their other work, please access their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Annie Silvestro has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Dream Chen has an account on Instagram as well as a blog on Tumblr.