To What Extent

Sometimes before you open a book, it is like looking at a gift-wrapped present.  You know who the giver is, but you have no idea what is inside.  You speculate as to the contents aloud and in your mind, knowing the truth will not be revealed until the paper is removed and the box is opened.

This is exactly how it was with Big And Small And In-Between (Chronicle Books, April 12, 2022).  I knew of the considerable work of the creators Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares.  They are both authors and illustrators.  In this collaboration, Carter Higgins is author and Daniel Miyares is illustrator.  Having previously not read any reviews or revelatory chatter, after pausing at the opening and closing endpapers and the image before the verso and title pages, with a growing smile I turned to the first page.  I gasped.

BiG

things

Those two words are only read after unfolding a cleverly made box topped with a bow and tag with the number one on it.  With a page turn we discover twelve big things tangible, felt, and imagined.  We realize the warmth of the sun and its power to begin a day, the feeling before jumping into a huge mound of autumn leaves, the courage of doing something for the first time, and how a day at the beach is big in more than one way.

A square becomes a rectangle with a dachshund to welcome us into the in-between portion of this narrative. Here thirteen thoughts disclose highly anticipatory instances.  We recall (or wish we could recall) being on a teeter-totter when it is neither up or down but balanced in the center or the line when a boat is above water but also reflected in the water under it.  How about the caterpillar that is no longer an egg, but is about to flutter wings as a butterfly? How about the moment just before you bite into a s'more when the marshmallow is the right kind of soft and the chocolate is melting to perfection?  

A partial stem and partial leaf of a dandelion about ready for wishes holds the number 3.  A teeny, tiny door opens with a single dandelion seed on it for our exploration of small things.  If you listen you might hear the sound of a single raindrop falling in a puddle, a puddle providing water for a butterfly to quench its thirst.  If you look carefully, you can see snails beneath the cover of leaves and grass. It is a small creature inside a small shell leaving an almost invisible trail.  The final small thing of twelve takes us back to the ocean.  We are there just as a hole is formed, a castle is built, and we stand gazing at the expanse of water.  What does this tell us about big, in-between, and small things?

Surprisingly, there is a number four. Here we read and see the majesty of big, small, and in-between working together.  We pause and ponder at what we have read and seen in each portion of this book.  It is a proclamation from and of the heart.  

When you read the words written by Carter Higgins, you are drawn into each moment with her sensory descriptions.  Her lyrical phrases are like a lullaby, but also an awakening.  She is asking us to realize and participate in each of the big, small, and in-between happenings.  She takes the everyday and shows us how it is exceptional.  Here is a passage from each portion.  Can you guess which one is for big, small, and in-between?

a handful of NICKELS

that fell out of a pocket

and got smushed in the sofa

the SUN right before it slips away

when it is going

                     going

                              gone

how QUIET it gets

when it's your turn onstage

and you're not sure

about your talent

The images by artist Daniel Miyares we first see on the book case give us an idea of the wealth we are to find within the pages.  On the front, right side of the open case, is a balance of elements big and small and in-between.  They depict a collection of possibilities.  

To the left of the wide and bright yellow spine, on the back, is an oval-shaped illustration.  It shows three of the children showcased in the book riding down a street on their bicycles.  It is autumn.  The sky is replete with the colors of a setting sun. They are riding toward it.  Some autumn leaves break the frame to draw our eyes toward the text.  This text invites us to be travelers in the big, small, and the in-between.

On the opening endpapers in warmer hues of sunrise and sunset, as a background wash, we see items one might have from being in the portrayed occasions.  To name a few, there are odd checkers, jacks, a playing card, an acorn, a bottle cap, a wishbone, crayons, seashells, and leaves.  On the closing endpapers, in cooler shades, more often found at dusk, we are shown a pocket watch, a jump rope, an origami crane, a pencil, pinecone and a baseball.  These are some of the featured items.

When you turn the page, after the opening endpapers, we see a seated dog, with a tail extending over the gutter to the left, a wagging tail.  We cannot see the entire face of the canine, but it is happy.  A tennis ball rests between its paws.  A tag hanging from its collar reads:

This book belongs to

These pictures

rendered in graphite, gouache, and digital collage

are intricately detailed, textured, and expressive.  They alternate in size from full-page images with wide white frames, to full-page pictures, edge to edge, double-page visuals, and small images together.  There is a vertical delicious double-page picture, and a dramatic gatefold at the conclusion.  

The same characters and their pet companions reappear throughout the book.  Sometimes one image ties to the next one.  Some of the perspectives and use of light and shadow will have you marveling at the skill of Daniel Miyares.  One word (okay, two) comes to mind when you look at each illustration, alive and splendid.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for one of the above-noted quoted passages.  It is a four square picture with wide frames on a single page.  In the first scene, a child is reading a book in a swing on their porch as the sun sets.  Their dog is standing and watching them holding its tennis ball in its mouth.  Hopeful. In the next scene, it is barely light enough outside to read, but the child keeps reading. His socks and shoes are off and on the porch. They are lying down more than sitting up.  The tennis ball is next to the dog, now resting.  In the third image, the child is reading under a blanket with a flashlight, still in the porch swing.  The dog is curled and sleeping.  In the final illustration, an adult is carrying the child inside as the dog follows.  In the final two pictures stars fashion pinpoints of light in the sky.

This book, Big And Small And In-Between written by Carter Higgins with artwork by Daniel Miyares, is a total sensory experience.  You savor every example, thinking about if it is one you've shared, and if it is not, what you have done that might be similar, or completely different.  You cannot stop thinking about this book, about how others will respond to it, and the wonderful conversations and activities it will promote.  I highly recommend you place at least one copy or two in your professional collections and one in your personal collections.

To learn more about Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Carter Higgins has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Her blog is linked here.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  On Saturday, April 23, 2022, there is an Instagram takeover hosted by Weller Book Works highlighting this book with Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares.

Mix and Match Making Magic

If you are a reader who is happiest sharing what you've read with others, sometimes, more often than not, as you are reading another part of your mind will be thinking about who will enjoy this book the most.  You can't help but wonder how you can booktalk it.  What parts will you share?  You imagine using the book as a read aloud or showpiece in a thematic story time. 

Two weeks ago, an individual took her experience as an

Emmy-winning visual effects and motion graphics artist and . . . a decade as an elementary school librarian

and used those talents in her debut as both author and illustrator.  She previously released three picture book titles and a middle grade novel as an author.  Circle Under Berry (Chronicle Books, September 14, 2021) written and illustrated by Carter Higgins is a sensory sensation.  Vivid colors combine with classic shapes and spare text to expand our understanding of possibilities.

circle under berry

berry over square

In the next phrase, another item and color are added.  The words are re-arranged, one disappears, and two more are included.  This shifts the experience.  Two separate thoughts become one single idea.

Then, the original colors stay the same, but they are defined differently.  A new term is introduced.  Circle and square are now a trio of shapes.

With the next page turn, readers will be gasping at the appearance of a guppy!  Yes, a guppy is invited into the conversation.  Careful readers will be flipping back to previous pages to see how this evolved.

Wow!  More animals and another hue are now part of the narrative.  We are asked questions as more shapes, directions, and color names are entered into the mix.  What can we do with these shapes, shades, and adverbs and prepositions?  We realize as we read, we hold the key to what we see.  We have the power to expand, subtract, identify and create.  We have the power of story.

Author Carter Higgins begins by stating what we believe is the obvious, but she quickly switches the pattern and pace with a page turn.  We now know, this is going to be an extraordinary exploration of colors, shapes, and language.  With each new word, hue, and form, she is challenging us.  With her questions, she is asking us to participate.  We except the challenge and invitation, because we can't wait to read what she will say next!

On a page we see a square.  Beneath it is a diamond.  Beneath that diamond is a pig shaped from hearts and circles.  What we read is:

blue up high

pig down low

yellow in between

White space is used brilliantly by illustrator Carter Higgins on the book case and throughout the book.  It is her canvas for altering the tale and the elements in that tale.  It draws our attention with purpose to what she wants us to sense with every page turn.  When you open this larger-than-usual board book (It is a little more than 7.5 inches wide and just about 10 inches tall.), you can see how she begins with primary and secondary colors on the front, right side.  

To the left, on the back, we are shown three shapes of distinct colors.  Next to them are altered shapes turned into animals.  We are questioned about what we see.  Here, too, we read what would usually appear on the front flap of a dust jacket.  Without even opening the book, we are eager to discover the potential it holds

On the opening endpapers are nine shapes in nine varied colors.  They represent primary colors, secondary colors, and tints or shades.  On the closing endpapers the original diamond, square, circle, triangle, octagon, heart, trapezoid, rectangle, and oval have changed in appearance.  They are now animals, something to consume, and a place to reside.

These illustrations

were cut and collaged from hand-painted paper and then assembled digitally.

They are presented to us initially in a vertical row.  First there are two, then there are four.  Two pages with two, then a single page with four.  It supplies us with an expected cadence, but then Carter Higgins switches this for two pages before going back to the original rhythm and then . . . we come to accept the remarkable, especially when one of the creations nearly hops off the page.  Soon shapes are shown in a horizontal line, as well as a vertical row.  Our minds are expanding with choices and opportunities!

One of my many favorite illustrations is after we've seen a rectangle, the color emerald, and a grasshopper made with shades of green and familiar forms.  Under the grasshopper we read:

grasshopper here

This grasshopper is at the bottom of a crisp white canvas.  With a page turn that same crisp white canvas is almost empty.  At the bottom we still read

grasshopper,

but in the upper, right-hand corner is the word

there!

We see only the back portion of the grasshopper in that corner in mid leap.  Genius.

You need to get and read a copy of Circle Under Berry written and illustrated by Carter Higgins as soon as possible.  This concept book has been presented as a board book, but make no mistake, this book is for everyone.  You simply can't read it once.  I've lost count of how many times I've read it.  Use it to present colors, shapes, parts of speech, creativity and for pure enjoyment.  I highly recommend you have a copy in all your collections, personal and professional.  I'll be giving it out to trick-or-treaters this Halloween.

To learn more about Carter Higgins and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Carter Higgins has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Carter Higgins is interviewed at Publishers Weekly and at Let's Talk Picture Books.

UPDATE:  Carter Higgins talks about writing this book on her blog, Design Of The Picture Book It is a fascinating discussion of her process.

Among The Branches

Decades ago in a tiny community, there was a short little street with a flower shop at one end and a factory at the other end.  On this street was a small house with a small yard but in the back was a giant willow tree.  Its branches were perfectly placed for climbing.

A little girl loved to climb that tree and see the world from its heights.  There were days she wanted to live in that tree.  To come outside one morning and see a treehouse placed among those branches would have been the fulfillment of a deep longing.   Everything You Need for a Treehouse (Chronicle Books, April 10, 2018) written by Carter Higgins (This is NOT a Valentine Chronicle Books, December 26, 2017) with illustrations by Emily Hughes ( The Little Gardener Flying Eye Books, June 1, 2015 UK, August 11, 2015 US) is a song of gratitude for treehouses real and imagined.  It's the fulfillment of dreams across generations.

Everything you need for a 
treehouse
starts with time
and looking up
and imagining a home
of timber and rafters
in wrangled, gnarled bark.

There is no single tree better destined for holding these abodes;  a solitary sentinel in a meadow or one among many in a lush green forest are equally excellent.  The main characteristic the best trees have is height.  You'll need it to see what needs to be seen.

It is important to have a plan, the proper tools and materials. There are certain steps to take in the construction.  A ladder is a necessity.  For gardeners boxes to hold your flowers are best.  For climbers no ordinary rope will do, it must be sturdy to keep you steady.  For readers, those adventurers of the printed word, bookshelves are a beloved requirement.

Remember to bring to your favorite snacks.  Now is a good time for a close inspection of your sleeping bag.  Is it comfy?

No resident of a home in the lofty arms of a tree should be without a flashlight.  It gives light where there is none.  Remember the suggestion of looking over your sleeping bag, there is another reason this is important.  It has something to do with nighttime sounds and friendship.

Treehouses hold secrets.  Treehouses are for hushed voices and shouts of freedom.  Treehouses are for aloneness and togetherness.  Treehouses are for working and resting.  They begin with us.


With the first words written by Carter Higgins it's as if we already sheltered inside a comfortable dwelling among leafy boughs.  In each group of phrases she's captured those small memorable moments, the wonderful details of youth and hopes and adventure.  At times words will be in italics.  Those words are yours; depicting your conversations.  Here are two passages.

When you get hungry in your hideaway
you'll be glad for the stack of snacks
you stashed in your backpack.

Red licorice and drippy peaches are my favorites
but if you like pistachios, those are okay, too---
the pirates like those---
so we can spit the shells from our perch.


Many people in the United States (maybe other places, too) have been enduring a heat wave for nearly a week but when you look at the opened dust jacket for this book, you are transported to the cool, calm of the woods.  On each of the flaps and the back of the jacket the shape of the tree on the front is replicated; one vertically and two horizontally.  Within those shapes are portraits of children near or on trees.  They are surrounded by liberal amounts of cream-colored space.  And wouldn't you love to join the two children in the treehouse on the front of the jacket?

The book case will prompt gasps from every reader.  On the far left is the truck and leafy boughs of a tall tree.  Pale blue sky covers the remaining space except for a hint of branches by the spine.  These branches belong to another large tree nearly filling the entire front.  A secluded treehouse is occupied by two children gazing at us.

On the opening and closing endpapers there are twenty-one small images of treehouses and items found in trees.  Many of them are framed in rope.  These like all the illustrations are utterly enchanting.  With the exception of fourteen single page pictures, two of those have two small visuals per page, all of the images span two pages.

Rendered by hand in graphite and in Photoshop the artwork by Emily Hughes is intricate, exquisite in its detail. At each illustration you are welcomed and you pause to enjoy the view.  Perspectives shift.  All kinds of children with different likes and dislikes and similarities, too, occupy the pages.  You want to find all of them to see what they are doing.  The designs of the treehouses will leave you breathless.

One of my many favorite illustrations (I love them all,) is the first one.  It's laden with promise.  Spread across two pages are multiple trunks of trees, a grove.  The point of view is of us looking up.  The tops of the trees are in soft shades of green.  On the left a girl is looking to the top on the right.  On the right a boy has his eyes on something on the left.  His dog's attention is on the right.


Written by Carter Higgins with illustrations by Emily Hughes Everything You Need for a Treehouse is an exuberant collection of wondrous possibilities.  Your eyes move from point to point with each page turn running the words through your mind or reading them aloud.  Or you look at each carefully-placed element in the pictures before reading the words.   It's simply beautiful.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Carter Higgins and her other work please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At her website Carter interviews Emily Hughes about her work on this book.  I encourage you to read it.  An interview of Carter and cover reveal appears at All The Wonders.  You might like to stop at 12 x 12 and Melissa Roske's site for features on Carter Higgins.  Emily Hughes maintains an account on Instagram.  You will learn more about Emily Hughes from watching these two videos.


Emily Hughes - Illustration from CLPE on Vimeo.

Messages From The Heart

It is a greeting given in friendship.  It is a written declaration of devotion.  It is a token of endearment.  On February 14th, collectively by more people than any other day of the year, love is celebrated.  Brave souls will reveal their sincere feelings for others.  If the fondness is known, shared and has stood the test of time, it is honored for the treasure it is.

You can be a Valentine, the cherished individual, or you can give someone a Valentine, a greeting, a declaration or a token.  This is NOT a Valentine (Chronicle Books, December 26, 2017) written by Carter Higgins with illustrations by Lucy Ruth Cummins offers readers less than traditional displays of tenderness.  They are nonetheless genuine and straight from the heart.

This is not a valentine,
since those come with buckets of roses
and bushels of tulips
that smell like grannies
fresh out of the garden.

On the bus ride to school on Valentine's Day a girl gives a classmate, a boy, a Valentine card.  In response he gives her a handful of dandelions, some blooming, others ready to make wishes come true and several bare.  As he hands her another token he is quick to remind her, this is not a valentine.

Each gesture of kindness and friendship by him to her during the day reveals how well he knows her.  He realizes what he gives her next is not the hues frequently found on Valentines nor is it any of her favorite colors, but it is a color worn by superheroes and she is a superhero to him.  When their teacher asks them to make portraits, his drawing of her is filled with imperfections but his attempt is pure perfection.

His answer to them being separated in the drinking fountain line is an expertly aimed paper airplane.  He has to get her attention as best as he can.  During science he imagines them being sick together from a lesson with negative results but he chooses to find the silver lining.  In the cafeteria at lunch and on the playground at recess, the boy finds readily available mementos to present to his friend.  His purpose for choosing each one is a reflection of his affection.

As the school day closes, the two walk to the bus chatting together.  Unlike the morning, they are riding home side by side.  The boy speaks one final line leaving readers with a profound thought to ponder.


The brilliant beauty of this book penned by Carter Higgins is its truth.  There are many ways to demonstrate friendship and love; sometimes denying either is a demonstration of the opposite.  With the openness and genuineness so easily found in children, this boy allows us to see the wonder in loving someone.  His reasons for selecting each item will stay with readers.  They disclose the depth of his character.  Here is a passage.

This is not a valentine,
since it's got sharper edges than
dainty old lace.
But if you play duck duck goose
with kids who run real fast,
you'll just get stuck in the stew pot.
So meet me at the hopscotch squares.
My lucky rock will help.


Although the title on the opened dust jacket claims this is not a Valentine, the looks on the boy's and girl's faces say otherwise.  The color choices and the size of the book give you the sense this is a Valentine.  To the left, on the back, the ribbon-wearing frog is leaping away to the left from the spine on the same cream canvas.

The book case is a scattering of Valentine envelopes each sealed with a small red heart.  They are placed on a white background on both sides of the case.  The title appears in the center on the far right.  A shade of lavender covers the opening and closing endpapers.  It is a slightly lighter hue than the color of the girl's dress.

Before the title page a single Valentine envelope bears the name Kevin. (At the close of the book there is a notable difference.) Illustrator Lucy Ruth Cummins begins her visual story on the following pages.  The verso shows the front of the school bus as it pulls up to the stop.  The boy and the girl are seated together on a bench waiting on the title page.  She is about to give the boy a Valentine.  The next wordless two-page picture shows his reaction.

Rendered in brush marker, gouache, graphite, colored pencil, crayon, ink and charcoal the images created by Lucy Ruth Cummins are brimming with texture and charm.  The children in their facial expressions and body postures exhibit happiness.  You can't look at them without smiling.  A full page is dedicated to each of the keepsakes given to the girl.  Lucy Ruth Cummins switches perspective to focus our attention on a particular moment in the story; when the ring color matches the color of the girl's shoelaces, when the children are drawing the portraits or eating their lunch.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the boy, seated at the back of the room, is passing a "gift" to the front of the class where the girl sits.  This image is on a cream background spanning two pages.  Our attention is drawn to the colorful clothing of the students.  Their desks, in a row, left to right, are pencil sketches.  On the side of each desk is a pink heart.


This is NOT a Valentine written by Carter Higgins with illustrations by Lucy Ruth Cummins is a Valentine to readers from these two talented women.  It is a touching testament to the variety of Valentines given and received.  Each one is as precious as the other.  You will want to add this delightful title to your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Carter Higgins and Lucy Ruth Cummins and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Both women visit All The Wonders for a book cover reveal with teacher librarian Matthew Winner.  At 12 x 12 and author Melissa Roske's site, Carter Higgins is showcased.  Lucy Ruth Cummins is interviewed at BOOKish.