You Said What?

As a parent with young children or an educator working with elementary students, you develop a particular set of listening and translation skills.  When the little gals and guys are first learning to speak, what they say and what they mean are sometimes open to interpretation.  More than once I've stood still for a few seconds running a phrase over in my mind trying to match what I've just heard with what I know.

When it finally dawns on me what they are attempting to communicate, I repeat it back correctly.  Sometimes they will smile along with me in recognition.  Other times they repeat the original sentence.  I YAM A DONKEY! (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, June16, 2015) story, pictures and bad grammar by Cece Bell is a hilarious sequence; the rules of language broken with every utterance.

I yam a donkey!
What did you say?
"I yam a donkey"?
The proper way to 
say that is "I am
a donkey."

After the bespectacled Yam points out the error of Donkey's speaking, Donkey replies with an equally cringe-worthy phrase.  What makes it even funnier is he thinks Yam is a donkey; a tad weird-looking but a donkey.

Yam immediately clarifies his true status.  Donkey again hears what he wants to hear and asserts his belief the yam is a donkey.  With increasing frustration Yam tries to correct Donkey's mistake.

Donkey switches gears focusing on

"I yam a donkey."

This makes Yam crazy.  He says am over and over hoping Donkey will not use yam when he should say am.

To add to Yam's growing agitation, Donkey messes up his use of pronouns, using a singular when he should be using a plural.  Donkey thinks Yam's repetition of the subject and plural verb combination is a hee-haw gone wrong.  Stomping his feet Yam says once and for all he is not a donkey.  He is a yam.  Donkey's wordy assessment of the situation causes Yam to fall to the ground in exhaustion.  He is at a breaking point.  All Donkey can do is make jokes.

In the middle of a heated discussion between Donkey and Yam, three green beans, a carrot and a turnip stroll up to the duo.  In full professorial mode, Yam uses a series of labeled pictures to prove his point.  Donkey's take is that everyone is a donkey.  Yam's last-ditch effort to rectify Donkey's bad grammar is met with a surprise no one could have predicted. Donkey's mind works in mysterious ways.


Told completely in dialogue Cece Bell exhibits a gift for word play.  With the addition of a single letter, y, to a declarative sentence she has fashioned a story using characters displaying contrasting knowledge of the use of language.  With each exchange between the two the tension, humor and pace increases.  Donkey's misconceptions multiply in equal measure to Yam's annoyance.  Here is another sample passage.

Okay.  So what you is saying is that you is a donkey, right?

NO! I am not a donkey!
And it's not "you is"!
It's "you are"! You are,
you are, you are!


Rendered in china marker and acrylics on vellum the bold colors and thicker black outlines seen on the matching dust jacket and book case grab your attention.  Hands on his hips Yam is obviously disgusted.  To the left, on the back, the three beans are featured in a small circular image.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in a spring green.  Each has a pattern of carrots, end to end in rows, and the three beans framing the single turnip.  Are these indicative of the conclusion?

Cece Bell begins the story on the title page with Donkey's proclamation.  On the verso and the first page in a double-page illustration we read Yam's reply.  With only five exceptions all of the pictures are two-page; the others are framed as if panels in a graphic novel or are single-page pictures.  The dialogue between Donkey and Yam is shown in speech bubbles.

Donkey's big toothy grin, large yellow teeth highly visible, and his eyes drawn with a circle and a dot depict his singular personality.  With his arms, legs and glasses Yam manages to look downright scholarly.  His body language portrays his every mood.

Two of my favorite illustrations are horizontal panels, one over the other, on a single page.  In the first with an orange background Donkey is taking a long, loud SNIFF! of Yam.  In the second with a teal background Donkey speaks to Yam in several sentences questioning whether Yam is a donkey or not.  Yam is looking rather resigned which sets the tone for his outburst on the next page.


At home or in an educational setting  I YAM A DONKEY! written and illustrated by Cece Bell is sure to ignite laughter in readers and listeners alike.  For sheer entertainment, a lesson on the power of story or to introduce a unit on grammar, this book provides opportunities.  This would make an excellent reader's theater.

If you would like to learn more about Cece Bell, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At this publisher's page you can print off a set of stickers about this title. Update: July 19, 2015 Cece Bell and art from the book are featured at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson. 

#Bookaday I Yam a Donkey by @CeceBellBooks http://t.co/5vUqMa6DK6. Prepare yourself for a hilarious moral! pic.twitter.com/LPpcbBPxik

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) March 10, 2015

I YAM A DONKEY! was the funniest read aloud of the year. pic.twitter.com/Vw0EiQYxaR

— ©olby Sharp (@colbysharp) May 29, 2015

To The Rescue

Heroes and heroines are created every single day.  Surely the simplest act of kindness is part of the code of champions, consciously or unconsciously.  Being brave, stepping out of your comfort zone, in little or big ways is a deed worthy of notice; even if you are the only one who knows.

Every time I hear my dog snoring at night, see the array of autumn colors spread across the horizon, taste the first sip of hot chocolate, smell the lilac blooms on the bush given to me by my students or feel the cozy softness of a blanket received from a friend, I am grateful for the full use of my senses.  To have all this and lose one of them at a very early age used to be beyond my comprehension.  In a single day understanding was given to me by Cece Bell when I read her new graphic novel, El Deafo (Amulet Books, color by David Lasky), released September 2, 2014.

I was a regular little kid.  I played with my mom's stuff.
I watched TV with my big brother, Ashley, and my big sister, Sarah.
I rode on the back of my father's bicycle.

With the next twenty-one chapters Cece Bell opens up her life experiences to readers beginning with her hospital stay for meningitis, which robs her of most of her hearing at age four, up through fifth grade.  We realize when she does her world is filled with too much quiet.  The trip to the first audiologist, the tests and molds made for her first hearing aid are shared by her four-year-old self, depicted with clarity and sincerity.  As she enters kindergarten but attends a different school other than her best friend Emma, we learn every step of the way with Cece as she faces the challenges of her deafness.

Before the beginning of first grade her family moves to a new town.  This year Cece will be attending a regular public school.  To assist her hearing, she is wearing a new Phonic Ear.  Her teacher wears a microphone around her neck so Cece does not miss a single word of class instruction.  What Cece does not know until the first day is this device gives her the ability to hear people, Mrs. Lufton, outside of the classroom.

Just like Bruce Wayne uses all that crazy technology to turn himself into Batman on TV...

Even though her hearing feels like super hearing, she is still lonely.  She is still different.  She becomes friends with a classmate who tends to be more bossy than attentive to Cece and her ideas.  In fact when third grade starts, she is relieved Laura has another teacher.

For a while another girl seems to be the kind of friend Cece needs but her way of talking to her is very annoying.  Ginny's friends (and Ginny) can't understand how Cece feels.  It is during one of her low moments watching TV with her brother and sister, a character gives her the idea of becoming El Deafo.  Readers once again see the courage of Cece Bell.

We follow her through fourth and fifth grade ups and downs, inside and outside the classroom. We feel her frustration when required to take a signing class, her excitement meeting a girl across the street, Martha, her giddiness of a first crush on a new neighbor, Mike Miller, her sadness at being thought a cheat, her helplessness with an insensitive physical education teacher, her panic at the loss of the Phonic Ear and her joy when using her super powers and regaining the presence of a treasured friend.   How fortunate for us in reading El Deafo we spend six years with Cece Bell.  We get to read and reread passages deepening our sensitivity toward differences in all of us.


 Readers can easily and quickly identify with Cece Bell in this memoir.  Her blend of dialogue shown in speech bubbles, whether in real time or in her mind's eye especially as El Deafo, with her first person narrative text causes us to feel an array of emotions identical to hers or in response to her situations.  We see the warmth and humor of the adult Bell present throughout this book.  No matter her age, Cece Bell is the real deal.

Here is a sample passage from her first school class in kindergarten.  What I like about this is we not only get to see Cece's observations but her resilience rises to the top.  Even before El Deafo makes an appearance Bell tends to look for the silver lining in any given situation.

But everything is still so new, and so different, for all of us.  Most of the time we are lost, drifting along on our own planets.
But we are together in the same universe, at least.


Each page is composed of a series of panels in varying sizes with a small white border around each, for the most part.  Bell designates the difference in her imagined scenes by using a pale green scalloped edge around each of the clustered elements.  When she is hearing something through the Phonic Ear golden yellow edged in red jagged edges defines these sections.

Larger illustrations are used to draw focus to the most memorable moments, not so good and spectacularly wonderful.  I love the animated facial features and body movements on each bunny person in this book.  Bell is able to convey every nuance of every situation to her readers.

I have so many favorite pictures but the series on pages 137 through 140 when she and Martha are jumping on the Miller's trampoline are particularly heartwarming.  We are privy to the real Cece Bell's and El Deafo's feelings about Mike Miller.  We can't help but smile because every single person can identify on some level with her feelings.  That is what makes not only these visuals but all of them so special.


To me El Deafo written and illustrated by Cece Bell is a gift freely and masterfully given to all readers.  It is a memorable and rare opportunity to gain insight into another person's life.  Any individual who reads this book will find their lives enriched tenfold.

In a series of blog posts listed below, Cece Bell shares her experiences in creating El Deafo.
El Deafo Honors David Lasky, colorist extraordinaire!
Check it out: Sock Monkey tries the Phonic Ear in a photo comic!
El Deafo Extras: Don't judge a book by its rejected covers! Plus Decatur Book Festival Stuff!
El Deafo Extras: The Bell family looked a lot like the Addams Family back in the day!
El Deafo Extras: Childhood drawings from my time in the hospital, and superhero origin stories
El Deafo Extras: Childhood photos through the ages
El Deafo Extras: The George and Barbara Bell Show
El Deafo Extras: Audiology and ephemera from Mom's vault
El Deafo Extras: Speech therapy
El Deafo Extras: From outline to finished product
El Deafo Extras: A quick post!
El Deafo Extras! BIG EVENT!!! The real Martha Ann Claytor Chadwick came to see me today!
El Deafo officially comes out tomorrow!   Yeehaw, book birthday!
It's here! It's finally here! El Deafo arrives via Pony Express...er, UPS!
El Deafo Extras: What did El Deafo first look like?
El Deafo Extras: Mrs. Lufton revealed! (Well, kinda.) Plus MINI BOOK TOUR only a week away! (DC area peeps, I'd love to see you!)

To discover more about Cece Bell and her work you can head over to a chat she had with Erin E. Stead and Philip C. Stead at Number Five Bus Presents... .  She recently was a guest at Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast sharing artwork from this book. Crafting a graphic novel-memoir is the title of an interview at the A. B. Westrick site.  She stops in for a visit at author Kirby Larson's blog, Kirby's Lane: Friend Friday.  In Sneaky Peeks Video #15: Cece Bell discusses El Deafo at the Wild Things! Acts Of Mischief In Children's Literature site we learn even more.  Update:  Here is a recent post at School Library Journal,  SLJ Chats with Cece Bell About her Graphic Novel Memoir 'El Deafo' | Up Close.  Cece Bell was interviewed on NPR Books.  Cece Bell stopped by teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner's Let's Get Busy Podcast.

A Slice Of Patriotic Life

For the first time I had the good fortune to attend the American Library Association Annual Conference & Exhibition held this year in Chicago.  While I met many amazing authors and illustrators this weekend, two stand out for their cheerful sincerity. They are a match made in heaven; their warmth for the people they meet and for one another is a joy to experience.

It came as no surprise that their most recent collaboration is a reflection of the zest they have for life; upbeat and full of humor.  Crankee Doodle (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company) written by Tom Angleberger with illustrations by Cece Bell sheds new light on the man and his pony made famous by a tune straight out of Americana. It gives readers a unique glimpse into the personalities of the Red-White-and-Blue duo.

Mr. Yankee Doodle: I'm bored.
Pony:  We could go to town.

Immediately Mr. Doodle responds with a verbose list of reasons why the idea of going to town is not in his repertoire of favorite places to go.  When pony suggests they could go shopping, Doodle's answer proceeds to point out how he already has too many possessions, the workmanship nowadays leaves much to be desired and the cost,

I might as well throw my money in an outhouse hole!

Pony, however, is not deterred. His next bright idea involves a feather.

Doodle is downright flabbergasted by the thought of placing something from a bird in his hat. Pony proceeds to elaborate by telling him macaroni would be a good name for his hat adorned with a feather.  This newest idea has Doodle working himself into a proper colonial tizzy. Hats don't need plumage and macaroni isn't even his preferred pasta.

When pony politely points out that macaroni can be defined as fancy, Doodle doesn't hesitate to expound on the finer points of a truly fancy member of the noodle family.  Easy-going pony has the perfect reply.

At that Mr. Crankee Doodle looses all sense of civility.  He tosses his so-called worthless headgear into the garbage followed by a first class tirade. Clearly pony wants to go to town. But his offered mode of transportation is met with scornful rudeness aimed at his body odor.

Silent glances are exchanged.  Pony's poignant, truthful sentiments crack Crankee. With a surprising twist the friends linked together through history and song ride off in spirited companionship. Destination...well-known.


As I noted in a review of a previous Tom Angleberger book, The Secret of Fortune Wookiee, his adept ability to shift between narrative styles is a marvel.  Through dialogue alone, two very distinctive individuals emerge.  Instantly we willingly abandon any sense of reality, embracing this conversation between the talking pony and Yankee Doodle, who seems to have gone over to the Dark Side for the day.

It's in the portrayal of the two as total opposites where the humor will have you holding your sides and bursting into laughter.  The pony proposes in single sentences versus Mr. Doodle ranting in a string of emphatic statements. While the conversation seems to be in the present based on word choice, Angleberger inserts references to the historic time period which adds to the overall hilarity.


Using a bold, patriotic palette Cece Bell renders the illustrations with gouache.  The jacket and cover set the mood for the entire book.  The pony looking hopefully happy at Crankee Doodle, who is on the verge of loosing any patience, however slim, he may have.  It's a study in opposites. How can you help not grinning?

Opening and closing endpapers are patterned in soft, golden macaroni on a darker background.  In the title page Crankee is framed looking thoroughly disgusted with the hint of the pony's mouth leaning in by his left ear.  A rather idyllic scene of the two sleeping in the meadow is featured on the verso and dedication pages.  All of the illustrations are double page spreads with the exception of two; employing a unique framing design.

Shifts in color and texture, grass, sky and trees, macaroni, another fancy pasta, and a series of buildings, illuminate the characters and their emotions as well as the flow of the story.  There's something about the pony's mouth with his exposed teeth, the eyes on both the pony and Crankee and the facial shapes, that elevate the comedy.  Little details such as the language of the period appearing on items and buildings which are clearly from the future (as opposed to the Revolutionary years) are further evidence of contrasts.  For readers such decisions equal all-out fun.


Tom Angleberger's debut picture book with illustrations by Cece Bell, Crankee Doodle will definitely have you singing the song quietly in your mind as you are laughing at the grump and his persistent pal.  It's understood this will be read and read again...at the same sitting.  Be sure to give each of the characters their own voice.  The narrative and illustrations invite readers to do so.  The pony adds his two-pence worth at the end in a historical note, finally singing as Crankee Doodle plugs his ears.

Please follow the links to Tom Angleberger's and Cece Bell's websites embedded in their names. (Cece has posted the actual notes from their car trip used to write this book.) Here is an interview between Tom and Cece that came out on Kirby Larson's blog after this post. In this video Tom talks about the idea for the book and the collaboration between him and Cece, their first.




UPDATE:  Be sure you check out this link loaded with artwork posted at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Cece Bell gives readers the inside scoop on her process.