Toe-Tapping Tunes And Tales

Children know a good story when they hear one.  Even if they have never personally experienced the same situations as the characters, they will have empathy for those individuals in a well-told tale.  This story connects to them intimately and emotionally through laughter, tears, fears, and hope.  If the tale is connected to music, it will remain in their minds and hearts far after the final word.

The Okee Dokee Brothers, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, have known each other for most of their lives.  Combining their love of travel and music they won a Grammy for the Best Children's Album of the Year 2013 for Can You Canoe? after taking a month-long canoe trip down the Mississippi River in 2011.  In 2013 they walked the Appalachian Trail for a month and in 2015 the duo set out across the West, horse-packing along the Continental Divide for four weeks.  From those two trips they were nominated for Grammy awards for Through The Woods and Saddle Up. 

On May 17, 2016 their first book, Can You Canoe? And Other Adventure Songs (Sterling Children's Books) with illustrations by Brandon Reese was released with a CD featuring twelve songs from their three treks.  The tunes invite you to ramble but also include profound life observations like these

Ya know love is like an echo---
If it's pure and it's true,
Then sing it out to the world
And it'll come back to you.
(Echo)

Move 'em out, move 'em in---
Every story has to end.
But some stay in your heart---
They go round and round;
They get lost and then found
'Cause the end is just another place to start.
(Saddle Up)

Their soon-to-be-released Thousand Star Hotel (Sterling Children's Books, March 7, 2017) written by Joseph Mailander and Justin Lansing (The Okee Dokee Brothers) with illustrations by Brandon Reese is a single tale, similar but delightfully different from a well-known Grimm story.  It is accompanied by a CD with twelve tracks, including a narrated audio version of the Thousand Star Hotel.

There were once two river rats---muskrats to be exact---who lived in a cabin near a big old river.

To be sure, this cabin had seen much better days.  The walls were cracked and hardly any of the roof was left after a storm.  They were happy as a couple could be except on their daily fishing trips Mr. Muskrat longed to catch one big fish, ensuring them a better life.  He was tired of only having enough fish for one sorry pot of soup each night.

One morning as they were sitting in their small boat, Mr. Muskrat hooked a fish of enormous size.  He thought his heart would burst before they wrestled it to their boat.  When he did, he and his wife could not believe their eyes.  It was a giant shimmering golden catfish.  It spoke.  If they would release the fish, a single wish would be granted.

Initially at a loss for words Mr. Muskrat heard his wife ask for a hammer and some nails to fix their roof.  This shocked him into asking for a big fancy house.  As the fish intoned four final lines, Mr. Muskrat burst forth with

"WAIT JUST ONE RIVER-STINKIN' MINUTE! ...

He was sure they could wish for something much better.  This happened more than once with Mrs. Muskrat offering simple and more practical wishes.  Mr. Muskrat, on the other paw, could not stop wishing for abodes grander than the last wish.

Finally Mrs. Muskrat made an astute suggestion which Mr. Muskrat thought was the best idea in the whole wide river.  The magical catfish must have thought so too, because as he uttered ...

WISHED 

he vanished into the river.  Scurrying home, pushed by a forceful wind, Mr. and Mrs. Muskrat were shocked but what greeted them on the outside and the inside of their residence.  What you need is far better than what you want.


Readers will soak up the wit and wisdom penned by The Okee Dokee Brothers in this original narrative straight from the American heartland.  The words are conversational but tinged with the fantastical.  The down-to-earth perspective of Mrs. Muskrat versus the more lavish viewpoint of Mr. Muskrat makes for increased tension leading to the unforeseen but superbly perfect ending.  The rhythmic and rhyming chant of the fish encourages participation.  Here is a sample passage.

After much STRUGGLIN', TUGGLIN', YANKIN', AND CRANKIN', 
they managed to catch a giant golden catfish whose scales shimmered like stars.
It burst out of the water and swam up to their boat, peering at the river rats 
through big bulging eyes.


You will love to run your hands over the front of the book case.  The title is raised.  If you look closely each letter is formed by connected stars as if they are part of a constellation.  Mr. and Mrs. Muskrat are varnished.  To the left, on the back, is information you would usually find on dust jacket flaps.  The opening endpapers are a teal blue background with bright green willow branches drifting down from top to bottom.  The CD is encased on the left at the front with a picture of the catfish and the river rats.  On the left of the front a phrase from one of the songs reads:

If you're always wishin',
You'll miss the point of fishin'.
Livin' life while you wait
Has always been the best bait.

The same color scheme is used on the closing endpapers.  The willow branches are tied back with red ribbons like curtains to reveal information about the authors and illustrator on the left.  On the right are the credits listing the contents of the CD:  Thousand Star Hotel (audio), Thousand Star Hotel (song), Gone Wishin', King Kong Kitchie Kitchie KI-ME-O, Along For The Ride, Small And Simple, Memphis Town, Sister Moon And Brother Sun, Evergreen, Baby Mine, Lighten Your Load, and Last Lullaby.

Rendered using Photoshop Brandon Reese, using a full color palette, brings the essence of life on the river to his pictures.  Tiny details abound in each image; grasses, flowers and berries on bushes, the weave of a basket, the movement of waves, and the frogs inside a hollow log on the river bank.  Nearly all of the pictures span two pages, edge to edge but several are on single pages within a loose circular frame.  When Mrs. Muskrat and Mr. Muskrat are wishing Reese outlines these visuals in soft clouds.  His background hues reflect the mood and time of day wonderfully.

One of my favorite illustrations is when the fish swims up to the boat.  The golden catfish is raised above the waves taking up the entire left side of the two-page picture with his tail crossing the gutter to the right side.  Rays of light surround him above as water splashes below.  Mr. and Mrs. Muskrat are starring at him open-mouthed and smiling from the center of their small boat.  Mr. Muskrat is holding his pole and Mrs. Muskrat is holding the net.

It is guaranteed your heart will be much lighter and happier after reading Thousand Star Hotel written by Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing with illustrations by Brandon Reese.  The words, artwork and accompanying songs are sure to make this a favorite of all readers, young and old.  I can't wait to share it with students.  Make sure you have this title on both your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about The Okee Dokee Brothers and Brandon Reese and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  The Okee Dokee Brothers have a channel on YouTube.  Both the authors and illustrator are on Twitter @OkeeDokeeBros @brandonreese 

A Welcoming Song Of Love

It doesn't have to be at the end of the day.  It could be anytime.  Pausing to appreciate someone, something or somewhere simply is not done enough.

Yesterday I wanted to stop at the top of a hill I have descended hundreds of times, so struck by the beauty of the swath of colorful trees bordering along and up from the shores of a harbor in a nearby town.  I knew the other motorists speeding by would not be appreciative.  For more than the thousandth time as I walked my marvelous old dog last night, I felt a huge thankfulness and affection for the sound of her breathing as she slowly paced along a well-known path.   When we acknowledge the importance of someone, no matter their age, both parties are the better for it.

When reading Sweetest Kulu (Inhabit Media Inc., November 1, 2014) by Celina Kalluk with illustrations by Alexandria Neonakis, I felt a sense of deep compassion.  Most notable within the narrative is the birth of a child as an occasion to be revered and celebrated.  The natural world is tightly woven into, an intricate part of, the Inuit culture.

Sweetest Kulu,
on the day you were born, all of the Arctic Summer was there to greet you.  Smiling Sun shone so bright and stayed through the night,
 giving you blankets and ribbons of warm light.

Each element of the Arctic world bestows words of wisdom on the child whether asleep or awake.  From the wind comes the necessity to listen to stories.  Snow buntings bring seeds and flowers to the baby as reminders to grow and bloom having faith in your abilities.

Gifts from the Arctic hare show love can be freely given.  Not a minute is to be wasted nor the opportunities to help others are words spoken by the fox.  Tenderness, creativity, gratitude for the many colors, and the willingness to begin and the bliss at completing a task are offerings shared by creatures of the water.

Sheltered by the muskox, Kulu hears of the importance of standing tall and finding strength in one's ancestry.  Looking toward the night sky is a way to anchor your path, find direction and be a guide.  The polar bear advises the child to honor animals recognizing their importance.

This Earth, the ground beneath our feet, is a support for all things.  As the voice gently continues the song to Kulu, who has again fallen asleep, safety is assured.  Kulu is love and loved.


Every single page turn without exception is an ode to the beauty and blessing of a new baby.  The words of Celina Kalluk radiate calm with their genuine warmth.  Each time a sentence is read, a new adjective is added to the name of Kulu; sweetest, charming, admired or magnificent to name a few.  By having the sun, wind, land, each animal and the mother voice their hopes, readers will understand the value of each.  Here is another passage.

Seal, whose favourite colour is ice blue,
heard about Arctic Char's adoration of you.
Seal loves creativity, and surrounded you with colour, nicest Kulu.


Opening the book case readers see a tender illustration of the baby sleeping on the back of the caribou.  Snow buntings watch from the antlers as a polar bear mother and cub and a fox lean in for a closer look.  The cool soft colors blended with the warm browns radiate peace.  Opening and closing endpapers are a pale green with sketches in gray of all the animals patterned edge to edge.  A snow bunting brings a floral sprig to the baby resting in the grass beneath the title.

All of the images span across both pages altering perspective according to the narrative.  For the opening two pages Alexandria Neonakis brings us close to the sleeping child held by the mother.  We see the entire face of the baby but only a portion of the mother, her hair sweeping outward from the left to provide a background for the text on the right.

In another picture Kulu lies among a field of lupine as the fox approaches from the right.  The tail, a swirl of white, supplies a path for the words.  Each illustration is filled with sensory beauty; a compilation of flowing lines and a natural palette.

As a caribou stands looking out over a mountain lake, snow-covered peaks surrounding the shores, with leaves whirling among the grasses, I immediately knew this would be one of my favorite illustrations.  The majesty of the land and the power of the wind are evident.  Even without the words each reader will feel the presence of something beyond their control, something which needs their attention.


Sweetest Kulu written by children's book debut author Celina Kalluk with illustrations by Alexandria Neonakis is a gift.  It's perfect for any time of the day but truly lovely at bedtime.  For children living in the Arctic it's wonderful to see themselves and their world depicted in an outstanding book.  For other children it's an open door, an invitation to enter another culture.

If you would like to learn more about Celina Kalluk please follow this link to Debbie Reese's website, American Indians In Children's Literature, for her review and further links.  Alexandria Neonakis has many more pictures of her work at her website; the link embedded in her name.

In The Land Of Dreams

Every parent wishes for their children a peaceful, deep rest each night.  Most will agree seeing their son or daughter (no matter their age) sleeping is perhaps the sweetest thing in the whole wide world.  It seems as though the bond between parent and child becomes even stronger in those moments; the act of sleeping is one of trust.   It's a condition when we are more vulnerable.

Caregivers may read favorite books aloud, insure treasured toys and cozy blankets are near or softly sing a beloved melody.  May The Stars Drip Down (Abrams Books For Young Readers, March 11, 2014) written by Jeremy Chatelain, a musician, with illustrations by Nikki McClure is a lullaby of love.  A boy's dreams are choreographed masterfully in words and torn and cut paper illustrations.

May the stars drip down light on you,
And you close your eyes to see the moon,
And sleep will pull you through.

From starlight the dreaming traveler walks across desert sands.  Winds shift the grains into new shapes.  Higher up they float to touch the stars, bathed in the light of the moon.

Caught in clouds a journey along a well-traversed trail in the mountains leads them along a lake.  Sounds of nature reach their ears.  Again a gentle breeze moves through the surrounding grasses.

In the distance lights in houses along the shoreline signal the close of day, giving way to darkness. Waves fall gently on the sandy beach.  The dreamer drifts over the ocean until dawn brightens a new day and words are softly spoken.


If you've ever stepped outside to see a nighttime sky filled with stars or a full moon illuminating the landscape, you can understand the calm conveyed in the chosen words of Jeremy Chatelain.  Each verse speaks to the tranquility found in certain natural settings; a desert, clouds coursing across a darkened sky, a mountain lake, a shore and expansive ocean stretching as far as the eye can see.  You can't help but feel the secure embrace conveyed in every line; the world is watching and taking care of its dreaming son delivering him home to his mother in the morning.


Every detail of this book has received the utmost attention by artist Nikki McClure.  The scallop-edged dust jacket covering only the lower portion of the book case are clouds across waving grasses, moths fluttering among them.  On the front a boy peeks over the top.  Beneath a full moon and stars a fox gazes outward on the back.

The two shades of blue and white on the cover continue on the opening endpapers.  A boy and his mother are nestled in his bed reading this book.  Noted items in his bedroom appear in later illustrations; an old bone, a starfish, a sea shell, a feather, an ocean, a stuffed toy fox and hand-made owl snuggly toy. The image on the title page a circle with blue dots (stars) acting as the background for the text is reversed on the first page.  Pinpoints are cut-out showing the lighter blue of the following page.

Each of the subsequent two-page pictures are absolutely breathtaking; stunning in every respect.  Nikki McClure chooses to shift her perspective from close-up views of faces and feet to panoramic vistas of desert, sky, a mountain and the ocean.  The boy's breath as he falls asleep in his mother's arms becomes stars. A feather floats across water under a setting moon.  When morning arrives a new color element in introduced into the illustrations, a soft, rich golden yellow.  The closing endpapers take readers back to the boy's bedroom.  A neatly made bed absent of him and his mother is ringed by all his boyhood treasures.

I would gladly frame any one of these gorgeous illustrations to hang in my home.  One of my favorites is the fox in the grasses around the mountain lake.  The serenity conveyed by the layout of an evergreen branch shadowed across the moon, stars circling outward toward a mountain in the distance is brilliant.  You can feel the gentle breeze and hear the crickets as the stillness reaches out to you.


Written by Jeremy Chatelain, May The Stars Drip Down, illustrated by artwork made with cut and torn black paper by Nikki McClure, should be on every bookshelf in homes and classrooms.  It's beauty will lull any reader into a state of harmony no matter the time of day.  The blend of text and illustrations is flawless.  I will be adding this title to my Mock Caldecott list for 2015.

Please be sure to follow the link embedded in Nikki McClure's name to her official website.  On the verso of the book a link is provided to download the song May the Stars Drip Down.  I've played it over and over and over.  You can hear a portion of it in the video below.

Soothing Slumber

If we trust our instincts, follow a hunch, the results are frequently surprising in the best possible way.  It's almost as if some unseen hand is guiding our way.  Untold treasures await us.

Twenty years ago, Amy Gary, editor of the Margaret Wise Brown Estate, on a whim asked Brown's sister, Roberta Rauch, if she knew of any unpublished works.  Can you imagine hearing an affirmative reply? Stacked in a trunk kept in the attic of the barn on her Vermont farm were pages and pages of poems, stories and musical scores.  Last week some of those gems were released into the world, collected in a title, Goodnight Songs: Illustrated by Twelve Award-Winning Picture Book Artists (Sterling Children's Books, March 4, 2014).  The words of Margaret Wise Brown have been visualized by Jonathan Bean, Carin Berger, Sophie Blackall, Linda Bleck, Renata Liwska, Christopher Silas Neal, Zachariah OHora, Eric Puybaret, Sean Qualls, Isabel Roxas, Melissa Sweet and Dan Yaccarino.

Appealing to the inherent musical nature of children these twelve lyrical poems cast a gossamer net pulsing with a gentle cadence around all who read them.  They encourage dreams of playful fantasy uninterrupted by nothing until the morning dawns.  Any cares of the daytime will float away as evening falls through the text and pictures.  Margaret Wise Brown's simple repetitive phrases float and dance off the pages.

Readers find themselves traveling by balloon in the company of a bear, baboon, monkey, troll and mole.  They are lulled to sleep by a very particular melody or in following the nighttime rituals of a goat, or a rabbit and a bear.  I'll wager most readers are unaware of the man in the moon's youth.

Safety on the seas is found in the arms of another.  They learn of those who see what others do not.  Roads travel vertically through an abandoned town constructed entirely of wood.  One by one a donkey, a monkey, a sheep, a pig, birds, a black cat and a child are asked to close their eyes.

What do you see when you close your eyes?  What do you hear in the night?  What might a mouse ask for in a prayer?  Blissful peace is assured.

Two pages are dedicated to each song; illustrations extending edge to edge on heavy matte finished paper.  While the color of the font may vary the same is used in all the text.  The text is tucked within each picture, noticeable but not a distraction.  Tiny white stars seen on the dust jacket and matching book case pattern the opening and closing endpapers.

Renata Liwska captures the soft slumbering characters of The Noon Balloon nestled in fluffy clouds suspended in a pale blue sky.  Intricate lines, exquisite architectural details and a boat riding the waves beneath a full moon ease a child into dreamland drawn by Sophie Blackall in Mambian Melody.  Goats with teddy bears and stuffed toy rabbits and drinking from large pink tea cups populate mountains and hills where skunks carry lanterns and hedgehogs huddle in Goat on the Mountain visualized by Linda Bleck.

Sleep like a Rabbit illustrated by Isabel Roxas pictures a pig-tailed girl in a red dress sleeping near a bear and a rabbit adrift in a sea of stars.  This is also the jacket and case illustration.  Unique, painted, collage-like clouds and stars float around a mustached man in the moon as his younger self runs across his surface when Sean Qualls pictures When the Man in the Moon Was a Little Boy. As if surrounded in a wispy fog Song to Estyn, illustrated by Eric Puybaret, shows a man in a long golden all-weather coat, captain's hat on his head holding a child in a sailor suit on board a ship.

Melissa Sweet's signature style, of pastel collage with splashes of red, pieces together The Secret Song.  White block-like houses, one on top of the other, are strung together by a ribbon road of red among green tulips on a midnight blue background by Christoper Silas Neal for Wooden Town.  An orange, blue, black and white palette feature creatures looking upon and living in a town as a child gazes out his window in Little Donkey Close Your Eyes portrayed by Zachariah OHora.

Blue and white striped curtains billow around the stage set with green birds, blue clouds and rows of cut-out houses in Carin Berger's interpretation of When I Close My Eyes. Bold, bright orange-yellow, orange, green, purple and shades of dark blue mesh perfectly to create the quiet found in Sounds in the Night pictured by Dan Yaccarino.  It's a windy, winter night, leaves and snow swirling about under a full moon as a child sleeps beneath a large leaf and a mouse stands in the doorway of his cozy home in The Mouse's Prayer depicted by Jonathan Bean.

Stunning pictures lift the words of Margaret Wise Brown toward dreamland in Goodnight Songs: Illustrated by Twelve Award-Winning Picture Book Artists.  As if the text and visuals are not enough to hold readers spellbound, a CD with the words set to music by Tom Proutt and Emily Gary is included.  I have listened to it twice as of this writing.  It is truly lovely.  You could not ask for a better book for closing out your day or bringing a small measure of calm into an afternoon.

Two pages at the book's conclusion include thumbnails of the illustrations along with comments about or by the illustrators.  A note from the musicians and credits are inserted on the closing endpapers.  An introduction by Amy Gary begins this title.

I hope you enjoy these videos.  I was made aware of some of them through tweets by the illustrators.



Goodnight Songs: Chris Neal, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Sean Qualls, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Sophie Blackall, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Carin Berger, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Isabel Roxas, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.


Goodnight Songs: DanYacarino, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Amy Gary, editor of Goodnight Songs by Margaret Wise Brown from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.

Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #3

For the Thanksgiving post for the past two years, I've featured titles to commemorate and celebrate this holiday; Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition and Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #2 highlight four favorites of mine.  It is important to not only set aside a single day for the giving of thanks but to appreciate and recognize small memorable and positive moments all year long.  They are there every single day if we only take the time to pause, listen and look.

In 1844 Lydia Maria Child published a poem, The New-England Boy's Song About Thanksgiving Day in a collection titled Flowers for Children, Volume 2.  Since that time it has achieved classic status as a seasonal song.  In 2011 author illustrator Matt Tavares illustrated the beloved verses with his rich, period paintings in Over the River and Through the Wood (Candlewick Press).



Over the river, and through the wood,
To grandfather's house we go;
The horse knows the way,
To carry the sleigh,
Through the white and drifted snow.

The opened matching jacket and cover feature a peaceful pastoral scene, from the edge of one flap to the other, of a family leaving their town to climb the hills to grandfather's house.  On the title pages Matt Tavares gives readers a panoramic, aerial view of the community, winding river and hills in the background, with the family tucked in the lower left-hand corner next to their sleigh getting ready for their trip.  For the first five lines of the poem he provides a close-up of the parents, their two children, and dog about to depart.

For every five lines of the poem Tavares' illustrations rendered in watercolor, gouache and pencil spread across two pages.  While the color of the sky, people bundled in winter clothing and fallen and falling snow, leave no doubt as to the chilly temperatures, there is warmth in every picture.  The colors used in the clothing, buildings and the sleigh coupled with the facial expressions on the people reflect the remembered joys of this day.

The joy of passing by a store window filled with toys, crossing an arched stone bridge, watching the people skating on the river below, climbing up one hill after another, passing through the gate around the barnyard, arriving at grandfather's home and enjoying a meal together, are all depicted in varying perspectives designed to make the reader feel like a participant rather than only an observer.  Attentive readers will notice Tavares has also chosen to add another story to the trip through his illustrations; a special canine connection.  Any one of these gorgeous pictures is worthy of framing but one of my favorites is of the family's arrival at the farm, the home and barn in the background, the dog running ahead, the boy leaning forward in the sleigh expectantly, as snow falls.  You can almost hear the bark of the dogs, called greetings, baaing of sheep and the slide of runners on the snow when you look at this illustration.

Over the River and Through the Wood written by Lydia Maria Child with illustrations by Matt Tavares is a lovely seasonal offering for readers of all ages.  There is a note about the author at the book's end.  Please follow the links embedded in Matt Tavares' name to access his website and blog. The videos below are to acquaint you with the true joy Matt Tavares feels for his work.













I have seen tweets repeatedly which mirror my own feelings about reading books once you have heard an author or illustrator speak; from that point forward when you read their work you hear them talking to you.  After listening to Katherine Paterson's speech at the American Library Association, Association for Library Service to Children, Newbery, Caldecott, Wilder Awards Banquet and conversing with her briefly in the reception line, I hear her gentle, knowing voice in my mind when I read her books.  Her most recent title, as an author and editor, Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers And Praise Songs Of Thanksgiving (Handprint Books, an imprint of Chronicle Books) with illustrations by Pamela Dalton is the ideal platform for what I believe to be the soul of her body of work.

As way of introduction Katherine Paterson begins with a two page reflection on joy, gratitude and prayer.  She recounts all the blessings in her life from the good and bad times alike, as each has lessons from which we can learn. For each of the following sections in this book, she begins with a single page of her own words on the theme.

In Gather Around the Table Paterson voices her gratitude for having plenty of food to eat, recounting her own and another's story.  Within the eight pages we can read a traditional American mealtime prayer, an Islamic prayer, a Chinese proverb, a Native American grace, words of poet Ralph Waldo Emerson or a Pueblo blessing.  It is apparent that no matter the culture or custom, giving thanks for food to eat is universal for its nourishment, for sustaining our bodies.

A few shared hours with her son David watching a cicada, opens the chapter A Celebration of Life.  This is my favorite of the four.  Her descriptions, choice of words, transport you to those marvelous moments.  Poems penned from authors around the world are found here as are prayers from a variety of cultures.  Some are familiar, others are new, but all bring a sense of peace to the reader; twelve pages of beauty.

A thoughtful musing on the poor in spirit begins the writings titled The Spirit Within.  I think of all those contained in these six pages my favorite might be by Helen Keller.

The best and most beautiful things in
the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart.

Then too, it's hard not to be moved by the words, the song, written by John Newton,

Amazing grace! How sweet the sound...

Katherine Paterson closes the book with thoughts on all the many places she has lived and visited around the world and the importance of understanding.  It addresses our misplaced beliefs.  The selections in the Circle of Community are about noticing the similarities we share.  They are about the importance of each individual.


The exquisite, intricate cut-paper illustrations by Pamela Dalton done in the early American tradition are nearly beyond description. A note at the back briefly describes the technique.

The paper was then antiqued in a coffee solution, ironed, and illuminated with watercolor.

The rustic red seen on the jacket and cover is deepened to provide a background for the opening and closing endpapers.  On the endpapers the cut-paper artwork creates a wide frame for tiny oval watercolor paintings which also appear throughout the book.

Different colored backgrounds are used for each area of the book; a golden tan, deep earthy green, a steely blue and the rustic red of the jacket and cover.  These hues supply the left-hand side of each page with a wide margin for highlighting the illustrations.  Other cut-paper pictures are placed within the pages, shades of cream on cream.  The painstaking hours of work for each is easily apparent, causing you to pause on each page wondering.  My favorite is the last page in the A Celebration of Life chapter.  Green, yellow and gray-brown cut-paper birch tree branches frame a square containing an E. E. Cummings verse with a black-capped chickadee sitting on a branch.

Giving Thanks: Poems, Prayers, And Praise Songs Of Thanksgiving edited and with reflections by Katherine Paterson with illustrations by Pamela Dalton is as breathtaking as their first collaboration, Brother Sun, Sister Moon. I highly recommend it for your personal and classroom collections due to the diversity of choices within the pages.  It makes you stop, take note and be grateful.  It can be the basis of a variety of discussions and writing prompts with your students.

Please take time to visit the author's and illustrator's websites by following the links embedded in their names.  I could not resist sharing this video of Katherine Paterson and her husband John talking about the importance of picture books.

 

Giving Thanks

I am extremely grateful for these authors and illustrators not only on this Thanksgiving day but every day.  They have brought immeasurable joy to all their readers.

Celebrate Country!

Never underestimate the power of music.  Add a tune to a message, it is more likely to be remembered.  Reading the words or singing the words can make all the difference.

Distinctively American is country music, rooted in the rural South and cowboy life of the West.  Whether it's slow, fast, sad or happy, telling a story or expressing a mood, country music gets to the heart of the matter.  Frog Trouble and Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs (Workman Publishing) is a collection of twelve songs written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton with her signature wit and characters.  In this production she again teams with Michael Ford; the duo having earned three Gold Records and a Grammy nomination.

Satisfaction guaranteed with a dog named Hank, a tribute to trucks, and a frog stampede, which may or may not be real, get toes tapping, fingers snapping and hands clapping.  A lament about room cleaning, putting away toys, taking baths and going to bed, woeful words to say the least, follows next.  Daring to dream, discovering a gift and trying not to go crazy when three friends are doing everything to make it so, keep the energy going.

Sometimes you stay outside as long as you can, but sharing the sound of falling rain, the rumbling of thunder and the flash of lightning, inside and cozy with a friend makes a storm as bright as a sunny summer day.  Get ready to groove and move to a reptile ramble, sigh at the wonder felt by a parent for a child and visualize the shades of love.  Believe it or not...it's...no...it can't be...those amphibian tricksters are back.

Readers are treated to songs with the following titles:

• I've Got a Dog
• Trucks
• Frog Trouble
• Heartache Song
• When Pigs Fly
• Broken Piano
• Copycat
• End of a Summer Storm
• Alligator Stroll
• Beautiful Baby
• Deepest Blue
• More Frog Trouble

An impressive array of singers give voice to these tunes, Dwight Yoakam, Fountains of Wayne, Mark Lanegan, Kacey Musgraves, Ryan Adams, Ben Folds, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Josh Turner, Darius Rucker, Linda Eder and Falls Mountain Cowboys.

The book is divided into three sections: Look While You Listen, Sing & Play Along and Meet The Performers.   Each song is showcased with at least a full page illustration on the left with partial lyrics on the right.  A frog in the lower right-hand corner directs readers to a page containing the remaining lyrics and music.  Adding to the overall fun are four extra elements:  How To Do The Alligator Stroll, Good Names for Dogs, Horses, 'Gators & Frogs, How To Talk Like A Cowboy and How to Make A Folded-Paper Frog Puppet.  


Even without the musical score Sandra Boynton's words kindle a desire to hum a melody or finger tap the beat.  As inviting as a winding country road her rhymes twist, turn and flow straight to each reader's rhythmic soul.  Infused with humor, warmth, a zest for life and love, these descriptive songs are country to the core.

Frogs in cowboy hats, a pig running with a guitar, sitting on a crescent moon or driving a pickup truck, a sweet old mutt, a winsome bunny, instrumental crazy cats, piano and fiddle playing tigers, bears watching the rain fall, a sunglasses-wearing alligator (and a chicken, too), a lion with his cub, a chorus of animal cowpokes and lots more frogs illustrate the book with comfort and comedy.  No one can mistake the style, color, liveliness and expressive pictures of Sandra Boynton; it's in the eyes and mouths.  Special details like the license plate on a truck (PYG-48), a rabbit with bunny slippers, a bear cub jumping in a puddle after a rain or an alligator's shadow as it crosses the top of a musical score, elevate this title to excellence.

The vocalists and musicians chosen to sing Boynton's songs (all lyrics written by her, all the music too except for six shared with Michael Ford) will have listeners playing the CD over and over.   The tunes are the kind that linger; catchy, soothing, soulful or energizing by turns.  You'll want to dig your guitar out of the closet or head to the nearest music store to purchase your own harmonica.

Frog Trouble and Eleven Other Pretty Serious Songs (For Ages One To Older Than Dirt) written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton, with music by Sandra Boynton and Michael Ford, is destined to be a country classic for the younger crowd.  It's so much fun though, as the cover suggests, anyone will enjoy listening to the music and reading along with the book.  It's a win, a surefire grin.

Follow the link embedded in Sandra Boynton's name above to her website.  The book and album have their own website, too, linked to the title above.  This site has portions of all the songs for your listening pleasure.  Enjoy the videos below.