Defining Welcome

In my adult life, I have bought and sold ten houses.  Last June I moved into the eleventh house.  In most of those homes, there was a small piece of paper on display I read everyday with these words:

The beauty of the house is order,

the blessing of the house is contentment,

the glory of the house is hospitality.

I am currently struggling with the first line as organizing my considerable book collection is time consuming, but this eleventh house is slowly becoming a home filled with a happy, tail-wagging canine and her human who both enjoy visitors.

Each individual holds their own meaning of home in their mind and heart.  In The Mouse Who Carried A House On His Back (Candlewick Press, August 30, 2022) written by Jonathan Stutzman with illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault readers come to understand some of those definitions.  They also realize how houses become homes within the context of welcoming.

Vincent was a mouse with boots on his feet,

a hat on his head, and a house on his back.

He had traveled many miles and lived many places,

but today Vincent would live here,

because he knew it was where he needed to be.

Vincent stopped on a grassy hill.  The sky stretched as far as his eyes could see. He removed his boots, hat, and his house.

A weary and grumpy frog soon hopped toward Vincent.  Vincent offered his house as a place to rest.  The frog laughed.  Obviously, the house was too small, but peering inside it was definitely bigger than it looked.

As the day progressed Vincent was visited by a hungry cat, a rain-and-wind tossed family of hedgehogs, and a bunch of other animal residents of the forest.  Each time, the mouse would offer his house as a sanctuary.  Each time the animals believed the house was too small to accommodate them, but they were wrong.  The house grew and grew and grew.

As all the gathered beings were about to enjoy a feast in the soothing sanctuary of Vincent's house, there was a knock at the door.  It was now dark outside.  Standing at the door was a bear, a bear who was hungry and lost.  Vincent was his usual cheerful, inviting self.  The other animals were not.  Their voices rose in protest.  Vincent knew where he was needed and no one was going to change what he believed to be true.

With every reading the musicality of this story, in a blend of dialogue and narrative, by Jonathan Stutzman grows more evident. We are initially introduced to the main protagonist and his house.  Each time an animal appears we are reminded of this mouse's characteristics and the characteristics of his house.  Carefully chosen words clearly indicate the condition of each animal upon their arrival.  This is paired with a perfect suggestion by Vincent as to what his house offers.  There is a repetition of key phrases.  Jonathan Stutzman brings us full circle with his closing sentences.  Here is a passage.

Clouds billowed in the west, and in blew a family of hedgehogs---one by

one by one by one by one by one by one---each wet and tousled by a

mighty storm.

"Terrible weather in the valley," squeaked the youngest.

"Come in, come in!" said Vincent with a smile.  "I have warm blankets

and beds and a crackling fire."  . . .

The artwork on the open book case is a single vibrant image.  Vincent, moving to the right, has passed through a mass of stunning blooms covering the left, back, and continuing to the right of the spine on the front.  The house he is carrying on his back is the first of many cut-outs throughout the book.  What we see is a hint of the gorgeous opening and closing endpapers.  The array of blooms on these endpapers is stunning.

On the back of book case is text that would normally appear on the front and back flaps of a dust jacket.  At the top is a short description of Vincent and his house.  Toward the bottom we read about Jonathan Stutzman and Isabelle Arsenault. 

The floral display continues on the two-page illustration for the title page.  Here Vincent, on the right, has placed his house down for a moment.  Almost all the double-page pictures contain a cut-out of Vincent's house with sizes that shift.

These visuals by Isabelle Arsenault

were created with gouache, ink, and cut paper.

Her characters are highly animated with facial expressions indicating their particular moods.  Readers will be fascinated by their clothing.  Each time we look inside Vincent's home, there are added elements to make the interior more pleasing.  You find yourself looking in anticipation each time a page is turned.  Once inside the animals are relaxed and happier.  Readers will gasp at the four-page gatefold.  Be sure to look in the windows.

One of my many favorite images is when the cat and frog are already inside Vincent's house.  On the left, through the cut-out house, one of the hedgehogs is gazing inside.  There are now four hanging lamps with unique shades.  You can see the cat and frog's shoes, removed, as well as Vincent's boots.  The table is longer with more chairs and place settings.  The frog and cat are seated there enjoying a cup of tea.  There is now a brick fireplace with plates along the mantle.  A roaring fire there spreads warmth.  Two beds are in front of the fireplace.  Other beds can be seen on the left.  Spare blankets are stacked on a stool.  There are several rugs on the floor.

The first time I read The Mouse Who Carried A House On His Back written by Jonathan Stutzman with illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault, I felt as though I had been presented with something rich and rare.  We are enchanted from beginning to end by Vincent and his uplifting spirit and kindness.  In his eyes, all are equal.  Hopefully as the animals leave his home, his generous spirit will go with them and us.  You can't help but wonder how Vincent knows where he needs to be.  This book is sure to generate discussions.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Jonathan Stutzman and Isabelle Arsenault and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Jonathan Stutzman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Isabelle Arsenault has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At the publisher's website, you can view an interior illustration.  At Penguin Random House, you can see additional interior pictures.

Stormy Weather Wisdom

A big change in the weather sends out signals.  The wind knows.  The clouds know.  All the animals know.  Access to the latest forecast is not always readily available, so if humans look at the wind, clouds and animals, they know, too.

For some storms planning and doing are essential for survival.  Noah Builds an Ark (Candlewick Press, March 12, 2019) written by Kate Banks (Pup and Bear) with illustrations by John Rocco (Blizzard) follows a family as each member prepares for days of wild weather. One member realizes the planning and doing needs to be extended beyond their house.

Noah spied it coming from afar.  It started with a cloud peeping over the hill like a curious ghost.  A storm was on the way.

As his father went to gather tools and materials to make their home storm ready, Noah was watching salamanders, beetles, mice and ants in their back yard.  They felt the change in the air.  Noah decided to get his wagon and his tools to make something storm ready for these creatures.

Noah took off the wagon's wheels.  He attached sides and a roof to the wagon. He built a ramp and a secure door.  Noah made an ark for his animal friends.  Inside their home, Noah's mother and sister were getting food and water prepared for his family.  Noah did the same for the animals.

Knowing they were going to have no electricity, Noah's mother got candles and matches.  Noah secured a flashlight to the inside of the ark.  When he was called inside to safety, Noah asked the animals to come to the ark.  And they did.  Noah pledged to set them free when the storm passed.

As the storm raged, humans inside Noah's home huddled.  Inside Noah's ark, the animals huddled.  Each group, humans and animals, did what living beings have done for centuries, they passed the time with food, water, shelter and each other until exhausted they slept.  The storm angrily lasted for four days and four nights.  What of Noah?  What of the creatures on the ark?  A promise is made.  A promise is fulfilled.


A story of compassion unfolds through the beautiful language penned by Kate Banks.  Her descriptions of setting using simile are vivid.  In presenting the animals each verb matches their characteristics.  She creates a pattern between what the humans are doing in preparation and what Noah is doing for the animals.  She continues this by telling us what each group does during the storm.  It's a gentle comparison showing a connection between all living beings.  Within the narrative, making it more personal for readers, dialogue is placed, adding to the flow of the story.  Here is a passage.

Noah hurried into the house to watch and wait.  Suddenly the sun snapped
off its light.  A curtain of darkness drew across the sky.  The rain tiptoed at
first, pitter-patter, pitter-patter. And the wind whooshed and shooshed.
Then there was a silence so grand you could hear a tear drop.


One of the first things you notice when looking at the front of the dust jacket is the look of pure contentment on the face of Noah.  The animals gathered around him sense his affection for them based upon their closeness.  You expect this scene to quietly come alive.  One of the other things you notice is the placement of light and shadow.  This image glows.

To the left, on the back, on the other side of the spine, the fencing and stone wall continue.  On the far left is a flowering bush.  On the dandelion spotted grass rests the completed ark, waiting for voyagers.  The book case is an entirely different scene, more shadows than light, spanning from left to right.  We are peering inside the ark during the storm as rain pelts from the sky.  Hummingbirds, toads, a grasshopper, beetle, spider, mice, a snake and a salamander are waiting in the dimness.

A burnt orange covers the opening and closing endpapers.  For the initial and formal title pages John Rocco begins with a bird's eye view of buildings and back yards.  A single bird is swooping over the area.  With a page turn two birds fly over the roofs as the double-page picture unfolds in front of us.  Each illustration, in pencil and watercolor and rendered digitally, is either a two-page picture, a full-page visual or a smaller image(s) surrounded by white space.  The size of the illustrations enhance the story's pacing.

Careful readers will notice how John Rocco carries details from one illustration to the next illustration; the birds land in Noah's back yard, one next to him and the other in a bird bath.  How many pictures feature the grasshopper companion Noah speaks to?  For emphasis the point of view shifts bringing us deeper into the lives of Noah and his family and the lives of the animals.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  Noah has just completed the ark.  He is kneeling in the grass between the stone wall and the ark.  It's the expression on his face which is most striking.  You wonder what he might be thinking.  It would make for an interesting conversation.


There are those who have a kinship with animals unlike others.  The animals know who these people are.  This boy is one of them.  Noah Builds an Ark written by Kate Banks with illustrations by John Rocco is a tender story of a child who considers those lesser than himself.  It is a story of stewardship.  It is a story of compassion.  I recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To discover more about Kate Banks and John Rocco and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Kate Banks has an account on Twitter.  John Rocco has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  There are other illustrations at Penguin Random House.

Power of One

Children are extremely intuitive.  They can read facial expressions, body postures and the inflection in the words we speak.  They can detect sincerity and truth in a heartbeat.

They have undoubtedly noticed adults following the news and current events with increased interest and their active participation in government and politics.  They understand there is social unrest throughout the globe and even in their own neighborhoods.  Come with me (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, September 5, 2017) written by Holly M. McGhee with illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre addresses with compassion and courage the real concerns of a child.

All over the world,
the news told
and told
and retold
of anger and hatred---

People against people.

As adults, we know how disturbing this is for us.  For children it's downright scary.  Although fearful, the little girl approaches her father wondering how she can help.  What can a she do?  He replies,

"Come with me."

Living in the city, public transportation is nearby their home.  Together, hand in hand, they take a ride, politely greeting people and treating them with respect.  Even though the child and her papa do something ordinary, in the face of her fear it becomes an act of bravery.  Still upset by the news, she asks her mother the same question.

After her mama's answer they take a walk in their neighborhood, shopping at their favorite food shop.  This simple everyday trip reinforces the idea of accepting each individual on their own merits.  Her parent's activities prompt her to propose doing something on her own.  It's not easy for her mother and father to respond but they do.  They are choosing to live as we are intended to live.

As the little girl leaves her apartment, she is greeted by a boy across the hall.  They go.  They do.  It captures the attention of one, then another and then another.  From the smallest, greatness can flourish.


In this narrative, a gentle but powerful story, Holly M. McGhee imparts wisdom through questions asked and answered through action.  The little girl's parents seek to alleviate her fears through continuing to embrace the ordinary.  Declarative sentences express the truthful results of those actions in a manner all ages can understand.  Holly ties the first three small adventures together with the title phrase, leading us to the splendid ending.


Beginning with the matching dust jacket and book case Pascal Lemaitre makes marvelous use of white space throughout this title.  Rendered in ink and watercolor the illustrations reflect and enhance warmth found in the text.  The scene on the front, on the right, is the little girl walking her dog.  This simple activity represents courage by her and her parents.  Behind her are all ages and nationalities of people.  To the left, on the back, she and her dog, the boy from the hallway in her apartment building and a new young friend are starting a visual depiction of their desire to spread joy.  This is a hint of the ending.

The opening and closing endpapers are covered in a soft, chocolate brown.  The illustrations prior to each outing are spare and on single pages.  The everyday excursions usually span two pages.  Frequently the little dog belonging to the girl can be seen with her.  Careful readers will notice another teeny, tiny character appearing once the two children are outside.

After pausing at page turns and looking at each picture readers will agree that all the elements work simultaneously to create a particular feeling.  We feel a connection to this child and her parents.  We feel our hearts swell in celebration for their kindness and consistent pursuit of maintaining normalcy.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is when the girl and her parents are seated around the dinner table.  She has asked her question as she reaches down and pets her dog.  Her papa has a fork filled with food halfway to this mouth.  Her mama is equally surprised holding her fork motionless.  This is a defining moment.


Come with me written by Holly M. McGhee with illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre is a book to be read and read often.  It replaces fear with each one of each doing our part to spread courage and compassion.  The smallest gesture can change the world.  You will want to have at least one copy of this on your professional shelves and one for your personal collection.

To learn more about Holly M. McGhee and Pascal Lemaitre and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites. Pascal Lemaitre has several of the interior images on his site.  Holly M. McGhee wrote an article for The Washington Post, Teaching children how even the tiniest person can make a difference.  Holly M. McGhee is interviewed at Brightly, Two Writing Teachers, and It's All About the Journey.  At Celebri-Dots Holly M. McGhee posted a dot. 

Heading Toward...

Hats keep us warm by trapping our body heat.  They can also protect our faces from sun and wind.  Hats can make a fashion statement. They can proclaim our loyalty to a particular sport team or cause in which we believe.  They can be a reminder of a momentous event bearing the autograph of a person we admire.

In Jon Klassen's two previous titles, I Want My Hat Back (Candlewick Press, September 27, 2011) (Theodore Seuss Geisel Award Honor winner) and This Is Not My Hat (Candlewick Press, October 9, 2012) (Caldecott Medal winner) the discovery of hats brings out the wild and least favorable characteristics of four members of the critter kingdom.  This year We Found A Hat (Candlewick Press, October 11, 2016) closes out the trilogy with classic Jon Klassen twists.  His writing and illustrations demand we are engaged and thinking.

PART ONE
Finding 
the 
Hat

We found a hat.
We found it together.

Two turtles have indeed found a hat.  They are both complimentary about how the hat looks on each other. The dilemma of one hat and two turtles is a tricky equation with no set answer.

One of the turtles suggests they leave it where they found it.  His companion agrees...reluctantly.  In part two they are enjoying watching the sunset from a rocky perch. This they are doing together in quiet companionship.  They are both thinking about something different; one is focusing on the beauty in the sky, the other says he is thinking about nothing but we readers know better.

As the two terrapins chat and settle in for the night, one keeps asking the other about his state of being asleep.  His pal replies he is fully asleep and dreaming.  Why does the one turtle want to know if the other is asleep?  What dreams fill the mind of the second turtle?  This third part with its marvelous conclusion will have you wondering about kindness, cleverness and truth.


One of the first things readers can appreciate about this narrative is the dividing of it into three parts.  None of us approaches a problem and solves it in one single moment unless it is sheer survival.  We contemplate.  We deliberate. We wait, listen and evaluate.  Jon Klassen's simple sentences are succinct and powerful.  They read well for readers of all ages.  Here are two of his sentences.

But there is only one hat.
And there are two of us.


Readers of Jon Klassen's hat titles are familiar with his limited color palette drawing our attention specifically to his characters.  The two turtles on the front looking at the hat is a definite departure.  To the left, on the back is the hat near desert grass.  On the opening and closing endpapers is a black background studded with white dots; a starry night sky.  On the title page more desert flora frames a single rock placed beneath the text.

Rendered digitally with powdered graphite the images vary in size from single to double page.  Each part heading has a cactus on the right and the hat on the left, alone in the desert.  The text is always placed on white on a single page or along the top of multiple pages.

The two turtles are distinguished by the markings on their shells; a square-shaped design on the one and a series of arrow lines pointing to the middle of the shell on the other.  It's wonderful how much emotion Klassen can convey with the eyes on his turtles, the direction they look and whether they are awake or asleep.  There is subtle humor in the situations he creates when they are trying on the hats or when one is thinking about something he does not want the other one to know.

One of my favorite illustrations is in the early evening.  The turtles are on a rock overlooking the area where the hat rests.  Their heads are facing in the same direction.  All you see is their shells, heads and eyes.  The one is sleepier than the other.  In this picture readers can appreciate how Klassen changes his backgrounds to differentiate between day, sunset and night.


We Found A Hat written and illustrated by Jon Klassen is a stellar conclusion to this series.  I literally stood in the middle of the children's section in a book store hugging it after I read it the first time. Even after multiple readings I still have the urge to give it a hug.

To learn more about Jon Klassen and his work, visit his Tumblr site.  Publishers Weekly has a post about this final book.  The cover reveal and an interview can be viewed at The Guardian.  There is a video and article about Jon Klassen's work at The Sydney Morning Herald.  At the publisher's website there is an activity kit, drawing sheets, and teacher's guide.  Jon Klassen was a guest on All The Wonders, Episode 296 hosted by teacher librarian Matthew Winner. Jon Klassen talks about all three books at PICTUREBOOK MAKERS.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Handle With Care

When placed on the outside of a package it indicates special consideration, whether the contents are known or not.  We use the words handle with care when something holds value to us or to others.  The value is determined by the individual using those three words. 

What we deem worthy, be it concrete or abstract, requires a commitment.  This promise is freely given.  How to Grow a Friend (Random House, January 6, 2015) written and illustrated by Sara Gillingham guides the youngest of readers (everyone) on how to cultivate a lasting companionship.  

To grow a friend,

first plant a seed in good soil.

Already the two children have the beginning of a bond; the act of starting something new together.  Like a seed it is essential for them to nurture common interests in total freedom.  They discover sometimes it's better to be silent as another chats.

As they watch their seed sprout and flower they realize good things take time, some longer than others.  During those days, weeks and months harmony does not always happen but working as a team can create change for the benefit of everyone.  If your friend seems lost, lend a hand. 

Lifting their spirits is imperative so you can stand side by side no matter the weather.  If you want more friends be ready. They can blossom or appear when least expected.  You can never have too many flowers or friends.

Twelve sentences parallel gardening and friendship in a wonderfully wise sequence leaving room for discussion and illustrative interpretation.  Sara Gillingham understands the thought processes of her intended audience as evidenced by her inclusion of all things plants and friends need to realize their full potential.  It's important that she speaks about the times when everything is going well and those times when things are not so grand.  Here is another sentence from this book.

And don't let your friend 

get stuck in the weeds.

Parents, caregivers or anyone who has worked in education with children will tell you they are drawn to colorful books like bees to honey.  When you open the matching dust jacket and book case for How to Grow a Friend an image extends from book flap to book flap.  The bright turquoise background overlaps slightly giving way to white on the flaps but the floral border continues.  The bold circular patterns and vivid pastel colors on the flowers shout happiness as does the wide-eyes on the four children.  The variations in their clothing and skin tones allow children to see themselves in the pages of this book.  On the back, to the left, a boy wearing glasses is shaking hands with a girl carrying a garden tool beneath the words

To grow a friend...

open this book!

The opening and closing endpapers are a repeating vertical pattern of three kinds of leaves in black on white.  Insects and some flower buds appear.  The subtle difference between the two endpapers will have readers nodding knowingly and smiling.

Gillingham begins her narrative on the title page as the hummingbird flies over the pail of soil.  When we see her again on the starting visual she is carrying the seed.  With a page turn the seed is dropped into the soil.  Pictures shift from a larger overview to a close-up of the two children, a girl and a boy, as their friendship and the seed grow.  Gillingham brings us farther into the story with a zoom-in of the children's hands among the flowers at one point.

The hummingbird is never far from the children or the pail.  Readers will enjoy finding her in each image.  They will also be able to spot the tiny worms, lady bug, bees, butterfly and flies.

One of my favorite illustrations is for the sentence

To grow a friend, talk and listen.

On a background of white to the left of the gutter at the top we are looking down at the pail.  A tiny bud has appeared.  The hummingbird is hovering nearby.  Pink blossoms are scattered around the children.  They are lying on colored blankets next to each other.  The boy on the left is talking and his hands are moving.  The girl on the right is listening with her hands and arms behind her head.

Toward the end of 2015 Sara Gillingham released a companion book, How to Mend a Heart (Random House, December 22, 2015).  She depicts similarities in sewing a damaged beloved toy with fixing an emotional hurt.  She clearly demonstrates the process of making repairs which create a stronger new whole.

To mend a heart,

you need gentle hands.

the right tools,

and lots of patches. 

With the same patience you give to threading a needle, tying in a knot and making each stitch, you need to do for sadness.  At times it will take more sewing than others, which means more thread... a lot more thread.  If you are mending a heart what does this mean?

If you get stuck (sewing can be tricky), there are those willing to help loosen the tangles.  Remember even a lovingly pieced project can break apart again and again.  You might need to rethink your process.

You can do it, even if it takes several attempts.  Each time a heart (or a toy elephant) is restored something happens.  Can you tell me what that is?

Little hands will be more than ready to fashion repairs after reading the careful and clever words of Sara Gillingham.  In only six sentences which are spaced to provide a slow pace, she outlines each step.  As she did in the first title, she addresses the challenges but recommends to keep going.  She draws our attention to the results of this practice.  Here is another sentence.  

Some hearts need a little bit of thread,

and others need

the whole spool.

The cheery cherry red as a canvas for the matching dust jacket and book case is warm and welcoming.  The illustration crosses the spine spilling into the flaps especially the border of hearts and patches of fabric.  The thread being held by the two children on the front extends to the back where another two children hold the end and the threaded needle.  The little robin on the front is found throughout the book.  The toy elephant is a key character.  

The opening and closing endpapers are a series of red vertical stitches repeated over and over.  The background is of a much lighter red fabric.  Spanning the verso page, on the left, and the title page, on the right, is a single image showing the passage of time.  The boy's puppy is playing with the elephant.  Then he chews parts of it.  Finally in front of the boy and his friends, the puppy is saddened to see the elephant in bits.

Gillingham does shift how we view the illustrations.  We are farther away, close to the boy or the elephant, looking at them from above or very, very near as in looking at the boy's two holds holding the scraps of his toy.  More than once she features his friends watching closely, ready to help if asked.  The facial expressions on the boy, his friends and even the puppy, portray the appropriate emotions.

One of my favorite pictures (I really like them all.) is of the boy beginning to take the pieces of his elephant, laying them on the table like a puzzle.  Spread before him are fabric, scissors, thread, a pencil, buttons, a needle and thimble, two types of pins, a measuring tape and sewing ruler.  The puppy has his paws on the table watching.  He is holding the tiny red cloth heart.

How to Grow a Friend and How to Mend a Heart written and illustrated by Sara Gillingham are charming models for starting, building and strengthening friendships and our emotional hearts.  It's important that the two key elements in both of these are using our hands and our time.  These two titles work together very well.  They both invite further discussion and possible projects.  I plan on getting out my sewing machine to make an elephant.  What will you do?

To learn more about Sara Gillingham and her other books, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  How to Grow a Friend is part of a trifecta hosted at Nerdy Book Club, Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's blog Watch. Connect. Read. and standing-on-a-desk-yelling-I-Love-Reading third grade teacher, Colby Sharp's sharpread. Sara Gillingham was recently interviewed at Kids' BookBuzz.  This interview is as adorable as her books.