Just Reach Out

The thing about being outdoors is that in a matter of minutes something wild can happen.  We are surrounded by the possibility of sensory situations.  We can either seize these moments when they appear or dread the prospect of this occurrence.

The same can be said of any situation in which we find ourselves, regardless of where we are.  We might be nervous or worried, but once we are in that moment, if we are doing something we love, everything and everyone else disappears.  That passion we hold close to our hearts is released.  Something Wild (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House, February 28, 2023) written and illustrated by Molly Ruttan connects to that apprehension all of us feel at times.  It shows us how that apprehension is transformed into something unexpectedly marvelous.

Ever since she was small, Hannah

loved to play her violin.

To hear the music she made, sent Hannah's heart soaring.  But . . . Hannah did not want to play her violin in front of anyone else.  The day of her recital Hannah was so afraid to stand on a stage with an audience spread before, her heart's desire was for 

something wild

to appear and save her.

Before she even left the house, in her mind's eye, she dreamed a group of special someone's would sweep in on a breeze and steal her recital clothing.  Or perhaps, a colony of rabbits would leap through a hole in the floor near the kitchen and whisk away her violin.  You cannot be in a recital without a violin.

Unfortunately, neither of those things happened.  On the way to the recital with her family, Hannah kept wishing.  Nothing rose from the watery fountain either.  

Now behind the curtain at the recital, Hannah was next.  On the stage, her fear blossomed.  Hannah and her violin were a perfect match. (When you love something, sometimes that love guides you.)  And in that moment, every draw of the bow on strings

since she was small

created a remarkable memory.

First, author Molly Ruttan helps us to understand Hannah's love of making music on her violin.  It is a lifelong passion.  Then, with adept descriptions, she reveals her true fear of playing on stage.  Using a series of repetitive phrases, we experience her lively imagination and the subsequent disappointment three times.  This cadence binds us in a universal experience with Hannah.  We identify deeply with her.  This leads us to rejoicing at the exuberant ending.  Here is a passage.

It was almost time to leave.

Every time Hannah thought about

being on stage, her stomach lurched!

She felt a little queasy.

If only something wild would happen . . .

How can you look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case and not smile?  The child playing her violin is joyful amid creatures from the wild.  They look as if they are finding pleasure in her music.  Next, readers will be wondering how a dolphin, rabbit and blue birds are together as this girl shines under a spotlight.  

To the left of the spine, on the back, curls of waves continue with the dolphin's tale held high.  Rocks form a base beneath the water.  On the far left is another tree.  Peeking around the trunk is another rabbit.

In golden and white lines on a paler golden background, dolphins and smaller fish swim, rabbits leap, and birds glide.  Careful readers will also see other objects important to the story.  On the title page, a small illustration between text shows a very young Hannah trying to pull away from her mother's hand to stay and listen to a street musician play his violin.

These images by artist Molly Ruttan were

brought to life with charcoal, pastel, acrylic paint, and digital media.

Their sizes, full pages, edge to edge or surrounded by significant white space, mirror Hannah's moods while leading us to luminescent double-page visuals.  Just as Hannah wishes for something out of the ordinary to happen, readers will see a circle of light forming around the very thing she craves.  Humor abounds in the reactions of the characters when the 

something wild

takes place in her imagination.

Careful readers will see that while Hannah is focused on the upcoming recital, other stories are genuinely taking place around her.  I believe readers, unlike Hannah initially, will love to look at the audience and see what everyone is doing.  A gorgeous, wordless two-page picture will have readers cheering.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  Hannah is standing near the bottom of a staircase after wishing for 

something wild.

To her left, in the kitchen area, her family including the dog are aghast at what they are seeing in front of them on the right side of the visual.  A family photograph and a picture near the sink on the walls are askew.  The father was thrown the tickets to the recital in the air.  The only one enjoying the ruckus is the baby seated in a highchair. A group of animals have captured the violin in its case and are stealing it away.

After every reading of Something Wild written and illustrated by Molly Ruttan, I cannot help myself.  I am smiling. My heart is filled with joy for this girl and anyone who has felt the jitters or outright fear before performing or speaking to a group.  A lot of readers will be empathetic to her situation and will laugh out loud at her beautiful creativity.  This book is certain to promote lively discussions.  Please be sure to place a copy in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Molly Ruttan and her work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Molly Ruttan has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  There is a book trailer for you to view and share with others. This book is celebrated at author illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi's site, author Vivian Kirkfield's site, Good Reads With Ronna and writer and illustrator Jena Benton's site.

One Musical Moment

There are two, among many, things of which we can never be sure.  Unless we have the ability to fast forward in time, we are never quite certain how we may favorably influence another contemporary or someone in the future.  We also can't truly imagine the consequences of a seemingly unimportant situation.  Our lives are filled with "what-if" this or that did or did not happen.

Whether we realize it or not, music surrounds us.  It is in the clicking of a dog's toenails on a hardwood floor, the sound of a spoon stirring in a stainless steel pot, the hum of heat moving through duct work, garden wind chimes ringing in a soft breeze, the crack of melting ice, the hoot of a nearby owl or the howl of a coyote in the distance as darkness gathers.  Composers gather those sounds enveloping our world making their own music, music longing to be heard and played.  BECAUSE (Hyperion Books For Children, March 5, 2019) score by Mo Willems and performance by Amber Ren explores the influence of composers, musicians, symphonic performances and the elements of serendipity and perseverance.

This is how it happened:

Two composers, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert, contemporaries, lived in the same city, centuries ago; the former influencing the latter.  Franz's rich and harmonious Symphony no. 8 in B-minor in turn, years and years later, brought a group of musicians together, forming an orchestra.  One member after another were asked to join because of their love of music and their dedication to perfecting the playing of their instruments.

A concert was planned.  Individuals outside the orchestra contributed to the event's success; a poster maker, a train engineer, an orchestra librarian and the musical conductor each assisted.  The score was polished through practice.  Concert hall workers applied finishing touches to the venue and ushers welcomed the audience.

An illness, a cold, resulted in a niece taking her uncle's seat at the concert and that . . . shifted . . . something in the child's soul.  Year after year her interest in music grew.  She studied.  She practiced.  She wrote.  She was heard.

Like those original members of the orchestra who played Franz Schubert's Symphony no 8 in B-minor, she was asked and given an opportunity.  As a tribute to a single unplanned event her notes wove through an audience.  And BECAUSE . . .


Gentle, searching like a lively, uplifting melody, Mo Willems takes a single word using it as a common theme for connecting events and people over centuries, years, months, weeks, days and hours.  Each sentence and phrase begin with Because followed by the actions of individuals pursuing that which they love to do.  Mo Willems also uses two repetitive thoughts to excellent effect creating a full circle.  What will amaze and thrill readers is how these all work to form a series of changes.  Here are two of the sentences.

Because the usher helped the aunt
and her special guest---
they found their seats.

Because everyone was there to hear beautiful music---
it was quiet. 


In her debut as a picture book illustrator Amber Ren glows like the lovely refrain of words she enhances.  Using the stage of the concert hall as a focal point on the front of the dust jacket, she alludes to the possibilities, before and after, this single event.  The line of music swirling about the child and off the right edge is a part of nearly all the images within the body of the book, changing in color as the story progresses.  The title text is varnished.

To the left, on the back, beneath the words

BECAUSE . . .
an unexpected note
can change a life.

an interior illustration is placed within a circle.  It's the child after the concert conducting music to an audience of toys.  The darkened color at the edge of the stage supplies a canvas here and on the book case.  Within an elegant gold frame on the front of the book case, the girl writes music, perhaps remembering why she attended the concert that evening.  The music moves to the left and appears again on the other side of the spine weaving upward as another child is caught in its spell.

On the opening and closing endpapers a music stand is placed from left to right.  On each a different musical score has been placed; two pages in length, one on the left and the other on the right.  Around the outside of the opening music stand is a golden yellow.  On the closing endpapers the framing color is a spring green, indicative of the transformation.  On the title page the little girl is featured bowing to an imaginary audience as music winds around her.

Alternating between double-page pictures and single-page visuals Amber Ren takes us on a journey through time.  She presents a variety of diverse people, with different ages and with a common interest---music. Her fine lines are filled with soft hues of color on matte-finished paper.  Readers will be fascinated with her attention to detail; the portrait of Franz on the sick uncle's wall, a large musical staff being used as a bookcase and framed records on a wall.  Careful readers will spot guest appearances by the book's creators.

One of my many favorite pictures is that highlighted on the book case and in the interior of the book.  On a single page we are looking at the child's bedroom.  It's an upper story room with the roof peak making a "v" behind her.  On that wall hangs pictures of her favorite things.  To the right is her keyboard.  On a large oval rug in pale green sitting in a half circle are seven toys, their backs to us.  Eyes closed and an arm raised holding her baton the child presents her music.  From her baton a shining vine extends, traveling over the gutter to the next series of illustrations.


Radiating warmth and creative potential BECAUSE written by Mo Willems with illustrations by Amber Ren is a sensory symphony to treasure.  This is a glorious example of the ripple effect.  We can never know how our lives will alter other lives.  We can never know how a single event can fashion a future.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Mo Willems and Amber Ren and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Mo Willems has another site here, a blog and an account on Twitter.  Amber Ren also has an account on Twitter.  For your enjoyment I've included the book trailer and a video of Franz Schubert's Symphony no. 8 in B-minor.