Mind Magic

Our minds are pulsing with power.  A multitude of ideas, potential in every single one, are waiting to be released.  Every minute of our lives our sensory perceptions are connecting to those possibilities.  From those links beauty emerges.

As soon as we take our first breath, our lives as makers begin.  If we choose to give our minds the freedom they need, our making of miracles will continue until our final breath.  What If . . . (Little, Brown and Company, April 10, 2018) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Mike Curato raises up and reveals the power found in the mind of a child.  The beauty will leave you breathless.

With pencil and paper, I write and draw art to create many stories that come from my heart.

If that pencil vanishes, does the making of stories stop?  Indeed it does not.  Tales are waiting to be told from the shapes formed from the paper.  What if the paper is no longer there?  Eyes and a heart full of art know what to do with a chair.

As each item is removed from this inventive girl's presence, she looks outward.  She observes her surroundings noting what can be used to begin or continue her creations.  With walls and floors gone, the land provides opportunities.  What can be made of leaves, snow or sand?  What can grow from the earth?

In the absence of land, there is light.  Like a true creator she knows what can be shaped in shadows.  Finally she, alone, without benefit of other elements becomes a vehicle for her stories.  She lifts her voice and moves her body. 

She knows she will continue to go.  She knows she will continue to grow.  She knows.


The enthusiasm exhibited by her protagonist, a whirlwind of discover, design, wonder making and shaping, bursts forth in the words penned by Samantha Berger.  The repetition of the two title words, what if, initially supplies a rhythm which is sustained through the use of similar phrases.  Readers will feel a joyous tension building until the final two proclamations which are like fireworks shooting forth from the child's soul and straight into your creative heart.  Here is a passage.

If there was no light,
I would still use my voice
to sing out my stories---
to chant and rejoice!


When you first glance at the opened dust jacket (I'm reading an F & G generously given by the publisher.) you feel something ignite inside you.  It's like the sound of a matching striking and new flame sending out light.  The girl's face, a warm soft brown with her purple hair like a halo, crosses over the spine with a marvelous symmetry.  The elements in the purple are later found within the pages of the book.  This dust jacket is also a hint of a breathtaking illustrative event inside the book.

On the opening and closing endpapers illustrator Mike Curato shows a row of windows with arches set in a brick wall.  In the first set it's daylight.  In the fourth of five windows the child is seated at the table working.  In the arch of her window a crescent moon is placed.  Nighttime has fallen in the second set.  Our view of the windows has shifted.  We see four and one half windows, all darkened.  In the second window, the child's window, story dust glows and sparkles from the place where she was sitting.  On the right side the publication information is included.

For the dedication and title pages we see the child working on her creation (on the left) as if we are watching above her.  Yellow lined paper contains the title text written in a variety of colored crayons.  What follows is an extravaganza of double-page illustrations done in

pencil, paper, collage, ink, acrylic, colored pencil, linocut, and digital techniques.

With each page turn we are privy to the playful, inspired talent of Mike Curato as he interprets the imaginative creations of the girl.  To name a few, there is origami, a paper airplane made of wood, a sunburst where there was wallpaper and a dragon made of colored leaves.  Some of the illustrations are reminiscent of colorful scratchboard art. These all lead us toward a stunning gatefold certain to leave all readers gasping and smiling.

One of my many favorite illustrations uses a black canvas.  On the left in thick purple outline is the side of the face of the girl, eyes closed and mouth open.  Lines indicating song in teal and then shifting to purple as they cross the gutter spread from her mouth.  These lines end in an opened birdcage set among the brilliant-hued image of a bird in flight which spans off the edges of the right side.  The mouth of the bird is open, too, in song.  Set among the wing span and body of the bird are elements of story in black.  There are other birds, musical notes, a piano keyboard, a sea shell, Saturn, a cloud with rain drops, a glowing light bulb and much more.  This makes you want to sing your own story.


We all have the ability to create; some of us being more compelled than others.  In What If . . . written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Mike Curato the imagination of a child leading her to create her own kind of stories is celebrated with supreme eloquence.  You need to have multiple copies of this title available in your professional and personal collections.  At the close of the book Samantha and Mike talk about the process for bringing this book to readers.  I can't wait to hold a finished copy in my hands.  I can't wait to read this aloud to a group of children.  I know they will want to touch all the pages.

To learn more about Samantha Berger and Mike Curato and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Mike highlights interior images from the book.  Mike has a blog here with updates about this book.  Mike is featured at Andrea Skyberg's site and Samantha is featured at Inkygirl, the site of author illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi.  To showcase the publication of this title a book tour was held last week.  Be sure to visit the Nerdy Book Club, What If. . .We Told You The Story Behind The Story?, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, the blog of author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson to read What If. . .Mike Curato Used Mixed-Media to Make a Book?, What If. . .We Used Our Creativity To Overcome Obstacles? hosted at Mia Wenjen's Pragmatic Mom, Kid Lit Frenzy, the blog of educator Alyson Beecher to read What If. . .Two Best Friends Made a Book and for the book trailer premiere followed by his classic sentence starters visit Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  On March 30, 2018 teacher librarian Matthew Winner chatted with Samantha Berger and Mike Curato on The Children's Book Podcast #431.

An Obstinate Obstacle

There are big ones.  There are small ones.  Some are easily remedied.  Others are pretty tough to figure out.  Most days will have at least one or maybe two.  Other days are brimming with them.  (You want to rewind those kinds of days and start all over again.)

Those tough ones to solve can hang on for weeks or even longer.  Following the success of What Do You Do With An Idea? (Compendium, February 1, 2014) author Kobi Yamada and illustrator Mae Besom have collaborated to present to readers another thoughtful title.  What Do You Do With A Problem? (Compendium, July 1, 2016 but released earlier) is perfect as a picture book for younger readers but the story, like most picture books, is for all ages.

I don't know how it happened,
but one day I had a problem.


Like almost everyone our protagonist was not happy one little bit with having a problem.  The child is at odds with the fact the problem follows him everywhere.  He is certainly not sure how to handle it or to make it go away.  This problem is sticking to him like a second skin.

When dilemmas linger, we all tend to start to worry.  So did the child.  He imagined it's hungry for him, ready to gobble him up.  It became a monster ready to destroy all he valued.  Worry filled the child from the tip of his toes to the top of his head.

No matter what the child did the problem was there, getting bigger and bigger.  It was huge!  It saddened him to the depths of his soul.  It had him cornered.

The child decided to stop fleeing, turn around and hinder this quandary; needing to get back his happy self.  He formed a strategy.  Following through on this plan was probably the most courageous thing he had ever done in his short life.  What the child found was not expected but it altered his outlook for the rest of his life.


Told using the simple logic and language of a child, Kobi Yamada allows readers to see the essence of a problem from beginning to end as it unfolds.  We can readily identify with what the child is saying; having experienced similar situations.  The brilliance is in the conclusion.  It's a change in thinking and attitude explained with absolute clarity.  Here is a sample passage from the book.

I worried a lot.  I worried about what would happen.
I worried about what could happen.  I worried about this
and worried about that.

And the more I worried, the bigger my problem became.


Upon removing and opening the dust jacket you can see a grand expanse of a storm buffeting the child from the back, left, to the right.  This is the way Mae Besom has chosen to illustrate a problem.  On the book case a background of purple gray, storm cloud color, covers the back and front.  The only image is the child from the dust jacket in gold foil on the front.  The identical opening and closing endpapers show a compass rose moving across a pattern of wheat fields, leaves, waves and clouds.

The interior pictures initially show the child in a limited color palette walking through a seaside village.  As the problem grows it occupies a larger area of the page.  Most of the illustrations span two pages.  The visual for the text noted above is a close-up of the child, eyes closed, fists to his face.  As the storm roars around him several animal companions join him.

Details in all the images abound.  Inventiveness plays heavily into the solutions employed.  As a resolution is reached the colors shift with golden overtones and more full color.  There is a sense of peace, satisfaction and an eagerness to seek new adventures.

One of my favorite illustrations is of the child at work in his bedroom.  To the left of the child is shelving overflowing with collections and books.  The work surface is a mass of toys and gadgets.  Leaning over the table the child is intently drafting a plan on the top sheet of rolled large pieces of paper.  A look of resolute determination fills his face.


What Do You Do With A Problem? written by Kobi Yamada with illustrations by Mae Besom is a marvelous look at how creativity can address obstacles large or small appearing in our lives.  The blend of narrative and images is accomplished.  This is a welcome addition which I believe should find a place on professional and personal bookshelves.  The child is never portrayed strictly as a boy or a girl granting the story universal appeal.  For ease of writing I assigned male pronouns in this post.

To learn more about Kobi Yamada and Mae Besom and their work please follow the links attached to their names.  At Publishers Weekly read One Small Publisher's 'Idea' Yields Big Results. 

Being Your Best Self

Every single individual has potential.  Choices made daily determine how this capacity is developed.  We get to decide how we look at ourselves, each other and the world as a whole.  We very quickly learn we will not have control over everything that happens but we do have the ability to create our response.

Three titles published within the last several months focus on developing a positive perspective so our lives, the lives of those closest to us and the lives of people we may never meet are rich and full.  Collaborators author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrator Tom Lichtenheld present Friendshape (Scholastic Press, August 25, 2015), a charming tale on the comforts trustworthy companions bring.  I Used To Be Afraid (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, September 29, 2015) written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger explores conquering fears by stepping back and looking at them with different eyes.  A daily ritual of a father with his children becomes Beautiful Hands (Blue Dot Press, September 29, 2015) written and illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten.


What's so great about having

Friends?

We're glad you asked!

See, the great thing about having friends is ...

Everything!

A blue circle, a yellow square, a green triangle and a red rectangle cheerfully list all the attributes of having a friend.  Each quality is not only displayed textually but visually.

Friends make you feel happy.

On the opposite page the foursome are indeed grinning but their shapes make a smiling face.

You know how you feel like you can be yourself in your own home.  Friends make you feel the same way no matter where you are.  It's like your minds are in sync. They have a gift for seeing play when no one else can and they do so with equality for all participants, even newcomers.

When you don't see eye to eye, they value you more than being right.  Through thick and thin there's nothing they won't do for you.  In case you are wondering why friends are friends to the end, the quartet arranges themselves to spell out the answer.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal speaks the language of her readers knowing what they value most.  She understands the importance of simplicity; her words clearly defining eleven virtues of lasting relationships in single sentences.  Each one builds toward the final thought.  Here is one of the sentences.

Friends may quarrel...
...but they don't stay bent out of shape for long.


Rendered in pencil with digital color the illustrations on the matching dust jacket and book case playfully extend the text in a punny sort of way.

An uplifting celebration of friendship 

is highlighted with a balloon (a symbol of celebration) floating upward with the Square happily hanging on tight.  On the back, to the left, the words

Here's to a great circle of friends! 

curves around Circle as Rectangle, Square and Triangle surround it.  The four pages of the opening and closing endpapers are in green, yellow, blue and red.  Everyone is equal.

Tom Lichtenheld places the characters on a crisp white background with the exception of elements placed on cosmic black to reflect one of the statements.  The secondary asides in the narrative are sure to elicit grins galore due to Lichtenheld's pacing and placement.  With careful curves and two dots emotions are readily depicted.

One of my favorite images is for the second portion of the quarrel statement.  Circle and Square are apologizing to each other on the left.  On the right Rectangle looks at Triangle and says

You know,
you have a good point.  



I used to be afraid of SPIDERS
but not anymore.

A young girl shares her fears with readers.  She then introduces us to her new view inviting us to try the same with our fears.  In a rhythmic back and forth of exchanges we are privy to her thought processes.

When a spider swings down on a silken thread we are startled but the beauty in their web work helps to ease the initial moment of panic.  Shadows shift when we have control of their creation.  In the face of change relief is found in those things which remain with us.

Some fears stay but not all the time.  We can turn the fear into fun.  Family does that for us.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger establishes a cadence, a sense of expectation, with the repetition of

but not anymore

in each of her sentences.  The fears addressed are real to many.  She moves from concrete (spiders and shadows) to more abstract (change and being alone) and then back to a person.  This final fear ends the entire narrative in laughter and warmth.

There is real fear expressed on the face of the girl on the matching dust jacket and book case.  By bringing the girl close to us we immediately have empathy and a little curiosity.  What has her frightened?  Opening the cover the narrative starts with us stepping back to see her peering from behind a living room chair as the dog looks at her.  This is also the title page.

Each image rendered in acrylic paint and collage spans two pages.  First the fear is portrayed followed by the relief found when looking at it differently.  Laura Vacarro Seeger is a master of the die-cut.  When the page is turned what initially appears alarming, turns into beauty, love, light, heightened self-esteem, or comfort.  Four two-page spreads are devoted to being alone and to her big-brother, extending into the closing endpapers.  The twist at the end is perfectly pictured.

One of my favorite visuals (Xena's too) is her fear of the dark.  She is seen peeking over the edge of her covers in bed with her pink stuffed bunny by her side.  A circle in the upper right-hand corner turns into the moon with a page turn.  Now she is sitting outside gazing at the sky with her canine companion at her side.


What will your beautiful hands DO TODAY?

This introductory question guides each subsequent series of questions and a reply that is also a question.  We are first asked

Will they PLANT?
What can you plant?

We are engaged in this conversation.  Our minds race as possibilities come to the surface.  Will we plant seeds, vegetable, flowers, or trees?  Oh no...

IDEAS?

Now we are wondering what hands can do.  Will they fix, fashion or grasp?  They will touch, lift, stretch and reach but what will they touch, lift, stretch and reach?

Once again we think of potential words to join with the questions.  We understand we are being challenged to expand our ideas into larger concepts.  Will this end today?  Do we do this every day?  What do you believe?

Kathryn Otoshi's text is based upon the first question which Bret Baumgarten asked his children every day as he held their hands.  By having the replies followed by a question mark, she is asking us to continue our thoughts.  She welcomes discovery through a more philosophical approach.

The rainbow color palette seen on the book case is used throughout the book.  All the images are created using the hands of Kathryn Otoshi's and Bret Baumgarten's families with the exception of a final illustration employing more than one hundred hands.  Most of the background color is a pristine white.

Portions of the first two questions are written in cursive.  The letters on the key words are cut from hand prints as are the replying questions.  For a few the letters look as if they were written in finger paint.  The layout and design flows from left to right.  We see beginnings and the beautiful results; seeds to flowers, a caterpillar to a butterfly and a lizard to a dragon.

One of my favorite illustrations is the two-page spread at night.  The background is a rich deep blue.  A tree spans across the gutter, branches extending to nearly the page edges.  It is covered in fireflies.  In white we are asked

What will your beautiful hands DO...


These three books, Friendshape written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld, I Used To Be Afraid written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten will add joy in your classrooms and home.  They will have every reader extending themselves, wanting to grow into the best they can be.  I can already imagine the discussions between readers and listeners and readers and readers....of all ages.

To discover more about Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tom Lichtenheld, Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Kathryn Otoshi please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Update:  November 21, 2015 A wonderful Pinterest board has been created by Amy Krouse Rosenthal for their book.  Eight interior images from I Used To Be Afraid can be viewed at the publisher's website.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has some artwork and a link to her review at BookPage.  Hand in Hand: Kathryn Otoshi on Her Collaboration with Bret Baumgarten for "Beautiful Hands"  is posted at School Library Journal.  Enjoy this video about the book.

#Bookaday Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten https://t.co/V8ercb3KZv

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) September 19, 2015

Fixing 'N Friendship

It hangs on the wall above my work space.  It holds a hammer he made.  All the tools are engraved with his initials, CSM.  It's not just a toolbelt holding those few implements of his I still have, it's a cache for memories. It holds his voice telling me how to hold a nail and swing that hammer.  It reminds me how to use the proper motion when using a saw.  It asks me to look at a problem, figuring out the best way to make something, anything, work.

Yesterday as I was busy decorating my home with strings of orange lights for Halloween, I paused to put my pumpkin stakes along the walkway.  The previous owners used river rock extensively in the landscaping.  Using a hole punch Dad gave me, I was able to pierce through the stone and webbing to make a spot for those stakes.  As I finished, holding the punch, I knew Dad was there next to me and grinning.

In his dedication for his newest title, Little Robot (First Second, September 1, 2015), Ben Hatke writes

For my DAD,
who showed me
how COOL it is to
MAKE THINGS

Being able to envision an end product or goal, to figure out a way to make it work with the materials at hand and feel satisfaction and success is a gift.  It's rarely easy but as Ben's new protagonist shows us, the rewards are invaluable.

A crescent moon hangs in the sky above a highway bridge as vehicles cross.  One, a truck, hits some rocks on the road dislodging a box from the back.  It plunges into the river, drifting into the countryside.

In the morning a young girl sneaks out the window of her trailer home scampering away as others ride the bus to school.  She wanders and explores in a neighbor's yard and near a junkyard by the water.  The floating box grabs her attention.  She gets it on the sand, opens the box and surprises herself with the contents.

With some shimmying and shaking a little robot forms.  It's wobbly just like a newborn child.  With a bit of help from the human, it quickly learns to walk without falling.  Meanwhile...

At the robot factory, the missing box is duly noted.  An eight-legged, one-eyed, menacing spider- type machine is sent out to locate the absent robot.  As it searches, Little Robot with the guidance of his new friend discovers the finer points of cats, flowers, pond life and the fine art of skipping stones.  With the setting of the sun on the second day of their new companionship, it's easy to see these two are inseparable.

With all new relationships there are challenges.  These two must spend their nights without each other. Sometimes best efforts fall short.  Sometimes best efforts succeed grandly.  One is human, the other is a robot.  Something evil wants one of them.  Ingenuity, determination, and a need to find puffballs are qualities in a friend I would enjoy for life.


Robot-speak and short conversational sentences, more like thinking aloud, are the sole narration.  Ben Hatke's images, based on each reader's perceptions and past experiences, convey volumes.  It's as if he is telling us a story filled with text, once upon a time and the end.

On the matching dust jacket and book case Ben Hatke introduces us to the human child, Little Robot, a junkyard cat and the nefarious machine.  The girl wears her white nightshirt and carries her toolbelt like the hero she is.  Little Robot brings out the best in her.  We can readily see the color palette, the fine line work, and shading used throughout the book.  To the left, on the back, on the extended hillside stand four other little robots ready for action.  The gear pattern in the title text is used on the spine also.

On the opening and closing endpapers two-tone light blue gears provide a background for a pale yellow dancing Little Robot and his human girl child.  On the formal title page a darker shade of the same blue showcases Little Robot and the girl kneeling and looking at a flower with the text in yellow.  This leads beautifully into the first two-page image.

Hatke takes us from illustration to illustration flawlessly.  He might put a smaller picture within a larger one.  Panels may be grouped in four with a larger one underneath horizontally or two might be side by side vertically.  Most of the panels are framed in a loose white border.  Gorgeous visuals close out each chapter.

Changing perspective, bringing us close to the characters' faces, involves us intimately in the emotional moments of the story.  Hatke may use a series of panels grouped by six to depict a few seconds in time.  He desires us to be with the characters.  And we are.

I have many favorite illustrations but the two pages where the girl is showing Little Robot how to skip stones on the river is delightful.  She eagerly demonstrates with one skip and a plunk.  With a couple of clicks and a blip Little Robot performs like an Olympic champion.  The look on the girl's face as she watches and then glances at Little Robot is sure to bring on a smile.  Then in a heartbeat she's ready to play a new game.


Little Robot conceived, written and illustrated by Ben Hatke is a tribute to the strength of true friendship.  He salutes creativity.  He salutes girl power.  These are the kind of characters for whom you want to cheer.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and classroom shelves.  Thank you Ben for this book.

To learn more about Ben Hatke and his other work please follow the links attached to his names to access his website and Tumblr.  You can view eight interior images at the publisher's website.  Ben was interviewed about this title (plus there are more illustrations) at Entertainment Weekly, Tor.com, Comic Book Resources, The Beat Comics Culture and BookPage.

On October 29, 2015 Little Robot is one of the titles selected by John Schumacher, Scholastic Ambassador for School Libraries and Colby Sharp, 3rd grade teacher and co-founder of Nerdy Book Club for the #SharpSchu Book Club on Twitter.

Imagining Yourself

Children rarely have to dig as long or as far as do adults.  It's much closer to the surface.  For them within seconds, they are transformed and transported to roles and worlds of their own choosing.  Their minds are free of life's accumulated clutter.  They dream big all day long.

We had several vacant lots on our street when we were growing up.  The one, wooded and tall with weeds, was a paradise for all of us.  As soon as we crossed the boundary, we were no longer within the confines of our neighborhood.  In This Is Sadie (Tundra Books, May 12, 2015) written by Sara O'Leary with illustrations by Julie Morstad a little girl reminds us of the potential of creative imagining.

This is Sadie.
No, not that.  That's a box.
Sadie is inside the box.

To Sadie it's not a box.  To Sadie it's a boat; a big boat traveling across a sea so vast there's nothing but water as far as the eye can see.  There might be land nearby but Sadie is content to ride the waves.

Even before a single soul in her home, other than herself, is awake, Sadie has traveled a distance.  She's quiet until she selects her favorite dress to wear for the day.  Her playmates are not all real.  Some of them are characters from stories.

Sadie selects where she goes and who she becomes, diving, howling, sipping and riding.  She has conversations with those others cannot understand.  She soars gliding on wind currents.

No minute in Sadie's day is wasted.  They are brimming with bits and pieces from her collected thoughts.  They are inspired by the inventiveness of others.


In this story Sara O'Leary has given readers a character to cherish.  Through Sara's words we see a girl who looks at her world, making it larger with her making, doing and being.  The best thing is readers are invited to join Sadie in her adventure with the first three words.

The unseen narrator speaks warmly using informal sentences.  When Sadie talks we are intimately aware of the wonder she finds wherever she goes.  Here is another sample passage.

And then she chooses a dress.
"Don't tell the others," she whispers,
"but you are my favorite."


When you open the dust jacket, the first thing you notice is the delicate flowers filling the field across both sides.  Sadie is featured in her fox mask on the front with her stuffed toy fox companion sitting in the grass in the lower right-hand corner of the back, to the left.  Tiny details like the flower dotting the "i" in Sadie are found throughout this title.  When you flip the dust jacket to the inside one of the gorgeous nighttime scenes from the interior becomes a poster with a quotation from the story.  The book case is identical to the jacket with one exception.  The opening and closing endpapers are a deeper forest green with a triangular three dot pattern in white.

The light, lyrical feel of the words is continued with the title page illustration.  The text letters are hanging from a string across the top.  Beneath this the beloved toy is sleeping in cheery bedding.

Rendered in gouache, watercolor and pencil crayon Julie Morstad's fine lines supply exquisite elements in all the illustrations.  Most of the images extend over two pages but for those smaller pictures or larger ones with a white background, the white gives a new dimension to the colors used.  Morstad depicts playfulness in her visuals in contrast to the narrative.  We read

When it is time to start the day,
Sadie tidies her room.

We see Sadie standing among a pile of clothes on the left.  To the right is her bed nicely made but underneath we see her interpretation of tidy.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of a small hill sprinkled with little flowers.  Slightly off center to the right is a large tree with a rounded top.  Bluebirds have gathered among the branches.  We see Sadie's bare legs dangling through the leaves.  Her red bicycle is leaning against the trunk with her fox sitting in the wire basket. You wish you were one of those bluebirds

chit-chatting

with her.


This Is Sadie written by Sara O'Leary with illustrations by Julie Morstad is one of those books where the word delightful immediately springs to mind.  We all need a bit of Sadie in us.  Some of us need more than others.  Read this to a group at story time, one on one or to your neighborhood fox family.  (A baby fox was spotted last week.)  I guarantee your listeners will be checking for wings.

To discover more about Sara O'Leary and Julie Morstad please follow the links attached to their names to access their online presence.  Julie gives us views of two interior images.  Sara has created another space dedicated to this book at Tumblr.  Teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher, hosted Sara O'Leary on his blog at Watch. Connect. Read.  A link to an activity kit is provided along with the book trailer and a series of questions and answers. Enjoy.  

These two tweets offer more for you about This Is Sadie.  

This is Sadie by @saraoleary and Julie Morstad https://t.co/O7nThOvy4w

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) May 23, 2015

Have you seen Sadie in real life? http://t.co/5cBB1NGNFb @saraoleary #JulieMorstad #ThisIsSadie

— Tundra Books (@TundraBooks) May 26, 2015

UPDATE:  Sara  O'Leary is a guest on the podcast, Let's Get Busy, Episode #230 hosted by teacher-librarian Matthew C. Winner. 

Do What You Love

There are things we love to do with all our heart but no one knows about it.  We take every opportunity to do it as long as we are alone.  Despite the fact we practice and practice, we are not sure the world will share our same enthusiasm for a particular talent.

Our household pets may be privy to our gifts but our secret is safe with them.  In her newest title Birgitta Sif, author of Oliver, introduces readers to a girl who longs to listen to the song in her soul.  Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance (Walker Books, August 7, 2014, Candlewick Press, August 26, 2014) will leave you with the urge to start or continue to twirl and whirl whenever you get the chance.

Once there was a girl, whose name was Frances Dean.  She loved to dance and dance.

It was all she could do to sit still in her school classroom each day.  Without her even knowing it, her fingers might start gently rapping on her desk or her toes might start softly tapping on the floor.  When she finally got outside the wind would be her witness.  The birds would be her accompaniment.

She would dance and dance and dance as long as the feathered park residents were her only audience.  If any people walked by, Frances Dean would stop dancing.  She felt like everyone was watching her.  She felt like everyone was not as excited about her dancing as she was.

Her joy vanished.  Frances Dean danced no more.  Her friends, the birds, who really enjoyed seeing her swing and sway and leap and pirouette decided to take matters into their own hands...or...wings.  They lead her to another girl, much younger than her.  Soon Frances Dean was humming along to one of the loveliest songs she had ever heard.  This made Frances Dean start thinking as she lay in bed that night.

When she woke up Frances Dean noticed the wind, heard her flying park pals singing and remembered.  Her delight blossomed spreading outward to creatures and people along her path.  Following your dreams with happiness is contagious.


Each simple sentence written by Birgitta Sif takes readers into the lively world of Frances Dean.  It's as if we are experiencing each emotional belief along with her.  The kinship Frances Dean maintains with the birds and the wind shows us how in tune she is with the natural world.  Her gentle soul as portrayed by Sif is easy to love.  Here are two more sentences.

And when she was ready she let the wind move her.
And shyly she asked the birds, "Can I show you my dance?"


Opening up the book case readers see an illustration spread across the spine to the left.  Frances Dean is dancing wearing her button-down red coat with purple and white stripped socks and purple tennis shoes.  Her braided pig-tails are straight behind her as she dances.  Around her the birds watch and sing.  On a nearby park bench her cat sleeps with one eye open.  A radio (foreshadowing) is next to the cat.  The tiny details seen in this initial picture are prevalent throughout this title; the delicate flowers and tiny spotted mushrooms are examples.

Exquisite opening and closing endpapers in two shades of pale turquoise feature a tree trunk with seven branches spreading to the left and right of the center.  Each branch holds birds awake or sleeping in companionable fellowship.  Two squirrels are curled together resting.  The initial title page has a rabbit running across the bottom as birds fly left to right overhead.  The verso and title page make liberal use of white space highlighting the text, Frances Dean looking upward at a bird perched on the "e" in her name.  Her cat peers from behind a tree on the left.

The majority of the images cover two pages.  A muted color palette focusing on natural hues enhances Frances Dean's softhearted persona.  Fine lines add to the noticeable animation, the spirited feel, of each picture.  The park scenes with or without people are full of activity.

Sif places smaller images surrounded by white on nine of her pages.  These serve to focus on a specific point in the story.  Only two single page pictures appear in this title.  Some of the elements in these (as in all of them) will have readers smiling or laughing out loud.

One of my favorite illustrations (I love all of them) is of Frances Dean looking out her window in the morning noticing all the birds filling the branches of a nearby tree.  They have gathered to remind her of the joy she took in dancing.  The odd shape of her house is absolutely charming.  Her mailbox in the shape of a mail truck is as cheery as she is.  Two rabbits and a couple of roosters are watching.


If you are looking for happy inside of book covers, Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance written and illustrated by Birgitta Sif is the perfect choice for you and your readers.  This title shows readers how to keep their bliss and stay true to their heart.  Sometimes you might need a little help from your friends.

Please follow the link embedded in Birgitta Sif's name to access her website.  Another beautiful illustration from this book is featured on the home page.  These links here and here are the publisher's websites. Frances Dean Who Loved to Dance and Dance appears on the long list for The CILIP Kate Greenaway Medal Nominations for 2015.