Early Reader Extravaganza

Do you remember when the ability to read first happened to you?  Have you seen that realization dawn on the face of a child? The feeling of knowing you can read is nearly indescribable. In that moment for you and others, the world shifts.  It is brimming with endless possibilities and discoveries. 

Some of the best books for early readers have engaging characters, characters who connect with us and charm their way into our collective hearts.  Their everyday lives are akin to adventures.  What they say and do is liberally enlivened with humor.

Author Jonathan Stutzman and artist Heather Fox have created an early reader series with sibling ghosts who are the best of friends.  We were introduced to the duo in Fitz And Cleo (Henry Holt and Company, May 25, 2021) and earlier this year their second book, Fitz And Cleo Get Creative (Henry Holt and Company, March 8, 2022) was released.  The exuberance of these characters will have you grinning from ear to ear and wishing to join them.

Something 

in the 

Attic

THUMP

Was that you?  No, I'm right next to you.

What do 

you think

it is?

I don't know.

It sounds

angry.

In this first of eleven delightful stories, Fitz and Cleo, finally explore the attic.  They find a stray kitty.  Cleo is thrilled and names the cat, Mister Boo.  Fitz is not so thrilled, especially when  Mister Boo's favorite place to sleep is on his head.  

Mister Boo stars in the next three tales as Cleo proclaims the cat's virtues, Fitz babysits Mister Boo, and subsequently discloses the lack of Mister Boo's desirable characteristics.  The trio next share a day at the beach and ice cream.  Star wishing and brain freezing might be involved. 

Fitz and Cleo try to beat the previous record of loop-de-loops via paper airplanes.  Mister Boo is not happy with the results.  Fitz questions the outcomes of a scientific theory and Mister Boo's baseball skills with conclusions not to his liking.  Who knew how cat tails were so useful?  Speaking of science, why can't Mister Boo be an astronaut and get shot to the moon on a rocket?

As the final hours at a day's end are presented, readers find Fitz and Cleo, brother and sister, peering through a telescope at the stars.  After one of Fitz's remarks, Cleo declares this planet the best planet.  Fitz does not understand how she could possibly know that.  Cleo's replies are entirely heartwarming and true.

Head

in the 

Clouds

Grr.

Sigh.

Don't you like the book?

NO!

I LOVE

the book.

That's the 

problem!

In this next series of lively narratives, they begin with Cleo's dissatisfaction with her life compared to what she reads in books.  Ever supportive, Fitz points out the wonderful imagination of Cleo per her love of the "cloud game."  That evening during a roller-coaster kind of movie viewing, Cleo has her best idea yet.  She and Fitz (and Mister Boo) are going to make a movie!

The successive episodes revolve around their creative endeavors.  The value of getting an idea in writing before it vanishes will resonate with a lot of readers as will the practice of writing versus procrastination to accomplish your goals.  Readers will find themselves laughing at an exercise in painting and the importance of winning rock-paper-scissors.  

When Cleo and Fitz look for cast members for the movie, we meet their friends who closely resemble a vampire, a werewolf, and a creature from the Black Lagoon.  The siblings shine in the next two stories, each doing what they do best.  Colorful creativity bursts forth, but does not last due to another type of burst. If only powerful spells and Rube Goldberg Machines really worked as they desire.

In one of the two final stories, readers are treated to an extraordinary movie production.  All the participants reveal their best talents.  We learn the finest gift they have is the gift of friendship.  Faithful to her sweet and wise nature, Cleo utters the final sentence.  And, that's the truth.

Author Jonathan Stutzman has written dialogue between these ghostly siblings certain to echo in readers' minds and hearts.  The personalities of both Fitz and Cleo are found in what they say and think.  Their honesty with each other and their shared love stands out.  Sometimes these disclosures will have you laughing out loud.  Here are passages from the first story in each book.

YAY! Spooky

attic!

Shhh . . .

We want the

element of

surprise.

Spooky attic.

Spooky spooks!

Might be a monster,

might be some kooks.

What are you singing?

It's called

"The Spooky Attic Song"!

It's my favorite.

You just made

it up, didn't you?

Yes, I did.

RUSTLE

SCRATCH

SCRATCH

SCRATCH

Some terrible beast is up

here with us!  It's coming

from over there---shine

your light at it!

GULP

You know that

game you like,

where you

find shapes in

the clouds?

You don't 

like that

game!

Yes! Because cumulus clouds

are not bunnies or dragons,

they're ---

I mean . . .well . . .

do you maybe 

want to play now?

You want to play 

the cloud game?

*sigh* . . .Yes.

What do you see?

OKAY!

Hmm.

That one . . .

. . .looks like me!

Personally, I think it looks like someone

who has exciting adventures inside

her head every day.  Someone who will be

more than ready when real adventures

come her way.

You cannot look at the front of the book cases of these books without smiling.  What Heather Fox has done with her black lines is fashion two ghosts we want as our friends.  The glasses and hat for Fitz and the big purple bow for Cleo are the finishing touches.  On the back of both books is information you would normally find on the front and back flaps of a dust jacket.  Fitz, Cleo and the title text are varnished.

The pattern on both the opening and closing endpapers in the books is a reflection of some of the stories.  On the first set, white outlines on lavender feature ice cream cones, balls of string, rockets, and paper airplanes.  On the second set, white outlines on turquoise spotlight paintbrushes, juice boxes, pencils, and microphones.  With a page turn, in both books, a pictorial interpretation, wordless, starts with the siblings engaged in an activity.  

A series of panels, bordered in fine black lines or wide white borders, full-page images, page edge to page edge and two double-page pictures, edge to edge, for dramatic effect created by Heather Fox invite readers to be participants in each narrative.  We want to jump into the images with Fitz and Cleo and Mister Boo and the other characters.  

Sometimes, you will stop to fully appreciate the extra details included in each image.  Is that an octopus as the ice cream vendor?  The similarity between Cleo's chalk art and Fitz's body as the Rube Goldberg Machine completes its task will not be lost on many readers.

One of my many favorite illustrations from Fitz And Cleo is three wordless vertical panels on a single page.  They are close-ups of the eyes of Cleo, Fitz, and Mister Boo.  It is after they have consumed too much ice cream too quickly.  Brain Freeze has attacked them.  We all know how that feels and their eyes replicate that feeling perfectly.

One of my many favorite illustrations from Fitz And Cleo Get Creative is a double-page picture.  It is a stage setting with shades of purple for the background and speakers.  The stage lights are turquoise.  On a raised light blue platform is Mister Boo on red drums.  On one of the drums is the group's name, Boo Fighters.  To the left of the gutter is Cleo looking gothic but still wearing her big purple bow.  On the right is Fitz wearing his glasses, playing an olive green guitar, sporting a chain around his neck, and instead of his hat, he has a yellow and orange spiked Mohawk. 

These books, Fitz And Cleo and Fitz And Cleo Get Creative, written by Jonathan Stutzman with artwork by Heather Fox, are pure happiness.  Readers will find themselves smiling, giggling, laughing, and sighing at the shared antics and inventiveness of these two ghosts and their Mister Boo.  They are wonderful for silent reading or as read aloud titles.  I highly recommend them for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  They have a joint website for these titles linked here.  There are activities to download. At the publisher's website, you can view interior images for Fitz And Cleo and Fitz And Cleo Get Creative.  Jonathan Stutzman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Heather Fox has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  To introduce their series, Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox wrote a post at librarian and writer John Schu's site, Watch. Connect. Read.

There are several explanatory tales in folklore about why dogs chase cats.  You have to wonder if there is some veracity in these stories because it seems canines and felines struggle with compatibility even today.  If one or the other of them has been the sole companion of humans, they are wary of the introduction of the other into the family dynamics.  Frank and the Bad Surprise (an Arthur A. Levine Book, Levine Querido, April 5, 2022) written by Martha Brockenbrough with illustrations by Jon Lau is about a cat that fails to understand what his humans were thinking.  Are they crazy?

CHAPTER 1

The Bad Surprise

Frank the cat had it good.

He had a nice house, lots of toys,

all the Whiskies he could eat, and a 

window that looked out at the world.

One beautiful morning Frank was looking out that window and saw his humans returning to the house.  He was excited to see them carrying a box, but the box was not good.  The box was bad.  Inside that box was a puppy.  Frank immediately went to the computer keyboard composing a letter to his humans. (Are you laughing yet?)

After mailing that letter, Frank fell asleep in the sun knowing his humans would comply.  His nap was disturbed by that rambunctious puppy.  This unruly canine did not understand basic rules.  Frank retaliated.  He found himself in his crate, but still able to type away on the computer keyboard writing a letter.

His humans forgot he was in "jail" until he meowed at the sight of the puppy eating his beloved Whiskies.  He did not forgive his humans and wrote another letter.  The next morning Frank did the only thing he could think to do, he ran away.  He felt sorry for his humans, but what else could a cat do when a puppy enters their domain?

Frank thought he knew the world from his window watching.  He did not.  It was too much of everything that was not good, loud yappy dogs, mean people, rain, thunder and lightning, and smelly garbage.  Soon he found himself sitting in the rain on the sidewalk outside his home.  The storm woke up the puppy.  It started barking.  Frank imagined it was laughing.  It was not.  Frank wrote one new letter.  (Yes, his humans noticed him and he was back inside.)

Using a blend of narrative, Frank's thoughts, his comedic letter writing and human commentary, Martha Brockenbrough, in seven short chapters, acquaints readers with Frank and the puppy, who he names at the book's end.  The letters written by Frank are full of hilarity.  You can tell his mood with each writing by his signature line.

As a human who shares her life with both cats and dogs, Martha Brockenbrough writes with the sure knowledge of their interactions. Through her words she deftly depicts the regality of this cat and joyful abandon of the puppy.  Here is a passage.

Chapter 2

The Rules of Naps

There is nothing bad about a nap.

A nap in a warm spot is cozy.  A nap

feels the way warm bread and butter

taste.

Frank loved naps more than any

other thing.

Frank's humans knew not to 

wake him from a nap.

They knew that was against the

rules of naps.

The puppy did not care about

the rules of naps.

As soon as you look at the front cover of the book case, you can see the contrast between Frank and the puppy.  Frank is moving with uncertainty, or perhaps total disbelief. The puppy could not be happier.  This is grim versus grin.  The sign hanging from the mailbox designating this as book one is a nice design touch. On the back of the case is text normally supplied on the front and back flaps of a dust jacket.  There are two small pictures of Frank doing his favorite thing and discovering the "bad surprise."

On the opening and closing endpapers with dark turquoise on lighter turquoise are rows alternating between a dog bone and a cat ball with a bell.  On the title page are Frank and his two humans sitting on the front porch of the house before the arrival of the "bad surprise."  The puppy and Frank sit in opposite corners on the verso and dedication pages.

These illustrations were rendered by Jon Lau

by painting the characters, objects, and backgrounds using poster color paints on sheets of BFK Rives printmaking paper.  He then scanned the paintings and assembled the illustrations in Adobe Photoshop, much like a digital collage.

The size of the images vary in accordance with the pacing and presentation of the narrative.  There are full-page pictures, edge to edge, and smaller pictures on a single page, sometimes several grouped together.  There is one atmospheric scene on two pages when Frank learns a valuable life lesson.  Toward the end of the book are more double-page visuals when the best lesson of all is understood.  Readers will readily be able to discern the mood of Frank, the puppy, and the humans by their facial expressions.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the puppy is breaking the rules of naps.  Frank is still mostly asleep, curled in coziness.  The puppy has leaped on top of him, paws on his chest.  The puppy is licking Frank's nose.  This is a smaller image on a single page with a light spring green background, focusing solely on the puppy and the cat.

That Frank and the Bad Surprise written by Martha Brockenbrough with artwork by Jon Lau is the first book in this series is a GOOD surprise for all readers.  We can hardly wait to see what new adventures Frank and the puppy will celebrate together with their loving humans.  Who knows what surprises await this twosome?  You'll want to have a copy of this funny and fun title on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Martha Brockenbrough and Jon Lau and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Martha Brockenbrough has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Jon Lau has accounts on Instagram and Tumblr.  At the publisher's website, you can view some interior pages with art and text.

Shades Of Brilliance

With each season of the year, even in those months when the outside world is sleeping, nature sends us color.  It may only be a flash of rich red from a swooping cardinal or vivid blue from a chattering jay, but its vibrancy is a message.  It's a reminder of associating color with the excitement of being fully alive.

Not only does Mother Nature send us little pieces of color when there is nearly none but the burst of hues from one season to the next or from a dry spell ended with a rain storm seems to happen in hours rather than days.  Sometimes people take their lessons from the natural world.  They make loveliness bloom where there was none.  Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed A Neighborhood (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 12, 2016) written by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell with illustrations by Rafael Lopez is inspired by a true story of people who did that very thing.

In the heart of a gray city, there lived a girl who loved to doodle, draw, color, and paint.

No piece of paper was ever blank for very long in her presence.  Her joy came from making shapes and adding bright colors to each of them.  The very special thing about Mira was she did not guard this happiness but shared it with others; giving them her small pieces of artwork.

One day Mira taped a golden, smiling sun to a wall in her community.  The very next day a man was looking intently at that sun as if peering through the lens of a camera using his hands as a frame.  His pocket was stuffed with paint brushes.  He gave a curious reply to Mira's question.

Then faster than a lightning strike he took a can of paint and one of those brushes and began to cover the gray.  After he answered Mira's second question, she found herself being handed a paintbrush.  More gray vanished under a burst of booming brilliance.  He drew and she painted.

Their work did not go unnoticed.  Something new and exciting was taking place in this neighborhood.  People were arriving to participate.  People were dancing.  People stopped.

The policeman arrived.  An extraordinary thing happened next.  It grew and grew and grew until Mira made one final choice.  Perhaps an idea could take flight.


Working together F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell have created eloquent scenes with their words.  In picture books word choice is important; they have excelled at their selections.  Instead of saying

In the center of a gray city

they used the word heart.  This immediately brings the reader into the soul of the city and the story.

They also invite readers further into their narrative by naming specific individuals as recipients of Mira's pictures; also stating exactly what Mira has drawn and colored on those pages.

On her way to school one day,
Mira gave a round apple to Mr. Henry, 
the owner of the shop down the street.

For emphasis they have added sound effects and the names of specific dances as the joy spreads.  This story reads like poetry with a mix of descriptive text and conversation.  Here is another partial passage.

... The shadows scurried away.
Sky blue cut through the gloom.
The man's laughter was like a rainbow
spreading across the sky.


The matching dust jacket and book case extends beyond the boundaries of the folded flap and book case edges.  Left to right on the dust jacket, on either side of Mira's colorful joy, the city extends in its grayness, edge to edge.  The white background is indicative of the blank pages Mira transforms with her art.  The buildings on the book case are carefully continued to the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first the entire city is dull except for one glowing window with a single colored tree outside that window.  On the second set of endpapers the efforts of the community are evident as is the final act of Mira, a messenger in flight on sky blue rather than a washed-out gray canvas.

The joy spoken of by the authors on the first page is portrayed by illustrator Rafael Lopez in a two-page image for the title.  A smiling Mira walks along a city street represented by a living leafy branch.  She is painting a butterfly as she walks toward a transformed cityscape with a smiling sun at the end.

Rendered in a combination of acrylic on wood, original photography, and digital art all of the illustrations span across two pages.  For full impact and asking readers to pause, two appear vertically.  In another two pictures the point of view shifts close to Mira and other characters speaking with her.  Exquisite facial details and spirited body movements capture the happiness filling the community.  Each picture is like a mural of magical moments growing.

One of my favorite illustrations is the first vertical image.  Across the sides and a portion of the top Rafael Lopez has placed black and white stylized swirls (clouds or smoke?); the sun peeking out from one on the right side.  Leaping into the air is the man laughing; paint can in one hand and brush in the other, coloring the sky; his striped shirt, black tennis shoes and pink socks a revelation of his talents.  His feet hover over the gray buildings.  On one wall is Mira's tiny picture of the smiling sun.


Based upon the real work of Rafael Lopez and his wife Candice in the community of East Village outside of San Diego, California, Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed A Neighborhood written by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell with illustrations by Rafael Lopez will fill you with utter and complete elation.  With every page turn the words and visuals will lift your spirits inspiring you to make beauty wherever you go.  A four page note from the authors with illustrations is included at the end of the book.  This is a highly recommended title.

To discover more about F. Isabel Campoy, Theresa Howell and Rafael Lopez please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Rafael Lopez maintains a blog.  Here is a link to an entire site dedicated to this title.  It is filled with resources.  F. Isabel Campoy is interviewed at the Children's Book Academy and at Multicultural Children's Book Day.  Rafael Lopez is interviewed at La Bloga.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson features art from this book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Enjoy the book trailer.




UPDATE:  This title is celebrated at All The Wonders with several activities, a podcast and an additional video.  September 12, 2016

Freedom To Be Wild

As an educator you are entirely focused with heart, soul and mind every single day of the school year.  You are also thinking at the same time of the next year; how you can do things better and what you will need to do to be better.  By the time your classroom is closed for the summer, you are up to your eyebrows in plans for the upcoming year.

While not a top priority but still necessary is gathering materials for all your hands-on projects.  Elementary students really enjoy using crayons.  A huge bag, growing bigger by the year, with well-loved stubs of color is a testament to this fact.  They love being the first one to open a new box of crayons with sharp points and the cardboard stiff from the lack of being used.  (I have to admit to feeling the same way.)

It's as if you are opening a door to a world full of possibilities.  As teachers and parents know, a blank surface is an invitation to a child with a box of crayons.  SWATCH: The Girl Who Loved Color (Balzar + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, March 15, 2016) written and illustrated by Julia Denos is about a girl who embraces the various hues she sees everywhere every single day.

In a place where colors ran wild, 
there lived a girl who was wilder still.

This wilder-than-colors-wild girl was called Swatch.  In this place she was known as a color tamer.  Although it could be said she was a mere pixie in size, she could mingle among colors making them do her bidding.

She learned to persevere in pursuit of a particular shade.  No nook or cranny was safe from her careful eye.  No color was too small or too large to escape her attention.

She would call colors to her and they willingly came.  Swatch and colors had great respect and affection for each other.  One day, for no special reason, she beckoned a color to her, placed it in a jar and asked it to remain.  It did.

To keep it company she began collecting a wide assortment of colors in containers.  Her room looked like a swirling rainbow.  She still had one final brilliant hue to gather to the group.

This radiant rambunctious color had other notions.  Swatch's senses were elevated to new glorious heights.  To be wild is to be free.  To be free is to be wild.  In this freedom and wildness wonders are wrought.


When you look about your world, inside and outside, the range of colors is determined by many factors which seem to fluctuate from moment to moment.  Julia Denos depicts this spontaneity in her opening sentence.  Her descriptions of Swatch, the colors (and their names) and their relationship make us feel as though the two are parts of a glorious whole.  When additional dialogue is introduced into the story their connection becomes more personal for us and for Swatch.  Our understanding grows along with her understanding.  Here is a sample passage.

Swatch had never thought of capturing a color until
the day she lured Just-Laid Blue straight from its
nest and into a jam jar.
"Stay," Swatch said,
and the color stayed.
How beautiful it looked behind glass!
"You could use a friend," she said to Blue.


The swirl of blue and pink on the back of the matching dust jacket and book case moves to cross the spine joined by a flurry of fluttering butterflies on the back and the front.  Like a magician with a wand Swatch has gathered colors to her to weave a spell of beauty.  Her skip of joy and happy expression announce her passion for her work.  On the opening and closing endpapers Julia Denos has painted a background of the blue on the first and the pink on the second. The verso and title pages are a spectacular wave of pink which Swatch is riding like a surfer.  Portions of the natural world appear beneath the mass of color; trees and flowers.

Rendered in watercolor, pen and ink and pencil with Adobe Photoshop the illustrations dance with high energy spanning two pages for most of them; some on single pages.  There is motion in each image.  A flawless flow connects the colors to Swatch and she to them.

The body postures on Swatch convey her lively soul.  Her hair, clothing, paint spattered face, body and clothing and facial features enrich our knowledge of who this color tamer truly is. Viewing her in various perspectives, close to us and farther away, complements the pacing.

One of my favorite of many images is the two pages showing her capturing Blue in the jar.  Blue leaves frame the entire picture.  In the lower left-hand corner is a large nest holding three eggs.  From that to the right are two branches of the tree.  On one branch, on her hands and knees, Swatch is holding the jar as blue swoops inside.  Above her on the other branch is her cat leaning over to touch the blue with a paw.  They both have a circle of blue around one of their eyes.


As you read the final text and illustration, whether it's the first time or the tenth, you feel your entire being uplifted like a symphony building and reaching a crescendo.  SWATCH: The Girl Who Loved Color written and illustrated by Julia Denos is a hoopla of happiness.  This has a party within its pages to commemorate the delight of discovery.

To learn more about Julia Denos and her other work please follow the links attached to her name to access her website and her blog.  You can read a sample from the book by going to the publisher's website. The Scholastic Ambassador for School Libraries, John Schumacher, has Julia Denos on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read., for a guest post and book trailer reveal.  Julia Denos chats with teacher librarian Matthew Winner at All The Wonders, Episode 256. Sturdy For Common Things highlights this title and includes face painting.

You can follow Julia Denos on Twitter at @JuliaDraw and on Instagram 

To Wednesday

At puppy Xena's first visit to the vet we were told as a sporting dog she needed long walks every single day.  So we did. In sickness and health (mine) not a day was missed.  There was also a great deal of running, swimming and hole digging (hers).  That's a lot of miles covered over fifteen years although during the last twelve months the walks became strolls and were shorter with lots of sniffing and pausing on her part.

All that walking for humans does not equal the same degree of senses used as it does for dogs.  Although there is quite a bit of seeing, smelling, and hearing what seems to happen the most is time for thinking unless you are taking a trip through your neighborhood.  That changes the entire experience.  Ideas Are All Around (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, March 1, 2016) written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead is about an author in search of an idea.

Today
outside my house
the sunflower opened up.

"Hello, Sunflower!"

After reflecting on the fact this is the only sunflower to be standing tall and blooming from an entire packet of seeds past their prime, we know this author needs a single thought to grow a story.  The dog Wednesday does not want to spend the day inside while her human explores their mind for the special something to start their writing.  Off they go on a walk.

Like a gardener holding an envelope labeled ideas, images and encounters with wildlife, strangers and welcoming residents are collected as this writer and Wednesday roam along familiar paths.  A painted turtle soaking in the sun on a log in the river is greeted by name before vanishing beneath the water.  On the other side of the river a treasured friend shouts a hello.  A memory surfaces about a long ago incident involving paint, an accident and a blue horse.

A line of ducks, graffiti words and a long-legged bird taking flight are duly noted.  As a train passes speculation quickly follows about where it might be going or where the tracks lead in the other direction.  A line of people hungry for breakfast, cloud watching and a probe into the past about the purchase of a typewriter occupy the neighborhood travelers.

Familiar birdsong interrupts the author's musings before Wednesday races after a squirrel.  Finally settling down for a chat with Barbara, the early morning greeter, things seen and remembered are woven into the comfortable conversation.  Soon

CLAK-CLAK-CLAK
CLAK-CLAK-DING!

is heard.


As each separate observation is revealed Philip C. Stead adds several sentences, statements or thoughts creating a gentle storytelling rhythm.  It's a rare gift for readers to see how his mind measures and assesses each one.  Dialogue is threaded through the narrative.  Most walkers can attest, especially those walking with their canine companion, speaking aloud or silently in your head is frequent, freeing and fun.  We feel our kinship with this man and his dog growing as the walk and story progresses.  Here is a sample passage.

"H-e-y-y-y-y, Barbara!" I call out.
"Maybe we'll stop by later!"
"Okay!" she says. ""I'll make coffee!"
Then comes a line of ducks
floating downstream.
"Hello," I say.
"I don't have any ideas today."
If the ducks have any advice
they keep it to themselves.


A gorgeous blend of artistic techniques, monoprinting, cardboard printing, painting on paper and applying pressure to the back, drawing in crayon on brown paper and cutting out the forms and pictures taken with a Polaroid camera, are used to render the illustrations in this book.  Across the dust jacket large brush strokes and swirls of blue paint form a horse with the other guide, the real dog Wednesday, running alongside in perfect unison.  On the book case an array of Polaroid pictures, seventeen, in rows of three on a background of white give us a first peek at them before their appearance on the interior pages.  The title text occupies one of the spaces.

Sunflower yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Snapshots of Wednesday are shown before the story starts, one on the dedication.

Wednesday dedicates this book 
to the neighborhood.

A heavy matte-finished paper is an ideal canvas for the visuals placed together by Stead.  The cadence of page turns is altered by image size and the use of the Polaroid pictures.  To begin a single page illustration is on the right, a Polaroid on the left.  This slightly shifts with the addition of text on the right.  Then it's art above and below the text extending over two pages before a big beautiful blue horse appears on a double-page spread.  The layout and design are exquisite working in harmony with the words.

I can't help it.  One of my favorite illustrations is at the beginning of the book.  It's of Wednesday sitting on grass with a torn right edge overlapping green and white polka-dot paper.  She's looking right at the reader in all her shaggy-haired, loving wonderfulness.  A bright yellow circular sun is painted on white behind her head; most assuredly a halo for a guardian angel.


An author who needs an idea and a dog who needs a walk trek through their neighborhood, each happy with the results in Ideas Are All Around written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead.  It's a gathering of tiny kernels ready to sprout into stories after planted in a creative mind.  This book is a garden in full splendor.

To learn more about Philip C. Stead and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  To access The Stead Collection pages please follow this link. A sweepstakes is being held in relation to this title.  Information can be found here.  To view eight interior images, including my favorite one, please go to the publisher's website. A teacher's guide for many of the Stead books and a wonderful activity kit for this title are available there also. Reading about the evolution of this book through a guest post by Stead at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast is a marvelous.  On March 11, 2016 Philip C. Stead was a guest on the podcast Let's Get Busy, Episode 243. 

Happy book birthday to Philip C. Stead's Ideas Are All Around! https://t.co/7u0ERAUIaf @MacKidsBooks

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) March 1, 2016