Hopp-iness For All

As the days until Easter arrives are counted, I always remember the year I was gifted with a tiny black bunny.  It was given by my uncle as a prank on his older brother, but my dad rose to the occasion, making Midnight a wonderful rabbit home so she could enjoy life as best as possible.  For me, a child born in the Year of the Rabbit, there was no better gift.

Now, despite their love of everything I plant (nothing was spared this winter), my affection for these gentle but hungry creatures has not diminished.  Borrowing Bunnies: A Surprising True Tale Of Fostering Rabbits (Farrar Straus Giroux, February 12, 2019) written by Cynthia Lord with photography by John Bald (Cynthia's husband) and illustrations by Hazel Mitchell is a gentle and inspiring story of caring for those looking for their forever homes.  It is heartwarming and brimming with the tenderest of love.

My family fosters bunnies for an animal rescue.  That means that we take care of the bunnies at our home for a few months until they're ready to be adopted by another family.

Staying with a foster family assists rescue rabbits in adapting to live with people who care for them.  These bunnies must unlearn their fear of humans.  One day two Netherland Dwarf bunnies arrived at Cynthia Lord's home.  A gray bunny named Benjamin and a brown bunny named Peggotty needed their help.  They were kept separated; one was a boy and the other was a girl.

It was not long before both Benjamin and Peggotty were hip-hopping in the air doing what are called a binky.  They were settling into living indoors with compassionate humans.  Soon after they began to exhibit their happiness, a surprise was discovered. Peggotty was a mom.  Four teeny, tiny bunnies were nestled in some fur inside her home.

These new arrivals were named after characters in Charles Dickens's books; Fezzi, Dodger, Pip and Tiny Tim.  Dodger and Fezzi started to grow, fur changing their look completely.  (Despite advice from a veterinarian and the folks at the rescue, Pip and Tiny Tim were not strong enough to stay alive.) Dodger and Fezzi thrived doing all those delightful bunny things.  They even snuggled with stuffed toy bunnies named . . . Pip and Tiny Tim.

As they got used to household sounds, Dodger and Fezzi were taken outside to experience all possible sensory perceptions.  They grew bigger and bigger.  They were touched each day to develop a sense of security in the hands of people.  After two months it was time for Benjamin, Peggotty, Fezzi and Dodger to go to forever homes.  And there was one more surprise.


Readers will easily become participants in the fostering of Benjamin, Peggotty, Dodger and Fezzi through the soothing conversational words of Cynthia Lord. She takes readers into the world of fostering rabbits paragraph by paragraph, step by step.  We learn how their physical and mental needs are met.  We gain an appreciation of their differing personalities.  We realize it takes a special human being to be a foster pet parent.  A lot of action words are used as well as an emphasis on specific "bunny" words like sniff, climb, hop and touched noses. Here is a passage.

I checked on them as Peggotty
hopped around the room.  I gave
her some carrot tops and told
her she was a good mama.


Throughout the book photographs, as seen on the matching dust jacket and book case, by John Bald add a vivid awareness of fostering to the narrative.  From the close-up on the front to the portrait of a bunny snooping inside a flower pot with a stuffed toy bunny next to it, on the back, we find ourselves drawn further into a world bursting with bunnies. A paler yellow shade is placed on the opening and closing endpapers to complement the colors on the jacket and case and those photographs within the body.

On the title page Dodger and Fezzi are shown next to each other with a colorful fabric braid curved near them.  On the verso page a bunny is resting inside a tube.  Most of the photographs take us close to the rabbits, making for an intimate experience.  Some of the images extend page edge to page edge and others are within a circular frame.  Photographs may overlap in the interest of excellent design.

One of my many, many favorite photographs is of Fezzi.  It fills nearly an entire page, but the right side is part of a circle.  Fezzi is close to readers but intent on examining a foot.  It's a completely endearing position.  (I can already hear readers cooing their affection for this picture and this bunny.)


To further elevate the text and photographs, artwork by author and illustrator Hazel Mitchell is shown frequently within the book, beginning on the back of the jacket and case with upside down rabbit ears shown in the upper, right-hand corner.  At most page turns we see her realistic, winsome pictures.  Sometimes we are shown a bunny in its entirety or simply a portion of one hopping off the page.

One of my favorite illustrations of Hazel's is shown in the lower, right-hand corner of a page.  Her gray and white bunny is raised up on its hind legs, stretching upward.  The front paws are resting on the right edge of the page.  Is this little being turning the page for us?  Has it discovered something new?


Spring is the time of new beginnings.  It is a time to celebrate holidays.  Readers will want to hug Borrowing Bunnies:  A Surprising True Tale Of Fostering Rabbits written by Cynthia Lord with photographs by John Bald and illustrations by Hazel Mitchell.  It presents an honest and engaging look at caring for bunnies and preparing them for forever homes.  At the end of the book is a one-page discussion titled Do You Want Your Own Rabbit For Keeps?  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.  (Caregivers should be prepared with at least a stuffed toy bunny for younger readers to hold.)

If you desire to learn more about Cynthia Lord, John Bald and Hazel Mitchell and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Cynthia Lord maintains an account on Instagram. Cynthia Lord stops by author Kirby Larson's blog to chat about her new releases.  Hazel Mitchell has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Here is a link to a printable calendar featuring a bunny from the book.  (There are several other links at Cynthia Lord's website for this book.)


Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the other titles selected this week by those participating in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Started By A Freedom Run

When I think of blueberries I recall fresh muffins dotted with soft butter, creamy cheesecake, and warm pie with a scoop of ice cream and my dad.  By far my father's favorite fruit in dessert was blueberries.  He loved cheesecake topped with blueberry sauce.   The first two-crust pie I ever learned to bake was blueberry.  When you accomplish the right combination of tart and sweet, it's like tasting a little bit of heaven.

For others blueberries represent a way to make a living by harvesting them. For entire communities, they offer a seasonal focus.  In Cynthia Lord's newest title, A Handful of Stars (Scholastic Press, May 26, 2015) blueberries attract and rely on the work of a particular type of bee.  These bees in turn give a girl the chance to help her best friend to regain his eyesight.

The only reason I ever spoke to Salma Santiago was because my dog ate her lunch.
Sometimes life is like a long road leading from one "if" to another. 

Twelve-year-old Tigerlily (Lily) has never known a day without Lucky being a part of it.  The now blind black Labrador came with her and her mom ten years ago when they returned to Maine.  With Mama gone, Lily has been living with Memere and Pepere in the apartment over the general store they own and run.

Having slipped his collar Lucky is running like the wind over the blueberry barrens; Lily trying every trick in the book to get him to stop.  The quick thinking of one of the migrant workers raking the blueberry bushes gets Lucky to stop.  There's nothing quite like the whiff of peanut butter and the crunch of potato chips to stop a dog in his tracks.  

At Memere's insistence, with her grandfather, Lily enters the migrant camp for the first time bringing a local specialty meat pie meal to Lucky's savior.  As Lily and Salma, also twelve, officially meet and exchange conversation, a spark of friendship begins.  When Salma shows up at the general store the next morning, they find they have more in common than they might have thought.

Salma with a dream of furthering her education with a focus on art offers to help Lily paint her mason bee houses.  Selling these will raise money to help pay for corrective surgery for Lucky's blindness.  Salma is willing to do anything to help Lucky, having lost her own dog.

During the course of the weeks shared by the two girls, readers find themselves witnessing the changes in Lily, her two-peas-in-a-pod best friend, Hannah, who seems to not share interests with Lily any longer, Lily's grandmother and the community.  Both Lily and Salma challenge themselves personally by participating in activities never experienced before this year.  In a beautiful, yes breathtaking, conclusion over the course of two days, love triumphs.


By page five I was placing small post-it notes in my copy of this book.  Cynthia Lord has a magical way of creating visual landscapes with her words whether we are inside a general store or outside in the local cemetery.  We are drawn into the story experiencing the same surroundings as the characters.

Through Lily's thoughts and the dialogue of the other characters we come to understand each individual's personality.  Page by page Lord shows us the layers which make each person who they are.  We truly care for all of them whether they are initially likable or not.  I would be remiss (at Xena's urging) if I did not mention how aptly Lucky and his behavior are portrayed.  Cynthia Lord definitely has a special place in her heart for animals understanding them as if she speaks with them on a daily basis.  Here are a few of the marked passages from the book.

Even though he couldn't see it, Lucky was on that blueberry like a seagull on a French fry.  His eyes used to be black with a twinkle in them, but now they're blue-ish gray.  They don't even look like they belong to him.  It's like someone just traded out his sparkling black eyes and left blue marbles instead.

Dr. Katz smiled.  "Pink bees?"
I nodded.  "It's different."
"Different can be good," Dr. Katz said.  "It makes you pay attention."

I stood up.  "Remember that day we were swinging at camp?  I was feeling a bit scared, and I realized something.  To do brave things, you don't have to be hugely brave.  You only have to be a little bit braver than you are scared.  Give me your hand."


With eloquence Cynthia Lord tells a story of friendship and family in A Handful of Stars.  With pure mastery she blends two worlds, a girl who has suffered loss but has stability in her grandparents and her community and a girl with imagination who will always move with the seasons, never living in the same place for any length of time.   I guarantee this book will resonate with all readers.  I believe this would be an excellent read aloud.

Please follow the link attached to Cynthia Lord's name to access her website.  There you can enjoy learning about her other work.  Follow this link Andrea Skyberg|Author Artist for a tour of Cynthia Lord's studio and an interview.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian extraordinaire, interviews Cynthia Lord at Watch. Connect. Read.

Snapshots

Some people never leave their homes without their camera.  I am one of them.  My eyes always seem to be framing photographs; moving in close to preserve a special detail or moving back to save a larger whole.  While our eyes see more wonders than ever imaginable, a camera freezes seconds.

There are times when looking through the pictures taken, I am amazed at the precise moment the camera catches.  In the instant it takes to press the shutter, miracles happen.  Half A Chance (Scholastic Press) Cynthia Lord's new title centers on photography but zooms out to embrace people, change and the strength to move forward through life.



"Lucy, we're going to love this place!" Dad called to me from the porch of the faded, red-shingled cottage with white trim.  "We can hang a swing right here and watch the sunset over the lake.  And these country roads will be great for biking."

Lucy's family of four (Ansel, her dog and her Mom and Dad) have arrived at their new home; the third move in her twelve-year-old life.  The next morning her famous photographer Dad will be leaving for two months on a new assignment.  Constantly hoping to improve her own photography skills, winning her Dad's praise, Lucy heads outside to walk Ansel camera in hand.

She quickly makes the acquaintance of Nat, a boy staying for the summer at his Grandmother Lilah's cottage next door, and Megan, a girl spending the summer at her cottage farther down the lake.  As the new person, figuring out the dynamics of relationships cemented over years is never easy.  The next morning reveals two opportunities for Lucy; a chance to be a part of the Loon Patrol for the summer and a Photo Scavenger Hunt with her Dad as judge.

In New Hampshire loons are a threatened species.  A group monitors their activities and the hatching of eggs.  Due to Grandmother Lilah's inability to get in and out of a boat, Nate's family has assumed her duties watching a pair nesting on a nearby island.  

As Lucy's Dad is packing for his trip he hands her the flyer announcing the contest, asking her to watch the mail for the arrival of the portfolio containing the entries.  She is not sure why he failed to mention it to her.  Nevertheless, she decides to begin taking pictures to match the twenty-four ideas on the announcement.

As the summer days come and go Loon Patrol brings excitement, conflict, tragedy and hope.  Nate and Lucy work on finding subjects for the Photo Scavenger Hunt; their purpose changing, inspired by a new goal.  Challenges and serious decisions need to be made.  What is right?  What is wrong?

Both families, Lucy's and Nate's, face difficulties as a balance is sought between personal desires and doing what is best for others.  Seeing someone you love or someone you've come to care for in a short time, declining, becoming unwell, is not easy.  Deep affection for the loons, for the beauty of nature, for friendships forged, and for family makes the heartbeat of the story strong, steady and sure.


What makes this title shine is the writing of author Cynthia Lord.  No matter your age you immediately care for her characters; every single one of them.  Her descriptions of place and the people within these places are real and relevant.

This summer represents huge adjustments for Lucy and each of the people in her world.  We are privy to...no captivated...by the events as they unfold.  As we read Lord's depictions we long to know how each moment will shift to the next.  Characters' conversations and Lucy's thoughts move us forward as our reader's soul fills with compassion for them.  Here are several passages from the book.

Dad always promises me things before he leaves and then forgets by the time he's home again.  But I couldn't help having that little bit of "I hope so" that this place would be different.  That's the thing with new beginnings---sometimes, they're more than just starting over again.
Sometimes they change things.

Ahead in the cove on the other side of the lake, dragonflies zipped over the water, crisscrossing and weaving like tiny helicopters on a search-and-rescue mission.  

Every time I sang his name, Ansel slowed down his panting---until the next thunder boom.
"Lucy?"
I saw Mom's feet first.  Then her knees as she knelt down.  Finally her face looked under the bed.  "I came in to tell you to shut your window.  What are you doing?"
"Ansel's shaking like a washing machine."  Thunder crashed again and his whole body tensed.  I covered his ears. "Shh."
I heard the window slide closed, then Mom lay down on the floor with us.  As she rubbed Ansel's face, he licked her finger.  "It's just thunder," she said.


Realistic fiction does not get any better than Half A Chance written by Cynthia Lord.  Her insights into the human mind and spirit are beautifully true, even in the parts that hurt.  She offers her readers an open door into a world many have experienced, are experiencing now or will in the future.  She gives us a way to develop empathy, have hope and ultimately heal.  She gives us love.

Please follow the link embedded in Cynthia Lord's name above to access her website.  An excellent discussion guide for this title is found there.  Head over to John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., for an interview with Cynthia Lord.  At author Kirby Larson's blog, Kirby's Lane, Cynthia Lord talks about writing this title.  UPDATE:  At the blog Andrea Skyberg|Author & Artist take a tour of Cynthia Lord's studio.

My next novel, Half A Chance, is now available on NetGalley. Here's a behind-the-scenes secret from the book. https://t.co/mXJNhzvGyK
— Cynthia Lord (@Cynthia_Lord) January 5, 2014

A photo of my grandma from my Half A Chance program. https://t.co/RByhCvK0sK pic.twitter.com/2mUxCTpw9N
— Cynthia Lord (@Cynthia_Lord) May 8, 2014