Growing A Legacy

When you are part of a family with parents like my parents who loved their flower and vegetable gardens, you find yourself gardening with the same optimism  and hope.  Even today with both my parents gone, I find myself continuing to overturn the soil, plant the tiniest of seeds, and know with proper care a flower or vegetable will push through that dirt and make something beautiful.  Regardless of knowing the science behind seeds and the plants they produce, it is still a miracle to me. 

Together as a family we took avocado pits and grew avocado trees.  We planted fruit trees, nut trees, shade trees, and a blue spruce twenty-six years ago in memory of my father.  For every year my sweet Xena has been gone, I have planted a tree to commemorate the joy she gave me.  The thing is when you plant something, it is an act of faith.

Author Anne Wynter and artist Daniel Miyares have collaborated to bring readers a book, Nell Plants A Tree (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, January 31, 2023), that shows this optimism, hope, and faith.  A single act causes something to happen.  Some might say what happens is expected and ordinary.  There is nothing ordinary about the sight of a majestic tree or the generations of family bound to that tree, each weathering the storms of life.

Before a grip on a branch

and a fall to the ground

and a scrape

and a leap

and a reach for the top, . . .

A child, a little girl, named Nell finds a seed.  Another child, a little girl, does reach near the top.  She and two other children limb by limb scale that same tree to watch in wonder as three tiny birds crack open their shells.  Before those children embrace that tree, Nell takes that seed, now sprouted, and covers it with dirt.

The children use the tree as a goal for racing, racing to see who is the fastest runner.  Sometimes, it is the perfect spot to avoid irritating noise and too-much discomforts.  The trunk of the tree supplies strength and support.

In the right season, the ground beneath this tree is dotted with pecans.  Their shells are opened.  They are used to make the best kind of pie.  Around the tree is a space for discovering natural treasures . . . and something pushing between a partially opened pecan shell.

Before these children, grandchildren, race, find solace, pick pecans for pie, and find riches, Nell tends to the sprout giving it water and sun.  When it is large enough, she digs a hole and plants it.  The tree grows.  Nell grows and so does her family under the branches of a seed that sprouted, was given tender care, and planted.

It is hard to read the words written by Anne Wynter in silence to yourself.  You can hardly finish the first five phrases without knowing these words need to be read aloud.  She masterfully combines two stories in one.  She moves flawlessly from the present day activities of Nell's grandchildren to Nell's finding of the seed and her subsequent role in it becoming a magnificent pecan tree.  Anne Wynter begins each portion of the children's moments with the word before.  She then lyrically describes what they do, followed by a simple statement about Nell.  Here is another partial portion.

Before sacks of pecans

and a crack and a crunch

and a roll and a press

and a mix and a pour

The first thought in my mind when I opened the dust jacket was oh my goodness!  What Daniel Miyares has done is combine several perspectives in this single image.  On the front, we see the girl reading her book in the nook between the trunk and branch of the tree.  The family home is in the distance.  Notice the hues of the leaves in this tree and of the trees around the home.  The lighting is exquisite.  

Rather than have the entire tree cross the spine of a dusty, steely blue, leafy branches bridge the front and back of the jacket.  On the back, underneath the boughs of the tree, a grandmother and her grandchildren pluck pecans from the grass and place them in a basket.  We view this as if looking at them from the branches over their heads.  The colors of the leaves in this scene are darker in browns and greens not touched by the light.

One of the hues used in the dust jacket, a golden cream, covers the book case.  A darker golden orange is used for the spine.  The left side of the book case is bare.  On the front is a small stenciled silhouette in one dark color.  It is of the girl seated next to the tree, reading her book.  Between the center branches, now moved to create a space, sits the house.

For the opening and closing endpapers, Daniel Miyares has fashioned a patchwork of fabric and colors found in his interior illustrations.  On one of the pieces on the right side of the opening endpapers is the sprouted pecan.  On the right side of the closing endpapers, that pecan is now a fully-grown patchwork tree, leafy and grand.  To the left of the tree are the author and illustrator notes.

Rendered using

pen and ink, gouache, and collage

these images by Daniel Miyares are both timely and timeless.  His title, verso and dedication pages show a panoramic view of a grassy area, the pecan tree, and the home in the background on the right.  The children run, arms outstretched, from the left toward the tree.

He alternates between double-page illustrations, single-page pictures surrounded by wide, loose frames, full-page visuals, edge to edge, and two groups of smaller vignettes on a single page.  His viewpoints vary, but ultimately invite us into the settings.  Everything calls to the child in us, the sheer joy of being near a grand tree, climbing that tree, resting against that tree, finding wonders in it and around it.  Daniel Miyares's depictions of Nell are tender and honest.  And Daniel Miyares brings us full circle with his final piece of artwork.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The sky is drenched in orange and golden hues seen at sunset.  These colors touch the tops of trees along the bottom of both pages.  On the far left side, branches crossing the gutter to the right and bleeding off the top, is the pecan tree.  Standing on one of the higher boughs on the right is the girl clad in a white t-shirt and overalls. Her left hand clasps a branch.  Her back is to us as she stares into the distance.

Now, more than ever, the value of a tree is essential to life on our planet.  In Nell Plants A Tree written by Anne Wynter with artwork by Daniel Miyares, we clearly understand this, but we also see how one seed planted generations ago can grow into something around which an entire family is built.  It is as if the strength of that tree lends itself to the families.  They nurture each other.  This is a title you certainly will want on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Anne Wynter and Daniel Miyares, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Anne Wynter has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Facebook,  Instagram and Twitter. Daniel and Anne are interviewed at Maria Marshall's Making Nature Fun.  At Max's Boat hosted by Ratha Tep, Anne and Daniel are interviewed.  There is a bounty of images to be enjoyed.

To What Extent

Sometimes before you open a book, it is like looking at a gift-wrapped present.  You know who the giver is, but you have no idea what is inside.  You speculate as to the contents aloud and in your mind, knowing the truth will not be revealed until the paper is removed and the box is opened.

This is exactly how it was with Big And Small And In-Between (Chronicle Books, April 12, 2022).  I knew of the considerable work of the creators Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares.  They are both authors and illustrators.  In this collaboration, Carter Higgins is author and Daniel Miyares is illustrator.  Having previously not read any reviews or revelatory chatter, after pausing at the opening and closing endpapers and the image before the verso and title pages, with a growing smile I turned to the first page.  I gasped.

BiG

things

Those two words are only read after unfolding a cleverly made box topped with a bow and tag with the number one on it.  With a page turn we discover twelve big things tangible, felt, and imagined.  We realize the warmth of the sun and its power to begin a day, the feeling before jumping into a huge mound of autumn leaves, the courage of doing something for the first time, and how a day at the beach is big in more than one way.

A square becomes a rectangle with a dachshund to welcome us into the in-between portion of this narrative. Here thirteen thoughts disclose highly anticipatory instances.  We recall (or wish we could recall) being on a teeter-totter when it is neither up or down but balanced in the center or the line when a boat is above water but also reflected in the water under it.  How about the caterpillar that is no longer an egg, but is about to flutter wings as a butterfly? How about the moment just before you bite into a s'more when the marshmallow is the right kind of soft and the chocolate is melting to perfection?  

A partial stem and partial leaf of a dandelion about ready for wishes holds the number 3.  A teeny, tiny door opens with a single dandelion seed on it for our exploration of small things.  If you listen you might hear the sound of a single raindrop falling in a puddle, a puddle providing water for a butterfly to quench its thirst.  If you look carefully, you can see snails beneath the cover of leaves and grass. It is a small creature inside a small shell leaving an almost invisible trail.  The final small thing of twelve takes us back to the ocean.  We are there just as a hole is formed, a castle is built, and we stand gazing at the expanse of water.  What does this tell us about big, in-between, and small things?

Surprisingly, there is a number four. Here we read and see the majesty of big, small, and in-between working together.  We pause and ponder at what we have read and seen in each portion of this book.  It is a proclamation from and of the heart.  

When you read the words written by Carter Higgins, you are drawn into each moment with her sensory descriptions.  Her lyrical phrases are like a lullaby, but also an awakening.  She is asking us to realize and participate in each of the big, small, and in-between happenings.  She takes the everyday and shows us how it is exceptional.  Here is a passage from each portion.  Can you guess which one is for big, small, and in-between?

a handful of NICKELS

that fell out of a pocket

and got smushed in the sofa

the SUN right before it slips away

when it is going

                     going

                              gone

how QUIET it gets

when it's your turn onstage

and you're not sure

about your talent

The images by artist Daniel Miyares we first see on the book case give us an idea of the wealth we are to find within the pages.  On the front, right side of the open case, is a balance of elements big and small and in-between.  They depict a collection of possibilities.  

To the left of the wide and bright yellow spine, on the back, is an oval-shaped illustration.  It shows three of the children showcased in the book riding down a street on their bicycles.  It is autumn.  The sky is replete with the colors of a setting sun. They are riding toward it.  Some autumn leaves break the frame to draw our eyes toward the text.  This text invites us to be travelers in the big, small, and the in-between.

On the opening endpapers in warmer hues of sunrise and sunset, as a background wash, we see items one might have from being in the portrayed occasions.  To name a few, there are odd checkers, jacks, a playing card, an acorn, a bottle cap, a wishbone, crayons, seashells, and leaves.  On the closing endpapers, in cooler shades, more often found at dusk, we are shown a pocket watch, a jump rope, an origami crane, a pencil, pinecone and a baseball.  These are some of the featured items.

When you turn the page, after the opening endpapers, we see a seated dog, with a tail extending over the gutter to the left, a wagging tail.  We cannot see the entire face of the canine, but it is happy.  A tennis ball rests between its paws.  A tag hanging from its collar reads:

This book belongs to

These pictures

rendered in graphite, gouache, and digital collage

are intricately detailed, textured, and expressive.  They alternate in size from full-page images with wide white frames, to full-page pictures, edge to edge, double-page visuals, and small images together.  There is a vertical delicious double-page picture, and a dramatic gatefold at the conclusion.  

The same characters and their pet companions reappear throughout the book.  Sometimes one image ties to the next one.  Some of the perspectives and use of light and shadow will have you marveling at the skill of Daniel Miyares.  One word (okay, two) comes to mind when you look at each illustration, alive and splendid.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for one of the above-noted quoted passages.  It is a four square picture with wide frames on a single page.  In the first scene, a child is reading a book in a swing on their porch as the sun sets.  Their dog is standing and watching them holding its tennis ball in its mouth.  Hopeful. In the next scene, it is barely light enough outside to read, but the child keeps reading. His socks and shoes are off and on the porch. They are lying down more than sitting up.  The tennis ball is next to the dog, now resting.  In the third image, the child is reading under a blanket with a flashlight, still in the porch swing.  The dog is curled and sleeping.  In the final illustration, an adult is carrying the child inside as the dog follows.  In the final two pictures stars fashion pinpoints of light in the sky.

This book, Big And Small And In-Between written by Carter Higgins with artwork by Daniel Miyares, is a total sensory experience.  You savor every example, thinking about if it is one you've shared, and if it is not, what you have done that might be similar, or completely different.  You cannot stop thinking about this book, about how others will respond to it, and the wonderful conversations and activities it will promote.  I highly recommend you place at least one copy or two in your professional collections and one in your personal collections.

To learn more about Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Carter Higgins has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Her blog is linked here.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  On Saturday, April 23, 2022, there is an Instagram takeover hosted by Weller Book Works highlighting this book with Carter Higgins and Daniel Miyares.

In Honor Of Uniqueness

When you are taught to believe different is a good thing, you tend to look at the differences of others and differences in yourself with respect.  Those things making us unique are treasures.  Sometimes they make life more challenging, but there are those, who if not kindred spirits, understand our uniqueness.  They will respond with compassion.

Through their understanding and compassion a lasting bond usually forms.  In Midnight & Moon (Tundra, February 8, 2022) written by Kelly Cooper with illustrations by Daniel Miyares, readers are privy to the story of several of these beautiful, unbreakable bonds.  In reading this book, we realize we can be the special individual needed by another even if we are one who needs help more often than others.

THE GIRL SPOTS THE WHITE FOAL,

tucked into the shadows of the poplar trees

like one of winter's last snowdrifts.

The child and her mother watch as the foal struggles to navigate its surroundings.  By its actions, it appears to have diminished vision.  Another foal, black, comes to its aid, its body pressing against the white foal.

The girl observes the world around her and expresses it through her drawing.  When her mother asks her what they will name the two new foals, she writes her answer.  By her actions, it appears the child is unable to speak.  

Moon can hear what the other horses cannot.  His sense of hearing is amplified.  When he is unable to go where he needs to, he waits for Midnight to press his body close to his.  Like Moon, the little girl has an increased ability to hear.

The two horses care for each other through touch and the whispers of nickers.  At school, Clara finds friendship in a boy named Jack like Moon was found by Midnight.  The seasons shift and the horses now need to come to the mother and her daughter for food.  Moon comes to Clara where she has a pile of oats for him and him alone.

One day dark clouds gather in a winter sky.  The horses move about uneasily.  Inside the school, only Clara does not do show and tell.  Outside, the storm is so sudden the horses are confused and the school bus nearly passes Clara's house in the blinding snow.  Clara and her mother discover the horses are not at the barn.  In the middle of a blizzard, will a child with no voice bring home a horse that cannot see?

Through the lyrical words penned by Kelly Cooper, we walk with Moon, Midnight, and their herd.  We shadow Clara and Jack.  As they move through the seasons, so do we.  Kelly Cooper's observations of the world around her are evident in the detailed descriptions that make the reading of this narrative sensory and intimate.  Here are two passages on a single page.

Moon can't see, but he hears sounds that other horses

ignore.  The eggshell crack of a meadow lark hatching.  

The glide of a salamander into the pond.  He knows

every horse in the herd by the sound of its hooves.

When Moon doesn't know where he is, he whinnies

and waits.  Thud-thud, thud-thud.  He feels Midnight's

cheek against his shoulder.

The scene on the front, right, of the open dust jacket continues across the spine to the far left edge.  The sunset sky mingles with the increasing darkness, a sprinkling of stars, a crescent moon, and a few snowflakes.  The snowflakes foreshadow a dramatic highpoint in the narrative.  Even though Clara runs toward Midnight and Moon on the right, she sits with Jack on a slight rise in the grass on the far left.  This helps us to understand the beauty of the relationship she has with Jack and the horses.  

A near magical but entirely realistic image spans the book case.  Most of the left side indicates the forest.  Midnight and Moon are facing right.  Their bodies are positioned on either side of the spine.  Moon leans toward the outstretched hand of Clara.  In the break of the trees, a glow raditates above Clara and into a sky replete with warm hues.

On the opening endpapers it is a snowy depiction; a you-can-hardly-see-your-hand-in-front-of-your-face snowstorm.  There is a change in the color on the right.  When you turn to the closing endpapers, that color, spot glows, is replaced with Moon, Midnight, and the other horses in a line.

On the title page, artist Daniel Miyares shows the home of Clara and her mother.  The barn is in the background.  Trees blooming with spring blossoms are to the left and right of the house.

The illustrations in this title were 

painted with gouache on paper. 

There are double-page pictures, single-page visuals and smaller images surrounded by lots of white space.  We are shown wide vistas and brought close to the children and the horses.  These illustrations are atmospheric and emotionally-charged. The color palette and use of light and shadow is fabulous.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the two-page image for the above-noted text.  On the left, we are shown Moon with Midnight pressing his cheek into Moon.  We are close to them with only their heads and a portion of their necks visible.  Around them are layers of grass and leaves.  In the upper-right hand corner of this left side, nestled in the grass, is a bird's nest with three speckled meadowlark eggs.  Along the bottom to the left and right of the gutter the herd of horses runs against the warm and pastel colors of an afternoon or morning sky.

This book, Midnight & Moon written by Kelly Cooper with artwork by Daniel Miyares, is an affirmation of the significance and value of honoring differences.  It reminds us friendships can form through mutual respect between animals, humans and humans and animals.  I highly recommend you place a copy of this title in both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Daniel Miyares and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Kelly Cooper has an account on Instagram.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House, you can view interior images.  Kelly Cooper and Daniel Miyares are interviewed together at Maria Marshall's site.

From Wild Windy Weather

In mere seconds, a calm solstice evening, December 21, 2021, turns into one with winds gusting over thirty-five miles per hour.  The gently falling snow is now dancing across yards and shaking colored lights hanging from roof tops, porches, trees, and bushes.  Wind chimes are singing from house to house.  The brisk breeze whistles around pipes and chimneys.

Wind is both a best friend and a mortal enemy.  Two book titles this past autumn highlight the havoc it wreaks when it is at its worst.  They also disclose how something wonderful can rise from the damage like a phoenix.  Hurricane (Little, Brown and Company, September 28, 2021) written and illustrated by John Rocco asks us to see that a storm can be the impetus for using the best tools we have, our collective hearts.

This is my dock.

Really, it's the neighborhood's dock,

but nobody ever comes here except me.

This dock stretches into a river fed by the sea.  In this space, a boy swims, watches water creatures move under and around the dock, fishes, and catches crabs.  It is, as you might imagine, his favorite place.

One day as he returns home from the dock, his neighborhood is not the same.  At his house, his dad tells him a hurricane is coming.  That night, as the wind and rain batter the sides and windows of the boy's home, he worries about the river, now coming down the street, taking it away.

In the morning, all is quiet as the boy heads down to the dock.  His neighborhood is transformed.  So is his dock.  It all looks as though a fierce beast roamed at will.

When the neighbors are too busy to help him with his dock, he helps them.  He then decides to rebuild the dock himself.  One day of working on his dock leads to another day and then another day leads to another day.  When he feels as though the job is too much for one boy, something unexpected happens.  Something wonderful.  Something remembered.

We are immediately drawn into this story by author John Rocco through the first person point of view.  The boy gives us answers in his narration.  He tells us why the dock is his favorite place.  He presents us with real feelings, real situations prior to the hurricane, and an intense description of the hurricane's arrival and force.  The next morning and in the subsequent days, we willingly follow what the boy says because we understand loss, his loss and his determination to recreate his favorite place.  Here is a passage.  (This describes what many do to ease stress and uncomfortable events.)

I shut my eyes tight and try to sleep,

imagining what might wash up underneath my dock.

There are two different scenes on either side of the spine when you look at the open dust jacket.  On the front we are shown the boy, the narrator, with neighbors on either side of the shore as the hurricane approaches.  This illustration shows worry and fear at the unpredictability of weather.  The color palette reflects serenity and contentment on the back, to the left of the spine.

Here we see the boy, his back to us, walking down his dock.  The river on each side of the dock is almost like a mirror.  A seagull lands on one of the pilings to the left of the boy.  Ahead of the boy, in a blue sky, clouds puff up like cotton candy, the early morning light painting them.

On the book case is an expanded interior image.  The boy is nearly at the end of the dock lying on his stomach and looking down into the water over the left side.  An array of sea creatures are swimming toward, under, and past the dock.  These are what he imagines might be there as the hurricane rages on through the night.

The opening endpapers, in blue, white, and red, highlight the five categories of a hurricane.  A four-part diagram shows How a Hurricane Forms.  The Parts of a Dock are explained on the closing endpapers using brown, white, blue, and a bit of red.  Everything is labeled correctly and we are told how new pilings are placed into the bottom of the water.

Using 

pencil, watercolor, and digital color

John Rocco presents his illustrations in a series of horizontal panels on a single page, on two pages, edge to edge, or a combination of panels or two smaller images opposite a full-page picture.  To show the passage of time, smaller illustrations are grouped together.  Any dialogue is shown in small speech balloons.  The perspectives in each image are intimate and alternated to showcase that intimacy.  The boy's facial expressions and his body postures are realistic and enduring at the same time.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the above-noted text.  In the lower, left-hand corner, the boy, eyes closed, is tucked into his bed.  He is dreaming of his favorite dock and the beauty swimming around it.  There are turtles, dolphins, a ray, smaller fish, and one huge creature.

This up-close-and-personal look at a storm, this sensory experience by this boy, in Hurricane written and illustrated by John Rocco is memorable.  This boy and his love of his favorite place brings a community together.  It is in the heart of a child that all hearts are joined.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about John Rocco and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  John Rocco has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there is a video discussion with John Rocco about the art for this book.

John Rocco Presents HURRICANE from LB School on Vimeo.

There is nothing quite so unsettling as having a lifelong sailor tell you it's time to put on a life jacket as you head from the Intercoastal Waterway into the Atlantic Ocean as a storm strikes.  The wind and waves toss the sailboat like a rubber ducky in a bathtub.  You realize, once again, you are at the mercy of Mother Nature.  Hope At Sea: An Adventure Story (Anne Schwartz Books, an imprint of Random House Children's Books,  October 19, 2021) written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares is a tale of wanting, wondering, storms, and the eventual return of light.

Whenever my world feels small,

I turn to the sea.

The narrator of this story, a girl, longs to go to sea with her father, a ship's carpenter.  He is about to leave on another voyage on a new clipper ship.  She is determined to sail with him this time.  She is going to stow away.

Timing is everything.  Soon, she is tucked inside one of the lifeboats as the anchor is raised.  Under the tarp in the darkness, she begins to wonder about her decision.  And then. . . she is discovered!

Her father acclimates her to life at sea.  The work is not easy, but she begins to feel comfortable doing things which need to be done.  They travel for weeks from one destination and climate to another, adding cargo to the vessel.

Words and pictures fill her journal.  This is her story.  As they near home, a horrendous storm tosses the ship from gigantic wave to gigantic wave.  She is told to stay below, but she wants to help.  Every sailor's nightmare happens.  Rocks. Thunderous cracking as wood bends and breaks to the will of Mother Nature.  Will the lifeboats endure?  

When author Daniel Miyares begins this tale, we know an adventure is in the offing as soon as we read the first sentence.  From there, the protagonist shares her longing to set sail with her father.  She wants to be a part of this next sea story.  Short but highly descriptive sentences and phrases by the narrator bring us into this experience.  It is almost like reading entries in a diary or journal, page turn by page turn.

What we don't initially know, but is cleverly presented, is the girl's name is Hope.  This gives two distinct meanings to the word as it is used in her narrative.  It also leads us to a conclusion full of light.  Here is one of several outstanding passages.

There's no turning back now.  I can hear the

sails snap to attention and salute the wind as we

pick up speed.

In looking at the open dust jacket, we are presented with the best and worst moments of this bold undertaking.  On the front, the ship heading toward us in brisk winds, sails full, you can almost feel that breeze on your face, smell the salt in the air, and feel the pounding of Hope's happy heart.  The sky, clouds, waves with crests of foam, the details of the ship, and Hope's position all signify adventure with a capital A.  

To the left, on the back, waves as high as several stories, roll and rage.  The ship under the dark stormy sky with rain falling in torrents is riding up to the top of a wave.  It is small compared to the angry water.  The text here reads:

ALL HANDS

ON DECK!

And in such a storm,

even hands as small as

mine are needed.

The canvas for the book case is cream.  Along the top is a red and cream diamond pattern. Along the bottom are arched lines in blue symbolizing waves.  On the left side, on the back, in an oval framed by a line (rope) and anchor is a formal portrait of Hope and her parents.  (Both parents play an important part in this story.)  On the right side, the front, underneath a nautical star is a ribbon woven around an anchor.  On the ribbon is the title text.  Two birds are holding either end of this ribbon.  They are swallows which are meaningful to sailors.

Both the opening and closing endpapers request readers to pause and study what they see.  Blue lines are placed on pale gray paper.  Intricate drawings of elements of value to the beginning and middle of the story appear on the first set.  Twenty-two items are labeled.  Without divulging the end of the story, the closing endpapers include fourteen labeled things.  They are either single objects or parts of an object.  The labels are handwritten on both the opening and closing endpapers.

These illustrations 

rendered in pen and ink with watercolor

by Daniel Miyares are exquisite in their detail and emotional impact.  They place us squarely in this time and in this place.  Color choices, the use of light and shadow, will have you stopping to take in every scene.  Each image, varied in size, extends the text by telling more of the story.  We are never told when Hope will stow away, but a picture tells us she sneaks out of the house dressed in a shirt and pants and hat as her parents are saying their final goodbyes at home.

Several of the wordless pictures, like the one where Hope is peeking out from under the canvas cover on the lifeboat, will take your breath away at their depiction of moods and emotions.  We are always aware of the vastness of the sea, the power of nature, and the size of the ship.

One of my many favorite pictures is a double-page image.  Spanning across both pages, perfectly aligned in the gutter is the clipper ship; its sails closed.  On the left side of the gutter, the ship sits under a cloudy, shades of gray, sky.  Large snowflakes drift down on sailors bundled in heavy coats and hats.  An iceberg juts out of the water at the back of the ship.  A whale's tail breaks from the water, silhouetted against the iceberg.  On the right side the ship is in the tropics.  The sky is blue with large fluffy clouds, partially pink.  The sailors are wearing lighter and less attire.  One jumps into the water from the front of the ship.  Others are hauling goods up in a net from a boat below them.  A single seagull flies overhead as if to make its way toward the rocky shore, grasses and palm trees.

Each time this book, Hope At Sea: An Adventure Story written and illustrated by Daniel Miyares, is read you will be uplifted by its ingenuity and conclusion.  Hope, like love, can be found in many places . . . if you are looking for it.  I can't imagine a personal or professional collection without a copy of this book.

By following the link attached to Daniel Miyares's name, you can learn more about him and his other work at his website.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website are interior illustrations to view.  Daniel Miyares and this book are highlighted at Picture Book Builders.  You will really enjoy this.

In The Darkness . . .Delight

Over the decades of having canine companions, you become accustomed to taking treks at all hours of the night in every season of the year.  In the spring, you are the first to note the sound of peepers in a nearby pond.  During summer nights, you are fortunate to find moths fluttering within the beam of light cast by your flashlight.  It's easy to startle forging rabbits or wandering deer during autumn.  The night skies with their profusion of stars in the crystal air of winter are breathtaking 

Darkness reveals its secrets to curious observers.   Night Walk to the Sea: A Story About Rachel Carson, Earth's Protector (Schwartz & Wade Books, September 15, 2020) written by Deborah Wiles with art by Daniel Miyares is based upon a blending of several true events taken from the writings of Rachel Carson.  You will find yourself easily stepping into this story, captivated by the lyrical words and atmospheric images.

It was bedtime in Rachel's cabin

in the woods,

when thunder BOOMED and

the storm roared in.

"I'm not afraid!" shouted Roger.

CRAAAAACK! the thunder answered.

Roger was hardly ready for bed acting like he was the monstrous storm.  Rachel joined him in his romping around the room.  Suddenly, the lights went out.  They were plunged into the darkest dark.  Roger still claimed to be unafraid.  This time it was not true.

After reassuring him of his safety, Rachel lighted a lantern and cuddled with him near a window so they could marvel at the storm. Roger was still not happy in the dark.  When the storm subsided, Rachel suggested they go for a walk.

Both bundled up in stormy weather gear, they set off toward the sea.  Their flashlights gave off a special glow to the woods around them.  Rachel encouraged Roger to listen, look, and learn from what he saw.  Soon they were at the shore.

Roger raced along the sand spooking birds and ghost crabs.  Shortly, Rachel whispered to him, and asked him to turn off his light and close his eyes.  When he opened them, the sea was coated in sparkling gemstone colors. This was when, looking at his feet, Roger saw another wondrous sight.  With Rachel's guidance a rescue was performed, and they returned to the cabin.  A nighttime adventure will be remembered by one little boy and many other readers, with gratitude to Earth's Protector.

Through her reading about Rachel Carson and her own love of the wonders nature holds for all of us, author Deborah Wiles again demonstrates her masterful ability to glean treasures from the past and portray them with lyrically presented truth to her readers.  This narrative is more intimate for us with the inclusion of possible dialogue between Rachel and her great-nephew and adopted son, Roger.  The descriptions of the storm, the landscape, and the sensory experience are both soothing and reverent and exciting and astonishing.  Here is another passage.

They walked past the cinnamon ferns

and reindeer moss

and the drip-drip-drip of glittery raindrops

on the tips of the shiny leaves

that were washed in moonlight.

Their flashlights bobbed cones of yellow light ahead of them.

From left to right on the open and matching dust jacket and book case readers are presented with a portrait of the misty walk toward the sea.  On the left, back, darkness nearly hides the ferns and leaves stretching from the ground.  A single firefly floats above them.  The text here reads:

As the soft dark folded itself around then,

and the sea called out to them like a lullaby,

Roger and Rachel breathed in the salty sea air . . . together.

On the front with their flashlights guiding them down the path, the affection between the two is evident.  Look how Roger leans toward Rachel and she bends to him. The expressions on their faces here, and throughout the book, mirror every emotion.  As your eyes move past them, you can see the delicate details included in this image.  Can you see the cricket, the dragonfly and the raindrops on the trees?

The opening and closing endpapers are colored in flashlight-glow yellow.  On the title page we gaze at a panoramic view of the storm clouds hanging over the cabin tucked in the woods by the sea.  The only light in the scene is from the front window in the cottage.

Each visual by artist Daniel Miyares was

rendered with ink on paper.

From the smaller pictures on the end flaps, to the dramatic double-page images, and the lovely full-page pictures (several only seen from the glow of a lantern), we share in each moment with Roger and Rachel.  The use of shadow and light in focusing our attention on specific portions of an illustration are breathtaking.

When you pause to look at the illustrations your eyes discover all the wonders Rachel and Roger do.  You see the beauty of the forest trees and ferns after the thunderstorm as they walk.  You look up as they do to see an owl resting in the hollow of a tree.  You get down low with Roger as he peers at frogs and insects pausing on blades of grass. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture, a bird's eye view of Rachel and Roger as they arrive at the shore.  From left to right is a swirl of darkness with some light from the now shining moon illuminating the laurel and blueberry bushes.  The pathway and stairs are clearly visible.  On the far right, tiny figures, flashlights casting light in front of them, walk toward the sandy beach.  You want to be there with them.  You want to be a part of this grand depiction.

This book, Night Walk to the Sea: A Story About Rachel Carson, Earth's Protector written by Deborah Wiles with artwork by Daniel Miyares, is an engaging request for readers to meet Rachel and Roger and to welcome us into our majestic natural world.  Now, more than ever, we need to seek, and see the world around us, so we can assist in protecting and preserving it for the future inhabitants.  At the close of the book, Deborah Wiles speaks in a section titled:

A Note About Rachel Carson

and This Story.

She also includes a discussion about bioluminescence, selected titles written by Rachel Carson and those written about her.  Her acknowledgements are highly informative, too.  I highly recommend this title for all your collections.

To discover more about Deborah Wiles and Daniel Miyares, and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Deborah Wiles has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the Penguin Random House Education you can view interior images.  

Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the selections this week by participants in the 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  I believe her post will appear later this week.

Days Dedicated In Pursuing A Passion Affecting Our Planet

Wednesday marked the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day.  For those of us alive on the first Earth Day, it's one of those historical moments when you pause to ponder where you were and what you were doing on that day.  How many were attending university classes and finishing their first year of college?  Regardless of where you were or what you were doing or if you were even "a twinkle in someone's eye" yet or perhaps you're days on our planet have come and gone, there are remarkable contributions to preserving and protecting our planet being accomplished 365 days a year.

For this reason, I wish to highlight three titles which may not initially appear to share a commonality with our planet, but I believe they do.  The first book, Winged Wonders: Solving The Monarch Migration Mystery (Sleeping Bear Press, March 15, 2020) written by Meeg Pincus with illustrations by Yas Imamura is a story supplying readers with an example of the power of working together to accomplish a single goal. It was a quest to seek understanding of a natural phenomenon.   

For centuries, up and down North America,
every year brought a mystery.

Monarch butterflies swooped in for a spell, like
clockwork, from somewhere beyond---then
disappeared as curiously as they came.


People from southern Canada to central Mexico watched this and wondered.  It was not until 1976 that an answer was provided.  Who was responsible for discovering the truth behind this migration?

Fred, a scientist residing in Canada, and his wife, Norah, devoted three decades of their lives to following the butterflies.  After several trials and errors, they found a way to follow these winged wonders.  They gently tied price tags to their wings.  Citizen scientists, numbering in the thousands, heeded the call of Norah's advertisements.  Norah noted each piece of information gathered.

One of Norah's ads was seen by an American living in Mexico City.  Ken contacted Norah and agreed to follow the monarchs with his wife, riding a motorcycle through the wilderness for two years.  Villagers helped and directed them toward the mountains.  There Catalina, who lived in Mexico her entire life, led the way to a singular revelation.

Most miraculous was a tag found by Fred in the Mexican oyamel grove.  It was placed there by an American science teacher and his students in Minnesota.  All these people, named and unnamed contributed to unraveling the riddle.  Now it's up to all of us to guarantee this journey continues for generation after generation.


In her writing of this story, author Meeg Pincus, uses a technique certain to intrigue readers, her presentation of this as a mystery.  She explains the puzzle and when it's completed, but then in a series of questions, the resolutions by people are shown as flashbacks. Through her meticulous research she connects these individuals to each other and ultimately to us in present day.  Again, at the close of the story, she presents a series of questions, but readers will know the answers to all of them.  Here is another partial passage from the book making a reference to the

villagers and farmers of central Mexico.

. . . who for generations welcomed the
monarchs as soaring spirits during
autumn Dia de los Muertos celebrations  . . .


When you look at the open dust jacket, the image extends flap edge to flap edge. incorporating the variety of people who participated in solving the mystery of the Monarch butterfly migration.  The flurry of Monarch butterflies weaves up and down across the top of the entire illustration.  The green canvas allows for the people and butterflies to be showcased.

On the book case with the same background, is a multitude of Monarch butterflies in all sizes, some with their distinguishing details and others in orange alone, as on the dust jacket.  On the far side of the opening and closing endpapers is a solid burnt orange color.  The opposite side is a continuation of the book case design.  The waves of butterflies are depicted on the title page, radiating from the left, moving across the gutter, and journeying off the top on the right side.

Illustrator, Yas Imamura, has fashioned lush landscapes, scenes in small communities, woodland corners and desert destinies.  In these settings her image sizes shift as a reflection of the narrative.  She gives us varying points of view, above and within a particular setting.  Her details mirror a range of ages and ethnic backgrounds in the people.  Her research is seen in her characterizations of the key players.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the portion of passage cited.  On the left we are in a cemetery during the Dia de los Muertos.  Arches at gravesites are decorated in blossoms.  Cut-paper artwork hangs across the middle of the visual.  It's a stunning portrait of this holiday in color, the people shown, and the decorated gravesites.  A wave of Monarch butterflies extends across the entire top.  To the right a large wavy column in a solid shade is formed for the text.


This book, Winged Wonders: Solving The Monarch Migration Mystery written by Meeg Pincus with illustrations by Yas Imamura, is a wonderful exploration of a scientific secret.  It sets forth the perseverance necessary as well as the work of many to find a solution.  At the close of the book are pages titled:  More About the Monarch Migration Discovery and How to Help the Monarch  This is an excellent nonfiction picture book to use for a STEM unit, to promote an appreciation of insects or our planet, and for the inspiration it furnishes readers.  This book should be in all personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Meeg Pincus and Yas Imamura and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Yas Imamura has interior images from this book on her Tumblr account.  Meeg Pincus has accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  Yas Imamura has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can access a teacher's guide/activities and read an excerpt.  Articles about this book and its creators are found at Celebrate Picture Books,  Kathleen Temean Writing and Illustrating, and Only Picture Books.



Sometimes what our planet needs most to survive is a healing of the human heart.  Sometimes a single person more than any other can affect change for generations.  One such person was Fred McFeely Rogers.

In his newest book as author and illustrator, Caldecott Medalist Matthew Cordell highlights with his astute words and remarkable images the life of an unforgettable human being in HELLO, NEIGHBOR!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, April 6, 2020).  Every element, written and drawn, is a loving tribute.

"It's our insides that make us who we are, that allow us to dream and wonder and feel for others. That's what's essential.  That's what will always make the biggest difference in our world."
                              ---Fred Rogers 

Welcome to Mister Roger's Neighborhood.

We begin the story of this man's life on the set of his television show which aired nationally in 1968.  It was no easy feat, but it was done by a man with a purpose.  And he did it every day.

As a child in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Fred enjoyed puppets and music and learning to play the piano at age five.  Did you know his grandmother bought him a piano when he was nine years old?  Fred, during his school years, was a bit of a loner.  He was serious and pondered what he saw in the world, especially on television.  This is what prompted him to enter that field.

Fred started at NBC in New York City, working his way up and learning everything he could about television and how to appeal to children as viewers.  Later Fred returned to Pittsburgh, still working in television, children's television, but not in front of the camera.  He began to study how children think and feel.  His desire to create a show just for them, with respect for them, became more than a dream.  Mister Rogers' Neighborhood went live across the nation on February 19, 1968.

Now we go to the show as it was seen daily.  It began and ended with music and a routine of changing a coat and sweater and shoes.  Each episode supplied viewers with something of value, often expanded with field trips and special guests, as well as familiar personalities who visited frequently.  The trolley took viewers into The Neighborhood of Make-Believe with its notable cast of characters.   No issue was too large or too small to be discussed by Mister Rogers.  No aspect of the show was not touched by his hand, but he was the first to acknowledge the work of many in making this beloved television show for children, their children, and their children's children.


Each aspect of this man and his television show is written with meticulous care and research by Matthew Cordell.  His arrangement of the facts flows from one portion to the next, beginning with the show, flashing back to Fred McFeely Rogers' life until the premiere of the show and then to the elements of the show.  The information is supplied to us as if we are in conversation with Matthew Cordell and he is lovingly revealing to us what he knows or has learned.  Captions on replicated photographs give us more insight.  Quotes by Fred McFeely Rogers add to the authenticity.  Here is a passage.

Then a new idea, person, or place
would be introduced.  Just like
in life, there were good times in
The Neighborhood, like visiting the 
circus or a neighborhood school.

But there were difficult times too,
like saying goodbye to a beloved
pet.  Fred understood that children
have many feelings and interests,
and all of them are worth
mentioning and exploring.


The image shown on the front of the dust jacket takes readers into the wonderful landscape fashioned by Fred McFeely Rogers.  It's a scene we want to willingly enter.  We feel as though we are about to hear the familiar voice of a beloved television personality and marvelous human being.  All the exquisite details shown in this first illustration are continued throughout the book.  Each line is placed with intention.

To the left, on the back of the dust jacket, on a canvas of pure white is a television set from the era the show first aired.  On the screen is a real picture of Mister Rogers.  Five smiling children are seated in a semi-circle in front of the television.

On the book case is one of Matthew Cordell's signature illustrations.  Fred McFeely Rogers is walking across a background of washed blue.  He is in the near center on the right side.  He is holding a puppet in his left hand.  In his right hand is a duffel bag with a puppet peering out.  Behind Mister Rogers, in an ever-enlarging wave is a vast assortment of people and objects representing a lifetime of work.  You could look at this for hours and not notice everything.

The opening and closing endpapers are in pale yellow.  With a page turn is a small portrait of Fred Rogers, wearing his red sweater and putting on his tennis shoes.  Another page turn is a close-up of a scene on the set.  Then a double-page picture, with the quote noted above, shows Fred seated at his piano.  Coming from the piano is a similar assortment of figures and items as shown on the book case.  With the next page turn the Trolley is winding back and forth on the verso opposite the title page featuring Mister Rogers, the Trolley and some of his puppets.

Each illustration is a survey of every facet of this man's life and his television show.  Matthew Cordell rendered the pictures:

with pen and ink with watercolor.

They are double-page pictures, pictures within pictures, recreations of photographs, single-page pictures, small groupings of visuals on a single or double page.  Your eyes move easily from text to images, each complementing and elevating the other.  Historical context is excellent; like the set of encyclopedias on the shelf in the living room of the family watching the first nationally aired Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.  Each time you read this book; you will observe some new element Matthew Cordell has included.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is the first one for the first line in the narrative.  It spans two pages.  It is a close-up view of The Neighborhood.  From the upper, left-hand corner a hand is reaching in and holding a car.  It will soon be placed in The Neighborhood.  


If you've been looking for a way to hug Fred McFeely Rogers, this book, HELLO, NEIGHBOR!: The Kind and Caring World of Mister Rogers written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell, is the way you can do it.  This book is definitely to be placed in the huggable category.  The words and artwork bring the man and his life's work to you, into your space.  At the close of the book two pages are dedicated to About Fred Rogers with more facts and photographs.  Matthew Cordell includes a Visual Glossary, Mister Rogers and Me, Acknowledgments, More About Fred Rogers and Where to Watch Mister Rogers' Neighborhood.  The final page has Fred Rogers carrying his duffel bag with items trailing behind as he walks away from us.  This stunning book belongs in every collection, professional and personal.

To learn more about Matthew Cordell and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  His blog is here.  Matthew Cordell has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  You can view interior images at Penguin Random House.  At the publisher's website is a printable sign.  This book is highlighted at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production by author, reviewer and extraordinary librarian, Betsy Bird.  Matthew Cordell is interviewed at Reading Rockets via video.
UPDATE:  Matthew Cordell wrote a post about this book at School Library Journal (May 8, 2020).  It is a wonderful, meaningful reflection. 
UPDATE:  Matthew Cordell chats with teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner at The Children's Book Podcast #594 about this book (May 8, 2020)
UPDATE:  This title is the subject of a reflective post on NPR. (May 30, 2020)


When you think of Earth Day you might not think of a mathematician, but their influence in the scientific community is without question.  Between the years of December 22, 1887 and April 26, 1920, there lived a man, who in only thirty-two years left a lasting legacy in the field of mathematics.  His perceptions of the world are still being explored today.

For many years, he felt detached from others his age.  He saw the world with questioning eyes and his mind functioned on a rare and rich level.  The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius Ramanujan (Candlewick Press, April 14, 2020) written by Amy Alznauer with illustrations by Daniel Miyares is certain to be treasured by those with a love of mathematics.  For all others, it is a trip through time worth taking repeatedly.

Today the world is small.  With a single click, you can see
anywhere or speak to anyone.
But one hundred years ago, the world was big.  It took weeks to send a letter by steamer from here all the way to there.

Into this world, some one hundred years ago, was born a son.  His mother, Amma, named him Ramanujan.  She told her son of a visit by a goddess, Namagiri, who whispered words in his grandmother's ears.  Those whispered words were like a prophecy of his life's pursuit.

Ramanujan never spoke for three years.  He exhibited behavior requiring a set routine.  As soon as he did speak, he wondered about the meaning of small and big.  At five he started to go to school, but his questions went unanswered.  Ramanujan was bored.

His fascination with what is small and how smaller and smaller can expand, but also pull together to make a single whole grew.  Numbers were his window into the world.  He was compelled to work with them every single day using his slate, erasing, and starting over.  Ramanujan disliked school.  He would run away.  Many schools were tried.  After class, the boy could be found sitting on the front pial of his home, working with numbers on his slate.

Everything, in Ramanujan's mind, was connected by numbers.  He was ten when he attended Kumbakonam Town High School.  He felt a kinship with a man who sat by the river claiming to see strange figures.  By the time he was fifteen, a college math book was no match for his amazingly curious mind.

At twenty Ramanujan failed at college.  He finally landed a job at

the Port Trust in Madras.

Here his skills were valued.  At the urging of those with whom he worked; he wrote letters to famous mathematicians in England at the Cambridge University.  Finally, one, G. H. Hardy, responded.  Ramanujan was off to England.  It was 1914.  The world was about to meet a master.  They are still meeting him today.


The immense dedication Ramanujan had for mathematics and how they could be applied to the world around him is felt in every sentence written by Amy Alznauer.  A historical context is generated with her opening sentences.  We are fully captivated.

Specific examples bring us into essential moments of Ramanujan's life.  The insertion of dialogue draws us into his story.  When we are privy to his thoughts and musings, we feel an intimate connection to his exceptional mind and soul.  Here are two passages.

He loved this idea, small and big, each inside the other.
If he could crack the number 1 open and find infinity, what
secrets would he discover inside other numbers? It felt like he
was setting out on a grand chase.

Numbers were everywhere.  In the squares of light pricking
his thatched roof.  In the gods dancing on the temple tower.  In
the clouds that formed and re-formed in the sky.  Every day he
wrote numbers in the sand, on his slate, on slips of paper, his
slender fingers flying, each number a new catch. 


When you first gaze at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, your eyes are drawn to the enchanting figure seated before you.  Who is this person?  What will this book reveal about him?  The hues of blue and purple contrasting with the yellow and shades of red are lustrous, almost other-worldly.  The title text and swirl from Ramanujan with numbers in it are embossed in silver foil.

To the left, on the back, an intricate Indian design in colors of magenta act as a frame for text in white which reads:

If Ramanujan could crack
the number 1 open and
find infinity, what
secrets would he discover
inside other numbers?

In shades of teal artist Daniel Miyares composes a collage of numbers and pages from a notebook on the opening and closing endpapers.  The initial title page has a small image of objects relative to Ramanujan's life as a child.  An elegant Indian design, now fully complete appears, opposite the title page in a rich orange color.

These illustrations are done in ink.  Daniel Miyares takes us with his illustrations to another time and into the unique world of Ramanujan and his way of thinking.  Their subtle and soft texture mirrors and heightens the spirit embedded in the text.  Daniel Miyares use of light and shadow is astonishing.  Swirls of color weave another world, drawing us within striking moments.  Fine delicate lines accentuate the people and settings.  Some of the pages are embellished with splendid designs, acting as framing or borders.

The size of the illustrations varies in accordance with the text.  Larger, dramatic, two-page pictures will have you gasping.  The smaller ones will have you stopping to look closer at them.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  A pale night sky replete with stars and a crescent moon with a few wisps of clouds acts as a background.  Large thin numbers stretch from the bottom of the page to nearly the top, page edge on the left to page edge on the right.  Four figures of Ramanujan asleep, waking and hanging onto the top of a seven, leaping between a two and a nine and then sliding down the nine illustrate how even his dreams were filled with numbers.


The Boy Who Dreamed of Infinity: A Tale of the Genius Ramanujan written by Amy Alznauer with illustrations by Daniel Miyares is as incomparable as the boy, and then man, whose life is depicted in its pages.  At the close of the book is a two-page Author's Note.  It is followed by a one-page bibliography.  You'll want this breathtaking book in both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Amy Alznauer and Daniel Miyares and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Amy Alznauer has a special page for this title.  Amy Alznauer has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At Penguin Random House you can see other interior illustrations.  Last year Daniel Miyares was showcased at Picture Book Spotlight.  At Cynsations Amy Alznauer writes a post about collaboration.



Be sure to visit educator Alyson Beecher's Kid Lit Frenzy to view the titles selected this week by other participants in the 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.