Crucial Canines

If you look the word keystone up in a dictionary like Merriam-Webster, you will read it is

something on which associated things depend for support. 

A keystone species is essential for maintaining a balance in any given ecosystem.  Without them, the environment in which they reside becomes less than its best.  In fact, their absence can cause an ecosystem to collapse.  Two 2022 publications focus on wolves' crucial existence in two different national parks.

The first, The Wolves And Moose Of Isle Royale: Restoring an Island Ecosystem (Clarion Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, August 9, 2022) written by Nancy F. Castaldo with photographs by Morgan Heim, chronicles specific scientific research within the context of historical background and factual information on both wolves and moose.  Both populations of wolves and moose on this island need to maintain certain numbers.  Too much of one means too little of something else.

THE ARCHIPELAGO OF

ISLE ROYALE

RISING OUT OF THE COLD, deep waters of Lake Superior are a group of islands, miles from any shoreline.  These isolated islands form Isle Royale National Park, the least visited of all the United States' sixty-three national parks, but one of the parks with the most returning visitors.

Within the twenty-seven chapters in this book, questions we didn't know we had are answered.  We become, through the informative, conversational text and stunning and supportive photographs, silent and observant partners with the collaborative team of Nancy F. Castaldo and Morgan Heim.  It is a one-of-a-kind adventure into the past, present, and possible future.

To begin we are given an overview of Isle Royale and its inhabitants, flora and fauna.  Its isolation is key to what does live there.  It is the scene for

creating the longest predator/prey study in history.

As the boat journeys to Isle Royale (You can only get there by boat or plane.), we are told about the island's creation and those who have lived and studied within its space.  We are introduced to influential humans who championed the island.  We are told when it is believed wolves and moose arrived.  At the time of this book, wolf numbers are drastically low.  Moose are over-eating themselves into starvation and unhealthy lives.

Upon their arrival, Nancy F. Castaldo and Morgan Heim immediately hike parts of the island, taking us along on their explorations.  We meet the research team members and are told about their tasks.  The wolf reintroduction project is one of the main focuses.  Then, a detailed explanation of the balance between wolves and moose follows.  It is aptly named 

An Island Out of Balance.

A subsequent discussion outlines the different choices of hunting moose or wolf reintroduction.  Once the decision is made, the wolves need to be found and transferred.  It is a time-consuming and lengthy process.  Collars are placed on the new wolves.  The population of wolves grew from two to nineteen by 2019.

We learn more about how technology enhances the study of all animal life.  Moose studies, their bones, and watching moose in real time are portrayed.  Other wildlife on the island is included in this conversation.  The two concluding chapters showcase possible futures for Isle Royale.  May it continue to thrive and survive.

One of the most captivating things about this book is the writing of Nancy F. Castaldo.  She tells the best kind of story weaving pertinent history, real-life day to day details, and fascinating facts into the narrative.  She explains and explores processes in every aspect of wolves and moose and Isle Royale.  Her research is personal and extensive.  

Within her chapters, words are bolded and included in a glossary at the closing of the book.  Many of them appear in sections aside from the main narrative.  These sections also refer to items needing further information, other than what is included in the main text. For example, there is a section on What Is An Ecosystem? and one on Collaring Wildlife.  Special areas are devoted to specifics about certain animals, stating basic characteristics, their status, and a fun fact.  Here are a few passages.

Boarding begins for the seventy-three-mile (117-km) boat journey, which will take between five and six hours.  A careful swipe of our shoe-bottoms over the cleaning brush before walking up the gangplank prevents any uninvited pests or seeds that would upset the balance of Isle Royale's natural ecosystem---especially during a time when researchers are working hard to restore it.

The whistle blows, and we're off, sailing past the lighthouse into open water.  Even in the summer, hypothermia is a real danger in the cold waters of this lake, so we need to take extra safety measures.  The crew teaches us about putting on a special protective flotation suit, called a Gumby, in case we find ourselves overboard.  This full-body suit will protect us better than a standard life jacket by helping us stay warm.  We look at each other.  This definitely highlights one of the risks of visiting the park.

When you look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, you are getting two different perspectives of Isle Royale.  On the front, the right side, is a close-up view of a moose with the eyes of the wolf shown above and peering intently at the reader.  To the left, on the back, is a panoramic view of the lake, sky and forest trees from the island.

The opening and closing endpapers are a steely blue-gray color.  For the initial title page, the photograph is a breathtaking view of the lake and islands from a rocky shore.  You can feel the calm in the two-page visual for the formal title page.  The water is like glass with trees close to the edge on the back and in the background.  You get a true sense of the peace on this island.  The only sounds there are island generated.

These photographs by Morgan Heim are magnificent portraits of the animals and the island itself.  They enhance the written words, bringing us into every noted aspect.  The varying points of view add to the inclusion facet as we read.  We see firsthand when the bark has been stripped from a tree.  We are there watching the first female wolf being released on Isle Royale.  Two common loons, next to each other, glide on nearby water.  In the distance, we see a moose and calf standing in an inland lake on the island.

When Morgan Heim photographs the team members, their personalities shine in their faces and body postures.  We watch as they work at their respective jobs.  We share in their day to day activities.  We sigh in appreciation at the work accomplished by Candy and Rolf Peterson as they sit in front of their cabin.

One of my many favorite photographs is the first full-page of a moose opposite the first part of the narrative.  The moose is very close to us.  Antlers, ears, and face show dripping water after dipping into the lake.  The water and water plants behind it fade away into the background.  This is spectacular.

Each time this title, The Wolves And Moose Of Isle Royale: Restoring an Island Ecosystem written by Nancy F. Castaldo with photographs by Morgan Heim, is read, you cannot help but marvel at the resilience of the animals and those working to protect them.  At the close of the book is a glossary.  There is a section titled For More Information including items to read, watch, explore, and do.  There are source notes and a bibliography.  There is a page of acknowledgements and an index.  There is also a table of contents at the book's beginning.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Nancy F. Castaldo and Morgan Heim and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Nancy F. Castaldo has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Morgan Heim has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  You can listen to an audio sample of this title on the publisher's website.  Nancy F. Castaldo is interviewed about this title at From The Mixed-Up Files . . .  

Between the years 1995 and 1997, forty-one wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park.  This reintroduction of the wolves changed everything, restoring Yellowstone National Park to its natural glory.  (The national park page linked in the previous sentence gives an in-depth overview of wolves in the park.)  Written by Mary Kay Carson with illustrations by David Hohn, The River That Wolves Moved: A True Tale from Yellowstone (Sleeping Bear Press, September 15, 2022) is a celebration of the success of this reintroduction.  

This is the river that wolves moved.

This is the pack, so furry and fast,

That hunts near the river that wolves moved.

Using "The House That Jack Built " as a template, readers can anticipate and participate in this observation of the impact of the wolves in Yellowstone National Park.  From the wolves we move to an elk herd.  The elk have changed their eating habits and movements because of the wolves, allowing the plant life to replenish.

With trees growing back in the park, birds are more plentiful.  Beavers find food and build dams, increasing the wildlife that resides in pools and ponds.  The banks along the river are more secure with tree roots holding them in place.  This slows the river's movement.

With less erosion, the water in the river becomes clearer.  This entices certain fish back to the river, fish that only breed in clear, cool water.  Can you imagine water so clear you can see the fish swimming in it?

Throughout this poetic ode, an elder and child have wandered in Yellowstone National Park.  It is now dusk, wolves are on the move, calling to each other with howls.  The duo move, hand and hand, toward their parked car.  This is indeed a river that wolves moved.

As each layer is presented by author Mary Kay Carson, highly descriptive words amplify their meaning.  She uses alliteration and heightened physical characteristics to great effect.  In addition to the poetic lines, factual paragraphs include history of the park and the wolves, present-day statistics, and how the increased elk herds altered the landscape, river, and its inhabitants.  Here is one of those paragraphs.

A bank is where river meets land, where water touches dirt.

Plant and tree roots grasp the soil, holding riverbanks in place.

When the wolves were gone, the elk feasted on trees, leaving

the riverbanks bare and brown.  Rushing water ate at the

banks, creating swift rivers with sharp zigzag turns.

The eloquent artwork of David Hohn is first seen on the open and matching dust jacket and book case.  Here on the front, the right side, the wolves, now in a pack, are shown on a hilltop overlooking a river they did in fact cause to change its flow and direction.  David Hohn has featured cutthroat trout who need clear, cool water to survive.  In the background in the upper left-hand corner are a few elk.  

This scene moves across the spine to the far left side of the back.  The landscape is empty of fish, wolves, and elk.  The river gently flows along the bank with the trees and shrubs along its edges.  Centered in the sky is a circular image.  We see two wolves, heads raised, as they howl.  A crescent moon hangs in the dusky sky.

On the opening and closing endpapers is crisp white paper.  The title page, on a single-page picture, shows readers a close-up of the river water running along and through stones.  On one of the stones is a wolf print.  With a page turn we are presented with a double-page illustration.  It is a bird's eye view of a wolf pack running through the grasses along the river.  On the right side is a quotation from Albert Einstein.  (The man was a gift for his knowledge and insight.)

Each page turn features a double-page visual.  We begin with the elder and child leaving the parking space to walk in the park.  We next are drawn to the pack of wolves.  We are so close, we feel like a wolf.  David Hohn alters his perspectives in each image to elevate the text and pacing.  He includes tiny details like insects native to a given area.  His wildlife is animated.  In one picture, he uses a cut-away to show the value of plant and tree roots.

One of my many favorite illustrations shows the trout swimming in the river.  They move over the clean gravel bottom, brightly colored in golden hues with darker speckles in contrast to the blue of the water.  Above the fish, just to the right of the gutter, the girl's feet and legs dangle in the water.  

It is hard to believe that more than twenty-five years have passed since the wolves came back to Yellowstone National Park.  This book, The River That Wolves Moved: A True Tale from Yellowstone written by Mary Kay Carson with artwork by David Hohn, will captivate readers of all ages with its lively and informative writing and lovely images.  At the close of the book are two pages dedicated to Can Wolves REALLY Move Rivers? and two more pages about the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the wolves and the rivers in the park.  There is a selected bibliography.  You will want to have a copy of this book in your professional and personal collections.

You can discover more about Mary Kay Carson and David Hohn and their other work by accessing their websites.  Follow the link attached to their names.  Mary Kay Carson has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  David Hohn has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At Cherry Lake Publishing Group, you can view interior pages. 

To The Trees

We need to constantly consider the purpose of trees.  To not do so is a costly mistake.  In an article, How Trees Make a Difference, at the website for the National Wildlife Federation, we read, in a list of ten, how trees can better the air quality and create habitats for plants and animals.  This is understandable.  It has also been documented they are good for the economy, not because of how they can be used, but because homes and property with trees around them are more valuable than those without trees.

During Women's History Month, let us take a few moments to highlight new book releases focusing on women who have dedicated their lives to understanding and protecting trees and their forests.  Both women were the first in their particular field in their accomplishments.  In light of relentless challenges, their deeds are remarkable.

In The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets In The Rainforest (Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyd Mills & Kane, February 9, 2021) written by Heather Lang with illustrations by Jana Christy, we discover, as did Margaret Lowman, the reward of immersing oneself in that which is loved.  Determination and dedication fueled by one's passion are key ingredients to success.  Inventiveness in solving mysteries is supremely satisfying.

Meg loved how leaves

burst into the world

and unfurled.

She admired their different shapes,

colors, and textures.

For twenty years, Meg learned everything she could about trees.  As a quiet girl, being with trees was a refuge for her. In college, despite not being allowed in one class because she was a woman, she persisted.  In Australia, in graduate school, she wanted to study rainforests, not from the ground, but in the treetops.  Now it was time to "be" a tree. 

Meg sewed a harness and designed a simple but demanding rope system to pull herself up into the canopy.  She was in a new frontier with new animals and marvelous leaves of all shapes and sizes.  Although, people discouraged her from these endeavors, Meg climbed and climbed and climbed.  She made discoveries about a variety of different trees.

Meg took copious notes and made diagrams.  She did this day after day, without human companionship or colleagues.  She discovered how active insects are at night in consuming leaves.  She discovered how valuable each tree is to other animals and to the forest itself.  The one thing Meg could not do was climb at night.  It was simply too dangerous.

Not to be deterred Meg and a friend, Peter O'Reilly designed the world's first canopy walkway.  It was built in

his Rainforest Retreat in Queensland, Australia.

Meg continued to assist in the construction of other canopy walkways in other parts of the world.  She even stood in a raft placed on top of a canopy of trees in Cameroon, Africa!  You would think with all these major triumphs for the good of trees, Meg might be ready to rest.  She was not.  She toured through countries in Africa, teaching them how to care for their rainforests.  Through her they understood, trees are life.

Even after several readings, the deeds of this woman fascinate and inspire as presented by author Heather Lang.  Her factual but lyrical language and intentional word choices compel us to keep reading.  We want to know what Margaret Lowman does next.  Within the narrative and in support of it are quotations by Margaret Lowman.  To further educate us about rainforests, their inhabitants, and Meg, large leaves with additional text are strategically placed on numerous pages.  Here is a passage, a quotation from Margaret Lowman and information from one of the leaves.

At last, splashed with flowers and sunlight---

the canopy!

The treetops swayed

back and forth.

Flies whizzed.  Lizards lingered.

A black weevil sucked leaf juices.

Sweat bees landed on her arm

for a lick of salt.

And the jungle's music danced all around her.

"FROM THEN ON, I NEVER LOOKED BACK . . . OR DOWN!"

Insects eat leaves by chewing them,

piercing and sucking from the leaf, or

tunneling in and eating the inside

of the leaf.

On the open and matching dust jacket and book case, we get on the right, front, a first-hand glance at what it was like for Margaret Lowman, Meg, when she climbed into the treetops and studied what she found there.  Birds, insects, and reptiles were her companions.  The shades of green cast a glow of warmth and humidity.  Do you see the large pale leaf highlighting the title text?  To the left, on the back, are endorsements for this title from Jane Goodall and Edward O. Wilson.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a bright orange like that seen in the snake and birds on the front of the book.  A graceful gathering of leaves and flowers frame the text on the title page continuing as a branch along the top of the verso.  Each image rendered digitally by Jana Christy spans two pages.

Within those two pages she sometimes depicts more than one scenario.  In these settings we might see Meg outside gathering leaves and then inside pressing and preserving them in a notebook.  We find Meg in a college classroom and exploring the rainforest.  In one double-page picture, there are four vertical panels showing Meg's attempts to get her harness and rope operative.

The perspectives shift to complement the narrative.  We are dangling with Meg as she gets used to the harness and rope.  We are close to her as she takes notes in the treetops, a vividly colored bird taking flight near her.  At night we are next to all the insects feasting on leaves.  Jana Christy also includes sketches within these visuals.  

One of my many favorite illustrations shows Meg as a little girl.  Through the center, branching out from the gutter is a sketch of a treehouse with Meg leaning over a railing.  As the branches stretch to the right and left large colorful leaves border the top and drift down the sides.  There is a sketch of Meg's home on the left.  At the bottom she is kneeling in the grass collecting flowers and leaves.  On the right side, Meg is seated at a table placing her specimens in a book.  She is surrounded by leaves, branches, and other gathered treasures in jars.  Several other objects hang on the wall near her.  You can tell from Meg's facial expressions, she is contented.

You are amazed and filled with respect for this woman's great strides in her beloved work during and after reading The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets In The Rainforest written by Heather Lang with illustrations by Jana Christy.  At the close of the book is an Author's Note giving us more information and speaking about when Heather Lang met and spent time with Margaret Lowman.  Following this is a vertical two-page picture explaining the layers of life in an Amazon rainforest.  There are many labels, but you are asked to find other elements.  On the final page are a bibliography of books, videos, websites, source notes, acknowledgements and picture credits.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Heather Lang and Jana Christy and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Heather Lang has active accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  You can see more of Jana Christy's artwork on her agency website.  This title was featured at Celebrate Picture Books.  The book trailer was premiered along with an interview at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the title and verso pages.

There are other ways of approaching what we love and doing our best to preserve it.  One girl grew up knowing the forests around California's Siskiyou Mountains.  Nothing found in those forests frightened her as much as fire.  She wanted to do everything she could to protect those forests and their inhabitants.  Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female "Fire Guard" (Sleeping Bear Press, February 15, 2021) written by Aimee Bissonette with illustrations by David Hohn chronicles the life of this girl and woman and the impressive steps she took to make her dream a reality.

Hallie leapt from her bed and raced to the

window, pulling back the curtains.  A bright

orange glow filled the sky.

Flames licked the tops of far-off trees.  Hallie's 

house was safe for now, but the winds could

shift at any moment.  Even if her home was

safe, the forest was in danger---the trees, the

animals, her neighbors.

As a young girl, Hallie roamed through the woods with her sister Leslie and her brother Ben.  She knew birds by their calls, hunted, and fished.  She knew first-hand of the dangers of fire.  She and her sister would assist firefighters, doing what they could to help when fires broke out near their home.

When Hallie and Leslie were older, they attended a boarding school in San Francisco.  Living in the city was the farthest thing from Hallie's mind.  Finally, with school finished, Hallie started a letter writing campaign to the United States Forest Service.  They said no again and again, even after the devastating Great Fire of 1910 when she pleaded with them.  

In 1913, right before the start of fire season, Hallie got the job as the fire lookout at the Eddy Gulch Lookout Station in northern California.  No one believed Hallie would last during the wild electrical storms on the top of the mountain or survive the loneliness of days without seeing another human being.  She did!  She lived in a cozy cabin at the peak.  To the west she could see the Pacific Ocean.

Tiny creatures joined her in her new home.  Tracks of larger forest dwellers assured she always carried her gun.  Daily routines consisted of replenishing water and wood and vigilance in seeking out smoke or flames, day or night.  Each week her sister made the three hour climb on horseback to bring Hallie news and supplies. 

During fire season, early spring to late autumn, when snow was still on the ground and as soon as snow fell, Hallie was at Eddy Gulch Lookout Station for fourteen more years after her first successful assignment in 1913.  Eventually the United States Forest Service built a new station replacing the log cabin.  Hallie left soon after, the new building not to her liking.  A heart's desire completed.

Readers can easily step into Hallie's world through the writing of author Aimee Bissonette.  Explanations of her attachment to the forest of her youth help us connect to her sense of exploration and discovery.  Hallie's determination to face her fear of fire in the forests by fighting against it is felt through the descriptions of her tenacity in writing letters.  She would not take no for an answer.  The inclusion of daily tasks in her job at the Eddy Gulch Lookout Station gives us personal details.  She is as real to us as our friends and neighbors.  Here is a passage. 

At night, she watched for the red glare of fire, which she described as

"red stars in the blue-black background of moonless nights."  Three

times a day Hallie telephoned Ranger McCarthy from the pole-

mounted telephone outside her cabin---more often if she spotted

smoke or flame.

In her first season on the job, Hallie spotted forty fires.  Because 

of her quick reporting, fewer than five acres of forest burned.

Sometimes you look at an open and matching dust jacket and book case and think a single word---WOW.  Without reading a word of the narrative, you know Hallie is one fierce female.  Her facial features portray deep concentration and dedication.  The decision to place the reflection of the forest in her binocular lenses is genius.  The color palette is outstanding with the blend of blue, green, and yellow hues.  Her right arm extends over the spine to the back.  Here a hill rises to the peak.  Trees are scattered near the cabin, behind and in front of it.  The path to the cabin winds around the hill.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a relief map with the Pacific Ocean on the far left.  In the right corner is the state line with Oregon above it.  Mountains and trees are scattered on the area.  Labels are shown for Klamath National Forest, Mt Linn, Lassen Peak, Mt Shasta, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  

A stunning double-page picture spreads left to right from the dedication and publication information page to the title page.  It is the dead of night.  Hallie's childhood home, lights aglow, sits among the forest on the right.  Off to the far left, a forest fire blazes, sparks flying on the night breeze.

Most of the illustrations by David Hohn span two pages.  The single-page pictures generate pacing between important portions of Hallie's life choices.  The representations of Hallie's face and her body postures give us a sense of intense focus and of always moving forward.  

In the shift of perspectives, we can see David Hohn's attention to detail.  The clothing, methods of transportation, and architecture are all in keeping with the historical period.  His vast landscapes mirror the starkness and breathtaking beauty of the wilderness.  Animals native to the area are always a part of the setting.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a two-page picture.  It shows Hallie's arrival at the lookout in the early spring on the left and her leaving in the late autumn on the right.  Just left of the gutter and at the top, the cabin is the focal point.  The telephone on the pole is out in front as is the flag waving in a brisk breeze.  When she arrives in the early spring, David Hohn shows snowy hills and mountain peaks with the snow still covering part of the ground as early flowers poke through new grass.  She has a walking stick in her hand to assist her in the climb.  When she leaves, you can tell she does so with a bit of heartbreak.  We see more of her horse in this portion of the picture, waiting in the golden grass as she looks at the cabin.  The horse is packed with her possessions.  Two snowshoes are visible.  David Hohn includes a dog with Hallie.  In some photographs of her, a dog is by her side.

More than 100 years ago, this woman due to sheer grit took a stand and paved the way for others to follow.  Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female "Fire Guard" written by Aimee Bissonette with illustrations by David Hohn will have you standing up and cheering.  The captivating text and lovely images complement each other.  At the close of the book on two pages is an author's note and three black and white photographs.  You'll want to have a copy of this book in both your professional and personal collections.

To discover more about Aimee Bissonette and David Hohn and their other work, visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Aimee Bissonette has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  David Hohn has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Aimee Bissonette is interviewed and this book is featured at writer and illustrator Jena Benton's website.

Writing Her Dream Into Reality

Writing so others can read it is an act of faith.  It takes courage to shape something from nothing and then send it out into the world.  Unleashing your imagination to fashion a cast of characters, in a specific setting and have them act and react within a set of circumstances, is daunting but exciting.  You need to be fearless when gathering facts through research to present to readers.  Releasing your words, whether it's a phrase on social media or a novel for publication, is following a path in pursuit of your passion.

In 1950 an author published her first of more than forty books.  Today at 103 years old this woman's name is attached to titles of many of the most beloved books read by generations of readers. Just Like Beverly: A Biography of Beverly Cleary (Little Bigfoot, an imprint of Sasquatch Books, August 13, 2019) written by Vicki Conrad with illustrations by David Hohn allows readers to follow the life of this remarkable woman from childhood to her initial successes as an author.

On a farm near Yamhill, Oregon, lived a girl named Beverly Bunn.

As an only child her best friends were animals on the farm.  Beverly only had two books and other children in Yamhill needed books, too, so her mother asked for donations for a small library in town.  At first only adult books arrived but her mother persevered, and finally children's books came from the State Library in Oregon.

At six years old Beverly and her parents moved to Portland, Oregon.  This opened a whole new world of friends for her.  Hours were spent roller skating up and down sidewalks, walking around on stilts made from coffee cans and indulging in make-believe.  Although excited about the new school year as a first-grade student, her teacher, her struggles with reading and becoming ill with smallpox were major setbacks.

Thankfully, not having to repeat first grade and acquiring a compassionate second-grade teacher, Beverly's spirits were renewed.  A box of old books in a basement discovered by her mother unlocked the door of longing inside of Beverly.  As a now-avid reader, she began to write, entering contests and winning.  By the time she was in seventh grade her writing was worthy of being read aloud in front of her fellow classmates.

When she attended college in California, she met Clarence Cleary at a dance.  (Two years later they would be married.)  After college graduation, Beverly returned to Washington alone to complete a library science degree.  Her first position as a librarian again reinforced the idea of writing books for children about children; especially funny stories.  So. with her first paycheck, she bought a typewriter.  This typewriter, after her marriage to Clarence, would be the vehicle for writing her first book about a boy and his dog, Ribsy.  Henry Huggins was born, and a new talent entered the world of children's literature. 


As you read the words penned by debut author Vicki Conrad, you find yourself drawn to Beverly Cleary as an individual.  You identify with her childhood struggles, and you relish the warmth and support of her parents.  You feel her struggles initially in the classroom and cheer her future successes.  Vicki Conrad, by the incidents portrayed in this book, has completed meticulous research.  Her use of specific examples binds us to the life and work of Beverly Cleary.  Here is a passage.

Beverly read a few pages. Then she read a few more pages.  And 
a few more.  Before she knew it, the whole afternoon was gone.

At last, Beverly understood the magic of books.  The children in
The Dutch Twins were just like her.  They were funny and had
adventures.  She started the next book right away.  For the first 
time ever, her mother put off bedtime.


What's not to love about Beverly Cleary standing in front of the boy and his dog who would roam the pages of her first publication.  The row of houses is reminiscent of the homes on the street where she played and lived with her new friends in Portland, Oregon.  It's also where her character Henry Huggins lives.  Having Beverly holding books signifies her love of books as a librarian and children's author.  The use of hues of primary colors is wonderful.

To the left, on the back, Beverly is featured doing three different dance steps in a studio.  Her mother enrolled her in ballet classes in Portland, Oregon.  On the opening endpapers, illustrator David Hohn, showcases the farm, barn, windmill, home and other out buildings in Yamhill.  It is done in muted colors with a vast sky and a field of new corn growing in the foreground in front of a fence.  On the closing endpapers is another vast pale yellow/green sky with a row of houses along a street.  Will readers notice a familiar home?

On the title page we see the bottom portion of young Beverly sitting on a branch in an apple tree.  Half-eaten apples are strewn on the grass below.  Throughout the book illustrator David Hohn uses double -page pictures, single-page illustrations and groups of smaller images on a single page to elevate and complement the narrative.  They are fully animated.

For special effects when Beverly is imagining something these appear above her among golden tones.  Sometimes the point of view is as if we are watching an incident unfold from above Beverly.  One poignant example is when her first-grade teacher places her alone in the coatroom.  Beverly sat on the floor and cried.  (You wish you could run right into that image and console her.)

One of my many favorite pictures is on a single page.  Beverly is standing outside her classroom in the doorway.  There is a bit of light around her. She received a free book for writing a review for the Oregon Journal.  They published her review and her picture which is shown in the newspapers held up by several of her classmates.  Others are pointing at her with pride.  (It's a huge moment for a girl who was placed in the lowest reading group in first grade.)


This book, Just Like Beverly: A Biography of Beverly Cleary written by Vicki Conrad with illustrations by David Hohn, is an excellent nonfiction picture book biography.  At the close of the book is an extended author's note titled How Beverly Bloomed.  In these six pages we learn even more about this amazing woman and her work. Following this is a two-page Timeline from 1916 to 2016.  You will want to have this in your personal and professional collections for author studies, for inspiring and aspiring writers and for learning about the woman who created many wonderful stories.

Vicki Conrad has an account on Twitter.  To learn more about David Hohn and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  David Hohn has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. David Hohn is interviewed at Brightly. At Sasquatch Books you can view the first seven pages along with the title page.  The cover was revealed at A Fuse #8 Production by Elizabeth Bird, Collection Development Manager at Evanston Public Library system.


Please visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the title selected this week by participants in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.