There's Magic In The Melody

We are time travelers when notes from a certain song reach our ears.  Those notes take us back to people, places, and events.  We remember where we were, who we were with, and how those songs were sung or played for us.  In this respect, music is magic.  It is everywhere if we listen.

It whistles through the masts of "on the hard" sailboats in winter.  It splashes on the sandy shore when waves roll across the lake.  It floats from branch to branch when chickadees and cardinals call to each other in the morning.  For this reason, music is a bridge, too, between us and what surrounds us daily as well as to our past. Bravo, Little Bird! (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 21, 2023) written by Annie Silvestro with artwork by Ramona Kaulitzki is the heartwarming story of an old man and the bond his music makes with a bird.  Their relationship transcends death in a truly beautiful tribute to the power of music, family, and friendship.

The old man and his wife lived high on a hill.  Each

day, notes from the old man's piano drifted out the

window, down the hill, and into the valley below.

A small bird, Little Bird, heard every note.  Those notes lead her from the valley to the old man's window.  She built her nest outside that window.  Soon Little Bird joined the old man in making music.  The old man exclaimed,

Bravo, Little Bird!

Each day Little Bird would serenade the old man playing on his piano as the old woman painted next to her husband.  Before long, a boy, the couple's grandson, came for a visit.  When introduced to him, Little Bird sang a celebratory tune.

The house on the hill was filled with melodies as the grandson learned everything he could about making music from his grandfather. Little Bird warbled and the old woman hummed along.  Where do you think all this music went?  It whirled around on currents of air, winding down to the valley.

During this time, Little Bird had three babies, the boy grew bigger, and the old man grew older.  The boy played the piano in his grandfather's place as Little Bird and her babies sang.  One morning there was no music except for a single sorrow-filled note by Little Bird.  Little Bird, her babies, the boy and his grandmother simply did not have the heart for making music.

Down in the valley, a cardinal missed the music.  Traveling to the hilltop, the cardinal heard from Little Bird about what happened.  Curious from this encounter, Little Bird flew to the valley.  What she heard there, gave her an idea.  In the evening, the boy and his grandmother stepped outside, hearing a symphony of sound, all the music, all the songs, previously played by the old man.  It was enchanting!  (Who do you think made that music?)

Like your favorite pleasant place or cozy comforter, the words in this story penned by Annie Silvestro wrap around you and send your soul soaring. She uses alliterative word combinations and repeating phrases to fashion a welcoming cadence. Whenever an individual masters a musical melody, the word 

Bravo

is used as praise and encouragement.  The right amount of dialogue is blended into the narrative to make the story more intimate for readers.  Here is a passage.

The old man played joyful, jolly music.

Sad, soulful music.

Beautiful, bountiful, breathtaking music.

All the while the old woman listened

and hummed as she painted beside him.

On the right side, the front of the open and matching dust jacket and book case, we see Little Bird, the boy and his grandfather.  They are enveloped in a swirl of musical notes, one of the many songs played by Grandfather on his piano.  One man, an old man, and his music reshaped the hearts of the residents of the hillside and valley.  As this image suggests, it began with Little Bird and the boy.  The title text is raised to the touch and embossed in foil.

To the left of the spine, a smaller circular illustration is placed on a canvas of palest green, almost a  cream.  It is of the boy with outstretched arms, dancing.  Little Bird's babies fly and sing around him.  The background in the circular picture is a pale green.

A sky-blue hue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the initial title page, Little Bird sings a melody which loops around the title text.  On the formal title page, verso and dedication pages, musical notes dip and wrap around the text.  They come from a song being played by Grandfather on his piano on the right page of the two pages.

These visuals by Ramona Kaulitzki, 

rendered digitally in Photoshop,

span two pages or full pages, edge to edge or surrounded by liberal amounts of white space.  They are highly animated, uplifting, and feature a merry mix of human and animal residents of the valley.  Readers will pause after page turns to notice all the delicate details.

One thing which I find comforting and intentional is the clothing worn by the old man, the old woman, and their grandson.  It does not change throughout the book.  Neither does that of the other residents in the valley.  I believe this brings the humans closer to the showcased animals who do not change their feathers or fur.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a full-page picture placed on a crisp white canvas.  Little Bird is poised at the top of the pages singing.  Notes loop from her, go around the old man playing at his piano on the right, and the old woman, painting toward the bottom of the page under Little Bird.  The old woman is painting a picture of Little Bird on a leafy branch.  Each of these individuals is content and happy.

We can never have enough hope in our lives.  Hope is held in the pages of Bravo, Little Bird! written by Annie Silvestro with illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki.  In this title, hope is carried on the notes of shared music.  Use this book for a study on the power of music to weave stories, stories that never end.  It should have a place on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To discover more about Annie Silvestro and Ramona Kaulitzki and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Annie Silvestro has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Ramona Kaulitzki has accounts on Behance, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view the open dust jacket and multiple interior images.  At author Tara Lazar's Writing For Kids (While Raising Them), the cover was revealed. 

To Life...Well Lived

During this school year, I have come to feel affection for a particular third grade classroom and their teacher.  From meeting with them each week we have reached a level of mutual trust.  We understand each other.

Earlier this week a recently acquired title left a lasting impression on me.  I read it aloud to this class of guys and gals and their mentor yesterday.  The reading was precipitated with a single sentence.  At the conclusion of the book a hush settled over the room.  A few of the listeners sighed.  The magic of this story left the pages of the book and wrapped itself around all of us.  BIG CAT, little cat (Roaring Brook Press, March 14, 2017) written and illustrated by Elisha Cooper is the book.

There was a cat

who lived alone.

One day this oneness changed.  Another cat came into the home; a small cat.  It was a little black kitten.

The white cat took charge of this new resident.  The kitten learned about eating, drinking, using the litter box, resting and the art of being a cat.  They curled around one another to sleep.  They were entwined in mutual respect and admiration.

The kitten grew and grew until there was a big white cat and a larger black cat.  Their days were filled with cat tasks like snooping in the refrigerator when the door was open, exploring the furniture, watching the birds at the feeder, and thinking cat thoughts. You could watch them go crazy romping around the rooms for a frenzied few minutes.  Life was wonderful.

Years passed.  The two cats were inseparable.  More years passed.  The white cat grew so old, he drew his last breath.  A deep sorrow descended on everyone in the home but especially on the black cat.  But...


Simple, straightforward text gently (like cat paws walking across the floor) tells the tale of these two cats.  Elisha Cooper focuses our attention on essential cat activities.  During the first of these portions of the story when the big cat is showing the little cat how to be a cat in this home, each phrase in the explanatory sentence, separated by commas, is three words long.  In another section of the story again a single sentence is supported by a group of words separated by commas, in a second sentence.

The pacing throughout is slow and measured leading us into the lives of these two cats.  We understand how their days are spent.  We understand their togetherness.  We are connected to their bond.  Here are two sentences.  They also show how Elisha Cooper expands on the title text.

Days went by---and months, too---and the little cat grew

and grew

and grew.

Big cat, bigger cat.


When you open the dust jacket for this book, you are immediately entranced by the sheer power of the simplicity of the design.  On the far left flap at the bottom we see a black tail waving from part of the cat's back.  On the back of the jacket we are looking at two cats, a foreshadowing of the conclusion, side by side, facing away from us.  On the bottom of the right flap, all we see is a portion of a white cat's face, ears and eyes, looking right at us.  The tail on the white cat on the front of the jacket curls around the logo for the publisher.

The golden yellow wash on the jacket and book case is the only color in the book except for the title text, the endpapers and four important significant images. Etched in white on the case are a bigger cat on the front and a smaller cat on the back.  They are looking at each other across the spine. The endpapers are a blue wash patterned with little and big white and black dots which are washed in the blue.

Across the title page Elisha Cooper has placed important places and items in the home; the kitchen with cat bowls, a living room chair with a cozy blanket (dotted), the bird feeder outside the window and a ball of yarn.  These places are revisited during the story like a comfortable recurring theme.  White space is a strong element in every illustration.  As mentioned above, the use of another wash instead of the white creates a vivid emotion.

With a stroke of his brush, a few lines and dots Elisha Cooper depicts the true spirit of cats.  His simple outlines of other elements allow us to be full participants in his story.  Everything about this book invites and welcomes.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the little black kitten arrives.  It's at the end of the first day or many days.  The big white cat is sleeping with one front paw extended facing to the left.  The little black cat is facing to the right, body wrapped inside the curve of the larger cat.  This extends across two pages.  In fact a portion of the larger cat's tail and back bleeds off the pages.


With this book, BIG CAT, little cat, Elisha Cooper uses the less is more concept with masterful excellence.  No matter how many times you read this book, the feeling you hold in your heart is the same.  This title leads you through life with all the joys and sadness that come but also leaves you with hope.  I highly recommend you read and acquire a copy of BIG CAT, little cat.

To learn more about Elisha Cooper and his other work please visit his website by following the links attached to his name.  He includes pages from this book at his website.  At the publisher's website you can view other interior images.  At author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's website, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, we are given the opportunity to see process art from this book and read a few comments from Elisha.

UPDATE:  Elisha Cooper writes a guest post, The Life Cycle of a Book, for Publishers Weekly about this title, October 17, 2017.