With The Eyes Of Your Mind

It is defined by Merriam-Webster as:

the act or power of forming a mental image of something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.

This gift given to each of us is heartily embraced by children every single day.  In their minds, there is much more than meets the eye.  They see beyond what is and wonder about what can be.

Time and time again, their astounding ability to think beyond borders compels adults around them to realign their own reflections and directions.  Milo Imagines the World (Putnam, G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, February 2, 2021) written by Matt de la Pena with pictures by Christian Robinson is greater than a ride on a subway.  It's an exploration of first impressions and a reexamination of those very perceptions.

What begins as a slow, distant glow

grows and grows.

into a tired train that clatters down the tracks.

Once the subway train comes to a halt, Milo and his older sister board and find seats.  He first notices a man with whiskers, a businessman, and a woman wearing a wedding dress with a small dog.  When he takes this monthly Sunday trip, Milo finds himself a bundle of mixed emotions.  To settle himself, Milo draws about the people he sees.

After the man with whiskers exits, Milo sketches his evening spent with cats, escaping parakeets, and a supper of soup.  His sister is not impressed with his pictorial musings.  At the next stop a suit-wearing boy steps through the doors with his father.  His shoes, looking like they were just taken out of a box, are noticed by Milo.

Milo presents on paper a life of royalty for the boy.  For the woman in the wedding dress with her small dog, he imagines a high-flying departure for the newly wedded husband and wife.  Again, his sister ignores his artwork preferring to focus on a game on her phone.  A troupe of break dancers briefly capture everyone's attention.  What are their lives really like?  What do other travelers on the train think about Milo?

At their stop Milo and his sister leave the platform, making their way to an imposing building.  The suit-wearing boy with his father is there, too.  Together they all wait in a long line.  It is during this waiting; Milo comes to a profound understanding.  In that moment, Milo mentally redraws all his pictures.  Milo's bundle of mixed emotions settles on one, happiness, as he shows the best drawing to the person he and his sister came to see, his mom.

Each description of Milo's observations and his imagined scenarios for the people on the subway train written by Matt de la Pena are beautifully lyrical.  His selection of words, adjectives and verbs, and use of figures of speech are adept and full of sensory awareness.  We have no idea of the destination for Milo and his sister until near the end of the narrative.  This makes the realization moving, as readers recognize the veracity of Milo's life.  His mother is incarcerated.  Here is a passage.

The wedding-dressed woman near the far door

has a face made out of light,

while the dog peeking out of her handbag has no face at all,

just a long, lolling tongue.

For the front and back of the dust jacket, artist Christian Robinson fashions very real portraits of Milo on the front and his older sister on the back.  Milo looks toward the right and his sister looks toward the left.  The inclusion of childlike drawings in crayon and colored pencil informs us of Milo's skill and his imagination.  There is a blend of realism and joyful fantasy.  There is something completely endearing about Milo's knitted hat with the hand-lettering of his name in the title.  The title text is varnished on matte-finished paper.  

On the book case is a depiction of the subway train, extending on either side of the spine which is one of the steel pillars in the station.  Among the authentic depictions of the passengers are inventive drawings made by Milo's mind.  A deep-sea diver is exiting the train as fish swim around them.  Like the dust jacket, the canvas is white.  The opening and closing endpapers mirror the design and color of Milo's hat.  For the two-page image for the title page, we see on the left drawings by Milo as he and his sister go down the stairs to the train on the right.  

These illustrations rendered

with acrylic paint, collage, and a bit of digital manipulation

all span two pages with the exception of six single-page pictures providing a pause in the pacing and highlight a shift in the narrative. They are a mix of reality and the spiral-bound notebook pages belonging to Milo.  Readers feel as though they are participants in this story through the alternating points of view.  At times we are seated in the subway train looking across the aisle at Milo and the others on his side.  Other times we move in closer to Milo's side.  And sometimes we are shown a larger view of the station.

We are distinctly aware of the facial expressions and body postures of the characters.  There are people of varying ages, walks of life, and ethnicity.  When we are viewing the pages of Milo's notebook, we sometimes see his hand steadying a page or holding a pencil as he draws.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page image.  We are close to Milo, his sister, and a new passenger on the subway.  On the far left, seated, is an elderly, well-dressed gentleman carrying a cane for walking.  Between him and Milo is an empty seat with Milo's notebook and pencil placed there.  Milo has turned in his seat to look at his face in the window.  His expression is one of curiosity.  Turned away from him and studying her phone is his sister on the right.

We need this book, Milo Imagines the World words by Matt de la Pena and pictures by Christian Robinson, so readers can see their story here and other readers can comprehend their stories with compassion.  This collaboration between these two creators is exceptional.  You will want to have a copy (or more) of this title in both your personal and professional collections. 

To discover more about Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Christian Robinson has interior images at this website.  Matt de la Pena has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Christian Robinson has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website is a teacher's guide and an audio sample.  You will enjoy interviews about this book at Publishers Weekly, AL DIA, and NPR Weekend Edition.

While The World Sleeps

Picture books are powerful.  No matter your age, they can alter your perspectives, providing new information and changing what you know about people, places, and things.  They can initiate or grow your compassion, generosity, comprehension, courage, and capacity for love.  Most of all they supply us with the opportunity to connect with other people across the spectrum of ages, sharing moments of laughter, tears, hopes, fears, strengths, weaknesses, and lasting affection.

Of these books, some can give us scary shivers and silly laughter at the same time.  The newest title written and illustrated by Theodore Geisel Honor-winning Jonathan Fenske is one of those books.  As the first words in After Squidnight (Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, July 28, 2020) are read, listeners and readers alike, will seek cozy comfort.

The sky is black.

The clouds are inky.

The salty air

is still and stinky.

You are snug in your bed, unaware of what is about to happen.  Out on the sea, the squid are rising from the depths.  Slowly, as the midnight hour approaches, so do they on the sandy beaches.  Your dreams are unlike those of the squid.  They dream of drawings, drawings of ink.

These artists slither into your home, ready to leave their quirky shapely lines.  No cupboard or drawer in the kitchen is left unopened.  They give new meaning to artwork on the fridge.  Do they stay in the kitchen? No!

No space is safe from these clever creators.  They creep from place to place until they arrive in your bedroom.  Every item is a canvas for their designs, including your exposed skin and pajamas!  As sunlight slowly rises, they leave as quietly as they came.  

Your parents do not believe what you think you saw.  Your parents look at you, assuming you caused this inky chaos.  You get to work to eliminate the mess, but when all is finished you and the squid share a secret.

With appropriate spookiness author Jonathan Fenske fashions a nighttime fantasy featuring sea creatures intent on a mission.  Rhyming phrases move at the same pace as the wily squid accomplishing their descriptive activities. Punctuation, and even parentheses, further emphasize the pacing and page turns. 

But when you stir,

oh, how they scatter!

Their squiddy hearts

a-pitter-patter.

They wait in shadows,

big eyes blinking,

and pause their

squiddly-diddly inking . . .

The color palette, black, white, and turquoise, presented to readers on the open book case is used throughout the book.  The elements on the front of the case combine to give readers chills while at the same time making it impossible not to open this book.  There are questions needing answers.  Why are all the squid out of the sea?  Why are they slipping under the open window?  The moon and murky sky in the background are the perfect touch to the looks on those squid faces.  The title text is raised and varnished.  Other elements here and on the back are varnished.

On the back, within a frame made of the underside of a squid arm, is the book's blurb.  The introductory statement reads:

Pointy heads and arms of blue

will bring the inky art to you!

A single squid peers over the top of the frame.  Other squid arms flow to the left and the right.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a repeating pattern of a large squid drawing a significant image on a wall.  It is a blue and black drawing on white.  The initial title page features the eerie title text.  The verso page includes some squid doodles.  A single squid crawls across the page from the left on the formal title page.

The images,

rendered on illustration board with #2 pencil and India ink

are double-page pictures, full-page pictures, and smaller insets.  The blend of black, white, and turquoise is skillfully presented; each used in the right amount to convey a certain mood.  The expressions on the faces of the squids are marvelous.  Their doodles are hilarious.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  A squid is in the bathtub.  On the tile surrounding the tub is a frightened fish, a shark, a palm tree (on the towel and wall), a jellyfish, and a snail.  In one squid arm we see it is holding a toothbrush with toothpaste on it.  This is a drawing on the bathmat.  Clothes and glasses have been drawn on a rubber ducky.  On the side of the tub is a man in a sailboat among waves.  He is pointing, mouth open in a shout, to a fin.

Every time I read this book, After Squidnight written and illustrated by Jonathan Fenske, I find myself smiling before I've even reached the second page.  The atmosphere the words and artwork conjure asks you to share this book widely and repeatedly.  You can expect requests of "read it again."  It also invites you to think about other animals leaving their natural habitat to explore and enjoy their favorite things.  I know you'll want a copy for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Jonathan Fenske and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Jonathan Fenske has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

From Your Soul

Striving to make a dream come true takes dedication, determination, desire and a great deal of practice.  Given the chance to exhibit the results of your endeavors is exciting.  When other members of your family with the same interests are a part of the event, your eagerness is magnified. 

You would think that an individual close to you (really close to you), would be supportive.  In fact, you should be able to count on them as your most ardent cheerleader.  Linus The Little Yellow Pencil (Disney Hyperion, June 4, 2019) written and illustrated by Scott Magoon follows the creative ups and downs of an artist with a pessimistic critic.  It's not easy to stay on point in those kinds of conditions.

The family art show was coming up, and only the art with the most heart would win the grand prize.

Linus, the little yellow pencil, is entering the contest for the first time.  Ernie is Linus's eraser.  He has a hard time finding anything good to say about Linus's drawing.  Ernie is first worried and then very angry.  Linus, in his opinion, has no talent.

Every dot, line and object Linus draws are erased by Ernie.  Now Linus has nothing for the contest.  He watches his family preparing for the exhibition.  Brush is happily painting as Ink, Red Paint and Orange Paint comment.  Linus is a tad bit jealous.  Pen and Crayons are passionately pursing their entries.  

Ernie's lack of confidence in Linus seeps into his psyche.  His happy-go-lucky spirit is fading.  When Ernie suggests they not go to the show, it is heart-breaking.  Both Linus and Ernie are starting to wonder if each other are right.  With nowhere left to go, Linus enters a nearby cave.

Inside the cave, Linus meets a being who has a distinct kinship with him.  During their conversation woes are expressed and advice is given.  Popping out of the cave, Linus is a changed little yellow pencil,

sharper than ever, 

he works with renewed vigor until an idea pops into his mind.  It's a concept with a collaborative twist.  The evening of the family art show is one everyone will remember.

Using carefully constructed simple sentences with a mix of dialogue and characters' thoughts, Scott Magoon writes a story mirroring situations and emotions in which readers will identify.  He clearly portrays the battle between loving what you do and being brave enough to keep doing it.  Readers will appreciate the wordplay within the narrative; especially the double meanings.  Here is a passage plus a little bit more.

Linus drew more, but Ernie flipped.

"You can't even make a stick figure?!"

"Oh, I don't know," said Linus.  "I like this one."

"No, trust me," said Ernie.

So Linus tried again . . .

and again.

But it was no use.

Ernie didn't like a single mark Linus made.

Rubba-dubba-rubb went Ernie.

And Linus's lines were gone.

When readers look at the smiling face of Linus on the front of the dust jacket, it is their understanding this little yellow pencil enjoys what he does.  Every portion of this illustration is lifelike, asking us to reach out and touch the page.  We can see texture, but the text is raised so we can feel it, too.  You can see faint images used as a background.  These are Linus's drawings.  

It is when the dust jacket is opened the other end of this pencil comes into view on the back, to the left.  It is cranky, doubting Ernie, enlarged just like Linus.  The line drawn by Linus is being erased.  Eraser bits fall to the left of Ernie.  The text on the back reads:

What 

will

draw

them

together?

A yellow post-it-note in the lower, left-hand corner shows a zebra sketch.  The ISBN covers most of the zebra's body.  (Clever, Scott Magoon, clever)

From left to right and crossing the spine are small colored squares on the book case.  Some are in rows; others are placed on top of these loose rows.  Inside the squares are examples of artwork after Linus's idea grew in his mind.  In the lower, right-hand corner on the front the title has been written in a yellow square.

On the opening endpapers a large drawn squiggle moves from left to right, nearly top to bottom, on a yellow canvas.  In black and white on the closing endpapers a burst of artwork in rays shines from the upper, right-hand corner to the far-left side.  This is a glorious example of Linus's grand design.

Using scanned paper texture and Photoshop Scott Magoon's illustrations are a marvelous medley of characters and artistic styles.  Items found in artist's studios and on their tables are brought to life with dots and lines and ingenuity.  Drawing notebooks and a worktable provide a canvas for the papers and artwork.  The depiction of Linus in the cave is superb.  (Look at Ernie's face!)

The picture sizes are nearly all double-page visuals.  The perspective shifts in sync with the narrative.  Emotion is embedded in every single one.  These tools of the artists' trade are fully animated expressing and experiencing human qualities.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  It highlights a good portion of the text previously noted.  On a plain creamy yellow background, Linus has drawn a stick figure in the lower, left-hand corner.  There is a grassy area at the bottom with lines rising from the ground.  A stick is standing in the middle of this area.  Three branches with leaves extend from the stick.  A smiling face is in the center with an eye and eyebrow on either side and a smile curving underneath.  Ernie is erasing the grassy area on the right.  Linus is trying to draw a swirling line, but he is clearly unhappy.

Like the winner of the art show, this book, Linus The Little Yellow Pencil written and illustrated by Scott Magoon, has the most heart.  It's not only about following your heart but also about helping someone else to see the art in their heart.  It's a hopeful, lively look at staying true to your calling but to be willing and brave enough to change.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections. (The dedication is simply lovely.)

To learn more about Scott Magoon and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  He has a great deal of information and resources about this title.  Scott has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Scott Magoon is interviewed at Creative North Shore, The Write Space and Critter Lit.   

Views Of Hues

To receive a new coloring book as a gift as a child is marvelous.  If it comes with a new box of crayons or colored pencils it is the best of the best.  The possibilities the coloring book and box of crayons offer the recipient are endless.

The trend in adult coloring books beginning several years ago can be attributed to many things but two are the inner child in all of us wants to play and they remind us of childhood.  A sense of calm is supplied by coloring, like a form of mediation for those seeking calm in the face of a variety of situations.  I Don't Draw, I COLOR! (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, March 21, 2017) written by Adam Lehrhaupt with illustrations by Felicita Sala is for everyone who longs for the freedom to express their creativity however they choose.

Some people are really good at drawing.

Other people are not really good at drawing.  Our narrator tends to make puppies, cars and people using a collection of lines and curves vaguely resembling those subjects.  He realizes his drawing techniques are minimal but he makes up for it by coloring.

Starting with the primary shades he swirls them on his paper.  He varies the shapes and sizes of the lines in combination with the hues to convey his feelings.  Happy is yellow and orange fireworks.  Angry is dark red scribbles, over and over and over until it's solid.

He is ready with a reply when asked if he wants to draw.  He politely responds with

"...I don't draw.

I color."

In fact he knows anything can be colored whether it's concrete or abstract. 

Some students would be challenged by a class assignment but not this guy.  When he is asked to make a self-portrait, he has the perfect answer.  Not only is his response perceptive but he, more than any one else, can depict himself with confidence and competence.

With just the right amount of humor and insight Adam Lehrhaupt writes simple but profound sentences spinning a narrative in which many readers will identify with the character.  His point of view rings true.  With each page turn readers are being given permission to be themselves rather than act upon the expectations of others.  This is an empowering message.  Here is one of my favorite examples:

Or something full of

life.

The swirl of shades bursting from the yellow crayon on the front of the dust jacket as our young narrator colors loops over his head, across the spine and to the edge of the back, on the left.  Yellow blends into variations of green, then hues of blue and finally to purples and spots of pink and red.  The white title text pops superbly.  

On the book case, still on a background of crisp white, the sizes of lines and shapes convey several emotional moods.  On the opening endpapers is a sunny yellow.  Complementary purple is on the closing endpapers.  The same purple is used for the title text on the title page except for the word color.  Each letter is a different shade; red, blue, purple, yellow and orange.

Rendered in watercolors, drawing and colored pencils, and crayons by Felicita Sala the images vary in size to emphasize pacing.  Throughout the narrative until the conclusion the boy is portrayed in shades of black and gray, as are the other children.  This allows for the use of color, usually on a white canvas, to intensify the connection readers have with the story.  The children and adult hand are descriptively depicted.

One of several favorite pictures is for the words 

Or something full of

life.

Here readers can see the guy extending his emotional representations.  Large areas of green in assorted shades fan upward from the bottom of the page.  On the upper edges yellow appears.  Lines looking like stems shoot toward the top with small lines and dots on all the edges.  

In a word I Don't Draw, I COLOR! written by Adam Lehrhaupt with illustrations by Felicita Sala is inspirational.  This story is an invitation.  This story gives permission.  It makes you want to race to the store to get a new box of crayons. Educators will want to use it to begin the school year or a new unit.  Make sure you have a copy on your professional bookshelves and one for home too.  I believe it would pair wonderfully with SWATCH: The Girl Who Loved Color by Julie Denos. 

To discover more about Adam Lehrhaupt and Felicita Sala and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Felicita Sala has several interior images on her website and at her blog.  To view interior images you can also visit the publisher's website.  Adam Lehrhaupt has created a Pinterest board for this book.

Finding Extraordinary In Errors

There are those days when no matter what you do, little or big, it simply does not turn out correctly.  The harder you try, the worse it gets.  You start looking over your shoulder to see if an evil goblin is following you, sending a dark aura in your direction.  Sometimes when you think it couldn't get any worse, it does but sometimes when you think it couldn't get any worse, something wonderful happens.

A shift takes place.  You start to find the marvel in the middle of your muddles. The Book of Mistakes (Dial Books for Young Readers, April 18, 2017) debut book for author illustrator Corinna Luyken is an exploration of turning blunders into beauty.

It started

with one mistake.

An eye is a little bit bigger than the other eye on a face.  Trying to make them match does not work but adding glasses is exactly what this girl needs.  Oh, oh!  Now her arms and neck are too, too long.  The collar and elbows receive a bit of embellishment.

A big bush is brilliant at concealing the odd being.  What is that creature?  It has parts of three animals.

The girl returns but is floating as she runs.  Ah...the addition of roller skates closes the gap between the bottom of her feet and the ground.  What is hidden behind the newly drawn rock? 

A longer than normal leg is perfect for tree climbing.  Smudges become soaring leaves.  And the girl running with roller skates is on a mission to make a delivery heading toward other like-minded children.  A magnificent scene greets her but readers there is much more.

Stepping back reveals a larger than imagined wonder.  Stepping back more alters your point-of-view with expectations growing until you gasp in understanding.  The power of the mind is a creative force.  Use it.

Those first five words written by Corinna Luyken immediately click with all readers.  We have all made mistakes.  With spare text the narrator talks to us about the process of making art.  We gently swing between mistakes and transformations supplying the story with a cadence. We explore the possibilities offered to us by our errors.  It's an optimistic and inventive outlook.  Here is a sample sentence.

Even the ink smudges

scattered across the sky

look as if 

they could be leaves---

like they'd always wanted

to be lifted up

and carried.

The remarkable use of white space throughout this title begins on the dust jacket.  The soft pastel palette and intricate lines create an atmosphere filled with a little bit of magic.  Already we are wondering about the girl with the yellow balloons and the other children with her.  To the left, on the back, a small boy in the lower, left-hand corner gazes up at smudges turned into leaves.  The text here reads

Set your imagination free

On the opened book case, on the right side, the front image shows the girl and the children flying away from us, higher in the sky.  On the left the boy is now riding a unicycle lifted by a large green balloon.  Three small birds follow the children.  On the opening endpapers all we see are two black ink blots.  The closing endpapers could be a continuation of part of the artwork.  What will you think when you see them?

Rendered in black ink, colored pencils, and watercolor the pictures appearing on the white canvas vary in size and perspective as we journey, contrasting the mistakes and the inspired new illustrations from them.  With each page turn the details increase, allowing us to see how pictures develop when we look with new eyes.  As we move from one subject to another, the original girl, the bush, the rock and the girl in the tree we get the sense something larger is being shaped.  

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages, without words (in fact five page turns have no words).  The girl is running with her skates toward the right edge.  In her left hand she is carrying a single yellow balloon.  In her right hand is a huge bunch of yellow balloons billowing out behind her and filling the left page. 

I think it would be fantastic if every child could have a copy of this book, The Book of Mistakes written and illustrated by Corinna Luyken, to remind them how we can turn the unexpected into a thing of wonder.  If we can't carry this book with us everywhere we should read it enough so the memory will help us to look at everything as a potential for goodness instead of a problem.  I highly recommend this title.

To learn more about Corinna Luyken and this book, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  There are little extras there for you.  Corinna maintains a blog here.  Be sure to read these interviews at author, teacher librarian and blogger Carter Higgins's Design Of The Picture Book and author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

The Power Of Three

For those taking the time to look, patterns of three can be found repeatedly in our collective cultures, its literature and religion.  Every living thing has birth, life and death.  Time is measured in the past, present and future.  Stories have a beginning, middle and an ending.  In nursery rhymes there are three little kittens, three blind mice and three bags of wool.  We have listened to and read the tales and an assortment of variations of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, The Three Billy Goats Gruff and The Three Little Pigs.  Characters are given three guesses and three wishes.  How often have we heard the third time is the charm?

For readers who have great affection for characters and their story lives, the most wonderful use of the number three is the word trilogy.  To know, in spite of the wait, two more books in a fictional world formed in the mind of an author will follow is sheer bliss.  In 2013 author and illustrator Aaron Becker introduced us to the enchantment found in his wordless 2014 Caldecott Honor book, Journey (Candlewick Press).

The story in book two, Quest (Candlewick Press, August 26, 2014) begins on the title page.  The girl and the boy she met in Journey are continuing to ride a tandem bicycle they drew using her red marker and his purple marker.  Seeking shelter beneath a bridge during a rain shower, they are asked by the King of Pallonezia, who steps through a doorway, to assist in saving him and his kingdom.  Following a map, they travel to particular prominent points in other lands gathering pieces of light which hold a promise.  Their success is a crowning achievement for them and their companion, a purple phoenix.

Readers' patience was rewarded with the release of Return (Candlewick Press, August 2, 2016) conceived and illustrated by Aaron Becker.  This third wordless volume is as fascinating as the previous two.  It is a more intimate and moving conclusion than Journey or Quest; the completion of a circle.

As in the first book, the girl brings her red kite and red ball to her father, who is drawing at his drafting table.  He is too busy to notice her requests.  She goes back to her bedroom drawing a red door and steps back into Pallonezia carrying the ball with her.  Later her father looks down at the floor noticing her dropped red kite.  Going into her bedroom, he sees and walks through the doorway.

In the distance his daughter's red ball is on the dock.  As a strange mechanical dragon floats by him, he steps on board.  It carries him along the waterways to Pallonezia and the platform where his daughter, the King, the boy and the purple phoenix have gathered.  Before any familial issues can be resolved, the evil emperor is revealed.

In the ensuing chaos some are able to escape due to the boy's creativity but it's only temporary before tragedy strikes again.  The inventive, quick-thinking daughter rescues a few. Cave walls tell a tale.  Wickedness arrives intent on capturing all goodness.  A trap is sprung...twice.  An artist and a daughter close a distance and step through a door of possibilities.


Whether you have read the two previous books or not, looking at the open dust jacket you are fully aware the girl carrying a red marker and a red ball has just entered an extraordinary world.  The lights and lanterns are glowing in the evening darkness as fireflies blink off and on.  You may wonder why she is wearing a crown.  You may also wonder why on the back, to the left, a crown has settled on the bottom of a sea with two fish and a seahorse wondering the same thing.  Beneath the jacket on a cloth cover of deep steel blue a kite is embossed.

The opening and closing endpapers are similar to those found in the first volume, a rich red in color with sketches of images.  These illustrations ask us to engage in activities like baseball, fishing, checkers, skating or reading. With a page turn Aaron Becker starts this story on the title page.  There are hints of events to come in this first visual of the daughter in her father's study/studio.

Rendered in watercolor, pen and ink the illustrations continue with a cutaway of the girl's home as she draws the red door to reenter Pallonezia. (I found myself comparing this picture with the cutaway in Journey.)  With a single exception all of the full or double page pictures extend edge to edge.  When Becker places several smaller vignettes on white space it is to show a quick succession of time or intensify a specific moment.  Becker's lush landscapes will have you gasping for breath either in awe of the panorama spread before you or at the tension in a situation right before your eyes.  His intricate fine lines and exquisite attention to detail will have you flipping back and forth through the pages.

One of my favorite illustrations is a close-up picture of the father on his arrival to Pallonezia.  He is standing on the dock along the stream holding his daughter's red ball.  Floating around the corner is the mechanical dragon.  Lanterns are strung from tree to tree.  Fireflies are flying through the forest.  The lights are reflected in the water.  You can feel the balmy air.  You can hear the night noises.  Your senses are shifting into high alert.


Return conceived and illustrated by Aaron Becker is a marvelous, magical adventure exploring the strength which comes from allowing our imaginations to freely explore.  Friendship, loyalty, family and love are woven throughout this final journey, quest and return to home.  It is a wonderfully rewarding read for all ages.

To discover more about Aaron Becker and the two previous titles please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  To view interior images please follow this link to the publisher's website. The publisher has created an Aaron Becker's The Journey Trilogy Activity Kit.  The book cover premiere for this title is found at All The Wonders hosted by teacher librarian Matthew Winner.  The book trailer premiere is at 100 Scope Notes hosted by teacher librarian Travis Jonker.  Aaron Becker visits All The Wonders Podcast, Episode 277 hosted by Matthew Winner.  Aaron Becker visits KidLit TV in an interview with Rocco Staino on StoryMakers and on Ready Set Draw! Aaron Becker's Watercolor Journey.  Aaron Becker was previously interviewed at Smart Books for Smart Kids, School Library Journal, and KidLit 411.  He is the subject of a post at The Huffington Post.  Enjoy the videos.








To celebrate the release of Return the final volume in Aaron Becker's triology, Candlewick Press is giving away a copy of Journey and Quest.

New To The Neighborhood

Moving into a new neighborhood, a new community, can be a bit daunting regardless of your age.  You wonder about the similarities and differences between you and your neighbors.  You are curious to know if they are friendly and supportive or if they prefer to quietly go about their lives in isolation.  It's also safe to say those "Welcome Wagon" days are a thing of the past.

In a companion to Louise Love Art (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 9, 2014) Kelly Light works her own singular, delightful combination of words and images to bring to readers Louise and Andie The Art Of Friendship (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, June 14, 2016).  Louise's special optimistic brand of looking at life spills forth from the pages of this new story.  She embraces change seeing it as an opportunity.

Art, this is the BEST day ever!
I'm so excited to meet out new neighbor.
I hope she loves art too.

As Louise, her brother Art and their expressive cat approach the new neighbor's house an air of anticipation hangs in the air.  Louise introduces herself, Art and their cat and Andie introduces herself and her dog, Bacon.  Andie seems to be a bit reserved but welcomes them inside her home.

As soon as possible Louise asks Andie if she likes art.  Upon seeing her bedroom decorated with huge paintings, it is clear Andie shares the same passion as Louise.  Within minutes they are both making art together.  They both declare this is the

BEST DAY EVER!

The trouble in this portrait of perfection among new friends is when a question is asked and answered.  The recipient of the reply was not ready for insights from another.  An ensuing tussle results in an artistic disaster and a classic realization.

Both girls are deeply saddened, the one leaving for home and the other wondering what to do.  Kindred in spirit if not in their outlook on art, a new masterpiece takes shape.  Plans for future collaboration will prompt knowing nods in some readers and most assuredly giggles from everyone.


As soon as you read the first three sentences all the joy the characters feel for art and the making of art is conveyed by Kelly Light.  As the story progresses we realize this outlook is not something to be held in solitude but released into the world.  Within short specific conversations, personalities are reinforced and introduced to readers.  When these are paired with the images readers will be able to detect subtle hints at the how the narrative will unfold.


When you first look at the matching dust jacket and book case ask yourself what you see.  What do you notice about the color palette?  What do the expressions on the characters' faces depict?  What does the choice of eyeglass style reveal about their personalities?  What type of medium do they prefer in making their art?  Already similarities and differences are clearly noticeable.

To the left, on the back, the comic relief team is busy.  Along the top hanging from a line with clothes pins are three portraits of Louise, Art and Andie.  Beneath them the cat and Art are watching Bacon create his own particular type of art.  Blue paint is flying in the air and cans of red and yellow are overturned.  The blue used in the jacket and case acts as a canvas on the opening and closing endpapers.  In the corner of each is the window in Louise's home.  In the first the cat is beneath a welcoming hand-drawn picture.  In the second the results of a new relationship are framed in the same window.

Continuing to use every portion of the book to tell her story, Light pictures Art, Louise and the cat peeking out the window of their home at the moving van parked next door on the title page.  Andie and Bacon are on the lawn.  The publication information at the close of the book provides a comical continuation.

Rendered in many black Prismacolor pencils and Photoshop most of the illustrations span two pages except for a critical turning point when Light uses a series of smaller pictures on a single page followed by three horizontal illustrations on the next page. Bright white backgrounds, distinctive use of line and limited color palette have these pictures literally popping off the pages with sheer happiness.

The humor supplied in the cat's expressions of disdain and in the toothy grin on Bacon's face will have readers bursting out in laughter.  Bacon's eagerness is most definitely not shared by the cat.  The ebb and flow of the narrative is skillfully matched in the shift of perspective with page turns.  Careful readers will notice details such as the stacked soup cans on the kitchen counter.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a close-up after Louise and Andie sit down to make art.  All we see are hands and paper.  Louise is leaning over a duck picture she is drawing with a pencil, a sharpener near at hand.  In the opposite corner, lower, right-hand side, Andie is painting with her brush.  Beneath Louise, nearly off the page, Art is drawing with a red crayon.  On that same page Bacon is making an entrance grabbing and pulling on the cat's tale as she exits the top of the right-hand page.  What's not to love about the energy in this picture?!


As charming as the first book with equal amounts of love of art and humor Louise And Andie The Art of Friendship written and illustrated by Kelly Light is sure to be rarely on bookshelves.  The artful, yes artful, mix of Light's words and her illustrations completely surround the reader.  By the time they finish this story, they will be getting out their own art supplies or heading to the nearest store.  All the characters with their unique personalities will find a place in each reader's heart.

To discover more about Kelly Light and her illustrative work please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries John Schumacher featured Kelly Light on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. with the release of her book trailer and a chat.  Kelly Light is a guest at Reading for Research ReFoReMo talking about mentor texts. On June 14, 2016 at All The Wonders, a group of people from the children's literature community got together to celebrate Kelly Light, Louise and the art of friendship with their cheerful artwork.  Kelly Light speaks with teacher librarian Matthew Winner on All The Wonders, Episode 266.  Kelly Light has been a guest at KidLit TV in a series of videos.

Inking Possibilities

One of the benefits of being alive for decades is the extraordinary changes seen.  One worth noting is the burst of color on television screens, in film, in newspapers and magazines, in the switch on the Internet from text only to graphics and in children's literature.  When much of your childhood viewing has been in black and white, it's simply astonishing.

Yet there is a gift in creating images without color.  Light and shadow, lines, the positioning of white and black space and use of perspective can capture uncommon beauty.  You only have to think of the work of photographer Ansel Adams to know this is true.  Coretta Scott King Honor and Caldecott Honor award winner Christopher Myers has written and illustrated a new title, My Pen (Disney Hyperion, March 10, 2015) with striking results.

THERE ARE RICH PEOPLE WHO OWN JEWELS AND HOUSES AND PIECES OF THE SKY.

Famous people can see what they say and do almost anywhere at any time.  If we dwell on these rich and famous people we might feel less significant than we should.  A young boy searching for his place is feeling rather unimportant when he remembers something special, his pen.

This pen makes those who are aged giants.  If desired, the pen can place the giant in the hand of a young girl.  Given time, walking on the clouds is done as easily as walking down a city street.  Dinosaur rides are as common as robins in springtime.

Vast stretches of waves and water can be crossed in a newspaper boat.  There is brilliant individuality within the confines of the pen.  Futuristic sneakers and x-ray vision appear almost magically.

Emotion flows from this pen, fear and great love.  Designs can range from the very simple to the complex.  If allowed freedom, stories will emerge.  Find a pen, readers and use it with thoughtful abandon.


It reads like the pages from a daily journal, informal but filled with inventive musings.  Christopher Myers enhances those thoughts with rich descriptions; old men who have seen better days, warm, sweet hands or tap-dances on the sky.  There is a flow from sentence to sentence; one daydream connected to another, a collection of creativity.  Here is a sample selection.

MY PEN HAS X-RAY VISION.
IT IS NOT 3D, BUT IT
          WISHES THAT IT WAS.


The opened dust jacket reveals an interior image on the back, to the left, of the pen as a boy riding a Tyrannosaurus rex.  On the front a partially rendered illustration in exquisite detail entices us to open the book.  We are anxious to see what more this pen has to offer.  The book case is splashes of black ink on white with My Pen in white on a large spot.  The matching opening and closing endpapers are a series of doodles, pen scratches, lines, splotches and dots.

An intriguing dedication in the form of a monetary bill placed on a black page names the boy seen throughout the book. Opposite on a page of white, the title page, the boy is walking diagonally up a slope.  This looks to be drawn as a single continuous line.

Alternating between black and white backgrounds and single or double page illustrations each drawing maintains our undivided attention.  We wish to shadow the pen (and the boy) as an elephant peers from inside a teacup, a pair of sneakers transmits virtually, lungs are butterfly wings and love is shown to all kinds of children. The images' fine lines form breathtaking scenes full of wonder.

One of my favorite illustrations is of the boy standing in puddles.  He is holding a large opened umbrella resting on his shoulder as the opposite hand stretches to catch a raindrop.  The shading supplies luminosity to the pools of water.


My Pen written and illustrated by Christopher Myers is a stunning exploration of imagination and art.  It is guaranteed to promote discussion in readers.  You will want to have plenty of paper and pens available to hand out after you share this with a single child or a group.

Reading Rockets has a series of video interviews located here.  Several illustrations are highlighted at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson.

Read...Dream...Do

All it takes is one good book.  With this any reader's life has the potential to be changed regardless of their situation.  This single volume starts a fire which will continue to be fueled by works from the same author or illustrator or new authors and illustrators.

For those fortunate enough to have classroom and school libraries, public libraries or homes filled with reading materials and who are supported by dedicated certified staff and/or caring adults, transformation is guaranteed.  Draw! (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers) by Raul Colon is a visual offering giving evidence to the power of reading and individual imagination.  Entirely without words, it will leave you speechless, stunned by the images and the story they tell.


On the first page a boy is sitting on his bed, leaning against several pillows, reading a book with AFRICA on the cover.  Next to him is a safari hat.  On the floor, leaning against the bed, is a sketch book.  A glass of water and several pencils have been placed on his bedside table.

With a page turn, the illustration and our perspective grow.  An inhaler is also on the table, perhaps explaining the boy's presence in his bedroom.  He is now drawing.  A pair of binoculars, an umbrella, a stack of books and a sandwich on a plate have also been added.  But that is not all...a thrilling shift in the story is taking place.

A series of bolder, more vibrant pictures, moving from left to right, increasing in size, are superimposed on this visual.  They begin next to the boy's head.  In each of them, he is walking across an African landscape, wearing his safari hat, a canteen, an easel and a backpack while carrying his sketch book.  Readers know a kind of magic is beginning to unfold.

In the next series of single page illustrations, he befriends an elephant accompanied by a small white egret.  After completing a drawing of the elephant and bird, he rides on the elephant's back toward a herd of zebras.  Each time he completes a picture we are drawn deeper into his journey.

Giraffes running across the grasslands, lions lying lazily and standing majestically on a rocky outcrop, gorillas sitting among trees, water buffalo grazing, a hippo wading in shallow water, a charging rhino and monkeys quenching their curiosity fill page after page.   The adventuring artist climbs trees, shares his sandwiches, hat and pencils, hangs from vines, runs like the blazes and embraces a pachyderm pal.  We are definitely fortunate, as are his fellow classmates, to experience this fascinating day with him because of his talent; a talent to read, dream and do...through his drawing.



  Raul Colon has a distinctive illustrative process.  Each picture in this title invites readers to pause.  Opening the dust jacket an original piece features the boy drawing the charging rhino, intent but ready to run.  On the left an interior page from the book shows the boy on the back of the elephant holding his binoculars in one hand, a sandwich in the other.  In the background, a now calm rhino is staring at his portrait placed against a tree.  The book case is a different single illustration taken from the book of the giraffes running as the boy draws.

On the title page three pencils, the binoculars, a safari hat and a backpack stuffed with sandwiches and an umbrella give readers a peek at events to come.  All of Colon's visuals glow due to his technique of beginning with a golden undertone wash; thus illuminating his other colors.  A palette of browns, blue, greens and hues specific to each animal spread from edge to edge on single or double pages.

A sense of warmth not just because of the color choices but because of the acceptance (well except for the rhino) of the animals toward the boy is present.  They are as comfortable with him as he is with them; certainly this is due to his elephant guide.  Colon interjects easy, playful humor into some of his pictures; the gorillas holding the boy's hat and eating a sandwich and the monkeys drawing a picture of the boy in his sketchbook on the easel.

One final point is the two pages of the rhino charge.  Four small illustrations on a single page show him getting closer and closer to the boy.  With a page turn the action bursts forth across double pages.

My favorite illustration, which I would hang in my home in a heartbeat, is the boy, eyes closed, standing next to the elephant at the day's end.  The elephant's trunk is curved around his body, brushing against his ear.  Colon brings us up close to this scene focusing on the boy and the lower two-thirds of the elephant.  It is very moving.


When I read Draw! by Raul Colon last night at the end of my day, I was astonished at its beauty.  I immediately read it again and again.  Hand this to your art teacher, young artists and those who need or want to see the power of reading and imagination.  My Mock Caldecott list grew by one more title.

For more information about Raul Colon follow the link embedded in his name to the National Center for Children's Illustrated Literature.  Here is a link to a site, Illustrated Friday, where Raul Colon answers ten questions about his work and process.  Here is a link to an interview at School Library Journal.  Enjoy the videos below.

Out of HeArt Comes...

By the time I was five years old I was an avid drawer of...rainbows.  Every picture felt incomplete unless those varied hues arched across the paper from edge to edge.  If you happened to visit our home, the refrigerator was covered in a collage of color.

All you have to do is work with a group of little guys and gals to have their unbridled enthusiasm for making art spread to an unsuspecting by-stander; like the best kind of virus in the universe.  They savor new boxes of crayons, sharpened colored pencils, glue sticks, scissors and do-dads galore.  Their concentration is intense and complete.  Each finished project is as unique as the individual who makes them.

There are those books which reach out and wrap themselves around you in a bear hug of warmth as soon as you see the cover.  Kelly Light's debut picture book, Louise Loves Art (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 9, 2014) is one of those books.  Louise, her little brother Art and one clever cat walk right into your heart, staying there even when the story is completed.


I love art!
It's my imagination on the outside.

Papers scattered across her bedroom floor, Louise is busily creating the ultimate picture.  It will be the best representation of her drawing skills.  It will be her spectacular showpiece.

Like a true artist she pays close attention to every single detail; all the lines and shapes must convey the essence of her subject.  The family cat is captured in feline perfection to Louise's delight.  When her brother repeatedly tries to get her attention, she is much too busy to waste a single second.  She has a gallery to create.

Oh my yes...she is energetically engrossed in the task at hand.  It's to the kitchen she goes.  There's nothing like the refrigerator for providing space to display one's creative treasure.  Her contemplation is finally interrupted by a loud

LOUISE!

Oops!  What has Art done?  I guess Art followed his heart...and his sister.


Kelly Light does not waste a single word; each sentence conveying the precise, precious thoughts and voice of Louise.  It's easy to imagine hearing her speak; so lively and full of passion for making art.  She gives a dramatic flair to Louise's speech by adding words like piece de resistance and Voila!  You might want to practice your French accent before reading this aloud.  It adds to the fun factor.

Beginning with the dust jacket these illustrations exude charm and humor.  It's obvious Louise and Art are happiest when drawing but the cat will be supplying the comedy.  On the back we readers are treated to sister and little brother lying across a pile of pictures, drawing away with the cat sprawled on its back watching.  The opening and closing endpapers are entirely in the bright vintage red except for the lower right-hand corner being held back like a curtain by the cat showing Louise and again at the end with Louise holding back the corner revealing Art with the cat stretched next to him. These little touches elevate the excellence of the visuals.

The title page extends across two pages, beginning the story in Louise's bedroom with her drawing, the cat dozing on the bed (one eye open) and Art peeking in through the doorway.  The stage is set for a stellar story.  All the remaining pictures cover both pages, edge to edge with the exception of two sets of smaller visuals which accentuate defining moments in the narrative. (Light continues the story using the verso at the end.)

Rendered with black Prismacolor pencils and Photoshop, using a limited color palette these illustrations pop off the page with pizzazz telling a tale of their own in addition to the text.  We readers are privy to Art's activities as Louise merrily goes about her work.  The cat's facial expressions and body movements are hilarious with a capital H.

Attention to details, all the drawings and the decor in the rooms, make readers feel right at home.  It's next to impossible for me to pick a favorite illustration.  I truly love them all but there are four pages I can't look at without laughing.  The wordless illustration when Louise is sizing up where to hang her masterpiece with the cat trying to get her attention and pointing at Art and the next picture when Art says

LOUISE!

holding something in his hands.  The perspective has zoomed in on him.  The look on what we can see of the cat's face will have readers giggling like crazy.


I for one am so happy that Kelly Light brought these siblings and their cat into the children's literature world in her first picture book, Louise Loves Art.  Make sure you have an abundance of paper, pencils and red crayons handy after reading this aloud.  Of course as the artists are working away, they will most certainly request you read this again to them.  This is a joyful ode to the love of art and Art.

Please follow the link embedded in Kelly Light's name to access her website.  A link there takes you to her blog giving you more information about her process.  These are links to interviews at Idle Illustration, Andrea Skyberg|Author & Artist, and Inkygirl.

Here is a recent tweet about her illustrations.

Louise red is very hot, orangey... Wanted it to be a vintage red. The kind you see in Bakelite or on… http://t.co/pbc4SrvKo3
— kellylight (@kellylight) July 16, 2014

UPDATE:  Book trailer released on August 7, 2014




UPDATE:  Louise Loves Art is highlighted in a trifecta on September 8, 2014.  Kelly Light writes about her reading journey at Nerdy Book Club.  Educator Colby Sharp highlights a conversation he had with Kelly Light on his blog at sharpread.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian, interviews Kelly Light on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.

To Show, To Share

When we see, taste, touch, smell, hear or do something for the first time, it leaves a lasting impression in our memories.  Everything about this will never be exactly the same again.  If what we've experienced is out of the ordinary, it is only natural to want to share it with others.  We have a desire to recreate this event; to capture it, to preserve it.

I freely admit to not taking this a step further; wondering about the first time anyone sees, tastes, touches, smells, hears, or does what I have.  In his newest title, The First Drawing (Little, Brown and Company) Mordicai Gerstein does wonder.  From a clue, an imprint left in a cave, Mordicai Gerstein makes a story.

Imagine...
you were born before the invention of drawing,
more than thirty thousand years ago.

A young boy lives in a cave with a host of relatives.  One of his greatest joys is spending hours watching all the animals living around his home.  By his side in these daily adventures is a wolf, Shadow.

This boy sees what others do not.  They see clouds or stones but he sees shapes of creatures.  At night when he should be sleeping, as the flames from the fire flicker on the walls, he sees even more animals moving along the rough rock.

He is given a nickname because of his abilities.  It's not meant as unkindness but only a statement of the others' understood truth.  One day as the boy is working with his father, a chance meeting alters the course of everyone's lives.

He, alone except for Shadow, has a very close encounter with a Woolly Mammoth.  As the seconds tick by, his mind is recording every sensory perception.  Later as he tries to explain it to his father, his father sighs the sigh of a long-suffering adult and shakes his head in puzzlement.

Sleep eludes the boy that night.  His memories are conjuring up a living, breathing likeness of the very Woolly Mammoth he saw earlier.  Unable to contain his excitement he awakens all the others in the cave.  As surely as if it is standing before them, he can see it on the wall.  All the others, his parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, cannot.

Impulsively, needing them to see what he does, the boy grabs a stick from the fire.  From the darkened end, lines form a shape.  A frightened shout causes him to stop.  This has to be magic!


It is with the introduction, three simple but intriguing sentences,  Mordicai Gerstein says, "Come readers, turn the page and follow me."  Each statement, or group of statements, on the following pages employs an economy of words but the point of view gives those phrases emotion.  Within the text, Gerstein adds dialogue to bring familiarity to the telling.  We readers become the boy's shadow. A favorite passage of mine is during his meeting with the Woolly Mammoth.

It sniffs you with its trunk,
then stands perfectly still.
So do you.

You're afraid to move.
It's like a fur-covered mountain
with eyes that look into yours. ...


Through his artwork Caldecott Medalist, Mordicai Gerstein has the ability to take us wherever he desires.  Unfolding, spreading open the matching jacket and cover, we see the title over a boy drawing on a cave wall by the light of a fire as a wolf rests watching.  On the back the same wall with the same drawing is featured with a noticeable exception.  A present day boy is looking at the picture, pencils in hand, a roll of paper under his arm.  His faithful hound walking before him points his nose at the footprint of a child and the paw print of a wolf.  The words above them read,

Can you imagine who made the world's first drawing?

This image is repeated inside on the first page followed, with a turn of page, by another of the boy and his dog looking at an elephant in a zoo within the verso on the left-hand side.  Under the text on the title page, on the right, the boy is hanging up his paper.  On the next two pages as the present-day boy stares at the paper, Gerstein shifts us to thirty thousand years in the past to tell his story showing the boy from the past with Shadow looking up at a cloud formation.

In a series of illustrative portrayals rendered in acrylics, pen and ink, and colored pencil, single pages filled with spirit, smaller images grouped on a page brimming with movement and emotion, and dramatic two-page spreads, Mordicai Gerstein makes us believe, in a flicker of spontaneous inspiration, a first happened.  His color palette of mostly brown and blue hues with his intricately drawn lines takes us effortlessly into the past.  One of my favorite illustrations is of the boy sleeping next to Shadow in the cave.  As he dreams of running among the animals whose shapes he sees in everyday things, they appear on the cave wall glowing in the firelight.


As surely as magic must have surrounded people when they looked upon the first painting on a cave wall, readers will feel it too as they read The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein.  Not only is this a marvelous tribute to the act of drawing, but it causes us to wonder about other firsts.  Don't miss this beautiful book!

In an author's note on the final page, Mordicai Gerstein speaks about the inspiration for his telling of this story.  Follow this link to an interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  

With A Single Step

Never having been a believer in coincidences when this tweet appeared in my feed I knew there was only one thing to do.

Life gives you the journey, you create the path. #inspiration http://t.co/QDciWIGVwr
— Sue (@SJM_CookiesMom) August 28, 2013

It was time to review a book I read before going to sleep several weeks ago.  When I finished this book, I simply held it in my arms.  I've had a couple books this year I've hugged after reading them; their stories were so endearing but this book I held was different.  It was filled with possibilities.  I did not want any of them to escape.

For my older dog, several times a day her journey is to struggle to her feet, slowly move about the house, walk to the door, around the yard and, on good days, maybe a block down the street.  One evening this week two rabbits were playing a hopping game of tag in my front yard.  Their particular playful journey was spontaneous, the stuff of fairy.  Every night just before it gets too dark to see, a neighbor walks around the subdivision two or three times, trying to rehabilitate a knee after surgery, making a journey toward better health.  A fallen leaf, a stone upon a sandy beach or a penny dropped from a pocket are all on a journey.

Perhaps one of the best journeys of all is the one taking you to a library.  Within those walls are an infinite number of journeys; combinations of books and readers.  To open Journey  (Candlewick Press, August 6, 2013), a wordless picture book, written and illustrated by Aaron Becker is to step on a path of power, the power of imagination.

Unfolding the jacket of Journey we see on our left a rich red flowing to the spine.  The only other color is three decorative, ornate lanterns in shades of blue hanging from the top, three moths flying about those lanterns.  As our eyes drift right, to the front, the same red is used in three elements, contrasting with a castle straight out of a dream.  The black cloth cover is bare except for an embossed hot air balloon carrying a single passenger.

Opening and closing endpapers in a subdued shade of the red are patterned in adventurous modes of travel; hot air balloon, train, motor car, Viking ship, three-masted schooner, air ship, airplane, submarine and maybe even a space vehicle.  They are a blend of history and fantasy.  On the title page our traveler moves down the city street on her bright red scooter beneath tree branches, a blue lantern hanging down, a blend of the here and now with a hint of the magic to come.

We follow her as she sits on the steps of her house, head and hands resting on her knees.  A cutaway of the rooms in her home show her mother cooking in the kitchen, her father at work upstairs in his study in front of a computer and her sister lying on the couch watching a digital device.  Three smaller illustrations picture her asking each to go outside with her riding on the scooter, flying a kite or playing with a ball.

Then alone except for the company of her cat, she sits on the bed in her room.  When the cat leaves she spies a red marker on the floor.  Drawing a door on the wall, she is able to open it and step from a tree trunk into the lush greenness of a forest strung with lights and those same hanging blue lanterns.  Using the stream meandering through as a map, she walks to the end of a dock.

A small rowboat drifts along with the current into a castle with turrets, waterfalls and raised waterways, taking readers along with the girl into the realm of Pallonezia.  A hot air balloon floats among the clouds and airships. A rarity is captured and rescued.  The favor is returned.  Flight on a carpet takes her back through another doorway to the streets of her city. A friend awaits...a friend careful readers will have noticed in the very beginning.


Rendered in watercolor, pen and ink the illustrations of Aaron Becker create a luminous landscape unlike any other.  Sepia tones are used to delineate the girl's world except for the bright splashes of red, in stunning contrast to the world encountered on the other side of the doorway; spectacular in color, detail and viewpoint.  He also chooses to shift from full color edge to edge illustrations to those placed upon a white background to place emphasis on the importance of the circumstances as when the girl draws.

From a bird's eye panoramic view, moving in closer and closer, until a scene unfolds as if we are the girl, these illustrations request us to be part of the storytelling.  Details from the city appear again as fixtures in the other world.  How many can you find?  Each of the illustrations are integral parts of a beautiful whole.  With that being said, my favorite may be when she enters the forest through the red doorway, you know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, something very special is about to begin.


Journey written and illustrated by Aaron Becker is one of those books, where from time to time, you need to stop and remind yourself to breathe.  Like so much in life, even the end hints at the beginning of yet another journey.  I will gladly be placing this title with others on my Mock Caldecott list.

Please follow the link embedded in Aaron Becker's name above to visit his website.  Follow this link to a publisher Q & A with Creator Aaron Becker. Julie Danielson from Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast interviews Aaron Becker at Kirkus about Journey and again at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Here is some artwork with a short commentary on Tumblr from Aaron Becker about his process.