Among The Branches

Decades ago in a tiny community, there was a short little street with a flower shop at one end and a factory at the other end.  On this street was a small house with a small yard but in the back was a giant willow tree.  Its branches were perfectly placed for climbing.

A little girl loved to climb that tree and see the world from its heights.  There were days she wanted to live in that tree.  To come outside one morning and see a treehouse placed among those branches would have been the fulfillment of a deep longing.   Everything You Need for a Treehouse (Chronicle Books, April 10, 2018) written by Carter Higgins (This is NOT a Valentine Chronicle Books, December 26, 2017) with illustrations by Emily Hughes ( The Little Gardener Flying Eye Books, June 1, 2015 UK, August 11, 2015 US) is a song of gratitude for treehouses real and imagined.  It's the fulfillment of dreams across generations.

Everything you need for a 
treehouse
starts with time
and looking up
and imagining a home
of timber and rafters
in wrangled, gnarled bark.

There is no single tree better destined for holding these abodes;  a solitary sentinel in a meadow or one among many in a lush green forest are equally excellent.  The main characteristic the best trees have is height.  You'll need it to see what needs to be seen.

It is important to have a plan, the proper tools and materials. There are certain steps to take in the construction.  A ladder is a necessity.  For gardeners boxes to hold your flowers are best.  For climbers no ordinary rope will do, it must be sturdy to keep you steady.  For readers, those adventurers of the printed word, bookshelves are a beloved requirement.

Remember to bring to your favorite snacks.  Now is a good time for a close inspection of your sleeping bag.  Is it comfy?

No resident of a home in the lofty arms of a tree should be without a flashlight.  It gives light where there is none.  Remember the suggestion of looking over your sleeping bag, there is another reason this is important.  It has something to do with nighttime sounds and friendship.

Treehouses hold secrets.  Treehouses are for hushed voices and shouts of freedom.  Treehouses are for aloneness and togetherness.  Treehouses are for working and resting.  They begin with us.


With the first words written by Carter Higgins it's as if we already sheltered inside a comfortable dwelling among leafy boughs.  In each group of phrases she's captured those small memorable moments, the wonderful details of youth and hopes and adventure.  At times words will be in italics.  Those words are yours; depicting your conversations.  Here are two passages.

When you get hungry in your hideaway
you'll be glad for the stack of snacks
you stashed in your backpack.

Red licorice and drippy peaches are my favorites
but if you like pistachios, those are okay, too---
the pirates like those---
so we can spit the shells from our perch.


Many people in the United States (maybe other places, too) have been enduring a heat wave for nearly a week but when you look at the opened dust jacket for this book, you are transported to the cool, calm of the woods.  On each of the flaps and the back of the jacket the shape of the tree on the front is replicated; one vertically and two horizontally.  Within those shapes are portraits of children near or on trees.  They are surrounded by liberal amounts of cream-colored space.  And wouldn't you love to join the two children in the treehouse on the front of the jacket?

The book case will prompt gasps from every reader.  On the far left is the truck and leafy boughs of a tall tree.  Pale blue sky covers the remaining space except for a hint of branches by the spine.  These branches belong to another large tree nearly filling the entire front.  A secluded treehouse is occupied by two children gazing at us.

On the opening and closing endpapers there are twenty-one small images of treehouses and items found in trees.  Many of them are framed in rope.  These like all the illustrations are utterly enchanting.  With the exception of fourteen single page pictures, two of those have two small visuals per page, all of the images span two pages.

Rendered by hand in graphite and in Photoshop the artwork by Emily Hughes is intricate, exquisite in its detail. At each illustration you are welcomed and you pause to enjoy the view.  Perspectives shift.  All kinds of children with different likes and dislikes and similarities, too, occupy the pages.  You want to find all of them to see what they are doing.  The designs of the treehouses will leave you breathless.

One of my many favorite illustrations (I love them all,) is the first one.  It's laden with promise.  Spread across two pages are multiple trunks of trees, a grove.  The point of view is of us looking up.  The tops of the trees are in soft shades of green.  On the left a girl is looking to the top on the right.  On the right a boy has his eyes on something on the left.  His dog's attention is on the right.


Written by Carter Higgins with illustrations by Emily Hughes Everything You Need for a Treehouse is an exuberant collection of wondrous possibilities.  Your eyes move from point to point with each page turn running the words through your mind or reading them aloud.  Or you look at each carefully-placed element in the pictures before reading the words.   It's simply beautiful.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Carter Higgins and her other work please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At her website Carter interviews Emily Hughes about her work on this book.  I encourage you to read it.  An interview of Carter and cover reveal appears at All The Wonders.  You might like to stop at 12 x 12 and Melissa Roske's site for features on Carter Higgins.  Emily Hughes maintains an account on Instagram.  You will learn more about Emily Hughes from watching these two videos.


Emily Hughes - Illustration from CLPE on Vimeo.

Brotherhood And Best Days

Late last night when the temperature fell to eighty degrees, it was more comfortable for dog walking.  The nine month old puppy was eager to race down the road after confinement in the air-conditioned home all day.  All the smells of the neighborhood assaulted her with their messages.  She probably had no idea the sight of the first firefly of late spring was the best part of her human companion's day.

A firefly signaling in the darkness beneath a few stars and the light of the moon is an unpredictable thing but nevertheless a welcome reminder of nothing is better than those things in life which cost nothing and have the appearance of simplicity.  In reading the first title in an early chapter book series, Charlie & Mouse (Chronicle Books, April 11, 2017) written by Laurel Snyder with illustrations by Emily Hughes it is readily apparent how much joy can be found in everyday family life.  You need to choose how you view each part of the day.

LUMPS
Charlie woke up.
There was a lump beside him.
He poked the lump.
The lump moaned.

In this first of four chapters Charlie is trying to get the lump, his brother, to rise and shine.  Charlie can hardly wait to get the day started.  Today is the day of the neighborhood party.  The lump, Mouse, is skeptical but enthusiastically runs to wake up Mom and Dad.

These two lumps are not as willing to wake up.  In fact one lump, Mom, has a final last word.  As the brothers excitedly chat about the neighborhood party in the second chapter, Dad and Mom agree to accompany them bringing cookies, a wagon and Blanket as passenger.  As they parade through the neighborhood their numbers grow as more and more children respond to the neighborhood party invitation.  Their arrival at the appointed place reveals a most wonderful surprise.

Most people will agree on the lure of the combination of rocks and children but Charlie and Mouse devise a scheme to use rocks...to make money.  They are going to take particular rocks from the outside of their home, carry them in the sturdy wagon and sell them to their neighbors.  This, like many things, does not go according to plan.  It has its low points, high points and beginning back at square one.

Readers are asked to join Charlie and Mouse at the close of their day in chapter four.  They are wonderfully normal in their bedtime rituals and desire to prolong the inevitable.  It's when the previously normal routines have been exhausted; Charlie makes a most unexpected request.  With Mouse's support, Mom complies.  After the final good nights are exchanged, the conversation of Charlie and Mouse will have readers smiling if not laughing out loud.  All ends as it began with a lump.


We are introduced to Charlie, Mouse, Mom and Dad and members of their neighborhood through a pleasing, flawless blend of narrative and dialogue.  These superbly written simple sentences by Laurel Snyder are appealing to early readers and those who read aloud to willing listeners.  The thought processes and resulting conversations between the two brothers as they address events in their lives are marvelous. Their realism wraps around you like a comforting, cozy blanket.  Here are two sample passages from ROCKS.

"I wish I had some money," said Charlie.
"Yes," said Mouse.  "I wish I had some money, too."
"How can we get some money?" asked Charlie.
"That is a good question," said Mouse.
"Let me think."

Mouse thought.
"I know," said Mouse.  "We will sell something."
"That is a good idea," said Charlie.  "But what will we sell?"
"Let me think again," said Mouse.
Mouse thought.


There is no denying the smile-inducing illustration on the matching dust jacket and book case.  Who can resist the obvious happiness of the two brothers?  The warmth on their faces, their clothing and tousled hair suggest a loving relationship and casual, what-can-we-do-next outlook on life.  The subdued, more earth tone colors are ideal for these two characters and the stories we read about them.  To the left, on the back, is their wagon, ready for another adventure.

On the opening and closing endpapers, using the hue of the grass on the jacket and case as a canvas, illustrator Emily Hughes fashioned a pattern of bananas, rocks, socks, tree branches, boots with yellow-star spurs, grass and ice cream cones.  Beneath the text on the title page is a portion of an interior image of the brothers walking and pulling their wagon in the parade to the playground for the party.

Rendered by hand in graphite and with Photoshop

the illustrations vary in size throughout each chapter.

They may extend across a single page, edge to edge or appear as small insets on a single page.  They are loosely framed by white space with elements breaking those edges in some of the images.  The looseness of their boundaries is an excellent match with the narrative.

Giving the children and even the adults wide-eyed looks adds to the undercurrent of wonder-is-everywhere throughout this book.  The illustrations complement this theme in the endearing details.  Seeing the children's art on the walls, patchwork quilts, the neighborhood climbing tree, children digging in the dirt, Mom's surprise (more than once) and Charlie patting Mouse's head as they brush their teeth a second time before bed declares to readers all is fine in this world and goodness is right in front of them every single day.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when Charlie and Mouse are on their way to the playground to celebrate the neighborhood party.  They are wearing special outfits, a cape, party hat, headband with antennas, a fringed vest and tutu.  Is that a magic want in Charlie's hand to conjure more magic? They are looking up at Helen and Lily hanging from a branch in the climbing tree.  Sam, their dog, is looking up too.  Delightful!


For anyone who reads Charlie & Mouse written by Laurel Snyder with illustrations by Emily Hughes, as soon as you finish you will want to read it again...and again.  You simply don't want your time with these two brothers and their family to end.  The affection among the members is mutual as is the kindness everyone extends to each other in the neighborhood.  I can't imagine a professional or personal bookshelf without a copy of this book.  The second title, Charlie & Mouse & Grumpy, is due for release in early October 2017.

To learn more about Laurel Snyder and Emily Hughes and their other work please follow the links attached to their names.  At the publisher's website there are links to a teacher's guide, activity sheets and a poster.  Laurel Snyder talks about these books and the characters at Elizabeth Dulemba's site.  Emily Hughes is featured at Picturebook Makers.  Teacher librarian, author and blogger Travis Jonker wrote an interesting review on 100 Scope Notes.

Of Work And Wishes

Even before the last of the snow melts the daily ritual begins anew.  It's a slow meander around the perimeter; frequently stopping to clear leaves, pull unwanted grass or weeds and observe the health of each individual growing thing.  Everything in a garden flourishes under the careful eye and hard work of the gardener.

The vines extend, wrap and weave, bulbs burst and bloom, and the perennials push upward a little more each day.  The Little Gardener (Flying Eye Books, June 1, 2015 UK, August 11, 2015 US) written and illustrated by Emily Hughes gives readers an entirely different view of the gardening world.  We come to appreciate those things nearly too tiny or hidden for us to see.

This was the garden.

It didn't look like much, ...

If we were to lie down flat on our stomachs and peer among the leaves, stems, stalks and flowers in a garden we would see someone extraordinary.  Before us is a gardener who takes great pride in his work and who needs the garden to provide shelter and food for him.  More important than those two things, the garden is the source of filling his soul with complete bliss.  Gardens can do this for a person no matter their size.

The Little Gardener does not believe he is good at what he loves best.  He toils all day long carting, cutting and digging but he is small and the garden is huge.  Only one thing looks beautiful.  A single flower tall, strong and brilliant in color, like a sun shining through a gap in a gray, cloudy sky, it supplies a much needed belief in possibilities.

Working with more diligence day in and day out and even through the night, he longs for more blooms like the other.  No matter what he does, he can see the garden is not thriving.  If it does not grow, the Little Gardener will lose those things he needs and values most.

Exhausted and not knowing what else he can do, at the end of a day and before going to bed, the Little Gardener voices his hope.  At times we are not heard but our deeds are visible to others.  When they see the magic our work is making, it inspires them to do the same.  When our tiny friend wakes from a very long rest, the garden is glorious.  Even the smallest of us can bring wonder into the world.


One thought at a time, with an economy of words, Emily Hughes brings us into the world of her little gardener.  By the end of the second sentence we are well aware of his connection to the land of plants.  As the story continues our understanding and empathy for his investment grows even as the garden is dying.  Though he believes he is failing, he has presented the gift of promise to another who in turn without knowing it helps him realize his dream.  In a stroke of storytelling splendor Hughes uses a familiar phrase (as she does more than once in this title) from the beginning at the end helping us to understand the link between the garden and its gardener.


Looking at the book case of The Little Gardener is similar to looking at a work of botanical wonder.  The expression on his face is full of happiness and hope.  A shiny glaze (forgive my lack of knowledge) has been placed on the title text, the Little Gardener and portions of two leaves, the stem and the brilliant blossom.  To the left, on the back, beneath a short blurb about the story, the gardener's constant companion, a worm, has a look of peace on its face.  Both the opening and closing endpapers contain a background canvas of pale yellow.  Clusters of two or three leaves are shown sprouting from small patches of dirt.  On the title page under the text, the spectacular flower is only a bud.  Resting, curled around its base, is the sleeping worm.

Rendered in pencil and colored in Photoshop, the illustrations vary in size from double page spreads to a group of two images on a single page, and single page pictures.  The smaller images tell us to slow down to appreciate the shifts in the story.  Hughes' perspectives will leave readers nearly breathless.

Every minute detail on the plants adds to the elegance of the visual story.  The Little Gardener's home is exquisite.  In fact one of my favorite illustrations is of his home.

It's a single page picture.  Hughes gives us a cutaway to the inside.  It's nighttime with a single star tucked in the upper right-hand corner.  A woven blue and white rug is on the floor.  Off to the side is a special bed filled with dirt and a single sprout labeled Wormy.  Wormy is snuggled in The Little Gardner's bed beneath a homemade quilt.  Our tiny friend is standing on a stool, arms resting on the window sill, starring at the moon.  On the wall is a picture of the Little Gardener on a sunny day standing next to the magnificent zinnia.


Every time I read this book I love it more.  The Little Gardener written and illustrated by Emily Hughes is an ode to the importance of the individual.  We can never know how what we do will change others.  We just need to keep on doing what we do best.  I encourage you to share this book with everyone you know...often and with joy.  And I will be looking for The Little Gardener in my own gardens from now on.  Will you?

To discover more about Emily Hughes please visit her Tumblr by following the link attached to her name.  You can view more interior images at the publisher's website.  Julie Danielson, reviewer, author and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast highlights this book at Kirkus and shares artwork on her blog the following week.  Scholastic's new Ambassador of School Libraries for Scholastic Book Fairs John Schumacher chats with Emily Hughes on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Teacher librarian and blogger at 100 Scope Notes Travis Jonker reviews this title. UPDATE: Teacher librarian and soon-to-be-published author Carter Higgins highlights this book on her blog, Design Of The Picture Book and here.