It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . #2

After hundreds of stories the magic of the lamp remains.  As the flame is blown out, three wishes are cast into the air, one for anyone in the world, known or unknown, one for someone you love, including a pet and one for yourself.  You are indeed a very important person.  Over the years, countless children have asked if the wishes come true.  An affirmative reply followed by another story fashions an understanding of wishes made with the storytelling lamp.

Even today another opportunity presented itself to add further veracity to the power of wishing and wishes coming true.  The original wish in question involved people without homes.  The Christmas Eve Tree (Candlewick Press, September 18, 2018) written by Delia Huddy with illustrations by Emily Sutton brings two lost beings together. 

A

forest of

Christmas trees

stretching over the hills.

That's where the story begins.  

A fir tree, not planted correctly, grows crookedly into another neighboring tree.  It's unable to increase its size.  One year in December the trees around the small fir are harvested as Christmas trees.  Still woven into the branches of the other tree, the small evergreen makes an unplanned trip to the city.  

One by one all the trees disappear into large venues and homes until only one tree is left; the tree with the tiny fir wrapped in its branches.  An eager shopper wants the last tree and the clerk removes the unwanted fir.  About to toss it with the other rubbish, a small child still in the store makes a request.  The tiny fir is now his tree. 

Rescuing a cardboard box from the trash, the boy scoops up mud along a shore and plants the fir inside the paper container.  Locating another larger cardboard box under a railroad bridge, the boy settles in for the night in his makeshift home.  The tiny fir nearby believes its luck is shifting.

I belong to someone now, it thought to itself.

Fortunately, someone walking by the boy tosses a coin to him.  Rather than use it for food, he buys candles and a box of matches.  Soon the candles fastened on the tree cast a glow to others arriving to spend the night in their cardboard boxes.  One of them begins to play his accordion.  A Christmas tune serenades people on their way home or to events or simply enjoying the sights.  A policeman is unable to control the happy crowd which brings traffic to a standstill.

Now you might think after this night filled with the wonder of the Christmas season, things would be different for those living under the railroad bridge.  The child leaves the area and the tiny fir tree.  Oh, dear readers, this is not the end.  Real Christmas magic lasts for more than a season, it goes on and on and on.

Thirteen years ago, author Delia Huddy worked on the text for this story at the end of her life.  She ties every seemingly unconnected incident together beautifully.  It is a descriptive flow of what-if-this had not happened.  Inserting the thoughts of the fir tree into the narrative adds an intimate touch.  Here is a passage.

The candles burned steadily

and the old man played, and still the people sang.

The little fir tree felt it would burst with happiness,

because clearly the boy had forgotten

that tonight he would be sleeping in a cardboard box

under the railway arch, and that tomorrow

he would eat not turkey but soup in a soup kitchen,

if he was lucky.

The smaller trim size (5 5/16" x 6 1/8") of this edition is perfect to hold in younger readers' hands, tuck under a pillow or to bring children close for a cozy read aloud.  The scene on the front (right) of the opened book case extends to the left on the back.  The buildings' windows are glowing with light and many of them have special Christmas light outlines on their walls.  Looking at the boy we know he's on a mission and he seems to have a homeless furry friend keeping him company.  The title text is in silver foil.

The opening and closing endpapers in shades of pale blue and white feature the cityscape above the railroad's arched bridge.  Beneath the text on the initial title page is the fir tree alone except for a bird.  A rabbit joins the bird, now on a branch, on the formal title page.

Emily Sutton's delicate watercolor illustrations on double pages, full pages or gathered together on a single page display a world window brimming with intricate details.  The name on the store where the boy gets the tree is D. Huddy & Son Department Store.  The store window is a vision in Christmas toys and decorations.  The scenes along the railroad arches are realistic and poignant.  We feel as though we can step into the story and hear the singing.

A stunning fold-out, double page picture surely will have readers gasping.  Several layers move from the path along the arches, to the bridge above and the buildings beyond both.  A star-studded night sky provides the background.

One of my many favorite pictures is on a single page.  We are close to one of the bridge arches.  The boy is standing outside his cardboard box.  The fir tree in its box is being adorned in small red candles.  Two of the homeless residents are watching; the elder is seated on an upturned box playing his accordion.  The small black dog watches.  Three passersby have stopped to listen or sing.

This new edition of The Christmas Eve Tree written by Delia Huddy with illustrations by Emily Sutton is a gem.  Without a doubt this story will prompt discussions about homeless persons, the interconnectedness of moments in all our lives and the spirit of Christmas.  Whether you have this title in your professional and personal collections already or not, you will want this edition.  It's utterly lovely.

To learn more about Emily Sutton and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website you can view the interior image matching the above-quoted text.  Emily maintains an account on Instagram.  At The Guardian Emily shows readers how to draw a Christmas Eve tree.

Still Counting . . .

You go outside as often as possible walking through woods, fields and along lakeshores.  Some of the trails you take are man-made, others are worn by use and there are those you design.  There are moments during these explorations when you stop.  You listen.  You look.  You smell. 

In these moments you understand you are embraced by a multitude of flora and fauna.  It's a humbling, exhilarating and comforting feeling.  It's an invitation to be a valued and trusted member of this vast community on our Blue Planet.  LOTS: The Diversity of Life on Earth (Walker Books, April 2017 UK, Candlewick Press, November 2017 US) written by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Emily Sutton is a tribute to the abundance we have and a call to action to preserve and protect it. 

How many different kinds of living things are there on our planet?

One, 
two,
three,
LOTS!

There are big animals like elephants (two kinds) and huge plants like oak trees (more than 600 kinds).  There are living things so tiny; they can't be seen with the naked eye.  It's astounding to know there might be 5,000 kinds of microbes in a single teaspoon of dirt.

Everywhere we venture or take a peek, whether it's dry or wet, embedded or on top of creatures or within a spot above the temperature of boiling life finds a way to thrive.  It may be challenging to find but people pursue the need to know.  Their discoveries help us to understand the complexity within a single fish or the difference found in two butterflies which look alike but are not the same.

There are lots and lots and lots of plants and animals.  There are so many we may never find all of them.  BUT

So far; human beings have
found and counted almost
two million different kinds
of living things.  

We have to keep learning all we can.  We are all continuously connected.  There is a problem, though.  It's a huge problem.  Humans are continuously damaging the connection.  There are signs of this wherever you are.  Every time something becomes extinct we all are the losers.  We want the numbers to climb higher every single time we count.  Let us never move in reverse.

With the books Nicola Davies pens the living world which envelopes us is brought into our presence.  In this title her language for even the youngest of readers is conversational but intentional.  She takes a vast subject, making it clearer and more meaningful.  Captions with the illustrations disclose further factual wonders.

All the creatures on this page have
been found in the last 50 years.


The detailed portrait of a place teeming with plants and animals on the front of the book case crosses the spine extending to the edge of the left of the back.  The girl seated with her clipboard and pencil is counting each valuable piece in this essential puzzle called life.  This scene, frozen in time, demonstrates the diversity shared within the book.  The opening for the title text is replicated on the back offering a short blurb about the title's contents.

On the opening and closing endpapers, in cream and teal, are etchings of all kinds of animals and plants from many of the classifications.  Another setting, a desert setting, spans the title page and verso page to the left.  The text is skillfully placed within the image without detracted from its splendor.  The girl, dressed in appropriate clothing for the desert, is walking from left to right.

The size of each illustration Emily Sutton creates is dictated by the text.  After the initial phrase and words, each visual depicts the myriad of plant and animal life in each portion of our world being discussed.  For many of them she gives us a panoramic view but for others she takes us close to the subject.  In the case of feather mites she shows us a parrot but next to the bird a close-up view of a single feather gives us a glimpse of the mites on this feather. 

The exquisite elements Emily Sutton includes will have you easily pausing for an hour or more on a single page or image.  You will be wondering about the name for each plant and animal.  You will be curious about where they are found. 

One of my many favorite illustrations accompanies the words

or the bottom of the coldest seas.

Along the top of the page are clouds in various shades of blue-green and an icy landscape.  Five penguins dive into the water in front of the girl.  She is wearing a suit and scuba gear.  In the beam of her flashlight the life along the bottom is more brilliant.  To the left and right of the beam, the floor is covered in plant and animal life.


Now more than ever it is critical to educate ourselves and the present and upcoming generations about the importance of Earth.  LOTS:  The Diversity of Life on Earth written by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Emily Sutton is a stunning representation of the life all around us.  We have a responsibility to give the planet our care.  It should be an honor to do so.  Every life depends upon this choice.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  I can see more research following the reading of this book.  In the United States this book is titled Many:  The Diversity of Life on Earth.  It was released in November of this year by Candlewick Press.  My favorite illustration can be seen at their website.

To learn more about Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Emily Sutton maintains an account on Instagram.  Emily Sutton's work is featured on Jama Rattigan's Jama's Alphabet Soup.


You will want to stop by Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the other selections chosen by bloggers participating in the 2017 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

What The Eye Cannot See

The exact event escapes me but the memory of receiving a microscope as a gift remains.  Nothing was safe from my scrutiny.  All types of items were positioned on slides, set on the stage and held in place with the clips.  Seeing the most common things magnified was like looking at their essence.

Sitting in the late afternoon sun on the lawn, it's fun to imagine all the minute beings residing on a single blade of grass among thousands, crawling across the leaves or bark on a nearby maple tree and moving about the shiny brown fur of your nearby sleeping dog.  Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes (Candlewick Press) written by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Emily Sutton introduces readers to the amazing life forms normally unseen by the human eye.  From this book what might have been previously viewed as mundane is lifted to marvelous; mystery is replaced with awareness.

You know about big animals,
and you know about small animals...

With a page turn readers are asked two questions?  These questions take what is known about an ant and a whale making comparisons as to the number of microbes found on the antenna of an ant.  A single sentence describes microbes as the narrative further explains their population in the millions and billions relative to a drop of water and a teaspoon of soil.

Of particular interest is microbes can live where nothing else does.  They populate on and in plants and animals including humans.  Try not to think about how many are currently on your skin, more

than there are people on Earth,

 or an even larger amount setting up housekeeping in your stomach.

Students of basic biology study the one-celled Paramecium which is humongous compared to the polio virus, one of the tiniest microbes.  Close examination reveals microbes, hungry for absolutely anything, come in an array of shapes and sizes.  They are Nature's chief change agents; rulers in the realm of recycling and reusing.  They definitely have championship status when it comes to making more microbes and doing so quickly.

For this reason, their ability to multiply rapidly, germs and those things carrying them are to be respected.  On the other hand their accomplishments are to be applauded; ever so tiny but together landscapes change.  Minuscule but miraculous.

Nicola Davies begins her nonfiction narrative by talking about two animals, differing greatly in size, in which readers will be familiar. Her goal of increasing understanding and exciting fascination is met and enhanced with her technique of comparing what is known to that which might not be known.  As readers explore the information she provides, in a truly appealing and conversational manner, their appreciation for their world will grow as swiftly as microbes split again and again.  Here is her description of microbes; simple but complete and intriguing.

They don't have eyes, 
heads, or legs,
branches, roots, or
leaves because they
aren't animals or plants.
But they are alive.
They are called
microbes,
and there are lots of them.


Rendered in watercolor, the illustrations of Emily Sutton pair beautifully with the text.  The girl, boy and cat shown on the matching dust jacket and book case guide readers on the journey of discovery throughout the book.  A matte-finished paper provides for a more tactile experience and softens the colors.  Tiny microbes in shades of blue and black pattern the opening and closing endpapers.

A hued expanse of blue picturing a deep sea spans across the two pages for the dedication and title.  The girl, boy and cat are sailing in a tiny boat bobbing between the waves.  On the next two pages an immense blue whale glides nearby, tail splashing the surface.  A branch extending over the water is a pathway for an ant.  Clearly Sutton is extending and enhancing the narrative.

With visuals varying in size, giving weight to Davies's words, Sutton's texture and detail are impeccable.  You could frame her paramecium, the children working in the vegetable and flower garden, the depiction of the starry skies surrounding Earth or the initial whale and ant scenes.  My favorite illustration is the spoon holding a teaspoon of soil coming from the top left corner of a double page spread.  The remainder of the illustration is of a multitude of people in a market place in India, buildings and palm trees in the background.  In a word, this is stunning.


Hand this title to a budding scientist, a curious reader or anyone of any age.  I guarantee they will finish in awe as I did.  Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes written by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Emily Sutton is an exceptional work of nonfiction, deserving of a place on any book shelf.

For more information about Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton please follow the links embedded in their names.  Nicola Davies has a great video at her site about her work and an outstanding blog post about the difference between fiction and nonfiction.  Emily Sutton's website was unattainable as of this writing but the first link mentioned and this interview at Bettys should give you insights about her art.  This link is to the publisher's website for this title.

It's an honor to participate each week in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy.  Be sure to follow this links to other blogger's recommendations.