We Must Care

 If it were not for the reminder tweets by founding educators Cathy Mere and Mandy Robek, I might have been rushing to get my list ready in time for the annual event of Picture Book Ten For Ten.  Each year readers gather ten (or more) picture books they feel best define a theme.  In 2020 we will be adding links to Mandy Robek's blog.  You can access her blog by following the link embedded in her name. 

 Over the course of my participation in this celebration I've centered on themes of the alphabet, dogs, counting and number books, bedtime, sleep and sweet dreams, robots as main characters, friendship, and bees.  Last year my focus was on books featuring grandmothers and grandfathers.  Links to all the previous posts are in last year's post.

Prior to this writing I had another theme chosen, but the news this week about a portion of the Milne Ice Shelf, in Ellesmere Island, Canada falling away due to climate change makes the peril our planet is facing even more pressing.  The size of the lost ice was greater than that of Manhattan in New York City.  I have chosen titles reflecting ways to protect, preserve, and appreciate our Earth.  They are listed in order of publication date, and then alphabetical by title.  You can find more about each title by following the link attached to it.

1. It began in the most populated city on the continent of Australia thirteen years ago.  It was a single event lasting sixty minutes.  It was an act of faith in people and hope for our planet by its organizers. One year later countries on all seven continents participated.  By 2009 it broke

all records of mass participation, becoming the world's largest grassroots movement for the environment.

This year, 2020, Earth Hour will be celebrated on March 28th, 8:30 PM local time, wherever you live.  Debut picture book author Nanette Heffernan and debut picture book illustrator Bao Luu collaborate to bring readers Earth Hour: A Lights-Out Event for Our Planet (Charlesbridge, January 21, 2020).  It reflects the use of energy in places around the world, the Earth Hour event and how each individual can contribute to the conservation of energy not only on this one day, but on every day of the year.

All over the world, millions of people use energy, every day, every night.

2.  From the sun she is third, sustaining life for all.  For this she is to be cherished.  My Friend Earth (Chronicle Books, February 25, 2020) written by Patricia MacLachlan with illustrations by Francesca Sanna is a love letter to our planet.  The text and images, with flaps and die-cuts, work in marvelous unity.

My friend Earth wakes
from a winter nap.

3. On March 3, 2020 another book was released with a focus on our Blue Planet.  One EARTH (Worthy Kids) written by Eileen Spinelli with illustrations by Rogerio Coelho is a special counting book.  In a rhyming poetic intonation with sweeping cheerful images readers are reminded of the spectacular beauty of our home and how we can honor her.

One wide, sweeping sky.

Two honeybees. 

4.  With millions and millions of people around the world currently confined to their homes under a quarantine or because of isolation, the appeal of the outdoor world and being a part of it has more allure than ever.  Why is it we don't fully appreciate the value of something until it's no longer readily available?  During this time some will be able to go solo in parks or designated walkways or neighborhoods, some will dream of days when nature will envelope them again, others will recall countless adventures in the outdoors, and many can travel within the pages of a book.  HIKE (Candlewick Press, March 17, 2020) conceived and illustrated by Pete Oswald is a nearly wordless trek into the best nature has to offer.  

5.  Having lived near many different small lakes and rivers or one of the Great Lakes in Michigan for more than sixty-eight years, I have witnessed their splendor and their challenges due to the careless hands of humans.  We Are Water Protectors (Roaring Brook Press, March 17, 2020) written by Carole Lindstrom (Anishinaabe/Metis and tribally enrolled with the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) with illustrations by Michaela Goade (of Tlingit descent and tribally enrolled with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska) is powerful in both words and artwork.  It speaks to the fierce dedication of Indigenous Peoples to guard our water and invites everyone to stand strong against those who wish to do it harm.

Water is the first medicine, Nokomis told me.

6. From a true story comes The Bear's Garden (Imprint, a part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, March 24, 2020) written by Marcie Colleen with illustrations by Alison Oliver.  Through the imagination of a child a dream takes shape.  Through an accident and efforts of many, this dream becomes a reality.

IN THE BIG, BUSTLING CITY, all the people were busy. 

7. Although in northern Michigan at the moment snow is swirling in high winds, for months collective minds here and in other parts of the world have been turning to gardening. Seeds and soil have been gathered.  On warmer days, walks have revealed shoots from bulbs pushing through the dirt and perennials are starting to turn green as buds get larger.  In My Garden (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, March 24, 2020) written by the late Charlotte Zolotow (1915-2013) with illustrations by Philip Stead is a journey through the seasons.  It is a shared trip through time and the offerings Nature bestows on all of us if we choose to notice.

IN THE SPRING what I love best in my garden

are the birds building nests. 

  

8.  In his newest brilliant artistic entry in children literature, author illustrator Henry Cole does not disappoint.  The conception and illustration of One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., April 7, 2020) is a wordless display of transformation.  It is a loving tribute to people, their lives and their love of each other and our Earth.

Prior to the title page, Henry Cole in a series of framed single-page pictures, horizontal and vertical panels and two large double-page pictures, takes us through the process of making paper from logged timber to large rolls of paper to the delivery of boxes of paper bags and to the use of a single bag at a small community market. We follow one particular tree through the use of spot color as it makes its way from the forest, to a logging truck, to the paper mill, the processes at the mill, and the packing of one paper bag among hundreds in a box.  The final two-page image before the title page is an amazing display of the interior of a small grocery store highly stocked with all kinds of items.  People walk on wooden floors with carts laden with their groceries.  At the counter is a boy and his father and the brown-colored paper bag.

9.  When we venture into the outdoors, whether at a national or state park or designated forest, we are temporarily residents with the wild.  There are detriments to this adventure but the advantages, even brief moments, can last a lifetime.  The Camping Trip (Candlewick Press, April 14, 2020) written and illustrated by Jennifer K. Mann shadows Ernestine as she goes camping for the first time. It's an experience she and readers will long remember.

MY AUNT JACKIE invited me to go camping with her and my cousin Samantha this weekend, and my dad said yes!

10.  Our rewards from Nature are proportionate to the attention we give it.  The more we look, the more we see.  Every detail is a delightful discovery.

In her newest release, A New Green Day (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, April 14, 2020), Antoinette Portis asks us to think about alternate descriptions for that which is familiar.  Through her words and illustrations, magic happens.

"Morning lays me on your pillow, an invitation, square and warm.

Come out and play!"

Who is speaking in these first two sentences?  With a page turn we realize we have been welcomed to participate in a guessing game with elements found in Nature.  Sunlight is talking first.

10 +1.  Never has it been more apparent than the beginning of 2020 how vital the outside world is to all living things.  We humans, if not previously so appreciative, are now.  We recognize the value of embracing what has been so freely present.  The urgency of preserving and protecting it is heightened.  

In their first collaboration author Deborah Underwood and illustrator Cindy Derby work to show readers the allure of what we find beyond the four walls of our homes.  Outside In (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 14, 2020) looks at the benefits of becoming one with the world around us.  It awakens memories of the past bringing it to the present.

ONCE

we were part of Outside

and Outside was part of us.

Guardians Of Life

For some it starts at an early age.  We are taught by our parents, grandparents or adult mentors, to nurture and care for Earth in her entirety.  For me it was my father.  We spent early morning and evening hours in summer on the lakes and rivers fishing.  He taught me to watch the weather, the time of day and how fish might think.  We walked for miles in the woods in autumn during bow hunting season.  To and from our spot, he was always whispering to me about the various trees and plants and how to look for signs left by all animals.  (On our hunting trips, an animal never lost its life in our presence.  There is a reason for this, but that's another story.)

When it came to water, my dad had rules.  You never put anything on or into the ground which might harm the water table or any animals who frequented that area. You used water sparingly, except for keeping a garden healthy or for drinking.  To this day, I'm the one homeowner digging out hundreds of certain unwanted weeds from my gardens and lawn rather than applying harmful chemicals.

Having lived near many different small lakes and rivers or one of the Great Lakes in Michigan for more than sixty-eight years, I have witnessed their splendor and their challenges due to the careless hands of humans.  We Are Water Protectors (Roaring Brook Press, March 17, 2020) written by Carole Lindstrom (Anishinaabe/Metis and tribally enrolled with the Turtle Mountain Band of Ojibwe) with illustrations by Michaela Goade (of Tlingit descent and tribally enrolled with the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska) is powerful in both words and artwork.  It speaks to the fierce dedication of Indigenous Peoples to guard our water and invites everyone to stand strong against those who wish to do it harm.

Water is the first medicine, Nokomis told me.

We come from water.

A grandmother chats with her granddaughter explaining how water sustains all life and how water connects us all.  Water is to be cherished.  Its sounds and movements are our sounds and movements.

It is foretold there is a deadly danger coming.  It is described as a black snake.  This black snake will bring destruction to Mother Earth, water and all the flora and fauna.  Unfortunately, the black snake has arrived, poisoning all it touches, poisoning the water.

This granddaughter listening to her elders, places their words in her heart.  There, those words fuel her actions.  She will protect her people.  She will protect their water.  She will lead them in fighting the black snake to preserve Mother Earth.

This young warrior knows this is difficult, but who else is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. Our planet and every living thing upon it, needs us to step forward as its caretakers.  Nokomis taught her granddaughter that water has a spirit, a spirit with memories of individuals' spirits.  For this reason, this daughter of Mother Earth and other Indigenous Peoples are strong in their resolve, battling as one against the black snake.  Join them.


With her meticulously chosen words, Carole Lindstrom, builds on generational traditions with respect to the vital role water plays in all aspects of life.  It is by listening to elders a continuous connection is created.  Each sentence contributes to the energy building within this narrative.

Woven into this story is the repetition of a poetic chorus, like a heartbeat, supplying strength and inspiration to readers.  This pulse ties the other portions together as if we are running in a race with the number of participants swelling until they stop and remain firm like a wall of resistance against a common foe.  Here is a passage.

The river's rhythm runs through my veins.
Runs through my people's veins.


Looking left to right across the matching and open dust jacket and book case, readers find themselves marveling at the beauty of the scene before them.  On the left, toward the upper, left-hand corner wide ripples of water waves in several hues of teal. These move over the spine to the right, in front and behind the granddaughter.  She stands tall, confident in the midst of the water, a beacon for her people.

As you can see, above the water is the royal blue landscape.  It is topped by people clasping hands, a line of defense.  These people extend over the spine to the left edge.  This entire setting is placed beneath a star-studded sky.  Some of the waves of water, as well as the granddaughter, are varnished.

The opening and closing endpapers are a pale yellow.  On the initial title page, the text is placed in a wash of blue.  On the verso and title pages waves span from left to right, providing a canvas for the words.

The illustrations by Michaela Goade, according to an interview were rendered in watercolor with

some colored pencil and gouache detailing with some digital edits in photoshop at the end.

These mostly double-page images are sweeping in the portrayals of water, the land, animals, trees and flowers and the people.  At times other details are super-imposed on the central illustration generating an effect of layers.  One page flows into the next page, like water.  The pages holding the repetitive chorus show an increase of people each time, representing a gathering force.

Each picture asks readers to pause and ponder the reality and the symbolism depicted.  To accentuate the words, Michaela Goade gives us varying points of view.  We are brought close to a hummingbird sipping nectar among flowers as other insects and a snail go about their day.  The colors are brilliantly natural.  We gaze in wonder at a landscape of rolling hills, a wide river (or lake) bordered by dense forests and a small cabin near the water.  A family of bear wander on one shore as a deer drinks from the water on the other shore.  Two birds watch from a distance as the sun lowers in the sky.  The colors are rich shades of golden yellow, pink, purple and blue.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  The canvas is a pale, nearly white, blue.  In the center stands the granddaughter.  She is looking forward, at the reader.  The tresses of her hair become swirls of water flowing out to the edges and bottom of the page.  On top of the water are stunning pink and peach water lilies, lily pads and fish.  Her hands, palms up, are cupped.  This is the picture for the passage quoted previously.


This book, We Are Water Protectors written by Carole Lindstrom with art by Michaela Goade, pays homage to water, the Indigenous Peoples who protect it and invites others to participate.  At the close of the book in a portion titled More On Water Protectors, the author talks about tribal traditions, prophecies and paths.  Her motivation for writing this book were the events surrounding the Standing Rock protest of the Dakota Access Pipeline.  Here is an excerpt.

This is not just a Native American issue; this is a humanitarian issue.  It is time that we all become stewards of our planet so we can protect it for our children and our children's children.

A title is supplied for additional reading as well as a glossary of six terms.  The Illustrator's Note is very informative.  Here is an excerpt.

Standing Rock is just one powerful example of what happens when we rise up, resist, and join together in solidarity for Mother Earth regardless of where we come from.  

The final page, Earth Steward And Water Protector Pledge, has a place for a name and a date.  With certainty I can recommend this book for every personal and professional collection.  Its value is priceless.

To learn more about Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Carole Lindstrom has accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  Michaela Goade has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Here is a link to an activity kit provided by the publisher. This book and its creators are featured at Publishers Weekly, and CBC-Radio-Canada.  Carole Lindstrom is highlighted at KidLit 411 and Prairie Public News.  Michaela Goade is showcased at Let's Talk Picture Books.  Carole Lindstrom reads their book in this video.

UPDATE:  You will enjoy this interview with Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade about this book at author Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations.

To Create Change

We need to stop ourselves each and every morning and remember today is a day when one person, maybe you or me, will change the world for the better for at least one other person. We are never fully aware of how a look, a word or a gesture of kindness can shift a day, or a lifetime, for someone.  Close to ten years ago when I was assigned as the librarian in both an elementary school library and a middle school library, I was checking my email early in the morning.

It was one of those days when you question the course of your life's work.  In my email was a message from a former student, then in his early thirties.  It was a note expressing his gratitude to me for treating him with respect and understanding when he came to the library during his middle school years.

Earlier this week a friend on Twitter sent out this tweet to his followers.

A kid, quietly came up to me after school , and told me that I was the first person to ever tell him that he is awesome. How does a kid go 10+ years without ever hearing that? 😭😭😭😭😭

— Colby Sharp (@colbysharp) October 1, 2019

We simply cannot predict how we live our life affects others.  If we work together inspiring each other to be our best selves, who knows what we will accomplish.

Perhaps, our beautiful world will become more marvelous for the larger community of all its inhabitants.  Our House Is On Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, September 24, 2019) written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter (The world is not a rectangle: A Portrait Of Architect Zaha Hadid ) is a timely look at the young woman championing for the only planet we have, Earth.  She has generated an international awakening and awareness.

Greta is a quiet girl who led a quiet life

in the city of Stockholm.

Her dog Roxy was her friend.

For most of her life, Greta saw herself as alone, unseen by her classmates.  One day at school a teacher spoke to her students about climate change.  As Greta heard her teacher's words something inside her shifted.  

She educated herself further by reading and watching films about our world and how it was warming at an alarming rate.  Greta was focused on this topic and this topic only.  She watched as specific areas were damaged and threatened by all the events happening then (and now).  The polar ice melting, the raging storms, the death of coral reefs, specie extinctions, extreme flooding, droughts and fires shocked her.

Greta was deeply saddened by the state of the planet's and its residents' status.  The more she thought about it, the unhappier she became.  Finally, she knew she had to do something for herself and Earth.  She began her strike from school for climate.  She had the support of her parents.

Greta positioned herself outside the Swedish parliament with her sign reading School Strike For Climate every Friday.  At first no one noticed.  She sat there in all kinds of weather.  Finally, people did notice.  She was no longer alone.  Other students in Stockholm joined her.  

Other students around the world joined her.  Greta spoke at world gatherings of adults focusing on climate change.  Her words, based on science, rang true.  A single voice made a difference.  A single voice became a chorus resonating around the world and is still growing. 

As in many of her books, Jeanette Winter, through research presents a true picture of Greta Thunberg's shift from frightened to focused.  We feel her isolation through word choices and use of language.  The repetition of two words over eight sentences builds toward her very real fear.  This makes her decision to strike all the more courageous and inspiring and also heartbreaking.  She was only fifteen when she started striking.  Many quotations from her speeches and journalists are present in this book.

As Jeanette Winter continues to write Greta's story, we are aware of the power of children.  We are aware of each generation's duty to better the world for the next generation.  The closing question penned by Jeanette Winter is for all readers of all ages.  Here is a passage from the narrative.

The quiet girl who always felt invisible was asked to speak to

very important people at the United Nations climate talks in Poland.

Greta only spoke when she thought it was necessary.

The matching illustration spanning both sides, left to right, of the dust jacket and book case speaks volumes.  The children from around the world, the bright colors of their clothing and signs, joining Greta demand our attention as if we can hear their voices chanting.  This first picture shows how one person can and has made a difference.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a lighter shade of teal than that seen on the jacket and case.  Prior to the title page Greta stands alone on a crisp white background with one of her quotes above her:

"You are never too small to make a difference."

On the title page the five first words of the title text span left to right in huge reddish-textured print.  This is an important design decision as the final question is also enlarged across two pages in blueish-textured print at the book's close.

Each of Jeanette Winter's signature visuals spans a single page framed in a large white border, a full-page, edge to edge, or in one dramatic double-page picture.  She alters her perspective to strengthen her narrative.  By including Greta's rescue dog, Roxy, in many of the images we see Greta's empathy for those in need.  We understand her true heart.  For those special eight pages of Greta and Roxy watching each disaster, their facial expressions and body positions convey a wealth of emotions.

One of my many favorite illustrations expresses the depth of Greta's sadness.  Around Greta in the center of the page, seated with her knees drawn to her chest and hugged by her arms, swirls a world of despair.  Behind her is a purple sky with darker mountains and waves of varying blues.  Directly in front of her is a lavender portion with cracks.  Rain falls.  Roxy lays at her feet, eyes watching Greta's bowed head.  This is a poignant scene.  It is also moving to realize how this young woman raised herself up and galvanized an entire world.

Certain to promote discussions and further research, Our House Is On Fire: Greta Thunberg's Call to Save the Planet written and illustrated by Jeanette Winter is an important title and most worthy of a place on your personal and professional bookshelves.  On the final page author Jeanette Winter speaks about the initial march on March 15, 2019 and the countries that participated.  Nine research sources are noted along with bibliographic information about the quotes used in this book.  The noted resources are excellent.  Jeanette Winter's final words are:

When I heard her speeches, I felt Greta was speaking for me.  And I'm eighty years old.

If you desire to view interior illustrations from this title please visit the publisher's website.  Here is an article in Publishers Weekly titled Greta Thunberg's Call for Action Fast Tracks a Picture Book Bio.  Jeanette Winter is featured in an interview at A Mighty Girl website.  Here is the link to the Global Climate Strike on September 17 and September 24, 2019.  Here is the link to Fridays for Future which includes many of Greta's speeches.  

You will want to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to take note of the other titles selected this week by participants in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.