A New Definition

At every point in our lives the term old takes on a different meaning.  At twelve years, we are old to a newborn, but to our grandparents we are a youngster.  It seems for great periods of our lives we are not old enough. Then in what seems like seconds, we are too old.

Words synonymous with old can give it different meanings.  It can refer to age, antiquated or established, familiar and solid.  It is this last comparison which appears in the pages of The Old Truck (Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton and Company, January 7, 2020) written and illustrated by brothers Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey.  In this title readers discover old can mean home.

On a small farm, an old truck worked hard.

It worked for hours during the day and through the seasons of many years.  As time passed the truck struggled to keep working.  It needed to pause.  In that pause, there were dreams.

In those dreams the truck became a scientific ship exploring the seas, a plane seeking new heights and a vehicle traversing a unique celestial landscape.  The old truck got older and older.  Life very nearly enveloped it where it sat.

One day the hard work and long hours continued, but there was a new farmer.  This new farmer, like the old truck, struggled to keep working.  She did not pause, but she dreamed.  In those dreams, like the dreams that came before, old became new.  It was, after all, about tenacity and attitude.


There are books you read again and again and again for different reasons.  In the writing of Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey for this book, those multiple readings reveal numerous stories depending on the person holding the book.  Their text, beautiful in its simplicity, is an open invitation.  The repetition of key words is like a soothing refrain tying the generations together.  The following sentence opens numerous possibilities and brings the narrative full circle.

So the old truck rested (page turn)

and dreamed.  


The open dust jacket reveals an extension of the image from left to right.  The portion of the illustration on the left is a reverse of that on the right.  The truck is facing left and the girl on the tailgate has her back to us.  We can see a large full sun between two clouds on the left, also.  It is here on the jacket that the color palette is introduced to readers.  The use of these colors, lighter or darker, brings a calming continuity throughout the book.

On the book case Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey used a heavy paper in cream and golden celery green for the wide spine.  On the front the truck is embossed into the case. Children and children at heart love to run their fingers over texture.  It seems to create a stronger tie between reader and story.

A pale, pale hue of their chosen blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  The brothers designed more than 250 stamps to make the art for this book.  Each page turn discloses the genius of their design.

For example, on the first single-page picture after the opening endpapers we see a scene of a young corn field, sky with clouds, flowers along the bottom, a pathway and the back of the new barn being built.  On the next double-page image the barn continues, as does the pathway.  The wife, soon to be a mother, is picking flowers as her husband carries lumber toward the front of the barn.  The old truck is sitting in front of their home.  The tree next to the house is a sapling.  The next page turn is the verso and title pages.

As you study and enjoy each illustration you can see elements the brothers have added depending on the time of day, season of the year and age of the little girl.  In this book, the brothers have fashioned a beautiful story of family and a commitment to hard work and ingenuity in their artwork.  For each sentence of their text, their illustrations add layers to the words.  Their wordless visuals are powerful.  All their pictures apart from the first and last ones are double-page illustrations.

One of my many, many favorite images is when the girl, now a young woman, is working late inside the barn.  From left to right we are inside the barn except for the open doorway for about two-thirds of the right side.  The young woman, with her back to us, is wearing blue jeans and a white and red large, polka-dotted blouse.  Her long black hair is braided, tied with a red ribbon and lays along her back.  She is standing in front of a work bench, hard at work on something we cannot see.  Above her, hanging on the wall, are a pitchfork, a coil of rope and a wooden ladder.  A large overhead lamp casts a warm glow.  Outside the barn sits the old truck.  Above it is a dark sky replete with stars and a full moon.  The truck is very old, now, rusty brown with age.  The hood is up.


With every reading of The Old Truck written and illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey readers will be enthralled with the harmony found in the words and illustrations.  Underneath the pastoral scenes is a thread of perseverance, a sense of dedication to work and the accomplishments it brings.  And there is love, in its many forms.  You will want to have a copy of this title on your professional and personal bookshelves. 

To learn more about Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their website.  At this website you can see how the work is progressing on the old truck purchased by Jarrett Pumphrey.  Jarrett Pumphrey has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Jerome Pumphrey has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Their visit to author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast is a must read.  There is lots of process art presented.  The brothers are also interviewed at The Horn Book with Roger Sutton and at NPR Special Series Picture This as part of Weekend Edition Sunday.

Seasonal Success

Central locations, streets and parks, are gathering spaces for plentiful produce.  Rows of white-tented booths are bursting with fruits, vegetables, fresh-baked breads and pastries, honey and flowers.  All the hours, days and weeks of work are spread before browsers and shoppers alike.

There is nothing quite like the farmers' markets in August.  In our local area there is at least one for five days of the week.  Some communities have markets twice a week.  Summer Supper (Random House, May 8, 2018) written by Rubin Pfeffer with pictures by Mike Austin is a spirited salute to those who plant in the spring and relish the results in summer.

Shovel soil.
Sow seeds.

With each page turn following the initial text, actions of the families farming and gardening are told through words beginning with the letter "s".  In each accompanying illustration other "s" words label elements in the scene; a word like string, sticks, or sun.  In order for those seeds to grow water adds moisture to the dirt.

Sprinkle, sprinkle.

Soon bits of green are seen, getting taller and taller.  Color bursts forth in the form of flowers, fruits and vegetables.  A shape stands tall among them, guarding the garden.  You're doing a stellar job, Mr. Scarecrow.

In time those fruits, vegetables and flowers are picked and placed like a vivid still life on tables for buyers to see.  As the day begins to end a family gathers in the kitchen preparing, simmering and mixing ingredients.  A group gathers around a large table for an outside supper.

As the sun drops below the horizon the families, now full of home-grown food, make musical memories.  Later many hands share in kitchen clean-up.  There are bedtime rituals and one typical, final surprise beginning with the letter "s", of course.


One of the first things readers will do after reading this book is take a deep breath and wonder how Rubin Pfeffer thought of all these words beginning with "s".  Then they will think of all the fun he must have had searching out these words and how clever he is to have successfully linked them together for this story.  The alliteration supplied by the short, succinct sentences creates a spirited cadence.  Here is another sentence.

Sizzle, swirl, swish, SAUTE!


The soothing golden yellow canvas with hints of green on the matching dust jacket and book case provide the perfect glow of a summer's day highlighting the bounty of fruits, vegetables and flowers carried by the barefoot boy.  It continues over the spine and to the left, on the back, as cornstalks and blossoms frame the words

SEE
SUMMER
SUPPER,
STEP
BY 
STEP!

The same boy stands on the far left of the opening endpapers, now with a hose in hand watering the soil.  Rows labeled with signs for all the "s" vegetables, fruits and flowers are displayed in bright colors.  A bluebird (happiness) watches.  The kettle the boy is holding on the front of the jacket and case becomes a placeholder for the text on the title page.

All of the two page illustrations by Mike Austin in full color present lively and animated scenes.  He alters his perspective inviting readers into each situation.  When the children and a parent are planting the view is larger. We move in a bit closer as a little girl waters the new shoots.  When a bird and chicken inspect a worm we are even closer plus Mike gives us a cross-section of the roots attached to the sprouts, shoots and stalks.

The white text is placed along the bottom of each picture within a colored band alternating between reds, shades of green, hues of blue, orange, brown, purple, pink, and maroon.  The characters' features are minimal but convey every emotion.  Readers will appreciate the mix of races shown in the images.  On the closing endpapers, Mike Austin again features the boy among a vista bursting with enlarged flowers, vegetables and fruits.  He is carrying a pea pod so big it stretches past and above his spread arms.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of the scarecrow.  Across the bottom of the page are sprightly and brightly hued daisies.  On the left and right are cornstalks and big-faced sunflowers.  On the left, poles and string hold up tomato plants. Four birds are squawking and in flight.  One has dropped a strawberry.  The scarecrow is wearing a large-checked shirt in many colors.  Red gloves are his hands.  He is smiling from cheek to cheek.  On his head, over his straw hair, is a baseball cap.


For a unit on farming, gardening, seeds, summer, food, families, alliteration or simply for fun, Summer Supper written by Rubin Pfeffer with pictures by Mike Austin is superb.  Readers and listeners alike will savor the sounds made by the words and feel the happiness in all the images spread throughout their collective souls.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Rubin Pfeffer and Mike Austin and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Author Johnell Dewitt features Rubin Pfeffer in his role as literary agent on his site.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

Love Grows Love

When another being is close enough to share the air you breathe day after day for years, they are a cherished companion.  They are a part of who you are.  Your days are defined by the experiences you have together.  Others identify the two of you as parts of a wonderful whole.

When, for more than one reason, you are separated the world feels in a word, wrong.  The sense of loss makes it hard to breathe.  In The Rough Patch (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, August 14, 2018) written and illustrated by Brian Lies this missing, essential element in a life is portrayed with gifted awareness.

Evan and his dog did everything together.

Their days were full of play, tasty treats, melodies and singing and all sorts of memorable travels.  Day and night, winter, spring, summer and fall, they did it all . . . together.  Their favorite place to be was Evan's garden. 

This was no ordinary garden.  Oh, no.  Once something was planted here it grew and grew and grew.  It was magnificent.

One day Evan discovered his dog was not sleeping in his bed.  He was resting in death.  In a corner of their beloved garden, Evan buried his dog.  And everything shifted.

In his grief Evan no longer desired to be in the garden.  In fact, he destroyed it.  Cleared ground is an open invitation for seeds.  Weeds grew in place of his fabulous vegetables.  They fit his mood perfectly, so he gardened with these undesirable intruders.  Sorrow flourished.

Seeing a vine with

prickly stems, fuzzy leaves, and spidery, twisty tendrils

creeping under his fence, he was tempted to get rid of it but it, too, suited this dreary plot.  Giving it his usual care day after day, something happened, a big something.  Evan loaded up his truck, heading to the Fair.  On this day Evan felt another shift.  Nothing was going to be the same.


No matter how many times this book is read, if you've loved and lost, you will share in Evan's heartbreak.  Brian Lies writes using declarative sentences, brief but profoundly true.  He builds the relationship of Evan and his dog with sweet simplicity so when the dog dies we can't help but shed tears.  We know exactly of what he speaks.

When Brian tells us about Evan's destruction of the garden they loved, we understand completely.  As Evan helps the weeds to thrive the genius of the book's title becomes abundantly apparent.  Most of us have suffered a rough patch but how many of us have literally helped one to grow? 

The introduction of the vine is a subtle alteration in the story.  We can feel something other than a vine growing.  It is an expectation of a change for the better.  Here are two passages from the book.

If Evan's garden couldn't be a happy place,
then it was going to be the saddest
and most desolate spot he could make it.

And soon it was. 


When first opening the dust jacket readers are treated to a soft blue sky extending from left flap edge to right flap edge.  The snow white fence continues along the bottom.  An evergreen, a perch for a crow, tilts on the left side.  Nearby sticks act as braces for a bush.  Along the top edge of the sticks, a pair of scissors and a trowel hang to discourage unwanted nibblers. Evan is intently sculpting with his clippers.  On the far right a rake is propped against the fence.  This is a peaceful scene.  It gives no hint of the interior.  Is it before or after the conclusion?  (I am working with an F & G generously supplied by Brian Lies.)

On the title page, once again Brian, asks us to extend our thinking.  It is a breathtaking view of clouds in autumn at the close of a day.  Trees with leaves turning colors rise above the white fence surrounding the garden.  Evan's garden appears to be as it was in the beginning.  We are close to Evan as he gazes to the right.  Behind him is a large, large fruit (vegetable).  Toward the bottom of the fence is the shadow of Evan's dog. 

Created with

acrylics, oils, and colored pencils on Strathmore paper

each image is stunning, a beautiful study of light and shadow and shifting perspectives.  The use of color plays heavily in supplying a mood and depicting emotions.  Some of the pictures span two pages and others are loosely framed and grouped together on one or two pages.  Brian may inset one visual into another.  His use of white space will have you gasping.  The picture of Evan leaning over his dog's bed will break your heart in two.

I want to address the point of view seen from illustration to illustration.  We are drawn into the image of Evan leaning on his shovel, thoughtfully looking at his dog's resting place in the garden.  The line of the shadow invites us.  When Evan digs up everything in the garden, on the left he is carting armloads to a compost pile.  On the right a spading fork is so close; it's as if we are standing next to it.  On the day the vine comes beneath the fence the vine fills those two pages.  We see the shadow of Evan's hoe.  All we see of Evan are his garden boots with holes for his paws' claws. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations (I love all of them.) is of Evan at the fair.  It is a two page picture.  It is bird's eye view of an expanse of a certain kind of fruit gathered together. They are all huge.  A pathway winds between them.  Foxes of varying ages are walking on those paths.  Evan is speaking with two other farmer or gardener friends leaning against these prime garden-grown specimens.  It's when we know Evan is easing into a new normal.  We can hear the murmured conversations and feel the crisp autumn air.


Once you read The Rough Patch written and illustrated by Brian Lies you will read it again and again and again.  It allows us to understand how heartbreak can be healed.  It is simply one of the best books on loss.  I highly recommend it for your personal and professional collections for the excellence found in the text and illustrations. 

To learn more about Brian Lies and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website. At the publisher's website you can view interior images. At The Horn Book Brian talks about this book.  Brian visits author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast to talk about his process art.  Brian writes a guest post about The Rough Patch at 24 Carrot Writing. 

On A Farm

Life on a farm is not easy.  Regardless of the type of farm, there is an endless list of chores.  There is also a knack to performing each and every task.  These skills are perfected with practice and time . . . lots of time.  Each day begins and ends with a familiar rhythmic routine.

The land, buildings and home tend to pass from one generation to the next with the word retirement rarely spoken.  Farmers may not do as much as they get older but it's nearly impossible to take farming away from a farmer.  Of course, with that being said, there are exceptions.  George the Hero Hound (Two Lions, March 20, 2018) written and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler follows a canine capable of unquestionable loyalty to a particular farm and all who reside there.

George was a good old hound dog.

At the crack of dawn, and sometimes earlier, George followed Farmer Fritz helping keep the nearly dead tractor running and making sure the sneakier-than-sneaky cows did not escape into the corn field.  George loved all the work on the farm as long as he could take a much-deserved midday nap.  Life was good until Farmer Fritz decided to retire.  Dogs were not allowed where Farmer Fritz was to spend his days.  George was destined to stay on the farm.

Now, just in case, you may be wondering how George would survive alone, a new family, the Gladstones, arrived from the city.  George was readily accepted as a welcome part of the farm but they had no clue as to his name.  First on George's list of things to do was to help Mr. Gladstone fix the beat-up old tractor.  Unfortunately, Mr. Gladstone fixed it incorrectly.  There went the tractor!

Cows happily scattered with the tractor on the rampage.  Ever vigilant George kept them out of the corn field but tracked in a whole bunch of dust when he went to get a drink in the house.  Plumb pooped out George meandered toward his special space outside but something blue caught his attention.

Owen, the Gladstone son, had not been paying attention to Olive, the Gladstone younger daughter. It was up to George using the scent from her ribbon to find the little girl.  George was certain he could finally take his nap but an epic accident stopped all thoughts of rest.  Life on the farm was never going to be the same.


Like the first line in your favorite country western song, Jeffrey Ebbeler has penned a first sentence destined to having you humming a tune as you read the story.  The next thing you'll do, even if you are alone, is read it aloud.  The choice of words Jeffrey uses calls to mind life on a farm with extra attention to the humor in the variety of situations.  There are also speech bubbles with dialogue enhancing the narrative. These contain another bit of comedy as everyone seems to have a name for George except for the correct one.  Here is a passage.

Then Owen came running over.

I was supposed to be watching my baby sister, Olive.  Can you help me find her, boy?

George took a good sniff of Olive's ribbon---he was a hound dog, after all---and off they went.


When you read the title on the opened, matching dust jacket and book case, it's easy to see by his stance George looks the part of hero. (The title text is varnished.)  What you have to do is take a good second look at that image.  Notice Mrs. Gladstone and Owen, each looking in opposite directions.  Olive is chasing that poor chicken which she will not leave alone.  Mr. Gladstone is racing after the tractor with a mind of its own.  And take a look at those cows.  It looks like they've hatched another escape plan.

To the left, on the back, within a circle of white on a teal background the hero of the farm is standing with his new farmer friend.  This is one of the more hilarious nods to the American Gothic.  The opening and closing endpapers take the darker shade of teal from the front of the jacket and case as their canvas.

Rendered in acrylic, ink, and pencil on Fabriano hot press watercolor paper the pictures further generate laugh-out-loud moments on the title page with the clever cows climbing out from the loft window on the roof of the barn as George runs after Olive who is running after the frantic chicken.  The verso and first pages create another scene sure to bring on giggles as George and Farmer Fritz carry buckets to begin the daily chores.  (You won't believe what the cows are doing.)

Jeffrey Ebbeler shifts his image sizes to emphasize his story pacing.  Double pages change to single pages and then there might be two illustrations on one page.  You will find yourself stopping to notice all the details in every single visual.  There is usually more than one thing happening.  These details and the facial expressions on the characters increase the laughter.

One of my many favorite illustrations is one of two on a single page.  The story has Owen and George searching high and low for Olive.  In the second picture George is holding his nose high in the air as they cross a tiny stream on protruding rocks.  Owen is bent over on one of the rocks looking into the water.  Behind them in the woods a tent has been set up for camping.  Over a crackling fire two cows are toasting marshmallows.


Without a doubt George the Hero Hound written and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler is certain to be a story time winner.  As all readers know shared laughter is better laughter and this story with its words and illustrations is jam-packed with humor.  You could use it for a theme on farm life, dogs or different kinds of heroes.  Be sure to place a copy of this title in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Jeffrey Ebbeler and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name.  More information can be found in this post at Writing and Illustrating, Kathleen Temean and at MBartists.  Enjoy the book trailer.

George The Hero Hound from Jeffrey Ebbeler on Vimeo.

Back To The Place Called Home

Now, after two weeks, when pressing my face into her fur it triggers new sensations.  There are odors of sunshine, evergreens, lake breezes and wild.  Her soul is new too, her spirit soaring as we traverse paths and roadways through northern Michigan woods.  Startled deer leap in front of us.  At any given moment my canine companion will freeze, listening and sniffing the air.

Today in the very early hours of the morning after finishing, for the second time, The Wild Robot Escapes (Little, Brown and Company, March 13 2018) written and illustrated by Peter Brown, later, during our first walk, my mind wandered in different directions.  It was wonderful to compare the second title with the first, The Wild Robot (Little, Brown and Company, April 5, 2016).  Using my senses to take in these pristine surroundings and all they offer, it was easy to think of ROZZUM unit 7134 affectionately known as Roz.  It was easy to imagine her walking along beside us or appearing in the woods when she believed we meant her and her friends no harm.

Without divulging too much, at the end of the first title, Roz is forced to leave those and that which she loves most.  I know what you are thinking.  How can a robot love? Roz is an extraordinary being.

Chapter 1
THE CITY
Our story begins in a city, with buildings and streets and bridges and parks.  Humans were strolling, automobiles were driving, airships were flying, robots were hard at work.
Weaving through the city streets was a delivery truck.

Picking up speed this truck zooms away from the city and past vast stretches of country landscape until it reaches one specific farm, Hilltop Farm.  It stops and drops out a crate.  Inside is a ROZZUM unit.  It is number 7134.  Roz.

What the farmer, Mr. Shareef, his dog Curly, and his children a daughter, Jaya, and a son, Jad, do not know and cannot know, is Roz will exceed the required work needed to be done on the dairy farm.  (After the death of his wife and an injury, Mr. Shareef, is desperate to save this family land.)  That first night, the cows in the barn, like the animals on the island, discover Roz's mind does not function as the technology in other robots does.  She speaks their language.

Day after day a routine forms as Roz repairs the other automated equipment and maintains every aspect of this farm.  She is as content as one can be when living two lives and longing for home. As the seasons shift, flocks of geese stop at the pond on the property. Conversing with them, she gets a promise.  She starts to plan . . . her escape.

It does not miss the attention of the children that their robot has special qualities.  Storytelling sessions begin.  There are stories of a wild robot on an island and her son, a goose named Brightbill.  Jaya and Jad are completely captivated.

A pack of wolves, a wild tornado, a summer night around a campfire, the existence of an old barn, the arrival of a special flock of geese and a startling revelation alter relationships.  More secrets are kept and an expanded plan is put into action.  Spring brings renewed hope as well as increased fears.

Readers' hearts will race as surely as the heart of Brightbill and the survival mode wired into Roz as they attempt to reach a goal.  Danger is a constant companion.  At any moment they realize they might never see each other again.  At any moment they realize one of them could die.  Expect the unexpected as this breathtaking companion title thrills us until the final word is read.  That word will sound in every soul.


When a book starts with

Our story begins

readers are immediately drawn into the plot.  We step into this narrative as if it's our own.  From time to time throughout the story, this unseen narrator will carry on casual conversations with us.  This technique is brilliantly employed by Peter Brown and it is as successful here as it was in the first title.

Short chapters with short definitive titles propel us forward as quickly as we can turn the pages.  The end of each one connects flawlessly with the following chapter.  A blend of conversations and narrative text give us insight into the characters thoughts, moods and motives.  Vivid descriptions of setting further envelope us as we move from one landscape to another.  Here are some passages.

Nobody knew quite what to think of the strange creature in their midst. And soon all the cows were voicing their thoughts.
"I think the monster is harmless."
"I think the monster is unnatural."
"I think the monster is moving!" 
The herd fell silent as the monster marched out from the shadows and into the middle of the barn.  And then she did the impossible.  She did the unthinkable.  She spoke to the cows in the language of the animals.
"I am not a monster, I am a robot.  My name is Roz."

The cows and the humans spent hot days indoors.
Only when the sun finally set and the air began to cool would they venture outside.  The herd strolled out to graze under the stars, the children ran out to chase fireflies, sometimes even Mr. Shareef stepped out to stretch his stiff legs.
Leaves rustled in the evening breeze.
Heat lightning flickered on the horizon.
Cicadas sang from tree branches.

"Running away might be easy for you, but not for me," said Roz.  "Your father can track my movements.  If he sees me trying to escape he will think I am defective, and he will send me away to be destroyed."
An uncomfortable question popped into Jaya's mind.  
"Roz, don't take this the wrong way," she began, "but is it possible that you are defective?"
"Don't say that, Jaya!" cried her brother.
"No, it is okay," said the robot.  "I have asked myself that same question.  I do not feel defective.  I feel . . . different.  Is being different the same as being defective?"
"I hope not," said Jaya.  "Otherwise we're all a little defective."

Even way out there in the wilderness, she wanted to go unseen.  What Roz didn't realize was that she was already being watched.


Having read an ARC generously supplied by the publisher, I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of a completed book to see the illustrations Peter Brown provides.  The cover (The cover reveal is at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production, by Elizabeth Bird.) gives readers a huge hint.  Where is Roz and why is she there?  Let me simply say prepare to be on a roller coaster ride of emotions.


This title, The Wild Robot Escapes, written and illustrated by Peter Brown is, like the first title, a classic.  It addresses the issues of our interconnectedness with all animals, domestic and wild. It asks us to seek peaceful solutions to every question.  It promotes discussions on the part technology plays in our lives.  Think about the fact that with all the advancements available to those children, the storytelling with Roz was their favorite thing.  I can't imagine a professional or personal collection without several copies of this title.  It's spectacular!

To learn more about Peter Brown and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  I know you will enjoy this post by Peter dedicated to the work in creating this book.  At Little, Brown and Company, you can listen to a podcast where Peter talks about The Wild Robot Escapes.  Here is a link to a Book Club Guide for the first title.  Author, reviewer, and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast Julie Danielson writes about this book at Chapter 16.  Peter Brown is interviewed by songwriter and singer Emily Arrow at Musing, a laid-back lit journal.  Enjoy the audio book excerpt.

Give Me Sleep

You know the feeling.  You're so tired you could sleep nearly anywhere but the spot you long for most is your personal place.  It doesn't matter if it's big or small, hard or soft, or covered in cozy quilts and bunches of fluffy pillows or a single blanket and a single pillow.  Your bed is your sanctuary.

When you settle in for a serene night of rest and the sweetest of dreams, every muscle relaxes and all the worries of the day fade away. At least this is how it's supposed to be.  In Go sleep in your own bed! (Schwartz & Wade Books, May 2, 2017) written by Candace Fleming with illustrations by Lori Nichols animals on a farm are having a not-quite-right night.

Snuggled in.
Snuggled down.
Bedtime on the farm.

Hardly able to keep his eyes open Pig strolls toward his sty.  Rolling into his mud, he realizes someone is in his bed.  Cow is hogging his space.  Pig orders him to go to his own bed.

Cow ambles into her stall and lies down but a horrible squawk startles her.  There's a hen roosting in her hay.  As did Pig, she orders the chicken to go to her own bed.

To Hen's surprise a very large member of the farm community is occupying almost the entire coop.  She clucks and clucks until the intruder wanders over to his bed.  As you can probably surmise, Horse is unable to sleep in his stable.  Someone else is in the wrong bed.

This series of out-of-the-ordinary events continues until the last animal, resigned to her fate, settles down on her particular, private bed.  Will she remain there?  Unlike the others will she find a warm, welcoming snuggling place?

Bedtime on the farm.


The first three phrases lead readers gently into what they believe will be a nighttime ritual on the farm.  It's a perfect beginning for the hilarity which follows.  Candace Fleming understands her intended audience (and those young at heart) by asking them to participate with a repeating question and sentences.  Her word choices supply a visual of the movements from place to place by the animals and how they settle in their beds only to discover they are not alone.  The words uttered by the animals when ordered to leave are full of fun and sure to generate giggles and grins.  Here is a sample passage.

"Oh, w-w-w-h-o-o-o-a is me," whickered Horse.
And he shambled to his stable, cloppety-plod.

But when he settled down---
Mehhhhh! 
Who do you think he found?


When you open the matching dust jacket and book case the front is the first hint things might be a little unusual on this specific night; a cow curled up in pig's sty is a tad strange.  And the one-eyed look Pig is giving Cow is most definitely the tiny start of the huge humor which follows.  To the left, on the back, Hen is nearly sleepwalking to the coop.  She can't see what readers can; the backside of a horse is facing the entrance.  On the opening and closing endpapers, done in a deep midnight blue and a lighter blue for outlining with hints of white and golden yellow, another story is being told.  You will get a chuckle out of the conclusion on the closing endpapers.  Each one is a scene of the layout of the farm...with a few changes.

A two-page picture of the farm at night from the vantage point of a tree top supplies the canvas for the verso and title pages.  Here as on the jacket and case Lori Nichols continues the limited color palette, hues of blue, purple, brown, white, pale yellow and green.  (Splashes of other colors make an appearance in a few illustrations.)  An owl watches with eyes wide open.

The image sizes vary from two page pictures to single page illustrations and other visuals on a single page surrounded by white space.  These pair perfectly with the narrative supplying a cadence for readers.  Rendered in acrylic ink using a dip pen and colorized digitally the looks on the characters' faces and their body postures will have you laughing out loud.

One of my favorite of many pictures is when Cow settles into her stall only to discover Hen is there.  Large portions of white space frame the stall divider, another cow, Cow and the sleeping Hen.  Cow is curled on her hay but the

Bwaaaak!

has her giving the source of the sound a one-eyed look.  Hen is sleeping on her back, wings spread and red and white stripped legs straight up in the air.


Go sleep in your own bed! written by Candace Fleming with illustrations by Lori Nichols is meant to be read aloud one-on-one or with a group.  Readers will quickly join in when the repeating phrases appear.  They will be delighted by the word choices supplying sounds and moods of the animals.  This is perfect for bedtime but I will be sharing it anytime I can.

To learn more about Candace Fleming and Lori Nichols and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images including the opening endpapers.  Lori Nichols is featured on Andrea Skyberg's website.  Enjoy the adorable book trailer.

Farmyard Tom"fowl"ery

If you call out to a group of children asking them who wants to play a game, you will get a unanimous chorus of me.  If you tell them they need to search for clues to solve a mystery, the excitement grows.  Guys and gals love to laugh.  They are perfectly wired to sense the humor in almost any situation; the sillier the better.  They also become attached to characters in books they enjoy.  They will reread these books over and over because they don't want to leave those fictional individuals.

Fans of Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold who we met in The Case of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) (Creston Books, LLC, May 12, 2015) have returned in their second thrilling episode combining mystery and hilarity.  The Case Of The Poached Egg (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) (Creston Books, LLC, April 2, 2017) penned by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke is about a most heinous heist.  The only thing in hot water might be the criminal when caught.

Boys and girls, this case is about a poached egg on Ed's farm.

Over 100 animals live on this farm.  Most work.  Some horse around.  Others steal.

Policemice Wilcox and Griswold know something is about to happen even before they get a call early in the morning on Tuesday.  Farmer Ed's Big Speggtacular is going to be held on Wednesday.  The competition is fierce among the fowl friends.

Henrietta Hen is frantic.  Her precious Penny has disappeared.  Is Penny her mother, sister or daughter?  No, she is not.  Penny is an egg, a very fine egg.

When the Missing Food Investigators arrive at the coop, feathers are frantically flying.  Henrietta Hen first shows them a ransom note with unfamiliar handwriting.  No one has been near the coop except for Gabby Goose and Colonel Peck.  Colonel Peck is far from helpful during his questioning preferring to focus on his lack of corn kernels.  So far the evidence, egg shell samples, feathers and prints, reveal nothing unusual.

Detective Wilcox has an epiphany while eating a cheese donut when they are stopped at the Milky Way for cows to cross.  There's something odd about the letter e in the note.  Interviews with Gabby Goose, Miss Rabbit and Porcini the Pig leave the duo more puzzled than ever.  There is no time to lose.  What if the egg happens to hatch?

Will Farmer Ed's Big Speggtacular disclose more than a winner?  Will the egg burglar blunder?  Let's hope the conclusion leads to cracking the case and not precious Penny.

With every reading the language written by Robin Newman gets richer and richer with one comedic comment, thought or sentence after another.  Her command of word play will have you laughing out loud at the same time you wonder in amazement how she manages to create combination after combination of words with more than one meaning.  The references to chickens, other fowl and farm life are astonishing. 

The blend of dialogue, spoken and silent accounts by Detective Wilcox and the lack of speech but knowing looks by Captain Griswold make for an eggs-cellent contrast.  The use of time of day and place at the beginning of each chapter add to the law enforcement atmosphere.  Detective Wilcox usually manages to close chapters with astute observations.

"If we don't find Penny fast, I whispered to the captain, "she might end up in an omelet.  Or worse, in a bucket of fried chicken!"

We had to scramble on this case.  Scramble before we had scrambled eggs indeed.

Here is another sample passage.

Knock. Knock. "MFIs," I hollered.

"Door's open.  Come on down," shouted Miss Rabbit.

We slid down the rabbit hole and landed in the kitchen.

"Detectives, how nice of you to drop in," said Miss Rabbit.  "Would you like some carrot cake?"

Illustrator Deborah Zemke has a keen eye for making the book case look like a well-used file folder or pages from a case file.  Placing the A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery logo inside a poached egg is sheer design genius.  The cracked egg shells and fowl prints carry across the opening endpapers which includes the verso and title pages.  Every detail references to policemice work.  

On the two introductory pages a map of Ed's Farm is placed over MFI photographs of Captain Griswold and Detective Wilcox.  With every page turn small images on placed within the text, reflecting the narrative.  Each chapter begins with an oval image at the top.  To emphasize a moment the illustration might cover a half of the page or be spread across the bottom of two pages.

The eyes on the chickens, the body posture and facial expressions on all the characters, and their clothing add to the humor.  It's particularly funny that the MFIs are much smaller than most of the animals on the farm.  Readers will find themselves chuckling at some of the details; Colonel Peck's oversized comb, the names of the chickens written on their boxes, and Gabby's pouch for carrying her egg, Gertie.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is at the beginning.  There is something about Detective Wilcox's and Captain Griswold's car being a wind-up toy which I find hilarious.  In the lower half of the page they are leaving MFI Headquarters which happens to be a Sneaker Squeakers box.  As Griswold opens the driver's side of the car, Wilcox is turning the key to get the car moving.  Their hats and coats are totally in keeping with the old style vision of law enforcement attire.

Sleuths are going to get caught up in this farmyard whodunit trying to piece the clues together.  The Case Of The Poached Egg (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke is bursting with the imaginative use of words.  I don't think you will ever look at an egg the same way again.  Early readers are going to savor every page.  

To learn more about Robin Newman and Deborah Zemke and their other work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  At the publisher's website you can download a curriculum guide for this title. Robin Newman was a Featured Member at KidLit TV.  Enjoy the book trailer. 

Heed The Need

There are individuals who by the lives they live inspire those around them.  Their path is not always well-worn by the use of others.  They choose the high road, the road in service to others.  They live by the Golden Rule which means everyone wins.

We observers of these individuals, some of us recipients of their kindnesses, learn regardless of being aware a lesson is being presented.  One such being in children's literature is Otis, the tractor.  His goodness seen in Otis, Otis And The Tornado, Otis And The Puppy, An Otis Christmas, and Otis And The Scarecrow is steadfast and spirited.  Otis And The Kittens (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, September 20, 2016) penned and painted by Loren Long takes us back to the farm, a place we have grown to love.

It was hot and dry on the farm where the friendly little tractor named Otis lived.

It was a rainless summer with low water levels.  Otis worked with the other farmhands in the fields baling and bringing in straw to the barn near Mud Creek.  While Otis was ready at day's end to rest in a shady spot, the bull was not.  It was time for a good old-fashioned game of tug-of-war.  He gave his signature signal, the ducks looped the rope around his horns and Otis's steering wheel and the fun commenced.

One afternoon as the animals gathered together Otis noticed an orange tabby cat racing to the barn.  Smoke was coming from the upper level!  Reaching the bottom of the hills and seeing the cat in distress, Otis with his remarkable

putt puff puttedy chuff

charged forward.  Inside flames seemed to leap from one bale of hay to the other.  The cat was meowing frantically.

In reply soft meows, like whispers, came from the loft.  There were five kittens.  Otis positioned himself so they could ride on him to safety.  Once outside the mother was still panicked.  Returning Otis found the barn thick with smoke and the fire was fierce but he managed to send the sixth kitten on its merry way.

As Otis struggled to leave, the fire delivered a blow to our hero.  The intrepid tractor was in terrible trouble.  Even the arrival of Fire Chief Douglas did not alleviate his fears.  Outside the barn, Otis's animal friends were in a frenzy.  They had figured out what the people had not.  In the following moments, the fire and fear were replaced with friendship, a friendship forged one

putt puff puttedy chuff

at a time.


When Loren Long writes about Otis, the animals, and life on the farm his descriptions take us into the landscape.  He vividly represents the seasons and the weather which are integral to this way of life.

Water was in short supply, the ground was hard and the cornstalks were half as tall as they should've been.

Long creates a scenario, the animals in a tug-of-war game, with significant phrases and actions which is a part of the rhythm of barnyard playfulness but also is essential to the narrative.  With every sentence, after the discovery of the fire, the tension increases as Otis goes and returns from the barn.  Our hearts are completely connected to Otis, the situation and the other characters.

Otis wheeled around to see if any more kittens were left.  The old boards of the barn's floor creaked, buckled, and moaned.  The walls popped.  He couldn't wait another second. 

But like all master storyteller's Loren Long takes us into a story and back out again, all the better for having been there.


On the matching dust jacket and book case Loren Long features the friendly tractor and the first five kittens he rescues.  Placing two of them inside the fireman's hat gives us our first hint of the conflict in this story.  To the left, on the back, within a circle is the old-style fire truck, hoses being unwound by two firemen.  The ducks, puppy and kittens are anxiously watching.  A tiny Otis at the bottom is racing toward the ISBN.  On the steely gray opening and closing endpapers, Long has placed a single phrase in white.

FOR THE BRAVE WHO RUN TOWARD DANGER INSTEAD OF AWAY.

On the initial title page one orange kitten is inside another fireman's had with the C replaced with a 10.  A stunning two page panoramic view of the farm, looking like an Andrew Wyeth painting but still distinctively a Loren Long work of art, is the canvas for the formal title page.

Single page portraits of life on the farm are loosely framed in a small black line on backgrounds of crisp white. On the two-page spreads the same black line edges the images but Long has some of the elements break outside the confines of those lines.  To intensify a given situation perspective is shifted, pulling us into the scene.  In several frightening moments the illustrations bleed off the sides and top of the page.

The color palette chosen by Long in the Otis books is important to the way we experience these tales.  The shades of brown, gray, and black with splashes of color, the daisies, the ducks' bills, the bull and kittens and Otis's red are particularly pastoral.  Whether you are familiar with farmlands or not, Long conveys their soul.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when the animals are playing tug-of-war.  To the left of the gutter the bull, rope wrapped around his horns, is pulling away, hooves firmly in place.  He is being assisted by the horse, puppy (clinging above ground) and two ducks.  On the right side Otis, tongue outside his mouth in concentration, is heaving, his front wheel off the ground.  Three ducks, the cow and calf are helping him.  I like that two of the ducks break out of the frame.


Otis And The Kittens written and illustrated by Loren Long is a fine, fine story of life on the farm and the friendships grown there.  It's a tribute to those who place themselves in harm's way to save others.  It shows what I heard repeatedly when growing up...many hands make light work.  These characters are beloved and this story will cause a collective sigh at the end.  Trust me.


To learn more about Loren Long and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  There is a special website devoted to all the Otis books.  You can get a peek at the interior at the publisher's website.  Loren Long talks about Why Picture Books Are Important during Picture Book Month 2015.  Several years ago Loren Long was featured at artistsnetwork.  An Otis lesson has been created at TeacherVision.  This is a subscription database but for now this lesson is available.

Sketch from Otis and the Kittens
From @PhilomelBooks , 9/20/16.@penguinkids pic.twitter.com/gNnYJU8F6z

— Loren Long (@lorenlong) September 2, 2016

Poultry Puppy

When you're growing up sometimes you desire something so much it consumes your every waking moment.  In conversations with your parents they try to explain the difference between wanting and needing a particular thing.  Their reasoning may be logical and practical but it simply does not match your thinking.  Regardless of your attempts to persuade them to understand your viewpoint, they remain steadfast in their answers.

Children may not always have much control over their lives but certain situations call for creativity.  My Dog's a Chicken (Schwartz & Wade Books, February 9, 2016) written by Susan McElroy Montanari with illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf gives us a day in the life of a quick-witted little gal.  She surveys her circumstances and hatches a plan.

Lula Mae wanted a puppy, but Mama said, "Dog's just another mouth to feed.  These are hard times, Lula Mae.  You've got to make do."

Standing in the yard on her farm, Lula Mae is surrounded by chickens, lots and lots of chickens.  She promptly decides a chicken might make a pretty good dog.  It's got to be a proper chicken, though.  It must exhibit certain personality traits.

One chicken stands out among all the others and Lula Mae grabs it.  Understandable the hen is not happy but Lula Mae declares to her Papa and Mama this chicken is her dog.  She names it Pookie.

With her father and mother watching Lula Mae proceeds to point out all the fine abilities of her new "canine companion."  She takes the bow from her hair placing it on the chicken and voila, she has a show dog.  After a close encounter with a pesky cousin and a slithering reptile when she, Baby Berry and Pookie are reading under a tree, she announces Pookie is a guard dog.

Regardless of the stellar qualities of her "dog" Mama is steadfast in her resolve to not have Pookie in her house.  Unexpectedly two members of the farm family cause a frightful commotion.  Some changes are meant to be, others are not.


You have to admit the idea of a chicken being a dog is fertile ground for hilarity.  Susan McElroy Montanari pens a splendid blend of easy, conversational narrative and homey dialogue.  Lula Mae's rationale which rises to the top in each situation will generate loads of laughter.  A comedic cadence is supplied when Baby Berry echoes portions of Mama's words.  In fact he utters the final sentences in this story.  Here is another sample passage.

There stood Cousin Tater holding a garter snake.  Lula Mae shrieked,
"You were going to throw that snake on me!"
Tater looked down at the snake.  "No, I wasn't," he said.
"Just so you know, I got me a dog now," Lula Mae said.
"That old stew chicken?" Tater asked. ...


The happy-as-a-lark look on Baby Berry's face and Lula Mae's expression of pure contentment on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case contrast with the get-me-out-here stare in Pookie's eyes.  The laughter begins right here.  The full color palette with splashes of bright red direct our attention to the most active characters, Lula Mae and Pookie.  On the back, to the left, is an interior scene with text when Lula Mae is zeroing in on her choice for a chicken to be her dog.  Pookie's free spirit lands her the job.

The opening and closing endpapers are full of chickens (There must be one hundred.) in all kinds of color combinations and body positions.  To begin most of them seem to be running toward a double circle which is forming.  Pookie is running off to the right.  At the conclusion there are divided clusters of chickens with dotted lines zigging and zagging among them, signifying the crazy path taken by Pookie.

Rendered in watercolor and China ink Anne Wilsdorf's artwork usually spans two pages.  To enhance the pacing she places several smaller visuals together on several pages or single pages between the double pages.  White space is used to excellent effect defining characters and their actions.

The wide eyes and longish, up-turned noses on her people endear us to them.  The expressions on her chickens are sure to produce grins galore.  In looking at each image readers will notice her fine lines and abundant details.  Wilsdorf also includes hints of what is to come if readers look closely at her illustrations.  The final picture without text is a second ending.

One of my favorite illustrations is of Lula Mae sitting against a tree reading.  Pookie is under one arm and Baby Berry is under her other arm.  They are all looking at the book.  In the upper left-hand corner a blue butterfly flutters.  Coming toward them from the left is another chicken.  Cousin Tater is seen peeking around the tree on the right.  Readers don't know it yet but this image signals a shift in the story.

My Dog's a Chicken written by Susan McElroy Montanari with illustrations by Anne Wilsdorf is read aloud gold.  Readers and listeners will admire Lula Mae's ingenuity as they chuckle at her perceptions.  I can guarantee you will be asked to read this title over and over again.  This is a winning debut for Montanari.

To learn more about Susan McElroy Montanari and Anne Wilsdorf please follow the links attached to their names.  An older post but still valuable about Anne Wilsdorf can be found at Emu's Debuts, "A book...is a whole world.": An Interview with Anne Wilsdorf.  You can view some interior images by following this link to the publisher's website.

What A Dog Has To Do

It's time for humans to pay closer attention to what dogs are saying and doing.  Let's face it most, if not all, dogs are far cleverer than we can imagine.  When it comes to training we may think we are succeeding at encouraging certain behavior, if for no other reason than our desire to keep them safe, but are the results due to us or them?

Have you ever thought they might be ensuring we react in a certain way based upon their conduct?  Ragweed's Farm Dog Handbook (Learn from the best!) (Candlewick Press, August 25, 2015) written and illustrated by Anne Vittur Kennedy is directed at the canine community, specifically those desiring to take up residence on a farm.  There is an acceptable routine with appropriate rules to follow...or not.

I'm Ragweed.  I'm a farm dog, 
and I'm really, really good at it.
Most dogs aren't.

This guide will include all the essentials from dawn until day's end to make sure all goes well for any dog.  The first thing necessary to know is the rooster rouses the farmer even before daybreak.  This is not the dog's task.  The rooster has it covered.  Dogs will hardly be able to keep from assuming this role but they are told to not do it.  If they should happen to interrupt the sleep of the farmer, a biscuit is sure to be offered to get the dog outside as quickly as possible.

Pigs have a job requiring a lot of mud and increasing their size.  Dogs need to stay clear of them and especially the mud regardless of the lure of such deliciousness.  Baths are to be avoided BUT after the dreaded cleansing guess what a dog gets?  A biscuit?  That's right!  Are you starting to see a pattern here?

If the chickens are disturbed during egg laying, a dog should try an elaborate tale about a countryside varmint.  Chasing sheep is strictly forbidden.  Of course a dog might want to take advantage of the old saying,

When the cat's away the mice will play.

As a dog roams around the farm, they will encounter cows calmly munching on grass.  The sweet taste of this green goodness will call to a dog.  Resist this at all costs unless a biscuit has recently been consumed.  After a summation of the previously mentioned farm life fundamentals the REAL job of a farm dog is revealed.


With liberal doses of hilarity a dog's point of view is portrayed with absolute clarity in this story written by Anne Vittur Kennedy.  As each animal on the farm is discussed along with their duties, a dog is encouraged not to partake in the same actions.  On the other hand, Ragweed, scamp about the farm, has learned (and earned) the results if proper decorum is not followed.  The use of repetition is masterfully used in several different passages inviting participation by readers and listeners.  One of them is

That's their job.  That's not your job.
Don't.....

This story gets better and better as the results of the rule-bending get a little bit more involved and a whole lot crazier.  Here is a sample set of sentences.

Mud is lovely.
It smells like worms and toes and earwax,
so you will really, really want to lie in the mud.
But don't lie in the mud.


When you first look at the front of the dust jacket, you know without a doubt that Ragweed is a dog with his own set of tricks.  Those chickens are raising a ruckus because that's what Ragweed does.  The cheery color palette is continued throughout the book with images rendered in acrylics.  To the left, on the back, readers are given a peek at the first picture of Ragweed doing what he should not be doing.  Ragweed is lying on the farmer's rather robust stomach about to end his sweet dreams.  The border of golden yellow hay on the front becomes the background on the back with a border of rustic barn red.  Both images are outlined in turquoise.

The book case background is the same as the border on the back of the dust jacket with the spine in the straw golden yellow.  In the center on the front is the title framing a happy-go-lucky Ragweed.  The back contains no image.  This has the look of a guidebook.  The opening and closing endpapers are awash in pale green.

Prior to the title page readers have an opportunity to place their name beneath a banner reading

This handbook belongs to:

A grinning Ragweed is featured at the top with two nesting chickens holding the sign in their beaks.  A portrait of a biscuit is placed under the dedication.  On the title page Ragweed is reading his own book by lantern light in the barn, smiling in complete satisfaction.

Anne Vittur Kennedy alters the size of her illustrations to match and enhance the cadence of her narrative beginning with two double-page pictures, edge to edge, followed by two single page visuals with different framing. She does include two or three images on a page with loose framing to provide a pause and prove a point before a blast of energy.  As readers move through the story the background colors reflect the place and time of day with a pastoral richness.

The facial looks on Ragweed, the farmer and the other animals will have readers holding their sides in laughter.  The wide-eyes and mouths tell a tale of their own.  Please pay close attention to the angle of Ragweed's ears too.

One of my favorite of several pictures is when Ragweed is in the hen house.  It spreads across two pages.  Three chickens are sitting on a raised bed filled with straw.  On the far left one is sleeping.  In the middle the second hen has one eye warily open a slit looking to the right at Ragweed.  The third gal is aghast at the audacity of this dog.  Her wings are ruffled and her eyes are frightened.  Ragweed is up on his back legs with his front paws resting on the edge of the bed.  He is most definitely wearing a mischievous smile.  You will want to take notice of his teeth.


No farm, dog or humorous themed read aloud should be without Ragweed's Farm Dog Handbook (Learn from the best!) written and illustrated by Anne Vittur Kennedy.  The fun of rules meant to be broken is in the results.  From beginning to end a room with readers and listeners will be filled with mirth.  This is a title sure to be frequently requested to be read over and over.

I can only assume Anne Vittur Kennedy relishes her privacy as I could not find a website or blog for her.  She lives near Columbus, Ohio with a dog named Banjo.  At the publisher's website you can view one of the first double page illustrations. This title is a Bank Street Irma Black Award finalist.  It is also a Highly Commended title on the Charlotte Zolotow Award list.

Disappearing Dessert

To discover characters you've come to enjoy will be returning in another story is like celebrating your birthday more than one day a year.  They are friends you can take with you anywhere, experiencing their adventures, their joys, their tears and their fears.  Over time, books in a series allow you to watch characters grow.

While reading about these fictional pals we can see little pieces of ourselves in them.  Sometimes we notice something before they do, willing them to share in this realization.  One of the best things is when they make us laugh, completely unaware.  Yesterday teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher hosted author Robin Newman on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  After reading the post I knew I had to move her debut title, The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery), Creston Books, LLC, May 12, 2015) to the top of my stack.  Late into the night I was bursting into laughter at her words and the funny detailed illustrations of Deborah Zemke.

Boys and girls, this case is about thieves on Ed's farm.  The names have been changed to protect the good guys.
Over 100 animals live on this farm.  Most work.  Some horse around.  Others steal.

The phone at the MFI (Missing Food Investigators) office rings at ten on Monday morning.  It would seem that a carrot cake, baked by Miss Rabbit in anticipation of an upcoming party, has vanished.  Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold, two vigilant policemice, head to the scene of the crime in their squad car.

After sliding down the rabbit hole, they see crumbs, carrots and frosting all over the kitchen, even on the pajama-clad Miss Rabbit.  Clearly she is in a state of extreme agitation.  The sleuths are stumped as there is no evidence pointing to a culprit.

Three possible suspects are questioned with due diligence, Fowler the Owl, who would enjoy consuming a particular rabbit and two nearby mice more than an evil-smelling carrot cake, Porcini the Pig, a corn-loving thief with a list of priors, and Hot Dog, a dog with gourmet cooking skills and an appetite to match.  Their replies only add to the who-done-it mystery.  A cake consumer is on the loose.

Detective Wilcox devises a plan to ensnare the wily rogue, employing a cook's culinary confection and a tried-and-true technology.  Nearly twenty-four hours of waiting end when a shout of sheer chagrin pierces the air.  Another heist has happened.

Can this carrot cake case be cracked? Will the gumshoes get the sticky-pawed prowler?  Read and savor the delectable conclusion.


Be prepared to grin and grin again from the first page to the very last courtesy of clever word play written by Robin Newman.  Readers are treated to case-solving lingo, puns and well-known phrases expertly inserted into the narrative and dialogue.  Detective Wilcox carries the conversations while Captain Griswold's stares and glares make their own statements.  Each episode ends with a definitive thought by Wilcox,

A hard nut indeed. or
Slower than molasses indeed. 

for example.  To heighten the thrill of the chase, times and places begin the chapters and portions within chapters.  Here is another sample passage.

Porcini's cheeks turned the color of a red hot chili pepper.
"I may take the cake as the best corn thief in town, but sirs, I am not a common cake thief!
Oink!"
The captain handed me Porcini's rap sheet. (That's a record of arrests for all you non-cops.)
It was a mile long for corn robberies, but he had no cake priors.
"Seems like you've spent some time in the pen," I said, hoping his reaction would give me a clue.
"Why peck at the past?  I did my time and now I'm clean.  I bet Hot Dog ate the cake.
That slobbering hound has a sweet tooth."


The crumpled paper spattered with cake crumbs covers both the front and back of the book case.  On a file folder with a tab reading CAKE, CARROT book blurbs are featured on the opened left.  One look at the determined faces of Detective Wilcox and Captain Griswold framed in the oval on the right and you know the crooks will be captured.  The opening and closing endpapers continue the theme with the Case Report containing the publication information opposite the title page at the beginning.  The dedications are paper-clipped to the top.  At the end an evidence folder appears on the left with wanted descriptions of the author and illustrator on the right.

The illustrations rendered by Deborah Zemke using a full-color palette are a blend of spot insertions, oval headers for chapters, full page pictures framed in a white border, smaller images on a single page and a two page illustration surrounding the text.  These variations in size enhance the pacing to perfection.  She skillfully maintains perspective with the animal sizes on the farm. Facial features and body language add to the comedy.

Zemeke's details are as playful as the text.  The squad car is a wind-up toy.  When taking pictures at the crime scene, Captain Griswold uses an old-style flash camera.  At one point Fowler The Owl is wearing a gas mask.

One of my favorite illustrations is of the squad car traveling down the road at the start of the story.  We are given a bird's eye view of the farm complete with two chickens crossing the road in a crosswalk with an appropriate sign at the side.  I dare you not to laugh when you see the wind-up key sticking out the side of the policemouse car.


This early reader, The Case Of The Missing Carrot Cake (A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Deborah Zemke, is one you don't want to miss.  Whether you read it to yourself or as a read aloud plan on a chorus of "read it again" and shared smiles.  It's one case you won't want to close.  I would stock multiple copies.  An every-last-crumb-will-be-consumed Mollie Katzen's Carrot Cake recipe is included at the end.  A second book is coming in the fall of 2016. Hooray!

To learn more about Robin Newman and Deborah Zemke please follow the links attached to their names taking you to their websites.  Here is a link to Robin Newman's blog. A Curriculum Guide for Educators & Readers is located here.  Enjoy the book trailer.



The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake from Robin Newman on Vimeo.

Dusk And Dreams

As if on some internal clock, a stiff breeze blowing throughout the day will calm as dusk descends.  Squawking blue jays, save further chiding for tomorrow.  Bright blooms fold their petals until the sun welcomes with warming rays in the morning.

A busy pace is slowing. In Go To Sleep, Little Farm (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 2, 2014) written by Mary Lyn Ray with art by Christopher Silas Neal readers are gently lead about the farm, surrounding fields, and nearby woods as night falls.  Inside the house a little girl mirrors the animals and their activities as she and her family welcome bedtime.

Somewhere a bee
makes a bed in a rose,
because the bee knows day has
come to a close.

A beaver builds a bed of branches, a bear snuggles inside a log and mice burrow to hide from a hungry owl. Kits heed the call of a mother fox.  Horses, cows and a single rooster come to rest.  A peaceful pastoral scene is unfolding.

A clear sky supplies a canvas for twinkling stars.  Rabbits run for home.  Deer come out of hiding to eat their meals.

Having finished for the day a farmer father turns out lights, heading to tuck in his daughter.  A book is opened. A story is shared.  A mother bends to whisper words as a daughter drifts into dreams.  Outside the world heads further into slumber.


Simple lilting words by Mary Lynn Ray lead readers into the soothing softness of the dark.  Her rhymes pave a path for us to follow from creature to creature.  Through a selective use of language she shapes a lullaby balancing between the inside and outside worlds.  Here is another example.

Somewhere a worm sleeps in the dirt.
Somewhere a pocket sleeps in a skirt.


It's impossible not to feel a sense of calm when looking at the illustration spanning the dust jacket and cover.  Christopher Silas Neal's color palette, here and throughout the book, reflects the fading light of sunset to the shadows of twilight and the deep hues of night.  The rusty barn red, shades of blue, gray and black, green and pale yellow, cream, brown and white mingle on a matte-finished paper to convey emotion and mood.

Neal alters the size of his illustrations to heighten the meaning of the text; taking readers close to an item, moving back to give a greater perspective or showing a cut-away underground, underwater or inside (the log) to bring us into the story.  It's interesting how he interprets the text by showing a comparison of the animals engaged in getting ready for bed on the left with the young girl doing something similar on the right; the beaver building a pile with sticks as she builds a pile of toys on her bed.  Careful readers will note the passage of time through not only the change in background colors but in the time conveyed on the bedside clock.  Neal meticulously places series of the letter z adding to the tranquility.

His two-page picture of the brown rabbits clustered together in sleep with a seventh hopping to join the group is one of my favorite illustrations.  They are gathered in a flower-dotted clearing surrounded by bushes and trees.  The barn, farmhouse, fencing and a single horse are featured on a rise in the distance.  This is the accompanying rhyme.

Already, trees sleep the way that trees sleep.
Brown rabbits snuggle in a sleepy heap.


To settle a group, to close a day of classroom work or send your children off to bed, Go to Sleep, Little Farm written by Mary Lyn Ray with art by Christopher Silas Neal is a stellar selection.  I guarantee everyone, readers and listeners alike, will feel the calming comfort of the combined text and pictures.  So get comfy, snuggle with your friends and family and read this book.  It's sure to become a often-requested title.

For more information about Mary Lyn Ray, her life philosophy and her work visit her website by following the link embedded in her name.  At Christopher Silas Neal's website, linked to his name, he includes nine interior illustrations.  Information is also supplied about the process used to create other artwork.

Silence Shared

Looking like a scene out of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds my backyard and the air above was populated by hundreds and hundreds of blackbirds this morning, feasting on whatever they could find in the lawn and taking flight, heading in a southerly direction.  For more than a week leaves have been turning yellow and falling from the ash trees still remaining on my property.  Despite the flickering, booming thunderstorm passing through earlier, the high humidity day after day, the constant breezes and the official date of the autumnal equinox weeks away, a change is coming.  Something new is on the horizon.

A beloved character in children's literature is returning in a new story.  If you listen closely you can hear him moving about the farm,

putt puff puttedy chuff.

Otis and the Scarecrow (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), August 28, 2014) written and illustrated by Loren Long brings back our fearless friend; the steadfast red tractor, pure of heart, instinctively doing the right thing.

The farmer first brought the scarecrow to the farm, where the friendly little tractor named Otis lived, back in the summer, when the corn was tall and ripe.

Otis, being Otis, immediately goes to investigate this newest member of the farm family.  To his dismay his good cheer and warmth are returned with a stony, silent look.  Each of the other animals, the horse, ducks, little calf, puppy and the bull, are similarly treated.  All walk away wondering about this scarecrow standing alone, grimly overlooking the cornfield.

As fall edges its way into the end of summer days, the crows gather courage mistreating the sentinel.  He says nothing.  He does nothing.   Days pass with the farm changing; corn shocks lining the rows and bright patches of orange where the pumpkins rest.

For Otis and his friends this season ups their energy level; their game playing is wild and fun.  When the tired tractor leads the crew up the hill to the apple tree, there is still one game to be played, the quiet game.  Otis gives his well-known signature trio of sounds signaling the start.  (These are new and well suited to our treasured tractor.)

With one thing leading to another, pretty soon everyone is laughing like crazy except for Otis, still and smiling.  It does not escape his attention there is another standing still but not smiling.  On another day, a chilly downpour forces the country companions to seek shelter beneath their favorite tree.

Gazing at the rural vista Otis again takes notice.  Still gathered under their leafy umbrella the animals watch as their plucky pal

putt puff puttedy chuff

goes down toward another.  Out in the open during the continued cloudburst they cluster around Otis.  The signals are given.  There is a new winner this day.


Having read the four previous books about Otis and life on the farm, it was with a great deal of anticipation this fifth book was read and read again and read so many times I lost count.  Loren Long has in the character of Otis given readers a guardian of all that is good.  In their purest form Otis embodies bravery, compassion, loyalty and love.  He leads by example.

With each page turn we are transported deeper into Otis' world leaving ours behind.  We get a true sense of each character's personalities through expressive verb and adjective choices.  Long feels the pulse of a farm's heartbeat sharing it with his readers; his skill in portraying a pastoral setting is flawless.  Here are two examples taken from this book.

The bull would twitch his nose, which made the little calf giggle.  This made the bull chuckle with a snort.  The bull's snort would amuse the ducks, and their bottoms would wiggle as they held back their giggles.

There was the overflowing Mud Pond.  There were the shiny wet pumpkins and the soaked corn shocks all in a row.  And swaying back and forth in the cold wind and rain was the scarecrow. 


Beginning with what Loren Long describes as a monochromatic scene with shades of black transparent gouache paint he adds color delineating his characters, places on the farm, the season of the year and changes in the weather.  On the front of the dust jacket he portrays characters central to the other books as well as this story.  A tiny Otis is running toward the ISBN on the back beneath a circular image of the cranky scarecrow pestered by pecking crows as Otis watches in the distance.

The formal title page, a single illustration across two pages, showing a happy Otis, puppy and calf amid the rolling hills, with the farmer, his truck and the scarecrow behind them to the left, quickly transports us with a sense of serenity.  It's like we are coming home to what we know and love.  All the pictures, single and double page, are outlined with fine black brush strokes.

 Long's backgrounds are white highlighting his setting and characters with the exception of the rain day.  His use of grays clearly depicts the cold, wet and emotion of being alone.  The final page illuminates the change beautifully.

While all these illustrations are well worth framing two of my favorites are of the animals gathering to play the quiet game.  In the first Loren Long gives us a closer perspective, focusing on the faces around Otis.  In the second he zooms out showing the animals full bodies frolicking in joy despite losing the game.  Otis watches them affectionately.


No action is as selfless as that which has no chance of response. Nevertheless in Otis and the Scarecrow written and illustrated by Loren Long, this tractor, doer of noble deeds, goes ahead.  Readers will understand how kindness can be extended without expectation, how others will notice this kindness, responding in kind and everyone...yes...everyone is the richer for the experience.  Share this title as much as you can.  It's a classic charmer.

For more information about Loren Long and his books as well as additional activities and videos please follow the link embedded in his name to access his personal website and the link embedded in the title to reach the Otis The Tractor web pages.  Here are the links to my reviews of Otis and the Tornado, Otis and the Puppy and An Otis Christmas.  I am including this video Loren Long made for his first book, Otis. 

"When the frost is on the punkin and the fodder's in the shock." That line from James Whitcomb Riley's poem inspired Otis and the Scarecrow.
— Loren Long (@lorenlong) September 7, 2014