No Ordinary Afternoon Outing

You never get too old to forget how much you deplored afternoon naps as a child.  Who wants to sleep in the middle of a grand scheme?  As a parent, the relief of a child taking a break is real.  You are exhausted, needing quiet as much as they do.  As an elder, a rest is not craved so much as savored.

The ingenuity of parents who know their child needs to sleep is a marvel.  Strollercoaster (Little, Brown And Company, June 1, 2021) written by Matt Ringler with art by Raul the Third and Elaine Bay is an extraordinary cruise through the neighborhood.  It's a rip-roaring ride on the wild side!

There's a time each and every day when

the inside feels too small for Sam . . .

Blocks block every path!

Trains have become untrained.

This dad knows there is only one thing to conquer this regular ritual.  One, cranky child is placed in her stroller.  Once secured and reminded of proper protocol, father and daughter take off.  This duo has a need for speed!

They race by other homes, shops, and familiar faces.  They climb past the basketball court and park playground.  Reaching the crest, they whoosh down.  Sam feels her spirits lifting her up, her grumpiness disappearing.

Dad performs near magical feats.  Sam can't get enough of this fast and fascinating jaunt.  Twists and turns take them deep into darkness---a tunnel.

There is no time or need for fear.  A light appears ahead.  Sounds fade.  Speeds diminish.  Destinations are reached.  It is Strollercoaster for the win . . . again.

There is nothing quite so frustrating as being at odds with your world.  Author Matt Ringler describes this daily routine perfectly in his opening sentences.  The story quickly elevates when a walk becomes a rousing romp with a lively blend of dialogue, sound effects, and sensory observations.  Here is a passage.

THE NEIGHBORHOOD FLIES BY!  

Fresh sneakers.   Sweet smells.

Shouts from the basketball court.

One look at the open dust jacket and readers know this dad and daughter are whizzing toward fabulous heights.  (The image on the front and back extends to the flap edges.  It's a panoramic view of the street.)  On the right, front, we focus on Sam and her dad.  Readers are invited to stop and look at all the elements here and throughout the book.  Notice the smiling star and the stars on the stroller wheels.  Notice Dad's necklace and the tiny heart on the post.  On the spine, the symbol for the publisher is placed on an open paper scroll. (This placement is used for text on the title page, also.)

To the left, on the back, an ice cream store is called Sam's Shop.  Another building has the words stroll, foot and walk on it in English.  On either side of the doorway the Spanish words camina and pronto aptly describe what is happening.  (Spanish and English words appear in the illustrations throughout the book.)

On the book case is a replication of the original artwork.  It appears to be pencil on cream.  The details are marvelous.  This also gives the reader an idea of how transformative color is to artwork.

On the opening and closing endpapers is an identical illustration.  A robin's egg blue sky is placed over an intricately drawn depiction of the entire neighborhood.  That canvas is in varying shades of golden yellow with the lines in a rusty red. (It's guaranteed every time you look at this, you will find something new.)

The illustrations for this book were done in pen, ink, and pencil on paper and in Adobe Photoshop for the color

by Raul The Third and Elaine Bay. 

On the title page, the bright, bold hues and neighborhood scene welcome us into the story.  The title word looks like the marquee in an amusement park.  (Perfection!)  The image sizes and perspectives vary to heighten the moods and pacing in the narrative.

Readers will notice how things change from the beginning to the end of the story.  The expressions on the stuffies shift.  The alphabet blocks spell different words.  Facial features on Sam and her dad reflect the stage of their ride.  People in the community are happy to see the duo.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is a double-page image with two smaller insets on the left.  Sam and her dad are in the tunnel.  The technique reminds me of scratchboard artwork.  All the lines are in varied colors on black.  In the first picture in the upper left, Sam and her dad move along the wall with OSCURO in large letters.  Beneath this, in a second smaller visual, are the words

It's dark.

in a speech balloon.

As they move through the tunnel on the right toward the light and neighborhood beyond the exit, the word LUZ is written on the wall above the bricks.  A heart has been drawn on the wall.

Readers will be with Sam and her dad every step of the way from beginning to end of Strollercoaster written by Matt Ringler with art by Raul The Third and Elaine Bay.  Regardless of your age, you will identify with this story.  The words and artwork make this afternoon ritual soar off the pages and straight into our collective hearts.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Raul The Third and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Matt Ringler has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Raul The Third has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website is a video chat with the illustrators.  There is a cover reveal and conversation at A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal.  Matt Ringler is interviewed at The Horn Book.

For The Girls

For centuries, for generations, women have struggled for equality.  For them to construct the best possible lives for their families, friends, and themselves, certain elements are valuable for success.  A solid, basic education with appropriate materials, qualified educators, and the opportunity to pursue a desired goal or dream gives all women, regardless of their age, a firm footing on a good future.  The support of a parent, guardian, or trusted mentor can be priceless in helping to form a foundation of beliefs or in supplying strength in the face of adversity.

Earlier this month, two children's literature publications address both elements.  The first, One Girl (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 6, 2020) written by Andrea Beaty with illustrations by Dow Phumiruk, vividly portrays the power of a single young girl acquiring a single book.  Through lilting, rhyming words and luminous images, we see the power of both. 

One Girl.

One spark.

Faint and fading in the dark.

This spark is a book which cascades from the sky to appear glowing at the girl's feet as she sits on the steps of her front porch.  When she opens the book, the spark though faint continues to glow.  It burns without going out.  It is fire!

It grows brighter and brighter, inspiring her to follow a dream, a dream of being educated.  The more she knows, the more she grows.  She shares what she knows so others can grow.

The brightness spreads from girl to girl, girl to boy, and boy to boy, and boy to girl.  Each child is learning.  With their increase in knowledge, they can embrace the wonder our world holds for them.  What they read and what they write spreads farther and farther, up and out into all corners of the planet.

With this accomplishment sparks are traveling where they are most needed.  They, like falling stars, make wishes come true.  They land one book at a time at the feet of one girl.

Beginning this narrative with these two words has readers asking many questions.  Andrea Beaty immediately kindles our interest.  Her simple but profound word choices fashion a flawless flow, almost a melody, with repetition of specific words inviting reader participation.  Here are two more word combinations.

Flicker . . .

     Flicker . . .

          Flicker . . .

Glow.

Tiny ember.

Burning low.

When you look at the little girl on the front of the dust jacket, you feel the hope and awe shown in her face.  She has discovered the endless possibilities found in a book.  They grow up and out, blooming and flying.  The warm background of rich red, orange, and yellow hues extends over the spine to a home on a hill with the girl seated on the steps of her porch.  The book glimmering with potential is on the ground in front of her.  Words from the narrative invite us to open the book.

On the book case is a large interior image.  It shows the girl, now in school.  A star barrette holds part of her hair in place.  She is on the left, her hands crossing the gutter to rest on her desk.  One hand holds a pencil as she writes.  Stary sparks drift upward from her paper in a pale rainbow of color.  The canvas for this illustration is a shade of cream.

On the opening and closing endpapers on a variegated purple background is a pattern of delicate white flowers, vines, books, pencils, pieces of paper, rockets, stars, crescent moons, and white birds.  Some of the leaves are in several colors of green and blue.  With a page turn we are treated to a double-page picture of a community on a hill at night.  Some of the windows in the homes glow with lamplight.  A sliver of moon sits in the upper, right-hand corner.  A comet like object arcs over the title text.

These illustrations by Dow Phumiruk are rendered using 

pencil and Photoshop.

Some of the illustrations span two pages, single pages, or others are smaller with loose framing.  They are atmospheric, displaying not only the time of day, but the mood of the little girl and the other children.  The use of light and shadow are beautiful to see.  When the words of the book are released as wonder, the delicate designs are intricate, portraying a world of potential.  Just looking at the little girl and the other children will fill your heart with joy.  

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a two-page image.  The background from bottom to top begins as cream moving to a muted orange.  There are eight children spanning both pages, wearing their uniforms in white and navy.  They represent a diverse group of children.  They are gazing upward.  The main little girl, to the left of the gutter, has her right arm up and holding a pencil.  From this pencil scrolls of white lines and stars move above the children and around to the lower, right-hand corner.  Within this design are elements representing hopes and dreams.  The words read:

Shares her song.

The collaboration between author Andrea Beaty and artist Dow Phumiruk on One Girl gifts readers with a book to treasure.  It's a pleasure to read aloud, in fact it would make a marvelous reader's theater.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections to promote the true power of a book and education.  An author's note offers further explanation about books, knowledge, education, and the lack of education for too many girls globally.

To discover more about Andrea Beaty and Dow Phumiruk and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Andrea Beaty has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  In addition to her website Dow Phumiruk has another site here, as well as accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view multiple interior images.

The second book is a promise from a father to his daughter, a love letter explaining how they can shape their world, her world.  What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 6, 2020) written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers is a journey of discovery and of finding one's capabilities, and a guide to accomplish what is true and good in our lives.  It shows readers how an adult can be one who endeavors to be an enduring bedrock or fortress if needed.

What shall we build, you

and I?

Let's gather all our tools for a start. 

In a row, all the tools represent a father and his daughter, a green crayon near a paintbrush, and a toy pig next to a wrench.  This is how they will make things, and if necessary, restart.  Perhaps they should build a door and a house around it.

They will work together building each other's future.  They will create love for when it is needed most.  They know a hole might be necessary so they can hide.  Sometimes it will be necessary to construct a mighty abode with a wall around it, but also a gate to allow entrance of former enemies.

From that fortress, together they will raise a tower from which to gaze upward at the world beyond ours.  No mountain will hinder their progress.  They will build a tunnel.  Whatever is necessary for them to build to enjoy endless opportunities, they will use their tools to make it.

They will rest.  They will travel in a seaworthy vessel.  And then when a low is reached, they will recover in a special place where loved objects reside.  Those with the earlier-made affection will remain until the lowest of the lows calls to them.  This father and his daughter have been busy planning, so as the narrative concludes they are warm and asleep by one of the oldest forms of comfort which they build together.

There is a childlike quality to the rhyming narrative written by Oliver Jeffers.  He moves freely from one thought to the other, like children do when their imaginations are set free, unhindered.  The narrative changes from building a tunnel through a mountain to constructing a road to the moon or from resting cozily in a hammock to a wild ride at sea.  The words let's, we'll, and I'll precede build multiple times to supply a soothing and comforting cadence.  Here is a single sentence which I could read over and over.

We'll put these favorite things beside

the earlier love we set aside.

When you open the dust jacket you see that the background on the front spans over the spine, flap edge to flap edge.  The stary sky and mountain range continue.  I love the complementary colors of purple, yellow and orange with the spot of red in the toolbox.  What a wonderful choice to have the title text be a sign built by the duo.  To the left of them, on the back, sitting alone is a fox.  This fox appears later in the narrative.  Words there, from the book, welcome you to the plans.

The book case is a pale lavender.  There are five tools in a row on the front.  They are embossed in red and silver foil, as is the text on the spine.  The tools shown, left to right, are a screwdriver, a saw, a hammer, a pencil, and a lightning bolt.

On a dark purple canvas elements from the story, looking like they were drawn in crayon, appear in hot pink on the opening and closing endpapers.  You have to smile when seeing these pages.  Father and daughter, hand in hand, are placed beneath the dedication on the verso. (Remember to read this wonderful dedication and a short note from Oliver and Mari, his daughter, also on this page.)  On the title page is the red toolbox, opened.

These illustrations by Oliver Jeffers are a blend of realism and whimsy with his signature style prevalent throughout the title.  They shift from double-page pictures to single-page images and in point of view for emphasis.  Several times careful readers will notice how one illustration connects to the other.  

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  Father and daughter are stretched feet to feet on a hammock they built between two small trees with pink leaves.  The trees are growing from what appears to be the surface of our moon, sandy in color.  Both are wearing glass helmets.  The father, arms behind his head, is sleeping.  The daughter with one arm raised is speaking.  Her toy pig rests on her stomach.  Her other arm is behind her head.  Two birds, wearing clear helmets are present.  In the distance in a pink and purple sky with stars is planet Earth.  This picture is one of contented and affectionate happiness, pure perfection.

This book, What We'll Build: Plans For Our Together Future written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers, is a joyful, truthful exploration of what fathers and daughters can accomplish.  It resonated with this daughter, who to this day is far better for having a father who taught her to build and who she sorely misses every single day.  Hand this book to daughters, fathers, or anyone who is looking to form relationships founded in love.

To learn more about Oliver Jeffers and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You can see a few interior images from this book there.  Oliver Jeffers has another website titled Oliver Jeffers' World.  Oliver Jeffers has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  I hope you enjoy these videos and are able to follow the VancouverWritersFest coming in a few days.

Precious Papas

Even after a hard day of work, he had time for a make-believe adventure.  Lying on his back, knees bent and hands next to his head with the palms up, Dad became an automobile.  Seated on his knees, with hands grasping an imaginary steering wheel, I was the driver.  Our destination and the time to get there was controlled by my feet pushing on his hands, one for the brakes and one for the accelerator.  As the driver I would honk the horn with ease and as the automobile, he made appropriate engine, wheel and road sounds.  What grand trips we took!

Making these magical moments happen is a gift fathers give to their daughters and sons.  Side by Side: A Celebration Of Dads (Phaidon Press Limited, March 11, 2019) written and illustrated by Chris Raschka showcases fathers and their children living in treasured tandem.  These generous gestures, these shared minutes or hours, live on from generation to generation.

In this title six fathers and their daughters or sons enjoy three different activities sparingly named. In the first two the pair each play a part in an inseparable pastime or as opposites in a common theme.  In the third scene their pursuit is labeled

Side by side.

A crown-wearing daughter is royalty.  Her father is assigned to make her laugh as jester.  A boy is scooped into his father's lowered arms.  One is the crane and the other is the cargo.  When rain falls this father and his son stand together beneath an umbrella.

A dad sits reading in an outdoor chair.  His daughter, magnifying glass in hand is looking at something in the grass.  They are

Base and explorer.

There is a mountain to be climbed and a game of checkers to be played. The role of teacher and learner is switched before a twosome soars on swings.  Fathers offer the comfort of a cozy place to lay our heads.  Whatever the endeavor, they are here . . . always.


Using the principal of less is more, Chris Raschka elevates it to excellence in this book.  Three words describe each scene simply.  By having the title text conclude the third feature, it supplies a rhythm and a connection between all six fathers and their daughters and sons.  We are soothed and lulled by these words.


One of the first things readers will notice about this book is the trim size.  The width (6 1/2 ") is designed to be held easily by hands of all sizes.  The height (11") is reminiscent of The Tall Book series published in the 1950s.  When the dust jacket is opened the white canvas continues on the other side of the spine to the left, on the back.  The only items pictured are the shoes of the father and daughter shown on the front.  Although the illustrations are in full color, the use of primary colors grabs our attention.

On the book case in loose squares and rectangles, Chris Raschka has created a pattern of twenty-four different elements with a heavy emphasis on oranges and yellows in the designs.  The title text is placed in one of the shapes.  The lines, drops, flowers, dots, circles, crosses and curly leaves on stems exude joy.

On the opening and closing endpapers pairs of hats for fathers and daughters and sons and pairs of shoes for fathers and daughters and sons, are shown, respectively.  There are twelve sets each.  Readers will enjoy matching the hats and shoes to the characters inside the book.

Chris Raschka's signature artwork on heavier, matte-finished paper radiates from the double-page pictures with exuberance.  His flowing, loose lines and blend of soft and darker shades portrays with perfection the affection between the fathers and their children.  This not only envelopes readers but draws them into each scene.  After the first three fathers and their children but before the second set of three, a two-page image shows each parent and child enjoying ice cream or popsicles from a vendor.  It's as if they all arrived at the park at the same time.  Each duo is framed separately along with the seller.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for one of the

Side by side 

settings.  A father and his daughter are lying on beach towels in the sun.  They are lying on their backs with their bare feet extended toward the reader.  They are wearing shorts, tops and sunglasses.  He has a red towel and a red umbrella over him.  She has a purple towel and a green umbrella over her.


Surely every reader will find an occasion captured in this book, Side by Side: A Celebration Of Dads written and illustrated by Chris Raschka, which replicates one they've had or will trigger the memory of a similar experience.  You can hold the love expressed in these pages in your hands even after you've finished the book and set it aside.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Chris Raschka and his other work, you might want to look at an earlier post on a website linked to his name.  Chris Raschka has an account on Twitter.  He regularly posts his artwork.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Please enjoy this video from September 2018 where Chris Raschka shares his process.

A Ride To Remember

For however long they are in our lives, their influence grows.  The memory of lessons learned from them and moments shared with them remain with us for as long as we live.  Our fathers, or those men who are father figures in our families, leave this legacy with us hoping the best of it will become a part of who we are.

Their words, actions and time spent with us help to define and direct our intentions as adults.  My Papi Has A Motorcycle (Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, May 14, 2019) written by Isabel Quintero with illustrations by Zeke Pena is a joyous homage to a father's daily ritual with his daughter.  It honors their shared experiences.

My papi has a motorcycle.
From him I've learned words like
carburetor and carino, drill and 
dedication.

At the end of every day, as soon as she hears his truck in their driveway, she rushes to meet him.  She carries two helmets for their motorcycle ride through their neighborhood.  He is exhausted from his day working as a carpenter, but he is never too tired to spend this time with her.

As he revs the engine on his bike, Papi calls to his daughter to hold on.  She does as they speed into a sky brilliant with the setting sun.  They weave through familiar streets past familiar buildings.  They greet the librarian as he leaves the market.  A boy calls out

DAISY!

Murals depicting the city and people's history fill her vision.  A tasty raspados shop, to their disappointment, is closed.  They roar away, heading to their evening's destination.  They pass by her grandparents' home, a lemon tree in the yard growing from seeds planted decades ago.  Too soon they come to her father's construction site.  After greetings are exchanged, they continue to zoom along the street, reaching Daisy's favorite part of the trip, a large curve with echoes of past races fueling her imagination.

As they travel home the separate shops blend into a breathtaking blur of color.  Their street, and then their driveway, come into view.  A mother, a younger brother, a daughter and her papi close this ritual with a delectable treat.  Perhaps it will become a part of their daily ride on a polished blue motorcycle through a city changing but remaining the same in a young girl's heart.


Readers will feel the exhilaration, along with Daisy, of this daily motorcycle ride through the vivid descriptions written by Isabel Quintero.  Isabel Quintero mentions the sawdust on Papi and the smell he carries with him after working.  She remarks how carefully Papi tucks his daughter's ponytail under her helmet.  She likens the duo on the bike to a

celestial thing soaring on asphalt.

These are details which connect all of us to this story.  We remember sensory elements such as these from our own experiences.

Writing the narrative using English and Spanish words enriches this tribute for all readers.  We can enter Daisy's world for the time in which the pages are turned, and it remains with its lingering beauty. Isabel Quintero gives us single sentences you want to carry with you always. Here is another passage and a single sentence.

We pass Joy's Market where Mami buys my gummy bears.
Mr. Garcia, our librarian, is walking out the door and nods at us.
We nod back.  This is how we always greet each other.

Even in all that noise, my papi's voice touches everything.


When you see the expression on the face of Daisy on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case, you know, without a doubt how contented she is.  It's the combination of her smile and closed eyes.  The look Papi is giving her is one of devoted affection.  To the left, on the back, on a continuation of the canvas color, the duo is seen vrooooomm- ing down the road, leaning into each other and the speed of the bike.

On the opening and closing endpapers (and throughout the book) artist Zeke Pena has drawn,

with a Wacom Cintiq 13HD with a mix of hand-painted watercolor texture,

a bird's eye view of the circular route with buildings and homes, the landscaping and mountains in the background.  It is blue on blue.  On the first set, on the right, an illustration of Daisy, in full color and holding in her upraised right hand a toy motorcycle with a unicorn riding on it, is shown.  This is also the title page.  The cityscape on the closing endpapers becomes the verso and dedication pages with the text placed appropriately.

The matte-finished paper heightens the sensory reading of this story.  The images created by Zeke Pena in a colorful palette range in size and placement accentuating the narrative and pacing.  Illustrations are layered.  Some are framed in fine black lines within larger pictures.  There are numerous elements in each one to capture readers' attentions.  I love that Daisy is reading Lowriders (Lowriders in Space).  Spanish words are also used as conversation in structured balloons outside of the main text.  From their context and English words comprehension is easy.

One of the most pleasing aspects, of many, are the altered points of view in the pictures.  Sometimes they shift multiple times in two adjoining pages.  We might focus on only eyes or look at feet and legs from a dog's perspective.  Other times we look down from above.   The feeling throughout the entire book is one of delight, pride, warmth and affection.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is at the beginning of the book.  Papi is kneeling and fastening the strap on Daisy's helmet before their ride.  He has a slight smile on his face.  You can tell she is ready to burst with excitement, but she patiently waits, arms at her sides and grinning, as he helps her.  Within this image is another one that is framed and to the right.  Papi is lifting her up onto the seat of his motorcycle.  All we can see are the upper portions of their bodies.  He questions LISTA? and she answers SI!


No matter how many times My Papi Has A Motorcycle written by Isabel Quintero with illustrations by Zeke Pena is read, readers will enjoy it more with every reading.  The love embedded in the words and illustrations reaches out and wraps around you.  The genuine affection between Daisy and Papi and the fondness Daisy has for her community remains.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.  You might like to order the Spanish and English editions.   I did.

To discover more about Isabel Quintero and Zeke Pena and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Isabel Quintero has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Zeke Pena has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, you can view additional illustrations.  Both Isabel Quintero and Zeke Pena participate in interviews at Publishers Weekly and at The Horn Book.  Zeke Pena is interviewed about this book at Let's Talk Picture Books.  You can see the opening endpapers at the publisher's website.  You might discover some ideas to use in your classroom with this book at The Classroom Bookshelf, School Library Journal.

UPDATE:  I think you'll enjoy this NPR Sunday Weekend Edition interview with both Isabel Quintero and Zeke Pena on August 25, 2019.

Get It While You Can (Or Not)

What's a father to do when he wishes his lawn would look like a fairway at Pebble Beach in California?  He arms his two daughters with special diggers and their sand buckets for the beach.  Their task is to uproot fifty dandelions each before they can stop.  This goes on during spring and summer, day after day, year after year until they are saved by attending college.

Now you would think after spending your childhood and teen years battling the infamous yellow weeds, as an adult other measures for eliminating the menace would be taken. Nope.  To preserve the quality of water and protect her furry friend, this sister can be seen during spring and summer with digger and bucket in hand.  (Some lessons last a lifetime.)  For this reason, Dandy (Little, Brown And Company, April 1, 2019) written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Charles Santoso is a witty and gleeful take on the timeless battle with dandelions and of the enduring love of a father for his daughter.

Daddy spied something scary
on his perfect lawn.

He ran for his clippers.

Daddy was not fast enough.  Sweetie, his precious daughter, was already watering the dandelion.  She named it Charlotte.  Charlotte was her new best friend.  Daddy was worried, very worried, his neighborhood friends would notice the intruder growing in his otherwise flawless lawn.  They noticed.  He had to get rid of it.

As sneaky as a father can be, Daddy tried to slip away undetected during Sweetie's special times like book time and nap time.  Guess who was reading aloud to her best friend?  Guess who set up a tent in the yard next to her best friend?  The neighbors demanded action.  Daddy did his best, but his precious daughter was always there.

Soon Daddy had the ideal opportunity.  Sweetie was leaving for swimming lessons.  Goodbye Charlotte! The neighbors cheered as Daddy raced to eliminate that pesky pest.  WAIT!

Next to the dandelion was something that could not be ignored.  In the next moment an unplanned incident caused panic throughout the neighborhood.  The eternal conflict between consequences and choices must be resolved.  Take a deep breath.


Author Ame Dyckman is an absolute master of comic timing.  In her first sentence she sets us up for the charming and hilarious contrast between Daddy and Sweetie with three words:  scary, perfect and clippers.  He sees a weed.  She sees a flower.  When she names it and says it's her best friend, I dare you not to burst out laughing. 

With the continued conversations between Daddy and Sweetie and the comments of the neighborhood dads, the laughter factor continues to climb.  By repeating the utterly endearing greeting of

"Hi, Daddy!"

Ame Dyckman supplies readers with a wonderful cadence and heightens the difference between the perspective of a parent and their child.  Here is a passage.

He tried during snack time.
But Sweetie was there.
"Hi, Daddy!
We saved you a spot!"

Once again, Daddy hoped his friends wouldn't notice.


[I'm working with an F & G and can't wait to hold a finished copy in my hands.]

On the front of the dust jacket the pristine white background is a superb canvas for the portion of lawn shown, Daddy, Sweetie and the dandelion.  You immediately know there will be laughter because of the different looks on their faces; delight versus disgust.  Using grass and dandelions to form the title text is design genius.  There is a hint at the resolution.  Do you notice the clippers separating the author and illustrator names?

To the left, on the back, Daddy is zooming toward what he hopes is victory in conquering the dastardly dandelion when Sweetie is at her swimming lesson.  I won't say what tactic he's selecting, but it does take lawn tractors to a whole new level.  (Okay, I can't stop laughing . . . again.)

On the opening and closing endpapers illustrator Charles Santoso features a quiet, two-lane street curving through a neighborhood of neat-as-a-pin lawns and landscaping. Animal dads are hard at work maintaining the perfection.  There are distinct differences on the closing endpapers disclosing the conclusion. 

Rendered digitally with handmade pencil textures on top these illustrations elevate the comedy sky-high.  One of the first things readers notice are the facial expression on Daddy, Sweetie and the neighbors.  The eyes are brimming with emotion.  The body postures and movements are loaded with animation. 

Depending on the narrative Charles Santoso alters his images from double-page pictures to single-page visuals.  To show a series of actions in a short amount of time, he groups several smaller illustrations on a single page.  This builds tension and leads to the inevitable response from Sweetie.  For maximum impact the background and perspective changes. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when Daddy is trying to destroy Charlotte during Sweetie's snack time.  After crawling away as she scoops out some chocolate chip cookies, he races into the yard with a goat gobbling up grass.  When he arrives at Charlotte, Sweetie is there.  For this scene Charles switches to a purple background with lines of frustration in yellow zigzagging out from the center.  Daddy is gritting his teeth with his hand to his head.  In his other hand he holds the rope attached to the goat.  The goat is seated next to Sweetie holding a tea cup as Sweetie pours.  Another tea cup for Daddy is placed next to a plate with the cookies on it.  One of Charlotte's leaves is through the handle of another cup.


It is guaranteed readers will ask to read or listen to Dandy written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Charles Santoso over and over and over again.  And no matter how many times it is read, they (everyone) will laugh; the combination of text and art connects with readers as it addresses the age-old discrepancies between parents' and children's points of view.  It also reminds us love wins . . . always.  You will want to read the author's note.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional book collections.

To learn more about Ame Dyckman and Charles Santoso and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Ame Dyckman has an account on Twitter.  Charles Santoso has an account with Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter.  Ame is interviewed at Writers' Rumpus.  Charles is interviewed at Kathleen Temean Writing and Illustrating.

Into The Realm Of Story

It started Friday evening.  It has not stopped.  A second winter weather advisory in forty-eight hours has been issued.  It recently turned into a winter storm warning.  Local school children are going to bed wearing pajamas turned inside out.  Ice cubes are disappearing from the freezer and being flushed down the toilet.  Spoons are placed under pillows.  These gals and guys are doing everything they can to hear the radio or television announce tomorrow morning---Snow Day!

A snow day is a gift from Mother Nature.  It's a time to abandon routine.  It's a time to celebrate the unexpected.  King Alice (Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group LLC, September 25, 2018) written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell is about embracing the present with joy.

SNOW DAY!!

Good morning, 
SIR DAD!

"Y-a-a-a-a-w-n . . . Morning , Alice," said Dad.

Alice forcefully replies she wants to be called King Alice, not Queen, but King.  Alice can hardly wait to begin this day, but her dad is less than enthusiastic at her suggestions involving cooking and beauty makeovers.  When she declares she has a new idea both Mom and Dad believe it might have potential.

It's going to be a book about King Alice and the royal brave knights (everyone else).  First, they are seated having a breakfast of cereal shaped like dragons.  Her royal highness wants everyone to be tidy and to use their napkins.  She also says this is the end of the book.  Oh, oh . . .

Mom and Dad are sure it needs to be longer, so Alice has another idea.  Chapter two is a Princess Tea Party complete with a burping Knight Baby.  Now Alice is bored but Dad is not.  While playing with a set of Kitty Babies a brainstorm rains down on this energetic gal.  It's a pirate invasion in chapter five (Chapters three and four have vanished.) but the day is saved by a tooting monarch.

After lunch a television show sparks another action-packed episode in the book.  An over-zealous rider does get a time out.  Even kings need to temper their actions and apologize.  The appearance of fairies and I'm sorry dust adds another chapter to the book.  Dinner time and bath time lead King Alice to her closing chapter.  As peace and quiet settle over the household, Alice suddenly sits up in bed.

"IDEA!"


In this book, in all his books, Matthew Cordell creates an immediate connection with his readers.  The heart of his story reaches into the hearts of his readers.  He has a keen perception of people of all ages.  This perception is revealed in this narrative and the dialogue between the characters.

We quickly come to understand the personalities of Alice, her dad, mom and baby brother.  Alice's energy and lightning-like ideas, Dad's patience and creativity, Mom's patience and support and baby brother's typical behavior (spitting his lunch at dad) supply us with family dynamics and humor.  Here are two passages; the first from a portion of the snow day book and the other from the title story.

Chapter 5
Then the pirates came in their big pirate
car!  Captain Bellyfish walked around 
and said, "I'm the toughest pirate on Earth!" 

"I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry I bonked you with my unicorn, Daddy.
You are funny and nice and you draw good and smell good and
are neat and nice and will you still play with me now, Daddy?"


On the opened dust jacket readers get a glimpse of the original narrative on the right and the snow day story on the left.  King Alice is standing straight and tall in front of the mirror, pages of the book and crayons scattered around her.  She is definitely in command of the situation.  The title letters in gold are raised.

On the back, more crayons frame the four corners of a page from the book.  King Alice and Princess Dad are happily riding on the back of a unicorn.  King Alice and Princess Dad are written in crayon and in different fonts on lined yellow paper.  The drawing of the duo is pure Matthew Cordell.

The book case is the front and back of the snow day book on lined yellow paper.  On the front King Alice is standing in a regal pose, with eyes closed.  The title text is on top and at the bottom it says

by Alice + Dad.

To the left, on the back, King Alice and a brave knight are eating dragon-shaped cereal as fairies fly above them and two unicorns peek in from the left and right.  The opening and closing endpapers are in purple . . . for royalty.

In a signature technique Matthew begins his visual story prior to the title page with a circular image of the family's home amid a snow storm.  In a speech bubble those two words children love to hear are shouted from a window.  On the verso and title pages we see Alice get up with the family cat, make her crown and continue with her attire until she stands on a crate holding her scepter.

The illustrations are rendered

using pen and ink, watercolor, and whatever colored pencils and markers Matthew Cordell could find from his kids' stash of art supplies.

The large amount of white space draws our attention to the characters and their actions.  Matthew's loose lines supply animation.  His addition of sound effect words adds to the narrative and the comedy.  Readers will find themselves pausing to notice all the tiny elements in each picture.  The presence of the cat and its expressions add to the laughter factor.

Whenever King Alice and her dad are writing and drawing in their book, their pages on the yellow lined paper with crayon drawings follow the narrative.  Sometimes one of Alice's ideas is not a chapter but a double-or single page captioned image.  It's interesting to compare these with the actual happenings.

Several times during the first narrative Matthew displays full page and double-page illustrations with no text.  These contribute to the pacing and the atmosphere in the home.  Matthew closes the book with images in loose circles; just as he did in the beginning.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is early in the book.  Alice as King is standing on her crate with her scepter (back scratcher) on her dad's right shoulder.  Her dad is standing next to her.  The family cat is rubbing against Dad's leg and purring.  Everyone has their backs to us as they stare out the window at the snowy landscape.  Alice is saying

What'll we do 
today, 
Dad?

Dad is thinking

Ugh . . .
More snow . . .

You know this is going to be a day filled with adventure and lots of giggles and grins.


Although winter has not officially arrived there are places receiving significant amounts of snow already.  King Alice written and illustrated by Matthew Cordell is certainly a classic snow day book but more importantly it gives us a very personal peek at the life of a family.  Each of the characters is respected and allowed to be their very best.  This is clear in the dialogue and in the illustrations.  Be prepared with crayons, colored pencils and markers along with lined paper as soon as you read this aloud to one or more listeners.  What could be better than making a book together?  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Matthew Cordell and his other work, please visit his website and blog by following the links attached to his name.  Matthew maintains accounts on Twitter and Instagram.  Matthew stops to chat with Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  The book trailer is revealed on A Fuse #8 Production by Elizabeth Bird, Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system.  This title is also featured at author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There is loads of artwork.  Matthew is also interviewed by Elizabeth Dulemba about this book on her site.  You can view interior images on the publisher's website.

Pachyderm Problems

Children's love of telling stories is a constant source of delight.  Realizing the power in setting their imaginations free, they see this as a source of shared joy.  Their ability to connect dots and design a plot outside the box is a unique and amazing gift.

Once they get started they cannot contain themselves.  One story leads to another story and to a third story.  One individual will hear a part of their story in another's story.  It's an endless, glorious chain of stories.  In 2011 a Caldecott Honor book, Interrupting Children (Candlewick Press, August 10, 2010) written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein acquainted readers with Papa and Chicken, a father and daughter, with a daily ritual of reading a bedtime story.  Actually they read more than one story leading readers from one hilarious incident to the next.  Interrupting Chicken And The Elephant Of Surprise (Candlewick Press, September 11, 2018) written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein is the phenomenal companion title.  Papa and Chicken are at their wonderful best.

It was after school for the little red chicken.

After Papa greets Chicken she begins to tell him about her day at school.  Her teacher taught them about the elephant of surprise in every story.  Papa patiently explains it is an element of surprise.  His definition of an element of surprise rather than clarifying Chicken's mistake reinforces her use of the word, elephant. She states this meets the Whoa factor criteria.

Papa is convinced there will be no elephant in the story Chicken chooses for them to read.  As Papa reads, suddenly an elephant does pop up in the story's dialogue, courtesy of the little red chicken.  In the ensuing conversation between father and daughter one is convinced The Ugly Duckling has an elephant of surprise in it because all good stories do.

At Chicken's suggestion another book is chosen.  No one is more stunned at the presence of an elephant in Rapunzel than the prince and Papa.  Chicken, on the other wing, is thrilled and happy for the discovery.

By this time Papa is frustrated with all this silliness but allows Chicken to choose the required third story to complete her homework assignment.  The appearance of a pachyderm in this tale is even more ridiculous.  In Papa's final attempt to demonstrate the lack of elephants in all stories, he makes up his own story.  A burst of boisterous laughter is guaranteed from all readers at the twist Papa's tale takes and in the final sentence of this book.


The first sentence in this book, as it the previous title, is an honest-to-goodness simple statement of fact.  This astutely leads us into the conversational narrative between Papa and his little red chicken.  David Ezra Stein's sense of humor shines in every exchange between the daughter and father.  No matter what Papa says, Chicken manages to support her theory (and love of elephants) and of course, Ms. Gizzard's lesson.

When the fairy tales are being read by Papa and inserted into this book, David masterfully selects the perfect spot for an elephant to enter the story.  This creates excellent comedic pacing with maximum marvelous results.  Here are two adjoining passages.

With all haste, the prince began to climb.  When he
reached Rapunzel, he gazed at his love, and she said, ---
Surprise! I'm an
elephant!
You've done 
it again!
You're welcome!

Chicken, I know there is no elephant in Rapunzel.
That is just plain ludicrous."

"Don't you feel sorry for the elephant, Papa? . . ."


It's impossible to look at the opened, matching dust jacket and book case without at least cracking a smile.  This introductory verbal exchange between Chicken and Papa sets the stage for repeated hilarity.  The blue elephant peeling back the paper and laughing heightens the mirth readers are already feeling.  David Ezra Stein's color choices here and throughout the book grab our attention and keep it.

To the left, on the back, is another speech bubble placed on top of the rose-patterned upholstery of Papa's chair.  It reads:

WHoa!  I didn't
know That was
going to Happen!

The opening and closing endpapers are covered in a deep, rosy-coral shade found in the roses.  On the initial title page, Chicken is peering through the window of her school bus as rain falls.  The title text is on a full, two-page picture of the interior of the little red chicken's home.  Seen through the front room window, the school bus has stopped.  Hints of Chicken's love of elephants are tucked into the image several times.

Rendered in

watercolor, water-soluble crayon, china marker, pen, opaque white ink, and tea

the illustrations contain animated characters ready to walk out of the book into our lives . . . and they do!  Some of the visuals extend from left to right crossing the gutter, cover a single page or are smaller and surrounded by liberal amounts of white.  When David inserts the four pages of the fairy tale into the story, they are in a complete different style.

The color choices are few and muted with a traditional, older illustrative technique.  This allows the presence of the elephant along with Chicken to stand out.  The elephant is garbed in appropriate attire, wings and feathers of a swan, a dress and long braids of hair and a grass skirt and coconut top.  The facial expressions on the other individuals in those fairy tales at the sight of the elephant are funnier than funny.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Chicken is taking the third fairy tale book out of the bookcase.  This picture, loosely framed, extends from the left to the right over the gutter.  Chicken, on the left, is standing on the matching ottoman to Papa's chair and is holding the book.  Papa, on the right, has slipped down in his chair with legs extended and his glasses are clasped in one of his wings.  To the right on the floor next to Papa's chair is the box of cereal and carton of milk, still out after Chicken's snack.  Her bowl and his cup of coffee rest on a side table.  You get a real sense of Papa's patience, Chicken's determination and anticipation for the next round of laughter.


The stellar use of wordplay in Interrupting Chicken And The Elephant Of Surprise written and illustrated by David Ezra is excellent entertainment elevating it to be enjoyed by readers of all ages.  You can read this for fun, for a unit on fairy tales, for a study on the use of language or as a bedtime story.  I highly recommend you share this repeatedly and often as you can with as many as you can.  You'll want to have a copy in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about David Ezra Stein and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image. (I know you're going to laugh.)  For the cover reveal and an interesting discussion about the book, take a few minutes to read this post at Publishers Weekly.  David participated in The New York Times Books Live Art.  

Forever Together

Sometimes it's hard to believe twenty-four years have passed since I lost him.  Not a day goes by without something he said, something he did or something he taught me finding its way into my thoughts.  He was well aware of the strength a woman, regardless of her age, needs in this world.  Much of the freedom and independence I enjoy is a result of him. 

Fathers, even when they age and even with their faults, are giants in the eyes of daughters.  Debut author illustrator Soosh presents a uniquely warm and loving relationship in Dad By My Side (Little, Brown and Company, May 8, 2018).  The voice of the child tenderly tells us of the importance of her father.

With Dad by my side,
there's nothing we can't do.

This man knows how to create laughter regardless of how ridiculous he looks.  He loves enough to value the time with his daughter over all other things.  The two of them are champions at venturing into new worlds. 

This dad offers compassion in times of sadness.  This daughter understands she needs to lend support for her dad, too.  Even when they are apart, they are together.

But he doesn't miss a single lullaby,
even when he's far from home.

Each of them is teachers and learners.  When they need to rest, they snuggle.  The stories this dad tells will linger in this daughter's memory for the rest of her life.  He has an uncanny ability to use any space to share time with her.

Like any Dad he dons the persona of superhero when monsters linger in the bedroom at night.  Each of them is helpers for the other.  Together, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, they are two halves of a wonderful whole.


Each lovingly crafted sentence by Soosh speaks to the simple truth of a daughter's affection for her father.  Their relationship is a true partnership based on unconditional love, each for the other.  The everyday activities in their lives are elevated to elegance through her words.  The narrative fashioned by these sentences asks us to appreciate those things we might not otherwise note.  Here is another sentence.

Eggshells in our omelets
don't bother us at all.


Rendered in watercolor on eggshell textured paper the illustrations seen on the opened dust jacket and throughout the title (I am working with an F & G generously supplied by the publisher.) kindle a feeling of compassion certain to envelope and stay with readers long after the story is completed.  Both of the pictures, the dad reading the newspaper with the girl and her doll on his back and the girl comforting her father as they sit on a bench (Their backs are to us.) to the left on the back depict an unbreakable bond.  The size difference between the dad and daughter further demonstrates symbolically and literally how an adult can understand the true nature and heart of their child.

The opening and closing endpapers replicate the walls in their home.  On the first one the daughter has drawn a picture of them with a bird and flowers.  It reads DADDY   ME.  On the final endpapers, author illustrator Soosh speaks to readers about this book.  Beneath the text on the title page the dad is floating on his back, swimming, with his daughter seated on his generous stomach.  Both are wearing red baseball caps with their suits.  She has a pennant with a skull and crossbones on it in her hand. 

Each image, no matter the age of the reader, will reach out and find a spot to rest in their heart.  The delicate details, the soft colors, the body positions and the activities represented are familiar and familial.  There is not a single one not worthy of framing. There is not a single one which will not offer the opportunity for discussion.  By placing most of the visuals on a white background, our eyes are immediately drawn to the daughter and her dad.  Sometimes Soosh will have the text opposite the illustration or above or below it.  The font color throughout is red.

One of my many, many favorite pictures accompanies the sentence about them cooking omelets.  They are working at a long table shown with a thin top, two legs and a single shelf.  On the shelf are a pot, pitcher and a cup.  Other utensils are visible.  You can see a stool on the left side of the table stacked with books.  The daughter used it to climb on top of the table.  She sits there wearing a chef's hat like her dad and holding a wooden spoon inside a bowl.  Three eggs are near to her.  Her dad also has a wooden spoon in a bowl to the right of her.  They are looking at each other.  A broken egg is on the floor.


Without a doubt, Dad By My Side written and illustrated by Soosh is going to be a much-requested favorite.  It honors the relationship between a father and his daughter with unmeasured gratitude and abiding affection.  You can almost hear the sound of the girl's voice as she chats with us about her and her dad.  You are going to want to have this title in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Soosh and this book, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Once there you can visit her YouTube channel to view her videos about her work.  Then you will get lost in the wondrous images on her Instagram account. 

Sweet Secrets

As an adult losing a parent is crushing.  There is a fresh feeling of emptiness, a feeling of being lost.  For a child it must be overwhelming.  Whether their death is recent or so long ago it's hard to recall anything more than glimpses of cherished memories, there's the sense of not quite being whole.

There are times when this loss is brought sharply into focus.  Smart Cookie (Scholastic Press, January 30, 2018) written by Elly Swartz (Finding Perfect) presents the current quandary of a motherless, eleven-year-old girl.  It's been seven years since her mom was killed in a car accident on a wild, stormy night.  Now she needs a mom as soon as possible.

Headquarters, the Cookies, and the Storm

Sometimes to fix your family, you need to keep a few secrets.  Even when secret keeping is not a thing that happens naturally when you live at the Greene Family B&B.

Francine, affectionately called Frankie, is headed to the basement of the Greene Family B&B for a special Code Red-Hot Chili Peppers meeting with her best buddy, an avid ghost hunter and fan of ghost hunters, Elliot.  With the Winter Family Festival Parade on the horizon, this year due to an upcoming marriage of another student's dad, Frankie will be the only one without a mom.   With a bribe of sorts, a brand new Ghost-Hunter Super-Charged Laser, from Frankie, Elliot agrees to support her in her quest.  With hope in her heart Frankie clicks submit on the profile she wrote for her dad at Connection.com

There is an off-limits shed on Frankie's property housing all of Gram's stuff when she came to live with them and take Frankie's mom's spot.  Oddly enough, walking around it with the laser, the new gadget registers a ten.  Elliot is convinced there's a ghost there.  Is it Frankie's mom, Elliot's grandfather, the ghost of an unsolved local murder victim or has the missing community member met with an untimely demise?

Mystery, tension and humor escalate when some of the townsfolk start to whisper about ghosts at the Greene Family B&B, the Possible women start to show up at the B&B looking and acting nothing like their profiles, a local man, Reggie Hogan, says the B&B should never have been Frankie's family's place and Frankie gets matched with her used-to-be best friend, Jessica, for a Shakespeare project at school.  Elliot hatches a plan, a daring, we're-toast-if-we're caught plan, for possibly solving the ghost, missing community member and the threats of Reggie Hogan dilemmas.  Frankie is trying to work with Jessica but revelations and betrayal cause their efforts to be stop and go and then stop again.

Frankie's dad and her Gram are acting less than normal lately.  Her dad seems distracted and is spending more time away from the B&B even when guests keep cancelling.  Her grandmother has started wearing perfume and lipstick and more and more boxes, stuff, are arriving daily.  Gram's time at the senior center seems to be spent with one individual more than the others.

A rap, Valentine roses and a winning theme contribute to a shifting of secrets.  A mystery, decades in the making, still needs to be resolved.  A person's family can be made of more than relatives.  Your herd just may appear when you need it the most.


When finishing this book for the second time moments ago, tears filled my eyes.  The last two sentences written by Elly Swartz are like the

still melty-chips warm

phrase she uses to describe one of many batches of cookies made by either Frankie or her Gram for the guests at the Greene Family B&B.  Elly's depictions of the B&B, the ten rules of The Greene Family B&B Rules and why they have those rules, and the names of the rooms after games, The Yahtzee Room, Checkers and Chess Rooms, Monopoly, Connect 4, Rubik's Cube, and Candy Land, supply readers with a real portrait of the characters of Frankie, her dad and her grandmother.  This family is full of warmth and everyday life challenges.  (Gram stays in The Game of Life room and Frankie hangs out in the Scrabble room.)

We are introduced to those family rituals which strengthens this family's love for one another.  Every year on Frankie's mother's birthday they celebrate with a picnic in the cemetery.  Every year Frankie leaves a drawing for her mother under a special rock found by her dad.  In the character of Annie Devlin, Frankie's mother's best friend and Frankie's kindergarten teacher, we are acquainted with another beautiful practice meant to continue lost love and create new love.

We can see into Frankie's huge heart in her conversations with each family member, Elliot and in how she mends her friendship with Jessica.  Frankie frequently takes cookies and breakfast to Elliot when they meet or go to school.  Frankie tries to stitch together the growing gap between her dad and grandmother, even before she understands her grandmother's problem, by writing another rule for the B&B.

One of the most touching techniques Elly Swartz does to further bind readers to Frankie and her thoughts is when we read the letters Frankie writes to her mother in her journal.  They are never shared with anyone but Lucy, Frankie's puppy, and Winston, Frankie's hedgehog.  As readers it's an honor to know Frankie's soul.  Here are some passages.

Elliot nods.  I bite my right pinkie nail.  It's always the sacrificial one.  "It's for his own good.  I mean all he does is work and fix stuff."
"If you get caught, this would be way worse than Rufus."
Rufus was my pet snake.  I flushed him down the toilet.  I thought he'd like it, and I also thought he could swim.  Turns out he couldn't, but he could clog the toilets of an entire B&B.  For two days.

Dad laughs.  I love his laugh.  It fills the space between us.

Dad's still talking.  "She was also a great rock climber."  He pauses and stares at her headstone.  "I was terrible at it."  He laughs.  "I mean, so bad."
I let the moment hang.  He seems to be reminiscing more with her than me.  I look at his face and wonder how many people one person gets in a lifetime.  I mean, is there some sort of cap on heart space?

This is part of a letter Frankie is writing to her mom.

Except the lightning.  No idea how to fix that.  I was glad it stopped long enough for Dad, Gram and me to finish our salami sandwiches, but now it's back.  It looks like shards of glass piercing my room.  I wish it would stop.  Truth is, I wish I could stop being afraid of it.  Don't get why I'm scared of it.  I don't remember that night.  Not the rain or the lightning or the smell of the shampoo Dad says you always used.  You know, Dad still keeps a bottle of it in the shower.

"The Wi-Fi in Connect 4 isn't working.  Again."
"Try connecting it."  I laugh.
Dad laughs, too, then grabs his tool box and heads upstairs.
Gram gives me a suspicious glance.
"What?" I ask in my I'm-not-hiding-anything voice.
"You tell me, Smart Cookie," she says.  Gram first called me this after I accidentally dyed all the B&B sheets and towels purple.


This book, Smart Cookie written by Elly Swartz, is one to read not once but at least once more.  And I guarantee you will be marking places with sticky notes or underlying phrases with your favorite highlighter.  You will come back to this story and characters as often as you can.  I highly recommend this as a read aloud.  Make sure you have a copy on your professional and personal bookshelves.  At the conclusion Elly Swartz includes Macbeth-The Rap by Frankie and Jess and resources consulted on obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and related OC-spectrum disorders, including hoarding disorder.

To learn more about Elly Swartz and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Elly provides a curriculum guide and an activity for this title at her site.  Elly is interviewed at It's All About The Journey, Katie Reviews Books, Beth McMullen Books, and YAYOMG! about this title.  She makes a guest appearance at Elly Swartz & MG At Heart Book Club: Books Between, Episode 42 with Corrina Allen.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., Elly's cover for this title is revealed and she also writes an open letter to teachers and librarians.  Elly celebrated the release of Smart Cookie at the school where extraordinary teacher librarian Jennifer Reed champions all things reading and research in her library.  Read about it at Reederama.

Three Days + One

There are advantages to living in a small community or a specific neighborhood within a larger city.  Everyone knowing everyone can facilitate a sense of security, continuity and belonging.  People are recognized by name and also for what they do.

I know this because I grew up in a small town; living there for the first twenty-two years of my life.  We could walk to the grocery, five and dime and hardware stores, the bank, the post office, the roller skating rink, the public library attached to the township hall, Deadman's Hill for sledding in the winter, Kiwanis Park any time of the year and all the schools; elementary, junior high and high school.  The flower shop where I got my first job at sixteen was on the same street as my home.

If we look within these close-knit communities and neighborhoods we will see they're alive with stories.  (Now don't get me wrong.  I think stories can be found everywhere but sometimes the intimacy of a smaller setting makes the details easier to see.)  Lucy (Candlewick Press, August 2, 2016) written and illustrated by Randy Cecil recalls and pays tribute to the slower pace of another time.  Told in four acts the tale spins like a magical movie.

As the sun rose over Bloomville,
a distant trumpet began to play---
doodle-de-doodle-doo.

In an alley a little white dog sleeps through the music but wakes when a car door slams.  She gets to her feet leaving to run through the streets; a mission on her mind.  Familiar shops, the one-eyed cat in the window, and the pigeons in the park are passed.  She reaches her destination.  Up the steps she goes to wait in front of the red door of an apartment.

Inside the apartment a daughter, Eleanor Wische and her father, Sam, prepare to go about their daily tasks with the same focus as the little white dog.  Eleanor wants nothing more than to lower a string with a bit of food attached to feed the dog.  Her father wants nothing more than to perfect his juggling skills so he can perform in front of a live audience at the local vaudeville theater.

After her breakfast the dog finds a place to nap, dreaming of her former life.  Sam goes to his job as a store clerk.  Eleanor visits Enzo's Deli to buy her lunch.  Each of the three characters continues their day; the little white dog getting food any way she can, Eleanor greeting other dogs on the street while thinking of the little white dog who she would name Lucy and Sam attempting to juggle at the theater.  The curtain closes but not before a hook removes one failed juggler from the stage.

The next two days are similar but different; enriched by added elements.  On the third day love and courage cause Eleanor and Sam to deviate from their regular routines.  In a quirk of beautiful fate the little white dog, Sam and Eleanor are in the presence of each other but not all are aware.  A highly skilled nose and a memory will prompt a standing ovation.


Even after repeated readings the flawless flow of Randy Cecil's writing will continue to enchant readers.  There is a rhythm established with the repetition of each character's day but in each act Cecil includes extra incidents which in turn endear us further to the characters.  We long for Lucy to find a home after her past is revealed in her naptime dreams.  We yearn along with Eleanor for Lucy to be her own when we discover she is saving leftover lunch money to purchase toys for the little white dog.  With every failure we cheer harder and louder for Sam.

The introduction of musicians, the neighbors with their dogs known by name, the familiar family playing in the park with their dogs and the store proprietors also known by name heighten the feeling of this story surrounding us.  It's as if we are living in Bloomville too.  Here is a sample passage.

As evening approached, Lucy positioned herself
across the street from Bertolt's Butcher Shop.
Mrs. Pennington ambled by
on her last walk of the day with Bailey.
And Mrs. del Rio strolled leisurely past
with Dahlia and Daisy.
Lucy sniffed a mailbox.
She pretended to inspect a lamppost.
Then she crossed the quiet street.


The front of the dust jacket contains the only color, red, in this title. (I am working with an ARC.) The interior art is reproduced in duotone with the illustrations rendered in oil.  Throughout the book, the soft, textured quality seen on the front of the jacket is maintained.  When we open the book case it's as if we are stepping into a theater.

At the beginning of each act Randy Cecil has painted a double-page depiction of a street in Bloomville.  All the remaining pages contain a single visual in a loose circular shape.  Readers will want to go back and look at these over and over to recognize the meticulous care Cecil has given to each one.  Not only will they notice the tiniest of details but they might observe other stories within the illustrations.

One of my favorite pictures is of Eleanor and Lucy in the beginning.  Lucy, sitting on the stoop in front of the red door, is looking up at Eleanor.  Eleanor is leaning out her window unwinding the ball of string with the sausage attached at the end.  There is a lot of emotion in this image; hunger for body and soul.


Lucy written and illustrated by Randy Cecil is a remarkable, charming and heartwarming tale with three distinct stories intricately tied together.   Rarely will you see a picture book with the length of 144 pages.  In this one there may be only a partial sentence, a single sentence or a few sentences accompanying each image.  Whether you share this one-on-one or with a group, it will be greatly enjoyed.  I can only imagine there will be collective sighs at the end.

To learn more about Randy Cecil and his other work please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You can view interior illustrations at two different publishers' websites here and here.  Randy Cecil is a guest at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. At Walker we can learn more about Randy Cecil.  At Publishers Weekly you can enjoy a Q & A with Randy Cecil about this title.  Randy Cecil chats with teacher librarian Matthew Winner at All The Wonders, Episode 274.  Enjoy the book trailer.



UPDATE:  Author, blogger and teacher librarian Carter Higgins interviews Randy Cecil at Design of the Picture Book, October 11, 2016.