Waiting For Sweetness

They appear with regularity annually.  There's still snow on the ground.  There's still a chill in the air but the days are longer and more often are filled with sunshine. They, these buckets, hang from sugar maple trees, gathering sap no longer necessary for the winter months. 

For those of us who adorn our pancakes, waffles, French toast or hot cereal with dribbles or pools of maple syrup, we are grateful to see these buckets.  Maple syrup is also preferred by some in baking and cooking as a distinctive sweetener.  The smell alone is enough to bring delectable memories soaring into our minds.  Two January releases focus their attention on collecting the sap, sugaring time. 

For those eager to learn about the process, Bear Goes Sugaring (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, January 7, 2020) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III is an enlightening and lively title.  You may know Maxwell Eaton III for his Truth About . . . (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) series.  Maxwell Eaton III brings the same fascinating information and the same generous helping of humor to Bear Goes Sugaring as he does in his other marvelous nonfiction books.

The winter has been long and cold, and while the temperature is still below freezing at night, it's now above freezing during the day.  The sun is shining, and spring is on its way.  It's sugaring time! Time for Bear to make maple syrup.  

That means
pancakes,
right? (questions his canine companion) (squirrel is still snoozing)

Further details appear in a sign posted in front of Bear's home about the correct months of the year and temperatures.  Inside Bear's home she finds her brace, a hand-powered drill, her drill bit, stainless steel spouts and buckets with lids.  As she looks for the proper tree, readers are educated about four different types of maple trees.

We follow her to a sugar maple and watch as she drills a proper, size and length, hole and hammers in the spout.  A bucket is hung and covered.  It's no surprise when her dog asks if it's syrup yet.  Bear happens to notice a hole in one of the buckets (her dog did this earlier mistakenly with the hammer).  We learn about other kinds of buckets.  As the sap drips into the bucket, dog is puzzled to discover it's not syrup.  An explanation of sap follows.

As the sap falls into the buckets Bear sets up her evaporating system.  We watch her build the structure and stack the wood.  We follow how the process works to turn the sap into syrup.  We are reminded about the proportions of water and sugar in sap.  Guess how many buckets of sap are needed to make a gallon of syrup?  This is the reason syrup is expensive and prized.  It's one more generous gift from trees.

Bear works diligently for a week bringing buckets of sap to covered collection buckets until she has enough to fill the evaporator pan.  For an entire day she works over the evaporator, gradually adding sap to the pre-heater, stirring and straining.  There are a few more steps as night falls and then Bear takes a pot of syrup into the house.  (At this time her dog and the squirrel are nearly passed out from hunger.  Their craving for pancakes has reached an all-time high.)  As the full moon rises outside, inside at the kitchen table stomachs start to fill with pancakes topped with . . . maple syrup.


The information provided by Maxwell Eaton III flows like a conversation between friends.  Each portion of the process is supplied concisely and correctly to readers.  It's as if he understands exactly what we need and want to know.  The side comments by Bear's dog and the squirrel are hilarious!  Even a warming on a sign on the verso page about the process and need for a responsible (human) adult is presented with comedic conversation.  Dog says:

I'm 
forty-two
in dog
years.

Generous additional fact balloons address specifics outside of the general narrative.  Illustrations are labeled for clarity.  Here are passages from one-and one-half pages.

Wait a minute! Bear notices a hole in one of the buckets.
Weird! (Dog)

Luckily, just about anything that can safely hold liquid food can hold sap.  Bear digs an empty plastic milk jug out of the recycling bin, cleans it, and cuts a hole near the top.
SNIP!
I lost scissors
privileges long
ago. (Dog)

Then she hangs it on a spout just like a bucket and ta-da!
I guess we'll
never mention
this again. (Dog)

Milk jugs are a great way to collect sap
without spending a lot of money. (Caption box)


The full color image on the matching dust jacket and book case is a wonderful scene of Bear working at night at her evaporator.  The trees with the hanging buckets, mountains, greenery and starry sky extend over the spine to the left edge of the back.   The design and layout on the front are superb with the steam framing Bear's face and her puny comment is just a hint of the fun and facts to come.  On the dust jacket the title text is varnished.

A lighter shade of the red found in the title text covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page is a panoramic scene of Bear's home and her barn.  The sun is just starting to rise between the mountains.  A two-page illustration contains, on the right, the front of Bear's home with the first page of the book and on the left is the mountain behind her home allowing for space for publication information.

Maxwell Eaton III rendered his pictures

with watercolor and graphite pencil on 140 lb. bright white, cold press, watercolor paper.

They alternate between full-page pictures and double-page visuals.  There are insets of detailed images within the main illustrations as well as smaller pictures on top of larger images.  The point of view shifts, also.  When Bear is inserting the spout into the tree, we only see her hand holding the hammer as it knocks the spout in place.  Careful readers will notice a humorous thread within this narrative based on the comments of Dog and Squirrel.  (And did a mouse just join this book?)

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a bird's eye view of Bear working at her evaporator.  Around the evaporator Bear on the left is skimming foam, in the center she is adding wood to the fire and on the right, she is pouring sap into the pre-heater from a bucket.  A shovel is sticking up in the snow.  Empty buckets are on the left near the barn.  In front of the wood stack on the right, Dog and Squirrel, on their backs, are lamenting the length of time this is taking and their "extreme" hunger.

This book, Bear Goes Sugaring written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III is funny and factual.  I can't imagine a unit on sugaring, maple syrup, food or the transition from winter to spring without this book.  There are pages showing a map of Maple Syrup Territory, A Variety of Evaporators, Old Spouts and a Traditional Sugarhouse.  At the close is an author's note and list of three resources for further reading.  I highly recommend this title for your collections.

To learn more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other books, follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III maintains accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House you can view the title page.  At the publisher's website are links to two sets of activity sheets.



Gary D. Schmidt and his late wife, writing under the name of Elizabeth Stickney, have penned a more intimate fictional account of sugaring and the wait for maple syrup.  Almost Time (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, January 14, 2020) illustrated by G. Brian Karas is an endearing story about a boy and his father.  It's about anticipation, patience and love set within the changing seasons.

When Ethan had to eat his pancakes with applesauce instead of maple syrup one Sunday morning, he knew it was almost sugaring time.

He was curious to know if the sap was running yet.  His dad said the days were still too cold.  After sledding one day, Ethan discovered a shining sun does not necessarily mean the temperature is warmer.  The following week on Sunday Ethan again wondered if it was time to tap the trees. 

He was told the nights are still too long.  He looked for extra light and his best stuffed toy friend, but it was too dark.  Another week passed and the only difference was Ethan now had a loose tooth.  When he wondered when it will fall out, his dad was fairly certain it will come out when it's time to tap the trees.

Ethan waited and waited.  It's as if time had stopped.  It's still too cold during the day and the nights still had hours and hours of darkness.  And no matter how loose his tooth was, it did not fall out.

One day, as if by magic, something happened to Ethan at school.  When the bus delivered him home Ethan had something to show his dad.  His dad had something to show Ethan.  For an entire week the father and son duo worked together until one Sunday morning, the wait was over.  Yum.


The writing in this book is similar to the waiting and making of maple syrup.  The cadence is slow, soft and patient with results that are sweet but not too sweet.  It's worth the wait because when you get that first taste, you can't help but sigh.  Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney write with the sure knowledge of the human spirit and of the relationship between a loving child and parent.

They use a combination of narrative and conversation.  A rhythm is established by coming back to each Sunday.  Between those Sundays we see how things move forward from week to week.  They add charming details like the name of Ethan's teddy bear, Roosevelt.  Here is a passage.

When he bit down on a walnut, he discovered something.
"My tooth is loose!" he said.

His father inspected. "I expect it will fall out before long."
"How long?" asked Ethan.
"About as long as it takes the sap to start running," Dad said. 


The three trees with buckets featured on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case are tall compared to Ethan.  It's as if they symbolize the length of the wait for him.  You can imagine Ethan standing there and speaking to them as he holds Roosevelt.  What do you think he is saying?  I really like the use of shadow in the trees and Ethan and his footprints in the snow.

To the left, on the back, on a canvas of muted red is a small square with rounded corners.  On this cream-colored background sits a jar of maple syrup on a table.  Roosevelt, his head peaking over the edge of the table, is looking at it. 

A bright, deep spring green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, with his back to us, Ethan is looking out a window at the snow.  Rendered in

pencil and digital color

these illustrations by G. Brian Karas are enchanting, elevating and expanding the text.  The double-page picture for the dedications is a gorgeous night scene, a panoramic view of Ethan and his dad's home in the woods.  It's a limited color palette with a crescent moon in the sky.

The images alternate in size to complement the text and pacing.  We are shown single-page pictures, double-page visuals, or smaller rounded corner squares or rectangles on a full page.  The facial expressions on Ethan and his father along with their body postures are lovely, so lovely.  There is an exquisite tenderness in their relationship as shown by G. Brian Karas.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  It is a loosely framed square.  It is in Ethan's bedroom at night.  We can see the outside through the window next to his bed.  A single light on the table next to his bed casts a glow in the room.  Ethan is snuggled under the covers with Roosevelt.  Ethan is looking out the window as his dad bends down and kisses him good night on his forehead.  The text for this picture is:

And the nights were still long.

You'll want to add this title, Almost Time written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney with illustrations by G. Brian Karas, to your list of huggable books.  It will enhance your story time themes on family, seasons, patience and how maple syrup is made. Hold a place on your personal and professional bookshelves for this delightful story.

To learn more about Gary D. Schmidt and G. Brian Karas, please follow the links attached to their names.  G. Brian Karas does have an account on Twitter. 

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.

Diving Toward The Right Choice

When you've lived in a state like Michigan filled with lakes and rivers your entire life, learning to swim is a necessity.  For some swimming on the water is much easier than it is for others.  Those who struggle with this might find swimming under water more enjoyable.  It's an entirely different experience.

Using a mask, snorkel and fins you can explore between the surface and the depths.  If you make the choice to forego the snorkel, it's as if you are actually one of the many inhabitants of this world.  Your lungs will consistently remind you to seek the surface and breathe.  The Boy And The Whale (Roaring Brook Press, November 21, 2017) written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein is about a child of the sea faced with a difficult decision.

Every day, I loved to watch the sun rise out of the sea.  

No matter how many sunrises you've seen, no two are rarely alike. A boy greeting the sea and sun one morning is greatly surprised at what he sees.  A large something is drifting on the surface of the water.  His father quickly decides it's a whale.

Nearing the giant animal in their boat, both the boy and his father are distressed but for different reasons.  The whale is tangled in a net.  Papa wants to save their fishing net, a means for them to make a living and survive.  His son wants to save the whale, if it's alive.

As father and son dive into the water and swim around the whale, the boy recalls nearly drowning when he was caught in a net.  Their net is ruined.  Just when the boy can't hold his breath another second the whale blinks its eye open.

As they head back to shore, Papa has his mind on one thing, finding another net.  Once there he leaves his son, advising him to not attempt saving the nearly dead animal.  Remembering how he felt snared in the woven ropes, the boy makes the only choice he can.  He heads back out to the whale.

It's an enormous task for one small boy, a boy who has to breathe.  He works with his small knife, cutting and diving and cutting and diving.  How much time has passed?  Is time standing still?  Finally standing in his boat,  the silent sea stretches before the boy.  An immense being leaps from the water and plunges down again, over and over, pure bliss filling the boy, the sea, the air and the day.


Told in the first person by the boy, Mordicai Gerstein weaves together a simple but beautiful blend of thoughts and conversations.  The sincerity of the boy's musings, the word choices Gerstein makes, takes readers immediately into the story.  It begins with the first sentence.  Even though we can't watch the sun rise out of the sea, if the clouds are gone we see a sunrise regardless of where we are. We may never know a life like this boy's life but we are connected to his heart.  Here is a passage.

The whale's eye was as big as my head.
It seemed to see me.
And then it blinked!
And I had to . . .


When you open the dust jacket you are treated to an entire image extending from the left page edge to the right page edge. (I am working with an F & G.) The size of the whale compared to that of the boy and his boat is astounding.  In viewing this illustration you get a sincere sense of the extent of the whale's problem and the job facing the boy.

On the title page just a sliver of pink is tinting the horizon as smoky clouds frame the upper right and left of the scene.  Mountains spike up and down beneath the clouds on the left.  The sea spreads across the remainder of the page reflecting the retreating darkness.  Gentle waves wash upon the sandy shore and against the family's boat.

A page turn reveals the verso and first page and a spectacular sunrise on the sea.  The boy stands on the shore noticing the large thing in the water caught in a ray of the sun.  Mordicai Gerstein shifts his picture sizes, two together as if in a photograph album, single pages, double pages and two pictures on a single page.  He even has two vertical visuals inviting the turning of the book.

His paintings are loosely framed in wide strokes of yellow, green and a wash of sea blue colors.  Other pictures extend page edge to page edge.  Through the facial expressions of the characters and the placement of elements in his artwork, the emotions found in this story leave the page and envelope us.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a close-up of the boy, Abelardo, working with his knife to cut away the net.  He is right next to the whale whose single eye is losing all signs of life.  The look on Abelardo's face as he holds the net in one hand and the knife in the other hand is of grim determination.  It's as if he knows he has to repay the saving of his life with the saving of this whale's life.


A part of the original list at The Horn Book, Calling Caldecott, The Boy And The Whale written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein reminds us of the mastery of this author illustrator.  In this tale we are reminded of the fragility of life but also the value in taking care of each other.  The final conversation of Papa and Abelardo will resonate with readers long after the book is finished and it will prompt them to read it multiple times.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  I think it would pair nicely with Trapped! A Whale's Rescue by Robert Burleigh with illustrations by Wendell Minor.

To discover more about Mordicai Gerstein and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website you can view some of the stunning interior pages. In a November 4, 2016 chat with Roger Sutton at The Horn Book, Mordicai Gerstein talks about his current book release but you also gain insight into his entire process for each book and his life dedicated to making picture books.  I hope you enjoy this video below.  It uses this title frequently.

Food For Body and Soul

Many believe cooking to be an art form as well as a labor of love.  Regardless of how simple or complex the dish being prepared is, the quality of the ingredients contributes to the sensory results; the way it looks, smells and tastes.  No two people, even when following the same recipe will achieve the same outcome.  Not everyone knows about the secret ingredient.

With the winds howling outside here in southern Michigan and the promise of rain and possibly snow in the air, there's no better time to create comfort food in the kitchen.  A little more than seven years ago, author illustrator Melissa Iwai gave us Soup Day (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt and Company, September 28, 2010).  In this title a little girl and her mother venture out from their apartment in the city into the snowy weather to visit the local market.  Once there they select the vegetables with the most vibrant colors and appropriate shapes, vividly described for readers.

Home again the vegetables are cleaned and chopped into particular shapes; squares, circles, and cubes are placed in the pot to saute.  Step by step a story of cooking and playful waiting unfolds.  Upon the arrival home of the father in the evening, the three sit down to a dinner of homemade soup topped with confetti made of parsley.  The title closes with the inclusion of the Snowy Day Vegetable Soup recipe.


Today, October 31, 2017, Halloween, readers receive another treat, the release of Pizza Day (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt and Company) written and illustrated by Melissa Iwai.  Just the mention of the word pizza brings to mind memories of shared meals with friends and family as slices of this deliciousness are happily consumed.  In this companion title to Soup Day a boy and his father work and play together to prepare a pie uniquely their own.

Today is pizza day.

Excitement and summer sunshine are in abundance as a little boy and his father gather tools and a basket for a visit to the garden outside their home.  The family dog, Caesar, runs along beside them.  The results of their sowing seeds earlier in the spring are visible; plants filled with tomatoes, peppers, carrots, onions and basil.  Specific amounts of each are collected, carried inside and cleaned.

Next the two work to make the dough for the crust.  After the ingredients are measured and mixed in a large bowl, the real fun begins.  The gooey concoction, placed on a hard surface, is punched and pulled by hand until it's smooth and shiny.  Back in the bowl and covered, it rests so it can rise.

Vegetables from the garden are mixed to make a sauce now simmering on the stove.  While the dough and sauce transform into delectable delights, the father and his son join Caesar outside for games real and imaginary.  Before they know it, it's time to complete the pizza.

The dough, puffy and full, is rolled into a round on the pan.  The sauce, rich and thick, is poured into a blender and then on top of the crust.  The next layer is other sliced vegetables and this is topped with grated cheese.  Into the oven this piece of scrumptious perfection is placed.  As the twosome pick up outside, mom arrives home.  It's pizza picnic time!


In this and the previous title, Melissa Iwai makes with her words the adventure mixed with a bit of magic cooking can and should be.  Her simple initial statement declares the beginning of a promise.  When the duo are in the garden the amount of vegetables picked are named along with descriptive adjectives and verbs;

Five juicy red tomatoes plucked from the vine.

Moving into the kitchen the listing of the ingredients as the dough and sauce are made generates anticipation.  The two, the dough and the sauce, are tied together with the comparison of sleeping and waking and the boy's whispered words.  Warmth and naturalness are added to the experience with the inclusion of playing outside, putting away the tools and toys and the cleaning of the dog.  What makes this story accessible to all ages is the first person, the boy's, point of view.  Here are several sample sentences.

I mix it all together with a wooden spoon.
It turns into a big, sticky, squishy lump. (page turn)

Daddy dumps 
the dough onto
the board.


When you look at the front of the dust jacket (I am working with an F & G.  My copy has not arrived yet.) you can almost smell the aroma of the pizza wafting into the air in the shown swirls.  The expression on the boy's face leaves no doubt as to his thoughts.  The details Melissa includes, the toppings on the pizza and the freckles across the boy's nose and cheeks, add to the realistic charm.  To the left, on the back, within an oblong frame like a recipe card is an introduction to the book.  A small watering can, rolling pin, tiny twig of basil, several tomatoes, a grater and cheese are pictured.

The opening and closing endpapers are patterned in scattered tomatoes, basil and mushrooms on first a cream and then a spring green background.  Across the verso and title pages on a canvas of crisp white are a sprinkling of gardening and cooking tools and ingredients.  Rendered in acrylics, collage, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator the illustrations may span two pages, edge to edge, single pages with loose frames surrounded by liberal white space or a series of smaller images to portray the passage of time.

The bright, full color images are bursting with energy.  Each scene supplied with elements full of the everyday radiate the affection shared by all the family members including Caesar. A towel hanging over the kitchen sink, a vase of sunflowers sitting on the window ledge, an open cupboard of kitchen tools and ingredients in view, Caesar jumping up and licking the boy, pots and pans hanging from the ceiling, rubber boots, one laying on its side, near a rug by the door and a calendar attached to the refrigerator are seen as the dad says goodbye to his wife leaving for work.  This first picture is followed by others of similar and varying perspectives.  We might be at the boy's level as he picks tomatoes within the garden or see the family gathered around the picnic table eating the pizza from a slightly above angle.  Singing off of every single page is the happiness of this entire day seen on the faces of the characters.

One of my many favorite pictures is when the boy is in the garden.  It is a two-page picture.  On the left he is kneeling in the dirt with the tomato vines replete with their fruit making a green wall around him.  He is wearing a blue and white striped shirt, blue overalls and red tennis shoes.  To the right crouched down on his front paws, tail wagging in the air, is Caesar.  He is sniffing the lettuce.  Identifying stakes are sticking up for tomatoes and peppers.


Pizza Day written and illustrated by Melissa Iwai is a scrumptious story with a tasty resolution.  Every reader will want to have a pizza day as soon as possible.  This title is sure to inspire and encourage gardening and cooking together.  The secret ingredient is love which radiates throughout this book.  At the end Melissa include a two page recipe for the dough and sauce as well as a step-by-step set of instructions complete with an Anatomy of Pizza.  You will want to make sure you have a copy on your professional bookshelves and in your personal collection.

To discover more about Melissa Iwai and her other work, please take a few moments to visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  On her blog she has a post talking about this title.  She maintains an account on Instagram which you will enjoy.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images including one of my favorites.  A teacher's guide and activity guide are also available there.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., he and Melissa chat about Pizza Day and libraries.  Just before I clicked Publish on this post, I checked the blogs I have listed that I check every single day.  I was delighted to see this title featured at Jama Rattigan's Jama's Alphabet Soup.  You must go there to read her review and interview with Melissa Iwai.  Melissa Iwai is also a guest on All The Wonders, Episode 399 chatting with teacher librarian Matthew Winner.  Be sure to watch the book trailer.

Carrying Courage

Reaching a hand in my pocket I brush my fingers over the five smooth stones.  For decades they have been my constant traveling companions, in a jacket or pair of jeans, on the dashboard of the car or on the kitchen window sill, ready for our next adventure.  Are you thinking, why five smooth stones?  According to accounts David had five stones with him when facing Goliath.  It wasn't that he lacked courage or faith but he believed in being prepared.  Goliath had four other family members.

My dad, one of the most courageous people I have ever known, I learned a few years ago carried a small New Testament Bible, a gift from and inscribed by my mom, with him always during World War II.  He was stationed in the Aleutian Islands for more than a year.  Bravery comes in all shapes and sizes.  Sometimes we can hold it in our hands.  Sometimes we hold it in our hearts.  Sometimes something we hold in our hands places it in our hearts.  Dad And The Dinosaur (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, March 28, 2017) written by Gennifer Choldenko with illustrations by Dan Santat is a story of finding courage and the love fathers can lend to this discovery.

Nicholas was afraid of the dark outside his door, the bushes where the giant bugs lived, and the undersides of manhole covers.

To Nicholas his dad feared nothing.  In order to go where he feared to go and do what he feared to do, Nicholas had the help of a dinosaur.  It was a small toy replica which fit nicely in his hand.

Dinosaurs were not afraid of anything.  With this dinosaur by his side, Nicholas had the same courage as his dad, Big Nick.  One evening his mom told his dad how he bravely climbed a rock wall.  She mentioned how Little Nick seemed to have inherited the same can-do spirit found in Big Nick's family.

If Nicholas could not hold the dinosaur he would tuck it in a safe spot or tie it to himself with a handy chord.  If you were to peek under Nick's pillow at night, you would find his dinosaur there.  One day a game of soccer was played against a formidable foe.  To Nick a dinosaur could beat a Gorilla, the nickname for a goalie on the opposing team.  He scored!

The game was won but Nicholas felt lost.  His dinosaur was missing!  He could not tell his mom.  He was miserable.  Much later, after Little Nick had gone to bed and was having his worst fears visit his dreams, Big Nick came home.

Sometimes acknowledging fear is an act of bravery.  Dads are good at being our best helpers.  And our secrets are safe with them.


On the jacket flap Gennifer Choldenko indicates she wrote this book to

celebrate all the many great dads she knows.

She splendidly accomplishes this by first telling us of those things Little Nick fears in contrast to Little Nick believing his dad fears nothing.  When she tells us how those three things Little Nick fears most are confronted by his dinosaur, we identify strongly with him.  We understand why his confidence grows.  Each time he bravely rises above a situation, Little Nick feels like he connects more with his dad.

With this part of the story in place plus the great word choices and blend of narrative and dialogue, his dad's response to the lost dinosaur is more deeply felt by readers.  We want to hug Little Nick and Big Nick.  Here are two sample sentences.

Dinosaurs like the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch and everything under them for dinner.  

Nicholas's face lit up like a glow stick.


When first looking at the matching dust jacket and book case for this title, with no knowledge of the story, you feel a sense of mystery.  You are asking yourself about the connection between this dad, his son, the son's dinosaur and the larger than life dinosaur amid the stars.  Within an oval on the back, to the left, the dad and son are looking through the telescope together.  On the jacket and case, the choice of color palette heightens this feeling of something important to be discovered.

On the opening endpapers we zoom in to see the lower half of the boy's body.  He's wearing a soccer uniform with one knee raised and his foot on the ball.  Careful readers will see the toy dinosaur peeking out the top of his sock where it's been placed.  On the closing endpapers the first image has an added character in the background.  We can now see the entire boy's body.  On the black background of the title page a hand is extended toward the text.  Resting in the palm is the toy dinosaur.

Rendered in pencil, watercolor, ink, acrylic and Photoshop these illustrations by Dan Santat extend page edge to page edge on two pages.  His perspectives in this title are marvelous.  In the first picture the boy is opening the back door, stepping outside cautiously toward his father.  With a page turn we move close to only the boy's hand holding his dinosaur on the left with the dinosaur from his mind's eye extending across the sky over his dad on the right.  In another situation Big Nick is watching a video of his son playing soccer on the left while talking with Little Nick on the phone who we see on the right.  Little Nick is very close to us.  These altered points of view contribute to the outstanding pacing.

One of my many favorite pictures is at the beginning of the narrative with Little Nick striding outside at night.  He is swinging his arms in confidence as he holds the dinosaur.  Behind him on the left and stretching across the gutter to the right is the huge dinosaur.  It's gobbling up a manhole cover and one of the things underneath it.  Groups of stars outline the dinosaur's body.  We are looking slightly up at Nicholas.  It's a great angle.


This book, Dad And The Dinosaur written by Gennifer Choldenko with illustrations by Dan Santat, will be a welcome addition to bookshelves at home and in school and public libraries.  The theme is universal for who among us has no fear?  And how many of us over the years have carried objects to give us courage?  Thank you Gennifer Choldenko and Dan Santat because you both get it...you really do.

To discover and learn more about Gennifer Choldenko and Dan Santat and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Dan Santat also maintains an Instagram account.  You can view the opening endpapers at the publisher's website.  Don't miss the book trailer premiere at teacher librarian Travis Jonker's blog, 100 Scope Notes, located at School Library Journal. You will enjoy reading the comments from both the author and the illustrator.

We Are Family

It's interesting to see the variety of definitions for the word home depending on the source.  For the purpose of this post I am referring to

the social unit formed by a family living together from Merriam-Webster

and

the place in which one's domestic affections are centered from Dictionary.com.

There is an interesting article from 2012 in the Smithsonian which states in the heading home is

also an idea---one where the heart is.

Home is a place where your heart is heard and protected.  Above all else it is a sanctuary filled with the love of those in residence.

Beloved author Vera B. Williams passed away on October 16, 2015.  There was one last book she wanted to release into the world.  Not sure if she had the strength to complete the pictures she asked a fellow author and illustrator, Chris Raschka, for help.  Home At Last (Greenwillow Books, September 13, 2016) written by Vera B. Williams and illustrated by Vera B. Williams and Chris Raschka, a tender story of adoption and family, is the result of their collaboration.

Lester tripped over the laces of his new shoes just as he went out the door and down the steps of the children's center.

He could hardly wait for the arrival of Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich, his new parents.  He could hardly wait to see their dog Wincka again.  It had taken a year for the adoption process to be completed.

As he climbed into their car, which he absolutely loved, he carried his little blue suitcase and his most prized yo-yo.  Daddy Albert and Daddy Rich helped him unpack and get settled in his new room.  He was assured he would never need his big suitcase again.  He was home.  Lester was reluctant to give up his little blue suitcase filled with his action figure collection.  He wanted them near...just in case he needed protection.

Every night one of his dads would read him a story or tuck him into bed.  Every night Wincka would follow them out of the room.  Every night Lester would appear in his parent's bedroom carrying his suitcase.  He just could not stay settled in his room no matter what they did; no hot chocolate, no toast, songs, stories, kind words or lots of conversations could fix the hole in his heart.  He did not tell his parents what he was really thinking.

Daddy Rich and Daddy Albert had talked a long time before adopting Lester and they were talking now about his late night walks into their bedroom.  They set up rules for Lester.  He had to stay in his own bed except on special Sunday mornings when no one had to go to work the next day.  Rich bought a new bike for Lester and spent the day playing with him.  Albert was not so patient.  One night, he became angry at Lester for not staying in his own room and waking them up.

When Lester began crying, Daddy Albert felt his heart melt and questioned the child.  His parents listened to him talk, telling them the truth.  They were worried.  There was one member of the family not worried and he took steps on four furry feet to make things right for his boy.  Now dear reader, this is not the end of this story but I'll let you enjoy the rest on your own.  With that being said, I guess you know who saved the day, made another life whole and at home...at last.


Everything about this story penned by Vera B. Williams is beautiful.  Her descriptions of Daddy Rich and Daddy Albert leave no doubt as to their personalities and parental love they have for this boy they are bringing into their lives.  The care they give to making him a part of their home is exactly what all members of a family need.  Her descriptions of Lester's hopes, fears and the reason for his living in the children's center will resonate with every reader.

Her inclusion of specific moments like Lester tripping over the untied laces of his new shoes, Lester checking to make sure Wincka is following them, Daddy Rich playfully pretending their attic is haunted, Lester talking to his action figures, and playing with his four new cousins during a sleepover so much they hardly slept at all bring this story into sharp focus.  The words spoken by Daddy Rich, Daddy Albert and Lester in comments and conversation are as real as sunrise and sunset.  Here is a sample passage.

When Daddy Rich and Daddy Albert finally opened their very sleepy eyes and saw their new son, Lester, standing by their bed, they would say, "What's wrong?  What's the trouble, sport?"  Daddy Rich would feel Lester's forehead for fever and ask if he was too cold or too hot or hungry.

A few times Daddy Rich and Daddy Albert, followed by Wincka, even took Lester into the kitchen and fixed him hot cocoa and toast.  His daddies sleepily slurped up the cocoa and Wincka sleepily crunched up the toast, because it was not cocoa and toast Lester wanted.


When opened the matching dust jacket and book case immediately fill your heart with the cozy comfort found in the two images.  You know Lester has found a home with Daddy Rich and Daddy Albert and Wincka in the illustration on the front.  To the left, on the back, is a close up of the hero of the house with Lester.  Lester, eyes closed, has his arms around Wincka in a huge hug.  I think I see the wisp of a smile on the dog's face.

A collage of words,

home, who will take care of me, mommy, daddy, keep me safe, hug me, Grandmother and love,

covers the opening and closing endpapers in shades of black, purple pink and white.  Across the title page is a picture of the dormitory, a row of beds, with Lester sitting on one, waiting.  The sizes of the illustrations flow with the narrative shifting from two pages, to a single page, a half page or several smaller ones on a single page.  The signature color palette and loose lines of Chris Raschka are clearly evident.

In his illustrations there is motion and emotion with an underlying color of golden yellow casting a feeling of warmth.  Changes in perspective match the narrative perfectly.  Careful readers will notice the tiniest of details; lattice work on a balcony, the gas burners on the stove, books stacked on the shelves next to Lester's bed, and the tear on Lester's cheek.

One of my favorite pictures of many is of Lester and Daddy Rich biking around the neighborhood.  It is a half-page illustration.  The park is spread out behind them.  In front of them on the left a man is seated on a bench reading a newspaper.  On the right a man is scooping out ice cream to waiting children.  Lester and Daddy Rich are just finishing up their ice cream cones, standing next to their bicycles.


This is the kind of book. Home At Last, written by Vera B. Williams with illustrations by her and Chris Raschka which clearly defines home and family.  It's about where hearts reside in true affection.  This is an important book.  Home At Last is where children can see themselves and others in the pages of a book.  (We Need Diverse Books)

To learn more about the life of Vera B. Williams and her work please follow the link attached to her name to read her obituary at Publishers Weekly.  Publishers Weekly also has an article about the process of completing this title.  There is an enlightening and wonderful post with additional links and artwork at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  At the publisher's website there is a link to a five page article about the collaboration between Vera B. Williams and Chris Raschka.

Friends Find A Way

For more than forty-eight hours snow fell steadily.  Most of the area was under a warning or advisory.  This morning they were lifted.  Hundreds of schools throughout the state of Michigan are closed for today.  Everything is blanketed in white.  Winter is officially nine days away but a look out the window shows otherwise.

Changes in the weather can shift slowly or quickly without warning.  In The Storm Whale (Henry Holt And Company, September 30, 2014 US) we met Noi who lives with his dad, a fisherman, and their six cats by the sea.  A wild weather night delivers a small whale from the sea to the nearby sandy beach.  As a result we read of a compassionate son who is loved equally by his father.  The Storm Whale in Winter (Simon And Schuster, September 22, 2016 UK, January 24, 2017 US), a companion title, written and illustrated by Benji Davies reminds us that acts of kindness are always remembered.

Noi lived with his dad and six cats by the sea.
Last summer, Noi rescued a little whale after a storm washed it ashore.

Noi remembers this whale, this found friend.  On his daily beach walks he looks for this whale.  He hopes to see him again.

One snowy morning Noi's father leaves their island for one final day of fishing.  As night comes, Noi's dad has not returned.  The little boy is worried.  He looks through the falling snow from their home out to the sea.  He waits.  What's that?!  Something is there.  Noi knows it must be his dad.

Making sure their cats are snuggled inside, Noi leaves to greet his dad.  He takes his boat but the water is frozen solid.  Leaving it on the shore, lantern in hand, Noi sets out across the ice.  In the falling snow everything looks the same.  Noi realizes he is lost.

Far ahead he sees something.  Later Noi feels something.  His heart surges with hope.  Friends always find a way.


There is a special quality to the narrative when Benji Davies writes.  You get the one-on-one feeling as if he is telling a tale to you and you alone.  It's a feeling of comfort and possibility.  Every word is carefully chosen in his spare but meaningful text.  The use of dialogue in one particular point of this story intensifies the emotions of the moment.

Now and then he thought he caught a glimpse
of the whale, its tail tipping the waves in the distance.

But it was always something else.


When you open the book case left to right, the scene on the left is from an interior piece.  It shows Noi, net in hand, scanning the sea from the beach in front of his home.  His father sits outside on an overturned trap mending a net.  One of their cats sits near him and another is perched on his shoulder.  Snow covers the roof tops and portions of the beach.  The front, on the right, is a blend of the events in the book, showing us what might unfold in the story.  It promises us a nighttime adventure.  The opening and closing endpapers are a steely blue pepped with snowflakes.

Opposite the formal title page on the verso, we see Noi in his room in the peak of the roof, busy at work making another picture of his friend, the whale.  On the wall are snapshot drawings of highlights from the previous book, drawn by Noi.  You can see he gets his light at night from candles placed around the room, one in a lantern hanging from the rafter.  A single sock hangs over the heat register and another hangs on a line stretched across his room.  Two cats are keeping him company, one watching the sea through the window.  All these little details make the work of Davies extremely engaging and endearing.

The illustration sizes vary from double-page pictures, to single page images, edge to edge, or pictures framed in large portions of white on a single page.  Davies shifts his perspective bringing emotion into the scenarios as when Noi strikes out across the ice.  We watch him as if we are above him. (In one visual we are below him.)  Davies' use of light creates striking visuals.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is at night when Noi is watching for his dad's return.  There are several other seaside homes to the right and slightly behind Noi's home. He is looking out the window of his bedroom.  One cat is peeking out next to him. A light glows in the background.  Snow is falling.  You can see the small snowman in the shape of a cat on their deck railing.  The many shades of blue, gray and black contrast beautifully with the snow and small bits of yellow.


The Storm Whale in Winter written and illustrated by Benji Davies is an outstanding companion to the earlier title.  It's the kind of tale to add warmth to any day but particularly welcome in this winter season.  Friendship does not forget and love endures.  You need to have this title and the first one on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To read more about Benji Davies and his other work please follow the link attached to his name to access his blog.  Davies also maintains a Tumblr account.  You can view six interior images at a publisher's website.  There is a post at Bright Group about this title and an interview with Benji Davies.

For The Love Of Truth...And A Father

When a being has been a part of your life, here one moment and gone forever the next, you know the world tilts.  It does not matter if the death arrives at the end of a terminal illness, as a result of old age or suddenly because of an accident.  The hole in your sense of normal seems to have no bottom; your life as you knew it is gone.

There is no set time for recover.  Each person works through the loss at their own pace.  For those who have experienced this grief, one thing seems to be true, even though it might take time to recognize it, those gone remain.  They remain because those left behind remember.  We remember exactly what they said, precisely what they did and how they embraced life.  With or without intention bits and pieces of them are integrated into how we speak, what we do and how we face all our tomorrows.

Soar (Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, July 5, 2016) written by Tracy Edward Wymer follows a seventh-grade boy navigating the waters of life without his father.  The day to day experiences in a small town have disadvantages and advantages which come sharply into focus for Eddie.  It begins and ends with a bird.

I'm looking for a bird, but not just any old bird.  I'm looking for Dad's golden eagle.  And I'm not stopping until I find it.

Before Eddie's father dies, he sees a golden eagle out by Miss Dorothy's pond.  He claims its

wings were wider than the creek behind our house, and its talons were the size of bulldozer claws.

With no photographic proof, Eddie's dad's claims are eventually thought to be a tall tale or even an untruth.  Eddie believes in his father and in this story.  Of course, like so many things, the journey from believing in something to proving it is never easy.

The first challenge Eddie encounters is when a spy mission on a new family on his street goes wrong in the worst possible way and his bike, a birthday gift from his dad, is stolen.  Beautiful Gabriela and her Papa, deaf, and their stunning macaws, newly moved from Brazil have fascinating gifts to share.

Bullying Eddie since kindergarten, Mouton starts at the school bus stop on day one of seventh grade.  His taunts are verbally abusive and his pranks, honey in Eddie's locker (yes he can get into any locker), are hard to ignore.  We learn very early in the story of Mouton having Tourette's syndrome.

A birder, like his father, Eddie's science teacher, Mr. Dover announces in their first class about the science symposium.  It's a seventh grade tradition.  Years earlier Eddie's father won the top prize, a blue-ribbon winner.  It's hard to get a true read on Mr. Dover, sometimes he seems like an okay kind of person, other times his behavior is shocking.  He is a man of secrets.

The cement which holds Eddie's life together is his mom, a cigarette-smoking, hard-working, firm but fair parent.  She is the head janitor at Eddie's school, announcing her presence with the jingle of keys she carries on her belt.  The straight-forward conversations shared between her and Eddie clearly explain the love they hold for each other.

As if school and Eddie's life in general could not get more confusing and complicated, when Mr. Dover draws the names to pair people for the science symposium, Eddie's partner is Mouton.  A nighttime ninja operation leads to discovering hidden talents, countless trips to Miss Dorothy's property, a fixed Predator, an unexpected agreement, and a fiasco of epic proportions propel readers toward a series of revelations, heartbreaking and heartwarming.  Goals are worth pursuing; it's the results we can't predict which change us.


The first person voice of Eddie, the true-to-life conversations between the characters and excerpts in Eddie's birding journal, including remarks to his dad, are techniques used adeptly by Tracy Edward Wymer bringing readers into Eddie's world.  We experience firsthand the events in those beginning months of his seventh-grade year.  We share his frustrations, his goof-ups, his grief, and his triumphs, silently cheering for him.

Each of the other characters is fully human with their flaws and perfections.  Wymer has them move in and out of Eddie's days, coming to the front and center and then stepping back as others move forward, in a smooth rhythm as their stories are woven into Eddie's narrative. Here are some sample passages.

He rested his hand on my shoulder.  "If you want to be the best, Son, then you have to be creative.  You have to think like a bird.  You have to become the bird."

"Become the bird," I said.  "What does that mean?"

"You have to ask yourself, if you were that bird, and you were trying to survive, what would you need at that exact moment?  Not two days from now, not one week from now, not a year.  At that very instant ask yourself what that bird needs.  Food?  Protection?  Nesting materials?  Companionship?

"What's 'companionship'?" I asked.

Dad smirked and said, "It's about filling a big, empty hole inside you with feelings for someone else."

"You mean like you and mom?"

He smiles and said, "Exactly."


Bird:  great horned owl
Location:  Miss Dorothy's place
Note:  With Mouton's voice, there is hope for our project.
Dad:  Making friends is a tough business.  Sometimes I wonder if it's worth the trouble.
I'm trying to listen to the music, but it's hard to hear the words.


After two readings in two days, I know Soar written by Tracy Edward Wymer will most definitely find an audience with middle grade readers.  The short chapters, realistic conversations and events and multi-layered characters truly sing off the pages like the call of the golden eagle, sharp and clear.  I look forward to recommending this title.

To learn more about Tracy Edward Wymer and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name. Tracy Edward Wymer maintains Tumblr pages and a Twitter account @TracyEWymer  Tracy Edward Wymer is featured on a Successful Author Talk post and BookPage.  He is a guest at Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read. for a book trailer premiere.  You can read an excerpt at the publisher's website.

To Be Named

In two days another Father's Day will be celebrated.  Families will be paying tribute to dads, uncles, grandfathers, older brothers and significant men in their lives.  For me it will be another Father's Day without my dad.  It will be a day to remember all the memorable moments we shared and those times I've wished for him to be with me.  It will be a day to miss him but to reflect on how much a part of my life he still is on a daily basis.  The tools in his original carpenter's belt are used often, his initials etched in the handles.  The care of my gardens and lawn reflect his green-thumb gifts.  The maintenance of everything I own, making them last beyond the time they should, is due to his constant attention to detail.  It's as if he is right beside me, guiding me.

Dads play important parts in all our lives.  In Sherman Alexie's first picture book, Thunder Boy Jr. (Little, Brown and Company, May 10, 2016) illustrated by Yuyi Morales, a son speaks to readers about his beloved father.  The boy is unsure how to address a huge problem he has.

Hello, my name is 
Thunder Boy.

As his younger sister proclaims he is Thunder Boy Smith.  At birth he received this name from his father.  He would much rather have been given a normal name like Sam. (That's what his mom wanted to call him.)  He is not the only Thunder Boy either, he is Thunder Boy Jr.  His dad is Thunder Boy Sr.

This might be okay but his dad is affectionately and with respect called Big Thunder.  He is Little Thunder.  This does not seem right to him.  He shares a secret with readers.

I HATE MY NAME!

The boy keeps this secret to himself out of love for his dad.  He does imagine being named for accomplishments in his young life.  For touching a wild orca on the nose perhaps he should be named

NOT AFRAID OF TEN THOUSAND TEETH.  

He thinks how much his dog enjoys chasing his own tail and the costume tail Thunder Boy Jr. sometimes wears.  Maybe his name should be

CAN'T RUN FAST WHILE LAUGHING.

He thoughtfully ponders nine possibilities.  How can he be truly himself when he shares a name with his dad?  This little guy does not know what to do with his unhappiness.  Someone far wiser has an answer.  Your heart will swell with the same joy Thunder Boy Jr. feels.


Even though Thunder Boy Jr. has a personal, real dilemma, Sherman Alexie, forms each sentence so readers realize the boy is living in a home filled with loving family members.  We form a compassionate connection to him as he speaks to us.  When he relates his experiences, each which could serve to give him a name more specific to him alone, his exuberance, his zest for life, sails off the pages.  Alexie also uses repetition with excellent effect.  Here is a sample passage.

People call him 

BIG THUNDER.

That nickname is a storm
filling up the sky.

People call me

LITTLE THUNDER.

That nickname makes me
sound like a
burp or a fart.


One of the first things I do when reading a book is to check to see how the artist created the illustrations.  This is what I read on the verso for this book.

The illustrations for Thunder Boy Jr. were made from the remains of an antique house in Xalapa, Mexico, where Yuyi now has her studio and where she created this book.  When the rotting roof and some of the walls came down, she picked out old wood as well as clay bricks that she later scanned and used their colors and textures to digitally paint the illustrations.  

This is why when you open the matching dust jacket and book case, you have to marvel at the force radiating from the images.  The bold outlines and vibrant colors on the sizzling backgrounds are full of energy.  A collage of circles in red, magenta, yellow, turquoise, black and gray fashion a pattern on the opening and closing endpapers.

Text balloons, speech bubbles, are placed throughout the narrative holding narrative words as if they're spoken.  This involves all the characters, even the family's dog.  All of the pages are connected across the gutter even if they portray a separate moment.

Within the story Yuyi Morales, in a series of pictures, includes a mini-story of the boy and his sister disagreeing over the possession of a large colorful ball.   Two other elements which I really like are first the size of the parents with respect to the children.  Our parents are and will remain larger than life to us.  The other aspect is when Thunder Boy Jr. is imagining possible names; the father is a part of the orca and the mountain.

Readers will notice elements from one picture carried into another one; the children riding their bikes, the playing of the guitar and the presence of the bear, coyote (wolf) and snake.  You will want to stop and look at every detail in picture after picture.  The image of Thunder Boy Jr. powwow dancing is stunning.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is of Thunder Boy Jr., his sister and their dog playing in the dirt.  It looks to be fairly muddy with dark brown splotches spreading out from the children and the dog.  The brother and sister are sliding through it on pieces of cardboard.  Their faces are glowing as they laugh and laugh and laugh.  You want to jump in and join them!


With each reading of Thunder Boy Jr. written by Sherman Alexie with illustrations by Yuyi Morales your affection for this boy and his father will grow.  You can almost hold the joy found in these pages in your hands.  This IS a book for everyone.  It is wonderful to read it aloud.


To learn more about Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Sherman Alexie and this title are discussed at The Washington Post.  Sherman Alexie is interviewed on NPR Books about Thunder Boy Jr.  Teacher librarian and 2014 Caldecott committee member Travis Jonker premieres the book trailer on his blog, 100 Scope Notes.  It's a superb trailer.  Both Sherman Alexie and Yuyi Morales are on Twitter at @Sherman_Alexie @yuyimorales  Yuyi Morales is a 2016 Sendak Fellow.  I have enjoyed following her tweets about this experience.

Bridging The Divide With Love

It does not matter how old they are.  You can see it in their posture even before you have a chance to glance at their faces.  They will try to be brave.  They will try to keep their feelings hidden but if one of your students has had a shift in the dynamics of their home life, you will know.

You will carefully and with kindness offer them support.  One of the best things you can do is to give them a book which mirrors their experiences.  Many times a book will hold more weight than anything anyone else can say.  A book holds a kind of authority.  It's a type of magical connection.

 One of the finest titless I have read about a child adjusting to separation (divorce) is Weekends With Max And His Dad (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 5, 2016) written by Linda Urban with illustrations by Katie Kath.  Even before I finished the first ten pages, the end of chapter one in part one, I hugged this book with my heart (and my hands). It speaks to those in this position.  It speaks to those who are not, helping them to understand.

Weekend 
One
Spies
Chapter
One
When Max's dad came to pick him up on Friday night, he said, "Tomorrow, I will show you my new neighborhood."
"Sorry, Dad," said Max.  "Tomorrow I have spy duty.  You'll have to call me Agent Pepperoni."
"Oh," said Dad.  "Okay."
"But you can be my helper spy," said Max.  "You can be Agent Cheese."
"Not Agent Lightning?  Or Agent Super-Cool Guy?" asked Dad.

Max arrives at his dad's new apartment for the first time since his parent's separation.  Having recently finished reading The Sneaky Book of Spy Skills, he has plans to make this weekend alone with his dad an adventure.  To his father's credit he joins in on the fun with equal measure reading Max's book, donning a disguise along with his son and giving them a secret mission.  Listening, note and picture taking and map making prove beneficial on their unplanned tour of the area shops.  Secret sharing with a third agent, the newest member of the team, will have readers inwardly cheering for this son and this father.

Between superhero and archenemy battles, ukulele playing and a return visit to the local cafe to order the County's Best Bacon and Pineapple Pancakes both Max and his dad discover important pieces of information about each other.  They also make the acquaintance of a wonderful apartment resident and her two basset hounds, Barkis and Peggoty.  Make believe, running, the acquisition of Olle and a super-secret project further cement the caring, wonderful relationship between Max and his dad.

Looking forward to the third weekend visit Max can hardly contain his excitement.  His best buddy, Warren, is coming for a sleepover.  The boys are your proverbial two peas in a pod but Warren does offer comments helping Max to alter his perspectives.  Bonds of friendships and Michigan mammal habitats are built to last with a quest ensuring each is of the highest order.  As the final chapter in the third part comes to a close, two tasks yield satisfying results.  In the mathematics of love two equals one.


With every sentence read in this book my admiration for Linda Urban and her masterful ability to create endearing characters grew.  Through the conversations between her characters, their lively and loving personalities nearly walk off the pages into our space.  Not only do we enjoy the interactions of the primary characters but the secondary characters play a significant role in the ebb and flow of the narrative.  Their presence increases the eloquence in an already wonderful story of a boy and his father.

In my way of thinking Linda Urban, through the people in this book, shows us how to be our best possible selves.  Fashioning a new normal is not an easy task but each individual chooses to place the other person first.  This is what love, unconditional love, is.  Another technique Urban uses is to end each chapter with a promise of things to come or with a sense of achievement or peace of mind. Here are a couple of sample passages.

"Do you like it?" asked Dad.
"It's very blue," said Max.  He didn't want to say what he was really feeling.  What he was feeling was like somebody was sitting on his chest.  Max had liked the Detroit Lions last year, when he was in second grade.  He still liked the Detroit Lions now, but not as much.  And he did not think he liked blue very much at all.  He could not imagine a spy with a blue room and football curtains.
"Are you okay?" asked Dad.
Max did not want to hurt Dad's feelings.  "I'm tired," he said.  He pretended to yawn.

The lady in the pink apron gave Max and Dad each a large wedge of chocolate.  They posed for a picture with Mr. Benetti.  Snap snap snap snap snap snap snap!  went all the cameras in the room.
"So much for being inconspicuous," said Dad.  "I guess there'll be no spying in Italy for us.  Our cover is blown."
Max took another bite of heavenly chocolate.
"It's worth it."


When you open the dust jacket you can see that the circles employed on the front have been used on the back to the left.  The same colors are used, orange, green and a larger, deep golden yellow.  I like the idea of circles, no beginning and no end.  On the back Barkis and Peggoty are exuberantly checking out (sniffing) a pot of flowers.  On the book case in the same shade of pale yellow used on the jacket, etched in gold, a basset hound is posed on its hind legs howling.  A dark chocolate brown extends from the spine into the front and back of the case canvas.

The circles are used by illustrator Katie Kath on the title page and at the beginning of each of the three parts.  Black and white animated, detailed and spirited pictures are seen at nearly every page turn.  They are altered in size and perspective to further define moments in the story.  My favorite ones are when Max and his dad are spies.


Weekends With Max And His Dad written by Linda Urban with illustrations by Katie Kath brings pure joy to readers for its wondrous, lighthearted view of real people.  Everyone wins when you have people around you who look at life as half full, regardless of the circumstances.  This book needs to be read aloud.  It should be in classrooms, libraries and on the shelves in homes.  I do adore it, every single page.

👍🏼 A finished copy of @lindaurbanbooks' Weekends with Max and His Dad: https://t.co/XvBMpQewX8

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) March 25, 2016

To learn more about Linda Urban and Katie Kath and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  To read an excerpt of the book follow this link to the publisher's website.

Making A Melody, Making A Memory

Music is the shorthand of emotion.

Leo Tolstoy

Regardless of our varied moods there will be music to match them.  Specific compositions or songs are used to inspire, calm, energize and replace one feeling with another.  These same melodies may be connected to vivid memories.  

In the early part of the eighteenth century a new musical instrument was introduced.  Today eighty-eight keys, some white, some black, arranged on a board, when pressed, cause hammers to strike strings.  These vibrating strings produce a range of sounds as varied as the person playing the piano.  The Bear and the Piano (Clarion Books, April 5, 2016) written and illustrated by David Litchfield is a marvelous exploration of music and friendship.

One day in the forest, a young bear cub found something he'd never seen before.

What could this be? he thought.

Shyly, he touched it with his stubby paws.

The sound coming from this new thing was dreadful.  The cub walked away that day but on the next day he returned.  He kept coming back day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year.  The harmonies now coming from this object were not dreadful, but utterly exquisite. 

When the bear played he was able to travel to places from his dreams; he was no longer in the woods.  Soon other bears congregated to listen in the evenings; enchanted by what they were hearing.  It was not long before someone else, two children, heard his music.  Their proposition changed the bear's life.

He knew the other bears would miss his nightly concerts, but the desire to venture out of the forest was stronger.  Within the clamor of the city the piano-playing bear made headlines.  Now his nightly concerts were performed before large crowds in huge halls.  He received awards for his record albums; every one gold. 

As his fame and fortune grew so did a longing to return home.  Home is where his heart was.  Home is where his friends were.  Home is where the piano in the woods was.  But sometimes when you go back things are different.  They might be even better.

When you read the first two pages of this book written by David Litchfield you are immediately intrigued.  You can hardly wait to turn the page, wondering where this story will go.  Your mind is filled with questions; some will be answered, others will remain a mystery.  

Word choices, sentence placement and spacing and punctuation provide impeccable pacing.  If it were possible to express the playing of a piano melody through story, it would be as Litchfield has written this book.  Here is a sample passage.

It wasn't long before the other bears

in the forest were drawn to the clearing.

Every night, a crowd gathered to listen

to the magical melodies coming from

the bear and the strange thing.

The red theater curtains pulled back to reveal the cub at the piano in the woods, shown on the matching dust jacket and book case, is a prelude of things to come.  Readers can sense the contrast between the two worlds, theater and forest supplied by the texture of the elements in the image.  The rich ruby red is carried across the spine to the left on the back of the jacket and case.  In a circular illustration placed on this background it is autumn.  Leaves fall from trees in the wooded clearing as the bear plays his piano.

The opening and closing endpapers both showcase the beauty of the bear's forest, trees and flowers with light streaming between the leaves and branches.  The two scenes are different though; extensions of the story.  Beneath the title text a portion of the bear is shown in his tuxedo.  

Rendered in mixed media the pictures shift in size to enhance emphasis in the narrative.  Double page spreads command our full attention, a group of vignettes shows a passing of time, and single pages ask us to pause.  The blend of the color palette and illustrative detail will have you looking at every single element in the images and then reaching out to touch the page.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is of the bear seated on a rooftop in the city.  He is wearing his theater attire, a tuxedo, with the collar and tie loosened.  Beneath the stars and full moon he gazes over the city, across the river and into the woods.  The chosen colors heighten the overall peace and thoughts of the bear. 

Playing from the Heart (Candlewick Press, April 12, 2016) brings our attention again to the allure of piano music.  This title, written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds, gives readers insight, as did The Bear and the Piano, into the powerful personal connections made between a musician and their listeners.  Let's follow the lives of a father, his son and the piano.

The piano stood quietly

in the living room for years.

Little Raj finally sat down on the bench one day.  His legs were much too short to reach the pedals but he sent notes floating out into the room.  As he grew so did his ability to blend the sounds, making them longer, more melodious. 

His playing without benefit of a single lesson was so lovely, his father found him a teacher, a piano teacher.  Raj learned to read music from a printed page.  His playing was flawless.  In fact it's perfection exhausted the young man.  He stopped playing.

Raj grew up, left home and worked in the city.  His father grew older and felt the silence left by his son's absence.  Time passed until one night Raj got a call.  His father was sick.

The son hurried as quickly as he could to get home.  At his father's bedside Raj asked a question and received a reply.  A bond is reformed joining hearts together.

Like the title of this book, Peter H. Reynolds writes from the heart.  For many of the pages, a single, simple sentence conveys much meaning.  We are wrapped in his words, surrounded by the story. 

To place significance on a change in the narrative Reynolds adds more sentences.  We can feel the intensity of the moment when Raj's playing will change.  Here is a sample passage.

His father heard the dreamy music

floating through the house.  He was amazed

that his son was playing beautifully without

ever having taken a lesson.

The text on the dust jacket, book case and throughout the book is hand-lettered.  The illustrations are created using pen, ink, watercolor, gouache and tea.  As readers can see in looking at the front of the dust jacket, color is used sparingly and with purpose.  The brush strokes flow forming a distinct atmosphere.  On the back, to the left, Raj and his father, now ill and in bed, are conversing.  Peter H. Reynolds adds a very personal note beneath the image.

On the book case a swirl of colors covers the front and back.  The only other item is the title in black on the front.  The opening and closing endpapers are a dusty blue wash.  Between text on the title page we see the interior of the home; the living room with the piano after the boy has decided to stop playing and has graduated.

Most of the pictures are placed on single pages.  There are two double-page spreads, each of the father in the living room at different points in his life. The emotions they depict are at opposite ends.  The palette for all the illustrations is limited; browns, grays, blues, a little golden and a little purple.  Only the notes when the son is the happiest are more brightly depicted.  The loose delicate lines by Reynolds are distinctive, defining exactly what he wants us to see.

One of my favorite pictures is when Raj first sits on the bench to play the piano.  Childhood items, a baseball, a book, a paint brush and paper and toy fire truck are scattered on the floor behind him.  (His back is to us.)  Through the arch in the doorway a kitten watches.  Notes are placed on the wall above Raj and the piano.  He is dwarfed by the piano but he continues to play.  Reynolds outlines the piano and items on the top, leaving it and them mostly white.  The added color surrounds the key elements.

The Bear and the Piano written and illustrated by David Litchfield and Playing from the Heart written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds are two expressive books inviting us to participate in the joy of shared music.  Music, piano music, brings people together.  It awakens creativity in some and creates an appreciation for the form in others.  I highly recommend both of these titles.  

To learn about David Litchfield and Peter H. Reynolds and enjoy more of their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  There are a few interior illustrations from The Bear and the Piano at Litchfield's site.  By following this link to the publisher's website you can view additional images from Playing from the Heart.  Enjoy the videos.