Dear Readers

Stitched in librarians' hearts are the words

the right book for the right reader at the right time.

When this happens, the world of that reader and those around them changes.  In their excitement at reading this book, they read it to others or speak about it with others.  These others in turn do the same.  Words are powerful.  They are even more transformative in books.

It is also said this purpose is shared by all those devoted to books and reading.  It is a gift happily given again and again.  Yours In Books (Cameron Kids, September 21, 2021) written by Julie Falatko with illustrations by Gabriel Alborozo is an endearing correspondence between two individuals,  One is a bookshop owner.  The other is someone seeking solitude to read.  During the course of their written conversations, we grow in understanding of the power of words lovingly written and illustrated in books.

Pine: A Bookshop

Knobby Pine Northeast of the Big Fir

Dear Sirs:

I received your marvelous catalog in the mail and

spent many long hours reading the descriptions

of all the books.

Owl T. Fencepost has requested a book be sent to his address at the 

Top of Oak

Near the Clearing

and the Noisy Small Animals.

He wants to soundproof his home so he can read in peace and quiet.  B. Squirrel, the bookshop owner, replies to Owl his desired title is out of stock.  Is there another title he wishes to purchase?

Well, Owl has decided to vacant his premises and wants to locate on an island far, far away from the Top of Oak.  As the second title is also out of stock, B. Squirrel decides to send a book encouraging Owl T. Fencepost to stay where he is.  You get the real sense of Owl's frustration in his next letter.  As he reads another book aloud, the noisy neighborhood children appear and want him to read it aloud to them.  He does this but writes it will be for the last time.  

The other thing readers will notice is the shift in the letter writing between B. Squirrel and Owl T. Fencepost.  Their greetings and closings are becoming friendly rather than professional.  A relationship is forming.  Instead of a book on fence building, B. Squirrel sends Owl T. a book on cooking and baking.

Each book B. Squirrel sends is having the opposite effect Owl T. wants in response to the boisterous children.  The evident humor and budding trust in their letter writing increases.  An invitation is issued by Bessie.  She wants Owl to visit the bookshop.  In the next several exchanges between Bessie and Owl, something is being planned by the children who now fill Owl's abode.  The messages between Owl and Bessie get shorter as anticipation and excitement build.  Books, reading, and most importantly, children, can make our lives better.  They did for a bookshop owner and an individual who thought he wanted to read in solitude.

There is an art to letter writing.  That art is even more evident when an author pens letters written between two characters.  Julie Falatko through the exchange of letters allows us to participate in the developing relationship between Bessie and Owl.

This friendship forms through their shared love of books.  In the titles of the requested books and those sent by Bessie to Owl, we are recipients of Julie Falatko's wonderful sense of finding and sharing joy and her keen observation skills of relationships.  Here are portions of a letter to Bessie from Owl and her reply.

However, the aromas of warm food heating on

my stove brought all the noisy neighborhood

children to my doorstep.  Please send The

Busy Owl's Guide to Food That Will Not Entice

Neighborhood Children to Stop By Uninvited.

The book you requested does not seem to exist.

Is it possible you were making a joke?  If so, I

am delighted.  It sounds like you and the children

might enjoy 50 Fanciful Biscuits and Cakes, which

I have enclosed, of course.

When you look at the open dust jacket, you get a preview of what artist Gabriel Alborozo imagined when reading the manuscript written by Julie Falatko.  To the left of the spine, on the back, is a close-up view of Owl T. Fencepost's writing desk.  He has started a letter to the bookshop.  His pen rests on the paper with his glasses nearby.  Stacks of books can be seen on either side as well as a vase with flowers and a matching teacup and saucer.  Through a picture window we get his view from the Top of Oak.

To the right of the spine, on the front, we see Owl and Bessie reading together in her bookshop with some of the children.  Do you see the snail in the lower right-hand corner?  It is a postal worker.  (I love the nod to snail mail.)  Another enchanting aspect are the two birds holding the paper, letter writing paper, with the text.

The book case is designed to be a book wrapped in brown paper, tied with two-tone string.  The bow is on the front along with a cancelled stamp.  The cancellation is for Oak Post Office.  A crowned owl is featured on the stamp.

Two distinct scenes are showcased on the opening and closing endpapers.  They are fine-lined drawings in black on creme.  The first is an overview of the oak in the lower, right-hand corner and the bookshop in the upper, left-hand corner.  Included are a pathway with a bridge over a stream, other trees, a pond, and a playground.  We zoom in to Owl's tree on the closing endpapers.  It is large and fills nearly all the right side, crossing the gutter as the treetops spread to the left.  Owl stands in his doorway holding a book as the children play below him.  Owl and Bessie, each holding a book, stand together on the title page.

These full-color images vary in size and perspective.  Many of them are double-page pictures with the letter placed on the side opposite most of the illustration.  Sometimes, for the purpose of pacing, single pages are devoted to the letters and their writers.  And to heighten the expectations of events to come, smaller visuals are grouped two to a page for several pages.  These illustrations reveal the personalities of Bessie and Owl in the descriptive and included details.  You will be thrilled with two wordless, double-page pictures.

One of my favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  We are inside Owl's home.  Celebratory chaos is evident.  Birds are flying.  A bunny swings on a ceiling lamp.  A tiny hedgehog clings to the broom handle held by Owl.  Other animals are scampering about the room.  Owl holds a red balloon in one claw.  Food is scattered.  Is that water on the floor?  Is that a plunger a squirrel is holding?  Is that a roll of toilet paper unraveling?

If you are of the mind one can never have too many books to read or too many friends, Yours In Books written by Julie Falatko with artwork by Gabriel Alborozo is the title for you.  Read this book for sheer enjoyment or to promote a discussion about the power of books to change lives or how letter writing can forge friendships.  This title is charming from beginning to end and should find a place on both your personal and professional bookshelves.

To discover more about Julie Falatko and Gabriel Alborozo and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Julie Falatko has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Julie Falatko chats with Heidi Fiedler at Book Magic.  Gabriel Alborozo is highlighted at Words & Pictures.  After watching this video, you'll be inspired to bake or you might get lost down the rabbit hole of acorn crafts, book making crafts or tea parties on Pinterest.

In Dog's Time

If you have the love of a dog, you are the recipient of the purest form of love, unconditional love.  Each day spent with them is a lesson in living in the moment immersing yourself in a total sensory experience.  They raise their noses to capture every single scent.  Their eyebrows and eyes convey an emotional depth rarely seen in humans.  How is it they can wake from a deep sleep rooms away, when you open the cheese drawer in the refrigerator?  They eat with abandon and the word treat fills them with glee.  Their hugs, standing, sitting, or lying as close as possible to you, are the best hugs in the world.  Let's not forget their special sense, the ability to know when you need them the most.  My dog Xena, who I loved and lived with for fifteen years, was a master at this, but so is my sweet four-year old Mulan.

Recently I experienced the worst case of food poisoning I've ever had.  After hours of misery, suffering from the chills of a fever, I finally wrapped myself in blankets, in the heat of summer, and collapsed on the sofa. Within a few moments, Mulan wedged her body between the back of the sofa and my body, stretched out head to head, toe to paw, with me.  The comfort she provided with her presence for hours was priceless. This is dogs doing what they do best.  Nothing escapes them, regardless of their age.  They are true to their essence until their final breath.

There is no denying the attraction of dogs and children.  They connect on a level without the use of a shared spoken language.  In a new picture book release the bond between a young child and an elder dog is beautifully portrayed.  This Old Dog (Levine Querido, September 1, 2020) written by Martha Brockenbrough with pictures by Gabriel Alborozo is a tale of kindred spirits who know the real value of a life well-lived. 

As the sun fills the sky with light,

old dog wakes.

His bones are sore

but his heart is strong.

His heart and tail thump in a timeless rhythm. Each day for old dog is a good day.  His routine is unwavering.  He loves to walk but his people have altered the pace of the walks since the birth of the little girl.  He savors each second in his slower style.  They rush, rush, and rush some more.

He wanders home as best as he can.  He naps and dreams of other days, days of chasing, swimming, and a potpourri of odors.  He rises after his nap and hopes for a companion who relishes slow walks, rolls in grass, jumps in leaves, and understands the bliss of finding

a just-right rock.

He is sad thinking of this absence until for the first time bare feet walk near old dog's bed.

The next walk is epic.  An old dog and the little girl, at the same speed, stroll through the day.  There is grass to smell, a hill to roll down, and 

a just-right rock

to find.

A heart and a tail and new-walking feet thump together.  And at night two heads rest on soft beds.  Of what adventures do they dream?

It takes a keen observer of the human and canine condition to pen a book with profound insight about both.  Martha Brockenbrough is one of those authors.  Her word choices fashion specific moments in place and time.  There is a deep, eloquent depiction of the old dog's musings, and of his joy.  The repetition of the words thump-thump are a reassuring communication throughout the story. Here is another passage.

Walk?

Old dog knows that word.

He finds his girl.

She stands on two strong feet.

She takes one slow step,

and then one more. 

Thump-thump, thump, thump,

all the way to him.

Oh, the unbridled joy you see and feel when looking at the front, right, of the opened dust jacket.  Two like souls, a young girl and an old dog, are enjoying the simple pleasure found in a box, flying away in their imaginations.  What will they see?  What will they do?  To the left, on the back, on a canvas of washed shades of green a loosely formed circle holds another image.  The child is standing on her feet, arms outstretched.  The old dog is seated with his paws outstretched.  Hands to paws, they hold to each other.  

On the book case a bright blue background and wide red spine match colors shown in another loosely framed circular illustration.  In this one the child sleeps in a crib with a colorful mobile of dog shapes overhead.  Next to the crib, sleeping, is the old dog.  Nearby is his blue ball.

On the opening endpapers, across both pages, is a visual depicting the pregnant parents setting up the crib.  In the doorway stands the old dog, his red leash in his mouth.  In this picture, in all the pictures, only portions of the adults are shown.  This is a book about a dog's and a toddler's point of view.  On the closing endpapers is a peaceful scene of the home in a county setting.  The trees, meadows and landscaping around the home are painted in hues of green.  Soft, pale yellow light glows in all the windows.

On the title page, the old dog is peeking into the empty crib.  

Gabriel Alborozo began his creation of the artwork for this book using pen and ink drawings.

Then he combined scans of these drawings with further sketches, and layers of watercolor.

The final artwork was then refined using a round of digital design and digital drawing to finish.

Fine lines delineating elements, supplying shading, and texture figure prominently in each illustration.  Once readers' eyes have focused on the central figures in a scene, they easily move to the added details, like family photographs, children's toys, and the red dog leash.  Gabriel Alborozo moves from large two-page pictures, to smaller vignettes, and full-page visuals to enhance and extend the narrative's pacing.  The facial expressions on the old dog and the little girl are gloriously inspirational.  To great effect several smaller illustrations show only feet or paws.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  The old dog is filled with so much happiness at something the child does to him, he jumps straight in the air with all four of his paws off the ground at the same time.  (Mulan is my first dog to do this, and you cannot see it without laughing out loud.)  Gabriel Alborozo includes the wagging tail and uplifted ears.  The old dog's eyes are closed. and he is smiling. This is exultation in motion.

You'll be reading This Old Dog written by Martha Brockenbrough with pictures by Gabriel Alborozo over and over again.  It is a tale of generational bridging, and the bond between a dog and his human child.  It uplifts aging.  It uplifts the ability of children, like dogs, to seek and find contentment in the smallest, easiest things.  Whether you read this alone, share it one-on-one, or with a group, there will be a sigh at the conclusion, every single time.  This is a huggable book. You'll want to have a copy on your personal bookshelves and as part of your professional collection.

To discover more about Martha Brockenbrough and Gabriel Alborozo, and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Martha Brockenbrough has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Gabriel Alborozo has an account on Twitter.  This book was showcased with other titles published by Levine Querido by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Martha Brockenbrough was interviewed at author Annemarie O'Brien's blog, Best Dog Books.  This title is showcased at author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  You can get other sneak peeks at the publisher's website.  I know you'll enjoy this video as much as I do.