Handheld Hilarity 3

Reading a newsletter yesterday written by a soon-to-be-published romance author, who is also a master teacher and friend, two words tied her series of thoughts together.  Those two words, silver linings, ask us to look beyond our current circumstances.  When we seek silver linings, they will reveal themselves to us.  Sometimes they are a tiny sliver.  Other times, they are huge, life-changing moments.  

For many of us, books which make us grin or giggle, or guffaw are the silver linings every time we read them.  They are silver linings which never fail us.  When a character returns to a series of books, it means more fun is in the offing.  We first met him eight years ago in Crankenstein and again in A Crankenstein Valentine.  He has returned in Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein (Little, Brown And Company, August 17, 2021) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.  In this newest entry, a beloved holiday is not as it should be.

Do you know what today is?

Crankenstein knows what today is.

It's a day that rhymes with Schmalloween, and

it's Crankenstein's FAVORITE day of the year.

His first inkling the day is awry is a throbbing toothache.  It goes downhill further when his brother fails to recognize his costume identity.  And just when he thinks it can't get any worse, it does.  No one mentions a raging rainstorm was coming.

Every activity at school to celebrate the holiday is off kilter.  What are the chances of someone else having the same costume and standing next to Crankenstein in the parade?  That night in his neighborhood trick-or-treating, someone is handing out toothbrushes instead of candy.  What kind of person does that?

Some other neighbor has a weird idea of frightening decorations. Crankenstein is not happy at being scared.  Back home, finally, his sly brother is swiping his candy.  What has happened to 

Crankenstein's FAVORITE day of the year? 

Wait! Is that the doorbell ringing?  Opening the door, Crankenstein is shocked at what he sees.  He bursts out laughing.  He keeps on laughing when he sees a lot more great minds who think alike.

This author, Samantha Berger, knows comedy.  She understands how delighted readers are in the contrast between the expected and the reality.  AND either through experience or observation, she has included the perfect pairs of opposites.  Initially, she creates a rhythm through the use of the word

EXCEPT

bringing it back to great effect at the close of the story.  She then establishes another cadence which increases Crankenstein's grit-your-teeth frustration and our rib-tickling laughter.  Here is a passage.

EXCEPT---when his brother doesn't know

WHAT he's supposed to be, and laughs till he falls

off the couch.

Crankenstein would say,

MEHHRRRR!

Look at the front, right side of the dust jacket!  Everything screams Halloween and not any ordinary Halloween.  This is a Halloween gone wrong.  There are webs in the title text with a black spider dangling between the K and O.  Bats fly around Crankenstein on an orange background.  The handle on his treat bag is ripped, spilling his collected candy.  His signature reply to his fateful events is carved into the jack-o-lantern.  Crankenstein's face allows for no denying his current mood.  To the left, on the back, in shades of gray is a silhouette of Crankenstein shouting his displeasure.  Across Crankenstein's form is a toothbrush with a jack-o-lantern, TRICK or TREAT tag hanging from the handle.  Adding insult to injury along the handle it reads:

Dr. Spooner DDS 555-9874

On the book case, on a cream background, is Crankenstein.  On the front he is facing us in his 

ROBO AVENGER COSTUME

with all the parts labeled.  On the back Crankenstein has turned his back to us.  Four parts of his costume not previously shown are labeled.

You cannot, I repeat cannot, just glance at the opening and closing endpapers.  Illustrator, Dan Santat, has fashioned a collage of enlarged candy.  Each of the candies have been renamed to depict the spookiness of Halloween.  The wrappers are familiar, but the names are decidedly not.  Have you had

TOOTHROT

It suffices  

or

Original

Skulltills

Imbibe The Spectrum!

Even some of the information on the verso has been "Halloweened." 

Each of the double-page illustrations (and a group of smaller panels) were rendered in Adobe Photoshop.  All the scenes inside Crankenstein's home depict a love of his favorite holiday.  There are ghoulish lamps and lampshades, and Halloween cups, glasses, bowls, placemats, pillows, and blankets.  The exaggerated facial expressions will have you grinning from ear to ear.  For most of the pictures, we are close to the action.  We are a part of this story. 

One of my many favorite illustrations is the only panoramic setting.  Across most of the two pages are hues of green formed into a corn maze. Four costumed classmates of Crankenstein are gleefully running down several pathways on the left.  Across the top of the page is a gray sky with a smattering of darker rain clouds and some parked vehicles on the right.  On the bottom of the image, to the right of the gutter (with one arm crossing the gutter), is a scarecrow.  He is looking grim.  Where is Crankenstein you ask?  Two arms with clenched fists extend straight up in a row on the right.  Above those arms in a speech balloon is a visual of an angry face.  Crankenstein is lost! 

Guaranteed to make you smile at the least and surely laugh out loud, Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat is a feast of fun.  Readers will relate to the mishaps but will be pleasantly surprised by the conclusion.  Treat yourself to a copy for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Samantha Berger and Dan Santat and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Samantha Berger has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Many individuals use meal preparation as an act of love or as an artistic expression.  There are a few others, a very few, harboring an ulterior motive.  One such fellow is found in Chez Bob (Little, Brown And Company, September 21, 2021) written and illustrated by Bob Shea.  This alligator has a voracious appetite but is loath to exert himself.  What he lacks in energy and ambition, he more than makes up for it in ingenuity.

Bob worked very

hard at being lazy.

"Being lazy is making me very hungry,"

said Bob to no one.

Bob hopes his request for birds to fly directly into his mouth will work.  They flee with haste.  He then observes how grass entices birds to it because of its seeds.  Like the proverbial lightning strike, Bob has a plan.

His long snout will house a birdseed restaurant.  It will be so successful, other alligators will want to purchase his idea.  He will be wealthy, but most importantly, he will no longer be hungry. 

The first bird at Chez Bob is impressed.  Bob has to let him go rather than eat him.  He is going to spread the word about the delectable meal on the menu.  Chez Bob is an international success.  Before long, a community surrounds Bob and his restaurant.  There is a school for the youngsters and a library for everyone.  As a member, new member, of this flock, Bob participates in a service project.  He joins a book club? Oh, Bob!  

Mother Nature exerts her will.  Bob has a huge decision to make.  Birds or breakfast?  What could possibly be worth more than fame and fortune?

When author Bob Shea pens a story, his keen sense of humor shines in every sentence.  His blend of narrative and Bob's personal voice and thoughts is true and perfectly paced.  The hilarity escalates with Bob acting and saying one thing and thinking about consuming the birds at the same time.  Then, in the best possible manner, a dilemma is presented.  It is a heightened what-if moment.  Readers will appreciate the choices made by both Bobs.  Here is a portion of one passage and the following two sentences.

"Oh, then I will not eat you,"

said Bob.

"What?" said the bird.

"I said, 'So nice to meet you,' "

said Bob.

And he couldn't wait to meet

the bird's tasty friends.

Soon Chez Bob was

the talk of the trees.

Birds flew in from all

over the world to eat

on Bob's face.

(Please note I am working with an F & G.  I was hoping to have a copy this week, but unfortunately, they have been delayed.  The anticipation grows.)

The expression on Bob the alligator's face on the right side of the open dust jacket has me laughing out loud every time I see it.  That smirky grin with one hand attempting to cover it is priceless.  Bob salting the bird as the bird salts its seeds is over-the-top comical.  The choice of the teal canvas makes Bob and the bird shine.

On the left, back of the dust jacket, Bob is seated on a navy background.  Birds are around him, his hat, and his face.  It is movie night.  On the end of his nose is the screen.  Bob is scooping popcorn into his mouth as birds nibble what is on the ground.

On a spring green canvas with short yellow and blue blades of grass, birds of a variety of colors gather on the opening endpapers.  On the far left, a pink worm looks at the group of birds aghast.  With the same background, the closing endpapers tell a different tale.  It is a blur of bicycles, birds, and Bob . . . on a bicycle.  The verso and title pages present a double-page picture of Bob lazily resting on the edge of the water with the jungle flora and fauna around him.

The color palette of blues, greens, purple, yellow, pink and white welcomes readers to the story.  The images, double-page pictures and single-page pictures, are highly animated.  When Bob opens his mouth, he opens it WIDE!  The tiny details in some of the scenes ask readers to pause.  There are birds in lounge chairs around a pond.  There are birds riding on a roller coaster.  There is a tiny bus with two passengers and a capped driver.

One of my favorite illustrations is when Bob is taking his patrons on a sunset dinner.  Among the lily pads, some flowers holding candles, are a frog happily waving as Bob passes and a turtle rowing a boat nearby.  Bob, mostly above the beautifully hued water, is wearing his chef's hat, eyeing his customers, and smiling.  Across his back are tiny tables with red-and-white-checked tablecloths. Pairs of birds are seated, enjoying their birdseed meals and chirping conversationally.

Sometimes when the best-laid plans shift in their results, so do personalities.  Our protagonist in Chez Bob written and illustrated by Bob Shea is a prime example.  Innocence can soften the cleverest and hungriest heart.  If you are looking for a title replete with laughs that lead toward newfound friendship, this book comes highly recommended for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Bob Shea and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Bob Shea has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  This title is featured at author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's wondrous Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There are many process pieces there to see.  

UPDATE:  Please enjoy this interview with Bob Shea about this title at Max's Boat on September 16, 2021.

Bob Shea Presents CHEZ BOB from LB School on Vimeo.

Book Chat with the Illustrator: Bob Shea for CHEZ BOB from LB School on Vimeo.

Anything Is Possible

It's not that it hasn't arrived earlier than expected previously.  It has but disappeared within hours.  It will begin this morning and will most likely continue for the next four days.  It's not every year snowfall carpets the landscape on Halloween.  Trick or treaters will be trudging through the cold, gusty winds and white this year in northern Michigan.

Will anyone or anything else be brave enough to venture out in this storm?  We're never certain who or what roams around on Halloween night after we are tucked inside our homes.  Snowmen At Halloween (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, August 20, 2019) written by Caralyn Buehner with pictures by Mark Buehner is the fifth book by this wife and husband team to follow the adventures of special snowmen.  The previous titles Snowmen At Night, Snowmen At Christmas, Snowmen All Year and Snowmen At Work are full of action, fun and hidden pictures.  This newest book continues with the beloved elements found in the first four and is sure to become a seasonal favorite.

One autumn day the air turned
cold and it began to snow.
We went outside and made some
snowmen standing in a row.

As the narrator, a brother tells us his sister had a box of dress-up items for Halloween.  They pulled out some of them and placed them on the newly formed snowmen.  Standing before them were now a ghost, a pirate, a witch, a vampire and a cowboy.  After trick-or-treating, when the siblings walked past the snowmen, the brother was sure one of the snowmen winked.  Winked?  Perhaps, the boy wondered snowmen do enjoy Halloween.  Perhaps . . .

Beneath a full moon all the snowmen dressed in costumes from all the homes in the village formed a parade.  They gathered in the center of town where the glow of Halloween lights and lanterns glimmered a welcome to one and all.  Like the best kind of party, this occasion began with pumpkin carving.

Carnival games challenged them to fish or toss a ring.  They relished the sweet stickiness of caramel treats and apples bobbed as they tried to grab one.  A crowd formed around a fortune teller.  Stacks of hay bales walled in a wondrous maze and spooky tales thrilled a crowd. (None of whom were too close to the crackling fire.)

After the joyful celebration, each snowman wandered home trick-or-treating along the way.  Of those, five, one a ghost, another a pirate, a witch, a vampire and a cowboy, could hardly contain their laughter.  In the morning, the day after Halloween, these speculations of the brother, were hard to confirm because a warming during the night had melted all the snow except for a few small patches.  And yet, the five had their say.


As the fourth line of the first two sentences is completed, you're aware of something a bit unusual.  Enough snow to make five snowmen in autumn is a departure from the status quo.  Caralyn Buehner maintains this atmosphere of the unexpected with her rhythm supplied by rhyming words at the end of each two sentences or lines.  Sometimes they are divided and grouped as four lines and other times simply as two sentences together or a single sentence with punctuation indicating a pause.  Activities associated with this celebratory holiday and its parties are described with words recreating the fun and appropriate mood.  Here is a single sentence.

It's a dark and spooky night, but the snowmen aren't afraid---
They'll follow one another in a Halloween parade,
Gliding down the moonlit streets into the village square,
Beckoned by the twinkling lights and lanterns hanging there.


I don't know about you but when I look at those snowmen on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case, I want to join them in their laughter and Halloween fun.  All the details beneath the title text ask readers to pause.  This is the first of many times when you'll carefully look at a scene, noticing all the extra things Mark Buehner includes in his painting.  Above the title text is a more panoramic scene of the neighborhood.  The use of light and shadow here and throughout the book is wonderful.

To the left, on the back, small images of the four preceding titles are shown with their awards and quotes from professional journals.  A deep, rich royal blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first flap readers are challenged to locate a rabbit, a cat and a T.rex cleverly hidden in each picture.

With a page turn we are greeted by a grinning snow-topped jack-o-lantern sitting on a porch railing.  Flakes and autumn leaves are falling around it.  The background is a pale blue, purple and pink blend.  On the title page the pictorial interpretation of the story starts with a bird's eye view of the brother and sister pushing snowballs through the snow, already making their snowmen.  Their snowballs are fashioning paths of green from the grass underneath.  Their footprints in the snow make other trails.

Each two-page image is painted with meticulous attention to the time of day and the movements of the characters in each setting.  The glow of the full moon casts an eerie light.  Is that a cloud or a ghost?  Why are there more bats than normal?

Readers will be enchanted by the array of costumes on all the snowmen.  (It might be fun to make a list.)  The expressions on the jack-o-lanterns are intriguing as well.  The use of color in each illustration heightens the excitement of the holiday, the season and the fascinating festivities.  Artist Mark Buehner shifts his perspectives to take us deeper into the story; close-up to the snowmen at the party playing games, even closer when they're gathered around looking into a snow globe for predicting their futures and a bird's eye view of participants in the maze.

One of my many, many favorite images is a double-page picture. (They're all double-page pictures.)  On a patch of grass beneath the roof of an orange tent is a kiddie pool etched with fish on the outside.  Gathered around it are three snowmen trying to catch fish with magnets. The fourth snowman dressed as Robin Hood is attempting to shoot one with his suction cup arrow.  Tiny ghosts hang from the metal supports underneath the tent roof. Throughout this setting are jack-o-lanterns glowing with grins. Orange lights are strung from booth to booth.  A ring toss game is off to the right.  Behind and next to it is the fortune teller's tent.  Moving to the left is face painting and then a BINGO booth.  The costumes are amazing!  You can almost hear the excitement and laughter.


Whether you are a fan of or familiar with the other Snowmen books, you'll rejoice at this new addition, Snowmen At Halloween written by Caralyn Buehner with pictures by Mark Buehner.  The words create a Halloween happening possibility and the illustrations bring it to life with marvelous merriment.  You'll want to add this to your professional and personal collections.  Good luck with finding all the extra goodies in the visuals.  If you have trouble, on the inside of the dust jacket is a key.

To discover more about Caralyn Buehner and Mark Buehner and their other work, please follow the link attached to Caralyn Buehner's name to access their shared websites.  They maintain accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  The book trailer for this new title on their Facebook page is delightfully spooky.  At the publisher's website you can view the first illustration in the book.  Here is a link to an interesting biographical account of Mark Buehner's artwork.  Enjoy the video with Mark Buehner speaking about his painting.

From The Vines

Cooler nights the past week have hinted at the nearness of autumn.  There's not as much birdsong in the air in the mornings signaling the beginning of their migration south for the winter.  Farmers' markets are filled with an abundance of summer-harvest fruits, vegetables, flowers, honey and other homemade delicacies.

Pumpkins are ripening on their vines. It's that special time of year to make selections for celebrations of Halloween.  Pick a Pumpkin (Candlewick Press, July 9, 2019), a companion to Pick a Pine Tree (Candlewick Press, September 19, 2017) written by Patricia Toht with illustrations by Jarvis follows a family from seeking the perfect pumpkins to strolling through their neighborhood on a spooky October 31st.

Pick a pumpkin 
from the patch---

tall and lean
or short and fat.

There is an abundance of colors of orange, some white and green, too.  This mom and her children fill their wagon with pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.  They take a break to sip on an autumn drink and munch on crispy, candy-coated apples.

Once home every speck of dirt is removed from their chosen gourds.  An area is made ready for carving and tools, utensils and bowls are brought outside.  A few neighbor children join the fun. 

Cutting, pulling and scooping clear the canvas.  Let the creativity begin!  Eyes wide with wonder or suspicious slits and noses form above mouths of happy grins or grumbling growls.  Soon all the pumpkins are completed to perfection.

Next the outside of the house with the help of dad is adorned with webs and web-weavers, shimmering ghosts, skeletons and swooping bats.  All the children don their costumes cheerfully chattering.  There's a witch, a mummy and is that a cute little pumpkin in mom's arms?  Those perfect pumpkin prizes are carried to their places; now glowing, the jack-o-lanterns are sidewalk sentries.  There's only one thing left to do, and it's done with exuberance.


Author Patricia Toht welcome us with her masterful use of poetic language, punctuation and pauses into the marvelous atmosphere of preparing for this holiday.  Her sentences with their embedded rhymes are like stanzas in a melody leading us into this night full of magic and mystery.  Alliterative phrases will have readers ready to move.  Here is a passage.

Lumpy chunks. Sticky strings.
Clumpy seeds. Guts and things.
With a spoon, scrape sides neatly.
Clean the inside out completely.
           Now all together . . .


Across the open and matching dust jacket and book case are pumpkins and one jack-o-lantern of every shape and size and shade.  The color palette radiates Halloween with hues of orange, purple, blue, green and a spooky white.  The costumed siblings can hardly contain their delight among the webs, spiders, bats, black cats, scurrying and curious mice, birds, autumn leaves and a wide-eyed ghost positioned around the ISBN on the back.

On the opening endpapers is a vast autumn sky with the birds shown on the jacket and cover flying over a nearly setting sun. On the closing endpapers it's the same scene with leafless branches and shrubs along the bottom and the huge sky above.  Now that sky is darkened, and the sun is replaced with a full moon.  Is that who I think it is riding her broom across the moon?  The birds have been replaced with bats.

The verso and title pages are a stunning work of art by illustrator Jarvis.  A row of autumn trees spans both pages with a windmill on the far right.  In front of them is a three-rail farm fence.  We move in close for the lower half of the illustration.  Muted-fall foliage is scattered on the ground.  On the right two large pumpkins are growing from vines.  Three crows, one on the left, watch and caw. 

Rendered in pencil, chalk, and paint and colored digitally all the illustrations are double-page pictures.  The choices of color for all the elements, including backgrounds which accentuate the other details, are absolutely splendid. Every visual is full of anticipation and animation.  The expressions on the people's faces convey pure excitement.  There are birds, mice and a black cat in nearly every picture. (Readers are going to love looking for those creatures.)  Near the pumpkin patch are two shops; one named Jarvis Art Supplies and the other Patty's Book Shop.  You won't believe the number on the side of the wagon the family is using at the farm.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the family and neighborhood children are standing in front of the pumpkin, now a glowing jack-o-lantern.  The background is hues of blue darkening to deeper greens near the bottom.  Dad, on the left as a vampire, has his hand resting on mom's shoulder as she stands on the right.  She's wearing devil horns and holding the baby garbed in a pumpkin costume.  Left to right are two children on either side of the gutter wearing their costumes.  One is holding the cat.  In a low arc at the bottom is the top of the jack-o-lantern with its stem in the gutter and extending out on either side.  All their faces show awe.  They are radiant from the light of the jack-o-lantern.


If you are looking for the ideal pumpkin or Halloween title, then this book, Pick a Pumpkin written by Patricia Toht with illustrations by Jarvis comes highly recommended.  I can't imagine a storytime without this title as a selection.  You'll definitely want to have a copy in your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about Patricia Toht and Jarvis and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Patricia Toht has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.   You can find Jarvis on Instagram and Twitter, too.  At the publisher's website and at Penguin Random House you can view interior images.

The Benefits of Being You

Most people reach a point in their lives when despite their excitement for a future event, they've learned to not wish their days away.  Once in a while though, in the midst of a hot and humid week, thoughts of cooler and clearer weather drift into your thinking.  Autumn follows summer bringing clarity.  It also includes a favorite holiday enjoyed by many.

On October 31 Halloween allows costumed trick-or-treaters to go door to door hoping for generous neighbors.  In the realm of children's books there are beings who are not costumed.  They don't pretend to be ghosts, witches, superheroes, robots, famous or fictional personalities because that's who they are.  The Itty-Bitty Witch (Two Lions, July 16, 2019) written by Trisha Speed Shaskan with illustrations by Xindi Yan is a warmhearted story of using what others see as a fault to seize the day.

Betty Ann Batsworth couldn't wait to get to her classroom. It was her first day as a first-grade witch.

When Betty walked into her classroom with her kinder-broom instead of a first-grade broom, she was teased and given the nickname of Itty Bitty.  She said her name was Betty but inside she was starting to shrink.  When her teacher Ms. Fit explained the Halloween Dash to her students, Betty knew she had to win.  Then they would call her Betty instead of Itty Bitty.

The very next day the practice for the race began.  Betty struggled because her broom was shorter.  She was left behind.  She thought a running start might help but it was a disaster.  She felt herself getting smaller inside.

For an entire month, Betty challenged herself but nothing, even arm-flapping, worked.  When Ms. Fit showed them the route the dash would take, Betty made up a poem to remember.  The teasing continued.  Betty informed one of her fellow students that she was not Itty Bitty but Betty. She did not feel big in her heart of hearts.

On the night of the Halloween Dash Betty had a great start, but her lead was short-lived.  She chanted the poem.  When she tried to follow the others past the cave, she nearly fell off her broom.  What should she do?  Sometimes we make our own magic.


Readers will find themselves entering into Betty's classroom willingly through the clever and compassionate writing of Trisha Speed Shaskan.  They will find themselves grinning at the last names given to the students.  Through dialogue, first-person thinking and narrative, we find ourselves identifying with and cheering for Betty Ann Batsworth.

For each attempt at becoming better at flying and the resulting teasing of some but not all her fellow witches, Trisha Speed Shaskan repeats how Betty feels inside, itty-bitty.  This makes the ending even more lively and uplifting.  What readers will appreciate is no matter how Betty feels, she does not give up.  She keeps thinking and having ideas.  Here is a passage.

Betty tried for speed.
She nose-dived.

WHOOSH!
UH-OH!
OOPS!

"Oh, Itty Bitty!" Sam said.
"It's Betty!" Betty said.
But she felt itty-bitty inside.


When you open the dust jacket you are treated to a two-page scene on a full-moon night.  (I am working with an F & G.) Betty Ann Batsworth looks simply enchanting and lovable tucked inside the hollow log with the jack-o-lantern hanging to give her light for her work.  The bats and wide-eyed frog along with sparkles of magical light complete our close-up view of her.

The log continues over the spine with a large evergreen tree extending beyond the top of the right-side of the back portion of the jacket.  A full moon is framed by boughs from this tree.  Another large tree reaches in from the left.  Behind the ground along the bottom, a river winds through rolling hills.  Across the sky, in the distance, four witches fly.

Artist Xindi Yan does not waste any space and begins her visual interpretation on the title page with students walking by a scarecrow with a jack-o-lantern head and holding a sign reading:

Welcome 1st Years!

The verso and first pages are a two-page picture of the darkened hallway outside the classroom.  One of the eerie items in this hallway is a huge caged eyeball hanging from the ceiling.  Through the doorway light drifts out, highlighting Betty.  Inside a skeleton of a dragon is suspended and in front of a large medieval-style window.

Each illustration rendered digitally spans two pages, full pages or smaller images are grouped on a single page.  Readers will pause at every page turn to admire all the atmospheric details; bats, plants, snakes, ghosts, headstones, and jack-o-lanterns.  Careful readers will notice how the moon gets closer and closer to becoming a full moon on Halloween.  The rich color palette provides added emphasis on the place and time of the story.  The wide-eyed looks on all the characters, especially Betty, will endear readers to them and her.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when Ms. Fit is showing her students the Halloween Dash course one night.  On the left of the double-page picture deep in the woods and above headstones is the map of the route.  Two bats are holding it in place.  The students are making their way down a large fallen log which acts as a bridge over the river.  In the distance are those rolling hills, mountains and a nearly full moon is shining down on the landscape.  Floating jack-o-lanterns light the path for Ms. Fit and her witches.  This is delightfully shivery and fun.


Readers are going to read this over and over, and listeners will request it read to them repeatedly.  The Itty-Bitty Witch written by Trisha Speed Shaskan with illustrations by Xindi Yan is going to be a fabulous seasonal title.  It brightens the way for those who feel as though they are diminished.  It asks those who might tease others to stop and think.  It features students who don't tease but decide to cheer for others.  You'll want to have a copy for your professional and personal collections.  You might want to purchase multiple copies to give away on Halloween instead of sweet treats.

To learn more about Trisha Speed Shaskan and Xindi Yan and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Trisha Speed Shaskan has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Xindi Yan has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Please take a few moments to watch the charming book trailer premiere at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read.  John chats with both Trisha and Xindi.

UPDATE:  On October 7, 2019, the illustrator posted a video about the process for creating the images.  

One Very Scary Night Of Fright

It's less than one week until the happy holiday night.  Pumpkins are purchased and carved into jack-o-lanterns.  Homes inside and outside are trimmed in black and orange with webs and spiders, bats and cats, witches and ghosts.  Trick-or-treaters have planned their costumes for months and finishing touches are being added.  Soon they will go door to door hoping for delicious edible goodies.

Halloween is not without the possibility of fear mixed with the fun.  Spooky tales and local legends heighten the atmosphere and anticipation.  Samurai Scarecrow: A Very Ninja Halloween (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, July 24, 2018) written and illustrated by Rubin Pingk (Samurai Santa: A Very Ninja Christmas) is about a full-moon visitor who sings an eerie nighttime melody.

"What was that old

scarecrow rhyme?"

Kashi asked her brother.

Yukio does not hesitate to recite the verses as the two of them walk past a scarecrow.  Laughing as the song ends, the siblings run not wanting to "wake up" the scarecrow.  At home everything Yukio does in preparation for Halloween, Kashi replicates.  It is frustrating for her ninja brother.

That night, Halloween night, ninja friends of Yukio arrive dressed in their costumes. Kashi can hardly wait to show everyone her disguise.  When she steps forward attired as a ninja bird just like her brother, the response of his companions is the final feather for her brother.  His words are crushing.

Kashi refuses to go with the group even after Yukio apologizes.  Five ninjas scamper off into the night.  They merrily go from place to place; their buckets getting heavier and heavier with treats.  

As they head for home a sudden loud noise stops them in their tracks.  When the origin of the sound stomps into view it's a nightmare come true.  Facing fear for the sake of someone dear leads to a heartwarming twist.

By choosing to begin the story with the scary lullaby poem, Rubin Pingk grabs readers' attention immediately.  Throughout the tale he employs the storytelling technique of using three to supply us with a captivating cadence.  The mix of narrative and conversations invites us further into this Halloween night to remember.  Here is a passage.

Kashi wanted to be a NINJA too.

She couldn't wait to start Ninjagarten.

"What is your 

favorite NINJA

weapon?"     

"Have you 

ever met a

SAMURAI?"

"How far can

you throw a 

NINJA star?"

She asked A LOT of questions,

and Yukio needed a break.

On the opened and matching dust jacket and book case a scene of a trick-or-treat night fright unfolding is displayed from the left edge to right edge.  There is no doubt in the readers' minds the ninjas are fleeing from their greatest fear.  To the left across the spine we move toward the top of the hill.  A cloud provides a backdrop for dark, leafless trees, scattered pumpkins and a lone crow.  Rubin Pingk introduces us to his limited but highly effective color palette on the jacket and case.

The opening and closing endpapers feature enlarged Halloween treats decorated with a jack-o-lantern grin, a ghostly smile and a flying bat.  On the first set the right side becomes the title page.  Digitally rendered the illustrations convey a wonderfully proper atmosphere.  

Red autumn leaves flutter on nearly every page creating a flow as do the pumpkins and darkened trees reaching like giant fingers. White becomes an important element in most of the images as the background.  Rubin Pingk alternates between double-page pictures and full-page visuals.  He shifts the perspective, also, to elevate the pacing.  At one very important point, three panels spanning two pages bring us very close to the characters.  Careful readers will appreciate his attention to detail; the designs on the trick-or-treaters' buckets, the presence of the crow, the silhouetted shadows in windows and lights in the jack-o-lanterns as nighttime comes.  

One of my many favorite illustrations is a large inset in a double-page picture.  The five ninjas are going home after a night a trick-or-treating.  On the right framed with two trees and a white branch and leaf border the five have paused.  The word 

CRACK!

is inserted on the page.  The expressions on their faces are sheer dread due to the unknown source of the sound.  They are already imagining what it could be.  This illustration is pure perfection for what the page turn reveals. 

If you are looking for a new holiday read for Halloween, Samurai Scarecrow: A Very Ninja Halloween written and illustrated by Rubin Pingk is loaded with excitement and thrills.  Everything builds, layer by layer, to the surprising conclusion.  This story also addresses sibling relationships and what makes them stronger.  This is an excellent addition for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Rubin Pingk and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Rubin maintains accounts on Twitter and Instagram.  To view interior illustrations please take a few moments to visit the publisher's website.  Rubin was recently interviewed by writer and illustrator Jenna Benton.  You will enjoy their conversation.    

"Orange" You Going To Pick Me?

It's a term of endearment.  It's a mode of transportation in a popular fairy tale.  It's rich in fiber and low in carbohydrates.  It is a popular and main ingredient in food especially during the autumn season.  Scientifically, it's known as a fruit but there are those who argue it's a vegetable. 

As October 31st draws nearer, grocery stores and farmers' markets are featuring it prominently.  Children can hardly wait to find the best one.  Stumpkin (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, July 24, 2018) written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins (A Hungry Lion or A Dwindling Assortment of Animals) is about a pumpkin who believes his perfection is flawed.

It was a few days before Halloween.  Outside a little shop in a big city, a shopkeeper placed some pumpkins on the shelves.

Immediately a little girl stopped, looked at the pumpkins and walked away with one in her arms.  Those still on the shelves wondered what was going to happen to their companion.  That evening they had an answer. 

In one of the apartment buildings on the other side of the street, a jack-o-lantern glowed in a window.  The pumpkin turned jack-o-lantern had fared fantastically according to his buddies.  They could hardly wait for the same fate except for one.  He realized he had no stem just a stump.  He was literally pumpkin perfection except for this one detail.

As it got closer and closer to Halloween more and more pumpkins left the shelves and filled windows with happy grins across the street at night.  As each pumpkin left Stumpkin knew he would be the best jack-o-lantern of all.  Would his turn to leave be tomorrow?

People walked by and picked pumpkins.  The shop keeper's cat settled on top of Stumpkin.  A child picked him!  YES! Oh, no!  He changed his mind when a dog did what dogs do around cats. (sigh)  Soon it was just a gourd and Stumpkin on the shelves.  It was now Halloween day.  A boy walked up and picked one of them.  You won't believe which one he picked.  Someone got a new home that night.  Someone else was already in their special space.


When Lucy Ruth Cummins writes a story you know she will take something ordinary and expand your thinking.  In her capable hands it becomes extraordinary.  In this narrative she smoothly moves from narrator to the thoughts of the pumpkins and the thoughts of Stumpkin.  She builds descriptive reasoning into the tale which leads us to humor and the glowing, grinning conclusion.  Here is the bottom portion of a passage.

Poor little . . . Stumpkin.
Still there was plenty to like about Stumpkin.
He was a handsome pumpkin---as orange as a traffic cone.
He was as big as a basketball---and twice as round!
Stem-schmem!
Who know?
Some people might even prefer a stemless pumpkin.


Could there be more excellent colors for a book about a pumpkin and Halloween?  The rich black on the dust jacket extends flap edge to flap edge. On the left it's entirely like a moonless midnight except for a sliver of Stumpkin in the lower right-hand corner.  And without even opening the book case we know Stumpkin is not happy about his physical state. The placement of his eyes and angle of his eyebrows conveys his emotional mood.  The texture of the paper for the jacket is rough like tiny, tiny weaving. 

On the book case we move in closer to Stumpkin on the front.  We see a hint of his stem but our eyes are drawn to his eyes and lots of orange.  A wide black band extends from the spine.  Stumpkin is also highlighted on the back but he is much different; much happier.  On the matching opening and closing endpapers in orange and cream are rows of bricks like the walls of the apartment buildings.

Lucy Ruth Cummins begins her pictorial story on the title page with a truck driving left to right, almost off the page.  The back is filled with pumpkins and one gourd.  Rendered in gouache, pencil, ink, and brush marker the images invite interpretation. Many of the elements are in shades of black and gray to accentuate the pumpkins.  We never see details on the people.  Details are seen in other items; the signs on the shop windows and door and the plants and fruits on display. (Take note of those fruits, page to page.)

The perspective changes from larger views of the shop and apartment buildings across the street to close-ups of the shelves.  This allows us to see the eyes of the cat and the pumpkins as their expressions shift.  The change in visual sizes, double-page to full page, elevates the emotions Stumpkin is feeling.  It also surprises us with six very special pages toward the end which are masterful.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans a full page crossing the gutter to the left. It's a close up of the shelves outside the shop.  It draws our attention to three shelves.  There are four elements on each shelf; nine pumpkins, a single gourd, Stumpkin and the black cat with brilliant green eyes.  All the eyes are looking at Stumpkin.  He is most definitely worried.  He has just noticed his lack of a stem. 


Is this a stellar choice for a Halloween read aloud?  It certainly is!  Is this a super-duper choice for reminding us imperfections in our minds are likely perfections to others?  Yes, it is!  Stumpkin written and illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins is a book you need to add to your professional and personal collections.  It is destined to be a holiday classic.

To learn more about Lucy Ruth Cummins and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images and portions of the story.  Lucy Ruth Cummins maintains an account on Twitter and Instagram. 

Dressed For The Occasion

All you have to do is mention one word in the presence of a group of less than quiet kindergarten students and total silence will descend.  This magical word is Halloween.  To be truthful this calm lasts only about five seconds before the room explodes in a chorus of "Guess what I'm going to be for Halloween?"  The air is so thick with excitement you can reach out, grab some and store it away for another day.

Some of the attire is designed to be scary.  Other articles of clothing reflect the world of superheroes.  You realize on this one night of the year, the forces for good and those characters with less than stellar characteristics all walk together in solidarity.  Every last individual wants treats.  Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, July 25, 2017) written by Sue Lowell Gallion with illustrations by Joyce Wan celebrates a holiday, individuality and the strength of friendship.

This is Pug and Pig's home.

These two four-legged friends, outside the home they share with their humans, have other notable objects on display.  To commemorate the season there is a scarecrow and pumpkins next to their outside residence.  As they scamper across the lawn they appear ready for Halloween.  They are wearing skeleton costumes.

Pig is thrilled with her outfit.  The fit, the glow-in-the-dark bones and the mask could not be more perfect.  Pug can't stand his garment.  It is much too tight.  The mask hides his identity.  He wants everyone to know who he is.

Lickety-split Pug has that suit of bones ripped to shreds and lying scattered on the grass.  Pug may be happy with his current costume status but Pig is wondering who will share the joy of Halloween with her now.  Wait!  Pug's on the move again.

Affection for a friend can inspire creativity.  Mud might be a factor.  There's more than one way to highlight a holiday so everyone wins.


With short declarative sentences author Sue Lowell Gallion requests our presence in this story.  Once she introduces us to the characters again (Pug Meets Pig, September 27, 2016), she begins to create a contrast; a difference of opinion between the friends.  What makes this story shine is the inventiveness of Pug.  His compassion builds a bridge strengthening a bond.  Here are some sample sentences.

And this is Pug not
in costume.
Pug does not care
about Halloween anymore.

(page turn)

But someone else does.


The first thing you notice when you run your hands over the dust jacket is the raised elements on the two characters and the title text.  Portions are varnished.  In addition to the round, roly-poly stature of Pug and Pig you are curious about their expressions.  Why is one smiling and the other grumpy?  These images generate interest and speculation about the narrative.  On the back in the same color canvas are two small pumpkin-shaped buckets which the duo uses for trick-or-treating.  The book case is a match but without the extra touches.

The opening and closing endpapers are a continuation of the color scheme; purple background with orange dots ringed in black.  On the title page the text switches to white, two shades of yellow and orange.  Most of the page turns reveal double-page pictures.

When Joyce Wan shifts this pattern it's to place emphasis on a section of the story; Pig enjoying her costume, Pug not liking his costume, Pig filled with dismay opposite a white page with black text and two single pages which increase the pace.  Rendered in pencil and then colored digitally the perspective of the images also contributes to the cadence.  You simply can't look at these pictures without finding the characters endearing and the settings charming.  The details such as the spider webs and spiders, the jack-o-lantern faces, the BOO wreath on the door, the face on the scarecrow in the shape of a sunflower and those skeleton costumes will have readers and listeners sighing with pleasure.

One of my many favorite pictures is the first two-page spread.  On the left and crossing the gutter is the two story home, with two porches, of Pug and Pig and their humans.  The decorations on the outside indicate a love of Halloween.  Warm light glows in the windows.  On the right, over a picket fence, a full moon hangs in the sky with a few stars.  Pug and Pig are racing to the outside.  All we can see is their costumes, black bodies with white bones.  Fall leaves are scattered in the yard.


Be prepared to read Pug & Pig Trick-or-Treat written by Sue Lowell Gallion with art by Joyce Wan over and over again.  Readers and listeners are going to want to jump into the pages of this book to be a part of this story.  They might also want to hug these lovable characters.  It's a must-have for your professional and personal Halloween collections. 

To learn more about Sue Lowell Gallion and Joyce Wan and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Sue Lowell Gallion is featured at PictureBookBuilders, Mid-Continent Public Library, Cynsations, and The Children's Book Review.  Joyce Wan maintains an Instagram account.  Joyce's most recent interviews of many are found at Scholastic's blog, On Our Minds, and The Little Crooked Cottage.    There is a Discussion and Activity Guide for grades PK-2 and a Halloween Party Kit!

Costumed Curiosity

There is so much evidence of the upcoming holiday, Halloween, in every store now, you feel as though we might have skipped a month.  It might actually be October.  Truthfully, the child in you can literally start to feel the excitement building.

All the remembrances of past Halloween adventures, trick-or-treating up and down the neighborhood streets and hoping for your favorite candies or homemade sweet treats from trusted homes, come rushing back filling you with anticipation.  There are recollections of parents quietly chatting and waiting on the sidewalks while costumed children knock on doors.  Leaves rustle and laughter fills the air.  Two completely charming characters in children's literature return in their own Halloween happening, Duck & Goose Honk! Quack! BOO! (Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, August 22, 2017) written and illustrated by Tad Hills. 

Duck and Goose sat watching as day slowly became evening.  "So, Goose, what are you going to be tomorrow?" Duck asked.

Not realizing tomorrow is Halloween, Goose puzzled by Duck's question, replies he will be as he always is.  As Duck clarifies his request their friend Thistle arrives.  She is being very secretive about her Halloween costume.  As she leaves she issues a warning.

Thistle's final words have Goose spooked.  While Duck dreams of gathered goodies the next night, Goose hardly sleeps a wink.  The following day Duck is dressed as a ghost and Goose dons super hero attire.  Away from her friends, Thistle gets ready too.

As Duck and Goose enter the woods filled with animals wearing alternate identities, Goose looks around anxiously.  His comfort at not seeing who he dreads is short-lived.  An owlet disguised as a flower says the thing they fear the most is looking for them. And it's coming toward them!

In the next several minutes two terrified feathered friends do a 180.  They are, as you will recall, a ghost and a super hero. As the fun-filled evening continues a trio collects treats and memories.


Within the first two pages Tad Hills presents to readers the precious personalities of these two pals as they chat.  By immediately introducing the problem they have to overcome in the form of Thistle's warning, we become further aware of the more cautious of the two companions.  Most of the story is told through conversation.  Here is a sample passage.

While Goose waited for Duck,
he spotted a scary ghost coming
toward him.

"Hello Goose!" the ghost
called.  "Are you ready to go
trick-or-treating?"

"Who are you?!" Goose honked.
"It's me...Duck."
"You look more like a ghost to me,"
Goose honked.  "How do I know you're 
not a ghost?


Upon unfolding the matching dust jacket and book case, readers can see Tad Hills has extended his evening sky over the spine to the left, on the back.  This becomes the background for quotations from professional reviewers about the previous Duck & Goose books.  Postage stamp size depictions of all the title are shown along the bottom.

On the front note the body postures of Duck and Goose.  Goose is tilting to the left wary of events to come.  Duck can hardly wait to start getting treats.  The opening and closing endpapers are brushed in Halloween-full-moon yellow.  Around the verso Tad Hills has placed autumn leaves like a frame.  The title page features the pumpkin from the front jacket and cover.

Rendered in oil paint, acrylic paint, and colored pencil the illustrations span two pages, edge to edge, single pages, edge to edge, and within loose ovals.  The images in those loose ovals ask us to pause and focus on the characters.  The details throughout the entire title endear us to the characters but when you see all the woodland creatures in their costumes and carrying their little bags, you can't help but gasp, sigh and grin.

One of my favorite of many, many pictures is the first one.  It spreads across two pages.  The sky is in various shades after sunset; pale blue, purple and peach blend together.  The sky touches the tops of the forest in front of our friends.  They sit on a grassy hill framed by three nearly leafless trees.  Their backs are to us.  We can see their feet on either side of their bodies.  Just a little bit of Goose's bill is showing.  The light in this image (all of them) is marvelous.


Professional and personal collections will most assuredly want to have a copy or two of Duck & Goose Honk! Quack! BOO! written and illustrated by Tad Hills.  These two children's literature personalities have found a place in all our collective hearts.  This newest story about facing fear and celebrating a holiday is delightful.

To learn more about Tad Hills and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  At the publisher's website you can view the beginning of this book.  Random House has a special website dedicated to Tad Hills' books.  At the Schwartz & Wade Flickr page you can view some interior images.  Enjoy the video.

Fear Flies In The Face Of Friendship

Most of us have things which we wish to avoid at all costs.  These ask us to leave our personal zone which is far too comfortable.  The number of these things on our list of risks to never take can be very few or vast.  What one may fear, another might find completely enjoyable.

It seems it would be difficult to fully appreciate your world if you had the jitters more often than not.  Peep and Egg: I'm Not Hatching (Farrar Straus Giroux, February 9, 2016) written by Laura Gehl with pictures by Joyce Wan presents to readers two cute little cheepers.  As the title suggests one has no wish to get cracking.

"Are you hatching yet?" Peep asked.  "We're going to have so much fun once you hatch!"

"Too scary," said Egg. "I'm not hatching."

Peep speaks of all their possible adventures on the farm beginning with watching the sunrise.  In response Egg whispers a refrain which will become all too familiar.  Egg also starts to add reasons, believing they justify apprehension.

The puddles are too wet.  There will be no duck watching because the walk to the pond is much too long.  Noise in the barnyard is much too loud to even consider a game of hide-and-seek.  It's not for lack of mathematical skills but the night is dark, dark, dark.  There will be no star counting.

With a final attempt, appealing to a youthful appetite, Peep implores Egg to join in the proposed good times.  Egg's shouted retort and Peep's answer seem to end the entire discussion...or do they?

Laura Gehl has perfected with supreme simplicity and clarity the mindset of an individual, initially through nervousness and later perhaps due to stubbornness, unwilling to take a step forward.  In the character of Peep she reveals to readers a tender-hearted soul that entreats by example.  By having Egg repeat the signature phrase, supplying a subtle but welcoming beat, this is an invitation to readers to participate in the story.

The thick outlines in black (and other colors within the interior pages) are a marvelous artistic choice by Joyce Wan when illustrating a title for a younger audience.  In the matching dust jacket and book case, these draw the readers' eyes immediately to the two characters.  The pastel color palette here and bold, cheerful hues throughout are joyfully and playfully splendid.  You already know Peep is as determined as Egg, providing tension and comedy.  To the left, on the back, you are given a bit of a hint of events to come with Peep offering a tasty pastry to Egg.

On the opening endpapers is Egg presented in rows with one small exception; a surprise under the lower, left-hand flap.  The closing endpapers showcase the resolution in an image asking us to join in the scene.  On the verso Peep is peeking over the upper, left-hand edge looking at the reader.  On the opposite page, the title page, Egg is, well, an egg but an egg with an opinion.

Wan makes wonderful use of white as a powerful element in her images.  She brings the reader closer to the characters at key points in the storyline; the better to see Peep's expressions.  The sizes of her pictures, single or double page, create a tandem cadence with the text. 

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when Peep is pointing out to Egg how much fun it would be to count the stars.  The background is a rich purple dotted with stars and a crescent moon.  Peep and Egg are perched on the front of a red tractor.

Peep and Egg: I'm Not Hatching written by Laura Gehl with pictures by Joyce Wan is an endearing view of how friendship can help overcome fear.  The excellently paced narrative with equally delightful illustrations is sure to be a favorite read aloud.  It would be wonderful as a reader's theater.

To discover more about Laura Gehl and Joyce Wan and their other work please follow the links attached to their names.  You can see some interior pictures from the book at the publisher's website.   Here is an extensive teacher's guide for this title written by Marcie Colleen.  Laura Gehl and Joyce Wan chat at author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).  Laura Gehl wrote a guest post at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Joyce Wan is interviewed at KidLit411.  There are illustrations and process art.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Some individuals can hardly contain their excitement and are thrilled with Halloween.  There are also those who view the entire holiday through eyes covered with their hands ninety-nine per cent of the time.  For them the spooky celebration and particularly the eerie guests (costumed and imagined) are too frightening.

The darling duo has returned in a companion title, Peep and Egg: I'm Not Trick-or-Treating (Farrar Straus Giroux, August 9, 2016) written by Laura Gehl with pictures by Joyce Wan.  Having conquered a fear of hatching, Egg is now worried about October 31st.  It's only once a year but thoughts of those things which go bump in the night give Egg the shivers.

"Trick-or-treating is going to be so much fun," Peep said.
"Are you ready yet?"
"Too scary," said Egg.
"I'm not trick-or-treating."

Initially Egg refuses to dress in a costume.  When Peep suggests their first place to visit, Egg believes it will be occupied by vampires.  Peep, obviously disappointed, suggests a much drier spot.  Egg is not convinced and issues a resounding negative answer.

Remembering how a different approach assisted Egg in breaking through the shell, Peep believes humor might work.  There is not the slightest hint of a smile on Egg's face.  This attempt appears to backfire, actually prompting another outburst.

Peep is a persistent pal though.  Was that a teehee? Peep keeps going.  Was that a guffaw?  This could be working.  Oh, no.  Well, Peep did try.  Finally using a proven technique, fright in the night might make everything all right.


In this companion title Laura Gehl shifts her narrative rhythm. Told entirely through dialogue, as in the first book, you can see both of her characters growing.  Peep tries three different approaches to persuade Egg.  While Egg's reactions are ultimately the same, readers can begin to see trust growing a bit sooner.  The insertion of a form of a comedy routine is highly engaging.


Whether you are acquainted with these two characters from the previous book or not, you have to admit that the front of the matching dust jacket and book case is cuter than cute.  Peep looks downright adorable in the butterfly costume and the contrast with a determined and negative Egg begins the laughter in readers' hearts.  The larger lines and the rounded shapes are a huge draw for the intended audience.

A pattern of the whites of scary eyes in a black space covers the opening endpapers.  Be sure to peek under the lower, left-hand corner of the flap for a little gift.  The closing endpapers continue the story with a purple canvas covered in happy-go-lucky jack-o-lanterns.  Peep and Egg are there too.  On the verso a calendar with October 31 circled hangs above a costumed Peep dashing toward Egg hiding behind a bale of hay on the title page.  A pumpkin trick-or-treat basket sits next to the hay.

Fully animated Peep and Egg are presented in a variety of image sizes, alternating from two-page pictures with white or bright-colored backgrounds, to single page close-ups framed in orange and sometimes several visuals will be placed on one page to provide pacing.  As in the first title, readers can enjoy looking at the tiny details provided by Wan; the itsy-bitsy "vampire teeth" on the ducks, the pumpkin lights hanging in the trees and Halloween pennants draped in the barn and along the fence.  Careful readers will notice a particular small, eight-legged arachnid as it journeys throughout the story.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  Peep is encouraging Egg with the suggestion of a visit to the cows.  Egg imagines Peep crawling between the fencing as he stays hidden.  The smiling cows looking straight at the readers are wrapped to appear like mummies.


Peep and Egg: I'm Not Trick-or-Treating written by Laura Gehl with pictures by Joyce Wan is a charming confection.  Readers will laugh and sigh in all the right places; Gehl's text and Wan's pictures are a flawless mix.  This is a marvelous choice for younger readers and listeners at Halloween.

You can view interior pages at the publisher's website.  Laura Gehl visits YA and Kids BookCentral.  Joyce Wan stops to chat at The Little Crooked Cottage.  Joyce Wan stops by KidLit TV to teach us how to draw Peep and Egg.

Seasonal Smiles

April 2007 heralded the birth of two new characters in children's literature.  Either one of them could be a beloved member of a family as a precious pooch or treasured toy.  Together they bring magic to the pages of their books now numbering four.

In each volume three everyday events are highlighted with focused and funny results. New meaning is given to going outside, wanting to play with a pal and changing your name in Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, April 2007).  Dog and Bear: Two's Company (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, April 2008) features running away and ice cream, birthday cakes and candles, and being tired and tender care.  A problem pail, brash bouncing and organizational overload keep the two friends busy in Dog and Bear: Three To Get Ready (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, September 2009).

With Halloween a little over six weeks away, excitement for this autumnal celebration is already building.  Laura Vaccaro Seeger's newest title, Dog And Bear: Tricks and Treats (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press), highlights the pair's preparations.  Their take on the simplest things makes for the silliest moments.

The first of three stories finds Dog and Bear wandering around a costume shop.  Bear holds up superhero apparel advising Dog, wearing a hot dog disguise, this is the one he wants to try.  In the changing room is a mirror.

Bear believes it is another Bear, identical in every respect to him.  Running to get Dog announcing this amazing news, the two now stand before the mirror.  As you can guess the final sentence proves that two heads are not necessarily better than one.

Halloween night has arrived in story two.  Bear is calmly reading his favorite book, the first book in this series, in his rocking chair.  Every time the doorbell rings, Dog leaps up eager to greet the trick-or-treaters.

After the traditional chorus rings out, Dog always replies treat.  After numerous visitors, Bear comes to check on Dog wondering why they still have candy.  Oh, they still have candy; way too much candy.

This title closes with Dog and Bear heading out to roam the streets, bags in hand.  At the first house a ghost refuses to give them any treats.  He, like the readers, can easily see that Dog and Bear are not wearing costumes.

The two look as they do every single day of the week.  A tennis-match-type argument ensues; back and forth, back and forth.  The final reveal leaves the ghost boo-less.


In each of the books, as well as this one, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is a master at using a minimum amount of words for maximum results.  Within nine pages she successfully engages her readers, endears them to her characters and delivers a conclusion guaranteed to result in delightful peals of laughter.  Character conversations and thoughts build with a gentle tension; we know something is coming but we're not quite sure what it will be.  Therein lies Seeger's gift.


A consistency in the color palette, primary colors plus green and brown, with few exceptions is used in all the books.  These bold hues, against the pristine white of the background, pop off the page like familiar old friends.  The book case presents a clear, welcoming theme as do the opening and closing endpapers in orange.  On the title page the pumpkin present on the cover has now been carved into a jack-o-lantern with Dog and Bear on either side holding it.

Each story title, The Other Bear, Ding Dong and No Treats For You, is accompanied by a small illustration alluding to the narrative.  For most of the pictures Laura Vaccaro Seeger uses a single page.  Sometimes she will include two smaller framed visuals on a page.

Bear with his buttoned parts and Dog with his collar of gold are full of life especially in their facial expressions and body movements.  One of my favorite illustrations in this title is Dog greeting two trick-or-treaters, a skeleton and a mummy, at the door.  His nose is in one of their bags.  Careful readers will notice the difference between the tables with the bowl of treats in this picture in comparison to the previous one.  Seeger is building up to the ending in the best possible way.


I am a huge fan of this series written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  This new title, Dog and Bear: Tricks And Treats, is as clever and captivating as the others.  They are ideal for the intended audience and those of us lucky enough to be able to read them aloud.

For further information about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her work please visit her website by following the link embedded in her name.  For two separate activity kits follow the links here and here. To celebrate this new book I am hosting a giveaway.  Please enter below for a chance to win a Dog and Bear READ poster and one hundred matching bookmarks.

Shake The Shivers

As summer eases into fall in the northern climes, colors shift from shades of green to hues of red, orange, yellow and brown.  A clear, sharpness invades the very air as temperatures cool and humidity drops. Pumpkins, gourds, corn shocks, bales of hay and brightly-colored mums appear in nurseries, farmers' markets, along city streets, in front of shops and around neighborhoods.  Months before the calendar page turns from September to October, stores will begin to display all manner of Halloween costumes and decorations.

In schools and homes an extra current of excitement pulses as guys and gals, family and friends get ready for the spookiest time of the year.  It only makes sense our panic-prone, super-sensitive, furry friend from the forest is not only ready but willing to share his helpful hints with all of us.  Scaredy Squirrel prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide for Scaredies (Kids Can Press) written and illustrated by Melanie Watt, is packed with preparations.

WARNING!
Scaredy Squirrel insists that
everyone avoid reading this
Safety Guide during a full moon.

With this cautionary sentence in mind, after checking the date for the moon's phases, and reading Scaredy Squirrel's admonishments concerning the handling and transportation of this timely manual, readers are directed to a Contents.  Our fearful leader leaves no acorn ungathered with these section headings:

• Preface
• Halloween Is Coming
• Halloween Decorations
• Halloween Costumes
• Halloween Trick-Or-Treating
• Halloween Candy
• Halloween Notes
• Halloween Fun and
• If All Else Fails...

True to form Scaredy Squirrel needs us to understand him; devoting two pages each to his background and over-the-top behavior, the option of taking a multiple (two) choice quiz to test yourself on Halloween and the safety guide's planned purpose. 

First and foremost we need to protect our immediate living quarters from all forms of frightening figures which may or may not intrude, using six specific items, one of which happens to be a blender. (After laughing at this, it's unsettling how his reasoning makes sense.)  Precautions in place, werewolves, witches, vampires, ghosts, black cats and creepy crawlers will not dare to scare.  Succinct step-by-step instructions are given for the selection of pumpkins and the art of careful carving.  The most unlikely means of making sound effects to accompany your outdoor decor are given along with a visual example of a haunting, entrancing home.  Not to be overlooked, dos and don'ts for three possible schemes for inside adornment are given.

By theme, rating them on a meter, unscary, scary and terrifying, Scaredy Squirrel gives readers not five, not ten, not fifteen, not twenty but twenty-four possible costume ideas.  Plan on having vacuum hoses, ping-pong balls and safety cones handy if you find his DIY spider and sea urchin costumes appealing. (You might be close to hysteria now.)  Like every good escapade a map is a must; more twists and turns make it better.

Treats in all shapes and sizes are scrutinized. Alarming qualities of apples, monsters and haunted houses are analyzed.  Food and fun for the perfect party are itemized.  Scaredy Squirrel leaves readers with a frank, final piece of advice illustrating fakery at its finest.

Book by book, with every reading of each title, we readers continue to learn and laugh as the lovable traits of Scaredy Squirrel are revealed by his creator, Melanie Watt.  Puns and word play are the order of the day.  Her technique of employing short sentences, identifying labels, numbered instructions, astute asides and A Scaredy Squirrel Tip! reach out to the reader.   Even a novice to the series will be caught up in the comical details, the lengths taken, by this nut tree lover. A couple of examples are given below.

Notepad

(an unforgettable item)

Scaredy's To-Do List

√ Panic

√ Draw up a plan

√ Prepare for the worst

√ Make lists

√ Let imagination run wild

A GHOULISH INTERIOR

(But Not Too Ghoulish)

Decorate your living room without making it look too scary.

Going overboard could freak you out!

SOCK There's nothing worse than a lost sock to reek havoc!

CRYSTAL BALL A mystical addition that guests could not have predicted.

Beginning with the spine on the jacket and cover, the title framed in spider webs, to Scaredy Squirrel attired in his best vampire look, Melanie Watt, haunts us with hilarity.  Orange, black and purple colors dominate her illustrations rendered in charcoal, pencil and Photoshop.  Framing individual elements in her solid black lines, our eyes are asked to stop and look.

Circles, squares, rows of two or three, single and double pages spreads are treats not tricks for her creative pictorial presentations; designed to keep our attention.  Each of the headings showcase Scaredy Squirrel in a circle wearing appropriate attire, holding an item, or his facial features are expressing an emotion as his other fingers number the chapters.  On the opposite page he sits in his oak tree hinting at the contents.  Several of my favorite double-page spreads are The Trick-Or-Treating Map with the Urban Legend, the haunted mansion pages with a list of hints, A Scaredy Tip! and notes spread throughout the yard and house and his Halloween party in full swing.

From her Scaredy Squirrel In A Nutshell introduction, chapter by chapter, describing all things Halloween, Melanie Watt in Scaredy Squirrel prepares for Halloween: A Safety Guide For Scaredies, assists readers in celebrating this creepy holiday.  Every time I've read this I've discovered some new phrase, laughed aloud again at Scaredy Squirrel's looks or seen an extra tiny illustration previously missed.  Fans of this day, fans of Scaredy Squirrel, and fans of fun in general, will love this book.

Please follow the link embedded in Melanie Watt's name to access her blog.  There is a link in Scaredy Squirrel's name to direct readers to his home page.  Here is a link to four coloring pages for this title.