Two Times The Glee #2

All you have to do is spend time outdoors watching wildlife or observe your family animal members to realize they are the source of constant comedy.  Their physical characteristics, mannerisms, and individual personalities mirror the exuberance in which they embrace life.  Unlike many humans, they have perfected the art of living in the moment.

These very qualities offer inventive authors and illustrators the opportunity to place them as characters in their narratives.  In her debut picture book as both author and illustrator Rebecca Jordan-Glum offers readers a look at a first encounter and the consequences of this meeting.  The Trouble with Penguins (Roaring Brook Press, November 3, 2020) shows readers exactly the kind of mischief penguins (and people) can generate when they forget the truth of together.

On the day the penguin discovered the person, everything changed.

The child, seated near a fire, was roasting a marshmallow. The penguin accepted the offer of the marshmallow, loving every bite of it.  The person showed the penguin how to roast marshmallows over an open fire.  

When it came time for the new pals to part, the child gave the penguin the best roasting stick.  When the penguin arrived among the other penguins, explaining the stick, the fire and marshmallows, they wanted to visit the person.  All was well with the group gathered around the fire, taking turns roasting a marshmallow until the acts of waiting and sharing were no longer accepted.  

All the penguins wanted their own fire.  What do you think the heat of all these individual blazes did to the ice?  It cracked into separate islands.  Now each penguin had a fire, a stick and roasted their own marshmallows.  For a time, they were happy, but doing something fun alone is not quite as fun as doing it together.  

Fortunately, penguins (like people) were apt, after careful thought, to make another decision.  One searched its memory, making comparisons.  A joyful beginning should be savored . . . repeatedly.

With her first two sentences author Rebecca Jordan-Glum establishes a storytelling rhythm.  She introduces a phrase which is repeated several more times, connecting important portions of the tale.  Her conversational phrases sprinkled with dialogue and asides in parenthesis are engaging in the most charming way.  Here is a passage.

"Oh, hello! I'm roasting marshmallows.

Would you like one?"

Of course the penguin would 

like a marshmallow. (It liked

it very much, in fact!)

Looking at the front, right, of the open dust jacket, you are readily aware of the rascals these penguins might prove to be.  As they frame the child, wearing a startled expression, they are highly animated.  It's likely they are proposing something unexpected to the person.  On the left side, the left wing of the penguin crosses the spine extending to the left, back.  Here, on the back, on a snowy background is a single penguin.  A trail of tracks marks its path to the right.  It is happily marching home carrying the stick given to it by the person.

On the book case, the penguins, as a group, are following the first penguin back to the child.  You can tell by their movements, body postures, and open mouths, they are excited.  They are placed on a snowy landscape filled with mounds and mountains.  The color palette of white, black, and shades of blue and purple create a pleasantly chilly setting.

An enormous panoramic view is spread across the opening endpapers.  It's a bird-eye view with the person's cabin, smoke coming from the chimney, small in the foreground in the far, left-hand lower corner.  Off to the right is a cluster of penguins, tiny and nearly centered.  The closing endpapers deliver a delightful conclusion.

Each image varies in size with respect to the story and its pacing.  We begin with a double-page picture, followed by two loosely framed images on a single page, and a full-page picture.  Not only do the sizes alternate but so do the perspectives.  There are three very expressive double-page illustrations with no words.  Everything works beautifully to supply readers with illustrations which envelope them.    Readers will enjoy the facial features on the child and the penguins, smiling at every page turn.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  On a sea of hues of blue, purple, and pink are nine individual ice islands.  Five are on the left side.  Two cross the gutter.  And two are on the right.  The penguins are participating in a variety of activities.  One of them is balancing on the tip of a piece of ice, using the stick to balance.  Another is using the stick as a pole to twirl around and around suspending itsel- in the air.  Two penguins with ice islands next to each other have a single stick between them, each grasping one end with their wing.  A fish is jumping over the stick.  

Enchanting and humorous The Trouble with Penguins written and illustrated by Rebecca Jordan-Glum is a book to be relished repeatedly like the perfectly roasted marshmallow.  It is full of warmth like the cozy open fire shared by the person and the penguins.  You'll want this title in your personal and professional collections for a storytime featuring a cold or winter setting, a study of penguins, for a discussion to promote the sharing associated with true friendship, and for its wonderful storytelling.

To learn more about Rebecca Jordan-Glum and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  She has activities related to this book there for you.  Rebecca Jordan-Glum has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

In his newest offering Mike Boldt introduces us to a bear who needs encouragement in the art of playing a classic game.  He continually falls short in the main objective.  Find Fergus (Doubleday Books for Young Readers, November 3, 2020) is a read aloud treasure from beginning to end.  Fergus has a face and disposition guaranteed to create laughter.  

Fergus!

We already found you!

That was too easy.

Try hiding again.

This big, spectacle-wearing bear has zero capacity for hiding.  First, he stands in the open.  Next, he stands off to the side as if he is as thin as a piece of thread.  On his third attempt he stands behind a sapling, thinking his closed eyes will help.

The unseen narrator suggests blending in with a crowd.  Fergus does not grasp that concept either.  One fox and one duck are not a crowd.

Fergus does find larger, much larger groups but he still does not understand.  A bear is like a blinding star in a group of rabbits or even among larger animals.  Even a disguise similar to the animals where you strive to hide will not work.

By now Fergus is understanding a little bit, but he still needs to comprehend the fine art of hiding.  A brown bear with polar bears is not concealing oneself.  A countdown begins from ten to one.  Wowee!  Now that's the proper method for hiding, Fergus.

Having an unseen narrator, the readers, tell this story heightens the shared fun.  This is a wonderful technique by author Mike Boldt.  Short sentences in the form of comedic commentary, with carefully chosen words, move the story briskly with humor to its triumphant conclusion.  Here is a passage.

That's the right size . . .

but you're NOT a moose.

Still not a moose, Fergus.

Try bears.

Truthfully, I cannot look at the front, right, of the matching dust jacket and book case without laughing.  Fergus, his wide-eyed look amplified by his glasses, is trying without any luck to hide.  Title text does not make a good camouflage, Fergus.    On the back, to the left, the text reads:

Found you, Fergus!

Now go hide IN

this book so we

can come find you.

Here on the continued yellow canvas Fergus is down on all fours behind the ISBN.  His front portion and behind stick out prominently.  

The opening and closing endpapers, still with a yellow background, feature a sheet of paper.  It is 

The List of Things to Find.

There are only two things to find on the opening endpapers list.  On the closing endpapers list there are fourteen.  This longer list refers to the conclusion.  

For most of the story there is an image on the left with text in black on yellow on the right.  The text is in response to Fergus's latest action.  Fergus's actions are placed on a crisp white background, so the full-color elements stand out.  What accentuates the merriment is the facial features on all the animals.  Their eyes, mouths, and body postures are certain to invite readers to pause on every page turn.  The four-page gatefold will have readers gasping and laughing out loud.

One of my favorite illustrations is when Fergus does try to blend in with bears.  Choosing to stand among polar bears when you are a brown bear is not being out of sight. It brings to mind the phrase "Sticking out like a sore thumb." Nineteen polar bears clustered around Fergus are in various positions with all kinds of looks on their faces.  This is one of many pictures which will have you giggling or bursting out in laughter.

Find Fergus written and illustrated by Mike Boldt takes the game of hide-and-seek to a whole new level.  As a read aloud listeners will be laughing louder and louder at every page turn.  I know you will get requests to read it again.  A copy of this title will be a welcome addition on your personal and professional bookshelves.  

To learn more about Mike Boldt and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Mike Boldt has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website you can view interior pictures.  Mike Boldt and this book are featured on author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them).

A Change of Pace

An early morning walk this week heralded the difference.  The sky was a bit bluer.  The air was crisp and much cooler.  The humidity prevalent in this Great Lakes state was thankfully lower. In less than three weeks the advent of autumn is official.  This season awakens treasured memories of family vacations taken annually in the fall.  The normal routine of school and work left behind for an entire week to explore and enjoy the wonders of this time of year in northern Michigan.

Readers fell in love with a very special blue-and-pink-polka-dotted elephant and his equally small friend with one notched ear introduced in Little Elliot, Big City (Henry Holt and Company, August 26, 2014).  When they returned in Little Elliot, Big Family (Henry Holt and Company, October 6, 2015) our affection for the pals grew.  Little Elliot, Big Fun (Henry Holt and Company, August 30, 2016) strengthened the duo's friendship, making us lifelong followers of whatever adventure they chose to take.  Like my family fall getaway the charming companions are taking a break from life in the city with Little Elliot, Fall Friends (Godwin Books, Henry Holt and Company, August 29, 2017) written and illustrated by Mike Curato.

Little Elliot and his best friend, Mouse, loved living in the big city.

Despite this love, the city could be too much of everything sometimes.  Mouse's declaration of them needing a vacation found them on a bus to the country as soon as possible.  As they left the hustle and bustle and noise behind, they were welcomed with the colorful array of fall foliage.

The views as far as their eyes could see left them nearly speechless.  It was so wide.  It was so open.  Before too long Elliot's need for food had them heading down a hillside toward some apple trees.  With full stomachs and play in piles of leaves, Elliot and Mouse were having the time of their lives.

At Mouse's suggestion of a rousing game of hide-and-seek, Little Elliot was hiding and Mouse was seeking.  They discovered nooks and crannies in the nearby forest and on the farm.  When Elliot hid among the rows of corn stalks, he was sure Mouse would never discover this spot.  Mouse did not find him.

Sunshine turned to sunset.  There was no Mouse.  As Elliot wondered about this situation, his nose for sweet treats caught a whiff of something scrumptious.  He followed the scent to an open farmhouse window.  A freshly-baked pie sat on the sill.  There was more, much more, waiting for the elephant than pastry.  A friend knows a friend's nose.


In this fourth title through conversations, thoughts and the narrative, Little Elliot and Mouse find a forever place in readers' hearts. Simple sentences with meticulously chosen words by Mike Curato ask us to enjoy the vacation with the two friends.  We experience their exuberance at discovering what the season and location have to offer.  The wisdom presented to us through this friendship is lasting and profound.  Here is a sample passage.

Elliot and Mouse got off the bus
and smelled the fresh air.

"Wow," said Elliot.  "This country
is even bigger than the city!"

"I'll race you up that hill!" said Mouse.


The design and elements on the front of the dust jacket are reminiscent of driving down a country lane to your favorite farm and enjoying the fruits of a fall harvest.  The autumn leaves along the top, the sign holding the title text, the rolling hills, the colored trees, the pumpkin and basket of apples are all part of a best-day-ever scenario.  Clearly Elliot and Mouse are enjoying themselves.

To the left on the back amid a burnt orange background Elliot and Mouse are having a romp in a pile of leaves.  A yellow oval, like a spotlight, draws our attention to them.  The ISBN is framed in wood.  Significant items on the front and back are varnished.

On the book case, done in two shades of a textured orange, with a wider, darker shade along the spine, Elliot and Mouse are featured.  On the front they are gobbling up apples.  Elliot is tossing an apple in the air to the left, on the back. In both images grass provides an area for them to sit and stand.  The opening and closing endpapers are patterned in apples in various positions, with and without leaves attached.  One is a core.  The colors used are nearly the same as Elliot's hues.

The verso and title pages is a single scene of a barn on a hill in the country in the background with a signpost and arrows in the foreground on the right containing the title text. The dedication on the left reads:

For city sunrises and country sunsets.

Rendered in pencil on paper and digital color in Adobe Photoshop Mike Curato brings all the charm of this relationship and life in the country in the autumn to his illustrations.  He alternates between breathtaking double-page spreads to single page pictures framed and other single page pictures edge to edge.  Sometimes more than one visual will be on a single page.  Each of these choices contributes to the pacing; asking us to pause and notice. (One particular picture using silhouettes reminds me of a famous fairy tale.)

It's interesting how Mike shifts his color palette between his city scenes and the country life.  In the first illustration we understand why Elliott and Mouse love their life in the city but we also understand why they need a break through the following pictures.  Perspective, bringing us close to the characters and then shifting to a panoramic vista, is used to marvelous effect as is white space in one sequence.  (I love the snail.)

I have many, many favorite pictures.  One is a wordless scene on a single page.  On either side of a grassy lane are apple orchards. At the end of the lane sits a farmhouse. In the foreground Mouse is sitting on a branch among apples throwing one down to the waiting Elliot with outstretched hands.  Once again a friend is helping a friend.  In this illustration, as in all of them, the choice of shades and the use of light and shadow are stunning.


I know readers familiar with these characters are going to ask for this book to be read repeatedly.  For those not yet introduced to Elliot and Mouse, Little Elliot, Fall Friends written and illustrated by Mike Curato is a wonderful choice, perfect for this time of year.  There is something extraordinarily special about these two friends and each book in which we find them.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Mike Curator and his other work please follow the links attached to his name to access his website and blog.  He has several images from this book on his website.  The publisher's website also contains interior illustrations from this title.  There is a special website dedicated to the Little Elliot (and Mouse) books.  Mike Curato is featured at All The Wonders, Episode 379.  Make sure to check the previous posts to learn more about Mike Curator, his art and his process.