Lifting Each Other Up

Tuesday morning an article said the first of twenty-one funerals began on that date, May 31, 2022.  There will be twenty-one celebrations of life and mourning, and the worlds of those families and friends are changed forever.  On May 24, 2022 the shock of another school shooting reverberated through a community, a state, a nation, and around the world.  For parents, caregivers, and educators the weight of this latest horrific tragedy is very heavy.  The more we know about the events of that day, the more heartbreaking it becomes.  We seek to make sense, when it does not make sense.  We seek security, solace, and serenity.

My friend and colleague, John Schu, recently released a book titled The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life (Stenhouse Publishers, May 3, 2022).  In chapter two we learn about Story as Healer.  At the close of this chapter, John suggests books in support of the chapter's premises.  After a brief description of each title, John offers commentary about his choices.  I have gone back to this section and read two sentences in particular over and over this past week.  John says:

This story is about grief, how it can weigh us down, but how, over time, our friends can help share the burden and in the process make it smaller.

It's not dread and worry that sustain us, but rather the love we share and the memories we create that will last.

Keeping these two sentences in my mind and heart, I selected six new titles from my bins of new releases.  Previously, author Pat Zietlow Miller and author illustrator Eliza Wheeler have collaborated on two wonderful books, Wherever You Go and When You Are Brave.  Their third title, When I'm With You (Little, Brown And Company, March 1, 2022), declares, reaffirms, and pays tribute to those individuals who make us whole.

There's something that I've noticed.

Perhaps you've seen it, too . . .

Life is so much better

when it's me and you.

Sometimes it seems as though you've always had that one special companion.  Other times, you realize your relationship has grown like a well-nourished seed.  You complement each other wherever you go and whatever you do.

You see a brighter future from sharing it with this being.  You might be opposites, but together you make something beautiful.  What you need, when you need it, is provided by this forever friend.

There will be moments when things go awry, but you and this partner support each other.  You work through the less than ideal situations.  The sad and bad are not as sad and bad.

Whether you explore the new or repeat a previous adventure, it is best when experienced with a perfect pal. When you are older, nothing will change despite distance and time because nothing without this soul has reason or rhyme.  Nothing will ever separate these two.

Each time the rhyming lines in this narrative are read, the warmth of the words written by Pat Zietlow Miller wrap around you.  Her four-line lyrical observations, double couplets, speak of building bonds using two parts to an array of relationships.  She speaks of commitment, creativity, comfort, laughter, sadness, mistakes, and mending.  One abiding current threads through the entire book.  It is the word constant.  Here is a passage.

You're the hat that fits my head.

You're the hilltop for my sled.

When I sneeze,

you say, "Ah-CHOO!"

And that makes me

laugh with you.

The open and matching dust jacket and book case introduce readers to the four groups of best friends featured throughout the book.  On the front they are all enjoying the delights of a sunny day, kite flying, playing in a tree house, swinging, and having a tea party.  The two main children, the kite and string and the title text are varnished on the jacket.  To the left of the spine, on the back, the day is coming to a close.  

The pals in the tree house are sitting on a branch of the tree gazing at a pink and peach sky dotted with pink clouds.  Birds are in the background.  Butterflies flutter in the foreground.  The kite-flying friends are now seated in a hammock, arms around each other's shoulders.  They, too, are facing the setting sun.  The sun is dropping below a body of water.  The children have their backs to readers.

The opening and closing endpapers are charming visions.  They are panoramic pastoral vistas showing the four homes where the children and their families live.  On either side of the gutter are two large trees.  On either side of them are two homes.  Each of the homes are as different as the occupants.  In the background are faint outlines of rolling hills and evergreen forests.  In the foreground is the pond with a stream stretching to the right between two of the homes.

The adults are all engaged in activities as the children play.  On the opening endpapers it is daylight.  On the closing endpapers it is night.  Lights glow in the windows of the homes.  The parents are now inside each house.  A crescent moon and stars decorate the sky.  On the left side, the children (and one canine companion) gather around a crackling fire roasting marshmallows. 

These images by Eliza Wheeler were 

created using ink, watercolors, acrylic paint, wax pastels, and digital collage. 

On the title page, we see the seven children and the one dog at the trees setting up for a day of wonders.  This is one of many double-page pictures.  Single page illustrations cross the gutter to be joined with smaller visuals on the opposite side.  Eliza Wheeler skillfully combines two separate illustrations into a larger picture.  You will stop at every page turn to absorb all the included details.  Everywhere you look there is joy and a blend of reality and imagined reality.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It shows all the children in a magical underwater scene.  Only the outline of a fish tank in the upper, left-hand corner of the image indicates they are inside a fish tank.  Two friends wearing helmets and their regular clothing are cleaning.  A ray is smiling as it is dusted.  The two tea-party pals are feeding the fish and carrying a huge seaweed cupcake to an octopus.  Two other companions are caring for the underwater flowers and seahorses.  The final child is wearing scuba gear as he explores a treasure chest.  The dog is above him in a personal submarine powered by paw action.

This book, When I'm With You written by Pat Zietlow Miller with artwork by Eliza Wheeler, is an ode to friendship and its power.  It is a lively and lovely invitation to share life with a special individual.  It is a balm for all our souls.  I highly recommend it for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Pat Zietlow Miller has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Eliza Wheeler has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Pat Zietlow Miller was recently interviewed by Madison Magazine.  Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler chat about this book at PictureBookBuilders.  John Schu, librarian and writer, highlights this title in conversations with Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Pat Zietlow Miller is in conversation with Eliza Wheeler about this title in a previous Crowdcast event.

When your canine companion is considered a sporting dog, regardless of the weather or your state of health, you walk miles every single day.  It is a commitment you must keep.  There are times when the very thought of leaving the cozy comfort of your home is downright daunting, but you go.  Without fail, something wonderful happens.  You see a deer crossing the road in front of you, a group of raptors gliding overhead, countless sunrises in breathtaking colors, and ever-changing cloud formations, and the birdsong is like your own personal symphony.  In Climb On! (North|South, March 8, 2022) written by Baptiste Paul with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara, this is exactly what occurs.  

Morning, Dad!

Morning!

It's a great day for

watching futbol.

The child quickly reminds her father of a promise to hike to the summit of a local mountain.  They place essentials in their backpacks and begin their hike.  Dad keeps offering reasons to stop or turn back.

There are too many beautiful things to see to turn back or stop.  His daughter reminds him to climb on.  When she asks him to swing on a vine to take a plunge in a waterfall pond, he takes up the mantra of climb on.

The father is exhausted and wants to know if they are at the top.  They are only midway to the top.  There is a small setback, a slip and fall, but through the leaves they see their multi-colored town below them.

Now tired, the child rides on her father's shoulders as he steadily continues in the heat with muscles aching.  They break through the vegetation.  A single three-letter word describes what they behold before them.  Wonderful.

Through a blend of narrative and conversation, author Baptiste Paul tells the tale of a memorable trek, a day of shared revelations.  Short sentences, sometimes only a series of single words give readers a real sense of participating in this climb.  The inclusion of Creole words in the dialogue between the Dad and his daughter draws us further into their adventure.  Here is a passage.

The rocks weep from yesterday's rain.

Each step slower than the last.

Fe vit.  Hurry up!

     Step.

          Breathe.

               Sweat.

Not only does the front, right side, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case inspire you to climb a mountain, but it invites you to open the book and read the story.  The natural beauty of the area in which the tale is told is reflected in the vivid hues of blue and green with spots of other colors.  You can almost feel the heat and humidity and breathe the salty air.  The green found in the palm leaves is used for the spine and back of the jacket and case.  Here flora and fauna found on the hike are displayed around praise for the previous collaboration by the author and illustrator, The Field. 

On the opening endpapers is an illustration of a green field.  Houses frame the border on two sides.  On the left side in the foreground, we can see the beginning of the trail to the mountaintop.  In the distance the sea and sky appear as one.  In a word, this is serenity.  On the closing endpapers, the child and her father are back at the waterfall pond.  Together they are swinging on a vine over the water.  It is a lush setting with various shades of green with the waterfall in the background.

These illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara begin and end with the endpapers.  On the verso and title pages, her pictorial interpretation starts with the daughter, first, studying a map, and second, lifting a hat from her resting father's face.  The images, double-page and single-page, extend to the edges.  Even though opposite single-page pictures are different scenes, they flow together superbly.

Readers will find themselves carefully looking at each image, studying the details.  What flora and fauna are on display?  The facial expressions on the child's face mirror her every emotion.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page visual.  The child is close to readers in the foreground.  She is bending over to study a caterpillar on a cupped, dark green leaf.  In the background, her dad is lying on his back, stretched out over a large boulder.  He is clearly exhausted.  Graceful, red and green leafy vines act as a partial border on either side.

There will be times when you would rather not keep a promise or a commitment, but in honoring it, positive discoveries will be made.  Climb On! written by Baptiste Paul with artwork by Jacqueline Alcantara clearly depicts this truth.  Natural world wonders heal.  You will want to have a copy of this title in both your professional and personal collections. (There is a surprise challenge tucked into the closing endpapers.)

To learn more about Baptiste Paul and Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Baptiste Paul has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Jacqueline Alcantara has accounts on Facebook, Behance, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view the first few pages and download resources.  At Simon & Schuster, you can see other interior illustrations.  The cover reveal was hosted at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production by Betsy Bird.  Both the author and illustrator are interviewed about this book at We Need Diverse Books.

Unconditional love is powerful.  It is always present, like a heartbeat that does not stop.  How do we know if we are loved unconditionally?  We know in ordinary and extraordinary moments, some lasting seconds and others lasting years. Author Andrea Beaty and illustrator Vashti Harrison have created a heartwarming portrait in poetic phrases and tender lively artwork of this love in their new collaboration, I Love You Like Yellow (Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 29, 2022).

I love you like yellow.

I love you like green.

Like a flowery orchid

and sweet tangerine.

These three sentences begin a sensory expression of love.  Opposites, too, are used to show the extent of this love.  This love happens in times of jubilance and in times of sorrow.

If you could taste this love, it would be like sugar and dill pickles.  It is there when time pauses or speeds, even when the recipient of this love is slow when they wish to be fast.  Whatever the weather, rain or sunshine, hot or cold, the love is still there.

This love is present in daylight and beneath the stars at night.  Like those stars, it is there, always.  From the beginning of the day and until the end of the day, this love is ever constant.

During each moment of the day, at work or at play, you are loved.  You are a song.  You are silence.  When you are nestled in your bed, more asleep than awake, you will be embraced by love.

Whether the sentences written by Andrea Beaty are read silently or aloud, they are like singing a song.  The rhyming words (and use of alliteration) fashion a melody.  You find yourself humming, quietly or aloud.  These words remind us of the vastness and universality of love.  Here is a passage.

Like brisk and breezy.

Like bouncy and bold.

After looking at the open dust jacket, I think I need a pair of yellow boots to match my yellow raincoat.  I know I will find as much joy as this parent and child in puddle splashing.  Their spirited play surrounded by the softly-textured setting is definitely welcoming.  The title text and rain gear on the jacket are varnished.

The scene continues across the spine.  The meadow stretches to the left side.  Reddish pink flowers mound in the lower, left-hand corner as a blue butterfly stops for a sip.  Across the grass, there is another bunch of yellow flowers and orange butterflies near them.  Above the misty slopes, a rainbow arcs from the left to off the top of the visual.

On the book case, we have moved to a close-up of the puddle covering both sides.  There is some grass framing the puddle along the bottom and right side.  The parent and child stand still in the puddle, but you can tell by ripple marks they just moved.  All we can see are their boots and a small portion of their legs.  The parent is to the left of the spine and the child is to the right of the spine.  

On a crisp white canvas on the opening and closing endpapers is a pattern of items found within the book.  The elements are a paper airplane, leaves, butterflies, lemons, playing cards, orchids, apples, and yellow umbrellas.  On the initial title page, the parent and child look out a window at the rain.  On the formal title page and dedication page, the mother is putting a raincoat on her child.

For each of the four phrases, a different parent and their child or children are featured.  Using 

colored pencil and Photoshop,

Vashti Harrison has created warmhearted, playful, and highly animated images.  She shifts her perspectives, bringing us close to the families at times and then places them in a more scenic setting.  The illustrations are full-page pictures, groups of smaller visuals, and glorious double-page images.  The families reflect a range of ethnicity and ages.

One of my many favorite pictures is a single-page illustration.  A father has been spending time with his daughter and her younger brother.  They are now baking cookies.  On the kitchen counter in front of them are ingredients and a cookie sheet with some cutout cookies ready for baking.  The father has his hands in a bowl mixing the ingredients.  On his head is a pie tin.  The daughter is laughing with her arms up in the air.  Her brother is seated on the counter.  He, too, has a pan on his head and he is holding a wooden spoon.  There is flour in the air along with the laughter.

The love portrayed through the words of Andrea Beaty and the artwork of Vashti Harrison in I Love You Like Yellow radiates from the pages.  This book is certain to soothe souls of all ages, readers and listeners alike.  There is a lot of happiness to be found here.  No personal or professional collection is complete without a copy of this book.

To learn more about Andrea Beaty and Vashti Harrison and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Andrea Beaty has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Vashti Harrison has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  There is also a video there with Andrea Beaty discussing the inspiration for this title.

We try to measure and keep track of time with watches, phones, clocks, planners, and calendars, but truthfully time has always gone at its own pace, altered only by our perspectives.  It seems to go slow when the only thing we want is for it to speed like a lightning flash.  Then, the older we get, the faster it goes.  We find ourselves frequently thinking, how could so many years have come and gone . . . like a lightning flash.  In their two previous collaborations, Drawn Together and Lift, author Minh Le and author illustrator Dan Santat gave us life's truths by putting their collective hearts into their words and art.  They have done this again, beautifully, in The Blur (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, May 3, 2022).  

From the beginning

there was something different

about this child.

Yes, this child had a shockingly loud voice and limber arms and legs.  She mastered hearing the softest sound.  And, this child could become invisible.  These traits blended to make the most fascinating characteristic of all, magnetism.  People gravitated toward this bundle of superpowers.

As a youngster, the parents could hardly keep up with all the tasks this child presented, except when she slept.  Then time seemed to stop, until she learned to walk.

Wowee!  Look out!  She's always in motion.  Again, moments blended into one another because of 

The Blur.

As years pass at a ferocious pace, the girl embraces every activity with unbridled enthusiasm.  There are mostly high points, the sadness of loss, and some tense-filled seconds for her parents.  Before any of them realize it, time halts again.  It is high school graduation day.  And then, she's off once more.  All those memories fueling this superhero, a child who was different from the beginning.

With that first sentence, author Minh Le has us hooked.  What made this child different?  As each aspect of her personality is disclosed, each reader will bring their personal experiences to interpret those aspects.  You will find yourself nodding knowingly or howling with laughter or both.  Three times, Minh Le takes us on a whirlwind of growing up, only to have us pause and savor that pause.  It is a splendid storytelling technique.  Here is a passage.

NOTHING STANDS IN THE WAY AS

THE BLUR TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM!

And yet . . .

CRASH!

How can you look at the front, right side, of the dust jacket and not want to hug this family?  Happiness radiates off this image.  Everyone is smiling, the parents, the daughter, the puppy, and even the stuffed toy lion.  (It looks like a smile to me.)  Artist Dan Santat has placed these individuals on a background collage of captured moments from the interior pages.  The dots consist of color combinations from the title text.  They might also signify time and how fast it can pass.

To the left of the spine, on the back, on a light cream and peach background is a single image.  It is a graduation hat thrown in the air.  Multi-colored dots balloon up from the hat.  Everything on the front and back of the dust jacket is varnished except for the background and background pictures.

On the book case the canvas changes to a blend of white and teal.  Teal swirls and loops on the back and front indicate a path taken by The Blur.  She is running on the front, eyes closed in bliss with her mouth open in happiness and her arms wide open.  Her cape is flying behind her as colored dots follow her movements.  Her puppy is running and barking beside her.  (I want to run with them!)

On the opening and closing endpapers on a white background are large, vibrant dots.  They look as if they are circles of watercolor or chalk.  On the right side of the opening endpapers, there is an additional element.  It is a bandage appearing under the words:

THIS BOOK IS FOR:

These images by Dan Santat were

created using colored pencil and watercolor on paper and Adobe Photoshop.

On the title page sits the stuffed toy lion next to a vase of flowers with a congratulations card.  That lion is on its way to resting with the child in the hospital bed on the next two-page picture.  Illustration sizes vary from double-page visuals to single-page pictures, edge to edge, or surrounded by white space for dramatic framing.  Sometimes there will be multiple pictures on a single page to interpret the words pictorially. Several times the parents (and The Blur) are placed among smaller images.  The details in the illustrations and facial expressions of the parents and their daughter ask us to stop, to freeze time and remember and laugh and cry.  (I love how the younger girl swings into a series of pictures on one page and with a page turn she swings out of another set of images, but is now much older.  Brilliant.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is when The Blur believes she is invisible.  She is seated on the floor, wearing a one piece pair of pajamas with feet.  She has her cape, now much larger, held in her hands and covering her eyes.  Her puppy sits next to her, tail wagging and nose sniffing.  They are enveloped in white space.

This book, The Blur written by Minh Le with artwork by Dan Santat, is about a special child, all children, and time.  It is a recognition of how precious every moment is, even though when we are in the midst of them, we don't always appreciate their value.  It asks us to hold fast to life.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  You will find yourself gifting this title repeatedly.

To discover more about Minh Le and Dan Santat and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Minh Le has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Minh Le and Dan Santat Talk with Roger at The Horn Book about this title.  Minh Le and Dan Santat are interviewed about this book at We Need Diverse Books.  The cover reveal was at School Library Journal, 100 Scope Notes, hosted by Travis Jonker and an interview with the collaborators.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the endpapers.

The thing about life is regardless of our past, present, or possible future, things happen beyond our control.  There are things wonderful beyond our imagining and things which plunge us into deep sadness.  We find ourselves stunned by both.  

What we can do in those times of tragedy is look for a sliver of silver lining.  It may not be there for a long time.  If we cannot find it, perhaps we need to change or be a part of a larger change.  If children are a part of our lives, as parents, caregivers, or educators, we need to help them to understand their futures are full of potential and promise.  Like the weather, the clouds pass to reveal the sunshine or moonlight and stars.  You Are Here (Chronicle Books, May 10, 2022) written and illustrated by Zach Manbeck is a joyful reminder to be ourselves, going forward with hope.  It is his debut book. 

YOU are here.

And from here,

you can go anywhere! 

Readers are next asked a question.

But how will you find your way?

The following pages paint in words and pictures possible positive paths.  Although it might seem obvious, we need to begin.  Depending on our abilities, we will all begin differently.

We are invited to be explorers.  There is no perfect direction for everyone.  Some individuals will go quickly, others more slowly.  There will be those who are at the same pace as we are. 

Will the path be smooth?  Sometimes it will.  Sometimes it won't, but we need to be relentless in seeking our potential and promise. 

We need to be ready for what we might discover using our senses.  Perhaps we begin anew each day.  That is why it is most important to remember where we are . . . always.

The thoughts presented in this book by Zach Manbeck are bursting with positivity.  Every recommendation is as if he is cheering for readers, encouraging them forward.  Individuality is paramount in this delivery.  Here is a passage.

BE PATIENT

You'll find your way . . .

if you let if find you.

The color palette shown on the open dust jacket is used throughout the book.  It speaks to warmth and new growth and being fully alive.  On the front, right side, we are introduced to many of the children and one of the animals seen often in the narrative.  The yellow butterfly figures importantly and prominently in many of the images.  It can be seen as a symbol of change, growth, and the beauty of becoming your best self.  The rays are embossed in gold.

To the left of the spine, on the back, more children and two animals run to the right.  They are running through what appears to be a jungle, replete with tall plants, trees and hanging vines.  One individual has a pair of binoculars and the other holds a magnifying glass.

On the cream book case a large yellow butterfly is displayed.  The center of the butterfly is in the center on the right side.  The left wing crosses the spine into the center of the left side.  The right wing bleeds off the right side.  A looping line from the left indicates the flight of the insect.  The thumb and finger of a child reaches toward the body of the butterfly from the bottom of the illustration.

The opening and closing endpapers are bright yellow with spots of green and orange.  Three separate pages, a word on each page, delivers the title to readers.  The word "here" is shown in a circle of cream on orange with the yellow butterfly zooming in from the left.

These illustrations by Zach Manbeck 

were rendered in gouache and various mixed media, then edited digitally.

Large circles become frames for the children and text and act as design elements with stars and splashes of bright colors, depending on the setting.  The setting might be a garden, a jungle, a cave, different modes of travel or an array of contraptions.  The layouts draw our eyes to the individuals and their activities.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture. It is a jungle and floral scene.  All we can see on most of the visual is darkened outlines, except for a particular area.  On the left side, a child, the first child and wearing a backpack is running into this darkness.  In one hand they are holding a flashlight.  It makes a beam of light through the darkness to the right, ending in a large circle holding the text.  Wherever the light shines, the colors are boldly shown.

The exuberance you feel after a positive affirmation envelopes you with every page turn in You Are Here written and illustrated by Zach Manbeck.  This book is yes to no and go to stop.  It is hope.  You will want to place a copy on the bookshelves in your personal and professional collections.

By following the link attached to Zach Manbeck's name, you can access his website, finding out more about him and his work.  Zach Manbeck has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior pictures. 

In my cupboard is an array of tea canisters.  Each one holds a different flavor of tea.  They supply me with selections based on the time of day, my level of thirst, and my emotional frame of mind.  Tea is a source of comfort.  Depending on the type of mug or glass, the tea can cool on a sweltering day or warm hands and body on a chilly morning or evening.  It can elevate a meal or celebration or be a reminder of people no longer with us.  (I still have some of the tea cups and saucers my mother collected.)

Tea and tea ceremonies are found in all corners of the world.  When drinking tea, connections are made with those other people and their communities.  In an endearing story, a bow of respect, to those connections, Luli and the Language of Tea (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, May 24, 2022) written by Andrea Wang with pictures by Hyewon Yum presents to children the power they have through sincerity and their hearts to add light to their worlds.

The playroom was quiet.

Luli couldn't speak English.

Neither could the others.

Not being able to communicate with each other, the children were apart, playing by themselves.  This was what Luli did when she was previously at the playroom.  Then, she had an idea.  She made a picture to show Miss Hirokane her idea.  

This next time Luli took special items from her backpack.  She removed 

a thermos, a canister, stacks of cups, and a fat-bellied teapot.

Luli got busy combining and using these items.  Then, Luli called out a word in Chinese.

The children stopped playing and looked at Luli.  Soon single words were called out, child by child, around the room, in nine different languages.  Do you know what those words meant?

Pulling up chairs, the children came to the table.  The tea was poured in the first cup and passed from child to child until each child had a cup.  Wait! There was no tea left for Luli.  Luli's cup was passed from child to child.  Everyone was speaking the same language, the language of sharing and the language of . . .

With simple, lovely sentences Andrea Wang supplies readers with an understanding of Luli's heart and the hearts of the other children in the room.  Are we not all looking for connections and commonality like these children?  After Luli calls out tea in her language, a cadence is supplied by each child responding with the word for tea in their language.  Andrea Wang also gives us their first name, making the story more intimate. (The word for tea is also written in its native language.)  She again generates a rhythm when the tea cups are passed from child to child, naming them and once more when Luli's cup is passed from child to child.  Andrea Wang's carefully chosen words welcome us.  Here is a passage.

Now everyone had a share.

Hands curled around warm cups.

Mouths curved into shy smiles.

In looking at the matching dust jacket and book case, we meet Luli, the one child who made a huge difference, and how she changed the entire atmosphere in the playroom.  On the front, right side, her quiet, gentle smile speaks volumes.  We want to know what she has to say and what the language of tea is.  To the left of the spine, on the back, we see the children after drinking their tea.  There are still some at the table with Luli.  Two more are chatting as they walk away.  Two children are on the floor playing with a toy bulldozer.  Two are standing by the shelves watching three goldfish swim in a bowl.  

Still using a brilliant white canvas with excellence, Hyewon Yum features ten cups for tea gathered from the countries of Morocco, Iran, China, Chile, India, Kenya, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Germany on the opening and closing endpapers.  They are drawn in detail and labeled.  Two more page turns begin the pictorial story.  The first double-page picture shows parents going through the door to a classroom for learning English as a second language.  The children enter the playroom door next to the classroom.  For the verso and title pages, this image shows Luli peeking through the playroom doorway.

Rendered with

colored pencils

by artist Hyewon Yum, the illustrations complement the narrative with their delicate details.  The images are double-page pictures, some of them including two moments in one visual, and single-page pictures. Sometimes there are two images to a page using vertical and horizontal panels. Her use of white space is splendid with it acting as another element.  Perspective is shifted to accentuate the pacing and to provide us with added emotion.  The bird's eye view of the table with the seated children and their cups of tea is exquisite.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  Luli is seated at the table.  Before her are the

full-bellied teapot, stacks of cups, and the canister

in blue and white.  Luli's mouth, after she took a breath, is wide open as she shouts tea in Chinese.  This is the beginning of something important.

When I think of the children in this playroom, alone and separated by a language barrier, my love for this brave and wise child swells.  Luli and the Language of Tea written by Andrea Wang with artwork by Hyewon Yum allows children to see, regardless of their age, the power they have to make positive changes.  At the close of the book is A Note from the Author, words under About the Children and Languages in This Story and a focus on people from Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America.  The children are identified by the country from which they immigrated.  I highly recommend you place a copy of this book in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Andrea Wang and Hyewon Yum and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Andrea Wang has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Hyewon Yum has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Andrea Wang and this book are showcased at author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Andrea Wang speaks about this book at PictureBookBuilders for the cover reveal.  At Maria Marshall's site the author and illustrator are interviewed about this book, their work, and themselves.  At the publisher's website, there is an educator's guide.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the endpapers.

For Daughters. For Mothers.

The relationships between mothers and their children can be complicated.  The older you get, the more often you will do or say something and think "I've become my mother."  Sometimes, it is those little things which nearly drive you crazy, that you find yourself now doing.  Other times, their daily feats, you realize, are as close to superhero as mere mortals can get.  Or in the category of prophecy, those things they wished for you are a realty.  

In a word, mothers are a miracle.  They are your biggest and most constant cheerleaders.  Dreams for a Daughter (Atheneum Books For Young Readers, March 9, 2021) written by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Brian Pinkney are tender, but fierce commitments of an African American mother to her African American daughter. 

As I cradle you, look in your eyes,

the ancestors peer back at me.

Your gaze says softly,

I want to know everything.

I Promise to show you all that I can.  

So begins an enduring interlude between a mother and her daughter.  She sends out a prayer for her joyful embrace of life to continue and endure.  She watches as the love of her heart toddles away, happy in her ability to move on her own toward an unknown goal.

A first bike ride without training wheels is a jubilant celebration for both mother and daughter; one brave enough to go and the other brave enough to let her go.  A desire to know and understand is a trait to be valued and encouraged.  Going to school for the first time is a step toward expanding knowing and understanding.  Books champion needed narratives.

Shouts of encouragement will ring across any chosen playing field from this mother for her daughter.  May this child always be free to express and use talents, natural or earned.  Like the voices of mothers for generations, this mother wants more for her daughter than for those who came before her.

Though you are small in stature, your voice can speak volumes.  Trust in your instincts and turn away when necessary, to avoid danger.  In her final words to her beloved, the mother reminds her daughter of her constant presence, even if miles separate them.

The words written here by Carole Boston Weatherford lift up every reader's heart, but especially the hearts of those for whom they are written.  Whether read softly to oneself or aloud to an empty room or to a group, these words sing like hot chocolate warmth.  Each of the fourteen assurances builds on the other fashioning an unbreakable lifeline from mother to child.

Four times the mother makes observations about her daughter followed by the word I.  After I, we read what this mother will do for her daughter.  This technique is reversed for the next four sections.  For the final six portions, a blend is used by this wordsmith.  Here is a single beautiful passage.

When you learn to read,

you follow my finger and mouth each word.

I stroke your curly crown.

Books will carry you far

as you author your own story.

Sunshine and lightness radiate from the matching and open dust jacket and book case as complementary colors create patterns, flowing lines, and great affection.  When you look at the front, right, the bond between the mother and daughter is strong and true.  You can see it in their eyes and the way they hold each other.  On the dust jacket, the title text is in a pink foil hue and raised to the touch.

To the left of the spine, on the back, we are gifted with a peek at an image nearly identical to an interior illustration.  A sun, large and low to the horizon, with a compassionate gaze and slight smile, looks at the daughter.  She is a younger version of herself, standing on a hill, ready to face the world fortified by her mother's words.  Shades of yellow, orange, turquoise, and purple swirl and take shape.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a dusty lavender.  A smiling face of a daughter is framed in a starburst on the title page.  These illustrations 

rendered in watercolor, gouache, and India ink on Strathmore watercolor paper

place highly animated mothers and daughters within Brian Pinkney's remarkable brushes of color, alive with motion and emotion.  

Each portrait of a mother and their daughter is their love captured in a particular place and time.  As our eyes move from left to right across these double-page pictures, we might see a single moment as it happens or the depiction of a moment yet to be.  Some are more intimate than others, bringing us close to the duo and others present a more wide-angle perspective.

One of my many favorite illustrations features a mother and daughter on a picnic.  For this visual greens and yellows are the predominant colors.  Close to readers is the mother, mostly to the left of the gutter, seated on the blanket, her back to us.  A basket and drinking glass are on either side of her.  With her hands on her hips, she watches her darling daughter take first strong steps on her own, off on an adventure.  The child's arms are outstretched for balance.  She is in yellow but wears a pair of orange plaid overalls.  This is perfectly precious.

You will never tire of rereading this superb blend of loving language and charming, profound images found in Dreams for a Daughter by Carole Boston Weatherford with illustrations by Brian Pinkney.  This book speaks directly to African American mothers and their daughters but will find an audience with all mothers and their daughters.  I highly recommend you find a place for this title on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Carol Boston Weatherford and Brian Pinkney and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Carol Boston Weatherford has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Brian Pinkney has an account on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  

Not everyone can agree on their origin, but most can agree the "yo' mama" jokes have been spoken for decades, if not centuries.  As soon as everyone reads Your Mama (Versify, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 6, 2021) written by NoNieqa Ramos with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara, they will quickly discover these fiery, shout-out-loud words and vibrant, colorful images are a tribute to mothers for everything they are.  They stand large in our lives, knitting all threads together to form a thing of love we wear with us wherever we go.

YOUR MAMA SO SWEET,

SHE COULD BE A BAKERY,

all frosting, powdered sugar, and pastries.

Leaves love notes in your almuerzo, homemade.

She's the cinnamon to your tembleque,

the tres leches to your cake.

Each of the ten bannered accolades bring readers into an exuberant scene of multiple sides of motherhood.  Her physical strength in the face of adversity is nearly legendary, but her style in clothing and accessories has heads turning in admiration.  When she could scold, she applauds your ingenuity.

There are times, though, when your mama thinks she might be losing her mind.  Is there such a thing as quiet time alone?  When it comes to learning, this mother gets an A++ and the library is her second home.  If you need answers, she finds them.

This has you wondering how she knows so much, even what you might be thinking.  She gets you better than anyone else.  Her sense of humor is off the charts, entertaining everyone in her company.  You will see her marching for justice and voicing her concerns with her votes.  

Wealth for this mother is not found in banks or possessions.  She is rich with connections in her neighborhood.  Familia is her greatest treasure; you are the largest gem in her world.  What should you do for your mama?  You move to her rhythm, an inseparable duo, cloaked in love.

It's a given readers and listeners alike will be unable to sit still reading the enchanting words penned by NoNieqa Ramos.  Her blend of Spanish and English supply us with a symphony of rhythm.  Each rhyming portion invites us to read it aloud.  We want to join this mother and this daughter in the daily jubilee of their lives.  There is an interlude, a pause of words, between bannered accolades, but the beat is still sweet.  Here is a portion of a cadenced passage.

YOUR MAMA

DRESS SO FINE,

she could have her own clothing line.

The way she walks into a room---

SHUU!---

she's an ad for

fancy perfume.

The splash of flowers, leaves and vines on the wash of denim blue, left to right, on the open and matching dust jacket and book case, opens your mind and heart to the joy waiting for you inside this book.  Look at the mother and her daughter on the front, right.  Their unbridled expression of dance is contagious.  The birds holding the banner is your introduction to the use of banners throughout the book.  It is an announcement.

The opening and closing endpapers glow in golden yellow.  On the title page two hearts rimmed in gold, flowers, and several elements from interior illustrations make a collage on which the mother and daughter are placed.  With a page turn we are drawn into the narrative by the first banner of many woven around a single item or group of items.  For example, the first banner loops around a spectacular many layered cake.  Strawberries, flowers, a spatula, a jar of cinnamon sticks, a whisk, a bag of spilled flour, and a slice of cake present a marvelous array.  Opposite this is the mother and daughter engaged in an activity.

These images rendered

using markers, pastels, Procreate, and Adobe Photoshop

by Jacqueline Alcantara nearly jump off the pages.  Most of them span two pages with the exception of several full-page pictures, and two smaller illustrations on a single page.  The illustrations flow, page turn to page turn, but you could take any one and frame it for the moments it expresses.

The facial features and body postures of the mother and daughter burst with life.  Each time you look at a picture, you will discover a new detail.  Careful readers will see insertions of humor such as the cat lifting its paw over the spinning record on the turntable.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for YOUR MAMA SO STRONG.  It references her strength to that of a marine.  It mentions her carrying groceries up flights of stairs and carrying you on her back to the emergency room when you are both sick.  On the left, a large anchor is wrapped in the banner with a night cityscape in the background.  Climbing up the top of the anchor is the child with the mother in front of her, laden with bags.  On the right, a hospital building looms large.  Coming from the lighted entrance in winter is the mother carrying her child.  Both are wearing winter clothing.  The mother has on her black boots covered in red roses.  The little girl grasps her favorite stuffed toy bunny.

You will be ready to read this book again as soon as you finish it.  The fabulous mix of words and artwork found in Your Mama written by NoNieqa Ramos with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara invites, no begs, you to read it repeatedly because this book is bliss.  Be ready to hear a chorus of read it again!  I know you will want a copy for both your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about both NoNieqa Ramos and Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  NoNieqa Ramos has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Jacqueline Alcantara has accounts on Behance, Instagram, SoundCloud, and Twitter.  The cover reveal was showcased at Latinxs in Kid Lit.  At the publisher's website is a book trailer hosted by Kwame Alexander.

Collecting Culture--It's Who We Are

The first listed definition in Merriam-Webster names it as an account of incidents or events.  Newbery author and former National Ambassador of Children's Literature, Kate DiCamillo believes it connects us.  In an interview with Anderson Cooper of CNN, the National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, who wrote and recited the Inaugural poem, The Hill We Climb, on January 20, 2021, says:

I'm a poet.  So often I don't work in images.  I work in words and text. . . .

To me words matter.

More than one hundred years before Amanda, another Black girl was born.  She believed words mattered.  She believed in the power of story to connect us as does Kate.  Jump at the Sun: The True Life Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston (A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book, Atheneum Books For Young Readers, January 12, 2021) written by Alicia D. Williams with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara is a wondrous, joyful celebration of this remarkable author and this searcher and gatherer of folklore.  Let us take a leap as she did again and again.  Let us be inspired by her courage and conviction.

IN A TOWN CALLED EATONVILLE---

a place where magnolias smelled even prettier

than they looked, oranges were as sweet as they

were plump, and the people just plain ol'

got along---lived a girl who was attracted

to tales like mosquitoes to skin.

Zora was her name.

This girl listened to the stories told at the local general store, she made her own character dolls out of whatever she could find placing them in stories, and she even joined travelers as their cars slowly moved down the nearby road telling them tales.  She had to be careful, though.  Her papa was a preacher, and he figured her stories were lies.  Her grandmother agreed with him, but her mama did not.

Her mother embraced Zora's storytelling.  She knew it was a path Zora needed to follow to change the direction of her life.  Unfortunately, Zora's mother passed when Zora was barely a teen.  She was sent to a boarding school by her father until he remarried.  Her stepmother refused to pay for her education.  By the time she was fourteen, Zora left home.

For too many years Zora could not stick with a job or any more education.  What did stick with her was her gift for gathering and telling tales.  At twenty-six-years old she lied about her age and went to school as a sixteen-year-old girl. After graduating from high school, she started college only to be pulled by her deep desire to write.  New York City called to her.  She flourished with others during The Harlem Renaissance.

Hearing her mother's words of encouragement in her ears and carrying them in her heart, she entered a writing contest.  The praises from the judges brought her writing to the attention of Barnard College.  This time a scholarship and friends financially supported Zora.  For her final semester project in anthropology, Zora did what she loved best,  

Storycatching.

She continued with this love for the rest of her life.  She wrote down those stories and penned her own.  Today they are alive for all who read them because 

words matter and

stories connect us.

Each time this book is read, you know Alicia D. Williams has a passion for Zora Neale Hurston and her work.  It shines in every sentence she writes.  It's as if we are reading a folktale woven with truth.  Portions of Hurston's collected tales appear as captions in speech balloons within images.  Quotations and conversations appear are part of the narrative.  The references to Zora's mother telling her to 

"jump at de sun"

sprinkled with intention in this biography bind decisive moments in Zora Neale Hurston's life together beautifully.  Here are three paragraphs on two pages.

Zora was miserable---

except for when she spooned

out Eatonville trickster tales to

whoever'd sop 'em up.  And, sakes

alive, folks were hungry!

The sun, however, was getting antsy

waiting on Zora, so he called down, saying,

"Ain't you s'posed to be meeting 

me up here?" Reckon Zora was getting

antsy too.

How was Zora to jump all the way

to Ole Big Yellow?  By doing what made

her happiest.  And Zora was happiest

at school and hearing those stories.

Looking at the open dust jacket. you want to join this effervescent girl in jumping at the sun.  The radiating sun's rays are urging her to go higher and higher.  Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox, shown here, follow her throughout the book, acting as observers and guides.  (They are sometimes joined by other animals from folklore.)  The grass and trees seen on the front, right, of the jacket move over the spine to become a part of another image.  The four-word main title text is varnished in red.

To the left, on the back, an older Zora wearing signature clothing is seated outside her home, typewriter on a small table, typing tales.  These tales are pictorially represented on pieces of paper floating from the typewriter to arch upward toward the spine.  In this visual the sky has deepened with more orange wash than yellow.

On the book case the deeper sky color provides a canvas, back to front, including the spine.  From back to front, animals follow a jumping Zora shown on the lower portion of the front. The animals, in order, left to right are a snail, a frog, a raccoon, a bluebird, the fox, the rabbit and a turtle leads in front of Zora.  Mirroring the book case the opening and closing endpapers use the same color as a background.  On the opening endpapers a flow of hats, represents moments in Zora's chosen (and not chosen) paths.  On the closing endpapers those hats are arranged to frame an author's note, additional reading, sources, and publication information.

Rendered in 

markers, gouache, and Photoshop,

these illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara heighten the text, infusing it with place, time, symbols of folklore, and emotion.  Every visual feels like movement frozen for a mere second, ready to animate.  On the title page the pictorial interpretation begins with Zora walking down the road in Eatonville surrounded by native flora, Brer Rabbit and Brer Fox.  The dedications are displayed in speech bubbles on the left.  (These dedications are among my favorites.)

Most of the pictures are double-page images.  Sometimes Jacqueline Alcantara will include two different moments in the same setting.  This fashions impeccable pacing.  Her color choices are stunning, especially the blend of complementary colors.  Her people are portrayed realistically, ready to jump off the page and into our lives.  

It's nearly impossible to select one, but one of my favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It's inside at night in a club during The Harlem Renaissance.  Zora is dancing with Langston Hughes.  Other couples are swinging and swaying and leaping around them.  Still more people are standing as waiters move among them.  Toward the back, in the upper portion of the visual, the band is playing.  The colors used in this illustration are striking.  There is a red wash over realistic hues with splashes of purple, black, and white.  Wow!  

This outstanding picture book biography, Jump at the Sun: The True Tale of Unstoppable Storycatcher Zora Neale Hurston written by Alicia D. Williams with art by Jacqueline Alcantara, is one to read repeatedly and to share widely.  The words and art partner to make a perfect representation of who Alicia D. Williams calls a national treasure.  She is indeed that.  If you have not read any of Zora Neale Hurston's books previously, you most certainly will after reading this book.  You need this in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about author Alicia D. Williams and artist Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Alicia D. Williams has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Jacqueline Alcantara has accounts on Behance, Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images, the dust jacket, book case, and opening endpapers.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's site, Watch. Connect. Read., John interviews Alicia and Jacqueline about this book.  I know you will enjoy reading their insights about their book.

Cooking Up Memories

In twelve days on December 31, 2019 at midnight, this decade will come to a close. To say the world and its inhabitants have seen monumental changes in these ten years is truly an understatement. From the individual to the global level and everything in-between, there have been heartbreaking setbacks and soul-soaring achievements, great sadness and glorious happiness.

A new year is a time to remember, reflect and refine.  It is a time to honor the past and embrace the future.  Freedom Soup (Candlewick Press, December 10, 2019) written by Tami Charles with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara is certain to have readers recalling their family histories and favorite soup recipes and how the two mix to make memories passed from generation to generation.

Today is New Year's Day.  This year, I get to help make Freedom Soup.

The child's grandmother, Ti Gran, believes she has a gift for cooking.  Winter is wrapping the outside world in cold and snow.  Inside warmth spreads throughout Ti Gran's kitchen as music, Haitian kompa, fills the air with its rhythmic sounds.  The two dance in shared affection for each other and the meal they are making.

Belle and Ti Gran combine a mixture of herbs and marinate the meat.  Together they raise up the boiled pumpkin and remove the skin.  Vegetables are peeled and pared.  Belle adds them to the pot with the pumpkin and the now browned meat.  As the ingredients simmer and are stirred, Ti Gran begins a story, the story of Freedom Soup.

Her grandmother speaks of slavery in Haiti.  The Haitians labored in the relentless sun where sugarcane, coffee and vegetables grew.  They made soup for the masters but were not allowed to eat it.  It was only for the free to consume.

After years and years of slavery, the people fought for years to regain their freedom.  In celebration of their new independence, they made and ate Freedom Soup.  As the two start to dance reliving the freedom their ancestors won, Belle adds pasta to the soup.  Later, a host of relatives gather at Ti Gran's marveling at the soup and savoring the stories.


Author Tami Charles shares her special recipe for storytelling in this narrative.  Her ingredients, lush descriptions of setting and rich verbs, create a delectable and sensory experience for readers. The inclusion of dialogue elevates her first-person perspective as told by Belle.  Here is a passage.

Outside, snow is piling,
cottony-thick.  Inside, warm,
sweet air flows.

Haitian kompa pours
through the speakers.  The
shake-shake of maracas
vibrates down to my toes.

Ti Gran's feet tap-tap to
the rhythm.


When you first look at the open, matching dust jacket and book case, the front, on the right, is shouting out absolute bliss.  The bright, bold complementary colors heighten the movements of Ti Gran and Belle.  The swirl of their clothing, their upraised and bent arms and toe-tapping feet invite, no demand, you walk right into that scene and join them!

To the left, on the back, a circular image is placed on a golden brush-stroked canvas.  It is an image from Ti Gran's story of the revolt of the slaves for freedom.  This dust jacket and book case show us the celebration and the historical basis for it, generation after generation.

There is a tiny floral pattern in two-tone hues of pumpkin on the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, a kneeling Ti Gran is placing an apron over the head of Belle before they begin cooking in her kitchen. Rendered

in pencil, marker, and gouache
and assembled digitally

these illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara are vibrant double-page pictures, page edge to page edge, insets placed between text on crisp white with a vivid sky-blue border, single-page images, page edge to page edge and single-page visuals framed in white space.

Each picture is brimming with cultural and historical details, movement, the aroma of the soup and the wondrous pleasure Belle and her Ti Gran feel when they are together.  When the story is being told, Jacqueline Alcantara places Ti Gran, Belle or the soup in part of the picture, a combination that brings the past into the present.  Readers will enjoy the shifts in perspective and how it contributes to the pacing and emphasizes specific moments.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the text above noted.  It is a double-page picture.  On the left in the background through the kitchen windows, we can see a city white with snow and chilly blue with cold.  A counter stretches beneath the windows to the refrigerator on the right. A radio on the counter is playing the Haitian kompa. Another counter moves from the left edge of the page, crosses the gutter and ends on the bottom of the right side.  This counter is filled with ingredients for the soup.  Ti Gran is holding a carrot in her left hand and stirring something in a bowl with her right hand.  On the right Belle is standing on a chair dancing and shaking a spice shaker.  Behind her is the refrigerator, magnets on the top portion, pictures, treasured items, a few pieces of art and a plant.  This scene reminds us of the importance of making our own happiness whenever we can.


This book, Freedom Soup written by Tami Charles with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara, is a story of tasting triumph each and every year.  It is about family, remembering from where we've come and as Ti Gran says:

"Oh, Belle.  Nothing in this world is free, not even freedom."

At the close of the book, the author includes a recipe for Freedom Soup and an author's note.  Both are wonderful and informative.  I can't imagine a professional or personal library without a copy of this title.

To learn more about Tami Charles and Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Tami Charles has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Jacqueline Alcantara has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  The cover for this title was revealed at Latinxs in Kid Lit.  You can view interior images at the publisher's website, at Penguin Random House and at the publisher's Facebook account.

Finding A Way To Play

It was on the south end of the street on the east side across from the factory.  It may have looked like a vacant lot to everyone else but to the children living on that street, it was paradise.  In the spring and summer it was the site of epic baseball and softball games.  When the crisp air of autumn settled in the neighborhood the voice of a quarterback could be heard hut 1, hut 2, hut 3 as flag football battle strategies were put into play.  Hearts pounded until touchdown was yelled with triumph.

If there's an open space children will find a way to use it, imagining it into whatever they want and need.  The Field (North|South, March 6, 2018) written by Baptiste Paul with pictures by Jacqueline Alcantara takes readers to an island in the Caribbean.  There a child beckons and a community follows.

Vini! Come!
The field calls.

The child moves from home to home and chats with a man at his fruit stand.  Twins carry a goal made from bamboo.  Cows are chased from the pasture.  Teams form.  A game is about ready to begin.

Friends call out plays to one another as they race down the grass.  Neighbors cheer encouragement along the sidelines and behind a fence.  Arms and legs are moving in a rhythm, feet passing the ball, when suddenly the sky darkens and rain falls.

No storm is going to stop this soccer game!  The players move through the water and mud with total dedication and pure joy.  A temporary pause allows for participants to adjust to the conditions.

Clouds move away as swiftly as they arrived and the sun's rays shine on a victory.  Although mothers call to their children, the call of the game is stronger.  Finally mud-caked gals and guys run home.  Darkness descends and dreams begin, dreams of the field.


The spare text, a beautiful blend of Creole and English, penned by debut picture book author Baptiste Paul reads like a poetic tribute to futbol, soccer, and the children whose passion for playing is like breathing.  The short sentences and phrases provide the same cadence as the game; a series of pauses, passes, running and kicking.  Exhilaration and enthusiasm radiate from the pages.  Here is a passage.

Ou. Ou. Ou. You. You. You.
Friends versus friends.

Annou ale! Let's go!


One of the first things you notice upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case, in addition to the lush greens of the island flora, is the energy of the children. Their body postures are indicative of the game they are playing.  This energy of the children is in direct contrast to the calm of the cows chewing the grass.

To the left, on the back, in the lower right hand corner two cows on a background of green are standing, mouths full of grass.  A soccer ball flies over their heads.  If readers carefully watch the eyes of the cows throughout the book, they will notice a gentle kind of humor in their reluctant acceptance of relinquishing the field to the children.

Debut picture book illustrator Jacqueline Alcantara uses every bit of space to tell her visual story.  Beginning on the opening endpapers a scene spreads from the forest to the field.  The child is moving and running through the trees kicking the soccer ball until it soars through the air toward the grazing cows and a goat.  On the closing endpapers the field at night stretches down one page and over to the other with lighted homes on either side framing it.

A crisp white background allows our eyes to be drawn to a single palm tree branching across the right side and over the gutter to the left on the title page and verso.  Beneath the palm fronds the child and sibling race together, the soccer ball in front of them.  Jacqueline Alcantara alternates between several visuals gathered on a single page, framed in white, to a single-page picture framed in white and then a glorious two-page image.  Two of the double-page spreads are a series of moves on the field in the rain. Several of the illustrations are wordless, the strength of the elements giving readers words.

One of my many favorite illustrations is wordless.  On a single page the child wearing the soccer uniform with bright yellow shoes is in full stride watching over their shoulder.  In front is the brother all dressed in bright red wearing a red ball cap, barefoot and running like the wind.  You can't help but smile at the intensity of their focus.  You long to be on the field with them.


Depicted with the true spirit of the game in words and images, The Field written by Baptiste Paul with pictures by Jacqueline Alcantara will have readers, regardless of their age, wanting to run outside to the nearest field (or vacant lot).  With ease you are carried to that island and that field as a spectator (or perhaps as a participant).  This story wraps around you like a blanket, a blanket of the happiness of the children and their community.  An Author's Note and Creole Words and Phrases glossary appear on the closing endpapers.  I highly recommend placing this title on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Baptiste Paul and Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Jacqueline Alcantara also maintains a blog here.  At a publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  At the publisher's website a discussion guide and an activity sheet have been prepared.  Baptiste Paul is featured at The Brown Bookshelf.  Jacqueline Alcantara is highlighted at Latinxs in Kid Lit.  Both Baptiste and Jacqueline visit Watch. Connect. Read., the blog of Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, for a chat and the premiere of their book trailer. At This Picture Book Life Baptiste and Jacqueline are interviewed about this book.

UPDATE:  Jacqueline Alcantara is featured at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast on March 4, 2018. She speaks about the creation process for the art for this title.