Sweet Dreams

As the sun drops below the horizon and the light of day fades, darkness deepens.  For many, animals and humans, it signals a slowing and eventual rest.  This daily slowing and rest happen on a grander scale for much longer when autumn shifts to winter.  For months, the time of light is shorter and nights are longer.  It is nature asking the world to pause and replenish. 

Children are not always eager to rest, especially at bedtime.  They have their reasons, perfectly valid to them, for staying awake as long as possible.  Time For Bed, Old House (Candlewick Press, September 28, 2021) written by Janet Costa Bates with artwork by AG Ford presents a charming nightly routine.  

ISAAC LOVED THE NEW PAJAMAS he got for his first

sleepover at Grandpop's house.  He loved laughing and

playing with Grandpop.  But he didn't love the thought

of sleeping away from home. 

When Isaac said he wasn't sleepy, Grandpop was okay with him being awake.  They did need to put the house to bed, though.  This was something new for Isaac.

Grandpop said they needed to be quiet and move slowly.  They needed to turn off the lights to make it darker.  Isaac was a bit spooked by the sound of Snuffles' nails clicking on the floor.  

Then the trio, Grandpop, his dog, and Isaac, moved down the hallway.  Another sound startled Isaac, but after looking outside he was relieved.  They pulled down the shades at the windows.  (Of what does this remind you?)

Up the stairs they went as the house settled, creaking.  In the bedroom, Isaac's mother's old room, he picked out a story to read to the house.  Isaac could only read the pictures.  When he finished, nestled in Grandpop's lap, he realized Grandpop was sound asleep.  Each thing he did with his grandfather, Isaac now completed within the room until another sound could be heard.

Readers immediately warm to Grandpop because author Janet Costa Bates gives him a compassionate heart.  As he and his grandson move about the house performing tasks to put it to bed, the number of tasks mingles with the trio of sounds to make a soothing cadence.  The blend of narrative and conversation allows us to understand both the boy and his grandfather and their deeply affectionate relationship.  Here is a passage.

Creak. Creak. Creak.

"What's that noise?" asked Isaac. (page turn)

"This old house makes sleepy sounds, just like you," said

Grandpop.  "You yawn.  You stretch.  I bet you even snore." 

"I don't think I snore," said Isaac.

Grandpop shrugged.  "But if you're sleeping, how do you

know?"  He chuckled loudly, then caught himself and put

his hand over his mouth.  . . .

The serenity, security, and warmth shown on the front, right side, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case wraps around readers like a beloved blanket.  The shadows from the soft glow of the lamp further create a cozy atmospheric scene.  Grandpop, Isaac, Bear, and Snuffles are the very picture of nighttime peace.  Look how Isaac has his finger to his lips to quiet the clock's chiming.

To the left, on the back, a circular image is placed on a background of dusty blue.  It is Grandpop's house.  He and Isaac are standing on the front porch waving.  Behind the house the sky is awash in the colors of a setting sun.  This is a cropped version of the double-page picture for the title page.

That visual includes the surrounding lawn and forested countryside.  Isaac's parents are driving down the driveway, his Mom leaning out the window and waving.  Grandpop's blue truck sits next to the house.  The backyard has a high white-picket fence around it.

Snuffles makes an appearance on the opening and closing endpapers on a pale yellow canvas.  In the first, he is walking to the right edge.  In the second, he is curled and fast asleep in his bed on the left.

These heartwarming images by AG Ford rendered in 

watercolor

are two-page pictures, full-page visuals or two or three smaller illustrations grouped on a single page.  AG Ford takes us sometimes close to Isaac and Grandpop and other times gives us a larger view of the inside of a room.  The faces of Isaac and Grandpop sparkle with light and emotion in every scene.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Grandpop and Isaac first enter the bedroom.  We are given a complete picture of the room.  It has a dresser with a mirror and a lamp and a stack of books on it, an iron bed with a quilt near a window, a floor lamp positioned between the bed and an easy chair with an end table.  An oval rag rug is on the wooden floor.  Grandpop, seated in the easy chair, is holding out a book to Isaac who holds Bear in his hand.  Snuffles is dragging a blanket across the floor as he heads toward his bed.  

Once you've read Time For Bed, Old House written by Janet Costa Bates with illustrations by AG Ford, you'll want to take the same journey around your home each night.  It is a habit worth forming and you'll want to have this book as the last thing you read before drifting into the sweetest of dreams.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Janet Costa Bates and AG Ford and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Janet Costa Bates has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  AG Ford has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.   At Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  Janet Costa Bates visits with librarian, lecturer at Rutgers, and writer John Schumacher at his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  Both the author and illustrator are featured at Maria Marshall's site as they speak about this title.

It can never be stated enough.  Having a canine companion exposes you to wonders of the world you might otherwise miss.  You witness enormous rings around a full moon in winter on nights so crisp the air feels like glass.  You are privy to stunning sunrises with clouds catching an array of red, orange, and yellow hues.  Fortunately my furry friend is used to pausing on our walks, so her human can enjoy what the night or day offers.  

Sometimes when the sun is rising on one horizon, the moon is shimmering above another horizon.  The Children's Moon (Scholastic Press, October 19, 2021) written by Carmen Agra Deedy with artwork by Jim LaMarche is a lovely explanatory tale about this splendid event.  Compromise, kindness, and friendship work wonders. 

There once was a time

when the sun alone ruled the day,

the moon graced the night,

and little children were put firmly to bed before sunset.   

And once it happened as the sun was rushing the moon away, she heard a sound which caressed her heart.  It was the laughter of children.  The next time the moon and sun passed each other, she implored him to tell her about children. 

She longed to have them see her, but the sun was not about to relinquish a moment of his day.  He finally told her what the world was like under his brilliance; its places, people, and animals were a thing of beauty.  She in turn told him how the world was under her glow.

Her discourse did not impress the sun until she talked about stars.  He was astonished there were so many others like him that he had never seen.  Together they accomplished something never previously done.

The sun was filled with gratitude.  A request was renewed.   A phenomenon was born.

Carmen Agra Deedy's storytelling skills shine in this story of the sun and moon.  For anyone who has felt pure joy at the sound children's laughter brings, they know its power.  It is this power which forms the basis of this tale of a solar eclipse and the wonder observed before and after each full moon. 

The majority of the narrative is formed through spirited dialogue between the sun and the moon.  It reveals their personalities and how each sees the day and the night.  In this way, they form an eternal friendship.  The word choices in these conversations are lyrical.  Here is a passage.

"Thank you," the sun whispered.

"Now," sang the moon, "will you please-please-please-with a comet on top

let me see the children?"

The sun nodded his fiery head.  "Of course.  But it's a poor trade, my friend.

I've seen the stars."

The shades of blue shown on the matching dust jacket and book case coupled with the sheen of the moon's light depict a breathtaking vision of peace and longing.  It is a two-page image spanning from the left edge on the back to the right edge on the front.  On the back large bunk beds hold three sleeping children, one on top and two on the bottom.  Child-drawn pictures of the sun are attached to the wall.  Coats and hats hang on the bed posts.  A pair of binoculars dangles from a peg on the wall.  The breeze blowing in the open window moves the curtain over the spine and to one of the bed posts.

The dog, on the front, probably holding his cherished tennis ball, has dropped it to gaze at the moon. Animals have a keen sense of understanding that which we cannot.  The moon and the title text are varnished on the jacket.

A bright turquoise covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, the moon moves quickly across the sky, looking behind her.  She heard the laughter.  The roofs of homes are below her.

Jim LaMarche rendered these illustrations 

in acrylics and pencil on Arches watercolor paper.

Luminescent is a word which comes to mind when you look at each double-page picture in this book.  The use of light and shadow is superb.  The sun's brilliance casts warmth on each scene, whether it is a simple cottage in the country with a family welcoming the day, a meadow, a jungle, a grand city, or a field of sunflowers.  In contrast, the cool glimmer of the moon provides tranquility as the northern lights span from horizon to horizon, owls and bats fly in search of food, and fireflies and plankton give forth their own kind of light.

The intricate details will have readers pausing at each page turn.  They will enjoy the shift in perspectives, depending on the position of the sun or moon.  And they will delight in the facial expressions on both the moon and the sun. 

One of my many favorite illustrations is the two-page wordless picture.  Beginning in the upper, right-hand corner, a peak of a mountain invites our eyes to descend to another range in front of it.  Evergreen trees stand as tall as soldiers at attention.  In front of them are more huge boulders on the ground and a single evergreen tree.  A baby bear is climbing it.  The mother is seated on a nearby boulder.  On the other side of the gutter, to the left, another baby bear is climbing a rock.  They are looking to the left at a gorgeous expanse of sky.  The moon is passing in front of the sun.

As a bedtime story, as an introduction to a unit on folktales or a study of the sun and moon, this book, The Children's Moon written by Carmen Agra Deedy with illustrations by Jim LaMarche is excellent.  At the close of the book is more about "the children's moon" and how to see it, as well as phases of the moon.  There is also a page devoted to Strange & Wonderful Facts about the Moon.  Please make sure to have a copy on all your bookshelves.

To learn more about Carmen Agra Deedy and her other work, please access her website by following the link attached to her name.  Carmen Agra Deedy has an account on Facebook.  Carmen Agra Deedy and this book are celebrated at librarian, lecturer, and writer John Schumacher's site, Watch. Connect. Read.

Northern Michigan was coated in at least five inches of snow Sunday and Sunday evening.  It is currently snowing in spurts between bursts of sunshine with another three to four inches expected by tomorrow morning.  It would seem that winter has finally arrived.  Our morning walks have been quieter except for the crows, chickadees, and cardinals.  Rabbits and the neighborhood fox leave tracks we can now see.

The changing of the seasons and the response of our animal residents is a constant source of fascination.  Winter Lullaby (Candlewick Press, December 7, 2021) written by Dianne White with artwork by Ramona Kaulitzki allows us to see how a variety of animals prepare for winter.  It follows one little bear who is not quite ready for slumber.  Let's join this youngster and his mother on a stroll through the forest.

Cool winds blow through graying skies.

Geese are honking long goodbyes.

Autumn clouds sweep overhead.

Let's go, Small Bear.  It's time for bed.

Small Bear sees a mouse and a chipmunk bounce in and out of view.  If they are awake, why must he sleep?  Mama replies each is hurrying toward their earned rest.  One buries nuts in a snug nook and the other will cuddle in a delicate nest.

As mother and child journey, Skunk and Hare race across a carpet of leaves.  If they are awake, why must Small Bear sleep?  They are playing until Skunk goes below the surface of the ground and Hare slumbers in an empty hollow.

Badger and Raccoon are observed.  Where will they go when it snows?  If they are awake, why must this child go to bed?  Mama patiently answers, naming the homes of each one.  

Small Bear does not want to go into the den.  Mama explains why they cannot remain in the winter weather.  She gives Small Bear promises of future fun.  Cub and mother curl as one.

When you read the words, silently or aloud, penned by Dianne White, you find yourself quietly humming.  Each rhyming couplet acts as a verse in a winter song, a song of silence, an interlude between seasons. An inviting rhythm is made by the back-and-forth conversation between Mama and Small Bear.  In the final pages, when it is simply the two of them, the trust and affection grow stronger as questions are asked and answered.  Dianne White uses the technique of storytelling three expertly when the cub notices two animals three times.  Here is a passage, one of Small Bear's questions and Mama's reply.

Badger pauses in the light.

Where will she spend this frosty night?  . . .

Badger will settle---soon, not yet---

tucked inside her chambered sett.  . . .

The ambience fashioned by illustrator Ramona Kaulitzki for the open and matching dust jacket and book case is one of a serene transformation between autumn and winter.  A single image covers both the left, back, and right, front, of the jacket and case.  A gray and golden yellow sky releases flakes of snow on layered rolling hills.  Snow-covered evergreens dot the hills.  In the foreground two trees, one on the far right and the other just left of the spine, are still holding their golden leaves.  On either side of the spine, a shrub has a few leaves left.  Mama and Small Bear walk through the gathering snow, already in conversation.  The title text and several of the large snowflakes are varnished on the front of the jacket.

On the opening and closing endpapers, a pattern is made with a radiate orange wash.  It is a blend of single snowflakes and leaves.  They both seem to be falling.  With a page turn, we see the title page.  Winter has arrived in the woods, indicated by the snowy view.  Large lacy snowflakes tumble on the already blanketed ground, trees branches, and evergreen boughs.

Rendered

digitally

the image sizes alternate between two-page pictures, edge to edge, single-page pictures, edge to edge, and several smaller images on crisp white backgrounds.  Most of those on the white canvases bring us close to Small Bear and Mama focusing on their affection and intimacy.  The next thing readers will notice is how Small Bear and Mama move through the story to their den.

As they come to a river, Mama secures a boat so she can row to the other shore.  A tiny red bird sits on the edge of the boat.  The animals asleep in their homes are close to the reader as the bears travel past them.  Mama carries Small Bear on her shoulders or under her arm.  They are often holding paws.  What careful readers will notice is that in nearly all of the illustrations elements curve or compose a circle to give a sense of comfort.  It is also interesting to note we see the shadows of geese flying on the opening picture and they are in full color between the text for the dedication and publication information on the final page.  Full circle.

Aptly named, this book, Winter Lullaby written by Dianne White with illustrations by Ramona Kaulitzki, is certain to hush the most restless reader into their precious dreams.  It is a prelude to hibernation for the bears and their forest friends.  It is a book you'll need on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Dianne White and Ramona Kaulitzki and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Dianne White has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Ramona Kaulitzki has accounts on Facebook, Behance, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House, you can view interior illustrations.

The Beat Of Buzz

Several summers ago, honey bees swarmed by the hundreds gathering goodness from flowers on a particular set of bushes towering along one side of my deck.  They allowed me to get close enough with my camera to capture the golden pollen on their legs.  Watching them for hours was like a gift from Mother Nature.

In the following years the bees have diminished in great numbers.  Thankfully there are keepers of bees like Don Snoeyink of Thornapple Woodlands dedicated to their care. In his presentation at our summer reading program he fascinated us with facts about these essential creatures.  (A queen can lay more than 2,000 eggs a day in the summer!) When we learn about these marvels of the insect world on a personal level, our respect and desire to assist in the quality of their lives grows.  The King of Bees (Peachtree Publishers, April 1, 2018) written by Lester L. Laminack with illustrations by Jim LaMarche allows us to see their value by leaving a mark on our hearts.

Henry and Aunt Lilla lived deep in the Lowcountry, where South Carolina reaches out and mingles with the saltwater to form tidal creeks and marshes.  Sometimes Henry felt like the whole world ended at the far edge of that water.

Included in the landscape of Henry's world beyond his home, the garden, hen house and shed were beehives.  For the bees Henry felt a genuine affection.  He longed to help his Aunt with the bees.  She finally agreed he could watch her work.  Clothed in her bee suit, wearing her hat with a net and keeping the smoker nearby, she spoke softly to them.

Their buzzing was not a reply to her words but a sign of them working.  They danced when they had news to share.  It was the sister bees doing all the work.  Only a few boy bees, drones, were needed to help the queen make more bees.

No amount of begging changed Aunt Lilla's mind about Henry working with the bees.  He knew from past experiences patience on his part was important but one morning he went to the shed to look over the beekeeping items.  As he looked at each thing, especially the suit, he imagined talking to the bees.

Finding his Aunt in the garden they chatted about the queen, sister bee workers and the brother bees.  Henry was determined to help the sister bees.  He even practiced dancing around the bees telling them about a clover patch.  Can you guess what Henry saw among those flowers the next day?

One day unusually activity at the hives caused Aunt Lilla to leave on an errand.  Henry wanted to help too.  Doing what he had never done before now, Henry bravely spoke without words and danced.  What happened next is a story worth telling so all ears can hear it for years and years.

When Lester L. Laminack tells us a tale he brings us deep into the place and time with his lovely descriptions.  He enriches us with the personalities of his characters through the conversations they share.  In them we see the best people have to offer to each other.  In this particular narrative he strengthens our connection to nature through the bees.  Every living thing is integral to keeping balance.  Here are two adjoining passages on separate pages.

His eyes came to rest on the bee suit.  He
was certain there was something magic about
it.  He just knew if he had one of his own he
could get closer to the hives and bee-talk like
Aunt Lilla.

Henry left the shed and found
Aunt Lilla in the garden.  "How come
the brother bees don't help their
sisters?" he asked.  "Can't the king
bee make them do some of the work?"


As soon as you see the face of the boy on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case, you are intrigued by his hat, the net and the bees.  Is he the king of bees?  If he is, what makes him the king?  As your eyes move across the spine to the left a field of flowers is spread before you.  A low tree (shrub) line is behind them.  Two bee hives are in the field.  The soft earth and pastel tones used by illustrator Jim LaMarche draw us into this peaceful scene.  The title is embossed in foil.

On the opening and closing endpapers we are presented with a bird's eye view of Henry and Aunt Lilla's property bordered by water on two sides.  With a page turn at the beginning we see a close-up of clover and daisies with bees humming among the blossoms.  The sky is awash in breathtaking shades of blue with a few clouds.  On the title page a hive is placed beneath the title text.  Bees swarm from the hive on this page and across the gutter to the left on the verso page.

Each two-page picture rendered in ink and watercolor by Jim LaMarche is a beautiful and loving moment frozen in time. We are transported to South Carolina in the summer season.  We can feel the humidity in the air, hear the soft murmur of the water and the call of birds.  More importantly we hear the humming of the sister bees.

Jim LaMarche alters his perspective to heighten our involvement in the story and to accent the pacing.  Several times he brings us close to Henry.  Other times we are looking at a setting from above or as a landscape.  Mr. LaMarche's artwork is nearly photographic in its details but softened by the medium.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when we are reading about Henry's need for patience in working with the bees.  A past experience in the hen house is shared with readers.  We zoom in on Henry carrying three eggs in his hands raised up to his face.  A fourth egg is under his chin.  A fifth egg is tumbling to the straw.  Behind him in glowing hues three hens sit on their nests in their boxes.  The light and shadow and colors on Henry's face are gorgeous.  And many of us have held the same expression on our faces as appears on his.


A gentle story, The King of Bees written by Lester L. Laminack with illustrations by Jim LaMarche, is for one-on-one reading or reading to a group.  It speaks to the love of family and of nature. In an author's note Lester L. Laminack talks about the premise for this book and his lifelong attraction to bees. You could pair this with  Bee-&-Me: A Story About Friendship Old Barn Books, April 7, 2016 written and illustrated by Alison Jay, Please Please the Bees Albert Whitman and Company, April 11, 2017 written and illustrated by Gerald Kelley and The Honeybee Atheneum Books For Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, May 8, 2018 written by Kirsten Hall with illustrations by Isabelle Arsenault.

To learn more about Lester L. Laminack and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website you can view an excerpt, a printable poster and additional resources.  Here is a teacher's guide they created.  The cover is revealed by Lester L. Laminack at the Nerdy Book Club.  At November Picture Book Month Lester L. Laminack talks in an essay about the importance of picture books.

An Invitation---An Acceptance

Vigilant observers of our natural world will be rewarded, not always instantly or even after years but many times when they least expect it.  Sometimes Mother Nature will leave you clues; a color not previously present, a movement caught out of the corner of your eye, an unusual sound or a strange smell.

If you are fortunate when driving down a two-lane highway in northern Michigan, you will see a flash of black and white by the side of the road.  When it lifts into the air you believe it to be the largest Pileated woodpecker you have ever seen, but...when you peek into the woods as you pass by it's not a woodpecker.  It is the closest you have ever been to an adult bald eagle!

You gasp at seeing what is surely an extraordinary gift.  Pond (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, September 13, 2016) written and illustrated by Jim LaMarche is about a boy finding a hint of what was and what could be.  It's about having determination and dedication to preserve, protect and resurrect.

"This is so weird," I said to myself as I watched the clear water bubble up from the ground.
We had always called it "the Pit."

Following the stream created by the water source, Matt gives an old spot another look.  With the assistance of his sister, Katie and his best friend Pablo, the trio clears all the junk and rubbish from "the Pit."  They build a dam with rocks and logs from the surrounding wooded area.  During their work Pablo makes an exciting discovery; a glass-like blue rock chipped in the shape of a heart.

Spring passes into summer with the site gradually filling with water; a pond is forming.  An old wooden boat is patched, rough portions are sanded and nails are pounded back into place.  Idyllic days are spent on the pond in the refurbished vessel.

Before the trio realizes it, the day before school arrives.  Matt's and Katie's dad takes them for a sleepover at the pond.  In autumn, for the first time the children can remember, geese pause to rest instead of flying overhead without stopping.  Winter days are spent skating on the ice as soon as it freezes.

With the last of the snows melted and spring in full bloom, Matt, Katie and Pablo race to the top of the hill overlooking the pond.  From this perspective they can hardly believe what they see.  They finally reach a decision together.  They are rewarded with a quiet, remarkable happening which none of them will ever forget.


A deep affection and appreciation for the out-of-doors is evident in the work of Jim LaMarche.  His narrative embodies a timeless quality.  What the children accomplish could be done today or decades ago.  LaMarche makes a reference to this in some quiet remarks by Matt's father.

His combination of first person point of view and dialogue bring a genuine quality to the story.  As the three children work and play together LaMarche allows us to see their separate personalities emerge; the thinker, the researcher and the musician.  It's important the parents of all the children are included with the occasional assistance they provide.  Here is a passage from this book.

"The Dragonfly floats!" Pablo proclaimed as we pulled the boat into the pond.  The water was cool and crystal clear and shallow enough to walk around the entire pond.  We all took our turn pulling the boat.
"Those are barn swallows," said Katie.  "They eat mosquitoes."
"Well, then, I love barn swallows," said Pablo.  


The image you see on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case continues over the spine to the far left edge.  It is a stunning display of animals frequently seen in woods, fields and around a pond; cottontail rabbits, Canadian geese, a Red-Winged Blackbird, egrets, a fawn, a mallard, a mourning dove, and two smaller birds on the left.  The boy standing there is a testament to the mutual regard grown between them.  The raised varnished letters of the title are a complement to the other hues.

On the opening endpapers LaMarche gives readers a bird's eye view of the pond in the late spring before Matt makes his discovery.  At the edge of the wood is a row of houses and a city is in the near distance.  It is a stark scene.  On the closing endpapers it is late spring one or more years later. The boat is pulled up at the edge of the pond.  A painter stands at an easel capturing the beauty before him.

Rendered in acrylics, colored pencils and opaque inks on Arches watercolor paper these illustrations all span both pages left to right in a delicate, soft depiction of the discovery, the work, the enjoyment and the reward of the children.  LaMarche begins on the publication page with Matt walking through a gate in his fenced in back yard.  The title page shows him going into the woods and seeing the old boat.

In keeping with the text the visuals may give us a larger view as when the children are carrying logs and stones or bring us close for when they look at the blue, heart-shaped rock.  LaMarche's light and shading create breathtaking scenes replete with his intricate details.  They create wonderful sensory experiences for readers.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is the lovely wordless picture of a summer day at the pond.  Katie is in the boat, a patched umbrella standing in the center for shade.  As she gently paddles at one end we can see sandals in the bottom and three glasses on a seat next to a jug.  Another paddle lies in the boat. Two books are open on the back seat with the blue, heart-shaped stone.  A duck has climbed on the back edge.  A bird is perched on the top and two are on sides of the umbrella.  An egret and heron wade in the pond as a kingfisher flies away carrying a fish.  A rabbit watches from the bank as Matt rests on a floating raft and Pablo scoops water into a pail.  The slow movements on the surface and reflections of light are wonderful.


Pond written and illustrated by Jim LaMarche brings to readers the wonders our world offers to us if we have the eyes to see and the mind, heart and strength to do what needs to be done.  This book offers readers an opportunity.  I highly recommend its use in units on the seasons, teamwork and appreciation and preservation of our natural world.

In addition to the front jacket and case illustration you can view six other interior images at the publisher's website.  You will gain insight into this author illustrator by reading this discussion and interview when his book, Up, was released.  Here is a biography found at another publisher's site which is informative.  I think you will enjoy this video where LaMarche discusses how he creates his illustrations; in this case for The Carpenter's Gift. 

An Expected Arrival

The empty hummingbird feeder sways in the brisk breezes, frequent flyers having left for the year.  Milkweed pods hang on slim stems ready to burst open.  Every morning fresh deer tracks pattern my gardens; hostas, ornamental cabbages, mums, hollyhocks, hydrangeas and phlox are their urban salad bar.   High and low temperatures for any given twenty-four hour period plunged by at least fifteen degrees last week; it looks like they are staying.  In eight days it will be official.

In eight days on September 23, 2014 the autumnal equinox will arrive.  It signals a significant shift in weather forecasts, animal patterns and habitat transformations paving the way for the coldest season of the year.  Winter Is Coming (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) written by Tony Johnston with illustrations by Jim LaMarche is a remarkable ode to this resplendent interval.

It is a cold September day.
Fall is still here but ice
is in the air, I feel it.
Winter is coming.

A young girl walks through the archway entrance to her farm, heading toward the neighboring woods.  Ever so quietly she makes her way to a platform in a tree, carrying a backpack and sketchbook, ready to observe and record.  Still as a stone she listens and looks; a red fox seeks the last apple on a nearby branch.  Two bears, a mother and a cub, hunt for food nearby on another day.

Skunks, woodpeckers and rabbits search and work in preparation for winter in October.  The animals are getting ready; they know and understand.  Food is scare; nothing found is wasted.

The month of silence and silver descends.  A lynx at moonrise, scampering chipmunks, speckled fawns and a doe make an appearance on different days in November.  The stillness is shattered by honking geese; their familiar V gliding overhead.

There comes a time though when no creature comes to the special place in the forest.  The very air is filled with anticipation.  Could it be there are no more lessons to be learned among the hushed trees and fields?  Snowflakes fall on a young girl and a red fox.  Winter comes.


As she calmly sits in the presence of nature's changing seasons a girl gives voice to her perceptions.  Her spoken words, given a timeless tempo by author Tony Johnston, are as gentle, quiet and patient as she and the world around her.  It's as if we are breathing with the same rhythm she is.  Repeated words,

quiet
watching
winter is coming

add to the near silent symphony.  Interspersed among her musings are shared words of wisdom from her father and mother.  Her family is clearly in touch with nature.  Here is a portion of a passage.

I can smell them before I see them.
Not a bad smell; a real smell.
My father says
animals are true
to themselves.
Skunks are skunks.


When I opened the dusk jacket of this book, I held my breath.  Readers are warmly invited to experience everything the character enjoys with her senses.  Jim LaMarche brings us near to her as she stands next to the steps leading up to the platform in her tree.  The book case beneath is identical except for the color of winter and the author's and illustrator's names.  The silver is now bright white.  On the opening endpapers a pair of binoculars, several colored pencils, a writing pencil, a small hand-held pencil sharpener, blank paper and sketchbooks are displayed.  Filled with drawings of observed animals, paper and sketchbooks along with a single colored pencil, an eraser and a collected maple leaf are spread across the closing endpapers.

No space is wasted by Jim LaMarche; his illustrative story begins with the first page turn. Rendered in acrylics, colored pencils, and opaque inks on Arches watercolor paper all the pictures cover two pages, edge to edge.  Photographic details are softened through his use of medium.  His color palette, rich and luminous, golden yellow, rustic red, soft brown, deep green and complimentary blues and purples, is absolutely stunning.  Altered viewpoints create a rare realism; you could step into any one of the visuals.

One of my favorite illustrations is on the day no animals come.  LaMarche shows the girl seated on the platform, her back to us, looking into the woods.  She is wearing her purple scarf and hat with her rosy coat.  Her backpack is hanging on a broken tree branch.  The pair of binoculars, a thermos, two sketchbooks and several pencils are on either side of her.  The overall color is of a cold, misty morning near the end of autumn.  A few reddish leaves remain on the boughs; others have fallen to the forest floor and the platform.


Run, don't walk, to your nearest bookstore, to get your personal and a classroom copy of Winter Is Coming written by Tony Johnston with illustrations by Jim LaMarche.  It's an eloquent portrait of autumn moving into winter.  This title will certainly be placed on my Mock Caldecott list.