Earth Week 2021 #3

Today, April 22, 2021 is Earth Day! The theme for this year's Earth Day is Restore Our Earth.  For those who treasure this planet, every day brings new news, some good, some bad, about the state of this home to all living things.

In September 2019, Time magazine released a double issue devoted to climate.  One of the articles in this issue, The Amazon Rain Forest Is Nearly Gone: We Went To The Front Lines To See If It Could Be Saved, contains some startling facts.  Did you know in 2019 there was an 111% increase in fires in the Amazon?  Deforestation is claiming this vast area at a devastating rate.  We do have choices.

Zonia's Rain Forest (Candlewick Press, March 30, 2021) written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal presents an intimate and affectionate view of the Amazon rain forest.  In a single day, a little girl, a member of the Ashaninka people, reveals her bond to this natural wonder and its inhabitants.  Her tie, her pledge, to this space becomes our tie, our pledge, to this space.

Zonia lives with those she loves in the rain forest,

where it is always green and full of life. 

As this child starts her day, the world around her speaks to her.  She listens and replies.  When she encounters animals, some familiar and some unfamiliar, she greets them all equally.

Conversations with new arrivals are joyful occasions.  Zonia stops to remind special friends of their status, favorites.  She rides on top of a speedy pal.  You'll never guess its name.

At the riverbank, two mammals residing in the water, swim away.  She asks them a question.  Mothers and their new children remind her of her new brother.  Zonia plays games with some animals, considers the point of view of others and selects a few to help her center and calm.

Heading home after a morning spent with her rain forest companions, Zonia suddenly stops.  Spread before her is the opposite of green and full of life.  What has happened?  This worried and alarmed little girl hurries home, showing what she has gathered to her mother.  Her mother answers her declaration.  Zonia makes a choice as she has done each day of her life.  We, too, do have choices.

As you read this story penned by Juana Martinez-Neal, you feel a melody stir within you.  When Zonia meets each rain forest dweller, a declarative sentence is usually followed by dialogue, she talking to them.  These couplets (or single sentences) are like separate tunes, contributing to a whole song.  Running through the song is sheer joy until she can't believe what she sees.  This dramatic pause leads us to what Zonia is in the center of her soul in the center of her world.  Here is a passage.

If she is lucky, her fastest friend will invite her for a short ride

through the thicket.

"We are mighty!" Zonia says, for that is what she feels in her heart.

The greenery seen on the front, right, of the open dust jacket extends to the edge of the flap, on the top and the bottom.  It continues on the other side of the spine, going to the far-left edge of the flap.  These rain forest leaves frame beautiful Zonia and her blue butterfly companion as well as three other rain forest inhabitants shown on the back, left, of the dust jacket.  A single sentence here invites us to journey with Zonia.  Even now, after seeing Zonia on the front multiple times, I am mesmerized by her expression.  It is as if she knows something we don't, her wisdom far beyond her years.  

On the book case a stunning display in shades of green blended with hues of blue are rain forest leaves.  Among them, on both the back and the front, are tendrils of yellow flowers.  How many readers will notice the hidden insects on the back and the front, one more camouflaged than the other?

On the opening and closing endpapers in two colors of muted orange are butterflies.  Some alone and others so close they appear as one.  You want to stand there and have them flutter around you.  On the initial title page ferns and tendrils frame the text as the blue butterfly pauses under the words.  On the verso and title pages, more flora frames text and Zonia.  The delicate blue butterfly is near to her.

Each illustration by Juana Martinez-Neal was

created with acrylic, colored pencil, pastel, ink, and linocuts and woodcuts on handmade banana bark paper.

The fabric of the paper fashions a welcoming surface for all the additional elements and us.  The fine lines used everywhere, the intricate patterns of the leaves, the exquisite details on the homes and the colorful material of the clothing worn by Zonia and her mother all supply us with a sense of being in the rain forest with this little girl.  With each page turn, readers will be looking for the blue morpho butterfly.

All the double-page images in this book are my favorite illustrations, but one is the essence of good cheer.  In this scene, Zonia discovers three Andean cock-of-the-rock birds.  Their bright orange-red feathers on their upper bodies contrasts strikingly with the black and gray plumes on their lower bodies.  Their tiny circular eyes seem to look straight at you.  Their chatter has Zonia smiling with her eyes closed as she presses her hands to her cheeks.  She and two birds are on the right and the third bird shares a vine-entwined branch with the butterfly.  The way the branches, ferns, and leaves weave around the birds, Zonia, and the butterfly is enchanting.

Readers will willingly step into the world revealed in Zonia's Rain Forest written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal.  We walk and run from place to place with this remarkable little girl as she approaches and interacts with her animal friends.  And without even a second thought we agree with her final sentence.  At the close of the book is an Ashaninka translation of this narrative, words about the Ashaninka people, facts about the Amazon, threats to the Amazon, and thumbnail portraits of Zonia's friends with their common and scientific names. and a few Selected Sources and Resources.  There is one final page of back matter.  This is a book to be read and shared widely and often.  Be sure to have a copy in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Juana Martinez-Neal and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At her website and on the page for this title are multiple resources.  Juana Martinez-Neal has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website are links to a teacher's guide and author notes.  At Penguin Random House are interior images.  At author, reviewer, and blogger, Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, Juana Martinez-Neal and this title are featured.  There are multiple process pictures.  At author, blogger and teacher librarian Travis Jonker's 100 Scope Notes, the cover is revealed along with a short interview with Juana Martinez-Neal.

 

Wondrous Water Wisdom

There are people who would much rather be in or on water than any other place.  Depending on the nearness of their homes to water and the seasons of the year, if there is an opportunity to enjoy water, they will take it.  When they are swimming, diving, kayaking, canoeing, paddleboarding, fishing, or sailing, they become one with the water and its inhabitants.  Many times, these activities are done in solitude or with a partner.  There is little spoken conversation, but there is an almost inexplicable bonding between an individual and water or between individuals and each other and their shared experiences in or on water.

There was once a man, a seaman, who had such a relationship with water. He knew water was to be treated with the utmost respect for its vital function in the continuation of all life.  He, like others who chose to observe, knew water revealed life lessons in unexpected ways.  Swashby and the Sea (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 5, 2020) written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal is a story of interrupted solitude, intervention by a close companion and the surprising results.

CAPTAIN SWASHBY loved the sea.

She, the sea, had spent many years with Captain Swashby.  She knew him better than he knew himself.  For his retirement, Captain Swashby settled in a small home on the edge of the sea.  With the sea at his side, he lacked for nothing.  He loved the silence.

All was well until the intrusion.  To Captain Swashby's dismay, a little girl and her grandmother settled in the vacant home next door.  It was no longer quiet.  Their beach gear was scattered across the sand.  Captain Swashby did not want neighbors.  He left them a message written in the sand.  The sea went to work.  The remaining letters spelled SING.

This word was the only invitation the little girl needed.  She sang and sang and sang.  She asked Captain Swashby what he wanted her to do next.  His unfriendly reply written in the sand was again altered.  When the little girl, with her granny nearby, attempted to do as he (the sea) requested, Captain Swashby clarified how to correctly make a starfish wish.  Their invitation for tea was spurned and a third message was left on the beach.

Each time he wrote a message, the sea erased some of the letters.  When the young neighbor attempted to respond, Captain Swashby couldn't stop pointing out the correct way to complete a task.  He approached and grumpily retreated, like waves washing on the beach.

Finally, the sea intervened in a manner not to be ignored.  Without thinking, Captain Swashby acted.  For the little girl, her granny and Captain Swashby, their lives by the sea shifted and the sea was satisfied.


When Beth Ferry presents Captain Swashby to readers, she does so with the use of alliteration and repetition. (This continues throughout the narrative, also.)  It's a gentle cadence, perfectly suited to the shock this seaman is about to receive.  Comedy is introduced in the contrast between this man who prefers seclusion to the togetherness offered by his new neighbors.

Having the sea act as a bridge between the two by washing away letters from his demands is a superb technique.  It's a subtle reminder of how friends can assist us in forming new, perhaps lasting, connections.  Here is a passage.

Swashby battened down the hatches,
hid when the doorbell rang, and fed their
oatmeal cookies to the gulls.
He didn't need neighbors.
He didn't want neighbors.
Neighbors were nosy,
a nuisance,
annoying.


You can almost feel the mist of sea spray and taste the salt in the air when you look at the open dust jacket.  The scene extends flap edge to flap edge.  On the left, back, flap edge sea glass, a wide-eyed blue crab and a baby seagull are placed around the descriptive text about Beth Ferry and Juana Martinez-Neal.  The sea shown behind the little girl and Captain Swashby on the front travels over the spine and across the entire back portion.  A yellow pail floats in the water in the upper, left-hand area of the sea.  The little girl and Captain Swashby on the front are carefully appraising each other, hints of smiles on both of their faces.  On the front flap a seagull holds a starfish in its beak near another yellow pail. 

On the book case, now resting higher and surrounded by sand is Swashby's boat.  It spans from back to front, left to right.  The lower portion of the boat bleeds off the bottom edge.  A seagull is perched on the stern.  A blue crab is resting on the bow.  The title is written in the sand on the right, above the boat.  Beth Ferry's and Juana Martinez-Neal's names are on the front of the boat.

Two tight and unfolding swirls of shades of turquoise cover the opening and closing endpapers, like waves.  On the title page, with his back to us, Swashby is painting a number on his boat.  Items from the sea, a piece of driftwood, seaweed, a starfish, and a curious crab are on the sand.  A yellow pail is next to the boat.

These illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal rendered

in acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite on hand-textured paper

are double-page pictures replete with delicate details and charm.  Juana Martinez-Neal combines soft textures with bolder colors to place emphasis on those elements which enhance the narrative.  This is seen in the initial distinction between Swashby and the little girl and her granny. It's apparent in the stuffed toy cat left sitting on the edge of Swashby's boat as the little girl walks on his dock.  A conch shells is placed near the little girl as she sings.  Sailboats pattern the fabric of the chair Swashby sits in on his porch.  And Swashby's heart tattoo labeled El Ma . . . declares his true love.

The wide, circular glasses on the little girl, the bushy eyebrows and full beard on Swashby and the beaded jewelry worn by Granny are signature characteristics endearing readers to each of them.  As Juana Martinez-Neal depicts the abandon the little girl displays with everything she does, Swashby's determination at avoidance, but also his desire at perfection, and Granny's steady generosity, our knowledge of them grows.  They may not know it, but we watch through Juana Martinez-Neal's artwork as the sea becomes the center around which their lives revolve and intertwine.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the sea washes away the letters in Captain Swashby's first message leaving SING.  Gently curving toward the sea through the sand is the wooden deck, moving from the foreground on the right, crossing the gutter and ending before the letters and water on the left.  Seaweed is scattered on the sand, as well as several seashells.  On the right, close to readers is the little girl.  Her right foot is on the deck and her left foot is kicked up in the air.  Her left arm and hand are extended up in joy.  In her right hand she carries a yellow pail.  Her eyes are closed behind her glasses.  Her mouth is open as she sings.  Her soft hair frames her face like a cloud.  In a word, this is bliss.


The longer you are out-of-doors, the more you realize it influences you; sometimes in ways you find extraordinary.  Swashby and the Sea written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal is a story of wise waves, and the forming of unlikely friendships.  It is a story of song, sand, seagulls, and starfish wrapped in teatime on towels.  This book is a storytime treasure, meant to be shared. Children will love the rhythm of the words and so will the adults who read them.  I highly recommend this for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Beth Ferry and Juana Martinez-Neal and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Juana Martinez-Neal has interior images from this book displayed on her website.  Beth Ferry has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Juana Martinez-Neal has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  The cover reveal for this book is hosted by Elizabeth Bird, Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system, at A Fuse #8 Production, School Library Journal.  Both Juana Martinez-Neal and Beth Ferry are interviewed about this book.  Beth Ferry is interviewed at PictureBookBuilders about this title and her work.

Across Time, Country And Culture

It's sitting on my kitchen counter, framed.  It's on a single piece of note paper. (He always kept a pad ready to use with a pencil or pen nearby.)  It's a handwritten recipe for navy bean soup penned by my dad in his signature style of writing.  He made his letter "a" differently than we were taught in school, as an architect or engineer might.  It's probably from watching his father, an engineer, work.

Next to me as I write this post are two of my mom's go-to cookbooks, Better Homes and Gardens Cook Book: Every Recipe Tested in Better Homes & Gardens' Tasting-Test Kitchen (November, 1946) and The Joy Of Cooking (1953).  To be honest, of the two, my dad was more comfortable in the kitchen, but for every meal, daily or for the holidays, each had their specialties to make.  We always knew certain foods would be prepared in a certain manner and our mouths watered in anticipation.  Eventually we were allowed to help and that, too, was a highly desired milestone.

Holding Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story (Roaring Brook Press, October 22, 2019) written by Kevin Noble Maillard with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal for the first time was believing I was about to step into a tale of tradition based on family and food.  I knew it would be an emotional experience and it was.  It was poignant for two reasons.  It stirred up wonderful memories of my own, of specific recipes and family gatherings.  I know, too, there will be numerous others who will see themselves and their families in this book and this fills my heart with infinite happiness

In this deeply intimate, poetic book with luminous images, thirteen declarations are written about fry bread.  For each of the first twelve there follows four or five descriptive phrases inviting readers into moments stored in collective hearts and minds.  Within these forty-eight pages, including the opening and closing endpapers, a transformative journey awaits all readers.

FRY BREAD IS FOOD
Flour, salt, water
Cornmeal, baking powder
Perhaps milk, maybe sugar

For making this food all the ingredients are blended in a large bowl.  Depending on the cook and the cook's helpers, the dough is formed into a variety of shapes and sizes.  When this dough is carefully dropped into hot oil the noise is like hearing a friend's voice.

The shades of fry bread are an assortment of those associated with comfort, security and natural truths.  The other foods served with fry bread are dictated by family favorites.  Fry bread means time taken to enjoy each day.  It brings people together to share other forms of creativity manifested in their arts.

Fry bread is a way to enter into meaningful conversations about Native American history and forced relocation into unknown lands without ingredients for making customary meals.  This bread is consumed beyond the lines of cities, states and countries.  It is eaten by many wherever their homes are.

All the known names of Native American tribes within the United States are celebrated in this statement:

FRY BREAD IS NATION.

In this meaning it becomes everything, then and now.  It is everyone, then and especially now.  It represents resilience. When readers look in the mirror, they will understand the final declaration, a single sentence.


There is strength in the words meticulously chosen by debut author Kevin Noble Maillard.  Each of the phrases combine to form an essential awareness about each declaration.  They act as defining support.  Here is one of the declarations with the four phrases.

FRY BREAD IS COLOR
Golden brown, tan, or yellow
Deep like coffee, sienna, or earth
Light like snow and cream
Warm like rays of sun


On the front of the dust jacket, the curve of the elder's arm around the bowl brimming with fry bread and the other arm holding the youngest child supplies us with a circle representing generations of familial traditions.  The look shared by the duo is one of affection.  Faint shapes similar to fry bread are placed on the background.  The background continues over the spine to the left, the back, of the jacket.  There are spots on the canvas signifying the splatters of oil from the cooking.  Centered on the back are three generations of family, grandparents, parents, six children, one dog and a small cat.  Several of the children are holding fry bread.  The youngest is still chewing on a piece.

On the book case an image spans across both sides.  A speckled blue cloth, like the sky for the declaration

FRY BREAD IS EVERYWHERE

covers most of the right side and nearly a half of the left.  On this cloth is fry bread in multiple shapes, sizes and colors.  Off to the left two hands are holding a cup of Te de manzamilla.  The sleeves on their top are pale blue with white scrolled stitching.  Six different hands are reaching for the fry bread on the table, young and older.  A fork and knife are on the cloth.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a listing, a tribute to,

the Indigenous nations and communities within the United States. . . .
This list also includes groups who were not successful in their attempts to achieve official status with the U. S. or state governments, like the Duwamish or the Little Shell Chippewa.

You cannot see these hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of names, row after row, without being deeply affected.

On the verso and title pages artist Juana Martinez-Neal begins with a double-page picture of the elder woman leaning forward and carrying a plate of fry bread.  Behind her on the left (her body begins on the left, crosses the gutter and continues on the right), the publication information is shown in what could be a recipe taped to the wall.  Both dedications are taped on hanging cooking pans.

The illustrations

were done in acrylics, colored pencils, and graphite on hand-textured paper.

Each page turn reveals a double-page image, a visual interpretation of words, extending and enhancing their meaning.  All the people featured are Native American with different physical characteristics, a reflection of the truth.  In the first illustration all five of the young children are happily following the grandmother, each carrying an ingredient.  The grandmother carries a bowl and the baby.  For the next picture, Juana Martinez-Neal shifts the perspective showing a table covered in ingredients, cooking utensils, hands shaping dough, and the large bowl with the elder stirring.

In each illustration the expressions on the children, the adults and the elders mirror their emotional state with perfection.  Many elements from Native America culture are included.  A portrait of an important woman is shown several times.  You'll go back and look at the pictures and study each one for the work of art it is.

For one of my many, many favorite pictures we are in the kitchen with a row of pots hanging from the top of the pages.  A counter spans from page edge to page edge.  On the counter is an assortment of food; beans, tomatoes, leaf lettuce, cut-up small corn cobs, a jar of sorghum, honey and cherry jam, and grated cheese to name some of them.  The children are lined up along the counter; their faces a mixture of excitement, bliss at the tastes to come and calm.  The father carries a plate of fry bread in front of them and partially off the right side.


This book, Fry Bread written by Kevin Noble Maillard with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, is a masterpiece.  Kevin Nobel Maillard's Author's Note is nearly eight pages of detailed explanations about each of the declarations.  Items in the illustrations are explained as well.  This is an outstanding addition.  On the final page of text are three references and a list of fifteen notes.  Prior to his Author's Note Kevin Noble Maillard shares his recipe for fry bread.  The illustration shown on the back of the dust jacket is enlarged and opposite this page.  This is an essential title for all professional and personal book collections.  It is an honor to have read this work.

To learn more about Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal and their other accomplishments, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Kevin Noble Maillard has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Juana Martinez-Neal has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  The cover reveal for this title was hosted by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher at Watch. Connect. Read. with an interview with both the author and illustrator.  There is a question and answer forum with both creators at Publishers Weekly.  This book is showcased on NPR Morning Edition.  Kevin Noble Maillard is interviewed at School Library Journal.  The Horn Book has five questions for Kevin Noble Maillard.  Author Chris Barton interview Kevin Noble Maillard on his blog, Bartography. Both Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal visit with teacher librarian Matthew Winner at The Children's Book Podcast.  I believe you will enjoy this article in Indian Country Today about this title.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.

A Parental Pause

As an educator in an elementary school you are privy to all sorts of student announcements.  As soon as they enter your classroom, if they have news, it will eagerly burst forth from their lips.  One of their favorite declarations is the birth of a new member in their family.

Most of them wear the cloak of mentorship with pride. They are happy to be the newly christened older sister or brother.  They acknowledge the changes already happening in their home.  Babymoon (Candlewick Press, April 2, 2019) written by Hayley Barrett with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal (Alma and How She Got Her Name) is dedicated to the precious time when parents and their new child are becoming acquainted and building a relationship.

The house is hushed.  The lights are low.
We're basking in a newborn glow.

The note we post says SEE YOU SOON.

Baby, mother and father are on their babymoon.  They ease into the morning, snoozing when they can.  Time is taken to read stories and play games.  Every little baby moment and movement is a cherished delight.

Before a snuggling noon nap, the trio share a special sweet treat.  Upon waking, it's warm water, soap and suds, it's bath time for baby.  Putting on the diaper is tricky for unpracticed parental hands.

Every gesture by mother and father is cozy and comforting, done with care.  The trio is pleasantly surprised at all the newness.  Hours pass until the day is coming to a close.  Night nestles around the home.  A lullaby is softly sung.

When the next day dawns, the joy begins anew.  There will be stories, naps, games, naps, baths, naps, diaper changes and lullabies to greet another night.  For mother, father and baby it's the bliss of their babymoon.


The gentle, soothing words penned by Hayley Barrett envelope readers with the first alliterative sentence.  This sense of serenity is continued with each rhyming embrace.  Every two lines, on each page turn, creates a calming cadence.  To complete this feeling of freshly acquired harmony Hayley Barrett closes using the same two rhyming words as she did in the beginning; we are part of a loving circle.  Here are two more sentences.

Our long-awaited dream---is you.
Amazed at all we thought we knew.


The words of this beautiful ode are elevated on the front of the dust jacket.  It's circles within circles; the mother cradling the child and the father wrapping his arms around them both.  Small circles, moons, are carefully placed around the trio.  The color palette, medium choices, line work and brush strokes combine to supply us with tranquility.  To the left, on the back, the family dog is curled around the family cat as the duo peacefully sleep.

On a lighter canvas large circles in varying shades of soft yellow pattern the back and front of the book case.  In the center of the front, tucked in a tiny yellow and white-striped blanket is the baby.  Eyes closed and hands clasped the baby sleeps among the moons.

A light hue of golden yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Rendered in acrylic, colored pencil, and graphite on handmade textured paper the illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal are a delicate portrait encompassing affection.  In the first of her double-page images we see the family's home.  A clothesline stretches from the house to a tree.  Hanging from the tree is a tire swing.  The sign reading SEE YOU SOON is three boards attached together by string.  A bird's nest is on the porch roof.  Vines grow around the doorway.  Everything about this picture says this is a happy homes full of hospitality.

Throughout the book, the double-page pictures on heavier, matte-finished paper are filled with exquisite details (and hints of Juana Martinez-Neal's birth country).  The facial features as each person gazes at the other are brimming with love.  Each visual has curves of compassion in them.  The line of the cat's tail follows the shape of the father's head.  The curve of the dog's body follows the curve of the rug and curve of the father's arms around the baby.  The presence of the cat and dog in the home and their place around the baby indicate the thoughtful and tender nature of the parents.

One of my many, many favorite pictures takes place in the kitchen in front of a big window and a row of lower cupboards.  In the corner of the window on the sill is a short, round vase full of flowers.  On the counter are two cups of tea.  Perched on the corner is the cat, watching. The mother has the sleeping baby cupped in her arms.  The father is holding a piece of birth day cake on a plate in one hand and feeding the mother a piece with the other hand.  The dog is intently staring hoping a crumb will drop.


Everything about this book, Babymoon written by Hayley Barrett with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, makes it one to cherish.  It welcomes with infinite kindness and wonder the arrival of a baby.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional book shelves.  This title is certain to become a family treasure.

To learn more Hayley Barrett and Juana Martinez-Neal and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Hayley Barrett has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Juana Martinez-Neal has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At Penguin Random House you are given a peek of the first few page turns.  Hayley Barrett and Juana Martinez-Neal are guests on The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner.  Hayley Barrett is interviewed about her work and this book at Picture Book Builders.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson features the book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.

UPDATE:  Juana Martinez-Neal is featured at author and school librarian Carter Higgins' site, Design Of The Picture Book, on May 7, 2019.

Como se llama? What is your name?

For every name given to a child, there is a story behind the giving of that name.  It is the story attached to each name which children find most fascinating.  Once they understand the reasoning behind their name, they desire to know the name's meaning and origin.  Many names originate from a country other than the country in which the child lives.  In the native country of the word, it can have a completely different definition.

It's uncanny how aptly named most of us are.  We are constantly a reflection of our names.  Alma and How She Got Her Name (Candlewick Press, April 10, 2018) debut as both author and illustrator for Pura Belpre 2018 Illustrator Award Winner (La Princesa and the Pea G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, September 5, 2017) Juana Martinez-Neal follows a conversation with a child and her father.

Alma Sofia Esperanza Jose Pura Candela had a long name---too long, if you asked her.

She approaches her daddy one day wondering why her name is so long.  He suggests she listens to the story of her name.  Then she can decide if it is too long.

Sofia is the name of her daddy's mother.  There were several things this woman loved but books and reading were a part of her life.  They're a part of Alma's life too.

Next is the name of a great-grandmother who longed to travel but never ventured from home, but her son did.  Each name represents a member of Alma's extended family, her father's father, a great-aunt and her other grandmother.  These family members are remembered for special qualities; qualities which Alma already sees as important in her life.

When the story of her name is nearly finished, the daughter requests of her father the reason for her first name, Alma.  His reply is what everyone needs to hear.  His reply is a gift born of love.


For a child their name can be a puzzle, especially if the name is unique or longer than the names of other children.  The gentle beauty of this story is in the rhythm Juana Martinez-Neal supplies through the conversation between Daddy and Alma.  For each of the names he explains the heart's desire of those relatives.  When he finishes Alma responds by comparing her similar accomplishments.  After Daddy speaks about his father, Jose, an artist, Alma's reply further confirms the love shared by father and daughter.

"I wake up early every day, and I draw a lot, too!
This morning, I drew a kitty cat for you, Daddy!"


The limited color palette shown to readers on the front of the dust jacket is used throughout the remainder of the book.  The subtle, soft texture is evident in every line Juana Martinez-Neal makes.  To the left, on the back, Alma is cozily seated next to her daddy in a large comfy chair.  They are looking at a picture of Sofia.  Next to the chair is a potted tree which grows up and over the duo like a delicate frame of tiny leaves and flowers.  It is in this picture we are introduced to one further color, a bit of blue.

It is this special shade of blue which provides the canvas on the book case.  In the center of the front, within a frame like a photograph is Alma.  She is hugging a book with her name on it and holding a pencil.  Her eyes are shifted up to look at the tiny bird perched on her head.  Readers are going to love looking for the bird in each illustration.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a cream and pale red striped pattern like the clothing worn by Alma.  Rendered in graphite, colored pencils, and print transfers on handmade textured paper each image is worthy of framing.  Many of them span a single page except when Alma is talking in response to her father's story.  Then we are treated to double-page pictures.

What will have readers pausing at every page turn are the details. These elements are a mirror of a culture and a family.  The potted plant in Sofia's picture is still alive and next to Alma and her daddy.  In several of the illustrations Alma is interacting with the relatives.  It's as if she is stepping back into the past to meet them.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the wall in Alma's bedroom.  In the background is a gathering of her favorite animals covering two pages.  Each has the Spanish name on or near it.  On the far right is a drawing of Alma holding a balloon.  A line is strung across her room with pictures hanging from it, held in place by clothes pins.  On the left Alma is busy working.  A ladder leans against the wall next to her.  A bucket of her artist's brushes hangs from it.  The picture of the kitty she made for her daddy is clipped to a rung.  Alma's back is to us as she reaches with a paint brush to complete another element of her mural.


Surely Alma and How She Got Her Name written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal is one of the most delightful titles available addressing the story of names.  It reinforces the value of family history and tradition.  Once we know from where we come, it is easier to move forward making our own story. At the close of the book Juana Martinez-Neal writes a note to readers about her name and invites them to learn about their names.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Juana Martinez-Neal and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Juana also maintains a blog.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior illustration.  At Penguin Random House you can view other images.  The cover was revealed at All The Wonders along with a short interview.

One Little Bit Of Green

In tales of fairy there is always magic.  It presents itself in varying degrees.  These signs of enchantment are woven so adeptly into the main narrative, captivating readers; we suspend belief and accept them as truth.  Anything seems possible.

In most of these stories royalty figures prominently.  The personalities of those in power can range from wise and knowing to downright evil.  La Princesa and the Pea (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, September 5, 2017) written by Susan Middleton Elya with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal presents us with a queen going to the extreme to make sure the quintessential bride is found for her son.  Shifting the setting to Peru opens a door into the beauty of another culture and the opportunity for a marvelous twist on the original Hans Christian Andersen story.

There once was a prince who wanted a wife.
But not any nina would do in his life.

His mother was making it difficult and he was lonely.  One day a young woman on her way to her castle asked if she could stay at the prince's palace.  It was love at first sight!  The prince knew he had found his lifelong companion.

The queen scurried to the garden, seeking a pea and scheming of a way to prove the young woman's worth.  She ordered twenty mattresses brought to the guest's bedroom.  They were all shapes and sizes.  The pea was placed on the bottom of the stack.  (While the workers labored this meddling monarch lounged and munched on candy.)

Soon the guest was left in her room.  The prince was all snug in his bed, too.  The queen was confident the girl would fail the test.  The prince was confident she would pass the test.

At breakfast the next morning the guest was not herself from lack of sleep.  (She must be a real princess to feel a pea through twenty mattresses deep.)  An overjoyed prince and his equally happy princess exchanged their wedding vows.  The queen reluctantly contributed to the merry marriage day, none the wiser.  Love finds a way to win.


Readers are attracted to a melody made by rhyming couplets.  When words in another language, Spanish, replace the English text it adds another layer to that melody increasing its richness.  Susan Middleton Elya elevates this classic tale using those two writing techniques.

We are transported to another world full of treasured tradition.  Small changes, and one big one, along with the conversations between the characters make this version one to remember.  Here is a sample passage.

The prince said "Come in," but his mother, la reina, 
decided to test her.  Would this girl be buena?

Mama sneakd away
to the royal jardin
and found a small pea
that was fit for a queen.


One of the first things readers notice when looking at the opened dust jacket (I am working with an F & G.) is the array of colors and patterns on the mattresses and the clothing worn by the princess on the front, to the right.  They will also wonder about the happy look on the face of the princess in contrast to the scowling cat.  To the left, on the back, on a warm brown background with woven patterns from featured textiles, we see a scene from the book when the princess first asks to stay the night at the castle.  As on the front we see a distinction between the expressions on the couple's faces and the grumpy gaze the queen is giving the girl.

Readers will begin to wonder about the presence of guinea pigs beginning on the title page.  Juana Martinez-Neal starts to leave clues relative to the large twist in this variation.  With a page turn a breathtaking double-page picture gives us a panoramic view of golden rolling hills with a river winding through a valley.  Sheep and goats are grazing.  A llama carrying a load of wool stands near the princess on her donkey as she looks into the distance.  The dedication and glossary of thirty-seven Spanish words are placed here.

All of the illustrations rendered with acrylic, colored pencils and graphite on handmade textured paper span across two pages.  The heavier, matte-finished paper for the pages is ideal for the soft shading, delicate lines and intricate details made by Juana Martinez-Neal.  Humor is replete in the looks on the guinea pigs' faces.  Actually you need to look at all the faces of the people.  They tell little stories of their own.  Evidence of the area, Peru, in which this story is set, is seen in the marvelous woven fabrics, the looms, balls of yarn, and wool hanging on lines.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the queen realizes the princess has passed the test.  This takes place in the kitchen.  To the right three large pans are hanging on the wall.  To the left we zoom in on the queen, grouchy frown on her face.  Her long single eyebrow matches her expression.  Covering her folded arms and shoulders is a hand-woven cape.  The hat she always wears has become a resting place for her cat, who is also looking disgruntled.  Safety pins are attached to the hat in no particular order.  The queen and the cat fill the entire page with a portion bleeding over the gutter.  They look so cranky you can't help but smile and cheer for the lucky bride and groom.


This beautiful variation, La Princesa and the Pea written by Susan Middleton Elya with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, is my favorite version of this story.  These two collaborators have turned this tale into one to be cherished.  You will want to make room on your professional and personal bookshelves for this title.

To learn more about Susan Middleton Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Juana Martinez-Neal also maintains a blog linked to her name.  You can view more images from the title there.  At the publisher's website you can view the title page.

El Hermoso Libro De Rimas

Nursery rhymes with their short phrases and spirited cadences become part of a child's language and literature foundation sometimes before they are even born.  The reading, reciting and singing of these poetic pieces span generations.  All you need to do is begin one of the more popular titles and everyone, regardless of their age, will join in.

Many nursery rhymes are a reflection of the culture and historical time period in which they originated.  One of the better known collections of nursery rhymes are those bearing the name of Mother Goose.  La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Ninos (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, July 19, 2016) written by Susan Middleton Elya with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal is a charming bilingual blend and interpretation of eighteen of those poems.

Maria Had a Little Oveja
Maria had a little oveja.
Its lana was white as snow.
And everywhere that Maria went,
la oveja was sure to go. ...

In Baa, Baa, Black Oveja the words are changed to create a more familial setting for young readers but keep the same beat.  One bag of wool is given to my sister and my mother (madre) and the third is shared by my brother and my father (padre).  The theme of Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater is abbreviated but works splendidly.  His wife is able to use her artistic talents matching casita and bonita.

Little Miss Amarilla (Little Miss Muffet) and Young Juan Ramon (Little Jack Horner) have new twists when it comes to food selections; beans and rice, guacamole, tomato and beans.  Monday's Child names the days in Spanish but the final line gives a nod to an occupation which could lead to further discussion.

But the child that is born on domingo day
will be un toreador. !Ole!

A rhythmic rendition of One Potato, Dos Potatoes is created by substituting Spanish for the numbers in the first two lines and using Spanish entirely for the final two phrases.

In Old Mother Hubbard the dog, while still going without a treat or meal, does receive something special.  What Are Las Ninas (Little Girls) Made Of? and What Are Los Ninos (Little Boys) Made Of? are a lighthearted look at these rhymes with the slight changes making them absolutely perfect.  Readers will surely giggle at the antics of the dish in Hey, Diddle, Diddle.  

Moving toward the close of day we lift our eyes to the sky.  A star will still twinkle like un diamante.  And la luna will still see you as you gaze at her glowing, growing shapes.


Adeptly Susan Middleton Elya places Spanish for English.  Her gift is in knowing when to substitute one for the other without losing the cadence of the original rhyme.  When the words are changed they ring culturally true.  When Elya rewrites the poem creating a new rhyme, the bones of the first still remain.  Here is an entire rhyme.

What Are Las Ninas Made Of?
What are las ninas made of?
What are las ninas made of?
Azucar and flores
and all los colores.
That's what las ninas are made of! 


When you open the dust jacket for this title it sings of shared moments; it calls out to readers asking them to speak the words within aloud.  The charming scene of La Madre Goose happily walking with the laughing children on her back is a prelude to delight.  To the left, on the back, continuing with the yellow background bordered in delicate branches are small pictures of el gato and the fiddle, three little gatitos and baa, baa, black oveja.

On the book case colored in a pale sage green with the branches framing the edges in white a child sits cozily on a crescent moon on the front. They are clothed in striped pajamas wearing a wreath of branches and holding a stuffed toy cow.  You already want to be a part of the world you know you will find inside this book.  The matching opening and closing endpapers in a dusty teal hue with the palest similar shade are thirty etched images with labels in Spanish.  Some of them have more than one portion labeled.

Rendered in acrylics, colored pencils and graphite on handmade textured paper the exquisite illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal, covering either a single page or two, are brimming with warmth and merriment.  Readers will pause at each page turn to enjoy her fine-lined tender details. The facial expression on all the characters will have you wanting to reach out and hug them all.  Her visuals extend the rhyme.

In This Little Cerdo Went to Market a little girl is chatting with a pig sitting next to her.  On the wall she has drawn all the parts of the poem in white chalk.  Mice can be seen laughing after they've taken the little kittens' mittens and then they are throwing them back for the second portion of the rhyme.  The Itsy Aranita is wearing a red and white polka-dot dress, eight white boots and carrying an umbrella, wondering if the sun will stay out.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the rhyme One Potato, Dos Potatoes.  Spanning two pages the scene unfolds in a garden.  Along the edges of the garden are dainty purple flowers with yellow centers.  On the right side is a bag full of potatoes, labeled papas.  Standing on top is a rabbit holding a potato to be placed in the bag.  Next to the bag is another rabbit watching a third rabbit on the left.  This bunny is handing a potato from a row to a little girl.  She is wearing polka-dot tights, a jumper and a yellow and orange striped shirt.  In her hair are some of those purple flowers.


La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Ninos written by Susan Middleton Elya with illustrations by Juana Martinez-Neal is a wonderful addition to the children's literature realm.  It will have appeal for both English and Spanish speaking readers creating connections between cultures.  In the front of the book there is an extensive glossary of the Spanish words with their English translations.  You will want to include this title in your personal and professional nursery rhyme collections.

To discover more about Susan Middle Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal and their work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  At Juana Martinez-Neal's site you can view several interior images from this title.  She also has a link to a blog she maintains.  Both Susan Middle Elya and Juana Martinez-Neal have accounts on Twitter at @susanpolkadot and @juanamartinez respectively.