Shaping Into Special

Each day our world is shaped by our perspectives.  If we seek the extraordinary in the ordinary, we will find it.  It is not easy, but something to be refined with purpose and persistence over time.  

Never has the genius of a master storyteller been more apparent than in this newest release.  Sun Flower Lion (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 22, 2020) written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes takes the familiar fashioning it into an original memorable tale.  This tale encourages readers to look for stories in their everyday surroundings. 

CHAPTER 

1

This is the sun.

Can you see it?

When the unseen narrator assumes you have seen the sun, they follow with a simple but profound description and comparison.  This leads us to the next two-page chapter.

Here a statement and a question lead to the description of a flower.  At the close of the chapter, the reader is asked to look closer at the flower.  Does it not look like a lion, a small lion?

Introduced to the lion, we watch him enjoy both the flower and the sun. He tires because of his youth, falling asleep.  In his dream, the flower multiplies into something delicious.  Although he consumes everything in his dream, upon waking, he is hungry.  

In the closing two chapters, one a single page and the other three pages, readers are again asked a question and given an answer.  We, through the narrator, shadow the lion as he finds his way home.  Like the smallest beings in many walks of life, the small lion's day and close of day are defined by his youth.

Kevin Henkes has a gift for making us a part of his stories.  Spare language invites readers into the pages of this book.  Here when the unseen narrator seeks our observations, we step into the realm of sun, flower and lion.  Impeccable pacing is present through the pause found between the six short chapters. Here is a passage.

The flower is growing.

It is growing on the hill.

It looks like a little lion.   

Upon opening the dust jacket, we are shown the limited color palette, black, white, and yellow, used throughout the book.  On the front Kevin Henkes presents all three elements of this narrative, the sun, the flower, and the small lion in a scene.  To the left, on the back, they are placed in a wide strip of yellow bordered on the top and bottom by black.  Each of them, left to right are depicted individually and separately.  On both, the front and the back, the scalloped yellow edging is varnished as well as the lion's tail.

On the book case on the yellow canvas, on both the front and the back, is an enlarged view of the lion's head.  A wide-textured black strip covers the spine.  Rows of the sun, flower, and lion's head without the facial features, pattern the opening and closing endpapers on the same pale-yellow background.

Rendered in 

brush and ink 

the illustrations are framed in thin black lines bordered by large expanses of white.  The chapter-heading pages are on the pale yellow with the text in the center on white.  The sizes of the illustrations vary to place emphasis on the pacing.  There is one two-page picture at the end certain to elicit sighs from readers.  It is fascinating how much emotion Kevin Henkes places in his artwork with the angle of a brush stroke.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is at the end of the third chapter.  It is a single-page square image.  Here the little lion is resting on a grassy hill.  He is facing toward the left, eyes closed.  On the downward slope of the hill, the flower is leaning to the right.  Over the little lion on the hilltop and the flower, the sun shines.  All we see of the sun is the lower curve peeking down from the top edge.

This book, Sun Flower Lion written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, is like holding untold wealth in your hands.  This gem will be read repeatedly, continuing to gently invite readers into the narrative.  It will have readers wondering what other three similar things they can find to form an original new story.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please take a few moments to visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  This book is featured by author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson on her site, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Interior images are shared.  I hope you enjoy the book trailer.

(Merry Makers is offering a sun flower lion doll.)

In a bright, cheerful ode to our natural world, Round (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, September 29, 2020) written by Jennifer Ward with illustrations by Lisa Congdon asks us to rethink what the word round means to us.  In an Author's Note on the dedication and verso page, we are challenged to identify other examples of round.  The wonder of this book is twofold; we journey into a search for round as a circle and round in its other forms.  

Up round.

Down round.

Nature all around is round.

Recognized round can be temporary.  What coils in a circle, but moves in a wavy line?  At times round holds other shapes of round not quite a circle.  When was the last time you peeked at a robin's nest?

Take a few moments to stop by a pond.  Stationary shapes there are round, as are those brought by action.  At times round is slow.  Sometimes round portrays youth or is tiny markers on a lady.  What kinds of light are round?

Round can be loud or quiet.  Within seconds it can alter its shape like raindrops.  If we stop to examine a round form, we might discover its composition is a multitude of round grouped together.  Objects can move around in a round path.

What tiny round packed together makes a larger round?  When you hear the hoot of an owl what variety of round might you find?  As we travel toward the end of the book, the end of a season, or the end of a day, readers will find themselves calmly marveling at all the round to be found.

Through her verbal representations, author Jennifer Ward reveals her astute skills of observation.  With her rhyming of the first words in each couplet, followed by the word round, we find ourselves turning the pages to continue the musical exploration of her narrative.  Jennifer Ward welcomes willing readers into the fascination to be detected in all seasons of the year wherever we go.  Here are two more couplets.  What are they?

Glowing round.

Growing round.

Dripping round.

Slipping round.

Truthfully, I exclaimed "Oh my goodness, oh my goodness" when opening the dust jacket and peering at the book case underneath.  The color choices on the open dust jacket conjure visions of (mostly) spring and summer bursting forth with breathtaking hues.  Elements on the dust jacket are to be found within the pages of the book.  On the other side of the spine, to the left, on the back, there is some repetition, but many of the items are new.

On the open book case, the canvas is black instead of white.  Here we see round at night, in the autumn, and in the winter.  It's a different world, but alive with forms of round.  There are objects and animals here not shown on the dust jacket, but they, too, are found inside the book.

On the opening and closing endpapers, there are similarities and differences.  On the first set, the drawings are in a rusty orange on white.  The animals here are awake.  On the second set, the lines are a midnight blue on white.  Readers will know it is night by the animals' positions and eyes.  

This artwork by Lisa Congdon rendered

digitally

is a gorgeous depiction of round.  On the verso and title pages, a double-page picture of large blossoms holds the text.  They are in shades of pink, orange, and red.  In the body of the book, page turns disclose double-page visuals with two actions or examples within the picture.  Most of the perspectives bring us close to the featured round.  In many of them an animal focuses on the round.  A fox and squirrel appear in three images each.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for one of the couplets showcased previously.  It is night.  The canvas is black.  On the left in six small circles of light, fireflies light up their immediate area.  To the right, a crescent moon, close enough to touch, hangs in the sky.

You'll hardly be able to wait to go outside and start finding round after reading this title.  Round written by Jennifer Ward with artwork by Lisa Congdon is fantastic!  For a story time on shapes, nature, seasonal changes, or to promote skills of observation, this title is an excellent choice.  Your personal and professional collections need this book.

To learn more about Jennifer Ward and Lisa Congdon and their other work, please follow the link attached to their name to access their respective websites.  Jennifer Ward has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Lisa Congdon has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

Wishing For Winter

It has been more than six years.  Actually, two thousand four hundred forty-three days have passed.  When a time period such as this feels more like yesterday than the actual number, it's a sign of enduring goodness.  For readers of books in a series, this means each book, regardless of the time between publication dates, is a treasure that stays in their collective hearts and minds.

In 2012 beloved author Kevin Henkes gave readers the first book in a series about a lively, charming little girl mouse.  Penny And Her Song uplifts readers' hearts and leaves them humming a tune.  In Penny And Her Doll, an important decision is made.  Followers of the series discover in the third book, Penny And Her Marble, how this child grows and expands those personality traits we find irresistible.  On October 29, 2019 Penny And Her Sled (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) cheerfully entered the children's literature realm.

Chapter 1

It was winter,
but there was no snow yet.

If there was snow, Penny could use her new red sled.  She moved from room to room looking out the windows hoping for snow.  She looked skyward to and from school.  Penny asked her parents when it would snow.  Soon was their reply.  She asked her tiny baby siblings and her doll Rose if they wanted snow.  Penny wanted snow.  It did not snow.

Penny tried wearing winter clothing and sitting on her sled inside to encourage the snow to fall.  Weeks passed with no snow.  Penny did other winter activities with her parents.  Against the wall in her bedroom, she believed the sled looked sad.  It still did not snow.

Without snow, Penny decided to use her new red sled for other things. (Penny is a resourceful, imaginative child.)  Her sled became a bridge, a house and a bed.  The bed idea did not work so well; it was lonely without Rose sleeping with her.  Over time Penny went from playing with the sled every day to putting it back in the corner of her bedroom, completely untouched.

Eventually Mother Nature started to signal the end of winter.  Penny was no longer interested in waiting for winter's white mantle.  After a conversation with her mother, it was decided she would wait for another kind of snow.  Outside her mother showed her where to look for this other type of snow.  Penny watched and waited and watched and waited until one day her mother's words came true.  Before she could show her mother this new arrival, she did something which made her mother laugh.  You will laugh, too.


Each time a book penned by Kevin Henkes is read, readers can't help but marvel at his masterful skill in word choices, sentence structures and realistic conversations between his characters.  He knows exactly what his intended audience needs.  Frequently Kevin Henkes will repeat a series of words in more than one sentence to supply a gentle cadence.  Dialogue is inserted to provide a more participatory and intimate experience for readers.

Kevin Henkes is mindful of his readers' abilities to read increasing.  In this book there are five chapters not only covering days but weeks.  We are a part of Penny's world from one season into the next season.  Here is a passage.

That night Penny dreamed
it was snowing.
The snowflakes in her dream
were as big and fat
as marshmallows.
Penny ate the snowflakes
with a fork.

When she woke up
there was no snow.
Penny hugged Rose.

"I do not think
it will ever snow," she said.


The use of pastel colors, first seen on the open and matching dust jacket and book case, draws readers immediately into the delightful world of Penny, her parents, her siblings and her doll, Rose.  The floral border is present in all the books.  Each border is a reflection of the interior color palette and the hue used around the introductory square image of Penny on the front of the jacket and case. 

To the left, on the back, on the pale sky-blue canvas is a smaller picture bordered by a fine black line.  On white, we see Penny's mittens and scarf, as if placed in a spot ready to use.  This is a hint of a special moment.

A darker rose shade covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Between the text on the title page is an illustration of Penny hugging her new red sled.  Her eyes are closed in contentment as they are on the front of the jacket and case.  The mittens and scarf are shown again beneath the dedication page opposite the verso.

The chapter headings are colored in the same dark rose shade as the endpapers.  To indicate the passage of time Penny's outfits are varied.  She is always wearing her signature headband.  Kevin Henkes shifts his image sizes; two to a page as rectangles, a square on a single page, two to a page as loosely framed ovals or other shapes, a single image with large scalloped edges or a rectangle on a single page.  To show several activities in one day, three rectangular pictures are placed on a page.  This technique is employed again with an increased number of smaller illustrations on one page.

The facial expressions, body postures and clothing worn by all the characters further connect us to this memorable little girl mouse and her family.  Careful readers will notice all the delicate details, the wallpaper in the family's home, the pattern on her bedspread and the pictures she has drawn and hung on her bedroom wall.  Penny is wishing for snow in everything she does.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is a square framed by a fine, black line on a single page.  Penny is wearing her polka-dot nightgown and her purple headband.  She is cuddling Rose, placing her over her right shoulder.  She is standing in front of her bedroom window looking out at the starry sky, pretending the stars are snowflakes.  There is a golden glow added to the curtains, perhaps from a small lamp in her room.


If Penny And Her Sled written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes is the first title you've read in this series, you'll not only read this one repeatedly but the three precious, previous books as well.  You can't help but want to cuddle these characters as much as Penny cuddles her doll Rose.  As an early reader, this book and the other titles are an excellent choice.  I highly recommend this newest title.

To discover more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  There are numerous activities and resources for his books on his website.  At the publisher's website you can view several interior pages including the page with one of my favorite illustrations.

Solstice Soul

After several days of above normal temperatures replacing a covering of white with the green of grass, Mother Nature clapped her hands, exerting her power.  Snow has been gently falling all day.  A winter weather advisory is in effect for counties in the northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan.  A gale warning is issued for the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.  It is a celebration of the winter solstice 2018.

There is a hush outside only broken by gusts of wind.  The mournful howl of a coyote sounds from the nearby woods.  Breaths of air in the chill are like puffs of smoke.  Winter Is Here (Greenwillow Books, HarperCollinsPublishers, October 30, 2018) written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek is a companion title to their other books, When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall.  It's a lyrical representation of winter's elements with charming illustrations.

Winter is here.
It's everywhere.

Look up and see it drift down.  It lands on houses and their roofs.  Trees, shrubs and grass are dusted in layers.

The wind pushes winter into every nook and cranny.  Sometimes it does all this is silence.  Sometimes it does all this in clear hardness.  At night it shakes your home in fury.

You can't simply walk outside in the presence of winter.  You must don extra clothing from head to toe.  If you decide to stay indoors, winter is there too.  Look around you.  See it on frosty windows and your dog's fur.

Winter changes colors, mixing gray and white and bitter blue in the dead of a zero-degree night.  Winter stays whether it is welcome or not.  Then it surprises us, bowing out to allow a burst of new life.


With polished expertise Kevin Henkes selects words to depict winter.  Winter and snow are synonymous in the first two sentences with a series of seven verbs describing precisely how snow moves and stays.  The pace is slowed when soft and hard are contrasted.  It pauses when winter wear is listed in a zippy sentence.  Each portion of the season is portrayed like a poem within a poem.  Here is a passage.

Winter comes without a sound . . .
and it comes with many.

The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.


Rendered in acrylic paints the full-color, delightful, playful and sometimes eloquent artwork begins on the matching and opened dust jacket and book case.  On the front illustrator Laura Dronzek displays with warmhearted realism the complete joy of a dog in fresh, deep falling snow.  The cardinal couple supply vibrant color in this chilly setting.

To the left, on the back, the snowy background continues.  Within a framed circle a snowman sits.  A curious squirrel is perched on his head.

The opening and closing endpapers lead us into winter and into spring.  On the first brightly-hued mittens tumble among snowflakes on a blue background.  A sunny yellow canvas is used to present a pattern of butterflies and purple and pink blossoms on the second set.  The endpaper designs continue on the next and previous pages respectively.  The cardinal pair are perched on a branch above the dedication.

Laura Dronzek alternates between double-page pictures and full page images bordered in large white frames.  For the purpose of enhancing the narrative sometimes several smaller illustrations are grouped on single pages.  These create an illustrative cadence.

Every image is worthy of framing.  The boy and his dog are frequently present as are the cardinals.  Other animals seen in an urban setting are also shown; rabbits and squirrels.  Careful readers will notice one illustration is connected to the next.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  We are viewing the scene as if we are standing outside.  On the left a leafless tree extends off the page.  Nearby are several evergreen trees.  As our eyes move to the right, we are close to the boy's home.  Looking in the window we see him petting his dog.  From the second-floor window a white cat looks outside.  Everything is heavily coated in snow as it falls.  Two rabbits, two squirrels and the cardinals are present.


This book, Winter Is Here written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek, is a seasonal gem.  You will most definitely want to use it in a study on winter or the seasons.  It presents all aspects of this time of rest.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website there are other resources available.  There is a teaching guide and activities.

Follow One. Follow Two. Follow Three And More

During recess, after school and weekends children have been playing it for generations.  Follow the leader is a game of observation and physical and mental agility.  The premise is simple, but the goal can be challenging.  If you look around in the natural world, adults and their young instinctively play their own version.

It's a frequent sight in the spring to see a mother duck and her ducklings stopping traffic on roadways as they make their way toward water.  If you happen to see a row of black and white kits trailing behind their parent during a woodland walk, changing your direction is important.  It's never a good idea to be the target of frightened skunks.
A Parade Of Elephants (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 25, 2018) written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes is a day journey overflowing with delight.

Look!

Elephants!

Count them.  There are one, two, three, four, five elephants.  One in front of the other they move, all in a row.  They aren't walking, they're marching.  It's a parade!

Sometimes they travel in circles.  Nothing keeps them from marching; not even the hills on their path. Marching over a bridge and marching under palm fronds, all five elephants go.  A natural tunnel does not deter their goal.  Nose to tail they are connected like links on a chain.

Pausing is not an option for these pachyderms.  They keep on marching and marching and marching until a crescent moon begins to glow in the night sky.  They are finished for the day.

They are tired.  Each one yawns and stretches but they have one more thing to do before they can sleep.  It is a surprise of sheer wonder.

He is a master of making every single word meaningful.  His short concise sentences and phrases ring out and linger like a bell strike.  Kevin Henkes uses repetition superbly.  His introduction of colors, numbers, and concepts heightens the rhythm of his storytelling.  Here are two sentences.

Big and round

and round they are.

Big and round

and round they go.

The pastel, limited color palette of pink, green, purple, yellow and blue with soft chocolate brown for this book appears in all its precious glory on the opened dust jacket. The lift of the elephants' feet and their eyes signal their enjoyment in marching.  To the left, on the back, within a band of white the elephants happily move beneath a sun as butterflies keep them company.  Tiny leaves and flowers dot the ground.  On the front the text and elephants are varnished.

The book case is blue on the front and the back is pink with a wide, textured spine in brown.  A large elephant outlined in brown on the front is facing readers.  On the back, the elephant has his back to us.  On a canvas of the soft chocolate brown five butterflies and a sun with rays in pink are placed on the opening endpapers.  In blue on the closing endpapers are the crescent moon and a handful of five stars.  Beneath the text on the title page the five elephants march.  

The matte-finished paper accentuates the softness of Kevin Henkes's illustrations rendered in brown ink and gouache. The first two words are in huge multi-colored type filling the entire page.  The numbering of the elephants extends over two pages; five lines for the addition of each elephant.  This technique of rows is cared to the next two pages with the elephants marching in a larger band of white with a purple band above and below them.  

Kevin Henkes employs the band pattern throughout the book.  It fashions a marvelous flow for readers' eyes.  To elevate interest and pacing he inserts full page pictures and double-page images.  It's genius!

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when the concept of over and under appears.  Within a wide band at the top of the page the five elephants are crossing a stone bridge.  Yellow fish leap in the water below them.  The elephants are in constant motion.  Under this first band is a band of purple holding the text.  Along the bottom the five friends are marching through palm fronds.  Kevin Henkes changes the position of their legs and heads to supply more animation.

A Parade Of Elephants written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes is certain to become a favorite in your homes, classrooms and libraries; it will be welcome wherever it is read.  It is one of those books no one will mind reading five times a day or night before bedtime.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and private collections.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please visit his website by using the link attached to his name.  At the publisher's website a teaching guide is provided for this title and some of his other books.  At Kevin's website other resources are available for this book.  Please enjoy the book trailer.

Gathering Remembrances

After the autumn rains tree leaves shimmer like they've been dusted with glitter, glistening as the gusty winds rustle their branches.  High above the treetops ravens glide on the speeding wind currents, clouds scurrying across the sometimes blue, sometimes gray sky.  Clinking and clunking sounds are evidence of the oak trees throwing their acorns on the back deck.  Squirrels scamper across lawns, pausing to dig feverishly burying food for another day.

As the sun signals the passing of a storm, the afternoon chorus of birdsong is strangely silent.  Many have left for their southern journey.  In the Middle of Fall (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 5, 2017) written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek, companion title to When Spring Comes (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, February 9, 2016), these collaborators in children's literature and life address with poetic eloquence the beauty of one season moving into the next season.

In the middle of Fall,
when the leaves
have already turned

At this time of year in the northern hemisphere, the world is waiting in anticipation.  The skies are steely, shedding little light.  It's time to wear coats, hats and gloves to keep toasty warm.

Squirrels working alone or in groups are always on the move.  Gardens, long past their prime, are like grocery stores for smaller creatures.  Pumpkin patch business is booming.  Apple trees are laden with fruit.

When we observe all these things, it's time.  Everything is ready.  All it takes is one single event to alter what we can see, hear, smell, taste and touch.  We need to save memories like squirrels are storing up nuts.  And then when the world is blanketed in stillness, another change comes, as delicate as downy dandelion seeds.


Using only two sentences, words strung together like pearls of wisdom, we become observers alongside author Kevin Henkes' narrator.  We are there as the little girl spends a day(s) with her dog, as squirrels gather, as fields fill with ripened pumpkins and apple orchards turn the colors of their fruit.  When Henkes writes we are in the moment with every page turn building toward the magnificence of an annual shift.  It's a sensory experience.  Here are two phrases.

and the pumpkins are ready
and the apples are like ornaments, 


For those of us living in a part of the world with four distinct seasons we recognize the blue used on the matching dust jacket and book case by artist Laura Dronzek.  It's a rare shade seen on those days when humidity is absent and the air is brisk.  It's an announcement of autumn's presence.  The squirrel resting and ready to stretch for an acorn, framed with vibrant oak leaves, is another sign of a seasonal shift.  To the left, on the back, within a loose circle three large pumpkins in a patch are grouped together.  The dog accompanying the girl in the story is sitting behind them, waiting or perhaps guarding them.

The opening endpapers and first page are a darker shade of blue; almost like a night sky.  A variety of tree leaves garbed in their fall colors pattern the pages with acorns.  The closing end papers and final page reveal the last word in this title.  Beneath the title text and above the author and illustrator names are three oak leaves and two acorns grouped together exactly as you might see them on the ground. A pumpkin with its vine sits above the dedication.

Except for the first and last images framed in circles and white space, all of the illustrations rendered in acrylic paint span page edge to page edge on single and double pages. Heavy dark lines provide accents and outlines of elements.  The foliage, creatures and clothing worn by the girl supply a contrast to the increasing presence of brown and a starker landscape.

One of my many favorite pictures spans two pages.  The sky is more gray than blue.  Colorful leaves are cascading down on both pages.  The girl wearing her red-hooded coat is leaning on a stone wall along a road.  Leaves are mounded against the wall and along the road.  Her pup has its head next to her left elbow, chin resting on the top rock.  Five small circular visuals are placed like the falling leaves against the sky and one resting on the road.  They are filled with memories previously mentioned in the story.


There is something supremely wonderful about In the Middle of Fall written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek.  It's an ode to a season welcome after the summer heat drawing our attention to those singular instances we need to remember.  The words and illustrations enhance each other in harmonious perfection.  I can't wait to read this aloud to students.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name.  A teaching guide is provided at Kevin Henkes' website.  If you would like a peek at the first four pages follow this link.

Crack...

A box without hinges, key or lid, yet...

golden treasure inside is hid.

When wandering in the wild whenever you find a nest filled with eggs or an egg with no nest or parents in the area, unless you have prior knowledge of its coloring, you have no idea what this egg represents.  There is a tiny life inside; growing and waiting to burst forth into the world.  It's the not-knowing which gives an egg its magic.  It offers us the opportunity to wonder and discover. 

Unless eggs happen to be on an animal's diet, if found they might approach them with the same curiosity as we humans do.  What is this?  Does it belong to someone?  What's inside?  Beloved and esteemed author illustrator Kevin Henkes released his fiftieth title on January 3, 2017.   Egg (Greenwillow Books) is full of all those little moments which make life as wonderful as it can be.

egg

egg

egg

egg

crack

crack

crack

egg 

In those first eight images placed in four squares on two pages we know one very important thing.  Not all eggs are cracked up to be as presented.  Three of the four eggs are opening, issuing forth the joy held inside.  The fourth simply is.  

After the three colorful little birds have flown away we watch the fourth egg and wait and wait and wait a whole bunch more.  The avian trio return, puzzled.  They huddle.  They snuggle.  They are still as can be hoping to hear a sound.  Then the suspense lures them to do what comes naturally.  They peck and peck and peck a whole bunch more.

crack

YIKES!

Three colorful little birds fly far away.  One infant becomes sadder and lonelier by the minute.  One by one, the trio, overcome by inquisitiveness, comes closer with caution. 

It's not exactly a tree branch but it's green like leaves and it moves.  This is something worth chirping about to all who will listen.  A foursome of friends glides and rides on water watching a sunset.  Or perhaps it isn't the sun...

Single words used in repetition supply a subtle rhythm pointing to the noticeable difference in the fourth egg.  When Kevin Henkes does this, he creates mystery.  We as readers realize the passage of considerable time when he uses the word waiting seventeen times in a wonderful and masterful sequence.  It's a perfect lead into the return of the feathered friends.  

Only fifteen different words on used in this title.  It is their frequency and position in the story which fashion impeccable pacing.  As you enjoy the tale told, you also feel amazement growing at the brilliance of this work.

Kevin Henkes' use of brown as a framing and outlining color adds a softness and warmth to all the illustrations rendered in brown ink and watercolor paint.  When you open the dust jacket to the left, on the back, are a pale pink, pale yellow, pale blue and pale green eggs.  The text beneath them is 

crack      crack     crack     ?

When you first see the illustration on the front all you want to do is reach out and hug those little birds and the pale green egg.  They as well as the text are varnished.  On the book case a large brown cloth spine reaches out to a pale blue background on each side.  Egg in slightly larger letters tops the front.  The elements are the same on the front and back hinting at the ending.

Small pale blue, yellow, pink and green squares separated by a fine brown line present a pattern for the opening and closing endpapers.  A single informal title page edged in a larger brown line holds space for Egg.  The formal title page spans two pages with Kevin Henkes' name and the publisher's name on the left and a large Egg on the right.  In the spaces of the e and g letters are pale pink, yellow and blue.  The verso and dedication pages feature a single illustration, the sun over the letters,

for s.k.

To provide the storytelling cadence, the ebb and flow of the narrative, Henkes may break up a page into equal squares, use a single large image on one page, or divide a page into sixteen spaces.  It's his choice when to use these panel sizes on his pages and whether he includes words or not, that draw readers completely into his story.  We can readily identify with all the characters.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is the special surprise! page.  It is framed in a wide brown line.  A portion of each little bird is shown.  The pink bird is coming in from the corner of the left edge.  The yellow and blue birds are looking in from the right.  Front and center, wearing a huge grin, sitting in the cracked and open shell is the newborn.  At the sight of this creature, the eyes on the birds are wide, wide open.  I guarantee readers will gasp and laugh at this scene.

Egg written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, even though 2017 is young, will be one of this year's best books.  It welcomes discussion about expectations, patience, trust, compassion and friendship.  I recommend you share this as often as you can and get copies for your professional and personal shelves.  I'm heading to the book shop to get more myself.

To discover about Kevin Henkes the person and his other forty-nine books please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  I enjoyed reading these two posts at The Horn Book, Kevin Henkes Talks with Roger, December 1, 2015 and Kevin Henkes - Twenty-five Years July 1, 2005.

A peek at Kevin Henkes' 50th book, EGG, a graphic novel for preschoolers! @GreenwillowBook #harperpreview pic.twitter.com/bQs1ODAPvn

— HarperStacks (@HarperStacks) May 20, 2016

Surprise! pic.twitter.com/n8BNHxwVLd

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) January 27, 2017

UPDATE:  This video was posted recently.  I always enjoy hearing an author read their books.

You Will Know

The signs are so subtle when you do see them it's as if it happens overnight.  Birds that for months have been looking for food are now also carrying grasses and twigs to places unknown.  On close inspection peeking through the dirt are the red tips of leaves from tulip bulbs planted in the fall.  Bare tree branches now bear buds ready to burst forth in blossoms.  It's coming to us like a long-awaited whisper.

There will still be a teeter-totter game between winter and spring as days will fluctuate between chilly and balmy but change is in the air.  When Spring Comes (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, February 9, 2016), the newest collaboration between the husband and wife team of Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek, asks us to be patient.  The reward for our patience will be the splendor brought by an abundance of new life.

Before Spring comes,
the trees look like
black sticks against the sky.

In our waiting (and watching) we will see those sticks fill with tiny flowers and tiny leaves announcing the arrival of spring.  The last remains of our play in the snow will fade into the ground.  A colorless landscape yields tiny hues of green, yellow, white, pink and purple.

Treasures tucked in nests and underground seek a release.  Seemingly endless days of rain showers quench a thirst.  Sown seeds line gardens in rows of green.  Kittens enjoying this first seasonal change find places to roam and romp.

Sometimes spring disappears under a fresh layer of snow but it returns assisted by the sun's new warmth, gaining strength.  When winter has been banished there will be no doubt.  Be still and look, listen, smell, and touch spring.  It's everywhere.  Our anticipation is satisfied.  Or is it?


Exquisite pacing is evident in the selected words and sentence structure used by Kevin Henkes.  Each thought builds upon the previous one until a crescendo is reached.  Henkes then writes in an alliterative celebration of the season.  It's also interesting that spring is given a capital letter S to signify its importance.  Here is a sample passage.

Do you like mud?
Do you like puddles?
I hope you like umbrellas.


Given the color selections, looking at the matching dust jacket and book case sends joy surging through your soul.  Who can resist white kittens among the spring grass and flowers beneath blossoming trees, a bird and a bee?  To the left, on the back, Laura Dronzek has placed a single circular image on the blue background.  Snuggled in the tree branches is a bird's nest holding three blue eggs.  It is a wonderful foreshadowing of events portrayed throughout the book.  

The opening endpapers are awash is marbled shades of blue as a background with brilliant displays of kites, umbrellas, butterflies, birds, boots, flowers, buds, bees, bubbles, raindrops and a single white kitten.  The closing endpapers are different reflecting the end of the book.  Rendered in acrylic paints each image is an atmospheric enhancement of the text.

In the beginning Dronzek supplies single page pictures and a series of illustrations to extend the text.  She then switches to large circle portraits with a tiny mouse as a character.  Time lapse elements surrounded by large amounts of white space emphasize the beauty waiting brings. As the text takes us closer to full-blown spring, vibrant double-page spreads follow.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It's a panoramic view but shifts the perspective to bring us close to certain items in the image.  As we move from the top of the page to the bottom we move more into the picture.  Clouds nearly cover a blue sky as two bikers move down a path.  A girl wearing pink wings over her yellow coat is flying a pink kite.  Butterflies are being chased by a spotted puppy.  In the foreground a garden shows sprouted seeds in rows and robins are looking at worms.  Bees buzz.  The three white kittens, looking directly at the reader, are squirming in and over a dusty red wheelbarrow.


With words and pictures author Kevin Henkes and illustrator Laura Dronzek ask us to enter their book, When Spring Comes.  We are invited to enjoy every single page.  In fact you can't help but want to jump into some of the illustrations to experience the happiness you see glowing there. This is a masterful expression of a season full of newness and renewal.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You can listen to the pronunciation of Kevin Henkes' and Laura Dronzek's names at TeachingBooks.net here and here.  Laura Dronzek is interviewed about this title at The Horn Book.

Pondering The Pause

It seems a contradiction the older you get the less you mind waiting.  With fewer hours on your life clock, it would make sense to not favor waiting.  Perhaps a lesson learned is the peace to be found in pausing.  If we forget why, for whom, or for what we are waiting and use our senses and minds to enjoy the moments, we are far richer in things no dollars can buy.

When you are younger waiting is everywhere in every day.  It's not easy.  Sometimes it's downright frustrating.  Waiting (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 1, 2015) written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes lovingly shows the worth in waiting.

There were five of them.
And they were waiting...

Each windowsill watcher longed for something different; the moon, the rain, the wind and the snow.  One simply enjoyed looking out the window.  Some of these natural occurrences happened more often than others.  No matter the length of time or frequency, each was content.

Were they always together?  Were they always in the same spot on the sill?  Did they ever rest?  Did other objects or visitors appear?

Regardless of the answers to those questions, one thing was abundantly clear.  As the seasons passed they saw marvels in the sky made by the hand of Mother Nature and the cleverness of humans.  These and their most desired experiences, over which none of them had any control, defined their happiness.

Early in the spring the five eagerly noticed a change on their light-filled linear home.  A cat with patches joined the owl with spots, the pig with an umbrella, a bear with a kite, a puppy on a sled and a rabbit with a starry collar.  Is the cat waiting too?  More can and will be the merrier.


When Kevin Henkes writes he offers the heart of his story to readers as simply and beautifully as possible.  His gift is in knowing exactly what his readers need; for the intended audience and the rest of us.  When you read this story aloud (silently too) the quiet truth surrounds you in soothing waves.   Here are two separate passages about one of the animals.  For each of the other four similar phrases are used to make a kind of music.

The bear with the kite was waiting for the wind.  ...
When the wind blew,
the bear was happy.
The kite few high and far.


The first thing you notice when opening the dust jacket is the feel of the paper; matte-finished and heavier.  The use of the creamy white is soft and inviting.  Those five friends sitting on the windowsill enjoying the wondrous shapes of them reflected in the clouds fill you with longing to be there with them.  On the back, to the left, one element is placed on the creamy white background.  It is the new friend.

The book case takes the mint green color from the spine as a canvas for the rabbit placed in the right and left corners respectively.  A warm chocolate brown colors the cloth spine which is then used for the opening and closing endpapers.  Above the title text on the formal page, the five animals look at us, to the right or at each other.  Above the dedication we are shown the gifts in advance.

The shades of blue, green, pink, and brown Henkes uses delicately depict his characters' wishes and their fulfillment as well as their cheerful acceptance of waiting.  To focus on one in particular Henkes frames them in an oval or offers us a closer view of the sill. Their facial expressions, eyes and mouths, and small body movements convey every mood.

 Most of the time the setting is the windowsill and the world outside this specific location.  I want to note also the use of the window panes as frames.  Each contains a separate design element but the image flows from one to the other exquisitely.  Seasons change as do the positions of the animal companions. There are four pages without words; each equally brilliant.

One of my many favorite illustrations (I would frame any page) is of the five watching fireworks.  All of them have their backs to us with the exception of the bear that is slightly turned.  Each is relaxed. (The puppy lying on the sled is precious.) You can almost hear them sighing with pleasure.


This title, Waiting, written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes is both eloquent and charming.  You want to hug it, put it under your pillow at night and share it with the world.  You also wish you had these characters to sit upon your windowsill reminding you of the wonder to be found in waiting.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other delightful books, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Here is a link to an author study and some memory cards for this title.  At TeachingBooks.net there are many links to resources about Kevin Henkes.  You are really going to enjoy listening to this interview at NPR:  Some Kids' Books Are Worth The Wait: 'They Do Take Time,' Says Kevin Henkes.  I loved hearing him read excerpts.  Below are some tweets about this title.

On #TheBookReportwJJK @KidsPlaceLive: Waiting by Kevin Henkes! Reading this book is like a form of meditation. pic.twitter.com/S4zeqT8mLy

— Jarrett J. Krosoczka (@StudioJJK) October 13, 2015

Waiting by Kevin Henkes is such a timely reflection on the power of staying in the present moment. Definitely worth the wait! #bookaday

— Dan Dooher (@MisterDReads) September 19, 2015

#bookaday Oh my gosh! I just read Waiting by Kevin Henkes. It is a perfect picture book. pic.twitter.com/Hnohtj5rSb

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) February 1, 2015

Don't miss reading this excerpt.

A Hat, A Lump, And Four People

It all started with a hat.  Not a top hat or a straw hat or even a cowboy hat but a baseball cap.  Without any observable effort on the part of anyone in particular, baseball caps have risen to the status of talisman.  Representative of a team, person, event or place, they hold significant meaning for the owner.  Each person has a unique way to wear their prized possession; even to the point of having the bill trained to a specific shape.

When you are seven years old vacationing on a family summer road trip before your second grade year, a black cap with silver letters reading Black Hills is like pirate's treasure.  If a strong wind should happen to blow said cap off your head, you might do something foolish without thinking to get it back.  This is why the main character of Kevin Henkes's new book, The Year of Billy Miller (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) has a lump on his head.


It was the first day of second grade and Billy 
Miller was worried.  He was worried that he
wouldn't be smart enough for school this year.

Billy's mother, an English teacher at the local high school, is upbeat, cheerful, dedicated and she kisses the bump on his head before leaving.  An artist specializing in turning what others see as trash into treasure, Billy's father stays at home taking care of Sal, his younger sister.  A letter from Billy's new teacher, Ms. Silver, says this is the Year of the Rabbit but Billy's father assures him, in reply to Billy's question, this is the Year of Billy Miller.

In response to more than one unkind remark from an irritating new girl, Emma, Billy makes a drawing which he fears Ms. Silver thinks is about her.  His plan to assure his teacher how nice he really is involves a safety pin, a paper clip, a dime, a nickel, a quarter, a nail and a small rabbit figurine.  Ms. Silver's words in acknowledgement of Billy's gesture make the second day of school shine and his heart sing with happiness.  We readers know Ms. Silver is the perfect person to be teaching a classroom of second grade students.

While a Saturday morning, later in the fall, making dioramas with Papa, Ned, Billy's best friend and Sal, does not go as expected for Billy or his father, a shift in a bedtime ritual depicts the respect the two have for one another.  Glitter, a hair dryer and a quick-thinking adult save the day and pave the way for an after school discussion and welcome revelations.  We readers know, without a doubt, Papa is an unforgettable person giving and receiving unconditional love.

Sal can be downright pesky.  Her favorite friends are five pale yellow, plush whales she has named the Drop Sisters, Raindrop, Snowdrop, Gumdrop, Lemondrop and Dewdrop.  They get carted around in a much-loved pillowcase.  We readers know from a wintry adventure to a favorite restaurant, the lure of a magic pearl, a night of frustration and fright and a dragon-stamped letter, although he would rather not admit it, Billy cares deeply for Sal.

As the school year draws to a close, Ms. Silver has a plan for a special night.  Students are going to read original poems written about a member of their family.  Having decided to feature his mother, Billy is having a hard time putting any thoughts on paper.  An unexpected late night excursion to the back yard gives Billy all the words he needs.  A nudge to Billy's elbow, a necessary souvenir, and observed words said into a silenced microphone are the quintessential ingredients in this mother's love.  We readers know this is the Year of Billy Miller.


Having read The Year of Billy Miller twice and most of it a third time, the staying power of this book is Kevin Henkes's masterful writing.  Henkes divides Billy's school year into four parts represented by four people, Teacher, Father, Sister and Mother.  Five chapters in each depict moments over the course of a day or two or a little bit longer.

What elevates these seemingly ordinary, everyday episodes into treasures for our reader's heart is the portrayal of the interactions between Billy and these four people.  Henkes invites us, with his words, into pivotal conversations.  Realistic details, richly stated, bring us into each intimate instant endearing us to these fully human people.  Here are a few examples from this book.

Papa seemed to have a window into Billy's 
thoughts.  "If you pick Mama, that's fine with
me.  And if you pick me, it will be fine with
Mama.  Remember that."
"Member what?" asked Sal. who'd just
popped up behind Papa like a Whac-A-Mole
at the county fair.
Papa turned.  "Remember not to touch anything
until you wash your blueberry hands.
And don't you dare kiss me with those 
blueberry lips."  He snatched up Sal and hauled
her off to the kitchen, her giggles trailing 
behind them.
Billy sat alone, considering the choice he
had to make.  He sucked the web of skin
between his thumb and pointer finger, his
hand falling across his chin like a beard.

The air in the auditorium was heavy, but it
was not still---it was electric.  At least, that's
the way it felt to Billy.  Parents, brothers, sisters,
grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors, 
and friends were filling up the room.  People
were talking and fanning themselves.  Little
kids were chasing up and down the aisles and
climbing on the seats.  Eruptions of laughter
came and went in waves.


From working with elementary students for thirteen years, I can't think of a more heartwarming, true-to-life depiction of a second grade boy than readers find in The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes.  The personalities of Ms. Silver, Papa, Sal and Mama developed by Henkes make you wish they were in your world.  Small black and white drawings sprinkled throughout the text highlight memorable points of time.  This title is one to be enjoyed over and over.  Whether you share it with a few or many, it will leave a lasting impression.

The link embedded in Kevin Henkes's name above will take you to his website.  This link takes you to a printable PDF file, an author study of Henkes's titles including The Year of Billy Miller. To access the publisher's website and look inside the book (forty plus pages) follow this link.

Finders Keepers?

When I'm out with Xena hiking in the woods, walking along the lake shore or strolling down the road in a state park, I'm always looking; scanning my natural surroundings for possible photographic opportunities.  It's like a continuous treasure hunt.  Maybe I'll spy a Petoskey stone, stones in the shape of a heart, leaves of unusual shape or color, a dropped bird feather, beach glass or, if fortunate, the sighting of some animal caught unaware by our presence.

Sometimes, when you least expect it, life will cast an unexpected discovery in your line of sight or along your path.  Depending on what it is, you may be content to stop and only look or the urge to make it your own will rule the day.  Kevin Henkes introduced us to a joyful mouse girl in Penny and Her Song (Greenwillow Books, February 28, 2012) (reviewed here) followed by Penny and Her Doll (Greenwillow Books, August 21, 2012).  In the newest title, Penny and Her Marble (Greenwillow Books, February 19, 2013) the happy-go-lucky, lovable character has mixed feelings about a choice she makes.


Penny was pushing her doll, Rose,
in her stroller.
They went back and forth
on the front sidewalk.

Per her Mama's request, Penny can only walk as far as Mrs. Goodwin's house.  As she goes to and fro her imagination is in full swing; they glance at the tall buildings of a city, hope they don't get lost in a deeply wooded forest and consider objects below as they float among the clouds in an airplane. Right before one of her turnarounds Penny spies something round and blue on Mrs. Goodwin's lawn.  The old-as-time should I or shouldn't I debate begins and ends.

Back home in her bedroom Penny marvels at the shape and speed of her newest treasure.  To her the color makes this marble seem like a piece of the sky.  In fact, going to her bedroom window, she sees the two are a perfect match.

Oh, oh....she also sees Mrs. Goodwin standing in her yard in the same spot Penny found the marble.  Guilt consumes her.  It takes away her joy in baking cookies, eating dinner and even falling asleep.  Before breakfast the next morning, Penny announces she and Rose would like to take a walk.

We readers know where they're going and why.  Penny and her companion, pushed in her baby-doll stroller, walk into an early morning surprise.  On the way home they're bouncing on the wavy waters of the sea in a boat; a sea the same color as the marble in her hand.


In this third early reader title, Kevin Henkes is asking us to expand our reading abilities; following Penny, watching and learning as her personality shapes and grows.  To each subsequent book Henkes has included another chapter; the first has two, the second has three and this volume has four chapters. Unlike the first two books, Penny and Her Marble extends into two days' activities; we see a change of clothing.

Henkes use of language, word choice and sentence structure, is exactly what this reading audience needs. His ability to convey precise emotional moments with spare text is gifted.  We readers feel empathy for Penny and continue to appreciate the portrayal of the family unit through the caring dialogue of Mama and Papa.


The pleasing pastel color palette used in the two previous books is continued in this title although with a shift to blues and greens on the jacket and cover.  The solid color, sky blue, on the opening and closing endpapers matches the chapter enumerations as the endpaper colors did in the others.  Beneath the title (on the title page) a small square illustration features the place, activity, where Penny's story will unfold.   In this and each of the other books the illustration on the back cover is repeated with the dedication.  There is a symmetry and attention to detail in these books which exudes warmth and comfort.

Full color illustrations are rendered in watercolor paints and black pen ranging in size throughout.  At times Henkes will provide a single black line frame around his pictures; other times a partial frame at the bottom or none at all.  His visual layouts and size contribute to the form and flow of the storyline perfectly.

Having greatly enjoyed Penny and Her Song and Penny and Her Doll, it was hard for me to believe this title could be better but Penny and Her Marble written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes is the best one yet.  This is sure to be a storytime favorite and will be popular with beginning readers.  The link embedded in Kevin Henkes name will take you to his official website.

To view all of the videos created about and by Kevin Henkes follow this link to TeachingBooks.net.  Mr. John Schumacher teacher librarian and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. hosted an author visit with Mr. Henkes.  It is highlighted along with pictures and videos here.  Follow this link to the publisher website to browse inside Penny and Her Marble.

Singing Your Heart Out

Some days out of the blue what appears to be a miracle happens; a hummingbird landing on a banquet of cut flowers you are carrying, a small bunny hopping up to lick the ice cream in the Ben & Jerry's you set next to the lawn chair while dozing or opening your email to see that you have won an author Skype visit.  The joy of those moments sets your heart singing.  While wonderful, such joy is not fully complete unless shared.

In Kevin Henkes' new title, Penny and Her Song (Greenwillow Books, February 28, 2012) Penny arriving home from school has a new song.  Both her Mama and Papa think the song is beautiful and wonderful but the babies are sleeping. Going to her room she voices the melody to herself in the mirror and to her glass animals but it's not the same now, is it?

Sitting down to eat the tune again bursts forth from her lips but Mama and Papa remind her not at the table and after dinner.  Well worth the wait,  Penny sings her short rhyming musical poem.  Enjoying the praise of her parents and siblings, she repeats the song a smile on her face.

All share in the next singing and in the next, donning costumes as they move to their own rhythm.  Lovingly surprised the singing accomplishes the opposite of what Mama and Papa thought it might do.  Morning brings fulfillment of her parent's goodnight promise to Penny.

Within thirty-two pages and two chapters Kevin Henkes brings to his intended audience, employing an economy of words, the precise emotional impact.  Penny's song is simple, yes, but exactly what a joyous child is apt to voice over and over; enjoying the use of perhaps a newly learned word or the thrill of learning to count.  Her parents' requests are fair and firm; spoken with love.  Their responses are what anyone with joy to share longs to hear.

Henkes mirrors the lifting of hearts, that reawakening of spring, in his choice of colorful pastel hues; apricot endpapers, warm yellows, pinks, purples and blues.  Even the song's notes are shades of these same colors. The floral border on the jacket and cover are found again in the flower-filled meadow Penny crosses, on the wallpaper in her home and sprinkled on the fabric of her bedspread. 

Henkes' mice are memorable; this family in particular.  The opening illustration of Penny walking up the porch steps, door open with outstretched arms ready to greet her, shows readers this is a home filled with warmth.  Her parents have boundaries but Penny does not pout or get angry.  Knowing her joy will be validated at the right time, based upon the past, she goes about her business of being a little girl.  When the narrative reveals her faith in her parents to be well founded, readers can almost hear the music flowing from the pages.

Penny and Her Song by Kevin Henkes is filled with such joy readers will catch it quickly smiling and humming their own version of her song.  I've already made up my own tune to sing when I share this with my students.  Will you?

Xena's Mom's version of Penny's Song

By The Beautiful Sea

When I was about the same age as the main character in this book, Junonia by Kevin Henkes, I had a large sea shell collection.  My great uncle hand made a beautifully finished set of three stacking shelves which I lined with black velvet.  Painstakingly I labeled each new find which came into my possession either by my own discovery along the beaches of Florida or from family and friends. It was my pride and joy; each shell as valuable to me as a King's ransom.

 It's February; winter for those living in Wisconsin.  Nine-year-old Alice, her Mom, Pam, and her Dad, Tom, have traded the snow drifts for blue sky and sandy beaches along an even bluer ocean.  Crossing the bridge to Sanibel Island, Florida for their annual vacation Alice feels an unusual sensation which quickly passes but not before she anxiously wonders if changes are in store for her.

Alice concentrated entirely on the pelican.  The bird was so odd and silly looking, a mysterious, mesmerizing wonder...She'd seen pelicans before, every year that she had been here, but when you see something only once a year it's always new, as if you're seeing it for the first time.  Everything is new here, she thought.  New and exciting.

Every trip is special but she hopes this one will be perfect; this year she will celebrate her tenth birthday, double digits.  Maybe this year she will find a junonia, a rare shell of the sea. 

What she does find immediately are changes.  The grandchildren of neighbors, the Wishmeiers, are not coming.  Helen Blair, an artist from New York City, has been snowed in and can not get a flight out.  Her mother's college friend, Kate, is bringing a new boyfriend with his young daughter.  As an only child, Alice, viewed all these vacation people as her extended family.  What will happen now?

As pages are turned a story so wonderful in its normalcy unfolds before readers.  Characters richly developed and supportive of children weave in and out of the events of this vacation week and memorable birthday.   Henkes' descriptions are so vivid in imagery that by my completion of the book it looked like a pincushion stuck with  mini-sticky notes.  Here are just a couple.

She was loose jointed, and although she felt awkward much of the time, she often appeared graceful.  She swung her arms in smooth half circles; her legs moved like ribbons.

At that very moment, Alice loved her mother so completely she thought they might fuse together and melt away.

They walked at a turtle's pace.  The night air was cool.  Stars littered the black sky like crushed ice.  No one spoke most of the way, so Alice listened to the palm fronds rustling overhead and the rhythmic pounding of the waves.

As a reader Henkes had me captivated with his heart-warming insight into the mind of a young girl as she tries to adjust her thinking around the shifts that life is handing her.  Like a favorite blanket wrap yourself in this cozy, gentle telling.  Junonia would be a great read aloud to a class, one on one or individually for upper elementary or lower middle school age.  His use of language is so exemplary that short journal writing would be a good extension.

The illustrations by this Caldecott Award winning author/illustrator are the icing on this particular cake.  Each chapter beginning is adorned with a picture that highlights an event or observation within that section.  His soft blue endpapers of beach, sea and sky set the tone for this title.

Listen to this video with Henkes speaking about Junonia, go get a copy and begin reading, preferably with a younger friend. 

Spring Is In The Air And In The Step of...

For someone who loves to collect books as well as read them the care given by some authors and illustrators with respect to their artistic selection of design and color is sheer delight.  Kevin Henkes newest book, Little White Rabbit, is picture perfect in every way.  Using his recognizable media of combining colored pencil and acrylic paint his book jacket and endpapers envelope us in calming pink and green reminiscent of a gentle spring morning.  He carries this theme to the front and back book covers; the front frames a little rabbit in pink and the back frames the same little rabbit in green. 

As little white rabbit hops through the grass, by the fir trees, over a rock, under the butterflies or past the cat he wonders.  What would it be like to be green, tall, not be able to move, flutter through the air or too scared to wonder anything?  In two page spreads Henkes visualizes those thoughts in what can only be described as graphics that clearly portray little white rabbit's imagining; graphics, that I might add, are suitable for framing.

Little white rabbit's wanderings conclude by arriving back to the nest, nose-nuzzling with his Mom and not wondering at all about who loves him.  Charming, simply charming...