The Art Of Ingenuity

Objectives vary from individual to individual.  They can be from second to second or over the course of decades.  Some goals are more easily reached than others.  There is a plan in place.  Enough time is available to complete said plan.  Other aims happen so quickly, instinct takes over.

Sometimes, initially, there is no objective, goal, or aim, but an opportunity presents itself.  This opportunity cannot be ignored.  It turns into a deep desire.  In The Thingity-Jig (Peachtree Publishing Company, April 1, 2021) written by Kathleen Doherty with illustrations by Kristyna Litten, a nighttime escapade reveals an eager yearning.  This leads to the construction of a trio of contraptions.

One night, under the light of a silvery

moon, all of Bear's friends were deep

asleep.

But Bear wasn't sleepy---he wanted to play. 

Bear left the woods for people town.  He explored until he found a Thingity-Jig. (People called it a sofa.)  He loved the way it responded to his every move.  He could not wait to tell his woodland friends.

He rushed back to them.  Rabbit, Fox, and Raccoon did not want to help him bring it to the woods.  They wanted to sleep.  Bear, being a wide-awake bear, knew he was on his own.  

Back in people town, Bear assessed the situation, and from items free for the taking, he built a unique vehicle.  This would carry the Thingity-Jig, but now he had another problem.  How would he get the Thingity-Jig on his mode of transportation?  A visit back to the woods resulted in the same response from his friends.

So, Bear assembled another one-of-a-kind gizmo.  At last, the Thingity-Jig was homeward bound.  You won't believe what happened!  Of course, his friends did not want to be bothered.  Another device was made.  Hooray!  As the sky lightened with a new day beginning, Rabbit, Fox, and Raccoon woke with a start at a loud thud.  Guess who loved the Thingity-Jig as much as Bear?  Guess who had to wait and wait and wait to play on the Thingity-Jig?  Oh, Bear.  Sweet dreams.

The word play created by author Kathleen Doherty is pure fun on every page.  There are loads of single action verbs and delightful, descriptive adjectives.  Alliteration is used to enhance the cadence.  Repetition of words and phrases tie moments together.  The conversational exchanges between Bear and his friends Rabbit, Fox, and Raccoon disclose their distinctive personalities.  Here is a passage.

"Wake up! Wake up! I found something

fun---a bouncy, springy Thingity-Jig!"

Rabbit opened one eye.

"Really?"

"This Thingity-Jig will be sit-on-it,

hop-on-it, jump-on-it fun . . .," said Bear.

"And I need help bringing it home."

"Not now, Bear." Fox yawned.

"We're sleeping."

"Wait till morning,"

grumbled Raccoon.

But Bear wasn't sleepy---he

wanted to play.  So he took

matters into his own paws.

(I am working with an F & G, but I have two copies arriving soon.)

When you open the dust jacket, you are greeted with Bear standing in a treasure trove found in an alley.  Here items of no value to others are gifts to an inventive mind.  On the front, do you see the many mice engaged in aerobic endeavors?  Notice the spider hanging from the windowsill.  It's a superb design choice to have the light from that window shine on Bear like a spotlight.  The background on the front and the back is matte finished.  All the other elements on the front and back are varnished, even the two little beetles on the back.

On the opening endpapers, Bear is running through his woods at night.  A crescent moon hangs in a starry sky.  Other than a few birds, all the other animals are tucked away for the night.  There are indications of snores coming from some of their homes.  This is a panoramic view of the woods, almost like a map.  The colors are a deep muted blue and cream.  On the closing endpapers, the setting is the same but . . . oh, my . . . everything else is different.  It is the light of a new day.  You will spend hours looking at this artwork.  Bear started something marvelous.

With a page turn, we are at the verso and title pages.  On these Bear is leaping through tree branches, bouncing off the e in The, and hanging from another tree branch.  This creature is all about play.

These illustrations by Kristyna Litten were

rendered in pencil, ink textures, and digital.

They shift in size to showcase the narrative and its pacing.  We move from a full-page picture to a spot image, to another full-page picture, a cluster of small visuals and then to a double-page illustration.  These alterations in size also reinforce the dynamic character of Bear.  Readers will enjoy pausing at each illustration to notice all the tiny elements in each scene.  Careful readers will notice the sky changing from the newness of night to the darkness of night, to the brightening of dawn, sunrise, and near noon.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a full-page picture.  We are looking at a sweeping perspective.  It is as if we are on top of a roof in people town.  The roof goes across the bottom of the page.  Above the roof are buildings of all shapes and sizes with lights glowing in some of the windows.  From the town, a hill rises.  On the hill are trees as the woodlands come into view.  About halfway up the hill is Bear peddling the Rolly-Rumpity.  A lamp on the front of this vehicle lights his path.  The moon is close to the hill.  Stars are sprinkled in the sky.  The hues of blue and purple are calming.  The red of the sofa draws our eyes to Bear.

This book, The Thingity-Jig written by Kathleen Doherty with illustrations by Kristyna Litten, is certain to have readers smiling from beginning to end and hours, if not days, later.  It is a joy to read silently.  It is read-aloud gold and a STEAM gem.  I highly recommend you place a copy on your personal and professional bookshelves. 

To learn more about Kathleen Doherty and Kristyna Litten and their other work, please follow the link attached to their name to access informative websites.  Kathleen Doherty has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Kristyna Litten has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there are interior pages guaranteed to make you smile, a teacher's guide and an interview with the author.

A Salute To Slumber

By its very definition a festival is a call to celebrate.  It's an opportunity for people to band together to enjoy a shared passion, to commemorate a person, place, thing or event or to pause in their everyday lives for a much needed holiday.  Whether it lasts for a single day or a week, a festival is generally filled with laughter, music, dancing and ... NOISE.


What's that you say?  There's a gala dedicated to napping, dozing and dreaming?  SnoozeFEST (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, January 22, 2015) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Kristyna Litten is a joyful look at a sloth whose success at sleeping is unparalleled.

In the center of Snoozeville, dwells the wee one,
the sleepiest sloth, Snuggleford Cuddlebun.

It seems Snuggleford Cuddlebun is one of nature's finest when it comes to rest.  The only thing ever to halt her deep repose is an annual ticket to SNOOZEFEST.  She packs her essentials ready to ride the bus,

right in front of her home,

to the famous NuzzleDome.

Eager patrons patiently wait to enter the arena and then seek to settle in a spot right for the show.  They've gathered their pillows, quilts and cuddliest toys.  The variety of blankets is a sight to see; all of them named with great affection.

Once Snuggleford Cuddlebun locates a splendid nest swaying between two trees, she gathers memorabilia from vendors and makes sure to secure a savory cup of milk and honey to sip.  Now cozily comfortable, she watches with the others as a P. J. Parade of opulent proportions winds through the park.  When it's time for the bands to play, the radiant glare is no more; little lights from the audience blink and beam like a firefly convention.

First one act, then another take the stage and even more singing, playing and reciting poetic words of quiet and calm lull the listeners.  Sweet Snuggleford Cuddlebun drifts into dreamland, content in her hammock.  This sloth is sleeping through all the soothing sounds.

It comes as no surprise to anyone to see Sunggleford Cuddlebun wake last as days later the program comes to a close.  She collects her things, heading home on the very same bus.  Happy but exhausted in the comfort of her abode, she does what Snuggleford Cuddlebun does best.


Readers and listeners will thoroughly relish the way the words of Samantha Berger roll off their tongues.  The rhythm of her rhymes will have you burrowing under a cushy comforter in no time at all.  Sleep-inducing allusions welcome you to join in this fest dedicated to silence and siestas.  The names given to the bands will have you smiling; Nocturnal Nesters, Tranquility Trio or Deep Hiber-Nation.  Here is a sample passage.

It's dreamy to see the stuff everyone brings---
their wumphiest, coziest, comfiest things.
Bundles of blankets and fluffed feather beds---
puffy poofed pillows to prop up their heads.


The deep blues and purples surrounding Snuggleford Cuddlebun all nestled in her hammock between two trees wound with lights, looking down on the festivities, is enough to make you want to ask her if there's room for two.  The soft curve of her smile as she holds her teddy bear sends out a feeling of total bliss.  The second portion of the title, like a concert marquee, is a stroke of design brilliance.  On the back, to the left, the first band is on stage, harp playing and counting sheep.  Squares of fabric pieced together like a quilt lay patterned across the opening and closing endpapers.  The concert theme is continued for the verso, dedications and title page with tickets holding the text.

A warm palette of rich light blue, turquoise, green, red, orange, yellow and brown with a cast of dusk-like hues at night are awash with life. Digitally rendered illustrations by Kristyna Litten colorfully compliment the narrative varying in size from two pages to smaller images liberally framed with white space grouped together to show the passage of time.  Details define the characters and the SnoozeFEST; the matryoshka doll next to Snuggleford Cuddlebun's bed, the poster for the band, Hiber-Nation tacked to a tree, Snuggleford Cuddlebun's bedtime book, Big Bear, Big Sleep, and the signs held during the P. J. Parade, Alexander McDream and Louis Futon.  

One of my favorite illustrations is the panoramic view of the SnoozeFEST after the lights have been dimmed inside The NuzzleDome.  It's as if we are looking from another hammock on another side, seeing Snuggleford Cuddlebun to our left with an array of cozy resting places spread before us as members of the audience mingle below.  In the center of the right portion the stage is nearly empty as a worker cleans it a final time before the first performance.  Lights are strung from tree to tree glowing in the dark.


If you are ready to rest with a smile on your face, filled with dreams of gentle cheer, SnoozeFEST written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Kristyna Litten is the book for you.  Word choices will sing you to sleep and illustrations will wrap you in pure contentment.  Grab your pajamas, pillows and snuggly blankets; I see a festival in your feature and snores galore.

To discover more about Samantha Berger and Kristyna Litten please follow the links attached to their names to visit their websites.  This link takes you to Samantha Berger's blog where she shows her promotional posts for this title.  Author and illustration Debbie Ridpath Ohi interviews Samantha Berger on her blog, Inkygirl.com  Matthew C. Winner, a busy enthusiastic teacher librarian interviews Samantha Berger at Let's Get Busy Podcast #116.  Enjoy the book trailer.