Noticing Nature #2

Across the street is a large vacant lot.  On either side is a row of trees and shrubs.  To the west is an occupied home.  To the east are two unoccupied houses.  Behind them are rows of mature evergreens.  It is a forest in a neighborhood.  By chance, several days ago, I looked up from working at the kitchen sink out the windows at that vacant lot.  Gasping, I watched a fox in the middle of the day running from one side to the other.  Now, when out walking with my canine companion, she stops, sits and raises her nose sniffing as soon as we are near that wooded area.  She knows.

(And then just minutes ago, yes today, November 16, 2021, as we rounded that familiar corner close to our home on our walk, the crows were more vocal than normal.  Out of a row of trees on our left, the fox ran, stopped on a grassy area, crossed the road in front of us, and stopped on the lawn of a house on the right before disappearing into those woods. He was gorgeous, red and with lots of bright white on his tail.  I was trying to get my phone out of my pocket to get a picture, but also gaze at him at the same time.  Mulan, my dog, just stood silently and watched.)

Wild animals, regardless of where we live, are a part of our world.  Living with them is wondrous.  We never know when they will cross our paths or we will cross their paths.  We All Play kimetawanaw (Greystone Kids, Greystone Books Ltd, May 25, 2021) written and illustrated by Julie Flett explores the commonality and bond between animals and children.

Animals hide

and hop

and sniff

and sneak . . .

Rabbits, foxes, a turtle, and eight owls show a group of gals and guys how they play.  Next, we find ourselves in and near water.  Here whales, seals, and a mother Canada goose and her babies squirt, bend, and chase.  Nearby, children enjoy the same activities.

Back on land, snakes slither through grass.  Buffalos thunder across the plains.  Bears act like acrobats.  Snow has fallen.  Bundled in their winter wear, a hill provides the same possibilities for the girls and boys.

After a day of being constantly on the move, the animals start to slow.  They look for a space to be cozy and to cuddle.  Together, they rest.  Do the children snooze, too?

The words author Julie Flett has selected are like musical notes in a song.  Their alliteration envelopes readers, inviting us to participate.  With every page turn, the melody increases taking us through the seasons and days of play.  Three times with three different animals, we watch and listen as they play, then the same refrain, the title, ties the animals to the children.  It is here that the Cree language is used with the English.  Here is another portion of a passage.

Animals . . .

and wiggle

and wobble.

On either side of the spine, the grasses extend on the cream canvas.  As the children chase butterflies, the bobcat youngsters calmly watch on the front, right side.  You can, in your mind, hear the children laughing.  Their exuberance is contagious.  On the left, back of the dust jacket, two children are lying in the grass, feet to feet.  Their arms are raised.  A butterfly glides just out of reach.

An interior image of seals enjoying a swim is placed on the book case.  The background is the same rich cream color.  Bubbles rise from each of the three and along the bottom.

On the opening endpapers is the green used for the grasses.  On the closing endpapers is a rusty red of autumn leaves.  On the title page, the image from the front of the jacket is replicated.  Opposite this is the dedication page.  Here illustrator Julie Flett speaks of her father, Clarence Flett, Swampy Cree, Red River Metis (1936-2019).  

Rendered in pastel and pencil, composited digitally

these illustrations, each double-page image, depict joy in its purest form.  Animals appear and leave on page edges, left and right, top and bottom, breaking the frame.  Tiny details are tucked into visuals, Insects jump with the rabbits.  The geese walk among a patch of clover.  Beetles are busy as the buffalos rush past them.  Paw prints fashion a trail past the bobcats.

One of my many favorite illustrations accompanies the text above noted.  Here three bears enjoy an early snowfall.  Their warm brown bodies against the snow is a pleasing contrast.  On the left, one of the bears is on its back, feet curled up.  On the right, another bear is sliding down on its stomach toward the first bear.  A smaller bear is on the back of the sliding bear.  If they spoke our language, they might be saying

yippee!

Asking us to be aware, see, and respect what nature supplies us, We All Play written and illustrated by Julie Flett celebrates the antics in the animal world we mirror in the human world.  No matter how many times you read this book, the happiness will heighten your own happiness.  At the close of the book is a list of animals in English and in Cree.  This is followed by an explanation of the Cree 

used in this book.

There is also a Dear Reader note from Julie Flett.  I highly recommend this title for all your collections, personal and professional.

To learn more about Julie Flett and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Julie Flett has accounts on Instagram and Twitter. Julie Flett was highlighted this past May on two websites, Art Of The Picture Book and Let's Talk Picture Books.  At the publisher's website is a guide for educators and parents and an audio pronunciation of the Cree words.  At School Library Journal, The Classroom Bookshelf, this title is featured with multiple resources and educational ideas.

We All Play by Julie Flett from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.

Color conveys and connects to us, as do light and shadow within those colors.  In her two previous phenomenal books, Green (March 27, 2012) and Blue (September 25, 2018), Laura Vaccaro Seeger presented colors to readers with fresh eyes.  She elevated our awareness of colors' effects on us.  In her new book, Red (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, October 5, 2021), Laura Vaccaro Seeger tells of being lost and found, heartbreak and humanity.  It is about a fox.  It is about a girl.  It is about all of us.

dark red

light red

lost red

During a move at dusk, a young fox gets separated from its group.  It sleeps, awaking and realizing it is lost.  It safely crosses a road by a railroad tracks during the dark of night.

While roaming, the fox notices a girl in the yard of her home.  She watches the fox watching her.  Continuing its explorations, the fox finds other signs of humans, eventually injuring itself on a rusty nail.

It seeks food and discovers other obstacles, some high.  The fox moves through the woods and into a field.  Readers will recognize the vehicle and a box from a previous scene.  Hungry, the animal is unaware of the danger ahead.

Human and animal clash.  Compassion and confidence blend in another animal and human encounter.  Steps by steps, previous settings are revisited until there is a flash of . . .

Each word placed before the title word by Laura Vaccaro Seeger reflects a time of day, an emotional feeling, a description of place, a foreshadowing, a physical characteristic, or homecoming.  At times every other word will rhyme.  Sometimes for emphasis words in succession will rhyme.  And those words, in turn, rhyme with an earlier word.  There is a bit of alliteration to enhance the cadence.  It is an ingenious working with words by Laura Vaccaro Seeger. 

When you first look at the swirl of red shades on the open and matching dust jacket and book case, the image extending from flap edge to flap edge, what do you see?  If you look closely above the raised title text on the front, right side, there is the head of a fox.  When you look at the entire jacket and case, you can see the whole body of the fox running.  Above and below this fox are other foxes.  What would it be like to see a group of them running together?

On the opening endpapers, which is also the title page, we are deep in a forest.  Tall trees, undergrowth, and patches of grass span page edge to page edge.  Through the tops of trees is a brilliant blue sky.  Three foxes briskly walk toward the right side beneath the title text.  On the left, behind them, another fox strides toward them.  With another page turn, the woods are darker.  We see the first die-cut leading us to the next double-page picture.  On the closing endpapers are words from the author illustrator, a dedication and the publication information, all on the left.  On the right side are three vertical panels, one green, one blue, and the third, red.  (I got goosebumps reading the author's note.)

Using acrylic paint on canvas

Laura Vaccaro Seeger takes us on an intense journey.  Through her artwork and the placement of die-cuts, it is a sensory experience, abundant in detail.  We are walking through darkened woodlands.  We are waking on a cliff overlooking an expanse of forest as the sun is partially shown on the horizon.  We are curious.  We are hurt.  We need food.  We need help.  And most of all, we need to find our way home.  

Between the final two-word phrases, Laura Vaccaro Seeger breaks from her double-page pictures.  On these two wordless picture pages, first on the left, are three panels.  There are two squares over a rectangle.  On the right side is a full-page picture.  Then, it is guaranteed you will sigh at the sight of the final two-page image with the last two words.

One of my many favorite pictures is for the two words, rose red.  At the base of the two-page visual, among the grass and roses, the fox, on the right, looks forward.  In front of the fox is a sturdy white fence, made of posts and a single row of rails.  The setting is framed on the left by oak leaves and acorns, and on the right by a blooming red and pink bush.  In the upper portion of the picture on the left, the girl is picking up a ball.  She and the fox look at each other.

As soon as you finish reading Red written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, you'll read it again and again.  Then you'll go to your bookshelves, or the nearest library to read the two previous books in the trilogy.  You might read all of them together more than once.  You certainly need a copy of this book for your professional and personal collections.

To discover more about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name. Laura Vaccaro Seeger has accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  At the publisher's website are an event kit with activities and an educator's guide with discussion questions.  At Penguin Random House you can view the first double-page picture, the title page.  This book and her other work is discussed with Laura Vaccaro Seeger at Publishers Weekly, Let's Talk Picture Books and Critter Lit.

As we get older, we see the world with a wider and deeper perspective.  For many adults, but not all adults, it is clouded by past events and life experiences.  What we need to retain is the constant curiosity and bliss we had as children in investigating the world outside our homes.  Dear Little One (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November 2, 2021) written by Nina Laden with illustrations by Melissa Castrillon is a love letter to our natural surroundings and all the minute marvels they hold.

Dear Little One

Your time on

Earth has just

begun. 

A small child and their dog walk along the shoreline, peer into the water, and touch its surface.  The child is encouraged, as they walk into the woods, away from their home, to look, listen, and inhale.  They are asked to appreciate the flowers, bees, and trees.

Insects abound in sheltered nooks and crannies.  It only takes a minute to seek them out and observe their work.  Plants, from seeds to stalk, reveal secrets.

Speaking of secrets, what can you find by digging through the dirt?  There might be treasure, natural or human.  As the child and her canine companion walk through the woods, they need to remember their purpose in keeping our planet alive.  Each animal found along the way is part of a vital unseen web.

It is important to remember to venture farther than our home.  We must develop a respect for large bodies of water, sand, and tall mountains.  Wind, calm or wild, rain, snow, and the sun each are essential.  Be sure to gaze at the stars and have their endless expanse embrace you.  You are a caretaker of this Earth, now and always.  

You know from reading the first word Nina Laden is addressing someone with, at the very least, respect.  As the narrative continues, you realize, through her lyrical rhyming text, the speaker is building a loving relationship with the child.  They ask the child to be aware, to be grateful, and to be responsible.  Sentence by sentence we get a sense of building toward something extraordinary.  The final three words are our answer.  Here is a passage.

Hike in the forests.

They make the world green.

Their leaves act like lungs

to keep the air clean.

Two lavishly framed and illustrated scenes greet readers on the back, left, and front, right, of the open dust jacket.  The exotic plant life, flowers and leaves, twine around a three-lined gold foil border on the front and a golden yellow border on the back.  The child, on the front, is already heeding the advice of the speaker in looking at the beetle.  Other insects and small creatures are curious about her.  How many more can you see?

On the back, the child and their dog are perched on a branch.  It is placed near the top of the image.  They are looking at something to their right.  Beneath them are ferns, flowers, and a single bee.  

The book case is done in several hues of deep green.  There are less elements in the scenes on the back, left, and the front, right.  The child is only shown on the front.  There is more gold foil in addition to the borders.  Both the jacket and case are stunning.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a fan pattern with evergreen trees, tree branches, birds and leaves.  It is done in green and cream.  The child with a backpack is standing in a corner with their dog, ready to explore.  With a page turn, we see bees in cream on green on the left.  On the right, the child is smelling a flower as their dog runs behind them.  The child is wearing a red jacket and yellow pants.  The dedication, publication information and title pages are a two-page picture.  A close-up of leaves and flowers surround the text.  There are a few small critters.

Each of the two-page pictures, full-page pictures and smaller pictures grouped on a single page

were rendered in pencil and then colored digitally

by Melissa Castrillon.  The delicate lines and intricate details welcome closer inspection.  The invitations found in the text are enhanced by the artwork.  The breathtaking color choices amplify the enchanting images.  Shifting perspectives make us a part of the adventure.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture at night.  A portion of the moon hangs low in the sky in the upper left-hand corner.  Evergreens bend in from the left and right sides.  The sky is peppered with stars, some of them shooting comet-like tails.  On a small hill in the center is a tent.  Close, but not too close, a small fire burns.  Next to it is the child and their dog.  They have a new friend, either a coyote or fox, joining them.  All of them are looking to the stars.  An owl dozes in one of the trees.  The colors are cream, purple, and green, with the exception being the child's clothing and the orange red of the tent and fire.

In a word, this book, Dear Little One written by Nina Laden with illustrations by Melissa Castrillon, is splendid.  The heart-warming letter paired with the striking artwork makes this a book to treasure and share often.  Your personal and professional collections will not be complete without a copy of this title.

By following the link attached to their names, you can learn more about Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon and their other work at their websites.  Nina Laden has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  Melissa Castrillon has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images including the open dust jacket and book case.

The Need To Know

There comes a time in every person's life when their most-used phrase consists of a single word.  It is used frequently during a question and answer conversation.  Sometimes it's used repeatedly, perhaps because the ones saying it know how irritating it can be to some people.  Other times this three-letter word helps to satisfy a mind full of never-ending curiosity.  It's an inquisitiveness which will serve them well over the course of their lives.  It's a search to be informed, understand and become whole.

This single word is why.  It's used with the appropriate punctuation as the title of a new picture book by two-time Caldecott Honor winner (First the Egg and Green) and two-time Geisel Honor winner (First the Egg and One Boy), Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  Why? (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, August 13, 2019) explores chats between a patient bear and a need-to-know rabbit, revealing the depth of their friendship.

"Why?"
asked the rabbit

"Because flowers need water
to grow," said the bear.

From watching the bear with his watering can to sitting on a hill with the bear at nighttime, the rabbit cannot stop asking one question after another question.  During daylight, after finding out why the bear had a telescope on the hill, rabbit needs to know about the bear's over consumption of jugs of honey.  Can you guess why?

Everywhere the bear goes, the rabbit follows, keeping up a constant conversation.  The rabbit even wonders about the bear's inability to follow him down his own hole to his home.  The rabbit's struggle to maintain his grip on a branch and a subsequent fall prompt two more inquiries and replies.

As the seasons shift the bear and the rabbit watch and ponder the flight of geese in their familiar formation.  From colorful leaves to falling snow, the rabbit seeks answers.  When a dead robin is discovered in the snow by the rabbit, the bear admits to sometimes not having the knowledge to respond.

The snow continues to coat the ground, becoming deeper and deeper.  The bear turns to go, but the rabbit asks him to stay.  Now it's the bear's turn to say:

"Why?"

The rabbit's words are guaranteed to elicit a collective sigh from all readers and listeners.


When I think of Laura Vaccaro Seeger, I think of her as a storyteller for our souls. She is a master of words and language, choosing them with care to convey exactly what we all need.  In this narrative we comprehend the curiosity of the rabbit but also value the capacity of the bear for kindness through their give and take dialogue.  When it switches with the bear asking the one-word question, the purity of both their hearts are revealed.


The illustrations in this title are rendered using watercolor.  When you open the dust jacket the bear's body extends over the spine to the back, creating an entire scene.  The layered colors in the sky, grass, and the bear's and the rabbit's bodies invite you to reach out and touch them.  This setting on the dust jacket, all of them throughout the book, emanate warmth and gentleness.

Beneath the jacket on the smooth, soft dark teal book case, the bear and the rabbit are embossed on the front. They are seated on a small hill next to and facing each other.  A lighter teal covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Laura Vaccaro Seeger begins her visual story on the title page.  The rabbit is hopping after the bear that is carrying a watering can.

Each page turn displays a luminous two-page picture with the exception of two pages.  These two pages have smaller images to accentuate the pacing, leading to bear's statement.   When Laura Vaccaro Seeger shifts her perspective, we stand in awe at the portrayal or want to leap into the closeness depicted in the illustration.  Is it me or do I see a tiny, tiny symbol of love in one picture?

The body postures on the bear and the rabbit as well as their facial expressions endear them to us.  These help to make us a part of their conversations.  This is why when seeing the concluding image of the story, which Laura Vaccaro Seeger paints on the verso page, readers will want to hug this book.

One of my many, many favorite visuals is a double-page picture.  The rabbit is tumbling from the branch he was holding after losing his grip on a windy day.  On a sky-blue background with wispy clouds, thicker in the corners, along the sides and along the top and bottom, he is shown three times, left to right.  First, he is facing left, on the left, like he is hopping in air.  Then, on the right, all his limbs are spread with his mouth wide open as he asks:

"Why?"

Nearing the right-hand corner, he is still on his back, but he is trying to slow his drop.  (Bear catches him on the next page.)


Why? written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a book to cherish for its insightful presentation of friendship, for the exuberant spirit of inquiry and the huge capability for compassion exhibited by her characters.  It will find a place in all readers' souls.  It would be interesting to read this first without bear's replies to see what children's predictions might be based on the wonderful illustrations.   You could also have discussions on other why? circumstances.  I highly recommend you have a copy of this in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Laura Vaccaro Seeger has an account on Facebook and Twitter.   There is a five question Q & A at The Horn Book with Laura Vaccaro Seeger in December 2018.  Laura Vaccaro Seeger visits author Tara Lazar's Writing For Kids (While Raising Them to talk about her process and this book.  This book and Laura Vaccaro Seeger are highlighted at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  You will love seeing the artistic process.  At a publisher's website you can view the title page.

All The Hues Of . . .

The air is crisp and a cool breeze stirs the remaining leaves on the trees.  The brilliance of the sky as the sun lights up the colored leaves is breathtaking.  It's a welcome respite after weeks of rain with more predicted for this evening. My canine companion nearly pranced with joy during our morning walk.  Nothing is more appreciated than that which has been missing.


Without our realizing it, the absence of blue was affecting us.  Blue adds balance to the other colors. Blue (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, September 25, 2018) written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger as a companion to her Green, a Caldecott Honor book, not only explores blue as a color but as a poignant expression of emotion.

baby blue

berry blue

Each of the sixteen two word verses, parts of a poetic narrative, connects us to our own life moments and those depicted in the double-page pictures.  Page turn by page turn we watch and understand as two hearts are made whole by the presence of the other.  As they grow so does our compassion.

We sigh with affection at the first image of a puppy and small child sleeping head to head.  A small light blue blanket/scarf connects them as a paw rests on the left and a tiny hand holds it on the right.  A slightly older puppy is pulled in a red wagon by the boy after an afternoon of blueberry picking.  A filled basket sits next to the dog.  We know the duo is already inseparable.

A small boy's artwork with puppy paw prints running across wet paint, a ball bobbing on white-tipped waves and two tired souls sleeping next to each other on the boy's bed draw us deeper into their shared experiences.  A shift occurs midway through the story with

my blue.

A boy's possession now becomes a possession of the dog.

Day by day, season by season, the pair is shown together inside and outside.  They silently snuggle, they joyously laugh, they lovingly offer shelter and trek side by side from adventure to adventure.   In one of the final verses we are prepared for the inevitable.  This is followed by a deeply moving portrait and words signifying a bond which even death cannot break.  We are reminded from sadness hope finds a way to give us

new blue.


With her evocative language Laura Vaccaro Seeger takes us on a journey of love and remembrance.  We have seen or enjoyed tender moments with a puppy.  It's pure peace.  We have watched a dog chase flying butterflies in their blue beauty.  It's merriment to store away.  We have walked through snow on a bitter cold day ready to play with our canine companion.  It's wonderful anticipation.

With her rhyming words Laura Vaccaro Seeger invites us to participate in this sensory passage of time.  We willingly go because we know her words, like those of all great storytellers, will leave our hearts whole.  Blue creates harmony.


The opened and matching dust jacket and book case call out to us.  Like in life, there are numerous shades of blue.  Each one is attached to an item or emotion.  On the jacket the title text is raised.  The opening and closing endpapers are a pale, sky blue and introduce the narrative with a title page and close the book with the dedication (Cooper, a Seeger beloved dog) and publication information.

Rendered in acrylic paint on canvas each double-page image is a window and a door.  It's as if we are watching our own reflections and are being beckoned to join the dog and his boy.  Laura Vaccaro Seeger shifts her point of view in the illustrations.

We are so close to the puppy and baby we can imagine hearing their gentle breathing as they sleep.  In this visual the color choices and brush strokes are softer.  In the following scene after the blueberry picking, on the left the berries and leaves fill the page in a close-up representation.  On the right the puppy in the wagon with the boy pulling him are in the background.  The palette is bolder and vibrant as are the lines, shadows and light.  Each turn of page will have you gasping in appreciation for the use of perspective.

The dog and boy are never more than an arm's length from each other.  They are usually featured next to each other.  Readers will also notice the placement of the treasured possession in almost all of the illustrations.  This is highly significant.  As in her other work, the use of die-cuts is masterful.  The meticulous positioning of each ties us to the next illustration as well as the previous picture.  Scattered blueberries are part of a child's painting and they in turn become paw prints.  Paw prints are highlighted by a grassy field but become part of a butterfly's wing.  Drawer knobs are part of a book but change to illustrations in another book.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the dog and boy are walking in the winter.  Nearly everything is covered in layers of white.  The technique Laura Vaccaro Seeger uses to present this effect is a mix of light and heavy applications of paint.  A large tree on the left crosses the gutter to the right.  Beneath its branches the duo walks.  Hanging from this branch on the left is a bird feeder.  Perched on the feeder is a cardinal.  The boy's sled is a well-worn red. He is wearing red boots, mittens and a hat with a red hooded sweatshirt beneath his dark blue coat.  From the leash his dog walks beside him.  The boy leans toward the dog.  The dog is looking at his boy.  The dog is wearing a light blue scarf.


Rarely does a book supply readers with a truthful, meaningful and hopeful account of the companionship between a dog and a human.  Blue, beautifully written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger, does this.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  This is one of two other books, Bone Dog written and illustrated by Eric Rohmann and The Rough Patch written and illustrated by Brian Lies, which I believe respectfully and with deep affection understands this is a relationship which never ends.  Memories are forever.

To learn more about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At a publisher's website you can view interior images.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson features Blue and Laura Vaccaro Seeger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Laura talks about her process and shares loads of artwork.  You might want to have some tissues handy before viewing this book trailer.  (My wild child, two-year old chocolate Labrador might be wondering why she's getting lots of extra hugs today.)

Mulan is wondering if she should sleep or
get ready for her next adventure.

Sleep wins.

Witnessing Winter

Last night the only supermoon of 2017 provided a treat for skygazers.  Shortly before 11:00 pm portions of a huge ring around this moon could be seen in southern Michigan.  This usually means a storm is coming.  It's already sweeping across the northern and western regions of the Midwest.  Winter storm and blizzard warnings are being issued as wild winds, heavy snow and bitter temperatures rage through the region.

With a fifteen to twenty degree temperature drop here between Monday and Tuesday, winter is assuredly arriving.  Snow Scene (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, November 7, 2017) written by Richard Jackson with pictures by Laura Vaccaro Seeger encourages readers to become keen observers of seasonal shifts.  Every time we step outside Mother Nature supplies hints for us.

What are these?

An unseen narrator, our guide throughout this narrative, directs our attention to specific elements or small pieces of particular items in the surrounding scene.  First we are asked to look closely at tall study columns of white and black.  By stepping back we can see they are trees, birch trees.

To our right dark forms move on the snow.  Feathers fluff and glossy bodies glide.  They gather near another riddle.  It's stretching from a sturdy truck.  A coating which crackles in the slightest breeze covers it.

Now children walk in the woods.  Both the girl and the boy carry clues of the season as part of their current physical characteristics.  They have spent hours in the wintry weather creating other snowy companions.  A setting sun and days ahead yield more evidence of the passage of time.

A landscape bare except for white soon shows us bits of fresh life poking through the snow.  A different form of precipitation, lush floral vistas and the awakening of animal families mark first one and then another season's arrival.  If we lift our eyes and watch, mountain peaks herald the cycle beginning anew.


No phrase is longer than five words; most of them are only two words.  With this simple, limited use of language Richard Jackson takes readers on a seasonal, sensory journey.  In the form of questions, he asks us to discover the world in which we walk.  This query and response, the noticed indications, technique provides a rhythm as subtle and gentle as the transformations from month to month.  The rhyming words at the end of these phrases supply readers with possible answers. Here are some phrases.

And those?
Shadows.
Of crows.


Caldecott honoree (twice) and Theodore Geisel honoree (twice) Laura Vaccaro Seeger's remarkable artwork is evident on the opened, matching dust jacket and book case.  The bright colors and texture in the elements welcome readers as participates in the story.  The snowman on the front, right, extends over the spine to the back, left.  Behind him a small grove of trees lift into the clear blue sky.  No space is wasted in this title.

The opening endpapers feature a two-page picture of a snow-shower sky with flakes drifting down.  On the far right a birch tree provides a border.  To the left of the trunk is the text for the title page.  With a page turn the first of each two-page illustration rendered in acrylic paint on canvas begins a visual interpretation.  The closing endpapers, a wash of golden yellow, is a background for the publication information.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger takes us close to a particular object and then asks us to step farther back to reveal the secret.  A few strands of hair disclose a girl building a snowman, her hair sprinkled in snow.  Dressed in winter garb, she's talking and smiling as she works.  A deer walking off a page on the right changes into a frosty nighttime vista, a blend of the woods and a home in the country.  The same deer from the previous page watches the house, windows aglow with light.

With infinite care, Laura includes tiny elements from one image in the following illustration.  What appears on the right edge is extended to the left edge with a page turn.  A row of fence opens to another nearby landscape. A field of daisies leads to a rabbit running.  An eagle perched on an outcrop takes us to a mountain top.

One particular image of several favorite pictures is of the two snowmen.  On the left the one made by the girl fills the entire page.  We see a portion of his head and body including his eyes, mouth, carrot nose, red and white, striped scarf and row of buttons.  With a change in perspective, across the gutter, the snowman made by the boy is seen in its entirety.  He is wearing a red and yellow, striped scarf and a black top hat. Two stick arms extend from his body.  The boy is behind him putting some finishing touches on his body. In a darkening sky, snowflakes are falling.  Along the bottom, on the right of the picture, footprints are shown.


Snow Scene written by Richard Jackson with pictures by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a lively look at our world.  Puzzles generate and welcome reader involvement.  Two masters collaborate to deliver this worthy gem.  This is a wonderful explanation of the change in the seasons.  I can see additional activities inside and outside asking children to observe and then write about what they have seen.  You will want to add this title to your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view five interior pictures.  At Bookology there is an interesting interview with Richard Jackson.  Several years ago Laura Vaccaro Seeger is interviewed at Publishers Weekly.

Being Your Best Self

Every single individual has potential.  Choices made daily determine how this capacity is developed.  We get to decide how we look at ourselves, each other and the world as a whole.  We very quickly learn we will not have control over everything that happens but we do have the ability to create our response.

Three titles published within the last several months focus on developing a positive perspective so our lives, the lives of those closest to us and the lives of people we may never meet are rich and full.  Collaborators author Amy Krouse Rosenthal and illustrator Tom Lichtenheld present Friendshape (Scholastic Press, August 25, 2015), a charming tale on the comforts trustworthy companions bring.  I Used To Be Afraid (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, September 29, 2015) written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger explores conquering fears by stepping back and looking at them with different eyes.  A daily ritual of a father with his children becomes Beautiful Hands (Blue Dot Press, September 29, 2015) written and illustrated by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten.


What's so great about having

Friends?

We're glad you asked!

See, the great thing about having friends is ...

Everything!

A blue circle, a yellow square, a green triangle and a red rectangle cheerfully list all the attributes of having a friend.  Each quality is not only displayed textually but visually.

Friends make you feel happy.

On the opposite page the foursome are indeed grinning but their shapes make a smiling face.

You know how you feel like you can be yourself in your own home.  Friends make you feel the same way no matter where you are.  It's like your minds are in sync. They have a gift for seeing play when no one else can and they do so with equality for all participants, even newcomers.

When you don't see eye to eye, they value you more than being right.  Through thick and thin there's nothing they won't do for you.  In case you are wondering why friends are friends to the end, the quartet arranges themselves to spell out the answer.

Amy Krouse Rosenthal speaks the language of her readers knowing what they value most.  She understands the importance of simplicity; her words clearly defining eleven virtues of lasting relationships in single sentences.  Each one builds toward the final thought.  Here is one of the sentences.

Friends may quarrel...
...but they don't stay bent out of shape for long.


Rendered in pencil with digital color the illustrations on the matching dust jacket and book case playfully extend the text in a punny sort of way.

An uplifting celebration of friendship 

is highlighted with a balloon (a symbol of celebration) floating upward with the Square happily hanging on tight.  On the back, to the left, the words

Here's to a great circle of friends! 

curves around Circle as Rectangle, Square and Triangle surround it.  The four pages of the opening and closing endpapers are in green, yellow, blue and red.  Everyone is equal.

Tom Lichtenheld places the characters on a crisp white background with the exception of elements placed on cosmic black to reflect one of the statements.  The secondary asides in the narrative are sure to elicit grins galore due to Lichtenheld's pacing and placement.  With careful curves and two dots emotions are readily depicted.

One of my favorite images is for the second portion of the quarrel statement.  Circle and Square are apologizing to each other on the left.  On the right Rectangle looks at Triangle and says

You know,
you have a good point.  



I used to be afraid of SPIDERS
but not anymore.

A young girl shares her fears with readers.  She then introduces us to her new view inviting us to try the same with our fears.  In a rhythmic back and forth of exchanges we are privy to her thought processes.

When a spider swings down on a silken thread we are startled but the beauty in their web work helps to ease the initial moment of panic.  Shadows shift when we have control of their creation.  In the face of change relief is found in those things which remain with us.

Some fears stay but not all the time.  We can turn the fear into fun.  Family does that for us.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger establishes a cadence, a sense of expectation, with the repetition of

but not anymore

in each of her sentences.  The fears addressed are real to many.  She moves from concrete (spiders and shadows) to more abstract (change and being alone) and then back to a person.  This final fear ends the entire narrative in laughter and warmth.

There is real fear expressed on the face of the girl on the matching dust jacket and book case.  By bringing the girl close to us we immediately have empathy and a little curiosity.  What has her frightened?  Opening the cover the narrative starts with us stepping back to see her peering from behind a living room chair as the dog looks at her.  This is also the title page.

Each image rendered in acrylic paint and collage spans two pages.  First the fear is portrayed followed by the relief found when looking at it differently.  Laura Vacarro Seeger is a master of the die-cut.  When the page is turned what initially appears alarming, turns into beauty, love, light, heightened self-esteem, or comfort.  Four two-page spreads are devoted to being alone and to her big-brother, extending into the closing endpapers.  The twist at the end is perfectly pictured.

One of my favorite visuals (Xena's too) is her fear of the dark.  She is seen peeking over the edge of her covers in bed with her pink stuffed bunny by her side.  A circle in the upper right-hand corner turns into the moon with a page turn.  Now she is sitting outside gazing at the sky with her canine companion at her side.


What will your beautiful hands DO TODAY?

This introductory question guides each subsequent series of questions and a reply that is also a question.  We are first asked

Will they PLANT?
What can you plant?

We are engaged in this conversation.  Our minds race as possibilities come to the surface.  Will we plant seeds, vegetable, flowers, or trees?  Oh no...

IDEAS?

Now we are wondering what hands can do.  Will they fix, fashion or grasp?  They will touch, lift, stretch and reach but what will they touch, lift, stretch and reach?

Once again we think of potential words to join with the questions.  We understand we are being challenged to expand our ideas into larger concepts.  Will this end today?  Do we do this every day?  What do you believe?

Kathryn Otoshi's text is based upon the first question which Bret Baumgarten asked his children every day as he held their hands.  By having the replies followed by a question mark, she is asking us to continue our thoughts.  She welcomes discovery through a more philosophical approach.

The rainbow color palette seen on the book case is used throughout the book.  All the images are created using the hands of Kathryn Otoshi's and Bret Baumgarten's families with the exception of a final illustration employing more than one hundred hands.  Most of the background color is a pristine white.

Portions of the first two questions are written in cursive.  The letters on the key words are cut from hand prints as are the replying questions.  For a few the letters look as if they were written in finger paint.  The layout and design flows from left to right.  We see beginnings and the beautiful results; seeds to flowers, a caterpillar to a butterfly and a lizard to a dragon.

One of my favorite illustrations is the two-page spread at night.  The background is a rich deep blue.  A tree spans across the gutter, branches extending to nearly the page edges.  It is covered in fireflies.  In white we are asked

What will your beautiful hands DO...


These three books, Friendshape written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld, I Used To Be Afraid written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten will add joy in your classrooms and home.  They will have every reader extending themselves, wanting to grow into the best they can be.  I can already imagine the discussions between readers and listeners and readers and readers....of all ages.

To discover more about Amy Krouse Rosenthal, Tom Lichtenheld, Laura Vaccaro Seeger and Kathryn Otoshi please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Update:  November 21, 2015 A wonderful Pinterest board has been created by Amy Krouse Rosenthal for their book.  Eight interior images from I Used To Be Afraid can be viewed at the publisher's website.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast has some artwork and a link to her review at BookPage.  Hand in Hand: Kathryn Otoshi on Her Collaboration with Bret Baumgarten for "Beautiful Hands"  is posted at School Library Journal.  Enjoy this video about the book.

#Bookaday Beautiful Hands by Kathryn Otoshi and Bret Baumgarten https://t.co/V8ercb3KZv

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) September 19, 2015

Seasonal Smiles

April 2007 heralded the birth of two new characters in children's literature.  Either one of them could be a beloved member of a family as a precious pooch or treasured toy.  Together they bring magic to the pages of their books now numbering four.

In each volume three everyday events are highlighted with focused and funny results. New meaning is given to going outside, wanting to play with a pal and changing your name in Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, April 2007).  Dog and Bear: Two's Company (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, April 2008) features running away and ice cream, birthday cakes and candles, and being tired and tender care.  A problem pail, brash bouncing and organizational overload keep the two friends busy in Dog and Bear: Three To Get Ready (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, September 2009).

With Halloween a little over six weeks away, excitement for this autumnal celebration is already building.  Laura Vaccaro Seeger's newest title, Dog And Bear: Tricks and Treats (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press), highlights the pair's preparations.  Their take on the simplest things makes for the silliest moments.

The first of three stories finds Dog and Bear wandering around a costume shop.  Bear holds up superhero apparel advising Dog, wearing a hot dog disguise, this is the one he wants to try.  In the changing room is a mirror.

Bear believes it is another Bear, identical in every respect to him.  Running to get Dog announcing this amazing news, the two now stand before the mirror.  As you can guess the final sentence proves that two heads are not necessarily better than one.

Halloween night has arrived in story two.  Bear is calmly reading his favorite book, the first book in this series, in his rocking chair.  Every time the doorbell rings, Dog leaps up eager to greet the trick-or-treaters.

After the traditional chorus rings out, Dog always replies treat.  After numerous visitors, Bear comes to check on Dog wondering why they still have candy.  Oh, they still have candy; way too much candy.

This title closes with Dog and Bear heading out to roam the streets, bags in hand.  At the first house a ghost refuses to give them any treats.  He, like the readers, can easily see that Dog and Bear are not wearing costumes.

The two look as they do every single day of the week.  A tennis-match-type argument ensues; back and forth, back and forth.  The final reveal leaves the ghost boo-less.


In each of the books, as well as this one, Laura Vaccaro Seeger, is a master at using a minimum amount of words for maximum results.  Within nine pages she successfully engages her readers, endears them to her characters and delivers a conclusion guaranteed to result in delightful peals of laughter.  Character conversations and thoughts build with a gentle tension; we know something is coming but we're not quite sure what it will be.  Therein lies Seeger's gift.


A consistency in the color palette, primary colors plus green and brown, with few exceptions is used in all the books.  These bold hues, against the pristine white of the background, pop off the page like familiar old friends.  The book case presents a clear, welcoming theme as do the opening and closing endpapers in orange.  On the title page the pumpkin present on the cover has now been carved into a jack-o-lantern with Dog and Bear on either side holding it.

Each story title, The Other Bear, Ding Dong and No Treats For You, is accompanied by a small illustration alluding to the narrative.  For most of the pictures Laura Vaccaro Seeger uses a single page.  Sometimes she will include two smaller framed visuals on a page.

Bear with his buttoned parts and Dog with his collar of gold are full of life especially in their facial expressions and body movements.  One of my favorite illustrations in this title is Dog greeting two trick-or-treaters, a skeleton and a mummy, at the door.  His nose is in one of their bags.  Careful readers will notice the difference between the tables with the bowl of treats in this picture in comparison to the previous one.  Seeger is building up to the ending in the best possible way.


I am a huge fan of this series written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger.  This new title, Dog and Bear: Tricks And Treats, is as clever and captivating as the others.  They are ideal for the intended audience and those of us lucky enough to be able to read them aloud.

For further information about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her work please visit her website by following the link embedded in her name.  For two separate activity kits follow the links here and here. To celebrate this new book I am hosting a giveaway.  Please enter below for a chance to win a Dog and Bear READ poster and one hundred matching bookmarks.

The Life of Color

I think it's genetic, on my father's side; all his cars, his clothing and his chair.  No room in my house is without it, even my KitchenAid mixer and dog's beds.  During the course of spring and summer I coax it from the gardens' ground, it becomes my bed on a sunny afternoon and I walk through its woodsy coolness.

I truly wanted to turn the pages of Green ( A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, March 27, 2012) written and illustrated by Laura Vaccaro Seeger slowly, drinking in the visual displays.  But I found myself quickly moving from one two-page illustration to another marveling at the beauty of each, softly exclaiming aloud.  When I read through it again, I plucked out the words, stringing them together as a completed poem seen on a single page.

Two word verses titling each of the hues, forest green, sea green, lime green, pea green, awaken other senses, observations associated with the words.  So, too, do the other lines offering up states of green, slow green.  Pair the text with Seeger's paintings and words like rich, renew, remember and reverent come to mind.

Whether seeing a small white rabbit peering around a trunk in a forest thick with leafy trees, a sea turtle gliding through the pristine waters, a freshly sliced lime resting on a surface or weathered boards as backdrop for equally scarred signs with diminishing words, the acrylics are bold, thick, inviting readers to reach out and touch them.  So lavish are they, one can almost smell the earth, hear the birdsong, feel the water caress one's skin, taste the sharp, tangy fruit or touch the roughness of old wood.  Illustrations resonating, breathing, life with astounding color remind readers of a continual rebirth.  As one moves from one cover to the other a serenity descends; the world fades away as you enter Seeger's tribute to and respect of green.

Noted in previous titles for her use of die-cuts, Laura Vaccaro Seeger depicts her keen sense and meticulous care with regard to design in Green. Two leaves in the forest become small fish in the sea, triangles of camouflage become golden moths and grass chewed by a zebra become the petals on Black-eyed Susans in her masterful hands.  No matter how many times I have read this I am continually astounded by her placement of the die-cuts; downright magical.

From the embossed, raised Green of the book jacket to the final two small die-cut leaves on the large tree truck, replicating the original two die-cut leaves, Laura Vaccaro Seeger has wrought an impressive work of art glowing from within, far-reaching in its effect. 

Here is the link to an outstanding interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast on April 17, 2012.  Another interview conducted at Reading Rockets this past summer is linked here.