Ever-Present Pal

To be faced with something different and untried is a challenge.  Depending on the task at hand, past endeavors, and previous successes, what is before us can be easy, hard, or somewhere in the middle.  We assess the situation, prepare for possible outcomes, and then proceed with caution or sometimes complete abandon. 

As we approach this undertaking, we are usually unaware of an unseen partner at our side.  The Magical Yet (Disney Hyperion, April 14, 2020) written by Angela DiTerlizzi with art by Lorena Alvarez discloses to all the true nature of this presence.  It never wavers from its dedication to us.

There are days when your dreams haven't come true,
or you're upset by the things you can't do.

The protagonist has attempted and failed to ride her new bike.  She has wavered, wobbled, taken a tumble, and bent her front wheel.  Trudging home, she vows to never ride a bike again.  Walking is far safer.  In the midst of her despair, she meets

The Magical Yet!

She discovers this being has been with her since birth.  She realizes it has offered encouragement.  Yet shows her up when she's down.  Yet dares her to do what she has never done.  Yet promotes thinking beyond ordinary, aiming for extraordinary.

Yet points the girl toward a plan.  Yet helps to fix that which is broken.  Yet knows practice is necessary.  Yet knows there will be errors, but there will also be successes.

If you are a hopeful melodic musician, stunning sports star, wizard wordsmith, marvelous muralist, or dazzling dancer, Yet strengthens your resolve to never give up, regardless of the time it takes.  You, wonderful you, can do what you desire to do.  There is another secret about Yet; one you can hold in your heart.  First to recognize it, you must start.


There is an undercurrent of hope on every page of this narrative.  Angela DiTerlizzi uses a lilting, lyrical series of couplets to fashion a flowing narrative.  Woven into the story of the young character who does not at first succeed in riding her new bike, are examples of other young people pursuing their dreams.  Another wondrous component in this book is making Yet a character, an individual.  Each person's Yet is seen as a positive power in their lives.  Here is a passage.

Tongue twisters twisted
your tongue in a knot?
Yet says, "Keep trying and practice
---a lot!"


If you are in need of happiness, looking at the open dust jacket is certain to bring some to your soul.  On the front, the right, the bicycle rider, wide-eyed and smiling has benefited from the optimism supplied by her Yet.  The Yet, hitching a ride on her helmet, is enjoying the results of its wisdom.  This scene continues on the other side of the spine.  Two children are running over the rolling hills.  One is playing a lute.  The other is holding a high-flying kite shaped like a bird.  The kite, the title text and the Yet are decorated in glitter.  Our main character is varnished.  Yet elements on both flaps are adorned in glitter.

A fantastical image spreads across the book case on either side of the spine.  Within a series of intricate insets and abstract shapes we are introduced to four Yets.  Each one is a different brightly colored hue and performing a feat desired by their human.  This is enchanting!

Using a two-color palette on the opening and closing endpapers illustrator Lorena Alvarez portrays seven diverse young people beginning and continuing their most passionate endeavors.  They, except for the child on the bike on the sidewalk, are shown in windows of various shapes.  A series of exquisite designs are part of this wall of possibilities.  It is pleasing to see them again at the end, older and more proficient in their pursuits.

Each illustration rendered using Procreate extends over two pages, edge to edge, on a single page with a white frame, in a smaller circle, or as a small group on a single page. These choices of size contribute to the pacing and the pictorial interpretations of the narrative by Lorena Alvarez.  Readers will enjoy seeing the delicate Yets among the vibrant colors in the landscapes and settings.  (Mulan likes that the main character's pup grows up and stays with them.)  Each image is highly animated, but the wonder of the first encounter with the Yet is stunning.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  In this scene the girl with her broken bike is facing left as she watches other children at work in a room.  Each one is accompanied by their Yet.  In the lower left-hand corner, a girl is making a doghouse following a blueprint she made that is hanging on the wall.  Between her and our protagonist is a child on a ladder making geometric art designs.  There is a scholar, a musician, a knitter, and a kite flyer.  The tools of their trades are shown in separate shelves.  The kite is huge and floating across the top of the right side.  This is a place where goals are met.  This is a place where children from all cultures engage in their heart's desire.


When you hold The Magical Yet words by Angela DiTerlizzi with art by Lorena Alvarez, you hold hope in your hands.  You feel as though anything at any age is possible if you remember to value the existence of your Yet.  This title will be valuable in a range of thematic storytimes.  Be sure to read it as a bedtime story so dreamers will know, as they fall asleep, dreams do come true.  I highly recommend this title.

To learn more about Angela DiTerlizzi and Lorena Alvarez and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Angela DiTerlizzi has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Lorena Alvarez has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, showcased this title and interviewed both creators on his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  The publisher has a PDF you can print and color of the Yet.

Master Mentor

There are those things which make perfect sense but they're not lodged in our minds until one singular moment of clarity.  From that time forward we can replay the particular event in perfect detail or listen to a phrase as if it's a mantra.  It can define who we are.

Following a completely different train of thought, perhaps you've read about something.  You've heard it discussed.  You've seen it in person.  Until you experience it yourself, the truth of it does not fully register.

For me the event was a Sunday sermon.  The words spoken were "When you're through learning, you're through."  What I had read about, heard about and even seen was the unbreakable connection between a dog and their human.  It was not until I spent more than fifteen years with a constant canine companion that I fully understood how much learning could be shared.

It's hard to say who is the more fortunate, a dog or a human, when they first meet and their lives become entwined.  Frank And Lucky Get Schooled (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, June 14, 2016) written and illustrated by Lynne Rae Perkins presents a totally new perspective on life's lessons courtesy of one pooch pal.  It's an unforgettable educational approach.

One day when Frank could not win for losing, he got Lucky.
And one day when Lucky was lost and found, he got Frank.

This was the beginning of true learning for one dog and his boy.  It could be said it was love at first sight.  It could also be said running like the wind and consuming mass amounts of food were traits they held in common.

From that time forward subjects normally taught within the confines of a classroom setting became everyday facts of life for the duo.  Lucky's curiosity lead to several lessons in science.  A romp around their property taught Frank about plants as he was removing burdock from Lucky's fur.  And the skunk incident guided us to not one but two new branches of science.  Astronomy was one of them. (I'm not divulging any more than this.  I'm laughing too much.)

Of course back on the topic of food math came to mind.  This did in fact involve a dreaded story problem but the results were a canine idea of heaven on earth.  Biscuits might have been mentioned.  An examination of Frank's bed at night revealed with accuracy an exploration of fractions.  With surprising insights math (and yes, food) took us to history.

The relationship of dogs and humans and some famous dogs coming to the rescue of humans were noted with the creation of drawings and monuments.  These circumstances happened on various dates in the timeline of human history.  In the case of Lucky and Frank the past was moments ago and it certainly demonstrated there could be more than one interpretation of the truth.  HA!

With ease and the help of the family cat, Lucky influenced Frank's art assignment.  With a change in perspective, a dog's silhouette appeared on the horizon line of the family acreage.  If you will recall running was a shared interest of the twosome.  When Lucky decided to take off and explore without Frank, geography and maps became important.  What developed next was unexpected.  But that was and is when the best subjects are learned; some of them lasting a lifetime.


No matter how many times you read this book, you will marvel at the thought process involved in creating this narrative.  If you've been lucky enough to have a dog share their life with you, you'll wonder why your mind did not make the fabulous connections found in this story written by Lynne Rae Perkins.  From personal observations this gifted author links classroom subjects to real life with a great deal of humor.

From science to math to history to art to geography and maps and to the final subject this tale flows seamlessly causing readers to realize, if they did not know it before, how intricately woven together everything is.  Perkins's sentences are conversational, easily understood and enlightening without being, even for a single second, dull.  That's the way life with a dog is...never dull...always illuminative.  Another technique Perkins employs is the blend of an unseen narrator, thought bubbles, and speech balloons for dialogue.  Here is a sample passage.

In Reading, he was best at the listening part. He could listen
more than anyone else in the family.  He could listen for hours,
even when Frank wasn't reading aloud.

How much more could he listen? How many hours?

Wait a minute---aren't those Math questions?


Pen and ink and watercolor paint were used to prepare the full-color art we see on the matching dust jacket and book case.  The blackboard and chalk background highlight the lively images, the larger one of Frank and Lucky running on the front and the smaller illustrations to the left, on the back.  Each of the six circles features a subject.  Be prepared to laugh loud at the comments and captured moments, each different than those seen in the interior of the title.  A cheerful yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.

Lynne Rae Perkins places nine small pictures of varying shapes and sizes across the verso and dedication pages which set the scenario for the opening of the story.  She continues this with six small squares across the top of two pages conveying without words the events leading to the eventual meeting of Frank and Lucky at the rescue shelter.  This meeting is depicted in two separate pictures at the bottom of the two pages.

In the remainder of the book the images are loosely framed like memories. Soft delicate details create very realistic portraits of the individuals and the settings.  Perkins incorporates dashes for travel, fractions and measurement, lines with illustrative pictures and specific names (as with the burdock), yes and no boxes for scientific experiments, and multiple choice answers in her illustrations as if they are meant to be there.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the text above.  It spans two pages. Outside a window you can see it's a sunny winter day.  Golden light comes through the window shining on Frank and Lucky on the couch.  Frank is leaning against the right arm reading a book.  Lucky is sleeping with his body stretched over a pillow, on his back with his legs sprawled in complete contentment.  Around the room our eyes see pictures on the wall, a filled bookcase with a globe on top, a lamp and table, several chairs, a rug spread on a wood floor with Frank's shoes tossed there and stairs leading to a second story.  In a word, it's perfect.


In her words and pictures Lynne Rae Perkins gives to readers a book, Frank And Lucky Get Schooled, which like the story itself holds endless possibilities.  You can certainly read and enjoy it for the humorous anecdotes but the "what-ifs" will start to scroll through your mind.  Read this one repeatedly, it gets better and better.  And be sure to read it aloud, preferably with a room full of guys and gals.

To learn more about Lynne Rae Perkins and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  If you stop by TeachingBooks.net or NPR Books you can listen to Lynne and then Lynne and her daughter talk about this book.  At The Horn Book this book was brought up for discussion at Calling Caldecott.