Looking For The Sunshine Side

Given the current circumstances around the world, it is safe to say with whatever people are coping, it is increasing exponentially hour by hour.  Every emotion, every incident is magnified.  Life is more terrifying.  Life is more beautiful.  Even time seems skewed; a week takes on the character of a month.


Into this comes a book revealing all the nooks and crannies in which we may find ourselves as we travel through our lives.  That's Life! (Little, Brown and Company, March 31, 2020) written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Cori Doerrfeld is a roller coaster ride exploring a range of experiences.  You will easily see yourself in the pages of this book.

KNOCK!
KNOCK!
Who could that be?

Life has shown up, as it always does, when we are completely unprepared.  We are instructed to be careful because Life is unpredictable.  In fact, it is downright wacky at times.

There is no guidebook for Life; learning is done on the run at a fast pace.  The thing is, Life can and does take you anywhere (literally) at any time.    We must appreciate these unplanned stops and starts.  What we need to realize about Life, too, is to expect the unexpected.

If Life bumps us off track, we swerve and resume.  Life continually reminds us our day to day situations are a series of opposites.  Life gives us something unsavory and we have the ability to make it delectable.  Let's be honest, Life is painful, but it doesn't stop.  Neither should we.

Every second is to be enjoyed because Life is finite.  In those rare moments of calm, Life will share how extraordinary and breathtaking it is.  For this reason, embrace Life, the results will fill your heart.


With the same glorious moments of laughter and light found in our lives, author Ame Dyckman delivers in full measure in her newest title.  It's wonderfully inventive (and perfect) to have life become a character with a capital letter.  This allows for the shift in contrasts Life delivers to be insightful but also humorous.  Here is a passage.

Don't waste a second.
Life is short, but---

CRASH!

Life, uh . . . finds a way.


The pristine white canvas on the open dust jacket (I'm working with an F & G.  My copy has not arrived, yet) joyfully highlights exuberant Life jumping out of the delivery box.  This illustrator's interpretation of the narrative will have you experiencing happiness at every page turn.  All the craziness of life is embodied in the fuzzy, constantly-in-motion figure.

To the left, on the back, the showcased protagonist, a wide-eyed little girl, is getting a kiss from Life, like we do from our canine companions.  She is putting on her coat, getting ready for an adventure.  The text reads:

Meet Life! Fun, messy, and MORE!

Cori Doerrfeld rendered these lively, colorful illustrations

in digital paint.

On the opening endpapers across a cloud-studded pale blue sky a red-and-white striped parachute is carrying the box labeled LIFE to its destination.  Two curious eyes peer from the inside of the box.  On the closing endpapers words of invitation are placed in a similar sky as multiple boxes drift in the air over a group of curious and excited children.  Life is busy at work, paper and pencil in hand, with the initial girl.

Each space is utilized by Cori Doerrfeld in her visual narrative.  On the verso page, the parachute releases the box upon the child's doorstep.  We see her kneeling on a chair at a table, making a list, on the title page.

Each image elevates the words of the story.  White space is used with excellence drawing our attention to the child and a specific moment.  These visuals are in various sizes dependent upon the desired emphasis.  For a single word of text and one loud sound effect we are gifted with a double-page picture.  When the story mentions you never know what

Life's gonna throw at you,

Life is shown throwing a Safari hat, paddle and life jacket to the girl.  This leads beautifully into the next scene of a wild raft trip and the upbeat wording.  Readers will delight in all the expressive facial features.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a response to the phrase---

When Life gives you lemons---

The girl has opened a box given to her by Life.  She's grinning at what she finds inside but Life is larger than life in this scene.  Life is giving, a nod in disguise, to a famous comedian.  This is one of those times when an illustrator tucks something in a book which speaks directly to older readers but also opens the door to a discussion.  I love this!


You could not ask for a more important book which addresses the issue of all the ups and downs life hands to all ages day after day.  In That's Life written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Cori Doerrfeld challenges are presented and they are countered with marvelous solutions being offered.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Ame Dyckman and Cori Doerrfeld and their other work, please access their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Ame Dyckman posts all kinds of goodness on Twitter daily.  Cori Doerrfeld has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can join in the That's Life fun by participating in quiz.  Perhaps you will be amazed at the results.  Ame Dyckman and Cori Doerrfeld chat with writer and illustrator Jena Benton at her site.  Maria Marshall interviews Cori Doerrfeld on her site, July 2019.

Get to Know THAT'S LIFE! from LB School on Vimeo.

Ongoing

Regardless of the natural disaster it rebuilds.  It does not happen overnight but over time.  Little by little, day by day it grows until it becomes visible. As long as there is the hope of life, life continues.  What appears fragile and in a delicate balance acts through incredible strength and adaptability.

All lives undergo change but there are things in the world which are constant; sustaining each step taken.  Life (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, June 27, 2017) written by Newbery Medalist (Missing May) Cynthia Rylant with illustrations by Caldecott Honoree (They All Saw A Cat) Brendan Wenzel reminds us of the splendor to be found in the glorious thing we call life.  This book, like life, is beautiful to behold.

Life begins small.

Even for the largest of beings, it begins small.  What starts tiny does necessarily stay this way; it becomes larger and larger like elephants.  As these things grow they all do so under the same sky with the same sun, same moon and same stars.

Each living being enjoys certain aspects of life more than others.  It all depends on whom or what is answering the question.  For some the sky is far grander than sand or grass or water.

Within this marvelous thing we call life, dark times will come.  These times are hard to navigate.  They seem to go on and on with no end in sight but light finds a way.  This light can reveal a new direction, a new path to follow.

We are asked to reflect on several undeniable facts; there are always those to love and to protect.  If a day should come when we look around and do not see all that life lays before us, we should stop.  We should watch the animals who endure despite change.  They understand change is the heartbeat of life.


There are certain picture books we keep near to us to read and reread; each one for a particular purpose.  The words in this title penned by Cynthia Rylant read like a morning prayer to begin a day.  Each line is full of truth and gratitude.

One constant woven throughout the lyrical narrative is the word grows.  It ties the different portions together; beginning small, what animals love about life, the troubles which darken life and some which open doorways to new directions, and looking to animals for answers. Each carefully chosen word works together to supply a sense of peace.  Here is a sample passage.

The turtle may remain quiet.
It has seen much in its hundred years.
But the turtle loves life.  How could it not,
with so much rain on its back? 


Beneath the full moon and stars the lush forest along the river teems with life on the matching dust jacket and book case.  Careful readers will spy several animals hidden in the greenery framing the title text.  If you run your hands over the front of the dust jacket portions are varnished and others, the flora, are matte-finished and slightly raised.  To the left, on the back, the sun is shining in a partly cloudy sky over mountain peaks with plants beginning to grow along the bottom.

The opening and closing endpapers are a star-studded sky; a constant in our ever-changing world.  On the title page we see a two-page image.  It's night with the starry sky mirrored in a pond surrounded by rocky hills.  A small animal swimming in the water looks upward.

Brendan Wenzel uses white space to great effect on those pages with smaller illustrations.  They are all loosely framed but other elements appear on the sides, bottom and top.  Sometimes entire scenes appear in miniature along the bottom.  In one particular visual items drift from the frame across the white space on two pages.  For dramatic effect two pages are used in great panoramic views.  Readers will definitely pause to enjoy the numerous intricate details.  Is there a reason one special bird is colored blue?

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  Beneath the ocean surface a pod of whales is sleeping.  Schools of small fishes move about them.  Air bubbles rise to the surface.  A small seal swims upward to the sunlight.  Mulan's favorite illustration is of a dog sitting on a woodland path holding a stick in its mouth, looking directly at the reader.  A tunnel is fashioned from the overhead branches.  Sunlight streams behind the dog.  Ferns and an assortment of leaves pattern the forest floor.


You will want to read Life written by Cynthia Rylant with illustrations by Brendan Wenzel several times for the sheer joy of it.  The blend of text and images creates a comforting blanket of calm.  As a read aloud, it would be wonderful to ask listeners to name what individual animals love about life before asking them what they love about life.  Every bookshelf needs to have a copy of this book.

To discover more about Cynthia Rylant and Brendan Wenzel and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images. Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson features images on her blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Dylan Teut, the director of the Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival in Seward, Nebraska, interviews Cynthia Rylant on his blog, Mile High Reading.