For Love Of A Dog #12

More than a year ago we were shown a huge park with a paved walkway around the perimeter.  No matter which direction you look mountains frame your view.  In the center is a huge expanse of grass.  During the evenings and on the weekends it is filled with people playing soccer games and enjoying picnics under the many pavilions.  On one side a community of prairie dogs has set up residence.  In another portion of the park, outside the walkway, is a designated, fenced area specifically for dogs to be off-leash.

As she got older Xena's sense of smell increased.  She could not get in enough sniffs when exploring.  Her nose was constantly either in the air or to the ground.  Our walks took longer, not because of her arthritis but because of her taking in all the scents.  This new expansive recreational arena was heaven to her.  If she would have been making the decisions our strolls would not have been shorter but longer.  She did not want to leave this wooferlicious place.

I wish she could have seen what else I have noticed in this city.  They love dogs!  Dogs not only accompany their humans in stores particular to pets but I have seen them in departments stores, big box stores, and when I was getting my car title a couple of weeks ago, the assistant said they are frequently brought in the county building.  They are on leashes walking beside their humans or taking in the sights as a passenger in a shopping cart.

Xena and I were nearly inseparable.  If totaling the days we were apart during the fifteen years shared together, you would not surpass two weeks.  In her newest title, author illustrator, Maira Kalman (Thomas Jefferson: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything) shares her passion for dogs.  Beloved Dog (Penguin Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 27, 2015) showcases the appearance of dogs throughout her many works of art.

When I go out for a WALK, there is so much I see that makes me happy to be ALIVE. 

This is the first sentence in this book.  It begins a poetic, philosophical interlude to the pleasure found in walking.  It speaks about the vast array of people encountered.  It enumerates the lost items left by humans on purpose or perhaps by accident.  It speaks about trees and the other flora and fauna living among them.  Most of all it talks about the narrator's love of dogs.

Their roles in humans' lives, phrase by phrase, page by page, are affectionately documented.  This author illustrator notes how they seem to find a place in all her work, whether they are the focus of the tale or not.  She then goes back to her childhood telling us it was not always this way.

Her grandmother had a deep fear of dogs.  She also needed everything to be neat and tidy at all times in their home, a shack on the river in Belarus.  These beliefs were continued by Maira's mother in their apartment in the Bronx.  Although Maira started to see all people did not share their truths about dogs.

When in college, Maira fell in love with a man, Tibor.  When taken to meet his parents she was understandably terrified by their rather large dog, Boganch.  Tibor and Maira married and had two children.  Within all the ups and downs of family life one thing was definitely clear---

...we all loved each other madly.

When Tibor became gravely ill, it was suggested to Maira to get a dog.  Her mind revolted at the idea but life (and her thoughts) had other plans for her. Pete, an Irish Wheaten, became a part of their family.  Pete and Maira became fast friends.  He was everything and more for her..for them.  First Tibor, then eight years later, Pete left them.  This book chronicles in images from 1986 to the present the significant place dogs have in Maira's world.


With a few words or carefully penned sentences Maira Kalman gets to the essence of all things dog and their invaluable presence in her and our lives.  Her observations are intensely accurate and beautifully spoken.  Her closing page, a collection of nine sentences and phrases, will wrap around your heart like a blanket of truth.  Here is an earlier passage.

He did what everyone said he would do. Help to keep us as sane and as happy as we could be. Quite an extraordinary achievement, but nothing special for a dog.


When opening the dust jacket you see an image rendered in three colors.  Pete looks at us as he must have looked at Maira Kalman so many times.  On the back, to the left, a photograph of Maira and Pete is featured.  On the book case, in a matte-finished tan background, three large words appear in all capitals and in white

WOOF
WOOF
WOOF

On the left a small Woof! is centered.  The book flaps are covered in the names of more than eighty dogs...all beloved.  The opening and closing endpapers, different, joyfully celebrate dogs, and dogs and their humans.

The illustrations all rendered in Maira Kalman's signature style are striking beyond description.  The use of light and shading with every brush stroke will have you pausing at each picture.  They are witty, whimsical and extraordinarily moving.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is of a child placed on a grassy lawn with tiny pink flowers growing through the grass.  The child is seated on the ground with one arm down on a journal, a pencil in their hand.  The other arm is around a dog as an elbow rests on the chair next to them.  The dog is sitting alert, looking directly at us.  The child's eyes are closed.  This painting represents a pose taken by humans and their dogs many times every single day.  They sit patiently as we wrap ourselves around them, sighing in the pleasure of their presence.


Beloved Dog written and illustrated by Maira Kalman is a glorious gift, an expression of gratitude in words and pictures to one very special dog and to the many others who have come and gone and will continue to occupy our existences.  Adult and child readers will enjoy finding familiar pages from books they have read and those they are seeing for the first time.  This book is a treasure for dog lovers.  It shows others exquisitely how great their importance is.

To learn more about Maira Kalman and her other books please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  This title is highlighted at BrainPickings, Beloved Dog: Maira Kalman's Illustrated Love Letter to Our Canine Companions.  HuffPost Arts & Culture chats with Maira Kalman, Maira Kalman Talks New Book, 'Beloved Dog'.  Maira Kalman is interviewed at Publishers Weekly, BEA 2015: Maira Kalman: Homage to Pete, The Bark, The Artful Life of Maira Kalman, and at The New Yorker, Maira Kalman's Beloved Dogs.  I think you will enjoy watching the video below about this book.  Here is the link to another video at BigThink where she shares her philosophy about work and life.  This radio interview at It's Raining Cats and Dogs makes for great listening.

Know Him, Remember Him...Our Third President

The impression made by Gary Paulsen's powerful, historical fiction title, Nightjohn, has not diminished in more than twenty years since I first read it.   At the time I was equally intrigued by the dedication,

This book is dedicated to the memory of Sally Hemings, who was owned, raised and subsequently used by Thomas Jefferson without benefit of ever drawing a single free breath.

None of the history textbooks or historical fiction I had read up to this point had ever made any mention of Sally Hemings.  I turned to other works by Barbara Chase-Riboud, Sally Hemings:  A Novel and its sequel, The President's Daughter as well as a title penned by well-known historical fiction author, Ann Rinaldi, Wolf By The Ears.  Not for the first time or the last, I found myself thankful for the endeavors of authors and their historical fiction titles.

With a great deal of interest I looked forward to reading the newest picture book by Maira Kalman, Thomas Jefferson:  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers Group).  I was curious to see if she would mention Sally Hemings in this biographical piece on this multifaceted man.  As I have come to expect with books written and illustrated by the talented Maira Kalman, I was not disappointed.

Thomas Jefferson
had red hair and some freckles (about 20 I think),
he grew to be very tall
and oh yes, he was the third President 
of the United States.

We are matter-of-factly informed he was born in 1743.  When we are asked what interested Jefferson, we are told everything captured his attention.  To begin the man surrounded himself with books.  From those books he could discover anything about everything.  He could even say please in seven different languages.

(He was quite polite.)

As an architect he designed and built his magnificent home, Monticello; seventy-six windows filled the walls.  Flower and vegetable gardens spread across the estate.  Jefferson believed the largest portion of meals should be vegetable rather than meat.

Inside his beloved Monticello rooms featured gathered collections of artifacts.  His own bedroom was arranged so he could step into his study or step outside depending on which side of the bed he left.  Several hours were devoted every single day to perfecting his violin playing.

Significant people in his life, his wife, Martha, his daughter Patsy and the founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and George Washington are recognized.  His authorship of The Declaration of Independence, his tenure as third President of the United States, his acquisition of lands from the French and his part in the Lewis and Clark Expedition are duly noted.  These pages reveal the remarkable accomplishments of this exceptional man.  But...

While Jefferson said slavery should end, he owned about one hundred fifty slaves.  Walking along Mulberry Row one could see their living quarters, tiny rooms with little belongings inside them.  His slaves worked all day long making sure everything at Monticello was exactly as he desired.

This monumental man had monumental flaws.

As we continue reading Sally Hemings is introduced to readers; first by showing us her name on his farm book, then on the opposite page with a stunning portrait and a narrative explanation.

As he ages, Jefferson's practical nature emerges in his clothing and its repair, his desire to be outdoors riding his horse or walking and in carrying his favorite penknife (interesting to see this style was available).  Given his lifetime, his date of death, his gravestone and epitaph will cause readers to pause and wonder.  As suggested, I cannot imagine those who read this picture book biography not wanting to visit Monticello, experiencing the past, gaining further insights into this striking individual.


Even without reading the acknowledgements it's apparent Maira Kalman has spent considerable time gathering information in pursuit of her passion for this subject.   All the extra details give readers a clearer vision of Thomas Jefferson the man; items in his collections, the kinds of peas in his garden and advice given to his daughter.  We are privy to his numerous lasting accomplishments and his serious weaknesses. The writing technique of including personal asides among the factual narrative creates energy not unlike that possessed by  the man being discussed. Here is a single example.

He also loved
MUSIC.
He practiced his violin
three hours a day.
HOW
did he
have TIME
for THAT?


Rendered in gouache the vibrant illustrations throughout this title begin on the matching jacket and cover.  Jefferson's portrait with Monticello in the background on the front is pulsing with life. On the back a closer view of Monticello at night greets readers.  A portion of The Declaration of Independence covers the opening and closing endpapers in shades of green on green.  Jefferson on horseback is gazing upward toward Monticello on the title page.

Maira Kalman's color palette is bold, bright, colorful and full of spirit.  Her backgrounds shift from black to white to purple to red to blue providing frames for single-page illustrations or those crossing the gutter.  At times elements will appear as cut-outs, large and small on single or double-page spreads; a shoe, the list of peas, George Washington's teeth or the map of the United States depicting Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.

 Of many favorite illustrations, one is the two-page picture of Jefferson's vegetable garden.  The many hues of green accented with pinks, yellows and blues is uplifting.  A small gazebo structure with two chairs overlooks the rows of plantings.  Toward the bottom of the page a table holds baskets of recent pickings.  On the right side is a list of peas Jefferson planted enclosed in the shape of a seed packet.  In the background at the top of the page we see the rolling hills.


Thomas Jefferson:  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Everything written and illustrated by Maira Kalman is an outstanding accounting of a complex person.  Words and pictures work seamlessly together to breathe life into this man's persona, those people closest to him and his home, Monticello.  With every reading my admiration for Maira Kalman and this book continues to grow. Thank you, Maira Kalman.

At the conclusion of the book twenty-one people, places and events are further defined on two pages.  Please follow the link embedded in Maira Kalman's name to her website.  I recommend you follow this link to the Monticello website.  It is loaded with resources.


I am excited to be participating in Alyson Beecher's 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted at her blog Kid Lit Frenzy.  Make sure you stop over there to see all the other nonfiction picture books showcased by other bloggers.