Constructing A Sanctuary

It began with a man who was first a carpenter.  He taught his daughter everything he knew about carpentry, materials, and tools.  She learned the proper way to hold a hammer so a nail would go in straight.  She learned the best time to use needle nose pliers, slip joint pliers and tongue and groove pliers.  She learned when to use certain kinds of screwdrivers and the appropriate kinds of screws for a variety of construction supplies.

This knowledge and the accompanying skills were invaluable when the daughter found herself helping to build her first home.  Regardless of her prior knowledge and experience in building that home, in reading the newest book written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III, Bear Builds A House (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, February 1, 2022), that daughter found herself comprehending the entire process on a deeper level.  This companion title to Bear Goes Sugaring is certain to be invaluable to most readers, whether they decide to build their own home or wish to have a greater understanding of what to seek in a well-built residence.

Spring has arrived, and Bear is on the move . . .

She's been caring for a friend's house, but now it's time

to build one of her own.  It will take thoughtful planning,

mountains of hard work, and a few good friends to get it

done before the snow falls again.  And it all starts now!

One of the first things Bear does is select the perfect site to satisfy her.  She needs to spend time there during all parts of the day and, if possible, during the seasons of a year.  After the place is selected, Bear designs a site plan, deciding the placement of all the parts of her home, and where new portions might be placed in the future.

Bear cleverly plans the inside and outside of her home, drawing blueprints complete with elevations.  Bear enlists the assistance of friends with specialized skills.  She knows when help is needed in getting lumber from logs, in digging holes (excavating), and in placing the plumbing and electrical lines.

Next, trees are chosen and harvested.  Boards are cut from the logs and then set aside to dry.  Bear and Woodchuck work on digging and setting the piers for her home's foundation.  (It is explained she could have a full foundation or a crawl space foundation instead.) Woodchuck and Bear continue to work in bringing water to the home from a nearby spring by digging and laying pipe.  They don't forget to plan for an outhouse.

Finally, the dried lumber is used to frame the house. Each step in the framing is explained until the 

''whetting bush'' 

is placed on the peak of the completed task.  Each layer on the sides and roof are carefully placed, including the windows and siding.  Thankfully they start on the interior as the weather is turning autumnal.  Plumbing and fuel lines are installed. Hooray for Bobcat's expertise!  

Raccoon has completed the necessary wiring for a 

photovoltaic system.

The sun is to be the source of electrical energy.  Inside, Bear places insulation between the studs, joists, and rafters.  She uses tongue-and-groove boards (instead of drywall) to finish the walls.  For the perfect look, trim board is placed along the bottom.  Cabinets are hung.  Appliances and the wood stove are delivered.  As the first snow falls, everyone enjoys the warmth they helped Bear to make.

Not only does the text display author Maxwell Eaton III's knowledge, but we are also aware of his keen sense of humor through his word choices and character commentary.  Bear's dog, a local squirrel, and a goose that elects to not fly south for the winter are hilarious.  In addition to the main narrative, there are carefully labeled elements during each portion of the building process.  Tools and supplies are presented and identified.  Here is a passage and some commentary.

On a double-page picture there are seven labeled characters who are important to the building of Bear's house.  Underneath their name it lists what they do.  This text refers to the three characters on the right side along with the narrative.

They are happy to help because Bear has helped

her friends many times in the past and will

continue to do so in the future.  That's the Better

Bear Bargain!  

Do they just

let anyone write

these books?    Bear's dog's comment

DOG

?

I'm a certified

tripping hazard.

SQUIRREL

Nuts

Hey, what

do you mean?

BEAR

Architect, Engineer,

Project Manager, Carpenter, Laborer

Are we

going to start building?

It's already

April!  Goose's comment

Bear's job will be to focus on planning, staying organized,

communicating, coordinating, scheduling, and working

alongside her friends.

In looking at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, we can see Bear is just about finished with the framing of her home.  Her comment is our first hint of the humor and wordplay used by Maxwell Eaton III.  The image on the front continues over the spine to the back and far-left edge.  The title text on the jacket is varnished.

On the back, to the left of the spine, Raccoon and Bobcat are carrying several pieces of lumber to the house.  Six geese are flying in front of a cloud, heading south for the winter.  On the far left a tall evergreen extends out of the frame.  A single crow rests on one of its branches.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a bright sky blue.  It is the same hue used in the banner holding Maxwell Eaton III's name on the jacket and case.  On the title page Bear is carrying lumber to the building site.  You can see stakes in the ground indicating where the house will be built.  An owl is perched on a tree branch nearby.  It's early spring with some snow still lingering on the ground.

The illustrations for this book were rendered

with watercolor and graphite pencil on 140lb. bright white cold press watercolor paper.

Each page turn reveals another double-page picture beginning with the verso and first page.  Maxwell Eaton III has placed the publication text and dedication initials within the boughs of a giant evergreen on the left.  On the right, Bear sits in her temporary housing as her dog sleeps on one of the cots.  The squirrel asks for another hour of sleep from its hammock on the outside.

The visuals in this book can be vast displays of the mountainous terrain with smaller images embedded in the larger illustration for clarity.  Or we might be close to the characters as they work on a special project.  Sometimes, we are looking straight at the scene and other times we are looking from above the action.  Maxwell Eaton III superbly uses panels for further explanation.  We are privy to the best kind of visual information through details.  The characters are highly animated.

One of my favorite illustrations is the final two-page picture, but I will let you enjoy every nuance yourselves.  I cannot look at it without laughing.  Another of my many favorite illustrations is when Bear is drawing up the site plan.  Along the bottom of the image, Bear, on the left, is seated outside at her table with her tools close at paw.  Her dog is standing next to her, head resting on her shoulder.  One paw is on her shoulder and the other paw is on her head.  On the right side of the table, the squirrel is asking about nut storage.  Goose still in the pond has wing tips resting on the table.  Goose thinks the plan looks good.  This is when the decision to not fly south is made.  The rest of the two-page picture is devoted to an enlargement of the site plan, providing a background for the characters.  I love this presentation and design!

This book, Bear Builds A House written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III, will find a wide audience of readers.  The blend of text and images coupled with the humor is marvelous.  You should plan on multiple copies as this is the kind of book that will be passed from reader to reader.  At the close of the book is an author's note giving a nod to responsible use of resources.  There is a list of three book titles for further reading.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.  I can already think of several people who will be receiving this title as a gift. 

To learn more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website are activity sheets you can download.  At the publisher's Instagram account, Maxwell Eaton III reads this book aloud.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the title page.

Shedding A Shape Toward Beauty

Garden spaces are dedicated to those perennials they desire.  They hold symbolic places in religions and cultures around the world.  They are studied, respected, and protected.  Entire units of study in classrooms revolve around their life cycles.  If one comes near to you, you hold your breath, hoping.  You hope in the deepest part of your heart, one will someday, however briefly, pause and rest on you.

These gloriously colored, winged insects glide, dip, flutter, and sip through our summer world in the northern hemisphere (and in other seasons around the globe).  In The Truth About Butterflies (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (Roaring Brook Press, August 11, 2020) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III, the seventh book in his seriously super series, you'll learn why these beings are studied, respected, and protected.  You'll be captivated (and entertained) on every page. 

Nope. Nope.

Nope. Nope.

Yup.

These are butterflies.

Butterflies are a type of colorful

flying insect. 

And I'm going to eat one. (cat)

They're my favorite things with wings. (girl)

Wow.

Okay. (bird perched on girl's wheelchair back)

First, a match to other insect characteristics is shown for butterflies.  An array of variable sizes from locations around the globe are shown in their actual sizes.  Knowing there are more than 18,000 butterfly species is amazingly wonderful.

Details are provided about the purpose of their wings before a compare and contrast section follows about moths.  Attention focuses on their proboscis, antennae, compound eyes, and tarsi.  We then shift into how shifty they truly are.

A careful, explanatory guide shows how butterflies begin as an egg.  We get to see some of the specie butterfly eggs, side by side (magnified).  After the egg hatches, a caterpillar eats and grows, eats and grows, and molts.  Did you know they eat the old skin? Caterpillars are clever, too.  They can look like bird poop or be toxic to protect themselves.

After the caterpillar loses its final skin, it fashions a chrysalis and becomes a pupa.  In this shape, the magic begins. An adult butterfly is forming.  When the butterfly emerges it still has some steps to finish before it can fly.  The circle of their lives begins again as males and females seek each other before eggs can be laid.  

As this cycle is explained, it may seem like an easy progression, but harsh weather can interrupt the progress.  Different butterflies rely on different solutions, like hibernating or migrating.  People are a huge threat, but also can be one of their best allies.  The more we know, the better we can help in more than one way.

You may believe you have a grasp on your knowledge of a specific animal, but that all changes when you read a book penned by Maxwell Eaton III.  This author finds the facts, basic and bizarre, and presents them in a marvelous blend of easily understood statements, specific labels, and commentary from the featured animal and other animals in their realm.  This commentary supplies us with comedy, but also some truths.  Once we have completed his exploration of butterflies, he switches to several methods of butterfly preservation through gardening and raising them in meticulous order.  Here is another sample passage with a portion of the expanded facts and conversations.

Butterflies are known for their incredible wings.  Along with flying and finding mates, each species uses its wings to avoid being eaten by larger predators like birds, snakes, frogs, toads, and lizards.

But not cats, right? (cat)

Camouflage helps butterflies blend in with their surroundings.

Don't. . .

move . . . (Question mark butterfly)

Nothing around here but old leaves. (bird flying near the Question mark butterfly)

When you look at the open and matching dust jacket and book case, you see on the right, front, a beautiful display of the featured subjects with one of the butterflies making an astute comment.  They are flying among flowers more apt to hold the nectar they desire.  This sets the stage for the first five words uttered by a butterfly prior to the book's beginning.  

To the left, back, up close and personal, is the cat standing in some grass between two stalks of milkweed.  From one, a chrysalis is hanging.  The cat has just looked at its watch and says:

Any minute now.

This is the start of the hilarious attempts of the cat to consume a butterfly.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a deep rich mint green.  On both the initial and formal title pages, Maxwell Eaton III includes words uttered by a swallowtail.  In the first setting are four flowers not favored by butterflies, but the second scene holds a bounty of blossoms butterflies enjoy.

Rendered 

using pen and ink with digital coloring

these images are highly animated, informative, and humorous.  Bold black lines are filled with vibrant colors.  Diagrams are easy to understand and captioned.

Each illustration spans two pages with the exception of one full-page picture and a series of panels at the close of the book.  Readers' eyes move from one element in each visual to the next eagerly and flawlessly.  They will pause to appreciate every single detail.  Perspectives are altered to accentuate the pacing.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is the double-page picture showcasing the contrasts between a butterfly and a moth.  It is a single setting but, on the left, it is during daylight and on the right, it is at night.  On the left is a Tiger swallowtail.  On the right is a Poplar hawkmoth. Each is accompanied by at least one other butterfly or moth of their specie.  Colorful balloons with facts point to parts on each.  They each make a statement as does an extra moth.  An extra inserted illustration focuses on the characteristics of their wings. A large sunflower in bloom is placed in the gutter. (I believe the butterfly and moth are pictured as their actual size.)

No personal or professional collection will be complete without a copy or two of The Truth About Butterflies (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III.  It is outstanding in its presentation of facts, the inclusion of humor, and the illustrations.  At the close of the book two pages are devoted to the Butterfly File.  Here we learn about body parts for a Monarch caterpillar, butterfly habitats, puddling, butterfly and moth pupa, monarch migration, caterpillar defense, and basking.  References for further research are included. The final page adds to the laughter factor. (You might want to learn more about four of his previous books highlighted in an earlier blog post here.)

To learn more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III has accounts on Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view six two-page representations.

Waiting For Sweetness

They appear with regularity annually.  There's still snow on the ground.  There's still a chill in the air but the days are longer and more often are filled with sunshine. They, these buckets, hang from sugar maple trees, gathering sap no longer necessary for the winter months. 

For those of us who adorn our pancakes, waffles, French toast or hot cereal with dribbles or pools of maple syrup, we are grateful to see these buckets.  Maple syrup is also preferred by some in baking and cooking as a distinctive sweetener.  The smell alone is enough to bring delectable memories soaring into our minds.  Two January releases focus their attention on collecting the sap, sugaring time. 

For those eager to learn about the process, Bear Goes Sugaring (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, January 7, 2020) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III is an enlightening and lively title.  You may know Maxwell Eaton III for his Truth About . . . (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) series.  Maxwell Eaton III brings the same fascinating information and the same generous helping of humor to Bear Goes Sugaring as he does in his other marvelous nonfiction books.

The winter has been long and cold, and while the temperature is still below freezing at night, it's now above freezing during the day.  The sun is shining, and spring is on its way.  It's sugaring time! Time for Bear to make maple syrup.  

That means
pancakes,
right? (questions his canine companion) (squirrel is still snoozing)

Further details appear in a sign posted in front of Bear's home about the correct months of the year and temperatures.  Inside Bear's home she finds her brace, a hand-powered drill, her drill bit, stainless steel spouts and buckets with lids.  As she looks for the proper tree, readers are educated about four different types of maple trees.

We follow her to a sugar maple and watch as she drills a proper, size and length, hole and hammers in the spout.  A bucket is hung and covered.  It's no surprise when her dog asks if it's syrup yet.  Bear happens to notice a hole in one of the buckets (her dog did this earlier mistakenly with the hammer).  We learn about other kinds of buckets.  As the sap drips into the bucket, dog is puzzled to discover it's not syrup.  An explanation of sap follows.

As the sap falls into the buckets Bear sets up her evaporating system.  We watch her build the structure and stack the wood.  We follow how the process works to turn the sap into syrup.  We are reminded about the proportions of water and sugar in sap.  Guess how many buckets of sap are needed to make a gallon of syrup?  This is the reason syrup is expensive and prized.  It's one more generous gift from trees.

Bear works diligently for a week bringing buckets of sap to covered collection buckets until she has enough to fill the evaporator pan.  For an entire day she works over the evaporator, gradually adding sap to the pre-heater, stirring and straining.  There are a few more steps as night falls and then Bear takes a pot of syrup into the house.  (At this time her dog and the squirrel are nearly passed out from hunger.  Their craving for pancakes has reached an all-time high.)  As the full moon rises outside, inside at the kitchen table stomachs start to fill with pancakes topped with . . . maple syrup.


The information provided by Maxwell Eaton III flows like a conversation between friends.  Each portion of the process is supplied concisely and correctly to readers.  It's as if he understands exactly what we need and want to know.  The side comments by Bear's dog and the squirrel are hilarious!  Even a warming on a sign on the verso page about the process and need for a responsible (human) adult is presented with comedic conversation.  Dog says:

I'm 
forty-two
in dog
years.

Generous additional fact balloons address specifics outside of the general narrative.  Illustrations are labeled for clarity.  Here are passages from one-and one-half pages.

Wait a minute! Bear notices a hole in one of the buckets.
Weird! (Dog)

Luckily, just about anything that can safely hold liquid food can hold sap.  Bear digs an empty plastic milk jug out of the recycling bin, cleans it, and cuts a hole near the top.
SNIP!
I lost scissors
privileges long
ago. (Dog)

Then she hangs it on a spout just like a bucket and ta-da!
I guess we'll
never mention
this again. (Dog)

Milk jugs are a great way to collect sap
without spending a lot of money. (Caption box)


The full color image on the matching dust jacket and book case is a wonderful scene of Bear working at night at her evaporator.  The trees with the hanging buckets, mountains, greenery and starry sky extend over the spine to the left edge of the back.   The design and layout on the front are superb with the steam framing Bear's face and her puny comment is just a hint of the fun and facts to come.  On the dust jacket the title text is varnished.

A lighter shade of the red found in the title text covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page is a panoramic scene of Bear's home and her barn.  The sun is just starting to rise between the mountains.  A two-page illustration contains, on the right, the front of Bear's home with the first page of the book and on the left is the mountain behind her home allowing for space for publication information.

Maxwell Eaton III rendered his pictures

with watercolor and graphite pencil on 140 lb. bright white, cold press, watercolor paper.

They alternate between full-page pictures and double-page visuals.  There are insets of detailed images within the main illustrations as well as smaller pictures on top of larger images.  The point of view shifts, also.  When Bear is inserting the spout into the tree, we only see her hand holding the hammer as it knocks the spout in place.  Careful readers will notice a humorous thread within this narrative based on the comments of Dog and Squirrel.  (And did a mouse just join this book?)

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a bird's eye view of Bear working at her evaporator.  Around the evaporator Bear on the left is skimming foam, in the center she is adding wood to the fire and on the right, she is pouring sap into the pre-heater from a bucket.  A shovel is sticking up in the snow.  Empty buckets are on the left near the barn.  In front of the wood stack on the right, Dog and Squirrel, on their backs, are lamenting the length of time this is taking and their "extreme" hunger.

This book, Bear Goes Sugaring written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III is funny and factual.  I can't imagine a unit on sugaring, maple syrup, food or the transition from winter to spring without this book.  There are pages showing a map of Maple Syrup Territory, A Variety of Evaporators, Old Spouts and a Traditional Sugarhouse.  At the close is an author's note and list of three resources for further reading.  I highly recommend this title for your collections.

To learn more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other books, follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III maintains accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House you can view the title page.  At the publisher's website are links to two sets of activity sheets.



Gary D. Schmidt and his late wife, writing under the name of Elizabeth Stickney, have penned a more intimate fictional account of sugaring and the wait for maple syrup.  Almost Time (Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, January 14, 2020) illustrated by G. Brian Karas is an endearing story about a boy and his father.  It's about anticipation, patience and love set within the changing seasons.

When Ethan had to eat his pancakes with applesauce instead of maple syrup one Sunday morning, he knew it was almost sugaring time.

He was curious to know if the sap was running yet.  His dad said the days were still too cold.  After sledding one day, Ethan discovered a shining sun does not necessarily mean the temperature is warmer.  The following week on Sunday Ethan again wondered if it was time to tap the trees. 

He was told the nights are still too long.  He looked for extra light and his best stuffed toy friend, but it was too dark.  Another week passed and the only difference was Ethan now had a loose tooth.  When he wondered when it will fall out, his dad was fairly certain it will come out when it's time to tap the trees.

Ethan waited and waited.  It's as if time had stopped.  It's still too cold during the day and the nights still had hours and hours of darkness.  And no matter how loose his tooth was, it did not fall out.

One day, as if by magic, something happened to Ethan at school.  When the bus delivered him home Ethan had something to show his dad.  His dad had something to show Ethan.  For an entire week the father and son duo worked together until one Sunday morning, the wait was over.  Yum.


The writing in this book is similar to the waiting and making of maple syrup.  The cadence is slow, soft and patient with results that are sweet but not too sweet.  It's worth the wait because when you get that first taste, you can't help but sigh.  Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney write with the sure knowledge of the human spirit and of the relationship between a loving child and parent.

They use a combination of narrative and conversation.  A rhythm is established by coming back to each Sunday.  Between those Sundays we see how things move forward from week to week.  They add charming details like the name of Ethan's teddy bear, Roosevelt.  Here is a passage.

When he bit down on a walnut, he discovered something.
"My tooth is loose!" he said.

His father inspected. "I expect it will fall out before long."
"How long?" asked Ethan.
"About as long as it takes the sap to start running," Dad said. 


The three trees with buckets featured on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case are tall compared to Ethan.  It's as if they symbolize the length of the wait for him.  You can imagine Ethan standing there and speaking to them as he holds Roosevelt.  What do you think he is saying?  I really like the use of shadow in the trees and Ethan and his footprints in the snow.

To the left, on the back, on a canvas of muted red is a small square with rounded corners.  On this cream-colored background sits a jar of maple syrup on a table.  Roosevelt, his head peaking over the edge of the table, is looking at it. 

A bright, deep spring green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, with his back to us, Ethan is looking out a window at the snow.  Rendered in

pencil and digital color

these illustrations by G. Brian Karas are enchanting, elevating and expanding the text.  The double-page picture for the dedications is a gorgeous night scene, a panoramic view of Ethan and his dad's home in the woods.  It's a limited color palette with a crescent moon in the sky.

The images alternate in size to complement the text and pacing.  We are shown single-page pictures, double-page visuals, or smaller rounded corner squares or rectangles on a full page.  The facial expressions on Ethan and his father along with their body postures are lovely, so lovely.  There is an exquisite tenderness in their relationship as shown by G. Brian Karas.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  It is a loosely framed square.  It is in Ethan's bedroom at night.  We can see the outside through the window next to his bed.  A single light on the table next to his bed casts a glow in the room.  Ethan is snuggled under the covers with Roosevelt.  Ethan is looking out the window as his dad bends down and kisses him good night on his forehead.  The text for this picture is:

And the nights were still long.

You'll want to add this title, Almost Time written by Gary D. Schmidt and Elizabeth Stickney with illustrations by G. Brian Karas, to your list of huggable books.  It will enhance your story time themes on family, seasons, patience and how maple syrup is made. Hold a place on your personal and professional bookshelves for this delightful story.

To learn more about Gary D. Schmidt and G. Brian Karas, please follow the links attached to their names.  G. Brian Karas does have an account on Twitter. 

And Nothing But The . . .

There are two things which happen when readers are hooked on a series.  The first is a growing excitement for the next installment.  It builds until we hold the next volume in our hands.  The second thought ever present in our minds is we don't want this to end.  We enjoy it completely and without reservation.

If laughter as an element figures in our appreciation for a collection of titles, this collection becomes more firmly cemented in our desire for it to continue endlessly.  On February 27, 2018 two titles were released which not only inform readers but entertain us and promote further research as well.  These books, The Truth About Bears (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) and The Truth About Hippos (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III are seriously fantastic.

This is a bear.
I'm Pete.

In tandem with each stated fact, more than one on most pages, bears are commentators declaring obvious details but also providing comedic responses.  Other animal characters you might find in the appropriate region chime in with their insights.  Additional information appears as captions or in signs.

We quickly learn standing polar bears are eight feet tall, actual bear claws are several inches long and the three most common bears are American black bear, brown bear and the polar bear.  Koalas, residents of Australia, are not bears.  Bears have voracious appetites.  Did you know they can eat thousands of berries in one day?

Bear newborns are so small they weigh less than a guinea pig, but a full-grown bear can rival a small car in weight.  Hibernation, the value of fur and bears under threat are discussed.  Hints about safety around bears are given.  Here is an example of the blend of facts and dialogue on two pages.

Polar bears eat seals.  They smell them
through the seals' breathing holes
in the ice and snow.

Sometimes they smash the ice and grab them.

You should probably turn the page. (polar bear)
Please don't. (seal held in polar bear paw)


This is a hippopotamus.

H-I-P-P-O-
T-Z-O-6-3

Hippo
for
short.

Did you know there are two kinds of hippos; common hippos and pygmy hippos?  Their weights are compared to four cows versus one pig.  That's a huge difference.  They both live in Africa but tend to enjoy other areas; water and grasslands contrasted to mud along rivers and lakes close to the cover of dense forests.

Pygmy diets are more varied.  Common hippos have long, long teeth and mouths that can lay almost flat when open.  And you don't want to be near them when they relieve themselves of their waste.  YUCK!  Did you know hippos can't swim?  How do you think they move in the water?

One of the hippos prefers resting in groups, the other alone in the shade.  Night is when hippos are on the move.  The daylight hours are for taking it easy.  Both, common and pygmy, hippos need protection from hunters and habitat destruction.  Here is a factual and dialogue passage; some in narrative, some placed on signs and speech balloons.

Common hippos and pygmy hippos
both spend their days resting.

HIPPOS ARE NOCTURNAL.
THAT MEANS THEY SLEEP ALL
DAY AND STAY UP ALL NIGHT.

Common hippos stay in the 
water in large groups.

Has anyone see
this calf's mom?

She has
smooth
gray
skin.

A GROUP OF HIPPOS
IS SOMETIMES
CALLED A BLOAT.


Happily, for readers of the series a third title was released on May 8, 2018.  The Truth About Dolphins (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press) with artwork and words by Maxwell Eaton III will have readers captivated as soon as they see the cover.  By the first page, they'll be reading as fast as they can.

This is a dolphin.

Hello. (dolphin)

Yikes! (girl seated in inner tube in water)

<---common i="">
Common
bottlenose
dolphin (arrow points to dolphin)

For the first several pages comparisons are made between dolphins and fish.  Did you know one swims by moving their bodies from left to right and the other moves their tails up and down?  Dolphins are mammals; traits in support of this are disclosed.

There are more than forty species of dolphins with one of them weighing 12,000 pounds.  You can go almost any place on our planet and find dolphins.  They are skilled hunters working together in groups.

They are one of few animals employing the use of echolocation.  Their communication techniques are masterful so is their desire to play.  Both help them to avoid enemies like sharks.  Their worst enemies are us.  Here is one of the humorous combinations of text and conversations.

Dolphins eat mostly fish and squid.

Atlantic 
spotted dolphin

That was close. (arrow points to hiding squid)

They hunt in groups, called pods, by
using their eyes, ears, and one
very special ability . . .

Left, right,
left, right, left,
right, left, right,
left, right, left,
right, left! (says a group of six fleeing fish)


When The Truth About Elephants (Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals) (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, November 27, 2018) written by Maxwell Eaton III was released this autumn, readers wondered what would be revealed.  What factual items would this author illustrator include in this book?  What would the elephants and other animals say in response?

Here comes an elephant.

Boom Boom Boom
Boom Boom Boom Boom
          Boom

Actually,
I'm a
human. (says a little girl who doesn't see what is behind her)

With the first declaration about elephants being the largest land animals, all types of comments are made along with supporting documentation.  A white rhinoceros and a common hippopotamus (who we've already met) are not too happy.  A blue whale peeks through a circle in the page to add elephants are not the largest in water.

We learn of the development of elephants, their current relatives and the types of elephants.  The Asian and African elephants are shown side by side with their differences noted.  The finer points of trunk use are disclosed.

Their tusks and molars come in handy for an array of activities.  Did you know these herbivores spend about eighteen hours a day in the act of looking and consuming food?  Family hierarchy, communication, and herd defense work is explained with examples.  Here is one of many blends of truth and playfulness.

Elephants' teeth are also unique.  Long
tusks are used to dig for roots, scrape bark
from trees, and defend against predators.

He 
tried to
eat me. (baby elephant now on mother's back)

Kids,
right? (alligator trapped beneath mother's tusks)

ELEPHANTS' TUSKS NEVER STOP GROWING.  THE OLDER
THE ELEPHANT, THE BIGGER THE TUSKS!


As an illustrator Maxwell Eaton III begins his pictorial interpretations immediately on the matching dust jackets and book cases of all four books.  His word play is evident in the opening comment on the front of each.  The images with verbal comments, text or sound effects on the back make reference to the hilarity or theme found within the body of the book; car driving bears, bicycle riding hippos, dolphins and diving with scuba gear and elephants and jazz music.

The opening and closing endpapers are bright solid colors.  On the initial title page each specific animal makes a factual or funny statement.  This is expanded on the formal title page, a double-page picture, with results certain to cause readers to smile or burst out laughing.

Maxwell Eaton III alters his illustration sizes in order to heighten and complement his narrative, captions and conversations.  They range from double-page visuals, single-page images, or several pictures gathered together on one or two pages.  Elements from one illustration often overlap another image.

The facial expressions on all the animals convey exactly what they are thinking or saying.  These add to the truth and prevalent comedy.  At the close of each book spread across two pages is an open file labeled on the tab with the animal name.  It contains habitat facts, tracks, field notes, size, a territory map or other pertinent pieces of information like elephant toenails and further research opportunities for children and adults.  This is followed with a final one-page image guaranteed to generate giggles and grins.

There are many, many favorite illustrations in each book.  In the bear book when we are being informed about bears' food it mentions rodents.  A bear is not sure what a rodent is.  A squirrel points to a rock and says it's a rodent.  In the discussion about hippo waste elimination the backside of a hippo faces us.  A small bird on top of the hippo states this is why he is where he is.  When we are learning about dolphin communication two dolphins are shown at rest underwater.  One says a sound is like a particular third dolphin.  The second dolphin says this third dolphin still owns him three squid.  Being educated about four gigantic elephant molars in their mouths invites a small bird standing on a ladder and leaning toward the open elephant mouth to make a comment.  Holding a toothbrush, he knows a bigger one is needed.


The mix of factual and funny information, commentary and illustrations is a huge invitation for readers of all ages to read The Truth About Bears, The Truth About Hippos, The Truth About Dolphins and The Truth About Elephants all part of the Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals series written and illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III.  These will be great and welcome nonfiction read-aloud selections and research titles.  You will need multiple copies of each volume. I highly recommend these for your personal and professional collections.  It appears a fifth and sixth book are coming in the spring and fall of this year.  Fans of crocodiles and hawks will be happy.

To discover more about Maxwell Eaton III and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Maxwell Eaton III maintains an account on Instagram and Twitter.  You can view interior images from Bears, Hippos, Dolphins and Elephants at the publisher's website. There is a wonderful, older interview with Maxwell at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Maxwell Eaton III is featured in the Lake Placid News about his books.


Remember to visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to note the other titles chosen this week by participants in the 2019 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.