Lifting Each Other Up

Tuesday morning an article said the first of twenty-one funerals began on that date, May 31, 2022.  There will be twenty-one celebrations of life and mourning, and the worlds of those families and friends are changed forever.  On May 24, 2022 the shock of another school shooting reverberated through a community, a state, a nation, and around the world.  For parents, caregivers, and educators the weight of this latest horrific tragedy is very heavy.  The more we know about the events of that day, the more heartbreaking it becomes.  We seek to make sense, when it does not make sense.  We seek security, solace, and serenity.

My friend and colleague, John Schu, recently released a book titled The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life (Stenhouse Publishers, May 3, 2022).  In chapter two we learn about Story as Healer.  At the close of this chapter, John suggests books in support of the chapter's premises.  After a brief description of each title, John offers commentary about his choices.  I have gone back to this section and read two sentences in particular over and over this past week.  John says:

This story is about grief, how it can weigh us down, but how, over time, our friends can help share the burden and in the process make it smaller.

It's not dread and worry that sustain us, but rather the love we share and the memories we create that will last.

Keeping these two sentences in my mind and heart, I selected six new titles from my bins of new releases.  Previously, author Pat Zietlow Miller and author illustrator Eliza Wheeler have collaborated on two wonderful books, Wherever You Go and When You Are Brave.  Their third title, When I'm With You (Little, Brown And Company, March 1, 2022), declares, reaffirms, and pays tribute to those individuals who make us whole.

There's something that I've noticed.

Perhaps you've seen it, too . . .

Life is so much better

when it's me and you.

Sometimes it seems as though you've always had that one special companion.  Other times, you realize your relationship has grown like a well-nourished seed.  You complement each other wherever you go and whatever you do.

You see a brighter future from sharing it with this being.  You might be opposites, but together you make something beautiful.  What you need, when you need it, is provided by this forever friend.

There will be moments when things go awry, but you and this partner support each other.  You work through the less than ideal situations.  The sad and bad are not as sad and bad.

Whether you explore the new or repeat a previous adventure, it is best when experienced with a perfect pal. When you are older, nothing will change despite distance and time because nothing without this soul has reason or rhyme.  Nothing will ever separate these two.

Each time the rhyming lines in this narrative are read, the warmth of the words written by Pat Zietlow Miller wrap around you.  Her four-line lyrical observations, double couplets, speak of building bonds using two parts to an array of relationships.  She speaks of commitment, creativity, comfort, laughter, sadness, mistakes, and mending.  One abiding current threads through the entire book.  It is the word constant.  Here is a passage.

You're the hat that fits my head.

You're the hilltop for my sled.

When I sneeze,

you say, "Ah-CHOO!"

And that makes me

laugh with you.

The open and matching dust jacket and book case introduce readers to the four groups of best friends featured throughout the book.  On the front they are all enjoying the delights of a sunny day, kite flying, playing in a tree house, swinging, and having a tea party.  The two main children, the kite and string and the title text are varnished on the jacket.  To the left of the spine, on the back, the day is coming to a close.  

The pals in the tree house are sitting on a branch of the tree gazing at a pink and peach sky dotted with pink clouds.  Birds are in the background.  Butterflies flutter in the foreground.  The kite-flying friends are now seated in a hammock, arms around each other's shoulders.  They, too, are facing the setting sun.  The sun is dropping below a body of water.  The children have their backs to readers.

The opening and closing endpapers are charming visions.  They are panoramic pastoral vistas showing the four homes where the children and their families live.  On either side of the gutter are two large trees.  On either side of them are two homes.  Each of the homes are as different as the occupants.  In the background are faint outlines of rolling hills and evergreen forests.  In the foreground is the pond with a stream stretching to the right between two of the homes.

The adults are all engaged in activities as the children play.  On the opening endpapers it is daylight.  On the closing endpapers it is night.  Lights glow in the windows of the homes.  The parents are now inside each house.  A crescent moon and stars decorate the sky.  On the left side, the children (and one canine companion) gather around a crackling fire roasting marshmallows. 

These images by Eliza Wheeler were 

created using ink, watercolors, acrylic paint, wax pastels, and digital collage. 

On the title page, we see the seven children and the one dog at the trees setting up for a day of wonders.  This is one of many double-page pictures.  Single page illustrations cross the gutter to be joined with smaller visuals on the opposite side.  Eliza Wheeler skillfully combines two separate illustrations into a larger picture.  You will stop at every page turn to absorb all the included details.  Everywhere you look there is joy and a blend of reality and imagined reality.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  It shows all the children in a magical underwater scene.  Only the outline of a fish tank in the upper, left-hand corner of the image indicates they are inside a fish tank.  Two friends wearing helmets and their regular clothing are cleaning.  A ray is smiling as it is dusted.  The two tea-party pals are feeding the fish and carrying a huge seaweed cupcake to an octopus.  Two other companions are caring for the underwater flowers and seahorses.  The final child is wearing scuba gear as he explores a treasure chest.  The dog is above him in a personal submarine powered by paw action.

This book, When I'm With You written by Pat Zietlow Miller with artwork by Eliza Wheeler, is an ode to friendship and its power.  It is a lively and lovely invitation to share life with a special individual.  It is a balm for all our souls.  I highly recommend it for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Pat Zietlow Miller has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Eliza Wheeler has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Pat Zietlow Miller was recently interviewed by Madison Magazine.  Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler chat about this book at PictureBookBuilders.  John Schu, librarian and writer, highlights this title in conversations with Pat Zietlow Miller and Eliza Wheeler on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Pat Zietlow Miller is in conversation with Eliza Wheeler about this title in a previous Crowdcast event.

When your canine companion is considered a sporting dog, regardless of the weather or your state of health, you walk miles every single day.  It is a commitment you must keep.  There are times when the very thought of leaving the cozy comfort of your home is downright daunting, but you go.  Without fail, something wonderful happens.  You see a deer crossing the road in front of you, a group of raptors gliding overhead, countless sunrises in breathtaking colors, and ever-changing cloud formations, and the birdsong is like your own personal symphony.  In Climb On! (North|South, March 8, 2022) written by Baptiste Paul with illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara, this is exactly what occurs.  

Morning, Dad!

Morning!

It's a great day for

watching futbol.

The child quickly reminds her father of a promise to hike to the summit of a local mountain.  They place essentials in their backpacks and begin their hike.  Dad keeps offering reasons to stop or turn back.

There are too many beautiful things to see to turn back or stop.  His daughter reminds him to climb on.  When she asks him to swing on a vine to take a plunge in a waterfall pond, he takes up the mantra of climb on.

The father is exhausted and wants to know if they are at the top.  They are only midway to the top.  There is a small setback, a slip and fall, but through the leaves they see their multi-colored town below them.

Now tired, the child rides on her father's shoulders as he steadily continues in the heat with muscles aching.  They break through the vegetation.  A single three-letter word describes what they behold before them.  Wonderful.

Through a blend of narrative and conversation, author Baptiste Paul tells the tale of a memorable trek, a day of shared revelations.  Short sentences, sometimes only a series of single words give readers a real sense of participating in this climb.  The inclusion of Creole words in the dialogue between the Dad and his daughter draws us further into their adventure.  Here is a passage.

The rocks weep from yesterday's rain.

Each step slower than the last.

Fe vit.  Hurry up!

     Step.

          Breathe.

               Sweat.

Not only does the front, right side, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case inspire you to climb a mountain, but it invites you to open the book and read the story.  The natural beauty of the area in which the tale is told is reflected in the vivid hues of blue and green with spots of other colors.  You can almost feel the heat and humidity and breathe the salty air.  The green found in the palm leaves is used for the spine and back of the jacket and case.  Here flora and fauna found on the hike are displayed around praise for the previous collaboration by the author and illustrator, The Field. 

On the opening endpapers is an illustration of a green field.  Houses frame the border on two sides.  On the left side in the foreground, we can see the beginning of the trail to the mountaintop.  In the distance the sea and sky appear as one.  In a word, this is serenity.  On the closing endpapers, the child and her father are back at the waterfall pond.  Together they are swinging on a vine over the water.  It is a lush setting with various shades of green with the waterfall in the background.

These illustrations by Jacqueline Alcantara begin and end with the endpapers.  On the verso and title pages, her pictorial interpretation starts with the daughter, first, studying a map, and second, lifting a hat from her resting father's face.  The images, double-page and single-page, extend to the edges.  Even though opposite single-page pictures are different scenes, they flow together superbly.

Readers will find themselves carefully looking at each image, studying the details.  What flora and fauna are on display?  The facial expressions on the child's face mirror her every emotion.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page visual.  The child is close to readers in the foreground.  She is bending over to study a caterpillar on a cupped, dark green leaf.  In the background, her dad is lying on his back, stretched out over a large boulder.  He is clearly exhausted.  Graceful, red and green leafy vines act as a partial border on either side.

There will be times when you would rather not keep a promise or a commitment, but in honoring it, positive discoveries will be made.  Climb On! written by Baptiste Paul with artwork by Jacqueline Alcantara clearly depicts this truth.  Natural world wonders heal.  You will want to have a copy of this title in both your professional and personal collections. (There is a surprise challenge tucked into the closing endpapers.)

To learn more about Baptiste Paul and Jacqueline Alcantara and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Baptiste Paul has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Jacqueline Alcantara has accounts on Facebook, Behance, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view the first few pages and download resources.  At Simon & Schuster, you can see other interior illustrations.  The cover reveal was hosted at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production by Betsy Bird.  Both the author and illustrator are interviewed about this book at We Need Diverse Books.

Unconditional love is powerful.  It is always present, like a heartbeat that does not stop.  How do we know if we are loved unconditionally?  We know in ordinary and extraordinary moments, some lasting seconds and others lasting years. Author Andrea Beaty and illustrator Vashti Harrison have created a heartwarming portrait in poetic phrases and tender lively artwork of this love in their new collaboration, I Love You Like Yellow (Abrams Books for Young Readers, March 29, 2022).

I love you like yellow.

I love you like green.

Like a flowery orchid

and sweet tangerine.

These three sentences begin a sensory expression of love.  Opposites, too, are used to show the extent of this love.  This love happens in times of jubilance and in times of sorrow.

If you could taste this love, it would be like sugar and dill pickles.  It is there when time pauses or speeds, even when the recipient of this love is slow when they wish to be fast.  Whatever the weather, rain or sunshine, hot or cold, the love is still there.

This love is present in daylight and beneath the stars at night.  Like those stars, it is there, always.  From the beginning of the day and until the end of the day, this love is ever constant.

During each moment of the day, at work or at play, you are loved.  You are a song.  You are silence.  When you are nestled in your bed, more asleep than awake, you will be embraced by love.

Whether the sentences written by Andrea Beaty are read silently or aloud, they are like singing a song.  The rhyming words (and use of alliteration) fashion a melody.  You find yourself humming, quietly or aloud.  These words remind us of the vastness and universality of love.  Here is a passage.

Like brisk and breezy.

Like bouncy and bold.

After looking at the open dust jacket, I think I need a pair of yellow boots to match my yellow raincoat.  I know I will find as much joy as this parent and child in puddle splashing.  Their spirited play surrounded by the softly-textured setting is definitely welcoming.  The title text and rain gear on the jacket are varnished.

The scene continues across the spine.  The meadow stretches to the left side.  Reddish pink flowers mound in the lower, left-hand corner as a blue butterfly stops for a sip.  Across the grass, there is another bunch of yellow flowers and orange butterflies near them.  Above the misty slopes, a rainbow arcs from the left to off the top of the visual.

On the book case, we have moved to a close-up of the puddle covering both sides.  There is some grass framing the puddle along the bottom and right side.  The parent and child stand still in the puddle, but you can tell by ripple marks they just moved.  All we can see are their boots and a small portion of their legs.  The parent is to the left of the spine and the child is to the right of the spine.  

On a crisp white canvas on the opening and closing endpapers is a pattern of items found within the book.  The elements are a paper airplane, leaves, butterflies, lemons, playing cards, orchids, apples, and yellow umbrellas.  On the initial title page, the parent and child look out a window at the rain.  On the formal title page and dedication page, the mother is putting a raincoat on her child.

For each of the four phrases, a different parent and their child or children are featured.  Using 

colored pencil and Photoshop,

Vashti Harrison has created warmhearted, playful, and highly animated images.  She shifts her perspectives, bringing us close to the families at times and then places them in a more scenic setting.  The illustrations are full-page pictures, groups of smaller visuals, and glorious double-page images.  The families reflect a range of ethnicity and ages.

One of my many favorite pictures is a single-page illustration.  A father has been spending time with his daughter and her younger brother.  They are now baking cookies.  On the kitchen counter in front of them are ingredients and a cookie sheet with some cutout cookies ready for baking.  The father has his hands in a bowl mixing the ingredients.  On his head is a pie tin.  The daughter is laughing with her arms up in the air.  Her brother is seated on the counter.  He, too, has a pan on his head and he is holding a wooden spoon.  There is flour in the air along with the laughter.

The love portrayed through the words of Andrea Beaty and the artwork of Vashti Harrison in I Love You Like Yellow radiates from the pages.  This book is certain to soothe souls of all ages, readers and listeners alike.  There is a lot of happiness to be found here.  No personal or professional collection is complete without a copy of this book.

To learn more about Andrea Beaty and Vashti Harrison and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Andrea Beaty has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Vashti Harrison has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  There is also a video there with Andrea Beaty discussing the inspiration for this title.

We try to measure and keep track of time with watches, phones, clocks, planners, and calendars, but truthfully time has always gone at its own pace, altered only by our perspectives.  It seems to go slow when the only thing we want is for it to speed like a lightning flash.  Then, the older we get, the faster it goes.  We find ourselves frequently thinking, how could so many years have come and gone . . . like a lightning flash.  In their two previous collaborations, Drawn Together and Lift, author Minh Le and author illustrator Dan Santat gave us life's truths by putting their collective hearts into their words and art.  They have done this again, beautifully, in The Blur (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, May 3, 2022).  

From the beginning

there was something different

about this child.

Yes, this child had a shockingly loud voice and limber arms and legs.  She mastered hearing the softest sound.  And, this child could become invisible.  These traits blended to make the most fascinating characteristic of all, magnetism.  People gravitated toward this bundle of superpowers.

As a youngster, the parents could hardly keep up with all the tasks this child presented, except when she slept.  Then time seemed to stop, until she learned to walk.

Wowee!  Look out!  She's always in motion.  Again, moments blended into one another because of 

The Blur.

As years pass at a ferocious pace, the girl embraces every activity with unbridled enthusiasm.  There are mostly high points, the sadness of loss, and some tense-filled seconds for her parents.  Before any of them realize it, time halts again.  It is high school graduation day.  And then, she's off once more.  All those memories fueling this superhero, a child who was different from the beginning.

With that first sentence, author Minh Le has us hooked.  What made this child different?  As each aspect of her personality is disclosed, each reader will bring their personal experiences to interpret those aspects.  You will find yourself nodding knowingly or howling with laughter or both.  Three times, Minh Le takes us on a whirlwind of growing up, only to have us pause and savor that pause.  It is a splendid storytelling technique.  Here is a passage.

NOTHING STANDS IN THE WAY AS

THE BLUR TAKES THE WORLD BY STORM!

And yet . . .

CRASH!

How can you look at the front, right side, of the dust jacket and not want to hug this family?  Happiness radiates off this image.  Everyone is smiling, the parents, the daughter, the puppy, and even the stuffed toy lion.  (It looks like a smile to me.)  Artist Dan Santat has placed these individuals on a background collage of captured moments from the interior pages.  The dots consist of color combinations from the title text.  They might also signify time and how fast it can pass.

To the left of the spine, on the back, on a light cream and peach background is a single image.  It is a graduation hat thrown in the air.  Multi-colored dots balloon up from the hat.  Everything on the front and back of the dust jacket is varnished except for the background and background pictures.

On the book case the canvas changes to a blend of white and teal.  Teal swirls and loops on the back and front indicate a path taken by The Blur.  She is running on the front, eyes closed in bliss with her mouth open in happiness and her arms wide open.  Her cape is flying behind her as colored dots follow her movements.  Her puppy is running and barking beside her.  (I want to run with them!)

On the opening and closing endpapers on a white background are large, vibrant dots.  They look as if they are circles of watercolor or chalk.  On the right side of the opening endpapers, there is an additional element.  It is a bandage appearing under the words:

THIS BOOK IS FOR:

These images by Dan Santat were

created using colored pencil and watercolor on paper and Adobe Photoshop.

On the title page sits the stuffed toy lion next to a vase of flowers with a congratulations card.  That lion is on its way to resting with the child in the hospital bed on the next two-page picture.  Illustration sizes vary from double-page visuals to single-page pictures, edge to edge, or surrounded by white space for dramatic framing.  Sometimes there will be multiple pictures on a single page to interpret the words pictorially. Several times the parents (and The Blur) are placed among smaller images.  The details in the illustrations and facial expressions of the parents and their daughter ask us to stop, to freeze time and remember and laugh and cry.  (I love how the younger girl swings into a series of pictures on one page and with a page turn she swings out of another set of images, but is now much older.  Brilliant.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is when The Blur believes she is invisible.  She is seated on the floor, wearing a one piece pair of pajamas with feet.  She has her cape, now much larger, held in her hands and covering her eyes.  Her puppy sits next to her, tail wagging and nose sniffing.  They are enveloped in white space.

This book, The Blur written by Minh Le with artwork by Dan Santat, is about a special child, all children, and time.  It is a recognition of how precious every moment is, even though when we are in the midst of them, we don't always appreciate their value.  It asks us to hold fast to life.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.  You will find yourself gifting this title repeatedly.

To discover more about Minh Le and Dan Santat and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Minh Le has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Minh Le and Dan Santat Talk with Roger at The Horn Book about this title.  Minh Le and Dan Santat are interviewed about this book at We Need Diverse Books.  The cover reveal was at School Library Journal, 100 Scope Notes, hosted by Travis Jonker and an interview with the collaborators.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the endpapers.

The thing about life is regardless of our past, present, or possible future, things happen beyond our control.  There are things wonderful beyond our imagining and things which plunge us into deep sadness.  We find ourselves stunned by both.  

What we can do in those times of tragedy is look for a sliver of silver lining.  It may not be there for a long time.  If we cannot find it, perhaps we need to change or be a part of a larger change.  If children are a part of our lives, as parents, caregivers, or educators, we need to help them to understand their futures are full of potential and promise.  Like the weather, the clouds pass to reveal the sunshine or moonlight and stars.  You Are Here (Chronicle Books, May 10, 2022) written and illustrated by Zach Manbeck is a joyful reminder to be ourselves, going forward with hope.  It is his debut book. 

YOU are here.

And from here,

you can go anywhere! 

Readers are next asked a question.

But how will you find your way?

The following pages paint in words and pictures possible positive paths.  Although it might seem obvious, we need to begin.  Depending on our abilities, we will all begin differently.

We are invited to be explorers.  There is no perfect direction for everyone.  Some individuals will go quickly, others more slowly.  There will be those who are at the same pace as we are. 

Will the path be smooth?  Sometimes it will.  Sometimes it won't, but we need to be relentless in seeking our potential and promise. 

We need to be ready for what we might discover using our senses.  Perhaps we begin anew each day.  That is why it is most important to remember where we are . . . always.

The thoughts presented in this book by Zach Manbeck are bursting with positivity.  Every recommendation is as if he is cheering for readers, encouraging them forward.  Individuality is paramount in this delivery.  Here is a passage.

BE PATIENT

You'll find your way . . .

if you let if find you.

The color palette shown on the open dust jacket is used throughout the book.  It speaks to warmth and new growth and being fully alive.  On the front, right side, we are introduced to many of the children and one of the animals seen often in the narrative.  The yellow butterfly figures importantly and prominently in many of the images.  It can be seen as a symbol of change, growth, and the beauty of becoming your best self.  The rays are embossed in gold.

To the left of the spine, on the back, more children and two animals run to the right.  They are running through what appears to be a jungle, replete with tall plants, trees and hanging vines.  One individual has a pair of binoculars and the other holds a magnifying glass.

On the cream book case a large yellow butterfly is displayed.  The center of the butterfly is in the center on the right side.  The left wing crosses the spine into the center of the left side.  The right wing bleeds off the right side.  A looping line from the left indicates the flight of the insect.  The thumb and finger of a child reaches toward the body of the butterfly from the bottom of the illustration.

The opening and closing endpapers are bright yellow with spots of green and orange.  Three separate pages, a word on each page, delivers the title to readers.  The word "here" is shown in a circle of cream on orange with the yellow butterfly zooming in from the left.

These illustrations by Zach Manbeck 

were rendered in gouache and various mixed media, then edited digitally.

Large circles become frames for the children and text and act as design elements with stars and splashes of bright colors, depending on the setting.  The setting might be a garden, a jungle, a cave, different modes of travel or an array of contraptions.  The layouts draw our eyes to the individuals and their activities.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture. It is a jungle and floral scene.  All we can see on most of the visual is darkened outlines, except for a particular area.  On the left side, a child, the first child and wearing a backpack is running into this darkness.  In one hand they are holding a flashlight.  It makes a beam of light through the darkness to the right, ending in a large circle holding the text.  Wherever the light shines, the colors are boldly shown.

The exuberance you feel after a positive affirmation envelopes you with every page turn in You Are Here written and illustrated by Zach Manbeck.  This book is yes to no and go to stop.  It is hope.  You will want to place a copy on the bookshelves in your personal and professional collections.

By following the link attached to Zach Manbeck's name, you can access his website, finding out more about him and his work.  Zach Manbeck has accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior pictures. 

In my cupboard is an array of tea canisters.  Each one holds a different flavor of tea.  They supply me with selections based on the time of day, my level of thirst, and my emotional frame of mind.  Tea is a source of comfort.  Depending on the type of mug or glass, the tea can cool on a sweltering day or warm hands and body on a chilly morning or evening.  It can elevate a meal or celebration or be a reminder of people no longer with us.  (I still have some of the tea cups and saucers my mother collected.)

Tea and tea ceremonies are found in all corners of the world.  When drinking tea, connections are made with those other people and their communities.  In an endearing story, a bow of respect, to those connections, Luli and the Language of Tea (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, May 24, 2022) written by Andrea Wang with pictures by Hyewon Yum presents to children the power they have through sincerity and their hearts to add light to their worlds.

The playroom was quiet.

Luli couldn't speak English.

Neither could the others.

Not being able to communicate with each other, the children were apart, playing by themselves.  This was what Luli did when she was previously at the playroom.  Then, she had an idea.  She made a picture to show Miss Hirokane her idea.  

This next time Luli took special items from her backpack.  She removed 

a thermos, a canister, stacks of cups, and a fat-bellied teapot.

Luli got busy combining and using these items.  Then, Luli called out a word in Chinese.

The children stopped playing and looked at Luli.  Soon single words were called out, child by child, around the room, in nine different languages.  Do you know what those words meant?

Pulling up chairs, the children came to the table.  The tea was poured in the first cup and passed from child to child until each child had a cup.  Wait! There was no tea left for Luli.  Luli's cup was passed from child to child.  Everyone was speaking the same language, the language of sharing and the language of . . .

With simple, lovely sentences Andrea Wang supplies readers with an understanding of Luli's heart and the hearts of the other children in the room.  Are we not all looking for connections and commonality like these children?  After Luli calls out tea in her language, a cadence is supplied by each child responding with the word for tea in their language.  Andrea Wang also gives us their first name, making the story more intimate. (The word for tea is also written in its native language.)  She again generates a rhythm when the tea cups are passed from child to child, naming them and once more when Luli's cup is passed from child to child.  Andrea Wang's carefully chosen words welcome us.  Here is a passage.

Now everyone had a share.

Hands curled around warm cups.

Mouths curved into shy smiles.

In looking at the matching dust jacket and book case, we meet Luli, the one child who made a huge difference, and how she changed the entire atmosphere in the playroom.  On the front, right side, her quiet, gentle smile speaks volumes.  We want to know what she has to say and what the language of tea is.  To the left of the spine, on the back, we see the children after drinking their tea.  There are still some at the table with Luli.  Two more are chatting as they walk away.  Two children are on the floor playing with a toy bulldozer.  Two are standing by the shelves watching three goldfish swim in a bowl.  

Still using a brilliant white canvas with excellence, Hyewon Yum features ten cups for tea gathered from the countries of Morocco, Iran, China, Chile, India, Kenya, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Turkey, and Germany on the opening and closing endpapers.  They are drawn in detail and labeled.  Two more page turns begin the pictorial story.  The first double-page picture shows parents going through the door to a classroom for learning English as a second language.  The children enter the playroom door next to the classroom.  For the verso and title pages, this image shows Luli peeking through the playroom doorway.

Rendered with

colored pencils

by artist Hyewon Yum, the illustrations complement the narrative with their delicate details.  The images are double-page pictures, some of them including two moments in one visual, and single-page pictures. Sometimes there are two images to a page using vertical and horizontal panels. Her use of white space is splendid with it acting as another element.  Perspective is shifted to accentuate the pacing and to provide us with added emotion.  The bird's eye view of the table with the seated children and their cups of tea is exquisite.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  Luli is seated at the table.  Before her are the

full-bellied teapot, stacks of cups, and the canister

in blue and white.  Luli's mouth, after she took a breath, is wide open as she shouts tea in Chinese.  This is the beginning of something important.

When I think of the children in this playroom, alone and separated by a language barrier, my love for this brave and wise child swells.  Luli and the Language of Tea written by Andrea Wang with artwork by Hyewon Yum allows children to see, regardless of their age, the power they have to make positive changes.  At the close of the book is A Note from the Author, words under About the Children and Languages in This Story and a focus on people from Asia, Africa, Europe, and South America.  The children are identified by the country from which they immigrated.  I highly recommend you place a copy of this book in your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Andrea Wang and Hyewon Yum and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Andrea Wang has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Hyewon Yum has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Andrea Wang and this book are showcased at author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Andrea Wang speaks about this book at PictureBookBuilders for the cover reveal.  At Maria Marshall's site the author and illustrator are interviewed about this book, their work, and themselves.  At the publisher's website, there is an educator's guide.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the endpapers.

Up And Into

As you sift through your memory files, some of those labeled the first time are easier to recall than others.  Some are clearer because they are unforgettable.  It was a sensory experience as you looked at items not previously seen, inhaled specific smells, listened to new sounds, touched familiar and unusual things, and perhaps, tasted something unique.  It was as if you had entered a distinctively different world.

These are recollections held by many who step into an elevator for the first time.  You enter a small room in one place and in a short amount of time, you arrive at another spot.  Even when you learn about the mechanics of its operation, it still seems a bit magical.  Lift (Disney Hyperion, May 5, 2020) written by Minh Le with art by Dan Santat is the newest collaboration by the team who created the marvelous and memorable Drawn Together.  In this title the enchanting essence of our first elevator ride ascends to a wondrous level.

MONDAY
Hi, my name is Iris.

Iris is a fan of pushing elevator buttons, especially if she needs cheering.  Day after day, week after week, it is her job to push the elevator buttons from the lobby to their floor or from their floor to the lobby.  One week, though, on a Thursday, Iris's little brother reaches out and pushes the button.  WHAT?!

Her parents are deliriously happy.  Iris is not, not one little bit.  On Friday, it happens again, inside the elevator.  In a very un-Iris-like fit of anger, she pushes all the buttons.  Her little brother loves this.  Her parents do not.

When they get to the lobby, Iris is fascinated by the broken elevator button the maintenance man discards. (He is fascinated playing with her brother.) She grabs the elevator button out of the waste basket.  When Iris gets back to her room, she tapes that button to her wall, and pushes it, probably out of habit and desiring happiness.

Can you imagine her surprise when it dings?  Can you imagine her surprise when a door opens?  When Iris walks through that door, her heart races with the sheer joy of an explorer.  The doorbell to their apartment ringing distracts her, and she returns to her room, closing the door.

A babysitter arrives as her parents leave.  An evening of food and fun is in the offing.  Iris tolerates every moment until she is finally alone in her bedroom for bedtime.  She is not sleepy at all. It's safe to say after pushing the button again, this experience takes Iris to new heights, until her brother's crying brings her back to her room.  Iris knows a favorite book which will soothe his heart.  On Saturday, the next morning, you won't be able to stop smiling at the unfolding of events.  They are heartwarming.  They are unprecedented, hopeful, and inspirational.


With limited, but conversational and heartfelt text, Minh Le, using the voice of Iris, brings us into a week in which every single one of us can identify.  He does this with his keen insight into children and their feelings.  We have felt Iris's pride and her frustration.  Minh Le doesn't only know his intended audience, he understands others who will be reading this book.  He has a gift of connecting generations.  His pacing and word choices are designed to build anticipation (and to supply us with a bit of comedy).  Here are two sentences.

When we get back home, I just want to be alone.
I wish I could be anywhere but here.


Looking at the front of the open dust jacket, you know this book is going to be extraordinary.  You can see the normalcy of Iris's room behind her, but what surrounds her is astonishing.  There is also a hint of foreshadowing here.  Notice the placement of the letters of Minh Le's and Dan Santat's names.  They are elevator buttons.  Dan Santat's attention to detail, layout and design is already apparent.

To the left, on the back, of the dust jacket on a canvas of muted green is the discarded elevator button, taped to Iris's wall.  We have zoomed in close.  The button is lighted.  Beneath it is a Carl Sagan quotation reading:

"Imagination will often carry us to worlds that
never were. But without it, we go nowhere."

On the book case we are looking at the door from two different points of view.  On the front, we are standing in Iris's bedroom looking at the door.  Light glows around all the edges.  On the back, we are in an alternate world, a rainforest.  We are looking through the doorway into Iris's apartment.

On the opening endpapers Dan Santat has placed Iris standing in the light of the doorway after pushing the button.  Her wide-eyed look tells a story all its own.  On the closing endpapers Iris stands with her little brother on that Saturday morning, looking through the doorway and standing in the light.  Their expressions are of supreme joy.

After the opening endpapers, a page turn reveals the title page which is the lobby of the building.  There is a big L above an elevator button.  In front of the out of service elevator is the title in large block letters.  Iris's mom holding her little brother, Iris, and her dad carrying groceries are waiting in front of the elevator door. Their backs are to us.  Prior to the closing endpapers is a two-page image which will have you gasping like Iris and her little brother.  It is also the dedication page with publication information beneath it.

In this book the illustrations are a series of geometrical panels (wide framed in black), full-page images, combinations of vertical panels and horizontal panels, squares and rectangles and heart-stopping double-page illustrations, edge to edge with no borders.  There are series of images without words, interpreting the narrative flow.  Dan Santat shifts the perspectives to bring us close to the characters or farther away.  Each of these decisions places emphasis on emotional impact.  Sound effect text heightens moments.

The facial expressions on the characters are pure perfection. (I can't begin to tell you how many times I burst out laughing.) Dan Santat leaves no doubt in any reader's mind as to what the characters are thinking or feeling.  It's when you are looking closely at the characters that you notice other intricate elements.  Iris quickly realizes that a twig from her first elevator journey is still stuck in her hair when she greets the babysitter.  The name of the game the babysitter brings is Out Of This World.  The little brother's tiger stuffed animal is named Iris.  I wonder how many people will notice the lamp on Saturday morning in Iris's bedroom.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations (without giving anything away) is a series of three.  It is three horizontal pictures on a single page.  It is after Iris has pushed all the buttons.  Of course, the elevator stops at every floor, dings and the door opens.  As it opens, we see Iris's dad holding her brother, Iris, and her mom.  Her dad is resigned, as he holds a gleeful youngster.  Her brother cheers and flings back his hand holding his toy stuffed tiger in the second scene.  Iris is mad in all three.  Her mother's mood ranges from angry, to impatient and then to why me?  (I am laughing right this minute.)


This book is the answer to many questions.  It raises your mood and shifts your outlook.  Lift written by Minh Le with illustrations by Dan Santat is to be read often and widely.  We need this book for its universality and truths, insight and humor, and for its tribute to imagination.  I highly recommend this for your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about Minh Le and Dan Santat and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Minh Le has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The book trailer for this title is premiered with a conversation between Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, and Minh Le and Dan Santat at Watch. Connect. Read., John's site. (The book trailer is a treat to be enjoyed repeatedly.)  At a publisher's website you can view a Q & A with the creators and a praise sheet of their two books can be downloaded.  Minh Le and Dan Santat are interviewed about this book at The Roarbots.  I believe you'll want to read it.

In Search Of The Ideal

Completion of a mental check list is essential.  The contentment found in a long walk by a canine companion is met.  A favorite beverage is close at hand.  Received as a gift, a cozy blanket is ready to offer comfort.  Now the last but the most important item must be found.

It's the foundation upon which joy is discovered; a joy enveloping readers and listeners alike.  The Perfect Seat (Disney Hyperion, November 12, 2019) written by Minh Le with illustrations by Gus Gordon seeks to ensure the final objective is achieved.  It's no easy task for this parent and child but together they find the absolute best place.

Can you read to me?

Those five words in that order, no matter the age of the person requesting or the person hearing the request, are five of the most cherished words in any language.  They are asking for an affectionate connection through story.  This child and father are leaving a book shop with a new book.  They are looking for the perfect seat.

Inside a nearby coffee shop the sofa is entirely too large and a fire hydrant outside is much too little.  A space between two buildings has seen better days and a chair in a store window looks ill-designed for its purpose.  As they travel around the neighborhood opposite extremes seem more prevalent than the excellence they desire.

The seated duo is either too close or too far apart as they journey to the park.  There possibilities, natural and fashioned by human hands, present no welcome outcome.  When it looks as if the father and child have found an agreeable space, a tumble suggests otherwise.

The dejected and water-soaked dad plops down against a tree trunk certain they can't find the perfect seat.  With the infinite wisdom children spring on adults when we need it the most, a leap supplies a solution.  Sometimes with the right perspective, the answer has been there from the beginning.


As a story time aficionado, Minh Le writes with a beautiful blend of short two word statements and a little bit of dialogue.  The comparisons are a welcome invitation into the father and child's dilemma.  These gently lead us to the conclusion we are all hoping they recognize.  What do you think this comparison refers to?  Where do you think they are?

Too Funky.
Too Fancy.


It's only when the dust jacket is open you can determine what the generous sweep of white represents.  (Although it may vary with each viewer.)  The scene continues to the left (back) flap but stops on the right (front) flap to allow space for the introduction.  Careful readers will get their first hint on the jacket of the mediums employed by Gus Gordon for this book.  Can you see the print in the father's antlers and in the clouds?  The title text, father, his child and two insects flying on the back are varnished.

On the book case the sky blue presents the largest area of color.  Along the bottom are white puffy clouds and other thinner clouds above them.  A dotted line begins near the upper left-hand corner of the back and waves over the spine to the center of the front.  The line is made by the red-covered book, case and spine on top, with the pages open and flying like a bird.

On the opening and closing endpapers in a limited color palette, shades of gray with a hint of blue, greens, black and yellow is a map of places the father and child visit looking for the perfect seat.  It's here we get to see some indication of the humor Gus Gordon uses in his images in this book.  The streets are named

street to nowhere interesting and
over here street.

Prior to the title page the pictorial interpretation and narrative begins as the twosome stands in front of

CLAIRE'S BOOKS.

With a page turn the conversation continues and becomes the title as they walk down the street.  The illustrations throughout are rendered

using watercolors, pencils, crayon, and collage.

For each picture, portions are chosen to be bolder and brighter in color with other elements done as drawings with collaged items completing the scene.  Most of the illustrations are on single pages employing large areas of white space for splendid effect.  For emphasis and pacing three visuals are shown on two pages.  The details in the lines and facial expressions are fascinating and at times hilarious.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a full-page picture.  It is for the words

Too short.

All we can see of the father is from his chest down on the left standing with his hands (hooves) by his side.  His child, holding the red book in both hands (hooves) is smiling.  He is looking at a tablecloth covered table on the grass.  On top of the table is a teapot and two cups and saucers.  One mouse is seated at the table.  The other mouse is standing up and offering its chair to the moose parent and child.


You can't help smiling when you read The Perfect Seat written by Minh Le with illustrations by Gus Gordon.  Everything about it, the words and artwork, is charming and brimming with truth.  It's ideal like the seat finally found.  It's a story time, bedtime and any time treasure.  I can already imagine the conversations about readers' and listeners' favorite places to read aloud.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Minh Le and Gus Gordon and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Minh Le has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Gus Gordon has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.

In Gratitude For Grandfathers

Yesterday, June 17, 2018, the third Sunday in June, was celebrated as Father's Day around the world.  It is a time to honor and remember those who have figured prominently in our lives.  Of my dad the memories are abundant. Not a day passes without something he said or did coming to mind.  Of my two grandfathers I have much less. These two necklaces, more than one hundred years old, and a rattle he made for my mom are all I have to remember my mother's father.  Mom believed he might have been Native American but he died from an accident when she was four. I have words from my dad's dad which have sustained me on more than one occasion.  Barely one when he was in the hospital, having suffered a heart attack, I was outside in the hall putting up a fuss because I could not see him. He said, "You can't keep Margie down."  He never came home.

These men in our lives, whether they are living or have died, have and will influence us. In our youth we may feel as though they can't possibly understand us.  Sometimes it seems like we have no common ground. Drawn Together (Disney Hyperion, June 5, 2018) written by Minh Le (Let Me Finish! Disney Hyperion, June 7, 2016) with illustrations by Dan Santat (After The Fall (How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again Roaring Brook Press, October 3, 2017) is a moving, truthful journey taken by a grandfather and his grandson.  Love always finds a way.

A daughter, a mother, drops her son off at his grandfather's home.  The grandfather happily greets his less-than-enthusiastic grandson. At dinner the grandfather eats a traditional meal but lovingly provides his grandson with an American meal. When the grandson asks his grandfather

So . . . what's
new, Grandpa?,

the elderly gentleman replies in his native language.  The meal is finished in silence.

After dinner the grandfather is watching one of his favorite television shows in a language the boy cannot understand.  Bored, he leaves the sofa going to his backpack.  He takes out a box of markers and begins to draw.  Leaning over his shoulder the grandfather is amazed at what he sees.

When he returns to the room he's carrying a sketch book, a bottle of ink and a brush.  What the grandfather does next amazes the boy.  They share a passion for art; one new and colorful and the other masterful in fine, detailed lines of black on white.  They are a magician and a warrior existing in a realm of their own making.

When the dragon of doubt threatens to rise up, the duo conquers it with courage.  They are content in the knowledge of their shared inventiveness and talent.  They know they've discovered a new language; a language without words.


We quickly realize the boy, while being polite, is not as happy as his grandfather about the visit.  With his first two sentences Minh Le allows us to understand the reason.  They do not speak the same language.

We sense the frustration of both until the boy begins to draw and the grandfather reveals his sketch book.  Minh's carefully chosen words at the boy's surprise send a surge of excitement into the story.  As his narration continues we know it's a discovery born of love for one another and love of making art.  The final sentence will leave you breathless, if not in tears.  Here is one of Minh's other partial sentences.

All the things we could never say come pouring out . . .


When first looking at the unfolded dust jacket ablaze in magnificent art, extending flap edge to flap edge, you know the child and the older man share more than affection.  You are filled with wonder and questions about the story waiting to be read.  The collage of techniques, the use of circles (no beginning and no end), and the combinations of color leave you astounded and brimming with joy.

The book case, a weathered and worn dark color, has the word SKETCH in chalk on the front.  The opening and closing endpapers represent the work of the boy and the work of the grandfather.  In the first a young wizard is leaping over a vibrant, bold landscape.  In the second a meticulous painting of an ornate fish swimming among the waves is presented in black on white.

Dan Santat does not waste any space in telling his visual interpretation of the story.  On the dedication (verso) and title pages the mother has stopped the car and is standing by the open driver's door.  Her son is slowly making his way to his grandfather's house. The first six panels are wordless but we are well aware of the situation.

Rendered in traditional mixed media and composited on the computer each illustration brings you deeper and deeper into the narrative. Using panels of varying sizes two, three or four to a page, Dan Santat fashions a pacing which is building tension that will burst forth with a dynamic two-page picture; their combined art with each other in a stance of action.  It's the beginning of one "oh my goodness" double-page image after another.  The details, the color and black and white elements, the title font, the Thai writing (by Dan Santat's mother) and the facial expressions and body postures will have you gasping.  Which the switch comes, you will be cheering out loud.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the text quoted above.  Along the top of the two pages is an intricate and eloquent fish moving from right to left. Beneath it on the left is the grandfather dressed in traditional warrior clothing brandishing a paintbrush as if it's a spear. He is facing left.  On the right and facing right is the grandson, holding his wand and extending it to create his own special kind of magic.  He is colorful as are the circles around and below him.


No matter how many times you read Drawn Together written by Minh Le with illustrations by Dan Santat two words will continuously come to mind--timeless classic. We need books which tell us how to bridge generations.  Both have much to offer the other.  One has the wisdom of experience and the other has the zest of new discovery. The blend is a thing of beauty. I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Minh Le and Dan Santat and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Minh Le visits the blog of Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read.  You will enjoy the video created by Dan Santat about this title and the conversation between Minh and John.  Both Minh Le and Dan Santat talk about this title at Publishers Weekly and at The Horn Book with Roger Sutton.  Minh Le is interviewed at author Cynthia Leitich Smith's blog Cynsations by author Traci Sorell and on NPR, All Things Considered.

UPDATE:  Dan Santat visits Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, the blog of author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson.  You will really enjoy the shared process art.

No Place To Hide

There is not a reader among readers who has not done this.  It can happen almost any time of the day.  You move with the stealth of a ninja seeking a place of solitude; a secret of all secret nooks.   You have to start this one important book getting lots of buzz or you have to finish the final two chapters of an edge-of-your-seat title.  You have no control over this desire.  This is simply the way it is.

Since the beginning of the printed word, book nerds and readers, this challenge has been and continues to be an arduous task.  Let Me Finish! (Disney Hyperion, June 7, 2016) written by debut picture book author Minh Le with illustrations by Isabel Roxas follows an avid reader on a quest for quiet.  We all know how troublesome this can be.

Ahhhh...nothing like a quiet spot and a new book.

As our bespectacled hero settles in for a great story, three avian voices loudly share their comments, completely spoiling the moment for him.  All he wants to do is finish a book without any interruptions.  Trudging back home, he chooses another book sneaking away undetected...hopefully.

This time he selects solace in a darkened cave, flashlight in hand. YIKES!  Not only have the birds followed him but a bear joins the chorus.  With sagging spirits he goes back home to find a package on his doorstep.  It's a title he has been yearning to read for a very long time.

Nonchalantly moving past the birds and the bear, he locates the perfect place among the trees.  He opens the book and... WHAT?!  A giraffe appears speaking about the very same book.  This cannot be happening!  The boy, in a loud, frustrated voice asks

JUST LET ME FINISH!

Being chased by an assortment of animals up high and down low, our intrepid reader is on the run, book in hand.  Sprinting, swimming and climbing through a variety of landscapes, he finally reaches a peak of perfection.  He is alone at last.  Or is he?  Superb twists close this tale.


With his use of language Minh Le speaks with a true reader's heart.  He understands the absolute need for a reader to discover individually the story a book will tell them.  Even if a story is heard with a group, each individual will bring their personal interpretation to the telling.

When the boy is speaking, we can easily identify with his anticipation and eagerness to read a certain book.  His frustration is acutely felt with the inclusion of specific sentences.  The remarks by the birds, the bear and the collection of animals are all things voiced by those who are not mindful of spoilers.  Without us knowing it, Le is guiding us to a huge surprise which will have readers turning back pages to look for clues.  Here is a sample of his narrative.

Now to find a peaceful spot
where I won't be disturbed.

Have you gotten to the part
where the puppy runs away?
That was so sad.

But then they
saved the poor
thing from the well!

What a surprise ending!

Grandma to the rescue!

OH No!


When you remove the dust jacket and open it up, a stunning, energetic image meets your eyes from flap edge to flap edge.  Isabel Roxas uses bright, though realistic hues, on her animals who are uttering partial statements, short sentences and questions while chasing the boy; leading us to the beginning of the narrative.  To the left, on the back, the bear is carrying the ISBN.  Two shades of burnt orange cover the book case and spine.  One element on the front and another on the back give hints as to the unexpected twist in this story.  The matching opening and closing endpapers are a splash of color spreading out like fireworks filled with spirals, stars, lightning and discordant musical notes.  This is the noise in the home from which the boy seeks peace.

Thicker, matte-finished paper with a white or cream background acts to highlight the other elements in the interior pictures.  Roxas' illustrations are a joyous collage of the boy, the out-of-doors and the intruding animals.  Every single page turn is fully animated.  The size of the visuals dictates impeccable pacing.  Eleven of the illustrations are wonderfully wordless.

A multitude of emotions are expressed in the facial looks on the characters, especially the eyes.  The over-sized orange glasses on the boy are charming.  This little guy is totally lovable.

One of my favorite pictures is wordless.  The boy is seated on the floor of the cave.  His backpack is sitting next to him.  His newly found book is open across his legs.  The cave is dark except for the upturned flashlight shining on his face.  He is grimacing but we aren't quite sure why yet.


With every reading Let Me Finish! written by Minh Le with illustrations by Isabel Roxas becomes more marvelous.  It conveys the love of books and reading with excellence delivering the ultimate surprise.  It makes for a great read aloud.  I urge you to share it repeatedly.

To learn more about Minh Le and Isabel Roxas please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Isabel Roxas also maintains Tumblr pages.  The cover for this title was revealed on 100 Scope Notes by teacher librarian, 2014 Caldecott committee member and blogger, Travis Jonker.  Minh Le was recently highlighted at KidLit411 and Jama's Alphabet Soup.

UPDATE:  Minh Le and Isabel Roxas are guests on All The Wonders, Episode 268 June 28, 2016.
UPDATE:  Artistic process of Isabel Roxas is featured at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. July 13, 2016