Sweet Dreams #2

For some reason, the move from daylight savings to standard time has been a struggle in 2021 (and 2022) for some individuals.  It seems the canine community, in this home and in the households of neighbors, is refusing the necessary adjustment.  Waking, walking, eating of meals, and sleeping remain on daylight savings hours.  This makes their humans' schedules a tad bit off every single day.  

This situation, coupled with my dog's acute awareness when a deer, fox, or rabbit happens to be nearby, has diminished our actual time of rest.  There is nothing like a dog's loud barking to make you sit upright out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night. . .or is there?  After reading Everybody In The Red Brick Building (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, October 12, 2021) written by Anne Wynter with illustrations by Oge Mora, it is apparent we are not alone. Uninterrupted bedtime rest is not necessarily the norm. 

Everybody in the red brick building was asleep.

The slumber of the people in the red brick building was suddenly disturbed by a loud vocal outburst by Baby Izzie.  It did not go unnoticed by Rayhan.  He was decidedly worried about his parrot. The startled bird let out a boisterous screech.

Those two unusual noises instigated a late night game by three pals during a sleepover.  (Did Natalia just shoot a rocket out her bedroom window?)  In short order, a cat made a mad dash from her sleeping space to the top of a car.  This action triggered the car's alarm.

Parental responses were swift.  The participants in these nighttime romps began to settle to a new set of sounds.  A street sweeper and falling acorns combined to begin a symphony.

A breeze created another melody.  A dozing feathered friend added harmony.  Like the very best of stories, this one circled back to the beginning.  

Author Anne Wynter writes with the sure knowledge of a storyteller.  Each time a new character is introduced, a clamorous noise is associated with them.  This noise is repeated with the additional commotions, adding layers and building toward the loudest sound, the car alarm in the street.  This technique is employed again as we circle back to the beginning.  Readers cannot help but participate in this late night awakening and lullaby.  Here is a passage.

Woken up by a WaaaAAH!,

a Rrack! Wake Up!,

and a Pitter patter STOMP!,

Natalia dropped from her bunk to

launch her brand-new light-up rocket.

As soon as you look at the matching dust jacket and book case, you wish you lived in the red brick building.  The entire image spans from flap edge to flap edge on the jacket and edge to edge on the case. The characters in the windows on the front, right, of the jacket and case are lively.  The hint of nighttime sky we view on the front extends across the back, left, in brush strokes of shades of blue.  Beneath this expanse, colorful homes line the bottom, windows dark.  The text on the front of the jacket is varnished.

A pale turquoise covers the opening and closing endpapers.  The night sky is the background for the title, publication information, and dedication pages.  In this night sky, stars leave white-line trails behind them.

Artist Oge Mora 

used acrylic paint, gouache, china markers, patterned paper pastels, and old book clippings to create the collage illustrations for this book.

The selected colors reflect the more subdued lighting of nighttime, yet they are still a vibrant blend of hues. Each double-page picture calls out to the reader, asking them to stop and notice the detailed depictions.

The facial expressions on the characters convey each mood superbly.  We see upset, worry, glee, triumph, and fright before calm settles over each individual.  Closed eyes and whispered conversations signal calm.  For most of the images, we are close to the actions of the characters.  Sometimes a group of smaller insets are on a double page spread to indict the quick passage of time and shift in events.

One of my many favorite illustrations shows readers four windows in the red brick building.  The first four windows, on the left, give us a peek inside the homes where the parents have intervened.  This is a huge shift in the progression of the action.  The parrot squawks a goodnight, a father clicks off a flashlight, a mother comforts a fussy baby, and a girl reclaims her rocket as her mother presses the off button on her car alarm.  The next set of four windows on the right are dark.  The lights are off, but we can still see elements from the earlier pictures.  Wonderful.

In a universal sense and on an everyday level this title, Everybody In The Red Brick Building written by Anne Wynter with illustrations by Oge Mora, allows us to see that the world or our home, family, or friends send disruptions to what we consider normal.  And, despite those disruptions, peace is restored.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Anne Wynter and Oge Mora and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Anne Wynter has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  Oge Mora has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there is a Home and Community Classroom Kit which includes this title and three other books.  Anne Wynter is interviewed at Picture Book Builders and Kidlit in Color with respect to this title. This book is showcased at We Need Diverse Books with an interview of Oge Mora.

Sometimes, thankfully not every time, something unforeseen or annoying can keep us from falling into much needed sleep.  A branch rubbing against your window by a shift in the wind's direction is bothersome.  You make a mental note to trim it as soon as morning arrives.  In Awake (Roaring Brook Press, October 19, 2021) written and illustrated by Mags Deroma something unforeseen happens to a little girl and her furry friend, Oscar. Something usually not in her bedroom has taken up residence.

In a big, big city, on a busy city street, there is a pretty tall

building.  At the tipity-top of that tall building is my bedroom.

Just before turning out her light, a very sleepy girl and her dog are suddenly not so sleepy.  The girl notices a spider.  It's surprising how you can go from dead tired to eyes-wide-open awake in a flash.

Sleep is impossible when you share your room with a spider.  There is nothing available to end its life.  It cannot be thought away.

Still, the girl persists in imagining all manner of options to rid her room of that spider.  Her schemes, in her mind, grow larger and larger.  Wait!  The spider is moving.

Quick as a wink, the glass on her nightstand is grabbed and encloses the unwelcome guest.  It is then, on closer examination, a change occurs.  With understanding, fear leaves and is replaced with compassion.

With the protagonist as narrator, author Mags Deroma encourages readers to identify deeply with the little girl.  The words in her sentences fashion a welcoming cadence.  Her descriptions of place and time are those easily identified by many of us.  Here is a passage.

I know!  The WATER SPOUT!

Just like the RAIN,

I'll WASH the spider out!

But

then out comes

the sun . . .

and dries up 

all the rain . . .

and that big hairy

spider CANNOT come 

up the spout again,

thank you very much!

The limited color palette used throughout the book is introduced to readers on the dust jacket.  These muted shades lend a warmth to the darkness of night.  The use of red here and in the interior portions of the book is highly effective.  On the front, both the little girl and Oscar, her dog, have their gaze on the intruder.  The placement of the text, spider and the characters is marvelous!

To the left of the spine, which replicates the red-and-white stripe of the little girl's pajamas, is a sky dotted with stars surrounding the tall building.  In the front and to the right side of this building, street lamps glow.  The only other light we see is from the arched window of the little girl's bedroom.  She is petting Oscar.

The book case is entirely black with one exception.  On the front are only two very large eyes.  They are the eyes of the spider.

On the opening endpapers amid what could be a horizon at dawn or dusk are lines of hues of orange.  On the right side in a column are phrases to ponder.  The word OPEN is used three times.  It is followed by symbols of eyes, mind, and heart.  The final three words say:

TO BE AWAKE.

On the closing endpapers amid a starry sky are seven cut-out pieces of paper.  They advise readers on how

TO RELOCATE a SURPRISE GUEST.

Readers are instructed on the necessary materials, giving the guest a name, 

(TAKE A

DEEEEEEP

BREATH!), 

and the step-by-step process.  

On the title page, on the right side we are close to the little girl as she brushes her teeth before bedtime.  Through the doorway we see Oscar, nose to the floor, next to the spider.  On the left side, the verso, on black is the dedication and publication information.  The publication information is in the shape of a spider web done in white.  Clever.

These illustrations by Mags Deroma were

made with paint and soft pastels on a gazillion pieces of cut paper, all collaged together.

Each picture is full of details, asking us to absorb the atmosphere in each scene.  Some are more highly charged emotionally than others.  There are double-page illustrations and single-page visuals.  Sometimes we are brought close to the action and other times we stand back to view the city, the little girl's bedroom, or all her ideas for eliminating the spider. 

At one point we are slightly above the capture of the spider.  All we see is the little girl's arms and hands on the glass over the spider.  There is the top portion of her head.  And a bit of her emotionally charged movement flickering in the lower, right-hand corner.  A single word is on this two-page illustration.  This, in turn, opens to a gatefold, four pages of a spectacular view of the city.  There are layers of buildings, bridges, and a city street shimmering with lights.  On the street directly in front of the tall building, the little girl's home, we can see the names of the businesses.  Along the bottom of the page is the window sill of the bedroom.  The spider peeks out through the glass.  On the right side, in the corner, is a spider web.  (Earlier in the story, careful readers will notice Oscar as he tries to give a specific book to his little girl.)

One of my many favorite illustrations accompanies the third sentence in the book.  It is the second double-page picture.  On the left, the little girl is kneeling on her bed, wearing her pajamas, ready to pull the chain on her bedside lamp sitting on her nightstand.  Oscar is lying on the wood plank floor, with his eyes closed.  Around her bed are several books and a round bin holding treasures.  Other items are hanging on her wall.  They seem to indicate her sense of adventure and imagination.  On the right is the wall with two arched windows in her bedroom.  We can see a small section of an easy chair.

There is nothing more off-setting than discovering you are sharing your bedroom with a creature not to your liking.  Awake written and illustrated by Mags Deroma describes this event to perfection as well as taking us through the thought process of the little girl as she tries to resolve her problem.  That she shares this experience with Oscar makes her and her story more endearing to readers.  This book will promote discussions galore and will be asked to be read often.  Plan on placing a copy on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Mags Deroma and her other work (This is her picture book debut.), please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Mags Deroma has accounts on Instagram and Twitter. At the publisher's website, you can view interior illustrations.  

Awake by Mags DeRoma from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.

Every babysitter, sibling, parent or caregiver is aware of the myriad of challenges faced when shaping children into a bedtime ritual.  Having them follow that ritual is an even harder challenge.  Just when you think everyone is starting to snooze, there will be the sound of bare feet on floors or giggles or the classic asking for a drink of water.  Forty Winks: A Bedtime Adventure (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 26, 2021) written by Kelly DiPucchio with pictures by Lita Judge is a lovable, engaging and humorous view of patient parents and their thirty-eight mouse children settling down to sleep.

"It's time for bed!" the Wink parents said

Their routine was the same every night.

Mama and Papa lined up their big brood,

all thirty-eight children in sight. 

Each child is called by name, thirty-eight alliterative, rhyming names.  First, the entire crew enjoys a drink and two kinds of snacks.  They eat at different speeds and with different styles.  From there, as you can imagine the mess, they head to pails full of suds for their nightly baths.

Now spotless from head to toe, they dress in cozy flannel pajamas.  Brushing of teeth ensues, two mice at a time at the sink.  Mama reads each of the Winks a book.  (Whew!)  Of course, they want one more.  

Prayers are said as they snuggle into bed, some more quickly and quietly than others.  As a whole they are restless, not ready to rest.  Some moments later, Mama and Papa believe they are all slumbering when someone asks for a drink of water.

How many of the Winks do you think then need a drink?  Later, much later, as they burrow into their bedding, all forty of the family of Winks fall sound asleep.  Outside their home, sunlight brightens the horizon, until . . .

By the time you get to the third page in this narrative by Kelly DiPucchio, you find yourself smiling.  That smile stays with you until the end of the book, and then, a little bit longer.  The rhyming rhythm of the words, especially the thirty-eight names mentioned twice, wraps around you and lifts you up.  Alliteration is in abundance.  Here is a passage.

The loud, hungry pack was served up a snack

of cider and crumb cake and cheese.

Some sipped and some slurped,

some gobbled and burped,

while others said "thank you" and "please".

From left to right on the open dust jacket, artist Lita Judge, has featured all forty of the Winks.  They are all in their pajamas . . . well, most of them are.  Some are wearing fuzzy slippers.  Their antics are hilarious as you can see by the front of the dust jacket.  A couple of them are already asleep.  Having them climbing among the title text mirrors their energy throughout the bedtime routine.  The text and the mice are varnished.

On the book case, an interior illustration is used. We are looking down on most of the sleeping Wink mice.  Continuing in full-color, we see them nestled in beds, single, double, and bunk, a large stuffed turtle pillow, a toy airplane, cars from a train, and in the basket of a floating air balloon.  A circus tent is there for them to play and sleep inside.  Slippers, toys and some stuffed toy animals are on the floor.  Many of them are holding stuffed toy animals or each other.  Some of their artwork hangs on a string stretching across the round window.

On the opening and closing endpapers all forty Winks are showcased in portraits.  The frames around them are pale yellow.  They are a fantastic complement to the watercolor washed sky-blue background.

On the verso and title pages, the entire family is spread along the bottom with the exception of several mice in the airplane, balloon basket, and climbing down a ladder from the balloon.  They are, as is to be expected, highly animated and happy.  These illustrations in a variety of sizes

were made with pencil and watercolor.

The physical characteristics of the mice are realistic as Lita Judge nursed a baby mouse left on her doorstep, by a concerned neighbor, back to health.  Their facial expressions conveying their moods and their body postures depicting total exuberance are certain to have readers stopping to be sure not to miss a single intricate element.  Every line made and every color chosen work together beautifully.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  Ten of the Wink youngsters are gathered around a table, devouring their snacks of cider, crumb cakes, and cheese.  Most are seated on stools, one is on the floor, and another is standing on a stack of books on a chair.  A blue cupboard is behind them to the right.  Something has spilled on the floor.  One of the little mice, walking off the page to the right, has stepped in it and leaves footprints.  Readers will pause to look at their clothing.  One of them is wearing an outfit that looks like a tiny bear cub. 

 

This book, Forty Winks written by Kelly DiPucchio with pictures by Lita Judge, is assuredly an enchanting extension of the title's definition.  It presents an everyday event multiplied by thirty-eight.  It is a read aloud treasure.  I wonder how many of the names you will remember when asked to list them at the end.  Your collections, personal and professional, won't be complete without a copy of this title.

To learn more about Kelly DiPucchio and Lita Judge and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Kelly DiPucchio has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Lita Judge has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  There is an article about this book in The Oakland Press (Michigan).

For the first post in this series, Sweet Dreams, here is the link.

Words And The Freedom To Fly

We readers, those of us who enjoy reading and spreading the joy of reading to others, know certain truths.  We know words are powerful.  Every single word, sentence, paragraph and story we read becomes a part of our story.  Whether we are informed by facts or fiction, we are not the same.  We are more than we were before.  We are connected to the creators of those words, sentences, paragraphs and stories and every other person who reads them. 

For these reasons and numerous others, being able to read is not only a right (The Students' Right to Read, NCTE and The Freedom to Read Statement, ALA) but a gift we give to ourselves.  The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned To Read (Schwartz & Wade, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, January 7, 2020) written by Rita Lorraine Hubbard with illustrations by Oge Mora is a moving tribute to the resilience and determination of a remarkable woman.  With every page turn your admiration for this woman grows until the one striking moment you realize you're changed by learning about her life.

Whenever young Mary Walker was tired, she would shield her eyes from the sun and watch the swallow-tailed kites dip and soar above the trees.

As she watched those birds dip and soar, she imagined it was the same as being free.  Mary Walker never stood still long though, she had to keep working on the plantation in Alabama.  She also knew she was not allowed to learn to read.  She was eight years old, a slave and the year was 1856.

At fifteen and fatherless, she and her family were freed by the Emancipation Proclamation.  Many of the freed people left but Mary stayed with her mother and siblings.  She worked seven days a week.  She was paid a quarter for that week of work.

Along the road one day, Mary Walker was given a Bible by an evangelist.  She treasured this gift but couldn't read a word of it.  There was no time to learn to read.  There was only time to work as a sharecropper, a maid, nanny or cook, a mother to three sons and a wife to two husbands. (Her first husband died.)  Mary worked and worked and worked like this for decades until she was sixty-eight years old.  There was no more sharecropping for her, but she still worked doing whatever she could for others.

One by one, Mary's husband and three sons died.  She found herself alone at 114 years old.  She decided it was time to learn to read.  Like she had worked and worked at all her other jobs, she worked and worked at learning to read and write.  The day Mary Walker could read was cause for celebration.  People in her community of Chattanooga celebrated.  Other journalists from other towns came and celebrated.  And a man from the US Department of Education arrived and celebrated. She was 116 years old.  She was an impressive and inspirational force and still is today.  (Mary Walker passed away on December 1, 1969.)


As you read about the life of Mary Walker as written by Rita Lorraine Hubbard you feel a growing sense of respect.  With each detail about Mary Walker's life, layer by layer, your wonder for this woman builds.  There is a tension created by Mary having to work and wanting to read.  You find yourself making exclamations out loud.  You find yourself saying, if Mary Walker can do it, so can I.  Here is a passage.

Mary was twenty years old when her first son was born.
She opened her Bible and marveled at the squiggles inside.  There had been no
time to learn to read.
A friend wrote Mary's son's birth date in the Bible:  August 26, 1869

Then Mary dipped a pen into an inkwell and made her mark beside it.
Not a letter, not a name, just a mark.  It was the best she could do.


As soon as you gaze at the open dust jacket, you recognize the signature artwork of Oge Mora.  This image on the front and all the illustrations throughout the book are rendered

in acrylic paint, china marker, colored pencil, patterned paper, and book clippings.

The soft swirl of sky and clouds on the front moves over the spine to the back.  What changes is Mary Walker.  On the front she is much older and hugging her beloved Bible in front of buildings in the city where she resided.  To the left, on the back, she is much younger, standing along the road.  She is still hugging her Bible, perhaps on the day she received it.  Behind her to the left, a field is being tended by a sharecropper.  The caption on the back reads:

YOU'RE NEVER
TO OLD TO LEARN.

On both faces of Mary Walker, old and young, there is quiet determination.  Her closed eyes suggest deep reflection. 

On the book case a collage of paper pieces is covered by a wash of golden yellow.  From left to right swallow-tailed kites soar higher and higher and off the right-hand corner.  A light silhouette of Mary Walker is standing in the lower, left-hand corner, looking up and shielding her eyes from the sun.

On the opening and closing endpapers, Oge Mora has placed black and white photographs of Mary Walker in blue frames on a varied blue patterned paper.  There are lines of green and yellow running through it also.  A smaller visual on the title page shows an open book with swallow-tailed kites flying from the pages.

Oge Mora's pictures span two pages, single pages or part of a full page.  She conveys deep emotions in the placement of every single element in her images.  As each page is turned, we find ourselves looking for Mary Walker.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  A table covers nearly one-half of the bottom.  On the left it's a place for text.  From the left to right, on this table are a cup, a crumpled piece of paper, pages covered in the words Mary Walker, some blank pieces of paper and Mary Walker's glasses.  Mary Walker is bent over the table, her head resting on her curved left arm.  In her right hand she holds a pencil.  She has fallen asleep sitting in her chair.  Above the rounded form of her back a river of letters moves from right to left.  From the top of the page to the table, the canvas is dark. 


The life of this woman as portrayed in The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned To Read written by Rita Lorraine Hubbard with illustrations by Oge Mora is uplifting in every aspect.  The blend of text and images creates a superb tribute.  There is a selected bibliography on the verso page and an author's note at the end.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Rita Lorraine Hubbard and Oge Mora and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Rita Lorraine Hubbard has accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  Oge Mora has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Rita Lorraine Hubbard is interviewed at Chapter 16 by author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson and at Book Q&As with Deborah Kalb.


To view the other titles selected this week by participants in the 2020 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge, visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher.

Gratitude-An Attitude

It's name comes from the Roman god of agriculture and harvest, Saturn or Saturnus.  By definition it is the seventh day of the week, coming between Friday and Sunday.  It is considered a part of the weekend; those forty-eight hours when the five previous days of work or school are completed.  It is a time for a more leisurely pace or, at the very least, a day dedicated to doing exactly what you choose to do, alone or with family or friends.

The demands of watching the clock and keeping to a set schedule are hopefully put aside for most people on Saturday.  In Saturday (Little, Brown And Company, October 22, 2019) written and illustrated by Caldecott Honor Medalist (Thank You, Omu) Oge Mora, readers understand the true worth of this day.  More importantly, through this composition of meticulously chosen words and a signature collage style, we connect on a personal and emotional level with this girl and her mother during their shared hours on this Saturday.

This morning Ava and her mother were all smiles.  It was SATURDAY!

Ava's mother was committed to her job on the other six days of the week, but Saturday, each and every one, was for Ava and her mother.  They loved this day!  On Saturday they could go to the public library for storytime, go to the beauty salon for new hairdos, and enjoy a quiet picnic in the park.

This Saturday was more highly anticipated then most.  They had tickets for a puppet show only being performed once on this particular day.  Their hearts were full of joy as they left their home to begin their expected adventures.  BUT . . .

For every one of their planned stops, there were surprises.  To begin storytime at the public library was cancelled.  Mother and daughter had a routine they performed to deal with setbacks.  It was three steps.  With those completed, they continued with hope.

With three disappointments behind them they arrived, finally, at the puppet show.  Something important was forgotten.  As her mother voiced her failure in defeat, Ava did what they always did.  She then uttered the most loving words anyone wishes to hear.  At home without the library, beauty salon, park or theater, Ava and her mother created their own happiness.


The first time reading the words written by Oge Mora, I could feel my eyes welling with tears.  She brings us into the story initially by binding us to what we know.  We know about working five or more days a week.  We know about the significance of being able to share hours with people we love when we are not working or going to school.  She further elevates the anticipation by telling us what Ava and her mother are going to do.

Repetition of three key phrases before and then after each disappointment stress the meaning of this day to a parent and her daughter.  It establishes a storytelling cadence as does the three steps they perform after their unsuccessful visits to the library, beauty salon, park and theater.  The placement of dialogue within the narrative makes it more intimate for readers. Here is a passage.

WHOOOSHH!

. . .their hairdos were ruined.

"Oh no!" Ava sobbed.
"Our dos!" boo-hooed Ava's mother. (page turn)

They paused, closed their eyes,
and---whew---let out a deep breath. . . .  


The front of the dust jacket displays the total bliss Ava and her mother feel on any given Saturday, but especially this Saturday.  And I ask you, don't we all feel this way on Saturday?  Their hearts brimming with happiness are seen in their expressions and body movements.  The chosen color palette is soothing but conveys utter elation.

To the left, on the back, the pale green shade on the front crosses over the spine and becomes the canvas.  In a circle around one of the most touching lines in the story, we see Ava and her mother in four positions signifying their intended activities.  On the book case Oge Mora has used textured paper in purple, almost like the cover of an album.  In the center on the front is a photographic representation of Ava and her mother.  It is held in place by two pieces of tape.

The opening and closing endpapers feature off to the side a piece of paper with the word NOTES at the top.  Ava has listened the highlights of her Saturday Wish list.  Opposite this list is a thirty-day calendar.  Ava has crossed out each day from the 1st to the 29th.  She has labeled some of the activities that happened during the month particularly on Saturdays.  On this Saturday, the 30th,  puppet show!!! is written in crayon.  She has placed a gold star there.

In an About This Book section Oge Mora states:

The collages for this book were created with acrylic paint, china markers, patterned paper, and old-book clippings.

She begins her visual story on the double-page picture for the title page.  Ava's mother stands in her bedroom doorway, holding a cup of a steaming beverage as Ava gets out of bed.  With each page turn we find ourselves enchanted by double-page pictures, a group of four small images over two pages, full-page pictures, and single page pictures with wide framing around carefully created artwork.  The shift in background colors indicates the emotional state of the characters perfectly.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is when Ava and her mother, with their beautiful new hairdos, are leaving the beauty salon.  They are nearly dancing down the street they are so thrilled with how they look and feel.  Both have their eyes closed in contentment with their arms outstretched and one of their legs raised.  Careful readers will note, however, the placement of a large puddle right in front of Ava and close to the edge of the sidewalk.


Every emotional up and down in this book Saturday written and illustrated by Oge Mora, has been experienced by readers of all ages. What we can appreciate are the expressions of love between this parent and child.  We might all want to start making a Saturday wish list and having a routine in place when faced with disappointment.  This book is all about finding a silver lining when it appears as if there is none.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about Oge Mora and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Oge Mora has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website is a wonderful video chatting with Oge Mora about one image, a double-page picture, in this title.  Oge Mora is showcased at School Library Journal, We Need Diverse Books and at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's site, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast talking about this title.  If you would like to hear a bit of the book read aloud visit this link posted by HatchetteAudio.

Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #8

It's another chilly and blustery holiday in northern Michigan.  The skies are covered in shades of gray and white.  Snow blankets lawns, fields, floors of forests and roadways. The word thanksgiving is defined as 

the act of giving thanks and 
prayer expressing gratitude. (Merriam-Webster)

For each of the past seven years two titles reflective of thanksgiving have been featured here.  They can be found at Thanksgiving Treasures-Traditions, Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #2, Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #3, Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #4, Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #5, Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #6 and Thanksgiving Treasures-Tradition #7.  They include books about the holiday, gratitude, family and food.  

This year in September and in October books were published recognizing a nation that is thankful throughout the year and asking us to look at each day as an opportunity to experience and focus on generosity.  We Are Grateful Otsaliheliga (Charlesbridge, September 4, 2018) written by debut picture book author Traci Sorell with illustrations by Frane Lessac presents readers with an intimate portrait of life for a Cherokee Nation family.  During the four seasons we walk beside them as they honor all aspects of their daily experiences.

Cherokee people say losaliheliga to express gratitude.  

In the autumn the Great New Moon Ceremony greets the Cherokee New Year.  It is a time for enjoying the shell shakers' dance as the air fills with the fragrance of burnt cedar.  Buckbrush and honeysuckle are collected for basket weaving in commemoration of those who suffered on the Trail of Tears.

Around the table during family dinners in winter elders spin their stories.  Children pass on skills to those younger than them; the making of corn-husk dolls and playing cane flutes.  Graves of those now gone are visited.  A father comforts a baby with a soothing melody 

in Tsalagi, Cherokee.

When spring gives birth to new life, songs ask for blessings and first growth is gathered for food.  Children learn to fashion pucker-toe moccasins and form clay to make pots.  When strawberries are planted it awakens the memory of a story about anger and forgiveness.

The heat of the summer sun encourages the growth of crops.  During the Green Corn Ceremony, the first produce is enjoyed at a feast.  Youth gather and play around a pole using sticks and a small ball. As this fourth season closes, the Cherokee National Holiday is observed; remembering the history of a people.  In all these days of the year gratitude is embraced. 


The heart of the Cherokee Nation beats in the words written by Traci Sorell.  She begins each season with a vivid descriptor followed by the words

we say they are welcome.

This is followed with lyrical phrases depicting scenes for each season.  Explanations and pronunciations of the Cherokee words appear beneath the narrative to assist readers.  She opens a door into beauty.  Here is a passage.

When showers fill streams and shoots spring up,
we say they are welcome. . .

. . . while men sing, asking for thunder and lightning's
protection of the emerging sprouts that women tend. 


Rendered in gouache on Arches paper all the images beginning with the opened and matching dust jacket and book case are vividly alive with color.  People gather in celebration in autumn with the landscape extending flap edge to flap edge.  To the left of the spine we are introduced to the family seen in every season.  The title text is raised enhancing the tactile impression. 

On the opening and closing endpapers we find a deep royal purple canvas.  Beneath the text on the title page the family is harvesting corn and pumpkins.  On the first page which acquaints us with the Cherokee people's use of otsaliheliga, the family walks by a tree.  The tree branches display all four seasons.

Illustrator Frane Lessac places the family's dog and a pileated woodpecker in many of the images which usually span two pages.  Careful readers will notice the children feeding beloved pets at the dinner table.  Each page turn asks us to pause and study individual elements.  The final picture is a marvelous blend of all seasons with the original tree as a focal point.   

One of my favorite pictures is on a single page framed by a fine blue line and white space.  Spring has arrived.  One group is located on the upper right side preparing a meal.  Four men are to the left of them singing.  Toward the bottom of the page a mother and daughter dig for wild onions.  The dog is digging to the left of them.  Green grass, new leaves on trees and blossoms on other trees signify the season.  Can you hear the woodpecker tapping nearby?


No matter how many times you read We Are Grateful Otsaliheliga written by Traci Sorell with illustrations by Frane Lessac, you will complete it with a sense of peace and a song in your heart.  It is a work of art in words and pictures highlighting the spirit of the Cherokee Nation.  At the close of the book are pertinent definitions, an author's note, a paragraph about The Cherokee Syllabary and the Cherokee Syllabary with explanations about vowel and consonant sounds.  I can't imagine a professional or personal collection without a copy of this title. 

To learn more about Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  At the publisher's website you can watch the book trailer and download a teacher's guide, coloring sheets and a poster.   At another publisher's website  you can read an excerpt and view interior images.  Traci Sorell visits Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read.  Traci and Frane speak with teacher librarian Matthew Winner at All The Wonders for the book cover reveal.  They both talk at The Horn Book to answer five questions.  Traci is interviewed at M IS FOR MOVEMENT, KidLit 411, PictureBookBuilders and at author Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations.  I believe you will appreciate this review of this title by three Native youth at Indigo's Bookshelf.  Traci Sorell maintains an account on Twitter as does Frane Lessac.  Traci and Frane are also on Instagram.



If you were to walk through a specific neighborhood, in a specific city you might meet a very special woman.  Thank You, Omu! (Little, Brown And Company, October 2, 2018) written and illustrated by debut author illustrator Oge Mora is the story of this woman. Like the aroma of the stew she is cooking her generosity wafts among her neighbors.

ON THE CORNER of First Street
and Long Street, on the very top floor, Omu
was cooking a thick red stew in a big fat pot for
a nice evening meal.

As soon as she tasted it, she knew it was delicious; perfect for dinner. Omu then settled down to read a bit before suppertime.  Through the open window the smell of the bubbling stew traveled out and about the streets. 

KNOCK!

At her door was a little boy.  He smelled something so wonderful, he needed to know what it was.  When Omu said it was her

thick red stew

he had to have a taste.  Knowing she made plenty, Omu gave a bowl to the boy.  He left carrying this delectable delight.

Soon there was another knock at her door.  It was a policewoman.  She smelled the stew, too.  Thinking about how much was in her pot, Omu gave away another bowl.  A happy woman left.

Another person came followed by someone else.  Omu barely was seated when there was a knocking at her door.  People from all walks of life came to Omu's place drawn by the enticing odor.  As darkness fell, Omu was ready to eat but she discovered her pot was empty.  Knowing she would not have a much-desired delicious dinner saddened Omu.

KNOCK!

Someone was knocking and knocking on her door.  Who could it be?  When Omu opens her door, she realizes a compassionate heart feeds souls.  


As you read this book it implores you to read it aloud.  It asks you to share this story.  Oge Mora uses the repetition of words and phrases supplying readers with a storytelling rhythm.  It is a welcome invitation for audience participation.  A combination of narrative and conversation makes us feel as if we are one of the lucky neighbors in her community.  Here is a passage. 

"LITTLE BOY!" Omu exclaimed.  "What 
brings you to my home?"
"I was playing with my race car down the hall
when I smelled the most delicious smell," the 
little boy replied.  "What is it?"

"Thick red stew."

"MMMMM, STEW!" He sighed.  "That
sure sounds yummy."


One of the first things you discover on the opened dust jacket is the texture of the paper.  The matte finish exudes warmth.  The background extends from flap edge to flap edge.  The curl of the stew's aroma weaves from the bowl through the title text.  You know looking at the boy's face the smell is like a gift from heaven.

To the left, on the back, the scent of the stew moves from the pot being stirred by Omu.  It weaves to the left off the upper, left-hand corner of the flap to join the other flap on the right.  The book case in shades of blue-green highlights, on the right, a gift Omu receives from the boy.  

On the opening and closing endpapers Oge Mora has designed two different bird's-eye-view neighborhood scenes.  They are a marvelous blend of

acrylic paint, china markers, pastels, patterned paper, and old-book clippings

as are all the illustrations.  The double-page picture for the title page moves us close to the buildings on one of those streets.  Omu is walking to her home carrying a grocery bag.  Her pot is seen through one of the windows.  The story begins.

Each page turn reveals a picture which wraps around readers in cozy comfort.  The visuals all extend across two pages, varying in perspective.  These shifts in point-of-view place emphasis on appropriate portions of the text heightening the cadence and charm of this story.  Readers will notice Oge Mora includes the smell drifting on nearly every page.

One of my favorite illustrations is in Omu's kitchen.  Her table is covered in a patterned, green and white check cloth.  Her bowl, cup and spoon are on the left of the table.  Omu has brought the pot to the table.  She is ladling some stew.  The little boy is holding his bowl, waiting.  Another cup and spoon rest on the right.  There is love in this scene, much love.


As you read Thank You, Omu! written and illustrated by Oge Mora the heartwarming words and illustrations fill you from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and straight into your heart.  The generosity of Omu is contagious.  At the close of this story is an author's note.  I highly recommend this for your professional and personal bookshelves.

If you desire to learn more about Oge Mora and her work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website you can view a video book chat with Oge and read an essay she wrote.  Roger Sutton of The Horn Book chats with Oge Mora on a special video.  Oge is interviewed at Let's Talk Picture Books.  Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson shows us some art from the book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Oge Mora talks with teacher librarian Matthew Winner at The Children's Book Podcast.  Oge Mora maintains accounts on Twitter and Instagram.