Wishing For Winter

It has been more than six years.  Actually, two thousand four hundred forty-three days have passed.  When a time period such as this feels more like yesterday than the actual number, it's a sign of enduring goodness.  For readers of books in a series, this means each book, regardless of the time between publication dates, is a treasure that stays in their collective hearts and minds.

In 2012 beloved author Kevin Henkes gave readers the first book in a series about a lively, charming little girl mouse.  Penny And Her Song uplifts readers' hearts and leaves them humming a tune.  In Penny And Her Doll, an important decision is made.  Followers of the series discover in the third book, Penny And Her Marble, how this child grows and expands those personality traits we find irresistible.  On October 29, 2019 Penny And Her Sled (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers) cheerfully entered the children's literature realm.

Chapter 1

It was winter,
but there was no snow yet.

If there was snow, Penny could use her new red sled.  She moved from room to room looking out the windows hoping for snow.  She looked skyward to and from school.  Penny asked her parents when it would snow.  Soon was their reply.  She asked her tiny baby siblings and her doll Rose if they wanted snow.  Penny wanted snow.  It did not snow.

Penny tried wearing winter clothing and sitting on her sled inside to encourage the snow to fall.  Weeks passed with no snow.  Penny did other winter activities with her parents.  Against the wall in her bedroom, she believed the sled looked sad.  It still did not snow.

Without snow, Penny decided to use her new red sled for other things. (Penny is a resourceful, imaginative child.)  Her sled became a bridge, a house and a bed.  The bed idea did not work so well; it was lonely without Rose sleeping with her.  Over time Penny went from playing with the sled every day to putting it back in the corner of her bedroom, completely untouched.

Eventually Mother Nature started to signal the end of winter.  Penny was no longer interested in waiting for winter's white mantle.  After a conversation with her mother, it was decided she would wait for another kind of snow.  Outside her mother showed her where to look for this other type of snow.  Penny watched and waited and watched and waited until one day her mother's words came true.  Before she could show her mother this new arrival, she did something which made her mother laugh.  You will laugh, too.


Each time a book penned by Kevin Henkes is read, readers can't help but marvel at his masterful skill in word choices, sentence structures and realistic conversations between his characters.  He knows exactly what his intended audience needs.  Frequently Kevin Henkes will repeat a series of words in more than one sentence to supply a gentle cadence.  Dialogue is inserted to provide a more participatory and intimate experience for readers.

Kevin Henkes is mindful of his readers' abilities to read increasing.  In this book there are five chapters not only covering days but weeks.  We are a part of Penny's world from one season into the next season.  Here is a passage.

That night Penny dreamed
it was snowing.
The snowflakes in her dream
were as big and fat
as marshmallows.
Penny ate the snowflakes
with a fork.

When she woke up
there was no snow.
Penny hugged Rose.

"I do not think
it will ever snow," she said.


The use of pastel colors, first seen on the open and matching dust jacket and book case, draws readers immediately into the delightful world of Penny, her parents, her siblings and her doll, Rose.  The floral border is present in all the books.  Each border is a reflection of the interior color palette and the hue used around the introductory square image of Penny on the front of the jacket and case. 

To the left, on the back, on the pale sky-blue canvas is a smaller picture bordered by a fine black line.  On white, we see Penny's mittens and scarf, as if placed in a spot ready to use.  This is a hint of a special moment.

A darker rose shade covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Between the text on the title page is an illustration of Penny hugging her new red sled.  Her eyes are closed in contentment as they are on the front of the jacket and case.  The mittens and scarf are shown again beneath the dedication page opposite the verso.

The chapter headings are colored in the same dark rose shade as the endpapers.  To indicate the passage of time Penny's outfits are varied.  She is always wearing her signature headband.  Kevin Henkes shifts his image sizes; two to a page as rectangles, a square on a single page, two to a page as loosely framed ovals or other shapes, a single image with large scalloped edges or a rectangle on a single page.  To show several activities in one day, three rectangular pictures are placed on a page.  This technique is employed again with an increased number of smaller illustrations on one page.

The facial expressions, body postures and clothing worn by all the characters further connect us to this memorable little girl mouse and her family.  Careful readers will notice all the delicate details, the wallpaper in the family's home, the pattern on her bedspread and the pictures she has drawn and hung on her bedroom wall.  Penny is wishing for snow in everything she does.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is a square framed by a fine, black line on a single page.  Penny is wearing her polka-dot nightgown and her purple headband.  She is cuddling Rose, placing her over her right shoulder.  She is standing in front of her bedroom window looking out at the starry sky, pretending the stars are snowflakes.  There is a golden glow added to the curtains, perhaps from a small lamp in her room.


If Penny And Her Sled written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes is the first title you've read in this series, you'll not only read this one repeatedly but the three precious, previous books as well.  You can't help but want to cuddle these characters as much as Penny cuddles her doll Rose.  As an early reader, this book and the other titles are an excellent choice.  I highly recommend this newest title.

To discover more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  There are numerous activities and resources for his books on his website.  At the publisher's website you can view several interior pages including the page with one of my favorite illustrations.

Summer Gold

Two meals were consumed today on the gray, weathered steps of a wrap-around porch on the front of a large log home.  It was like being a turtle on a log soaking up the spring sunshine beneath a startling cloudless blue sky.  A chorus of chickadees supplied a cheery song from the nearby woods.  Clusters of daffodils scattered on the front lawn nodded in the wisp of breeze.  The promise of summer was in the air.

The work of insects is beginning but their jobs will start in earnest when all the buds burst forth with blossoms.  One of the most welcome sounds is the familiar buzz of bees as they gather nectar.  To see, touch, smell and taste Mother Nature's ambrosia is sheer heaven.  Honey (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, March 27, 2018) written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein is a delightful complement to the first title, Leaves, featuring Bear.

It was his second year.
"I'm back!" he said.

After his long winter nap, Bear was hungry.  As he was looking for a meal or even a snack, his mind thought of honey.  Every single aspect of honey, every descriptive phrase, floated through his conscience.  He had to have honey!

Peering in the hole in the honey tree yielded no results.  It was not time for honey.  As he tried to banish honey from his immediate attention, it seemed as if everything reminded him of it.  He ran to look at the tree one more time.  No honey.

The heat of summer warmed his world.  Storms crashed in and out.  He remembered how much he enjoyed the rain.  It felt wonderful.  He checked the tree again.  No honey.  And this time he paid the price of sticking his nose into an active hive.

To find relief from the heat he played and relaxed in a pond and a waterfall.  The days of the summer season were passing.  One day Bear heard a glorious sound. He could not get to that tree fast enough.  There was HONEY!  All the sensations associated with this sweetness returned. One grateful bear was filled with joy, memories and of course, honey.


A cadence as sweet as honey is supplied by the word choices of David Ezra Stein.  We completely understand Bear's desire for honey.  Everything in his world reminds him of its deliciousness.  David builds anticipation with the repetition of the word honey and

But it was too soon for honey.

His introduction of other summer activities assist Bear in temporarily forgetting about the liquid gold.  We gladly share these moments with Bear who finds joy in all he does.  Here is the passage describing rain.

With a rush came the rain.
He had forgotten how good a rain could be.

It splattered on his head
and shivered down his back.


The magic associated with seeing a familiar face on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case is going to have every reader smiling.  The curiosity on Bear's face watching the bees buzz around the honey tree is like us watching a pot of water come to a boiling point. The title is varnished and raised for emphasis.  The loose lines and soft watercolor washes are signature David Ezra Stein.

To the left, on the back, on a canvas of white is a small interior image beneath the words:

Celebrate the gifts of the seasons with Bear!

Praise for Leaves (5) follows.  The blue shown on the front becomes the color on the opening and closing endpapers.  An island, Bear's home, is shown on the title page.  Spring is pushing through the remaining mounds of snow.  On the verso page we move in closer to the top of the island.

David continues using a crisp white background for all of his illustrations rendered using a bamboo pen, watercolors, and a hint of white acrylic.  Most of his images appear on a single page; some with a loose frame and others with no frame.  His two-page pictures are sure to have readers smiling at the way Bear embraces his life.  You can't help but fall in love with Bear through the portrayals of his daily adventures.  His body postures and facial expressions are full of merriment and completely up-lifting.

One of my many favorite images is when Bear is remembering all the excellence of honey.  In this particular single page picture he is seated in a tree in full bloom.  He has plucked a flower, admiring its smell.  David Ezra Stein has a variety of shades of pink, orange, red, yellow and green embracing Bear.  Three bees are buzzing around the blossoms.  It's as if Bear has sunk within a feather bed.  The words beneath this visual, reading like poetry, are:

spicy, aromatic,
sparkling with sunlight--- 


For a theme or discussion about the seasons, summer, bears, honey or appreciation for the natural world, I highly recommend Honey written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein.  David's depictions of Bear will find a place in your heart.  His words will have you reaching for the nearest jar of honey and longing just a little bit more for the soothing days of summer.  I hope you will place a copy of this in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about David Ezra Stein and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  David has a lot of extras at his website as well as a link to his Facebook page. At the publisher's website you can view a single interior image.  David is interviewed at The Children's Book Review regarding this book.

Whatever The Weather

There are subtle signs if you are savvy.  A halo around the moon, the underside of leaves showing in a breeze, a red sky in the morning, and mares' tails (cirrus clouds) are folklore indicators with scientific basis for predicting rain is coming soon.  If birds tend to fly lower than normal, it's usually evidence of the barometric pressure dropping which means a change in the weather is to be expected.  There is also some truth in the proverb, Rain before seven, quit by eleven. If it's raining early in the morning, it has probably been raining during the night.  The front might be ready to move out of the area.

We have had more rain than usual in southern Michigan this spring.  There are still areas under flood advisories and warnings.  Even though the standing water in my yard is gone for now, I had a female duck strolling through my back section this morning.  I wonder if she was assessing the possibility of a future pond.  In a companion title to Snow (Templar Books, October 13, 2015), Rain (Templar Books, an imprint of Candlewick Press, March 28, 2017) written and illustrated by Sam Usher is brimming with distinctive possibilities found on those wet weather days.

When I woke up this morning, it was raining.

This did not quell the excitement the boy felt.  Oh, it did not.  He wanted to go outside immediately.  His grandfather had an entirely different opinion.  Pointing out the fun to be had in the rain like splashing

in puddles

and looking at

everything upside down

did not change Granddad's mind.

After much waiting and even more waiting, the rain continued.  Even the suggestion of an exciting sail across a sea with creatures lurking in the watery depths, the grandfather remained firm in his opinion.  They had to wait until the rain stopped before venturing outside.

It kept on raining and raining and raining.  Granddad kept on writing and writing and writing.  The boy kept on reading and reading and proposing fun things to do in the rain.  All of a sudden, Granddad had to mail a letter.  Guess what?  It stopped raining.

They put on their coats, boots and carried umbrellas, just in case, and started their excursion to the mailbox.  This trek might have involved previously mentioned rainy day fun because Mother Nature had plans of her own.  Granddad, as grandfathers often do, offered wisdom on waiting.


In the first two simply-stated sentences by the boy Sam Usher gives us a peek into his personality.  This boy is ready for adventure.  As the narrative continues the requests of the boy and the replies of his grandfather create a gentle back-and-forth tension.  This makes their subsequent romp in the rain a joyous reward for patience.  Here is a sample passage.

So I said, "Granddad, I'd like to go on a voyage with sea monsters."
And Granddad said, "Let's just wait for the rain to stop."
But did the rain stop?
No!


All those drops of rain seen on the front of the book case are raised to the touch to give readers a wonderful tactile experience.  The duck and nautical flags make more than one appearance within the pages.  To the left, on the back, the first full page image in the book is showcased.  The boy is seated on his bed surrounded by his stuffed animal friends, musical toys and books.  The stuffed monkey seems to be holding a book over his head as protection.  Outside it is raining, splattering on the window pane.

The opening and closing endpapers are in a dark spring green, white, gray and black.  They feature puddles of water on grass.  In the first in the upper left hand corner the boy's stuffed penguin is reflected in the water.  On the later a portion of the penguin with his inner tube is walking into the endpapers.  He is preceded by a bird with an umbrella and the duck is in a puddle on the right.  The bird caring the umbrella, which looks like those tiny paper ones placed in drinks, is shown on the verso with a tiny snail, puddles of water and delicate flowers.

Rendered in ink and watercolor the pictures alternate between single page, edge to edge images, small visuals together on a single page, atmospheric two page illustrations, edge to edge, and single page pictures loosely and more formally framed.  Even though it's a rainy day, Sam Usher conveys warmth in the illustrations highlighting the conversations between the boy and his grandfather.  His lines are fine, smooth and create animation.

The dramatic pages showing the rain outside are amazing.  Each time the water is deeper and deeper, measured by its position on the fence outside their home.  This makes us believe the boy's wishes might come true.  Careful readers will realize the pictures are telling us another story beyond the text.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  The boy and his grandfather are stepping outside to mail the letter.  A large portion of the picture is them standing on the porch reflected in the standing water.  Off to the left and right sides we see a toy boat, the duck, a floating umbrella, the penguin's inner tube enlarged and a portion of a gondola.  You have to smile at this scene.


Readers will be ready for the next rainy day after reading Rain written and illustrated by Sam Usher.  The pacing supplied by the blend of text and images is marvelous.  The generational portraits are delightful.  You are going to want this title and the previous one, Snow, because I believe there is a third book in this series called Sun to be released this summer.

You can visit these two publishers' websites, Penguin Random House and Candlewick Press, to view interior pictures.  Sam Usher is interviewed at YoungWriters and Playing by the book.

Not Too Fast...Please

There was a time when most families did not own three, four or more cars or trucks.  (Several of my immediate neighbors with two in the household own four vehicles.)  We had one car in my family of four until I was in high school.  If my mom needed it to run errands, she would drive my dad to work in the morning and race around until it was time to pick him up.  Needless to say before my sister and I were in school, the three of us were in pretty good shape from fast walking or running from place to place.

Looking in store windows or browsing in the aisles was not on the agenda.  Although to be fair we did stop at our favorite candy shop for a treat.  I wonder what we missed seeing by dashing from place to place.  Wait (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, July 14, 2015) written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis examines the beauty to be found in slowing our pace, pausing to enjoy the world through which we pass. 

Hurry!

With the first page turn after the title word, Wait, we see a mom scurrying down a city street with her son holding her hand.  She glances at her watch, clearly on a tight schedule.  Alternating between his wait and her hurry we travel with them to their destination.  

Her focus on where they need to be makes her oblivious to all the simple joys all around them (us) every single day.  It's impossible to resist a friendly kiss from an eager dog.  Road repair crews need a cheerful greeting during their work.

Everyone knows hungry ducks in the park crave bread hand-outs.  See that one there.  Wouldn't that ice cream bar taste good?  Did you see what is in the pet shop window?  I spy something among the flowers in the planter.  

Large drops of rain are starting to fall.  No time to waste now.  Mom is really in a rush.  

Wait.

 Antoinette Portis has used language to perfection.  Two words, finally a third, and the punctuation drive the rate at which the story unfolds.  When one of the words is used repeatedly in succession the tension builds to the best possible conclusion.  

Rendered in pencil, charcoal and ink with color added digitally the technique and style used by Portis calls to younger readers.  It also draws attention, by way of contrast, to the delicate details she includes in some of her illustrations.  Upon opening the dust jacket (I am working with an F & G.) the boy is watching a mother cat trailing behind her three kittens who are fascinated with a ladybug.  When you first look at the title page, see if you notice anything special.

Her first of thirteen double-page images extends across the gutter into the verso on the left.  When Portis uses single page visuals among these, the flow is flawless.  Her point of view shifts from close-up to more expansive but even in those, for the most part; we see things from the height of a child.  When she zooms in on one particular picture expect gasps.  

One of my favorite illustrations is when it begins to rain.  The boy is standing with extended arms, head tilted back to catch raindrops on his tongue.  His left arm spreads into the right page.  His mom is holding an open rain coat.  Even though we read the word 

Hurry!

she is waiting for him to put his arms in the sleeves.


Antoinette Portis in words and pictures engages readers in the fine art of observation in Wait.  All of us need to look at our world through the same lens used by the little boy.  Readers will come to the realization we need more wait than hurry in our lives. Sometimes all it takes is a rain storm.

To discover more about Antoinette Portis and her work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view eight interior images.  Antoinette Portis is featured at Kidlit 411.  She was recently interviewed at both The Horn Book and Publishers Weekly about this title. Update:  July 26, 2015 Antoinette Portis chats with teacher librarian extraordinaire John Schumacher on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. Further update:  Antoinette Portis is a guest at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by reviewer, author and blogger Julie Danielson.

Watch, Wait And Wonder

More than fifteen years ago at Shedd Aquarium in Chicago was the first and only time I've seen whales.  My group went on to other parts of the aquarium but I was mesmerized by the belugas; their size, color and grace in the water was a thing of true beauty.  Even understanding the care given to them at Shedd Aquarium (and other animals in zoos and aquariums throughout the world),  I long for a planet where all living creatures could live their lives safely, as they were meant to, in the wild.

To catch a glimpse of a whale while traveling by boat or even from the shore, would be one of those unforgettable moments you carry with you forever.  The collaborative team of author, Julie Fogliano, and Caldecott illustrator, Erin E. Stead, first brought readers And Then It's Spring (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, February 14, 2012); a quiet tribute to possibility and promise.  This month their newest work, If You Want To See A Whale (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, May 7, 2013), follows another little boy and his dog as they practice the fine art of patience.

if you want to see a whale you will need a window

Well, not just a window but an ocean and time for thinking about "whale-ish" shapes.  Maybe it is a whale and maybe it is not a whale.

You can't very well see a whale either from the snuggly comfort of your favorite spot at home.  You will have to ignore other distractions like roses, ships in the distance on the water and the people on those ships.  There is no time to be thinking of pirates.

Don't let pelicans, tiny creepy-crawlies or clouds lead you astray with their smiles, movements or fluffy forms.  No, you need to stay the course.  You need to keep both eyes open, watching the water, and waiting for the wonder of a whale.


When reading the words of Julie Fogliano you find yourself entering a special world; a world of the everyday transformed but her writing.  She makes a simple statement but builds upon it, layer by layer until you not only have an image in your mind but a sequence of events leading to that point.  In this story those things to be enjoyed when not whale watching, the chair and blanket, the roses, the ship, the pelican, inchworms and clouds, are described in such a way as to nearly become characters themselves.  Every single passage plays a quiet song in your mind when read.


There is a quality to the art of Erin E. Stead, her use of space and color, that is stunning in it's simplicity.  When opening the jacket, the image of a whale swimming upward on the back is replicated in an engraving on the blue cloth front cover.  Moving from page to page the shift of white, to a subtle blue or green and then back to white, the interplay of opposites, is design genius.  On her boy, his dog and other items in the illustrations on a given page the fine lines, the tiniest of details, are a delight to behold.

Using linoleum block printing and pencil Stead weaves a kind of magic drawing her reader's eyes into a day dedicated to whale watching; a day following a young boy, his dog and the smallest of birds she includes in every two page spread.  We silently observe their explorations and musings marveling at her interpretation of Fogliano's narrative.  The same shade of yellow in the comfy chair is found again in the dinghy the three companions row out onto the sea.  The hair coloring on the boy is a variation of the same hue in the dog's spots.  The sky highlighting the cloud patterns appears again in a series of three pages that will literally take your breath away.


If You Want To See A Whale written by Julie Fogliano with pictures by Erin E. Stead is picture book perfection.  Readers will wish they could join the curious boy, his faithful dog and the sweet bird as they wait and watch and wonder.  I can't stop reading this again and again.  It's one of those books to cherish and share.

To see more illustrations from this title visit the publisher website linked here.  For an outstanding visual display of the artistic process with supporting conversation from Erin E. Stead visit Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.