Cherished Creatures

Within a heartbeat they can tell you.  Not only do they have an answer but they want to know what yours is.  No matter how many books the library may have or resources you provide, it's simply never enough.  Truthfully over the years I have learned more than I ever knew I wanted to know about a large variety of animals because of students' quests to discover everything about their favorite animal, domestic and wild.

The extent of their interest is not limited to facts either; each having an uncanny ability in their individual style to recreate their animal visually.  How exciting for all of us that Eric Carle and thirteen other illustrators decide to share their choices.  What's Your Favorite Animal? (Henry Holt and Company, January 2014) not only answers the question but entertains with text and pictures by each.

I have always liked all animals.  

So begins the story Eric Carle tells of his cat who liked to chase and fetch a string bean until she decided it was better off tucked away from view.  A ladder would definitely be needed to see eye to eye with Tom Lichtenheld's animal friend after a trip to Africa or the zoo.  You will be hard pressed not to gasp and utter yikes after seeing the smile on Mo Willems' crawling critter's face.

A Christmas tradition with a happy ending, especially for the main course, is a tale with timeless appeal as revealed by Peter Sis.  Giving us a whole new perspective on one of nature's slowest movers, Chris Raschka reminds us patience has great rewards.  Nick Bruel's Bad Kitty is up to his typical tricks.  Could it be because of a favorite animal choice?

Let's see now.  Who could possibly like a high-jumping bunny, these-pillows-are-my-spot dog, or a boastful elephant?  It might be Rosemary Wells, Lane Smith, Jon Klassen, Susan Jeffers, or Peter McCarty?  Or perhaps one of them has voiced their love of a duck (without a hat) or a herd of wild white horses?

A memory of cows coming to life at night, a kinship felt with penguins and a colorful connection to leopards fill the pages by Lucy Cousins, Steven Kellogg and Erin Stead. (No, I did not put them in order.) Just when you think you might suffer from happiness overload due to the wonderful words and colorful pictures on these pages, the final two host childhood pictures of each artist with a short biographical sketch.  Who could ask for anything more?


An amusing incident, a whimsical poem, a message of hope, personal reflections from now and then, and tales full of hilarity reach out, pulling readers into the realms of these fourteen individuals who, fortunately for us, populate the children's literature community.  All the wit and wonder we love about their work is condensed into these two page spreads; how they choose to speak about their favorite animal is a direct reflection of them as authors and illustrators.  You will find yourself alternating between a slow smile, a giggle, a guffaw, a sigh, and nod of understanding more than once. These fourteen people say much with few words.


Eric Carle's notable cut-paper collage decorates the front dust jacket with a list of the contributors and their animals on the back.  Upon removing the jacket readers see all fourteen creatures spread across both sides of the cover with the artists' signatures next to their work.  The pristine white background makes all the elements pop off the pages.  Sunny golden opening and closing endpapers brushed in paint announce the total joy to be found in this book.

Even without their name as part of the text or a signature within the illustration, each visual clearly identifies the creator; vividly displaying their unique styles and mediums.  The deft paper cuts for a cat's fur, the fluffy cloud cleverly becoming a beehive hairdo for the ruby-lipped giraffe, the loose swirls of orange, amber and blue making a home for a snail, small delicate lines and softened brush strokes bringing the essence of penguins to the page or cow paintings papering a wall as a boy dreams one into life, not only feature an animal but the considerable talents each illustrator brings to this book and everything they do.  Every single one is a masterpiece.


This variety in selected animals, narratives and illustrators is exactly what makes What's Your Favorite Animal? by Eric Carle and Friends a true treasure that everyone should read and own.  It's like holding an art gallery in your hands.  The end flap states:

All royalties from this book will be donated to The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art which was founded by Eric and Barbara Carl in 2002.  

Links to each of the contributors' websites (when possible) have been placed in their names above.  Follow this link to the publisher's website for a peek inside this title.  Enjoy the videos collected by some of the artists.  If you have other videos you would like me to include feel free to leave a link in the comments below. 

Listen To What Needs To Be Heard

As an educator I have learned over the years to listen very carefully to what my students are saying.  Their ability to see the obvious is uncanny but so is their desire to brainstorm creatively, not necessarily following the status quo.  They have not forgotten how to think with their heart.

The delightful character introduced in Henry In Love, has returned in a book with her name, Chloe (Balzer + Bray), written and illustrated by Caldecott Honor award winner (Hondo & Fabian), Peter McCarty.  Families have routines, a comfortable structure, providing stability, a sense of belonging and fun for some, if not all.  Altering those expectations is not always a good thing.

In a family of twenty-three Chloe is the middle bunny; ten older and ten younger brothers and sisters living with their mother and father. 

Chloe loved the end of the day, when her whole family was together.  She called it family fun time.

When Dad arrives home one evening with a box,  her special time of day is about to change.  Inside the box is a television.  The plan is to see what's on after a scrumptious vegetarian meal.

The whole gang gathers around to watch the monstrous Pound Cake wreck havoc on a city; the whole gang except Chloe and her baby sister, Bridget.  Chloe doesn't like this one little bit, no siree!  In fact, she and Bridget stand in front of the screen protesting.

What's a gal to do?  Explore other options, that's what.  It seems that Dad, in his haste to get the TV up and running, has neglected to take care of the box.

Clever,  crawling Bridget discovers treasure.  Bubble wrap plus one enormous box equals irresistible attraction.  Pressure by paws produces just enough pops to lure all the kids away from the screen in the living room and into Chloe's invention.  Everyone wants a starring role.

Frazzled parents issue the time-for-bed edict.  Kiddos willingly hit the hay,  but not before one wishes every night would be a bubble and box bonanza.  Isn't it strange though, Chloe can still hear bubbles popping in her dreams.  Is she really asleep?

Simple, sincere words are woven to convey Chloe's joy in her family being together, her frustration when the joy seems to vanish but her wholesome ingenuity in bringing them back as a unit.  Being in the middle is a unique perspective which McCarty depicts so well with his special storytelling skills.  Details, only a rabbit could appreciate, articulate an authentic voice in Chloe's love of her family and her place in it.

Thick vanilla pages provide the perfect canvas for highlighting Peter McCarty's truly artistic use of colored-ink drawings.  Opening the jacket and cover readers are treated to a family portrait; each member wearing an outfit and expression distinctly their own.  Across both sets of endpapers is a beautiful array of trees, branches and leaves; those surrounding the home of Chloe.

Browns, so soft you want to reach out and touch them, are filled in with an equally subtle use of color  Joy is evoked in the closeness of Chloe and her siblings when at play or gathered around the dinner table.  McCarty's portrayal of Chloe in the middle with her family circling around is sheer genius.

There is so much delight on each and every page of Chloe, every one suitable for framing. Peter McCarty has written and illustrated a story full of the love of life and lives filled with love seen through the eyes of a very perceptive young rabbit.  A treasure to be sure, this title will resonate with readers of all ages.