To The Dogs #3

It is essential to remember our canine companions are emotional and social beings.  They experience stress, confidence, loneliness, fear, courage, sadness, and happiness as do humans.  For them and other animals, their responses to these emotions are how they survive.  They, too, need to be around other dogs and humans.  When walking or running with you, they greet other walkers, runners, and bikers with tail wags, prancing, and open mouths looking much like smiles.  In the case of my Mulan, she refuses to move and sits patiently until the walker, runner, or bike rider has passed.  This is her way of acknowledging them.  Her personality is to contemplate the universe whenever possible.

If we remember we are their pack, the rewards are immeasurable.  Don't Worry, Murray (Balzer + Bray, An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, June 7, 2022) written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein is about a precious pup who tries, with encouragement, to set his worries aside.  It is a story of becoming brave, a little bit at a time.

Good morning, Murray!

When an unseen narrator (his human?) asks Murray why he won't go outside, Murray has three answers.  Each sees him not faring well in the falling rain.  In fact, in one scenario the water is so deep it is up to the middle of his tummy when he stands.  

Murray is told not to be anxious.  He needs to wear his raincoat.  He does and is told he is a 

Good boy.

Just when Murray thinks everything might be okay, a big blast of thunder scares him into hiding under a park bench.

In each of the next three situations, Murray is questioned about playing with the new dog in the park, attending a barbeque, and even going to bed.  Each time Murray replies with possible negative outcomes.  No one likes to have their favorite toy taken from them.  No one likes to be frightened by fireworks.  No one likes to be alone when they fall asleep; there might be monsters.

Murray tries to play with the new dog and attend the barbeque, but initial fun ends with the little guy cowering in fear.  As promised, the narrator stays with Murray as he curls up on his bed to sleep.  The voice continues to speak to Murray, recounting his day.  Three final sentences send Murray into the sweetest of dreams.

Readers and listeners, canine and human, will readily identify with the concerns of Murray as presented by David Ezra Stein.  The structure for each event is the same, supplying readers with a welcoming rhythm.  Murray is asked a question.  His reply is a series of wordless images.  Murray is told not to worry and a suggestion is offered.  Then, he is reminded of being a good boy.  When disaster strikes, there is a single word question.  This cadence leads us gently to the conclusion with the narrator summing up Murray's day and his accomplishments.  Murray, like all of us, is reminded of his value.  Here are three sentences.

Don't worry, Murray!

There won't be any fireworks.

Good boy, Murray!  Good boy.

One of the first things you notice when looking at the open and matching dust jacket and book case are the eyes of Murray.  He may be hearing don't worry, but his eyes are still brimming with concern.  You want to encircle him with comfort like his bed does for him.  And, the adorable dog toy lying next to him lets us know it is his favorite.  He's keeping it close.  The contrasting colors of blue and yellow suggest both worry and warmth.  Murray on the front and back of the jacket along with the title text are varnished.

To the left of the spine, on a white background is a single small image.  It is a relieved Murray lying in his bed.  He is smiling with one eye closed in contentment and the other open to greet whoever happens to be there. 

The opening and closing endpapers are a bright sunshine yellow.  On the title, verso, and dedication pages Murray is shown in his bed.  He is dreaming of running with abandon, curled with his front paws touching his back paws, and in a similar pose to the back of the jacket and case.  These are on white canvases.

These pictures by David Ezra Stein were rendered using

bamboo pen and ink, charcoal, graphite, watercolor, crayon, and photocopy. 

White space is used with excellence to draw our attention to Murray.  There are full-page pictures, followed by a series of wordless scenes grouped on a single page, and subsequent full-page illustrations blended with smaller images on white canvases.  This artwork heightens the narrative pacing.  The facial expressions and body postures on Murray endear him to readers unconditionally.  (Dog lovers will sigh aloud.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Murray has been convinced to go outside in the rain.  He is wearing a yellow raincoat and matching yellow hat.  Tail wagging and tongue hanging out in happiness, he looks at himself in a mirror.  This is a canine with confidence.  He is standing on a striped rug in a hallway with wooden floors with a window to the left and a small table to the right.

The artwork and writing of David Ezra Stein pair with perfection in Don't Worry, Murray.  Murray's worries are shared by many children (and some adults) making this a wonderful title to share widely and often.  The reassurances offered by the narrator are a soothing conclusion.  We all need to know, bravery builds over time.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To discover more about David Ezra Stein and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  David Ezra Stein has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  You'll enjoy seeing remarks about this title on his social media accounts.

UPDATE:  This title is featured with artwork at Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast on July 15, 2022.

We have learned on our daily walks about other dogs we might encounter.  We have timed leaving our home to avoid any conflicts (dogs off leash), but yesterday when walking past a newly renovated bed and breakfast, two tiny hairy white dogs came charging at us.  It was not even seven in the morning.  I was worried they would run into the road.  And where were their humans? 

A bit later, a barefoot woman wearing a white bathrobe came after the dogs.  They, barking, completely ignored her.  When we moved to continue our walk, they still came after us.  Thankfully, my companion did not bark back, but sat and then stood next to me.  Understandably, she was reluctant to turn her back on them.  Finally, the woman captured the dogs, apologizing and we walked up a hill toward home.  Another thing Mulan and I have learned is the dog population in our tiny town swells in the summer.  And we know, dogs will be dogs.  Every Dog in the Neighborhood (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, June 21, 2022) written by Philip C. Stead with artwork by Matthew Cordell is a lovely ode to dogs, their people and their commentary, community, and the affection between a child and their grandparent. 

Grandma stirs a spoonful of honey into her tea and frowns.  "Louis," she says, "it's going to rain today.  I can feel it in my knees."

"Are you sure?" I ask.  The weather is just fine in my knees.

Louis wants a dog.  His grandmother says there are already plenty in the neighborhood.  Louis knows from experience that 

Grandma knows everything.

But, she doesn't know how many dogs there are in their neighborhood.  At a stop during their rainy walk, Grandma makes a comment.  Both Louis and his grandmother write letters to City Hall.   This is the beginning of a quest for each. 

The replies to their letters, another two letters, are discouraging.  Louis decides his grandmother, again, knows best.  They are going to take matters into their own hands.  

Louis is going to count all the dogs in the neighborhood.  Louis goes to every house, even the ones he knows do not have a dog.  By chatting with his neighbors, Louis realizes more than the number of dogs.  Louis is now privy to the people in the neighborhood, their dogs, and the bond between them.  Each person shares a little bit more than whether they have a dog or not.  Several times during the day, Louis finds his grandmother and they share a snack and conversation.  (No text in this narrative refers to how Grandma spends her day.)

That evening, Louis informs Grandma about the number of dogs in the neighborhood.  Grandma does not accept that number.  And this is where I pause my recounting of this title.  The concluding eleven pages left this reader teary-eyed and enjoying Louis and Grandma even more.  We should all be so fortunate to have a grandmother like Louis.

Through Louis's voice and dialogue between Louis and his grandmother and Louis and their neighbors, Philip C. Stead takes us on a tour of the neighborhood and into the hearts of each resident.  At each stop, Louis numbers the dogs and notes their name and something of interest.  Readers will delight in the names of the dogs and how those names reflect on their people.  Through the work of Louis during the day, Philip C. Stead is clearly and with intention leading us to a conclusion which will leave a mark on each reader's heart.  Here is a passage.

"Excuse me, Mr. Pierce," I say.  "I am counting every dog in the neighborhood.  Do you have a dog?"

"I had a dog once," says Mr. Pierce.  "His name was Harvey.  He doesn't live here anymore.  But he will always live in my heart."

"Does your heart live here?" I ask.

"Oh, yes," he says.  "It has for many years.

That was good enough for me.  I write down:

1. Harvey 

One look at the right side of the open jacket and you cannot help but smile.  As Grandma and Louis sit on the steps of their home, they smile at the people and their dogs walking.  All those dogs, seven in all, are happy to be on a walk.  Look at their faces!  The color choices in this illustration radiate warmth.  The title text is varnished a deep purple.

To the left of the spine, the entire scene continues.  Other dog people and their dogs are out walking.  We see other pets named in the narrative, cats, and a parrot and a Burmese python which are now free.  Several pets and children are inside the next home, looking at the display outside.  Either Thelonious or Monk are holding the ISBN in their mouth.  Every individual is content.

On the book case, on a canvas of pale mint green, Matthew has fashioned a gallery.  There are twenty unique frames in various shapes.  Inside each one is a portrait of a named canine companion.  The opening and closing endpapers are a rich golden orange yellow.  On the title page is a smaller drawing, an image, of Louis and Grandma on the steps of their home.  We can see it in its entirety.  There are dogs and people out in front of them, enjoying the day.

Using

pen and ink and watercolor,

Matthew Cordell, in a style distinctively his own, with delicate and intricate details, takes us into this community of people with their dogs and other animal friends.  (At one house, even before we read the text we can infer there are three animals there by the dishes outside the door.)(A nighttime walk contains a special visitor.)  As we study each picture, through the looks on people's faces and their body postures, we are aware of their current emotional mood.  Most of the images are single-page pictures, loosely framed in sketchy ink lines with wide white borders.

Matthew Cordell adds sound effects for impact.  When Louis is telling us he is gathering what he needs for his survey, each item is drawn and labeled.  Two pages prior to the conclusion include six wordless visuals.  These hint at Grandma's work.  Readers will notice, at least twice, references to a prior collaboration between Matthew and Philip.  Who do you think named their dogs Wilbur and Orville?  Two wordless illustrations bookend a dramatic two-page picture at the end of the book.  In two words and one phrase they represent, bliss, success, and be the change.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the words:

That's why I love her.

In this picture, Louis and Grandma are taking their walk wearing raincoats and using umbrellas.  Rain puddles on the sidewalk at the unexpected downpour.  Behind them, to the left and to the right, other walkers and their dogs are yelling and running for cover.  (I love Grandma, too.)

Most certainly this is a book about dogs and their people, but Every Dog in the Neighborhood written by Philip C. Stead with artwork by Matthew Cordell is about finding goodness and community connections.  It is about people from all walks of life and age rejoicing in a shared love.  It is about one grandmother knowing the heart of her grandson and how to grow the heart of her neighborhood.  I can't imagine any collection without a copy of this book.  

To learn more about Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Philip C. Stead has an account on Instagram he shares with his wife, Erin E. Stead.  There is also a website titled The Stead Collection.  Matthew Cordell has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At Penguin Random House, you can view some interior images.  I believe you will enjoy this interview with Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell at Kansas Public Radio about this title.  

Fifty Years Of Energy and Efforts For Mother Earth

For fifty years it's been the same date every year.  On April 22, 2020 around our planet Earth Day celebrations are going digital for the first time in its history.  A host of prominent people are participating.  The organizers promise to

flood the world with messages of hope, optimism and, above all---action.

Numerous recent publications shine a light on the means for all of us to make a difference in our natural world.  We need not do anything grand.  Even the smallest endeavor can bring about change.  We must engage with our world because it depends on us, all of us.

From a true story comes The Bear's Garden (Imprint, a part of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, March 24, 2020) written by Marcie Colleen with illustrations by Alison Oliver.  Through the imagination of a child a dream takes shape.  Through an accident and efforts of many, this dream becomes a reality.

IN THE BIG, BUSTLING CITY, all the people were busy.

They did not see the neglected buildings, but a little girl did.  To her they offered opportunity.  To her they were an invitation to grow, play and love.  This child made her own beauty.

Planting seeds in an old tomato can, she and her stuffed toy bear nourished tiny sprouts. The can placed on her windowsill, provided sun and fresh air to the plants.  One day, a bird flew by, knocking the can to the ground beneath her apartment window.  It rolled and rolled right across the street.

In the vacant lot where the can rested, those small plants grew.  The child cared for them with water and her affectionate heart.  She talked to them, giving them encouraging words.  Those busy people soon noticed the little girl and her plants.  

When the girl had to leave, she worried about what would happen to her garden. She left her bear, loaded with hugs, to act as guardian.  The single act of a generous spirit bloomed in her absence.  Upon her return, she and her bear were surrounded by beautiful bounty.

To begin author Marcie Colleen gives us a broad overview of the city and then leads us to a single child whose outlook is in contrast to many others.  Simple sentences build toward an astonishing conclusion.  We become more invested in the story with the use of dialogue when the little girl voices her thoughts.  Her faith in her stuffed toy bear (and life in general) as presented in the narrative is endearing and enduring.  Here is a passage.

One night, the girl's imagination

spilled onto the sidewalk, 

rolled across the street,

and sprouted.

The scene on the front of the dust jacket gives a close view of the child and her bear enjoying the beauty the garden is offering to them.  Their eyes closed in contentment present a calming representation.  The sky and clouds continue over the spine to the left, the back of the jacket.  There the garden continues with buildings in the background.  The title text on the front is embossed in foil.  The little girl, her stuffed toy bear and some of the leaves and blossoms are varnished.

On the book case, the position of the girl and her stuffed toy bear are the same but everything else is different.  Their eyes are wide open in cheer.  The garden is bursting with color and blooms spreading over the spine to the left at the back.  In a word, it's joy.

On the opening endpapers is an aerial view of this New York City area with a pin placed where the garden is.  The bear's face is on the pin.  On the closing endpapers the visual is enhanced and closer.  Multiple gardens are shown.  This closer view is also shown on the verso and title pages, but no gardens are visible yet.

These illustrations rendered by Alison Oliver using 

marker, pencil, brush pen, charcoal, cut paper, and Photoshop

depict varying perspectives, a bird's eye view, multiple moments grouped in a two-page picture or in four separate wordless frames.  They span two pages and single pages.  Black as a background is used to fabulous effect.

The personality of the little girl shines on every page through her facial expression and body postures. The portrayal of the bear is vivid to the extent you expect it to come to life.  The bond between the child and the toy is as real as any human relationship.  

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is on a single page.  The little girl is seated near the tiny plants, the can tipped to spill them and now planted in soil.  Near her is an empty cardboard box with a black kitten inside.  On top of the box is a teapot.  In front of her toy stuffed bear, a tiny mouse, a pigeon and the plants are teacups.  The girl, smiling, is holding a teacup, ready to sip.  It's a garden party.

This book, The Bear's Garden written by Marcie Colleen with illustrations by Alison Oliver, is brimming with hope.  It's certain to inspire others to begin community gardens.  At the close of the book an Author's Note explains the garden which sparked this story.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Marcie Colleen and Alison Oliver and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  At Alison Oliver's website you can view the endpapers and interior images.  Marcie Colleen has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Alison Oliver has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Marcie Colleen is featured at The Children's Book Podcast with Matthew Winner.  She and this book are also highlighted by Debbie Ridpath Ohi at her website, Inkygirl.  Please enjoy this peek at the book case courtesy of Let's Talk Picture Books.

The Bear's Garden by Marcie Colleen and Alison Oliver from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.



Although in northern Michigan at the moment snow is swirling in high winds, for months collective minds here and in other parts of the world have been turning to gardening. Seeds and soil have been gathered.  On warmer days, walks have revealed shoots from bulbs pushing through the dirt and perennials are starting to turn green as buds get larger.  In My Garden (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, March 24, 2020) written by the late Charlotte Zolotow (1915-2013) with illustrations by Philip Stead is a journey through the seasons.  It is a shared trip through time and the offerings Nature bestows on all of us if we choose to notice.

IN THE SPRING what I love best in my garden
are the birds building nests.

As the narrator chats with us, she quickly relates other things about the garden for which she has affection; things like tulips, violets and other seasonal blooms. There is also one thing, above all others, which is enjoyed the most.  This is kite flying.  It is not the only thing done, but it is the best.

Other flowers take the center stage in the summer.  Among the most prized are roses of all colors.  Lunching under the pear tree is one of the narrator's greatest pleasures in the summer.  Birdsong, gliding butterflies and dips in a stream provide other delights.

In autumn, leaves shifting from green to an array of colors and animals collecting food for winter are observations appreciated, but the chrysanthemums are the narrator's favorite part of this season in their garden.  There is also an assortment of activities to like in the fall but raking leaves is number one on the list.  JUMP!

When the garden is covered with snow, sculpting different shapes, this is the best part of the season.  Of all the outdoor pursuits during these blustery months, ice skating upon the frozen pond is simply the best.  Gliding on this watery world offers time for reflection and appreciation.


Each time the words written by Charlotte Zolotow for this book are read, their timeless quality envelopes you.  You are wrapped in the narrator's respect for each sensory impression.  You experience on a personal level each thing done.  A repetition of certain phrases creates a calmly cadence.  With her words, Charlotte Zolotow transports you to the garden.  Here is another passage.

In the spring what I love most to do is fly kites.
     Of course there are other things I
love to do---play dolls and roller skate
and skip rope.


What readers first notice about the open and matching dust jacket and book case, are the two figures under the pear tree in the garden.  This introduces us to the visual interpretation of Charlotte Zolotow's words by Philip Stead.  The bird resting on the E in the title is a nod to the first line in the story.  The red tulips refer to the next lines of the story.  This entire scene on the right, front, is one of participants standing in a sanctuary.

To the left, on the back, poetic words are framed in a circle of flowers, leaves and colors of the four seasons.  Two more birds are featured prominently in a blend of blue, yellow and purple.  On the opening and closing endpapers a soft shade of purple has been placed.

On the initial title page, a bird rests on the letter E.  For the formal title page and verso, a cat is perched on a stone wall stretching from left to right across both pages.  Bright yellow rays shine from the upper right-hand corner as green and purple shade the area on the right.

This artwork by Philip Stead is

handmade using oil-ink monotype techniques and carbon transfer printing.

Each illustration spanning two pages is a study in perspective, design and color.  We are given larger views and then brought closer to individual settings.  We look straight at a scene or peer down from above.  We are participants and observers.  One double-page picture during spring and winter are wordless but convey the essence of the narrator's words.

One of my many, many favorite images is the one for the first sentence of this story.  On the left, along the bottom a shade of pale green shifts to spring green before it crosses the gutter.  In the first green are three birds, gathering twigs for a nest.  One red tulip stands tall on the left side of the gutter.  To the right of the gutter two other red tulips behind a birdhouse on the ground frame it.  Two birds are in front of the birdhouse and a third is on the roof.  The spring green hue changes to yellow as it moves up the page.  On the far right a tree truck extends off the page.  Another bird is leaning out from the trunk, twigs in its beak.  The birdhouse is palest green with purple and yellow.


Regardless of your age or the time of day, In My Garden written by Charlotte Zolotow with illustrations by Philip Stead will supply your soul with much needed serenity.  Philip Stead's artwork elevates the stunning rhythm of Charlotte Zolotow's poetic perceptions.  This book has my highest recommendation for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Charlotte Zolotow and Philip Stead and their other work, please access their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Philip Stead has another site with information titled The Stead Collection.  An article at Publishers Weekly addresses the reissue of Charlotte Zolotow's book with Philip Stead's artwork.  At author and teacher librarian Travis Jonker's blog, 100 Scope Notes, at School Library Journal, a video highlights how Philip Stead made the artwork for this book.  At the publisher's website there is a link to an Educator's Guide for this title.



In his newest brilliant artistic entry in children literature, author illustrator Henry Cole does not disappoint.  The conception and illustration of One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey (Scholastic Press, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., April 7, 2020) is a wordless display of transformation.  It is a loving tribute to people, their lives and their love of each other and our Earth.

Prior to the title page, Henry Cole in a series of framed single-page pictures, horizontal and vertical panels and two large double-page pictures, takes us through the process of making paper from logged timber to large rolls of paper to the delivery of boxes of paper bags and to the use of a single bag at a small community market. We follow one particular tree through the use of spot color as it makes its way from the forest, to a logging truck, to the paper mill, the processes at the mill, and the packing of one paper bag among hundreds in a box.  The final two-page image before the title page is an amazing display of the interior of a small grocery store highly stocked with all kinds of items.  People walk on wooden floors with carts laden with their groceries.  At the counter is a boy and his father and the brown-colored paper bag.

The father, having drawn a red heart on the bag, uses it as a lunch bag for his son's school meal.  After a nightmare, the bag is used to mute a flashlight as comfort next to the child's bed.  As the boy grows up the bag is always present, used for a variety of purposes.  When he leaves for college, the bag goes with him.

His musical gift for guitar playing attracts the attention of another guitar-playing individual, a young woman.  The bag holds rolled up music. As they study together during college and enjoy outings with each other the bag is nearby.  The young woman draws another heart on the bag prior to the young man's proposal of marriage.

As the two journey through their shared lives, the bag's presence is noted.  At the birth of their son, another heart appears on the bag attached to the baby's bed.  When the new boy's grandfather visits, readers will know it is the first boy.  Years pass, memories are made by the grandfather and his grandson and another heart is added.  The bag's final use after decades is poetic, purposeful and perfect.


In his dedication Henry Cole states:

TO MY MOM

WHO INSPIRED THIS STORY,

TO ALL THOSE

WHO PACK LUNCHES EVERY DAY,

AND TO THOSE

WHO ALWAYS CARRY REUSABLE BAGS.

Each carefully visualized image, rendered using

Micron ink pens on Strathmore Bristol paper

by Henry Cole is an ode to our forests, trees, paper, paper bags and recycling.  It also addresses the abiding love of family and the nearness of the bag in some of the simplest but most memorable moments of his characters' lives.  The black and white illustrations with only spot color of brown and red are exquisitely detailed and highly emotional in their portrayals.

On the open and matching dust jacket and book case, we are presented with two points of view.  On the front, the bag is introduced to us through the boy and his father as they shop in the local market.  To the left, on the back, a doe peers from behind the trunk of a large tree among a stand of large trees, their tops not visible to us.  The forest floor is carpeted with grass and wildflowers.  A single butterfly sips at one of the flowers.

On the opening and closing endpapers the view of the woodlands is expanded.  The doe is still present on the far left.  A flock of turkeys cautiously moves through the trees on the right.  The tree which becomes the bag is the only bit of color in this black and white artwork.

Each page turn is a revelation of the tree's and bag's journey.  To accentuate pacing the picture sizes vary as does their point of view.  We move from a single-page picture to a series of four smaller pictures on the opposite page as we step back farther and farther.  Henry Cole's placement of smaller pictures on one or two pages is intentional as is the placement of the bag in each image.

The characters' facial features and body postures supply readers with a range of emotions.  The settings in which they are shown contribute to the personal involvement of readers in this story.  We are there with the characters in each situation.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the original boy, now a grandfather, is walking with his grandson.  It is a single-page picture, page edge to page edge.  They are walking on a path in the forest.  Their backs are to us.  They are holding hands.  The grandfather on the left is using a cane to aid his walking.  The family cat follows along on the boy's right.  He holds the bag, now bearing four hearts, in his right hand.  As we look ahead of the duo, through the trees, Henry Cole has placed a glow, a lightening.

This book, One Little Bag: An Amazing Journey conceived and illustrated by Henry Cole, is as they say in the children's literature community, a heartprint book.  It will leave a mark on your heart.  This story and the characters will remain in your mind long after the book is finished.  It will cause you to pause in the future, reflecting on its intelligent message so marvelously delivered.  At the close of the book in an Author's Note, Henry Cole speaks about his personal story and the premise for writing this story.  I can't imagine any collection of books without a copy of this title.

To learn more about Henry Cole and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his personal website.  Henry Cole has accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  The cover reveal for this book is at Nerdy Book Club.  Henry Cole is interviewed about this title at The Horn Book and Publishers Weekly.

Our rewards from Nature are proportionate to the attention we give it.  The more we look, the more we see.  Every detail is a delightful discovery.

In her newest release, A New Green Day (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, April 14, 2020), Antoinette Portis asks us to think about alternate descriptions for that which is familiar.  Through her words and illustrations, magic happens.

"Morning lays me on your pillow, an invitation, square and warm.

Come out and play!"

Who is speaking in these first two sentences?  With a page turn we realize we have been welcomed to participate in a guessing game with elements found in Nature.  Sunlight is talking first.

We are asked to follow a doodle on a path and a map within a home.  What we hold in our hand, can act as a measuring tape.  A newborn in a nearby stream is a form of punctuation, a pause before adulthood.

A pebble is a sweet delicacy if a river is the taster.  Is there a mountain that can move toward you?  This answer will surprise you.  It is usually a prelude to 

"I'm a chorus 

of a million tiny voices. . . ."

and several more wondrous riddles which follow.

Other apt descriptions have you searching your mind for answers as you put the clues together.  As the summer day comes to a close, a final voice calls to sleepers.  It's a reminder of what we have seen and what we have yet to see.

Using lyrical but carefully chosen words, author Antoinette Portis, presents two-sentence puzzles for readers to ponder.  She requests of readers to contemplate beyond our initial thoughts allowing us to witness beauty we might otherwise miss. Fourteen poems following a similar premise lead us to a new appreciation of our world.  

The amazing shades of green which light up trees, shrubs and plants as spring turns to summer move from the right, front, to the left, back, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case.  The garland of leaves extends from flap edge to flap edge on the jacket.  Placing them on a crisp white background gives them a special glow.  We are introduced to the character who proceeds through the summer day on the front of the jacket and case.  The title text on the jacket is varnished.

On the opening and closing endpapers and the first and last page turn are brush strokes, looking somewhat like marble.  They are in various shades of green. Prior to the title page, on white, is a single tiny cricket.  Across the two pages given for the title are five different leaves, all in green hues.

The initial two sentences of each poem are placed in a colorful but muted square on white.  For the answer to the poem, a full-page picture is offered.  These illustrations rendered by Antoinette Portis 

using brush and sumi ink, leaf prints, vine charcoal and hand-stamped lettering with color added digitally,

supply readers with different points of view.  We stand next to a sleeping child. We are at eye level with a snail.  We see an enlarged tadpole as if we are with it in a stream.  We watch from the safety of a neighborhood of homes as lightning slices into a tree.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the answer to the first riddle poem.  Below the words

says sunlight

the little girl, one pigtail spread across her pillow, sleeps with her face turned away from readers, to the left.  Her red top provides a contrast to the white pillow with shadows and the green of her blanket.  As sunlight comes in through the window, we see outlines of leaves on a tree outside her home on her blanket and top.  A new day is gently beginning.

Inspiring and hopeful, A New Green Day written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis is a book to read repeatedly.  It celebrates our planet and elements large and small found everywhere.  It requires us to think.  It encourages us to see the magic in the ordinary.  Perhaps we can write our own puzzle poems.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Antoinette Portis, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Antoinette Portis has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there is a link to an Educator's Guide.

Never has it been more apparent than the beginning of 2020 how vital the outside world is to all living things.  We humans, if not previously so appreciative, are now.  We recognize the value of embracing what has been so freely present.  The urgency of preserving and protecting it is heightened.  

In their first collaboration author Deborah Underwood and illustrator Cindy Derby work to show readers the allure of what we find beyond the four walls of our homes.  Outside In (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 14, 2020) looks at the benefits of becoming one with the world around us.  It awakens memories of the past bringing it to the present.

ONCE

we were part of Outside

and Outside was part of us.

There was nothing between us.

This has changed considerably.  Now, even when we venture to the Outside, we do so enclosed in another form of Inside.  Our recollections of 

ONCE

are clouded.

The most important thing to remember is that Outside has not forgotten.  It tugs at those murky memories.  It does so with bursts of color and growth.  

The sunlight streaming through a window is a reminder.  Birdsong is a reminder.  Twigs brushing on rooftops are a reminder.  Outside is calling to us through our senses.

If we stop to think about it, Outside is responsible for our care.  It gives us food.  It gives us clothing.  It gives us shelter.  It brings itself to the Inside when we hug and cuddle our dogs and cats.

Outside is a clock.  We mark our days with light and darkness.  Sometimes Outside sneaks in through tiny creatures.  It might race through pipes only to return from where it came.  Outside implores us.  Will we respond?

A lilting rhythm in the words written by Deborah Underwood recalls a collective time in our consciousness.  A very personal connection is fashioned by having Outside become a character in the story.  The examples of Outside reminding us are always present for us to experience, but in Deborah Underwood's stellar use of language, they are enchanting.  They cast a spell and we willingly allow it to work.  Here are two sentences.

It beckons with smells:

sunbaked,

fresh,

and mysterious.

Outside cuddles us

in clothes,

once puffs of cotton.

The open dust jacket for this book is entirely varnished.  Small portions of the images on the left, back, and the right, front, bleed to the flaps.  The glorious display of Outside as presented on the front with the girl and her cat walking from Inside is uplifting and comforting.  You will find yourself pausing to look at all the details embedded in this illustration (and in all the illustrations throughout the book.)  The play of light and shadow is outstanding.  On the back the Outside opens from the bottom and slightly left like a beautiful blossom.  The blend of greens and blues is luminous.

On the book case moving from the deep blue hues on the left and over the spine to the right, we are drawn to a doorway.  Light streams in through the opening.  As we gaze through the doorway, we see, with anticipation, the Outside.

On the opening and closing endpapers in brush strokes of green on white, Outside calls to us.  Swirls of leaves, branches and tiny creatures greet our eyes.  A page turn at the beginning and end reveal green on green and a cluster of evergreens.  On the initial title page, the child, standing on a pathway, is looking back at the Outside.  On the double-page picture for the formal title page, she is now seated on a large tree branch enjoying the Outside spread before her.

Each image, rendered

with watercolor and powdered graphite on cold press paper

by artist Cindy Derby, mirrors an affection for Outside and the words by Deborah Underwood. 

Some of the lines were created with dried flower stems and thread soaked in ink.

Although the colors are bright and bold, as are the pictures they disclose, there is a soft texture about each one.  All the visuals span two pages or single pages.  To accentuate the text, perspective is shifted, sometimes within a single image. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a two-page picture.  The little girl's body is resting on the floor, her head on the left and the rest of her body is on the left, crossing the gutter and her feet are stretching nearly to the right edge. Her eyes are closed as her body curls around the sleeping and curled form of her dog.  Lying on top of her, eyes closed, is her black cat. The cat is on the right.  The girl's top, a mix of red, blue and orange highlights her form and the forms of her dog and cat.  This picture of the Outside is not only universal but happening more often in our current world circumstances.  

This book, Outside In written by Deborah Underwood with illustrations by Cindy Derby, is to be read and shared often.  I expect you will receive requests of read it again.  It restores our ties to the Outside.  It is a balm, a treasure, for a craving we sometimes can't identify.  You'll want to have a copy of this title for your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Deborah Underwood and Cindy Derby and their other work, links attached to their names allow you to access their respective websites.  Deborah Underwood has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Cindy Derby has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson showcases this book and the artwork of Cindy Derby on her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Enjoy the recent video below made by Cindy Derby where she demonstrates how she made some of the art for this book.

Curiousity In A New Setting

Once you've lived in northern Michigan, hiked through the woods, walked meadow pathways, strolled along one of the many beaches, canoed in the rivers and gazed at the night sky brimming with stars, the conveniences of life in a city downstate do not compare to the beauty one can see every single day in the tip of the mitt.  Recently returning to this area has offered the opportunity to see some of Mother Nature's gorgeous displays when walking with my furry friend through the woods and along Lake Charlevoix.  You notice the oddly shaped tree, the lichen growing on rocks along the road and the work of woodpeckers.  The play of sunlight and shadow is breathtaking.

Author illustrator Philip Stead, who gave children's literature the wonderfully creative Ideas Are All Around (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, March 1, 2016) through observations when walking with his dog Wednesday, brings another reflective book about taking note of your surroundings as well as how the past blends with the present. All the Animals Where I Live (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, March 20, 2018) acquaints us with the area in which the Steads and Wednesday now reside.  They have moved from the city to an old farmhouse in the country.

IF YOU FOLLOW THE DIRT ROAD DOWN FROM MY HOUSE,
past the family of wild turkeys that roost on the wooden fence,
you'll find a ninety-year-old woman who lives all by herself.

It is no surprise a bear was looking through the old woman's window one day.  With no fear, she went outside and chased it away.  Philip, on the other hand, has never seen a bear in the city or the country. He does have a special bear sitting near him when he works. It is Frederick, a gift from his Grandma Jane.

I loved my Grandma Jane.

He remembers a room in her home always smelling of maple syrup.  He remembers a wool blanket made from squares with chickens in the center.  He remembers how he slept beneath that blanket.

He imagines his grandmother as an animal, a hummingbird.  All the other animals would consider her a friend before she flew to Philip's old farmhouse in the country.  Wednesday, of all the places she has lived, loves this place best.

Wednesday watches the coming and going of all kinds of animals; dragonflies, cranes and a lazy toad.  Wednesday sees a turtle drop from the sky.  At night a whole new crew of creatures makes sounds in the darkness.

Summer passes into autumn.  Wednesday still watches but she plays a game with the deer that come to feast on the fallen apples.  Soon snow covers everything in sight.  Everyone is tucked up tight except for brave birds coming to feed on the seed.  One other thing lingers.  It's a sweet, sweet memory.


Like the master teller of stories he is, Philip Stead, sends readers an invitation with his opening two sentences.  He paints pictures as eloquently with words as he does with his art.  He invites us to walk down a familiar road.  We feel like we know the elderly woman who encounters the bear.

We become more intimately involved when Philip shares memories of his past with us.  With enchanting imagery he ties his grandmother to the present and Wednesday and their old farmhouse in the county.  With his use of language we are transported.  Here is a passage.

Then the coyote howls, and nothing moves.
Except for Wednesday.
She runs to the window and barks, barks, barks.
Wednesday echoes through the dark field,
over the apple trees,
and into the woods where the coyote disappears for a while.


Rendered

entirely by hand using a combination of techniques including oil ink monoprinting, printing from found objects, and drawing with China marker, bamboo calligraphy brushes, and Sumi ink

all of the art beginning with the opened dust jacket are signature Philip Stead supplying readers with atmospheric settings.  The red used in the title text and on the old farmhouse add extra warmth to the countryside scene.  To the left, on the back, of the jacket, the shades of green and rustic golden yellow for ground and sky continue across the spine.  They provide a canvas for a crane with one leg lifted, head raised and beak open in a call.  The painstaking care given to the placement of each element gives readers insight into the love of the artist for his work.  Each detail is exquisite.

On the book case the red used on the jacket is replicated as a background for the front and the back.  Embossed on the front in the lower, right-hand corner in black is a chicken.  A pale mint green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  The initial title page contains a hummingbird at rest on a branch with two delicate leaves in the same color as the hummingbird.  The verso and formal title page contain a more panoramic view of the farm, a cluster of birch trees and the apple trees.  It is done in black on cream with the only color the red of the title text.

With each page turn readers will find themselves pausing to enter each illustration.  We are drawn into the moments presented to us.  We are in the room looking at the bear looking at us.  We feel the love flowing from the image of the teddy bear given by Grandma Jane.  We're warm from sleeping under the chicken blanket.  We easily follow Wednesday as he travels around the farm day to day, season to season.

Of my many favorite illustrations in this title which finds a place in my heart spans two pages (as they all do except for the final picture).  On cream, red and golden birch leaves are pressed along the top on both pages with one drifting down.  Along the bottom are grasses in shades of autumn.  On the left a large hollow stump is the residence of a chipmunk family.  One is sitting in the doorway at the base.  Two others have left; one is seated and the other is running.  They are wary because Wednesday is on her hind legs, paws resting on the edge of the stump.  Her head is bowed as she peers inside.


This book, All the Animals Where I Live written and illustrated by Philip Stead, is an exploration not only of his and Wednesday's worlds but of how we can view the world in which we live.  It allows us to appreciate every aspect of our past and present.  It asks us to live in each moment valuing it for what it can teach us.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections. 

To learn more about Philip Stead and his other accomplished works, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At The Stead Collection website you can follow links titled books, authors, resources and contact.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Here is a link to an activity kit.  I believe you will enjoy this older interview with Philip C. and Erin E. Stead at MackinVIACommunity.

To The Rescue

There are those individuals with hearts so full of compassion they will do anything at any time to come to the assistance of another.  They easily place themselves in the position of the being in dire straits.  All thoughts of their own welfare vanish.  They are the definition of a friend in need is a friend indeed.

If in the course of providing help an adventure should ensue, these individuals will greet every obstacle with unwavering confidence and courage.  In their collaboration Special Delivery (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, March 3, 2015) author Philip C. Stead and illustrator Matthew Cordell introduced us to such a person.  Her name is Sadie.

This gal, who will go the extra mile, literally miles and miles, returns in The Only Fish In The Sea (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, August 15, 2017).  Nothing will deter her from her goal.  Nothing.

"Hey, Sadie!  Did you hear about Little Amy Scott?"

Our story opens with Sadie's friend, Sherman, riding his bicycle as fast as his legs will work.  He yells out to her about Amy Scott's birthday present fiasco.  Amy Scott takes her gift of a goldfish, which she says is boring, still in the plastic bag and throws it off the end of the dock into the sea.

Sadie agrees with Sherman about this being a complete misfortune for the tiny creature.  In fact, she thinks it's terrible.  Why would anyone put a goldfish's life in jeopardy?  There is only one thing to do.  Rescue it.

With determination Sadie informs Sherman that Ellsworth (She names the goldfish because that's the kind of human being Sadie is.) will be saved.  There are items to be procured for this effort.  You won't believe why Sadie needs twenty-one pink balloons but as noted previously Sadie is a thoughtful, kind soul.  Although at one point a statement she makes has Sherman worried about the future of the goldfish after it's located.

Sadie and Sherman and six monkeys (Those monkeys from the first book have relocated to Sadie and Sherman's community.) set off across the sea with the monkeys rowing and the friends sipping tea.  It is, of course, raining.  As the wind picks up, sea creatures begin to circle the boat.

On the crest of a wild wave victory is in sight.  One of the passengers simultaneously notices another resident rise from the deep dark waters.  The fate of the rescue rests in the hands of this gallant gal, her friend and the boat's crew.  Back in the center of the village, townsfolk gather in a show of affection.  And what of Little Amy Scott you ask?  You'll have to read the book, dear reader.


To have Philip C. Stead bring back a protagonist and her cast of characters is cause for celebration.  As in the previous title dialogue opens before the title page in the form of Sherman trying to get Sadie's attention.  You can feel the gentle tension and excitement already starting to build with this technique.

Sadie, true to her personality as created by Stead, is ready to do whatever it takes to save that goldfish.  This time she carefully plans and stocks the proper gear for success, although the reader is constantly surprised by those items and their significance.  Told entirely in dialogue, the meticulous selection of text gives us the soul of the story; a life and death situation, others trying to avert disaster, urgency, comedy and ultimately profound kindness and justice.  Here is a sample passage.

"In the meantime, we'll have tea.  Patience, Sherman, is the most important part of fishing."


When you look at the opened dust jacket your eyes are first drawn to the right, the front.  Set in a scrolled, glided frame, this moment conveys the height of the adventure.  Sadie stands stalwart holding her cup of tea, Sherman has the net at the ready, the monkeys are in various stages of rowing.  Two are completely unaware of the danger wrapping itself around them.  One is totally frightened.  A fourth monkey has spied something in the distance. You can almost hear the scream of the wind and the crash of the waves and feel the rain on your face.

To the left, on the back, those crazy monkeys are painting the very picture we have just seen.  Two are at the easel, one is screaming aloud, another is taking a picture, one is stirring paint in a can and the final monkey is painting the hat of the stirring-paint monkey.  In other words, it's mayhem.  Sherman and Sadie stand back and watch.  This is on a white canvas.  In this image, as in all the illustrations in this book, Matthew Cordell is a master with details.  Sadie is carrying her helmet, sipping a cup of tea.

While I received an F & G at NerdCampMI, I wanted to wait to talk about this book until the release date today because I knew the book case would be amazing.  And it is.  The background is a map, one of the maps used to find the goldfish.  Pencils, rulers, compasses and protractors are placed amid snapshots taken before, during and after the adventure.  Almost all of them are a close perspective.  The opening and closing endpapers are different in color which is significant, a sage green and pink.

Having the dialogue and Cordell's illustrations bring the reader to the title page is superb.  It leads us into the reappearance of the monkeys, who are never actually mentioned in the text but play a huge role in the pictures.  When we see them on the title page, they are playing instruments in the town square on and near a fountain.  Bananas are everywhere, thrown to them for their music.  This is important because as Sadie and Sherman prepare for the trip, the monkeys make payments for everything in bananas in the visuals.

You will stop at every page to look at all the elements placed there by Cordell.  You want to see what the monkeys are doing. (You will be laughing nonstop.)  You want to notice the expressions on Sadie's and Sherman's faces.  You don't want to miss the items included from the previous title.  Most of Cordell's illustrations span two pages but he uses single pages to showcase the pacing.

It is nearly impossible to select a single favorite illustration from many but when they first start to save the goldfish is certainly one of them.  To the left one of the monkeys (They are all dressed in sailor outfits with the hats.) is running frantically across the sand, left behind.  He has dropped a paint can and a balloon is drifting away.  The rain is starting to fall harder.  To the right the boat is heading out to sea.  Sadie is talking to Sherman as she rows.  Two monkeys are shouting at the third running on shore.  Another monkey is rowing.  Another is using binoculars.  At the front of the boat a monkey searches the sea with a spyglass.  The crow watches.  The fishing poles are being used for one of several surprises.  Sherman's hat has blown off in a gust of wind.

No matter how many times you read this title you will begin and end it with a smile on your face.  You will burst out laughing more than once.  Like the companion book, The Only Fish In The Sea written by Philip C. Stead with illustrations by Matthew Cordell highlights a character you can't help but admire.  Her steadfast friend and the wild monkeys make this book one you will want to own for your professional and personal bookshelves.  We can never have too many characters who have kindness direct their lives and fuel their bravery.

To discover more about Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Here is another link to information about Philip C. Stead.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  This book is mentioned in a post by author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  The cover reveal was hosted by teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner at All The Wonders with a conversation.  Philip C. Stead and Matthew Cordell chat at Publishers Weekly KidsCast about this book.

Walk With Purpose And Always Look To See

TO

ANYONE WHO IS HAVING A BAD DAY

Reading a dedication such as this lets you know you are holding hope in your hands.  We all have waking hours we would like to fast forward or rewind; some of them worse than others.  Knowing everyone has these moments binds us together as members of the human race.  If we are fortunate one or more will reach out a helping hand.

When you read titles such as A Home for Bird, Bear Has a Story to Tell, Hello, My Name is Ruby, Sebastian and the Balloon, and Lenny & Lucy each focusing on compassion and friendship, each written by the same author as the dedication shown above, you know his newest title will give you those very same things.  It will encourage you to look at your world with intention.  Samson in the Snow (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, September 27, 2016) written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead is a gentle story wrapped in a timeless truth.

ON SUNNY DAYS Samson tended his dandelion patch.

Samson has a dandelion patch, caring for it like a master gardener.  He is also waiting; patiently waiting for a friend.  On a sunny morning a small red bird stops to chat with Samson.  A request is made.

Without giving it a second thought, Samson selects some of his finest blossoms for the red bird to take to a friend who is having a bad day.  The bird explains the friend's favorite color is yellow.  It's Samson's favorite color too.  Seeing the red bird soar across the sky Samson thinks about having a friend.  Before he knew it, he falls into a sound sleep.

As Samson sleeps, a sneaky storm pushes the sunny day away changing the yellow of the dandelion patch and Samson's yellow dream to white.  This wakes him up.  When he sees all the white his first thought is of the little red bird.  It worries him so he, wishing for a friend, goes in search of one seeking their friend.

Samson plods over all sorts of terrain covered in deep, blowing snow. As he moves along he nearly steps on a mouse that is grateful for a ride within his furry coat.  They realize they are both looking for someone small who might be in trouble in this storm.  Samson grows weary so they rest right next to something looking a little out of place in all this white.  When you look for the right reasons, friendship finds a way.

Through his masterful use of language Philip C. Stead creates an atmosphere which asks us to pause and reflect.  We are sharing the experience with his characters.  We are intimately aware of the innate capacity within them to be kind first.  Without telling us outright Stead's narrative and conversations between the characters weave around us the wisdom of The Golden Rule.  Here is a passage.

Samson trudged through valleys and over rolling hills.  The wind blew the snow into fantastic shapes---but Samson did not stop to look.  

"The little red bird is not made for this kind of weather," he thought.

Moving from left to right, back to front, the opened dust jacket is a before and during look at this story.  In the first Samson is walking off the left portion of the back with the little red bird flying near him. The day is sunny and the field is filled with dandelions.  On the right the hill continues but is now covered in snow with Samson walking in the opposite direction.  The title text is raised.  

The book case takes one of the grays from the storm using it as the background color.  On the front a single large snowflake appears to have been stenciled.  In the center is a tiny woolly mammoth.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in a lighter, almost silver, gray.  The same image on the case appears in pale green before the title page.  The text on the title page is dandelion yellow with the o in snow a tiny pale green snowflake.  Several small snowflakes are placed on the verso.

Handmade using oil pastels, charcoal, and cardboard printing

the illustrations span either a single page or across two pages.  The texture in these images is stunning.  Prior to the snowstorm small dandelions are placed on the text pages.  After the storm snowflakes take their place.

 Stead alters his perspectives to completely bind readers to the story.  When he brings you close to the characters you are connected in that minute.  When we are given a grander view we realize the extent of the commitment of each.  Nothing is going to keep them from doing what they believe is right.

One of my favorite illustrations is on a single page in the beginning.  We are looking at the little red bird as if we are the woolly mammoth.  The small friend is looking up, tail feathers fanned behind. Surrounding the little red bird are dandelion tops with leaves reaching out like arms.  The dandelions are nearly the same size as the bird.  

Samson in the Snow written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead is a moving, marvelous tale of friendship.  It softly surrounds you.  It is the kind of story you want to share repeatedly. This book is a gem; like finding dandelions in a snow storm.  

To learn more about Philip C. Stead and his other work please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  There is also a website dedicated to the work of Philip C. Stead and his wife, Erin E. Stead.  Several interior pages are available for you to view at the publisher's website.  Erin and Phil were interviewed at Twenty By Jenny in April of this year.

UPDATE:  An entire set of activities is dedicated to this title at All The Wonders, December 12, 2016.

To Wednesday

At puppy Xena's first visit to the vet we were told as a sporting dog she needed long walks every single day.  So we did. In sickness and health (mine) not a day was missed.  There was also a great deal of running, swimming and hole digging (hers).  That's a lot of miles covered over fifteen years although during the last twelve months the walks became strolls and were shorter with lots of sniffing and pausing on her part.

All that walking for humans does not equal the same degree of senses used as it does for dogs.  Although there is quite a bit of seeing, smelling, and hearing what seems to happen the most is time for thinking unless you are taking a trip through your neighborhood.  That changes the entire experience.  Ideas Are All Around (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, March 1, 2016) written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead is about an author in search of an idea.

Today
outside my house
the sunflower opened up.

"Hello, Sunflower!"

After reflecting on the fact this is the only sunflower to be standing tall and blooming from an entire packet of seeds past their prime, we know this author needs a single thought to grow a story.  The dog Wednesday does not want to spend the day inside while her human explores their mind for the special something to start their writing.  Off they go on a walk.

Like a gardener holding an envelope labeled ideas, images and encounters with wildlife, strangers and welcoming residents are collected as this writer and Wednesday roam along familiar paths.  A painted turtle soaking in the sun on a log in the river is greeted by name before vanishing beneath the water.  On the other side of the river a treasured friend shouts a hello.  A memory surfaces about a long ago incident involving paint, an accident and a blue horse.

A line of ducks, graffiti words and a long-legged bird taking flight are duly noted.  As a train passes speculation quickly follows about where it might be going or where the tracks lead in the other direction.  A line of people hungry for breakfast, cloud watching and a probe into the past about the purchase of a typewriter occupy the neighborhood travelers.

Familiar birdsong interrupts the author's musings before Wednesday races after a squirrel.  Finally settling down for a chat with Barbara, the early morning greeter, things seen and remembered are woven into the comfortable conversation.  Soon

CLAK-CLAK-CLAK
CLAK-CLAK-DING!

is heard.


As each separate observation is revealed Philip C. Stead adds several sentences, statements or thoughts creating a gentle storytelling rhythm.  It's a rare gift for readers to see how his mind measures and assesses each one.  Dialogue is threaded through the narrative.  Most walkers can attest, especially those walking with their canine companion, speaking aloud or silently in your head is frequent, freeing and fun.  We feel our kinship with this man and his dog growing as the walk and story progresses.  Here is a sample passage.

"H-e-y-y-y-y, Barbara!" I call out.
"Maybe we'll stop by later!"
"Okay!" she says. ""I'll make coffee!"
Then comes a line of ducks
floating downstream.
"Hello," I say.
"I don't have any ideas today."
If the ducks have any advice
they keep it to themselves.


A gorgeous blend of artistic techniques, monoprinting, cardboard printing, painting on paper and applying pressure to the back, drawing in crayon on brown paper and cutting out the forms and pictures taken with a Polaroid camera, are used to render the illustrations in this book.  Across the dust jacket large brush strokes and swirls of blue paint form a horse with the other guide, the real dog Wednesday, running alongside in perfect unison.  On the book case an array of Polaroid pictures, seventeen, in rows of three on a background of white give us a first peek at them before their appearance on the interior pages.  The title text occupies one of the spaces.

Sunflower yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Snapshots of Wednesday are shown before the story starts, one on the dedication.

Wednesday dedicates this book 
to the neighborhood.

A heavy matte-finished paper is an ideal canvas for the visuals placed together by Stead.  The cadence of page turns is altered by image size and the use of the Polaroid pictures.  To begin a single page illustration is on the right, a Polaroid on the left.  This slightly shifts with the addition of text on the right.  Then it's art above and below the text extending over two pages before a big beautiful blue horse appears on a double-page spread.  The layout and design are exquisite working in harmony with the words.

I can't help it.  One of my favorite illustrations is at the beginning of the book.  It's of Wednesday sitting on grass with a torn right edge overlapping green and white polka-dot paper.  She's looking right at the reader in all her shaggy-haired, loving wonderfulness.  A bright yellow circular sun is painted on white behind her head; most assuredly a halo for a guardian angel.


An author who needs an idea and a dog who needs a walk trek through their neighborhood, each happy with the results in Ideas Are All Around written and illustrated by Philip C. Stead.  It's a gathering of tiny kernels ready to sprout into stories after planted in a creative mind.  This book is a garden in full splendor.

To learn more about Philip C. Stead and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  To access The Stead Collection pages please follow this link. A sweepstakes is being held in relation to this title.  Information can be found here.  To view eight interior images, including my favorite one, please go to the publisher's website. A teacher's guide for many of the Stead books and a wonderful activity kit for this title are available there also. Reading about the evolution of this book through a guest post by Stead at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast is a marvelous.  On March 11, 2016 Philip C. Stead was a guest on the podcast Let's Get Busy, Episode 243. 

Happy book birthday to Philip C. Stead's Ideas Are All Around! https://t.co/7u0ERAUIaf @MacKidsBooks

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) March 1, 2016