Forming Fast Friendships

Lasting friendships are built on rock-solid foundations with flexibility abilities, like buildings able to withstand hurricanes or earthquakes.  These relationships weather situations involving mistrust, betrayal, inattentiveness, lack of communication (unvoiced expectations), and lies.  By contrast certainty, loyalty, respect, an open exchange of ideas and information, and truth strengthen the bonds between individuals.  No amount of time seems to break the connections between these kindred spirits.

Sometimes one of most difficult things to do is mend a crack.  Taking responsibility for your mistake and correcting it is no easy task.  I'm Sorry (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, September 7, 2021) written by Michael Ian Black with illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi is the fifth collaboration between these two talented individuals.  Sometimes when we've said or done something unkind, we want to rewind immediately.

Flamingo,

are you okay?

Potato hurt my feelings.

A little girl, friend to truest friends, Flamingo and Potato, offers to chat with Potato.  She does not want the twosome to be apart.  Within seconds, Potato realizes saying mean things is not acceptable between best buddies.

When the girl says she knows what to do, Potato wonders if making a sandwich for Flamingo will help.  No, but an apology is probably the best idea.  Potato thinks running away to Antarctica would be better.  He has two other ideas that are not apologies.  

The girl insists Potato has to say 

I'm sorry

to Flamingo.  The girl continues to reason with Potato, finally leaving the spud alone to think.  Later when Potato finds the girl and Flamingo playing, his disguise does not fool Flamingo.  

Flamingo and the girl sit down to wait as Potato struggles to say what must be said.  A sudden outburst lets loose a flood of remorse.  Shared conversations between first Flamingo and Potato, then all three lead to a renewed sense of adventure among compassionate companions.

The sentences penned by Michael Ian Black are exactly as one would expect children to speak to each other.  They are simple and direct, getting to the heart of each character's emotional moods.  Suggestions by the girl, reasonable and rational, are offered in the spirit of someone who is observing two friends at odds.  Children, more times than not, offer the best kind of solutions.  A child's heart sees the world as it should be seen.  Michael Ian Black reveals this in the words in this story told through dialogue.  Here is a passage.

Hi, Potato.

IT'S 

NOT

MY

FAULT!

Whose fault is it

when you say mean things?

Mine!  It's all my

fault!

Oh, 

Potato. 

Readers can readily see by the open and matching dust jacket and book case, beloved characters, the girl, the flamingo, and the potato, have returned.  One is clearly disgruntled, another is upset by their behavior, and the third is offering assistance.  Flamingo and Potato, pink and brown, remain the same.  The color scheme on the girl is basically the same, yellow, blue, and pink.  Her clothing styles shift as does her footwear in this title compared to the previous books.   The characters and title text are slightly raised and varnished.

On the back, to the left of the spine, the canvas remains as a lighter green.  There the author and illustrator names appear with words from Potato.  He is trying, initially unsuccessful, to say he is sorry.

On the opening and closing endpapers, in the same green, Potato appears.  First is the enlarged contraction next to him on the right side, 

I'm.

At the end, in letters stretching from left to right and top to bottom, is the word

SORRY!

Potato is placed in the center of the O, yelling.

On the verso and dedication page, the text is designed to mirror the face of a sorry Potato.  Most of the words form Potato's eyes.  The dedications are Potato's anxious frown.  

These digitally rendered illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi are lively, bright, and detailed.  Layers are used with excellent effect, adding brilliance to some shades with others more faded. (When Potato is wondering, Potato and the girl are bright, but the other items are lighter variations of the same shade.)  Black silhouettes are also employed superbly.

Images span two pages, edge to edge, single pages within loose geometric shapes, and single pages, edge to edge.  Debbie Ridpath Ohi varies the perspective for dramatic emphasis.  Her pictures are tender and charming, endearing readers to the girl, Potato, and Flamingo.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a smaller picture on a single page.  The girl is listening as Potato is telling her how hard it is to say

I'm sorry. 

On an area of grass Potato is speaking to the left of the girl.  She is kneeling on the grass with her soccer ball next to her.  On tall blades of grass is an insect as curious of the girl as she is of it.  She has an open insect book on her lap.  I love that she has had this book in her pocket throughout the story.  This is a little additional pictorial story.

All the books in this series are exemplary.  I'm Sorry written by Michael Ian Black with illustrations by Debbie Ridpath Ohi will resonate with readers of all ages.  (Although the older you get, the easier it is to say I'm sorry because you realize, day by day, how short life is.  Time is too precious to waste.)  This is a book to be read often and shared widely.  I can already hear the discussions it will raise.  Make sure to have at least one copy in your professional collections and one copy on your personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Debbie Ridpath Ohi and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Michael Ian Black has an account on Twitter.  Debbie Ridpath Ohi has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images and the dust jacket.  There is an interview with Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Math Is Everywhere about this title.

The day will always come when the thing a friend needs the most is your presence.  Your presence is a sign of unquestionable support.  Your presence, without you uttering a single syllable, says where you go, I go.  Two pals we met in Stick and Stone have returned in another heartwarming happening.  Stick and Stone Best Friends Forever (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 7, 2021) written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld follows the duo as they embark on a special search of great importance.

Stick.

Stone.

A friendship full-grown.

They have no idea where their search will take them.  Stick seeks his family tree.  He is eager to find his residence of origin.  Where was his branch attached?  Stone is ready

Hills lead them into forests.  Valleys lead them over running water.  Both lead them to the highest mountains.  Unfortunately, Stick can't seem to locate the all-important tree.

When Stick tries to describe it to Stone, the portrait he paints with his words is like all trees.  Stone thinks this is funny.  Before long, the pair are lost in the darkest part of a woods.  Every sound and every shadow fill them will dread.

The last sound reveals a welcome surprise.  Two plus one equals a compass, a guide, to help them get home.  Stick is sad they were unable to find his family three, but Stone replies with the exact words Stick needs to hear.  That, after all, is what friends to the end truly are.

A delightful cadence created with rhyming words by Beth Ferry asks readers to join in Stick's and Stone's journey.  Sentence by sentence in a blend of narrative and dialogue, the quest continues.  As they search, but don't find the family tree subtle tension grows.  This makes the revelation even more desirable.  It also brings us to the beautiful moments Stick and Stone share on the final pages.  Here is a passage.

They hear something scurry.

"C'mon, Stick.  Let's hurry."

"Was that a bear?"

Was it a snake?"

"It might be a monster."

"THIS WAS A MISTAKE!"

The scene on the front, ride side, of the open and matching dust jacket and book case, continues over the spine.  Not only can we tell Stick and Stone are out and about in the wilderness, but their facial expressions tell us of their combined joy.  Don't you just love how Stick is paddling the canoe!

To the left, on the back, the canvas switching to a lighter shade of stone surrounds Stick and Stone.  Stick holds a maple and oak leaf, speculating on a possible family tree.  Stone to the right looks affectionately at the broken branch.

On the opening and closing endpapers, teal is used as a background color.  A happy pattern is made with Stick and various leaves sprouting from Stick's upper portion.  More than thirty trees are featured.  Labels appear next to the leaves.

These illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld rendered

in pen, watercolor, colored pencil, PanPastels, and Neocolor oil pastels on Mi-Teintes paper with a bit of Photoshop to fix the mistakes

span two pages, edge to edge, and full pages, edge to edge.  The background colors shift to indicate the time of day, the place, and the emotional mood of the characters.  The use of hues of blue, golden yellow, and green fashion a lasting warmth.

We are keenly aware of every mood of the characters by their facial expression, their eyes, and their body postures.  The details Tom Lichtenheld includes are absolutely adorable.  For the words

A friendship full-grown,

Tom Lichtenheld has Stick measuring Stone's height on the door frame, pencil in hand.  Before the search begins, Stick is reading a tree identification book with Stone.  At the top of the mountain peak, capped with snow, Stone is wearing a knitted hat.  Readers will also enjoy seeing the other wildlife displayed in the images.

One of my many favorite illustrations is at the beginning of the expedition.  Stone and Stick are on the edge of a grassy cliff.  Stretching before them are hilly, tree-studded forests.  A golden and blue sky with a few clouds appears endless.  Stick is standing on top of Stone.  In Stick's hand is the eyepiece to a telescope.  The telescope is very, very long.  The last portion of it rests in the "v" formed by a tree branch jutting out from the cliff.

Readers will be ready to reread this book, Stick and Stone Best Friends Forever written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by Tom Lichtenheld, as soon as it is finished.  Their friendship is the kind everyone needs.  Perhaps, readers and listeners will wander and find their very own stick and stone to hold in their hands as the story is read.  I know you will want this companion title on both your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Beth Ferry has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Tom Lichtenheld has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Beth Ferry and Tom Lichtenheld are interviewed about this book at Maria Marshall's site.  Beth Ferry is interviewed at The Children's Book Review about this title.

Duds Dismay

Dreamed into reality in 1949, it is still in existence today.  In 1952 it was the first toy to be advertised on television.  Within months it garnered four million dollars for the company.  Most of the households in my neighborhood as a child owned at least one.  It was a star in the 1995 movie, Toy Story.  (And it might be the reason potatoes are my favorite food.)  Mr. Potato Head was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2000.

For the vivid and active imaginations of children (and children at heart), adding ears, eyes, a mouth, feet, arms and hands, a nose, and a variety of hats to a potato opens whole new worlds.  Potato Pants! (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt and Company, October 2, 2018) written and illustrated by Laurie Keller brings to readers a tuber-ific tale of excitement, dread, and compassion liberally loaded with hilarity.  How can you even think the title words without laughing?

POTATO IS EXCITED!
(That's why he's doing the Robot.)

I call it
the PO-bot
because I'm a
PO-tato.

In case you are wondering (a) why a potato is talking and (b) why he's excited, the local pants shop is having a spectacular one-day event.  The owner, Lance Vance, is selling trousers designed particularly for potatoes.  Potato is trying not to panic but the advertisement says

ONCE THEY'RE GONE,
THEY'RE GONE!

He's early to avoid the spud stampede but his cheer turns to fear when he sees a pineapple-patterned- pant-wearing eggplant standing inside.  He's frozen outside remembering how this very eggplant shoved him into a garbage bin yesterday.  How is he going to get his perfect pair of pants? Potatoes are coming and going and each is wearing new designer duds.

A passerby gives him an idea but a call to a grocery store yields negative results.  Trying to decide what to do next, Potato learns there is only one pair left.  Desire overcomes dismay, he rushes into the store only to discover the pants are gone.  Potato explodes at the injustice.

His anger is short-lived when he learns of damage he caused in his haste to acquire his perfect pair of pants.  His purple nemesis approaches.  In a twist of tater-tastic scope, Potato and Eggplant leave Lance Vance's Fancy Pants Store wiser.


Only someone with a brilliant sense of humor could write a story filled with this much fun.  Laurie Keller has a knack for knowing which words to use to create an exact comedic effect.  Rhyming, alliteration, repetition, and puns heighten the narrative and the conversations of Potato, the other characters and Eggplant.  Here is a passage.

Poor Potato.  It's not easy for him
to watch all the other potatoes walk
by in their new Potato Pants.

I LOVE my new
POTATO PANTS!

We love
OURS,
too!

Mine have 
polka dots
and 
ruffles!

Mine have
BIG
pockets!

Mine are kind of
SCRATCHY.  I may need some
POTATO UNDERPANTS!


The background seen on the opened dust jacket is like the bags used to package potatoes.  This is very clever.  The smaller images around Potato on the front, right, give readers hints as to the incidents in the story.  One look at the face of Potato on the front is guaranteed to bring on giggles and grins.  It also will have readers wondering why Potato appears frightened.  To the left, on the back, within a potato shape Potato is watching an ad on television announcing the Potato Pants event.

A bright sky blue covers the book case.  Etched in a darker blue Potato does his famous PO-Bot from left to right.  The opening and closing endpapers are a rich, rusty red.  On the title page Potato's perfect pair of pants, the stripey ones with the stripey suspenders are featured.  From the lower right-hand corner an eyeglass-wearing potato, Tuberto, has a few words to say.

Rendered with markers, colored pencils, pen and ink, acrylic paint, potato stamps, collage, and digital drawing the illustrations feature characters looking as if they could leap off the pages.  The large eyes, stick-like hands, arms and feet add to the total funniness of each scene.  Laurie Keller uses a combination of double-page, full page and a collection of smaller illustrations to provide exemplary pacing.

One of my favorite illustrations is of Potato frantically making a phone call.  He is standing on a white canvas framed by speech balloons and text at the top.  He is holding a rather large cell phone with a brand name of Spud Phone to his left ear.  His expression is one of extreme urgency with raised eyebrows, wide eyes, and a large mouth.  His three tufts of hair are standing up.

Potato Pants! written and illustrated by Laurie Keller will generate marvelous merriment for listeners and readers of all ages.  The entire premise promises pure entertainment but there is also a gift for readers in the story.  It's the gift of understanding and truth.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Laurie Keller and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  The cover reveal is found at Publishers Weekly along with a discussion of her professional work with Christy Ottaviano.  At the Nerdy Book Club Laurie talks about the process for writing this book and it's also the premiere of the book trailer.  Laurie has a radio interview about this title on WVXU.  Laurie has an account on Twitter and Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images. They also have a Teacher's Guide.  

(I was doing a search on Pinterest for potato printing and believe me there are lots of ideas for fun using those vegetables but I discovered something else.  Laurie Keller has 188 boards filled with art and things she adores.)

The Joys Of Childhood

Boredom was not allowed in our home growing up.  When you live a certain way for so many years, it becomes a habit, part of your personality traits.  To this day, I have never been bored.

Have I ever been in the company of children who've uttered those two classic words?  Of course I have!  On September 4, 2012 when the team of author Michael Ian Black and illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi (their first collaboration) released I'm Bored (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers), readers were introduced to an energetic, persistent little girl and one very apathetic potato.

I'm bored.
Bored.
Blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.
I'm so BORED!

In the midst of her boredom a potato appears.  Yes...I know what you're thinking but there in the middle of this monotony a spud joins the narrative.  The girl's initial surprise lasts about five seconds before she gives it the old heave-ho.

Not looking where it is tossed, the potato arcs up and down, bonking her on the head, falling to the floor and saying as clear as day,

I'm bored.

When the girl asks the potato if it wants to do something, it replies in the affirmative but the only thing it likes is flamingos.  There are no flamingos in the vicinity.

In fact the potato says it lacks interest in anything else because it is stuck with a kid.  To the potato, boys and girls are the worst kind of boring.  The girl is flabbergasted with the potato's assessment of children.  He replies with a challenge.

She demonstrates a series of activities.  No.  The potato is still bored, bored and bored some more.  She excitedly shows the value of having an imagination by becoming a ballerina, lion tamer and a fairy princess.  Negative.  When she continues to prove what can be done, even donning a potato costume, the potato is unfazed.

The girl explodes in a tirade, stomping off in a huff.  For a bit the potato is alone until a third character arrives.  Excitement turns to chagrin.

Without a doubt Michael Ian Black has a handle on the mind, heart and language of children.  The conversation between the girl and the potato is so real, you'll be expecting to hear the sound of voices the next time you put a bag of potatoes in your shopping cart.  All the examples the girl provides to prove children are not boring probably happen in homes every day.  The final three sentences of the story are perfection, completing the circle.


In a word the illustrations of Debbie Ridpath Ohi are delightful.  The pig-tailed girl on the dust jacket and book case, wearing yellow barrettes and the striped t-shirt with the heart, even with the dejected look, is adorable.  Opening and closing endpapers in shades of blue are patterned in the words boring and bored in a variety of font styles and sizes.  The face of the girl and her potato pal are tucked into the design.

Digitally rendered the characters pop off the stark white backgrounds.  Body postures and facial expression, even on the potato, are chock-full of spunky humor.  Ohi alters perspective and size of the illustration to make a point.  When the girl is imagining all the possibilities, faint lines of blue create scenic backdrops.

One of my favorite series of illustrations is her interpretation of swinging, jumping and flying.  Ohi places the girl in a jungle grasping a vine, skiing on a hill and box on her head floating above the Earth as an astronaut.  In all of them the potato becomes a part of the pictures as a coconut in a monkey's hands, as the head on a snowman and as a dot on Earth speaking a tiny Boring.


Lucky for us readers Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi have sent another title out into the wild.  NAKED! (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, April 29, 2014) truly strikes a chord for all parents, guardians and caregivers as well as their children.  It might be a once-in-blue-moon occurrence or a nightly ritual but it happens.

Naked!
Look at me, everybody!
I'm naked.

Leaping from a nighttime bath, a child joyously streaks down the hallway, down the stairs and into the living room as Mom runs behind.  A startled Dad holding an infant doesn't really know what to do.

Cookies taste better when you are naked.  Naked is so great it might be the only way to go to school or play on playground.  No clothes for this little person.

Wait a minute.  Did you say cape?  Okay, maybe a cape is okay.  Capes are for heroes; heroes who like to eat cookies.

Brrr...only wearing a cape can be chilly.  It looks like nakedness is over for the night.  Whew...


In this title Michael Ian Black's word choices suggest he might have personal experience with a child preferring not to get dressed after a bath.  As in the first book he depicts how quickly a mood or train of thought can shift.  It's the portrayal of this shift from naked to wearing a cape, to becoming cold and relinquishing freedom for comfort that will have readers smiling and giggling; as well as the quick dashes to get another cookie.


The color palette of purple, green, orange, teal and a splash of pink shown on the matching dust jacket and book case is as lively as the child gleefully running about naked.  The opening endpapers in the orange of the back and the closing endpapers in the purple of the front are the canvas for one happy little person in the tub, peeking in from the edge, climbing, swinging and reciting from a paper among the NAKED! letters.

Using her considerable skills Debbie Ridpath Ohi renders her illustrations digitally bringing laughter and light to the narrative.  The zeal of the child is in contrast to the mom trying to get him/her dry running behind with a towel, carrying clothes in vain, and finally getting the pajamas on for bedtime.  In each picture she is looking a little more frazzled until she lovingly kisses her child goodnight.

Nearly all of the backgrounds in this title for pictures of varying sizes are textured in lighter colors, representing wallpaper, painted walls or flooring in the home.  The facial features on the characters are hilarious as are all the little details.  The toys in the bad guys' headquarters are a little girl with pigtails, a potato and a bunny.  The letter on the child's cape is an N.  All the faces in family portraits are exclaiming at the child's nakedness.  I see a copy of I'm Bored on the living room sofa.  I'm also thinking who wouldn't want to have a pair of pajamas like this child has?

One of my favorite illustrations is when the child is in their pajamas.  Wearing little mouse slippers, they are standing on a stool brushing their teeth looking in the bathroom mirror.  The mom is leaning against the sink, hand to forehead thinking...finally.


Michael Ian Black and Debbie Ridpath Ohi certainly make a dynamic team as evidenced by their two books, I'm Bored and NAKED!  Both titles capture the essence of each situation with exhilaration.  I guarantee you will be asked to read these more than once.

Please follow the link embedded in Debbie Ridpath Ohi's name to access her official website.  She has another site, Inkygirl, which is a wonderful resource for both these books.  Here is the link to her pages on I'm Bored.  This link is to the pages for NAKED!  These links are to the publisher's pages for I'm Bored and NAKED!  

For those curious, here's my children's book illustration hardware setup these days: pic.twitter.com/jITOYDHO9y
— Debbie Ridpath Ohi (@inkyelbows) April 23, 2014