Picturing Possibilities

Each individual expresses their sensory perceptions in a manner distinctive to them.  At times, their impressions will coincide with those of other beings.  Frequently, they stand alone with their ideas.  They understand how their impressions and ideas relate to others through looking, speaking, listening, and reading.

Most individuals are eager to develop the skills necessary to observe with their senses and to articulate and react to what they encounter.  This learning, though, can be a challenge.  Aaron Slater, Illustrator (Abrams Books for Young Readers, November 2, 2021) written by Andrea Beaty with illustrations by David Roberts is the newest title in The Questioneers series.  Readers will be charmed by Aaron Slater's view of the world, his love of stories, and how he shapes his own tales.

At the end of the garden, in the soft, fading light,

when the day turns to dusk and the dusk into night,

the sweet scent of jasmine floats into the air

to mix with the music of laughter, and there . . .

Aaron D. Slater soaks it all in

with his flowery blanket tucked under his chin.

For each of four summer Aaron and the flowers in the garden grow.  Aaron has a spot for his own planting and his own drawing with chalk on a pathway made of slate.  The best part of those summer days are the books being read aloud to Aaron.  With all his heart, he wants to be able to write stories.

Aaron knows he needs to read, but he simply can't make sense of the letters and words they spell, although he has loving help.  When his first day of school arrives, he knows he will be reading lickety-split.  He does not read, not even by the end of the year.

Aaron believes with a sinking sensation; he is not like his fellow classmates. All those things that make him Aaron D. Slater are set aside.  He decides to become invisible.  At the start of second grade, his new teacher, Miss Lila Greer is about to change Aaron's plan to not stand apart.  She wants them to author a true story, sharing it the next day.

Aaron does not get a wink of sleep all night.  He goes to school and stands in front of his classmates, all thirty-three, when his name is called.  His start is slow, but with his eyes closed a story unfolds as his words pour forth.  When he finishes, the gals and guys in his class are stunned.  Tears slide down Miss Greer's face.

And Aaron, embarrassed now, gives her a paper with no words and stands outside in the hallway.  The next exchange outside the classroom between this teacher and her student is a thing of beauty.  A smile and two words send hope surging into a soul.

Composed of rhyming couplets, this narrative by Andrea Beaty is like stepping into your special space.  It is that place where all things are possible, you feel serenity and security, and you can hear the music of your heartbeat.  Through Andrea Beaty's words we watch how Aaron grows within a home filled with warmth, and how it fosters his love of story.  Through her descriptions we feel his sadness, his frustration, and his glorious realization of his gift.  Here is a passage.

And so Aaron does what young Aaron must do.

He works on his story like the rest of Grade Two.

He writes through the evening.

He writes through the night.

He writes and he writes

till the dawn's early light.

Then he drags off to school with his shoes filled with lead

and his stomach in knots and a pain in his head,

and he waits for his turn with his heart filled with dread.

On a canvas of blue and white graph paper, flap edge to flap edge, the talent of Aaron D. Slater unfolds for readers on the back, left, and front, right, of the open dust jacket.  Look at the expression on Aaron's face on the front; his look of satisfied joy is heartwarming.  His artwork is a reflection of his summers in the garden and the stories he loved listening to as he and his siblings rocked in the porch swing.

On the back, Miss Lila Greer is riding a blue dragon next to a black swan wearing a crown.  They fly amid other airborne flowers, birds, and pencils.  Beneath them are several favorable quotations about The Questioneers series.

On a background of white, the book case is covered in flowers.  They are a variety of sizes, shapes, and an array of colors.  In the lower, right-hand corner Aaron stands, colored pencil in hand, drawing the petals on another flower.  You want to walk in this child's garden.  It is bursting with happiness.

The opening and closing endpapers are covered in blue-on-blue graph paper.  For the initial title page, stenciled, block letters in black are placed over Aaron's flowers.  On the verso and formal title page, on graph paper, Aaron, his back to us, draws.

These illustrations by David Robers on white are striking in their emotional portraits.  In the first, double-page picture we meet Aaron D. Slater, wrapped in a blanket and cuddled on the porch swing with his mothers and two siblings.  A third sibling, a sister, sits nearby in a rattan chair strumming a guitar.  Two cats are close to the group.  In a cozy spot above the branch holding the swing is a mother bird with three baby singing birds in a nest.

These pictures rendered 

with watercolors, pen, and ink on Arches paper

are two-page images or single-page visuals.  There is one wordless, double-page picture which is certain to have you cheering and laughing.  David Roberts uses white space superbly.  

The facial expressions displayed by Aaron will endear you to him immediately.  Careful readers will notice familiar faces in Aaron's classroom.  The clothing, physical characteristics, abilities and looks on the faces of all the other students in the building and in Aaron's classroom are fabulous.  Readers will see themselves in this school and in Aaron's family.  Also superb is the manner in which David Roberts depicts dyslexia.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page page which slightly crosses the gutter to the left.  Aaron is four years old.  He and his siblings are swinging in the porch swing hung from the tree.  Patterned pillows add to their comfort.  One of his brothers is reading aloud from a book titled Mythical Beasts.  Aaron's eyes are closed, and his imaginings are drawn in colored pencil over his head.  Next to him is his sister, listening and watching.  At the other end is an older brother with his eyes closed, too.

In this moving story about a boy who struggles with dyslexia and finding how to express his best self, readers, even those without dyslexia, will identify with the challenges we all face in following our dreams. At the close of Aaron Slater, Illustrator written by Andrea Beaty with illustrations by David Roberts are must-read author and illustrator notes.  I can't imagine a collection, personal or professional, without a copy of this title.  You might want to pair this title with A Walk in the Words written and illustrated by Hudson Talbot.

To discover more about Andrea Beaty and David Roberts and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Andrea Beaty has accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. David Roberts has  an account on Instagram.  You can view interior images on the publisher's website as well as a video of the illustrator speaking about this book.  There is an event scheduled for November 17, 2021 (linked here) where both the author and illustrator will be present to speak about this book.

A Rabbit Who Reads Succeeds

Language is a beautiful thing to speak, to write and to hear.  Some words can be more than one part of speech.  This gives them extended meanings, sometimes within the same part of speech.  The word big is one of those words.

As an adjective it can refer to size or importance.  In How to Be A Bigger Bunny (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, January 24, 2017) written by Florence Minor with illustrations by her husband Wendell Minor it might have several more meanings.  Inside of some of the smallest beings beats a big heart.

Tickles the bunny yawned.
It was time to get out of bed.

She searched for her brothers and sisters but they had already hopped away for a day full of play.  Was Tickles discouraged Nibbles, Wiggles, Giggles and Jiggles had left her?  Not at all.  She had a new book to read.

How to Be a Bigger Bunny was brimming with its own kind of excitement.  In the first story a bunny wished to reach the top of a tall tree.  Snoozing Tickles dreamt she did reach the top of a tall tree.  You could reach great heights if you never gave up.

She found herself imagining what it must be like to be bold and brave after reading the second story, How to Be Like a Pirate.  Tickles really enjoyed talking like a pirate.  As the hours ticked by our bunny friend was learning how to get out of difficult situations.  Nibbling was involved.  Quite suddenly a loud noise jarred Tickles from her reading.

Cautiously investigating she called for her brothers and sisters.  At first there was only silence but then she heard thumping.  Her discovery prompted her to use all the best parts of the stories she had read.  As she slept later at home Tickles wondered.  The following morning a dream came true.


Remember what I said about the beauty of hearing, writing and speaking language, the wonderful combination of words?  This book written by Florence Minor is a marvelous model of this very thing.  The three stories reflect on life lessons valuable in a variety of situations but for Tickles they match wonderfully the three things she must do to save her brothers and sisters.

The simple, short sentences are ideal for younger readers (and those young at heart).  To add interest and invite participation Florence includes narrative, thoughts, conversation and sound effects.  This blend, with her expertly placed punctuation, provides perfect pacing.  Here is a passage.

Nobody answered, so Tickles hopped off to look for them.

"Hello?" Tickles called.
"Helloooo?" Is anyone there?"
Nothing.
She called out again.
There was still no answer.
She listened carefully, and guess what?
She heard thumping.


Wendell Minor's painting welcomes you to step right into whatever world he has created.  Don't you wish you could stand next to Tickles in the field of flowers seen on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case?  You can almost feel the warmth of the air as a goldfinch flutters nearby and a swallowtail hovers above the blossoms.  You're sure if you reach out a hand you could touch soft fur.  To the left, on the back, Tickles is standing on a stack of books, arms outstretched on a canvas of pale yellow.  Royal purple covers the opening and closing endpapers.

On the initial title page Tickles has moved in the field.  Alone now, she has opened the book.  On the formal title page the story begins with the family cuddled and sleeping on their bed.  The bedspread is a quilt with squares framed in green; radish and carrot bunches in the center.

Rendered in gouache watercolor on Strathmore 500 Bristol these illustrations, nearly all spanning two pages, literally glow with the signature luminosity we adore about Wendell Minor's work.  His use of light is masterful; simply stunning.  Wendell's lines and brush strokes create a truly lifelike texture.  His attention to detail is photographic at times but in some portions of these illustrations Monet came to mind.

One of my favorite of many paintings spans two pages.  It is when Tickles begins her day reading her new book.  It is a close-up of her.  On the left is a field of dandelions and daisies.  On the right Tickles is learning against the truck of a tree with her book open.  She has paused to look straight at us.  Her big bunny feet are spread apart.  I don't think any reader would be a bit surprised to hear her say Hello.  Do you want to read with me?


How To Be A Bigger Bunny written by Florence Minor with illustrations by Wendell Minor is best shared over and over again.  It will be a beloved read aloud.  Within a tale of brothers and sisters the smallest becomes big by doing what any of us are capable of doing; except for the nibbling.

Please take a few moments to visit the website of Florence and Wendell Minor by following the link attached to Wendell's name.  You will be amazed at the large body of work created by these talented individuals.  At the publisher's website you can get a glimpse of the front and back of the jacket and case.

Happy book birthday to Wendell and Florence Minor's HOW TO BE A BIGGER BUNNY! 🎉 https://t.co/8GEtmDQTLz pic.twitter.com/n1FWpulsLS

— KatherineTegenBooks (@KTegenBooks) January 24, 2017

.@NanReads Thx 4 turning the star of How To Be a Bigger Bunny
into the sweetest gift in the best decorated gift bag EVER! #kidlit #reading pic.twitter.com/O6AhybHlIn

— Florence Minor (@minorart) December 17, 2016

The #Easter #bunny brought us first proofs of How To Be a Bigger Bunny. Cover reveal to come. #reading #kidlit pic.twitter.com/FBAeFSQ41x

— Florence Minor (@minorart) March 28, 2016

In The Presence Of...

They eagerly look in her direction, quietly waiting.  They know storytime today is going to be out of the ordinary. When their librarian comes to the circle and sits in her chair she is carrying something in addition to the book.  In her arms is a puppy.  This puppy is as excited to meet the children as they are to meet her.  Over the years this librarian realizes the comfort and joy this dog brings to her students as they grow up together. The dog seems to instinctively understand on any given day what a child may need.

We see this as a gift.  They see it as their job.  Canines' affection for humans is unconditional and constant.  Madeline Finn and the Library Dog (Peachtree Publishers, October 1, 2016) written and illustrated by Lisa Papp is the story of a reading journey.  It is a story of the best kind of friendship.

I do NOT like to read!
Not books.
Not magazines.
Not even the menu on the 
ice cream truck.

Reading aloud in the classroom is even more of a struggle for Madeline Finn.  The words are tricky for her to comprehend and speak.  When someone quietly laughs at her attempts, it's disheartening.

She gets stickers like her classmates but their stickers are stars and her stickers are hearts.  Her stickers say

Keep Trying.

If only she could get a star.

Madeline Finn knows what a star means.  She makes a wish on a star. She wishes to be a good reader, especially a good out-loud reader.  For an entire week Madeline works and waits for her wish to come true.  It does not.

On a Saturday visit to the library, Mrs. Dimple, the librarian, greets Madeline with the promise of a surprise.  Madeline reminds her she does not like to read.  When Madeline walks into the children's room, it is filled with dogs.  Mrs. Dimple suggests she read to a rather large white dog named Bonnie.

Regardless of her stumbling with words Bonnie keeps on sitting next to Madeline and continues to watch her and listen. For many Saturdays Bonnie and Madeline sit side by side in the library.  On the Saturday before her next read aloud, Bonnie and Mrs. Dimple are absent.  Madeline is not sure what to do but wishes can come true with extra unexpected surprises too.


With each sentence we feel a connection to Madeline as she tells her story.  She shares her innermost feelings with us.  Lisa Papp's descriptions of her endeavors are realistically depicted. It's important to note there are caring, compassionate adults portrayed in the figure of Madeline's mother, her teacher and Mrs. Dimple the librarian.

As the story progresses Papp deepens our bond with Madeline as her bond grows with Bonnie through her simple sentences and word choices.  We read about her confidence growing in the repetition of a single phrase.  Here is another sample passage.

At first, I'm nervous.
I get the letters mixed up.
The words don't sound right.
But then I look at Bonnie, and she looks right
into my eyes.  She doesn't giggle.


Rendered in pencil, watercolor, and digital coloring the illustrations, beginning with the matching dust jacket and book case, are absolutely huggable.  The pale green background, the soft colors and the position of Madeline leaning against a patient Bonnie with books scattered around them add up to pure bliss.  To the left on the back an interior image of Madeline and Bonnie is placed above the words:

This is Bonnie.
She's a great listener.

A soft sandy hue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Throughout the book a similar shade is used, textured almost like fabric.  On the initial title page a stack of books is a seat for Madeline's ever present stuffed bunny toy.  One of her heart stickers is next to the books.  A frustrated Madeline, arms crossed, is standing with her bunny, books fanning out from her on the floor, on the title page and with the books crossing the gutter to the verso.

Papp varies her image sizes to provide pacing.  A full page picture can bleed across the gutter where two smaller visuals appear in vertical panels.  To intensify a moment the illustration may cover two pages.  To depict a sadder moment the image is alone, a loose circle surrounded by more of the background color.  The delicate details in all the images supply gentleness to the story.

Many of these illustrations are favorites but the series of pictures when Madeline is first reading to Bonnie are completely endearing.  On the left are three framed images. First Madeline is reading with her back to Bonnie.  Then she turns around and reads to her.  In the third picture Madeline looks up from her book at Bonnie. On the right, in a larger illustration are just the faces of Madeline and Bonnie.  Bonnie looks right at Madeline with complete trust.  It is a defining moment for Madeline.


We all know readers who need to emerge from their reading cocoons.  To do so in the presence of a dog (and to watch this happen) is indeed wonderful. Madeline Finn and the Library Dog written and illustrated by Lisa Papp is a charming, delightful portrayal of a truth which can and does happen.  I can predict this will be a favorite of readers and listeners alike.

To learn more about Lisa Papp and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  This links to an entry about this title at the publisher's blog.

Readers might be interested in this article from the American Libraries, Dog Therapy 101.  Enjoy the video below.

Anything Becomes Possible

Lifelong readers of every age know time takes on a new and more complex meaning when we step into the pages of a book.  We become one with the story dropping the time in which we live to replace it with the time represented in the book.  When we do this the minutes, hours, days and even weeks in our real world move as they always have even though we are bound by the events in the characters' lives.  Every reader knows the feeling of finishing a story, looking up from the page and wondering for those first few seconds where they are.

Every individual has their own story dictated by their choices.  In every imagined story anything is possible however improbable.  Therein resides the adventure.  A Child of Books (Candlewick Press, September 6, 2016) written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston is a celebration of journeys and destinations.

I am a child of books.

These are the words of a young girl, seated and reading a book.  Her legs are dangling in the water over the edge of a raft, sail taunt in a stiff breeze.  She moves over waves of words, words fashioned from her books.

She seeks another; a partner who will share in her explorations.  She notices some may have lost their ability to be a child of books but this girl knows the way.  She will guide the boy who accepts her invitation.

Words ignite their imaginations.  Together they can scale heights, find light where there seems to be none, see the trees as well as the entire woods and escape dreaded encounters.  When the day slips into night, they dream from beds built on classic melodies.

Each point in their travels exemplifies their final declaration, a declaration which gets to the essence of the worlds every living soul inhabits.  We live in our homes and in our own special spaces because of sharing a common connection.  It is the key to anything.


These two talented authors and illustrators, Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston, use eight lyrical observations to design their narrative.  Separately each one lifts up the capacity of story and books and what we each take away from reading.  Together they are a symphony of affection and appreciation. They begin with I and end with we.  They begin with a lock, leading us to the key.

But along these words I can show you the way.


The rich maroon seen on the front of the dust jacket extends to the end of each flap, slightly darker on the edges like an ancient piece of parchment.  The fragments of lines flowing from the book's spine are familiar beginnings.  The authors' names, the decorations on the spine and the lock are in gold foil.  To the left on the back of the jacket is a single item, a large golden key, softened in color, old as time.  The book case is red cloth, a lock embossed on the front and a key embossed on the back.  The opening and closing endpapers are rows and rows of titles of books in bold and their authors in finer and lighter print.

On the title page beneath the text in the signature blue, drawn by hand in ink, is the book lying flat, the lock like a welcome.  With a page turn the dedication appears with a pot of ink placed in the upper right hand corner.  Opposite this is a blank sheet of parchment paper with a metal tipped dip pen lying across it on an otherwise empty page.

Rendered in watercolor, pencil, and digital collage all of the images span two pages with the exception of the closing page.  Many portions of the pictures are formed using phrases and sentences tiny enough to be lines but large enough to be read.  The choice of books and words pair beautifully with each picture.  When the girl is sailing on the waves, the titles and words are from The Voyage of Doctor Doolittle, Robinson Crusoe, The Swiss Family Robinson, The Count of Monte Cristo, Kidnapped, Gulliver's Travels, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.  In the forest titles and words of fairy tales form branches on the trees.  To escape a monster in a castle, the girl and boy climb down a rope from words taken from Rapunzel.  

The spare flowing lines and use of little color on the cream colored pages make the swirl of color and words toward the end even more dynamic.  From this visual forward no more titles and passages from books appear, making the final few pictures and the tiny words appearing absolutely breathtaking.  The final page is simply perfection.

One of my favorite illustrations is of the girl and boy at night.  The background is a steely dark blend of blues and blacks.  A few stars appear among eight clouds.  Five of the clouds are shaped from beloved lullabies.  On the left side a red ladder rests on a cloud where the girl sleeps.  On the right side a red ladder lays on another cloud where the boy rests.


A Child of Books written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston is a stunning title about the stories found in books.  It is a marvelous example of bookmaking; every single element chosen with a beautiful whole in mind.  This is a gift to share with everyone often.  It is a joy to open again and again.

To learn more about Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston and their other work please follow the link to their respective websites attached to their names.  At publishers' websites here and here you can see additional images.  A website dedicated to this book is here. Oliver Jeffers and Sam Winston speak about this book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, PICTUREBOOK MAKERS, The Guardian, Children's Books, and at Entertainment. Oliver Jeffers talks about the book on CBC Radio.  You can find a publisher generated interview here as well as a teacher's guide here.

A Silver Dollar Read

For the most part the suffering is done in silence; wanting to remain unnoticed at the same time as hoping to be acknowledged by the group.  It's difficult to be known for being too tall or too short, too heavy or too thin, too smart or not smart enough, too young or too old or anything outside of the current approved unwritten rules for normal.  Younger children are better able to see a person's true self.  As they get older their vision of individuals might have labels attached.

By the time middle school begins the agony of trying to find out who you are and what you should be doing is complicated by the perceptions others have of you as more layers of labels have been added.  Make no mistake; sometimes the actions and remarks of our peers are brutal.  Fish In A Tree (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), February 5, 2015) a new middle grade novel written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (One For The Murphys) explores the experiences of a sixth grade student and her relationships with friends, classmates, family and one insightful teacher.



Chapter 1
In Trouble Again
It's always there.  Like the ground underneath my feet.
"Well, Ally? Are you going to write or aren't you?"
Mrs. Hall asks.
If my teacher were mean it would be easier.

Seven schools in seven years have not helped Ally but sixth grade has been even more challenging especially now with Mrs. Hall being replaced by a substitute in November when she takes maternity leave.  She is trying her best to fulfill Mrs. Hall's request to write about herself but the glare of the paper, the beginning of a headache and the difficulty making letters form words, is too much.  In her conversation with Mrs. Hall we quickly meet three classmates, Oliver who bursts out laughing and speaks frequently without thinking, super intelligent with logic like Spock, Albert, and Shay whose words cut like a knife.  As this chapter closes we also know a little more about Ally, she is witty with a keen sense of humor.

It's when Ally mistakenly gives Mrs. Hall a sympathy card at the class baby shower; we are privy to what she has kept hidden for years.  She can't read; letters move and dance whenever she looks at them.  Three more student names become part of the narrative, Jessica, two-peas-in-a-pod pal of Shay, Max, always ready for a good time, Suki, a quieter soul with excellent ideas, and Keisha, a new student, outspoken, brave and a champion for those who are different. After a conference, yet again, with the principal, Mrs. Silver, Ally knows she should tell the truth but how do you tell people you think you're dumb.

Although Ally has the support of her warm-hearted waitress mom, her dad currently deployed overseas and mechanical genius older brother, Travis, who struggles with school too, Ally's constant coping companions are her Sketchbook of Impossible Things where she perfects her artistic skills and the movies she plays in her mind.  When Ally and her classmates meet Mr. Daniels, the new teacher, on his first Monday in their classroom his resounding cheerful,

"Okay, Fantasticos! Take your seats!"

signals a new beginning for everyone but especially Ally.  Within a few days his interactions with the students, his lessons and activities, questions and responses to their answers tell them he is here to help them be their best selves.

Each day in the classroom, during lunch hours and special events a pattern of change begins to take shape.  Keisha, Albert and Ally form a friendship, a trio of strength, brains and not only artistry but the ability to visualize answers "outside the box."  Ally realizes Mr. Daniels is trying to figure something out by his questions asked of her.

On a field trip, when a particularly cruel action by a classmate sends Ally running, Mr. Daniels seeks her out pointing out her creative, inventive and artistic abilities and reveals his theory about her learning differences.  Chess lessons after school expand to include re-learning lessons as a teacher connects with his student enriching her world beyond her most fervent wishes.

The birth of a star, shared secrets, a fox, a chicken and a bag of grain by a river, a class election, a tricky letter, an ant defender, a lesson in dyslexia, a stance against bullies and help for a hero are all ripples from the pebble, Mr. Daniels, thrown in Ally's pond.  The slip of paper given to her with the im torn from impossible is given to another.  We may not always see it but when we give each person we meet value with our sincere attention and yes, love, it has the power to change everything for good.


The worth and capacity of this title to affect an impact on readers, as in Lynda Mullaly Hunt's debut book, is her masterful skill at creating fully believable characters placed in true-to-life situations.  Giving voice to Ally's inner thoughts allows us to feel her every emotion.  The dialogue between all the characters gives you the sense of being a silent participant; Ally's shadow, if you will.  I can't begin to tell you the number of times I laughed out loud at Ally's remarks either said in her mind or as conversational statements.  You find yourself wanting to shout out in frustration or disgust, to cheer for victories and to hug Ally, her family members, her friends, classmates and Mr. Daniels for those moments when their acts of kindness fill you with hope.

A technique Hunt uses excellently is a closing thought or bit of dialogue at the end of each chapter. It expands our thinking as readers.  It also makes us wonder what will happen next.  At the end of chapter 42 Mr. Daniels is speaking to Oliver about him having one of the kindest hearts.  It is followed by a two page chapter which might be one of my favorites in the book.  The kindness Ally and Keisha extend to Albert in the form of t-shirts is almost overwhelming.

The first time I read Fish In A Tree I began to place sticky notes in my favorite spots.  On my second reading I added even more.  Here is a picture of my book, an advance uncorrected galley, so graciously given by the publisher.  I have selected some passages to share with you below.

Mrs. Hall clears her throat.
The rest of the class is getting tired of me again.
Chairs slide.  Loud sighs.  Maybe they think I can't hear their words:  Freak. Dumb. Loser.
I wish she'd just go hang by Albert, the walking Google page who'd get a better grade than me if he just blew his nose into the paper.

Alice in Wonderland---a book about living in a world where nothing makes sense made perfect sense to me.
"I miss Grandpa," I say.  Three words that hold sadness like a tree holds leaves.

He seems disappointed.  I turn to go.
"How about if I excuse you from homework for learning how to play?"
I stop like my feet are strapped to thousand-pound blocks.  Did he just say that?  I turn around.  "What's the catch?" I ask.
"No catch.  If you stay after to learn chess for a few days, I'll excuse you from homework on the days you stay."
"Am I going to have to write a paper or something?"
"No papers.  Promise."
"I just come in here and play a game and I get out of homework?  No catch?"
"Well, you can't tell anyone in the class.  I'll call your mom about it, though."  He holds his hand out to shake.  "We have a deal, then?"
"Yeah.  Okay"
I can't say no to that deal.  Homework is only one step above death.


Fish In A Tree written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is a tribute to teachers, single individuals, who are forces of change in the classroom.  Everything Ally and her classmates and the adults in their lives learn during the course of this book can be applied to life as a whole.  If you've ever felt singled out because of any kind of difference this book will show you the importance of asking for help, the significance of true friends, and the beauty within yourself.  You are never alone.  Ever.


To discover more about Lynda Mullaly Hunt and her books please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  On July 2, 2014 Lynda Mullaly Hunt was a guest blogger at the Nerdy Book Club where she revealed the cover and spoke about her personal connections to this book.  Here is a Pinterest board created for Fish In A Tree.  On January 22, 2105 Lynda Mullaly Hunt was a guest at teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  She speaks about the ten similarities in making a book trailer and writing a novel.  The book trailer below was revealed at the same time.  Here is a link at the publisher's website for a study guide to this title and One For The Murphys. Update:  Matthew C. Winner, teacher librarian, chats with Lynda Mullaly Hunt at his upbeat informative Let's Get Busy podcast. Update:  Lynda Mullaly Hunt is the guest blogger at the Nerdy Book Club, Who Is Travis Nickerson From A Fish In A Tree?

A Tribute To The Power Of A Single Book

In the world of children's literature if you don't keep a list of forthcoming books, you will forget what you wanted to read.  In a post on April 28, 2014 teacher librarian Travis Jonker, who blogs at 100 Scope Notes, brought to his readers the 2014 Preview Interview: Flying Eye Books.  In that post I saw several books I knew I wanted to read, but I neglected to list them.  It wasn't until I was at my favorite independent book shop, McLean & Eakin, last week I saw one of those books on display among the shelves.

The colorful book case design immediately gets your attention.  The title, while not asking a question, is intriguing. Who is reading?  What are they reading?  Where are they reading? When are they reading?  Why are they reading this book?   The Best Book in the World (Flying Eye Books, July 29, 2014) by Rilla (Alexander) is irresistible even before you open it up.

Take the first step.
Turn the first page.

With those two sentences on the first two pages, readers are invited to join in the journey being taken by an unnamed girl.  We gladly follow her patterned footsteps out and about her neighborhood to the bus stop.  The entire time her head is bent as she reads an open book.

Like her we can read aloud, read along or read silently the written words.  Never glancing up from the book, she travels with no specific destination in mind.  Or does she?  Perhaps the book is about a trip taken by airplane.  Perhaps the book is about an adventure high in the sky.

Is she wandering in the snowy mountains?  Is she trudging through the sifting desert sands?  Is she floating up and down and up and down watery waves?  Where is she navigating to next?  There are answers to be found with every page turn.

There are bicycles.  There are balloons.  There are wild animals in the deepest, darkest forest.  People, places and moments to remember are multiplying.

The day is coming to close.  The story is almost finished.  But...a story is never really over.  All you have to do is...


With limited text Rilla Alexander guides readers through her story better than any map does when we seek a destination.  She implores us to keep going.  She knows the value in books and in reading them.  Her words encourage us to find the pure elation.  When you read her text aloud (even to yourself), there is an undercurrent of cheerful comfort.

Page by page you're carried away.
So let yourself go!


It's no secret red is Rilla Alexander's favorite color; finding a prominent place in all her published work.  Eye-catching and warm it beckons to readers.  A character she has placed in previous books, though never named within the pages of this title, Sozi sits reading an open book on the front of the book case.  On the back another open book is read by grinning characters found within this title.

Shades of yellow, red, orange and blue and pristine white create squares of graphic designs on the opening endpapers, three featuring Sozi oblivious of her surroundings, as she begins her day, so fully engrossed in her book.  Darker hues of green, blue, purple, red and black conclude the story on the closing endpapers as sleep comes to the characters.  Across the verso and title page, Alexander begins her narrative with the girl reading as she walks away from her home.  This two page spread zooms in on the reader bringing us close to her.

All of the remaining illustrations span double pages, edge to edge, shifting the color spectrum as the book is read and the trip is taken.  You realize time is passing and slowing with the change from a blue font to a white font; white necessary to be seen on the darker palette used.  Bold lines, easily defined shapes and altered perspectives dictate a lively mood on every aspect of this book.

I have two favorite illustrations. One is of the girl floating on the waves, wearing sunglasses, holding and sipping a drink through a straw while sitting in her long-necked bird inner tube with other creatures and characters moving beneath her in the water.  White, black, red, yellow and a turquoise blue are the only colors.  Ten pictures forward only red, black, white and a small bit of pale blue color a peaceful illustration of the girl sleeping in an open book.  It surrounds her like blankets on a bed.


The Best Book in the World written and illustrated by Rilla (Alexander) is a charming, heartfelt appreciation of the gift books are to individual readers.  When readers connect with the right book, everything else passes away, nothing else matters but the story.  The essence of a book is it never ends but begins over and over each time the cover is opened; each time it is shared.

To learn more about Rilla Alexander and her work please visit her website linked in her name.  To enjoy Sozi follow the link embedded in her name.  At the publisher's website fifteen images are posted for your viewing pleasure.  Elementary teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner interviews Rilla Alexander on his Let's Get Busy podcast giving listeners insights into this book and her work in general.  Another informative interview can be found at Look/Book.



The Best Book in the World! from Sozi on Vimeo.