Looking Skyward... Waiting For Snow Blog Tour

In an effort to teach patience many parents (including mine) utter the classic proverb a watched pot never boils.  In other words if we wait with over-the-top attention and restlessness for a specific moment, it takes an excessive amount of time for it to happen.  If on the other hand, we go about our business with hardly giving it a thought, miraculously it occurs in minutes.

Then, too, there are those who have no expectations because they have never enjoyed said moment.  When you watch a puppy see snow for the first time, it's as if you are seeing it for the first time too.  (Witnessing this first-hand sixteen years ago, the arrival of a new canine companion promises a similar experience.)  But here's the thing, if you, like my dog and I, love snow, every year thereafter the anticipation is stronger.  In Waiting For Snow (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, November 1, 2016) written by Marsha Diane Arnold (Lost. Found.) with illustrations by Renata Liwska (The Loud Book, The Christmas Quiet Book, and Once Upon A Memory) one particular individual has lost all patience.

Hedgehog found Badger staring at the sky.
"What are you doing Badger?"

Badger wants snow.  It is, after all, winter.  Hedgehog kindly advises Badger to wait.  Badger is completely frustrated with waiting.  Pots and pans are banged in a chorus of clanging to wake up the sky.

The sky does not wake up but Rabbit, Vole and Possum are wide-eyed and wondering as they approach Badger and Hedgehog.  When they understand what Badger is trying to do, they want to help.  Rabbit thinks throwing pebbles will punch holes in the sky allowing the snow to fall.  Do you think this works?

With each new approach and its lack of success, Hedgehog quietly comments about those things remaining constant day in and day out throughout the seasons.  Nothing seems to be working so the friends step forward in a final attempt.  When this does not satisfy Badger, they all finally decide to wait together.  Badger's mood is deeply down-in-the-dumps.

Hours pass.  Day turns into night.  To Badger's delight, Hedgehog was right.


Whether you are a fan of winter or not, you have to admit there is something like pure magic when the snow first falls.  The air feels charged and the quiet is quieter.  The fresh white covering everything is like a clean slate, a new beginning or the promise of a new beginning.  All these things are depicted wonderfully by Marsha Diane Arnold in this book.

We all can identify with Badger.  Our minds comprehend what Hedgehog is saying.  And our hearts want to help along with Rabbit, Vole and Possum.  It's the blend of text and dialogue in the narrative which readers will find completely charming.  Here is a sample passage.

Pebbles rained down.
Snow didn't.
"It will never snow," groaned Badger.
"When it's spring, crocus bulbs always bloom," said
Hedgehog,"...though sometimes they are late.


Seeing the five friends, Badger, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Vole and Possum, looking up circling the title text will have readers gazing up and looking for snow too.  The expression on their faces, furry figures, knitted mittens, hat and scarf are full of warmth.  To the left, on the back, the ISBN is placed inside a television screen with Weather Report above it as Badger pounds on the top of the set.  Perhaps he thinks this action will change the prediction.  The colorful elements set within the blue-gray canvas are varnished on the dust jacket but not the matching book case.  A much paler shade of blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.

Drawn in pencil and colored digitally the illustrations usually span two pages.  To slow the pace or show passage of time Renata Liwska has used single-page pictures or a series of smaller images on several pages.  Her muted, natural color palette is ideal for this story.

You will be smiling or laughing out loud at Liwska's attention to detail.  When Hedgehog first appears the tops of mushrooms are sticking to his back until Badger's banging on pans blows them off.  As the friends get ready to throw the pebbles up, Hedgehog is opening an umbrella knowing the results. After the long dance Possum is soaking his feet in a soapy pan of water.

One of many favorite illustrations is when the four friends are on Badger's roof "making snow."  Without giving away the exact details three are hard at work as a fourth is scooping the "snow" into his mouth.  A leaky bag is sending a steady stream over the side of the roof right into Badger's mouth below them.


Waiting For Snow written by Marsha Diane Arnold with illustrations by Renata Liwska presents readers with a delightful portrait of wanting, waiting and the lengths friends will go to help another.  With each page turn you can feel the expectation heightening until the welcome conclusion.  I can pretty much predict readers will utter a sigh.

To learn more about Marsha Diane Arnold and Renata Liwska and their other work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names. Renata Liwska maintains a blog here. She is interviewed at the Art of the Picture Book.


Please take a few minutes to read this conversation I had with Marsha Diane Arnold via email.  Enjoy the other stops on the blog tour.

Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions and take a few minutes to chat with me, Marsha.

I’m delighted to chat with you, Margie, and hope someday to chat in person over a pot of tea, as we wait patiently for the snow.

From reading your wonderful biography on your website again I am reminded of the importance of family throughout your life but especially during your childhood.  Did the behavior of one or both of your children prompt the writing of this book?  Or was it someone or something else entirely?  

Family has always been the center of my life and my children definitely inspired most of my “homegrown treasures” columns as well as a few of my early books. (Cal directly inspired Quick, Quack, Quick and Amy inspired Edward G. and the Beautiful Pink Hairbow). But Waiting for Snow was not inspired by anything directly. It was one of those ideas that floated in on the breeze one day. Actually, it was the first words that floated in on the breeze. My earliest draft in 2013 shows the beginning words, “Hedgehog found Badger staring at the sky. “What are you doing Badger?” Those are the same words on the first page of the book.

I know you grew up as a friend to animals and you have a keen eye for finding the beauty in the everyday. (I read one of your homegrown treasures’ columns.) Is there any specific reason you chose a badger, a hedgehog, a rabbit, an opossum and a vole?  

I love almost all animals; I do have a few issues with mosquitoes, wasps, and scorpions.

There’s no specific reason I chose Badger and his friends. As I mentioned, they floated in on the breeze. But there is one original friend who is missing: Dormouse. Dormouse and Vole were fast friends in my original story, with lots of witty repartee. But I was asked to replace Dormouse as my illustrator, Renata Liwska, was working on another book with a dormouse.

I like all my characters to be from the same real-life geographical area if possible, even in fiction, so I did research to be sure my characters could all be found in the British Isles. My original characters, along with Dormouse, are, but Possum doesn’t fit into the English countryside. Squirrel, which does reside in the British Isles, was a contender to replace Dormouse, but my editor and I were both partial to Possum. We preferred aesthetics to geographical accuracy in this fictional fantasy. Welcome, Possum.

Do you have a special place for writing, Marsha?  Do you write every single day?  Do you carry a writing notebook with you?

I fear I am a “bad” writer. I don’t write every day and I don’t carry a notebook with me. Truly, all of us have our own creative ways and in my presentations and courses I always encourage others to find their individual paths. Usually, I send inspirations that come to me when I’m away from home to myself in an email or scribble them on a paper napkin. There are also long periods of time that pass without my working on a story, but I think of myself as a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter. When I have or take the time to write, all these thoughts are waiting for me in the back of my mind.

My main writing place is my study.  We moved into our new home a year ago and I’m still working on making it welcoming, for myself and my characters. My best writing is done in the comfort of my home, but I wander about quite a bit. You may find me at the kitchen island, on the living room sofa, the outside picnic table, or...surprise!...my study.

I have a pretty good idea you feel the same way I do about the illustrations of Renata Liwska.  When you first saw her work for your book, what one word came to mind?  Do you have a favorite illustration in this book?

“Classic” is the word I use for Renata’s exceptional art. That’s one of the words I used to describe her art even before she agreed to illustrate Waiting for Snow. She was extremely busy at the time my editor approached her, but said my story made her laugh and she really wanted to illustrate it. I’m so lucky she said “yes.”

But the word that describes my feelings when I first saw her work specifically for Waiting for Snow might be “tumultuous.”  You see, the first sketches were of possible replacements for my beloved Dormouse: Squirrel or Possum. They were adorable character sketches, but I found it very difficult to let my Dormouse go.

First interior image by Renata Liwska

Kate O’Sullivan, my wonderful editor, shared Renata’s sketches all along the creative process and always requested my input. We three worked as a team and I’m so happy to have been involved in the process.

A favorite illustration? It has to be the cover image, our characters looking expectantly into the sky. It reminds me of the vision I had for the last page of Waiting for Snow as I wrote the story. That image was of Badger with a snowflake landing on his nose, along with the final words, “it was time.” The book’s last image, of Badger and friends playing in the snow, is more fun and kid-friendly, but I love that the cover reflects one of my original visions.

A favorite inside the book? That might be Hedgehog with his red polka-dot umbrella protecting him from the rocks falling from the sky. (The characters threw pebbles to punch holes in the clouds so the snow could fall through!)  

But all of Renata’s adorable Waiting for Snow art makes me smile. I hope our story makes all our readers smile too...as they patiently wait for whatever they’re waiting for.

WAITING FOR SNOW BLOG TOUR

October 31st, Monday - Cynthia Alaniz, Librarian in Cute Shoes - https://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com

Nov 1st, Tuesday - Alyson Beecher, Kid Lit Frenzy - http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com

Nov 2nd, Wednesday - Dylan Teut, Reading with Mr. Teut - https://readingwithmrteut.wordpress.com

Nov 3rd, Thursday - Mia Wengen, Pragmatic Mom - http://www.pragmaticmom.com/home/

Nov 4th, Friday - Margie Myers-Culver - Librarian’s Quest - http://librariansquest.blogspot.com

Nov 6th, Sunday - Matthew Winner - The Best Book Ever (This Week) - http://www.allthewonders.com/best-book-ever-this-week/

Nov 7th, Monday - Niki Ohs Barnes, Daydream Reader - https://daydreamreader.com

Nov 8th, Tuesday - Bridget and the Books - https://bridgetandthebooks.wordpress.com

UPDATE:  Waiting For Snow was showcased as Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast by author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson on January 29, 2017.

Soothing Slumber

If we trust our instincts, follow a hunch, the results are frequently surprising in the best possible way.  It's almost as if some unseen hand is guiding our way.  Untold treasures await us.

Twenty years ago, Amy Gary, editor of the Margaret Wise Brown Estate, on a whim asked Brown's sister, Roberta Rauch, if she knew of any unpublished works.  Can you imagine hearing an affirmative reply? Stacked in a trunk kept in the attic of the barn on her Vermont farm were pages and pages of poems, stories and musical scores.  Last week some of those gems were released into the world, collected in a title, Goodnight Songs: Illustrated by Twelve Award-Winning Picture Book Artists (Sterling Children's Books, March 4, 2014).  The words of Margaret Wise Brown have been visualized by Jonathan Bean, Carin Berger, Sophie Blackall, Linda Bleck, Renata Liwska, Christopher Silas Neal, Zachariah OHora, Eric Puybaret, Sean Qualls, Isabel Roxas, Melissa Sweet and Dan Yaccarino.

Appealing to the inherent musical nature of children these twelve lyrical poems cast a gossamer net pulsing with a gentle cadence around all who read them.  They encourage dreams of playful fantasy uninterrupted by nothing until the morning dawns.  Any cares of the daytime will float away as evening falls through the text and pictures.  Margaret Wise Brown's simple repetitive phrases float and dance off the pages.

Readers find themselves traveling by balloon in the company of a bear, baboon, monkey, troll and mole.  They are lulled to sleep by a very particular melody or in following the nighttime rituals of a goat, or a rabbit and a bear.  I'll wager most readers are unaware of the man in the moon's youth.

Safety on the seas is found in the arms of another.  They learn of those who see what others do not.  Roads travel vertically through an abandoned town constructed entirely of wood.  One by one a donkey, a monkey, a sheep, a pig, birds, a black cat and a child are asked to close their eyes.

What do you see when you close your eyes?  What do you hear in the night?  What might a mouse ask for in a prayer?  Blissful peace is assured.

Two pages are dedicated to each song; illustrations extending edge to edge on heavy matte finished paper.  While the color of the font may vary the same is used in all the text.  The text is tucked within each picture, noticeable but not a distraction.  Tiny white stars seen on the dust jacket and matching book case pattern the opening and closing endpapers.

Renata Liwska captures the soft slumbering characters of The Noon Balloon nestled in fluffy clouds suspended in a pale blue sky.  Intricate lines, exquisite architectural details and a boat riding the waves beneath a full moon ease a child into dreamland drawn by Sophie Blackall in Mambian Melody.  Goats with teddy bears and stuffed toy rabbits and drinking from large pink tea cups populate mountains and hills where skunks carry lanterns and hedgehogs huddle in Goat on the Mountain visualized by Linda Bleck.

Sleep like a Rabbit illustrated by Isabel Roxas pictures a pig-tailed girl in a red dress sleeping near a bear and a rabbit adrift in a sea of stars.  This is also the jacket and case illustration.  Unique, painted, collage-like clouds and stars float around a mustached man in the moon as his younger self runs across his surface when Sean Qualls pictures When the Man in the Moon Was a Little Boy. As if surrounded in a wispy fog Song to Estyn, illustrated by Eric Puybaret, shows a man in a long golden all-weather coat, captain's hat on his head holding a child in a sailor suit on board a ship.

Melissa Sweet's signature style, of pastel collage with splashes of red, pieces together The Secret Song.  White block-like houses, one on top of the other, are strung together by a ribbon road of red among green tulips on a midnight blue background by Christoper Silas Neal for Wooden Town.  An orange, blue, black and white palette feature creatures looking upon and living in a town as a child gazes out his window in Little Donkey Close Your Eyes portrayed by Zachariah OHora.

Blue and white striped curtains billow around the stage set with green birds, blue clouds and rows of cut-out houses in Carin Berger's interpretation of When I Close My Eyes. Bold, bright orange-yellow, orange, green, purple and shades of dark blue mesh perfectly to create the quiet found in Sounds in the Night pictured by Dan Yaccarino.  It's a windy, winter night, leaves and snow swirling about under a full moon as a child sleeps beneath a large leaf and a mouse stands in the doorway of his cozy home in The Mouse's Prayer depicted by Jonathan Bean.

Stunning pictures lift the words of Margaret Wise Brown toward dreamland in Goodnight Songs: Illustrated by Twelve Award-Winning Picture Book Artists.  As if the text and visuals are not enough to hold readers spellbound, a CD with the words set to music by Tom Proutt and Emily Gary is included.  I have listened to it twice as of this writing.  It is truly lovely.  You could not ask for a better book for closing out your day or bringing a small measure of calm into an afternoon.

Two pages at the book's conclusion include thumbnails of the illustrations along with comments about or by the illustrators.  A note from the musicians and credits are inserted on the closing endpapers.  An introduction by Amy Gary begins this title.

I hope you enjoy these videos.  I was made aware of some of them through tweets by the illustrators.



Goodnight Songs: Chris Neal, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Sean Qualls, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Sophie Blackall, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Carin Berger, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Isabel Roxas, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.


Goodnight Songs: DanYacarino, contributing illustrator from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.



Goodnight Songs: Amy Gary, editor of Goodnight Songs by Margaret Wise Brown from Sterling Publishing on Vimeo.

What We Keep

What is it about the words once upon?  It's as if when they are silently read or spoken aloud an ageless storytelling incantation is evoked, swirling about the reader or listener.  As the tale continues we are drawn deeper into the realm it creates.

When a book includes those two words in the title or as part of the opening sentence, it's nearly impossible, as an individual reading silently, not to imagine sharing with others.  You find yourself placing emphasis on certain words, altering your voice to convey emotion and falling completely under the spell of the narrative. Written by Nina Laden with illustrations by Renata Liwska, Once Upon a Memory (Little, Brown and Company, December 3, 2013) is one of those books whose charm does not fade when the covers are closed.

Does a feather remember 
it once was...

...a bird?

In a series of seven rhyming couplets, fourteen questions are asked of readers.  For each one we take a journey back to the beginning; to the origins of an object, a man-made area, a natural element, an action or an endearment.  We explore and learn to look closer at those things which might be a part of our everyday lives.

A young boy is sitting, stuffed animal friends and his dog sharing a day with him, when a breeze blows a feather into his room.  This feather provides the impetus for all the other places we see this little guy visit.  Or sometimes we watch as he does something which triggers another thought.

Looking at a book, sitting in a chair, digging in the dirt, or walking his dog leads him to words, trees, peas and grain.  He visits a seashore, a home for statues, a special piece of land or his own yard to ponder rain, stone, the unknown or play.  The boy sleeps, chats with an older woman, watches a line of baby ducks, and rides an airplane to contemplate, allowing his mind to wander.  He may even grow up wondering if he will remember.


By the end of the first couplet, the invitation sent to me as a reader by the carefully written words of Nina Laden was gladly accepted.  As each question is read, readers can't help but anticipate where the next page will lead them. What word will be chosen to rhyme with the previous word?  We follow the narrative not only for this purpose but to encounter those things we can sense, the tangible and actual, and those things we can feel, the intangible and rare.  It is in the silence these words create, we are able to enlarge our perceptions.


When opening the matching jacket and cover, it's hard not to sigh with pleasure.  Renata Liwska pictures the boy sitting with his animal friends who have come alive.  On the front they are enjoying a peaceful read in a tree, the feather dangling down from a string held by the squirrel.  On the back the tree branches are extended but day has shifted to night, stars sparkling in the air from a pen poised over an open book held by a tiny bear.  The opening and closing endpapers are done in pure white with a single feather tucked in the corner of each set.

The introductory two pages are wordless, featuring the boy surrounded by all his toys and his dog.  A small table is set for tea and an owl-shaped clock ticks on the wall as the curtains blow out into the room.  For each question, using white space to accent and frame, Renata Liwska pictures the boy on the left for the first part of the phrase with animals depicting the second part on the right.

The verso explains her work:

The art was initially sketched by hand in the artist's journal.  It was then scanned and colored in Adobe Photoshop.  The animal characters were inspired by the artist's experiences with nature, from her worldwide travels to her own backyard. 

As an example, for the sentence

Does a cake remember
it once was... 
...grain?

we see a smaller illustration on the left of the boy's dog up on its hind legs, paws resting on the window, looking into a bakery with the boy inside holding loaves of bread.  On the right we see six mice walking and climbing through fields of grain; an adult, holding the hand of a child, is listening and another is pulling a little red wagon.

Liwska's illustrations are luminous in their delicateness. Details are intricate; defining features on her animals are full of life.  There is humor with all the added extras; the bird sweeping up feathers in the "barber shop" is listening to a tape player with a headset, in the bookshop another animal is writing on a little red typewriter, the dog is digging in the garden, as water is filling their boat two bears are scooping it out while another plays with rubber ducks and paper boats, and a mallard is wearing a tool belt as he constructs a nest.

One of my favorite illustrations (I truly love them all) is of the boy sleeping with his dog curled up on the bed, a speckled ball in his paws.  On the opposite side is a day-at-the-beach scene filled with all kinds of animals at play, two are seated in the foreground on a bench, flip-flops scattered about on the deck.  Kites are flying.  Characters are surfing.  Crabs are dancing.  And the ball is being kicked in the sand.  Happiness is everywhere you look.


If you want a book to soothe, to gently encourage imaginations to flourish, Once Upon a Memory written by Nina Laden with illustrations by Renata Liwska is a title you need.  I know it will become a favorite with readers and listeners alike.  It opens the door to infinite possibilities.  In my heart and mind I am adding this title to those books I call huggable.

On the left-hand side of the closing endpapers is a list by the author and illustrator of their favorite things to remember.  They ask you what your favorite things are.  Please follow the links embedded in their names to access their personal websites and Renata Liwska's blog.  Here is a link to a post at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast highlighting the work of Renata Liwska.

Turning the Pages in Anticipation Quiet

One of the many benefits of having a dog as a member of your family, is you are outside when no one else is.  Late at night or early in the morning amazing things can be seen and heard.  Without any noise, within the silence, you gain a unique sense of seeing and hearing, noticing what you might otherwise have missed.

With the demands of modern day living it's hard to gain this perspective especially when the December holiday season begins in earnest.  The talented collaboration of author Deborah Underwood and illustrator Renata Liwska who brought to readers The Quiet Book (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, April 12, 2010) and The Loud Book (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, April 4, 2011) have created another title in the series, The Christmas Quiet Book (Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, October 16, 2012).  When you stop and really listen, you are truly surrounded by quiet.


Christmas is a quiet time:
Mysterious bundles quiet

With a sense of hope running high, who can blame the younger guys and gals from sneaking a peek despite running the risk of being discovered.  No matter the age who has not listened intently, fingers crossed, for those magical words, school is cancelled due to snow.  Have you ever noticed how a child layered in snow clothes makes little or no sound except for the swish, swish of nylon on nylon?

Listen, can you hear? There is quiet playing in the snow, sipping hot drinks, watching holiday performances, decorating, baking, skating, children's Christmas plays, breathing the crisp air, nighttime walks, activities in front of a cozy fire, writing, wishing and yes, even in joy.  Some days more than others, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, the stillness is there.


With the exception of the first page Deborah Underwood uses a minimal amount of words preceding quiet, a single phrase for each page, some linking together.  She truly has a gift for capturing the exact moment of quiet which may come before or after a less than silent event.  It's as if she's gathered all her childhood memories, chosen the most memorable for their hush factor and shared them with her readers.

Forgotten line quiet
Helpful whisper quiet


Drawn in pencil then colored digitally, the illustrations of Renata Liwska are charming.  The front and back jacket when opened show a line of those adorable characters from the two previous books joined together as they unwind a string of colored Christmas lights against a backdrop of dusty blue sky peppered with snowflakes.  The front and back covers done in the same blue have a single figure on each.  The front cover shows a softly-colored, brown bunny wrapping a gift; the back has another similar bunny with a hair bow opening the same present which happens to be a copy of The Loud Book.

It's in the attention given to detail that Liwska draws in her readers.  On the title page a rabbit is hanging an ornament on the second "o" in Book, the owl skating across the ice has special shaped mittens for her wing tips with the string running across her back hooking them together.  There is also a feeling of nostalgia in her drawings; when picturing the radio with two bunnies listening for the snow day news, it is the old box kind with a red line going across the station numbers, a large red dial on the front.

As in the previous two books Liwska has selected a muted color palette replete with earth tones with spots of color for accents, using red on nearly every page for added warmth.  Her creatures of forest and field have never been more endearing.  To great effect she again shifts (as she did in The Loud Book) perspective as all the animals gather around the decorated Christmas tree.  We see them as if we are looking down upon the scene.

One of my favorite pictures is of the two rabbits in front of the fireplace, stockings hung, lighted candles on the mantle.  Both have fallen asleep reading, the one in a chair, the other lying on the floor.  The characters from the open book on the floor are walking off the pages.  Perfectly precious.


The Christmas Quiet Book written by Deborah Underwood with illustrations by Renata Liwska is a gentle gem.  As a read aloud or one on one this is cozy and quiet from cover to cover.  As with the other titles, it is sure to generate a conversation about other kinds of quiet.


Links to the author and illustrator websites are embedded in their names.  Here is a link to a wonderful page created by the publisher full of information about both the author and illustrator, additional artwork, plenty of extras and ....


Christmas Quiet Kit

Quintessential Companion

It is in solitude that quiet can be observed and noticed. In their first collaboration, The Quiet Book (HMH Books for Young Readers, April12, 2010, author Deborah Underwood and illustrator Renata Liwska touched a chord in the hearts of their intended readers. For that reason it has been on The New York Times Best Sellers list.
In this newest volume, The Loud Book (HMH Books for Young Readers, April 4, 2011), their two parts make a pleasing whole on numerous levels:

THERE ARE LOTS OF LOUD.

In clear, clever phrases readers share in Underwood’s unique understanding of the exuberant, awesome, satisfying, embarrassing, expected and unexpected noises that are commonplace in the lives of children. The book opens with ALARM CLOCK LOUD following the characters in a seamless flow from one sound to another, some the result of the previous loud.

As the final page is turned readers smile as CRICKETS LOUD comes into view closing out the day. In a blog interview on April 1, 2011 on The Children’s Book Review site Deborah Underwood states: My theory is that most children’s authors have inner children, and we’re drawn to writing for that age….Verbal play and just being goofy helps my creative process. So does being around animals, whether they’re the pigs and turkeys at my favorite animal sanctuary or the squirrels and ducks in the park.

Sketchbooks, small enough to carry are always within reach of illustrator, Renata Liwska. Lovable, soft, stuffed-animal-like woodland creatures and a quirky striped lizard find their way from pencil drawings to images that not only reflect the text but expand its definition. Her illustrations are brimming with animation, expression and humor.

Graphics throughout are continuously connected. The front and back of the title page are two characters speaking through tin cans connected with string as the words fan out to become the sound. In WALKING-TO-SCHOOL SONG LOUD a squirrel on a tree branch is flinging pine cones at one of the singers. A bee in an outside scene makes his way inside on another page.

Her attention to detail is exemplified when in SPILLING YOUR MARBLES IN THE LIBRARY LOUD on the book cart is a miniature copy of The Quiet Book. Perhaps one of the best examples of her artistic gift is the shift of perspective in the illustration of FIREWORKS LOUD with all the animals gazing skyward.

Liwska states: I follow the old saying, Draw what you know. But I think I also follow another saying just as much, Draw what you like!

One can not help recalling similar loud situations in their lives or dream up other kinds of loud as they gaze at the pictures and text.  For readers of all ages this book is School's Out For The Summer Loud.