Two Trios Times Two

Comedy is rarely lost on children.  They long for laughter with it bubbling to the surface of their personalities freely and easily.  If there is the slightest edge of silliness involved, they will seek it out at every opportunity.  

When little guys and gals or someone learning to read for the first time encounter characters enjoying the same kind of activities they might do, they have found new and lasting friends.  Salina Yoon, a gift to the children's literature world, creating heartwarming books for young readers (and those young at heart), introduces three new individuals.  In the first book, Duck, Duck, Porcupine! (Bloomsbury Children's Books, May 17, 2016), Big Duck, her not-yet-talking younger brother, Little Duck, and Porcupine begin with three adventures set forth in three short stories (chapters). 

This is a perfect day for a picnic, Porcupine. 

Porcupine heartily agrees.  As Big Duck goes off to get the picnic basket, Porcupine heads away to get a blanket.  Without uttering a sound, Little Duck looks skyward, noting gathering clouds.  He has an umbrella tucked under his arm.

Rain begins falling in earnest with Big Duck and Porcupine saddened by this turn of events.  Taking a different view Little Duck looks for the silver lining.  It's not long before Big Duck and Porcupine shift their attitudes too but their conclusions will have you grinning.

In the second tale Big Duck keeps trying to remember something very important.  She even has a string tied around her wing tip (which she fails to notice initially).  Little Duck tries six different times to jar Big Duck's memory with huge hints but she keeps missing his point.  Like a bolt of lightning the truth strikes and her comment to Porcupine is hilarious.

With a declaration of 

"Let's go camping!

the threesome is diving into a new experience.  Organizer extraordinaire Big Duck assumes control by generating a list.  As the hours pass, the list gets longer.  It seems Big Duck likes to be prepared.

As she and Porcupine, who has never been camping, gather items darkness descends.  Number ninety-nine on the list will have readers roaring with laughter.  What has Little Duck been doing?  He's been getting the only things necessary for the ultimate camping trip.  Move over, Little Duck.  I'm with you.

My Kite Is Stuck! And Other Stories (Bloomsbury Children's Books, January 10, 2017) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon is a companion title (A Duck, Duck, Porcupine! Book) with three new charming and comical narratives.  Problem solving, friendship and entrepreneurship are presented with wisdom and wit.  The three characters' personalities shine brighter than ever.

Oh no!

My kite is stuck in the tree!

When Porcupine's kicked ball and Little Duck's thrown (by Big Duck) hula hoop into the tree don't dislodge her kite, Little Duck enters the scene.  He is pushing a step ladder on wheels.  It looks like this might work until Big Duck does the unthinkable.

As if that's not the most ridiculous solution ever, she decides to give Porcupine an impromptu flying lesson. YIKES!  Little Duck offers his assistance yet again but Big Duck and Porcupine are on an entirely different plane of thought which will have you giggling.

Excited as can be, Porcupine greets Big Duck with news about a new friend in the second tale.  This new friend is happily buzzing around joining Porcupine in his activities.  Every time Big Duck points out what she thinks a bee can't do, Porcupine points out her capabilities.  Before long, Big Duck has a new friend.  

What you might ask is the difference between a bee and a ladybug?  Big Duck's point of view makes all the difference.  WAIT!  What's going on with Little Duck?  He's not sure about this new "friend".

In the midst of a hot sunny day, there is nothing better than a cool glass of lemonade.  Big Duck announces they need to make a lemonade stand.  She and Porcupine paint and build like true professionals.  They make sure all who pass their stand know exactly what they are selling and the cost.

Just when Porcupine thinks they are ready for business, Big Duck wants to add decorative touches.  As customers line up, it dawns on the duo what is missing.  We've been given hints about our silent hero Little Duck working on his own project.  Of course, Big Duck has the last word but we know the rest of the story.

Written with a keen understanding of her audience and masterful pacing Salina Yoon has created two wonderful early chapter titles.  The distinctive characters, born leader (in her own mind), the easy-going friend and the-silent-but-oh-so-wise younger sibling, immediately claim a place in readers' collective experiences.  Her simple sentences state the obvious but each conversation builds toward the final observations which are like punch lines in the best kind of joke.  By having Little Duck be silent, it leaves room for audience participation in imagining his thoughts.

Rendered digitally in Adobe Photoshop all of the images beginning with the front of both book cases introduce us to the happy-go-lucky characters.  If you will notice in both of them Little Duck is looking directly at readers.  He is the one who without saying a word will be most closely aligned with us in visual asides.  On the back of each volume the pictures and text inform us as to the type of stories we will read.  The color of the opening and closing endpapers is identical to the color on the spine of each; sunny yellow and bright orange.

In the first book the title page features Big Duck and Porcupine snacking at their picnic.  Little Duck is showcased on the title page in the second book.  Opposite the verso is a Three Short Stories table of contents.  A single page is devoted to the title of each story.  

Using her signature wide black frames around her illustrations and heavy black lines outlining the elements in her pictures along with cheerful, bright colors, Salina Yoon creates a most excellent venue for these characters and their stories.  Her details, the blue baseball cap on Little Duck, the flower in Big Duck's feathers and the bow tie on Porcupine contribute to the overall spirited nature of these individuals.  She also adds tiny sound effect words in her pictures drawing us into the action.  But the best thing of all is how she is able to convey an array of emotion with her facial expressions and body postures; subtle shifts in placement.  Her eyes are simple but they all tell a tale.

There are so many illustrations in each book to love but in the first title one of my favorite pictures is of Little Duck trying to help Big Duck remember what she forgot.  It is a two-page picture.  On the right beneath a sunny blue sky, Little Duck is pecking at a date with a red star on a calendar.  Hands on her hips, Big Duck is complaining that his pecking is not helping her to think.

In book two I burst into laughter at the close-up of Little Duck's face on the single page image opposite the latest attempt of Big Duck to get her kite unstuck.  Who would have thought she would throw the small step ladder into the tree instead of using it as a...well...ladder?  His look is hilarious.  His eyes are saying...Did this really just happen?

Duck, Duck, Porcupine! and My Kite Is Stuck And Other Stories (A Duck, Duck, Porcupine! Book) both written and illustrated by Salina Yoon strike the right chord for young readers.  I highly recommend you give them a place on your professional and personal bookshelves.  Be sure to have multiple copies available.  You are going to be hearing lots of laughter.  

To learn more about Salina Yoon and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Duck, Duck, Porcupine! was one of the nominated titles discussed by The Association for Library Service for Children during the process for their Notable Children's Books-2017.  You can preview some of the interior images for the books at the publisher's website for Duck, Duck, Porcupine! and My Kite Is Stuck And Other Stories (A Duck, Duck, Porcupine! Book). 

December Dreaming

During the month of December the winter season brings us more than enough wind, bitter temperatures and lots of snow.  It's also a time for reflection on the past year.  It's a time to observe holidays full of tradition with family and friends.  Children celebrating Christmas pen letters to Santa Claus hoping he will grant their requests.  As they get older they realize being "Santa" is far better and offers much more joy.

During the month of December the air seems to be charged with something extra special.  There is a feeling that anything is possible.  A character we met in Penguin and Pinecone: a friendship story (Walker & Company, October 2, 2012) has returned in a sixth title to welcome this wonderful time of year.  Penguin's Christmas Wish (Bloomsbury, September 6, 2016) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon (whose heart is surely filled with as much compassion as Penguin's) takes us on another adventure where Mother Nature, as she is apt to do, has plans of her own.

It was Christmas Eve.  Pumpkin was getting ready for the best holiday ever.

As a penguin what she would really like is to have a real evergreen tree to decorate for Christmas.  Penguin knows exactly what to do.  He gathers the group, Bootsy with her decorations, Pumpkin with the star and Grandpa with the gifts.  With his sleigh loaded with supplies, Penguin leads the way up north.

When they arrive at the home of Pinecone, they are greatly surprised. Pinecone is huge but the scarf made by Penguin is clearly visible as is the heart-shaped circle of stones. In short order, they have Pinecone looking very festive indeed.  As the Christmas Eve night settles around them, Grandpa, Pumpkin and Bootsy murmur their hopes for Christmas surprises.  Penguin seated around a cozy fire has his own wish.

During the night Mother Nature sends a horrible snow storm with wild winds.  On Christmas morning, the penguin foursome is disappointed to see the handiwork wrought by the weather.  All their Christmas trimmings have disappeared.

Wise words from Grandpa give Penguin an idea.  He makes use of the storm's wily deeds.  As Christmas night descends and the crescent moon rises, Penguin realizes how magical Christmas can be.  Every wish is granted in ways never imagined.


Salina Yoon's Penguin books (all her books) are bundles of love.  In the character of Penguin we see how glorious life can be when in service to others.  We come to understand the simplest things make us richer beyond any monetary amount.  In Penguin's world all living beings are equal; everyone (everything) is important and has worth.

Her simple sentences, excellent for younger and beginner readers, are full of meaning.  In addition to the narrative text and dialogue, Yoon includes exclamations, observations and sounds in smaller speech text in the illustrations.  Here is a sample passage.

The penguins 
decorated Pinecone
with all the trimmings.
"What a fine tree," 
said Grandpa.

Now we're ready 
for Christmas!  (Penguin)

WOW! (Pumpkin)


Digitally rendered in Adobe Photoshop using heavier black outlines and bright colors, our present-carrying roly-poly friend Penguin walks toward his friend, Pinecone.  The scene extends over the spine to the back of the book case, highlighting the previous five titles.  Careful readers will see a very tiny Penguin and Pumpkin on the spine bookending the title.  The opening and closing endpapers are a pattern, on deep sky blue, of alternating rows of crossed candy canes and a string of colored lights.  There is a difference with the final endpapers courtesy of Mother Nature.

Beneath the title text Yoon has placed one of the interior images of Penguin.  Under her dedication

In memory of 
Debbie Alvarez

(a wonderful champion of children, books and reading as a teacher librarian extraordinaire)

is a tree-topper in the shape of a star.  Her images throughout the book cover two pages, single pages, edge to edge or framed in a black line and wide area of white or a series of small pictures might be placed on a single page.  These variations in illustration size create a flow for her story.  Readers will particularly enjoy her shifts in perspective; looking at the forest from above, being near the penguin group as they decorate the tree, or extremely close to Penguin as the sun melts the snow.

One of my many favorite illustrations is on Christmas night.  Penguin is seated in front of the fire, holding a steaming mug of hot chocolate.  He is wearing his signature scarf and a red, green and yellow blanket.  Behind the hill of snow where he sits are evergreens against a starry sky.  Small plumes of snow indicate a breeze is rising.


You all are going to want to have this newest Penguin volume, Penguin's Christmas Wish, written and illustrated by Salina Yoon in your personal and professional collections.  Even amid the bitter cold and the remnants of a snow storm, Penguin, his family and friends can find Christmas magic.  This is the true meaning of Christmas.  I encourage you to read this aloud often.

To learn more about Salina Yoon and her other books, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Penguin (and Pinecone) have their own Facebook page.  MerryMakers have a Penguin doll now.  Salina Yoon maintains a Twitter account at @SalinaYoon  Penguin on Vacation and Penguin in Love are showcased on my blog here.

A Singular Silence

They ride school buses, walk the hallways, enter our classrooms, libraries and cafeterias and roam on our playgrounds.  These girls and guys are as beautiful as the other children but their distinctive individuality sets them apart from the others.  Their choices, perspectives and forms of expressions are a gift to others.  For whatever reason the gift though freely given is not readily received.

Be A Friend (Bloomsbury Children's Books, January 5, 2015) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon like these exceptional children is a present for her readers  It's a token to be treasured, representing the wisdom and worth of walking this planet with respect and appreciation for others.  It asks us to wear our differences seen on the outside and those we harbor inside with courage.

DENNIS was an ordinary boy...

...who expressed himself in

EXTRAORDINARY ways.

He was known as 

MIME BOY.

Dennis never spoke.  He moved his body and changed his facial features to convey his thoughts.  He demonstrated without a sound how to tug a rope, ride a bicycle or go up and down stairs.  He did this with a happy heart.

During show and tell his other classmates stood in front of the class speaking and displaying objects.  Dennis became the things he wished to share with the other students.  His imitation of a tree at recess was so convincing and sincere he became one with nature.

Regardless of being his best self, his singularity made him feel isolated at times.  He wished the other children would understand him.  One day his actions did draw the attention of another, a girl with the name 

JOY.

For the first time it was as if he had found the other part of himself.  All it takes is one someone.  All it takes is a friend.

With her opening text Salina Yoon beckons us toward imagined enchantment.  What is it about Dennis that is extraordinary?  With each sentence and her carefully chosen words our connection to, and yes our affection for, this remarkable child grows.  By revealing only one or two sentences per page, the impact of the narrative is greater.  We are able feel the surge of emotion Dennis displays with Joy at the end.  Here are two more sentences, one on each of two pages.

Some children liked to CLIMB a tree.

Dennis was happy to BE a tree.

Although working from an F & G, which makes me even more eager to hold the finished book in my hands, little extras are already noticeable.  The title text is embossed in red foil.  The stitched flower representing the miming of a blossom feels as though it has been sewn.  To the left, on the back, the heart Dennis is wearing is paired with the first sentence on the same canvas as the front of the dust jacket.  The book case is in horizontal stripes of black and a darker warm tan with the heart pinned on the front lower right-hand corner.  On the opening and closing endpapers Dennis is shown miming eight different things or activities in a double pattern.  

Heavier paper in the same hue as the dust jacket provides a wonderful background for the limited color palette of black, white, red along with several pages of softer full color when we see the other children.  Rendered in

pencil on paper and colored digitally

the images are placed on a single page, span edge to edge on two pages or are grouped on two pages.  By choosing to display the miming in red stitching Salina Yoon is enhancing the creativity of Dennis.

Dennis' black and white striped shirt, large top hat, the heart pinned to his shirt and painted face are adorable identifying traits.  The decision to print some of the text in red and in capital letters adds importance to those words.  When Yoon brings us closer to the characters' faces their presence spreads in our hearts.  Careful readers will notice tiny details such as the flight of the bluebird, the placement of the pinned heart and the jump rope design at the end.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of Dennis being a tree.  He is standing on a small grassy hill. His arms are outstretched one higher than the other like a branch; one leg is raised with that foot placed on the other leg.  His merriment is showing on his face.  A tiny blue bird has flown from the real tree to perch on his fingers.  

Not only are you going to read Be A Friend written and illustrated by Salina Yoon over and over again at one sitting, you are going to want to read it to others.  The combined pacing of the text and pictures is superb; a tale about needing a friend and being a friend.  If you use it in a storytime make sure to have red hearts to give to your listeners. 

To learn more about Salina Yoon and her other delightful books please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  She also gives us a peek at two interior pages in this book.  At the publisher's website there is an activity kit you can view and download.  At author Tara Lazar's website, Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), the cover for this title is revealed along with a short chat about this book.  At Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries John Schumacher's website, Watch. Connect. Read. Salina Yoon reveals the book trailer as well as writing her readers a letter about Be A Friend.

UPDATE January 5, 2015 Salina Yoon wrote the guest post at the Nerdy Book Club about Be A Friend.
UPDATE January 6, 2015 Salina Yoon is a guest at All The Wonders, Let's Get Busy, Episode #224
UPDATE February 9, 2016 Visit This Picture Book Life to hear the song To Be A Friend sung by Emily Arrow

An Aware Bear

There will be times we want something we don't need.  On the flip side, we may need something we don't want.  When what we need and want collide, gladness resides.

In a strange twist, as life is apt to do, sometimes there is a need inside of which we are blissfully oblivious at the moment.  This premise is set forth beautifully in Found (Walker Books For Young Reader, April 1, 2014) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon.   Bear's life is about to change.

One day, Bear found something in the forest.

This something was the best thing he had ever seen.  With great care he took the toy bunny home.  He believed the bunny looked heartbroken about being lost.

Bear made flyers advertising his discovery.  Every tree in the forest received this new feature as a part of its decor.  Bear was surprised to see all the many missing items on the local bulletin board but no one seemed to have misplaced a very special toy bunny.

He did his best to look in every nook and cranny for anyone missing a beloved friend.  He searched and waited for a response to his flyers until his mom called him home for dinner.  He could hardly sleep that night wondering how bunny's family must feel.

The next day the toy bunny became part of Bear's daily activities; swinging, playing hide-and-seek, picking berries and picnicking.  Bear had never been happier when suddenly a voice called out,

FLOPPY, my bunny!

Bear's tricycle came to a halt.

The toy bunny in the bike basket was given to Moose.  This was one of those situations when sadness for yourself and happiness for another fight for position in your mind.  Moose's heart knew what was needed and wanted in equal measure.


No more than three sentences are placed on any two pages.  To generate the story's flow, one sentence might be stretched over three pages.  As an author Salina Yoon is wonderfully mindful of her audience, the youngest of readers and listeners.  Each thought, whether part of the narrative or a piece of dialogue, tells us exactly what we need to know.  She creates a gentle emotional tension which takes a turn with a single word.  Here are three of her sentences.

Bear wished the bunny was his to keep.
"But the bunny's family must be so worried," thought Bear.
"Poor lost bunny!"


How can you not fall in love with Bear and the toy bunny by looking at the opened book case?  Bear is hugging what he wishes is his BFF but on the left readers can see he has made a flyer which is posted on a nearby tree.  His red tricycle with a basket, bell and snazzy ribbons from the handle grips is simply charming.  Salina Yoon's sense of humor comes through in the opening and closing endpapers full of flyers of missing items.  A few words accompany each pictorial representation; Lost (Reindeer) Contact Santa, Lost (Toilet Paper) Rolled away, Lost track of (Watch), Lost My Hat (Red Cone-shaped Hat) I want it back and Lost My Marbles (Marbles) HELP!  If you need some extra "smileage" in your day, stop by these endpapers.

Solid black lines frame all of the digitally created illustrations.  With a line, dot or heart Yoon conveys emotion to her readers.  High impact is supplied with a change in perspective and a double page image. (Bear's face when Floppy's family finds him.)  A realistic color palette, sky and midnight blue, grass and forest green, sunshine yellow, pink, red, orange, shades of brown, black, white and purple, helps to endear readers to the characters.

Little details can be spotted by careful readers; the canary who is lost follows Bear, pinecones are featured in several illustrations, Penguin sits on Bear's shelf in his bedroom, Bear wears bunny slippers and there is a heart-shaped constellation outside his window on the final page. One of my favorite illustrations is when Bear has placed the toy bunny in his red backpack as he looks for his owner.  He is looking low by sticking his face into a fish pond, holding the flyer under water.  Bunny seems to be looking over his head too.  The canary is perched on a nearby rock.


Since the release of Found I have been eagerly awaiting the companion title.  Last week it arrived at my favorite indie bookstore, McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan.  Stormy Night (Bloomsbury, January 6, 2015) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon covers a fear felt by many children.  I know...I was one of them for decades.

One stormy night, Bear couldn't sleep.

Wide awake as a hoot owl, he and Floppy, huddled beneath the bed covers as the wind howled and rain fell.  They quickly got up to close the window.  Bear looking straight at his bunny sang him a comforting song.  Oddly enough, Bear wasn't so frightened for a few minutes.

Soon with the thundering increasing in volume, Bear was huddled under the bed.  Mama came in asking him if she could stay with him.  She was frightened too. (She actually wanted to check on her son.)  Bear was happy and kissed her on the nose.  Both felt comforted.

Before long Papa asked if he could join them in bed.  Bear tickled his ears.  Warmth spread over them both.  Soon the three were reading a favorite book to make Floppy less afraid.  As is the case when we are distracted, Bear was forgetting about the storm.

BOOM!

Oh! Oh!  All Bear's fears came flooding back.  Mama and Papa do three things which helped to ease his worries.  Quiet followed inside his bedroom and outside in the forest.  Sweet dreams everyone.


Six words, a simple thought begin this story.  These words by Salina Yoon make a connection with her readers.  They all understand lying awake in their beds as a storm shakes their house with thunder, lightning brightening their rooms in flashes and rain rattling against their windows.

Starting with the endearing rhyming song (readers and listeners will easily learn it, committing it to memory) and adding in the nose kiss, ear tickling and treasured book reading, lessons in banishing fear are subtly introduced.  In this narrative, Yoon also tells readers how our worries are lessened when we think of others.  As in the first book in this series the importance of kindness and love are marvelously portrayed.


The front image on the book case of Bear and Floppy looking out his bedroom window into the storm-filled night is extended to the left, rain falling and wind swirling.  The little yellow bird (canary) is struggling to seek shelter.  The opening endpapers highlight Bear's house on the hill in the forest, lights golden yellow, smoke coming from the chimney as rain covers the entire scene.  A starry sky with a crescent moon replaces the stormy night on the closing endpapers supplying a more serene backdrop to the silhouette of the home and evergreen trees.  I love that Yoon has placed the Big Dipper and Little Dipper in her sky.  This is a perfect opportunity to acquaint readers with their other names.

Unlike the first story which mainly took place outside, this story is in Bear's bedroom.  An identical color palette is used which renews readers' bond with Bear and Floppy.  Yoon alternates between double-page spreads edge to edge, single page pictures edge to edge, individual pages framed in white space and thicker black lines surrounded by white space.  As in the first book, these shifts in illustration size present the book's cadence.

A yellow star tops the bedside lamp in Bear's room as well as the ends of his curtain rod.  Are these the North Star?  Pinecones fill the bed of his toy dump truck. A heart is carved in the wood at the foot of his bed.  Penguin makes an appearance again. The author of his favorite book is Bear E. Goodbook.  All these extra touches are what make books illustrated by Salina Yoon so lovable.

One of my favorite illustrations spans the final two pages.  We are looking inside Bear's bedroom window as everyone sleeps in cozy comfort.  A falling star streaks across the calm night sky.  On the window sill, the yellow bird dozes.  This is peaceful perfection.


Found and Stormy Night written and illustrated by Salina Yoon are delightful additions to children's literature.  They will find readers at all age levels for who can resist the exchange of affection between Bear, Floppy and his parents.  These books are downright huggable.

To discover more about Salina Yoon and her other titles the link embedded in her name will take you to her website.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian extraordinaire and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. featured Salina Yoon this summer.  This past month another wonderful teacher librarian and blogger at The Styling Librarian, Debbie Alvarez interviewed Salina Yoon.   You can download a link to get Stormy Night wallpaper at Bloomsbury.  I can hardly wait for the release later this month of the Floppy toy at Merry Makers.

To celebrate these two books, I will be giving away a set along with the Floppy toy bunny.  Good luck.

His Heart Leads The Way

Some fictional characters, like their human counterparts, no matter their age look at their world with curiosity and hope.  Seeing something new on a daily walk, exploring a place away from home or looking for love, can fill your days with delight if your heart is open and your spirit in generous.  Treasures are waiting to be found, if you look with the right kind of eyes.

Sometimes, seemingly disparate things can have an important connection. Let's look at a pinecone, a crab and yarn.  What these three items have in common is a very special character created by author illustrator, Salina Yoon.  In October of 2012 she introduced us to Penguin in Penguin and Pinecone; a story of an endearing friendship, of a love which grows and spreads.

This year we lucky readers have two new titles featuring this huggable, lovable bird.  In April, perfect for our summer months, Penguin on Vacation (Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury, April 16, 2013) arrived.  Our friend decides he needs a change of scenery.

"I need a vacation."
Penguin sighed.
Snow again?

I'll wager many people in the northern climates, especially in the last few weeks, can identify with Penguin.  He feels like he's exhausted all previous snowy activities of skiing, sledding and skating.  This feathered creature craves sun and sand.

Suitcase by his side, beach ball in his flippers, he travels by floe to the beach of his dreams only to discover it's not quite what he expected.  Hazards such as sea shells, coconuts and hot sand make exploring a bit difficult.  His favorite pastimes of skiing, sledding and skating don't work as well or not at all.

A little red pal appears ready to acquaint Penguin with the finer points of vacationing at the beach.  Crab knows all about creating castles, climbing palm trees, and surfing.  Penguin can't believe his good fortune found with his new friend.

We all know vacations must come to an end.  Reluctantly Penguin begins the long float home.  Startled by a movement in the water, the return trip reveals exciting new possibilities.  Penguin is able to return many kindnesses and the gift of a tiny scarf and tiny mittens. Another return makes an appearance by the book's end to the delight of more than one penguin.


In the simple sentences telling this tale, Salina Yoon conveys thoughts and emotions but most importantly the presence of innocence.  Both Penguin and Crab are eager to extend the hand of friendship to one another, unencumbered by any assumptions.  The main narrative is broadened with the smaller text; additional thoughts and exclamations by the characters.  You can tell Yoon loves playing with words giving a cadence to some of her sentences.  She also likes to include a wee bit of humor.  Here are a couple of examples.

Ninety-nine balls of snow on the ground...

They whooshed and pushed.
They fished and wished.


When opening up the cover of this title, Salina Yoon gives you hints about how the story will unfold picturing Penguin's arrival at the beach with Crab on the sand, the back cover showing the conch shell, an important element to the story.  The beginning endpapers are diagonally lined with multiple Crabs, red on pale yellow.  On the back endpapers he is still there, clad now in Penguin's newly knitted gifts.

To accentuate the narrative flow, illustrations vary in size from two pages, to single pages, small cutouts on pure white backgrounds, and single pages framed in her signature heavy black lines surrounded by white space.  With only black dots for eyes, Yoon still conveys her characters personalities with warmth and conviction.  The tiniest of details add to the book's charm; Penguin's beach outfit, Crab's beach bag used in travel and Penguin pulling Crab on a spare skate as if he is a skier behind a boat.  My favorite illustration is of the two of them drinking from the same coconut, using long straws, lying on their respective beach towels and wearing sunglasses.


Less than ten days ago Penguin in Love (Walker Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Bloomsbury, December 3, 2013) could be found in bookstores.  As in the first title, Penguin comes across an unexpected item.  It begins an interesting chain of events.

One day, Penguin was looking for love.
What's this?
Instead, he found...

It looks like a mitten but there are no signs from where it might have come.  Grandpa (It's great that Grandpa has a part in all the books.) and several others penguins say it is not their mitten, although they are missing other things.  What Penguin does not know is his friend, Bootsy from Penguin and Pinecone, is busily knitting cozies on the other end of the ice.

Like Penguin, Bootsy knits with purpose, to help others and fill her solitary heart.  To Penguin's surprise two puffins land near him and his latest knitting project, a partner for the sole mitten.  Guess what?  It's not a mitten but a bill cozy which the puffin is thankful to receive.

Those two puffins, a match made in heaven, have a plan.  Penguin's yarn disappears.  Bootsy's yarn vanishes.  In searching for their yarn, Penguin and Bootsy meet again.  They have a mystery to solve, though.  A line of clues have been left for them.

Following these trails of yarn, the two knit and knit and knit and knit, binding themselves together in warmth, fun, comfort and kindness until a terrible storm separates the two.  All they have left are their individual clues.  It's not easy but they discover the greatest adventure of all waits.


When you read the first sentence of this narrative, you are completely captivated.  You imagine how Salina Yoon might have Penguin find love.  It's interesting how she uses her sentences like a knitter uses yarn, stringing them together, in and out, over and under, having Penguin and Bootsy follow paths to each other creating the best kind of garment for warmth, love.  Additional interest is added in this title with the introduction of the puffins, other penguins by name, the seal pup and the whale. Again we see the playful nature of Yoon in the song sung by her characters out at sea. The final three pages of text are guaranteed to create a sigh, a glow lighting every reader's heart.


As she did in the previous title, the opened cover provides foreshadowing; the heart-shaped ice floe, the yarn making a letter o and the needles making a letter x on the front.  The tip of the ice extends to the back with the two puffins looking forward at Penguin, a heart drawn in the snow reading P + B.  On both the starting and closing endpapers on a white background are lines of brightly-colored yarn, making loops and hearts.

You have to smile at the inclusion of a telescope in Penguin's flippers when he is looking for love and the magnifying glass he holds examining the single mitten.  Another delightful interpretation by Yoon is when Penguin lays out a sign for Bootsy to find; he spells her name in yarn with a knitted bow crossing the t and a heart woven into the tail of the y.  As in the other titles, cheerful colors sparkle on every page with the white backgrounds and bold black lines lifting them into view. My favorite illustration spreads across the bottom of two pages; in a line are the whale, two puffins on an ice floe, and the seal pup on a floe too with the heart-shaped floe in the lead, occupied by Penguin and Bootsy as all are singing.


Penguin on Vacation and Penguin in Love written and illustrated by the very talented Salina Yoon are charming with a capital C.  You can't help but fall in love with Penguin and his friends as they enjoy each other's company.  All of these books are first and foremost to be enjoyed but think of the wonderful conversations you can have about friendship.  Share them with as many people as you can, repeatedly with joy.

To discover more about Salina Yoon and her books, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  This link takes you to a pictorial interview at BookPage.

Friendship Found, Friendship Grown

Walking through rows of pines, perhaps planted during the days of the Civilian Conservation Corps, in any season is one of my favorite hikes to take, not only for the gentle whispering among those quiet sentinels but for the possibility of finding the perfect pinecone.  Leftover from years of making wreaths, a craft started in scouting, is the treasure hunter's eye, seeking unique shapes and sizes.  Tucked away too, in my storyteller's mind, is the tale of the woman gathering pinecones to sell as fuel, raising money for food for her family.  I am wondering if the elusive man from legend will turn one of my finds into silver as he did hers.

When you unexpectedly discover something for which you've been searching, the joy in the moment is swift and overwhelming, flooding all your senses.  Coming upon something new, something you've never seen before, triggers a different response, one loaded with questions.  In Penguin and Pinecone: a friendship story (Walker & Company, October 2, 2012) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon the questions asked and answered lead to surprising but truly touching results.

 One day, Penguin found a curious object.
     What's this?

Nestled in the snow is a single pine cone.  After a series of trials and errors, Penguin knows it is not a snowball, food or an egg.  What he does discover is this object is cold.

Immediately the reader can see into the heart of Penguin.  Knowing his new found treasure is chilly he knits him  a scarf; a scarf the same as his.  Now they can romp, roll and frolic until... it sneezes.

Grandpa explains to Penguin, Pinecone will never realize his potential in their frozen home.  Many, many miles away is where Pinecone needs to be.  As much as he loves his companionship, Penguin knows he needs to get his friend to the forest.

Sled packed, pulling through swift winds and swirling snow, Penguin holds tight to his pal, determination in his every step.  With the forest found, a needle nest on the ground, Penguin leaves the warm day and his best bud.  Time passes but the memory of the love between the two does not fade.

With an overwhelming desire to know how his friend has fared, Penguin treks toward the warmer clime.  Love, once planted, knows not of endings only beginnings.  It has plans of it's own.


Given that pinecones and penguins are found in opposite parts of the world, Salina Yoon takes the improbable, mixes in a little magic, and forms an enduring relationship which not only thrives but multiplies.  Her simple sentences using the right words invite even the earliest readers to be participants.  But least you think the spare text implies a simple story, the ending is wise and wonderful.


How can you not become attached to a penguin as cute as the one on the cover with his roly-poly dimensions, sporting the orange scarf to ward off the chill?  Opening and closing endpapers, white, feature small pinecones scattered across the pages.  The title page highlights an illustration from within the story, Penguin lying on pine needles in the shape of a heart.

Heavy black outlines make the pictures pop against the simple, cool white and blue backgrounds when in the frozen south and against the pale yellows, greens and browns of the northern forest.  By alternating the size of the visuals, across two pages, a single page, several smaller ones on a page, zooming in and out and some framed with the black line, Yoon controls pacing, enhances her narrative and reaches out to readers, tying them emotionally to the story.  One example is the two pages picturing the words:

"Good-bye, Pinecone.  You will always be in my heart.

Yoon has the reader looking down on the scene of Pinecone resting in the bed of pine needles surrounded by rocks in the shape of a heart.  Above the heart three sticks form the letter "I", beneath it small twigs form the letter "U".  Penguin looks on holding his scarf.


Salina Yoon in writing and illustrating Penguin and Pinecone: a friendship story gives readers of all ages a fresh new look at the ripple effect of love.  Pair this charming book with Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Dan Yaccarino or with Cece Bell's 2013 Geisel Honor award winning, Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover.  Other good matches would be One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo with illustrations by David Small (Caldecott Honor award 2013), Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers or Tony Baloney by Pam Munoz Ryan with illustrations by Edwin Fotheringham.

The link embedded in Salina Yoon's name is to her website.  For further unlikely adventures follow the link to Penguin's blog (adorable) enbedded in the title above.  And for making a pinecone penguin go to this link.  Penguin will be having further adventures in a new title, Penguin on Vacation.  Have fun!