Handheld Hilarity 3

Reading a newsletter yesterday written by a soon-to-be-published romance author, who is also a master teacher and friend, two words tied her series of thoughts together.  Those two words, silver linings, ask us to look beyond our current circumstances.  When we seek silver linings, they will reveal themselves to us.  Sometimes they are a tiny sliver.  Other times, they are huge, life-changing moments.  

For many of us, books which make us grin or giggle, or guffaw are the silver linings every time we read them.  They are silver linings which never fail us.  When a character returns to a series of books, it means more fun is in the offing.  We first met him eight years ago in Crankenstein and again in A Crankenstein Valentine.  He has returned in Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein (Little, Brown And Company, August 17, 2021) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.  In this newest entry, a beloved holiday is not as it should be.

Do you know what today is?

Crankenstein knows what today is.

It's a day that rhymes with Schmalloween, and

it's Crankenstein's FAVORITE day of the year.

His first inkling the day is awry is a throbbing toothache.  It goes downhill further when his brother fails to recognize his costume identity.  And just when he thinks it can't get any worse, it does.  No one mentions a raging rainstorm was coming.

Every activity at school to celebrate the holiday is off kilter.  What are the chances of someone else having the same costume and standing next to Crankenstein in the parade?  That night in his neighborhood trick-or-treating, someone is handing out toothbrushes instead of candy.  What kind of person does that?

Some other neighbor has a weird idea of frightening decorations. Crankenstein is not happy at being scared.  Back home, finally, his sly brother is swiping his candy.  What has happened to 

Crankenstein's FAVORITE day of the year? 

Wait! Is that the doorbell ringing?  Opening the door, Crankenstein is shocked at what he sees.  He bursts out laughing.  He keeps on laughing when he sees a lot more great minds who think alike.

This author, Samantha Berger, knows comedy.  She understands how delighted readers are in the contrast between the expected and the reality.  AND either through experience or observation, she has included the perfect pairs of opposites.  Initially, she creates a rhythm through the use of the word

EXCEPT

bringing it back to great effect at the close of the story.  She then establishes another cadence which increases Crankenstein's grit-your-teeth frustration and our rib-tickling laughter.  Here is a passage.

EXCEPT---when his brother doesn't know

WHAT he's supposed to be, and laughs till he falls

off the couch.

Crankenstein would say,

MEHHRRRR!

Look at the front, right side of the dust jacket!  Everything screams Halloween and not any ordinary Halloween.  This is a Halloween gone wrong.  There are webs in the title text with a black spider dangling between the K and O.  Bats fly around Crankenstein on an orange background.  The handle on his treat bag is ripped, spilling his collected candy.  His signature reply to his fateful events is carved into the jack-o-lantern.  Crankenstein's face allows for no denying his current mood.  To the left, on the back, in shades of gray is a silhouette of Crankenstein shouting his displeasure.  Across Crankenstein's form is a toothbrush with a jack-o-lantern, TRICK or TREAT tag hanging from the handle.  Adding insult to injury along the handle it reads:

Dr. Spooner DDS 555-9874

On the book case, on a cream background, is Crankenstein.  On the front he is facing us in his 

ROBO AVENGER COSTUME

with all the parts labeled.  On the back Crankenstein has turned his back to us.  Four parts of his costume not previously shown are labeled.

You cannot, I repeat cannot, just glance at the opening and closing endpapers.  Illustrator, Dan Santat, has fashioned a collage of enlarged candy.  Each of the candies have been renamed to depict the spookiness of Halloween.  The wrappers are familiar, but the names are decidedly not.  Have you had

TOOTHROT

It suffices  

or

Original

Skulltills

Imbibe The Spectrum!

Even some of the information on the verso has been "Halloweened." 

Each of the double-page illustrations (and a group of smaller panels) were rendered in Adobe Photoshop.  All the scenes inside Crankenstein's home depict a love of his favorite holiday.  There are ghoulish lamps and lampshades, and Halloween cups, glasses, bowls, placemats, pillows, and blankets.  The exaggerated facial expressions will have you grinning from ear to ear.  For most of the pictures, we are close to the action.  We are a part of this story. 

One of my many favorite illustrations is the only panoramic setting.  Across most of the two pages are hues of green formed into a corn maze. Four costumed classmates of Crankenstein are gleefully running down several pathways on the left.  Across the top of the page is a gray sky with a smattering of darker rain clouds and some parked vehicles on the right.  On the bottom of the image, to the right of the gutter (with one arm crossing the gutter), is a scarecrow.  He is looking grim.  Where is Crankenstein you ask?  Two arms with clenched fists extend straight up in a row on the right.  Above those arms in a speech balloon is a visual of an angry face.  Crankenstein is lost! 

Guaranteed to make you smile at the least and surely laugh out loud, Trick Or Treat, Crankenstein written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat is a feast of fun.  Readers will relate to the mishaps but will be pleasantly surprised by the conclusion.  Treat yourself to a copy for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Samantha Berger and Dan Santat and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Samantha Berger has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dan Santat has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  

Many individuals use meal preparation as an act of love or as an artistic expression.  There are a few others, a very few, harboring an ulterior motive.  One such fellow is found in Chez Bob (Little, Brown And Company, September 21, 2021) written and illustrated by Bob Shea.  This alligator has a voracious appetite but is loath to exert himself.  What he lacks in energy and ambition, he more than makes up for it in ingenuity.

Bob worked very

hard at being lazy.

"Being lazy is making me very hungry,"

said Bob to no one.

Bob hopes his request for birds to fly directly into his mouth will work.  They flee with haste.  He then observes how grass entices birds to it because of its seeds.  Like the proverbial lightning strike, Bob has a plan.

His long snout will house a birdseed restaurant.  It will be so successful, other alligators will want to purchase his idea.  He will be wealthy, but most importantly, he will no longer be hungry. 

The first bird at Chez Bob is impressed.  Bob has to let him go rather than eat him.  He is going to spread the word about the delectable meal on the menu.  Chez Bob is an international success.  Before long, a community surrounds Bob and his restaurant.  There is a school for the youngsters and a library for everyone.  As a member, new member, of this flock, Bob participates in a service project.  He joins a book club? Oh, Bob!  

Mother Nature exerts her will.  Bob has a huge decision to make.  Birds or breakfast?  What could possibly be worth more than fame and fortune?

When author Bob Shea pens a story, his keen sense of humor shines in every sentence.  His blend of narrative and Bob's personal voice and thoughts is true and perfectly paced.  The hilarity escalates with Bob acting and saying one thing and thinking about consuming the birds at the same time.  Then, in the best possible manner, a dilemma is presented.  It is a heightened what-if moment.  Readers will appreciate the choices made by both Bobs.  Here is a portion of one passage and the following two sentences.

"Oh, then I will not eat you,"

said Bob.

"What?" said the bird.

"I said, 'So nice to meet you,' "

said Bob.

And he couldn't wait to meet

the bird's tasty friends.

Soon Chez Bob was

the talk of the trees.

Birds flew in from all

over the world to eat

on Bob's face.

(Please note I am working with an F & G.  I was hoping to have a copy this week, but unfortunately, they have been delayed.  The anticipation grows.)

The expression on Bob the alligator's face on the right side of the open dust jacket has me laughing out loud every time I see it.  That smirky grin with one hand attempting to cover it is priceless.  Bob salting the bird as the bird salts its seeds is over-the-top comical.  The choice of the teal canvas makes Bob and the bird shine.

On the left, back of the dust jacket, Bob is seated on a navy background.  Birds are around him, his hat, and his face.  It is movie night.  On the end of his nose is the screen.  Bob is scooping popcorn into his mouth as birds nibble what is on the ground.

On a spring green canvas with short yellow and blue blades of grass, birds of a variety of colors gather on the opening endpapers.  On the far left, a pink worm looks at the group of birds aghast.  With the same background, the closing endpapers tell a different tale.  It is a blur of bicycles, birds, and Bob . . . on a bicycle.  The verso and title pages present a double-page picture of Bob lazily resting on the edge of the water with the jungle flora and fauna around him.

The color palette of blues, greens, purple, yellow, pink and white welcomes readers to the story.  The images, double-page pictures and single-page pictures, are highly animated.  When Bob opens his mouth, he opens it WIDE!  The tiny details in some of the scenes ask readers to pause.  There are birds in lounge chairs around a pond.  There are birds riding on a roller coaster.  There is a tiny bus with two passengers and a capped driver.

One of my favorite illustrations is when Bob is taking his patrons on a sunset dinner.  Among the lily pads, some flowers holding candles, are a frog happily waving as Bob passes and a turtle rowing a boat nearby.  Bob, mostly above the beautifully hued water, is wearing his chef's hat, eyeing his customers, and smiling.  Across his back are tiny tables with red-and-white-checked tablecloths. Pairs of birds are seated, enjoying their birdseed meals and chirping conversationally.

Sometimes when the best-laid plans shift in their results, so do personalities.  Our protagonist in Chez Bob written and illustrated by Bob Shea is a prime example.  Innocence can soften the cleverest and hungriest heart.  If you are looking for a title replete with laughs that lead toward newfound friendship, this book comes highly recommended for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Bob Shea and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Bob Shea has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  This title is featured at author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's wondrous Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There are many process pieces there to see.  

UPDATE:  Please enjoy this interview with Bob Shea about this title at Max's Boat on September 16, 2021.

Bob Shea Presents CHEZ BOB from LB School on Vimeo.

Book Chat with the Illustrator: Bob Shea for CHEZ BOB from LB School on Vimeo.

You Wonderful You

As we go through life, we are from time to time our worst critics. We forget that goals are guides and not expectations etched in the stone of perfection.  Our possibilities are limited with a negative outlook.

If we embrace everything we do, even if it's not what is planned, there is always a sliver of the desired silver lining.  Rock What Ya Got (Little, Brown and Company, September 25, 2018) written by Samantha Berger (What If . . .) with illustrations by Kerascoet (Malala's Magic Pencil) is a lively look at being satisfied with who you are.  It champions self-acceptance with total joy.

Once upon a

blank piece of paper,

where anything could happen . . .

There was an artist who took a pencil and drew a little girl.  She named her Viva.  As she studied the drawing, the artist felt the drawing could be better.  She lifted her pencil, again, to erase Viva. 

Viva reached out and took that pencil in her hands.  Viva believed she was fine the way she was.  She asked the artist if she could 

rock what I got?

The artist thought maybe the hair was wrong, so she experimented on another page with all kinds of styles and colors.  None of them seemed to be right and Viva had plenty to say.  The artist was still dissatisfied.  It had to be the body that needed changing.

No matter what shape and size she tried on yet another page, none fit Viva.  This gave Viva the perfect opportunity.  She could not stop talking about herself and cheering for all her potential.  This artist was not ready to give up, but neither was Viva.  

When another attempt still left the artist unsure, Viva had a question of her own.  Finding the answer brought back a memory the artist had forgotten.  Together she and Viva started a new once upon a . . .

Taking the familiar and enchanting words used to begin a tale, Samantha Berger attaches new words taking readers into a whole new world of wonder.  Samantha uses repetition masterfully in tying the beginning of the narrative to the end bringing us full circle.  Each time the artist pauses and starts to change Viva, the same three phrases are used supplying us with a cadence inviting participation.  When Viva speaks each of her spirited declarations ends in words that rhyme heightening the happiness of the entire story.  Here is a passage with Viva shouting out with glee.

Everyone has their own special thing---

find what is yours,

and bring what you bring . . .

Find your own voice

and sing how you sing.

Find your own OOMPH!

Find your own ZING!

Mirroring the exuberance of the text the husband and wife team of Kerascoet splashes colorful artwork across the opened dust jacket.  Every line is charged with bliss.  Looking at Viva makes you want to jump for joy too.  The watercolor crosses the spine to the back, framing text.  The text appears to be written in pencil.  The artist's hand is holding a blue pencil beneath it.  The paragraph explains the delight revealed inside the book.

On a white canvas on the book case Viva skips across a field of watercolor and bright sketches.  On the right of the opened case she is carrying the pencil.  It's twice as big as she is but she carries it well.  

The opening and closing endpapers are the inside of an open sketchbook.  The spirals in the center of the sketchbook are placed in the center of the images.  Each one, the opening and closing, are different, depicting possible settings with a variety of flora and buildings.  On the title page Viva is peeking out from the pages of a small, handmade book standing up on the artist's table.  This book holds the title text.  Colored pencils are shown in a cup and on the table.  

To complement the narrative the illustrations rendered in watercolor and colored pencils on Arches paper vary in their perspective bringing us close to the work of the artist, to Viva and the inside of the sketchbook.  Each image spans two pages.  The details bring us directly into the creative process of an artist.  The hand lettering enhances this involvement of Viva with the artist and of us with the entire story.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the artist is seeking to answer Viva's question.  In this picture, on the right, Viva is kneeling on one of the pages of the open sketchbook on the desk.  Above her, on the right and left, is the illustrator, seated and opening a drawer in her desk.  She is removing the handmade book.  All we see of the illustrator is a portion of her body, arms and hands.  Viva is smiling as she watches.  It is a pivotal point.  

Rock What Ya Got written by the effervescent Samantha Berger with illustrations by the creative team, Kerascoet, is a gem to be shared repeatedly, preferably as a read aloud.  You will want to have plenty of paper and colored pencils handy for readers to enjoy drawing exactly what they want to draw to express what they got.  This one will sing off the shelves.  Be sure to have a copy on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Samantha Berger and Kerascoet and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both Samantha and Kerascoet maintain accounts on Instagram.  Samantha has an account on Twitter.

Mind Magic

Our minds are pulsing with power.  A multitude of ideas, potential in every single one, are waiting to be released.  Every minute of our lives our sensory perceptions are connecting to those possibilities.  From those links beauty emerges.

As soon as we take our first breath, our lives as makers begin.  If we choose to give our minds the freedom they need, our making of miracles will continue until our final breath.  What If . . . (Little, Brown and Company, April 10, 2018) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Mike Curato raises up and reveals the power found in the mind of a child.  The beauty will leave you breathless.

With pencil and paper, I write and draw art to create many stories that come from my heart.

If that pencil vanishes, does the making of stories stop?  Indeed it does not.  Tales are waiting to be told from the shapes formed from the paper.  What if the paper is no longer there?  Eyes and a heart full of art know what to do with a chair.

As each item is removed from this inventive girl's presence, she looks outward.  She observes her surroundings noting what can be used to begin or continue her creations.  With walls and floors gone, the land provides opportunities.  What can be made of leaves, snow or sand?  What can grow from the earth?

In the absence of land, there is light.  Like a true creator she knows what can be shaped in shadows.  Finally she, alone, without benefit of other elements becomes a vehicle for her stories.  She lifts her voice and moves her body. 

She knows she will continue to go.  She knows she will continue to grow.  She knows.


The enthusiasm exhibited by her protagonist, a whirlwind of discover, design, wonder making and shaping, bursts forth in the words penned by Samantha Berger.  The repetition of the two title words, what if, initially supplies a rhythm which is sustained through the use of similar phrases.  Readers will feel a joyous tension building until the final two proclamations which are like fireworks shooting forth from the child's soul and straight into your creative heart.  Here is a passage.

If there was no light,
I would still use my voice
to sing out my stories---
to chant and rejoice!


When you first glance at the opened dust jacket (I'm reading an F & G generously given by the publisher.) you feel something ignite inside you.  It's like the sound of a matching striking and new flame sending out light.  The girl's face, a warm soft brown with her purple hair like a halo, crosses over the spine with a marvelous symmetry.  The elements in the purple are later found within the pages of the book.  This dust jacket is also a hint of a breathtaking illustrative event inside the book.

On the opening and closing endpapers illustrator Mike Curato shows a row of windows with arches set in a brick wall.  In the first set it's daylight.  In the fourth of five windows the child is seated at the table working.  In the arch of her window a crescent moon is placed.  Nighttime has fallen in the second set.  Our view of the windows has shifted.  We see four and one half windows, all darkened.  In the second window, the child's window, story dust glows and sparkles from the place where she was sitting.  On the right side the publication information is included.

For the dedication and title pages we see the child working on her creation (on the left) as if we are watching above her.  Yellow lined paper contains the title text written in a variety of colored crayons.  What follows is an extravaganza of double-page illustrations done in

pencil, paper, collage, ink, acrylic, colored pencil, linocut, and digital techniques.

With each page turn we are privy to the playful, inspired talent of Mike Curato as he interprets the imaginative creations of the girl.  To name a few, there is origami, a paper airplane made of wood, a sunburst where there was wallpaper and a dragon made of colored leaves.  Some of the illustrations are reminiscent of colorful scratchboard art. These all lead us toward a stunning gatefold certain to leave all readers gasping and smiling.

One of my many favorite illustrations uses a black canvas.  On the left in thick purple outline is the side of the face of the girl, eyes closed and mouth open.  Lines indicating song in teal and then shifting to purple as they cross the gutter spread from her mouth.  These lines end in an opened birdcage set among the brilliant-hued image of a bird in flight which spans off the edges of the right side.  The mouth of the bird is open, too, in song.  Set among the wing span and body of the bird are elements of story in black.  There are other birds, musical notes, a piano keyboard, a sea shell, Saturn, a cloud with rain drops, a glowing light bulb and much more.  This makes you want to sing your own story.


We all have the ability to create; some of us being more compelled than others.  In What If . . . written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Mike Curato the imagination of a child leading her to create her own kind of stories is celebrated with supreme eloquence.  You need to have multiple copies of this title available in your professional and personal collections.  At the close of the book Samantha and Mike talk about the process for bringing this book to readers.  I can't wait to hold a finished copy in my hands.  I can't wait to read this aloud to a group of children.  I know they will want to touch all the pages.

To learn more about Samantha Berger and Mike Curato and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Mike highlights interior images from the book.  Mike has a blog here with updates about this book.  Mike is featured at Andrea Skyberg's site and Samantha is featured at Inkygirl, the site of author illustrator Debbie Ridpath Ohi.  To showcase the publication of this title a book tour was held last week.  Be sure to visit the Nerdy Book Club, What If. . .We Told You The Story Behind The Story?, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, the blog of author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson to read What If. . .Mike Curato Used Mixed-Media to Make a Book?, What If. . .We Used Our Creativity To Overcome Obstacles? hosted at Mia Wenjen's Pragmatic Mom, Kid Lit Frenzy, the blog of educator Alyson Beecher to read What If. . .Two Best Friends Made a Book and for the book trailer premiere followed by his classic sentence starters visit Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  On March 30, 2018 teacher librarian Matthew Winner chatted with Samantha Berger and Mike Curato on The Children's Book Podcast #431.

Colossal Quandaries

The year is 1973.  I am one of seven first year teachers sitting in a conference room ready to listen to a principal new to the district and our building housing grades seven, eight and nine. (In retrospect I can't help but think, how did he do it?)  The first thing he says (and the only thing I remember) is

without the children, you wouldn't be here.

While noting the obvious, to him this meant every decision we made in our classrooms needed to put the children, all the children, first.  That statement and my personal pledge to treat every child as if they were my own have guided my career.

As educators we are not privy to all the individual hopes and fears of our students at the beginning of the year but we can do our best to intentionally create an atmosphere where each one is equally honored, feels safe and knows we sincerely care.  One of the best ways to connect with students is to share laughter, lots of laughter.  Back To School With Bigfoot (Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., June 27 2017) written by Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough with illustrations by Dave Pressler presents one hilarious situation after another.

If you think YOU'VE got BIG back-to-school problems, let me tell you, mine are BIGGER!

This begins the first person...er...cryptid narrative by the one and only Bigfoot.  Yes, he is real and living in a huge three story home in a local neighborhood.  Believe it or not he is going to be a student in an elementary classroom.

With the start of school only days away, the quest for new clothing begins.  Mom Sasquatch has to drag her son to the store where even the largest sizes are a tad bit too small.  Getting rid of those shaggy summer curls demands a trip to the barbershop.  Now that's a lot of hair!  The hunt for shoes is a first-rate disaster.

Now the real worries occupy Bigfoot's every waking moment.  He envisions the school bus driving past him, ruining the class picture and causing a huge ruckus in the cafeteria at lunch.  This guy, regardless of his size, is afraid.  There's too much pressure.  He's simply not going back to school.

In the middle of this panic-induced mind muddle other thoughts start to wiggle their way into his thinking.  This year Miss Sierra Nevada is his teacher.  This year a favorite subject will be studied.  Then the most important thing about school any year takes over his musings.  And the big guy does what he does best.  OOPS!


If you are readers of books written by Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough you know you are in for a rare treat.  These two authors have the innate ability to portray the essence of whatever story they are telling.  First and foremost, they understand children.

Secondly, they find a way to present truth through humor.  The situations depicted in this title, school clothes, haircuts, missing the bus, school picture day and the lunchroom are all real to us but having those issues exaggerated with Bigfoot as a narrator allows us to see the lighter side of each one.  It is also an excellent technique in leading us to the flip side of the coin.  Here is another sample passage.

A back-to-school haircut takes
ALL DAY,
because I am 
ALL HAIR!

Good golly!  How can you look at the front of the dust jacket without giggling? Look at the size of that guy.  Look at the expressions on those students' faces.  Look at the broken benches.  (The title text is raised.)  To the left, on the back, on a canvas of yellow taken from the same shade in the title, Bigfoot is leaning out from the spine, grinning and waving at readers.  This image is used again on the right side of the bright yellow book case.  Purple covers the opening endpapers and the closing endpapers are yellow, complementary colors.

Prior to the title page an image appears guaranteed to cause mass quantities of laughter.  Bigfoot is seated at a desk, a regular-sized desk.  On the double-page picture for the title page all we see are two big hairy feet stretching from edge to edge, ankles and the bottom of blue pant legs.  The comedy increases with the dedication and publication information pages.  It's a snapshot of a portion of the black-topped playground.  Three gigantic footprints are imprinted in the surface.  The other elements are sure to make you smile.

The artwork for the planning stages and final color art was created on a Wacom Cintiq using Adobe Photoshop CC 2017.  The finished line art was drawn exclusively with Staedtler Mars Lumograph 3B Pencils on Strathmore Bristol Paper by Dave Pressler.  The illustrations shift their size depending on the narrative from double-page pictures to single page visuals.  The color palette is bright and cheerful with details which heighten the comedy.

On the first page of the story, the snapshots of students in frightful moments are funny; a child is covered in paint in art class, some green goo food at lunch with the face of a monster has a student terrified and piles of books surround another student with titles like Confusing Continents and Grammar Ain't Easy.  At the barbershop two of the magazine titles are Zombie Bobs and Wolfman Hair Don'ts!  One of the patrons is drowning in Bigfoot's cut hair.  Ultimately, it's the comparisons between sizes which will have you grinning from beginning to end.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is the first one of him sitting at the desk.  The background is mostly white.  Bigfoot's body fills the entire page.  In fact his feet don't fit at the bottom and his head runs off the top of the page.  He literally dwarfs the desk with his knees raised and his elbows resting on those knees.  He looks so disappointed.  You have to wonder if he's wondering if the desk will hold his weight.


You will want to add this new title, Back To School With Bigfoot written by Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough with illustrations by Dave Pressler, to your school-themed collections.  It's an ideal way to build community in your classrooms through common experiences.  There's nothing better than the laughter of children, when all are enjoying the same moment of comedy.  It's contagious.  It's uplifting.  It's perfection.

To visit the websites of Samantha Berger, Martha Brockenbrough and Dave Pressler and learn more about them and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names.  Dave Pressler also maintains a blog here.  You can view interior images at this publisher's website.  Back on October 23, 2016 the laughter began with the cover reveal and a conversation between Samantha Berger and Martha Brockenbrough at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Samantha Berger, Martha Brockenbrough, and Dave Pressler stop by All The Wonders, Episode 376 to chat with teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner.

Derriere Duds

There are some words, whether you shout them from the rooftop or whisper them so quietly only a dog could hear, which will trigger a supreme case of giggles if not outright guffaws.  These words do not need to be said in any formal setting such as storytime when the word is part of a title or used within the narrative.  You can walk by a group of younger guys and gals quietly working and say the word as you pass.  As soon as they hear it, they will stop and ask a question hardly able to contain their mirth.

One such word which comes to mind is underwear.  In Monster's New Undies (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., June 27, 2017) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Tad Carpenter I do believe laughter will fill the air as soon as the cover is shown and won't stop until after the final word is read.  An entire book about underwear?!  Be still my storytime heart.

Of all days I dread, 
not one can compare
to the day that we shop
for NEW underwear.

This monster detests shopping for underwear to the degree he is willing to have small, old, and torn undies.  He is even fine with wearing nothing.  He has one pair left, his favorite pair.

Then the worst thing possible happens.  Using them like a sling shot, his final favorite pair falls into pieces.  At this point he realizes wearing nothing is a tad bit chilly and a wee bit embarrassing.

So without further ado, it's off to find another pair with mom at Undie World.  Yes, readers, there is an entire store dedicated to underwear.  There are pairs patterned in everything under the sun and under the sea.  There are more sizes than this monster thought possible but nothing, not a single one, is to his liking.  One monster, his mom and a store clerk are discouraged...totally.

Then his monster eyes spy what might be a miracle tucked nearly out of sight.  Could it be?  Monsters gather.  Monsters gasp.  Breaths are held as an inspection and a moment's reflection reveal a truth.


Humor fills Samantha Berger's heart.  As she writes it spills to the page, bringing merriment to this story.  Within every paragraph she supplies a final rhyming word in lines two and four.  The mix of rhythm and comedy elevates the reader's experience.

Each reader can identify with the monster as he anguishes over the loss of a favorite article of clothing.  Experience tells the monster (us) shopping to find something equally beloved is fruitless.  Here is another sample passage.

THESE are my undies!
A sweet work of art!
SNAP!
UH-OH!
My undies!
sniff
They just fell apart!


Readers will enjoy the dust jacket and book case created by Tad Carpenter.  Using a limited color palette throughout this title we are introduced to the colors on the dust jacket first; lime green, red, blue, black and white.  Plainly we can see Monster is happier than happy with the underwear he is wearing.  To the left, on the back, everything is identical except we are viewing it from the back of Monster.

The book case is done in the blue hue.  Monster is pictured identical to the dust jacket on both the front and back but he and his shadow are alone.  On the opening endpapers a red canvas features all kinds of underwear in blue and white.  There are white stars placed among the underwear.  The closing endpapers have the blue as a background shade.  Monster and company are showcased in red and white.  Without revealing more, you will understand the significance of the characters highlighted once the title is read.

On the verso and title pages Monster is wearing a bathrobe on the right carrying a blue ducky as drops of water fall from his body.  On the left is an old-fashioned bathtub with puddles of water on the floor.  Most of the illustrations rendered by Tad Carpenter span two pages followed by two (or four) single-page pictures.

Monster's expressions, large, wide eyes and two-tooth grins and grimaces are true crowd-pleasers.  Notice the details included by Tad Carpenter.  On his dresser Monster has a lamp with a skull for a base.  At Undie World there is a 50% sign next to the door.  The logo for Undie World looks surprisingly similar to Monster's favorite style.

One of my many favorite pictures spread across two pages.  The canvas is black, a textured black, based upon the illustrator's technique.  Across the top, on either side of the gutter, are four pairs of blue and white underwear.  Beneath them are another four pairs.  Monster's head is larger, closer to us.  It takes up a little more than a third of the bottom.  His huge eyes stare at us on either side of the gutter.  His horns are upright.  He is definitely frowning.


Expect laughter, lots of laughter, when you read Monster's New Undies written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Tad Carpenter quietly to yourself, one-on-one or to a group.  It's packed with fun.  It would pair nicely with Ballet Cat Dance! Dance! Underpants! by Bob Shea.  

To learn more about Samantha Berger and Tad Carpenter and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both have accounts on Instagram too.  Scholastic in Canada has two interior pages to read and view.  Teacher librarian Travis Jonker who blogs at School Library Journal, 100 Scope Notes, included this title in his 10 to Note: Summer Preview 2017.

A Salute To Slumber

By its very definition a festival is a call to celebrate.  It's an opportunity for people to band together to enjoy a shared passion, to commemorate a person, place, thing or event or to pause in their everyday lives for a much needed holiday.  Whether it lasts for a single day or a week, a festival is generally filled with laughter, music, dancing and ... NOISE.


What's that you say?  There's a gala dedicated to napping, dozing and dreaming?  SnoozeFEST (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, January 22, 2015) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Kristyna Litten is a joyful look at a sloth whose success at sleeping is unparalleled.

In the center of Snoozeville, dwells the wee one,
the sleepiest sloth, Snuggleford Cuddlebun.

It seems Snuggleford Cuddlebun is one of nature's finest when it comes to rest.  The only thing ever to halt her deep repose is an annual ticket to SNOOZEFEST.  She packs her essentials ready to ride the bus,

right in front of her home,

to the famous NuzzleDome.

Eager patrons patiently wait to enter the arena and then seek to settle in a spot right for the show.  They've gathered their pillows, quilts and cuddliest toys.  The variety of blankets is a sight to see; all of them named with great affection.

Once Snuggleford Cuddlebun locates a splendid nest swaying between two trees, she gathers memorabilia from vendors and makes sure to secure a savory cup of milk and honey to sip.  Now cozily comfortable, she watches with the others as a P. J. Parade of opulent proportions winds through the park.  When it's time for the bands to play, the radiant glare is no more; little lights from the audience blink and beam like a firefly convention.

First one act, then another take the stage and even more singing, playing and reciting poetic words of quiet and calm lull the listeners.  Sweet Snuggleford Cuddlebun drifts into dreamland, content in her hammock.  This sloth is sleeping through all the soothing sounds.

It comes as no surprise to anyone to see Sunggleford Cuddlebun wake last as days later the program comes to a close.  She collects her things, heading home on the very same bus.  Happy but exhausted in the comfort of her abode, she does what Snuggleford Cuddlebun does best.


Readers and listeners will thoroughly relish the way the words of Samantha Berger roll off their tongues.  The rhythm of her rhymes will have you burrowing under a cushy comforter in no time at all.  Sleep-inducing allusions welcome you to join in this fest dedicated to silence and siestas.  The names given to the bands will have you smiling; Nocturnal Nesters, Tranquility Trio or Deep Hiber-Nation.  Here is a sample passage.

It's dreamy to see the stuff everyone brings---
their wumphiest, coziest, comfiest things.
Bundles of blankets and fluffed feather beds---
puffy poofed pillows to prop up their heads.


The deep blues and purples surrounding Snuggleford Cuddlebun all nestled in her hammock between two trees wound with lights, looking down on the festivities, is enough to make you want to ask her if there's room for two.  The soft curve of her smile as she holds her teddy bear sends out a feeling of total bliss.  The second portion of the title, like a concert marquee, is a stroke of design brilliance.  On the back, to the left, the first band is on stage, harp playing and counting sheep.  Squares of fabric pieced together like a quilt lay patterned across the opening and closing endpapers.  The concert theme is continued for the verso, dedications and title page with tickets holding the text.

A warm palette of rich light blue, turquoise, green, red, orange, yellow and brown with a cast of dusk-like hues at night are awash with life. Digitally rendered illustrations by Kristyna Litten colorfully compliment the narrative varying in size from two pages to smaller images liberally framed with white space grouped together to show the passage of time.  Details define the characters and the SnoozeFEST; the matryoshka doll next to Snuggleford Cuddlebun's bed, the poster for the band, Hiber-Nation tacked to a tree, Snuggleford Cuddlebun's bedtime book, Big Bear, Big Sleep, and the signs held during the P. J. Parade, Alexander McDream and Louis Futon.  

One of my favorite illustrations is the panoramic view of the SnoozeFEST after the lights have been dimmed inside The NuzzleDome.  It's as if we are looking from another hammock on another side, seeing Snuggleford Cuddlebun to our left with an array of cozy resting places spread before us as members of the audience mingle below.  In the center of the right portion the stage is nearly empty as a worker cleans it a final time before the first performance.  Lights are strung from tree to tree glowing in the dark.


If you are ready to rest with a smile on your face, filled with dreams of gentle cheer, SnoozeFEST written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Kristyna Litten is the book for you.  Word choices will sing you to sleep and illustrations will wrap you in pure contentment.  Grab your pajamas, pillows and snuggly blankets; I see a festival in your feature and snores galore.

To discover more about Samantha Berger and Kristyna Litten please follow the links attached to their names to visit their websites.  This link takes you to Samantha Berger's blog where she shows her promotional posts for this title.  Author and illustration Debbie Ridpath Ohi interviews Samantha Berger on her blog, Inkygirl.com  Matthew C. Winner, a busy enthusiastic teacher librarian interviews Samantha Berger at Let's Get Busy Podcast #116.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue, Let's Ban This Holiday, Yes...Let's Do!

As children the decor in our home, the little extra details, was always changing with the arrival of a new holiday.  We all loved celebrations.  On Valentine's Day, unlike the other holidays, my dad would always give my sister and me a goofy card from him alone; signing it himself making the a in Dad using his special style.  The first year after he passed away my mom took some of his gold jewelry, had it melted and shaped into two large heart charms.  It was our final Valentine's Day gift from dad.

For a variety of reasons not all people enjoy this day of hearts, flowers, sweet treats and symbols of love.  In fact some singular individuals find it disgusting.  The green-faced grump we met and loved in Crankenstein has returned in A Crankenstein Valentine (Little, Brown and Company, December 16, 2014) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.  His loathing for this day equals laughter for readers.

HAVE YOU SEEN MY LITTLE SWEETHEART, CRANKENSTEIN?

YOU CAN'T MISS CRANKENSTEIN ON VALENTINE'S DAY.

In reply to his mother's early morning greeting, mister sweetness and delight answers with a single discouraging word.  When she happily shows him his new pair of briefs patterned in hearts, his revulsion is vividly apparent.  His snarky reaction as he leaves home with a bunch of flowers for his teachers, at his mother's insistence, is loudly proclaimed.

An overzealous classmate on the school bus has him cringing.  His mom's heart-shaped creations in his lunch box have him nearly gagging.  Making his own particular brand of Valentine card does make him grin; a sly, devilish kind of snarl.  This is a good thing though because the afternoon simply gets worse.

Gross candy, pink on pink paper-garland chains, and the schoolwide extravaganza (How did he get tricked into doing this anyway?) elevate his grouchiness to dangerous levels.  Valentine's Day is too much of everything Crankenstein abhors.  Head for the hills people!

Wait a minute.  Could it be?  Is there one special thing that can save this day?  By golly, this monster wallowing in misery might have made a startling discovery.  His gritted teeth and growling might be going.  There is no Valentine like A Crankenstein Valentine.  


If you were to question guys and gals about the things they don't like about Valentine's Day, their answers would be close if not the same as those found in this story written by Samantha Berger.  A knack for knowing her audience coupled with her flair for comedy makes every page turn an episode in hilarity.  What brings this title to a marvelous conclusion, as she did in Crankenstein, is sharing her character's heart with readers.  A little love goes a long way.  Here is another sample passage.

YOU COULD CERTAINLY FIND HIM BITING INTO A CHOCOLATE WITH SURPRISE HAIRY COCONUT INSIDE.

YECHHHH!
CRANKENSTEIN DOES NOT CARE FOR THAT KIND OF CHOCOLATE.


If you don't at least crack a smile looking at the front of this book's dust jacket, then you need to breathe into the Crankenstein-o-meter to check your grump levels.  The look on his face, the cupid costume with the heart underwear and those tube socks is an open invitation to grin.  On the back is a more golden background with a silhouette of Crankenstein yelling, arms raised in the air.  The text reads:

ROSES ARE RED.
VIOLET ARE BLUE.
VALENTINE'S DAY STINKS.
SERIOUSLY, P. U.

Beneath the dust jacket, a book case is designed to look like a box of candy, text spread diagonally on the front reading

LOH QUALITY MART BRAND
SHOGGLIT

On the back the nutrition facts and the ISBN appear on the heart-patterned background.  Inside on the opening and closing endpapers are large pastel, heart-shaped candies with text which reflect the changes in the story from the beginning to the end.  For example SOUR PUSS, COOTIES and PUKE are replaced with KISS ME, LET'S HUG and HI.  A large silhouette of Crankenstein grimacing spreads across the title page and verso.

Dan Santat's skillful use of Adobe Photoshop created all the two-page illustrations of varying perspectives with text set in DanSantat and display type hand-lettered.  Every detail closely follows the theme of the narrative.  When Crankenstein's mom is speaking her words appear on lacy square doilies or soft shapes framed in hearts or flowers; his are shown in jagged rectangles.  Careful readers will notice the lettering on Crankenstein's backpack, the reappearance of the book case design on a candy box, and another green face on the bus.

All of the characters expressions are highly animated but those of Crankenstein are hysterical.  No one can look as disgusted with situations like this guy can.  No one can change into the boy his mother loves like this guy can.  No one can be as happy asleep in bed at the end of a holiday to be avoided as our own Crankenstein.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is the scene for the school Valentine's Day pageant.  The lower half of the picture is the front of the stage, a great background for the text.  The curtains frame the sides.  Hearts on ribbons and the chain garlands on hanging from the ceiling. All the kids are happily enjoying the program dressed in all kinds of costumes, playing their recorders and singing.  Crankenstein is shown in green from head to toe in his Cupid attire tightly grasping a bow.  Another student wearing a Valentine gift costume is looking a bit disgruntled too.  The contrasts are sure to bring on the giggles.


If you are looking for the perfect fun-filled new Valentine book, look no further than A Crankenstein Valentine written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.  It's a heart-warming companion to the first.  Be ready for peals of laughter and requests for repeat readings.  I adore this little monster.

To learn more about the work of Samantha Berger and Dan Santat please follow the links embedded in their names to their websites.  Dan Santat appeared on a Let's Get Busy podcast hosted by teacher librarian, Matthew C. Winner.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Grump For A Day

For whatever reason, there are those mornings when your eyes first open and you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, it's going to be a bad day.  Little things that would normally not bother you in the slightest add up, then multiply; things like not being able to squeeze more than a smidge out of the toothpaste tube, realizing you're going to have to use orange juice on your cereal because the date on the milk carton has expired or glancing at the gauge on your car hoping the fumes will get you to the nearest gas station.  What makes it go from bad to worse are the cheerful people who respond with phrases like, "Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed", "Put on a happy face" or "It could always be worse".

The younger you are, the more this matters.  Frustrations build until you feel something growing inside you.  It's...it's...it's a monster!  It might even be Crankenstein (Little, Brown and Company) written by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.

Have you seen Crankenstein?
Oh, you would totally
know if you had.

There is no mistaking being in the presence of this small human whose outlook on life has gone astray.  No siree!  For every spoken word, every incident, his stony stare will make the blood run cold in your veins.

A happy greeting, question or timely reminder will be met with a loud MEHHRRRR!  Even his reflection in a rainy puddle will give you the shivers.  You had better be careful when he comes calling at your house on Halloween especially if it's a bit chilly outside.

Woe to anyone near him when his Popsicle melts too quickly on a hot summer day, when he has been waiting in a long, long line or when he has to swallow icky-tasting cough syrup.  And it might be a good time to draw straws to see who gets to tell him it's bedtime.  By now you are beginning to wonder if the monster is stronger than the little boy.

Is there no cure for this crabby creature?  Is there any hope whatsoever?  What's that you say?  There are two of them?  This could be double the trouble or...the best thing of all...the sound of children's laughter.


Without a doubt Samantha Berger comprehends being a grump.  She also knows how hard it is not to laugh around someone who is grouchy, no matter how you are feeling.  In this title the questions posed, the situations described, are the very things to incite and increase a case of the crankies.  The tempo of the telling and the clever conclusion, are both gifts to her readers.  You can't wait to discover what happens next.


There are a select few illustrators when I see their names, I know I'm going to be chuckling at least once, if not throughout the entire book.  One of these is Dan Santat.  He has a knack for knowing which facial expressions, body postures, and details will ignite laughter in his intended audience no matter their age.

The jacket of Crankenstein explodes with pure, bold colorful emotion as little "Crankie" looks straight out at the reader with pink ice cream smeared across his mouth, the scoop of ice cream fallen from the cone topping the "T".  On the back we zoom in on the scoop sitting in the middle of a shadow of a very angry young guy.  When you remove the jacket you see a cover which I double dog dare you not to burst out laughing as you read the labeled parts of Crankenstein front and back.  Lines are drawn from phrases such as

hard-to-explain mystery stain
leftover scum from piece of gun and
still has dog poo residue (P. U.!) 

to the appropriate areas.

Opening and closing endpapers capture the main character's mood; patterned gray raindrops and golden laughing suns.  Stopping to read the title verso, especially Dan Santat's comments, is a must.  For starters, all the words in this book are hand-lettered.

Double-page spreads, edge to edge, enhance and interpret every phrase.  Readers need to notice all the little extras contributing to the humor, the labels on the maple syrup and cough syrup bottles or Crankenstein waiting 40 minutes in line only to discover a surprise up ahead.  It's the Halloween illustration which is my absolute favorite.  The colors, perspective and layout are perfection; Crankenstein all decked out in his robot costume, shivering in the cold outside as a hand holds out the tiniest piece of candy in the entire bowl.


My face actually hurts from grinning and laughing so much from reading Crankenstein by Samantha Berger with illustrations by Dan Santat.  You can't read it just once; multiple readings are a given.  Expect high demand; people love to laugh especially when they can see a little bit of themselves within the pages of a book.

Stop by Samantha Berger's and Dan Santat's websites via the links embedded in their names.  Make sure you read some of the entries in Samantha Berger's blog too.  You might want to listen to PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Samantha Berger and Dan Santat.  Here's a link to the publisher's website for a peek at some of the inside of the book.

Enjoy the book trailer and the eve of book release book trailer.