A Trio Of Seasonal Treats

Autumn does not officially arrive until Tuesday, September 22, 2020, one week from today, yet people's thoughts have been turning to the solace found during December holidays as evidenced by the #Lightsforlife hashtag on social media in March of this year.  Lights and holiday decorations appeared outside homes to spread cheer and support for others during this pandemic.  In times of darkness people seek the opposite, they hope for the opposite.  

A trio of Christmas titles, two last week, and one today, are contributing to the comfort.  Each one tells a different story, but each presents the magical merriment found during this season. Happy Narwhalidays (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #5) (Tundra Books, September 8, 2020) written and illustrated by Ben Clanton continues the delightful tale of two friends, a narwhal and a jellyfish, who, more often than not, view the world through contrasting perspectives.  In six short sections replete with their exuberant personalities and some fabulous facts, readers will find themselves singing in their minds, hearts, and maybe out loud.

Jingle Shells, Jingle Shells, Jingle All The Way!

Oh, What Fun It Is To Sing While Swimming In the Bay!

Jingle Shells, Jingle Shells, Jingle All The Way!

Narwhal is happily swimming wearing a red-and-white striped scarf with red ribbon wound around his tusk. Jelly, wearing a ski hat, is anything but happy.  Jelly is shivering in the cold.  Narwhal, in reply to Jelly, states the best part about this time of the year is the arrival of the Merry Mermicorn.  

As you might expect, Jelly is completely skeptical about a being you can't see. Moving through the water, Jelly finds a mysterious package addressed to him.  It contains six mittens.  Jelly is sure Narwhal left this package.  Now Jelly needs to find the perfect present for Narwhal.  It is not easy, not easy at all.

After consulting with Shark, Octopus, Turtle, Shelly, Star, and Otty, Jelly is no closer to finding a gift for his friend.  Suddenly Narwhal greets Jelly, noticing the wrapped gift.  Instead of opening it, Narwhal imagines all the possibilities of what could be inside.  To Narwhal, this is better than knowing.  To Jelly, it is a relief.

The duo then writes a charming story about Super Waffle and Strawberry Sidekick and their encounter with a grumpy green jelly bean whose flavor is

pickle-scum

snail-slime puree.

At the close of the book, Narwhal offers something to Jelly.  Jelly discovers the unexpected can be the best present.  The holiday spirit spreads from the tip of Narwhal's tusk to the ends of Jelly's tentacles and out from the pages of the book.

With the exception of the two pages of Cool Facts and parts of The Mean Green Jelly Bean most portions of this book are told in the witty dialogue between Narwhal and Jelly.  Author Ben Clanton reveals what readers have come to love about these characters in everything they say.  Their conversations also offer much for readers to ponder about holiday celebrations and friendship.  His use of puny language elevates the humor.  Here is a passage.

And you've seen this

Merry Miracle-Corn

before?

Nope!

I think she

might be

invisible.

So how do you 

know she exists?!

I can feel

it in my 

flippers! She is

REAL!

Narwhal, that might

be frostbite you're

feeling.

Using his signature color palette for the Narwhal and Jelly books, illustrator Ben Clanton brings in the crisp shades of blue, white, red and yellow accented with his heavier black outlines.  The contrast between the thinking of Narwhal and Jelly is evident on the front of the book case.  Narwhal is joyous.  Jelly is nearly freezing in the cold.  The red color is in foil.  On the left, back, four square panels further explain the difference in the duo's attitudes.  And yes, you'll be smiling or laughing before you even open the book.

The opening and closing endpapers, in deep sea blue and white, are a pattern of Narwhal and Jelly in their winter attire.  Jelly is still shivering.  On the title page the twosome is placed inside a snow globe.  On the verso and dedication page we read:

To GWEN! It is a gift to

be your papa!

(This says a lot about the heart and mind of Ben Clanton as reflected in his writing and artwork in this book and other titles in the series.)

The contents word is spelled out in red and green lighted bulbs on a string over the list of six sections.  The art 

was rendered in colored pencil, watercolor and ink, and colored digitally.  The text was set in a typeface based on hand lettering by Ben Clanton.

Image sizes shift in excellent pacing to the narrative, double-page pictures, single-page pictures and panels grouped by six, three, five, two, or four.  Most of them are outlined in a black line for framing.  Sometimes a single element will break that border.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is on a half page, framed in black.  The background is a radiating yellow.  We see the upper portion of Narwhal's body from the bottom of the image.  He is smiling with his eyes closed in contentment.  In one of his flippers is the present from Jelly, with the tag For Jelly Narwhal on it.  I wonder how many readers notice when Narwhal or Jelly are smiling, their mouths form a heart.

This newest title, Happy Narwhalidays (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #5) written and illustrated by Ben Clanton, in a well-loved series will be read repeatedly by individuals and shared from reader to reader.  It's a marvelous blend of writing, illustrations, and words of wisdom.  I can't imagine a professional or personal collection without a copy of this book.

To discover more about Ben Clanton and his other work, please access his website by following the link attached to his name.  Ben Clanton has accounts on Instagram, and Twitter.  Narwhal and Jelly have their own Facebook page and website. At the publisher's website you can listen to an audio clip and get a sneak peek at some interior images.  Here is a link to an activity kit.

In a worst-case scenario, the old saying, dating back to Aesop, referring to wishes and their results, has come true for none other than Santa Claus.  Activity at the North Pole, mere days before Christmas, has come to a screeching halt.  All the elves are in a tizzy.  Santa Baby (Henry Holt And Company, September 8, 2020) written by Jonathan Stutzman with illustrations by Heather Fox explains exactly what happens when wishes are granted in an extraordinary manner.

THERE WERE ONLY

four days until Christmas, and

Santa Claus was feeling old.

Let's face facts, folks.  Santa Claus is old, very old.  This year everything about his physical appearance screams his age!  He is finding it harder and harder to control the reindeer, wander around on rooftops, slide down chimneys, and deliver presents.  Every muscle and bone in his body creaks and cracks.  His Christmas spirit is gone.  He does not feel Ho! Ho! Ho! But he will not disappoint all the children around the world.

Santa Claus does the only thing he can think to do.  He wishes using Christmas magic to be young again.  It works!  He goes from ancient, to middle age, then to young adult, and to a preteen.  Does his anti-aging stop?  It does not.  Before Santa Claus knows what is happening, he is a baby!  

All his attempts to communicate with the elves sound like baby talk.  They panic.  They try to teach this baby version of Santa Claus about the reindeer, chimneys, and presents.  He eats the list of children and their gifts and will not eat vegetables to make him grow.  And this baby does what babies do best, he cries.

Santa Claus knows it's up to him, even in this baby state, to save Christmas.  It's Christmas Eve.  He finally manages to utter three very important words which spur the entire population at the North Pole to act.  When it seems as if a miracle is happening, another disaster befalls Santa Baby.  Just as suddenly, a single act shapes the words for the best wish of all.

Sentence by sentence author Jonathan Stutzman sets the stage for Santa Claus's desperate wish by enumerating in descriptive detail all his dwindling physical and emotional attributes.  When his wish backfires epically, the comedy just keeps coming with the endeavors of the elves failing over and over again.  This leads us merrily to the almost miracle when calamity strikes again.

He cried with the fury of a thousand carolers.

We are, as is Santa Baby, happily surprised when the past becomes a part of the present.  Jonathan Stutzman cleverly weaves the true spirit of the season into the final moments of the story.  Here is another passage.  

Santa Baby tried to calm the elves.  He explained what happened, then laid out an easy, three-step plan for how to change himself back to normal.

But all the elves heard was . . .

Ga-ga goo-goo

GA-GA GOO-GOO,

GOO-GOO goo-goo

GA-GA goo-goo!

Christmas was in serious trouble.

The rich darker red canvas highlights the brighter red and white on Santa Baby's (and older Santa's) suits. The Santa Baby text is in a muted gold foil as is the framing, edging on the holly and berries and snowflakes.  These details create a classic feel to the illustration.  To the left, on the back, the same framing, holly and berries showcase a crying Santa Baby.  Beneath him the text reads:

THIS CHRISTMAS,

THERE WILL

BE NO

SILENT NIGHT.

The book case features the Santa Baby and Santa Claus figures without the text and framing.  On the opening and closing endpapers, with the same deep red background, are rows of snowflakes in several sizes and white dots.  On the title page Santa Baby, wearing only a diaper and Santa hat, is looking at readers clearly bewildered.

Each illustration rendered by Heather Fox digitally in her unique style conveys a multitude of moods, comedy, and tiny details like allowing readers to read the words written on letters to Santa.  She manages to depict a range of facial emotions on Santa, Santa Baby, and the elves with the tiniest lines.  Her images may be single-page pictures, edge to edge, a collection of smaller circular visuals on a single page, three horizontal pictures on a single page, or dramatic two-page illustrations.

One of my many, many favorite images is a full-page picture with a two-tone, radiating light red background.  In the center, toward the bottom, is Santa Claus from the waist up.  His arms are raised as he holds the star representing Christmas magic over his head.  His eyes are closed, and his mouth is open as he exclaims:

"Make me

young again!"

Expect peals of laughter when you read Santa Baby written by Jonathan Stutzman with illustrations by Heather Fox aloud.  You'll also be hearing requests of "read it again."  The text and images combine in wondrous hilarious timing.  Collections of Christmas stories, personal and professional, will not be complete without a copy of this title.

To learn more about Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Jonathan Stutzman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Heather Fox has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The cover reveal for this title was hosted by Dylan Teut, executive director of the Plum Creek Children's Literacy Festival, on his blog, Mile High Reading.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

After nearly two hundred years, the words of this poem never fail to resonate with those who read or hear it.  Numerous times in the month of December over the course of my career with students engaged in a variety of activities, browsing for books, reading books, researching online, or completing a lesson, I would stand in a central location and say:

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

Each one of them stopped what they were doing.  They moved toward me.  We sat down and they leaned in to hear the rest of the words.  This is the power of shared storytelling, to connect us to history and a celebration.  Of my personal one hundred, sixty-two plus December holiday books, another seven are editions of the Christmas poem sometimes known as The Night Before Christmas.  When I read this new edition, The Night Before Christmas (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 15, 2020) by Clement C. Moore with pictures by Loren Long, I was immediately struck by the lovely, thoughtful, and loving visual interpretation.  

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.   

If you look closely at the bottom of the dust jacket and matching book case, in framing similar to the outlines of buildings, Loren Long gives readers an initial hint of his intentions.  On the opening endpapers, on a canvas of white, there are four sets of children, preparing for Christmas.  There is tree trimming, letter writing, the drawing of a large picture of a fireplace, and a table full of various stages of cookie making.  On the closing endpapers, on the same crisp white background, we see the same children after the visit from St. Nicholas.

In an author's note prior to the beginning of the poem, Loren addresses his portrayal of St Nicholas based on specific words in the poem.  Do you remember them?

He continues his commentary to readers about the universal impact of Christmas regardless of 

who we are, where we live, or how we celebrate.

This author's note on the left and the title page on the right are placed in an enlargement of the four places shown on the jacket and case.

With a page turn we find ourselves for the first two phrases inside the living room of a farmhouse. Stockings hang from a mantel, and a trimmed Christmas tree is on the opposite side of the room.  Three sets of children's boots are scattered across the floor in front of the fireplace.  Between the fireplace and sofa, a table holds a plate of decorated cookies and a bunch of carrots for the reindeer.  A beagle is curled and sleeping on the sofa.  Through the main window is a barn, silo, and windmill coated with snow.

We next travel to the interior of a trailer.  Two children are sleeping in another room in bunk beds.  Their father is sleeping on the sofa in the living room with the family dog curled on a mat in front of the door.  In the corner of this room on a card table is a small Christmas tree with the word LOVE stretched across the front.  There are Christmas cookies on a plate there.  A note over a coffee maker which says Santa with an arrow pointing down invites him to make a hot drink.  Over the main window is a drawing of a fireplace with stockings hanging above it.  On another table is a lighted Nativity creche.

From here we enter a room with two sleeping boys of different races.  They have identical beds, bedspreads, and matching dressers on opposite sides of the room.  Floating stars, crescent moons, gold Christmas ornaments, a rocket ship, and an airplane hang above them.  Between them is a small table with a tiny Christmas tree on it.  Four kittens are sleeping in three different spots in the room.  Through their window is a snow-covered cityscape.

Inside the fourth home, a mother leaps from her bed, grabbing her glasses from her nearby dresser. Her hair is wrapped in a leopard print scarf. 

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Through double glass doors, bordered with lighted Christmas lights inside, we see a large full moon, homes with adobe sides and tiled roofs.  Palm trees tower over the homes.  Palm boughs can be seen near this home through the doors.  A large wreath hangs in the center of the double doors.

Each subsequent page turn takes us to varying scenes inside and outside each of these four places.  We see them from different perspectives, sometimes a bird's eye view or sometimes as if we are in the very room being featured.  As the poem progresses, the details within the places change. A red-headed and bearded man looks out the upper window of the farmhouse.  A Black man looks out the window of the city home.  There is the silence of snow and Christmas lights over the entire trailer park. The brown-skinned mother peaks around the corner of the entrance to the living room as Santa comes down the chimney into a fireplace tiled in colors of the sea.

Closer inspection of the elements in the rooms reveals more about the occupants of these homes and how they celebrate.  In the living room of the city home on the mantle is a Nativity creche and a Menorah.  It is a children's Menorah with the candle holders as dogs.  (This is an actual Menorah used by the son of librarian Susan Kusel.)  On the plate of Christmas cookies in the home situated among palm trees is a piece of key lime pie.

Rendered using

acrylic paint and colored pencil

these illustrations by Loren Long are exquisite.  Children from different racial or religious backgrounds, with a disability or different family structures will see themselves in these pictures.  Each page turn invites a closer and longer look.  Perhaps readers will see a character from one of Loren Long's previous titles.  

I simply could not select a favorite illustration.  I love them all.  The play of light and shadow, the inclusion of details, and the progression of changes within each home are charming, fabulous, and the best of the best.  

This edition of The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore with pictures by Loren Long needs to be in each personal and professional collection.  It is a splendid blend of the past with the present. It is memorable.

To learn more about Loren Long and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Loren Long has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's blog, Loren Long talks about four illustrations in this special book. 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . . 2019 #5

It is the first and one of eight names celebrated in a poem nearly two hundred years old.  It is sung joyfully in several seasonal carols.  In fact, portions of the poem and songs containing this name have been committed to memory by even the youngest among us.  It might be said these verses are as well-known as The Alphabet Song.

This name, and the being that responds to it, are attached to an important event in the lore of Christmas.  On Christmas Eve, Santa Claus fills a sleigh full of gifts to bring to children throughout the world.  This sleigh is pulled by a team of nine reindeer, but no one knows why until now.  Dasher (Candlewick Press, September 10, 2019) written and illustrated by Matt Tavares is an original explanatory tale radiating Christmas magic.  When a dream fills a heart, that heart will find a way to fulfill that dream.

YOU MAY HAVE HEARD THE STORY of how a certain red-nosed reindeer was chosen to guide Santa's sleigh one foggy Christmas Eve.  You've probably heard of the eight other reindeer too.  Maybe you can even remember all their names.

The narrator continues by telling readers this was not always true.  Originally Santa's sleigh was pulled by a single horse that went by the name of Silverbell.  As time went on the number of children and gifts to deliver grew in number.  Silverbell needed help.  A young doe, a reindeer called Dasher, needed to escape.

Dasher, her parents and siblings were captive in a circus, the J. P. Finnegan's Traveling Circus and Menagerie.  Daily they spent hours in the heat from the sun as crowds pressed around them and long nights hauling the circus wagons to the next destination.  To lessen their misery their mother told them stories of a place with clear, brisk air and snow covering the ground to cushion their hooves.  Reindeer were free there as the North Star shown down on them at night.

Dasher longed to live in this place, but Mr. Finnegan was not likely to let any of the reindeer leave without dire consequences.  The one thing Dasher enjoyed about being in the circus was the children but still, night after night, her longing increased as she watched the North Star.

One wild and windy evening, fate gave Dasher an opportunity.  Bravery made her bold and she bolted from the enclosure.  No matter how long she followed the North Star, it still seemed far, far away.  (Sometimes when we follow our dreams, a wish gives us hope to hold.)  Dasher's wish brought the sound of sleigh bells, a man dressed in red and white fur and a horse, a horse named Silverbell.

During their conversation, the man and Dasher reached an agreement.  It was a night of many firsts for the young reindeer.  On Christmas morning and in the following days, Dasher's heart nearly burst with happiness at living in the land from her mother's stories.  Before a year passed, Dasher's biggest desire became a reality and one of the most enchanting chapters in Christmas traditions.


With his preface author Matt Tavares reaches out to readers connecting us to what we know and welcoming us into a fascinating and lasting revelation.  Like Dasher, who among us has not felt trapped by circumstances and dreamed of a better place, a place fashioned by truth and a mother's stories?  Matt Tavares increases our bond with Dasher and his family through his choice of descriptive words.  We feel the heat of their days and the work they endure at night.  We are soothed by Dasher's mother's tales of the land under the North Star.  We feel Dasher's yearning.

The repetition of specific words ties portions of the story together.  These words sustain the dream in Dasher's heart and in our collective minds as readers.  They further attach us to this reindeer as her story unfolds.  We can feel a gentle tension growing until we read seven very special words about a sound coming from the woods on a snowy night.  Here is a passage.

Dasher could hear rustling from inside Mr. Finnegan's trailer.
She glanced up at the North Star.  She looked back at her sleeping
family.  She knew that this might be her only chance.  Her heart
pounded.  She took a deep breath.


How can you look at the front of the dust jacket and not feel the spell of this picture weaving around you?  In the calm of a stormy, snowy night the moon is sending rays through parting clouds.  In this play of light and nighttime shadow stands Santa Claus with his sleigh pulled by a horse.  Is that Dasher coming from the evergreen on the right?  There is much mystery and possibilities in this scene.  The title is embossed in burnished golden foil.

To the left, on the back, on a pale blue canvas, a smaller version of a double-page interior picture is framed in fine red lines.  It is an illustration certain to have readers, young and old alike, smiling with the thrill of the moment.  This visual, like many in this book, is a portrait of the power of faith, hope and wishes come true.  On the book case, from one side to the other, is a gorgeous night sky.  On the front the North Star is shining big and bright; so close we can touch it.

The red used throughout the book covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Prior to the title page, Matt Tavares frames his introduction in those same fine red lines.  This is placed in a setting of a cold wintry night with the North Star directly overhead.  Along the bottom, walking in the snow, are two reindeer.  With a page turn the verso and title pages feature a double-page image.  It's a panoramic view, from slightly above, of the circus with its tents, wagons and the pen encircling Dasher and her family.  It depicts the heat and dust and desperation.

Using

watercolor, gouache, pencil, and pastel

Matt Tavares brings us completely into Dasher's world with his pictures.  Some are on single pages bordered by fine red lines opposite pages of white for text and a small North Star in gold beneath the words.  For a few we are brought close to the scene.  We could be standing with the children feeding Dasher carrots.  In only one picture does Matt Tavares break the frame with an element.

All the pictures are intensely atmospheric, but the double-page pictures evoke strong emotions of weariness, wanting, wishing and then the delight of a wonderful shift in the story.  When Matt Tavares creates his art, it's as if any one of them could come to life at any moment.  We want to reach out or step into the visual.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is deep in the woods.  On the left in the darkness the text is placed in a framed box with the tiny North Star.  On the right in the light of the moon's rays, Santa is standing and talking with Silverbell in front of the sleigh loaded with gifts.  They are framed by leaves and evergreen branches.  Standing in the foreground, watching and listening is Dasher.  Looking at this picture, even without the text, you can sense a turning point.


Dasher written and illustrated by Matt Tavares is well on its way to becoming a holiday classic.  Everything about it, every tiny detail, is exquisite bookmaking.  This is a story of Christmas to share as often as you can, year after year.  I give this my highest recommendation and hope you'll add it to your personal and professional holiday collections.

To learn more about Matt Tavares and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  Matt Tavares has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. At the publisher's website is an activity kit.  At Penguin Random House you can view interior images.  Matt Tavares wrote a lovely post about the process for this book at the Nerdy Book Club.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's site, Watch. Connect. Read., please enjoy the chat between him and Matt Tavares for the book trailer premiere.

A Christmas Truth

Christmas celebrations around the world are indeed a time to honor the holiday but they are also a reflection of the country in which they are observed.  They are steeped in traditions born from history going back hundreds of years. One constant in many of them is the Christmas Eve evening appearance of a generous being, an individual known by many names.

One of the names given to this visitor is Santa Claus.  He is said to fill stockings with gifts hung from fireplace mantels, door knobs, bedposts or other designated places.  He may leave presents under a Christmas tree.  In return a beverage and sweet treats, milk and cookies, are left for him.  Some people even leave bunches of carrots for the reindeer said to pull his sleigh around the world in a single night.  Children may write him letters sending them to the North Pole or left next to the milk, cookies and carrots.  As children our belief in Santa Claus is strong, so strong that as adults we do not relinquish the habit of hanging up stockings.  We know they are still filled on Christmas Eve but the gifts last a lifetime.  Love, Santa (Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., September 26, 2017) written by Martha Brockenbrough with illustrations by Lee White is a story to cherish, leaving a print on your heart to carry for the rest of your life.

When Lucy was five, she wrote Santa a letter.

In this letter to Santa, Lucy did not ask for any gift but she voiced her concern for Santa. She wondered how he was able to keep warm at the North Pole.  That year for Christmas she got a red coat from Santa.  It was the perfect present for a growing girl.  He also left her a letter enclosed in a red envelope with her name on the outside.  It answered her question.

The next year Lucy wrote Santa another letter.  As a six-year-old she was a bit braver.  This year she asked for an elf.  She also gave Santa two other options; one regarding her gift and the other with respect to his preference for cookies.  Wisely, Santa responded to the offered options.  She received another note tucked inside a red envelope.

By the time she was seven Lucy had a lot more questions for Santa.  She wrote two letters that year.  She only left the second one next to his plate of cookies.  She was not quite ready for the possible answers to her queries.

As an eight-year-old, Lucy wrote her final letter.  It had a single sentence, a question.  On Christmas Eve she placed it in a different spot.  Very early on Christmas morning Lucy found the familiar red envelope addressed to her, waiting to be opened.  The words penned to her changed Lucy and they will change you too.  They sing of the miracle of Christmas.


On the back of the book case Martha Brockenbrough writes a letter to readers.  She explains the personal experiences leading to this book.  The lens through which Martha views life is clearly present in all her books but never more sharply in focus than in this title.  Her gift is to find the essence of a situation (and of the people within it) portraying it (them) with beauty and truth. 

By first presenting the written correspondence between Lucy and Santa, we understand how the relationship unfolds and leads to the final two letters.  Lucy's letters to Santa are exactly as you would expect for a girl her age for each year.  Particularly heartwarming are the responses provided to Lucy in Santa's letters and the gifts left for her.  Lucy is well-known and deeply loved.


Upon opening the white book case you can see the faint green words spanning from the back to the front, left to right.  They are taken from the letters Lucy writes to Santa.  The wide green foil along the bottom is like the ribbon on a precious package.  The gold on the ornament, on the front, is also done in foil.  In the lower right-hand corner of the back, Lucy is shown reaching into the mailbox to place one of her letters to Santa.  The red flag is up, waiting for the mail person to send the letter to the North Pole.

The opening and closing endpapers are in the same hue as the ornament.  On the title page beneath the text, a pajama-attired Lucy with her cat is seated at her desk writing her first letter.  Rendered in watercolor and mixed media by Lee White the illustrations depict in single and double page visuals each year of the written conversation.

Delicate details and soft brush strokes portray an intent Lucy writing a letter and then move to a larger scene of a wintry landscape with Lucy mailing the letter.  Flawlessly Lee White moves from one perspective to another enhancing the words of the story.  He artfully places six actual envelopes within his images.

They can be opened and contain letters to be unfolded and read.  From Santa the envelopes are always red.  Lucy's letters are in envelopes with differing patterns over the course of the years.  For the final letter to Lucy it is slowly revealed over the course of five page turns.  Each of Lee's pictures supplies readers with a loving look at what the words are telling Lucy and us.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is one of the two-page images when Lucy is reading the final letter.  On the left Lucy holds the letter.  Above her on top of the red envelope is an enlarged portion of the letter.  Above this and extending over the gutter to the edge of the right page is a single evergreen bough.  Hanging from the branch is a sepia-toned ornament, filling up the entire right page.  A possible Christmas scene in Lucy's future is presented inside the ornament.


I can't imagine a personal collection not having a copy of Love, Santa written by Martha Brockenbrough with illustrations by Lee White.  I will be recommending it to every parent I can.  I read it over the phone last night to a colleague and good friend.  There was stunned silence when I finished it. We both might have been in tears.  Thank you Martha Brockenbrough.  Thank you Lee White.  This is a treasure to hold in a hug and in our hearts.

To learn more about Martha Brockenbrough and Lee White and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  On Lee White's blog you can view several of the interior images.  At the Vermont College of Fine Arts' website Martha talks about this title.

UPDATE:  Martha was a guest on NPR Weekend Edition Saturday talking about this title, December 23, 2017.

From His Jolly Old Self

You may have heard Nicholas was born in a country know as Turkey today.  Even as a child he was well-known for his generous spirit and care for others.  At the time of his parents' deaths due to a plague, he became a very wealthy man.

You may have read prior to his becoming known as Saint Nicholas a story about him using his wealth to aid a nobleman, now living in poverty, by providing dowries for his three daughters.  On individual nights he tossed a sack filled with coins through the girls' bedroom window.  On the final evening the sack is said to have landed in the youngest girl's stocking.

You may have discovered a tale about him becoming the youngest bishop to ever serve; being so named in the town of Myra near his birthplace.  During his time as bishop (and even after his death) there are several miracles attributed to him regarding his saving children by bringing them back to life.  It is believed Nicholas died on December 6, 342 or 343.

You may have learned this date was a well-celebrated feast day in Europe during the Middle Ages.  The goodness of Saint Nicholas began to be associated with gift giving during Christmas in certain countries.  In time this custom crossed the ocean as colonists settled in America.

You may be familiar with a particular visit by St. Nick as recounted in Clement C. Moore's The Night Before Christmas vividly describing the man, his sleigh and reindeer.  But I'll bet you didn't know Santa Claus is quite the poet, specializing in haiku.  Santa Clauses:  Short Poems from the North Pole (Carolrhoda Books, a division of Lerner Publishing Group, Inc., September 1, 2014) written by Bob Raczka with illustrations by Chuck Groenink reveals this beloved figure's literary genius.

December 1st
Wishes blowing in
from my overfilled mailbox---
December's first storm.

This first poem and the twenty-four others are inspired by a bookish gift of haiku poetry given to him by his wife.  Word by word, syllable by syllable, and line by line, Santa writes each one on his faithful typewriter for our reading pleasure.  We get an insider view of life at the North Pole during this busiest month of the year.

Walking outside we might see the effects of a snow hare's hunger on a snow elf or see Mrs. Claus enjoying the delights of first snow.  Santa, keeping his pathways safe, is thinking of treats waiting inside for him.  Tying and untying bows and knots are pleasant or not so pleasant tasks.

One of the reindeer does more than guide his sleigh offering assistance under the stars.  Moonlight and shadows cast their own spell.  A workshop is filled with a symphony of noise.  Stolen kisses under mistletoe add cheer to work.

Trees are trimmed inside by one jolly old elf and outside by the frozen weather.  Nighttime visits with the reindeer, strings of light around a home and spread across an Arctic sky and the fragrance of baking cookies fill the hours with sensory delight.  Stories read by a fire in a darkened room end the day.

Candy canes are consumed, sawdust is swept and wolves sing at the moon.  Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are getting closer.  Reindeer listen, elves sleep and Santa dresses in his suit of red. From high in the sky a landscape spreads below.  Now we know how it goes at the North Pole.


How I wish I could have been privy to the thoughts swirling around in Bob Raczka's mind as he formed these poems.  It's as if he walked with Santa for these twenty-five days.  I can see him standing still in a moment; watching, listening, touching and smelling. His depiction of the everyday is simple but profoundly beautiful.  At all times a touch of humor, lightness in his words can be felt as well as a reverence for the outside world.  Here is one more poem.

December 22nd
Reading the reindeer's
favorite bedtime story,
my cold nose glows red.



Rendered in pencil, gouache and Photoshop each image lifts the words in companionable warmth.  The two page spread across the matching dust jacket and book case invites you into Santa's world at the North Pole.  You can hear the silence, understand the awe he and his dog feel looking at the stars and feel the crisp, clear air.  Carrying over the shade of blue from the night sky on the opening and closing endpapers for a background, Chuck Groenink has placed a pattern of snowflakes, bells, Christmas trees, candy canes, a wrapped package, holly, stars, mistletoe, a glowing candle, a Santa hat, Christmas ornaments, and gingerbread boys; no two are alike with the exception of the cookies.  The colors used are hues of red, green and white.

Opposite the title page is Santa's desk.  I would love to sit in the solitude portrayed in that picture; a window showing snowflakes falling, a chair at a tidy desk displaying a cat on a book, a typewriter, paper, a mug and a vase holding a spring of evergreen with a single ornament.  Subsequently Bob Raczka's introduction is shown on a piece of paper nearly rolled out of an old manual typewriter.

Every page turn reveals a different image size with the text displayed as if written on a typewriter; the dates in red, the poems in black.  The larger font size is not a distraction but a welcome addition to each scene.  Groenink might extend elements from one illustration to the next page displaying a smaller visual framed with a liberal amount of white space.  In turn this is followed by several two page pictures, a single page image and a smaller one framed again in white.

There is an old world, cozy quality to each scene, the details bringing readers into this alternate North Pole world inhabited by Santa, Mrs. Claus, the elves and reindeer within Mother Nature's realm.  Santa's mailbox has a grinning mouth painted on the side giving the impression the letters are coming from this animal.  An old wood stove warms the workshop with a pot and kettle sitting on top.  Santa's residence is a log home several stories high.  The light over the kitchen table is filled with candles; drying herbs hang from a pole nearby and a cuckoo clock is seen on the wall.

One of my favorite illustrations is the one for the second quoted poem.  Groenink uses the beams in the barn to frame Santa dressed in a wooly coat, sky cap on his head, hot pot next to him on a bale of straw as he holds a book reading to the reindeer.  The reindeer are gathered around him, eyes watching and ears up listening.  A single lantern hangs above Santa's head.  Outside the tiny window snow is falling.


Every collection, every book shelf needs to have at least one copy of Santa Clauses:  Short Poems from the North Pole written by Bob Raczka with illustrations by Chuck Groenink.  It is sure to become one of those classic books to be read year after year welcoming the Christmas holiday.  It has my highest recommendation.

To learn more about Bob Raczka and Chuck Groenink please visit their websites by following the links embedded in their names.  If you select this title at Groenink's site you can see several illustrations from the book, including one of my favorites.  UPDATE:  Please visit this page at Kirkus. Author Julie Danielson interviews Bob Raczka.

In His Youth

No matter the extent of my exhaustion, there is one daily ritual which is never ignored, reading at bedtime.  It's become such a part of my life, I can't remember a time when I didn't do this.  The other night (actually in the early hours of the next morning), it was with anticipation I picked up a new picture book release to read.

As is my custom I looked at the jacket and cover, my hand running across the gold sticker on the former reading, Signed Copy.  I smiled when I saw the name Jon Agee handwritten beneath the opening title, Little Santa (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.). The following wordless picture brought on a huge grin and any thoughts of sleep were banished as I continued with the double-page illustration for the formal title page.

In the North Pole, in a little cabin, lived Mr. and Mrs. Claus and their seven children, Larry, Mary, Willy, Millie, Joey, Zoe, and Santa.

Day in and day out the Clauses toll in the harsh wintry climate.  It seems like there is always something to do; chopping wood, shoveling snow, fishing for food, mending the quilts, and tending the fire.  None of them are happy except for one, Santa.

He finds joy in the simple things; building snowmen, creating snow angels, stringing garlands on pine trees and baking cookies.  With no playground nearby, his favorite thing in the whole world is to slide down the chimney.  When told by his family they are moving to Florida, he wonders how they could leave this wonderful place.

To everyone's surprise on the day of their departure, a blizzard has left their home nearly hidden under mounds of snow.  Santa immediately offers to go up the chimney for much-needed help.  Setting off with a bundle of food and snowshoes, his first discovery in a land encased in white is what appears to be a branch.

It's not a tall tree but a reindeer stuck under the snow.  After being freed, the reindeer offers to give Santa a ride.  Let me tell you, readers.  It was a very surprising trip.

Their next stop is a house filled from top to bottom with elves.  (Oh, I love this.) As Santa tells the tale of his family's troubles, the elves are eager to help. There isn't anything they can't build, quickly and carefully.

A return trip is taken by all.  Life at the North Pole for the Claus family is definitely different.  The lure of Florida is still strong though, except for one, Santa.  For that we are most thankful.


Straightforward sentences, stating the truth as seen, propel the narrative.  What makes the storytelling of Jon Agee pure pleasure are the pauses he inserts as well as the unexpected humor...and a talking reindeer.  The stop and go is so smooth you as a reader are unaware you are following the beat of his tale.  Here are a couple of sentences.

The house was full of elves.
"Holy snowflake!" said the oldest one. "Who are you?"

Beginning with a single illustration extending across the front and back jacket and cover, Jon Agee acquaints readers with his main character, a reindeer friend and the snow-covered hills of the frigid North Pole.  Rather than use any of these colors for the endpapers, Agee selects a solid shade of green which appears frequently as an added hue in his illustrations rendered in watercolor. I challenge you not to smile or burst out laughing as I did at the single illustration placed before the formal title page. Set on a stark white background is Santa's bed, his spotted dog sleeping next to it, as he dresses in his one-piece red outfit complete with a pointed hood.

White, blues, grays and a sunrise/sunset sky provide a backdrop for the two-page, single page or smaller drawings Agee uses to enhance his narrative.  This altering of illustration size and viewpoint, aligns well with the ebb and flow of his storyline.  His signature heavy black lines define all the elements in his pictures, the setting, the characters and their expressive moods.  The duller tones of Santa's parents' and siblings' clothing along with their glum faces contrasts with his rosier outlook on life in general, making him stand out.  One of my favorite illustrations is the one interpreting this exclamation:

"Gee whiz!" said Santa. "You're a pretty special reindeer."

The look of wonder Santa is wearing along with the smile on the reindeer's face is a perfect pictorial moment.


Little Santa written and illustrated by Jon Agee is a delightful seasonal title which should be given a spot in all Christmas collections.  His vision and version make wonderful sense.  This book is a gift to all readers.

For more information about Jon Agee, visit his website via the link embedded in his name above.  Make sure you take time to read Five questions for Jon Agee at The Horn Book.  Enjoy the book trailer!

And Now We Know...

The closer it gets to December 24th the more children are checking their lists; probably more than twice.  On that night stockings will be hung, milk and cookies will be left, for one of the most anticipated visitors of the year, Santa Claus.  Oh, his name or attire may change as well as his method of delivery but his spirit of giving remains constant throughout the world.  His accomplishments are legendary.

Have you ever been curious where Santa Claus was all those years before he went to the North Pole? Well, wonder no more.  Author Judi Barrett and illustrator Kevin Hawkes have teamed to tell the truth in Santa from Cincinnati (Atheneum Books for Young Readers).

I was born Baby Boy Claus at 12:02 AM at the Cincinnati General Hospital on December 25, many. many, many years ago.

Yes, we're going back, way back, to the beginning, getting the straight scoop from none other than the Jolly Old Elf himself.  You will not believe where Mr. and Mrs. Claus found the perfect name for the infant--in one of their bowls of alphabet soup!  As a first child and only child his adoring parents went nuts with the picture taking.

He was as typical as a baby could be except for one thing, his constant jolliness and...
his deep seated need for toys.  His favorite was a stuffed reindeer; not one but eight.  Having a dad with a toy-making workshop in the basement, was this boy's dream come true.

Imagine his excitement when he was old enough to assist and design his own creations.  The cleverness of these two, father and son, did not go unnoticed by the neighborhood kids.  Their requests were numerous and lists were made.  (Are you starting to see a pattern here?)

Despite giving to the local boys and girls, the piles of their artistic products grew and grew. What was the Claus family to do?  Santa has the gear and a plan which spreads from Cincinnati to the entire state before you can say, "Ho, Ho, Ho".

In between these annual deliveries Santa remains as normal as can be, going to school, keeping up with his homework, attending college, falling in love and getting married.  But all these life events are done with his own special twist; a college in the far, far north allowing him to major in toys and minor in business.  Step by step, year by year, Santa reveals how his love of playthings grew with all its twists, turns and traditions into the familiar figure known and loved today.


With little stretch of the imagination one can almost believe that author Judi Barrett found some hidden diaries penned by the hand of Santa Claus, the voice she gives him rings so true.  Using a straightforward, conversational tone filled with humor she has him tell his tale.  Ingenious specific explanations for each memorable moment enhance the story's flow.  Here's a sample below.

My mom and dad helped me load them onto some sleds I'd tied together.  Just as I was about to leave, I found more toys under my bed.  So I stuffed those into my pillowcase, flung it over my should, and I was off!


Using open acrylics and Prismacolor pencil on bristol board Kevin Hawkes takes the narrative giving it depth and breadth through his illustrations.  The front jacket and cover are loaded with hints, nearly a synopsis of the boy who becomes the man, feet firmly planted on the North Pole.  The shadow of the fully grown Santa behind the youth is brilliant.

The first page has only the title with a birth announcement underneath, the second contains more information with sleigh bells on ribbons framing the words.  Rich in color, extensive in detail the pictures throughout the remainder of the story are spread across two pages.  Hawkes ability to extend the storyline is impressive; the babies in the hospital ward are all crying in their caps but not Baby Claus, his wrap is red with snowflakes and his cap is bigger with a small white ball on the end as he lies there grinning.

Every chance offered by the text is used to its fullest.  Sometimes Hawkes chooses to do so using snapshots of Santa in a collage across more than one page, each carefully labeled with parental handwriting or his pages may be filled with a cast of characters in an array of expressions.  The text is placed in various positions in order to blend with the visuals; at times appearing as if on scraps of notepaper.  What Barrett does not disclose in the writing Hawkes completes in his laughter-inducing illustrations tinged with nods to the North Pole.  While there are many pages to appreciate in this book, my favorite is the last two-page spread, a close-up of Santa in his twenty-first century sleigh flying near Big Ben, a stuffed toy reindeer sitting on the gadget laden dashboard, with another live reindeer hanging upside down, looking out at the readers as Santa turns to give us a smile.


Santa from Cincinnati written by Judi Barrett with illustrations by Kevin Hawkes is filled with all the joy one would expect in the life of this remarkable man of mystery prominent in many cultures.  Their combined efforts will have readers believing this to be true and loving every minute of the story.  "Who knew?" will be replaced with "Well, that makes perfect sense." as readers laugh out loud.  Most assuredly this will be a holiday favorite for many years to come.