Cool Respite

The natural world rests in winter.  A lot of children, when asked, can name at least one animal that sleeps during this season.  Some of them can tell you why these animals pause in their daily activities.  Others can name this sleep, calling it hibernation.

If you were to question this same group of children about another season when animals sleep, you will get silence and a group blank stare.  In fact, if the group were people of all ages, the response would probably be similar.  In the marvelous manner we have come to expect from collaborators, author Melissa Stewart and illustrator Sarah S. Brannen, their new release Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Hibernate Estivate (Charlesbridge, April 27, 2021) does not disappoint.  We willingly stroll through the wondrous information given to us in words and artwork; knowing we are now far better equipped to be the stewards we are meant to be for our planet.

YAWN, STRETCH, BLINK!

As warm weather spreads across the land,

hibernating animals spring to life.

At the same time, other animals seek cool spots so they can slumber.  They are about to begin estivation.  Of these animals. some select to sleep in large bunches.  Alone, the mourning cloak butterfly nestles into a bark bed until it awakes in autumn.

Above ground on tree branches, hard-shelled creatures rest inside, closed off from the outside world.  Below ground, special occupants of Christmas Island go deep into their residences.  Did you know there are fish that burrow into mud when their water dries up in the summer?

Certain amphibians find refuge and prefer other animal hideaways. For animals that use other animals' homes, there are opposites that make their own place to rest.  Long treks are taken by particular reptiles.  They feast and then sleep, snuggled under forest floor bedding.  Although there are animals that travel to sleep, there are others who stay exactly where they are.

A long rest is in order for many of these animals.  For others, it is only a handful of days here and there.  Each season dictates specific behaviors, until places and spaces are switched.  Brrr . . . there's a chill in the air.

Author Melissa Stewart has our attention as soon as we read her first few sentences.  Each paragraph is replete with facts delivered through clever alliteration.  She employs a contrasting technique to present information, beginning on the left with a partial sentence and giving a more in-depth explanation on the right (or underneath) relative to one animal.  That partial sentence is completed with a page turn and another explanation is supplied for a new creature.  Here is one example.

. . . but others toss and turn before 

catching their zzz's. 

When the sizzling sun dries up the mangrove

killifish's watery home, the little fish jump

across land, flipping head-over-tail, until they

find a hollow log.  Crammed inside this dark,

damp den, killifish wait for wetter days.  If the

dry spell lasts long enough, the little fish slip

into a slumber until the rain returns.

In a large image, extending left to right, across the back and front of the open and matching dust jacket and book case, illustrator Sarah S. Brannen creates through curved lines, calm.  The desert hedgehog curls in repose, saving energy.  Its bungalow den is shaped from rocks in colors like its own. 

On the opening and closing endpapers, the design uses space to first give us a title page and last to provide the dedications and publication information.  On the opening endpapers, on the left, a naturalist's notebook is open to a drawing of a spotted turtle.  Beneath the pages, the turtle moves through fallen leaves on a forest floor.  Above a blue sky glistens.  On the closing endpapers, four other pages from the notebook, about four other animals, are spread from the left, across the gutter, to the far-right edge.

Each double-page picture rendered

in watercolor on Arches bright white cold pressed paper

by Sarah S. Brannen, with the exception of the first and last illustrations, places the named animals in their natural habitat when they are resting or searching for a location.  Within these large images are the page from the naturalist's notebook.  These are line drawings in black on a cream canvas.  They have the common and scientific names, the actual size, other positions, and place of residence.

In her illustrations, Sarah S. Brannen brings us close to the creatures, but usually includes a more panoramic view of the encompassing landscape.  Convergent lady beetles are seen in large numbers inside curved leaves of a ground plant.  Behind this plant are desert mountains dotted with spots of greenery.  These two perspectives are important so we can be mindful observers and protectors.

One of my many favorite pictures is for the mourning cloak butterfly.  We find ourselves standing in a woodland.  Tree trunks and leafy boughs rise to the top of the pages.  On one of the trunks to the left of the gutter, a butterfly, wings open, rests.  On the right, we move close to a single trunk.  There we see the top and underside of a mourning cloak butterfly's wings, just prior to it tucking away for sleep.  On the far left is a page from the notebook.  The actual size of the butterfly is represented as is a picture of it on an oak leaf.  We are given both names and the place where it is seen, Broughton Nature Area, Marietta, Ohio, US.

Readers of all ages will be amazed to learn about these resilient creatures who rest to escape the rigors of the hottest season.  Summertime Sleepers: Animals That Hibernate Estivate written by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Sarah S. Brannen is a book to place on both professional and personal bookshelves.  The back matter includes More About Animals That Estivate, Estivation Versus Hibernation, Continue Your Exploration, Author's Note, Illustrator's Note, and Selected Sources.

To discover more about Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Melissa Stewart has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Sarah S. Brannen has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. At the publisher's website you can view an interior picture, download a teacher's guide, and a readers theater script.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, hosted the book trailer premiere on his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  Both creators are interviewed there.  At Maria Marshall's Making Nature Fun, a group of nonfiction authors are interviewed.  Melissa Stewart and this title are a part of that gathering.  Melissa Stewart is interviewed about this title at First Draft to Final Book. 

Something New

On October 30, 2014 the Hallmark Channel aired the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards.  One dog is selected to represent each of these categories:  Law Enforcement Dogs, Arson Dogs, Therapy Dogs, Service Dogs, Military Dogs, Guide and Hearing Dogs, Search and Rescue Dogs, and Emerging Hero Dogs.  The Emerging Hero Dogs category is for those dogs who are heroes to their people; ordinary dogs who do extraordinary things.  From these eight winners one champion is chosen for the year.

Several of these dogs had survived incredible hardships reshaping their lives and the lives of the humans they chose.  Madame Martine (Albert Whitman & Company, September 1, 2014) written and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen is a story about a woman living alone in Paris caught in a comfortable routine.  One rainy day, a Saturday, when she least expects it, change is about to step into her life.

Madame Martine lived alone in a little apartment in Paris.  She took the same walk every day.  She shopped at the same stores.  She wore the same coat.  

She is perfectly content with this arrangement.  Even though she can see the Eiffel Tower from her window, she has never visited or seen the views from its heights.  For each day of the week she eats the same food.  On Saturdays and Sundays she does the same thing without exception.

Standing under her umbrella on that rainy Saturday, the life-changing Saturday, she sees a small, wet and dirty dog looking at her from bushes lining the sidewalk.  When no one appears to be looking for a lost companion, she decides the dog needs her.  He is only too happy to comply with the coziness she offers.

On Sunday she and Max, her name for him, take a short walk, chatting with tourists about the Eiffel Tower.  She gives them directions but does not understand why anyone would want to see it.  Max easily falls into the comfortable routine Madame Martine follows.  Or does he?

On a later Saturday as they are returning from feeding the birds, Max spots a squirrel, pulling his leash from Madame Martine's hands.  It happens they are walking beneath the Eiffel Tower.  The little furry scamp dashes up the stairs toward the second level, flight of stairs after flight of stairs.  Madame Martine has no choice.  She climbs up after Max.

This is not what Madame Martine planned for her Saturday.  Oh, no, not at all.  Max leads her to look with new eyes.  Their Saturdays are never the same again.

For more readers than we probably know Paris is a geographical place name only or perhaps completely unknown. For this reason I am thrilled Paris and the Eiffel Tower are the setting for this story.  It works splendidly with the flow of the narrative Sarah S. Brannen creates.  The technique of repeating the same phrases at the beginning and the end is one readers enjoy; bringing them into the characters' lives.

It's also important to recognize even though Madame Martine is pleased with the ritual of her days, she is open to adding a difference.  Initially Max brings her out of her sameness shell giving her company and altering her focus.  Little does she know how much richer her life will become.

Sarah S. Brannen expertly draws us into the action, keeping us on the edge of our seats as Madame Martine chases Max. Here is a sample portion of a passage from the book.

Madame Martine climbed after him.  One flight,
two flights, three flights.
"Max!" she called. Four flights, five flights, six
flights.  She stopped to catch her breath.
Max saw her resting and also stopped to catch
his breath.


Rendered in watercolor the illustrations throughout evoke an astute sense of time and place.  With the opening picture on the matching dust jacket and cover, we are sure Madame Martine is in for a surprise.  The look on Max's face mirrors the joy of freedom found or a dog on a mission.  On the back the image, a bird's eye view of a part of the Eiffel Tower and surrounding area, extends to the flap edge.  In a series of five different small images of Max, the opening and closing endpapers are styled in rows of diamonds in hues of white and the rusty red of the patches on his coat.

Small brush strokes form the delicate elements in every scene.  Sarah S. Brannen uses a full color palette but in the beginning, before Max, there is a paler overtone with more gray.  Madame Martine's clothing is of darker, duller shades of brown, gray and blue.  The longer Max is with her the more golden glow is added to her days.

Brannen shifts her illustration sizes and our view of the characters creating mood and emotion, framing some with white space.  One of my favorite scenes stretches across two pages.  It is the only one without text but it conveys much about the relationship of Madame Martine and Max.  The little lost dog has accomplished quite a bit as they both see something for the very first time.


If I needed to choose one word to express my impression of Madame Martine written and illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen it would be charming.  This is one of those books which can be simply adored for the story it tells but also can be the beginning of discussion about doing something different.  It asks us to notice the amazing things around us every day which we may neglect.  I can understand completely how Max transformed Madame Martine's world, Xena does the same for me every single day.

If you would like to learn more about Sarah S. Brannen and her work please visit her website by following the link embedded in her name.  On her blog she speaks about her tour for this book.  One thing she mentions is a pack of cards her publisher designed.  It might be fun to try this; having your readers create cards about anything new to do.

Functional Fantastic Feathers

During childhood finding a single bird feather lying on the ground was like finding a secret message.  You wondered if the bird was watching you look at it, pick it up and examine it.  You wondered why or how the feather came to be there.  Most of all, the feather was thought of as a gift. (As an adult I still feel the same way.)

The purpose of the feather before it fell to the ground, other than for flying, had never occurred to me until now.  Feathers Not Just for Flying (Charlesbridge, February 25, 2014) by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Sarah S. Brannen presents to readers the amazing capabilities of feathers on a variety of birds.  Prepare to be enlightened.


Feathers can warm like a blanket...

If you have ever speculated why birds fluff up their feathers on a cold day, it's to trap warm air next to their skin.  Layering feathers in a nest keeps eggs nice and toasty too.  When temperatures increase out-of-doors, feathers can shield birds from the glare of sunlight to better their hunting skills or again protect their skin.

Feathers can retain water, brush away dirt from other feathers, divert the attention of enemies or provide security like an invisibility cloak.   By calling out with a significant sound or flashing a colorful array, males make their presence known to females.  It's extraordinarily wonderful to discover feathers can whistle.

Do you need to dig a hole?  Do you need to carry building supplies?  Do you need to float or sink?  Feathers are designed to do these very things.  All you have to do is visit Utah, Namibia, Africa, Maryland or Louisiana to watch a Bank swallow, a Rosy-faced Lovebird, a Mute swan or an Anhinga in action.

Adapting to climate and seasons feathers serve to increase movement over ice and through snow.  The next time you hear the chirp of a cardinal, the cawing of crows or the sound of hundreds of wing beats, one word will come to mind...feathers.  They are an impressive example of the ingenuity of Mother Nature.


As in the case of the most recent book I reviewed by Melissa Stewart, No Monkeys, No Chocolate, this new title reflects painstaking research.  In her author's note, Stewart discusses her approach to

figuring out the most interesting way to frame the material.

Choosing to compare the attributes of feathers to items commonly seen in our lives not only makes it interesting, but now whenever those are seen, readers can easily recall the fact attached to each of them.

Each portion of eight statements, broken into two parts, represents one of sixteen birds.  A separate segment of text, one to three sentences long, details the particular characteristics of the feathers.  Here is a sample.

or cushion like a pillow.

A female wood duck
lines her nest with
feathers she plucks
from her own body.
These feathers cushion
the duck's eggs and
keep them warm.


Ten feathers, beautifully portrayed in their natural colors, arranged in descending order according to size, span both sides of the matching dust jacket and book case.  Opening and closing endpapers done in shades of brown are patterned with feathers displayed throughout the title.  An additional series of feathers adorns the opening two pages; identified by the name of the bird from which they come.

All of the illustrations, rendered in watercolor on Saunders Waterford cold-press paper by artist Sarah S. Brannen, are placed on lightly textured backgrounds of pale green, golden yellow, light sky blue, or white.  The arrangement of the elements, text, the feathers, the everyday item and the large portrait of the bird, is like viewing the pages in a naturalist's scrapbook.  Photograph corners, pins, frames, tape, brads, paperclips or glue adhere them artfully in place.  Eight of the birds are given two pages; the rest are tied together with single pages opposite one another.

One of my favorite displays is the depiction of the Club-winged manakin.  On the right with wings lifted among the leafy branches, he is whistling.  On the left is the informative text with three single feathers, a young boy playing a whistle and a close-up of the whistle placed upon a piece of sheet music.


Feathers Not Just for Flying by Melissa Stewart with illustrations by Sarah S. Brannen is one of my favorite nonfiction titles of 2014.  The mix of narrative and visuals is as pleasing as watching a feather floating on a current of air; light, airy and down-to-earth.  In addition to the author's note two pages are devoted to classifying feathers; six categories are described.

Please be sure to visit the author's and illustrator's websites via the links embedded in their names.  This link takes you to the publisher's website where you can get a peek at the representation of the first bird.  Author Melissa Stewart has several related posts for this book on her blog, Behind the Books: Feathers, Behind the Books: Another Gift for Educators and Behind the Books: Illustrating Feathers.  Each of these posts are filled with information to be used in the classroom setting.

Be sure to visit Kid Lit Frenzy to enjoy the other titles on blogs who are participating in the 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  It makes the middle of the week extra special.