An Enduring Testament

When tragedy strikes our home, community, state, or country, we mark it with a memory. We cannot forget what we were doing when it happened.  Some of the tragedies are profound enough the whole world remembers along with us.  The events in the United States on September 11, 2001, are unforgettable.

The news, as quietly as possible, flew from classroom to classroom at our elementary school.  Adult staff members tried to proceed through the day as normally as possible although our hearts were heavy.  After school we gathered with our principal, many of us tears streaming down our faces.  It seems impossible this was twenty years ago.  Survivor Tree (Little, Brown And Company, August 31, 2021) written by Marcie Colleen with illustrations by Aaron Becker notes those events with an extraordinary story.  Nature finds a way.

A TREE STOOD STEEL-STRAIGHT AND PROUD

at the foot of the towers that filled the sky.

This Callery pear tree reflected the seasons.  From bare branches to blooming branches to boughs laden with green and then red, it shifted with the changing months.  For three decades it grew and lived, untouched.

In September, on a brilliant blue-sky day, normalcy for this tree, its surroundings, and the humans in its city was blasted aside.  Amid the destruction, the tree appeared to be a skeleton of its former self.  Then, hope spoke.  Those clearing the devastation found green sprouts on the branches of the tree.

In its broken, but hopeful state, the tree was placed in a new space.  Through winter and spring, it stayed the same, until new life unexpectedly appeared.  The tree again reflected the seasons for nearly ten years.

When the next winter came, the tree was taken to its original place.  The towers, two, were gone.  The tree was there, a visible, living testament to the tragedy and hopeful strength.  From old scarred, bark smooth growth extended.

The text written by Marcie Colleen reads like poetry.  A single sentence vividly describes the tree's presence in each season until that catastrophic September day.  The cadence stops as stunned as the world was.  Again single, carefully penned phrases (sometimes two) follow the tree's journey, until changes necessitate more words.  We feel the rhythm of the story through the use of repetition.  It brings us back to winter, spring, summer, and fall with a renewed perspective.  Here is a passage.

Two stone blocks were placed in its stunted shadow---

a memorial of makeshift towers in a makeshift home.

No longer stretching tall,

the tree reached deep in the warm earth,

and all was quiet.  

(Please note I am working with an F & G.  My copy has not arrived yet.)

When you open the dust jacket, the choice of hues blankets you in calm.  The illustration of the Survivor Tree as it stands today at the 9/11 Memorial continues across the spine and over the fold of the front flap.  Notice the trunks of the other trees and the similarly colored shapes representing the aluminum and steel lattice tridents on the towers.  As they move toward the sky their shades are muted.

To the left, on the back, an image of the memorial is presented.  It is as if we are standing there.  On the bottom we can see portions of names around a white rose.  Above this is one of the two pools.  The words,

EVEN IN THE DARKEST OF TIMES,

COLOR WILL ALWAYS

RETURN TO THE WORLD

are shown as our eyes move to the top.  Trees in autumn rise in front of buildings and a sky with some clouds.

(If you go to the illustrator's Instagram account you can see the stunning book case as he unboxes his copies from the publisher.)

The endpapers, quotation page, dedication and title pages, pages of notes, and publication information pages are awash in colors depicting the different times of day and seasons of the year.  Floating through them as if on a breeze are leaves.  They, too, mirror the times of day and seasons of the year in their hues.  The title page is a double-page illustration, a breathtaking view of New York City as if we are arriving by water with the Statue of Liberty on our left and the skyline spread before her.  The Survivor Tree glows in front of the Twin Towers.  

These images by artist Aaron Becker were rendered

in watercolor and colored pencil on 300 lb. hot press watercolor paper.

On heavier, matte-finished paper these double-page pictures convey a range of emotions.  Aaron Becker enhances the beautiful narrative by pictorially supplying another story, a human story, within the tale of the tree.  This story follows a family through photographs initially. 

Every time you read this book; you will see more included details in Aaron Becker's visuals.  He employs cutaways to show the roots of the tree.  Seasons blend from one side of the page to the other.  What will each reader see on the pages before the crashes?  For emphasis Aaron Becker alters his perspectives.  We are brought close to the hand caressing the green on the broken tree.  As the tree is brought to the memorial, it is a more panoramic view with lots of sky.  One wordless illustration is breathtaking.

One of my many favorite pictures is toward the closing of the book.  We are close to the tree, it's trunk on the left and multiple branches extending up and out to the right-page edge.  It is autumn.  We can see the leaves tinged with muted red, orange, yellow, and purple.  Their backs to us, a father and his daughter reach toward one of the branches.  The daughter's left hand and arm rests on her father's right shoulder.  Together they touch history and hope.

With every reading the richness of Survivor Tree written by Marcie Colleen with illustrations by Aaron Becker envelopes you.  Viewing this tree's story through the poetic words by the author and the striking artwork, with an added pictorial interpretation, by the illustration creates a promise.  It's a promise we can hold in our hands.  At the close of the book is more information about the Survivor Tree and an author's and an illustrator's notes.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about Marcie Colleen and Aaron Becker and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Marcie Colleen has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Aaron Becker has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there is a video/podcast with Aaron Becker talking about his artwork for this title and a podcast with Marcie Colleen speaking about her writing for this book.  At author, reviewer, and blogger, Julie Danielson's website, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, this title is showcased.  At author and teacher librarian Travis Jonker's School Library Journal, 100 Scope Notes, website is the cover reveal and a question and answer with both the author and the illustrator.

UPDATE:  Please enjoy this Five questions for Marcie Colleen and Aaron Becker in The Horn Book on September 8, 2021.

Whatever The Weather

All manner of people come and go in our lives daily.  Some are there for the briefest of moments.  Others are there for decades.  They bring us laughter and sadness.  They challenge us and support us.  Some dislike us for no understandable reasons.  Others, most if we are fortunate, shower us with warmth and love.

We know at an early age; everything is better together.  The positive is multiplied and the negative is halved.  If it were possible to hold sheer happiness in our hands whenever we desire, then More Than Sunny (Abrams Books for Young Readers, May 11, 2021) written and illustrated by Shelley Johannes is exactly the title necessary for this accomplishment.  This debut picture book by a beloved author illustrator (Beatrice Zinker: Upside Down Thinker) is the quintessential representation of heightened joy through shared experiences.

*knock

knock *

An older sister and the family canine companion are eager to start their day.  They wake up a younger brother, pulling him outside.  The day is sunny, early and full of birdsong.  As they move through their world, other descriptors follow them and the word sunny.

At the pond, it is muddy, and a family of ducks follows them.  As the day and season warms, the sister and dog want to explore some more.  It is humid.  What's with all the bugs?!  They are thankful for a gentle breeze and each new discovery at the pond, in the meadow, and off the dock.

When the rains come, all three still go outside, enjoying those creatures who love the rain the most.  Back home, their wetness is absorbed by a loving parent.  Spring and summer are wonderful memories as autumn leaves pile on the ground spiraling up and down in the winds. Geese formations point to the south against a darkening sky.

Heavy snowflakes fall on two extended tongues.  Pleading leads to a walk in the snow.  Silence reveals gentle wonders.  Mom, children, and their dog play until late in the day when daddy arrives.  More fun ensues.  Four angels leave an impression in the snow.  Now it is time to go.  Stories and snuggles and 

*knock

knock* 

In a reversal, one final glowing glory is displayed.

A knock at a door always holds an element of surprise and anticipation until we realize who is there.  This is a wonderful way to lead readers into the merriment of this story.  Author Shelley Johannes skillfully uses punctuation, short phrases, and rhyming to supply readers with the best each season can offer.  Here are two paired passages.

it's MUGGY . . .

AND BUGGY!

BREEZY

AND BUZZY . . .

SUMMER 

AND FUZZY!

On the front and the back, right and left, of the open dust jacket, we meet the siblings and their dog as they embrace the day.  You can see in both of the images; the brother is not initially as excited as his sister.  She is the personification of sunshine; her arms shooting up and out like rays.  On the front the brother, dog, sister, and text are varnished.

To the left, on the back, is one of the interior illustrations.  The brother, still wearing his pajamas and his yellow boots, carries his toy stuffed turtle, as his sister, holding his hand, runs out the door of their house.  Their dog leads them off the steps and outside into the yard.  The red door of their house contrasts with the pale blue of the early morning sky.

On the book case a fabulous double-page picture is presented on either side of the spine.  To the left is a close-up of the red door to their home.  The brother and sister are leaning out the opening of the door, heads back and tongues stretched to capture the first snowflakes of winter.  

These illustrations rendered

with pencil and mixed media on tracing paper and finished digitally

by artist Shelley Johannes are brimming with exuberance and pure delight.  Their size and perspective are altered to accentuate the pacing.  Every page turn yields more energy.

The details in the clothing, facial features, body postures and the settings welcome us into each visual.  The sister is so thrilled she does not have her shoes tied.  In the summer, the toys on the brother's rug in his bedroom reappear in real life.  Do you see the ladybugs, butterflies, and caterpillar?  On the stormy day, a fort is made for the dog from books and a checkerboard.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It shows the passage of time.  On the left side, a dock ends on the left.  On the right side, a dock ends on the right.  This dock is positioned near the center of the two pages.  Beneath the dock is green-blue water of a pond or lake.  Above the dock is a blue sky filled with wispy clouds.  On the left, the siblings wearing yellow life vests are leaning over the dock watching the water and their fishing lines which vanish under the surface.  On the right, their poles with the lines reeled in rest on the dock.  Now, sister and brother are on their backs, cloud gazing.  In both scenes the sister is talking.  

When you read More Than Sunny written and illustrated by Shelley Johannes, you will feel your spirit lighten.  Hopefully for many readers, the activities of the sister and brother will be a reminder of shared exhilaration or future marvels to relish.  I highly recommend this book for your personal and professional collections.  It is one to gift often.

To learn more about Shelley Johannes and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  The book trailer can be viewed here, also.  Shelley Johannes has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The cover reveal is hosted with an interview by Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, at his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  Shelley Johannes is featured at author illustrator Jarrett Lerner's site.  Travis Jonker, teacher librarian extraordinaire, chats with Shelley Johannes on his site 100 Scope Notes at School Library Journal.  At the publisher's website there are some downloadable extra resources.  There is also a video there for you to enjoy at the publisher's website.

From The Start, Heart To Heart

When you least expect it, but need it the most, there it is.  You might be cresting a hill on a walk with your dog and the sight you see takes your breath away.  As you look through the different shades of spring budding on trees spread before you, in the distance hues of blue water like glass extend to an opposite shore. The shadows and light cast an enchanting spell on this moment.  There is silence.  Even your canine companion stills.  What if you had not glanced that way?

This beauty on this day is a symbol and a sign.  In What the World Could Make: A Story of Hope (Roaring Brook Press, May 4, 2021) written by Holly M. McGhee with illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre, two friends find the best life has to offer in the simple things given to them as they explore their world.  Each season brings the duo closer together, bound in mutual affection.

The friends thought it a wonder---

winter white flakes a gift from the sky.

Side by side they sat, as flakes fell on them.  They were amazed at the beauty.  Bunny wanted the snow to never stop.  Rabbit asked if Bunny was sure.  Bunny really wanted the memory to last always.  And Rabbit understood.

So, Rabbit made a snowball for Bunny.  It was large and perfectly shaped like their tails.  Now Bunny would have the memory of the winter white flakes always.

With the arrival of spring, Rabbit and Bunny were enticed by the colors and smells of lilacs.  During this season it was Rabbit who wanted the memory to last always.  As the most beloved kind of friends do for each other, Bunny made something extra special for Rabbit.  

Summer offered a delectable, tangy and crisp treat.  This present was presented by warmth, water, and tiny grains of ground rock and minerals.  As the days shortened, the rich glow of autumn supplied them with the perfect place to do what bunnies and rabbits do best---

JUMP!

That's what Bunny and Rabbit did, wondering at the wonder this year made for them.  

And then---

The words written by Holly M. McGhee in this story radiate from the pages, wrapping around you in a hug you want to last forever.  The friendship between Bunny and Rabbit is precious and pure, shown by their willingness to make a shared moment never end for the other.  Through the rhythmic sentences, repetition of phrases and conversations, we learn as they have.  Hope, like their love, is where you choose to find it.  It is provided each and every day and night of our lives.  Here is a passage from the story.

"I know what you mean,"

said Bunny this time.

"The kind of forever where

you remember it even after 

it ends!"

When you look at the front of the open and matching dust jacket and book case, you have questions.  Two rabbits, bunnies, with their backs to us are facing the sky, future, rosy with the rising (or setting) sun.  A field filled with possibilities stretches from them to the bottom of the jacket and cover.  On the front of the jacket the text and friends are varnished.

To the left of the spine, the back, there is a crisp white canvas.  Here, in the center, Bunny and Rabbit walk and splash, paw in paw, through shallow water.  On either side of them is a treat they will soon taste.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a delicate mint green.  On the title page, the image of Rabbit and Bunny sitting in the tree is placed between the text.  All the illustrations were rendered with

pen and ink and Adobe Photoshop

by Pascal Lemaitre.  One of the first things you notice about Pascal Lemaitre's artwork in this book is his superb use of space.  For many of the scenes Bunny and Rabbit are small, surrounded by a natural setting.  His fine lines and limited elements in each illustration convey a real sense of fascination.  The image sizes range from double-page pictures to a collection of smaller visuals on two pages and back to double-page images before this is repeated.  It is a pleasing flow enhancing the narrative.  The splendor of each season is portrayed in wonderful color choices.

His intricate details add to the endearing quality of the friends and their experiences.  Each of them is wearing colored scarfs with a white R on the red one for Rabbit and a white B on the green one for Bunny.  The quality of emotion conveyed with their eyebrows, eyes, button noses and mouths leaves no doubt in readers' minds as to the state of their minds and hearts. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  Across the top of the pages is a light purple wash with plump snowflakes falling in it.  Below this is white.  On the left side Rabbit is holding a large snowball and reaching toward Bunny.  Falling snow is shown on Rabbit and the slightly shadowed ground around her.  To the right of the gutter is Bunny.  She stands looking at Rabbit, expectant and happy, her paws clasped in front of her.  To the right of her is an evergreen tree laden with snow.  

When you finish reading this book, What the World Could Make: A Story of Hope written by Holly M. McGhee with illustrations by Pascal Lemaitre, you find yourself smiling.  In fact, you've been smiling the whole time and perhaps, you might be a bit teary by the tenderness expressed in words and artwork in this title.  Is there ever a time when we don't need hope?  Is there ever a time when we don't need to share the simple, freely given gifts of nature with someone who understands us completely?  I can't imagine a collection, personal or professional, without a copy of this book.

To learn more about Holly M. McGhee and Pascal Lemaitre and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Holly M. McGhee has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Pascal Lemaitre has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  This book is featured with an interview at Kathleen Temean's Writing and Illustrating.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  

Comedy Times Two #3

On one thing most scientists can agree, the strength of laughter to elevate our well-being.  Laughter pushes everything else aside for those moments you are laughing.  If you are not alone in your laughter, it lasts a lot longer.  If you have the giggles, a simple look, sound, or body movement can ignite another bout of guffaws shared by those gathered.

As soon as you read certain books (in between bursts of laughter), you know you are holding hilarity gold in your hands.  Today, two book releases fit this description.  Both have imbedded facts, making them fun and funnier.  On February 26, 2019 readers were able to enjoy a generous serving of humor reading The Very Impatient Caterpillar (Scholastic Press) written and illustrated by Ross Burach.  The outspoken, exuberant caterpillar is back after having the patience to make it through metamorphosis. In The Little Butterfly That Could (Scholastic Press, April 6, 2021), our butterfly friend finds the thought of migration a tad bit terrifying. 

 

HEY! Have you seen

a group of migrating

butterflies?

They went that way.

Excited the group is close, the butterfly is shocked to discover they are 200 miles away.  When asking the whale how to travel 200 miles, the whale says flight is the only solution.  In a fit of drama, the butterfly believes this is impossible.

In the ensuing interlude, the butterfly recounts how much simpler life was as a caterpillar, and then as a chrysalis who patiently (HA!) waited to become a flower-seeking butterfly.  It seems a fog descended, and the butterfly lost his migrating flutter friends.  With calm, the whale counters every possible thing the butterfly believes will hinder its success.  It is okay to be afraid.

When the whale says he gets butterflies in his stomach, in reference to possible obstacles, the butterfly wants to hide there.  Certainly, inside a whale's stomach is preferable to flying 200 miles!  Finally, the butterfly starts flying.  It is more of a struggle than true flying.  He moves two feet!  For this butterfly there is no light at the end of the tunnel, but the whale keeps offering encouragement.  You must believe.

Voicing mantras of inspiration, the butterfly, fortified with confidence, begins at last.  First, he makes 25 miles.  Then he makes 50 miles.  At every point closer to the 200 miles, the butterfly pushes forward with words and an affirmative mindset.  Does the spunky insect reach its pals only to discover there is yet another challenge in the offing?  Read on, readers.  Don't give up.

Told entirely in dialogue, this book is a study in humor, contrast, and education.  Ross Burach manages to make us laugh as the butterfly's frantic fear is countered by the whale's calm composure.  The over-the-top outbursts by the butterfly engage us in every moment.  We all understand this feeling.  This is why we laugh.  It is pure genius how facts about butterfly migration become a part of the butterfly's explosions of speech.  Here is a passage.

WAIT!

Can't I just live in your

stomach FOREVER?

No.

How about

a one-year lease?

No!

You have

to keep

trying.

(My copy is on its way, so this post is being completed using an F & G.)

On the front of the dust jacket, in bright bold colors, matching a bright bold personality, the wide-eyed, little butterfly is jittery with worry.  Here over an ocean, what's a butterfly to do?  On the back, the butterfly is offering no-nonsense words to readers about the value in reading the first book, The Very Impatient Caterpillar.  It needs to be read NOW!

(I am looking forward to seeing the endpapers on the finished copy.  The opening endpapers on the first book feature a row of white caterpillars along the bottom of an orange background.  On the closing endpapers in white is the little butterfly with a couple of flutter friends.  They are hovering over some flowers on a purple canvas.)

Ross Burach's art was created with pencil, crayon, acrylic paint, and digital coloring.

Each visual is loaded with exaggerated animation.  Ross Burach alternates between two-page pictures, single-page pictures, and groups of smaller illustrations.  His shifts in perspective keep the pace moving quickly.  One minute you are looking at the vast display of the ocean across two pages with the whale and the little butterfly small in comparison.  The next minute you are inside the whale's stomach as the butterfly moves through three scenarios of setting up possible residence there.

As if there is not enough comedy to be found in the little butterfly, the whale, and other butterflies' bodies and expressions, readers need to notice the details.  When the little butterfly is sobbing, out of nowhere in the middle of an ocean, the whale is holding a box of tissues.  When the butterfly is worrying about getting lost, an upside down map is in its hands.  It is holding a pair of binoculars up to its eyes.  When the butterfly is looking inside a refrigerator inside the whale's stomach, the only thing stored inside is krill.

One of my many favorite illustrations is one of three on a single page.  It is the center visual.  The little butterfly is at mile 150.  Its wings are down in their flapping, or perhaps it is gliding.  The little butterfly is wearing a runner's head band.  It's squirting water from a bottle into its mouth.

Nothing is better than laughter except when laughter and learning are combined.  We understand the importance of a can-do attitude and butterfly migration after reading The Little Butterfly That Could written and illustrated by Ross Burach.  I know you'll want this title in both your personal and professional collections. 

To learn more about Ross Burach and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  You'll find loads of extras there.  Ross Burach has an account on Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view some interior images.  Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher reveals the cover for The Very Impatient Caterpillar and chats about The Little Butterfly That Could with the author illustrator on his site, Watch. Connect. Read.  Here is a link to the recent Book Joy Live event with Ross Burach and Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen.

When spring rolls around after more than a year of enduring a global pandemic, everyone is ready for a seasonal change at the very least.  The sound of spring peppers encourages you to join them in song.  Leaves of tulips and daffodils are pushing their way through dirt.  Soon their stems will extend, and blossoms will form.  We want to join them by shedding our winter wear for t-shirts and shorts.  Teeny, tiny buds on sprouting from shrub and tree branches.  We want to stretch out our arms and embrace this newness.  Down on the farm, most of the animals are ready for spring, too.  In Not Now, Cow (Abrams Appleseed, April 6, 2021) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Troy Cummings, everyone is welcoming the season, except for one.  Cow is confused. 

SPRING

Duck is ready.

Helps things grow.

Sheep is ready.

Skips below.

Goat is ready, too.  Cow is not.  Cow is standing under a tree wearing mittens, a scarf, and a snow cap.  Rooster states this is not the time for winter wear.

When summer comes Chick, Goat, and Pig all dive into appropriate activities.  Cow stands ready to race down a snow-covered hill on a sled.  Rooster is exasperated.

Horse, Chick, and Sheep enjoy the out-of-door fun fall brings.  There is leaf-raking, apple-eating and pumpkin carving.  And Cow, well Cow, is not getting the autumn vibe at all.

Finally, winter arrives.  (I'll bet Cow can hardly wait.)  Pig, Horse, and Duck are frolicking in the snow and on the ice.  To Rooster's utter amazement, Cow's seasonal clock has tick-tocked into another hemisphere.  The final sentence (the whole book, truthfully) will invite loads of laughter.

Is this book perfect for a read aloud? Yes.  Is this book perfect for reader's theater?  Yes.  Is this book perfect for a puppet show?  Yes.  Tammi Sauer writes for readers to experience this book completely.  She establishes a cadence for each season with three animals participating in an activity followed by Cow's lack of understanding and Rooster's frustration.  She repeats phrases.  The final words in sentences rhyme.  It's pure playful perfection.  Here is a passage.

Pig is ready.

Leaves a trail.

Cow is . . .

Oh, Cow.

Not now.

How can you look at the front of the book case and not laugh out loud?  Look at Cow wearing beach gear and ready for some fun in the sun in the middle of winter!  Cow's grin and Rooster's incredulous look tell a story themselves.  On the back amid the continued snow scene is information about Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings similar to that found on the back end flap of a dust jacket.  Beneath the text are Goat, Chick, and Sheep appropriately attired for winter.  They are looking slightly mystified at a green and yellow polka dot beach inner tube laying in the snow.

Not wasting any space, Troy Cummings uses the opening and closing endpapers to start and conclude the story.  Rooster is shouting out the news of spring's appearance prior to the verso and title pages.  There a double-page picture shows Cow ambling in from the left as Rooster races off the right side.  They are placed amid a pastoral scene on the farm.  At the end, the entire barnyard crew is staring at Cow.

These digitally created images have a rhythm to them as does the text.  Each season is given a full-page picture.  This is followed by two animals sharing one page and another one on a single page.  For the 

Cow is . . .

phrase, this stands alone in a loosely framed image.  A two-page visual closes out the season.  It depicts Cow's clueless demeanor contrasting with hilarity to Rooster's look of disbelief.  Readers will enjoy looking at all the extra elements in the clothing, facial expressions, and actions of the other animals.  Chick nibbling on and carrying an apple bigger than it is while wearing oversized work boots is a real rib-tickler.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The countryside is all aglow with colors of fall.  Standing on a pile of leaves is Cow.  Cow is wearing a purple puffer coat, bright mittens and earmuffs and ski goggles.  In one hand is a ski pole.  In the other hand is a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows.  Ski boots and skis finish the ensemble.  Rooster perched on the fence is gritting its teeth.  Its eyes are rolled, and one wing is to its forehead. 

Expect a chorus of read it again from story time listeners after reading Not Now, Cow written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Troy Cummings.  Between all the grins and giggles, each season is explored.  Be sure to place a copy of this title in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Tammi Sauer and Troy Cummings and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Tammi Sauer has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Troy Cummings has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Tammi Sauer penned a post at Picture Book Builders about this title.

In Her Care

She's always in motion, spinning morning into night and night into morning.  As one day stretches into three hundred, sixty-five, she gives us winter, spring, summer and autumn.  Land and water in its varied forms span her surface.  She is home to flora and fauna populations too numerous to count.  Weather swirls above her.

From the sun she is third, sustaining life for all.  For this she is to be cherished.  My Friend Earth (Chronicle Books, February 25, 2020) written by Patricia MacLachlan with illustrations by Francesca Sanna is a love letter to our planet.  The text and images, with flaps and die-cuts, work in marvelous unity.

My friend Earth wakes
from a winter nap.

She listens to sounds of spring, humans working the land and a chorus of birds.  Nothing escapes her attention.  She watches a seed sprout and a web spun by a spider.

When an albatross takes wing, a mole digs or a chimpanzee sleeps, she is there.  She guides a lost baby animal to its mother in a group of mothers.  On a prairie, the tundra or across a glacier, she nurtures all forms of life.  Regardless of size, no ocean resident is without her protection.

Rain, too little, too much or just the right amount springs forth under her guidance.  Fierce winds or gentle breezes flow from her mouth.  The cold arrives again.

Snow comes from her fingers settling over animals at rest in dens, mud, and nests.  Everything she watched in the other seasons is tucked away for a pause.  Earth pauses, too, ready for a new beginning.


Every thoughtful sentence written by Patricia MacLachlan combines to create a melodic whole.  Truthful, soothing and rhythmic words define how our planet, Earth, acts moment by moment to sustain every living being.  Alliteration, repetition and wonderful adjectives supply readers with highly visual scenes with their distinctive cadences.  Sentences are spaced to generate perfection in page turns.  Here is a passage.

She tends the prairie where sun-dappled horses run
through grasses that swish against their legs---

the tundra 
where the reindeer
graze for moss,

and the glistening ice
where the young polar bear
pads on mittened feet. 


When you open the book case, you will find yourself either gasping or sighing in appreciation of the artwork of Francesca Sanna.  Earth shown on the front, right, open-eyed with a gentle smile tugging the corners of her mouth, rests among her creatures of many sizes on land and along the water.  Her hilly, tree-covered tresses extend to the other side of the spine, on the left.  There more creatures of the forest, air and water are displayed.  An otter, fish, dragonfly, spider, ants, frog, seagull, squirrel and crow happily enjoy a moment in harmony.  The color palette is stunning and complementary.  On the front of the case the title text and elements in the scene are raised to the touch.  Other details are varnished.  These are a subtle invitation to open the book.

On the opening endpapers a series of hills, trees, clouds. stretches of water and grass pattern the pages in shades of green, golden yellow, orange, blue and white.  Earth is peeking over one of the circular hills in the lower, right-hand corner.  There is another series of hills, trees, clouds, stretches of water and grass in different colors on the closing endpapers.  The hues are deeper and include a rusty red, teal and various purples.  Earth is walking from the center of the far left.  Her arms are raised with tiny sparkles (seeds) trailing behind her.  The birds shown in the first set of endpapers on the left have moved to the right in the final set.

Rendered in pencil, ink, and digital painting, the illustrations are marvelous.  On the title pages Earth rides in a curled leaf on the right as leaves cascade behind and in front of her.  Across each of the two-page pictures, readers will find flaps to lift which alter the initial image.  Die-cuts offer hints of what is to come and what has been.  Large loosely scalloped edges along the top of partial pages provide intrigue and depth.  Gradually they are altered in placement and shape as the seasons and places differ. 

At times Earth blends with her surroundings becoming part of them.  Other times she is a participate in the scene.  She can shift her size to work her magic.  Sometimes we see the scene straight-on and other times we see it from above.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations has scalloped edges in the lower left-hand and right-hand corners with smaller cuts along the top on each side.  It is an Arctic spread with lots of cream color.  Reindeer, polar bear and human prints pattern this area.  On the left side the reindeer is moving to the right.  On the right, Earth and a young polar bear, on their stomachs, are looking at fish swimming beneath a hole (die-cut) in the ice.  This is a bird's eye view for us.


This book, My Friend Earth written by Newbery winner Patricia MacLachlan with illustrations by Francesca Sanna, is stunning.  It's an expression of all Earth gives us.  It's a reminder of all we should preserve and protect.  This would be an excellent read aloud for any story time but especially so for a study of our planet and her creatures and Earth Day.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Francesca Sanna and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Francesca Sanna has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations with the flaps and die-cuts.



On March 3, 2020 another book was released with a focus on our Blue Planet.  One EARTH (Worthy Kids) written by Eileen Spinelli with illustrations by Rogerio Coelho is a special counting book.  In a rhyming poetic intonation with sweeping cheerful images readers are reminded of the spectacular beauty of our home and how we can honor her.

One wide, sweeping sky.
Two honeybees.

As children walk, they see more of each item named in the numerical poem.  Long-eared baby rabbits are snuggled near towering trees, some nearly one thousand years old.  Flora clusters in golden hues near resting reptiles.  Carrying their homes with them must be tiring.

Above and in the sea mammals leap and birds dive and call.  Back on land, over a vast patchwork of fields, critters burrow.  With Earth's elegance noted, what can be done to help her?  We start at ten and go back to one. 

Litter and bottles are gathered.  What can be recycled?  What can be reused?  Let's take old towels to animal shelters.  Let's take clothing no longer worn to others who need them.  You can always turn off extra lights at night.

Get out your needle and thread and mend.  No seed is to be wasted.  Place them in a pocket in the dirt or ground.  Give them water and sun.  What tools do you need to fix that which is broken?  Ask a friend.  Now we are at one.  Look to the sky and those two large shining orbs, one at night and one in the morning. 

Remember---
   only one.


For readers of all ages but for those younger and learning to count, Eileen Spinelli weaves a wondrous tapestry of our planet with her words.  She asks us to notice those things large and small found in fields, forests, along streams and the sea.  When she arrives at ten, it's an ingenious technique to count backwards and to state how those things previously noted can be protected.  Each example takes only time and the help of an adult, sometimes but not always.  Here is a passage.

Eight plastic grocery bags?
Weave them into mats.
Seven towels getting thin?
Good for shelter cats.


The layout and design of the open dust jacket is wonderful.  To the left, on the back, the picture of the first boy walking from his home, across fields toward the sea stretches to the left flap edge.  A group of homes sit on a slight hill.  A seemingly endless sky covers most of the back and flap with soft clouds layered on the blue.  A flock of birds fly from right to left.  The words read:

One EARTH.
One you.
Count the ways to help.

On the front of the jacket, the abundance of birds resting in and from the tree, butterflies among the flowers and fish swimming in the waves present all Earth offers to us.  The four children featured throughout the book are introduced to readers here along with their cat and dog.  As one they look to the sun.  The title text is raised. 

On the book case is a celestial setting, plentiful with stars.  On the right, front, is our planet with faint longitude and latitude lines.  Our moon and the sun are near as a comet crosses in the upper, left-hand corner. 

On the opening and closing endpapers is a golden marbleized canvas.  On the final page are two dedications, one by the author and one by the illustrator. A small bird flies between them.

On the title pages illustrator Rogerio Coelho starts his visual story, showing on a double-page picture a two-story farmhouse on a hill.  Some fencing and a few trees dot the fields.  With a page turn the narrative begins with the boy leaving the house. 

Each of the subsequent two-page pictures are a colorful delight in a variety of perspectives.  We are privy to panoramic vistas, standing at the base of redwoods as they soar upward, strolling between a lighthouse and dolphins leaping in swells, or watching as legs and feet stride over worms tunneling underneath fields spread before us as far as we can see.  In the pause before the count backwards, the four friends stand in breathtaking spot.  We gaze at them though a grove of trees.

The four friends walk into town to observe people striving to protect our planet.  Many races and ethnic backgrounds are featured as are generations.  The facial expressions, especially the eyes, are full of purpose and happiness.  The time of day is reflected in the hues chosen by Rogerio Coelho.  Readers will take great pleasure in noticing all the details in these images.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the original boy and two girls meet with the second boy at the beach.  For most of the right side dolphins move up and through the wavy water, across the gutter and tapering to the left hand corner on the left side.  On the left side the beach with rocky mounds meet the sea.  On the far-left side, a lighthouse stands tall on rocks.  Seagulls glide on the wind over the water and sand against wisps of clouds.  You can hear the water, wind and gulls.  If you listen closely you can also hear the happy chatter of the children.


To promote discussions about Earth and how we can be her guardians, One EARTH written by Eileen Spinelli with illustrations by Rogerio Coelho is a title you will want on your personal and professional bookshelves.  You can write and draw about your own special things found on our planet.  You can write and draw about the ways to assist in conservation and care.  These collaborators have featured those things of many sizes to notice and do.  Superb.

To learn more about Eileen Spinelli and Rogerio Coelho and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Rogerio Coelho has a blog also.

A Transformation

With the arrival and departure of each month differences are noted.  Some are subtle, only evident by keen observers.  Others are more obvious.  With each seasonal shift the length of daylight and darkness lessens and grows in proportion.  More darkness signals rest and more light announces rebirth.  Wild creatures carefully watched declare changes with their presence or absence. 

The newest of three titles (Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn August 16, 2016, Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter September 5, 2017) celebrating seasons, Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring (GodwinBooks, Henry Holt and Company, February 18, 2020 written and illustrated by Kenard Pak, follows a boy and his dog as they walk and send out greetings.  They move and mark aspects of these two seasons.  They do not go alone.

Hello, winter night.

Hello, snow.

Hello. From high up in the sky.

Snow continues the conversation with the boy and his pooch pal, telling of its actions and where its flakes fall.  Strolling past a pond covered in ice, the child bids the fish hello.  And they reply. 

An empty greenhouse draws attention to its own discoveries.  A winter brook, footprints left in the snow, trees and a nest acknowledge the young explorer and his dog.  A wild winter storm voices its own opinion.  And then it stops.  Silence.

Looking out his window in the morning, those places visited the previous night glow in the dawn's light rising behind neighboring hills.  A new day means a new walk is in the offing.  The effects of the previous night's weather diminish in the warmth of the sunlight.

Multiple salutations address all the changes.  Heat helps to melt.  Heat helps buds to unfurl.  Heat calls to sleeping animals.  All the welcome words bring forth responses.  The joy of a new time reverberates across the landscape.  A boy and his dog run to meet spring.


The technique of using greetings and responsive greetings in the narrative by Kenard Pak creates a personal experience for the reader.  We travel in faith and appreciation with the child and his canine companion.  The replies from what most would consider unable to speak enrich the dialogue and elevate the magic to be found in our world.  Here is a passage. 

Hello, glass house.

Hello.  I'm cold inside.
The swaying trees through my glass panels are like tall, slender ghosts.
The last logs are draped with snow. 


When you open the dust jacket the image spans from the edge of the left flap to the edge of the right flap.  The illustration on the book case matches that of the jacket.  From left to right we move through a chilly wintry scene in the country toward a small community as the snow falls.  As the scene crosses the spine a few new leaves appear on a tree as the landscape warms with the changing season, sun and clear sky.  Shades of gray turn to hues of green.  Clearly the two walkers are enjoying their adventure. 

On the opening and closing endpapers a steely blue gray provides the background.  On the title page a single sapling on top of a hill catches falling snowflakes.  Kenard Pak

used watercolor and pencil, digitally enhanced, to create the illustrations for this book.

Each picture graces two pages with the exception of four full-page pictures.  There is a stunning wordless visual deep in the night before sunrise.

The narrative begins in the evening with winter colors darker than during daylight which supplies a better contrast to the lightness of the new day after the storm and the coming of spring.  Each image presents a different perspective depending on who is the observer.  We view scenes from the boy's and dog's viewpoints, from snow's point of view, or from the fishes' sight.  Sometimes all we see of the boy and his dog are their feet and paws.

Each page turn asks readers to pause.  We look at each setting carefully noting the layers and what Kenard Pak chooses to place with bolder colors and those he chooses to fade.  Each element is placed in each picture with intention.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a bird's eye perspective of the boy's home and surrounding area.  From here we can see his house, the pond, the greenhouse, the brook, and plentiful trees.  On the left snow still covers portions of the grass, trees, and roof of the house.  Our eyes move to notice the brook, greenhouse and pond before crossing the gutter.  A blue jay and blackbirds soar in the sky on the right.  Beneath them the boy and his white dog race through a clearing.  You can feel the surge of joy at all the new beginnings visible in the change of colors.  There are shades of green everywhere you look.


Reading Goodbye Winter, Hello Spring written and illustrated by Kenard Pak is a soothing journey from season to season.  It invites readers to take their own walks and greet what they see.  It welcomes them to imagine responses.  It enhances the value of observation and appreciation for our natural world and its cycles.  This could be used successfully to promote discussions and enhance specific themes of study or storytimes.  You'll want to place a copy of this in your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Kenard Pak and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Kenard Pak has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Here is a link to an interview at Art Of The Picture Book.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

Days Of The Year Divided By Four Equals Fabulous Fun

Autumnal winds have been howling for days.  Roads and pathways swirl with golden pine needles and leaves fashioning a natural carpet.  Large expanses of hillsides turn a rainbow of rich colors overnight.  Rains saturate the land.  It's autumn in northern Michigan.

Jack Frost is playing tag with the nighttime temperatures, promising he'll soon be the victor.  For those who enjoy the four seasons, this time of year is a favorite of many.  It's a blend of the best of summer and winter.  In a recent release, Come Next Season (Farrar Straus Giroux, an imprint of Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC, October 1, 2019) written by Kim Norman with pictures by Daniel Miyares, each season is celebrated through the eyes and memorable activities of children.

Come summer,
we'll visit the lake.

Before splashing into the sparkling water below after letting go of the rope swing, a cry of sheer abandon is released. Blueberry bushes are full of fruity feasts.  Outdoor picnic dinners feature mosquitoes and freshly cooked corn on the cob.  At night cooler temperatures are drawn inside by the humming pull of a floor fan.

When trees wear the colorful clothing of fall, squirrels scamper to collect winter hordes.  Children jump among the leaves and like the squirrels gather fallen nuts.  The gathered pecans are enjoyed inside after a day of delight outside. 

A weatherman's declaration of a storm promotes quiet hours working a puzzle until bedtime.  Then the soft chatter of shared memories of snowy pursuits between siblings is like a lullaby.  They acknowledge the hidden treasures beneath the white, cold blanket, a possibility of blooming flowers.

With spring a visit to an uncle's farm is an opportunity to welcome all the new babies, piglets and chicks and puppies.  A brother and sister send a pleading gaze to their mother.  A whispered conversation to a new individual on the way home promises adventures at the lake when a new season begins.


With each joyful lyrical series of sentences Kim Norman recalls experiences shared by those fortunate to be living in parts of the world with four distinctive seasons.  The activities of the siblings and their parents are indicative of a simple way of life; a life spent enjoying the out-of-doors.  The descriptions are sensory creating a participatory story for readers.  The inclusion of some dialogue adds to the intimacy.  Here is a passage.

A tree will tap the window
with branchy fingers that will turn bony and bare . . .  

come Winter.


When you open the dust jacket, the scene on the front extends over the spine with clouds and the crystal blue sky.  The white beneath the tree on the front also expands to the left edge of the open jacket.  What readers will appreciate the most about Daniel Miyares's interpretative front is his use of color on the tree's foliage.  He gives us a breathtaking view of it in the various seasons.  We are also introduced to the sister and brother.  On the back of the jacket we read the words:

Every
season
is full of its own
magic.

My hardcover copy has not arrived yet, so I am working with an F & G. If you go to Daniel Miyares's Instagram account, you can get a glimpse of the stunning book case.  It highlights the changing hues on trees in the seasons by displaying large leaves blowing across the case.

On the opening and closing endpapers Daniel Miyares begins and concludes the story without words.  On the first we see an adult loading luggage into the family car as the children play basketball, shooting at a hoop attached to their garage.  By the trees, sky and yellow glow on the house, we know summer has arrived.  On the second endpapers you will be hard pressed not to laugh out loud at the wonderful happiness expressed as the family returns to the lake the following summer.

On the verso and title pages, the family car is cruising down the road toward the lake.  In this scene the daughter has her elbow outside a half-open window, her hair billowing in the breeze.  The illustrations in this title are double-page pictures, full-page pictures or two pictures grouped on a single page.

For the beginning of the narrative on each season, we are shown gorgeous bird's-eye views or panoramic expanses with several perspectives within each image.  Readers will take pleasure in noting some of the included details; the sister putting a corn husk on her brother's head, the picture of the puzzle they are putting together on a snowy day or the brother's favorite toy.  Daniel Miyares has included yellow, however small, in every image. 

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is the first one.  It is a double-page picture.  The girl has just released her hold on the rope swing over the lake.  She is soaring toward the surface.  You can almost hear the splash soon to follow.  The color palette is a lovely blend of blue, white, shades of vibrant green on the oak leaves, brown on the tree branches, rope and the girl's hair with the vivid dark pink of her swimsuit.


For readers looking to highlight the wonder of the changing seasons, to showcase one of the seasons or to give insight on how to enjoy all Mother Nature has to offer, Come Next Season written by Kim Norman with pictures by Daniel Miyares is a most excellent choice.  Readers will feel the definitive words of Kim Norman and the lively, full-color art of Daniel Miyares transport them into the world of this family.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Kim Norman and Daniel Miyares and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Kim Norman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.  Daniel Miyares has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  Daniel Miyares is featured on Picture Book Spotlight on March 4, 2019.  Please visit the publisher's website to enjoy several interior images.

Bending A Purpose

They stand alone day in and day out for months and even years.  They never utter a single word.  Creatures of the field and forest give them a wide berth.  They are made to spread fear, especially in birds.  Birds that would eat a farmer's freshly seeded fields or crops waiting to be harvested are not welcome.

Perhaps this is why these creations are given the name scarecrow.  This is a lonely, dismal task even for a being with seemingly no feelings.  The Scarecrow (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, September 3, 2019) written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by The Fan Brothers (Eric Fan and Terry Fan) focuses on one scarecrow.  This scarecrow decides to alter its purpose.

Autumn sunshine.
Haystacks rolled.
Scarecrow guards the fields of gold.

As expected, the fox, deer, mice and crows stay a safe distance from this man of straw standing near a tree in the field.   The fall season passes, and winter settles her cloak of snow on the surrounding fields.  The scarecrow does not have a single soul to keep him company.  He longs for spring.

Upon its arrival spring brings a surprise to the scarecrow.  A small crow drops at his feet.  Then Scarecrow, like spring, does something surprising.  He breaks his pole, bends down and scoops up the fallen baby.  He fashions a cozy nest from his hay and clothing.  He croons sweet songs to the feathered child.  Wounds heal and two hearts become one in friendship.

When the tiny bird learns to fly, Scarecrow understands the bird will leave and he cannot follow, but he nevertheless encourages the fledgling.  Summer and autumn come and go.  Winter brings cold and snow.  Scarecrow is alone, now leaning forward on his broken pole.  Sadness settles like a weight in the straw man's heart.

Moving through an early spring rain something, a bigger something, drops near the scarecrow.  Unbidden Scarecrow opens his weary arms.  Wounds are healed and two hearts rekindle a lasting friendship which as seasons and time dictate multiplies one heart at a time.


Like a melody you want to hum all day long, the words penned by Beth Ferry in this narrative implore you to read them over and over, savoring every beautifully written thought and emotion.  Her rhyming flows flawlessly.  The placement of her words from page to page supplies us with pacing that is perfection.  She alternates between short two-word punctuated phrases and longer sentences.  Repetition of key words ties portions together neater than a bow.  Here is a passage.

He tucks him near his heart of hay.
He lets him sleep.
He lets him stay.
He doesn't stop to wonder why.
He sings the sweetest lullaby.


When you run your fingers over the open dust jacket, the texture feels like the cloth on the scarecrow's shirt or denim overalls.  The scene drawn by artists Eric Fan and Terry Fan, The Fan Brothers, evokes the feel of fabric, hay, burlap and the sounds of rustling grasses in an open field.  We are left wondering why the scarecrow is smiling at the tiny black crow.

This initial picture on the front of the dust jacket continues over the spine and to the back, on the left.  Scarecrow's hand points to another field and a line of trees.  In the near distance is a barn and windmill.  Clouds softly billow in this sky, too.  The crow in different sizes is shown on the front and back flaps.  The details here, on the dust jacket, and throughout the book are marvelous.

The same surface feel on the dust jacket is used on the book case.  This is a portion of the overalls, all denim on the front and back with two exceptions.  On the left is a green plaid patch.  On the right is a rusty red-orange plaid patch.  These match the patches on Scarecrow's legs.

On the opening and closing endpapers is a canvas of olive green.  On the initial title page, a full-grown crow is perched on a post with barbed wire stretched on either side.  On the formal title page, a luminous landscape greets readers.  Sun-kissed clouds, some pinkish-purple and other golden brown, span above a field across a double-page picture.  The sun low to the horizon radiates from the gutter on either side.  On the right, Scarecrow stands tall near the single tree.

Rendered in

pencil, ballpoint, and Photoshop

these illustrations, double-page pictures and full-page pictures (five), are in a word, breathtaking.  With authenticity they portray the seasons and emotional moments experienced by the scarecrow and the crow.  They give us vast pastoral panoramas, move in closer as in the fireflies fluttering around the field on a full moon night as the crow sits on Scarecrow's arm or zoom in on Scarecrow's face after the crow leaves.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is for the words quoted earlier.  The canvas is white on matte-finished, heavier paper, edge to edge on two pages.  Seeds spin and parachute from the left and right of Scarecrow on the left side, cross the gutter and sail along the right above the text.  Scarecrow has his head bowed, a contented smile on his face and his arms are crossed in front of his heart.  Nestled in hay and tucked in the bib of his overalls is the tiny black crow.


This book, The Scarecrow written by Beth Ferry with illustrations by The Fan Brothers, is one to read when discussing friendship and the lengths a friend will go for another, talking about seasons, or addressing how sometimes it's necessary to break away from what is expected to follow what is right and in our hearts.  I know this will be a book cherished by readers and listeners alike; a true storytime favorite.  I highly recommend this for your personal and professional collections.  You might want to pair this with Otis and the Scarecrow written and illustrated by Loren Long.

To discover more about Beth Ferry and The Fan Brothers, please access their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  The Fan Brothers have interior images from this book at their website.  Beth Ferry has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Eric Fan has an account on Twitter.  Terry Fan has an account on Instagram. At the publisher's website are printable activities.  Beth Ferry writes a guest post at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., to reveal the cover.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Solstice Soul

After several days of above normal temperatures replacing a covering of white with the green of grass, Mother Nature clapped her hands, exerting her power.  Snow has been gently falling all day.  A winter weather advisory is in effect for counties in the northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan.  A gale warning is issued for the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.  It is a celebration of the winter solstice 2018.

There is a hush outside only broken by gusts of wind.  The mournful howl of a coyote sounds from the nearby woods.  Breaths of air in the chill are like puffs of smoke.  Winter Is Here (Greenwillow Books, HarperCollinsPublishers, October 30, 2018) written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek is a companion title to their other books, When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall.  It's a lyrical representation of winter's elements with charming illustrations.

Winter is here.
It's everywhere.

Look up and see it drift down.  It lands on houses and their roofs.  Trees, shrubs and grass are dusted in layers.

The wind pushes winter into every nook and cranny.  Sometimes it does all this is silence.  Sometimes it does all this in clear hardness.  At night it shakes your home in fury.

You can't simply walk outside in the presence of winter.  You must don extra clothing from head to toe.  If you decide to stay indoors, winter is there too.  Look around you.  See it on frosty windows and your dog's fur.

Winter changes colors, mixing gray and white and bitter blue in the dead of a zero-degree night.  Winter stays whether it is welcome or not.  Then it surprises us, bowing out to allow a burst of new life.


With polished expertise Kevin Henkes selects words to depict winter.  Winter and snow are synonymous in the first two sentences with a series of seven verbs describing precisely how snow moves and stays.  The pace is slowed when soft and hard are contrasted.  It pauses when winter wear is listed in a zippy sentence.  Each portion of the season is portrayed like a poem within a poem.  Here is a passage.

Winter comes without a sound . . .
and it comes with many.

The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.


Rendered in acrylic paints the full-color, delightful, playful and sometimes eloquent artwork begins on the matching and opened dust jacket and book case.  On the front illustrator Laura Dronzek displays with warmhearted realism the complete joy of a dog in fresh, deep falling snow.  The cardinal couple supply vibrant color in this chilly setting.

To the left, on the back, the snowy background continues.  Within a framed circle a snowman sits.  A curious squirrel is perched on his head.

The opening and closing endpapers lead us into winter and into spring.  On the first brightly-hued mittens tumble among snowflakes on a blue background.  A sunny yellow canvas is used to present a pattern of butterflies and purple and pink blossoms on the second set.  The endpaper designs continue on the next and previous pages respectively.  The cardinal pair are perched on a branch above the dedication.

Laura Dronzek alternates between double-page pictures and full page images bordered in large white frames.  For the purpose of enhancing the narrative sometimes several smaller illustrations are grouped on single pages.  These create an illustrative cadence.

Every image is worthy of framing.  The boy and his dog are frequently present as are the cardinals.  Other animals seen in an urban setting are also shown; rabbits and squirrels.  Careful readers will notice one illustration is connected to the next.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  We are viewing the scene as if we are standing outside.  On the left a leafless tree extends off the page.  Nearby are several evergreen trees.  As our eyes move to the right, we are close to the boy's home.  Looking in the window we see him petting his dog.  From the second-floor window a white cat looks outside.  Everything is heavily coated in snow as it falls.  Two rabbits, two squirrels and the cardinals are present.


This book, Winter Is Here written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek, is a seasonal gem.  You will most definitely want to use it in a study on winter or the seasons.  It presents all aspects of this time of rest.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website there are other resources available.  There is a teaching guide and activities.

Witnessing Winter

Last night the only supermoon of 2017 provided a treat for skygazers.  Shortly before 11:00 pm portions of a huge ring around this moon could be seen in southern Michigan.  This usually means a storm is coming.  It's already sweeping across the northern and western regions of the Midwest.  Winter storm and blizzard warnings are being issued as wild winds, heavy snow and bitter temperatures rage through the region.

With a fifteen to twenty degree temperature drop here between Monday and Tuesday, winter is assuredly arriving.  Snow Scene (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, November 7, 2017) written by Richard Jackson with pictures by Laura Vaccaro Seeger encourages readers to become keen observers of seasonal shifts.  Every time we step outside Mother Nature supplies hints for us.

What are these?

An unseen narrator, our guide throughout this narrative, directs our attention to specific elements or small pieces of particular items in the surrounding scene.  First we are asked to look closely at tall study columns of white and black.  By stepping back we can see they are trees, birch trees.

To our right dark forms move on the snow.  Feathers fluff and glossy bodies glide.  They gather near another riddle.  It's stretching from a sturdy truck.  A coating which crackles in the slightest breeze covers it.

Now children walk in the woods.  Both the girl and the boy carry clues of the season as part of their current physical characteristics.  They have spent hours in the wintry weather creating other snowy companions.  A setting sun and days ahead yield more evidence of the passage of time.

A landscape bare except for white soon shows us bits of fresh life poking through the snow.  A different form of precipitation, lush floral vistas and the awakening of animal families mark first one and then another season's arrival.  If we lift our eyes and watch, mountain peaks herald the cycle beginning anew.


No phrase is longer than five words; most of them are only two words.  With this simple, limited use of language Richard Jackson takes readers on a seasonal, sensory journey.  In the form of questions, he asks us to discover the world in which we walk.  This query and response, the noticed indications, technique provides a rhythm as subtle and gentle as the transformations from month to month.  The rhyming words at the end of these phrases supply readers with possible answers. Here are some phrases.

And those?
Shadows.
Of crows.


Caldecott honoree (twice) and Theodore Geisel honoree (twice) Laura Vaccaro Seeger's remarkable artwork is evident on the opened, matching dust jacket and book case.  The bright colors and texture in the elements welcome readers as participates in the story.  The snowman on the front, right, extends over the spine to the back, left.  Behind him a small grove of trees lift into the clear blue sky.  No space is wasted in this title.

The opening endpapers feature a two-page picture of a snow-shower sky with flakes drifting down.  On the far right a birch tree provides a border.  To the left of the trunk is the text for the title page.  With a page turn the first of each two-page illustration rendered in acrylic paint on canvas begins a visual interpretation.  The closing endpapers, a wash of golden yellow, is a background for the publication information.

Laura Vaccaro Seeger takes us close to a particular object and then asks us to step farther back to reveal the secret.  A few strands of hair disclose a girl building a snowman, her hair sprinkled in snow.  Dressed in winter garb, she's talking and smiling as she works.  A deer walking off a page on the right changes into a frosty nighttime vista, a blend of the woods and a home in the country.  The same deer from the previous page watches the house, windows aglow with light.

With infinite care, Laura includes tiny elements from one image in the following illustration.  What appears on the right edge is extended to the left edge with a page turn.  A row of fence opens to another nearby landscape. A field of daisies leads to a rabbit running.  An eagle perched on an outcrop takes us to a mountain top.

One particular image of several favorite pictures is of the two snowmen.  On the left the one made by the girl fills the entire page.  We see a portion of his head and body including his eyes, mouth, carrot nose, red and white, striped scarf and row of buttons.  With a change in perspective, across the gutter, the snowman made by the boy is seen in its entirety.  He is wearing a red and yellow, striped scarf and a black top hat. Two stick arms extend from his body.  The boy is behind him putting some finishing touches on his body. In a darkening sky, snowflakes are falling.  Along the bottom, on the right of the picture, footprints are shown.


Snow Scene written by Richard Jackson with pictures by Laura Vaccaro Seeger is a lively look at our world.  Puzzles generate and welcome reader involvement.  Two masters collaborate to deliver this worthy gem.  This is a wonderful explanation of the change in the seasons.  I can see additional activities inside and outside asking children to observe and then write about what they have seen.  You will want to add this title to your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Laura Vaccaro Seeger and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view five interior pictures.  At Bookology there is an interesting interview with Richard Jackson.  Several years ago Laura Vaccaro Seeger is interviewed at Publishers Weekly.