Comical Companions Continue . . . Again

Yesterday as I read a story aloud, a patron and I were giggling as we huddled over the book.  This is one more incident proving the transformative and restorative power of children's books.  Their influence is undeniable regardless of a person's age.

Children's books can supply deep insight by elevating the everyday into classic, memorable moments.  The characters and their words in these books become a part of shared conversations with readers and listeners.  Hopefully, there will never come a day when Let the wild rumpus start won't call to mind the name of a boy and the book he calls home.

Children's books portray what normally would be impossible or absurd and make it believable.  They alter your perspectives so you can share the comedy of a talking worm and talking snail being best friends.  Several years ago we met two hilarious creatures who rarely stray far from the ground in Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 3, 2016).  They returned to delight us in Snail & Worm Again: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 28, 2017) which garnered a Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor Award in 2018.  For the sake of readers who've fallen in love with this humorous duo (and those who've just met them on a recent Sunday afternoon), Snail & Worm All Day: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, September 24, 2019) written and illustrated by Tina Kugler is a joyful respite.

Best Day Ever

Hello!
Hi! 
Guess what?
It is the best day ever!

When Snail starts to list all the reasons this is the best day ever, Worm is puzzled.  Those three events are not good things.  Snail proceeds to clarify. It's not his best day ever but three other animals are having best days ever for a variety of developments.  These explanations make a lot more sense to Worm, then Snail delivers a punchline certain to have readers bursting out laughing.

In the next story Snail is sauntering along at well . . . a snail's pace.  He comes upon a large mound with a dark opening.  In his mind, it's a cave.  With his usual innocence, he calls out a greeting.  Four legs and a head appear.

Snail panics, thinking it's a dragon about to consume him.  All the turtle wants to do is sleep, so he withdraws into his shell.  Snail is yelling for help when Worm appears.  No matter what Worm says, Snail does not understand.  What he says and does continues the comedy.  Worm, like a true friend, is ever the patient pal.

Night descends in the third story with Snail asking Worm to tell him a story.  He can't get to sleep.  In the course of their conversation, a give and take of questions and answers, the last tale is told.  Doubts are alleviated and friendship wins the day.

Good night.


By the second page turn readers' hearts are filling up with mirth at the verbal exchange between Worm and Snail, even if this is the first time you've met them.  Tina Kugler continually exhibits a masterful skill in her word selection and pacing.  We are constantly engaged in the conversations of these two friends, but we are also questioning Snail's thought processes and admiring Worm's dedication and capacity for compassion.  These three stories, told entirely in dialogue, exhibit the depth of their friendship and reveal their very distinct personalities. Here is a passage.

Are you in the story too?
I will be lonely if
I am in a story
all by myself.

All right.
I will be in the story too.

How can you tell the
story if you are also
in the story?

Maybe we can tell 
the story together?


When you open the dust jacket and look at the matching book case underneath, you know, without a sliver of doubt, the book is brimming with happiness.  First the color palette mirrors our natural world at its vibrant best.  The rich golden yellow background helps the varied greens, orange of Snail's shell, the red shades, the rich plum and of course, Worm's pink, pop off the pages.  The design on the front and back of the dust jacket extends to the edges of the flaps. 

To the left, on the back, artist Tina Kugler has placed large tree and plant leaves with the etching of a delicate series of leaves in red.  Worm peeks out from the ISBN, as if in greeting.  Snail is tucked into the lower corner of the left book flap edge.

A gorgeous teal canvas covers the opening and closing endpapers.  White outlines of leaf blades, stems and flowers are intricately drawn across both pages.  It's as if they've been preserved between pages after a walk in the world of Snail and Worm, so we can view them again and again.

The illustrations rendered with acrylic on pastel paper, collage, and digital media are a cheerful mix of color and comedy.  The ability of Tina Kugler to convey a mood or thought with the eyes of Worm or Snail, circles with dots, is uncanny.  The title of each story is embedded in the first image.

The picture sizes vary from full-page pictures with white space as frames to ovals or rectangles, two or three to a page, full-page visuals, edge to edge or double-page images.  Each one contributes to the pacing.  Many times, elements will break the framing to add balance and appeal.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is on a full page, edge to edge.  Snail is speaking about the best day ever for Frog.  On a pale, pale blue sky a bunch of cattails branch from the upper, right corner.  On one of them sits a frog watching the water.  On another leaf over the water in the lower, left corner is Snail and Worm is below him.  They, too, are looking at the water.  Fish are swimming as Frog blows bubbles under water.  It's her best day ever for learning how to do this.


When you open a book with Snail and Worm as characters, you know you're about to laugh and have your heart swell with the goodness of their friendship.  In Snail & Worm All Day: Three Stories About Two Friends written and illustrated by Tina Kugler we encounter their trademark comedy and the endearing warmth of their attributes.  You'll definitely want a copy of this title (along with the previous two) in both your personal and professional collections.

To discover more about Tina Kugler and her other work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Tina has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  There are wonderful sneak peeks at her artwork on her Instagram feed.
   

Comical Companions Continue

Can you hear that sound?  It's the music of shared laughter.  This happens when readers get to enjoy the company of their favorite characters over and over.  When those characters maintain the personalities we've previously appreciated, it makes the hilarity far richer.

Another marvelous transformation takes place with the readers and listeners.  When they leave the story walking out into the real world, a bear is no longer just a bear.  It may be Winnie the Pooh.  A spider is simply not a spider, it could be Charlotte.  Our view of the world is changed forever.

Last year readers met two creeping, crawling companions whose brand of comedy will always have us giggling repeatedly.  Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends won the Cybil Award for best Easy Reader.  This lovable duo is back in Snail & Worm Again: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, March 28, 2017) written and illustrated by Tina Kugler.  Neither will a snail nor a worm ever be anything but Snail and Worm.  If you see one, you will be looking for the other.  And you will be listening very carefully for their next outrageous and heartwarming chat.

Hey! Wow!
What's going on?
LOOK---I grew wings!
Wow!

A sleeping Snail wakes when a feather falls on Snail's shell.  When Snail tells Worm the wings will be used to fly away, Worm is understandably sad.  At first Snail thinks Worm doesn't like the wings but Worm explains.

A silent sorrow descends on the two pals.  Then a stiff breeze blows the wings (feather) away.  Wise words are uttered by both Snail and Worm.

During their next conversation Snail finds a penny thinking it is a mirror.  The penny is facing out showing the portrait of President Abraham Lincoln.  In kindly but truthful queries and observations, Worm points out the differences between Snail's actual physical traits and those of the former president.  Readers will be shocked not once but twice as the ending depicts silliness and sensitivity at the same time.

In their third meeting Snail is suffering from an identity crisis.  Comparisons with a beetle, rock and flower leave Snail feeling dissatisfied.  As a true friend Worm steps in voicing a glass-half-full attitude.  While Worm and readers feel the relief of a personal disaster being averted, Snail's final remark is sure to trigger guffaws and groans.


The three stories are told entirely in dialogue using short, lively sentences uttered by Snail and Worm. What Tina Kugler does with her words is to leave pauses for her characters' and readers' thoughts and for her images to broaden and deepen the amiable discussions.  It's the final line in each story which reveals the extent of her skill when we are unexpectedly touched by tenderness or absolute folly.  Here is a sample passage.

Are you sure that is a mirror?
Yes, of course.
I am so handsome.
I did not know I was so handsome.
Are you sure that it your reflection?
Why, yes.
Look at my 
handsome chin.


If we were to look at the world from the perspective of a worm or of a snail, the plants, the flowers and leaves, would appear as Tina Kugler has placed them on the large illustration covering the matching dust jacket and book case.  Her blend of full color and line drawings creates a whimsical atmosphere perfect for her two characters.  The smiling faces on Snail and Worm welcome readers and advise us of the joy to follow.  Having Snail hanging upside down is superb.

A warm, golden orange-yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Etched on these in white are ferns, leaves and stems.  A nearly identical picture of the duo as seen on the front of the jacket and case appears on the title page with wildflowers in the two lower corners.  Flowers, leaves, ferns and stems are placed on all the pages reminding us of the habitat of these two buddies.

Snail's eyes on the antenna with his curved mouth and Worm's longish nose and quirky mouth portray a full range of emotions.  It's amazing how much can be done with the placement of a dot in an eye.  Tina alters her picture's sizes depending on the point in the narrative.  Most of them are loosely framed or extend page edge to page edge.  She sometimes places Snail and Worm in their own small portrait-like shapes.  In this title her two-page wordless visual is very profound.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is a close-up of Snail and the "mirror".  The Lincoln penny is resting against a leafy stem as Snail's antenna arch up and gaze at it.  Snail is ridiculously happy.  Tina has placed a single leaf in the lower, right-hand corner as if to hold the picture in place.


The intended audience, actually anyone who wants to add joy into their day, will take great pleasure in Snail & Worm Again: Three Stories About Two Friends written and illustrated by Tina Kugler.  These short but sometimes tender and other times deliriously funny tales are worthy of repeated readings.  In fact when read aloud today as soon as the book was finished a voice rang out, "Will you read it again?"  "Right now?" I asked.  "Yes, right now."

To discover more about Tina Kugler and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Snail and Worm have their own website.  Tina is interviewed at KidLit Artists on June 20, 2016.  Enjoy some of the tweets about this book.

SNAIL AND WORM AGAIN proofs! #Endpapers! March '17! On @MrSchuReads #book calendar: https://t.co/eMUI6b8jHZ #kidlit pic.twitter.com/rk2ZoBvGTh

— tina kügler (@tinatheatre) August 8, 2016

SNAIL AND WORM AGAIN linework for #endpapers#kidlit pic.twitter.com/dlmx2Zauhx

— tina kügler (@tinatheatre) February 21, 2017

Did you know? SNAIL & WORM AGAIN comes out May 2017!
Here's a peek of an existential crisis experienced within: pic.twitter.com/zXbOd309Me

— tina kügler (@tinatheatre) May 6, 2016

Gastropod A Go Go

The arrival of the mail every day is a neighborhood event.  After the postman's little truck stops and starts and stops and starts at every mailbox and finally leaves one street to make deliveries down another, front and side doors on houses open with residents walking out to see what was left for them.  You can pretty much determine the contents from their body postures as they return to their homes.

An enduring favorite on elementary school library shelves are The Jolly Postman and The Jolly Christmas Postman written by Allan Ahlberg with illustrations by Janet Ahlberg.  So well-loved are these books they are continually being replaced and multiple copies are a part of the collection.  Children love to open the envelopes, look at what is inside and read them over and over.  SNAIL MAIL With Pull-Out Postcards (Hodder Children's Books, September 8, 2016 UK, Hachette's Children's Books, April 4, 2017 US) written and illustrated by Sharon King-Chai is a charming, colorful ode to waiting for the delivery of news from a missed companion.

Hi there! I'm SAM, the Seashell Snail.  I live by the seashore.

Sam has a mama, a papa, a brother named Tiger and several starfish and crab friends.  He also has a Teddy bear.  This family is anything but slow, loving one adventure after another.  On this particular day, Tiger is off on a special trip.  He gives Sam his word he will write to him every single day because Sam loves

SNAIL MAIL.

On Monday Postman Perry brings a yellow, green and black envelope to Sam.  Tiger has written clues on the outside of the envelope asking Sam to guess where he is.  When Sam opens the envelope he pulls out a postcard with BRAZIL in the corner.  A turtle, eel, whale, dolphin and Tiger are dancing the Samba.  In his chatty message to Sam, Tiger talks about the Carnival.  A stamp in the upper, right hand corner highlights one of the new Seven Wonders of the World found in Brazil and another features the country's favorite sport.

Sam's family dons their floats and dances on the waves as his friends do the same underneath them.  On the next day, Tuesday, during seahorse racing Postman Perry presents another envelope to Sam.  Clues on the outside lead to AMERICA.  Tiger is thrilled to be playing with a band called ROCK and SOUL.  Not wanting to miss out on any of the fun, Sam and his friends form their own musical group.

The envelopes and postcards come on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.  Each day Sam learns about a new country and what you might see there but on Saturday Postman Perry does not come.  Did something happen to Tiger? Sam is about to get the surprise of his happy life.


The words selected and used by Sharon King-Chai form simple sentences easily understood by the intended audience.  Each of the family members introduces themselves in speech bubbles.  Otherwise Sam is narrating the story.  To demonstrate the active lifestyle of this family of snails whenever the mail is received they are engaged in an activity.  After Tiger's postcard is read, they try to duplicate what he has done.  Not only are readers learning the days of the week but they also tour to five other countries, learning greetings in their language.  Here is another sample passage.

On Thursday, I'm rock climbing when Postman Perry delivers my fourth SNAIL MAIL.
KITES! What a good idea.  We make our own and spend the day flying them...
higher
and 
higher!
OOPS! 


When readers open the book case they are welcomed with two different bright and cheerful images.  On the back, to the left, is the publication information on a canvas of vivid blue.  The snail family and a starfish surround the text along with a splash of water.  The postal colors of red, white and blue extend from the front, over the spine and to the back.  The text is done in red foil on the front and spine.  Just look at the joyful faces of Sam and Postman Perry!  You know good things are going to be found in this book.

On the opening and closing endpapers Sharon King-Chai has drawn a map of the world.  She includes papa, mama, Tiger and Sam as well as those friends Tiger meets in his travels.  For every country he visits she has written a salutation in their language.  At the bottom framed and in capital letters is

SNAIL TRAIL.

Each time a word is written in capital letters it appears to have been stenciled letter by letter, by hand.  Many of the images span two pages.  Single page picture stretch edge to edge or are framed in generous amounts of white space.  The envelopes are secured to vibrant backgrounds in keeping with the county from which they have been sent.

Rendered in mixed media the illustrations are replete with lively details and some are quite humorous like the seagull flying over a starfish and leaving a dropping on its head.

The snails are paper cut outs, layered and juxtaposed with a variety of marks created in ink, paint, pencil, potato stamps, leaf and seaweed prints, photography, collage and digitally manipulated.  

Papa born in France has a mustache and wears a beret.  Mama wears a white ribbon in a bow.  Both Sam and his Teddy are wearing blue bow ties.

One of my many favorite illustrations spreads across two pages.  The text is placed on a narrow white border at the top.  Notes swirl in the rockpool as a crab, starfish, seahorse and Sam make music.  Sam is wearing large square sunglasses.  The crab, starfish and seahorse might be mirroring other rock stars.


SNAIL MAIL With Pull-Out Postcards written and illustrated by Sharon King-Chai is sheer bliss.  Readers are guaranteed to love opening the envelopes and reading the postcard messages.  The information found on the postcard in the note and on the stamps is sure to prompt more research on those named counties.  I would plan on multiple copies.

To discover more information about Sharon King-Chai and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At her website is a link to her Etsy shop.  This title is showcased at the North Somerset Teachers' Book Award website.

Comical Companions

Picture books, fiction and nonfiction, change the way you see everything.  I mean EVERYTHING.  They throw the doors to imagination and information wide open.  They insure we see the big picture and the teeny-tiny details others might not notice.  They heighten our senses and super charge our emotions.

You will find yourself looking above, to the right and left and below your line of vision. If you listen closely, kneeling down in the grass or dirt, you might hear surprising things.  Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, May 3, 2016) written and illustrated by Tina Kugler is a collection of satisfyingly silly conversations.

MEET MY FRIEND
Hello!
Want to play?
Let's play!

Snail is speaking to a gray lump happily requesting participation in a game of tag.  We know before Snail does who the winner will be.  As slow as snails are, they are much faster than a stationary stone.

When Worm pops out of its hole to inquire whether Snail is chatting with a rock, Snail actually names it Bob.  Continuing the nonsense, Worm names a stick as if they are best pals, too.  Snail's final statement even dumbfounds Worm.

When these two down-to-earth crawlers meet again, Snail is contemplating a lofty quest with Worm offering encouragement.  New heights are reached and perspectives shift although gravity plays a big part.  Again the last words are Snail asking a you've-got-to-be-kidding-me question.

Worm's pet is missing.  As every physical attribute is described to Snail, who wants to help find the absent critter, they all add up to a very scary spider.  When Worm's pet is revealed and in turn, Snail's Rex, Snail delivers the final dose of hilarity.


Told entirely in dialogue Tina Kugler has her readers' attention from page one and keeps it until the closing words.  Her simple, straightforward sentences are brimming with cheerful goofiness.  In between our giggles and guffaws, one thing is perfectly clear.  These two friends are a perfect pair.  Here is another sample passage.

Wow.
Look at
that 
tall 
flower.
That is a tall flower.
I want to be
tall, too.
I wish I could
climb
to the top
of that flower.
Do you think 
I can?
I am so small.
The flower is very,
very tall.
You can do it!


Rendered in acrylic on pastel paper, collage, and digital media the illustrations beginning with the dust jacket (I am working from an F & G) supply readers with a feeling of complete elation.  The opened jacket displays a full image set in a grassy landscape.  On the title page Snail and Worm are again framed in sticks above the title text in red and golden yellow with a design of leaves on the outer edges.  The brilliant green hues with the bright splashes of red along with pink, brown, gray, purple and a little bit of yellow are used within the interior pages.

For each of the three stories, Tina Kugler places the title on an opening scene.  The size of her pictures, surrounded by ample white space, enhances and controls the pacing.  Her illustrations vary in shape from full page squares, to groups of vertical visuals, ovals, small clusters of squares, circles and rectangles, two large double-page pictures and shapes mirroring leaves.

The portrayals of Snail and Worm are fully animated.  With the slightest curve of a line indicating body posture and expressions around both their mouths along with the placement of dots for eyes, readers are fully aware of their moods and thoughts.  You will find yourself laughing often.

One of my favorite illustrations is when Snail meets Worm's pet.  On a white background are several plants along the far left edge.  Worm is peeking through its hole in the grass on the same side wearing a big grin while speaking.  On the right Snail is looking up in welcoming appreciation replying in kind.  The pet looms over Snail equally happy.


Young readers are not going to be able to read Snail & Worm: Three Stories About Two Friends written and illustrated by Tina Kugler without getting caught up in the hilarity.  (I still chuckle after several readings of all the stories.)  The remarks and observations by these two are absolutely ridiculous.  I guarantee with friends like Snail and Worm you can always count on your days being filled with delightful comedy.

To learn more about Tina Kugler please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  You can also read her blog and the Studio Kugler site from there.  Tina Kugler has created a series of fun activities to go with this book.  On Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read., Tina Kugler revealed the cover for this title as well as offering comments about the contents.  UPDATE:  Tina Kugler is interviewed at KitLitArtists, June 20, 2016.

Jump Right In!

When you live in a state surrounded by water filled with inland lakes and rivers, learning to swim is a necessity.  After nearly drowning during lessons at the YMCA, swimming under water became less frightening than swimming on the water.  My wise and caring Dad helped by placing coins in the shallow section to be retrieved by jumping in and swimming along the bottom of the lake.

Sometimes it's more important to feel safe.  Sometimes it's more important to do what you can when you can.  Deborah Freedman's newest release, The Story of Fish & Snail (Viking, June 2013), is about trust; leaving safety and doing more than you think you can to be where you want to be.


Every day...
Snail sits in one special spot, waiting 
for Fish to come home with a story.

On this day Fish returns home excited by the discovery of a new book.  Snail is thrilled with this news, too, wondering if Fish will tell the tale.

Delight turns to dismay when Snail learns this story is not going to be told.  Fish wants Snail to come into the new book.  Fish's zest for the vastness of a watery wonder filled with adventure in this fresh tome completely overlooks Snail's sense of security in staying exactly where Snail is.

Snail fails to see the joy in secret treasure and a pirate ship.  Snail finds pleasure in princesses, kittens and sleeping in the same spot.  With these thoughts voiced, Fish responds that what Snail likes is boring.   

Taunts are tossed between the two; voices getting louder and sentences getting shorter until...with a flash Fish leaves their book. But...but...but...how can this be?  Snail is in a story about Fish and Snail with no Fish.

Snail calls.  Snail looks.  Snail leans.  With a leap of faith toward friendship, Snail astounds Fish.


Told entirely in dialogue except for the introductory and closing sentences, Deborah Freedman instantly invites readers into the intimacy of Fish's and Snail's world.  Within a few conversational exchanges it's easy to understand the two personalities; the one preferring the comfort of routine, the other needing the challenge of change.  This is even enhanced further by the word choices given to Fish upon returning from the new book; 

"Ahoy, Snail!" ...
"Arrrgh, Snail, I promise we can come back here later. ..."

It's also crystal clear, though passionate about their respective positions, they are bound to one another.


In looking at the two-page array of the cover, splashes of water following Fish leaping toward Snail, the three colors against the blacks, grays and white of the bookcase, you can't help but feel the pure elation of the moment.  Lightly tinted blue-green watery opening and closing endpapers welcome readers.  Zooming back from the cover image the title page shows an open book in the thematic color palette, on a stack of the tonal black books, a huge splash of water with the glimpse of a golden tail on the left with the information on the right.  The verso and first page of the narrative continue with the same perspective giving readers a clue as to the smaller world in which Snail and Fish live; a fish bowl.

As the conversation begins and intensifies we move in closer and closer; Fish's movement about the page highlighted by splashes and bubbles as if swimming in water.  We are well aware of the emotional state of each by the position of eyes and eyebrows.  The viewpoint shifts again after Fish leaves to capture the lengths...and heights Snail needs to conquer to follow Fish.  All of the illustrations extend over two pages.

Freedman's use of watercolor and pencil and/or ink with the contrasting limited color palette skillfully presents the realm of a fish bowl or ocean within a book within a book.  You can't help but be amazed at this portrayal of speculative visualizing.  I adore so many of these illustrations but two of my favorites are:  the pile of books in front of the book shelves with the huge SPLOOSH! reaching to the top of the stack representing Snail's bravery and the two friends on the wavy pages of the new book, alternate personas in place as they embark on their journey.


The playful pal and comfortable companion are delightfully depicted in The Story of Fish & Snail written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman.  When it comes to friendship, living the story is much better than listening to the story; your world grows, your spirit soars and your heart is brimming with happiness.  Oh, let me tell you; this book is meant to be shared...again and again.  This would be lots of fun as reader's theater or at the very least be sure to use a special voice for each of the characters.

I've placed links to Deborah Freedman's website and her blog with her names above.  Update:  An Educator's Guide to the Works of Deborah Freedman is now available.