Better Together #5

When individuals are confronted with an unfavorable situation, they want to remedy the circumstances as soon as possible or at the very least, ensure the same incident is not repeated.  Moving forward on a new path is often challenging.  In fact, the first step is often the hardest.

To hear a voice offering encouragement gives you strength.  To find someone willing to shoulder the work with you is inspiring.  To know you are not alone adds a lightness to your soul.  Change Sings: A Children's Anthem (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, September 21, 2021) written by the youngest presidential inaugural poet in the United States of America, Amanda Gorman, with artwork by Loren Long is a beautiful portrait guaranteed to encourage, inspire and bring the lightness to every soul who savors the words and images.  Each reader, of all ages, will understand their destiny to make a difference for the good of all.  No action, however small, will fail to offer a positive impact. 

I can hear change humming

in its loudest, proudest song.

I don't fear change coming,

And so I sing along.

This song is not soft, but strong.  The narrator screams and dreams.  What is done, again and again, fuels hope.

They join voices across our planet, past and present.  They offer help to those who need it the most.   They are staunch in their support of others who seek change.

For those who do not understand, a compassionate person asks them to join in the song.  Being right is never wrong.  Working together constructs sturdy structures for all to enjoy.

Countries of origin are recognized.  Those things which seem to imply distinctions are doors into similarities.  Like poets and songwriters of the past, this narrator realizes real change begins in each individual.  When that thinking shifts inside us, we sow it.  We release it into the world and grow love.

When you read these words written by Amanda Gorman, you don't know if you should do so silently or break into song, so you do both, separately and then together.  Each rhyming sentence adds a layer, building from a single soul to many.  We know this because the sentence beginnings alter from "I" to "We" with the concluding pages.  Here is another couplet.

I hum with a hundred hearts,

Each of us lifting a hand.

I use my strengths and my smarts,

Take a knee to make a stand.  

Rendered 

by hand on illustration board, using acrylics and colored pencil

these pictures by Loren Long we first see on the open and matching dust jacket and book case radiate in a rich color palette. The image spans from the left edge on the back and continues to the right edge on the front.  The pieces of color on the wall behind the main character are like stained glass alluding to the sun, its rays and the symbolic rings of rainbow colors.  The girl's face shows an open expression.  In her hands, the guitar is offered to readers as an invitation. The text on the front and on the back is varnished.  The text on the back is the first two sentences of the anthem.

A sunshine yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, between the text, a tuba, tambourine and drum sticks rest in grass.  The first image spans two pages.  A crisp white background provides the perfect space for us to meet the girl again as she sits strumming her guitar.

With each page turn, Loren Long supplies readers with his pictorial interpretation of the words.  It is a journey, double-page illustration, by double-page illustration, from the girl to another child and then to another child.  With each meeting a new instrument is given to the new character.  We get a real sense of something growing.

We see the children cleaning up litter on a playground, feeding someone on the street, delivering groceries in a red wagon to those who cannot get their own, building a ramp for a child in a wheelchair, and cleaning up a storefront in their city.  The children represent a range of ethnicity with endearing expressions.  Their faces amid each setting glow with confidence and anticipation.  They believe they are making a difference.  They are.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a paved basketball court in the city.  We are looking down on the scene.  Basketball hoops are positioned on either side of the image.  Chalk hopscotch boards are below each of them.  Other chalk drawings are featured on the left and right.  Chalk is scattered on the left near a bucket of chalk.  In white a large outline of the continental United States spreads from basketball hoop to basketball hoop.  Inside this outline is the girl with the guitar.  She is handing a trombone to a boy who was playing basketball.  With her is the reluctant boy with his dog, now holding a trumpet, the boy wearing a religious hat with the tuba, and a girl in a wheelchair holding a drum and accompanying sticks.  This illustration is for a single sentence.

I talk not only of distances,

From where and how we came.

What a wonderful representation of those words and a beautiful lead to the next two sentences and a joyful visual.

No matter how many times you read, Change Sings: A Children's Anthem by Amanda Gorman with pictures by Loren Long, and believe me you will read it repeatedly, you will find a promise of great things in these pages. You will hum, sing and share this title.  Be sure to have a copy on your personal bookshelves and professional bookshelves.  Gift it to someone often.

To learn more about Amanda Gorman and Loren Long and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Amanda Gorman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Loren Long has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website, you can view interior pages and are offered a teacher's guide.

When something bad happens to us as individuals or to other individuals or groups, a range of emotions wash over us.  We are stunned.  We are deeply saddened.  We want to know what we can do.  Something Good (Little, Brown And Company, October 19, 2021) written by Marcy Campbell with artwork by Corinna Luyken addresses this kind of occurrence.  It follows the response of students and staff at a personal and group level.  It offers a positive answer for change.

The day the custodian found the bad-something

on the bathroom wall, all the girls from Mr. Gilbert's

class were called into the principal's office.

As Principal Martinez addresses the girls, there is a mixture of responses.  She states in no uncertain terms:

"This kind of thing won't be tolerated at our school."

Even though told not to enter the bathroom, four girls do, curious about the bad-something.  The four girls were overwhelmed by what they saw.  There was silence, anger, tears, and a flight.

The locked bathroom created a detour for the girls.  The bad-something had students looking at other students.  Who would do this?  In a short amount of time everyone knew what the bad-something was, including parents.  Their reactions, like the girls, were mixed.  In the following days, the bad-something changed everyone, not always for the good.

Principal Martinez called an all-school assembly speaking the same words as she did to the girls in Mr. Gilbert's class.  Students were given buttons with ribbons in their school colors to remind them of what their school represented.  Mr. Gilbert had a plan, too.

He spoke with his students as they all sat in a circle.  Paint, brushes, and freedom of expression were given to the students as they entered the bathroom where the bad-something was found.  Brush stroke by brush stroke the wall and the students were transformed, each contribution forming a wonderful whole.  It was so beautiful, they continued for days, until they were amazed at their achievement.  Painting, then poetry, healed a room full of students, a school full of individuals deciding to make a difference.

Through her words, Marcy Campbell presents an intimate view of an intolerable event.  Her first-person narrator brings us clearly and with intention into each moment of the evolving situation.  We experience it with all the girls, the four girls, the entire student body, and with Mr. Gilbert's students.  The thoughts and actions of the students are described with realism and a keen aptitude for the behavior of children in this position. Here is a passage.

We missed the days

before the bad-something

appeared, because everything

was different now.  Some of us

felt worried or confused or sad

or angry.  No one felt nothing.

With a limited color palette and her signature artwork, Corinna Luyken gives readers on the front of the dust jacket a foreshadowing of the good something the students and their teacher create together.  The predominant presence of yellow and the facial expressions on all the individuals suggest determination and a lightening of their spirits.  On the back, to the left of the spine, is a display of three paint cans, yellow, teal, and rose.  The colors in each rise like mist, erasing the bad-something.  In the upper, right-hand corner are the words

The bad-something

has no place here.

On the book case, on either side of the spine, is a two-page interior picture.  It shows in greater detail ten students painting an array of elements on the wall.  On the far right one student is on a ladder as the other one steadies it.  There are rosy flowers among dark teal leaves, dragons, a school, handprints, the sun and a row of people in pink along the bottom of the wall.

On the opening endpapers is the wall in the girl's bathroom.  The bad-something has been painted over by the custodian in a dull color.  On the closing endpapers we see how the students and their teacher remade the wall.  On the left-hand side is the dedication and publication information.  If you turn back a page, the title page is on the right and an author's note is on the left.  By placing this information at the back, the narrative is given greater importance.  The bad-something is never shown to readers.

The illustrations for this book were done in gouache, colored pencil, and ink on paper.  They are two-page visuals with shifting perspectives for dramatic emphasis.  While there is an overall feeling of softness when looking at these pictures, almost like chalk smudging, the linework is distinctive.  The faces on the children are highly revealing.  Each time you turn a page, it is like an emotional jolt, heartfelt and true.

One of my many favorite pictures is when Mr. Gilbert is seated in a circle with the students as he explains their art project.  These twenty-five children are actively engaged.  They know change is happening.  They know they are going to be a part of the change.  Most are leaning in with their heads raised.  Several have their eyes closed. We can see those without their backs to us wearing their ribbon pins.  The people are awash in pink, a bit of yellow and white.  Their hair and faces display a variety of ethnicity.  In front of Mr. Gilbert are paint brushes and rollers.

Sometimes when we seek a silver lining, we have to make it.  In Something Good written by Marcy Campbell with pictures by Corinna Luyken, that is exactly what Mr. Gilbert and his students do.  As Marcy Campbell states in her author's note, this book is the result of personal knowledge.  What happens in this school is only one solution.  This title is certain to promote discussions on an individual or group basis.  I highly recommend it for your personal and professional collections.

By accessing the websites of Marcy Campbell and Corinna Luyken by following the link attached to their names, you can learn more about them and their other work.  Marcy Campbell has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Corinna Luyken has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website is a video chat with the illustrator about this book and a two-page Teaching Tips document. At Mel Schuit's Let's Talk Picture Books, there is a short video showing the book case.  At author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast this title is showcased.  There are many pieces of art, process and final to view.

Here are links to Better Together #1, Better Together #2, Better Together #3, and Better Together #4.

Shaping Our Place In Society

From the time we first enter this world, until we exit, we are, by tiny steps or great leaps, a growing part of a glorious whole.  Whether we act alone, or with others, we are striving to not only find our place in society, but to help others find their place.  We protect.  We preserve.

If the last few years, specifically this year, have taught us nothing else, from this collection of days we know to take nothing for granted.  We know deep gratitude.  We know we cannot be silent, except when it is necessary to fuel our determined actions.  

Within the last two months four special books with a common theme have been released.  Each provides us with information, guidance, and inspiration.  They, individually and together, work as a means for discussions.  V Is For Voting (Henry Holt And Company, July 21, 2020) written by Kate Farrell with illustrations by Caitlin Kuhwald is an alphabet book designed to explain how each individual can make a difference.  It's an invitation we cannot refuse.

A is for active participation.

B is for building a more equal nation.

The next two letters focus on citizenship and our diversity.  It is followed by the need for all of us to be involved.  It is important to keep informed by a free press.  Our government is not only about leading the people but offering guidance.  H speaks to the truth of lands lost to occupation.  

Each person has a purpose, beginning in our communities.  As we pass the middle of the alphabet, we are reminded that each vote is important.  We cannot forget those who paved the way for a better life for future generations.

We need to have goals and stick to those goals, even if it means protesting.  We need to seek answers to our questions and hold those who represent us accountable. Education by 

talented teachers

gives us facts, and the ability to gather additional facts.  

Each time we vote, we are gaining ground toward change for the good.  Each time we vote, we exercise our rights.  Each time we vote, our voice is heard.

The strength of each statement for each letter is like a symphony building toward a crescendo.  Kate Farrell increases our participation in her narrative by rhyming the final word in each pair of letters. Sometimes, she will add another short sentence to the first to fashion the rhyme. Each sentence begins with the letter followed by is for.  Here is another couplet for a single letter.

S is for suffrage---the right to vote.

This fight is ongoing, not history's footnote.

When you open the cover (I am working with an F & G.  My copy has not yet arrived.), the colorful, bold images of illustrator Caitlin Kuhwald are an ideal complement to the text. Her focus on using red, white, and blue, and diverse people is a realistic nod to our country.  The girl, front and center, is shown, as are some of the other people, throughout the book. 

To the left, on the back, two other children are featured protesting.  The boy is holding a sign which reads:

V IS FOR

VOTING TO

MAKE YOUR 

VOICE HEARD!

To his right the girl has extended her left arm, fingers holding up the peace sign.

On the opening and closing endpapers are rows and rows of boxes.  In between the black boxes are hearts, stars and peace signs in shades of red.  Many of the boxes have a red x through them to indicate voting.  This design is placed on a cream background.

Throughout the book, the image sizes shift from single-page pictures, edge to edge, to double-page pictures, edge to edge.  For many of them two letters are used in a single illustration.  We see mixed-race families, people of different religious beliefs, and single-parent families.  Historical figures are used as examples with particular statements. In all the people's faces, readers will see calm, but resolve.

One of my favorite illustrations is a full-page image.  It features the neck and chin, torso, and one hand of a distinctive individual.  This beloved person is wearing a black robe with a white lace collar.  Their hand is over their heart.  It interprets these words:

J is for judges.  They're meant to be fair.

To be neutral, unbiased, objective, they swear.

Every collection, personal and professional, will want to have a copy of V Is For Voting written by Kate Farrell with illustrations by Caitlin Kuhwald.  Now, more than ever, all ages need to make educated decisions and exercise their right to vote.  At the close of the book is a short author's note and five discussions about the people highlighted in the letters G, N, S, T and U.  There is also A VOTING RIGHTS TIMELINE.

To learn more about illustrator Caitlin Kuhwald and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Caitlin Kuhwald has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view a series of interior images including the final two pages.

Every day we read or hear about the achievements of a single person.  We are encouraged by the power of their deeds regardless of the size of those deeds or the size or age of the person.  They make us brave.   The POWER of ONE: Every Act of Kindness Counts (Alfred A. Knopf, August 25, 2020) written by Trudy Ludwig with illustrations by Mike Curato is a beautiful portrait of change.

Sometimes One can feel like

a small and lonely number.

But don't let this little number fool you. 

It only takes one person to reach out to another person who needs comfort or support.  Beginnings start with one.  With this one, change is shaped.

One person listens.  One person smiles.  This is the start of connected hearts.

This one being can invite other people to listen and smile, comfort and show support.  Working together heals our souls, those injured and those who caused injury.  Extended warmth and heartfelt ideas make bridges linking more generous hearts.

We need to acknowledge and remember the miracle of a single seed.  Together these single seeds can feed physical and emotional hunger.  This is 

The POWER of ONE.

The words written by Trudy Ludwig in this story read like a poem.  Her spare, truthful text makes profound statements and supplies examples in support of those statements.  They also allow us to think between each page turn, imagining how these apply to our own lives.  Her repetition of the word one, is, like the word, powerful.  Here is another sentence.

One warm hug . . .

can lift our spirits up when

we're feeling down.

The front of the open dust jacket not only signifies the implications of the title, but hints at images to come in the body of the book.  The flower and its seeds are important.  Can you see the outline of other people in the glowing background?  To the left, on the back, is a depiction of the child on the front, seated on the ground, after cruel words hurt her.  The first, one, girl to comfort her is kneeling next to her.  This image is beneath the words:

One is the starting point for change.

Beneath the illustration are two endorsements.

On the book case artist Mike Curato shows us a close-up picture of a lush garden, full of leaves, ferns, pods, and fronds.  They are in shades of blues and greens.  Rising and curling from the right side of the spine is a single stem with a red and open flower on it.  Small sparkles in white come from the center.

The opening and closing endpapers are a cheery yellow.  Prior to the title page a wordless image tells the tale of verbal injury with a single soul watching.  Another two-page picture continues this tale for the title page.

On heavy, matte-finished paper  

using pencil, colored pencil, gouache, watercolor, paper, digital color, and photo collage

Mike Curato makes a mix of colorful elements and those in tones of black and gray.  This brings our attention to the main characters and his visual interpretation of the story.  He alternates between more panoramic views to those close to the people.  Sometimes a single item fills the page or captures our attention because it is alone in a larger context.  

The single flower growing as a symbol of friendship, apology, and forgiveness is wonderful.  The continued growth of the garden shows how one can multiple into many.  Many readers will see themselves in the children, from diverse races, highlighted here.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is for the passage above noted.  It spans two pages.  On the left is an enormous garden filled with blue and green leaves of all varieties.  From this garden a single stem has expanded to include three large red flowers and a smaller red one.  The largest flower blooms from the stem to the right of the gutter.  Inside the girl is being given a hug by the boy who hurt her, and she is hugging him back.  Under and to the right of them, another girl is smelling the tiny flower.

We have a choice to hurt and to heal.  The POWER of ONE: Every Act of Kindness Counts by Trudy Ludwig with illustrations by Mike Curato is a lovely example in words and artwork of the art of healing.  It presents to readers loving possibilities.  At the close of the book is a letter from Trudy Ludwig titled Planting Seeds of Kindness in Your Community.  It is followed by Recommended Books for Young Readers and Recommended Websites.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Trudy Ludwig and Mike Curato and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Trudy Ludwig has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Mike Curato has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.

It happened the day after our forty-fifth president was inaugurated.  It was January 21, 2017.  At this time, it is the largest single day event, a protest, in United States history.  It is called The Women's March 2017. Based upon a true story Love Is Powerful (Candlewick Press, September 8, 2020) written by Heather Dean Brewer with illustrations by LeUyen Pham follows a little girl as she and her mother get ready to show the world how strong love is.

Mari spilled her crayons onto the

table.  They made a messy rainbow.

"What are we coloring, Mama?"

she asked.

Mama smiled.  "A message for the

world."

Mari was concerned how the world would hear their message.  It's a huge place.  Her mother said 

love is powerful.

Mama wrote words on one poster, too small, Mari thought for the world to see.  On her sign, thinking of her family and friends, Mari wrote her message, the words of her mother.  

Wearing coats to warm them in the cold, the duo left their apartment, going down on the elevator to the street below.  There, they joined a crowd of people.  Again, Mari was concerned people could not hear their message in all this noise.

Soon, Mama lifted Mari to her shoulders.  From there Mari saw the sea of people stretching beyond her sight.  They were carrying signs and cheerfully chatting and shouting.  Still wondering if people could hear her message, Mari called it out.

To her surprise a single voice called it back.  She called it out again.  More voices called it back.  This four-letter word released its full potential that day, started by the voice of a child, a child who now knew the truth.

We happily join in this story as we read or listen to the conversation between Mari and her mother at the start of the book.  Author Heather Dean Brewer engages us immediately with this technique.  Mari's mother's reply to each of her questions with the title words increases the connection to the event in which they are participating.  Layer by layer it draws us toward the amazing conclusion.  Here is a passage.

Some held signs like Mari's, all saying different things.

Everyone cheered as they walked together.  Mama joined

them.  Mari bobbed above the crowd like a canary fluttering

over trees.  She felt as tall as one of the buildings. 

You can feel the sense of purpose when you look at the front, right, of the open dust jacket.  People are peaceful and happy to be able to voice their views in protest.  Not only does this scene mirror the title, but it mirrors the mood of the crowd.  The title text, solid red hearts, Mari and her mother are varnished.  It's a wonderful design style to combine bright colors with muted colors.

To the left, on the back, we are shown, on a canvas of pinkish lavender a picture of Mari and Mama.  Within a loose frame done in red crayon they are seated at the table making their posters.  The string of hearts hangs in their window behind them.  

On the book case, back and front, is a collage, in separate but blended squares, of people from the march.  You can tell these images represent all the marches on that day from around the world.  In the center on the right front, in a large square of its own, is the title.

The opening and closing endpapers are a lavender.  A two-page picture of the buildings in hues of gray of Mari's neighborhood, with the occupants standing in lighted windows, is the setting for the title page.  Artist LeUyen Pham rendered these pictures 

in watercolor, gouache, pencil, and ink.

Their size shifts with the text, enhancing its pacing. There are large images crossing the gutter to make a column for text.  There are double-page pictures with double-page smaller horizontal visuals underneath them.  Sometimes there are small vignettes accompanying the text.  There are full-page illustrations.  There is one large double-page vertical picture requiring you to turn the book.  There are three smaller vertical illustrations attached to one huge swirl of humanity on a full page.

Love abounds in every picture.  So does happiness, mirrored on all the faces.  We are always aware of where Mari and Mama are.  Readers will pause to notice the details; the items in Mari's and Mama's home which make it theirs, the words on the protesters' signs, the diversity of the participants in the march, and all the illustrations have hearts in them.

One of my many, many favorite images is for the quote above noted.  It is a close-up view of the marchers.  Buildings are behind those on the right and on the far left.  We see a collection of smiling faces, mouths open in cheers, and many holding signs.  There are adults and children.  Mari on Mama's shoulders is on the left side.  She watches all this in joyful contemplation.

Love Is Powerful written by Heather Dean Brewer with illustrations by LeUyen Pham is as strong as its title.  It presents an intimate portrait of happiness found when words are brought alive by actions.  At the close of the book is a letter from the real Mari along with a picture of her at the march.  This title has my highest recommendation for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Heather Dean Brewer and LeUyen Pham and their other work, visit their websites by following the link attached to their name.  Heather Dean Brewer has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  LeUyen Pham has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At Watch. Connect. Read., the site of Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, Heather Dean Brewer and LeUyen Pham talk about this book.  At Penguin Random House you can view interior images.

In a beautiful continuation of their collaboration, author Susan Verde and artist Peter H. Reynolds, bring to readers another thoughtful title.  This book guides readers in making a difference.  No matter how small you are, you can bring change to yourself and more importantly, to others.  I Am One: A Book of Action (Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 15, 2020) welcomes you to make the first move.

How do I 

make a difference?

It seems like a tall order

for one so small.

The young child is told things of beauty begin with one.  One seed planted in the ground, one stroke of a paintbrush, or one brick removed from a wall can lead to the greater good.  Are not gardens, paintings, and friends better?

When a wall is gone, we can form bonds with those we were previously unaware.  Still using the number one, each gesture increases the bond between the two individuals.  A word, a hug, and a candle pave the path for the duo.

They arrive at a body of water.  A drop of candlewax in the water produces a ripple, growing and growing and growing.  The friends ride on the swells in a boat carrying their special cargo to new shores.

There they are greeted by others. Individuals, working together, to create a transformation.  They take what was, forming a marvelous masterpiece.

From her initial and only question, author Susan Verde weaves a tapestry of story.  Each of her carefully crafted thoughts add color and detail.  The common thread is the word one.  She begins with the first child, but with the mention of a brick and breaking down walls, another character is welcomed.  It is at this point, the color and detail become more vivid and intricate, representing the realm of possibility.  Here are two companion sentences.

I can use my

One soft voice

to start a friendship. 

I can perform

One act of kindness

to start a connection.

The color white is superbly used throughout this title to highlight the characters and their actions.  The spiral of hues of blue on the front of the dust jacket behind the first child symbolizes the ripples from the single drop of wax.  To the left, on the back of the dust jacket is an interior illustration of the first child leaning over the water so the single drop of wax can fall.  The second child is watching the effect.  The color palette selected by Peter H. Reynolds is full of warmth and calm here and on every single page.

On the book case, on a canvas of pure crisp white, a rainbow brush stroke like a wave moves from the left to the right of the opened case.  A tiny bird flies toward the gutter from the upper, left-hand corner.  Riding on the crest of the wave on the right side is a bright pink boat carrying the children, their precious cargo and a rainbow tree.  

The opening and closing endpapers are washed circles of turquoise.  On the title page is a close-up of the boat with the first child, the contents of the boat, the dog of the second child, and the tiny bird on the dog's head.  Rendered

using ink, gouache, watercolor, and tea

these pictures are portraits of endearing characters and their actions.  Each intricate line, element and color uplift and extend the words.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the words:

I can perform

One act of kindness

to start a connection.

It is a single-page picture.  Behind the first child on the left are outlines of bricks in the wall.  Several bricks are on the ground.  This child is bending over to give a treat to the dog.  The second child is seated on the ground near a fire and a candle.  Tiny flowers bloom from grassy mounds.

This fifth book, I Am One: A Book of Action written by Susan Verde with illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds, in this stellar series is important.  It is important to understand each one of us can contribute to making the world better for others.  Each action no matter how small puts us on the right path.  At the close of the book is a two-page author's note including a mindfulness meditation and a self-reflection activity.  This book has my high recommendation to be included in both your personal and professional collections.  The other titles in the series are I Am Yoga, I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness, I Am Human: A Book of Empathy, and I Am Love: A Book of Compassion.

To discover more about Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds and their other work, please follow the link attached to their name to access their websites.  Susan Verde has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Peter H. Reynolds has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website are additional resources to use with this book.

Previously I wrote a post about Sometimes People March written and illustrated by Tessa Allen.  You might want to include that title with these for a unit of study, a story time, or to promote discussion.