Foe...Friend...Family

When you've been a teacher librarian for years, sometimes within the same district or building, you have the privilege of working with and watching all the guys and gals grow from kindergarten through graduation.  You come to understand each individual personality.  You can easily spot when one of your students has had a rough start to their morning.

If this shift in behavior should last more than a day, it's usually because something has changed in their home life.  A stable and loving family unit, no matter the makeup of its members, is essential.  There's no doubt about it, change is hard.  Distinguished author Kathi Appelt and well-known illustrator Jill McElmurry have combined their significant talents to bring readers, When Otis Courted Mama (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, January 6, 2015).  It's looking like a new wind is blowing through the cactus for one small coyote.

Before Otis, Cardell had a mostly wonderful life.

His mama and daddy were everything he needed.  They loved him beyond measure.  With every fiber of his being he returned their love.  This was an unbreakable trio of affection.

No one could cook the specialty pancakes with specialty syrup like Cardell's daddy.  No one could run like a ghost across the sand like Cardell's daddy.  When Cardell's daddy tipped his nose skyward and sang; the very stars and moon seemed to reply.  It was a bit of an inconvenience that his daddy lived with his stepmama and stepbrother in another part of the desert, but Cardell still had his mama all to himself.

No one could seek out desert delicacies like Cardell's mama.  No one could capture the beauty of morning and evening skies on canvas like Cardell's mama.  When Cardell's mama smiled; the very stars, moon and yes, the planets, seemed to shine brighter.  It was more than a bit worrisome when a new neighbor began to call on Cardell's mama.  Cardell did not like this at all.

When Otis brought flowers, Cardell felt a growl grow.  There had been other gentleman callers but Mama and Cardell had decided they were not a good fit.  Otis was an entirely different breed of coyote.  Cardell sent out a challenge from deep in his throat.

Now Cardell's mama had not taken a fancy to Otis without good reason.  Cardell is about to meet his match.  A sweet treat, sky-high leaping and a night around the campfire might just seal the deal for a new family to form.


Before you've even finished the first page you will be reading this book aloud; unable to help yourself.  Kathi Appelt has a way of picking and choosing words which sing right off the page.  Her use of repetition creates an irresistible beat.  She uses the storyteller's technique of three masterfully.  By telling us how wonderful Cardell's life is with supporting examples, she builds toward the uh-oh moment when Otis arrives.  Here is a sample, a continuation of the first page passage.

He had a perfectly good mama and a perfectly good daddy.  Both his perfectly good mama and his perfectly good daddy adored him.  And Cardell adored them, too.  With good reason.


All I can say, looking at the matching dust jacket and book case front, is a certain coyote is not very happy.  Not happy at all.  Disgusted, disgruntled and grouchy.  The placement of the single eyebrow tells a tale.  On the back we can easily see the reason for his apparent unease.  Set in a background of blue is a picture frame hanging from a nail.  Cardell and his mama are nose to nose in contentment.  A traditional red, black and white bandanna print covers the opening and closing endpapers.  A peaceful adobe home sits beneath the title.

Page by page Jill McElmurry matches the narrative enhancing the setting and character's personalities with her illustrations rendered in gouache on watercolor paper.  Moving from a double-page image to two smaller paintings on a single page followed by several full page pictures before the next two-page illustration she creates a visual flow for us to follow.  Extra details like the scarf around the stepmama's neck, the bolo tie on daddy, the desert flowers in front of mama's ears and the cowboy hat Otis is never without add to the southwestern flavor of the story.  The ears, eyes and mouths on all the coyotes are fully animated with emotion.

One of my best loved illustrations is of Cardell and his mama at night lying beneath the stars and a full moon.  It spans across two pages.  They are placed among desert plants in hues of golden yellow, deep greens and deep blues.  Mama is curled around Cardell.  His head is lifted toward her head turned toward him.  They are nose to nose.  It's a given Cardell feels like his life is mostly wonderful.

When Otis Courted Mama written by Kathi Applet with illustrations by Jill McElmurry may be one of my favorite books about stepparents and blended families.  Magic happens when stellar storytelling and glowing illustrations meet.  If you are looking for a fantastic read aloud look no further.  Put on your cowboy boots, hat and scarf and get ready for a howling good time.

To explore the websites of Kathi Applet and Jill McElmurry please follow the links attached to their names.  Eleven blogs were a part of a tour promoting this title.  You can follow the links for all of them beginning with Cracking The Cover.  Here is a link to an activity page found at Kathi Applet's website.  If you are interested in a curriculum guide, the link is here.

To Go Or To Stay

Fiction is a bridge, a path, a window, a door and an invitation taking us to the past and the future, into the possible and the improbable, providing heart-pounding action, puzzles to ponder and scary thrills and chills.  We meet people from all walks of life, of all ages.  Creatures, real or imagined come and go; some are silent, others speak freely.

True-to-life, realistic, fiction gives us a chance to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes" building empathy or to see a reflection of ourselves helping us to not feel alone.  Readers know when storytelling is at its finest, coming from the pages of a book to surround them; the attachment strong and sure.  In her debut novel, One For The Murphys (Nancy Paulsen Books, Penguin Books for Young Readers, May 2012) Lynda Mullaly Hunt gives her readers that kind of compelling story peopled with unforgettable characters.

 Sitting in the back of the social worker's car, I try to remember how my mother has always said to never show your fear.  She'd be disappointed to see me now.  Shaking.  Just going without a fight.

Carley Connors has learned to be pretty tough (at least on the outside) and self-reliant having spent the twelve years of her life with her mom in Las Vegas.  They've recently moved to Connecticut staying in her late grandfather's condo along with her abusive step-father of 384 days.  Against her own better judgment Carley begins slinging verbal taunts his way one evening which lands both she and her mother in the hospital.  Carley leaves to stay in foster care. Her mother stays too badly injured to leave.

Living with the Murphy family is almost too good to be true.  The two youngest of the three boys, redheaded Adam and little Michael Eric welcome Carley into their lives easily; inviting her to join in their play and loving her superhero games with them.  Mrs. Murphy, Julie, the anchor of the family, offers Carley, a rare kindness, understanding and gentleness she has never known.

All is not smooth sailing though.  Daniel, the oldest, near her age, wishes she would leave feeling unsettled by all the attention she is receiving.  A fire chief, spending most of his days and some nights at the firehouse, Mr. Murphy wants what is best for his family.  He is unsure about her presence in his home.

As days stretch into weeks again and again Carley is struck by the contrasts of living with this family, attending middle school and making a best friend to the only life she has ever known with her mother.  She is torn between the past and loyalty and the love she is receiving and yes, beginning to give in return.  And Carley hides secrets; a secret about the night she was beaten and the secret of her foster care from her classmate.

As her mother's health improves she makes a request of Carley intensifying her inner conflicts even more.  She is going to be forced to make a decision she does not want to make. Fortified by support from her steadfast Broadway musical-loving friend, Toni, and the unconditional love of Mrs. Murphy, Carley begins to acknowledge her true strengths, coming to the realization she never has to settle for second best.  She, Carley Connors, holds the key to her future.  She has, she can and she will be someone's hero.


Within fifty chapters, through Carley's voice and thoughts we enter her life, completely and without reservation.  We experience her personal turmoil laughing at her witty jokes (sometimes made to hide her hurt), feeling her fears and crying when her heart breaks.  Through dialogue so real it breathes each of the other characters come alive before our eyes.  It is Carley's interaction with each of them and they with each other that raises this story to its memorable status.  Lynda Mullaly Hunt uses no extra words; every word counts, giving meaning to the moment.  Here are a couple of the many passages I marked in this book.

He pauses and says, "I whaled him, Mommy, but he deserved it."
I think that it's funny to have "whaled him" and "Mommy" in the same sentence, and I decide that I like Adam.
She tilts her head. "What have we said about this?"
"I'm supposed to protect him 'cause he's my brother."
"That's right.  Brothers stick together, right? Family looks out for family."
I stand in a place with no space.
My stomach has such a longing in it that I want to throw up.
The tone, the look on her face and the look on his, a gentle brush of his hair.
A kiss on top of the head. I struggle to decipher a foreign language.  She's looking at him like she's seeing the best thing ever. Even though he's done something wrong.


And that's the thing.  Most of the time, it wasn't like my mother told me I was anything---good or bad.  But when Mrs. Murphy tells me I'm smart, I am.  When she tells me I'm funny, I am.  When she tells me how thoughtful I am, I become that way.  I swear, if she told me I was a duck, I'd be checking in my high tops for webbed feet.


One For The Murphys written by Lynda Mullaly Hunt is one of the most powerful books I have ever read about foster care and family.  Having read it twice I can say with all honesty with each reading the story and characters grow in richness.  Flawed but fearless in their fondness, love, for one another each person will linger in your mind.

To discover more about Lynda Mullaly Hunt follow the link embedded in her name above.  Here is a link to a teacher's guide she developed for this title.  Below is the book trailer and an interesting and amazing video interview.  Here is a link to another interview Lynda Mullaly Hunt gave at Cynsations.