Withstanding The Worst

Early this morning a band of thunderstorms raced along the western side of the tip of the Mitt.  The daily early morning walk with my canine companion was shorter than usual as thunder rumbled and lightning split the eerie darkening sky.  A trip to the shore revealed layers of black and gray hovering over Lake Michigan as wind started to whip tree branches.

Sometimes storms are predicted, and we can prepare.  Other times, they appear as if conjured by the hand of an unseen sorcerer.  Truthfully, even with science and preparations, we are at their mercy.  During days of confinement, The Longest Storm (mineditionUS, August 31, 2021) written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino views the unexpected through family dynamics.  Like life, it is both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

A storm came to our town.

It was unlike any storm

we'd ever seen.

Going outside was not an option.  We were stuck inside for a-yet-to-be-determined amount of time.  All those tasks we never had time to do; they disappeared from our minds.  

We were not used to being together, hour after hour, day after day.  As a family, we forgot how to talk with each other.  We forgot how to relate to each other.  It was weird.  It became terrible.  Tempers flared. 

Being alone was the chosen method of avoiding hard truths, until one horrible night the storm rocked the house's and our family's foundations.  (Sometimes in the very worst possible situation, a shift sends out a single shaft of light.  It helps to guide us to where we need to be.)

In the light of a new day, much was the same, except for us.  The weirdness wanned.  In a good way, our attitudes toward each other were transformed.  Over time, the clouds vanished, the sun shone, and we left the house to begin fresh.

With each meticulously created sentence, Dan Yaccarino writes a story with multiple meanings.  It is indeed about a storm, a meteorological event, but a storm by its very definition is applicable in many situations.  Each thought revealed in the narrative is universally understood.  We have experienced surprise, uncertainty, the disconnections, the frustrations, and the sudden knowledge of needing to rely on each other.

The declarations are simple, but profound.  They disclose what makes humans united, more alike than different. Here are two sentences placed at particular points in the story.

There was nothing to do,

and too much time to do it.

Is it possible for a family to run out of nice things to say?

The open and matching dust jacket and book case are a preview of circumstances to come.  On the back, left side, the family canine is outside their home, eyeing the black cloud moving across a blue sky.  Three rows of squares, etched in black, represent a window in the red brick home.  The ISBN is cleverly placed within three squares on the bottom row.

On the right side, the front, the family, arm in arm, watch the approaching storm.  They are unaware of what awaits them.  The dog looking directly at the reader asks us to join the family and their story.  On both the jacket and case, the family and text are varnished.  The color palette is suggestive of shifts.

On the opening endpapers, in black, red, and cream clouds extend from the upper, right-hand corner to the lower, left-hand corner.  Wind and leaves swirl.  The closing endpapers present another scenario, after the storm has passed.

Across the verso and title pages, a double-page picture depicts the beginning of the storm.  Black and gray clouds roll in from left to right, blocking out the blue of the sky.  Wind blows autumn leaves past the house.  Two of the children are still outside, one in a tire swing and the other playing with their dog.  Their father watches from inside the house.

Each image, rendered in Dan Yaccarino's signature style, mirrors the pacing and mood of the story.  Picture sizes are double-page visuals, edge to edge, groups of smaller illustrations to place emphasis on the narrative, and single-page pictures, edge to edge.  Backgrounds reflect the emotional state of the family and accentuate pictorial portraits of the text.  Time is most notably depicted in the state of the father's beard.  Several page turns, five, are striking in their representation of dramtic moments.  Of the five, only two have words.  

One of my many favorite illustrations is a double-page, wordless picture.  It is after the big kaboom made during the storm.  The colors are dark purple, sky blue, black and a spot of golden yellow.  Two perspectives are shown in this single image.  To the left of the gutter, we see the oldest child standing outside their father's open bedroom door in the hallway.  We see feet, legs, and the lower body.  They are close to us. Inside the bedroom are the father, the two smaller children nestled on either side of him, and the family dog, now on the dad's bed.  A candle glows on the nightstand.  The two smaller children and the father look expectantly at the older child.  Rain falls in sheets outside the rows of panes in the bedroom window.

This book, The Longest Storm written and illustrated by Dan Yaccarino, falls with excellence in the timeless and timely class of titles.  It rings out truth, solidly and soothingly.  It is one to read often and to share widely.  I highly recommend it for your personal and professional collections.  It will make a superb gift.

To learn more about Dan Yaccarino and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Dan Yaccarino has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  At the publisher's website you can view the opening endpapers.  Dan Yaccarino wrote a guest post at the Nerdy Book Club, Weathering The Storm Together. Here is a link to some activity pages.   Dan Yaccarino is interviewed at Max's Boat about this book.

Striding Through

There was once a girl who loved to study the weather and make predictions. (She still does.) She was also terrified of storms.  She understood the power they unleashed.  Whenever the sky would darken, panic coursed through her body.  She was well into her middle years before she faced her fear.  By replacing this raw worry with respect, it made her stronger.

Today our climate and our weather are changing globally, creating frightening phenomena. These phenomena leave devasting results in their wake.  Children are rightfully concerned.  I Am The Storm (RISE Penguin Workshop, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 27, 2020) by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple with illustrations by Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell explores extremes in weather and our responses as families and communities.  

When the wind howled and blew,

loud as a train, . . .

During a tornado, a family with their grandmother seeks shelter in their basement.  Flashlights cast their glow on games played and books read.  When the wind calms, the daughter, after helping with clean-up, swirls around the yard, doing her own dance like a tornado.

A blizzard and a power outage provide the opportunity for food to be cooked over a fire built for warmth.  A wildfire chases a family to a nearby lake for safety.  They enjoy their natural surroundings.  Back at home, gathered flowers are given to community members hard at work cleaning and clearing.

During a hurricane, wind and water combine to create multiple dangers.  Families leave, locating higher ground and protecting themselves by moving inland.  After the hurricane passes, damage assessments are made at residences.

Readers are reminded fear is as natural as the perils they face.  It is essential for them to realize, they too have forces within themselves.  Each child is compared to the event they experience.  They understand their abilities and the range of those abilities.  This is power.

For each phenomenon, four, authors Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple supply readers with a repetitive cadence, a group of three.  It's an invitation for readers, welcoming them into the narrative.  This leads us to the strong connected conclusion.  The authors also provide vivid descriptions of each of the three portions of the four events.  These portrayals give us firsthand insights.  Here is a passage.

When the ice and snow fell,

sparkling like fairy dust on the windows,

and all the lights went out,

we made a fire

and cooked hot dogs and marshmallows.

The storm on the prairie showcased on the front, right, of the open dust jacket crosses the spine and extends to the far left on the back.  It is a dramatic depiction of dark purple and black swirls complementing the golden oranges and yellows of the countryside.  Another building on the farm, is placed on the back with a third in the far distance.  The remoteness and flatness of the plains is represented beautifully.

On the book case a hue of purple shown on the dust jacket covers both the front and the back.  White, streaking drops of rain slant slightly to the right, from the top to the bottom.  We are in the storm.  

The opening and closing endpapers are a marbleized blend of teal and yellow.  On the second set a single bird flies toward the right edge.  The bird carrying a small branch signifies the final words of the book.

The art is sketched in pencil and the finishes are rendered in Photoshop with a Wacom tablet 

by illustrators Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell.  The initial title page is a continuous of the canvas seen on the endpapers.  Above and below the text are branches similar to the one carried by the bird.  On the formal verso and title pages, we are in the thick of the storm.

Each page turn reveals a stunning double-page picture.  We move flawlessly from the event, to the family, and to the land and people after the tornado, blizzard, wildfire, and hurricane.  As the narrative directs us to resolutions and empowering words, the elements in each illustration reflect those changes.  The color palette shifts with the incident, season and place in which it happens.  A diverse group of people are shown in each setting.  These images connect us in a very real way to those people.  Each one is an eloquently captured moment.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is after the first storm.  We have come closer to the farmhouse shown on the front, right, of the dust jacket.  The sky is cream-colored with a rising red sun between the home and red truck.  One of the trees is toppled from the storm.  An adult is mending the fence to the right of the truck.  These portions of the scene are on the left side and to the back.  In the foreground on the right side a bird perches on the top of a fence post.  Other pieces of the fence lay on the ground.  The little girl, wearing a red dress, tights, and cowboy boots is spinning around with her arms spread out.  Her hair moves up and out.  There is a special warmth in this illustration, it is one of celebration.

This book, I Am The Storm written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple with illustrations by Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell, is an important book.  It tells readers they can survive and be strong as they face their fears.  It offers courage and peace.  At the close of the book further information in the form of four paragraphs is provided about tornadoes, blizzards, wildfires, and hurricanes.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Jane Yolen, Heidi E. Y. Stemple, Kristen Howdeshell, and Kevin Howdeshell, please follow the link attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Jane Yolen has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Heidi E. Y. Stemple has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Kristen Howdeshell and Kevin Howdeshell share an account on Instagram and two accounts on Twitter (Twitter.)  At the publisher's website you can view the initial title page.

Following Toward Forever

Late Thursday night in the eastern daylight time zone and in the early hours of Friday morning, you could see a movement swell. It traveled across our planet from place to place as the day September 20, 2019 dawned.  This outpouring of support for the Global Climate Strike clearly demonstrates the power of a single soul to rally people around a worldwide crisis.

While the efforts of this sixteen-year-old Swedish girl, Greta Thunberg, have rightfully drawn international attention, there are other champions, single souls, who without any notice, change a life (or lives) for the better every day.  These unsung heroes walk among us, displaying compassion for those who do not have the ability to care for themselves.  They see what is needed and respond accordingly.  Stormy (Schwartz & Wade, September 17, 2019) conceived and illustrated by Guojing (The Only Child, Schwartz & Wade, December 15, 2015) is a striking depiction of kindness steadfastly delivered and eventually received.  It is about being lost and found.  It is about having a place to call home.

Without words this story begins and ends on the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first is a heap beneath a bench beneath a tree in a park.  Following this is a double-page picture for the title, verso and dedication pages, moving us closer to the bench.  A small curly-haired dog is sleeping in a ball shape for warmth.

 In a series of horizontal panels, a woman comes to the bench to read a newspaper.  The pup, afraid, runs away and watches her from a distance until she leaves.  As night falls, the homeless dog is again under the bench.  As the tale continues in a collection of horizontal panels, some nearly perfect squares, the woman returns the next day with a ball for the dog.  She carefully tries to get it to play.  The dog runs away.  The woman leaves but does not take the ball.

 On the third day a cautious game of throw and fetch takes place between the woman and the hesitant stray.  As the sun starts to set, there is still a distance between them.  The woman leaves to head back to her home in the city.  She does not know the dog, ball in its mouth, is following her at a safe space.

After the woman walks through her door, the dog sits outside, as if willing her to look out her window and discover it there.  It gets darker and darker and begins to rain.  The shower turns into a full-blown storm with flashes of lightning and thunder.  Drenched and shaking, the pup seeks shelter in a soggy cardboard box by the doorway, leaving the ball on the sidewalk.

Within the final seven page turns, readers will feel their hearts racing.  They will want to call out to the dog and the woman.  You can't help but sense the deep desperation filling both these beings.  You wonder and wish.  And then . . .


Without words we still comprehend everything through the striking visuals created by Guojing.  Each moment is portrayed exquisitely and explicitly to the point the words appear spontaneously in our minds and are engraved on our hearts.  This connection through art begins on the front of the dust jacket.  The pup's stance is assured but seeking.  The ball is a symbol of patience, kindness and acceptance.  The luminosity seen in the clouds is a technique used throughout the book to supply warmth or the hope of warmth.

To the left, on the back of the dust jacket it's night in the park.  The dog is sitting in front of the bench with the ball on the ground in front of it.  Fireflies sparkle among the grass as a few stars twinkle in the partly cloudy sky.  A crescent moon glows on the right.  The dust jacket is covered in a deep midnight blue.  The only element other than the author's name, the title and publisher's logo on the spine is a silver dog tag on the front.  It reads STORMY above an etched dog bone.

As stated earlier the opening endpapers start this story and the closing endpapers end the story at the same place with noticeable differences. 

The illustrations were rendered in pencil and watercolor and compiled digitally.

Each panel in a group of panels on a single page directs our attention to a specific moment.  The panel sizes vary to place emphasis on those moments.  Our eyes move from each one to the next, forming an emotional connection between us and the woman and the dog.  For dramatic effect Guojing has full-page and double-page pictures.  They wrap around us, making us a part of the narrative. 

Each of these panels are also a layer to the story.  We can perceive something growing.  The skies behind the woman,  the dog and each setting are also indicative of changes.  The use of light and shadow is masterful by Guojing.  As the rain begin in earnest a streetlight shines on the dog waiting outside the woman's home.  The only other light is from her window.  All other windows are dark.  As the storm intensifies the darkness with little light formulates one vivid scene after the other.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The tree near the park bench extends up the left side with one branch moving along the top and across the gutter almost to the bench.  Two birds fly in a glowing sky.  Next to the tree the small dog sits with the ball between its paws.  Almost next to the bench the woman sits, knees drawn up and held by her arms.  The two watch each other carefully.  You know they both desire to be closer.  The one has survived by being cautious but needs love and the other has a great deal of love to give but doesn't want to frighten the other.  You have to remind yourself to breathe looking at this picture.


If reading the dedication

For my lost dog, Dou Dou.
I miss you. 

does not bring tears to your eyes, there will be other moments when you will burst into sobs.  But . . . in this book, Stormy conceived and illustrated by Guojing, despite every circumstance, we find ourselves believing in miracles.   We find our tears turning to joy and true contentment born of love.  I recommend this book with all the stars for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Guojing and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Guojing has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  Here is the publisher's website highlighting Stormy.  Enjoy the artwork here and on Guojing's Instagram account.  Author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson, talks about this book on her site, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and she also includes artwork.

Something Is Brewing

We have had stormy weather headed our way for the past several evenings.  Even before the sky sent us gray-cloud messages, the signs were there.  Parents, educators and humans with canine companions are keenly aware of the advance notice children and dogs give us. Their behavior is downright squirrely.  When you combine this with the full moon tonight, any semblance of normal is blown away. 

Trying to navigate through tempestuous personalities indoors and rain, thunder, lightning and gusts of wind outdoors is like walking through a briar patch.  What makes this situation bearable are children's books elevating the mood.  None do this better than Mother Goose Bruce, Hotel Bruce, Bruce's Big Move, Santa Claus Bruce and now Bruce's Big Storm (Disney Hyperion, September 3, 2019) written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins.  Trust me when I say, you'll be chuckling as soon as you see the dust jacket.

Bruce was a bear who did not like neighbors.

This bear's personality could not handle noise, being bothered a little bit or a lot or having his neighborhood populated.  Usually Bruce's neighbors did not hang around more than he could tolerate . . . barely.  This all changed on one eventful day.  A humdinger of a storm was approaching.  The first neighbors to arrive and ask for shelter were the deer.

Bruce wanted to be alone, but his mice housemates were more than happy to have company.  When the storm struck in earnest, animals of all kinds (stinky skunks and prickly porcupines) blew inside his home.  Before long, all the residents of Soggy Hollow were sequestered in Bruce's house.  He sat grumpily reading in his favorite chair.

Stop!  Someone was still outside in the wind and rain. Nibbs, one of the mice, headed toward the open door with an umbrella to save the tiny white rabbit.  Unfortunately, the wind opened the umbrella and he parachuted up, up and up until the umbrella landed point down in front of the rabbit.  Within moments one mouse and one tiny white rabbit were soaring upward.

Fortunately, Bruce hurried outside.  Nibbs thinks Bruce was saving them.  Bruce just wanted his best umbrella back but unfortunately (again), the wind was stronger than one mouse, one tiny white rabbit and one big cranky bear.  Will this trio be rescued?  Will the storm drop one final blow on the gathered group?  Will Bruce ever have peace and quiet?  Stay tuned readers and be ready for the last laugh.

Only someone with an inherently great sense of humor can write with meticulous pacing, precise word choices and the delivery of dialogue which further exaggerates the hilarity.  Ryan T. Higgins is one of those people.  With the turn of each page we find one comical moment after the other.  The contrast in attitude and outlook between Bruce and every other resident in Soggy Hollow is like morning and night.  Ryan T. Higgins portrays Bruce with precise authenticity which in turn invites us into the pure mirth of Bruce and company.  Here is a passage.

Finally, the whole 

neighborhood was there.

"Wait!" said Rupert.

"Someone is still outside!"

Everyone went to

the window to look.

A speech bubble over Bruce's head, as he sits in his chair and tries to read, is filled with grumble lines.

Well, almost everyone.

When you look at the front of the dust jacket, one of several things draws your attention.  The look on Bruce's face is one of shock, as is Rupert's expression but the tiny white rabbit is looking calmer and more determined.  You are also aware of the strength of the storm from the bending trees and mailbox post, swirl of leaves and slanting rain.  It's mighty.  The title text and Ryan T. Higgins' name are varnished.

To the left, on the back, you're likely to have one of many outbursts of laughter.  In a loose white oval is the plaid sofa in Bruce's house.  All the neighbors are curled up around each other on the sofa, along the bottom of the sofa, and on top of the sofa.  Bruce, squeezed into the right corner, facing us, is grumpier than ever.  He is the only one not sound asleep.  This image is varnished.

There is a treat for readers on the book case.  Opening it up reveals a map of Soggy Hollow.  Residents' abodes on land, near and on ponds and in trees are carefully drawn and labeled.  Some of the names are charming alliterations.

On the opening and closing endpapers, more hilarity ensues.  It is a display of the Soggy Hollow Community Board.  An assortment of announcement and advertisements cover the board from end to end.  While most of the postings like the 5K Turtle Run and Leech Pond Swim Lessons remain the same on both sets of endpapers, careful readers will notice a change on the second set.

These 

illustrations were created using scans of treated clayboard for textures, graphite, ink, and 

Photoshop.

Ryan T. Higgins begins the pictorial extension of his text with cheerful neighbors on the verso and first page greeting a scowling Bruce as he walks toward his home carrying a newspaper and a cup of coffee.  Each full color picture within this book are grouped as small vignettes, featured as a full-page image, edge to edge, placed on a white background leaving space for text, or spanned across two pages for dramatic effect.  The faces and body postures are expertly depicted.  

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a smaller one with two others in the group.  The storm is blowing neighbors into Bruce's house.  Along the bottom of the page with a white canvas on matte-finished paper, Bruce's door has blown open.  Leaves are blowing inside the open door.  Another being blew in also--a porcupine which is sticking to Bruce's fur.  Next to them is a skunk, fumes rising in the air and startled by the newest neighbor's appearance.

There are books like Bruce's Big Storm written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins which create shared experiences based on laughter.  These are the moments we need in our lives; these moments of fun and funniness which strengthen our endearment for beloved characters and for each other.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Ryan T. Higgins and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Ryan T. Higgins has accounts on Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can download activity sheets.

Melodious Moments

Our days are filled with music; a combination of sounds expressing a mood, signaling a form of communication or announcing the existence of things outside our immediate realm.  These melodies can remind us of a particular place, a significant event or a specific individual.  They are the heartbeat of life all around us.

During the course of history instruments were made as a result of the desire for a unique sound; many a reflection of the culture from which they came.  Each one contributes to the body of beauty we call music.  The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling (Candlewick Press, January 10, 2017) written and illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering depicts the power of notes laden with emotion.

Captain Alfred was sailing home.  On his little boat, there were new ducks for his farm and, nestled safe inside his fiddle case, a precious gift for his wife.

This gift sitting on a bed of soft hay was an egg, a duck egg waiting to crack open.  Alfred spoke to the egg as if bestowing a blessing and gave it a name---Alfred Fiddleduckling.  Unbeknownst to the captain a storm was brewing, a storm with a frightening capacity for damage.

The howling winds and towering waves lasted for an hour until as suddenly as it came, it left.  In its place was an eerie calm shrouded in fog.  This fog extended over the water to land where a kind and tender soul, a woman, waited anxiously for her captain, their dog and the ducks.

In the safety of the fiddle case, a new life emerged.  Alfred Fiddleduckling was lonely until he spied an object floating in the water.  It did not respond to him but he hugged it with all his might bringing it close to his newborn heart.  As his wing stroked it, Alfred was stunned by the notes.  It was love at first sight and sound.

Alfred paddled and played and paddled and played until his feet found something other than water...it was land!  On this land a large and fearsome thing followed the music and its response to Alfred was astonishing.  On this land a kind and tender soul heard the faint sound coming from the thing as the duck and beast lost hope of being found.  Three joyful beings burst with happiness and the duck made the object sing across the land and out over the water.  And...it was heard.


Like the notes singing from a violin the words written by Timothy Basil Ering wind across the pages, blending to cast a magical spell.  We feel a kinship with this violin-playing captain and the love he has for his wife and animal friends.  When the duckling hatches this kinship we have for the captain is quickly transferred to Alfred Fiddleduckling.

Short profound sentences take us to emotional and geographical places.  There is some dialogue carefully placed to bind us further to the characters and story. Here are two sample passages.

They had landed at a very mysterious place.

Alfred held the object close.
"Don't be afraid," he said.

And in a few moments,
the soft, comforting sounds
began again.


All the images rendered in acrylic paint on paper with ink, charcoal, and graphite beckon to readers beginning with the book case.  If you run your fingers over the front and spine you will be rewarded with a variety of textures.  The egg, cracks in the egg and title text are raised.  The multi-colored fabric sewn to the spine is thick like denim with heavier threads.  To the left on the back, amid a canvas of gray fog stands the duckling, forlorn in his lonely state.

The opening endpapers are awash in a warm sunrise spreading over the marshy landscape with cattails reaching toward the sky.  It begins on the left close to us and stretches to a panoramic view on the right.  The closing endpapers take us to the cottage with a conclusion sure to fill readers' hearts with total joy and satisfaction.

Timothy Basil Ering varies his picture sizes; small images on a single page, single page illustrations and some covering two pages.  As this story takes place on or near the water, he uses shades of blue, green and gray liberally in his pictures but other elements are done in full color.  Bright swirls in an array of hues represent the musical notes.

His visuals are brimming with emotion (every brush stroke and line); the fear of the storm, the worry of the wife, the loneliness and passion of the duckling, the humor of the dog and the pure love between all of them.  His shifts in perspective are stunning.  On two of the pages line drawings over the other pictures convey utter bliss.

One of my favorite of several pictures is when the duckling feels something other than water under his feet.  He is in a wetland off the ocean.  The shallow water is not quite up to his little body.  The predominant colors are shades of blue and green with gray.  He is peering into the water looking at his feet standing on a sandbar.  His wings are outstretched for balance, one holds his precious object.  Its neck, like his, is dipping beneath the surface.


Time and time again the beauty one has for life is transferred to another in the most surprising ways.  The Unexpected Love Story of Alfred Fiddleduckling written and illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering is one of those stories.  The artwork and text lift this book into the world of wonder.  It's a radiant example of "what if".  You will want this book on your professional and personal bookshelves.

If you would like to see an interior image from this book, please visit the publisher's website.  Scholastic Teacher Notes for this title are here. An older series of video interviews of Timothy Basil Ering can be found at Reading Rockets.  Teacher librarian and author Carter Higgins interviews Ering on her blog, Design of the Picture Book. You learn quite a bit about his process for this title.  Enjoy the videos.

Gifted At Birth

With the number of books being published each month in a given year, it's an overwhelming task to read all those which may interest a reader.  It's a good problem to have but sometimes it may take months before you read a title.  You shuffle books on and off your purchase list.  You move volumes from top to middle to bottom of your to-be-read stack and back to the top again.

Finally a book makes its way into your home.  And then a day comes when you know you have to read it; it's calling to you.  The Mermaid's Purse (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 4, 2016) written and illustrated by beloved Michigan author illustrator Patricia Polacco is one of those books.  When such a book fills your heart with joy and your eyes with tears, you know the saying of "a story chooses you" is completely true.

A clap of thunder roared at exactly the moment my grandmother came into the world during a raging storm in 1883 on her parents' farm in Locke Center, Michigan.  She was the first of nine children.

At this baby's birth the midwife declared

"God's blessing and gifts will fall upon this child like spring rain."

This precious girl, given the name Estella, was born in a Mermaid's Purse, a protective sac.  From that moment forward she was living proof of the midwife's prophecy.

Her affinity for predicting storms was uncanny.  It was astonishing how early she learned to speak and read.  As she grew older she saved every penny earned to purchase books.  Her collection grew larger and larger to the point her father volunteered to build her a library.

One fine day a group of her father's friends gathered and constructed a perfect little library for her.  One, Fred Barber, an apprentice, could not take his eyes off of Estella.  Another, cranky Pig Ears Lonsberry thought the whole thing was total foolishness.  As the last stack of books was carried from house to library, a storm rolled into the area.  Right then and there Estella named her library the Mermaid's Purse.

Estella decided to start taking books in a cart from farm to farm, giving the men and their families who had helped her a chance to enjoy the benefits of a book.  Local children came to the Mermaid's Purse for storytelling.  It wasn't until a book actually helped a farmer on the verge of losing an entire herd of sheep, that Estella's books demonstrated their purpose.

Storms in all seasons came and went with Estella knowingly warning those around her.  More than one life was saved.  It was a terrible event though, a twister, destroying everything this generous spirit held dear which truly portrayed the admiration the community felt for Estella and her Mermaid's Purse.


Gather close readers.  When Patricia Polacco writes it's as if she is within the same space as you are, softly telling you a tale, sometimes true, casting a spell to bring you into that remarkable world.  She is a master at creating a true sense of place and making the characters fully alive.  There is an emotional impact in her stories touching on those things all people believe are valuable.  She invites and unites us with her words.  Here is a sample passage.

She swam to a large rock in the center of the pond.
She no more than scrambled up on it when she
heard a low rumbling off in the distance.  The
sky was darkening and the clouds glowed
with shards of lightning.
"Get out of the water!" she warned the boys.

All scrambled out but one.  Moon Eyes Fred.
"Fred!" she shouted.  "Thunderstorms are something I know about.  That lightning  is closer than you think."
No sooner had she said those words than there was a bright flash of light and Fred disappeared beneath the surface of the water. Stella jumped in and pulled him to shore. 


From the moment you hold the matching dust jacket and book case in your hands, you know another Patricia Polacco jewel will be added to the treasure on your bookshelves.  Who is the girl reading on a pile of books? What is a Mermaid's Purse?  To the left, on the back, this same girl is handing a book from a cart full of books to a dubious farmer?  The opening and closing endpapers are pale sky blue with darker blue vertical stripes.  With a page turn an image of a midwife holding a newborn announces the introduction describing Estella's birth.

Rendered in pencils and markers each illustration created by Patricia Polacco, in full color, spans two pages.  Although she painstakingly portrays the settings, inside and outside homes, it is the depiction of her characters which reaches out to readers.  Clothing, quirky traits and personalities reflected in faces and body postures bring her people to life on the pages.  We sincerely connect to her people.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the clouds burst with rain on the day they move all of Estella's books from her home to the Mermaid's Purse.  On the left of the two-page picture she is standing in the rain, legs spread as she runs and arms open wide.  Her head is lifted to the sky as she names her library.  On the left several of the workers, including Fred Barber watch astonished outside the library.  You will find yourself feeling as though you are standing in the middle of the storm, rain pelting your body and laughing with happiness along with Estella.


If ever there was a book depicting the power of books, reading and libraries, The Mermaid's Purse written and illustrated by Patricia Polacco is that book.  You find your heart swelling with gratitude for the soul of this girl.  This is a true story based upon the life of Patricia Polacco's grandmother.  On the last page she includes several photographs of Estella at different points in her life.  Stella eventually donated her collection of books to the Williamston Public Library in Michigan where she taught school,

...where books from it still remain today.

To learn more about Patricia Polacco and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  She is holding an open house on July 22, 2017 at her home in Union City, Michigan.  Patricia Polacco is interviewed on video at Reading Rockets.  Patricia Polacco is active on Facebook.

An Aware Bear

There will be times we want something we don't need.  On the flip side, we may need something we don't want.  When what we need and want collide, gladness resides.

In a strange twist, as life is apt to do, sometimes there is a need inside of which we are blissfully oblivious at the moment.  This premise is set forth beautifully in Found (Walker Books For Young Reader, April 1, 2014) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon.   Bear's life is about to change.

One day, Bear found something in the forest.

This something was the best thing he had ever seen.  With great care he took the toy bunny home.  He believed the bunny looked heartbroken about being lost.

Bear made flyers advertising his discovery.  Every tree in the forest received this new feature as a part of its decor.  Bear was surprised to see all the many missing items on the local bulletin board but no one seemed to have misplaced a very special toy bunny.

He did his best to look in every nook and cranny for anyone missing a beloved friend.  He searched and waited for a response to his flyers until his mom called him home for dinner.  He could hardly sleep that night wondering how bunny's family must feel.

The next day the toy bunny became part of Bear's daily activities; swinging, playing hide-and-seek, picking berries and picnicking.  Bear had never been happier when suddenly a voice called out,

FLOPPY, my bunny!

Bear's tricycle came to a halt.

The toy bunny in the bike basket was given to Moose.  This was one of those situations when sadness for yourself and happiness for another fight for position in your mind.  Moose's heart knew what was needed and wanted in equal measure.


No more than three sentences are placed on any two pages.  To generate the story's flow, one sentence might be stretched over three pages.  As an author Salina Yoon is wonderfully mindful of her audience, the youngest of readers and listeners.  Each thought, whether part of the narrative or a piece of dialogue, tells us exactly what we need to know.  She creates a gentle emotional tension which takes a turn with a single word.  Here are three of her sentences.

Bear wished the bunny was his to keep.
"But the bunny's family must be so worried," thought Bear.
"Poor lost bunny!"


How can you not fall in love with Bear and the toy bunny by looking at the opened book case?  Bear is hugging what he wishes is his BFF but on the left readers can see he has made a flyer which is posted on a nearby tree.  His red tricycle with a basket, bell and snazzy ribbons from the handle grips is simply charming.  Salina Yoon's sense of humor comes through in the opening and closing endpapers full of flyers of missing items.  A few words accompany each pictorial representation; Lost (Reindeer) Contact Santa, Lost (Toilet Paper) Rolled away, Lost track of (Watch), Lost My Hat (Red Cone-shaped Hat) I want it back and Lost My Marbles (Marbles) HELP!  If you need some extra "smileage" in your day, stop by these endpapers.

Solid black lines frame all of the digitally created illustrations.  With a line, dot or heart Yoon conveys emotion to her readers.  High impact is supplied with a change in perspective and a double page image. (Bear's face when Floppy's family finds him.)  A realistic color palette, sky and midnight blue, grass and forest green, sunshine yellow, pink, red, orange, shades of brown, black, white and purple, helps to endear readers to the characters.

Little details can be spotted by careful readers; the canary who is lost follows Bear, pinecones are featured in several illustrations, Penguin sits on Bear's shelf in his bedroom, Bear wears bunny slippers and there is a heart-shaped constellation outside his window on the final page. One of my favorite illustrations is when Bear has placed the toy bunny in his red backpack as he looks for his owner.  He is looking low by sticking his face into a fish pond, holding the flyer under water.  Bunny seems to be looking over his head too.  The canary is perched on a nearby rock.


Since the release of Found I have been eagerly awaiting the companion title.  Last week it arrived at my favorite indie bookstore, McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan.  Stormy Night (Bloomsbury, January 6, 2015) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon covers a fear felt by many children.  I know...I was one of them for decades.

One stormy night, Bear couldn't sleep.

Wide awake as a hoot owl, he and Floppy, huddled beneath the bed covers as the wind howled and rain fell.  They quickly got up to close the window.  Bear looking straight at his bunny sang him a comforting song.  Oddly enough, Bear wasn't so frightened for a few minutes.

Soon with the thundering increasing in volume, Bear was huddled under the bed.  Mama came in asking him if she could stay with him.  She was frightened too. (She actually wanted to check on her son.)  Bear was happy and kissed her on the nose.  Both felt comforted.

Before long Papa asked if he could join them in bed.  Bear tickled his ears.  Warmth spread over them both.  Soon the three were reading a favorite book to make Floppy less afraid.  As is the case when we are distracted, Bear was forgetting about the storm.

BOOM!

Oh! Oh!  All Bear's fears came flooding back.  Mama and Papa do three things which helped to ease his worries.  Quiet followed inside his bedroom and outside in the forest.  Sweet dreams everyone.


Six words, a simple thought begin this story.  These words by Salina Yoon make a connection with her readers.  They all understand lying awake in their beds as a storm shakes their house with thunder, lightning brightening their rooms in flashes and rain rattling against their windows.

Starting with the endearing rhyming song (readers and listeners will easily learn it, committing it to memory) and adding in the nose kiss, ear tickling and treasured book reading, lessons in banishing fear are subtly introduced.  In this narrative, Yoon also tells readers how our worries are lessened when we think of others.  As in the first book in this series the importance of kindness and love are marvelously portrayed.


The front image on the book case of Bear and Floppy looking out his bedroom window into the storm-filled night is extended to the left, rain falling and wind swirling.  The little yellow bird (canary) is struggling to seek shelter.  The opening endpapers highlight Bear's house on the hill in the forest, lights golden yellow, smoke coming from the chimney as rain covers the entire scene.  A starry sky with a crescent moon replaces the stormy night on the closing endpapers supplying a more serene backdrop to the silhouette of the home and evergreen trees.  I love that Yoon has placed the Big Dipper and Little Dipper in her sky.  This is a perfect opportunity to acquaint readers with their other names.

Unlike the first story which mainly took place outside, this story is in Bear's bedroom.  An identical color palette is used which renews readers' bond with Bear and Floppy.  Yoon alternates between double-page spreads edge to edge, single page pictures edge to edge, individual pages framed in white space and thicker black lines surrounded by white space.  As in the first book, these shifts in illustration size present the book's cadence.

A yellow star tops the bedside lamp in Bear's room as well as the ends of his curtain rod.  Are these the North Star?  Pinecones fill the bed of his toy dump truck. A heart is carved in the wood at the foot of his bed.  Penguin makes an appearance again. The author of his favorite book is Bear E. Goodbook.  All these extra touches are what make books illustrated by Salina Yoon so lovable.

One of my favorite illustrations spans the final two pages.  We are looking inside Bear's bedroom window as everyone sleeps in cozy comfort.  A falling star streaks across the calm night sky.  On the window sill, the yellow bird dozes.  This is peaceful perfection.


Found and Stormy Night written and illustrated by Salina Yoon are delightful additions to children's literature.  They will find readers at all age levels for who can resist the exchange of affection between Bear, Floppy and his parents.  These books are downright huggable.

To discover more about Salina Yoon and her other titles the link embedded in her name will take you to her website.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian extraordinaire and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. featured Salina Yoon this summer.  This past month another wonderful teacher librarian and blogger at The Styling Librarian, Debbie Alvarez interviewed Salina Yoon.   You can download a link to get Stormy Night wallpaper at Bloomsbury.  I can hardly wait for the release later this month of the Floppy toy at Merry Makers.

To celebrate these two books, I will be giving away a set along with the Floppy toy bunny.  Good luck.

Read On Read On Read

Each person stores away their sensory perceptions, what they see, hear, smell, taste, and touch, in ways unique to them.  Several people could discover the same thing but remember it differently; noting the color, texture, shapes, the time of day, the temperature inside or outside, a specific noise, or a pungent odor, giving one more importance than the other.  To me what is most meaningful is that they noticed.

When we stop, take the time, to use our senses we realize stories can be found in the simplest everyday events; many beyond our control.  This attention given to heeding those stories not only helps us to grow in appreciation but connects us to each other.  The final title in the Mock Caldecott unit in which Katherine Sokolowski, an educator in Monticello, Illinois and I are collaborating is Blue on Blue (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, December 2014) written by debut author Dianne White and illustrated by Caldecott Medal winner (The House in the Night, 2009) Beth Krommes.

Cotton clouds.
Morning light.
Blue on blue,
White on white.

As the sun rises starting a new day, a blue sky is patterned with clouds.  A young family awakens.  Children play outside as the light brightens.

As a front moves in, the clouds change in size and color.  Cool air rides on rising wind gusts.  A gloomy darkness descends.  Booming and flashing announce the rainfall.  It's an endless cloudburst of noise and wet.

As quickly as it starts, the downpour shifts to drops.  The change is so gradual you barely notice when it stops, but it does. There are glorious puddles and mud around every corner.  Jump! Roll!

As the last rays of a setting sun warm the yard, barn and surrounding land a family gathers together to head back home.  It's a full moon night with a few sparkling stars for companions.  Colors change as sleep comes to all.


When I read the words of Dianne White as she describes a single day from sunrise to wild weather to calm to sunset and into the night, I can feel Mother Nature's heartbeat.  Intertwined with this rhythm are the lives of a young farming family living near the seashore.  Their responses to the sudden summer storm are in complete harmony.

The technique of joining similar or identical words with the preposition "on" creates a beat throughout the story.  Thoughts are tied together with rhyming words at the end of lines and the repetition of words from line to line.  Spare, explicit text brings readers intimately into each moment.  Here is another example.

Dripping dropping.  Never stopping. (page turn)
Never stopping.  Dripping dropping.


It's as if we are peering through wildflowers as the idyllic scene of a small farm home, perched on a hill, enveloped by the sea, unfolds before us upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case. At first look one word comes to mind---stunning.  On the right Beth Krommes introduces us to the mother, her older daughter, their two dogs and a cat.  We see laundry hanging on the line.  On the left is a perfect extension of every element from the front forming a larger picture; the exception is the dark clouds, falling rain and waves on the water.  That special cornflower blue of sky reflected off water is the color for the opening and closing endpapers.  As if cupped in a reader's hands a small visual appears beneath the title; flowers in a garden, the cat, a jump rope, a watering can, an umbrella, a ball in a puddle of water and a single red rain boot.

Crossing the gutter a nearly two-page spread begins the story on the verso and dedication pages with one of the puppies looking outside into the yard through the screen door at the cat.  Laundry in a basket along with a bucket of clothes pins are ready as are the jump rope, ball, red tricycle and rain gear.  All of the twenty-two double-page illustrations and the three single page pictures rendered in scratchboard and watercolor by Beth Krommes heighten the poetic words of Dianne White.  Krommes' portrayal, her interpretation of the words, is nothing short of marvelous.

The fine lines of her artistic style create exquisite images rich in depicting the natural world within which the family resides on their farm.  She brings readers breathtaking panoramas of sea, sky and land, warm snapshots of daily life between the parents and their children, and the importance of the animals wild and domesticated.  Perspectives change from picture to picture or even within the same visual.  We may be looking down upon the house, barn, yard and pond with the farmer plowing to the right as if we are one of the horses on the hill.  We may be inside the girl's bedroom as she and the pups hide beneath the covers as the thunder booms and the lightning flashes.  Outside her window her father is bringing the horses to the barn.  No element is missing.  Layer upon layer of detail is present.

It's impossible to single out a favorite illustration.  The final two pictures for the words

Black on gold... (page turn)
on silver night.

are breathtaking.  The first is inside the barn with the mare feeding from a bucket as the colt is curled around the sleeping black cat.  Hues of brown and gold are defined with black, gray and white supplying cozy comfort.  Farm tools, the farmer's hat and gear for the horse are hanging on or leaning against the walls. Stars and a full moon fill the window.  Our focus then changes outside to the sea filled with rolling waves, a whale emerging to the surface.  Islands are shown in the distance.  To the left a cliff rises; steps formed in the side.  On the top is the house and barn of the family's farm.  A few clouds and stars are placed on the black sky.


The lyrical words of Dianne White enhanced by the artwork of Beth Krommes in Blue on Blue gives readers a truly beautiful book.  I can guarantee at least two things will happen when this book is read either by an individual reader or shared with a group.  First and foremost the elegance read and seen on every page will astound them into silence.  Secondly everyone will look at the visuals over and over noticing new elements each time.  I would plan on getting more than one copy.  You might like to compare this book to TAP TAP BOOM BOOM written by Elizabeth Bluemle with illustrations by G. Brian Karas.

If you wish to discover more about Dianne White or Beth Krommes please visit their websites by following the links embedded in their names.  They were both interviewed about this title at The Nonfiction Nook late last month.  Here is a link to an extensive interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by author Julie Danielson from several years ago about the artwork of Beth Krommes. Update:  Here is a guest post Dianne White did about this book at Cynsations, a blog hosted by author Cynthia Leitich Smith. 

I think everyone should have this title on their personal and professional shelves.  That's why I am giving away a copy.  Good luck!