An Appetite For Music

Being true to yourself is at times a difficult task.  You find yourself in the unenviable position of wondering how you will be perceived by your colleagues, friends, or family.  If you already happen to be a distinctive individual for other reasons beyond your control, this challenge is multiplied.

As the only Tyrannosaurus rex in her kindergarten classroom of eleven human children and one teacher named Mrs. Noodleman, Penelope struggles with her innate inclination to consume her classmates as evidenced in We Don't Eat Our Classmates (Disney Hyperion, June 19, 2018) written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins.  In the companion title, We Will Rock Our Classmates (Disney Hyperion, July 21, 2020) written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins, Penelope faces new concerns.  Her heart's desire is to be valued for everything she is, not just seen for her physical characteristics.

Penelope was the only
T. rex in her school.

Sometimes that made her
stand out a little.

Her classmates tended to only see a dinosaur in front of them.  Penelope was much more than a dinosaur.  She enjoyed playing, reading, and drawing.  Penelope held great affection for music.  Her greatest joy was to sing and play her guitar, rocking and rolling with abandon.

When Mrs. Noodleman announced the school talent show and left the sign-up sheet out for her students, Penelope was thrilled and apprehensive.  First, she was worried about going near Walter, the class goldfish with dubious intentions.  Second, she could not stop talking about the talent show at dinner with her parents in the evening.  Penelope lived and breathed rock and roll.

When it came time for the school rehearsal, all Penelope's joy vanished as students voiced what she feared most.  She could not perform.  Why did she ever think a dinosaur could be anything but a dinosaur?  At home that night, and the next day at school, Penelope withdrew in her despair.  She crossed her name off the list for talent show participants.

As an observant parent, Daddy Rex popped into Penelope's bedroom after school on the second day.  His words and the sharing of a family treasure worked magic on Penelope's sadness.  To Penelope's astonishment the next day her newfound courage was met with a surprise courtesy of a few classmates.  It's safe to say this talent show was unlike any talent show in Penelope's school's history, especially Walter's appearance.


The understated humor in each sentence written by Ryan T. Higgins will have you laughing before you even turn to the second page.  To add meaning, depth, and more comedy to his statements, he includes supporting dialogue.  Readers will appreciate the understanding shown by Ryan T. Higgins in assigning attributes and emotions to the color of Penelope's markers.  Ryan T. Higgins is also aware, as a parent of three children, how valuable it is to include elements in a narrative which might have more meaning for adults.  In particular, I am referencing the name of the band.  Here is a passage with Daddy Rex reading to Penelope all tucked in bed for the night.

She loved to read.

Good night, tasty moose,
all wrapped in baloney.
Good night, tasty goose,
with a side dish of pony.

Mmmm. Ponies! 


With the spotlight encircling Penelope on the stage, we know this kindergarten student is rocking her heart out.  It's fun to see her fellow classmates watching from the side of the stage in amazement.  Penelope and the title text are varnished.  The shades of teal fade in the background, as our attention is focused on the full color used for Penelope.  This is a technique Ryan T. Higgins employs throughout the book.  He will have settings lighten to hues of a single color, still replete with details and Easter eggs.  This brings the characters to the foreground.

To the left, on the back, of the dust jacket is a rectangular image.  It is an interior illustration of Penelope happily playing her guitar in her bedroom.  Surrounding this are praise statements for the first title.

Using white on a black background the bookcase reveals the outcome of the talent show.  A rainbow extends from the main element on the front to its right.  On the back a rainbow extends to the left of that main element.  The text will have you laughing out loud.  Please note the fine print!

On the opening and closing endpapers, a string is stretched from left to right across a yellow background.  A series of clothes pins attaches drawings, all different to the string.  They are children's artwork made for this book featuring each individual's talent.  On the title page, a drum set is placed to the right of the center.  On the larger drum are the initials GCH.  There are other initials and first names tucked into images in this book.

The illustrations rendered

using scans of treated clayboard for textures, graphite, ink, and Photoshop

are single-page pictures on a variety of backgrounds and settings.  When Penelope freezes on stage, the canvas goes black.  For emphasis there are several double-page pictures.  To further accentuate the emotional mood, our point of view shifts.  We are brought close to specific items.   Readers will be smiling repeatedly at all the facial expressions and body postures of Penelope and the other characters.

One of my many, many favorite pictures is a double-page picture.  It is the night of the talent show.  It is taking place in the gymnasium/auditorium.  The background elements, and many of the people are in hues of purple.  Closer to the front, the people are done in full color.  Can you recognize some of them?  On the left, gigantic and in full color, are Daddy Rex carrying a bouquet of flowers and Mommy Rex with a camera round her neck, along with her necklace.  On the far-right side is the stage.  Penelope and several classmates have pulled back the curtain and are surveying the crowd.  Walter is in his fishbowl on the stage with an unusual object standing upright in his bowl.  You can feel anticipation crackling in the air.


No matter how many times you read We Will Rock Our Classmates written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins, you'll find yourself smiling at every page turn.  The combination of words, and artwork provide consummate comedy with impeccable pacing. Amid the laughter readers along with Penelope will find we all are made of many qualities making us distinctively wonderful.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Ryan T. Higgins, you can follow the link attached to his name to access his website in progress.  Ryan T. Higgins has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Ryan T. Higgins also has some video episodes beginning with the one linked here on YouTube.  At the publisher's website are several activity sheets for you to download.  Ryan T. Higgins visits with author illustrator Jena Benton at her website about this title.  I know you will enjoy the video.

Feeling Those Groovy Vibrations

At times (or maybe all the time) people prefer to write in silence. For others the subject matter demands the playing and listening of a particular type of music or a collection of songs.  Perhaps these melodies awaken, inspire or enhance our imaginations and inventiveness.

Words given to us or words which enter our minds connect to our past experiences and the tunes bound to those moments.  It's as if there is a beat running through our blood waiting to be beckoned.  Rock 'N' Roll Soul (Abrams Books For Young Readers, May 15, 2018) written by Susan Verde (I Am Peace: A Book of Mindfulness Abrams Books for Young Readers, September 26, 2017) with illustrations by Matthew Cordell (The Only Fish In The Sea A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, August 15, 2017 and Caldecott Medal title Wolf In The Snow Feiwel and Friends, an imprint of Macmillan, January 3, 2017) introduces readers to a character who feels and finds a rhythm everywhere she goes.

I may not own a drum kit

or an electric guitar.

I might not have a keyboard

or a mic like a rock 'n' roll star.

This bundle of musical energy is always moving.  She is ready, willing and more than able to participate in the school talent show and she declares:

I've got a

Rock 'n' Roll

SOUL!

As she makes her way home at the end of the day, items discovered along the way become instruments to play.

When she walks through the door, a one-string guitar and a bowl and wooden spoon help her invent a tune.  Even the rain drops on the roof pulse with a special pitter-patter.  Which form of this tuneful art finds a special place in this gal's heart?

Her nighttime dreams are brimming with hip-hop, classical, blues and jazz crooning to her moods.  She can be as wild and loud as a rocker or as calm and quiet as a folk musician.  Every combination of notes vibrates within her.

Early morning tasks set the stage for the show.  Out the door she dances.  Walking down the hall to the auditorium she goes.  What will she do?  Only she knows because this girl has a . . .   

It's guaranteed you'll be dancing, singing, clapping or toe-tapping by the time you finish reading this rhyming poetic tale penned by Susan Verde.  Each couplet creates a cadence building toward a crescendo as the girl takes the stage.  (Using her as the narrator provides a more intimate atmosphere for all of us.) She is confident.  She is creative.  She knows exactly what to do and Susan Verde wants each reader to know, too.  Here are another two lines.

Keep it down?  Keep it quiet?
Oh, I can keep it soft . . .
but the music in my world NEVER shuts off.


Upon removing the dust jacket from the book and unfolding it, you can't stop yourself from smiling.  The exuberance of the girl portrayed on the front lets us know she is ready to, no; she is leaping into song and dance.  (The text and the girl are varnished.)  The use of primary colors (plus green) adds a special spark to the musical depictions.  To the left, on the back, one of the interior images is used.  The girl, left leg lifted and arms raised over her head, looks like a ballerina ready to twirl.  With eyes closed she is moving to the music heard through her headset.  A group of students are enjoying her performance.  The placement of the ISBN is pure perfection.

The book case is nearly identical to a different interior image.  More hues of red in the curtains are used for added warmth.  In front of a cheering student body the girl is bowing on the stage.  Eyes closed and smiling, her arms are outstretched.

The opening and closing endpapers are a shade of green seen in the title text.  Rendered in pen and ink and watercolor throughout, Matthew Cordell begins his illustrative story with the first page turn.  The girl is calmly strolling along listening to her music.  The notes in red, blue and yellow pour forth like a path around and in front of her.  Another two pages have the notes increasing as she is shown in six different poses grooving to the tunes.  Across the verso and title pages the trail of notes continues as she quietly walks beneath the title text.

Loosely framed in wide borders of white space Matthew Cordell uses single page, smaller images grouped together on a single page and bold, vibrant double-page pictures to present another layer of the narrative.  There is a lively quality to the students and the school in general.  On one of the walls is a large READ sign above the lockers.  On the inside of the main doors the words SCHOOL IS COOL are written.

Matthew adds sound effects to his illustrations as the girl makes her way through the day and evening and the next morning.  Several times he shifts the point of view bringing us close to her.  When she is dreaming about the various musical genres, black, white and gray are used except for her within the scene.  She is in full color as an orchestra conductor, blues singer alone on a stage within a spotlight, saxophone player strolling down a street with a band or as a folk singer.  Every single time you read this you will notice more of the intricate details included in each visual.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is when the girl is walking home from school.  On a single page Matthew has placed skyscrapers in the background on a sunny day.  We are close to the girl with her face in the foreground.  She is looking at us.  Her closed fist is moving quickly from left to right across her lower face.  Inside she holds pebbles making a Chikk-a, Chikk-a, Chikk-a sound.  We can't see her mouth but from her eyes we realize she must be smiling.


All readers will want to do after reading Rock 'N' Roll Soul written by Susan Verde with illustrations by Matthew Cordell is to read it again and again and then they will want to sing or dance or sing and dance.  Exhilaration radiates from the pages.  This book shouts out about being who you want to be.  This title would be wonderful to use in those numerous libraries participating in the Collaborative Summer Library Program 2018 whose theme is Libraries Rock!  You'll want to have a copy of this book on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Susan Verde and Matthew Cordell and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  You can get to Susan's blog through a link at her website.  Matthew's blog link is attached to his name.  Both Susan and Matthew have accounts on Twitter.  The book trailer premiered on (Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries) John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  You'll enjoy the interview questions and answers.  Susan is featured on Behind the Book.  I also had the distinct privilege to interview Susan in another post here.  Matthew is showcased on The Author Village and 24 Carrot Writing.  Enjoy the KitLit TV videos. 

The Best Of Friends Forever

She stood on all four legs on the console between the seats for nearly thirty minutes.  Her body leaned into mine as I drove carefully and slowly, her head, heavy from sedation, hung over my shoulder.  From time to time she would let out a low whimper or groan.  As soon as we arrived home, I carried her into the house placing her in her bed next to my desk.  She immediately fell into a deep sleep.  How she managed to stand next to me as she always does when riding in the car is a testament to her strength.  I am humbled by her loyalty.

My sixth month old puppy, a chocolate Labrador, Mulan swallowed a glove in mere seconds after a group of disc golfers came to pet her Sunday afternoon. It will remain a mystery how it happened.  I immediately took her to the emergency room where she was x-rayed and endured an endoscopy.  That she suffered this through no fault of her own breaks my heart but once again I have learned from a dog, my dog.

I have decided to honor Mulan's steadfastness with two books about the bond between a girl and her dog written by a woman I have never met but who shares my deep love for our canine creatures.  Penny & Jelly: The School Show (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July 7, 2015) written by Maria Gianferrari with illustrations by Thyra Heder is humorous and heartwarming.  It's friendship at its finest.

The Peabody Elementary School Talent Show was an annual tradition.
All of Penny's classmates were participating.

As soon as school was out that day, Jelly met Penny and helped her list those things at which she was most skilled.  It seemed Penny thought she was good at them but in practice a tuba really could sound awful, smashed fruit was not a good sign for a juggler, animals heading for the hills was a less-than-stellar indication of yodeling expertise, Jelly grabbing your "baton" ended a twirling session and wrapping a jump rope around your pooch pal was unacceptable.  Penny needed to find a talent and find it fast.

The twisted rope around Jelly gave her an idea.  Jelly was not happy with the results.  Agility as a ballroom dancer ended quickly.  (You don't need to hide under the bed, Jelly.)

When Penny tried to emulate Adelaide Hermann Jelly did not disappear in a cloud of ... flour.  The list of possibilities grew longer until Penny had to face facts.  After trying every single one, she was not a success at any of them.

A very dejected girl and her constant buddy hid in their sanctuary, her closet.  In no time at all Jelly had a great idea.  Like all her canine predecessors she voiced her opinion.  At the talent show a new honor was given.  Can you guess what it was?


Penny and Jelly return in their second adventure, Penny & Jelly: Slumber Under the Stars (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, June 14, 2016) written by Maria Gianferrari with illustrations by Thyra Heder.  These irrepressible and inseparable characters have a new difficulty to face.  Will a solution be found through teamwork?

"Hooray!" said Penny.
"Tomorrow is Sleepover Under the Stars Night, Jelly!"

That night Penny displayed constellations on her bedroom ceiling pointing out favorites.  They would look for these beneath a real sky the next night.  Penny's four friends were as thrilled by the sleepover as Penny when she called them the next morning.

When making a list of things to take Penny discovered a glaring predicament.  Number five was Jelly.  The sleepover invitation specifically said

(no pets allowed).

Each time she spoke to Jelly about this situation Jelly would reply

"Ruff-roo-roo.

If she couldn't take Jelly, Penny would have to make the next best thing.  This was a problem, too.  A

Paper Jelly

did not have a tongue for doggy kisses, fur for cuddling or a nose for sniffing.  Twelve more Jelly imitations were created and failed to even remotely resemble all the wonder found in the real Jelly.  Surely you too can see the problems with a Vegetable Jelly, a Pipecleaner Jelly or a Jelly Jelly.

As night settled over the neighborhood Penny needed to gather her gear and head to the sleepover, but she simply could not leave Jelly.  When your heart is in the right place, an answer will present itself.  Look, there's Sirius, the Dog Star!


With repeated readings of each book, it is abundantly clear Penny and Jelly are the kind of individuals every reader hopes will be their best friends.  Using a blend of narrative and dialogue, human and canine, Maria Gianferrari invites us to participate in the relationship between this effervescent, happy-go-lucky girl and her patient, faithful friend.  In each book Penny's thinking to herself and her lists are integrated into the story.  Each time a problem presents itself, she methodically works her way to a solution.  This girl does not give up!  Here are two sample passages, one from each book.

"Ooh! I'll be a doggy fashion designer," said Penny, "and you'll be my model!"
Penny rooted through her drawers.  
She cut.
She tied.
She painted. 
She pasted.
VOILA!
Jelly shook.
Jelly jiggled.
Jelly rolled.
Riiiip.


"Ruff-roo-roo," barked Jelly,
batting a ball of yarn.
"Yes! A yarn Jelly will be perfect!'
Penny knitted.
She looped.
She braided.
She hooped.
It sort of looked like Jelly,
but Yarn Jelly was too soft.
No click-clacking nails.
No wig-waggling tail.
A bit too frail.
This was not the real Jelly.


Upon opening the matching dust jacket and book case on both books readers are not only privy to the joy of a shared experience between a girl and her dog, but by looking to the left, on the back, we get hints of events to come.  On the first book we zoom in to see bits and pieces of materials used in crafting doggy fashion for Jelly.  On the second book it's an extension of the night scene in Penny's and Jelly's back yard.  Underneath a large tree are some other Jelly creations among invited guests. (That's all I am going to say.)  The opening and closing endpapers in book one are pale lavender.  On the opening and closing endpapers in book two we see a night sky with lines connecting the starry constellations.

The happiness continues on the title pages.  In the first Penny is standing in front of an easel as Jelly looks at her.  She is trying to think of a talent.  The cozy scene on the second title page is of Penny and Jelly lying on a blanket outside at night.  They are both gazing upward.

All the illustrations are rendered in watercolor, pencil and ink by Thyra Heder.   Her publication and dedication pages following the titles pages host a two page image closing in on the announcement for the talent show and then the sleepover.  The first is part of a bulletin board outside Penny's classroom.  The second is rolled up inside Penny's mailbox at home.  Jelly is peeking out the front window.  Penny has taped a small paw print to the mailbox.

Many of the images span two pages.  To provide pacing and show the thought processes several pictures may appear on a single page.  At times for emphasis Thyra will bring us close to the elements in the illustration.

The delicate lines, soft colors, facial expressions and body postures on both Penny and Jelly will endear readers to the story and the characters.  Penny and Jelly are portrayed both as delightfully typical and completely their own perfect individuals.  Readers will find humor over and over again.

One of my many favorite illustrations in book one is of Jelly all decked out in Penny's fabulous fashions.  It is on a single page.  She has a two-tone pink polka-dotted bow around her ears.  A boa is wound around her neck.  Two different colored socks are on her front paws.  Paper "fabric" hangs from her body.  A "dress" has been tied across her front shoulders.  All this coupled with the expression on her face will have you bursting out in laughter.

In book two one of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  The background is hues of blue and teal.  On the walls of Penny's bedroom constellations glow, spinning from a lamp she has in front of her on her bed.  Everything glows in these shades with sparkling stars.  Penny is sitting cross-legged on her bed pointing to the ceiling.  She is wearing lavender pajamas with paw prints on them.  Across from her Jelly is looking at the ceiling.  A couple of stars glow on her fur.


These two books, Penny & Jelly: The School Show and Penny & Jelly: Slumber Under the Stars written by Maria Gianferrari with illustrations by Thyra Heder are uplifting and utterly charming.  They clearly provide readers with the benefits of having a true friend; someone who will listen to you, offer suggestions and be the inspiration you need to solve problems.  I highly recommend both these books for your professional and personal bookshelves.  Dog lovers will read them over and over again.  Anyone who values friendship will love them too.  Laughter is guaranteed.

To learn more about Maria Gianferrari and Thyra Heder and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  There is a website dedicated to Penny & Jelly and their books.  You can access a Penny & Jelly Talent Show Kit here.  In 2015 the first title was highlighted at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's blog Watch. Connect. Read. with a chat between John and Maria.  Maria was also showcased at KidLit 411, at The Little Crooked Cottage (actually Jelly was interviewed) and on author Tara Lazar's blog, Writing For Kids (While Raising Them) in that year.  Thyra Heder was featured at Miss Marple's Musings in the summer of 2016 with process art and an interview.  Maria and the second book were highlighted at Writing For Kids (While Raising Them), Picture Book Builders and at author Cynthia Leitich Smith's Cynsations.