Handheld Hilarity 2

Undoubtedly, humans with canine or feline members in their families can agree on certain shared experiences.  The unconditional love of our furry friends, some shown more easily than others, is without question.  This love supplies us with an incomparable form of companionship.  Each dog or cat has their own unique personality regardless of their breed.  Their individual quirks generate an endless supply of joy and laughter.

Our social media accounts are filled with photographs of our dogs and cats in their most precious, to us and sometimes to others, moments.  In Bloop (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, July 6, 2021) written by Tara Lazar with illustrations by Mike Boldt, an extraterrestrial is sent to Earth to prove his worthiness.  Imagine his surprise at discovering the wonderful life enjoyed by its rulers.

Training to be the next ruler of Planet XYZ was hard work, Bloop tried to follow all the emperor's rules, regulations, and robots.

But . . .

Bloop made so many mistakes, he was issued an ultimatum. In one week, Bloop needed to become the supreme ruler of Earth.  It was his last hope.

Upon arrival, he quickly noticed fluff balls, dogs, were in charge.  Why else would the larger beings chase them, cuddle them, or scoop their poop?  He learned as much as possible about these creatures, but control of them seemed impossible.  An SOS to the Emperor on Planet XYZ gave him another option to pursue.

Bloop hid his floofers and engaged in doglike activities.  It was superb until he was snatched up by the royal guard (animal control).  At the facility he was attended by servants.  A small one decided she wanted Bloop to live with her.

If Bloop thought acting like a dog was superb, living in a home with these beings was superb plus.  His accomplishments did not go unnoticed by the emperor.  Bloop had decisions to make.  The most crucial one involved his new mission.  It was PURR-fect.

Author Tara Lazar is gifted in crafting clever comedy.  In this story, she takes what we accept as ordinary and gives it a twist.  The perspective of Bloop, a visitor from another planet, is hilarious with a capital H.  Dogs rule this world!  To him fire hydrants are identical to robots on his planet.  He delights as a dog in giving them their due.  Furthermore, Tara Lazar has him view Earth as a realm.  Squirrels are commoners, and his new family are loyal subjects, a lady-in-waiting, a footman, and a very small servant.  Text and dialogue are used to excellent effect.  Here are two passages.

Bloop had plenty of gourmet nourishment and squishy, squeaky gizmos.

He realized these were for calling the servants.

A small, sticky one approached.

"Oh, Mommy, him, him,

him. PUHLEEZE?

"Let's see . . . must be a rare breed," said

the lady-in-waiting.  "Yes, let's take him!"

The open and matching dust jacket and book case tell an interesting tale.  To the left, on the back, on a green background similar to the color of Bloop is a spacecraft.  It has crashed into the dirt, sideways.  The hatch is open.  Leading from the vehicle are paw prints.  When you pair this with the front, on the right, the floofers are the finishing-touch clue as to Bloop's origin.  Look at the faces on the dogs!  Bloop and the text are varnished on the jacket.

On the opening endpapers Bloop, inside his spacecraft, is zooming through space in various positions.  Moons, comets, planets, and stars in a dark sky are his only comfort.  On the closing endpapers, Bloop is enjoying the life of a dog.  Tucked in the upper, right-hand corner is the Animal Control truck.  These images are placed on a bright yellow canvas.

On the title page, looking like a conquering hero, Bloop is front and center.  He is standing tall on planet Earth, leaning forward.  In his right paw he holds a large light-colored flag.  There the title is placed.

These digital images by Mike Boldt were created using

Painter and Photoshop.

They are a vivid, full-color collection of double-page pictures, smaller vignettes, and single-page visuals.  They are as lively as the characters with expressive facial features and body postures.  You can't resist smiling or laughing out loud.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page image.  It is on an orange canvas with a splash of bright yellow in the center.  Bloop was hoping his gathered treasures (dog toys) would ease him into the spot of ruler of planet Earth.  Instead, three dogs race around him, charge and grab at the toys, covering him in dog slobber.  They are blissfully happy, he is not.

If you are looking for laughter and a fresh perspective on the way of dogs on planet Earth, Bloop written by Tara Lazar with artwork by Mike Boldt is the title for you.  Not only does the humor flow freely through the combination of words and illustrations, but it offers us a means to ponder how the same thing can be seen differently.  You'll want a copy of this book for your professional and personal collections to add loads of humor to a story time.

To learn more about Tara Lazar and Mike Boldt and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Tara Lazar has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  Mike Boldt has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The cover reveal and book trailer premiere were hosted by librarian, lecturer at Rutgers University, and writer John Schumacher on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  Tara Lazar and this title are showcased at Rhys Keller's site, Jena Benton's site, and at Laura Roettiger Books.

If you are a dog person, your experience tends to be limited with cats.  You rely on your cat-person friends' stories to inform you about their behaviors. And then, there are all those sleepovers with girlfriends and waking up to find the one's cat always sleeping on your head.  That particular tactic was puzzling to everyone, except for the cat.  Cat Problems (Random House Studio, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, August 3, 2021) written by Jory John with illustrations by Lane Smith explores the mind and attitude of at least one cat.  Or is it all cats?

Where's that sunbeam going?

HEY!

SUNBEAM!

GET BACK HERE!

Unfortunately, the sunbeam continues to move, and nineteen hours of sleep have been interrupted.  From this moment, events get worse.  The food dish is empty.  And another cat cannot remove itself fast enough from not one, but three special spots this cat, our protagonist, claims.

Bath time is necessary . . . alone if at all possible.  A box provides a temporary distraction and possible napping place.  Suddenly, a loud sound roars through the house.  It is clearly upsetting.  Wow! It's time to skedaddle to safety!  Threats are made.

The cat with problems believes it needs to leave this disaster of an existence.  Its frustrations are escalating.  It roams from space to space not satisfied with anything. Soon it sits on the top of a chair wishing and watching a squirrel on the outside.  The squirrel proceeds to give the cat a very complete lecture on its backward thinking.  The cat in turn wishes the window screen was gone for just enough time to grab that squirrel.

Feeling bored out of its mind, the cat does what cats do best.  

Mraowww!

is spoken over and over and over again.  Initial results are not as desired.  Again, the meowing is raised to a din.  A peak point in an otherwise dull day is reached.  And then . . .here we go again.

Telling this story through the first-person (cat) voice doubles the hilarity.  Every nuance of this cat's day is vocalized through the spot-on words selected and written by Jory John.  This cat finds fault with everything!  What pushes the humor over the top is the squirrel's speech and the cat's response.  Here is a passage.

sniff

sniff

sniff

Wait, why did I just sniff

that catnip toy?

Sheesh.

Now I'll be awake all night!

Goodness gracious.

Why can't I stop smelling this shoe?

I have to stop.

Still . . . it's intriguing.

What is it about

this shoe?

Is this what the 

OUTSIDE

smells like?

The matching dust jacket and book case begin the mirth found throughout this book.  Even though this cat is pleased with the box, for a split second, it looks stunned by its ho-hum life.  Even relieving its stress by clawing several letters in the title text does not work.  To the left, on the back, the background is covered in rows of 

Mraowww!

The narrator, only neck and head visible, is yowling from the bottom of the image.  Its displeasure is highly evident. 

The opening and closing endpapers mirror boards (or fabric) scratched with vertical lines spaced close together.  (You will see this pattern again.)  On the title page, the cat is snoozing in the sunbeam beneath the text. For most of the book, the color palette seen on the jacket, case, endpapers, and title page remains the same with pops of vibrant hues for the other cat, the vacuum incident, a portion of the living room, and the catnip toy.

These visuals by artist Lane Smith 

created in oil paint mixed with cold wax and digitally in Procreate

ask readers to reach out and touch them.  We believe we can feel the torn places in the title letters, the warmth of the sunbeam, the fur on the cats, the roughness of the cat's tongue, the surface of the box and foil ball, and cloth of the catnip toy.  We are offered various perspectives depending on the size of the illustration; these elevating the narrative.  

Full-page pictures, half-page pictures, horizontally and vertically, sometimes crossing the gutter to become larger, collected squares to portray panic, and a few double-page images give the story excellent continuity.  The eyes on the two cats and the squirrel send the humor soaring.  They reveal a range of emotions.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a half-page image.  The cat is on its back.  Its tail is curled and its back legs are straight up.  One arm, the left, is next to its side.  The other paw is holding a foil ball and resting it on its stomach.  Its eyes look a little crazed.  The words say:

I gotta get out

of this house.

Whether you are a cat lover or not, this book, Cat Problems written by Jory John with illustrations by Lane Smith, will have you howling with laughter due to the veracity on every page.  The words and art form a story time treasure.  No personal or professional bookshelves would be complete without a copy of the title.

To learn more about Jory John and Lane Smith and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the link attached to their name.  (I don't just say this as routine.  You will be pleasantly surprised by what authors and illustrators include on their websites.  You might want to start with Lane Smith.)  Jory John has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.

Do The Math

When a book title signals the presence of wordplay, it declares to the reader humor is sure to follow.  This is an equation no one can resist.  These two elements plus a misleading mystery add up to a captivating escapade.

 If you multiple this by dynamic artwork, the volume you hold in your hand might be the new collaboration by author Tara Lazar and illustrator Ross MacDonald.  7 ATE 9: THE UNTOLD STORY (Disney Hyperion, May 16, 2017) is guaranteed to have readers calculating the odds of a numerical riddle resolution.  Let's start compiling the facts.

I was dozing in my chair when an urgent banging on my office door bolted me awake.

Private I watches as 6 races into his office, panic vibrating over every curve.  This guy figures his life span is about to be shortened.  He hears 7 is following him (and not in the usual way).

9 is missing; presumably consumed by 7.  It's only a matter of time before 6 gets gobbled up too.  Private I leaves the premises to stroll the streets, conduct some interviews and solve this problem.

8 is absolutely no help fleeing in fear.  A chat at the local diner, Cafe Uno, confirms the word 6 heard.  In speaking with 11 the first crack in the code of this case appears.  Moving from the docks back uptown Private I sees someone who changes the entire focus of the investigation.

Rushing back to his office he discovers the answer.  A heated conversation and new arrivals confirm his results.  In the end numbers simply can't lie.


The clever narrative penned by the equally clever Tara Lazar reads like the old crime dramas on television with the detective acting as the teller of the current tale.  This first person voice blended with dialogue gives the story an authentic you-are-there impression.  The puns and homonyms are hilarious with their mathematical (and other) references.  Here is a sample passage.

As a Private I, I'm used to his type---
numbers.  They're always stuck in a problem.
But I knew about this 7 fella.  He was odd.

"Take it easy, 6," I said.  "What's 7 up to?"

"Word on the street is that 7 ate 9!
And now he's after me," said 6.

"Well, technically, he's always after you."
I said.  "There's 5, then 6, then 7."

"See, that proves it!"


The image on the right of the matching dust jacket and book case moves over the spine to the left, on the back.  The sight of the hungry utensil-carrying 7 chasing 9 down the sidewalk certainly gets your attention.  With Private I, on the back, leaning against a lamp post with these words

Why is 6 afraid of 7?

it's fairly easy for readers to draw the obvious conclusion but...is it?

The opening and closing endpapers are like an investigative case board.  Across the two pages are fourteen labeled pictures of numbers and places in the city.  The captions offer clues and commentary.  On the title page a shadowy 9 is over the door to Private I's office.  His name above an eye is AL F. BET.  

Rendered using colored pencils, watercolors and 19th-century wood type, then composed digitally using Photoshop the illustrations by Ross MacDonald enhance the overall mood, time and place of the story.  All the details point to an earlier era.  Most of the images extend across two pages focusing our attention on the characters and their highly animated features.  Can you spot the tiny character in the detective's office?

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Private I stops for a piece of pi at the Cafe Uno.  The sign reads:

TODAY'S SPECIALS
Pi---------$3.14

On a plate is a piece of pi in the shape of the symbol for pi.  The waitress B is placing a big scoop of ice cream on the plate.  The diner counter, stools and black and white checked floor are a step back in time as is the attire on B.  Private I in pink and waitress B in green contrast nicely.


The pairing of Tara Lazar and Ross MacDonald for 7 ATE 9: THE UNTOLD STORY is ideal.  Her words and his artwork work beautifully to convey a sense of mystery, mathematics, fun and detective drama of days from the past.  Read it aloud as often as you can.  Be sure to have a copy on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To discover more about Tara Lazar and Ross MacDonald and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access informative websites.  At this additional link to a page on Tara's website you can find more about this title.  Scholastic Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher, premiered the book trailer on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.

Quintessential Quirkiness

We go about our days expecting certain things to stay true to a pattern.  When they deviate, depending on the size of the difference, our reactions will vary accordingly.  As an educator standing in the hallway each morning as the buses unload and students walk down the halls to lockers and classrooms, most of the gals and guys will be carrying a backpack and wearing clothing in keeping with the current weather, particular season, the latest fad and the dress code.

There is nothing quite so fine as seeing one student who stands out in the crowd looking like they are ready for spirit week when it's months away or has already passed.  Their courage in expressing their individuality is a cause for cheering.  That I smile at them in admiration is a given.  Inside I am dancing with glee.

In Normal Norman (Sterling Children's Books, March 1, 2016) written by Tara Lazar with illustrations by S. Britt an orangutan is the object of intense scrutiny by a junior scientist, who also happens to be the narrator of the story.  She is in pursuit of a theory.  Step by meticulous step she is determined to complete her task.

Hello and welcome to "Normal Norman."

This is my first time narrating a book.

I'm a bit nervous.  I hope it goes well.

My assignment today is to clearly

define the word NORMAL.

An initial examination of Norman seems to indicate his attributes are consistent with other members of his species.  That assessment lasts for mere minutes when Norman consumes an entire pizza and looks at an offered banana with disgust.  Norman further upsets the status quo by actually speaking in English.  What kind of orangutan does that?  

He definitely does not want to sleep near a cave in a jungle either.  Taking the top on a bunk bed is more to his liking.  He also must have Mr. Scruffles; his toy stuffed anteater that our resolute narrator believes refers to his family.  She is stunned to discover Norman's love for Mr. Scruffles.  Her attempts at defining normal are in a shambles.  It's time to regroup.

When Norman's pal slithers into the room, the junior scientist is flabbergasted.  Her introduction of a more suitable friend is the final act causing Norman to escape from this fiasco as quickly as possible.  Dedicated investigator that she is our narrator follows Norman as he enjoys one exciting pastime after another.  Dune buggies?

Despondent at her failure to demonstrate normal, she breaks down in tears.  Tender-hearted Norman offers to help in the resolution of her presentation.  The results are not what you would normally expect.  They're better.

Page turn after page turns Tara Lazar builds her narrative beginning with cheerfulness backed by the firm assumptions of what defines normal.  As Norman breaks these preconceptions one by one the frustration felt by the junior scientist is escalated by specific words choices along with the addition of conversational exchanges between the two.  The disparity between what she believes to be true and how Norman really is generates lots of humor.  Here is a sample passage.

Just a second, Norman.

Who are you talking to?

My best buddy.

Your friend?  You cannot be friends.

You are natural enemies in the wild!

This is exceptionally strange.

Most.  Certainly.  Not.  Normal!

Drawn and painted by hand, then assembled digitally the illustrations throughout are composed using a blend of secondary colors giving the book a feel of joyfulness.  Norman and the junior scientist on the matching front dust jacket and book case start with an eager appreciation of each other.  To the left, on the back, surrounded by a frame of jungle leaves Norman is holding her as she takes notes for her assignment.

S. Britt uses a white background on the opening and closing endpapers extending the beginning and conclusion of the story with two large visuals.  On the first spot color is more prevalent.  On the second full color announces a shift in perspective.

The mixture of images sizes, single page, double page and smaller insets grouped on a page, flow flawlessly.  When Norman speaks the text is placed in an array of bright-hued speech bubbles.  The junior scientist's idea of normal is reinforced by labels on specific items.  Facial expressions on Norman, the junior scientist, the head scientist and all of Norman's friends leave no doubt as to the current mood of each.  Each of these details increase the pure fun of the illustrations.  You will find yourself smiling or laughing on every single page.

One of my favorite images is one of two on a single page.  Norman is buzzing through the clouds wearing a dual-rocket jet jack, a helmet with the initial N on the front and goggles.  Two seagulls are keeping him company on the right.  On his left side in the background is a small biplane flown by the junior scientist with the head scientist riding behind her.  When I see the grin on Norman's face I can't help but laugh out loud.

Normal Norman written by Tara Lazar with illustrations by S. Britt is a delightful journey of discovery in defining normal.  It's a tribute to being your best self, no matter what that is.  Plan on requests for read it again, especially if you use different voices for Norman and the junior scientist.  

To discover more about Tara Lazar and S. Britt and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  This link takes you to the most recent post about this title at Tara Lazar's website. It includes interior illustrations and an activity kit.  A blog tour is in progress beginning at Poetry for Children.   The tour is full of interviews and wonderful extensions like the one found at This Picture Book Life.  Enjoy!

UPDATE:  March 2016 Here's another interview of Tara Lazar at Geek Club Books. 

Be Aware Of These Bears And Their Books Part I

An unexpected encounter with them puts our lives in danger.  They are the largest land carnivore on our planet.  They are ferocious but generally shy and when observed from a safe distance intriguing. When seen in a toy shop, we select them to become cherished friends.  In 2002 a centennial celebration marked their creation.

In literature, as characters, we laugh at their antics, marvel at their insights and ingenuity and more times than not make room in our hearts for what they represent. As 2015 comes to a close there are five titles featuring bears I would like to highlight in two separate posts.  I Thought This Was A Bear Book (Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, August 4, 2015) written by Tara Lazar with illustrations by Benji Davies gives readers a peek at the potential for problems when books fall from a shelf.

Once upon a time there were three bears.
Zark! Zoot! Zinder!
DOING  WHOOSH  CLANG 

A spacecraft crashes into the woods normally populated by residents from the land of fairy.  A green being has lost his book and needs to return to Planet Zero.  No one is more surprised by this turn of events than Papa, Mama and Baby Bear.

Prince Zilch is panic-stricken at his plight.  He needs to return to page twenty-seven immediately.  These berry-picking bears, who are sick of eating porridge, are unfortunately more interested in exploring his other-worldly vehicle.  Their fumbling fixes any chance Prince Zilch has of leaving on schedule.  Both the alien and largest bear appeal to the reader for help.  As luck would have it you-know-who, the girl with the golden hair, arrives.

With only certain items on hand, chairs, beds and busted bits, the bears do their best to assist the royal visitor out of their story.  Nothing seems to work.  As parents snooze, Baby Bear proposes a plan.  It might work.  WHOA!  Now look what we've done!


With a talent for fracturing fairy tales Tara Lazar very quickly alters the norm by introducing a character from a different galaxy...er...story.  His language is easy to understand although he does tend to favor the letter z.  Told entirely in dialogue between the characters and at times directed at the reader, humor is prevalent.  The use of alliteration adds to the buoyant cadence.  Here is a sample passage.

Papa Bear Well, maybe you can bounce out of the book using our beds.
Goldilocks Jeesh, can't a girl get some shut-eye around here?


Digitally rendered using an array of hues, leaning toward secondary colors, Benji Davies introduces the characters on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case.  He peaks our curiosity as to the importance of the open books with familiar faces looking from and leaving the pages.  To the left, on the back, Papa, Mama and Baby Bear are walking away from us toward the berry bushes.  Prince Zilch is zooming past with his signature pink cloud trailing behind his spaceship.

One of the shades of green from the bears' book is used on the opening and closing endpapers.  A page turn shows a child leaving a book case as books slip from position and fall to the floor.  An alien vehicle zooms from one into Goldilocks & The 3 Bears.  On the verso and title pages the image from the back of the jacket and case is extended with an enlarged book on the left.

Picture sizes vary from two pages to single pages and to several on a single page.  Many of them have rounded corners with white space acting as a frame.  The dialogue is placed in colorful balloons of pink, yellow, orange and two shades of blue depending on who is speaking.  Plan on laughing out loud at the details Davies adds to enhance the story.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  First the alien and then Papa Bear are talking directly to the reader.  The fallen spaceship is behind them.  Behind the vehicle Baby Bear and Mama Bear are smiling and waving at a busload of tourists who have stopped to take their pictures as if they are bears in a national park.  I dare you not to smile.

I Thought This Was A Bear Book written by Tara Lazar with illustrations by Benji Davies is definitely a bear book filled with fractured fairy tale fun.  It's a tribute to the power of story and those who read them.  To discover more about Tara Lazar and Benji Davies please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Tara Lazar includes a teacher's guide and fun activities as well as links to other posts about this book.  At the publisher's website you can view three additional interior images.  



Readers were and will continue to be enchanted with the father and son duo and their winding adventures in The Bear's Song and The Bear's Sea Escape.  In a third title, The Bear's Surprise (Chronicle Books, September 15, 2015) written and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud spring has sprung.  Roles are reversed as Papa Bear seems to have vanished.

Deep in the forest, Little Bear awakens to the sounds of spring.  Outside his cozy den, birds are chirping, animals are scurrying, and Little Bear smells the sweet scent of flowers.

Little Bear's joy at the shift in the seasons is short-lived as he notices his father is absent.  Could he be near the yellow glow beyond the trees?  The shining sun lights the way along an unexplored trail.

Within mere minutes Little Bear is standing in front of a large hole in a hillside.  Could this lead him to Papa?  It's a huge, huge cave filled with beings from fantasy, now and the past.  Oh!  What's this?

How did Little Bear get into a washing machine?  Who are all these creative creatures and people straight from the realm of whimsy?  Little Bear rushes toward a large red tent.  He thinks he spies Papa Bear's behind.  A crowd has gathered and is making their way toward seats.  Suddenly the lights are lowered.

Papa Bear and Little Bear are making magic with their planned and unplanned performances.  The watchers cheer and applaud as Little Bear soars higher and higher.  He flies.  He lands.  He leans.  Oh. ... This is indeed a surprise, a wonderful gift of spring.


Carefully written sentences, brimming with descriptive adjectives and verbs, place readers squarely in the bears' world.  Benjamin Chaud repeatedly asks readers questions, inviting them to turn the pages closely following Little Bear.  Punctuation asks us to pause and ponder his next move.  Here is a sample passage.

Little Bear darts through a collection of quirky clowns, costumed cats, and other curiosities until he spots something behind a great red curtain.  Isn't that Papa Bear's fuzzy brown bottom?  With three quick hops, Little Bear enters the circus tent.  What will he find?


The muted earth tones seen on the matching dust jacket and book case are used by Benjamin Chaud throughout the book.  The fine lines, multitude of details and fascinating characters are his signature style for these bear books.  To the left, on the back, a small oval image amid a golden yellow background foreshadows the surprise.  A similar hue colors the opening and closing endpapers acting as a canvas for a pattern of large white stars.  On the opening right side Baby Bear is seen flying through the air wearing a circus hat.

Beginning with the title page Chaud starts his new technique for this title.  Each two pages contain one or more cut-outs encouraging us join Little Bear.  You will marvel at their placement.  The exquisite intricacy of the elements placed in each two-page illustration will take your breath away.

One of my favorite pictures is when Little Bear goes into the hole in the hillside and enters the cave.  All the passages and little rooms are amazing.  They are filled with creatures you might expect to see; foxes, moles and a skunk.  There is a tiny yellow submarine exploring in the water.  A creature from the age of dinosaurs hangs from the ceiling as bats flit from place to place.  People from the past and present have made their homes here.  You will gasp when you spy two memorable fictional characters.


The Bear's Surprise written and illustrated by Benjamin Chaud is another stunning title in the series.  Readers of all ages will read this over and over looking for new items on every page.  At the publisher's website three more images can be viewed.  Even though this book trailer is in French you can get a closer peek at some of the pictures.  It's also interesting to see the dust jacket used for the French version.





As she did in Inside Outside and Flashlight Lizi Boyd asks us to expand our inventive nature in her newest title.  Big Bear Little Chair (Chronicle Books, October 6, 2015) is a book of concepts.  Opposites combine, two characters' lives intertwine.

Big Bear
little chair
Big Plant
little cocoon

A bird, a zebra, a butterfly, and an elephant are paired with a trick, a rock, a broom and an umbrella.  Is that a star and the moon?  Little Bear is as surprised as Big Bear to see the size of his chair.

What do an owl, a meadow, a lion, a sea, a rabbit and a forest have in common?  They are all matched with little things.  Most are normal, but one is quite extraordinary.  Ahhh....now Big Bear and Little Bear are together next to a little chair (and a big chair).

Another item has been added to the comparisons.  We read from big to little and finally to tiny.  Who's driving the little bus?  What's near the big seal?  Who's walking through the little village in the big snowstorm?  Tales are told.  There are bears in chairs too.


Lizi Boyd divides the book into four sections.  Within the first three she includes six comparisons.  The attention of readers is guaranteed with her ingenious selections.   With each page turn we wonder if we will see an owl on a branch or a zebra with a broom.


Red, white, black and gray are the only colors Lizi Boyd uses in this title.  The red is extended on the dust jacket and book case to the back on the left.  The circles used to hold the title text on the front frame pictures of an owl, an elephant and a turtle on the back.  The endpapers are done in two shades of gray, each with a different graphic design.

A variety of shapes are featured in each single page visual.  Rendered in gouache the lines range from delicate to precise.  Careful readers will notice how the expressions change on Big Bear and Little Bear as the book progresses.  Each animal showcased in the images is content and smiling.

One of my favorite pictures is for big meadow and little salamander.  The flowers in the meadow are done primarily in gray with added details in black on a white background.  The lines are extremely intricate.  Tucked in at the bottom is a small bright red salamander.

Big Bear Little Chair written and illustrated by Lizi Boyd is many things in one.  The graphic designs are impeccable.  The size and shape of the book is perfect for the intended audience.  To learn more about Lizi Boyd please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  At the publisher's website are three more interior images.  Lizi Boyd wrote a blog post at Chronicle Books about this title.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Icy Encounters

There are still forty-one days until the December solstice but a chill is in the air, trees are nearly bare of leaves and needles, and snow is staying on the mountain tops.  It's a time to gather wood for cozy fires, check furnaces and gas fireplaces, take wool blankets and flannel sheets out of storage, and locate mittens, hats and scarves.  Poles, snow shoes, sleds, snowboards, skis and ice skates move from the back corners of sheds and garages to the front.

We all watch and wait for the snow to fall deeper and deeper.  We all watch and wait for those chilly temperatures to turn our water wonderlands into frozen stages for our skating dances and games.  In the realm of fairy tales and nursery rhymes the residents are as eager as we to shift into another season.  Little Red Gliding Hood (Random House, October 27, 2015) written by Tara Lazar with pictures by Troy Cummings follows a familiar girl among a cast of well-loved characters as she searches for a way to win.

It was winter, and the river winding through the enchanted forest was frozen solid.  A girl raced down to the river's edge and laced up her skates.

As she moves with the same grace as swallows on currents of air, we can easily see why the people have named her Little Red Gliding Hood.  She looks at her skates wondering how she will continue going to her Grandma's house every Sunday.  They are falling apart at the seams and too small.  Up ahead a group has gathered around a proclamation banner.

It's an announcement for a skating competition.  The winner will receive a pair of new skates. Little Red has to win.  Little Red knows she can win.  Little Red needs a partner but everyone already has someone or they have more excuses than Jack has frost.

Flying as fast as her feet will go to avoid the Big Bad Wolf Little Red arrives at her grandmother's cottage.  Her suggestions of the Gingerbread Man and Baby Bear won't work; too fast and Goldilocks snagged the little cub first.  As luck would have it, The Three Little Pigs were Grandma's new neighbors.

Someone was not too happy to hear Little Red utter

"Little pigs, little pigs, let me in!"

Someone started skating with purpose in pursuit.  Little Red raced across the ice but her skates could not take the strain.  One left her foot as she toppled toward the ice.  With outstretched arms the wolf, the big bad one, caught her.

Displaying all the gallantry of Prince Charming, this waltzing wizard on ice pays Little Red a compliment.  What?!  This is beyond her comprehension and her knowledge of this cunning creature.  It does give her an idea though.  This idea grows until it becomes a plan; a plan which turns into a day everyone in attendance will remember, especially the couple wearing new skates skimming along the frozen river into the sunset.


The four sentence introduction to the title page is our prelude to the skillful use of rhyme, repetition and alliteration by author Tara Lazar.  With her words our world fades away; replaced by the enchanted forest.  With ease the persons and animated items from classic children's literature find a new home in her spin on this timeless tale.  Here are a couple of sample sentences.

Little Red's skates were worn-in and worn-out, no longer snow white, and a little too tight.
She frowned at the creases and crumples.

Old MacDonald slipped and fell.
E-I-E-I-ouch!


When you first see Little Red gliding in her hood on the ice you know she's in her element.  This gal loves to skate.  You also believe she's oblivious to trouble lurking in the woods along the river.  To the left, on the back and behind her, are folk from nursery rhymes and fairy tales, The Three Blind Mice, Humpty Dumpty, one of The Three Little Pigs, The Queen of Hearts and one of the Seven Dwarfs.  They are wearing winter attire and a variety of expressions.

On the opening and closing endpapers Troy Cummings has placed snowy evergreens and snowflakes in a pattern of blues and diamonds.  The following double-page spread gives readers an overview of the enchanted forest with the river winding around a gingerbread house, castles, The Three Bears, Little Bo-Peep and her sheep, a beanstalk rising into the clouds, a golden braid of hair draped down the side of a tower, and other icons we know.  This takes us to the close-up of Little Red, cape billowing out behind her holding the title text, on the second double-page image.

Cool hues with an array of vivid shades color the illustrations in all shapes and sizes throughout this title. Cummings may zoom-in to perfect a point in the narrative or give us a larger perspective to increase our understanding of Little Red's world.  He crosses the gutter flawlessly with the river or inside Grandma's cozy abode.  We pause to look at the details he cleverly includes.

One of my favorite pictures is of the skating competition.  The crowd of characters on the ice is brightly portrayed.  On the outside the spectators are outlined in blue and shaded in pastels.  It works very well drawing our eyes first to the inside where we see oodles of charming friends from books we love. When a boy cries

WOLF!

he surrounds that word in pink.  The wolf looks quite debonair in his clothing.


Little Red Gliding Hood written by Tara Lazar with pictures by Troy Cummings is fractured fairy tale fun during any season but it's absolutely perfect for the winter months.  As the words are read or heard heads will nod knowingly when they hear familiar names.  You will want to have all those other rhymes and tales ready so readers can enjoy them and this title again and again.  You might want to do a comparison with Little Red and the Very Hungry Lion and Ninja Red Riding Hood.

To learn more about Tara Lazar and Troy Cummings and their work please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites.  Tara Lazar has several blog posts dedicated to this title.  The link is here.  At the publisher's website you can view the endpapers, introduction and title pages.  Little Red is interviewed at The Little Crooked Cottage. 

Trapdoor Shopping

Has the silent solitude of your life vanished?  Do your most prized possessions frequently get moved around or disappear?  Are your nighttime dreams constantly disturbed?  Are you usually blamed for happenings in which you had no part?  If you answered yes to these questions, it appears you are being haunted and taunted by a downright, annoying younger brother or sister.

As you will have duly noted by now, it does no good to point out the lack of fairness in any of these situations to your parents.  This state of affairs calls for drastic, clandestine action.  You need to read The Monstore (Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division) by debut author, Tara Lazar with illustrations by James Burks.

At the back of Frankensweet's Candy Shoppe, under the last box of sour gum balls, there's a trapdoor.

This is no normal trapdoor...oh no, sirree.  Entrance is only granted after the exchange of a secret code and certain sweet treats.  You are now in a shop like none other; a shop filled with fabulous, handy dandy monsters.

With little sister, Gracie, pushing Zack to his wit's end, it's time to make a purchase.  Manfred should scare her silly, ending her prying and spying.  Well, that backfires royally.  To Zack's dismay the manager of The Monstore informs him there are no returns, no exchanges.  

Maybe another monster will be the ticket to success.  Mookie is sent out into the sleeping household so Zack can get an uninterrupted good night's rest.  Two monsters plus one energetic little girl put a quick end to that plan.

Back at the monster market, Manfred and Mookie in tow, the manager utters his standard reply to Zack's total frustration.  When the manager again recommends another freakish fiend, Zack decides to give Mojo a whirl.  But that girl, that irresistible (to the monsters), irritating (to Zack) bundle of female impishness, wins herself another friend.

This scenario happens so often, Zack's bedroom is a tad overcrowded, leaving him no choice but to head down to the basement.  Prepare to be amazed by the night's further revelations.  And, of course, there is the problem with what to do with all those monsters.


There's something rich and rare about the cadence created by the words Tara Lazar has selected to tell this story.  She cleverly captures the interplay of an older brother and his younger sister plus all the marvelous monsters who seem to delight in doing the exact opposite of their intended purpose.  Increasing the playfulness for readers is the repetitious reply of the manager and his rhyming suggestions.  The mix of narrative and dialogue is polished, flawless.


With a single glance, opening the matching jacket and cover, readers know they're about to enter into fiendish frolic; those wide eyes, goofy grins, lighted (and bitten) marquees and still more eyes peering out from the dark, say "come on in".  The first page done in eerie glowing greens in a shadowy room, a single arm outstretched holding the secret treat as the trapdoor raises, sets the stage for the next two-page spread; the store filled with monsters galore in all shapes, sizes and bright colors, all googly eyed.  The small, wiry manager, with balding head, tufts of hair sticking out, bushy eyebrows, sly toothy grin, dressed in vest and bow tie, is the ultimate image of trickster shopkeeper.

By alternating the size of the illustrations, the perspective and extending the elements beyond the frame, James Burks compliments and amplifies the narrative.  For example, in interpreting the text The kind that glow in the dark, he pictures a little girl reading under her blanket at night, stuffed animals sharing her space as a hairy purple monster's single, large, shining eye arches above her head.   Details accentuate the fun factor; the clock in Zack's bedroom, when all the racket wakes him up, shows it's 3:37 AM, Gracie's pigtails standing straight up on her head,  Zack in a welder's helmet with tongs getting rid of the scariest thing, and the bulging house with the monsters' antics in abundance.


Be prepared for requests of repeated readings of The Monstore written by Tara Lazar with pictures by James Burks.  It's absolutely golden when read aloud.  You also might want to stock up on bags of a particular wiggly, jiggly kind of snack, just in case someone you know is thinking of visiting a shop specializing in monsters.

This is a link to an earlier sketch James Burks did for the cover.  John Schumacher at Watch. Connect. Read. interviews Tara Lazar.  At Design of the Picture Book, Carter Higgins interviews both the author and the illustrator about this title.  Inkygirl the blog of Debbie Ridpath Ohi interviews Tara Lazar and James Burks about the process for creating this book.  At the publisher website are three activity sheets to use with this title.  Links embedded in the author and illustrator names above are to their official websites.  Update:  There is now a teacher's guide to accompany this title.