Seeking Sanctuary

This summer there is an abundance of wildlife, from the smallest to the largest.  There are biting bugs and feasting bugs.  Honeybees buzz from clover patch to clover patch.  A toad as big as my fist moves from the front gardens to the back gardens. There are several colors of swallowtails and monarchs fluttering past during the day and moths gather around lights at night. Red squirrels play tag.  The other afternoon a newly arrived resident, a chipmunk, raced from a garden to chase one of the many robins from the yard. There are chickadees, sparrows, blue jays, cardinals, brown thrashers, goldfinches, a variety of woodpeckers, crows, ravens, turkey vultures, hawks, geese, seagulls, sandhill cranes, and sometimes bluebirds.  Rabbits shelter under landscaping at night and a tiny baby bunny squeezes in and out of the chain link fence.  Before the sun lifts over the horizon, two large deer graze just beyond the yard.

To witness their presence and interactions is a thing of wonder.  If we chose to observe and understand them, animals will guide and enhance our lives.  Together We Grow (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, May 26, 2020) written by Susan Vaught with illustrations by Kelly Murphy brings us a tale of a stormy night, and the plight of a fox family.  Sanctuary is essential for survival.

Lightning gash!
Windy lash!

Rain and thunder,
home asunder.

Flood waters rise and wash out the home of a fox family.  One member leaves to seek a dry place to shelter at a nearby barn.  Many domestic animals are in the barn with a few wild friends.  They do not want the fox family with them. 

As the fox family slowly walks from the barn, a tiny duck stands in the open, glowing doorway.  The wee bird goes into the storm and chats with the foxes as the inhabitants in the barn watch.  One by one a change is taking place.

Slowly, all inside come to realize this place, this space, is for everyone.  Fears are set aside and replaced with compassion.  All shapes, sizes and textures need a haven.

All through the night the storm rages.  All through the night sleeping animals find peace as more arrive.  In the light of a new morning, a realization and a resolution remain.


Rhyming couplets penned by Susan Vaught invite us into this narrative.  Each captivating series of phrases conveys authentic place, and time.  We are involved in every emotional moment, fear, hope, discouragement, courage, acceptance, and affection.  Here is another couplet.

Shell and scales,
love prevails!


The diverse selection of animals, domestic and wild, shown on the front of the open dust jacket signifies an unspoken agreement among this gathering.  It clearly depicts how in the worst of times, the best can and does happen.  The palette exudes warmth and affirmation.  You want to pause and name all the animals rejoicing in this portrait.  To the left, on the back, in shadowy blues of night and storm, the three kits are around their parent.  They are looking up at a snail saved by the adult.  It is resting on its nose.  A salamander is stopped on the head of one of the youngsters.  Three butterflies and a several fireflies move about them.  The title text is raised and varnished.

On the book case in two shades of blue, dark on light, are a series of various animals prints moving from left to right, back to front.  The canvas is textured.  The text on the spine is done in copper foil.

Illustrator Kelly Murphy begins her visual interpretation and extension of the narrative on the opening endpapers.  From the left, the sky is darkening, and rain falls as the animals make their way to the barn in the distance.  In the wind birds flock toward the building.  Even a frog leaps from the pond.  On the verso and title pages, a double-page picture features the raging storm, wind bending trees with leaves swirling. The barn is in the distance, light shining from the windows.  On the left, a wet and worried fox emerges from the now-flooded den.

Each double-page, or single-page picture is rendered in

acrylic paints, oil paints, and gel medium on paper.

To accentuate pacing and dramatic effect, there is a single series of four smaller images on two pages.  Exquisite details and atmospheric lighting permeate throughout the title.  The shift in perspectives from very close to the characters, to a more bird's eye view, and then a wide-angle study of a scene increases the reader's participatory feeling.  A single two-page wordless illustration is stunning.  At the end of the book, the closing endpapers herald a fresh understanding between all the animals.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for the five-word quote above noted.  It is the same one as shown on the back of the dust jacket.  This exhibits the playful, and gentler side of foxes.  Each of the kits has a different expression on their faces, curious, contented, and amazed. The adult, holding the snail, is demonstrating how they can express the same type of kindness shown to them by the other animals in the barn.


This book, Together We Grow written by author Susan Vaught with illustrations by artist Kelly Murphy, is a welcome sensory presentation of what all living beings need to do to not only survive, but flourish.  We are indeed better together.  This title has received four starred reviews, one in Booklist, Kirkus, Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal.  Your personal and professional collections need a copy.

To learn more about Susan Vaught and Kelly Murphy and their other work, please visit their respective websites by following the links attached to their names.  Susan Vaught has accounts on Facebook, and Twitter.  Kelly Murphy has accounts on Behance, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view additional illustrations.

The More The Merrier + A Guest Author Post

When you find yourself in a frightening situation, the presence of another being is certainly comforting.  The sound of their snoring or a satisfied sigh is more than a little soothing.  A reassuring hug anytime is beneficial but never more so than when we are anxious or alarmed or both.

To be alone when faced with scary circumstances heightens the fear factor.  May I Come In? (Sleeping Bear Press, February 15, 2018) written by Marsha Diane Arnold with illustrations by Jennie Poh follows a creature as he seeks sanctuary with other forest animals.  His bravery is to be commended but will it be rewarded?

Rain poured.
Raccoon shivered.
Thunder roared.
Raccoon quivered.

As the storm worsened Raccoon knew he would not be able to endure it alone any longer.  With only his trusty umbrella for protection, Raccoon left his home.  Sloshing through puddles in Thistle Hollow, Raccoon made his way first to Possum's abode.

When he asked if he could come inside with Possum, Possum said no.  His den was too small.  Quail had a similar reply to Raccoon's query.  Traveling even farther into the forest, Raccoon stood before Woodchuck's hole with hope in his heart.  Woodchuck's answer referred to Raccoon's less than stellar fortune. There was only enough space for one.

Discouraged by the results of his wet walk in the wild night, Raccoon stood wondering what to do.  Looking ahead through the rain, he saw a light.  It was Rabbit's house. As she stood in the doorway, ten bunnies

hopped and bopped to the raindrops.

Raccoon was sure there was no more room for him.  Rabbit had other ideas.  Raccoon was a welcome guest in her happy bungalow.  As the storm splashed, boomed and flashed the night delivered more surprises. When it comes to friends, there is no such thing as too crowded.


With her rhyming words Marsha Diane Arnold requests our presence in this narrative.  We easily connect to the predicament in which Raccoon finds himself.  As Raccoon makes his way from home to home, Marsha Diane Arnold uses repeating phrases to describe his progress.  The first three encounters have nearly identical questions and answers further enhancing a storytelling cadence.  This leads us gently into the warmth of Rabbit's welcoming reply and also provides space for the surprise.  Here is a passage.

Swish, plish.
Raccoon splashed on through Thistle Hollow,
all the way to Quail's brambles.

"Quail, old friend, may I come in?"
"What bad luck," Quail replied.
"My brambles are tight.  You're too wide." 


Spread across the back and front of the matching, opened dust jacket and book case and even the flaps is a forest scene on the stormy night.  To the left we can see two birds sheltered in a hole in a tree.  Rain drops slant from a darkened sky as Raccoon makes his way toward Rabbit's red door and the light glowing in the window.  His orange scarf and purple and pink polka-dotted umbrella add a bit of cheer to the gloomy night.

The opening and closing endpapers are a crisp, clean white.  Beneath the text on the title page is a closer picture of Rabbit's tree amid the rain, thunder and lightning.  For several of the illustrations Jennie Poh has loosely framed circular shapes on single pages.  She follows these with single-page pictures, edge to edge.  Sometimes elements in a visual extend past a border, a tree branch, a bit of weed, leaves, and portions of a character.

To further encourage reader participation in the story, Jennie Poh shifts perspective.  At times we feel as though we are side-by-side Raccoon as he struggles from place to place, braving the storm.  When he finally finds a friend willing to offer him a place in her home, we move in closer to the scene experiencing the joy and hospitality.

One of several of my favorite illustrations is of Rabbit.  Behind her are ten bouncing bunnies on a circular pale brown background.  They are a variety of browns, grays and white in color.  All of them, including Rabbit, are happy.  Rabbit is wearing a short red apron.  Even before we turn the page to read her answer, we know it will be yes.


For many nothing is scarier than a thunderstorm.  To have to survive one at night, alone, makes this fear worse.  May I Come In? written by Marsha Diane Arnold with illustrations by Jennie Poh is a heartwarming exploration of a friend in need.  The whimsical images enliven the journey.  For a story time I would pair this story with   TAP TAP BOOM BOOM (Candlewick Press, March 25, 2014) written by Elizabeth Bluemle with illustrations by G. Brian Karas and 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.  This book May I Come In? is the perfect kind of hug needed during a storm.

To learn more about Marsha Diane Arnold and Jennie Poh and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their website and blog, respectively.  Marsha Diane Arnold is interviewed at writer and illustrator Jena Benton's site about this title.  At KidLit 411 Jennie Poh is interviewed about this book.  You can view many interior pages at the publisher's website.


I am thrilled to welcome Marsha Diane Arnold today for a guest post about this title.  I know this will bring greater insight to readers about the spark for this story.  These connections really help to make children's literature creators more real to readers.  Thank you, Marsha.

May I Come In? by Marsha Diane Arnold, illustrated by Jennie Poh

Thank you, Margie Myers-Culver, the lovely librarian who is ever-questing for wondrous books for readers. It’s an honor to be here.

In May I Come In? Raccoon is afraid to spend the night alone during a thunderstorm, so he grabs his umbrella to search for company. He’s turned away by Quail, Possum, and Woodchuck. All explain that there’s just no room. When Raccoon arrives at Rabbit’s home, full of hopping, bopping bunnies, he’s sure there’s no room there either, but Rabbit surprises him.

May I Come In? will be available in bookstores on February 15^th, but as I write this today, on February 1^st, I’ve had the fun of already sharing the book with two elementary school classes, one in Connecticut and one in Hyderabad, India. Both classes relished saying the rhyming words, “Swish. Plish.” along with me, as Raccoon splashed through rain puddles. They related to the fear that comes when we’re alone during scary times. I shared about Hurricane Irma here in Florida and how many, including my husband and myself, opened our homes. We invited in friends, strangers…and their dogs. (I know you’ll approve, Margie, being a dog-lover.)

Family, friends, and strangers piled into our house during Hurricane Irma. So many people told others to “Come right in!”

Students’ observations often surprise and delight me. One kindergarten girl noted that Raccoon wore a scarf on the May I Come In? cover, the same way Bear wore a scarf on the cover of Lost. Found. I’m embarrassed to say I hadn’t thought about this before! I explained that I’d written in my Lost. Found. art notes that Bear was wearing a red scarf, but in May I Come In? my illustrator, Jennie Poh, had decided to give Raccoon a scarf, this one bright orange.

Jennie’s art is so fitting for my story. One of my favorite spreads is Raccoon looking into the distance at a light, “glimmering and shimmering,” inviting him to journey on. This is also the cover of the book. Red seems the perfect color for the door beneath the light.  The color red is pleasing here and stands out, but a red front door also has a lot of meaning. The Chinese consider red to be a lucky color and it certainly was for Raccoon. The bright colors that Jennie uses are appealing – red door, orange scarf, purple umbrella. Even in the dark spreads, the colors help keep the story from being scary.

On the last page of the book, readers will find the copyright and dedications. My dedication reads, “Especially for my husband, Frederick Oak Arnold, who always makes room for friends.” I dedicated the book to him because he’s always opening the door to friends and strangers alike, sometimes too much for his introverted wife. He’s willing to come to the rescue of anyone who needs him. That might mean picking someone up at the airport (even if it’s three hours away), buying someone lunch, or calling a sick friend. He epitomizes the spirit of May I Come In? – friendship, inclusion, a helping hand. Finding someone he can help makes him happy.

My hope is that May I Come In? will help children understand that happiness truly does come from opening our hearts…and our doors…to others.

You are welcome to “come right in” to Marsha’s website to explore more about her books and school visits at www.marshadianearnold.com.

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!

A Rumbling Wet Is Rolling In

Rain is a force and a source.  Enough rain can alter a landscape moving earth, rocks, plants and trees in a huge display of strength.  Hearing rain fall on a pond, a window or a metal roof is a soothing sound of serenity.

When accompanied by wind, thunder and lightning it might foster another form of enchantment.  TAP TAP BOOM BOOM (Candlewick Press, March 25, 2014) written by Elizabeth Bluemle with illustrations by G. Brian Karas follows city citizens seeking shelter from a storm.  A shared experience works wonders.

Tap TAP,

dark cloud.

Tap TAP,

damp air.

Grumbling thunder signals the impending storm as large raindrops slowly begin falling.  Umbrellas begin to appear and open, protecting the bearers from a certain soaking.  As the breeze boldly grows, people scurry and hurry heading toward the subway.  

Men, women, boys, girls and canine companions step lively down the stairs.  Pleased at finding sanctuary from the wild weather, the gathered group begins to enjoy this temporary pause in the busy business of their daily lives.  The hum of conversation and laughter in this happy haven shield them from the noise outside.

A gift is gladly given without a word.  One plus one equals best buddies through drizzle and deluge.  When the sounds fade, people parade toward the top.  A surprise waits.  Found friends may meet again.  

Tap TAP

BOOM BOOM!

These deliberately selected words of Elizabeth Bluemle sing when read silently but said aloud they're like the beat of a brass band.  Her created cadence mimics the storm's progression; as it gets stronger so does the camaraderie of the people.  The use of rhyme and placement of phrases generate a friendly, flawless flow. Here is another sample from this poetic narrative.

Hey, hey!

Watch spray!

We get

more wet.

A fascinating mix of materials, collages of photographs, gouache, and pencil, set the illustrations of G. Brian Karas apart in this title.  The large raindrops falling on the front dust jacket and book case, as three laughing children run toward the subway stairs, are a featured focus throughout the book.  On the verso and final page a giant raindrop contains an entire city scene.

 Each time TAP TAP BOOM BOOM appears on a page the layout is a reflection of the sound made by the words.  Nearly all of the pictures span across two pages drawing the reader into the story with shifting perspectives.  Close inspection of the two single page illustrations find them opposite a lighter shade of the blue used in the endpapers, faint lines identical to the tile walls lining the subway stairs can be seen.  These visuals are opposite the text depicting the people first entering the shelter, and then leaving after the storm.  

I have enjoyed reading and looking at the illustrations in this title over and over but one of my favorite combinations is near the end.  Karas pictures several characters continuing their day after the storm sharing good-bye greetings.  A big puddle mirrors a city building and the changing sky.  This visual, like all the others, exudes a cheerful comfortable warmth.  

Perfect for sharing on a stormy day or during a sudden cloudburst, TAP TAP BOOM BOOM written by Elizabeth Bluemle with illustrations by G. Brian Karas will quickly become a crowd favorite in any weather.  This is a welcome collaboration which I sincerely hope is repeated in the future.  Make sure you read this aloud frequently, invite your listeners to participate or perhaps perform it as a reader's theater.  

Please follow the links embedded in the author's and illustrator's names to access their official websites, learning more about them and their work.  This is a link to an older interview of G. Brian Karas at Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. This link is to G. Brian Karas's blog containing a post about this book.

UPDATE:  Julie Danielson interviewed Elizabeth Bluemle at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast on April 14, 2014.