Starry Memories

No camping experience is complete without at least one night of star gazing.  During the summer in the northern hemisphere away from the city lights, the best time for viewing stars is before, during and after a new moon.  It is the darkest time of those short nights.  In 2018 there has been no lack of events to witness in our night skies. In fact in four days, the Perseid meteor showers will begin their amazing show.

During a night of star gazing the topic of navigating by the stars usually makes its way into a conversation.  For those residing north of the equator, one particular star never sets.  It helps us all to find the four compass points.   First Star: A Bear And Mole Story (Holiday House, May 1, 2018) written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand, a fifth book about these two lovable characters, takes us on a single night journey.  It's brimming with an explanatory tale, a revelation about an important constellation and the joy of an affectionate bond.

Mole gazed up.

Looking up at the sky Mole has a question for Bear.  He wants to

see the stars turn on.

Bear replies with a suggestion of hiking to Camp Tiptop.  Mole gets their blanket (tent) and they both fill their backpacks with necessary items.

They climb and climb until getting to the top of this rocky mountain.  Once they are there, Mole has another question.  He is concerned about getting lost in the dark.  He decides he wants to go back home.  Again Bear answers.

Bear knows a good story can dispel fears.  He takes Mole back in time to First Father Bear, First Mother Bear and First Little Bear.  They lived as bears do today but at night, it was darker than the darkest dark. 

First Little Bear and First Mother Bear make a large bright light with Earth's materials.  First Little Bear continues using more of Earth's materials spreading smaller lights all over the night sky.  Then First Father Bear does the most amazing thing of all. He gives a name to his accomplishment before doing one more thing.  As our two companions, Bear and Mole, gaze at the stars, the nighttime sky gives them a final surprise.


For our younger readers (and those young at heart) Will Hillenbrand has penned a narrative ringing true to their tender hearts.  First we come to understand the affectionate relationship between Bear and Mole. The comfort Mole feels in asking questions and Bear's patience in answering are indicative of this bond.

With ease, through their dialogue, Bear weaves a story of his own about the origin of celestial bodies.  Several of Bear's thoughts are downright profound.  At the conclusion Will continues by adding a bit of universal folklore about stars.  Here is a passage.

So, First Little Bear helped his mother
dig up white clay.

They shaped it into a ball.  The ball was Moon.
Moon shone brightly.

"Look, Bear, I 
see a funny face
on the Moon!"
called Mole. 


When you first open the matching dust jacket and book case, the friendship between Bear and Mole is apparent in the way Bear holds Mole and the ease Mole feels in Bear's arms.  The joy they feel at sharing this nighttime adventure is evident and shining in their happy expressions. You will come to understand the choice by Will Hillenbrand to depict his stars as small circular shapes but you will also notice the star on the lantern carried by Mole and the use of a star to dot the "I".

The starry sky extends over the spine to the left edge of the back.  An outline of Ursa Minor points toward our pals.  Readers will enjoy running their hands over the jacket to feel the textures.  The title text, Mole's lantern glass and the little bear on the back are raised and glittery.

A pale blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Beneath the text on the title page, Mole stands looking upward and holding his lantern.  On the verso and dedication pages, Mole crawls from under their blanket tent.  On the underside it is patterned in stars.

Rendered in direct impression and pencil most of the illustrations span two pages.  Several smaller images are grouped together to indicate the passage of time on a few pages.  During the telling of the origin story two of the pictures show the bears from the past larger than life in the sky with Bear and Mole seated on a log, much smaller and in the lower right hand corner.  Will Hillenbrand's shifts in perspective are marvelous.  His vertical two-page picture will have readers gasping. (So will the following two illustrations.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is the one for the text noted in the above passage.  It stretches across two pages.  An uneven faint outline in black frames the night sky on all four sides.  On the left First Mother Bear and First Little Bear are shaping the ball glowing in the sky.  They are standing on clouds.  On the right three evergreen trees rise in the meadow grass like black lace.  To the left of them sitting on a log are a smaller Mole and Bear.  They are looking skyward as if watching the work of the First Bears.  Mole's lantern glows on his left.


The marvelous charm of First Star: A Bear And Mole Story written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand wraps around readers like a cozy blanket.  Perfect for a bedtime story, a story about friendship, and the origin of celestial bodies, this book will become a favorite. You might want to have a bear and mole puppet handy to try a reader's theater with your group of children.  You could also pair this with books about camping like Molly Idle's Camp Rex, or titles about nighttime exploration like Flashlight by Lizi Boyd.

To learn more about Will Hillenbrand and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  At the publisher's website you can access a lesson plan to use along with this title. Enjoy the videos.

New Season, New Life, New Challenges

It's here!  Today (March 20, 2018) is officially the first day of spring.  It's hard to believe it when you look at the National Weather Service map picturing a nasty winter storm for the east coast or when you recently return home from walking your dog through ice and snow in northern Michigan.  Mother Nature does things in her own time.

It's as if she is the maestro standing in front of the members of a great symphony orchestra.  As soon as she lifts her baton, everything begins anew.  I'm a Duck (Candlewick Press, March 13, 2018) written by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Will Hillenbrand follows a newborn uncomfortable with what should come naturally.

When I was just an egg, I'm told,
I left my nest and rolled and rolled.

The wayward egg splashed right into the pond.  Mother duck wasted not a second and dove into the water.  Once nestled in the nest again, the egg, in due time, cracked and revealed one of four baby ducks.

Unlike its siblings this duck did not want to swim in the pond or lake.  No amount of encouragement from its three brothers convinced the frightened creature to join them.  Drowning was a very real worry.

Friendly Big Frog made it very clear the fearful youngster simply needed to get in the water as quickly as possible.  Owl's advice was similar.

" . . .You're a duck.  Use common sense
and try to get some confidence."

Perhaps this duck needed to ease into the water.  Puddle practice and an understanding mother certainly helped but the water terrified this little being.  A friend offered a helping hand but a determined spirit made another decision.  New wondrous sounds rang out over the pond.


With the heart of a child and the wisdom of an ancient mentor, Eve Bunting reveals profound truths in the words she writes in each and every story.  In this book, her most recent release, with a soothing rhythm of rhyming phrases, focus is directed at a fear but solutions are lovingly offered.  By giving the duck the role of narrator, readers can identify more intimately with the challenge and rejoice in the resolution.  Here is a four-line passage.

The pond is waiting there below.
It's whispering, "Come on!  Let's go."
But even though I'm well prepared.
I'm really, really, really scared.


Within the soft hues of blue, green, yellow and brown readers are introduced to the duck.  The quiet setting of the pond shown on the front and back of the matching dust jacket and book case sets the tone for the entire book.  Who can resist loving this adorable child?  With the curve of a wing, the set of webbed feet, large dark eyes and a bill easily conveying emotion, we find ourselves drawn to his story.

A darker shade of his downy feathers covers the opening and closing endpapers.  The initial title page begins the story with an egg splashing and sinking into the pond.  On a background of crisp white the same image as shown on the front of the jacket and case is replicated beneath the text on the formal title page.

Most of the illustrations rendered by Will Hillenbrand using mixed media span two pages. They shift from peaceful panoramic water settings to close-ups of the duck in a variety of scenarios.  Each picture, regardless of the time of day, creates a sense of calm even in the noisier moments.  Each choice by Will Hillenbrand, the color palette, the elements in each image, his use of materials and his lines and details contributes to enhancing the words of Eve Bunting.

One of my many favorite illustrations covers two pages.  It accompanies the text already noted.  From left to right a pale cream canvas extends.  On the far right edge reeds fill the upper corner.  Beneath them the pond is placed from the right, across the gutter and into the lower right corner on the left side.  The duck is standing on the edge of the shore, looking at its reflection.  This visual, like all of them in this title, is brimming with charm.


Winsome in words and pictures, I'm a Duck written by Eve Bunting with illustrations by Will Hillenbrand is certain to resonate with readers of all ages.  Who among us has not been afraid to do one important thing?  With the encouragement and love of family and friends, the impossible becomes a reality.  This title would work wonderfully with the themes of courage, spring or ducks.  I highly recommend it for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Will Hillenbrand, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  An older video interview of Eve Bunting at Reading Rockets provides background information.  At the publisher's website you can view an interior image.  At this publisher's website you can see some of the first pages in the book.  In this video Will Hillenbrand chats about his process for this title.

Top Hat Mischief Maker

An early snowstorm comes in mid-November causing hundreds of schools to close.  The normal chatter in the household on a snow day is suddenly replaced with careful whispers.  Drawers, cupboards and even the refrigerator are being slowly opened and closed.  Coats, snow pants, mittens, hats and boots are taken from closets.

After a chorus of "We're going outside", silence descends.  When several of the carrots prepared for dinner are discovered missing, a realization begins to form in your mind.  A trip to the front window confirms your suspicions. A snow family is taking up residence on your lawn.

As evidenced by numerous prints on a white-blanketed field, perhaps humans are not the only ones to enjoy winter's deposit.  Snowman's Story (Two Lions, November 18, 2014), a wordless tale, written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand takes readers into a creatures' world on a snowy, blowy day.  Is it only the wind or is there a bit of magic in the air?

A fancy top sits in the center of the title page as snow swirls around, evergreens coated in white stand behind it, silent sentries.  In the distance an owl flies.  On the verso and dedication pages, the owl swoops in grabbing the hat in its talons only to have it pulled away.

A bunny notices the fallen hat lying in the snow.  Crawling inside its eyes, wide with surprise, are soon seen peeking through the top as the hat is caught on the wind's currents.  It settles quietly on the head of a newly made snowman.  A bear, fox and penguin watch as their new creation comes to life.

Their wonder only increases when a book placed in the snowman's hands is read aloud.  As a crescent moon appears on the horizon good nights are said.  All this time the wily rabbit has been as quiet as the proverbial mouse.  Every so gently it comes out of hiding and...grabs the book and runs!

An alarm is sounded by the man of snow awakening the penguin, fox and bear from their slumber in a nearby cave.  All follow the thief as he heads toward the edge of a cliff.  Can they conquer the chasm, climb a mountain and best the bunny in a snowball battle?  Spotting his tracks in the snow, they find themselves standing in front of a wooden door tucked in the base of the tree.  Behind the door more surprises await the companions.


As you look at the opened matching dust jacket and book case, your eyes see from left to right, back to front, a scene right out of a cherished snow globe, full of good cheer.  There's a hush in the air as the snow falls.  It appears both the snowman and rabbit are reading.  The same dark forest green on the book is used on the opening and closing endpapers.

Will Hillenbrand begins his story on the title page, not wasting a single moment to engage readers.  Rendered in

6B graphite pencil, colored pencil, chalk pastel, pixels, china marker, crayon, ink, watercolor, collage, transparent tape, and kneaded eraser on paper

his illustrations will charm readers with the lively characters whose facial expressions and body movements are absolutely delightful.  How can you not smile at the rabbit hiding in the hat with only the tips of its ears showing?  Softer shades of blue while evoking the chilly out-of-doors work beautifully with the warmer hues of brown, rusty orange, gray, and red used in depicting the animals and the snowman's scarf.

To establish a desired pace Hillenbrand alters his picture sizes framing single pages in white or showing a single page edge to edge.  An individual image may extend across two pages or a page may be divided by two, three or four smaller illustrations.  To focus on a significant moment a smaller visual might be placed in the corner of one that is larger. A wonderful flow is established with elements from one illustration continuing into another or stretching beyond a border.

One of my favorite pictures is one of several scenes when the perspective shifts.  We are looking down on the top of the snowman as his friends are applying finishing touches to their creation.  They are looking up as the hat falls from the sky.  Most of the hat is pictured moving down from the upper left corner.  All we see of the rabbit are two very wide, dark eyes and two ears standing at attention from the top of the hat.  This picture is loaded with anticipation and promise.


Even though this tale, Snowman's Story, written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand is set in the wintry outside, it is brimming with warmth.  No one can resist the lure of a good book.  I expect this one to be requested over and over again by readers establishing it as a beloved seasonal tale.

I invite you to visit Will Hillenbrand's website by following the link embedded in his name.  He has several videos about his process and workspace.  Educator and blogger at Kid Lit Frenzy, Alyson Beecher, was part of a blog tour for this title.  She has an excellent interview with Will Hillenbrand there.  A couple of fun activities are included in the post.  Enjoy the book trailer.




You might want to use this title in conjunction with Making a Friend by Alison McGhee with illustrations by Marc Rosenthal and other listed with this previous post.