Just One More...

Sometimes we have an appetite for more than we really need especially when it comes to food.  Our nose tells us to taste something because the aroma is downright heavenly.  Perhaps our eyes see a combination of colors and design in the presentation on a plate which is an open invitation.  Our stomach is full but our senses are saying just one more helping.

We believe an extra little bite can't make a difference.  One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, May 3, 2016) written by Daniel Bernstrom with pictures by Brendan Wenzel is a tantalizing tale of relinquishing common sense.  Clever coaxing wins over a greedy gourmand.

One day in the leaves 
of the eucalyptus tree
hung a scare in the air
where no eye could see,

when along skipped a boy
with a whirly-twirly toy,
to the shade of the eucalyptus,
eucalyptus tree.

The lad wasn't aware a sly snake silently moved toward him, its mouth open wide.  In a blink of an eye, he was inside; inside the stomach of the wily reptile.  The boy's voice called out, encouraging the cagey creature to seek another entree as there was plenty of room.  Before you could say chirp, chirp a bird and his worm friend were consumed, both certain of their doom.

Deep from the dark, the little guy yelled again.  Not surprisingly the snake complied, savoring an unsuspecting cat.  In case you think it was getting crowded in the beast's belly, rest assured it was not.  The crafty child spoke a third time with even more purpose, convincing the snake the empty space was spacious.  Gulp!  A sloth was much too slow.

The creature continued to devour at the boy's insistence, the size of each meal increasing.  When the snake asked the child deep in the dark if

"I should take one more bite
while my tummy feels so tight?, 

you know exactly what he said.  In fact, after the next big swallow when the reptile could barely wobble, the boy suggested he eat more.

The snake said no once.  The snake said no twice.  Then he weakened seeking a teensy-weensy morsel.  Ssssssip!  OH! MY! GOODNESS!


With every reading as the tale unfolds and the snake's stomach grows, you can feel your grin expanding in proportion.  Daniel Bernstrom's words burst forth in a fabulous rhythmic melody.  His spirited verb choices, skipped, gobbled, zipped, descriptive sounds, crinkle, wrinkle, slurp, buuuuurrrrp and repetitions, especially the boy's tempting suggestions, encourage participation.  Here is another sample passage.

Munch, munch came a
crunch from the leaves of the tree.
Oh! A rare kind of bear munching
tasty, tasty greens.


Readers have no idea what is about to ensue when looking at the front of the matching dust jacket and book case.  The tiny critters in the trees are simply observing wide-eyed at the boy and snake duo.  In fact, by the smiles on the faces of the twosome, you assume they are friends.  The framing of the forest tree, flowers and vines around the title text suggests a circle, perfect for this cumulative story.  To the left, on the back, readers get an entirely different sense of where this tale is going to go.  The boy is held in the tight grip of the snake's tail as the open mouth is ready to swallow him whole.  The same hue as used in the title text provides the background for the opening and closing endpapers.

Rendered in everything imaginable to create the digital illustrations Brendan Wenzel captures and enhances the liveliness of the narrative.  His creatures of the forest and the boy see with large expressive eyes.  Their body movements are in keeping with their personalities.  Wenzel also manages to instill humor in his characters with their typical but exaggerated physical characteristics and habits.

Many of the images cross the gutter spanning from page edge to page edge.  Wenzel fashions panels of varying sizes and shapes to signify changing scenes or portions of a single scene.  Their design and layout is superb drawing our eyes to a specific place.  As the belly of the snake continues to bulge the area of the visual focusing on the darkened interior increases.  A bright color palette appropriate to the flora and fauna adds to the joy found on every page turn.  Careful readers will notice several things on the final page of publication information in the picture.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is when the snake is about to swallow the bear.  To the left and crossing a portion of the gutter is the darkened stomach of the snake with the shapes of the animals already in residence visible.  We can see the whites of their frightened eyes.  On the right the bulging belly of the snake extends behind a portion of its body as its large mouth aims at the rear end of the bear.  The bear, mouth full of leaves, is turned looking in fright.  You can't help but wonder how the snake is going to eat this big bear.


One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree story by Daniel Bernstrom with pictures by Brendan Wenzel is a read aloud treasure.  It's a triumphant entry in the folklore family sure to be requested repeatedly.  I know listeners are going to be joining in with the repetitious phrases.  Can't you just see this performed as a reader's theater?  I know I can.

To discover more about Daniel Bernstrom and Brendan Wenzel please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Brendan Wenzel has some interior images displayed.  Julie Danielson, author, reviewer and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast interviews Daniel Bernstrom at Kirkus (Don't miss this!) and follows with artwork on her blog the following week.  Brendan Wenzel is interviewed by educator Dylan Teut at Mile High Reading.  

Rhythm Of The Seasons

For three days our meteorologists have continued to issue winter weather advisories.  The snow comes and goes almost as if some giants are engaged in synchronized breathing.  As they inhale the clouds clear so patches of blue sky appear above the mountain peaks.  Heavy snowfall obscures everything except for my immediate neighbors' homes, yards and the nearby fifty foot ponderosa and tamarack pines, signifying they have decided to exhale.

This evening as another frequent squall brought in a thick curtain of falling flakes, a trio of deer slowly walked down the street.  I wondered if tucked away in their minds was a picture of other deer previously moving along the same path; only all signs of humans were replaced with a dense forest of trees.  Other than the ever present magpies no other creatures were around during the day; a clear sign of the deeper snow and colder temperatures.

Our animal companions' lives are dictated by clocks and conditions; some we can understand, others are beyond our comprehension.  In a recent collaboration, author Kathy Duval and illustrator Gerry Turley depict one woodland resident's life during a shift of the seasons in A Bear's Year (Swartz & Wade, October 27, 2016).  It's a gentle story of lessons learned under the watchful guidance of a mother.

Winter Bear
drifts into sleep,
Earth's snowflake blanket
soft and deep.

As the first months pass two cubs are born sharing the den with their mother.  They snooze together until signs of spring appear.  Their growth is noticeable as they practice climbing and playing.

During the summer bushes laden with berries provide delicious meals.  Streams full of fish sharpen their hunting skills.  Swarms of bees lead the way to golden sweetness.  Mother earth provides tasty delicacies underground if they understand where to dig.

As a chill announces the onset of autumn, mother bear locates a place for their den hollowing a hole with her claws.  The coats on the trio grow heavier.  Their world glows with new color.

A lingering darkness crowds out the light of their days as they shorten.  Two bigger cubs get cozy with their protector and guide beginning their slumber.  Sheltered from wind and snow they'll weather this winter.

No matter how many times this story is read, the beauty of the words lingers.  Kathy Duval has written fifteen lyrical four-phrase poems depicting the growth and activities of bear cubs with their mother amid the shifting of the four seasons.  The final word on every second and fourth line rhyme, describing with clarity the scenes in which the trio spends their months.  Here is another poem.

Cubs catch fish,
find bees that swarm,
and dig for roots
when days are warm.


A light snow starts to fall as mother bear pauses with her cubs, a bird perched on a nearby spruce branch.  It's a peaceful scene of serenity and security which is felt throughout the book.  Gerry Turley uses a pale blue for the background for the coolness of winter balancing it with the warmth of the bears' colors and the yellow feathers on the nearby bird.  To the left, on the back of the dust jacket, four circular images on placed on a white canvas.  Each one features a cub during one of the seasons.

On the opening endpapers is a pattern of tiny evergreen trees, green on white.  Delicate miniature flowers, pink and green, are spread over a white background on the closing endpapers.  These same flowers are grouped beneath the dedication on the verso.  The oval holding the title text is used again on the title page with bees swarming along the bottom and sides.  At the top are two clusters of yellow flowers.

The illustrations rendered with drawing and screen printing were blended together digitally.  They all cover two pages, edge to edge, sixteen in total.  Turley alters his perspective bringing us close to the family and moving back to give us a more panoramic view of their surroundings.  His layout is different also, moving the trio from the bottom, middle, and top of the page and displaying them more on one side, then the other or in the center of the page.

Intricate details ask us to slow our reading, matching it to the text.  On the floor of the den where the group sleeps are veined leaves and needled branches.  In the far distance, beyond the group of birches where the bears stroll, are three deer. Four teeny yellow birds rest at the top of an evergreen tree as the bear cubs climb.  A nuthatch, a hawk, a couple of otters, a ladybug, and a fox silently observe the bears.  Turley includes the same animal in the second and final illustration.

One of my favorite pictures (I love them all.) is during the summer.  On a pale yellow background Turley has placed light brown tree trucks with small-leafed branches along the top and sides.  The two cubs are climbing a tree on the left as their mother watches from the lower right-hand corner.  They are after a hive loaded with honey.  There are bees everywhere.


A Bear's Year written by Kathy Duval with illustrations by Gerry Turley is an eloquent and endearing look at the life of a mother bear and her cubs.  Readers will come to understand how cubs adapt to the changing seasons and learn to survive on their own when it is time.  This is more than a book about seasons and bears.  It is an excellent example of how poetry can inform and appeal to our senses as images extend both the words and those sensory experiences.

To learn more about Kathy Duval and Gerry Turley and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Kathy Duval has a link to a seventeen page activity kit within the pages about this book in the news section   You can get a peek inside this title at the publisher's website.

A Monstrous Middle Ages Appetite

With the American Library Association Youth Media Awards less than a week away, my mind has been not only on all the possible winners for 2016 but on the past medal and honor winners.  I've been doing a mental inventory of all those stellar titles along with the books which, in my way of thinking, came close to being recognized.  It's an exciting time of year when the spotlight shines on children's literature as a whole.  The value of all authors and illustrators and their impact on the reading lives of children is at an all-time high during this wondrous week.

In 1997 The New York Times selected ten titles for their Best Illustrated Books choices.  In 1998 the Caldecott committee chose three Honor books.  There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback was the only book to be on both lists.  This past year debut picture book author Penny Parker Klostermann gave readers a variant on that classic rhyme.  There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight (Random House, August 4, 2015) illustrated by Ben Mantle is the jolly journey of a fire-breathing fiend hoping to appease a huge hunger.

There was an old dragon
who swallowed a knight.
I don't know why he swallowed the knight.
It's not polite!

The knight came riding on a horse.  Disturbed by the energetic equine the dragon devoured him too.  In search of further food, the dragon blazed the bottom of an innocent squire.  The smell must have signaled to his stomach because this is where the squire landed.

A cook and a book he held dear were the next to go quickly followed by a fair maiden snatched from a high tower.  Royalty must have proper housing so the castle was hastily consumed.  To quench his undoubtedly ever-growing thirst, this dragon drank and drank and drank until he drained the moat.

By this time, the old dragon was having second thoughts about his gluttonous gobbling.  With skill he produced a gigantic superb burp.  Out came one, two, three, four, and five portions of his enticing feast.  To avoid listening to the

clippity, clippity, clippity, clop

of the annoying horse, the beast dug deep and belched out the knight's peppy pal.

This, my friends, left the knight still not in sight.  The wily dragon relieved of his ballooning belly made a fateful final decision.

 It's not polite! 


Rhyming words take us on an exuberant escapade.  More importantly Penny Parker Klostermann extends the story with additional descriptive elements, making each member on the menu more interesting to us.  Her purpose for the dragon swallowing the first unfortunate six are a mix of reason and the ridiculous.  Here is a sample passage.

There was an old dragon
who swallowed a cook---
A savory cook and his recipe book.
He swallowed the cook to fatten the squire. ...


The image on the matching dust jacket and book case extends from flap edge to flap edge.  The bib around the dragon's neck coupled with the look on his face makes us fairly certain the knight might be in a wee bit of trouble.  To the left, on the back, is an arrow sign with the word

 DRAGON

 pointing to the grinning large orange guy.  On the rock is a

To Swallow 

list.  Knight, at the top, is already crossed off with steed, squire, cook, lady, castle and moat following.   On the ground is a shield with a bite out of it, a knight's helmet and a bone.  A green frog sits on top of a

Beware Dragon

sign.

The opening and closing endpapers, the first in shades of green and the second in hues of rose tell a tale of their own.  It's a map of the kingdom with a path winding through the landmarks.  There are notable changes in the two beside the color.  The four pages dedicated to the title, the verso and dedication begin the story.  All is not as merry as it seems.  Danger is in the offing.  The wanted poster is a clear hint.

Ben Mantle using full color, shadows and light, brings us back to the old world.  His details add levity to the narrative.  In the first scene, spanning two pages, bones, helmets, bitten and scorched signs, a lance, and an outline are evidence of the dragon's intentions toward the oblivious knight and his trusty, hoofed companion.  After the knight is eaten a large dark circle gives us a look inside the dragon's stomach as the horse peeks safely from around a rock elevating the comedy.

Alternating between double pages for his pictures, single pages and a group of smaller images, Mantle asks us to pause.  The black background illustrations, inside the stomach, are hilarious.  Each person and thing lands differently with flourish and fun on the previous occupants.  The details on the facial expressions, the consumed beings' antics on the inside and the shape of the capital letter T are full of medieval mirth.

One of my favorite illustrations is after the dragon has swallowed the moat.  On the inside of his stomach all the current residents are filled with fear.  The horse, squire and cook with his book are holding on to the top of the castle tower.  The lady is inside the tower.  A frog is speaking to her.  Is he asking for a kiss?  Floating in the water is the cook's kettle.  The knight, looking as wide-eyed as the others, sits inside it as alligators swim hungrily around waiting for a bite.

You must include There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight written by Penny Parker Klostermann with illustrations by Ben Mantle in your personal and private collections.  It asks to be read aloud often with enthusiasm.  I can hear the laughter already it will elicit.

To learn more about Penny Parker Klostermann and Ben Mantle please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Klostermann has numerous activities you can use with this book.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Penny Parker Klostermann is interviewed at author Tara Lazar's Writing for Kids (While Raising Them), writer Michelle Barnes' Today's Little Ditty, Picture Book Builders, and the Children's Book Review about this book.  There is a question and answer session with Ben Mantle at The Mudwaffler.  Penny Parker Klostermann is the featured author at All The Wonders on Let's Get Busy, Episode #122.  There is even more good news thanks to the tweet shown below.

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight activity kit: http://t.co/6FHCkqJk0c pic.twitter.com/d1OcexXCoG

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) August 7, 2015

Update:  February 5, 2016 Penny Parker Klostermann is interviewed at HenryHerz.com-->Kidlit, Fantasy & Sci-Fi 

The Grass Is Always Greener

It was undeniably a rite of passage in our neighborhood.  As each child reached a certain age, when the first cutting of the lawn came in the spring, you could see them proudly pushing a mower.  If the yards were bigger and they were older you might see them riding on a big green John Deere.

Even today there is something satisfying about the lines made in a freshly mowed lawn and the memory-laden smell of the cut grass.  Humans are not the only ones taking pleasure in mowing.  An exceptional amphibian singles out a special day each week to complete his task.  McToad Mows Tiny Island (Abrams Books For Young Readers, September 1, 2015) a transportation tale by Tom Angleberger with pictures by John Hendrix is an extraordinary journey filled with amazement and laughter.

McToad likes Thursdays.

McToad is fond of Thursday because this is the day he gets to mow Tiny Island.  His home is on Big Island.  On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday he mows Big Island.  

It's no easy hop, skip and a jump to get to Tiny Island.  In fact, it's quite a process to arrive at this destination.  To begin McToad fires up his red riding lawn mower moving it from the shed up a plank into the back of HIS McToad Lawn Care truck.

With the ease of a true expert McToad loads his mower from the truck using a forklift to the flat bed car of HIS train.  This train soon arrives at the airport.  (I don't know about you but at this point I am wondering how big Big Island is.)  A handy dandy conveyor belt takes his faithful grass cutter to HIS airplane.

Three vehicles, one machine and a structure of wood later, the mower and McToad land on Tiny Island.  Our audacious landscaper thoroughly enjoys his time on this plot of land in the middle of the ocean; even pausing to sip a lemonade drink.  With an equally involved return trip home the caretaker and his machine come to rest as the sun slowly sinks on the horizon.


With the first three words Tom Angleberger has our attention.  We can't help but wonder why McToad likes Thursdays.  Sentence by sentence he builds an and then kind of story.  We can feel the anticipation growing.  That's what makes the sentence in the narrative which matches the title utterly fantastic.  If you don't burst out laughing, you're probably not breathing.


Opening up the dust jacket readers can readily see John Hendrix has created another illustrative masterpiece in color, design and typography.  His use of rich reds, vibrant greens and golden yellows are warm and inviting.  McToad looks pleased beyond measure as he does what he loves best.  We want to join him.

On the back, to the left, a series of wide red arrows point out the pathway, transfers and stops McToad and his mower make on the return excursion home.  Pages from an account book with the noted property, date and amount columns filled in carefully cover the book case.  The opening endpapers feature McToad beginning a lawn with several diagonal strips indicating his progress as he faces the reader.  On the closing endpapers his work is nearly done as he putts along wearing his patched worn hat with his back to us.

Before the title page, which hints at future events, McToad stands wiping his brow, holding a walking stick with his hat on top of it.  Rendered in pen and ink with fluid acrylic washes on Strathmore Bristol vellum most of the illustrations span two pages, edge to edge.  When the narrative asks us to pause Hendrix shifts to single pages for pacing and impact.

Attentive readers will note Hendrix's nod to his children and his The Holy Ghost graphic episodes and to Tom Angleberger's middle grade novel characters.  His close-ups of McToad as he stands in front of the map in his shed and adjusts the mirror in his truck as well as when he mows Tiny Island convey pure contentment.  One of my many favorite illustrations is of McToad flying HIS helicopter to a large boat moored to a dock.  Both hands are gripping the controls as he carries the mower hanging in a tarp from the bottom of the vehicle.  He is, of course, wearing goggles.  From left to right the perspective shifts from in the air with McToad to a bird's eye view of the land.


For pure entertainment McToad Mows Tiny Island with words by Tom Angleberger and pictures by John Hendrix is unlike any other transportation tale you've read.  You can't help but feel the fun in the blend of text and images these two stellar artists must have had bringing this story to readers.  Start your engines everyone, it's time to get going and mowing.

To discover more about Tom Angleberger and John Hendrix please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  John Hendrix has a page dedicated to this book here.  If you go to Twitter and search under the title of the book, many people have sent out messages about this book.  I will include some of them below.  Tom Angleberger is interviewed at Reading Rockets in a series of videos.  Teacher librarian, Travis Jonker, reviews this title on his blog 100 Scope Notes at the School Library Journal site.  John Hendrix is a guest at teacher librarian, Matthew C. Winner's Let's Get Busy Podcast #186.  UPDATE:  November 20, 2015 Author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson, features art from this title on her blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast,  along with a link to her discussion of the book at Kirkus last week.

McToad buttons for the launch of "McToad Mows Tiny Island" tonight at @subbooks 5:30pm! pic.twitter.com/CWYryiVgyf

— John Hendrix (@hendrixart) September 29, 2015

Behind the scenes peek at McToad Mows Tiny Island! Secret screen tests that @hendrixart and I used to… https://t.co/ovyA9N4UUY

— OrigamiYoda (@OrigamiYoda) September 1, 2015

#Bookaday McToad Mows Tiny Island by @OrigamiYoda & @hendrixart https://t.co/4DJ3ShdBh9. I want McToad Lawn Care to cut my grass!

— John Schu (@MrSchuReads) August 21, 2015

Care To Add Anything?

Even with all the new online applications designed as virtual post-it boards, for organizing schedules and to-do lists, I still find myself making lists with paper and pencil; grocery lists, lists of books I need to read yesterday, household tasks I can not put off any longer or a list of my lists.  During the month of December and even now, people are generating the best of 2012 lists, which as a reader I find invaluable.  There is no humanly possible way to read all the brilliant books written and illustrated in any given year.  I am still determined to read some from 2012 and even 2011.

As a lover of lists I was intrigued with a new web 2.0 application released on November 15, 2012 which was noted in a tweet by Heather Moorefield, Education Librarian at Virginia Tech and former chair of the American Library Association Best Websites for Teaching and Learning committee.  Listerd wants to revolutionize the world of lists.  Not only is this a location to generate lists but it is a platform designed for sharing, collaboration and the rating of items on any given list.

Upon accessing the home page users can visit the Blog to get the latest hints and updates, Discover lists grouped by Trending, Newest or All time plus search by category.  There are currently 21 categories;

• Animals & Nature
• Cars & Auto
• Fashion & Clothing
• Home & Family
• Music
• Religion
• Technology
• Arts & Design
• Education & Books
• Food & Drinks
• Games
• Politics
• Science
• Travel
• Business & Finance
• Entertainment
• Health & Fitness
• Local
• Relationships
• Sports and
• TV & Movies.

Continuing along the top you can Create new list, Sign up, Log in or conduct a keyword Search.  At the bottom another search is available, Browse.  In Browse you search by list title in alphabetical order.  

Listnerd is an online and mobile service free of charge.  Users must be 13 years old.  To use the site or register you must agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms.  

Whether you select Create new list or Sign up you are taken to a screen where you can use your Facebook or Twitter account to log in or create a non-social form of registration.  You provide a username, email address, password, birthday and country to register.  A welcome/confirmation email is sent immediately.

When registered you are taken to your profile page.  At this point you can view your created lists, added items, or votes cast, make and read posts to your wall, read your newsfeed (followers) and adjust your privacy settings.  On the right a running tally is available for your statistics, list of followers and those you follow.  

When you select Create new list another window opens illustrating a four step process in designing a list.  The first step (Basic Steps) asks you to:

• give your list a title
• enter in a description
• pick a category in which your list will be placed and
• choose whether your list will be public or private.

Who can vote (members only or everyone), voting system (1-10 rating scale, thumbs up or down and number of votes per user), who is allowed to add items to your list (everyone, everyone, with approval, only members can add, or members, with approval), and the time limit for voting (never-ending or at this date) are all parts of step two (Settings 'n stuff).  At any point you can go back to re-do your selections.

For step three (Styling 'n stuff) you can upload an image for the header and another for the individual list. There are several selections in step four (Advance stuff).  They are whether all items should have an image, description and URL link.  You can also add up to three custom fields for your list.

When you finalize all the steps your next screen profiles the created list with its title, description, stats and sharing abilities.  Beneath that section you begin to add items to the list.  For each added item you include a title, description, link or image depending on your settings.

When your list is completed it can be shared via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Reddit, LinkedIn, Tumblr or StumbleUpon.  Your entire list can be rated and comments can be left.  Each item can be rated by viewers according to their votes and edited or deleted by you.

Here is the link to my completed list titled Xena's Picks of the Litter-Top 20 Dog Books of 2012.  Items in a list can be expanded to see the description, links, etc by clicking on them.

Although I already had eleven views before I was even done, it remains to be seen how the sharing and collaboration of this list will evolve.  But I can state without reservation that I really like using Listnerd.  The developers have made it so easy to create and manipulate a list.  The potential for use in research resources, genre study, student generated favorite lists of books read, a Mock Caldecott or just about anything you can imagine make this an exciting tool for professional or personal use.