Bursting Forth From The Blizzard Is...

Although it's winter in northern Michigan, a strange sight was seen in our neighborhood yesterday morning, a snow plow.  Usually we don't see a plow in our neck of the woods until late afternoon; when the school buses have already dropped the guys and gals back home.  We must be last on their route due to the closeness of the county garages.  There really hasn't been much snowfall lately either.

What was really surprising was the size of the plow on the front of the truck.  It was so big it could have been used in the last Ice Age.  It was gargantuan.  I began to wonder what this driver and his truck knew that the meteorologists were keeping from us.  It is evident this truck must be related to the new character in Stephen Savage's latest title, Supertruck (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, January 6, 2015).

The city is full of brave trucks.

Each of the trucks in the city has specific acts of valor for which they are noted.  The green truck with the bucket on top can reach to fix power lines.  A hose shoots out water from the red truck to put out fires.  A hook and winch help the blue truck tow away stranded vehicles.

One truck in gray and white simply picks up the city's garbage.  This job, mostly behind the scenes, steadfast day in and day out, is not noted as being particularly gallant.  An evening in winter is about to reveal another side to this ordinary truck.

It begins with a few fluffy flakes tumbling from the sky.  The snow keeps falling until it gets deeper and deeper.  Life in the city comes to a standstill.  The green, red and blue trucks are stuck.

In the darkest part of the night, one truck, a gray and white truck, makes its way to a garage.  WHOA! Out of the doorway emerges SUPERTRUCK!  With a big orange plow on the front he trudges through the city.

Roads, avenues and streets are cleared through his single-wheeled efforts.  The other trucks marvel at his magnificent moves.  Who is this truck?  His secret is tucked away inside one lone garage on a deserted pier as the garbage truck makes his daily collections the next morning.


Simple straightforward sentences written by Stephen Savage introduce readers to life in the city dependent on the heroism of the trucks.  The first four followed by a question set the calm pace.  It's one word in the sixth sentence, just, which sends out a clever possibility, a shift in the story.  You get the feeling there might be more to this truck than meets the eye.  As the momentum builds with the arrival of the blizzard we know something is going to happen.  We keep turning the pages to discover the truth.  This is wonderful!


The pull of the rich bright red cloth spine with the silver lettering made me eager to open the book case.  The blue gray of the grinning Supertruck on the front supplies the background on the back.  A wheel with Supertruck in white acts as a frame for a frontal view of him happily plowing through the snow.  Another shade of vivid blue/purple is used for the opening and closing endpapers.  Kids' hearts of all ages are already humming.  On the title page Stephen Savage places an image beneath the text of white eyes, headlights, peering from a darkened garage on a pier with the cityscape in silhouette behind it.

Rendered in pencil, paper, stylus, tablet and currants (for the snowflakes) all of Savage's illustrations span two pages with the exception of the first and final pages.  On those readers are treated to circular pictures; the first in sunny yellow featuring the first three trucks, the second in the dusky blue evening, snow falling as the garbage truck goes into the special garage.  Simple lines and geometric shapes convey the essence of the city and the trucks.  The bird's eye views of the city are graphic gorgeousness.

Each of the vehicles is given eyes and mouths to convey emotion.  A carefully placed squirrel and bird perched on a fire hydrant add to the reality of each scene.  The fact that Savage gives the garbage truck glasses makes my superhero-comic-book-loving-self sing especially when they are not shown as Supertruck dons the plow.

One of several of my favorite illustrations is when the garbage truck is moving through the snow toward the garage on the night of the blizzard.  In the background is the lighted bridge.  A glow illuminates the doorway.  There is a look of determination on the truck.  The colors in this image are shades of blue and purple with snow falling everywhere. (Cue: Superman music)


You don't have to be a fan of trucks to love Supertruck written and illustrated by Stephen Savage.  Heroes come in all shapes and sizes but the one thing they have in common is their huge hearts.  I can almost hear the theme song now...by day a trash-picking garbage truck, while the city sleeps in the dead of night while the winds of a snowstorm howl it's Supertruck to the rescue.  I think I need to create a list of huggable books or a shelf on Goodreads.  This title would definitely be placed there.

To learn more about Stephen Savage and his other titles please visit his website by following the link embedded in his name.  I have reviewed Where's Walrus?, Little Tug, and Polar Bear Morning. Though mentioned in an earlier post please follow this link to an outstanding interview of Stephen Savage at author and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Teacher librarian extraordinaire and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read., John Schumacher chats with Stephen Savage about this book here.  It is in this chat that Savage reveals his illustrative techniques for this title.  To see eight images from the book go to the publisher's website.

Stephen Savage was kind enough to respond to an email.  Here are three photographs on the currants he used to create snowfall in his illustrations.  Red pepper flakes and cereal simply would not supply the same effect.  If you visit the publisher's website you can see the final result.

UPDATE:  Stephen Savage reads this title aloud at KidLit TV.

Life With A Cat, Life With A Dog

Every single night I say I love you before falling asleep.  Every single morning I say I'm glad we get to share another day together.  Not for the first time I hope my dog understands what I am saying.  I also wish she would tell me why it takes so long to find the perfect spot.  I want to know why she stands still in below zero temperatures in a blinding snow storm, pouring rain or with seemingly hundreds of mosquitoes swarming around us, to catch a whiff of every single scent in the air.  I hope she knows how thankful I am when her sniffing keeps us out of danger.

Without the gift of speech it's a guessing game as to the moods of our pets.  Is it the full moon?  Is it the drop in barometric pressure?  What is making them crazy?  Something has one crabby cat whipped into a frenzy in Nick Bruel's latest title, BAD KITTY: Puppy's BIG DAY (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Book Press, January 6, 2015).

PART ONE

PUPPY LAW

In case it's not obvious, Kitty is in a very, very

VERY

bad mood today.

And nobody knows why.

This case of increased crankiness tops all others and is cause for calling in reinforcements.  It's up to Uncle Murray to save the day taking Puppy for a stroll.  In their haste to leave the house (Bad Kitty freaks out.), Puppy's leash is forgotten. 

A warning from an unseen police officer and one ticket later, Uncle Murray decides to use his belt for a leash.  (Oh, boy...I am sensing another problem with this choice.) Before Uncle Murray can even attach the belt, a discovery is made and a deposit is left, prompting another ticket.  This is not Uncle Murray's day for catching a break.  Ticket number three is issued upon their arrival at the wrong park with no dog license and the reveal of the pattern on Uncle Murray's boxer shorts.

The correct park, the designated dog park, is reason for celebration but a female dog with love on her mind creates all kinds of problems including Uncle Murray climbing a tree for safety and the disappearance of the canine duo.  Uh! Oh!  Animal Control nabs them and it's into doggy jail they go.  Two other current residents, an old timer who constantly repeats his name and a whippersnapper with outrageous plans for escape, keep Puppy and the affectionate bulldog busily engaged in conversation.

At the exact moment when the flame of hope is nearly out, Uncle Murray shouts out his entrance.  His appearance cannot have been timed better.  A hairless cat attendant and mouse assistant help with the paperwork.  Wait a minute!  Uncle Murray came looking for Puppy.  How many dogs does he have now?

By page two (six) readers will be smiling at the descriptive narrative penned by Nick Bruel.  By page twelve (sixteen) the outbursts of laughter will start in earnest.  By page forty (forty-four) you will be hard pressed not to be rolling on the floor unable to control the gasping giggles.  Nick Bruel portrays the human canine relationship perfectly in all the nitty-gritty details. 

The two-page asides by Bad Kitty, discourses if you will, on 

Why Do Dogs Need To Be Walked?

Why Do Dogs Sniff Butts? and

Why Do Dogs Lick Faces?

are hilarious.  Within the story of a dog-walking day gone wrong, Bruel includes a gentle message about life for dogs placed in a shelter.  He gives us the human, canine and feline perspective with masterful flair.  Here are two more sample passages.

WHOA! That was intense! We were lucky to get out of there alive, pooch!  Sometimes I'm not convinced she really is a cat.  I'm thinking she's more like a weird cross between an electric eel and a howler monkey. (Uncle Murray)

But not dogs.  Dogs need to be walked at least twice a day so that they can relieve themselves anywhere and everywhere they want regardless of the weather outside.  It could be raining baseball bats and you'll STILL have to take that dog outside for the privilege of picking up his droppings with a bag.  Lucky you. (Bad Kitty)

The look of total drooling bliss on Puppy's face with Bad Kitty glaring in the background on the book case gives readers a ready glimpse as to the tone of this title.  Nick Bruel's black and white illustrations heighten his text; for each of the four introductory sentences describing Bad Kitty's current mood

The Daily Nooz

headlines with snippets of the article accentuate each statement.  His narrative says one thing but his images explain it even further.  For the two simple words 

Too late.

two pages with four pictures visualize Bad Kitty on the tear with Puppy loving the chase.  

The layout and design have the words merging with the illustrations flawlessly generating the tempo of the story.  Bruel alters his picture size and the viewpoint depending on the plot point.  It's the facial expressions and body movements of all the characters which bind readers to these books.  

One of my many favorite pictures is of Uncle Murray petting Puppy's head in front of the counter at the shelter.  He is on his way back into the kennels.  At the counter the hairless cat attendant in a top hat, wearing a collared shirt with a tie, is being asked a question by the mouse.

I was in the bathroom.  What did I miss?

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that fans of the series are going to read this book over and over, delighting in the text and illustrations.  Dog lovers are going to be howling with total glee.  BAD KITTY Puppy's BIG DAY written and illustrated by Nick Bruel is full of fun from beginning to end.  

To learn more about Nick Bruel and his other work, please visit his website by following the link embedded in his name.  Make sure you stop by the web pages devoted to the Bad Kitty books. Here is a fabulous interview of Nick Bruel by author and blogger Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Enjoy the video.

Imagined To Be Real

Monster

a strange or horrible imaginary creature

something that is extremely or unusually large

a powerful person or thing that cannot be controlled and that causes many problems

Merriam-Webster

By these three definitions alone literature, mythology and legend from cultures around the globe are filled with monsters.  They inhabit dreams and reality depending on your sources of information.  Several have been the object of a lifetime devoted to discovering the truth.

No matter what you believe it is clearly understood by educators and parents, the subject of monsters is a highly popular one.  Empty shelves and late night reading by flashlight supply all the evidence you need.  M is for Monster: A Fantastic Creatures Alphabet (Sleeping Bear Press, August 1, 2014) written by former United States Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis with illustrations by Gerald Kelley provides readers with the perfect amount of information to satisfy their curiosity and whet their appetite for more.

A is for Amarok

  The Inuit were afraid of Amarok,

           a wicked wolf that pounced to the attack.

   And some who dared the forest of the night

            unluckily would not be coming back.

For each of the twenty-six letters a four line rhyming poem is embedded in the illustration.  Either to the left or right of the image on a column of color, readers are supplied with informative text about the being's origin, history and prominence in today's world.  Featured creatures range from the well-known to those rarely discussed outside certain circles.  

Perhaps readers learning about the Inuit people would be interested in knowing of the giant wolf named in the first letter.  If a mortar and pestle is seen propelling across the sky, beware of a house on chicken legs with the hungry inhabitant.  Half-men and half-horses, dragons that fly or dragons that crawl or dragons with no front legs at all, naughty or nice elves and an experiment not quite right will have readers wondering and wishing.

Are gargoyles placed to protect or frighten?  Is it logical to think of a griffin and horse as being friendly?  When was the last time a parent called their child an imp and why?  You might be surprised by this answer.  Would you walk alone after dark in the Pine Barrens of southern New Jersey?  Do you know what lurks in the depths of the oceans and would you dare to meet the Kraken?

From the Scottish highlands back in time to ancient civilizations to pools of fresh water and along the edge of forests, discoveries are made, welcomed and feared.  Full of light and renewal, the legend of the Phoenix has stood the test of time.  An immortal feathered serpent, a bird big enough to lift an elephant, a soul-stealing shape-shifting stalker or a troublesome troll are to be revered or avoided at all costs.

You might need a young girl pure of heart, a bushel of garlic, or weapons formed from silver, to attract or defeat these memorable monsters.  A headless being from ancient China, a hairy beast from the Himalayas and the undead close out this categorizing of things seen and unseen.  Regardless of the veracity of their existence all will be firmly part of your memory (and hopefully not your shut-eye time) now.


With some quick and simple reference checking (no back matter is supplied), it is evident J. Patrick Lewis has done his share of reading about these creatures of lore.  Of particular interest is his narrative on the origin of the monster and a logical, if possible, explanation for their presence in our cultures.  Each paragraph in his text reads like a conversation often posing questions to the reader, asking us to think about possibilities.  Here is an example from the first letter.

Was he five feet long and two hundred pounds, as some people claim?  Did he savagely carry off dogs and sheep?  If he was frightening, as the Inuit believed, he was also a good omen.  When the caribou population grew too large, Amarok, so it was thought, arrived to kill the weak and dying animals so that the herd could become healthy again, and the hunt could go on. 


Creepily inviting is an apt description of the matching dust jacket and book case.  You definitely don't want to stick around to find out what that vampire has in store for you but those eyes have you frozen in place.  What can you do but open the book?

Each image painted by artist Gerald Kelley is mesmerizing; alternately haunting, frightening, and at times comical.  Depending on the letter one or two pages may be devoted to his illustration, elevating the words of J. Patrick Lewis.  Emotional responses are triggered with each viewing; the feel of frigid winds howling, swirling the snow as a lone hunter meets the Amarok, a chill of fear as a determined Baba Yaga pursues dinner, a surge of courage as a knight faces the fierce dragon, a sense of calm as a mouse sits upon a gargoyle's head, unspeakable terror as the Kraken moves beneath the shadow of a boat moving on the sea or the head to toe warmth of the breathtaking Phoenix rising from the ashes.

For most of the paintings Kelley brings us close to the action; providing a human or other easily identified elements to give us perspective.  The colors used mirror the scene in which each monster could be found.  Readers are definitely there in the moment with all our senses on high alert.

One of my favorite illustrations is for

S is for Skin-walker

The blend of rust, brown and black, shadow and light, create an overall sense of sinister and supernatural.  The white sightless eyes on the raven, owl, wolf and human are downright spooky.  You don't want to look at those eyes, even for a second.


M is for Monster: A Fantastic Creatures Alphabet written by J. Patrick Lewis with illustrations by Gerald Kelley will be a welcome addition to classroom and library collections.  Don't wait for Halloween, hand this to readers who can't get enough of monsters. This will provide tantalizing extras about the familiar and introductions to those yet unknown.

To learn more about J. Patrick Lewis and Gerald Kelley please follow the links embedded in their names taking you to their websites.  This link takes you to Gerald Kelley's blog where he explains the fascinating process of sketching and painting these illustrations.  Be sure to explore.  There are more posts about his work on this title.  Author and blogger, Julie Danielson talks about this book at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and over at Kirkus. Several pages from the book can be viewed at the publisher's website linked here.

You might also enjoy reading, Monsters & Legends written by Davide Cali with illustrations by Gabriella Giandelli, Fantasy Encyclopedia: A Guide to Fabulous Beasts And Magical Beings---From Elves And Dragons to Vampires And Wizards by Judy Allen, books in the Fantasy And Folklore series published by ABDO Publishing Company and the Monster Chronicles series published by Lerner Publications Company.


Make sure to visit the 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge page hosted by educator Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy to see the other nonfiction or informational books highlighted by other bloggers this week.

I like this tweet illustrator Gerald Kelley sent out about his process.

Reference selfless & resulting image from upcoming M IS FOR MONSTER. pic.twitter.com/Bh5enw9Hz1
— Gerald Kelley (@GeraldKelley) July 24, 2014

To Neverland

You would have thought the neighborhood street in our small town had become a barnyard so many rooster crows could be heard.  Most of us having seen the recent musical Peter Pan on television were pretending to have our own romps in Neverland.  Who wouldn't want to be able to fly and vanquish the dreaded Captain Hook?

Little did we know, there is actually a girl, now thirteen-years-old, who might find flying handy in battle but would never want to best the most feared pirate in the seven seas.  Although she would be loath to admit it, she would much rather give him a hug.  Hook's Revenge (DisneyHyperion, September 16, 2014) written by Heidi Schulz with cover and interior illustrations by John Hendrix is about the only child of Captain James Hook, his daughter.  I'll bet that caught you by surprise, it did me.  So host your sails, batten down the hatches and get ready to sail into the storm known as life in the Neverland.

Children Have Sticky Fingers and Ask Impertinent Questions
There have always been pirates.  Why, even as far back as Eve, on the day she was considering whether or not to eat that apple, a pirate was most certainly planning to sail in and take if from her. 

So begins the narrative, snarky, sly and replete with humor, by an as yet-unnamed close acquaintance of Captain James Hook.  Undeterred by Sir Charles's, her maternal grandfather's, best efforts to make her a lady suitable for a proper marriage match, Jocelyn Hook is being sent to

Miss Eliza Crumb-Biddlecomb's Finishing School For Young Ladies 

to be instructed in the fine art of social graces befitting her status.  Everything about the school, especially her two roommates, Miss Priscilla Katherine-Anne Edgeworth and Miss Nanette Arbuckle, is repulsive to Jocelyn.  She bemoans the state of her motherless life and the fact her father has never once tried to contact her.

After a particularly horrid scene in the dining hall thanks to Miss Eliza, Jocelyn runs away in the rain discovering an abandoned carriage house. Here she locates a locket given to her father by her mother on their marriage day. (Don't you love this kind of miracles in books?) She also meets Roger, cook's helper and undergardener at the school.  The two become fast friends planning grand adventures.

After nearly one year at the school, the tables are turned on the day of Jocelyn's thirteenth birthday.  It seems Jocelyn's nemesis witnesses her entirely friendly meeting with Roger in the garden the previous night.  Roger vanishes but so does Jocelyn.  A final visit to the carriage house, a letter from her father and an encounter with a talking giant bird,

Edgar Allan of Edgar Allan's Mainland Courier Service

are Jocelyn's ticket to Neverland and extraordinary escapades.

Several confrontations with the tick-tock bloodthirsty crocodile, the annoying Peter Pan, the Lost Boys who seem to have lost their wits too, a tribe of cannibals with a craving for the flesh of English persons, Captain Krueger's band of scallywag pirates, cold-hearted mermaids, a particular prince from the realm of fairy, and specters from the past and present, will have you turning pages as fast as a stiff breeze blowing on the waves of open water.  Characters, familiar and new, begin to spill forth from the pages as fast and furious as the action in which they are involved.  Mr. Smee, One-Armed Jack (with two good arms), Jim McCraig with a Wooden Leg (or a sliver in his toe), Nubbins the cook, Blind Bart the ship's lookout (wearing two eye-patches) and later Dirty Bob crew Jocelyn's ship, Hook's Revenge, on all their less than typical journeys around and about the ever-changing landscape of Neverland.  Each character changes and grows, especially Jocelyn, and so do we as readers.  This is only the beginning.


Words brimming with descriptive wit will have you embroiled in the plot before you can even think Jolly Roger.  The narrator, whose identity is never revealed, is definitely someone you want to meet at one moment, if only to thank him for his insightful discourse, and desire to avoid at all costs the next minute.  Jocelyn, whose life is certainly not typical for a thirteen-year-old girl (thank goodness), is the perfect example of using the skills you have to not only survive but better your life and those around you.  As best friends go, Roger is someone you want next to you, even if he's not sure who you are.  Mr. Smee and company, although weird, are strangely wonderful.  In this story Peter Pan and Tinkerbell are more pests than hero and heroine but this is wildly successful.

A vivid narrative, swash-buckling dialogue, and single startling sentences will have readers shaking their heads in wonder.  Chapters are tied together with skill revealing truths about Neverland leaving you stunned.  This may be Heidi Schulz's debut middle grade book but it's a tale you won't want to miss.  Here are a few of the sample passages I have marked.

"You know," she said in a loud voice, "I think my father would like to meet you.  He's been away, but I expect he'll come for me anytime now.  Perhaps you have heard of him?  Captain James Hook?"
Lady Trottington fainted dead away into her plate of jellied eels.  Lord Trottington let out a terrified scream.  (Who would have guessed him to be a soprano?) As for Ambrose, the thorough scrubbing a housemaid gave his chair later that evening stood as testament to his reaction to Jocelyn's pronouncement.

It was not the cherry tree framing the window in a cascade of blossoms (also pink), nor was it her view of the now nearly empty gardens and walks.  No, what lifted Jocelyn's spirits was this; if she looked toward the horizon, turned her head like so and squinted her eyes like this, far in the distance she could make out a tiny patch of shoreline bordered by a bit of deep blue sea.
For the sake of that spot of blue, Jocelyn resolved that she would not set fire to her room.
At least not on her first night.

On the south side of the island that day (I say that day, for the Neverland changes itself around as often as a vain woman changes her apparel) there resided a ruined ivory castle, nearly grown over with nettles, next to a great rushing river that appeared to flow backward---going up waterfalls instead of down.  Sprawled beside the island's main harbor was a ramshackle pirate village, easily identified, even from Jocelyn's lofty height, by the smell of blood and rum. ...
...Even so, the girl knew somewhere down there, amidst all the wonder, a terrible beast was waiting.
Reminds me a bit of my first wedding day.


In addition to the full color dust jacket artwork John Hendrix enhances the story with five full-page black and white illustrations.  Each image masterfully captures the emotions of the characters during a specific scene.  One in particular will have you gasping for air.


Before you let the sun set on another day, make sure to acquire a copy of Hook's Revenge written by Heidi Schulz with illustrations by John Hendrix.  It's a visit to Neverland like none other; you won't want to leave.  Read this yourself or share it with others as a read aloud but make sure you do before the sequel arrives.  It promises even greater excitement.

To learn more about the collaborative team of Heidi Schulz and John Hendrix please visit their websites by following the links embedded in their names.  Julie Danielson, author and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast interviewed Heidi Schulz at Kirkus.  The following week the art of John Hendrix was featured on her blog.

An Aware Bear

There will be times we want something we don't need.  On the flip side, we may need something we don't want.  When what we need and want collide, gladness resides.

In a strange twist, as life is apt to do, sometimes there is a need inside of which we are blissfully oblivious at the moment.  This premise is set forth beautifully in Found (Walker Books For Young Reader, April 1, 2014) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon.   Bear's life is about to change.

One day, Bear found something in the forest.

This something was the best thing he had ever seen.  With great care he took the toy bunny home.  He believed the bunny looked heartbroken about being lost.

Bear made flyers advertising his discovery.  Every tree in the forest received this new feature as a part of its decor.  Bear was surprised to see all the many missing items on the local bulletin board but no one seemed to have misplaced a very special toy bunny.

He did his best to look in every nook and cranny for anyone missing a beloved friend.  He searched and waited for a response to his flyers until his mom called him home for dinner.  He could hardly sleep that night wondering how bunny's family must feel.

The next day the toy bunny became part of Bear's daily activities; swinging, playing hide-and-seek, picking berries and picnicking.  Bear had never been happier when suddenly a voice called out,

FLOPPY, my bunny!

Bear's tricycle came to a halt.

The toy bunny in the bike basket was given to Moose.  This was one of those situations when sadness for yourself and happiness for another fight for position in your mind.  Moose's heart knew what was needed and wanted in equal measure.


No more than three sentences are placed on any two pages.  To generate the story's flow, one sentence might be stretched over three pages.  As an author Salina Yoon is wonderfully mindful of her audience, the youngest of readers and listeners.  Each thought, whether part of the narrative or a piece of dialogue, tells us exactly what we need to know.  She creates a gentle emotional tension which takes a turn with a single word.  Here are three of her sentences.

Bear wished the bunny was his to keep.
"But the bunny's family must be so worried," thought Bear.
"Poor lost bunny!"


How can you not fall in love with Bear and the toy bunny by looking at the opened book case?  Bear is hugging what he wishes is his BFF but on the left readers can see he has made a flyer which is posted on a nearby tree.  His red tricycle with a basket, bell and snazzy ribbons from the handle grips is simply charming.  Salina Yoon's sense of humor comes through in the opening and closing endpapers full of flyers of missing items.  A few words accompany each pictorial representation; Lost (Reindeer) Contact Santa, Lost (Toilet Paper) Rolled away, Lost track of (Watch), Lost My Hat (Red Cone-shaped Hat) I want it back and Lost My Marbles (Marbles) HELP!  If you need some extra "smileage" in your day, stop by these endpapers.

Solid black lines frame all of the digitally created illustrations.  With a line, dot or heart Yoon conveys emotion to her readers.  High impact is supplied with a change in perspective and a double page image. (Bear's face when Floppy's family finds him.)  A realistic color palette, sky and midnight blue, grass and forest green, sunshine yellow, pink, red, orange, shades of brown, black, white and purple, helps to endear readers to the characters.

Little details can be spotted by careful readers; the canary who is lost follows Bear, pinecones are featured in several illustrations, Penguin sits on Bear's shelf in his bedroom, Bear wears bunny slippers and there is a heart-shaped constellation outside his window on the final page. One of my favorite illustrations is when Bear has placed the toy bunny in his red backpack as he looks for his owner.  He is looking low by sticking his face into a fish pond, holding the flyer under water.  Bunny seems to be looking over his head too.  The canary is perched on a nearby rock.


Since the release of Found I have been eagerly awaiting the companion title.  Last week it arrived at my favorite indie bookstore, McLean & Eakin Booksellers in Petoskey, Michigan.  Stormy Night (Bloomsbury, January 6, 2015) written and illustrated by Salina Yoon covers a fear felt by many children.  I know...I was one of them for decades.

One stormy night, Bear couldn't sleep.

Wide awake as a hoot owl, he and Floppy, huddled beneath the bed covers as the wind howled and rain fell.  They quickly got up to close the window.  Bear looking straight at his bunny sang him a comforting song.  Oddly enough, Bear wasn't so frightened for a few minutes.

Soon with the thundering increasing in volume, Bear was huddled under the bed.  Mama came in asking him if she could stay with him.  She was frightened too. (She actually wanted to check on her son.)  Bear was happy and kissed her on the nose.  Both felt comforted.

Before long Papa asked if he could join them in bed.  Bear tickled his ears.  Warmth spread over them both.  Soon the three were reading a favorite book to make Floppy less afraid.  As is the case when we are distracted, Bear was forgetting about the storm.

BOOM!

Oh! Oh!  All Bear's fears came flooding back.  Mama and Papa do three things which helped to ease his worries.  Quiet followed inside his bedroom and outside in the forest.  Sweet dreams everyone.


Six words, a simple thought begin this story.  These words by Salina Yoon make a connection with her readers.  They all understand lying awake in their beds as a storm shakes their house with thunder, lightning brightening their rooms in flashes and rain rattling against their windows.

Starting with the endearing rhyming song (readers and listeners will easily learn it, committing it to memory) and adding in the nose kiss, ear tickling and treasured book reading, lessons in banishing fear are subtly introduced.  In this narrative, Yoon also tells readers how our worries are lessened when we think of others.  As in the first book in this series the importance of kindness and love are marvelously portrayed.


The front image on the book case of Bear and Floppy looking out his bedroom window into the storm-filled night is extended to the left, rain falling and wind swirling.  The little yellow bird (canary) is struggling to seek shelter.  The opening endpapers highlight Bear's house on the hill in the forest, lights golden yellow, smoke coming from the chimney as rain covers the entire scene.  A starry sky with a crescent moon replaces the stormy night on the closing endpapers supplying a more serene backdrop to the silhouette of the home and evergreen trees.  I love that Yoon has placed the Big Dipper and Little Dipper in her sky.  This is a perfect opportunity to acquaint readers with their other names.

Unlike the first story which mainly took place outside, this story is in Bear's bedroom.  An identical color palette is used which renews readers' bond with Bear and Floppy.  Yoon alternates between double-page spreads edge to edge, single page pictures edge to edge, individual pages framed in white space and thicker black lines surrounded by white space.  As in the first book, these shifts in illustration size present the book's cadence.

A yellow star tops the bedside lamp in Bear's room as well as the ends of his curtain rod.  Are these the North Star?  Pinecones fill the bed of his toy dump truck. A heart is carved in the wood at the foot of his bed.  Penguin makes an appearance again. The author of his favorite book is Bear E. Goodbook.  All these extra touches are what make books illustrated by Salina Yoon so lovable.

One of my favorite illustrations spans the final two pages.  We are looking inside Bear's bedroom window as everyone sleeps in cozy comfort.  A falling star streaks across the calm night sky.  On the window sill, the yellow bird dozes.  This is peaceful perfection.


Found and Stormy Night written and illustrated by Salina Yoon are delightful additions to children's literature.  They will find readers at all age levels for who can resist the exchange of affection between Bear, Floppy and his parents.  These books are downright huggable.

To discover more about Salina Yoon and her other titles the link embedded in her name will take you to her website.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian extraordinaire and blogger at Watch. Connect. Read. featured Salina Yoon this summer.  This past month another wonderful teacher librarian and blogger at The Styling Librarian, Debbie Alvarez interviewed Salina Yoon.   You can download a link to get Stormy Night wallpaper at Bloomsbury.  I can hardly wait for the release later this month of the Floppy toy at Merry Makers.

To celebrate these two books, I will be giving away a set along with the Floppy toy bunny.  Good luck.

It's Free!

For those with experience in working with younger children or students, this is easy to visualize.  They have gathered in the area designated for story times, eagerly awaiting you and your selection.  Today you do something different.  You don't begin with the Wiggle Your Fingers, Wiggle Your Toes song to get them settled.  You walk up, hold your arms out wide at your sides and shout out, who wants a hug?

I can pretty much guarantee you will be mobbed by eager huggers.  These little guys and gals are full of optimism, warmth and ready to share a hug.  Who Wants a Hug? (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, January 6, 2014) written and illustrated by Jeff Mack introduces readers to one of the happiest inhabitants of the forest, Bear.

Everyone liked Bear.

How can you not like someone walking around holding a sign reading,

FREE HUGS?

On the other hand, no one likes Skunk.  It might have something to do with his sign reading,

FREE SLUGS.

Not to be deterred by Skunk's less than friendly attitude, Bear asks him if he wants a hug.  Sir Grump proceeds to make several negative comments.  Bear merrily informs him as he walks away, there is a hug waiting for him when he is ready.

Skunk becomes even grouchier by Bear's cheerfulness.  He hatches a plan and puts stage one into action.  Phew!  That is one fetid fish.  Like a boomerang his trick backfires.  Of course, Bear offers him a hug again which makes him even angrier.

A bag of rank refuse on a rope with an avian assist falls at the wrong time on the wrong critter.  How much stink can a skunk take?  Bear is even more willing to give this guy a friendly squeeze.

As his final, absolute attempt to discourage Bear's perky outlook Skunk lays a trap on Bear's resting stump.  When the other animals notice, they head for the hills.  The unforeseen results (to Skunk but not readers) take all the cantankerous out of the striped curmudgeon.  There is only one cure for this mishap.  With a narrative twist Bear exclaims his favorite mantra to Skunk.


With the first two sentences Jeff Mack sets the stage for the ying and yang forces at work in this story.  Told entirely in dialog and voiced thoughts, the outrageous and decidedly smelly attempts by Skunk to put a damper on Bear's sunny disposition contrast with purposeful comedic pacing.  Repetition of phrases by both parties creates an opportunity for audience participation.  Here is a sample passage.

"Poor Skunk," said Bear.
"You look like you need a hug."

"A SKUNK NEVER HUGS!" cried Skunk.

"It's okay," said Bear.
"I'll save you one for later.


Readers will be able to see by looking at the front dust jacket and matching book case Bear is beloved by his forest friends.  A disgruntled Skunk, looking like Snidely Whiplash in his top hat and crinkly mustache, is lurking in the background.  On the back on a background of white, Skunk is walking toward the right snarling, carrying his Super Stinky Tricks suitcase with puffs of whiffiness trailing behind him.  Two shades of a mint green on the opening and closing endpapers feature smelly clouds with hearts sprinkled among them.  The title page and verso spotlight Bear standing in a hilly clearing in the woods arms ready for a hug.

The altered illustration sizes by Jeff Mack complement his narrative wonderfully, shifting our perspective.  On several of the images the only words are big, bold sounds like you would see in a comic book.  The color palette will attract the intended readers, natural shades for the setting and animals with pops of pink, purple and red.  The expressions on the animals' faces are surefire grin and giggle generators.

One of my many favorite illustrations (so many are hilarious) is when Skunk is putting his first trick into action.  That fish is so smelly he has a clothespin on HIS nose.  The slingshot has been released.  In horror Skunk watches the fish whiz by his target, hit a bush and come straight back toward him with a loud BOING! Bear and a little purple bird on his shoulder are gazing upward.


If you want to hear laughter read Who Wants A Hug? written and illustrated by Jeff Mack.  If you want to hear the best phrase there is, Read it again, please, pretty please, Who Wants A Hug? is the book for you.  Watching and reading about Skunk trying to rain on Bear's parade when Bear always has an umbrella handy is like revisiting a beloved classic cartoon.  Hugs win the day as long as clothespins are included.  All is forgiven with a hug.

For more information about Jeff Mack and his other titles please visit his website by following the link embedded in his name.  For posts about his books, AH HA! and Duck In The Fridge follow the links attached to the titles.   

On The Bus

You walk everywhere.  If it's too far to walk, you ride your bicycle.  Finally the time arrives when you have a car to drive but with this ownership comes maintenance, insurance and the cost of gas.  A day comes, much too quickly, when using a vehicle to get from place is no longer an option.  Neither is walking or riding a bicycle.

Even at ninety my mom still wanted her independence.  (I'm pretty sure I'm going to feel the same way if I make it to ninety.)  For her taking the city/county bus, even with her walker, was a beautiful blessing.  She became friends with the drivers and frequent riders.  It was an entire new community.  

I was fortunate enough after a visit to my local independent bookstore, McLean & Eakin Booksellers, to purchase and read a title released today which honors traveling in the city by bus.  It also pays tribute to the relationship children have with their grandparents.  Last Stop On Market Street (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA)) written by Matt de la Pena with pictures by Christian Robinson is a book about love created with love.

CJ pushed through the church doors, skipped down the steps.

As the boy and his grandmother leave the building it begins to sprinkle.  CJ is full of questions; wanting to know why they have to wait at the bus stop in the rain and why they can't ride in a car like his friend.  Her replies are full of wisdom; she is sharing what her eyes see that he is missing.

As she predicts the driver, Mr. Dennis has a surprise for the boy.  Fellow passengers are greeted by both as they take their seats.  CJ asks Nana another question about their destination.  He cannot understand why they go there after church.  As the bus travels down the street she continues her knitting answering him with sympathy expressed for his friends.  They will never experience what she and CJ experience.

Other riders enter the bus.  Each prompts questions from the boy.  When a blind man gets seated she says there are other ways to see.  When two boys stand listening to their portable media player, she suggests he listen to the real live thing, a man with a guitar on the bus.

On the recommendation of the blind man, CJ, Nana, the man (and his dog) listen with a different sensory style.  The man is right.  It's pure magic.  As the passengers applaud the performance, the bus comes to a stop.

CJ holds his Nana's hand as they walk.  What he sees and what she sees is still different but all her answers to all his questions, especially the last one, make him realize he wants to be like her.  As they enter another building, to take their places in the line, CJ knows there is no other place he would rather be.

Prior to this title I have read a picture book, young adult novel and a short story by Matt de la Pena, enjoying them a great deal.  His writing in those, as in this title, brings readers directly to the moments shared by his characters.  Word choices and sentence structure reflect conscious choices; striking and at times poetic.  The love shared by CJ and Nana is evident in his comfort in asking her questions and in her patient replies.  Here is a single passage.

The outside air smelled like freedom,

but it also smelled like rain,

which freckled CJ's shirt and dripped down his nose. 

You can feel the warmth like sunshine coming from the matching dust jacket and book case as soon as you look at it. The vivid colors and the bold shapes sing out to readers.  When opened it becomes a single illustration of the bus traveling down Market Street.  In blue paper strips above the bus on the back we read:

CJ and his grandma take a bus ride together,

discovering the beauty and wonder

of their vibrant neighborhood.

A golden yellow provides the background on the opening and closing endpapers for white silhouettes of items important to the story; a bus, a butterfly, a coin, a jar with butterflies, a guitar, a hawk, a dog, a pair of glasses, an umbrella, a tree, a hat with a flower and a rainbow.  

Most of the visuals extend across two pages, edge to edge, beginning with the dedication pages; a portrait of the city street.  Christian Robinson rendered these and the other pictures using acrylic paint, collage, and a bit of digital manipulation.  All of his smaller illustrations are framed in white space in shapes which mirror the windows on the bus.  It's like we are being given a gift of looking into this special world.

Robinson's details take us into the city.  Through his work we are riders on this bus with CJ and his grandmother.  With a brush stroke or a carefully-placed shape we understand his depiction of each person.  There is a quiet, humming joy in his color palette.  

Without being explicit my favorite picture is of CJ listening to the guitar music.  I can only imagine that all readers will, without a prompt, do exactly as he is.  It's one of many beautiful moments with the narrative and image working in exquisite harmony. (Also, I wonder what book CJ is reading at the end on the publication information page.) 

Last Stop On Market Street written by Matt de la Pena with pictures by Christian Robinson is an eloquent portrayal of the bond between a boy and his grandmother.  With each page turn you feel yourself being wrapped in the love radiating from the story.  I literally sighed aloud at some of Nana's answers.  This is a heartprint book; a must read for all readers of all ages.

To discover more about Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson please follow the links embedded in their names taking you to their websites.  Matt de la Pena is a guest at teacher librarian extraordinaire John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  This links to an interview of Christian Robinson upon his receipt of the 2014 Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award.  Both Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson are featured at author Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.
Update:  Enjoy this interview with Matt de la Pena and Christian Robinson at NPR Books Listen To The Story Morning Edition.
Update:  Head over to Scholastic's Ambassador for School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read. to see a new video with Matt and Christian talking about this book. January 12, 2016
Update:  After the big win of the Newbery Medal Matt de la Pena is interviewed at Publishers Weekly. January 12, 2016

.@mattdelapena I ♥/ Students reacted to blind man closing his eyes to feel magic of the music. #SharpSchu How did this image come to you?

— Margie Myers-Culver (@Loveofxena) December 17, 2015

#SharpSchu It was actually a joke from the blind man (in my head), though nobody sees it that way! https://t.co/W6Gwm0LjH8

— Matt de la Pena (@mattdelapena) December 17, 2015