Up Up And Oops!

It's a voyage to be always remembered.  It compares to nothing else in the sensory perceptions experienced.  You are riding through air using contained heated air.  It's all scientific but feels like a miracle.  Moving vertically and horizontally across fields, slightly above treetops, alongside roadways and over country homes you truly become like you imagine birds to be.


On November 21, 1783 the first untethered manned hot air balloon flight was completed in the country of France.  (Previously, a sheep, a duck and a rooster were successfully flown for two miles in eight minutes on September 19, 1783 in Paris, France.)  Despite several subsequent successful flights, there was yet another milestone to accomplish, manned flight from one country to another by hot air balloon. A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785 (Margaret Ferguson Books, an imprint of Farrar Straus Giroux, October 11, 2016) written by Matthew Olshan with illustrations by Caldecott Medalist Sophie Blackall takes readers soaring and exploring; adding in more than a little laughter.

"Our big day at last!" cried Dr. Jeffries, leaping from bed.  He flung open the shutters and lifted his dog, Henry, to the window.

It is January 7, 1785.  Dr. Jefferies and Monsieur Blanchard are going to cross the English Channel from England to France in a hot air balloon.  The first glitch comes when the good doctor goes to pick up Monsieur Blanchard and finds him not in his room.  It seems Blanchard is already at the launch site and now is claiming only one man and one dog can go.

Rightfully so, Dr. Jefferies is puzzled as everything and everyone was carefully weighed yesterday.  When all is double checked it is discovered that Blanchard has mysteriously gained almost eighty pounds in one night.  What?!  Wearing a lead vest can do this for a man.

Taking flight amid constant bickering about who will step off first, which country is better, who paid for everything and who is captaining this vessel, the duo settle into an uneasy companionship as passengers are apt to do.  Dr. Jefferies documents the trip.  Monsieur Blanchard eats and naps.

While he sleeps something happens to the balloon.  Dr. Jefferies, being a learned man, believes he has solved the problem.  Perhaps he has solved it too well.  Waking Monsieur Blanchard, the twosome finds themselves in an awkward (frightening) situation.  When faced with nothing but the bare necessities, a gentleman's agreement is reached.


Using the original monograph as written and presented by Dr. Jeffries, author Matthew Olshan pens a blend of narrative and dialogue.  Infused with wit the facts weave flawlessly throughout the tale.  It's a rare gift to be able to bring the events of a single day to our attention with this caliber of intelligence and ingenuity.  Here is a passage.

The balloon rose into the sky.
By working the oars and the rudder,
Blanchard could turn the aerial car this
way or that.  Soon they were out over the
water heading toward France.  The views
were spectacular, but Jeffries was still 
upset about his speech.

You, monsieur,
are not gentleman.

The captain is busy.
Will the passenger
please be quiet?


An idyllic scene welcomes us to this book on the opened dust jacket.  The sea, sky and clouds continue to the left over the spine creating a single illustration.  Upon closer inspection the expressions on the faces of the four passengers reveal a sense of unease rather than peace.  It's a beautiful design for the title with the text on the cloud within the balloon.  The book case too is a single image.  It gives us a view of the bed of the channel beneath the balloon.  It hints of the measures taken by the reluctant companions.

The opening and closing endpapers are a gorgeous pattern in black, cream and gray.  Small nautical lines (ropes) extend from the top to the bottom.  Placed on these in a series of decorative ovals is the balloon over the channel with a cloud behind it and a gull flying above it.  The title page is an extension of the dust jacket; clouds, sky and sea with the tail of a whale breaching.

Utterly charming pictures in the interior span across two pages, single pages and partial pages.  Sophie Blackall uses speech balloons for much of the dialogue.  Sometimes she fashions a series of panels much like a comic in the same color palette as the endpapers to convey significant moments.  She varies her perspective to take us directly into the action; as when the passengers are calling to a warship below the balloon it's as if we are behind them or when the balloon is nearly to the coast of France we are able to see the smaller balloon high above the coastal sea town and hills.  The expressions worn on the faces of the characters contribute to the laughter we feel welling up inside us at the story proceeds.

One of my favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It's the balloon's eye view of the car carrying Jeffries, Blanchard, Henry and Henri.  With two sandbags inside the men are leaning back at opposite ends.  Jeffries is writing in a journal petting Henry.  Blanchard is holding a small cooked fowl, chewing on one of the legs.  Henri eagerly jumps on his knee hoping for a nibble.  Satchels are visible along with an umbrella and a violin.  For the moment everything is perfectly perfect.


As soon as you start to look at the dust jacket, book case and endpapers you understand why A Voyage in the Clouds: The (Mostly) True Story of the First International Flight by Balloon in 1785 written by Matthew Olshan with illustrations by Sophie Blackall appears on The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2016.  The text and pictures work in excellent harmony to convey this marvelous feat by two men who really did not care for each other.  You should read this often and aloud whenever you can.  It is a must-have for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Matthew Olshan and Sophie Blackall please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  Sophie Blackall also maintains a blog.  If you wish to view interior pages follow this link to the publisher's website.  (One of my favorite pictures is shown.)  Julie Danielson, author, reviewer and blogger at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, highlights this title with Sophie Blackall sharing research images, sketches and final art.  Matthew Olshan is interviewed by Deborah Kalb about this title and his work in general.  In two posts this year on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read., John Schumacher, Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, chats with Sophie and showcases her Caldecott Medal speech.


While I realize this title is not nonfiction in its entirety, the author does include in a note about his research and what is fact and what is fiction.  For this reason I am including it in my selection of titles for Wednesdays during the Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge 2016 hosted by educator Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy.  Please visit this site to view the other books selected this week by participants.

The Breakast Buddies Are On The Case of the Stinky Stench--Book Trailer Premiere

It doesn’t matter whether you are the cook or the consumer; a batch of pancakes, French toast or even waffles any time of the day is cause for a culinary celebration.  Each mouth-watering bite is ambrosia for your senses.  The smell circulating in the air will not only lift your spirits for the moment but take you back to all those wonderful memories associated with the delight…WAIT A MINUTE!  WHAT IS THAT REVOLTING REEK?

On Monday March 9, 2015 the world met two new delicious children’s literature characters in the cover reveal for Josh Funk’s debut picture book, Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, illustrated by Brendan Kearney.  In this post we were treated to behind-the-scenes information from both Josh and Brendan about the process for creating a narrative and pictorial fun and funny fare.  When Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast was found on bookshelves in our favorite stores and libraries on September 1, 2015 we discovered the breakfast buddies did battle but they realized everything is not as it appears…or disappears.

In their second adventure to be released in the spring of 2017, the cuisine companions heed a desperate call to action from a pastry pal.  Something malodorous this way wafts.  What will the duo discover?

HAPPY BOOK-TRAILER-REVEAL DAY TO YOU JOSH!  Thank you for visiting Librarian’s Quest again.  It’s an honor to have you back today.  Ever the answer-seeker, I have a few questions for you before the curtains rise on the production.

As if two foods having a race for the last drop of maple syrup is not inventive enough, this time their adventure takes not the form of a competition but of a mystery.  Granted that at the end of their first escapade the duo decide working as friends is better (to taste butter), what made you decide to have them become sleuths?

Well, Margie, have you ever opened the fridge and realized that something went bad? You know that you’ve got to immediately find the culprit and get rid of it before the entire house is consumed. So you start with the usual suspects: the dairy, the leftover takeout, maybe some spoiled produce that slipped in the cracks. And if you’re lucky, you discover it quickly.

But sometimes, after sticking your nose into nearly every jar, tub, and container … you still haven’t found it. So you end up spending all day cleaning the fridge. And when the fridge is nearly empty, and you think you’ll never find it, and you wonder whether your sense of smell has been permanently destroyed, it turns out to be the last thing you’d have suspected. Maybe that hasn’t happened to you, but I’ve certainly been there once or twice.

The first book was a race, a competition. But there’s a whole world inside the fridge. In this adventure we experience a mystery. Maybe next time it’ll be a spy thriller...

What prompted the introduction of another character as the Inspector?

Just like I couldn’t have (spoiler alert) either Lady Pancake or Sir French Toast get the syrup in the first book, it would have been unfair to make just one of them a detective (I mean, which would be Holmes and which would be Watson?). And if they both were detectives, they’d constantly bicker … again (and we’ve already seen that). So we meet Inspector Croissant.

In some ways, both Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast are side characters in this story and Inspector Croissant takes the lead. As he’s Sir French Toast’s nephew, we get that he’s younger, and very inexperienced (and unsuccessful) at detective work. And I know someone will say “who puts croissants in a fridge?” to which I’ll answer, “Emily Dickinson, of course!”

Your food places such as Trifle Tower, Taco Bridge and Marshmallow Coast add to the whole picture of a refrigerator being an entirely unexplored world.  How do you think of these places?  Is there a special technique you use?

As soon as I saw Brendan Kearney’s art for the original Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, I began to imagine all the things that were possible in the fridge-world he created. It was magical. All I had to do was come up with some absurd combination of location-mixed-with-food … and Brendan would create a visual representation that far exceeded my expectations.

And I generally write about foods that I like. I think I knew I wanted to work some sort of mexican food into the story and enchiladas don’t work with the rhyme scheme. But tacos do, and they’re easy to say (and tasty to eat!). It actually took a while to figure out what the coast was gonna be. I think at one point it was some sort of pie. But who wouldn’t want to swim around and slurp up that ooey gooey ocean Brendan drew (sorry - hold on a sec - let me wipe the drool off my mouth).

The tune is very catchy for this trailer Josh.  The voices are familiar.   Is it the same group as your previous trailer for the first title?  Did you write the words? the music?

Thanks, Margie! Yes, the voices are me, me, me, me, me, me, and me. I also wrote and arranged all the words and music. If the GarageBand app existed when I was in college, I’d probably be a rockstar right now (or at least a roadie). As it was, all I had was a four-track recorder - which was much more difficult to use than my phone. I’ve recorded all of the audio for all of my trailers on my phone. It’s so fun!

I know you are very knowledgeable about computer software.  Did you create this trailer, Josh?

I did. I made it with iMovie (on a laptop, not my phone).Other than a few custom images I created (using gimp), it’s mostly just a slideshow set to the song. Not too tricky to create. It gets a little easier every time, and this is the fourth one I’ve made (the first three being Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, Pirasaurs!, and Dear Dragon).

Are there any final thoughts you would like to share with readers before we reveal the trailer?

I hope you enjoy it. I know Jess Keating thinks it’s a little creepy, but that’s just because she has a debilitating fear of glockenspiels. Oh, and make sure to clean out your fridges before May 2nd!

BOOK TRAILER:

Thank you so much for hosting the trailer, Margie! I can’t wait to share the entire book with everyone! Give my best to Mulan!

You are most welcome, Josh. Mulan thinks these books are pretty tasty. Clearly readers are in for a rollicking romp as our intrepid heroes seek to rid the fridge of the foul fragrance.  Who or what could be the cause of the interior’s destruction?  With each page turn, the clues will be compiled.  Dare we speculate on the despicable scoundrel responsible?

Thank you Josh for answering these questions and for giving readers another chapter in the lives of Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast.  I know you will want to learn more about Josh Funk and his other work which you can do by following the link attached to his name to access his website.  Josh Funk also maintains a blog brimming with information about his books and the writing process.  Josh can be found promoting all children’s literature on Twitter at @joshfunkbooks.

Friends Find A Way

For more than forty-eight hours snow fell steadily.  Most of the area was under a warning or advisory.  This morning they were lifted.  Hundreds of schools throughout the state of Michigan are closed for today.  Everything is blanketed in white.  Winter is officially nine days away but a look out the window shows otherwise.

Changes in the weather can shift slowly or quickly without warning.  In The Storm Whale (Henry Holt And Company, September 30, 2014 US) we met Noi who lives with his dad, a fisherman, and their six cats by the sea.  A wild weather night delivers a small whale from the sea to the nearby sandy beach.  As a result we read of a compassionate son who is loved equally by his father.  The Storm Whale in Winter (Simon And Schuster, September 22, 2016 UK, January 24, 2017 US), a companion title, written and illustrated by Benji Davies reminds us that acts of kindness are always remembered.

Noi lived with his dad and six cats by the sea.
Last summer, Noi rescued a little whale after a storm washed it ashore.

Noi remembers this whale, this found friend.  On his daily beach walks he looks for this whale.  He hopes to see him again.

One snowy morning Noi's father leaves their island for one final day of fishing.  As night comes, Noi's dad has not returned.  The little boy is worried.  He looks through the falling snow from their home out to the sea.  He waits.  What's that?!  Something is there.  Noi knows it must be his dad.

Making sure their cats are snuggled inside, Noi leaves to greet his dad.  He takes his boat but the water is frozen solid.  Leaving it on the shore, lantern in hand, Noi sets out across the ice.  In the falling snow everything looks the same.  Noi realizes he is lost.

Far ahead he sees something.  Later Noi feels something.  His heart surges with hope.  Friends always find a way.


There is a special quality to the narrative when Benji Davies writes.  You get the one-on-one feeling as if he is telling a tale to you and you alone.  It's a feeling of comfort and possibility.  Every word is carefully chosen in his spare but meaningful text.  The use of dialogue in one particular point of this story intensifies the emotions of the moment.

Now and then he thought he caught a glimpse
of the whale, its tail tipping the waves in the distance.

But it was always something else.


When you open the book case left to right, the scene on the left is from an interior piece.  It shows Noi, net in hand, scanning the sea from the beach in front of his home.  His father sits outside on an overturned trap mending a net.  One of their cats sits near him and another is perched on his shoulder.  Snow covers the roof tops and portions of the beach.  The front, on the right, is a blend of the events in the book, showing us what might unfold in the story.  It promises us a nighttime adventure.  The opening and closing endpapers are a steely blue pepped with snowflakes.

Opposite the formal title page on the verso, we see Noi in his room in the peak of the roof, busy at work making another picture of his friend, the whale.  On the wall are snapshot drawings of highlights from the previous book, drawn by Noi.  You can see he gets his light at night from candles placed around the room, one in a lantern hanging from the rafter.  A single sock hangs over the heat register and another hangs on a line stretched across his room.  Two cats are keeping him company, one watching the sea through the window.  All these little details make the work of Davies extremely engaging and endearing.

The illustration sizes vary from double-page pictures, to single page images, edge to edge, or pictures framed in large portions of white on a single page.  Davies shifts his perspective bringing emotion into the scenarios as when Noi strikes out across the ice.  We watch him as if we are above him. (In one visual we are below him.)  Davies' use of light creates striking visuals.

One of my favorite of many illustrations is at night when Noi is watching for his dad's return.  There are several other seaside homes to the right and slightly behind Noi's home. He is looking out the window of his bedroom.  One cat is peeking out next to him. A light glows in the background.  Snow is falling.  You can see the small snowman in the shape of a cat on their deck railing.  The many shades of blue, gray and black contrast beautifully with the snow and small bits of yellow.


The Storm Whale in Winter written and illustrated by Benji Davies is an outstanding companion to the earlier title.  It's the kind of tale to add warmth to any day but particularly welcome in this winter season.  Friendship does not forget and love endures.  You need to have this title and the first one on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To read more about Benji Davies and his other work please follow the link attached to his name to access his blog.  Davies also maintains a Tumblr account.  You can view six interior images at a publisher's website.  There is a post at Bright Group about this title and an interview with Benji Davies.

New Views Of The ABCs

They have been a part of literature for centuries, a gathering of the twenty-six letters of our alphabet.  These books are not only a means of learning the letters but practicing the sounds of each.  Usually the upper and lower case letters are displayed with items beginning with each letter.  Over the years the titles have become more elaborate using phrases, sentences and poems.  Sometimes a story will unfold as each letter is introduced.  Or the letters may be a means of acquainting readers with a particular subject or theme.

On September 13, 2016 two very different and highly unique alphabet books were released.  An Artist's Alphabet (Candlewick Studio, an imprint of Candlewick Press) written and illustrated by renowned artist Norman Messenger is a stunning depiction of the obvious and extraordinary.  Every letter will have you thinking about what you see and what the artist is trying to portray.

To begin we see two acrobatic persons elegantly costumed; the first is standing, legs apart, on top of a horse's back to create a capital letter A.  The second has shaped her body in a backward bend to form the lower case a.  The letters B and b are fairly straightforward also but the letter c asks us to extend our minds.  It is the dust jacket image.

What does this represent?  Is it meant to define curve, crest, curl or something else entirely?  Even this stretch does not compare to the letter d.  Two cats' bodies make the upper and lower case letters.  Are we to find something relative to d within these visuals?

The multiple letters for e look to be something from monsters of mythology.  Two tools, one large and the other pocket size, signify the letters f.  Do they stand for fix? The forms for the letter h, types of homes, are true wonders.

The artwork for i, k, l and m offers possibilities but the pictures for the letters j and n have me baffled but intrigued.  Is our artist using beauty alone from our world to fashion letters?  Perhaps in these depictions as in the letter o, there is no tie to the specific letter.  The mystery continues for letters q (snakes), r (shapes of trees) and s (two kinds of chains).  T through z will offer readers equally apparent and striking representations.


Oh, how fascinating it would be to engage Norman Messenger in conversation before, during and after his creations were conceived.  Each one invites us to pause and stretch our thinking.  Even those which appear to conjure those things which are familiar, we wonder if we should not continue to ponder more.


All of the illustrations rendered in watercolor and pencil are eloquent with meticulous details as seen on the dust jacket of the extended waves, water dripping and splashing.  The book case takes portions of the visuals for many of the letters designing a frame for the title text and image on the front and a blurb about the book on the back.  The opening and closing endpapers display capital letters of the alphabet in muted varied colors.  These extend to create frames for the text on the verso and title pages.

Half of the letters extend over two pages; the others are pictured on single pages.  Messenger alternates between using people, animals, plants, fantastical creatures, inanimate items and other natural phenomenon.  His designs and layouts include a small square, with lines like school paper, to host the capital and lower case letters.  In additional to the tiny finer points, his use of light and shadow is superb.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is for the letter l.  It is shown on a single page.  From top to bottom a richly embroidered boot sans laces is highlighted on the left.  To the right is a package of laces, wrapped in paper.  The company logo is ABC.

An Artist's Alphabet conceived and illustrated by Norman Messenger is an imaginative, gorgeous gallery of these twenty-six symbols of our language.  It would be a wonderful title to use for lively discussions and creative writing.  I recommend it for professional collections and it is a must-have for alphabet book collectors.  All ages will be able to appreciate the excellence of this title.

To learn more about Norman Messenger please follow the link attached to his name.  At the Candlewick Press website you can view the interior pages for letters k and l.  At the Walker website you can see the book case and the interior illustrations for letters c, d, k, l, n and r.



As a result of a winning Kickstarter project began in 2014 another one-of-a-kind alphabet book is available for readers of all ages.  The minds behind this project Benedikt GroB and Joey Lee worked closely with Price Stern Sloan, an imprint of Penguin Random House to bring us ABC: The Alphabet from the Sky.  It's as if we have all taken wing and are viewing the world from an entirely new perspective.

In the introduction we are welcomed to trek across America.  We are asked to view the landscape with a discerning eye, focusing on a specific point.  We are also reminded there is more to each one of these pictures than a single letter.  We might find other letters or individual items.

For each letter of the alphabet two pages are filled, edge to edge, left to right.  In the upper, left-hand corner of each scene we are asked to locate the letter.  In the lower, right-hand corner we are given the place name, the state in the United States, and the exact coordinates, the longitude and latitude.

A letter may be formed by rows of homes, a winding road, a specialized building, a parking lot, landforms or a body of water.  You may see the same letter in a scene but not the one selected by the creators.  Sometimes the letters pop but other times you really need to look.  It's a geographical search and seek.

The questions and statements posed for each letter vary.  They encourage us to pursue our quest. They ask us to find, spot and uncover hiding places.

There's an O here somewhere.


The illustrations found in this title are derived from satellite images in the public domain from the United States Geological Survey, National Geospatial Program.  These two people, Benedikt GroB and Joey Lee created a program and a database to locate letters within these images.  The A, B, and C seen on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case are not necessarily those found within the interior of the book.  To the left, on the back, twenty-six more letters have been located.  The opening and closing endpapers are large aerial views; one more natural than the other.

If you should have trouble spotting any of the letters within the book, at the conclusion two pages give you a close-up of all twenty-six letters.  Four more pages contain squares of other letters of the alphabet, sixty-one in all, found in satellite pictures.  This adds to the fun and continues to test your skills of observation.


ABC: The Alphabet from the Sky conceived, written and illustrated by Benedikt GroB and Joey Lee is a challenging, engaging volume sure to provide hours of looking at our country with a much wider field of vision.  When we strive to look with a different set of eyes, this can carry over into other aspects of sensory perceptions.  Can you see letters of the alphabet inside your home, school and other facilities or outside in familiar places?

To learn more about Benedikt GroB and Joey Lee please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Five interior views are available at the publisher's website.  Here are three separate links to their Kickstarter campaign here, here and here.  You might enjoy reading this article at Slate.

Flip through 🎥📖⏩
ABC: THE ALPHABET FROM THE SKY@leejoeyk @GrossetPSS @penguinkids#AlphabetFromTheSky #bookbirthday pic.twitter.com/g2CPfOC6mz

— Benedikt Groß (@bndktgrs) September 15, 2016

Buzzing For The Best

If we are fortunate we will hear them before we see them or before we accidently step on one.  Most of them are only a half inch long (about the size of a paperclip), so they will use their defenses when necessary.  In most encounters they are not aggressive, allowing us to watch them conduct their work of gathering nectar and pollen.  We rely on them to help supply our planet with food.  In North America they enable the production of at least 90 commercially grown crops.

In addition to their pollination potential studies show they can be trained to smell certain cancers and to assist in the killing of cancer cells.  As small as honey bees are, their impact on our lives now and in the future is huge.  Their larger insect relative, the bumblebee, although not a producer of our honey, is highly valued as a pollinator.  In her picture book debut as both an author and an illustrator, Alison Jay brings us a memorable tale, Bee-&-Me: A Story About Friendship (Old Barn Books, April 7, 2016) sparked by a personal unexpected experience.  This story without words is a contemporary fable with a lasting message.

We begin with a wide view of a city scene, as if we are flying above the busy street lined with buildings on either side.  A bee loop de loops into an open window.  Needless to say, it startles a girl reading on her bed.

Finally captured in an upside-down glass, the bee collapses.  Concerned the girl looks up the care of bees, revives it with some sugar water and releases it.  A thunderstorm rages through the city that night and into the next morning.  Guess who lands on the girl's window sill looking bedraggled?

Under her care, the bee flourishes, joins in her fun and games and grows and grows.  It is soon taller than the little girl.  As fall descends on the city, the bee seems preoccupied.  It asks the girl for help.  A plan with a purpose is put into action.

As a new day dawns the duo completes their mission with no one but us aware of their endeavors.  Knowing winter is fast approaching the bee leaves.  Spring showers and warmth reveal an unprecedented beauty throughout the city and in several particular dwellers.


Whether it was destiny or an accident, the arrival of the bee in Alison Jay's studio ignited a story in this nature lover's heart.  From her pen the concept is one of the value of caring for those smaller and in need.  As the bee grows, so does the friendship, blossoming into a shared desire to make their world a better place.


Rendered alkyd oil paints all the images beginning with the matching dust jacket and book case are replete with intricate elements.  When you open the jacket and case the city scene extends over the spine to the left with a river winding through rolling hills in the countryside.  A curious, smiling sun rises, lighting up the sky and giving the clouds a golden glow.  The seeds framing the illustration hint at the work of the two friends as do their actions on the front.

On a delicate blue canvas the opening and closing endpapers feature flowers and leaves looking as though they have been pressed in preservation.  In an oval beneath the title text the girl is riding the bee, her hand outstretched tossing seeds.  Jay shifts her picture sizes from two-page visuals, edge to edge, to single page or multiple illustrations on a single page.

These smaller pictures are loosely framed as squares, circles, or rectangles.  A group of smaller images of the same shape and size provide pacing and the passage of time.   At one point seventeen tiny pictures across two pages illustrate the shared experiences of the bee and the little girl.  There are several times when a picture will be placed in a larger white space, defining a specific moment.

What are really intriguing about all these illustrations is the stories with the larger story.  Careful readers will notice the connection made between the girl and a boy in her apartment building.  It is also fun to watch some of the people residing in the neighborhood and their accomplishments, especially the pastry chef.  Each visual is vibrant and full of life.  You need to stop and look at each one to fully appreciate the depth and breadth of this book.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of the bee returning during the rain storm.  The one-page picture is looking through the girl's window, the left side framed by her blue curtain with white daisies on it.  The bee, dripping puddles of water, stands on the sill, arms upraised in a plea for help.  It's equally enjoyable to look in the other windows (behind the bee in buildings) to see what the residents are doing.  Some of them are outside braving the weather.


Bee-&-Me: A Story About Friendship conceived and illustrated by Alison Jay is a heartwarming tale of compassion for each other and our world.  We learn along with the girl the value of every single living thing.  We can see how caring encourages growth.  After the final image, Alison Jay includes a Bee Aware! page listing things to do to help bees and provide them protection and preservation.

To learn more about Alison Jay and her work follow the link attached to her name. This title is one of the CILIP Greenaway Medal nominations for 2017.  At Writing and Illustrating by Kathy Temean, Alison Jay is a featured artist.  It's a wonderful interview with process information and loads of illustrations. Playing by the book highlights this title and offers activities.  Walker Books Classroom offers Classroom Ideas.

Arctic Survivor

On December 14, 2015 an article was posted at the National Geographic website.  This article, Extreme Research Shows How Arctic Ice Is Dwindling, written by Andy Isaacson explains the journey of the research ship, Lance.

On the Lance's five-month mission its rotating crew of international scientists would investigate the causes and effects of ice loss by monitoring the ice across its entire seasonal life cycle---from the time when it formed in winter until it melted in summer.

One quote in this informative and interesting essay by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) oceanographer James Overland reads:

The Arctic really is the canary showing that climate change is real.

For species which make their home here and rely on the climate not to change to survive, this is a frightening fact.  The largest living land carnivore is in a precarious position.  The Polar Bear (Enchanted Lion Books, November 15, 2016) written and illustrated by Jenni Desmond (The Blue Whale) serves to enlighten readers about this majestic creature.

Once upon a time, a child took a book from the shelf and started to read...

As she begins to read she learns about the other name for the polar bear, a name given to them for their lives spent on the ice of the Arctic Ocean.  As remarkable as it seems, they thrive in the bitter temperatures, equipped with two layers of fur, thick skin and a layer of fat.  Did you know their necks are longer to help them swim with their heads out of the water?

Their huge paws, sometimes thirteen inches long, act as snowshoes, paddles when swimming and shovels when digging.  The bottoms of their feet are especially equipped to help them walk on ice.  Did you know the skin of polar bears is actually black?

Polar bear eyes and ears are quite like our own, except for a protective layer on their eyes which blocks the sunlight and helps them see underwater.  Their sense of smell, though, is phenomenal.   They can sense seals, their main source of food, miles away.  They can sniff out mates and locate their cubs.

The age of a polar bear can be found by counting the rings on one of their forty-two teeth.  (I might prefer to let that remain a mystery unless a tooth is found without being attached to the bear.)  Their eating habits rely on their food source.  Could you eat a meal every eleven days?  Or go without eating for three months?  As clever as they are at hunting, seals are much faster; more get away than are eaten by polar bears.

A home habitat for a polar bear can cover hundreds of miles of ice and ice floes.  After mating in the spring, the male will leave.  The female will only become pregnant in the fall if she has enough fat.  For three years cubs will stay with their mother learning how to survive.  Like humans at the end of the day or when exhausted, polar bears enjoy a good sleep.  It's all about survival.


By using a young girl wearing a red crown, dressed in cozy clothing and boots and reading this book, Jenni Desmond provides an inviting opening to this nonfiction narrative.  The child begins by reading the book in her home and then becomes part of the Arctic landscape as she continues to read.  In turn this brings us full circle on the final page, tying the actions of the polar bear to those of the girl.  In this way it's as if we are reading the same words at the same time as the girl.

Desmond breaks down the facts about the polar bear inserting them into conversational paragraphs; life on the ice, habitat and temperature, individual physical characteristics, socialization, hunting and eating, territory, swimming, mating, birth and life of the cubs and sleep.  Her research is evident providing her with captivating facts which she shares.  Here are two portions of a passage.

Polar bears have three ways of hunting.  The most common is waiting by a hole or at the edge of the ice for a seal to surface.  Then the bear will grab the seal with its teeth and pull it onto the ice.

Another is sneaking up on a seal that is already on the ice and then running at full speed to catch it.  A polar bear can run faster than the fastest human but only for a few seconds.


At her website Jenni Desmond states:

I work by hand using mixed media, and finish the artwork digitally.

On her matching dust jacket and book case, she places the subject of the book front and center, as if we are locked in a gaze with the polar bear.  Behind the bear and to the left, on the back, a barren Arctic panoramic view is broken by the flight of five geese.

The opening and closing endpapers are nearly identical.  The top half is the rolling hills of snow and the sun shining in an Arctic hazy sky.  The bottom half is the icy blue of the Arctic Ocean.  The polar bear is swimming to the right.  The little girl is kayaking, a tiny element in this grand scheme.  She does switch direction in the two.

The title page shows the girl removing this book from a shelf with other northern life and nature titles including Desmond's own The Blue Whale.  The heavier matte-finished paper gives realistic texture to the images.  The first picture gives us a view beyond the bookshelf of the girl stretched on a bed covered in cozy blankets.  Next to it is a low table with colored pencils, a sketch pad, a tea pot and a bowl of colored balls.  Her stuffed toys, eight animals, are reading along with her.

All of the illustrations span two pages.  Their scope and perspective impressively vary from the polar bear much smaller walking through a blizzard, showing him on an ice floe between glaciers, shaking off water and splashing the girl to an extreme close-up of his nose working to locate food, a mate, cubs or danger.  In one of many wonderful sequences we are given a bird's eye view of the bear swimming between ice floes with the girl leaning over to watch.  They are placed in the far right-hand corner.  With a page turn we are close to both of them, watching how the bear's body moves under water.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of the girl sitting on one side of a crevice and the polar bear on the other side.  The crevice is shown like a peak of a mountain stretching downward into the deep Arctic waters.  The polar bear can smell the seal swimming to the surface. The girl is holding a fishing pole over the water.  On either side of the hole is a large expanse of snow.


The Polar Bear written and illustrated by Jenni Desmond is a stunning piece of nonfiction.  In an Author's Note prior to the title page she speaks about the need to protect the polar bear and their habitat.  Their habitat protects our planet.  This title appears on The New York Times Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2016.

To learn more about Jenni Desmond and her other work please follow the links attached to her name to access her website and blog.  Jenni maintains a Twitter and an Instagram account.  Jenni Desmond was the recipient of a 2016 Sendak Fellowship.

You can find more information about polar bears at ARKIVE.  For more information about the Arctic and climate change go to the World Wildlife Foundation site and another page here.

Please visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to see the other titles selected by bloggers participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Look To The Sky Again

When we get caught up in the seemingly normal busyness of our days and nights, it is easy to pass by something out of the ordinary.  We are going in a rush but as our mind focuses on what we saw, heard or smelled we literally put on the brakes wondering if what we just experienced could possibly be true.  It's like when you go out with your dog in the early hours of the morning, slightly past midnight, and the sky suddenly explodes in color.  It's so unexpected you can't believe it's real but the display of northern lights is a wonderful truth.

If an extraterrestrial happens to crash his ship in your yard, you might feel as though you are dreaming but this is exactly what happens in Your Alien (Sterling Children's Books, August 4, 2015) written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Goro Fujita.  A fast friendship is formed between the human boy and the small green alien child.  Fortunately for readers the best buddies are reunited in Your Alien Returns (Sterling Children's Books, October 4, 2016).  Space contains no boundaries when love fills two hearts.

When you least expect it, something special will get your attention.

Your alien will be back.

Can you imagine waking up to see your extraterrestrial pal peeking in your window, wanting you over for a playdate?  Of course, you ask your parents for permission.  As usual they are perfectly preoccupied.

You gaze out of your alien's ship as you whiz through space and past planets, barely able to contain your excitement.  On your arrival, like a good host, he offers you a snack.  One you eat with relish, the other, more alive one, you decline.

You present your favorite toys to one another, resting afterward in an otherworldly fort.  Meeting his playmates is a bit overwhelming; there are a lot of them. You do your best to fit it, but you feel like a failure.

Your forever companion, your alien, he knows you better than you can believe.  Quick as a wink he changes inward groans to outward grins.  This is what friends do for friends, no matter where they live.  That night after you have related the events of the day to your patient (but unbelieving) parents, a look out your window yields yet one more surprise.


By using a second person point-of-view, Tammi Sauer allows us to be up-close and personal with every moment of this story.  We can easily become the boy or his alien.  This style of narration connects us more deeply to the emotional impact of the interactions between the friends.  It's as if we are experiencing everything in real time.

Not only will her use of language in writing this tale touch your heart but it will also tickle your funny bone.  She leaves room for illustrative interpretation when the boy checks with his parents about leaving the planet with his alien friend or when a snack with lively eyes is offered by the alien.  Each sentence carefully builds to bring readers back to the beginning but we like the boy and his pal, are far richer than we were.  Here is a sample passage.

Your alien will show you around his neighborhood.
Some things will remind you of home.
But other things will be completely new.


When you open the matching dust jacket and book case, a full image spans from the left to the right.  As the sun rises over the rolling landscape of the boy's yard, his friend hovers above him ready to take him on a ride to remember.  As in the first title, if you run your hands over the title text you will feel its nubby texture.  The boy and the spaceship are also slightly raised.  On the back, to the left, placed in the lightening sky are the words

AN INTERPLANETARY PLAYDATE BETWEEN
BEST FRIENDS WHO LIVE WORLDS APART.

You simply can't help but smile at the opening and closing endpapers created by Goro Fujita.  Between the two eighteen pictures of the alien engaged in fun activities on his home planet appear on a black canvas.  A few of the pictures show him with a helmet on his head as he rides on a rocket-propelled skateboard, or as he snacks on scoops of geometric ice cream, tongue ready to taste, kneels to look at a creature in a fish bowl which looks similar to a favorite treat, soaks in red goo and twirls a wand like a giant sparkler.  On the verso and title pages, the alien is zooming between planets, a smile on his face as he travels to Earth.

Rendered in Adobe Photoshop these visuals span one or two pages, full of life and light.  Sometimes Fujita will place two or three loosely framed images on a single page to emphasize a point.  In particularly strong emotional sequences we are near the characters' faces.  Every mood of the duo is conveyed with truth and excellence.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the boy is requesting permission from his parents to travel with his alien.  It takes place in the kitchen of his home.  His mother is shielding herself from a geyser shooting from the center of the sink.  His father is tinkering with the plumbing under the sink.  Puddles of water can be seen in the sunlight on the floor.  Behind the talking boy, the alien is peeking around the corner from the hallway.

Your Alien Returns written by Tammi Sauer with illustrations by Goro Fujita clearly shines a light on the soul of friendship.  Differences in appearance, food, games, customs and where you live don't matter to friends.  The most important thing is each other.  This is an uplifting tale and a stellar companion to the first title.  You will be asked to read them both over and over again.

To discover more about Tammi Sauer and Goro Fujita please follow the links attached to their names to access her website and his blog.  At Tammi's website she has an Alien Activity Kit for you to use with both books.  Fourteen interior pages can be viewed by following this link.  KidLit 411 chats with Tammi Sauer.  PictureBookBuilders showcases this title.  In the autumn of the year of the summer release of the first book, Emily Yarrow created a Your Alien song.