Better Together #2

It is not only people who respond to compassion.  Humans with animal companions, veterinarians who heal and care for them, and scientists who study them usually agree the response from animals approached and treated with kindness is favorable.  In fact, there is evidence some animals experience a varied range of emotions. (Animal Emotions: Exploring Passionate Natures: Current interdisciplinary research provide compelling evidence that many animals experience such emotions as joy, fear, love, despair, and grief---we are not alone by Marc Bekoff, BioScience, Volume 50, Issue 10, October 2000)  An act of compassion or harmony does not need to be a grand gesture.  It can be as simple as a glance filled with warmth and affection.

Sometimes, the least of us are the ones who need to receive that glance, a caring word, a helping hand or even something done in complete anonymity the most.  Tiny Kitty, Big City (Balzar + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, March 2, 2021) written and illustrated by Tim Miller simply, truthfully and with great affection is a gentle reminder of what it means to be charitable.  When we are mindful of others everyone wins.

Tiny kitty.

Big city.

When you are a tiny kitty, the city is more crowded.  It is a forest of feet and legs.  You hurry through the maze of people and vehicles as quickly and safely as possible.

Loud noises and barking dogs are frightening.  Bravery comes when joining with an iconic ally.  A warm day welcomes rest.  

An idyllic afternoon is spent dining and playing.  As evening descends, so does a snowstorm.  Nothing would be better than the warmth of a home.  Tiny kitty is chilly.

In darkness, a bluesy beat beckons.  Hearts swell at a serenade.  Love finds a way.

Using two words, kitty and city, and adding carefully selected, single adjectives, author Tim Miller tells a tale of being lost and found, and of finding what you may not have known you've lost.  The two-word phrases toggle back and forth as opposites and as responses.  The way this narrative is purposefully presented, we are able to understand the personality of the kitty and the characteristics of the city.  In those revelations, the tiny kitty and big city are able to meet in heartwarming rapport.  Here are two more two-word phrases.

Wildlife city.

Playful kitty.

Opening the dust jacket, we see the story beginning.  To the left, back, of the spine on pale blue is the tiny kitty peering from the inside of a tipped cardboard box.  On the front, right, the tiny kitty looks large compared to the big city in the background.  This reader likes to think of that as foreshadowing.  It is a hopeful concept.  The title text and tiny kitty are varnished.

You cannot look at the book case without smiling.  Across the opened book case is tiny kitty's face, up close and personal.  The nose and mouth are placed at the bottom of the spine.  One eye is on the left and the other eye is on the right.  This is a soul-to-soul stare.

Across the opening and closing endpapers, tiny pawprints, in blue on a cream canvas, loop back and forth beginning in the upper left-hand corner and running off the lower, right-hand corner.   The loops do change lengths.  Instead of going off the edge on the right side on the closing endpapers, the happy ending of this story is presented.

There are notable details for readers to see.  The words for the dedication are in the shape of a heart.  On the title page tiny kitty is staring into a puddle.  The kitty and the big city are reflected there.  Of the making of these illustrations artist Tim Miller says:

This book was made with acrylic gouache, with digital touch-ups.  Also my cat was sitting on my lap while I worked, so you might find some of her hair in the pictures.

Black lines define each element in these images.  Tim Miller presents multiple perspectives on his double-page pictures and his full-page pictures.  We look at the world from tiny kitty's point of view, from a person's point of view, and from a bird's gaze at the city below it.  These illustrations are full of emotion, fright, wonder, exhilaration, courage, contentment, fun, joy, and love.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a double-page picture.  The sky is golden in the middle of a sunny day.  Trunks and bare branches of trees rise in front of background buildings on the left.  In front of these a large "library lion", facing left, stretches across both pages.  A familiar building fills a large portion of the right side.  Asleep under the majestic feline's face is tiny kitty on the large legs and paws.

Guaranteed to be a read-aloud favorite and much requested title, Tiny Kitty, Big City written and illustrated by Tim Miller needs to be on your personal and professional bookshelves. In his dedication Tim Miller conveys his passion and purpose for this book.  We are grateful to him.

To learn more about Tim Miller and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Tim Miller has accounts on Instagram and Twitter. This title is discussed, and Tim Miller is interviewed at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read. and at teacher librarian Travis Jonker's 100 Scope Notes.  Don't miss either of these posts!  They are fabulous as is the post Tim Miller wrote for the Nerdy Book Club. 

If you were to ask a group of people of various ages a year ago how they define peace, would those same people answer differently today?  Perhaps, a lot of their replies would change.  A global pandemic has a way of altering perspectives and priorities.  Also, if you were to ask this group how to obtain peace, express peace, or give peace, would their thinking have shifted?  Peace, Paz and Frieden (English, Spanish, and German translations of the same book) (North|South, March 2, 2021) written by Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul with illustrations by Esteli Meza allows all ages to ponder those very questions.  It expresses through universal actions in easily understood words and lively, luminescent images, peace is for everyone, everywhere, and always.  

Peace is a hello,

a smile,

a hug.

Peace is for those who dare to be different and for those who quietly work alone.  When we show respect for others, extending common courtesies to them like looking at them when we share conversations, that is peace.  Sometimes peace starts with an unspoken gesture.  When shared ideas are discovered, that unspoken gesture blooms into a movement.

When we give to others when we have more than we need, that is peace.  Do these actions happen immediately?  No.  Peace is a good habit to nurture and have.  It's something we carry with us as if it is a part of our bodies. 

Peace is acknowledging our mistakes to ourselves and to others.  This peace brings a calm during day and night, happiness and sorrow.  Where there has been life, there has been peace.  What can and will we do to bring it to all parts of our planet?

Having read this aloud in both English and Spanish, the words of Miranda Paul and Baptiste Paul (and translator Aida Salazar), gently sing off the pages in the sweetest of melodies.  The thoughts and truths supplied through rhyming text envelope you.  The words in this narrative are an invitation readers will be unable to resist.  With intention the selected actions are possible, releasing all to enjoy the results.  Here is a passage.

Peace is on purpose.

Peace is a choice.

Peace lets the smallest of us

have a voice.

La paz es a proposito.

La paz es una eleccion.

La paz permite a los mas pequenitos

tener una voz.

When you look at the front (right) and back (left) of the opened dust jacket, it is like you are looking at a portrait of peace.  Look at the children from all backgrounds with different animals among a paradise of plants and trees.  Everyone is happy.  Everyone is enjoying the company of the others without discord.  On the back (left), there are three children, six animals and two insects, a butterfly and a bee. Across one of the large leaves, it reads:

Peace is a choice.

La paz es a proposito.

On the book case a muted gold is the canvas.  On the left side is information about the book and its creators.  On the front a sturdy brown trunk and several branches are seats for children and animals.  The leaves are a hue of blue and some are a shade of pink.  This tree scene is circled by a pale peach background.  At the base of the trunk an animal peeks out at readers.  The same white dove seen on the front of the jacket flies toward the tree here.

On the opening and closing endpapers three tiny flowers dot the bottom of a deep blue canvas.  The tree shown on the book case is placed in the center.  The children and animals are gone.  Within the blush-colored leaves is the word peace in multiple languages.

In a word, the artwork here by Esteli Meza is stunning.  Her style is distinctive, replete with vibrant rich colors.  The flora is bold and symbolic.  Children from all parts of the world are represented on each of the double-page pictures.  They are actively engaged with each other and the animals.  

With each reading you will notice a new detail.  When there is more than one animal, it looks as though they are a family.  Fish in the ocean swim forming the shape of a larger fish.  The white dove is in every image.  Readers will gasp at the four-page gatefold at the end of the book.  

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is for a single sentence.  It is night.  On the right we can see a sliver of the sky and two stars.  The dove is sleeping on a slim branch which winds up the right side and along the bottom on the right.  Two other branches fan out along the bottom on the right and left.  The body of a dozing lion covers most of the two pages.  A gray cat with a curved body and a girl with red hair in a braid lean against the lion's body.  A zebra is next to them.  The hues and pattern in the girl's dress complement the branches and leaves shown on the edges.  You know sweet dreams are being enjoyed by all.

This book, Peace, Paz, and Frieden written by Baptiste Paul and Miranda Paul with illustrations by Esteli Meza, is one to keep close.  It not only depicts peace with excellence but brings peace to all who read it.  You will want to read the Authors' Note at the end.  I highly recommend you place a copy or two in your professional collection as well as in your personal collection.

To learn more about Baptiste Paul, Miranda Paul, and Esteli Meza and their other work, please access their respective websites by following the link attached to their names.  Baptiste Paul has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Miranda Paul has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.  Esteli Meza has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website are interior images, and multiple teacher resources.  At Simon & Schuster, there is one image not shown at the publisher's website.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read., the book trailer is premiered. Baptiste and Miranda talk about this book. 

UPDATE:  This title is showcased by author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson at her site, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  There is an interview with Tim Miller and considerable process art.

To The Trees

We need to constantly consider the purpose of trees.  To not do so is a costly mistake.  In an article, How Trees Make a Difference, at the website for the National Wildlife Federation, we read, in a list of ten, how trees can better the air quality and create habitats for plants and animals.  This is understandable.  It has also been documented they are good for the economy, not because of how they can be used, but because homes and property with trees around them are more valuable than those without trees.

During Women's History Month, let us take a few moments to highlight new book releases focusing on women who have dedicated their lives to understanding and protecting trees and their forests.  Both women were the first in their particular field in their accomplishments.  In light of relentless challenges, their deeds are remarkable.

In The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets In The Rainforest (Calkins Creek, an imprint of Boyd Mills & Kane, February 9, 2021) written by Heather Lang with illustrations by Jana Christy, we discover, as did Margaret Lowman, the reward of immersing oneself in that which is loved.  Determination and dedication fueled by one's passion are key ingredients to success.  Inventiveness in solving mysteries is supremely satisfying.

Meg loved how leaves

burst into the world

and unfurled.

She admired their different shapes,

colors, and textures.

For twenty years, Meg learned everything she could about trees.  As a quiet girl, being with trees was a refuge for her. In college, despite not being allowed in one class because she was a woman, she persisted.  In Australia, in graduate school, she wanted to study rainforests, not from the ground, but in the treetops.  Now it was time to "be" a tree. 

Meg sewed a harness and designed a simple but demanding rope system to pull herself up into the canopy.  She was in a new frontier with new animals and marvelous leaves of all shapes and sizes.  Although, people discouraged her from these endeavors, Meg climbed and climbed and climbed.  She made discoveries about a variety of different trees.

Meg took copious notes and made diagrams.  She did this day after day, without human companionship or colleagues.  She discovered how active insects are at night in consuming leaves.  She discovered how valuable each tree is to other animals and to the forest itself.  The one thing Meg could not do was climb at night.  It was simply too dangerous.

Not to be deterred Meg and a friend, Peter O'Reilly designed the world's first canopy walkway.  It was built in

his Rainforest Retreat in Queensland, Australia.

Meg continued to assist in the construction of other canopy walkways in other parts of the world.  She even stood in a raft placed on top of a canopy of trees in Cameroon, Africa!  You would think with all these major triumphs for the good of trees, Meg might be ready to rest.  She was not.  She toured through countries in Africa, teaching them how to care for their rainforests.  Through her they understood, trees are life.

Even after several readings, the deeds of this woman fascinate and inspire as presented by author Heather Lang.  Her factual but lyrical language and intentional word choices compel us to keep reading.  We want to know what Margaret Lowman does next.  Within the narrative and in support of it are quotations by Margaret Lowman.  To further educate us about rainforests, their inhabitants, and Meg, large leaves with additional text are strategically placed on numerous pages.  Here is a passage, a quotation from Margaret Lowman and information from one of the leaves.

At last, splashed with flowers and sunlight---

the canopy!

The treetops swayed

back and forth.

Flies whizzed.  Lizards lingered.

A black weevil sucked leaf juices.

Sweat bees landed on her arm

for a lick of salt.

And the jungle's music danced all around her.

"FROM THEN ON, I NEVER LOOKED BACK . . . OR DOWN!"

Insects eat leaves by chewing them,

piercing and sucking from the leaf, or

tunneling in and eating the inside

of the leaf.

On the open and matching dust jacket and book case, we get on the right, front, a first-hand glance at what it was like for Margaret Lowman, Meg, when she climbed into the treetops and studied what she found there.  Birds, insects, and reptiles were her companions.  The shades of green cast a glow of warmth and humidity.  Do you see the large pale leaf highlighting the title text?  To the left, on the back, are endorsements for this title from Jane Goodall and Edward O. Wilson.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a bright orange like that seen in the snake and birds on the front of the book.  A graceful gathering of leaves and flowers frame the text on the title page continuing as a branch along the top of the verso.  Each image rendered digitally by Jana Christy spans two pages.

Within those two pages she sometimes depicts more than one scenario.  In these settings we might see Meg outside gathering leaves and then inside pressing and preserving them in a notebook.  We find Meg in a college classroom and exploring the rainforest.  In one double-page picture, there are four vertical panels showing Meg's attempts to get her harness and rope operative.

The perspectives shift to complement the narrative.  We are dangling with Meg as she gets used to the harness and rope.  We are close to her as she takes notes in the treetops, a vividly colored bird taking flight near her.  At night we are next to all the insects feasting on leaves.  Jana Christy also includes sketches within these visuals.  

One of my many favorite illustrations shows Meg as a little girl.  Through the center, branching out from the gutter is a sketch of a treehouse with Meg leaning over a railing.  As the branches stretch to the right and left large colorful leaves border the top and drift down the sides.  There is a sketch of Meg's home on the left.  At the bottom she is kneeling in the grass collecting flowers and leaves.  On the right side, Meg is seated at a table placing her specimens in a book.  She is surrounded by leaves, branches, and other gathered treasures in jars.  Several other objects hang on the wall near her.  You can tell from Meg's facial expressions, she is contented.

You are amazed and filled with respect for this woman's great strides in her beloved work during and after reading The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets In The Rainforest written by Heather Lang with illustrations by Jana Christy.  At the close of the book is an Author's Note giving us more information and speaking about when Heather Lang met and spent time with Margaret Lowman.  Following this is a vertical two-page picture explaining the layers of life in an Amazon rainforest.  There are many labels, but you are asked to find other elements.  On the final page are a bibliography of books, videos, websites, source notes, acknowledgements and picture credits.  I highly recommend this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Heather Lang and Jana Christy and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Heather Lang has active accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  You can see more of Jana Christy's artwork on her agency website.  This title was featured at Celebrate Picture Books.  The book trailer was premiered along with an interview at Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read.  At Penguin Random House, you can view the title and verso pages.

There are other ways of approaching what we love and doing our best to preserve it.  One girl grew up knowing the forests around California's Siskiyou Mountains.  Nothing found in those forests frightened her as much as fire.  She wanted to do everything she could to protect those forests and their inhabitants.  Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female "Fire Guard" (Sleeping Bear Press, February 15, 2021) written by Aimee Bissonette with illustrations by David Hohn chronicles the life of this girl and woman and the impressive steps she took to make her dream a reality.

Hallie leapt from her bed and raced to the

window, pulling back the curtains.  A bright

orange glow filled the sky.

Flames licked the tops of far-off trees.  Hallie's 

house was safe for now, but the winds could

shift at any moment.  Even if her home was

safe, the forest was in danger---the trees, the

animals, her neighbors.

As a young girl, Hallie roamed through the woods with her sister Leslie and her brother Ben.  She knew birds by their calls, hunted, and fished.  She knew first-hand of the dangers of fire.  She and her sister would assist firefighters, doing what they could to help when fires broke out near their home.

When Hallie and Leslie were older, they attended a boarding school in San Francisco.  Living in the city was the farthest thing from Hallie's mind.  Finally, with school finished, Hallie started a letter writing campaign to the United States Forest Service.  They said no again and again, even after the devastating Great Fire of 1910 when she pleaded with them.  

In 1913, right before the start of fire season, Hallie got the job as the fire lookout at the Eddy Gulch Lookout Station in northern California.  No one believed Hallie would last during the wild electrical storms on the top of the mountain or survive the loneliness of days without seeing another human being.  She did!  She lived in a cozy cabin at the peak.  To the west she could see the Pacific Ocean.

Tiny creatures joined her in her new home.  Tracks of larger forest dwellers assured she always carried her gun.  Daily routines consisted of replenishing water and wood and vigilance in seeking out smoke or flames, day or night.  Each week her sister made the three hour climb on horseback to bring Hallie news and supplies. 

During fire season, early spring to late autumn, when snow was still on the ground and as soon as snow fell, Hallie was at Eddy Gulch Lookout Station for fourteen more years after her first successful assignment in 1913.  Eventually the United States Forest Service built a new station replacing the log cabin.  Hallie left soon after, the new building not to her liking.  A heart's desire completed.

Readers can easily step into Hallie's world through the writing of author Aimee Bissonette.  Explanations of her attachment to the forest of her youth help us connect to her sense of exploration and discovery.  Hallie's determination to face her fear of fire in the forests by fighting against it is felt through the descriptions of her tenacity in writing letters.  She would not take no for an answer.  The inclusion of daily tasks in her job at the Eddy Gulch Lookout Station gives us personal details.  She is as real to us as our friends and neighbors.  Here is a passage. 

At night, she watched for the red glare of fire, which she described as

"red stars in the blue-black background of moonless nights."  Three

times a day Hallie telephoned Ranger McCarthy from the pole-

mounted telephone outside her cabin---more often if she spotted

smoke or flame.

In her first season on the job, Hallie spotted forty fires.  Because 

of her quick reporting, fewer than five acres of forest burned.

Sometimes you look at an open and matching dust jacket and book case and think a single word---WOW.  Without reading a word of the narrative, you know Hallie is one fierce female.  Her facial features portray deep concentration and dedication.  The decision to place the reflection of the forest in her binocular lenses is genius.  The color palette is outstanding with the blend of blue, green, and yellow hues.  Her right arm extends over the spine to the back.  Here a hill rises to the peak.  Trees are scattered near the cabin, behind and in front of it.  The path to the cabin winds around the hill.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a relief map with the Pacific Ocean on the far left.  In the right corner is the state line with Oregon above it.  Mountains and trees are scattered on the area.  Labels are shown for Klamath National Forest, Mt Linn, Lassen Peak, Mt Shasta, and the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  

A stunning double-page picture spreads left to right from the dedication and publication information page to the title page.  It is the dead of night.  Hallie's childhood home, lights aglow, sits among the forest on the right.  Off to the far left, a forest fire blazes, sparks flying on the night breeze.

Most of the illustrations by David Hohn span two pages.  The single-page pictures generate pacing between important portions of Hallie's life choices.  The representations of Hallie's face and her body postures give us a sense of intense focus and of always moving forward.  

In the shift of perspectives, we can see David Hohn's attention to detail.  The clothing, methods of transportation, and architecture are all in keeping with the historical period.  His vast landscapes mirror the starkness and breathtaking beauty of the wilderness.  Animals native to the area are always a part of the setting.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a two-page picture.  It shows Hallie's arrival at the lookout in the early spring on the left and her leaving in the late autumn on the right.  Just left of the gutter and at the top, the cabin is the focal point.  The telephone on the pole is out in front as is the flag waving in a brisk breeze.  When she arrives in the early spring, David Hohn shows snowy hills and mountain peaks with the snow still covering part of the ground as early flowers poke through new grass.  She has a walking stick in her hand to assist her in the climb.  When she leaves, you can tell she does so with a bit of heartbreak.  We see more of her horse in this portion of the picture, waiting in the golden grass as she looks at the cabin.  The horse is packed with her possessions.  Two snowshoes are visible.  David Hohn includes a dog with Hallie.  In some photographs of her, a dog is by her side.

More than 100 years ago, this woman due to sheer grit took a stand and paved the way for others to follow.  Headstrong Hallie!: The Story of Hallie Morse Daggett, the First Female "Fire Guard" written by Aimee Bissonette with illustrations by David Hohn will have you standing up and cheering.  The captivating text and lovely images complement each other.  At the close of the book on two pages is an author's note and three black and white photographs.  You'll want to have a copy of this book in both your professional and personal collections.

To discover more about Aimee Bissonette and David Hohn and their other work, visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Aimee Bissonette has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  David Hohn has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Aimee Bissonette is interviewed and this book is featured at writer and illustrator Jena Benton's website.

Better Together #1

At an early age humans learn, a helping hand benefits everyone, both the recipient and the giver.  We are never sure where the initial connection will lead. If a leap of faith is taken by extending assistance to another human, plant, animal, or planet, a lasting relationship is often built.  In nature within and without species, this is an observed behavior, contributing to survival.  It supplies all living individuals with the best existence possible. 

For those whose lives have been limited by the pandemic, people delivering mail and packages have been a constant tie to the larger world no longer available.  There have been frequent conversations through windows.  The Lost Package (Roaring Brook Press, March 2, 2021) written by Richard Ho with illustrations by Jessica Lanan allows readers to see how much is gained through discovery and decision.

Like other packages, this one began as an empty box.

The art of packing this particular package was done as a labor of love.  The sender knew the receiver would appreciate and recognize extra details.  This package arrived and left the post office in a series of designated steps.

It was sorted in a labyrinth of moving paths, but on its way to an airport it unintentionally left the truck carrying it.  This box was not bound to a special address any longer.  It was off course from its intended destination.

No one who passed the package gave it any attention.  Now muddy and torn, it was finally noticed.  The extra details, so lovingly added, sent a clear message.

The spotters made a decision.  In the true spirit of the United States Postal Service, they acted. Like many before them, their choice and deeds enriched more than one.

As soon as you read the first two sentences, you are intrigued.  What was in the package? Where was it going?  Who will receive the package?  Who sent the package?  Richard Ho has taken the less is more approach to this story, mastering it beautifully.  His simple, profound prose allows our imaginations to take their own journey as the package follows its own alternate route.  Never mentioning people, but focusing on the package, also leaves room for illustrative interpretation.  Another wonderful technique Richard Ho uses is the repetition of three important words.  When he changes them toward the ending, the impact is greater.  Here is a passage.

Like other packages, it was taken to a building with

wondrous machines.

Machines that zip mail through a maze of moving belts.

Soft, layered elements on the front, right, of the open dust jacket in a full-color palette introduce readers to three important, but never named, characters in this tale of a package gone awry.  On closer inspection you can see how illustrator Jessica Lanan weaves hints of the package's origin and destination in the special details on the brown-paper wrapping. Did you notice how she places the cancelled postal waves through three letters in the title text?  

To the left of the spine, on the back, golden and peach washes supply the canvas.  A loosely framed circular image is placed here.  Within this image our attention is drawn to the USPS truck moving down a city street.  Buildings and other vehicles are a part of the background.

On the book case is the brown-paper wrapping for the package. It is smudged and torn.  Postal insignias and labels are on the back portion on the left.  On the right is a series of stamps, a return address, and a to-be-delivered-to address.  A deep midnight blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.

On the title page, the text is the same as on the front of the dust jacket.  The scene is different.  It is an overview of a large metropolitan city on the east coast of the United States.  A tall identifying landmark reveals the place.

These illustrations rendered

with watercolors

shift in size from page turn to page turn, generating a story within a story.  Readers will pause to make sure to not miss any of the included items; a photograph of both the children in their respective rooms and posters on each other's walls of the place in which their friend resides.  How many will want a bunny lamp like the one in the girl's bedroom?  How many will identify with the boy's passion for fish and sea creatures?

The scenes inside the post office and postal sorting facility are informative and engaging.  Several wordless images speak volumes.  The two-page pictures are lovely as are the cross-country scenes.  

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  It's one of those times in a story where you hold your breath, waiting to see what happens.  A boy, his mother, and their dog are walking down a wet sidewalk in the rain in the city.  The battered box rests against two large objects in the gutter.  The dog is pulling on its leash toward the box.  A pale sky highlights the buildings, streetlamps, a stoplight, and a bus stop sign. Close to us is the sidewalk shiny in the rainstorm.  It draws us toward the three characters. 

In reading The Lost Package written by Richard Ho with illustrations by Jessica Lanan, we come to understand with greater insight the value of a single act.  It magnifies the notion of what-if.  Both the author and illustrator have notes for readers on the final page.  What a truly genuine and touching story this is!  I highly recommend it for your personal and professional bookshelves.

To discover more about both Richard Ho and Jessica Lanan and their other work, please visit their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Richard Ho has accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  Jessica Lanan has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. At Macmillan you can view interior illustrations.  You might be able to watch an archive of the launch here hosted by Books of Wonder.

For those who have spent many an hour on water in a boat, what we see around us is only a small portion of the wonders being in a boat affords us.  There is much to be seen underwater which in turn affects what we see above it.  The brother collaborators who gave us The Old Truck (Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton and Company, January 7, 2020) have a new release.  The Old Boat (Norton Young Readers, an imprint of W. W. Norton and Company, March 2, 2021) written and illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey is an ode to our environment, family, and shared experiences using a boat as a focal point.

Off a small island, an old boat rode the tide.

Over time, the old boat moved from the island into deeper and deeper waters.  It supplied the woman and boy what they needed.  It gave them a place to dream dreams.  In that old boat, they saw breathtaking wonders given to them from the water beneath the waves.

Still more time passed.  Now the boy, a man, traveled farther from the small island.  The island was no longer in sight.

The old boat was weary, worn, chilly and most decidedly lost in a raging storm.  All that remained was the turbulent waves and angry sky.  Fortunately, after the storm passed, the man washed ashore on a sandy beach on another small island.

There, the man saw what needed to be done.  He started, little by little, to change the landscape of the beach, moving into deeper and deeper waters.  He inspired others.  The man and the old boat were settled and satisfied, content in their new places.

Readers willingly place themselves in the old boat near the small island.  Through the words of Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey, we ride with the boy and woman during their shared experiences.  Jarrett Pumphrey's and Jerome Pumphrey's use of alliteration in one special sentence is enchanting.  It's like riding the swells of water formed by wind.

This creative duo brings the story full circle through generations by using repeating words and phrases.  We accept the changes as inevitable, but those things which cement connections to each other and to our planet remain the same, but stronger.  We know something in the story is about to shift when we read this sentence.

But the old boat rode farther (page turn)

and farther.  

Opening the dust jacket for this book gives you a glimpse of the lovely hues used in the illustrations.  The signature artwork of the brothers' is as exquisite here as in their first title.  The image on the right, front, is reversed on the left, back, with a continuous flow over the spine.  On the back there are now two clouds in the sky.  The boy's back is to us.  The fish move away and from under the boat traveling to the left edge and corner.  

On the book case is a textured cream color.  A wide border of green, the same shade as on the boat and title text, covers and spreads from the spine.  On the front of the case, near the top, the old boat is embossed on the cream.  It's a tactile, defining moment when readers run their fingers over the old boat.  

On the opening and closing endpapers is a slightly lighter golden color than as shown on the jacket.  When you turn the page after the endpapers at the front and before those at the back, there is a mirror image with some differences in the land and water. On the first, the island shows only flora.  There appear to be fewer fish and underwater flora.  On the second, the island has colorful homes and less flora.  The water is more populated with sea creatures.  This is a visual explanation of the beginning and end of the old boat's story.

Prior to the title page is a fabulous two-page picture.  It introduces us to the woman, the little boy, their small island, the watery wonders near the shore, and the old boat.  On the title page is only the old boat.  With the page turns, we see how the ages of the woman and the boy progress.  They both get older.  Under them in the water, the sea changes too.  Pollution invades closer to shore, spreading out farther and farther as the two age.

The farther they go out into the sea, the more the residents there present themselves to them, until a stunning moment when the woman is very old, and the boy is a young man.  From then on, for several page turns Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey present the man, alone and now older, in the old boat, too far from home to get what he needs.  This is the pictorial introduction to a huge change.  In one of the more dramatic two-page pictures (They are all two-page images.), there are no words, no boat and no man.

Readers will be entranced by the blend of words and illustrations.  Each page turn invites examination.  Subtle and not so subtle differences are noted in every element.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the boy, a teenager, and the woman, white-haired, are resting in the boat after a successful day of fishing.  He is leaning against the bow and she against the stern.  It is night.  The island is in the distance black and dotted with white houses.  Stars twinkle in the black sky as one streaks from left to right, across the gutter and over their boat on the right.  Beneath several shades of tan water, white jellyfish gather.  The two words on this page are:

and wishes.

There is total contentment and calm in this scene.

If you ever imagine how one person can make a difference, look to The Old Boat written and illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey.  Here we see how a woman influenced a boy, and how that boy as a man influenced an entire island.  It's about making this world better for those who dwell here now and in the future.  We can do this . . . together.  You will certainly want a copy of this title for your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Jarrett Pumphrey and Jerome Pumphrey and their work, access their website by following the link attached to their names.  There are three double-page illustrations for this book at their website, including the favorite I above noted.  Jarrett Pumphrey has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Jerome Pumphrey has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The brothers were featured guests on February 4, 2021 at The Brown Bookshelf.  Author illustrator Don Tate is the author of that post.

Comedy Times Two #2

Readers know you can't judge a book by its cover, but we also know a cover can be an incentive.  A cover can ask us to stop and look.  There, if we look closely enough, we see a bit of a story.  This bit of a story offers an overture to what might unfold in the body of the book. 

If there are characters portrayed on those jackets and cases, we can take clues from their facial expressions and body language.  We Love Fishing! (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, February 23, 2021) written by Ariel Bernstein with illustrations by Marc Rosenthal examines the concept of the word we.  In the events in this tale, there is a me who has a contrasting outlook.  Therein the comedy resides. 

Bear, Porcupine,

Otter, and Squirrel

love fishing.

When you keep reading each one, Bear, Otter, and Porcupine, issues individual statements in agreement, except for Squirrel.  Squirrel says---

They love fishing.

Bear, Porcupine, and Otter glorify the merits of fish consumption.  Squirrel can't stand the odor of fish.

Walking through the woods to get to the fishing spot is sheer delight for the exuberant trio.  Squirrel lacks even the slightest desire for exercise, finding fault with ever step taken.  As you can surmise, fishing from the boat is a pastime enjoyed by three and abhorred by a fourth.

When the rain begins, comments by Bear, Porcupine, and Otter are the height of optimism.  Squirrel laments the condition of his fur.  When it appears as though a fish is hooked, happiness is met with confusion.  Keeping the fish in the net, unfortunately is Squirrel's task.

A mishap is met with stunned silence . . .initially.  Will the bonds of friendship hold?  Only Fish knows.

The sentences written by author Ariel Bernstein and the rhythm they generate make this narrative a joy to read, silently or aloud.  First, we read a declarative statement, followed by three collaborative assertions and one dissenting remark.  What elevates the humor is Squirrel is apt to make several verbal observations, all in contrast to the majority opinion.  In the true style of a storyteller, Ariel Bernstein fashions a pause, a point of reflection, before the cadence resumes.  Here is a partial passage with a sentence by Otter and several, but not all, by Squirrel.

I don't know 

what I love more.

Walking or

fishing.

Can we take a taxi?

I stepped on

a pebble.

Ack! I see a fly!

Look at the cheery faces on Otter, Bear, and Porcupine on the front of the dust jacket.  Then, when you focus on Squirrel, you get a hint as to the divergence in points of view and fun to come.  The color choices imply a happy-go-lucky day outside in a relaxed natural setting.  The wide spine with the row of fish also offers a clue as to the upcoming happening.  The wide blue border continues on the back.  There we see Squirrel repelled by the slippery Fish, barely in the net.  Squirrel, the net, Fish and a small portion of the boat are set on the cream background.  The title text is raised and varnished.  The fish on the spine border are varnished.

On the book case, on a canvas of the same bright blue as the spine border, the image from the back of the jacket is placed in a smaller circle.  On the front is the same illustration as on the front of the jacket, smaller, and framed by an oval blue-green line.  Bordering that line is an wider oval of cream, framed in a green line.  Within this is the Fish pattern.  This is placed on the bright blue background.

On the matching opening and closing endpapers, we are greeted with an underwater scene. Waves in varied shades of turquoise are a superb canvases for fishes and Fish.  They are swimming in two different directions.  Bubbles form in two vertical rows, top to bottom, one on the left side and one on the right side.  Fish is approaching the hook on a line.  On the title page the foursome is gathered, three gleeful about fishing and Squirrel totally grumpy.

These images by Marc Rosenthal 

were rendered in Prismacolor pencil and digital color.

White, cream, is a strong element in all the pictures.  Texture, shading and light figure prominently.  The illustrations shift in size to accentuate the pacing.  Readers will enjoy all the added details; the lures in Bear's collection, Otter's love of supreme ice cream sundaes, Porcupine's intensity, tongue out, as he fishes, and Squirrel's passion for acorns.  

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It features a close-up of the red and yellow boat ono the lake.  Bear, eyes closed, is stretched out on his back in the bow of the boat.  A pole behind him has a line in the water.  Over him Porcupine holds a reel and pole with another line in the water.  At the end of Bear's feet, Otter, wearing his fisherman's cap, holds the net.  On the back seat Squirrel sits, hands on either side of his face.  Just off the right side of the stern, Fish is poking its head above the water.  This picture complements the text splendidly.

Throughout all our lives, our friendships will always be tested.  In this book, We Love Fishing! written by Ariel Bernstein with illustrations by Marc Rosenthal, the art of compromise, amid grumbling, is displayed wonderfully, full of laughter and yes, love.  You will enjoy having this title as a part of your personal and professional collections.  It's sure to promote discussions after the giggling dies away.

To discover more about Ariel Bernstein and Marc Rosenthal and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Ariel Bernstein has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Marc Rosenthal has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.

Sometimes as soon as you read a title aloud, bursts of laughter can be heard throughout the gathered listeners during a story time.  Certain words are overloaded with hilarity.  That hilarity, though, can vanish in a second if the word is used to diminish an individual's character or worth.

Don't Call Me Fuzzybutt! (Sleeping Bear Press, March 15, 2021) written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Susan Batori shows us how anger can escalate.  In that anger, civility is set aside.  Taking the high road seems out of reach.  The Golden Rule is forgotten.

Bear needed a lot of sleep.  Two hundred and

forty-three and a half days, to be precise.

Anything less and he turned grizzly.

In addition to needing the specified number of days for sleep, Bear could hear the softest noise.  He could hear the sound of one raindrop.  It woke him up.

He fashioned attire to block out noise.  Through signs, he notified his neighbors of his need for silent sleep.  And he cut down trees to make a soundproof door.  On his first hibernation day, he went blissfully to sleep until . . . 

PECK!

PECK!

PECK!

woke him up.

What Bear did not know was the trees he cut down were architectural wonders created by Woodpecker.  Woodpecker was dismayed to find all his homes were gone.  Rabbit, Mouse, and Squirrel had no clue as to the disappearance of said structures.

Woodpecker hung up flyers offering a reward.  He finally noted sections of his houses strewn in a path to Bear's new den door.  Using his signature work ethic, Woodpecker was taking back what was his.

With every peck, Bear's frustration grew.  He roared.  Outside his den, he asked a question horrifying Rabbit, Mouse, and Squirrel at the use of one word.  Woodpecker heard it and confronted Bear.  Bear stomped back inside and fell asleep.

Considering his ability to hear even the softest sound, Woodpecker unintentionally woke Bear again, this time with a different noise.  In a much longer encounter, tempers of both parties flared into a nasty blaze of name-calling.  Two wounded individuals called a truce and constructed a plan.  After two hundred and forty-three and a half days, spring was not the only renewal enjoyed by forest friends.

With her first three sentences, author Robin Newman opens the door for a problem to enter.  The slight tension increases when we learn of Bear's hearing abilities.  With the presentation of Woodpecker's dilemma, we understand a clash is coming.

Robin Newman uses the storytelling rule of three with skill.  The repetition of key phrases and application of alliteration provide a cadence welcoming reader participation.  The combination of descriptive dialogue and equally illuminating narrative achieve a flawless flow.  Here are two passages.

Before Bear could say "salmon and honey on toasted pumpernickel bread," he was asleep.

But lately his houses were disappearing.

"WHAT HAPPENED TO MY RUSTIC RANCH,

COZY COTTAGE, AND SOLAR-POWERED DUPLEX?"

Woodpecker went looking.

On the double-page image spread from the left to the right, back to front, on the matching dust jacket and book case, readers are given a view of Bear's den with the door built from Woodpecker's houses, the autumn forest with its golden glow, and the cast of characters.  Clearly Woodpecker and Bear are disgruntled.  Rabbit, Mouse, and Squirrel are skittish about what has happened and about what might happen next.  Illustrator Susan Batori first exhibits her inclusion of tiny details in the flight of the honeybee above the final title word and in the items on and near Bear's den.

The opening and closing endpapers are a crisp white.  Bear and Woodpecker, with angry glances and arms-crossed stances, are on the title page.  The other three creatures are looking at them, afraid.

To enhance and complement the pacing of the story Susan Batori employs a blend of full-page pictures crossing the gutter, smaller insets grouped together, full-page pictures, edge to edge, and dramatic double-page pictures.  Emotions are heightened with alternating perspectives.  We are brought close to characters or given a larger view of their forest setting, even from a bird's eye view.  

What is notable about these images are the facial features on the characters, specifically the eyes.  The wide-eyed looks convey a range of emotions.  Underlying the seriousness of what unfolds, there is a current of humor in the pictures and individual items.  Bear's nightshirt includes a pattern of honeybees.  On the flyer Woodpecker posts it reads:

WANTED

(pictures of houses)

REWARD

BUGS

One of my many favorite pictures is a single-page picture toward the end of the story.  It's a close-up of Bear all snuggled in bed, dreaming of a honeybee and its honeycomb.  He is wearing his knitted cap and earmuffs.  His teddy bear is under the covers with him as he sleeps.  Off to the left side is Woodpecker, wing to his beak, making the SHHH gesture.

Relevant and timely, Don't Call Me Fuzzybutt! written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Susan Batori will engage readers from beginning to end with the clever, rhythmic language and lively pictures.  This book is guaranteed to inspire discussions and group projects.  I hope you will all add a copy to your personal and professional collections.  

By following the link attached to Robin Newman's and Susan Batori's names, you can access their websites learning more about them and their other work.  Robin Newman has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Susan Batori has accounts on Behance, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The cover reveal with an essay by Robin Newman is hosted at Nerdy Book Club.  At Books of Wonder on March 13, 2021, there is a virtual launch.  You can view some portions of interior illustrations in Susan Batori's Instagram feed.  Here is the link to a post on Robin Newman's Facebook page for a follow-up activity. 

 

In Seeming Silence

Humans have found a multitude of means to speak without uttering a sound.  Flashing lights can blink out messages using Morse Code.  Nautical flags, one for each of the twenty-six-letter alphabet, can spell out single words or phrases.  The American Sign Language or simple hand gestures can convey entire conversations with other individuals, and beckon or turn them away.  Eyes through a glance or steady stare silently signal thoughts and emotions.  

If humans can do this, imagine how more advanced communication is with living beings in the natural world.  The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom (Roaring Brook Press, March 2, 2021) written and illustrated by Lita Judge is an astounding. meaningful, and informative exploration of shared connections.  Working together for the common good is the key to survival and a flourishing society.

A Secret Kingdom

I am a single beech,

but I am not alone.

Together with my fellow trees,

we form a secret kingdom.

So begins our acquaintance with a world we think we understand but is much wider and deeper.  Beech trees can live for hundreds of years.  They have stories to tell.

Some we will never know, but people dedicated to the study of trees have expanded what they believe to be true.  Trees speak skillfully and silently.  Author and illustrator Lita Judge, through a series of fourteen poems deciphers what they are saying and supports the poems with factual discussions.

Trees may not have fiber optics, but they have fungi.  Deep underground trees and fungi work in tandem assisting each other in essential life-sustaining exchanges of food.  Fungi pass along messages from one tree to another.  Chemicals are launched into the air when trees feel they under attack from unwanted insects or munching animals.  Sometimes those chemicals attract other insects who will eliminate the threat.  It's almost like something out of fiction to discover giant, tall trees in a rain forest maintain their own climate while cleansing the air and dampening the dangers of global warming.  Did you know if a tree is in need, other trees will receive the distress signal and send help?

Trees are skilled gardeners, alternating years of abundant seeds in order to reproduce and feed animals at the same time.  They prepare for seasonal shifts, especially for the cold in winter and for the following sleep.  Did you know the length of daylight is a clock for some tree species? Fascinating.  Trees care for each other by helping the youngest unable to make their own food and stopping their spreading branches from crowding nearby trees.  There is more to the rings on a tree than exact age. 

Trees host animal homes in their trunks and under their roots and in any other place insects land, rest, and nest.  Like humans, trees age but they still give to the forest in exceptional ways.  Diverse forests are a necessity rather than uniform forests.  What might damage one specie will leave another unharmed.  Humans need to respect the need for diversity.  It ensures the continuation of a forest which in turn ensures our planet's survival.

Each poem penned by Lita Judge is a warm welcome from trees to their world.  These poems focus on different aspects of trees.  In a column on the right, Lita offers a description of the tree featured in the image on the left, using it to transition to a more complete explanation of the current topic.  Within this conversational commentary are specific details and sometimes named scientists and their discoveries.  Here is a poem and a partial passage.

We Are the Ghosts

My limbs and needles are gone,

and the warm body of a newborn deer

comes to rest within the ghost of my great trunk

that once touched the sky.

But underneath the soft litter

of fallen needles and dark soil, I still live,

surrounded by my kingdom

with their willingness to give. 

Life Beyond Death

A forest may continue to care for its

elder trees, even after the body of 

an ancient tree dies aboveground.

The roots are still alive and remain

a part of the community.  When this

five-hundred-year-old ponderosa pine

fell in eastern Oregon, USA, its trunk

and branches began decomposing,

sending its stored nutrients back into

the soil, while its roots continued 

to bring in water.  The hollowed-

out trunk became shelter to many

animals. Nearby younger trees,

exposed to more sunlight, grew

quickly to fill in the forest canopy.  . . .

On the open dust jacket readers are treated to two lush forest views.  On the right, the canopy of kapok trees frames the rich flora as parrots fly through their branches.  To the left, on the back, a doe, fawn, wild turkey, raccoon, and a squirrel enjoy the quiet of their woodland glen, a misty green in early morning light.  The main title text on the front is varnished and raised on matte-finished paper.

On the book case a single scene is spread between the left and right, crossing the spine flawlessly.  It is autumn with fewer leaves on the trees.  On the left the colors are cooler, blue hues and green.  On the right, the shades are more brown, gray and green.  Chickadees join a squirrel on the left.  An owl silently watches on the right, high above the ground.

The opening and closing endpapers are covered in a spring grass green.  On the initial title page tree trunks and branches form a circle around the four words.  Vegetation spreads along the forest floor.  On the formal title page, a two-page picture gives us a glimpse of an elder pine tree, arms gnarled and twisted extending skyward.  A full moon casts a blue light.  A lone owl sits on a limb on the right.

Opposite the dedication and publication information page, we read the first title and first sentence.  Beneath this is the single beech tree, still young, but enjoyed by two birds.  All these luminous images

were created with watercolor and pencil.

With each page turn, readers are shown another intricately detailed portrait.  We might be underground with roots and fungi and watching kits nestled in a den as their mother fox approaches above ground.  We might be close to wasps moving like aircraft to land on caterpillars destroying leaves on an elm tree.  We might hardly dare to breathe as a wolf moves through a dormant stand of silver birch in winter.

Lita Judge also places smaller illustrations within her columns on the right.  We see a giraffe munching on an umbrella thorn acacia.  There is a labeled depiction of one tree requesting help and another tree sending back the needed sugar.  A small inset shows us the difference between deciduous and coniferous trees.  Lita Judge realizes the need for images to enhance the text, giving a pictorial interpretation of her words.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the passages above noted.  To the left of the text column bordered by a thin branch with a few scattered leaves, is a page and one-half page picture.  It is a close-up of the ancient tree now on the ground.  The trunk is cracked and hollow.  On the far left, two new saplings grow from the hollow.  In the main part of the hollow, a fawn is curled, sheltering until the return of its mother.  A squirrel scampers on the right near a new pine tree.  Behind the fallen tree, on the right, a trio of new saplings grows.  The green, brown, pale gray, and golden yellow palette generates a sense of calm and continuity. 

Regardless of the number of times you read The Wisdom of Trees: How Trees Work Together to Form a Natural Kingdom written and illustrated by Lita Judge, you will glean new information.  With each reading, your respect for these majestic beings increases.  At the close of the book is a lovely Author's Note describing the impact of one tree Lita visits whenever possible.  This is followed by extensive paragraphs on fungi, the years trees live and about the trees in this book.  Further items are included for each tree highlighted on the two title pages and within each section. Lita Judge continues with headings:

Forest Fire Suppression,

The Future Of Our Forests,

How You Can Help Our Forests,

and

A Note From The Publisher.

On the final page is a glossary, sources, and good websites for more information on trees and forests.  No collection, personal or professional, should be without a copy of this book.  I highly recommend it.

To learn more about Lita Judge and her considerable body of work, please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  Lita Judge has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At School Library Journal A Fuse #8 Production, Lita Judge is interviewed by Elizabeth Bird, current Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system about this book.  A video (access below) is premiered.  At Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read., Lita Judge talks about the inspiration for this book.  At Macmillan, you can view interior illustrations.  Politics and Prose Bookstore on March 16, 2021 at 11:00 am is sponsoring an event with Lita Judge and this new title.

UPDATE:  On March 5, 2020 in a post on Facebook Lita Judge talks about her process in making this book (all her books).  She shares an early sketch.

Comedy Times Two

For those who have read a book aloud to one or more listeners and the response is laughter, there is truly little, if anything, better in life.  Once the laughter starts, it is contagious, spreading from person to person, until the entire room is enveloped in merriment.  Even after the story is complete, and each participant leaves, the shared happiness remains, tucked away to be remembered when it is needed the most.

At times, a single word can carry humor to fun-filled heights.  In Chick Chat (North|South, January 19, 2021) written and illustrated by Janie Bynum, a baby cannot stop talking during any waking moment of their day.  As you might expect, this talking is done through a single sound, repeated profusely. 

Baby Chick has a lot to say.

She peeps so much at the breakfast table; an older sister wishes the chit-chat would stop.  She's already exhausted from hearing the constant noise.  Mama and Papa are much too busy with their own tasks to listen.

Pulling a trusty red wagon loaded with prize possessions, Baby Chick tries one more time to lure Sister into a discussion.  Too busy reading, she tells Baby Chick to play.  The little chicken finds a likely spot to stop and starts digging with her trowel.  Suddenly,

Thunk!

Baby Chick finds an egg.  It's big.  It's round.  And it is silent.  Unable to leave the egg all by itself, it's loaded into the trusty red wagon.  Concerned, a sibling and parents convince and ask Baby Chick to return the egg.  Back at the hole in the dirt, she provides the egg with all the comforts of friendship, safety, warmth and conversation.

She falls asleep there and is taken home.  As the sun rises, the ever-talkative bundle of fluff hurries to the egg.  After a startling discover, a pleasant surprise awaits the gregarious Baby Chick.

With limited sentences, descriptive and declarative, author Janie Bynum introduces readers to a lovable character who resides in an equally affectionate family.  A pleasing blend of narrative and conversation add to the comedy.  Punctuation after the multitude of peeps furnishes readers with emphasis and meaning.  Here is a passage.

Peep.  Peep.  Peep?

"Not now.  I'm working,"

crowed Papa.  "Talk to Sister."

eRR-

eRR-

eRRRRR

On the open book case, a robin's egg blue is the canvas.  On either side of the spine the image shows Baby Chick pulling her trusty red wagon loaded with her treasures.  She pulls it with one wing.  In the other wing she holds her trowel.  On top of the watering can is a tiny beetle.  The line drawings here, and throughout the book, are detailed and colorful.  On the back, the left of the open book case, is text one might find on the front flap of a dust jacket.

A grass green hue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the first set are the tracks of Baby Chick.  On the second set another set of tracks accompany those of Baby Chick, referencing her newly hatched friend.

On the title page, the title text is placed within a speech balloon.  Beneath this, Baby Chick is leaning into a hole saying---

Peep?

The sizes of the illustrations vary from marvelous two-page pictures to full-page pictures or several visuals on a single page.  The alternating sizes contribute favorably to the wondrous pacing.  Readers will be charmed by all the tiny appropriate elements in each illustration.  Baby Chick is eating a bowl of worms for breakfast.  Her Mama wears an apron and Sister is wearing a tied scarf.  Later, Mom gathers beetles in a basket.  Sister is reading a book titled A Coop of One's Own.  

Careful readers will see that Baby Chick never wanders far from the coop.  You can see the coop from where Sister is reading against a tree.  The egg is found near the tree with Sister seen reading in the distance.  Readers will enjoy seeing how Baby Chick keeps the egg safe, warm, and company.

One of my many favorite illustrations, a full-page picture, is after the sun has set.  Sister finds Baby Chick with the egg.  The egg is wrapped in a blanket.  Baby Chick, covered with another blanket, is on top of the egg.  She is holding her purple stuffed toy elephant.  She is down in the hole with a grassy slope behind her.  There are two sheep there and Sister.  The other items Baby Chick has with her in the hole are enchanting.

Get ready for readers to peep, peep, and peep some more when listening to or after reading Chick Chat written and illustrated by Janie Bynum.  Cheerful is the word to use depicting this tale of friendship found.  All the peeps welcome participation by readers and listeners.  If you are looking for laughter, this book is for you, either on your personal or professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Janie Bynum and her other work, please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  The book, Chick Chat, has its own site here.  There are interior illustrations found at the publisher's website and at Simon & Schuster.  The publisher has an interview with the creator here.  Jamie Bynum has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  The blog tour for this title starts at Good Reads with Ronna with links to the other stops.

CHICK CHAT the Picture Book (trailer) from Janie Bynum on Vimeo.

The patience of parents is tested more than once on road trips with children.  After endless games of I Spy, There's A Flag, 50-State License Plates, Bingo scavenger hunts, and boredom from coloring and puzzles sets in, the bickering begins.  Siblings who tolerate each other outside a car tend to become bitter rivals when confined to the back seat inside a car.  Squish Squash Squished (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, February 16, 2021) written by Rebecca Kraft Rector with illustrations by Dana Wulfekotte is hilarity multiplied.  Fantastic wordplay paired with whimsical images of animals and humans living together in a small community fashions a textured tale of you never know how good it is until it isn't.

"Hurry-scurry, kids," called Mom.

"Let's jiggety-jog into town in our

gracious-spacious automobile."

As soon as the sister and brother get inside the car, the pushing and shoving commence.  One leans into the other and vice versa.  Mom has a solution.  She invites a father, Peter Jeeter, and son, pigs, to join them. Brother and sister yell in unison about the more crowded backseat.

Mom replies with the same phrase,

"Too tight for two?

I know what to do."

She welcomes Dolly Waddle and two ducklings to join the passengers in their automobile.  Now the siblings are more squished and squashed.  

As the yelling from Max and Molly gets louder, Mom makes another stop.  Four more creatures enter the car.  There is more shouting, oinking, quacking and woofing.  Mom slows her automobile near the largest of animal friends they've yet to meet.  Their numbers are greater than any of the other guests.  Do Max and Molly keep yelling?  What do they do next?  

A school, pond, and the market supply answers.  Max and Molly have discovered a valuable truth about the definition of squish and squash.  Their perspective on the family car might have changed.

Rhyming, alliteration and repetition of key phrases are a wonderful, winning combination penned by author Rebecca Kraft Rector in this rollicking tale of complaints versus cleverness.  The use of dialogue and text is fabulous as is the rhythm they create.  With each new encounter of an animal family on the road, the laughter factor grows.  Here is a passage.

Two ducklings 

flit-feathered onto Molly's head,

quack-quacking,

and one piglet on Max's lap

oink-oinked right in his ear.

"Mom!" Max and Molly yelled.

"We're squished and squashed!"

You can't help but laugh out loud when you look at the matching dust jacket and book case.  The animal friends are having the ride of their collective lives.  Mom is calm and cool as the proverbial cucumber.  Max and Molly are not happy.  They look right at us in discomfort and frustration.  The facial expressions on the characters here by artist Dana Wulfekotte are priceless.  The hill you see going up on the right, front of the jacket and cover, continues on the other side of the spine.  Just left of the spine is a large tree, fully leafed.  Another darker hill with a barn at its top, extends from the middle of the first hill to the far-left side.  A pigeon wearing a hat stands on the ISBN with its suitcase.  Perhaps, it is a homing (carrier) pigeon.

On the opening and closing matching endpapers, done in two tones of teal with black outlines, we see each of the four animal families displaying a variety of activities and positions.  You can't look at these without smiling or giggling.  The double-page picture for the verso and title pages features a low rolling hill with the road along the bottom.  A giraffe in jogging gear is placed on the left.  On the right, Inch Pinch and her three backpack-wearing puppies are riding a bicycle built for four.  

In illustrations, 

rendered in pencil and then digitally colored, 

and shifting in size from double-page images to full-page pictures or single, double, or triple fine-lined-framed geometric shapes on a single page, each one generates superb pacing.  Readers will find more playfulness in the attire worn by the passengers and the objects they carry.  These elements seem to indicate the ultimate goal of each family as shown at the end of the story.  One of the funnier scenes is for Scooter Mooter and his calves.  The calves are wearing pink tutus.  One is also wearing glasses and reading a book.  The gathering of animals and people of mixed races and ages at the market is perfect.

One of my many favorite illustrations is one of three on a single page.  It is a rectangle-shaped picture.  It is a close-up of the faces of Molly and Max, open-mouthed and yelling.  Max has a missing tooth.  Dolly Waddle is to the left of Molly.  Her two ducklings are quacking on top of Molly's head.  The upper portion of their bodies break the frame.  To the right is Max with the piglet on his right.  At this moment, the piglet has paused its oinking and appears to be peeking around the corner of the border.

This book, Squish Squash Squished written by Rebecca Kraft Rector with illustrations by Dana Wulfekotte, is pure delight.  The cadence of the words and the comical visuals will have readers laughing and giggling long after the last word is read.  There will be requests of read it again.  I know you'll want a copy for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Rebecca Kraft Rector and Dana Wulfekotte, and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Rebecca Kraft Rector has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Dana Wulfekotte has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view the endpapers.  There are posts about this book and interviews at Kid Lit Village and Kathleen Temean's Writing and Illustrating.