If We Only Knew

They look at you with complete understanding as if they have a command of whatever language you are speaking.  Outside they may suddenly pause as if all their instincts have gone on red alert.  If you should happen to leave them alone for longer than intended, it's uncanny how things seem to have been moved in your absence.

Keeping these things in mind it should come as no surprise when an author/illustrator introduces you to a canine with unique creative abilities.  What sets It's Only Stanley (Dial Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, March 17, 2015) written and illustrated by Jon Agee apart is the humans in this dog's world.  They have no idea as to Stanley's true capabilities. 

The Wimbledons were sleeping.

It was very, very late,

When Wilma heard a spooky sound,

Which made her sit up straight.

"That's very odd," said Walter.

"I don't recognize the tune..."

Upon checking Walter discovers the family beagle howling at the full moon.  Time passes.  It gets later.  Daughter Wendy wanders into her parent's bedroom complaining of another strange noise.  Investigating, dad discovers Stanley busy fixing the leaky oil tank in the basement.  

After reporting this news to his wife and daughter, no one seems the least bit surprised at Stanley's handyman talents.  (At this point I can feel laughter starting to erupt.)  Before you know it, another child, Willie awakens, complaining about a weird smell.  It is now 2:30 in the morning.  Dad locates Stanley making catfish stew.  

As the number of people occupying the parent's bed increases Wanda and an hour later Wylie each hears a buzzing and a splashing.  Stanley continues to make much needed repairs.  By now though, Wilma, Wendy, Willie, Wanda and Wylie are getting a tad bit cranky.  They crave sleep.  Stanley has to stop.

KAPOW!

No one, not one single soul including Max the cat, in the Wimbledon clan has a clue as to what has happened.  Of all the curious sounds and smells this night, easily explained, this has them baffled.  Dad is going to get to the bottom of this immediately.  With the now familiar words, he announces

"It's only Stanley," Walter said. "We're...

With the first two sentences the rhythm of Jon Agee's rhyming will be asking you to join the narrative.  With each subsequent page you find yourself wondering who is going to hear or smell what next.  In addition to the cadence Agee supplies with his words choices; the repetition of key phrases provides a beat of its own, further engaging readers in the story.  As another humorous alliterative touch all the human names, first and last, begin with w. 

You are not quite certain from looking at the matching dust jacket and book case as to what Stanley is doing.  On the left, the back, the cat, Max, is watching with disgusted interest with more cobbled contraptions appearing in the background.    One thing is certain, though, Stanley is no ordinary dog.  This beagle is all business.  He is on a mission. And our curiosity is off the charts.

The bright yellow seen on the back of the jacket and case is carried to the opening and closing endpapers as a solid color signaling the electrifying effects of this story.  Prior to the verso and title pages, Stanley is pictured asleep on the front porch as a 

Howoooooo

breaks the silence.  The story continues beneath the text of the title with Stanley now awake looking at the full moon.

Heavy loose black lines define the elements in each illustration done in a muted color palette of greens, blues, yellow, red, brown, black and white. It isn't until the final pages another color is introduced.  With the simple lines on the characters' faces we are clearly aware of their moods.  

Agee alters his illustration sizes, two pages, edge to edge, single pages, edge to edge and smaller pictures set in white space, depending on the point in the story.  The only text on some pages is sound effects and subtle clues.  As if the story is not funny enough, you must watch the cat in every sequence.  He is certainly a victim of Stanley's endeavors.  

One of my favorite illustrations is of Walter standing in his pajamas outside in the tall grass looking at Stanley howling at the moon.  Max is with him.  It spans across two pages.  Little do we know the significance of this scene or what is in store for the Wimbledons.

I have literally been laughing off and on all afternoon and this evening after reading this book repeatedly.  It's Only Stanley written and illustrated by Jon Agee is utterly hilarious.  I can already hear the giggling of the guys and gals (and the adults) when this story is read aloud.  The comedic pacing is perfection.  

To learn more about Jon Agee and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  Author and blogger Julie Danielson talks about this title at Kirkus and at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Due to the generosity of teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher who hosts Watch. Connect. Read. Xena wants to give someone their own copy of this canine treat.  Xena and I thank you, John.
UPDATE:  John Schumacher tweeted about a video interview between Jon Agee and Becky Anderson, owner of Anderson's Book Shops in Illinois.  It's a must watch. 

In Ten Years

Every single time I read a biography, especially a picture book biography; I am truly astounded at the capacity of the human spirit.  My purpose in placing emphasis on picture book biographies is those authors and illustrators search for the essence of each person, specific points of interest, given their limited page space.  No matter the circumstances of these individuals, they all have a can-do attitude.  Their lives serve to inspire others.

In reading The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, April 1, 2015) written by Chris Barton with illustrations by Don Tate with every page turn I could feel myself cheering on this man.  In any given situation, he found a way to move forward.  He searched for opportunities, making them work for his life's goal.  There is a reason the word amazing appears in the title.

John Roy Lynch had an Irish father and an enslaved mother.  By the law of the South before the Civil War, that made John Roy and his brother half Irish and all slave.

It is believed that John's father, an overseer, wished to buy John, his brother and mother, Catherine.  Before he was able to complete his plan, Patrick died.  The man who he entrusted to carry out his desires sold the family to new owners.

John Roy was allowed to work at the big house on Homochitto Street of his new owners, Mr. and Mrs. Davis, in the city of Natchez across the Mississippi River.  His service there came to an end when he voiced his true opinion during a meal one day.  John Roy was moved to work in the cotton fields on the other side of the river at Tacony Plantation.

After the Emancipation Proclamation but still during the Civil War, John Roy turned sixteen.  With true ingenuity, he was able to cross the river back to Natchez.  He secured a job on a Union transport steamer.  During his employment with them he bettered his position three times.  At the close of the war, John Roy decided to stay in Natchez instead of heading to the North.  It was a tumultuous and dangerous time in Mississippi for the freed slaves.

As he had done aboard the Altamont, John Roy at the age of nineteen became indispensable in his new employment at a local portrait shop.  Sincere in his efforts to keep learning he would listen in on lessons given at a nearby school and attended night classes.  When changes came to Mississippi, John Roy was ready.

John Roy began to speak out as a political activist.  He became a land owner. (I cheered when I read where he purchased property.)  For his efforts and voice for righteousness, a newly appointed governor in 1868, gave John Roy the position in Natchez of Justice of the Peace.  He was twenty-one years old.  John Roy refused to keep silent and the people of Mississippi believed in him election after election.  By the time he was twenty-five John Roy Lynch was on his way to Washington, D. C. to serve in the United States House of Representatives.  These achievements are indeed amazing.


What is most impressive about the writing of Chris Barton in this title is his ability to captivate the reader immediately with his frank discussion of the events in which John Roy was born, raised and lived.  A key aspect which contributes to the excellence of this biography is the inclusion of vivid portrayals of life in the South during Reconstruction.  Sentences such as

His father lacked the power to change the law---he was just an overseer, a hired hand.
Besides, while he many have loved these slaves, he most likely took the whip to others.

serve to build confidence and trust between the author and the reader.

Word choices and selected information, meticulously researched, reveal how in each adverse situation, truly horrific at times, John Roy persevered building toward his success.  The way Barton writes, as a reader, you can feel tension (the good kind) building toward the final two pages which include his speech on the floor of the United States House of Representatives in favor of the Civil Rights Bill.  Here is another sample passage.

Trusted to develop the photographs, John Roy continued to develop himself.  He took note of everything, every detail of operating the shop.  Because the shop owner had John Roy Lynch, he didn't need anyone else.  By nineteen, John Roy was running the place by himself.  


When you open the matching dust jacket and book case, the community of Natchez is displayed from the back to the front, left to right.  John Roy Lynch, as a successful politician for the people, is looking right at the reader.  Due to his early success I like to think he would make eye contact with everyone he met, sincere to his center in his endeavors.  The opening and closing endpapers are textured in hues mirroring old paper or parchment.  Across the verso and title pages a single picture continues what is viewed on the dust jacket and book case.  The Natchez is floating down the Mississippi River with clouds billowing in the background.

Using mixed media, ink and gouache on watercolor paper, Don Tate recreates historical Mississippi for readers.  Gorgeous two page spreads with intricate detail depict momentous occasions in John Roy Lynch's life and in the lives of others; our introduction to his family, his father as overseer of the slaves working in the cotton fields, his father's death, Mrs. Davis's singing and speaking during Sunday School, John Roy crossing back to Natchez and then leaving the Altamont, the horror of the new Mississippi laws and life during Reconstruction, the portrait shop, John Ray Lynch speaking to people and to the representatives of the House.  The text may be placed within the image or set aside in a frame. Smaller pictures or single page illustrations are either surrounded by white space or extend page edge to page edge. Tate's color choices are a reflection of the historical period, the setting, architecture and clothing.

One of my favorite illustrations is of John Roy Lynch standing on a hill in Natchez after he decides to stay.  In the distance the Altamont, on the left, is leaving.  John Roy, the boat, knoll and bushes are in black and gray silhouette against an orange and golden yellow sky and river.   Behind John Roy, satchel in hand, is the sun. I believe this image is significant.  It speaks to the devotion of this man to his home and people.


The Amazing Age of John Roy Lynch written by Chris Barton with illustrations by Don Tate is a remarkable biography.  This is a man with whom we should all be familiar.  The blend of narrative and pictures is compelling from beginning to end.  After the two pages of his speech a single page shows an older John Roy Lynch with a continuation of his beliefs about this country.  There is a single page Historical Note about Reconstruction, a Timeline of important dates in John Roy Lynch's life alongside historical dates, an Author's Note, an Illustrator's Note, sources For Further Reading and two maps.  This is a back matter goldmine.

To learn more about Chris Barton and Don Tate please follow the links attached to their names taking you to their websites.  Here is a link to an educator's guide found at the publisher's website.  The cover reveal for this book appeared at teacher librarian extraordinaire John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read.  Eerdlings, Official Blog of Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, hosted both Chris Barton and Don Tate in a Q & A.  Don Tate was a guest at author and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Chris Barton was a guest at busy teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner's Let's Get Busy Podcast #122.  The publisher gives you a sneak peek at interior illustrations here.  The author and illustrator have created a Pinterest board for this title.  Enjoy the book trailer.




Here is a tweet Don Tate shared about this book.

Books used as reference or inspiration for illustrating THE AMAZING AGE OF JOHN ROY LYNCH. Takes books to make books! pic.twitter.com/7dSirmMq9S
— Devas_T (Don Tate) (@Devas_T) March 26, 2015

UPDATE:  March 7, 2016 both Don Tate and Chris Barton made videos regarding their Bluestem Award nominations.

Talented Tale Tellers

Every morning, noon and night, despite your plans, is an adventure.  When you wake up you believe you have full knowledge of how your day is going to unfold.  You check your calendar, the news and the weather report.  You have gathered all the necessary tools to accomplish your day's tasks.

Of course if your calendar is still on March instead of April, an appointment might be missed.  A banner flashing an emergency message on your television screen about unexpected electrical repairs by city workers could foil your attempts at cooking meals.  Opening your front door to see additional snow instead of the predicted partly cloudy day will definitely put a damper on leaf raking.

If a rather spirited frog happens to hop into your world, everything, absolutely everything, will shift.  By Mouse & Frog (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), April 14, 2015) written and illustrated by Deborah Freedman is a story about a story.  This tale starts and stops and starts and stops and explodes in creative craziness.

One morning,
Mouse woke up especially early,
eager to write a brand-new story.

With the time-honored words of

Once upon a time

Mouse begins with a quiet scene of a table being set for tea using a pencil to draw the items, a table, a chair, a cup and saucer, a spoon, a tea pot and a single flower in a vase.  Into this serene setting bursts Frog.  He's sure the table is being readied for his presence.  In fact, pencil now in his hand, he proceeds to add cake, a big cake, to the offered refreshments.

Without a word to Mouse, Frog decides to include a King as a guest.  As Frog would have it, this particular royal has a hankering for ice cream,

all elevendy-seven kinds.

Still mopping up the spilled tea, Mouse is aghast at the mess this melting treat will make.  Oblivious to his friend's distress, Frog has the King declare an open invitation to all in the kingdom for cake and ice cream.  Weaving words and waving his pencil Frog's version of this tale fills the page.

In a fit of frustration, Mouse puts a stop to this story.  When Mouse airs his views, Frog counters.  Clearly their ideas do not match. In a flurry of explanations to characters, erasures and painting, a blank canvas awaits a fresh opening.

A deflated Frog listens as Mouse speaks and draws.  Sensing his revisions are still not what his friend desires, Mouse proposes a change.  Leaping to the challenge, grinning with gusto, and grabbing another pencil, Frog joins Mouse.  Two minds are ready to call in the magic.


As in her previous title, The Story of Fish & Snail, Deborah Freedman introduces readers to wonderfully likable personalities.  We can readily identify with the calm and routine-is-right Mouse as well as the spontaneous and exuberant Frog.  Their differences of opinion as presented in dialogue and their individual versions of the story supply gentle tension and much laughter.  We come to understand how wide Frog's reading world is with his insertion of bits and pieces from other books and tales.  Here is a sample passage.

"Frog.  I am busy today," said Mouse. "I'm writing a story.
Once. Upon a. Time. Mouse woke up early and set the table..."
"For Frog!" repeated Frog.
"...for tea," said Mouse.
"And cake!" added Frog.
"May-be," sighed Mouse.  


I simply can't help it.  I start smiling as soon as I see the dust jacket of this book.  (I'm working with an F & G.) There is something completely endearing in the creatures Deborah Freedman brings into our world.  You can already tell Frog is the more energetic of the two.  Mouse is intently finishing the painting of mouse.  A container filled with a rainbow of color clasped in Frog's hand signals his willingness to explore and add variety.  The butterflies have always meant to me something new is on the way.  To the left, on the back, in a continuation of the blue and white as several butterflies hover near the pencil-drawn table which holds the ISBN.

On the front and back flaps Freedman has Mouse and Frog speaking and interacting with the text on both.  On the opening endpaper Mouse is on the ladder painting white over a soft beige on the page with a can near the bottom of the ladder.  Tucked in the lower right-hand corner is the container of colored pencils.  Everything is white on the closing endpapers except for a single butterfly on the left and a can of paint, brush and pencil along with the ladder, bucket and mop on the right.  There are no words leaving interpretation to the reader.

For the title pages Mouse is on the ladder continuing to paint everything white; the paint can and container of pencils close at hand.  Rendered in pencil, pastel, watercolor and gouache then assembled in Photoshop, the illustrations span across single and double pages.  The way Freedman uses white space with the other mediums is marvelous.

She begins slowly with black and white; the only color in Mouse and the container of pencils.  With Frog's entrance a splash of green is introduced along with the spilled tea.  It is never stated in the text that the tea pot falls from the table.  Her illustrations extend and enhance with excellence.  When Mouse first sighs, the spilled tea is being mopped.  As Frog embellishes his story, more hues appear.  The dragon's fire is a purple haze and the background for the next page.

Freedman's features on the drawn character's and Frog's and Mouse's faces are brimming with emotion, welcoming us into both stories.  The animated antics of both Frog and Mouse, how they use their hands and feet, are delightful.  As she did on the dust jacket flaps, the closing page and publication information page feature Frog and Mouse in conversation.  Trust me, you are going to laugh.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the second set of two pages.  The look on Frog's face as he announces his wishes joyfully jumping on the page is a clear contrast to the look of shock on Mouse's face.  Mouse's stance, feet spread wide, tail straight up and mouth wide open, is hilarious.  This image sets the tone for the differences between the two friends.


Every single thing about By Mouse & Frog, the text and pictures, is masterfully done by Deborah Freedman.  This story is about how stories and the art of compromise develop.  Please read it aloud with voices as often as you can.  I can hardly wait to add it to my 2016 Mock Caldecott list.

To learn more about Deborah Freedman please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  An earlier interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by author and blogger Julie Danielson can be found here.  Deborah Freedman wrote/drew a guest post at author Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo, Deborah Freedman Begins Drawing. Update:  An Educator's Guide to the Works of Deborah Freedman is now available.

Blog Tour: Last Of The Sandwalkers

As temperatures fluctuate between warm and cold, spring inching into the month, insects are making their presence known.  You can hear and see them buzzing above the sun-warmed soil. Stirring and lifting a blanket of leaves, they scurry and scuttle for cover with their work disrupted.

Yesterday I finished a captivating new graphic novel, Last Of The Sandwalkers (First Second, April 7, 2015) written and illustrated by Jay Hosler.  Before you realize it your world shifts and shrinks, your perspective changes to a beetle's eye view.  Page by page you proceed, much as the expedition members do, with uncertainty and excitement.

The publisher's description is:

Nestled in the grass under the big palm tree by the edge of the desert there is an entire civilization-a civilization of beetles. In this bug's paradise, beetles write books, run restaurants, and even do scientific research. One such scientist is Lucy, who leads a team of researchers out into the desert. Their mission is to discover something about the greater world...but what lies in wait for them is going to change everything Lucy thought she knew.

Beetles are not the only living creatures in the world.

Barely recovering from a near death confrontation with an unknown creature, the five explorers, Lucy, Professor Bombardier, Raef, Professor Owen and Mossy, experience a setback, a surprise and a betrayal at the hands of Mother Nature and a traitor. Knowing they must return to Coleopolis to reveal uncovered secrets, close encounters with beings completely unknown to them bind the group together in loyalty, ingenuity and love.  Every chapter is an adventure.  Every chapter is a doorway into bug basics and details.

Jay Hosler writes with the sure knowledge of his subject but also employs time-honored storytelling techniques; cliffhanger chapter endings for one.  He develops characters fully, using their gifts and shortcomings to enhance the narrative.  Dialogue is realistic and liberally dosed with humor.  The insertion of information is flawless; making you feel more knowledgeable as you track the characters' exploits.  Here is a sample passage. I am deliberately not telling you who is speaking.

Owen has it.

Owen does not have my notebook. 

Yes, he does.  He had it with him right before he activated my rockets and sent us flying.

Give me your left hand.

Why?

I gotta pull your finger.

You're kidding me.

Nope.

Sigh.

Panels of all sizes mirror the non-stop action.  Smaller images may be placed on a full-page image.  Many illustrations have no words but extend the tale with excellence.  The use of black and white as elements in combination with Hosler's fine lines is a request for readers to pause increasing their participation in the story.

I am thrilled to be able to showcase one of the members of the crew, Mossy, drawn by Jay Hosler.  It is followed by Hosler's description of him.  As you can see Mossy is "meeting" an insect known to us but completely new to him.

Character Name: Mossy

Species; Dynastes hercules

Length: 15 cm

Color: Mostly dark brown/black head with pale yellow/olive green elytra with dark spots

Habitat: forest floor undergrowth

Superpower: Super-duper strong

The rhinoceros beetle is the giant of the beetle family.  Grant’s rhinoceros beetle is a particularly impressive specimen. Males sport two large horns; one is on the front of their face and another grows from the front part of their thorax. Like most horns in nature, these have evolved for fighting. Males will do battle with each other on a log or in the leaf little (or on your living room floor if you have a pair) to gain access to a female. They use their horns to grab and lift their rival. These battles can get off to a slow start as opponents size each other up and try to gain the upper hand (or horn, as the case may be), but they eventually end with a rapid burst of movement as one male tries to topple the other.  You can watch a thrilling log battle in this video.

Not surprisingly, such a big beetle is also very strong. Ounce for ounce, rhinoceros beetles are the burliest creatures in nature. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, some species can support up to 850 times their own weight. Sounds exhausting, I know, but don’t worry about these critters too much. They’re also incredibly efficient lifters. Piling on the extra weight doesn’t slow them down and according to a research paper published in the Journal of Experimental Biology, rhinoceros beetles spent 10 times less energy carrying heavy loads than scientists predicted based on data from other animals like horses and dogs.

In Last of the Sandwalkers, the ever-stalwart Mossy is modeled after Grant’s rhinoceros beetle. Mossy has a big heart and is willing to put up a fight to defend his friends.  But, when he’s given a choice in the matter, he proves to everyone that he’d rather be a lover than a fighter.

I don't know about you but I most certainly would like to have Mossy as a friend day in and day out and as a companion when traveling through uncharted territory.  There is something for every reader in Last Of The Sandwalkers written and illustrated by Jay Hosler.  Mystery, danger, science, a snarky villain, a cast of characters of varying ages and talents and the power of friendship and family make this graphic novel goodness.  I predict it will be a reader favorite.  You might want to plan on multiple copies.

There are twelve pages of annotations, page by page, at the book's end.  Jay Hosler includes two pages of references, books, articles and videos.  The link attached to his name takes you to his website.  At the publisher's website a series of photographs celebrate the arrival of the book in a January 22, 2015 post.  You can get a peek at several interior illustrations along with the front and back of the cover and spine.  Please stop by the other thirteen blogger participants' sites. 

Jay Hosler
 Photograph credit Lisa Hosler

Jay Hosler is a biology professor at Juniata College, and a cartoonist. He enjoys telling stories about science and the natural world, and his first graphic novel (Clan Apis) won a Xeric Award and was selected for YALSA's 2002 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults. His latest book, Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth, was a 2011 Junior Library Guild selection, a nominee for YALSA's 2012 Great Graphic Novels for Teens, and has been included in the Texas Library Association's Maverick Graphic Novel Reading List. He lives in central Pennsylvania with his wife and his two little nerdlings.

Passing Through Time, Poetically Speaking

When we need it the most, winter sheds sleep yielding to spring.  The cold slowly gives way to warmth. Snowfall is replaced with welcome rain showers.  Spots of green appear in brown, leaf-coated gardens.  Silence is filled with song.

So it is with National Poetry Month in April.  We need this timely tribute to a body of literary verse regardless of the selected style.  Having already committed to reading more poetry for several weeks, I find myself forming fresh descriptions of my daily sensory experiences.  The beauty is rising to the top as perceptions are verbally altered.  With several memorable poetry collections to their credit author Paul B. Janeczko and illustrator Chris Raschka bring us another treasure in The Death Of The Hat:  A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects (Candlewick Press, March 10, 2015).

In a four page introduction Janeczko converses with us about the divisions in poetic literary eras.  Reflections are made about the political climate during specific time frames.  He is the informed teacher and we are the eager students.  For the purpose of his selections the ages presented here are:

Early Middle Ages 400-1000
High Middle Ages 1000-1500
The Renaissance 1500-late 1600s
The Enlightenment late 1600s-1785
Romantic Period 1785-1830
Victorian Period 1837-1901
Modern Period 1900-1945
Postmodern Period 1945-present
Contemporary

To begin these gathered poems about objects, Janeczko includes a poem by Eloise Greenfield.

Things
Went to the corner
Walked in the store
Bought me some candy
Ain't got it no more
Ain't got it no more

Went to the beach
Played on the shore
Built me a sandhouse
Ain't got it no more
Ain't got it no more

Went to the kitchen
Lay down on the floor
Made me a poem
Still got it
Still got it

We make friends with a moth dining on words and a goose lost from the flock. The comfort in the continuity of grass is revealed.   A sword, a grain field, a candle and the moon entering an unexpected opening bring us into the age of The Renaissance.  We marvel at the majestic magic of the sun and the enlightening joy of peach blossoms.

A discourse on the dread of hearing drums is softened by Robert Burns' A Red, Red Rose.  A truly wondrous nod to an alphabetical member, A Riddle, On the Letter E, by George Gordon, Lord Byron will have you amazed at the profoundness found in two lines.  I wonder if I've ever read a better characterization than The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.

Shivers from Edgar Allan Poe, luminosity from Mary Elizabeth Coleridge and entanglements from Christina Georgina Rossetti will keep you reading.  Emily Dickinson will have you longing for travel by train and William Carlos Williams will have you doing the same for a wheelbarrow colored red. Trees of the heart and trees in the city, a cat caught in moonlight's cycles, stars, driftwood and boxes and bags divulge their secrets.

We cheer at the portrayal of fungus by Sylvia Plath and sigh at e. e. cummings's celebration of a single day.  Collectors of stamps will remember fondly the insights noted by Pablo Neruda.  Oh how I wish I still had one of my father's hats, just one, as lifted in words by the title poem, The Death of the Hat, by Billy Collins.  Janeczko chooses to close with Famous by Naomi Shihab Nye.  It's a brilliant assessment on the importance of one thing to another.  Here is the last verse.

...I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.


When I think of Paul B. Janeczko two words come to mind, collector and connoisseur.  His created anthologies for readers include some of the finest examples in the chosen categories.  We are the better for reading those words he values most.  As I read poem after poem in this collection it was not only a journey through the history of poetry but one through those poems I have read repeatedly.  It was like being back in all those literature classes, enjoying every syllable.


I think I could watch Chris Raschka paint for hours.  His lines are fluidity filled with emotion. When you open the dust jacket the yellow from the front extends to the left (back) tying the two separate images together.  A picture of a walking man from Robert Louis Stevenson's My Shadow is featured.  The man resting his chin and side of his face in his hand on the front is a compilation of those men in hats from the title poem.  Beneath the jacket, the book case is a solid, smooth spring green with a pattern of stamps taken from an Ode to a Stamp Album by Pablo Neruda.

The opening and closing endpapers are absolutely breathtaking.  The first is a scene with rain in blues and golden yellows and grey clouds.  A formation of geese is flying toward light.  On the second the lost goose from an interior poem has joined the others as a red sun sets in the lower right-hand corner.  This goose is also seen repeatedly throughout the book flying toward a much-needed destination.

The rain on the opening endpaper is falling on the double-page title illustration.  A man, his back to us, is wearing a hat and carrying an open umbrella.  On the dedication pages, table of contents and introduction pages, Raschka has placed different objects handwriting labels beneath them.

As each poem dictates Raschka varies his visual sizes.  They may cover a page with partial framing.  Glancing to the right the framing envelops the accompanying poem.  Smaller images may surround a given selection.  With a page turn we gasp at a two-page depiction for Grass.  Elements cross the gutter to bridge one age to another or one poem to another.  White space is utilized to excellent effect.

You must see the illustrations for So Breaks The Sun, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud, Street Lanterns, the Railway Train and The Red Wheelbarrow.  These are my favorites for the brush strokes, details and color choices.  I would gladly frame any of them to hang in my home.  I can see children taking their fingers and following the lines.


This book, The Death Of The Hat:  A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects selected by Paul B. Janeczko with paintings by Chris Raschka, is a must have for every collection.  There are poems here for all readers regardless of their poetic tastes or their ages.  I have read many of them aloud today.


To learn more about Paul B. Janeczko please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the Candlewick Press website you can view an interior image.  At TeachingBooks.net various links are offered for further study about both Janeczko and Raschka.  Reading Rockets has a collection of video interviews of Chris Raschka.  Update:  Here is an interview conducted by author and blogger Julie Danielson at Kirkus with Paul B. Janeczko.

Featured Feathered Friends

Away from the sights and noise of a city, in the early morning or early evening if you pause and listen, a springtime symphony swirls about you.  For some reason, perhaps due to the length and bitter cold of this winter, the sounds are even sweeter this year.  Now, inside my home, as the sun sets low on the horizon I can hear them calling to one another.

If you watch them, even in passing, they hop and stop to pick up bits of food or materials for nests.  The way they flit, float and fly using the air along with their feathers is astonishing.  Beautiful Birds (Flying Eye Books, March 1, 2015) written by Jean Roussen with illustrations by Emmanuelle Walker is a gorgeous book expressing gratitude for these winged marvels.

A is for albatross, the admiral of the skies.

With the alphabet as a guide, letter by letter, thirty-nine birds are named in rhyming couplets.  Familiar and fascinating, exotic and extraordinary, all are depicted in individual graphic portraits.  They may be featured in natural habitats, as part of a design, interacting with humans or with man-made objects.

Bee-eaters open wide for a buzzing breakfast.  Doves are released to promote peace.  Finches pose on fence posts.  Hummingbirds sip nectar as their wings beat.

The tropics are called home by the jacana.  Watch out for the crocodile!  New Zealand supplies sanctuary for two flightless birds whose names begin with K.  Can you name them?  One brilliant in color and the other rather plain, most of these couples call Japan their island retreat.

Nuthatches make cubbies in trees.  Fruit-snacking orioles return over and over.  Quail with their crowns are hard to miss.  Swallows dive and swans glide.  The staccato beat of a woodpecker announces their presence.  From A to Z it's a bird jamboree.


In reading each verse crafted by Jean Roussen we are aware of snippets of information, some subtle, embedded in each measured rhyme.  Techniques such as metaphor, alliteration, and precise word choices give us hints as to the birds' characteristics and habitats.  These details are enough enticement for us to linger, look and want to know more.  Here is a sample couplet.

C is for cranes,
both whooping and
crowned.
C is for cockatoos, crests abound. 


Upon first holding the book case (there is no dust jacket) you are aware of the smooth, matte-finished texture along with the neon color on the spine, title text and small frame on the back.  The striking array of birds in their brilliant plumage along with tiny eggs of varying size will have you searching the nearest identification tool.  The canvas for the opening and closing endpapers is the vivid florescent hue.  On the first we see a pattern of eggs.  Only one is open with a speech balloon coming from the chick's mouth announcing

This book belongs to:  

On the second all the eggs are open with babies from a variety of birds peeking out.

The design and layout of this title is absolutely stunning.  With only a few exceptions each page is an individual image.  The albatrosses are flying in a pattern along with airplanes high in the sky on a gray background with evenly spaced white parallel lines.  We then shift to leafy boughs with bee-eaters, beaks open and bees buzzing around them.  When cockatoos are mentioned Emmanuelle Walker takes us close to the birds, giving us a look at the range in feather color.  For the letter D the same background color is used for two opposite pages but what is happening in each is different.  In a masterful move the tail feathers on a flying duck on the right blend with the front of a dove on the left.

Fine lines, expressive actions, and a full, bright color palette elevate the text and fully engage the reader.  Bits of thinking "outside the box" appear; the lark's singing ability is amplified by placing one in the spotlight perched on top of an On The Air microphone.  Exemplary attention to detail can be found.  The v shape for that letter, showing geese in formation, is accentuated by a hand glider following behind the birds.  On the following page the birch tree branches form a matching inverted v.

One of my favorite illustrations (It's nearly impossible to pick only one.) is of the mandarin ducks.  Shades of green water with ripple lines are patterned with fallen rich red and green leaves.  A male and female swim together in quiet solitude.  He is resting and she is awake.


Beautiful Birds written by Jean Roussen with illustrations by Emmanuelle Walker is exactly as the title suggests, a beautiful exploration in poetic phrases and splendiferous art of birds.  You are going to want a copy for your personal and professional shelves.  Children are going to look at this book over and over again.  It provides the perfect opportunity for seeking out more information about each bird.  Please read it aloud.

For more information about Emmanuelle Walker follow the link attached to her name to visit her website.  If you visit the publisher's website you can view multiple images of the book case and interior images.

Flying Eye Books | Beautiful Birds - Book Trailer from Emmanuelle Walker on Vimeo.

What's Buzzing?

The more you know about the purpose and place of insects in the chain of life, respect grows.  On the other hand when they, especially flies, attempt to enter my home, I am as vigilant as a starving frog on a lily pad making sure access is denied.  There is no doubt the sounds emanating from these little critters are particularly annoying.  

On more than one occasion despite my escalating irritation, a bit of admiration for their persistence has been known to appear.  In a title released on March 10, 2015 author Bridget Heos and illustrator Jennifer Plecas give these buzzing beings their due.  I, Fly:  The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are (Henry Holt and Company) presents the facts, setting the record straight.

Hey, kids!

What are you

studying?

Um...

butterflies.

Our picked-on protagonist proceeds to point out flying technique and metamorphosis similarities between flies and butterflies.  The first point of interest is flies lay 500 eggs.  This would explain their overabundance on the first warm days in spring even though snow is still on the ground. 

During the maggot stage, after the eggs hatch, they feast on all manner of gross to us, but gourmet to them things before advancing to pupae.  Inside this enclosure their adult selves form.  You will be surprised at how quickly the adults become parents and their offspring become parents.  The number of flies in various stages of reproduction is staggering.  

With only two wings rather than the four wings on butterflies, their sound (which our narrator feels is like music) is created when moving 200 times per second.  Do you know how flies keep their balance when flying?  Fly explains this with a little show-and-tell.

When the students are given an opportunity to ask questions, Fly remains truthful.  We learn about their regurgitation habits, knack for spreading diseases, why they keep clean and their relationship to mosquitoes.  We come to understand their survival struggles and their assistance in solving crimes and in the study of illnesses.  Hip, hip hooray for flies!  What a minute.  What's that sound?  

An author has a true gift when they can make you smile the entire time you are reading about the life cycle of flies and their significance.  By making the narrator a fly speaking to a classroom of students studying butterflies, Bridget Heos brings a vivid authenticity to the delivery of the information.  Told entirely in dialogue with text and speech balloons, the sentences uttered by Fly will have you laughing out loud.  Here is a sample passage.  

Back in my maggot days, I ate a lot!  But my siblings and I didn't eat flowers like those fancy-schmancy caterpillars.  We ate poop and trash.  And we still do.

Wait a second!  Is that a trash can?

When you first look at the matching dust jacket and book case, the accents in red on the front and along the spine grab your attention.  The expressions on the children and the total (I can't believe I'm-saying this.) cuteness of the fly seal the deal.  To the left, on the back, two of the students ask questions and are answered by Fly through speech bubbles placed on the same sky blue background as shown on the front.  A cheerful yellow canvas patterned in diamonds made with dashes feature Fly in the center in a variety of positions and wearing different facial looks on the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page, bigger than life, Fly is zooming toward the school.

Rendered in traditional media and Photoshop the illustrations by Jennifer Plecas playfully heighten the prose.  Simply moving the eye dots on Fly we are fully aware of his feelings, accentuating his words.  When the text explains halteres, she has the butterfly holding a magnifying glass next to Fly increasing our understanding.  

  With each page turn her images alter in size with respect to the discussion being presented by Fly.  She adds informational messages by showing us diagrams on the classroom blackboard and flip chart easels. These visuals are centered in realism with a fun-filled twist.  It's not every day a fly stops by to chat with you.   

One of my favorite illustrations is of Fly explaining where they go in the winter.  He is dressed in a red, knitted cap, checkered scarf and wearing four mittens and two boots on his legs.  Hovering over a snowy landscape his explains how the larvae or pupae snuggle in during the cold months.  At the bottom flies are flitting about over green grass and flowers.

While the disgust factor may be high when you first hear about this book, let me be the first to tell you it will vanish as soon as you see the cover, endpapers and read the first few pages.  I, Fly:  The Buzz About Flies and How Awesome They Are written by Bridget Heos with illustrations by Jennifer Plecas is chock-full of facts and fun. This is a nonfiction winner complete with a Glossary and Some Other Fun Words to Know, a Select Bibliography and a list of three Experts who assisted the author.  

Please follow the links attached to Bridget Heos's and Jennifer Plecas's names to access their websites.  At the publisher's website you can view eight interior illustrations. Elizabeth Bird, author and New York Public Library's Youth Materials Collections Specialist, showcases this title among others on flies and spiders on her blog, A Fuse #8 Production.

Feel free to head over to Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to read about the other highlighted titles by bloggers participating in the 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.