What Goes There?

Prior to being chosen by my canine companion, I was sleeping when the rest of the world was sleeping.  In the past fourteen years, and counting, I have become another wanderer in the host of nighttime shadows.  Sometimes I push back the dark with outside house lights, a flashlight or a head lamp.  On other walks I let the moon and my furry friend guide me.  We are ever vigilant, leery of close encounters.

If the silence is broken by the snap of a twig or an unfamiliar sound, we halt, heartbeats quickening.  We stand as still as stone hoping to go undetected as another passes.  Night Animals (Viking, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA), July 14, 2015) written and illustrated by Gianna Marino follows a group of beings on a frightful night.

Hey Possum, 
what are
you doing 
in there?

Possum is trying to avoid contact with what he believes are scary things in the forest.  He whispers and motions for Skunk to be quiet.  The two are now inside a hollow stump hiding.  Skunk wonders why they are there.

They need to be wary of night animals according to Possum.  There's barely enough room so they leave to find a bigger place to conceal themselves.  When a howl echoes through the trees, Skunk starts to get jumpy.  Imagine their surprise when an alarmed wolf makes the twosome a threesome.

Playing dead because that's what he does best, Possum hears Wolf describe a truly terrifying creature.  It's Bear but he runs toward them in total panic.  What could this possibly be?  Racing for their lives as the sky darkens, they are frozen in place by a command.

It's a bat who asks a question, gets a reply and who in turn makes a very evident observation.  As the four forest critters utter an exclamation another inquiry, by an as yet unseen being, is made.  A small single sound reveals all.  The stunned silence explodes into pandemonium.  And Possum?  What do you think?


Told entirely in dialogue, sound effects and one thought by Possum, Gianna Marino hooks readers with the first question and answer.  The simple direct conversations, sometimes a series of single words, heighten the fear of the animals and the comedy for readers.  Through her word choices you can feel a tension building toward the surprising outcome (and a not so surprising) final act.  Here is a sample conversation.

HELP ME!
Aaaarrrroooooo
Help 
YOU!?
You're a 
wolf!


On the matching dust jacket and book case the look on Possum's face, those wild, wide eyes full of dread, is aimed toward the back, to the left.  Charcoal gray trees stand straight against the dark of night.  A howl rings loud and clear.  In a speech bubble someone says

Did you hear something?

On the inside of the dust jacket Gianna Marino explains the difference between nocturnal and crepuscular animals.  The six characters are featured in animated poses holding boxes which display four items of information about each of them; size, weight, a Did you know question and another fact.  The story begins and ends on the endpapers.  They are pitch black with only sets of eyes, white with black, on each of them plus a difference at the conclusion (which I will not disclose).

On the title page our tale continues in a double page illustration with Skunk meandering through the woods toward Possum peeking out from behind a hollow tree.  The remaining pictures rendered in gouache and ink on Fabriano Artistico paper all span two pages.  With the black canvas for them all, the colors of the animals pop off the page.  Except for the sound effects, the text is shown in white speech bubbles with black print.  To deepen the mood, Marino pulls readers further into the story by zooming in on several scenes.  The eyes of the characters elevate the hilarity.

One of several favorite illustrations is when Bear is making an appearance.  Wolf is describing him.  His arms are wrapped around Skunk in a tight embrace.  Possum is lying on the ground playing dead.  His thought is

I'm not here.


Guaranteed to generate laughter even after repeated readings, Night Animals written and illustrated by Gianna Marino will have you looking and listening every time you step outside after dark.  It's a healthy look at fear and being fearful.  It reacquaints readers with those animals that prefer to wander beneath the stars and the moon in its various phases.  Expect requests to read it over and over.

To discover more about Gianna Marino, her other books and artwork please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Gianna Marino was interviewed about this title at The Hiding Spot hosted by Sara who works at an independent book shop in Traverse City, Michigan.

I wrote about two other books written and illustrated by Gianna Marino, Meet Me At The Moon and  Too Tall Houses.

A Porcine Tale

If you utter a single word, once, even without the upon a time, you will have the attention of the people in the room or at the very least those within hearing distance of you.  This word is laden with potential.  People instinctively wait for the revelation of the powerful w words.

This, like the title or first sentence in a written story, welcomes, tickles the funny bone and intrigues readers.  What This Story Needs Is A Pig In A Wig (Harper, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, May 12, 2015) written and illustrated by Emma J. Virjan certainly hooks readers with the title.  After reading this title and the first sentence what word immediately pops into your head?

What this story needs is a pig. 

With the page turn the bright red wig is on the pig.  Our porker pal is next seen floating in a boat in a nearby castle's moat.  Before we can even blink a leaping green frog is sharing the ride.

It's a rhyming romp!  Next a dog joins the passengers along with a goat who is balancing on a _______. (You will in the blank.)  The unseen narrator proceeds to insist on adding another member.

Quick as a wink the rodent is donning apparel while being balanced on the trunk of an elephant.  It's starting to get a tad bit crowded when a rather smelly animal makes an appearance along with a small residence.  This is becoming ridiculously hilarious.

Two more creatures, one dressed in a fancy blouse, arrive on board.  Fearing the boat will sink, the pig issues a series of firm requests until, finally, things are back to the beginning.  The luxury of solitude is bliss.  Or is it?

It's obvious Emma J. Virjan had as much fun writing this book as we do reading it.  Her selection of words shouts out comedy with contrasts beginning with the beginning.  To top it off, how often have you noted pigs living nearby a castle on a sandy island surrounded by a moat?  Her choice of animals elevates the laughing level due to the mix; a dog, frog and goat with an elephant is not something you see every day.  Once readers realize Virjan is supplying them with giggles and grins, each page turn will be relished for the surprise it reveals.

Created with charcoal sketches then colored digitally, the illustrations intensify the narrative.  A full color palette with vivid blues (and complementary) colors as a background canvas and images outlined in black lines will attract the intended audience.  How can you resist that pig on the front?  On the back, to the left, a stack of animal friends peeking in from the left seem to be ready to answer Pig's request.  On the opening and closing endpapers in two shades of pig we are greeted with rows of pig snouts.  Emma J. Virjan does not waste any space starting the visual story on the verso and title page.  Pig is pulling on a line attached to a pink boat with a snout painted on the bow.

The first illustration spans two pages accompanying the first sentence.  It's all pink except for a spotlight shining on the pig.  After this pacing is generated by the visual sizes; in the beginning most are single page surrounded by a wide white border creating rounded corners.  After the pig asks the uninvited guests to leave the boat, all the pictures span two pages, edge to edge. 

With every reading more comical details emerge.  When pig is putting on the wig, the mirror has a snout topper and the pattern on the rug in the room is filled with snouts.  The dog licks the pig to its disgust.  When the goat is balancing the frog and dog are holding up numbers like judges.  In the next image, the dog and goat are holding hands.  As more of the story is told you will find yourself smiling nonstop.  

A favorite illustration is when the elephant arrives.  The boat is weighted on one end like a teeter-totter as another new rider stands on the tip of the elephant's trunk.  At the higher end of the boat is the pig with the goat clinging to the wig with the frog clinging to the goat and the dog is standing on the log embracing the frog.  The look in the pig's face is akin to complete astonishment.

What This Story Needs Is A Pig In A Wig written and illustrated by Emma J. Virjan gets funnier and funnier every time you read it.  It's a story about building a story.  It's a story about inserting humor into a telling.  It's a story about the value of sharing your story with others.  You can expect to read this repeatedly to your listeners.  This would make an outstanding puppet show or reader's theater.

Please visit Emma J. Virjan's website to learn more about her and her work by following the link attached to her name.  Emma J. Virjan and this title were featured in a podcast interview at Storybook Spotlight.  During author Tara Lazar's PiBoIdMo Emma J. Virjan wrote a guest post about this book.  There are sketches of the process.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Fenway and Hattie Cover Reveal-Canine Capers In Suburbia

Eleven years ago after five years of commuting, sometimes an hour and a half twice a day in the winter months, from my home to my school library, I decided a change was in order.  Xena, my chocolate Labrador, after more than four years, had grown accustomed to long five mile walks along country roads and seasonal daily swims in the lake across the street.  We had a postage stamp lot with the back yard fenced in for her safety and my sanity.

Now after nearly fifteen years together, I would like to think we communicate fairly well.  (I am highly trainable.) Then, though, having no input in my choice of a new home, she chose to speak her mind in another way.  Every single time we were outside she raced out of the yard.  It was a common sight to see me chasing after her.  I think she liked this new game.  A thirty-foot training leash firmly attached to her harness solved the problem.  Truth be told, we have a lot to learn about how dogs connect the dots.

It’s fun to wonder about how dogs view the world. Today I’m pleased to host children’s author Victoria J. Coe and help reveal the cover of her debut novel, Fenway and Hattie (Putnam/Penguin, 2/9/2016) which is told from a dog’s perspective.   But first, we invite you to listen in on our chat about writing, her book, and of course, dogs!

Victoria, what can you tell me about Fenway and Hattie?  What kind of reader will enjoy this book?

Hi, Margie (and Xena)! Thanks for hosting me and my cover on your wonderful blog!

Fenway and Hattie is a novel for kids ages 8-12 about a dog and his girl who move from the city to the suburbs – where they face lots of changes, individually and as a pair. Oh, and the story’s told only from Fenway’s point of view!

And since Fenway’s a dog, he only understands things that a dog would understand. So in many ways he’s an unreliable narrator. Sometimes the reader has to figure out what’s really going on! Hopefully, that will make the book a fun read not only for kids but for teachers and parents, too.

And let me also share the jacket copy from the publisher:

Fenway and his beloved short human, Hattie, are the perfect pair.  She loves romping in the Dog Park, playing fetch, and eating delicious snacks as much as he does.

But when they move from the city to the suburbs, there's bad news.  While Fenway’s hard at work deterring intruders and battling a slippery floor, Hattie starts changing.  She hangs out in a squirrely treehouse.  She plays ball without him.  What could be happening?

Crushed and confused, Fenway sets out on a mission.  He's going to get his Hattie back and nothing will stop him---not the Wicked Floor, not the dreaded Gate, not even a giant squirrel!

Get a dog's-eye view of the world in this hilarious and heartfelt story about two best friends who learn that big changes aren't always easy, but sometimes trying new things can get you everything you want.

From reading your website pages, I see books were a big part of your life as a child and when you had children of your own.  How did you catch the writing bug?

You’re right, Margie! I’ve been passionate about kids’ books all my life and I’ve wanted to write for a long time. Several years ago I decided to really go for it. I hired long-time children’s editor Deborah Brodie to work with me one-on-one. That year was intense. But it was also a transformative experience! And while at the time I never imagined writing about an animal, everything Deborah taught me – how to develop characters, story craft, little tips and tricks to keep writing, and so much more – went directly into my writing Fenway and Hattie. Sadly, Deborah passed away shortly afterward and never got to read the book.

I know from your daily tweets you currently have a canine companion. How much influence did he have on the story spark and the voice of Fenway in this book?

Oh, great question! A few years back my family went through a big move and our dog Kipper was afraid we’d leave him behind. Like we actually wouldn’t bring him with us! And on top of that, the move was really hard. While going through the chaos, he and I walked and walked and I processed my feelings about the move. Right away I started to think about a character – a dog - who struggled through a big move. Everywhere Kipper and I went, I’d watch him check out new, different things and I’d wonder what was going through his mind. That’s where the story spark came from.

What prompted you to select the names for the characters, Fenway and Hattie?

Hattie just popped into my head, but Fenway was more deliberate. I pictured my story set in Boston and Fenway is such a Boston name! It seems every other dog we meet is named after one of our local sports heroes.

How are both characters "heard" in this story?  Does the point of view shift?

That’s another great question, Margie! Both Fenway and Hattie have complete story arcs and develop emotionally, but we only get to hear Fenway’s side of the story. And you definitely cannot take his story at face value!

I can't wait to meet Fenway and Hattie. What can you tell us about their distinctive personalities?

Fenway is excitable, energetic, and very, very determined. He is a dog who never gives up! And while sometimes he acts tough on the outside, he’s insecure on the inside. Like he thinks it’s his job to protect Hattie, when really he’s the one who needs her to protect him.

On the outside, Hattie’s an active girl who likes to jump rope with her friends at school and run around the Dog Park with Fenway. But on the inside, she’s still growing into herself. She’s a bit insecure, too.

The American Kennel Club, as of the end of last year, recognized 184 different breeds.  Why is Fenway a Jack Russell terrier?

Oh, you’re asking all the best questions today! Fenway is a Jack Russell terrier because I am a Jack Russell terrier! Seriously! Have you ever taken one of those personality tests to see which animal you are? Every time I come out as a JRT. What can I say?

It does make it easy for me to channel Fenway. I just pour my heart out onto the page and there he is!

Whoops! I think I hear excited barking from the other room. Now I'm hearing the soft pad of paws on the rugs.  I think my furry friend is as anxious as I am to see this cover.  

Okay, let’s get on with the cover reveal!

Woof! Woof! Bowser Wowser! Double paws up!

I don't know about you but I am getting a clear picture of a dog who knows what he wants and will do anything to get it.  The expression on Fenway’s face lets us know we are in for paw-sitively loads of comic situations.  And speaking of paws, look at the tiny brown-colored paw front and center.  This dog promises to be unique in more ways than one.  

You might be right about that, Margie! I’m really excited about the cover because it’s bright and bold and crisp and expressive. And the whole emphasis is on Fenway and his irrepressible character. Just like the book!

Xena and I can hardly wait to read Fenway and Hattie!

Thank you, Victoria J. Coe for stopping by today to talk with me about your debut book to be released on February 9, 2016 by Putnam/Penguin. If readers want to know more about you they can visit your website linked here.  A thoroughly relevant (and fun) classroom guide will be available soon.  Readers will enjoy following Victoria on Twitter @victoriajcoe.  Her Instagram account can be viewed here. 

Rat-A-Tat-Tat

Mother Nature has a marvelous checks and balances system in place.  In northern Michigan our ash trees are dying in large numbers due to the Emerald Ash Borer.  Consequently we have an increased variety of woodpeckers that have set up residence.

This spring a Pileated Woodpecker flew in for a landing on the birch tree right outside my front picture window.  It was so close I wanted to reach out to touch it.  We have little Downy Woodpeckers dashing about on a daily basis.  While probably not new to the neighborhood but more visible lately is the Northern Flicker who likes to roam my lawn as well as the surrounding trees looking for food.

One of my strongly held beliefs, as I have mentioned previously, is the more our younger readers know about their natural world, the more apt they will be ready to preserve and protect it.  Woodpecker Wham! (Henry Holt and Company, May 12, 2015) is the most recent collaboration between author April Pulley Sayre and author illustrator Steve Jenkins.  (One of their previous books, Eat Like A Bear, is featured here.  In a staccato style reminiscent of the birds' rhythmic beak beats, chanting words pair with fascinating art as we explore the world of woodpeckers.

Swoop and land.
Hitch and hop.
Shred a tree stump.
CHOP, CHIP, CHOP!

Undoubtedly most of us have seen these birds sweep across our vision but learning about hitching enlarges your appreciation of their skills.  Much like Morse code their tapping is chatting among themselves plus it comes in handy when attracting a mate.  A bona fide feast is found under the bark once they set to work with beak and tongue.

Feathers and wings are cared for well; you never know when color will be needed for display or protection.  As tools their beaks carve homes for themselves and for other woodland dwellers.  They could give lessons to gymnasts in their ability to cling and hide.

As consumers of fruits, they're unknowing seed planters.  Baby woodpeckers keep parents busy until they can search and seize their own food as well fly on their own.  Squirrels have competition in woodpeckers storing food for winter.  Did you know that? And so it ends as it began.


Seventeen four line poems with lines two and four supplying a rhyming tempo welcome readers to woodpeckers and their realms.  April Pulley Sayre uses alliterative and onomatopoeic language to place the outside world on the pages of this book.  Aspects of interest to the intended audience are featured with accuracy.  To expand on the poems, Sayre has included six pages at the close of the book explaining more about the Woodpecker World.  Some of the headings are:

Champion Chiselers
Instant Messages
Seeds by Splat
Cleanup Time
Drilling for Cavities
Home Security

Here is another poem.

Spring sap rises.
Who will drill?
Sapsucker, sapsucker,
sticky bill! 

Spanning both the front and back of the dust jacket the turquoise sky heightens the colors of the highlighted woodpeckers moving about on parts of the same kind of tree.  The fine details throughout the book, the delicate lines, are already evident in these two birds.  Did you know the feathers above their beaks keep wood chips from their nostrils?  I really like the holes in the title text.  Those woodpeckers have been busy.

The different book case is the image used with the first poem.  The opening and closing endpapers are the same shade at the title words.  Northern Flickers flock and flit about on the informal and formal title pages.

Steve Jenkins' cut-and-torn-paper collage artwork covers two pages with the exception of four single pages opposite one another.  These blend well together in design, layout and color.  Whether Jenkins gives readers a fuller view or a close-up of the woodpeckers, they appear real enough to fly off the page.

Two of my favorite illustrations are an extreme zoom of a woodpecker making a hole in a tree and two birds in a cherry tree.  In the first the tree covers one and a half pages.  Chips are flying as the hole forms.  We see this looking at the back of the bird's head.  In the second image the colors are striking; a vivid sky blue, black, white and red on one bird and brown, gray, black, red, golden yellow and rust on the other as they hang on cherry tree branches full of fruit and green leaves.


Woodpecker Wham! written by April Pulley Sayre with illustrations by Steve Jenkins is a wonderful portrait of these members of the avian community.  Authenticity is apparent in the words and artwork throughout the seasons of the year.  A page at the end is dedicated to further reading, websites, and acknowledgments.  I highly recommend this for your home and classroom bookshelves.  It's a read aloud treasure brimming with factual gems.

Please visit both April Pulley Sayre's and Steve Jenkins' websites to learn more about them and their other work by following the links attached to their names.  The publisher's website provides views of eight interior pages.  This title was one of several featured by author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and at Kirkus.


Make sure you stop by Kid Lit Frenzy to see what other books were selected by bloggers this week who are participating in the 2015 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.  Thanks a thousand times over to educator Alyson Beecher for hosting this endeavor.

Red-Faced Fiasco

Each grade level kindergarten through twelfth grade, as a whole, has a distinguishing personality.  First grade students, with a year in elementary school conquered, walk the hallways with more confidence in their steps.  What they say and do comes straight from their heart; emotional responses come quickly.

During one of my first grade story times as we were all gathered together with book buddies, comfy on the rug, leaning toward one another and letting the story surround us, one of the students became suddenly ill.  The other students scattered as I moved to assist.  When the class returned the following week, I quietly asked the student how they were feeling.  We looked at each other, smiled and then laughed out loud.  It was a joke we shared until their graduation from high school.

When you create a welcoming atmosphere in your classroom students feel more comfortable.  This sense of ease allows learning to flourish.  It also makes for some interesting conversations.  First Grade Dropout (Clarion Books, July 7, 2015) written by Audrey Vernick with illustrations by Matthew Cordell depicts an incident happening in classrooms everywhere over and over on a daily basis.

I've been lots of things.

Our narrator proceeds to list five things in his short life span which are irrefutable truths.  His sixth statement reveals his current dilemma.  There is no way, no how; he is going back to school.

His sense of compassion for others is duly noted especially when they do something embarrassing.  He did something so embarrassing others forgot to be kind.  Everyone laughed at him, even his best friend Tyler.  How can he possibly return to his classroom?

Perhaps a bit of magic will help, turning back the clock or a clever disguise.  His thoughts are interrupted by his sense of humiliation in recalling the incident again.  As his thinking continues he does recall when some laughter slipped out of his mouth after Tyler had a costume failure at school.  How was Tyler able to come back the next day?

Without revealing the exact nature of the event with each recollection he feels worse and worse.  His only choice in his mind is to become

a first grade dropout.

Imagining what he will do and thinking about friends he will miss as a dropout, he remembers how Ms. Morgan tried to bolster his spirits telling him others have done the same thing every year.  He still feels miserable.  This guy is down in the double dumps as he walks on the field for soccer practice.

Tyler is there with some other teammates.  Our guy waits for the laughter.  Bravely he shares his plan with his friend.  Friendship, the best kind of friendship, allows for bloopers, mishaps and laughter.


Readers can readily identify with the characters born from Audrey Vernick's mind.  The narrator's voice is authentic to a fault.  The emotional low and high notes are a pitch-perfect portrayal.  Vivid descriptions of embarrassing moments have us laughing with the boy and his friend rather than at them.  This passage sums up the little guy's assessment of the moment.

It was quiet.  Then it started, all at once,
like a big marching band of laughing people.


Rendered in pen and ink and watercolor Matthew Cordell adeptly captures every mood of our narrator on the matching dust jacket and book case as well as all the interior pages.  The look on the boy's face explicitly proclaims his current mood.  It's a nice touch to have the text First Grade placed upon the paper used to teach letters and early writing.  On the back, to the left, on a canvas of white with a light blue wash, a few clouds and a bird flying in front of a sun, the avian adviser announces Stay In School!  A darker hue of the writing paper (the boy's hair color) covers both the opening and closing endpapers.

Full color images on a background of white grab our attention.  Cordell's interpretation of the text is hilarious.  He, like Vernick, has tapped into his inner first grader.  For the words Soaking wet he shows the character standing in a pouring rain storm holding an umbrella, broken and inside out.  Clearly the boy has had his share of bad days but nothing to date tops his status in this story as Cordell shows us.

When the boy is thinking or remembering, the visual is surrounded by loosely drawn cloud shapes.  The placement of the pictures and their size supplies emotional significance.  The series of images at the soccer field demonstrate this exceptionally well.

One of my many favorite illustrations is the double-page spread for the partial text noted above.  A twenty-piece band in uniform with a drum major is marching from edge to edge.  The members are dressed in red jackets and hats with plumes and blue gray pants.  Banners on the hats display the embarrassing moment.  Amid the colorful confetti is an equally colorful chorus of the word HA.


Every single reader has had embarrassing moments but the humorous narrative in First Grade Dropout written by Audrey Vernick with illustrations by Matthew Cordell sums it up with first-class style.  The value of having a genuine friend, through thick and thin, will have you doing mental high-fives.  I guarantee you'll be smiling from the first page until the last.


To discover more about both Audrey Vernick and Matthew Cordell follow the links attached to their names to access their websites and blogs.  For the pronunciation of Audrey Vernick's name follow this link to TeachingBooks. net.  

Chronicles of Claudette--Into The Lair

Machine parts, candles, Jell-O and desserts are made using molds.  This does not work well when applied to people.  In fact the idiom, they broke the mold, implies uniqueness in characteristics.  Certainly when one follows their passion, building on their gifts, and loves doing this, they have probably stepped outside any predetermined role for them.

In the spring of 2012 readers were introduced to a young girl, a character, who most definitely does not conform to expectations.  She, her brother and best friend burst on the children's literature scene in Giants Beware! (First Second, April 10) written by Jorge Aguirre with illustrations by Rafael Rosado.  The entire crew plus royalty numbering seven have returned in Dragons Beware! (First Second, May 12, 2015) written by Jorge Aguirre, illustrations by Rafael Rosado, story by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado and color by John Novak.

There was once a blacksmith named Augustine...
CLANK! CLINK! CLANK! CLINK! CLANK!
He made the most powerful sword ever forged.
KLANK!
CLINK!
He called it...

Claudette has a group of children gathered around her as she spins the tale of her father's encounter with the dreaded dragon, Azra The Atrocious.  Now confined to a wheel chair due to the loss of his legs and a hand, Augustine, Claudette's Poppa warns her of holes in her story.  In no uncertain terms he asks her to stop focusing on the past.

The fact remains; Azra holds the sword, Breaker, in her stomach to this day.  Claudette is already planning to travel to the Grim Grotto and retrieve the sword with her trusty dog, Valiant, when trouble assaults their fair town in the form of flying gargoyles controlled by the evil Grombach, supposedly confined to Calavera Island.  The Marquis, their ruler, feels overly confident in that the walls of the city are the sole defense they need.  For some reason magic is ineffective there.

When Gaston, Claudette's brother who has taken of vow of not cooking until he is a warrior, and she visit their friend Marie, a princess in training, in her tower, she echoes Gaston's opinion of Claudette's foolhardy quest. She, on the other hand, believes in diplomacy.  Another gargoyle attack propels the trio into action.  Augustine travels from the city to get his sword back believing it is the only way to defeat Grombach.

Leaving Claudette and Gaston in the care of his friend Zubair, who in turn leaves them in the care of the Marquis and his wife, Marie's parents, Augustine and Zubair travel to the Grim Grotto separate from one another.  As you would expect Claudette and Valiant sneak out from the tower in the middle of the night.  Just in the nick of time Marie and Gaston arrive to momentarily save the day.

A fortuitous meeting with the River King and the River Prince provide much needed information for the threesome; so too does a gargoyle attack and a preliminary battle with Grombach.  Added to the mix are seven promising (or not so promising) princes strongly urged to save Marie.  Amelie, the Apple Hag, and Leo, the not so stalwart sentry, heighten the action and humor considerably.

A convergence of forces for the good and those for evil inside and outside the Grim Grotto generate maximum page-turning action.  Talents are tested.  Truths are revealed.  Fates are sealed.


When an author dedicates his work

For my papi, who was the first storyteller I ever knew

you realize he comes from a tradition of telling.  Growing up surrounded by story shows in one's writing.  Jorge Aguirre has a way of creating a tale which reaches out to the reader and makes them a part of the telling.

Even if we have not read the first book, we are quickly engaged in the events of this title from the opening page.  Told entirely in spirited, realistic dialog, the conversations disclose the dynamic personalities of each character.  We cheer, laugh, gasp, and sigh at their remarks, insights, challenges and soul-baring revelations. Here are some sample passages.

Poppa, I've been thinking...will you train me to be a warrior just like you?
Never.
But I need a hobby.
Forget it.
Oooh, we could slay Azra together and get your sword back.
No.
Think it over.
Never ever ever.
I can start whenever's good for you. (Claudette and her father)

It's sticky! (Gaston)
That is Azra's esophageal regurgitation. (Zubair)
Do you mean dragon vomit?  Ewww! (Marie)
Aw, I've seen worse things come out of Valiant! (Claudette)


Claudette leaping on the front cover tells you exactly the type of gutsy girl she is.  Gaston in his chief's hat, sword in hand, and Marie carrying her book of diplomacy are ready to follow their friend wherever she leads them.  Valiant is the steady canine companion.  In the background the enemy lurks.

Rafael Rosado elevates the narrative by extending the conversations with little stories of his own in the illustrations; Valiant gives chase to a lizard in the Apple Hag's tree home.  Speech bubbles, sound effect words and altered panel sizes snare our attention, to our delight.  Our eyes travel from one to another in a flawless flow.  For emphasis images may be inserted within another visual.

The facial features and body language are superbly done.  Without a doubt they add to the action and heighten the humor.  Even after two readings I continue to laugh out loud.

I have many favorite series of illustrations but two of them are: in the beginning when the children are playing dress-up and later when the soldiers from the city are found trapped in amber.  In the first Claudette is a less than enthusiastic participant.  The look on her face, a disgruntled snarl, even without the costumes is hilarious.  With each new outfit, Marie, sight unseen, offers words of praise in speech bubbles coming in from the left.  There are twelve squares on a single page.

When Gaston and Marie come to understand the power of Grombach, they are terrified and flee the scene screaming.  Claudette fails to understand their fear.  She finally tracks them down.  When she asks them if they are done screaming, the two start yelling again.  When they are finally finished, Claudette suggests they camp there for the night.  Marie says to Claudette:

Claudette, do you think maybe, just maybe, we're in over our heads?
We're totally in over our heads.  That's the awesome part.

The expressions on the faces of Gaston and Marie are truly funny.


You are going need multiple copies of Dragons Beware! written by Jorge Aguirre with illustrations by Rafael Rosado with color by John Novak on your personal and professional shelves.  This is one of those books which will have the much-loved look in no time at all.  It's a thrilling, heartwarming adventure with characters you can't help but love (except for the villain, of course).  It will be a true treat to read this aloud.

To discover more about Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre, please visit the website for this series by following the link embedded in Jorge Aguirre's name.  If you go to the publisher's website, there are eight pages from the interior portion of the beginning. Young Readers Respond to Dragons Beware! is the title of a post found at teacher librarian extraordinaire, John Schumacher's blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  He also includes an interview made during the publication of the first title.  Be sure to read this post, The May #SharpSchu Book Club Meeting, at Watch. Connect. Read.  There are loads of resources about the first book.  The author and illustrator are interviewed at Parent Co. about Dragons Beware!  Bleeding Cool also conducts an interview with Rafael Rosado and Jorge Aguirre about the new book.  Matthew C. Winner, known as The Busy Librarian chats with Rosado and Aguirre on his Let's Get Busy Podcast #162.  Enjoy the two videos.

Not Too Fast...Please

There was a time when most families did not own three, four or more cars or trucks.  (Several of my immediate neighbors with two in the household own four vehicles.)  We had one car in my family of four until I was in high school.  If my mom needed it to run errands, she would drive my dad to work in the morning and race around until it was time to pick him up.  Needless to say before my sister and I were in school, the three of us were in pretty good shape from fast walking or running from place to place.

Looking in store windows or browsing in the aisles was not on the agenda.  Although to be fair we did stop at our favorite candy shop for a treat.  I wonder what we missed seeing by dashing from place to place.  Wait (A Neal Porter Book, Roaring Brook Press, July 14, 2015) written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis examines the beauty to be found in slowing our pace, pausing to enjoy the world through which we pass. 

Hurry!

With the first page turn after the title word, Wait, we see a mom scurrying down a city street with her son holding her hand.  She glances at her watch, clearly on a tight schedule.  Alternating between his wait and her hurry we travel with them to their destination.  

Her focus on where they need to be makes her oblivious to all the simple joys all around them (us) every single day.  It's impossible to resist a friendly kiss from an eager dog.  Road repair crews need a cheerful greeting during their work.

Everyone knows hungry ducks in the park crave bread hand-outs.  See that one there.  Wouldn't that ice cream bar taste good?  Did you see what is in the pet shop window?  I spy something among the flowers in the planter.  

Large drops of rain are starting to fall.  No time to waste now.  Mom is really in a rush.  

Wait.

 Antoinette Portis has used language to perfection.  Two words, finally a third, and the punctuation drive the rate at which the story unfolds.  When one of the words is used repeatedly in succession the tension builds to the best possible conclusion.  

Rendered in pencil, charcoal and ink with color added digitally the technique and style used by Portis calls to younger readers.  It also draws attention, by way of contrast, to the delicate details she includes in some of her illustrations.  Upon opening the dust jacket (I am working with an F & G.) the boy is watching a mother cat trailing behind her three kittens who are fascinated with a ladybug.  When you first look at the title page, see if you notice anything special.

Her first of thirteen double-page images extends across the gutter into the verso on the left.  When Portis uses single page visuals among these, the flow is flawless.  Her point of view shifts from close-up to more expansive but even in those, for the most part; we see things from the height of a child.  When she zooms in on one particular picture expect gasps.  

One of my favorite illustrations is when it begins to rain.  The boy is standing with extended arms, head tilted back to catch raindrops on his tongue.  His left arm spreads into the right page.  His mom is holding an open rain coat.  Even though we read the word 

Hurry!

she is waiting for him to put his arms in the sleeves.


Antoinette Portis in words and pictures engages readers in the fine art of observation in Wait.  All of us need to look at our world through the same lens used by the little boy.  Readers will come to the realization we need more wait than hurry in our lives. Sometimes all it takes is a rain storm.

To discover more about Antoinette Portis and her work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  At the publisher's website you can view eight interior images.  Antoinette Portis is featured at Kidlit 411.  She was recently interviewed at both The Horn Book and Publishers Weekly about this title. Update:  July 26, 2015 Antoinette Portis chats with teacher librarian extraordinaire John Schumacher on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read. Further update:  Antoinette Portis is a guest at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by reviewer, author and blogger Julie Danielson.