A Saint Among Serpents And Their Kin

A lack of rain this summer in northern Michigan has kept the sightings of snakes in our area down to a minimum.  Which for some, if not many, people are perfectly fine.  They tend to startle you more than present danger if you're not expecting them.  (Believe it or not, I've had a garter snake wrapped around my wrist.  When you're at camp with your students, you need to set aside personal fears to put your children at ease.  Surprisingly enough the snake felt unexpectedly dry and textured.)

Many people have an affinity for at least one kind of animal.  They feel a connection to them.  Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, March 13, 2018) written by Patricia Valdez with illustrations by Felicita Sala is a captivating chronicle of a unique and surprising woman.

Back in the days of long skirts and afternoon teas, a little girl named Joan Procter entertained the most unusual party guests.

These party guests were one (or more) of a collection of lizards and snakes she kept in her bedroom.  Like special friends, she was eager to learn everything she could about them.  They were her quiet companions on those many days when her chronic illness kept her from school.

When she turned sixteen, as a birthday present, she was given a crocodile.  It was not an appropriate visitor in her math class at school.  Joan sought solace at the Natural History Museum.  The curator saw a kindred spirit in Joan.

The outbreak of war left vacant positions.  Joan was hired as an assistant to the curator.  At his retirement she became the one in charge. Her work at the museum lead to the London Zoo hiring her to create a new house for their reptiles.  When this new space was open to the public, they were treated to the first ever viewing of two male Komodo dragons.

Joan's reputation and skill in working with reptiles grew, bringing her international attention.  So, too, did her bond with one of the Komodo dragons, Sumbawa.  They were frequently seen together, at presentations, at the zoo and . . . tea parties. 


Each time this book is read admiration for Joan Procter is guaranteed to grow.  Patricia Valdez's extensive research and conversational writing allow us to feel as if we personally knew this extraordinary woman who dedicated her life to reptiles, especially her beloved Komodo dragon, Sumbawa.  Each portion of her years, including specific details as depicted by Patricia, builds toward her unparalleled accomplishments bringing us full circle. Here is a passage. 

The Zoological Society of London invited Joan to present her
Komodo dragon research at a scientific meeting.  As Joan took
the stage, she wheeled out Sumbawa, sitting freely atop a large
table.  The audience squirmed in their seats.

Joan stroked Sumbawa's head and fed him a pigeon.  He ate it
in one gulp.


The ease this woman felt with reptiles, her love of working with them, is fascinatingly portrayed on the matching dust jacket and book case.  Notice how two smaller lizards are entwined in the title text. As our eyes travel across the spine to the left, on the back, we are given a hint of her achievements at the London Zoo.  A portion of a larger interior illustration is collaged on a darker shade of green.

On the opening and closing endpapers illustrator Felicita Sala provides a close-up view of Joan Procter's work space.  An open book, and Manual of Herpetology, a sketch of scales and a snake's nose, a rock, several plants, specimens, a snake, and pencils are seen.  Joan's hand is holding a magnifying glass over the snake.  Between the texts on the title page a specimen jar with a lizard curled around it is placed in the center. 

Each image, some on single pages and others spanning two pages, in full color, show us first a girl determined to pursue those things she loves regardless of the status quo.  As Joan Procter grows older we can see her attachment to her reptiles increase.  Felicita takes great care in taking us to the place and time through the clothing and architecture of the time period.

Another important aspect of her pictures is the perspective.  Altering it allows us to participate in the narrative.  We see a woman surrounded in a circle of reporters, looking down at her Komodo dragon, wishing they would focus on him.  We are in the audience as Sambawa wanders through the feet of the attendees.  We are a bird looking down at Joan with Sambawa beside her as she moves through the zoo in her wheel chair.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when people are first seeing the Komodo dragons.  Joan notices Sambawa appears ill.  On the left side of the picture her feet and hand are extended to him.  The people behind the glass cannot believe she has entered the enclosure.  To the right of the gutter the rest of his body, his head and neck and one foot are laying on an examination table.  Now in a white coat she is tending to his sore mouth with one hand on his head and a swab in the other hand.


For a unit on memorable women, reptiles or must-read picture book biographies Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles written by Patricia Valdez with illustrations by Felicita Sala is a title needed in both your professional and personal collections.  Every time I read this book, I am moved by the sheer commitment of this woman.  In a two page author's note we learn more about Joan and Komodo dragons.  A lengthy bibliography is included.

To learn more about Patricia Valdez and Felicita Sala, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Both Patricia and Felicita maintain Twitter accounts.  Felicita has an Instagram account and a blog.  Patricia wrote a guest post on author Beth Anderson's website.  KitLit411 highlights Patricia Valdez.


Make sure you visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the titles selected by other participants in the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Starry Memories

No camping experience is complete without at least one night of star gazing.  During the summer in the northern hemisphere away from the city lights, the best time for viewing stars is before, during and after a new moon.  It is the darkest time of those short nights.  In 2018 there has been no lack of events to witness in our night skies. In fact in four days, the Perseid meteor showers will begin their amazing show.

During a night of star gazing the topic of navigating by the stars usually makes its way into a conversation.  For those residing north of the equator, one particular star never sets.  It helps us all to find the four compass points.   First Star: A Bear And Mole Story (Holiday House, May 1, 2018) written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand, a fifth book about these two lovable characters, takes us on a single night journey.  It's brimming with an explanatory tale, a revelation about an important constellation and the joy of an affectionate bond.

Mole gazed up.

Looking up at the sky Mole has a question for Bear.  He wants to

see the stars turn on.

Bear replies with a suggestion of hiking to Camp Tiptop.  Mole gets their blanket (tent) and they both fill their backpacks with necessary items.

They climb and climb until getting to the top of this rocky mountain.  Once they are there, Mole has another question.  He is concerned about getting lost in the dark.  He decides he wants to go back home.  Again Bear answers.

Bear knows a good story can dispel fears.  He takes Mole back in time to First Father Bear, First Mother Bear and First Little Bear.  They lived as bears do today but at night, it was darker than the darkest dark. 

First Little Bear and First Mother Bear make a large bright light with Earth's materials.  First Little Bear continues using more of Earth's materials spreading smaller lights all over the night sky.  Then First Father Bear does the most amazing thing of all. He gives a name to his accomplishment before doing one more thing.  As our two companions, Bear and Mole, gaze at the stars, the nighttime sky gives them a final surprise.


For our younger readers (and those young at heart) Will Hillenbrand has penned a narrative ringing true to their tender hearts.  First we come to understand the affectionate relationship between Bear and Mole. The comfort Mole feels in asking questions and Bear's patience in answering are indicative of this bond.

With ease, through their dialogue, Bear weaves a story of his own about the origin of celestial bodies.  Several of Bear's thoughts are downright profound.  At the conclusion Will continues by adding a bit of universal folklore about stars.  Here is a passage.

So, First Little Bear helped his mother
dig up white clay.

They shaped it into a ball.  The ball was Moon.
Moon shone brightly.

"Look, Bear, I 
see a funny face
on the Moon!"
called Mole. 


When you first open the matching dust jacket and book case, the friendship between Bear and Mole is apparent in the way Bear holds Mole and the ease Mole feels in Bear's arms.  The joy they feel at sharing this nighttime adventure is evident and shining in their happy expressions. You will come to understand the choice by Will Hillenbrand to depict his stars as small circular shapes but you will also notice the star on the lantern carried by Mole and the use of a star to dot the "I".

The starry sky extends over the spine to the left edge of the back.  An outline of Ursa Minor points toward our pals.  Readers will enjoy running their hands over the jacket to feel the textures.  The title text, Mole's lantern glass and the little bear on the back are raised and glittery.

A pale blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Beneath the text on the title page, Mole stands looking upward and holding his lantern.  On the verso and dedication pages, Mole crawls from under their blanket tent.  On the underside it is patterned in stars.

Rendered in direct impression and pencil most of the illustrations span two pages.  Several smaller images are grouped together to indicate the passage of time on a few pages.  During the telling of the origin story two of the pictures show the bears from the past larger than life in the sky with Bear and Mole seated on a log, much smaller and in the lower right hand corner.  Will Hillenbrand's shifts in perspective are marvelous.  His vertical two-page picture will have readers gasping. (So will the following two illustrations.)

One of my many favorite illustrations is the one for the text noted in the above passage.  It stretches across two pages.  An uneven faint outline in black frames the night sky on all four sides.  On the left First Mother Bear and First Little Bear are shaping the ball glowing in the sky.  They are standing on clouds.  On the right three evergreen trees rise in the meadow grass like black lace.  To the left of them sitting on a log are a smaller Mole and Bear.  They are looking skyward as if watching the work of the First Bears.  Mole's lantern glows on his left.


The marvelous charm of First Star: A Bear And Mole Story written and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand wraps around readers like a cozy blanket.  Perfect for a bedtime story, a story about friendship, and the origin of celestial bodies, this book will become a favorite. You might want to have a bear and mole puppet handy to try a reader's theater with your group of children.  You could also pair this with books about camping like Molly Idle's Camp Rex, or titles about nighttime exploration like Flashlight by Lizi Boyd.

To learn more about Will Hillenbrand and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  At the publisher's website you can access a lesson plan to use along with this title. Enjoy the videos.

Deep, Deeper, Deepest . . . Keep On Digging

Besides delivering unconditional love twenty-four/seven canines have other distinguishing gifts.  They have the innate ability to make us laugh at their weird expressions and sleep positions.  They bark and run when they dream.  Some of them are constantly stealing socks, shoes and gloves or devouring paper toweling.  Many of them can give an excavator a run for its money with their digging habits.

Dogs can create mounds of dirt and sand within minutes.  They can recreate an entire landscape in hours.  They have different techniques; some alternate their front paws in a speedy scooping motion or others dig, pull and jump with both paws at the same time.  One of the true champions in fiction, probably in real life too, is found in A Dog Named Doug (Margaret K. McElderry Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, June 26, 2018) written by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Matt Myers.  You might need to duck from the incoming flying dirt if you can stop laughing long enough. 

Once there was a dog named Doug.
Doug liked to dig, but when Doug dug . . .

Nothing in the immediate area near Doug remains unchanged.  It's a glorious eruption of dirt and anything found in that dirt.  One fine day Doug dug up the residence of a ground squirrel who issued a challenge.  Doug accepted.  It was a race to be remembered in the annals of digging.

Did Doug stop after leaving the squirrel in the proverbial dust?  Of course not!  He kept on digging.  He left dirt piles for miles.  The ruts were as deep as gulches.  He traversed on all compass points. He unearthed a fortune in buried treasure. He kept on digging completely focused.

This dog tunneled all the way to Washington, D. C. visiting the lawn of the White House.  After taking a tour (That's what you do when you are in the capital of the United States.) he started to funnel through the Oval Office floor to get back home.  This pup had a purpose but he ended up far from his goal.  Home was not an African savanna, among the heads found on Easter Island, at the top of a snowy mountain peak or the green of a golf course. 

Doug eventually dug his way home.  The family was not happy with the muddy mess BUT they loved Doug and softly bid him good night.  Now, you might think Doug was done digging.  Nope.  He had to find the right spot so he could dream of . . .


Superb use of alliteration by beloved author Karma Wilson will have readers and listeners alike moving to the beat of this story.  Rhyming words at the end of phrases enhance the cadence.  The repetition of

And boy, did Doug

DIG!

is a clear invitation for participation in the narrative. Here is a passage.

He dug to the 
EAST,
He dug to the 
WEST.

He dug his way to a treasure chest
with about a million dollars inside!
Doug smiled wide, then tossed it aside.


When you open the matching dust jacket and book case white as an element allows our eyes to center on Doug digging the "u" in his name but also helps us to see the word dog.  Matt Myers's clumps of dirt soaring upward add to the realism.  To the left, on the back, is a close-up of Doug, panting with joy and covered in bits of dirt.  There is no doubt that this dog lives for digging.  On the dust jacket Doug, the dog and title, are varnished.  The dirt is too but it's also raised to the touch.

The opening and closing endpapers are a rich chocolate brown.  On the title page Doug is digging away in the flower bed in his yard.  The publisher and publishing places are cleverly interwoven among the dirt.  This is the first of numerous, delightful details courtesy of Matt Myers.

Rendered in acrylic and oil paint on illustration board each image is designed not only to elevate the narrative but heighten the humor.  Every page turn will have you smiling, laughing out loud or looking for all the extra elements.  Mounds of dirt become the letters "m".  Punctuation becomes a tunnel with Doug digging.  Words are formed from Doug's digging.

We are privy to all the underground discoveries as well as seeing what is happening above ground.  A miner looking like he's been below the surface for decades is the joyful recipient of Doug's digging.  Doug's particularly attracted to a point of interest inside the White House.  (Is that a Secret Service agent after Doug?)  The illustration sizes shift in size to supply additional pacing.  You will most definitely be unable to contain your mirth at one's specific visual's orientation. 

One of my many favorite pictures is at the beginning of the book.  We are first introduced to Doug's capacity for digging.  The first two-page spread shows Doug in his neat yard near his dog house.  This next illustration is the same scene after Doug digs.  The items he finds are guaranteed to produce loads of giggles.  And readers will wonder why those things ended up buried.  They are scattered within mounds of dirt.  All we see of Doug is his backside as he goes underground, merrily digging.


No story time about dogs, pets, determination or acts of digging will be complete without A Dog Named Doug written by Karma Wilson with illustrations by Matt Myers. Everything about Doug and where his digging takes him is an opportunity for shared laughter.  Each of the places he visits will generate conversations about what he sees.  I highly recommend this for your personal and professional collections.  You might want to pair it with Walk Your Dog (G. P. Putnam's Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, June 5, 2018) written by debut author Elizabeth Stevens Omlor with pictures by Neesha Hudson,  George the Hero Hound (Two Lions, March 20, 2018) written and illustrated by Jeffrey Ebbeler, I Got a New Friend (Alfred A. Knopf, an imprint of Random House Children's Books, May 23, 2017) written and illustrated by Karl Newsom Edwards, Percy Dog Of Destiny (Boyd Mills Press, March 28, 2017) written by Alison McGhee with illustrations by Jennifer K. Man or Antoinette (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing Division, February 14, 2017) written by Kelly DiPucchio with pictures by Christian Robinson. 

To learn more about Karma Wilson and Matt Myers and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their respective websites. At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Karma and Matt are both on Twitter.  You can find them on Instagram also, here and here.  They are featured on Storytime Out Loud Podcast.  

Hear With Your Heart

When you enter your favorite indie book shop sometimes you are looking for a specific title.  On another occasion you search a subject area or genre with no special book in mind.  There are certain circumstances when after locating what you want, you are drawn to another shelf for no particular reason.  It's uncanny how you reach for a book, read it and realize it speaks to your reader's heart.

You stop for a few moments wondering why this title speaks to your reader's heart.  If A Horse Had Words (Tundra Books, June 5, 2018) written by Kelly Cooper with illustrations by Lucy Eldridge is one of those books.  It addresses with great care and insight how bonds are built between humans and animals.  Some animals have a large capacity for understanding and unconditional love.

THE FOAL IS BORN on a spring morning of sunshine and snowmelt.

She sees the signs of spring around her in the trees, flowers, fresh rainfall and the sky.  Instinctively she knows she needs to stand.  As she struggles to brace her body with her front legs pushing up, her back legs pull her down as they sink into badger hole.

 A truck rumbles into view as she tries to get herself free.  Stepping from the stopped vehicle a man and boy offer assistance.  After the foal is pulled free by a gentle voice, a rope and her own will, she realizes she and the boy are alike.  They both prefer to move as far off the ground as they can.

Seasons come and seasons go.  The foal becomes a horse named Red Badger.  The boy grows into a teen who likes peppermint candies.  One day when the boy tries to ride Red Badger her love of the boy is overshadowed by her dislike of the ground.  She bucks and kicks tossing him to the dirt.  Red Badger is sold.

Many more seasons come and go.  Red Badger is at a rodeo.  None of the cowboys can stay in the saddle on her back.  Again she waits in the chute for her next rider.  She hears a remembered gentle voice.  She smells a familiar scent.  Elation.


A storytelling rhythm is supplied with the picturesque descriptions of Kelly Cooper followed by

If a horse had words, the word would be . . .

With her words she takes us to a place and time acquainting us with the moods and emotions of the horse and her boy.  Sentence by sentence she builds the relationship between the two, one horse and one human, until a timeless friendship is forged.  Here is a passage.

She is tall now, has to bend her head to sniff
the pocket of the boy's shirt.  She smells
something sweet and sharp and delicious.

"Hello, Red Badger."

If a horse had words, the word would be . . .

Name. 


A generous use of white space on the opened dust jacket draws our attention to the soft, lush images rendered in watercolor here and throughout the book.  Each brush stroke contributes to the subtle textures, and the play of light and shadow.  Spare lines depict emotions on the facial features of the boy and horse.  They are older on the front.  To the left, on the back, both of them are younger, joyously leaping on a sunny spring day.  The text reads:

If a horse had words, the word would be . . .

friend.

On the book case white is used as a strong element.  It highlights the final pages of the book.  On the left we see a herd of horses, the new companions of Red Badger.  On the right, a boy (young man) and his horse are together again.  They still move as far off the ground as possible.

On the opening and closing endpapers Red Badger is displayed in five different positions.  The boy is shown in six.  They make a jubilant repeating pattern on all four pages.  Two of those are enlarged and used on the verso and title pages.

Each of the illustrations created by Lucy Eldridge spans either two pages, a single page or a series are placed on a single page.  Sometimes a small image will be tucked above or below the text.  Pictures are also used to frame text.  The manner in which Lucy uses white space causes it to act more as light than white.  It illuminates her watercolor illustrations. 

One of my many favorite pictures is when the boy and foal first meet.  The foal's back legs are stuck in the badger hole.  The rope has been looped around her neck by the boy's father.  The horse is not happy about this rope.  The boy reaches in to touch her nose and softly whisper

"Shhhhhhh".

A pale green small hill is placed behind them on the lower portion of the page.  Tiny purple flowers, crocuses, bloom in a patch in the lower right-hand corner.  White covers most of the page above the foal and the boy.


It's a story of friendship.  It's a story of remembered love.  I can almost hear readers sigh with pleasure when reading or listening to If A Horse Had Words written by Kelly Cooper with illustrations by Lucy Eldridge.  You will want to use this with a thematic story time on friendship or horses or both.  I sincerely recommend this for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Lucy Eldridge and her work please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  The publisher Tundra Books has an account on Instagram.  You can view additional images there from this book.  You can also see a preview of the beginning at the publisher's website.

Numbered Among The Most Notable

With the reading of each picture book biography, our lives are enriched.  For now, even if we had heard of the selected individual previously, we know more.  We understand their youth.  We understand those who supported them in following their passions and goals.  We understand the obstacles they overcame.  We understand the power of a single dedicated and determined individual.

On November 24, 2015 President Barack Obama presented the Medal of Freedom to Katherine Johnson, a mathematician who worked at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) during the historical time period when Americans first went to space.  Her contributions are immeasurable.  Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 (Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt And Company, June 19, 2018) written by Helaine Becker with illustrations by Dow Phumiruk is an informative and moving tribute to an extraordinary woman.

Katherine loved to count.

Wherever she looked and whatever she did, numbers were a part of it.  Fascinated by the stars and beyond, this little girl wanted to learn as much as possible about everything in our world.  She excelled in school moving ahead by three grades!

When most students her age were entering junior high school, Katherine could go to high school.  Segregation tried to stop her.  Her father refused to accept those barriers.

In high school her love of mathematics grew stronger.  After college she became an elementary teacher.  (Choices were limited for women.)  Her dream of being a research mathematician simmered in her soul, though.  In the 1950s NACA (National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics) was looking for women, all women, to hire as mathematicians.  In their second year of hiring Katherine was selected.

As a computer, a human calculator of numbers, Katherine rose to the top.  Her computations of the arc a rocket ship would take from takeoff to landing were lauded.  She was promoted to participate in one project after the other.  It was her re-calculations in the face of the blast Apollo 13 suffered in space which lead to the successful landing. Katherine lived (is living) her dream.


With simple phrases in the beginning of the narrative author Helaine Becker supplies readers with an inviting rhythm.  We willingly step into the life of Katherine Johnson.  How many of us have looked to the stars?  This is an instant connection.

 With each noted instance in the chronicle of Katherine Johnson's life, we find ourselves inwardly cheering her successes.  In the telling of these the research conducted by Helaine Becker is clearly evident.  She also ties multiple scenarios together with the words

count on me.

Additionally in offering an explanation of how the trajectory of a rocket ship works, we have a greater comprehension of the value of Katherine's work.  Here is a passage.

Mercury's missions were going
to be dangerous.  So dangerous that
even the project's star astronaut,
John Glenn, refused to fly unless
Katherine okayed the numbers.

"You can count on me," she said.

Glenn's spacecraft, Friendship 7, 
orbited Earth three times and
returned home safely.  Glenn became
a national hero. 


Great care in design and layout was given by illustrator (and author) Dow Phumiruk as initially seen on the front of the dust jacket.  Faint lines of graph paper are discernible beneath the hues of blue.  Tiny orbits (look at the details there) circle the large moon brimming with calculations.  Everything about young Katherine speaks to the woman she will become.  Look at her stance and the expression on her face, knowledgeable, curious and full of grace.

To the left, on the back, an interior image fills the page.  We gaze down at Katherine looking out a window in her home at night, imagining all the wonders held in the universe.  Look at the delicate images placed among the stars.  On the book case pale blue graph paper on either side of a red spine displays intricate calculations.  Careful observers will note the repetition of this on the opening and closing endpapers.  In the first young Katherine is shown standing on the stool seen on the front of the dust jacket.  Her back is to us as she performs one of numerous calculations on a chalkboard.

Beneath the text on the title page, an older Katherine works as a computer.  Each of the images, rendered

digitally in Adobe Photoshop with scans of watercolors and textures

spans either one or two pages.  Within those illustrations, Dow Phumiruk may insert other small pictures to place emphasis on pacing and a particular point in the narrative.  Each visual follows into the next seamlessly.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  It is during the time after the Apollo 13 explosion.  Katherine received a call for help.  The elements in this image have a geometric layout.  Across the top triangular shaped ceiling tile is the backdrop for Katherine, working with determination etched on her face, at a drafting table and calculating the changes.  The base of the desk is white providing a place for the text.  To the left, in a second shape, space is depicted with several orbital paths around the moon, to and from Earth. The damaged ship is part of this scenario.


It's a guarantee individuals will find their souls swelling with respect after reading Counting on Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Saved Apollo 13 written by Helaine Becker with illustrations by Dow Phumiruk.  This title honors a true American hero.  I can't imagine a professional or personal bookshelf without a copy of this book.  At the close of the book the author includes More About Katherine and Sources.  One of the sources is from The Makers Project.

To learn more about Helaine Becker and Dow Phumiruk please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Helaine maintains a blog here. Both Helaine and Dow have accounts on Twitter.  Dow has an account on Instagram.  Debbie Ridpath Ohi, author and illustrator, interviews both Helaine and Dow about this book on her site, Inkygirl.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Please enjoy the book trailer.




I know you will enjoy visiting Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher to view the titles selected this week by those participating in the 2018 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Taking A Bite

Every time we've walked in the past twenty months it's the same thing.  Anyone within hearing distance can detect a voice continually saying, "Leave it, leave it, leave it!"  Labradors are known for their love of food but this one, my Mulan, has an appetite for everything.  It's like having a vacuum cleaner on the end of a leash.

At least with young humans you don't have to worry as much about them having an appetite for everything.  Educators welcoming students, especially kindergarten students, on the first day usually need not add a "do not eat" phrase to a discussion about classroom behavior.  Of course if one of your students happens to be a carnivorous dinosaur, educators might need to rethink the rules.  We Don't Eat Our Classmates (Disney Hyperion, June 19, 2018) written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins is a comedic tale of a student with a craving for children . . . as an entree.

Penelope Rex was nervous.
It's not every day a
little T. rex starts school.

Penelope's mind was filled with questions but of utmost concern was the number of teeth her classmates have.  Wearing her backpack and carrying her lunch box, both covered with ponies because she loved to eat them, Penelope entered her classroom to discover there were not dinosaurs there but children.  She did what any normal T. rex would do.  She ate them.

Mrs. Noodleman, her teacher demanded she spit them back out.  She obeyed her.  Determined to have a good first day regardless of her first transgression, she gave it her best.  Standing at the bottom of a slide with an open mouth at recess was highly inappropriate.  Telling a boy he could sit on her plate at lunch was hardly the actions of a friend.  Her classmates avoided her.  It was a lonely first day.

After school her dad chatted with her about the drawbacks of consuming your classmates.  Oh, how Penelope tried the next day but her true nature prevailed.  It seemed everyone wanted to be where Penelope was not.  Perhaps Walter the goldfish would be Penelope's pal.

Longingly, as an overture of friendship, she stuck her finger into his fishbowl.  Wowee!  She wasn't expecting that to happen.  There was a definite change in Mrs. Noodleman's classroom from that day forward.  (Goldfish are so unpredictable.)


Every sentence Ryan T. Higgins writes is brimming with humor.  The statements are in contrast to normalcy and have a distinct dinosaur perspective, so we can't help but giggle and grin; lots of little gals and guys like ponies but not because they

are delicious.

Ever so slowly all these plot points laden with hilarity are leading us to the twist we don't envision.  These points are aided by dialogue which is out and out laughter inducing.  Here is a passage.

"Penelope Rex," her father asked,
"did you eat your classmates?"

"Well . . . maybe sort of 
just a little bit."


One look at the opened dust jacket front and we know this little dinosaur simply can't help eating her classmates.  Look at the overturned chairs.  Look at the two tennis shoes, especially the one covered in drool coming from Penelope's mouth.  To the left, on the back, on a purple textured canvas is a smaller image with the pony lunchbox, a single box of apple juice and a stack of sandwiches, several breaking the frame.   Portions of both the front and back are varnished.  The title text is raised.

On the book case a single illustration features Walter.  His bowl is on the shelf at school but he is currently alone.  A series of connected straws leave his mouth and travel to that single box of apple juice on the right side of the spine.  This is intriguing to say the least and gives a hint of the shifts in this story.

On the opening and closing endpapers on a paler lime green a line is stretched from the left to the right.  Hanging with clips is a series of dinosaur drawings.  All sixteen are different.  They reflect varying degrees of artistic ability.  (Notice the dedication page.)  Beneath the title page text Penelope is saying

HEY KIDS!
You will never be
eaten by a T. rex.
They are extinct.
I promise!

The illustrations rendered using scans of treated clayboard for texture, graphite, ink, and Photoshop span single and double pages.  These add emphasis to the narrative creating superb pacing.  Sometimes Ryan will place two smaller pictures on a single page.

Readers will be rewarded if they pause at each illustration.  Many significant elements refer to things found in real life. (On several of the images the setting is muted in a limited palette but looks like a particular place.)  There are other items; some reinforcing Penelope's existence.  Do you know why there is a motorcycle on the bookcase in her bedroom?  Does the map hanging on her wall resemble a world you know?  This attention to details in his artwork elevates Ryan's narrative and heightens the fun we have reading this book.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when Penelope walks into her classroom on the first day and eats all eleven of her classmates.  It spans two pages.  On the far left Walter sits in his fishbowl on the shelf.  At the now empty tables on the left and partially in the gutter are overturned chairs.  Penelope standing with bulging cheeks and meekly holding her arms in front of her has a tennis shoe dangling from her mouth.  Mrs. Noodleman, hand on her hip and book in the other hand, demands that Penelope spits the students back out.  The expression on Penelope's face is hysterical.


Reading this story silently or aloud will have one or more readers and listeners laughing with total abandon.  We Don't Eat Our Classmates written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins is a blast from the past into our present with the best kind of results.  It's one hundred percent perfection.  You will want a copy (or two) for your professional collections as well as your personal collections.

To learn more about Ryan T. Higgins and his other work, please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  You can get some activity sheets at the publisher's website.  Ryan is highlighted at three different posts at Publishers Weekly, PW KidsCast: A Conversation with Ryan T. Higgins, Q & A with Ryan T. Higgins, and T. Rex Problems: Spotlight on Ryan T. Higgins.  Ryan visits KidLit TV and chats with author Phil Bildner on Phil's Fast Five, Podcast Bunny Presents #11, and at author illustrator Jena Benton's Simply 7 Interview. 

Finding Friendship

There are those who believe not speaking the same language is a barrier.  All those individuals need to do is enter a gathering of children in a classroom, a library, cultural center or other meeting place to understand the error of this logic.  Children find a way to communicate.  They listen and watch with intention. 

Without fail they appreciate the musicality of hearing a language other than their own spoken aloud.  They find joy in knowing the meaning of one or more words.  How Are You? Como estas? (Henry Holt And Company, March 13, 2018) written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez marks the return of two giraffes introduced to readers in How Do You Say? Como se dice? (Henry Holt And Company, November 8, 2016).  These giraffes saw the value of friendship regardless of the language they spoke.  Now a new bird is listening to their words.

Welcome!

Bienvenida!

The two giraffes have issued a greeting to the ostrich, which looks straight at readers with a perplexed expression.  They next ask the bird about its current emotional state.  It's unable to reply before they continue with their questions.

With one giraffe speaking Spanish and the other speaking English, they want to know how this creature feels.  Is it shy?  No.  Is it hungry?  No.  Why does this bird seem to be in no particular state of mind?

After making several other queries, they repeat their original question.  Finally the ostrich can tell them the truth without interruption.  It quickly prompts another query from the giraffes.

The ostrich can hardly stand still as it answers.  Neither can the giraffes.  Merriment fills the air.  There is only one thing left to do.  The trio does it with great celebration.


As a friend or an individual desiring to be a friend, it's essential to place the well-being of the other first.  This concern or caring shows a commitment to the relationship.  This is why the giraffes ask so many questions.  Angela Dominguez acquaints us with words used to define an individual's current mood based on feelings often portrayed by the intended audience.  When we are quiet it might be due to shyness, hunger, fright or tiredness. 


The gentle humor present throughout this book is evident on the front of the matching dust jacket and book case.  The ostrich is looking at readers as if to say, "Who is this giraffe?"  "Does he want to be my friend?" "I'm not exactly sure how I am at this moment."  To the left, on the back, on a canvas of white the conclusion of the story is revealed.  It's when we know how everyone is feeling.

On the opening and closing endpapers Angela Dominguez has placed three rows of circles on the left and on the right.  In an alternating pattern, the head of the ostrich appears twice in one row and once in the next row.  The colors of purple, blue and green are used as light and darker pastels.

On the verso page at the bottom left one of the giraffes is speaking.  At the top all we see are four giraffe legs.  To the right on the title page the ostrich is stepping into view.  With each page turn the giraffes and the ostrich are placed expertly to provide pacing in combination with the phrases and single word replies. 

Their expressions and where they are, especially the giraffes, convey the emotional inquiry.  For shy one of the giraffes is attempting to hide behind a rock.  For tired one of them is completely flat on the ground.  In contrast the ostrich is casually standing until the end.  Throughout the conversations you can't help but feel this is building to something wonderful.  All three of the characters are happy.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is when the giraffes ask the ostrich

Annoyed?
Irritada?

In this image, as on all of them, Angela Dominguez uses white space as an element to draw our attention to the characters.  On either side of the gutter she brings us close to first one and then the other giraffe.  Their mouths, eyes and eyebrows indicate definite irritation.  It is hilarious to see them like this.  In the background on the right the ostrich is saying

No.

The sense of calm usually exhibited is momentarily absent.


Children (and children at heart) are going to gravitate toward How Are You? Como estas? written and illustrated by Angela Dominguez as much as they did her first book with the giraffe characters.  This bilingual tale is sheer delight to both Spanish and English speaking readers.  I recommend again using this for reader's theater.  You will want to place a copy in both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Angela Dominguez and her other work, please follow the links attached to her name to access her websites.  You can also follow a link to her blog.  Angela maintains an account on Facebook and on Instagram.  At the publisher's website you can view several interior pictures.