Don't Forget To...

It can't be done quickly.  It's best when done with intention.  When hiking in a forest of pines, wading in the shallows of the ocean or walking by potted spring flowers in a display, stop, close your eyes and inhale.  The results are marvelous and sensory.  When you exhale, it will probably be accompanied by a sigh.

As adults or children, we understand what this deliberate action may produce; infants need to learn.  All you have to do is watch a toddler smell a hyacinth for the first time to know this to be true; their facial expression and body language will tell the tale.  On April 1, 2014 Breathe (A Paula Wiseman Book, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) written and illustrated by Scott Magoon was released into the wild.  Let's go to the arctic and see what we can see.

Breathe, little whale!

Riding on top of his mother, a whale is reminded to take air in and let it out.  His parent does not stop there.  Play as long as you can, as often as you can.

Practice what you do best; swim, again and again.  Most of all, the baby whale needs to breathe.  Diving, exploring, and making new friends have their place in his daily activities.

Pausing to listen, then joining in the chorus of sounds is warmly recommended.  Even if danger lurks nearby, do not be afraid.  There are other answers.  This giant of the ocean knows affection is to be given and received, dreams are supported, sleep follows the end of each day and most of all, it ends as it begins...

Breathe.

For a baby whale, navigating through his frozen world may seem simple (to us) but it's important.  Scott Magoon's spare text, one to seven words per illustration, is a reflection of these essential activities.  No word or words are wasted.  While the narrative is a mother whale speaking to her baby, the meaning will be easily understood by the youngest of human listeners and readers; a sense of security and peace is prevalent.

My first step is always to open the dust jacket, looking at the extent of the illustration.  Scott Magoon has chosen to extend this one flap edge to flap edge, including ice floes, a vast cool blue sky, flying puffins and a variety of fish schools swimming along with the white whale.  Beneath this the book case is an exact replica.  A pattern of the mother whale with her baby breathing covers the opening and closing endpapers.

A bird's eye view of the chilly region, water winding between ice with seven whales swimming just below the surface (one breathing) is so lovely you might have to remind yourself to breathe.  Magoon uses this to showcase the title page and verso.  Throughout this volume all the digitally rendered illustrations are spread across two pages.

Color palette and shading mirror the location above and below the ocean; a richness and texture is found in all of them.  Bubbles, swirls and easy, flowing lines enhance the movement of the whale and the fascination the water world brings to readers.  Creatures shown in the illustrations are native to the region; their eyes, like those of the whales, add to the lightheartedness of the pictures.

One of several favorite illustrations is for the words...

Listen to the sea.
Sing.

It is a vast undersea scene with the baby whale in the upper left-hand corner singing, sounds circling out and around him.  The shifting colors, hues of blue and purple, provide the background for another whale, a squid, other fish, a shark, two turtles and a narwhal.  Light from a sunny sky filters down through the water.


No matter your age, even on the most hectic of days, the reading of Breathe written and illustrated by Scott Magoon is guaranteed to fill you with serenity.  It is perfectly perfect for a group read aloud with younger students or to share as a one-on-one with someone special.  Use it to introduce a specific unit or just because the words, pictures, design and layout work seamlessly together.

Please be sure to access Scott Magoon's official website by following the link embedded in his name.  For more illustrations follow this link to the publisher's website. UPDATE (April 29, 2014) Please visit Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast hosted by Julie Danielson where Scott Magoon talks about his process for creating the artwork for this title.

Seeking Self

You see them coming into your classrooms year after year; testing the waters, doing what they enjoy the most and wondering if anyone will notice their best efforts.  You use your skills to help them discover and enhance their own. Knowing who they truly are, what their purpose might be or where their talents lie can be a pursuit needing perseverance and patience.

It can be somewhat unsettling to find yourself one among many whose gifts are already shining like stars in a moonless sky.  The Mermaid and the Shoe (Kids Can Press) written and illustrated by K. G. Campbell takes us down into the depths of an undersea kingdom.  One very small mermaid has a huge thirst for answers and a brave heart to match.

King Neptune had fifty daughters.  Some might call them mermaids.  They were his pride and joy.

Forty-nine of them had savvy; a green thumb, a flair with fish or words spoken in dulcet song.  Minnow did not; no glorious gardens, only frantic fish and when she sang sea creatures cringed.  One thing she did endlessly was ask questions.

A single sister in particular, Calypso, thought Minnow and her inquisitiveness worthless.  This unkindness caused Minnow, without a word, to seek solitude in a particular spot;

where the current was warm and pleasant.

It was here a beautiful thing floats down to her one day.

One sister thought it might be a hat.  Another offered that it might be a jewel box.  And a third, cold Calypso, said it was junk.  Minnow thought otherwise.  Returning to the warm and pleasant current, she had a plan.  She needed answers.

Swimming through and up, all those she encountered could not identify the splendid object she carried.  Remember those questions she was always asking?  One by one solutions were seen except for one.  Now at the surface she started to wonder if Calypso might have been right.

Then another strange being appeared.  As Minnow watched her excitement grew.  She could hardly wait to share her discoveries.  On this day, a storyteller was born.  It was absolutely remarkable.


Using elements found in the best stories from the land of fairy, the fifty princesses, the three sisters (one with a nasty personality), the three questions, mermaids and lots of happily ever after, K. G. Campbell weaves a spell with words.  A pleasing blend of narrative and dialogue envelope readers gently like we are lovely things drifting through enchanted waters.  What sets this apart is Minnow accomplishes her goals alone by believing in herself and using her strengths. Here is a passage from the book.

She had arrived at the edge of the kingdom, where bubbles burst and the above place began.
"What a wondrous world!" gasped Minnow, eyes wide as sand dollars.


 When you open the matching dust jacket and book case of this title, you are immediately struck by the luminosity of K. G. Campbell's sea scenery.  You get a very real sense of being in the warm current with Minnow and the other beings in the watery depths. The rich brilliant red of the shoe is carried over to the spine.

Rendered in watercolor and pencil crayon Campbell chooses to alter his illustration sizes, breathtaking two page spreads and gorgeous oval insets on white, framed in a variety of sea and tiny floral weeds found on land.  Fine lines, subtle shading and a carefully-selected color palette combine to create a stunning ethereal quality.  Everything about the mermaids, especially Minnow, is magically marvelous; their wide eyes, delicate facial features, porcelain skin, golden tails and flowing hair.

One of my favorite illustrations is of Minnow rising to the surface through the seaweed asking the octopus if he knows what the shoe is.  A small orange seahorse is her constant companion. Readers will wish they could be there swimming in the water with her.


When I first held this book after it was handed to me by a clerk in my favorite indie store, she said everyone there had fallen in love with it.  I understand completely.  The Mermaid and the Shoe written and illustrated by K. G. Campbell is a lovely story; a once-upon-a-time tale to be cherished and shared.

Please be sure to follow the link embedded in K. G. Campbell's name to access his official website.  Here is a link to an interview at John Schumacher's blog at Watch. Connect. Read.  Be sure to visit, enjoying the book trailer.  There is another wonderful interview at Idle Illustration by Caldecott Honor winner author illustrator Molly Idle.  

Friends Seeking One Another

Over the course of years you develop a respect for the writing style of authors and the artistic techniques of and mediums used by illustrators.  While you value the work of all, certain individual's creations will find a way into your reading soul. A virtual friend and colleague, JoEllen McCarthy wrote about heartprint books in a post at the Nerdy Book Club.

Nearly ten years ago author illustrator Dan Santat celebrated his first book's birthday; The Guild of Geniuses (Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic, Inc.) was released in November of 2004.  In the intervening time I have watched him perfect his distinctive workmanship in writing and illustrating.  His visuals are brimming with a colorful vibrancy and his particular brand of humor.  His newest book, different from the others, which he both wrote and pictured, The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend (Little, Brown and Company) came out two days ago.  It's already left a huge print on my heart.  It's a love letter; perhaps to his eldest son for whom the book is dedicated or to all those seeking their most remembered friend.

He was born on an island far away where imaginary friends were created.

These beings residing on this island expectantly waited after their birth for a real child to imagine them into existence.  Each and every night he would look to the stars hoping to leave as others did.  He remained there night after night after night.

Thinking of all the activities and events keeping his friend too busy to think of him, he did what had never been done before.  He sailed from this extraordinary haven across uncharted seas seeking the only one for him.  To be sure, it was frightening but thoughts of his perfect pal kept him going.

Arriving at the real world, he found it to be a puzzling place.  It lacked what he was seeking until he caught a glimpse of hope in the form of another imaginary friend.  He trailed behind believing he was getting closer.  Where was his friend?

Do you remember climbing up a tree with branches perfectly placed to help you reach the top?  Do you remember finding something special when you surveyed the world below?  That's exactly what this imaginary friend did.  When sadness settled over him after no one came, a breeze blew in an astonishingly glorious answer.  One adventure ended as another began for... Beekle.


Spare text, at the most four sentences on any two pages, is expertly placed to provide a storyteller's cadence to the narrative.  Dan Santat has given meticulous attention to his word choices appealing to a child's heart. (But trust me when I say adults will be deeply moved too.) Like life he builds the tale to a point where goodness appears when needed most.  Here is a single set of sentences.

He sailed through unknown waters and faced many scary things. (placed in the upper left hand corner of the illustration on the left side)
But thinking about his friend gave him the courage to journey on... (placed in the lower right hand corner of the picture on the right side)
...until he reached the real world. (only text on the next two pages)


When speaking about the illustrations, I would first like to note the quality of the paper on the dust jacket, book case, and interior pages.  On the front of the dust jacket the title letters are raised as is Beekle.  The matte finish on the book case and thicker pages is the type of texture which prompts and promotes wondering in readers' minds.  This is what I call bookmanship; the true art of crafting a volume to treasure.

On the dust jacket we see Beekle in the real world among adults who are unaware of his presence.  The dog knows though.  On the back of the jacket he is walking through the crowded streets, his back to us, with a similar pooch glancing his way.  A spectacular, vibrant different book case is revealed beneath the jacket.  We see two views of Beekle as on the jacket; daylight in the city on the front, a starry night on the island on the back.  Opening and closing endpapers feature first eleven, then twelve children with their imaginary friends in black, gray and bright sky blue.

Except for four all of the visuals, rendered using pencil, crayon, watercolor, ink and Adobe Photoshop, by Santat span over two pages. (All the text is hand-lettered.) An array of hues is used in Beekle's world and that of the children.  The adults and the city are done in darker shades in a limited palette. You could look at all the individual elements large and small for hours. (I love the tape holding Beekle's crown together.)

One of my three favorite illustrations (I cannot pick only one.) is Beekle and the children climbing the tree filled with star-shaped leaves.  It was on the third reading I noticed one particular child as my eyes immediately drifted to Beekle toward the top.  When Alice shows the reader and Beekle her picture, each reader will find it hard not to sigh out loud.  The expression on her face is knowing and full of anticipation.  The following series of illustrations of her and Beekle becoming acquainted is simply precious.


The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend written and illustrated by Dan Santat is beautiful like any and all of your favorite things.  Read this to everyone.  I know, in my heart of hearts, you will be asked to share this story over and over.

Please follow the link embedded in Dan Santat's name to access his official website.  Here is a review of this title by Carter Higgins, teacher librarian, on her blog, Design of the Picture Book.  John Schumacher, teacher librarian, blogging at Watch. Connect. Read. devoted a post to Dan Santat  several years earlier. Find it here. UPDATE: Less than an hour after this review was posted, I discovered another at BookRiot which includes an interview. ANOTHER UPDATE: Dan Santat wrote a wonderful article about the inspiration for this book on his Tumblr April 29, 2014.  Enjoy the trailers below.  I've also included collected tweets about the book which began to generate buzz more than a month ago. THIRD UPDATE: Julie Danielson at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast interviewed Dan Santat on May 27, 2014. YET ANOTHER UPDATE: Dan Santat is interviewed at Pen & Oink on the making of Beekle. 
UPDATE:  This update came March 5, 2015 after Beekle won the prestigious Caldecott award.  This post is filled with wonderful links.  The Beekle Experience 
UPDATE:  This update came July 20, 2015.  It is an interview and discussion at Bookie Woogie.  You need to read the replies of the children.  
UPDATE:  November 21, 2015 new Fun Activity Kit. 

Say my name, or HOW to say it. Also learn the origin of "Santat": http://t.co/Hd2wiR1Obr
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) March 3, 2014

#Beekle Endpapers. Who is your imaginary friend? pic.twitter.com/0qvqrdj3c7
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) March 3, 2014

@hendrixart Yeah. It's definitely a different kind of book than what I'm normally known for, too. It's a quiet book #unSantat
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) March 5, 2014

@kristinlgray @Loveofxena @CarterHiggins Glad you noticed. Originally wanted to make a line about sailing back over a year, weeks, day.. etc
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) March 5, 2014

@kristinlgray @dsantat @Loveofxena Exactly. Power in pictures.
— Carter Higgins (@CarterHiggins) March 5, 2014

My first drawing of #Beekle #oneeye pic.twitter.com/pAqG8a9dqW
— Dan Santat (@dsantat) March 12, 2014

Update:  March 8, 2016 Dan Santat is a guest on The Great Big Beautiful Podcast, Episode #54.

Survival At The Bottom

When you step into a wild place, a place where the sights and sounds of civilization are gone, for the briefest of moments it's easy to understand how the first person to see this particular spot might have felt.  Looking at the landscape about you, it's with a sense of awe and wonder.  For some this search to go where none have been before was (is) a lifelong quest.

Sir Ernest Shackleton made several trips to Antarctica but the one for which he is most remembered is the one taken on the ship Endurance.  I first became acquainted with a more detailed, vivid accounting of this expedition when I read Jennifer Armstrong's Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of Shackleton and the Endurance.  I was even more intrigued after I read the fictional title, Shackleton's Stowaway, by Victoria McKernan.  Author illustrator William Grill now documents this voyage in Shackleton's Journey (Flying Eye Books) giving it his unique illustrative perspective.

Born on 15 February 1874, Shackleton was the second of ten children. 

With this single sentence the book and our relationship with this historic adventure begins.  In the subsequent thirty-two chapters we are drawn deeper and deeper into the lives of Shackleton and his crew.  Intriguing, insider-like details hold our interest.

Originally five thousand...yes...five thousand men applied to become members of Shackleton's crew aboard the Endurance.  You would be surprised to know the kind of questions asked about their abilities.  Twenty-six were chosen.  Later a stowaway, Percy Blackborrow, joined the group.  In addition to the men, sixty-nine dogs were essential to the goals (and outcome) of this venture.  Crew members were paired with at least one of these canine colleagues.

The construction of Endurance, the tools necessary to maintain her, and the equipment and supplies needed for the men and dogs are discussed in readiness for the launch day of August 8, 1914.  Sailing from England to South Georgia to the Weddell Sea the progress of the Endurance began to slow due to encounters with pack ice.  After seven hundred hard-earned miles the ice won; the ship was stuck.

Shackleton continually kept his crew busy altering plans to meet the conditions they all faced abroad the ship and on the ice floe as the winter months slowly passed.  Spring brought even more danger as the ice pressed against their vessel.  Again the forces of nature were the victor; the Endurance was crushed on October 27, 1914.

Over the course of the next six months men and dogs would create and live in two separate camps, Ocean Camp and Patience Camp. Their moves were dictated by safety on the ice until they were left with having to sail for land, Elephant Island, in three life boats.  Landfall on this island did not end the danger to their lives.  Help was more than eight hundred miles away.

A treacherous sea voyage, continued survival on an uninhabitable island and a crossing over mountains thought to be impossible, were three major feats to be met and accomplished.  More than two years after they set sail from England, the crew was once again reunited on August 30, 1916.  Rarely are the elements so bravely survived.  Perhaps the Shackleton family motto,

By Endurance We Conquer  

is what kept all these men alive.


By confining each chapter to two pages of text and pictures, William Grill establishes a tension; not uncomfortable but one propelling the reader forward.  He has a gift in selecting those precise pieces of information important to the story.  Lending authenticity to the recounting are direct quotes from Shackleton and crew members interspersed in the narrative.  Here is a single example.

Endurance creaked and groaned as the strain increased, and loud cracks and deafening sounds were heard as the ice slowly crushed the cross-bracing of the ship.
Frank Worsley wrote, "The behavior of our ship in the ice has been magnificent...It will be sad if such a brave little craft should be finally crushed in the remorseless, slowly strangling grip of the Weddell pack, after ten months of the bravest and most gallant fight ever put up by a ship."

The stark white book case emblazoned with the intricate design done in blue and black is a reflection of the starkness of the world in which Shackleton and his crew entered.  The design with Shackleton in its center surrounded by the three life boats, whales, birds, crew members and the dogs is stunning.  On the expedition map the representation for dense pack becomes the pattern for the opening and closing endpapers.

Rendered in colored pencils William Grill's illustrations are astonishing in their finer points; the tiniest of details encouraging readers to pause and glance between the text and visuals.  For Grill it's not enough to tell us...

Each piece of timber had been selected carefully from a single oak tree, so that it would fit the design and curvature of the ship.

...but he illustrates the cutting of the wood and how the individual sections are formed.  The texture and shading on his larger illustrations (and on some of the smaller ones, also), the Endurance leaving port, the Expedition Map, the Endurance breaking up, the voyage to Elephant Island, the blizzard, the James Caird sailing for help, crossing the mountains, the stay on Elephant Island, the rescue and the crew together at last, are marvelous.

I have many favorite illustrations in this title.  One which will make any reader gasp is titled Isolation.  A single phrase sits among a vast area of ice and snow with the tiny Endurance pictured above it.  The small visuals around the text for the chapter, A Change Of Plans, show the men and dogs adapting to conditions in twenty-two separate elements.


Incredible artwork enhancing the compelling text makes this book, Shackleton's Journey, written and illustrated by William Grill one of the finest nonfiction titles of 2014.  I keep opening it up to reread it in its entirety or to enjoy certain pages over and over.  New items are discovered each time.  Words appearing in bold text are gathered at the back of the book in a glossary.

For more information about William Grill and to see multiple pages from the title, visit his website and Tumblr page by following the links embedded in his names.  There is also a short animation of his illustrations at his website.  This link takes you to the publisher's website where Grill answers a few questions.  Here is a link to Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast showcasing more art from the book.

Each week I am honored to participate in Alyson Beecher's 2014 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge by linking with other bloggers at Kid Lit Frenzy.

Create And Collaborate---Scrawlar

When a website draws the attention of three technology-minded people, it's time to visit.  On March 24, 2014 Larry Ferlazzo (Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day...) posted this article, "Scrawlar" Will Certainly Be One Of The Top Web 2.0 Tools Of The Year...  It was followed by a tweet on Twitter by Heather Moorefield, Education Librarian at Virginia Tech and chairperson for the American Association of School Librarians Best Websites for Teaching & Learning on March 28, 2014, giving it her recommendation.  Richard Byrne (Free Technology for Teachers) wrote a post on April 1, 2014, Scrawlar-Share Documents and Drawings Without Using Email. 

Designed by Brian Aspinall Scrawlar has these features (as stated at the site):

• cloud-based word processing for schools
• write, edit, collaborate, save and share work on any tablet, phone or computer 
• no app, plug-in or installation required and
• no student sign up.

Beneath the features section and three notes for educators, there is a Word Processor Demo, Whiteboard Demo, and a nine page Tutorial. Scrawlar is specifically for teachers and their students.  

To sign up enter in your email address, a password and a code for your students to use.  You also need to agree to the Terms of Service.  Even though students do not need to register to use the site, on the side of caution, I would make sure parents/guardians are aware of the website's use in your classroom by having a written acknowledgement on file for students under the age of thirteen.

After clicking on Sign Up you are taken to your home page.  The tool bar along the top and on the left side are nearly identical with the exception of New Doc, New Sketch and Settings (changing your password). Per the "invitation" I next selected Create One Now!

At the next window your cursor appears in the text box.  Along the top from left to right using the tool bar, you can make your text bold or in italics, add an unordered and ordered list, insert a URL link or an image, add two size headings, change the color of your text, insert speech or view the HTML code. To insert an image use a URL link. Make sure to save frequently.

On my document in progress I used a designated heading (1), inserted a link (2), changed the color of the text and added italics (3) and included an image (4).  When you are finished, after you have saved your work, click on Return Home. 

Back at your home page, your document is listed where it can be edited at any time (1).  It can also be shared or deleted (2)(3).  When you choose the Share option your student(s) will be listed.  You can choose to have them not share, view it only or edit.  

To continue I next clicked on New Sketch. When using this function the tool bar is located at the bottom of the screen.  Left to right the icons represent a pencil, an eraser, drawing lines, drawing four-sided shapes, add text in three fonts types in regular, bold or italics, move elements on the screen, and color fill.  Below these icons are two color options; the left is the line color, the right is the fill color.  You can choose from a range of hues.  On the right are your management tools.

One click saves your sketch.  Upon returning home you have options. A completed sketch can be edited, shared or deleted.  

As an explanation the Class Feed is where messages can be posted.  Manage Students is the page allowing the addition of students.  Each time a student's name is entered a password is assigned for them to use.  Students can be deleted with a simple click. When students log in they need to include the class code as well as their password.

After using Scrawlar for several hours, I can honestly understand the enthusiasm of those who have previously viewed it.  Younger students will find it very easy to use.  The most obvious plus is the no registration feature.  To be able to create and collaborate safely is fantastic.  Be sure to test this website yourself as soon as possible.   You'll be glad you did. 

Money-Making Mayhem

There's no surprises quite like the surprises one encounters when taking care of another person's animal friend.  Many years ago I was watching my sister's new Labrador puppy for several days.  Safely gated with items given to me by my sister, food dish, water bowl and bean bag lounger for comfy naps, I was shocked to return home from the school library at lunch to see tiny white balls covering my kitchen floor.  In true puppy fashion he had chewed big holes in his bed.  It wasn't too much later when my question as to whether he had eaten any of the stuffing was answered on our evening walk.

Three years ago a lively third grade character was introduced to readers in Marty McGuire.  It was followed a year later by Marty McGuire digs worms!  I am happy to report a third title in the series has been released; Marty McGuire has too many pets! written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Brian Floca.

"How long until we get there?"
"It's just down the road," Dad says, "and please stop kicking my seat."
"Sorry." I put my feet down and try to keep them still. I don't mean to be a seat kicker, but it's hard when you've been in the car for an hour and you are going to see real live chimpanzees.   

Marty and her best friend, Annie, are riding with her parents to a chimpanzee sanctuary.  Marty's mom has been selected to work there for the upcoming week.  During the visit there Marty discovers you can adopt (sponsor) a chimp.

Before they've barely begun the trip home, the two girls are thinking of ways to raise money.  Their first idea is to collect money for the upcoming third grade talent show.  Making a spur of the moment decision during a visit to the school library the next day, Marty announces she has a pet-sitting business to the librarian, Ms. Stephanie.

On the way home, Annie agrees to the plan.  How hard can it be to babysit an African hedgehog named Lady Macbeth and two goldfish called Mango and Puck?  Of course there are two tiny little problems with this plan; Marty needs to get her Grandma Joyce's and her Dad's permission.  Grandma Joyce, her Dad's mother, is fairly conservative in her ideas but a great cookie maker...and a whiz at tuna casserole.  She's helping out for the week.

Though hesitant her grandmother says if her Dad gives it the thumbs up, it's fine with her.  Marty asks her Dad during the middle of a captivating Red Sox game on TV as he jumps up on the sofa.  Of course he says yes.

Her passion for the chimps (and pets) growing, Marty and Annie decide to increase their income by posting flyers around the school.  As the weekend approaches Mr. Klein, the custodian, is bringing his parrot, Rocky, whose language is less than appropriate, Mrs. Grimes, the principal, is bringing her two hamsters, Fluffernutter and Houdini, and a first-grade student has left her slug in the care of Marty and company.  The group of sitters has grown by three, Rupert, Alex and Rasheena. Meanwhile, Grandma Joyce and Marty's Dad have no idea how the business is expanding.  You'd be amazed (or maybe not) how creative third graders can be.

The real shock is when the lunch lady, Mrs. Baxter brings her pet.  It is definitely not a hermit crab.  Bitsy is huge!  Things quickly begin to unravel when pets start to disappear.

Adding in the daily practices at school for the upcoming talent show, burping to the ABC Song, how to saw a board, playing The Birthday Song on a recorder and how to score a hockey goal, to Marty's already hectic life gives a pretty clear picture of laugh-out-loud chaos.  Readers will wonder if the confessions have come too late for adult intervention.  Then again, Marty has a stellar support system of all ages.  She also has a heart of purest gold.


Kate Messner continues to fascinate readers with one more spirited episode in the life of Marty McGuire. Marty and the people in her life are wonderfully normal.  The conversations, the dialogue, between them are brimming with a richness based upon each of their fully-realized personalities.

Descriptions of the daily activities in Marty's third-grade classroom are spot-on; as any educator or student will attest.  Scenes depicted in Marty's home provide illuminating insights into family and friendship dynamics.  Here are a couple of examples.

But somebody didn't, so the cricket lid goes flying off the jar and rolls under Isabel's desk, and crickets start hopping everywhere.
Mrs. Aloi dives for the maracas on her desk and shakes them like crazy. "Everybody! Get those crickets!"
Everyone stops being talented and drops to the floor to chase crickets.  When we finally get the last one back in the jar, Mrs. Aloi screws on the top super tight and sinks into her chair.
"That was awesome!" Jimmy Lawson says. "Hey! We should do cricket catching as a class talent.  We could let them all go onstage and then---"

"Grandma, please don't---"
"Get moving, kids!" she hollers down the stairs. "It's time for school!"
For a couple of seconds, nobody answers.  Then Rocky breaks the quiet. 
"Back off!" he screeches.
No, no, no, I think.
But he squawks that bad parking-lot word up the stairs, clear as can be.
Grandma Joyce turns slowly toward me.  Her voice is super calm. Scary calm.  "What. Did. I. Just. Hear?"
"That...was   Alex,"   I say.
Grandma's eyebrows go up so high they disappear into her gray curls.  


The finishing touch is the black and white pictures rendered by 2014 Caldecott Medalist (Locomotive) Brian Floca.  Alternating between full page and partial page illustrations he deftly depicts the actions, people and scenes extending the narrative.  He is able to convey a range of emotions with the slightest lines.  Readers will hardly be able to contain their laughter on more than one occasion.


Marty McGuire has too many pets! written by Kate Messner with illustrations by Brian Floca is as fresh, spirited and humorous as its predecessors.  Marty McGuire is a girl who knows what she wants, going after it with the purposeful passion singular in boys and girls her age.  Readers will fall in love with her all over again.

Links to the author's and illustrator's official websites are embedded in their names. By clicking on the three titles at Kate Messner's site you can get more information about each of them.  Here is a link to a short post about this book at Brian Floca's blog.  John Schumacher, school librarian and Colby Sharp, third grade teacher, have chosen Marty McGuire has too many pets! for one of their April titles for the #SharpSchu Book Club on Twitter. Follow the link to get the evening's schedule.

A Rumbling Wet Is Rolling In

Rain is a force and a source.  Enough rain can alter a landscape moving earth, rocks, plants and trees in a huge display of strength.  Hearing rain fall on a pond, a window or a metal roof is a soothing sound of serenity.

When accompanied by wind, thunder and lightning it might foster another form of enchantment.  TAP TAP BOOM BOOM (Candlewick Press, March 25, 2014) written by Elizabeth Bluemle with illustrations by G. Brian Karas follows city citizens seeking shelter from a storm.  A shared experience works wonders.

Tap TAP,

dark cloud.

Tap TAP,

damp air.

Grumbling thunder signals the impending storm as large raindrops slowly begin falling.  Umbrellas begin to appear and open, protecting the bearers from a certain soaking.  As the breeze boldly grows, people scurry and hurry heading toward the subway.  

Men, women, boys, girls and canine companions step lively down the stairs.  Pleased at finding sanctuary from the wild weather, the gathered group begins to enjoy this temporary pause in the busy business of their daily lives.  The hum of conversation and laughter in this happy haven shield them from the noise outside.

A gift is gladly given without a word.  One plus one equals best buddies through drizzle and deluge.  When the sounds fade, people parade toward the top.  A surprise waits.  Found friends may meet again.  

Tap TAP

BOOM BOOM!

These deliberately selected words of Elizabeth Bluemle sing when read silently but said aloud they're like the beat of a brass band.  Her created cadence mimics the storm's progression; as it gets stronger so does the camaraderie of the people.  The use of rhyme and placement of phrases generate a friendly, flawless flow. Here is another sample from this poetic narrative.

Hey, hey!

Watch spray!

We get

more wet.

A fascinating mix of materials, collages of photographs, gouache, and pencil, set the illustrations of G. Brian Karas apart in this title.  The large raindrops falling on the front dust jacket and book case, as three laughing children run toward the subway stairs, are a featured focus throughout the book.  On the verso and final page a giant raindrop contains an entire city scene.

 Each time TAP TAP BOOM BOOM appears on a page the layout is a reflection of the sound made by the words.  Nearly all of the pictures span across two pages drawing the reader into the story with shifting perspectives.  Close inspection of the two single page illustrations find them opposite a lighter shade of the blue used in the endpapers, faint lines identical to the tile walls lining the subway stairs can be seen.  These visuals are opposite the text depicting the people first entering the shelter, and then leaving after the storm.  

I have enjoyed reading and looking at the illustrations in this title over and over but one of my favorite combinations is near the end.  Karas pictures several characters continuing their day after the storm sharing good-bye greetings.  A big puddle mirrors a city building and the changing sky.  This visual, like all the others, exudes a cheerful comfortable warmth.  

Perfect for sharing on a stormy day or during a sudden cloudburst, TAP TAP BOOM BOOM written by Elizabeth Bluemle with illustrations by G. Brian Karas will quickly become a crowd favorite in any weather.  This is a welcome collaboration which I sincerely hope is repeated in the future.  Make sure you read this aloud frequently, invite your listeners to participate or perhaps perform it as a reader's theater.  

Please follow the links embedded in the author's and illustrator's names to access their official websites, learning more about them and their work.  This is a link to an older interview of G. Brian Karas at Julie Danielson's blog, Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. This link is to G. Brian Karas's blog containing a post about this book.

UPDATE:  Julie Danielson interviewed Elizabeth Bluemle at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast on April 14, 2014.