Picturing Story

We save things.  Some people save more than others.  The most precious of these saved things usually represents a memory we choose to remember for as long as we can.  Some families pass on items from one generation to the next.  There are always stories attached to them.

It seems most children like to tell tales about themselves and hear those of others.  They know instinctively as Kate DiCamillo, author and National Ambassador for Children's Literature 2014-2015, says stories connect us.  Tell Me A Tattoo Story (Chronicle Books, April 12, 2016) written by Alison McGhee with illustrations by Eliza Wheeler allows readers to share in the warmth of a family evening.

You wanna see my tattoos?

A little guy tugs on his father's shirt eager to see the pictures inked on his skin.  It's a frequent request the father enjoys fulfilling.  The first selected tattoo represents the father's favorite book and all the times he listened to his mother read it aloud.

Moving from his shoulder to the inside of his wrist are two words rather than a picture.  The boy's father never wants to forget how his dad lived his life.  An intricate floral tattoo recalls his meeting a pretty girl.  When his son wants to know why she was so pretty and if he has met her, his dad's reply is certain to make you smile.

As a fourth tattoo is shown, the dad remembers a journey taking him far from home for a long time.  Now and then, it is a hot land, a foreign land, across an ocean.  The final tattoo is small with three numbers and three words.

It's been placed on the dad's chest near his heart.  As the two converses the boy declares the tattoo he cherishes more than the others.  It's at this point the father's shares a secret.


As surely as if she had written the words once upon a time, Alison McGhee has our attention with her first sentence, a question. We want to see the tattoos too.  What do they look like?  What do they represent?  We become the little man.  Having the father as the sole speaker reinforces this feeling.

As each portion of the narrative (and the tattoos) is revealed to readers we realize they signify milestones in the child's father's life.  They are the foundation for what will be become the boy's life story. Here is a sample passage.

This one, well, this one's from my favorite book that my mom used to read to me.
Did she read it to me over and over and over?
She sure did.


When unfolding and opening the matching dust jacket and book case we get a sense of familial love and a kind of elegance.  The golden yellow used in the rays is a part of every single image.  Sometimes it is a pale, tiny spot color and other times it draws us directly into the picture.  It's a soft glow of light, a radiating of memories.  The exquisite details on the tattoos appear throughout the book.

On the back, to the left, on the same background color, a white dove is flying carrying a sprig of olive branch.  The opening and closing endpapers are awash in a blend of the tattoos and other elements from the story.  The same palette as shown on the jacket and case is used here.  On the title page Eliza Wheeler features the family's home in the foreground at night with the city in the background in silhouette.

Rendered in India ink with dip pens and watercolors all the images span two pages.  Delicate lines shape the elements in the pictures.  With every reading you discover new precious pieces working to create a marvelous whole.

One of my favorite illustrations is for the first tattoo.  On the left both the father and his son are facing readers.  The father, smiling, looks at his son as he pulls back a portion of his shirt to get a better look at the tattoo.  On the right, crossing the gutter to the left, the father as a little boy is sitting in his mother's lap beneath a clothes line outside.  His mother, wearing an apron with pockets holding clothes pins and a shirt flung over her shoulder, is holding a book with him reading aloud.  Baskets of clothes are to the right and left of them.  A breeze is blowing the clothes already on the line and the surrounding wildflowers.  Behind them is the farm house, fields of corn and the barn with a silo.


Tell Me A Tattoo Story written by Alison McGhee with illustrations by Eliza Wheeler is a heartwarming title brimming with love; a love of stories and of a nightly family ritual.  Readers will thoroughly enjoy not only what the tattoos depict but moving through the bedtime preparations. You will want to have this on your personal and professional shelves.  The end, like all wonderful books, will have you going back to the beginning so you can experiences it all over again.

To learn more about Alison McGhee and Eliza Wheeler please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.   Alison McGhee is interviewed via Skype at Take Two.  It's a wonderful podcast about the spark behind the story.  Eliza Wheeler wrote about this title and the process at Picture Book Builders.  She was a guest at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  You can find two additional interviews of Eliza Wheeler at Andrea Skyberg's site including a tour of her studio and Miss Marple's Musings.

UPDATE:  Please stop by 100 Scope Notes hosted and written by teacher librarian and 2014 Caldecott Medal committee member, Travis Jonker to read his insightful review of this title.

Long Ago Tales Told

We are stories.  As long as there have been people there have been stories of every form and size.  They define us as individuals and as complete cultures.  They help us to make sense of those things having no apparent explanation.  They keep us grounded and allow us to soar into the cosmos.

In ancient Greece a body of literary work, their myths, was a form of religion for many.  The gods and goddesses were studied and worshiped.  Heroes and heroines and their acts were woven into the fabric of these stories.  In their third partnership, author and poet Marilyn Singer and illustrator Josee Masse, offer readers another collection of poetry.  Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths (Dial Books for Young Readers, February 16, 2016) are fourteen poems in pairs, eleven showcasing couples, a twelfth about a woman who released woes into the world and two others opening and closing the stories within.

An Age of Marvelous Myths

Ancient Greece:
An age of marvelous myths,
gone, but not forgotten.
Heroes that rise and fall. ...

...Heroes that rise and fall,
gone, but not forgotten.
An age of marvelous myths:
Ancient Greece.

As our eyes read the words left, top to bottom, and right, top to bottom, two columns and two poems, their order inverted, meanings shift.  Points of view may change along with the speakers.   We find ourselves speculating about the altered circumstances.

We come to understand why, regardless of an admonishment, Pandora's curiosity overcame her good sense but in turn something prompted her to hold hope.  In this instance wisdom overcame weakness.  After a competition an angry loser turns her opponent into a spider, a mighty ruler's touch creates value except in the one thing he treasures most, and a warrior wins a battle no one could possibly win; these three show us the imperfections in mortals, immortals and monsters.

In flight two fall, one eager for glory and the other failing to heed words of wisdom.  Love fades, love fashions life, loves races to victory, love cheats death and loses to death again.  A single thread saves one and a succession of fourteen others.

Gods and Mortals
These myths
make sense of
the world.
We--- ...

...We,
the world,
make sense of
these myths.


As in the previous two titles readers will be astounded at the consummate skill of Marilyn Singer in writing thoroughly unique poems using the same words, reversed in order, with punctuation and capitalization changes alone.  She portrays the soul of these myths with her exquisite selection of words, each line's length unfolding the events with intention.  Her understanding of the myths through research is highly evident.  For readers not familiar with a particular story at the bottom of each set of poems, she includes a brief explanation.


On the matching dust jacket and book case Josee Masse presents readers with a color palette she continues to use throughout the title, hues of blue, white, greens and shades of golden yellow and orange.  The image on the front depicts ancient Greece on the top and modern times on the bottom.  This is the illustration for the first poem, with the bottom becoming the top.  To the left, on the back, text and images highlight the first two reverso books. On the opening and closing endpapers two different shades of the golden yellow and orange are used.

Rendered with Liquitex Acrylic on Strathmore 500 series bristol sheet---2-ply vellum the illustrations are as fluid and flawless as the poetic stories they interpret.  Fine lines, exquisite detail and the interplay of shadow and light are breathtaking.  Each picture is two wholes becoming one, a mirror of the two reverso poems on the opposite page.  They are separate but they overlap at the same time.  Without hesitation we are requested to stop and look at every single one.

My favorite image is for the poems Arachne and Athena.  On the left the predominant color is golden.  On the right it is blue.  We see two rooms with arched doorways on the far left and far right.  A single tapestry joins the goddess Athena (on the left) holding her spear with an owl depicted on her side of the weaving and Arachne (on the right), her portion of the fabric a spider web.  Beneath her attire are the legs of a spider.  Their facial features express the anger of one and the fear of the other.


Echo Echo written by Marilyn Singer with illustrations by Josee Masse is a beautiful volume of this singular style of poetry.  With the popularity of Greek myths, this will find a ready audience.  They can most assuredly be enjoyed silently but when you read them aloud you are transported back in time.  You will want to have this book on both your personal and professional shelves.  An author's note at the back offers further information about Greek myths, reverso poems and several resources.

To learn more about Marilyn Singer and Josee Masse and their other work please use the links attached to their names to access their websites.  If you wish to use an educator's guide for all three books please follow this link.  Marilyn Singer writes about reverso poems and her three titles at Brightly.

Mishap Mayhem

As clearly as if heard yesterday instead of decades ago, I can remember our instructor of Safety Ed 101, a required course for freshman at Central Michigan University, saying there is no such thing as an accident.  In his opinion every such event can be traced to human error.  Based upon personal experience I would say his assessment is fairly accurate.

With that being said is life truly all of one thing or the other?  Are there not incidents with unplanned and surprising results?  The energetic collaborative duo of Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora that brought readers, Wolfie The Bunny (Little Brown and Company, February 17, 2015), has returned with a new title.  Horrible Bear! (Little, Brown and Company, April 5, 2016).  With a snap a kite flying expedition ends in uproarious and ruinous results.

A girl peeked into Bear's cave.  She reached---but he rolled.

The unsuspecting Bear has no idea he just crushed the girl's kite which unfortunately drifted through his doorway, landing on his sizable stomach.  Immediately yelling she erupts in anger, charges out the door, down the mountain, and past a picnicking goat.  Every step fuels her outrage as she heads for home.

Meanwhile back at the top of the mountain Bear is indignant, working himself into a terrible temper.  As he gives voice to all the unjust actions of the girl, an idea pops into Bear's mind.  He has a purposeful plan.  He pursues this purposeful plan which could not end well.  As Bear leaves his cave furious, the girl enters her home equally angry.

Nothing can deter the girl from continuing to rant.  Without thought or design she causes damage.  With sudden realization she runs to the door of her home.  Swinging it open she comes face to face with Bear.

Altered perceptions alter circumstances which alter behavior.  Usually.  For everyone.  But...


Ame Dyckman has a distinct knack for depicting pure true emotion.  Her characters feel deeply and with passion. Using a blend of dialogue and narrative every thought and action in any given moment is precisely portrayed.

Each sentence is carefully and simply worded contributing to impeccable pacing.  Through the repetition of key words and phrases readers will find themselves willingly joining the characters in their story.  Here is a sample passage.

The girl stomped down the mountain.
HORRIBLE BEAR!
She stomped through the meadow.
HORRIBLE BEAR!
She stomped all the way home
HORRIBLE BEAR!


The color palette, red, orange, yellow, purple, green, black, white and gray, selected by Zachariah OHora signals fun, lots of fun.  On the open dust jacket his signature use of black lines draw our attention to his finer details, facial expressions, the flowers, footwear, fur and the mop of red hair on the girl.  To the left, on the back, Bear is riding his purple bicycle, carrying his bat pal in the basket.  They are surrounded by a circle of flower heads.

Using the same background color as a canvas on the book case, OHora gives us a before (on the right) and after (on the left) portrait of the kite, sans string.  The opening and closing endpapers, on white, are extreme close-ups of the characters' heads.  On the former is the girl.  On the latter is Bear.  On the dedication and title pages, a single image begins the story of the kite flying mishap.

The illustrations, rendered in acrylic paint on 90-pound acid-free Stonehenge printing paper, contribute to the considerable charm of the story alternating in size based upon a desired impact.  Most of them are either single or double page spreads with two exceptions; when a group of three shows a quick succession of change.  OHora's perspectives are masterful bringing us close or farther away from the flow of the story.

I found myself stopping at every page turn looking at the details; Bear holding a tiny teddy bear, the goat's dressy attire and his squirrel companion's movements, Bear's camp T-shirt, the title of one of the girl's books, the familiarity of her favorite toy and the disheveled look of Bear when he arrives at the girl's house. One of my favorite illustrations is a close-up of Bear's reaction to the girl's dilemma.  It is on a single page of white. (I really like the use of the heavier matte-finished paper, too.) All we see is a close-up of one of Bear's paws.  It is extended and holding a solution to one of the girl's problems.  It's a powerful representation.


Horrible Bear! written by Ame Dyckman with illustrations by Zachariah OHora is a delightful story about jumping to and out of conclusions.  A willingness to admit a mistake makes the path to a lasting friendship much shorter.  You could not ask for a better read aloud or a book begging to be shaped into a reader's theater.

To learn more about Ame Dyckman and Zachariah OHora and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Zachariah OHora maintains updates on his Tumblr pages.  Ame Dyckman is interviewed at 12 x12 12 Picture Books 12 Months.  Zachariah OHora is interviewed at Brightly and Culture of Soul.  John Schumacher, Scholastic's Ambassador of School Libraries, hosted the book trailer premiere at Watch. Connect. Read. as well as a chat with Ame Dyckman.  TeachingBooks. net contains pronunciations for both Ame Dyckman's name and Zachariah OHora's name.  Enjoy the book trailer.

Watery Realms Around The World

With every nonfiction book read about all or a portion of our planet Earth, readers are reminded of the unique balance sustained between resilience and fragility.  The resources our world provides for life are not limitless but rely on our stewardship.  Each title, regardless of the intentions of its creators, is a call to action.

On March 29, 2016 First Second, celebrating a ten-year publishing anniversary, released the first two volumes in a new series, Science Comics.  One of the books, Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean written and illustrated by Maris Wicks, brings an authentic perspective to this vast and complex habitat.  Maris Wicks' combination of information supplied by a resident yellow-prawn goby narrator and colorful graphics will have readers eager to explore further.  An introduction by Randi Rotjan, Ph. D., Associate Research Scientist, New England Aquarium, heightens our anticipation as the initial page is seen.

In fact the first two pages are nearly wordless, six square panels on each.  We move from the swirling Milky Way galaxy closer to earth, to a coral reef and finally zeroing in on a portion of coral.  In the bottom right-hand corner on page two a bespectacled fish (the yellow-prawn goby) waves a fin saying hello.

As a chatty, cheery and well-informed guide he takes us with respect and pride through five chapters, What Is Coral?, How And Where Coral Reefs Are Formed, The Coral Reef Ecosystem Explored!, How Are Coral Reefs Connected To The Rest Of The Planet?and Little Reefs, Big Planet Challenges, Changes and Taking Charge! After a comparison on what compromises plant and animal classification we learn coral is indeed not a plant but an animal.  We are educated as to further elements necessary to pinpoint the type of animal coral is.  Interestingly enough coral relies heavily on zooxanthellae, a type of algae living in a symbiotic partnership.  Plus those "z" algae give coral their colorful hues.

Going back 3.8 billion years we are shown how over time, a lot of time, reefs are formed.  Their growth is painfully slow.  There are three kinds of reefs located in two large areas; Greater Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. Did you know that despite the small area coral reefs cover on our planet, they harbor

25% of all the animals found in the ocean?!

An explanation of the seven categories of the classification system of all living things heralds the discussion of life specific to coral reefs beginning with coral types through mammals.  For each our teacher may name the species and common name, or a phylum and common name, or a class and common name.  If that seems too confusing rest assured you will be fascinated with every page turn as little extra facts and anecdotes are added.

You will be astounded by the importance of coral reefs with respect to water and air; two life-sustaining essentials.  Did you know that for every ten breaths you take

 seven of them are thanks to the ocean?

The effects of climate change (not weather) are clearly explained with discussions of coral bleaching and ocean acidification. Easy, every day solutions are offered before our narrator launches into other threats; pollution and habitat loss.  Advice is given on what we can all do.  Finally you will be amazed at the discoveries made relative to further benefits of coral reefs in combating disease and technological developments as we mimic their inhabitants.

After an extended goodbye our friendly fish returns to lead us to further factual items.  Maris Wicks has included a glossary, detailed drawings and a cross-section of a single coral polyp, a bibliography and additional resources.  She supplies us with print and non-print selections.


The narrative by Maris Wicks is highly engaging with the guide looking directly at the reader as if in conversation.  The text is placed in speech bubbles or in separate areas above, below or within the images.  Sometimes other animals address us.  It's if everyone is excited to have us visiting their home.  They want us to know as much as possible to increase our awareness and admiration.  There is humor within the main text and asides at the bottom of panels.  Here is an example.

Millepora alcicomis
Branching Fire Coral
                                                          STOP!
This is not actually a coral; it is a hydroid!
Hydroids are more closely 
related to jellies, and live in
large groups called colonies. 
But even more important---
they STING A LOT.

Thanks for clearing that up---
now come closer so I can
STING YOU!!


The bright, eye-catching color palette seen on the front book case is used throughout the title.  Maris Wicks uses a variety of panel size combinations enriching the text.  Her layout and design makes use of all available space.  Wicks has the ability to depict the right amount of detail without overwhelming the intended audience.

As readers turn the pages their eyes will quickly find the animated narrator, read his next knowledgeable words and be continually captivated by his ever-changing expressions.  Wicks keeps the pace steady but provides comedic moments through the body postures and faces of the other coral reef occupants asking us to pause.  Her visual depictions of all aspects of coral reefs are outstanding but the pages dedicated to each animal are particularly striking.


Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean (part of the Science Comics series) written and illustrated by Maris Wicks provides an entertaining and illuminating look at this aspect of the ocean world.  Readers will be duly educated about the importance of preserving these areas as the survival of life on our planet is dependent on them.  Whether read silently all at once or in parts or as a daily read aloud this title comes highly recommended.

To learn more about Maris Wicks and her other work please follow the links attached to her names to access her website and Tumblr pages.  Maris Wicks can be followed on Twitter @mariswicks  You will enjoy reading Maris Wicks Cover Reveal: Coral Reefs at School Library Journal by Elizabeth Bird, the Collection Development Manager of the Evanston Public Library system and a former Materials Specialist for New York Public Library.  By following this link to the publisher's website you can enjoy viewing eight interior images.

UPDATE:  On October 24 2017 Maris Wicks was interviewed by author and educator Colby Sharp on his blog, SHARPREAD.


Please take time to enjoy the other selections by those participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted by educator Alyson Beecher at Kid Lit Frenzy.

Clamorous Calamity

Your best of what you do best has been done all day long.  The last little bit of light bows, ushering in twilight.  All the items on your mental checklist have been completed.  You look forward to a nice, long rest.

Without warning a sound shatters your solitude.  Bustling bat wings, what's that?  Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep (Creston Books, April 12, 2016) written by Robin Newman (The Case of the Missing Carrot Cake A Wilcox and Griswold Mystery) with illustrations by Chris Ewald introduces readers to a clever, rather charming, witch with a dilemma demanding her undivided attention.

There's a little-known secret about Hildie Bitterpickles.  She needs her sleep.

As regular as sunrise and sunset Hildie runs through her bedtime routine.  Snuggled, cozy and comfortable with her cat, Clawdia, she is rudely disturbed.  A new arrival in the neighborhood is raising a ruckus.  A fee-fi-fo- fum friend from the land of fairy is operating an elevator of the vegetable variety.

With a quick exit and an equally quick return, she puts an end to the noise but low and behold, it's back the next night with a new addition.  You-know-who living in a shoe with a horde of guys and gals has moved in next door.  There is no slumber for Hildie as they engage in their favorite pastime during the darkest hours hitting home runs against the side of her residence.

A wolf with exceedingly bad aim misses the mark on the new pigs' place and Hildie finds herself without a roof over her head.  At her wit's end, Hildie has to locate somewhere else to live.  Monty, the real estate rat, does his best to accommodate her demands.

Nursery rhyme characters create a commotion in one new abode after the other.  In a quirk of fate Hildie finds it necessary to use the previously mentioned cleverness and consummate charm.  A little bit of mix-and-match hocus-pocus may bring about the solution our weary witch is seeking.


Like her created character Hildie, Robin Newman weaves a masterful spell with words.  Employing a classic and much-proven storytelling technique of events in threes she forms a cadence, a sense of expectation, for her readers.  An extra layer of rhythm is supplied with the repetition of a key phrase which welcomes us all to participate.  More fun is found in the onomatopoeia of noisy neighbor characters from well-known folklore.  Here is a sample passage.

"I need a quiet house," said Hildie.  "WITHOUT NEIGHBORS!"
"You've come to the right rat!" said Monty.  He scampered through his files.
"This farmhouse with three blind mice seems promising."
"Are they quiet mice?" asked Hildie.
"Quiet as church mice!"
Hildie and Clawdia move in.



The atmospheric front of the book case with a worried-looking Hildie searching for help by reading, her trusty cauldron and potion-filled flask next to her, will cause readers' curiosity to heighten.  You can already see evidence of the attention to detail provided by Chris Ewald, debut picture book illustrator, in the placement of the tiny cobwebs.   On the back, to the left of the opened case, are a blurb and two recommendations above a sleeping Clawdia underneath Hildie's hat.

The opening endpapers depict a close-up view of Hildie's magical work space, glass vessels, a closed and open book in her own handwriting with a drawing, a skull and a tail belonging to an unknown creature.  The closing endpapers reveal the results of Hildie's ingenuity.  Ewald shifts his image sizes to enhance the text while enveloping readers in every fantastical and funny moment.

There are single pages, edge to edge, double-page pictures, edge to edge, two smaller images with elements extending into the other visual and small groupings framed in white space with a color palette reflective of the time of day.  Perspective is altered also to increase the intensity of a selected scene.  Readers will find themselves pausing at every page turn to notice all the extra items Ewald has included; a cow clinging to a crescent moon, classic flamingo yard ornaments in front of the shoe house, the hip old woman has vivid green tennis balls on her walker, the dish and spoon grinning as they sit on a cabinet in Hildie's house and Humpty Dumpty (as a mover) wearing two band-aides on his forehead.  The facial expressions on all the characters are the crowning comedic glory.

One of my favorite pictures is when Hildie and Clawdia have moved into a cottage with a bunch of black sheep, supposedly quiet.  By the glow of candlelight they are crowding into the room with our duo, all wanting to sleep in the same bed.  The expression on Hildie's face and the placement of Clawdia's paws tell a tale all their own.  Someone who has lost her sheep is peering in the window.


Look for knowing nods from listeners as Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep written by Robin Newman with illustrations by Chris Ewald is read aloud; famous fairy tale and nursery rhyme characters replete in the narrative and images.   Get ready for bursts of laughter and requests for read it again. Have a witch's hat handy and a friendly black cat for company.

To learn more about both Robin Newman and Chris Ewald and their other work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names. By following this link you can access another site maintained by Robin Newman.   For a peek at one of the two-page images access the publisher's website.  Robin Newman is a guest at KidLit TV in an interview loaded with information and activity ideas.  Here is the link to a twelve page teacher's guide for Hildie Bitterpickles Needs Her Sleep.  Enjoy the videos!

Two Halves Beating As One

When book nerds take a break it's a safe assumption reading will be involved.  Sometimes a couple of chapters stretch into an hour.  The task at hand is resumed but completed as quickly as possible so the reluctantly-paused reading can begin again.  An evening vanishes as well as most of the following morning until the final word is read.  In less than twenty-four hours a two hundred thirty-four page book is consumed.

This kind of book makes everything else disappear as you drop into the story.  This kind of book is worth SHOUTING about long and loud.  Some Kind Of Courage (Scholastic Press, January 26, 2016) written by Dan Gemeinhart, author of the highly successful The Honest Truth (Scholastic Press, January 25, 2015), is one of those books.

CHAPTER 1
OCTOBER, 1890
OLD MISSION, WASHINGTON

I reckoned it was the coldest, darkest hour of the night.  That still hour just before dawn.  Mama always called it the "angels and devils hour," on account of how only angels or demons would have any work worth doing at a time like that.

Twelve, nearly thirteen, Joseph Johnson is about to embark on a perilous journey but first he needs to escape the horrible clutches of his ne'er-do-well guardian, an avid fan of alcohol and plain questionable living.  Joseph aims to take the money and a gun.  Before you jump to any conclusions, the money was attained when Mr. Grissom sold Sarah, Joseph's horse, without his knowledge and the gun belonged to Joseph's deceased papa.  It's more than a little tense when Grissom wakes from a drunken stupor but the young man prevails determined with every fiber of his being to get his beloved pony back. Now he just has to track down the devilish scoundrel, Ezra Bishop, more thief than honest horseman who has Sarah.

Several early morning encounters bring him sadness and thankfulness in equal measure as he heads toward the nearest town, Wenatchee.  There, at the trading post, he befriends a Chinese youth about his age, "Ah-Kee", lost and alone.  Through Joseph's acts of kindness, the two head south out of town following the Columbia River in pursuit of what they love the most, neither understanding a word the other says but instinctively knowing they are better together.

Each day brings them sometimes closer, other times farther away from their individual goals.  A wake-up bathroom break is prelude to a too-close for comfort meeting with an angry grizzly.  They've hardly had time to recover from this when the next morning hearing calls of distress they offer assistance to a Native American youth, older and larger than either Joseph or "Ah-Kee" and his younger sister.  A race does result in them no longer having to travel on foot.  Their arrival in Ellensburg brings them heart-stopping near to death for the second time completely altering their plans.

Mother Nature levels huge distractions on the boys not once but twice where death and life hang in balance for them and others they meet in their further travels toward the town of Yakima. (By now I've had a map out following along with the duo.)  A parting of ways, a terrifying ride, and the ringing of gun shots will literally cause your heart to pause.  So will the conclusion.


As soon as I read the date and location on the first chapter page, I knew I was in for a wild ride back into the West. Within two paragraphs readers are transfixed by Joseph's situation.  This is the second paragraph.

I'd been lying too many sleepless hours in my sorry straw-stuffed bed, waiting for the old man to finally fall asleep.  My plan had been burning all night in my mind like the last glowing embers in the fireplace, keeping my heart awake.  Truth be told, my hands were a bit shaky as I finally crept, as quiet as could be, across the cabin's dirt floor toward where he lay snoring.  And it weren't just the cold making 'em shake, neither.  But my heart was as steady as a true horse, heading toward home.

This writing style supplied by Dan Gemeinhart gives us two things:  valuable insights into the character of Joseph and his dilemma and a vivid picture of his surroundings.  We are unquestionably captivated and compelled to keep reading.  He has a knack for ending and beginning chapters with white-knuckle sentences.

Throughout the story dialogue and first-person musings attach us to Joseph.  We cheer for those in his favor and condemn those who wish him harm.  As Joseph meets people, characters either kind and caring, too gruff for goodness, nasty to the core or one in particular whose goodness pierces his evil demeanor in slivers, he is in frequent conversations with his conscience relying on the voices of his parent's teachings to help him make decisions.  These perceptions engage readers, encouraging them to speculate how they might react in similar positions.

Gemeinhart allows us to see how Joseph's trek is not only measured in miles but in the growth of his personality.  We, like Joseph, are not only shaped but the physical places in which we reside and visit but in the people who cross those paths.  Another technique employed by Gemeinhart is to reveal Joseph's past as he converses with "Ah-Kee".  The Chinese youth can't understand Joseph but his facial features and body posture imply compassion, putting Joseph at ease.  Here are three additional passages from the book.

"Angel feathers," I said quietly, watching it fall.  Ah-Kee looked at me.  "That's what my sister called it. Katie."  Saying her name out loud like that, after so long, made me want to smile and cry at the same time.  It made me feel a whole different kind of alone.  "When there was snow like this in the morning, I used to say it looked like sugar, like the whole world had gotten candied overnight.  But she insisted it was feathers from the wings of angels, flying around at night watching over people."  Ah-Kee sat there and listened with his solemn eyes.  I blew my breath out in a foggy cloud.  "Let's stoke the fire and eat some grub and hit the road."

The air was a deep kind of cold, the sort of cold that tells your bones that fall is ending and winter is coming right up behind it.  A mostly full moon threw its silver light on the snow-topped hills, the pines, the grass around the cabin.  Off in the distance I could hear the river, tumbling its way through the night toward Yakima.
I stood alone in the darkness. Well, with the moon it weren't all-the-way darkness.  But I felt sure enough all-the-way alone.
I wanted my horse back right then more than ever.

The ax head shined bright as a bullet in the morning light.  It glinted as it rose up, swift and deadly, then flashed as it came slicing down.  I grunted and gasped. 


There is something for everyone in Some Kind Of Courage written by Dan Gemeinhart.  It's abundant adventure, total love of a horse for his boy and a boy for his horse, prevalent doses of how to decide right from wrong, inclusion of the discrimination against the Chinese and its introduction of persons residing in these particular Western settings, Native Americans, homesteaders, horse traders, agents, merchants and townsfolk, and outlaws, contribute to the excellence found within this historical fiction.  It's downright suspenseful and flawlessly heartwarming.

To learn more about Dan Gemeinhart please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.

UPDATE:  Dan Gemeinhart is interviewed at Book Q & A With Deborah Kalb.  

Classic Composition In Black And White

The words in some books reach out of the pages painting landscapes from particular moments in specific places making you feel as if you've recently traveled in a time machine.  In other titles the characters' physical qualities and nuances of their personalities are described in such intricate detail you feel as though they are next to you; you are sharing the same space and air as they are.  As the sentences shape a narrative it becomes your story.

In the best kind of books all these things happen.  If you are fortunate another extraordinary experience will occur.  You will feel a musical beat or hear the soft sounds of notes as surely as if you are listening to it individually or with a larger group at a concert or club.  With each reading of Jazz Day: The Making Of A Famous Photograph (Candlewick Press, March 8, 2016) written by Roxane Orgill with illustrations by Francis Vallejo the sense of place and time, the characters and their stories and a steady rhythm shaped by the words and images will envelope you, becoming stronger and sweeter.

This anthology of twenty-one poems sings of a singular historic event.  In the summer of 1958, in the month of August on the twelfth day, around ten in the morning, a group gathered.  Word had spread to all the collective corners of the jazz world about a picture to be taken for an addition, The Golden Age of Jazz, in a forthcoming issue of Esquire.  

Photographer Art Kane, who proposed this crazy idea to the magazine, selected the venue in Harlem.  He knew what he wanted for a background.  He knew the kind of lighting he preferred.  All he needed were musicians.  And they arrived; fifty-seven men and women.

In the first two poems we learn of the man behind this legendary photograph and his attempt to organize a group more intent on friendly catch-up conversation than picture making.  Attention is given to Milt "Fump" Hinton, a bass player and photographer himself.  Twelve neighborhood boys (the same number as the date) line the curb and become a part of the final visual, the farthest one on the right is sitting next to Count Basie, who is heralded in a separate poem.

Porkpie hat creations by Lester "Pres" Young, pianist and composer, Mary Lou Williams, and snappy dresser and perpetually late, Thelonious Monk, star in lyrical portraits.  An alphabetical nod to attire wore by the greats, a chase, the horn of Rex Stewart, the missing Duke Ellington (Where was he?) and the appearance of songbird Maxine Sullivan fill pages with melodious praises.

A girl child leaning out a window, Eddie Locke and his drum, a famous foursome, Willie "the Lion" Smith sitting on a step, the defining camera click, a finished print product, a glad youth and a closing nod to the beginning round out these tuneful tributes.


As free and inventive as the musicians and their music author Roxane Orgill has penned poems be-bopping, chasing, riffing and running off the pages. Pauses and rests are inserted through line placement.  Dialogue and truths permeate the verses; evidence of Orgill's extensive research, her more than twenty years as a music critic and passion for music.  For several of the poems she gives a name to one of the twelve pictured boys extending the experience of the photograph.  Here is one of the poems.

Hat
Alfred, a boy
Nice wool felt
Two-inch snap
Brim
Count's too beat
To give chase
When
Nelson nabs
His bonnet
I'm 
On it quick
Down the block
                                         "Hand it over, Nelson, before I ---"
Buff the felt
Set the snap
Brim
"Your hat, Count Basie."


Upon unfolding the dust jacket the unique illustrative style supplied by Francis Vallejo is immediately apparent.  A striking layout spanning from flap edge to flap edge, left to right, gives readers a panoramic view of the street in Harlem.  Combining actual images with those rendered in acrylic and pastel makes us feel like we can walk right into the scene.  Two colors, yellow and black, recreate the row of brownstones on the book case.  One is in black with yellow outlines representative of Number 17, on the north side of 126th Street; the place where people stood as the picture was taken.  The opening and closing endpapers are in a soft black.  An initial title page with the words, Jazz Day, showcases a signature single hat.

Many of the illustrations, placed on heavy, matte-finished paper, wrap around the poems spreading from edge to edge across two pages.  Text appears in columns on one side or the other, above a picture or on a page opposite a single page visual.  For the poem, Some Kind of Formation, Please!, a fold-out of the actual photograph, Harlem 1958, is featured.

Light and extended, almost geometric, shadows and shapes work to great effect in the illustrations.  Sometimes Vallejo will fade his background to draw our attention to the more predominant textures and hues of the people he depicts.  His perspectives create emotion and motion.  Do you hear the voices of the people present?

One of my favorite illustrations of many enhances the poem, Hat Alfred, a boy.  The text is shown on the right in black on white.  To the left are a series of four images, nearly square.  In the first Count Basie is sitting on the curb resting at the end of the row of boys.  Nelson is sneaking up behind him.  In the second Nelson has grabbed the hat, gleefully sprinting down the street with Alfred in pursuit.  Alfred catches Nelson, securing the hat in the third visual.  In the final picture Alfred, with reverence, returns the hat.  The facial expressions on the three people are wonderful.

History, poetry, photography and music mesh magically in Jazz Day: The Making Of A Famous Photograph written by Roxane Orgill with illustrations by Francis Vallejo.  (This is Vallejo's first book.) Read it alone, silently or aloud, or even better share it with others that they may relive this one-of-a-kind day feeling and experiencing the friendship, the respect, and the chats between the musicians.  It was a sultry summer day alive then and now.  In the front of the book is a Contents listing the Introduction, The Poems, an Author's Note, selected Biographies, Harlem 1958: Beyond Esquire, Source Notes and Bibliography.  This title has received five starred reviews from School Library Journal, The Horn Book, Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly. 

To learn more about Roxane Orgill and Francis Vallejo and their work, please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names.  If you follow the links to Candlewick Press and Penguin Random House, you can view different interior illustrations.  TeachingBooks.net includes pronunciations of Roxane Orgill's name and Francis Vallejo's name.  Author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson highlights this title and artwork at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Enjoy the videos.