Speak! Keep Speaking!

For those who have strongly aligned their lives with the preservation and protection of animals, it says a great deal about the compassion they have in their hearts for all lives.  Animals are much more adaptable to our presence than we are to their occupancy in shared spaces.  They hear and understand us more than we know.  What is continuously and abundantly clear is we need each other.

On November 3, 2016 The New York Times announced its Best Illustrated Children's Books of 2016.  Of the ten chosen titles one eloquently presents the young life of a practicing congressman in the United States House of Representatives.  Preaching To The Chickens: The Story of young John Lewis (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 11, 2016) written by Jabari Asim with illustrations by E. B. Lewis will lift your spirits and make your soul sing.

Little John Lewis loved the spring.  He loved it not only because it was the time when the whole world came alive, but also because it was the season of the chicks.

John concurred with Mother Nature; spring was just right for new life.  His family relied on their strong faith in God and in working hard on their farm.  And make no mistake; the work was hard all day long, all year long.  His father turned the earth with a mule-drawn plow.  His mother washed their clothes and cooked food she grew over open fires outside.

John's main responsibility was to care for their sixty or so chickens.  When he feed them each morning they clucked a response. John believed they were thanking him.  They gathered around him like chicks around a mother hen.  He in turn would softly chat with them about God's messages to his children, all living things.

Other than his time with the chickens, John truly relished Sundays and time spent at church.  When the words and music of hymns surrounded him, the boy felt wrapped in pure contentment.  The messages he heard there so moved him, he started preaching to the members of his feathered flock.  Each one was an important individual to him.  

When a traveling trader wanted one of the chickens under John's care, he offered alternative solutions which his parents accepted.  More than once he saved his chickens' lives with the Gospel as his guide.  John believed practice made perfect.  He never stopped then and he has not stopped now.

On June 22, 2016 certain members of Congress refused to leave the House floor until an important vote was taken on gun control legislation.  One of those members was John Lewis.  Author Jabari Asim has given readers relevant insights into the early life of this very public figure who has been a champion for civil rights.  It's important he incorporates dialogue within the narrative making our reading experience more intimate.  It's meaningful he includes John naming each chicken thus giving value to their lives.  We can't help but feel a kinship to this man who is a beacon for those who need a light the most. We can't help but understand how a higher principle paves his path.  Here is a passage from this title.

When the hen called Big Belle fell into the well and got stuck, John was determined to save her. He filled a basket with bread crumbs, and when he lowered it down, she climbed in and was pulled to safety.

"God makes miracles every day," John preached.

Last week when I read this book aloud to a classroom of third grade students you could have heard a pin drop when they first saw the matching dust jacket and book case, rendered, as are all the illustrations, in watercolor and gouache by E. B. Lewis.  Look carefully at the realistic depiction of the boy and his chickens and the flow of the brush strokes.  This image is fully animated.  To the left, on the back, a group of chickens, shadows playing along with ground, by the light and their movement, are accompanied by opening text from the book.

A deep dark forest green covers the opening and closing endpapers.  Beneath the text on the title page in pools of shadow several hens and chicks move and stand frozen in time or perhaps listening to a young preacher. Across the verso and dedication pages is the landscape of the farm with the rows of cotton, young and green, the home and other buildings. 

All of the illustrations span two pages with the exception of two.  Their beauty strikes all your sensory chords; you can feel the sun shining on the boy's face, you can hear the gently clucking of the chickens and peeping of the chicks, you understand the muscle aches, tiredness and determination of the boy's parents, and you can see those chickens gathering to hear John's words.  The tenderness growing in this boy for these chickens is evident in his facial expressions.  You know he will become a man who listens to everyone and who listens to him. You know he will become a man who has deep affection for those who need him to step forward on their behalf.

One of my favorite illustrations is of John seated, cross-legged, on the ground outside the chicken coop.  We are close to him in this image. The chickens are gathered around him. He is cradling one in his arms.  A slight smile plays around his mouth. (I know this feeling when you believe you are one with an animal or animals in your life.  It is an unforgettable sensation, a gift.)

Preaching To The Chickens: The story of young John Lewis written by Jabari Asim with illustrations by E. B. Lewis is a remarkable portrait in words showcased with luminous illustrations.  This is reminder of how our children can grow to be the finest our country has to offer us and the world.  It is a tribute to John Lewis and to all those who endeavor to raise themselves up in service to others.  Please take a moment to read the Author's Note on the final page.

To learn more about Jabari Asim and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website. You can learn more about E. B. Lewis and his work by going to his website through the link attached to his name.  Julie Danielson, author, reviewer and blogger, highlights some of E. B. Lewis's images from this title at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast including one of my favorites.

Be sure to visit educator Alyson Beecher's blog, Kid Lit Frenzy, to see other titles selected by bloggers participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge.

Decorated With Love

Every year in December, for those who observe Christmas, an ancient tradition is followed.  We trudge through woods and fields.  We walk through rows and rows of possibilities. Or we open a box.  Whether you get a fresh selection or put together an artificial likeness, the Christmas tree holds a prominent place in the celebration.  Every single one of us has at least one if not more stories about this holiday custom.

There have been those less than financially secure years where the tree looks like a Charlie Brown tree.  There have also been those years through unfortunate choices where the tree needs to be wired to the wall to avoid late night crashes. (It certainly didn't look that crooked before we cut it down.)  Some years extra trees find a place in our lives.  Now each year there will be an outside potted tree in the back yard, lighted in honor of my wonderful dog, Xena.  In the spring it will be planted to grow and give hope to our environment.

Two tree-loving, endearing characters who we have grown to cherish in Maple, Maple & Willow Together and Maple & Willow Apart have returned in a new release.  Maple & Willow's Christmas Tree (Nancy Paulsen Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, October 18, 2016) written and illustrated by Lori Nichols is a delightful journey of joy.  These sisters exemplify pure hearts.

Maple and Willow loved winter.

They enjoy playing in the snow.  Winter also heralds a favorite holiday, Christmas.  It's work to get ready but together they can do it.

For the first time, they are getting a real tree for their home for Christmas.  Decisions.  Decisions.  They finally pick out the tree that is perfectly perfect.  Willow is especially happy because this year it's her turn to put the star on top.

Once inside and in its stand, the tree can now be decorated but something is amiss.  Maple does not look so good.  She starts to sneeze repeatedly.  Willow wonders if she is allergic to the tree.  When Maple is outside the sneezing stops.  Their first real tree is taken outside.

Both girls are understandably upset, Maple for the lack of the tree inside and Willow because she feels like the holiday is spoiled for this year.  That evening after bedtime in the quiet of the night changes happen.  It is truly Christmas.


Lori Nichols's spare text conveys the pure essence of this story allowing for her illustrations to showcase her words.  She builds the excitement of the first shared experience with the sisters making their disappointment genuine.  It also allows for the repetition of earlier phrases used with an entirely different meaning and outcome.  Her mix of conversation with the narrative brings us into the girls' most meaningful moments.  Here is a passage.

"At least we have an outside tree," said Maple.
"I wish you weren't allergic to Christmas," said Willow.
"I'm not allergic to Christmas," said Maple.
"Just Christmas trees." 


The crisp white background framed in evergreen trees on the opened, matching dust jacket and book case depicts a very particular time of year, a changing of seasons and a pause allowing for contemplation.  You can also feel the anticipation building in the girls by the expressions on their faces.  Lori Nichols has a gift for creating trees with photographic realism.  On the left, the back, these trees direct readers to quotes from starred reviews for the three previous books.  The opening and closing endpapers are a warm red with items, evergreen boughs, cookie cutters, ornaments and pine cones, etched in white.  A portion of an interior image has been placed beneath the text on the title page.  (I am curious about the heart and acorn ornament.)

Rendered in pencil on Mylar and then digitally colored 

the pictures throughout this book, usually on a canvas of white except at night, alternate between two-page illustrations, single page images or a series of smaller visuals grouped on a page to convey pacing.  Readers will enjoy looking at each page noticing the tiny details Nichols includes, dried weeds near trees, a rabbit watching from a hill of snow, cracked eggs on the table during cookie making, a reindeer mug holding hot chocolate and the items scattered on Willow's bedroom floor.  Everything about these two girls, their clothing, body stances and looks on their faces makes you want to reach out and hug them.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a two page spread portraying the return trip home after selecting the tree.  From left to right Lori Nichols gives us a wintry scene of a hilly countryside dotted with evergreens and leafless deciduous trees.  In the upper, left-hand corner a doe peeks out and down at a winding road.  A small red car with a tree roped to the top carries four happy passengers.


Maple & Willow's Christmas Tree written and illustrated by Lori Nichols is going on my personal shelf of Christmas books to be read every single year.  It embodies all the hope of the season.  It reminds us of what is most important.  It will cause a warm glow of happiness to grow from the top of your head and spread down to the bottom of your toes leaving a large portion to fill your heart.

To learn more about Lori Nichols and her other work please visit her website by following the link attached to her name.  You can view a tour of Lori's studio and read an interview at Andrea Skyberg's blog.  Enjoy the book trailer.

In Wide-Open Spaces

For centuries, month after month, year after year, they have spent more time in a saddle on horseback than most other individuals.  Their dedication to a particular way of life is disputed by few if any.  They watch over and herd on ranches and the trail with their constant companions, cattle.  They have been the subject of literature, movies, documentaries and television shows.

All of us have definitions for the word cowboy.  We have places we put them geographically and historically.  Real Cowboys (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, October 4, 2016) written by Kate Hoefler with illustrations by Jonathan Bean lifts them up in an artistic tribute with words and images.

Real cowboys are quiet in the morning, careful not to wake the people who live in little houses in the hollow, and up the mountains, and at the edge of fields in the distance.

They focus on those under their care; putting them first.  They do whatever needs to be done to sooth and heal. In order to do their jobs well, cowboys take care of themselves by wearing protective clothing and remaining calm regardless of opportunities and challenges inviting the opposite.

Cowboys are part of a team, human and canine, working toward a common goal.  When nature or another event frightens the herd and a stampede is inevitable, cowboys' hearts are heavy.  The losses are deeply felt.

As students and mentors of the lands they roam, they have learned to protect that which provides for them. Cowboys cross the lines of gender and ethnicity.  You make think their days with cattle, dogs, horses and other cowboys limit their creativity and capacity for imagining but cowboys, like life, are full of surprises.


There is reverence in the words written by debut author Kate Hoefler.  Each portion addresses those known and unknown attributes each cowboy possesses.  Hoefler looks at the cowboy as a whole person beginning each virtue repeatedly with

Real cowboys are...

She follows with illuminative phrases reminding us how wonderful the use of language can be when finding beauty in everyday things.  Here is a passage.

At night, they sing lullabies over the calls of coyotes---songs that keep cows on a prairie deep in sleep.


From left edge to right edge the first image readers see on the opened, matching dust jacket and book case is a cowboy off his horse and (The horse is grazing and shown beneath a full moon to the left of the spine) tending to a stray calf.  The use of light on the earth tone colors in the nighttime makes for a stunning introductory illustration. This picture and the others within the body of the book are rendered with

hand-stenciled shapes and textures layered with the computer and printed in four Pantone colors.

In a conversation with Jonathan Bean yesterday I inquired:

This style seems similar to Bad Bye, Good Bye as far as the layering but is the stenciling new?  How long did it take you to cut out the stencils?

I also used stencils in BAD BYE, except that in BB the stencils were mostly tape affixed to paper and filled with ink washes.  That's why you noticed a similarity.  With RC most of the stencils were not affixed to paper and were made from plastic vellum, so I could use them over and over, which I did. :)  I used sponges, rollers, potatoes, and other things with these stencils.  Most of the stencils didn't take too long to cut out, but I was tired of Xacto knife work by the end!

A bright golden yellow covers the opening and closing endpapers.  On the title page Bean gives us an inside view of a cowboy at rest.  A star-studded sky is seen in the window.  A clock above his bed on a shelf reads 3:16.  Nails in the bare wooden walls hold personal possessions, his clothing and gear.  The verso and first page are done in shades of red as the dawn brightens peaks in the distance.  Another cowboy starts his day shaving outside, using a hand-held mirror.

The remaining two-page visuals in this title, in shades of brown, yellow, blue, red (slightly salmon), are breathtaking combinations of these colors depending on the time of day, the event and the emotion being conveyed in the text.  Within any selected illustration Bean presents multiple perspectives first drawing our eyes close to a dominant element and then asking us to view smaller details.  If you study the faces of his cowboys and even those of the animals, there is an array of realistic expressions.  We also move from day to night and night to day as our eyes cross the gutter.  We are brought full circle on the final single page through the choice of the same hues as in the beginning although they are much lighter and the lines are more delicate.

One of my favorite illustrations is the left portion of a hilly vista.  It is night with a three-quarter moon hanging above the hills at the top of the page.  A lone cowboy sits on his horse with a herd spread below him.  On the left side in the middle of the image, even farther down from the hilltop, more of the herd gathers around a river.  In the lower, right hand corner a chuck wagon is placed near a tree.  One cowboy sits by a fire as two others sleep.  Empty bedrolls await their occupants.  Horses are drinking from the river.  At the top of another hill in the lower, left-hand corner a coyote watches.  This scene is alive.


Real Cowboys written by Kate Hoefler with illustrations by Jonathan Bean is a unique and beautiful presentation of contemporary cowboys.  The narrative and images replicate the rhythm of the life these individuals live.  The effect is remarkable.

To learn more about Jonathan Bean and his other work please visit his website by following the link attached to his name.  Jonathan does have a blog which will give you insights into his earlier work.  Jonathan Bean and his work on this title are highlighted at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Daniels's blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Don't miss this post.  It is a fascinating look at the process.  Jonathan is also interviewed at HorseChannel.com and Miss Marple's Musings.

For more information on cowboys and their history information can be found at History.com, National Geographic, PBS.org and The Library of Congress.

Looking Skyward... Waiting For Snow Blog Tour

In an effort to teach patience many parents (including mine) utter the classic proverb a watched pot never boils.  In other words if we wait with over-the-top attention and restlessness for a specific moment, it takes an excessive amount of time for it to happen.  If on the other hand, we go about our business with hardly giving it a thought, miraculously it occurs in minutes.

Then, too, there are those who have no expectations because they have never enjoyed said moment.  When you watch a puppy see snow for the first time, it's as if you are seeing it for the first time too.  (Witnessing this first-hand sixteen years ago, the arrival of a new canine companion promises a similar experience.)  But here's the thing, if you, like my dog and I, love snow, every year thereafter the anticipation is stronger.  In Waiting For Snow (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, November 1, 2016) written by Marsha Diane Arnold (Lost. Found.) with illustrations by Renata Liwska (The Loud Book, The Christmas Quiet Book, and Once Upon A Memory) one particular individual has lost all patience.

Hedgehog found Badger staring at the sky.
"What are you doing Badger?"

Badger wants snow.  It is, after all, winter.  Hedgehog kindly advises Badger to wait.  Badger is completely frustrated with waiting.  Pots and pans are banged in a chorus of clanging to wake up the sky.

The sky does not wake up but Rabbit, Vole and Possum are wide-eyed and wondering as they approach Badger and Hedgehog.  When they understand what Badger is trying to do, they want to help.  Rabbit thinks throwing pebbles will punch holes in the sky allowing the snow to fall.  Do you think this works?

With each new approach and its lack of success, Hedgehog quietly comments about those things remaining constant day in and day out throughout the seasons.  Nothing seems to be working so the friends step forward in a final attempt.  When this does not satisfy Badger, they all finally decide to wait together.  Badger's mood is deeply down-in-the-dumps.

Hours pass.  Day turns into night.  To Badger's delight, Hedgehog was right.


Whether you are a fan of winter or not, you have to admit there is something like pure magic when the snow first falls.  The air feels charged and the quiet is quieter.  The fresh white covering everything is like a clean slate, a new beginning or the promise of a new beginning.  All these things are depicted wonderfully by Marsha Diane Arnold in this book.

We all can identify with Badger.  Our minds comprehend what Hedgehog is saying.  And our hearts want to help along with Rabbit, Vole and Possum.  It's the blend of text and dialogue in the narrative which readers will find completely charming.  Here is a sample passage.

Pebbles rained down.
Snow didn't.
"It will never snow," groaned Badger.
"When it's spring, crocus bulbs always bloom," said
Hedgehog,"...though sometimes they are late.


Seeing the five friends, Badger, Hedgehog, Rabbit, Vole and Possum, looking up circling the title text will have readers gazing up and looking for snow too.  The expression on their faces, furry figures, knitted mittens, hat and scarf are full of warmth.  To the left, on the back, the ISBN is placed inside a television screen with Weather Report above it as Badger pounds on the top of the set.  Perhaps he thinks this action will change the prediction.  The colorful elements set within the blue-gray canvas are varnished on the dust jacket but not the matching book case.  A much paler shade of blue covers the opening and closing endpapers.

Drawn in pencil and colored digitally the illustrations usually span two pages.  To slow the pace or show passage of time Renata Liwska has used single-page pictures or a series of smaller images on several pages.  Her muted, natural color palette is ideal for this story.

You will be smiling or laughing out loud at Liwska's attention to detail.  When Hedgehog first appears the tops of mushrooms are sticking to his back until Badger's banging on pans blows them off.  As the friends get ready to throw the pebbles up, Hedgehog is opening an umbrella knowing the results. After the long dance Possum is soaking his feet in a soapy pan of water.

One of many favorite illustrations is when the four friends are on Badger's roof "making snow."  Without giving away the exact details three are hard at work as a fourth is scooping the "snow" into his mouth.  A leaky bag is sending a steady stream over the side of the roof right into Badger's mouth below them.


Waiting For Snow written by Marsha Diane Arnold with illustrations by Renata Liwska presents readers with a delightful portrait of wanting, waiting and the lengths friends will go to help another.  With each page turn you can feel the expectation heightening until the welcome conclusion.  I can pretty much predict readers will utter a sigh.

To learn more about Marsha Diane Arnold and Renata Liwska and their other work please visit their websites by following the links attached to their names. Renata Liwska maintains a blog here. She is interviewed at the Art of the Picture Book.


Please take a few minutes to read this conversation I had with Marsha Diane Arnold via email.  Enjoy the other stops on the blog tour.

Thank you for agreeing to answer some questions and take a few minutes to chat with me, Marsha.

I’m delighted to chat with you, Margie, and hope someday to chat in person over a pot of tea, as we wait patiently for the snow.

From reading your wonderful biography on your website again I am reminded of the importance of family throughout your life but especially during your childhood.  Did the behavior of one or both of your children prompt the writing of this book?  Or was it someone or something else entirely?  

Family has always been the center of my life and my children definitely inspired most of my “homegrown treasures” columns as well as a few of my early books. (Cal directly inspired Quick, Quack, Quick and Amy inspired Edward G. and the Beautiful Pink Hairbow). But Waiting for Snow was not inspired by anything directly. It was one of those ideas that floated in on the breeze one day. Actually, it was the first words that floated in on the breeze. My earliest draft in 2013 shows the beginning words, “Hedgehog found Badger staring at the sky. “What are you doing Badger?” Those are the same words on the first page of the book.

I know you grew up as a friend to animals and you have a keen eye for finding the beauty in the everyday. (I read one of your homegrown treasures’ columns.) Is there any specific reason you chose a badger, a hedgehog, a rabbit, an opossum and a vole?  

I love almost all animals; I do have a few issues with mosquitoes, wasps, and scorpions.

There’s no specific reason I chose Badger and his friends. As I mentioned, they floated in on the breeze. But there is one original friend who is missing: Dormouse. Dormouse and Vole were fast friends in my original story, with lots of witty repartee. But I was asked to replace Dormouse as my illustrator, Renata Liwska, was working on another book with a dormouse.

I like all my characters to be from the same real-life geographical area if possible, even in fiction, so I did research to be sure my characters could all be found in the British Isles. My original characters, along with Dormouse, are, but Possum doesn’t fit into the English countryside. Squirrel, which does reside in the British Isles, was a contender to replace Dormouse, but my editor and I were both partial to Possum. We preferred aesthetics to geographical accuracy in this fictional fantasy. Welcome, Possum.

Do you have a special place for writing, Marsha?  Do you write every single day?  Do you carry a writing notebook with you?

I fear I am a “bad” writer. I don’t write every day and I don’t carry a notebook with me. Truly, all of us have our own creative ways and in my presentations and courses I always encourage others to find their individual paths. Usually, I send inspirations that come to me when I’m away from home to myself in an email or scribble them on a paper napkin. There are also long periods of time that pass without my working on a story, but I think of myself as a squirrel collecting nuts for the winter. When I have or take the time to write, all these thoughts are waiting for me in the back of my mind.

My main writing place is my study.  We moved into our new home a year ago and I’m still working on making it welcoming, for myself and my characters. My best writing is done in the comfort of my home, but I wander about quite a bit. You may find me at the kitchen island, on the living room sofa, the outside picnic table, or...surprise!...my study.

I have a pretty good idea you feel the same way I do about the illustrations of Renata Liwska.  When you first saw her work for your book, what one word came to mind?  Do you have a favorite illustration in this book?

“Classic” is the word I use for Renata’s exceptional art. That’s one of the words I used to describe her art even before she agreed to illustrate Waiting for Snow. She was extremely busy at the time my editor approached her, but said my story made her laugh and she really wanted to illustrate it. I’m so lucky she said “yes.”

But the word that describes my feelings when I first saw her work specifically for Waiting for Snow might be “tumultuous.”  You see, the first sketches were of possible replacements for my beloved Dormouse: Squirrel or Possum. They were adorable character sketches, but I found it very difficult to let my Dormouse go.

First interior image by Renata Liwska

Kate O’Sullivan, my wonderful editor, shared Renata’s sketches all along the creative process and always requested my input. We three worked as a team and I’m so happy to have been involved in the process.

A favorite illustration? It has to be the cover image, our characters looking expectantly into the sky. It reminds me of the vision I had for the last page of Waiting for Snow as I wrote the story. That image was of Badger with a snowflake landing on his nose, along with the final words, “it was time.” The book’s last image, of Badger and friends playing in the snow, is more fun and kid-friendly, but I love that the cover reflects one of my original visions.

A favorite inside the book? That might be Hedgehog with his red polka-dot umbrella protecting him from the rocks falling from the sky. (The characters threw pebbles to punch holes in the clouds so the snow could fall through!)  

But all of Renata’s adorable Waiting for Snow art makes me smile. I hope our story makes all our readers smile too...as they patiently wait for whatever they’re waiting for.

WAITING FOR SNOW BLOG TOUR

October 31st, Monday - Cynthia Alaniz, Librarian in Cute Shoes - https://librarianincuteshoes.blogspot.com

Nov 1st, Tuesday - Alyson Beecher, Kid Lit Frenzy - http://www.kidlitfrenzy.com

Nov 2nd, Wednesday - Dylan Teut, Reading with Mr. Teut - https://readingwithmrteut.wordpress.com

Nov 3rd, Thursday - Mia Wengen, Pragmatic Mom - http://www.pragmaticmom.com/home/

Nov 4th, Friday - Margie Myers-Culver - Librarian’s Quest - http://librariansquest.blogspot.com

Nov 6th, Sunday - Matthew Winner - The Best Book Ever (This Week) - http://www.allthewonders.com/best-book-ever-this-week/

Nov 7th, Monday - Niki Ohs Barnes, Daydream Reader - https://daydreamreader.com

Nov 8th, Tuesday - Bridget and the Books - https://bridgetandthebooks.wordpress.com

UPDATE:  Waiting For Snow was showcased as Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast by author, reviewer and blogger, Julie Danielson on January 29, 2017.

A Courier Of Kindness

When walking along the sandy shores of Lake Michigan you will find roughly-textured black stones, flat stones perfect for skipping along the water's surface, and heart-shaped stones to add to your collection.  Your water-loving dog will dive beneath the waves bringing back the perfect rock for burying in a hole dug with sprays of sand flying behind her.  On rainy days you will find those stones only found in Michigan, Petoskey stones.

If you are fortunate you will discover shoreline jewels, pieces of glass, edges worn smooth by waves and sand.  Finding a bottle intact would be a wondrous first for me.  The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles (Dial Books For Young Readers, August 23, 2016) by debut picture book author Michelle Cuevas and Caldecott Medal winning illustrator Erin E. Stead is a quiet, heartwarming story of a man devoted to finding gifts for others.

THE UNCORKER OF OCEAN BOTTLES lived alone on a high spot with only one tree for shade.

Day after day he gazed across the expanse looking for a bobbing bottle.  His job upon finding this precious prize was to open it and give the message inside to the proper person.  He never knew the extent of his journey to complete his task.

Sometimes the distance was short.  Other times it took him weeks and months to make a delivery.  The emotion embedded in the words varied as well as the age of the messages.  These small letters were as different as the individuals who wrote and received them.

Over the years the Uncorker of Ocean Bottles wondered if there would ever be a letter for him.  (Sometimes it's this kind of wish, however unlikely it is to come true, which gives an extra lightness to any kind of day.)  Our courier found a strange kind of note one morning; unusual because there was no name to be found on it.

Inquiries were made to an assortment of individuals in the nearby town but no one knew anything about the note.  That evening the Uncorker of Ocean Bottles felt sad he had been unable to present the letter to someone.  He made a vow as he fell asleep.  The next day and into the next night, the promise was kept.  Some messages are of the most extraordinary kind imaginable.


When read aloud the words written by Michelle Cuevas are like a lullaby for life.  Her comparisons, the use of similes and metaphors, are sensory and vividly descriptive.  Her use of dialogue within the narrative draws us further into the life of this lonely, dedicated man.  Her pacing is impeccable asking us to move or muse along with the Uncorker of Ocean Bottles.  Here are two passages.

Sometimes the messages were very old, crunchy like leaves in the fall.

But most of the time they made people quite happy, for a letter can hold the treasure of a clam-hugged pearl. 


There is a technique, a style, entirely unique to artist Erin E. Stead.  All of the images for this title are rendered in

woodblock prints, oil pastels, and pencil.

The texture they create makes you want to embrace the book and the story within its pages.

Her attention to detail and her delicate line work is first seen on the dust jacket; the series of steps leading to the home, the cat perched on the roof, the seagull next to the Uncorker, the bright red on the door, the puffs of smoke coming from the chimney and the cow in the meadow below.  To the left, on the back of the jacket, the sea green is extended over the spine to create a background.  Within a circle of white, Stead has placed the Uncorker riding his bike with his back to readers.  Items in his hand suggest the outcome of the story.

The same sea green is the canvas for the book case.  Embossed on the front is the Uncorker looking out his window with his cat next to him.  Both of them have their backs to us.  The opening and closing endpapers are a darker shade of the sea green.

Erin Stead begins her visual interpretation of the story on the title, verso and dedication pages.  First we see a bottle on the waves with a fish swimming beneath it. Then we are inside the Uncorker's home with him and his cat.  Most of the illustrations span two pages with the same hue of green in various shades visible in all of them either as water, sky or the darkness inside the Uncorker's home. For those pictures on single pages Stead places them within circles on a white background.  White is used throughout this title as a striking element of design.

One of my favorite illustrations (I love them all.) is for the second phrase noted above.  In this one the entire background is variations on golden sunlight for the interior of a woman's home.  On the left she is seated in a chair with a look of pure bliss on her face.  Her eyes are closed as she holds the letter.  Next to her is the bottle on one side and on the other side sits a gramophone on a table.  On the right through a circular window, mirroring the shape on those single-page pictures, we see the Uncorker walking away looking down or perhaps speaking to his cat. His pants are a darker shade of green.


This book, The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles written by Michelle Cuevas with illustrations by Erin E. Stead, is a gem glowing with charm.  As soon as you read the title and see the dust jacket image, you know this book is going to be rich and rare.  The words and illustrations lift you up and transport you to a realm of wonderful possibilities.  This book must be shared...often.

To learn more about Michelle Cuevas and Erin E. Stead and their other work please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites. Erin E. Stead is featured at author, reviewer and blogger Julie Danielson's blog Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast and at Brightly. 

To Be Strong...

When you consider the words strong and strength more than one meaning comes to mind.  Each of these refers to being physically powerful and muscular with the ability to do heavy, demanding tasks. In deeper definitions they refer to talents, skills, endurance and resistance.  The smallest individual can exhibit great strength.

Today, at this writing, there is currently 7, 461, 558, 20_ people in the world with the last three numbers changing faster than you can imagine.  Of this number the percentage of women is slightly less than that of men.  For every 110 men born, 107 women are born. (as of 2013) It is stated that due to longevity, statistics tend to even out but for quite some time the number of women has been gradually decreasing.  Given these facts it is absolutely astounding the accomplishments of the women highlighted in Women In Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed The World (Ten Speed Press, July 26, 2016) written and illustrated by Rachel Ignotofsky.  In her debut book readers find themselves inwardly cheering for the contributions these women have made for the benefit of this planet and its inhabitants.

Many people thought women were just not as smart as men.  The women in this book had to fight these stereotypes to have the careers they wanted. They broke rules, published under pseudonyms, and worked for the love of learning alone.  When others doubted their abilities, they had to believe in themselves.

Throughout history many women have risked everything in the name of science.  This book tells the stories of some of these scientists, from ancient Greece to the modern day, who in the face of "No" said, "Try and stop me."

These two excerpts from the introduction serve to shine a spotlight on fifty brilliant human beings.  With the reading of each of these one-page biographical essays our admiration for their achievements increases.  Without their commitments to their life's work, some of us would not even be here to read this book.

We begin with a woman named Hypatia who lived in ancient Greece furthering the study of astronomy, mathematics and philosophy.  She lost her life when killed by religious extremists.  We have Maria Sibylla Merian, born in 1647, to thank for the connection between caterpillars and butterflies.  Born in 1768 and in her short life of twenty-nine years, Wang Zhenyi left a legacy of being the first to formulate a theory dispelling the mystery surrounding eclipses.  Although she was not allowed to publish her work due to being a woman, Mary Anning was an important figure in the field of paleontology in Victorian England, determining that bezoars were dinosaur poop.

Can you imagine a doctor not washing their hands before attending a patient?  Until Elizabeth Blackwell (b1821), the first woman to receive a degree in medicine, made this connection and the spread of disease, doctors could

go straight from treating someone with the flu to delivering a baby without even washing up.

It is with deep gratitude we read about Karen Horney, a German psychologist who moved to the States in 1932, for creating the field of feminist psychology.  Marie Curie was known for carrying vials of radium in her pockets.  Putting her life in danger made our lives better.  Without the work of Mary Agnes Chase would we know so much about botany and food? She also opened her home in Washington, D. C. to visiting Latin American women botanists.  Physicist Lise Meitner had to leave Germany during Hitler's reign, but was essential in the discovery of nuclear fission. Her colleague, Otto Hahn claimed the Nobel Prize in 1944.  Everyone can move about better and use items in our kitchens thanks to Lillian Gilbreth, a psychologist and industrial engineer.

Before computers there were human computers, working in groups to accomplish similar tasks.  Edith Clarke was one of them and the first woman to graduate from MIT with a master's degree in electric engineering.  Love of their work and of each other placed Gerty Cori and her husband, Carl in the medical history books for their work in biochemistry.  It must have been a sight to see zoologist Joan Beauchamp Procter walking her Komodo dragon on a leash.  Sometimes the genius of a single woman had to wait to be noticed.  Barbara McClintock waited thirty years to receive a Nobel Prize.

How many of you can remember reading Rachel Carson's The Sea Around Us?  Her attention to our waters was and is much needed.  Try to speculate how many lives would have been lost if Dorothy Hodgkin had not studied penicillin.  People may know Hedy Lamarr was an actress but how many know she was a co-creator of the FHSS (frequency hopping spread spectrum).  In 2015 Katherine Johnson, at the age of 97, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  Her work was essential to astronauts leaving and returning to planet Earth.  And talk about believing in yourself...Rosalyn Yalow had a bottle of champagne chilling at all times in the hopes of celebrating a Nobel Prize.  In 1977 her goal was rewarded.

Replica plating, proof of dark matter, discovering chimpanzees using tools, holding the women's depth record in deep sea diving, the first woman in space, co-founder of the American Institute for the Prevention of Blindness, discovering pulsars at age 24, and finding telomeres and studying their importance are only a few more recent discoveries.  Who knew we had nerve cells that function like GPS?  I wonder if Nichelle Nichols, who portrayed Lietenant Uhura, knows how she influenced Mae Jemison.  Living to the age of 108, one of the most astonishing biographies is about Marjory Stoneman Douglas.  Through her studies and writing the everglades in Florida became a National Park.  No matter your age or gender, these women and their stories will inspire you to assess your goals and to accomplish them regardless of any obstacles in your way.


Not only does Rachel Ignotofsky write with accuracy in creating these portraits but she does so conversationally.  She points out the challenges these women faced due to gender, race and religious beliefs.  A great many of them was supported by either their father or mother but others had to make their own way. It is astounding to know how many of them worked without pay or recognition.  This did not stop them in their pursuit of needing to know and understand.

Around the full page illustration of each woman and the main body of text, Rachel places single facts about each individual.  Along the bottom of the image page, she includes a quotation usually attributed to the woman.  Here are two more sample passages from a single biographical essay.

Emmy worked for free for 7 years at Gottingen until she finally started getting paid, but she was the lowest-paid professor.  Despite the lack of recognition, she developed mathematical equations that are still an important part of the way we understand physics now. She produced developments in the field of abstract algebra by proving new concepts about groups and rings.  She made new connections between energy and time, and angular momentum.  In doing all of this, she developed the Noether theory.
Because Emmy was Jewish, the rise of the Nazi regime put her life in danger.  She was fired from Gottingen for being Jewish but continued to teach from her apartment in secret.  In 1933, Emmy escaped to America, where she was hired to teach at Bryan Mawr College.  Unfortunately, only 18 months after she began teaching with good pay and a real title, she became ill and died at the age of 53.


The intricate illustrations formed with delicate line work, and an attention to color and detail seen on the front of the book case are found throughout the body of this title.  The opening and closing endpapers are a mix of all things scientific, each one of importance to one or more of the fifty woman scientists.  Every body of text is framed in small pictures.

Opposite each depiction of the women in words on the right-hand side is a portrait featuring them, on the left, in attire appropriate to the time period.  Places significant to their world are showcased in this illustration.  Each one of them is holding one or two items of importance to their work.

The background of all of them is constantly the charcoal gray seen on the book case.  Black and other bright hues, yellow, blue, green, orange, pink, purple, and red, in a variety of shades, act to define the images and provide fill color.

One of my favorite illustration of many is of Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist and inventor.  She is wearing a pair of dark slacks and a lab coat, holding a large eye model in one hand and an instrument used in the examination of eyes in the other hand.  Around her are eyes wearing glasses and small statements of her talents.


A debut book for Rachel Ignotofsky, Women In Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed The World, needs to be on every professional bookshelf.  Girls around the globe from all walks of life will see themselves in these pages.  No challenge is too great if you have the will to make your dreams come true.  Fifty women did it and you can do it too.  Throughout the book Rachel has placed other two-page places to pause, Timeline, Lab Tools, Statistics In Stem, and More Women In Science.  There are four pages of glossary terms and two pages devoted to sources, films, websites and books.

To learn more about Rachel Ignotofsky and her work please visit her website by using the link attached to her name.  At her website you can view numerous images from the book.  She also includes a more extensive list of resources for this title.  Rachel maintains Tumblr and Instagram accounts.  There is a website devoted to the title, Women In Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed The World.  You can read an excerpt of this title at a publisher's website.



To view other titles selected by bloggers participating in the 2016 Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge do visit Kid Lit Frenzy hosted by educator Alyson Beecher.

In The Eyes Of The Beholder

When individuals use their eyes there is a mixture of factors determining their perceptions.  The weather, time of day and the season affect the light and shadows.  Even if an image remains fixed the amount of time given to viewing it can determine what is seen or not seen. How often have you looked at something a second or even a third time and noticed a detail you did not perceive at first?  A whole host of life experiences decide what we see.  This wide range of emotions is attached to each element in our line of vision, even when we focus on a single portion.

Sometimes the emotional attachment is so strong it may keep us from even taking a peek at something or we may spend hours gazing at it.  They All Saw A Cat (Chronicle Books, August 30, 2016) written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel (Some Bugs, One Day in the Eucalyptus Eucalyptus Tree, and Some Pets) is an insightful exploration of alternating viewpoints.  It entices us in the most welcoming manner to discover.

The cat walked through the world,
with its whiskers, ears, and paws...

The first being to see the cat is a child.  Our perspective on our pets is definitely slanted.  They are a part of our family.  The cat is seen as more fluffy and cuddly than the sleek, feline it is in truth.  As you might surmise, the family dog is not happy to see the cat, viewing it as an evil shadow of itself.

Once out in the world the cat encounters other animals who view it as dinner or a monster.  The physical characteristics of sight may create a series of dots forming the cat. Or can you imagine seeing things as if you are wearing night vision goggles?  What if everything had no color at all?

 The distance from the cat shapes the size.  A bird flying above will not see the same cat as a flea embedded in its fur.  Perhaps an animal will not use eyes to see the cat.  They may feel its presence through vibrations felt in the ground that surrounds them.

However the worlds' occupants see a cat, no view will surprise the cat (or us) more than the final illustration.  This closing perspective is sure to garner laughter as others have done.  What a marvelous world this is!


Regardless of how much you may know of Brendan Wenzel from interviews, this book presents his respect and love of the animal world through the inclusiveness in the narrative.  Domesticated animals familiar to readers, cat, dog and goldfish, and those in the wild, fox, bee, bird, snake, worm and others are given equal measure.  He has carefully selected those a cat might naturally meet.

The repetition of key phrases three times supplies a storytelling cadence.  One of two repeating phrases intensifies a significant pause.  When Wenzel chooses to list all the animals as part of the story, it gives us another time to pause, identifying each one.  This type of pacing makes the final question even more important.


The snow white canvas draws our attention immediately to the cat on the front.  On the back, to the left, the initial phrase from the book appears. The blue from the title text is the shade used on the background for the book case with the cat in white.  It is a striking reversal in the use of color.  The opening and closing endpapers supply readers with two different viewpoints of the cat's fur. On the title page Brendan Wenzel has substituted the image of the cat with the collar and ringing bell.  The illustrations seen here and throughout the book are

rendered in almost everything imaginable, including colored pencils, oil pastels, acrylic paint, watercolor, charcoal, Magic Markers, good old number 2 pencils, and even an iBook.

Continuing with the white background for the first few pages leads readers into the bright and vivid portraits which follow, some on single pages, others across two pages. Wenzel concludes with the same canvas bringing us full circle.  Important to the narrative his perspectives shift pulling us close to the cat or moving farther away.  We become those beings looking at the cat.

One of my favorite illustrations of many is for the bat.  Deep dark hues of blue provide the background for the night sky and flora.  Small lighter dots of blue form the stars.  In the far right-hand corner a bat hovers looking down.  The cat is "seen" through echolocation which Wenzel depicts as a series of larger and small white dots in the shape of the cat.

They All Saw A Cat written and illustrated by Brendan Wenzel is a marvelous work of art inviting us to participate in the life of other beings.  It increases our appreciation for animal life.  It adds to our respect for artistic expression.  I know it will prompt exploration of each of these animals and how they perceive their world through their senses. I can't imagine a bookshelf, personal or professional, without a copy of this book.

To learn more about Brendan Wenzel and his other work please access his website by following the link attached to his name.  The publisher, Chronicle Books, provides us with an activity kit and a discussion guide.  Brendan Wenzel is interviewed at twenty by jenny and The Children's Book Review.  This title is featured at teacher librarian and author, Carter Higgins, Design of the Picture Book.  It is the topic of conversation in an All the Wonders, Episode 285 podcast between teacher librarian Matthew C. Winner and Brendan Wenzel.  This book is showcased with Emily Arrow's new song for They All Saw A Cat.



They All Saw A Cat is discussed at The Horn Book's Calling Caldecott.

Enjoy the book trailer.