Fifteen 2018 Nonfiction Titles On My TBR Pile

Since 2014 I have joined others in participating in a Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge hosted each Wednesday all year at educator Alyson Beecher's Kid Lit Frenzy.  For the final Wednesday of this year, I am going to briefly talk about nonfiction picture (sometimes a bit longer) books published in 2018 which are still on my to-be-read stack.  I have listed them in order of publication date.  I have provided links which you may find valuable.  Like my stack of 2018 middle grade books to still read, I will not abandon these fifteen titles.  Four will be selected to highlight the first four weeks of 2019.

Plant, Cook, Eat!: A Children's Cookbook (Charlesbridge, March 6, 2018) by Joe Archer and Caroline Craig

This culinary delight is divided into an Introduction, What Parts of a Plant Do We Eat?, The Miracle of a Seed, How Do Plants Reproduce?, What Do Plants Need to Help Them Grow?, Soil and Compost, What is Garden Compost, Tools and Equipment, Preparing Your Vegetable Patch, Sowing Seeds Indoors, How to Sow into Pots, Sowing and Planting Outside, Everyday Gardening Tasks, Wildlife in the Garden, Garden Pests, Healthy Eating, Get Ready to Cook, Let's Get Started (this shows how to plant a particular food followed by a recipe,), Further Information, Glossary, and Index.  The growing of sixteen foods is discussed.  There are spot illustrations and plenty of photographs.


She Persisted Around the World: 13 Women Who Changed History (Philomel Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC, March 6, 2018) written by Chelsea Clinton with illustrations by Alexandra Boiger

Women included in this volume are Sor Juana Ines De La Cruz, Caroline Herschel, Kate Sheppard, Marie Curie, Viola Desmond, Mary Verghese, Aisha Rateb, Wangari Maathai, Joanne Rowling, Sisleide Lima do Amor, Leymah Gbowee, Yuan Yuan Tan and Malala Yousafzai.  Opposite the text on the right is a full-page illustration.  A smaller image accompanies the text or the text is placed in a double-page picture.




Drawn from Nature (Big Picture Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press, March 13, 2018) written and illustrated by Helen Ahpornsiri

This book is divided into four sections according to the four seasons beginning with spring.  In this season our attention is drawn to eight aspects of this awakening.  In summer we explore In The Meadow, Swallows Swooping, Crickets Chirping, In the Reeds, Glorious Green Leaves, Buds & Bees and Summer Nights.  Six elements of autumn and six elements of winter close the book.  On every page turn exquisite illustrations are formed from pressed petals and leaves.  Most of them are on white backgrounds but the several on black canvases are stunning.  There is a note from the artist and a glossary. 




Dog Days of History: The Incredible Story of Our Best Friends (National Geographic Children's Books, March 27, 2018) written by Sarah Albee 

My personal copy of this book is buried under one of many stacks in my home or maybe Mulan has it hidden but Alyson Beecher featured it at Kid Lit Frenzy.  Sarah Albee is interviewed by author Deborah Kalb.  The book trailer is premiered by John Schumacher, Scholastic Ambassador of School Libraries, on his blog, Watch. Connect. Read.  

UPDATE:  I found it!  The titles of the chapters are Barking Up the Family Tree, No Bone Unturned, Mastiffs, Mutts, and Mad Dogs, Tough Times, Ruff Times, Enlightenment Dogs, Who Let the Dogs In?, Ad Dogs, Clad Dogs, Sad Dogs, and Fad Dogs, War Dogs and Cold War Dogs, and Nice Work.  In an afterword Sarah talks about What Dogs Have Done for Us?.  She also adds A Note About the Research, an author's note, select bibliography (3 pages), Rufferences, To Dig Up More Sources, To Sniff Out Places to Visit and an index.



Crash: The Great Depression and The Fall And Rise Of America (Little, Brown and Company, April 10, 2018) written by Marc Favreau (The publisher link contains a podcast chat with the author.)

The book is divided into four parts: Fall, Rise, Setback and Victory.  There are ten chapters in total.  Acknowledgments, Source Notes, Bibliography, Selected Primary Sources, Timeline Of The Great Depression, Great Depression Glossary and Index are included at the conclusion.

Marc Favreau chats about his book at the Nerdy Book Club and at YA and Kids! Books Central.

(My parents were nine years old when the Stock Market crashed.  They wouldn't talk about it much but their practice of having multiple items of certain staples on hand has stayed with me.  Let us learn from history.)


Back From The Brink: Saving Animals From Extinction (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 24, 2018) written by Nancy F. Castaldo

Full-color photography supports chapters on preservation, whooping cranes, wolves, bald eagles, giant Galapagos tortoises, California condors, American alligators, and American bison.  There are seven pages following The Call To Action.  After this are resources to watch and read.  There are organizations to join and websites to visit.  You are invited to explore.  Back matter further includes notes and a bibliography, glossary, acknowledgments and an index.



Science Comics Rockets: Defying Gravity (First Second, June 12, 2018) written and illustrated by Anne Drozd and Jerzy Drozd (Jerzy's Twitter link)

This promises to be another stellar entry in a wonderful nonfiction series.  This team discusses What Makes Rockets Go, Rockets As Entertainment, Rockets In Warfare, Rocket Inventors, Rockets In The Space Race, Rockets In Exploration, and The Future Of Rockets.  These seven chapters of exciting panels populated by talking animals and people are followed by a timeline, glossary, further reading and acknowledgments.


 National Park of the U. S. A. (Wide Eyed Editions, June 21, 2018) written by Kate Siber with illustrations by Chris Turnham

The book begins with a table of contents which is a map of the United States.  It is divided into seven sections.  Each section is given a portion of the book.  A more detailed map of each section shifts focus to the national parks in those areas.  The flora and fauna, physical features and points of interest are placed over two pages.  The illustrations, design and layout are fantastic.  You'll probably need more than one copy of this title.






What's The Difference?: 40+ Pairs Of The Seemingly Similar (Chronicle Books, July 10, 2018) written by Emma Strack with illustrations by Guillaume Plantevin

With sections titled Animals, Food & Drink, Geography, Fashion, Human Body and City comparisons are made.  There are 42 in total.  Some of the pairs are deer and reindeer, noodles and pasta, tornado and hurricane, tights and stockings, vein and artery and newspaper and magazine.  An index is provided.  For each duo there are large images on each of the two pages with three small circular pictures beneath these pictures.


Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities To Do With Your Companion (National Geographic Kids, August 7, 2018) written by Jodi Wheeler-Toppen with photographs by Matthew Rakola

Lucky readers learn about Sniffing Out Senses, Fit Fido, Clever Canines, and Pampered Pooches.  Within those chapters there are wonderful revelations.  For example under Fit Fido we are educated about the portions of a dog's body used for exercise, how to calculate how much blood is flowing and record your dog's heartbeat, fashion a tool for listening to their heartbeat, how to take their respiration rate, record how exercise affects our canines, experiment how their four feet work together, explore how they drink plus an in the LAB section.  There is an in the LAB section in each chapter.


Mary Who Wrote Frankenstein (Tundra, August 28, 2018) written by Linda Bailey with illustrations by Julia Sarda

This title is a 2018 Booklist Editors' Choice & Top of the List, Publishers Weekly Best Children's and YA Books 2018, and a New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2018.  There is a lengthy three-page author's note.








Paul Writes (a letter) (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, September 11, 2018) written and illustrated by Chris Raschka

It's not often there is a book accessible to children focusing on a specific facet of a religious faith.  Chris Raschka focuses on the Christian Paul the Apostle and letters he wrote. For each letter Chris Raschka makes a reference to the exact verses found in the Bible.  His hand lettering and images of the Apostle are beautiful.  Here is a link to a free digital poster.





Go Show the World: A Celebration of Indigenous Heroes (Tundra, September 11, 2018) written by Wab Kinew with illustrations by Joe Morse  

Through a lyrical and conversational technique, we learn of Sacagawea, Jim Thorpe, Dr. Susan LaFlesche Picotte, Beatrice Culleton Mosionier, Frances Pegahmagabow, Te-Wau-Zee, Dr. Evan Adams, John Herrington, Carey Price, Waneek Horn-Miller, Tecumseh, Crazy Horse and Net-No-Kwa.  After the narrative there is an author's note and short biographies.  The double-page pictures are breathtaking.  Link to Sheridan Sun article about the illustrator.



Science Comics Solar System: Our Place in Space (First Second, September 18, 2018) written by Rosemary Mosco with illustrations by Jon Chad 

We are taken through the solar system with an Introduction, Takeoff, The Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Leaving Mars & Asteroid Belt, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Beyond Neptune. An engaging cast of characters, animal and human, present facts and entertain in a wide range of full-color panels.




The Wondrous Workings Of Planet Earth: Understanding Our World And Its Ecosystems (Ten Speed Press, September 18, 2018) written and illustrated by Rachel Ignotofsky

This intricately detailed volume in words and illustrations has section headings of Introduction, Levels Of Ecological Organization, Biome Map, What Is An Ecosystem?, The Flow Of Energy, The Classification of Living Things, How Living Things Interact, What Makes A Healthy Ecosystem, Succession, Microecosystems, Microscopic Ecosystems, North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australasia, The Polar Ice Caps, Aquatic Ecosystems, The Cycles Of Nature, and Humans And Planet Earth.  A glossary, sources, acknowledgments and index are supplied.




A First Book of The Sea (Candlewick Press, September 25, 2018) written by Nicola Davies with illustrations by Emily Sutton

In a series of informational poems found in Down By The Shore, Journeys, Under The Sea and Wonders we travel and explore the sea.  Some of the poem titles are Sand Castle, Lighthouse, Shore Crab, Limpets, Sargasso, Bottom Trawling, Flashlight Fish, and Shipwreck.  Emily Sutton's illustrations are stunning, including a gatefold.




I've never been very good at sticking to a set number when making a list and truthfully Mulan insisted I add this title.  It is a middle grade novel, fiction based upon historical fact.

Strongheart: Wonder Dog Of The Silver Screen (Schwartz & Wade Books, February 6, 2018) written by Candace Fleming with illustrations by Eric Rohmann

Strongheart became a silent movie star of considerable fame in the 1920s.  In this 245 page book on matte-finished paper larger text is interspersed with the artwork of Eric Rohmann.  This promises to make this a fast and engaging read.  Candace includes a lengthy The Truth Behind This Tale, two pages of actual photographs, a bibliography and notes at the conclusion.  This is a A New York Public Library Best Book of 2018 and A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2018.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . It's Here!

Outside early this morning, it's like the whole world is holding its breath.  The dark and silence wrap around you like a comforting blanket.  You wait.  Anticipation is building.  (For some it's been mounting for months.)  

As the sky lightens, chickadees burst into song, flitting from branch to branch. For most days of the year, this is what these feathered friends do but today, Christmas Day 2018, their notes seem a bit higher and louder.  They know.  I Got the Christmas Spirit (Bloomsbury Children's Books, September 4, 2018) written by Connie Schofield-Morrison with illustrations by her husband, Frank Morrison, follows a little girl we met in I Got the Rhythm.  (I Got the Rhythm was selected by the State of Michigan for it's Ready To Read Michigan program 2018.)  In the new companion book, this little gal embraces all the elements of the season realizing something wonderful.

I woke up to the

spirit of the season.

RISE

   AND

       SHINE!

As she and her mother walk through their community, she listens and hears the spirit in the ringing of bells.  It continues when she approaches the Santa making the sound and puts her carefully saved money in his red collection bucket.  Joining a group of carolers, she sings out the spirit.

Oh!  She's tasting it now as she munches on roasted nuts sold by a street vendor.  A gust of wind pushes the chill of the spirit down the sidewalk among shoppers.  As snow drifts down, the girl and her mother glide among other skaters sharing all the sensations of moving across ice.

As it grows darker, lights twinkle.  The sight of a mother and child, homeless, and asking for help, stirs something precious and essential within this child.  She moves with purpose and speed toward Santa.  Sitting on his lap she has a lot to say.

Quicker than you can say, Ho Ho Ho, with a smile on her face and determination in her step, holding a package she leads a group out of the store.  Where they go will spread a glow from the top of your head to the tip of your toes and from deep inside your heart to all those around you.  Later, as the girl and her mother meet her father, final words disclose a truth for everyone

every day of the year.

For eleven of the fifteen declarative sentences author Connie Schofield-Morrison follows with words we hear, say, taste, see, smell and believe.  This technique of call and response supplies us with a pleasing rhythm.  While she draws our attention to all the layers of the Christmas spirit through the experiences of the girl, she is building toward a larger idea.  This discovery, this reminder at the conclusion, is one to hold close to our hearts. Here is a single call and response.

I tasted the sweet

spirit crunch!

YUM

   YUM  

When you open the matching dust jacket and book case, you are in for two treats.  First, how can you resist smiling, at the very least, when looking at the front.  That girl, carrying a gift and marching through the snow, is wearing a truly infectious smile.  She IS the Christmas spirit.

To the left, on the back, she is walking in front of her parents with arms spread wide to welcome the spirit into her soul or as readers will discover to release it into the world.  I love the way the parents are leaning into each other as they walk behind her.  Even though it's snowing in both scenes, they radiate warmth.  In these first two images readers discover the exquisite details found in the work of Frank Morrison.  Colored lights are entwined around lamp posts.  Snowflakes are meticulously positioned at the top of each pole.  Footprints in the snow, light and shadow add depth to each painting.

The opening and closing endpapers are covered in a rich teal.  Beneath the text on the title page the girl and her mother, arms out at their sides, are skating.  Opposite the verso a snowy setting gives us a view of the building where the family (and others) lives.  Lights glow in all the windows.  A welcoming wreath hangs on the door.

Each double page illustration is painted with oil on canvas.  Each one is vibrant with color and literally alive on the paper.  You want to walk inside each visual and join in the sensory perceptions.  Frank Morrison shifts his perspective in each picture bringing us close to the girl or expanding the view to include other people and the buildings around them.  You get a realistic representation of the city which increases your involvement as a reader.

One of my many favorite illustrations is for the words

I sang the spirit from my heart.

Across the pages from left to right are ten carolers dressed in winter wear and wearing Santa hats.  Open songbooks in teal and red are held in front of them.  Behind them city buildings stretch toward the sky.  On the far left the girl's mother is singing and clapping her hands.  On the right, head lifted to the sky and mouth open in song, is the girl.  She and her mother are wearing puffer coats; her mom in red and she in purple with a white fur collar.  Snow is falling.  FA LA LA LA LA is placed on the songbooks.

There is an abundance of joy in I Got the Christmas Spirit written by Connie Schofield-Morrison with illustrations by her husband, Frank Morrison.  This girl's outlook with send your spirits soaring not only during this holiday but throughout the year.  This is a wonderful addition to your personal and professional Christmas collections.

To learn more about Connie Schofield-Morrison please visit her page at Painted Words.  You can discover more about Frank Morrison by following the link attached to his name to access his website and also at Painted Words.  I believe you will enjoy this post by Connie Schofield-Morrison at The Brown Bookshelf. 

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . #7

This morning, Christmas Eve 2018, everything outside is coated in nearly four inches of fluffy, newly-fallen snow.  It's like stepping into an enchanted scene.  Once the woods are left behind, it's obvious everyone out and about is focusing on the same things.  They are committed with intention to getting everything accomplished before tonight; shopping for food and drink, fuel, gifts, and decorations is occupying their every moment.

A crew of machines have inserted themselves firmly into readers' hearts.  Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site and Mighty, Mighty Construction Site are enjoyed no matter how many times they are read.  Excavator, Bulldozer, Crane Truck, Dump Truck, and Cement Mixer are celebrating the holiday season in a new title, Construction Site on Christmas Night (Chronicle Books, October 16, 2018) written by Sherri Duskey Rinker with illustrations by AG Ford.

Down in the big construction site,
there's work to do for Christmas night!

The last big project of the year;
the team is slamming into gear.

All five members of the group are working to build an exceptional abode.  Bulldozer must work from daylight to dusk to clear a spot.  As he finishes his day, there appears in his path a brand-new blade, with a special ribbon and note.  It's a Merry Christmas goodnight for Bulldozer.

Digging and digging all day Excavator fashions a foundation at last.  Snowflakes fall as he chugs toward home.  He too finds a gift wrapped with a ribbon and a thank you card.  For each of the machines remaining, Cement Mixer, Dump Truck and Crane Truck, as their jobs are completed and darkness descends special treats await them.  All five have seasonal sweet dreams.

When the sun shines bright on the next morning other vehicles race down the road.  A symphony of sounds announces their presence; bells, sirens and air horns shout out loud.

It's the town's new FIRE CREW!

That night as snow falls each truck of five finds a special spot; a garage for each one in a house built by a crew of five.  Friends help friends.  Ten peacefully rest ready for the next day.


Oh, there is happy beauty in the rhythmic text of Sherri Duskey Rinker when she spins a tale of these fabulous five.  At the end of every two lines is a rhyming word.  An additional cadence is created with the repetition of each member of the team finishing their job, finding a gift and settling in for the night.  The focus on giving (and receiving) is further strengthened with the arrival of the fire crew.  Here is a passage.

The job's all finished.  One last stop---
Crane Truck puts a star on top.

But Crane has one last thing to lift,
someone's left a SPECIAL gift.

a rock-'em-sock-'em wrecking ball!
It's red and green and ten feet tall.

Merry Christmas, Crane Truck.  Goodnight.


When readers open the matching dust jacket and book case, they will gaze upon a wintry holiday scene including from left to right, back to front, all ten of the vehicles.  There are large wrapped packages in places other than around the Christmas tree.  The clock tower gives the time as midnight.  A snowman keeps two of the trucks company.  On the jacket snowflakes, clumps of snow and the star are rough to the touch and raised.  The title text is red foil.

The opening and closing endpapers are in shades of deep blue.  Excavator is holding the star as he moves to the tree in the first set.  At the end the star is on the tree and Crane Truck is carrying another item toward the tree.  It seems as if the setting we see on the jacket and case is being constructed in the endpapers.

Rendered in Neo-color wax oil crayons by AG Ford the illustrations radiate warmth and cheer.  The matte-finished paper contributes to the soft texture of the images.  On the title page tiny details are tucked into the double-page picture.  Can you see what the man is shouting from the window?

AG Ford shifts the sizes of the visuals from double-page to double-page with a full-page inset, to large pictures crossing the gutter to make a column for text, and to groups of illustrations on a single page.  Sometimes the images will be bordered in a black line.  The expressions on the vehicles' faces convey every emotion explicitly whether they are awake or sleeping.

One of my many favorite illustrations is of Cement Mixer asleep.  The illustration crosses the gutter moving to the left.  Snow is gently falling in the night sky.  Along the background is the darkened cityscape.  On the left and right on mounds of dirt the old drum rests with the open gift box.  Cement Mixer, on the right, is wearing his new red-and-white striped (like a candy cane) drum.  His blanket is resting on his top.  A smile is on his face (grill).  Above the scene is a crescent moon, smiling too.


The spirit of the season bursts from the pages in Construction Site on Christmas Night written by Sherri Duskey Rinker with illustrations by AG Ford.  It's a wonderful, welcome companion to the series.  It's a fantastic festive addition to any holiday collection, professional and personal.  You can't resist reading it aloud.


To discover more about Sherri Duskey Rinker and AG Ford and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both Sherri and AG maintain accounts on Twitter.  On Instagram Sherri and AG have accounts.  At The Children's Book Review AG Ford shows readers how to draw Excavator.

Solstice Soul

After several days of above normal temperatures replacing a covering of white with the green of grass, Mother Nature clapped her hands, exerting her power.  Snow has been gently falling all day.  A winter weather advisory is in effect for counties in the northern section of the lower peninsula of Michigan.  A gale warning is issued for the waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron.  It is a celebration of the winter solstice 2018.

There is a hush outside only broken by gusts of wind.  The mournful howl of a coyote sounds from the nearby woods.  Breaths of air in the chill are like puffs of smoke.  Winter Is Here (Greenwillow Books, HarperCollinsPublishers, October 30, 2018) written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek is a companion title to their other books, When Spring Comes and In the Middle of Fall.  It's a lyrical representation of winter's elements with charming illustrations.

Winter is here.
It's everywhere.

Look up and see it drift down.  It lands on houses and their roofs.  Trees, shrubs and grass are dusted in layers.

The wind pushes winter into every nook and cranny.  Sometimes it does all this is silence.  Sometimes it does all this in clear hardness.  At night it shakes your home in fury.

You can't simply walk outside in the presence of winter.  You must don extra clothing from head to toe.  If you decide to stay indoors, winter is there too.  Look around you.  See it on frosty windows and your dog's fur.

Winter changes colors, mixing gray and white and bitter blue in the dead of a zero-degree night.  Winter stays whether it is welcome or not.  Then it surprises us, bowing out to allow a burst of new life.


With polished expertise Kevin Henkes selects words to depict winter.  Winter and snow are synonymous in the first two sentences with a series of seven verbs describing precisely how snow moves and stays.  The pace is slowed when soft and hard are contrasted.  It pauses when winter wear is listed in a zippy sentence.  Each portion of the season is portrayed like a poem within a poem.  Here is a passage.

Winter comes without a sound . . .
and it comes with many.

The wind howls in every language
and the windows rattle.


Rendered in acrylic paints the full-color, delightful, playful and sometimes eloquent artwork begins on the matching and opened dust jacket and book case.  On the front illustrator Laura Dronzek displays with warmhearted realism the complete joy of a dog in fresh, deep falling snow.  The cardinal couple supply vibrant color in this chilly setting.

To the left, on the back, the snowy background continues.  Within a framed circle a snowman sits.  A curious squirrel is perched on his head.

The opening and closing endpapers lead us into winter and into spring.  On the first brightly-hued mittens tumble among snowflakes on a blue background.  A sunny yellow canvas is used to present a pattern of butterflies and purple and pink blossoms on the second set.  The endpaper designs continue on the next and previous pages respectively.  The cardinal pair are perched on a branch above the dedication.

Laura Dronzek alternates between double-page pictures and full page images bordered in large white frames.  For the purpose of enhancing the narrative sometimes several smaller illustrations are grouped on single pages.  These create an illustrative cadence.

Every image is worthy of framing.  The boy and his dog are frequently present as are the cardinals.  Other animals seen in an urban setting are also shown; rabbits and squirrels.  Careful readers will notice one illustration is connected to the next.

One of my many favorite illustrations spans two pages.  We are viewing the scene as if we are standing outside.  On the left a leafless tree extends off the page.  Nearby are several evergreen trees.  As our eyes move to the right, we are close to the boy's home.  Looking in the window we see him petting his dog.  From the second-floor window a white cat looks outside.  Everything is heavily coated in snow as it falls.  Two rabbits, two squirrels and the cardinals are present.


This book, Winter Is Here written by Kevin Henkes with illustrations by Laura Dronzek, is a seasonal gem.  You will most definitely want to use it in a study on winter or the seasons.  It presents all aspects of this time of rest.  I highly recommend this title for both your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Kevin Henkes and his other work, please follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  At the publisher's website there are other resources available.  There is a teaching guide and activities.

You Wonderful You

As we go through life, we are from time to time our worst critics. We forget that goals are guides and not expectations etched in the stone of perfection.  Our possibilities are limited with a negative outlook.

If we embrace everything we do, even if it's not what is planned, there is always a sliver of the desired silver lining.  Rock What Ya Got (Little, Brown and Company, September 25, 2018) written by Samantha Berger (What If . . .) with illustrations by Kerascoet (Malala's Magic Pencil) is a lively look at being satisfied with who you are.  It champions self-acceptance with total joy.

Once upon a

blank piece of paper,

where anything could happen . . .

There was an artist who took a pencil and drew a little girl.  She named her Viva.  As she studied the drawing, the artist felt the drawing could be better.  She lifted her pencil, again, to erase Viva. 

Viva reached out and took that pencil in her hands.  Viva believed she was fine the way she was.  She asked the artist if she could 

rock what I got?

The artist thought maybe the hair was wrong, so she experimented on another page with all kinds of styles and colors.  None of them seemed to be right and Viva had plenty to say.  The artist was still dissatisfied.  It had to be the body that needed changing.

No matter what shape and size she tried on yet another page, none fit Viva.  This gave Viva the perfect opportunity.  She could not stop talking about herself and cheering for all her potential.  This artist was not ready to give up, but neither was Viva.  

When another attempt still left the artist unsure, Viva had a question of her own.  Finding the answer brought back a memory the artist had forgotten.  Together she and Viva started a new once upon a . . .

Taking the familiar and enchanting words used to begin a tale, Samantha Berger attaches new words taking readers into a whole new world of wonder.  Samantha uses repetition masterfully in tying the beginning of the narrative to the end bringing us full circle.  Each time the artist pauses and starts to change Viva, the same three phrases are used supplying us with a cadence inviting participation.  When Viva speaks each of her spirited declarations ends in words that rhyme heightening the happiness of the entire story.  Here is a passage with Viva shouting out with glee.

Everyone has their own special thing---

find what is yours,

and bring what you bring . . .

Find your own voice

and sing how you sing.

Find your own OOMPH!

Find your own ZING!

Mirroring the exuberance of the text the husband and wife team of Kerascoet splashes colorful artwork across the opened dust jacket.  Every line is charged with bliss.  Looking at Viva makes you want to jump for joy too.  The watercolor crosses the spine to the back, framing text.  The text appears to be written in pencil.  The artist's hand is holding a blue pencil beneath it.  The paragraph explains the delight revealed inside the book.

On a white canvas on the book case Viva skips across a field of watercolor and bright sketches.  On the right of the opened case she is carrying the pencil.  It's twice as big as she is but she carries it well.  

The opening and closing endpapers are the inside of an open sketchbook.  The spirals in the center of the sketchbook are placed in the center of the images.  Each one, the opening and closing, are different, depicting possible settings with a variety of flora and buildings.  On the title page Viva is peeking out from the pages of a small, handmade book standing up on the artist's table.  This book holds the title text.  Colored pencils are shown in a cup and on the table.  

To complement the narrative the illustrations rendered in watercolor and colored pencils on Arches paper vary in their perspective bringing us close to the work of the artist, to Viva and the inside of the sketchbook.  Each image spans two pages.  The details bring us directly into the creative process of an artist.  The hand lettering enhances this involvement of Viva with the artist and of us with the entire story.

One of my many favorite illustrations is when the artist is seeking to answer Viva's question.  In this picture, on the right, Viva is kneeling on one of the pages of the open sketchbook on the desk.  Above her, on the right and left, is the illustrator, seated and opening a drawer in her desk.  She is removing the handmade book.  All we see of the illustrator is a portion of her body, arms and hands.  Viva is smiling as she watches.  It is a pivotal point.  

Rock What Ya Got written by the effervescent Samantha Berger with illustrations by the creative team, Kerascoet, is a gem to be shared repeatedly, preferably as a read aloud.  You will want to have plenty of paper and colored pencils handy for readers to enjoy drawing exactly what they want to draw to express what they got.  This one will sing off the shelves.  Be sure to have a copy on your professional and personal bookshelves.

To learn more about Samantha Berger and Kerascoet and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both Samantha and Kerascoet maintain accounts on Instagram.  Samantha has an account on Twitter.

Window Into Winsome

It is defined by Merriam-Webster as attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful or delicate way.  It, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder.  Each person's description of cute is based upon a variety of perceptions.

Jess Keating, writer and zoologist (and illustrator) is a master of educating all who read her books.  Her love of the natural world and the animals dwelling therein shines in every word she writes.  Her third companion title in the series The World Of Weird Animals, Cute As An Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals (Alfred A. Knopf, August 28, 2018) with illustrations by David DeGrand is like taking a walk with her around the world seeking and peeking into the realm of seventeen marvelous animals.

Think you know
CUTE?
Turn the page to see some 
of the world's cutest animals
in a whole new light . . .

Our first stop is Lake Xochimilco in the country of Mexico.  There dwells the precious animal seen on this book's cover, the Axolotl.  This clever creature can repair and regrow damaged limbs.  Unfortunately, they are listed as critically endangered.

As we cross over to Australia, we find the Quokka who appears to be constantly smiling in its furry face.  Beware though, their claws are razor sharp and they find over-eager humans tasty.  Have you ever heard of a Fairy Penguin?  They dwell in New Zealand, Tasmania and Southern Australia.  They are the smallest penguins on our planet at only 12-13 inches high.  These little beings are in trouble too, but guard dogs are protecting them now.  (Isn't this amazing?)

There are moths that as adults don't eat.  These Rosy Maple Moths, with wing spans of between one and one-quarter to two inches depending on the sex, are lush shades of yellow and pink looking like fur.  (They are sometimes found in Michigan, so I am on the lookout.) The only scaled mammal on Earth is called the Pangolin. Their tongue can grow to be longer than their fifteen to twenty-three-inch body length.

There is a frog with a see-through body for spotting its organs, a tiny hippo who prefers the night, a fly that looks like a bee that bees need to avoid, and an eight-inch long squirrel that can glide and hide beautifully.  Parts of Africa are home to the Dik-Dik a small antelope only about sixteen inches tall.  They use their tears and urine to mark their territories.

A mother who buries her young to keep them safe, a teeny reptile that pretends to be wood, and a fox with six-inch ears exist and survive but like all the other animals need protection and prudent conservation to keep their habitats in place.  They need our help.  We need them; they are integral links in the chain of our existence.


No matter how many times you read about these animals each time your respect is renewed.  Jess Keating speaks about these animals as if we are standing next to her in conversation with a valued friend.  And that is the gift Jess Keating brings to her writing; it's brimming with knowledge but completely accessible to all kinds of readers.  She wants us to know what she knows.  She wants us to be good citizens of this planet.

She continues the pattern of information supplied to readers in the first two previous titles.  In the first paragraph she captivates us with facts certain to fascinate us.  In the following paragraph she introduces or extends our information about a specific aspect of the animal.  On the right side we are privy to the name, species name, size, diet, habitat and predators and threats of each animal.  Here is a sample passage.

Nope, it's not a figment of your imagination or a character in a video game.  The Blue Dragon is the real deal, and shares its scientific name with the ancient Greek sea god Glaucus.  This squishy blue nudibranch could sit on your fingertip, but don't touch it!  The blue dragon eats venomous creatures like the Portuguese man-of-war.  But instead of getting sick, it stores their venom in its skin and becomes toxic itself. 


With wit illustrator David DeGrand adds his comic cartoons of each critter.  He focuses on a particular point in the narrative providing an exaggerated viewpoint sure to garner laughter.  The guard dogs for the fairy penguins are wearing sun glasses so the attackers are unaware of where they are looking.  The anemones held by the chelipeds of the pom-pom crab do indeed look like their name, but those anemones are shown chomping on food to clean up the crab's home. The blue dragon is carrying a load of bottles labeled with the universal sign for poison, a skull and crossbones.  One of my favorite illustrations is the bare-hearted glass frog shown standing on a branch, singing for a mate.  We can see its heart and intestines.


If you have not added this title to your professional and personal collections yet, run and get a copy or two or three of Cute As An Axolotl: Discovering the World's Most Adorable Animals written by Jess Keating with illustrations by David DeGrand.  As educational and entertaining as the companion titles, readers will reread this until it has the well-loved look.  Jess includes a discussion called The Science of Cute at the conclusion inviting readers to think and talk about what cute means.  A lengthy glossary of useful words follows.

To discover more about Jess Keating and David DeGrand and their other work, please follow the links attached to their names to access their websites.  Both Jess and David have accounts on Twitter.  On Instagram Jess and David also have accounts.  Jess Keating is interviewed at Booklist.  It is excellent.  At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  Jess stopped by this blog to chat with me about this title and premier the fun book trailer.


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

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like . . #6

On December 19, 1843 the world was introduced to Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.  Scrooge, a penny-pinching, irritable man, over the course of visits by four spirits, his old business partner, Jacob Marley, The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is completely transformed.  For the rest of his life he honors the true meaning of Christmas with generosity.

Dr. Seuss (Theodor Seuss Geisel) published How The Grinch Stole Christmas! in May of 1957.  This creature and his dog, Max, attempt to stop Christmas from coming to the Whos in Whoville.  On Christmas Day from the top of Mt. Crumpit, Grinch is shocked to hear singing instead of sobbing down in Whoville.  They say

that the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day! 

A bear whose grumpiness has made readers laugh in Mother Goose Bruce, Hotel Bruce, and Bruce's Big Move is back in a fourth companion title.  He is as cranky as ever in Santa Claus Bruce (Disney Hyperion, September 4, 2018) written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins.  Will Bruce's peevish personality surrender to seasonal cheer?

Bruce was a bear
who did not like the holidays.

Being a bear, Bruce preferred to slumber through the winter but his acquired family, four geese and three mice, had other ideas.  They wanted to have an old fashioned, shared Christmas.  The house was decorated courtesy of the geese and the mice made an enormous batch of eggnog.  Bruce was not happy about this; not happy at all.

To keep warm (he detested being cold) Bruce wore red, long underwear and a red hat when he was outside.  In a blink of an eye, a young raccoon mistook him for Santa.  Despite Bruce's denials, the youngster left announcing to the woods he had met Santa.  In another blink of an eye, multiple animals were gathered outside Bruce's home.  To his unending sense of dismay, one of the members of his family let everyone inside.

Bruce slumped in a car as critter after critter shared their secret Christmas wishes with him.  To make it worse, the parents arrived to thank Bruce for his. . . er. . . joy with their children.  While Bruce was trying to process yet another case of mistaken identity, Thistle (a mouse) announced

Santa Bruce is going to deliver presents to all of your kids tonight!

Bruce stalked toward his bed.  The mice had other ideas.  For every objection he made, the mice had a solution.  Reluctantly Bruce agreed to go out as Santa Bruce.  His crabby self was getting crabbier with every tug on the "sleigh" he ends up pulling and every complicated delivery.  All Bruce wanted to do as dawn breaks was sleep but he had no such luck.

HONK!


The comedic pacing Ryan T. Higgins supplies readers with his impeccable blend of narrative and conversational commentary by the characters is like opening a gift full of laughter with every page turn.  The other characters are oblivious to Bruce's sulking, gruffness and declarations which continuously heightens the hilarity.  Ryan cleverly and carefully leaves spaces in the text for his illustrations to complete a humorous moment.  Here is a passage.

Tell them I'm not Santa.

Everyone, listen up!
Single file!  No pushing!
Santa Bruce has time
to see all of you!
Who wants cocoa? 


You cannot look at the opened dust jacket, especially the front without laughing.  The contrast between the expression on Bruce's face and the faces of the young animals around him is funnier than funny.  Ryan T. Higgins includes the three mice who continually push Bruce into uncomfortable situations.  Notice the third mouse with the pencil in his hand at the top of the image.

To the left, on the back, a Christmas red provides a canvas for a loosely framed white oval.  One of the geese is walking with the three mice.  Two of them are carrying a large evergreen wreath with a big red bow.  This illustration is varnished as is the sign on the front.  Santa Claus Bruce is in red foil.

The book case, front and back, is one of Bruce's gifts wrapped in green paper with a red bow.  On the far left and far right the paper is ripped.  It reveals the gift.

The opening and closing endpapers are a scene in the woods.  It's serene with Bruce's house on the right.  In the first one, colored Christmas lights outline windows, the roof and door.  A wreath hangs between the front window and the door.  For the closing everything is now dark except for the starry sky.  Smoke still comes out the chimney.

As soon as you see the mice on the title page, you know something wild and wonderful is going to happen.  On the next page (verso) they are dragging a Christmas tree toward Bruce who is standing, arms folded, on the first page.  (The verso background is bright red.)

The illustrations created using scans of treated clayboard for texture, graphite, ink, and Photoshop are on full pages with large areas of white space for framing, full pages, edge to edge, and large double-page pictures, edge to edge.  For purposes of the passage of time, smaller images are grouped three times.  The body postures and facial expressions of the characters send the laughter factor sky high.

One of my many, many favorite illustrations is a close-up of Santa Bruce hunched over in his chair.  He is not happy at all.  The parents have left after the announcement was made that gifts will be delivered.  One of the mice wearing an elf hat is giving the disgruntled bear a thumbs-up.  The other in a baseball cap with hands raised in the air cries out:

It's a Christmas miracle!


Santa Claus Bruce written and illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins is going to be a favorite in any setting, story times in schools and public libraries and for family read aloud gatherings.  You are going to get requests for repeat readings.  You might want to stock up on crackers.  I highly recommend this title for your professional and personal collections.

To learn more about Ryan T. Higgins and his other work, follow the link attached to his name to access his website.  Ryan has accounts on Twitter and Instagram.  At the publisher's website there are several pages of activities.