Happy New Year 2022---One Little Word

Three years ago, in 2019, I began my One Little Word posts.  The One Little Word concept was conceived by Ali Edwards in 2006.  Numerous people select a single word at the beginning of the new year.  This word becomes their focus for the coming year.  Whatever their choice is, this word partners with them throughout the year.

This year, 2022, is no different than the three previous years.  I find myself with books I've read, but not featured on this blog.  Prior to the start of hosting 2022 books on this site, I wish to honor some 2021 books.

I started with fifty-five fiction picture books.  I can usually cut the number to ten books for two blog posts, but this year was much harder.  I have selected twenty-eight books.  I have read and reread these titles, knowing the commitment of their authors and illustrators.  I recognize how these authors and illustrators work and rework their words and art to convey something special to readers.   I think how these books have enriched my life and the lives of other readers especially in a year filled with ups and downs for everyone.  These books, through their marvelous authors and illustrators, give us strength and hope.  For that we are grateful.

As in the past,

for each of these books, to be divided over two posts, I have given them One Little Word.  Links to author, illustrator, and publisher websites (or social media accounts) are included.  Passages from the books are shown.  Short summaries, observations, are given.  The books are listed in order of release date, earliest first. 

If I were choosing a word for this year it would be miracle.  I will be looking for them, small or large, however defined, every day.  Here is the hope miracles find their way into your days for 2022.  

INVENTIVE

The Thingity-Jig (Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.,April 1, 2021) written by Kathleen Doherty with illustrations by Kristyna Litten

At the publisher's website you can view interior images.  There is a teacher's guide and an author Q & A.

One night under the light of a silvery

moon, all of Bear's friends were deep

asleep.

With no desire to sleep, Bear sets out looking for an opportunity to play.  His explorations reveal a Thingity-Jig (an abandoned sofa).  It is much too large for him to move.

No amount of pleading induces his friends to give up their rest, so he returns to the site of his discovery and creates a Rolly-Rumpity.  Each time Bear asks for help, his friends' lack of assistance gets his mind working and he invents a quirky, ingenious mechanism to help him.  At home, at daybreak, his friends change their tune, until Bear shouts out his frustration and promptly falls asleep.

The use of repetition, alliteration, action verbs, and sound effects will have readers joining and enjoying Bear's endeavors.  Highly animated, full-color illustrations complement the text.  The opening and closing endpapers offer readers a contrast between the beginning and marvelous end of the story.  

BIRTH

I Sang You Down From The Moon (Little, Brown And Company, April 6, 2021) written by Tasha Spillett-Summer with illustrations by Michaela Goade

There is an interview with illustrator Michaela Goade about this book on NPR Weekend Edition Sunday.  There is an author's note and an illustrator's note at the conclusion of the book offering explanations of the traditions of Indigenous peoples.  Here is a link to the launch event on May 27, 2021.

I loved you before I met you

Before I held you in my arms,

I sang you down from the stars.

A mother gathers sacred objects from the Earth and makes an additional item to place in a bundle which will belong to her unborn child.  Each object represents the precious connections the child will make with the Earth, her family, and community.  After the child is born, readers are told the child is a sacred bundle, too.  

The lyrical words of the author read like a poetic lullaby, to be read before and after a child is born.  The opening words are spoken again to complete the circle of gathering and giving.  The pictures fashioned by the illustrator are luminescent.  They employ the swoosh element developed by the artist.

The swoosh helps us visualize the connections to land, culture, family, and identity.

POTENTIAL

Even the smallest will grow (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, April 20, 2021) written and illustrated by Lita Judge

At the publisher's website, you can view interior images.  Author Jill Esbaum chats with Lita Judge at Picture Book Builders about this book, her other work, and her creativity.

Tucked beneath a blanket of leaves,

the acorn sleeps until its roots are ready to reach

deep into the earth,

and it begins to grow. . .

just as you,

stretching your toes under warm sheets

and resting your head on a dream-filled pillow,

will grow.

In a reassuring voice, the narrator advises the little girl to have patience.  She is shown how even the smallest, like a tadpole, grows to leap heights.  Comparisons demonstrate her possible choices.

Or will you be a poet

like the seashell that grows in spirals

until his depths hold a secret song?

She is reminded she, like all things in nature, can be anything she desires.  Lush pencil, watercolor and digital illustrations take readers on a journey of imagining as the child dreams.  Her cat is her constant companion.

KIND

Run, Little Chaski!: An Inka Trail Adventure (Barefoot Books, May 1, 2021) written by Mariana Llanos with illustrations by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

The four final pages of the book contain a glossary of Quechua words, information about the Inka, chaskis, khipus, the Inka empire, using Inka or Inca, The Inka Trail, and a few of the animals of South America mentioned in this story.  At the author's website, there is a special post describing twelve more facts about this title.  At the publisher's website you can view interior pictures. There is an interview with the author at Latinxs in Kid Lit.

Little Chaski wakes up before Tayta Inti shines

in the sky.  Little Chaski's stomach twists.  It is his

first day delivering royal messages.  Will he be a 

good messenger?

Brave Chaski, Big Chaski, and Wise Chaski remind him to be strong, swift, and sharp.  Little Chaski is given a message from the Queen to be delivered to the King before the sun sets behind the mountains.  Despite his speed he encounters a chinchilla, an allqu, and a condor.  Each of these events, each time he stops to help the animals, steers him off course.

Dialogue, sound effects and the repetition of a key phrase speed the action as quickly as Little Chaski runs.  Bright, bold, and lively illustrations enhance the text as they feature traditional and historical elements.  Readers will be cheering for Little Chaski as they find themselves participating in the story.

IMMERSE

Have You Ever Seen A Flower? (Chronicle Books, May 4, 2021)written and illustrated by Shawn Harris (his authorial debut)

At the publisher's website, you can see interior illustrations.  At author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, she gives her insights on this title as well as shares other interior pages.

Have you ever seen a flower?

I mean really . . .

seen a flower?

Leaving the city, a girl and her terrior friend find a field of flowers stretching as far as the eye can see.  They explore every inch of what seeing a flower has to offer.  The girl inhales the scent of the flower to see.

She looks inside the depths of a flower, studying every nook and cranny.  She touches the flower.  She IS the flower!  Pencil and colored pencil images in vibrant pastels literally leap off the pages to surround you in this narrative.

FAMILY

When Lola Visits (Katherine Tegen Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, May 18, 2021) written by Michelle Sterling with art by Aaron Asis

At the publisher's website, there are interior images, including the radiant endpapers indicating a shift in the seasons, to enjoy.  At author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast, you can view more images as well as read her thoughts about this book.  At librarian, lecturer at Rutgers, and writer John Schumacher's Watch. Connect. Read., you can savor a chat between the author and John.  The book trailer is here, also.  The author is interviewed about this title at the Asian Journal.

How do I know summer is here?

Summer smells like stone fruit ripening on the kitchen counter

and jasmine on the bloom everywhere in the neighborhood.

So begins a story rich in the culture of the Philippine people and their families living in the United States.  For this girl, summer is full of smells, sensations deeply embedded in her memories.  Summer truly begins and ends with a visit from her grandmother who travels from the Philippines.  

Food, traditional dishes, binds the past to the present.  In turn, the girl takes her grandmother to those spaces important to her in the summer like the pool, tennis court, the beach, and Fourth of July fireworks.  Remarkable imagery made with highly descriptive words and delicate sensory illustrations will have readers recalling their own summers and wishing for its return.

NURTURE

Lala's Words (Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., July 6, 2021) written and illustrated by Gracey Zhang

Gracey Zhang is interviewed at We Need Diverse Books about her author illustrator title, Lala's Words.  Gracey Zhang is featured at Let's Talk Picture Books in a discussion with Mel Schuit.  Gracey Zhang is a guest at Watch. Connect. Read. hosted by librarian, lecturer at Rutgers, and writer, John Schumacher.  They chat about both her story and her art.

Hot, hot, hot.

The sidewalks steamed and the sun hung heavy in the sky.

Everyone was still.

Lala was not.

Lala was on the move.  She was always on the move, despite her mother's admonishments.  Her favorite place to visit was a vacant lot filled with weeds.  She gently spoke to them.

Each day she watered them, encouraging them with her words.  For every rebuke of her mother's, Lala responded with kindness to her plants.  One day, her mother refused to let her leave the house.  From afar Lala spoke to her friends, all day and at night.  How did they reply?  The neighborhood was never the same.  Neither were Lala and her mother.  A limited color palette makes for stunning images.

 

Lala's Words: A Story of Planting Kindness by Gracey Zhang from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.

HEAR

Listen (A Paula Wiseman Book, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, July 13, 2021) written by Gabi Snyder with illustrations by Stephanie Graegin

At the publisher's website, you can view interior images, including the dust jacket in its entirety.  There is a curriculum guide for this book and a guide about using books dealing with feelings and emotions in the classroom.

When you step out into the big, wild world

sometimes all you hear is . . .

NOISE!

The child is asked to pause and separate the noise into separate sounds.  As she hears those individual sounds, she is asked to listen.  More sounds come to her from her neighborhood.  Again, she listens.

As she walks, each sound signifies all the individuals and their activities.  What do they mean?  What do they convey?  Even in quiet, at home and at night, there are soft sounds like the words in your mind.  Readers will have fun looking at the illustrations which mirror all the sounds blended together to make noise.  Careful readers will note special details, especially in the child's classroom.

WORDPLAY

Poultrygeist (Candlewick Press, August 17, 2021) written by Eric Geron with illustrations by Pete Oswald

Available at the publisher's website is a teacher's guide and notes from the author.  At Penguin Random House, you can see the first few pages of the narrative.

What happened?

What readers know, but the chicken does not, is in crossing the road to get to the other side (insert groan amid giggles), the chicken is hit by a big truck.  It is now on the 

OTHER SIDE.

Yes, that other side.

An assortment of five animals, also deceased, convince her of her current status as a poultrygeist.

To this chicken's dismay, the crew says she needs to be scary and mean.  She would rather be like Casper.  In fact, at one point after the scariness of the animals, she asks the readers if they are okay.  When she opens her mouth to object louder, the animals with a simultaneous scream suddenly head for the proverbial hills.  Perfect color selections and appropriately spooky artwork elevate excellent punny text toward the final hilarious wordless two-page picture.

FOOD

Let Me Fix You a Plate: A Tale of Two Kitchens (Neal Porter Books, Holiday House, September 7, 2021) written and illustrated by Elizabeth Lilly

At the publisher's website, there is an educator's guide and an event kit.  At Penguin Random House, there is a view of the fabulous opening endpapers.  At the author illustrator site are more interior images.  Author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's features this book at her Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast.  Many thanks to author Julie Falatko for bringing my attention to this book via a tweet.

Once a year, on a Friday night,

my family leaves the city

and drives for hours and hours . . .

. . . to a mountain in West Virginia.

Beginning in the mountains of West Virginia, the first person narrative describes their paternal grandparents, Mawmaw and Pawpaw, their kitchen, and the food prepared.  We are privy to the personalities of these grandparents through the descriptions of the surroundings inside and outside their home.  Three days later, another journey far to the south takes place.

Here, we are introduced to Abuela and Abuelo, the children's maternal grandparents, living in Florida.  Amid a large gathering of relatives, Spanish words swirling in the air, food is enjoyed and conversations abound.  Again, the inside and outside of the home is a reflection of the lifestyle of these grandparents.  Three days later, the parents and their three children head toward home, a home where two cultures are blended into one.  The writing paints vivid pictures of place and time as surely as the intricate and colorful images made with

pen-and-ink, colored pencil, and illustration markers.

DREAM

Hello, Star (Little, Brown and Company, September 21, 2021) written by Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic with art by Vashti Harrison

At the publisher's website, they have a three-page Teaching Tips guide. Author and librarian Elizabeth Bird interviews Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic about this title on her site, School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production.  Stephanie V. W. Lucianovic visits with librarian, lecturer at Rutgers, and writer John Schumacher about this title on his site, Watch. Connect. Read.

One winter night, a light shone in the dark sky, brighter

than any other star, brighter than any planet.

Far, far away, a girl who was young and new and bright

and strong was curious about the light.

After an explanation by her mother about the star, the little girl looked toward it

and whispered, "Hello,

Star.  I know you are scared, but you're not alone."

This quiet, gentle soul started a life-long learning about stars.  Library books were read to her and by her.  As a young adult, her college education revolved around the study of stars.  She finally decided she needed to get nearer to her star.

Her course of study and actions changed.  She was training for space travel.  She became an expert.  When her spacecraft took her to the Moon, she was now closer to her bright friend, a friend whose life was ending.  Never alone.  A poetic narrative is complemented by equally poetic art alluding to night skies, stars, space, and dreams coming true.

PERSPECTIVE

Time Is A Flower (Tundra Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, September 21, 2021) written and illustrated by Julie Morstad

At the publisher's website, you get a peek at the dedication and title pages.  At author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson's Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast this title is showcased with multiple interior images.

Time is the tick tick tock

of the

clock

and

numbers and words

on a calendar.

White space and dark space are strong elements with a limited but intentional choice of hues in this volume dedicated to showing all the fantastic measures of time.  Time is a seed, a blooming blossom, and a wilted flower with a scatter of petals beneath a naked stem.  Can time be measured by how we grow compared to the growth of a tree?

Can a mountain become a pebble?  Somewhere time is night and someplace else time is daylight.  Time is light and shadow,   Why does time seem to stall and then move quickly?  As each relevant example is proposed, we see the fluidity of defining time until the final sentence is guaranteed to make every reader smile.

PERSPECTIVE #2

It Fell From The Sky (Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, September 28, 2021) written by illustrated by The Fan Brothers (Terry Fan and Eric Fan)

At the publisher's website, you can view multiple interior illustrations including the entire dust jacket.  They also have a set of activity pages.  At the brothers' website there are also interior images.  The brothers are interviewed about this book at School Library Journal, A Fuse #8 Production by Elizabeth Bird, author and librarian, We Need Diverse Books, and JeanBookNerd.  The cover was revealed at Publishers Weekly with an interview with the brothers.

It fell from the sky on a Thursday.

It lay among the flowers and weeds as a bee buzzed nearby, a ball of brightness in a gray-toned world created by 

graphite and colored digitally.

During the day, a gathering of insects ventured their opinions on what it was and from where it came.  At night, the Luna Moth believed it was a chrysalis imbued with magic.  The next morning a wily spider claimed the object to be his.  For some reason, the ball was now surrounded by his web.  Was it there before?

Riches were gained by Spider after the building of WonderVille around the ball.  Crowds attended the grand space until one day, it was empty.  And then, the unimaginable happened.  A five-legged creature removed the object.  There was only one thing left Spider could do.  

EMBRACE

A Hundred Thousand Welcomes (Greenwillow Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, October 12, 2021) written by Mary Lee Donovan with illustrations by Lian Cho

At the publisher's website, there is a ten-page classroom kit titled Picture This: Home and Community.  It includes this title along with three other books.  Author, reviewer, and blogger Julie Danielson interviews artist Lian Cho at her Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast about this title.  I am grateful to her for introducing me to this book through that post.  At the end of the book is an author's note, an artist's note, and a pronunciation note.  There are selected sources and a list of books for further reading.

Welcome, friend.

Welcome.

Dear neighbor, come in.

On the opening pages, author Mary Leen Donovan explains the narrative is written as a poem.  Within this poem are many translations of the English word welcome.  Pronunciations are woven into the illustrations.  She further notes in the introduction:

The call to welcome the stranger and to offer peace and refuge---aman---to those in danger is deeply rooted in ancient traditions and in all major religions.

In the beautiful depictions by the artist, the words of the author are presented in realistic portraits of situations and events encountered by many.  Shelter is given in a storm and bread is offered.  Greetings are exchanged in cultures around the world.  There is acceptance and honor and light.  People believe their home is to be open to others who need a home.  People value the stories of others as much as their own.  A splendid four-page gatefold highlights the conclusion.

Links to previous One Little Words Posts are 2019, 2020, 2020 #2, 2021, and 2021 #2.  These are for fiction picture books.

Sweet Dreams #2

For some reason, the move from daylight savings to standard time has been a struggle in 2021 (and 2022) for some individuals.  It seems the canine community, in this home and in the households of neighbors, is refusing the necessary adjustment.  Waking, walking, eating of meals, and sleeping remain on daylight savings hours.  This makes their humans' schedules a tad bit off every single day.  

This situation, coupled with my dog's acute awareness when a deer, fox, or rabbit happens to be nearby, has diminished our actual time of rest.  There is nothing like a dog's loud barking to make you sit upright out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night. . .or is there?  After reading Everybody In The Red Brick Building (Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, October 12, 2021) written by Anne Wynter with illustrations by Oge Mora, it is apparent we are not alone. Uninterrupted bedtime rest is not necessarily the norm. 

Everybody in the red brick building was asleep.

The slumber of the people in the red brick building was suddenly disturbed by a loud vocal outburst by Baby Izzie.  It did not go unnoticed by Rayhan.  He was decidedly worried about his parrot. The startled bird let out a boisterous screech.

Those two unusual noises instigated a late night game by three pals during a sleepover.  (Did Natalia just shoot a rocket out her bedroom window?)  In short order, a cat made a mad dash from her sleeping space to the top of a car.  This action triggered the car's alarm.

Parental responses were swift.  The participants in these nighttime romps began to settle to a new set of sounds.  A street sweeper and falling acorns combined to begin a symphony.

A breeze created another melody.  A dozing feathered friend added harmony.  Like the very best of stories, this one circled back to the beginning.  

Author Anne Wynter writes with the sure knowledge of a storyteller.  Each time a new character is introduced, a clamorous noise is associated with them.  This noise is repeated with the additional commotions, adding layers and building toward the loudest sound, the car alarm in the street.  This technique is employed again as we circle back to the beginning.  Readers cannot help but participate in this late night awakening and lullaby.  Here is a passage.

Woken up by a WaaaAAH!,

a Rrack! Wake Up!,

and a Pitter patter STOMP!,

Natalia dropped from her bunk to

launch her brand-new light-up rocket.

As soon as you look at the matching dust jacket and book case, you wish you lived in the red brick building.  The entire image spans from flap edge to flap edge on the jacket and edge to edge on the case. The characters in the windows on the front, right, of the jacket and case are lively.  The hint of nighttime sky we view on the front extends across the back, left, in brush strokes of shades of blue.  Beneath this expanse, colorful homes line the bottom, windows dark.  The text on the front of the jacket is varnished.

A pale turquoise covers the opening and closing endpapers.  The night sky is the background for the title, publication information, and dedication pages.  In this night sky, stars leave white-line trails behind them.

Artist Oge Mora 

used acrylic paint, gouache, china markers, patterned paper pastels, and old book clippings to create the collage illustrations for this book.

The selected colors reflect the more subdued lighting of nighttime, yet they are still a vibrant blend of hues. Each double-page picture calls out to the reader, asking them to stop and notice the detailed depictions.

The facial expressions on the characters convey each mood superbly.  We see upset, worry, glee, triumph, and fright before calm settles over each individual.  Closed eyes and whispered conversations signal calm.  For most of the images, we are close to the actions of the characters.  Sometimes a group of smaller insets are on a double page spread to indict the quick passage of time and shift in events.

One of my many favorite illustrations shows readers four windows in the red brick building.  The first four windows, on the left, give us a peek inside the homes where the parents have intervened.  This is a huge shift in the progression of the action.  The parrot squawks a goodnight, a father clicks off a flashlight, a mother comforts a fussy baby, and a girl reclaims her rocket as her mother presses the off button on her car alarm.  The next set of four windows on the right are dark.  The lights are off, but we can still see elements from the earlier pictures.  Wonderful.

In a universal sense and on an everyday level this title, Everybody In The Red Brick Building written by Anne Wynter with illustrations by Oge Mora, allows us to see that the world or our home, family, or friends send disruptions to what we consider normal.  And, despite those disruptions, peace is restored.  I highly recommend this title for both your personal and professional collections.

To learn more about Anne Wynter and Oge Mora and their other work, please follow the link attached to their names to access their websites.  Anne Wynter has accounts on Facebook and Instagram.  Oge Mora has accounts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.  At the publisher's website there is a Home and Community Classroom Kit which includes this title and three other books.  Anne Wynter is interviewed at Picture Book Builders and Kidlit in Color with respect to this title. This book is showcased at We Need Diverse Books with an interview of Oge Mora.

Sometimes, thankfully not every time, something unforeseen or annoying can keep us from falling into much needed sleep.  A branch rubbing against your window by a shift in the wind's direction is bothersome.  You make a mental note to trim it as soon as morning arrives.  In Awake (Roaring Brook Press, October 19, 2021) written and illustrated by Mags Deroma something unforeseen happens to a little girl and her furry friend, Oscar. Something usually not in her bedroom has taken up residence.

In a big, big city, on a busy city street, there is a pretty tall

building.  At the tipity-top of that tall building is my bedroom.

Just before turning out her light, a very sleepy girl and her dog are suddenly not so sleepy.  The girl notices a spider.  It's surprising how you can go from dead tired to eyes-wide-open awake in a flash.

Sleep is impossible when you share your room with a spider.  There is nothing available to end its life.  It cannot be thought away.

Still, the girl persists in imagining all manner of options to rid her room of that spider.  Her schemes, in her mind, grow larger and larger.  Wait!  The spider is moving.

Quick as a wink, the glass on her nightstand is grabbed and encloses the unwelcome guest.  It is then, on closer examination, a change occurs.  With understanding, fear leaves and is replaced with compassion.

With the protagonist as narrator, author Mags Deroma encourages readers to identify deeply with the little girl.  The words in her sentences fashion a welcoming cadence.  Her descriptions of place and time are those easily identified by many of us.  Here is a passage.

I know!  The WATER SPOUT!

Just like the RAIN,

I'll WASH the spider out!

But

then out comes

the sun . . .

and dries up 

all the rain . . .

and that big hairy

spider CANNOT come 

up the spout again,

thank you very much!

The limited color palette used throughout the book is introduced to readers on the dust jacket.  These muted shades lend a warmth to the darkness of night.  The use of red here and in the interior portions of the book is highly effective.  On the front, both the little girl and Oscar, her dog, have their gaze on the intruder.  The placement of the text, spider and the characters is marvelous!

To the left of the spine, which replicates the red-and-white stripe of the little girl's pajamas, is a sky dotted with stars surrounding the tall building.  In the front and to the right side of this building, street lamps glow.  The only other light we see is from the arched window of the little girl's bedroom.  She is petting Oscar.

The book case is entirely black with one exception.  On the front are only two very large eyes.  They are the eyes of the spider.

On the opening endpapers amid what could be a horizon at dawn or dusk are lines of hues of orange.  On the right side in a column are phrases to ponder.  The word OPEN is used three times.  It is followed by symbols of eyes, mind, and heart.  The final three words say:

TO BE AWAKE.

On the closing endpapers amid a starry sky are seven cut-out pieces of paper.  They advise readers on how

TO RELOCATE a SURPRISE GUEST.

Readers are instructed on the necessary materials, giving the guest a name, 

(TAKE A

DEEEEEEP

BREATH!), 

and the step-by-step process.  

On the title page, on the right side we are close to the little girl as she brushes her teeth before bedtime.  Through the doorway we see Oscar, nose to the floor, next to the spider.  On the left side, the verso, on black is the dedication and publication information.  The publication information is in the shape of a spider web done in white.  Clever.

These illustrations by Mags Deroma were

made with paint and soft pastels on a gazillion pieces of cut paper, all collaged together.

Each picture is full of details, asking us to absorb the atmosphere in each scene.  Some are more highly charged emotionally than others.  There are double-page illustrations and single-page visuals.  Sometimes we are brought close to the action and other times we stand back to view the city, the little girl's bedroom, or all her ideas for eliminating the spider. 

At one point we are slightly above the capture of the spider.  All we see is the little girl's arms and hands on the glass over the spider.  There is the top portion of her head.  And a bit of her emotionally charged movement flickering in the lower, right-hand corner.  A single word is on this two-page illustration.  This, in turn, opens to a gatefold, four pages of a spectacular view of the city.  There are layers of buildings, bridges, and a city street shimmering with lights.  On the street directly in front of the tall building, the little girl's home, we can see the names of the businesses.  Along the bottom of the page is the window sill of the bedroom.  The spider peeks out through the glass.  On the right side, in the corner, is a spider web.  (Earlier in the story, careful readers will notice Oscar as he tries to give a specific book to his little girl.)

One of my many favorite illustrations accompanies the third sentence in the book.  It is the second double-page picture.  On the left, the little girl is kneeling on her bed, wearing her pajamas, ready to pull the chain on her bedside lamp sitting on her nightstand.  Oscar is lying on the wood plank floor, with his eyes closed.  Around her bed are several books and a round bin holding treasures.  Other items are hanging on her wall.  They seem to indicate her sense of adventure and imagination.  On the right is the wall with two arched windows in her bedroom.  We can see a small section of an easy chair.

There is nothing more off-setting than discovering you are sharing your bedroom with a creature not to your liking.  Awake written and illustrated by Mags Deroma describes this event to perfection as well as taking us through the thought process of the little girl as she tries to resolve her problem.  That she shares this experience with Oscar makes her and her story more endearing to readers.  This book will promote discussions galore and will be asked to be read often.  Plan on placing a copy on your personal and professional bookshelves.

To learn more about Mags Deroma and her other work (This is her picture book debut.), please follow the link attached to her name to access her website.  Mags Deroma has accounts on Instagram and Twitter. At the publisher's website, you can view interior illustrations.  

Awake by Mags DeRoma from Let's Talk Picture Books on Vimeo.

Every babysitter, sibling, parent or caregiver is aware of the myriad of challenges faced when shaping children into a bedtime ritual.  Having them follow that ritual is an even harder challenge.  Just when you think everyone is starting to snooze, there will be the sound of bare feet on floors or giggles or the classic asking for a drink of water.  Forty Winks: A Bedtime Adventure (Abrams Books for Young Readers, October 26, 2021) written by Kelly DiPucchio with pictures by Lita Judge is a lovable, engaging and humorous view of patient parents and their thirty-eight mouse children settling down to sleep.

"It's time for bed!" the Wink parents said

Their routine was the same every night.

Mama and Papa lined up their big brood,

all thirty-eight children in sight. 

Each child is called by name, thirty-eight alliterative, rhyming names.  First, the entire crew enjoys a drink and two kinds of snacks.  They eat at different speeds and with different styles.  From there, as you can imagine the mess, they head to pails full of suds for their nightly baths.

Now spotless from head to toe, they dress in cozy flannel pajamas.  Brushing of teeth ensues, two mice at a time at the sink.  Mama reads each of the Winks a book.  (Whew!)  Of course, they want one more.  

Prayers are said as they snuggle into bed, some more quickly and quietly than others.  As a whole they are restless, not ready to rest.  Some moments later, Mama and Papa believe they are all slumbering when someone asks for a drink of water.

How many of the Winks do you think then need a drink?  Later, much later, as they burrow into their bedding, all forty of the family of Winks fall sound asleep.  Outside their home, sunlight brightens the horizon, until . . .

By the time you get to the third page in this narrative by Kelly DiPucchio, you find yourself smiling.  That smile stays with you until the end of the book, and then, a little bit longer.  The rhyming rhythm of the words, especially the thirty-eight names mentioned twice, wraps around you and lifts you up.  Alliteration is in abundance.  Here is a passage.

The loud, hungry pack was served up a snack

of cider and crumb cake and cheese.

Some sipped and some slurped,

some gobbled and burped,

while others said "thank you" and "please".

From left to right on the open dust jacket, artist Lita Judge, has featured all forty of the Winks.  They are all in their pajamas . . . well, most of them are.  Some are wearing fuzzy slippers.  Their antics are hilarious as you can see by the front of the dust jacket.  A couple of them are already asleep.  Having them climbing among the title text mirrors their energy throughout the bedtime routine.  The text and the mice are varnished.

On the book case, an interior illustration is used. We are looking down on most of the sleeping Wink mice.  Continuing in full-color, we see them nestled in beds, single, double, and bunk, a large stuffed turtle pillow, a toy airplane, cars from a train, and in the basket of a floating air balloon.  A circus tent is there for them to play and sleep inside.  Slippers, toys and some stuffed toy animals are on the floor.  Many of them are holding stuffed toy animals or each other.  Some of their artwork hangs on a string stretching across the round window.

On the opening and closing endpapers all forty Winks are showcased in portraits.  The frames around them are pale yellow.  They are a fantastic complement to the watercolor washed sky-blue background.

On the verso and title pages, the entire family is spread along the bottom with the exception of several mice in the airplane, balloon basket, and climbing down a ladder from the balloon.  They are, as is to be expected, highly animated and happy.  These illustrations in a variety of sizes

were made with pencil and watercolor.

The physical characteristics of the mice are realistic as Lita Judge nursed a baby mouse left on her doorstep, by a concerned neighbor, back to health.  Their facial expressions conveying their moods and their body postures depicting total exuberance are certain to have readers stopping to be sure not to miss a single intricate element.  Every line made and every color chosen work together beautifully.

One of my many favorite illustrations is a single-page picture.  Ten of the Wink youngsters are gathered around a table, devouring their snacks of cider, crumb cakes, and cheese.  Most are seated on stools, one is on the floor, and another is standing on a stack of books on a chair.  A blue cupboard is behind them to the right.  Something has spilled on the floor.  One of the little mice, walking off the page to the right, has stepped in it and leaves footprints.  Readers will pause to look at their clothing.  One of them is wearing an outfit that looks like a tiny bear cub. 

 

This book, Forty Winks written by Kelly DiPucchio with pictures by Lita Judge, is assuredly an enchanting extension of the title's definition.  It presents an everyday event multiplied by thirty-eight.  It is a read aloud treasure.  I wonder how many of the names you will remember when asked to list them at the end.  Your collections, personal and professional, won't be complete without a copy of this title.

To learn more about Kelly DiPucchio and Lita Judge and their other work, please access their websites by following the link attached to their names.  Kelly DiPucchio has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.  Lita Judge has accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter.  At the publisher's website you can view interior illustrations.  There is an article about this book in The Oakland Press (Michigan).

For the first post in this series, Sweet Dreams, here is the link.