Bright Star

Bright Star by Yuyi Morales (Neal Porter Books, 2021) is not the kind of book I typically review. Is it too abstract for young readers?  But after two readings and especially reading the author’s note in the back which explains eleven reasons why she wrote the book, I fell in love with what this book represents for the author, and since I agree with her motivations for writing it, I decided to review it.

With beautiful illustrations, the story follows a newborn fawn as it learns from its mother how to stay safe and that it is loved. But then, right in the middle there is an abrupt change to the general tranquility of the fawn’s life and we see her at a wall. The wall at the borderlands between Mexico and the United States. The author then invites the reader to imagine a better world where we are bright stars, safe and loved.

Because I think the book is best understood by including all the reasons Yuyi Morales wrote it, I think this book is best shared with older elementary students. Making the connection between Morales’ passion for better immigration policy – and no walls! – and the product of her book can give a powerful message to a way that one person can influence others in the hopes of making the world a better place. In fact, this book would be a wonderful mentor resource in middle or high school classrooms by working backward from a passion/desire for change and creating a book to depict that passion just as Morales did.

Bright Star packs a lot of heavy content into a beautiful book (especially if you read the author’s note) and leaves us with a message of hope. Not an easy feat at all.

Behold the Octopus!

I thought I knew a fair bit about the octopus, but that was before I read Behold the Octopus! by Suzanne Slade and illustrated by Thomas Gonzalez (Peachtree Publishing 2023). The book is designed with a layered text format. Bigger, simpler text is on the left-facing page and smaller, detailed text that further explains the smaller text is on the right-facing page. A layered text allows for different ways to read the book and for different age readers to enjoy the book.

Behold the Octopus! covers the basics, but then with examples gives us a picture of the incredible diversity of octopus species. One, as small as a golf ball has enough toxin to kill a human. One that can modify its appearance (I knew about changing colors) and behavior to mimic other animals such as a flatfish or a sea snake. Woah! I knew about inky escapes, but not about a deep-sea octopus that traded sticky suckers for small lights or the one that can leave the water and walk on land. Incredible!

The illustrations were created with pastel, colored pencils, and airbrush. They are as amazing as the chosen species to profile in the book, leaving the reader with a sense of awe about this mysterious creature usually hidden from us. If your young reader is at all interested in animals or oceans, I highly recommend this book. And if animals and oceans aren’t their thing, I might still give it a try – it’s a pleasant and informative journey into the octopus world.

Big Red Lollipop

When I taught elementary school and the question of fairness came up, I tried to explain that fairness does not necessarily mean treating everyone the same. For example, I need glasses to see and if everyone was the same, perhaps I would not get glasses. That would not be fair to me. I admit it is not the best example, but students understood and could transfer the example to ones where a student gets special help or some students got a gift or a coat before school let out for the winter holidays. Fairness is about everyone getting what they need to thrive.

In Big Red Lollipop by Rukhsana Khan and illustrated by Sophie Blackwell (Viking, 2010) we encounter a much better example of how fairness is not about treating everyone the same in the story of three sisters. The oldest girl (and narrator) is invited to a birthday party and her mother insists she take her younger sister (the middle child, Sana). The narrator has a horrible time because Sana spoils everything, including her big red lollipop party favor. Young readers will enjoy the illustrations depicting the chaos and certainly relate to the narrator’s frustrations.

Years go by and there are no more birthday invitations for the narrator. One day, though is her chance to ‘get back’ indirectly when Sana gets an invitation and their mother insists that Sana takes the youngest child Maryam. But what happens is surprising and refreshing and what makes Big Red Lollipop an important book about fairness. Of course, I want you to read it for yourself, so I will not spoil the ending. It does not involve a big red lollipop but it is just as sweet.

No Greens and Pinks

Our time in Finland was full of cloudy skies so we were not treated to green and pink curtains of solar particles shimmering in the skies. While that would have been icing on the cake, we had a wonderful trip and I got a needed fill of snow, northern latitude landscapes, new experiences and interesting people.

Helsinki was vibrant, depite the cold and rain. A very walkable city with lots of modernista architecture. We had great meals and visited several museums, and Suomenlinna, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which needed a short ferry trip though 8-inch think ice floes. All interesting, but the reason for the trip was the Northern Lights Village in Levi, and it did not disappoint.

Dog sledding was my favorite planned activity, but what I most liked is just being in all that snow. Walking alone on the paths and listening to the quiet, marveling at how one survives in this kind of climate. One step off any path finds you up to your hips, which is comical and awkward to extract from if there is no one to pull you out. Early explorers and nomadic peoples stamina and grit to have survived winters here amazes me. Oh, and all our guides said our 22-32 F weather was ‘warm’.

Time travel back to Virginia was a long, tiring day. As I write this, four days back, I seem to be stuck (time-wise) somewhere over the Atlantic that is three hours ahead of us. But I have been outside in our spring weather prepping the garden every day and I figure I will adjust by the end of the week. While I miss the snow, I am really excited about this year’s growing season, dreaming of fresh tomatoes and beans and lots of afternoons canning summer for next winter. And, the frogs are back!

Northern Lights

I have been fascinated with the Northern Lights ever since reading Balto with my daughter when she was young. I saw them for the first time in February 2023 on a trip to Tromsø, Norway. I would love to see them just on chance some time – an in the right place at the right time kind of situation. But I also love trying new things and so we are headed to Finland to try again. This time we will learn how to snowshoe, ice fish, and dog sled while we look for the lights. And, we get to sleep in glass igloos! I know though, that it all depends on a really dark night with no clouds, and some good solar flares. We’ll have three chances to get lucky.

A basic book for young readers to introduce the phenomenon is Northern Lights by Martha E.H. Rustad (Capstone Press, 2018). Simply explained and beautifully illustrated, it makes for a good starting point in learning about auroras.

I will let you know how the trip went. We will have just returned when you read this.

Update and Goals

Update and Goals

I cannot believe it is mid-February already. I remember everyone saying they could not wait to get back to normal during covid, and certainly I understand what was meant. But I also liked the slower pace – after of course, getting past the initial panic. That slower pace is what allowed my painting to grow in leaps and bounds, and led to my first art shows and sales. One in June at Ecco Addesso and one in December at Rockbridge Baths Fire Hall. The latter one was very successful, and I am inspired to create another set of note cards for this year.

Speaking of covid, I had it in late January. My first time ever. I thought I was special, but those sneaky viruses know better. It was milder than the head cold I had last March, so I am fine and just dealing with some lingering congestion. I never even developed a cough.

A few weeks ago, I led a three-day writing workshop at Natural Bridge Elementary School for the 3^rd graders. I was invited by the librarian – had not sought it out – so it was nice to be asked and paid for an event. I enjoyed being back with children and seeing how they think. It was only an hour a day, but it wore me out. That is because of being post-covid and not being older and rusty in the classroom; at least that is what I am telling myself.

We have done and will do much traveling with my husband’s phased retirement. That travel is always fun and inspiring, but means that flow is often disrupted. I am not bad at working in the margins of my day, but it is so much easier once I am in the throes of a new project. I wanted January to figure out what that would be for this year and to get deep enough in that I could work in the margins the rest of the year. Somehow that has not happened yet, but I am feeling ok with it. I am trying to make the most of each day and not set so many goals that I cannot enjoy those days. But if I am honest, part of the reason that I am not in the throes of a new project yet is that I am frozen. Not the same as being stuck; I know what I want to do, but I am afraid to proceed. Or rather, I just am not sure how to proceed. I need a lot more practice with drawing and painting people for this next book. Well, I need a lot more practice in all areas of illustration, but for now I am practicing people. Here are two portraits I have done recently.

I am very pleased with how they turned out. The problem is how to get a whole scene that is in my head, not in a photo, onto the page. Once I can do that, I know I can paint it. I’ll get there eventually.

Many of you readers have been supportive and encouraging to me over the years. I really appreciate this support. I do intend to create another book this year. I look forward to telling you all about it whenever it starts flowing.

Jumper: A Day in the Life

We do not tend to think of spiders as jumping much, but if you are a jumping spider your life depends on it. Jessica Lanan brilliantly takes us on a journey to understand the world of the jumping spider in her book Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider (Roaring Brook Press, 2023). Her book is exactly the kind of book I appreciate and want to share because it so aligns with my desire to have young readers understand, appreciate, and respect the natural world around them.

Comparing a jumping spider’s movement and sensory adaptations to humans using a young girl character we get to imagine being small, moving with the help of silk threads, jumping five times our body length, sensing vibrations and more. Lanan elegantly and clearly takes us into the tiny world of the jumping spider. The book itself is awe inspiring in its depiction of what and how this small creature survives, but then there is also a lot of backmatter. Older readers and adults can delve into more detail about the jumping spider’s vision and hearing, about their silk fiber, the tufts of hair on their feet, and how they jump. Then there’s a second spread of backmatter that goes over anatomy, life cycle, and courtship. And, there’s a third page (I love backmatter). The last page has a glossary and series of tips for finding and identifying spiders as well as some resources.

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider is a lovely book that I think is well worth reading. In the end (I hope) young readers appreciate the spider’s place in our habitats and maybe, just maybe fall a teeny bit in love with Jumper.

Too Tall Houses

Gianna Marino’s beautifully illustrated book Too Tall Houses (Viking 2012) tells the story of Rabbit and Owl who are neighbors and good friends. But one day their harmony goes awry and what unfolds and eventually falls down is the result of unhealthy competitiveness. Young readers will enjoy their antics to compete because they are extreme and ridiculous. I think the ability to laugh at Rabbit and Owl’s foolishness will allow children to see the underlying problem and solution clearly.

This is another good book to promote a conversation with a young reader and their adult about parallel examples in their own lives and the best way to handle them. Repeat readings can be enhance these conversations because of the wonderful details in the illustrations. What is that look in Rabbit’s eye? What does it mean? Have you ever felt the same? There was a time when I…

Too Tall Houses is one of those books whose simple story belies a deeper and important message. The kind of books I call brilliant. And, the ending is super sweet. I hope you will check it out.

I am Stuck

I hope your New Year has begun well and calmly. The beginning of a new year is a terrible time to feel stuck, but the feeling can happen to all of us no matter when in the year.  And for children, feeling stuck can be a difficult condition to navigate if it is a new experience for them or if solutions have never been modeled for them. That is why the book I am Stuck by Julia Mills (Clarion Books, 2023) is a great way to start the new year. It provides a silly story with a deeper meaning and some ways for children to cope when they are feeling stuck. Us adults can learn from it too.

In the story turtle is literally stuck. He is upside down and cannot seem to get back up. Several characters come by and offer advice, but no one sticks around. Their advice all comes from their own perspectives and none seem to really listen to turtle. Until possum comes around. Possum asks questions about how turtle is feeling, but most importantly he hangs around. I will not spoil the silly way that turtle gets unstuck, but I am pretty sure young readers will get a good laugh at how it happens.

The last page offers three simple suggestions anyone can try when they feel stuck. This book is a great starting point for adults to broach the subject if their young reader often has trouble with getting ‘unstuck.’ I found myself wondering what I do. Changing my activity from whatever is frustrating me is key and walking almost always works. Adults and children could share what works for them and make suggestions beyond the ones in the book. I am Stuck is literally and figuratively a great read. I hope you will check it out.

BATS

I picked up Amazing Animals: BATS by Kate Riggs (Creative Education, 2020) at the library the other week because just a few days before we had our own bat encounter. This has happened twice in our (gulp) 22 years here, but always in February. This time I wonder if it was because of the fire smoke we were experiencing from the Matt’s Creek fire at the time. We were reading in the living room when I sensed a shadow swoop by and looked up to see a bat had landed on the door to the back staircase. I have hand-fed bats years ago when I worked at a wildlife rehabilitation center during our time in Princeton, NJ. But I knew it was not wise to try to catch this guy or gal. He or she was very cute though.

The book BATS is very nicely done. I love the cover! The large text and gorgeous close-up illustrations are engaging and perfect for young readers. Shorter than most 32-page picture books, it manages to pack in a lot of information in its 24 pages. And, it is structured in a way that is different than other books on bats. Using terms I had not heard before – microbats and megabats – much of the text compares the two kinds. For example, microbats eat insects and megabats pollinate and spread fruit seeds because they eat fruit.

The very last page surprised me. It told a bat tale – an origin story about bats based on a culture which was not named. These tales have their place but I was surprised to find it in a science book. I wish it had been prefaced to tell what such tales are or were. Even better would have been a comparison with the evolution of bats as the only flying mammal. Nonetheless, I would recommend this book for your young reader. Knowledge is power and such knowledge helps dispel fear that many people have about bats.

How did our bat fare? We closed all doors to the upstairs. Propped open the closest outside door. We retreated to the library to watch a show and when we checked an hour later, he was gone. We are lucky to have so many doors in our house!