This Picture Book Life

if you want to see a whale + live with one

03.25.2014

Words by Julie Fogliano, pictures by Erin E. Stead.

Last fall I went to see illustrator Erin Stead and her husband Philip Stead at a Vroman’s Bookstore storytime. It was mostly kids, as you’d expect. I met a little girl named Eloise while we were both in line to have our books signed. She was in love with the book about whales. She likes whales, you see. She even saw one from far away once and it sprouted water as a whale will do. Eloise, my friends, has very good taste.

“if you want to see a whale

you will need a window”

This book is exquisite. It’s deep and beautiful and quiet and calming and patient. Like a whale. Like the ocean. Like this little boy’s imagination.

“if you want to see a whale

you’ll have to just ignore the roses

and all their pink

and all their sweet

and all their wild and their waving”

And the prose. Oh the prose! It’s poetry. I honestly feel calmer just typing those words and looking at these pictures.

“if you want to see a whale

be careful not to notice

something inching, small and green

across the left, just nibble scoot

because things that are small than most small things

can’t be as giant as a whale”

It’s hard to give any facts about this book. It’s not that kind of book. I can tell you that Julie Fogliano and Erin Stead made a previous book together, And Then It’s Spring. I can also tell you Stead created the illustrations using linoleum block prints and pencil. And I can tell you it’s worth reading and experiencing. Just as seeing that whale was worth it for Eloise.

Oh yes, let’s not forget that

glorious humpback whale on

the back cover!

Thanks to Erin Stead for the interior images!

/ / / / / / /

While I’ve seen dolphins and seals, I’ve never had the enormous experience of seeing a whale. (Just look at some of the photos of humpbacks on pinterest!) So for those of us who haven’t, here are whales you could see every day, bringing some of their magic, serenity, and grace inside.

(Also, 100 Scope Notes has just declared 2014 Year of the Whale in children’s books, so this post is apropos.)

If you want to make your own gorgeous humpback , here’s how with Valaan Villapaita’s DIY Denim Whale tutorial.

Or a cutie pie paper origami whale.

This wooden whale box! (With thanks to Small for Big.)

And I sort of adore this sweet whale ring too.

If you want to see a whale, you could also head to one of the five best places to catch a glimpse in North America. Or around the world. (A girl can dream, right?!)

picture books on shadows

picture books for pairing

03.20.2014

THE PAIR:

The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers

Hans and Matilda by Yokococo.

The Black Rabbit is a hilarious shadow story, and I’m not giving much away by saying that.

Clever kids will quickly figure out who’s really following that little white rabbit, but it’ still fun to see him finally figure it out.

I love, too, that the once foreboding black rabbit is actually benevolent and helpful when white rabbit is in trouble. It’s like we need those shadow selves; at times they come in handy!

Hans and Matilda is a shadow story as well, but in a different way.

Matilda was a good little cat; Hans was a naughty little cat.

“They were SO different!”

And they were different, like night and day really. But the thing is, and I don’t want to completely give it away, but I’m going to . . . [SPOILER ALERT]:

Hans and Matilda are the same cat! I love how this speaks to the different facets of ourselves and I think it’s something children can really relate to: being so good sometimes and so naughty sometimes but still being the same person. (Adults are sure to appreciate that too.)

Thanks to Candlewick for the images!

/ / / / / / /

So … shadows and shadow play! How fun is this!

TO ADMIRE/EMULATE

Su Owen‘s incredible papercut shadow puppets.

Hand Shadows Puppet Poster.

TO MAKE

Templates from the always amazing Mini Eco.

DIY bedtime story puppets from Handmade Charlotte.

DIY flashlight with a soda can and cereal box (I’m thinking some experience necessary on that one!)

TO BUY

This charming LOVE YOU nightlight by Houseyhome.

Moulin Roty Dinosaur shadow puppets.

“Hand Made” wallpaper by Paper Boy. What a trip!

Where The Wild Things Are inspired shadow puppets from Olive and B!

Here’s to shadows, our own and the puppet variety!

six stupendous historical lady books (+ many more)

picture books for pairing

03.18.2014

In honor of Women’s History Month and my sincere love of picture book biographies, here are some of my historical lady favorites:

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat by Roxane Orgill, illustrated by Sean Qualls.

That title just has to be referring to Ella Fitzgerald, right?! Humble beginnings, hardship, and in the end, a dream come true. (Also, Sean Qualls always does extraordinary artwork.)

Favorite lines:

“Ella was not pretty, but so what? The girl could swing!”

While I think Fitzgerald was lovely, I so appreciate the sentiment that as a performer, it was all about her skit-scat and not her raggedy cat!

Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? by Tanya Lee Stone, illustrated by Marjorie Priceman.

The story of Elizabeth Blackwell, just one of the ladies in history who broke silly rules like “girls can’t be doctors,” to be the first and then inspire others.

Favorite lines:

“Some people are afraid of anything new or different.

Not Elizabeth.”

Touch the Sky by Anna Malaspina, illustrations by Eric Velasquez.

Alice Coachman, olympic high jumper, was the first black female to win a gold medal at the games. But the story starts at the beginning, when Coachman is a young girl running and leaping barefoot in Georgia in the 30s. The writing is pure poetry too.

Favorite lines:

“The moon was so far from Albany, where Momma saved pennies because there weren’t enough. But a dream is a beginning and as Alice grew older, her dream was to soar.”

Just Being Audrey by Margaret Cardillo, illustrated by Julia Denos.

This one goes behind the gorgeous glamor of movie star Audrey Hepburn and shows us her childhood, her heart, and her work on behalf of humanity.

Mama Miti byDonna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Kadir Nelson.

The true and moving story of Wang ari Maathai and her Greenbelt Movement in Kenya. A Nobel Peace Prize-winning modern day heroine!! And Nelson’s stunning textile collage brings the story to colorful, textural life!

Emily by Michael Bedard, pictures by Barbara Cooney.

We glimpse the reclusive poet Emily Dickinson herself through the eyes of a young neighbor girl.

Opening:

“There is a woman on our street they call the Myth. She lives with her sister in the yellow house across the road.”

FEATURED HERE BEFORE:

You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer by Shana Corey, illustrated by Chelsea McLaren.

Here Come the Girl Scouts, the story of Juliette “Dasiy” Gordon Law.

And more historical women bio books to check out:

* Helen’s Big World: The Life of Helen Keller by Doreen Rappaport, illustrated by Matt Tavares.

*Dolores Huerta: A Hero to Migrant Workers by Sarah Warren, illustrated by Robert Casilla.

* Rachel Carson and Her Book that Changed the World by Laurie Lawlor, illustrated by Laura Beingessner.

*Mary Walker Wears the Pants by Cheryl Harness, illustrated by Carlo Molinari.

*Me…Jane by Patrick McDonnell.

*Brave Girl: Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers’ Strike of 1909 by Michelle Markel, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.

Doctor, athlete, poet, singer, scientist, soldier, actress and activist, fashion pioneers and suffragettes. So many inspiring ladies to read about!! And many more not mentioned here. Leave your favorite(s) in the comments!

jane, the fox, & me

picture books for the older set

03.13.2014

I want to give Jane, the Fox, and Me by Fanny Britt and Isabelle Arsenault to all the preteen and teen girls. Especially the bookish ones.

To break down the characters in the title:

We have Jane, as in Jane Eyre.

We have the fox, the animal the main character encounters at her school’s nature camp.

And we have Me, Helene, our protagonist.

The art! (Remember Isabelle Arsenault‘s illustrations from Virginia Wolf?)

The story!

The interweaving of the two! This book is original, sensitive, and a deeply relevant stunner.

Helene feels all alone, and bullied. Her world is black and white and cold. The other girls invent insults that make her heart hammer and open up holes in her rib cage.

But Helene has a “creeping vine of an imagination.” In the book she reads, Jane Eyre, in her mind when she thinks of it, there’s color. Sweeping, lush color so unlike her world.

The way Helene holds her head—down, ashamed—is heartbreaking. As are the little hints of how she sees herself in the mirror. How she relates to sweets and candy. How she feels when trying on a bathing suit for nature camp. But I love the way her tired, but loving mother is a bright spot. As well as the true to life specific details Britt includes in every spread.

Helene is in despair. But she’s able to compare herself to plain Jane Eyre and, I think, see hope.

Then, the fox.

“With the fox out front,

the outcasts’ tent is transformed

into a tent of miracles.”

Then, the friend. Geraldine.

“We spend an hour together looking for strawberries,

finding strawberries,

eating strawberries.

I tell the story of the fox.

I tell jokes.

I haven’t had a conversation this long in months.”

Then, the facts. That Helene is not as she’s feared: unlovable, disgusting, or a sausage. She’s a growing girl. The kind of girl a fox in the woods might approach. The kind of girl who can have a friend. The kind of girl who, like Jane Eyre, might be capable of giving and receiving love.

Please read this book and pass it along.

Thanks to Groundwood Books for the images!

And see my first installment in PICTURE BOOKS FOR THE OLDER SET HERE.

matchbook diary + amazing matchboxy finds

PICTURE BOOKS +

03.11.2014

The Matchbox Diary by Paul Fleischman, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.

That’s Paul Fleischman of the brilliant picture book Weslandia. Not to mention the ever-inspiring, Seedfolks. When Fleischman writes a story, it’s going to be a story. A meaningful one.

(And you might also recognize Ibatoulline’s work from the illustrated version of The Giver or The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.)

A great grandfather and great granddaughter meet for the first time.

He’s a collector. And a storyteller. An immigrant from Italy to America a long time ago.

“What’s a diary?”

“A way to remember what happens to you. Usually it’s a book people write in. When I was your age, I had a lot I wanted to remember, but I couldn’t read or write. So I started this. Open the first one.”

The great grandfather saved an object in each matchbox and each object is a story. An olive pit to soothe hunger. A sunflower seed shell for each day on the long boat ride. A ticket to his first baseball game.

One generation passing on history and the ritual of collecting memories to the next.

The last page is guaranteed to make me (and possibly you) tear up, over and over.

Thanks to Candlewick Press for the images!

Okay, so we’ve got a moving story of a matchbox diary. What other wonderful iterations of matchboxes are there? Here’s my matchbox roundup. Let me tell you it was hard to choose which from the many to include!

MATCHBOX CRAFTINESS