Begone the Raggedy Witches (The Wild Magic Trilogy #1) by Celine Kiernan

Aunty Boo had always been the one who protected Mup and her family from the evil raggedy witches by by trying to keep them safe in the mundane world. But no sooner does Aunty pass away, and a bunch of raggedy witches arrive at their home, with the intention of kidnapping Mup's Mam, Stella, and bringing her back across the border to her birthplace in the Witches Borough in the Glittering Land where Mup's tyrannical grandmother rules as Queen. With Aunty gone, the Queen is afraid that Mam will want to claim her right to the throne as the heir.

When Mam couldn't be forced to return with the raggedy witches, they kidnap Mup's father instead, who is on his way home from the oil rig he works on in the North Sea. Luckily, Aunty's spirit is still around when Mam, Mup, baby brother Tipper, and Badger, the old faithful family dog, set out to rescue Dad, held prisoner in the Witches Borough.

Once across the border, Mup and her mother are amazed at the powerful magic Mam suddenly seems to acquire. First, she transforms Tipper into a playful, talking puppy, then kidnaps a raven to prevent him from telling anyone about her crossing the border. The crow, nicknamed Crow by Mup, has been order to speak only in rhymes. But when Mup frees Crow, and he's captured by the raggedy witches, she learns he is really just a boy around her age. Soon, however, Mup is also quickly made aware of the dangers her family faces in the Witches Borough.

There's a lot going on here. The raggedy witches want to bring Mam back to their Queen, Mam's mother, to eliminate her as a rival the throne. The rebels living in the Witches Borough want Mam to stay and be their new queen. Crow wants to find his father and have a family just like Mup has. And Mup and Mam, well, now that their world has been turned upside down, they have to rethink who they are and what they want. All this makes for an exciting, action-packed novel that I personally couldn't put down.

The Witches Borough is a place where magic is no longer permitted by the Queen, where all rebels are required to speak in rhyme, and where men can only transform into ravens, and women into cats. But those who remember what it was like before the tyrannical Queen took over want to return to the time when magic was allowed and people could transform into whatever they wanted.

Mup, whose real name is Pearl, is Irish and Nigerian, a fact which (at least so far) has nothing to do with the story other than that is who she is. The story is told from her point of view, and readers will quickly find themselves enchanted by her. She is a kind, caring, rather quirky character, whose family is very important. I loved the anything-but-mundane outfit Mup chose for her excursion across the border from the mundane world to the glittering world - a pink tutu covered in spangles over a red wool dress, and her green frog wellies.

Begone the Raggedy Witches is the first book in The Wild Magic Trilogy by Irish author Celine Kiernan, but she is certainly no stranger to writing great fantasy. And while this may be fantasy, Kiernan address familiar and important themes of family, friendship, and be able to live an authentic life. If you love middle grade fantasy, this is a book for you.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

The Brilliant Deep: Rebuilding the World's Coral Reefs by Kate Messner, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe

When Ken Nedimeyer was a boy, his father's job at NASA meant living in Florida, and, for Ken, that meant exploring the ocean.

Influenced by underwater explorer Jacques Cousteau, Ken learned how to scuba dive and as he swam around the ocean, observing the world of fish and sea stars, he also began noticing the beautiful coral reefs in the Florida Keys.

Made up of countless tiny sea creatures, Ken found them to be just beautiful, and wanted to know everything about them - how the reefs grew so large, why they were different colors and shapes.

But, one hot summer, Ken noticed that the reefs were beginning to lose their color, and the sea urchins, who made sure algae did overtake the coral reefs, were beginning to die, and consequently, so were the massive coral reefs. But Ken just didn't know what to do for the dying reefs.

'The reefs of the Florida Keys teemed with life."

As an adult, Ken operated a rock farm in the Florida Keys, growing rocks full of sea life to help keep the ocean water safe and healthy for the other forms of sea life. One day, a coral colony spawned and attached itself to one of Ken's rock on his farm. And it grew! So Ken and his daughter began attaching corals onto other rocks and they also grew.

If you could grow corals on rocks, Ken wondered, could you transplant them onto a dying reef? Ken decided to test out this theory. Ken founded a group called the Coral Restoration Foundation, staffed by volunteers. As the corals grew, the volunteers transplanted these coral colonies, attaching them (with glue) in places on the reefs where they hoped the corals would take hold and flourish.

Did the transplanted corals survive? Yes, they did and now Ken's group travels around the world, teaching others how to grow and transplant healthy corals in order to save their dying corals.

Messner begins and ends the The Brilliant Deep with one tiny coral spawn and how it can grow into a new colony. And what feels to be a simple story in between is in actuality a wonderful lesson about ocean life. Readers learns how coral reefs are formed, why they are important to the not just the ocean's environment, but also to ours, and that sometimes, it takes just one person with an idea to make a difference.

The Brilliant Deep has been a favorite of my young readers right from the beginning. Not only is it interesting and informative, it is also quite beautifully illustrated. Forsythe's colorful, batik-style, gouache and watercolor washed illustrations are done in a watery pastel palette of mainly blues, greens. and sunny yellows give the perfect effect needed for a book about the ocean and its colorful reefs.

"It starts with one."

Messner cleverly brings the story of coral reefs and the story of Ken Nedimeyer full circle with to a satisfying ending that connects them back to the beginning of the book - spawns to coral reefs, a young boy to the man he became. She also includes more information about coral reefs in the back matter, including ways kids can help, online ways to explore attempts to save the coral reefs, and vocabulary words used through the book.

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Chronicle Books

⚡️⚡️What I did on Wednesday...

This week has been particularly busy for me, so I was very glad that I had a ticket to visit one of my favorite New York museums -  the New York Historical Society (170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024), right across the street from my childhood playground, the Museum of Natural History.

This month, the NY Historical Society opened a new exhibit that came straight from the British Museum called Harry Potter, A History of Magic. I was very excited about this exhibit not only because I had enjoyed reading the Harry Potter books with my Kiddo, but also because the Medieval period has always been a favorite of mine and much of J.K. Rowling's sources had their roots there.

The tickets are timed, but I had chosen midday on a weekday figuring most kids would be in school. And I was right - most of the visitors were adults. As you enter the museum, you also enter a sorta kinda replica of Hogwarts

From there, you walk through a series different rooms. The first room begins the journey, where you'll find Rowling's original synopsis of Harry Potter sent to Bloomsbury, her sketch of how Hogwarts is laid out, and various illustrations, a few by Rowling herself, and others by Jim McKay, the British illustrator.   

Entrance to Astronomy Source: NY Times

Each room after that is devoted to a subject that is offered at Hogwarts, beginning with Potions, including Alchemy, where you can see the tombstone of Nicolas Flamel dating back to 1410. I actually do remember learning about Nicolas Flamel in one of my graduate classes, so I was particularly interested in seeing it:

Tombstone of Nicolas Flamel

From there, the exhibit takes you through Herbology, Charms, Astronomy, Divination, Defence Against the Dark Arts, and the Care of Magical Creatures. Each exhibit has historical artifacts that helped Rowling create the world of Harry Potter, and some of her personal items, such as drafts, sketches, and ideas. 

Besides the tombstone of Nicolas Flamel, I loved seeing the beautiful Celestial Globe in Astronomy and the over 6 metre long 16th century Ripley Scroll, one of only 23 still in existence (alas, the original is lost). Named after George Ripley, an alchemist who lived in the 15 century, this is the scroll that tells you how to make the elixir of eternal life, or the philosopher's stone:

The Ripley Scroll

This photo gives some idea of the length of the scroll but not the beauty of it. Here's an interesting fact about this scroll and the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Towards the bottom of the scroll, there are three connected circles or orbs which are white, red and black. In Latin, albus means white, rebus means red, and of course, Sirius' last name is black.

There is just so much in this exhibit, it would be impossible to cover all of it, so if you are going to be in or around New York City, you might want to add this to your list of things to do. One thing I would highly recommend is downloading the FREE audio tour from Audible since the exhibit is NOT about the Harry Potter books per se.

Be prepared - to exit this exhibit, you walk through the extended museum store (good to know if you are with kids). I did buy the companion book but from the British Museum a while ago. The book at the Historic Society looks to be the same, except the cover and there is much more in it that just the exhibit artifacts.

Your ticket will allow you to see any of the other exhibits, and while I was there, I went upstairs to see the photo exhibit of Billie Jean King's professional life, which I found very interesting. 

Good to know: there is also ladies and mens rooms on the second floor that is not usually as busy as those on the ground floor.

Poetry for Kids: Carl Sandburg edited by Kathryn Benzel, illustrated by Robert Crawford

When I asked my Kiddo if she was familiar with the poetry of Carl Sandburg, her response stunned me. She knew the name, but not the poetry. Why? They just didn't teach poetry in any of the public schools she attended - and some of those schools were top tier in NYC. So, I gave her a copy of Poetry for Kid: Carl Sandburg and asked her to read some. The verdict: she loved most of the poems included in this volume.

There are 35 free verse poems included in this book that are divided into two categories: Poems about People and Poems about Places. Sandburg was a prolific poet and it must have been a hard decision picking out the poems to include that would also appeal to young readers. One of the things I always liked about Sandburg's poetry is the visual imagery he always managed to create with his word choices, while also setting just the right mood, tone, and emotion.

This is a wonderful collection of some of Sandburg's best poetry and it will hopefully find a place in America's homes and/or classrooms. Each of the poems is accompanied by an expressive full-color illustration that supports what the poem is about. There are definitions on many of the pages for things that may be unfamiliar to young readers today. And answers to What Carl Was Thinking when he wrote each poem can be found at the end of the book, as well as an index. With so many excellent novels being written in verse these days, teachers may find that their students are not open to reading and appreciating older poetry as well, and you can't do better than this lovely volume.

Halloween was my Kiddo's favorite holiday, so it is no surprise that this was her favorite poem:

Theme in Yellow

I spot the hills

With yellow balls in autumn.

I light the prairie cornfields

Orange and tawny gold clusters

And I am called pumpkins.

On the last of October

When dusk is fallen

Children join hands

And circle round me

Singing ghost songs

And love to the harvest moon;

I am a jack-o'-lantern

With terrible teeth

and the children know 

I am fooling. 

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was an EARC received from Edelweiss-Plus

Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground by T.R. Simon

I don't usually like to read second books in a series before I read the first book, but I made an exception for Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground, and I'm glad I did. I was immediately pulled into the mystery that the two main characters find themselves involved in, but this book turned out to be so much more than just a mere puzzle.

When Zora Neale Hurston was young, she lived with her family in a town called Eatonville, Florida, the first all black community in the United States. The story begins there one night in 1903 when Zora and her best friend Carrie Brown, both 12, discover two loose horses in the Hurston yard. Recognizing the horses as belonging to Mr. Polk, a mute neighbor, the two girls sneak out and head for his place to see what happened. There, they find Mr. Polk injured and a fire in his cabin. But Zora and Carrie aren't the only ones who noticed something happening, so did Old Lady Bronson, the town's conjure woman, who took charge of Mr. Polk's injuries, and to the absolute surprise of both girls, spoke to him in a strange language and heard him answer. When Zora presses Old Lady Bronson for answers about what she and Carrie just witnessed, the conjure lady makes a deal with her: if she keeps quiet about the night's events, she will tell Zora "a story worth hearing."

The story shifts back to 1855 and a young black girl named Lucia begins narrating her story. Leaving her Caribbean island home of Hispaniola with Prisca and her father Master Frederic, her white owners, Lucia finds herself living enslaved on a plantation in Florida named Westin. Up until moving to Florida, Lucia had been treated well by Master Frederic and was best friends with Prisca. But, three years later, Master Frederic has died and Prisca's stepmother decides to sell Lucia, claiming the plantation needed money and it was part of her marriage contract with Master Frederic that Lucia would be sold.

The story continues to alternate between Zora and Carrie's present and Lucia's life of slavery. Slowly, however, the two stories come together in a surprising way as Zora and Carrie learn the truth about Mr. Polk, Old Lady Bronson and their own connections to slavery and Eatonville's past, and that "history wasn't just something you read in a book. It was everything your life stood on. We who thought we were free from the past were still living it out." (pg 174)

Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground is a gripping coming of age work of historical fiction and Simon has done a stellar job bringing the characters, the time periods, and the setting to life. Carries is an intelligent, though somewhat cautious girl, while Zora is an impulsive, curious, and intelligent girl, and Old Lady Bronson knows when she finds the two girls at Mr. Polk's place that Zora won't be happy until she is told the truth about the night's events.

Simon goes easily from time period to time period without jarring the reader, ending each section with enough to really keep the reader going simply by igniting their curiosity to discover, like Zora, what is going on. 

And Eatonville? Setting in a novel is always important, but here so much of the action in this novel centers around the town of Eatonville, founded in 1887, that it actually becomes another important character as Lucia's 1855 story begins to merge with the event's of 1903 Eatonville. I can't say more or I'll give too much away and you definitely want to find out the answers on your own. 
 
Zora & Me: The Cursed Ground may be difficult for some readers. Simon tackles the brutality of slavery head on and without apology. This may make some white readers uncomfortable, but if you can get past you discomfort, there is a lot of painful truth to be found here. Prisca's stepmother and her children are classic examples of white attitudes about black people, but what is made clear is that this attitude persisted into the 20th century and, I am sad to say, even into 21th century. This is certainly a thought-provoking element in the novel and I hope people do think about it.

Do read Simon's short biography of Zora Neale Hurston at the back of the novel, and check out the timeline of her life. There is also an annotated bibliography of Hurston's work, and a list of children's books that were adapted from the folktales she collected.

You can find more information about the history of Eatonville, Florida HERE 

You can find a useful discussion guide prepared by the publisher, Candlewick Press, HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an EARC received from NetGalley

And yes, I can't wait to read the first book, Zora & Me

24 Hours in Nowhere by Dusti Bowling

Thirteen-year-old Gus is small for his age, but much smarter than most of his classmates. And he's hoping his good grades will be his ticket out of Nowhere, Arizona, a small boring, poverty-stricken trailer park town in the middle of, well, nowhere. Gus' size makes him an ideal target for bullying by the not-too-bright Bo Taylor; unfortunately, Gus' smarts don't always help him when it comes to Bo. Such is the case when Bo tries to force feed Gus with a Jumping Cholla cactus. Fortunately for Gus, Rossi Scott, a Tohono O'odham that Gus has a crush on comes along to save him, by offering Bo her beloved dirt bike, Loretta.

Feeling guilty about his safety costing Rossi her bike, Gus heads over to Bo's trailer to try and buy it back. But there's a big dirt bike race coming and without Loretta, Rossi doesn't stand a chance of beating Bo again. So Bo offers Gus a challenge - that Gus go into the Dead Frenchman Mine and bring back a big chuck of gold. Gus accepts the challenge even though he knows the mine is dangerous, that cave-ins have killed a number of gold seekers and coming out alive would be quite a feat.

While buying supplies, Gus runs in into his former old friend Jessie Navarros. When Jessie started hanging out with the other Mexican kids in school lunchroom, and speaking Spanish, Gus, who doesn't know Spanish, thought it was a pretty clear sign that Jessie was no longer wanted to be his friend. And yet, he feels compelled to tell him about the deal he made with Bo.

Later, just as Gus sets off for the mine, one of Bo's pals, Matthew Dufort, shows up. Matt has been ordered to accompany Gus into the mine to make sure he brings back a piece of real gold, not just a painted rock. Once inside the mine, they hear voices that turn out to be Rossi and Jessie, there to talk Gus out of the challenge and the mine. But Gus is determined.

No sooner does he start chiseling away, than he breaks though the wall that reveals another chamber in the cave. But then, they hear a rumbling sound and the old Dead Frenchman Mine does what old mines often do - it collapse around them. No one is killed, but with the entrance blocked, will the be able to find their way out? More importantly, will they actually find gold?

24 Hours in Nowhere has everything - excitement, humor, adventure, all contained in a dangerous setting. And it all happens within a 24 hour time frame, measured by Gus' watch, the only thing his dad ever gave him. All of these characteristics will hold a young readers attention, as will Gus' wry wit, and the vocabulary words he inserts in his first person narrative (preparation for the SATs - his real ticket out of Nowhere). 

Bowling has also sensitively addressed some pretty intense themes - poverty, bullying, child abuse, child neglect, and prejudice - and somehow the hot, barren desert in which a collapsing mine is located seems the most appropriate setting, almost as though it were another character. But then I remember how beautiful the desert is when it is in bloom, and we see the characters in this novel also starting to bloom. Of course, a death-defying adventure could do that to a person. So Bowling also addresses themes hope, friendship, and personal growth in some of her characters.

I lived in Arizona for four years and I still love it, especially the desert, and I thought it especially clever that Bowling has taken one of Arizona's more popular historical legends - the Lost Dutchman Mine - and reworked it as the Dead Frenchman Mine.

24 Hours in Nowhere will definitely take young readers somewhere and it is really worth the trip.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an ARC received from the publisher, Sterling Children's Books

Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales by Emily Jenkins, illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason

When I was a kid, my mom bought my sister and me a big book of fairytales we were supposed to share. Neither one of us liked the tales we read very much, and the book basically became a dust collector. So when my Kiddo came along, I told my mom "No. More. Fairytales. Please." But had Emily Jenkins' Brave Red, Smart Frog been around, I certainly would have encouraged her to give a copy of it to my Kiddo.

Here are seven classic fairytales that have been turned on their ear and are just wonderful. Yes, well-known favorites like the Brothers Grimm's Snow White and Hansel and Gretel are here. Jenkins has also included three by Charles Perrault, The Fairy is renamed Frog and Pearls and The Three Ridiculous Wishes has become simple The Three Wishes, and of course, there is Red Riding Hood. The Frog Prince is here, but not exactly the one originally by the Brothers Grimm; and you couldn't retell fairytales without including the story of The Three Great Noodles.

The fairytales that Jenkins chose are more or less faithful to the original versions we know, but not totally. Instead she has written them as she would want to tell them herself.  Her justification: the organic nature of stories. Fairytales were originally told orally and with each telling, each teller made little changes. Even after they were written down, they continued to change bit by bit. Jenkins intention was to "bring out what's most meaningful to [her] in the stories" in the tradition of those earliest tellers of fairytales. The seven stories chosen for this volume are all familiar to you, but there is the delight of discovering what Jenkins has done to them.

And as you read, you will noticed that there are small ways in which the tales connect to each. Some of the characters live in "a frozen forest, cold as cold ever was." Nothing grows, the streams are always frozen over, even horses can not walk through this forest. Other characters live in a sunny, warm place on the outskirts of the frozen forest but almost all find themselves there for different reasons. A woodcutter who is granted three wishes lives there, a huntsman goes there to cut the heart out of a vain queen's beautiful stepdaughter, a young girl in red walks through this forest to meet her dying grandmother for the first time, and two children, taken to the forest by their father, discover a candy house after they are abandoned there. And sometimes one character passes through the story of another. I found that by connecting the stories through the setting made the characters feel less isolated and therefore, their stories felt less dangerous, and I could see the point of each one in a new way.

Each tale is introduced with a watercolor and ink illustration by Rohan Daniel Eason that really captures the cold, dangerous, haunting atmosphere of the forest and you can see, the cover reflects the interconnectedness of the stories placing Red Riding Hood and The Frog Prince in the same picture.

While there isn't really much new in these stories, Jenkins has managed to bring back some of their magic and charm by making what was old into something new.

Back matter includes an Author's Note, but there is not sourcing for the stories used. And you can find a useful Educator's Guide to download produced by the publisher, Candlewick Press HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 8+
This book was as ARC received from the publisher, Candlewick Press

You're Snug With Me Arts & Craft Activities

As promised, here are the art activities so generously provided to us by Poonam Mistry, illustrator of You're Snug With Me:

With Christmas fast approaching why not try making your own snowflake ornaments to hang on your Christmas tree or around the house. All you will need is:

The attached template
Foil or silver card (optional)
Felt tips/pencil colors/paints or gel pens
Scissors
Glue

Step 1:
Print the templates below and cut around each snowflake or star using scissors.
If you want to make the ornament double sided, you will need to print two of each template.

Step 2:
Color in the designs using pencil colors, felt tips, paints or gel pens.

Step 3:
Gent some card or foil larger than the snowflake/star. Stick down leaving a thick rim around the design. Carefully cut triangles around the edges evenly.
If you want the design to be double-sided, stick the other matching snowflake/star design on the back.

Step 4:
Add extra details in pen/gel pens. You could add glitter or sequins to make it extra sparkly.

To make it hang, put a home at the top of the design. Attach some string and then tie up the loose ends with a knot.

Click to enlarge and print

Here is an example of a finished snowflake and star:

Blog Tour: You're Snug with Me by Chitra Soundar, illustrated by Poonam Mistry

You're Snug With Me by Chitra Soundar

illustrated by Poonam Mistry

Lantana Publishing, 2018, 32 pages

As promised, here is the companion book to the wonderful You're Safe With Me. You're Snug with Me is the story of a polar bear who has settled into her sheltered northern snow-covered den for the winter and has just given birth to two baby cubs. As the cubs grow bigger and begin exploring the den, they also begin to ask questions about what lies outside their safe, snug lair. Mama bear begins to tell them what to expect, always calming their fears with the refrain "you're snug with me." Her explanations and lessons are sage advice for her cubs, as well as for children: if we take care of the earth, it will be there for us just as it should be, especially if we take only what we need because the earth is all we have. More than just a soothing bedtime story, You're Snug With Me is an important environmental story as well.

L: Chitra Soundar R: Poonam Mistry

And once again, Chitra Soundar's beautiful lyrical prose is coupled with Poonam Mistry's wondrously unique illustrations. I have wondered, as I'm sure you have, what influenced Poonam's distinctive style. Well, read on and let her tell you in her own words:

"Growing up in an Indian household meant I was always surrounded by beautiful intricate patterns and designs. Most of the paintings and etchings at home were found in a special room where my parents would pray. These usually depicted scenes from religious stories; some would even be embellished with sequins. They were always so wonderful to look at just like the fabrics and saris stored away in our wardrobes ready to be worn during festivals and special occasions.

While I was at school the pictures I drew were never really patterned. I found drawing people far too hard and would often spend time drawing animals and birds. I had always been fascinated with nature and the complexities of living organisms. Science was a subject I really enjoyed learning about along with Art.

It wasn't until I was in my second year at university studying my BA in Graphic Design and Illustration that I really began to illustrate the way I do. My course tutor had asked us to do a presentation all about what inspires us. I remember my presentation containing images of Kalamkari textiles and Indian fabrics as well as William Morris wallpaper and ceramic tiles. I knew this was what I wanted my work to showcase; my Indian roots. It was only then that I started to experiment with interweaving patterns into my work. I found simplifying shapes would allow me the opportunity to add more patterns into my designs without it looking messy or overdone.

At this point all the illustrations I had made were mostly in black and white. It was only towards the end of my degree that I had started to use colour. The way I did this was through screen-printing. I had always adored printing techniques and wanted to create as much by hand as possible without relying too much on the computer. I began researching other types of art I was interested in too, such as Aboriginal art and African textiles and incorporating these into my style.

One of the most important things for me as an emerging artist at the time was to have a style that was honest but unique. I liked the idea of my work having a hand crafted feel to it and I didn't care if it was fashionable or modern. I loved traditional art and was happy for my artwork to appear authentic regardless of whether it would be popular. During the first two years freelancing my Photoshop skills developed and I properly introduced using digital software into my process. It allowed me the chance to play around with colour and layout and I became a lot more confident selecting colours and arranging my art.

For a few years I worked on editorial projects and advertising ones. You're Safe With Me was the first picture book I was asked to illustrate. For this book I wanted to produce a body of work that didn't necessarily conform to the normal layout and style of a picture book. I really believe children can appreciate detailed sophisticated art just like adults. It was important that adults could enjoy the illustrations too. I hoped for the book to look like a piece of art and celebrate the intricate, beautiful and fascinating elements of nature, our planet and its wildlife.

Working on the second book in the series You're Snug With Me was a little different. It was a big change to what I was used to creating so a lot more research went into finding out about polar bears and the Arctic. I studied Inuit clothing and textiles and knitwear patterns and incorporated these into the designs. It was refreshing to try my work and style in such a different setting. Most of my illustrations in the past contained leaves and trees so drawing frozen landscapes was exciting and new. Picking my colour palette was another challenge. It was essential for the colours to reflect the icy and cool tones you find in the north. With this book there is a particular focus on the relationship between the mother bear and her cubs. It is a lovely story and one that I hope will be enjoyed by everyone particularly during the cold winter months."

Thank you, Poonam, for sharing your journey as an artist with us. I think we always have a greater appreciation for illustrations when we understand the artist's process.

Poonam has generously sent a craft activity that's perfect for the upcoming holidays, and I will be posting the instructions tomorrow. Meantime, here's a preview of the finished project:

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book was provided to me by the publisher, Lantana Publishing

It's Monday! What are you reading? We read books about cats, dogs, and more

It's Monday! What are you reading? - from picture books to YA is a kidlit meme hosted

weekly by Jen at Teacher Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers.

The purpose is to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out 

your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. Twitter: #IMWAYR

Here are the picture books we read last week:

Good Rosie! by Kate DiCamillo, 
pictures by Harry Bliss

Candlewick Press, 2018, 32 pages

In this graphic chapter book perfect for early readers, a lonely little terrier named Rosie lives with elderly George. One day, George tells her they are going to try something new. Sure enough, it's off to the new dog park. But as lonely as Rosie is,  she doesn't like the dog park, there are just too many strange dogs. When a big St. Bernard named Maurice and a small yappy dog named Fifi want to play with her, Rosie wants none of it. But when Maurice begins to play roughly with Fifi as though she were his toy bunny, Rosie knows just what to do. But can the three dogs become friends?

This is a great book for kids who are afraid of trying new situations that involve meeting new kids and/or those kids who may have difficulties making friends. DiCamillo's gentle episodic text is nicely supported by Bliss' charming watercolor illustrations.  I think the graphic format serves as a great introduction to that format. My young readers loved this format, the story, the illustrations, and now, they all want a dog just like Rosie.

I Hate My Cats (A Love Story) by Davide Cali, 
illustrated by Anna Pirolli

Chronicle Books, 2018, 44 pages

Ginger and Fred are two kitties who couldn't be more different. Ginger is energetic, eccentric, and playful. She likes mint, shoes, and drinking from the bathroom sink. Fred is a lazy black cat who loves to sleep on the white towels, or in the sink, or on the newspaper his pet human is reading. And both kitties love to help their human work. If the human yells at them, they will hide from him for the rest of the day. But when night comes, all is forgiven as they curl up around their human and go to sleep.

Anyone who has ever been owned by a cat will really appreciate this book. Anyone who loves kitties but has a bad cat allergy (as I have) will love this book. Anyone who doesn't like cats, well, this may not be the book for you. I'm not sure how young readers will feel about this book, but I suspect those who have cats will have some appreciation for it. Cali has really captured feline behavior so perfectly, Ginger and Fred must be based on experience with cats. And Anna Pirolli's has infused the pages with their personalities to perfection, capturing the differences and similarities that every cat lover will recognize from their own experience. This is a humorous picture book for kids and grownups alike.

The Other Dog by Madeleine L'Engle, 

illustrated by Christine Davenier

Chronicle Books, 2018 (2001), 48 pages

Narrated by a poodle named Touché L'Engle-Franklin, this is the story of how a dog regards the arrival of what she believes is another dog into her domain. Of course, the reader knows it's just a new baby named Jo, but Touché is not happy, believing one dog is enough for any family, and that she personally is everything her humans could want. As Touché becomes resigned to her new rival, she does notice that there are differences between the two of them. For instance, the new Jo-dog doesn't go out for walks when she does, she gets fed more frequently, and she has no tail and not much hair. But as the Jo-dog grows bigger, and becomes more interested in Touché, things begin to change and eventually she decides that maybe two dogs in a family might be a good idea after all.

This very tongue-in-cheek story will make anyone who has ever introduced a baby to a previously dog-only home laugh in recognition of dog jealousy. Originally published in 2001, the book has a definite old fashioned feeling. Touché belonged to Madeleine L'Engle's grandmother Madeleine L'Engle (that's right, author of A Wrinkle in Time), who acquired her in 1944, and the watercolor illustrations really capture the nuances of 1940s and 1950s picture books. This is a refreshing look at that old age-old competition associated with sibling rivalry.

A Home in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, 

pictures by Jerry Pinkney

Harper, 2018, 32 pages

This never before published story by Margaret Wise Brown begins with two four stanza rhymes before slipping into prose, and then ends the same way with two four stanza rhymes. Sadly, there is nothing very lyrical about the prose, and after reading the beginning rhyme, it was very disconcerting. This is not Wise Brown's best work by any means.

On the other hand, Jerry Pinkney's pencil, watercolor, gouache, and pastel illustrations are what really makes this book. When I shared it with my young readers, after reading the text, I put the book down for them to explore the illustrations. And kids are so great. They turned this lackluster story into a wordless picture book and made up their own stories about the animals, page by page. So, all I can say is that the stunning, detailed illustrations are the books redeeming quality. And I appreciated the depiction of the farmer as a black man, not the usual white default farmer of so many children's books, since some of my young readers are children of color.

What have you been reading?