The Bell Rang written and illustrated by James E. Ransome

In this beautifully illustrated picture book, James Ransome poignantly and realistically captures one week in the life of an enslaved family as seen through the eyes of their young daughter. Each day begins the same way as her family wakes up to the ringing of the overseer's bell while is it still dark outside. And each day mirrors every other day: "Daddy gathers wood. Mama cooks. We eat." Then, Daddy, Mama, and older brother Ben head to the fields with the other enslaved people, watched by the overseer on horseback. The narrator heads to Miss Sarah Mae's with the other young children too young to work in the fields.

This week, Monday and Tuesday are the same. But on Wednesday, something's different. Ben gives his sister a handmade doll made of twigs and clothe, kisses her and whispers "Good-bye" then heads to the fields with his friends. By Thursday, it's clear that Ben and his friends have run away. The angry overseer comes to their cabin with dogs, hitting the parents. Later, walking to the fields, the overseer sits high on his horse with a gun.

On Saturday, a half day for the enslaved people on the plantation, a chance for the family to work in their own garden and to fish, to talk about Ben, miss him and hope he is free. When they hear the dogs and horses again, they see that only Ben's friends have been caught: "They go to the tree. Out comes the whip."

On Sunday, there is no bell and there's still no sign of Ben. At the creek where the slaves worship, they sing about freedom and hope Ben made it: "Free like the birds. Free like Moses. No more bells."

The Bell Rang is a powerful book that looks at both grinding inhumanity of slavery, and what happens to the people left behind after a family member decides to run away to freedom. By combining spare, often repetitive text, with detailed watercolor illustrations, Ransome manages to convey to the reader the complex, often heartbreaking emotions of an enslaved family.  While there are loving looks and smiles among the family in the privacy of their cabin, there is also the fear of the overseer and his snarling dogs, and the fear, sadness, and hopefulness for Ben's safety. The mixed emotions on the face of Ben's younger sister when he gifts her the doll are especially palpable.

Although Ransome doesn't tell the reader what Ben's fate is, does he perhaps give us a hint?  On the last page, in the upper corner is a bird soaring up against a white background, followed by the same bird high in the sky. And even though Ransome writes in his author's note that "we are left to wonder if he made it safely to the north, or did he succumb to the perils of the woods?" we are left with a note of hope and perhaps even victory, thanks that soaring bird.

The Bell Rang is definitely a book that should be shared and discussed with all young readers.

This book is recommended for readers age 6+
This book purchased for my personal library

Mini PB Review: Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by Shane W. Williams

Morning comes and young Viv stretches her hands up high to greet the sun, and she continues to put her hands throughout the day. First, getting dressed, then reaching the water running in the sink to wipe up a spill, and later holding her hair up while grandma combs it and puts it in a bun, still later, Viv reaches high in school hoping to be called on by her teacher Ms. B.

In the library, Viv reaches up for a book on a high shelf, and gracefully raises her arms like Misty Copeland in ballet class. At church, hands are raised high in praise and worship, including Viv's. On the basketball court, her hands shoot up to make a basket, and to hold her winning trophy up high for all to see.

And finally, Viv, her family and neighbors hold their hands up high so the world can see the signs they carry, signs of positivity and change, including Black Lives Matter.

Every day, countless times, Viv puts her hands up for different reasons, but it is always done in a positive way, of winning, of succeeding, even of speaking out.

Sadly, for most of us, the expression "hands up" has always been a sign of surrender. Then, in 2014, it became a sign and rallying cry of protest over police violence towards unarmed black men after the shooting death of Michael Brown, 18, in Ferguson, Missouri. In her Notes from the Author, Breanna McDaniel writes that she worries that "this world casts black kids as victims, villains, or simply adults before they're grown up." Hands Up! is her gift to these children, in which she has taken that gesture and turned it into a positive, so that Hands Up! is a book that exudes love, joy, and triumph, a celebration of those everyday moments when young kids, particularly young kids of color, are just kids using this gesture in the best possible way.

Shane Williams' engaging mixed media digitally created illustrations reflect to the story line perfectly, adding emotion and complimenting McDaniel's spare text.

Hands Up! is a triumphant, empowering book that should be shared at home, in school, perhaps even in Sunday School.

This book is recommended for all readers
This book was purchased for my personal library

It's Monday! What are you reading?

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 for the upcoming week. Twitter #IMWAYR

Last week was an exciting week because the Cybils awards were announced on Valentines Day. It was a lot of fun being the category chair for Middle Grade Fiction and I would like to offer my congratulations to Varian Johnson, whose book The Parker Inheritance was awarded the MG Cybils award:

Read and Reviewed (links are to my reviews):

How I Became a Spy: A Mystery of World War II London

by Deborah Hopkinson

Alfred A. Knopf BFYR, 2019, 272 pages

Bertie Bradshaw, 12, unwittingly becomes involved in a mystery involving the D-Day invasion after he finds a notebook written in code. 

To Night Owl from Dogfish 

by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

Dial Books, 2019, 304 pages

When their dads fall in love, free spirit Bett from California and cautious Avery from NYC, both 12, are sent to camp to get to know each other with some interesting results.

Mare's War 

by Tanita S. Davis

Alfred A. Knopf BFYR, 2009, 352 pages

On a road trip to a family reunion, Mare tells her teenage granddaughters about her experiences in the  6999th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only African American WACs to serve overseas in WWII.

Currently Rereading:

The Parker Inheritance by Varian Johnson

Arthur A. Levine Books, 2018, 331 pages

Upcoming Reviews:

Waiting for Pumpsie by Barry Wittenstein, illustrated by London Ladd
The Bell Rang written and illustrated by James E. Ransome
Grandpa Stops A War by Susan Robeson, illustrated by Rod Brown
A Song for Gwendolyn Brooks by Alice Faye Duncan, illustrated by Xia Gordon
Hands Up! by Breanna J. McDaniel, illustrated by Shane W. Evans

and

Under My Hijab by Hena Khan, illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel
Mommy's Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow, illustrated by Ebony Glenn

What have you been reading?

Mare's War by Tanita S. Davis

The other day, I was going taking a little walk down memory lane, scrolling through my other blog, The Children's War, and remembering some of the wonderful books I've read for it. Way back in August 2010, I wrote about one of my favorite books, Mare's War, and decided to reread it and share it here.

It begins with a road trip. Sisters Octavia, 15, and Tali, 17, are sure that their summer vacation is absolutely ruined when they are told that they will be accompanying their grandmother to a family reunion. But Ms. Marey Lee Boylen, or Mare as she prefers to be called, is not your average granny: "She wears flippy auburn wigs, stiletto shoes and padded push-up bras." (pg1) She also drives a sporty red car, wears long fake nails and smokes cigarettes. So it only stands to reason that Mare has a story to tell that is also not average.

Before they even leave the driveway, Octavia and Tali are bored and unhappy, bickering with each other and complaining about everything, especially Mare's smoking. So a deal is struck - Mare will keep her cigarettes in her purse and Tali will keep her headphones out of her ears when Mare is speaking.

As they drive along, Mare begins to tell the unhappy girls about growing up black in Bay Slough, Alabama on a farm purchased by her now deceased father, and about her mother and younger sister Josephine (Feen), and their mother's lecherous boyfriend Toby. Mare had always cared for Feen, but after a problem with Toby, Feen is sent to live with an aunt in Philadelphia. Mare realizes the only thing left for her to do is a job cleaning house for a white woman. But it is also 1944 and the country is still at war, so the almost 17-year-old Mare runs away and enlists in the WACS, or Women's Army Corps, lying about her age to get in because you must be 21 to join up. There she meets a variety of young women, forming friendships that will last a lifetime, especially with a fellow WAC named Peaches Carter.

After basic training, the women ship out, first for Birmingham, England and later for Paris, France. They are part of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, the only group of African American women to serve overseas, and whose job it is to sort through warehouses full of letters and packages so that they can be delivered to soldiers at the front.

Mare's War is a journey of growth, revelation and understanding on many levels. The chapters alternate between Now, told by Octavia, and Then, told by Mare, with the past and present narrations separated by a postcard home from one of the girls about how the trip is going, and providing a smooth transition from one time frame to the other. By the end of the novel, all three women are not in the same place they started from and even the family reunions turns out to be something unexpected. And while Mare's story is one of family, loyalty, strength and close friendships, Davis doesn't sugarcoat her novel, but deals with themes such as racism and sexism, which was especially virulent towards black women in the army during WWII.

I loved this novel when I read it back in 2010 and again in 2019. The second reading brought out things I didn't remember, and while Mare's is the central story, I definitely appreciated the girls more this time around and I thought the characterizations of Mare, Tali, and Octavia were absolutely spot on. One of the true marks of good historical fiction is the way the author used her real material, and Davis do a great job of seamlessly weaving in some of the actual experiences of the 6888th with Mare's personal history. She also brought to light another part of African American Women's history too long ignored.

I couldn't recommend this book highly enough in 2010, and stand by that recommendation today.

This book is recommended for readers age 12+
This book was purchased by me as a gift to my niece.

For some interesting information about the road trip take by Mare and her granddaughters, see http://www.tanitasdavis.com/mare_roads.shtml

The 6888th Central Battalion was finally honored for their service during World War II in March 2009. Beth A. Warrington has written an informative article about the monument dedicated to these brave women called "No Mail, Low Morale" The 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion.

"Somewhere in England, Maj. Charity E. Adams and Capt. Abbie N. Campbell,...inspect the first contingent of Negro members of the Womens's Army Corps assigned to overseas service." 6888th Central Postal Directory Bn. February 15, 1945. Holt 111-SC-20079.

Members of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion take part in a parade ceremony in honor of Joan d'Arc at the marketplace where she was burned at the state. May 27, 1945 Pfc. Stedman. 111-SC-42644.

Blog Tour: To Night Owl From Dogfish by Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer

When Marlow Devlin and Sam Bloom fell in love, they have two problems - it's a bi-coastal relationship and they both have daughters who believe they are number one in the lives of their dads. So while the first blush of romance is still strong, they decide to send their daughters to the same sleepaway camp while they travel through China by motorcycle. Their hope is that the girls will get to know and like each other, maybe even consider themselves sisters someday. Camp was supposed to be a surprise for the girls but Bett Devlin, 12 and living on the West Coast, knows her dad's email password and discovers the plot. Naturally, she emails her counterpart Avery Bloom, also 12, to inform her of the plan.

As the girls begin to exchange emails, it becomes clear that they couldn't be more different. Bett is confident, outgoing, willing to try anything. She loves animals and surfing in the Pacific Ocean. Avery is a New York City girl, quiet, shy, and cautious, really cautious and a little hypochondriacal.  She loves to read and is deathly afraid of water.

At first, Bett and Avery clearly do not like each other, but as they exchange emails, dislike turns to curiosity. Determined not to become friends, they decide not to actually speak to each other once they arrive at camp but they do continue to exchange emails. Gradually, the ice melts and the two girls not only end up as friends, but even begin to bond and think of themselves as sisters.

And just as that happens, the relationship between their dads going downhill. Now what? Can Bett and Avery maintain the closeness they have finally found, and can they teach their dads a thing or two about friendships?

To Night Owl From Dogfish is a lively novel written almost completely in emails exchanged between Avery and Bett, with occasional emails and text messages from other characters relevant to the story. It's an interesting format and in the hands of its two talented authors, one that really works. As Bett and Avery begin their correspondence, readers get an insider's look at how they go from complete strangers determined to split their dad's relationship apart and who each feel their number 1 spot in their dads life is being threatened to close friends looking forward to becoming sisters and determined to bring the dads back together again. Along the way, they both discover that despite their differences, and there are many, they also have enough things in common - they both love their dads and value family.

Using the epistolary format really lets readers see each character's actions and reactions to the different situations they find themselves in and witness their growth as young women. Interestingly, Avery and Bett seem less inhibited about revealing themselves to one another in writing than they might be if they were speaking directly to each other. And it's a great way for readers to learn everything they need to know to appreciate each character.

This is a laugh out loud novel with a cast of great characters. I loved Bett's spirited grandmother called Gaga, and Avery's mother Kristina a famous playwright whom she really doesn't know. I also really liked the fact that although Bett is African American, Avery is Jewish and their dads are gay these things are treated as just part of who they are, rather than points of conflict.

Being a former camper, I love a good camp story and this one really hit the spot. If you like the Parent Trap movies, chances are you will love To Night Owl From Dogfish.

Meet the Authors:

Holly Goldberg Sloan was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and spent her childhood living in Holland; Istanbul, Turkey; Washington, D.C.; Berkeley, California; and Eugene, Oregon. After graduating from Wellesley College and spending some time as an advertising copywriter, she began writing family feature films, including Angels in the Outfield and Made in America. She is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Counting by 7s and Short, among other novels.  

Meg Wolitzer was born in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in the town of Syosset, on Long Island, and sold her first novel, Sleepwalking, while a senior in college. She is the New York Times-bestselling author of numerous novels for adults, including The Interestings, The Ten-Year Nap, The Wife, and The Female Persuasion; the young adult novel Belzhar; and the middle-grade novel The Fingertips of Duncan Dorfman.

Since I live in NYC like Avery, for this blog tour, I was paired with a pen pal in California, Sam at Sam May Be Reading. I sent her some questions to get to know her better, and she sent me some questions for the same reason:

1- I never became friends with anyone I didn't think I could get along with, but at camp I did become friends with people who had very different lives than mine. One example was the daughter of a UN ambassador from a South American country who led a much more exciting and glamorous life than I did. Part of the reason we became friends was because she was facing NYCs Regents Exams and needed help preparing for them. 

2- I did have a pen pal for years starting at age 10. It was really my cousin in Wales, but I didn't know her and it was years later that we finally met. We exchanged actual letters about 3 times a month. I think having a pen pal with modern technology would be very different. My Kiddo had a pen pal in Ohio beginning at age 11 and they still keep in touch by email and text, but still haven't met. I think sure a pen pal today would be so different, just the means of communicating. Kids today have email, texting, and video chat and probably more supervised than when I was young. I certainly supervised my Kiddo. 

3- I did go to camp for year once I outgrew Vacation Bible School. It was a sleepaway camp in Harriman State Park in New York State. Each year the same core group of girls returned with a few new girls. I don't remember not getting along with the other girls, in fact, more often than not we were all partners in crime - raiding the kitchen, taking out canoes when we were supposed to, things like that. There were usually 6 girls in each cabin and out of that, I am still friendly with four of them. Ironically, I sent my Kiddo to the same camp and she hated it.  

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was sent to me by the publisher, Dial Books

Happy Lunar New Year! Celebrate with These Four Picture Books

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year and it's the Year of the Pig, the twelfth animal of the 12-year cycle. People born in the Year of the Pig are said to be strong, noble, loyal friends, but be careful, they can also be a little reckless at times. We have been reading some books about the Lunar New Year and would like to share some with you today.

D is for Dragon Dance by Ying Chang Compestine,

illustrated by Yongsheng Xuan

Holiday House, 2006, 32 pages

Younger readers can learn all about the Chinese New Year celebration while learning their ABCs with this beautifully illustrated alphabet book. Each letter of the alphabet is on a two page spread and includes one or two aspects of Chinese New Year beliefs or customs: "K is for Kites, L is for Lantern/Chinese people believe that flying kites and lantern light scare away evil spirits, R is for Red Envelopes/Children receive red envelopes that contain good luck money, S is for Steamed Dumplings/Eat these special treats to begin the New Year." The vibrant watercolor, acrylic, and latex illustrations richly depict icons of Chinese New Year celebrations, over a background of Chinese calligraphic characters. Back matter includes a recipe for New Year's Dumplings, a Chinese Zodiac chart, and Tips to Ensure Good Fortune in the New Year. 

FYI: I haven't seen this yet, but D is for Dragon has been reissued in 2018 by Holiday House in a bilingual edition written in English and Chinese characters, with the pinyon, a Romanization of Chinese characters based on pronunciation.  

Ruby's Chinese New Year by Vickie Lee, 

illustrated by Joey Chou

Henry Hold BFYR, 2017, 40 pages

When her grandmother gets sick and can't make it to Ruby's house to celebrate Chinese New Year, Ruby decides to bring the celebration to her. After carefully drawing a picture of her family sitting at the table eating traditional New Year's food, Ruby tucks it into a red envelope and sets off to visit her grandmother. Along the way, Ruby runs into all the animals in the Chinese zodiac who accompany her to grandmother's house. This is an appealing introduction to the Chinese Zodiac and highlights the importance of sharing the New Year with family. Back matter includes the legend of the zodiac and what each animal represents. There are also instructions for three craft activities - a lantern, a fan, and a good luck banner. The colorful, humorous illustrations are digitally painted.

The Runaway Wok by Ying Chang Compestine,

illustrated by Sebastia Serra

Dutton BFYR, 2011, 32 pages

This starts off like a bit of a Jack and the Beanstalk story, except there's not giant, just a rusty wok with no handles. It's almost New Year and Ming is given some eggs to trade for a bag of rice for his family's celebration. Even though Ming's father works, the family is poor because Mr. Li, the richest man in Beijing, doesn't pay his workers enough. On his way to the market, Ming meets a man who sells him a rusty wok after Ming hears it singing "Boy, Boy, trade for me/I am more than what you see." His parents are understandably upset when they see what Ming has done, but when the wok begins to sing again, then runs away, they are more than pleasantly surprised when it returns. Young readers will be pleased and surprised as well, when they see what this wok does. We read this every year now, and love the story as much as Sebastia Serra's colorful, lively illustrations.

A Gift written and illustrated by Yong Chen

2009, Boyds Mills Press, 32 pages

As we've already seen, the Lunar New Year is family time, a time when everyone gets together to celebrate. But sometimes families are separated by long distances and can't be reunited with their relatives. As Amy and her mother get ready for Chinese New Year, her mother is homesick because her brothers Zhong, a farmer, and Ming, a fisherman, and her sister Mei, a nurse, are all still living in China. But when a letter arrives from her siblings, Amy's mother's spirits are lifted, and inside the letter is a beautiful gift from her brothers and sister for Amy. As Amy's mother reads the letter, she and Amy are transported to China because of the vivid descriptions of how the gift was made. While the text is spare and the story quite gentle, Yong Chen's detailed watercolor illustrations do much to complete the text's narration. This is a story that really hit home for us, as I watch my Kiddo's husband struggle with homesickness every Chinese New Year because he lives her and his parents and friends are still in China.

祝好运、健康、佳肴伴你度过一个快乐新年

Good Luck, Good Health, Good Cheer and Pass a Happy New Year

Africville by Shauntay Grant, pictured by Eva Campbell

In an article for CBCBooks, Shauntay Grant says that when she began writing her tribute to Africville, she had originally intended it to be a poem, a tribute to this once thriving community of black refugees, including runaway slaves from America, located in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The poem was to be about her visit to the site where Africville had once been, and which had lasted 150 years before the government tore it down. But when she said the words she had written spoken aloud, she knew it had to be made into a children's picture book.  That book, of course, is Africville.

A young black girl implores "Take me to the end of the ocean.." and as she walks around the area where Africville once stood, she imagines what life was like for the people who had lived there and "where home smells like sweet apple pie and blueberry duff." More scenes of life greet her as she walks along and imagines kids picking berries from bushes thick with them, as her mind's eye sees other kids in a field playing football, still others rafting down a pond, and some catching cod fish from a dock.

Africville was home, where the pavement ends and family begins, where the young girl's family name is marked in stone, and people still come together and sing the old songs and share stories, and have memories of Africville. And though Africville is no longer a vibrant black community, its memory sparks dreams that turn to hope that never ends.

Told in spare, dreamlike lyrical language, Grant paints a picture of what home was for the people of Africville, complimented by the oil and pastel illustrations that carry the same sense of reality, yet are dreamily detailed to represent imagination. Africville is such a beautiful, loving homage to what was such an important part of American and Canadian black history.

What happened to Africville:
At the back of the book is a short history of Africville and its sad demise. This vibrant community may have been called home by many people, but it also lacked basic services, like paved roads, running water, sewers. Although the residents paid municipal taxes, it was decided by Halifax city officials to relocate its inhabitants and demolished Africville in the 1960s instead of making any attempt to bring those basic services to the residents - 150 years of history gone just like that.

Grant ended her tribute to Africville's history on a hopeful note - the young girl is a descendant of former residents, who have been having reunions there since 1983 of which she is a part.

Africville is an beautifully written, important work depicting one part of the rich history of black Canadians and Americans that shouldn't be forgotten. If you would like to explore the history of Africville, you can at the Africville Story Map, an interactive history,

This book is recommended for readers age 5+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

Some Favorite Books About Snow

We were all excited on Wednesday when we thought we were finally going to get some snow here in NYC. But no, unlike other parts of the country, all we had was just a squall. What to do? Why, break out some good snowy picture books, of course.

Little Fox in the Snow by Jonathan London, illustrated by Daniel Miyares

Candlewick Press, 2018, 40 pages

Sunlight shining on a young sleeping fox in his burrow wakes him up, and as he sticks his head outside, looking around at the snowy forest, he realizes he is hungry. It is time to hunt for his next meal. Following his instincts, the foxling hunts down a mouse, but it isn't enough to satisfy his hunger. Following tracks, the young fox finds a rabbit, then gets a nice drink from a cold stream. But the hunter soon becomes the hunted when the little fox meets a hungry wolverine. Will the foxling escape in time to dream away another night with a full stomach? Daniel Miyares ink and watercolor illustrations capture the cold of winter, and the red fox against the white snow keeps this story focused. Told in free-form poetry, the story of a winter day in the life of a little fox's is not the kind of cute stories about forest animals kids so frequently hear, but a more authentic, realistic picture of survival of the hunter and the hunted, and how that can change so quickly so the hunter becomes the hunted. Though the illustrations also have this authenticity to them, the more gory details are NOT part of the picture. I would recommend taking to any child you might want to share this book with.

Good Morning, Snowplow! by Deborah Bruss, 

illustrated by Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson

Arthur A. Levine Book, 2018, 32 pages

As night falls, it's time for everyone to go to sleep but when snow starts falling, it is time for the driver and his snowplow to go to work: Good night, farms, and good night, town./Tiny flakes start twirling down./Good night, playground turning white./ Good night, snowplow? Not tonight!" Step by step the driver makes sure the plow is in good order and snowstorm ready. As snow piles up, off they go to plow, salt, and sand the roads, calling a tow truck when a car drives into a snow mound, waiting for a passing train to go by, and cleaning snow off the lights and wind. By morning, the snow has stopped, the roads are plowed and it to go to sleep. My kids loved this book, especially the part where school is cancelled. The whole book is told in rhyming couplets and has a great rhythm to it, perfect for read alouds. The illustrations, done acrylic paint, colored pencil, pen, and collage really express the quiet intensity of a snowstorm, the loneliness of a nighttime plow driver, but this one brings along his faithful canine companion. I thought it was a nice touch that the driver is Asian, even though it is not part of the story or even mentioned. 

Once Upon a Snowstorm 

written and illustrated by Richard Johnson

Faber & Faber, 2018, 32pages

Still grieving the loss of their wife and mother, a young boy and his father, living on the edge of a wood, discover they have no food in the midst of a snowstorm. The two bundle up, dad carrying a rifle, and the two head out to hunt. The storm is so intense, father and son soon get separated. Tired from looking for his father, the boy falls asleep under the constellations of various star animals, only to wake up and find himself surrounded by forest animals, including a very large bear. Needless to say, everyone is surprised. The boy shares some candy, and together with the animals, he dances and draws cave pictures of animals with the bear. But soon, the boy begins to miss dad and home. so off he goes, riding the bears back. Once father and son are reunited, dad raises his rifle to shoot the bear, until the boy explains what happened. Rather than shooting the bear, the father and bear shake hands. This is a wordless picture book that clearly tells a story all my kids were able to understand without too much prompting from me. They even added some of their own wonderfully spot on narration to the story. There was a long discussion about the boy's deceased mother and the red-polka dot scarf served as a red thread to connect mom with the reconciliation and new found appreciate the for nature of father and son. It's clearly a fantasy story but the message is not. My kids did wonder if it was all a dream influenced by the constellations over the sleeping boy's head. Whatever your conclusions, this is a wonderful book with incredible illustrations.

Tracks in the Snow written and illustrated by
Wong Herbert Yee
Henry Holt BFYR, 2003, 32 pages

It's a snowy day and a young girl in a red coat has decided to trace the tracks she sees in the snow outside her house. With a refrain of "Tracks in the snow./Tracks in the snow./Who made the tracks?/Where do they go?" which kids will quickly pick up and repeat with each reading, the girl begins to eliminate who the tracks could belong to forest animal by forest animal. What a surprise when she realizes that the tracks in the snow are the ones she had made the day before while she was out playing in the snow. The story is told in a sweet rhyme and enhanced by the lovely Prismacolors on watercolor paper illustrations that give them a soft, slightly burred look that really imparts the sense of a snowy day. This was fun to read with my young readers who not only repeated the refrain, but liked naming the animals shown throughout the book. They could also see that the tracks were not made by animals, and had fun guessing whose they could be on out first reading, which didn't diminish their enjoyment at subsequent readings.

Moomin and the Winter Snow 

based on the original stories by Tove Jansson

Puffin Books, 2011, 28 pages

I've had this book since it was first published but have never used it with young readers because most American kids aren't familiar with the Moomins yet. Also, this book is only based on the Moomin stories of Tove Jannson, not written by her. This year, I decided to give it a go and see how it was received. It is starting to get cold and as everyone knows, Moomins hibernate for the winter. Before that happens, Moomintroll goes looking for his best friend Snufkin. Snufkin was getting ready to head south for the winter, since he didn't hibernate. The two friends say goodbye, but even though Snufkin reassured Moomintroll he would return the first warm day of spring, just as he did every year, Moomintroll was sad to see his friend go. Feeling dejected and alone, no one could convince Moomintroll of Snufkin's return. Would he miss Moomintroll as much as Moomintroll would miss Snufkin? Moomintroll is finally reassured when Moominpappa gives him a little parcel - a note and tiny sailboat to sail when together when he returns in spring. This is a nice story about friendship and about learning to express sadness. My young readers actually liked this book a lot, including with the way it was written and the illustrations. It opened up a really nice dialogue about missing people, mostly grandparents and friends who have moved away. There are a few more Moomin picture books based on Tove Jansson's original stories which my kids would like to read as well, so yes, you could say they were quite taken with the magic of Moominvalley and its inhabitants.

Here's a bit of good news - today is Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and has predicted an early spring. Unfortunately, Phil is only accurate 39% of the time. Fortunately, there is Staten Island Chuck, who also did not see his shadow and he has been accurate 80% of the time, so hope springs eternal when it come to an early spring.