Best Day Ever! by Marilyn Singer & illustrated by Leah Nixon (Picture Book)
Perhaps I’m partial to this book because the dog reminds me so much of one of my dogs. My dog's mantra is just like the dog’s mantra in this book, “this is the best day ever!” Just like the dog in this book, my dog’s zest for life brings me so much joy but also gets her into a little trouble. I love the subtle message in this book, which is that sometimes you just need to remove yourself from whatever is frustrating you and come back after you’ve had a moment to calm down. Each time the dog gets into trouble the little boy is initially frustrated, but his love for his dog wins out and they’re back to cuddles and fun again. I also enjoyed the artwork, which is simple, fun, and a little reminiscent of Cabrera, and the notes at the end from both author and illustrator about their dogs was such a sweet touch.
So far, 2022 has been a great year for picture books. I have enjoyed most of the books I've picked up so far, and there have been a few like Walrus Song that I can't wait to try out for storytime.
Walrus Song by Janet Lawler and Timothy Basil Ering (Nonfiction Picture Book)
If you’ve ever wanted to spend a day with a walrus but haven’t been able to find a way to squeeze it into your busy schedule, you will instantly fall in love with Walrus Song.
Though there are a wonderful four pages of Walrus music (Squee! Squee, SQWEEE!), there is much more to learn about the walrus as he goes about his day. He is a bivalve! He eats clams! He bickers! He has his own special walrus dance! He herds with fellow walruses, and they look like “huge sacks of potatoes!”
You will be so charmed by this book, you will find yourself waddling, slapping your pretend flippers, and trying out the funny sounds, which will magically become a strange and beautiful music when you hear yourself honking, tooting, and squeeing for the first time.
Additional delights include adorable illustrations (the walrus is so cute you will want to kiss him), lively, musical, rhyming language (“warm within his fat-lined coat, solid, massive like a boat”), and extra walrus facts at the end.
A Place to Hang the Moon is a little reminiscent of The War that Saved My Life because it’s about siblings who are evacuated from London to the country during WWII. In A Place to Hang the Moon, Anna, Edmond, and William are in a unique situation. Their parents passed away long before the war and they have been living with their grandmother. When their grandmother passes away, their solicitor decides to send them to the country with a group of children evacuees. The hope is that their temporary placement will turn into their forever home.
Though the siblings encounter a lot of adversity, they stay loyal to themselves and who they are. Edmond is impulsive and tends say and make rash decisions that affect all three kids. But he is the most spirited and interesting of the bunch, and I found myself cheering him on a few times. William, the oldest, is unfailingly responsible, polite, and diplomatic. Though the story wrapped up nicely, I do wish there was a little more room for William to have the opportunity to be a kid at the end. He spent the entire book taking care of Anna and Edmond and didn’t really get a chance to be a kid except for one small moment, which I will not ruin for you! Anna was the sibling I least connected with. I thought she came off as a little young for 9 years old, but a lot of that has to do with William doing such a wonderful job taking care of her. I also enjoyed the other characters in this story and appreciated how there were still a few wrinkles at the end.
I will be delighted if there is a sequel, but I feel like this book wrapped up nicely and doesn’t really need one. I only want a sequel so that I can continue to be a part of Anna, Edmond, and William’s adventures! If you are looking for a comforting, warm, and sweet book filled with interesting characters, you should definitely check this book out!
Check out my poem, Kicking Clouds in Remington Review's winter 2022 issue! I'm still flipping through the issue but am in love with Besjana Kryeziu's art.
I wrote Kicking Clouds several years ago about a kid I used to nanny. Like I said, several years ago! It usually takes me quite a bit of time to edit my poems, but this poem was particularly tricky. It's such a wonderful memory so I'm glad I didn't give up on editing it!
I just read two extraordinary picture books and had to share! I hope you love them too.
Make Meatballs Sing by Matthew Burgess and illustrated by Kara Kramer (Nonfiction Picture Book)
This was my first time hearing about Corita Kent, and I was thrilled to read about her. She was such an imaginative, eccentric, and original artist. My favorite moment was when she had her students cut out and make ‘finders,’ which were cardboard pieces with windows, and pretend they were microscopes exploring the city. The art I’m most drawn to is all about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and Kent was a champion of this. The illustrations in this book are dynamic, bold, super loud and bright, and really exceptional. Just like meatballs singing psalms, this book also sings, sometimes softly with powerful quotes tucked here and there and sometimes booming with her bold and vibrant ideas.
The Whole World Inside Nan's Soup by Hunter Liguore and illustrated by Vikki Zhang (Picture Book)
When a little girl asks her Nanni what's inside the soup pot, Nanni begins by telling her that there are seeds in the pot. The list of ingredients continue - gardeners, bees, and even a bus - as her Nanni explains all the effort, resources, time, and materials that go into the soup. It's really a simple and beautiful way to talk to kids about what goes into what we eat. The illustrations are some of the best I've ever seen, and I will continue absorbing them because there are so many details and they give me that same feeling a nice bowl of soup does - warmth, pleasure, and, comfort. There's a little bit of everything too - celestial humans, an adorable panda purse, food galore, vivid facial expressions, and an interesting depiction of time and memories, which I'm still exploring.
My first favorite picture book of the year is a total gem, and it's all sorts of wacky and charming!
Brave as a Mouse by Nicolo Carozzi (Picture Book)
When I saw the cover of this book I thought, what is going on?!? But after reading the story, the cover makes perfect sense and truly captures bravery and empathy at its best. The illustrations are so telling and fun to talk about. For example, we see cat shadows before we see the cats. We see cat faces on the cat food bags before we know they are bags of cat food. Though it isn't really established that the fish is unhappy and wants a different life, I applaud the mice for thinking empathetically. I can only hope the fish gave the mice permission to be whisked off in a cup. What an interesting thing to talk about with others! For example, are there any clues in the text or illustrations that convey the fish's feelings? How do you think the fish feels? How would you feel if you were a fish who lived in a small bowl that was sitting in a house full of cats? So many questions! I'm so glad this was the first picture book of the year for me.
I am thrilled to have poems published in both Interpretations VI and Ponder Review.
First, I received my copy of Interpretations VI, which is still my favorite poetry/art event. I have had the joy of being a part of the show three times now and am always thrilled to receive a copy of all the work so I can sit down and really study how the pieces go together.
Unfortunately, it looks like the link for Interpretations VI isn't working, but you can read about it in their blog if you scroll for just a moment.
You can check out my Interpretations journeys here, here, and here.
I also had a haiku published in Ponder Review, which is truly a beautiful journal. It's glossy and the artwork is incredible.
At the library tonight a little boy who was about five years old asked for books about tardigrades.
Since we didn't have any books about tardigrades at my library branch tonight, I decided to offer the next best thing.
It was a terrible mistake!
We had a book called, Tiny Monsters, which is about microscopic critters, and I was momentarily thrilled my library had something to offer him.
When I told him the title of the book, however, he was horrified. "They're not monsters! Monsters is a mean name to call someone!"
He wouldn't even consider the book. He was so appalled by my recommendation he wouldn't consider anything else I showed him either.
I'm all about providing memorable library experiences that children will remember when they grow up. Perhaps his feelings of horror will blossom into a book he'll write someday about the proper naming etiquette of petite organisms.
So I'm going to chalk this one up as a win!
In his defense, tardigrades are also called 'water bears' and 'moss piglets,' so perhaps other microscopic critters have cute names and do not deserve the title of 'monsters.'
Monster or cutie - you decide.
While I would love to take credit for the above photo, I cannot because I have yet to find any moss piglets who will give me permission to take their picture.
The biggest project I've been working on recently has been a collage for my dad.
One of the things I've had on my bucket list is taking a photograph and turning it into a collage. So my dad's collage was the perfect opportunity to give this idea a try.
When I started this piece I had about 20 songs and a giant stack of letters I wanted to incorporate into the artwork. The only thing I could perfectly visualize was my dad's shirt, so naturally it was the toughest thing to make. In my mind I could perfectly picture a lemon shirt, in honor of one of our favorite poems, "The Murder of Two Men By a Young Kid Wearing Lemon Colored Gloves," and an outline with the lyrics to Yakety Yak. My dad is a musician who played saxophone and organ mostly and his Yakety Sax bit was one of my favorites. Sometimes, when he played the song he would ask his audience if they wanted to hear it backwards. Everyone would shout yes and he would turn around and play the song again. To this day, it's still one of the funniest things ever.
There are so many stories in this piece I could go on for a really long time. But I will let the rest of the stories reveal themselves one petal at a time.
At one point, I ran into a wall with this piece. If you guessed that it happened while making dad's shirt, you are right! Robert stepped in and helped me create a new top-secret technique. It involved math and thinking about the inverse of lines.
It was also tricky to make Dad's hair. I thought it would take two layers of strips, but I was wrong! It took two layers plus a haircut, which I am not qualified to give, but thankfully this wasn't real life, so I was able to give some of his hair back. 😂
I see a lot of pretty and tidy work areas on Instagram, which I'm deeply suspicious about. I am always wading through mountains of paper, getting paint in my hair, and sometimes accidentally dunking a brush into my coffee cup. Bye bye coffee! But I proudly embrace my messiness. This piece was particularly messy. Each time I opened the door to my office to work on this collage I would see the mountains of paper and get so excited.
But I'm sure you're wondering, did he like his collage?
My dad loved the piece, and I further cemented my place in his heart as favorite daughter, or pardon me, favorite dotter.
