Picture Book Monday with a review of A Taste of Colored Water

Over the years I have been able to add reviews of many wonderful books to my Black History Month Feature. Many of these books tells the stories of brave and steadfast African-Americans who made the world a better place even though the odds were so strongly against them.  Today a bring you a book that is a little different. It is about two little Caucasian children who know nothing about racism when we first meet them, and who later see the ugliness of bigotry first hand. When we look through the eyes of innocent children we truly see how cruel and unacceptable racism is on so many levels.

A taste of colored water

Matt Faulkner

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2008, 978-1-4169-1629-1

Abbey Finch recently went to the big city with her mama to go shopping, and while she was there she saw a water bubbler that had a sign hanging over it that said “Colored.” She tells the kids back at home about what she saw and they all think she is “crazy.” Why would anyone have colored water coming out of a water fountain?

   The kids are inclined to think that this story is yet another of Abbey’s fibs, but they cannot help thinking how wonderful it would be to see a fountain that spouts forth colored water. Lulu and her cousin Jelly decide that they really have to see this marvel, and by some miracle they soon get the opportunity. Uncle Jack needs to get a part for a tractor he is working on, and the two children pester the man to take them with him until he gives in. Of course, Lulu and Jelly know better than to tell Uncle Jack why they really want to go to the big city so badly.

   Now, Lulu and Jelly have never been to the big city before, and the sight of all those tall buildings, the streets, and the lack of fields and trees is rather overwhelming. Uncle Jack finally gets to his destination, a shop across the street from city hall, and he goes to get the tractor part that he is looking for, telling the children to “Stay put” while he is gone.

   Of course they don’t. The colored water bubbler is right there and so they go and investigate, never expecting that what they will experience on that hill next to the city hall will put a crack in their world view that will change them forever.

   Children are naturally open and accepting of everyone. Until someone teaches them to be fearful of people who are different from them, they more often than not do not really see or care about another child’s skin color, hair color, eye color, or eye shape. For them a kid is just a kid.

   In this thought-provoking book Matt Faulkner gives young readers a story about two children who have no idea that a whole section of their society, African-Americans, are forced to live separately, and are denied rights that white people take for granted. In just a few minutes the children discover that in the adult world there are lines and boundaries that cause anger, pain, and frustration.

   Seeing the world through Jelly and Lulu’s eyes will remind adults of that time when they, like these two children, were free of prejudice. The story will give those adults the means to have an open dialogue with the children in their lives about racism.  

Poetry Friday with a review of Won Ton and Chopstick: A cat and dog tale told in Haiku

Not long ago we brought a new kitten into the household. The kitten, Legolas, did not like our resident dogs, Pippin and Pinot, at all. The dogs were fascinated by the kitten and wanted so badly to sniff him and play with him, but Legolas spat and hissed whenever Pippin and Pinot were near. The dogs simply could not understand this. Why didn't the little animal want to be friends?

Today's poetry title contains a deliciously funny story about a cat whose family acquires a puppy, much to the cat's disgust and annoyance. The story is told using haiku and it was a joy to read.

Won Ton and Chopstick: A cat and dog tale told in Haiku

Lee Wardlaw

Illustrated by Eugene Yelchin

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Henry Holt, 2015, 978-0-8050-9987-4

Won Ton has a wonderful life. Every day is the same, which is how he likes things to be. Wonton naps, he plays, he has a bath, he naps again, he eats, and then the process is repeated. This is the “purrfect” life for a cat.

   Then one day Won Ton is woken up by a noise and he decides to snoop. He discovers that there are toys on the floor that do not have feathers or fur on them, toys that are therefore not suitable for a cat. Who do they belong to?

   Won Ton snoops some more and what he sees is enough to give any self-respecting cat a heart attack: There is a puppy in the house. Won Ton has a cat fit and ends up being put outside, which is very galling. The dog is the one who should be thrown out.

   Won Ton listens in as Sis and Boy come up with a name for the puppy. He is not impressed when they consider calling him Chopstick. As far as Won Ton is concerned the dog’s “real” name is “Pest!”

   Won Ton wastes no time making sure that the puppy knows that he, Wonton, is the boss in the house. The rules are laid down and when the dog eats Won Ton’s dinner he is given a paw smack. To Won Ton’s horror he ends up being put outside. Again. As he lies under a chair in the yard Won Ton misses Boy and wonders if their wonderful relationship will ever recover.

   In this wonderful poetry picture book, delightfully expressive haiku are paired with amusing artwork to take readers into the world of a cat who does not like having to share his home and his people with a dog. Children will sympathize with Won Ton and will hope that the cat will be able to make his peace with the puppy. Is there hope for Won Ton and the canine pest?

Books of Hope - Fly Away

There are some authors whose stories lift me up. Their tales always give me something to think about, and I always have a better perspective on life after I have finished reading one of their titles. Patricia MacLachlan is one of these authors. Today my Books of Hope title is a celebration of family, and to say that it is an uplifting story is an understatement. After I read this book I felt as if the world had become brighter and more promising. I was reminded of the fact that being able to love and care for others is a privilege.

Fly Away
Patricia MacLachlan
Fiction
For ages 7 and up
Simon and Schuster, 2014, 978-1442460089
Every year Lucy and her family drive to North Dakota to spend part of the summer with Aunt Frankie. This year in particular Lucy’s father, Boots, feels that they need to be there because the rainy season has been very wet, which means that the river will be well over its banks. Aunt Frankie will need help safeguarding her home and her possessions from the water.
    Almost everyone in Lucy’s family has something that they do well. Boots is a poet, though he set aside his pen when he decided that he loved caring for cows more than he cared to write down words. Lucy’s sister Gracie is a wonderful artist and she sings well too. Lucy herself cannot sing at all but she loves to write poetry and hopes to become a poet one day. What no one, other than Lucy knows is that little two-year-old Teddy is a superb singer. Everyone knows that Teddy does not care to speak, but they don’t know is that Teddy can carry a perfect tune. Every night Teddy comes to Lucy’s room and he sings a wordless song for her. This time together is their precious secret, and it has strengthened the already strong bond that they share.
   Two things happen on their trip as they make their way across the open country. Teddy says his first word, which is, not surprisingly, “cow.” Then it starts to rain. Heavily. Aunt Frankie tells Boots to turn around the go home, but they all agree that they should keep going because Aunt Frankie is going to need them, even if she thinks that she isn’t.
   Sure enough, in the middle of their first night at Aunt Frankie’s house, it starts to rain again and the water level rises. Lucy, Boots, Auntie Frankie and other folk work hard to move Aunt Frankie’s store of grain to higher ground, and they put sandbags in front of the porch, though everyone knows that that water is going to probably go right over them.
   In the morning the porch steps are gone and the “Water sits even with the porch floor.” The good news is that the rain has stopped. It looks as if the worst is past, but another danger lies ahead that none of them could have predicted.
   In this incredibly rich and powerful story, Patricia MacLachlan explores the incredible bonds that connect members of a family. When Aunt Frankie needs them, Lucy and her family (and their chickens) drive for hundreds of miles to help out. When Teddy needs to be comforted, Lucy, who cannot sing, finds a way to sing anyway. When Lucy’s mother needs to reassured that she is loved and needed, Teddy, the boy who does not speak, speaks.
   With a narrative that is touched with humor and poignancy, this beautifully written story will touch readers of all ages.

Picture Book Monday with a review of The Typewriter

All of us have dreams that we wish would come true. Some are 'practical' dreams; technically speaking these dreams could come true under the right circumstances. Other dreams are delightfully fantastical and we know that the only place that these dreams can live in is in our imaginations. Today's picture book take us into the lives of three children who, thanks to a magical typewriter, are able to make their wishes come true.

The Typewriter

Bill Thomson

Wordless Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Two Lions, 2016, 978-1477849750

One day three children ride their bikes to the carousel, only to discover that is it closed. Most of the rides on the carousel are the traditional horses that you expect to see, but there is also a bumblebee ride, and on the seat of the bumblebee, right next to the pole that attaches it to the carousel, there is a box. The children lift the box down to the ground, open it, and find out that it contains a typewriter.

   The little girl puts some paper in the typewriter and then she types the word Beach. In a moment the children are transported from their snowy home to a beach, complete with sun, sand, and a blue sky. While his friends are playing in the surf, one of the boys types the word Ball on the paper, and just like that a large beach ball appears. The third child types the word Ice Cream and a huge plastic pail, full of ice cream, turns up. Then it is the girl’s turn again. She types the word Crab on the paper and sure enough a crab materializes on the sand. The problem is that this crab, like the ball and the pail of ice cream, is huge!

   This gorgeous wordless picture book serves as a tribute to the imagination, and it will take readers into that wonderful world of what if. What would they type on a typewriter that could make dreams come true? What would they do if they were confronted by a huge crab? Children will see, through the magic typewriter, that words have enormous power, and perhaps they will wonder if words in the real world are just as remarkable, though in a different way.

Poetry Friday with a review of What are you Glad about? What are you Mad About?

Feelings can be so confusing sometimes. We can feel two contradictory emotions at the same time, or we experience an emotion that we can't identify and don't understand. Today's poetry book explores the feelings people have in a creative and clever way. Touches of humor in some of the poems reminds us that there is always room for a smile or a laugh.

What are you glad about? What are you mad about?

Judith Viorst

Illustrated by Lee White

Poetry Book

For ages 7 to 9

Simon and Schuster, 2016, 978-1-4814-2355-7

Sometimes we know exactly how we are feeling. We are happy because our day is going well, or we are grumpy because nothing seems to be going right. Then there are those times when we cannot quite figure out what is going on inside. We think we are happy, but then feelings of sadness trickle in from somewhere. Or, we think we should be upset, but somehow the upset feelings don’t behave the way they are supposed to.

   No matter how you are feeling, you will find that this book contains poems that speak to you, that resonate with you because they seem to understand what is happening in your life at this particular moment. For example, if you are feeling cut off from the world and alone, the poem All Alone Inside My Very Own Skin will comfort you because you will see that you are not the only who is feeling all alone inside; you are not the only one who wishes “I could invite somebody in.”

   More often than not, what we feel on the inside is influenced by what is happening on the outside. Events at school, family ups and downs, and happenings with friends and enemies all play a part in our stories, and there are poems in this collection that bring such stories to life.

   My Papa is a poem that captures the love that one little child has for his grandfather, a man who makes wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches. This grandfather rides bikes, reminds his grandson of “My thank-yous and my pleases,” and when the little boy becomes the president he will “banish prunes and peases” and his grandfather will be named the “head of the / Department of Grilled Cheeses.”

   From an easy-going grandfather we go to Bossy Mom, a parent who controls her child’s every move and action in life. You don’t have to be a genius to see that the child is more than a little fed up with being told what to do, and how to do it, every minute of the day. “She is ruining my life!” and “she’s going to drive me completely insane,” the child says, in desperate tones.

   There are even poems in this collection about the seasons, which is only right and proper. After all, for children, the seasons are often full of things that summon up emotions. There are wonderful things like falling leaves in autumn that make such a “commotion” in their leave-taking so that we “won’t forget them when they go.” Then there are not so great things like those cold days in winter when we are so cold and shivery, so frozen to the bone, that we wish we could hibernate and tell people “don’t bother to call me till spring.”

   This is a delicious collection of poems that children will come back to again and again, because on the pages they will find verses that will make them smile, and nod, and shake their heads in commiseration. They will find situations and feelings that will be familiar, and that will make sense. They will feel that here is a poet who completely ‘gets’ where they are coming from. 

Books of Hope - A Child's Garden: A Story of Hope

When life is hard, or when we are living in a place and/or a time that is full of challenges, it is so easy to despair and give up hope. At such times we forget to notice the little gifts that life is giving us, the little things that brighten our world and make it a happier place. A friend's hug, the smile of a child, a a gorgeous sunrise. These things all give us hope when we experience them.

Today's Book of Hope takes us to a grim place where hope is scarce. Until something miraculous happens.

A Child's Garden: A Story of Hope
Michael Foreman
Picture Book
For ages 6 and up
Candlewick, 2009, 978-0763642716
One day, after a rain shower, a little boy who lives in a war ravaged world sees a little plant pushing its way through the soil. The little boy carefully tends the plant, and in time he recognizes that it is a grapevine. The vine grows up the barbed wire fence that prevents the little boy from going to the hills that he once visited with his father. The vine grows and prospers, and soon it provides the children in the war zone with a shady place to play.
   Then something terrible happens, soldiers from the other side of the fence pull up the vine and they throw it in a ditch. The little boy can't help feeling that his heart is going to break; but is doesn't break after all.
   In this powerful and very moving picture book, Michael Foreman celebrates the resilience and courage of the human spirit. He shows his readers how people, even in the most trying of times, can find something to live for. Against the stark grey landscape of ruined homes and lives, Michael Foreman gives us the warm glow of something green and living, and we can see how a simple plant can give people hope for a better future.

This title is out of print in the United States, but new and used copies are easy to find online. The book is still in print in the U.K.

Picture Book Monday with a review of The Friend Ship

Finding friends isn't always easy, and the search for people to connect with can be a lonely one. In today's picture book you are going to meet an incredibly sweet little hedgehog who learns that she needs to find friendship, and who goes on an incredible journey to find it.

The Friend Ship

Kat Yeh

Illustrated by Chuck Groenink

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Disney Hyperion, 2016, 978-148470726-5

One day Hedgehog is lying curled up in a ball in “the lonely little nook of a lonely little tree” when she hears two animals taking about her. One animal tells the other that Hedgehog seems lonely, and then the other animal says that things will be better when Hedgehog finds friendship. All she has to do is to go and look for it.

   Hedgehog is inspired by this overheard conversation. The “Friend Ship” is out there waiting for her and now she has to find it. Hedgehog quickly gets to work and builds a boat. A beaver comes a long and asks her what she is doing. Hedgehog explains that she will soon be setting off to find The Friend Ship. The beaver, who wants a friend, asks if he can join Hedgehog in her quest, and she happily agrees.

   The two travelers don’t travel far in their boat when they come across four deer. Hedgehog asks the deer if they have seen The Friend Ship. The deer like the idea of being on such a vessel; they would like to have friends too, and so they ask if they can join Hedgehog and the beaver, who are happy to welcome the deer on board.

   Hedgehog and her companions sail north and south. The head east as well, and every time they ask someone if they have seen The Friend Ship the answer is no. Every time Hedgehog is asked if an animal can join her quest she (and everyone else) always says yes.

   After a few days of searching and asking, Hedgehog begins to lose hope, but the animals on the ship with her don’t let her give up. They support and comfort her, telling her that they will “stick with you till the end.”

   This wonderful picture book shows readers, in a sweet and gentle way, how sometimes the one thing that we want the most in life can sometimes be found right under our noses. In company with Hedgehog and her fellow travelers, we go on a wonderful voyage of discovery and hope.

Poetry Friday with a review of The Geography of Girlhood

Growing up can be tough, and for some the teenage years are a time full of confusion and trouble. This was certainly true for me and I therefore tend to stay away from books about teens who are in crisis. I don't particularly want to relive that time of my life, thank you very much! However, today's novel in verse caught my attention, and though it is a painful story at times, I am so glad that I read it. It is so beautifully written and so wonderfully honest.

The Geography of Girlhood

Kirsten Smith

Poetry

For ages 12 to 14

Little Brown, 2006, 978-0316017350

As far as Penny is concerned, being a fourteen-year-old is all about being stuck in a world where she stands on the sidelines waiting for things to get better. Penny enviously watches Tara, her beautiful older sister, sashay through life, with a boyfriend following in her wake. Penny wishes that she could be like Tara instead of being a girl who looks like her father, a man who is not “pretty” at all. Penny wishes she could wake up one day with “a new life / that doesn’t look anything / like this one.”

   When she was just six, Penny’s mother left, and since then her father has done his best to be a father and a mother to his daughters, which is not easy. Tara in particular likes to live life to the fullest, which can lead to problems. Sometimes Tara plays one teenage girl card too many. One night Penny comes home and finds out that Tara came home with hickeys all over her neck and their father is furious. So furious in fact that he tried to put a new lock on Tara’s bedroom door.

   After this piece of drama, more and more things start to happen in Penny’s life. She gets detention for the first time, a boy blows a kiss at her, and when the star of the school play gets bronchitis, Penny has to step out of her in-the-background understudy role and onto the stage to play the lead part. This could be the opportunity of a lifetime. It really could. Except Penny does not know her lines and the first night is a bust. A second understudy takes on the lead role for the remaining performances of the play.

   When she leaves the theater that night, walking in the rain, Randall Faber gives Penny a bunch of flowers. He does not seem to mind that she made a complete mess of the play and suddenly she isn’t just Penny Morrow, the “Screw-up In the School Play.” Now she is “The Girl Randall Faber Likes,” who then becomes the girl who fainted when Randal Faber kissed her. To say that Penny feels humiliated is an understatement.  The surprising thing is that Randall still wants to be her official boyfriend and so Penny finds herself holding hands with him, dancing with him, and trying to have conversations with him. She should be happy with her new status in life, but the truth of the matter is that she really does not like him that much. How did that happen?

   Penny is not the only one in a relationship either. Her dad starts seeing a biologist, and Penny cannot believe how changed he is. He tries new things, steps into the unknown, and stops hiding from the world. By the time summer is rich and ripe with sunny days, Penny’s dad has married Susan and Penny and Tara have a new stepmother and a stepbrother.

   Change happens so fast during the summer months and Penny is barely about to keep up. Her friend Denise really falls apart and has to take medication; Tara breaks every rule she can; and in September Penny gets sucked into the world of high school. The thing is that Penny has no idea what she is doing half the time and so on she stumbles, trying desperately to keep her head above water and survive.

   This sometimes gritty, poignant, and often painful novel in verse takes us into the world of a teenage girl who, like so many teenagers, has no clue how to navigate the world she finds herself in. As her sister and best friend slip into deeper and deeper waters of recklessness (Tara) and illness (Denise), Penny tries to figure out where she belongs and who she is. Change and loss make her last years in school complicated, and readers will find themselves wishing that they could hold this girl who misses her long-lost mother, longs for a life somewhere else, and struggles to understand her world.

Books of Hope - All the World

Many of us live in the past or the future. We look back on good times that are now gone, or look forward to what might be coming. We forget to appreciate the amazing and wonderful things that are happening to us right now, and those amazing and wonderful things can be simple everyday moments. Seeing that a favorite flower is blooming, or sharing a smile with a complete stranger are the kinds of in-the-now moments that we need to savor.

Today's book of hope is all about celebrating the present, those times that enrich our lives in so many ways.

All the world
Liz Garton Scanlon
Illustrator:  Marla Frazee
Picture Book
All ages
Simon and Schuster, 2009, 1416985808
Many of us spend our lives running from place to place, and from activity to activity. We rarely take the time to appreciate the now; to enjoy what we are doing right this minute. In this beautifully written and illustrated picture book, Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee have created a memorable text and lovely illustrations to tell the story of one day in the life of a family. As the day unfolds, we are reminded of the wonderful things that fill our lives, and the simple pleasures that make life so special.
   The book begins with two children playing on a beach. The build a sandcastle, dig a moat, and take “a shell to keep.” Then the family heads to a farmer’s market where they buy produce and flowers. There are moments that are trying, for example when a storm arrives and rain pours down, and there are moments when everything is right with the world.
   This book celebrates the connections between people, the wonders that fill our world, the high points that we share, and the low points that we also share. It is a title that readers of all ages will enjoy.

Books of Hope - Winnie the Pooh

When the world without gets dark and stormy, when illness strikes,  or when I am just worn down by life, I turn to a number of books for solace and comfort. One of the books I turn to is today's Book of Hope title. It may seem strange that I would consider Winnie the Pooh to be a book of hope, but I think it is just that. The Winnie the Pooh stories remind us of the simple joys, the little adventures, the funny situations, that make life rich and wonderful. Feeling rich in stories that are packed with humor and sweet affection most certainly gives the spirit a lift.

Winnie the Pooh
A. A. Milne
Illustrator:  Ernest H. Shepard
Fiction
For ages 5 and up
Penguin, 2005, 978-0142404676
Lets us hear a story. Christopher Robin has decided that the story he would like to hear should be one about his bear, "Winnie-ther-Pooh." Christopher thinks that Winnie would very much like to hear a story about himself, and so off we go, to the forest, where Winnie-the-Pooh lives.
   In the first story we are told, Pooh, who is very partial to food in general, and honey in particular, decides that he wants to climb a tree because there is a large bee hive at the top. Of course where there are bees there is honey, and where there is honey there are Poohs. At first Pooh tries climbing up the tree in the old fashioned way, but that turns out to be a painful exercise. So he heads off to find Christopher Robin, whom he hopes might have a solution to his problem. Sure enough, before long, Pooh is floating up next to the honey bee tree hanging from a large blue balloon. There still is a problem however, and the problem is that the bees, which are not unintelligent creatures, are beginning to get "suspicious."
   Poor Pooh. This is only the first of several rather uncomfortable adventures that he has. In the next tale we are told, the bear, who as I have said enjoys food, gets stuck in Rabbit's doorway. Pooh blames the size of the doorway, and Rabbit blames the size of Pooh. There is nothing to be done however, for Pooh is stuck tight. All Pooh can do is listen to a "Sustaining Book such as would help and comfort a Wedged Bear in Great Tightness" and wait to get thinner.
   A. A. Milne's deliciously funny stories about this lovable bear, with their wonderful use of language,  will never lose their charm. Pooh and his friends speak a language all children understand, and they make the kinds of mistakes that they understand too. At the same time, there can be no doubt that Pooh's tales delight adults as well. There is something about the bear's simple needs, his obvious devotion to his friends, and his delightful way of expressing himself that makes Pooh a panacea for a tired mind, an aching heart, or a weary spirit.
   Ernest Shepard's delightful illustrations perfectly capture the personalities of Pooh, Piglet, and their friends.

Poetry Friday with a review of Wet Cement: A mix of Concrete Poems

Concrete poems, or poems that are laid out on a page to create pictures, are such fun to explore; and to write. Poets who like to write such poems are wonderfully creative and they often inject their writings with a sense of fun as well. Today's title is full of these poems, and readers of all age will enjoy reading and looking at them.

Wet Cement: A mix of Concrete poems

Bob Raczka

Poetry Book

For ages 7 to 10

Roaring Brook Press, 2016, 978-1-62672-236-1

For Bob Raczka, poems are “word paintings” because the words on the page “paint pictures inside your head.” The wonderful thing about concrete poems, or shape poems, is that the words also “paint pictures on the page.” The words are arranged in such a way that they create an image of something that represents what the poem is about. For example, for a poem about a candle, the words might we arranged on the page to look like a flame.

   In this collection of poems Bob Raczka has decided to take the picture-making aspect of his creations to another level. The words of the poems create a picture, and in addition the letters in the titles of the poems also create a picture.

   For example, in the poem Crossword, the letters in the title of the poem are arranged in such a way to create a cross. Then the words of the poem are placed on the page in such a way that they create what looks like a crossword.

   In the Poem Dominoes, the title letters are tipped to one side, and the words of the poem look like a row of dominoes that have also been tipped over. The text in the poem is written from the point of view of the dominoes themselves. They talk about the need to “brace yourself,” “forward march” and “do your part,” as they fall over and lean against each other.

  The poem Icicles is beautifully picture rich. Both the letters in the title and the words in the poem hang down like icicles from the eves of a building. The title is upside down and the lines of the poem hang sideways so that we have to turn the page to read them. They tell us how icicles form and how you can “Break one off and take a lick” when the icicles are “long and clear and ripe.”

   Children are going to be delighted when they see how the poems in this book loop and hop, circle, crisscross, and hang on the pages to create pictures. They may even be inspired to try creating concrete poems of their own.

Books of Hope - Miss Rumphius

This is one of my favorite picture books. The story reminds me that even the simple act of planting flowers can make the world a better place. What Miss Rumphius does is to give everyone who sees her flowers a gift of beauty, and imagine what that does for them. Maybe it makes them happy and lifts them up. Maybe it reminds them that the world is a beautiful place. Maybe seeing the flowers allows them to move forward with hope in their hearts.

Miss Rumphius
Barbara Cooney
Picture Book
For ages 5 and up
Penguin, 1985, 978-0140505399
When Alice was a small girl she used to talk to her grandfather about how, when she grew up, she would "go to faraway places," and when she grew old she would "live beside the sea." Alice's grandfather told her that in addition to these two things, there was a third thing that she must do, and that was to do something that would "make the world more beautiful."
   When Alice grew up to become Miss Rumphius she did indeed travel to far off lands, and she had all sorts of adventures. Then, when she began to get tired, she found a little house by the sea to live in. The question she now had was what she should do to make the world a more beautiful place.
   One day when she was out walking she found some beautiful lupines growing on a hillside. The lupines were the offspring of the flowers that she had planted in her own little garden the previous spring. Now Miss Rumphius knew what she would have to do. Back at home she sent away for bags and bags of lupine seeds and then she got to work sowing the seeds all over the countryside, making the hills and valleys around her home beautiful.
   This delightful story about dreams and the need to give something back to the world is both powerful and thought provoking. What the elderly Miss Rumphius does is not earth shaking, and yet it does make the world a more beautiful place, and her labours give lots of people great pleasure as they look at the fields of lupines that she sowed. The reader cannot help wondering what he or she can do to make the world a more beautiful place. Whatever one chooses to do, whether it is planting trees or joining a group to clean up the countryside, each effort to make the world more beautiful makes a difference.

Books of Hope, 2017: Reviews of books that empower, uplift, and give the reader hope.

Dear bookish friends:

2016 was a very strange year. It was a year during which we were subjected to so much discord and anger in the media and in our communities, and so much bad news. The year left many people, including myself, feeling shaken and worried for the future. I was thinking about this a week or so ago and trying to figure out what I could do to make my world a little brighter and more hopeful. Naturally my thoughts turned to books.

I have decided that I will review at least one book each week that offers up a message that is warming, thoughtful, and hopeful. I will choose books that remind us that the world is not always a terrible place. Perhaps the book will explore compassion. Perhaps it will tell the story of a person who has found a way to make the world a better place. Perhaps readers will see how differences can be overcome, and how bridges between conflicting groups can be built.

Though all of the books I review were written for young readers, I want you to know that the Books of Hope that I am going to share with you during this year will suit readers of all ages. Adults can get a lot out of reading children's literature, so don't be afraid to read one of these titles for yourself. See what you discover and learn. You may be surprised!

My hope is that these books will give you hope, and that that hope will help you to make our world a kinder, gentler, more compassionate place.

Picture Book Monday with a review of Gary

Twenty years ago I got a chronic illness that changed my life. I had to adjust my expectations, learn to live within my limits, and most importantly learn to enjoy and love the new life that I had built for myself. It was not easy. At all. It still isn't.

What I loved about today's picture book was the fact that it is about a character, Gary, who cannot do what his friends and relatives do, but he still manages to have a full life, one that offers him a unique perspective. In fact he is able to share what he learns with others, which is wonderful.

Gary

Leila Rudge

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Candlewick Press, 2016, 978-0-7636-8954-4

Most of the time Gary is just like the other racing pigeons that he lives with. He eats what they eat, lives in a loft, and dreams of going on adventures. However, when the other pigeons leave in the travel basket to attend races, Gary stays home and works on his scrapbook. Gary cannot fly, and so he cannot join the other racing pigeons on race days. Instead, he lives vicariously through his friends, recording their race experiences in his scrapbook.

   One night Gary leans over from his perch so far that he loses his balance. Gary and his scrapbook fall into the travel basket, and the next day he, still in the basket, is taken far from home. When he arrives at his destination the basket is opened and the sky is “full of feathers and flapping wings.” The racing pigeons are off, but Gary, who cannot fly back home like the other pigeons, is stuck, lost in a city that he does not know at all.

   Needing cheering up, Gary looks at his scrapbook, and little by little the cityscape around him starts to look “a little more familiar.”

   This wonderful picture book tells the story of a bird who cannot fly and who therefore cannot see the world. Except through the pages of his scrapbook. Then life presents Gary with a situation that could turn out to be a disaster and he has to figure out a solution.

   What is perhaps the best part of this delightful story is the way in which it ends. It turns out that Gary, the pigeon who cannot fly, has something to offer the pigeons who can fly.

   

Poetry Friday with a review of Before Morning

I know that children are the ones who are supposed to hope and wish for a snow day, but I have to confess that I hope and wish for them too. There is nothing like taking a day off work to play in the snow with dogs and family members; and to sit toasting toes in front of the fire afterwards. In today's poetry book  we meet a little girl who desperately wants a snow day, and her reason for wanting such a day is even more important that having a day off from school.

Before Morning

Joyce Sidman

Illustrated by Beth Krommes

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016, 978-0-547-97917-5

A little girl and her mother arrive home on a cold winter night. Dinner is on the table and all should be well, but the little girl is sad. Soon her mother is going to be leaving for the airport where her plane and crew await her. She is a pilot and her job means that she has to leave home for days at a time.

   The little girl hides her mother’s pilot hat, but has to give it back. Her mother has to go to work and there is nothing that can be done about it. While the little girl sleeps “In the deep woolen dark” that is now freckled with snowflakes, the pilot packs her bags and leaves the house. What the mother does not know is that her daughter has sent a wish up into the night, a wish asking for the snow to come and “Let the air turn to feathers, / the earth turn to sugar.” The little girl wants everything to be “swaddled” in a blanket of snow.

  The hope is that the snow will be heavy enough that “urgent plans founder,” and planes will be grounded so that her mother will be able to come home to her.

   With gorgeous scratchboard art what is rich in textures, and a magical rhyming text that is beautiful in its minimalism, this unique picture book celebrates the power of a child’s wish.

Picture Book Monday with a review of First Snow

There is something wonderful about waking up in the early hours of the morning to discover that snow has fallen in the night. Everything is quiet, muffled by the snowfall, and there is a feeling of excitement that is intoxicating to the spirit. In today's picture book a little child ventures out into the night after the first snowfall and she has a magical adventure in the woods.

First Snow

Bomi Park

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Chronicle Books, 2016, 978-1-4521-5472-5

It is nighttime and a little child, snuggled up in bed with her teddy bear, hears a noise. Something is gently tapping on her bedroom window. She crawls out from under the covers to take a look and sees that it is snowing. Quickly she puts on her snow clothes and goes outside. One of the puppies is awake too and it leaves the warmth of the dog house to see the little girl. It watches as the little girl creates a ball of snow and then it follows as she rolls it across the ground, out of the garden, past the houses, and “Beneath the lights.”

   Across the fields the companions go, along the railroad tracks, and into the woods, where animals watch their progress. The little girl’s ball of snow is quite big now and rolling it along is hard work. Then, there in the dark woods, the little girl sees a glowing gateway to somewhere else, and through it she goes rolling her ball of snow.

   In this wonderful book a simple nocturnal adventure unfolds to become something altogether bigger; something magical happens and we are transported to a wonderful place to celebrate the joy of a first snowfall. 

Poetry Friday with a review of Switching on the Moon: A very first book of Bedtime Poems

When my daughter was little she and I used to sing a little lullaby every night. The overhead light would be out, the unicorn nightlight would be glowing, and for those few precious moments she and I would sing the comforting rhyming lines. There is nothing quite like sharing poetry (sung or spoken) with a child last thing at night, and today I have a book for you that is packed with poems that are perfect for bedtime.

Switching on the Moon: A very first book of Bedtime Poems

Collected by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters

Illustrated by G. Brian Karas

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 3 to 5

Candlewick Press, 2010, 978-0-7636-4249-5

For many children around the world bedtime is synonymous with little songs and poems. The soft lilting cadence of rhymes is so well suited to helping children to settle down and prepare for sleep, and they also help children to connect with the grownups who share these songs and poems with them.

   In this wonderful book a variety of poems about bedtime are brought together so that children can enjoy the gift of beautiful language just before they go to sleep. The poems are divided into three sections. There are verses that describe those pre-bedtime moments, lullabies, and finally there are poems that capture nighttime sounds, moments, and experiences.

   The poems found in the collection are all very different, but one thing they all have in common is how soothing they are. Musings, words of love and comfort, and descriptions - all written by poets from around the world - offer children and their grownups a delightful journey into the world of beautiful language.

   Some of the poems found on these pages may be familiar, like Rock-a-bye Baby and The Man in the Moon. Many others will be new to readers, who will enjoy exploring the writings of Langston Hughes, Jane Yolen, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Lord Tennyson, Sylvia Plath, Marilyn Singer, and others.

   Throughout this wonderful volume, beautiful artwork accompanies the poems and makes this book a work of art that would make a wonderful gift for a family who has a new baby to love care for.

Picture Book Monday with a review of A Warm Winter

I love seasonal picture books, because I love the way they connect us with what is going on outside at this particular moment. They connect us to a rhythm that is bigger than the one that many of humans seem to follow. Today's picture book takes us into a snowy, wintry landscape that is beautiful and stark. On the pages we meet a determined little mouse who is trying to collect firewood so that he can keep his family warm.

A warm winter

Feridun Oral

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Minedition, 2015, 978-988-8341-29-0

One cold winter’s day Little Mouse leaves the comfort of his nest to go out into the snow to find some firewood. Trailing his red scarf, which is very long indeed for such a small animal, Little Mouse finds twigs, pinecones and sticks until he has a huge pile.

   Little Mouse ties up the pile with his scarf, rests a little and then he tries to pull his load across the snow. There is no way the pile is going to budge. Little Mouse is just too small to pull so much weight.

   Little Mouse asks his friend Rabbit for her help. Even when they “join forces” they cannot move the massive pile of firewood. The animals then ask Fox if they can borrow his sled, which he is quite happy to lend them. The firewood is piled on the sled and they all start pulling, but “the pile simply would not budge.”

   There is only one thing left to do; the animals are going to have to wake up Bear to ask for his help. The weather is getting bad and if they don’t get indoors soon everything will soon be buried.

   Bear, being a good fellow, is happy to help his friends, even though they woke him up. Together the four animals pull and pull until something very unexpected happens.

   This wonderful snowy picture book celebrates friendship, and shows to great effect how wonderful it is when people (or animals) work together to help one another.

Holiday Greetings

Poetry Friday with a review of Over the Hills and Far Away: A treasury of Nursery Rhymes

Like many children I got to experience nursery rhymes when I was little, often when I was sitting in someones lap. I was lucky because I was bilingual, and so I was given the gift of rhymes that were written in English and in French. In English many of the rhymes were from Mother Goose collections. The French books contained French nursery rhymes that many English speakers do not normally get to read. What I love about today's poetry book is that the editor has brought together nursery rhymes from all over the world. She thus allows us to experience rhymes that we have probably never heard before.

Over the Hills and Far Away: A treasury of Nursery Rhymes

Collected by Elizabeth Hammill

Illustrated by more than 70 celebrated artists

Poetry Picture Book

For ages 4 to 6

Candlewick Press, 2014, 978-0-7636-7729-9

Many people living in Britain or the United States have grown up with a copy of Mother Goose’s rhymes on their bookshelf. The interesting thing is that often the rhymes one finds in these two countries are different in some ways, and yet the feel of the rhymes is the same. When you then look in other countries where English is spoken, you find other versions of Mother Goose rhymes that have taken on the flavors of the cultures in those countries.

   In addition to these Mother Goose verses, there are nursery rhymes that are unique to the countries where they were written and that capture the essence of the history and traditions in those countries

   In this collection Elizabeth Hammill brings together Mother Goose rhymes from around the world and presents them alongside rhymes that are African, Asian, Caribbean, Native-American, and Hispanic to give readers a truly diverse and rich nursery rhyme experience.

   Throughout the book the poems are paired with artwork that was created by seventy-seven artists from the English-speaking world. Some of the artists have been working in their chosen field for a long time, while others are newcomers to the illustration stage. All of the artwork was donated to this book project by the artists to support Seven Stories, Britain’s National Centre for Children’s Books.

   Our nursery rhyme journey begins with a short Native American verse which is then followed by an African nursery rhyme that captures a mother’s love for her baby. There are other mothers, the mother in the poem says, who would “like to have you for her child,” but they cannot have the baby because the precious child is “mine.” Many of the poems that follow celebrate a mother’s love for her child or baby, while others are nonsense poems, counting poems, poems about animals, poems about places, and poems that tell a story.

   This is a wonderful book to share with children, but it is also the kind of book that offers adults the opportunity to explore the world of nursery rhymes both historically and geographically. Readers are able to see how different cultures use words to comfort, amuse, and delight their children.

  

  

Picture Book Monday with a review of The Christmas Eve Tree

Christmas is less than a week away, and people all over the world are putting up and decorating their Christmas trees. There is something magical about seeing a tree, decorated with tinsel and ornaments, its lights shining in the darkness. Today's picture book is about a Christmas tree that ends up lightning up Christmas for those who need the light the most.

The Christmas Eve Tree

Delia Huddy

Illustrated by Emily Sutton

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Candlewick Press, 2015, 978-0-7636-7917-0

Years ago a grove of Christmas trees was planted. One of the little fir trees was blown sideways into its neighbor by the wind and did not grow properly. When the trees were harvested the little fir tree, which was “stunted” and “tangled with its neighbor” was taken to the big city. The other trees were bought and placed in a cathedral, in the middle of a square, on the stage “at a grand Christmas ball,” and in private homes where children and their families decorated them for the festive season. The little fir tree and its bigger partner ended up in a store. On Christmas Eve the big tree was bought and taken away and the little fir tree was now all alone.

   A poor boy came into the shop to warm up and he asked a store clerk, who was about to throw away the little tree, if he could have it. The clerk “handed it over,” and some time later the boy, with the tree ‘planted’ in a cardboard box full of beach mud, was sitting under the arch of a railway bridge, in the large cardboard box that served as his home. With a coin that a passerby dropped in his hat the boy bought some candles and matches and he decorated the little tree with the candles, creating a little pool of Christmas spirit in a rather bleak place.

   The boy was joined by other homeless people and a tree performer and soon they were all sharing Christmas songs, which drew more and more people to the little tree. Though the tree’s surroundings were very humble, it felt as if it would “burst with happiness” because for a while the hard circumstances of the boy’s life did not matter. For a while the tree gave the boy and many other people joy.

   In this beautiful picture book readers will find a story that is sure to become a firm favorite with readers of all ages. This is the kind of book that families will keep on their shelf and bring out every holiday season to share and enjoy.

Poetry Friday with a review of Love that dog

When I first saw this book on a shelf in the library I thought it was going to be about a dog, which is a natural assumption to make I think. A dog does play a role in the narrative, but the story is really about a boy's relationship with (and discovery of) poetry. It is a fabulous book, a powerful book, a sometimes funny book, and I think readers of all ages will appreciate it.

Love that Dog

Sharon Creech

Poetry

For ages 8 to 12

HarperCollins, 2001, 978-0060292874

Jack is in Miss Stretchberry’s class and he is not happy because she is expecting her students to write a poem. Everyone knows that girls write poems. It is a girly kind of thing to do. After claiming that his “Brain’s empty,” Jack finally condescends to write a poem about a blue car speeding down a road. He is rather put out when his teacher comments on how something is missing in his poem. If Robert Frost can leave his poems incomplete why can’t he?

   Miss Stretchberry then asks Jack to write a poem about a pet. Jack does not have a pet anymore and he does not want to write about the dog that he had. We can sense that doing so will be painful for Jack, and yet the boy does end up writing a description of how the yellow dog became a member of his family; how they got him from the animal shelter and saved him from being euthanized, which is what happens to the shelter dogs that are not adopted. Miss Stretchberry asks Jack if she can type up his poem about the yellow dog and share it with the class. He decides that she can if she wants to, though she cannot put her name on the piece.

   Next Miss Stretchberry introduces Jack and his classmates to concrete poems and these he likes a lot. In fact he even tries to create one called My Yellow Dog, and he arranges the words so that they look like a picture of dog on the page. Miss Stretchberry asks if she can type up his poem again and this time Jack is willing to let her put his name on it, which is a new development.

   Inspired by a poem that he loves that was written by Walter Dean Myers, Jack writes another poem about his dog Sky, and in it he captures the joy the dog brings into his life. It is a poem from the heart and Jack cannot help feeling pleased when his teacher shares it with the class again.

   When Miss Stretchberry suggests that Jack should write to Walter Dean Myers, Jack is appalled. Why would a famous writer like hearing from a kid? Surely he would prefer to hear from a teacher “who uses big words / and knows how / to spell / and / to type.” In the end Jack writes the letter, with many apologies to Walter Dean Myers for taking up his time. Jack even invites the writer to come to his school.

   As he waits to hear from Walter Dean Myers, Jack’s journey into the world of poetry progresses. He starts learning how to type and finally he writes (and then types up) a poem about what happened to Sky, though he is not sure about putting his name on it.

   This remarkable book takes us through a school year with a boy called Jack. As the months go by we see how this boy, who wants nothing to do with poetry at first, starts to appreciate the way words in poems can capture moments and feelings in a fresh and different way. Slowly, like a flower opening, he tries writing his own poems. By the time we leave Jack, with his memories of Sky, he is a very different child, and we, as witnesses to his journey of exploration, can celebrate the changes that have taken place in him. 

Picture Book Monday with a review of The Wish Tree

This is the time of year when children all over the world hold their wishes close, hoping that Santa, Father Christmas, or St. Nicholas will be able to read the wishes in their hearts and make them a reality. In today's picture book you will meet a little boy who wants more than anything to find a wish tree, which he is convinced is a real thing. Rather than waiting for someone to find such a tree for him, the little boy sets out to find the wish tree himself, and in the process he makes a lot of wishes come true for others.

The Wish Tree

Kyo Maclear

Illustrated by Chris Turnham

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Chronicle, 2016, 978-1-4521-5065-9

One day Charles decides that he wants to find a wish tree. His older sister and brother say that “There is no such thing” as a wish tree, but Charles, and his friend Boggan, are convinced otherwise and so the next morning the boy and his toboggan set off.

   Together the friends climb a hill and sledded down to a “frost meadow” on the other side. Though they do not find a wish tree they do find a squirrel who needs help getting his haul of hazelnuts back to his home in a tree. Boggan and Charles are happy to help out.

   Later the friends help a beaver get a load of birch wood back to his lodge, and help a fox get some berries back to her burrow. Again and again Charles and Boggan assist the woodland animals who need help getting food and other materials back to their homes.

   The day begins to wind down and poor Charles and Boggan are no closer to finding a wish tree. They have seen so much during the day, except the one thing that they are looking for. Charles is so tired that he decides that he cannot search any longer. In fact he falls asleep on Boggan, which is when something magical happens.

   This wonderful wintery picture book will appeal to readers of all ages and backgrounds. Though it is certainly about a little boy’s quest, it is also about friendships that bloom during that quest. With delight we see how gifts are returned to someone who gives of himself so easily and freely. 

Poetry Friday with a review of Falling Up

I usually offer up a preamble before I jump into my reviews, but today's poetry title needs no introduction because Shel Silverstein needs no introduction. What is special about this particular edition is that it contains twelve new poems!

Falling Up

Shel Silverstein

Poetry

For ages 6 to 8

HarperCollins, 2015, 978-0-06-232133-6

Poets have been writing nonsense and funny poems for children for many years, and have given their readers amusing characters and wonderful stories in verse to read over and over. A.A. Milne, Edward Lear, and many others have delighted young readers with their comical writings, but it has to be said that one of the most famous and well-loved humorous poets is Shel Silverstein. He left behind him a wonderful collection of poems for young readers, poems that children and their grownups have been enjoying ever since they came out in print.

   On the pages of this book young readers will meet a colorful collection of characters who often have very bizarre adventures. For example, there is a little boy who, when he tripped over a shoelace, fell up instead of down. He floated up into the sky and the experience would surely have been amazing except for the fact that he got so dizzy and sick to his stomach that he “threw down.”

   Then there are poems that capture moments in a child’s life that are very familiar. In Diving Board we meet a boy who has made sure that the diving board is “nice and straight” and that is can “stand the weight.” He has verified that it “bounces right,” and that his toes “can get a grip.” The only thing left to do is to dive, but we cannot help thinking that perhaps that is the one thing he won’t do.

   Writer Waiting captures another familiar situation to perfection. A child sits in front of a computer, a wonderful device that can do so many things that a writer does not need a “writing tutor.” The computer can spell and punctuate, “edit and select,” “copy and correct.” The one thing that it cannot do is figure out what you should write about.

   The cartoon style illustrations that accompany the poems in this book often add a great deal to the writing, and in some cases they provide a visual punchline that readers will thoroughly enjoy.

   This wonderful special edition volume includes twelve poems that were not included in the original 1996 copy of this title. The author’s family very kindly agreed to share these poems and their accompanying drawings with readers, and what a gift they have given us.

Picture Book Monday with a review of Sleep Tight Farm

This morning I woke up to find that it had snowed in the night. The trees and shrubs in our garden, and the grape vines in the vineyard looked as if they had been tucked up under a cozy, fluffy eiderdown. I was grateful that I had managed to get everything ready for the colder months in time, though the baby olive trees in their pots still need to be put under cover so that they don't freeze.

Getting a farm ready for the winter is not an easy task, and in today's picture book you will get to spend some time with a family who spend many busy days putting their farm to bed for the cold season.


Sleep tight farm: A farm prepares for winter

Eugenie Doyle

Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Chronicle Books, 2016, 978-1-4521-2901-3

It is December and the days are getting shorter and darker. The big hay and corn fields are empty, the trees are bare, and all is quiet, but at the farm the people are busy; it is time to put the farm “to bed” for the winter.

   Out into the cold morning they go to cover the strawberry plants with hay so that they will be protected from “winter’s frosty bite.”  Raspberry plants are also prepared for the winter, their canes cut back so they cannot be cracked by wind and snow.

   The last of the fall vegetable crops, kale, carrots, beets and potatoes, are harvested and stored in the barn. The hay was brought in weeks ago and now Dad goes out into the field to plant a cover crop so that the fields are replenished before the next season.

   Wood is chopped so that the house will be kept warm through the winter months, and the chicken coop and bee hives are winterized so that the chickens and bees will be warm and safe. This is much to do before the farm and it people can take a well-earned rest.

   In this wonderful picture book we see how the members of a family work together to get their farm ready for winter. There is a lot of work to be done, and at the same time there is a lot of gratitude to offer up for all that the farm has given the family in the spring, summer, and fall. The farm has been good to them and they have not forgotten this.

  

                                              

Poetry Friday with a review of Everybody was a baby once

Anyone who has watched a young child listening to someone reading a nursery rhyme to them knows that young children have a natural appreciation for rhymes and verse. Their minds are open to the wonderful possibilities that are inherent in poetry. Today's poetry title was written especially for young children, and it offers them the gift of humor and wonderful language.

Everybody was a baby once and other poems

Allan Ahlberg

Illustrated by Bruce Ingman

Poetry Book

For ages 2 to 4

Candlewick Press, 2010, 978-0-7636-4682-0

Poetry can enrich the lives of readers of all ages, but all too often older children and adults are reluctant to explore the world of poetry because they think that poetry is not for them. Thankfully, young children are more open to receiving the gift of poetry. Indeed, they often embrace the world of poems and have a natural affinity for them.

   In this splendid book young children will encounter a collection of poems that will beautifully resonate with their interests, their sense of humor, and their love of stories. For example, in When I was a Little Child they will ‘meet’ a child who tells them what life was like when he was young. When you are small the world you interact with is very different because of your size and because so much of what you see and experience is new and exciting. A bath is “like the sea” and a high chair is a “mighty tower.” Stairs seem to go to “mountaintops” and a father is “like a tree.”

   As they explore this book children will encounter some poems that provide them with information. They learn what to do if they meet a witch, and what monsters like to eat. For example at breakfast time monsters munch on “Tadpole toasties” and “Dreaded wheat,” and for dinner they have “moldy greens” and “Human beans.” Knowing such important facts about monsters is vital for one’s education after all.

   There are also story poems of all kinds that will surely amuse little children and their grownups. Who can resist a story about how snowmen used to be “In the good old days / When snow was snow,” and the one about a soccer match that took place between two teams of animals, with elephants on one side and insects on the other. One can only imagine how such a game would turn out.

   This is a wonderful book to share with young children. It not only introduces children to the magic of poetry, but it gives adults the opportunity to share some precious, bookish, time with the child or children in their lives. 

Picture Book Monday with a review of Pond

Children often feel very overwhelmed when they see all the problems in their world. Stories about wars, environmental disasters, famines, political conflicts, and social upheavals fill newspapers, news broadcasts, and social media. There is so much wrong out there that they often think that there is nothing that they can do that will have an impact on so much chaos. The truth of the matter is that every little effort that makes the world safer, kinder, and cleaner is a step in the right direction.

Today's picture book shows how some children bring about change for the better in their own little world, and that change, though its impact is not global, is still vital and precious.


Pond

Jim La Marche

Picture Book

For ages 5 to 7

Simon and Schuster, 2016, 978-1-4814-4735-5

One cold winter day Matt is out walking when he comes to a place that he and his friends call “the Pit.” It is usually just an open space in the woods that is full of trash, but on this day he sees that a stream of water is bubbling its way out of the ground. Matt looks around and realizes that this neglected place was once a pond and he makes a decision. He is going to bring the pond back.

   Matt tells his sister Katie and his best friend Pablo about his discovery, and asks them if they are willing to help him clean the place up. Both agree and the very next weekend the three young people get to work. They pick up all the junk and trash and, with Pablo’s father’s help, take it all to the dump. Then they move rocks to create a dam.

   As the days go by and winter softens into spring, the pond starts to fill up. In the summer the children spend time by the water until they are driven off my biting insects and summer storms. Then Matt’s dad decides to help the children work on an old row boat so that it is seaworthy once again. Together they work at patching holes, sanding rough wood, and nailing down boards. The boat is named Dragonfly, and when the children take it out on the water it floats.

   As the months go by the pond offers Matt and his friends and family members all kinds of seasonal joys, and it also gives animals a place to call home.

   This wonderful book takes us through the seasons with a boy who, thanks to his imagination and hard work, is able to bring back a gift of nature that was lost. A neighborhood pond might seem like a small thing, but the special moments it gives Matt and his friends are precious. As they watch the pond grow and flourish, the children in the story grow to appreciate that sometimes the little things can become big things.

   Children who think that they are too small or too young to make a difference in the world will surely be empowered by this tale. They will see that they, like Matt, can bring about change for the better if they really want to.

Picture Book Monday with a review of We found a hat

Learning to be unselfish is one of life's hardest lessons. For most of us remembering to think of others before ourselves is a daily battle, one that we sometimes lose. We know what we are supposed to do. We know that we are supposed to share with others and sometimes give up things we want for their sake, but doing so is just so hard.
   In this wonderful picture book we see what happens when a pair of friends find something that they both want. How will they resolve a tricky situation? Will they put friendship first?

We found a hat

Jon Klassen

Picture Book

For ages 4 to 7

Candlewick Press, 2016, 978-0-7636-5600-3

One day two turtles are walking in a desert together and they find a wonderful hat, a tall, elegant Stetson. They both try the hat on and compliment each other on how “good” the hat looks. The hat “looks good on both of us,” they say but the problem is that there is only one hat and it would not be fair if one of the turtles had the hat and the other did not. There is only one thing to do. They are going to have to leave the hat where it is and “forget that we found it.”

   The two turtles walk to a nearby rock and settle down to watch the sunset. One of the turtles says that he is thinking about the sunset, the other says that he is thinking about nothing but we know that he is thinking about the hat, and looking back to where it lies on the ground. The pull of the hat is strong and the turtle is having a hard time staying true to his friend.

   Life is full of difficult choices and often the most hard-to-make ones are those that require that we make a sacrifice. In this wonderful picture book we meet a turtle who really wants something and he is forced to consider if the hat is worth more than the relationship that he shares with his best friend. Thankfully there is someone around who sets an example for him that helps him understand what true friendship is worth.