What Inspires

Written by Alison Hughes

Illustrated by Ellen Rooney

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-459837683

32 pp.

Ages 6-8

September 2024

 

Though there is a neurological explanation for the stimulation of creativity, the derivation of the word "inspiration" suggests a divine influence upon the mind or soul. But whether the interplay of neural networks or instigation of external forces, the children in Alison Hughes's latest picture book are being inspired to imagine, to play, and to interact in different ways with their world.

From What Inspires, written by Alison Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney

Three children and a dog head to a park where not much is happening or so it would seem. But, as with children the world over, they find stuff to inspire them in their play. From watching the leaves rustling in the wind or the seeds spiralling into the air, there is much to enjoy, and the children begin to dance "a joyful seed dance, wild and free." Other park visitors join in, whether in the dance or in clapping and singing. That leads to chalk painting which leads to the construction of a castle from trees and boughs and to a ship based on the playground set. Soon there are magical creatures flying, battles to be fought, a chase and a parade. And the three children are joined by dozens of others, a diverse group of children and adults.

 

After a day of imaginative play, the weary children take to their beds and are inspired to dream more adventures.

In the twirling dance

                 of their dreams,

they wove colors, shapes and

                                   adventures

into something beautiful

                            and strange

                                         and new.

Alison Hughes's books have always had the capacity to uplift, whether they be picture books like The Creepy-Crawly Thought, Oliver Bounces Back! and The Cold Little Voice, or novels like Fly and Over the Top. Though many of her books depict children dealing with issues from anxiety and worry to cerebral palsy and bullying, What Inspires focuses on the positives that can come from being open to inspiration for creativity that can come from a falling seed, a tree, or a playground set. There is no formula for inspiration. It only requires a receptivity to the possibility in the everyday. A park with people doing ordinary things, whether biking or sitting, enjoying the quiet or watching the clouds, becomes a canvas for a myriad of experiences and connections. Moreover, Alison Hughes allows her characters to play how they wish and to imagine what they are and can do. They can dance in a wheelchair or upon a swing, tap their feet or soar on skateboards. Their experiences are their own, just as their dreams are at the end of the day. 

From What Inspires, written by Alison Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney

Ellen Rooney, who won BC's Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize in 2021, uses a variety of materials, most notably coloured pencils, cut paper and digital drawing tools. These give her art textures and layers that blend the real with the imagination, grounding the characters in a park but elevating them into worlds of their own creation. From the quiet at the start of the kids' visit to the park to the busyness and exuberance of inspired play, as entwined with a sweeping ribbon of orange and green inspiration, Ellen Rooney demonstrates the fullness of life that comes with creativity.

From What Inspires, written by Alison Hughes, illustrated by Ellen Rooney

What inspires you will be your own and can happen at any time and at any place and with anyone, or no one. It could be something small and tangible, to overwhelming and ethereal. Whatever force it is that inspires you, I hope that you embrace it, even if for only a moment, to encourage the originality of thought and action that it can spark.

Fly

Written by Alison Hughes

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0583-2

200 pp.

Ages 10-14

October 2022

 

...my body is not all that I am. (pg. 40)

Fly is what 14-year-old Felix Landon Yarrow (a.k.a. Fly per his initials) dreams of doing. In his dreams, he is no longer trapped in a wheelchair by cerebral palsy. He is free to spread his arms and soar.

            My disability,

                         my difficulties,

                                               my pain–

often on public display–

are

in fact

all my own.

                                       Private. (pg. 59)

But, Felix is in a wheelchair. And though he feels very much like his pain is often on public display, whether he is working with his aide Levi or being driven in the "special" school bus, he knows that he is invisible to many, especially his peers. Still, that invisibility becomes his superpower, with Felix becoming a "Fly on the Wall" and ready to emulate his literary guide, Cervantes's Don Quixote, and follow truth and justice. His quest: to save his classmate and damsel in distress, Daria, from the arrogant and dangerous Carter.

As Felix watches and learns, he becomes Knightwatch and emails warnings to Daria about Carter and to Carter that his heinous and potentially criminal behaviour has been observed. But, like Don Quixote, along with battles with enemies come inner battles of understanding of self. 

Fly, a novel in free verse, may have a contemporary setting but its story is as classic as that of Don Quixote. It's about finding inner strength and fighting against injustices. But author Alison Hughes makes sure the reader realizes that much of this is also about perception. Told in Felix's voice, the reader will sympathize with his constrained physical nature and applaud his courage to pursue chivalrous goals of protecting first Daria and then others from oppressors. Going after Carter gives Felix purpose, though he doesn't realize until the end that his manner of attack may leave others vulnerable. His goal is outward, to help others, but the learning he takes from his endeavour is all about him and what he needs to do to be fair. The growth that Felix experiences, moving from annoyance at how others judge and treat him to appreciation for efforts others make, is a monumental one. And Alison Hughes takes the readers along on that epic journey through her elegant free verse. The writing flows and has shape that comes with self-discovery, engagement with others and context of circumstances. Felix's story takes a form not unlike his own body, both vulnerable and combative, and we're there for the moment of battle, within and externally, when Felix realizes that some of the limitations to the freedom to fly may be those he's imposed on himself.

Oliver Bounces Back!

Written by Alison Hughes

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-4431-8988-0

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

September 2021

 

Oliver is not having a good day. From struggling with his tangled hair and his favourite shirt being in the wash, his baby sister Annie throwing mushy banana in his face and the burning of his toast, the day doesn't start out well. In fact, it gets worse.

From Oliver Bounces Back! by Alison Hughes, illus. by Charlene Chua

With each new mishap, from breaking a shoelace and Carter taking Oliver's blue spot on the reading-time carpet, Oliver's mood slips from annoyed to irritable and then angry. With each new struggle, Oliver's circumstances are recounted through testimonials from his parents, his classmates, the bus driver and his teacher, attesting to the impact these unexpected troubles have on the little boy.

From Oliver Bounces Back! by Alison Hughes, illus. by Charlene Chua

But, he still is able to hope that the day will get better, and he finds small successes help him through, as does an amazing bouncing apricot that helps him see that he could bounce back too, metaphorically and physically. 

So I tried to make the day get better. I drew a picture. I helped out. I thought of my family and friends, and how nice they were being. I even laughed thinking about my sister chucking that banana at my head! Bullseye!

Resiliency has become a big buzz word in the last decade though teaching someone to become resilient is near impossible. However, what is possible is to share strategies that can improve resiliency and author Alison Hughes notes several of these in a page titled "Learning to Bounce" at the end of the story. Strategies like connecting with others, keeping things in perspective and actual bouncing are all demonstrated somewhere in Oliver Bounces Back! but so discretely that it never reads like a PSA or a directive to a child. Young readers will certainly sympathize and empathize with the boy and will see that he is able to pull himself out of that bad day and make it into something better but they won't feel like they are being schooled. However, they will remember a strategy that might work for them when they too are faced with a day when everything seems to go wrong.

From Oliver Bounces Back! by Alison Hughes, illus. by Charlene Chua

Because key figures in Oliver's day give their takes on what happens and Oliver's reactions to those circumstances–it feels like a reporter asking bystanders what they witnessed before talking to Oliver–Oliver Bounces Back! offers different perspectives on the child's day and shows young readers that they are part of something bigger beyond their own troubles. Oliver is part of several supportive communities, at home and at school, that will help him get through anything, if he asks and listens. Even Charlene Chua's artwork promotes the idea that, though Oliver's troubles may seem insurmountable to him, they are small enough to be manageable and put aside or seen through a different lens, thereby allowing coping and recovery. The brightness of her digital art, the affective faces of the children, and the progression of Oliver's reactions as he struggles and overcomes contribute to the message of childhood troubles survived.

 

Without instructing children how they should become resilient, let Alison Hughes, Charlene Chua and Oliver demonstrate that bad days happen but, with a few tools, it's possible to bounce back from any challenges that need to be faced.

From Oliver Bounces Back! by Alison Hughes, illus. by Charlene Chua

Over the Top

 

Written by Alison Hughes

RP Kids

978-0-7624-7312-0

192 pp.

Ages 8-12

August 2021

 

Diva is anything but. She's a quiet eleven-year-old who would prefer to read and write and dream up new feelings that need their own vocabulary, like "That feeling where you desperately want to be in your bed, with the covers pulled tight over your head..." (pg. 72) or "That awful, guilty feeling of helplessly almost hating your parent and knowing they don't have a clue at all" (pg. 112). What she doesn't like is over-the-top...anything. And now her effervescent, always over-the-top mother has fallen in love with a monstrosity of a pink castle, as has her nine-year-old brother Hero, and the family is moving.

 

Though Hero fits in and makes friends easily at their new school, it's so much harder for Diva, especially when her mother, thinking she's helping, tries to force a friendship with another sixth grader and their neighbour, Miranda Clay. But Diva knows Miranda's kind of bully: she's the mean girl who thinks she's better than others. Though it's often an under-the-breath comment or an eye roll, Diva knows that, "Silent bullies are still bullies"(pg. 70). Worse yet, Diva's mom doesn't see how she keeps embarrassing Diva when her over-the-top enthusiasm for everything, including her party-planning business with which Hero and Diva often help out. Though her dad understands how hard it may be for Diva, especially at school, he encourages her to get involved with some extracurricular activity. And so Diva auditions for the school production of The Wizard of Oz in which she gets an unconventional but noteworthy part.

As Diva navigates the newness of her school and meeting other kids in her own way, she is overwhelmed by new feelings she'd love to define, including how to be herself, in the face of a mother (and brother) who are kind but just don't understand her low-key approach.

Books are wonderful vehicles for connecting young readers with characters who are like them. As such, many introverts will appreciate Diva's predicaments, including being true to herself and her own social needs and appeasing her mother and her brother who think that the bigger the party the better and being funny and loud and sociable is the only way to be. Fortunately, Alison Hughes who has handled many tough issues like anxiety, serious illness and abandonment in her picture books (e.g., The Cold Little Voice, 2019), middle grade novels (e.g., Kasey & Ivy, 2018) and young adult books (e.g., Hit the Ground Running, 2017) tells Diva's story as an exemplar for finding your own voice without shouting over others, thereby accepting others' differences as valid, just distinct. She also learns how to handle a bully, finally, and recognize a friend when presented with one or two.

I hope that young people like Diva who don't insist on being in the limelight always and who are able to spend energy on introspection rather than just on sociability will see themselves in Over the Top, especially if it helps them accept themselves as they are. Diva has got a pretty good handle on that herself and her dictionary of complicated and yet familiar feelings was undoubtedly valuable to that end. Over the Top will leave young introverts with the sigh of relief that they can be their understated selves and occasionally endure an over-the-top anything, perhaps even to their own benefit.

The Cold Little Voice

Written by Alison Hughes

Illustrations by Jan Dolby

Clockwise Press

978-1-988347-11-0

32 pp.

Ages 5-9

February 2019

Listening or not listening to the voices in your head is a skill that we develop with time, practice and experience. Telling the difference between valuable instinct and unproductive doubts is crucial and The Cold Little Voice is all about helping children know how to silence a negative one.

From The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jan Dolby

The purple-haired child in The Cold Little Voice could be any child. It's a child whose bad-tempered blue voice, like a black cloud raining on a child's joy, points out anything that might be perceived as a weakness.

It points out that I bite my nails, laugh too loudly, trip when I run upstairs, talk too much, blush, cry too easily, make smacking sounds when I chew, sing off-key, get the hiccups too often, and have sloppy writing.

From The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jan Dolby

The child plugs their ears and tries not to listen but sometimes that voice is far too insistent.  In response, the child stops being who they are.

I become small and still and grey.
And not me.

Fortunately, a new voice, a warm voice of yellow is heard, encouraging the child to look for goodness in cuddles with creatures, in the sun in the blue sky and in a supportive community. And if that cold little voice tries to speak again? Well, the child pities it and soothes it until it can become a big, warm, kind voice that whisper-shouts affirmations and helps turn others' cold little voices into big warm ones too.

From The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jan Dolby

Just like the warm voice that sends positive messages and encouragement, The Cold Little Voice, the book, is transformative, inspiring light from dark thoughts and support rather than isolation.  Alison Hughes, who has helped children deal with anxious thoughts in her picture book The Creepy-Crawly Thought (2019), recognizes that there are voices in most of us that tell us that we're not good enough as we are and that these voices prey on our insecurities and fears. But Alison Hughes doesn't just negate those thoughts. She helps transform them into positives and reassurances.

A voice that says:
"You can do it!" 
or "Who cares if it's silly – 
you're having fun!" 
or "Everybody makes mistakes!"

Similarly, Jan Dolby, who illustrated Lucky Me (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2018) and Gabby, Wonder Girl (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2016) among others, brings that metamorphosis to her artwork. From the sombre blues and greys of the cold, little voice to the yellows and lime greens and pinks of the warmth of good thoughts, Jan Dolby carries young readers from a dark place to one of hope.

Negative thoughts that become doubts and apprehension cannot always be silenced immediately. But The Cold Little Voice will be very reassuring to children as they learn that it is possible to influence those thoughts to becoming good ones that can boost not belittle.

From The Cold Little Voice by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jan Dolby

The Creepy-Crawly Thought

Written by Alison Hughes

Illustrated by Jennifer Rabby

978-1-9993934-0-3

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

February 2019

We all get them, those creepy-crawly thoughts that interfere with sleep, daytime thinking and life in general. When they come, everything is tainted with worry and anticipation of something bad.

From The Creepy-Crawly Thought by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jennifer Rabby

So what can I do with creepy thoughts
that move right in to stay?
I'll plan a plan, I'll list a list
for shooing them away ...

A list of strategies is what Alison Hughes, author of picture books, middle-grade and YA novels, recommends for the young afflicted with the creepy-crawly thoughts. You can flush them down the toilet, blow them away, chuck them in the fireplace, or sing them away (apparently "bad thoughts hate harmony"). There are loads of suggestions for dealing with those fears and all are manageable for young children. No logic is needed to convince a child that those creepy-crawlies aren't real because reason doesn't always come into play with fears. But by placing control of those bad thoughts directly into the imagination of a child, something can be done.

I'll crowd out the creepy-crawlies
when all my happy thoughts appear,
and squeeze and squeeze and squeeze them out
until they disappear.

And even if those thoughts return, as they are want to do, a child has the means to send them into oblivion once again.

From The Creepy-Crawly Thought by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jennifer Rabby

As a teacher, I know how anxiety can affect children and telling them they have nothing to worry about just doesn't work. Invalidating their feelings while trying to reassure often creates new problems. But by placing the control in their small hands, children can visualize getting rid of these pesky thoughts with action and imagination. And with a variety of strategies for dealing with those creepy-crawlies, Alison Hughes ensures that there's at least one that will work for any child. Moreover her rhyming text, sure to annoy those monstrous thoughts, brings a lightness and manageability to the plight of a child dealing with anxiety.

From The Creepy-Crawly Thought by Alison Hughes, illus. by Jennifer Rabby

Jennifer Rabby's illustrations are relatively simple but effective in giving form to the creepy-crawlies. After all, how do you illustrate a negative thought that pervades without creating new fears for children? By making the creepy-crawly thoughts vague and nebulous blobs of different colours and facial (?) expressions, Jennifer Rabby suggests that there are a variety of detrimental thoughts that cause anxiety and worry and need to be eliminated. Moreover, their fuzzy shapes suggests the enigmatic nature of most fears and worries, allowing children to see their own within these amorphous forms.

Alison Hughes and Jennifer Rabby hope to donate copies of The Creepy-Crawly Thought to local, provincial and national child protection agencies and children's social services but you should purchase your own copy because you know that those creepy-crawlies can slither in at any time and rejection can be just a playful rhyme away.

Orca Book Publishers: Multi-author book launches (Victoria, BC)

Orca Book Publishers

 will be launching their newest fall books

on

Wednesday, November 22, 2017

at 

7:30 pm

at

Munro's Books

Victoria, BC

Books being launched include:

You Hold Me Up

Written by Monique Gray Smith

Illustrated by Danielle Daniel

Ages 4-8

32 pp.

Speaking Our Truth: 

A Journey of Reconciliation

Written by Monique Gray Smith

Ages 9-13

160 pp.

Black Gold

Written by Sara Cassidy

Illustrated by Helen Flook

Orca Echoes

Ages 7-9

96 pp.

A Fair Deal: 

Shopping for Social Justice

Written by Kari Jones

Ages 8-12

48 pp.

Medusa's Scream

Written by Melanie Jackson

Orca Currents

Ages 10-14

144 pp.

Firewall

Written by Sean Rodman

Orca Soundings

Ages 12+ (RL 4.1)

144 pp.

Hit the Ground Running

Written by Alison Hughes

Ages 12+

216 pp.

Munro vs. the Coyote

Written by Darren Groth

Ages 12+

288 pp.

There's a picture book, non-fiction, hi-lo fiction, YA and an early reader.

There's something for everyone, 

and all ages are welcome.

Spare Dog Parts

by Alison Hughes

Illustrated by Ashley Spires

Orca Book Publishers

978-1-4598-0704-4

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

January 2016

Spare Dog Parts is for every dog lover who knows that the perfect mutt may be a motley amalgam of odd and sods that others may pooh-pooh but she is the best of everything.

In this fun story, a lab coat-clad young girl seems to create her perfect pooch out of a miscellany of body, legs, paws, tail and facial features.  What could be a frightening prospect of manufacturing a living creature is instead a light-hearted look at how a little girl visualizes the conception of her loving and much-loved pet.

There were no more matching sets of legs left, so my dog got a spare brown leg, a black one, a white one with black spots, and one that couldn't make up its mind if it was white or not. (pg. 11)

From Spare Dog Parts by Alison Hughes, illus. by Ashley Spires

This dog may look a bit like a Frankenstein of a mutt, but she has a sweet disposition and “knows all the important things.  Like where the sunbeam falls. And the sound of food. And when someone needs her.” (pg. 21-25)

The message behind Alison Hughes’ whimsical story is one of acceptance and appreciation and one that true pet-lovers already know.

When my dog was made, they used leftover parts,
But somehow, when they fit them together
          like a big
             dog puzzle...
                ...they made a perfect dog. (pg. 28-31)

Teaming Alison Hughes’ story up with the artwork of Ashley Spires, creator of award-winning characters such as Binky and Larf and Small Saul, is inspired.  Ashley Spires knows about creating love from bits and pieces and about that which makes a pet so lovable.  I’m sure that this little girl is not unlike Ashley Spires herself, trying things out, analyzing the best combination and finally coming up with perfection.

Spare Dog Parts emulates its message that it’s not the parts that are important but the whole, and the whole is full and finished and flawless.

Gerbil, Uncurled

A Tell-Me-More Storybook

Written by Alison Hughes

Illustrated by Suzanne Del Rizzo

Fitzhenry & Whiteside

978-1-554-55332-7

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

September 2015

Fitzhenry & Whiteside have a new addition to their Tell-Me-More Storybook collection and young readers have a delightful story that will tell teach them about gerbils and working together to formulate the best rules for all.

All the gerbils know the Gerbil Mottos in Gerbil, Uncurled.  They are:

• The Night is Short: Keep Busy
• Always Keep Your Whiskers Clean
• Celery Tops Come To Those Who Wait
• Many Paws Make Quick Work
• Curl Up Nose To Toes

Important rules to follow to live to a good long life like Grandpa Gerbil who is a five whole years old!

But Little Gerbil, try as she might, is not a curl-up-like-a-ball sleeper.  And though she promises Grandpa Gerbil to try, she panics, desperate for fresh air and to stretch out in the sunshine. So when day ends, she scrambles back to her family’s bedding to wake up with the rest, huddled as she should be.  However, Little Gerbil can’t handle the guilt of accepting congratulations while she “was living a gerbil lie.” (pg. 12)  Nonetheless making some careful observations helps Little Gerbil guide her elders and family to rethink the Gerbil Mottos so that all may be successful.

Alison Hughes shares important lessons about cooperation, family and being true to oneself in Gerbil, Uncurled but young readers will be just as charmed by Suzanne Del Rizzo’s polymer art of the little rodents and their environs.  Following in the artistic steps of Canada’s Grande Dame of plasticine, Barbara Reid, Suzanne Del Rizzo fashions warm hues of oranges and beiges, with touches of blue and turquoise as complementary colours, into gerbil life and details.  Her creatures are adorable and jump off the page with their curls and cedar shavings and braided textures.  I can’t possibly enumerate all the details in which children will delight–a teddy bear, a banana, celery, knitting, alphabet blocks–but they’ll be delighted that Suzanne Del Rizzo shares with them how to mold the dough into their own gerbils.  And everyone, teachers and parents included, will appreciate the additional information about different rodents and gerbil behaviour included in this Tell-Me-More Storybook appendix.

Gerbil, Uncurled will amuse and inform while providing a sweet vehicle for teaching about rules and coming together to make better ones that work for all.