Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0842-0

40 pp.

Ages 5–7

June 2024

 

Willa is an ostrich and Wade is a penguin, and though they are both birds, neither can really fly though they would really love to. So, they ponder "the distance between the here and the there." (p. 6) And since they seem to have a good grasp of basic science of flight, they consider what it would take to set themselves aloft.

From Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There, written by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour

First, Willa considers the concept of lift, while Wade wonders about velocity. How to get lift? How to ensure speed? They try ballet because ballet makes you light on your toes. No luck with flight. Then they try pogo sticks but it wasn't until sliding downhill that the two experienced a brief lift off the ground.

From Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There, written by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour

Next, they consider liftoff. That requires them to jump off a cliff. Of course, they become airborne, but it is, of course, temporary. It's not until they apply some scientific principles to their problem solving and engineer something that the two feel the magnificence of the way-up-there.

From Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There, written by Judith Henderson, illustrated by Sara Sarhangpour

Judith Henderson, who has given us stories including the Big Words Small Stories series and This is a Dog Book!, knows how to give us the subtle humour with understated plots. Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There is sweet and playful and emphasizes determination and camaraderie without flagrant slapstick humour or irreverence. Instead, Judith Henderson tells a story that invites early readers to think outside the box when problem solving. With digital illustrations by Toronto's Sara Sarhangpour, Willa and Wade and the Way-Up-There keeps its light tone and the focus on the two friends. Because everything is so understated, from the text, the art, and the messaging, young readers will just be entertained, pleased with their ability to read a book that is a step up from picture books–in their estimation, anyway–and still be given the opportunity to think about how they approach a dilemma or question that doesn't have an obvious answer. And it might also make them think about flight and concepts like lift and speed.

The way-up-there that Willa and Wade aspire to enjoy is not unlike the many ambitions we all have and, if two flightless birds can find a way to fly, then we can do our best to aim high and find solutions too.

 

This is a Dog Book!

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by Julien Chung

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0493-4

40 pp.

Ages 4-7

June 2021

Gertrude Stein may have written that "A rose is a rose is a rose" but this bunny is working very hard to convince a community of dogs that he isn't. Isn't a bunny, that is.

From This is a Dog Book! from Judith Henderson, illus.by Julien Chung

From the outset, a red stripe-shirted rabbit is told by an enormous dog who spans most of a double-spread that he cannot be part of this book because it's a book about dogs and he is a bunny. And so, the bunny begins to try to convince an assortment of dogs that he is a dog. Though they enjoy the biscuits he brings, they decide to test his doggy-ness.

From This is a Dog Book! from Judith Henderson, illus.by Julien Chung

He is asked to prove he can run and catch a ball, wag his tail, and put on the puppy-dog eyes, performing admirably. And though he gets waylaid with thoughts of treats like lettuce, cauliflower and brussels sprouts, he's always ready to distract his investigators with biscuits.

Ummm...Do you mind if we come back to that question later?

 

In the meantime, may I interest you in a cookie?

From This is a Dog Book! from Judith Henderson, illus.by Julien Chung

Despite his reluctance to undertake in the important doo-doo test, the bunny passes, especially after answering one critical question about being a friend. 

 

Montrealer Judith Henderson, best known for her Big Words Small Stories series, uses dry humour to poke fun at a familiar need to fit in and be included. This bunny just wants to be part of the dog book and proving he's a dog is the only way. While the dogs may have him jumping through hoops–it's only a pun–to prove himself, This is a Dog Book! speaks to our common inclination to be part of a community and participate in that community with others. It also speaks to the efforts many will go to in order to become accepted and the anguish of not being so. This singularity of purpose focuses the story and the art.  So it's not surprising that Julien Chung, also from Montreal, keeps his illustrations, which were rendered digitally, very economical. Except for a few splashes of red, as in the bunny's shirt, a ball, and a biscuit box, the book essentially comprises of black-and-white illustrations of the dogs and a bunny. (Oh, there is one more animal that shows up, still black-and-white though.) Yet, Julien Chung allows us to see a rich and diverse community of dogs: large ones, fuzzy ones, and short-legged ones. Even with few lines, it's evident there's a poodle, a dachshund, and a Shar-Pei. So while the bunny fits in physically–he's just an animal with a small tail, large feet and long ears–he's still seen as a different species. That is, until he isn't. Judith Henderson and Julien Chung let us see that it's not our differences upon which we should focus, it's our similarities that will ultimately unite us.

Now, about the cow...

The Missing Donut and The Traveling Dustball

The Missing Donut

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by T. L. McBeth

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-788-0

56 pp.

Ages 5-8

September 2018

The Traveling Dustball

Written by Judith Henderson

Illustrated by T. L. McBeth

Kids Can Press

978-1-77138-789-7

56 pp.

Ages 5-8

April 2019

In the Big Words Small Stories series, Montreal author Judith Henderson introduces young readers to some very, very big words via some very, very silly stories. It's an entertaining way to learn new vocabulary in context.

From The Missing Donut by Judith Henderson, illus. by T. L. McBeth

In the first book, The Missing Donut, readers are introduced to Cris and his cat Crat, along with the Sprinkle Fairy who has a word factory in Sicily and uses her helpers, the Sprinklers, to add "Big Words"–highlighted in their own font–to the story. In the first tale, The Missing Donut, Cris learns his jelly donut has been "purloined." Readers are introduced to "discombobulated" after Crat rides Cris's new bicycle into an accident in It's All Downhill and to "bamboozled" when the two get into The Trouble with Chipmunks. The final two stories, Museum of Fabulous Art and Mr. Footz's Fine Footwear, will acquaint readers with "smithereens" and "galoshes."

From The Missing Donut by Judith Henderson, illus. by T. L. McBeth

In the second book, The Traveling Dustball, the main characters have changed to Davey and his dog Abigail, though the Sprinkle Fairy and her Sprinklers are still hard at work adding rich vocabulary to the stories. Abigail finds Davey's sweeping  of the troublesome dust bunnies "irksome" in the titular story though that dustball becomes a vehicle for incredible journeys throughout the book. In Spaghetti and Meatballs, that dustball ferries them to Italy and causes quite a "brouhaha" while in The Big Wave, Abigail does some "lollygagging" before they head to the beach for some more relaxing. While young readers will love learning about a Swiss "phenomenon" of a Stinky Cheese that smells terrible but tastes great, I learned the new word "collywobbles" when the Davey travels to China for Cloud Tea to remedy Abigail's stomach ache.

From The Traveling Dustball by Judith Henderson, illus. by T. L. McBeth

And just as a friendly reminder of all the new words highlighted, and that includes a pronunciation guide too, each book ends with a section called A Small Play on Big Words, in which the Sprinklers bring all the words into play (pun intended).

This is a great new series for early and early middle grade readers to learn new vocabulary, complete with pronunciation and definitions. Moreover, with the books topping out at 56 pages each and published in a smaller format (17.5 cm x 22.5 cm), kids will not feel like they're reading picture books, though the illustrations by American T. L. McBeth make the stories the hit they are. The art may be deceptively simple but it emulates the flow of a graphic novel's illustrations without the intensity of frames and speech bubbles and it works so well with Judith Henderson's dialogue and characters. 

I don't want to burden The Missing Donut and The Traveling Dustball with the label of educational so I'll just encourage parents and school libraries to get these quirky stories into young readers' hands so that they can enhance their vocabularies, chuckle at the antics of personality-rich characters like Crat and Abigail and visit some worlds that might be familiar but also fantastic. (But I have to warn you: learning is going to happen.😊) 

From The Traveling Dustball by Judith Henderson, illus. T. L. McBeth

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Book 3 in the Big Words Small Stories series, Smell the Daisies, comes out October, 2019.