Do Not Turn the Page!

Written by Jane Blondie

Illustrated by Marcus Cutler

North Winds Press (Scholastic Canada)

978-1-0397-0206-6

32 pp.

Ages 3-8

February 2025 

 

Charlie is outside playing in the sand and dirt when he notices the reader has appeared. And so, begins a one-sided conversation as Charlie speaks to the reader about what he's doing, what he doesn't want to do, and what he expects of the reader. Unfortunately, the reader will do exactly what Charlie does not want and that is to turn the page. (After all, it is a book.)

From Do Not Turn the Page!, written by Jane Blondie, illus. by Marcus Cutler

Listen. Turning the page gets me closer to the bathtub and there will be NO bath for me. Not today. Nopey, nope, nope!

Charlie is adamant that he wants to play in his sand fort and so instructs the reader to close the book and never turn a page again. And yet with each progression in reading, Charlie is disappointed because the reader is not listening to his directives. It just gets worse.

Ugh! You turned the page again.

This. Is. Serious. 

From Do Not Turn the Page!, written by Jane Blondie, illus. by Marcus Cutler

 

With each turning of the page, the reader is chastised by Charlie for leading him from his sand box to inside the house, into the mudroom, through the living room, the kitchen and up the stairs. Accompanied by his cat and pig stuffie, the dirty child is forced by the reader turning the pages to hide from his mother who is already running the bath water. And even though Charlie makes many lingering stops along the way, from having a snack, doing art, and hiding in a toy box, ultimately his fate has been sealed by the reader and their need to turn pages. 

There is absolutely NO WAY you are getting me into that tub.

From Do Not Turn the Page!, written by Jane Blondie, illus. by Marcus Cutler

Well, the reader may get Charlie into his bath but a kajillion bubbles and rubber duckies help keep him there before he has one more routine to try to avoid.

 

I'm impressed by Jane Blondie's ability to write a one-sided dialogue that engages and interacts with the young reader so naturally. They will be delighted with the possibility that they control the story and where it leads, even though the adults may know otherwise. To connect so effortlessly with the reader in her debut picture book is an accomplishment but one that undoubtedly stems from Jane Blondie's teaching experiences. Still, it's the humour of Charlie as he pleads with the reader not to turn the page and then his disgust that they have done otherwise. The annoyance is evident but so is his good nature in understanding that this is how it usually goes i.e., he's going to get a bath no matter what. Charlie may be a little cheeky but he's still polite and more than appreciative to have the young readers along for the ride.

From Do Not Turn the Page!, written by Jane Blondie, illus. by Marcus Cutler

Marcus Cutler, who also illustrated The Walrus and the Caribou which I reviewed a few years back, gives a playful nature to his digital artwork. From a messy play area outside, littered with everything from an empty box to a discarded crown and a toy dump truck to a sticky snack of blueberry jam on crackers–and on his hands, on the table, and on Charlie's clothing–this could be any family home with children. Even the end papers are rife with yarn, muddy handprints and paw prints, bubbles, and more. Marcus Cutler gives a vitality to Charlie at play and in his routines and, rather than appearing to be unruly or ornery, Charlie charms, taking direction from the reader who moves him from outdoors to a bath, recognizing the inevitability of his story.

 

If you're an adult reading this book to some young readers, be prepared for the howls of laughter when they realize the character is conversing with them. They may be able to tell where the story will end up, probably having experienced similar events, but they'll be pleased to have been invited to participate. I foresee many, many readings of Do Not Turn the Page! just so the page can be turned, and children can witness the impact of their actions.

Phoebe Sounds It Out

Written by Julie Zwillich

Illustrated by Denise Holmes

Owlkids Books

978-1-77147-164-0

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2017

Too many children like Phoebe avoid that which seems difficult or problematic especially in school.  So it’s not surprising that the young girl would prefer to play with her rain boots and a pencil rather than practise writing her name as instructed by the teacher.  Even though she has her name written on her backpack to use as a guide, she knows the letters don’t match the sounds that she is able to distinguish in her name. (Her Mama must have made a mistake.)

From Phoebe Sounds It Out

by Julie Zwillich 

illus. by Denise Holmes

So, Phoebe carefully chooses the sounds and letters that would make sense in her name and, for a child in kindergarten, she is absolutely en pointe!  She’s not copying her name out; she’s sounding it out and spelling it as the sounds dictate.  Moreover, she’s led by her heart to use letters that fit but still she chooses those that might have special meaning or add a little something extra like companionship for lonely letters.

“Maybe she could borrow the letter that was at the end of Nicky’s name.  It sounded right.  Nicky wouldn’t mind.”

And though her teacher could chastize Phoebe for incorrectly spelling her name, she instead celebrates all the children’s attempts with glitter glue and a clothespin display for all to enjoy.

From Phoebe Sounds It Out

by Julie Zwillich

illus. by Denise Holmes

Julie Zwillich’s picture book is based on a very familiar premise though not all teachers and parents would recognize it as so or be as accommodating as the children’s teacher Ms. Martha.  As daunting a task as writing your name for the first time, so is reading. Imagine needing to decipher letters before you can even put the sounds together to form words.  Still the story is very straightforward and told in an uncomplicated text so that young children just learning to read will want to attempt to decipher the words, especially since they’ll see themselves within Phoebe’s story.  Everyone is in this book, courtesy of illustrator Denise Holmes who creates a diverse class with students of different races, ethnicities, abilities and challenges, whether they be eyesight or mobility or spelling.  Judging by the names of students displayed (looks like there’s a Lakshmi, Maria, Finch, Ali, Aaron, Miguel, Hazel, Sam, Nicky, June and, of course, Phoebe), Ms. Martha’s classroom is wonderfully rich in diversity, inviting readers to empathize with her students and  respond to Phoebe’s circumstances with understanding.

There’s a wonderful Teachers’ Guide for download that encourages  activities with reading comprehension, writing, and the alphabet, but just reading Phoebe Sounds It Out will suffice to foster discussions about trying and making mistakes as a part of learning.

NemeSIS

Written by Susan Marshall
Blue Moon Publishers
978-1-988279-32-3
204 pp.
Ages 13+
April 2017

I know that sisters can be as close as best friends (I have a wonderful younger sister who is just this for me).  Sisters can be there to support you through familial strife and guide you through the uncertainties of growing up.  As the middle of three sisters, I know what can be but I also know what is.  Susan Marshall’s debut YA novel, as the name suggests, is about that tenuous relationship between sisters, a mixed bag of bullying and bond.

With her parents going through a marital separation, fifteen-year-old Nadine could certainly use the support of her older sister, Rachel.  But seventeen-year-old Rachel is too egocentric to see anything, including her parents’ separation, in any terms other than those related to her. Between her parents' separation, and Mom establishing a new life as a realtor, and Rachel vacillating (can you say moody?) between kind and cruel, Nadine needs someone in her corner.

“Like Voldemort, Rachel was a monster of the dark arts.” (pg. 41)

While trying to avoid Rachel’s wrath, like the dumping of ice water on Nadine while she sleeps and plugging her nose with a clothespin (painful!), Nadine begins to adopt a plan of steps, similar to the AA twelve-step program, to help “dig herself out of the hole she was in.” (pg.  18) Undertaking to become part of the school and make a friend, she meets Anne Lavery,  new to Elgin High School, and younger sister of wildly popular senior Matt Lavery and his twin Cameron.  With that one step, Nadine’s life expands to include a lunch buddy, a love interest,

“Cameron was the sun, and I was this speck of intergalactic dust being pulled toward him, close enough to bask in the warmth of his rays but not so close as to get burned” (pg. 35)

and a place on the field hockey team where she meets a new friend Mei.  But while Nadine’s relationship with Anne brings many positives into her life, it also draws Rachel’s attention.  Not surprising that the manipulative Rachel uses her sister’s friendship with Anne to get close to Matt but Rachel can’t decide whether to cultivate her relationship with Nadine to her own end or threaten the girl about keeping mum about her bullying of Nadine.  And what Nadine learns is that bullying is bullying, whether it is by a sister, a team mate or an opponent, and avoidance is not an effective option.

As a reader, I often wonder whether all writers have first hand knowledge of that which they write.  I’m pretty sure Susan Marshall knows something about sibling bullying, though she tempers the viciousness that can be had at the hands of an older sister.  Still, the psychological torment of bullying and trauma inflicted by Rachel, and other bullies in the story, are very real and impactful, and Susan Marshall makes it clear that dealing with bullies does not have one solution.  The confusion of dealing with a bully who could turn kind or cruel in a split second may be rationalized by mental health issues but the care with which they select when, where and how to inflict that cruelty suggests a psychopathy beyond moodiness.  I think Nadine is far more generous with her sister than other bullies and more than Rachel deserves but it’s amazing what you can forgive family.  Susan Marshall conveys all that mixed up turmoil of shame, anger, resolve,  and expectancy convincingly and still provides a guarantee that things can and do get better.  It may not be fast enough or easily enough for many victims of  bullying, sibling or otherwise, but when you have a NemeSIS, it’s a long-standing relationship that can come to an end with a shocking bang like it does for Mei and her bully, or a soft closing of a door, perhaps as it will be with Nadine and Rachel.  Go with the door.  It hurts less.