At the Pond

Written and illustrated by Geraldo Valério

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-232-7

48 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2020

A visit to a pond teaches a young boy a lesson in securing friendship without subjucation in this new wordless picture book from Geraldo Valério.

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

In a grey forest of grabbing branches of trees, a dog is tied up outside a house. When a boy emerges to take the forlorn dog for a walk on its yellow leash, they are drawn to a brilliant blue pond rife with swans. When one of the swans approaches and takes the boy and his dog for a ride on its back, they float through spectacular landscapes of pink roseate spoonbills, frolicking rabbits and foxes, meadows of foxglove and a plethora of brightly coloured flowers.

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

But when the boy finally releases the dog to chase dragonflies, the boy chooses to place the leash on the swan. With that, Geraldo Valério's illustration turns dark once again, with only the blue of the panicked swans as they retreat. Thankfully the boy sees the hurt in the tearful swan's eyes and releases his new friend, returning the world to one of colour, joy and compassion.

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

As a wordless picture book, At the Pond teems with emotion, primarily through artist Geraldo Valério's use of colour, though also with line and shape. In his complex illustrations. created with pencil, acrylics, latex, markers and even gouache, Geraldo Valério explores what it means to be a friend. From that poor chained dog, almost insignificant in a bleak world of darkness, to the unconstrained life of the pond and its environs, Geraldo Valério makes it clear that friendship is not conditional upon control, though some might envision it to be so, and this boy certainly does at the outset of the story. Friendship is about allowing a dog or a swan to be free to be themselves and share in the wonder of that freedom. It is only with the banishment of the enforced bonds that a relationship of closeness and compassion can be realized. 

From At the Pond by Geraldo Valério

••••••••••••••••

For a treat, publisher Groundwood Books (House of Anansi Press) has shared a video online at https://youtu.be/kZSv-KILJlg of author-illustrator Geraldo Valério bringing life, through pencil, to a pair of swans from At the Pond.

Drawing with author and illustrator Geraldo Valério

Uploaded by House of Anansi to YouTube on May 1, 2020

Going Up!

Written by Sherry J. Lee

Illustrated by Charlene Chua

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0113-1

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

April 2020

In a jubilant story of inclusivity, diversity, and friendship.  Going Up! ticks all the buttons for a joyous read about making friends in an apartment building and accepting everyone as neighbours.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

Sophie and her dad are invited to Olive's birthday on the 10th floor of their apartment building. They bake cookies and take the elevator onward to the party. But getting to the party seems to be half the fun, because the elevator stops at every floor, taking on residents also invited to the party. There's the Santucci brothers–who look tough but are bedecked with cat and knitting trim–and Vicky and her partner Babs and dog Norman; Mr. and Mrs. Habib and grandchildren Yasmin and Jamal; Mr. Kwan; the Flores family; Vi Tweedle and her Chihuahua Minx; musicians Grace and Arnie; and finally Nori.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

As they take on new guests at almost every floor, the fit on the elevator gets a little more crowded but somehow there is always room to include everyone on the party elevator.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

When they finally arrive, the guests tumble out of the elevator in a glorious double-spread fold-out of colour and shape and spirit to wish poodle Olive, with her human mom, a happy birthday.

Going Up! will easily lift the moods of anyone who feels a little low. Whether on floors nearer the ground or the higher ones in this apartment building, there is much to elevate hearts and attitude. In fact, I suspect many people are currently relying on the same activities demonstrated as the apartments' residents–baking, gardening, knitting, pets, music, costumes and food–to help. We may not be able to all get together right now and celebrate birthdays in person, but Sherry J. Lee gives us the opportunity to see how we can revel in life with simple gifts of self. This is Toronto author Sherry J. Lee's debut picture book and its upbeat nature and depiction of inclusivity of all neighbours in an apartment building is a rousing kickoff.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

Charlene Chua, whose artwork I have enjoyed and reviewed numerous times (e.g., The Pencil, 2019; Akilak's Adventure, 2016; and Fishing with Grandma, 2016), brings that festivity to each one of her illustrations, which are rendered in watercolour, watercolour ink and coloured pencils before digitally completed with Photoshop.  She doesn't miss a detail, keeping Sophie and her dad's baking low-key and comforting in golds and greys, and amping up the colours and animation as the elevator travels up from floor to floor. Even the art that Charlene Chua uses on the copyright page reveals a little something of each apartment's inhabitants while the ubiquitous orange tabby cat enjoys some fish garbage.

From Going Up! by Sherry J. Lee, illus. by Charlene Chua

Going Up! cheers and rejuvenates, helping us all remember the joys of celebration with everyone, excluding no one, but also reminds us that there are ways to celebrate in which we might all partake alone. In tone and art, Going Up! raises all our spirits.

The Walrus and the Caribou

Written by Maika Harper

Illustrated by Marcus Cutler

Inhabit Media

978-1-77227-256-7

32 pp.

Ages 5-7

2019

This traditional Inuit origin story from actress Maika Harper and illustrator Marcus Cutler reminds us of the richness of the storytelling tradition, the source of Maika Harper's tale, and the breadth of its narration on revealing culture, history and people.

From The Walrus and the Caribou by Maika Harper, illus. by Marcus Cutler

When Guk was breathing life into the world, she pondered how the different parts of the animals should be organized. The walrus was generated when Guk blew air into her sealskin parka and added some flippers and wrinkles and antlers. (Yes, antlers.) The caribou was created from breathing life into her sealskin pants. With the addition of some big hooves and hair, a snout and tusks, her caribou was complete.

From The Walrus and the Caribou by Maika Harper, illus. by Marcus Cutler

But Guk's enhancements did not all work. The walrus's antlers were not a good idea. When the walrus swam, its massive antlers would upend the hunters' kayaks. As for the caribou, its tusks were not much appreciated by the hunters.

In a mix-and-match situation, Guk swaps out the tusks and the antlers, creating the familiar walrus and caribou of today's Arctic, with a special touch of punishment for the caribou because of its irritability and brashness.

From The Walrus and the Caribou by Maika Harper, illus. by Marcus Cutler

Though Maika Harper tells a simple tale of how the walrus and the caribou came to exist in their present morphologies, she also explains why the caribou avoids humans and encourages young readers to think about what animals they might create. With illustrator Marcus Cutler's Arctic landscape, depicted in a minimal palette of snowy whites, of earthy sandy browns and taupes, and of blue waters and skies, the walrus and caribou and Guk and the few hunters portrayed are the stars. They rule the landscape, living as they do, and sharing the land and water as tradition expected them to do so.

The Walrus and the Caribou may be a creation story with some tongue-in-cheek humour but it is also a representation of some Inuit traditions and culture, from the Inuit's clothing and hair to their kayaks and hunting techniques.  This tale will definitely inform and satisfy young readers, especially by answering, at least partially, that perennial question about where animals came from.

What If Bunny's Not a Bully?

Written by Lana Button

Illustrated by Christine Battuz

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0055-4

32 pp.

Ages 3-7

March 2020

Kitty from Lana Button and Christine Battuz's My Teacher's Not Here! (2018) is still learning to navigate school and to be a part of a peer group. But she's a clever kitty and when she's told about Bunny being a bully, Kitty is determined to understand.

From What If Bunny's Not a Bully? by Lana Button, illus. by Christine Battuz

Elephant tells all the others that Bunny is a bully because she is mean and will make them sad if she gets mad. But Kitty wants to understand so much about Bunny being a bully.

...did she start out friendly,
a kid like you and me,
but ran into a bullybug
whose stringer makes you mean?

She has questions about how Bunny became a bully, whether she will always be a bully, and even whether it's contagious.

From What If Bunny's Not a Bully? by Lana Button, illus. by Christine Battuz

But when Kitty worries that she could become a bully and too be left out, Elephant reassures her that they would never leave her out because then they would be the mean ones. That's when Kitty recognizes that maybe Bunny is not the bully she's assumed to be and they need to change something to make things better.

Lana Button has a keen sense of how young children think and feel. Like many young children, Kitty will tend to follow when she feels that others know a situation better, like the elephant seems to know from experience with Bunny. But Kitty also has an empathetic heart that makes her think about the big picture and discover when that picture may be skewed. From her innocent worries about a contagion to visualizing an elderly Bunny still being shunned by Kitty's peers during a game of croquet, Kitty sees beyond what they are being told and the hurt some of them feel.

From What If Bunny's Not a Bully? by Lana Button, illus. by Christine Battuz

Christine Battuz's illustrations emphasize that innocence of perspective in her use of colour and shape, placing her very softly rounded animals in familiar school yard scenes. Her stylized landscape of patterned balls on trunks for trees, and red flowers dotting the yard, with birds throughout is as the very young often depict their surroundings. Yet there's so much to see in the expressions of Christine Battuz's characters, from discomfort and bossiness, to confusion and surprise, that What If Bunny's Not a Bully? could be an anchor book for lessons about feelings.

For young children, lessons in getting along with others and creating inclusive communities can be challenging. Their needs are often so immediate and egocentric. But what Lana Button and Christine Battuz have done is brought these lessons to their bubble of experience and helped guide them to seeing outside of themselves to understand what others may be experiencing. A valuable lesson for all of us.

•••••••••••

Today 

Monday April 27, 2020

at 2 p.m. EST

listen 

to a reading

by author Lana Button

of

What If Bunny's Not a Bully?

and

 to a conversation about pro-social behaviour in primary grades.

as part of the #CanadaPerforms live presentations.

Just go to Lana Button's Facebook page at

https://www.facebook.com/lana.button.5

••••••••••• 

What Grew in Larry's Garden

Written by Laura Alary

Illustrated by Kass Reich

Kids Can Press

978-1-5253-0108-7

32 pp.

Ages 4-7

April 2020

What Grew in Larry's Garden is far more than meets the eye, or the tongue, in this picture book about fruits and vegetables that help build community.

Larry, a teacher, has a small but impressive garden next door to young Grace who likes to help him.

From What Grew in Larry's Garden by Laura Alary, illus. by Kass Reich

There were buttery yellow carrots and purple potatoes. Rainbow chard and scarlet runner beans. Rosy tomatoes the color of ripe peaches. And black ones with red insides.

Together they garden, nurturing the plants and enjoying harvests. When problems arise, like bugs and squirrels, Larry always says, "We can figure this out." His positivity and efforts lead him to encourage his students to grow their own tomato plants from seed and to gift them to others, explaining in letters why they'd been chosen. From gifts of thanks or apologies or to helping them face their fears, Larry was actually allowing his students to connect with others.

From What Grew in Larry's Garden by Laura Alary, illus. by Kass Reich

But when a neighbour adds a big panel to the top of his fence, blocking the sun out of Larry's garden, it's Grace who figures out a way to make things right, echoing back to Larry that he will just need to "Wait and see" what her idea is.

From What Grew in Larry's Garden by Laura Alary, illus. by Kass Reich

Laura Alary based What Grew in Larry's Garden on Toronto teacher Larry Zacharko's project to use tomato plants to help his students connect with their community. Although this endeavour is but a portion of the story of What Grew in Larry's Garden, the whole story is supportive of the need to build community, whether it is by gifting a tomato plant, helping others, making compromises or reaching out to those who seem immovable. Laura Alary makes sure to communicate through her text that community comes with time and effort and is worth both.

Versatile artist Kass Reich–she has written and illustrated a series of Hamster concept books as well as provided art for the Megabat series and other picture books–uses gouache and coloured pencils to bring Larry's garden and his community to life. She uses colour and shape to embrace the reader in a neighbourhood of picturesque houses and arboreal splendour and a garden so textured with life that it's hard to believe there's room for Larry and Grace and a ginger cat to work and play. Fortunately, their efforts at creation and connection produce far more than a garden of fruits and vegetables. They also create a closeness of people and place.

What Grew in Larry's Garden is rosy reciprocity, budding bonds and sprouts of support. Ah, for every garden to be this lush. 

From What Grew in Larry's Garden by Laura Alary, illus. by Kass Reich

Story Boat

Written by Kyo Maclear

Illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Tundra

978-0-7352-6359-8

40 pp.

Ages 3-7

February 2020

A young girl and her little brother begin a journey with family and others, travelling from one "here" to another "here" and finding comfort where they may in a cup, a blanket, and especially in a story of hope.

From Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh

As they travel, the girl tries to explain the concept of "here" to her little brother. The concept can be a difficult one for very young children to grasp, especially as "here" is constantly changing for the travellers. But here becomes whatever is on hand that creates a permanency of people and emotion. It's the cup "Old and fine, warm as a hug" or a "song that every can sing." And, always, that cup or song, or blanket or lamp, or flower, becomes part of a story boat that takes the two children and their cat to see hope amidst a turbulent sea.

From Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Kyo Maclear, author of my favourite Virginia Wolf (2012), consistently tackles big issues by making them personal and intimate. Leaving one's home for something safer, travelling into uncertainty, and looking for hope wherever it may reside will sadly be familiar to most refugees looking for new homes after violence, persecution, and instability compels them to leave the homes they've always known.

Here is our journey
That holds the warmth of a cup,
The softness of a blanket,
The brightness of a lamp,
The strength of a flower
And the openness of a story.

Imagine what it must be like for young children for whom the destination is a grey hole of nothingness, unable to anticipate where home may be or who will be there or what it will look like. Kyo Maclear's wonderful child's storytelling transports them to a new here.

From Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Award-winning Iranian-born illustrator Rashin Kheiriyeh, who currently lives in Washington D.C., fuses the gravity of the refugees' lives with their comforts from home and hope for something good. She does this primarily through her palette of backgrounds of muted blue green and splashes of brightness in the oranges, though much is still black and white, not unlike their circumstances. However, Rashin Kheiriyeh's art, created with coloured pencil and watercolour, oil and acrylic paint, along with some cut paper and other media, also uses shape to infuse the story with the activity of movement, whether it is the travellers' journey on foot or on water or the children's jaunts by story boat. Thankfully, it's all forward from an old here to a new one.

Kyo Maclear and Rashin Kheiriyeh's Story Boat may be a story of those seeking refuge and children finding ways to cope with uncertainty but this story transports and guides just like their story boat. For them and for us, stories can save and illuminate new ways.

From Story Boat by Kyo Maclear, illus. by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Weekend Dad

Written by Naseem Hrab

Illustrated by Frank Viva

Groundwood Books

978-1-77306-108-5

36 pp.

Ages 4-7

May 2020

My dad says I have two homes now.

Though TV and movies may play up the drama involved with parental separation, Weekend Dad tells how bittersweet it may be for children who live between households. It's not the joy of double houses and playing off one parent against the other. It can be hard and it can be sad. From Naseem Hrab's poignant words to Frank Viva's affective artwork, Weekend Dad is the real story behind a separation within a family.

From Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Frank Viva

The story starts on a Monday morning when "my dad moved out  of our house and into an apartment." Each day that follows the child is reminded of his dad, whether it's the colour of his hair or his tears at a hamster's death or that he hates tuna fish.

From Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Frank Viva

But when Friday night comes and it's time for the weekend with his dad, a new reality begins. It's taking a bus to an apartment which is home but not home. And though he has his hedgehog stuffie Wendell, it's different and things makes him feel scared.

From Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Frank Viva

Their Saturday is filled with new routines from eating eggs for breakfast, playing cards and going to the park, all repeated Sunday. But when it's time to leave, the child is mindful of each parent being alone without him. Still this child must reconcile that his father will not be coming in when dropping him off and to that end, Dad hands him a touching letter about how much he loves him and is always with him.

...you will hear your dad's heart beat, and with each beat, you will hear the words: "You are loved." No instrument can pick this tiny pulse up except for your own heart and imagination.

This is a story of reality but with heart. Mom and Dad aren't going to find their way back to each other. (And Naseem Hrab makes sure not to place blame on either parent or make the story about their relationship. This is all about the child.) Dad's apartment is rather sparse but he's working to make it more for his son.  Naseem Hrab's text from the child's perspective is similarly stark as the situation probably is for any child experiencing a separation within the family. It is what it is. The boy doesn't overthink but he does take it for what it is right now: complex, confusing, and harsh. The only relief is in the dad's words, words that he undoubtedly took time to compose, and which touch with their affection and concern.

From Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab, illus. by Frank Viva

Between the muted tones of olive drab, rose brown, grey and yellow and the ever-present scribbles of cloud and smoke, Frank Viva's artwork does not divert from Naseem Hrab's text. The upheaval and the austerity of the circumstances are reflected in Frank Viva's ink and digitally coloured illustrations. With few colours and an economy of shape, Frank Viva conveys what this child sees and feels, and it is bleak. But things will change, and Naseem Hrab's final words, having father and son heading off to buy a bed, and Frank Viva's last double spread, a little brighter in colour and alive with activity, indicate things are going to be okay.