As Warm as the Sun (2019)

As Warm as the Sun by Kate and Jim McMullan (2019) fooled me at first glance. The title font was so similar to Don Freeman’s Corduroy books, that I thought he was connected to this story. He’s not. The illustrations, which appear to be watercolor, fill each large page with colorful pictures of a French Bulldog, Toby, in his home environment. The text font is large and there’s only one or two sentences per page. The plot is simple. Life is good until another French Bulldog joins the family. There’s something about this book that left me satisfied. Was it the color pallet, the minimalist text? I don’t know. Maybe I just like dogs. 

The Table Where Rich People Sit (1994)

The Table Where Rich People Sit by Byrd Baylor (1994) causes me to pause and reflect upon the tangible and intangible in my life. The narrator is a young girl who’s called a family meeting to talk about how little money they have. She wonders why her father doesn’t “notice my worn-out shoes” or that “my little brother has patches on the pants he wears to first grade.” They sit at a handmade table made from discarded lumber as she challenges them to get better jobs. Her parents pan for gold “in the rocky desert hills or back in some narrow mountain gully where all the roads are just coyote trails.” Her parents suggest she write down the value of the things in their lives. Watching sunsets, hiking, and looking for eagle nests is worth twenty thousand dollars. Hearing coyotes howl is worth another ten thousand. And so it goes. Their lifestyle adds up exponentially. This is a book to ignite conversation, for sure. Peter Parnell’s unique illustrations are well suited to this story. They are abstract and breathtaking. 

The Three Golden Oranges (1999)

The Three Golden Oranges by Alma Flor Ada (1999) is the retelling of a popular Spanish tale. The author’s note at the back of the book reads, “The popular story of Blancaflor, the youngest of three sisters who is bewitched and held prisoner inside an orange, has taken many forms over time. . . Oranges were brought to Spain by the Arabs who held kingdoms in southern Spain from 711 to 1492.” I’m not a fan of stories based on spells. This one is actually a morality tale in which two brothers model vanity and greed while the third is virtuous. The virtuous one has his wish granted. Regarding the other two brothers, “No one really knows what happened to Santiago and Tomás. . .” Reg Cartwright’s illustrations fit the artificial atmosphere of this book. They are grand,  filled with color, and a bit cartoonish. 

*Infinity and Me (2012)

*Infinity and Me by Kate Hosford (2012) is one of those daring picture books that tackles a numerical concept. It received a “Notable” book award from the Association for Library Service to Children. Uma is a young girl who looks up at stars in the night sky and wonders how many there are. “Maybe the number was as big as infinity. I started to feel very, very small.” After asking her peers and her grandmother what infinity means, she comes up with some metaphors of her own. Gabri Swiatkowska’s unique illustrations assist Hosford in bringing the idea of infinity down to earth and close to home. This is a brilliant book and reminded me of author/illustrator Mitsumasa Anno. Hosford and Anno invite young readers into the world of numbers. 

When I Was Young in the Mountains (1982)

When I Was Young in the Mountains was Cynthia Rylant’s first picture book (1982). Diane Goode’s illustrations earned it a Caldecott Honor. This is a slice-of-life story. It’s without a rising action, conflict, nor resolution. Just a few sentences per page describe a way of life characterized by hard work and simple, joyful pleasures. It’s told by a young girl who lives with her grandparents and younger brother. Grandfather works in a mine. Grandmother makes cornbread. The girl pumps water from a well, swims in a dark and muddy watering hole, shops at a small country store, and takes a bath in a metal tub. It’s an idyllic perspective. “I never wanted to go anywhere else in the world, for I was in the mountains. And that was always enough." 

The Summer My Father Was Ten (1998)

*The Summer My Father Was Ten by Pat Brisson (1998) is a powerful story of intergenerational conflict and reconciliation. Every year, when a father plants a garden with his daughter, he tells her about an awful prank he pulled when he was ten years old. He and his friends destroyed an old man’s vegetable garden. He feels terrible about the incident, but doesn’t have the courage to apologize immediately. But he does when the opportunity presents itself, and this sows the seeds of a long term relationship with the elderly gentleman. The gorgeous watercolors by Andrea Shine make it a beautiful book.

No More Water in the Tub! (1995)

No More Water in the Tub!  by Tedd Arnold (1995) is a some fun silliness. The first sentence is, “In a bathroom near the top floor of a tall apartment building, William was ready for his bath.” We can assume this is foreshadowing; somehow the flood illustrated on the cover will reach the floors below. And it does. Arnold playa with language to turn this premise into a fun read. On the floors below live Mabel who floats on a table, Sue and Vern who cling to a fern, and Uncle Nash who rides a box of trash. Arnold finds a way to transform this plumbing disaster into an heroic response to an accident in the Ferlingattis’ apartment. The ending is still a few pages away.