Curtain Up (2010)

Curtain Up by Dirk McLean (2010) is about Amaya’s experience auditioning, rehearsing, performing in a play. She looks to be perhaps in fourth grade. She delivers a monologue and sings  in three auditions before finally being chosen for  lead role. “All of her singing and dancing and acting classes had paid off.” At this moment early in the story, we wonder if she or her parents are the ambitious ones. Amaya will rehearse during  day  to perform “a professional play”, which means working with a tutor to complete school work.We learn a little about rehearsal, set design, costumes, choreography, dialogue, and the thrill of opening night. This  really nice story for  aspiring child actors. 

France Brassard’s illustrations are realistic and thereby trasport the reader into the excitement of being a cast member.

In November (2000)

In November by Cynthia Rylant (2000) is a feel-good, story-book version of Thanksgiving without using the name of the holiday. I favor books by Cynthia Rylant, but this one feels like she phoned it in. Jill Kastner’s  paintings are reason enough  to read the story. 

Precious little text decorates the pages. The comparisons are appropriate for the very young reader: snow is “a winter bed  for flowers and small creatures.” Leafless trees spread their arms like dancers. Some birds migrate, animals shiver in the cold, snuggle underground, or pile up in a barn. “And dogs lie before the fire.”

The family in this story lives in a large house on a farm  in the woods. It’s implied that mother happily bakes  luscious, seasonal foods. Again there’s “crackling wood stoves” present when people visit. “They travel very far on a special November day just to share a meal…” Kastner’s illustrations show the smiling faces of guests that span multiple generations. 

If you don’t have colorful autumn leaves or snow in November, if you’re unfamiliar with Thanksgiving or long for the day when this holiday was uncomplicated, this is the book for you. 

*Storm on the Desert (1997)

 Storm  on the Desert by Carolyn Lesser (1997) is a book I’ll keep as a mentor text. I wish someone read it aloud on YouTube so I could make a lesson for it to post in my TPT  store. Lesser's writing is lovely, and Ted Rand’s paintings capture the creatures and landscape of a desert I  will never have the opportunity to experience. A  passing thunderstorm is a vehicle for Lesser to share her knowledge of the desert. We  meet animals, birds, and other creatures that are hot and thirsty.

”Silence, wanders

Through Ironwood trees, and cactus,

Slips over beetles and red velvet ants,

Past butterflies resting on branches.

It fills the tortoise tunnel.

Shh, shh,

Whispers the scorching breeze.

Morning and afternoon,

The birds are still.

The desert is the same as yesterday,

As it has been for days and days.”

Creatures run for shelter when clouds and lightning fill the sky. When the storm is over, “The breeze is delicious”. Water refreshes everything. This book brings back fond memories of The Tortoise and the Jackrabbit by Susan Lowell. 

The Moon Lake (1981)

 The Moon Lake by Ivan Gantschev (1981) is a story with a moral. On the very first page is a handwritten “UU Church of Franklin”, which makes me wonder how it made its way to a library book sale. This book is also published by a local company, Picture Book Studio of Natick. I don’t see a current listing online for this publisher.

Somewhere in a mountain landscape is a lake. Precious stones line its banks as a result of the moon shaking herself dry after a bath in the lake. Only an old shepherd knew the location of the lake and passed away  without sharing this knowledge. When his grandson Peter stumbled upon the lake, he filled his shepherd’s sack with precious stones, dreaming of buying a new blanket, shirt, and salt. A passing fox shared the secret to exiting the  area safely. Peter  gave the fox food in return for this secret. Selfish people who later visit this lake don't find the exit. I suppose the moral is not to be greedy? A current interpretation might point out that the lake region wasn’t destroyed by a massive mining operation. Peter is grateful for the brilliance of the jewels, which he benefits from but does not exploit.

I enjoyed Gantschev’s watercolors. They are paradoxically clear and precise while also softly rendered.

A Boy Like You (2019)

 A Boy Like You by Frank Murphy (2019) is an example of how picture books have turned preachy. If you’re looking for a teaching text to accompany some kind of social-emotional classroom, this could be it. There’s no story here, just an illustrated rules of the road for the perfect child. Kayla Harren’s illustrations are nice enough for a to-do list. This is a large book with cover art that falsely implies this will be a story about some neighborhood or classroom of children. It’s not. It’s about the boy front and center with a puppy by his side. Apparently he is the role model for all the children behind him. 

Waiting for the Whales (1991)

 Waiting for the Whales by  Sheryl McFarlane (1991) earned  the I.O.D.E. Canadian National Book Award. The beautiful paintings by Ron Lightburn won the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Award for Illustration.It was the cover art that made me pick up this book. The pictures, like the cover, are soft yet exact.

The cover hints at the story. First we meet the man, an old man, who lives in a cedar shingled cottage on a bluff by  the sea. His simple, lonely, life, is joyful when the orcas return and swim into view. Several pages in, his daughter and granddaughter move in. He teaches his simple life to his granddaughter as she grows from infant to young girl.

For me, the paintings make this repetitive story relevant. The illustrations invite the reader to pause with each turn of the page, gaze at the pictures, and consequently ponder the narrative. 

*Selvakumar Knew Better (2006)

 Selvakumar Knew Better by Virginia Kroll is based on the real story of a dog that saved a seven-year-old boy. Selvakumar sensed a mighty earthquake and tsunami before his human family did. They wondered, casually, about a distant roar—was it thunder, a supersonic plane, a train? It was none of those things. It was the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004. When young Dinakaran sought safety in his house, Selvakumar dragged the boy outside by his shirt, then guided him to higher ground.

This is a story about relationships, and Xiaojun Li’s unique style of illustration appropriately focuses on the characters. An author’s note has a picture of the real-life Selvakumar and his human family.  There are many internet links marking the 20-year anniversary of this disaster. My  lesson has references for two links that seemed the most child friendly.

This book is read aloud online by a young child, which may not appeal to the older reader. It is at christine’s english read aloud.

My Picture Book Talk for this story is here. 

Country Angel Christmas (1995)

 Country Angel Christmas by Tomie dePaola (1995) is exactly what the title says it is. The story takes place in a heavenly countryside. All the characters, except Saint Nicholas, are angels. Saint Nicholas visits the country angels to say they’ve been chosen to make the Christmas celebration for all of heaven. As the angels work on preparations for Christmas Eve, three young angels search for a way to help. They are turned away from the kitchen, away from the forest, away from the music room, and even shooed away from helping with the barn animals. Nicolas arrives on the morning of Christmas Eve and gives the three little angels an important responsibility. They are delighted and everyone is surprised by how important their contribution is at the end of the story. This is classic Tommy dePaola. The story has relevance and his illustrations are safely predictable. 

Walking toward PEACE: The True Story of aBrave Woman Called Peace Pilgrim (2021)

 Walking toward PEACE: The True Story of a Brave Woman Called Peace Pilgrim by Kathleen Krull (2021) is the astonishing story of Mildred Lisette Norman, who changed her name to Peace Pilgrim. We meet Mildred on the evening she decides to leave her comfortable life and create “ a life that mattered.” She decides to walk 25,000 miles spreading peace.

This enormous goal took several years to prepare for. Peace worked with the elderly, troubled children, and peace activists. She learned survival skills. With only a toothbrush, comb, pen, maps, and copies of her message, she walked. She spoke about peace with everyone she met and became a sought after public speaker. She survived on the kindness of strangers. It took more than one walk across the United States to accumulate 25,000 miles but she did it. A true saint.

Annie Bowler’s illustrations are characteristic of 21st century illustration style. Not my favorite.