When I wish my friends happy birthday, I like to wish for them to have joy, laughter, peace, and special moments that become memories to treasure for a lifetime. I have learned that in life, when we look for happiness we are more likely to notice it and when we look for sadness or anger, we will spot that more quickly. Moments are fleeting, but when we move slowly enough to take note and put those memories into a journal or drawing, they stick with us.
Layla's Happiness is her journal of happiness. Mariahadessa and Ashleigh worked together to share Lay;a's moments of happiness. Each line and illustration is a touchstone for the reader to see that happiness is not some distant thing you must go looking for, it is right there in the purple plum, the poetry, the garden, etc. etc.
They share their happiness, but also ask, What makes you happy?
Ashleigh received the Ezra Jack Keats Award for outstanding new illustrator this year. Mariahadessa received the Writer Honor award. Learn more about it here. You can even watch the award ceremony.
Ashleigh's illustrations have a beautiful simplicity and show her love for color and graphic shapes.
I have a book called How to be a Wildflower: a field guide by Katie Daisy. It is like a nature journal and a call to action. The pages Each two page spread is like it's own little universe. As I read Layla's Happiness, I felt like it was designed in that same way. Each two page spread is it's own little world. The element that ties it all together is Layla and her bright yellow dress.
Resources and Activities:
Make a Happiness journal, scraps of paper and a pencil or pen is all it takes. You can always add paint or crayons, glue in cool stuff.
Move slowly through the world. Drink in all the beauty.
I won this wonderful book with my Fall Frenzy writing contest submission.
What?! Flamingo hugs aren't for everyone? No way! Who wouldn't want a hug from a flamingo?
Title: Flamingo Hugs Aren't For Everyone
Author: Ciara O'Neal
Illustrated by: Alicia Young
Publisher: (Ciara did it herself. Yes, that right, this is a self-published picture book), 2019. You can find it on Amazon.
Opening Lines: While most flamingos dreamed of dancing and dining on delicacies, Flaminga hoped for a hug. Day after day, she watched as the zoo's ponies were petted. The calves were cuddled. Even llamas were loved. Have you ever met a llama? They're grumps! But no one EVER wanted Flaminga's hugs.
Themes:
Hugs, Flamingos, clumsiness
Why I like this book:
1. Flaminga is sooooo cute.
2. Hugs are wonderful.
3. Pair Flaminga and hugs, and it's just downright cuterful. Yep. I made that word up. This book is cuterful. Maybe it's wondercute. Either way, it's a fun and funny story with bright and cheerful illustrations.
Flaminga is a bit clumsy and in her attempts to give and receive hugs, things don't always go well. We've all been there. In our excitement, we move too fast, miss a step or two and Splash, Crash, we go tumbling. But that doesn't stop Flaminga from getting up and trying again and again to find somebody to hug. Join her as she attempts to wrap her bright pick wings around all the zoo visitors.
This would make a great gift book for Valentine's Day.
Activities and Resources:
At the back of the book you will discover some fun flaming facts and a coloring page.
Two things I have learned about flamingos over the years.
1. Flamingos need to get a running start to take flight.
2. Most flamingos in the US are domesticated. The wild flamingos were hunted out of existence. But, they are making a comeback.
Here are a few bonus photos of flamingos. The first two were taken in the Camargue in the South of France. The last one has become one of my Halloween decorations.
I see one ready for a hug.
Did you know they run?
Yep, a skeleton riding a skeleton flamingo. That's the way I roll.
This past summer I met Daria Peoples-Riley at Highlights Foundation Summer Camp. On our last night, we all headed over to the Executive Director's family farm for a cookout. Daria, Matthew Winner, and I were in the same van for the trip. Daria pulled out her copy of her about to be released picture book, I Got Next. It's the sequel to her book This is It.
Title: I Got Next
Author and Illustrator: Daria People-Riley
Publisher: Greenwillow Books, 2019
When I got home, I ordered both books. There are so many kids I would love to share these books with. They are inspiring, encouraging, and filled with rhythm, poetry, and joy.
In the van, Daria mentioned that she wished there was a way to teach people how to read the books with the rhythm, poetry, and joy that is infused throughout. You see there are some videos of people reading the book. The readers do a beautiful job of enunciating and reading each page slowly for someone looking will be able to linger over the images. The problem with that is these books are more like music and when you read the story without the music, you leave part of that story in the book. (my thoughts.)
To give you a sense of the rhythm, here is the flap cover text:
It's Game day!
Time to put
your game face on.
Shake shake 'em.
Playground play, 'em.
Work hard.
Don't quit.
And leave your heart
on the court
because
YOU
GOT
NEXT!
I emailed Daria and asked if I could interview her for this post. She graciously agreed and a I sent her a few questions.
What would you tell readers to help them get the rhythm?
I think in order for readers to understand the rhythm and rhyming in THIS IS IT and I GOT NEXT they should research the rhetorical devices deeply rooted in African traditions. One of the stylistic devices I use in my books, through voice and structure, both in text and visually is call and response. Call and response is the foundation for many African American oral traditions. It is a dialogue between the speaker and the audience, the author and the reader.
Some stories have an obvious tune based on a song that we know. Others are like these two books where the text size, the punctuation, the images provide clues to the voice of the story. This is a part of why we fall in love with a story and want to share it with the world. As librarians, parents, and teachers, we should have the courage to give each story we read the energy it deserves. It helps children become engaged with the story, and encourages them to want to read even more stories.
The end pages in I Got Next are beautiful and filled with symbols and portraits. Why did you choose this for the end pages? There is so much there to look at and wonder about.
I’m happy to hear this. I think this is exactly the purpose of public art, to make us pause, reflect and wonder, and maybe even wander into our own imagination. I chose to create a mural for the end pages because I imagined it would exist in the neighborhood where my hero lives, a reminder to him of the heroes and heroines whose lives he should use as mentor texts. Their stories of resilience and contribution should inspire him to put his game face on and use his gifts and abilities to work hard and to be a leader on the court, and in extension, in his community.
Would you share a little bit about your illustration style and process?
My illustration style is a result of me learning to work with the materials and knowledge I gain as I grow as an artist through my life experiences and through trial and error.
When I began, I enjoyed painting, but lacked the education of traditional art school training. I didn’t know things like how to prepare paper for a painting or the elements of composition or really the “right” way to do anything. Pretty much everything I learned about illustration was more or less a result of playing and experimenting with mediums and various processes.
My introduction to art was photography, so I learned Photoshop as a result and used it as apart of my process. Because of Photoshop, I think about the composition of an illustration in layers which is the way Photoshop is structured.
I begin by painting individual layers, scan, or photograph the layers, and then composite them in Photoshop, from the background to foreground. If I mess up, it’s no big deal because I can just paint the layer over again until it can be added to the composition in Photoshop.
I used this process for both THIS IS IT and I GOT NEXT. I paint in watercolor, gouache, and ink. For the portraits in I GOT NEXT, I drew those using charcoal.
Many people ask me if I call my style collage. I guess it is in a non-traditional way, but as I grow as an artist, I find myself moving away from Photoshop, primarily because I don’t really like using the computer as much these days. I do, however, like the idea of collage, so I’m experimenting with ways to retain my style while using a new process that doesn’t always include Photoshop or drastically limits my use of it.
How did these stories come to you; through words or images first?
All of my stories (up to this point) come through the inspiration of a protagonist who wants me to tell his or her story. When I sit down to tell it, some spreads come as words, others as images and after it’s gone through the revision process, both words and images tell the whole story.
More Questions?
I could have asked her many more questions, but a book, once released into the world, is a partnership of the author, illustrator, and reader. We as the readers get to make our own interpretations and bring our individuality into each story we read.
Why I love these books:
For their poetry, their encouragement, and because I can easily see myself sharing them with loads of kids.
I love that the characters in these picture books are older. I love reading picture books to school aged children. They have the ability to see the layers within the stories and use their own imaginations to create art and stories of their own.
Daria uses a shadow person as the other character in the book. I have thought a lot about that. The shadow looks like the character, but it could also be the shadow of an important person in the child's life. Our shadows can be uplifting and our shadows have the potential of trying to tear us down. I believe this comes from who we have in our lives and how they talk to us each day. As adults and parents who connect with children, it is our opportunity to help each child we encounter develop their positive uplifting shadow.
Activities and Resources:
Check out the trailer for this is it. A celebration of individuality, self-expression and dance.
I had to laugh when I opened my email for the latest episode of The Children's Book Podcast and saw that it is an interview with Daria Peoples-Riley on the same week that I was working on my Perfect Picture Book Friday post of her books. I guess connections made at Highlights Foundation are really strong.
Be sure to check out Susanna Hill's Blog where you can look for reviews by book, title, and by themes. And you can check out her weekly #PPBF post along with links to many more wonderful posts here.
It is Perfect Picture Book Friday time. No matter what mood you are in, I hope have enjoy this book.
Title: Grumpy Monkey Author: Suzanne Lang Illustrated by: Max Lang
Publisher: Random House, 2018
First Lines: One wonderful day Jim Panzee woke to discover that nothing was right. The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and the bananas were too sweet.
Sometimes you wake up and you are grumpy. No secret reason. Just grumpy. Jim Panzee wakes up grumpy one morning and everyone tries to help him enjoy the wonderful day. It doesn't help. Read Grumpy Monkey to find out how Jim deals with his grumpy mood.
The illustrations and characters make me think of Rudyard Kiplings The Elephant's Child. Which would pair well with this book if you were going on a theme of African animals, problem solving, and fun stories.
It also reminds me of the animated movie The Jungle Book (Again by Rudyard Kipling).
Fun emotive characters that any child can relate to.
Did you catch the name? Jim Panzee! How clever is that?
Activities:
The more we talk about and understand emotions and their transience, the better off we are in dealing with them when they occur. Have conversations about emotions. Discuss where the emotions are coming from. How does it feel? What does the child's face look like in the midst of the emotions? Provide acceptance for all of the emotions. The happy ones too..
