Anzu the Great Listener

Posted on 03/20/2023

Roaring Brook Press | 978-1250776136

A few weeks ago, I had the good fortune to attend and present at one of the largest book festivals in the country – the Tucson Festival of Books. There, I met the kind and wonderful Benson Shum, who is both an author/illustrator of picture books and an animator for Disney!

I’m so glad he agreed to answer a few of my questions about writing and illustrating and the overlap of both with his experiences working in animation.

But before we get to that, I wanted to share a little more about ANZU THE GREAT LISTENER, the followup to Benson’s ANZU THE GREAT KAIJU.

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Anzu is a sweet monster with a special power that makes flowers bloom. He loves the villagers in his neighboring city and is always ready to bring hope and laughter whenever they need it.

Whenever he’s feeling a bit overwhelmed, he pauses to spend time caring for his bonsai. One day, while waiting for the bonsai to bloom, Anzu hears the weeping of his neighbors and immediately wants to help. Would some of his beautiful flowers brighten the day?

“Floosh! A splash of cherry blossoms painted the sky.”

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text and Illustrations by Benson Shum

Anzu’s heart was in the right place, but his best intentions fell short. He wondered:

“Did I do something wrong?

           Did my flowers lose their power?”

After some time with his bonsai in quiet reflection, Anzu understands that what the villagers really need – more than flowers or his own good intentions – is someone to listen.

This story about patience and empathy is sure to resonate with young readers learning the importance of pausing to pay attention to your own feelings, as well as those of others.

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DIANNE: Thanks, Benson, for taking time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions! Anzu is a Kaiju – a “giant monster.” But, unlike the other Kaiju members of his family, Anzu’s superpower is not loud and flashy. Instead of wreaking havoc and disaster, Anzu’s superpower is a FLOOSH! of flowers, quiet and heartfelt.

I read that, as a child, you were a fan of monsters – Godzilla! King Kong! What led you to create Anzu, a Kaiju who is unlike any other?

BENSON: Hi Dianne! Thank you for reading Anzu the Great Listener and for your questions. Yes, I’m a huge fan of giant monsters. The thought of these amazing creatures that tower over buildings, and are larger then life is fascinating. They are usually portrayed as destructive, especially from the people’s/city’s point of view. But I thought, what are the monsters thinking? Do they like to destroy?  Are they told this is what they are supposed to do?  What if they wanted to know their city and its people? That sparked the idea and world of Anzu.

DIANNE: Your skillful use of pacing, panels, and page turns guides the reader to experience the story in the same way Anzu does. Quiet and peaceful when he tends his bonsai, overzealous when he tries to solve the villagers’ problems, and finally, returning to questions and a long deep breath that causes him to realize that what was needed most was listening.

How has your experience as an animator informed your work as a picture book creator? Are there some skills (like pacing and a character’s emotional arc) that transfer and other skills that don’t have an equivalent because the format and delivery of the story are different? Share a little of your journey from animator to picture book author and illustrator.

BENSON: Thank you! I really appreciate that. There are a lots of similarities between animation and picture books. They are both forms of visual story telling. And both are about characters – getting into the minds of who the they are and what they want.

Page turns are something I learned from picture books. And we have something similar in animation. We call it an “antic,” which is the anticipation of what the action will be. For example, if we have a baseball player. They have to “wind up” before they swing the bat. The wind up is the anticipation. So to translate that in picture books, you would wind up, then turn the page and swing!

The differences between picture books and animation are that in animation we have the time and flexibility to know who these characters are because it’s a longer format, and we see the characters moving and acting. But in picture books, we try to capture the most important emotion and expression that can carry a page and paragraph of text. This can be just as powerful, if not more so. So I love playing with the balance of text and imagery in my books.

With pacing, I try to think where the character is at. Like you mentioned, if Anzu is feeling excited, maybe the pages turns faster or there is more action. And when he feels calm, then I’ll try to slow down the page turns, keep it quiet, maybe a spread vs spots.

DIANNE: You have several more books coming out this year. What can you tell us about your upcoming projects?

BENSON: Thank you, yes, I have a couple of more books this year. CINDY AND PANDA is coming out May 9th, 2023 with HarperCollins. It’s about a little girl named Cindy, who loves to bake, but doesn’t always follow a recipe. One day, as she goes out to get some ingredients and brings back Panda! Chaos and fun ensues and they develop a sweet-as-pie friendship.

And FIRST NIGHT OF HOWLERGARTEN comes out  August, 8th 2023. It’s about a little girl named Sophie who is anxious about her first night of Howlergarten (Kindergarten for werewolves). She’s afraid she might not transform into a werewolf on the first full moon. Will she be left out of the pack?

Thank you Dianne for your wonderful questions and having me on ReaderKidZ!

DIANNE: Thank YOU, Benson, for letting readers learn a little more about you, your books, and your writing process.

 

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Enjoy this Teacher’s Guide, chock-full of ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies Activities for the class

and…, for younger readers, this Activity Kit with coloring pages,a word search, maze and more!

 

nell plants a tree

Posted on 03/13/2023

Balzar + Bray | 978-0062865779

 

Before a grip on a branch
and a fall to the ground
and a scrape
and a leap
and a reach for the top,
before anyone finds out how high they can climb,

Nell picks up a seed. 

 

So begins Anne Wynter‘s beautiful story of the love, care, and influence of one person on her family and extended family over several generations. Alternating between the past and the present, the narrative weaves a gorgeous description of a close-knit family playing, planting, cooking, eating, reading and sharing life with one another. Daniel Miyares‘ rich illustrations in pen and ink, gouache, and collage embue the story with the warmth and wonder of nature, family, and friends.

Anne was kind enough to allow readers a peek into the journey of her latest book.

 

DIANNE: NELL PLANTS A TREE is a beautiful picture of a specific way one generation plants a seed that grows and bears fruit for generations to come. What was the spark that made you decide to write about this topic and, more specifically, to tell the story around the image of a tree?

ANNE: Thank you! Well at first I was trying to tell the story of a grandmother and a grandchild. I wanted to show the cause and effect of how the grandmother’s actions impacted her descendant in some very tangible ways. But the story felt way too flat. Then, after many drafts, I decided to focus on a pecan tree.

The tree idea came from out of nowhere when my husband’s aunt sent us an email encouraging us to plant trees in our area. As soon as I read it, it hit me that I should center the book around a tree. Thank goodness for that email!

DIANNE: I remember reading a compelling early version of this story in 2018, and even then, the idea of planting a seed and the connection between generations was at the center of the story. But, as you continued to work on your idea, the telling of your story changed quite a bit from that version. Understanding the concepts of cause/effect and the passage of time can be a tall order for a child of picture book age to fully grasp. And yet the structure you ended up with made the back-and-forth between the “before now” moments and the “back then” moments seamless and easy to follow. Can you talk about the process you went through that led you to the book’s final format? Was it a spark of genius, trial-and-error, or a mix of both?

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text by Anne Wynter, Illustrations by Daniel Miyares

ANNE: It was a ton of trial and error! Heavy on the error. This was my hardest book by far. Here’s part of an early draft (which I found in an email to you – from when you taught me at the Writing Barn!) I worked through a lot of these early bad drafts with your help – thank you so much for your keen eye for lyricism and your wonderful feedback.

This is from one of the early drafts:   

Nell ties a knot. John swings and leaps.                 

Nell sews a quilt. John braves the storm

You can see it’s very flat! Regarding content, it’s not about a tree yet and the story is focused on just one of Nell’s descendants instead of multiple descendants. Structurally, each line describes the past first, then the present. Also, I gave an equal number of words to the past and the present.

Realizing that I should give the present more words (and a different rhythm), and that I should start with the present and end with the past in each section – those were each huge turning points in getting closer to the final draft. Once I decided to put the present first, I settled on starting each section with “Before.” But getting the rhythm down was tricky. Even after solving all those content and structure problems, I still had to work through a ton of drafts to settle into the perfect rhythm.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text by Anne Wynter, Illustrations by Daniel Miyares

DIANNE: In most cases, authors get to see bits and pieces of the illustrations as they move from initial sketches to final art, but there’s nothing like opening the book for the first time and holding the finished picture book – art and words – in your hands.

Do you have a favorite spread or an illustration that completely surprised or delighted you the first time you saw it in book form?

ANNE: I LOVE the cover Daniel Miyares created! I love it so much that I want to put it on a poster, bookmarks, notebook covers – everywhere.

It feels personal because in the book, kids do a variety of activities – climbing a tree, racing, baking, etc. But of all the actions in the book, finding the perfect spot to read feels closest to what I would’ve been doing as a child.

You mentioned that feeling of holding the finished book . . . I just love the texture of Nell Plants a Tree. I don’t know book design terminology but it has a matte feel which seems perfect for Daniel’s warm illustrations, the outdoor setting and the sense of comfort that I hope the story brings. The book also has a lovely under-the-cover element.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Illustration by Daniel Miyares

DIANNE: What can readers look forward to next?

ANNE: I have a humorous picture book and two board books coming out – those haven’t been announced yet, so I can’t share many details. Jerome Pumphrey and I have a Juneteenth picture book coming out called SO MANY YEARS. And there’s a third upcoming picture book I can’t tell you about – but I will say this. I wrote it out in one single go – no drafts! That has never happened to me before and probably never will again. But given how many Nell Plants a Tree drafts I wrote, I think it all balances out!

I’m very excited about all of the upcoming books! And I’m working on longer books – chapter books and (hopefully, if I can conquer my fear and actually get down to work) a middle grade novel.

Dianne: I can’t wait to read your newest, Anne! We know each one will be a gem!!

 

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A Llama Is Not An Alpaca: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities

Posted on 03/05/2023

978-0762478781 | Running Press Kids

Learning the names of familiar animals is a skill young kids develop over time. “This is a dog. That’s a cat. This is a lion. That’s a tiger.” Year by year, as children move from toddlerhood through preschool and beyond, they come to know more and more about the animal kingdom.

But there are some animals that remain confusing. They look just enough alike that it can be hard to distinguish one from another. What’s the difference between a turtle and a tortoise? How is an alpaca different from a llama? Enter Karen Jameson’s newest nonfiction for young readers: A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA: And Other Mistaken Animal Identities, illustrated by Lorna Scobie.

With short rhyming couplets that name one defining attribute, this inviting picture book makes matching the look-alike with its proper name easy for all, including for the youngest reader. A short paragraph rounds out the reader’s knowledge with a few more nuggets of additional information making the book a delightful entry point to learning more about animal characteristics and attributes.

Karen was kind enough to answer a few questions: 

DIANNE: You’re no stranger to writing nonfiction. As a former classroom teacher, you have a great handle on the kinds of kid-friendly information that kids are interested in and you’re skilled at approaching each topic in a slightly different way.

KAREN: Thank you! It’s a joy to create fun, accessible nonfiction books for curious kids!

DIANNE: What sparked the idea for A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA And Other Mistaken Animal Identities? What led you to choose the rhyming format that you ended up with?

KAREN: A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA was inspired by a nature walk. I was walking along when an animal suddenly zipped in front of me, prompting the question of whether I’d just seen a chipmunk or a squirrel. Further up the trail, I paused to identify a plant and debated over whether it was a weed or a thistle. And so it went. All this reminded me that when I was teaching, my students often approached me with these types of questions. Frog or toad? Alligator or crocodile? Hmmm…Could this be a picture book? YES! Though the squirrel and chipmunk ultimately didn’t make it into the book, there were plenty of animal pairs to choose from in this quick dip into animal look-alikes.

The rhyming, question and answer format evolved from my own questions on that walk. Is it animal A or animal B and how can you tell? That became the basis for the main text. The nonfiction sidebars are written in prose and invite readers to pause and take in the facts.

DIANNE: I’m sure some animals were high on the list because kids routinely confuse them – frog vs. toad, hare vs. rabbit. Others were less obvious choices. Clam vs. oyster, for example. How did you ultimately decide which animals to include and which to leave out?

KAREN: You’ll probably laugh when you hear this!  A lot of the choices I made were ultimately because I was able to come up with a good rhyme for that animal pair.:-) Some, like the aforementioned squirrel and chipmunk, were difficult to rhyme, proving too clunky. I was also drawn to those with interesting facts, such as the clam moving around on one foot. Since this is a book about “easy” ways to tell animals apart, I left out any pairs that needed a longer, more complicated explanation.

DIANNE: One of the things that makes A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA so much fun is the striking, colorful way Lorna Scobie has captured the essence of each creature. Her work is vibrant and full of life and adds a layer of eye-catching energy to the project.

Do you have a favorite spread to share with readers? Was there an favorite animal fact that you discovered while doing your research that you knew you’d have to include?

KAREN: Lorna’s art is very engaging! A combination of saturated color and playful animals, it’s the perfect complement to the “punny” text. There are so many details to explore in the illustrations, too. She thought of everything, including animal silhouettes on the endpapers – an additional opportunity for readers to identify animals.

I love them all, but the hare vs rabbit spread is especially delightful! The energetic hare bounding in to start off the book, leads us right to the page turn reveal!  The juxtaposition of hares above ground and rabbits below is a visual masterpiece, concisely illustrating the difference between the two.

© Text by Karen Jameson, illustration by Lorna Scobie

The llama and alpaca- who love to spit – were high on my favorites list! So, I was thrilled that they ended up on the cover AND in the title!

DIANNE: What’s next? Do you have more nonfiction books in the works?

KAREN: I’m excited to share that I have three more nonfiction projects in the queue and others in the works. The first, WAKE UP, WOODLANDS, is the companion title to WOODLAND DREAMS, and my second collaboration with the amazing illustrator, Marc Boutavant. and Chronicle Kids. Look for it to hit stores in spring 2024! I can’t say much about the other two at this point, but suffice it to say that more animal fun awaits.

DIANNE: I can’t wait for these newest nonfiction projects, and look forward to WAKE UP, WOODLANDS next year around this time!

Thanks for stopping by stopping by ReaderKidZ!

 

To learn more about Karen and all her other books, visit her website HERE.

 

 

In Every Life

Posted on 02/26/2023

Beach Lane Books/S&S | 978-1665912488

 

There’s a truth about picture books that those who haven’t tried writing them have no experience with.

It’s this: Picture books are mysterious, elusive things that settle somewhere in our hearts. They are both deeply felt, and are like wisps that are barely solid enough to find their way to the page in full form.

Writers work to capture words that will birth illustrations that illuminate and expand to include all the wonder and light we have imagined – the essence of the story we mean to write.

And yet, such stories take time. Months, years, even decades.

In the case of Marla Frazee‘s newest, In Every Life needed 25 years for the perfect words to arrive, the ideal structure to appear, and the world to be ready to receive it as the gift it is.

It’s a book about birth and wonder, smiles and light, hope and doing, moments and mystery.

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text and Illustrations by Marla Frazee
CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text and Illustrations by Marla Frazee

Beautifully written, illustrated, and designed, IN EVERY LIFE is an exquisite example of the best of all things a picture book can be, the perfect marriage of text and illustrations, a book to pore over, read and reread, and share with young and old.

 

Learn more about the book: 

 

Woven of the World

Posted on 02/19/2023

Chronicle Books | 978-1452178066

WOVEN OF THE WORLD by Katey Howes, illustrated by Dinara Mirtalipova is a masterpiece of art and text, woven together into a beautiful exploration of the ways that we, as humans, are threaded in and out of one another’s lives.

“With clack and swish, with heart and hand,
we layer row on row.
Our loom sings tales of fabric,
friendship, families long ago.”

This is a book you’ll want to savor. I had a chance to read WOVEN OF THE WORLD for the first time when I was attending a conference last November and knew it was a book I would have to own once it was officially out in February.

It’s a marvel how – seemingly effortlessly – Howes links one stanza/ vignette to the next (in rhyme, no less!), referencing the ways weaving traditions are rooted in the daily lives of peoples around the world.

In the backmatter, we are reminded that “People around the globe have woven fibers into ropes, cloth, baskets, clothing and art for a very long time,” both as tools and necessities as well as forms of spiritual, cultural and personal self-expression.

CLICK TO ENLARGE © Text by Katey Howes, Illustration by Dinara Mirtalipova

I found myself curious about the backstory of the book – how did Howes come up with the idea for this book? –  and lucky us! She did an interview about the book’s journey. You can learn more about that HERE.

Extensive backmatter provides additional information about the history of weaving, and the author and illustrator notes add more about their personal journey making this book, as well as their hopes for readers.

 

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Enjoy this Weaving Activity!

When I was still working as a classroom teacher, every year we always did a weaving project. It can be a little tricky to get started and it helps if you have a volunteer to make the looms, but once they’re set up and the kids get the hang of it, you’ll find it will be one of the highlights of their year.

Here’s a version of the Cardboard Loom Weaving project we used to do (courtesy of the Artful Parent blog).

 

 

The Love Letter

Posted on 02/12/2023

HarperCollins | 978-0062741578

 

Hedgehog is frazzled. He’s running late and he doesn’t like it one bit. In mid-grumble, he spots something on the ground. It is not an acorn or anything else he’d expect to find on his way to meet his friends in the meadow. It’s a letter:

“Friend,
You are a joy, a light,
a secret hope,
a safe goodnight…
a face that shines just for me.
When you go,
I miss you so.
Don’t you know
I love you?”

Hedgehog feels oddly… cheerful. Such a delightful surprise. A love letter, just for him!

Bunny notices the change right away. When she beats Hedgehog at leap log, he cheers her on. When she wants a friend to walk her home, he’s more than happy to oblige.

“She wasn’t in the habit of hugging Hedgehog, but today she gave him her best bunny squeeze.”

 

CLICK TO ENLARGE  © Text by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustration by Lucy Ruth Cummins

On her way home, Bunny, too, finds a love letter. It leaves her feeling oddly… helpful.

Soon after, Squirrel discovers a love letter! “Bunny loves me,” he says, feeling all at once … carefree. 

THE LOVE LETTER by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Lucy Ruth Cummins is a tender story of best friends, crossed paths, and a mysterious love letter that is sure to delight young readers and make the perfect gift for those you love at Valentine’s or any other time of year.

 

Well Done, Mommy Penguin

Posted on 02/06/2023

Candlewick Press | 978-1536228656

I’m currently teaching a class on picture books and one of the many things I love are the new books students bring to my attention. I’ve read and enjoyed other Chris Haughton books –  Shhh! We Have a Plan and Oh, No George! – but I hadn’t seen his most recent – WELL DONE, MOMMY PENGUIN until a student included it on her reading list.

The concept of the book is simple: Little Penguin and Daddy Penguin are waiting for Mommy’s return.

Mommy slides down the snowy hill into the water:

“Oh! Where is Mommy going?” says Little Penguin.
I think she’s going to get dinner,” says Daddy Penguin.
“Come, let’s take a look. Maybe we can see her. “

Mommy joins the other penguins trying to catch fish.

swoosh
swish
swoosh

Little Penguin and Daddy see Mommy. She waves from the water!

“Swim, Mommy, swim!”

CLICK TO ENLARGE © words and illustrations by Chris Haughton

As Mommy makes her way back to her family, she needs to be careful of the icy hill. And, there’s another dangerous challenge… a group of large seals are sleeping between the water and home. The tension mounts as readers see Mommy Penguin fall, fall, fall “all the way back into the sea!”

What will she do?

Pitch perfect dialogue reveals a sweet and tender relationship between Little Penguin and his mommy. I loved this book, and admire the way Houghton successfully pares down the text and illustrations to their most essential elements, while also managing to convey the deep bond between a mother and her child.