30 Days of Picture Books - Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman

It's Day 16 in our 30 Days of Picture Books. I might have mentioned it before, but Sprout is really into science these days. We recently made a trip to a nearby science center to see their dinosaur exhibit, and Sprout was absolutely mesmerized by nearly everything there. He has a very inquisitive mind and wants to know how things work and what's going on beneath the surface. I love that my husband is willing to explain things like the water cycle in terms Sprout can grasp - yet another way for my boys to bond.

And so any science-related book I bring home is a sure-fire hit, and today's pick, Swirl by Swirl, was no exception. Joyce Sidman wrote a book we featured in last year's 30 Days of Picture Books, Red Sings from Treetops, which is so incredible that we've read several more titles by her in the past year. But the one that sticks out for me most is Swirl by Swirl, for the way Sidman's text and the images by Caldecott winner Beth Krommes intertwine to produce a fully realized work of art and science.

Sidman's focus here is the spiral shape -- who else would have thought to create an entire picture book around this topic? It's remarkable, when you start to look around nature, how much that very elemental curl occurs over and over. Snail shells, fern fronds, animals wound into a ball for protection or hibernation - spirals are everywhere. I adore the descriptions Sidman uses throughout. "A spiral is a clever shape," she writes. "It is graceful and strong." She chooses her words carefully but purposefully, and for me that increases the impact so much more.

You can't describe this book without mentioning the visuals. Sidman's examples are illustrated beautifully by Krommes, who uses her signature scratchboard technique to provide depth and movement to each image. Suddenly the spirals become little jewels, sparkling throughout the natural world, each alive with purpose and surrounded with a sense of wonder. Even the endpapers are dazzling, not a spare inch left unconsidered. Sprout likes to read this one straight through and then go back a second time so we can pick out the little descriptors of what we're seeing, all thoughtfully labeled. Further, there's a nice meaty afterword that will satisfy the curiosity of any budding scientist.

If there's one thing I hope I can demonstrate with the titles we're sharing this month, it's that picture books are so much more than sleepy bunnies and hat-wearing felines. Next time your kiddo is wondering how the world works - check out a picture book like Swirl by Swirl for a fresh perspective!

Swirl by Swirl by Joyce Sidman, published by Houghton Mifflin

Homer by Elisha Cooper

I may not have mentioned it before, but we're dog people. My husband and I both grew up with dogs, and while a cat or two has crept into our lives in the past, our hearts belong to canines. Our current dog, Maxie, is a miniature dachshund, but believe you me, there's nothing miniature about her personality. She was the kind of puppy you see in sitcoms: a holy terror one minute and sweet as a bug the next.

But over the years Maxie has mellowed quite a bit. At almost 14, she no longer plays fetch for hours or chases every bird that flies over our house. And when we're out in the yard, she's more than content to find a nice shady spot to perch and watch us work or play. Sure, she'll run after the odd squirrel now and again. But for the most part, she's happy just to be with her people (and trust me, we belong to her, not the other way around.)

That's the sentiment that's captured so deftly in today's pick, the heartwarming Homer by Elisha Cooper. If you're not familiar with Cooper's work, please go check out his backlist. Really, you won't regret it - aspects of his style remind me of Marla Frazee, Bob Graham, and Inga Moore, just to name a few. And while I've enjoyed some of his earlier books, it's Homer that has won my heart, truly and completely. Sprout's too, without question.

Homer is an old dog. If you've ever owned an old dog, you know what I mean by this. He has slowed to a point where his greatest pleasure is just being with his family. And that's the narrative Cooper relates, as the family goes off for their various pursuits: the young dogs to chase balls, the kids to explore, the mother to swim, the father to ride his bike. Homer is happy to laze on the porch, half in sun and half in shade, and watch the world go by, the broadness of it standing in sharp contrast to the warm cocoon of his perch. And then, when everyone returns from their day, Homer is there to hear all about it, sweet and simply content in the knowledge that all is right with the world. "I have everything I want," Homer says. "I have you."

{Okay, you're going to have to give me a minute to wipe my eyes here.}

Homer is the kind of book that's just pitch-perfect. I don't often say this, but I wouldn't change a single bit of this spare and sentimental gem. Cooper captures emotion so very well - not only what Homer is feeling, but what his family feels for him. While younger kids might not understand the depth of feeling, they certainly will get the theme of contentment and certainty. Homer is what he is, and he is completely fine with that. And so is his family, who quite obviously adore their darling old gentleman, just for being the ideal companion.

Being owned by an old dog is a rare pleasure, as is this beautiful picture book. For all a puppy's charms, let's not forget that senior dogs have just as much to give. When Sprout asks why Maxie doesn't run and play so much, I know it's time to reread Homer, and revel in what our older dog adds to our lives - acceptance, companionship, and total, absolute devotion.

Homer by Elisha Cooper, published by Greenwillow Books
Ages 4-8 (and grown-ups, too)
Source: Library
Highly recommended

Library Find - Can You Hear the Sea?

The other day, I was headed back to my work area when something on a cart caught my eye. I should mention, in case you don't already know it, that I am privileged to work at the administrative center for a regional library system. The building I work in houses not only all the staff who support our system, but also shelves containing older titles and materials that are in transit to one of our library branches. Books are coming in and going out literally all day long. It is a bibliophile's dream and nightmare all at the same time. Small wonder my library card gets such a workout.

Anyway, right off I recognized the book in question as being illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max. Eons ago, before Sprout came into our family, our children's librarian recommended some titles she thought we might like (and she was spot on, by the way). Among them were Karen Baicker's I Can Do It Too! and You Can Do It Too!, both illustrated by Wilson-Max. Sprout loved both of these books from the first time we read them and they have been frequent revisits since. This new title, Can You Hear the Sea?, written by Judy Cumberbatch, appealed to me right off (don't let anyone tell you we don't judge books by the cover, we all do it). I was pretty sure Sprout would like it, and -- no surprise here -- he firmly declared it "really just good, Mama!"

The story is set in an unnamed country in West Africa but the author's bio notes that she grew up in Ghana so it's not too much of a leap to think it was set there. The narrative explores the relationship between Sarah and her beloved grandfather. On a Saturday before he leaves, Grandpa gives Sarah a beautiful seashell; he tells her to hold it to her ear and listen closely, for she will hear the sea. Though Sarah knows that Grandpa would never lie to her, she can't hear the sound, no matter how hard she tries. Instead, each day of the week, Sarah only hears the sounds of the everyday world around her - the drums in church on Sunday, the monkeys in the trees on Wednesday, the honking taxis on Friday. But then Grandpa returns and shows Sarah just how to listen. And suddenly there it is, the sound of the waves on the shore and the roaring, rushing power of the ocean.

What I love about this simple story is all the layers it incorporates. There are the building blocks of learning, like the progression of the week which teaches about sequences and the passing of time. There are the vivid colors and multilayered illustrations, which stimulate young readers' senses. And then there is the emotional component, in which Sarah knows she should trust her grandfather but then begins to doubt his word. In the end, Sarah's trust is restored as she learns to listen, just as her Grandpa has instructed her. This reaffirms the bond between the two, and provides a gently reassuring ending to this sweet story.

Though I wish there were a few more cultural details - a further development of the setting and the use of culturally correct names or language terms - this is a solidly written and gorgeously illustrated story that will engage any child. Use with other West African stories like Jane Kurtz's In the Small, Small Night or Penda Diakite's I Lost My Tooth in Africa to build a unit about this diverse region of Africa.

Can You Hear the Sea? by Judy Cumberbatch, published by Bloomsbury
Ages 2-6
Source: Library
Sample: "On Monday, Sarah listened to her shell by the river as she and Grandma did the washing. But what she heard was. . . water splashing, Grandma beating out the sheets, and the clothes flip-flapping in the wind."
Recommended