Thank you!

This blog will be taking a little vacation.  Until then, please feel free to scroll down and look at some of the capsule reviews I have written over the past few years.  Thanks for reading and enjoy every wild rumpus!

Picture Book of the Day: The Night World

The Night World, written and illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein.  According to an author's note, the Caldecott winner (The Man Who Walked Between the Towers) based this wondrous book on an experience he had as a four year old startled by how different the world looked at night, all dark shadows and "strange silvery shapes."  His fantastic illustrations, done in acrylics, pen and ink, and colored pencil, capture this experience quite effectively as a boy follows the orders of his cat Sylvie, who wakes him up and then leads him through a sleepy house and into the backyard.  Grays and blacks fill the page for a great stretch of the book, with Sylvie's green eyes making a striking impression.  Gerstein turns this into a total sensory experience--you feel the wet grass and the warm sweet air.  I love the questions the boy asks:  "Are these shadows roses?"   Meanwhile, shadows of animals like porcupines and rabbits appear, telling the child that something cool is coming.  And then Gerstein gives us a beautiful sight:  colors fill the page as a sunrise appears, causing the nocturnal animals to run away and the boy to experience total wonder.  A charmer from a masterful artist.

 

Picture Book of the Day: Float

Float, by Daniel Miyares.  This absolutely masterful wordless book reminded me quite a bit of Ezra Jack Keats (A Letter to Amy, The Snowy Day) and I mean that as a sincere high compliment.  The story begins with a child and father making an origami paper boat.  The boy's bubbly mood defies the grayness of the rainy stormy day as he puts on his bright yellow raincoat and skips outside with his creation.  Miyares' illustrations brilliantly convey the kid's fluctuating moods, giving us switches in perspective and point-of-view, and one beautiful spread (which reminds me of an impressionist painting) providing a breathtaking blurry vision of the boy as it pours.  The drama kicks in when a stream whooshes the boat away, with the distraught boy in hot pursuit.  Miyares does a fantastic job showing the distance between him and the boat, using the book's long rectangular shape to great effect.  When the boat falls into a storm drain, all goes black, and then sadness follows when he discovers that it has become a soaking mess.  Fortunately, his loving pop awaits with a life-affirming hug and a handy hair dryer.  It all leads to a heartwarming ending with rays of sun filling the pages with yellow warmth and the resourceful child creating a new origami paper airplane that soars.  Throw in instructions on how to make a paper boat and paper airplane and you have a winner. A beautiful book, one of the year's very best.

Picture Book of the Day: I Won

I Won, written and illustrated by Ruth Wielockx.  This fast-paced import (translated from the Dutch) shows a bunch of girls and boys engaged in one wild race, driving a wide variety of vehicles.  Just when one kid pulls ahead in, say, a tricycle, another child zooms past on a scooter.  Young readers will love the vast array of vehicles:  a jeep, a quad bike (!), a cool bus covered with flower paintings.  I love the design of this book:  the vibrant illustrations pop off the page, the name of each new vehicle is in bold letters, and each spread has a solid, bright backdrop.  Those familiar with my blog know that I love surprise endings, and this title has a great one.  How are these pint-sized characters driving fire trucks and planes?   All is revealed on a charming, surprising final spread.

A Round-up of Silly Funny Books

Duck's Vacation, written and illustrated by Gilad Soffer.  Poor Duck only wants to sit peacefully on the beach, but you--yes, YOU, the reader--are causing great distress by turning the pages.  With every turn of the page, something horrible happens to Duck, ruining the peaceful zen state Duck tries in vain to create.  Soffer's titular character pleads directly to the reader to stop turning the pages.  But do we listen?  No, so terrible (yet hilarious) things keep happening to Duck:  a gull poos on its head, a crab bites its foot, and there's even a sudden inexplicable snowstorm.  This meta picture book page turner keeps you giggling from start to finish, leading to a hilarious punch line that Duck had a stunt double for some of the more treacherous moments in the story.

Here Comes the Tooth Fairy Cat, written by Deborah Underwood, pictures by Claudia Rueda.  The mischievous feline returns and has a big huge dream:  it wants to meet the Tooth Fairy! The narrator talks directly to the cat in a most amusing manner, asking our protagonist questions, responding to the character's humorous facial expressions (rendered with ace comic timing by Rueda).  After the cat tries to trick the Tooth Fairy by leaving the tooth of a comb, a strange package arrives holding a Tooth Fairy costume and a note saying "nice try" but hey, maybe the cat can work as an assistant to the legendary being.  The presence of a mouse helper adds more laughs, but a surprisingly effective lesson in friendship and teamwork follows.  Watching the cat earn its stripes is a joy.

How to Catch a Mouse, written and illustrated by Philippa Leathers.  This extremely adorable yet slyly funny story introduces us to Clemmie, a pint-sized striped orange cat who also happens to be "a brave, fearsome mouse catcher."  A wonderful disconnect between text and illustration occurs right away as the narrator brags about Clemmie's abilities, ignoring the fact that we can see the mouse sneaking around either behind the cat's back or hidden in plain sight.  There's a big laugh when we read that Clemmie is such a fearsome mouse catcher "that she has never even seen a mouse" (this follows an illustration where the mouse has been reading a how-to-catch-a-mouse-guide over Clemmie's shoulder).  Turns of the pages lead to surprises as Clemmie creeps up on what looks like parts of a mouse but turn out to be other objects.  When our feline hero realizes that she has been tricked by the mouse, there's a moment of sadness, but a sweet ending has the cat bouncing back with tricks of her own.

Never Ask a Dinosaur to Dinner, by Gareth Edwards and Guy Parker-Rees.  This playfully absurd (and yet at times truly startling...in a funny way) cautionary tale advises children not to invite certain large creatures into their houses because chaos will ensue.  The rhyming text pleads with you not to "ask a dinosaur to dinner" because "a T. rex is ferocious/And his manners are atrocious,/And you'll find that if he's able..." (turn the page) "He will eat the kitchen table!" (larger font used).  The cartoonish, colorful illustration shows the mom fainting (who can blame her?).  More advice follows, and we learn why we shouldn't share our toothbrushes with sharks or use tigers for towels.  Even inviting a cute-looking barn owl into bed may seem snug at first, but watch out!!!  Yet we do finally learn something that will lead to a restful night sleep, and surprisingly we learn that this has been a bedtime story all along.

Nuts in Space, written and illustrated by Elys Dolan.  Dolan follows up her inventive, bizarrely funny Weasels with this delightfully madcap spoof of outer space adventures.  A bunch of furry space travelers must bring home their amazing discovery:  the Lost Nuts of Legend!  However, the trek is wild and bumpy as they become lost and encounter villains and comical mayhem along the way.  Each spread contains several comical details, punchlines, and little jokes.  Cartoon bubbles pop up over the characters' heads and for those in the know, lines spoofing Star Trek and  Star Wars abound (love that the Death Banana, a tasty spoof of the Death Star, has been "terrorizing since 1977").  Interestingly enough in all the chaos, the characters' personalities emerge and tickle the funny bone.  This is a funny book that can be visited and visited again for maximum comic impact.

Picture Book of the Day: Daylight Starlight Wildlife

Daylight Starlight Wildlife, written and illustrated by Wendell Minor.  The consistently excellent Minor specializes in books about nature and animals.  His latest introduces young readers to creatures who come out during the day, and others who frolic at night.  In each artfully rendered realistic spread, he skillfully juxtaposes the antics of the daylight animals with a nocturnal counterpart.  The concise yet action-packed text gives a lot of information with very few words.  One spread, for example, shows a cottontail rabbit and her kits as "they hop into the field and hold still all is safe" on the left hand of the page while, on the right, a "pink-nosed opossum plods through the field and forages for food with her family on her back."  A variety of animals--winged and otherwise--appear.  The informative back matter offers a bunch of "Fun Facts" about each animal introduced.  A beautiful book that presents its nature lessons with skill and grace.

Picture Book of the Day: Ice Cream Summer

Ice Cream Summer, written and illustrated by Peter Sis.  While telling this yummy tale (which will make you want to run right out to your local ice cream parlor after you finish reading it) about an ice cream-obsessed boy, the fantastic Mr. Sis throws in some fun math lessons and a witty timeline history of the delicious cold snack.  The joy begins when you remove the cover and see yet another one of his fantastic illustrations.  One of the artist's trademark circular drawings greets you, facing the title page.  The story begins with Joe, wearing a backwards red cap, fluffy white dog (also an ice cream fan it seems, judging from the strawberry cone in its paw) by his side, answering a letter from his Grandpa.  The lad's elder instructs Joe to tell him what he has learned this summer.  There is a fun interplay between the text and illustration as the boy responds.  For example, when Joe says he has conquered "big words like tornado and explosion," you see him standing in an ice cream shoppe choosing between flavors like cherry tornado and mango explosion.  And when he says he's learning math, we see boy and dog learning addition and subtraction using ice cream scoops.  Lessons about maps and history follow, and Sis wittily throws in many visual and historical references to ice cream.  My favorite pun of the year so far happens towards the end:  "As you can see Grandpa, I've been working all summer (though I always take a break on sundaes)."  Accompanying this passage is Joe sleeping comfortably on an ice cream sundae.  A perfect summertime treat.

Express Yourself: A Trio Celebrating Milestones

How to Read a Story, written by Kate Messner, illustrated by Mark Siegel.   This upbeat, creative, and absolutely wonderful book promotes a cozy love for reading that is positively contagious. Messner offers a child-friendly step-by-step process of finding a great book to read and then engaging with the text.  Step 1 for example tells the reader to "Find a Story, " Step 2 "Find a Reading Buddy," Step 3 "Find a Cozy Reading Spot" and so on.  Siegel's packs his witty, rather adorable illustrations with many playful details, many involving a book about a princess, a dragon...and a robot.  Messner makes suggestions about having fun giving characters different voices, holding the book so your reading buddy can enjoy it as well, and sounding out words you don't know.  One great page suggests that you should talk to your reading buddy and predict what will happen next, giving plenty of examples of the kinds of questions you can ask.  This is an interactive winner.

Little Red Henry, written by Linda Urban, illustrated by Madeline Valentine.  Sometimes a family can love you too much...when you're the baby in the family.  That's the angsty situation of poor Henry, whose parents and older brother and sister do everything for him:   pick out his clothes, feed him, and ferry him everywhere in his little red wagon.  Urban does a fantastic job getting into Henry's head as the not-little-anymore tyke rebels by showing that he can do things himself.  Valentine has fun showing the family's concerned faces as the suddenly independent Henry keeps reaching milestone after milestone after milestone (one hilarious page shows him trying on a variety of clothes before finding the right one to fit his mood).  In a fantastic twist, the family members, first saddened by Henry not needing them anymore, suddenly explode with newly found artistic ambition:  writing, dancing, playing music instruments.  But in a sweet ending, we find out that sometimes Henry does need a good cuddle and reassurance every once in a while.  Something the loving family provides at the end of this wonderful treat of a tale.

Tommy Can't Stop, written by Tim Federle, illustrated by Mark Fearing.  Dancing across the CIP and title pages is Tommy...a kid leaping, bounding, exploding with captivating (if maddening) energy.  Mark Fearing captures this indefatigable lad's personality right from the very first jump.  Federle, basing this story on his rambunctious younger self, gives us a nice, bouncy rhythm and extremely funny situations.  "Tommy's gotta bop.  (He can't keep still.)"  We see overturned furniture, books knocked onto the floor, cushions and curtains going kerplunk as Tommy looks at the reader with a funny "what?  who me?" expression.  His poor family tries to keep up with the rollicking kid who does such wild things as pretending to be a bulldozer while kicking a soccer ball at his exhausted dad in the kitchen.  His family tries to tame him but they cannot.  In a twist that lifts the whole book to another level, Tommy discovers an outlet for all his energy:  tap dancing!  Suddenly the book becomes a tribute to the joys of artistic expression, telling guys it's cool to dance!  Tommy looks like he's in heaven as he hops, brushes, and stamps.  A must for action-packed story times.

Picture Book of the Day: Bulldozer's Big Day

Bulldozer's Big Day, written by Candace Fleming, illustrated by Eric Rohmann.  Young construction vehicle enthusiasts will love this charmer about a bulldozer excited about his big day!  Blade held high, he zooms off to this buddies to revel in the excitement.  However, when he finds such friends as Digger Truck, they seem to have forgotten the significance of this day.  When Bulldozer whoops "Guess what today is!", Digger replies, "I don't need to guess, kid.  Today is a scooping day.  Scooping...scooping...scooping."  Fleming packs the story with action words that encourage movement as Bulldozer goes from pal to pal, all of them oblivious to significance of our hero's big day.  His blade sinks lower and lower with sadness.  Rohmann's illustrations, using relief (block) prints and plates, are a joy to behold.  His expressive vehicles have big eyes, and he excels at perspective, framing the wheeled characters in each spread in a very effective manner.  Of course the story ends happily, but still when the Giant Birthday Cake is revealed, it is truly majestic.  So majestic, it can barely fit on the page.  A fantastic collaboration from the creators of Oh, No! that will invites audience participation and ends on a deliriously happy note.

Picture Book of the Day: Trombone Shorty

Trombone Shorty, written by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews, illustrated by Bryan Collier.  WHERE Y' AT? my friends.  Collier's vibrant illustrations, done with pen and ink, watercolor, and collage, add zest to Andrews' autobiographical story about how he became the musician he is today, and how he received his nickname "Trombone Shorty."  Andrews writes a kid-friendly manner that will captivates, telling how he grew up in Tremé, the historic New Orleans neighborhood, where music surrounds you everywhere.  He grew up in a musical family, and fell in love with the brass bands.  I love how Andrews describes the excitement of the music, and adds humorous lines like "the tuba...rested over the musician's head like an elephant's trunk!"  Longing to have an instrument all his own, his life changes when he finds a trashed broken down trombone.  Collier gives us wonderful illustration after illustration as the boy feels confident to join in a parade, impressing people so much they start lovingly calling him Trombone Shorty.  Throw in a supercool incident with Bo Diddley and you have a picture book autobiography older elementary students and middle school students will love.  Exploding with energy and joy, this is a keeper, an inspiring look at a contemporary musician.

Picture Book of the Day: Yard Sale

Yard Sale, written by Eve Bunting, illustrated by Lauren Castillo.  A sense of heartbreak (and then hope) hangs over this heartfelt, sensitive look at a family having to sell off some belongings before moving from their house to a small apartment.  The great and prolific Bunting tells the story from the first person perspective of a young girl, filled with confusion and sadness about the upcoming move.  When we first see her, she is helping her father attach balloons to the Yard Sale sign.  The title page follows, and in a haunting touch, we see that one of the balloons has become detached, floating through the air.  The tremendously gifted Castillo, working with ink and watercolors, then gives a full-page, cinematic spread of the girl sitting alone on her porch, looking at her family's belongings spread out over the yard.  Bunting and Castillo don't sugarcoat things and give us a rosy "this is fun" uplifting view of this sale.  The family members look very sad, resigned as they haggle with business-like customers over objects that mean something to them.  More emotional, and quietly devastating moments follow.  In Bunting's and Castillo's more than able hands, the family's love for each other shines through, leading to an ending that is hopeful without seeming maudlin.  This really creates a mood, making you experience what this girl and her family experience.

Picture Book of the Day: Grandma in Blue with Red Hat

Grandma in Blue with Red Hat, words by Scott Menchin, pictures by Harry Bliss.  Can a book be absolutely hilarious and tremendously lump-in-your throat moving at the same time?  This terrific tribute to artistic pursuits and paying homage to a loved one sure is.  The first person narrator, a pensive boy, says farewell to his Grandma as he heads into a giant museum for Saturday art class. Menchin deftly gets into the sometimes goofy head of this lovable lad as instructor Ms. Montebello recites exciting facts about the creative process.  When she says that anything can be in an art exhibition, the kid imagines two hipster types admiring a toilet sculpture.  The great Harry Bliss does a fantastic job conveying the humor of his reveries.  There's a most impressive sequence where the boy's classmates, dubbed "Little Picassos" by their teacher, explain why a wide variety of art works (expertly rendered by Bliss) are in the museum.  The boy realizes that all of their answers ("because it's different," "because it's beautiful,", "because it tells a story") all describe his Grandma. And suddenly the book takes on a poignant turn:  our hero wants Grandma to be in the museum!  But how?  It all leads to a triumphant ending that will inspire readers to pick up their paint brushes and create art about the ones they love.  

Five New Story Time Delights

The Bus Is for Us!, written by Michael Rosen, and illustrated by Gillian Tyler.  Perfect for story times, this delightful tribute to various modes to transportation offers large vibrant illustrations, bouncy rhymes, and a catchy refrain ("But the best is the bus.  The bus is for us.") that will encourage kids to chant along.  We see three children each enjoying a different kind of transport:  a boy riding a bike, a girl going "far in our car," and another child on a train to get out of the rain.  When we hit the "bus is for us" refrain, we see the three child hopping on a bus with a cool license plate that reads "Bus4Us."  As the book continues, more children enter the picture, and their ways of getting around become more dreamy--riding on the back of a fish or "for a dare, a ride on a bear" or flying to the moon in a hot-air balloon (love the surprised moon!).  When we see ALL the kids together on the final bus spread, the celebratory mood is contagious.  This will surely become a story time fave.

My Bike, written and illustrated by Byron Barton.  Another fun salute to the joys of traveling, Barton's charmer seems simple, but actually has a surprise ending that encourages the person reading the story to children to ask questions that build some cool suspense.  Where is the boy Tom going?  He says he's going to work, what kind of job does he have?  After Barton introduces Tom, as well as the parts of the bicycle, we see him riding diligently in the Bike Lane, passing trucks and buses and lots of cars.  The crystal clear font changes colors from page to page, and Barton's child-like illustrations (done in Adobe Photoshop) convey a real sense of progress and motion.  Where is Tom heading?  I won't spoil the surprise, but details in the background provide clues.  When you know the ending, a re-visit has you saying "Of course."  But the lad's profession still surprises me every time I get to the end.  A charmer.

Sniff!  Sniff!, written and illustrated by Ryan Sias.  Using very few words but plenty of visual cues and gags, this hilarious romp shows a boy dealing with a wildly energetic and messy dog.  Sias emphasizes and exaggerates the pooch's large nose as the pet sniffs something it considers delicious or fun.  Readers know that the kid will be in one for bumpy day before the story even begins.  Although the boy lovingly hugs his dog on the title page, and then we see the lad reading to his loving companion on the next, the dedication page shows the dog tearing apart said book!  Yikes!  In a great touch, whenever the dog sniffs, sniffs, smelling something tasty, we see thought bubbles above its head (bacon, pancakes, an orange).  A flip of the page shows the dog destroying the breakfast with a chomp, chomp.  The dog sniff, sniffs again (and I love how big the words Sniff! Sniff! are on the page) and we see thought bubbles above the dog's head (flowers, a shovel, a tomato)--uh-oh, you can ask children what do you think the dog will wreck next.   Can this out of control dog ever be tamed?  It all leads to a sweet conclusion that encourages lots of doggy hugs.

Stick and Stone, written by Beth Ferry, and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld.  Ferry's clever friendship tale introduces a lonely stick and an equally lonely stone.  Thanks to Lichtenheld's ever-fantastic illustrations (done in pencil, watercolor, and colored pencil), these two characters emerge as a fully expressive and captivating creations; you feel every moment of their emotional journey.  For example, I love the expressions he gives Stone when it tries to get on a swing (its tongue sticking out with determination, and then its wide-eyed terror as it falls to the ground).  When a Pinecone bullies Stone, Stick stands up to the brute, and a friendship is born.  The book then shows the wonderful things the titular characters do together (wandering, exploring a cave, lazing by the shore).  Ferry's concise text makes this perfect for story times, and Lichtenheld fills each illustration with touches both comical and endearing.  A moment of peril comes along that helps Stone return the favor to Stick and become a hero, all leading to a final visual touch that makes the book, well, a perfect 10.

Sweep Up the Sun, by Helen Frost and Rick Lieder.  Extremely beautiful bird photographs and a lovely inspirational poem work together to create a beautifully designed and emotionally satisfying book.  Right from the very first photo of two baby birds in a nest, kids will be captivated.  The various bird species (identified in the excellent back matter) illustrate lines from Frost's poem.  A blue jay caught in mid-air, looking quite triumphant, accompanies the line "Rise into the air/on the strength of your wings" for example.  The words are very child-friendly, direct and fun, but filled with bird imagery.  The poem encourages to go out to play in the sky, take off in a new direction--swoop and soar, and so on.  It can easily be paired with books like Oh, the Places You'll Go!  even warning readers that yes, there will be bumpy moments in life, but things will work out and you will still soar.  Very very striking.

Story Time Success Story: So Cozy

So Cozy, written and illustrated by Lerryn Korda.  Korda's charming gouache illustrations turn this cumulative tale of a bunch of animals thwarting a dog's desire to nap into something extremely fun for young story time crowds.  In the tradition of stories like The Mitten or One Dog Canoe, things go awry when too many creatures want to take part (and it's often the littlest of those creatures you have to watch out for).  A sleepy pooch heads to his warm, comfy bed (I love how we see his paw prints inside the front cover).  However, just as he's about ready to nod off, a goose waddles in and, struck by how cozy the dog looks, asks if she can join him (the animals' expressions delight).  She doesn't even really wait for an answer before she starts nuzzling the dog.  In strolls a cat who longs to be cozy, too, and thus the drama begins:  more and more animals arrive, begging to hop into bed, and soon the exasperated dog finds himself increasingly uncomfortable as the pile grows.  The littlest of critters causes the largest snoozer to sneeze, leading to a rather explosive climax (kids love yelling AAAAACHOOOO!!!).  It all leads to a sweet, cozy ending, and a fantastic image on the final spread of ALL the animals' tracks.  A sweet but rambunctious addition to pajama story times.

Picture Book of the Day: Bird & Diz

Bird & Diz, written by Gary Golio, art by Ed Young.  This inventive tribute to jazz greats Charlie "Bird" Parker and Dizzy Gillespie and the 1945 bebop song "Salt Peanuts" folds out accordion-style when celebrating the exuberant spirit and captivating energy of bebop.  Golio's prose cuts right to the heart of the collaborative action:  "Bird and Diz are friends/who play together like kids."  When the two musicians turn and face each other, they don't have to say much, and then the notes soar and their instruments start interacting with another.  Golio's words snap and crackle, brilliantly conveying the sounds of the music and the joy of a pair of giants trying to playfully top each other .  Looking very much like a modern art creation, Young's experimental art provides bursts of unusual colors as the images swirl and explode across the pages.  As the music speeds up frantically with Bird's flying fingers across the bass ("is that smoke coming out of his horn?") telling Dizzy "top that," the dynamic images spell out the word "bebop" and the reader's heart soars.  You fold the book all the way out, reach the end of one side, and then flip the book over to read the rest--clearing a table or room on the floor to see the entire book in its full glory adds to the fun.  It all leads to a joyous embrace between the two musicians and a nice celebratory "Be-bop-a-skoodley;/Doo-wa!"  Accompanied by a cool photo of the two guys, an excellent afterword talks about bebop and tells young readers how they can listen to and watch Bird and Diz play "Salt Peanuts."  Really cool!

Story Time Success Story: You Can Do It, Bert!

You Can Do It, Bert!, written and illustrated by Ole Konnecke.  Originally published in Germany...in 2007, this sweet, minimalist charmer finally has its first US edition...in 2015.  It was worth the wait!  As I have mentioned on this blog several times, I absolutely love twist endings in funny books and this title has a great one (and I wouldn't dream of spoiling it for you).  Konnecke introduces us to Bert, an adorable, blobby little red bird with an expressive orange beak who faces a very big day.  Walking on a branch, flapping his wing, Bert looks determined, ready to soar.  Its amazing how much emotion is in the rather spare illustrations, with their white backgrounds.  As Bert peeks down at the ground, we can feel his trepidation, perhaps a stirring lack of confidence, contradicting the words appearing in bold font on the opposing page:  "Bert is well prepared, mentally and physically."  The suspense builds--will Bert finish the task at hand?  When I read this to a preschool group, I had them yell "You can do it, Bert" and the children loved encouraging our feathered hero.  The book gives us a hero who starts draaaaaaging out the big moment to the point where the kids start almost exploding with impatience.  Bert procrastinates all right, but it's the way he procrastinates that is unexpected and funny.  It all leads to a surprise ending that is a pure delight.  Wonderful.

Picture Book of the Day: Sidewalk Flowers

Sidewalk Flowers, by Jon Arno Lawson, illustrated by Sydney Smith.  This extremely moving wordless wonder packs an emotional wallop.  A little girl walks through an urban landscape with her father and finds beauty in the sidewalk cracks.  As he chats on his phone, she collects flowers.  Using pen & ink and graphic novel style panels, inventive illustrator Smith strikingly begins their trek in black & white, with only the girl's red coat (done in watercolor) the only color.  As the child discovers the sidewalk flowers, more varied colors enter the frames, but in a stylized touch, Smith picks and chooses what will be in color and what will remain in black & white.  For example, one spread shows a bunch of passengers waiting for a bus and only a woman's flower-covered dress, the sidewalk flowers, the girl's aforementioned hoodie, and the side of the bus have splashes of color.  Lawson's story takes a poignant turn when we see the girl start leaving some of her newly found flowers on a dead bird, a man sleeping on a park bench, with a friendly pooch.  The child's sense of empathy and giving fills the page, and the reader's heart, leading a beautiful ending where the girl shares her gift of flowers with loved ones.  A gorgeous, beautifully designed masterpiece. 

Story Time Success Story: Hooray for Hoppy!

Hooray for Hoppy!, written and illustrated by Tim Hopgood.  Spring has finally sprung and this enthusiastic story perfectly captures the excitement of the season while, ta da, also serving as an effective concept book about the five senses.  The fun, colorful illustrations introduce Hoppy, a grey rabbit with a heart-shaped nose who eagerly hops outside to see if winter has ended.  The first two treks out of his hole have him running right back to bed because it's still too cold and too icy.  However, on the third attempt, Hoppy deliriously discovers a warm yellow sun and fresh air making his nose twitch with happiness.  Could it be?  Could it be that Spring has finally arrived?  The rabbit runs down the hill and then uses his five senses to determine that yes! yes!  it certainly has!  Each one of the spreads demonstrating the five senses comes with a "Hooray" that the children in story time love shouting along with Hoppy.  "Hooray! said Hoppy, as he heard the birds singing."  Hopgood brings it all to a beautiful close with the bunny suddenly feeling lonely because none of his rabbit friends are around--nothing a loud stomping rabbit foot on the ground can't fix!  The end matter does an excellent job going over what we all have learned about the five senses.  Educational cuteness at its best and most satisfying.

Hilarious New Picture Book: It's Only Stanley

It's Only Stanley, written and illustrated by Jon Agee.  Oh, how I love surprises in funny picture books, and Agee's latest offers surprises galore, with one of the best twist endings (which I will not spoil) I have seen in a long time.  Another great thing about the book is when you go through it a second time, knowing the ending, you encounter clever foreshadowing and new jokes--you have a whole new perspective of what is happening.  The story revolves one extremely restless night for the Wimbledon family.  Stanley, their beloved dog (who looks like a beagle), wakes them up by howling.  Ah, "it's only Stanley," Walter the father says, "he's howling at the moon" and back into bed they go.  However, a clanking sound sends a child scurrying into her parent's bedroom, and the father goes to the basement to discover Stanley fixing the oil tank with a hammer.  (I love the wide-eyed cat appearing in every illustration.)  And so it goes.  Weird noise.  Another distraught family member.  The father checks on the noise only to find Stanley doing increasingly more bizarre things.  What could he be doing?  Agee's bouncy, rhyming text keeps the action hopping along, and his drawings delight, containing outrageously funny details that make you chuckle.  The fact that Stanley looks so earnest, so driven, so serious only adds to the humor.  Bravo!

Picture Book of the Day: My Pen

My Pen, written and illustrated by Christopher Myers.  With striking illustrations done in black pen (against white backgrounds), this unique, philosophical look at the power of art soars thanks to Myers' unpredictable approach.  You never know what you are going to see when you turn the page next.  The book effectively walks an emotional and tonal tightrope with a moment of humor followed by a moment of sadness or alienation.  For example, before the title page we see the fedora-wearing artist on a 1,017 dollar bill ("The United States of My Pen"), but when you flip the page we see the same boy feeling small because he sees rich people who own jewels and pieces of the sky as well as famous people.  "But then I remember I have my pen," the pensive lad declares, and this empowers him.  A series of drawings follow, mostly surrealistic (a giant in the hand of the world's smallest girl, the boy upside down in the sky), accompanied by poetic language (the words written out in all caps with said pen carefully and beautifully).  The book has a stream-of-conscious feel that can be fanciful (love those satellite sneakers with computer laces, and the x-ray vision that shows the boy's ribcage as a butterfly) or bleak ("my pen worries about all the wars in the world").  What young readers will take away from this is that with your pen you can create anything your heart desires and what is on your mind.  Artistically impressive and yes an even a bit strange (in a great way), this will inspire young artists.  I love the sentiment:  "There are a million pens in the world and each one has a million worlds inside it."

Picture Book Star of the Day: Dan Santat

Here is a special tribute to this year's Caldecott winner Dan Santat!  I have been a fan of his work for years, so I was thrilled when his Adventures of Beekle was named the 2015 Caldecott Award Winner.  This post will touch on some other titles that he illustrated that I find extremely entertaining and fun, sporting cool, vibrant illustrations.  These are picture books, but I must add that he created the wonderful graphic novel Sidekicks and is currently providing the smash bang color illustrations in the reboot of Dav Pilkey's Ricky Ricotta series.

First off, hats off, once again, to the great Beekle:

The Adventures of Beekle:  The Unimaginary Friend, written and illustrated by Dan Santat (2014).  This magical and highly imaginative charmer offers illustrations packed with lovely and humorous details that readers will enjoy exploring.  The story feels inspired by Miyazaki, yet it is its own unique self.  The tale begins with the little marshmallow-like (with legs and friendly waving hands) creature being born on the island where imaginary friends wait to be beamed up to the real world, paired with children.  But no kid dreams up this poor little guy.  Instead of giving up and waiting around, he takes matters into his own hands and travels "through unknown waters" to the real world, one that perplexes the critter.  Santat then gives us human society through the protagonist's eyes, and he gives us moments that are both sad and satirical.  Will Beekle ever find a child who will embrace him as an "imaginary friend"?   Santat has illustrated many fun books for children, but this might be his finest achievement yet as a picture book artist.  Funny, poignant, rich in detail, a real keeper.

And now some other comical gems he illustrated: 

Carnivores, written by Aaron Reynolds, illustrated by Dan Santat (2013).  One of the funniest books of 2013, and one of the most subversive.  Three carnivores experience an existential crisis when they realize that others find their meat-eating ways alienating.  Can they change and become lovable vegetarians?  What do you think?  The book has one of the most startling bits of comedy of the year (poor owl!).  It's a book that adults who like their humor a bit on the dark side will love just as much as kids on the book's twisted wavelength.  Full disclosure:  I'm a vegetarian...and I thought it was hilarious.  Santat's animal characters, love that shark wearing that helmet filled with water, make you laugh from start to finish with their wildly shifting facial expressions.

Crankenstein, written by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat (2013).  In this zesty look at those days when you are in a horrible mood that causes you to say "mehhrrrrrr!!!" and turn into a pint-sized, green-skinned mini-Frankenstein, Santat has fun playing with monster movie conventions.  There is a shadowy figure on the title page that sets the mood in a playfully creepy fashion.  Berger addresses the reader directly, asking with a flip of the page "Have you seen Crankenstein?  Oh, you would totally know if you had" and we see Crankenstein buried under his blanket.  Another flip and reveal shows the boy having the covers ripped off of him and screaming with anger at the sunny unseen person shouting "Good Morning!!  How Are You?" (love that Santat uses different colors on these words, serving as a funny disconnect between the Crankenstein's mood and an otherwise happy day).  Horrible horrible things keep happening to the title character and he becomes quite Hulk-like greener and greener and greener, until he's in full drooly, snotty rage mode.  Of course it all leads to a sweet ending...with a rainbow even!  Santat does a masterful job capturing the lead's character rather startling mood swings thanks to fun shifting perspective shots and inventive use of speech bubbles and layout design. 

Fire! Fuego! Brave Bomberos, written by Susan Middleton Elya, illustrated by Dan Santat (2012).  In this captivating picture book, which has words sprinkled in Spanish throughout, Santat captures the extremely rapid trek of a group of fire fighters/bomberos (four men, one woman) rush to save a house on fire.  Elya's  rollicking rhymes propel the action forward as they put on their gear, slide down the pole, and ride their rig to the blaze.  The drawings of the fire are especially dramatic, you can practically smell the flames bursting off the page.  In a rather startling twist, just when the reader thinks that the bomberos have completely saved the day, a gato/cat needs to be rescued!  Santat then gives us a great perspective shot, looking down at the fire woman on a ladder while her team watches from waaaaaay below.  This rousing tribute to these heroes offers a perfect match of text and illustration.  What I like about the story too is, although it certainly works as a salute to fire fighters, it does not sugarcoat the job--the penultimate spread shows them being jarred awake by a 911 emergencia call (Santat does an excellent job showing their exasperated and startled and exhausted expressions).  The book has a great glossary of Spanish words in the back.

Oh No!  (Or How My Science Project Destroyed the World), written by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Dan Santat (2010).  In another thrilling, tongue-in-cheek monster movie tribute (this time Godzilla quickly comes to mind as a rampaging creature, a robot, threatens a city), Santat creates illustrations that look like they are truly from a sci fi movie, at times with full page spreads that look as if they were shot in CinemaScope (there are some comic book style panels at key points as well) .  The end papers show scientific blue prints.  Before the title page, we are given a "Please Stand By" warning that causes comical alarm.  And then the title page:  a guilty-looking bespectacled girl scurrying by a bunch of television sets in a store window all showing a Special Report about the robot attack.  We then see the carnage (love the inclusion of a "Dead End" sign).  Barnett's first person narration is a masterpiece of understatement:  "I never should have built a robot for the science fair," serving as a fun counterbalance to Santat's drawings.  How will this resilient girl stop the monster she has created?  Well, it involves a toad...

The Three Ninja Pigs, written by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat (2012).  And finally, this hilarious set-in-Japan fractured fairy tale adds a fun spin to the classic Three Little Pigs story.  Schwartz's bouncy limericks tell of a porcine trio who, tired of being bullied by a wolf, take martial arts classes to take on the villain.  However, the first two start slacking off and refuse to finish their lessons.  It's up to their sister who excelled at her studies to save the day!  Again, Santat does a brilliant job showing the fast-paced action, using comic book style panels and inventive speech bubbles to show the characters in motion.  Every thoughtful spread is done with wit and captivating color--it's a funny book yes, but also artfully rendered. 

So here's to Dan Santat!  Best author photos ever:

     

More Bird Books! Four Winners about Our Feathered Friends

Little Bird Takes a Bath, written and illustrated by Marisabina Russo.  Just in time for spring, this surefire story time winner stars a sweet darling of a feathered creature who does not like the rain but loves to splash in puddles.  Rendered in gouache and colored pencil, the charming and beautifully done illustrations have an almost three-dimensional effect as we see the little bird in an urban landscape watch with sadness as the rain falls.  He closes his eyes and then dreams about a glorious sunny day, which indeed follows, causing the bird to sing "rain, rain, gone away" with joy (love the musical notes floating above his cute little head).  The titular character then searches high and low for the Perfect Puddle, but when he discovers one, a bunch of obstacles disturb his splashy fun:  a bouncing ball, a girl's flip flops, a pesky pooch.  Children will love splashing like the bird, and making the various sounds and cheeps he makes.  Little Bird also sings quite a bit and this adds even more opportunities for enthusiastic interaction. 

P. Zonka Lays an Egg, written and illustrated by Julie Paschkis.  Striking watercolors (done on 100% rag archival watercolor paper) add a delightfully retro feel to this colorful, zesty, and very funny story about a bunch of egg-laying hens concerned about their friend P. Zonka, who has yet to lay one.  Paschkis does a great job setting up the situation, introducing Maud, who lays one egg every day, Dora who habitually lays an egg every other day, and Gloria (and I love this joke) who never lays an egg because he turns out to be a rooster.  Swirling lines please the eye as the hens start clucking about what could possibly be wrong with the lovable P. Zonka.  "She's a dreamer," claims Dora.  This might be true because our feathered heroine does seem a head in the clouds, always checking out the nature around her instead of concentrating on the task at hand.  It all leads to a wonderful, surprising ending that is beyond spectacular, one that will make young listeners go "wow" and cheer.

Yeti and the Bird, written and illustrated by Nadia Shireen.  Originally released in Great Britain in 2013, this most welcome import tells of a gigantic Yeti who lives deep in the forest.  The yeti is a huge mountain of fur, with two friendly little peepers peeking out and a tiny line of a mouth.  Employing mixed media, Shireen gives us an evocative forest, with frightened creatures hiding in the reddish dark while the yeti plods on alone.  Young readers will empathize with the lonely creature, wishing he would find a friend.  Suddenly plopping, landing on his head is an adorable bird...with a suitcase.  The yeti roars at the sqwalking little bird (I love this first interaction), and the fearless little bird finds the situation absolutely hilarious, giggling with giddiness (the "sqwalka sqwalka sqwalkas" push it over the edge).  This pair forms a completely wonderful unlikely friendship that proves both enduring and witty.  Soon all the forest animals join into fun.  This sounds cloying perhaps, but in Shireen's able hands, it is far from saccharine.  There's a playfulness here, and then a sense of melancholy, that gives it an edge. 

You Nest Here with Me, written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple, illustrated by Melissa Sweet.   This soothing, rhyming lullaby of a book serves as both a bedtime offering and an informative look at birds.  Yolen and Stemple introduce a human mother tucking her young daughter, whom she calls "baby bird," into bed.  In a meta touch, the mama reads the book You Nest Here with Me to the child, lulling her to sleep with bird facts.  The vocabulary-rich stanzas mostly have an A, A, A, B scheme with the book's title a reassuring refrain:  "Pigeons nest on concrete ledges/Catbirds nest in greening hedges/ Tiny wrens, in shoreline sedges.  You nest here with me."  Caldecott honoree Sweet's drawings are magical, giving us cozy views of the various bird species, parents and children about ready to snooze.  This is a first-rate addition to any bedtime or bird collection.    

Picture Book of the Day: If You Plant a Seed, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson

If You Plant a Seed, written and illustrated by Kadir Nelson.  The latest from the amazingly talented Nelson works beautifully as a cautionary fable about selfishness, with various animals fighting over but then learning to share a garden.  The narrator addresses the young reader in concise, direct manner, using the "you" pronoun effectively.  Nelson's wondrous, brilliant oil paintings fill the page as we see a rabbit and mouse plant a tomato seed, a carrot seed, and a cabbage seed.  The next humorous spread shows four scenes of the animals patiently waiting for the seeds to grow (I love the bunny reading the upside down gardening book, and the mouse happily catching the rainfall in its mouth).  Soon the plants grow and the pair munch on their lunch, but the meal comes to a stand still when a bunch of birds stop by, hoping to join in the festivities.  Two wordless spreads follow, accentuating the silent showdown (what a great POV shot of the birds staring directly at the reader).  Then all chaos breaks out as the furry friends battle the feathered pals.  Nelson does a great job showing the selfishness growing and growing into a heap of trouble.  Which animal will help make amends and bring peace?  You will have to read it and find out!  Another winner from Kadir Nelson, who truly is one of the greatest illustrators working today.

Picture Book of the Day: Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks:  How the Photographer Captured Black and White America, written by Carole Boston Weatherford, illustrated by Jamey Christoph.   Great for older students, this handsomely illustrated picture book introduces readers to the versatile and influential Gordon Parks.  Weatherford begins her elegant and concise account of Parks' life at the most logical place:  the moment he is born.  It is a dramatic birth because he arrives stillborn and needs ice water to shock his heart to beat (and I love Christoph's emotional illustration--Parks' mother shedding a tear of relief and joy as she holds her newborn child).  The author effectively uses the present tense to bring to immediacy to her telling, showing how Parks encounters loves life on the prairie, encounters a racist white teacher, and works odd jobs.  Parks' life changes when he buys a camera for $7.50 at age 25; the financially troubled man finds success taking fashion photos and portraits.  Christoph does an excellent job recreating these photographs with his drawings.  Parks becomes an activist as a photographer using his work to show racial inequality and struggle in America.  Weatherford beautifully then shows how Parks focuses on Ella Watson, a cleaning lady who, along with her family, becomes the subject of some of his most famous shots.  Informative back matter, including some examples of his photographs including his iconic "American Gothic," reveals more information about Parks who would go on to write novels, direct movies, and compose music and poetry.  A first-rate book about a fascinating individual.

Defying Societal Expectations: Red and Wolfie

Red:  A Crayon's Story, written and illustrated by Michael Hall.  It's really impressive how much emotion Hall brings to this story (narrated by a pencil) about a crayon defying expectations...and the label slapped on him.  The crayons have no faces but the emphatic text and the crayon's evocative child-like drawings help give the book a poignant immediacy.  The titular character has been labeled "red" but its attempts to draw, say, a fire truck or strawberries, go wrong because in fact inside he is actually the color "blue."  The other crayons of various colors, representing other students and the crayon's patient yet concerned parents, try to help to no avail.  Soon the crayons become downright gossipy, and Hall has a ball with the spreads showing them exchange comments about our misunderstood hero.  A real sense of melancholy enters the tale when a pair of scissors, masking tape, and crayon sharpener try to fix what might be 'broken inside."  Just when all seems lost, Red meets a new Berry-colored crayon friend who sees him for who he is and it all leads to an ending that soars, quite literally.  This beautiful book about self-discovery resonates, and has already emerged as one of the strongest picture books of the new year.

Wolfie the Bunny, written by Ame Dyckman, and illustrated by Zachariah Ohora.   This nervous charmer of a book also stars a character, a wolf, who rises above stereotypes and defies societal expectations.  The story begins when a rabbit family (loves Mom's cool glasses and Dad's hip hat) discovers an adorable baby wolf in a basket on their doorstep.  Horrified, their daughter Dot warns about taking the abandoned cub in, shouting that he will eat them all up, but her parental units ignore her and adopt the furry creature with big teeth.  This new addition scares Dot's friends, follows her around, and makes her life rather miserable.  But of course a sweet resolution allows Dot to not only accept her new sibling, but protect him as well (helping her defy some societal expectations as well).  Dyckman's lively concise text pairs beautifully with Ohara's bold acrylic paintings, creating a memorable tale of newly found friendship that begs to be read again and again.  The many fun touches in the art (I love the sloth with a broom in one drawing, the smiling carrot on the Carrot Patch store window, the rather scary shadow on the wall behind Wolfie's head accenting Dot's fear of him, and so on) invite playful investigation and provide a satisfying emotional arc.  A winner!

2 Great Bear Stories: The Bear Ate Your Sandwich and Goodnight Already!

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich, written and illustrated by Julia Sarcone-Roach.  So you left your sandwich alone and when you returned, you discovered that someone has gobbled it up.  Who was the culprit who devoured the tasty delight?  A narrator (unseen until the final 2 pages) spins a hilarious and unlikely convoluted yarn blaming a bear who somehow made a wild trek from its beloved forest all the way to the urban park bench where your sandwich sat, waiting to be eaten.  Using acrylic paint and pencil, Sarcone-Roach creates illustrations that are both comical and lovely, with striking spreads capturing the bear's journey in the back of the truck (packed with delicious berries) all the way to the park and then returning home in a boat.  The bear emerges as one delightful character, playing on swings, going down a slide, and also--quite dramatically--gulping down the sandwich.  The author/illustrator gives the reader a great surprise ending that shows just who this narrator actually is, and this reveal brings the book to a whole other level of fun cleverness.

Goodnight Already, written by Jory John and illustrated by Benji Davies.  Excellent comic timing is hard to pull off, which makes this hilarious look at a duck keeping its bear pal from going to sleep all the more impressive.  Davies' illustrations set the tone right away, with a lovable bear yawning, holding its pink stuffed bunny, on the title page.  A flip of the page shows a small house with a yellow light in its window on the left side of the book, and a much bigger house looking dark, ready for nighty night.  And then we turn the page and on the left, a bright yellow page shows a duck reading "101 Ways To Stay Awake" and drinking what is probably the strongest coffee in the world.  On the right side of the book, we see a more somber drawing of the bear telling the reader about how it could sleep for months.  What follows is an amusing conversation, written with finesse by Jory, between the two friends--the beleaguered bear keeps trying to sleep, and the persistent duck attempts to keep the bear awake.  The duck bombards the bear with questions like "Wanna play cards?" "Watch a movie?"  "Start a band?"  and the bear answers each query with "No."  The book has a great comical rhythm, and Davies shows the duck in various positions and guises.  After these rapid fire exchanges, there's a beat with the duck relenting...but not for long.  Fresh and funny from start to finish.

Picture Book Star of the Day: Author/Illustrator Lauren Castillo

Nana in the City, written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo (2014).  Castillo deservedly won a 2015 Caldecott Honor for this lovely, humanistic first person story about a boy who loves his Nana, but does not love the noisy city where she lives.  When Castillo first introduces the child, she gives him a look of constant worry and fear, although Nana looks comfortable, smiling all the while.  We see the urban milieu through his eyes though:  graffiti, a booming jack hammer, crowded subway.  After the grandma makes him a red cape designed to make him feel brave, he dons the new article of clothing--instant courage!  One of my favorite spreads shows him twirling his fancy new cape, looking braver by the second.  Now, as they walk together, the boy smiles, runs, and sees the beauty of a city park, people playing music, friendly dogs, and--in one cool drawing--a dancer break dancing.  Nana also teaches him how to help a person in need.  Castillo's brilliant watercolors capture the child's emotional journey from fear to delight, with one spread of a sparkling downtown bursting off the page.  It all leads to a poignant ending that promises more adventures with Nana.

The Troublemaker, written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo (2014).   Castillo had not one, but two great books in 2014.  In this hilarious charmer, she uses pen and ink with acetone transfer to tell the tale of a boy, bored out of his wits, who decides to play a game of pirates with stuffed raccoon toy Rascal.  However, this game involves stealing his sister's toy rabbit, blindfolding it, and sending in a boat off to sea.  Mom finds out and is not happy, asking him to hand the now soaking wet bunny to the angry sibling.  The presence of a REAL raccoon brings the story to another level--this furry creature steals the rabbit but when the boy says "Wasn't me", the other characters, strikingly presented in shadow in one spread, don't believe him.  The rascally raccoon starts stealing other objects too, causing distress.  Awww, what a moment of sadness there is when we see the boy missing his toys and the sister missing her bunny.  Will he ever find the thief?  Castillo gives readers a very funny ending.

Melvin and the Boy, written and illustrated by Lauren Castillo (2011).  Using acetone transfer with markers and watercolor, Castillo gives young readers a sweet look at pet ownership and respecting nature.  A boy asks his Mom for a dog, pointing at a hipster guy struggling with a large pooch on a leash, and she replies "Too big" (love the city landscape the author/illustrator creates).  On the next spread, we see the boy at a zoo and laugh at a monkey that has grabbed a man's hat.  When the child asks for a monkey, his dad responds "Too much work."  The kid sees pets all around him, and Castillo has fun with this idea--we giggle at a spread that shows children walking not just dogs and a cat, but a llama and a hamster as well.  The story's main drama kicks in when a turtle the boy meets at the park starts following him.  The creature seems just right, except things don't work as the boy had hoped after he adapts the turtle, now named Melvin.  And a gentle lesson about keeping wild animals in the wild follows, delivered with grace and in a child-friendly manner by Castillo.

Alfie Runs Away, written by Kenneth M. Cadow, illustrated by Lauren Castillo (2010).  When we first meet the boy in this funny story, he is already in a foul state.  Cadow's protagonist does not like a lot of things (baths, setting the table, eating potatoes) and now Mom has crossed the line:  she wants him to give up his favorite shoes that he has now outgrown.  Castillo does an excellent job capturing his sadness and then his rebellious nature--he is going to run away--WHILE WEARING THOSE SHOES!  Cadow's words and Castillo's illustrations work together beautifully here, giving us a situation that becomes more and more comical as it goes on with the mother helping him pack all the objects he will need for his journey.  She knows (and the reader knows) he won't get too far.  It all leads to a moving ending.

The Reader, written by Amy Hest, illustrated by Lauren Castillo (2012).  Castillo has shown in her work that she can masterfully design landscapes both urban and rural.  Here she helps create a nice cozy, wintry vibe when illustrating Hest's very sweet look at a boy, accompanied by his beloved pooch, who travels through the snow on a special mission.  What is he trying to accomplish?  He has a sled.  He has a suitcase filled with something special.  He is heading for a high hill.  The dog Castillo introduces might be one of the most adorable ever in a children's picture book--I love the spread with the canine jumping, playing in the snow, chasing a rabbit, carrying a stick.  You can feel the animal's happiness bursting off the page.  After the boy lugs that suitcase up the hill, we discover the reason for the journey, and it's a beaut.  Hest's charming words and Castillo's brilliant ink and watercolors give the reader moments of pure beauty and joy, and then an ending that soars with triumph.