Today is the Day! Little Elliot's Day!

Well, if you've been reading my blog or tweets lately, you probably know how excited I am about this picture book.

I am thrilled to be the first stop in the Little Elliot Big City Blog Tour. 

When I first read this book just before the summer, I fell in love with this little pachyderm. First, he is quite adorable. Second, don't you love his pastel polka dots? Third, he loves cupcakes! Fourth, well, you'll just have to read the book to find out! 

Today is the release date for Little Elliot! Happy Book Birthday to him! 

I could blog on all day about this book, but instead, I will turn to the author himself to share. 

It is a joy for me to have author/illustrator Mike Curato as a guest on my blog today. He graciously answered a few ;-) of my questions about this book, writing, and cupcakes. 

My words are in black, and Mr. Curato's are in green:

First of all, Little Elliot is just the cutest little elephant! How did you come up with the idea of an elephant for a main character for the book?

Actually, the proverbial chicken came before the egg in this instance. That is to say that the character of Little Elliot came before there was a story about friendship and perspective. I’ve been drawing him for a decade.

According to the bio on your blog, writing a children's book has been your lifelong dream! Congratulations! What is this experience like? I always tell our learners that their dreams can come true.

Well, the word “surreal” keeps coming up. I know that word can get overused, but honestly sometimes I feel as if I’ve lept into some parallel universe. It just used to be Elliot and me daydreaming in my studio. Now suddenly there are all these other people along with us saying, “Hooray! We’re so happy you’re here!” It’s been both ego-boosting and humbling. Though it’s been two years since I signed the contract, I am still in awe, and am so touched that others believe in Elliot and me.

Little Elliot lives in the city with people. Why was this setting well suited for Elliot's story? (He's very self-sufficient in his little apartment!)

As I mentioned before, perspective is a strong theme throughout the book. Grown-ups can feel small in the city, and so someone even smaller than an adult, like Elliot or a child, must feel really small. At the same time that the reader empathizes with Elliot, Elliot has empathy for his new friend, Mouse. When Mouse is able to return the favor to help Elliot, the perspective wheel comes full circle. Kindness and partnership are the real metrics in life, not stature.

Meanwhile, placing such a fantastic creature amidst the ordinary makes him that much more special and unique. Of course, one would think that a two & a half foot tall polka-dotted elephant would demand everyone’s attention, but I think Elliot illustrates how we sometimes overlook obvious wonders hidden in plain sight. The most amazing people are all around us, and we have no idea! Also, to your point about Elliot’s self-sufficiency, I think all of us adapt to what life hands us. We’re all just trying to get by, despite our limitations.  

I love the color palette your chose for Little Elliot. It reminds me of frosting! That's why I really love the part about the cupcakes. Can you tell us about your process in creating these illustrations?

I draw everything by hand in pencil, then scan and color in Photoshop. Each file has many layers of individual colors set at different opacities, which I like to think of as “digital glazing.” If you were to open up one of the files, you’d discover that most of the palette is quite muted, with lots of browns, blues and creams. It’s the muted palette that let’s the frosting-like colors sing. Color is very important to me. I love how even one color can evoke a mood or emotion. I think that’s always foremost when making color choices: What feelings am I trying to create?

I must also tell you in every picture book I look for the endpapers right away. The endpapers are beautiful! And there's a little surprise in them, right?

Thank you so much! Yes, whilst spying the various cupcake forms, you’ll eventually spot Mouse looking longingly at one of the cakes, and you’ll find Elliot munching on a cupcake of his own. Naturally, like any good illustrator, I did a lot of field research. I’m sure my local bakery had a very good first quarter last year.

Many librarians will be reading your book aloud for story time. How would YOU read it? Any tips?

I think it’s a very quiet book, and the text is very sparse, so I recommend taking your time with the words. I think the only lines that I exclaim are “I can help!” and “Elliot finally got his cupcake,” which I find quite appropriate. Just be sure to switch back to your soft and sweet voice for the last page, which should be read nice and slow.

Last question: What's your favorite kind of cupcake?

Would you ask a parent to choose a favorite child?! I love them all the same. It’s more about the quality than the flavor.

Thank you, Mike Curato, for joining me on my blog today! I predict Little Elliot will be a favorite in many school libraries, including my own!

Watch the trailer for Little Elliot:



And when you read this book, make sure to enjoy it with a cupcake!

Some of My Memorable Summer Reads

Summer is over, and with the first day of school tomorrow,  I'm doing some reflecting on my reading. I glance over at my bookstack on my side table, and look at the titles I have kept there. Somehow, they didn't make it back to a shelf, or to my personal library upstairs. I know why.

I had a busy summer and really wished I could have read more than I did. But I will not feel ashamed because I am proud of what I did read. I read some great new and upcoming titles, and some published long ago, still loved by many. So when someone asks what I read this summer (and I may not wait for them to ask), the titles that come to my mind quickly are the ones that I know left a big impression. Those happen to be the same books on my table. I can't put them away because I want them near me. I want to be able to look at them, open them, remember the precious words, and mostly, how they made me feel. 

While I won't write at length about them here, or evaluate them at all right now, I will share them with you. And I will tell you that they have become a part of my remembered reading timeline (not every book makes it here) and that even though I have many, many more books to read, I will make time to reread these--although in bits and pieces, in stolen moments on busy fall days.

Nest by Esther Ehrlich:

An unforgettable main character named Chirp. A book dealing with tough issues. A story that will tug and break and enrich your heart. A book you will not be able to put down. Release date: Sept. 9th. Mark it on your calendar. In a really bright color! I have. I have! 

Rain Reign by Ann M. Martin: Available October 7th from Feiwel & Friends. A girl with an obsession for homonyms. Un-put-downable. Does that make sense? I will forever appreciate Ann M. Martin for giving us A Dog's Life: Autobiography of a Stray (Scholastic, 2005). 

Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere: Published April 8th, 2014

I wished I had known about this book earlier in my "reading life".  I would have shared it more. I would have recommended it more. So I'm making up for lost time here. This is a powerful, powerful book. You won't forget what it makes you think and feel. 

Brown Girl Dreaming: available on August 28th! Next week! 

I read this one in April, and since then, I have grown to love it even more. Here's my final copy from Penguin. Some books stay with you. Some books inspire you. Some books beg to be reread. This one does all of those things.

Revolution by Deborah Wiles

I read this one in April, too. Every page is an experience. Nonfiction paired with fiction in a way that makes you say: "Wow! How did she do that?" And then you realize exactly what Deborah Wiles did with this book. And you marvel again. And again.

I'll start the school year with wonderful book memories. And I know I'll make many more with the readers in my library. And more importantly, I'll help them make their own.

Double Reverse: A Football Book By Fred Bowen

I love college football. Yes, this cute- shoe librarian really does! I don't know everything about the sport, but I know enough to enjoy watching a game. I love watching a game in real life or on TV, and I keep up with sports and news throughout the season (which is upon us). 

For these reasons, and the fact that I'm always looking for new books for the readers in my library, I was very interested in reading Double Reverse by Fred Bowen. Also, I am happy to participate in a blog tour for this book. I'm the last stop, but make sure you visit the previous stops here:

Monday 8/11 The Write Path

Tuesday 8/12 Kid Lit Reviews and Geo Librarian

Bowen, Fred. Double Reverse. Atlanta, GA: Peachtree, 2014. Print.

Jesse Wagner plays wide receiver for his high school freshman team. His brother Jay, once a star quarterback for the same high school, is about to start his first season of college football at Dartmouth. Jay and Jesse share a love of football, and practice together, discussing the game and learning from one another. As the season progresses for Jesse, his team loses several games, and their quarterback is hurt. Jesse, always thinking about the team and trying to improve, has a discussion with his brother Jay who gives him the idea of going for quarterback. Jesse is unsure about this because he doesn’t feel like he “looks the part”. Jay, facing his own changing role on the Dartmouth team, convinces Jesse to try (and promises to try a new role proposed by his coach on his college team as well). After a discussion with his coach, and some successful plays, Jesse gets his chance. He practices, tried hard, and already knows the playbook from helping Jay memorize them. He draws up plays like math problems, and is always thinking about football. (Included in the book is a side story about Jesse’s friend Savannah, and how Jesse helps get her on the team.) When the season ends, Jesse has learned a lot about football, and even more about himself. 

Double Reverse is an engaging sports book that will ring true with athletes of any sport, but especially football. Fred Bowen writes paragraphs of football plays authentically, and in a straightforward, clear style. Reading the narrative is almost like watching a football game in real life, and when touchdowns are scored, readers will feel like cheering. 

Jesse's solid relationship with his brother is a plus in the book, and their "deal" in the story shows readers that family members can help each other when they go through challenges together. Also a positive is the inclusion of the character of Savannah, and the fact that Jesse advocates for her being the team's kicker. 

Readers will identify with the sports lesson in the book, and Bowen ties it up nicely in the end. 

The book is short enough (and exciting enough) to keep readers interested, and the sketches of football plays add a layer of "realness" to the book. Another attractive feature is "The Real Story" at the end in which Fred Bowen writes about a similar story to Jesse's that is actually true (from the NFL). This section will fuel more interest in nonfiction and shows readers that the two (fiction and nonfiction) can be paired, no matter your interest.) 

This is a good choice for middle grade readers with an interest in sports! 

You can get to Fred Bowen's website here. Mr. Bowen is a sports columnist for the Washington Post, and Double Reverse is the latest installment in the Fred Bowen Sports Story series published by Peachtree.  

I can't wait for the season to start! 

Rereading a Newbery Winner: The Giver

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Print.

I reread The Giver by Lois Lowry this week. It's a soon-to-be-released movie, yes!

Yes, I probably reread the book because it's a soon-to-be-released movie, and because I'd heard so much movie news about it--  but mostly - MOSTLY - I reread it because it is a Newbery winner. (Having attended the most recent ALA Annual and the Newbery Banquet, I think about the Newbery a lot.) The Giver  won the Newbery in 1994, and the Honor Books that year were Crazy Lady (Harper Collins, 1993), Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery (Clarion, 1993), and Dragon's Gate (HarperCollins, 1993).

How I would have loved to have attended that Newbery/Caldecott Banquet! 

I thought back to what I was doing then.  Well, I wasn't watching the book awards (much less attending them like I do now). I was a reader then (as I've always been), but more than likely I was so focused on my first years of teaching that I didn't have time to think about anything else. I read the book, but I think -- I know -- I read it too quickly to process it. And then it became a part of a literary staples list. A solid title. A landmark book.

But I don't remember talking about the book with any other teacher readers.  I thought about the reading community I am a part of now, and I asked myself: "What if I'd had a reading community like #nerdybookclub at the time I read the book? What if I'd had my Twitter PLN back then?"

That would have been a wonderful thing! 

As I was rereading the book. my mind whirled with questions and more "what if" scenarios. But I also thought  about the way the story was told. The narrative is straightforward and easy to follow. The tone is matter-of-fact, making the reader feel as if everything that happens in the book is the right way of happening (when it isn't). You feel completely taken into the world Jonas lives in. But none of it feels right, and every time you hear about one of the customs in the society, you cringe at the wrongness of it. As you get to know Jonas, you know he will do something about the wrongness he sees. You're taken in from the very beginning, and that's exactly what a good book does. Even though I'd read it before, I still couldn't put it down. This book stands the test of time. And rereads.


Now that this book has reentered my "reading life", I see it with new eyes. I see it as a librarian, a writer, and as a children's literature enthusiast. And I become very grateful that we have authors like Lois Lowry: authors that write their best work and make us think.

This video from ALA Annual was helpful and informative for me as I read the book this week:

I may reread parts of the book before I watch the movie, and I know that will add to my experience.

Happy Friendship Day!

Today is August 3rd and it is Friendship Day! I'm celebrating by rereading a special picture book that I am super excited about it:

It is a sweet, sweet book about a friendship, and the cutest little elephant you've ever seen! The release date is set for August 26th!

When I find a beautiful picture book with a good story, I get so happy! I think about how I will share it with young readers in my library.  I think about what they will say when they see the illustrations. (They always see things that I hadn't noticed.) I think about them taking the book home and enjoying it with their families! I think about the happiness it will bring everyone! These are the many reasons I am thrilled about Little Elliot Big City.

I love watching this trailer for Little Elliot:




Make sure you travel with Little Elliot on his blog tour. My blog is the first stop, and I am SO thrilled about that!

Tuesday, August 26           Librarian in Cute Shoes | @utalaniz

Wednesday, August 27     Teach Mentor Texts | @mentortexts

Thursday, August 28         Read. Write. Reflect. | @katsok 

Friday, August 29               Kit Lit Frenzy | @alybee930

Saturday, August 30          Daddy Mojo | @daddymojo

Sunday, August 31             Sharp Reads | @colbysharp 

Watch. Connect. Read. | @mrschureads

Nerdy Book Club | @nerdybookclub

Monday, September 1      Miss Print | @miss_print

When you visit these blogs, you'll have a chance to win some awesome Elliot stuff:

I have a Little Elliot tote and it is so adorable! 

You can also visit Little Elliot Big City to learn more.

Now, I am trying to find a stuffed white elephant for a Little Elliot display.* (I haven't found one yet, but I'm not giving up.)  I want to celebrate Little Elliot's book birthday in my library!

*Note: After publishing this post, I learned from Mike Curato that Merrymakers, Inc. will offer a Little Elliot stuffed plush next year! Isn't this awesome news? Yes! In the meantime, I'm still looking for a stuffed white elephant.