Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo That Changed the World

Gladstone, James. Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo That Changed the World. Illus. by Christy Lundy. Toronto: Owlkids Press, 2018. Print. 

Do you have a photo that reminds you of an important moment in your life? How about a picture that has a backstory? A very IMPORTANT backstory? Of course you do! We all do! 

Earthrise: Apollo 8 and the Photo That changed the World tells the story of this very famous photo in history by the same name. Beginning with the launch of the Apollo 8 spacecraft in 1968, the book sets up the atmosphere in country on the day of liftoff, telling how people gathered to watch it on television, then recounts each step of the first important space mission to the moon. Astronauts Jim Lovell, Frank Borman, and William Anders traveled manned this mission. Anders took a photo from lunar orbit showing Earth and part of the moon, showing us our planet from space. 

The text walks through the timeline of the mission at a good pace, with the vintage style illustrations guiding the way smoothly.  A powdery blue is the predominant color in the palette, with soft swishes of dots accentuating objects on each page. A backmatter page gives more information on the mission and its impact, while also inspiring readers to connect to the content. I can think of connecting it to units on the moon and Earth Day. 

I found myself doing my own research while reading this book, and I know it will inspire other readers to do the same. 

Read more about the book here. 

A PARADE OF ELEPHANTS by Kevin Henkes

Henkes, Kevin. A Parade of Elephants. New York: Greenwillow, 2018. Print.

What first always draw me to a Kevin Henkes books is that it is written by Kevin Henkes. 
The second thing that draws me to a Kevin Henkes book is the color palette. 

Since Egg, and Waiting, I have appreciated how Henkes uses pastels (pink, yellow, blue and green) that remind me of sweetly soft mints, baby nurseries, and spring mornings. 

A Parade of Elephants also incorporates these colors, this time to describe a herd of marching elephants. Readers are spectators, sitting on the sidelines curbside while this parade moves forward, and the text narrates the play-by-play of the travel-- how they go in a circle, follow each other, romp over hills proudly, and even under and over bridges (with fish leaping out of the water to watch, too). 

These focused elephants do not stop, and they go through caves, holding on to each other's tails at times, all day long. 

But night comes and when the moon appears, it is time for the herd to sleep. Like babies before sleep, they yawn, and go down sweetly for the night -- with stars swirling above. 

Henkes uses the gutter, full page spreads, and varying widths of panels to portray the journey. Some illustrations bleed off the page and some fill its entirety. The elephants eyes' show their energy: the blue leader is always awake and aware and proud. I don't think they ever change order. 

The text placement carries the pace of the story, and time progresses (as indicated with endpapers) from morning to night.

Bedtime story? Yes. Counting story? To some extent, yes.

But filled with patterns, and just the right amount of repetition this book is so much more---

And with this lovely art (printed on the best paper!), this picture book gives Henkes fans what we've come to appreciate about his work.

Under the dust jacket, Henkes gives readers another gift and surprise -- a lovely case cover that adds to this book's especially delightful presentation.

Many thanks to HarperCollins for the book!

Read more about A Parade of Elephants here.

GARBAGE ISLAND by Fred Koehler

Today, I am pleased to to be a part of a blog tour with Boyds Mills Press. The featured book: Garbage Island by Fred Koehler. 

Koehler, Fred, Garbage Island: The Nearly Always Perilous Adventures of Archibald Shrew #1) . Honesdale, PA: Boyds Mills Press, 2018. Print. 

Garbage Island is set within the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a mass of debris floating in the Pacific Ocean. I learned more about this by reading this article from National Geographic. I love that author Fred Koehler is bringing attention to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch by imagining a story within it. A very clever premise! 

The two main characters in the novel, a shrew named Archie and a mouse named Mr. Popli, have a complicated past. Mr. Popli is the noble leader of their island kingdom, and Archibald is always trying his patience. Archie loves making and inventing, and much of the reason the kingdom has survived is due to his craftiness! Perhaps this is what endeared Archie to this makerspace librarian the most: this shrew is a MAKER! He uses the debris to "patch" things up and protect the kingdom, and he can't stop thinking about ways to put things together or use things in a new way. 

But Archie and Mr. Popli don't get along, and one day they find themselves out on the ocean alone -- forced now to find their way back to the island together. They encounter MANY fast-paced adventures along the way. Like me, readers will be at the edge of their seats at the end of nearly every chapter, turning pages to see if how Mr. Popli and Archie get out of their seemingly impossible predicaments. (Note: while I did connect with Archie, I understood Mr. Popli's frustration with him: Archie's wonderings often lead to trouble and catastrophes!)

The plot of this novel is complex and exciting, laden with action and dialogue that will work a reader's imagination. Sentences are filled with rich vocabulary, setting each scene descriptively. Fred Koehler's compelling black and white illustrations also tell the story. (See the wrap-around cover when you get a copy of the book!) 

A snake named Colubra serves as the main enemy, but a relentless squad of spiders prove to be most formidable as well. And don't count out the shark! 

As I began to read this book, it brought another book to mind: The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden, one of my most favorite books as a child. Both are about animals who have created their own existences within and adjusting to - a world altered by man. 

Garbage Island is also a story of friendship -- and accepting each other's weaknesses as much as their strengths. 

I look forward to rereading Garbage Island at some point, and also to continuing the saga with Book #2.

I am also thinking of some makerspace activities to bring out when I recommend this book to readers. (I took notes on this as I read the book!) 

For more about this book, make sure to visit the other blogs on the tour! 

Many thanks to Boyds Mills Press for including me here! 

Bio of Fred Koehler provided by Boyds Mills: 

Fred Koehler won a Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Award for his illustrations for One Day, The End. He is the author-illustrator of How To Cheer Up Dad, which received three starred reviews, and he is the illustrator of This Book Is Not About Dragons and Puppy, Puppy, Puppy and Flashlight Night.  He lives with his children in Lakeland, Florida.