An Ever-Growing Collection This Perfect Picture Book Friday

I was about five or six when I started collecting small treasures: a miniature rooster, a pink seashell, the cap from an acorn, a wooden spool, a straw star, an old type letter, a miniature dictionary, a doll’s teacup, and more. Much more. I kept my treasures in a cookie tin, and when I could no longer close the lid, I moved my collection to a bigger box.

Years later, I realized my little trinkets and toys would bring more happiness if I could see them. I stood my wooden animals on the window sill in my writing room, nested my shells and beach pebbles among my books, and filled an old type case with more treasures. For those of you who aren’t familiar with a type case, it’s a shallow, wooden box that is compartmentalized to hold moveable type used in letterpress printing- an ideal place to display my small and marvelous curiosities.

Of course, my tiny treasures are tucked here and there throughout my home, because seeing them brings me joy, and speaking of collecting treasures leads me to today’s Perfect Picture Book Friday Review of The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell by Candace Fleming.

Title – The Amazing Collection of Joey Cornell

Written by  –  Candace Fleming

Illustrated by – Gerard DuBois

Published by – Schwartz & Wade Books

Suitable for ages – 4-8

Theme – Turning a collection of objects into art.

Opening – 

Joey Cornell collected everything… anything… that sparked his imagination or delighted his eye. “If I like it, I keep it,” Joey always said.

At first, he stowed his collection in his bedroom. But it grew… and grew… and grew, until…

From Amazon – View Here

Joey Cornell collected everything — anything that sparked his imagination or delighted his eye. His collection grew and grew until he realized that certain pieces just looked right together. He assembled his doodads to create wonderful, magical creations out of once-ordinary objects.

Perfect for introducing art to kids, here’s an imaginative and engaging book based on the childhood of great American artist Joseph Cornell, told by master picture book author Candace Fleming and lauded illustrator Gérard DuBois.

Why do I like this book? — The second I read the word ‘Collection’ in the title and saw the cover illustration of Joey Cornell pulling his red wagon, brimming with an eclectic collection of items, I needed to know more. I discovered a child, much like my younger self (and current older self), with a powerful attraction to interesting objects that hold memories or serve as pure curiosities. Reading how this young boy grew up to transform his treasures into art was a journey I enjoyed. From the first page to the last, the joy Gerard DuBois felt in illustrating this story was abundantly evident in his loving, vintage style.

Learn about Candace Fleming HERE.

Learn more about Gerard DuBoise HERE.

Collecting treasures is something many of us have in common. While I like miniature curiosities, someone else might enjoy collecting vintage picture books, musical instruments, postcards from their travels, stamps in their passport, maps, or recipes. Anything can become a collection. I hope you’ll take the time to write about something you love to collect in the comments.

Until next Friday,

Leslie

Author Interview: Ariel Bernstein

Last week, on Perfect Picture Book Friday, I shared YOU GO FIRST, a highly relatable story for all ages that addresses the fear of trying something new, especially when that something new is a playground slide that’s BIG and CURVY and might be TOO exciting and provide TOO much fun. Today, as promised, I’m happy to bring you the interview with Ariel Bernstein.

Me: Can you take us back to the exact moment you knew you wanted to write books for children?  

Ariel: I don’t have an exact moment as it was more a build up over time. I loved reading books for children back when I was an actual child of course! And then I fell in love with children’s books again when I started reading them to my kids. It was when I was reading them to my kids that I began to think of some story ideas, and realized I needed to learn how to write a good manuscript.

Me: What were the first steps you took on your journey toward publication? 

Ariel: I found critique partners, joined SCBWI, and attended a conference. I also researched a lot online through websites like kidlit411.org and subitclub.com.

Me: What is the most challenging or favorite aspect of writing a picture book?

Ariel: The most challenging aspect can be figuring out how to improve a ‘good’ manuscript to something worth submitting to editors. That’s when critique partners can be incredibly helpful for getting an unbiased opinion on what still needs work.

My favorite aspect of writing a picture book is creating something from scratch that I end up being proud of. You don’t have to write a picture book to do that of course as it happens anytime someone creates something new like a song or dance, etc. But it just feels very cool whether it ends up being published or not.

Me: An idea pops into your head. (I love it when that happens.) Take us through the steps you take to write a picture book. 

Ariel: I’ll read a bunch of picture book mentor texts to get into the ‘picture book mindset.’ I write down whatever notes I have about the idea. Sometimes before I write I’ve already thought of a character, or line of dialogue, or even the title. But mostly I just start with a sliver of an idea that seems interesting and see what comes up when I start writing. If I get stuck, a walk helps a lot, and sometimes taking little breaks. Often when I sit back down to work on it again, I figure out another layer of the story until I finally reach the end. 

Me: Where do you most love to write, and what makes this place special to you? 

Ariel: I love writing in my living room, either at my writing desk or on the sofa. It’s a very relaxing area with big windows that get some nice sunlight with lots of pretty trees to look at. If I’m not working on non-book things, I appreciate having the room to myself during most weekdays when my kids are at school so there aren’t many distractions.

Me: For each manuscript I’ve written, I remember the Ah-Ha moment that sent me running to my laptop to type up my ideas. Can you share the source of inspiration for your book, You Go First?   

Ariel: I wish I could, but I can’t with this one! The original story was told in first person and was about a pig who was scared to go on a diving board. It kept changing with every revision so there really wasn’t an ah-ha moment. It was more of a gradual progression to the current version.

Me: If you could go back to the first months of your writing journey, knowing what you know today, what advice would you give to yourself? 

Ariel: You don’t always have to say yes to everything. It’s okay to pick and choose what works for you, whether it’s a writing schedule or which critique partners you work with or what promotion you feel is a good investment. I burned myself out a bit in the beginning by doing too much, and eventually realized it’s not necessary or the best way to manage my time.

Me: What was the best comment or reaction you received from a child about your book? 

Ariel: I got a message through my website from a young reader telling me how much he enjoyed the WARREN & DRAGON chapter books and asking very politely if I could please write some more. I felt bad having to explain that it would only be a 4 book series, but gave him a ton of other chapter book recommendations. It was just so nice to know directly from a reader how much they liked the books and wanted more. It also felt great to hopefully lead him to some other wonderful titles.

Me: What were your favorite books/authors when you were a child?

Ariel: Definitely Maurice Sendak, Beverly Cleary, Bill Watterson, and Shel Silverstein. I would have read anything CALVIN & HOBBES countless times.

Ariel is the author of eight books for children, so if you love You Go First as much as I do, I hope you’ll check out her other books. Click on the titles to read more about each one on Amazon.

We Love Fishing

Where is My Balloon?

I Have A Balloon

and her four-book series: Warren & Dragon

You can visit Ariel at her website: https://www.arielbernsteinbooks.com/

See you next Friday!

Leslie

You Go First, This Perfect Picture Book Friday

Today, I’m sharing a wonderful, funny, and relatable picture book by author Ariel Bernstein called You Go First. As a special treat, I’ll post my interview with Ariel next Friday. And now, as with all of my blog posts, a memory that ties into my book review.

I couldn’t take regular physical education classes because of a congenital disability in my hip, so my high school suggested I take swim classes instead. I loved pushing off the pool wall and propelling myself through the cool water with zero impact, arms moving and circling as my legs fluttered. I wasn’t the fastest swimmer, but I was a happy swimmer. Then, things changed.

The teacher said the next week of class would focus on diving. I had hoped she meant from the side of the pool, but she gestured her clipboard at the diving board. All I could see was the tall ladder I would have to climb and the vast, empty space I would have to fall through. I wondered what would happen when I plummeted through the surface. Would I hit the bottom and not know how to make it back up?

The next week of class, I stepped out of line, again and again, to move further back. Oddly enough, the teacher noticed and announced that it was definitely my turn. I took my time climbing. When I managed to stand on the board, I inched my feet to the edge.

“Bounce, jump up, and dive,” my teacher said.

I tried to ignore her. The pool looked bigger, wetter, and deeper. I shook my head and backed up.

“You’re next,” the teacher said to another student.

The boy scaled the ladder and stood behind me. “Jump, already!” he ordered. “I want to get my turn before the bell rings.”

The pool blurred. Sounds blurred. I don’t remember jumping, but all at once, the water was coming at me FAST! Then, I was under the surface, heading for the blue-tiled bottom. My body must have known what to do because I burst through the surface, gasping for air. I’d like to finish this memory by telling you I overcame my fear of the diving board, but that’s not true. Unlike my experience, the characters in today’s picture book have far greater success with the tall ladder they encounter.

Title – You Go First

Written by  –  Ariel Bernstein

Illustrated by – Marc Rosenthal

Published by – A Paula Wiseman Book – Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers – 2023

Suitable for ages – 4-8

Theme – trying new things, friendship, putting others first

Opening – 

Cat and Duck, two very good friends, arrive at the playground. They wanted to go on the slide. But something was different. The slide was bigger. The slide was curvier.

Amazon –

Cat and Duck are very good friends and play together all the time, so when the new slide gets built, they can’t wait to try it out! Only, the slide is very big and curvy—what if it’s too big for Cat? As Cat and Duck move closer to the front of the line, Cat imagines everything that could go wrong until his worries start to rub off on Duck. Now Duck doesn’t want to go down the slide either.

Cat feels bad that Duck is missing out on the fun because of him. Can he find a way to make it right?

Why do I like this book? — Every child will, at some time, encounter an obstacle they need to overcome. In the picture book, You Go First, the obstacle is a tall ladder that leads to a big and curvy slide. Cat is, ironically, a scardey cat, afraid to try something new. Then, there’s Cat’s best friend, Duck, who can’t wait to go down the slide. For Cat, the slide isn’t merely exciting or fun… The slide looks too exciting and might provide too much fun! Cat, similar to me in my swimming memory, allows everyone in line to go ahead, claiming that it’s polite to let others go first. Eventually, all of Cat’s worries rub off on Duck, who no longer wants to go down the slide. Uh oh… Cat worries that Duck will miss out on something she wants. Cat feels very bad. To find out what happens next, you’ll simply have to get yourself a copy of You Go First.

Come back next Friday for my interview with Ariel Bernstein.

Until next Friday,

Leslie

Watercress and Other Roadside Edibles this Perfect Picture Book Friday

I can’t take a road trip vacation out west, down south, up north, or out east without thinking about childhood vacations with my mom. While most mothers packed a variety of clothes for in-climate weather conditions, a spare roll of toilet paper for unexpected situations, fresh-baked snacks to save money and ensure healthy alternatives, and the usual toiletries, my mom also packed a bucket, garden gloves, and a trowel. I don’t think she went on vacation with the thought of digging up botanical specimens, but, as it turned out, we often returned home with something new to add to her rock garden.

On walks through forests, Mom always identified a bark she could boil into something medicinal, an edible weed, or a snack.

“Oh, look! Wild raspberries.”

We picked the berries until the red juice stained our fingers. If we were close enough to the road, I wondered if people, in passing cars, thought we were too poor to afford food.

I recall one vacation out west when my dad had the wheel and was cruising at 50 through the mountains. My mom startled us when she ordered my dad to pull over.

“I saw a (long Latin name for a seriously tiny flower),” she said. “If that flower grows here, then the (a long Latin name for another little flower) must be growing nearby.”

She opened the trunk, fetched her bucket, gloves, and trowel, and hiked up the hillside. The part that amazed me was that the flower wasn’t near enough to the road to be detected by standard human eyes, yet…when Mom returned to the car, her bucket held the precious flowers, and her face held a satisfied expression.

These botanical gatherings were a common part of my childhood, and the memories returned stronger than ever when I read Andrea Wang’s picture book, Watercress.

Written by  –  Andrea Wang

Illustrated by – Jason Chin

Published by – Neal Porter Books 2021

Suitable for ages – 4-8

Theme – Harvest and Family life

Opening – 

We are in the old Pontiac, the red paint faded by years of glinting Ohio sun, pelting rain, and biting snow. The tops of the cornstalks make lines that zigzag across the horizon.

Mom shouts, “Look!” and the car comes to an abrupt, jerking stop. Mom’s eyes are as sharp as the tip of a dragon’s claw.

Dad’s eyes grow wide.

“Watercress!” they exclaim, two voices heavy with memories.

Amazon Review – A story about the power of sharing memories—including the painful ones—and the way our heritage stays with and shapes us, even when we don’t see it. 

While driving through Ohio in an old Pontiac, a young girl’s Chinese immigrant parents spot watercress growing wild in a ditch by the side of the road. They stop the car, grabbing rusty scissors and an old paper bag, and the whole family wades into the mud to gather as much as they can. 

At first, she’s embarrassed. Why can’t her family just get food from the grocery store, like everyone else? But when her mother shares a bittersweet story of her family history in China, the girl learns to appreciate the fresh food they foraged—and the memories left behind in pursuit of a new life.

Together, they make a new memory of watercress.

Why do I like this book? — Maybe it’s because I have memories of gathering plants along the road that I feel a strong pull to this story, but I also love how wonderfully Andrea Wang’s writing style guides the reader through a unique part of her family’s history, bringing the importance of the watercress to life in words that will hold a child’s attention from the first page to the last. A picture book would not be complete without illustrations, and Jason Chin’s stunning watercolors offer plenty of details while perfectly capturing the emotions of the story in this award-winning book.

Learn about Andrea Wang HERE.

Learn more about Jason Chin HERE.

A source for watercress seeds is HERE.

Until next Friday,

Leslie