Author: Loree Burns

DOG AND BEAR
By Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Roaring Brook/Neal Porter, 2007

Category: Picture book
Awards: Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

I sent my babies off into the world this morning, armed with an abundance of school supplies and a few true-blue stories …

Back-to-school week, the most thrilling and overwhelming week of childhood and parenthood alike, was the perfect time to share this picture book with the kids. Dog is brave, demanding and at times insecure. Bear is skittish, exasperated, and faithful. I saw a little bit of myself in each character, and I think the kids saw a bit of themselves, too.

Two friends. Three stories. Four thumbs up!

 

REALITY LEAK
By Joni Sensel
Illustrations by Christian Slade
Henry Holt, 2007

Category: Middle-grade fiction

The boys and I agree: this is an odd little book. But we couldn’t stop reading it, because it is odd in a reminiscent-of-Roald-Dahl, you-want-to-find-out-how-it-all-plays-out sort of a way. And the illustrations rock.

The town of South Wiggot doesn’t know what to make of its newest business, Acme Inc. But when the family dog turns up FLAT and the toaster starts popping up MAIL, Bryan Zilcher is determined to learn what is really going on over at Acme Inc. And what’s really going on is downright zany.

It is possible this is the last book we will read aloud this summer; school begins on Tuesday. How did that happen? (But, oh, I can finally sleep in again!)

 

YOU CAN MAKE A COLLAGE
By Eric Carle
Klutz, 1998

Category: Specialty book

This “book” consists of a collection of brightly painted tissue papers, created by the one-and-only Eric Carle, and instructions on how to use them to create collage. It is not a book you read, but a book you do. I bought it at the Gift Shop of the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art two years ago and we have been saving it for a special occasion. The last Tuesday of summer, a dreary and blustery day of confinement (my littlest is still recovering), seemed a good day to explore the art of tissue collage.

It is not as easy as Eric Carle makes it look! But the results are stunning, don’t you think?

This image was created by the little patient; she calls it “Flower and Caterpillar”.

This image was created by me; I call it “Clue to Subject of My Next Book”.

 

In a (vain) attempt to catch my reading blog up with my actual reading, I’m going to spin the “Five on Friday” theme a bit. Here are five more books my family brought home from last weekend’s Fish Tales, Tugs & Sails festival and which we have been reading together this week:

ACROSS THE WIDE OCEAN
by Karen Romano Young
Greenwillow, 2007
I wish this gorgeous and unique introduction to oceans and ocean travel had been available when I was writing TRACKING TRASH, because I would have suggested it as further reading. In fact, if you happen to own a copy of TRACKING TRASH, open to page 54 and add ACROSS THE WIDE OCEAN to the list of “Books to Enjoy”.

A DROP AROUND THE WORLD
by Barbara Shaw McKinney
Illustrated by Michael S. Maydak
Dawn Publications, 1998
Barbara Shaw McKinney had a great rapport with her audience …

PASS THE ENERGY, PLEASE
by Barbara Shaw McKinney
Illustrated by Chad Wallace
Dawn Publications, 1999
… and I love her topics.

SHELLS! SHELLS! SHELLS!
By Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Marshall Cavendish, 2007
This book caught the eye of my beach-loving daughter the moment we arrived at the festival. Nancy Elizabeth Wallace went on to mesmerize my little one further with her reading and with her gifts for the audience (shells, of course!). I was captured by Nancy’s tales of turning recycled products (bill envelopes, bar codes, clementine sacks, etc) into art for her books.

IBIS, A TRUE WHALE STORY
By John Himmelman
Scholastic, 1990
John Himmelman was shocked when my son showed up at the signing table with our tattered and old paperback edition of this story. It has been a family favorite for years (and years and years) and we were all thrilled to have it inscribed by the author. Thanks, John!

 

ZUZU’S WISHING CAKE
By Linda Michelin
Illustrated by D.B. Johnson
Houghton Mifflin, 2006

Category: Picture book

Zuzu’s got a new neighbor and she wants to get to know him. But the new boy doesn’t come outside to play or respond to Zuzu’s attempts at friendship. In fact, it is very possible the new boy doesn’t speak English. These obstacles might stop an ordinary kid, but not Zuzu. With a loaf of bread, a jar of jam, and a lot of flair, Zuzu creates a gift no one can resist … not even her new neighbor.

I met the creators of this book over the weekend. Linda Michelin and D.B. Johnson are a kind, generous, and creative couple; it is easy to see where Zuzu got her virtue. I look forward to reading this one to my little niece, for whom it was purchased, and pointing out the author’s inscription:

“Wishing works!”

And I am wondering if another little girl I adore–a little girl who happens to be stuck with Mom all day tomorrow while her big brothers go off swimming with a friend–might dig a wishing cake for lunch …

 

HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG
By D.B. Johnson
Houghton Mifflin, 2000

Category: Picture book
Awards: Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, 2000

There is so much goodness wrapped up in my copy of HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG.

Firstly, it is a marvelous book. Daniel Pinkwater called it, “A masterpiece … the finest illustrations I’ve seen in years and years”. I agree on both counts.

Equally important to me is the fact that our copy of HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG was a gift from dear friends. Sam and Ben were two years old when it arrived in the mail (I just peeked in on them, sleeping in the wee hours, and they are so long and lanky that I can hardly believe they were once two year-olds) and we were living within walking distance of Fitchburg. Our friends Hans, Carolyn and Jordan wrote inside the book: “May you enjoy many hikes!”

About a year later, D. B. Johnson visited our local library. I brought the boys, then three, and they loved watching D.B. draw Henry on his big, white artpad. Ben was particularly mesmerized … and he has not stopped drawing since. D. B. wrote in the book, just over the first inscription: “Enjoy the blackberries!”

On Saturday the boys and I got to meet D.B. Johnson again at the Fish Tales, Tugs & Sails festival in New London, Connecticut. This time I was a published author, too, and appeared alongside D. B. and his wife, author Linda Michelin. D.B. and Linda were kind and encouraging. They came to my presentation, smiled all the way through, and then bought a copy of my book. In a stunning example of above and beyond, these two generous people returned to the author tent late in the day, at the time allotted for D.B.’s presentation, to tell me they had read and enjoyed the first two chapters of TRACKING TRASH.

And so you will surely understand how I feel about my beautiful copy of HENRY HIKES TO FITCHBURG. This book has grown layers of meaning over the years; when I hold it I want to sing about friendship and creativity and kindnesses. I don’t, of course (I cannot sing a whit!), but I think about all of these things before I open the cover and read:

“One summer day, Henry and his friend decided to go to Fitchburg to see the country.”

Oh, the journey!