Salty Takes Off by Gloria Rand & Illus by Ted Rand

When we were up in Alaska last summer, I maxed out my sister's library card at Loussac and got ALL the Alaska books out. 

This one caught my eye because it is based on a true story. And who doesn't love a good dog story? 

Salty.

I think I have mentioned my love for Ted Rand. Several times. 

In this story, Salty and Zack get off their boat and spend the winter on land. 

Salty makes friends with the locals

And life is pretty good. Even with a potentially deadly bear rug. 

Zach gets a job at the local airfield. So Salty hangs out there too, making friends with the pilots. 

On of the pilots, Jarman would take Salty with him on his flights to deliver the mail.

The children loved to see Salty hopping off the plane while Jarman handed over the mail and freight. 

But one trip, the turbulence was so bad, Salty got antsy and began to hop over Jarman. On one of his hops, he hit the door handle and flew out before Jarman could react. 

Salty was completely shocked by the fall, but the snow cushioned him and he huddled up for the night. 

The next morning, Jarman and Zack headed back to see if they could find any trace of Salty. 

And there he was! 

Oh the joy!

And of course, Salty was a local hero. 

Until finally, Salty and Zack could head out on their boat again. 

Before Morning by Joyce Sidman & Illus by Beth Krommes

Did I tell you I have an illustration crush on Beth Krommes? I did Blue on Blue last summer and was mentioned that I was excited about this book coming out. While talking a children's literature class, I did some research on her and I found this blog post about her that was fascinating about how she creates her art. 

This is Sidman and Krommes second book together and it is so amazingly sweet and simple. 

It has everything to do with childhood helplessness and the gift of a free day in the form of a snow day. 

This little kid in the red touque is our hero. Watch her closely. 

She wants to stop and stare at the bakery window, but her mother has no time for that today. 

(I am that mother. Everyday Elsie wants to stomp through the snow beside the sidewalk on our way out of school and I am the impatient mother, telling her to do that when she gets home, just get in the car for crying out loud!)

They get home to a turkey dinner, but you can tell from the child's face that all is not well. In the next picture, you see her mother in pilot garb, clearly telling her daughter goodnight and goodbye. The daughter doesn't seem to want to let her go. 

Finally, words appear on the pages. Words so perfectly cozy and wish filled. At the end of the book Joyce Sidman discusses invocations. Words that make things happen. And the words in this book have all the force to make snow happen. 

In the deep woolen dark... 

The mother heads out while the others snooze.

But it is snowing in earnest now.

Let the air turn to feathers, 

Doesn't the image of snow geese wafting their downy feathers down as snow make you happy?

A city in snow

The airport founders

A new world of white

A world that means all flights are cancelled and Momma can be home for the day. 

Oh the joy! The gift of time.

A cozy, unhurried breakfast

And then setting out to explore this newly changed world.

I LOVE this picture!!

And the fact that they have a toboggan. I haven't seen a toboggan in years.

And in this free day, there is time to stop and stare. 

I like that the mother is still wanting to go, but isn't quite as blinded to what her daughter wants. 

Because let's face it. Even on "free" days, mothers sometimes have different ideas on how to spend time than their kids. But oh, the delight of having everything to yourself as a child. It happens so rarely in this world you can't control. But on this day, this one day, the world is yours. 

As an adult, I still feel like that sometimes. A day free from pulling. Oh the bliss! 

Float by Daniel Miyares

This is a wordless book about a boy sailing a newspaper boat  his father made for him on a rainy day. 

The endpapers tell you how to make the boat. Not sure if I could make a boat with these pictorial instructions, but someone with a slight engineer bent to their mind probably could. 

Sweet father-son togetherness.

The pictures are fairly monochromatic with pops of yellow, and I love them. 

Protecting his boat from the rain.

Finally it stops!

Awhile later is starts back up. Isn't that a downpour of a picture? Quite effective.

Puddle reflections.

Exuberance!

But then his boat takes off. 

Down the sewer drain! 

By the time it comes out the drain pipe, it is ruined. 

Oh the sadness of his ruined boat!

But Daddies make the world all right again!

Hot cocoa and some more newspaper. 

But this time, since the sun is out, they try a paper airplane. 

This is such a great book--following a little boy exploring his world, supported by his father, and print journalism. 

Newspapers are important!