Michael Rosen's Sad Book by Michael Rosen & Illus by Quentin Blake

I don't know about you, but this whole coronavirus thing has me feeling a bit out of sorts. I love being home and I love my family, so I didn't think I would mind staying home all the time. But apparently it isn't as easy as all that. There is a difference between doing something because you want to and doing something because you have to. And then, there is the matter of routine--turns out they are handy things to keep around. 

Emotions. They can be sort of messy and unexpected right now. So this seems like an appropriate book for the moment. 

Of course, this book is much more deep than the sadness of "everything has changed and I am not used to it!" 

Michael Rosen lost his son.

And if you think that is a terrible beginning for a kids book, you are right. But kids are much closer to big emotions than adults who have worked hard to bring emotions under control. Their upset/sorrow over things is so much bigger than adults. 

They get it. 

This is Michael Rosen. As you can read, this is him being sad, but pretending to be happy so people won't dislike him for being sad. 

Sometimes sad is very big. It's everywhere. All over me. 

Eddie, his son. Who he is sometimes angry at for dying. 

Eddie doesn't say anything because he's not here anymore. 

I just want to think about it on my own.

Because it's mine. And no one else's.

The unexpected attacks of sad.

Ways he has found to cope with his sadness. 

Then he discusses other people's grief. 

Memories of Eddie

Sad will always be there. 

But there are times when it is not right in front of you--times when you can laugh and have good days. 

And other days when sad seems everywhere. 

I was sort of surprised by this book--such an honest look at grief for a kids book. People tend to paper over the lumps and uncertainties of sorrow for kids, but I think kids can accept things more readily than adults sometimes. This book will definitely prompt some questions and concerns, but those conversations need to happen at some point. Just be forewarned--don't read this book if you don't have time for questions right then. 

I hope your day/week is not as sad as this. I hope there are lovely moments and sunlight and calm. 

Stay healthy! 

The Good Son by Pierre-Jacques Ober & Illus by Jules Ober and Felicity Coonan

This book, based on a real event, breaks your heart. 

And since it is based on WWI, where Veteran's Day began, it seemed fitting for today.

Created with hobby store miniatures arranged into WWI sets and then photographed, it doesn't sound like the kind of book that would move you to tears. 

But it does.

The book opens with a French soldier, Pierre, awaiting sentencing for desertion. 

His solitary meal. 

Waiting.... hoping there will be leniency since he came back of his own accord....

He thinks back to the beginning of this war. 

It was meant to be over soon. And as they walked across the French countryside in spring, it didn't seem like too much. 

(I like this plane)

But then the war dragged on. And there were horrors that young men had not been able to imagine when they headed out. 

There was so much this young soldier wanted to do with his life. Things he would never get to do if he was condemned to death by his own army.

And then the lieutenant lets him know that nameless higher-ups had decided he had to be made an example of. They didn't necessary think he was horrible and deserved to die, but he had left for a few days and even though he came back to finish his job, they were too worried other soldiers would try to take leave. So it was death for Pierre. Death so the army could terrify other men into not leaving. 

As he waits for his execution at dawn, he writes to his mother. And then you find out more about his desertion. He had promised his widowed mother that he would be home for Christmas. Since everyone said the war would be done by then. 

Not wanting to break his promise, even though the war was not done by Christmas, he went home, spent two days with his mother and came back. 

On his travels, he met the enemy--the young Germans the French were fighting against. He learned that they were tired and homesick too.  

And all the savagery of that war was more than most young men could bear. 

The ruination of human life, of spring, and of the countryside. 

Writing to his chere maman on his last night on earth.  

"I didn't want you to be alone for Christmas and now I am leaving you alone forever."

He remembers Christmas with her. "The best two days of the war."

And then the morning came. "I will wear your new socks tomorrow. You'll keep me warm, Maman." 

The war would eventually be over and won.... But not by Christmas. And not by Pierre. 

Oh my, This book just broke my heart. Trying to be a good son and good soldier and apparently failing at both and dying because of it just so a heartless official could make an example of him to keep demoralized soldiers from heading home. 

It is such a powerful book to talk about the sacrifices made by soldiers. Definitely for older readers though.... 

The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Okay, this book. I was pretty sold on it just from the blurb--a father-daughter duo traveling around the country in an old bus? Yes please, fulfill all my dreams. 

And the cover! See that cover? 

That there is Coyote sitting on the top of Yager, the school bus, with Ivan the cat. A few wispy leaves, a touch of red, and a fancy script?  

A GREAT COVER. 

(Whoever said you shouldn't judge a book by the cover was full of baloney. A good cover is pretty vital. That is one thing I have learned as a school librarian--no matter how good the book, kids will not read it if the cover is some cheesy thing from the 1990s.) 

So a great cover, a great premise, and it even delivers. 

SO GOOD. 

The first page sees Coyote in a gas station in bare feet, choosing her slushie flavor wisely, (watermelon is always a mistake) while her dad is filling up. Strong start with an interesting female lead with plenty of depth. 

Coyote's hippie father Rodeo operates under the belief that if the past was hard (and it was) the only way to deal is to pretend it never happened. So his life (and by default, Coyote's life as well) is one giant game of pretend nothing bad ever happened and that we don't miss anyone at all. 

Which worked fine when Coyote was 8. But now that she is verging on being a teenager, she is beginning to question that philosophy a little bit. After a phone call from her grandmother that lets Coyote know a childhood park with nostalgic, personal treasure is being torn up, she has to finagle her father from Florida to Washington state to reclaim her treasure in a weeks time without him really being aware of it. Because going "home" is a hard no from Rodeo. Too painful. Just like his rule about Coyote never calling him Daddy. 

Hard, absolute no. 

With the help of a fate and a few wayward strangers, Coyote gets him very, very close to the goal before he figures out what is going on. That is when things fall apart a little bit for Rodeo. 

But when things fall apart Coyote can finally put them back together again in the right order for the first time in five years. Because sometimes fathers need their daughters. Just like daughters need their fathers to be fathers, not just traveling companions. 

My only minor complaint about this book is that the people they picked up along the way seemed a little like someone was checking off a checklist. An African-American? Check. A single Hispanic mother and son? Check. A misunderstood lesbian? Check. A crazy goat? Check... (oh wait--that was just a bonus.) That is not to say these characters were not well developed. I loved all of the characters. And how they joined Coyote's story was well done. The identities just seemed a teensy bit too coincidental. 

Don't let that put you off the book though--It was so good! I laughed and I cried. And there was hope. And a goat. And a bus. 

Read it! 

Blooming at the Texas Sunrise Motel by Kimberly Willis Holt

I admit it--I bought this for the cover. Flowers, long hair in the wind, and the phrase "Texas Sunrise Motel." A bit of a trifecta really. 

And it was SO GOOD.

Stevie is the beloved daughter of two flower/fruit farmers New Mexico . Life is good. Until some careless driver. runs into her parents roadside stand, killing both of them. That part is not good. 

When we meet Stevie, she is heading to her Grandfather and his Texas Sunrise Motel in Texas. She doesn't know her grandfather because her mother refused to speak of him. But since he is closest relative, off she goes. 

My mother and her brother were sent away from the family farm in Quebec to friends in Pennsylvania after her parent's death which made this book that much more interesting to me--I have always thought how devastating it must have been for my mother to lose her family, her farm, and her country. Stevie is much the same, minus the losing the country part.  

How do you recover from the total upset of your life?

Stevie isn't sure. But she is pretty sure that to continue life, she needs to be back on their farm. It is the only place that makes sense. But the adults in her life seem to have different ideas for her. As Stevie gets to know her gruff grandfather, the interesting residents of his motel, and the family she didn't even know she had, she begins to understand her mother and father better and learn a little of her own life story. When tough choices arise, Stevie has to think carefully about the new life she is building and what is most important to her. 

 And then, no matter where you are, there can always be flowers. Always.

This is a light book--we don't have any raw emotional scenes. But it feels authentic. Stevie is a girl I could relate to--her love of flowers! Her love of the family farm! There is a touch of friendship, a little bit of romance, family dynamics, and optimism to round it all out for a completely satisfying middle grade read. 

The Eyes of Gray Wolf by Jonathan London & Illus by Jon Van Zyle

This is another book I found in the Loussac Library in Anchorage this summer. And since there is a love interest, I figured it would be a good book for Valentine's week.

Jon Van Zyle has been the official artist of the Iditarod since 1979, so he is pretty well experienced in drawing Alaskan landscapes and dogs. The storyline itself is pretty straightforward. I mean, it is about wolves, so it is a little difficult to get in depth with characterization. 

However, the pictures make this a stand out. 

Grey Wolf is a little preoccupied. He has lost his mate to a man's steel trap.

oooh! I just love his art work. And poor old Grey wolf all alone under a super moon apparently. 

Howling at the moon-- A wild untamed music.

Trying to catch dinner, but....

Shadows show that he is not alone.

The leader of the pack. AND his fur is black. I guess the black sheep is the one with the reputation, but a black wolf seems like a tough character. 

And suddenly, grey wolf sees a white wolf. A white wolf who just happens to be looking for a mate. 

When you are a wolf, dating isn't really a thing. You're single? Me too! Let's get together. 

Wolves don't mess around with superfluous nonsense. 

At the end of the book there is a page with information about wolves. This is the decreasing wolf range. Clearly wolves didn't like American settlers and all moved north. Or something....

The Rough Patch by Brian Lies

As soon as I saw this book, I knew I would love it. I have an unreasonable delight in personified foxes. Plus, it vaguely reminded me of the Fern Hollow Books I read as a kid. Nostalgia. It is pretty hard to beat. 

Evan and his dog.

This won a Caldecott Honor this week. 

They were the best of friends

Doing everything together. 

But especially gardening. 

Evan and his dog spent a great deal of time in the garden.

And then.... the unthinkable happened. His dog died.

For days, Evan did nothing. Then, he destroyed his garden--that reminder of his dog and indicator of life moving on when Evan's world had ground to a halt. 

Weeds grew. And Evan took care of them because these weeds reflected his feelings better than pretty, tidy plants. 

Soon his garden was a desolate, soulless place, just how he wanted it. 

But when a green vine sneaks in, Evan decides to let it stay.

 See the hoe about to chop it out? Love that detail. 

That vine turns into a pumpkin....

...that turns into a trip to the fair. 

When his pumpkin places third, he has the choose of $10 or a puppy. He takes the $10 of course. 

But.....

....somehow, the puppy heads home with him anyway. 

A story of hope and love. Of death and life going on. 

AND of the importance of gardening in living a happy life and healing. 

Gardens and dogs are important. 

Red vintage pickups don't hurt either.