What's Mine Is MINE!: You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You! by Daniel Kirk

YOU TOOK MY BALL.

Okay. Let's stipulate that IT IS Sock Monkey's big red ball. Patchwork Dog has clearly snatched it and run away gleefully, with a quick explanation.

YOU WOULDN'T SHARE!

I HAD TO GRAB IT BACK WHILE YOU WEREN'T LOOKING.

Sock Monkey's cause is righteous. Dog is clearly not his friend, so he is NOT going to get to play with the red ball ever again!

Monkey looks around for new playmates who will share according to his rules.

He finds three--a potted plant, a rock, and a worm. But although they never snatch the red ball, they are not much fun either.

He resolves to play by himself. He tosses the ball up and catches it. Bo-ring! He recruits a wall and tries bouncing the ball against it. The wall definitely gives it right back every time.

OUCH!!

This is not working out. Sock Monkey has the red ball all to himself, but what he DOESN'T have is FUN. Maybe he's not being a good friend. A good friend would share--share the ball AND share the fun. That thought reminds Sock Monkey of something Dog said.

MAYBE I WASN'T A GREAT FRIEND.

He looks around for Dog.

Preschoolers ethics are famously both egocentric and dogmatic, as Daniel Kirk's You Are Not My Friend, But I Miss You (Abrams Books, 2014) shows in this terrifically illustrated simple parable about empathy. Sock Monkey insists that his red ball is absolutely his to do with as he pleases, but he quickly learns that it takes two to play ball! It's a piquant little parable that has tremendous meaning for all of life, and the notable author-illustrator Daniel Kirk captures it all in a simple story with two toys standing in for youngsters in a humorous piece of vicarious experience on what it means to be a friend.

Daniel Kirk is also the author-illustrator of the popular Library Mouse series, Honk Honk! Beep Beep! and Ten Things I Love About You.

Sam's Story: Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale by Daniel Kirk

Sam was a library mouse who lived in a little hole in the wall behind the children's reference books. Sam loved to read and he loved to write, too. Everyone loved his little books, but Sam was very shy, and no one at the library had ever met him.

Sam, the book-writing mouse first introduced in Daniel Kirk's Library Mouse, (reviewed here just in time for American Library Week on November 7, 2008) is back in his second adventure just in time for Children's Book Week. In this story a boy named Tom finds himself sadly without a partner in the library's Book Week project. Each team of two children are to collaborate, one writing the story and the other creating the illustrations, but the class doesn't come out even, and Tom is left without a friend to work with.

Although Mrs. F., the librarian, offers to partner with him, Tom has another idea which he hopes will work. A big fan of Sam's hand-crafted mini-mouse sagas, Tom's observant detective work leads him to believe that the library's mystery author must be the mouse who left his author's notebook and footprints on the circulation desk, and he soon discovers the entrance to Sam's hole under the reference shelf. Hopefully, Tom secretly slips his carefully written story, "The Shy One," into the opening in the hope that Sam will agree to be his collaborator.

Tom worries that Sam will be too fearful of revealing his identity to take on the job of teaming up with him on the book, but Sam, as always, rises to the creative challenge, and his clever but enigmatic illustrations keep his full identity a mystery.

"So tell us," said Mrs. F., "just who is this Sam who writes so many books? I just have to ask, 'Is it you?'"

"Oh, no," said Tom. "I just wrote the story. Sam is real, but he likes his privacy, so that's all I am going to say. A friend knows how to keep a secret."

Daniel Kirk's new Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale, with its equally engaging illustrations, is a story which emphasizes both the fun of making original stories and illustrations and the power of teamwork in creating literature. Kirk cleverly includes his tribute to many of the authors and illustrators who make children's literature what it is by placing popular books--Frindle, Little Bear, Amber Brown Is Not a Crayon, The Doll People, Goodnight, Moon, Henry and Mudge, and Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type, to name a few--in the background as the story develops, a device which kids will love to point out as they read.

Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale, is an appealing sequel and, like its predecessor, a really fun way to introduce a classroom unit on writing, illustrating, and book production in general. Sam the Library Mouse looks like he has a long career ahead of him--one of teamwork with young writers and artists.

Coping with Change! The Thing about Spring by Daniel Kirk

"THE WORLD LOOKS A LITTLE DIFFERENT TODAY," MOUSE SAID ONE BRIGHT MORNING.

Ah! The first signs of spring!

Everybody loves them, right?

Apparently not in this forest. Mouse and Bird are rhapsodizing about budding trees and warmth in the air, but Rabbit is not at all pleased. With a sour expression, he is going about the meadow, scooping up the vestiges of melting snowdrifts into his pail. Mouse inquires about Rabbit's curious behavior.

"SAVING SNOW WHILE I CAN!" SAID RABBIT. "WE WON'T SEE ANY MORE OF THAT UNTIL NEXT YEAR!"

Some of us have problems with transitions, and Rabbit seems to be the only one in the woods who is going to miss snow. Ever the contrarian, he points out that snow helps him track down his friends, and it is useful for snow forts and snowball fights.

Bird points out that Rabbit won't be cold when spring comes, and besides, he and Mouse are not going anywhere anyway.

But Rabbit has another complaint.

"THE THING ABOUT SPRING IS THAT BEAR IS WAKING UP. I KNOW HOW BAD HE SMELLS AT THE END OF A LONG WINTER, AND I'M SURE HE'LL WANT A HUG."

And right on cue, a disheveled Bear appears, and Rabbit, holding his nose, suffers through a stinky embrace, just as a warm vernal drizzle begins to fall.

"THE THING ABOUT SPRING IS THAT IT RAINS WHEN YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING IT," RABBIT WHINGES.

But Bear replies that the falling rain is right on time to give him a good wash, as he pointedly scrubs his armpits.

But nothing about the change of the seasons pleases Rabbit. It's too noisy. Birds peep and squirrels chatter! It's all so annoying. Rabbit is all hot and bothered from the whole conversation.

And now he is thirsty!

Bear agrees that all this palaver is making him thirsty, too, giving Rabbit a chance to have the last word:

"WELL, THEN," SAID RABBIT, "YOU SHOULD BE GLAD I SAVED SOME SNOW. LOOK INSIDE MY PAIL!"

Daniel Kirk's newest tale, The Thing About Spring (Abrams Books, 2016), gives the curmudgeon in all of us a chance to complain about change. Story books are full of joyful rabbits and bouncy bunnies as the harbinger of spring, but Kirk turns the tables on our expectations with a truly funny bunny who takes a cranky stand in favor of snow. With delightfully wry dialog, he gives his Rabbit his moment in the sun, whether he likes it or not. Kirk's signature style of illustration, with his characters mostly full frontal or profiled, has a look all his own, giving this novel seasonal story a new twist.

Kirk's earlier books include his popular Library Mouse
series and Ten Thank-You Letters.

How Do I Like Thee? Ten Things I Love About You by Daniel Kirk

"PLEASE, RABBIT! I'M STARTING TO LOSE MY PATIENCE!" PIG PROTESTS.

"NUMBER 6! I LOVE PIG BECAUSE HE IS NOT AFRAID TO SHOW HIS FEELINGS!" RABBIT RESPONDS."

At his desk, Pig proclaims to friend Rabbit that he is busy. But Rabbit is determined to finish his list of ten things he loves about his friend Pig. The trouble is, he keeps running out of ideas and ringing the doorbell to ask for help from the subject of his list himself. Pig is appreciative of Rabbit's thought, and at first he tries gently to be helpful, encouraging him to go home and brainstorm on his own, but Rabbit is persistent. After getting up to answer the door five times, Pig could clearly live without this tribute. But, ironically, no matter what he suggests, Rabbit finds a way to turn his answer into another virtue to add to the list.

Then Rabbit notices a slip of paper Pig has dropped. It's a list of things Pig likes about Rabbit, and we see that Pig has found a way to appreciate the kind feeling behind Rabbit's peskiness.

"NUMBER 3: I LOVE RABBIT BECAUSE HE GETS SO EXCITED ABOUT THINGS!

NUMBER 7: I LOVE RABBIT BECAUSE HE NEVER GIVES UP!"

Sometimes a friend's best traits are just the flip side of their annoying ones, as author-illustrator Daniel Kirk clearly points out in his latest entry for the heart-y season, all without a single red or pink Valentine in sight. Kirk, well-known for his Library Mouse tales and his stand-alone story, Keisha Ann Can! comes up with a new cast of characters in his latest, Ten Things I Love About You (Penguin Group, 2012), a pair of best friends who have eye appeal hard to resist. Kirk's illustrative style puts the focus on the interaction between his two young animal characters, with minimal background to distract from the interplay of the personalities he portrays. As Publisher's Weekly aptly describes it, "Kirk's visual style is a departure of sorts: instead of his customary sculptural renderings, his digitally colored drawings, painted on plywood and outlined in scraggly ink, give the proceedings a warm, handcrafted feel."

Jolly Jeep: Honk, Honk! Beep, Beep! by Daniel Kirk

WAKE UP, SLEEPYHEAD!
TIME'S A-WASTIN'!
OUT OF BED!

It's dark, and the two toys, father and son (both pla-skool-type figures), are early risers, up and off on the job. As a human boy sleeps on under his covers, this crew of two leaps into their red jeep and careen out of their parking spot on a search-and-rescue mission. Headlights gleam and tires squeal as the two head out to pick up all the toy people scattered over the bed. Two rabbits are located and urged to hop in as the two roll on.

WORKERS FINISHING WITH THEIR SHIFT.
"BUDDY, CAN WE HAVE A LIFT?"

The red jeep makes the rounds through the hills and valleys of the coverlet as their vehicle becomes more and more crowded. A hill looms ahead. Is the overloaded jeep up to the climb?

SQUEEZE IN TIGHT. THE JEEP IS FULL
NEARLY TOO MUCH WEIGHT TO PULL!

At last the jeep creeps to the top of the rise, a windowsill which overlooks a sunrise just stealing over the back yard. As the passengers pile out to admire the sight, their boy awakens and joins them, smiling with the prospect of another day and more play.

WHAT A DAY! HONK, HONK! BEEP, BEEP!

Daniel Kirk, notable author of the Library Mouse series, brings his vivid colors and Toy-Story-type characters into his latest solo effort, Honk Honk! Beep Beep! (Hyperion, 2010) in this chipper toy adventure, good for the early preschool and emergent reader audience. Easy text in rhythmic rhymes, with an irresistible sing-along refrain of "Honk, Honk! Beep, Beep! for the story circle make this one a good one to pair with any of the other popular vehicular tales, such as Kevin Lewis' My Truck is Stuck! (also illustrated by Daniel Kirk) or Jon Scieszka's Smash! Crash! (Jon Scieszka's Trucktown) for a rockin''n' rollin' read-up.

Artifacts 'R' Awesome: Library Mouse: A Museum Adventure by Daniel Kirk

Late one night Sarah dropped in and asked, "What are you doing, Sam? Writing a new book?"

Sam said, "I'm just making some notes and sketching in my journal."

Sarah said, "You know, Sam, there's a place next door that has the kind of stuff you are looking for in these books. I think they call it ... a museum. We should go!"

And with Sarah's urging, Sam the Library Mouse and his best friend are off on another exploration. Sam is already the mouse master of library research, but Sarah is right--there is yet another place to gather information, a place which makes knowledge available without books--in exhibits of art and artifacts and animals and a myriad of things.

Still, Sam can't go exploring without his trusty journal, and over her protests he finally persuades Sarah to take along her own notebook:

"An explorer can't explore if she's writing in a journal! Explorers want adventure!" Sarah exclaimed.

But when faced with ancient statues and the skeleton of a prehistoric saber-toothed tiger, Egyptian mummies, and famous paintings (George Mousington Crossing the Delaware), Sarah finds that there is plenty for her to sketch in her journal as well. And after a adventurous but scary moment, Sarah learns that even cats can be artists as well, and the the cat artist and Sarah share their sketches with each other.

The two mouse explorers stay as long as they can in the museum, and when they return home to the library, they find their notebooks filled with notes and sketches to inspire further research.

Daniel Kirk's latest in this series, the just-published Library Mouse: A Museum Adventure (Abrams, 2012) continues the adventures of his popular bibliophile Sam the Library Mouse, in a sequel that is a great readaloud story before an up-and-coming museum field trip.

Other books in this series are Library Mouse, Library Mouse: A Friend's Tale, and Library Mouse: A World to Explore.

"Meet the Author!": Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

Lucky Sam is a library mouse, with a home in a hole in the wall behind the Children's Reference section of the library. Naturally, Sam is quite well read:

Every night the library belonged to Sam.

And every night Sam read and he read and he read--picture books and chapter books! He read biographies and poetry, cookbooks and sports books, fairy tales and ghost stories and monsters by the dozen.

Eventually, Sam begins to get the urge to write his own book. "Write what you know," he reads in books about authors, so Sam's first book is titled Squeek! A Mouse's Life, illustrated with self portraits for which Sam posed in front of his little mirror.

Under cover of darkness, Sam sneaks the his mouse-sized autobiography into the Biography section, along with The Big Fall by Egmont Shellton and Super Hippo by Hippy Ottamus), where the next afternoon a surprised little girl comes across it and shows it to Ms. Forrester, the librarian. Both of them are intrigued and impressed with the little tome. Inspired by his success, Sam soon follows up his first book with The Lonely Cheese and The Mystery of Mouse Mansion.

As each little book is located by a different boy or girl, the story of the mysterious self-publishing author spreads through the library. "Who is this Sam?" everyone asks. Then Mrs. Forrester gets an idea. She posts a note for Sam on the bulletin board, inviting him to the library's "Meet The Author" celebration so that all his fans can ask him questions about how he writes his books.

Sam is flattered but nervous. A room full of excited kids seems no place for a shy mouse, but he really wants to share his joy in writing with his fans. Sam comes up with an idea and pulls an all-nighter preparing for the next day's event:

All night long he wrote and drew and snipped and folded and stapled little rectangles of paper into mouse-sized books.

The next morning the librarian and children follow Sam's signs into the conference room where they find an intriguing sight. On the table there is an empty tissue box with a small banner which says "MEET THE AUTHOR." with an arrow pointing downward toward the opening in the box. A little girl follows the directions:

"Oh," she said in surprise, for at the bottom of the box lay Sam's little mirror and the little girl saw her own face smiling up at her. "Me?" she said. "An author?"

Next to the mirror was a stack of tiny blank books and a pile of pencils that Sam had sharpened with his little teeth.

As a happy Sam watches from his hiding place, the children soon sit down and begin to write and illustrate their own little books, finding out, as did Sam, that writing can be a lot of fun.

Library Mouse is an engaging way to introduce classroom units on libraries, authors, or books in general. Kirk's illustrations of Sam's mouse-sized home and his clever pictures of Sam shelving his own creations in correct shelf order will appeal to kids and librarians alike, and this book should become a staple for annual use during American Library Week or Children's Book Week.

Pair this one with Michelle Knudsen's Library Lion (reviewed here September 2, 2007), Carla Morris' The Boy Who Was Raised by Librarians, or James Daugherty's Caldecott classic, Andy and the Lion (Picture Puffins).

Riding the Rails: Chugga Chugga Choo Choo by Kevin Lowe

SUN'S UP. MORNING'S HERE! 

UP AND AT 'EM, ENGINEER!

CHUGGA CHUGGA CHOO CHOO!

WHISTLE BLOWS. 

WHOOOOOOOOO! WHOOOOOOOOO!

A Teddy bear and all the toys wave to the engineer and boy as the train as a clown oversees the loading of boxcars and the choo choo pulls out of the station. The old-fashioned locomotive, drivers driving, begin the journey, pulling a coal car, freight cars, and a red caboose. The train winds through the room under a chair and over its rocker as train lovers, a man and boy, a cowboy on horseback, and a barking dog watch it pass. Through the Box Mountains and wooden-blocks pass the little train goes. And then...

INTO THE TUNNELS, UNDERGROUND.

SEE THE DARKNESS, HEAR THE SOUND! WHOOOOOOOOOO!

Then the train crosses the long bridge over the river, and not far ahead is their destination--the city. A dog walker waves to the boy and the engineer as the train slows down for the station, where strong workers wait to unload the freight--a box of penguins and a box of dog bones come off first as the boxcars grow empty.  And then, down goes the sun.

THE JOB IS DONE!

And into the roundhouse the engine, coal car, freightcars, and caboose all head.

It getting dark and it's time for bed, in Kevin Lowe's vintage choo choo story, Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo (Disney Hyperion). With jolly rhymes and the rhythm of the rails, this old-fashioned little train story takes young children gradually and gently toward bedtime, as Daniel Kirk's illustrations mix rounded Playskool-type figures and geometric shapes in soft, muted pastels. Kirk is also the noted illustrator of the popular Library Mouse series, Ten Things I Love About You, and his 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. (See reviews here.)

Night Flight: While the World Is Sleeping by Pamela Duncan Edwards

Come, little sleepyhead, come with me.
I have left my hill, high in the tree.
Oh, what wondrous things we will see.
While the world is sleeping.

A giant white owl invites a sleepy child to fly along on a dreamlike journey among the creatures of the night. The bright pajama-clad tot gladly opens her bedroom window and climbs aboard the owl's ample back and immediately finds herself in a midnight world where not all are sleeping, the world of nocturnal woodland creatures.

Silver fish are swimming past,
In the river running fast.
Will they reach the sea at last?
While the world is sleeping.

A bright-eyed fox is on the prowl.
He hopes to take a juicy fowl,
Until he hears the guard dog howl.
While the world is sleeping.

The entranced child watches baby rabbits at play, beavers at work on their dam, and a wise mouse mother warning her babies of the dangers all around while she soars on the downy owl's back through the night, until at last it is time to return to the sleeping world at home.

And soon the rooster's song will warm.
Dark is going, it is almost dawn.
The day is waiting to be born.
The world has finished sleeping.

Best-selling author Pamela Duncan Edwards' anti-lullaby is both dreamlike reverie and thrilling night adventure in her brand-new While The World Is Sleeping (Orchard Books, 2010). Duncan's simple lyric verse is artfully set forth by Daniel Kirk, (author/illustrator of the best-selling Library Mouse, Abrams, 2007) in lively but fantasy-inspired illustrations of the separate lives of creatures who, like the young child, are lovers of the night, while in his final painting we see the golden sun rising behind the chicken coop, the owl, with a farewell look, briefly perched on top, while in the foreground, the sleepy child rubs her eyes and seems to wonder if she has dreamed this sleep-time adventure. Pair this one with Susan Swanson's 2009 Caldecott Award book, The House in the Night,--and sweet dreams to all!