Rutabaga's Reads 2024: Part 5

The year is streaming on by, but here is the first picture books compilation of 2024. Better late than never, as the saying goes. It features three books I own and two library checkouts.

Baker and Taylor and the Mystery of the Library Cats (Oct. 4, 2022) by Candy Rodó.

Meet Baker. He’s serious, quiet and enjoys reading about history and faraway places. He reads to learn. Meet Taylor. He’s silly, outgoing and enjoys adventure stories. He reads for fun. Their cat friend, Flora, encourages them to visit other libraries, so they adventure to the main branch of the New York Public Library (NYPL). They arrive in Pennsylvania Station (over 650,000 people travel through Penn Station daily, making it the busiest transportation station in the Western Hemisphere), excited to meet two other library cats, but they can’t find them. With Baker’s trusty guidebook and Taylor’s keen sense of adventure, this book-loving feline duo are about to solve the mystery of NYPL’s Library Cats. They’ll take the subway, partake of a slice of NYC pizza and visit one of the city’s many bodegas.

            This first in a newly independent reader series contains thorough but simple digital illustrations complementing an unfussy adventure picture book featuring two bookish cats. It’s a light storyline that is uncomplicated and easy to follow. The pictures do not capture the constant movement and energy of NYC, but as that’s not the focal point of the story, that is a small thing. Still, I’ll admit that I found the factual tidbits and the factual back matter to be more engaging than the story itself. I picked up the book, not because I’m a cat-loving bibliophile (even though I am), but because I’ve visited the main branch of the New York Public Library!

            Note 1: For those who don’t know, Patience and Fortitude are the “library cats.” They’re actually lion statues. They’ve been guarding the main building of the NYPL since 1911.

            Note 2: The NYPL is the largest public library system in the country. It has 92 locations throughout the different neighborhoods in the city. The main branch is on 5th Avenue, between 42^nd and 40^th Streets. It was founded in 1895.

            Note 3: There are more than 10,000 bodegas (small grocery stores) in NYC. Many have a pet cat to keep mice away, but they greet customers, too.

            Note 4: Besides housing millions of books, the NYPL has also been home to the original toys of Christopher Robin, Winnie-the-Pooh and his friends, Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet, and Kanga since 1987.

Eyes that Speak to the Stars (Feb. 15, 2022) by Joanna Ho.

   Dung Ho, illustrator.

A Chinese American boy feels the hurtful sting of seeing his eyes represented as two slanted lines when all of his friends have big, round eyes. His Baba (dad) reassures him that “Your eyes rise to the skies and speak to the stars. The comets and constellations show you their secrets, and your eyes can foresee the future. Just like mine.” The boy’s eyes are like Agong’s (Grandpa’s) and Di-Di’s (younger brother’s). His eyes are “visionary.” “And they are powerful.”

            This story is as mesmerizing and lyrical as its predecessor. It is lovingly validating and the young boy is quickly and beautifully reassured with eyes in his family that look like his. For me, growing up adopted in a family of Caucasians, this would’ve been a tough one for me as a young child. The only eyes in my family to compare to were all big, round eyes. Fortunately, as an adult, I appreciate the necessity for stories like this, that celebrate family, diversity and the splendor in our differences. Dung Ho’s illustrations complement Joanna Ho’s writing to perfection and not only depict the story as it moves along, but includes icons recognizable in Chinese culture like dragons, a Chinese street market and Kongming (Chinese sky) lanterns. Heritage should be embraced no matter where someone’s landed in the world, and this book showcases that.

            Companion to: Eyes that Kiss in the Corners

Jan Brett’s The Nutcracker (Nov. 16, 2021) by Jan Brett.

It’s Christmas, and Uncle Drosselmeier has brought mysterious boxes. Marie is enthralled by the Nutcracker who she declares “looks like a real boy who has traveled from a place far away.” Her brother, Fritz, wanting to see how the Nutcracker works, breaks him, prompting Marie to check on the Nutcracker in the night. She feels magic and gets involved in a battle between invading mice and Fritz’s toy soldiers led by the Nutcracker. The Mouse King is vanquished, and Marie and her Nutcracker visit a wintry wonderland. Is it real? Or is it all a dream?

            In true Brett fashion, the story is filled with vignettes alongside the picture spread. Normally busy, I felt like it was too busy. It didn’t deter me from liking the story that follows the well-known arc from E.T.A. Hoffman’s famous story. The language is descriptive, and the illustrations are vivid and incredibly detailed. The story incorporates familiar moments from the ballet. However, animals are the cast in the second act. Dancing bears perform the Russian Trepak, and elegant foxes perform the Danse Arabe. Wildlife in the vignettes are dressed in winter wear playing flutes and other instruments. It is a feast for the eyes and a dreamland of wonder with an Old World feel. It is a Christmas confection.

There’s a Ghost in This House (Nov. 2, 2021) by Oliver Jeffers.

A young, unnamed girl lives in a supposedly haunted house, but has she seen a ghost? No. “Perhaps you could help me?” she asks. She’s heard that they “are white with holes for eyes” and adds that they’re very hard to see. She says she’s looked all over – in the library, in the attic, behind all the wardrobes, under the bed (TWICE!) and even up the chimney – but she’s still never spotted one. Will you help her find the ghosts?

The girl lives in an 18th-century mansion with long hallways, quiet rooms and plenty of dark corners, but far from being spooky, this picture book is charming. Does it have eerie vibes? Sure, but they’re unthreatening in this story that reads rather like a seek-and-find. The ghosts on the vellum papers are Casper-adorable and have playful senses of humor. It’s a lighthearted treat to read.

P.S. My nephew LOVED this story. He read it first with his grandma (my mom, to me), and when I read it with him, he remarked with glee when I pointed out two ghosts that he’d missed the first time he read the story! Hands down, it’s a 10/10. How can it not be, when it’s nephew-approved?

We Are Water Protectors (Mar. 17, 2020) by Carole Lindstrom.

   Michaela Goade, illustrator.

“Tears like waterfalls stream down.” A black snake threatens to destroy Earth and poison her people’s water, so one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth’s most sacred resource. In Ojibwe culture, “women are the protectors of the water and men are the protectors of the fire.” Water is the first medicine, we come from water, and we all depend on water. The water protectors stand “With our songs / And our drums. / We are still here.” As long as water protectors exist, the black snake is in for a long fight. We are all related. TAKE COURAGE! WE STAND!

            Anishinaabe/Métis author Lindstrom and Tlingit descent illustrator Goade are a powerhouse team whose story isn’t only telling the readers to be observant. It’s a call to courageous action to care for our planet home, Earth. We stand not only for ourselves and our loved ones, but for all the creatures of the land, sea and sky who don’t have voices. It’s a passionate picture book with subtly bold, gorgeous illustrations. It’s inspiring and empowering. It’s educational without the weight of a class lecture, but the call to environmental stewardship is nonetheless impactful.