Poetry Book - Delicious! Poems Celebrating Street Food Around the World by Julie Larios

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
found at Northeast Harbor Library

2021 Beach Lane Books

32 pgs.

Endpapers:  solid bright yellow

Goodreads rating:   3.63 - 24 ratings

My rating:  4 (5 for illustrations - one of my all-time favorite illustrators, and this book shows why)

My comments:  Brilliant and beautiful, glorious two-age spreads using color themed masterpieces to highlight each poem (can you tell I love the illustrations?)  What a perfect way to highlight a country and its culture!

NY, NY    

Oaxaca, Mexico

Jaffa, Irael

Marrakech, Morocco

Launcester, Tasmania, Australia

St. Petersburg, Russia

Lima, Peru

Mumbai, India

Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia

Seoul, South Korea

Athens, Greece

Dakar, Senegal

Beijing, China

Boston, Massachusetts

By the Sea

Jaffa, Israel

Orange Juice

in an orange cup

from an orange cart

with orange wheels --

and a big, BIG pile

of orange peels.

Goodreads: Journey around the world with this poetry collection celebrating delicious international street food!

          The world is a delicious place! Come along on an international journey to try a hot pretzel in New York City; saffron tea in Mumbai, India; deep fried scorpions in Beijing, China; and much, much more.
          This poetry collection celebrates all the different kinds of street food from around the globe, introducing young readers to snacks they know and ones they’ve never heard of—showing that no matter where we live, we all appreciate a yummy treat!

POETRY PICTURE BOOK - Flutter & Hum by Julie Paschkis

Aleteoy y Zumbido: Poemas de Animales
Illustrated by the author

2015, Henry Holt & Co.

HC &$17.99

32 pgs.

Goodreads rating: 4.03

My rating:  5

Endpapers: Green

Title Page Single page, decorated with animals from the poems

My comments:  Ah, Julie Paschkis.  One of my all-time favorite illustrators.  And in this gorgeous picture book, she wrote all the poems, too - in two languages!  Some of them just sang out to me.  Others didn't.  She wrote them first in Spanish, then translated to English.  Her illustrations are luscious.  A feast for the eyes.  The few poems that weren't fives for me sounded GREAT in Spanish, even though I couldn't understand a word!

Goodreads:  All sorts of animals flutter and hum, dance and stretch, and slither and leap their way through this joyful collection of poems in English and Spanish. Julie Paschkis's poems and art sing in both languages, bringing out the beauty and playfulness of the animal world.

Snake
Slithering
through
the grass
the sinuous snake
is writing
a slippery poem
with his body.
But his alphabet is
too simple.
He only knows
one letter:
sssssssssss.

Crow
On this gray day
on the gray street
the black crow caws.

He hops,
        stops,
          and stares
at a yellow umbrella --
the only sun shining
today.

Owl
The moon is a lantern
in the branches.
A shimmer.

A shadow whistles
through the grass.
A whisper.

Out of the darkness
an owl hoots.
An echo.

The night train
is leaving.

Illustrator Spree - Julie Paschkis

Birthday: August 30, 1957
Lives: in Seattle (raised near Philadelphia)
Family: She lives with her husband, Joe Max Emminger

Not only has Julie Paschkis become one of my favorite illustrators, but I recently discovered that she creates FABRIC, too.  FABRIC!  I love FABRIC!  I want to make a quilt - for ME - from Julie Paschkis fabrics!  You can purchase online, but it looks like there are some fabric stores in Washington state that carry her line (perhaps near where she resides?)  Road trip!

Here's a link to her website.
She's part of a blog with four other author/ illustrators: Julie Larios, Margaret Chodo-Irvine, Bonny Becker, and Laura Kvasnofski.  Find it here.

Albert the Fix-It Man 
written byJanet Lord, 2008
Albert helps everyone in the neighborhood by fixing fences and leaky faucets and even mending broken teacups. So when he gets a terrible cold, the neighborhood comes together to fix him a meal and make him feel better. I wish I had an Albert.

Apple Cake: A Recipe for Love (2012)
Bottle Houses (Melissa Eskridge Slaymaker) 2004

Building on Nature; the Life of Antoni Guadi
written by Rachel Victoria Rodriguez) 2009
Antoni Gaudi was an architect, born in 1852, that devoted his career to the city and surroundings of Barcelona at the turn of the century. Apparently, these magnificent creations are the number one tourist draw to that city. I wonder if you can make it as a tourist there with no Spanish?

Fat Cat (Margaret MacDonald) 2001
First Steps (Lee Wardlaw) 1999

Flutter and Hum: Animal Poems











Fortune Telling, Palmistry, and Tarot (Dennis Fairchild (1996)

Glass Slipper 
Paul Fleischman, 2007
which make the visual enjoyment of this story even more wonderful. The fairly small amount of text is written in small white boxes that are framed by batik-looking backgrounds. Paschis uses designs and motifs from each of the various cultures that she's depicting. The illustration for each is placed in a rectangle above the text, and she includes as much information from the country as possible. The only thing that never changes is Cinderella's face.

Great, Slobbery, Smelly, Small-Tooth Dog
written by Margaret Read Macdonald, 2007
I do love the illustrations. They have such a folksly, Scandinavian/Russian look to them. Julie Pachkis is such a wonderful artist. Each illustration is encased with the same rope that makes the squares on the endpaper. What is left in the white space are the words and branches of plants from the endpapers.

Happy Adoption Day! (John McCutcheon) 2001
Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia (Won-Ldy Paye) 2002
Here Comes Grandma! (Janet Lord) 2005
I Have a Little Dreidel (Maxie Baum) 2006
Imaginary Menagerie: A Book of Curious Creatures (Julie Larios) 2008
Italian Soup Cookbook (Joe Famularo) 1997
Knock on Wood (Janet Wong) 2003
Mooshka, A Quilt Story (2012)
Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile (Won-Ldy Paye) 2003
Night Garden (Janet Wong) 2000

Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story 
written by Hena Khan 2008
The illustrations. They remind me of batik, my very favorite fabric. The outline for each picture is done in an ivory/cream-colored line. How? It says they were "rendered in gouache and permanent masking medium on paper". I'm not sure what this means, but it sure is intriguing. And there's no negative space. None at all. Each illustration is framed by a shape; rectangles, tablets, mosque-shaped araches. And outside those frames, all the way to the edge of the page, is an Islamic tile motif...lots and lots of different designs in rich blues, aquas, turquoises. Camels and suns and leaves and flowers. Its almost like that thin ivory/cream line is the grout holding hundreds of pieces of ceramic together. Mmmmmm. Love it.

Nutcracker, The (2001)
Pablo Neruda: Poet of the People (Monica Brown) 2011
Play All Day (1998)
P. Zonka Lays an Egg (coming 2015)
So Happy, So Sad (1995)
So Sleepy, Wide Awake (1994)
Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian (Margarita Engle) 2010
Talking Vegetables (Won-Ldy Paye & Margaret H. Lippert) 2006
Through Georgia's Eyes (Rachel Victoria Rodriguez) 2006
Twist: Yoga Poems (Janet S. Wong) 2007
Where is Catkin? (Janet Lord) 2010
Who Put the Cookies in the Cookie Jar? (George Shannon) 2013

Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary 
Julie Larios, 2006
14 poems about 14 animals, illustrated in bright colors on a white-framed page. Really lovely illustrations.

The Great Smelly, Slobbery, Small-Tooth Dog - Margaret Read Macdonald

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
August House, 2007
$16.95
32 thick, glossy pages
for: Young kids, fairy tale comparison studies
Endpapers: 12 boxes on each page (24 total). The separations are rope. Each box contains a plant and its "meaning". For example: Hawthorne/hope, Mustard Seed/indifference, Hazel/reconciliation, Sweet Pea/departure. These illustrations are sprinkled around on the pages of the book, so after reading, you could have a see how each accompanies that part of the story. Hmm. Clever idea.

A rich man is saved by a great smelly, slobbery, small-tooth dog and promises to give the dog one of his treasures. It is the rich man's daughter the dog desires, and she dutifully accompanies him off to his home -- which ends up being a spectacular castle. The daughter and the dog become close friends. One day he finds her crying and discovers that she misses her father. Upon the daughter's reconciliation with her father, the dog discovers that she had "the look of love in her eyes" for him, and he tore off his wooly coat and became a handsome prince. Well, I've got to say that I didn't consider him particularly handsome....

..... but I do love the illustrations. They have such a folksly, Scandinavian/Russian look to them. Julie Pachkis is such a wonderful artist. Each illustration is encased with the same rope that makes the squares on the endpaper. What is left in the white space are the words and branches of plants from the endpapers.

The moral of the story: Don't ever forget to be kind. Kindness. Is. Huge. And in the poor princess's case, it changed her life when she didnt goof up.

Albert the Fix-It Man - Janet Lord

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Peachtree, 2008
$15.95
32 pages
For: Young kids, especially boys (I don't want to be sexist, but I know my grandson would like this)
Endpapers: Black with white tools of all sorts....clamps, flashlights, scissors, paint buckets, levels, balls of string, and even a hand-turned-old-fashioned-egg-beater-type drill.

I have becomje a Julie Paschkis fan - I just love her art. This story, written by her sister, is simple and fun and sends the message, "what goes around, comes around."

Albert helps everyone in the neighborhood by fixing fences and leaky faucets and even mending broken teacups. So when he gets a terrible cold, the neighborhood comes together to fix him a meal and make him feel better. I wish I had an Albert.

Again, Julie Paschkis delights with her simple, heart-warming drawings. Covering the entire page with a pale yellow instead of white the designs she uses - right down to the spotted cat, dishes in the cupboard, and the flying birds - just tickle me. Her website lists her books (there are quite a few!) and takes some peeks at her other artistic ventures.

Yellow Elephant, a Bright Bestiary - Julie Larios

Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Harcourt, 2006
32 pages
Rating: 4

14 poems about 14 animals, illustrated in bright colors on a white-framed page. Really lovely illustrations.

Orange Giraffe

Orange sun rising
over the savana --

Can you see the orange water

of the Juba River?
Can you hear the hyena's
high orange laugh?
Look!
On the riverbank,
an orange giraffe.

Turquoise Lizard

Thunder rolls

across the desert,

quieting the buzz

of the cicadas.

One worried lizard

zips quickly

under a rock.

When raindrops fall,

the small lizard,

turquoise tail curled,

stays bright and dry

in the wet world.

Green Frog

One thing for sure

about a green frog

on a green lily pad

on a green day

in spring:

One hop

and her green

is gone.

See how she swims,

blue frog now

under blue water.

Building on Nature - Rachel Rodriguez

The Life of Antoni Gaudi
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry Holt & Co., 2009
$16.99
32 pages
Rating: 4.5
Endpapers: Mustard, with lighter colored stenciled pomegranites and vines
Author's Note


Antoni Gaudi was an architect, born in 1852, that devoted his career to the city and surroundings of Barcelona at the turn of the century. Apparently, these magnificent creations are the number one tourist draw to that city. I wonder if you can make it as a tourist there with no Spanish?

This was all new information for me. Fascinating, spellbinding information. I've spent a couple of hours online since reading the book, looking up photos and more information (some links can be found at the end of this short review). Gaudi had an unbounded, creative enthusiasm for line and swoops and thinking outside the box-of-the-norm, creating from nature and the world around him. Apparently, he was even somewhat of an ecologist, reusing materials. Mosaics! Glass! Swooping metals. I really must go to Barcelona now. Never had any desire before this......

I have quite a fondness for Julie Paschkis' illustrations in both Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal and Night of the Moon -- and I do enjoy the illustrations in this book.....but I don't think they quite do justice to the fantastic architectural achievements of Antoni Gaudi.

"Gaudi's buildings curve and arch. They sparkle and glitter and whisper with joy."

His first big project, as described in the book, is the Vicens House (Casa Vicens). There's a photograph of it here. Wow. There are some great photos of the crypt at Colonia Guell here. And check out the incredible design of Casa Batllo here and here (this site is quite something, even accompanied by music). You can see the waves and swells of Casa Mila here, and take a tour of the unbelievable Park Guell here. And Gaudi's ultimate Holy Family Church can be seen - from many different angles- here.

Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal - Paul Fleischman

A Worldwide Cinderella
Illustrated by Julie Paschkis
Henry Holt & Co., 2007
$16.95
32 pgs.
Rating: 4,5
Endpapers: Aqua & avacodo world map showing 17 locations that are included in the story - bordered
Author's Note

I'm quite enamored of Paul Fleischman's work (I'm trying to forget that he wrote The Dunderheads), and this beautiful Cinderella does not disappoint. One of the reasons I love Fleischman's writing so much is that you never know exactly what to expect - he always has a clever take on things. Well, this Cinderella draws from 17 different countrys' adaptations of the story. So you'll be reading along, and get a page split into halves, or thirds, or quarters: And on the girl's feet appeared a pair of glass slippers (France)...diamond anklets (India)...sandals of gold (Iraq)....

The colors! The artwork! The book design! All my favorites are included, which make the visual enjoyment of this story even more wonderful. The fairly small amount of text is written in small white boxes that are framed by batik-looking backgrounds. Paschis uses designs and motifs from each of the various cultures that she's depicting. The illustration for each is placed in a rectangle above the text, and she includes as much information from the country as possible. The only thing that never changes is Cinderella's face.

Clever. Visual. A wonderful Cinderella. Read it after you've shared a few of the many, many available that tell the story from another culture's point of view.

Night of the Moon - Hena Khan

A Muslim Holiday Story
Illustrator: Julie Paschkis
For: Kids (and clueless adults)
Published: 2008
Rating: 5
Read: October, 2008 (during Ramadan!)
Endpapers: Blue/Aqua/Gold detail from Islamic tiles

Two wonderful things about this picture book - the illustrations and the information.

The illustrations. They remind me of batik, my very favorite fabric. The outline for each picture is done in an ivory/cream-colored line. How? It says they were "rendered in gouache and permanent masking medium on paper". I'm not sure what this means, but it sure is intriguing. And there's no negative space. None at all. Each illustration is framed by a shape; rectangles, tablets, mosque-shaped araches. And outside those frames, all the way to the edge of the page, is an Islamic tile motif...lots and lots of different designs in rich blues, aquas, turquoises. Camels and suns and leaves and flowers. Its almost like that thin ivory/cream line is the grout holding hundreds of pieces of ceramic together. Mmmmmm. Love it.

The information. The story is about Yasmeen, a Muslim girl living in the US. At the beginning of the month of Ramadan (the ninth month in the Muslim year) Mr. Sanchez, her teacher, introduces the holiday to his multi-racial class. Throughout the story we learn about fasting, special meals, partying, gift-giving, henna hand-painting, Eid, and how the moon and lunar calendar are the basis for the Muslim calendar.

I've been lucky enough to attend two different end-of-Ramadan feasts with Turkish friends. The food! The graciousness! Another wonderful culture to savor and enjoy. And this book celebrates this holiest of months in a gorgeous feast for the eyes. Great book.