As an early childhood professional, picture books have always been my greatest tool in connecting to and communicating with children. It was no surprise to me when it also became my greatest tool as a parent. I’ve been reading to my two-year-old son, Liam, since he was in utero. When I was pregnant, I would get up early in the morning and sit in a rocking chair and read a book to him. After he was born, we continued this tradition, though now it takes place while eating breakfast, in between playing with trucks, and at bedtime. When my position as a curriculum manager took me to the annual conference of the National Association for the Education of Young Children last November, I awaited the opportunity to visit book vendors and search for new reads for Liam. Peachtree Publishing was the first press I visited, and Fabulous Fishes by Susan Stockdale was the first book to catch my eye.

Fabulous Fishes is an unassuming tale about different types of fish.  Kirkus Reviews raved, “Youngsters will tap their toes to [its] rhythm. . .,” and while I agree that Stockdale demonstrates a command of language, the feature of Fabulous Fishes that stands out most to me is its striking message: “No matter what [fishes] look like, they call the water home.” Parents and early childhood professionals alike often struggle to find a language for communicating with children about difference. Difference is inherent to being human, yet it causes so much strife in our world. In the context of Fabulous Fishes, the reader learns that fish can be round, striped, spiked, speckled, and spotted, among other things, yet at the end of the day, they are all fish and they all call the same place home. As an educator, I quickly saw the parallels between the book’s sentiment about fish and people and, of course, wanted to teach with it. As a curriculum manager, I have the unique opportunity to shape activities and learning content used in preschool classrooms across the country, so I wrote a series of activities about exploring difference with children, using Stockdale’s books as the impetus.

Many of Stockdale’s other stories communicate a similar message about creatures and the world in which they live. The next Stockdale book Liam and I read together was Stripes of All Types, which was the 2014 pick for the Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child program. Here, Stockdale uses stripes to connect creatures across ecosystems and continents. Stripes are the common characteristic among invertebrates, mollusks, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals. This trend continues in her book Bring On the Birds, in which she describes whooping birds, hanging birds, drumming birds, riding birds, and many more, and yet again, despite these special characteristics, “all of them have feathers and all are hatched from eggs.” With each book, Stockdale reminded me that difference is a unifying feature; she taught me that such diversity is as observable and nuanced as it is essential and defining.

For me, Stockdale’s books spark some obvious conversation starters for talking with children about appreciating and valuing difference. Children as young as two can identify racial and gender differences, and books like Stockdale’s provide a context for helping children understand that difference is not just universal, but shared. Beyond the page, however, Stockdale’s work made me think about our approach to teaching children about difference―what if instead of teaching about difference as looking for something unique, we started to teach about it as looking for something we have (or things have) in common?

With this framework in mind, I developed a series of activities to help children understand how color exists on a continuum and to encourage them to think about why variations of so many common things exist. For example, one activity involves listening to variations of a familiar song, like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and talking about what we notice about these variations. Another activity invites children to do a picture dictionary scavenger hunt, during which they would choose a picture from the dictionary and look for versions of that item in their school (or home) settings. Such activities will support children’s understanding of difference as something we can notice everywhere, rather than defining it as something that is unusual and other-ly.

Liam and I look forward to reading more of Stockdale’s books. While I’ve identified a message in her stories that has framed my professional experience, Liam is captivated by her distinct illustrations and the inclusion of nature facts that end many of her books. He loves to pretend to be many of the animals, especially the birds, and will ask to see specific illustrations by Stockdale’s descriptors―“Liam see ‘dancing bird,’” he’ll say, and then we’ll talk about the blue-footed booby while he dances. With Fabulous Fishes, Stripes of All Types, and Bring On the Birds, he is undoubtedly developing a love for nature that will follow him through life. With Stockdale’s books, Liam is learning how to look closely and pay attention―to see and experience this vibrant world.

Thanks to Teresa Narey for sharing her great ideas of how to explore differences by using picture books with young readers! Check out the rest of Susan Stockdale’s books here. Do you have a favorite book by Susan Stockdale? How do you teach difference with your young readers? Let us know in the comments!

In addition to my research to create Fantastic Flowers, I consulted closely with three botanists on the book: Dr. Ari Novy of the U.S. Botanic Garden; Dr. Peter Zale of Longwood Gardens; and Dr. Gary Krupnick of the National Museum of Natural History. They vetted my manuscript and illustrations for scientific accuracy and provided valuable feedback (and enthusiasm!) as I crafted the book.

These scientists were particularly helpful as I designed my approach to the back matter. Initially, I wanted to provide “shape” categories in which to place my 17 flowers and their pollinators. For example: “Flowers shaped like a long tube attract hummingbirds and insects that have long tongues to reach deep into the flower for nectar. Trumpet creeper.” However, my consultants advised against this. They said it was impossible to place the flowers’ pollinators in such neat categories, calling it “leaky science.”

Dr. Zale responded, “Your painting could use some modifications. The ends of the flowers should look more like stigmas than anthers. The styles should also be coming out of each flower. The flowers themselves should not be pointy but should curl open.”

Based on his comments, I revised my final illustration:

A former textile designer, Susan Stockdale has always been fascinated by pattern and color. She has written and illustrated a number of picture books—including Spectacular Spots, Stripes of All Types, Bring On the Birds, and Fabulous Fishes—which have received awards from the American Library Association, Bank Street College of Education, the Cooperative Children’s Book Center, the National Science Teachers Association, and the Parents’ Choice Foundation. Hear from her now as she shares about her latest picture book, Fantastic Flowers.

Q: What inspired the idea for Fantastic Flowers?

A: While visiting the U.S. Botanic Garden, I was charmed by an orchid that looked just like a monkey’s face. The idea for the book came to me in a flash—a book about flowers that look like other things! It struck me as such a playful and fun theme, but one that could have real educational heft, too.

Q: How did you find these unique flowers?

A: I did a lot of research. I pored over flower books, magazines, and online images. I was looking for the most fantastic and colorful flowers that resembled unusual things—both animate and inanimate.

Q: How did you go about researching them?

A: In addition to my print and online research, I consulted with botanists. I really leaned on them to make sure that my text and illustrations were factually accurate. I probably emailed the pollination expert 10 times with questions.

Q: How does nature continue to inspire your work?

A: Nature is the best designer. I never tire of trying to capture and interpret its magnificent colors, patterns, and shapes in my artwork.

Q: What intrigues you about the intersection of nature and art?

A: I enjoy the challenge of spotlighting specific aspects of nature that might pull readers in—from how and why animals wear their stripes to how flowers resemble other things—in words and pictures.

Q: How do you marry the rhythm of your text with your art?

A: I try to accomplish this with my pagination. In Fantastic Flowers, I featured two single-page images followed by two double-spread images to establish a predictable, rhythmic page turn for my reader that mimics the cadenced text.

Q: What is your process like as both the author and illustrator of a book?

A: My creative process is the same for every book. After coming up with an idea, I research, write the text, sketch the illustrations that would best fit the text, and paint, in that order.

Q: Which authors and illustrators do you admire?

A: I am a big fan of Steve Jenkins, Melissa Sweet, and Peter Sís.

Q: How do you hope teachers will use your book in the classroom?

A: I hope teachers read the book aloud, so children can appreciate its rhythm and rhyme, and that they use it as an introduction to teaching about the splendor and science of flowers.

Q: What do you hope young children will draw from this book?

A: I hope Fantastic Flowers will open young eyes to the surprising beauty and importance of flowers, and inspire children to appreciate and spend time in our natural world.

Fantastic Flowers by Susan Stockdale

With engaging rhymes and bright, bold images, award-winning author and illustrator Susan Stockdale introduces young readers to a wide range of unusual flowers. Can you imagine a flower that looks like a ballerina? A baboon? A napping baby?  It’s hard to believe that these flowers are real—but they are!

From the author of Spectacular Spots and Stripes of All Types comes this brilliant bouquet of 17 flowers from around the world that resemble everything from flying birds to laughing bumblebees.  Fantastic Flowers encourages object identification and inspires children to observe nature more closely.  Stockdale also provides information on the pollination process in the back matter as well as a flower identification guide that includes real pictures of every flower illustrated in the book.

“Optically striking… This is a book to closely pore over” —Kirkus Reviews

“Pick” your own copy of Fantastic Flowers on March 1st in the literary lawns of your local library, indie bookstore, or Barnes & Noble. Looking for a way to teach budding botanists about plants and their processes? Check out the Fantastic Flowers Teacher’s Guide.

Welcome to our new illustrator guest post series, Saturday Afternoon Picnics! And welcome to Susan Stockdale, author and illustrator of Spectacular Spots, and our very first guest blogger!

In this series, we’ll turn the blog over to your favorite Peachtree illustrators. They might take you on a studio tour, share an exclusive illustration, or do something completely different!

So pour yourself a glass of lemonade, sit back, and learn all about Susan Stockdale’s process of creating the illustrations that Horn Book called “eye-pleasingly dramatic” and Kirkus called “a feast for the eyes.”

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Illustrating Spectacular Spots
a guest post by Susan Stockdale

 

What kinds of animals have spots, and why do they have them? To hide more easily? To warn enemies to stay away? To recognize animals of their own kind?

I wrote and illustrated Spectacular Spots, a companion to my book, Stripes of All Types, to answer these questions and to introduce young readers to the behavior of all kinds of spectacular spotted animals. Spotlighting (pun intended!) animals with spots allowed me to paint intricate patterns – my favorite activity. Painting patterns calms and soothes me. Looking at repeating patterns also helps me feel a sense of order in a chaotic world.

The illustration process for all my books is the same: create many sketches of each animal; select the one I like best; create a final drawing; submit it to scientists to confirm it is factually correct; revise if necessary; and paint the image in acrylic on paper. Here are two Spectacular Spots illustration progressions:

John Schumacher, better known as Mr. Schu of Watch. Connect. Read. interviewed author illustrator Julie Paschkis on her latest book P. Zonka Lays an Egg.  We love the sentence starter format and the use of videos!  Who else wants to visit Seattle now?

Read the full interview here, and find P. Zonka Lays an Egg at your local library here.

Jama of Jama’s Alphabet Soup also featured Julie Paschkis for a “chat, a cluck, and a kulich.”  Not only does Jama share beautiful spreads from inside this new book, but also some delightful peeks into the egg decorating party that started it all!

Make sure to scroll all the way down for the Easter Coffee Cake Recipe!!!

Shannon of Gidget Girls Reading absolutely brought this book to life with the help of her daughters; artwork featured below.

You SHOULD try this at home! In fact, here is the How To Egg Party Guide written by Julie herself!

Thanks for reading, blogging, and following along.