Picture Book Review: The Rough Patch by Brian Lies

The Rough Patch by Brian Lies. unpgd. Greenwillow Books/ HarperCollins Publishers, August, 2018. 9780062671271. (Review from finished copy borrowed from public library while I wait for my own to come.)

As I stood waiting for my purchases to be totalled at Blue Bunny Books in early August, I spied this book with a little note sticking out saying that Brian Lies was signing the following week. 

I felt momentary regret at not being able to attend, but took solace in reading the book while I waited. I asked Margie, the bookseller if I could buy it (despite the "display only" message;-). Alas, it was still a week before the publication date and she could not. I went home and put it on my school book order. #nevertoooldforpicturebooks.

Well. I borrowed it from the public library while waiting for my order to be approved, processed and sent. I could not wait to read it again. I'll Love You Forever by Hans Wilhelm (Crown, 1985) and Badger's Parting Gifts by Susan Varley (Lothrop, Lee & Shephard, 1984) are my two favorite picture books dealing with loss. This makes my third. 

It is perfect. The text is spare, powerful and moving. The acrylic, oil and colored pencil illustrations are absorbing. The reader rollicks and frolics along with Evan and his dog in a series of joyful spot art. Then, the unthinkable happens. Lies' use of white space here is extraordinary. 

Evan is in a dark place. He's sad and angry, allowing readers to own similar feelings. He destroys his garden and it becomes dark and scary and prickly and uncomfortable. Once he allows a pumpkin vine to establish itself, Evan slowly starts to care again. He nurtures it and when it ripens into a truly magnificent specimen, Evan is ready to return to the world again, so he enters the pumpkin into the fair. Realistically, he does not win, but he reconnects with friends and enjoys himself. The prize money comes with a bonus, which Evan doesn't feel ready for; but he relents. And I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding.

This is a picture book for any age. Anyone who has experienced loss will see himself or herself in Evan. Share widely and listen when your young readers share their own thoughts about The Rough Patch or their own rough patch. What an incredible gift this is. Buy it and share it. 

Middle Grade Monday: Matylda Bright and Tender by Holly McGhee

Matylda, Bright and Tender by Holly McGhee. 210 p. Candlewick Press, March, 2017. 9780763689513. (Review from purchased finished copy.)

This impressive debut is perfect for fans of sad books like The Bridge to Terabithia. Sussie, short for Susquehanna, is our narrator and the Matylda of the title is the name of the leopard gecko pet she shares with her best-friend-since-kindergarten, Guy. Matyda resides in a tank in Sussie's room, but it's Guy she's most fond of. Matylda trusts him enough to crawl up his arm and hang out on his shoulder. Sussie admits to being a little jealous of that; but also of not feeling the fondness for their pet that Guy has. When the unthinkable happens, Sussie is devastated. She refuses to wear anything but the outfit she was wearing on that day and hopes that by taking the very best care of Matyda, she will keep her friend close to her. She's not only processing her grief but her guilt as well. As she does so, an new Sussie emerges, the stealing girl. Her parents are at a complete loss about how to comfort her. 

This is not only a book to give to your readers who like to cry but it's one to recommend as a read aloud as well.