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How will you be celebrating this Saturday February 14th?  Some see it as a chance to demonstrate the most romantic of gestures, showering their special ones with gifts of affection. Others only need to show an act of kindness to prove they care. Either way, whether it’s Valentine’s Day, International Book Giving Day or Library […]

“It’s magic!” was Little Brother’s gleeful reaction to Jan Ormerod’s beautifully executed Water Witcher (Little Hare, 2006); and he literally jumped up and down in excitement, when we read it together this evening.

On a parched, drought-stricken farm in the Australian outback, Dougie helps his dad collect water each day from the ominous-sounding Last Stop Well, an hour away by horse and dray from their farm. Dad tells Dougie that if his grandfather were still alive, he would be able to find water because he was a water witcher (aka diviner). Dougie is intrigued and decideds to try it out for himself, though he knows that you have to “have the gift. Only one in a thousand can do it.”

To his astonishment and delight, his divining stick does tip downwards. Despite the scepticism of his mother and sisters, he spends the rest of the day and evening digging - it’s hard work and it looks like it hasn’t worked after all. Then at bedtime he heads outside for one more look and discovers that his hole has filled with water. All thoughts of going to bed disappear in a joyful frenzy of splashing, bringing the animals to drink, watering the vegetables and filling every available vessel with water…

Jan Ormerod has produced an absolute gem of a book. The illustrations are stunning (you can see a couple of them here). Using an effective palate, restricted mainly to oranges and blues, she evokes the heat of day and the coolness of water, as well as the emotional intesity with which Dougie sets about finding it. The narrative really gets this across too, offering insight into that sense of achievement in being “one in a thousand” in your family’s eyes, whatever it is you set your heart on doing. And the story also offers a glimpse of a bigger picture - the importance and precious nature of water, which it is so easy to waste when all you have to do is turn on a tap… Moss, Green Children’s Books talks more about this aspect of the book here.

Meanwhile, I know that tomorrow Little Brother will be walking around our garden with a forked stick… and for all you sceptics out there, it really does work - as a young teenager, I once had a go at Menzies Castle, which we happened to visit while major restoration work was carried out. Perhaps the water diviner was looking for old wells, I don’t remember - but he let me have a try and WOW that feeling when the stick dipped! I’ve never forgotten it!

Author: Stephanie Calmenson
Illustrator: Jan Ormerod
Published: 2007 Clarion Books (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0618510346 Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Three adorable dogs and plenty of vicarious petting cleverly disguise the delivery of essential, clearly stated instructions for dealing with dogs — friendly and otherwise. If only instruction manuals were all so thrilling.

Other safety books mentioned:

• No Dragons For Tea

More Dogs on JOMB:

• “Let’s Get a Pup!” said Kate
• The Pound from the Hound
• Poodlena
• The Trouble with Tilly Trumble
• The Outside Dog
• Dogs’ Night
• I Want A Dog

Check out the full list of non-fiction picture books nominated for the 2007 Cybils Awards here.

Illustrating THE ADVENTURES OF CALI was sheer joy for me! The Publisher and author were fantastic to work with, and the story is touching without being sappy. The idea that a little boy actually carried a caterpillar all the way from California's countryside to an apartment in Flordia IN A SALAD was too much fun to pass up. To make the book even more fun the publisher had the printer make the cover illustration of the caterpillar all sparkly. A finger puppet and another toy are coming soon to partner with the book.

Finally available at AMAZON THE ADVENTURES OF CALI, are also featured on a new website. Take a peek and look for more to come. Cali has some surprises in store for her young and young at heart readers. Suggested for children 5-8 it is a lovely story that children enjoy hearing over and over.

These illustrations are from 'THE ADVENTURES OF CALI' by Michele Lallouz Fisher, featuring my illustrations. On his flight home from California to his city apartment a young boy 'HIDES' his caterpillar friend in an airport food stand salad..... Naturally it is a bit surprising to the other passengers on the plane.

I spent a wonderful day with the children of Pierce Elementary School in Bennington, NH. We had a great time getting to know each other and I had a chance to show the students some of the ins and outs of digital artwork. Along the way we read from 'Princess Caitlin's Tiara' and 'The Adventures of Cali.' I brought along my own Princess Tiara to wear, just (well almost) like Caitlin's, and each child who listened to the story about Cali got to take home a Cali finger puppet. The one that I made is from cardstock, but the one that will be presented when the books come out later this summer will look like the fuzzy one shown here next to Cali's book cover.

I was really impressed with the attention, interest, and teriffic good manners of all the children!