About the Book:
Title: Some Days
Author/Illustrator: Maria Wernicke
Translator: Lawrence Schimel
Pub. Date: November 1, 2020
Beagles and Books is excited to be part of the blog tour for Some Days. Special thanks to Amazon Crossing and Barbara Fisch of Blue Slip Media for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Review:
Some Days begins quietly with a mother and daughter sitting a kitchen table after finishing a meal. The palette of gray, black, and white and the mother’s and girl’s forlorn expressions convey a mood of sadness and despair. But when you turn the page, a glimmer of normalcy emerges. The girl is petting her dog and a patch of red appears in the mother’s laundry basket. The girl utters 6 words.
The girl continues sharing that through this passageway, she is reunited with a loved one (possibly her father). With him, she feels safe, free from danger, and even knows how to swim.
Unfortunately, the passageway is not always there. Astute eyes will notice that the girl’s portal to this safe place may lie in the hanging of red sheets on the clothesline.
After the end of the story, the mother tells the daughter that while we might not always see it, never stop looking for the passageway. They walk out together arm in arm with the little girl wearing the hat of her loved one.
Some Days is a tender and gentle story of heart, hurt, but most importantly hope. I must admit that the page spread of the girl hugging the man really tugged at my heart. After my husband and I said goodbye to our first beagle, Beaglie, we both remarked that the house was so cold without him. I can empathize with the girl for feeling cold in her loss. Wernicke’s illustrations are absolutely gorgeous and show not only the mother’s and daughter’s grief but also their love for each other. Her choice of using red sparingly conveys to me that red means love. In translating to English from Spanish, Schimel chooses words carefully to allow the illustrations to deliver the story’s message. Losing a loved one is extremely difficult no matter one’s age. Some Days reminds us that we can still look for that person in our daily lives.
Praise for Some Days!
About the Author:
Giveaway!
One lucky winner will receive a copy of Some Days courtesy of Amazon Crossing Kids (U.S. and Canada addresses). This giveaway is open from Friday, November 6, 2020 through Friday, November 13, 2020 ending at 10:00 p.m. EST. Please note that book may take longer to ship so patience is appreciated. Enter below or head over to my Twitter account, @lauramossa and retweet my Some Days blog tour post.
Like Jack, Gretel, and Hansel (#girlpower Gretel), Red does questions some of the narrator’s directions remarking “You’re sending a child carrying a giant basket, into the woods, ALL ALONE? After the narrator answers with a simple yes, Red agrees stating “You’re in charge!” But I wonder for how long?
Well, not long because on the very next page spread, Red is now wearing her little sister’s blue cape to Grandma’s. And on her way to Grandma’s, she meets up with the Big Bad Wolf…wait…I mean..Captain Hook. It turns out the the wolf is sick which does not make the narrator happy.
Still trusting, Red continues following the narrator’s directions as she journeys to Grandma’s but Captain Hook is not feeling it. “I did not agree to people–eatin,” he says. Pirates are all about stealing loot which is why he continually conflicts with the narrator. When Red finally gets to Grandma’s, you can imagine the antics that ensue especially when Pinocchio fills in for the woodsman to rescue her from the Big Bad Wolf…oops..Captain Hook. And it’s NOT a Funk & Taylor fairy tale unless a character opens a restaurant serving fairy tale creatures.
I am always smiling and laughing after reading Funk and Taylor’s hilarious parody of a classic fairy tale. One of the highlights was the lively exchanges between Red and the narrator because he always told the truth and while she questioned his directions, she was still willing to follow them. What I also loved about It’s Not Little Red Riding Hood is the decision to have other fairy tale characters stand in the original characters. Captain Hook acted like himself, not the Wolf which made the story more humorous and a more fun read aloud.
Last November, the second grade class I read to for #classroombookaday, had the immense pleasure of hosting Josh Funk for an author visit where we not only got a sneak peek at It’s Not Little Red Riding Hood, but also Josh, the classroom teacher, and me engaged in a reader’s theater of taking on the voices of the narrator, Red, and Captain Hook which was such fun. I mean, come on…who doesn’t want to talk like a pirate?
I am in awe of Funk’s witty and playful writing and Taylor’s bold and engaging illustrations literally leap off the page. And kids love searching for cameos of other fairy tale characters throughout the book. Kids always ask which fairy tale will be next in the series as do I. My fingers (and Bella’s paws) are crossed that there are more It’s Not a Fairytale adventures to come!
About the Author:
Like the characters in his books, Josh Funk doesn’t like being told how stories should go—so he writes his own. He is the author of many popular picture books, including the popular Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast series, illustrated by Brendan Kearney, and the It’s Not a Fairytale books, illustrated by Edwardian Taylor. He lives in New England with his family. Learn more about him at 
It’s Not a Fairytale Series Giveaway!
Two Lions is offering all three books in the It’s Not a Fairytale series–It’s Not Jack and the Beanstalk, It’s Not Hansel and Gretel, and It’s Not Little Red Riding Hood to one lucky winner (U.S. addresses). Giveaway begins Friday, October 23, 2020 and ends at 10 p.m. Friday, October 30, 2020. You can enter below or retweet my Twitter post.
During World War I, her passion to help remained strong first enlisting in the navy and joining the Red Cross. When she returned to Florida, developers and speculators had taken control of the Everglades, which did not sit well with Marjory; she knew the area must be preserved but how can she convince others?
Beagles & Books 