Monday, July 20, 2015

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher

I love a good family story.  And by good, I don't mean that everything has to be perfect, or end happily, although that's nice when it happens.  I mean the type of family story that feels real, honest and satisfying.  In the last few years, I've come to realize that although families may be shaped differently, there is a love there that should be celebrated.  Families are magic when they work, and I love watching those moments unfold, whether in real life or on paper.

When I checked out The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher, I was just expecting it to be a fun read.  But I ended up loving it so much that I've read it twice this spring, and have kept it out from the library way too long.  I am so happy to be able to share it with you!

There are four boys in the Fletcher family - Sam, the oldest, is starting sixth grade; Jax and Eli are both in fourth grade (but at different schools), and Frog (whose real name is Jeremiah) is just beginning Kindergarten.  When the book begins, it is the first day of school..  The first day of school is filled with Fletcher family traditions, including a picture on the front steps before school starts, and a celebratory dinner when they all get home.  I love celebrating the little moments, and this first day of school dinner (there is a last day of school dinner too) is a special ritual I'll be stealing.  Each child gets served all their favorite foods at the first/last day of school dinner.  Eli always chooses Chinese dumplings and spareribs.  Sam wants spaghetti and meatballs (with homemade sauce).  Frog asks for macaroni and cheese from "'the purple box, not the blue box...That blue box is disgusting!'" (p. 22).  The boys' dad is a teacher, so he gets to have a special meal too: rare grilled steak with mushrooms and peppers.  And finally, "Papa had a small portion of everyone's meal, making, he said, a most fascinating study in how something can be less than the sum of its parts." (p. 22).  Whew - that is a lot of cooking - and eating!

Yes, there is a Papa and a Dad in this story and the matter of fact way this is treated by Levy gives me hope for more books where the emphasis is on the family structure, not who is within it.  While the Fletchers are all used to their family and how it operates, though, that isn't true of all of their community.  In the novel, Eli starts at a new school (more on that later), and as they arrive at a open house, Eli realizes that his family is a little overwhelming.  "Eli had been so worried about what his family would think of his school that he hadn't really though about how the school would react to his family. But as they trooped in, Eli couldn't help seeing them through new eyes... 'These are my dads' - he gestured behind him - 'and my brothers.'  Hoping desperately that was enough of an introduction, Eli swooped into his seat." (p.30-31).  Of course, people have questions, but the Fletchers mostly seem to attract attention because they are loud, rowdy boys, not so much because they have two dads. All four boys are adopted and are a mix of races, which can lead to more enquiries.  Eli thinks "He wasn't embarrassed about his family - it wasn't that.  It was just...there were so many of them.  And so many boys.  He knew the questions were coming." (p. 32)  The boys answer questions from Eli's new classmates as a family, united and secure in their story, although slightly defensive when kids get a bit too nosy.

But this novel is about the family at this time, not really how they became a family.  Each boy has their own story during the book as they navigate the school year.  We'll start with the youngest, Frog.  Frog is just beginning Kindergarten, and at dinner on the first day of school, Frog announces that he's met a new friend.  Her name is Ladybug Li, and she has three sisters and two moms.  This is all too much of a coincidence for anyone to believe.  They are already primed to be suspicious of Frog's information.  "Frog had what his preschool teacher had called an engaging and encompassing imaginary world, which Sam figured pretty much meant he was nuts.  Papa and Dad, of course, thought an imaginary cheetah under the bed was perfectly normal. " (p. 23)  Frog continues to insist throughout the year that Ladybug Li is real, but no one believes him.  And she is never at the birthday parties Frog attends, and she isn't in the phone directory...you can understand why everyone questions Frog's integrity.

Sam, who is entering sixth grade, has a great group of friends and plays soccer competitively.  Jax describes his brother this way: "Sam was royalty, kind of like a carnivore with a bunch of gazelles and zebras and wildebeests around him." (p. 7)  Sam's plan for the year involves preparing for the Elite team tryouts in the spring.  Getting on that team really requires plenty of practices, workouts, and an incredible amount of focus and determination.  But then Sam tells stories at the Fletcher Halloween party, and then kids ask him to tell stories during lunch period.  This leads to the director of the school play asking Sam to audition.  "She must have been joking - he'd never acted in his life.  Not that there was anything wrong with it, but he wasn't the type of kid.  He was the play-sports-every-recess type, the make-the-A-team-in-soccer type, the can't-wait-for-the-high-school-ski-team type.  Not the sing-and-dance-onstage type.  Obviously." (p. 93)  And suddenly Sam finds himself taking a risk, trying something unexpected, and possibly putting his soccer dreams on hold.

Then there is Eli.  At the start of the year, Eli is thrilled to be starting at a different school than his brothers.  He's been accepted at the Pinnacle School.  "A school where everyone was the smart kid sounded awesome.  A school where he didn't get 'rewarded' for already knowing the work by being allowed to sit and read quietly in the corner." (p. 15)  The school is expensive, and a huge shift for Eli.  "His parents hadn't been sure it was the right choice, but he knew it was." (p. 16)  This school has a lot of rigor, and doesn't believe in distractions like recess.  As the year continues on, Eli wonders if this is really the place for him.  This is the first big decision he's made for himself.  What if this was the wrong choice? 

Finally, Jax's story involves the whole family.  On the very first day of school, his fourth grade teacher announces a year-long Veteran's Project.  The students find a veteran and interview them about their experiences.  They will also research the war that veteran fought in.  The family realizes that their new next door neighbor, Mr. Nelson, is a Vietnam veteran.  The problem is that Mr. Nelson doesn't seem to like the Fletchers very much.  The boys always seem to be doing something wrong in Mr. Nelson's eyes.  After a contest to see who can hit the car horn harder gets the horn stuck, "Mr. Nelson had roared, threatening to call the police.  Eli had thought it was ridiculous.  It wasn't like they'd enjoyed the forty-five minutes it had taken to find the right fuse to turn the thing off any more than he had." (p. 14)  Diplomacy with Mr. Nelson will require effort from each of the Fletchers in order to get Jax's project completed.

There is so much life going on in this book.  Like any family, they have their ups and downs, but they work through things together.  The characters are dynamic and human.  Papa's sister, Lucy, lives in New York City and is a famous baker.  Frog loves to visit her because "best of all, when they were with her, she told them that, unless it endangered their health or well-being, the answer to any question would be yes." (p. 97)  Best aunt ever!  Every person in the book is full of personality and humor, even the cranky Mr. Nelson.  It keeps the book lively and chaotic, just like family life.

And that is what I love most about The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.  It is full of family life.  Levy includes the snapshots of everyday rituals as well as the traditions that matter to this family.  In the nine months that elapse during this novel, there are bound to be some of both.  But there is also the family magic - the support, love, listening and guidance that make a family work successfully.  At the beginning of the book, Papa says that the meal he ate is less than the sum of its parts.  Once you've met the family Fletcher, you realize that their strength is the sum of all of themI'd like to read another book about the Fletcher family - they've won my heart.

The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher.  Dana Alison Levy.  Delacorte Press, 2014.

borrowed from the Lewis & Clark Library

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Mighty Dads

In the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about dads.  It's only natural at this time of year, after all, since Father's Day was just a few weeks ago.  But I'm also getting ready to blog about The Misadventures of the Family Fletcher later this week, and that's a really great book about dads.  I've known that I wanted to blog about this picture book, Mighty Dads, for awhile, and I was lucky enough that Scholastic was willing to give me a copy to review.

Mighty Dads is illustrated by James Dean, of Pete the Cat fame, which made this book a favorite with Frances and Gloria.  But I knew that this book would be a perfect match for a father/son pair who are very dear to me.  Since the son is making his blog debut here, he'll need an alias, just like the girls have.  The post where I talk about why I chose their aliases is here, and many of the reasons I chose those names are  still true today, more than three years later.  And if you know Russell Hoban' books, you will know that Frances has a best friend named Albert.  Perfect for our young friend, who I will now refer to as Albert.  My Albert turns four in two weeks.  He is full of imagination and chatter, and is blessedly flexible about playing with any and all of the girls' toys.  He is also a big library fan, and whenever we go, Albert requests books about diggers, cranes, dump trucks, and construction sites.  Albert is sweet, loving, funny and all boy in his fascination with construction equipment.  Frances and Gloria never cared very much about those sorts of vehicles, so it's fun to learn new facts about them as Albert does.




Each construction vehicle father in this story takes their child to work with them.  On each two page spread, the father teaches the child how to do the job they'll share.  "Bulldozer Strong shows Dozy right from wrong.  They go roar, roar, roar!"  The simple text (just two sentences per spread) is rhythmic and easy to predict.  Listeners will enjoy chiming in with the sound that vehicle makes.  I can imagine a storytime getting progressively louder with each repetition.  It might also be fun to make the story more physical, acting out the various jobs.  The cranes reach, the cement mixer and his child go spin, spin, pour.  There are all sorts of applications for this story.

Another thing I love about this book is the way the fathers engage with the younger vehicles.  They are guiding their children through the routines of their everyday jobs, but they also are there to protect and support their children.  The text in the beginning of the book states that Mighty Dads "keep them safe and bolted tight and show them how to build things right."  That emphasis on doing their job correctly is referred to throughout the book.  These dads take pride in what they do for a job, in doing it well, and teaching their children to do the job successfully also.  And they don't neglect the fun, either.  "Dump Truck Sturdy teaches Dumpy to get dirty."  Isn't that the best part of a construction zone?  There are so many opportunities to do a dirty day's work.

While the fathers exhibit patience, strength and pride, the young vehicles show their energy and enthusiasm.  They want to be 'just like Dad'.  Each of the little vehicles looks just like a mini version of their father.  While they are trying to do their father's work, the younger versions always produce just a little less than their dads.  Junior Crane has to work on hauling girders on the shorter side of the building; his dad, Crane Long Arm, is delivering beam on the taller side.  Same with the dump trucks - Dumpy's pile of dirt is dwarfed by what his father has delivered. But the child's contribution is just as worthy.  I love the nicknames Holub has created for the equipment too - there's Boom Truck Tall and Boomer, Excavator Big and Vator (I sort of wish this father/child pair were dressed all in black to give off the Darth Vader vibe).  The nicknames keep each family related, but also keeps the personalities distinct.

Dean's illustrations are a perfect match for this story.  The backgrounds are simple and bright, keeping the focus on the equipment and their actions.  On the excavator page, there is a huge swath of blue sky framing the bright orange excavators.  The excavator pair balances on the brown dirt, their scoops digging out the earth below.  It helps create a sense of perspective for the reader, too.  Excavator Big fills most of one side of the spread, while little Vator is even smaller than the adjoining text.

The most winning part of the illustrations are Dean's trademark faces incorporated into the vehicle windows.  There is so much personality embued just by the slant of a large eye.  The crane's long arm resembles a pointy nose because of the eye placement.  Looking at the father-child pairs is so much fun.  The solid primary colors from the backgrounds continue on to the vehicles themselves.  It gives a sense of play to the construction work.  They are bright, attractive, yet simply drawn - the way construction equipment should be.  Each father is plain and hard-working, and proud of it.

And those hard-working fathers are proud of their children too.  When the day of work is done, they celebrate their children's achievements: "When their rumble day is through - Mighty Dads say 'I'm proud of you! Tomorrow let's build something new!'"  I love that the fathers end the day looking forward to spending the next with their children!  And everyone is fast asleep as the book ends.

This book is going to be well-loved by Albert and his dad, and I can't wait to share it with them.  Here's to a fun day spent together!

Mighty Dads. By Joan Holub; pictures by James Dean.  Scholastic Press, 2014.

sent by the publisher on request.