2. HOLLER LOUDLY

Another book where I had the fortune of meeting the author! Here is a short preview of the beginning of the book so you get a good feel for the style...

This time meeting the author, I learned a little more about what it is like when a book has 2 separate people who write the words and create the illustrations. Cynthia Leitich Smith explained that once you create your story, you send it off and hope that the illustrator is in line with your vision.

Well, I can confidently say that illustrator Barry Gott was able to see that vision and run with it. Published in 2010, Holler Loudly has the feel of a tall tale set in the southwest, with an original character whose voice can shake the roof off of a house. Looking at the book, you are delighted by Gott's whimsical style that perfectly matches the twang of the words. 

At first glance, the book catches your eye visually. Though Gott uses solely digital art, he makes sure that it looks like the characters and scenes were painted by hand, giving it an authentic feel. For this book, he chose a cartoon-like style which helps amplify the boisterousness of the tall tale. Gott uses a variety of page layouts, sometimes single-page, sometimes small vignettes, and (chosen very carefully) a few double-page spreads that let us really hear Holler's voice; this variety makes each turn of the page bring something new, always keeping us guessing. His palette of intense colors is as loud as Holler's voice; when Holler yells, Gott makes sure the text and background characters show you how LOUD he is:

But wait...don't close the book just yet. You need to read it aloud to get the full effect. Right away, you can't help but get caught up in the playfulness of the tale, with the larger-than-life little boy who ends up using his powerful voice to save the town. Leitich Smith writes in such a way that you can't help getting a southern twang when reading it. 

And Holler was so LOUD, so LOUD, so absolutely

positively, knee-shakin', earth-quakin' LOUD that 

the tornado blew into a thousand sweet teeny breezy

breezes--not one with an ounce of sass.

There were so many literary elements woven in-- I heard simile, personification, alliteration, you name it-- that I could see using this in my fourth grade classroom as an exemplar of how to create the voice of a character and a story using figurative language. I could also see using this as part of a text set of tall tales, comparing traditional to more contemporary ones. Plus, I can also see just reading it to your child and having fun with the voice and the illustrations. The repetitive structure of the text is accessible from a very early age.

Kids of all ages will love to look carefully at the illustrations (there are little tiny details you don't always catch on first glance-- Gott does a good job of complementing and extending the text) and hear Holler's voice read over and over. After all, it is a story of triumph, where Holler's impressive, but sometimes frustrating, talent is appreciated in the end. Children will love that this book tells them it is okay to be loud; adults will love that it also tells them there are times to be quiet. It's a win-win situation for everyone! Enjoy, y'all!

Cynthia Leitich Smith and me!