“Summer and Bird” : exquisite cover and book!

The book I’m featuring today is Summer and Bird, by Katherine Catmull, published in 2012. I picked it up because of its cover.

What? Yes! Who made that saying up, anyway? “Don’t judge a book by its cover”… It’s stuff and nonsense. Don’t you choose a book because of its cover?

Book Two of “Piper Pan and Her Merry Band,” due out February 21, 2016

One of the delights about self-publishing is getting to be involved in the cover design process—not so in the traditionally-published world, where an author has no say in that arena. I am delighted with the cover of my new book, Becoming Piper Pan.

But of course the true delight of a book comes from what’s inside. What’s inside Summer and Bird is what I would call a “great soul poem.” It’s not literally poetry. Let me explain…

One of the reasons I love to read what are called “children’s books” is that writers of children’s books put their life wisdom, deep and wide, into their stories. The result is something pure and moving that doesn’t seem to exist quite the same way in any other genre.

That Katherine Catmull is a creative is obvious long before reaching the book’s back flap. The way she uses language, metaphor, imagery—it comes in a rush, like a dream, like a river, its current sometimes abrasive, always captivating.

I thought of my mother, who would get that look she gets on her face and say “I’m just not clever enough to understand poetry.” (or dance, or painting…) Of course she is smart enough. She puts the responsibility (and blame, as she sees it) on herself. But the truth of the matter is that the way something resonates is entirely personal. Imagery can ring overtones for one, hit another flat.

Summer and Bird struck me as a great soul poem of Katherine Catmull. There have to be pieces of her own life woven in to bring a story so moving to such gorgeous life. In the end, from a nuts-and-bolts perspective, you could say it’s the story of a family approaching a divorce. But the summary says this:

“In the world of Down, young sisters Summer and Bird are separated and go in very different directions as they seek their missing parents, try to vanquish the evil Puppeteer, lead the talking birds back to their Green Home, and discover the identity of the true bird queen.”

I’ll simply say this: Catmull’s understanding and expression of the depth and complexity of relationship between sisters, daughters, and mothers, is exquisite. I recommend this book, whether because of its cover, or the great, imaginative soul poem inside.

Quote of the Week, from Summer and Bird, by Katherine Catmull:

“You and me, we will be like a flock,” said Bird. “To be a flock, there are three rules. First, you have to stay a little bit apart. But the second rule is: never too far apart. And third, you all have to be going in the same direction. When you follow those rules, you’re a flock.”