Brian Lies

Evan and his dog did everything together, from listening to music to playing. Most of all, they liked to work in Evan's lovely garden. When his canine companion died, the fox withdrew from all of his usual activities, eventually destroying his garden in his anger at the universe. As weeds grew high and poisonous plants invaded, he encouraged everything dark and destructive to grow. Until, that is, a pumpkin began to grow, setting in motion a series of events that would reintroduce Evan to show more his other friends, at the local fair, and even lead to a new member of his family...

Highly recommended to me by a colleague, The Rough Patch offers a poignant depiction of loss and the grieving process, pairing a sensitively-written tale with beautiful artwork. Author/illustrator Brian Lies, perhaps best known as the creator of the Bats at the Beach picture-book series, captures the way that anger so frequently accompanies grief in his story, while his colorful illustrations, done in acrylic, oil and colored pencil, capture the emotional register of each scene. The most poignant moment, for me, was the one in which Evan, discovering his dog, presumably dead in his little bed, reached out a tentative hand. I did find it a little distracting that Evan and his compatriots were all depicted as foxes, as I felt (despite foxes being a particular interest of mine) that it didn't really add to the story, and was occasionally distracting for me. Leaving that aside, this is an engaging, thoughtful tale about losing a loved one, reacting with anger and grief, and eventually, healing. show less

Drawn to this book by the cover, from the first page to the last, I laughed and smiled. Not only is the concept marvelous, but the illustrations are detailed, crisp and clear. There is tremendous creativity in a story of bats waking from hibernation and longing to fill their soul with music.

Poetic, lyrical, immensely high on the creative side, this is one of the best illustrated books I've read to date.

It is one I will purchase simply to re-visit the incredible art work.

Highly recommended!!!!

In this exquisitely illustrated picture book, an anthropomorphic fox loves his pet dog and does everything with him, especially gardening. One day the dog dies (of old age--no brutal accident or anything), and the fox falls into a terrible grief, which is chiefly represented by his letting his garden go to weed.

This slammed me right in the heart. It's a lovely examination of grief and how one can slowly move out of it, but it is *ahem* rough going. I found the choice of a fox for the main show more character given his pet was a dog slightly odd, but I got over it pretty quick. Recommended, but know what you're letting yourself in for. show less

"Another inky evening's here - / the air is cool and calm and clear. / We've feasted, fluttered, swooped and, soared, / and yet... we're still a little bored" begins this engaging picture-book about a colony of bats that visit the local library one night. Whether reading selections that seem tailored to their interests - an insect guide is described as a guide to "fancy food" - playing with the photocopier, or settling in for story-hour, these bats know how to get the most out of their show more library visit, and how to really sink into a story!

With its rhyming narrative and appealing acrylic illustrations, Bats at the Library would make a good story-hour selection, although I'd be careful of the lighting conditions, when reading - the artwork is rather dark, and doesn't show up well in bright light. That said, there were many little details here that I found charming, from the upside-down vista in the first scene (a rooftop hangs from the top of the page), to the copy of "Goodnight Sun" that a few of the bats are seen reading. And, of course, the idea of getting lost in a good book is always one that will appeal to me! All in all, this was a charming little tale. I think I'd like to read about the bats' first adventure, in Bats at the Beach. show less