Evictions? Voting Rights? Echoes of American History

Since today is the "last day" of BLACK HISTORY MONTH, I should hurry to get this review posted, right?  

WRONG! 

The spotlight that this themed month offers on critical aspects of American history involving Black Americans is more than welcome, but my concern has always been that the topics, historic figures, and focus of attention are narrowed to this particular (shortest) month of the year. While teaching, I was aware of many teachers who had a set of lessons and/or collection of books that were routinely used during February, then packed away until the next year's students flipped that calendar page. 

Better than nothing? Yes. 

Sharing some otherwise neglected or intentionally hidden history? Yes.

Inadvertently teaching students that the rest of the year will be (conveniently?) directed toward a familiar and falsely narrow version of America and its past?  Yes.

This is why I've actively addressed this concern of mine since I created this blog more than a decade ago. Theme months of any kind, but ESPECIALLY Black History Month, results in a double-edged sword.

Even so, I am intentionally sharing this remarkable new picture book I received from CALKINS CREEK/Astra Books (with no promise of a review) because it serves as such an important asset in the lives of young readers. In this case, the publishers have indicated that the target audience is middle grade and teen readers. And YES, picture books are for all ages!

Calkins Creek/Astra books, 2022

EVICTED: The Struggle for the Right to Vote is written by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Charly Palmer, each an award-winning creator of outstanding books in their own right. In this case the title alone seems to be ripped from the pages of current news headlines, but in fact depicts a time and place in our shared history that few have learned about, even during this dedicated theme month.

The cover illustration also indicates the personal, specific individuals who are the little-known heroes of this nonfiction and deeply researched account. Using intense, impressionistic brush strokes and colors, Palmer's cover are and interior illustrations manage to convey both the strength and suffering of one of the "tent city" families who suffered indignities and denial of their rights to vote while maintaining family and community unity. 

In the 1950s, Fayette County, Tennessee was the third largest land area in that state and the third poorest county in the entire country. That is directly tied to the fact that more than two-thirds of the population of that county were Black sharecroppers, managing to maintain homes and families despite the inequities and imbalance of a sharecropper's life. They dealt with the expenses, round-the-clock demands, and endless risks of a farmer's life, with the added burden of landowners' meager compensation, control of funding, and outright cheating. 

Although it was legal for all adults to vote, only thirty Black citizens were registered in that county at that time. Outrght threats, fires, and lynchings ensured that white rule prevailed. In 1959, though, when a local sharecropper's trial enflamed the spirit and dignity of the wider Black population, a movement that came to be called the FAYETTE COUNTY TENT CITY MOVEMENT to acquire and use voting rights eventually contributed to the passage of the federal VOTING RIGHTS ACT. 

I don't usually begin my comments with such explanatory content, but I'm convinced that MANY other readers here have never heard of this part of American history. I had not. When the author was gifted a photographic book about this movement that featured specific individuals and families who helped to achieve eventual success, she resolved to create a portrait of them and their story in an appropriate book for younger readers. This is the result of her decision and actual visits, interviews, and research about that neglected chapter of our shared history. 

The account is preceded by several annotated/illustrated spreads providing Palmer's portraits of key figures of that time and change. Then a one-page direct address to readers from the author summarizes what the Movement was about and what it accomplished, at what sacrifices to the participants. The last line on that introduction is this:

"Record their conquering civil rights struggle for generations to come. Remember it. Pass it on."

The movement was inspired by a trial of a local preacher, who had escaped to the north to avoid being lynched, only to be returned for trial years later, in 1959. He was convicted and served his time. But the jury was all white, because jurors were drawn from the ranks of registered voters, and Black people were prevented from registering. As mentioned earlier, it was at risk of life and family's lives to even attempt registration. This realization launched leaders who set out to register black voters.

With page turns that reveal the unfolding story through individual specific voices of victims, organizers, participants, and others who eventually supported the movement, this account comes to life with drama and intensity. Readers are drawn into the lives and emotions of the adults and children who held fast to their intention to exercise their rights as American citizens, regardless of the cost. Some who are profiled took part in school integration with all the risks that triggered.

"Outsiders" came to support the movement as it stretched from months to years. Even so, the wheels of political change turn slowly and the changes they rightly demanded were slow in coming. Even so, or perhaps as a result of their prolonged strength and resilience, laws did change and lives improved. 

Except for this... 

Many Americans are convinced that the Civil Rights laws of the sixties meant things are changed and everything is better now. Nice and neat, all wrapped up in a pretty bow. In a way, as convenient and comfortable a thought as the packing away of Black History Month books and lesson plans on February 28 each year. But more than half the states in our country are actively passing laws to restrict access to voting, and eviction remains a punitive practice that is driven by economic benefits to the landowners. Not as much has changed as needs to. Added to that legislative effort are countless bills/laws that are intentionally meant to "BAN" books like this from classrooms because they might bring up some "feelings" among some students. 

The much-distorted and politicized CRITICAL RACE THEORY complaints would keep discussions of Black history out of schools. Well, CRT is a post-graduate course of study in law schools, not in elementary, middle grade, or high schools. But a consequence of this exaggerated and distorted effort might keep young Americans from learning about their country's history and the importance of FREEDOM to exercise rights for EVERYONE.

That author message is not only intended to keep a piece of history alive, though that should be done. Reading this should also enliven young people to learn, to act, to recognize and support today's individual leaders and local heroes, like the ones finally documented in this account. I am so grateful to have had a chance to read this historic account, and to share it with other readers here. I follow many reviewers, seek out information about new releases, and hear about picture books from many sources. Even so, this title had not reached my attention. That, as with the loss to history of the original story, is an enormous problem. I urge everyone to find and read and promote this book. I intend to do that. And while you are at it, join my little effort to assure that sharing BLACK HISTORY is a year-round effort. Every year.

Two Ocean-Blue and Character-True Picture Books

Boyds Mills Press, 2021

Inspiration and heartfelt emotions are at the center of two recent picture books. The first is MERMAID KENZIE: PROTECTOR OF THE DEEPS, written by Charlotte Watson Sherman and illustrated by Geneva Bowers. This is a vibrantly contemporary and joyful offering that stars Kenzie, a character just aching for more titles to lead. She and her mother are ocean-loving  ladies who come to life at the coast. With clever consequences, Mama convinces Kenzie to get chores done so they can visit DEEPS! 

Kenzie's ocean-love story fills many of the first pages, with exploring muddy caves, dancing in tide pools, and examining ocean life large and small (note the rock-perched microscope that somehow seems right at home in Kenzie's life). The exchanges between Kenzie and her mama are language treasures, celebrating the lyricisms of  black colloquialism rather than associating it with stereotypical situations. Their natural hair, vibrant environments, and joy in the deeps offer a fresh and friendly invitation to the wonderful underwater world of the ocean. 

When Kenzie dives to explore the sea bottom, she encounters more plastic bags than actual creatures. She channels her heartbreak and worry into an action plan to use her tools and talents to clean up the trash. In the process she not only restores habitat, she inspires a cohort of supportive new friends who help to clear the beach. This first person perspective of a curious, creative character with enough ocean-love to wear a mermaid tail when she swims is a delight of language and images. An added feature is a page of back matter about ocean pollution, especially plastics. Aimed at adult readers, it is a rich invitation to learn more and to turn that knowledge into action. What kid wouldn't want to be a superhero protector of the deeps? 

Greystone Kids, October, 2021

Kenzie is a fictional character who might inspire real kids. This next offering was inspired by an actual sea creature whose life story captured social media and sparked science study, Eventually this fictionalized version of some amazing events arrived, with hints about some very human lessons for any age.  LITTLE NARWHAL, NOT ALONE is written by Tiffany Stone and illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee. The rhymed verse shares the lively personality of a young narwhal who loves his pod of narwhals but was also a curious and energetic guy who traveled just far enough to ... lose his family and friends! 

Calling out in his narwhal voices leads to dangers instead of safety, followed by escape and racing through seas that are so vast he feels entirely alone. Then, remarkably, he spots small, "ice-white" whales (belugas) who look quite a bit like him, minus the twisty trunk. (Right about here is where adult readers might recall the photos and social media hubbub about this rare event potted in the wild.) 

Narwhal tries various vocalizations, messages, greetings. None are understood. The belugas chirrr and sing, but Narwhal is confused. When they hunt, they eat different kinds of fish. He feels so very different, and the only one of his kind. Just when he is about to leave, though. the belugas begin to play a splashy, swishy water dance. And it's play that narwhal knows, so he joins in! Then belugas do something amazing- they blow water bubble-rings!  Narwhal tries and tries, and tries... and finally succeeds! 

The basic story is irresistibly rhymed and illustrated, so little audiences will want it to be read again and again. In the process they will be bathed in a bigger story, one that offers both empathy and comfort for anyone who ever feels different or alone. It celebrates the openness of a group who are willing to give someone new a chance rather than the cold shoulder. 

And it particularly encourages TRYING! 

So, welcome to the world, little narwhal, little mermaid. You are a delightful pair of picture books and I'm rooting for loads of kids and families to find you!

RUMBLE and ROAR: Sound Around the World

 There's no denying that writing picture books with text that rhymes, effectively, is a challenge for most. It often is even for those with a talent for it. I've heard this advice to writers repeatedly- 

Do not use rhyme unless there is NO BETTER WAY to write it, and then do it VERY WELL. 

Sue Fliess is among those with a talent for writing in rhyme, and many of her books are favorites of little readers and their adult families and teachers. You can click on her name and check out her many titles, new and old. PLEASE wait to finish reading here first. You could spend hours at her website, and I don't want you to miss what I have to say about this latest offering. 

MILLBROOK PRESS, 2022

RUMBLE AND ROAR: Sound Around the World is delightfully written by Sue Fliess, offering a ral treat for the ear. It's illustrated with equal vim, vitality, and visual appeal by Khoa Le.

The tightly written, perfectly rhymed, onomatopoetic words reveal children and families in fully developed settings around the world, reveling in the adventure of engaging with nature using all their senses. The precise and mouth-popping word choices lend themselves to the eye-popping experiences each group encounters, in a tropical setting, on an African savannah or wooded mountainside, near a crashing waterfall or on a whispery-quiet night. 

The unfolding of an apparent single day, from rising to shining to reclining in sleep, makes it a terrific bedtime story. It will also be welcomed into classrooms for lessons on language or to consider various geographic regions and climates and biomes, and in homes for exciting and dreamy lap time stories. 

This is the second title in what I hope will be an extensive series by this talented pair of creators. I reviewed the first , FLASH AND GLEAM: LIGHT IN OUR WORLD here. In both picture books the characters and family configurations are as diverse as the global settings. Both also offer accurate and helpful information about their topics (LIGHT and SOUnd, respectively) in a few pages of accessible and clearly-explained back matter. These are books that should be made available in multiple copies, to shelve with poetry, science, and storytelling. In each case the main text is fewer than a hundred words, with the illustrations unveiling intriguing story-potentials on every spread. 

Take a look, read each out loud, share them with kids, and then tell someone about what perfect gifts they would make for classroom teachers and library story times. 

TOGETHER WE RIDE! A celebration of Learning, Dads, and Joy!

Chronicle Books, April, 2022

Short and sweet, but loaded with love. That's my approach to this post, since it is also a perfect description of a new picture book by the very talented  pair, author VALERIE BOLLING and illustrator KAYLANI JUANITA. 

The nearly universal childhood milestone of learning to ride a bike (a two-wheeler!) is at the center of this joyous, rhymed text with lively illustrations. Using fewer than thirty rhythmic words, Bolling captures the sequence of eager excitement and preparation, tentative attempts, troublesome struggles, and eventual, jubilant success in TOGETHER WE RIDE.

By featuring  the young child and her father from beginning to end, this is a relationship story, an homage to the invaluable role of dads in such life experiences. Along with the evident emotions of the little biker, Dad's reactions express the ambivalence of instilling confidence while remaining safely positioned to extend help and provide cheers. The ultimate scene with the whole family on a bike trek through the neighborhood provides a deeply satisfying conclusion.

With only a word (or two or few) per page, young audiences will be chiming in quickly, in requested repeat readings or even in the first round. Sparse text is perhaps the most challenging kind of writing, sine each word carries huge importance. Bolling accomplishes this with text that is expressive, active, and delightfully rhymed and never burdensome.

Note the release date is April, 2022. With a book that's as ideally suited for spring weather (AND FATHER'S DAY!) you'll want to preorder to guarantee availability when the time is right. Make sure to share this welcome contribution to outdoor stories, joyful Dad-kid experiences, and inviting early reading offerings. If you've heard that "BLACK JOY" is a much needed theme to expand book offerings to the publishing world, this is a superb example. For every reader, everywhere.

NEWS... And Celebrations! CYBILS AWARDS 2021!

 The annual CYBILS AWARDS winners have been announced for 2021 books in many genre/categories. Check out all the winners HERE, and take a moment to read the short blurbs under each title. Have an extra desktop window open for book ordering and/or library holds. You won't be disappointed once you get your hands on these amazing winners. 

2021 CYBIL'S AWARD 
for Elementary Nonfiction

In my two categories, nonfiction for elementary and for middle grades, the two titles had me floating above my chair!  For elementary readers will be excited and inspired when reading BARTALI'S BICYCLE: The True Story of Gino Bartali, Italy's Secret Hero, written by Megan Hoyt and illustrated by Iacopo Bruno. To read my own reveiw in a prod post, click HERE.

2021 CYBILS AWARD
Middle Grade  Nonfiction

For Middle Grade and older nonfiction readers,  the winning title is MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: Rebels, Reformers, and evolutionaries Who Cho Changed th World Through Writing. Written by Rochelle Melander and illustrated by Melina Ontiveros, this is a must-have choice for inspiration and reference, too. The forty featured writers range across time, identities, and purposes, with dozens of others writers spotlighted in cameo insets. Click on the title for a direct link to order from Indiebound retailers, and consider clicking HERE to look back at my interview with Melander just before publication. The story behind this collection is also inspiring!

Whatever route, click, or resource you use, when you take a close look at these winning titles you wil NOT be disappointed! Neither will the kids you share them with! Congratulations to the creative teams and publishers who produced these books, and also congrats to the finalists in every single category. Making that final cut is distinctly painful, and every one in the shortlists should be considered a winner!

Two More CYBILS Nominees of Note: What's in a Name?

There's no denying that winning an award, as well any designations as honors and finalists, are  exciting landmarks in the lives of people and their books. For any given award, there can be hundreds or thousands of titles (or more) under careful consideration. So-called "buzz" about a book only heightens hopes and, perhaps, deepens disappointment for the all-but-one title named. On February 14, Monday, the CYBILS AWARDS in every category will announced. I'll be standing by that morning to read and celebrate the winners. With advance congratulations to all who win, and to the finalists in each category, I continue to sing the praises of some of the other titles in my category for round one evaluations- nonfiction for elementary readers. 

Albert Whitman & Company

This biography of MARIA MARTINEZ is a fitting account of a pottery artist whose work changed the trajectory of her chosen media. If you didn't already do so, please pause to click on her name above. At least spend a moment to see examples her work in her website banner. They are breathtakingly gorgeous, while retaining a simplicity of form and function that reveals the deep roots of Martinez's art. SHAPED BY HER HANDS: Potter Maria Martinez  is written by Anna Harber Freeman and Barbara Gonzales. Their text and Maria herself are brought glowingly to life by illustrator Aphelandra.

This is a biography as artfully told as the artist it profiles.  Maria Martinez is a name well known among admirers of coil pottery. To those outside that specialty, like me, few are aware of her inventive, innovative, stunning work. She took a traditional role of women in her culture (pot making) to an unbelievable and elevated level through curiosity, problem-solving, and creative explorations. The unusual (and stunning) colors and surfaces she achieved stand the tests of careless encounters and time in their appeal. Her work forged a path for countless artists to follow, yet she retained her rooted place in her home and community. As inspiring as her life is, the text is also straightforward but uplifting, and the earthy, vibrant tones of the illustrations will transport readers into Maria's daily life.

I've known very few kids who don't plunge fingers into clay with joyful excitement. This is a book to share widely as an introduction to ceramics as art, and to inspire imagination and innovation in the use of that media, and others. 

Speaking of names, and kids, it is incredibly important to pronounce an individual person's name correctly. I happen to have a last name that is often mispronounced and I have no level of worry about that when it happens. If asked, I indicate our preferred pronunciation, of course. But if you are someone who was one of those Jason C., Jason R, Jason W,, trios in a classroom, or a Katie B., Katie M., and Katie S. cohort, you know how frustrating that was. Your name always felt special to you, and you've suddenly been lumped into a last-name-initial identity. Just imagine the frustration of anyone, especially any CHILD, who has a name that feels totally natural in your own mouth and in the mouths of those you love, but seems to trip and tangle the tongues of your teachers, your classmates, pretty much everyone else. DIstortions (by accident or intention) must be far more disorienting and disabling to the child than they are stressful to those who casually fail to learn your name. 

OWL KIDS, 2021

THAO, a twenty-four page picture book, written and drawn in wise but child-like simplicity, gives a kids-eye-view of what that identity-denial feels like.Endpapers suggest the universality of this issue, but an opening reproduction of Thao Lam's early-school photo instantly reveals the personal roots of this book.

With a mix of crayon, collage, and dynamic text placement it is easy to feel the irritation, hurt, and accommodation that those with non-western/familiar names must experience. I taught many Hmong students throughout my career and many used a traditional-"American" first name. I always asked if they preferred to use their own names, and never had a child say they would. Many said their parents wanted them to use this "school" name. That only serves to expand my view from those days that it was not only the child who dealt with the dishonor of having a name repeatedly mispronounced. 

This book is an extremely simple but important insight to the value of a name, and the respect it deserves. The blend of distinctive fonts, childhood photos and incorporation of simple collages drawings offers an honest but plaintive portrayal of the cost we impose on others by not making the effort to pronounce their names as they should be. 

Endpapers are priceless in offering many examples of a variety of children with a variety of names that have a variety of potential pronunciations. How hard is it to ask, then practice (with mouths in which they feel awkward) names that we should say correctly and spontaneously? Especially when we realize that the people behind those names are REQUIRED by our communities to learn and use a language that is equally strange in their mouths and ears in order to function in an English-speaking world?

While teaching I would ask about pronunciations, but I recently saw a better way- introduce yourself, then ask “Who are you?” Learn not only the name, but take a first step in demonstrating respect for the WHO that name represents.

I hope you'll agree that awards aren't everything. The grace and honor that  books like these achieve is in expanding minds, hearts, and understanding of wider communities and cultures. That deserves a round of applause from us all.

Another Look: Cybils Nonfiction Nominees of Note!

 I traveled recently, after NOT traveling, and returned to find a potted plant looking dead. After apologizing to it and watering it liberally, I reflected on the resilience of plants: blades of grass popping through rock or sidewalk crevices, trees that scar after lightning strikes but live on, seeds that can lie dormant for centuries, even millennia, to sprout when conditions allow. 

So, I spoke to that miserable, withered plant daily, urged the one or two struggling stems to keep fighting, and cheered when other leaves or stems joined in the struggle to lift and turn to the light. The entire plant is back, drinking steadily and basking in southern sunlight each day. I've even noted that morning holds excitement for me as I notice the restful darkness has made a clear difference in the overall recovery. I'll be more aware of needs next time BEFORE leaving them in such a state, but it was an important reminder to me of faith, hope, and patience.

I begin with this because trees are even greater wonders of survival, strength, and successful lives. Two of the nominees in the elementary/middle grade category for nonfiction are especially good examples of this quality of trees. 

As the song lyric says: Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start...

Kids Can Press, 2021

Before We Stood Tall: From Small Seed to Mighty Tree is written by Jessica Kulekjian and illustrated by Madeline Kloepper. 

This approach to conveying the role and life cycles of trees in our environment is lyrical, lilting, and informative. It challenges readers to explore the earthy impressionistic illustrations and layers of scientific information within its minimal, moving narrative. The effective use of patterns and repetition in phrases and themes is powerful and effective. Simple back matter organizes extended insights and information without being overwhelming. 

A marvel of a book about the marvel of trees on our planet in their earliest stages of life and growth.

Contrast the focus of the above book with the big-picture portrayal of a particular tree(s) in PANDO: A Living Wonder Of Trees. It is the magical creation of graphic storyteller Turine Viet-Tu Tran and Kate Allen Fox.  Named One of the Best Books of 2021 by School Library Journal, this is a MUST SEE new picture book that has won attention and awards already.

The luminous, ethereal, and inspiring illustrations elevate an already important and informative nonfiction picture book to the five-out-of-five stars I give it. Many folks, young and old, have been learning about ways forests communicate and connect at the underground level. This is a separate look at a massive single organism, one involving 47000-plus apparently separate locust trees. It reveals the unique way in which a single plant can extend itself underground. As a result, the leaves all bud and turn green simultaneously, they turn vibrant yellow in fall and drop at the same time, in chorus. 

Small facts inserted on most pages supplement a lovely, lyrical text. Pando is a very specific aspen organism in Utah, the largest of all known, world-wide. Early pages indicate that the multi-verse tree emerged shortly after the ice age and long before human life was known to coexist on this continent. 

The information is as jaw-dropping as the images are soothing and meditative. 

Give this one a close look, and if sharing with young readers, pair with THE WISDOM OF TREES, by Lita Judge.

And always give plants a chance, indoors or out, even when they seem to have given up on life. As a matter of fact, that's not bad advice for any life. A little improvement in conditions and some sincere encouragement can go a long way when it comes to resilience.

The Countdown to CYBILS AWARDS Announcements!

I took a short break from posting here for a much-needed connection with family, but I'm back in time to share some recommended titles that were nominees for CYBILS ELEMENTARY NONFICTION AWARDS, but missed the cut as finalists. Out of dozens and dozens of fantastic books, only a few make it that far, and then only ONE will be named the award-winner on FEBRUARY 14, just a few days away. I have never volunteered for this final phase, because I already struggle as a Round One panelist to narrow the field to seven titles, any one of which could well deserve the award. That final cut is just too painful for me to be a participant in the decision.

Even so, I will use my humble platform here to shine some light on picture books that I particularly enjoyed and believe you will, too.

These three titles celebrate the heroism and strength of women. All are nonfiction, and yet they employ a range of approaches very effectively and that suit each account perfectly. Each brings excitement and "AHA" reactions to what has been achieved by women with a purpose.

Clarion Books, 2021
Booklist starred review

It's easy to begin with a woman who was/is a wonder, in a book that will capture attention from readers of many ages and interests. A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything is written by Kirsten W. Larson and illustrated by  Katy Wu.  

This is a thorough examination of the comic hero WONDER WOMAN with thumbnail profiles of each of the actual folks who contributed to the creation and success of this iconic superhero. The scope of many decades involves many of these thumbnail spotlights, during which the idea for WW emerged, was executed and embraced by the comic-reading public, and then traveled a troubled course of diminishment, disinterest, and eventual recovery. The comic-illustration style and formatting suits it well and will add to the adventuresome experience of discovery of Wonder Woman's history.

Harry N. Abrams
Books for Young Readers, 2021

If you are interested in another "star-studded" superhero woman, look no further than The Stuff Between The Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe written by Sandra Nickel and illustrated by Aimée Sicuro. 

This is an appealing and accessible account of a curious girl who pursued her questions and dreams despite a repeated (and powerful) pattern of dismissiveness and outright rejection. Her persistence and pursuit of scientific explanations was not related to attention seeking or awards. I appreciated the way the author emphasized Rubin's particular obsession with investigating the topics and areas of study that were neglected by others. The lifelong feminist in me wants to gift this book to every young girl. I certainly agree with this review and others who sing the praises of this powerful book:

"Readers will be inspired by the vastness of the universe as they learn about Rubin’s discoveries." 
— School Library Journal

Finally (for today, but with more coming in the next several days) let's celebrate the quiet heroism of everyday people, especially women, who change lives on a daily basis. 

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2021

Dear Librarian is written by Lydia M. Sigwarth and illustrated by Romina Galotta. 

We should never assume that ANYONE, at any time, who crosses our paths might not need us like a life boat in a storm. Even as we speak to them, offer a hand, or simply smile, the impact may not be visible or noteworthy. But such small gestures and acts of decency and kindness can be cumulative and compelling. In this case the author recounts the impact of a library (her safe and steady place in tumultuous times) and a librarian (a person who saw someone unique and worthy of her attention and time) who changed her life.

This is a heartwarming and important reminder of the role of public libraries in all lives, but especially for those in need of a true "home". 

I'll share more of these "winning" picture books in the next few days leading up to (and following) the CYBILS AWARDS category winner on Monday, Valentine's Day. I'm excited to see the result, but also excited to share these valuable picture books with you here. Be a hero today, or some day soon, and share one or all of them with a young reader you know and love!