When the Best Laid Plans Go Astray... Make Pancakes!

Covid anchor in time:  

We are more than nine months into the pandemic, and the outbreak is rising alarmingly, especially here in the Midwest. I live in an area where patients are being admitted to an emergency hospital tent on the state fairgrounds. Very little in life is normal. Families are changing plans from lifetime traditions surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Hanukkah celebrations. None of this is easy, but it is necessary.

In light of these larger concerns, Halloween should be a minor consideration. And yet... 

Breaking with tradition feels WRONG, it can cause anger, pain, disappointment, and depression. Here's a book with an upbeat take on the idea that it is worth the effort to adjust your frame of mind in the face of negative struggles. 

In an effort to preserve some joyful childhood traditions, social media is exploding with clips of people who will deliver Trick-orTreat candies to costumed kiddos via chutes, catapults, corn hole tosses, and mechanical extension arms. 

Minedition. October, 2020

THE SHARING PARTY is written by prolific picture book author Brigitte Weninger and illustrated by Eve Tharlet. It is far from a traditional Halloween story, but it reflects any number of elements typically found in those more familiar tales. This gentle friendship story is set in Fall harvest time, centered on a beloved tradition shared with friends. For reasons not at all related to Covid restrictions, their party is ruined. 

The six woodland friends are rendered in image and text with charmingly distinct and well-developed personalities, each of which may remind you of a child you know. Max mouse is the take-charge little  fella with big ideas for organizing and hosting an APPLE PARTY. His friend Henry Hedgehog is an eager helper and together they trek into the woods to harvest apples from Max's "secret" tree. (Friends share secrets.)

The apple tree is bare. the twosome are sad. On their return home they see that Rico Dormouse has the apples, and claims them all for himself! 

Max cancels the party in anger. Henry seeks an alternative solution, telling others along the way about the situation. Before you know it, Molly Mole, Freddy Frog, and Belinda Blackbird are working together to create a NEW party. They also confront Rico, who makes amends and contributes the  apples to their efforts. Only then does Henry face his own feelings of self-doubt. Max finds Henry and helps him contribute to their cooperative success.

Hmm... what does that have to do with Halloween?  Well, if Halloween isn't about sharing, I don't know what is. Plenty of curmudgeonly adults insist that Halloween is only about candy and cavities, but it is actually about the planning, the group experience, the giggles and goodies, the anticipation, expeditions, and surprises. All that and more are elements of this appealing story. These six woodland characters are as delightful for their spirit and collaboration as they are in their  expressive illustrations. That is saying a lot- just take a look at that cover! 

The creators are both from Europe, and their gentle dialogue, story development, and winsome characters combine in an old world style within a fresh story. Rico's insistence that the apples are his because he did the work suggests a touch of THE LITTLE RED HEN. The collective contributions to their eventual party have the spirit of STONE SOUP. And each personality suggests the quirks and qualities of little ones who, as we know, react to challenges quite differently. Their mutual support, forgiveness, shared work, and enjoyment of each others' company offer a model for all of us. The final endpapers even provide a link to a recipe for the party fare and a challenge math question.

The bottom line is that this book reminds us to make the best of difficult situations, turn to friends to help solve problems, and appreciate the value of shared experiences. If that means creating new traditions, dispensing candy at the end of a catapult, or creating a concoction of treats from what we can find in the cupboard, have fun with it! Celebrate what you have and who you can be with while doing so, even if that is on a digital platform. Things change. We are adaptable creatures, too, and have the ability to meet challenges. Friendship and sharing are traditions that we should never abandon. 

I received this book from the publisher with no promise of a review, but it is a fun picture book to support. I hope you agree.

Nurturing Faith, Hope, and Strength

I recently read two very special picture books, each of which could be accurately described as "quiet" books.  "Quiet books" reportedly struggle to make it to market, based on the argument that kids prefer rousing, rambunctious, raucous books. I've never agreed with that assumption, and I find it's rarely smart to second guess kids' tastes and preferences.
Nor should it be assumed that "quiet books" are best reserved for bedtime, although both of these books will serve well at night or nap time. 
Each, though, is also a compelling story, encouraging discussions and repeated readings to explore and imagine further details within each scene. Both also provide scaffolds for children to build confidence, to find agency and self-reliance, and to value imagination beyond immediate gratification. Both also expand perceptions related to size, perspective, distance, and connections.  And both are GORGEOUS in color, images, and book design.

Minedition 2019

Let's begin with a close look at THE BLUE PEBBLE, written by Anne-Gaelle Balpe and illustrated by Eve Tharlet. This doesn't overtly "teach" or "preach" to kids but is dense with reflective lessons. A persistent thought hovers over every page and is stated clearly on the back cover: hang on to what is special. Originally published in Europe, this luminous book elevates traditional fairy-stories and  reads like a whisper on the page. The combination of spare text and expressive illustrations invites us to lean in and use all of our senses. With little effort we can hear crickets and chirping birds, smell damp earth, and feel  daisy petals rustling overhead.
The central character, acorn-capped Oli, is a sensitive and observant little fella, clearly a member of the wee-folk world but not quite a fairy or elf or otherwise easily labeled. Oli appreciates the pebble's unusual shade of blue, its "not-quite" shape. As he encounters various woodland animals and elves, he is challenged to cast aside the useless blue pebble and pursue more practical items. 
Oli responds gently and politely. He is not naive, but is undeterred by their arguments, convinced that he should be guided by his inner compass. The very satisfying ending confirms the value of his decisions and offers a thread of a suggestion that he will continue on his centered, mindful travels through the world.
And what a world it is. The robin-egg blue tones are rendered in a dreamlike wash, with misty edges with just enough enough sharp contrast from pragmatic others to elevate the tension without becoming sinister. 

Minedition 2019

WHEN THE MOON CAME DOWN is written and illustrated by Feridun Oral. This quiet book is also a fantasy story, one that feels perfectly suited to bedtime. 
Briefly, when little bunny wakes at night, feeling alone and frightened, he is befriended by a sliver of a waxing moon. During their nightly meetings, moon helps bunny find food, explore the woods,  and experience the security of a deepening friendship. 
Eventually, full moon invites bunny to visit his home in the night sky. Magical moments unfold. Their relationship and special talisman allow little bunny to navigate his days and nights on his own. Here, too, the illustrations are mesmerizing.
As gentle and soothing as this story will be at bedtime, it invites daytime discussions to compare fantasy with reality. It can spark curiosity about  the relative sizes, distances, and shapes of moon and stars, as well as the role of instinct and learning in rabbits, particularly their nocturnal habits. None of that may be what the author/illustrator intended, but that's the magic of beloved picture books- they work their way into the nooks and crannies of hearts AND minds. 
It is also an example of ways in which picture books offer different appeal at different ages. 

A copy of each book was provided by the publisher, Minedition, with a request for a free and honest review.

Happy Mothers' Day: Mom Loves little Jumbo

Minedition, 2019

Here's a terrific suggestion for the many families who have the smallest wee ones, ideal audiences for board books. MOM LOVES LITTLE JUMBO is a newborn book itself, released within the past few weeks. Its durable construction, glossy surfaces, and compact size are a perfect fit for infants and toddlers. The physical book and the emotionally connected characters will appeal to little hands across all ethnicities, races, and genders, using the simplest words in first person voice to universally represent the dependance of tots and the loving security of moms.

Baby "JUMBO" is tiny in relation to Mom, but they mirror each other's simple shapes, basic activities, and expressive eyes. Their shapes and body postures form perfect pairings in each scene, their symmetry creating a lighthearted contrast to the extremes differences in their size. Their colors are always reflective of the other, at times natural and at times interpreting the situation or events with surreal but subdued coloring. Essential details are included on otherwise unframed simple backgrounds, emphasizing the relationship between Jumbo and Mom. Always, the pages are a duet of loving care and reassurance, displayed through explorations of daily life, joy, learning, and love.
Author/illustrator Yasushi Muraki has created this handful of love that is a perfect homage to moms on Mothers' Day and a treasure for the tot-mom pairs throughout the months ahead. In fact, for those who are not biologic moms, the simple roles on page after page of bonding and support reinforce the definition of parenting regardless of bloodlines.

Minedition 2019

While you're at it, check out another Minedition recent release. MY LITTLE CHICK is written by GERALDINE ELSCHNER and illustrated by EVE THARLET. Despite the cartoonish calendar displaying impatient anticipation of a baby chick, this picture book is actually filled with lush illustrations of a farm family and their lovely fowl. The child/narrator uses first person voice to convey the intensity of hope, excitement, and tender care for a newly hatched chick. Other than a small white hand and cleverly portrayed effort to "nest" an egg under layers of blankets, the reader views each stage with a child's-eye-view. 
There are delightful moments throughout, eliciting chuckles, sighs, sympathy, and cheers. Among my favorite scenes are the ruffled-rump-revealing process of actual egg-laying, and the  centerfold/cut flap reveal as the chick gradually exits its egg. Before readers can become too concerned about the bitty chick's lack of a feathery mom, the young narrator delivers the fluffy one back to Mama Alma in the flock, knowing that will be the best way for a newborn chick to learn the ways of the world.

Both books are well-suited to Mothers' Day, or any day. Both are also ideal books for a baby shower. 

I received a copy of each book from Minedition.com in exchange for a fair and honest review.