I WISH...a Universal Wish Captured In a Simple Story

It's fun to think of how many ways this new picture book will be used and appreciated across generations. The premise is direct: I WISH THAT YOU KNEW, written by Rebecca Gardyn Levington and illustrated by Alyssa Russell. The cover suggests a very warm and loving relationship between a young girl and presumed grandmother. Without knowing anything more, the wish could be coming from the elder, longing to share a lifetime of wisdom with the child. 

Or...

little bee books, 2026

...the young girl, on her own at the lower border of the cover, could be exploring on her own, longing to share what she sees and learns and knows. Naturally, families often face the reality that those precious cross-generational moments are limited to periodic visits. The first spreads could support such a situation: Maybe Grandma was visiting and has now gone home. 

But, in this case, the child's longing for a way to share her expanding awarenesses, learning, pleasures, and surprises with a grandmother not there becomes a more poignant story. 

Her loving thoughts of her missing person are suggested with ghostlike (colorful, happy, but semi-transparent) images. This offers a narrative/visual sense that the grandmother has passed on and yet remains present in the child's mind. The child's understanding appears to be that the transitional stage from "missing" to acceptance of loss includes awareness that sharing will always need to be in her heart and memories.

The subtitle of this is "A Bereavement Picture Book for Kids", although that is not indicated on the cover. In this case the family is Jewish and the signals of loss and formal good-byes are culturally specific, but the experiences and process portrayed are universal. There are those  who have not yet felt the loss of someone dear to them (although that  happens for everyone, many at a young age). But this book is suited for any time of life, not just when dealing with an immediate personal loss experience. 

As the cover suggests, the illustrations are rendered in pastels with gentle edges, expressions are sincere but not extreme, and the overall tone is one of hope and happiness. The warmth and connection of the generational relationship is delightful, and those "shadow-images" of grandma are not ones of sadness or loss, but a visual representation of the idiom so often expressed, even sometimes sounding like platitudes: They're never really gone if you are remembering them, etc. This story actually provides a sense of the continuity of lives over time and change, worth discussing and celebrating at any point in young lives. 

The brief author note after the story describes the "UNVEILING DAY" experience of attending the installation of a permanent marker, as well as explaining the Jewish practices surrounding this transition. endpapers feature illustrations of snapshots of shared happiness from the past.

Overall, this is a significant addition to classroom, school, and public libraries, as well as a useful book to share within families. That could be in the midst of a time of loss or at any time, since the continuity of life is worth our awareness and acceptance at any age. 

A COUPLE OF BOYS Have the BEST WEEK EVER!

HARCOURT, INC. 2008

The holidays reminded me of the limitless joy kids often have when relegated to the care of their grandparents. The timing must have been right, because I heard a podcast about this, read short humor pieces, and heard a few personal stories in conversations. That's why I felt compelled to feature a throwback favorite, a Caldecott honor book from 2008. MARLA FRAZEE is the author/illustrator of A COUPLE OF BOYS Have the BEST WEEK EVER. Frazee has produced some most memorable picture books in her celebrated career, some of which I've featured HERE, HERE, and HERE.

This delightful offering was nearly true according to  back jacket flap copy from Frazee. With that note, the humor is even more of a treat. Some of it, I would have guessed. Grandmas tend to overfeed, grandpas are less carful than parents about filtering certain vocabulary, and a couple of boys of a certain age can be extremely creative in each others' company.

It's also true that summer nature camp may not be everything the could imagine, but that didn't eliminate their imaginations from producing an unforgettable week. Excess sugar. eager-to-please-elders, and a seacoast nearby provide ample images that blend cartoonish kids' antics and eyeballs with swirls of gorgeous seascapes.The fun narration is supplemented with speech bubble humor and delightful details in illustrations that kids will giggle about on every re-reading. 

An approach like this invites imitation, with young storytellers encouraged to depict times spent with friends and without parental presence. It could even provide practice in partners authoring/illustrating, each taking on one or the other perspective (adult or kids). It opens up discussion of point of view and alternate perspectives for older writers, too. This is a great throwback option, since I'm betting that these kids (who we've been told are real boys) will be talking about that summer week for years to come. Try it out now, pull it out during summer camp weeks, and any time when grandparents are offering to host the young ones for extended stays!

Whenever you choose to read (or reread) this picture book, prepare to smile!

A Celebration of Generations: My Baba's Garden

I celebrate many picture books  in these posts, and all are memorable in one or more ways. In this case, through a story born from childhood memories of a beloved grandma, pages of lyrical text and luminous images have imprinted themselves on my mind and heart. That's not only because this is an admirable example of the best in picture books, but it issues a stirring call to my own memories of times spent with grandparents. 

 

NEAL PORTER BOOKS/Holilday House, 2023

MY BABA'S GARDEN is written by poet Jordan Scott and illustrated by Sydney Smith. Using gentle and kid-friendly narration by the young boy (representing the author as a child), Scott  blends a child's view of an odd place with a loving grandma while employing rich free-verse language and metaphor:

"My Baba lived in a chicken coop beside a highway

behind a sulfur mill

shaped like an Egyptian pyramid,

bright yellow like a sun that never goes to sleep."

Smith portrays these opening scenes of dark-sky car trips and simplistic painted art such as a child would produce if asked to "paint a picture of a place you love."

The boy doesn't live with Baba, exactly, but she is central to his daily life. In predawn hours his father drives the boy to stay with her every day before leaving for work. Those early spreads shift seamlessly from primitive art to Smith's remarkable illustrations using atmospheric tones and light-infused figures amid mundane but marvelous details of a kitchen wreathed in love. Baba lived through perilous war years, when every scrap of food meant the difference between survival and starvation. Her residual habits are closely observed by the child: room after room filled with jars and bins, dried herbs and vegetables, frequent urging to eat more. Baba knows little English, but they understand each other through gestures, nods, selected words, and ever-present love.

Baba's garden is her security and sustenance, despite growing under meager conditions. Baba rescues worms in the rain, from rushing gutters, collecting them in dirt-filled glass jar to restore them to a place they can thrive-- her garden. Why, he wonders. Without words, tracing the creases in his palm, she explores the gifts, the powers worms have to aerate, to irrigate, to enrich the soil from which their lifeline foods are growing. 

When Baba's small dwelling is replaced with a big building, she comes to live at the boy's home in the city. Her old garden becomes an overgrown jungle. He cares for her the way she did for him, serving her apple slices and cereal in a bowl you could swim in. Their only garden becomes a few small pots the boy sows with her sun-gold cherry tomato seeds, visible outside her window. Rain reminds Baba to tickle his palm. It's his turn to pace through the rain, eyes lowered to locate and collect worms for the pots.

The author's note before the story begins reveals that this account hews close to his own experiences. Even having read that first, the words and illustrations grace each spread as if reliving the author's experience in a dreamlike state. Smith's skill with backlighting is more than craft, although that is abundantly clear. He infuses each scene with a magical essence that transcends our own experiences and inserts readers into the emotional tones and connections of the characters. 

I was an admirer of Sydney Smith's picture book illustration talent from his Caldecott and other awards and honors, some of which I've reviewed HERE, HERE, and HERE. It was in a more recent work of his that I lost my capacity to avoid naming favorites. I TALK LIKE A RIVER glows with comparable emotional depth and supportive connections in families. That title as well asl MY BABA'S GARDEN hold a high place one my all-time list of  recommendations. Undoubtedly this creative pair brings out the best in each other. I hope this will not be the last of their shared talent gracing picture book pages.

If you missed it, check out my recent review of Marie Boyd's JUST A WORM to celebrate the remarkable gifts and power of WORMS!

Grandpa Connections: Post-Covid Perfection

Last spring and summer I opened many blog posts with a "Covid19" comment, anchoring the review or interview in "Covid time" and in relation to the current status of the Black Lives Matter movement or other all-consuming social markers. I stopped that some time ago, in part because I was beginning to feel as if the Covid 19 impact on our lives was a "new normal", while it simultaneously felt  impossible to endure.

Now, more than a year has passed since the word "pandemic" became familiar rather than confusing, although no less terrifying. We've lived through more than a year without the traditions and close connections of holidays, birthdays, casual gatherings, and those all important hugs. But vaccines were developed, many of us have been vaccinated, and grandparents are FINALLY spending time with grandchildren.Two new picture books celebrate those very special relationships. Both feel as if they were written for these reunion gatherings (and beyond) despite the reality that they were in the works long before the pandemic began. And in both cases that lengthy publishing process was well spent to achieve exactly the right text and illustration pairing to capture the magic and love between a grandparent and grandchild.

Candlewick Press, 2021

MY RED HAT is written and illustrated by Rachel Stubbs.The opening spread shows Grandpa holding grandchild and a red hat on his lap. Told through his first person voice, the first line says it all: 

"I give you my red hat."

In spot illustrations, parallels strips, and double spread scenes, Grandpa's equally simple statements on each page address the many situations in which that red hat, now worn by the child, is exactly the right addition to their perfectly paired twosome. Early scenes  emphasize wry humor and surprising innovations (serving as a water bowl for a thirsty dog?). Gradually hyperbolic exaggeration in illustration and figurative language that plays out literally move the reader to understand that wearing the red hat provides the child with strength and curiosity and courage.  The child, the hat, and faith in Grandpa lead the reader to a full circle homecoming. 

When I began reading this I pictured a different ending, imagining that the return home would find Grandpa no longer there. Instead, their time together resumes in a perfectly satisfying way, followed by a gorgeous concluding double page spread at night, under the moon, with this  simple line:

"This hat is for you."

That line, that image, that final scene combine to make this a delightful bedtime book. But it is so much more than that. It's a  grandpa love story, a growing up brave and independent story, a you-are-my-world story, and a reminder that life is big and complex at the same time it is delicate and delightful and surprising. With a grandpa like this, one who gives you his red hat and the truths that it can hold, anything is possible. 

Tilbury House Publishing, 2021

Perhaps I was expecting a different ending from MY RED HAT because I had just finished reading I'LL BE THE WATER: A Story of Grandparent's Love, written by Alec Aspinwall and illustrated by Nicole Wong. This gentle book takes a very different approach in revealing the grandparent-grandchild relationship. In fact, it does something that is often discouraged in writing picture books: Ihe narrator's voice is that of a grown "child" looking back and remembering. 

In this case, the simple statements and subtle illustrations reveal humor, love, and details that will connect with readers at both ends of the ages portrayed. Both Grandpa and the boy are aging slightly from page to page as they share peanut butter and banana sandwiches, create imaginary adventures, and go fishing. 

Over the years, the boy notices that Grandpa's skin had grown too big for his face, and his hands shook when putting a worm on the hook. His answer to the boy's question is as simple and fun as their lives together:

"I've been getting old since I was a baby.

I'm just getting better at it."

After Grandpa's long scary stay in the hospital, they resume their times together. But Joshua's mind is a rushing current of questions. Their discussion about dying includes sensitive recollections, reassurances, and even some humor. I won't quote or even paraphrase Grandpa's wise and gentle insights about surviving the loss of his own father are young age, because the combination of text and illustration are stronger together. There is nothing original in the spirit  and truth of Grandpa's conversation and assurances, but it is well-told and unfolds on the page in ways that are unique and memorable. 

The full circle effect of the ending accounts for that "look back" adult voice early in the story. The  central message is captured with immediacy and balanced emotions in the conversation featuring some extended dialogue from Grandpa. That does not become static or overly serious because his voice and the shifting perspectives of the illustrations allow readers to feel we are listening in on a conversation we were meant to hear. It is soothing and sinks in with a comforting ease.

Now that vaccinated  grandparents can resume being physically present in the lives of their grandkids, I wish every child the opportunity to spend time with a grandparent or two in everyday experiences. These books call to mind that the everyday shared chats and activities are the fabric of an eventual memory quilt of love, memories that will wrap and support those who are left behind. 

And, lest you suspect I've favored the grandpas by featuring these two books, take a click back to find a recent post about Grandmas, HERE.

What a Beautiful Morning Blog Tour: A Beautiful Book for Any Age

A lovely new picture book, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING is written by Arthur A. Levine and illustrated by Katie Kath.The stated target age for this new release is 5-8, but it's a perfect example of a book that will burrow into the hearts of people of any and every age. 

Running Press Kids, August 9, 2016

The story is both universal and intimate, emerging first from the charming personalities and relationships among the grandparents and the child, Noah. Within just a few pages the words and images of their exuberant summer routines begin to blur in ways that confuse and worry Noah. 
Both text and illustrations convey a gradual and uncomfortable "fading away" of Grandpa without heavy-handed explanations, labels, or discussions of Alzheimer's or dementia. Neither the text nor illustrations resort to hand-wringing or overwrought expressions, and yet they are heartfelt and recognizable, as in this excerpt:

"Grandma came outside after him (Noah) and kneeled down so she could look in his eyes. She touched Noah's cheek, sighed, and said, "Grandpa knows you. He just gets confused, that's all. So we have to appreciate what he still has, not what he's lost."

Wise words, but the facing spread reveals and validates Noah's authentic emotional response:

"Noah thought that was like trying to feel good about the toys you still had, when your favorite one got left behind at the beach."

In all cases illustrator Kath maintains a subtle touch with color, expression, gesture, and details to suggest and shift moods. I am always in awe of those who can convey potent emotional content with the tiniest shifts of dotted-eyes and tilting brows. Kath's illustrations display her mastery of that skill. 
Noah finds his attempts to deal with his "fading" grandpa to be unsatisfying. Trying to sustain their shared routines on his own causes him to feel his loneliness more intensely. Grandma does her best to fill his days with engaging experiences, but it's Noah's attempt to maintain routines that provides the key to unlocking Grandpa's memories and personality, despite continuing changes. 
Levine's subtlety with text is as impressive as Kath's deft illustrations.  

In the early pages:

"... singing as long as the walk would last."

After finding a way back into each others lives, Grandpa and Noah are able to head out together for a walk:

" And they took off down the road together, planning to go for as long as the song would last."

The end papers open with the full colors of Grandpa's plaid shirt, which fades in and out throughout the story. It is particularly telling that when the gray recedes the plaid is restored but with some original tones missing. The closing endpapers eliminate those fading strands while sustaining joyful colors. Likewise, the title page and early stages include birds singing robustly, transferring to subdued during interior struggles, but resuming their joyful trills on the final pages. 

These are only a few of the ways this book could serve as mentor text for writers, young and old, and for illustrators as well.

The Kirkus review offers a full summary of the story here. 

The book as a whole stands up to multiple rereadings, in no small part because of the upbeat conclusion and constructive resolution.

I  read, write, review, and teach picture books. I attend workshops and conferences, participate in contest panels, and read about picture books. It's easy to imagine that picture books touch my heart and mind on many levels. 

Picture books are the precursors to social media. In very very words and images they offer complete, concise, compelling  content ranging from belly laughs to wry irony to wrenching social commentary to memorable storytelling to potent delivery of factual content. This little blog provides a platform to send my thoughts out into the blogosphere about particular titles, authors, illustrators, and  topics. I launched the site several years ago at a time when a claim about the "death" of picture books was being debated and I had an opinion to share on the subject. I was (and continue to be) eager to explore titles recent and classic and their potential POWER in our lives. 

I use the word OUR intentionally. While the stated audience for picture books is young readers, the best picture books are equally valuable and appealing to all readers.

This one surely is, and should be a part of every home. library, and classroom.

To see if others agree, visit stops on the blog tour for WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNING, linked here:

What A Beautiful Morning Blog Tour 

8/2 Flowering Minds

8/3 MomReadIt

8/4 Unpacking the POWER of Picture Books

8/5 Stacking Books

8/6 #Kidlit Book of the Day

8/8 Enjoy Embrace Learning

8/9 Unleashing Readers

8/10 Two Writing Teachers

8/11 Bildebok

8/12 Geo Librarian

8/13 Randomly Reading

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher but the post expresses my honest opinion.