EASTER ON THE FARM: Latest in Picture Book Holiday Series

 I hope you were able to take a look at a post last fall by a talented pair of picture book creators, HALLOWEEN IN THE ORCHARD, reviewed here. That story follows a young family to a public orchard experience, and the fun involves holiday symbols and foods, seasonal changes inn nature, as well as a "find the scarecrows" visual search to extend the basic story and encourage  examining details on each page. 

BEAMING BOOKS:  March, 2024

EASTER ON NTHE FARM, written by Phyllis Alsdurf and illustrated by Lisa Hunt provides a slightly different story line. In this one a young family visits relatives on their farm, having a family-centered experience with the aunt and uncle. It also engages with the springtime symbols of new life, from piglets to fuzzy catkins on the pussy willow plants. Released March 5, this is available now to share with families, friends, and schools before the traditional Easter date arrives

This is most definitely a Christian-centric, western-tradition Easter book, but it also encompasses solid science, including the moon phase, sprouting and planting vegetables, preserving and using prior crops, seasonal changes (with a find and count suggestion on one spread), and shared community experiences. This is the fourth of the holiday series by this team and does  not disappoint. 

Within the actual narrative and in back matter the author includes a variety of kid-friendly art/craft activities, with a strong reliance on natural materials and everyday objects for those not living on or visiting a farm. Make this one of the many seasonal picture books on your family, library, or classroom shelves. 

Ready for HALLOWEEN IN THE ORCHARD?

 

BEAMING BOOKS, September 12, 2023

It's that time again! HALLOWEEN gets it "day" earlier every year, but it's never too soon to celebrate when a fun new book (from a fun series) launches! One reading will cement the title in your mind, because the orchard is the star of this fun offering. 

HALLOWEEN IN THE ORCHARD is written by Phyllis Alsdurf and illustrated by Lisa Hunt. This latest in the COUNTRYSIDE HOLIDAY series by the same pair of  creatives also stars a conventional family who are launched into the story after paging past pumpkin-pure-orange endpapers. An idyllic farm scene introduces the story with an expansive double spread fall farm scene and a few rhymed lines. One page turn further finds the first-person narrator boy choosing to be a pirate for the coming trip to the orchard. The remaining text is in natural prose with enough repetition of phrases to encourage young readers to chime in after a few readings.

After living in a rural/agricultural area for more than a decade, I am a cheerleader for such settings and their independent owners who rely on such seasonal commercial opportunities to supplement their farm income in gratifying ways. They also celebrate these opportunities to introduce families to agriculture and the outdoors. The memorable and informative fun they experience on an outing like this produce lifetime memories. I especially appreciate that opening spread in which the farmers are busily investing time, resources, and energy into preparing the best possible experiences for visitors of any age. 

If you've ever enjoyed a farm/orchard Halloween, at any age, you will smile in recognition and revive those memories of your own. For children anticipating a trip, this provides wonderful preparation and then a lively revival of the experience after those trips. In addition, there are two activity prompts that follow the narrative, one with directions for creating a trick-or-treat bag, and a second page that features each of the scarecrows from the story to provide search-and-find fun before a final turn to endpapers celebrating that pumpkin hue.

If this sounds like your jam, for family, classroom, or library sharing, you will want to check out the other titles in this charming series: Thanksgiving in the Woods, and A Simple Christmas on the Farm. Happy country experiences to all, and deep gratitude to those whose daily lives make our supermarket shelves possible!

PICK A PERFECT EGG: Just in Time for EASTER!

CANDLEWICK PRESS, 2023

 I hope you are already familiar with two titles by a talented creative pair, author Patricia Toht and illustrator JARVIS. PICK A PUMPKIN and PICK A PINE are lively rhyming picture books that are ideally suited for Halloween and the winter holidays. Now this duo has produced PICK A PERFECT EGG just in time for Easter celebrations. If that holiday isn't your jam, this is also a delightful story of creativity, nature, community, maker-activity, and family experiences, not to mention that universally appealing food- EGGS!

Toht's reliably rollicking and right-on rhymes and rhythms sustain  patterns from the first two titles, while making this a distinctly independent book of its own worth. The visuals (pastels, up-close perspectives of faces, eggs, hens, and subtle suggestions of a cadre of  bunnies busily at work in the background) ideally enhance the colorful vocabulary and language that turns short stanzas into page-turners. There are moments of a-h-h and lighthearted laughter throughout. Both familiarity and recognition allow this to be a book for every child, while specificity and surprise make it exciting and re-readable.

Author Maria Marshall, fan and cheerleader for nature and nature-related activities, offers a review and "maker" suggestions for this new title, HERE.  In a related interview with Toht and Jarvis, you'll learn even more about the making of their prior books and ways in which they develop the final products of their various talents, HERE.

I hope you'll take a look, whether before the holiday or all year long. It's smile-inducing and activity-inspiring. 

WINTER IS HERE According to Kevin Henkes, and Mother Nature

I'm writing here in Wisconsin, where author/illustrator Kevin Henkes lives, where describing winter is a very subjective endeavor. Those in areas near the Upper Peninsula of Michigan or living on the shores of Lake Superior experience winter very differently from those near Lake Michigan's southern shores, or in the heartland of the state, or along the Mississippi. Packers fans are all too aware of how widely winter ranges during games in Green Bay. 

Greenwillow, 2018

This recent picture book, WINTER IS HERE, is written by Kevin Henkes and illustrated by Laura Dronzek. This third title in a series by this talented pair follows WHEN SPRING COMES and IN THE MIDDLE OF FALL. 

The latest of these titles includes return appearances by familiar characters and settings, and features the spare and poetic (not rhyming) text that invites read-aloud and repeated readings.  The arc of winter begins with flakes and mittens on the opening endpapers, concluding with springy blossoms and butterflies on the final endpapers. The process of getting there is not at all abrupt or threatening, and includes mundane scenes (ZIPPERS!) and sensory images and descriptions.




I resist naming favorites among books, texts, or even lines, but in this case I do have a favorite double page spread. Influenced perhaps by the recent Super Blood Wolf Moon eclipse (January 19-20),  I appreciated the contrast between the bleaching effect of snow during the day and the saturated coloring effects of night lighting, making the familiar utterly fascinating. 

Winter Is Here, Greenwillow, 2018

Don't miss this lovely book, or it's related titles. All are available as board books, too, and a set of the books in either form would make a fabulous gift-- one that will be thoroughly enjoyed in the present, and saved to share with future generations. I believe that will be true regardless of where you live in Wisconsin, or any other part of the country.

As  I write the conclusion of this post the snow is falling, layering on a prior six inches and predicted to continue for another 24 hours. Whether you are living with four seasons in the northern hemisphere as we are, or enjoying a life in the tropics with year-long simmering sunshine, I assure you that young readers will enjoy snuggling on a lap and hearing these books  read to them, again and again.

All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah: Timely and Timeless

There are some names in the world of picture book creators that come with a guarantee of quality. Two of these talented individuals have joined forces to collaborate on text and illustration, reuniting after earlier successes working together. I can hardly be blamed for forming a hopeful and positive opinion about the work before I was even able to set eyes on it.

Penguin BYR, 2018

I actually felt that way before the starred reviews began rolling in, and weeks before the title began appearing on award shortlists. 
ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY HANUKKAH is written by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky, both of whom have garnered awards and commendations for wonderful  works in the past. My hopes couldn't have been higher. Once I had a chance to read and explore it, the actual book exceeded my highest expectations. 
This picture book extends the classic ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY novel series into a charmingly specific holiday celebration event that lets the characters shine through. 
The historic context and Hanukkah preparations are so thoroughly engaging that readers need not be familiar with either the foundational characters and stories nor the customs of Hanukkah celebrations to enjoy the book. The flowing language and the childlike charm of the illustrations keep readers focused on the perspective and emotions of the youngest daughter, Gertie, who takes center stage. She is desperate to help with latke preparations. Each step in the process (the peeling, grating, slicing, frying) presents dangers for one so small, even with loving older sisters who are kind and willing to share their chores. 
When Gertie has a meltdown, not unlike those likely taking place in holiday homes across the country (world), she is firmly banished to her room. Gertie's emotional rumination are recognizable, familiar, and  explore feelings we've all experienced as children. When Papa arrives home his role adds humor and reflects the loving nature of the family as a whole. 
The language and illustrations are nothing like a prior Jenkins/Zelinsky pairing in the TOYS GO OUT trilogy and picture book (TOYS MEET SNOW, reviewed here.). Just as Jenkins bends her ear and voice to capture those of characters she has loved for a lifetime, Zelinsky's art explores a rare childlike quality while incorporating a nod to authentic historic and cultural details. This approach provides expressive gestures and postures, with eye-level awareness of how dangerous a kitchen can actually be. The author's and  illustrator's notes following the story are worthy reads, and you'll definitely want to return to the book after reading their notes.
And then you'll want to place an order for hot latkes!

In past posts I've mentioned that I grew up devouring inhaling reading books, even though I had limited access to a very sparse branch library. I attended a school with a single shelf in each classroom collection. My childhood was at a time when very few children's books were being published. I read cereal boxes, the daily paper, and magazines, from BOYS LIFE to REDBOOK. I'd wait my turn to read every book that entered our home after Mom or my older siblings finished. 

That means I often reread books from our limited household library, including series titles like my sister's CHERRY AMES, STUDENT NURSE. There were other series from my meager public library, including The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew Mysteries, although I was never desperate enough to read those titles more than once.
It's not uncommon to come across academic articles saying that reading series titles should be discouraged. They can be formulaic, with predictable patterns, plots, and character traits. I wouldn't deny that many series, particularly those written in the fifties and sixties, presented little challenge to readers, but they did provide better entertainment than the back of a cereal box.

One series I am certain I never heard of, or read, (and wish I had) is the ALL-OF-A-KIND FAMILY.  Apparently, though, young readers in New York City, particularly in Jewish families, read every book in this series by Sydney Taylor. They certainly weren't alone. Taylor was the first author to write novels about Jewish family lives that also became popular with young readers from other religions and backgrounds, although they certainly weren't in my parochial school classrooms. Loyalties to this series extended across generations as children took these characters into their homes and lives and hearts. 
Taylor's stories unfold at the turn of the twentieth century in a Henry Street neighborhood in New York's Lower East Side.The title comes from Papa's nickname for his family of five daughters, who are "all-of-a-kind". 
I wish I had been able to access these when I was young, because I'm sure I'd have enjoyed the family dynamics, the lively and distinct personalities, and the historic insights from the era.
I'm always excited to read and enjoy any picture book with the appeal of All-of-a-Kind Family Hanukkah. In this case I'm grateful to a picture book that has provided me with gift to my younger self. I'll be checking out the five titles in Taylor's series and indulging in several hours of delightful stories that I missed when they were new. Once you read this terrific new picture book you may want to do the same.

Hanukkah begins at sunset on December 2 this year. Blessings to one and all.