HAPPY FRIENDSGIVING!

 Every day, in every way, I try to pause to be thankful. Sometimes it relates to a specific gratitude. Sometimes I simply note that opening line from e e cummings:

"Thank you god

for most this amazing day

for leaping greenly spirits of trees

for a blue true dream of a sky

for all that is natural

all that is infinite

all that is 

YES"

Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2025

With that in mind, HAPPY FRIENDSGIVING is a delightful book to share on Thanksgiving, in NewYork City, with a wide-ranging group of friends pouring into a joyful space from corners far and wide. Or anywhere! Written by Marcie  Colleen and illustrated by Laura Sandoval Herrera, this lovely depiction of a familiar event extends far beyond  formulaic. There are other countries that designate dates for official giving of thanks. Even so, here in the good old USofA, we seem to have staked a claim on what a THANKSGIVING DAY should look like. 

In fact, this artful and appealing approach blends  many iconic situations and images that you might expect. HAPPY FRIENDSGIVING lifts its story from that familiar platform to expand in specifics (diversity on many levels) as well as concepts (traveling, gathering, preparing, and more, but without labels of time, place, recipes) allowing folks in many locations and from many traditions to see themselves in this work and in such a joyous gathering. 

The illustrations are warmly colorful and convey genuine emotions without inserting features that clearly identify or label those involved. The range of activities, emotions, events, and experiences open the pages to every eye and hand. 

For some other recommended books on this topic, check posts HERE, HERE, HERE, and HERE. The most important idea I took from this (and some of the prior posts) is that the name of the holiday matters little, whether THANKSGIVING, FRIENDSGIVING, HARVEST DAY, or INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY, whether your gathering has a parade outside the window or a farm field or a dirt track, what matters is drawing together, sharing, caring, and extending ourselves to others with welcome and respect. 

Now that's a reason for gratitude. 

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. 

How Many Days until YOUR birthday?

Following the fun and frolic of the holiday season and New Year's gatherings, here's a delightful new picture book with a "birthday launch" to celebrate! I'm especially excited about this one because it is written by a friend and writing buddy, Stef Wade. She's also the author of other books you may know and love, as I do, reviewed HERE, with other great titles previously published and new ones on the way!

Running Press Kids, January, 2023

EVERY DAY'S A HOLIDAY: Winnie's Birthday Countdown is illustrated by Husna Aghniya with colorful, action-packed scenes featuring the very imaginative Winnie and her innovative mom in a romp of lively language and STEM-related possibilities. 

 Winnie’s post-birthday letdown has her asking in the opening line, “How many days ‘til my birthday?” I’m certain Winnie is not the only child who’s felt that way, even with 362 days left to go!

That relatively familiar situation leaves both mom and daughter with the same dilemma, from two different perspectives: how to get through SO. MANY. DAYS! What seems to begin as a creative one-day distraction (Winnie waking to find popcorn for breakfast on National Popcorn Day) diverts her attention only while the jumbo bag of popcorn lasts. Winnie is again dismayed at so many days to wait, and her mom is challenged to continue daily celebration recognitions. When her actual birthday finally returns, the year of alternatives has broadened Winnie’s perspective. This contemporary, realistic picture book incorporates entertainingly age-appropriate content connections to math, calendar skills, significant national holidays, and invites group sharing, discussion of familiar holidays, and pursuit of creative ideas for other holidays.

 

This delightfully entertaining premise is executed with perfect pacing, themed sequences, nicely varied language to sustain novelty at each page turn, and an effective blend of recognizable holidays and important days with surprising (but REAL!) minor ones. 

Wade’s knack for humor and lighthearted dialogue lift a strong offering to even higher levels. Share this with any child who has a birthday (those are easy to find, right?) and join in the fun yourselves. If your particular child(ren) need to wait all the way to or near December for a birthday, start now with those fun alternatives. An abundance of specialty celebration days are just a search-click away, or invent your own! How would YOU celebrate Lost Sock Memorial Day?

Congratulations and happy book birthday, Stef, on another kid-bait picture book that's jam-packed with learning potential!

 

Three Birdy Picture Books... and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

 'Tis the season to start counting down days until Christmas. If you are among the many for whom the Twelve Days of Christmas is essential to holiday celebrations, you know that swans-a-swimming, geese-a-laying, calling birds, turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree are annual favorites. HERE's a fun link to learn more about why that is the case in in this centuries-old carol.

For some modern fun with birds, here are three quick takes on picture books featuring birds.

I'll start, as birds do, with THE EGG, created by Geraldo Valerio (Owlkids, 2020) . The collage art is the star of this wordless book. 

With an important theme (families come in all shapes and sizes), this simple story shows a mother bird losing her only egg during a storm. She suffers the loss, then locates and adopts a different, abandoned egg. It quickly hatches into a human baby, but is loved and protected by the doting mother bird. Soon, she sees a wide range of unexpected matches of birds and baby creatures, most of which do NOT hatch from eggs outside the body. 
Even so, some eventual discussions of animal life originating in eggs, in one way or another, could justify this colorful and fun approach to the topic of family compositions. I am expecting as many questions about what happened to the originally lost egg as to the egg-human, since none of the mismatched offspring resemble the featured stork-like bird who is the center of the story. 
The art is likely to inspire young creators, the questions are worthy ones, and the laughs are guaranteed.

Even so, some eventual discussions of animal life originating in eggs, in one way or another, could justify this colorful and fun approach to the topic of family compositions. I am expecting as many questions about what happened to the originally lost egg as to the egg-human, since none of the mismatched offspring resemble the featured stork-like bird who is the center of the story. 
The art is likely to inspire young creators, the questions are worthy ones, and the laughs are guaranteed. 

If you are someone who thinks there are far too many birds in that holiday song, you must meet the gatekeeper bird in TWO MANY BIRDS, created by Cindy Derby (Roaring Book Press, 2020) . When a bossy and controlling VIB (Very Important Bird) restricts access to the ONLY available tree, topping that with arbitrary and rather obnoxious rules, it is entirely predictable that VIB would loudly object to two eggs that hatch. Despite the joy of mother bird and the 99 other birds who had made it into the stark branches of that singular tree, VIB insists that TWO MUST GO!

What happens next is far less predictable, but packed with visual fun and developments that draw on real world nature as well as "human" nature.
There's much here to enjoy, first, and then to spark conversations. Plenty, too, to spark comparisons to real birds and their features, reduced habitats, the power of collective responses, and dealing with demanding personalities. 
These funny "birdbrains" can teach us all a thing or two.

Finally, since few of us will be checking into hotels during this Covid Christmas season, a fun way to peek inside the lives of hotel workers can be found in ELEVATOR BIRD, created by Sarah Williamson (Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2020). It's not at all unusual to have animals take on human roles and traits in picture books, but this book "lifts" that approach into unusual territory. With various animals as the workers and guests in a high-rise hotel, the elevator plays a pivotal role. Bird operates that elevator, well-dressed in hat and tue, using a small branch to push the buttons while perched on a corner stool.

Everyone appreciates kind and helpful bird, as readers will, too. Each page provides an opportunity to see the many roles needed to operate a hotel, with various services often well-suited to the particular animals doing that job. The fact that worms carry the luggage continue to crack me up as I type this, as well as subtly inserted wordplay. When Bird is not working hard and helping one and all, its residence is in the lower level, the dark basement of the hotel. Mousey overhears casual wish to have a view of the city and see the night sky after a day of work, which launches a chain reaction of kindness. 
Truly, this is appealing on the most basic level: animals, colors, action-filled and labeled pages, and simple text. Beyond that, it opens discussion about work-families, service employees, and the value of empathy and friendship.

All three creators are author/illustrators and bring lively images to the page with visual humor that will have little audiences returning again and again. Depending on where you live, winter weather  may or may not entice you to dine outdoors or pursue biking, hiking, and other lengthy excursions, ones that might change your home-bound view without risking viral exposure, the way indoor events can. It's a fun time of year, though, to ramp up birdwatching. For the hardy hangers on or the southern migrators, providing bird feeders, taking short walks, lending an eye and ear to unusual arrivals in your area can laugh a lifetime hobby. We can expect our confinements to continue well into the new year, so those who are hooked may be interested in checking out the annual Audobon Bird Census. You can participate from your own back yard, for as little as fifteen minutes, and the whole family can join in the fun. Check it out!

Two Irresistible Cybils Fiction Picture Book Nominees: Stories of Separation

Image alert:  My cover images are not uploading as of publication for the post, but I'll continue t work at adding them back in when the glitch is resolved. Meanwhile, click on each of the titles  in the text to view them at the Indiebound.org web page. 

Covid 19 note: 

Regardless of where in the world we find ourselves, the coming months will encompass many holidays. "Where in the world" may mean physically (in the USA or elsewhere), culturally (by ethnicity or religious identities), or simply finding ourselves connected to multi-generational traditions. One thing that will be true across these identities (and far beyond) is that 2020 holidays will NOT repeat all traditional celebrations and past practices. Finding ways to preserve the spirit and joy despite separations and limitations could be challenging, but IS possible, and merits our attention and effort. 

So, yet again, I'll  risk sounding like a broken record. I wonder how many readers know that phrase or recognize the reference to a "record" skipping, repeatedly producing the same phrase? At any rate, my repetitive claim, the one that launched this blog, is: 

"Picture books are for every age!"

Two titles among the many outstanding picture books I've been reading as a Cybils panelist for fiction picture books are ideal examples of this thesis. Both have much to offer in the way of wisdom and comfort during times of separation and change, especially when longing could overwhelm us. 

 EVELYN DEL REY IS MOVING AWAY is written by Newbery Award-winning  Meg Medina and illustrated by Sonia Sanchez. It's no surprise when Meg Medina's books channel the truths and hearts of young characters. In this case, her format is an expansive and vibrantly colored picture book about the parting of numero uno best friends, the narrator Daniela and her moving-away mejor amiga, Evelyn Del Rey. 

Readers quickly absorb the unlimited connection and affection of these friends who are "almost twins", revealed during the final hours while they are still neighbors. Their 'almost twin" bedrooms are connected by a rigged clothesline pulley between their windows). In those limited hours while the moving truck "gobbles up" Evelyn's family's boxes and furniture, they share lovely and lively experiences. Snippets of interactions include multi-cultural neighbors, understanding parents, and the deeply felt sadness despite understanding.

This story, these characters, and the powerful illustrations merit many re-readings. 
The dedication and the final spread underscore the reality that friendships span distance AND time, whether that means moving away or adjusting to new ways to celebrate a holiday. 

 

TWO BICYCLES IN BEIJING is witten by Teresa Robeson and is illustrated by Junyi Wu. Two brightly-colored bikes are the central characters in this charming tale set in Beijing, China. The sunny yellow bone and the robust red one leave the factory together, lean together in a shop window, and feel deeply connected. Third person narration is interrupted by the thoughts of the red bike, Lunzi, during alert travels as transportation of the buyer, a delivery boy. That launches the Lunzi's watchful attention in busy Beijing streets, alleys, and pathways, ever alert for a flash of yellow, the other bike, Huangche. In the course of a day, those flashes of yellow introduce readers to iconic locations and activities from the city, interspersed with a few Mandarin Chinese words and named landmarks. 
It is not easy to embue a couple of bicycles with personalities and emotions. That is especially so when it's achieved almost entirely with voice and subtle hints in the illustrations, not obvious facial features or other anthropomorphic details. The resolution arrives naturally, with an added sense of joyful discovery. It is an enormous challenge to create a picture book with kid-appeal featuring adult (or near adult) characters.Centering the focus on the bikes and their emotional motivations will hold natural appeal for little readers, inviting attention and curiosity about the visual and cultural hallmarks of Beijing. 

In both cases, these recent picture books are lovely stories featuring diverse populations (in both settings) and the centered characters are in densely populated communities. In both, the feeling that only one particular person (or bike) truly matters resonates from the ages and touch readers' hearts. 

In each case these characters are spending time out and about, in the "real world". Let this be a a reminder that Covid-induced isolation will eventually pass. Even then, we will regularly confront emotional losses. Separations and missing loved ones will continue to cause sadness and worry. 

Let's make sure we all get there, safely and well. It's worth the current sense of loss in missing traditional gatherings and travel to reduce the impact of this pandemic and preserve the health of those we love and care about so deeply. 

Happy ACTUAL Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.

Scholasti reprint, 2006

Portions of this post are reprinted from a post three years ago, which in turn linked back to one of my first posts when this blog launched six years ago.

It's no wonder that few people realize that Washington's birthday is February 22, Lincoln's birthday is February 12, and Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday is actually today, January 15. Designating official MONDAY celebrations for his commemoration and also for President's Day next month may allow federal and some other employees/schools to enjoy three-day-weekends, but my hope is it will focus more attention on the accomplishments and integrity of these incomparable leaders than simply getting discounts on linens.

Monday is the routine day for garbage collection at my curb. I couldn't find the calendar indicating changes, so I called the service to ask if it would be moved to tomorrow. The young woman who answered had no idea why it would be, and when I cited this holiday, Martin Luther King's Birthday, she quickly said, no, that's not a real holiday. That statement is sad, even tragic, made more so because this is the fiftieth anniversary of the garbage collectors protest.  This is the very reason why MLK, Jr. was in Memphis when he was assassinated. If the history of that protest and the reasons for it are new to you, or forgotten, please take a moment to click HERE and learn more.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARTIN LUTHER KING, written by Jean Marzolla and illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney is one of the MANY books about MLK, Jr., one that focuses directly on his birthday. 

While reflecting on my six years of sharing reviews, interviews, and thoughts about the unlimited power of picture books for all ages, I reread my first-ever post on this holiday, written as an open letter to Martin. It included this: 

"Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.

You’re a hero to so many, but I’d like to take a moment to tell you why you are mine.

When sharing your accomplishments with students, describing the doors you opened, opportunities you produced, changes resulting from your leadership in the USA and the world, my admiration is evident to them. 

Then I tell them about my experience in high school."

My post included links to a few outstanding titles, but there are numerous other titles released before and since that are being featured across the blogosphere. They can be found easily enough, and I urge readers to seek them out. Some places to start include Reading Rockets, this New York Times Review,  Colours of US, BookKidsBlog, and one of my earlier posts. 

I urge you to begin today to read and gather these and other books that are inspiring, informative, and entertaining. Share them, today and throughout the widely recognized Black History Month. But I beg you, PLEASE, to continue to display, circulate, reference, and read aloud these and other books throughout the year. It's not surprising that our compartmentalizing of the struggles of history and the inspiring lives of leaders has fostered generations of people who readily see powerful truths as slogans and symbols to be waved about on specific days, but not integrated into our lives.

The post I quoted above, my letter to Martin Luther King, concluded with this:

"Because, thanks to your leadership, risks, and sacrifices, along with those of so many others, now every one of those schools accepts women. That change took place too late for me.

So, Martin, not just on your birthday or during Black History Month, I thank you for your vision and accomplishments. You threw open the doors of opportunity for me and for everyone else to live in a country that guarantees equality, or recourse when that has been denied."

Those words are as true today as ever, but are also are greater risk than they have been since Martin walked among us. Recent events across the country (the world, in fact) make them even more true today. I chose to wrap my thoughts around a mix of previous readings and writings because they continue to shape every day of my life. I hope you'll take the time to read the rest of the that early post, here.

Then find ways to honor my hero in every day life.