Time to Think Ahead to Winter- on Winter Solstice Hill

 No complaints, please, about the topic of this review. Ads for Halloween costumes have been showing up in social media reels, back-to-school sales are already fading, and stock-up-for Thanksgiving ads actually showed up this week. Weirdly early, all of the above. 

CHARLESBRIDGE. October, 2026

Yes, the date is correct... AUGUST!
But the book under discussion here is WINTER SOLSTICE HILL, written by Cathy Stefanec Ogren and illustrated by Rebecca Evans. Why now, you ask, when we have yet to reach Fall's equinox? I'll answer that important question at the end of the post.

First, check out this lovely cover. You can see, as I did, that the story has been portrayed visually by a very perceptive and talented illustrator. Rendered in natural tones with soft edges, the scenes throughout have a light-infused effect. Indoor spreads of  the worn-wood floors, hearth fire, and simple furnishings are softly glazed with a glow that offers a "comfort-food" impact. That's true despite the frosted windows and concerned expression on the face of Ella.

The text is fluent and perfectly matched to the welcoming and straightforward life portrayed. Art details include moving boxes to unpack, a baby sibling, and a joyful golden dog, none of which are mentioned in text. Such details flood the spread with multiple examples of both security and change. Readers quickly connect with Ella (tagged by Grandpa as Ella-Bella) on her quest. They will trudge to the top of the hill, Winter Solstice Hill, where Ella's great-grandparent settlers first stood on Winter Solstice to share a wish for the first time. Finally, Ella is old enough to take part in the tradition. 

Readers join the uphill traipse with Ella, Grandpa, dog, and toboggan to search for the perfect tree, then hope to view the first Solstice star at the summit. Ella is on a mission to make an important but unstated wish. 

The spreads immerse readers in the depth of family history and generational connection, supporting text clues that these generations will be sharing that family home on heritage land. Just as we join in the satisfaction of finding a perfect tree, the weather (and tone) shift, adding the tension of impending storms that will block a view of any stars. In fact, arrival at the summit will not be achieved on that solstice night. The resolve from that point forward allows readers to experience Ella's wide emotional range, and to share in the gratifying ending. Will the wish need to wait, or is another approach possible? 

Overall, this generational story allows the specificity of the characters to feel universal, offering the softening effects of a dusting of light snow. The mix of eagerness, anxiety, joy, enthusiasm, disappointment, and excitement invite discussion, as well as recognition that few feelings are singular. The illustrations contribute so much to an already appealing text, magnifying the well-told story and delightful characters.

Now, back to my opening promise to indicate why a book about Winter Solstice matters in August? This goes to the business side of publishing, in which books are in their final phases (preparing to print, ship, distribute, and sell) for several months before the actual release date. It has become a business model to offer presale of those books, which can even drive the number actually printed and sold. It's a measure of interest and appeal, allowing publishers to guard against overproduction. I'll fully admit that I buy fewer books these days, preferring to read library copies when possible. In this case I was provided a digital copy to preview because I wanted to read it and encourage followers here to consider preorders. This is a seasonal celebration of the ways we carry on traditions, share family stories, imagine ourselves in relation to others, and more. With the multi-cultural holidays that center around late December and relate their stories and celebrations to the Earth's shift from dark to light, this book serves as an axis for all those other books. The storytelling, tone, and resolution can be the foundation for endless family and broader holiday stories at that time of year. To assure that you can purchase enough copies for the many people you'll want to gift with this book and to encourage publishers to produce enough to meet demand, please give this one a close look and consider using the preorder option to support it. 

 

SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS... Of Any Age!

 After recently moving from my career-long home, hundreds of miles from my hometown, I am now located closer to many family members of many generations. In the past six weeks I've had more opportunities to enjoy their company (and their colorful personalities) than I've had in half a century. Most gathering during those visits were limited in time and interactions by focus on weddings, funerals, or annual holidays. In these less formal, more "ordinary" meetings, many recollections are being shared of childhood fun as cousins, of traditional gatherings, of shared (and contested) memories!

ABRAMS BOOKS For Young Readers, 2023

Perhaps that's why this new picture book appeals to me so much. SUMMER IS FOR COUSINS,  written by Rajani LaRocca and illustrated by Abhi Alwar, is vibrant with color, personalities, connections, and extended-family-love. It also resonates with my own memories, of beaches and ice cream outings and shared cabins at the lake and rotating  family turns to cook meals.

In LaRocca's contemporary picture book, these cousin-family traditions are showcased on the endpapers in seemingly-scrapbook-taped snapshots of game night, story time, campfires, broken limbs, identities and and very special cousin friendships. So familiar.

This particular family is, from the start, ethnically different from mine. Grandpa and Grandma are called Thatha and Pati, but I didn't need to speak another language or use Google-translate to know that. The text and illustrations retain distinctly authentic identities, diets, and details while resonating fully with the patterns of family lives that make the meaning immediately clear. Other things are labeled in recognizably generic language, kid-speak. For example, the shared vacation spot is not a wooded cabin or tent, but "a house that's not any of ours", as was our childhood gathering place. Kids leave such arrangements to their parents, yet assume that the summer ritual of gathering and celebrating the season together in a vacation spot WILL occur, even if not in the same place each year. They count on it.

In early pages the children are tagged with names, although not ones as common to my background as "Susie" or "Joey". No sense of distance from my llife, though, because their cartoonish enthusiasm and interactions are universally familiar. Each year's return reveals changes, the youngest no longer the youngest. A special friendship with an older cousin is a  worrying risk to the first-person narrator, Ravi. Could his cousin have outgrown his interest in spending time with Ravi? His voice has changed, he is incredibly taller. Would he still enjoy their favorite flavor of ice cream, or share his older-guy interests, like paddleboarding. 

Amid the many satisfying situations depicted in lively, action-packed illustrations and delightfully direct text, this tension of younger-Ravi's concern/hope is a thread that also recalled my experiences- always seeking the company of the older cousin rather than the younger one, hoping for affirmation that I was worthy of their continuing friendships, or at least their awareness. 

This is much more than a nostalgic mirror of a fun childhood summer, though. The dynamic of these cousins actually forms a dramatic throughline for Ravi to prove his theory that their special friendship has overcome their age/size differences. When the kids claim a night of dinner prep, Ravi sets out to test his cousin, to see if they still share the same favorite flavor of ice cream. I love his proactive approach and also his appealing decision to make the ice cream himself. Foodies, rejoice in this example of kids cooking and turning "making" into play! 

There is plenty to enjoy in this new picture book, for early readers, their families, and even those of us out here on the elder branches of our family trees. Apart from the affirmative values of shared family time, meals at the table, outdoor play, intergenerational activities, and family traditions, this is an ideal example of the power to both provide lesser-published  mirrors for those with non-western identities and open windows for others. It's a potent example of the ways in which "Same": and "Different" are utterly inadequate terms in a complex society such as we inhabit. Ours is a society (*most of USA) in which we live in neighborhoods that are siloed. A book like this takes our occasional and often limited contacts with people we might see only in "roles" at school or in retail or business settings beyond those artificial boundaries into their lives. Lives so much like our own. What a priceless gift that is, to those who rarely see themselves in such books, and even more to those who rarely see those lives in real life. Check it out at your library or invest a few bucks for a book that will be a treasure across generations. You'll be making memories!

For families with older kids, check out Rajani LaRocca's Newbery Honor title, RED, WHITE, and WHOLE, a phenomenal read involving the ongoing stress of strict family expectations in conflict with the immersive social patterns of a broader community. It's another loving family tale, but one immersed in the stresses of daily work and school life with the added burden of serious illness.

Two Non-Traditional Christmas and Hanukkah Stories- Just in Time for December Celebrations

 

On this Saint Nick's Day, in the unparalleled year of 2020, I'm sharing with you the gift of two wonderful new holiday stories for the season. You don't need me to tell you that this year's celebrations will be far from typical. That provides a perfect chance to expand your classroom or library or home collection of holiday picture books with these two titles. Both explore the disconnect kids (and the kid in all of us) feel when patterns established year after year, are suddenly disrupted. 

SHADOW MOUNTAIN PUBLISHING, 2020

MING'S CHRISTMAS WISHES is written by Susan L. Gong and illustrated by Masahiro Tateishi. A rich and dense history forms the foundation of this seemingly simple story of a girl who is trying to find her place within generations, traditions, and the lure of a sensory-rich Christmas season in the 1930s. 

Ming's deepest wish is to fit in, to belong- somewhere! At that time (and for many decades earlier) Chinese immigrants were treated as outsiders in this country, and most especially in California. Ming longs to sing with the Christmas choir, but her teacher insists that will never happen. She longs to have a Christmas tree at home, even a small pine, but Mama refuses, near tears. That would not be Chinese. (Adult readers will recognize that Mama is struggling not to lose her Chinese identity, for herself or her family, but Ming only feels the pain of being outside the culture surrounding her. 

The heart of this story is when she spends the day traveling into the snowy mountains to the east to visit beloved family friends. Uncle Lin and his ancient father live in a small cabin that is filled with intricately and densely carved Chinese figures- trimming window frames, forming doors and table tops. Each holds a story of its own, of Chinese traditions and culture that feel welcoming and inspiring to Ming. When the visit ends, Ming and Papa drive further up the mountain, sharing more history and learning that small pines are Chinese symbols of long life and happiness.

 this 

There is so much in this story to provide a free-standing delightful addition to collections of more familiar Christmas picture books. This new addition involves the familiar: wishes, woes, compromise, and character growth. This rare and special story carries warmth and love that feels familiar, and reflects traditional Western tales  

There is even more to explore and investigate in the remarkable illustrations, in the generational connections, in the possible backstory of each of the characters (including that nasty teacher who launches the tension).

I expected to enjoy this story, but was surprised at how much it overwhelmed me with detail and heart and significance. It truly deserves a place in every library, classroom, and family collection of holiday stories.

STERLING CHILDREN'S BOOKS
2020

Shifting gears, THE NINTH NIGHT OF HANUKKAH is written by Erica S. Perl and illustrated by Shahar Kober. This is an urban, contemporary story of a Jewish family that has moved to a new apartment just as Hanukkah arrives. Eating on the floor among unpacked boxes, they eat pizza and plan to find their Menorrah in one of the boxes the next day, 

This story is a "how-to-adapt" guide as the two children pursue necessary items each day, pleased to meet new helpful new neighbors and appreciate "approximations" of their traditions. Through their daily adaptations and outreach,  Father uses the SHAMASH (servant) candle to light their makeshift Menorah on each h of the eight nights. 

That's all well and good, with humor and lively scenes showing their discovery of new neighbors and friends, new ways to apply old traditions, and a celebration of family. The twist here is that once they are ready to invite their new friends to a celebration, Hanukkah is OVER, eight days have passed. The satisfying resolution involves threads from every stage of the story, followed by a brief author note and some suggested activities reflecting Hanukkah traditions.

This is an ideal model for families finding themselves in new homes, or without familiar options and traditions. Those who celebrate traditional Christmas often believe that Hanukkah is the most important holiday of the Jewish calendar, which is far from the case in most families. Even so, patterns established for years within a family can make the absence of familiar objects and people turn to heartbreak. The kids in this family and their frazzled parents turn potential heartbreak and loss into joyful challenges, spending  time and effort to appreciate the good in their lives. 

Both books remind me of times when personal gatherings and social interactions were the hallmarks and bright lights of this dark winter month. Celebrating gatherings and shared traditions within these stories make them timeless and timely, reminders that virtual experiences of spending time with family, friends, and even strangers may hold happy surprises in this unusual holiday season. 

On a side note, both books incorporate easily interpreted language/terms that will attract attention from kids who love learning about new words, cultures, and countries.

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.