More Picture Book Joy

Reading is Fun

 

Candlewick Press always has so many wonderful picture books sometimes it's hard to choose what to share with my young readers. Here are a few that I have chosen and which I am sure will become everyone's new favorites:

My Red Hat written and illustrated by 

Rebecca Stubbs

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

In this intergenerational story, a loving grandfather passes down his red hat to his granddaughter and tells her about all the different possibilities the hat holds for her and which are clearly based on his own life experiences. The hat, he says, can simply be used to keep her warm or dry, protect her from the sun or the rain, help her stand out in a crowd, or hide in one. The hat can hold her dreams, secrets, and fears and it is full of possibility - places to go, things to see, people to meet until home calls her back. Using simple landscape line illustrations, done in a limited palette of colors, Stubbs captures the idea of a child's connection to her family and home while encouraging her to go out and to confidently explore her internal and external world courageously, knowing that there is always place where she is loved and has roots. This is a warm, tender, thought-provoking story for your young readers. Sometimes grandparents can encourage kids to follow their dreams in ways that parents can't because of the different relationship a child has with the two generations.  

Over the Shop written by JonArno Lawson,

illustrated by Qin Leng

Candlewick Press, 2021, 48 pages

In this wordless intergenerational story, a young girl lives with her grumpy grandparent in a rather run down building with their general store on the ground floor, where the granddaughter helps out when not in school. There's a alley cat who is the grandparent's nemesis, but to whom the girl brings cans of food. Above the shop is an empty apartment that they need to rent. A for-rent sign is hung in the window and a variety of people come, look, and leave. Until one day, a mixed race couple come to look at the apartment and decide to rent it, and though grumpy grandparent doesn't seem to want them, the granddaughter does. Slowly but surely the couple fix up the apartment throughout the fall and winter, with the girl's help and when spring comes round, the work is done, and even the little balcony attached to the apartment is alive with window boxes and plants. Next thing you know, the couple is helping out in the store and the girl is so happy, she even manages to lure the cat up to the apartment where it finds a home. What I really loved about this book was watching how the grumpy grandparent's face changes over the course of the story to one that is happy and smiling by the end, demonstrating how important it is to have caring friends and neighbors. Because this book is wordless, readers need to rely on the wonderfully detailed ink and watercolor illustrations to see to story's progression. Interestingly, the dedication is to trans activists of all ages. I just love the subtleness of gender in this book about inclusiveness. 

No Buddy Like a Book by Allan Wolf, 

illustrated by Brianne Farley

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

In this book extolling the wonderful things readers can find in books, they are reminded throughout that a book is nothing without a reader and their imagination: "But Books are only smears of ink/ without the reader's mind/  to give the letters meaning/ and to read between the lines." The unnamed narrator focuses on nonfiction and what readers can learn, like how icebergs stay afloat, or how to learn something like cooking and baking. Books can teach readers about space and how to build a telescope or take them on journeys anywhere in the world they would like to go. The only thing a reader needs besides knowing how to read is their own imagination. Told in an ABCB rhyme scheme, this lyrical tribute to books and reading will delight young readers just starting out on their own "...aboard the Book Express." Where will it take them? Wherever they want to go. The mixed media illustrations for this charming oversized book are bold and colorful, and includes diverse group of young readers. One of the things I used to tell my very reluctant fourth grader readers is how a book can open up so many new worlds and adventures for them. How I wish I had this book to read and show them what I was talking about. 

Ellie's Dragon written and illustrated by

Bob Graham

Candlewick Press, 2020, 40 pages

One day, Ellie finds a tiny dragon. Holding it in her hand, its little claws tickled her and so she named it Scratch. At first, she made scratch a little bed out of a match box, but when he grew some, he took up residence in her dollhouse. Ellie and Scratch spent lots of time together, even if her mom couldn't see him. At first, Ellie took Scratch everywhere, even to preschool where the other kids loved him, but, like Ellie's mom, the teacher couldn't see Scratch. But when Ellie went to kindergarten, she forget to bring Scratch with her. By Ellie's 8th birthday, Scratch had learned to fly, though sometimes Ellie still took him places with her. As Ellie grew, Scratch began to fade, until one day, he just slipped away out the window while she slept. Ellie sometimes still thought about Scratch, but the fully grown dragon soon found a new home with a little boy down the street, who now takes him everywhere. This is such a wonderful example of how imaginary friends begin, bring comfort and companionship, and when the time is right, slip away, but are never completely forgotten. Graham's watercolor and ink illustrations are simple, colorful, and whimsical, the writing is straightforward, with humor and warmth. Though the story has been compared to the song "Puff the Magic Dragon" because it does have a touch of the same kind of melancholy, Ellie's Dragon has a much happier ending. 

Mindi and the Goose No One Else Could See

by Sam McBratney, illustrated by Linda Ólafsdóttir

Candlewick Press, 2021, 40 pages

Mindi is afraid of a great big goose that no one else can see. You couldn't call it an imaginary friend, though, since she was so fearful of this goose. And no matter what her parents do to keep it away, even though they couldn't see the goose, it just doesn't leave. So her dad decides to consult with Austen, a wise old man who has help other people before. The plan is simple enough - take Mindi on a long journey to his farm. While there, a young goat wonders into the house and Austen tells Mindi to give the goat an apricot, and that if he likes her, the goat will return the pit to her hand. Sure enough, the goat returns the pit and Austen even lets Mindi name the little goat. A week later, Austen comes to visit Mindi and her parents, and brings the little goat along. Seeing how Mindi has taken to the goat, Austen makes a suggestion that they trade - he'll take the big scary goose, with the understanding that she will never see it again because his farm is so far away, and she can have the little goat. Is this the happily-ever-after end of the story? Not quite - there's a bit of a surprise at the Austen's farm that no one would have expected. Though not quite as charming as McBratney's stories about Little Nutbrown Hare, this is still an excellent book about dealing with children's fears and anxieties. The mixed media illustrations are beautifully done, ranging from colorful full page images to spot illustrations. 

I received these book from Candlewick Press in exchange for honest reviews.

A Day for Rememberin': Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day written by Leah Henderson, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

 

A Day for Rememberin'

Inspired by the True Events of the First Memorial Day

written by Leah Henderson, illustrated by Floyd Cooper

Harry N. Abrams, 2021, 40 pages

Most of us don't really know much about Memorial Day except that it's a time when we honor those who lost their lives in combat defending United States and the democratic principles upon which it was founded. And maybe some of us know that it was originally called Decoration Day, a day when families would go to the cemetery with flags and flowers to place on the graves of their fallen loved ones. But how many of us know about the origin of Memorial Day?

Well, now Leah Henderson has explored this question and has written a picture book for older readers that tells the story of one such origin and has chosen Eli, the ten-year-old son of formerly enslaved parents, as the narrator. It's 1865 and the Civil has ended with the Confederate surrender. And for nine days, Eli has wondered where his Papa goes to so early every day. Eli imagines him doing all kinds of things, but he isn't allowed to follow Papa because he is going to school, and as his mother reminds him, "...you have the hard earned right to learn...Masters locked away learning 'cause knowledge is its own freedom." 

Finally, though, on day ten, Papa wakes Eli up early and they join a procession of other formerly enslaved men and boys and head to the Charleston, South Carolina racetrack, once used for the entertainment white plantation owners. During the Civil War, the racetrack had become a prison where Confederates put captured Union soldiers, who were starved and treated so badly that even the enslaved women would try to sneak the men whatever morsels they could spare. 

Eli discovers that the men have been working to create a cemetery for the 257 dead Union soldiers who had been held in the racetrack. And it's here that Eli has a paintbrush put in his hands to help whitewash a fence with the other children. 

The next day, Eli is up early again, and heads out with his parents to join the procession other Black families heading to the racetrack, now a cemetery. Eli proudly carries the American flag, and the women carry flowers with which to decorate the newly dug graves. 

While this may be a work of historical fiction, the cemetery, called the Martyrs of the Race Track that was created in Charleston, South Carolina by formerly enslaved men, women, and children, is considered by some scholars to be the first observance of Decoration Day, later renamed Memorial Day. In her Author's Note, Henderson writes that she was inspired to write to story after seeing a photograph of about "200 Black children getting ready for what looked like a parade." Curiosity sparked, research led Henderson to the cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina, where she learned that the Decoration Day parade to the former racetrack included over 10,000 newly freed enslaved people were led by about 3,000 Black children. Henderson chose the fictional Eli and his parents to tell their story.

A Day for Rememberin' is such a poignant story about how one community honored the men who they believed fought for them, but also, as Eli reminds readers, about the fear that enslaved people lived with every day, wondering if their loved one would come home at the end of the day, or be sold to someone without their knowing. 

And who better to illustrate this moving, affective story than Floyd Cooper. Using his signature method of oil erasure in earth tones of yellows and browns seems somehow so perfect for this story. The hazy effect of this method doesn't diminish the details and the closeups of people faces really captures their different emotions. 

Besides the Author's Note, back matter includes a short essay on The Roots of Decoration Day, a Timeline of Decoration Day/Memorial Day, a list of other cities claiming to be the birthplace of Memorial Day, Endnotes, and a Select Bibliography. 

David W. Blight a scholar who believes that the birthplace of Decoration Day is Charleston, South Carolina. You can read two of his interesting articles about this HERE and HERE.

Full disclosure: I read a digital watermarked ARC received from the publisher.

This book is recommended for readers age 7+

Billy Miller Makes a Wish by Kevin Henkes

Billy Miller Makes a Wish 

written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes

Greenwillow Books, 2021, 192 pages

It's June, school is out, and Billy Miller is a rising third grader. It's also Billy's eight birthday and just before he blows out the candles on his cake, he wishes that something exciting would happen. Ten minutes later, a police car and an ambulance arrive on his street for the first time in Billy's life. Could it be that his wish came true so quickly? But when his elderly neighbor is taken away on a stretcher, Billy wonders if this happened because of his wish. Suddenly, Billy has an uneasy feeling, especially knowing his Papa would be going away the next day to adult art camp for a week. And when the neighbor, Mr. Tooley, passes away, a very distressed Billy is sure it is his fault. When his Papa reassures Billy that Mr. Tooley dying had nothing to do with him, Billy feels immensely relieved. Maybe now he can begin to enjoy his summer vacation.

But as the first week of summer progresses, more exciting things happen. First, there's the bat in the basement incident. Billy had just been thinking about bats while helping his Mama clean the basement when suddenly there was a real bat flying around. Then, there are the old letters written by his Mama and Papa to each other that Sal, Billy's little sister, finds in the basement and decides to play postman with, delivering them to all their neighbors. Imitating their postman, Sal also decides to give herself some purple tattoos using Billy's new birthday permanent markers. This is followed by the fire that starts in the fireplace when Mama tries to burn the letters that the neighbors have kindly returned, and why is Mama so tired all the time? It's only the first week of summer vacation and Billy is wondering whether all this excitement could be because of that one birthday wish that is causing a lot of guilt and regret for this caring, sensitive boy.

Billy Miller Makes a Wish is an interesting look at Billy's reactions to events that are out of his control and how, without Papa being there to reassure him, he feels responsible for what happens anyway. I think Billy is such a wonderfully drawn character. He's optimistic, kind and very patient with his little sister Sal, who is a really rambunctious little girl. As calm and introspective as Billy is, Sal is energetic and impulsive, a sister that knows her brother will let her use his new birthday markers even before he uses them himself. Mama and Papa are also patient and understanding and they form a family that just might be modeled on Kevin Henkes' own family. 

Like its predecessor, Billy Miller Makes a Wish is a gentle, funny, and relatable chapter book. And like that first book, the story slowly unfolds so that each of the twenty chapters read like an episode, yet they form a coherent whole and are perfect for young readers transitioning to chapter books. To add to the story, Henkes has included black and white spot illustration throughout the book. And yes, there is a surprise ending, though adults sharing this book with kids may figure it out long before the end, and maybe it promises more Billy Miller stories while he is still at this young, innocent age. 

If you enjoyed the first Billy Miller book by Kevin Henkes, The Year of Billy Miller, and even if you didn't read it, you are sure to like his newest adventure, which can also be read as a stand alone chapter book. 

You can find an Educator's Guide for both Billy Miller book HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 7+

This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park, illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng

The One Thing You'd Save by Linda Sue Park,

illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng

Clarion Books/HMH Publishing. 2021, 72 pages

Have you ever wondered what you would save in a fire? No? Well, I have and it turns out, when faced with that reality, I tried to save my computer.* 

Linda Sue Park has posed the same question in her latest work of fiction. It all begins when middle grade teacher Ms. Chang gives her students a homework assignment challenging her students to think about the Most Important Thing they would rescue if their home were burning. But it can only be one thing, size and weight don't matter, and it doesn't have to be family members or pets because they are already safe, much to the relief of one student who would want to save her slowly walking arthritic Nana.

The one most important thing these students pick vary from a cell phone to call 911 and a dad's wallet to have money once they are out of their burning home, to an ugly blue sweater, to a Mets-Cubs program, to a sketchbook full of flaming dragons. One student silently decides they would take nothing, glad to see their total dump-of-a-building burn down. 

But as the students begin to go into why they would save what they think is their one most precious thing the tone of the discussion changes. That ugly blue sweater links three generations of a family together. One grandmother knit a blue sweater for the girl's father, then another grandmother unraveled it and made a sweater for her. A collection of 93 china animal figurines, prizes in boxes of tea, connects two friends to each other more deeply than meets the eye.

Slowly, the discussion about objects becomes one of memories attached to those objects. I loved reading that process, and how the student's stories evolved. Even Ms. Chang, who thought she would save her 18 grade books and class pictures, changes her mind about what's important. In the end, what makes this book so interesting is what the students and teacher learn about themselves and their classmates.

In her Author's Note, Linda Sue Park calls this a collection of poems, but it really reads like a coherent whole. At first, it may seem confusing, but it won't take long to figure out the different voices of the students and the teacher, who actually has her own font. Park has used an ancient traditional Korean poetic form called sijo (SHEE-zho). But while sijo generally has three lines of thirteen to seventeen syllables, she didn't stick strictly to that structure, proving how organic nature of poetic forms can evolve over time. 

Artist Robert Sae-Heng's grey-toned illustration are sketched in shades of grey, black and white reminding me of the kind of charcoal that burnt wood becomes and giving the accompanying class discussion an after-the-fire atmosphere. And although the discussion takes place in the classroom, as each student talks about what they would rescue, Sae-Heng has given readers an intimate view into their rooms at home showing their meaningful item, for example, the blue sweater:

The One Thing You'd Save is a thought-provoking, conversation generating work. Even though my young readers are way too young for this book, I asked them the same question Ms. Chang asked her students, and the answers were just as amazing. There's a lot to think about in this slender novel-in-verse that asks a question we have all probably thought about at one time or another.   

So...what do you hold most precious that you would want to save in a fire?  

You can find a useful discussion guide for this book HERE

This book is recommended for readers age 8+

This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

*Did I save my computer? Indirectly, yes. The fire wasn't in my apartment, but fire balls dropped into my bedroom air conditioner and a fireman came charging in and knocked it out of the window, along with my windows, curtains, and a bunch of books I had on the window sill. Luckily, my air conditioner wasn't plugged in or it would have resulted in an electrical fire, which would have been devastating for everyone in the building. I couldn't disconnect the computer I wanted to save from the cable modem, so I put it under the desk and left. If I had left it on the desk, it would have been destroyed by water damage coming from the apartment with the fire. The next day, I went out and bought an external drive for backup. What would I save if this happened again? The scrapbook I made of my Kiddo's life, which I put in an easy to grab place. 

Picture Book Joy: All About Friends

 Reading is Fun

The kids in my old reading group are older now and have moved on to a different reading group. My new kids and I are just getting to know each other and so I thought we would have a session reading picture books all about friends - old friends and new friends.  

Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away 

by Meg Medina, illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

Candlewick Press, 2020, 32 pages

Daniela and Evelyn have always been best friend, living across from each other in almost identical apartments. But now, Evelyn and her family will be moving away. On moving day, the two girls spend their last hours playing together - almost like always. But when the apartment is empty, and the moving van rumbles off, their Mamis tell them it's time for Evelyn to go. The girls promise to talk every day after school and visit in the summer for a sleepover, but Daniela knows that tomorrow will be different with her mejor amiga, that they will no longer be almost identical twins living in almost identical bedrooms. And even those Daniela's Mami tells her not to be sad, they will both make new friends, Daniela knows the Evelyn will always be her número uno best friend. So many of my young readers have had to say good-bye to friends and close family who are moving away, that this book has really struck a cord with them and we read it a lot. What is really interesting is that this is told from Daniela's point of view, and I think that is what my kids relate to. Daniela faces the emptiness caused by Evelyn's leaving, while even my young readers know that Evelyn will be busy settling into her new home and won't feel that same loneliness as Daniela. Sánchez's digital illustrations really capture the closeness of their friendship and the poignancy of Evelyn's leaving. This book always brings tears to my eyes when I read it, even though it ends on a hopeful note. Evelyn Del Rey Is Moving Away is a book that every home library and school library should have on their shelves, since friends moving away is such a common occurrence in the life of kids.   

You can find a Teacher's Guide HERE and an Activity Kit HERE thanks to the publisher, Candlewick Press.

I Am A Bird 

by Hope Lim, illustrated by Hyewon Yum

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

Every morning, a happy little girl rides to school on the back of her dad's bicycle and every morning, as they go through the park, she flies like a bird on the bike and sings like the birds in the sky. People wave back and birds sing an answer to the girl's birdsong. One morning, she notices a woman in a blue coat and a big bag walking fast. She sees the same lady day after day, but the woman never smiles. The girl wonders about the woman, but she stops singing her birdsong whenever she sees her and hides behind her dad. Then one day, the girl and her dad are late and she doesn't see the woman until they are almost through the park. What a surprise to find out that the woman she was so frightened of is a kindred soul, a bird whispering her own birdsong to the park birds. As they smile, wave and sing their their birdsongs together, the girl understands that the woman is just like her, that they are both birds.

Road Trip! A Whiskers Hollow Adventure

written and illustrated by Steve Light

Candlewick Press, 2021, 40 pages

On a beautiful day, Bear had an accident with his old truck and now he needs a new headlight. So off Bear headed to his friend Rabbit's house to see if he would help find a new headlight. Rabbit was hungry and wanted lunch, and Bear promised they would find lunch along the way. Soon they arrived at their friend Mouse's house and invited him along on the new headlight search. Mouse is afraid something will happen, so he brought along his first-aid kit. When they arrived at Donkey's house, they invited their friend to join the road trip to find a new headlight and Donkey knew just the place to go - Elephant's Old Junk Tree. But no matter how hard they search, they find everything but a headlight. So the friends decide to just enjoy their time together, but when the junk begins to shift, what a surprise they find under it all. This is such a fun book that shows us how tasks are so much better when they are done with friends. The pen, ink, and gouache illustrations are bright and whimsical, but look closely at each one for lots of humorous surprises. My young readers loved this book and we are all hoping there are more Whiskers Hollow adventures to come. 

The Best Place in the World

written and illustrated by Petr Horáček

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

Looking at their meadow, Hare wonders if it is the best place in the world. Hare's rabbit friends think it is the best place for running and playing, which is just what they do. Bear thinks it's the best place because of the bees, because where there are bees, there is honey, while the Birds think it's the best because the meadow is surrounded by trees, where they can sit and sing to their friends and Goose likes it for the stream that runs through it. When Hare asks Owl, he suggests Hare go and explore the world to find out for himself if their meadow is the best place in the world. And that is just what Hare does. After traveling the world, what do you think Hare discovers about the meadow he shares with his friends? Hare's wonderings and wanderings are all illustrated in wonderful springtime colors done in mixed media. This is a sweet story that reminds young readers to appreciate their friends, a sentiment that is especially important nowadays, when kids may not get to play with their friends as often as they might want to..

Unsettled by Reem Faruqi

 

Middle schooler Nurah Haqq, 13, and her older brother Owais are not too happy when their father decides to uproot his family, moving them from Karachi, Pakistan to Peachtree City, Georgia. For Nurah, it means leaving behind beloved grandparents, even if her Dadi (grandmother on her father's side) who has Alzheimer's no longer remembers her name, and best friend Asna, and so, so many of the things she loves about living in Karachi. 

Arriving in Peachtree City, the family lives in one room in an extended stay hotel. Like her brother Owais, Nurah is a swimmer, and finds relief from feeling alone and overwhelmed at the pool in the Recreation Center. Both decide to tryout for the swim team, and that's when Nurah makes her first real friend, a girl named Stahr, who shows up on the second day of tryouts completely covered in a long sleeve shirt and tights, just like Nurah. It turns out that Stahr is covering the black and blue bruises because father regularly hits her with his belt. The two new friends begin have lunch together at school and get to know each other's secrets. Stahr lives 8 houses away from the house the Haqq family buys and moves into. When her mother is late getting home, Stahr goes to Nurah home, and apparently develops a real liking for the foods Nurah's mother serves them at teatime.  

Later, when Nurah's mother has a miscarriage and becomes depressed, it is Stahr's mother, Penelope, who has had a number of miscarriages, that shows up at their house, helping her mother get over the loss, and becoming her mother's first American friend. 

In Karachi, Nurah was one of the loudest in school but in Peachtree City, she's very quiet, At one point, however, Nurah stands up to the two bullies who relentlessly pick on the school bus monitor, a man who stutters and has lost his left arm. The bullying stops, but the boys try to make Nurah pay later. But when she should use her voice, Nurah lets her jealousy over her brother's swimming ability get the best of her, and she keeps silent after seeing two older boys going into the Rec Center's men's locker room, knowing their intention is to teach Owais a lesson. 

Acknowledging her own complicity in the attack on Owais is a pivotal moment for Nurah, who begins to realize that standing out by being her true self and being true to herself is more important than trying to conform to being someone she is not. 

Written in lyrical free verse, Unsettled is a powerful story loosely based on the author's own move from United Arab Emirates to the United States when she was 13. I loved the details that Faruqi has included  which give this book a feeling of authenticity. I especially love food details because food is like a shorthand way of telling readers so much about a culture - what they eat, when they eat, how it is prepared. But readers will also find a number of other important thought-provoking themes touched on in Nurah's story, including abuse, bullying, colorism, depression, and memory loss, as well as adjusting to a new country and a different way of life. Yet, I think most readers will feel empathy and hope rather than overwhelmed by it all. 

I thought Nurah was a wonderfully flawed, yet inspiring character in this coming of age novel, and I felt that Faruqi did a great job of fleshing out her other characters, although I wish I had gotten to know Nurah's Baba better. It was because of his job they made such a big move, yet he didn't feel developed enough. 

Nurah's story has so many poignant moments in it, moments that are specific to being uprooted from everything that you love, moments that are specific to a newly arrived-in-America Muslim girl, and moments that everyone can relate to, all of which makes this such a compelling book to read. 

I couldn't recommend this book highly enough and the good news is that you will find a delicious sounding recipe for Nurah's Aloo Kababs that she brings in her lunch and which I am definitely going to try. 

Unsettled will be available on May 11, 2021.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+

This book was an ARC received from the publisher Harper/HarperCollins