The Best Gift for Bear written and illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

 

The Best Gift for Bear

written and illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell

Two Lions/Amazon, 2022, 40 pages

The holiday season is the perfect time to show your appreciation to friends and family for all the times they were there for you throughout the year. And that is just what Hedgehog is busy doing. She's been busy baking all kinds of special cookies for her friends. There are snowflakes for the mice, trees for the squirrels, and special rabbit cookies for each of the rabbits. But what about Bear?

Hedgehog is at a total loss about what to bake for Bear. After all, it was Bear who taught her how to ice skate, but ice skate cookies just don't feel right.

Bear loves butterflies and sunflowers, but even though they are lovely, some butterfly or sunflower cookies just don't feel right for Bear, either. But then snow on the roof of her little house gives Hedgehog the perfect idea. So, she plans it and bakes it and puts it together with frosting - the perfect gingerbread house for a special friend. It even has a bear cookie standing proudly in front of the house, along with sunflowers growing and a butterfly flying.

It is so big and so heavy, though, Hedgehog can't possibly carry it all the way across the forest to Bear's house. Instead, she decides to load it onto a sled and pull it to Bear's. 

The only problem is that then snow and a whipping wind begins to blow and the next thing she knows her perfect gift has been blown to pieces. Just then, Bear opens his door to see what's going on and is surprised to find a very upset Hedgehog. Bear brings her inside, gives her a warming cup of cocoa and listens as Hedgehog tells him what happened to his special gift. After she finishes her story, Bear has a surprising story of his own - and my young readers definitely did not see his surprise coming. And in the end, they actually give each other the best gift ever - the gift of friendship.

The Best Gift for Bear is just the book to begin the holiday season with. It's all about acceptance, friends, and giving, without any of the commercialism that has evolved around the holiday season. It is a quiet, gentle, heartwarming tale that reminds us of what is really important. I loved that Hedgehog gave gifts that she had made herself - they are real gifts from the heart. And I was really happy to see that the gingerbread cookie recipe is included in the endpapers. Yum, I love gingerbread. Complimenting this heartfelt story are clear, uncluttered illustrations done with gouache and colored pencil in a very definite winter palette.    

This was a story that led to lots of talk about the different holidays my young readers celebrate in their families and because this book doesn't identify the holiday Hedgehog is baking cookies for, it was the ideal book to share with my small class of readers, and perhaps with your young readers as well.

Thank you, Barbara Fisch at Blue Slip Media for providing a review copy of this book.

 ★“This genuinely heartfelt, quietly moving friendship story emphasizes that ‘a day with a friend is the best gift of all.’” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A sweet, appealing picture book for the season.” —Booklist

A 2022 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee

Jennifer A. Bell is the illustrator of more than forty children’s books, including the Sophie Mouse series. She studied fine art at the Columbus College of Art & Design, and her work can also be found on greeting cards and in magazines. This is the first picture book she’s written and illustrated. She lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Learn more about her at www.jenniferabell.com.

Instagram: @jbellstudio

Facebook: Jennifer A. Bell Illustration

Twitter: @JenniferABell_

📚The Best Children's Books of 2021 Holiday Gift Edition is HERE

The holiday season has already begun, so you might want to begin thinking about what gifts to give your favorite Kiddos this year. Might I suggest a few good books. 

For the second year now, the Bank Street Children's Book Committee is pleased to offer a free, fully vetted selection of some of some excellent books published in 2021 for your holiday gift giving. Each book has been read by at least two committee members, all professionals in the field of children's literature. As with all of our Best Books lists, this year's edition is annotated and listed according to age and category. I think you will find there is something for all the Kiddos on your holiday list.

 

The Best Children's Books of 2021 Holiday Edition

Don't forget to check out last year's edition of The Best Children's Book of 2020 Holiday Gift Edition. You just might find exactly what your young reader would like there. 

The Best Children's Books of 2020 Holiday Edition

Many of the books listed in both these editions have also been read and reviewed by a young reviewer and have been chosen for our Bank Street Pick of the Month. You can read their comments HERE. 

Speaking of young reviewers, they are so much a part of what the committee does and we are often amazed at their insights. If you have a young reader who might be interested in participating in our young reviewer program, you can find information about it HERE. Our young reviewers range in age from toddler through high school. Participants read and review books that are currently being considered by the Children's Book Committee for our Best Books of the Year list and our Children's Book Awards. 

For more information about our program, please email us at youngreviewers@bankstreet.edu

Speaking of our Best Books of the Year list, you can find the 2021 edition of the best books for 2020 HERE. Meanwhile, we are hard at work on our 2022 edition.

🎄Nonfiction Suggestions for Holiday Gift Giving 🕎

Here are some gift suggestions for fact loving readers of all ages on your holiday list! 

Don't Let Them Disappear: 12 Endangered Species Across the Globe

by Chelsea Clinton, illustrated by Gianna Marino

Philomel Books, 2019, 40 pages

As more creatures begin to disappear from the earth forever, this book looks at 12 familiar species from around the world that are getting closer and closer to becoming extinct themselves if nothing is done to try to save them. Giraffes, gorillas, blue whales, rhinoceroses, giant pandas, whale sharks, polar bears, lions, sea otters, orangutans, tigers, and elephants are all introduced with interesting facts and information about their individual characteristics. Included is how and where they live, the causes for us to be concerned about their dwindling numbers as well as their endangered status and, most importantly, which of them are at risk of disappearing, each one ending with the plea "Don't let them disappear!" Each species gets a two page spread accompanied by very appealing, colorful and emotional gouache illustrations. In addition to information about these creatures, Clinton includes a useful key defining the different levels of risk, ranging from not endangered to extinct. And back matter consists of reasons species are endangered, as well as a list of proactive suggestions that young people and their families can do. This is an excellent book to start a needed conversation with young people.

You Are Home: An Ode to the National Parks

written and illustrated by Evan Turk

Atheneum BFYR, 2019, 56 pages

It's a terrible possibility to think about, but our national parks may start disappearing one of these days. However, until that happens, they are here and they are wonderful. In this book, using simple free verse sentences, just a few lines on each two page spread, Turk repeats the titular phrase You Are Home throughout, as he paints a breathtakingly beautiful picture of life in each of 23 out of our 60 different National Parks, from the chipmunk sleeping in her burrow in Shenandoah and prowling bobcats in Yosemite to the ancient rock carvings in Mesa Verde National Park and "the child whose ancestors/ lived on these lands before/ the stars and stripes/ took them as their own: YOU ARE STILL HOME." In fact, poem and pictures instill in the reader that same sense of belonging regardless of who you are and where you live. Readers are reminded that there is "a sense of belonging/ sung by the streams,/ from valleys to peaks,/ through millions of hearts." Back matter includes A Note From the Author, a Map showing the location of all 60 National Parks and More About the Parks And Animals In This Book. This book is too sophisticated for my young readers, but I spent a lot of time myself reading the text and exploring the stunningly textured illustrations done with pastel on black paper. I can guarantee, you will, too.

Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Stuff 

by Stephanie Warren Drimmer

National Geographic Kids, 2019, 256 pages

I'm known among friends as the Duck Tape Queen because I truly believe a roll of this wonderful silver tape can be used to fix everything, so naturally I had to known the original of it. It is a miracle tape that was developed during WWII and it even saved the lives of three Apollo 13 astronauts in 1970. And this is just one of the fact you will find in this chockablock books of fascinating origin stories. From peanuts butter to jeans to holidays and traditions, this book has it all. This small 7'x7' book is divided by category into 10 chapters, each with the beginnings of 10 related items. There are plenty of full color photographs and sidebars with additional information throughout. This is the kind of book I would have loved as a young reader, and would have enjoyed reading it them as much as I have. It is an ideal gift idea that can provide hours of fun for the whole family, at home or on a trip (in fact, my Kiddo asked if she could have it to read on her plane trip back to China and to use in her classes over there). 

Your Amazing Digestion From Mouth Through Intestine

by Joanne Settel, PhD, illustrated by Steve Björkman

Atheneum BFYR, 2019, 112 pages

This may look like an odd book to include on a holiday gift suggestion list, but I suspect there is more than one kid out there who has questions about what happens to the food we eat after it is swallowed.  Well, here are the answers, all in kid friendly terms. The book is divided into five parts, written in iambic couplets (no easy task for a nonfiction book), with "Cool Facts" prose sidebars giving even more information. Beginning with nutrition, Settel explains what is in the food we eat, the carbs, the proteins, the fats, the vitamins and minerals. From there, she goes through each part of the digestive process from tasting to swallowing to what happens in your stomach to waste, looking at a variety of issues related to each step, issues like why chili makes you sweat, why milk comes out of your nose when you laugh, why your stomach gurgles, and why poop can smell so bad. These are important things, things kids wonder and sometimes laugh about. So naturally, Settel uses humor in her text, and Björkman's watercolor, pen, and ink spot illustrations reflect both the humor and the serious side of what is being said. Back matter includes an extensive Glossary, suggestions For More Information, References and Additional Reading and an Index. 

Suffragette: The Battle for Equality 

written and illustrated by David Roberts

Walker Books, 2019, 128 pages

One of the things we've learned in recent elections is that women and their vote can make a big difference. In this compelling history of the women who endeavored to get the right to vote, young readers will discover the roots to that struggle in both the United Kingdom and the United States and meet the women who made it finally happen. Roberts begins his history by defining just what suffrage is, then beginning in 1832, he traces the fight for the right to vote chronically, focusing in the many different women suffragettes on both sides of the Atlantic, as well as some of the men who vehemently did not want women to have a franchise. The writing is straightforward and Roberts makes a complex topic quite understandable for young readers. His watercolor, ink and pencil illustrations done in a soft pastel palette are just exquisitely rendered - there is a certain delicacy together with a strength of determination that is unmistakable. This is a book that is so chockablock with information that it will require more than one reading to take it all in. This is a wonderful gift for anyone, but especially a young girl who is just beginning to take a greater interest in the world around her and who will be voting someday soon. Personally, every time I stand on line waiting to cast my vote, I think about those brave women who came before me. And now I have an even clearer picture of The Battle for Equality.

Leading the Way: Women in Power

by Janet Howell and Teresa Howell.

illustrated by Kylie Akia and Alexandra Bye

Candlewick Press, 2019, 144 pages

Meet the fifty women whom Janet Howell has chosen to honor in this anthology, which has been published in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. Included are women politicians, like feminist Bella Abzug, Tammy Duckworth, who was a Lieutenant Colonel in the army before she was a Congresswoman and later a Senator from Illinois. Also represented are people like Madeleine Albright, US ambassador to the UN, and US Secretary of State under President Clinton; activist and journalist Ida B. Wells-Barnett (yeah, I didn't who she was either, but I do now), Supreme Court Justice and Nancy Drew fan Sonia Sotomayor and her fellow Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Young readers will meet women mayors and governors, gutsy ladies like Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Jordan - all leaders, all trailblazers who made a difference in some way for today's young people. Back matter includes A Take Action Guide, and More Leaders to Discover. Each luminary is highlighted with a digitally rendered illustration and colorful circular Power Symbols that represent their specific character qualities, such as Integrity, Persistence, and Courage among others (there is a key at the beginning of this book). Pair this with Suffragette: The Battle for Equality for a well-rounded history of women and the fight for equality.

Encyclopedia of American Indian History & Culture:

Stories, Timelines, Maps, and More

by Cynthia O'Brien

National Geographic Society, 2019, 304 pages

As our awareness of this country's indigenous peoples comes more and more to the fore, I think we often realize how little non-Natives know about the history and culture of these very diverse people beyond the usual stereotypes we've been given. Now, here is a book that can help  change that. It is an encyclopedic introduction to more than 160 federally recognized tribes, and is divided into eight geographical regions - the Arctic and Subarctic, the Northeast, The Southeast, the Plains, the Southwest, the Great Basin and Plateau, the Northwest Coast, and California. There is a guide that explains how to use this book, followed by an Introduction, and a wonderful full-color map that shows where the eight different regions are. Readers will discover the stories, the history, the religion, culture, and more about the Native Americans in each region, and how their way of life had adapted to the different conditions in each one. As you would expect from a National Geographic publication, there are copious color and black and white photographs, as well as maps and timelines. Back matter includes a Glossary and a list of all the Federally Recognized Tribes. My kids are a little young for this book, but we've read most of the stories that are included and they really enjoyed them, which led to conversations about Native Americans, including the stereotypes they are already familiar with. I've also lent this book to older kids who used it for school during Native American Heritage Month (November), and their response to it was really positive. While it is not a in-depth look at each tribe included, it is a good stepping stone for more detailed information.It's a big, heavy book, but I keep it on the coffee table for people to pick up and go through.

Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat, a Chanukah Story written and illustrated by Naomi Howland

Today is the first day of Chanukah and I would like to share a book that I have always liked.  Sadie and her four younger brothers Herschel, Hillel, Hayim and baby Max have been left home alone while their mama is taking care of their Aunt Rose.  Living on the outskirts of a small village, the family is very poor and always hungry.

It's very cold on the first night of Chanukah, but when Sadie asks each of the older boys to go and collect some wood for a fire, they all refuse to help out,  Sadie heads out to the forest to get the wood herself.

While there, she meets a old woman who is very cold and who says she has no fire wood.  Sadie gives what she has collected to the woman and in return, the old woman gives Sadie a frying pan.  She tells Sadie that when her family is hungry, she must whisper the words
                     " Latkes, latkes, good to eat
                      Cook me up a Chanukah treat."

and when they have eaten enough, she must whisper
                       "A great miracle happened here!"

The only proviso is that only Sadie may use the frying pan.

Sure enough, each night pf Chanukah the frying pan makes as many latkes as Sadie and her brothers can eat.

On the last night of Chanukah, Sadie decides to invite the old woman to share the latke feast.  But while she is gone, her brothers decide to try out making some latkes for themselves.  Herschel, Hillel, and Hayim all claim they heard Sadie say the magic words, but once them have their fill of latkes, there is disagreement over the words used to stop the frying pan.

Needless to say, they are soon inundated with tasty, good-smelling latkes all over the house, overflowing into the front yard.  Soon even Sadie can smell them deep in the forest, and ever the townspeople are attracted to such a warm tasty treat.

But with so many latkes, can the boys' greed be turned into generosity and sharing?

Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat has been one of my favorite holiday books.  It read in part like a folktale, in part like a parable.  According to Naomi Howland, the story is based on an old Grimm's fairytale called "The Magic Porridge Pot" and makes for a very interesting reinterpretation of that story, placing it in Russian shtetl.  But there is a lot of similarity to the Chanukah story itself, when a small jar of oil miraculously lasted for eight days.  The illustrations, which are done in earth tones using gouache and colored pencils, help to give the story a sense of time and place, particularly the lovely border design on some of the pages.

I grew up in a neighborhood in Brooklyn where a lot of my friends celebrated Chanukah and I was always lucky enought to be invited to enjoy the evenings lighting of the candles, singing some Chanukah song and eating some really wonderful homemade latkes.  Howland has included a recipe for making latkes, something I've never tried myself but am tempted to now.

In her note at the end of the book, Howland explains that the words "A great miracle happened here" that stopped that latke making are also the same words that you would find on the four sides of a dreidel.

Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat is a wonderful read-aloud for children celebrating Chanukah, but it is also an excellent work for introducing young readers to cultures not their own.

This book is recommended for readers age 4+
This book was borrowed from the NYPL

Wishing everyone a very Happy Chanukah!

This is book 1 of my #Readukkah Reading Challenge for celebrating Chanukah hosted by the Association of Jewish Libraries

Some Books about Ramadan for Young Readers

Today is the first day of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic lunar calendar.  Ramadan always falls on the ninth month and because it is based on the moon, it varies from year to year.  But the customs, observances and rituals that are such an important part of Ramadan are always the same.  Here are a few books for young readers to become familiar with the traditions of this holiday.  

My First Ramadan written and illustrated by Karen Katz

Henry Holt, 2007, 32 pages (age 2-5)

A young boy decides he is finally old enough to try to fast during the holy month of Ramadan.  He clearly describes what he and his family do each day from before sunrise to sunset and how the end of Ramadan is celebrated.  Simply words and text make this ideal for young readers.  

Under the Ramadan Moon by Sylvia Whitman, illustrated by Sue Williams

Albert Whitman, 2011, 24 pages (age 3-8)

A young girl describes how she and her family observe the Ramadan holiday each day in this short poem that repeats the phrase "under the moon,/under the moon/under the Ramadan moon.  It is a good book for young readers to learn the very basics of what Ramadan is and why it is observed.   

Max Celebrates Ramadan by Adria F. Worsham, illustrated by Mernie Gallagher-Cole

Capstone, 2008, 24 pages (age 5-7)

In this leveled reader, Omar, who is Muslim, invites his friend Max to celebrate the end of Ramadan with his family.  Max learns what this important holiday means to Islamic people, the purpose and importance of fasting. and the family oriented meal that celebrates the end of fasting, the Eid al-Fitr.  A nice beginning reader.  

The Jinni on the Roof, a Ramadan Story by Natasha Rafi, illustrated by Abdul Malik Channa

Pamir, 2013, 40 pages (age 4-8)

It's the end of Ramadan, and Raza's family, including many of his aunts, uncles and cousins, are about to celebrate Eid-al-Fitr in Lahore.  Early that morning, while everyone is still sleeping, Raza wakes up and hears Amina, the family cook, making parathas in the kitchen.  Realizing he is very hungry, Raza quietly climbs up to the roof, goes over to the kitchen chimney and in a deep voice, tells Amina to make some parathas for him.  Thinking voice belongs to a jinni, a scary being, Amina gets Raza's grandmother.  The two women fix some parathas according to the "jinni's" instructions, but has Raza really fooled anyone?  This is a fun story that also introduces young readers about Ramadan in Pakistan.  A glossary is included, as well as an Author's Note that explains more about the tradition of Ramadan.

Lailah's Lunchbox, a Ramadan Story by Reem Farqui, illustrated by Lea Lyon

Tilbury House, 2015, 32 pages (age 6-8)

Lailah is finally old enough to fast, but when she shows up at her new school without her lunchbox, she doesn't give the teacher the note her mother sent explaining that it is Ramadan.  Later, in the cafeteria, she thinks about the friends she left behind when her family moved from Abu Dhabi, who were also Muslim.  Lailah is also afraid her new friends won't understand why she won't be eating lunch for a month.  An understanding librarian helps Lailah sort it all out.  A very nice picture book for older readers based on the author's real experience of moving to this country from the Middle East as a girl.  

A Party in Ramadan by Asthma Mobin-Uddin, MD, illustrated by Laura Jacobsen

Highlights Press, 2009, 32 pages (age 7-9)

Leena is finally old enough to begin fasting for Ramadan, if only for one day a week.  She decides to fast on Fridays, so she can have Iftar with her Auntie Sana.  When Leena is invited to her friend Julia's birthday party where there will be a pony, her mother reminds her it's the first Friday in Ramadan.  Leena decides to go to the party, and just not each any of the food there, but discovers that's easier said than done.  Back at home, Leena helps prepare for Iftar, and later has a wonderful surprise thanks to her friend Julia.  There is lots to learn about Ramadan, respect and friendship in this story.  

Ramadan by Suhaib Hamid Ghazi, illustrated by Omar Rauuan

Holiday House, 1996, 26 pages (age 7-9)

As young Hakeem celebrates Ramadan with his family, the meaning, history and cultural rituals for observing Ramadan are incorporated into the story in this picture book for older readers.  Though not really a narrative, it is an interesting introduction to this holy month for both young Muslims and non-Muslims and includes more information, including a glossary, than most Ramadan stories.