# IMWAYR Summer Reading: A Picture Book Roundup 📚

Reading is Fun

Last week was a busy week for me, but I still had time to share some summer books with my young readers, even though we are not officially together until September. 

Sweet Pea Summer

written and illustrated by Hazel Mitchell

Candlewick Press, 2021, 40 pages

A young girl goes to stay with her grandparents during summer vacation while her mom is in the hospital. A few days after her arrival, her Grandpa asks if she would like to help out in his garden, which was full of flowers and vegetables, including his prized sweet peas and would she like to care for them and then enter them into the flower show at the end of the summer. But, as she learns about caring for the plants, all kinds of things go wrong so that the plants don't bud. The girl studies her Grandpa's gardening books looking for solutions, while she and Grandpa also work hard to solve the problems. Meanwhile, the girl keeps in touch with her Mom and Dad, to see how Mom is doing. Finally, she figures out what is going wrong and sure enough, new buds begin to appear. This is a gentle intergenerational summer story that shows the valuable of patience and nurturing - for both child and plant. The graphite and watercolor illustrations are done in an array of summertime colors, and kids will enjoy seeing the little marmalade kitty by the girl's side in most images. It's a happy ending story, with Mom and Dad both coming just in time for the flower show and to bring their daughter home.  

Free

written and illustrated by Sam Usher

Templar Books, 2021, 40 pages

I thought we had seen the last of Boy and his Granddad after the final book in the Seasons with Granddad series, but, I am happy to say, they are back. Free is the first book of a quartet in which Boy and Granddad explore the wonders of nature. One morning Boy wakes up to find a sick bird outside his window. He and Granddad care for it, and when the bird is better, put it outside. But the bird comes back in, and again they put it outside. This goes on all day. Boy of course wants to keep bird, but Granddad says it will be happier outside and free. They read that this particular bird needs a particular kind of tree to call home, so they gather up their expedition equipment and head off to find the right tree. And what an expedition it is - full of happiness and birdsong. The ink and watercolor illustrations are done in the same style as the previous Boy and Granddad books so it feels like visiting old friends. There's always an element of learning in these book, and here there is an charming element of the fantastic when the pair reach the tree at the top of a mountain that kids will surely think is fun. I just love the wonderful intergenerational relationship between Boy and Granddad, and how easy they are in each other's company.

One Summer Up North

written and illustrated by Sam Usher

University of Minnesota Press, 2020, 32 pages

A family of three set off on a summer vacation, canoeing and camping in the wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA) in northern Minnesota in this lushly illustrated wordless picture book. At first, the child is bored and uninterested, trailing slumped shouldered and not looking around.By the first night, even in the pouring raid, the glimmering of enjoying the trip begins show on the child face and demeanor. Pretty soon, the child is totally onboard with the trip and readers can focus on the wonderfully detailed and accurate illustrations. When I shared this with my young readers, one the child begin enjoying the trip, we had to go back to the beginning of the book and comb through the illustrations. They loved spotting the different insects, animals, and birds throughout. We talked about the abundant lily pads, trees and blueberry picking, the kinds of food people eat while camping, and then we came to the two-page spread of the milky way - WOW! I love a book that gets my kids talking and this was perfect. We did have some debate about whether the child was a boy or girl, but decided it didn't matter. My young readers also noticed that the father is white, the mother is brown, so the child is biracial. The illustrations are colorful and nicely textured, done in a palette of greens, browns, and blues. Owens has really captured the wonder of nature and there is nothing to match the peaceful feeling of floating quietly though water in a canoe. This book has a special place in our small library of books my young readers love. 

Ferry Boat

written and illustrated by Michael Garland

Holiday House, 2021, 32 pages

This isn't really a summer story, but I include it here because of my own personal memory of all the times my friends and I took the ferry on hot summer Sundays  because it was such a cool ride - in more ways than one. In this book with minimal text, Garland gives a blow by blow account of taking a ferry ride from lower Manhattan to Staten Island. Once on the ferry, riders can look out the window, watch as Manhattan recedes and sights come into view - Ellis Island, Castle Fort, the Verrazano Bridge, and of course, the Statue of Liberty. The ferry also sells food and souvenirs. Once it arrives in Staten Island, some people get off, new people get on and the ferry sails back to Manhattan. What makes this book so special are the detailed illustrations created with pencil and charcoal, scanned and digitally colored in digi-woodcut and the level reading text for beginning readers. The ferry can get crowded and I love that the diversity of New York and its visitors are captured in these images. And yes, NYC's ferry boats are just that orange.

William Shakespeare A Midsummer Night's Dream

retold by Georghia Ellinas, illustrated by Jane Ray

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

Introducing kids to Shakespeare can be difficult, but thanks to Georghia Ellinas it has become easier and this retelling of A Midsummer Night's Dream is a perfect summertime read. Full of mischief making, love, mistaken identities, this comedy of errors is narrated by Robin Goodfellow and called Puck, a sprite who likes to play tricks on fairies. Oberon and Titania, the King and Queen of the fairies, are fighting over a young boy Titania has adopted and Oberon wants as a page. At the same time, Lysander and Hermia have run away from Athens to Puck's enchanted forest in order to get married. But Hermia is supposed to marry Demetrius, whom she doesn't love and who has followed Lysander and Hermia into the forest. Helena, who is in love with Demetrius and who does not lover her back, followed him into the forest. Meanwhile, Oberon has sent Puck to fetch a magical flower that will cause a person to fall in love with the first person they see, intending it to be used on Titania. Returning with the flower, Oberon tells Puck to use it on Demetrius so he will fall in love with Helena. But a case of mistaken identity happens and, well, mayhem ensures. Not surprisingly, none of the original flavor or humor of the story is lost in this retelling. Georghia Ellinas really knows her Shakespeare, after all, she is Head of Learning at the Globe Theater in London. The text of this picture book for older readers is perfectly matched with the colorful watercolor illustrations, done in a palette of blues, with plenty of details on each page for exploration and conversation. And to really add to the flavor, and introduce young readers to Shakespeare's writing itself,  there are plenty quotes from the actual play interspersed throughout. 

I also read

The Hollywood Spy (A Maggie Hope Mystery #10) by Susan Elia MacNeal

The Seventh Raven by David Elliott

Bartali's Bicycle by Megan Holt

It's Monday! What are you reading? is the original weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey and is now hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date.  It's Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kidlit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week.

It's Monday! What are you reading? We read Four Fun Picture Books!

It's been a while since I took part in It's Monday! What are you reading? and I thought this would be as good a time as any to return. Here are some picture books I have been reading with my young readers.

Reading is Fun

I Like Trains 

written and illustrated by Daisy Hirst

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

A happy little golden puppy loves nothing more than to play with his toy trains, whether his is giving his favorite animal stuffies a ride or driving his own cardboard boy train. He even loves to have books about trains read to him. But even better than toy trains is when his parents take him to the train station to ride on a real train. It's so exciting to sit by the window and watch as the train sets off. There are so many different things to see as they leave the city and ride through the countryside - houses, cars, hotels, factories, even boat on a river soon give way to fields, trees and farm animals. When they finally arrive at their stop, there's Grandma, waiting for them. This very happy golden puppy loves playing trains with his Grandma, and Grandma loves it, too. Here is a book perfect for your youngest readers, whether or not they are train enthusiasts. It is written in simple declarative sentences, with letter is bold black letters and with boldly colored illustrations as uncomplicated as the text. Don't get me wrong, simple only means it is perfect for your youngest readers who are just setting off on their reading journey. My young readers were very excited to be able to pick out the letters and some sight words they recognize from other books we've read. This book also generated some lively, always welcome conversations of trips taken with their families. My young readers gave I Like Trains a hearty 👍🏼

The Greatest Showpenguin 

written and illustrated by Lucy Freegard

Rizzoli Books, 2021, 32 pages

Poppy's family have been performers in a traveling circus for generations, and skills are always passed down from penguin to penguin. Everyone performs, including Poppy, and she is beloved by the audience. But there is just one problem - Poppy doesn't want to be a performer. She would like to feel calm and in control and that can't happen performing in a circus. But what if the family is against her no longer performing? What if her mother doesn't understand? Poppy is so unhappy, she decided to take a little break from the show to rest and relax. But while on vacation, Poppy misses everything about the circus so much that she comes up with a brilliant idea of how to be part of the circus and not perform. After all, someone has to organize things and run the circus behind the scenes and it's the perfect place for Poppy. This is a sweet, heartwarming story about overcoming fears, then finding and doing what you are best suited for. The color-was mixed media illustrations are bright and bold, and you readers will always recognize Poppy among all the other penguins - she's the one with the big round red glasses. This book also received a 👍🏼from my young readers.

The Boy Who Loved Everyone written by Jane Porter, 

illustrated by Maisie Paradise Shearring

Candlewick Press, 2021, 32 pages

On his first day of preschool, Demitri is so excited and happy to be there that he goes around telling everyone and everything that he loves them - the other kids, the teacher, the tree in the playgound, even the lunch lady. But no one responds to him the same way. Instead, they just joke or turn away. By the end of the day, Dimitri is feeling pretty dejected. But he never noticed how uncomfortable he was making the other people feel with his demonstration of affection. The next day, even though Dimitri doesn't want to go to school, his mom gets him ready while she explains how people can say I love you in different ways without saying the words, but through action, kindness, and words of appreciation - like hugging, sharing and friendliness. When Dimetri gets to school, the other kids invite him to join in their activities and to sit together for story time, demonstrating just what his mother had to hime about how to say I love you, just not in those words. A encouraging story about learning to recognize social cues and helping young kids with social-emotional development. The brightly colored mixed media illustration as a sweet as Demitri is and also reflect the wide range of diverse children and adults in today's schools and neighborhoods. 

Cat Dog Dog: The Story of a Blended Family

Words by Nelly Buchet, Art by Andrea Zuill

Schwartz & Wade Books, 2020, 40 pages

This is a book that makes me laugh every time I read it, and it is a book my young readers love because they've learned what it feels like to be a reader thanks to the bare minimum of words used. I love to see them pull it out and go through it pointing to the word that matched the animal. Told from the point of view of the dogs and cat, it the story of a biracial couple who move in together and combine their family - he comes with one dog, she already has a dog and cat. Over the course of a year, the animals eventually learn to accept one another and get along. When a new addition comes along, you just know it will be three against one until they all learn to get along again. What I love about this book is that the illustrations harmonize so well with the words allowing my young readers to not only begin to recognize letters and words, but to also make up their own storylines about the two dogs and cat thanks to all the detailed included in the background. There is such a variety of emotions on the faces of the pets, that it is a great way to talk about feelings and introduce the idea of empathy.

Cat Dog Dog has just won the Bank Street 2021 Irma Black Award for excellence in children's literature. What makes the Irma Black Award unique is that children are the final judges of the winning book. Watch this space for information about registering your 1st and 2nd grade classes to participate in voting for the 2022 award.

It's Monday! What are you reading? is the original weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.  It's Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kidlit focused meme just like the original and is hosted weekly by Teach Mentor Texts.  The purpose is the same: to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week.

Five Picture Books About Immigrants, Refugees, Migrants

 

If you are looking for some new books about immigrations, refugees, and migrants that are inspiring, hopeful, and empathic, look no further that these new books. Each has a different story to tell with one thing in common - seeking refuge, safety and a welcoming smile to those who have left their homeland.

The Suitcase 

written and illustrated by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

HMH BFYR, 2020, 32 pages

After a long, arduous journey over mountains and across a sea, a sad odd-looking teal colored creature arrives in a new land carrying a big suitcase. He is met with suspicion and skepticism by a red bird, an orange fox and a yellow rabbit. What is in the suitcase, they want to know. The teal creature tells them there is a teacup, a table to sit at and chair to sit on while drinking tea, and a little kitchen to make the tea in a cabin on a hillside with a clear view to the sea. Of course, bird, fox, and rabbit don't trust the new creature, and while he sleeps, they decide to break open his suitcase. Inside, they find a shattered teacup and an old photograph. Meanwhile, the creature dreams about running away, hiding, climbing mountains and swimming in the sea to safety. When he wakes up, he sees what the bird, fox, and rabbit have done to his suitcase, but he also sees a mended teacup sitting on a table with chair in front of a little house. Surprised and touched, the creature turns to his new friends and tells them there is just one problem - they are going to need more teacups. What looks to be a story about animals not welcoming refugees, turns out to be one of welcome and friendship. You can download an activity pack that includes discussion suggestions and story activities for The Suitcase HERE

Sugar in Milk 

by Thrity Umrigar, Khoa Le

Running Press Kids, 2020, 48 pages

A young girl emigrates from India to New York by herself to live with her aunt and uncle. They try their best to make her feel at home, but she's still sad, missing her family, her friends, and her cats. One day, her aunt takes her for a walk and tell her a story about a group of people who were forced to leave their homes in Persia and find refuge elsewhere. Arriving at an Indian kingdom, the king tell them they are not welcome, his land is already too crowded and the refugees "look foreign and speak a strange and different language I do not understand." Not speaking the same language, the king pours a glass of milk to indicate his land was full like the glass. The leader of the tired travelers takes the milk and adds a spoonful of sugar to it, indicating to the kind that though different, both people could live in peace, and "just like sugar in milk, we will sweeten your lives with our presence." Convinced, the king allows the refugees to remain in this kingdom. The story changes the young girl's outlook, helping her to realize that her new home is a welcoming place if she is willing to embrace it. The story the aunt tell has its roots in Parsi folktales. The illustrations that accompany the aunt's tale are just exquisite with a feel of ancient India, while the illustrations that frame the tale and much more modern. This is such a beautiful book about what immigrants bring to a new country with a message of hope and acceptance. It is a wonderful addition to any library.

The Paper Boat: A Refugee Story

written and illustrated by Thao Lam

Owlkids, 2020, 40 pages

In this wordless picture book, a young girl and her mother are forced to flee their country (Vietnam) because of war. As the family is eating a meal, the young girl rescues ants which the adults are swatting at. Later, when she and her mother leave their home, they are accompanied by the rescued ants. Mother and daughter must first hide from the officers hunting down refugees. Eventually, the ants lead them to where they must wait for a boat to take them away. The story switches to the ants sailing away in a paper boat at this point. Their journey is filled with hardships - a too hot sun beating down on them, thirst, seagulls overhead attacking and looking for food, an ant that drowns, and a thunderstorm that destroys their boat, sending all the ants into the water. Eventually they find land and are met with many more refugee ants. The story switches back to the girl and her family now living in safety in what looks like an city full of refugees from other parts of the world. Lam uses the ants to represent the difficult journey made by the mother and child. Lam's cut paper collages and the wordlessness of the story really capture the danger faced by many refugees when they are forced to leave their family and their home. She used simple colors - orange, pink, blue, and black to create these emotional illustrations. This is a story of bravery and hope despite hardship. You can find a detailed discussion and activity guide for this book HERE Kids can make their own origami paper boat with these instructions from the publisher, Owlkids

Click to enlarge

The Day Saida Arrived by Susana Gómez Redondo,

illustrated by Sonja Wimmer, translated from the Spanish by Lawrence Schimel

Blue Dot Kids Press, 2020, 32 pages

Saida, a newly arrived immigrant, has just begun school and is immediately befriended by a girl in her class who thinks Saida has lost her words because she doesn't speak. She searches everywhere to find them but to no avail. Then her father explains that Saida comes from Morocco where they speak Arabic, a language different from her own. And so the two new friends decide to teach each other their language. Together, they experience the joys and difficulties of learning a new language, as well as experiencing each other's culture through stories, poems and food. And their future plans? Why, a trip to Morocco someday (a place that is on my own bucket list). The language is beautifully lyrical and full of playfulness and emotion. The stylized illustrations are hand-painted in a combination of bold and soft colors and done in acrylic paint and crayons. This celebration of friendship, empathy, and respect is one you will want to share with your young readers - again and again. The English and Arabic words are scattered throughout the text, including a phonetic pronunciation of the Arabic words. You can find an extensive Teachers' Guide for this book HERE 

Click to enlarge

Migrants

written and illustrated by Issa Watanabe

Gecko Press, 2020, 40 pages

This is one of those books that just moved me in a way that surprised even me. It is a wordless book, with different very colorful, very individualized animals traveling together set against a very black background in which you can see the leafless forest through which the animals are walking. The animals are followed by death in the form of a skeleton, and a blue ibis, a bird that symbolizes life and death, past and present, according to the author. The story follows their journey from the time they enter the forest, as they sit together and share a meal, then their journey over water in an overcrowded boat, and finally landing in a new country, where readers will notice that colorful flowers in the background begin to replace the leafless muted forest. Their journey may have been successful, but they did suffer one loss on the way that affected all the travelers and probably most readers. This is a picture book for older readers that is sure to generate some interesting and much needed discussions. The publisher, Gecko Press, has posted an informative interview with the author that I would highly recommend reading, and you can find it HERE. You can also find a useful guide for lessons that can be used in a classroom HERE

This is one of those illustrations where wordlessness
speaks louder than words.

What am I reading this week? The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel and The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn and lots of picture books. 

What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? - from Picture Books to YA is a kidlit focused meme hosted weekly by Jen at Teacher Mentor Texts and by Kellee at Unleashing Readers. Its purpose is to recap what you have read and/or reviewed and plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. #IMWAYR