May 23 – It’s National Family Month

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About the Holiday

Observed during the five weeks between Mothers Day and Fathers Day, National Family Month was established by KidsPeace, a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children and families since 1882. Leading into the school vacation season, the holiday encourages families to spend more time working, playing, talking, and just hanging out together. Today’s book highlights that exciting time when a family grows by welcoming a new baby—with a look through a new sibling’s eyes. 

Thanks to WaterBrook and Kathleen Long Bostrom for sharing a copy of Since the Baby Came with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Since the Baby Came: A Sibling’s Learning-to-Love Story in 16 Poems

Written by Kathleen Long Bostrom | Illustrated by Janet Samuel

In this insightful, honest, funny, and heartwarming story, a little girl learns that she’s going to be a big sister during a breakfast of blueberry pancakes. To her left is her mama, who surprises her with the announcement, “‘We are having a baby!'” To her right is her daddy with the gift of a “Best Big Sister” T-shirt in hand. She seems dubious as she lets the syrup flow over her stack and onto the table because, she thinks, “Nobody asked me.”

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Image copyright Janet Samuel, 2023, text copyright Kathleen Long Bostrom, 2023. Courtesy of WaterBrook.

In “Mama Is Having a Baby” the girl tries to navigate all the changes that are happening—from her mother’s lap growing smaller to all of her toys being pushed aside for the baby’s crib and necessities to how long it’s taking for the baby to come. She asks God to tell her what happened and to help her to wait. At last her baby brother does arrive, and in “He’s Here! He’s Here!” the little girl expresses her excitement at all the things they can now do together and is sure “We’ll be best friends, the two of us, / and never ever fight or fuss. / He’ll love me more than anyone! / To have him home will be such fun!”

But the reality is different than she imagined, and her emotions begin to ride a rollercoaster from attention-seeking in “Look at Me!” to feelings of neglect and frustration in “When Will This Baby Go Away?” to the horrors of diaper changes in “Diaper Volcano” to dismay about his “bad habits” in “Suppertime.” But then she prays to God. In “Dear God” she says, “Hi, dear God! Remember me? / I need a friend today. / When my thoughts are tangled up, / it helps a lot to pray.” She goes on to explain her mixed feelings about how her life has changed, her brother’s crying, her decreased room space, and how busy her mama is. But she also talks about how she likes to snuggle and sing a lullaby to the baby: “Something happens then dear God. / My heart fills to the brim! / It makes me feel so very glad / to sing my song to him.” She realizes that “with our little baby here, / I’ll never be alone!”

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Image copyright Janet Samuel, 2023, text copyright Kathleen Long Bostrom, 2023. Courtesy of WaterBrook.

With her change of heart, she looks on her brother with new eyes and heart as he sleeps, wondering what he dreams about; is excited when he smiles at her; and discovers in “Maybe” that his “wiggles and giggles” are as “cute as can be” and that “he is amazing.” Now, she decides that her brother can stay with them and that maybe she’d even be open to having “another new brother—perhaps two or three!”

As Christmas comes, the baby has learned to sit up, and the little girl is showing him the story of the baby Jesus, who “was a baby too. / Just like me and just like you.” Splashing in the bathtub together, all of the little girl’s reservations are gone and she can unequivocally state all the reasons why she loves her baby brother. Soon her brother is standing, and in “Me Too!” he reaches out to touch his sister’s finger, sharing a special bond and ability to communicate. The story ends with “Surprise (Part 2)” in which the girl learns that an earlier wish will be fulfilled while her now toddler brother appears dubious.

An explanation of the fifteen types of poetry used in the book follows the story.

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Image copyright Janet Samuel, 2023, text copyright Kathleen Long Bostrom, 2023. Courtesy of WaterBrook.

With an empathetic and witty child’s-eye (and -heart) view of the upheaval, worries, acceptance, and joys of welcoming a new baby into the family, Kathleen Long Bostrom creates a tender story for parents to share with their child or children while waiting for the baby to come and through the stages and changes that come next. Bostrom’s use of realistic, child-centric language and dialogue makes the situations and feelings expressed in each poem immediately recognizable for kids and adults alike, allowing them to easily discuss these events and emotions together. Bostrom’s use of fifteen different types of poetry introduces young readers to the engaging variety and playfulness of this literary form.

Janet Samuel’s vibrant and animated illustrations clearly show the changing family dynamics as the household prepares for the baby and welcomes him home. Images of home, meals, a crowd of family and friends gathered around the baby, a diaper change, and even the idyllic view the little girl has of what life will be like when her baby brother comes home are lovingly and humorously portrayed while depicting real emotions and a touch of familiar chaos. Over the course of the poems, these scenes segue into a calmer routine as the baby begins to sleep, smile, and play; the house becomes orderly once again, and the little girl discovers she loves her brother.

In Since the Baby Came, the trajectory of Kathleen Long Bostrom’s poems and Janet Samuel’s illustrations work beautifully in tandem to create a moving portrait of a family growing in size and love. The book is one that families can dip into during each stage, from pregnancy to homecoming and through a baby’s first year of development, to help new siblings understand the many changes that come, to navigate their feelings, and to welcome their brother or sister into their heart. Since the Baby Came would make a much-appreciated gift and is highly recommended for home, church and school library, and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 7

WaterBrook, 2023 | ISBN 978-0593577684

About the Author

Kathleen Long Bostrom is an award-winning author of over fifty books for children. Her books are published in over twenty languages. She is an ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church (USA) who now writes full time. As a middle child, Kathy was both the new baby and the older sister who later became a mother of three herself. She knows whereof she rhymes! Visit her at kathleenlongbostrom.com.

About the Illustrator

Janet Samuel is an illustrator who lives in a small town in Wales with her daughter, Alice, and scruffy terrier, Tilly. Janet has illustrated books for many publishers, including Macmillan, Usbourne, Little Tiger Press, Scholastic, and Lion Hudson. She is happiest with a pencil or paintbrush in hand. You can connect with Janet on Instagram.

National Family Month Activity

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Since the Baby Came Parents Resource Guide

You can download this helpful resource guide from Kathleen Long Bostrom’s website. It gives parents age-appropriate tips on preparing a child for a new sibling as well as fun and colorful worksheets adults can share with their child to involve them in choosing a name for the baby; drawing a portrait and album pictures of the family, including the new baby; a “Wheel of Emotions” that provides kids with the vocabulary to describe their feelings; questions adults can ask their older child to begin a discussion; and a fun puzzle.

Videos to Share

You’ll also find two videos of a mom and little girl enjoying two of the poems from the book.

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You can find Since the Baby Came at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from 

Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 18 – It’s National Family Month

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About the Holiday

Established by KidsPeace, a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children and families since 1882, National Family Month is observed during the five-week period between Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June. It coincides with the usual end of the school year, and raises awareness of the important role mothers and fathers as well as grandparents and extended family play as a support system for their children. To observe the holiday spend time talking with your kids about topics of importance to them and plan activities for fun and to help them achieve their goals.  

Thank you to Star Bright Books for sharing a copy of Arletis, Abuel, and the Message in a Bottle for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle

Written by Lea Aschkenas | Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

 

Growing up in Cuba, Arletis loved studying maps and wondering about the people and places beyond her island. “Her whole life took place on the long, unnamed street that ran in front of the unnumbered house, where she lived.” Some afternoons, she took the horse-drawn carriage that transported people around town to visit her abuela. While she was there, Abuela told her funny stories about her abuelo, who had died before she was born. Sometimes tears would form in Abuela’s eyes as she talked about her husband. Then “Arletis would suggest they pick the grapefruits that grew like miniature suns in the trees Abuela had planted when she was young” to make her favorite treat cascos de toronja.

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Arletis’s life was rich with delicious fruit that grew in trees along her street, swimming in the river when the heat became “so heavy and thick it rolled down the street in dizzying waves,” and playing her favorite game: choreographer, in which she, her cousin, and neighborhood kids danced to the music on the radio. Arletis loved her street, but sometimes she wondered if there was more. In another part of the world—off the coast of Sausalito, California—a man named Steve lived alone on the tugboat with which he had once made his living. While Steve was content on his tugboat, he too wondered if there was more.

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

For Arletis’s eighth birthday, her parents rented a beach house for a weekend vacation to Playa Bailén, about 30 miles from home. On the bus ride there, Arletis, for the first time, saw the ocean that surrounded her island. On her birthday, Arletis took a walk along the beach and found a green bottle. The top was sealed with tape, and inside she could see a rolled up piece of paper. The paper turned out to be a letter written in a foreign language. Arletis was excited to realize that the bottle had come from another country.

Even though Arletis couldn’t read the words, she wrote a letter about “her life, about her family and her beautiful street. She asked every question she could think of about life in this other country” and she mailed it to the address provided at the bottom of the message from the bottle. When Steve received the letter, he immediately knew it was a response to his message in the bottle that he had given to a friend who was sailing down the coast and through the Panama Canal. The friend had dropped the bottle into the sea after he’d sailed into the Caribbean Sea.

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Steve was thrilled to receive Arletis’s letter. He had begun studying Spanish and “had been wishing for someone to practice with.” Two months had gone by since Arletis had sent her letter when she heard the mail carrier call out her name and hand her an envelope. It was the first letter Arletis had ever received, and she handled it with great care. Steve had answered all her questions and even sent a picture of himself and his tugboat. Arletis thought Steve looked “old enough to be a grandfather. Arletis had always wished for a grandfather, so she decided to address her next letter, ‘Querido Abuelo Esteban.’ ‘Dear Grandfather Steve'” and invited him to visit her and her family one day.

Arletis and Abuelo Esteban began writing to each other monthly then in one letter, Abuelo Esteban said he would be coming for a visit. “Arletis couldn’t stop smiling.” When Abuelo Esteban arrived, he brought a gift. It was a map he had drawn “showing the path his bottle had taken, first on his friend’s boat and then on the wide open sea to Arletis’s island. It was the most beautiful map Arletis had ever seen.” During the five days that Abuelo Esteban spent with Arletis’s family, he played baseball with her friends, swam in the river, and enjoyed some of Arletis’s favorite foods. 

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

On Abuelo Esteban’s last night visiting, Arletis’s mother and Abuela made a special dinner, complete with Arletis’s favorite dessert, cascos de toronja. Abuelo Esteban loved it too. He showed everyone pictures of his tugboat and the dock where it was moored. Arletis thought the dock looked just like a little island surrounded by water. When she asked Abuelo Esteban if he thought an island was a good place to live, he replied, “‘Yes, I think so. Especially if there is another island where you have family you can visit.'” 

Backmatter includes an Author’s Note that outlines how Lea Aschkenas first met Abuelo Esteban at the Sausalito library where she worked and learned about his story. She adds an update to the story about both Arletis, now an adult, and Steve, who has continued to visit his “familia de corazón”— his family of the heart. A recipe for cascos de toronja, glossary of the Spanish words found in the story, and a list of references for further reading, viewing, and listening in both English and Spanish are also included.

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Lea Aschkenas’s gentle and uplifting story immerses readers in the sights, sounds, flavors, and warm hearts of Cuba. Her comprehensive storytelling is filled with the types of details about Arletis’s life that will captivate readers and resonate with their own love for spontaneous fun, favorite foods, and family relationships. Aschkenas’s lovely descriptive language—Cuba is an “alligator-shaped island,” boiled grapefruit pith for cascos de toronja is as transparent as “a see-through fish,” Arletis and Abuelo Esteban exchange letters “as regularly as the monthly full moon”—and Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text paint pictures in children’s minds of the special beauty of Cuba.

Through Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu’s stunning watercolor illustrations, readers travel to Cuba to revel in the brilliant colors of the buildings and homes, the luscious hues of tropical fruit, the jewel-like water of the rivers and ocean, and, especially, the sunny smiles of the country’s people. When the story turns to the Sausalito dock where Steve lives, children see that the landscape is similar, with homes and businesses painted in pinks, yellow, red, and blue. Palm trees dot the skyline, and the ocean is as blue as the sky. Van Wright and Hu enchantingly capture Arletis’s wanderlust and her excitement to connect with Steve, with whom she immediately forms a grandfatherly bond. Images of Arletis cooking with her Abuela, dancing and playing baseball with friends, and sitting around the family dinner table with Abuela Esteban will charm children as they take this true story into their heart.

Wonderfully evocative and multilayered, Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is a remarkable story of family, friendship, pride in one’s country, and the joys to be found in reaching out to others across the world. The book is a heartfelt choice for story times at home and school and would make an impactful addition to any classroom or homeschool geography or social studies curriculum. Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is highly recommended for all home, school, and public library collections. The book is also available in a Spanish edition: Arletis, abuelo y el mensaje en la botella.

Ages 4 – 8

Star Bright Books, 2023 | ISBN 978-1595729699 (English Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595729705 (English Paperback) | ISBN 978-1595729729 (Spanish Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595729712 (Spanish Paperback)

About the Author

LEA ASCHKENAS has written book reviews and articles for Washington Post Book World, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon. She is also the author of a travel memoir, Es Cuba: Life and Love on an Illegal Island. She fell in love with Cuba and its people on her first trip to the island in the year 2000 and has been returning nearly every year since. Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is her first book for children. Lea lives in Northern California where she works as a public librarian and teaches with the California Poets in the Schools program. Visit Lea at: leaaschkenas.com. 

About the Illustrators

CORNELIUS VAN WRIGHT and YING-HWA HU are a husband and wife children’s book illustration team. They have worked on many assignments together, but have also illustrated numerous projects and books individually. They have won a number of awards for their books. Their work has been exhibited at the Bologna Book Fair and the Society of Illustrators’ “The Original Art” show. Cornelius and Ying-Hwa live in New York City. You can learn more about Cornelius and Ying-Hwa Hu and their work at pencilmoonstudio.com. Visit Ying-Hwa Hu at yinghwahu.com.

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You can find Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle or the Spanish Edition, Arletis, abuelo y el mensaje en la botella, at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

Arletis, abuelo y el mensaje en la botella

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop: English Edition | Spanish Edition

 

Picture Book Review

May 14 – Mother’s Day

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About the Holiday

We always love our moms, but on the second Sunday of May we celebrate that special relationship and thank them for everything they do for us all year long. On May 9, 1914 President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation establishing Mother’s Day as “a public expression of our love and reverence for the mothers of our country.” First envisioned to honor all mothers instead of primarily your own, the day has become a more personal holiday in which families celebrate in their own unique and meaningful way. As today’s book shows, the nature of motherhood is surprisingly the same for human moms as for those in nature!

Supermoms!: Animal Heroes

Written by Heather Lang and Jamie Harper | Illustrated by Jamie Harper

 

Did you know that the animal kingdom is full of supermoms? It’s true! They may not wear capes, but some do fly through the air and others can go paw to wheel with a speeding train. “With powerful instincts and extraordinary skills, these moms do whatever it takes to protect and raise their young.” With so many different animal species, each having their own talents and behaviors, there are lots of ways these moms take care of their little ones. While some creatures raise their families in close quarters, groundhog moms build vast burrows with special rooms, “including a bathroom and a nursery lined with soft grasses for her pups.” Readers also discover how a red-knobbed hornbill mom uses a rather unusual substance to help seal up her home, and how a strawberry poison frog deals with extreme sibling rivalry in an extremely clever way.

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Image copyright Jamie Harper, 2023, text copyright Heather Lang and Jamie Harper, 2023. Courtesy of Candlewick.

We all know moms make sacrifices for their children, but kids will be amazed at how penguins, polar bears, and bearded capuchin monkeys go the extra mile to make sure their babies are well-fed and happy. Animals don’t have minivans or SUVs or even city buses to help them transport their young, but that doesn’t stop some supermoms from taking their little ones here and there. For example, “an American Alligator’s might mouth makes the perfect super stroller. Mom scoops up her hatchlings and shuttles them safely to the water.” Little brown bat and wolf spider moms know just how to carry their kids in ways that are novel and exciting too.

Of course, keeping their children safe is one of a mom’s most important jobs, and readers will see how nature’s “supermoms stop at nothing to protect their young.” Whether they live under the sea, on the savannah, or at the beach, these mothers are always alert for predators use anything they’ve got—their mouths, tentacles, hooves, bums, and even their acting ability—to make sure that their precious kids are okay.

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Image copyright Jamie Harper, 2023, text copyright Heather Lang and Jamie Harper, 2023. Courtesy of Candlewick.

As all kids know, besides making a home, feeding, transporting, and providing protection, moms are great teachers. It’s the same for animals. Some baby animals need to learn how to swim, how to gather food without hurting themselves, where to find food, how to use tools, and even how to make a comfy home of their own. And who shows them how to do all of these things and more? Their moms, of course! “With powerful instincts and extraordinary skills, these moms give their youngsters everything they need to go out into the world and thrive.” Sounds familiar, right?!

Back matter includes an illustrated guide to the eighteen animals represented in the book complete with their “super ability,” information on where they live and what they eat, and a “Guess What?” fun fact about each creature. A list of online resources, books, and films where kids can learn more about some of the animals is also included.

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Image copyright Jamie Harper, 2023, text copyright Heather Lang and Jamie Harper, 2023. Courtesy of Candlewick.

Heather Lang and Jamie Harper’s Supermoms! Animal Heroes is immediately relatable with its home-run hit of superheroes, humor, eye-widening facts, and, of course, a mom’s love. Harper and Lang use a combination of easy-to-understand, straightforward text and lots of funny, rib-tickling speech bubbles that offer the kind of comical commentary on their surroundings and circumstances that will keep kids laughing, learning, and wanting to read the book again and again. The mix of well-known and more unusual species orients kids to those animals they’ve already heard about and may have seen for themselves at the zoo or aquarium and those they’d like to learn more about.

Jamie Harper’s textured, collage-style illustrations take kids underground, to the ocean, high into trees, across frozen tundras, and through dusty, grassy plains to demonstrate how moms with one to thousands of youngsters make sure they are nurtured and protected no matter what it takes. Her cartoon animals are realistically portrayed and their spunk, facial expressions, and actions are engagingly kid-inspired. 

If your kids love nonfiction, learning about nature and animals, or simply a book that will get them laughing while they discover fascinating facts, Supermoms! Animal Heroes would be an often-asked-for addition to home bookshelves. The book’s content and extensive additional resources, both in the backmatter and on Heather Lang’s website, make Supermoms! a must for classroom, school, and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 7

Candlewick, 2023 | ISBN 978-1536217971

About Heather Lang

Heather Lang is the author of The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest and Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark, among other books. She lives in Massachusetts.

About Jamie Harper

Jamie Harper is the author-illustrator of four books about the feisty flamingo teacher Miss Mingo as well as the Baby Bundt board books and the picture books Miles to Go and Miles to the Finish. She lives outside Boston.

Mother’s Day Activity

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Supermom! Mother’s Day Card

 

Kids know their mom’s super, and with this printable Supermom! card found on Heather Lang’s website, children can tell their mom just why they think she’s so special on Mother’s Day—or any day!

Mother’s Day Card

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More Supermoms! Fun

 

Kids and adults will find even more worksheets, activities, and games as well as videos of animals in their natural habitats caring for their young and the links to six movies about animals found around the world on YouTube and other streaming services on Heather Lang’s website.

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You can find Supermoms!: Animal Heroes at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 11 – National Eat What You Want Day

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About the Holiday

Do you feel like you’ve been on a diet forever? Have you been denying yourself a favorite treat because maybe it’s not the best thing you can eat? Or do you find yourself always making meals to suit everyone else’s taste when what you really want is just a grilled cheese sandwich? If so, today’s holiday gives you carte blanche to enjoy the foods you want without feeling guilty. It also seems like a fitting day to learn about the rather unusual (at least to us) diet of many creatures in the animal kingdom—and that’s where today’s book come in!

Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It 

Written by Sara Levine | Illustrated by Florence Weiser

 

So, you wake up starving for a delicious meal. You’ve been dreaming of pancakes, maybe, or a plate of eggs and bacon. But when you get to the table, there’s a bowl of poop waiting for you?! Come on! While you might sulk (and probably hold your nose), there are plenty of creatures who’d be thinking “Bring it on!” Who are these critters? They’re animals that practice coprophagy, and they do it “for a number of surprisingly good reasons,” Sara Levine reveals.

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Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

For some animals eating poop is just part of being a Number 1 (or maybe Number 2 is better in this case) parent. Butterflies, cats, and dogs as well as robins and other birds all have specific reasons for dining on doo-doo, from making eggs strong to protecting their babies from predators to keeping “a nest clean and tidy.” Birds have a particularly fascinating way to do this. Since baby birds eat a lot, they poop a lot. Keeping up with that level of cleaning could be daunting. Amazingly, though, these “chicks’ poop and pee come out inside a bag made of mucus. It’s called a fecal sac. Bird parents grasp it with their beaks and carry it away like a disposable diaper. And sometimes the parents eat it. How come? The poop of a newly hatched chick is full of undigested nutrients.”

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Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

While these animals eat poop for external or aesthetic reasons, others engage in coprophagy to keep their digestive system working well. Still others, because of the length or shape of their digestive tract, require that food travels through their body twice to extract all of the nutrients. If you have a rabbit, hamster, guinea pig, or other small rodent as a pet, you know that their poop looks like little round balls or small pellets. As Levine tells readers, “this is the poop that has been through their digestive tract a second time. The first poop comes out soft, sticky, and full of nutrients. It’s called a cecotrope (SEE-ca-trope),” and these animals “gobble it up at night when it comes out. That’s why you don’t see it” in the cage.

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Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

Since there are so many creatures who do eat poop, why don’t humans? Levine has included a whole list of reasons (and, yes, the frowny- crinkled-nose-face you’re making right now is one of them) for why we don’t—and don’t need to. She’s also provided back matter that includes “The Scoop on Poop”—an explanation of what poop and pee are, how they’re created in the body, and how they’re eliminated through the anus and the urethra as well as a paragraph about creatures that have a single cloaca instead of two openings. Kids will also have fun becoming “poop detectives” with the help of Levine’s and illustrator Florence Weiser’s guide to the sizes and shapes of poop from common pets and wildlife and playing a silly synonym game.

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Image copyright Florence Weiser, 2023, text copyright Sara Levine, 2023. Courtesy of Millbrook Press.

Sara Levine is exceptional at presenting fascinating nature science topics in humorous and accessible ways for young audiences, and her latest book is no exception, Leaning into the “Ewww!” factor, Levine dishes up short, take-away reasons certain animals, birds, and insects practice coprophagy followed up with longer passages that explain the science and/or behavior behind them in easy-to-understand language sprinkled with humor that will keep readers riveted to this already high-interest subject.

Florence Weiser’s colorful illustrations perfectly bridge the humorous and the scientific nature of Levine’s text. Readers’ skeptical view of this “gross” habit is amusingly juxtaposed with creatures’ excited anticipation of a delicious meal through the characters’ facial expressions while the anatomical reasons for or against coprophagy are clearly depicted in images of human and various animals’ digestive systems.

Anatomy and nature science education at its best, Poop for Breakfast: Why Some Animals Eat It will keep kids enthralled as each page turn brings on a new round of giggles and avid learning. The book would enhance any home STEM collection and is a must for classroom, school, and public library bookshelves.

Ages 5 – 10

Millbrook Press, 2023 | ISBN 978-1728457963

About the Author

Sara Levine is an author, educator, and veterinarian. Her science books for children include the Animal by Animal series, Germs Up Close, and A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use. Her books have received a number of awards including AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize, Utah Beehive Book Award, Cook Prize finalist, Monarch Award master list, and Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year.

About the Illustrator

Florence Weiser is a French illustrator currently based in beautiful, rainy Belgium. While growing up in Luxembourg, she always knew she wanted to draw and draw. She lives and works surrounded by nature, from which she gathers most of her inspiration.

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May 4 – It’s Children’s Book Week

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About the Holiday

Children’s Book Week, a celebration of reading and connection, was founded in 1919 and is the longest-running literacy initiative in the United States. The 2023 slogan is “Read Books. Spark Change.” According to Every Child a Reader, the program’s sponsor, “this year’s theme speaks to the power that books and stories have to inspire positive change. Books can spark change within an individual reader, a family, a classroom, or a whole community.” The holiday attracts participation from authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians, teachers, and booksellers in schools, libraries, bookstores, and communities across the country. To learn more about the holiday and download bookmarks and posters, activities in English and Spanish, the Find Your Spark challenge, draw-along pages provided by favorite children’s book artists, and much more, visit Every Child a Reader. You can even sign up to continue to get fantastic ideas for connecting with books and reading all year around!

The Hole Story

By Kelly Canby

 

One day while walking along, Charlie found a hole on the path. He was so excited to have “a hole of his very own” that he picked it up immediately and “popped it in his pocket.” But wait! As he continued on his way, Charlie discovered that all of his candy and money had slipped out of his pocket and scattered along the path, “so he put the hole in his backpack” with even more disastrous results. 

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Copyright Kelly Canby, 2023, courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Charlie was determined to get rid of the hole, so he went into town to find it a new owner. There were plenty of shops to try: “Bread Pitt” the bakery, “World Wide Web” which sold arachnids and reptiles, “Sew Much Better” the dress maker, and others. Charlie was sure his problem would soon be solved. But even though he went into every shop and talked to each shopkeeper, none of them wanted the hole.

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Copyright Kelly Canby, 2023, courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Charlie went on his way, but even though he met several people who he thought the hole would be perfect for, they didn’t need it either. Charlie finally decided that “this hole is no good at all,” so he went back where he had found it and dropped it on the path again—where someone had been waiting for it all along!

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Copyright Kelly Canby, 2023, courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Kelly Canby’s delightful tale is a clever combination of wordplay and visual humor along with a sly wink to readers’ experience that puts them one step ahead of Charlie and infuses the story with suspense and laugh-out-loud moments. The ending enriches the off-beat humor and despite clues along the way comes as a charming surprise. Canby’s broad spectrum of fitting and unsuitable homes for the hole Charlie finds is a perfect jumping off point to get kids thinking about other places that would be good or bad choices. Canby’s enchanting illustrations are fresh and expressive, making the most of perspective and comical touches that will keep kids giggling from beginning to end.

Inventive and witty, The Hole Story is a whole lot of fun and will become a quick favorite for repeat readings (especially when done with a dramatic flair). The book would make a terrific gift and is highly recommended for home, classroom, school, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 7

Star Bright Books, 2023 | ISBN 978-1595729392 (Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595729408 (Paperback)

About Kelly Canby

KELLY CANBY is an internationally published author and illustrator of over a dozen books for children. Her picture books have received numerous honors and have been translated into many languages around the world. Kelly is a member of the judging panel for the annual Shaun Tan Illustration Awards and regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Australia West. She lives in Perth, Australia.

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April 21 – World Creativity and Innovation Day

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About the Holiday

World Creativity and Innovation Day has been observed by citizens and organizations in over 50 countries since 2002. In 2018, the United Nations (U.N.) formally established the holiday to promote the importance of creativity and innovation in all aspects of human development, both at the individual and group levels. This day also highlights the importance of applying creativity and innovation to problem-solving for today’s pressing issues, including scientific, economic, social, and sustainable development. Kids seem to do this inherently as they go about exploring and interacting with all the new things they see, hear, and do every day Books like today’s featured title can spur children to put their own unique talents to work to change an improve the world for all. To learn more about World Creativity and Innovation Day, visit the UN website.

Thanks to Betsy Ellor and Yeehoo Press for sharing a digital copy of My Dog Is NOT a Scientist with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

My Dog is NOT a Scientist

Written by Betsy Ellor | Illustrated by Louisa Vera

 

Yara knows she’s the best scientist in town, but how can she prove it when she always loses the school science fair to her neighbor Eddie, who taunts her about being older and smarter and not having a dog like Renzo to mess up his experiments. This year, though, Yara is determined to win. She already has her question to explore: “What makes paper airplanes fly?” and lots of planes to experiment with. But within minutes Renzo has chased down and torn them all apart. “RENZO!!” Yara yells. “Real scientists don’t chase their experiments,” says Eddie.

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Image copyright Luisa Vera, 2023, text copyright Betsy Ellor, 2023. Courtesy of Yeehoo Press.

Next, Yara chooses to use her scientific observational skills to see if she can illuminate a lightbulb with a lemon. But again Renzo causes a catastrophe and Eddie is right there to see it and make a comment.  Undaunted, however, Yara decides to test her hypothesis about “what makes grass grow fast.” She marks off sections of her backyard that are sunny, shady, dry, and wet and gets to work. Renzo feels the call of nature, too – only in a . . . umm . . . different way than Yara. And, yep, Eddie sees it too.

With one week to go to the science fair, Yara comes up with a hypothesis about insects and does a little problem-solving by erecting a Renzo-free tent to carry out her experiment. Maybe Renzo can’t read or maybe he just has to know, but that dogged dog digs deep and finds a way to upset another experiment.

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Image copyright Luisa Vera, 2023, text copyright Betsy Ellor, 2023. Courtesy of Yeehoo Press.

Now the science fair is tomorrow, and while Eddie has a neat and tidy, perfect-looking project to present, “all Yara has to show is Renzo’s damage.” How can she report what she’s learned like a real scientist when she hasn’t learned anything? Yara thinks. With tears in her eyes she’s ready to concede to Renzo that “Eddie’s right…. You’re NOT a scientist . . . and neither am I.” But then Yara looks at her experiments in a different way—from Renzo’s point of view. Renzo, she realized, asked questions, made observations, and “even formed a hypothesis and tested it.”

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Image copyright Luisa Vera, 2023, text copyright Betsy Ellor, 2023. Courtesy of Yeehoo Press.

Her new perspective gave Yara another idea for her science project. The next day at the science fair, Renzo was Yara’s star exhibit. “Is My Dog a Scientist?” her display asked. Yara tells the judges how Renzo followed his curiosity, how he asked questions, observed, made a hypothesis, and then tested it—just like a scientist. “‘My project proves my dog really IS a scientist,’” she said. The judges agreed and presented Yara with the first-place ribbon. Even though Eddie whined, Yara knew she and Renzo were the best scientists in town—and now everyone else knew it too.

Back matter includes a step-by-step description of the scientific method, some question starters to get young scientists thinking about their own hypotheses, seven questions to spark experimentation, and an invitation for readers to email Yara and Renzo about their experiments. More ideas for experimentation as well as a curriculum guide are also available on Betsy Ellor’s website.

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Image copyright Luisa Vera, 2023, text copyright Betsy Ellor, 2023. Courtesy of Yeehoo Press.

In her clever and creative story, Betsy Ellor perfectly melds the scientific method with sure-to-produce-guffaws humor that will make this book a favorite with kids who are already hard-core scientists as well as those who just like tinkering to explore life’s mysteries. Yara’s determination to win the science fair provides Ellor with a compelling frame to drop examples of real science-based questions and vocabulary into realistic dialog and suspenseful storytelling. The competition between Yara and Eddie also increases the stakes and will have readers rooting for Yara through every mishap. Yara’s inspired thinking on the night before the science fair encourages kids to never give up and prompts them to look at problems with new perspectives and fresh ideas.

Luisa Vera gives kids so much to see and think about in her dynamic illustrations that readers will love exploring for the science, humor, and plentiful details that define the scientific method while demonstrating Yara’s and Eddie’s different approaches to research. But with Yara’s first exasperated “RENZO!!” all eyes will be on this mischievous mutt who just can’t help it if he has a heart for science and a penchant for mischief. Renzo’s various antics will have kids laughing out loud through each of Yara’s experiments and even to the science fair, where even Eddie’s entry attracts the “Renzo” effect.

Funny, effervescent, and loaded with real science, My Dog Is NOT a Scientist is sure to be a catalyst to spark kids’ interest in and understanding of the scientific method as well as the idea that scientific observation and experimentation is a creative process and one that can be unique to each person. The book would enhance any science curriculum for teachers or homeschoolers and is highly recommended for home, classroom, school, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Yeehoo Press, 2023 | ISBN 978-1953458469

Discover the real-life inspiration behind My Dog is NOT a Scientist!

About the Author

Betsy Ellor lives in a home filled with kid shenanigans, canine chaos and creative projects run wild. Her picture book debut, My Dog is NOT a Scientist launches in 2023 from Yeehoo Press. Her 2021 anthology Heroic Care: 35 Writers & Artists Show What It Means To Care reached the top 30 on Amazon, and her family musical Sara Crewe has been performed across the US.

Midwest-born, Betsy started as a playwright, earning a degree in Creative Writing from Ball State University before shifting her focus to novels and picture books. Betsy works as an interior designer. This explains her uniquely visual voice and her passion for stories that keep creative thinking at the heart of scientific exploration. Betsy lives near the beach in Massachusetts with her son and dog (aka the bringers of chaos). She spends way too much time on the computer but frequently escapes for hiking, biking, paddle boarding, and beach time. Visit Betsy on her website.

About the Illustrator

Luisa Vera was born in Elda, Alicante. After Luisa finished her fine-arts career in Valencia, she went to New York, where she attended the School of Visual Arts. Since 1990, she has dedicated herself professionally to illustration. She is the author/illustrator of Let’s Go to the Museum, a Modern Art Museum Maze and has illustrated Casas del mundo, Salta que salta, among other Spanish-language titles for children. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Dallas Morning News, the Wall Street Journal, the International Herald Tribune, and The Vanguard, and her characters have worn their best clothes on book covers, posters, catalogs, children’s stories, and exhibitions. Luisa lives in Barcelona, Spain. You can follow Luisa Vera on Instagram.

Meet Yara and Renzo in this sneak peek of the book!

World Creativity and Innovation Day Activity

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Kids love inventing and experimenting, and these sparkle test tubes give children a fun way to be creative while making a cool way to relax and on those hectic days.

Supplies

  • Plastic test tubes with tight-fitting screw cap, available at craft or science supply stores. Having two or three will allow for more experimentation
  • Glitter glue
  • Hot water
  • Fine glitter
  • Chunky glitter
  • Small glass beads (optional)
  • Neon food coloring (optional)
  • Test tube stand (optional)
  • Whisk
  • Mixing bowl
  • Teaspoon

Directions

  1. Fill a test tube 1/3 full of hot water and pour the water into the mixing bowl
  2. Add 1 – 2 teaspoons of glitter glue (the more glitter glue that is added the thicker the liquid will be and the more the objects will be suspended in the liquid. To allow the objects to flow more freely when the test tube is shaken, add less glue
  3. Whisk the water and glitter glue together
  4. Add chunky glitter, glass beads, or try other small objects
  5. Pour into test tube
  6. Add more water to within a ½ – 1 inch of the top to allow for shaking
  7. Experiment with amount of glitter glue, glitter, and colors

More Science!

Are your kids excited to discover more about the world – and even the cookies they like – through experiments like Yara and Renzo? Then they’ll love the 13 fun and eye-opening experiments on Betsy Ellor’s website. You’ll find them here!

A My Dog is NOT a Scientist Curriculum Guide for teachers, homeschoolers, librarians, and group leaders is also available for download on Betsy Ellor’s website here!

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Picture Book Review

April 17 – International Haiku Day

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About the Holiday

Small things are amazing—and surprising! We all know good things come in small packages, and just look at the wisdom, humor, and capacity for love of children. The same goes for haiku—the smallest form of poetry in size but never in impact. Coming mid-way through National Poetry Month, today’s holiday shines a spotlight on the haiku. The simple 5-7-5 rule that we all learn in school doesn’t begin to define the complexity of these three-line beauties that distill the world into little nuggets that make readers see life in amazing and surprising ways.

Peek-a-Boo Haiku

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Teagan White

 

In this beautiful board book, little ones are taken through an auditory and visual wonderland from winter through spring, summer, and fall as two mice visit woodland, meadow, garden, and aquatic creatures to play, discover, and celebrate the changing seasons.

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Children will enjoy predicting what animals are hiding behind the log and boulder. Image copyright Teagan White, 2023, text copyright Danna Smith, 2023. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Each of Danna Smith’s haiku verses surprises, sparkling with lovely alliteration and evocative language that invites young readers to anticipate and predict who will appear when the flaps on  the facing page are lifted. Smith’s giggly humor and exceptional imagination elevate readers’ experience as she deftly uses games and experiences familiar to children (hide-and-seek, confetti, splashing in water, and lullabies to name a few) in ways that will spark creative thinking and bond them to the natural world. As late fall with its nighttime frost appears in the last spread, Smith’s gentle, sleepy verse welcomes little ones to drift off to dream along with the two snuggled up mice.

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When the rabbits are revealed, Smith’s verse encourages readers to talk about “long ears” and “short ears.” Image copyright Teagan White, 2023, text copyright Danna Smith, 2023. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Any book illustrated by Teagan White is a treasure, and in Peek-a-Boo Haiku, she populates Smith’s various habitats with adorable, yet realistic animals that will charm little readers and adults alike. White’s glorious colors add breathtaking beauty to her gorgeously detailed pages. Each spread is a tiny masterpiece that gives children and adults much to discover and talk about as they move through the seasons. The final spread, washed in somnolent shades of twilight, puts little ones in the mind for sleep, just as the owl snugged into its tree-trunk nest. Kids will enjoy finding the mice (appearing alone or together, allowing the youngest children to engage with the idea of one and/or two) in each spread, and the variety of creatures, plants, and environments provide a wealth of learning, from vocabulary to math to science, for a wide-range of ages and development. 

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When the colorful bird is revealed behind stems of flowers, Danna Smith invites readers to talk about what she has in her beak, where it came from, and what she will do with it. Image copyright Teagan White, 2023, text copyright Danna Smith, 2023. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Exquisite in every way, Peek-a-Boo Haiku is a book adults and children will love to share again and again and is a perfect choice as a gift for special occasions, baby showers, new siblings, or simply to add to a child’s bookshelf. This superlative board book also belongs in all preschool and kindergarten classrooms as well as school and library collections.

Ages Birth to 5

Little Simon, 2023 | ISBN 978-1665926461

About the Author

Danna Smith is a poet and award-winning author of numerous books for children, including One Blue Gnu; Rooftop Garden; Wake Up, Freight Train!; and several Little Golden Books. Her nonfiction picture book, The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry, received two starred reviews and is a Junior Library Guild Selection and a Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year. Danna currently lives in northern California, where she is hard at work on her next book. For more information about her books and teaching activities, visit her website at DannaSmithBooks.com.

About the Illustrator

Teagan White is an artist and author who creates playful watercolor scenes of the natural world and the friendly creatures who inhabit it. Teagan lives in Oregon, enjoys visiting seagulls at the beach, and has illustrated nine picture books. Find out more at TinyMothStudios.com.

Take a Peek at this Peek-a-Boo Haiku Book Trailer!

National Haiku Day Activities

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Woodland animals love to play hide-and-seek in trees, behind logs and rocks, under bushes, and in all sorts of places. This Peek-a-Boo Haiku Memory Game lets little ones find matching pairs of animals while building observation skills and having lots of fun!

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Young children will enjoy writing their own haiku from what they see in nature with this adorable Write a Haiku Page that gets them thinking and using their imagination.

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You can find Peek-a-Boo Haiku at these booksellers

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Picture Book Review