October 21 – National Apple Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

It’s apple season! Honeycrisp, Cortland, Gala, Fuji, Macintosh—there are so many delicious varieties to choose from and enjoy! The bounty of apples allows bakers and chefs to create scrumptious desserts and dishes, and for purists, there’s nothing better than biting into a crisp apple. Orchards are open for picking, and farmers markets and grocery stores are packed with these red, green, and yellow treats. To celebrate today and all month long, take the family apple picking, make your favorite apple recipes, or discover new taste sensations.

Applesauce Day

Written by Lisa J. Amstutz | Illustrated by Talitha Shipman

As a girl and her family have breakfast, she spies the tall pot that means it’s applesauce day. Her younger sister Hannah cheers, and her little brother “bangs his spoon.” After breakfast they head to the orchard outside the city. There, the air smells of ripe apples and it’s quiet. “There are no sirens or screeching tires. Only the buzzing of bees and the rustling of leaves in the wind.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-aplesauce-day-orchard

Image copyright Lisa J. Amstutz, 2017, text copyright Talitha Shipman, 2017. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

Hannah calls to her big sister for help. She shows Hannah how to twist and pull the apples from the tree. Mom and Dad pick the apples high in the trees while Hannah, her big sister pick low apples. Ezra helps by putting the apples in a basket. He can’t resist taking a bite of one.

Soon all of the baskets are full of apples “ready to be smooshed into sweet, tangy applesauce.” After the car is loaded up, they drive to Grandma’s house. When they get there, Grandma’s waiting with a big smile and a hug. They “lug the apples into the kitchen” and each take their place. This year even Ezra gets a spot. After Dad washes the apples, Grandma cuts them up. Ezra gets to drop the apples into the tall pot. “Thunk, thunk, thunk.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-aplesauce-day-giving-apple

Image copyright Lisa J. Amstutz, 2017, text copyright Talitha Shipman, 2017. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

While they work, Mom talks about how she used to help Grandma bring home the apples and how “they cooked the apples in this very pot when she was a little girl” in Ohio. Then Grandma tells how “she helped her mother pick apples from the old apple tree behind their house on the windy Iowa prairie.” They also cooked the apples in this very same pot. The older girl looks at the pot and wonders what kinds of stories it could tell if it could talk.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-aplesauce-day-grandma's-house

Image copyright Lisa J. Amstutz, 2017, text copyright Talitha Shipman, 2017. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

As the apples cook, they release a sweet scent into the air and the red peels turn pink. Then with a ladle, Mom pours the apples into the food grinder. Hannah and her sister take turns cranking the handle. “Crank! Squish. Crankity! Squish!” The applesauce squeezes through the strainer while the seeds and peels are left behind. They mix in a bit of sugar and put the applesauce in containers to store.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-aplesauce-day-chopping-apples

Image copyright Lisa J. Amstutz, 2017, text copyright Talitha Shipman, 2017. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

It’s lunchtime now and the family sits down to sandwiches and a bowl of warm applesauce with cinnamon sprinkled on top. They take big servings and then seconds. “Ezra licks the bowl.” After lunch there’s more peeling, cutting, and cooking until all the apples are gone. They put the containers in Grandma’s extra freezer and take some home for themselves.

It’s dark by the time they finish and head home, “sticky but full of stories and smiles and applesauce.” As they drive home the older sister thinks about their special pot and how when she grows up, she’ll cook in it on Applesauce Day.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-aplesauce-day-family

Image copyright Lisa J. Amstutz, 2017, text copyright Talitha Shipman, 2017. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming story that lovingly explores the continuity of family heritage, you’ll want to share Lisa J. Amstutz’s Applesauce Day with your kids. Told through the viewpoint of the oldest daughter, the story takes readers from that first spark of recognition of a tradition through the actions that make it so special to the knowledge that they will be the ones to carry it on in the future. Excitement and pride flow through Amstutz’s pages as the children eagerly help pack the car, pick apples, and take their usual positions in Grandma’s kitchen.

The passing on of the tradition and skills involved in Applesauce Day are depicted in ways that will delight kids as the oldest sister shows the younger how to twist the apples from the tree and the little brother gets to participate for the first time. When the children’s mother and then their grandmother both tell how they helped with Applesauce Day when they were young, readers get a sense of generations and how far back traditions extend. Amstutz’s storytelling is homey and detailed and brimming with family camaraderie. The Introspective ending with appeal to kids thinking about their own place in their family.

Screen Shot 2019-10-20 at 8.17.45 PM

Talitha Shipman’s bright illustrations invite kids along for a day of apple picking and cooking. The siblings’ eyes shimmer with excitement as they partake in this favorite fall tradition. Like most kids on a day like this, Hannah, Ezra, and their older sister are in constant motion—picking apples, hugging Grandma, cranking the food mill—and working together. Shipman’s rich portrayals of these events will sweep readers into the action and inspire them to want to and learn more about their own family traditions or start new ones. Applesauce Day looks like so much fun that you can bet children will be eager to make a batch of this delicious fall treat themselves.

A perfect autumn (or anytime) read-aloud for families to share, especially as the holidays roll around or during intergenerational get-togethers, Applesauce Day would be a favorite on home bookshelves and in school and public libraries.

Ages 4 – 8

Albert Whitman & Company, 2017 | ISBN 978-0807503928

Discover more about Lisa J. Amstutz and her books on her website.

To learn more about Talitha Shipman, her books, and her art, visit her website/

National Apple Day Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Apple-Turn-Over-Matching-Puzzle

Apple Turn Over! Matching Puzzle

**You can find Applesauce Day at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

October 17 – Get Ready for Halloween

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Halloween is almost here! Enjoy the thrills and chills all month long with fun Halloween-themed books like this one. You may even want to keep them on the shelf to celebrate all YEAR long – just like the boy in today’s book!

Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween

By Mike Petrik

On Halloween night all the kids looked forward to visiting the Loomis’s barn, where “the biggest, creepiest, jump-scariest haunted house in the neighborhood” took place. Everyone in the family helped out as witches, spirits, and vampires and in making lots of thunder, fog, and eerie sounds. Sammy, especially, wanted to make “sure to give the trick-or-treaters a fang-tastically fun time.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-sammy's-spooktacular-halloween-candy

Copyright Mike Petrik, 2018, courtesy of Two Lions.

On the morning after Halloween, the whole family gathered for pumpkin pancakes to relive the thrill of the night before. This year, Sammy could hardly concentrate on his pancakes because he already had so many ideas for the haunted house next year. Sammy’s older siblings, Luke and Molly, thought Sammy was too young to think of cool ideas, but his dad told Sammy to “give it a whirl.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-sammy's-spooktacular-halloween-too-little

Copyright Mike Petrik, 2018, courtesy of Two Lions.

After a couple of weeks, Sammy began testing his ideas on the family. There were a few missteps – especially the jack-o’-lantern turkey and spiders and bats décor at Thanksgiving. And a Zombie Christmas really wasn’t what the rest of the family had in mind. As the winter wore on, Sammy perfected his scares. Molly’s sleepover was bone-chilling when Sammy made a skeleton skateboard through the living room.

Instead of a marshmallow egg Easter, Sammy conjured up a Happy Hallow-Easter egg hunt. But when the family’s Fourth of July barbecue was “rained out” by the sprinkler hiding in the tree, Sammy’s dad put his foot down. “‘Your ideas are wonderfully creepy,’ said Dad, ‘but Halloween has taken over everything.” He put the kibosh on all further haunting until everyone was onboard.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-sammy's-spooktacular-halloween-haunted-house

Copyright Mike Petrik, 2018, courtesy of Two Lions.

Sammy was feeling pretty down until Molly and Luke told him they thought his tricks were real treats and offered to help him create more. Under Sammy’s direction, they came up with amazing new hauntings. When the barn was finally decorated, “Mom and Dad were spellbound.” Dad said, “‘We admire how you’ve stuck with it all year long,’” and Mom added, “‘So we’re naming you Halloween Spirit this year.’”

On Halloween night, Sammy welcomed all the neighbors with a spooky “‘HAPPY HALLOWEEN!’” and a “‘beware what lurks in the dark. Muah ha ha!’” The trick-or-treaters were shivering as they passed a skateboarding skeleton, an electrified Frankenstein, roiling fog, bubbling cauldrons, and bats, spiders, and ghosts galore. For Sammy, it was the best Halloween ever—and he was already planning for next year.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-sammy's-spooktacular-halloween-haunted-barn

Copyright Mike Petrik, 2018, courtesy of Two Lions.

Young Halloween lovers—i.e. all kids—will find Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween frightfully funny and, no doubt, inspirational too. From the list of Sammy’s haunted house elements titled “Scares! Spooks!” on the front cover to the experimental tricks to the other holiday mash-ups, Sammy’s imaginative ideas will enthrall kids. Engineers-in-the-making will eagerly await each page turn as they mull over the possible ways to recreate Sammy’s devices. While Sammy learns that a bit of moderation in his year-long quest for the best Halloween ever may be in order, Mike Petrik’s inclusion of helpful siblings and supportive parents is heartening and will please readers—especially youngest family members.

Petrik’s pages are electrified with bold, vibrant colors and Sammy’s thrilling Halloween haunts that move, shiver, and shake. A house full of fog, ghosts that rappel into Dad’s cereal, a turkey carved like a jack-o’-lantern, and a crew of zombie snowmen are just some of the delights awaiting readers. Images of Luke and Molly assisting Sammy and Mom and Dad’s happy faces as they reward Sammy for his hard work will bring a smile. The final two-page spread of the family’s haunted barn is a showstopper that kids will want to explore.

A terrific book to inspire Halloween fun and sibling harmony, Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween would be a super (natural) selection for home and school libraries.

Ages 3 – 7

Two Lions, 2018 | ISBN 978-1503901797

To learn more about Mike Petrik, his books, and his art, visit his website.

Read a New Book Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-spookiy-graveyard-craft

Spooky Haunted Graveyard

With a few items found in a backyard or park and a few from home, kids can make a spooky haunted graveyard to decorate their room or add to the family’s Halloween décor.

Supplies

Ten to twelve small to medium stones that have a triangular or rounded shape and can stand on their own (or close enough to be glued down)
Shallow cardboard box or plastic container
Small sticks or branches for the tree
A small amount of dirt, small dry leaves, moss, etc.
Poly fill for the fog (optional)
White craft paint
Small bit of clay
Paint brush
Black marker
Hot glue gun or strong glue

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-haunted-graveyard-craft

Directions

To Make the Ghosts

Paint 5 or 6 stones with the white paint, let dry
Add eyes and mouth with the black marker

To Make the Tombstones

Add RIP, names, and dates to 5 or 6 stones with the black marker

To Make the Tree

Use one or two small branches or twigs to make the tree
Stick them into the clay for stability

To Make the Graveyard

Draw a fence inside and outside on the rim of the box (optional)
Scatter the tombstones around the box and glue in place
Scatter the ghosts near the tombstones and around the graveyard, and glue them in place
Stick the small branches or twigs in the clay

To Make the Ground

Scatter dirt, leaves, moss, around the tombstones and ghosts
Add wispy bits of poly fill around the ghosts and tombstones and in the tree (optional)

Display your haunted graveyard!

**You can find Sammy’s Spooktacular Halloween at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

October 10 – National Cake Decorating Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

You’ve seen them on TV and in bakery shop windows—cakes that tower three, four, five, and even more tiers high, cakes shaped like animated characters, cars, clothing, even unicorns. Today’s holiday honors all of those creative professional and amateur bakers who keep decorating in new and amazing ways and pushing the boundaries of what a cake can be. Using six different types of icing to produce those stunning results, bakers are always searching for innovative methods for jazzing up these favorite desserts. To celebrate today, stop by a bakery and pick up a creative cake, or why not try personalizing your own homemade cake with colors, candies, and other decorations. No matter how it comes out, you know that it will taste delicious! There’s even a recipe at the end of this post! To add to the fun, get your kids involved in the baking and decorating process—just like the grandmother in today’s book!

Cake Day

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Estelle Corke

An adorable little boy runs to his grandma, excited that it’s “Cake Day!” “That’s right,” his grandma agrees, “Today we’re going to bake a cake!” The boy, hardly able to see over the counter, wants to be picked up and see what’s in the cabinet. His grandma happily obliges, and the pair carefully pick the ingredients for their cake together.

“‘Hmmm…we need flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar to make a cake,’ says Grandma.” With all the ingredients set on the table, the two start measuring. The little chef is eager and curious: “‘Cake Day! How much, Grandma?’” he asks. As Grandma pours the flour into the cup and a soft, powdery cloud envelops them, the delighted boy laughs, “‘Too much, Grandma!’” The two work happily side by side, with Grandma adding the eggs while her grandson pours in the milk.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cake-day-too-much-flour

Image copyright Estelle Corke, text copyright Ellen Mayer. Courtesy Star Bright Books, 2016

As the ingredients start to mesh, Grandma exclaims, “‘Look! What’s happening to the batter?’” The little boy wants to help it along and takes up the wooden spoon. Round and round he stirs, creating swirls in the yellow batter until it’s ready for the oven. “‘Bake day! Your turn, Grandma!” the boy says and stands wide-eyed as his grandma slides the deep pan into the oven.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cake-day-stirring-batter

Image copyright Estelle Corker, text copyright Ellen Mayer. Courtesy of Star Bright Books, 2016

The little boy and his dog settle in front of the oven to watch the cake bake. With keen expectation the boy asks, “‘Cake day! Ready, Grandma?” Grandma encourages her grandson’s inquisitiveness and explains the process: “‘We have to wait until the cake rises. The heat makes it rise. When you hear the timer go BEEP BEEP it will be ready.’” At last the cake comes out of the oven, but it’s not ready to be decorated yet. First, they must wait for it to cool.

In a short time the high, golden cake can be iced and decorated. The little boy vigorously shakes a jar of sprinkles over the top, scattering a rainbow of colors across the white frosting. The cake is beautiful and just the right complement to the little boy’s Cake Day, Bake Day, Shake Day—Birthday!

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cake-day-decorating-cake

Image copyright Estelle Corke, text copyright Ellen Mayer. Courtesy Star Bright Books, 2016

Ellen Mayer’s language-rich and playful story of a small child and his grandmother baking together is a wonderful introduction not only to reading but to the type of full-sentence conversational modeling that improves and increases literacy. The steps to baking the birthday cake flow organically and lyrically through the loving relationship between the little boy and his grandma, enticing young readers to learn more about the world around them and how it works. The repeated phrases “Cake day! Bake day!,” and “Ready, Grandma?” as well as the boy’s short statements offer opportunities for kids to read along and learn new vocabulary as they develop important language skills.

Estelle Corke’s cheery illustrations glow with enthusiasm and the close bond between grandmother and grandson. The grandmother lifts, steadies, and holds the boy while still allowing him to perform all the tasks he can. The little boy, in his green apron, delights in every aspect of the baking process, his eagerness expressed in his animated smile and lively participation. The homey kitchen is awash in inviting colors and objects that children will recognize. The clearly drawn boxes and jars of ingredients, kitchen tools, and furnishings offer readers a chance to practice their vocabulary and learn new words.

Ages Birth – 5

Star Bright Books, 2016 | ISBN 978-1595727466 (Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595727473 (Paperback)

To see more books by Ellen Mayer as well as language development and reading strategies for young children, visit her website!

Visit Estelle Corke’s website to view a gallery of her artwork!

National Cake Decorating Day Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cake-day-grandma's-cake

Image copyright Ellen Mayer, 2016

Grandma’s Cake

Grandma and her grandson baked a delicious, special cake—and now you can too! Invite your child or children to help, and make a cake decorated just the way they’d like! Here’s the full recipe that Grandma uses. Recipe courtesy of Ellen Mayer.

A Simple Sponge Cake Recipe

Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter, softened, plus a little to grease cake pan.
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 large eggs at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 cup milk
You will need: 3 mixing bowls:

1 to cream butter and sugar
1 to mix flour, baking powder and salt
1 in which to beat the eggs

A 7-inch diameter, deep cake pan

Directions

Butter pan and dust with flour.
Set the rack at the middle of the oven.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside.
In large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. In the third bowl, beat the eggs and add milk.
Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to butter mixture then alternate with the egg and milk mixture. Continue to alternate ending with flour mixture. Scrape bowl and beater often.
Add vanilla and mix well.
Pour batter into prepared pan and smooth top with a spatula.
Bake cake about 45 minutes. Insert knife or wooden skewer into the center. If it emerges clean, the cake is done. If not, bake for 5 more minutes.
Remove cake from oven and allow to set for 5 minutes.
Turn cake out onto a cake rack and leave to cool.

Grandma’s Favorite Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
1 1⁄2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1⁄4 stick butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend all ingredients together with a mixer until smooth
Spread on the top and sides of cake
Decorate with sprinkles or your favorite topping

**You can find Cake Day at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

September 29 – World Rivers Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Following the 2005 launch of the United Nations Water for Life Decade, internationally known river advocate, Mark Angelo, proposed the establishment of World Rivers Day. The holiday celebrates the value of rivers worldwide and promotes awareness of the importance of keeping rivers pollution free. In the United States alone, 65% of drinking water comes from rivers and streams. Rivers in virtually every country face an array of threats, and only through our active involvement can we ensure their health in the years ahead. To help the cause, join a volunteer river clean-up crew, help monitor water quality, or learn more about your local river system. To learn more, visit the World Rivers Day website.

River

By Elisha Cooper

As a woman begins her solitary trip on a mountain lake, she turns and waves to her family. The familiar shore recedes, and she dips her oar into the blue water under gray skies and in the shadow of the tall mountains. “Three hundred miles stretch in front of her. A faraway destination, a wild plan. And the question: Can she do this?” As she enters the Hudson River, she plucks a pebble from the shallow water and places it beside her gear. Here, she must navigate the scattered rocks—and one that is not a rock at all, but a moose taking a dip.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-river-alone

Copyright Elisha Cooper, 2019, courtesy of Orchard Books, Scholastic, Inc.

Ahead, she rides rapids that steal her hat and threaten to flip her. But she hangs on and makes it out on the other side. Now it’s time to set up camp for the night. Huddled in her tent, “she is alone, but not. The river stays beside her, mumbling to her and to itself all through the night.” With the dawn, she is on the river again, along with “otters, ducks, dragonflies, a kingfisher.” When she stops to pick blackberries, a bear cub ambles by to watch. The woman backs away slowly and continues down the river.

When she comes to a dam, she must carry her canoe. She trips, falls, and bloodies her knee, but on the other side of the dam, she returns to her paddling. When she comes to a waterfall, she gets in line for her turn to go through the lock. Once on her way again, she moves on to “farms with faded barns, to villages with white clapboard houses, to chimneyed factories on the outskirts of a town. Here, she pulls her canoe onto a levee where two boys are fishing. They ask her where she’s going, and she tells them. “It feels funny to talk.” As she walks into town, her legs also feel funny beneath her. She buys supplies and replaces her hat. That night is spent on a small island.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-river-rapids

Copyright Elisha Cooper, 2019, courtesy of Orchard Books, Scholastic, Inc.

When she wakes, the white fog has blanketed everything. She can’t see the river, but she watches an eagle high in a tree eating its breakfast. She takes out her sketchbook and draws. The fog lifts and she continues her journey. The days and nights are marked by her hardening callouses and darkening suntan, shortening pencils and waning sketchbook pages. She paddles past “craggy hills” and “around bell-ringing buoys, next to railway tracks and a clattering freight train.”

She dodges a tugboat oblivious to her presence and makes it to another village, where she mails postcards and buys a cookie. A rain drop falls just as she climbs back into her canoe. The raindrop turns into a drizzle and then “a single sheet blowing sideways. A squall.” Her canoe capsizes, “dumping her into the raging water.” When she is able, she drags her canoe and herself onto a rocky shore. “Shivering, she takes stock. Tent, gone, Clothes, soaked. Sketchbook, safe.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-river-city

Copyright Elisha Cooper, 2019, courtesy of Orchard Books, Scholastic, Inc.

In the morning she starts again. As she rounds a bluff, the city spreads out in front of her. Far above her a gull watches as she makes her way past skyscrapers and boats large and small to the harbor and on to the boatyard, where “a bearded man in overalls—the builder of her canoe”—eagerly waits to hear about her trip and the sturdiness of her craft. After a cup of coffee, she launches her canoe for the last leg of her journey.

She is now in the open ocean with its wild waves. The horizon beckons, “but closer in she sees the lighthouse, and she knows it is time for her to be home.” She paddles harder and faster. “She can’t wait to be with them again. Can’t wait to tell them about moose and eagles, rapids and storms…to turn her sketches into paintings and her words into a story.” Her family is on shore waving, her dog running into the surf to greet her. She scuds into the shallows “…and brings the canoe to shore.”

An Author’s Note about the creation of River as well as a Note on the Hudson River and a list of sources and reading resources follows the text.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-river-home

Copyright Elisha Cooper, 2019, courtesy of Orchard Books, Scholastic, Inc.

Elisha Cooper’s loving and lyrical tribute to nature, courage, and self-reliance is nothing short of spectacular. His fluid storytelling plays out with the rhythm of an oar cutting and pushing a canoe along while transporting readers smoothly through this most evocative journey. With exquisite descriptions and compelling obstacles that will leave children wide-eyed and holding their breath, River is an expansive adventure story of one woman pitting herself against the power of the Hudson River and her own tenacity. The story is also one of love—respect for the environment, awe for community, and devotion to family and the support found there.

Cooper’s soft and sprawling watercolors envelop readers in the river setting, where the woman appears tiny against the rocky coastline, towering mountains, waterfalls, dams, and cityscapes. Double-page spreads swell the heart and invite wanderlust in even the most ardent homebodies. And there may be no better way to share this personal and universal journey than by gathering together and reading River in one sitting or—for younger children—breaking away at one of the many cliffhangers that will have everyone yearning to dip into the story again.

A must for school and public library collections, River is highly recommended for all home bookshelves as well for its inspiration for personal goals, it’s reflections on nature, and its encouragement that anything is possible.

Ages 4 – 8 and up

Orchard Books, 2019 | ISBN 978-1338312263

To learn more about Elisha Cooper, his books, and his art, visit his website.

National River Day Activity

World Rivers Word Search Puzzle

The world’s rivers provide homes for fish, animals, and birds; offer opportunities for recreation; and supply drinking water for millions. Can you find the names of twenty rivers of the world in this printable puzzle?

World Rivers Word Search | World Rivers Word Search Solution

**You can find River at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

September 26 – It’s Read a New Book Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

There are so many ways to read a new book! Some people like to share the experience with others, reading a book as a group and discussing it as they go along, while some like nothing better than to snuggle in for a good, long solitary read. But there are certain books that are made to be read with a very special someone—like today’s book.

I received a copy of I Love My Glam-MA from Scholastic for review consideration. All opinions are own.

I Love My Glam-MA

Written by Samantha Berger | Illustrated by Sujean Rim

While everyone has their own special name for their grandmother, “maaaaabe they should really be called ‘Glam-MA.’ Because Grandmas are some of the most glamorous people you’re ever gonna meet.” It shows in how grandmas greet their grandkids—with a big smile, a cheerful greeting, and a huuuge hug. It’s in how they celebrate any and every event—large or small. And that bag they carry? A pirate would be jealous of the treasure inside.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-i-love-my-glamma-grand-entrance

Image copyright Sujean Rim, 2019, text copyright Samantha Berger. Courtesy of Scholastic.

While some Glam-MAs share quiet time with a siesta or a rock in a cuddly chair, other Glam-MAS fiesta and totally rock out. In Glam-MA’s hands a blanket may become “a reading fort… or she might turn it into a super cape.” Just like Glam-MAS “follow their instincts” they “let you follow yours,” and they always make you the star. But do you know what “really makes a Glam-MA so glamorous? YOU. Because you’re the one who made her a Glam-MA in the first place!”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-i-love-my-glamma-fort

Image copyright Sujean Rim, 2019, text copyright Samantha Berger. Courtesy of Scholastic.

Samantha Berger celebrates all the ways in which grandmas show their individuality, style, and personality—from their talents and interests to how they dress and get around to their way of making each grandchild feel special—in her bubbly tribute to these most influential family members. Little ones will eagerly point out all the ways the book reflects their own Glam-MAS, and the story is sure to inspire kids to add their own examples. After reading, you can bet that kids will ask to visit, call, write, or text their own Glam-MA.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-i-love-my-glamma-party

Image copyright Sujean Rim, 2019, text copyright Samantha Berger. Courtesy of Scholastic.

Sujean Rim’s textured, mixed-media illustrations sparkle with the joyous excitement that defines grandma and grandchild time together. As these grandmothers and children play dress-up and beauty parlor, relax in a hammock or rocking chair, and travel, cook, and party together, their eyes light up and they flash bright smiles. You can almost hear their giggles. These Glam-MAS are up on the latest trends, too, and little readers will be awed by all that emerges from one grandma’s bag. A two-page spread of child-made cards and awards for Glam-MAS depicts just some of the things kids value in their relationship with their grandparents.

A perfect at-home story-time share for grandmothers and their grandchildren or for kids who want to feel closer to their grandmothers as well as a loving family bonding story, I Love My Glam-MA would be a favorite addition to home, classroom, and library collections. The book would make a much-appreciated gift for grandmothers or soon-to-be grandmothers.

Ages 3 – 5

Orchard Books, 2019 | ISBN 978-1338151831

Discover more about Samantha Berger and her books on her website.

To learn more about Sujean Rim, her books, and her art, visit her website.

Read a New Book Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-reading-bug-book-plate

Catch the Reading Bug Bookmark and Bookplate

If you love to read, show it with these printable Reading Bug book bling!

I’ve Got the Reading Bug Bookmark | I’ve Got the Reading Bug Bookplate

**You can find I Love My Glam-MA at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

September 21 – National CleanUp Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Did you know that people are more likely to pick up litter if they see someone else doing it? That’s the idea behind today’s holiday. Instituted by Clean Trails, a nonprofit begun by Steve Jewett and Bill Willoughby after they noticed that their favorite hiking trails were being marred with trash and wanted to make a difference. At first they made a game of picking up the litter they saw, which attracted more people to their cause. Now, National CleanUp Day is a global event, encouraging people all around the world to get out into their communities and make them better. To learn more about the day, find a clean up crew in your area, and discover more about Clean Trails, visit the Clean Trails website.

Clean Up, Up, Up!

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu

It’s clean up time for Daddy and his toddler! As they put the books back on the shelf, Daddy says, “‘Let’s reach up high—your books go up on the top shelf.’” He then prompts, “‘What goes down below?’” With the blocks all stacked on the bottom shelf, the pair move on to putting away the train engine, which has its own special place next to the little station. “‘Choo-choo!’” says the child.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-clean-up-up-up-books

Image copyright Ying-Hwa Hu, 2018, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2018. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Playing with Daddy makes cleaning up even more fun, and the little one pretends to take a nap with the teddy bears when they’re put inside the cardboard playhouse. The tot giggles and jumps up with a “‘Wake up-up-up!’” just in time to find the train’s caboose hiding behind the chair.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-clean-up-up-up-nap

Image copyright Ying-Hwa Hu, 2018, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2018. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

With everything “put away up, down, inside, and under,” it’s time to get ready for dinner. The little one knows just what to do—“‘Wash up-up-up!’” Hands clean, the toddler sits at the table eager to help some more. “‘Would you like to help set the table too?’” Mommy asks. The child happily agrees and is excited to show some new understanding. “‘Spoon DOWN…,’” the little one says, and then with a big scoop of dinner. “‘…and spoon UP!’”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-clean-up-up-up-dinner

Image copyright Ying-Hwa Hu, 2018, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2018. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

A note for parents, grandparents, and caregivers from childhood education expert Susan C. Levine on how they can find opportunities to talk about spatial relations during everyday activities is included. Gender neutral clothing and hairstyle as well as an absence of pronouns makes this a universal story.

Clean Up, Up, Up! is also available in a bilingual Spanish/English edition: ¡Arriba, arriba, arriba a limpiar!/Clean Up, Up, Up! translated byAudrey Martinez-Gudapakkam and Dr. Sabrina De Los Santos

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-clean-up-up-up-train-spanish/english-edition

Image copyright Ying-Hwa Hu, 2018, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2018. Translation by Audrey Martinez-Gudapakkam and Dr. Sabrina De Los Santos. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Ellen Mayer continues to add to her sweet and joyful series of books for little ones and the adults in their lives that model ways parents, grandparents, and caregivers can talk with children to help them develop language and math literacy at the youngest ages. In Clean Up Up Up!, the concept of spatial relations is organically introduced to toddlers through the motions and words used while putting items in their proper place, stepping up on a stool to use something out of the child’s reach, and even when eating. Research shows that talking with children at all ages about math concepts such as positions and locations improves their understanding and leads to better success in school and beyond.

The loving relationship between father and child in Mayer’s early language development book A Fish to Feed, is expanded on here as the same interracial family enjoys clean-up and dinner time. The engaging dialogue between Daddy, Mommy, and their toddler will captivate young readers and inspire adults to continue the story in their own daily lives.

Ying-Hwa Hu’s adorable toddler giggles and plays while soaking up the rich language of positions and locations that the father clearly points to while cleaning up. Little readers will be charmed by the enthusiastic child and the little puppy that follows along. Images of books, toys, washing up, and dinnertime all demonstrate the positions and locations referred to in the story, while other details provide an opportunity for adults and children to expand on the text (the fish from A Fish to Feed swims inside its bowl and balls sit inside a bin, for example). Hu’s vivid colors as well as the smiles and enthusiasm with which Daddy, Mommy, and their child interact make Clean Up, Up, Up! a feel-great educational read.

Clean Up, Up, Up! would make a wonderful gift and would be an excellent addition to home, daycare and preschool classrooms to spark playful learning experiences.

Ages 1 – 3

Star Bright Books, 2018 | ISBN 978-1595728012

Discover more about Ellen Mayer and her books on her website.

To learn more about Ying-Hwa Hu, her books, and her art, visit her website.

National CleanUp Day Activity

Come Inside! Playhouse

What can you do with some of those clean things your and your kids have picked up at home, in your yard, or around your neighborhood? Use them to make and decorate this playhouse! Kids love pretending with their toys in playhouses. With this craft you and your child can make a playhouse with recycled items and lots of imagination. While making the house, talk with your child about the building process using spatial relation words and ask for their ideas on what it should look like.

Once finished, you and your child can make up stories using words that use spatial relations as characters come in the house, go out of the house, peek in or out of a window, sit on the roof, wait under the window, sit next to a friend while having tea, and so much more!

Supplies

Cardboard box
Craft paint
Markers
Glue

Plus Recycled items, such as:

Bottle caps for door knobs,
Small boxes for a chimney
Use the cardboard cut from the windows to make shutters
Scraps of cloth for curtains

**You can find Clean Up, Up, Up! at these booksellers**

English Edition

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Spanish/English Bilingual Edition: ¡Arriba, arriba, arriba a limpiar!

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

Picture Book Review

September 20 – A Crazy-Much Love Blog Tour Stop

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

I’m thrilled to be celebrating Read a New Book Month by participating in the blog tour for A Crazy-Much Love and hosting a giveaway of this heartwarming book. I received a copy of the book to check out, and all thoughts are my own. You’ll find details about the giveaway below.

A Crazy-Much Love

Written by Joy Jordan-Lake | Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

A mom and her daughter walk along, gazing at each other. “You are the one, precious child—did you know?” she says, starting the story the little girl knows by heart but wants to hear as much as the mother wants to tell it. Long before the little one had joined their family, her mom and dad dreamed about her and prepared for her, waiting and waiting. “It was you,” her mom says, that they loved before they even saw or hugged or held her.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-a-crazy-much-love-crib

Image copyright Sonia Sánchez, 2019, text copyright Joy Jordan-Lake, 2019. Courtesy of Two Lions.

The future mom and dad “counted the hours and struck off the days” until they could bring their baby home and let her know she was “safe and warm and so crazy-much loved.” Finally, the day came and they traveled by plane and train, never stopping, until they held their child in their arms and told her that they’d love her “forever and ever and far beyond that.” And the baby responded with a look like she “felt it right down to [her] toes.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-a-crazy-much-love-laugh

Image copyright Sonia Sánchez, 2019, text copyright Joy Jordan-Lake, 2019. Courtesy of Two Lions.

At home, the little girl’s new extended family was waiting to welcome her—even the dog, who licked her toes and made her laugh. That’s when they knew, her mom tells her, that “our crazy-much love for you would grow and grow more and spill out the windows and bust down the doors.” And there were all those “firsts” that filled their hearts: first bath, first steps, first word, and first sentence, in which she echoed back all the love she had received—”“I love you much!’”

As she grew, there were more firsts to come: riding her bike and going to school. These milestones brought her parents such joy for how “crazy-well [she] had grown.” And now, when they all snuggle together, the little girl asks the questions she already knows the answers to but loves to hear them always. “‘How much is the crazy-much love?’” and “‘How long does it last, the crazy-much love?’” They all shout the answers as one, while Mom and Dad hold their daughter tight so that she knows she is “the greatest of crazy-much gifts.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-a-crazy-much-love-travel

Image copyright Sonia Sánchez, 2019, text copyright Joy Jordan-Lake, 2019. Courtesy of Two Lions.

That heart-swelling love parents have for their child or children bursts from every page of Joy Jordan-Lake’s shimmering ode to adopted children. While there are mentions of waiting for a phone call and long travel, and the parents are shown looking at photographs (these are shown from the back and could also represent ultrasound images), the feelings of anticipation and joy this mom and dad express are familiar to all parents. Jordan-Lake’s long, lyrical sentences echo the excited rush of emotions that bubble up inside at unexpected moments.

The repeated phrase “It was you”—changing to “It is you” on the final page—will raise a lump in parents’ throats as it embodies that totality of history, the present, the future, and the endless awe that parents hold in their hearts for their one or for each of their children individually. Hearing these words while cuddled on a lap or snuggled up in bed, children will absorb the tender outpouring of love and embrace their place in the family and the world.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-a-crazy-much-love-pictures

Sonia Sánchez fills her eye-catching pages with motion and light, mirroring the effervescent love between parents and child that is returned to them as well. Star lights twinkle above the baby’s crib, a brilliant sun sends the plane carrying the couple on its way around the world, and feelings, depicted with colorful floating circles and hearts, flow from mother, father, and child and fill the air. This family’s special bond is celebrated with smiles, laughter, hugs, and snuggles on every page, reinforcing their “crazy-much love.”

A Crazy-Much Love is a book all parents or caregivers will want to share with their child or children. It makes a fabulous gift for new parents and will be a favorite on home, school, and public library shelves.

Ages 3 – 7

Two Lions, 2019 | ISBN 978-1542043267

Joy Jordan-Lake is the author of multiple books for adults, including A Tangled Mercy, a Goodreads Hot Reads Selection and Kindle bestseller, and Blue Hole Back Home, winner of the Christy Award in 2009 for Best First Novel. A Crazy-Much Love is her debut picture book. She holds a PhD in English and has taught literature and writing at several universities. She is a mother to two biological children and one child adopted from China, and her experiences inspired this book. She lives outside Nashville with her family, including two fluffy dogs. You can learn more about Joy Jordan-Lake at www.joyjordanlake.com.

Sonia Sánchez is an award-winning Spanish illustrator. Her debut picture book, Here I Am, written by Patti Kim, received two starred reviews and was nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Painter. Her artwork has been selected for the prestigious Society of Illustrators Original Art Show twice, and her books have been named a CBC NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People and a Bank Street College Best Book of the Year. She lives with her husband, her son, and a sleepyhead cat in a blue house near the Mediterranean Sea.

A Crazy-Much Love Giveaway

I’m excited to partner with Two Lions in a Twitter giveaway of:

One (1) copy of A Crazy-Much Love written by Joy Jordan-Lake | illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

To enter Follow me @CelebratePicBks on Twitter and Retweet a giveaway tweet.

This giveaway is open from September 20 through September 26 and ends at 8:00 p.m. EST.

A winner will be chosen on September 27.

Prizing provided by Two Lions

Giveaway open to U.S. addresses only. | No Giveaway Accounts

Read a New Book Month Activity

CPB - Heart Jar

Do you wish there was a way to remind your child or children how much you love them and how your love grows even when you’re not with them? With this jar just a quick glimpse shows them what is in your heart.

Supplies

A clear, plastic jar with a lid
Red felt
Scissors

Directions

1. Cut red hearts from the felt

2. Whenever you feel that tug of love for your child, add a heart to their jar. In no time it will start filling up, just as your heart is full of them. Here are some ideas for when to add a heart or two:

Add the same number of hearts as your child’s age
Add one heart for each thing you love about your child (write those traits on the hearts)
Give a new heart whenever your child does something nice for someone
Add hearts for milestones and accomplishments
Encourage your child to pass the love along! Tell them they can give a heart from the jar to other family members or friends

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-a-crazy-much-love-cover

**You can find A Crazy-Much Love at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review