November 14 – Human-Animal Relationship Week

About the Holiday

Animals and humans coexist on Earth in so many amazing ways. Our pets are beloved family members, we interact and care for the birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and other backyard animals that we see every day, and we are mindful of and should be caretakers of the wild animals that inhabit the plains, mountains, and seas of our planet. Human-Animal Relationship Awareness Week was established by the Animals & Society Institute, which “helps improve and expand knowledge about human-animal relationships in order to create safer and more compassionate communities for all.” Over this week people are encouraged to think about companion animals, assistance animals, animals in shelters, and the safety and well-being of the animals in our care. To celebrate, spend more time with your pet and consider donating to your local animal shelter or wildlife organization. To read more about their work and their future, visit the Animals & Society Institute’s website.

Thank you to Rise x Penguin Workshop/Penguin Random House for sharing a copy of this book for review! All opinions are my own.

A Sound in the Night

By María Coco

A dog snoozes in his favorite chair, his tennis ball passing the time nearby. An ear perks up, and then an eye opens to see his human stuffing a backpack. He rushes to the door, his tale thumps while he holds his tennis ball in his teeth. Soon they’re on the road passing cotton candy trees, the wind riffling the dog’s ears. His companion smiles as she drives.

When they reach the campsite, they play fetch, swim, fly a kite, and finally set up their tent. In the light of a small campfire, they enjoy s’mores and watch a shooting star. Then it’s time for a book and bed. Sometime during the night, the two are awakened by a “CRACK.” And another, closer. And another, LOUDER.

The human hides in the sleeping bag. The dog perches on top. The cracking continues while outside a long shadow appears. Soon, curiosity takes over, and the pair peek through the tent flap. Courageously, they walk out into the darkness and take a few steps toward the shadowy shape. In the cone of light from the flashlight they discover . . . a cat.

The cat happily accepts their pats and licks then joins them for breakfast and hiking the next day. The cat and the dog are sad to part as the human breaks down the tent and ties the bundle atop the car. Back on the road again, the little car passes by the cotton candy trees, the wind riffling the dog’s ears. But is that an extra tail we see through the window? Clever clues in the next few pages build excitement for the sweet and happy new family member reveal.

María Coco’s nearly wordless story is as delightful as it is inviting. Coco’s simple line drawings, shapes, and whimsical touches on clean white or midnight-blue pages allow children’s imaginations free roam to lend details from their own experiences to this suspenseful friendship-building campout. Sweet, companionable smiles and even the shared terror between this pair show their devotion to each other as well as their willingness to include a surprise newcomer. Coco’s distinctive limited-color risograph-printed illustrations enchant with neon pink, yellow, and orange highlights and a touch of purple waiting to be discovered.

A charming choice for quiet reading or to invite imaginative participation, A Sound in the Night would make a perfect gift for any book or pet lover and is a must for library collections.

Ages 2 – 6+

Rise x Penguin Workshop, 2025 | ISBN 978-0593890608

María Coco is a children’s book author and illustrator from the north of Mexico. Although she graduated with a degree in graphic design and worked as a web designer for many years in Mexico City, New York, Santiago de Chile, and elsewhere, in 2017 she followed her heart and moved to England to focus on what she loves the most. In 2019 she graduated with distinction from the MA program in children’s book illustration at Cambridge School of Art. María likes using limited colors for her bold characters and compositions and enjoys the handmade textures and unexpected results of traditional techniques such as screen-printing. Her stories are perfectly paced page-turners. Her main sources of inspiration come from nature, music, and cycling around the world. When she’s not in her studio, she may be hiding in the forest in the company of her husband, daughter, and rescue dog. Visit her at maria-coco.com.

Human-Animal Relationship Week Activity

Find a Friend Matching Puzzle

Each of these humans and animals have a friend or friends. Can you pick up on the clues to match the pairs?

Find a Friend Matching Puzzle with Border | Find a Friend Matching Puzzle with No Border

You can purchase A Sound in the Night from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

December 13 – Lost and Found Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Don’t you hate when you lose something? You know . . . you just had it and now it’s nowhere to be seen. Where do eventually find it? The last place you look, of course! But what if you never find it? Perhaps someone else found it and turned it in to a lost and found department. Oh, it’s all very disconcerting. Don’t give up hope! Today’s holiday was established just to give people an opportunity to really stop what they’re doing and look for that long-lost object. Did you know that Napoleon Bonaparte was the mastermind behind the idea of a Lost and Found? In 1805 he opened the world’s first Lost and Found Office in Paris and encouraged people to bring in items they found in the street. From there the idea spread! So if you’ve lost something, take a bit of time today to find it!

Thank you to Ann Schwartz Books for sharing a copy of Lost with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Lost

By Bob Staake

Opening the cover of the nearly wordless Lost, you encounter a sea of white, gray-tone, and blue-tone triangles that dazzle the eyes until they are drawn to a small red curlicue near the bottom right corner, and you wonder . . .. The title page drops you into the middle of a neighborhood, where the mystery isn’t solved, but only seems to grow as four people, sporting puzzled frowns are on the move.

Eager to know what’s up? Turn the page yet again and you’re inside a little girl’s house, where something is definitely amiss. Kitty hasn’t eaten her food. She’s not playing with her yarn or toy mouse, either, so the girl goes in search. Paneled pages show her peeking around a wall, calling up the staircase, checking room to room. But then . . . Eureka! . . . the back door is open. When the girl runs out to the backyard, though, Kitty isn’t there either.

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With a stack of homemade LOST posters in hand, she begins papering the neighborhood and handing out copies to passersby. One of these is the mail carrier, who hasn’t seen Kitty but has, in fact, lost his own pet. He pulls a picture his green bird from his wallet and demonstrates how he flew from its cage and out the window.

In the park, she meets an elderly woman who has lost her dog. She takes a picture from her purse, explaining how it scampered under the gate and was gone. The woman still has a tear in her eye when the two wave goodbye. At the Village Market, a businessman notices one of the girl’s LOST posters and extracts from his wallet a picture of his pet giraffe that simply stepped over the wall around his house one day and disappeared. After commiserating, they smile as they bid each other goodbye. Hungry now, the girl returns to the park for a hotdog and happily carries it to the bench where she had met the woman earlier.

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She’s just about to take a glorious bite when she spies her own lost kitty poster and sinks into sadness. But what’s this? The delicious aroma has attracted the attention of a little blue nose, and from behind a wall appears the woman’s lost dog! The girl begins luring it home with her hotdog when she spots a familiar shadow on the sidewalk. She looks up expecting to find Kitty, but finds the bird, instead. Keeping the bird in tow with a bit of bun, she takes her finds home to make found posters and spread the good news.

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Back out in the neighborhood, a passing boy lets slip his balloon, redirecting the girl’s gaze upward toward a tall tree from where the girl hears a sound. She, the bird, and the dog race into the yard to find Kitty atop the tree. But how to get her down? There’s one lost pet who would know just how to do it—and this delightful story doesn’t disappoint. Just in the knick of time, the giraffe steps over the fence, offers his nose to climb on and bows his long neck to the girl’s outstretched arms.

Meanwhile, the found posters have alerted the mail carrier and the elderly woman, and they take off running toward the girl. The businessman, sad not to see a found poster for his giraffe, at last sees his pet towering into the sky and joins the parade and the joyous reunions full of hugs that follow.

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Clever and charming from beginning to end, Bob Staake’s Lost is a treasure trove of visual humor, emotion, and surprises. So much ingenious storytelling is infused into every panel for readers of all ages to discover, and Staake’s use of facial expressions and gestures makes it easy for readers to follow the action. The hiding places of the pets turn out to be sweet reminders that our loved ones are never far away.

Lost would appeal to both those who love picture books and fans of graphic novels. The book invites multiple readings and makes a terrific canvas for inventing backstories for all of the characters and pets in this enchanting town. If you’re looking for a gift for a child or even an adult who loves comics, cartoon, and whimsical tales, you’ll find Lost to be the perfect present. Lost is also a must for public and school libraries.

Ages 3 – 7

Anne Schwartz Books, 2024 | ISBN 978-0593707029

About the Author-Illustrator

Bob Staake is the prolific illustrator and creator of many books for children, including Bluebird, My Pet Book, The Red Lemon (a New York Times Best Illustrated Book), and The Donut Chef (a Children’s Choice Book Award finalist). He illustrated Jonah Winter’s Welcome to Bobville which Booklist praised as “embracing differences” in a starred review. His most recent book, The Path, was called “extremely inspiring” by School Library Journal in a starred review. Bob’s highly acclaimed commercial illustrations have appeared in the New Yorker, Time, the Washington Post, and The New York Times. He lives in Massachusetts. Visit Bob at bobstaake.com.

Lost and Found Day Activity

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Find the Lost Pets Puzzle

The kids in this puzzle have lost their pets. Unscramble the paths and help them reunite!

Find the Lost Pets Puzzle

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-lost-cover

You can purchase Lost at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

February 22 – National Dog Walking Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Whether you’re still in the midst of winter or spring is knocking on the door, dog owners know that one part – maybe the best part – of their day will be spent taking their beloved pooches for a walk. Today’s holiday celebrates this special time people share with their pets and encourages them to make today’s walk extra fun by taking a new route or rewarding your pup with a few extra treats or minutes of playtime.

Thanks to Floris Books for sharing a copy of The Dog Walk with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

The Dog Walk

By Sven Nordqvist

Anyone who spends time outside with their pet knows that you start to see the yard, neighborhood, and perhaps even the world in a different way. Small details of nature, hidden creatures or objects, odors and sounds wafting on the breeze, and people passing by all become new when seen through the eyes of an animal. In his wildly whimsical The Dog Walk, Sven Nordqvist takes readers on a wordless meandering out of the city and into fantastical worlds where anything is possible.

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The frame for this adventure is the titular dog walk, in which a child takes their grandmother’s shaggy pet for a jaunt, setting up dazzling discovery as well as an amusing search-and-find puzzle. Following along on this journey, kids and adults are treated to Nordqvist’s endlessly delightful creativity that plays with perspective and size, the expected and the extraordinary and invites readers to look, look again, and ponder.

As the train leaves the station, traversing a bridge that elevates it high above rolling hills and the vast tree houses residents call home as well as a derelict stone castle that now serves as the trunk of a tree, a giant chess board, and giggle-inducing images of a man rowing a boat with a giraffe as passenger (cargo that requires the drawbridge to be raised and traffic to back up) and a bull sitting on the river’s bank and enjoying a tuft of grass like a person picnicking while his bovine friends chomp grass the regular way.

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The train is headed for a maze of tracks that twist their way through a castle that houses no fewer than five kings and boasts a turret-top pool. The next stop is a sculpture and animal park, where readers will want to stop and join the cleverly posed statues that tour the gravel paths via goat-pulled platforms and a variety of familiar and fanciful creatures welcome them.

Continuing on, take in the orchestra that’s playing in the bandshell while the appreciative audience enjoys pastries, ice cream, and tea served by a walking teapot and creamer. Further on, readers come to a seaside vista, where small islands of thatched buildings set sail. And if there’s no wind to power them, that’s okay because each island has its own windmill. On shore, a giant couple sit enjoying the sun; the woman reads under a parasol, while the man, his painting supplies at hand, carefully recreates the tiny kindergarten-drawing island. Other islands dotting the inlet are in the shape of hats, while the harbor’s lighthouse is a burning candle atop a top hat.

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After a bite of lunch, the child is literally dragged into an antiques store – breathtaking in its intricacies – when the pooch chases a cat inside. This showstopper of a two-page spread juxtaposes items from homes of yesteryear with those of today with, of course, surreal and inventive additions to capture readers’ attention and imagination. From here, the walk takes the child into more bucolic scenery, where the dog gets to frolic with other animals while blueberries are picked from tall trees by a well-steered dragonfly.

Then dodging spitballs through a field, the two come to a sleepy castle where Escher-like stairways lead to the exit and a game of croquet – or is it billards? It’s nearly time to get back home, but first the dog becomes distracted in a community of cats. But nothing – not even a bicyclist balancing on a huge orange; a unicyclist juggling lit torches, an ax, a knife, and a toaster; or a hot dog big enough to fee four – can arrest the dog’s attention when it sees… Grandma!

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Beyond lingering over Sven Nordqvist’s hilarious, ingenious, and unbelievably detailed drawings, The Dog Walk offers unending opportunities to expand on and engage with every page. Whether embraced in a classroom or at home, every page provides plenty of inspiration for kids to create their own stories, artwork, inventions, games, and so much more based on the images. Searching for repeated themes, objects, and creatures will also keep kids happily occupied.

A book for sharing or enjoying individually that will spark laughs, awe, inspiration, and fun conversations, The Dog Walk would make a treasured gift and is a highly rewarding and recommended addition to home, school and public library collections.

Ages 3 and up

Floris Books, 2021 | ISBN 978-1782507437

National Dog Walking Day Activities

I Love Dogs! Word Search Puzzle

If you love dogs, you’ll have fun discovering the names of eighteen dog breeds in this printable word search puzzle!

I Love Dogs! Word Search Puzzle | I Love Dogs! Word Search Solution

Peppy Puppies Match Up Puzzle

Each of the puppies has a friend. Can you match them up based on one trait? There may be multiple right answers! Why do you think the dogs you chose go together in this printable puzzle?

Peppy Puppies Match Up Puzzle

**You can find The Dog Walk at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

January 3 – Festival of Sleep Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

After all the celebrating, we’re finally ready for some down time – and when I say down time, I mean sleep! That feeling of sinking into a deep slumber and waking refreshed the next morning is so comforting. And the opportunity to sleep in – or sleep all day? That’s luxury! To take full advantage of today’s holiday, jump in bed, pull up the covers and…Zzzzzzzzzz…

Henry & Leo

By Pamela Zagarenski

Ever since Henry was two, he and his stuffed lion, Leo, have been inseparable. “Perhaps it was his glass button eyes, which made him look as if he knew secret things” that made him so special and unlike Henry’s other toys. One Saturday Henry’s parents suggested a hike in the Nearby Woods. Henry was excited because he knew Leo would love the outing. Henry’s sister thought this idea was foolish, after all Leo wasn’t real, she said, and couldn’t love anything.

Henry didn’t care what his sister thought, and as they walked through the forest, he “could tell that Leo loved hearing the birds and finding the woodland animals as much as he did.” When evening began to fall, the family headed home, Henry riding on his father’s shoulders. At home, Henry discovered that Leo was missing. They looked everywhere, but Leo could not be found.

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Image copyright Pamela Zagarenski, courtesy of Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt

Papa promised that they would resume the hunt in the morning, but Henry worried. He knew Leo would want to be home with him tonight, and asked that a light be left on for him. Henry’s mother suggested that since Leo was only real in Henry’s imagination that he “‘imagine Leo tucked into a safe place.’” In the morning, she said, they would return to the Nearby Woods and find him.

In the darkness of his room, clutching a stuffed rabbit and fox, with a toy bear nearby, Henry thinks about Leo. He “knows that his family just didn’t understand what it truly meant to be real.” But Henry and Leo were best friends. They cared for each other. “That’s real.”

Meanwhile, in the Nearby Woods, a bear, a rabbit, and a fox discover Leo sitting at the base of a tree. With a twig, Leo sketches a house in the dirt, washed white in the gleam of the full moon. The rabbit produces a compass as the fox consults the stars. The foursome takes off down the path, watched over by owls and other night creatures. As the trip grows longer, Leo rides on the bear’s back. At last they reach the edge of the forest, and in the distance Leo points to a house bathed white in the moonlight.

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Image copyright Pamela Zagarenski, courtesy of Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt

With the dawning sun Henry and his family take up the search again. Suddenly, Henry spies Leo near the front door. “‘Leo!’” he shouts. His family sighs in relief, but his sister and father are both perplexed. They know they had “‘looked in that very spot last night.’” As Henry hugs Leo tightly, he whispers “‘You found home! I love you, Leo.’” And Leo whispers back, “‘I love you, too, Henry.’”

With her signature grace and lyricism. Pamela Zagarenski infuses her lost-toy story with the mystical imagination of childhood. As the title suggests, she presents the experience from both Henry’s and Leo’s perspectives, echoing the wonderful ability of young children to fully embrace and transfer their emotions, giving—and accepting—love from animate and inanimate objects equally. Zagarenski’s illustrations are glorious, with the richness of royalty—a motif that is carried through in the crowns that hover above and settle on the heads of Henry, his family, other toys, and the woodland animals. Children may enjoy discussing and interpreting the different crowns. The middle spreads of nighttime in the forest are wordless, allowing the animals to communicate in their own way and in a way children believe. Young readers will appreciate the gentle suspense and be satisfied with the correctness of Henry’s prediction as Leo finds his way home. Fans of Zagarenski’s work will notice familiar images, such as teapots, tea cups, and paper sailboats, scattered among the pages.

The beauty of Zagarenski’s art and her stardust magic of imagination make Henry & Leo an excellent choice for bedtime and quiet time reading, and would be an often-asked-for addition to children’s bookshelves.

Ages 4 – 7

Houghton, Mifflin Harcourt, 2016 | ISBN 978-0544648111

To learn more about Pamela Zagarenski, her books, and her art, visit her website.

Festival of Sleep Day Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-snuggle-buddy-craft

Snuggle Buddy Craft

It’s easy to make your own snuggle buddy with a few pieces of fleece, some fiber fill, and a needle and thread or fabric glue. The great thing about creating your own friend is you can personalize your pal anyway you want!

Supplies

1 8-inch by 11-inch piece of fleece in the color or your choice for the body (or scraps if you have some from an earlier project). A larger piece of fleece can be used to make a larger buddy
1 5-inch by 8-inch piece of fleece in the color or your choice for the hair (or scraps if you have some from an earlier project)
1 small piece of fleece or other material for a pocket, clothes, or blanket
Small scraps of fleece or other material for the face
Fiber Fill
Thread and sewing needle OR fabric glue
Scissors

Directions

To Make the Body

Fold the large piece of fleece in half lengthwise and sew along the open side and along the bottom. Alternatively, if using a larger size piece of fleece, fold upward and sew or glue the two sides closed.
Turn the form inside out

To Make the Hair

Cut a piece of fleece as wide as your buddy and about 7 – 8 inches long
Fold the fleece lengthwise
Insert both ends of the fleece into the opening at the top of the body
Sew or glue the opening shut, securing the hair
Cut strips about ¼-inch wide from the top of the hair to close to where the hair is sown into the body

To Make a Pocket or Clothes

Cut a piece of fleece in the shape of a pocket, shirt, pants, diaper, or blanket
Sew or glue the pocket or clothes to the buddy

To Make the Face

Cut eyes, a nose, and a mouth in whatever way you would like your buddy to look.
Sew or glue the face to the buddy

**You can find Henry & Leo at these booksellers**

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

Picture Book Review

July 10 – Don’t Step on a Bee Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

The bee population is in decline around the world due to habitat disruption and destruction, pesticide use, and colony collapse disorder. Bees (and other pollinators) are crucial to the world’s food supply. Today’s holiday is a reminder to protect bees and help preserve their habitats. By planting flowers and herbs that attract bees and providing safe nesting places for them, you can be part of the solution.

Bee & Me

By Alison Jay

As you open the cover of Alison Jay’s glorious, wordless Bee & Me, don’t be surprised if your heart skips a little faster when you find yourself in a city that’s familiar but also magical. From a high vantage point, you look down on a main thoroughfare where a café, a music store, a hat shop, an optometrist, a barber, and a shoe shop line the busy street; stylized cars, buses, and trucks pass by; and people—tiny from this distance—walk a dog, ride a unicycle, carry bags, and try to keep up with two running children. Elevated trains traverse their arched track and helicopters and planes dot the sky.

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Turn the page and you’re looking into a four-story apartment house. On the first floor a woman does battle with a fly as her husband types at his green typewriter; on the third floor a boy tries to coax a pigeon to eat out of his hand; and in the fourth-floor apartment, a woman sits at her easel, painting. And what about the second floor? That’s where the story gets started.

A bee, attracted by flowered curtains, has just flown into a little girl’s window as she’s reading a book about flowers. The little buzzy guy flies right up to her face, causing her to toss the book aside and run away in fright. She procures her weapon and raises the fly swatter into position but reconsiders when she sees the bee’s scared face and little legs waving in his own defense. The girl decides to trap him under a drinking glass, but when the bee weakens and then faints, she reads up on bee culture and offers him a spoonful of sugar water, which he slurps up eagerly. The girl goes to the window and releases the bee under the interested gaze of the little boy upstairs.

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That night a storm rages and the rain continues the next day. At her window, the girl finds the bee soaked through. She brings him in, feeds him another spoonful of sugar water, and then, while he sits on a playing die on her vanity, she dries him with her hairdryer and a toothbrush. Happy and fluffy, the bee decides to stay. He and the little girl become fast friends and begin doing everything together. They play checkers, dance, have tea parties, and go places with the bee riding in the girl’s doll carriage or bicycle basket. Nourished with cups of sugar water and popsicles, the bee begins to grow and grow, becoming as tall as the girl, and then taller. They play at the park on the slide and the swing, and the bee even learns how to ride the girl’s bike.

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But on a stroll downtown, the bee sees a beautiful bouquet of flowers in a florist’s window. He presses his face to the glass, and the little girl, noticing, buys him a flower. At home, the bee thinks of a meadow of flowers, and his sad face tells the little girl all she needs to know. She gets out a map and shows her friend where there’s open green space. The girl climbs on the bee’s back and they soar from the window, unseen by anyone except the little boy on the third floor.

They fly out of the city, over the river, and into farmland where they find a field of flowers. Carefully, they gather seeds in their bags and on the way back home scatter them across the city. The last seeds in the girl’s bag go into her new window box. Fall has come and the bee and the girl hug and then say goodbye as the bee flies away from her window.

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With winter, an invitation comes from the boy upstairs in the form of a yellow-and-brown striped scarf dangled out of his window, and the two build a snow bee outside their apartment building. In the spring, they walk together through the rain under a polka dot umbrella, and summer sees the seeds in the girl’s window box begin to sprout. In fact the whole city has begun to sprout, with colorful gardens blooming on rooftops, along the edges of sidewalks and streets, and in yards sprinkled here and there.

The purple, yellow, blue, pink, and white flowers attract butterflies and bees, and the people on the street stop now to enjoy the beauty around them. And the girl’s BeeFF? He, of course, comes back to visit and play.

A Bee Aware! Author’s Note about the importance of bees, the kinds of flower and herb plants that attract bees, and how to create and help bees find places to nest follows the story.

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While following the story, which is played out with perfect pacing, humor, and sensitivity, readers can glimpse surprising, delightful, and funny details on every page that tell them more about the people who live in the little girl’s apartment house and the buildings nearby. Alison Jay cleverly uses these snippets of life to show the passage of time and the subplot of what is happening for the little boy who lives upstairs. The girl’s kindness and attention to the needs of the bee, whom she once feared, reminds readers of the benefits of education and opening your heart.

A superb story that encompasses awareness of nature, urban sprawl, the power of friendship, and the change one person can make on another and the world at large all wrapped in stunning art that invites multiple readings, Bee & Me is perfect for cuddly story times with little ones and impactful read alouds with older kids. The book is a must for home, classroom, and public library collections.

Ages 2 – 8

Old Barn Books, Candlewick, 2017 | ISBN 978-0763690106

You can learn more about Alison Jay and her books, and view a portfolio of her art on Children’sIllustrators.com

Don’t Step on a Bee Day Activity

CPB---Busy-Buzzy-Bee-Maze

Busy Buzzy Bee Maze

Can you help the little bee find her way through this printable Busy Buzzy Bee Maze? Here’s the Solution!

**You can find Bee & Me at these booksellers**

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

Picture Book Review

November 13 – World Kindness Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Instituted in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, a coalition of nations, World Kindness Day is an international celebration that encourages people around the world to be mindful of others through mutual respect, inclusion, empathy, and gratitude. To celebrate, people are asked to perform acts of kindness—big or small. Events include, the Big Hug, handing out Kindness Cards, and flash mobs showing and promoting kindness. The day spotlights good deeds—both individual and community—and focuses on “the positive power and the common thread of kindness which binds us.” It doesn’t take cost anything to celebrate today with a simple “hi,” a smile, or an offer of help or support to someone in need. Don’t limit your care and concern to just one day, either. Promoters of the holiday hope that kindness becomes infectious, inspiring good relationships every day of the year.

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness

By Kerascoët

With smiles on their faces a family carries boxes from the moving van into their new home. The next morning the teacher introduces brown-skinned Vanessa to her new class, and she takes a seat in one of the two empty desks—the one separated from a straight-haired girl in a yellow dress by the other empty desk. During the lesson, Vanessa keeps her head down shyly as other kids raise their hands and answer questions. At recess, Vanessa sits alone on the bleachers while her classmates dribble basketballs, shoot baskets, and talk and laugh together.

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When the bell rings the kids pour out of the building, forming pairs and groups to walk home or play. Vanessa starts her route home by herself. At the crosswalk, a blond boy wearing a scowl approaches Vanessa and stops to talk. But he doesn’t offer friendly chit-chat. He sneers and taunts and points at her accusingly. Then with a huff, he turns and goes back the way he came.

The girl in the yellow dress has stopped with her friends by a tree. Instead of watching the squirrel scampering up the trunk, though, she sees and overhears the altercation between the boy and Vanessa. She looks as Vanessa stands a bit shell-shocked and then hurries across the road with tears in her eyes. Vanessa’s classmate is shocked too by what she’s seen. She feels sad and even sadder as Vanessa runs away and into her new home.

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The girl returns to her friends and tells them what happened. They all react with surprise and sadness. All the way home, as her mom and dad cook dinner and her siblings watch TV, at bedtime and late into the night, the girl thinks about Vanessa. Vanessa has a sleepless night too.

In the morning, the girl gets dressed for school and heads to the table for breakfast. It’s while she’s drinking her orange juice that it hits her—what she can do. She grabs her lunch box and races out the door. She approaches a house and knocks on the door. Vanessa opens the door a crack and looks out. The little girl in her yellow dress talks to Vanessa and takes her hand. They walk down the sidewalk as other kids emerge from their own houses. A boy hails them and takes Vanessa’s other hand. Another boy joins the group and then a girl in pigtails. As more kids gather on the way to school, they come running to join Vanessa’s group.

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The boy from the day before looks on with surprise. Soon the small group has become a wave as kids from all classes join in, streaming around the boy and passing him by. His face reddens and he sulks as the wave, led by Vanessa and her new friend enter the school building. In class, Vanessa takes her seat while the straight-haired girl moves to the desk next to her.

Backmatter includes advice for children on what they can do to help someone who is being bullied and helpful vocabulary to use when sharing the book with children.

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Kerascoët’s perfectly constructed wordless picture book powerfully demonstrates the feeling of being overlooked and ignored, the emotional toll of being bullied, and how an act of bullying affects even those not directly involved. There is so much right about the details in this book from the empty desk between Vanessa and her soon-to-be friend on her first day of school to the suspense of what the girl in the yellow dress says to her friends after witnessing the bullying and their reaction to the facial expressions on all of the characters faces.

Kerascoët’s use of color sets the tone as the background illustrations of the classroom and neighborhood is washed in a pale blue, putting the spotlight on the diverse classmates in their colorful clothes. A compelling double-spread center image gives vent to Vanessa and her classmate’s feelings through a stormy night with roiling black clouds and a torrent of rain. The two girls are connected by their lighted widows—the only bright spots in the darkened neighborhood. Turn the page and that glow is shining into the window from the sunny day. The homes are now lemon colored, with Vanessa’s house a standout pink.

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As the little girl talks to Vanessa and holds her hand, you will feel tears spring to your eyes, and the gathering children with their smiles and waves will swell your heart. In the sense of motion caused by the children rushing to join Vanessa’s group, the bully is now the one overlooked, and as the small groups become a crowd all walking in the same direction, the bully—facing the other way and at the bottom of the page—is far outnumbered. As the wave of kids enter school, the bully appears in the bottom corner, red faced and frowning. The possibility the empty desk poses at the beginning of the story is fulfilled when the girl in the yellow dress moves there to sit next to Vanessa.

The wordless quality of this book allows for readers to volunteer what they think is happening and what is being said. It also allows for deep discussions of similar experiences and can lead into an expanded lesson on kindness, empathy, and how to handle bullying.

I Walk with Vanessa is a moving portrait of how a simple act of friendship multiplies and changes lives and is a must for home, classroom, school, and public libraries.

Ages 4 – 8

Schwartz & Wade, 2018 | ISBN 978-1524769550

To learn more about the husband and wife team Kerascoët and their work, visit their website.

National Kindness Day Activity

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Kindness Cards to Share

On World Kindness Day people are encouraged to give out Kindness Cards to friends, family, and especially those who look as if they need cheering up. Here are some printable cards for you to use!

Kindness Cards to Share

**You can find I Walk with Vanessa at these booksellers**

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

Picture Book Review

August 27 – Just Because Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

With a full calendar of days dedicated to specific topics, causes, holidays, animals, food, places, and emotions, someone thought it would be a good idea to leave one day up to you, and today is it! So if you have a special occasion; a favorite animal; a unique knick-knack; a best-loved book, poem, song, or art piece; or if you just want an excuse to throw a party, celebrate it today!

Animals Hide and Sneak

By Bastien Contraire

Just because things are grouped together, it doesn’t mean they’re the same! In his clever discovery books, Bastien Contraire takes advantage of people’s visual flexibility to offer a book full of puzzles that charm and surprise. In his newest book—a board book for little ones—he uses his striking tri-colored imagery to invite readers to really think about what they are seeing.

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Once readers spot the look-alike, they’re enticed to consider the connection between it and the others on the two-page spreads. Opening to the second spread, eight horses of different sizes, mane length, and coloring face off on either side of the split. So, which one is different? Ah! There’s a little rocking horse among them! Children will love talking about what makes it the visitor to the ranch.

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The pretty butterflies, with their yellow, violet, and brown markings and frilled wings almost hide the hibiscus flower in their midst. With its fancy petals and thin, center style it seems to fit right in. But isn’t there more of a connection? Young readers will happily tell you! Turn the page and—Yikes!—you’ll find eight wiggly snakes all in a row. Wait a minute, though…one of the snakes is kind of stiff, and is that a buckle for a head? Those dots aren’t markings—they’re holes! And it’s not a snake at all—it’s a belt! So what’s the similarity? Kids and adults can take turns on that one.

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Here’s one that’s clever and a pun! A bird crane, a construction crane, a flamingo, and a bird crane. So which one is really the odd-one-out? This one will give readers lots to discuss! Next up is a puzzle you can really sink your teeth into—a group of big cats and one walrus! Also included in the pages are heavy movers, farmyard fowl, dogs, barnyard animals, sheep, tropical birds, and some silly monkeys.

The answers to the puzzles are given in the back of the book.

Bastien Contraire’s stylish stencil prints are eye-catching and cheery. The range of images allows young readers to engage with the book in many different ways from categorizing to shape recognition to counting to logical thought and to just plain fun.

Animals Hide and Sneak is an amusing and entertaining book to enjoy at home “just whenever” and to pack along for playground visits, picnics, waiting times, or other outside adventures.

Ages 1 – 4

Phaidon Press, 2017 | ISBN 978-0714874227

Learn more about Bastien Contraire and his work on his website!

Just Because Day Activity

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Hop Along Matching Game

Just because they wanted to, these crazy frogs have gotten mixed up! Can you find the matching pairs in this Hop Along Matching Game?

Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

A Sound in the Night

By María Coco

Human-Animal Relationship Week Activity

Find a Friend Matching Puzzle

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About the Holiday

Lost

By Bob Staake

Lost and Found Day Activity

Find the Lost Pets Puzzle

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About the Holiday

The Dog Walk

By Sven Nordqvist

National Dog Walking Day Activities

I Love Dogs! Word Search Puzzle

Peppy Puppies Match Up Puzzle

You can find The Dog Walk at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

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About the Holiday

Henry & Leo

By Pamela Zagarenski

Festival of Sleep Day Activity

Snuggle Buddy Craft

You can find Henry & Leo at these booksellers

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About the Holiday

Bee & Me

By Alison Jay

Don’t Step on a Bee Day Activity

Busy Buzzy Bee Maze

You can find Bee & Me at these booksellers

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About the Holiday

I Walk with Vanessa: A Story about a Simple Act of Kindness

By Kerascoët

National Kindness Day Activity

Kindness Cards to Share

You can find I Walk with Vanessa at these booksellers

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About the Holiday

Animals Hide and Sneak

By Bastien Contraire

Just Because Day Activity

Hop Along Matching Game

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**You can find The Dog Walk at these booksellers**

**You can find Henry & Leo at these booksellers**

**You can find Bee & Me at these booksellers**

**You can find I Walk with Vanessa at these booksellers**