April 14 – Yom HaShoah/Holocaust Remembrance Day

About the Holiday

This year Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) began on the evening of April 13 and continues until nightfall today. Yom HaShoah is an annual day of remembrance for Jewish communities around the world to commemorate the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust, also known as the Shoah. Yom HaShoah occurs on the anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, which was the largest act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust and lasted for 29 days. To learn more, find research resources, and listen to or read Holocaust testimonies, visit the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum at ushmm.org.

Thank you to Abrams Young Readers for sending me this book for review.

Three Pieces of Broken Glass

Written by Emily Barth Isler | Illustrated by Vesper Stamper

When the narrator visits her Great-Grandmother Inge, it’s always a special occasion with treats served on an elegantly set table. But one day the young girl knocks over one of the shimmering water glasses, sending it crashing to the floor. Great-Grandma Inge dries her granddaughter’s tears, telling her, “‘It’s not only good luck to break glass sometimes but also tradition.'” For the first time the girl notices three shards of glass on the windowsill and asks about them.

Picking up the first piece, a bit of glimmering blue, Grandma explains the Jewish wedding custom in which the new husband smashes a glass underfoot, the many shards symbolizing their infinite joy and love. The next piece—sharp and clear—holds the memory of Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, when “‘all the windows in all the Jewish homes and shops and synagogues in Germany. . . were smashed and broken.'” This piece reminds Grandma Inge that while sad, something broken can also “‘save your life.'” She then relates that her parents and others heeded the warning of the broken glass and knew it was time to flee.

The third came from Inge’s mother’s favorite glass. Inge considers it lucky because on the day her mother dropped it, Inge—who had been separated from her family for a long time—was reunited with them. Inge says she has carried it with her for all her important events, including the days her sons and her great-grand daughter were born. Inge sweeps up the shards from the water glass and gives one piece to her great-grand daughter to remind her of all the stories she’s heard that day and hoping it will bring her luck. Thinking of all the history that had led to that moment, the girl knows that “‘it already has.'”

An Author’s Note, with photographs, reveals that the story is based on the life of her husband’s grandmother Inge as well as her own experiences listening to stories from her relatives and friends who survived the Holocaust.

In her poignant intergenerational story, Emily Barth Isler inspires readers to embrace life, its good and hard times and the memories that remain, reminding them that strength, compassion, understanding, love, and our connections to one another are forged from our own and shared experiences. Her references to the Holocaust—Kristallnacht and the separation of Grandma Inge from her family—are sensitively addressed for children while providing the resonant history that unites Inge, her great-granddaughter, and their extended family. The affectionate relationship between Great-Grandmother Inge and her granddaughter is warm and trusting and will swell readers’ hearts.

Vesper Stamper’s watercolor and gouache illustrations radiate emotion and meaning. Her rich color palette reflects the depth of history each glass shard represents, and their lovely rainbow refractions glow as a metaphor for the significance each piece holds. Images of Great-Grandmother Inge and her granddaughter together are compassionate and supportive.

Tender and loving, Three Pieces of Broken Glass is an uplifting book that readers will take to heart. The book is a must for all library collections and would be a meaningful addition to home bookshelves.

Ages 4 – 8

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-1419778728

About the Author

Emily Barth Isler is the award-winning author of the middle grade novels AfterMath and The Color of Sound. Her writing has appeared in Allure, Oprah Daily, O Quarterly, Kveller, Publisher’s Weekly, Today.com, and more. As the cofounder of the Burbank Book Festival in Southern California, Isler loves providing opportunities for all kinds of stories to be heard. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and their two kids. Visit her at emilybarthisler.com.

About the Illustrator

Vesper Stamper writes and illustrates books that tell stories of broken things being put back together. Her debut novel, What the Night Sings, was a Sydney Taylor Book Award winner, a National Book Award nominee, and a National Jewish Book Award finalist. She and her husband, Ben Stamper, have all sorts of artistic escapades near New York City, where Vesper teaches illustration at the School of Visual Arts. Visit her at vesperillustration.com.

You can purchase Three Pieces of Broken Glass from these booksellers

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Picture Book Review

March 20 – International Day of Happiness

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

International Day of Happiness celebrates happiness around the world, supporting this important sense of wellbeing no matter how it is measured. While in its recognition of the holiday, the United Nations focuses on economic, human rights, environmental, peace, and social initiatives, including these 17 Sustainable Development Goals, we are all invited to find happiness in ways that are meaningful to us and spread that joy to others. One way to find lasting peace and happiness is to embrace the connectedness of all things and our place in the world alongside our family and neighbors and within all aspects of nature. Today’s book was written for children, but its message is true and offers happiness for all ages.

Thank you to Abrams Books for Young Readers for sharing a digital copy of this book with me!

The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way / Wamákashkaŋ’iya: Lakhól Wichóh’aŋ Kiŋ

By S. D. Nelson | Translated by Dakota Goodhouse

“If you look with your eyes and listen with your ears, our animal relatives will share their ancient wisdom with you. A spirit line connects us as we journey together.”

With this welcome to explore the world, S. D. Nelson Maȟpíya Kiny’An (Flying Cloud), Hunkpapa Lakota and a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, invites young readers to look to nature and embrace the lessons that “the wild ones”: “the Four-leggeds and the Winged beings of the air . . . the little Creepy-crawlies, the Water-beings, and the Green, Growing Things” have to impart to us “Two-leggeds” from their vast histories and experiences in sharing this world. In Lakota tradition, each member of nature can inspire us every day to live with the curiosity, courage, heart, humor, and values that help us along our life’s journey while connecting us to each other and the environment.

Beginning with “Buffalo Tatánka (tah-TAHN-kah),” that storied animal that once freely roamed the prairies, Nelson writes, “Buffalo is strong. In times past, we used his hide to make our clothes and tipis. Buffalo gave his life and nourished our people. Today, he guides us to SHARE and BE GENEROUS.” With her playfulness, “Otter Ptán (p’TAHN) . . . reminds us that SMILES and LAUGHTER are good for our hearts,” while “Butterfly Kimímela (kee-MEE-may-lah). . . shows us that CHANGE IS GOOD and to open ourselves to NEW WAYS.” Others remind us to keep our wits about us lest we be led astray by tricks or into danger, while still more speak to inspiration, insight, and new perspectives.

Following the story, Nelson reverently and poignantly discusses Lakota traditions and beliefs about the spirit line and the all-encompassing, yet incomprehensible force “Wakán Tánka (wah-KAHN TAHN-kah)—the Great Mystery” that connect humans, animals, plants, and all aspects of nature as we journey together through life.

Nelson accompanies his lyrical text with illustrations of soft mottled and blended natural hues of acrylic paint that, as Nelson explains in his Author’s Note, “. . . are inspired by traditional Lakota pictographs and ledger-book drawings, with their bold use of line, shape, and color. My Indigenous ancestors painted on animal skins, their tipis, their horses, and even their own faces. We still do! These stylized images include natural forms as well as abstract symbols.” Each page invites readers to linger to absorb and talk about all of the stunning imagery.

The Animals Speak is a book that will change the way you look at the world—it’s animals, plants, people, and nature in general. While reading, one can feel—like a hug—the peace of interconnectedness, a happy perspective that can be incorporated into everyday life. This is a book to treasure and is a must for public, school, and classroom libraries as well as home bookshelves. It would also make a wonderful and much-loved gift.

Ages 4 – 8+

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-1419764448

S. D. Nelson, Maȟpíya Kiny’An (Flying Cloud), is a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in the Dakotas and the author and illustrator of inspiring children’s books that celebrate Lakota and Indigenous cultures. Awards include an American Indian Library Association Honor Book, an ALA Robert F. Sibert Honor, and two Spur Awards from Western Writers of America. His original paintings are held in many national collections, including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of the American Indian, Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, South Dakota State Historical Society, the Crazy Horse Memorial and State Historical Society of North Dakota. He lives in Cottonwood, Arizona. Visit him to see his many books and his art at sdnelson.net.

International Day of Happiness Activity

CPB - Happiness typography

Happiness Is . . . Game

Happiness is all around you! Grab one or more friends to play a game that reveals what things make you happy. Here are two ways to play and two possible endings for each game. Choose the one that will lead to maximum happiness for all!

Like the “Geography” game: the first player names something that makes them happy, the next player must think of something that starts with the last letter of the word the previous player said. The game continues with each player continuing the pattern. Players drop out as they cannot think of a word. The last player left is the winner. Or set a time frame to play and name no winner.
Within a certain time limit (depending on age), players must think of something that makes them happy. Players drop out if they cannot think of a word within the time limit. The last player left is the winner. Or set a time frame to play and name no winner.

You can purchase The Animals Speak: The Lakota Way / Wamákashkaŋ’iya: Lakhól Wichóh’aŋ Kiŋ from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

November 11 – National Young Readers Week

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Established in 1989 by Pizza Hut and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, National Young Readers Week centers on raising awareness of the importance of reading. One inspiring statistic about the impact of reading is that children learn between 4,000 and 12,000 words each year just by reading—no matter which kinds of books are their favorites! When families get involved in fostering a love of reading at home, kids grow up with an excitement to learn and an activity they can do anywhere and that will follow them throughout their life.

There are many fantastic ways to help your kids develop an affinity for reading, including taking regular trips to your library, allowing kids to pick out their own books, setting aside special times during the day to read together, and setting up a library in your own home to show how important books are to you. You can also follow your favorite authors and illustrators on social media to connect with special activities to download, tutorials, updates on new books, and lots more.

The Bunny Ballet

Written by Nora Ericson | Illustrated by Elly MacKay

As music swells and lights dim, a rabbit invites a sister and her younger brother through a hidden chink in the trees to a watch a bunny ballet, where “Gossamer and / featherlight, / graceful hares / glide left, slide right.” They leap and whirl, plie, jeté, . . . “arabesque, then frisk away.” They weave together then move apart. In the spotlight appears “a sight you’ll not forget: / a perfect bunny pirouette.”

At intermission the audience queues for a Radish Razzle or a Carrot Cordial. So many delicious treats! Soon, the lights begin to flicker, and the show resumes. “Proud bucks swing in barrel turns” then prima ballerinas on tiptoe dance, balanced weightless on upraised paws. One seems to slip, and gasps ring out—the sister grasps her brother’s hand—but then she’s caught in a graceful dip.

This trick may seem to end the show, yet the grand finale is coming up. With the clash of cymbals, the dancers appear from all corners of the stage. They thump and jump and promenade, “spinning in a bunny haze.” All too soon the curtains close, and the sister and brother twirl towards home, dreaming of practicing what they’ve seen tomorrow. But now they can only bid farewell to the Bunny Ballet.

Nora Ericson’s musical lyricism sweeps readers away and into a dream world of ballet with her beautiful language and phrasing that holds readers spellbound with all the sights and sounds of a dance performance. Ericson’s imaginative intermission snacks will delight kids before the pages return to the ballet and the enthralling graceful whirl of its finale. As the moon rises and twilight paints the sky, Ericson’s hypnotic farewell to the evening’s wonders will send children off to sleep with much to dream of.

Ellie MacKay’s glorious illustrations—created by painting, cutting, layering, and photographing the various elements—blend vintage warmth and charm with fresh highlights and detail. Her lush woodland offers a stunning backdrop to these talented bunnies as they jeté, arabesque, and pirouette across the stage. The relationship between the sister and brother is sweetly loving, and as they head home with the rising moon, readers will drift into slumber, carried on MacKay’s soft, tranquil hues.

Ages 4 – 8

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-1419776144

About the Author

Nora Ericson studied painting at Yale University and writing for children at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Originally from central New York, she now lives in Portland, Oregon, with two kids, two dogs, and two cats. Besides reading and writing, she loves cooking, tromping in the woods, and whittling spoons while daydreaming of her future miniature donkey farm. She’s also the author of Too Early, Dill & Bizzy: An Odd Duck and a Strange Bird, and Dill & Bizzy: Opposite Day.

About the Illustrator

Elly MacKay is an internationally recognized paper artist and children’s book creator. She is the illustrator of the picture book Too Early and The Enchanted Symphony, written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, as well as the author-illustrator of Red Sky at Night, If You Hold a Seed, and Butterfly Park, among others. The distinctive three-dimensional quality in her works is made by setting up layers of painted paper in a miniature theater. She lights the scene and photographs it to create her unique illustrations. MacKay lives in Owen Sound, Ontario, with her family.

You can purchase The Bunny Ballet from these booksellers

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Picture Book Review

September 17 – International Country Music Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

International Country Music Day was established in 2003 with September 17th chosen to honor Hank Williams, one of country music’s most influential artists. The day was created to bring together country music artists and fans from all over the world to celebrate their favorite music genre. To celebrate today, listen to your favorite artists from the past and today! And don’t forget to honor the Grand Ole Opry by adding today’s book to your family’s country music collection!

Howdy! Welcome to the Grand Ole Opry!

Written by Emily Frans | Illustrated by Susanna Chapman | Foreword by Lainey Wilson

Celebrating its 100th anniversary with a buoyant “Howdy!”, the Grand Ole Opry (Opry for short) welcomes readers in for a personal tour of the beloved home of country music, where “history is made and stars are born.” Following their knowledgeable guide through the performers’ entrance, kids first check in with the security guard to get their backstage pass and dressing room number. Passes in hand, kids continue backstage, where they feel the excitement in the air and view pictures of past stars who graced the stage. “Did you know my show started way back in 1925?” The Grand Ole Opry asks.

While looking for their dressing room, children find themselves in the midst of today’s hottest stars all warming up or jamming together before the show. Prepped for their performance, kids stop by the Family Room to wait for their turn on stage. They’re in good company as photos of the “Opry family” surround them, and tonight’s other performers are hanging out there too.

At seven minutes to showtime, kids meet the band in the rehearsal space. Five minutes to showtime, and kids are heading for the stage, where the crew is making last-minute adjustments. Nearby, “musicians and performers stand by waiting for their cue to walk on stage” while the Opry Square Dancers warm up on the sidelines.

Thirty seconds to showtime! Almost time for readers to stand center stage in the storied circle of wood cut from the Ryman Auditorium, country music’s original home. The countdown begins, and the Opry is there with encouragement. “10, 9, 8 . . . Take a deep breath . . . 7, 6, 5 . . . Don’t be nervous, you’ve got this! . . . 4, 3, 2, 1 . . . The curtain is coming up and the band is kicking off your song! Here we go!”

The reader is met with thunderous applause as the drums beat and the bass thrums. Energy and love surround them! The Opry is full of congratulations—”You did it! You made your Opry debut!” And encouragement: “Wasn’t it fun imagining what it would be like to perform on country music’s most famous stage? If you work hard and dream big enough, anything is possible!”

A brief history of the Grand Ole Opry, plus memories from Lauren Alaina, Kelsea Ballerini, Scotty McCreery, and Dolly Parton about their Opry debut follow the story.

The excitement inside the Grand Ole Opry is palpable in Emily Frans’ welcoming introduction to this historic venue, beloved by country music fans everywhere. Whether readers simply adore listening to country music or have the big stage in their sights, they’ll be enthralled with Frans’ personal, direct-address storytelling that makes them feel like one of the Opry family.

As raucous and inviting as the Grand Ole Opry itself, Susanna Chapman’s visually remarkable and whimsical collage-style illustrations are sure to have children and adults starstruck with the abundance of photographs of their favorite performers playing and singing. Fans of a certain age will be cheered to once again see Minnie Pearl with her signature “How-Dee!!!”, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, Roy Acuff, Charlie Pride, Little Jimmy Dickens, Patsy Cline, and Deford Bailey, among others. Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Blake Shelton, Darius Rucker, Loretta Lynn, and others are also here, while the younger generation will be wowed by Lainey Wilson, Luke Combs, Lady A, Carrie Underwood, Scotty McCreery, Chapel Hart, Post Malone, and more. And, of course, the ageless Dolly Parton is celebrated throughout.

Inspiration and aspiration meet history and tradition in Howdy! Welcome to the Grand Ole Opry!, an extraordinary tribute to this one-of-a-kind music venue and it’s stars on its 100th anniversary. The book is a must for country music fans as well as for all library collections.

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-1419774249

About the Illustrator

Susanna Chapman is an illustrator, muralist, and designer. Her illustrated picture books include Covered in Color: Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s Fabrics of Freedom; Elizabeth Warren’s Big, Bold Plans; The Girl Who Ran; and Ada and the Galaxies. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee. Visit her at susannachapman.com.

You can purchase Howdy! Welcome to the Grand Ole Opry! from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

August 22 – First Day of Autumn

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, fall has arrived! If you live in the Southern Hemisphere, welcome to spring! Today, the hours of daytime and nighttime will be equal, ushering in a changing of the seasons. For some that means cooler weather, shorter days, and preparation in nature for the long winter, which leads to our seeing the brilliant reds, yellows, and oranges in the leaves of certain trees. Watching the leaves fall, swirl in the breeze, and pile up in backyards can only mean that a favorite autumn activity is just a leap away!

The Wishing Leaf

Written by Kallie George | Illustrated by Paola Zakimi

From his window, little Bear could see the very last leaf in the forest clinging to the old maple tree. He wanted to be sure to watch the leaf fall because he wanted to make a wish. When his mama told him it was time to go to sleep, Bear protested, and Mama relented with a kindly sigh.

Bear joined his friends, who were standing or sitting under the maple tree, gazing up. Some had brought snacks, Porcupine had binoculars, and Raccoon had brought a camera. “The leaf was bright and golden like a star.” Bear sat on a blanket with Hedgehog and Chipmunk and started to wait. He passed the time thinking about what he should wish for.

Soon, the air turned cold and while the leaf fluttered in the breeze, it still did not fall. Some shivering animals went home. When the sky darkened, more animals packed up and left. Snowflakes even began to fall and stick. Little by little the rest of the animals went home, even Chipmunk and Hedgehog, who wondered what she would have wished for if only she’d been able to see the leaf fall.

Only Bear was left, and he was growing sleepy too. He thought he might hear Mama calling him. “Bear yawned—a big, little bear yawn.” And just then “the leaf twisted . . . and tumbled, falling down, down, down, like a shooting star.” Bear “knew just what to wish for,” and his heart swelled as he imagined his wish coming true throughout the forest. When he turned to go home, Mama was there with a lantern and a snuggly hug. Back in his room, Bear was tucked into bed and drifted off to sleep.

Kallie George is a master at writing endearing children’s stories that remain always within your heart. Her characters are always adorable, caring, and imbued with childhood wonder. In The Wishing Leaf, George amplifies the feelings of giving that define fall and early winter with her story of a young bear whose first thoughts are for his friends. Readers will be charmed by little Bear’s wishEquating the golden leaf to a shooting star is a touching reminder that the magical can be found wherever you look. George’s sweet phrasing and charming dialog create a cozy read aloud that adults and children will want to share time and time again.

Paola Zakimi’s darling characters inhabit a lovely countryside, in which white smoke drifts from the chimneys of snug cottages, the hills and flowing river speak to the peaceful community, and the large, old maple tree stands waiting as patiently for its final leaf to fall as does little Bear sitting on his window seat, gazing out. Zakimi’s soft pencil and watercolor illustrations are adorably expressive, and her renderings of the warm relationship between Mama and little Bear as well as images of community members will inspire plenty of “Awwws.”

A perfect book for snuggly story times that also would make a much-loved gift, The Wishing Leaf is a must for home and library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-1419772467

About the Author

Kallie George is an author, editor, and creative writing teacher living in Vancouver, British Columbia. She has written acclaimed books for children, including The Lost Gift; Secrets I Know; Duck, Duck, Dinosaur, and The Melancholic Mermaid, as well as The Magical Animal Adoption Agency series and The Heartwood Hotel series. She has also taught writing workshops for children and adults across Canada, as well as in South Korea, and she currently teaches at Emily Carr University. Visit her at kalliegeorge.com.

About the Illustrator

Paola Zakimi spent her childhood in cold Patagonia, Argentina. She studied arts and graphic design in Buenos Aires before moving to Villa Giardino, Cordoba, where she resides today. She is the illustrator of Estelle Laure’s Before the World Wakes, Meg Fleming’s Here Comes Ocean, Jacqueline Veissid’s Ruby’s Sword, as well as Newbery Medalist Cynthia Voigt’s Teddy & Co., among other picture books. Visit her at paolazakimi.com.

First Day of Autumn Activity

celebrate-pciture-books-picture-book-review-fall-leaves-matching-puzzle

Falling for Fall Matching Puzzle

These kids are having fun in the leaves. Can you find the matching leaves in this printable Falling for Fall Puzzle?

You can purchase The Wishing Leaf from these booksellers

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Picture Book Review

August 15 – National Back to School Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

I know, I know . . . it can’t be time to go back to school already! Maybe not quite, but all over the country, teachers, administrators, parents, and…yes, kids…are preparing for the day when school opens again for another year. Now’s the time to find a new backpack, buy some new clothes, and decide that this year is going to be the best year yet! Reading books about beginning a new school year can also help!

Thank you to Abrams Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book to me for review!

Fall Is for Beginnings

Written by Rajani LaRocca | Illustrated by Abhi Alwar

While Ravi is sad to see summer vacation end, he’s excited to be starting school and seeing his friends, especially his best friend, Joe. They “share jokes, secrets, and sometimes lunch,” at recess they always play together, and—best of all—this year they’ll be in the same classroom.

Ravi and Joe find desks next to each other. Then a new girl, Ellie, sits in the seat next to Ravi. She’s eager and enthusiastic. “‘I just know we’re going to be best friends!'” she tells him. Ravi is taken aback and doesn’t reply. He listens as his teacher explains a project the students will do to celebrate their new accomplishments throughout the year by adding leaves then snowflakes then flowers to a tree of their own.

In music class, at lunch, and on the playground, Ellie always joins Ravi and Joe. When they get new instruments, Ellie plays the loudest, she offers tastes of her beet salad (which Joe tries right away, but Ravi does not), and her new suggestions for Ravi and Joe’s Deep Space Explorers playground game make it much more challenging. For some of these new experiences Ravi adds a leaf to his tree.

“Every day, Ellie says, ‘I told you we’d be best friends!'” When Ravi whispers a reassuring “‘But I’m best friends with you'” to Joe, Joe simply shrugs. Every day, Ellie is right in the middle of Ravi and Joe’s favorite fall activities. At the school Halloween party, Ravi dresses as a scoop of ice cream, and Joe is a cone. When Ellie runs up dressed as a bottle of sprinkles because they’re “best friends,” Ravi loses his temper, crying, “‘You are NOT my best friend!'”

Surprised and hurt, Ellie runs off. She avoids Ravi and Joe during the rest of the party and during trick-or-treating in the neighborhood and moves to another desk in the back of the classroom. At home, Ravi mopes on the couch about how much things have changed since Ellie came. When his older sister hears his complaint, she runs off to get the family photo album. Page by page, she shows Ravi how great it was for her before he was born and how she found him so annoying when he was a baby. But, she says, when she got to know him, “‘Things were even more fun than before.'”

Ravi reconsiders his relationship with Ellie amid all the things they do together. Perhaps, he thinks, “Ellie is already my friend?” The next day at school, he shows a change of heart and lets Ellie take the lead. He has fun on the playground and in music class and discovers that beet salad is delicious. Ravi’s tree is filling with leaves representing all of his new experiences, and he feels proud “because fall is for beginnings and friendship.”

Rajani LaRocca shines a light on an important aspect of new school years, old friendships, and the natural changes that occur as children grow up, meet new people, and venture into the unfamiliar. Candid and relatable, LaRocca’s storytelling gives voice to emotions children may feel (and feel badly about) but are unable to express. Reading and discussing the stages Ravi goes through before finally losing his temper and then afterward can give kids an opportunity to talk about their own experiences as well as their ideas for and what to say when assimilating new friends into an established duo or group. Joe’s early nonchalance about Ellie’s proclamations of friendship reveals how the idea of “best friends” can vary from person to person and change over time.

Abhi Alwar’s vivacious, autumn-hued illustrations depict an active classroom in which even amid the usual raucousness, Ellie stands out with her spunky personality. Always in motion, Ellie kicks her feet, runs and leaps and roars, gives her new besties gifts and tastes from her lunch, and in the process overwhelms Ravi, whose apprehension, eventual anger, and regret show in his expressions. Alwar’s combination of chalky line drawings and full color sketches allow her to emphasize certain important moments while presenting dynamic scenes that kids will have fun exploring.

An impactful book to share with children just starting school or as they move through the grades, Fall is for Beginnings celebrates new friends and experiences, while providing a map through some of the trickier bits. The book is highly recommended for home bookshelves and is a must for classroom and library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Harry N. Abrams, 2025 | ISBN 978-1419777400

About the Author

Rajani LaRocca is a physician and an author of books for young readers including Summer Is for Cousins, Where Three Oceans Meet, and Red, White, and Whole, which won a Newbery Honor. She was born in Bangalore, India, and immigrated to the United States when she was very young. She now lives in eastern Massachusetts with her family. You can find her online at rajanilarocca.com.

About the Illustrator

Abhi Alwar is an Indian American illustrator and designer based in New York City. She is the illustrator of a number of books for young readers, including Summer Is for Cousins by Rajani LaRocca and the graphic novel series Super Pancake, written by Megan Wagner Lloyd. Visit her at abhialwar.com.

You can see what Ravi’s up to during the summer in Summer Is for Cousins, the first volume of the Seasons Are for Everything series from Rajani LaRocca and Abhi Alwar.

Back to School Month Activity

Make Your Own School Bus Craft

With a small tea box or other box, some paint, and the printable template, kids can have fun making a model school bus to play with or display. The bus can be made as detailed or simple as they’d like. Maybe they’d even like to draw themselves and their friends in the windows!

Supplies

Printable School Bus Template
Small tea box: 20-bag size (5″ long x 3″ tall x 2 5/8″ deep); or other small box
Bright yellow craft paint
Scissors
Craft glue
Paintbrush

Directions

Print 2 copies of the School Bus Template
Carefully take the tea box apart at the seams, invert it, and glue or tape it back together

To Make the Passenger Side of the Bus

Cut the Door from the template
Glue the door to the box near the front
Cut out and trim the row of windows from the template
Glue the windows near the top of the box
Cut out and trim two of the solid black lines from the template
Glue the stripes onto the side of the box below the windows
Cut out two tires from the template and glue them to the box

To Make the Front of the Bus

Cut out two of the red and orange paired lights
Glue one on each side of the box near the top with the red light on the outside
Add a School Bus sign between the lights
Cut out the windshield in the lower corner of the template and glue it in place
Cut and trim grill and glue it beneath the windshield
Cut and glue white circles for headlights on either side of the grill
Cut, trim, and glue the wide black strip to the bottom as the bumper.

To Make the Driver’s Side of the Bus

Cut and trim the row of windows from the template
Glue the windows near the top of the box
Cut out and trim two of the solid black lines from the template
Glue the stripes onto the side of the box below the windows
Cut out two tires from the template and glue them to the box
Cut out and glue the Stop sign over the two stripes near the front of the bus

To Make the Back of the Bus

Cut out two of the red and orange paired lights
Glue one on each side of the box near the top with the red light on the outside
Add a School Bus sign between the lights
Cut out the two small rounded corner windows
Glue them underneath the lights close to the edge of the box
Cut out and glue the bigger rounded corner window between the smaller windows
Cut out and glue the yellow, red, and white lights underneath the small windows with the yellow light on the outside
Cut out and glue the black rounded corner window centered beneath the lights
Cut and trim the wide black stripe and glue it near the bottom of the box for the bumper

You can purchase Fall Is for Beginnings from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (discounted books and support for your local independent bookstore)

Picture Book Review

August 16 – Celebrating the Book Birthday of A Case of the Zaps

Posted by Kath Carroll

Thanks to Abrams Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of A Case of the Zaps for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

A Case of the Zaps

Written by Alex Boniella and April Lavalle | Illustrated by James Kwan

On Robot-Earth there lived a robot named 3.14159… (“or Pi, for short”). Pi liked doing things most young robots did, like “playing music, walking their dog, and hanging out with their Parental Units and friends. Pi also liked sports, science, camping, and exploring, and their favorite food was DW-40. One day at school, their teacher announced that in a month the class would be going on a field trip to Olde Silicon Valley.