March 10 – It’s Sing with Your Child Month

About the Holiday

Sing with Your Child Month was established 15 years ago by Music Together LLC and its founder Kenneth K. Guilmartin. The organization chose March and its ushering in of Spring and rebirth as a reminder of our most precious resource: our children. When parents, grandparents, teachers, and other caregivers sing and make music together with children, they form everlasting bonds, helping children to feel secure and putting them on the road to success. Research shows that early music education and participation has a large impact not only on musical growth but also on academic skill development and achievement. Singing with children boosts their language development and their reading and math learning.

But engaging in singing together isn’t all about education. It provides for times of fun and much-needed relaxation too! You don’t have to be a great vocalist to sing with kids, either! Just share favorite songs, silly songs, those old campfire songs, and songs kids learn in school and discover a whole new way to enjoy time together. Today’s book with its story and singalong audio and video included is a terrific place to start! To learn more about the benefits of singing with children, visit the National Association for the Education of Young Children website.

Thanks to Barefoot Books and Danna Smith for sharing a digital copy of Rooftop Garden with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Rooftop Garden

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Pati Aguilera | Sung by Holly Turton

On a spacious apartment building rooftop, tenants, adults and kids alike, are busy building raised planting beds, bringing up pots and tools and watering cans, opening bags of dirt, and installing a sturdy work bench. A group of kids is even hanging a banner to celebrate their new community garden. One bed is all ready for planting, and a cadre of neighbors have gathered around, knowing just what to do: “Dig a hole and in they go. / Sow the seeds with a shovel and hoe. / Plant them, pat them, row by row. / Dig a hole and in they go.” And when all the rows are full, everyone joins in with a chant of encouragement: “Grow, garden! Grow, garden! Grow, garden! Grow, grow, grow!”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-rooftop-garden-friends

Image copyright Pati Aguilera, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Barefoot Books.

Signs go in to mark where the lettuce, carrots, mint, and sage are planted, and then the waiting begins. Regular watering, sun, and shade spur those seeds to sprout and send tiny shoots reaching for the sun. But that’s not all these tender plants need because in among them hide “pesky weeds” that keep the neighbors working to pick them and pull them before they grow back. The plants are thriving, climbing trestles, crowding pots and garden beds all due to the diligence of the birds, butterflies, and bees who “…fly to and fro, / Spreading pollen as they go— / Dust that helps the veggies grow.” At last it’s time to harvest the “rooftop crop. / Pick and pull and twist—don’t stop! / Fill the baskets to the top.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-rooftop-garden-pollinators

Image copyright Pati Aguilera, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Barefoot Books.

And what is the reward for the spring and summer’s attentive work? “A garden feast,” of course! Now, on that same rooftop where the food was grown, all the neighbors sit around a long table and while talking, laughing and, congratulating each other, enjoy a delicious homegrown meal. “A garden feast! Oh, what a treat. Yum, garden! Yum, garden! Yum, garden! Yum, yum, yum!”

Back matter includes a graphic depicting Eight Steps for Growing a Garden, an illustrated guide to Six Stages of Plant Growth, and the musical score to the Rooftop Garden song. The book also includes a QR code that lets readers access a toe-tapping singalong audio with Holly Turton and vibrant video animation of the story.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-rooftop-garden-feast

Image copyright Pati Aguilera, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Barefoot Books.

Danna Smith plants bountiful seeds of joy for gardening, friends, neighbors, and community in her jaunty story. Through her lively and rhythmically vivacious quatrains, in which the first line repeats as the last line, Smith takes kids through a complete growing season, highlighting the preparatory stage, planting, watering, weeding, encouraging pollinators and discouraging pests, harvesting, and finally enjoying a garden feast. The refrain cheering the garden on to grow, grow, grow will be a favorite for kids to chime in on, and the final celebration after a successful season of farming is sure to spur kids to try some gardening of their own. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Kids will love the vivid colors, easy smiles, and action-packed details in Pati Aguilera’s fresh and fabulous illustrations of this singular apartment building. Along with following the progress of the rooftop garden, children will enjoy lingering over the pages to find kids having fun spritzing each other with misting bottles, see bees and butterflies visiting blossoms, watch little ones getting wheelbarrow rides, and name the fruit and vegetables that have grown in the planting beds and pots. Camaraderie, crops, and caring for the earth all on a rooftop—what could be better?!

The rollicking, “follow-the-ball” singalong with Holly Turton, who lends country charm to her enthusiastic rendition, and delightful animation of the story will entertain kids and adults alike, and both will eagerly put this enchanting song on repeat.

Rooftop Garden is a wonderfully conceived book, singalong, and video collaboration that will entertain all ages and is a top pick for home, classroom, school, and public library collections. The book would also make a favorite choice for extracurricular club and group meetings or outings.

Ages 3 – 7

Barefoot Books, 2022 | ISBN 978-1646864966

Raise your voice and tap your toes with this irresistibly catchy singalong version of Rooftop Garden!

About the Author

Danna Smith is a poet and an award-winning author of numerous books for children. Her nonfiction picture book, The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry, received two starred reviews, is a Junior Library Guild Selection, and the recipient of Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the year. Danna is currently living and writing in northern California. For more information about her books, upcoming releases, and teaching activities, visit her website at dannasmithbooks.com.

About the Illustrator

When Pati Aguilera was a child, she liked to do all kinds of crafts, draw, and spend a lot of time sorting and looking at her pencils. She is Chilean, and has lived a large part of her life in the city of Santiago, where she studied design and became a book illustrator. Today she lives in the countryside with her partner and two daughters, and is building her biggest craft project of her life: her own house! Pati creates her artwork digitally so she can change the composition and palette until she achieves the desired balance and harmony. To view a portfolio of her work, visit her website at patiaguilera.com.

About Holly Turton

Holly Turton is a British vocalist with roots in blues, funk and soul music. When she’s not recording, teaching, singing in schools, or performing live, you can find Holly in her garden potting plants and vegetables for the upcoming season. She currently lives on the beautiful Cornish coast of England. You can visit her at hollyturton.co.uk.

Sing with Your Child Month Activities

Rooftop Garden Seed Spheres Activity

Kids can get ready to grow their own fabulous garden with this fun activity that makes it easy to plant seeds just where you want them. These Seed Spheres make gifts for garden-loving friends and family members, too!

Seed Spheres Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Rooftop-Garden-booklet-activity

Rooftop Garden Mini Folding Booklet Activity

Here’s a little book of fun activities kids can fold and tuck away in a purse, bag, or pocket to take all the fun of gardening along to the park, the farmers market, or anywhere they’ll have waiting time or down time.

Mini Folding Booklet Activity

**You can find Rooftop Garden at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from Bookshop.

Picture Book Review

January 11 – International Thank-You Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Every January 11 International Thank-You Day encourages people around the world to express their gratitude to those who have made their lives better in some way. The beginning of the year is the perfect time to think about how we might thank all those who show kindnesses, provide services, teach us new skills, and share our lives. Teaching children how to express gratitude is a valuable lesson, and sharing today’s book with little ones is a wonderful way to get started. You’ll even find two creative activities that will help kids think about and share thankfulness all year through.

The Thank You Book

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

For little ones, “Thank you” may be one of the first phrases they learn when they begin getting out into the world. Thanking grandparents and other relatives, friends, teachers, librarians, store employees, and others becomes a part of every day. But for kids just learning manners and communication skills, prompts to say “thank you” may seem kind of random, confusing, and maybe even a bit intimidating.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-thank-you-book-teacher

Image copyright Juliana Perdomo, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith. Courtesy of Little Simon.

This is where Danna Smith’s delightfully cheery story about sharing your appreciation comes in. With charming rhymes, Smith answers the questions of why, when, and to whom thanks are appropriate while infusing her story with the positive feelings that thanking someone for their kindness instills in the thanker and the one being thanked.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-thank-you-book-tree

Image copyright Juliana Perdomo, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Smith begins with an inviting and easy-to-understand definition of thankfulness that will resonate with young children: “When someone is thoughtful or kind in some way, ‘thank you’ are two very nice words to say.” She then goes on to provide specific examples of times that gratitude is warranted as well as language to help kids express their feelings for specific acts of kindness. As illustrations show children engaged in various activities, readers discover they can say, “‘Thank you for helping.’ ‘Thank you for sharing.’ / ‘Thank you for teaching.’ ‘Thank you for caring.’”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-thank-you-book-cookies

Image copyright Juliana Perdomo, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith. Courtesy of Little Simon.

But is saying those types of words the only way to show your gratitude? Children (and especially those who are reluctant to talk with people they don’t know well or feel shy about speaking up) learn that there are other ways to show gratitude, including giving hugs, drawings, and tasty treats.

Smith then reveals a well-known secret about saying thank you that will make today’s inclusive kids happy to be part of an appreciative community: “If you start with one thank-you, you’ll find it will grow.” And, indeed, Smith finishes her story by assuring readers that kids all over the world are thanking others for their friendship and kindness.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-thank-you-book-heart

Image copyright Juliana Perdomo, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Danna Smith’s sweet board book, with its jaunty rhymes and enthusiasm for sharing gratitude is just the kind of story parents, teachers, and other adults will want to read with their little ones and little ones will want to hear again and again. Her open-ended phrasing allows adults and kids to discuss the types of people who are helpers, sharers, teachers, and care-ers, as well as those within their family and friends who are deserving of thanks and on which occasions. Smith also gives kids ideas for a wide range of ways to say thank you that may use their talents and mean more to them than words. These examples can also spark talks between parents, teachers, and other caregivers on other ways to show thanks. And what if you have a child who just feels appreciation deep inside? They are represented in these pages too.

Juliana Perdomo’s vibrant illustrations of kind acts by friends, parents, teachers, veterinarians, bus drivers, activity instructors, and others will enchant little ones and get them talking about all the times someone has done something nice for them. Readers of all ages can’t help but be filled with gratitude and good feelings when they’re greeted by Perdomo’s smiling and enthusiastic characters. Perdomo mirrors Smith’s text to give kids a concrete understanding of the concepts while filling her pages with cheer and heartfelt gratitude. The idea that saying thank-you can bring people together in a community and around the world is one that will excite kids and encourage them to show their appreciation.

Joyful and inspiring, The Thank You Book would be a favorite read aloud in any young child’s home library and is a must for all daycare, school, and public library board book collections.

Ages 3 and up

Little Simon, 2022 | ISBN 978-1665902922

Discover more about Danna Smith, her books, poetry, and paintings on her website.

You can connect with Juliana Perdomo on Instagram and Twitter.

International Thank-You Day Activities

Thank You! Postcard

Do your kids have someone they’d like to thank for a kind act, a gift, or just for being a loved family member or friend? This cheery Thank You postcard makes it easy for kids to show their gratitude and share their love to people close by or far away. This card is also perfect to share for the upcoming holidays!

Thank You! Postcard

Thankfulness Jar

It’s good to remind yourself periodically – or even every day – of all the things you have to be thankful for and all the acts of kindness you’ve received. This activity sheet gives children (and adults who want to participate with their kids) a place to collect all these “thank-you”–worthy experiences. Just write a word or short description inside the jar each time you feel thankful. You might even want to share your appreciation with the people whose names appear in your jar with a note, a picture, a hug, or a homemade craft to show how much they mean to you.

This Thankfulness Jar also makes a meaningful activity for Thanksgiving Day! Why not print a copy for each guest at your table, provide a pencil, and get everyone sharing what they’re thankful for this year!

Thankfulness Jar Activity Sheet

**You can find The Thank You Book at these booksellers**

Amazon | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

September 8 – It’s Read a New Book Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Read a New Book Month is a fantastic time to scour your local bookstore and library for books that have recently been published or books that are new to you. Finding a book that you’ve never read before is exciting at any age, and discovering a new book about a favorite topic is one of life’s greatest pleasures. Today’s board book is definitely one that will spark a love for reading and learning in children who are just discovering the wonder of books.

Thanks go to Danna Smith and Little Simon for sharing a digital copy of Wake Up Freight Train! with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Wake Up, Freight Train!

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Jon Andersen

For the townspeople it’s time for sleeping, but down at the train station, things are just getting underway as the freight train prepares for its nighttime run. First things first, however. It’s time to rouse the cars one by one. “Choo-choo! Wake up, steam engine, alone on your track. Let’s hook up the freight cars to the hitch on your back.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-wake-up-freight-train-gondola

Image copyright Jon Andersen, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Second in line is the tender that carries the coal. Behind it are cars three, four, and five with supplies for building and heating. Car six is the hopper then … “Cattle car coming! You’re filled with fresh hay, / hauling some heifers, moooooving this way.” The boxcar follows and finally, “it’s your turn, caboose! / Let’s hook you up fast. / The crew rides in you— / you’re the car that goes last.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-wake-up-freight-train-hopper

Image copyright Jon Andersen, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Little Simon.

With all the cars hitched and the coal bin full, the train rolls out of the station. “Toot-toot goes the horn, / blink-blink go the lights, / clang-clang goes the bell, all through the night.” The train chugs over hills and across fields until, with the dawning sun, it arrives at its destination and “our freight train’s long journey has come to an end.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-wake-up-freight-train-boxcar

Image copyright Jon Andersen, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Little (and big) train lovers will adore Danna Smith’s rhyming tribute to freight trains that carry goods and animals across states, and sometimes across the country. Smith’s introduction to each type of car is infused with childlike wonder and that special conversational relationship young children have with the world around them. As readers greet each car, they not only learn information about the car’s load and role but hear internal rhymes, alliteration, and even a few puns—all building blocks for early literacy. Smith’s gentle rhythm, paired with the nighttime setting, also makes Wake Up, Freight Train! a perfect read aloud for bedtime.

Jon Andersen’s beautiful, soft blues and greens of a starlit night will put little ones in the mood to be carried into dreamland even as they discover how each different car looks and what it carries. The changing landscape behind each pair of train cars offer interest and continuity while also giving kids an opportunity to talk about how long this train is. Sleepy animals come out to watch as the cars are hitched together, reminding little readers that it might just be bedtime for them too, and the peek of pink on the horizon in the last spread reassures them that tomorrow will come soon.

Wake Up, Freight Train! delightfully captures young children’s fascination with trains and is sure to become a favorite for bedtime (or anytime). The book is highly recommended for home bookshelves; daycare, school, and public library collections; and as a gift for babies and preschoolers.

Ages 2 – 4

Little Simon, 2022 | ISBN 978-1534492516

Discover more about Danna Smith and her books on her website.

To learn more about Jon Andersen and view a portfolio of his art, visit his website.

Read a New Book Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-freight-train-coloring-sheet

Freight Train Coloring Page

Who doesn’t love a train?! With this coloring sheet, kids can make their train as colorful as they want! They may even want to add a few animals and birds to the background!

Freight Train Coloring Page

**You can find Wake Up, Freight Train! at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

September 7 – Buy a Book Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-thank-you-book-cover

About the Holiday

Today is one of the best days of the year! Anyone who loves books will want to take the opportunity of the holiday to visit their favorite bookstore and buy one of those books you’ve been hearing and reading about. And why stop at just one? Winter is coming—that time when there’s nothing more cozy than snuggling in with a cup of tea or hot chocolate and reading late into the night. As the school year begins, children – even the youngest readers – benefit from having new books in their home libraries that reflect their changing interests and maturing thoughts. Take a little time to look through the offerings of your local bookstore and let your kids pick out some new favorites!

The Thank You Book

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

Image copyright Juliana Perdomo, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith. Courtesy of Little Simon.

Joyful and inspiring, The Thank You Book would be a favorite read aloud in any young child’s home library and is a must for all daycare, school, and public library board book collections.

Ages 3 and up

Little Simon, 2022 | ISBN 978-1665902922

Discover more about Danna Smith, her books, poetry, and paintings on her website.

You can connect with Juliana Perdomo on Instagram and Twitter.

Buy a Book Day Activities

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-The-Thank-You-Book-Thank-You-Postcard

Thank You! Postcard

Thankfulness Jar

Thankfulness Jar Activity Sheet

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-thank-you-book-cover

**You can find The Thank You Book at these booksellers**

Amazon | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

July 21 – It’s National Zoo Keeper Week

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

This week we honor the zookeepers and aquarists who care for the animals in our nation’s zoo and aquariums. Not only do they see to the animals’ feeding, housing, and health needs; maintain the facilities; and educate guests, zookeepers and aquarists also help scientists conduct research that helps them learn more about how to protect and preserve the world’s varied species. To celebrate today, take a trip to your local zoo or aquarium or visit the website of a zoo far away and learn about the animals there.

One Blue Gnu

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Ana Zurita

Feeling lonely at the zoo and with a new cellphone from an accidentally dropped box in hoof, one blue gnu calls two white sheep and gets a party started. The sheep call three orange apes with an invitation, and they in turn call “four red pandas in the sun” who “agree a party would be fun.” The invitation calls and texts get passed along to more and more animals at the zoo until a sleepy pig calls the wrong number, and instead of reaching the hippos, gets the tiger.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-one-blue-gnu-sheep

Image copyright Ana Zurita, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Amicus Ink.

Another try alerts those hippos and then, finally, “ten purple birds” receive an invitation. At last, it’s party time with “fifty-five beasts just keeping cool, / splashing around in Blue Gnu’s pool.” Floating and diving, the animals are having so much fun, but who is creeping closer and closer? One hungry-looking tiger! In no time, he’s in the midst of them all—and has a plan: “The tiger calls a pizza man!”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-one-blue-gnu-snakes

Image copyright Ana Zurita, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Amicus Ink.

Full and happy and dry, Blue Gnu’s friends decide it’s time to go back to their homes. The animals leave as they came. “Ten purple birds take off in flight. / Nine gray hippos slip from sight.” After each group finds their way home, Blue Gnu is alone once more. But not for too long—another party is in the works.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-one-blue-gnu-pool

Image copyright Ana Zurita, 2022, text copyright Danna Smith, 2022. Courtesy of Amicus Ink.

Danna Smith’s rollicking zoo story combines counting up to ten and back down to one for younger kids and more advanced addition and subtraction for older children with the names of colors, numbers, and animals in her clever rhyming romp that kids will want to visit again and again. And let’s not forget friendship—that’s here in abundance too, as sequence calls go out from one group to another to another to create one enormous bash! The added suspense of Tiger’s intentions is quickly resolved in a surprising and kid-favorite way that’s sure to please readers. Smith’s jaunty cadence is a joy to read aloud, and the non-stop action and exceptional vocabulary will captivate both kids and adults.

Ana Zurita populates this zoo with adorable animals, depicted in vibrant colors set against textured and wildly detailed backgrounds that also accentuate the educational aspects on each page. Readers will love pointing out the colors and patterns of the animals’ clothes, counting the animals in each group, and recognizing ascending and descending numbers set in circles on each page. Humorous details also reward careful searching of the pages, such as a sneaky hippo trying to nab a cupcake and the yak’s “snack.” Tiger’s determined stride and furrowed brow will have kids guessing, but only until the page is turned and the laughs ring out. Eagle-eyed future math whizzes may love discussing fractions as the pizzas are gobbled up, and saying goodbye to each group gives kids another chance to show their growing number skills.

Sure to be an immediate favorite read aloud, One Blue Gnu is a must on home bookshelves and for all classroom and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Amikus Ink, 2022 | ISBN 978-1681527451

Discover more about Danna Smith and her books on her website.

To learn more about Ana Zurita, her books, and her art visit her website.

National Zoo Keepers Week Activity

One Blue Gnu Activities

You’re invited to enjoy these One Blue Gnu activities that let you do everything from designing your favorite pizza to practicing your counting, coloring, writing, and observational skills in these printable activity sheets.

One Blue Gnu Pizza Color and Count Page
One Blue Gnu 8-Page Activity Guide (includes coloring page)

**You can find One Blue Gnu at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

March 26 – It’s National Reading Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

No matter whether you live in a city, a small town, or a farm, in a house or an apartment, you can travel anywhere through books. The magic of reading lies in its ability to transport readers through history, to far-away places and long-ago times, or perhaps to the future, where all it takes is one’s imagination to make it so. National Reading Month invites readers of all ages to experience the world in new and unfamiliar ways through amazing books like today’s that transports you to medieval times.

The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

A young girl introduces herself and her father from their fire-warmed room in the castle. Outside the window, a majestic bird waits. The girl says, “This is our hawk: a sight to behold, / a master of flight, graceful and bold. / My father trains this bird of prey / who lives with us at the castle.” An inset on the page reveals facts about the birds of prey used in medieval times for hunting: hawks and falcons.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hawk-of-the-castle-room

Image copyright Bagram Ibatoulline, 2017, text copyright Danna Smith, 2017. Courtesy of Candlewick.

Down in the courtyard the girl and her father prepare the hawk to fly as it sits on its favorite perch, which, as the inset explains, resembles a tree branch a hawk would normally search out in the wild. Falcons, on the other hand, prefer perches with flat surfaces like the cliffs they gather on. The girl’s father puts on a thick leather glove that protects him from the hawk’s “razor-sharp claws” as they take the bird outside the castle walls. Next, the girl gets out the hood the hawk “wears on his head, / with fancy top feathers of purple and red. / It hides his eyes so he’s not afraid / of soldiers who roam ’round the castle.” Readers learn more about this hood and its purpose in the illustrated inset.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hawk-of-the-castle-hawk

Image copyright Bagram Ibatoulline, 2017, text copyright Danna Smith, 2017. Courtesy of Candlewick.

Out in a nearby field, the girl, her father, and the hunting hound they have also trained are ready to begin the day. But before the hawk’s flight begins, children learn an astonishing fact about the bells hawks wear on their legs. Then the girl’s father raises his arm, signaling to the hawk that it’s time to take flight. The hawk takes to the sky with a cry that echoes over the castle.

As the hound flushes grouse from under a bush, the hawk, “…folds his wings and dives headfirst / in pursuit of his prey for the castle.” In midair the hawk grasps the grouse with its talons and brings it to the ground. More information about how a hawk captures its prey is found in the inset. The girl and her father follow the sounds of the bells to where the hawk and its catch hide in the tall grass. Readers discover more about the bells and what a falconer does if the raptor does not catch its prey.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hawk-of-the-castle-bells

Image copyright Bagram Ibatoulline, 2017, text copyright Danna Smith, 2017. Courtesy of Candlewick.

As a reward, the girl feeds the hawk a treat. The inset explains what kinds of treats falconers often provide for their birds. And when they get back to the castle, a large shallow bowl of water is put out for the hawk to bathe in. When the sun goes down, the sleepy hawk settles on its perch in its own room, called a mews, designed to keep the bird safe. “Built with windows for natural light and ventilation, a mews is large enough for a hawk to move freely inside without damaging its wings.”

Backmatter includes an extensive Authors Note about Danna Smith’s personal experience with falconry, the history of falconry, fascinating information about social standing and different types of raptors, and modern falconry. A list of books and websites is also provided for further reading and research. An index makes finding specific facts and topics easy for young readers.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hawk-of-the-castle-soaring

Image copyright Bagram Ibatoulline, 2017, text copyright Danna Smith, 2017. Courtesy of Candlewick.

Readers will be mesmerized by Danna Smith’s rich tale of a girl and her father and their important role in a medieval castle. The girl’s pride in her father and awe for the hawk they have trained and care for stands out on every page, creating a story steeped in history and emotional bonding. A wealth of knowledge about falconry and hunting flows fluidly through Smith’s enchanting poetry, and the graceful language of her insets, some of them illustrated, allow for smooth transitions while reading the story aloud.

Bagram Ibatoulline’s breathtakingly realistic acrylic gouache paintings of the castle and countryside will wow kids and draw them into the story to discover the processes, equipment, and purposes of falconry. No detail has been overlooked in these sumptuous pages that make readers feel they only need to reach out to feel the rough stone walls, the elegant fabrics, or the soft feathers of the stunning hawk. The castle environment is fully realized as soldiers in armor stand guard, a horse and rider exit through a stone arch, and plants even wait to be watered on a high ledge.

The centerpiece, of course, are the images of the girl and her father preparing the hawk for hunting and the hawk itself. Through various perspectives, Ibatoulline gives children an idea of the scale of the castle and the rolling countryside outside its walls. In their colorful clothing, father and daughter stand out as they kneel with the bird on its perch, summon it with an outstretched arm, add hood and bells, and release it into the sky. The facial expressions on the father and the girl depict love and trust, not only for each other but also for their hawk.

Enthralling for family reading or as an exciting addition to school or homeschool lessons on many levels, The Hawk of the Castle is a must for home, school, and public libraries.

Ages 4 – 8 and up

Candlewick, 2017 | ISBN 978-0763679927

Discover more about Danna Smith and her books on her website.

To view a portfolio of work by Bagram Ibatoulline, visit his website.

About Danna Smith

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-danna-smith-with-owl Danna Smith is a poet and an award-winning author of seventeen books for children, including Arctic White, Swallow the Leader, Mother Goose’s Pajama Party, and several Little Golden Books. Her nonfiction picture book, The Hawk of the Castle: A story of Medieval Falconry, received two starred reviews and is a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Born and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah, Danna was exposed to all sorts of creatures through her father, who trained, bred, and rehabilitated animals. It wasn’t uncommon to find bobcats, alligators, monkeys, hawks, or even vultures at her home. A love of animals and nature has spilled over into her love of writing.

Danna is currently living in northern California, where she is hard at work on her next book. For more information about her books, upcoming releases, and teaching activities, visit her book website and her poetry blog. You can also connect with Danna on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Learn about why Danna Smith wrote her beautiful story and how it came to be on The Story Behind the Story on Lynne Marie’s blog.

Look for these forthcoming books from Danna Smith
One Blue Gnu (Amicus / Spring 2022)
Wake Up, Freight Train (Little Simon / Spring 2022)
Rooftop Garden (Barefoot Books / Summer 2022)
The Thank You Book (Little Simon / Summer 2022)

National Reading Month Activity

The Hawk of the Castle activity sheet questions

The Hawk of the Castle Activity Sheet

Can you identify this equipment used in falconry? Learn the answers and more about each item in the Answer Sheet

The Hawk of the Castle Activity Sheet | The Hawk of the Castle Activity Sheet Answers

Hawk Coloring Pages

Enjoy these printable coloring pages while you learn about three kinds of hawks.

Broad-winged Hawk | Red-shouldered Hawk | Ridgeway’s Hawk

**You can find The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Rooftop Garden

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Pati Aguilera | Sung by Holly Turton

Sing with Your Child Month Activities

Rooftop Garden Seed Spheres Activity

Rooftop Garden Mini Folding Booklet Activity

You can find Rooftop Garden at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from Bookshop.

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

The Thank You Book

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

International Thank-You Day Activities

Thank You! Postcard

Thankfulness Jar

You can find The Thank You Book at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

Wake Up, Freight Train!

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Jon Andersen

Read a New Book Month Activity

Freight Train Coloring Page

You can find Wake Up, Freight Train! at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

The Thank You Book

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Juliana Perdomo

Buy a Book Day Activities

Thank You! Postcard

Thankfulness Jar

You can find The Thank You Book at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

One Blue Gnu

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Ana Zurita

National Zoo Keepers Week Activity

One Blue Gnu Activities

You can find One Blue Gnu at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry

Written by Danna Smith | Illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

About Danna Smith

National Reading Month Activity

The Hawk of the Castle Activity Sheet

Hawk Coloring Pages

You can find The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry at these booksellers

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Share this:

Like this:

**You can find Rooftop Garden at these booksellers**

**You can find The Thank You Book at these booksellers**

**You can find Wake Up, Freight Train! at these booksellers**

**You can find The Thank You Book at these booksellers**

**You can find One Blue Gnu at these booksellers**

**You can find The Hawk of the Castle: A Story of Medieval Falconry at these booksellers**