October 6 – World Animal Month

About the Holiday

We love animals, but do we take care of them the way we should? Today’s holiday came about as an expansion of World Animal Day, which is celebrated on October 4 every year and was established in 1925. The goal of World Animal Month is to promote global awareness of animals and the issues surrounding their welfare. From pets to domesticated animals to wild creatures, humans must protect and advocate for their companions and fellow travelers on this earth. Issues such as pollution, habitat destruction, and poaching threaten the world’s wide variety of species, while closer to home spaying and neutering controls the population of feral animals that often suffer from a lack of resources. The wildlife kingdom is majestic and awe-inspiring. There are many ways to celebrate the world’s animals this month: take a trip to a zoo, aquarium, or animal preserve, consider adopting a shelter animal, or donate your time or talents to your favorite animal cause.

Thanks to Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sending me this book!

This Is How to Spot Animals!

By Aline Portman | Translated by Laura Watkinson

As soon as story opens, Bear puts the kibosh on making any sound as he searches through his binoculars for a red-breasted goose. He’s perched on a rock, thermos by his side, overlooking four smaller rocks. As Bear keeps his laser focus on the view ahead of him, though, behind him a bird swoops into view, and a squirrel scampers around the rock. Below him one of those small “rocks” has begun to move. Oblivious, Bear says, “But today we’re out of luck. There’s nothing to see here.” Kids will want to shout, “Look behind you!” But they’ve already been shushed, so . . .

Text and illustration copyright © 2026 by Aline Portman. Translation copyright © 2026 by Laura Watkinson. Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.

Still, it’ll be impossible for them to stifle the giggles as Bear assures kids that while “spotting animals isn’t easy, [he’s] very, very good at it.” Because at the same time, the squirrel is carrying away Bear’s thermos, the bird takes its place and a rabbit pops up from its hole to see what’s happening. Even the snail has reached higher heights. Here, Bear begins a primer on “how it’s done.” Now those giggles will erupt into uncontainable laughter as a boar, a fox, and more birds join the fray, while Bear opines,
“Never lose focus! If you do, you might miss something” while taking a quick snooze.

And when Bear does wake up? As the life-list red-breasted goose (indeed, an entire flock!) fly directly overhead, he’s spying something on the ground. When they come to earth, Bear’s looking skyward; and so it goes in the spirit of hilarious farce that young readers will howl at. These escalating antics are punctuated with Bear’s repeated refrain, “But today we’re out of luck. There’s nothing to see here.” Bear’s final piece of advice—to “use a good pair of binoculars”—leads to the ultimate irony that will elicit one last shout of help (and a laugh) from readers.

A game of “Did you spot these animals?” throughout the pages follows the story.

Starting off by adding the emphatic “This is” to the title (and even usurping author Aline Portman’s name on the cover), Bear takes authoritative possession of the action even as his obliviousness contradicts his claim of superior skill. Portman’s sly story employs clever text and hilarious illustrations that work in tandem while sporting surprises as well. Kids will gleefully accept Portman’s invitation to take lingering looks at every page and exuberantly refute Bear’s erroneous refrain.

A delightfully original story that invites uninhibited interaction and plenty of laughter, This Is How to Spot Animals! is a must for all library collections and will be an often-asked-for read aloud at home, in classrooms, and for any story time.

Ages 3 – 7

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0802856616

About the Author

Aline Portman started writing this book on the tram, where she was surrounded by people looking at their phones and missing out on the world around them. She developed the idea into This Is How to Spot Animals! and illustrated it with pencils, soft pastels, and markers. This book is Aline’s English-language debut. She lives in Ghent, Belgium. Follow her on Instagram @alineportman.

About the Translator

Laura Watkinson translates books for children and adults from Dutch, German, and Italian. Her translations have received numerous honors, including three Mildred L. Batchelder Awards, two Mildred L. Batchelder Honors, and the Vondel Translation Prize. She is the founder of the Dutch chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SBCWI). Laura lives in Amsterdam. Visit her website at laurawatkinson.com.

You can purchase This Is How to Spot Animals! from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 7 – Get Caught Reading Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

When you love to read, you want to share all the excitement that books contain. The Get Caught Reading campaign was initiated in 1999 by the Association of American Publishers with the idea to promote literacy and language development through reading to children and spurring them to read on their own. All month long, people are encouraged to pass along their love of literature—from board books to Shakespeare and everything in between—by taking pictures of themselves reading and sharing them on social media. Movie and TV celebrities, sports figures, authors, illustrators, teachers, moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, and kids of all ages take part in this favorite annual event. Why don’t you?! For more information, visit the Get Caught Reading website.

The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars

Written by Laura Alary | Illustrated by Yas Imamura

When Cecilia Payne was eight years old, she found a bee orchid in the apple orchid. This would not have been surprising had she lived in the south of France, but this was England, where the flower did not (normally) grow. The discovery led her to make two promises to herself: 1: “she would learn to see all the wonders in the world,” and 2: “she would always trust what she knew was right.”

Always intellectually curious, Cecilia explored the forests, learned the names of all the constellations, adopted the scientific method to her studies, and even read the encyclopedia. At school the other girls couldn’t understand her fascination with science. Later, when she went to Cambridge University, she was surrounded by renowned scientists who “were seeing what no one could see with their eyes, hidden things that were visible only to the imagination.” When she heard the famous astronomer Arthur Eddington speak, she decided to become an astronomer too.

She found an old telescope, and Arthur Eddington gave her a key to the observatory library. What she found there made Cecelia want to join the ranks of the greatest astronomers, but she was not as welcome in the classroom, where some professors ignored her and others told her she’d never become an astronomer. Cecelia packed her bags and moved to America to study at Harvard.

At Harvard she found freedom—and other women studying the stars. These women “shared with her their greatest treasure—thousands of glass photographs of starlight.” The mystery they were trying to solve was what stars are made of. Cecilia had brought new ideas from Cambridge that might help her find out. She learned to read the patterns of black lines in the spectrums found in the spectrums on the glass plates. These led her to believe that stars were not made of rock but of gases.

When she finally shared her research and conclusions, the men told her “it was impossible. That Cecilia must be mistaken.” For the first time Cecilia broke that long-ago promise she’d make herself and “backed down.” Four years later, however, they admitted she was right. It took another decade for Cecilia to be promoted to the rank of astronomer at Harvard and another 18 years before she was appointed as Professor of Astronomy—becoming the “first woman to become a full professor at Harvard University.” One thing she taught her students was that “becoming a scientist . . . can be a tough climb up a steep hill. But if you keep going, the view is amazing.”

Extensive back matter includes an Author’s Note revealing interesting aspects of Cecilia’s life and how she can inspire children; a detailed timeline of Cecilia’s life; a timeline of pivotal dates in Astronomy, an introduction to the women known as the “Harvard Computers” and more about Cecilia’s work; Honors and Awards given to Cecilia; and a list of books for further reading.

Laura Alary draws children into the life and work of Cecilia Payne through her factual and lyrical storytelling that allows them to experience the wonder Cecilia saw in everything around her, especially the cosmos. Weaving in the observational methods that came naturally to Cecilia, Alary creates a well-rounded portrait of this trailblazing scientist who overcame the dismissals and discrimination of the time to prove her theories correct. The comprehensive information she includes following the story will spark much interest in Cecilia’s work and the history of astronomy and will serve young researchers very well.

Yas Imamura’s stunning gouache and watercolor illustrations welcome young readers into Cecilia Payne’s world with warmth and the excitement of discovery. Exciting collage-inspired images replicate Cecilia’s scientific vision and her fascination with the stars and astronomy. The pages introducing the other women astronomers at Harvard are a welcome depiction of their influence on science. Imamura’s colors are lush and deep, giving children the feeling of gazing into space along with Cecilia to unlock its mysteries.

An inspiring and illuminating biography of a premier astronomer, The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars is a must for all school and public libraries and will be an influential book on any young science lover’s home bookshelf.

Ages 7 – 12

Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0802855152

About the Author

Laura Alary has written over a dozen books for children, including The Astronomer Who Questioned Everything (Kids Can), Here (Paraclete), What Grew in Larry’s Garden (Kids Can), and All the Faces of Me (Owlkids). She hopes that Cecilia’s story inspires children to follow their curiosity and find confidence in their own unique voices. Laura lives in Toronto, Canada. Visit her website at lauraalary.ca.

About the Illustrator

Yas Imamura is the acclaimed illustrator of many picture books, including Love in the Library (Candlewick), Can You Imagine? (Atheneum), Winged Wonders (Sleeping Bear), and The Bicycle (Balzer + Bray). She frequently works with gouache and watercolor, and she is often drawn to playful and slightly offbeat projects. Yas lives and works in Portland, Oregon. Follow her on Instagram.

Get Caught Reading Month Activity

Stargazing is Fun Maze

Look through the telescope to fine the stars in this maze!

Stargazing is Fun Maze | Stargazing is Fun Maze Solution

You can purchase The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 1 – National Pet Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Today we’re celebrating our best friends! Who are they? Our pets, of course! Small (or large) and fury (or feathered, scaled, or finned), our pets give us unconditional love and loads of happiness. Just watching them navigate their day is entertaining and educational. National Pet Month was established to honor these in-home pals and remind pet owners to ensure their pets have everything they need to live a long and healthy life. This month take extra time to have fun with your pet—maybe just not too much, as today’s book reveals!

Thanks to Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sending me this book for review!

Arthur’s Cat

By Johan Leynaud | Translated by Sarah Ardizzone

The first thing to know is that “Arthur adores his cat!” If he could, he’d cuddle him all the time, but Zeffo’s not so into it. The second thing is that Arthur has plans for Zeffo—BIG, fun plans that any super-hero-loving boy would like to do with his favorite sidekick; also high-jumping plans and reading plans; even gourmet plans. But Zeffo? He’s really not into it. So when Arthur picks Zeffo up and gives him tight hug? “Owwwww!” There’s a scratch and tears and big feelings—on both sides.

“Zeffo waits for the days to pass and the night skies to twinkle so the sadness can shrink, and Arthur’s heart can heal. So his hand can open without trying to hold tight.” Slowly, trust and confidence are rebuilt, and joy and play return as Arthur learns to respect Zeffo’s boundaries. Then Arthur and Zeffo are able to “love each other freely.”

Like a favorite treat mix, Johan Leynaud’s gentle storytelling in Arthur’s Cat entices, excites, and satisfies. Leynaud’s breezy delivery belies his deep insight into the finesse and understanding it can take to forge a relationship between young children and their pets, friends, or siblings and shows that respecting others’ boundaries can actually bring the closeness one seeks. Arthur is endearing with his cat-ears haircut and boundless love for Zeffo. Leynaud’s witty and elegant illustrations of towering furnishings and messes as well as Zeffo’s facial expressions will bring plenty of laughs. The final illustrations of Arthur and Zeffo finally enjoying a sweet goodnight cuddle are heartwarming.

Sarah Ardizzone’s graceful and melodic translation conveys all of the humor and heart that makes Johan Leynaud’s story so meaningful.

Tender, lovely, and profound, Arthur’s Cat is a true delight, one that will be a much-asked-for favorite on home bookshelves and is a must for all library collections.

Ages 3 – 7

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0802856586

About the Author

Johan Leynaud is a French artist, illustrator, and author who studied at the Beaux-Arts de Marseille and spends most of his time drawing. He hopes Arthur’s Cat, his English-language debut, will help children respect animals as living beings who sometimes need their space. One day Johan watched his niece play with her cat―and Arthur’s Cat began to grow in his mind. Follow Johan on Instagram.

About the Translator

Sarah Ardizzone has translated over fifty books from the French, including Thread by Thread, Sweet Dreamers, and Letters from Bear (all Eerdmans). Her translations have been named to best-of-the-year lists by Kirkus, School Library Journal, and the Bank Street College of Education. Sarah lives in Brixton, England, with her family and a fluffy black cat named Hector. Follow her on Instagram.

National Pet Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-wooden-bead-cat-craft

A Little Ball of Kitten

This sweet little kitten is easy to make and can keep you company on your desk, shelf, or anywhere! Since every kitten is different, you can make yours look just the way you want. Here’s how I made mine:

Supplies

Wooden ball with a flat bottom, available in craft stores and in different sizes
Craft paint in any color kitten you’d like (I used red and yellow and mixed it to make a mottled orange)
Craft paint in pink or white for the inner ear
Scrap of fleece for the ears. Fleece is easily shaped to the rounded ball and when painted is stiff enough to stand up on its own.
Thin, colored wire in several colors for the tail (string or twine, wrapped wire, fleece, stiff paper, and other materials could also be used)
Paint brush
Permanent marker for making the face
Hot glue gun or strong glue

Directions

Paint the wooden ball and let dry
Paint the scrap of fleece to match the wooden ball, let dry
Cut out small triangular shapes for the ears. Round the bottom of the ears slightly so they fit the shape of the ball
If making a tail from several colors of thin wire, twist them together, leaving one end untwisted
With the glue gun or strong glue attach the ears to the top of the head
With the glue gun attach the tail to the back of the wooden ball in the center near the base
With the marker, draw eyes, nose, and mouth for the face and semicircles near the bottom for the paws

You can purchase Arthur’s Cat from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

March 13 – International Dark Sky Week

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

International Dark Sky Week (IDSW) was founded in 2003 by high school student Jennifer Barlow, who wanted to raise awareness about the problems caused by light pollution and invite people to make beneficial changes. The initiative is now managed by DarkSky International, an association founded in the 1980s by astronomers with the hopes of restoring the nighttime environment from the damage created by the excessive use of light. To learn more about DarkSky International and how you can help, visit them at idsw.darksky.org. Make sure to check out their Activity Page for kids crafts, activity pages, virtual nighttime and NASA tours, and ways that you and your family can get involved in citizen-science projects, and more!

Thanks to Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sending me this book for review!

Who Hid the Stars?: How Light Pollution Changes Our World

Written by Danio Miserocchi and Maciej Michno | Illustrated by Valentina Gottardi | Translated by Sylvia Notini

Through their informative text, translated from Italian, Danio Miserocchi and Maciej Michno take readers on nighttime walks to see for themselves the types of artificial light that, while beneficial to humans are detrimental to many creatures. They begin with a short history of artificial light and define light pollution while Valentina Gottardi illustrates how outdoor light fixtures can be shielded for least-polluting effect.

In their chapter on birds, Miserocchi and Michno discuss how artificial light creates unnatural and even dangerous conditions for diurnal birds, who sleep at night; nocturnal birds, who need darkness to hunt; and night-flying migratory birds, who can get lost or confused by lights along their routes. Gottardi’s map showing the world lit up at night will fascinate readers while demonstrating how pervasive, bright, and intrusive artificial light is for migrating birds. The authors also reveal how some birds have learned to use artificial lighting to their advantage.

A chapter on insects clearly explains how artificial light not only attracts nocturnal insects but how it confuses their natural flight patterns and why we see moths swarming around streetlights, porch lights, and other outdoor fixtures. An interesting spread on fireflies goes in depth on how and why they light up, their blinking communication codes, and all the ways artificial disturbs them. Children also learn how light affects bats, small mammals, amphibians, spiders, and even underwater creatures.

It might surprise you that artificial light can even alter the growth and seasonal shifts of trees and plants. From plants’ blooming schedules to pollinator visits to vulnerability to disease and even to the impact on allergies, extended light exposure creates issues that affect us all. In closing, Miserocchi and Michno invite readers to look up at the nighttime sky and contemplate how many stars you can see. They then encourage us to take steps—even small steps—to reducing light pollution around our homes and neighborhoods.

Back matter includes a glossary, simple ideas anyone can do to reduce light pollution, and resources for learning more.

Danio Miserocchi’s and Maciej Michno’s straightforward text is as engaging as it is informative. Not only do readers discover the harmful effects of artificial light pollution in general, but they learn about specific species of insects, birds, and other creatures and the various ways their habits and habitats—altered by light pollution—begin chain reactions with wide-ranging adverse results.

Valentina Gottardi’s luminescent mixed media illustrations transport readers to nighttime landscapes, where her beautiful, nearly photographic images of a wide array of birds, moths and fireflies, bats, geckos and toads, fish and sea turtles will captivate nature lovers. Between chapters, Gottardi’s two-page spreads beckon readers to explore a darkened park dotted with glowing lamps, a city courtyard where street lights and apartment windows glow, and a glitzy boulevard, where the neon glare never sleeps.

Eye-opening science wrapped in nature’s nighttime beauty, Who Hid the Stars?: How Light Pollution Changes Our World is an impactful addition for classrooms, school and public library collections, and for all children interested in the environment and nature.

Ages 8 – 14

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0802856517

About the Authors

Danio Miserocchi is a coauthor of The Tomorrow Tree (Phaidon) and Who Hid the Stars? (Eerdmans). He is an Italian naturalist and teacher who works with museums and community organizations on conservation and biodiversity initiatives. Follow her on Instagram @daniomiserocchi.

Maciej Michno is an editor at Cocai Books, which creates educational, scientifically verified books focused on often-overlooked natural subjects. His titles include Who Hid the Stars? (Eerdmans) and The Tomorrow Tree (Phaidon).

About the Illustrator

Valentina Gottardi has pursued her dual passions of art and nature since childhood. At Cocai Books, she serves as artistic director and designer for all projects, including Who Hid the Stars? (Eerdmans), and The Tomorrow Tree (Phaidon). Visit her here.

About the Translator

Sylvia Notini has translated over 200 titles from Italian into English, including Who Hid the Stars? (Eerdmans) and Sea Wonders (Princeton Architectural). Her translation of Just a Girl (HarperCollins) won the 2023 Mildred L. Batchelder Award, and her translation of Chickenology (Princeton Architectural) was a finalist for the AAAS Prize for Excellence in Science Books. Sylvia lives in Castenaso, just outside of Bologna, Italy. Visit her at sylvianotini.com.

International Dark Sky Week Activity

Look deep into the naturally dark night sky over Bryce Canyon National Park as Astronomy Ranger Kelly Ricks talks about the stars, the Milky Way, and the excitement of children seeing it all for the first time!

You can purchase Who Hid the Stars? from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

April 6 – National Poetry Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

The Academy of American Poets established National Poetry Month in April 1996, making this year the 30th anniversary of this event that has become the largest literary celebration in the world. The holiday highlights the achievements of poets, past and present; to promote the reading and writing of poetry in schools and by individuals; and to encourage people to discover the joys poetry can bring all year round. To celebrate, check for events at libraries, bookstores, schools, and other venues in your area and enjoy reading the work of your favorite—or a new—poet. You might even try writing your own poetry! Get inspired all year long with today’s book! To learn more visit the Academy of American Poets and American Writers Museum.

Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More

Written by Bette Westera | Illustrated by Henriette Boerendans | Translated by David Colmer

We may begin our year in January, but Poems for Every Season takes it’s cue from nature, which celebrates renewal in Spring. Bette Westera welcomes March and warming weather with her rondel “Spring Dance,” in which a newborn lamb “. . . wobbles through the field with knobbly knees” but soon “gambols, bucks, and bounces . . . with ease” as nearby the farmer plants corn and the mother sheep rests. By April we’re all feeling like gamboling, but Westera acknowledges such “Spring Fever” with the now busy bees and butterflies in her acrostic poem that is a homage to Vincent Van Gogh alongside Henriette Boerendans’ woodcut of almond branches—one of Van Gogh’s favorite subjects to paint.

In her summer haiku, Westera opens the warmest season with the steady and reassuring resolve of bees: “Bumblebees buzz by / Golden sunlight fills the sky / It must be summer.” Her pantoum poem for June, “The Longest Day”, takes place on the summer solstice—that day when “the sun’s refusing to go down” and “there’s much too much to see”—as a mother deer cautions her newborn fawn to lie low in the grass and be quiet while she grazes and a fox waits for darkness that will not come. August rings with a request from sunflowers to stormy clouds before autumn is upon them.

The cooling temperatures of Fall bring “Windfall” apples in September, and a diamond-shaped diamante verse for October pays tribute to animals and plants that bravely face the shivery days of mid-autumn. A repeating line in Westera’s charming rondelet for November celebrates the snuggly warmth of the season before winter comes with it’s ice and snow. A playful December limerick eavesdrops on the “Stay-at-homes”—those birds who know the benefits of a free buffet. And suddenly we’re in the deepest part of winter, with January’s defining colors eloquently found in the feathers of a goose. January, however, soon gives way to a hopeful thaw in February and the whispers of a beckoning spring in Westera’s sonnet that reminds us of the character of this mercurial month.

The poems are followed by conversational discussions about each poetic form that will enlighten readers and prove instructional for writers and teachers. The poems include haiku, rondel, acrostic, double dactyl, pantoum, elevenie, tanka, quatrain, diamante, rondelet, limerick, stacking poem (an invention by Bette Westera), and sonnet.

Bette Westera opens a curtain on fleeting, heart-stirring moments in nature throughout the year with her poems that are as alluring as they are direct. Her lovely vignettes are layered with humorous similes, charming anthropomorphism, unexpected happenstance, and sometimes the hint of danger. Each varied verse offers a rich reading experience and beckons us to look closely and with appreciation at the world around us.

Through her exquisite woodcut prints, Henriette Boerendansis allows young readers to join the lambs, deer, birds, and other wildlife on a farm as it hosts them and the changing seasons. Children will relish being within petting distance of a newborn lamb, concealed among buttercups with a fawn, curled up with a hedgehog preparing for hibernation, and the confidante of birds. Boerendansis’s breathtaking colors soothe with the tranquil greens and blues of spring, delight with the deep hues of summer, glow with autumn warmth, and shiver with winter’s icy cloak.

David Colmer’s translation is nimble and smart, illuminating Bette Westera’s combination of humor and insight with easy grace.

Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More is a luminous poetry collection that grows more brilliant with every read. It is a book that will enhance any library collection, would make a wonderful gift, and which, at home, should be kept in a place of prominence to be enjoyed throughout the year.

Ages 5 – 9

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2026 | ISBN 978-0802856524

About the Author

Bette Westera has written over fifty books for children, including Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise and the Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book Later, When I’m Big (both Eerdmans). She has also translated books by Dr. Seuss, Astrid Lindgren, and Julia Donaldson into the Dutch language. Bette lives in the Netherlands, where her books have received two Golden Pencil awards and six Silver Pencil honors. Visit her website at bettewestera.nl.

About the Illustrator

Henriette Boerendansis an Amsterdam-based printmaker and illustrator. Poems for All Seasons is her English-language debut. While walking in nature together one day, Bette and Henriette brainstormed new projects and came up with the idea for this book. Follow Henriette on Instagram @henriette.boerendans and visit her website at boerendans.com.

About the Translator

David Colmer is an Australian writer and translator of Dutch and Flemish literature. He has translated over eighty books throughout his career, including I’ll Root for You, A Pond Full of Ink, and Fast Cheetah, Slow Tortoise (all Eerdmans). His work has been honored with many awards, including the PEN Translation Prize and the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s James Brockway Prize, which recognizes a translator’s body of Dutch-language poetry. David lives in Amsterdam.

National Poetry Month Activity

CPB - Plant Poem

Grow a Poem Craft

A poem often grows in your imagination like a beautiful plant—starting from the seed of an idea, breaking through your consciousness, and growing and blooming into full form. With this craft you can create a unique poem that is also an art piece!

Supplies

Printable Leaves Template, available here and on the blog post — or draw your own
Printable Flower Template, available here and on the blog post — or draw your own
Wooden dowel, ½-inch diameter, available in craft or hardware stores — or green bamboo or plastic garden plant stakes
Green ribbon
Green craft paint
Colored paper for leaves and flowers
Flower pot or box
Oasis or clay
Hole punch
Glue

Directions

Paint the dowel green, let dry
Print the leaves and flower templates — or draw your own
Cut out the leaves and flowers
Punch a hole in the bottom of the leaves or flowers
Write full poems or lines of poems on the leaves and flowers
String the leaves and flowers onto the green ribbon in the order you want your poem to be read
Attach the ribbon to the bottom of the pole with glue or tape
Wrap the ribbon around the pole, leaving spaces between the ribbon
Gently arrange the leaves and flowers so they stick out from the pole
Put oasis or clay in the flower pot or box
Stick your poem pole in the pot
Display your poem!

You can purchase Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

December 12 – International Sound Check Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Today’s holiday began with a bit of serendipity in 2012, when some people online noticed a connection with the abbreviated date notation 12/12/12 with the well-known phrase “check one two, one two” that musicians, speakers, and sound engineers use when testing microphones before a live event. This recognition grew over time to celebrate not only the suspense inherent in those momentary sound checks, but the importance of this preparation to performers and audiences alike as well as to all the creative professionals behind this technology. Likewise, today’s book sweeps readers away on a wave of sound.

Thank you to Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sharing this book with me for review!

Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear

By Olga Fadeeva | Translated by Lena Traer

If you have a child who loves sound—making it and listening to it—and who often asks, “Didja hear that?” then they’re sure to love today’s book. Olga Fadeeva begins her fascinating deep dive into sound with a quick discussion that pings from the most simple definition (sound is “what we perceive with our ears”) to how physics describes it as a “wave that creates a vibration that passes from molecule to molecule through almost any medium,” to a visual representation using the way a stone dropped into water creates waves, plus a couple of other interesting tidbits to boot.

Fadeeva addresses how humans produce sounds and how we hear them, reveals what an echo and echolocation are (as well as the longest recorded echo), and swoops into the world of birds to break down the “two different types of birdsong: songs and calls.” She talks about how birds learn their particular songs and how they adapt to humans’ noise so they can be heard. Fadeeva then wings her way from birds to the sounds that animals and undersea creatures make.

Next, Fadeeva touches on the 7,000 world languages as well as sign language and hearing aids before taking readers on a marvelous time-traveling odyssey. With the turn of a page, children find themselves in the prehistoric world, listening for “the hack of a stone ace, the murmur of the wind, the crackling of a fire, the distant roar of wild animals.” Fadeeva imagines how these sounds and the peoples’ natural clapping, stomping, and vocalizations became music accompanied by the first percussion instruments—”drums, mallets, and rattles made from dried gourds filled with seeds or stones”—and wind instruments—”pipes and flutes made from reeds, bones, animal horns, and seashells.”

From prehistoric times, readers move on to the Ancient World with its innovation and astounding amphitheaters and actors’ face masks, both created to amplify sound from dramatic performances in an age well before microphones. Kids also drop into the Middle Ages; the early Modern Period of the 16th to 19th centuries, during which the “‘hoot’ of a steamboat whistle, the puffing of a steam train . . . [and] the sounds of a piano” first filled the air; and today’s Modern Age, where so many disparate sounds meet our ears while the music scene has exploded with innovation and experimentation.

Fadeeva’s coda to her absorbing work includes information on musical notation, orchestras, and various recording devices. Young readers will also be entranced by the different ways people interpret animal sounds around the world and how music can affect how we feel. Even the endpapers offer trivia and experiments to try. Sprinkled throughout the pages are fun “Try It!” activities that engage readers in experimentation.

Fadeeva’s text is dynamically accompanied by her enthralling acrylic-and-water illustrations that bring sound, history, the animal kingdom, cities, and the world of music vibrantly alive for young readers.

Lena Traer’s smooth and captivating translation of the text from Russian creates an engrossing and rewarding reading experience. She has also translated Olga Fadeeva’s Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us (2024) and Wind: Discovering Air in Motion (2023).

Part of the Spectacular STEAM for Curious Readers series, Olga Fadeeva’s scintillating Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear synthesizes all types of aural experiences and devices, inviting young readers to engage their sense of hearing and imagination as she introduces them to the mechanics, history, and impact of sound. The book is a must addition to any library collection as well as for media specialists and teachers looking for an exciting cross-curricular way to engage their students, music educators, and children who respond to sound or have music flowing through their veins.

Ages 8 – 14

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-0802856487

Olga Fadeeva is the author and illustrator of Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us, Wind: Discovering Air in Motion (Eerdmans), and many other books for children. Wind earned a starred reviews from Kirkus and was named a USSBY Outstanding International Book, and Water earned starred reviews from Booklist and School Library Journal. Olga’s art has been honored in Italy, China, and her home country of Russia. Follow Olga on Instagram @olgafadeeva_illustrations.

Lena Traer is a Russian- and English-language translator with a focus on books for children and young adults. She has translated Wind: Discovering Air in Motion, Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us, and On the Edge of the World (all Eerdmans) into English and has also translated a variety of picture books and scientific materials into Russian. Born and raised in Siberia, Russia, Lena now lives in San Francisco.

International Sound Check Day Activity

It’s Instrumental! Game

Roll the dice in this fun game to gather all the instruments you need to create a music group. The first person to collect all 6 instrument cards is the winner!

Supplies

Printable Paper Cube Template
Printable Musical Instruments Cards—print one page for each player
Scissors
Tape

Directions

Print the Paper Cube Template, cut it out and assemble the cube die.
Print the Musical Instruments cards, cut out cards, and separate the instruments into piles
Players take turns rolling the die cube to collect musical instrument cards
The first player to collect all 6 instrument cards is the winner

You can purchase Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

November 13 – World Kindness Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

World Kindness Day began with a conference in 1997 in which organizations from across the globe met in Japan for the purpose of uplifting and recognizing kindness on a global scale. From this meeting they created a “Declaration of Kindness” and, later, a nonprofit called the World Kindness Movement was formed to support and honor community-scale kindness initiatives. Kindness on any scale, on any day, is important to celebrate. Today’s story shows the impact that one kind gesture can have.

Thank you to Eerdmans Books for Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book for review! All opinions are my own.

Late Today

Written by Jungyoon Huh | Illustrated by Myungae Lee | Translated by Aerin Park

It’s 8:15 A.M.—rush hour in Seoul—and traffic is backed up bumper-to-bumper. No one wants to be late. Amidst the gridlock “a kitten, barely two weeks old, was crossing the bridge.” She darted back and forth, in front of wheels, over wheels, underneath cars and trucks.

Everyone saw her. Some worried about her, some wondered how she’d gotten there, some just looked away. “It was the kind of thing where no one can point a finger and call ‘coward,’ even when someone ignores what’s happening and just passes by.”

But one woman in one car lost sight of the kitten and pulled over, screeching to a halt. Through the earsplitting honks and the sudden downpour, the woman and her child tried to hear the kitten’s cry. Then—there!—they heard it. The woman hurried from her car, cradled the shaking kitten in her hands, and brought it into the car with her. On the bridge everyone sighed with relief. They would all be late, but that was okay. “Today was a good day to be late.”

In Jungyoon Huh’s simply stated, yet powerfully thought-provoking story—translated from Korean by Aerin Park—she places readers in the middle of a traffic jam and invites each of us to reflect on what we would do in the circumstances. We all want to be the person who would decide to rescue the kitten, but are we? Taking time to stop during our day or putting ourselves in an uncomfortable or dangerous spot to lend a hand to an animal, another person, or a group can seem daunting or even ineffective. But Lee reminds us that even the smallest kindness or action is noticed by those around us, does make an impact on breaking paralyzing gridlock of action or thought, and can uplift us all and clear the way forward.

Myungae Lee’s colored pencil and oil pastel illustrations grip readers from the first page, where not even an inch separates the cars hemmed in on the bridge. You can feel the urgency of the commuters as your eye flits from Lee’s soft neutral hues to the neon yellows of headlights, concrete barriers, and a bus. Turning the page, a smudge of a kitten, alone amidst the gray of exhaust and cloud, rivets your eye. With every page turn, your perspective alters as you dart among the wheels with the kitten and are introduced to various onlookers. When the kitten disappears from sight (although eagle-eyed kids may spy him) and the woman pulls over to listen, Lee imbues two full-page spreads with maximum emotion and suspense until the cat is seen and rescued and the commuters exhale a communal sigh of relief.

Late Today is an absorbing story and conversation starter that’s sure to stir your heart. It will become a much-loved addition to home bookshelves and is a must for library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025 | ISBN 978-0802856494

About the Author

Jungyoon Huh studied child development and education in college and graduate school, and she now works as a picture book author, animation director, and university professor in South Korea. Her books have been selected for the White Ravens catalog and for the BRAW Amazing Bookshelf. Late Today is her English-language debut.

About the Illustrator

Myungae Lee is a South Korean picture book author and illustrator who has twice been selected as illustrator of the year at the Bologna Children’s Book Fair. Her work has received honors including the Nami Concours Green Island Award, the BIB Golden Plaque Award, and the BIB Golden Apple Award. In 2020, Lee was shortlisted for the AOI World Illustration Awards. Late Today is her English-language debut. Lee lives near the Seogang Bridge in Seoul, South Korea, and she often meets stray cats while walking to her studio. Follow Lee on Instagram @myungaelee.

About the Translator

Aerin Park is a Korean and English translator whose projects include the Korean-to-English translations of Okchundang Candy and The Legend of Tiger and Tail-Flower (both Levine Querido). She has also translated Korean source materials for Paula Yoo’s Rising from the Ashes (Norton) and served as an interpreter and cultural consultant for theatrical productions. Park lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she enjoys reading Korean history with her children. Visit her website at aerinpark.com.

World Kindness Day Activity

Wandering Kitty Maze

Can you help this kitten find his way back home in this Wandering Kitty Maze?

You can purchase Late Today from these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

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This Is How to Spot Animals!

By Aline Portman | Translated by Laura Watkinson

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The Curious Life of Cecilia Payne: Discovering the Stuff of Stars

Written by Laura Alary | Illustrated by Yas Imamura

Get Caught Reading Month Activity

Stargazing is Fun Maze

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Arthur’s Cat

By Johan Leynaud | Translated by Sarah Ardizzone

National Pet Month Activity

A Little Ball of Kitten

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Who Hid the Stars?: How Light Pollution Changes Our World

Written by Danio Miserocchi and Maciej Michno | Illustrated by Valentina Gottardi | Translated by Sylvia Notini

International Dark Sky Week Activity

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Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More

Written by Bette Westera | Illustrated by Henriette Boerendans | Translated by David Colmer

National Poetry Month Activity

Grow a Poem Craft

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About the Holiday

Sound: Discovering the Vibrations We Hear

By Olga Fadeeva | Translated by Lena Traer

International Sound Check Day Activity

It’s Instrumental! Game

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About the Holiday

Late Today

Written by Jungyoon Huh | Illustrated by Myungae Lee | Translated by Aerin Park

World Kindness Day Activity

Wandering Kitty Maze

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