Picture Books about Family

March 2 – Read Across America Day

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About the Holiday

Today’s holiday, established by the National Education Association in 1997, encourages children all across the country to celebrate reading and all of its joys and benefits. To commemorate the day, authors, illustrators, politicians, athletes, librarians, and families hold special reading events in schools, libraries, bookstores, and community centers. A love of reading is one of life’s greatest pleasures and begun early can be a powerful force for future success. Celebrate today by reading with a child or on your own. There are fabulous worlds and stories waiting to be discovered.

Nerp!

By Sarah Lynne Reul

 

If you want to serve up a giggle-feast for your kids, you only need to open Nerp! To have them gobbling up the big slice of silliness Sarah Lynne Reul has whipped up. Part reptile, part fish, and completely adorable, the family conjured up by Reul—a mom, a dad, a baby, and their pet—are just getting ready to enjoy dinner.

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Copyright Sarah Lynne Reul, 2020, courtesy of Sterling Children’s Books

The baby has just helped Mom plop out their pet’s food into its dish and is pointing out how delicious that pink wiggly blob it. But the little family friend looks aghast and lets out a very decided “NERP.” Just then, though, all attention turns to Dad who proudly holds aloft the bowl of jelly-bean colored “Frizzle frazzle hotchy potch!” The baby gazes at his dad pleadingly while pointing at the bowl. “Hotchy-potch?” he asks. Then, giving the bowl the side-eye as if it might jump up and bite him, the tyke pushes it away with a decided “NERP.”

Another bowl appears, this one full of “Mushy gushy bloobarsh.” This bowl is even more ominous than the first, and the baby gasps. Their long-snouted pup, however, is licking its lips. Mom and Dad were apparently ready for these first rejections and have two more dishes on hand, but now Baby—his eyes closed—cannot even stand to sit at the table. “NERPITY NERPITY NERPITY NERP!” he says.

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Copyright Sarah Lynne Reul, 2020, courtesy of Sterling Children’s Books

Perhaps Mom and Dad have a personal chef stashed away somewhere because six more scrumptious meals—one even holding its own fork—emerge from the kitchen to entice the little one to eat. But where is Baby? His chair’s empty and his bib discarded. And yet there is a very welcome “ssluuurrrrrrrpppppp” sound coming from somewhere. Mom and Dad are so delighted, happy, thrilled to hear this sound of happy scarfing that they drop all of those carefully prepared and plated meals and rush to find out where it’s coming from.

But Whhhaaaaatttt!!!?? do they see? Their precious tot is down on all fours guzzling…pet food. Oh, well, shrugs Mom as Baby burps, but Dad is none too happy as he scrapes all of their hard work onto an enormous plate for a very happy pup who lets out a decided “YERP!” And with full bellies these two lay back with a “Yerpetty yerpetty yerpy yerp.”

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Copyright Sarah Lynne Reul, 2020, courtesy of Sterling Children’s Books

Clever mashups of foodie words, tasty adjectives, and nonsense words that are fun to say make reading Nerp! aloud––and with verve––a joy.  Combining this entertaining dialogue with charming mixed-media illustrations set in a diorama made of cardboard, Sarah Lynne Reul creates a wholly original story that will keep children and adults laughing all the way through. Reul addresses that age-old food fight between finicky kids and frantic caregivers with hilarious dishes and facial expressions that perfectly reflect the emotions on both sides. Her pitch-perfect ending will delight kids and have adults nodding in appreciation.

Perfect for both reluctant and adventurous eaters as well as for all book lovers, Nerp! belongs on the reading menu at home, school, and public libraries.

Ages 3 – 7

Sterling Children’s Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1454934028

To learn more about Sarah Lynne Reul, her books, and her art, visit her website.

Read Across America Day Activity

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Books to Love, Books to Read Book Bag

 

True book lovers can’t go anywhere without a book (or two or three) to read along the way. With this easy craft you can turn a cloth bag into a kid-size book bag!

Supplies

  • Printable Templates: Books to Read Template | Books to Love Template or iron-on letters found at craft stores
  • Small cloth bag, available from craft or sewing stores—Recyclable Idea: I used the bag that sheet sets now come in
  • Cloth trim or strong ribbon, available from craft or sewing stores—Recyclable Idea: I used the cloth handles from shopping bags provided from some clothing stores
  • Scraps of different colored and patterned cloth. Or use quilting squares, available at craft and sewing stores
  • Pen or pencil for tracing letters onto cloth
  • Scissors
  • Fabric glue
  • Thread (optional)
  • Needle (optional)

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Directions

  1. Print the sayings and cut out the letters
  2. Trace letters onto different kinds of cloth
  3. Cut out cloth letters
  4. Iron cloth bag if necessary
  5. Attach words “Books to Read” to one side of bag with fabric glue
  6. Attach words “Books to Love” to other side of bag with fabric glue
  7. Cut cloth trim or ribbon to desired length to create handles
  8. Glue (or sew) handles onto the inside edge of bag

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You can find Nerp! at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review

February 14 – International Book Giving Day

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About the Holiday

International Book Giving Day was established by Amy Broadmoore and her son and is now celebrated in more than 44 countries. The idea behind the holiday is for people to buy, share, and donate books so that all children can have access to books and know the pleasure and educational benefits of reading. To learn more about today’s holiday, visit the International Book Giving Day website.  You’ll also discover the names of literacy organizations in your country, find tips on ways to get involved, and find bookmarks and bookplates to download. Today, of course, is also Valentine’s Day, and along with the hugs, candy, cards, and fun, giving a book is a wonderful way to show your child how much you love them.

I received a copy of Birdsong from Greystone Books for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Birdsong

By Julie Flett

 

On a rainy, gloomy day a little girl, Katherena, and her mother pack up their last belongings for a move from their house in a seaside city to the country. Katherena thinks about all the friends and relatives she’ll miss. She thinks about how she’ll miss her “bedroom window and the tree outside. ‘Goodbye, tree friend,” she whispers. They drive past fields and over mountains, stopping to watch a coyote cross the road.

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Copyright Julie Flett, 2019, courtesy of Greystone Books.

Their new home crowns a hill that overlooks a field now dotted with snowdrops. Two trees stand nearby. Inside, Katherena climbs the creaky stairs to her room. She places books, a toy whale, and her drawing supplies on the shelf next to the window and above a small desk “for drawing.” Now, though, her hands are cold and she doesn’t feel like drawing. That night she and her mom “bundle up together under the covers in [their] new home in the country, far from the sea.”

Summer comes and Katherena sits under a tree listening to the “peeps and whistles and ribbits and chirps” and watching her neighbor Agnes working in her yard. Katherena’s mother encourages her to go over and meet her. Katherena takes their dog Ôhô, which “means owl in Cree,” and says hello to Agnes. Agnes has heard a lot about Katherena from her mother––especially that she likes to draw. Agnes makes things out of clay, and as she shows Katherena around, Katherena admires the objects she’s made. “They look like the branches and birds and flowers.” After her visit, Katherena is excited to go home and draw.

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Copyright Julie Flett, 2019, courtesy of Greystone Books.

Throughout the fall, Katherena visits Agnes again and again, helping her with her garden. The weather is turning “cold and windy and creaky. Agnes says she’s getting creaky too.” One day Agnes shows Katherena a round pot she is working on. She talks about the phases of the moon, and Katherena tells her about Cree seasons and that “this month is called pimihâwipîsim—the migrating moon.”

In the winter Ôhô enjoys his first snow, tobogganing with Katherena until they’re both soaked through. Later, Katherena warms up near the fireplace and helps her mother make salmon stew for Agnes. Agnes’s daughter has come to help her mother during the winter. In exchange for the stew, Agnes gives Katherena snowdrop bulbs to plant next fall. Katherena thinks “they look like tiny moons,” which gives her ideas for more drawings.

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Copyright Julie Flett, 2019, courtesy of Greystone Books.

Spring finds Agnes weaker, and Katherena sits on the end of her bed as they listen to the birds singing in the trees and “the tickle of the branches against her window.” When the snowdrops begin to bloom, Katherena wishes Agnes could see them. Suddenly, she has an idea. She gets her drawings from home and with Agnes’s daughter’s help, she papers the walls of Agnes’s room with her drawings of birds, trees, flowers, and other things from nature. Gazing at the walls, “Agnes says it’s like a poem for her heart.”

For the rest of the day, Katherena and Agnes “talk about making things” and sit together in happy silence “until it’s time to say goodbye.” Katherena’s heart is heavy, but she feels fortunate to know Agnes. Later that night, ayîkipîsim, the frog moon, is full.” Her mom and she snuggle up together under the soft blankets. Her hands are warm, and she falls asleep thinking about her friend.

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Copyright Julie Flett, 2019, courtesy of Greystone Books.

Quiet and deep, Julie Flett’s story of a little girl who moves from the city home she knows and loves to a house in the country, where she meets a kindred spirit touches the heart. Generosity, friendship, and acceptance flow through each page as Katherena learns to embrace her new home, a mentoring friend, and the seasons of life. Our connection to the natural world is beautifully represented in Katherena’s drawings, Agnes’s pottery, and the pair’s gardening. Their intergenerational relationship, forged through proximity and similar talents is profound in its calm comfort and heartening love as they teach each other new ways of understanding life—Agnes from her long years of experience and Katherena through her heritage and the lovely Cree words and ideas she shares with her friend.

Simple, earthy details—a coyote on the road, mulch and worms in the garden bed, salmon stew, snowdrops in a field, the phases of the moon—root the story in the common and surprising moments in life that unite us all. Katherena’s mother and Agnes’s daughter provide comforting emotional and physical support while hinting at another cyclical aspect of life.

Flett’s textured illustrations, in soft, muted earth tones, capture the mood, the emotions, and the seasons with a fresh yet traditional feeling that reveals and reflects the story’s themes. The two-page spreads that introduce Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring again are minimalistic beauties that give readers a moment of reflection before moving on—much like transitional weeks between seasons.

A story that children and adults will take into their hearts, Birdsong belongs on all home, school, and public library bookshelves.

Ages 3 – 8

Greystone Books, 2019 | ISBN 978-1771644730

To learn more about Julie Flett, her books, and her art, visit her website.

International Book Giving Day Activity

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Image by Sanne Dufft for International Book Giving Day 2020.

International Book Giving Day Bookmark and Bookplate

 

Celebrate today’s holiday with these book accessories that you can add along with any book you give a child.

International Book Giving Day Bookmark| International Book Giving Day Bookplate

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You can find Birdsong at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review

January 14 – It’s Celebration of Life Month

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About the Holiday

Today’s holiday was established by Food for Health International to encourage people to take a holistic approach to taking care of themselves, benefitting not only their bodies but their emotional health as well. Celebrating all that life has to offer and taking time out from work to enjoy time with family and friends goes a long way towards greater happiness and health. Sharing spontaneous fun with our kids is one way to take a break and reap the benefits of downtime. 

Naughty Ninja Takes a Bath

Written by Todd Tarpley | Illustrated by Vin Vogel

 

Naughty Ninja had been training in the jungle when his rumbling stomach told him it was time to go home. As he stepped in the door, he announced that he needed food. But Naughty Ninja aka Will “was covered with river mud, smelly leaves, and beetle dung. Flies buzzed around him.” His mom and dad told him he needed to take a bath before he had his “ninja nuggets.”

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Image copyright Vin Vogel, 2019, text copyright Todd Tarpley. Courtesy of Two Lions.

Will’s dad filled the tub and calmly reminded him not to say “‘Ninja to the rescue’” because whenever he did bad things happened. But Naughty didn’t hear. He was focused on the flies that were now swarming around his dad. He recognized them as “wild, poisonous flies from the jungle.” His dad saw the gleam in his eyes and begged him not to say those dreaded words.

But they were already leaving Naughty Ninja’s mouth, and his foot was already coming up to kick those flies. Unfortunately, he kicked his dad instead. Dad fell backward into the tub of water. Naughty Ninja was sure a fierce alligator had dragged his dad into the tub. Calling out his signature phrase, Naughty Ninja leaped into the air and rescued his dad. Of course, he also caused a tidal wave of water to fill the bathroom. He was sure his dad was okay now, but Dad said he was ‘not better.’ Naughty Ninja thought about this. “It could only mean one thing…invading samurai warriors!” In on smooth move, Naughty Ninja picked up the bubble bath, soared into the air, and poured it into the tub. In a moment, clouds of bubbles filled the room. Naughty Ninja yelled for his dad to run.

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Image copyright Vin Vogel, 2019, text copyright Todd Tarpley. Courtesy of Two Lions.

As water and bubbles, bath toys and toothbrushes flowed out of the bathroom, Naughty Ninja bounded across the bathroom and out the door. Ninja Dad gave chase with an armload of towels. But Dad slipped and slid on a towel across the room and back again. “Naughty Ninja thought that looked like fun.” He grabbed a towel and slid loop-de-loops around the floor, walls, and ceiling. By this time even Ninja Dad was having fun.

They came to a halt in front of Mom, who wanted to know what they were doing. “Naughty Ninja and Dad stopped and slowly pointed at each other.” Mom didn’t care who started it or how it had happened. She was just thrilled with how clean the house looked. Dad smiled at Will. It was just another successful Ninja rescue.

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Image copyright Vin Vogel, 2019, text copyright Todd Tarpley. Courtesy of Two Lions.

Todd Tarpley’s madcap ninja adventure will thrill kids who play hard and have active imaginations. His funny description of Naughty Ninja’s dire need for a bath segues naturally into the slapstick comedy to come. Ninja Dad’s wary warning ramps up the suspense, and readers will be eagerly anticipating Naughty Ninja’s catch phrase to see what “bad things” happen. Tarpley’s disconnect between Naughty Ninja’s thought process and his dad’s desires to get him in the tub create moments that will have appreciative kids laughing out loud. As Dad embraces the slip-sliding fun and Mom thanks them for cleaning the house, readers will be happy to adventure with this Ninja Family again and again.

Vin Vogel’s humorous, action-packed illustrations depict all the fun of Naughty Ninja’s imagination with clever details and a deft eye for scenes that make kids giggle. Flailing arms, heroic leaps, and air-born kicks are all part of Naughty Ninja’s repertoire, and his ninja outfit (which includes a black hoodie with the size tag sticking out and one untied sneaker) is inspired. Readers will enjoy pointing out the flies, bath toys, and bath accessories that become unwitting stars of Naughty Ninja’s daring rescue.

Sure to be a favorite of Ninja-loving kids and fun-loving adults, Naughty Ninja Takes a Bath would be an often-asked-for addition to home, school, and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 7

Two Lions, 2019 | ISBN 978-1542094337

Discover more about Todd Tarpley and his books on his website.

To learn more about Vin Vogel, his books, and his art, visit his website.

Celebration of Life Month Activity

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Fun Foam Bath Shapes

 

Instead of buying bathtub clings for your kids to play with, make some yourself! It’s easy with regular foam sheets, cookie cutters or stencils, and scissors! Make it a family activity and watch the shower of creativity that results!

Supplies

  • Foam sheets in various colors
  • Cookie cutters or stencils
  • Scissors

Directions

  1. Trace cookie cutter shapes or stencils onto the foam 
  2. And/Or cut squares, triangles, rectangles, circles, and other shapes from the foam in a variety of sizes
  3. Cut out the shapes
  4. Wet the backs of the shapes with water and stick them to the tub or tiled or lined wall. Shapes will also stick with a little shaving gel or cream applied

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You can find Naughty Ninja Takes a Bath at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review

January 6 – National Cuddle Up Day

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About the Holiday

As the icy temperatures of January settles in, one of the best ways to stay warm is to cuddle up with someone special or a favorite pet. Not only does snuggling take the chill off, it gives you those warm fuzzies inside that make you feel loved. Cuddling also has health benefits as it releases oxytocin, a natural pain reliever that can reduce heart disease and lower blood pressure, stress, and anxiety. Children especially benefit from snuggling that builds strong relationships with parents and other caregivers. So share cuddles—and books—today and all winter long!

Where’s Baby?

By Anne Hunter

Papa Fox is looking for Baby and asks Mama if she’s seen her. Mama hasn’t but says she “must be somewhere” and so starts the search. “Ba-by!” Papa calls into their den, but there’s no answer. Papa decides to look outside. When he turns around, Mama spies Baby hiding right behind Papa; she smiles and waves and Baby waves back.

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Copyright Anne Hunter, 2020, courtesy of Tundra Books.

Papa comes to a stand of tall trees and shouts, “Ba-by! Are you up in the tree?” This time he gets a response, but it’s from an owl, who is “up in the tree, but…not your baby.” Something black-and-white and potentially stinky is hiding in a log, but it’s not Baby. Next, Papa comes to a big hill. It’s so big that Papa can’t see over it, so he yells out, hoping his little one will hear him. Of course, Baby does hear him—but from much closer than over the hill. What is waiting for Papa if he climbs all the way to the top? A bear with very sharp teeth that frightens even Papa Fox.

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Copyright Anne Hunter, 2020, courtesy of Tundra Books.

Since Baby isn’t high up, Papa tries down in the ground (where it’s his turn to frighten a little mouse) and in the lake (where he finds an extremely long fish). In the pasture, Papa spies a bull named Davy, but not his Baby. Papa goes back to Mama and states that he “can’t find Baby anywhere.” Mama suggests that Papa look behind him and, lo-and-behold, there’s Baby! “Where on earth have you been?” Papa says. “I’ve looked for you everywhere!” To which Baby has only one answer: “Can we do that again?”

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Copyright Anne Hunter, 2020, courtesy of Tundra Books.

Little ones will love Anne Hunter’s hide-and-seek game in a book that perfectly captures the cadence and suspense of the real thing while adding a sprinkling of giggly humor to each page. Hunter’s soft-hued blue-and-grey illustrations, rendered in pen and colored pencil, are the perfect backdrop for little orange Baby, who pops up in corners, in a family portrait, from behind boulders and tree stumps, in the grass, and, of course, behind Papa.

Young readers will be proud to best Papa while pointing and shouting, “there’s Baby!” Kids will also have fun naming the other animals Papa encounters on his search, an adventure that also offers adults the opportunity to teach spatial relation words, such as up, inside, outside, under, over, down, around, in front of, and behind. And you can bet that when the story ends little ones will—just like Baby—want to do it again.

Sure to be a hit with little ones and a terrific take-along book for fun outings or for times when waiting is expected, Where’s Baby? would make an often-asked-for addition to home, classroom, and public libraries for cuddly or active story times that are sure to lead into real games of hide-and-seek.

Ages 3 – 7

Tundra Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-0735264984

To learn more about Anne Hunter, her books, and her art, visit her website.

National Cuddle Up Day Activity

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Snuggle Buddy Craft

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

Supplies

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

Directions

To Make the Body

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

To Make the Hair

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

To Make a Pocket or Clothes

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

To Make the Face

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

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You can find Where’s Baby? at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review

January 2 – It’s National Sunday Supper Month

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celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-nothing-wee-about-me-coverAbout the Holiday

Isabelle Lessing began the Sunday Supper Movement in 2012 after her oldest child left home to attend college and she realized that the time spent around the family table would be something she missed most. Isabelle reached out to other food bloggers to share their experiences and recipes, and the Sunday Supper Movement was born. If you’d like to revive this tradition, which was once a staple of family life, you’ll find recipes and ideas on the Sunday Supper website.

Nothing Wee About Me! A Magical Adventure

Written by Kim Chaffee | Illustrated by Laura Bobbiesi

 

It was time for Sunday Supper at Grandma’s again. Liesel ran past her brother and up the front walk into Grandma’s kitchen, where she began to search through the spoons, spatulas, and other baking utensils. Grandma held the large soup ladle aloft and asked, “‘Looking for this?’” When Liesel cheered, Grandma said, “‘Dear Liesel, you’re just like me when I was a wee girl.’” But Liesel let her know that there was nothing wee about her.

Grandma warned Liesel that the old ladle didn’t work quite as well as it used to and made her promise to “be back in time for Sunday soup.’” Liesel raised the ladle above her head and made a wish. Immediately, she was in a little submarine, her ladle-scope trained on an island where a rumbling volcano threatened the pretty castle and the villagers. Liesel hurried toward the island to warn its inhabitants.

When she landed on shore, she was met by a lion pirate who took in her wee size and sneered while informing her that the island belonged to him. In turn, she informed him that the volcano was about to blow and—in her loudest voice—that “‘THERE’S NOTHING WEE ABOUT ME!’” Then she brandished her “ladle-hook” hand at him and sent him running. Then she rushed through the town announcing the danger through her ladle-megaphone.

She came to the castle and knocked loudly on the door. But then she spied, crouched over the tallest tower and with its wings outstretched, a fire-breathing dragon who was keeping the prince prisoner. The dragon was not afraid of such a “wee girl,” but Liesel swung her “ladle-sword” at the dragon and ordered it to let the prince go. Surprised by Liesel’s bravery, the dragon relented.

But were they too late to get to the rescue boat? Lava was already streaming from the volcano as the earth shook. Once more, Liesel raised the ladle and made a wish. Immediately, Liesel found herself holding a stick with a marshmallow attached. She told the ladle that the volcano was “‘not a campfire’” and that this was “‘no time for s’mores.’” The prince, thought a snack sounded good, though.

Liesel made another wish and found herself holding a plunger; another wish presented her with a golf club. Liesel had to admit that Grandma had been right about the ladle being broken, but she tried one more time. When she opened her eyes, she was holding a fishing pole. The prince couldn’t see how that would help, but Liesel knew just what to do. She sent her line flying, “hooked the largest coconut she could find,” and…saved the day.

While Liesel wished she and the prince could stay on the island, she knew Grandma was waiting. At dinner, Liesel slurped up her whole bowl of soup and asked for another. As Grandma ladled up another serving of Sunday soup, she remarked that she’d never seen Liesel eat so much. “‘That must have been some adventure today!’” she said and then worried that perhaps it had been too dangerous. But Liesel reassured her grandma that there was “‘Nothing this WEE girl couldn’t handle.’”

Kim Chaffee’s enchanting and action-packed story is a celebration of imagination and the way that simple toys or objects can spark children to discover their own creativity. With evocative verbs, suspenseful encounters, rich dialog, and a sprinkling of humor, Chaffee creates a charming page-turner that’s sure to thrill readers. Kid-power, girl-power, and themes of family and tradition as well as a sweet and loving intergenerational relationship between the children and their grandmother make this a multi-layered story that kids will love. Liesel’s mantra “There’s nothing wee about me” is sure to become a rallying cry for readers.

Laura Bobbiesi’s watercolor and ink illustrations are filled with captivating details that revel in the joys of simpler times and hint at some of the adventures to come. As Liesel and her brother run to meet Grandma, Liesel wears a paper hat while her brother sports the gold crown and red cape of a prince, and the seagull that greets their little dinghy wears an eyepatch. The plump submarine, golden-maned pirate, and rainbow-scaled dragon are whimsical while highlighting the ingenuity of young minds at play. Subtle hints incorporated in the text and accompanying images may spur some readers to join in on the adventure and guess how Liesel will solve the problem of the volcano.

An inventive story with lots of heart, Nothing Wee About Me! A Magical Adventure would make a fun addition to home, classroom, and public library collections for story times that stir children’s imaginations.

Ages 4 – 8

Page Street Kids, 2019 | ISBN 978-1624146923

Discover more about Kim Chaffee and her books on her website.

To learn more about Laura Bobbiesi and see a portfolio of her work visit her website.

National Sunday Supper Month Activity

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Souper Maze!

 

Soup makes a souper meal for Sunday Suppers, but you can’t eat it without a spoon! Can you help the spoon get through the maze to the bowl in this printable maze?

Souper Maze Puzzle | Souper Maze Solution

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You can find Nothing Wee About Me! A Magical Adventure at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review

November 26 – It’s Family Stories Month

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About the Holiday

All families have stories—some funny, some poignant—about family members, friends, and events from the past and even just last week or yesterday! Today’s holiday encourages people to gather together and share their stories, Oral storytelling has been part of people’s lives and culture since ancient times. It’s a wonderful way to stay connected to your own family heritage and build bonds that last forever. The stories your children will be telling start now in the everyday and special moments they share with others.

The Traveler’s Gift: A Story of Loss and Hope

Written by Danielle Davison | Illustrated by Anne Lambelet

 

Whenever Liam’s father came home from the sea, he told his son wonderous tales of “the faraway places he’d been and the curious things he’d seen.” Someday, Liam thought, he would join his father and have his own tales to tell, but for now he enjoyed sharing his father’s stories with others. One day, though, Liam’s father didn’t return. “Liam thought of the stories he hadn’t heard, the ones he’d never hear again, and the adventures they would never take.” He didn’t feel like telling his father’s stories any more.

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Image copyright Anne Lambelet, 2019, text copyright Danielle Davison, 2019. Courtesy of Page Street Kids.

Even though Liam knew his father wouldn’t return, he spent his days at the harbor in the company of the sailors there who told their stories; but none were as good as his father’s had been. One day, a very old man appeared on the dock. His name was Enzo, but the sailors called him “‘the Traveler.’” Liam had never seen anyone like him before. He talked of wonderous voyages, and as he did his beard grew and grew, “until each story he told wove from his face like a tapestry.”

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Image copyright Anne Lambelet, 2019, text copyright Danielle Davison, 2019. Courtesy of Page Street Kids.

People traveled from all over to see the Traveler and his beard. Many thought it was strange or odd, but Liam thought it was perfect. One day, just before the Traveler was about to set off on what he said was his last voyage, he announced that he was looking for a “worthy companion” whom he could pass his gift on to. Many people on the dock raised their hand and Liam did too, although he didn’t think the Traveler would pick him. The Traveler did choose him, though, and before he knew it, Liam was setting sail. “‘I feel like my heart might burst from my chest!’ said Liam.”

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Image copyright Anne Lambelet, 2019, text copyright Danielle Davison, 2019. Courtesy of Page Street Kids.

The Traveler taught Liam how to truly observe and listen to the world around him. They traveled to places not on any map and saw many unusual creatures. “But after many suns had set, Enzo’s soul grew weary.” As Liam sat with him, Enzo told him he’d like to give him a gift. Enzo asked Liam to close his eyes and tell him a story. After giving it some thought, Liam talked about his father, about his friend, and about all of their adventures. “Liam’s words wove splendid pictures, the way his father’s once had.”

As he talked, the magic of storytelling came back to him, and the Traveler bestowed his gift. Liam’s hair grew and grew, unfolding like a tapestry.

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Image copyright Anne Lambelet, 2019, text copyright Danielle Davison, 2019. Courtesy of Page Street Kids.

Danielle Davison’s mystical ode to storytelling and life relived and revived through words unwinds with the wonder of traditional tales tinted with the curiosity and imagination of children. While Liam misses his father and the adventures he thought they would have together, he is also open to new experiences and friendships—a quality that allows him to restore the future he had for himself.

Anne Lambelet’s rich and unique illustrations, appearing as if they have been hewn from wood, convey all of the mystery and wonder of the story. Through colorful ribbons teeming with ships, pirates, unicorns, mountains, trees, castles, cities, marvelous creatures, and more, Lambelet connects the gift of storytelling that Liam’s father, the Traveler, and, finally, Liam possess. The color fades to gray as Liam learns of his father’s loss, but even here, his sadness is diffused by just the hint of sun or the glimmer of candlelight. Lambelet’s use of color and black-and-white imagery also reveals Liam’s growth.

Lambelet’s ocean and dockside illustrations are gorgeous and extend to the front and end endpapers that each tell a part of Liam’s life. Lambelet’s lush color palette adds beauty to each page, and the people and objects that appear in the stories by Liam’s father, the Traveler, and Liam will keep readers lingering over the pages to what they are, where they come from, and how they are connected.

A book for thoughtful story times that celebrates the regenerative and enlivening power of imagination and keeping one’s heart open, The Traveler’s Gift would be a distinctive addition to home, school, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Page Street Kids, 2019 | ISBN 978-1624147654

To learn more about Anne Lambelet, her books, and her art, visit her website.

Family Stories Month Activity

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I Love My Family! Portrait

 

What is one of your favorite family stories? Use this printable heart-framed I Love My Family! Page to write or draw about that story!

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You can find The Traveler’s Gift: A Story of Loss and Hope at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review

November 23 – National Adoption Day

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About the Holiday

National Adoption Day is a national collective initiative to raise awareness of the more than 125,000 children in foster care who are waiting to find permanent families. Sponsored by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, The Alliance for Children’s Rights, and Children’s Action Network, National Adoption Day was instituted in 2000, and since then has made the wishes of nearly 75,000 children come true. To learn more, visit the National Adoption Day website.

I received a copy of A Crazy-Much Love from Two Lions for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I’m happy to be teaming with Two Lions in a giveaway of the book. See details below. 

A Crazy-Much Love

Written by Joy Jordan-Lake | Illustrated by Sonia Sánchez

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ages 3 – 7

Two Lions, 2019 | ISBN 978-1542043267

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

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

National Adoption Day Activity

CPB - Heart Jar

Jar Full of Love

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

Supplies

  • A clear, plastic jar with a lid
  • Red felt
  • Scissors

Directions

1. Cut red hearts from the felt

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

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

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You can find A Crazy-Much Love at these booksellers

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

Picture Book Review