October 2 – National Book Month

About the Holiday

October may be book lovers’ favorite month of the year! Why? It’s National Book Month! This holiday was established to get everyone excited about reading. As the weather turns cooler and more indoor activities take center stage, reading together becomes a wonderful way to spend time having fun and making memories. Children of all ages love being read to, and when older siblings read to younger brothers and sisters, they can bond over favorite stories and make each story time an event. Whether you’re reading board books, picture books, or novels with your kids, you’re making memories that will last a lifetime!

Thank you to Star Bright Books for sending me a copy of this book for review!

Flutter, Flap, Fly!

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Estelle Corke

As Teo arrives at the playground, riding on his father’s shoulders, he spots two birds flying nearby. One is “‘. . . soaring. See how it is flying straight up into the sky?’ says Papi.” The other is “‘swooping . . . straight down very fast.'” Teo thinks it would be fun to soar and swoop too. Near the playground equipment, Teo and Papi watch a bird bathing in a puddle, and Teo giggles while imitating it. An older girl and boy in a tower on the play system notice and invite Teo to play with them, pretending to be birds in a tree. “‘Come fly with us. Flap, Flap!'”

Illustrations by Estelle Corke, © Star Bright Books. Text copyright © by Ellen Mayer. Published by Star Bright Books copyright © 2026.

Teo feels too small to climb high, so he perches on a lower level, where the girl and boy invite him to be their baby bird and peck for seeds. Soon Teo’s ready to hop up higher to their nest. Papi says, “‘Look at you three snuggling together. Snuggle! Snuggle! Snuggle!'” When Teo’s other father arrives, it’s time to go to the grocery store. Now, after playing with the older kids, Teo is ready to “‘leave the nest'” and “‘Flap [his] wings and fly. Teo is proud to show how he can “‘soar'” up the steps and “‘swoop'” down the slide!'”

A Note for Parents, Grandparents, and Caregivers by Dr. Kori Bardige, an Early Education Specialist, follows the text and coveys the positive effects that engaging children in frequent conversations, creative activities, and pretend play has on vocabulary growth and language skills. A You Can Do This Too! paragraph gives adults specific ways they can use this book as a springboard for play and learning as well as encouragement for “becoming a partner in learning” with their child.

Ellen Mayer’s cheerful and lively storytelling always brings a smile as her characters encourage and support each other to branch out of their comfort zone in their own time while engaging in playful activities that foster camaraderie and self-confidence. In her series of Small Talk Books®, Mayer’s dialogue-rich text models the types of conversations that adults can have with children to promote natural language learning and understanding. Her inclusion of the two older children demonstrates the important impact that older siblings and friend groups as well as adult caregivers can have on the socialization and language development of younger children.

Estelle Corke’s bright and expressive illustrations will captivate kids as they watch adorable Teo at the playground having fun pretending to be a bird with two new friends. Corke’s animated images of Teo and the other children fluttering, soaring, and swooping will inspire young readers to join in with their own pretend play. Kids will enjoy keeping an eye out for the birds flying, perching, and nesting throughout the pages.

Bursting with imagination and animated conversations that will pique kids’ inquisitive nature while nurturing their language development, Flutter, Flap, Fly! will enhance any library collection and would be a favorite for repeat reading at home and in the classroom.

Ages 3 – 6

Star Bright Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1649091000

About the Author

Ellen Mayer is an award-winning children’s author who has worked as an education researcher and early literacy home visitor. Her Small Talk Books® series with Star Bright Books features diverse families in engaging stories that highlight two aspects of early childhood education with engaging stories: early language development and early math development. Titles in the series that focus on language development include board books Twinkle, Twinkle, Diaper You!, Red Socks, and A Fish to Feed, as well as picture books Cake Day and Rosa’s Very Big Job. See https://ellenmayerbooks.com/books/. Flutter, Flap, Fly! is her eleventh book with Star Bright Books. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts with her husband and their dog, Ellie. Visit her at ellenmayerbooks.com.

About the Illustrator

Estelle Corke spent much of her childhood drawing. Her passion for drawing led her to study graphic design in college and eventually found her way to children’s books. She enjoys traditional watercolor and gouache painting and regularly teaches watercolor classes to adult beginners. She lives in Wiltshire, England with her husband and Poppy, a little black and white dog. Visit her at estellecorke.com.

National Book Month Activity

Soar and Swoop! Wings Craft

Kids (and adults!) can set their imagination soaring while they flutter, flap, and . . . fly with this easy craft designed by young creator Elise B.! What kind of bird will you be?!

Supplies

Poster Board in any color
Twine, string, or ribbon
Feathers, leaves, flower petals, paper, markers or crayons, glitter, or other items to decorate wings
Streamers
Measuring tape
Pencil
Scissors
Hole Punch (optional)
Glue and tape

Directions

Measure child’s arm from finger tips to elbow and use this measurement for the long, top side of the wing
On the poster board, draw two wing shapes: use your child’s arm measurement for the long, top edge of the wing. From the right (or left) end of this line, draw a perpendicular line about 4 or 5 inches long. Then draw a curving, scalloped line from the bottom of the perpendicular line to the other end of the long, top edge of the wing.
Cut out two wings
Decorate the tops of the wings with markers or crayons or by gluing items to them
Attach streamers to the scalloped edge with glue or tape
With the hole punch or scissors, make two holes vertically along the short side, about 3 inches apart
With the hole punch or scissor, make two holes vertically near the tip of the wing, about 1 inch apart
Thread the twine, string, or ribbon through each sets of holes so that the two ends hang from the underside of the wing
To play, tie wings to arms and wrists with scalloped edge facing backwards

About Elise B.

Elise is 10 years old. She has two cats. When she’s not designing crafts for her grandmother’s books, she enjoys playing hockey, acting, and dancing. Her favorite birds are blue jays.

You can purchase Flutter, Flap, Fly! from these booksellers

Amazon | Star Bright Books | Whitelam Books, Reading, MA (contact for signed copies to pick up) | Beacon Hill Books & Cafe, Boston, MA (contact for signed copies to pick up)

Picture Book Review

May 29 – National Bike Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Established in 1956 and sponsored by the League of American Bicyclists, National Bike Month celebrates all the fun and benefits of cycling. Communities around the country celebrate with special events, tours, and safety lessons. The month also hosts Bike to School and Bike to Work days to encourage people to leave their cars at home, get fresh air and exercise, and have fun at the same time. Although the month of May is winding down, biking is always a fantastic way to enjoy family time! For more information visit the League of American Bicyclists.

Yellow, Red, Green—Go!

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Ying-Hwa Hu

Mommy and her child are off on a bike ride to visit Grandma! On the way, Mommy points out the traffic lights they pass—and sometimes need to stop for. Mommy explains what each color means and the pattern the colors make. “‘Yellow means we have to slow down,’ says Mommy.” When the light changes, her little one is excited to explain “‘Red means stop.'” But in a minute, the eager tyke urges her on: “‘Green, Mommy! Go!'”

Illustration copyright © 2024 by Ying-Hwa Hu. Text copyright © 2024 by Ellen Mayer. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

As they continue on, the pair continues to repeat the pattern, making a playful game of it. They pass a toy store and go inside, where they find more patterns in the toys and displays. It’s one more fun thing to tell Grandma! Back on their bike, they soon roll into Grandma’s neighborhood. Here the little one finds a pattern on the facade of her apartment block and points out, “‘Window, light, door. Window, light, door. Window, light . . . .'” Wait! there’s a surprise! “‘Window, light . . . Grandma!'”

The story includes a Note for Parents and Caregivers from Dr. Ashli-Ann Douglas, a Research Associate II at WestEd, whose
research focuses on improving mathematics teaching and learning to support children’s development of strong math skills and
positive math beliefs.

In her Note, Dr. Douglas discusses the benefits of talking to young children about recognizing patterns—one of the important building blocks to understanding many parts of math that children will encounter as they move through school. Dr. Douglas then invites adults to engage their children in pattern scavenger hunts within the story’s text as well as at home and away while encouraging them to find patterns in sounds, routines, and other areas of daily life.

Endearing parent-child interactions are at the heart of award-winning author Ellen Mayer’s Small Talk Books® that model rich conversations between a young child and an adult and enhance fun learning opportunities naturally present in many daily activities. In Yellow, Red, Green—GO! the child’s excitement to show an understanding of patterns is infectious, and youngest readers will eagerly want to join in around their own home and community. Readers will notice the strong back-and-forth patter between Mommy and child as they get on the bike and react to what they see on the way to Grandma’s—a stimulating dynamic that creates a fertile environment for language development and is a sweet way to build bonds.

Ying-Hwa Hu’s adorable illustrations glow with the child’s giggly enthusiasm for finding patterns and the close relationship between Mommy and her little one. Hu populates the community with other child-adult pairs and favorite objects and scenes that readers can talk about. She also includes plenty of opportunities to point out other patterns and to name colors, animals, toys, and other city features. As Mommy and the child interact, Hu demonstrates ways in which adults can engage their children through body language. Fans of other books in this series will be excited to see familiar objects and characters throughout the pages.

A delightful addition to the Small Talks Books® series, Yellow, Red, Green—GO! is a must for every library, daycare, or preschool board book collection and is highly recommended for any young child’s home bookshelf.

Yellow, Red, Green—GO! is also available in a Spanish/English edition

Ages 2 – 5

Star Bright Books, 2026 | ISBN 978-1595729798 | Bilingual Edition ISBN 978-1595729804

Ellen Mayer is an award-winning children’s author who has worked as an education researcher and early literacy home visitor. Her other math story books published by Star Bright Books include Banana for Two, Clean Up, Up, Up!, and Leaves to My Knees. She lives with her husband in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Visit her at ellenmayerbooks.com.

Ying-Hwa Hu is an award-winning illustrator. Her work has been exhibited at the Bologna Book Fair and The Society of Illustrators Original Art Show. Ying-Hwa has illustrated over 30 books, many of which she collaborated on with her husband Cornelius Van Wright, also an illustrator and author. They live in New York City. Visit her at yinghwahu.com.

National Bike Month Activity

Yellow, Red, Green–Go! Activities

You can find lots of Yellow, Red, Green—GO! activities, including a pattern coloring page; a song sheet with lyrics for “The Wheels on the Bike,” a take off on “The Wheels on the Bus;” an original song that explores patterns, sung by Anna Adler; a Teaching Guide by California Early Math Project; and more to download on the Star Bright Books website.

You can also find the above activities and a fun craft on Ellen Mayer’s website.

You can purchase Yellow, Red, Green—GO! from these booksellers

English: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

You can order ¡Amarillo, rojo, verde… pasen! / Yellow, Red, Green—GO! from these booksellers

Spanish/English: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop

Picture Book Review

May 18 – It’s National Family Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Established by KidsPeace, a private, not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping children and families since 1882, National Family Month is observed during the five-week period between Mother’s Day in May and Father’s Day in June. It coincides with the usual end of the school year, and raises awareness of the important role mothers and fathers as well as grandparents and extended family play as a support system for their children. To observe the holiday spend time talking with your kids about topics of importance to them and plan activities for fun and to help them achieve their goals.

Thank you to Star Bright Books for sharing a copy of Arletis, Abuel, and the Message in a Bottle for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle

Written by Lea Aschkenas | Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu

Growing up in Cuba, Arletis loved studying maps and wondering about the people and places beyond her island. “Her whole life took place on the long, unnamed street that ran in front of the unnumbered house, where she lived.” Some afternoons, she took the horse-drawn carriage that transported people around town to visit her abuela. While she was there, Abuela told her funny stories about her abuelo, who had died before she was born. Sometimes tears would form in Abuela’s eyes as she talked about her husband. Then “Arletis would suggest they pick the grapefruits that grew like miniature suns in the trees Abuela had planted when she was young” to make her favorite treat cascos de toronja.

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Arletis’s life was rich with delicious fruit that grew in trees along her street, swimming in the river when the heat became “so heavy and thick it rolled down the street in dizzying waves,” and playing her favorite game: choreographer, in which she, her cousin, and neighborhood kids danced to the music on the radio. Arletis loved her street, but sometimes she wondered if there was more. In another part of the world—off the coast of Sausalito, California—a man named Steve lived alone on the tugboat with which he had once made his living. While Steve was content on his tugboat, he too wondered if there was more.

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Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

For Arletis’s eighth birthday, her parents rented a beach house for a weekend vacation to Playa Bailén, about 30 miles from home. On the bus ride there, Arletis, for the first time, saw the ocean that surrounded her island. On her birthday, Arletis took a walk along the beach and found a green bottle. The top was sealed with tape, and inside she could see a rolled up piece of paper. The paper turned out to be a letter written in a foreign language. Arletis was excited to realize that the bottle had come from another country.

Even though Arletis couldn’t read the words, she wrote a letter about “her life, about her family and her beautiful street. She asked every question she could think of about life in this other country” and she mailed it to the address provided at the bottom of the message from the bottle. When Steve received the letter, he immediately knew it was a response to his message in the bottle that he had given to a friend who was sailing down the coast and through the Panama Canal. The friend had dropped the bottle into the sea after he’d sailed into the Caribbean Sea.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Arletis-Abuelo-and-the-Message-in-a-Bottle-Steve-on-tug

Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Steve was thrilled to receive Arletis’s letter. He had begun studying Spanish and “had been wishing for someone to practice with.” Two months had gone by since Arletis had sent her letter when she heard the mail carrier call out her name and hand her an envelope. It was the first letter Arletis had ever received, and she handled it with great care. Steve had answered all her questions and even sent a picture of himself and his tugboat. Arletis thought Steve looked “old enough to be a grandfather. Arletis had always wished for a grandfather, so she decided to address her next letter, ‘Querido Abuelo Esteban.’ ‘Dear Grandfather Steve'” and invited him to visit her and her family one day.

Arletis and Abuelo Esteban began writing to each other monthly then in one letter, Abuelo Esteban said he would be coming for a visit. “Arletis couldn’t stop smiling.” When Abuelo Esteban arrived, he brought a gift. It was a map he had drawn “showing the path his bottle had taken, first on his friend’s boat and then on the wide open sea to Arletis’s island. It was the most beautiful map Arletis had ever seen.” During the five days that Abuelo Esteban spent with Arletis’s family, he played baseball with her friends, swam in the river, and enjoyed some of Arletis’s favorite foods.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Arletis-Abuelo-and-the-Message-in-a-Bottle-fruit

Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

On Abuelo Esteban’s last night visiting, Arletis’s mother and Abuela made a special dinner, complete with Arletis’s favorite dessert, cascos de toronja. Abuelo Esteban loved it too. He showed everyone pictures of his tugboat and the dock where it was moored. Arletis thought the dock looked just like a little island surrounded by water. When she asked Abuelo Esteban if he thought an island was a good place to live, he replied, “‘Yes, I think so. Especially if there is another island where you have family you can visit.'”

Backmatter includes an Author’s Note that outlines how Lea Aschkenas first met Abuelo Esteban at the Sausalito library where she worked and learned about his story. She adds an update to the story about both Arletis, now an adult, and Steve, who has continued to visit his “familia de corazón”— his family of the heart. A recipe for cascos de toronja, glossary of the Spanish words found in the story, and a list of references for further reading, viewing, and listening in both English and Spanish are also included.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Arletis-Abuelo-and-the-Message-in-a-Bottle-Steve-playing-baseball

Image copyright Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu, 2023, text copyright Lea Aschkenas, 2023. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Lea Aschkenas’s gentle and uplifting story immerses readers in the sights, sounds, flavors, and warm hearts of Cuba. Her comprehensive storytelling is filled with the types of details about Arletis’s life that will captivate readers and resonate with their own love for spontaneous fun, favorite foods, and family relationships. Aschkenas’s lovely descriptive language—Cuba is an “alligator-shaped island,” boiled grapefruit pith for cascos de toronja is as transparent as “a see-through fish,” Arletis and Abuelo Esteban exchange letters “as regularly as the monthly full moon”—and Spanish words and phrases sprinkled throughout the text paint pictures in children’s minds of the special beauty of Cuba.

Through Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu’s stunning watercolor illustrations, readers travel to Cuba to revel in the brilliant colors of the buildings and homes, the luscious hues of tropical fruit, the jewel-like water of the rivers and ocean, and, especially, the sunny smiles of the country’s people. When the story turns to the Sausalito dock where Steve lives, children see that the landscape is similar, with homes and businesses painted in pinks, yellow, red, and blue. Palm trees dot the skyline, and the ocean is as blue as the sky. Van Wright and Hu enchantingly capture Arletis’s wanderlust and her excitement to connect with Steve, with whom she immediately forms a grandfatherly bond. Images of Arletis cooking with her Abuela, dancing and playing baseball with friends, and sitting around the family dinner table with Abuela Esteban will charm children as they take this true story into their heart.

Wonderfully evocative and multilayered, Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is a remarkable story of family, friendship, pride in one’s country, and the joys to be found in reaching out to others across the world. The book is a heartfelt choice for story times at home and school and would make an impactful addition to any classroom or homeschool geography or social studies curriculum. Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is highly recommended for all home, school, and public library collections. The book is also available in a Spanish edition: Arletis, abuelo y el mensaje en la botella.

Ages 4 – 8

Star Bright Books, 2023 | ISBN 978-1595729699 (English Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595729705 (English Paperback) | ISBN 978-1595729729 (Spanish Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595729712 (Spanish Paperback)

About the Author

LEA ASCHKENAS has written book reviews and articles for Washington Post Book World, Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon. She is also the author of a travel memoir, Es Cuba: Life and Love on an Illegal Island. She fell in love with Cuba and its people on her first trip to the island in the year 2000 and has been returning nearly every year since. Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle is her first book for children. Lea lives in Northern California where she works as a public librarian and teaches with the California Poets in the Schools program. Visit Lea at: leaaschkenas.com.

About the Illustrators

CORNELIUS VAN WRIGHT and YING-HWA HU are a husband and wife children’s book illustration team. They have worked on many assignments together, but have also illustrated numerous projects and books individually. They have won a number of awards for their books. Their work has been exhibited at the Bologna Book Fair and the Society of Illustrators’ “The Original Art” show. Cornelius and Ying-Hwa live in New York City. You can learn more about Cornelius and Ying-Hwa Hu and their work at pencilmoonstudio.com. Visit Ying-Hwa Hu at yinghwahu.com.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Arletis-Abuelo-and-the-Message-in-a-Bottle-cover

**You can find Arletis, Abuelo, and the Message in a Bottle or the Spanish Edition, Arletis, abuelo y el mensaje en la botella, at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

Arletis, abuelo y el mensaje en la botella

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop: English Edition | Spanish Edition

Picture Book Review

May 4 – It’s Children’s Book Week

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Children’s Book Week, a celebration of reading and connection, was founded in 1919 and is the longest-running literacy initiative in the United States. The 2023 slogan is “Read Books. Spark Change.” According to Every Child a Reader, the program’s sponsor, “this year’s theme speaks to the power that books and stories have to inspire positive change. Books can spark change within an individual reader, a family, a classroom, or a whole community.” The holiday attracts participation from authors, illustrators, publishers, librarians, teachers, and booksellers in schools, libraries, bookstores, and communities across the country. To learn more about the holiday and download bookmarks and posters, activities in English and Spanish, the Find Your Spark challenge, draw-along pages provided by favorite children’s book artists, and much more, visit Every Child a Reader. You can even sign up to continue to get fantastic ideas for connecting with books and reading all year around!

The Hole Story

By Kelly Canby

One day while walking along, Charlie found a hole on the path. He was so excited to have “a hole of his very own” that he picked it up immediately and “popped it in his pocket.” But wait! As he continued on his way, Charlie discovered that all of his candy and money had slipped out of his pocket and scattered along the path, “so he put the hole in his backpack” with even more disastrous results.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hole-story-pocket

Charlie was determined to get rid of the hole, so he went into town to find it a new owner. There were plenty of shops to try: “Bread Pitt” the bakery, “World Wide Web” which sold arachnids and reptiles, “Sew Much Better” the dress maker, and others. Charlie was sure his problem would soon be solved. But even though he went into every shop and talked to each shopkeeper, none of them wanted the hole.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hole-story-shops

Charlie went on his way, but even though he met several people who he thought the hole would be perfect for, they didn’t need it either. Charlie finally decided that “this hole is no good at all,” so he went back where he had found it and dropped it on the path again—where someone had been waiting for it all along!

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hole-story-boat

Kelly Canby’s delightful tale is a clever combination of wordplay and visual humor along with a sly wink to readers’ experience that puts them one step ahead of Charlie and infuses the story with suspense and laugh-out-loud moments. The ending enriches the off-beat humor and despite clues along the way comes as a charming surprise. Canby’s broad spectrum of fitting and unsuitable homes for the hole Charlie finds is a perfect jumping off point to get kids thinking about other places that would be good or bad choices. Canby’s enchanting illustrations are fresh and expressive, making the most of perspective and comical touches that will keep kids giggling from beginning to end.

Inventive and witty, The Hole Story is a whole lot of fun and will become a quick favorite for repeat readings (especially when done with a dramatic flair). The book would make a terrific gift and is highly recommended for home, classroom, school, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 7

Star Bright Books, 2023 | ISBN 978-1595729392 (Hardcover) | ISBN 978-1595729408 (Paperback)

About Kelly Canby

KELLY CANBY is an internationally published author and illustrator of over a dozen books for children. Her picture books have received numerous honors and have been translated into many languages around the world. Kelly is a member of the judging panel for the annual Shaun Tan Illustration Awards and regional advisor for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators Australia West. She lives in Perth, Australia.

**You can find The Hole Story at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop

Picture Book Review

December 2 – It’s Buy a New Book Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

For children, picture books provide one of the best ways to interact with facts and feelings. Stories that speak to their experiences, both common and new, alongside illustrations that bring the story to life let them discover the world around them. Today’s stunning nonfiction books are loaded with illustrations or photographs that let kids see exciting details about science, history, biographies, nature, and so much more. This month, take a look for fiction and nonfiction picture books about your child’s passions to add to your home library. And be sure to check out today’s book that incorporates both!

Thanks to Star Bright Books for sharing a digital copy of Leaves to My Knees with me for review consideration. All opinions on the book are my own.

Leaves to My Knees

Hojas hasta las rodillas/Leaves to My Knees

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell

Daddy has a surprise for Camille and her little brother Jayden. They get dressed in their coats—big for Camille and little jacket with a stegosaurus hood for Jayden—and head into the backyard. There, Camille discovers her dad has gotten her a rake of her own. It’s not as big as Dad’s, but it’s bigger than Jayden’s little rake. It’s the perfect size for Camille.

Camille marches right off to rake a pile of leaves. But not just any pile—she has a goal. “‘I’ll rake leave all the way up to my knees!’” she tells her dad. The three get working on the yard. Camille concentrates on gathering leaves, listening to the different sounds that the various sized rakes make: “The leaves go swush when Daddy rakes. They go swish when I rake. They go sweeeee when Jayden tries to rake.”

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2022. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Lurking under the leaves are twigs and acorns that clog up Camille’s rake. She worries that she’ll never be able to rake leaves to her knees. She calls for Daddy’s help, and together they clear Camille’s rake. “‘You’re good to go now, Camille,’” Daddy tells her. Back at it, Camille rakes and rakes. Then she steps into the pile she’s accumulated to measure it. Her pile only comes up to her ankles. Camille grabs her rake harder and with determination she collects more leaves. But wait! Jayden is stealing leaves from her pile to add to his! Camille guards her pile with her rake, and sends her little brother over to Daddy’s bigger pile. Camille checks her measurements again. Her pile has grown, but only up to the top of her boots.

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2022. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Camille rakes ‘bunches of leaves,” and her pile gets taller, until “‘Oh no! A BIG BREEZE!!’” sends lots and lots of leaves swirling “Whoosh!” into the air and scattered to the ground. “I will never rake leaves to my knees!” Camille thinks. And when she measures again, her pile is back to her ankles. Daddy encourages her to keep going, and Camille is committed to achieving her goal. She throws off her coat, grabs her rake, and works on gathering up all the leaves she had, plus more. At last, too tired to rake anymore, Camille wonders. Has she done it? “‘Time for measuring!’ says Daddy.”

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2022. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Camille relinquishes her rake to her dad then, holding her breath, steps into her pile. “‘TA-DA!’” Camille raises her arms in victory. She steps out, positions herself a good ways away, and winds up for the run and jump. “‘GO!’ yells Daddy. ‘GO!’ Jayden yells too.” Camille flies through the air and lands, laughing, into her pile. Then Jayden jumps in. And Daddy? He gives Camille “really big squeeze” for raking “leaves all the way up to [her] knees.”

A note for parents, teachers, and other caregivers written by Marlene Kliman, a mathematics learning expert and senior scientist at TERC, describes how the story incorporates the math of measurement and sizes and how adults can extend the lesson by pointing out elements in the book’s illustrations and while going about their day or doing common chores, such as cleaning up and sorting laundry.

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022, text copyright Ellen Mayer, 2022. Courtesy of Star Bright Books.

Ellen Mayer’s Leaves to My Knees has everything that makes a story a young reader’s favorite—a spunky main character that kids will identify with, an achievable goal, successes and setbacks, suspense, humor, and a child-propelled victory. And it all revolves around an early math concept that comes naturally to children and which invites playful learning not only during the fall, but any time of the year. Shoveling snow and making snowballs in winter, yard cleanup and gardening in spring, and building sandcastles and raking grass clippings in summer as well as in-home fun with laundry piles, toys, and other objects are all ways to extend the story.

Told from Camille’s point of view, the story also engages children’s emotions as they join in to cheer Camille on as her leaf pile grows and commiserate with her when it shrinks. The close relationships among Camille and her dad and little brother ring true with dialogue-rich storytelling that is always encouraging. Strong themes of determination and persistence will also appeal to parents and teachers, who can point to how many times Camille has to start over before accomplishing her goal and her positive, resolute attitude.

Nicole Tadgell’s exuberant illustrations shine with personality, and kids will immediately become invested in each character as Dad gets working on a big job that needs doing, Jayden runs, jumps, and copies his big sister, and Camille unwaveringly works on her pile of leaves. Camille’s setbacks are clearly depicted, along with her and her father’s facial expressions that give adults and kids an opportunity to talk about disappointment, frustration, perseverance, and feelings of accomplishment. Each image also demonstrates the math component of measurement and sizes in the story with various-sized rakes, the growing and diminishing leaf pile, big and little jackets, and other objects that invite comparison.

Tadgell’s soft-hued pages are infused with the feeling of fall and hum with activity as cardinals, blue jays, chickadees gather at the bird feeder, squirrels scamper up and along the fence, and leaves continue to float to the ground. Readers will love following little Jayden’s antics and be inspired by Camille’s wide smile as she enjoys the reward of all her hard work.

Leaves to My Knees is a multilayered read aloud infused with the enthusiasm and rhythms of childhood that kids will want to hear again and again. Its mathematics base and themes of determination and perseverance rewarded will appeal to parents, teachers, and other educators as a way to engage children in active, hands-on learning. The book is a must for home, classroom, school, and public library collections.

Ages 4 – 8

Star Bright Books, 2022 | ISBN 978-1595729590 (Leaves to My Knees) | ISBN 978-1595729613 (Hojas hasta las rodillas/Leaves to My Knees

Picture Book Month Activities

Coloring Pages and Teaching Guides

You can extend the fun and learning in Leaves to My Knees with these activities, which include three fun coloring pages from the story, a hands-on play-dough art and discovery activity, and a detailed educator’s guide for teachers, homeschoolers, parents, and other caregivers that offers multiple ways to use Leaves to My Knees to explore math, mathematical thinking, and reading comprehension through the story and beyond at home, school, and elsewhere.

Meet Ellen Mayer

Ellen Mayer is an award-winning author who writes picture books for babies and young children and the grown-ups who read to them. Leaves to My Knees is her ninth book for children. Her other math story books include Banana for Two and Clean Up, Up, Up!, two board books in her Small Talk Books® series with Star Bright Books.

For many years Ellen was an education researcher at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, studying how families are engaged in their children’s learning. She also worked as an early literacy home visitor with young children and their parents in a local affiliate of the ParentChild+ program. Now, Ellen volunteers as a visiting children’s book author with public schools and city-run playgroups in her local Cambridge and Somerville, MA, communities. Long ago she earned an M.Phil. in Sociology from Columbia University.

Ellen often collaborates with her musician husband in “Books + Banjo” reading and sing-along programs for young children. Ellen loves to rake leaves in the fall—especially when she has help from her grandchildren.

I have so many great memories of raking leaves with my kids when they were small. You really capture the fun and challenges of this favorite fall activity in your story. Were you inspired by your own family’s experiences in any way while writing it?

Very much so! Since the time our kids were very little they’ve joined us in the backyard for all sorts of yardwork. My daughter wanted to hold the rake from a young age, even as I did the less exciting early springtime rake of the lawn.

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At first our trees didn’t yield much in the way of fall foliage, so we would haul a big bag of fallen leaves in from the tree out on the city sidewalk to have as leaves for play. The piles that resulted were often rather puny, only up to the ankles, as protagonist Camille would tell us.

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But as the backyard trees matured, raking and jumping took off, much like in the story! I should add, too, that the sibling dynamic between our older daughter and younger son was also a source of story inspiration, influencing how I wrote the sister-brother characters here. Older sister was always the more determined and focused raker of the two, with younger brother taking it upon himself to annoy and distract her as much as possible, and generally try to steal the show, as was his lovable wont in those early years.

Marlene Kliman, an early math expert who is a Senior Scientist at nonprofit STEM education organization TERC in Cambridge, MA, has contributed a back matter note for parents and caregivers. In it she writes that Camille uses the math of measurement as she works at raking a knee-high pile of leaves and as she describes the sizes of things around her. Can you tell us how Camille and other young children approach measurement?

Preschoolers and toddlers, before they are ready to understand and engage in measuring with standardized units like inches and feet, try out measuring in their own ways. For instance, they compare the thing to be measured with an object or their body. Here, Camille measures the changing height of her leaf pile as it moves up her leg to her knees—first reaching up to her ankles, then up to her boots, but then back down to her ankles after a big breeze, then finally after some serious raking all the way up to her knees—where it’s the perfect size for jumping in. Young children naturally love to consider their world in terms of the different sizes of things. Throughout the story, Camille actively references the sizes of things all around her, whether it’s that big breeze or the size of her jacket, rake, and leaf pile in comparison with the smaller jacket, rake, and leaf pile that belong to her little brother, Jayden.

Today’s post celebrates this beautiful and exuberant cover! What was your first reaction to seeing the final cover art?

When I first saw the final cover I gasped! I love cover art that is inviting and also contains a little mystery to it. Here, Nicole created the most glorious, radiant, luminescent fall day, and I immediately wanted to join in the play. And what was that cute little dragon/dinosaur up to in the background? Definitely intriguing. Then, also, there are hints of the size-comparison math to come in the story in the form of the differently sized two rakes and three birds. The idea of “leaves to my knees” is there too, center stage. The joy and energy in this cover scene is palpable as the leaves float from the tree and Camille almost seems to be dancing in her leaf pile. Thank you so much for introducing this gorgeous cover into the world, Kathy!

Do you have another favorite spread in the book? Why is this one special to you?

Nicole creates this wonderful dance here in her art, from cover to close, with captivating facial expressions on each page. It’s hard to single out a favorite spread—there is something that takes my breath away on each page! But I keep returning to the one near the end where all is right with the leaf pile, the jump, and the siblings. Here, Camille and Jayden have flopped onto her pile and are luxuriating side-by-side on the big crackly bed of leaves, enormous matching grins on their faces. Maybe I was worried that Camille wouldn’t let the little mischief-maker into her pile? But she’s not shooing him anyway anymore—they are just celebrating together the joys of a fall leaf pile.

What would you like for kids and adults to take away from the story?

I hope they will come away with a warm feeling inside after spending time with this playful and loving family, a family that’s engaged in a fall chore, but one that is also enjoying a lot of fun and learning together. I hope they take away that math is everywhere around us, and that young children—all young children—love to measure and compare as they go about their day. I hope they take away the powerful image of a child of color, and a girl, as an active mathematician. There still aren’t nearly enough Camilles in the pages of picture books, and everyone—kids of all backgrounds listening to this story and all their reading adults too—need to see and normalize children of color and girls doing math.

You can connect with Ellen on her Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

Meet Nicole Tadgell

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Nicole Tadgell is an award-winning watercolor artist of more than 30 luminous picture books. Her books have received numerous honors, including the Christopher Award and the Children’s Africana Book Award. They have been included on the Smithsonian Notable Books for Children, the New York Public Library’s Best 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, and many more notable lists. Born in Detroit, Michigan, frequent moves weren’t easy for Nicole, especially to new schools where she was the only Black kid in class. Art has always been both an escape and a labor of love for Nicole. Today, she brings stories to life while advocating for diversity in children’s literature. Nicole lives in Chesapeake, Virginia.

You can connect with Nicole on her Website | Facebook | Twitter

Can you share what attracted you to Ellen’s story from an illustrator’s point of view?

Because I often illustrate older children, I saw the opportunity to showcase two young children playing in autumn leaves. (My favorite season!)

Camille shows so much personality and determination on this cover image. Can you describe your process of designing and finalizing the cover?

Covers can be a challenge, to be sure. There’s a compromise to paint what’s fun . . .

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022

. . . versus showing the audience what the book is about!

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022

Were you inspired by personal memories of raking leaves as you worked on this cover image and interior spreads? Do you have a story about raking leaves you’d like to share?

I admit I had grown-up thoughts about there being spiders in the leaves! I don’t have a clear childhood memory of that happening, but I’ve seen plenty of spiders in leaves as an adult. A fun story is about the models for this book! My sister’s friend has two kids the right age. Their Dad was wonderful—instead of taking pictures of the kids playing in leaves, he shot video so I could pause and sketch. They were perfect! Original down to Camille’s double pom-poms and Jayden’s dinosaur coat.

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022

The soft colors of your illustrations in Leaves to My Knees are really lovely. Can you talk about how you choose a color palette for your work in general and for this cover in particular?

Endless choices! It’s hard to decide. Knowing the season, I began with fall colors: reds, oranges, yellows. I felt that contrast would help our family stand out, so I chose cool colors for Camille and Jayden. I chose earth tones for Dad to make the kids stand out even more.

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022

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Image copyright Nicole Tadgell, 2022

Interestingly, in the images I used for reference the real leaves had lost their color, so I just painted them colorful. I did make our Jayden a bit younger than the model’s age. For the backyard fence, I found a place nearby that had an interesting fence and small leaf-filled yard. I watched as cardinals flit between branches and squirrels chased each other, and inspiration came for the animal antics in the background!

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And finally, my partner Anthony was kind enough to pose as the dad in the book!

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Now that picture book creators are more free to interact with readers, what are you most looking forward to in promoting Leaves to My Knees?

Fun! I love signing books for kids & personalizing. 

In addition to celebrating a fun (and necessary) fall activity, Leaves to My Knees incorporates early math concepts of size and measurement. Can you give an example of how you depicted these ideas in your illustrations?

By using different sizes of the rakes and making sure the leaf piles matched the text (up to ankles, then knees).

I can almost feel the chill in the air and hear that crisp crunch of leaves underfoot that means it’s leaf-raking time!

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**You can find Leaves to My Knees on Amazon**

Leaves to My Knees: Hardcover | Paperback

Hojas hasta las rodillas / Leaves to My Knees: Paperback

You can also order from Star Bright Books

Leaves to My Knees: Hardcover | Paperback

Hojas hasta las rodillas / Leaves to My Knees: Paperback

Picture Book Review

August 12 – Cover Reveal of Leaves to My Knees plus Interview with Ellen Mayer and Nicole Tadgell

Posted by Kath Carroll

Leaves to My Knees

Hojas hasta las rodillas/Leaves to My Knees

Written by Ellen Mayer | Illustrated by Nicole Tadgell

Camille is determined to rake her own pile of leaves―all the way up to her knees! She swishes leaves to and fro, watching her pile grow bigger alongside the piles made by Daddy and her little brother, Jayden. WHOOSH! After raking leaves to the top of her boots, a giant breeze blows the pile back down to her ankles. But Camille won’t be stopped until she gets the job done––a knee-high pile, the perfect size for… jumping in!

Leaves to My Knees and Spanish/English bilingual Hojas hasta las rodillas/Leaves to My Knees are playful introductions to the early math concepts of size comparison and measurement. A note by researcher and mathematics learning expert Marlene Kliman explains how parents and caregivers can use the book to help young children explore different sizes and measurement in everyday environments.

I’m thrilled to be talking with Ellen Mayer and Nicole Tadgell today about this gorgeous cover and their adorable—and educational—book that will be available this fall, just in time for leaf-raking season!