Picture Books That Caught My Eye this Week!

I give these books a 5 out of 5!

There Was A Party For Langston: King of Letters written by Jason Reynolds and illustrated by Jerome Pumphrey and Jarrett Pumphrey, Atheneum Books, October 3, 2023. This book is a get-up-and-move celebration of Langston Hughes.

If I Was a Horse written and illustrated by Sophie Blackhall, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, October 3, 2023. A humorous story about a child, a horse, and imagination.

All We Need Is Love and a Really Soft Pillow written and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds and Henry Rocket Reynolds, Orchard Books, October 3, 2023. A sweet book about love and the ways to share it.

Penguin Huddle written by Ross Montgomery and illustrated by Sarah Warburton, Walker Books US, October 3, 2023. A charmingly, funny book about a group of penguins that find themselves stuck together and how the littlest one helps their dilemma.

Love and Hugs: Winter written and illustrated by Tracey Colliston, Boxer Books, October 3, 2023. A book that celebrates the things about the season of winter.

Picture Books Gifts for Father’s Day

A book is a gift you can open again and again.

Picture books are perfect tools to promote reading and bonding with father and child. If you’re still looking for a gift for Dad, here are a few suggestions.

How to Catch a Daddysaurus written by Alice Walstead and illustrated by Andy Elkerton, Sourcebooks Wonderland, 2023

Made for Me written by Zack Bush and illustrated by Gregorio de Lauretis, Familius, 2018

Daddy Speaks Love written by Leah Henderson and illustrated by E.B. Lewis, Nancy Paulsen Books, 2022

This Is the First Book I Will Read to You written by Francesco Sedita and illustrated by Magenta Fox, Viking Books For Young Readers, 2023

Hair Love written by Matthew A. Cherry and illustrated by Vashti Harrison, Kokila, 2019

My Dad Is A Tree written and illustrated by Jon Agee, Rocky Pond Books, 2023

Dad and the Dinosaur written by Gennifer Choldenko and illustrated by Dan Santat, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 2017

I hope you find a perfect gift to celebrate your dad!

Picture Books You’ll Like

Here are a few of the books I’ve enjoyed during the month of June. See what you think.

Viking in Love

Stig is a Viking who is afraid of the sea. One day, he sees Ingrid, a fearless Viking with the sweetest voice he’s ever heard. Before he can say anything, the sea sweeps her away. Stig is in love. He writes a mushy love note to Ingrid and waits, and waits, and waits on the beach to see her. When he finally sees her, she’s too far away. He tries everything to reach her, but nothing works. There is only one thing left to do – venture into the sea. GASP! He finds a floaty and begins his journey to his love. It does not go well. Will Stig and Ingrid end up together? You’ll have to read this book about love, persistence, and overcoming fears to find out. 

Knight Owl

The day he is born, Owl knows he wants to become a knight – brave and clever. When knights begin disappearing from the castle, Owl applies to Knight School and is accepted. He is a good student, but because of his size, he has difficulty with his sword and shield. He graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. Other knights tend to fall asleep, but not Owl. He is perfect for the job. All goes well until he comes beak to snout with a hungry dragon who is looking for a snack. Being not only brave but clever, Owl outwits the dragon. Knights stop disappearing from the castle, and Owl is happy at his Knight Owl post with Dragon as his friend. This is a sweet book about following your dreams. 

Wild for Winnie

Winnie is not an ordinary classmate. She doesn’t quite fit in. Winnie does things that might be considered inappropriate in class. The teacher understands and suggests that the class give her a chance. For one week, the teacher guides the class with activities that help make Winnie feel more comfortable during the day. By the end of the week, everyone sees Winnie and their world a bit differently. Back matter has calming activities that can help kids who have difficulty settling down. Kudos to teachers who have the patience and wisdom to help all children fit in.

A Good Place

A bee, ladybug, beetle, and dragonfly are looking for a good place to live. They try and try, but they can’t find that special place. When they think they’ll never find a home, a butterfly surprises them with a perfect place. Vibrant colorful scenes add to the fun of this book.

Milk and Juice A Recycling Romance

Juice and Milk fall in love while in the refrigerator. But when Juice is empty, Juice ends up at the recycling center and is devastated. Juice keeps getting recycled into different bottles all while looking for Milk. True love is gone and Juice is in despair. After being recycled for a final time, who does Juice find? Milk! Juice and Milk are as close as ever. They have been recycled into a park bench – never to be parted again. A fun book about recycling with back matter to go along with it. 

Look for more delightful picture books next week.

It’s National Walnut Day!

Go nuts!

If you’re a health nut, then walnuts are for you. They are nutritious and delicious. Just a few of these nuts provide you with a whole list of healthful benefits.

Choose walnuts:

Rich in antioxidants and Omega 3s

Good for your gut

Helps with weight control

Good for healthy aging

Boosts brain function

If you’re hungry and need a tasty snack, grab a handful of walnuts to feed your hunger pangs and improve your well-being.

Go nutty today with some fun nut idioms and puns.

Idioms:

Tough nut to crack

Health nut

In a nutshell

From soup to nuts

Nuts about you

You drive me nuts

Get down to the nuts and bolts

A coffee nut

Puns:

Nut-thing lasts forever

Believe it or nut

Down, but nut out

Burn the midnut oil

The writing is on the wal-nut

A true treat on National Walnut Day is the book All from a Walnut by Ammi-Joan Paquette.

This is a beautiful and heartfelt multigenerational story. Grandfather tells Emilia the story of his journey across the ocean carrying only one bag and in his pocket, a walnut. That walnut seed planted many years ago is now a strong tree, towering above Emilia’s mother’s smaller tree. And now, Grandfather patiently teaches Emilia how to plant and care for the walnut she found. With each page turn, this story tugs at your heart as readers revel in the story of family, love, and life.  

The soft light of morning falls upon ripening forests of oak and elm, walnut and hickory, and all Nature is thoughtful and calm. – Author: John Muir

Bring on the Valentines! Picture Books to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is Monday. Love is in the air. Greeting cards, flowers, candy, sparkly gifts are all ways to show the special people in your life that you love them. For the younger generation, plush toys may be a just-right gift. But what about books? There are a variety of picture books that illustrate love, caring, friendship, and kindness. They would make terrific heartfelt gifts for the young and old.

Maybe one of these books will touch your heart!

The Love Letter

Sealed With A Kiss

Groggle’s Monster Valentine

I’ll Love You Till The Cows Come Home

Click, Clack, Moo I Love You!

This Is N0T A Valentine

The Pete Cat’s Groovy Guide to Love

Love You By Heart

Viking In Love

What Is Love?

Here Comes Valentine Cat

Love Is For Roaring

Love From The Very Hungry Caterpillar

If You Were My Valentine

My Favorite Christmas Stories

My all-time favorite Christmas stories are The Gift of the Magi and A Christmas Carol. Each Christmas season, I have my copies out ready to read. I never tire of the beautiful messages that are woven into the words written by O. Henry and Charles Dickens. These stories touch my heart.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Della and Jim, a young married couple, are in love. They are as poor as church mice but long to give each other a special Christmas gift – a thoughtful one to show their love. Even though neither of them has any extra money to buy an expensive gift, each is willing to sell a most precious possession to buy one. Jim sells his gold watch to buy tortoise-shell combs to adorn Della’s long hair. Della sells her hair to buy a watch fob for Jim’s watch. In the end, the expensive gifts seem a bit foolish since neither Della nor Jim can use them. So, why is the title The Gift of the Magi? The magi were wise men who traveled a long distance to give precious gifts to the baby Jesus. Although you may not agree, Della and Jim were wise when they chose their gifts for one another. The gifts represent the incredible sacrifice each was willing to make to express their love for one another. Now that’s what I call true love!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Scrooge was not always a gruff man, but over the years,  greed slowly consumed him as money became more important to him than anything and anyone else – including his only nephew, Fred who is kind-hearted, and Bob Cratchit, his clerk, who loves his large family, especially Tiny Tim who uses a crutch and wears braces on this legs. Scrooge has a cold heart and cares for no one. On Christmas eve, the ghost of Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s deceased partner in business, appears to Scrooge warning him to change his ways before it’s too late. Much to Scrooge’s dismay, Marley tells Scrooge he will be visited by three ghosts – The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. With each ghostly visit, Scrooge’s icy heart slowly begins to melt. Scrooge remembers the happy things from his past, sees the spirit of Christmas come alive in the present as he observes the happiness in his nephew’s home and the love and warmth found in the Cratchit family’s home. By the time Scrooge meets the ominous Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, he vows to become a better man. In the following days, Scrooge reconciles with his nephew, Fred, becomes a generous benefactor in his community and is like a second father to Tiny Tim. This is a story of greed, redemption, generosity, and kindness. It’s a reminder to keep the spirit of Christmas alive all year long.

“And so, as Tiny Tim observed, “God Bless Us, Every One!”

Love Is…

This past weekend our youngest grandchild was baptized. He wore a 140-year-old family baptismal gown. I’m sure our Irish relatives were looking down from heaven with happiness and pride.

Including our daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, there were thirteen people under one roof for the weekend. Six of those were children – ages five and younger. On Sunday, more people arrived for the baptismal celebration. It was a happy day with a bit of chaos sprinkled in. During all of the goings-on, these two found a quiet space to share a book.

Love is faith, family, and friends!

Brown Sugar Babe – A Delicious Picture Book

Brown Sugar Babe is written by Charlotte Watson Sherman and illustrated by Akem, Boyds Mills Press, 2020.

This is a beautiful story of a small child who doesn’t like the color of her brown skin. “I’m pink.” She declares. The lyrical text flows throughout the story as the child’s mother tries to convince her “brown sugar babe” to embrace all the wonderful attributes of the color brown. The author, Charlotte Watson Sherman, uses a variety of techniques to tell her story. Metaphors  “…your hair, a crown of brown curls…” Comparisons:  “Brown is silent—  a raisin crinkling in the sun…” Rhyme:  “Bubbling brown sugar babe, honeyed and bright as marmalade.” Akem‘s magical illustrations are lush with rich earth tones of brown, yellow, red, and orange in double-page spreads.  Brown Sugar Babe is a delicious story of a mother’s love and a child’s acceptance that makes for a tasty read aloud to be shared again and again.

 

 

 

Happy Holidays!

In this season of hope and goodwill, may your heart and home be filled with the joys of love, family, and friends.

Merry Christmas!

 

Christmas Chaos

Oh, the weather outside is frightful…

Actually, it’s beautiful and sunny, but the atmosphere inside is frightful.

I’m behind in my Christmas prep. This is not my normal self. I’m usually on top of things.

It’s time to make my list and check it twice.

“Deck the Halls!”

Done!

I’m Dreaming of a “White Christmas” with every Christmas card I write!

Done!

Christmas Cookies – Wh-a-a-a-t?

Recipes – waiting patiently!

Presents – That’s Santa’s job!

Wrapping –  Can’t wrap without presents!

What else?

Laundry baskets full of dirty clothes.

Dust bunnies hopping in every nook and cranny of the house.

Grocery shopping – the cupboards are bare.

There is chaos in our household. Guests invited weeks ago are expected for Saturday dinner. Family will be here on Sunday –  because there’s “No Place Like Home for the Holidays.”

I keep telling myself, baby steps. Oh, oh, those baby steps remind me of the three sweet girls coming on Sunday. Curiosity will get the best of them. That means to get ready for the “Jingle Bell Rock” and roll of the Christmas tree.

All of this is making me a crazy woman. If I keep this up, “I’m Gettin’ Nuttin’ for Christmas!”

“Breathe in…breathe out,” says my husband. “You can do it.” And then he points to the tree in our backyard that he decorated with me in mind. His heart lights up my life!

Christmas is a season for kindling the fire for hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ~Washington Irving