Category: Preschool Reads

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

My Mother’s Tongues celebrates language and culture

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

My Mother’s Tongues: A Weaving of Languages by Uma Menon/Illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell, (Feb. 2024, Candlewick Press), $18.99, ISBN: 9781536222517

Ages 4-8

A young girl named Sumi loves that her mother speaks two languages, Malayalam and English. She has “two tongues” and can easily move between each language depending on who she’s speaking with: with Sumi, she speaks a combination of Malayalam and English; with the cashier at the store, English; with her grandmother, Malayalam. Sumi sees only one tongue in her mother’s mouth, but the two tongues are “woven together like fine cloth. The seams are invisible”. Sumi thinks of her mother’s childhood, her migration from India to America, and how her two tongues grew together. Her family tells her that languages are like muscles and that they need to be exercised to become stronger, and she thinks of all the languages she hears. The story is a lyrical celebration of langauge and diversity, with emphasis on embracing one’s own tongue while learning others, and how multilingualism can expand our world while bringing us together. Mixed media illustrations in vivid colors look like a woven quilt and weaving references throughout the storytelling reinforce the theme. An excellent addition to storytime collections.

My Mother’s Tongues has a starred review from School Library Journal.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Finding Grateful any place, any time

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Finding Grateful, by Dianne White/Illustrated by Faith Pray, (Apr. 2024, Chronicle Books), $17.99, ISBN: 9781797211237

Ages 5-7

A child and her mother embrace mindfulness and find gratitude in everything around them in this lyrical picture book that encourages readers to take time to enjoy the small moments: waving at neighbors, running barefoot in the grass and listening to a plane fly overhead, admiring dandelions push their way up through a crack in the pavement. Filled with poetic observations like “Mama says: / you don’t need a map / to find grateful”; “be where your feet are”; and “maybe grateful is a cold spray on a hot day”, Finding Grateful honors the small moments that too often go overlooked. Watercolor, crayon, pencil, and linoleum blocks create soft illustrations; the child centered in the spreads while life goes on around her in the background, giving readers a real sense delight and exploration. The child’s body movements are a celebration of discovery: hands thrown up, she runs through grass after she frees her feet from her sandals to be in touch with the grass; arms back as she runs forward, tongue out, she catches water from a sprinkler; arms thrust out in front of her, she greets a neighbor and holds out a flower. Finding Grateful is a wonderful introduction to small moment storytelling. A very good addition to storytime and picture book collections.

Finding Grateful has a starred review from Kirkus.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads, Uncategorized

New Earth Day Reads!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Earth Day is right around the corner! There are some great new books to have ready for a great readaloud. Let’s take a look.

Miss MacDonald Has a Farm, by Kalee Gwarjanski/Illustrated by Elizabet Vuković, (March 2024, Doubleday Books for Young Readers), $18.99, ISBN: 9780593568163

Ages 3-7

It’s a new spin on an old favorite! Miss MacDonald has a farm, and she loves to grow her own food in this ode to farm-to-table food. Kids are going to love this easy-to-learn song, with repetitive phrases like “Miss MacDonald has a farm. / She loves things that grow” and “E-I-E-I-GROW”. Miss MacDonald grows all sorts of yummy food, like tomatoes and green beans, sweet corn and pumpkins, and she “shuck-shucks” and “thrish-thrashes” her way through her fields, planting and harvesting her wares to bring to a farmer’s market and feasting at a community table with a diverse group of neighbors. It’s a fun way to illustrate where our food comes from and how it gets to the table, with colorful and appealing illustrations that show a young female farmer of color growing and harvesting her food. Back matter includes vocabulary that explains the steps in getting food to grow from seed to table, and a recipe for a harvest vegetable bake included in the story. I sang this story to a pre-k class during a school visit this week, and they loved it! This is a great story for anyone who’s doing flannel storytimes, too – get those colorful sheets out and make yourself a vegetable garden.

Chicken Soup for the Soul KIDS: The Sunshine Garden: Being a Team Player, by Jamie Michalak/Illustrated by Jenna Nahyun Chung, (March 2024, Charlesbridge), $14.99, ISBN: 9781623542863

Ages 4-7

The Sunshine Squad returns in this sweet story about kindness, teamwork, and gardening. The Sunshine Squad are six friends who loves to pretend they’re superheroes, and do some pretty great everyday superhero stuff. Mia, one of the Squad, learns that her grandma’s friend, Mr. Angelo, is sick and unable to tend to his community garden and steps in to help… but it’s a much bigger task than she realized. The rest of the Sunshine Squad step in and use their “superpowers” to get the job done and save the day! It’s a sweet story about helping one another and being kind, while showing kids that kindness can be a superpower. Back matter includes tips on being part of a team, with suggestions that work nicely within an Earth Day setting. It’s a good additional add to picture book collections, especially where Chicken Soup for the Soul books do well.

 

 

You Are a Little Seed, by Sook-Hee Choi, Translated by Jieun Kiaer, (March 2024, Charlesbridge), $15.99, ISBN: 9781623544287

Ages 2-5

Originally published in Korean in 2013, this is a gentle story that reads like poetry, describing seven types of flowers that bloom from different types of seeds and became beautiful flowers: “A seed, a seed blowing / in the wind… / took root in / the wild and bloomed / as a dandelion”. Children show up in the flowers as seeds and fully bloomed, showing readers that we can bloom under all sorts of conditions. A soft color palette creates a soothing setting, and the flower illustrations are breathtaking. A wonderful metaphor for how we grow and our beauty in diversity. My only concern is a pssage that describes a seed as “ugly and wrinkled”, which reads more like the author is referring to the child as unsightly; I’m hoping it was more of a moment where the child may feel that way but blossoms into themselves? Other than that, You Are a Little Seed is lovely.

You Are a Little Seed has starred reviews from Kirkus and Foreword Reviews.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Blog Tour: I Am Gravity, by Henry Herz

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

In 2021, Henry Herz and Tilbury House published I Am Smoke, a lyrical meditation into our world as seen through the eyes of Smoke: its presence in history, science, and culture. Now, we can look forward to its companion, releasing on April 16th: I Am Gravity.

I Am Gravity, by Henry Herz/Illustrated by Mercè López,
(Apr. 2024, Tilbury House), $18.95, ISBN: 9781668936849

Ages 4-8

Narrated by Gravity, I Am Gravity reveals its existence in our lives from the very beginning, at once revealing the beauty and the power of its force: “Over millions of years, I pack molecules into planets… I have existed since the dawn of time. I am gravity” and balances with its ethereal beauty: “You can feel me but not see me. I reach / everywhere, touching everything… / … a butterfly landing on your outstretched palm, / a whale diving deep, the moon far above.” López’s exquisite illustrations paint Gravity as a deep pink presence, guiding a whale underwater and wrapping around a planet in formation. A fantastic companion to I Am Smoke and an essential addition to picture book STEM collections.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? Fun for bedtime and storytime

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night?, by Steven J. Simmons & Clifford R. Simmons/Illustrated by Ruth E. Harper, (Apr. 2024, Charlesbridge Publishing), $17.99, ISBN: 9781623542979

Ages 3-7

Ocean animals sleep just like land animals do – and like kids do, too! This rhyming story is nonfiction that reads like a bedtime story and will appeal to younger learners. Beginning and closing with human children to place the reader in the story, Simmons and Simmons weave a playful rhyme that delves into the sleeping habits and underwater areas of a plethora of sea creatures including stringrays, whales, sharks, and octopuses. The story educates as it charms, giving readers interesting facts like “A clownfish can wiggle and do a dance. / It eats tiny animals and also plants. / It lives in anemones that keep away foes; / these homes are poison, and other fish know. / But for the clownfish it’s safe to stay, / and here it sleeps at the end of each day”. Harper’s realistic watercolor illustrations show the colorful range of different underwater flora and fauna, with gorgeous texture that brings life to every spread (seriously – I want a print of the octopus spread). Beginning with a group of children enjoying a day at the beach and playing with toys of the very animals we meet throughout the story, and closing with the kids winding down for a good night’s sleep – with their sea friends nest to them as they drift off in their “nice, dry bed[s]”, this is a great choice for bedtime, pajama storytimes, or under the sea-themed storytimes. Where Do Ocean Creatures Sleep at Night? is the third book in a series that includes Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night and Where Do Big Creatures Sleep at Night? and is a fun addition to early nonfiction collections.

I Heart Crafty Things has adorable Sea Creatures coloring pages for a post-storytime activity. LucyJaneLovesLearning on TeachersPayTeachers has free sea creature student name tags, if you have large storytime groups and do name tags.

 

EDITED TO ADD: There’s a downloadable activity kit for Where Do Creatures Sleep at Night? Download it here!

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Season’s Readings: Pick a Perfect Egg

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Pick a Perfect Egg, by Patricia Toht/Illustrated by Jarvis, (Feb. 2023, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536228472

Ages 3-5

I really enjoy a good holiday story from Toht and Jarvis, who’ve created holiday stories like Pick a Pine Tree and Pick a Pumpkin. Pick a Perfect Easter Egg celebrates a child and mother getting ready for Easter, from their trip to a farm to choose eggs, going home to dye them using natural and store-bought coloring, and the big morning when their town comes together to celebrate the big day. Toht’s comforting rhyme is made for storytime and Jarvis’s digital illustrations have a soft watercolor feel, sprinkled with a bit of Easter magic. A wonderful story for Spring, filled with touches like budding trees, colorful clothing, and bright days, this is a lovely, non-religious selection for spring storytimes.

Crayola has coloring and activity sheets available for download, as does Monday Mandala. Teachers Pay Teachers has some good educational activities available, including Jelly Bean Math from Simply Kinder, a hatching chick activity from Mandy Porta, math coloring worksheets from First Thinkers, a Build a Bunny craft from Especially Smart, and Peeps Clip Art from Krista Wallden.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Happy World Storytelling Day! The Storyteller, by Lindsay Bonilla & Noar Lee Naggan

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

It’s World Storytelling Day! Time to bring people (and animals!) together and weave a world of stories. Let’s start with Lindsay Bonilla and Noar Lee Naggan’s beautiful fable, The Storyteller.

The Storyteller, by Lindsay Bonilla/Illustrated by Noar Lee Naggan, (March 2024, Nancy Paulsen Books),
$18.99, ISBN: 9780593109588
Ages 4-7

Griffin’s grandmother is The Storyteller: she spins incredible stories that captivate her listener. From fairy tales and folk tales to family stories (with a big of tall tale), The Storyteller nourished Griffin’s spirit and soul with story after story, putting him in the middle of the most amazing tales. But Griffin sees what no one will tell him outright: The Storyteller is fading, and he must go on one last adventure with her. Buying “magic beans” and growing a beanstalk, he confides in his grandmother that he is scared. She promises him that they have faced far greater foes, and tasks him with keeping the stories alive before departing. This intergenerational tale of love and loss is moving and powerful. Naggan’s watercolor and pencil illustration give us a magical Storyteller with long gray hair and a colorful caftan; truly a magical person of wisdom. Griffin in his sweater and boots, is an eager student. Naggan places the two in our real, day-to-day world and in fantastic landscapes where we see Grandmother walking alongside a giant cat wearing boots, and Griffin, wearing a red cape with horns and looking like a mashup of Max from Where the Wild Things Are and Red Riding Hood, chasing a Big Bad Wolf through the woods. Bonilla’s narrative reaches that piece of us that needs stories like we need food: “The Storyteller fed him milk, fresh-baked bread, and all kinds of stories. Folktales, fairy tales, and legends”. Their goodbye is at once painful and beautiful, and we see how Storytellers leave their mark on us, and how we go on to become Storytellers ourselves. An incredible journey for readers, this is an excellent addition to collections.

On a personal note, I’ve just lost my own Storyteller, so this book meant the world to me.

The Storyteller has a starred review from Kirkus.

★“Brief but potent text is paired with illustrations that exude a sense of magic and the joy of storytelling. . . . Warmly and tenderly conveys the comfort of sharing the lore of days gone by.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Lindsay Bonilla is a professional storyteller and author whose previous picture books include Parents’ Choice Award winner Polar Bear Island, I Love You with All of My Hearts, and The Note Who Faced the Music. She lives with her husband, two wild and creative kids, and her dog, Blitzen, in North Canton, Ohio. Learn more at lindsaybonilla.com.

Noar Lee Naggan (noarleenaggan.com) also illustrated Lilah Tov Good Night (by Ben Gundersheimer). Originally from Israel, with a background in animation and graphic design, he is now a full-time illustrator in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables? Fantastic, can’t wait to tell my kids!

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

There’s No Such Thing as Vegetables, by Kyle Lukoff/Illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi, (Feb. 2024, Henry Holt & Company), $18.99, ISBN: 9781250867841

Ages 4-8

Chester is a kid who just wants to get some vegetables from the community garden so his mom can make him a salad. He gets schooled by the garden’s inhabitants on the many groups that fall under the “vegetable umbrella”. Broccoli? That’s a flower, and her name is Juanita, thank you very much. Potato and Carrot? Those are roots; Lettuce and Kale? Those are leaves. Cucumber, Pepper, and Eggplant are all fruits. Different groups explain their importance and their jobs to Chester with often hilarious moments: Lettuce informs Chester that being good in a salad doesn’t make one a vegetable: “…bacon is good in salads, but that doesn’t make bacon a vegetable”. When Chester claims that vegetables taste good but don’t have a lot of sugar, Beet corrects him, noting that “they literally use me to make sugar”. So why are all these different groups of tasty foods grouped under one term? “Say anything enough times and it’ll stop sounding like a real word”, replies Corn. Newbery Honor Award and Stonewall Award winner Lukoff takes a funny story about vegetables to teach a lesson on social constructs, and an author’s note at the end of the story invites readers to think about  and discuss other social constructs. Tsurumi’s illustrated vegetables have personality, and Chester is sweetly exasperated as he tries to work it all out. Endpapers show the group of of sassy “vegetables”, clearly labeled to help readers identify them. Download free activity worksheets here.

Kyle Lukoff is a Newbery Honoree, a Stonewall Award winner, and a National Book Award finalist. Visit his author page to learn more about his books and upcoming events. Illustrator Andrea Tsurumi is a Society of Illustrators Silver Medalist and Red Clover Book Award recipient. You can visit their author page to read their comics and learn more about their books.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Taxi, Go is a rhyming run through town

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Taxi, Go!, by Patricia Toht/Illustrated by Maria Karipidou, (Feb. 2024, Candlewick Press), $17.99, ISBN: 9781536231533

Ages 2-5

An adorable, big-eyed taxi has a busy day ahead in this sweet rhyming story. Waking up and driving to the heart of town, Taxi picks up fares and drops them off at all sorts of places, from a business meetings to shops to concerts. The last fare of the day is a family coming home from a trip; Taxi picks them up at the airport and drops them off at home before heading back to the depot for a good night’s sleep. The story brings readers through a busy little town and touches on street safety and stopping for emergencies. An inclusive, diverse group of characters provide a welcoming feel. The colorful and cheery digital illustrations are eye-catching, with a bright red taxi sporting wide eyes and a smile; human characters have similar big-eyed, friendly expressions. A generous palette of reds and yellows add energetic flow, and there is a lot of movement in the book: Taxi is always on the move; dogs’ tails cheerfully wag; people hail Taxi and move through a bustling town. Vehicle books are always popular in my library, and this will be another entertaining read for storytimes. A good addition.

 

Posted in picture books, Preschool Reads

Speck: an epic journey

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

Speck: An Itty-Bitty Epic, by Margaux Meganck, (March 2024, Knopf), $19.99, ISBN: 9780593301975

Ages 3-6

Go on an epic journey with a tiny speck in this gorgeously illustrated story. A little speck is born in a tide pool and is swept along “past creatures to cling to rocks, / past flickering fins and flashing scales”; separated from their group, each speck is searching for something. Some drift apart, some feel small in such a big ocean, but hiding? That’s just not part of the adventure. Embracing the wonder, a brave little speck grows and perseveres. A beautifully told parable for all ages, Meganck reaches readers by letting us know that we all feel small in this vast world, but the journey is worth it. Embrace it all and find your place in the world. Breathtaking watercolor illustrations play with perspective, bringing readers up close to a smiling barnacle and pulling back to show a colorful ribbon of fish swimming in a whale’s wake. Perfect for readalouds with younger readers and deeper explorations with older readers, Speck is a must-purchase for collections. Keep this one in mind for Caldecott season, folks.

Speck has starred reviews from Kirkus and The Bulletin.

 

 

★ “A poignant, reflective story that’s every bit as relevant to children as it is to adults. . . . Deeply moving.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred)

Margaux Meganck spends her days dodging raindrops and drawing from her imagination in beautiful Portland, Oregon. Her author-illustrator debut, People are Wild, received two starred reviews and was named a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year. Her illustration work has earned multiple accolades. Speck is the second book she has both written and illustrated. To learn more, visit margauxmeganck.com.